"Lucy Heartfilia?" Happy tilted his head, looking at the blonde girl who had visibly stiffened beside him.
"I remember—Heartfilia, isn't that the super famous railway conglomerate?"
"That family's one of the richest in the entire Fiore Kingdom!"
"So if Lucy's got that name—doesn't that mean—?"
Natsu's eyes widened as he slapped his hand in realization. "Lucy's the secret lovechild of that big-shot tycoon?!"
Thud! A bunch of people around him faceplanted.
Happy stood up, exasperated, rubbing his forehead with a paw. "Natsu—no! Normally, that'd mean Lucy's the legit heiress of the Heartfilia family!"
"How'd you even jump to 'lovechild'?!"
"Haha," Natsu scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly. "Well, isn't Jose after Lucy? In all those stories I read, it's always the legit heir trying to take out the secret kid who could threaten their spot!"
Lucy stared at him, speechless. "Seriously, Natsu, what kind of weird stuff have you been reading lately?"
She took a deep breath, trying to calm the storm of emotions swirling inside her, then stepped up to Roger, looking up at him. "Roger, can I ask—why does Phantom Lord want to capture me?"
"You can," Roger nodded gently.
With his permission, Lucy stepped forward, facing the massive moving fortress on the lake. She clenched her fists, lifted her head, and shouted, "Who sent you?! If you're after me for money, you're gonna be disappointed!"
"I don't have a single Jewel on me!!"
"Sent?" Jose's voice dripped with disdain and mockery, echoing from the fortress. "Miss Heartfilia, you clearly don't get it. My main goal here is to completely crush Fairy Tail!"
"You? You're just a bonus!"
"And the one who 'commissioned' me to bring you back? None other than your father, Jude Heartfilia!"
Lucy's pupils shrank, her face paling instantly. "Him?"
"He hired Phantom Lord to drag me back?"
"How could—" Her fists tightened, nails nearly digging into her palms. "He's ignored me for so long—why now, and like this?"
Jose's voice rang out again, this time laced with jealousy and resentment, practically roaring: "Why?! Why does Makarov's guild get to have so many talented wizards?!"
"The Thunder God Tribe! The Nightmare King! The Fairy Queen! The Demon! And now even the Heartfilia heiress is in your guild!"
"How much more does Fairy Tail plan to expand?!"
"Fiore's strongest guild? Makarov will never live to see that day!"
"Alright," Roger clapped his hands, a sly smile spreading across his face as he stepped forward. "We've recorded everything we needed. Everyone, it's time to fight back!"
"Hmph!" Jose's mocking laugh echoed from the fortress. "Fight back? With your pathetic illusion magic? Or that ragtag bunch around you?"
"Even the Fairy Queen is already—" His words cut off abruptly.
Through his crystal ball, he clearly saw a crimson figure, who should've been unconscious, pushing aside the rubble and slowly standing up!
Erza was unscathed, her armor only slightly dirtied, her striking red hair flowing in the wind like a banner of defiance.
She walked to Roger's side, lifted her head, and fixed a sharp gaze toward the core of Phantom Lord's fortress, as if piercing through space itself to lock onto Jose.
A confident, battle-ready smirk curled her lips. "Sorry to disappoint you, Jose."
"Your 'Jupiter' didn't take me down."
"What?!" Inside the fortress, Jose shot up from his throne, eyes wide with shock, nearly bulging out of his head. "Impossible! That's absolutely impossible! How are you completely fine?!"
His voice warped with disbelief. "That was the Magic Convergence Cannon, Jupiter! One blast can level half a town! How could you come out unscathed?!"
His outburst slipped out before he realized it might boost Fairy Tail's morale.
Forcing down his churning emotions, he sat back down, took a deep breath, and tried to regain his smug, in-control tone. "Hmph—even if you somehow survived Jupiter, your magic power must be nearly drained by now, right?"
"Just the two of you—"
His words stopped short again.
In his view, another figure who absolutely shouldn't be here emerged, grinning, from the rubble of a collapsed building.
That unmistakable pure white hair, that overly radiant smile…
"The Demon, Mirajane?!" Jose's voice trembled with disbelief.
Mirajane strolled lightly to Roger's other side, raising her right hand and waving toward Phantom Lord's fortress as if greeting an old friend. "Good morning, Master Jose~"
She clasped her hands behind her back, tilting her head with a squinting smile that seemed to lock onto Jose at the fortress's core. "It's not just two of us~ I'm here too~"
Jose's heart tightened. How?! My informants confirmed she left and never came back! How is she here out of nowhere?!
After a few seconds of shock, he forced himself to calm down, letting out a cold laugh. "Hah—childish illusion tricks, Roger. You think you can fool me with that?"
"Aww~" Mirajane pouted playfully, her tone carrying a hint of mock grievance. "They think I'm an illusion~"
"But—" Before she finished, a massive, intricate black-purple magic circle unfurled beneath her feet!
A suffocating wave of magic power erupted from her petite frame like a volcanic explosion!
Rumble!
The ground beneath her couldn't withstand the terrifying force, cracking inch by inch before collapsing into a deep crater with a boom!
Blinding black-purple light enveloped her. When it faded, the sweet, smiling girl was gone, replaced by her towering Demon form!
Black scales covered key areas, massive golden claws glinted menacingly, and a black tail swayed behind her.
Mirajane raised a giant claw, her face sporting a wicked, aggressive grin. "Now—still think I'm an illusion?"
Jose's teeth clenched, veins bulging on his forehead as his hands gripped the stone armrests of his throne so tightly they cracked!
Crack—Boom!
The sturdy stone shattered under his grip!
"That magic power—it's real! She's the real Demon!!"
"But how did she get back?!"
"Damn it! The plan's completely falling apart!!"
As Jose reeled, Roger's lips curved slightly. Looking at the massive fortress in the distance, he spoke clearly, his voice carrying over: "Jose, let's play a game."
"In just seven steps, you and your Phantom Lord will become history."
"Hah?" Jose laughed as if he'd heard the funniest joke ever. "You mean you'll just stroll seven steps, and my guild and I will be done for?"
His laughter dripped with mockery as he crossed one leg over the other, resuming his lofty demeanor. "I'll admit, the Demon's appearance caught me off guard, but aren't you getting ahead of yourself?"
"Don't forget, the only one worthy of facing me, Makarov, is now a magic-less husk!"
"What do you brats think you can do against a Wizard Saint like me?"
"I'll wipe you and your precious guild off the face of this world, bit by bit!"
But the expected anger and despair from Fairy Tail didn't come. Instead, they exchanged glances, their faces showing… weird expressions.
Then someone—nobody knew who—let out a "pfft," and suddenly, the whole group burst into uncontrollable laughter.
This bizarre reaction left Jose dumbfounded.
They're… laughing? Now?!
A wave of unease gripped him, but he quickly recalled the unmistakable sensation of Makarov's magic power—familiar and loathsome—when Aria drained it. There was no mistaking it!
What's going on?!
Frustrated, Jose thrust up his right hand!
[Shade]
A deep, dark magic circle formed in front of him, and countless black specters in tattered robes, with razor-sharp claws, screeched as they poured out like an army from hell.
"Soon, Jupiter will be fully charged again!" Jose roared into the crystal ball, trying to regain control through fear. "You've got two choices: get blasted to ash by Jupiter or have your life force sucked dry by my Shades in agonizing pain!!"
As he spoke, a brunette girl with a bottle of liquor sauntered out from the back of the group.
"That's… Gildarts' daughter?" Jose muttered.
Cana chugged the last of her drink and tossed the empty bottle aside.
She looked up at the sky, filled with a dense swarm of deathly Shades, and grinned eagerly.
Her right hand drew a card shimmering with golden light from her pouch. "Clearing out small fry? Gotta go with an area attack for that!"
She channeled magic into the golden card and flicked it skyward!
[Magic Card: Rain of Light - Purification]
The golden card shot into the clouds like a reverse meteor! Instantly, the white clouds glowed brilliant gold, and a massive golden magic circle unfurled above!
The next moment, countless pure, blazing golden light points rained down like divine swords of judgment, targeting the dense Shade army below!
Sizzle!
The moment the light touched the Shades, the dark creatures shrieked as if meeting their nemesis, trembling and twisting. Their glowing red eyes dimmed, and they dissolved into black specks, vanishing like snow under sunlight.
"Damn it!!" Jose's eyes burned with rage, bloodshot. "That's Makarov's light magic!!"
"How could that girl use it?! Some kind of one-use magic item?!"
As Jose reeled, Mirajane's demon wings flared behind her.
"Erza, I'm going first~ Jose's head? I'll take it!"
With that, she transformed into a black-purple streak, zooming toward the upper-right section of Phantom's fortress!
"Hey! Mirajane, you cheater!" Erza blinked, white light flashing as she swapped to her Wind God Armor. "Didn't we agree to wait for Roger's signal?!"
Mirajane's teasing voice echoed back: "Roger's lips moved just now~ It was totally the word 'go'!"
"You've got a lot to learn, Erza~ A woman who can't read a man's cues is gonna miss out~"
"Battle! What are you blabbering about in the middle of a fight?!" Erza's cheeks flushed with embarrassment and frustration. She activated her armor fully, turning into a cyan gust and speeding toward the upper-left section.
Natsu, flames bursting from his body, shouted, "I'm fired up! I'm taking on Jose too!!"
"Happy!"
"Aye!" Happy grabbed his clothes, and they zoomed toward the lower-left section of Phantom.
"I'm going too—otherwise Natsu'll brag in my face if he beats the enemy first," Gray said, his hands icing over.
He waved forward, and two massive ice pillars rose from the sea. He flung out an ice hook with a chain, catching a pillar. The chain retracted, launching him like a cannonball toward the lower-right section!
Seeing them move, Roger smiled faintly and snapped his fingers.
A giant translucent "0" appeared above his head.
Jose, puzzled by this new trick, watched as Roger calmly took a step forward.
The number above his head shifted from "0" to "1."
The instant it changed—
BOOM!!!
A massive black-purple beam erupted from the upper-right section of Phantom's fortress, shooting skyward and scattering the clouds gathered by water magic!
[Ding! Gained 13,000 magic points, Earth Element Manipulation, Sealing Magic]
Jose's pupils shrank as he shouted, "Sol?! Earth Sol was defeated?! That fast?!"
He whipped his head toward the smiling black-haired youth walking step by step, a chilling thought piercing his mind like an icicle: Does he mean with each step, one of my Four Elements falls? Until finally—even me?!
What a joke!!
Under his horrified gaze, Roger took a second step, the number shifting from "1" to "2."
Swoosh!!!
A crimson crescent of sword energy sliced out from the upper-left section of Phantom's fortress!
It carved a massive trench through the lake, exposing the wet lakebed below!
[Ding! Gained 20,000 magic points, Magic Airspace]
"A-Aria was taken down that fast too?!" Jose shot up from his throne, unable to stay calm, his face full of disbelief.
Roger's steps didn't pause, taking a third step.
The number "2" jumped to "3."
RUMBLE!!!
A deafening explosion roared from the lower-left section! Towering flames swallowed buildings and ground, turning it into a crimson inferno!
[Ding! Gained 14,000 magic points, Flame Manipulation Magic, Seven-Colored Flames Magic]
[Seven-Colored Flames fused with Fire Dragon Slayer Magic. Fire Dragon Slayer flames now have multiple forms and properties]
"Damn it! Damn it!!!" Jose's sanity nearly burned away with rage, his fists clenched so tight his nails drew blood.
"You insolent brats!! How dare you humiliate me like this!!"
"I'll tear you to pieces! I'll hang your corpses on Fairy Tail's ruins! You'll learn the cost of angering a Wizard Saint!!"
Roger ignored the furious roars from above, calmly taking a fourth step.
The number "3" became "4."
In the lower-right section, a massive ice pillar formed instantly but melted just as fast.
[Ding! Gained 16,000 magic points, Water Flow Magic]
[Water Flow Magic: Can turn the body into water. When the user is angry, the water becomes boiling; when melancholic, it rains.]