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*****
"Everyone, you've seen the situation for yourselves.
If we retreat immediately, they'll definitely assume we're weak, and that might provoke them into launching a war against the Eastern Continent soon.
So, our objective this time is to defeat as many of them as we can before retreating.
Only then will they think twice before making a move. That way, we can buy ourselves more time once we return."
After giving the Desert King a thumbs-up with his oversized cat paw, George turned to the Fairy Tail mages, speaking solemnly.
"This time, I'm counting on all of you. Fairy Tail—Victory is ours!"
To achieve the desired effect, fooling the enemy wasn't enough—they had to fool themselves too.
Otherwise, if everyone thought George was there to clean up any mess, they wouldn't be pushed to break their limits in desperate moments.
Fortunately, most members of the guild were hot-blooded and simple-minded. Even if his reasoning was a little shaky, it wouldn't matter much.
Besides, they had only just returned after three days and weren't aware of his current true strength, so deep down, they probably didn't believe he could really handle it all alone.
Even the smarter ones were likely swept up in the hype and excitement, unable to think clearly.
"Victory!"
Sure enough, when George raised his paw and struck the classic Fairy Tail guild pose, everyone instantly fired up.
They all raised their fists and shouted the same.
There was nothing left to say—it was time to fight. They were going to follow their guild master and obliterate the entire Spriggan Twelve!
Fairy Tail was the strongest now!
"Let's gooo!"
With a wave of his cat paw, George led the Fairy Tail mages as they charged fiercely toward the Desert King.
Their overwhelming momentum even startled the Spriggan Twelve for a moment.
"Requip: Heaven's Wheel Armor!"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
"Thunder Dragon's Roar!"
"Purge of Evil – One Day!"
"Seven-Star Sword!"
A barrage of spells rained down, instantly engulfing the Desert King.
But as one of the Spriggan Twelve—a mage on par with the Four Heavenly Kings of Ishgar—he wasn't just for show.
A violent sandstorm surged around him, allowing him to forcefully withstand the initial onslaught.
However, his expression turned grim as he did so.
Clearly, the power of the Fairy Tail mages had exceeded his expectations and was putting immense pressure on him.
But since he had made such a bold declaration earlier, his pride wouldn't allow him to ask for help. Gritting his teeth, he committed fully to the battle.
"Looks like I underestimated them."
George didn't join the fray but murmured in surprise as he watched.
Natsu and the others were clearly much stronger than he remembered.
Then again, that made sense. His last impression of them was from the civil war period.
Since then, while he was away in the Northern Continent, they had gone through battles with the Oración Seis, Edolas, and Tenrou Island. It was only natural that their strength had increased significantly.
"We still can't win—especially not against those two."
Anna, who also hadn't entered the fight, remained tense.
As a Celestial Spirit Mage, most of her power came from her Spirits—and her keys had been passed down to her descendants. She wouldn't be much help in battle.
But with her experience, she knew that even if they defeated the Desert King—or even a few more of the Twelve—they still couldn't win the war.
Because the Magic King and the red-haired mage beside him exuded an overwhelming presence.
That oppressive aura was only slightly weaker than Zeref's.
"George, with the magic you're using, I can possess your body and tap into your magical power.
If things get out of hand, I'll cast Fairy Sphere for defense, and you can use spatial magic to evacuate everyone."
Mavis had already begun planning their retreat.
George had learned Fairy Sphere, but at his current mastery, he could only create a shield large enough for two or three people.
However, if he handed over his magic for Mavis to control, she could cast a Fairy Sphere to protect the entire guild—one even Zeref couldn't easily break through.
Once it was formed, George could take over again and teleport everyone out from inside using space magic.
"It's fine. No rush."
George casually waved his paw, clearly enjoying the battle unfolding in front of him.
While he'd been busy studying ways to enhance his magic, so had Natsu and the others. This fight was showcasing many of the new spells they'd developed.
For George, it was full of inspiration.
"We won!"
In less than five minutes, the Desert King had reached his limit.
With their blood boiling and their teamwork on point, the Fairy Tail mages were fighting far beyond their usual limits.
At that moment, George flashed forward, catching the unconscious Desert King, who'd been sent flying by Erza's final blow.
Without hesitation, he activated soul-search mode, scanning and extracting all the magic in the Desert King's mind.
Why had he come rushing to the Western Continent?
To defeat the Black Dragon? Stop a war between East and West? Seek cooperation with Zeref?
None of that was really the main reason. Those were secondary objectives—things that could wait a year or two.
His primary goal was to plunder all valuable Western magic, especially the forbidden magic buried in Zeref's mind.
Eastern Continent magic had already benefited him greatly. Since the West was even stronger, their magic couldn't possibly disappoint.
Across every world, the true purpose of his clones was to increase their strength. Only after doing so would they pursue secondary goals.
For example, because of the bonds he'd formed with the guild, he was now acting as guild master and giving everyone a chance to grow—rather than simply steamrolling the enemy himself.
It would only take a few hours, after all.
He now had many clones across different worlds. And whenever one of them got stronger, it boosted the strength of his other selves.
With stronger versions in other worlds, he could gain even more powerful resources and push the cycle further—feeding strength back into every clone.
It was a positive feedback loop.
So as long as the situation was safe, taking some risks for resources was worth it.
Before coming to the Western Continent, even though he didn't know if he could defeat Zeref, he'd confirmed he could escape if necessary—and that was enough.
Because once he gained Western magic and strengthened himself, the other versions of him would benefit too.
That boost might allow a version of him in another world to accomplish something impossible before.
For instance, if his Middle-earth clone became strong enough, he could kill Morgoth, reach the Realm of the Gods, and learn directly from the deities—becoming even more powerful and passing that strength back to the Fairy Tail world.
Then, once the Fairy Tail version of him grew stronger, maybe he could one-shot the Black Dragon with ease.
(End of Chapter)