"This... I have also only just learned of this news. Although it is hard to believe, it is not without foundation."
The King of Fiore's expression did not look like a joke at all, and no king would ever be able to afford to make such a joke.
Everyone could not help but begin discussing it. This kind of thing was terrifying just to hear about.
"Just a single Acnologia was enough to leave us helpless..."
Evergreen's expression was heavy. Fear was already rising in her heart. To them, the incident on Tenrou Island had happened only three months ago.
"Even if that one was a special case..."
"Ten thousand dragons..."
Everyone felt a headache coming on.
"Right now, a large-scale operation is being carried out in the castle: the Eclipse Project. The goal of this plan is to wipe out ten thousand dragons in one fell swoop."
"However, there are ten thousand dragons after all. We predict that a few, or perhaps a few hundred, might survive. Mages of the guilds, no matter what, please lend us your strength."
"We hope to use everyone's power to defeat the dragons that survive. That is it. Please save this country."
King Toma bowed his head and pleaded.
"Yeah!!"
"Of course!!"
"Leave it to us!!"
"How could we be defeated by those monsters!!"
"This is our country!!" ...
Seeing the King plead like this, the morale of all the mages soared as they accepted.
"Sob... thank you..."
The King could not stop his tears from flowing.
"Dragons, huh?"
Sting muttered.
Rogue said, "It is time for us to step onto the stage."
The two of them had been injured by the shockwaves of Kael's Cruel Sun. They hadn't even been the direct targets, but they still couldn't withstand it.
Fortunately, the medical team was quite skilled, so they were currently able to move without trouble.
"Good luck, Sting!"
"Frosch too!"
The small cat, Lector, had been released. When he woke up, he was by Sting's side.
"Where is the young lady?"
Rufus asked Orga.
Orga said, "I do not know. When I woke up, I did not see her."
Ichiya had a moved expression. "The wills of all the guilds gathered together... what a wonderful parfum."
Eve said, "Dragons against the Pegasus, huh? It looks like it will make for a good scene."
"Do your best!"
Ren scratched his head. "Tch! Since the King is asking so nicely, I guess I have no choice."
"Kagura, are you alright?"
Millianna asked Kagura. Kagura had fought Kael, and Millianna didn't know how serious her injuries were. With even more dangerous battles ahead, Millianna was truly worried about Kagura's safety.
"I am fine!"
Kagura shook her head. When she took Kael's attack, she was already at the end of her rope, and then Minerva had stolen the kill.
This made her very unhappy. Of course, she hadn't trusted Minerva from the beginning; she could only say that Kael was too strong.
"Being able to fight side by side again really brings back memories."
Jura had his hands tucked in his sleeves. This reminded him of the Allied Forces formed against the Oración Seis seven years ago.
"Is Jura alright?"
Sherria asked with some concern.
"Yes, I am fine. It won't affect me much in a fight. I have you and Wendy to thank for that."
After Jura returned with his injuries, Wendy had proactively come over to help heal him. Since they were once part of the same alliance, it was natural to help out in this situation.
"I'm going to start spinning!!"
Obaba started spinning herself rapidly.
"Kael, what do you think?"
Makarov looked toward Kael. Kael frowned. He had a bit of an impression of what was happening, but he felt like he had forgotten something. He had been drinking quite frequently lately, and his memory was fading; he couldn't remember many things.
"Hmm, the King is way too stingy. Something on this scale should at least be posted as an SS-class quest."
Kael curled his lip. For something this big, it would be much better to post a quest. That way, he could accept it and get rewards for completing it. If no quest was posted, how was this any different from working for free?
"..."
Makarov was speechless. He didn't expect Kael to still be thinking about quests at a time like this.
In the distance, Laharl and Meser were standing there, having heard the news as well.
"This is incredible! So many mages standing together against a common enemy!"
Meser was very shocked by the sight.
"Eclipse? Its existence alone violates thirty laws."
Laharl's face was incredibly heavy. "Given the current situation, it would be best to contact the Council headquarters."
"Wait... wait a second!"
Meser reached out to stop him.
"What is it?" Laharl looked at Meser with confusion.
"Do not notify headquarters about this yet. If they find out, they might use Etherion to attack this place."
Meser said with a heavy expression.
"That..."
Laharl reacted to Meser's words. Indeed, if ten thousand dragons really appeared, the Magic Council would definitely use Etherion to strike. After all, the threat of ten thousand dragons was simply too great. If dragons, creatures of legend, appeared here, they would pose a massive security risk to the entire world.
The current Magic Council was known for being aggressive. With their style, using Etherion was almost a certainty.
"There are still so many mages here, as well as many kingdom soldiers. If Etherion is dropped, they will all die too. This is a very serious matter."
"But..."
Laharl had always followed the rules. As a member of the Magic Council, he could not knowingly break the law.
"Wait a little longer. Just wait a little longer. The dragons have not appeared yet; everything is unknown. Even if the dragons do appear, let's look at the situation first before deciding whether to report it."
Meser said to Laharl. Last time, he had watched helplessly as the members of Fairy Tail were attacked by the Black Dragon Acnologia's roar. This time, he could not let Etherion fall on everyone's heads and become the weapon that killed them all again.
"Fine! I will observe for now! However, if everything becomes irreparable, notifying the higher-ups will be the best choice."
Seeing the look in his close friend's eyes, Laharl knew what he was thinking. He also felt that killing so many people would indeed be too cruel.
The Royal Palace of Fiore
Princess Hisui gave the order: "From now on, in preparation to intercept the dragon swarm, shift to the firing process for the Eclipse Cannon!! Unlock it!!!"
Click! Click!!
The locks on the Eclipse Gate began to disengage.
Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong!!
The bells rang, representing the arrival of a new day.
The date changed from July 6th to July 7th.