Chapter 499: Just a Guess

"I think I already know who it is." Li An stood up, a cold glint flashing through his eyes.

Natsu and Lucy looked at him in surprise and asked in unison, "Who is it?"

Li An frowned slightly and said, "For now it's still just a guess—I need more evidence. But I believe the truth will come to light very soon."

Just then, a sudden commotion erupted inside the guild. Li An and the others hurried out to check, and saw Laxus standing in the center of the guild hall, glaring furiously at everyone.

"You useless lot! You actually let the guild fall into a crisis like this!" Laxus roared. A powerful wave of magical energy radiated from his body, and the surrounding air trembled from his fury.

Makarov hurried forward and said, "Laxus, calm down! Whatever it is, we can talk it through properly."

Laxus gave a cold snort and said, "Talk? You never once took me seriously! I'll show you who the true strong one of this guild is!" As he spoke, he gathered a powerful force of magic in his hand and launched it at Makarov.

Makarov's face changed; he swiftly cast his magic to block. The two forces of magic collided with each other, producing a tremendous boom. The entire guild hall trembled, and objects all around were sent flying by the shock.

"Not good—they're about to fight!" Natsu shouted. He immediately rushed forward, wanting to stop the battle.

Li An followed right behind him, knowing that once this battle broke out, it would bring a tremendous disaster upon the guild. He had to find the truth as quickly as possible and defuse this crisis.

However, just as he was preparing to cast his magic, he suddenly sensed a powerful force rushing at him from behind. Startled, he swiftly dodged to the side. Looking back, he saw a mysterious figure standing behind him, a dagger radiating an eerie glow in hand.

"Who are you? Why did you ambush me?" Li An demanded angrily.

The mysterious figure did not answer, merely staring coldly at Li An before launching another attack. Li An counterattacked swiftly, and the two engaged in an intense battle amid the chaotic battlefield.

As he fought, Li An kept pondering the mysterious man's identity. His magical power felt familiar—he seemed to be someone from within the guild. Moreover, judging from his attack style, he knew Li An's weaknesses inside out.

"Could he be the person I suspected?" Li An guessed to himself. He decided to finish off this mysterious man as quickly as possible, then uncover the truth behind the guild's crisis.

In the fierce battle, Li An gradually gained the upper hand. He seized an opening in the mysterious man's defense and launched a full-force attack. Unable to dodge in time, the mysterious man was struck by Li An and fell to the ground.

Li An stepped forward and pulled off the mysterious man's mask. When he saw the face beneath the mask, he couldn't help but gasp in shock.

". How could it be you?" Li An said in astonishment.

The mysterious man stared coldly at him and said, "That's right, it's me. You think you can stop me? How naive!"

Just then, Makarov and Laxus's battle also entered the white-hot stage. The two forces of magic kept colliding, and the entire guild hall seemed on the verge of collapse.

Li An knew he had to act fast. He took a deep breath, then shouted at the top of his lungs, "Everyone stop! I already know the truth behind the guild's crisis!"

Hearing this, the crowd stopped what they were doing one after another and stared at him in surprise..