"Love is the source of all magic."
Lucy sat with Natsu, muttering to herself incessantly.
Her eyes were full of admiration for 'herself'.
"Ah~ As expected of me, even my words are so profound, hehehe..."
Happy quietly leaned close to Natsu's ear. "Natsu, Lucy's laughing sounds really sinister."
Natsu whispered under his breath, "Could it be that she can't accept the fact that the Lucy from Edolas is stronger than her, so she went crazy?"
"I heard all of that..." Lucy's forehead bulged with veins, itching to turn around and punch those two.
Ankh and Mystogan studied the map and analyzed the route.
"From here to the royal capital, the Teleportation Device can get us there in just a few jumps."
"The Kingdom Army should have already sent troops to search for us. This is when the royal capital is most vulnerable." The two whispered while pointing at the map, as Mirajane... Mirajane thoughtfully refilled their tea.
The other S-Class Mages weren't being quite as serious—some were chatting, some drinking, while others tried to curry favor with the girls.
The Master was having a pleasant conversation with Edolas Lucy, saying things like, "I see Guild Master potential in you, Lucy," while giving poor Earthland Lucy eerie looks that sent chills down her spine.
The atmosphere had become cheerful again after the earlier incident when suddenly a delighted voice rang out from the corner.
"OK! Fixed it!"
Edolas Levy climbed out of the Teleportation Device and, under Earthland Levy's admiring gaze, announced.
"The Teleportation Device is operational now. Do you want to teleport directly to the royal capital?"
All the Fairy Tail members gathered around.
Ankh looked at the map and pointed at a Floating Island. "Let's go here first. It will help conceal the guild building."
Levy nodded and began quickly adjusting the device, while Ankh turned to Freed.
"Freed, pick some people to stay here and guard our guild until we return."
Freed wasn't the type to rush headfirst into every battle, so he calmly nodded in agreement.
Seeing this, Makarov also chimed in.
"I will stay here too. You all are enough for the front lines. I will provide backup."
As Freed and the Master led a group outside to set up magic formulas around the island, Edolas Lucy waited for a long time but didn't hear any further commands from Ankh.
"That's it? What about our battle plan?" Edolas Lucy couldn't help asking as she looked at Ankh's confident and composed expression.
Natsu clenched his fists and grinned. "Come on, Lucy, we've found the location. What more strategy do we need?"
"Is this how all Earthland mages are...?" Edolas Lucy's face flushed slightly as she awkwardly turned away from Natsu.
Earthland Lucy muttered to herself, "What's with that weird blushing?"
"Lucy! Natsu's back!"
"Huh?"
Both Lucys responded simultaneously.
Then, Edolas Lucy quickly realized she was the one being called.
Overjoyed, she exclaimed, "Natsu's back? Perfect timing!"
In the world of Edolas, the famous racing champion, ruler of vehicles and weak-kneed land-dweller—"Fireball" Natsu—made his grand entrance.
The moment Fireball Natsu pushed open the door, he froze completely.
'What's going on? Am I seeing things? Why does everyone have a mirror beside them?'
'No, that's not right... Did Wendy buy a miniature doll of herself?'
"G-g-ghosts?!" Once separated from his vehicle, Edolas Natsu's courage dropped to zero.
His legs trembled as he felt chills all over.
Edolas Lucy grabbed Natsu like a damsel in distress and began introducing the stiffened man to everyone.
Meanwhile, Edolas Levy had finished adjusting the device, and the entire Edolas Fairy Tail guild building began shaking violently.
Earthland's Natsu grew excited, rubbing his hands together eagerly while Edolas's Natsu panicked, begging desperately for mercy.
Ankh shouted to the Master and Freed outside, "Master! We will try to finish this within a day! Wait for our return!"
"Have a safe journey!"
It felt just like sending a child off to school in the morning—Makarov's way of seeing Ankh and the others off carried an indescribable ease.
Who would have guessed that this entire group was about to challenge the capital of a kingdom?
...
In the royal capital of the Edolas Kingdom, all the residents were now engulfed in anxiety.
It wasn't just due to the unusually frequent troop movements in the streets or the earlier dispatch of large forces that had yet to return.
The main reason was that, just moments ago, the king had ordered the confiscation of all Magic, including within the capital itself!
It was important to note that while the personal use of Magic had previously been banned, authorized noble-owned shops and approved citizens could still legally buy and sell Magic.
But now, was even this last bastion of magical prosperity in the capital about to disappear?
Had things truly reached the worst possible point?
Countless uninformed citizens began to worry, while even more grew angry at the world of Earthland for refusing to provide them with more Magic Power.
As the most well-informed place in the kingdom, many in the capital knew that the king was using the Anima to plunder Magic from another world. Of course, no one spoke up for a foreign realm.
They had reaped the benefits and improved their own lives—why would they care whose blood had been shed for their gains?
It had even reached the point where the citizens began to take this situation for granted.
Now that they could no longer seize advantages, they shamelessly turned around and placed the blame elsewhere. In an instant, the entire city was filled with curses and resentment.
"This country... is truly beyond saving."
On the main street, another group of citizens protesting the Magic confiscation marched past.
From a dark alley, a familiar figure suddenly emerged.
Edolas Gajeel, dressed in a refined gray suit and tie with permed hair, glasses perched on his nose, and a bowler hat on his head, was scribbling notes in a small notebook.
He looked every bit like an unlikable, sharp-tongued reporter.
Watching the protestors fade into the distance, Gajeel couldn't help but snort coldly and mutter under his breath.
"That so-called Anima Project must have run into trouble. Compared to the king's smokescreen, this is the real story that needs reporting."
Quietly concealing himself in the shadows, Gajeel began counting the number of troops in the distance.
If he could infiltrate the royal palace, he would surely find a way to uncover the truth!
Earlier, Gajeel had paid a high price to a corrupt, arrested official for a map of the palace's layout.
But... how could he sneak inside?
Staring at the heavily guarded soldiers patrolling the streets, Gajeel steeled himself and decided to test the waters.
Just as he took his first step, a thunderous explosion erupted behind him!
"Go! Fire!!"
Gajeel looked up, stunned, to see a spacious, fiery red sports car soaring high into the air.
The driver, a passionate young man with cherry-pink hair, was shouting enthusiastically.
In the back seats sat a group of handsome men and beautiful women.
One of them—who appeared to be the driver's twin brother—was leaning out the window, vomiting spectacularly.
Witnessing this bizarre scene, Gajeel suddenly felt that something was amiss.
He had a feeling that something big was about to happen!
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