At one point, Hughes truly began to doubt whether he'd come to the right place.
His mission was simple on paper: capture the Dragon Slayer on the floating island where the magic crystal was being stored. And sure, the floating island was here… but where was the crystal?
Weren't they told it was the size of a mountain?
He stood there blinking for a few seconds before the realization hit him.
Right. This was Earth Land.
And the mages of Earth Land likely had some way to restore the magic crystal to its full form.
Which meant, he wasn't just facing a few people anymore. He might be facing… an entire city.
That sounded like a challenge, but Hughes didn't think much of it. Compared to the grandeur of the Royal Capital, this place looked like a countryside village, no towering buildings, no walls brimming with defense turrets.
It seemed like most of the people here were just civilians. And of the magicians? Only a handful were likely to be troublesome.
"Legion Squad, encircle! Magic War Troop, advance!"
Hughes gave the command smoothly, as if this were routine. In battle, a true captain didn't hide behind others, he stood on the front lines, even if only to clean up the mess afterward.
Immediately, over two hundred Legion soldiers began to fan out, forming a loose encirclement pattern like they had with the Exceeds.
Above them, fifteen aerial warships moved into position, preparing for a full landing assault.
But before they could get close, Hughes saw something.
A small, elderly man stood alone at the edge of the floating island.
The man was tiny and easy to overlook, until, in the blink of an eye, his body began to swell and expand like a balloon inflating with fury.
In mere seconds, that little old man had transformed into a towering giant.
He loomed between sky and land, his massive form dwarfing even the ships above. Just one look from his thunderous, wrath-filled face was enough to paralyze the soul.
Hughes found himself frozen in place. Just locking eyes with the giant sent a chill down his spine.
Something was very, very wrong.
"Magic War Troop, all units listen up!" Hughes shouted in alarm. "Activate the cannon! Target the giant and fire!"
The fifteen ships rotated in sync, heavy magic cannons swiveling toward Makarov. The muzzles shimmered as they charged with devastating magical energy.
But the Fairy Tail Guild Master was already a step ahead.
Crossing his arms in front of his massive frame, Makarov's cloak, bearing the crest of the Ten Wizard Saints, billowed dramatically as an overwhelming surge of magic burst forth.
"Maximum Defense Magic Array: Three Pillar Gods!"
With a thunderous rumble, three enormous stone pillars inscribed with ancient runes erupted from the earth, stretching skyward and locking together in a triangle. A radiant magic barrier surged to life between them, forming a fortress-like shield around Makarov.
Then—
Boom!
Fifteen blasts of concentrated magical destruction erupted from the ships. Beams of light roared through the air, their energy trailing with sparks and heat as they smashed into the barrier;
And stopped.
All fifteen shots slammed harmlessly into the edge of the defensive array, crumbling into motes of light like fireflies on a windowpane.
Neither the town behind him, nor the old man standing firm within the pillars, was touched.
The defenders were untouched. The attacker's pride, however, was another story.
"Fifteen direct hits didn't even scratch him?!"
"What kind of monster is that guy?!"
"Is that really Earth Land's magic?!"
Even Hughes was stunned. He knew the mages of Earth Land were powerful, but this? Holding off a barrage from fifteen fully armed warships… alone?
Was that really something a human could do?
And then, the giant opened his mouth.
His voice shook the heavens.
"From this moment on…" Makarov's words echoed like rolling thunder, "All personnel outside this island are considered enemies!"
The voice sounded eerily familiar to some, but there was no time to dwell on it.
Just moments ago, this very giant had effortlessly blocked fifteen direct hits from the fleet's cannons. Now, with that same voice echoing like a god's decree, every soldier in the air felt a chill race down their spine.
With a body that massive, couldn't he easily punch straight through a warship?
But Makarov didn't pay any attention to their fear.
He stood firm within the magic circle of the Three Pillar Gods, his enormous arms raised. Slowly, golden particles of light, like tiny, fluttering fairies, began to gather around him, pulled inward from all directions.
The orbs of light collected in his hands, growing denser, brighter, and more intense, until they formed a radiant golden sphere between his palms. From there, brilliant rays of magic flared outward in every direction.
It was breathtakingly beautiful.
It was blinding.
It was dangerous.
Makarov fixed his eyes upon the aerial fleet before him. His voice rang out, deep and thunderous like a cathedral bell:
"By the ancient laws of Fairy Tail's judgment, I give you three counts to decide your fate. Until then… kneel and beg for mercy!"
The golden light in his hands pulsed violently, glowing brighter with each passing second. The volume of his voice swelled alongside it, making the very air tremble.
Fear spread like wildfire through the fleet.
Even the Legion forces scattered in the sky began to falter.
Many longed to flee the battlefield, their instincts screaming at them to run, but they were elite soldiers of the Edolas Kingdom. Without orders, retreat was not an option.
Makarov's eyes locked onto Hughes, who stood on the deck of the flagship.
"One!" the giant roared.
Hughes involuntarily swallowed. His instincts screamed at him, that something terrible was about to happen. But how could he just surrender? Could he really kneel and beg just because the enemy said so?
No. He still had the mission.
He steeled himself and prepared to give the attack order.
"Two!" Makarov's second count echoed like thunder, making Hughes's heart tremble violently in his chest.
He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stand tall.
To rally himself, and his troops, he shouted at the top of his lungs:
"I, Hughes! Captain of the Third Magic War Troop of His Majesty's Army, have been ordered to capture the Dragon Slayer! Anyone who dares obstruct this mission—"
"Three!"
The final count fell like a divine judgment.
Makarov didn't let Hughes finish. At the exact moment his final word rang out, the giant slammed his hands together with overwhelming force.
"This is the end… Fairy Law, Activate!"
The golden light vanished from between Makarov's palms, gone in a flash.
And then, everything turned white.
Hughes saw nothing.
No light. No shadow. No form.
His thoughts vanished, his strength drained. His eyes rolled back, and his body collapsed lifelessly to the deck.
No one came to his aid.
Because everyone else had already collapsed.
Every soldier aboard every ship lay sprawled across the floor like puppets with their strings cut.
It was as if a star had exploded atop the floating island. The ground beneath the giant's feet quaked with the impact, and the golden light that burst forth reached such intensity that it no longer looked gold, it was pure, blinding white.
The light burst outward in a flash, and for a moment, the floating island seemed to shine like the tenth sun in the sky.
When the brilliant radiance swept across the battlefield, not a single person in Magnolia was harmed. But on the fifteen flying ships of the Edolas army, not a soul remained standing.
With no one to control them, the massive ships hovered silently, then slowly began descending, likely guided by their automatic emergency systems.
As for the more than 200 Legion soldiers in the air, upon seeing that terrifying display, they seemed to instinctively recognize their natural predator. Discipline crumbled. Orders were abandoned. In complete panic, they turned to flee in every direction.
But they didn't get far.
Before they could escape, a wave of invisible force struck them. One by one, they lost consciousness midair, spiraling downward like broken kites. The soldiers riding on their backs tumbled off, raining down across the battlefield.
Legion beasts, soldiers, helmets, weapons, a strange, chaotic rain fell over Edolas.
And when the radiant light finally faded, silence blanketed the battlefield.
There wasn't a single shout.
Not one cry of awe or fear.
Because not a single enemy was left conscious.
Behind Makarov, even the weapons in the hands of the militia clattered to the ground.
The members of Fairy Tail stood in stunned silence, unable to speak for a long moment.
Only Gildarts smiled faintly, a glimmer of mischief in his eyes.
Makarov's body shrank back to his normal size. The towering giant who had just stood like a god among mortals now returned to being the familiar, grumbling old man with the white mustache.
"Oops~ Looks like I overdid it a little," he muttered sheepishly, scratching the back of his head with a goofy grin.
"Hahaha! Now that's how a Master should act, old man!" Gildarts said with a laugh, giving the Master a hard slap on the back.
The hit was so strong that Makarov stumbled and nearly fell to one knee.
That moment broke the tension.
Cheers erupted.
"LONG LIVE THE MASTER!"
"OHHHHHH!!!"
"WE WON!"
The cries started with Warren, Laki, and the others closest to the front lines. Then the militia joined in. Soon, even the civilians, watching from rooftops and alleys, added their voices to the celebration.
The cheers swelled, echoed, and rolled like thunder across Magnolia.
Even though many had no idea what had just happened…
They understood one thing clearly:
They had won.
Rhodes returned just then, having finished delivering the supplies, and saw the fallen enemy troops scattered across the sky and ground. He scratched his head with a bitter laugh.
"Master, you're making me look like the extra here…"