The night air above the Royal Capital of Edolas was no longer silent. The rhythmic, deafening mechanical shriek of the Chain Cannons was tearing it apart. The ground vibrated with a frequency that rattled bones and cracked cobblestones. High above the plaza, the massive Lacrima was moving.
It was sliding backward on a colossal magical rail system, locking into the firing chamber of the Cannon. The weapon was aimed upwards, directly at the floating island of Extalia, which hung in the sky like a celestial judgment.
Edolas Blake shouted over the sirens, his goggles reflecting the ominous golden glow of the crystal. "The firing sequence has skipped the warm-up! The kinetic locks are disengaging!"
He grabbed Wendy by the shoulders. The young Sky Dragon Slayer looked terrified, staring up at the target of the cannon.
"Listen to me!" Edolas Blake barked. "Even if we stop the cannon, the magical backlash could shatter the lower districts of Extalia. Those people... those cats... they don't know this is coming. They think they're safe; they don't have defenses against a siege weapon!"
Carla froze. "Warn them? But... I am an exile. They cast me out."
"You're a member of Fairy Tail!" Edolas Blake yelled. "You save people! That's the job! Go!"
Hearing that, three of them nod. Wendy wiped the fear from her eyes, her expression hardening into resolve.
"Right! Let's go, Carla! Happy!"
"Aye!" Happy sprouted his wings, grabbing Natsu's sword (which he had been holding) and tossing it to the Dragon Slayer. "Catch, Natsu! I'm going on a rescue mission!"
Carla grabbed Wendy. "Hold on tight, child."
They rocketed upward, three small specks against the backdrop of the looming apocalypse, racing to warn a city of angels that the devils were knocking.
---
Down in the shadows of the lower plaza, Earthland Blake watched them go. He turned his attention to the ground team. The Royal Guard was swarming. Magitek walkers were stomping out of the palace gates.
"Natsu! Gray! Erza! Gajeel! Lucy!" Blake's voice cut through the noise, amplified by a touch of Haki. "The stealth phase is dead. We need them looking at you, not the tower. I want noise. I want fire. I want you to tear those gates down!"
Hearing that, they all nod.
Natsu caught his sword, but then threw it aside. He had taken the X-Ball. He didn't need a sword anymore. He punched his palms together, fire erupting in a massive, swirling vortex around him.
"FINALLY!" Natsu roared, a manic grin splitting his face. "I've been waiting to burn something all week!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself, fire-breath," Gray smirked, ice freezing the ground beneath his boots. "Ice-Make: Lance!"
"Focus!" Erza commanded, requipping into her Purgatory Armor, a black, spiked monstrosity built for brute force. "We clear the path!"
Gajeel laughed, his skin turning to iron scales. "Gihi. Let's eat this castle."
The four powerhouse mages launched themselves at the main gate. Natsu's Fire Dragon's Roar met the first wave of Royal Guards, blasting them back. Gray froze the legs of a Magitek walker. Erza shattered the front portcullis with a single swing. Gajeel began eating the gate hinges.
The explosion of magic and violence was instantaneous. Alarms blared. Searchlights swiveled. The entire defensive grid of the Royal Capital shifted its focus to the front door.
"That bought us time," Earthland Blake muttered, watching the chaos. He turned to his strike team: Edolas Blake, Mystogan, and Earthland Cana.
They were standing at the base of the palace wall. The Control Tower was high above them—a spire located at the very pinnacle of the castle.
He looked at the winding stairs, the patrol routes, and the distance. Even with the distraction, fighting their way up through the interior would take ten minutes. They had less than five.
"We can't climb," Blake stated. "And we can't sneak."
He looked at his counterpart. He looked at the Prince.
A calculated, slightly crazy glint appeared in Earthland Blake's eyes.
"I have an idea," Blake said. "Just roll with it."
Hearing that, everyone nods. They trusted him.
"Good," Blake said.
Then Earthland Blake looks at the palace where the control room is present and the distance between them.
It was roughly three thousand feet up, and half a mile horizontally. A difficult shot for a cannon. A trivial distance for a master of Rokushiki.
"Blake," Earthland Blake said, stepping toward the mechanic.
"Yeah?" Edolas Blake adjusted his goggles. "What's the plan? A grappling hook? A levitation spell?"
"Physics," Earthland Blake said.
Then he goes towards Edolas Blake and lifts him.
He grabbed his counterpart by the back of his jumpsuit and the belt, hefting him effortlessly over his head like a sack of flour.
Edolas Blake's eyes went wide behind his goggles. "Wait. Wait, wait, wait! What are you doing?! I don't have flight capabilities!"
"You have trajectory," Earthland Blake corrected.
BOOM.
Earthland Blake kicked the air. He launched himself and his burden fifty feet into the air, clearing the immediate rooftops. He hovered there for a split second, calculating the angle, the wind speed, and the durability of his counterpart.
"Aim for the balcony!" Earthland Blake shouted.
"I HATE YOU!!!" Edolas Blake screamed.
Blake torqued his body, using his immense physical strength amplified by Armament Haki. He hurled the mechanic.
Edolas Blake shot through the air like a human missile. He broke the sound barrier with a sharp crack.
"YOU SON OF A—aaaaaaahhhhhh!"
His scream faded as he arced high over the courtyard, over the fighting Dragon Slayers, and crashed precisely onto the upper balcony of the Control Tower, rolling to a stop perfectly (thanks to his Super Soldier durability).
Earthland Blake landed back on the ground. He turned to Mystogan.
The Prince of Edolas stared at him. He looked at the balcony far above. He looked at Blake.
"I... assume I am next?" Mystogan asked, his voice retaining its dignity despite the situation.
"You are the key to the reversal," Blake said, grabbing Mystogan by the cloak. "Can't have you late for your own coronation."
"Please... aim carefully," Mystogan requested politely.
BOOM.
Blake Geppo'd into the air again. He grabbed the Prince. He spun. He threw.
Mystogan flew through the night sky, his staffs trailing behind him like the tail of a comet. He landed gracefully on the tower parapet next to a groaning Edolas Blake.
Earthland Blake landed back in the alleyway. Only Cana remained.
She was staring up at the tower, watching the two small figures pick themselves up on the balcony.
"You threw them," she stated, sounding impressed and horrified. "You threw the Prince of this world like a javelin. Blake... are their bones intact?"
"Edolas me is tough," Blake shrugged, rolling his shoulder. "And Mystogan has magic armor. They'll be fine. They have the easy job now. Hacking a computer and drawing a circle."
He turned to Cana. His expression softened, the hard lines of the commander fading into the concern of a partner.
"You're up, Cana. I need you up there with them."
"Use your cards for cover," he instructed. "And see if there is any place you can help. Guard them while Mystogan does the ritual. Don't let the King's guards interrupt them. Edolas Blake can shoot, but he can't cover all angles."
Cana nodded, drawing her deck. "Got it. I'll rain lightning on anyone who tries to open that door."
She prepared to jump, her legs tensing for Geppo.
Then she stopped. She looked at Blake.
He wasn't moving. He wasn't preparing to jump with her. He was turning around, facing the massive, glowing bulk of the Lacrima in the plaza. He was facing the cannon.
Then Cana asks, 'Where are you going?'
Her voice was sharp with sudden worry. "Blake? The Control Tower is that way. Why aren't you coming?"
Blake looked at the crystal. The countdown sirens were reaching a fever pitch. The gears were locking. The magical energy gathering at the base of the cannon was blindingly bright.
"If they fail," Blake said quietly. "If the hacking takes too long... or if the King has a manual override... that cannon is going to fire."
He looked at Extalia high above.
"If that crystal hits the island, it's over. Magnolia is destroyed. The Exceeds are destroyed."
He turned back to Cana, his black eyes burning with a calm, terrifying resolve.
"I'm the fail-safe."
"I will stop the crystal from crashing the Extalia, if the launch is successful."
Cana's jaw dropped. "Stop it? Blake... that's a city. That's a magical nuke. You can't just... catch it."
"You will never know until you try," Blake said.
"But the backlash..." Cana stepped toward him. "If that thing fires while you're standing in front of it... the magical pressure alone..."
"I have Anti-Magic," Blake reminded her. "And Haki. I'm the only one who can stand there and live."
He stepped closer, kissing her quickly but firmly on the forehead.
"Go. Protect the Prince. Make sure I don't have to do this. But if I do... just cover your eyes. It's going to be bright."
Hearing that, Cana nods. She swallowed her fear. She knew him. When Blake decided to be a wall, nothing moved him. And she had her own job to do. Trust was part of the deal.
"Don't die," she said fiercely. "Or I'll kill you."
"Geppo!"
Cana kicked the air, launching herself toward the palace walls, ascending rapidly toward the high tower where the other two were waiting.
She looked back once. Blake was walking calmly into the center of the plaza, straight toward the glowing maw of the Cannon, a lone figure in a black coat walking into the mouth of hell.
She shouts, 'Be careful!' as she is running. Her voice carried over the wind and the sirens.
Blake raised a hand in acknowledgment, not looking back.