Erza has a vision of her friends' sadness at her own funeral and regrets her sacrifice. She awakens alive in Natsu's arms, having been rescued from the tower by him. Erza offers her old friends membership in Fairy Tail, but the three decline so they can experience the world without weighing her down, so Erza and her guildmates hold a farewell ceremony for them. The wizards return to Magnolia to find their newly renovated guildhall, with Juvia now a member; to their chagrin, they discover that Gajeel has also joined Fairy Tail at Makarov's request. While attempting to integrate himself into the guild, Gajeel is pestered by Jet and Droy to atone for attacking them as a member of Phantom Lord. He is also attacked by Laxus, who blames Fairy Tail's recent changes for the guild's faltering reputation. After Gajeel defends Levy from Laxus's backlash, Laxus decides to take over the guild by force.