Chapter 97: A Concluded Match, and the Return to Magnolia (2)
"W-…What is THAT?!"
"That's…?!"
"Whoa!!"
On the floating island of the Lacrima, Gajeel and Pantherlily—who had been clashing fiercely atop the massive magic crystal—froze in place when they witnessed the three Phantom Demons soaring into the sky, wrapped around a colossal sphere of blinding light.
Their hearts, which only moments ago throbbed with adrenaline and the heat of battle, were instead crushed by a primal terror—an overwhelming presence that went beyond the word "inhuman." It was a being so immense, so absolute, that their instincts screamed in horror. Their hearts nearly stopped.
The blinding orb of light slowly shrank, revealing the form of a "god." Gajeel, Pantherlily, and Happy could only gape in utter disbelief.
A pair of massive golden wings, spreading like the roots of a colossal world tree—radiant, burning, and divine.
A pure white divine mantle, exuding a sacred majesty nothing in this world could defy.
And hair, shining in blinding gold, like a sun descending from the heavens—
—Ciel Nightwalker now floated in the sky, surrounded by three Phantom Demons.
Atop the shoulders of Rabiel, with a spear in one hand and a staff in the other, the other Ciel glared upward with killing intent in his eyes. Gajeel's voice trembled as he took in the impossible sight.
"H-Hey… are you seeing this?! Ciel vs. Ciel? And what the hell are THOSE?!"
"...Commander… don't tell me… he intends to fight… seriously?!"
"Lily…?"
Gajeel let out a hollow laugh, as if his mind couldn't handle the fear. Meanwhile, Pantherlily dropped to one knee—his face drenched in cold sweat.
Startled, Gajeel and Happy looked to him.
"Why are you freaking out?!"
"N-No… this is bad. You don't understand… Even if Earthland's Ciel is strong enough to stand atop those three monsters… before the Commander's 'Sun', everything will be reduced to ash. If this continues… the Commander might erase this entire floating island…!"
"What?!"
At that moment, a blazing sphere—like a miniature sun—rose above the Phantom Demons.
The heat was impossible to comprehend. The blinding radiance forced everyone on the floating island to shield their eyes and collapse to their knees.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!"
"C-COMMANDER!! YOU'RE—YOU'RE GOING TO—!!!"
"AAAAAAHHHH!!!"
A gigantic sun now burned above the clouds.
In seconds, the rivers, lakes, and waterfalls atop the floating islands of Edolas evaporated into steam. Forests erupted into flames and were reduced to dust.
Then—suddenly—black storm clouds wrapped tightly around the sun, smothering its light and heat.
The catastrophe vanished as abruptly as it had appeared.
Gajeel gasped for breath.
"N-No way… the sun… got blocked out?!"
"The demons blocked it… somehow… but…"
Before their eyes, the black clouds twisted, forming a gigantic gate in the sky—larger than even the massive sun behind it. The gate swallowed the sun whole.
The three Phantom Demons, their bodies crumbling like stone statues, were dragged into the gate as well.
Even as the demons collapsed into dust, the two Ciels continued to battle atop their disintegrating forms—blades and spells colliding with furious intensity.
Gajeel trembled uncontrollably.
For the first time in his life, he understood: to interfere in that battle would not merely cost his life—it would erase his existence.
The same terror seized Happy and Pantherlily.
Then—
"W-WHOA!!"
"N-Now what?!"
"The island… it's moving—FAST?!"
The floating island suddenly accelerated toward Extalia.
Why? The Lacrima Cannon had already failed. What was moving the island now?
Gajeel turned toward the opposite edge of the island—and froze.
"…A dragon…?!"
"Aye!!"
"Droma Anim."
"Droma… what?"
"Droma Anim." Pantherlily swallowed hard.
"A forbidden superweapon of Edolas—sealed by the royal family. A dragon-shaped war engine powered by dragon magic… and it has its own Lacrima Cannon. It must have linked to the one on this island. Now… it's over."
Below the island, a massive mechanical dragon was firing blast after blast of magic, ramming the island forward—forcing it to collide with Extalia.
Gajeel grit his teeth as he watched the unstoppable force of the mechanical dragon pounding the floating island forward.
Meanwhile, shaken by the appearance of the colossal sun, Natsu's group had put aside helping Ciel for the moment. With the floating island now on a direct collision course toward Extalia, they focused everything on stopping it. Riding atop the Legion, they desperately tried to push the massive landmass back.
"We can do this!! Legion!!"
"KUUOOOOOO!!"
"This is bad! Something this small can't stop an entire island!"
"Then we'll use magic!"
"Please—STOP!"
"UWOOOOOOO!!"
But no matter how hard Legion flapped its wings, its small body was nowhere near enough to halt the enormous floating island.
While Erza and Gray used their magic to slow the island's speed, Natsu stepped on Legion's head, leaping high into the air and shouting to his partner:
"HAPPY!!"
"Natsu!"
"Give me a hand, partner!!"
"A-Aye!! Aye, sir!!"
As Happy swooped in to catch Natsu, Gajeel watched from afar, then turned to Pantherlily and shouted before bolting after them.
"Strategy comes first, black cat!"
"Running away is your strategy?!"
"I'm not running or hiding. We stop this first, then we deal with everything else!"
"Stop it? STOP THIS?! A whole island tied to the Lacrima cannon?! This is pointless! It's over! Everything's over!"
Pantherlily, having lost hope, shouted in despair.
But Gajeel only grinned in that wicked, confident way of his.
"Save it. After this, I'm dragging your fuzzy tail back to my guild—'cause you're my cat now. Gihihihihi!!"
"..."
Then he vanished from Pantherlily's sight and landed atop Legion, joining the others as they pushed back with all their magic.
There was no time to celebrate his arrival. The island was still moving. The ground shook. Their arms trembled. Their magic was nearly drained.
"UOOOOOOOOH!!!"
"Gajeel! Why didn't you change everyone back like us?!"
Erza snapped at him. Gajeel yelled back, just as frustrated.
"The damn black cat got in the way! And either way, it takes too long!"
"Right now we don't have any other plan! We just gotta stop this thing no matter what!!"
They bickered—but all of them shared the same resolve.
They would stop that island, even if it cost them everything.
Watching their desperate struggle from above the island, Pantherlily glanced toward Coco—who stood cradling the baby Setsura, cheering Legion on.
"Coco… what in the world are you doing here with that baby?!"
"Lily!"
"Kyaaa~!!"
Coco smiled brightly when he called to her.
"You recognized me! I don't need infinite magic. I like infinite smiles much better!"
"What nonsense are you spouting?! Get out of here, NOW! This island can't be stopped! And you brought a BABY to a battlefield—have you lost your mind?!"
"But still…!"
"We'll stop it!! Even if my body shatters into pieces—then I'll stop it with my soul!!"
"…W-what?!"
Pantherlily trembled as he watched Natsu's group desperately brace themselves against the floating island with their entire bodies, refusing to back down.
There was no way to stop this.
Even if they wanted to destroy Droma Anim, by the time they could reach the ground, the floating island would have already collided with Extalia. Everything would be over.
Yet stopping a massive airborne island with just a handful of wizards and a single Legion was equally impossible.
If Ciel Nightwalker, in his god-clad state, or the Three Phantom Demons were still available, something might have been done—but Ciel Nightwalker was currently battling his Earth Land self in the sky, and the Phantom Demons had already turned to stone under the sun of that "god" and were being swallowed into the massive gate above.
There was no hope.
The only future left was the death of everyone on the island… and of all the Exceeds below.
....
"At this rate, we're gonna crash…!"
"Gnngh!!"
"We have to hold it!!"
"No matter what… we WILL stop this!!!"
"It's pointless! This isn't something humans can stop!!"
Pantherlily shouted in despair, begging them to flee while they still could. He wanted—at the very least—for them to survive.
But despite his pleading, Natsu's team kept pushing, pouring every drop of strength into stopping the island. They refused to run. They refused to surrender.
Pantherlily, frustrated and terrified, opened his mouth to shout again—
....
"You are…?!"
"Charle!"
"I won't give up! I'll protect BOTH—Fairy Tail and Extalia!!"
"Uwaaaahhh!!"
"M-Minister Nadi?!"
"Everyone must feel the same."
....
Following Nadi's lead, Exceeds from all over Extalia took to the air, rushing in together. Side by side, they threw themselves against the floating island as one.
Pantherlily's eyes widened.
"You defend your own homeland… with your own hands."
"For our queen, who risked herself to protect us…!"
"Wendy, Charle—about earlier, I'm truly sorry!"
"Everyone! Let's do whatever it takes!!"
"Shagotte! With those wings, you'll never—"
"We must. Everyone must do whatever they can!"
Even Queen Shagotte and the elder ministers flew forward, joining the assault, pressing their small bodies against the oncoming landmass with all the force they could muster.
The queen's confession had shattered the illusion Exceeds carried for so long.
They had believed themselves superior to humans. A higher race. Chosen by a goddess.
But in truth…
Exceeds were the weakest race in their world—only blessed with magic, and nothing more.
Their "divinity" had been a lie. A facade created by ancient Exceeds to survive, to posture, to deceive humans and maintain power. Shagotte's "Human Management" project had never actually killed anyone. Not once.
They had never been gods.
They were simply a fragile race that lied to appear strong.
But now—stripped of illusion—they chose to fight anyway.
The Exceeds chosen as "queens" before Shagotte had merely used their precognitive abilities to foresee the deaths of humans and announce them in advance.
That was all it ever was.
Thanks to that ability, the Exceeds were able to survive safely.
But now—all of it had come to an end.
Unable to protect their kingdom with their own power, Queen Shagotte and her ministers had been forced to confess everything they had hidden.
At the queen's confession, the Exceeds fell into despair and nearly gave up on everything. But Wendy and Charle's voices lit a fire back in their hearts—and the once-arrogant Exceeds found the courage to spread their wings and throw themselves toward the disaster with their own strength.
As Pantherlily watched the Exceeds, who had once looked down on everyone, now risking their lives to stop a nearly unstoppable catastrophe, he remembered his past.
Long ago—when he rescued a gravely wounded human child and brought them to Extalia for treatment, he was exiled for it.
Banished, simply because he had saved a human.
Out of that resentment, he eventually joined Edolas' military, and when ETD planned to erase Extalia, he did not oppose it. He simply let it happen.
....
"Shagotte!"
"Your Majesty!"
"Kyaaa—! …Ah?!"
Shagotte's wings faltered as she fell from the sky—Pantherlily immediately spread his wings and caught her.
"Your Majesty… did you exhaust your strength weaving our fate…?"
"…I'm sorry… I…"
"The same goes for me. No matter how much I tried to hate it… Extalia is still my home."
"Lily…"
Holding Shagotte in his arms, Pantherlily finally released the truth he had buried deep inside.
Even if he resented it—even if he tried to turn away—he could not stand by and support its destruction.
He wanted to protect it.
Now, at long last, he had thrown away his hesitation.
But the timing was far too late.
.....
"Even so… it's already too late. Not even an army of Exceeds can stop this! I'm sorry! This is all my fault! I should have stopped it! I should have stopped the humans! I should have…!"
"We understand your heart."
Pantherlily watched everyone below furiously pushing against the floating island, and tears streamed down his face.
They had finally awakened to the truth.
They had finally risen together.
And yet—it was still impossible to stop.
He knew better than anyone…
it was already far too late.
But at that moment—a miracle occurred.
....
"The island… it's being pushed back? How… how is this possible?!"
The floating island, which had been racing toward Extalia without slowing for even a moment, suddenly shuddered and recoiled backward, and a brilliant flash of light engulfed the sky.
Everyone instinctively shut their eyes.
When the light faded and Natsu's group opened theirs, the floating island had completely stopped—and the Fairy Tail lacrima embedded in the island was gone.
....
"The lacrima disappeared…?!"
"W–what in the world just happened?!"
"The lacrima has been sent back to Earthland."
"You…?!"
A man's voice answered from behind them.
Erza's head snapped around at the sound.
There, atop a bird formed of magic, stood a man in a black hood and cloak—Mystogan.
....
"Sorry I'm late. I needed time to find the remnants of Anima in order to return the lacrima. If not for all of your efforts… this would have been impossible.
Thank you, everyone."
"Mystogan!!"
"You sent them all back…?!"
"Yes. By reactivating Anima, the lacrima has returned to its original form and been sent back to Earthland. It's over."
At Mystogan's words, Natsu and Happy's grim expressions finally melted into bright smiles.
The Exceeds, realizing that they had protected their homeland, burst into tears—tears not of despair, but of overwhelming relief.
Pantherlily, upon hearing Mystogan's voice, could not hold back his own hot tears. His eyes trembled with reverence as he looked up at the hooded man.
Mystogan, seeing Lily's expression, removed his hood at last—revealing his face openly to him—as a gesture of gratitude and respect.
....
"Lily… it brings me joy to protect your homeland, with the life you once saved for me. I may have been only my master's messenger… but still."
"Commander…?! So that's how it was… I am grateful. I will never forget your greatness…"
"The prince has returned…"
"Kyah~ aaah~!"
"What?! Prince?!!"
....
Pantherlily, having finally understood everything, bowed his head to Mystogan with deep gratitude.
Coco, seeing Mystogan's face, began to cry as well—her tears overflowing with emotion.
Seven years ago, the prince of Edolas had vanished without a trace.
Now, the lost prince—Jellal of Edolas—had returned.
The royal soldiers, seeing the lacrima gone, abandoned their pursuit. The dream of obtaining eternal magic was over. And above that, the battle in the sky between the two Ciels made them tremble with fear. With the prince's return, they surrendered without further resistance.
For a moment—everyone believed that the tragedy had truly ended.
But then—
A small magic blast pierced straight through Pantherlily's abdomen.
The nightmare had not ended after all.
....
"LILY!!"
[Not yet! This is not over yet!!]
"…The King's voice?!"
"The—The mechanized dragon is talking?!"
"Someone, please! Save Lily!!"
"I will go!"
As a few Exceeds rushed after the falling Pantherlily and Queen Shagotte, Mystogan looked down at the source of the attack—his eyes narrowing coldly.
Inside the colossal war-machine "Droma Anim", the voice of the Edolas King echoed.
Mystogan glared down at it as if ready to kill.
....
"Father… it's over. Everything has already been decided."
[I do not call a wretch like you my son! You vanish for seven years and return only to sabotage your own king's greatest work?!]
Mystogan answered with unwavering resolve.
"My master and I have stopped your Anima plan. Completely."
[So you admit… you were never alone in your betrayal!]
"You must now understand, Father—there is no meaning left in this war."
But from within Droma Anim came only madness.
....
[Meaning? You speak of meaning? This isn't a war. This is punishment—for traitors who dared defy their king. This is eradication. Nothing more, nothing less.]
"Kyaaaah!!"
"Everyone!!"
"Gray!"
From atop Droma Anim's massive shoulders, cannons of magical energy fired one after another.
The blasts struck the Exceeds mid-air, sending them plummeting toward the ground by the dozens.
The magic shots continued upward, piercing through the crumbling bodies of the Three Phantom Demons—and then swallowed both Ciels whole.
Seeing this, the king let out a deranged, triumphant laugh.
....
[Kuhahahahaha!!! CIel! Ciel!! Even those monstrous beings are nothing before Droma Anim's might—no more than insects to be crushed!! Did you see it?! Stand in my way, and I will kill anyone—even the very hero who united this kingdom! I can erase all of you without leaving a trace!!!]
"Father…!!"
"Ciel?!"
[I am not your father. I am the king of Edolas. Think carefully, boy—if I erase every last one of you here, there will be no one left in Earthland capable of closing Anima. In other words, I can create lacrima as large as I desire, fuse Exceeds as I desire, and harvest endless power as I desire!]
"You…!!"
[Hahahahahahahahaha!! There is nothing—nothing—the power of a king cannot accomplish!! A king's power is absolute!!]
Everyone was horrified by the king's madness and glared at the massive dragon-shaped war machine.
...
"Droma Anim… In Earthland terms, it's a Dragon Knight. But this is not the same one from seven years ago. Its power… and its form… are completely different. That means—he's reinforced it with dragon armor, hasn't he?"
"Dragon… now that you mention it, its shape—"
"Armor reinforcement? What do you mean by that?!"
Lucy and the others stared in confusion. Riding on Legion, Coco answered in Mystogan's place:
....
"Magic nullification. The armor nullifies any external magical attacks. His Majesty is controlling Droma Anim from inside."
....
[Go, my soldiers! Capture the Exceeds! And then, once more, this world shall—aaah?!!]
Just as Faust shouted new orders at his shaken troops, it happened.
Above Droma Anim's head, a miniature sun appeared—and instantly melted the dragon's skull armor like butter.
At the same time, from beneath its feet, navy-blue mist erupted upward like spears, impaling the machine's entire body.
With its head liquefying and its body full of gaping holes, Droma Anim detonated in a massive explosion and disintegrated.
....
"W-What?! What just happened?!"
"That sun just now—"
"And that mist…"
Exceeds and Edolas soldiers alike stared in chaos and disbelief.
But the Fairy Tail members and Mystogan had already realized the truth—and they turned their gazes toward the forest from which the attacks had come.
....
"Haa… haa… Your Majesty… I bid you farewell."
"Kufufu… To dare interfere in our battle? You deranged king… You shall repay that sin with your life."
"Ciel!!"
"They're alive!! The Ciels are alive!!"
Natsu and the others shouted with joy. They had feared both Ciels were killed by Droma Anim's cannon—but here they stood, emerging from the forest, very much alive.
But while Natsu, Lucy, and Gray rejoiced…
The rest of the group felt something far colder.
The two Ciels walking toward the battlefield now were releasing an overwhelming aura—a murderous intent so suffocating it made even allies tremble.
What returned from the sky…
…were not merely two survivors.
They were two executioners, eyes fixed on finishing their duel.
Everything had finally come to an end.
The king had fallen, and the Fairy Tail lacrima they sought to obtain had been sent back to Earthland.
But even with the battle over, what stood before them was a chilling sight: Nightwalker, returned to her normal appearance from exhaustion…And Ciel, who—despite losing the staff—still held his spear as if nothing had changed.
Gajeel and Erza stared at the two Ciels, and called out to them:
....
"Ciel! It's over! There's no reason for you two to fight anymore!"
"Captain! Setsura is safe! And the prince has returned! You can stop now!"
....
"...Be silent."
Instead of calming, the two Ciels only radiated sharper hostility—hostility directed not at their former enemies, but at each other.
Without hesitation, the two resumed their duel, blades and spear crashing against one another atop the scorched earth.
Natsu's group and the Exceeds exchanged confused, fearful looks as they tried desperately to stop them.
....
"What the hell? Isn't everything over?"
"Are they even human…? This is terrifying…"
"Why are they fighting each other now?!"
"Ciel! There's no reason to fight anymore! Stop!"
"Ciel… he feels like a different person…"
"Why?! The battle is over! Ciel! ENOUGH!"
....
"…No. This fight won't end until one of them is dead."
The one who answered was Mystogan. His tone was heavy—final.
Everyone turned to him in shock.
....
"What do you mean? The war is over. There's nothing left to fight about!"
"Right! The king is gone! The soldiers have lost their will! Why are you saying this?!"
"Your Majesty, please explain!"
Mystogan swallowed dryly before he spoke.
"…For whatever reason, those two Ciels originated from one soul."
"One soul… split in two?"
"They're fighting because their instincts are forcing them to reunite. And there's only one way for that to happen—one must kill the other, so the remaining soul can absorb what's left."
"WHAT?!"
"That can't be…!"
Mystogan continued, voice tight with pain.
....
"My master—Ciel Nightwalker—and Earthland's Ciel, Illusian—this fight will not end unless one of them dies. Until then… they will never stop."
....
Just when everyone believed the nightmare had ended…
A new tragedy stood before them.
A tragedy that could only end in death—unless someone intervened.
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