"This... I have only just learned of this news myself. Although it is hard to believe, it is not without foundation."
The expression on Toma's face did not look like he was joking at all, and no king could afford to make such a joke.
Everyone couldn't help but start discussing it. Just hearing about such a thing was terrifying.
"Just one Acnologia was enough to leave us helpless."
Evergreen's face was solemn, and she couldn't help the fear rising within her. The events on Tenrou Island were only three months ago for them.
"Even if it is a special case..."
"Ten thousand dragons..."
Everyone felt a bit of a headache.
"Currently, a large-scale operation is being implemented in the castle: the Eclipse Project. The goal of this plan is to annihilate the ten thousand dragons in one fell swoop."
"However, since there are ten thousand dragons, we speculate that a few, or perhaps several hundred, will survive. Everyone from the Mage Guilds, no matter what, please lend us your strength."
"We hope to use everyone's strength to defeat the surviving dragons. That's how it is, please save this country." Toma bowed and pleaded.
"Ooooh!"
"Of course!"
"Leave it to us!"
"How could we possibly be defeated by those monsters!"
"This is our country!"
Seeing the King pleading like this, all the Mages responded with high morale.
"Waaaah... Thank you..."
Toma's tears flowed uncontrollably.
Sting murmured, "Dragons?"
Rogue said, "It's time for us to take the stage."
The two of them were injured by Takeshi's Cruel Sun attack, but Cruel Sun wasn't aimed at them. They only bore the aftershocks of the attack, and even then, they couldn't withstand it. Fortunately, the medical team was quite skilled, and they were temporarily able to move without hindrance.
"Good luck, Sting-kun."
"Frosh too."
Lector was released and woke up by Sting's side.
Rufus asked Orga, "Where is Minerva?"
Orga said, "I don't know. When I woke up, she was nowhere to be seen."
Ichiya looked moved. "The wills of all the guilds gathered together—what a wonderful parfum."
Eve said, "Dragons versus Blue Pegasus, huh? It looks like it'll make for quite a scene."
"Go for it."
Ren scratched his head tsundere-style. "Tch. Since the King asked so nicely, I guess I have no choice."
Millianna asked Kagura, "Kagura, are you okay?"
Kagura had fought Takeshi, and Millianna didn't know how serious her injuries were. With even more dangerous battles ahead, she was worried about Kagura's safety.
"I'm fine." Kagura shook her head.
She was already at the end of her rope when she took Takeshi's attack, and then Minerva had snatched the credit. This made her very unhappy.
Of course, she hadn't trusted Minerva from the start. It could only be said that Takeshi was too strong.
"To fight side by side again, it's truly nostalgic." Jura tucked his hands into his sleeves.
This reminded him of the formation of the allied forces against Oración Seis seven years ago.
"Are you alright, Jura-san?" Sherria asked with some concern.
"Yeah, I'm okay. It won't affect my fighting much. I have you and Wendy to thank for that."
After Jura returned injured, Wendy took the initiative to come over and help heal his wounds. Having once been part of the same allied forces, she felt the need to help out in such a situation.
"I'm going to spin!" Ooba spun herself rapidly.
"Takeshi, what do you think?" Makarov looked toward Takeshi.
Takeshi frowned.
He had some memory of this, but felt like he had forgotten something. He had been drinking a bit too frequently lately, and his memory was starting to slip, many things were hard to recall.
"Hmm, the King is too stingy. For something of this level, he should at least issue an SS-Class Quest." Takeshi curled his lip.
For something this big, it would be great if a Quest were issued so he could accept it and get rewards. Without a Quest, how was this any different from working for free?
"..."
Makarov was a bit speechless. He hadn't expected Takeshi to be thinking about Quests at a time like this.
In the distance, Lahar and Mest were there and had also heard the news.
"This is incredible. So many Mages sharing a common enemy." Mest couldn't help but be shocked at the sight.
"Eclipse? Its mere existence violates thirty laws." Lahar's face was incredibly heavy.
"Given the current situation, it would be best to contact Council headquarters."
"Wait... wait a moment!" Mest spoke up to stop him.
"What is it?" Lahar looked at Mest in confusion.
"Don't notify headquarters about this yet. If they find out, they might use Etherion to attack this place." Mest said with a heavy expression.
"This..."
Lahar realized upon hearing Mest's words.
Indeed, if ten thousand dragons really appeared, the Magic Council would absolutely use Etherion to strike. After all, the threat of ten thousand dragons was far too great. As legendary creatures, their appearance here would pose a massive security risk to the entire world.
This term's Magic Council was notoriously strong-handed. Given their style, using Etherion to strike was almost a certainty.
"There are still so many Mages here, as well as numerous kingdom soldiers. If Etherion is dropped, they will all die too. This is a very serious matter."
"But..."
Lahar had always followed the rules. As a Council Member, he couldn't knowingly break the law.
Mest said, "Wait a bit longer, just a bit longer. The dragons haven't appeared yet, and everything is uncertain. Even if the dragons do appear, let's see the situation first before deciding whether to report it."
Last time, he had watched helplessly as the Fairy Tail members were attacked by Acnologia's roar. He couldn't let Etherion fall on everyone's heads this time and become the weapon that killed them all over again.
"Fine. Let's observe first. However, if things become irredeemable, notifying the higher-ups will be the only choice."
Lahar saw the look in his close friend's eyes and knew what he was thinking. He also felt that it would be too cruel if so many people were killed.
Fiore Royal Palace.
Hisui gave the order, "From now on, in preparation for intercepting the Dragon swarm, transition to the Eclipse Cannon firing sequence!! Unlock!"
Kachack! Kachack...
The locks of the Eclipse Gate began to unlock.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong...
The bells rang, signaling the arrival of a new day and the date moved from July 6th to July 7th.