War had broken out between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord, but the battle wasn't nearly as intense as expected.
Even though Phantom had a numerical advantage, they were quickly overwhelmed!
These Phantom grunts were all bark and no bite—bullies who preyed on the weak. In a real war, they were useless.
Makarov returned to his normal size and walked steadily toward the stairs.
"Leave this to you all—I'm going to have a word with Jose."
Charles didn't follow this time. He had just sensed that the magical signatures of Aria and Gajeel had disappeared.
Neither of them had shown up, so it was clear they hadn't been defeated—they had retreated.
"Did they pull out because they lost the opportunity to complete the plan?" Charles wondered aloud.
Regardless, Charles had now witnessed firsthand what the level of a Wizard Saint looked like.
Furious, Makarov wasn't holding back his magic at all.
With every step, the sheer force of his magic cracked the ground. The door in front of him didn't even need to be opened—it exploded from the pressure alone.
Charles yawned. These small fries really weren't worth his energy.
Suddenly, Charles heard Makarov's voice from upstairs.
"Jose, you bastard! How dare you do this!"
Charles was a bit surprised. Since Lucy had already been brought over with the others, what else could Jose have done to provoke such fury?
Then Charles felt it—an enormous surge of magic from far away.
The distance was considerable, but he could still clearly sense it. That alone spoke volumes about the power involved.
With a tremendous boom, Phantom Lord's roof was blown apart.
Makarov had pushed his Giant Magic to the limit—his body now dwarfed even Phantom's entire guild building.
But he wasn't there to protect Jose's property. He was shielding the Fairy Tail members who hadn't had time to escape.
The spectacle caused everyone in the building to pause their fighting.
From the massive hole blown through the ceiling, Erza could see Makarov's towering back—and the blinding glow of an incoming magical attack.
Charles also saw it and immediately realized what was happening.
Every council-recognized wizard guild possessed some kind of secret weapon.
Fairy Tail had its Three Great Fairy Magics. Blue Pegasus had a magical airship.
Phantom Lord had the Magic Converging Cannon: Jupiter.
Though it wasn't as destructive as the Magic Council's Etherion—which could wipe out entire countries—Jupiter's beam was still strong enough to obliterate a town.
It was obvious what Jose had planned. Since he couldn't capture Lucy in advance or ambush Makarov directly, he had changed tactics.
He would now use Jupiter to blast away Fairy Tail's elites in one shot.
To do that, he was even willing to sacrifice a guild building and countless members.
A proper villain had to be ruthless, after all—and Jose's willingness to abandon his own allies with a snap decision proved that.
No wonder Makarov was so enraged. It wasn't just that Jose was threatening his children—it was the fact he discarded his own comrades so casually.
When Charles sensed Jupiter's magical surge, it meant the cannon was fully charged.
The glowing light everyone now saw meant the cannon had already fired.
"You'll never—!!"
Makarov roared, raising a massive hand to intercept the beam of magic.
Among the Ten Wizard Saints, Makarov was one of the most powerful—and he stopped Jupiter's beam with his bare hand.
He groaned in pain but didn't take a single step back. Instead, he pushed forward into the magical onslaught.
"Master!!"
"Old man!!"
Hearing the cries of his worried guild members, Makarov pressed forward even harder.
"No parent would ever let their children be hurt right in front of them!"
Blood spilled from Makarov's lips, but with a shout, he shoved the beam back and sent it blasting away.
Everyone began to cheer—but then they saw Makarov shrink back to his normal size and collapse to the ground.
In Jupiter's control chamber, Jose sat on his throne with a dark grin.
"You're tougher than I expected, Makarov—but it's meaningless. Reload Jupiter. Prepare for a second shot."
Everyone from Fairy Tail rushed to Makarov's side. Erza cradled him and found his body riddled with injuries.
Jupiter was a strategic-level magical weapon. In the original story, even Erza's Adamantine Armor was shattered by it.
Makarov had blocked it with his body—getting away with only these injuries was a testament to his overwhelming strength.
Charles looked up at Jupiter's cannon muzzle and warned, "The next blast is coming soon! Erza, get the Master out of here and start treatment!"
Then he turned to the Phantom mages who were following behind and added, "I'll hold them off!"
Erza trusted Charles' strength and nodded. "We'll leave it to you. Everyone—fall back!"
Natsu clenched his teeth and shouted, "I'm staying too!"
Charles turned and gave him a sharp look—one so serious that Natsu fell silent.
"This isn't the time for hot-headedness."
Natsu was clearly frustrated, but he knew better than to argue now. Listening to Charles was the smart move.
Charles didn't give Natsu another thought. He wasn't someone who would act recklessly at a time like this.
Right now, the priority was clearing out the Phantom leftovers.
These small fries should've accepted their fate and fled after being abandoned by Jose.
Instead, they rushed in, determined to drag Fairy Tail down with them.
Who knew what motivated them—desperation? Madness?
But since Charles had declared he would cover the retreat, they would not succeed.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"
Like a massive flaming dragon spreading its wings, twin streams of fire extended from Charles' arms, forming blazing barriers that separated the Phantom mages.
The wings then clapped shut—slamming all the incoming enemies back in one sweeping strike.
Charles raised his hand and stood alone before the Phantom mages.
"Sorry—this road is closed."
One spiky-haired Phantom mage bared his teeth and shouted, "It's just one guy! Everyone, get him!"
Perhaps it was their recent beating, or the sight of Makarov collapsing, or simply the fact that only Charles remained—whatever it was, they found courage.
The spiky-haired thug's call riled them up, and a crowd of Phantom mages charged at once.
In Jupiter's control chamber, Jose slammed a fist into the armrest as he watched Charles single-handedly hold off all his remaining forces.
"Useless trash!"
A hooded mage nearby asked, "Master Jose, Fairy Tail has already retreated. Should we still fire Jupiter?"
Jose growled, "This next shot is for the Fairy Tail headquarters. Prepare the fortress—we're going to Magnolia."
Jupiter wasn't just a cannon—it was part of Phantom Lord's headquarters.
Their guild building was actually a mobile fortress. Like a spider, it extended massive mechanical legs and began to move.
Charles heard the ominous rumbling and casually tossed aside the unconscious mage he'd just downed.
"No time to play with you anymore! Magic Domain—Dragon's Nest!"
Against cannon fodder, nothing was more efficient than a magic domain.
The overwhelming dragon's pressure crushed their spirits instantly. They collapsed like jellyfish, completely paralyzed.
Charles didn't even glance back. As he turned to follow the retreating Fairy Tail members, he left behind a field of broken resolve.
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