On the outskirts of the lively banquet.
Mavis sat on a small platform stacked from wooden crates. The diminutive Makarov stood beside her.
"Haha, everyone really is a bunch of interesting mages, aren't they~" Mavis said with a smile.
"Well, they're just a bunch of troublemakers who only cause problems. First Master, you shouldn't praise them to their faces."
That said, the little old man stood tall, his aged face filled with pride.
"Come to think of it, Third Generation Master, you're Yuri Dreyar's child, aren't you?" Mavis tilted her head to look at Makarov, a flicker of light in her green eyes.
Though he didn't know why the first master was suddenly asking this, Makarov nodded in response. "Yes, that bastard old man."
His irritated tone was practically identical to Laxus's.
"I knew it! I said you look exactly like the baby I once held in swaddling clothes," Mavis said, clapping her hands together, her eyes turning from flickering to joyful. "I even held you when you were little!"
Come to think of it, the name Makarov had been her idea. It meant "gentle king."
"Ahaha. Exactly the same... huh?"
Makarov scratched his head awkwardly, not really knowing how to respond.
"Can you tell me about Yuri's later years? And Warrod and Precht? You should know them too, right?"
Watching the lively banquet, Mavis couldn't help but recall the comrades she had once fought alongside.
"The bastard old man is doing okay. Warrod-san is one of the Ten Wizard Saints of Ishgar. He's retired now."
"As for Master Precht... it's very unfortunate..."
After briefly organizing his thoughts, Makarov's expression turned grave. He began to speak of Grimoire Heart.
Meanwhile, on a plain far from the temporary camp.
BAM!
A dull crash rang out. Two figures separated after a brief touch, landing on the already shattered ground.
It was Chase and Erza.
With the banquet in full swing, the two of them fighting here was... a bit strange, to say the least.
The specific reason was that Chase wanted Erza's help testing the power of a new card he had acquired.
If it were an ordinary card, there would be no need for such urgency. He could have studied it after the banquet. But the new card that had dropped from Gildarts was very special.
Just as he had guessed, it was the final piece of the five-part Dark Master—Exodia. Its name was Exodia the Forbidden One!
"How does it feel, Chase?" Erza asked.
She was currently wearing her self-made Exodia Armor. Her crimson hair fluttered in the wind.
Ancient runes engraved on the armor glowed faintly. The combination with her vibrant crimson hair highlighted the Fairy Queen's majestic aura and her sexy figure perfectly.
Across from her, Chase wore a set of bronze armor in a similar style.
Unlike before, when he only had the limbs of the Forbidden One, this time he also wore a large, extremely Egyptian-style helmet.
Exodia the Forbidden One combined the dispersion effects of the arms, legs, and head, thereby giving rise to even more powerful and comprehensive strength, giving Chase an all-around enhancement.
From a distance, he looked like a miniature version of Exodia, radiating a deep, ancient aura that required a thousand years of accumulation. It was awe-inspiring.
"Very good. The boost to my overall combat power is even stronger than I imagined," Chase said, clenching his bronze right fist, filled with power.
Aside from the basic increases to strength, speed, and reflexes, like God Slayer Magic, the full Exodia set also had two powerful effects.
First, it could continuously increase magical power intensity during battle, growing stronger the longer the fight went on.
Second, it reduced physical, magical, and mental damage taken!
Though, with his current magic power, Chase couldn't yet release the seal and summon the complete Dark Master—Exodia—after simple practical testing, he was quite satisfied with these two effects, which corresponded to infinite attack and infinite defense respectively.
In their extreme state, they could probably increase (reduce) magical power strength (damage taken) by about fifty percent!
That was incredibly terrifying, especially when paired with the "Heart" magic, which allowed for prolonged combat. His comprehensive combat power would rise by another major level!
"It looks like a lot more than 'very good'..." Erza sighed softly, her expression somewhat dejected.
The replica Exodia Armor was the strongest Requip she could currently use. Yet, against the "authentic" Chase, it was completely powerless.
"Come to think of it, Erza, you originally prepared this armor to fight me, didn't you?" Chase asked with a smile.
"Well, yes, that was true. Unfortunately, I already revealed it back in Edolas." Erza didn't deny it. Defeating Chase had once been one of her few goals. "But even if I hadn't revealed it, I wouldn't have that intention anymore."
Even she couldn't figure out when she had given up.
Perhaps it was after returning from Edolas. Perhaps it was when Chase had shouldered all the pressure and defeated Hades. Or perhaps it was after she had confessed her feelings to Chase through Lucy and received his domineering response.
In any case, the strong-willed Fairy Queen felt that having a little less competition with Chase and a little more reliance on him wasn't so bad.
She didn't resist this mindset.
"Haha, sorry, sorry. It's all because I'm too strong," Chase laughed heartily.
"Who uses an apology to praise themselves like that?!"
Erza was speechless. She urged him, "Testing's over. Let's hurry back."
"Yeah. If we're too slow, all the good stuff will be wasted by Natsu and the others."
Chase nodded and raised his hand to remove his Exodia armor.
"W-wait!"
Erza, her face red, called out to stop him. Her voice was strangely soft. "At l-least for the walk back to camp... leave it on..."
Their matching outfits looked a lot like couple attire.
The shy girl couldn't bring herself to say that last part.
"Huh? I don't mind. But keeping the Exodia Armor on is quite a burden for you, isn't it?" Chase asked, his face full of concern.
"N-none of your business! I like the exercise!"
Erza grabbed Chase's arm and started walking back without another word, so nervous she was marching in lockstep.
Seeing her like this, the card nerd, whose mind had been entirely focused on developing the Exodia armor, finally vaguely understood the situation. He gently held her cold, sweaty palm with his backhand.
"What a coincidence. I like exercise too~"
By the time they returned to the temporary camp, the banquet had already progressed to the brawling stage.
The entire area was a mess, pots and pans flying everywhere. Even Mavis, who had gone over to join the fun, had taken a couple of heavy hits and was lying flat on the ground, her little spirit figure floating out of her mouth.
"We were gone for a little while, and it's already come to this? You guys need to learn some restraint!"
Erza, who had been so shy just moments before, instantly transformed into the disciplinary committee member and charged into the fray. "And you, Lucy! What good is being an S-Class if you can't even stop this?!"
Outside the brawl, Lucy, also getting scolded, tearfully declared that she couldn't do it.
At the same time, Chase was also subjected to Mira's death glare. She wore a smile, but her eyes were filled with murderous intent. "Pretty impressive, Chase. Testing a new card all the way to holding hands, huh?"
Having declared that he wanted both, Chase naturally wouldn't hide his little moments with Mira and Erza. He was prepared to face the storm.
But the expected storm didn't come. Mira simply pursed her lips and extended her fair hand to him.
"Hold mine. For at least one second longer than Erza!"
Chase obediently complied.
And so, they stood together under the setting sun, shoulder to shoulder, hand in hand, silently watching Erza vigorously restore order.
It felt a bit... stupid.
"S-so bold!" The little Wendy watched, blushing.
"Their relationship is quite... unique," Carla sighed helplessly.
Just then, Lily suddenly walked over. His expression was serious. "Wendy, where's Mest? I haven't seen him for a while."
Having been busy with the trial the entire time, he hadn't noticed anything suspicious about Mest.
Only now, after repeatedly thinking about it, had he realized something was wrong. Given Prince Mystogan's character of solitude, he wouldn't go out of his way to take on a disciple!
"Mr. Mest said he wanted to wander around Tenrou Island alone for a while. Wait..." Reminded by Lily, Wendy suddenly remembered. Her expression immediately became tense. "We haven't seen him for so long. Could something have happened?"
"It might be worse than that. We need to report this to the master quickly. I suspect that guy..." Wendy's answer only exacerbated Lily's suspicion. "...isn't even a member of the guild!"
Far from Tenrou Island, on the sea, several magic warships with the Council's cross emblem on their sails were anchored.
On the deck of the lead ship, rows of Council guards stood at attention, their serious gazes fixed on Tenrou Island in the distance.
At the very front, Lahar of the Enforcement Unit was discussing something with Mest, who had snuck back.
"This is a rare opportunity, Lahar! Don't hesitate any longer. Just launch a full-scale investigation of Tenrou Island!" Mest urged, his face full of impatience.
After being eliminated in the second round, using the excuse of needing to clear his head, he had searched the entire island for evidence exposing Fairy Tail's evil deeds.
But even by the time the trial ended, he had found nothing. It was as if they were truly just there for the trial.
As Makarov had said, Mest had been too hard on himself to protect his cover. Under the influence of his memory-altering magic, he had completely become a Council Opposition with an extreme prejudice against Fairy Tail.
So, he absolutely couldn't accept returning empty-handed!
"Doranbolt, without decisive evidence, trespassing on a mage guild's sacred ground is not permitted," Lahar said, having had several encounters with Fairy Tail, seeing things more clearly. "Besides, Fairy Tail is no ordinary guild. They are the strongest in Fiore, having defeated Oración Seis and Grimoire Heart, and they even indirectly saved the Council."
"We'll have the evidence after a full investigation! Don't you understand the principle of special circumstances requiring special action?!" Mest stubbornly insisted. "This is our only chance to take down Fairy Tail. Miss it, and it's gone forever!"
"We don't have the authority to decide that. Our best option is to await the councillors' orders and hold our position."
"You rigid bastard! We're going to—"
Mest grumpily grabbed Lahar's collar. But he stopped mid-sentence.
As if seeing something utterly terrifying, his pupils suddenly dilated. His face went pale. His voice trembled. "What... is that?"
Lahar frowned. He followed Mest's terrified gaze toward the rear of the ship.
Then, he too froze.
BOOM!!
The next second, a sonic boom, like a magical cannon, exploded across the area. A massive, pitch-black behemoth streaked by at low altitude.
The mere air pressure from its high-speed flight was enough to shatter the steel warships into pieces, scattering debris across the sea!
Hit hard, Lahar, Mest, and the other soldiers on the ship spat blood and plunged into the sea like dumplings.
Those still conscious had expressions of sheer horror. They couldn't even check their own injuries or assess the casualties. They could only stare blankly at the giant black shadow closing in on Tenrou Island.
The apocalyptic monster recorded in the prophecies... the Evil of Nature the Council had recently been investigating...
The Black Dragon... Acnologia...
Why was it here?!
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