"A request?"
The word sounded strange coming from the King.
After all, the Magicians present were citizens of the kingdom. In theory, the King could simply issue an order.
The Magicians looked up at the King on the platform in confusion.Such courtesy could only mean that what followed was no ordinary matter.
As expected, the King spoke solemnly:
"The Kingdom has received reliable intelligence that Dragons will attack the capital tonight. Yes, legendary Dragons."
A ripple of shock passed through the crowd.
"At present, we already have a strategy to deal with the majority of them. However, some may remain. When that happens, we ask all of you to help restrain, and, if possible, defeat, those remaining Dragons, to prevent further destruction!"
The plaza erupted into noise.
The Magicians were stunned by the revelation, but surprisingly, panic did not spread.
Most people did not truly understand the power of a Dragon, but with thousands of Magicians gathered here, confidence naturally followed.
With this many people, surely a few Dragons could be handled.
By the time the King concluded with, "I entrust this to you all," voices were already rising:
"Leave it to us!"
"No problem!"
"We'll protect the capital!"
Spirits were high.
Only the members of Sabertooth wore troubled expressions.
They had seen a Dragon's power firsthand.
Even when Dragons were merely playing, their strength was far beyond what ordinary Magicians could contend with. Even Sting and Rogue, their guild's aces, had been utterly overwhelmed.
Still…
With so many people present, it should be fine… right?
And if they could defeat even one Dragon, it would be the perfect chance for Sabertooth to reclaim its honor.
With that thought, they too joined the cheering.
Watching this scene, Rhodes frowned slightly.
"Did I underestimate things when I spoke with the King earlier?" he murmured. "He seems… a little too confident now."
Lucy tilted her head.
"Isn't it better to have more people helping?"
"Maybe," Rhodes replied, glancing toward the city. "But that also means more fragile lives and buildings on the battlefield."
He turned decisively.
"Let's go to the Royal Palace."
The Magicians dispersed throughout the capital in guild units, taking up defensive positions.
Fairy Tail did the same.
Aside from Rhodes, the two Lucys, and Lucy's four assigned bodyguards, the rest of the guild moved to their designated areas.
Those four bodyguards were, naturally, Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayers.
Rhodes intended to see for himself whether the four of them together could truly handle one or two Dragons.
"Please follow me."
Escorted through multiple layers of guards, Rhodes and his group finally reached the rear of the main hall.
There, in an open expanse, stood a massive arched gate of gold.
This was the first time Rhodes had seen the Eclipse Gate with his own eyes.
It towered nearly forty to fifty meters tall, and its thickness likely surpassed that of an ordinary building.
Beyond the enormous central doors, intricate mechanical structures spread outward. The massive doorposts resembled colossal mechanical legs.
If one didn't know its purpose, it would be easy to believe the gate might stand up and walk at any moment.
Along the seams of the doors were twelve circular apertures, evenly spaced, each large enough for an adult to step through.
These were the keyholes of the Eclipse Gate.
Though Celestial Spirit Keys themselves were much smaller, this was not a mechanical lock. Instead, each keyhole required activation through Star Spirit Magic, unlocking the gate one seal at a time.
Even without being activated, the gate's sheer presence was awe-inspiring.
Future Lucy had seen it before and remained calm.
Laxus showed clear surprise but stayed silent.
Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel, and Wendy reacted almost in unison:
"It's huge!"
"Good evening, Mr. Rhodes, Miss Lucy, and everyone from Fairy Tail."
Princess Hisui approached with Yukino, greeting them warmly.
Rhodes asked, "Is everything ready?"
"Yes. We're just waiting for the Eclipse," Princess Hisui replied, nodding toward Yukino.
Yukino stepped forward, taking out the Libra and Pisces keys and handing them to Lucy.
"Please hold on to these for now, Lady Lucy. All twelve keys are required to close the Eclipse Gate."
"Huh?" Lucy blinked in confusion. "You're giving them to me now? Then what about when the gate opens?"
Princess Hisui lowered her head slightly.
"Regarding that… I must apologize to you."
Lucy was even more confused. "Apologize? Why?"
Princess Hisui hesitated, then said, "Because your other ten keys were already used to open the corresponding keyholes some time ago."
"When?" Lucy instinctively touched her keyring. "I carry my keys with me all the time!"
Princess Hisui explained awkwardly, "It was a few months ago, during the fabricated Taurus assassination incident, when you were arrested as the supposed mastermind…"
"Ah!" Lucy suddenly remembered. When she'd been detained, her keys had indeed been confiscated. Rhodes had arrived shortly after and cleared everything up, but the keys hadn't been returned immediately.
Even Rhodes was taken aback.
"So that incident was completely a pretext?"
At the time, he hadn't understood Eclipse Magic at all, so he'd never suspected anything. As long as Lucy's keys weren't lost, he hadn't paid it much attention.
Now, in hindsight, the information gap was genuinely troublesome.
"That was part of it," Princess Hisui admitted. "We also considered the possibility that Miss Lucy might refuse to cooperate, and we never had a perfect plan. Then that incident occurred… I am truly sorry."
Since unlocking the keyholes didn't require summoning Celestial Spirits, no contracts were needed. As long as one possessed the keys, they could be used.
Moreover, Eclipse Magic could be executed in stages. Even without sufficient magic power, the locks themselves could be opened in advance.
Future Lucy nodded, indicating she'd gone through something similar, only her treatment back then had been even harsher.
"I see…" Lucy exhaled slowly. "Never mind. That's all in the past."
Although she was somewhat upset about her keys being used without permission, she knew now wasn't the time to dwell on it.
She accepted Yukino's keys and went over the closing procedure again with Future Lucy.
All that remained was to wait.
According to astronomical law, a total lunar eclipse would always reach its peak at midnight.
The King stepped outside to inspect the surroundings, then returned to give Princess Hisui a few final instructions.
Danton followed closely behind, his expression tense.
As the appointed time approached, a soldier hurried over and whispered a report into Danton's ear.
"What?" Danton's face darkened. "Those people..."
The King asked calmly, "What is it?"
Danton replied, his tone grave, "Your Majesty, members of Dragons Treasure have assembled heavy siege weapons inside the capital. Such armaments are strictly forbidden and should be punished severely!"
The King considered this for a moment.
"Hm… given the circumstances, to deal with Dragons, perhaps such weapons are unavoidable?"
Danton shook his head sharply.
"But Your Majesty only announced the Dragon attack today. To assemble such weapons in such a short time means they were already brought into the capital beforehand."
He paused, then added coldly,
"They weren't prepared to fight Dragons at all."