According to Mystogan, the anima spell—used by Edolas to extract magic from this world, Earth Land—had been activating more and more frequently lately.
The human king of Edolas, Faust—who was also Mystogan's father—harbored an obsession with magic that bordered on madness.
But Edolas was a world where magic was slowly vanishing. In order to acquire more magic, Faust constantly used the transdimensional anima spell to siphon the life force imbued with magic from Earth Land and convert it into magic crystals for Edolas.
It was only because of Mystogan's repeated efforts to stop the anima that further casualties had been avoided.
But now that anima was being used more frequently, and on a larger scale, Mystogan found himself increasingly overwhelmed and exhausted.
To this, Charles offered him a simple suggestion: solve the problem at its root.
Unless the deranged Faust was dealt with, stopping anima again and again would be a meaningless effort.
Mystogan agreed, and the two struck an agreement—Mystogan would look for a way to enter Edolas through anima, while Charles would assist Jellal in dealing with the problems in that world.
After their agreement, Mystogan departed, and Charles prepared to return to his home.
Before traveling to Orario, Charles had already built himself a house—one he paid for himself—next to Natsu's shack.
There was no way Charles would ever live in that doghouse Natsu called a home.
On his way back, Charles suddenly sensed someone following him.
Digging through his memory, Charles found it unlikely that any enemy would come after Fairy Tail so soon after the Oración Seis mission.
He sighed. He had recognized the magical presence trailing him.
"I say, Gajeel, what are you sneaking around for?"
After a moment, Gajeel sheepishly stepped out from around the corner.
Charles spoke again, "If you've got something to say, just say it. I'm not in the mood to guess what you're struggling with."
Surprisingly, Gajeel got agitated and came closer. "Charles, don't you think it's weird?"
Charles blinked in confusion. "What's weird?"
Gajeel looked disappointed. "The fire dragon has his cat. Even the new girl has a white cat. We're all Dragon Slayers—how can I not have a cat of my own?!"
Charles stared at him, dumbfounded. Who said Dragon Slayers must have cats? Was Gajeel secretly a cat lover?
Sure, in the original story, Gajeel had roamed the streets looking for a cat after seeing Wendy and Charle. But he never expected the guy to come ask him about it.
Still, seeing Gajeel's pitiful expression, Charles replied, "Don't worry. Before long, you'll meet your own cat."
"Really?!" Gajeel lit up with joy and then dashed off happily.
Charles shook his head in exasperation. His siblings—each and every one of them—were a handful.
With Wendy now part of the guild, life quieted down. Charles resumed his studies and continued waiting for news from Mystogan.
One day, while Charles was reading in the library, the outside suddenly grew noisy. A loud chime from the bell tower reached his ears.
In Magnolia, the bell tower was only rung during timekeeping or emergencies—and this rapid ringing meant something urgent.
Curious, Charles left the library and walked into the guild hall. What he found surprised him: although the bell signaled an emergency, everyone looked excited.
Only Lucy, Wendy, Charle, and himself appeared puzzled.
"That ringing pattern…"
"Could it be!!"
"Gildarts is back!"
"Gildarts?" Wendy asked, confused.
Lucy had heard the name before and explained to the newly arrived Wendy, "Gildarts is Fairy Tail's strongest mage! I've never seen him myself."
Watching everyone's excitement, Lucy added, "But I don't know why everyone's getting so hyped."
Wendy nodded, wide-eyed. "It feels like a festival, Charle!"
The proud white cat crossed her arms. "What a noisy guild."
Mirajane walked over and said, "Well, it makes sense everyone's excited—Gildarts has been gone for three years!"
"Three years?! What was he doing?" Lucy asked.
"Working, of course," Mira replied. "Above S-class missions are SS-class missions, and above those are ten-year quests—missions no one's completed in a decade.
But Gildarts is on a whole other level. He took on a hundred-year quest!"
Lucy, having done an S-class mission herself, knew how dangerous it was. She couldn't even imagine what a quest two levels higher would be like.
Which only made her more curious about this Gildarts character.
At that moment, Magnolia's citywide broadcast came on.
"Magnolia is entering Gildarts Mode. All residents, please evacuate to designated areas! Repeating: Magnolia is now entering Gildarts Mode—"
Lucy was still reeling from the idea of a hundred-year quest, but now she was even more baffled. "What the heck is Gildarts Mode?"
Then, she saw something that left her completely stunned.
Magnolia's buildings began to shift, as if the entire city was cracking apart. Rows of walls rose up, forming a direct path from the outskirts to the city center.
"What… is going on?!"
It wasn't just Lucy—Wendy also looked completely floored.
Mirajane explained, "Gildarts' magic can shatter anything he touches. If he's not careful while walking, he might destroy an entire house."
As Fairy Tail's resident straight man, Lucy immediately exclaimed, "How careless is this guy?! They remodeled the whole street for him?!"
Wendy, however, looked up in awe. "That's amazing, Charle!"
Charle, unimpressed, replied, "Yes. An amazingly big idiot."
"He's here!"
Natsu's excited shout rang out as Fairy Tail's strongest man appeared before them.
Gildarts looked like a regular middle-aged guy—especially with that absentminded expression. He didn't give off the vibe of someone who had strength well above the Ten Wizard Saints.
Squinting at his surroundings, Gildarts turned to Mirajane and asked, "Hey, missy, is there a guild called Fairy Tail nearby?"
Mirajane greeted him warmly. "You're looking at it! I'm Mirajane."
"Mirajane?" Gildarts finally recognized her and burst out laughing. "You've changed so much! Has the place been renovated?"
"Gildarts! Come fight me!!"
No need to ask who that was. Gildarts looked at Natsu and casually said, "Oh hey, Natsu! Long time no see."
As he spoke, he reached out and caught the charging Natsu, spinning him like a windmill before slamming him into the ceiling.
Charles narrowed his eyes. As a martial artist, he could see what others couldn't—Gildarts had just displayed an incredibly refined level of combat.
Truly Fairy Tail's undisputed strongest.
And yet, even someone this powerful had been utterly defeated by Acnologia.
On the surface, Gildarts looked fine, but Charles could sense something off. His energy didn't flow smoothly, and his movement showed signs of injury.
Just how powerful was the Black Dragon Acnologia?
------------------
Enjoying the story? Support the author and get early access to chapters by joining my Patre@n!
Find me at: patre@n*com/Mutter
You can read each novel for $5 or get them all for just $15.
Fairy Tail: Igneel's Eldest Son (Chapter 256)
I Am Thalos, Odin's Older Brother (Chapter 336)
Reborn in America's Anti-Terror Unit (Chapter 542)
Solomon in Marvel (Chapter 924)
Becoming the Wealthiest Tycoon on the Planet (Chapter 1284)
Surgical Fruit in the American Comics Universe (Chapter 1289)
American Detective: From TV Rookie to Seasoned Cop (Chapter 1316)
American TV Writer (Chapter 1402)
I Am Hades, The Supreme GOD of the Underworld! (Chapter 570)
Reborn as Humanity's Emperor Across the Multiverse (Chapter 660)
[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]
[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]