Compared to the two fairies, Natsu is truly slaying a dragon!

As he spoke, Biguslow turned his gaze to Gray on the other side.

"Look, that guy over there is exactly the same, sweating buckets."

Laxus opened his mouth, but ultimately sighed helplessly.

He nodded: "Okay, I am indeed a little panicked."

"After all, I didn't seem to have a very good temper back then, and I always felt... that I was going to get a beating from that other world version of myself."

As the saying goes, "Those who are close to each other know each other best."

Therefore, Laxus was very clear that

What is Laxus, who is still going through a rebellious phase in another world, thinking?

If he were to look at it from his previous perspective, then without a doubt, Laxus would also be very unhappy.

They even consider Henna a thorn in their side.

And they defeated him decisively, which was a slap in the face to Makarov.

Didn't you say this boy is very strong?

Sorry to tell you, he's weak in front of me!

The truly powerful one is your own grandson, whom you've never really paid any attention to!

This is the mindset of Laxus during his rebellious phase.

They desperately want to show their strength to the whole world, to make everyone admire and fear them.

Fried: "But...that's just that world, isn't it? It has nothing to do with you in this world, right?"

Laxus shook his head: "You don't understand!"

"It's a matter of face. Imagine, if the same person were to be utterly defeated by Black Natsu in that other world, wouldn't I lose face in this world?"

"After all, in this world, I've always been crushing Natsu."

At this point, Laxus sighed helplessly.

"I just hope I'm not so stupid as to challenge Hackintosh over there, otherwise I feel like I'll be laughed to death."

【The other side.】

Hearing Henaz's question, Makarov's body stiffened slightly.

Logically speaking...

Makarov would never stop his own guild members from launching a friendly challenge.

This is a good thing for both sides.

Having rivals is what motivates us to improve.

Therefore, Makarov usually does not prohibit fighting within the guild.

At most, I only stopped those fighting bastards when they had destroyed too much stuff, out of a desire to cut my losses.

However... this rule doesn't seem to apply much to Honatsu.

Even today, Makarov can still recall it.

[That scene from the snow-capped mountain earlier.]

[The terrifying scene of a single, exploding crimson flame shattering the wyvern and destroying half a mountain peak.]

Of course, what was even more explosive were Black Natsu's subsequent words.

That was just a greeting!

In other words, Honez isn't even serious yet, and he already possesses such destructive power.

If they were to spar...wouldn't they beat Gray so badly he'd be hospitalized in no time?

[Even more seriously...]

Gray might become the second person to succumb to HyunA's attack and ascend to heaven.

Thinking about this, Makarov couldn't help but shudder.

"Old man?"

[A questioning voice came from beside him, uttered by Hyunaz.]

Startled awake, Makarov immediately began shaking his head frantically, like a rattle-drum.

"No! Absolutely not! At least for now, Henna is not in a position to accept your challenge."

In front of everyone, Makarov said these words.

The guild fell silent.

【"ah??"】

"What's going on? Why is it inconvenient to accept challenges?"

"Could it be that the boy has some unspeakable secret?"

Even Gray, standing on the table under the spotlight, frowned slightly, somewhat puzzled by Makarov's intentions.

He quickly asked, "President? What are you talking about?"

"It was just a fight. Don't we fight every day?"

"This is different. You... you simply don't understand the seriousness of this matter."

Makarov continued to shake his head, refusing to agree under any circumstances.

However, this attitude only aroused more doubt among the guild members.

Gray blinked, his already not-so-bright mind racing as he pondered the meaning of Makarov's words.

Ultimately, Gray concluded that Makarov was worried about being too stubborn and that a fight with Henna might end in mutual destruction.

He nodded in understanding.

He turned to Makarov and said, "I understand, President. Don't worry, this is just a friendly spar. I'll hold back!"

"After all, we're all comrades. Shouldn't we at least know what kind of abilities this comrade possesses?"

Gray's words elicited nods of agreement from everyone in the guild.

"Yeah, yeah, we should at least find out what kind of magic this new companion has, and just how powerful it is, right?"

"What's wrong with letting the two of them fight?"

"Aren't we in the guild always fighting anyway?"

"Yeah, yeah, President, please don't spoil the fun, okay?"

The voices of the guild members echoed continuously in Makarov's ears.

Listening to the sounds coming from that area, Makarov sighed helplessly.

"Hey, Gray, this isn't about whether you hold back or not, it's about the fact that you definitely can't win, do you understand?"

"I didn't really want to say this, because I was afraid it would hurt you, but you just had to come up to me like that..."

"Huh??" Gray was momentarily stunned upon hearing this.

What does it mean to believe you definitely can't beat the opponent? What does it mean to be afraid of being discouraged?

No matter what, I can at least consider myself a genius.

After all, if we're really going to talk about it, Gray now can hold his own against older generation mages like Makawoka.

This speaks volumes: Gray is a genius! There's no doubt about that.

But... precisely because he's a genius, Gray finds it hard to accept Makarov's words.

Just how much do they look down on me?!

"Gray, take my advice. You're no match for Natsu right now. Seriously, let's talk about it in a few years. With your talent, you should be fine in a few years."

Seeing Gray's stunned expression, Makarov softly comforted him.

To be honest, Makarov really didn't want to say these things. Gray was indeed a genius, and Makarov didn't want Gray to be discouraged by this and become completely despondent.

"Are you kidding me?!"

Gray realized what was happening and immediately roared in anger.

Clenching his fists tightly, Gray protested defiantly, "Don't underestimate me, President! I'm strong too!"

Looking at Gray now, Makarov felt even more helpless. Why was he getting more and more excited?

【"you……"】

Just as Makarov was about to say something, another voice rang out from a corner of the guild.

"Old man, if Gray can't do it, what about me? Do you think I can?"

The guild members all turned to look at the source of the voice.

"Laxus?!?"

"Oh my! Things are getting interesting. Even Laxus is getting involved?"