"Mystogan?"
Rhodes was the first to notice the quiet figure hovering above the battlefield.
Today, Mystogan wasn't wearing his usual mask, and Erza was momentarily stunned.
"Jellal… no, Mystogan?"
Gildarts blinked, realization dawning.
"So you're the mysterious kid? I heard you even became an S-Class wizard while I was gone these past few years. You here to help?"
Mira subtly shifted closer to Rhodes, a slight wariness in her posture.
Thanks to the intel Gemini had copied from Hughes, they knew that Edolas had a prince named Jellal.
And it was now obvious that the Jellal from Edolas was none other than their guildmate, Mystogan.
Before storming the capital, they had all chosen to believe that Mystogan was on their side. That he, more than anyone, would want to save everyone who had been turned into lacrima crystals.
But now, after tearing through the capital and leaving such devastation in their wake, would he still agree with them?
They had discussed this beforehand. If Mystogan made a request, they'd consider listening.
As long as it didn't endanger their friends. As long as the people from Magnolia could return safely to Earth Land. As long as Anima was destroyed and could never threaten them again.
After all, Mystogan had provided the cure to restore magic. He'd sent Gajeel and Lucy to help. And he was fighting against his own kingdom.
Rhodes had thought the outcome might mirror what happened with Lucy's father, a confrontation, followed by understanding.
To their relief, Mystogan didn't react with blame. Perhaps he had already grown used to the chaos that followed Fairy Tail.
He simply lowered his altitude, his expression calm, and gave a silent nod to the four of them in greeting.
But King Faust wasn't nearly as composed.
"Mystogan? So that's your name in Earth Land? Jellal!" the voice boomed from within the metal beast.
Mystogan answered firmly.
"Father. It's over. The Anima project has failed."
"Silence!" Faust roared. "I am not your father, you traitor!"
The words struck like lightning.
"If you hadn't sabotaged the Anima gates across Earth Land, I would have obtained infinite magic power by now. I have no son like you!"
Mystogan's expression faltered, his face paling.
He had always known this day would come. The moment he started disrupting the Anima operations, he had anticipated one day standing in direct opposition to his father.
But still, Faust's coldness was harsher than expected.
Mystogan steadied his breath and looked toward the massive steel machine.
"This dream of infinite magic power... it's nothing but a delusion."
He had never once approved of such sacrilegious acts, siphoning magic from human lives. But he couldn't bring himself to raise arms against his own father, which was why he had spent the past seven years traveling across dimensions, quietly sealing Anima gates.
He had hoped that through constant interference, the project would eventually lose its backing. That the Council and high officials would give up when it proved unsustainable.
But he had underestimated Faust's obsession.
Over time, the frequency of Anima activations had only increased, draining Edolas's limited magical resources and placing greater strain on the kingdom.
But Faust had not given up. Through countless ruthless methods, he had continued accumulating magic power, forcing Mystogan into a state of constant exhaustion. The pressure only kept mounting.
Just last month, Mystogan had taken on a mission to investigate a group of missing villagers. It turned out that the entire village had been consumed by Anima before he could arrive. He had planned to return to Edolas to try to save them. But when he infiltrated the Royal Capital in secret, he learned the truth: those people had already been reduced to magic crystals, their power extracted and fed into the next Anima activation.
That moment felt like being struck by lightning.
The sins of Edolas had grown far deeper than he had imagined.
Left with no choice, Mystogan returned to Earth Land once more, intending to stop this Anima himself. But this time, it was different.
The scale of the Anima gate was unprecedented. The power it commanded was far beyond anything he had seen. It was simply too much for him to handle alone.
For years, Mystogan had avoided sharing what he knew, fearing a full-blown war between the two worlds. He kept everything to himself, believing he could resolve it quietly and on his own.
But when the entire guild vanished, when Magnolia itself disappeared, regret tore through his heart.
For the past seven years, Fairy Tail had become his true home.
Compared to that cold, heartless father who had nearly beaten him to death over a disagreement, the comrades at the guild, who welcomed him without ever seeing his real face, were more like family than anything he had ever known.
If only he had told Master Makarov sooner… if only they had faced this together…
In the depths of despair, Mystogan had almost given up.
If it hadn't been for Wendy, who stubbornly insisted on saving everyone, he didn't know if he would have found the courage to keep going.
Now, standing face to face with the very man who had caused so much suffering, Mystogan demanded answers from the steel giant that held his father inside.
"Is it worth it?" he called out. "For a conclusion built on lies and an impossible dream, how can you justify sacrificing so many lives so carelessly?"
"Fool," Faust snarled from within the machine. "They're nothing more than cats and people from another world. What does it matter if they die? A king has no need for useless compassion."
"A king only needs power. Power to control everything!"
The mechanical monstrosity shifted with a metallic rumble, its mouth-cannon slowly locking onto Mystogan.
"You're all just obstacles. If I eliminate you here and now, no one will be able to interfere with Anima ever again. And if this attempt fails, I'll try again, ten more times, a hundred more! I will have the power to reshape the world!"
A glowing magic circle appeared at the cannon's mouth, and a blinding white light surged forward.
Mystogan began raising his five magical staves to block it, but before he could finish casting his spell, a shimmering white net suddenly spread out in front of him.
The beam of light was sliced into countless neat pieces and then completely vanished without a trace.
At the edge of the battlefield, Gildarts lowered his arm and picked casually at his ear.
"What kind of parent doesn't acknowledge their own kid?"
Mira, standing beside Rhodes, gave Gildarts a sideways glance that was somewhere between confusion and amusement.
"Mind your own business! All of you will die too!" Faust roared from inside the mechanical beast.
A hidden hatch on the back of the metal dragon snapped open, and from it, ten missiles, each as thick as a calf, launched into the air. They streaked across the sky in a fiery arc, each pair locked onto one of the five people below, clearly designed to annihilate them in a single strike.
But once again, none of them even flinched.
Before the missiles could reach their targets, all ten were smashed mid-air, bursting into harmless fragments that rained down like glittering metal confetti.
Gildarts sighed as he stepped forward, his tone casual yet laced with disdain. "At least let people finish talking. If it's a matter between father and son, I don't mind stepping back. But throwing missiles at our guildmates? Now that's just plain rude."
Without waiting for a response, Gildarts vanished from his spot and reappeared in front of the dragon's steel jaw. With a swift uppercut, he drove his fist straight into its chin.
A loud clang echoed as the impact sent shockwaves through the air.
"No! Stop! That's Doroma Anim!" Mystogan shouted, his voice urgent. "The Dragon Knight armor is reinforced with 'Wizard Killer' alloy. Magic won't work against it!"
Inside the cockpit, Faust sneered. "Hahaha... stupid—"
But his laughter didn't last long.
With a piercing crack, the dragon's lower jaw split wide open, webbed with fractures. The entire steel beast was lifted a foot off the ground from the force of the blow, then came crashing down with a thunderous crash, sliding backward more than ten meters before skidding to a stop.
Gildarts narrowed his eyes, sensing an unusual energy lingering in the air. Red and blue lights flowed faintly around him, flickering like mist.
He turned slightly and saw Rhodes casually wave his hand.