"W-what was that?!"
"The... the gate... it's gone!"
"M-Monsters! They're monsters!"
The guard captain stood frozen, eyes wide in disbelief. "Impossible… this is the thickest gate in the world! It's supposed to be indestructible! It can withstand anything!"
And yet, through the remains of that legendary gate, four people calmly walked into the capital like it was just another day.
At the front strode Gildarts, cracking his knuckles with a casual air. Rhodes walked just behind him, gripping the Fairy Tail banner with pride. Mira and Erza flanked them, their magical pressure radiating like a storm.
Once inside, Rhodes planted the base of the flag into the stone, anchoring it deep into the street. His voice rang out loud and clear, reaching every ear nearby:
"Fairy Tail, recognized as the number one guild in the Kingdom of Fiore, having been attacked without cause by Edolas, now officially declares war on King Faust and the royal forces of this land!"
His eyes swept across the guards, civilians, and hidden onlookers.
"This war will not end until Edolas surrenders. All those who raise weapons, military or civilian, shall be treated as enemies of Fairy Tail. Our target is the palace. If you stand in our way..."
Rhode's fingers tightened around the pole as he raised the banner high.
"...then be ready to face the consequences."
At that moment, a fierce gust swept in from behind, causing the Fairy Tail flag to unfurl with a sharp snap, fluttering boldly in the wind like a declaration of rebellion.
Only four people stood there, but they stood like giants.
Some of the guards watching from the city wall scoffed.
Civilians peering from windows exchanged skeptical glances, lips curled in mockery.
But then;
BOOM!!
Gildarts punched the ground with full force.
WHIRRRR—BANG!
Mira, in full Satan Soul form, hurled her dark magic forward to the left.
CRASH—CRACK!!
Erza, clad in Purgatory Armor, slammed her massive black serrated sword into the ground to the right.
All at once, three distinct sounds erupted.
The capital trembled violently.
The earth itself screamed.
A massive quake rippled through the entire city as the street beneath Gildarts' feet exploded into evenly diced square tiles, spreading outward like a checkerboard. A deep crack surged down the main avenue toward the center of the capital.
Buildings on either side of the street trembled, their foundations twisted by the shifting earth, some beginning to tilt inward from the violent shift.
The tallest building in the city center suddenly sank.
The ground beneath it buckled. Its lower walls cracked and split apart, unable to bear the crushing weight above. Within seconds, the structure began to collapse in on itself. The once-proud tower crumbled into rubble.
To the left, Mira's wave of demonic energy had already scorched through the street, gouging a trench deep into the earth. It tore through walls and homes, sending debris flying in all directions.
At the end of its path, her magic crashed into the outer capital wall.
BOOM!
A section of the wall exploded. Massive cracks snaked through the surrounding stone, forming a spiderweb of destruction.
To the right, Erza's blow had caused a rupture that seemed subtle at first, just a single split across the street. But within seconds, the bluestone road groaned, caved in, and shattered entirely. The ground fell in on itself by more than a foot, creating a jagged, broken trench.
From the base of the far wall, a fissure opened like a wound. It spread upward, splitting apart into branches like the limbs of a tree, reaching higher and higher until;
CRASH!
The top of the city wall collapsed in an avalanche of stone, leaving a massive breach open to the sky.
The combined impact of the three strikes echoed like thunder through the capital.
And then...the entire city began to tremble.
A resonant quake swept through the stone foundations of Edolas.
From every corner of the capital came the cries of its people, shouts, screams, the sound of windows shattering and soldiers panicking.
The ones hit the hardest were the unfortunate guards stationed atop the city wall.
As the ground trembled and cracked from the overwhelming impact, both flanks of the gate buckled, and then collapsed with a thunderous roar.
The once-majestic walls, which had stood as a symbol of the royal capital's strength and pride, were now shattered ruins. In a single coordinated strike, nearly a third of the outer wall had been obliterated.
All along the streets, buildings close to the point of impact had been violently destabilized. Once exquisite stonework and architectural wonders were now nothing more than crumbling hazards.
Those who had moments earlier worn mocking smirks at Rhode's dramatic declaration now stared wide-eyed in horror.
Gasps and shrieks filled the air.
"Monsters!"
"Demons!"
The cries rose one after another in a chaotic chorus as panic spread through the capital.
Crowds of terrified citizens surged toward the far gates in a desperate bid to escape. The guards who had just regrouped after the earlier confusion stumbled and flinched, many dropping their weapons as they faced the four intruders again, now more frightened than ever.
"Summon: Blue Sentinel! Blue buff!" Rhode's voice rang clear.
Two Blue Sentinels materialized beside them, towering golem-like figures carved from glowing blue stone, their surfaces etched with ancient sigils.
Soft azure light began to ripple outward in concentric circles from their feet, surrounding Rhodes, Mira, Erza, and Gildarts in a gentle glow.
Streams of light flowed like rivers, converging on each of the four and immediately beginning to replenish the magic they had just expended.
The soldiers blinked.
They hadn't even fully processed what they were seeing, but their instincts screamed one thing: retreat.
Already overwhelmed by the terrifying power of Gildarts, Mira, and Erza, they now saw two enormous stone beasts, each one alone towering over even the tallest house. With their morale already at rock bottom, the guards turned and fled in a panicked stampede.
Not a single one dared to stay behind.
Rhodes, unfazed, continued forward. His companions followed him without breaking stride, stepping over the broken stone of the ruined gate.
The royal palace lay just ahead.
Oddly enough, the palace wasn't located in the dead center of the capital, nor was it the tallest building in the city. If not for the reconnaissance Gemini had performed through Hughes, they might have mistakenly fought their way into the wrong district.
"Quite the odd layout for a kingdom," Erza commented as she scanned their surroundings.
Gildarts tilted his head, still basking in the soft blue glow of the buff. "Huh? This magic...is something special."
He had barely noticed the earlier strain of magic expenditure, but even so, he could feel the blue light rapidly refilling his energy.
"For most mages," he muttered, "a spell like mine would've drained them dry. But this… this is like having an endless river of magic."
He looked toward Rhodes with narrowed eyes.
'What was going on with the Guild Master? How could he always pick up such treasures?'
The thought drifted through his mind as the group pressed on, until, distracted by his musing, Gildarts didn't notice the uneven stone beneath his boots.
His body suddenly tilted forward, momentum carrying him straight ahead.
Rhodes, Mira, and Erza didn't even attempt to stop him. Like a well-practiced dance, they all swiftly stepped out of the way with synchronized precision.
WHAM!!!
Gildarts landed face-first with an earth-shaking thud.
A crater formed instantly at the point of impact, square stones blasted outward, and cracks spread like lightning bolts across the surrounding ground.
The cracks Gildarts had unleashed didn't just stop at the gate.
Like wild lightning bolts, they tore through the streets and alleys, ripping up cobblestone roads, splintering wooden bridges, and crawling up building walls like creeping vines of destruction.
Roads caved in.
Bridges collapsed into the rivers beneath.
Dozens of nearby buildings fractured and swayed, some shedding parts of their facades, others buckling under the sudden quake.
Rhodes, Mira, and Erza quickly stepped out of the impact zone, watching calmly as the chaos settled and dust clouded the air.
CRASH!
The mountain of rubble at the center of it all suddenly burst apart, pulverized into finer debris that rained outward like shattered glass.
At the center of the newly formed crater stood Gildarts, right fist raised to the sky, his coat flapping in the wind, completely unscathed.
Even his hair looked perfectly windswept.
It was… almost cool-looking.
The two Blue Sentinels stood silently in front of the three, shielding them from the falling debris with their massive stone bodies.
Gildarts dusted off his gloves and laughed heartily. "Hahahaha—whoops! Guess I spaced out for a second!"
Rhodes gave him a casual wave, eyes half-lidded. "It's fine. You're allowed to daydream all you want today."
'Just… do it away from us.'
As they resumed their pace, voices rang out from nearby alleyways and upper balconies.
"There! Over there!"
"Those are the intruders!"
"It's Fairy Tail again, seize them!"
Dozens of armed soldiers charged into view, yelling and brandishing their weapons.
Whether they were bold, loyal, or just hadn't seen what had happened five minutes ago, it was unclear.
All Rhodes knew was that they were about to have a very bad day.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Gildarts, Mira, and Erza attacked one after another, and Rhodes found himself with nothing to do except carry the flag.