Chapter 200: Edolas Kingdom
"Teleportation?"
The wind howled across the desolate, rocky landscape of the floating island, whipping the crimson hair of the woman standing atop the monstrous beast.
She was a figure of striking, terrifying beauty, clad in armor that gleamed with a cold, metallic luster under the strange, shifting light of the Edolas sky.
Her face was identical to that of the Fairy Queen, yet her eyes held none of the warmth; they were sharp, predatory, and filled with a soldier's ruthless discipline.
This was Erza Knightwalker, the Captain of the Edolas Royal Kingdom's Second Magic Warfare Division, known throughout the land as the "Fairy Hunter."
"Hmm—! What a Fairy, running faster than a rabbit."
A man's voice, grating and amused, drifted from the side. A figure emerged from the shadows of the craggy rocks, his purple attire and exaggerated pompadour marking him instantly. It was Hughes, the Captain of the Fourth Magic Warfare Division. He leaned casually against his staff, watching the empty space where their prey had just vanished.
"Hughes, you're here too!" Knightwalker acknowledged him without looking away from the horizon, her grip tightening on her spear, the Ten Commandments.
"Hmm—! What a pity about this Fairy Hunt," Hughes drawled, twirling a lock of his hair. "But those guys don't have many teleportations left. The magic power required to move an entire structure like that is immense, especially in this magic-starved world. The day of the hunt is only a matter of time. Speaking of which, the strategy with that giant Anima seems to have succeeded, so all the Magic Warfare Units have returned to the Royal Capital."
Knightwalker finally turned, her expression impassive. "Have they already wiped out the Fairy Tail from Earth Land?!"
"To be precise, they were absorbed," Hughes corrected, a cruel smile playing on his lips. "Our King is planning something extraordinary. He doesn't just want to destroy them; he wants to harvest them."
"What happened to the Mages from Earth Land who were absorbed?"
"They've become giant magic crystals in the Royal Capital," Hughes laughed, gesturing vaguely towards the distant, floating silhouette of the capital city. "Trapped in eternal stasis, their power serving as a battery for our glory."
"Excellent," Knightwalker nodded, a flicker of satisfaction in her eyes. "With this, Edolas's magic power will be safe for a while. The King's vision is absolute."
In a desolate, barren wasteland far from the Royal Capital, the silence was suddenly shattered by a violent tremor.
The ground cracked open, and a single, glowing sapling burst through the dry soil. It pulsed with a vibrant, alien green light—magic power, pure and concentrated. In an instant, the sapling expanded, twisting and groaning as wood materialized from light. Roots dug into the bedrock like claws, and timber wove itself into walls and roofs.
With a thunderous boom that displaced the air for miles around, the massive structure of the Fairy Tail Guild hall slammed into existence, sitting incongruously in the middle of the wasteland.
"You bastards!! The move is complete!!"
Levy McGarden's voice rang out, shrill with panic and relief, as the magical light faded.
Inside the guild, the Earth Land mages were reeling. The sensation of teleportation—of their entire home being ripped through space—was disorienting.
"Move?" Natsu Dragneel blinked, shaking his head to clear the dizziness. "The entire guild moved?"
"That's amazing..." Lucy Heartfilia gasped, looking around to ensure the walls were still solid. "To be able to move the entire guild together... this teleportation magic is incredibly powerful. I've never seen anything like it."
Ren stood near the center of the hall, his expression calm amidst the chaos. He brushed a speck of dust from his coat, unimpressed. While the Edolas guild's method was flashy, his own Flying Thunder God Technique could easily accomplish similar feats, transferring objects or people instantly across vast distances. Still, he had to admit, moving an entire building with this level of stability was a commendable application of Script Magic.
"Is everyone alright?!"
"We're fine!"
"Lisanna!" Elfman shouted, rushing over to his sister, checking her for injuries.
"I'm fine, Elfman-niisan," Lisanna assured him, though she looked a bit pale.
"You bastard!" Lucy Ashley—the Edolas version of Lucy—stomped over to Levy, grabbing her by the collar. "What were you dawdling for? That was dangerous just now! If we had been a second later, Knightwalker would have skewered us!"
Levy slapped Lucy's hand away, retorting unceremoniously, "Shut up! Why don't you try it yourself! Calculation takes time, you muscle-brained thug!"
Natsu, ignoring the bickering, walked to the window, his brow furrowed. Although he had only glimpsed it for a second before the teleportation took hold, his dragon senses were screaming at him. He was very sure he had seen a figure standing on that monster. A figure that looked painfully familiar.
"What... what was that?" Natsu muttered, his fists clenching. "That guy just now... that woman..."
"What's wrong, Natsu?" Gray Fullbuster walked up beside him, noticing his friend's tension. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
"Have you forgotten after too long?"
A voice came from behind them. It was Lucy Ashley. She looked at Natsu with a mixture of pity and annoyance. "That's one of the Royal Capital's Magic Warfare Division Captains, Erza Knightwalker. She's nicknamed 'Erza the Fairy Huntress.' She's the one who's been hunting us down for years."
"Erza... is an enemy?!"
The words hit the Earth Land mages like a physical blow. Natsu, Gray, Lucy, and Happy stood frozen, their mouths agape.
"Enemy?" Happy squeaked. "But... Erza is Erza!"
"Hey! Natsu, what's wrong with you today?" Lucy Ashley scowled, stepping closer to Natsu. "You've been acting strange ever since you came back. Did you hit your head and lose your memory? Or are you just trying to slack off again? Do you need me to help you remember?"
She raised a fist, looking ready to deliver a "corrective" punch.
Natsu flinched, completely bewildered by this aggressive, punk-rock version of Lucy. "Whoa! Wait!"
"It's simple," Ren's cool voice cut through the confusion. He stepped forward, placing a hand on Natsu's shoulder to steady him. "Because he is not the Natsu you know."
The guild hall fell silent. All eyes—both Earth Land and Edolas—turned to Ren.
Ren, standing tall and composed, took the opportunity to explain. "We are not from this world. We came here from a parallel world called Earth Land. We came to save our companions."
"What does that mean?" Edo-Levy adjusted her goggles, looking skeptical. "You came to this world from another world? Is that even possible?"
"There's also a Fairy Tail in that world..." Edo-Gray, who was shivering despite wearing a dozen coats, looked at Earth-Gray, who was currently stripping off his shirt. "And... he's naked! How vulgar!"
"And the Erza there is one of us?" Edo-Natsu, who was currently cowering in a vehicle, peeked out.
"Yes," Ren nodded. "Although this fact is hard to believe, it's true. The Natsu in front of you is not the Natsu you are familiar with. And the Erza you fear... in our world, she is our strongest ally. She is family."
The Edolas guild members exchanged looks of disbelief. Erza—that Erza the Fairy Huntress, the butcher who had killed so many of their comrades, the woman who haunted their nightmares—was actually a member of Fairy Tail in another world? It sounded like a twisted joke.
"This child is me from that world...?!" Edo-Mira, who looked remarkably ordinary compared to her demon-soul counterpart, stared at Natsu.
"You are Mira's boyfriend in that world?" Edo-Elfman asked, looking at Ren.
Everyone scrutinized Ren. He stood with a natural authority that set him apart. Earth Land Mira, standing beside him, blushed slightly. Even though this Edo-Elfman wasn't her brother, and this world was strange, hearing her relationship with Ren acknowledged so casually still made her heart flutter.
"Our companions were absorbed by the King of this world," Ren continued, bringing the focus back to the mission. "If we don't rescue them quickly, everyone will turn into giant Lacrima crystals—fuel for your King's ambition."
"Therefore," Ren's eyes narrowed slightly, "we want you to tell us the way to the Royal Capital."
Hearing this, the Edolas Fairy Tail Guild fell into a heavy, suffocating silence. The faces of the members—Levy, Jet, Droy, Alzack, Bisca—all twisted into expressions of apprehension and deep-seated fear.
"The Royal Capital..." Edo-Lucy whispered, her bravado vanishing.
"Although I feel bad for my smaller self," a soft, mature voice spoke up.
The crowd parted to reveal a woman with long, blue hair. It was Wendy—but not the child they knew. This was the Edolas Wendy. She was taller, her figure developed, appearing to be around eighteen or nineteen years old. She carried herself with a weary sadness that seemed out of place on Wendy's face.
"I advise you to give up," the older Wendy said, looking at her smaller, Earth Land counterpart with sad eyes. "Everyone who dares to challenge the King of Edolas will die horribly. That Kingdom is terrifyingly strong. It is not something a single guild can fight."
"Magic power in this world is finite," Edo-Gray interjected, clutching his coat tighter. "It's something that will eventually run out. It's not like in your world where it's in the air. Here, it's a resource. And the King of Edolas, fearing this, began to monopolize magic, didn't he, Juvia-chan?"
Edo-Juvia, who looked far more confident and less obsessive than her Earth counterpart, nodded grimly. "As a result... all Mage Guilds received disbandment orders. The King decreed that magic belongs only to the state. At first, everyone naturally resisted. We fought back. But in the face of the Royal Army's Magic Warfare Division... their immense power... the guilds were destroyed one by one."
Tears began to well up in the eyes of the Edolas guild members.
"The only guild left is here," Edo-Levy said, her voice trembling. "We are the last ones."
"Of course, we didn't get away unscathed either."
"We've already lost half of our companions," Edo-Jet murmured, looking at the floor. "And the Master... Master Makarov was also killed protecting us."
"Killed..." Natsu breathed, his face paling. "Gramps..."
"Escaping in this world has already taken all our strength," Edo-Lucy said, wiping a tear from her eye. "So you should stay away from there and return to your own world! There is no hope here! You'll just die for nothing!"
Having been pursued by the Kingdom for all these years, these people were already physically and mentally exhausted. They were ghosts, living on borrowed time. If it weren't for their companions supporting each other, they might have given up long ago.
However, they felt they might not be able to escape for much longer. The magic power required for the guild teleportation was already insufficient, which was why the teleportation magic array had activated so slowly this time. They were running on fumes. Perhaps the next time they were found by the enemy, it would be their death. This impending doom, with no way out, caused them immense pain and torment.
Ren watched them, his expression unreadable. He understood their fear. To them, the Edolas Kingdom was an insurmountable titan. But to him? It was just another level in a game he had already mastered.
Ren took a step forward, the sound of his boot on the wooden floor cutting through the weeping.
"Just tell me the location of the Royal Capital," Ren said calmly. His voice wasn't loud, but it carried a weight that silenced the room. "As for the rest, you don't need to worry. I will destroy the Edolas Kingdom, so you won't have to flee anymore."
"..."
Everyone in the guild fell silent upon hearing Ren's words. They stared at him as if he had grown a second head. What was he saying? They understood every word individually, but put together, they couldn't make sense of it. Destroy the Kingdom? The entity that had hunted them to extinction?
"Hey! What nonsense are you spouting!"
Edo-Lucy was the first to snap. She slammed her hand onto a table, her face red with anger. "Destroy the Edolas Kingdom?! Do you have any idea what you're saying?! Do you know how strong the Edolas Kingdom is?! It has an army of a hundred thousand, all equipped with magic gear! They have flying legions, monsters, and the Magic Warfare Captains! It's utterly impossible to defeat them!!"
She glared at Ren, trembling. She felt that these people from another world were too overconfident, too arrogant. They didn't understand the hell of this world. For just a few of them to challenge the King of Edolas, what was the difference between that and simply seeking death?
"Brother Ren is super strong!" Earth Land Wendy piped up, clutching her skirt. "Of course... if the enemy has a hundred thousand..." Her voice trailed off. Even with her faith in Ren, the number was daunting. An army of a hundred thousand was a concept hard to visualize, let alone fight.
Ren patted Earth-Wendy's head gently, then looked up at the shocked faces of the Edolas guild. A slow, confident smile spread across his face—the smile of a predator who knows he is at the top of the food chain.
"Don't worry!" Ren declared, his green eyes flashing with power. "Forget a mere hundred thousand, even if it's a million, I will take them down and rescue everyone."
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