Gajeel stared blankly at the two figures falling in the smoke.
Now, in his mind, were only the words the President had said when he invited him to join Fairy Tail that day.
"There are indeed people in this world who like solitude, but no one can bear the emptiness that solitude brings~"
"I cannot just watch you fall into darkness without caring; I would not be able to forgive myself."
"I merely wish to guide you on the path to the future. Whether to move forward bravely or to stand still, the choice is yours."
"Come, join the Fairy Tail Guild~" Gajeel recalled President Makarov's words, and Makarov's figure, with an outstretched hand, appeared before his eyes.
This illusion made Gajeel unconsciously reach out his hand at that moment.
The moment he grasped it, the hand in his felt soft and tender, not at all like an old man's hand.
He froze, and when his eyes focused, it was a face full of doubt and concern: "Gajeel, what's wrong?"
"I'm not lonely now~"
Gajeel looked at Levy's worried face and grumbled inwardly, but he grinned and said to Levy:
"It's nothing. Let's go. It seems Grimoire Heart's main force has entered. It's our time to shine!"
Gajeel's hands were itching again, and he ruffled Levy's small head. After speaking, he immediately turned and walked towards the outskirts of the forest.
Levy, however, jumped up in anger: "I told you, don't touch my head..."
"Hey, hey, wait for me~"
...
On the other side,
A cliff edge on Tenrou Island
"Wendy... are you alright?"
Carla, along with Lily, Tami, and Simi, the four cats, flew down from the sky.
"Carla, Lily, Tami, Simi, why are you here~" Wendy was startled at first, but seeing it was the cats, she waved and laughed heartily.
The cats very orderly shielded Wendy behind them, each glaring fiercely at Mest in front of them.
"Mest, who exactly are you!"
"Th-this... I am a member of the Council..."
"Mystogan would absolutely not take a disciple in this world... It's good that you're using someone who is no longer in this world to cover your identity, but it's still too crude..."
"Bang~" Lily, having just transformed into a muscular man, punched the stone wall. His tone was cold, as if he hadn't heard what Mest had just said.
"Th-that... I said I'm a Council member..." Mest glanced at the sandbag-sized fist to his right. He had already been agitated by Zorn, and now he was about to get another hit. Cold sweat was already breaking out, and now it was pouring down.
"What~" Lily was stunned. "You admit it? No more arguing?"
"That's not right, the script isn't like this?"
The cats were dumbfounded. They had planned to interrogate him thoroughly, but they hadn't even started, and the suspect had already confessed.
"Um, Carla, Lily, Zorn has already told us about his identity."
"He's on our side now~ Sorry, I forgot to tell you."
"But thank you all the same!"
Wendy explained with a bit of embarrassment, squatting down to hug Carla, Tami, and Simi, thanking them properly.
"Then that's fine, the main thing is that you're alright, Wendy~" Carla replied, slightly aloof and tsundere.
Suddenly, a pair of eyes emerged from a large tree directly opposite, coldly staring at the group. The pupils widened, and invisible air cannons shot out.
"Watch out, danger~"
Mest keenly noticed this, instantly teleported, embraced Wendy, and immediately jumped aside again.
Lily's body also instantly expanded, and he quickly flew into the sky.
"Bang~" A huge explosion sounded from the cliff, and at the same moment, smoke rose from Gajeel's direction in the distance.
"Attack?"
"What in the world is going on?"
Lily looked at the smoke in the distance, then at the well-protected Wendy below. He flew down to ask, just as he was about to get closer.
"Don't come closer~" Wendy shouted, and Lily immediately slammed on the brakes.
"Bang, bang, bang~" A series of explosions passed through the middle.
"Who's there~ Come out!"
Mest coldly stared at the large tree where the explosion originated, questioning in a deep voice.
A human face struggled to form from the tree, gradually extending half its body out: "But, I didn't expect anyone to be able to see through me~"
"Seriously, old man, get it straight, your explosion path extends from your tree..."
Tami said, arms crossed, with a speechless expression.
For a moment, the entire space fell silent.
"Tch~" The figure in the tree snorted coldly, and a light point suddenly appeared beside Tami. The light intensified, then, bang~
A violent explosion, and smoke rose.
Fortunately, Mest and Lily reacted quickly, grabbing everyone and leaping away, though they were slightly affected due to the close proximity.
"My name is Azuma, of Grimoire Heart, one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."
"It seems you are the enemy who invaded the island!"
"Dark Guilds, the greatest enemies of the legitimate guilds, everyone should exterminate them."
Mest and Wendy, already aware of an invading opponent, immediately prepared to attack upon hearing the other party introduce themselves.
"It seems you already know!"
"But it doesn't matter. In the face of overwhelming power, any struggle is meaningless!"
Azuma looked at the two who had taken up their fighting stances, and the group of cats. He immediately broke free from the tree, crossed his arms, and looked at them very arrogantly.
....
"Happy, there's activity over there~ Let's go!" Natsu heard the explosion from the cliff and quickly ran towards that direction with Happy.
"But, Natsu, shouldn't we gather first!"
"I don't care, I want to go see what's there first!"
Natsu's temper flared at the mere mention, and he ran even faster.
"Loki, Gray, should we go to the camp to gather first? Or should we check out the explosion site?"
Lucy ran behind Cana, Loki, and Gray, looking at the smoke from the cliff with some concern as she asked Gray and Loki.
She and Cana had just received the message, and when they ran out of the forest, they happened to meet Loki and Gray, who said they should gather first.
"No need, an S-Class Mage has already gone to that place!" Gray said confidently, thinking of that figure.
...
On Grimoire Heart's yacht, the other six Kin of Purgatory and the President were currently looking expectantly at the Fairy Tail Island before them. All their hopes for completing their path of magic lay there.
"Look, that's..." Zancrow noticed a figure in the distance gradually growing larger.
The figure grew until it reached the top of the Fairy Tail Tree, with a single fist as large as an airship.
"A giant?"
"Is that real? It's huge."
The other six stared at the giant before them, muttering in a daze.
Meanwhile, Hades—originally President Precht—stood up on the airship and walked to the front of the group, looking at the third Fairy Tail President he had chosen.
With a smile, he said, "Makarov, long time no see!"
His response was Makarov's murderous reply: "Vanish!!!"
To be continued~
----------------------------------
I've already posted 70 new chapters on Patreon!
If you like the story and want to reaad more, please visit my patreon. Every support is very meaningful!
[patreon.com/Kazenova223]
Thank you very much!
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"