"Kael... do you intend to stand in my way too?" Lyon asked, his voice low and dangerous.
"Stand in your way? If anyone is interfering here, it's you," Kael countered. "You're targeting my clients, and that makes you an enemy of Fairy Tail."
"Hmph! Then you can disappear along with them!" Lyon raised his hand, conjuring a massive ice hammer and hurling it straight at Kael.
"Ice-Make: Shield!"
Gray suddenly leaped in front of Kael, forming a thick wall of ice to intercept the blow.
Boom—!
The hammer and the shield shattered at the same time, sending shards of ice flying in every direction. Gray glared at his former fellow student. "Lyon! I'm your opponent!"
"Gray... fine. If you're so eager to die, I'll deal with you first!"
"It's three against one over here, Lord Lyon," Sherry added, as she and her companions dropped into fighting stances. The shockwave Kael had caused earlier was still fresh in their minds. If they fought him together, they might stand a chance. As for the villagers, they could deal with them later.
"It's not three against one—it's three against two!" Lucy shouted, stepping up beside Kael and reaching for a Celestial Spirit Key.
Happy, not wanting to be left out, pumped a fist into the air. "And me! That makes it three against three!" He didn't have much combat power, but he wasn't about to lose in spirit.
"Don't forget me! It's four against three!" Natsu yelled, hobbling over while still partly encased in ice.
Kael let out a deep, rumbling laugh. "Gurararara!! You kids should focus on staying safe. Dealing with these three won't take all of you."
"Roger that!" Lucy and Happy said in unison. They immediately grabbed Natsu and started dragging him toward the rear.
"Hey! Let go of me! I want in on the fight!" Natsu thrashed around, but in his frozen state he looked like a turtle flipped onto its back, his limbs flailing uselessly.
"Look at yourself, Natsu! You're a liability right now," Lucy scolded. "Just try not to get in the way!"
"Aye!"
Yuka's face darkened. "Are you underestimating us? We were members of the famous Lamia Scale guild. You've heard of us, right?"
Toby puffed out his chest. "That's right! We have Jura of the Iron Rock on our side—hey! Are you even listening?!"
Kael ignored them, stretching his massive limbs. The sudden surge of power from this transformation was intoxicating—raw, primal strength that felt incredible to wield.
"Doll Attack: Mud Doll!"
Sherry made her move. She channeled her magic into the ground, causing the surrounding rocks and soil to swirl together. Within seconds, a massive stone golem—over ten meters tall—rose from the rubble.
"Interfering with my love for Lord Lyon is a sin! Die!" Sherry commanded. The golem drew back a massive fist and swung it straight at Kael's head.
"Kael, watch out!" Lucy screamed.
Kael didn't move. He didn't dodge or block. He stood there, eyes calm, as the mountain of rock slammed into his face.
BOOM—!!
A cloud of dust erupted. They expected Kael to be flattened, but as the air cleared, he was still standing perfectly still. He hadn't budged an inch, and there wasn't a single scratch on him.
This was the power of Armament Haki. By hardening his will into an invisible suit of armor, Kael could shrug off blows that would pulverize a normal man.
Kael looked at Sherry, boredom written on his face. "Is that all the strength you've got?"
Insulted, Sherry shrieked and poured more magic into her doll. "Rock Doll! Show him my burning passion!"
Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!
The golem rained a barrage of punches down on Kael. After a full minute of nonstop attacking, Sherry stopped, panting hard. That level of output had drained a big chunk of her magic.
"Poor guy," Yuka said coolly. "Nobody survives a direct beating from Sherry when she's like this. He's probably just a pile of mush inside that coat."
"Wuf!" Toby agreed.
But as the dust settled, Kael was still standing there. He even took a moment to lazily roll his neck.
"That felt... okay," Kael remarked. He glanced at Sherry. "Can you go a bit harder next time? That wasn't even a decent massage. Are you sure you're a wizard?"
"What?!" Sherry's jaw dropped. She had hit him with everything she had, and he was asking for more?
"Sherry, get back!" Yuka realized they were dealing with a monster. "Wave!"
He thrust his hands forward, releasing a shimmering distortion of magical energy.
Boom—!
The wave slammed into Kael, triggering a violent explosion.
"Hmph," Yuka smirked. "My waves can neutralize any magic they touch. No matter how strong your defensive spells are, they're useless against my—"
"Mm... that one was even more comfortable," Kael's voice drifted through the smoke.
"Impossible!"
The smoke cleared to reveal Kael, still completely unscathed. Yuka's waves were meant to cancel magic, but Kael wasn't using defensive magic—he was using Haki, a power born from sheer will. Yuka's "anti-magic" had nothing to neutralize.
"You've had your fun," Kael said, gripping the Murakumogiri with both hands. His muscles coiled like springs, veins bulging along his massive arms. "I think it's my turn now."
He let out a roar and swung the huge naginata in a wide horizontal arc.
"Haaah—!"
Whoosh—!
The air screamed as the blade tore through it. The stone golem was sliced clean in half. The ground of the ruins split open, forming a jagged ravine. The shockwave surged onward, cleaving a distant mountain in two. It didn't stop there—the slash hit the ocean, parting the sea for miles before the force finally dispersed.
Gasp—!
A crushing silence fell over the ruins. It felt like everyone's heart was being squeezed by an invisible hand.
"He's... he's a monster!"
A single swing had split a mountain and the sea. This wasn't wizardry; it was a force of nature.
"Exhilarating! This is pure power! Gurarararara!!"
Kael laughed from deep in his chest. He could feel the joy of Whitebeard's peak strength. In the original story, Whitebeard had been a shadow of himself during the Paramount War—sick, old, and unable to use his Haki or Devil Fruit at full power.
But here, through Kael, Whitebeard was reborn in his prime. With Kael's vast magic reserves fueling him, the "Strongest Man in the World" was finally back.
And today, the world of Fairy Tail would learn to fear that name.