Makarov's display instantly reignited everyone's morale.
The fear, tension, and anxiety that had lingered moments ago were swept away in an instant.
"So strong… Is this the Guild Master's power?" Lucy muttered in shock, eyes wide.
"Old man's amazing!" Natsu grinned broadly as he repeatedly smacked Makarov on the head.
"Stop hitting me already!" Makarov snapped irritably, pushing Natsu away.
"You really are impressive, Makarov," Jose sneered coldly. "But after consuming over half your magic power, how exactly do you plan to stop me now?"
Everything had gone exactly according to his plan.
He wasn't foolish enough to think Jupiter alone could defeat Makarov. Its true purpose had always been to drain the Fairy Tail Guild Master's magic power. Once that happened, no one would be left to stop him.
"Makarov, you no longer have enough magic power to fight me. The next firing cycle for Jupiter is fifteen minutes away. Let's see how you stop it then." Jose's voice echoed through the loudspeakers. "Hand over Lucy Heartfilia, and I may consider sparing you."
"What?! That thing can fire again?!"
"What's there to be afraid of? We've got the Master, Alyan, Ultear, Erza, and Mira with us!"
"Huh?! Me?! What does this have to do with me?!" Lucy shouted, utterly confused that the situation had somehow turned toward her.
"You can forget about it," Makarov said calmly. "No parent would ever hand over their child."
He wasn't worried in the slightest.
Sure, his magic power had been heavily depleted, but he wasn't powerless. More importantly, Alyan alone was enough to deal with Jose now. As for the Four Elements, there were still Erza and the others.
No matter how he looked at it, Fairy Tail had no chance of losing this battle.
"I see. Then that's unfortunate," Jose replied coldly. "Enjoy your final five minutes."
The moment his voice disappeared, countless ghostly soldiers clad in purple cloaks emerged in the air, drifting toward Fairy Tail.
Alyan spoke indifferently, "He really looks down on Fairy Tail if he's resorting to these pathetic ghost soldiers."
"I'll handle Jose. The Four Elements are yours, Ultear, Erza, and Mira."
"I'm going too! Don't think you get to hog all the fun this time!" Natsu immediately protested.
"Same here. I'm not letting you guys steal all the spotlight," Gray added unwilling to fall behind.
"Fine," Alyan nodded after a moment's thought. "Gray, you take Totomaru. Ice against fire works perfectly."
"As for you, Natsu, there's an Iron Dragon Slayer in Phantom Lord. You can go have some fun with him. I beat him up pretty badly already, but with Dragon Slayer recovery abilities, he should still be standing."
"Seriously?! I'm all fired up now!" Natsu clenched his fists excitedly.
Alyan looked toward the towering mobile guild fortress before them.
"Alright, everyone. Show these idiots who looked down on us—and dared to destroy our guild—what happens when they provoke Fairy Tail."
"Jupiter needs fifteen minutes to recharge, right?"
"Then we'll crush them within fifteen minutes."
"Let's move!"
With that, Alyan charged forward first.
"OOOH!!"
Erza and the others shouted in unison as they followed after him, eyes blazing with fighting spirit and fury.
"Alyan's leadership skills have really improved," Mavis remarked with a smile.
"Yeah," Makarov chuckled proudly. "I'm seriously considering just handing the guild over to him already."
"Listen up, brats!" Makarov roared toward the remaining members. "Protect our guild! Protect our home! These ghost soldiers are Jose's magic—they're cursed entities, so don't let them touch you!"
"Everyone spread out! Gray, head for the control room. Destroy it, and Jupiter won't be able to fire again."
"Got it!" Gray immediately sprinted along the massive cannon barrel, taking the fastest route inward.
"The rest of us split up too," Alyan said. "If we can't find them, then we'll just destroy this whole place."
Inside Phantom Lord Headquarters, everyone scattered in different directions.
Alyan headed straight for the upper floors.
"Jose… wash your neck clean. I'm coming for your head."
"Hm? It's raining?"
In the wide corridor, Alyan casually knocked aside a Phantom Lord member before glancing toward the sky outside, where rain was pouring heavily.
"Drip… drip…"
Following the sound, he saw Juvia slowly approaching with an umbrella in hand.
"One of the Four Elements—the Rain Woman, Juvia," Alyan said, slightly surprised. He hadn't expected to encounter the only female member of the Four Elements.
"You are Alyan… the one who defeated Gajeel," Juvia said softly, staring at him. Yet inside, her heart was pounding wildly.
"If you stand in my way, you'll get hurt," Alyan said calmly, his golden eyes fixed steadily on her. "Man or woman, I won't hold back."
"I-Is that so… Then Juvia surrenders. Please have a pleasant day."
Juvia abruptly turned around, cheeks bright red, and hurried away without looking back.
"…Huh?"
Alyan blinked in confusion.
"What exactly is this woman trying to do?"
A string of explosions suddenly echoed through the headquarters.
Both Alyan and the not-yet-distant Juvia turned toward the source.
The area around the magic cannon erupted in flames.
"Looks like Gray succeeded," Alyan said with a faint smile.
"S-so handsome…" Juvia happened to catch that smile, and her heartbeat accelerated even more.
Lowering the brim of her umbrella slightly, she asked timidly:
"Hey… Alyan… what do you think about rainy days?"
"Huh? Rainy days?" Alyan looked utterly baffled. "What kind of random question is that?"
"Please answer Juvia," she insisted, sounding a little firmer.
"Rain or sunshine—it's all the same to me," Alyan replied casually. "Rainy days can be pretty romantic too."
Though confused, he still raised a hand as a gravity magic circle formed beneath his feet.
Before he could even act, Juvia suddenly clutched her chest. Her face turned scarlet, her eyes rolled back—
—and she collapsed dramatically onto the floor.
"So handsome… so gentle…"
"…Oi. What exactly is wrong with this woman?"
Alyan stared at his own hand, then at the unconscious Juvia, completely speechless.
After checking her condition, he realized she had merely fainted—though judging by the blissful smile on her face, she was probably having a very nice dream.
"Does she have some kind of weak constitution? Never heard that about the Rain Woman…"
Shaking his head helplessly, Alyan carried her over and laid her beside an open window.
"Get some fresh air."
Looking out at the now-clearing sky, Alyan sighed lightly.
"Huh. The rain stopped already."
Then he continued upward toward the top floor.