Chapter 96: A Concluded Match, and the Return to Magnolia (1)
At the very top of the Edolas royal castle, where the Dragon Chain Cannon was installed.
The remaining royal guards were in chaos, desperately trying to maintain control in the face of the terror that had suddenly swept through the castle.
"Status report!"
"We sacrificed a third of our remaining forces to lure the target. We've successfully confined it in place—for now. But we won't be able to hold it much longer!"
"That is enough. For the sake of our fallen comrades, we will guard His Majesty with our lives."
While the knights steeled their resolve, King Faust impatiently awaited the start of his long-prepared operation.
He waited only for Byro and the remaining unit commanders to retrieve the key from Coco.
At that moment—*
The doors opened, and Erza (Nightwalker) entered, covered in wounds, dragging Natsu and Gray in chains.
"You're safe, Captain Erza."
"Safe? Do I look safe to you? What happened to you? Those wounds—!"
"It's nothing."
"And these two?"
"They infiltrated the castle. After what they've done to this place, I want them to watch up close as their comrade explodes into pieces."
"…Very well. Enter."
The guards stepped aside. Despite concern for her condition, Erza brushed them off and walked directly to the throne room.
The moment Faust saw the Dragon Chain Cannon's ignition key tucked in her belt, his expression lit with excitement.
"Erza! You really brought the key?!"
"Yes. Coco struggled a bit, but I acquired it."
"And those prisoners?"
"They're Earthland wizards—part of the Dragon Slayer's party."
"D-Don't tell me… the disappearance of the lacrima in the square is related—"
"It is. These two are responsible for turning the castle into a disaster zone. I brought them here so they can watch their comrade die."
"…Fine. Just activate the cannon. Quickly!"
Faust didn't care about captured enemies. His mind was consumed by the Dragon Chain Cannon—and his dream of eternal magic.
At his command, Erza approached the control altar and inserted the key.
She turned it—
And at that exact moment—
"This is it! Natsu! Gray!"
"Got it!"
"Right!"
The two 'captives' suddenly snapped their restraints and unleashed magic at the guards.
"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!!"
"Ice Geyser!!"
The explosion of flame and ice sent soldiers flying, their screams filling the room. Faust froze in disbelief.
"What is the meaning of this?!"
"Don't move."
"E-Erza… you…!!"
With cold eyes, she drew her sword and held it to Faust's throat.
"The firing ends here."
"What treachery is this, Erza?!"
"I am Erza Scarlet. The Earthland Erza."
"W-What…?!"
Natsu crossed his arms and laughed smugly.
Gray smirked as well.
"In short—this was Operation D!"
"D for 'Double-cross'!"
Erza's armor flashed, reverting to her true form—the Titania of Fairy Tail.
While Jellal fought below, she had followed his orders, disguised herself by stripping the defeated Edolas Erza Nightwalker, and slipped past the guards. After reuniting with Lucy and Coco and learning the situation, she formed a plan with Natsu and Gray—and staged this ambush to seize the cannon.
Faust trembled with rage, and the soldiers shouted in panic:
"You fiends! Taking the king hostage?!"
"What of it?" Natsu snapped.
Gray added, "We'll do anything—if it means protecting our comrades."
Erza pressed the blade harder to Faust's throat.
"Retarget the cannon. Aim it at the giant lacrima."
"D-Don't obey them! Fire now!!"
"We can't! His Majesty—!"
"I don't care about myself! Fire at once! For the future of Edolas—!"
But despite Faust's madness, no knight had the heart to pull the trigger with their king at sword-point.
"Retargeting… target: Giant lacrima!"
"You fools! You would throw away eternal magic?!"
Then—
From the balcony above—
A figure leapt, spear in hand.
Erza Nightwalker, now fully recovered, cloak billowing behind her, dove through the air with a murderous scream:
"SCARLET!!!"
"What—?!"
"Erza!!"
Erza barely managed to block the spear strike, but in that brief moment Faust slipped free. With their king out of danger, the soldiers scrambled back to the control altar.
"The king has been freed!"
"Now! Restore the original target coordinates!"
"This is bad!"
"I will never forgive you, Scarlet!!"
"Nightwalker—of all times for you to interfere…!"
In the chaos, Faust thrust out his arm and roared:
"Fire the Dragon Chain Cannon!!"
"No—!!"
The trigger was pulled.
Erza, Natsu, and Gray all snapped their eyes toward the cannon's maw. The beam of concentrated dragon power had already been released.
It was over… or so it should have been.
But then—
"W-What…?!"
"The castle… it's shaking!"
"What's going on?!"
"L-Look! Up there!"
"H-How… How is this even possible?!!"
The earth rumbled violently.
From beneath the castle, a colossal crimson dragon erupted skyward, tearing through stone and cloud alike. Behind it, a golden demon and a third monster—covered in blue scales like armor—rose in unison, gripping the cannon's chain and violently yanking it off course.
The sudden appearance of the three demons sent the soldiers stumbling backward in terror.
Natsu, locked in combat moments earlier, stared wide-eyed at the monstrous forms emerging from the depths.
"A… A demon?!!"
"What in the hell is that supposed to be?!"
Gray's face hardened.
"…The Lord Of Phantasms—Rabiel."
"Gray?" Erza asked, hearing the tremor in his voice.
"You… You know what those things are?" Natsu demanded.
Gray clenched his fist as Rabiel slammed the cannon chain into the earth, neutralizing the shot in one crushing blow.
"I've seen that blue devil before," Gray muttered. "Ciel summoned it once—as a familiar. But I never imagined… he had more creatures like that."
"What?!" Natsu sputtered. "You're saying Ciel summoned those things?!"
"Heh! I knew my aniki wasn't normal!" Natsu boasted, flames flaring around him.
Erza, on the other hand, could only stare at the sky in disbelief.
"A mere human… commanding monsters like that…?"
"We can't beat something like that…"
Natsu and Erza brightened at the mention of Ciel, but the people of Edolas were crushed by dread. Struck silent, all they could do was stare up at the three overwhelming demons—the Three Phantom Kings.
Only one person among them reacted differently.
Erza Nightwalker's eyes went wide as she spotted something else within the maw of the crimson dragon—a massive sphere of blinding light being held back from release.
"Ciel is still fighting them!" she gasped, shoving Earthland Erza aside and wiping the last trace of black lipstick from her mouth.
"Erza—is that true?!" Natsu shouted.
"I'm not standing here doing nothing!!"
Nightwalker sprinted to the battlements and leapt from the castle, whistling sharply.
Moments later, her personal Legion swooped up from below, catching her in midair. With a mighty roar, the beast turned and shot toward the battlefield where the Three Phantom Kings clashed with the sun-bright power in the clouds.
Faust watched Nightwalker soar off on her Legion mount and immediately barked new orders to the shaken soldiers.
"Look! Our true heroes—the Nightwalker couple—still fight for us! If the Dragon Chain Cannon cannot reach those wretched demons, then we shall drag them down ourselves! Take the Legions, hunt those fiends, and bring judgment! Claim eternal magic for Edolas!!"
"We obey!!"
"Charge!!"
"Uoooooooh!!"
Rallying behind Faust's voice, the remaining troops regained their morale and rushed out through the tower gates, taking flight to pursue the demons.
Natsu's group grimaced. If the kingdom's sky divisions joined the chaos, Ciel would be outnumbered. They needed to reach him before Nightwalker and the Edolas army did—but they had no way to fly.
That was when a familiar voice rose from the sky.
"Hey!!! Over here!!"
"Lucy!"
"Oh! Lucy, you came!"
Lucy swooped in atop a Legion mount, landing in front of the Dragon Chain Cannon. The rush of wind from its wings blew away nearby soldiers like leaves caught in a storm.
Faust froze, eyes bulging.
"H-How is that girl riding a Legion!?"
A smaller voice answered from behind Lucy.
"Because it's my Legion."
"Kyah~! Kyarururuu~!"
Faust's face stiffened. Coco peeked over Lucy's shoulder, holding the baby Setsura in her arms. The king's eyes shook violently with disbelief and betrayal.
In that moment, Natsu and Gray leapt aboard.
"Alright! Let's go stop the Kingdom's army!"
"Can we hold them off with just this thing?!" Gray shouted.
"Who knows? We'll figure it out on the way!" Natsu yelled back.
With everyone aboard, the Legion spread its silver wings and launched skyward, racing toward the floating island where the lacrima awaited.
Faust watched them disappear, his face turning purple with rage. Veins bulged across his forehead as he slammed his staff against the floor.
"Enough. I will watch this no longer. Prepare the Droma Anim."
A soldier blanched.
"B-But, sire… that is forbidden by Royal Edict, Article 23—"
"Prepare it!!"
The murmurs across the room turned to panic. Even the most loyal soldiers trembled. There was no calming Faust now—the king had snapped.
....
High above, riding the Legion mount—
"Kyahhh~! Kyaruru~!"
"Setsura, stay in my arms," Coco cooed, tightening her hold on the baby.
Natsu and Gray both stared at the child and at Coco, confused.
"So, uh… Lucy—who are those two?" Natsu asked.
"Yeah, they look… familiar somehow." Gray added.
Lucy scratched her cheek with an awkward smile and slowly turned her head toward Coco and Erza Nightwalker.
Erza sighed, as though ripping off a bandage, and spoke bluntly.
"The baby's name is Setsura Nightwalker. To put it simply… she is the child born between Edolas-me and Ciel."
Natsu and Gray both exploded.
"W H A A A A A A A A T?!!"
"Wha— WAAAAAAAAAAH?!"
"A-aah…! Uwaaaaaaah!!"
Natsu and Gray's horrified scream echoed across the sky—and because of that, baby Setsura instantly burst into tears.
At the sound of the baby crying, Erza's face flushed red. Without hesitation, she bonked both idiots on the head.
"Gyaaah!!"
"Guhh—?!"
"Quiet! You're making her cry even more!"
She turned back to the baby, forcing an awkwardly gentle smile.
"There, there, Setsura-chan~ it's okay, shhh."
"Uwaaaah~!!"
Coco tried rocking the baby, but nothing helped. The crying only grew louder. Erza sighed, then reached out.
"Coco, was it? Let me hold her. I promise—I won't harm the child."
Coco hesitated, but when she looked up at Erza's face… for a moment, the terrifying warrior of Edolas was gone. Standing there instead was a calm, steady mother.
Almost without realizing it, Coco entrusted the child into her arms.
"There, there… shhh. Mommy is right here."
"Kyah~! Kyurururu~!"
The change was instant.
Wrapped in Erza's arms and hearing her soft voice, Setsura went silent—then broke into a wide, sparkling smile.
Even though Earthland's Erza had initially panicked upon learning she "apparently had a child" in Edolas, the moment she held Setsura, something in her melted. Maternal warmth—instinctive and undeniable—rose from within her.
Natsu and Gray could only stare, horrified.
"…What… what is this scene?"
"Is that really Erza?"
Lucy shrugged helplessly, whispering back.
"I know, right? I almost fainted when I first saw it too. But… she is the baby's mother in this world, so… it's kind of fitting?"
Gray narrowed his eyes.
"I'm more worried about Edolas Ciel ripping someone's head off when he sees this."
Natsu nodded gravely.
"Seriously. You'd have to be insane to marry Erza. That guy's not normal."
Erza turned her head—still smiling for the baby's sake—but her eyes did not match the smile.
"Once this is over… we're going to have a long talk."
The blood drained from Natsu and Gray's faces.
"S-she heard us."
"I'm scared. Gray, hold me."
"Hold yourself!"
Lucy sighed.
"…I was complimenting her though?"
The Legion continued soaring toward the floating island, the atmosphere on its back chaotic in a very familiar Fairy Tail way.
....
Meanwhile…
"Wake up."
"Mmm…"
"Wake up. Hey. You need to get up."
"…rrg… just five more minutes…"
The voice persisted, shaking him harder.
With a groan, and a throbbing headache, he finally forced his eyes open.
A cracked ceiling. Rubble. Smoke.
Then—memory returned like a lightning bolt.
He shot upright.
"That's right! Ciel is in danger!"
I had entered the castle to save Ciel—but instead, I ended up fighting the Ciel of Edolas. His surprise attack knocked me unconscious.
The moment my memory snapped back, I jolted upright, frantically scanning the room. And there, right beside me, was the owner of the voice that had been calling out to me—gazing down with sorrowful eyes.
"Thank goodness… Are you hurt anywhere?"
"You are…?"
Before me stood a boy—slender, still youthful, almost fragile.
Light brown hair, and eyes glowing a brilliant orange.
His gaze was clear and innocent, yet so full of desperation that I felt it immediately in my chest.
"I– I'm alright. But… who are you?"
"There's no time to explain who I am. Please—I'm begging you. Stop Ciel."
"…What?"
"W–wah?!"
I grabbed him by the shoulders as soon as Ciel's name left his lips.
"What are you talking about?! I heard Ciel was in danger—and now you want me to stop him? What does that even mean?!"
The boy, dizzy from being shaken, clenched his teeth and forced the words out with urgency.
"There isn't much time. But listen—Ciel must not kill his other self and become one again."
"Become… one again? What is that supposed to mean?"
"If he merges with that Ciel, he'll throw away everything—every emotion he's started to reclaim, every chance at happiness. He'll fall back into that same hell, walking the path of blood and suffering all over again. That's why—only you can stop him. You, the one who holds the biggest place in his heart!"
"W–wait—! Your body…!"
Before I could press further, his outline began to fade—his body dissolving into mist.
He kept speaking, even as he scattered into pale smoke.
"I don't want to see him suffer anymore. Not again. At least in this world… I want him to live a real life. Even if it's imperfect… I want him to live happily. Please—stop him. And the half he's missing… just like the Ciel of this parallel world who got to reclaim his life… you must become that missing half for him…"
"Wait! Hey—!!"
But it was too late.
Without answering a single one of my questions, the mysterious boy vanished—leaving me with only confusion and a rapidly growing sense of dread.
Just what in the world was happening…?
My chest tightened.
"No. This isn't the time to stand here. I have to find Ciel."
I leapt off the bed and sprinted out the door.
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