Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 358: So, When Exactly Is Fairy Tail Planning to Conquer the Universe?

Fiore Kingdom – Magnolia Town – Fairy Tail Guild…

”Phew~”

In the guildʼs bathhouse, Gildarts, who had been badly beaten by Selene during a mission and forced to retreat, now lay soaking in the hot water, battered and bruised. Across from him sat Evan, Laxus, Makarov, and several other male Fairy Tail members.

”So, what did you call us all here for, Gildarts?”

Evan, submerged waist-deep in the water, looked at Gildarts curiously.

”Phew~” Gildarts exhaled in comfort, then gave Evan a helpless look and said, ”Evan, things canʼt go on like this! Ever since Selene and Irene formed that so-called ʼFairy Tail Womenʼs Association,ʼ we male mages have seen our status in the guild drop like a rock! Iʼm not even allowed to peek into the womenʼs bath anymore and watch the young, beautiful girls bathe. This is outrageous! Those women donʼt even treat us like people anymore…”

”No, no, no, you never had the right to peep in the first place…”

”And itʼs not that those women donʼt treat you like a person. Itʼs that, as a person, you insist on acting like a perverted mutt. Who would treat someone like that with respect?”

Evan raised an eyebrow. Just listen to the kind of trash Gildarts was spouting.

”True, forbidding peeping is way too much. That should definitely be condemned!”

”Also, last time, when I ordered all the female mages in the guild, under the authority of my role as guild master, to only wear miniskirts, the Womenʼs Association gave me a warning. Poor old me, all I wanted was to catch a glimpse of some youthful underwear. Whatʼs so wrong with that?!”

Makarov, the tiny old man, nodded enthusiastically at Gildartsʼ words, clearly in agreement.

”Thatʼs even worse!”

Evan was speechless. He didnʼt even know what to say about this dirty old man anymore.

”Master…”

Gildarts looked at Makarov with heartfelt gratitude.

”Gildarts!”

Makarov returned the gaze with equal feeling. Their eyes met, as if silently saying, I understand you, brother.

”You two are beyond saving…”

Evan stared at Makarov and Gildarts, utterly exasperated.

”So, in order to protect the rights of male mages in our guild, I was thinking… why donʼt we form a Fairy Tail Menʼs Association or something? What do you guys think?”

Gildarts continued building on his earlier thoughts.

”Menʼs Association?”

Evan raised an eyebrow. Something about this idea reeked of ulterior motives. Gildarts was definitely planning something shady and wanted to drag him down with him.

”A Menʼs Association would be a group where men help each other out. For example, when Iʼm trying to peek at the womenʼs bath, you, Evan, would help me distract Selene and Irene, so they donʼt stop me…”

Gildarts looked at Evan dead serious as he made his ridiculous request.

”Iʼm leaving.”

Evan stood up wordlessly, ready to go.

”Wait!”

Seeing Evan about to leave, Gildarts jumped up from the water and grabbed onto him.

”Donʼt drag me into this nonsense!”

Veins bulged on Evanʼs forehead as he shouted at Gildarts.

”But Evan, youʼre the only one who can hold off Selene and Irene! No one else in the guild can stop them! Please, help us! Just let me peek, Iʼm begging you!”

Gildarts clung to Evanʼs leg, tearfully pleading.

”Absolutely not!”

The veins on Evanʼs forehead throbbed harder as he flat-out refused.

”Evan, Iʼm begging you too.”

Just as Evan was about to kick Gildarts away, Makarov, perverted old man that he was, latched onto Evanʼs other leg.

”Master, you too?!”

Evan twitched in disbelief as Makarov unexpectedly joined in.

”Please! If you help us distract Selene and Irene, when itʼs your turn to sneak a peek, weʼll risk our lives to stop them for you…”

In an instant, both Makarov and Gildarts clung to Evanʼs legs, pleading in unison.

”Oh really? So if I help you two, I get to peek too? How kind of you.”

”But I refuse.”

”I, Evan, despise lowly, depraved behavior like this. You two scumbags, even worse, scumbags who are fathers, let go of me. Now.”

Evan barked at them, full of disgust.

”Please, Evan! Youʼre the only one who can do this!!”

”And we promise not to peek at Erza and Irene!”

Makarov and Gildarts continued begging, holding tightly onto Evanʼs legs.

”What?! You actually want to peek at Erza and Irene?! You two have a death wish?! Say the word and Iʼll personally punch you both straight into hell!”

Evanʼs face darkened with fury.

”Please!!”

Undeterred, Makarov and Gildarts persisted. After all, shamelessness was one of Fairy Tailʼs many spiritual values.

”You two done yet?! Let go! Iʼm finished bathing, Iʼm leaving!”

Evan roared at the two leg-clingers like a man at his limit.

”Pathetic…”

On the other side of the bath, Laxus rolled his eyes. He had thought Gildarts summoned him for something serious. But it was for this?

A faint blush crossed Laxusʼs usually stern face. With a cold snort, he walked off without another word.

It wasnʼt that Laxus wasnʼt curious, but as Fairy Tailʼs top idol, he absolutely could not stoop to such depravity.

Boom!

Moments after Laxus left the bath, Evan slammed his signature ”Azure Dragonʼs Crushing Fist” down on Gildarts and Makarov.

His strike was precise, Gildarts was almost beaten half to death, while Makarov only received a symbolic scare.

Being a sly old fox, Makarov instantly realized what Evan meant. He immediately let go of Evanʼs leg, dared not block his path again, and didnʼt utter another word about peeking on the womenʼs bath.

Slap…

Just as Evan was about to leave, an old hand suddenly rested on his shoulder.

”Hm?”

Evan blinked in surprise and turned slightly.

Standing there was a white-bearded elder, shirtless, wrapped in a white towel, his gaze fixed intently on Evan.

”Uh…”

Feeling that gaze, Evan instinctively shuddered.

”August? Itʼs only been a few days, donʼt tell me youʼve suddenly developed an interest in men?”

Evan looked at the old man, testing the waters.

”Huh?”

The elder, August, froze for a second, his brows furrowing deeply.

”What are you talking about?”

He looked completely puzzled by Evanʼs remark.

”Oh, really? Nothing. Just asking casually…”

Evan glanced at Augustʼs calm expression and let out a small sigh of relief. It was clear to him now that August hadnʼt suddenly ”come out,” which eased his nerves a bit.

”Evan, actually… thereʼs something Iʼd like to ask of you.”

Augustʼs expression turned serious as he looked at Evan, his eyes flickering slightly.

That was because August had just heard some astonishing things from ERAʼs former council chairman, Crawford Seim. And through observing Evan and Fairy Tailʼs behavior, he had come to an even more shocking conclusion, that Fairy Tailʼs ultimate goal wasnʼt merely the conquest of Earthland, but the conquest of the entire universe, and the horrifying creation of Fairy Tail colonies across it…

So now, August had decided to confirm this with Evan directly.

”Uh…”

”Youʼre not planning to sneak a peek at the womenʼs bath too, are you? If itʼs the Alvarez Empireʼs bathhouse, go ahead, I donʼt manage that. But as for Fairy Tailʼs bathhouse, Iʼd advise you not to. After all, your motherʼs soul is over there too, enjoying a good soak~”

Evan blinked at him, then looked August up and down. Shaking his head, he muttered inwardly, Who wouldʼve thought? August acts all serious, but turns out heʼs just another old pervert.

”What nonsense?!”

August froze. Peeping on the womenʼs bath? What the hell?!

Did he, August, look like that kind of man?

”I actually came to ask you something serious. And I hope youʼll answer me honestly.”

August looked at Evan, completely exasperated, trying to explain.

”You scared me for a second. I thought you were here with the same intentions as those two ʼcorpsesʼ over there~”

Evan chuckled and pointed at Gildarts and Makarov, who were either unconscious or pretending to be after his earlier beatdown.

”…”

Hearing this, Augustʼs eyes narrowed as he looked at Gildarts and Makarovʼs floating bodies.

He had just overheard that his motherʼs spirit was bathing in there too. Whether or not ghosts actually needed baths was debatable, but facts were facts.

So Gildarts and Makarov were trying to spy on his mother bathing?!

As the thought crossed Augustʼs mind, a sudden urge surged within him to obliterate the two ʼcorpsesʼ floating nearby.

Fortunately, just as he was about to act, reason triumphed over rage, and Gildarts and Makarov were spared.

A lucky day for those two degenerates. Truly, a cause for celebration…

”Sigh… So what did you want to talk about, Mr. August?”

Evan looked at him helplessly.

”Evan, could you tell me… in detail… about Fairy Tailʼs strategic plans and future goals for universal conquest?”

August asked with a deadly serious expression.

”...Huh?!”

Evan froze. He had no idea what August was even talking about.

”Donʼt lie to me, Evan. Iʼm a member of Fairy Tail now, I should be allowed to know about its core plans, shouldnʼt I?

I know that Fairy Tail is building up strength, preparing to conquer the world of Earthland…”

Augustʼs eyes gleamed with intensity as he spoke.

”If such a plan did exist, Iʼd honestly love to tell you. But the truth is… we have no such plan.”

Evan sighed, clearly confused and exasperated.

”Huh?! That canʼt be right…”

August blinked in disbelief.

”Also, where exactly did you hear about this conquering the universe thing, Mr. August?

Thatʼs incredibly dangerous, why would we ever want to do that?!”

Evan asked, still baffled.

”Uh… well…”

August hesitated. From Evanʼs expression, he could tell the man wasnʼt lying.

Maybe he had misunderstood everything after all…

”I suppose I should explain everything properly…”

August decided to come clean.

Meanwhile…

Fairy Tail Womenʼs Association – Meeting Grounds

Elentear World – Mount Kuroya at Night – In a Hot Spring…

Yes, the Fairy Tail womenʼs gathering wasnʼt even happening in Earthland!

They didnʼt bathe in Earthland at all. So Gildartsʼ wild ambitions had been doomed from the start.

”So… why did we end up holding this meeting in a hot spring anyway?”

Kagura sat in the water with only her head above the surface, her face slightly flushed, her eyes scanning the others.

Erza, inheriting Ireneʼs prime genes, had already become quite… developed.

Mirajane, who rivaled Erza in power, also matched her nearly measure for measure.

Cana, usually low-key, turned out to be surprisingly well-endowed too.

Then there was Ul, mature, confident, and a shining example of big-sister appeal that put even Mira, Cana, and Erza to shame.

Ultear, as Ulʼs daughter, had clearly surpassed the master.

As for Selah, Selene, and Irene… there were no words. Their sheer volume made Kaguraʼs blood pressure spike.

”Why is everyone so blessed…?”

Kagura, shrinking into the water, didnʼt dare reveal her own figure. Her confidence had completely evaporated.

But just then, as Kagura floated in the spring with only her head exposed, a gentle hand touched her shoulder.

”Hm?!”

She flinched and turned her head.

Before her appeared three small heads, Mavis, Levy, and Wendy.

At that moment, all three were mimicking Kagura, showing only their heads above water, keeping their bodies tightly hidden below.

”Heh… Guess Iʼm not alone.”

Kagura smiled brightly at the sight.

”Letʼs all promise right now! No secretly growing up behind each otherʼs backs! Weʼll be best sisters forever~!”

Mavis, the first Guild Master of Fairy Tail, looked at the others with a solemn gaze.

”Yeah!!!”

In unison, Kagura, Mavis, Levy, and Wendy raised their fists toward the sky, swearing an oath of eternal sisterhood.

They vowed to stay forever young, to never grow up… at least not secretly.

…Too bad none of them knew yet that even the closest sisters could betray each other.

After all, someone always grows up in secret.

Sisterhood? It only lasts until someone breaks the pact…