Arthur and Ultear materialized back inside the command center of the Celestial Forge, the silver light of their Warp Gate violently sputtering against the sudden, overwhelming pressure of the dimensional breach. The sheer magnitude of the magical disturbance was instantaneous and profound.
Arthur's face was set in a hard, serious mask. He knew exactly what this was: the Anima, the magic-siphoning vortex from the alternate world of Edolas, was activating its main siphon, targeting Earthland's greatest concentration of magical power—the Fairy Tail Guild Hall.
"The focus point is Magnolia,"
Arthur immediately stated, his mind already calculating the energy needed to mitigate the disaster.
"The Anima is pulling the magic right out of the world, starting with the mages."
Rimuru, who was calmly settling back into her routine after dealing with Laxus, shot to full attention. She had felt the massive rupture and immediately activated the Celestial Forge's internal defenses.
"It's not just magic, Arthur,"
Rimuru reported, her eyes glowing faintly.
"It's pulling everything with a high magic concentration, including the life force of the most powerful mages. It's too strong to stop with a simple barrier."
The full terror of the Anima was realized instantly at the Fairy Tail Guild Hall. A massive, dark vortex of swirling, chaotic energy suddenly erupted from the center of the town, centering itself directly over the guild.
Inside, the remaining mages—Makarov, Mirajane, Gray, Gajeel, Wendy, Carla, and a dozen others—screamed as their bodies became impossibly heavy. Their magic was being violently ripped out of their bodies, pulled toward the sky.
Gajeel, despite his immense power, was on his knees, his Iron Dragon Slayer Magic uselessly flaring as it was sucked from him. Makarov, his body shrinking as his power left him, tried desperately to activate his vast Giant Magic, but the power failed.
Mirajane collapsed, the last remnants of her Satan Soul magic being forcefully extracted.
Wendy Marvell & Carla Fear Sky Dragon Slayer Magic
Wendy and Carla clung to each other, feeling their Sky Dragon Slayer Magic and Exceed power being forcefully drained.
Then, with an agonizing pop of dimensional energy, the mages began to vanish. They were pulled up, not through the roof, but through the dimensional veil itself.
Makarov vanished.
Mirajane vanished.
Gray vanished.
Gajeel vanished.
Wendy and Carla vanished.
Every mage in the Fairy Tail Guild Hall vanished.
Only those with no magic—like the bartender Macao (who was outside) or those protected by a conceptual power—were left behind.
The entire Fairy Tail Guild Hall—the building itself—vanished in a blinding flash, leaving behind only an empty, massive crater where the most powerful concentration of magic in the town once stood.
The vortex raged, threatening to consume all of Magnolia.
Arthur knew he couldn't stop the Anima entirely, but he could stop it from destroying Earthland's entire power structure. He focused his mind, channeling his Reality Blending and his Magicules
He issued a conceptual command:
"The Earthland Dimension is Stable."
A massive, invisible pulse of his power flowed outward, defining the perimeter of Fiore as a stabilized zone.
The destructive, erratic energy of the Anima vortex was immediately constrained and dissipated. The physical town was saved, but the dimensional breach remained.
"They're gone,"
Ultear whispered, looking at the energy traces.
"The entire guild, Arthur-sama. Ripped into Edolas."
Rimuru pointed toward the crater.
"Wait. Not everyone. The residual energy indicates a Dragon Slayer signature is still here, but highly unstable. It's Natsu."
Arthur recalled the key plot point: Dragon Slayers—beings infused with dragon magic—were highly unstable to the Anima and often immune to its siphoning effect. Natsu, the original Fire Dragon Slayer, was still somewhere in Magnolia, spared the fate of his friends.
"Natsu is still here,"
Arthur confirmed.
"The next phase of the plan begins now. We follow them. Rimuru, Ultear—we are going to Edolas."
…
The air was thick with residual dimensional energy and the ghostly echo of lost magic.
Arthur used his Soul Magic to pinpoint the erratic signature of the remaining Dragon Slayer. He found him quickly: Natsu Dragneel, lying facedown on the outskirts of the crater, completely unconscious. Natsu's body was shaking, having resisted the massive dimensional pull due to his unique, dragon-infused physiology.
Arthur knelt, placing a hand on Natsu's back and applying a swift dose of Dragonic Cure. The healing surge stabilized Natsu's frantic magical core and immediately roused him.
Natsu shot upright, flames flaring around his fists, his eyes wide with confusion and rising panic. He saw the empty hole where his home was, and the terror of absolute loss hit him instantly.
"The guild... what happened?!"
Natsu roared, turning his rage on the nearest person—Arthur.
"Calm down, Natsu"
Arthur commanded, his voice firm.
"Your guild was not destroyed; it was transferred to another place."
Arthur quickly explained the situation, keeping the details concise: the Anima was a magical siphon from another world named Edolas, and it had pulled everyone with a high magic concentration, including the entire guild, into that dimension.
"They're alive, but they are in another dimension,"
Arthur concluded.
"And without their magic, they are defenseless."
Natsu didn't hesitate. His anger instantly refocused into desperate determination.
"Then we go now! Open that thingy! I don't care where it is, just get me there!"
Arthur knew he could enter Edolas alone, but Natsu was essential. He was the narrative catalyst and, more importantly, the emotional anchor for the rest of the rescue. He needed no coercion.
"You have no magic to fight with in that world, Natsu,"
Arthur warned.
"I don't need magic to save my family!"
Natsu declared fiercely.
"Very well,"
Arthur confirmed, a slight smile touching his lips.
"We go together."
Arthur turned to his own team. Rimuru and Ultear were ready, their magical reserves secured and their commitment absolute.
Arthur gathered them together—Natsu gripping his shoulder with raw determination, Ultear holding tight to Rimuru, and Rimuru enveloped in her defensive aura.
Arthur channeled his vast magic and focused the output of his Reality Blending—not to open a simple gate, but to force a bridge across dimensions.
"I define the path,"
Arthur stated, the energy swirling around them, far surpassing the intensity of the earlier Anima.
The air shattered. The light that erupted was not silver or gold, but a maelstrom of iridescent color—a pure, raw dimensional breach. The sheer power required to push through the barrier between realities was staggering.
With a conceptual snap that reverberated across dimensions, Arthur, Rimuru, Ultear, and Natsu vanished from Earthland, plunging headfirst into the chaotic reality of Edolas.