She stood up, her face etched with intense anxiety:
"According to the Royal Army's chief of staff, the Royal Army plans to use Natsu's and my magic to power their national weapon, the Dragon Chain Cannon, in order to destroy Extalia."
"They intend to use the Dragon Chain Cannon to pull the giant floating island, which is carrying the magic crystals, into Extalia, causing a collision. This will merge the magic from the crystals with the Exceeds' magic."
"And through this, they will obtain limitless magic!"
"What?!" Gray, Lucy, Laxus, and Carla all exclaimed in unison, their voices filled with shock and disbelief.
"If he does that, everyone in the guild…" Lucy's eyes widened, her voice trailing off in horror.
"Will be completely annihilated…" Gray finished, his voice filled with a chilling sense of dread.
"We absolutely must stop them!" Laxus declared, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white, his veins bulging with barely contained rage.
Just then, hurried footsteps echoed from the doorway.
"Is it the enemy?" Gray immediately tensed, his senses heightened.
Laxus, too, removed his headphones, preparing himself for battle.
The footsteps grew steadily closer.
"They're coming!" Laxus warned, his voice low and urgent.
"Hey, does anyone know how to get out of here?!" A figure suddenly burst through the doorway, none other than Natsu, his face flushed with panic and desperation as he frantically searched for an escape route.
…
A heavy silence descended upon the group.
Natsu, his face pale with alarm, shouted, "I can't find a way out!!"
"Huh?!" Natsu's eyes widened in surprise as he finally noticed Laxus and the others standing nearby.
"Laxus! And Gray, Lucy, and Carla! You're all here too!" Natsu exclaimed, his voice filled with astonishment.
"You're only noticing that now...?" Carla sighed wearily, her voice laced with a hint of exasperation.
"Carla, you really did come to save us," Wendy said, a radiant smile spreading across her face as she gazed upon Carla. "Thank you!" she exclaimed, embracing Carla tightly.
Carla was taken aback by Wendy's sudden outburst of gratitude, her voice stammering slightly as she attempted to respond. "Well, um… I…"
"No need to explain, Carla," Wendy interrupted, her voice warm and reassuring. "I've always believed in you!"
"Wendy…" Carla whispered softly, her voice filled with emotion.
"Alright, we can reminisce later," Laxus interjected, his voice firm and decisive. "Right now, we need to hurry and stop that Dragon Chain Cannon!"
The group exchanged meaningful glances before nodding in unison, their determination unwavering.
"This palace is enormous; it's practically a castle," Lucy began, her voice laced with analytical precision. "If my assessment is correct, then the Dragon Chain Cannon should be located somewhere within this very castle."
"And this place will undoubtedly be heavily guarded," Gray added, his voice sharp and decisive. "Therefore, we should head towards the areas that are most likely to be heavily fortified."
Laxus nodded in agreement. "Then let's get moving!" he declared, his tone resolute.
As they departed, Wendy turned her attention towards Carla.
"Carla, we should head to Extalia. We need to warn the Exceeds and urge them to evacuate."
Carla was momentarily stunned, her mind flashing back to the Exceeds' arrogant and superior demeanor.
"No! I refuse to return to that place!" she vehemently protested, shaking her head.
"I simply don't care what becomes of the Exceeds," she added, her voice laced with a hint of defiance.
"This isn't just a matter of humans versus Exceeds," Wendy countered gently, crouching down to be at eye level with Carla.
"We are all living beings. If we have the capacity to act, then why shouldn't we strive to save them?"
Carla fell silent, her resolve wavering as Wendy's warm hands enveloped hers.
"I'll always be right here beside you, Carla. There's nothing to fear, right?" Wendy offered a reassuring smile.
"Alright…" Carla finally conceded, her voice soft and hesitant.
With Wendy by her side, Carla took flight towards Extalia.
Meanwhile…
"That's a monster… a monster!"
The speaker was a soldier of the Legion, a unit adorned with countless accolades. During the war for world unification, his Legion had served as the Royal Army's trump card, their sheer size and power causing even the most formidable enemies to tremble in fear.
The Legion's might was considered an unparalleled symbol of invincibility within this world. However, his deeply ingrained beliefs were shattered by the sight of the man before him, who seemed to embody the very essence of a merciless warrior.
With nothing more than the simple act of wielding his blade, the man before him had effortlessly felled the invincible Legion, rendering them utterly incapable of rising once more.
Although the Legions were incapable of speech, the soldier felt a profound sense of kinship with the beasts he had fought alongside for countless years. He could sense the tremor that had seized his Legion. The very Legion that had brought countless enemies to despair now trembled before the man's gaze.
The soldier found himself utterly alone, his fellow comrades having been completely annihilated by the man before him.
Finn, a subtle smile playing upon his lips, fixed his gaze upon the last remaining Legion soaring through the sky.
"Only you remain," he murmured, his voice devoid of any emotion.
"Nancy!" Finn called softly, his voice barely audible above the din of battle.
"Understood!" Nancy responded promptly, her wings beating powerfully as she propelled herself and Finn towards the final Legion.
"No… please, no!" The soldier atop the Legion cried out in desperation, his voice filled with terror.
He frantically attempted to maneuver his Legion away from the approaching threat, desperately seeking to escape the clutches of this seemingly unstoppable foe.
However, the merciless glint of Finn's blade sliced through the air, leaving an undeniable trail of destruction in its wake. A torrent of blood erupted from the Legion's body, and even the soldier himself sustained a grievous wound that appeared upon his back.
In that very instant, consciousness deserted him.
With the final Legion vanquished, all resistance before Finn was completely extinguished. Finn, having single-handedly annihilated the entire Royal Army force that had stood in his path, turned his gaze towards the royal palace, a chilling murmur escaping his lips.
"Only you remain, Faust!"
Upon the giant magic crystal suspended high in the air…
Bang—bang—bang!
The resounding clang of steel against steel reverberated through the air as the fierce battle between Gajeel and Panther Lily raged on.
BOOM—
Another clash of immense power sent both figures reeling backward, the force of the impact shaking the very ground beneath their feet.
Happy's eyes were filled with a palpable sense of apprehension as he watched Gajeel's struggle.
Just moments before, as Gajeel had been on the verge of utilizing his Dragon Slayer magic to restore the magic crystal to its original human form, he had been unexpectedly confronted by an adversary.
His opponent was none other than Panther Lily, the formidable captain of the Royal Army's first mage squad!
The most formidable aspect of Panther Lily's arsenal was his giant sword, a weapon capable of expanding and contracting at will, unleashing unparalleled destructive power with each and every swing.
Upon observing the wings that had unfurled from Panther Lily's back, Happy let out a gasp of astonishment.
"Could it be… are you an Exceed?" he exclaimed, his voice laced with disbelief.
Panther Lily raised his giant sword high above his head, his gaze fixed upon Happy. Happy's words inadvertently triggered a flood of memories from the past.
As an Exceed, Panther Lily had once made the courageous decision to rescue a human being, subsequently bringing him back to Extalia for treatment. However, this act of compassion resulted in his being branded a Fallen Angel and banished by the Exceed elders.
The human whom he had so selflessly rescued was none other than Jellal, the true name of the Edolas kingdom's prince.
Following his banishment from Extalia, Panther Lily had found refuge within the Edolas kingdom, and by virtue of his unique abilities—powers that were not possessed by the majority of Exceeds—he had risen through the ranks to become the captain of the Royal Army's first mage squad.
His thoughts returning to the present, Panther Lily shook his head, his expression resolute. "That was a matter of the distant past," he declared.
"I have long since abandoned my homeland, that hypocritical and deceitful nation!" he roared, his voice filled with intense emotion as he brought his giant sword crashing down towards Gajeel.
BOOM—
The very ground of the floating island, unable to withstand the sheer force of the blow, cracked and fractured under the immense pressure.
However, despite the devastating force of the attack, Gajeel managed to intercept Panther Lily's giant sword, his grip unwavering.
"Heh, so you were ostracized, were you? Excellent! It's just like what I went through back then!" Gajeel retorted darkly, his voice low and menacing.
His thoughts drifted back to the time when he had first joined Fairy Tail, a period marked by self-doubt and uncertainty. Because he was the one who had destroyed Fairy Tail, many people were unwilling to accept him. He had questioned whether his decision to join Fairy Tail had been the right one.
Fortunately, there was one man who had recognized his true worth and potential, offering him unwavering support and acceptance at a time when everyone else had turned their backs on him.
That man had bravely stepped forward to shield Gajeel from Laxus's attack, declaring him to be a comrade. The profound feeling of acceptance and belonging that he had experienced at that moment was one that Gajeel would never forget.
And now, Panther Lily seemed to find himself in a similar predicament, though he lacked the crucial element of a comrade willing to extend their hand in support and understanding.
"Perfect!" Gajeel roared, his entire body radiating an intense surge of magical energy that caused the very ground beneath his feet to crumble and shatter.
The giant sword, which had been held back by Gajeel's formidable strength, began to crack and fracture under the immense pressure, eventually shattering into countless pieces.
A triumphant smile spread across Gajeel's face. "I've decided," he declared, his voice ringing with determination. "I'm going to make this guy my cat!"
"I'm going to tie him up and bring him back to the guild!" Gajeel proclaimed, his voice echoing with unwavering resolve.
…
Within the confines of the royal palace…
Byro, his gaze fixed upon the progress bar of the Dragon Chain Cannon, let out a maniacal chuckle, his lips curving into a crazed smile.
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