Chapter XXIV: Convergence of Fury & Return Home
The Convergence of Fury
The Royal City's alarm bells were tolling across every district as Happy and Carla soared through the afternoon sky, their newly manifested wings carrying them toward a destiny they had chosen rather than one that had been programmed into them. Below, the Grand Magic Games had devolved into chaos as Gajeel's strategic strikes against the Lacrima continued to destabilize the entire extraction system.
But they weren't the only ones converging on the palace.
In the valley outside the city, Teilanne stood at the center of what could only be described as a war council. Her crimson aura had settled into patterns that suggested deep contemplation, but underneath the calm exterior, every Saiyan present could sense the building storm of her fury.
"The resonance chamber," she said quietly, studying Panther Lily's diagrams with tactical precision. "If we can reach it without triggering the failsafes, we can reverse the entire extraction process."
"The approach will be heavily defended," Lily warned. "Faust knows we're coming. He'll have concentrated his best forces around the critical systems."
Kizuna's ikari transformation flickered like emerald lightning around him. "Then we go through them."
"No," Teilanne replied, her voice carrying the authority of someone who had commanded armies across multiple star systems. "We go around them. Through them. Over them. We don't give them the luxury of a conventional battle."
She turned to address the entire rescue party, her crimson eyes reflecting a depth of tactical experience that spanned decades of warfare.
"King Faust expects us to attack like Earthland mages—with magical power, following this world's rules of engagement. He's prepared for that. What he's not prepared for is fighting Saiyans who have learned restraint."
The distinction was crucial. Raw power had always been the Saiyan way, but power applied with surgical precision was something else entirely.
"Gine, Uruk—you'll handle the technical aspects of the resonance chamber. Your combined analytical abilities should be able to reverse the extraction process without triggering the failsafes."
The two younger Saiyans nodded, their confidence absolute. Months of working together had synchronized their abilities to levels that approached telepathic coordination.
"Cumber, you're responsible for battlefield control. Use your crash magic to create pathways and isolate enemy forces. Don't destroy them—we don't need to kill anyone who isn't directly threatening our family."
"Understood," Cumber replied, his golden aura already beginning to manifest spatial distortions.
"Kizuna," Teilanne's voice carried a note of maternal concern wrapped in military necessity. "Your ikari form gives us our greatest advantage, but only if it's controlled. Can you maintain tactical awareness while transformed?"
The emerald-haired Saiyan nodded grimly. "For Mirajane, I can maintain anything."
"Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Gildarts—you'll be our connection to the Lacrima itself. When we reach the extraction chamber, you'll need to help guide the reversal process. Your magical signatures are still connected to your trapped friends. That connection might be the key to bringing them back safely."
As the plan took shape, each member of the rescue party felt the weight of their specific role. This wasn't just a battle—it was a precisely orchestrated operation designed to save lives rather than take them.
"One more thing," Teilanne added, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. "When we enter that palace, we represent more than just ourselves. We represent every family that's been torn apart by this kingdom's policies, every innocent person whose life force has been stolen to power someone else's ambitions."
Her crimson aura expanded, creating a field that encompassed the entire group. Within that field, each person could feel the others' determination, their shared resolve, their unshakeable commitment to bringing their family home.
"We go in fast, we accomplish our mission, and we leave no one behind. Are there any questions?"
There weren't.
The Palace Infiltration
The approach to the Royal City revealed the full extent of King Faust's preparations. The magical barriers had been reinforced, patrol patterns had been tightened, and elite units were positioned at every conceivable entry point.
None of it mattered.
Cumber's evolved crash magic created pathways through space that simply bypassed the defensive perimeter entirely. One moment they were outside the city, the next they were standing in the palace courtyard, having traveled through dimensional rifts that made conventional defenses irrelevant.
The Royal Army's response was immediate and overwhelming. Elite commanders emerged from concealment with weapons specifically designed to counter magical abilities, while squads of specialized soldiers moved to surround them with tactical precision.
"Finally," Captain Knightwalker declared, raising her massive spear with obvious satisfaction. "A proper battle."
But what she received wasn't a battle in any conventional sense.
Kizuna's ikari-enhanced speed carried him past her defenses before she could even register his movement. His hand closed gently around her spear, and for a moment, she found herself staring into emerald eyes that held more power than she'd ever imagined possible.
"Captain," he said politely, his transformed ki creating reality distortions around them, "you have a choice. You can stand aside and let us save innocent people, or you can try to stop us and discover why Saiyans were once feared across the galaxy."
To her credit, Knightwalker didn't back down. Her grip tightened on her weapon as she prepared to fight opponents who operated on principles beyond her understanding.
"I serve my king and my kingdom," she declared. "I won't—"
The spear disintegrated in her hands.
Kizuna hadn't attacked it, hadn't applied destructive force to it. The weapon had simply ceased to exist under the pressure of his transformed ki, its molecular structure unable to withstand the reality-altering effects of ikari power applied with surgical precision.
"Your loyalty is admirable," he told her as she stared at the empty space where her weapon had been. "But your king is torturing innocent people. How does serving him serve your kingdom's honor?"
The question hung in the air like a blade. Around the courtyard, other Royal Army soldiers were discovering the same thing their captain had learned—their weapons, their magic, their tactical advantages meant nothing against opponents who fought with forces that transcended this world's understanding of combat.
Gine moved through elite squads like water flowing around stones, her analytical mind reading their attack patterns and neutralizing them with precisely applied ki strikes that left them unconscious but unharmed. Uruk's scholarly approach turned their own equipment against them, using his understanding of magical theory to create feedback loops that disabled weapons without damaging the people wielding them.
But it was Teilanne who demonstrated the true futility of resistance.
The Saiyan matriarch stood in the center of the courtyard as dozens of elite soldiers converged on her position, their magical weapons blazing with energy designed to subdue the most powerful opponents. She made no effort to dodge, block, or counterattack.
The magical blasts simply stopped existing when they encountered her crimson aura.
"I've faced planet-killers," she told the soldiers conversationally as their most powerful attacks failed to even reach her. "I've fought beings that could unmake reality with their thoughts. Your weapons are impressive by this world's standards, but you're fighting with principles that simply don't apply to what we are."
One by one, the soldiers stopped attacking. Not because they were defeated, but because they were beginning to understand that victory wasn't possible against opponents who operated on this level.
"The extraction chamber," Teilanne said to Panther Lily. "Where?"
The former Royal Guard captain pointed toward the palace's central tower. "Throne room level, through the resonance corridors. But the magical locks—"
Cumber's crash magic created a doorway directly to their destination, bypassing locks, barriers, and defensive systems entirely.
"After you," he said with polite formality.
The Final Confrontation
The extraction chamber was a cathedral of crystalline horror.
The massive Lacrima dominated the central space, pulsing with stolen life energy as the trapped members of Fairy Tail floated in magical stasis. But surrounding the crystal were dozens of smaller chambers, each one containing individual victims whose magical power was being slowly drained away.
King Faust stood before the primary control matrix, his hands moving over complex magical instruments with the practiced ease of someone who had overseen countless extractions. He didn't turn around when they entered.
"Right on schedule," he said calmly. "Though I admit, your method of entry was more dramatic than I expected."
"Let them go," Natsu demanded, his flame sword igniting with fury that turned the air itself into a weapon. "Now."
"And why would I do that?" Faust asked, finally turning to face them with cold amusement. "You've provided me with the most valuable magical specimens I've ever had the opportunity to study. Dragon Slayers, celestial mages, crash magic users, and now... whatever you people are."
His gaze swept over the Saiyans with predatory interest. "The energy readings from your earlier visit were fascinating. Power levels that shouldn't exist, operating on principles that transcend this world's magical theory. Imagine what my kingdom could accomplish with that kind of energy at our disposal."
Kizuna's ikari transformation flared, emerald ki creating localized distortions that made the air itself unstable. "You want to know what our power can accomplish?"
"Actually," Teilanne interrupted quietly, "let me show him."
What happened next would be remembered in Edolas history as the moment when King Faust learned the difference between magical power and universal force.
The Saiyan matriarch didn't attack the king, didn't threaten him, didn't even raise her voice. She simply expanded her awareness to encompass the entire extraction system and began to understand how it worked.
"Fascinating," she murmured, her crimson aura interfacing with the magical matrix in ways that made the crystal structure resonate with new harmonics. "You've created a closed-loop system that converts life force into usable magical energy. The efficiency is actually quite impressive."
Her hands moved over the control instruments with precision that surpassed even Faust's expertise. "But the fundamental flaw in your design is that it assumes magical energy and life force are the same thing. They're not."
The extraction process began to slow, then stop, then reverse itself as Teilanne's understanding of the system's principles allowed her to modify its function in real time.
"Life force," she continued conversationally as the trapped victims began to stir within their crystalline prisons, "is a manifestation of consciousness interacting with reality. Magical energy is simply one way that interaction can be expressed. But consciousness itself—that's something that can't be extracted or stored or transferred. It can only be freely given or freely taken."
The Lacrima began to crack, not from damage, but from the system's inability to contain the returning life force of dozens of victims whose consciousness was being restored to them.
"Your subjects didn't give their energy freely," Teilanne observed, watching as the cracks spread through the crystal matrix. "You stole it. And theft, Your Majesty, always has consequences."
The extraction chamber filled with golden light as the magical bonds holding their friends dissolved. One by one, the members of Fairy Tail began to fall from their crystalline prison, their life force restored, their magical power returning to them in waves of familiar energy.
Erza Scarlet landed in a crouch, her armor materializing around her as her Requip magic responded to her awakening consciousness. "Where..." she began, then saw familiar faces and smiled with fierce satisfaction. "Never mind. Let's finish this."
Gray Fullbuster hit the ground with ice already forming around his fists, his Maker Magic creating defensive barriers that protected the still-awakening victims. "How long were we out?"
"Too long," Wendy replied, her Sky Dragon magic creating healing winds that accelerated the recovery of their friends and guildmates. "But we're here now. All of us."
As more and more of their family awakened, the extraction chamber filled with the sounds of reunion, relief, and growing fury as they realized what had been done to them.
But it was Mirajane's awakening that truly demonstrated the futility of King Faust's position.
The white-haired S-class mage opened her eyes to find Kizuna's face inches from hers, his emerald transformation flickering with relief and residual fury. "Kizuna?" she whispered, reaching up to touch his cheek. "You came for me."
"Always," he replied, his ikari form finally beginning to stabilize as the desperate need that had driven his transformation was fulfilled. "I'll always come for you."
Around them, Fairy Tail was waking up. And Fairy Tail, as King Faust was about to discover, held very strong opinions about people who kidnapped their family.
But before the reunion could fully take hold, the sound of steel cutting through air filled the chamber. Panther Lily, who had been moving to check on the awakening prisoners, suddenly stumbled forward with a spear protruding from his back.
"Traitor," Erza Knightwalker declared coldly, her weapon dripping with the former Royal Guard's blood. "The penalty for betraying the crown is death."
"Lily!" Happy cried out, rushing toward the fallen Exceed alongside Carla.
But before Knightwalker could deliver a finishing blow, a voice cut through the chaos with royal authority.
"Do you dare point your spear at me, Captain?"
A figure emerged from the shadows—tall, blue-haired, wearing elaborate robes that marked him as nobility. The assembled Royal Army soldiers immediately dropped to one knee in recognition.
"Prince Jellal," Knightwalker said, though her grip on her spear remained firm. "Your Highness."
"I prefer Mystogan," the prince replied quietly, his masked face surveying the chaos of the extraction chamber. "And I'm here to end this madness."
"I DON'T THINK OF YOU AS MY SON!"
The voice boomed through the chamber with such force that the crystal matrix still containing some victims began to vibrate dangerously. From beneath the floor, mechanical sounds whirred and clanked as something massive began to emerge.
"You betrayed your country, Jellal!" King Faust's voice continued as a strange, egg-shaped machine burst through the chamber floor, sending debris flying in all directions. "You chose outsiders over your own people! You are no son of mine!"
The egg-shaped construct began to unfold with horrifying mechanical precision. Metal plates shifted and expanded, weapons systems deployed from hidden compartments, and within moments what had been a simple transport had transformed into a towering mechanical dragon that filled the entire extraction chamber.
"The Dorma Anim," one of the awakening Exceeds whispered in terror. "The anti-mage armor. It's real."
Happy and Carla, who had been tending to the wounded Panther Lily, looked up in shock as the massive war machine's sensors focused on them with predatory intent.
"Capture all Exceeds," Faust's voice commanded from within the mechanical dragon. "They will power the next phase of our kingdom's evolution."
"Run!" Lily gasped through his pain, pushing Happy away with his remaining strength. "Don't let them take you!"
The Exceeds scattered, their wings carrying them toward any available exit. But the Royal Army had anticipated this. Magical cannons deployed throughout the palace began firing specialized nets and binding spells designed specifically for flying targets.
The result was a massacre of freedom. Exceed after Exceed was struck down, their forms crystallizing mid-flight as they were converted to Lacrima by the very weapons designed to capture them. Their anguished cries filled the air as families were torn apart and transformed into raw magical energy.
"No more," Natsu snarled, his flame sword blazing as he moved to defend the fleeing Exceeds. "I'm done watching you hurt innocent people!"
The Dorma Anim's massive head swiveled toward him, energy weapons charging with lethal intent. But before it could fire, Mystogan stepped forward, his hands weaving complex magical patterns in the air.
"Reflection Magic!" he called out, creating a barrier of crystalline force just as the war machine unleashed its assault.
The magical blasts struck his barrier and reflected back toward the Dorma Anim with doubled intensity. For a moment, it seemed the prince's defense might actually damage his father's weapon. But the mechanical dragon simply absorbed the reflected energy, its armor plating glowing brighter as it converted the attack into additional power.
"Foolish boy," Faust's voice echoed from the machine's speakers. "Did you think the same tricks that worked on lesser opponents would affect me?"
The Dorma Anim's tail whipped around with impossible speed, striking Mystogan and sending him crashing into the chamber wall. The prince slid to the ground, his magical barrier shattered and blood running from beneath his mask.
"Mystogan!" Wendy called out, starting toward the fallen prince.
But before she could reach him, three figures moved in perfect synchronization. Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy herself found themselves attacking the massive war machine simultaneously, their Dragon Slayer magic coordinating in ways that should have been impossible without prior planning.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu's flames carved molten channels across the Dorma Anim's armor.
"Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel's transformed arm struck the machine's leg with devastating force.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy's wind magic created pressure differentials that should have destabilized any flying construct.
The triple assault forced the Dorma Anim back several steps, its sensors recalibrating to track three simultaneous high-level magical threats.
"Dragon Slayers," Faust mused from within his mechanical fortress. "How fascinating. I'll enjoy studying your unique magical signatures once you're converted to Lacrima."
"Support enchantments!" Wendy called out, her Sky Dragon magic weaving around her teammates. "Arms! Vernier! Ile Arms!"
Natsu and Gajeel felt their speed and strength increase dramatically as Wendy's enhancement magic took effect. Their next attacks struck with such force that they actually cracked the Dorma Anim's armor plating.
But their success made them a priority target. The war machine's weapon systems swiveled toward Wendy, recognizing her as the source of the enchantments that made her teammates so dangerous.
"Vernier!" Wendy cast the speed enhancement on herself just as the Dorma Anim's cannons fired. She moved like a blur, dodging the first salvo of energy blasts.
But enhanced speed couldn't compensate for inexperience. Her foot caught on a piece of debris from the shattered extraction chamber, sending her tumbling just as the second wave of attacks homed in on her position.
Natsu appeared between Wendy and the incoming fire in a burst of flame, his body taking the full force of the magical bombardment. The explosion should have killed him. Instead, he opened his mouth and began consuming the magical fire like it was a particularly spicy meal.
"Thanks for the snack!" he called out cheerfully.
Meanwhile, Gajeel had clamped his iron-enhanced jaws around the Dorma Anim's tail, his Dragon Slayer magic allowing him to consume the war machine's metallic components.
"Needs more seasoning," he commented, tearing away another chunk of armor.
For a moment, King Faust actually seemed surprised by the Dragon Slayers' resilience. But then his voice carried a note of cold satisfaction.
"Impressive," he admitted. "But let me show you what happens when the Dorma Anim operates at full capacity."
The war machine began to glow with malevolent energy as it drew magical power from every source within miles. The very air seemed to darken as the Dorma Anim activated what Faust called "Black Sky Mode."
The transformation was immediate and overwhelming. The mechanical dragon's power output increased exponentially, its weapons systems multiplied, and its armor became virtually impervious to conventional magical attacks.
A single sweep of its claw sent all three Dragon Slayers flying, their enhanced abilities suddenly seeming pitifully inadequate against this new level of threat.
"Now you see the futility of resistance," Faust declared as his war machine advanced on the scattered defenders.
But the king's attention on the Dragon Slayers had created an opening elsewhere. Mystogan, bloodied but still conscious, was speaking quietly to the wounded Panther Lily.
"We have to leave the Dorma Anim to Natsu and the others," the prince said urgently. "There's something else I must do, and I'll need your help."
Lily nodded grimly, understanding passing between them despite his injuries.
Meanwhile, the battle was expanding beyond the extraction chamber. Erza Knightwalker led a squadron of Legion magical vehicles in a devastating aerial assault, their missile batteries targeting anyone trying to protect the fleeing Exceeds.
One of the formations—led by someone called Coco—took a direct hit and began plummeting toward the ground. Happy and Carla swooped in to catch the falling soldiers, their Aera magic straining under the unexpected weight.
But it was Erza Scarlet who engaged Knightwalker directly, somehow managing to commandeer one of the Legion vehicles and taking the fight to her counterpart in the skies above the Royal City.
"This ends now!" Scarlet declared as she maneuvered her stolen vehicle into attack position.
"I agree," Knightwalker replied coldly, her spear gleaming as she prepared for their final confrontation. "One of us dies today, and it won't be me."
The two Erzas clashed high above the city, their battle serving as a counterpoint to the chaos below where Dragon Slayers fought a mechanical monster and the Saiyan family watched with growing fury as King Faust's tyranny reached new heights of cruelty.
The rescue mission had become a war.
The Saiyan Response
For several crucial minutes, the Clive family had maintained their tactical restraint. They had watched Panther Lily fall to Knightwalker's spear, witnessed the mass conversion of Exceeds to Lacrima, seen their Dragon Slayer children overwhelmed by the Dorma Anim's Black Sky Mode. Through it all, Teilanne had held her position, calculating, analyzing, waiting for the optimal moment to act.
That moment came when she saw Wendy Marvell—barely thirteen years old, one of the kindest souls in Fairy Tail—thrown against a crystalline wall by the Dorma Anim's backhand strike. The Sky Dragon Slayer crumpled to the ground, her small form motionless.
The change in Teilanne was instantaneous and absolute.
Her crimson aura exploded outward with such intensity that it temporarily blinded everyone in the extraction chamber. When vision returned, the Saiyan matriarch was floating three feet off the ground, her hair flowing upward in defiance of gravity, her eyes blazing with fury that had been restrained for far too long.
"Enough," she said quietly, but her voice carried across dimensions.
King Faust, secure within his mechanical dragon, laughed with cold arrogance. "Another mage seeks to challenge the Dorma Anim? Your magical power means nothing against—"
He never finished the sentence.
Teilanne appeared directly in front of the war machine's head, moving so fast that even its advanced sensors couldn't track her movement. Her hand pressed against the Dorma Anim's forehead with deceptive gentleness.
"Your machine is impressive," she told Faust conversationally. "But you made one critical error in its design."
"What are you talking about?" the king demanded from within his cockpit. "The Dorma Anim is invincible! Its anti-magic armor can withstand any—"
"You designed it to counter magic," Teilanne interrupted. "We don't use magic."
Her ki flared, and the massive war machine simply stopped functioning. Not damaged, not destroyed—every system simultaneously shut down as Saiyan energy interfaced with the Dorma Anim's mechanical components in ways its designers had never imagined possible.
"This is impossible," Faust whispered as his invincible weapon became a lifeless metal shell around him.
"Family meeting," Teilanne called out calmly, her crimson aura serving as a beacon for her children.
They responded instantly. Kizuna's ikari transformation blazed as he appeared beside his mother, emerald ki mixing with her crimson energy. Cumber materialized through a crash magic portal, his golden aura adding geometric patterns to their combined power field. Gine and Uruk moved with synchronized precision, their analytical minds already calculating optimal strike patterns.
But it was Gildarts who truly understood what was about to happen.
"Everyone get back," he called out urgently to the other Fairy Tail members. "When Saiyans stop holding back, you don't want to be in the blast radius."
"We're not retreating!" Natsu protested, flames flickering around his fists despite his injuries. "This is our fight too!"
"Then fight with us," Teilanne replied, extending her aura to encompass the Dragon Slayers. "But understand—we're not playing by this world's rules anymore."
What followed was coordination on a level that defied conventional understanding of teamwork.
Natsu's Fire Dragon magic didn't just burn—enhanced by Saiyan ki, his flames became plasma that could melt through any known material. When he roared, the sound carried harmonics that disrupted the Royal Army's magical communications across the entire city.
Gajeel's Iron Dragon abilities transformed into something approaching molecular manipulation. His metal didn't just become harder—it became structurally impossible, defying the laws of physics as Saiyan energy reinforced his magical constructs.
Wendy, despite her injuries, found her Sky Dragon magic elevated beyond anything she'd previously imagined. Her healing winds carried properties that restored not just physical damage but spiritual energy, while her speed enchantments approached true teleportation when boosted by Kizuna's ikari power.
"This is how Fairy Tail fights as a family," Gildarts declared, his crash magic enhanced by Cumber's spatial manipulation creating destruction patterns that selectively dismantled enemy equipment while leaving people unharmed.
Lucy's celestial magic found new resonance as well. Her spirits, already struggling with Edolas's dimensional interference, suddenly stabilized as Gine's analytical abilities helped her understand and compensate for the magical distortions. When she called for Leo, Leo actually appeared—stronger than ever, his regality enhanced by exposure to ki energy.
"Princess," he said with a bow, "I believe it's time to show these people what happens when you threaten our family."
Erza Scarlet, still engaged in aerial combat with Knightwalker, found her Requip magic operating with impossible precision. Swords materialized with perfect balance, armor appeared with flawless protection ratings, and her strategic mind was enhanced by Uruk's scholarly approach to combat analysis.
The two Erzas clashed again, but now Scarlet fought with capabilities that transcended her counterpart's understanding. When Knightwalker thrust with her spear, Scarlet didn't just dodge—she moved through space in ways that suggested she existed in multiple locations simultaneously.
"What are you?" Knightwalker demanded as her most skilled attacks passed harmlessly through empty air.
"I'm Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail," came the reply as a blade appeared at the Royal Army captain's throat. "And I protect my family."
But it was the combined assault on the Dorma Anim that truly demonstrated the power of Saiyan-enhanced Fairy Tail cooperation.
King Faust had managed to restart his war machine's systems, the Black Sky Mode coming online with desperate urgency as he realized the nature of the threat he faced. But when the Dorma Anim moved to attack, it found itself facing not individual opponents but a coordinated force that fought as a single entity.
Natsu's plasma breath carved through the machine's anti-magic armor like it was paper. Gajeel's impossible metal constructs wrapped around its limbs, holding it in place despite its massive size. Wendy's enhanced healing kept everyone fighting at peak capacity while her speed enchantments let them move faster than the war machine could track.
Meanwhile, the Saiyan family provided the strategic framework that turned individual abilities into overwhelming force. Teilanne's tactical experience guided their movements, Kizuna's ikari power provided the energy reserves needed for sustained combat, Cumber's spatial manipulation kept them coordinated across the battlefield, and Gine and Uruk's combined analysis identified weak points faster than Faust could compensate for them.
"The power core," Uruk called out, his scholarly mind having mapped the Dorma Anim's internal structure. "Third segment, eastern quadrant. If we can destabilize it without triggering a magical explosion—"
"On it," Gine replied, her analytical abilities interfacing with Lucy's celestial magic. "Virgo! We need a precisely calculated excavation!"
The maid spirit appeared with unusual clarity, her connection to the celestial world stabilized by Saiyan ki enhancement. "As you wish! Underground infiltration, coming right up!"
The tunnel she created bypassed every defensive system, emerging directly at the Dorma Anim's most vulnerable component.
"Gray!" Teilanne called out. "Ice magic, focused cooling. We need to create thermal shock without affecting the surrounding magical matrix."
Gray Fullbuster, his Maker Magic enhanced beyond its normal limits, created ice formations with properties that shouldn't have existed in nature. The rapid temperature change caused the power core's housing to contract at differential rates, creating structural weaknesses that Gajeel's enhanced iron magic could exploit.
The Dorma Anim shuddered as its primary energy source destabilized. King Faust's voice echoed from within, desperate now: "This is impossible! The Dorma Anim is the ultimate anti-mage weapon! It should be invincible against magical attacks!"
"We told you," Kizuna said as his ikari-enhanced crash magic created spatial rifts that bypassed the war machine's armor entirely, "we don't use magic."
The final blow came from an unexpected source. Happy and Carla, their Aera magic enhanced by exposure to Saiyan ki, achieved flight speeds that let them penetrate the Dorma Anim's cockpit defenses. But instead of attacking King Faust directly, they simply looked at him with expressions of profound disappointment.
"You hurt so many people," Happy said sadly. "Why would you do that to innocent Exceeds?"
"Power," Faust replied automatically, but his voice lacked conviction.
"Power you stole," Carla added. "Power that was never really yours to begin with. Did it make you happy? Did it make your kingdom better?"
For the first time since the battle began, King Faust looked around at what his pursuit of power had cost. The extraction chamber lay in ruins. His elite forces were defeated or retreating. His ultimate weapon was disabled. And the people he'd claimed to protect were witnessing their king's complete failure to defend them from opponents who fought with principles he couldn't understand or counter.
"I... I was saving my kingdom," he whispered.
"By destroying other people's families?" Wendy asked, her Sky Dragon magic now stable enough to approach the defeated king. Despite her injuries, despite everything he'd done to her and her friends, her voice carried no malice—only sorrow for choices that had led to such unnecessary pain.
The war was over. Not because the Saiyans had destroyed everything in their path, but because their cooperation with Fairy Tail had demonstrated something more powerful than any weapon—the strength that came from protecting rather than conquering, from building up rather than tearing down.
King Faust's Dorma Anim stood silent and defeated, not because it had been destroyed, but because its pilot finally understood that some battles weren't worth winning.
The Edolas Fairy Tail Decision
But the war was far from over across the rest of the battlefield.
Miles away from the extraction chamber, in the hidden guild hall that had served as sanctuary for Edolas Fairy Tail, Lucy Ashley stood before her guildmates with fierce determination blazing in her eyes.
"We can't just hide here anymore," she declared, her voice carrying across the assembled members. "The Royal Kingdom is trying to take everything—our world, our freedom, and now they're converting Exceeds into Lacrima just for more power. We have to act."
The guild hall fell silent as her words sank in. These weren't the battle-hardened mages of Earthland Fairy Tail—many of them had never seen real combat, had spent their lives in a world where magic was scarce and precious.
"But Lucy," one of the members said hesitantly, "the Royal Army has weapons we can't match. Their Legions, the Dorma Anim—"
"And what happens if we do nothing?" Lucy Ashley shot back. "We watch our world get drained dry? We let them turn every magical creature into a battery for their kingdom?"
Doubt flickered across several faces. The prospect of facing the Royal Army's might was terrifying for people who had lived their entire lives avoiding direct confrontation with the kingdom's forces.
"The Earthland mages," another member spoke up, "they're already fighting. Maybe we should let them handle—"
"They're fighting for us!" Lucy Ashley interrupted, her frustration boiling over. "They came to another world to save their friends, and now they're trying to save our people too. And we're going to sit here and let strangers die for our freedom?"
The shame in that question cut through the guild hall like a blade. These were members of Fairy Tail—even if their world was different, the name still meant something.
"She's right," Edo-Levy said quietly, standing up from where she'd been sitting. "We call ourselves Fairy Tail, but what does that mean if we won't fight for our family? If we won't protect innocent people?"
One by one, other members began to nod. The fear was still there, but it was being overridden by something stronger—the recognition that some things were worth the risk.
"Alright," the guild master said finally. "If we're doing this, we do it right. Full guild mobilization. Everyone who can fight, fights. Everyone who can support, supports. No one gets left behind."
Lucy Ashley smiled fiercely. "Now that's the Fairy Tail I know."
The Aerial Duel Intensifies
High above the Royal City, the battle between the two Erzas had reached levels of intensity that defied rational explanation. Despite the Saiyan enhancement flowing through Scarlet's abilities, Knightwalker proved to be a remarkably adaptive opponent.
The Royal Army captain had abandoned her Legion vehicle, choosing instead to engage Scarlet directly in aerial combat. Her spear work was flawless, each thrust and parry executed with precision that spoke of decades of training and natural talent that rivaled even Scarlet's legendary skill.
"Impressive," Knightwalker admitted as she deflected another of Scarlet's enhanced sword strikes. "Your magical enhancement has improved your capabilities, but technique still matters."
"You're right," Scarlet replied, requipping into her Lightning Empress Armor. "Let me show you some technique."
The clash that followed sent shockwaves across the sky. Lightning-enhanced blade met mystical spear in combinations that created brief aurora effects in the afternoon air. Both women fought with the desperate intensity of warriors who knew this battle would define not just their own fates, but the fate of everyone they served.
But even as their personal duel raged, the larger battle was shifting around them.
The Guild Emerges
On the ground, the Dragon Slayers were indeed struggling against Faust's Dorma Anim despite the Saiyan enhancement they'd received. The war machine's Black Sky Mode had adapted to their improved capabilities, escalating its own power output to maintain its advantage.
Coco and Lucy Heartfilia had joined the ground battle, with Lucy managing to successfully summon Loke despite the dimensional interference.
"Gate of the Lion! Leo!"
The celestial spirit appeared in a blaze of golden light, his regality enhanced by residual Saiyan ki that made his presence more solid and powerful than it had been since arriving in Edolas.
"Princess, it's good to be fighting at full strength again," Leo declared, his magical power radiating with renewed confidence.
But even with Leo's assistance and Coco's tactical support, they found themselves overwhelmed when additional Legion squadrons arrived to reinforce the battle. The Royal Army's coordinated assault threatened to crush their position entirely.
That's when the ground beneath the battlefield suddenly erupted.
The massive tree that housed Edolas Fairy Tail burst from the earth like a living mountain, its branches spreading wide as it rose to tower over the combat zone. The Royal Army Legions that had been advancing found themselves entangled in thick branches that moved with intelligent purpose, their magical vehicles trapped and their pilots struggling to escape.
From every opening in the guild tree, Edolas Fairy Tail members poured out with battle cries that echoed across the city. They might not have had the raw magical power of their Earthland counterparts, but they had numbers, determination, and the home field advantage.
"FAIRY TAIL!" Lucy Ashley's voice rang out as she led the charge, her whip cracking through the air to disable Royal Army equipment. "For our world! For our freedom!"
The psychological impact was immediate. The Royal Army forces, already struggling against enhanced Dragon Slayers and Saiyan-boosted mages, suddenly found themselves surrounded by an entire guild of opponents who knew the local terrain and fought with the desperate courage of people defending their homeland.
"Both Fairy Tails, fighting together," Gray observed with satisfaction as he created ice walls that provided cover for the Edolas guild members to advance. "Now this feels right."
The tide of battle shifted decisively as Earth Land and Edolas Fairy Tail coordinated their assault. Lucy Ashley's tactical knowledge of Royal Army weaknesses combined with Lucy Heartfilia's enhanced celestial magic. Edo-Levy's research into magical theory supported Wendy's Sky Dragon abilities. Even Edo-Gray worked alongside his Earthland counterpart, their ice magic creating defensive positions that neither could have managed alone.
The Final Clash
But it was in the sky that the most decisive moment was approaching. Erza Scarlet and Erza Knightwalker had been pushed to their absolute limits, both women drawing upon reserves of strength and skill that they hadn't known they possessed.
"Ravelt!" Knightwalker called out, summoning her strongest magical spear. The weapon materialized with energy that seemed to draw from the very fabric of Edolas itself.
"Armadura Fairy!" Scarlet responded, requipping into her most powerful armor. The Saiyan enhancement flowing through her abilities made the armor blaze with light that rivaled the sun.
The two ultimate techniques met in a collision that lit up the entire sky. The explosion of magical energy was so intense that it created a momentary aurora that could be seen from every corner of the kingdom. When the light faded, both weapons had shattered, leaving the two Erzas falling toward a small floating island with their magical reserves completely depleted.
They hit the rocky surface hard, neither woman able to cushion their landing with magic. For a moment, both lay still, gasping for breath and struggling to stand.
"Magic's gone," Knightwalker observed, pushing herself to her feet with obvious effort.
"Doesn't matter," Scarlet replied, raising her fists as she stood. "This isn't about magic anymore."
What followed was hand-to-hand combat at its most pure. No magical enhancement, no special techniques, just two extraordinary warriors testing their skill, determination, and will against each other. They fought across the crumbling island as it began its slow descent toward the ground far below.
Punch met block, kick countered throw, each woman drawing upon years of training and natural ability. But as they fought, something changed in the rhythm of their combat.
"You could have killed me a dozen times," Knightwalker said between strikes, genuine confusion in her voice.
"So could you," Scarlet replied, dodging a particularly fierce combination. "But you haven't."
The realization hit both women simultaneously. Despite their intensity, despite the stakes, neither had truly attempted a killing blow. Their combat was fierce but not murderous—the battle of warriors who respected each other even as opponents.
"Why are we fighting?" Knightwalker asked, stepping back slightly.
"Because you serve a king who tortures innocent people," Scarlet replied honestly. "Because your kingdom's survival comes at the cost of other people's lives."
Knightwalker was quiet for a long moment, her breathing heavy as she considered the words. Around them, the floating island continued its slow descent, but neither woman seemed concerned about the approaching impact.
"I've spent my entire life serving the crown," Knightwalker said finally. "Following orders, protecting the kingdom, maintaining order. I never questioned whether the orders were right."
"It's not too late to start," Scarlet offered, lowering her fists slightly.
"You really believe that? That someone can change their path, even after all they've done?"
"I believe," Scarlet said with quiet conviction, "that having a good heart, caring for others, choosing to protect rather than harm—that's what makes us truly alive. Magic or no magic, that's what lets us survive in this world with dignity."
Knightwalker stared at her for a long moment, then slowly lowered her own hands. "I surrender."
The Anima Chamber
While the battles raged above and around the Royal City, two figures moved through the palace's deepest levels with desperate urgency.
Mystogan supported the wounded Panther Lily as they navigated corridors that led to the kingdom's most closely guarded secret—the chamber that controlled the Anima itself.
"Are you certain about this?" Lily asked, his voice weak from blood loss but his determination unwavering. "If you reverse the Anima's polarity..."
"All of Edolas will lose its magic," Mystogan finished. "The kingdom will be forced to find new ways to sustain itself. Ways that don't involve stealing from other worlds."
They reached the chamber—a vast space filled with crystalline conduits that channeled magical energy from across dimensions. At its center stood the Anima control matrix, a device that regulated the flow of stolen magic into Edolas's infrastructure.
"The war will end," Mystogan continued, moving toward the controls with steady purpose. "Not because one side defeated the other, but because the prize everyone's fighting over will cease to exist."
"Your father will never forgive you," Lily warned.
"My father stopped being my father the moment he decided that other people's suffering was an acceptable price for our prosperity," Mystogan replied quietly. "A true king protects his people without destroying others."
His hands moved over the control matrix with practiced precision. As the prince of Edolas, he had been trained in the Anima's operation since childhood. But instead of using that knowledge to maximize the kingdom's magical intake, he was preparing to eliminate it entirely.
"This will change everything," he said, more to himself than to Lily. "Our entire civilization will have to rebuild itself."
"Sometimes," Lily observed, watching as Mystogan made the final adjustments, "the most courageous thing a leader can do is give up power for the sake of doing what's right."
Mystogan paused, his hand hovering over the activation control. Once he pressed it, there would be no going back. Edolas would lose the magical energy that had sustained it for generations. His father's grand ambitions would crumble. The very foundation of their society would be forced to transform.
He pressed the control.
Throughout the kingdom, the Anima portals began to reverse their flow, sending Edolas's hoarded magical energy back to the worlds it had been stolen from. The war was about to end, not through victory or defeat, but through the elimination of everything they had been fighting over.
The Super Saiyan Awakening
But before Mystogan's plan could reach completion, something happened that would shake the very foundations of both worlds.
Inside the reactivated Dorma Anim, King Faust had regained control of his mechanical dragon and was pressing his assault against the three Dragon Slayers with renewed desperation. The war machine's Black Sky Mode drew power directly from the atmosphere, making it seemingly invincible despite the damage it had sustained.
"Give up your Magic Power!" Faust demanded from within his cockpit, his voice echoing through the machine's speakers. "You cannot defeat the ultimate anti-mage weapon! Your resistance only prolongs the inevitable!"
The Dragon Slayers were indeed being overwhelmed. Despite the Saiyan enhancement they'd received earlier, the Dorma Anim's adaptive systems had compensated for their improved abilities, escalating its own power output to maintain dominance.
"One more attack," Faust declared with cold satisfaction as magical energy gathered around the war machine's primary weapon system. "An unnamed spell that will drain every ounce of magical power from your bodies!"
The blast that followed was devastating. All three Dragon Slayers were thrown to the ground, their magical reserves pushed to the breaking point by the sustained assault.
But it was seeing Wendy—brave, kind, thirteen-year-old Wendy—struggling to stand after taking the full force of Faust's attack that triggered something primal in Cumber.
The golden-haired Saiyan had been coordinating the battlefield through his crash magic, providing spatial support while maintaining careful control over his power levels. But watching the Sky Dragon Slayer collapse, seeing the pain and determination on her young face as she tried to continue fighting despite her injuries, shattered every restraint he'd been maintaining.
"No more," he whispered, his golden ki beginning to shift and intensify.
Teilanne, still coordinating the overall battle, felt the change in her son's energy signature and turned with alarm. "Cumber, maintain control—"
But it was too late.
Cumber's golden aura exploded outward with such intensity that it temporarily blinded everyone in the extraction chamber. When vision returned, he was floating three feet off the ground, his hair now a brilliant gold that seemed to generate its own light, his eyes a fierce emerald that burned with fury beyond anything they'd previously witnessed.
"Impossible," King Faust breathed from within his Dorma Anim. "What... what is that power?"
The Super Saiyan transformation had manifested in Edolas for the first time in the dimension's history. Cumber's power level had increased exponentially, his ki now operating on principles that transcended even the enhanced abilities the family had been using.
"You hurt Wendy," Cumber said quietly, his voice carrying harmonics that seemed to echo across dimensions. "You hurt a child who was trying to protect innocent people."
He appeared directly in front of the Dorma Anim's head, moving faster than even its advanced sensors could detect. When he placed his hand against the war machine's armor, the metal began to glow white-hot under the pressure of his transformed ki.
"Let me show you what happens when you make a Super Saiyan angry," he said conversationally.
What followed was coordination between Saiyan power and Dragon Slayer magic on a level that defied rational explanation.
"Everyone together!" Cumber called out, his Super Saiyan energy creating enhancement fields around all three Dragon Slayers. "One final attack!"
Gajeel, despite his exhaustion, managed to grin. "Now you're talking! Let's show this tin can what real teamwork looks like!"
"Triple Dragon Slayer Roar!" all three called out simultaneously.
Natsu's Fire Dragon's Roar became plasma that could melt through any known substance. Gajeel's Iron Dragon's Roar created metal projectiles that defied physical laws. Wendy's Sky Dragon's Roar generated pressure waves that should have been impossible in nature.
The combined attack, enhanced by Cumber's Super Saiyan energy, struck the Dorma Anim with devastating force. For a moment, it seemed the war machine might finally be defeated.
But when the explosion cleared, the Dorma Anim had leaped high into the sky, apparently undamaged by even their combined assault.
"Impossible!" Gajeel snarled. "How is that thing still operational?"
"The anti-magic armor," Wendy realized with growing despair. "It's designed to absorb and redirect magical energy. Our attacks just made it stronger."
"Then we try again!" Natsu declared, flames flickering around his fists despite his exhaustion. "We keep hitting it until—"
His words were cut off as Faust unleashed his most devastating weapon yet.
"Dragon Knight Spread Cannon!" the king announced with malicious satisfaction.
The attack was unlike anything they'd faced before—multiple energy beams that tracked their movements, creating overlapping fields of destructive force that made evasion impossible.
All three Dragon Slayers took the full impact, their bodies thrown against the chamber walls with bone-crushing force.
"Give up," Faust called down from his elevated position. "You cannot win. The Dorma Anim is invincible against magical opponents!"
Gajeel and Wendy struggled to rise, their magical reserves nearly depleted and their bodies pushed beyond normal endurance. Despair began to creep into their expressions as the futility of their situation became apparent.
But Natsu Dragneel stood up.
Blood running down his face, his flame magic flickering weakly around him, the Fire Dragon Slayer forced himself to his feet through sheer determination.
"Never give up," he said firmly, looking back at his teammates. "That's not what Fairy Tail does. We fight for our family, no matter what the odds."
His words reignited something in both Gajeel and Wendy. This was Natsu—their impulsive, loyal, never-surrender teammate who had faced impossible odds countless times and somehow always found a way through.
Irritated by Natsu's defiance, Faust attempted to crush him beneath the Dorma Anim's massive foot. But the Fire Dragon Slayer grabbed the mechanical appendage and, drawing upon reserves of strength he shouldn't have possessed, actually managed to throw the entire war machine off balance.
"Now, Gajeel!" Natsu shouted.
Understanding immediately, the Iron Dragon Slayer used his magic to create massive metal restraints that locked the Dorma Anim to the ground, preventing it from leaping away again.
"Wendy!" Natsu called out. "Your roar! Give me everything you've got!"
The Sky Dragon Slayer understood. Despite her exhaustion, despite her injuries, she channeled every remaining ounce of her magical power into her signature attack.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
But instead of targeting the Dorma Anim, she aimed her attack at Natsu himself. The wind magic didn't hurt him—instead, it combined with his own Fire Dragon magic, creating a technique that transcended either individual ability.
"Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
Enhanced by Wendy's wind magic and Cumber's Super Saiyan energy field, Natsu's attack achieved levels of power that pierced straight through the Dorma Anim's supposedly invincible armor. The war machine's defenses, designed to handle magical attacks, simply couldn't process the hybrid nature of Saiyan-enhanced Dragon Slayer magic.
Natsu burst through the cockpit, grabbed King Faust by the collar, and threw him clear of the mechanical dragon just before the entire system suffered catastrophic failure.
Standing atop the ruined Dorma Anim, King Faust looked up to see three figures silhouetted against the sky—the Dragon Slayers, their magic creating illusions that made them appear as actual dragons, backed by the golden radiance of a Super Saiyan whose power transcended his understanding.
Faced with what his mind interpreted as three real dragons and a being of impossible power, King Faust's consciousness simply shut down. He collapsed in a faint, defeated not just physically but psychologically.
"We did it!" Wendy cheered, though her voice was weak from exhaustion.
But their celebration was short-lived. Around them, the floating islands that supported various parts of the Royal City began to fall toward the ground, one by one.
The Magic Drain Begins
The sight of falling islands brought every battle across the kingdom to an immediate halt. Royal Army soldiers stopped fighting to stare in horror at their crumbling city. Edolas Fairy Tail members paused in their advance, confusion replacing their battle fury.
High in the sky, Queen Shagotte of Extalia felt the change immediately. "The Magic Power of Edolas," she whispered in growing alarm. "It's beginning to disappear."
Across the kingdom, streams of magical energy began flowing upward toward the sky, drawn by forces that operated beyond normal understanding. The very foundation of Edolas civilization—the accumulated magical power stolen from other worlds—was being systematically drained away.
In the Anima control room, Mystogan watched the energy readings with grim satisfaction. "It's working," he told the wounded Panther Lily. "The reversed Anima is sending all our hoarded magic back to where it came from."
"The people are panicking," Lily observed, his keen hearing picking up the sounds of chaos from across the city.
"They should be," Mystogan replied quietly. "Their entire world is about to change. But change is necessary if we want to build something sustainable, something that doesn't require the suffering of others."
On the battlefield, the immediate effects were becoming apparent. The Royal Army's magical weapons began shutting down as their power sources evaporated. Legions fell from the sky as their magical propulsion systems failed. Within minutes, the kingdom's military advantage had simply ceased to exist.
The Royal Army, faced with the loss of everything that had made them formidable, began a strategic withdrawal. Without their magical superiority, they were just ordinary soldiers facing two entire Fairy Tail guilds backed by beings whose power operated on principles they couldn't comprehend.
"We're winning," Gray observed, creating ice barriers to provide cover for the retreating Royal forces. Despite everything they'd done, he wasn't interested in unnecessary casualties.
But his celebration was premature. Nearby, the Edolas Fairy Tail members were also beginning to panic as they felt their own magical abilities fading away.
"Our magic," one of them whispered in horror. "It's disappearing too."
Lucy Ashley tried to maintain morale, calling out encouragement to her guildmates. "We'll adapt! We'll find new ways to help people!"
But her words rang hollow against the stark reality of what was happening. These people had built their entire lives around their small reserves of magical ability. Without it, they faced an uncertain future that none of them were prepared for.
Across the kingdom, similar scenes were playing out. Townspeople who had relied on magical conveniences found themselves facing a world where such things no longer existed. The panic was spreading like wildfire as the full implications of the change became apparent.
The Dragon Slayers' Choice
Despite their exhaustion from the battle with Faust, Wendy managed to push herself to her feet. "We need to get to the Royal City," she said with determination that belied her injuries. "There might be something we can do to help."
"Help how?" Gajeel asked, though he was already forcing himself upright. "The magic's disappearing from the entire world. This isn't something we can punch our way out of."
"Maybe not," Natsu replied, his flame magic flickering weakly but persistently. "But we're Fairy Tail. When people are in trouble, we help. That's what we do."
The three Dragon Slayers began making their way toward the Royal City, their movements slow but determined. Around them, the Clive family coordinated to provide support—Cumber's Super Saiyan transformation had stabilized, allowing him to create spatial pathways, while Teilanne organized evacuation efforts for civilians caught in the chaos.
The Leadership Dilemma
In the Anima control room, Mystogan and Panther Lily faced a different kind of crisis.
"The people need leadership," Mystogan said, watching the panic spread across the kingdom through magical viewing screens that were rapidly losing power. "They need someone to guide them through this transition, to help them build a new kind of civilization."
"You," Lily said immediately. "You're the prince. You understand both the old system and what needs to change. You should—"
"No," Mystogan interrupted firmly. "Don't you understand? I'm the one who took their magic away. I'm the reason their entire world is collapsing. They'll never accept leadership from the person they blame for destroying everything they knew."
He turned to face the wounded Exceed with an expression of grim determination. "We need someone to play the villain—someone for the people to blame, to focus their anger on. And we need a hero who defeats that villain and unites the people around a new vision for the future."
The implications of his words hit Panther Lily like a physical blow. "You want to be the villain. You want me to be the hero who defeats you."
"You can unite humans and Exceeds," Mystogan continued. "You've served both communities, you understand both perspectives. With the right presentation, you could become the symbol of a new Edolas—one that doesn't need stolen magic to thrive."
"I won't do it," Lily said flatly. "I won't let you sacrifice yourself for political theater. There has to be another way."
The argument continued as, outside, the kingdom of Edolas faced the end of everything it had ever known. The magic was disappearing, the old order was crumbling, and the future remained uncertain.
But in that uncertainty lay the possibility of something better—a world built on cooperation rather than exploitation, on innovation rather than theft, on the bonds between people rather than the power they could steal from others.
The war was ending, not through victory or defeat, but through transformation. And in the midst of that transformation, both heroes and villains would need to decide what they were truly fighting for.
The Truth Seekers
As magical energy continued to drain from Edolas, Lucy Ashley stood before her guild with the same fierce determination that had convinced them to join the battle in the first place.
"We need to know what's happening," she declared, her voice cutting through the confused murmurs of her guildmates. "Our entire world is changing, and we deserve to understand why. We're going to the Royal City to find out the truth about our future."
The Edolas Fairy Tail members, their magical abilities fading by the minute, nodded with grim resolve. They had fought for their freedom—now they needed to understand what that freedom would cost them.
Meanwhile, in the Anima control room, the argument between Mystogan and Panther Lily had reached an impasse.
"Execute me in front of the citizens," Mystogan insisted, his masked face turned toward the control panels that continued to drain magic from their world. "Let them see their prince fall to a hero who promises them a better future. You can unite humans and Exceeds under a single banner."
"I won't let you sacrifice yourself for political theater," Lily replied firmly, despite his wounds. "There has to be another way to give the people hope."
"No, you be the king," Mystogan countered. "I'll be the villain. The people need someone to blame, and someone to believe in. It can't be the same person."
Neither man noticed Nadi lurking in the doorway, his unusual face marked with growing understanding as he overheard their debate.
The argument was interrupted by a guard bursting into the room. "Captain Lily! The people are rioting in the streets! They're destroying everything they can find!"
Both men agreed immediately—whatever their disagreement about the future, the present crisis demanded action. They rushed outside to find chaos spreading through the Royal City as panic-stricken citizens lashed out at anything that represented the magical order they were losing.
But what they discovered was far more organized than a simple riot.
Three figures moved through the streets with deliberate purpose, their magical abilities still intact despite the kingdom-wide drain. Natsu Dragneel breathed fire at buildings, Gajeel Redfox tore apart magical infrastructure with his iron magic, and Wendy Marvell—now sixteen and more confident in her abilities—used her wind magic to create small tornadoes that scattered debris dramatically.
The Clive Family's Amusement
From their vantage point on a nearby rooftop, the Clive family watched the unfolding performance with barely concealed amusement.
"Oh, this is good," Uruk murmured, his scholarly mind immediately recognizing the theatrical nature of the Dragon Slayers' actions. "They're creating a narrative."
Gine nodded, her analytical abilities tracking the crowd's reactions. "Look at the positioning. Natsu's drawing attention to himself while the other two provide supporting terror. It's actually quite sophisticated psychological manipulation."
Cumber, his Super Saiyan transformation now stable, had to bite his lip to keep from laughing out loud. "They're making themselves into the perfect villains. Foreign invaders with powerful magic, destroying things just to cause fear."
"The people need someone to blame for losing their magic," Teilanne observed, her crimson aura flickering with what might have been approval. "And someone to save them from that blame. Clever children."
Kizuna, his ikari form finally settled back to normal golden ki, shook his head with admiration. "Natsu's going to let Mystogan 'defeat' him, isn't he? Make the prince look like a hero while giving the people a reason to accept their new reality."
Down below, Edo-Gajeel had caught on to the performance and was playing his part perfectly, shouting to the crowd: "Look! These evil Earthland mages are stealing our magic! They're the ones destroying our world!"
The Performance Intensifies
Natsu responded to the accusation by breathing a spectacular gout of flame that illuminated the entire street, causing the gathered citizens to scream and flee in terror. The theatricality of it was almost comical—he was clearly avoiding actually hurting anyone while maximizing the visual impact.
"STOP!" Mystogan shouted, rushing toward the Fire Dragon Slayer with his staff raised. "I won't let you destroy my kingdom!"
But Natsu ignored him completely, turning instead to address the crowd with deliberately menacing glee.
"That's right, people of Edolas! I am Natsu Dragneel, and I've come to steal all your magic!" He paused dramatically, then added with obvious relish, "And did you know? Your precious Prince Mystogan, who disappeared seven years ago, is standing right there!"
The revelation sent shockwaves through the crowd. Mystogan's identity as the missing prince had been known to few, and hearing it announced by their apparent tormentor created exactly the kind of emotional complexity the situation needed.
Panther Lily, watching from the sidelines, began to understand what was happening. "Why are they doing this?" he wondered aloud.
"Because they overheard your conversation," Nadi revealed, emerging from the shadows with his perpetual strange smile. "I told them about your plan to create a hero and villain. So they decided to make it easier for you."
Up on their rooftop, Teilanne had to cover her mouth to hide a genuine laugh. "That impulsive young man just solved their political crisis through pure dramatic instinct."
"Should we be concerned that he's enjoying the villain role a little too much?" Gine asked as Natsu cackled maniacally while destroying another conveniently empty building.
"Not as long as Wendy's there to keep him grounded," Uruk replied, watching as the Sky Dragon Slayer tried to subtly redirect some of Natsu's more enthusiastic destruction away from areas where people might actually get hurt.
The Fairy Tail Farewell Ceremony
As the magic continued to drain from Edolas, several things happened simultaneously. The Exceeds who had been transformed by Queen Shagotte's enhancement magic began reverting to their normal forms. Royal Army soldiers found their magical equipment completely inert. And most significantly, everyone with inherent magical abilities began to glow with an ethereal light.
Mystogan attempted to cast a sleep spell on Natsu to end the performance, but the magic was absorbed into the Anima before it could take effect. This only made Natsu's villainous laughter more convincing as he destroyed another building.
"You're going too far!" Wendy called out, though her tone suggested she was playing her part rather than expressing genuine concern.
"No," Gajeel interjected, understanding dawning on his face, "this is perfect. The demon with incredible magical power, defeated by a hero with none."
Mystogan made another attempt to reason with Natsu, but the Fire Dragon Slayer responded with a theatrical punch that sent the prince staggering backward.
What followed was a carefully choreographed fight that looked desperate and violent to the watching crowd but was actually a precise dance of restraint and showmanship. As they exchanged blows, Natsu began speaking in a voice loud enough for everyone to hear.
"The first rule of leaving Fairy Tail," he announced between dodging Mystogan's staff strikes, "is that you must never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to others for as long as you live!"
The Clive family exchanged glances of growing understanding. This wasn't just political theater—it was a farewell ceremony.
"The second rule," Natsu continued, his flames flickering as the magic drain intensified, "is that you must never use former contacts to benefit yourself!"
Mystogan, catching on to the ritual significance, threw himself into the performance with renewed energy. His staff work became more dramatic, his expressions more heroically determined.
"The third rule," Natsu called out as both men prepared for their final exchange, "is that though our paths may have diverged, you must continue to live out your life with all your might! You must never consider your own life to be something insignificant, and you must never forget about your friends who loved you!"
Both men smiled as they threw their final punches. Natsu's connected first, but Mystogan's follow-through allowed him to remain standing as the Fire Dragon Slayer collapsed dramatically.
The crowd erupted in cheers for their heroic prince, but their celebration was interrupted as Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel began glowing more intensely.
The Return Home
All across Edolas, the same phenomenon was occurring. Anyone with inherent magical abilities found themselves being drawn toward the reversed Anima portals. The Exceeds floated upward like living stars, while the Earthland Fairy Tail members began their journey home.
"We don't need magic to be a guild," Gray called out to the Edolas Fairy Tail members as his body began to glow. "You only need each other!"
Erza Scarlet and Erza Knightwalker shared a final moment of understanding, both women having found something valuable in their confrontation.
"Goodbye," Scarlet said simply. "Take care of your people."
"Take care of your family," Knightwalker replied.
On the rooftop, the Clive family watched the departure with mixed emotions. They had formed genuine bonds with the Edolas versions of their friends, and leaving them behind felt like abandoning family.
"We could stay," Kizuna suggested quietly. "Help them rebuild their world."
"Our world needs us too," Teilanne replied, though her voice carried regret. "And they need to prove to themselves that they can build something better. Our presence would only make them dependent on external strength."
As the magical energies began to pull them toward the portals, Cumber created one last spatial pathway to allow them a proper farewell with Lucy Ashley and her guild.
"Thank you," Lucy Ashley said, tears streaming down her face. "For everything. For showing us that we could be brave, for helping us fight for our freedom."
"Thank you for reminding us what that freedom costs," Teilanne replied. "Build something beautiful here. Something that doesn't require anyone else's suffering."
The goodbye was heartfelt but brief. The Anima's pull was becoming irresistible, drawing all magical beings back to their world of origin.
As they rose toward the portals, Natsu continued his villainous act until the very end, pretending to suffer dramatically while the people cheered for their victorious prince. The performance was so convincing that even some of the Edolas Fairy Tail members looked uncertain.
Mystogan, understanding his role, turned to address his people with regal authority.
"Citizens of Edolas," he declared, "we are going to live on, even without magic. We will build a new world based on our own strength, our own ingenuity, our own bonds with each other. The age of stolen power is over. The age of earned prosperity begins now."
The crowd's cheers followed them through the dimensional barriers as the Earthland Fairy Tail guild, the Exceeds, and the Clive family returned home—carrying with them the knowledge that sometimes the greatest victory comes not from conquest, but from helping others find the strength to stand on their own.
To be continued in Chapter 25: Earthland Returns