"Jose, you've gone too far this time—colluding with a Dark Guild?!"
Makarov's voice thundered across the battlefield. His eyes burned with fury as he looked upon the twisted figure of Jose Porla, now fully consumed by darkness. All around them, the town lay shattered, guild members wounded yet still fighting valiantly to defend what remained.
"You've crossed a line that can't be forgiven. You're courting death!"
Unable to restrain his anger any longer, Makarov's magic surged like a tidal wave. His aura exploded outward as he lunged forward, his massive fist colliding with Jose's chest.
Caught off guard, Jose's thoughts scattered—then impact.
The blow sent him hurtling through the air like a cannonball, crashing across the sea's surface. Waves erupted violently in his wake until, with a beat of his demonic wings, he steadied himself above the water.
"Makarov… let's see how long you can last!"
With a single flap, Jose shot forward again, wings slicing through the air.
"Dark Stream Barrage!"
Hundreds of black and violet beams rained down toward Kael and the others.
"Light Magic—Shower of Radiance!"
Makarov countered immediately, raising both hands. Brilliant golden beams shot upward to meet the darkness head-on. The collision created a blinding flash—raw energy bursting outward in violent shockwaves that tore through the battlefield.
Two Wizard Saints clashed once more, the sheer force of their battle shaking the sky itself.
But this time, Jose held the advantage. His mocking laughter echoed between strikes.
"Once Jupiter finishes recharging, it'll fire again in fifteen minutes. Let's see who'll stop it next time, hahaha!"
Kael stood at the sidelines, glancing toward Erza—who had collapsed, unable to rise after taking a hit for him. Then his gaze hardened as he looked back at Jose hovering above. His hands clenched tightly.
His presence here had complicated things more than he'd expected. Defending against three rounds of the Jupiter Cannon had nearly drained him completely. Still, his first priority was clear: Erza's safety.
"Master," Kael said steadily, "I'll need you to hold him off for a while. I'm taking Erza to Porlyusica for healing."
"Go," Makarov grunted without turning back. "Leave Jose to me. The guild—our family—depends on you now, Kael."
His tone, calm yet fierce, carried through the chaos. Kael felt its weight in his chest.
He knelt beside Erza and helped her to her feet. "Come on," he said quietly, eyes fixed on Makarov battling the dark guild master.
"I can still fight," Erza muttered, forcing herself upright. Her gaze burned with fury toward Jose.
"Don't push yourself," Kael replied firmly. "You're hurt. Go get healed. Leave this fight to us."
"But—"
"Listen to me. Once you recover, help the others. Drive out the invaders."
His tone softened briefly, but the killing intent in his eyes when he mentioned the Ghost Guild members was unmistakable—cold and deadly.
"…Understood," Erza finally said. She glanced once more toward the sea, where Makarov and Jose clashed in blinding flashes of light and darkness, then reluctantly nodded.
The two began to teleport away with a surge of light magic—only for Jose to lunge forward in an attempt to intercept.
But Makarov roared, slamming a barrier of energy into Jose's path. "You'll fight me, not them!"
As Kael vanished with Erza in his arms, his thoughts turned razor-sharp:
"Warnings are wasted on the damned. This time, Jose—you die."
Meanwhile — Within Magnolia Town
Following their earlier plan, Natsu and the others, led by Mirajane and Cana, had entered the town to confront the invading Ghost Guild members head-on.
Civilians were being evacuated quickly by other Fairy Tail mages.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Ice-Make: Knight!"
"Smoke Magic—Burst Assault!"
Explosions rocked the streets as clouds of smoke filled the air. Though the Ghost Guild's mages lacked the individual strength of Fairy Tail's, their overwhelming numbers kept the battle evenly matched for now.
A thunderous blast shook the sky in the distance—back toward the Fairy Tail guildhall.
Everyone paused for a heartbeat. Their gazes turned toward the explosion, worry flashing across their faces. But they gritted their teeth, turned back, and fought harder, fury fueling their blows.
"Damn it—I'm going back! Happy!"
"Aye, sir!"
Natsu had just finished taking down an opponent when he turned to run toward the guild. But Gray and Lucy blocked his path.
"Natsu! Leave that to Kael, Master, and Erza!" Gray barked. Though his voice was steady, his own expression was tight with concern.
Lucy nodded. "Yeah! We need to focus on stopping these guys first!"
Rain suddenly began to fall. Light at first—then heavier. The odd thing was that only this part of the city was under the downpour.
"Drip… drip…"
Footsteps echoed through the wet cobblestone.
A woman appeared, holding an umbrella—her expression unreadable, eyes calm as still water.
"Who's there?!"
Natsu, Gray, and Lucy immediately fell into combat stances.
The woman stopped a few steps away. "You're Lucy Heartfilia, aren't you?" she said in a flat voice, ignoring the hostility in their eyes.
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu dashed forward, fist blazing, but his punch passed straight through her body as though through vapor—steam rising where his flames touched.
Her form rippled like water.
"I—I am," Lucy said hesitantly.
"Water Magic—Aqua Prison!"
Before Lucy could react, the woman—Juvia—extended her hand. Rainwater surged together, forming a floating sphere that enveloped Lucy completely.
"Target captured," Juvia said, her tone as calm as the falling rain.
"What?!"
"Ice-Make: Lance!"
Gray jumped in, sending a volley of ice spears flying toward Juvia, but every projectile passed harmlessly through her liquid body.
"Physical attacks can't harm me," she said coldly.
"Who said I was aiming at you?"
Gray smirked faintly and shifted aside—revealing that Lucy was no longer inside the water sphere.
Above, Happy soared through the rain, carrying Lucy to safety.
"Now it's just you and me," Gray said, crouching low as frost spread beneath his feet. "Let's settle this."
Juvia's eyes narrowed. The rain thickened.
Elsewhere, Natsu took to the skies, flames flaring around him as he intercepted a sudden burst of fire—swallowing it midair.
From the shadows emerged Totomaru, the flame samurai of the Ghost Guild. The two locked eyes, both igniting their magic in unison.
Meanwhile—
Elfman clashed with Sol.
Mirajane faced Aria.
Cana stood toe-to-toe with Gajeel.
The storm of battle engulfed Magnolia.