Chapter XXII: Key of Hope & Super Saiyans?!
The Wrath of the Saiyans
The full implications of what they'd learned settled over the group like a suffocating blanket. Their friends—their family—had been converted into living batteries, slowly drained of everything that made them who they were.
Kizuna was the first to crack.
His golden ki began to fluctuate wildly, pulsing between its usual warm glow and something far more intense. His black hair flickered, strands briefly turning golden before returning to normal.
"They're... they're using them like fuel," he said quietly, his voice carrying a dangerous edge that made even Mirajane step back slightly.
"Living beings converted to magical energy sources," Gine added, her own blue ki beginning to spike with barely controlled rage. Her analytical nature made the horror even worse—she could calculate exactly how long their friends had before the process was irreversible.
Uruk's power flared next, his scholarly composure cracking under the weight of what they faced. "The cellular degradation alone would be excruciating. They're experiencing constant magical drain while remaining conscious."
But it was Cumber whose reaction shattered all pretense of control.
His golden ki exploded outward with such intensity that the relocated guild hall's windows cracked. The hybrid nature of his abilities—ki inherited from his Saiyan heritage and crash magic from both Teilanne and Gildarts—created a feedback loop that made the very air around him unstable.
"NO!" he roared, his power climbing beyond anything he'd displayed before.
His black hair began to shift, individual strands turning golden and standing upright. His normally calm blue eyes flickered between their usual color and a fierce teal. The ground beneath his feet started to disintegrate as his crash magic went haywire, while his ki reached levels that made reality itself bend around him.
"They're torturing them!" His voice carried across dimensions, and for a terrifying moment, it seemed like he might complete whatever transformation was trying to take hold. "Lucy, Erza, Gray—all of them! Trapped and dying slowly while these bastards use their pain to power their kingdom!"
The golden aura around him intensified, and his hair was now more gold than black. His power output was approaching levels that threatened to tear holes in the dimensional barrier between worlds.
"Cumber!"
Wendy's voice cut through the chaos like a blade. She moved without hesitation, placing herself directly in front of him despite the dangerous energy crackling around his form.
"Cumber, look at me," she said firmly, her healing magic creating a buffer zone around them both. "I need you to breathe."
His wild teal eyes focused on her face, though the transformation continued to pull at him.
"They need us to be smart about this," she continued, reaching up to place her hands on either side of his face. "If you lose control now, if you complete whatever this is, you might not be able to help them at all."
"But they're suffering," he said, his voice breaking. "Right now, they're in pain because of what these monsters are doing."
"Then we save them," Wendy replied simply. "But we do it the right way. Together."
The physical contact seemed to anchor him. His power slowly began to stabilize, the golden hair fading back to black, his eyes returning to their normal blue. The crash magic stopped disintegrating everything around him.
But the rage remained, controlled now but burning like a forge fire in his chest.
"Together," he repeated, his voice steady but promising violence for anyone who stood between him and their friends.
Around them, the Edolas Fairy Tail members were staring with a mixture of awe and terror. They'd never seen power levels like what the Saiyan siblings had just displayed.
"What... what are you people?" Lucy Ashley whispered.
"We're Saiyans," Teilanne answered simply, her own crimson aura still flickering with protective instincts triggered by seeing her children's distress. "And you just witnessed why our people were once feared across multiple galaxies."
"The transformation," the Edo-Wendy observed with scientific interest, "it wasn't complete, but the power increase was exponential. Is that normal for your species?"
"Not exactly normal," Gildarts replied, his own crash magic resonating with residual energy from Cumber's outburst. "But not unexpected either. Strong emotions can trigger evolutionary leaps in Saiyan physiology."
Natsu stepped forward, his flames dancing around him in patterns that suggested barely controlled fury. "Look, this is all very interesting, but our friends are being tortured right now. We need to get to this Royal City and stop it."
"It's not that simple," Lisanna said gently, though her expression showed she understood their desperation. "The Royal City isn't just heavily defended—it's considered impregnable. No one has ever successfully infiltrated it."
"Then we'll be the first," Happy declared, his usual cheerfulness replaced by grim determination.
"You don't understand," the Edo-Natsu protested. "The Royal Army isn't just powerful—they're ruthless. Anyone caught opposing the kingdom is subjected to public execution. Slow, painful execution designed to serve as an example to others."
"We've faced worse," Carla replied coldly.
"Have you faced an entire kingdom's military might?" Lucy Ashley demanded. "The Royal City has magical defenses that can repel dragon attacks. They have commanders whose power rivals that of the strongest mages in any world. They have—"
"They have our friends," Cumber interrupted quietly, his controlled fury more intimidating than any shouting could have been. "And that's all that matters."
The Edolas guild members exchanged uncertain glances. These dimensional travelers were clearly powerful beyond anything they'd encountered, but even unlimited power couldn't overcome impossible odds.
"At least tell us where the Royal City is," Wendy pleaded. "Even if you won't help us assault it, we need to know where to go."
The request sparked heated debate among the Edolas members. Some argued for helping, others for trying to dissuade them from what seemed like certain death.
"If we give you that information," the Edo-Levy said finally, "you'll be walking into a trap. The Royal City is designed to detect and eliminate threats. Your power levels alone will trigger every alarm system they have."
"Then we'll be fast," Natsu replied with typical confidence.
"You'll be dead," Lucy Ashley corrected bluntly. "And your deaths won't save your friends—they'll just give King Faust more magical energy to work with."
The argument might have continued, but it was interrupted by the Edo-Wendy, who had been quietly observing the exchange.
"They're going anyway," she said matter-of-factly. "Whether we help them or not, they're going to attempt the rescue. The only question is whether they go in blind or with at least some intelligence about what they're facing."
Her words settled the debate. The Edolas Fairy Tail might not be willing to join a suicide mission, but they weren't heartless enough to send people to their deaths without at least trying to help.
The Royal City's Dark Heart
Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away in the capital city of Edolas, a very different conversation was taking place.
The Royal City rose from the landscape like a twisted spear thrust into the sky. Its architecture defied conventional understanding—towers that spiraled impossibly upward, bridges that spanned impossible distances, and at its heart, a massive crystalline structure that pulsed with stolen magical energy.
In the city's highest tower, King Faust stood before a window that offered a commanding view of his domain. But his attention was focused on something far more immediate—the gigantic Lacrima crystal that dominated the chamber behind him.
The crystal was beautiful and horrifying in equal measure. Easily the size of a building, it pulsed with internal light that revealed shadowy figures trapped within its structure. The members of Earthland's Fairy Tail, frozen in crystalline suspension while their magical energy was slowly harvested.
Around the crystal stood five figures, each representing the pinnacle of Edolas's military might.
Captain Hughes, a woman whose armor seemed to absorb light rather than reflect it, stood at attention with military precision. Her masked face revealed nothing of her thoughts as she observed the trapped mages.
Erza Knightwalker, the infamous Fairy Hunter, had removed her helmet to reveal red hair identical to their world's Erza Scarlet. But where their Erza's eyes held warmth and compassion, this version's gaze was cold as winter steel.
Sugarboy maintained his unnaturally sweet smile as he studied the crystal's energy patterns. His long blue hair swayed with movements that seemed almost hypnotic, and his pale skin had an otherworldly quality that suggested his humanity was questionable.
Byro Cracy, despite his diminutive stature, radiated an aura of calculated menace. His purple hair was styled in elaborate patterns, and his eyes held the sharp intelligence of someone accustomed to turning others' weaknesses against them.
But it was the fifth figure that would have shocked the rescue party most of all. Panther Lily stood nearly seven feet tall, his muscular form clad in the elaborate armor of a Royal Guard captain. His feline features were noble and proud, but there was something in his eyes—a conflict that he kept carefully hidden from his companions.
"Report," King Faust commanded without turning from the window.
Knightwalker stepped forward. "The Lacrima conversion was successful, Your Majesty. All Earthland Fairy Tail members have been integrated into the crystal matrix. Their magical energy output is steady and sustainable."
"How long?" Faust asked.
"Our preliminary calculations suggest the current extraction rate will sustain Edolas for approximately ten years," Byro replied, consulting a series of complex charts. "Possibly longer if we implement the efficiency improvements suggested by our magical engineers."
The king's reflection in the window showed his expression clearly—and it was not pleased.
"Ten years," he repeated flatly. "Ten years, and then what? We return to the slow stagnation that nearly destroyed our world?"
"Your Majesty," Hughes interjected carefully, "ten years is a significant reprieve. It would give us time to develop alternative solutions—"
"I don't want alternatives!" Faust snarled, whirling to face his commanders. "I want permanence! I want Edolas to never again face the threat of magical depletion!"
His gaze fixed on the trapped figures within the crystal, and his expression grew calculating.
"Coco!" he barked.
A small figure emerged from the shadows—a young woman with green hair and nervous demeanor. She carried a clipboard covered in calculations and magical readings.
"Yes, Your Majesty?"
"What would happen if we accelerated the extraction process? Double the rate, triple it?"
Coco's face paled. "Your Majesty, the current rate is already at the maximum safe threshold. Increasing it would cause rapid cellular breakdown in the subjects. They would die within days, and the magical energy would become unstable—"
"But it would provide more power in the short term?"
"Well... yes, but—"
"Then prepare the modifications," Faust commanded. "I want the extraction rate increased immediately."
Panther Lily stepped forward, his deep voice carrying a note of caution. "Your Majesty, if we exhaust this magical source too quickly, we'll need to acquire replacements sooner than anticipated. The dimensional barriers are still unstable from the last Anima activation."
"Then we'll stabilize them," Faust replied coldly. "And we'll begin targeting larger populations. Entire cities instead of individual guilds."
The implications of his words sent a chill through even his hardened commanders. They were discussing genocide on a scale that dwarfed anything previously contemplated.
"Your Majesty," Sugarboy said, his sweet smile never wavering despite the horrific nature of the conversation, "might I suggest we first test our capabilities against any potential resistance? There have been reports of dimensional travelers in the outer provinces."
"Dimensional travelers?" Faust's interest was immediately piqued.
Knightwalker nodded. "Unconfirmed reports of individuals matching descriptions of known Earthland mages. Fairy Tail members who somehow avoided the Anima absorption."
"Survivors," Faust mused. "How... inconvenient. And how interesting."
He moved to stand directly before the massive Lacrima, his reflection joining those of the trapped guild members in the crystal's depths.
"If some of them escaped, they'll undoubtedly attempt a rescue mission. It's the nature of their... guild bonds." His voice carried disdain for the concept. "We'll let them come."
"Your Majesty?" Hughes sounded uncertain.
"We'll let them infiltrate our defenses, overcome our outer barriers, and reach the very heart of our city," Faust continued, his voice taking on the quality of someone describing a pleasant dream. "And then we'll capture them, convert them to Lacrima as well, and use their combined magical energy to power the next phase of our expansion."
The plan was elegant in its cruelty. Instead of hunting down the survivors, they would let hope draw them into an inescapable trap.
"Begin preparations for the Grand Magic Games," Faust commanded. "But add a new element to the festivities. When these would-be rescuers arrive, we'll make their capture part of the public entertainment. The people will witness the futility of opposing Edolas, and we'll demonstrate the fate that awaits any who dare challenge our authority."
His commanders began to disperse, each moving to implement their assigned portions of the plan. Only Panther Lily lingered, his eyes fixed on the trapped figures within the crystal.
In the depths of the Lacrima, barely visible through layers of crystalline structure, a familiar scarlet-haired figure seemed to shift slightly. For just a moment, it almost looked as if Erza Scarlet was trying to move, to break free from her prison.
But it was impossible. The crystal matrix was designed to prevent any form of consciousness or resistance.
Wasn't it?
The Journey to Destiny
Back in the forest, the rescued party was making final preparations for their assault on the Royal City. The Edolas Fairy Tail had provided them with maps, intelligence about guard rotations, and warnings about the various magical defenses they would face.
"The perimeter is protected by detection barriers that will identify any foreign magical signatures," Lucy Ashley explained, pointing to markings on the map. "Your power levels will trigger alarms from miles away."
"Then we'll move fast," Natsu replied, studying the route they'd plotted.
"The inner city has patrol routes every fifteen minutes," the Edo-Levy added. "And the palace itself is surrounded by barrier magic that can repel physical and magical attacks."
"We'll find a way through," Wendy said confidently, though her expression showed she understood the magnitude of their challenge.
As they prepared to leave, the Edolas guild members gathered to see them off. Despite their earlier protests about the mission's impossibility, there was genuine warmth in their farewells.
"If anyone can pull this off," Lisanna said softly, "it's people with your kind of determination."
"Just... try not to get yourselves killed," Lucy Ashley added, her abrasive exterior not quite hiding her concern.
The journey toward the Royal City took them through Edolas's strange and beautiful landscape. Floating islands drifted overhead, connected by waterfalls that flowed upward through the sky. Crystalline forests sparkled with their own internal light, while creatures that defied classification swam through the air around them.
But it was during a rest stop that they encountered their first real obstacle.
"What the hell is that?" Natsu demanded, pointing at a small, frog-like creature that was observing them from a nearby crystal tree.
The creature was oddly cute—about the size of a house cat, with large eyes and colorful markings that seemed to shift and change as they watched.
"It's just a local animal," Wendy said, approaching it with her usual kindness toward all living creatures. "Here, little guy—"
The frog suddenly began to grow.
Within seconds, it had expanded to the size of a horse. Then a building. Then something that could have swallowed dragons whole.
"RUN!" Happy screamed as the massive amphibian opened a mouth large enough to accommodate their entire group.
What followed was a frantic chase through the crystal forest, with the giant frog pursuing them with surprising speed for something its size. Just as its massive tongue shot out to snare Natsu, a crackling whip wrapped around the appendage and yanked it aside.
"Pathetic," Lucy Ashley declared, having somehow appeared just in time to save them. "You can't even handle a basic Transformation Beast?"
Her whip work was nothing short of artistic. Within minutes, the giant frog was back to its original size and hopping away with what might have been wounded dignity.
"How did you—" Cumber began.
"I followed you," Lucy Ashley replied matter-of-factly. "Did you really think we'd let you go into this alone?"
Behind her, the rest of the Edolas Fairy Tail emerged from concealment. Even their earlier protests about the mission's suicidal nature hadn't been enough to keep them from following.
"We may not be willing to assault the palace directly," the Edo-Natsu explained, "but we can at least help you get there alive."
"Besides," Lisanna added with a smile that was achingly familiar, "someone needs to make sure you don't get eaten by basic wildlife before you reach the real challenges."
Their expanded group pressed on, and by evening they could see the Royal City rising in the distance. But Lucy Ashley had one more surprise in store for them.
"We'll need weapons," she announced, leading them toward what appeared to be a crack in the ground. "The kind of equipment that can handle Royal Army magic."
The crack opened into a hidden staircase that descended into an elaborate underground chamber. The black market was bustling with activity—merchants selling everything from illegal magical items to information about government activities.
"Lucy Ashley!" a vendor called out cheerfully. "What brings you to my humble establishment?"
"Weapons for my friends," she replied, gesturing toward the rescue party. "They have some very dangerous work ahead of them."
The vendor's eyes lit up with commercial interest as he took in their foreign appearances and obvious power levels.
For Natsu, he produced an ornate sword that seemed to be made of crystallized flame. "The Sealed Flame Blade," he announced proudly. "It amplifies fire magic and can cut through most defensive barriers."
For Wendy, he offered what looked like a small cannon decorated with wind motifs. "The Air Shatter Cannon. Perfect for a wind magic user—it can create localized tornadoes or precisely targeted air blasts."
"These are incredible," Wendy breathed, examining the weapon's intricate construction.
"Consider them gifts," the vendor said with a wave of his hand. "Lucy Ashley once saved my shop from Royal Army raiders. I owe her more than I can repay."
Their shopping expedition was interrupted by commotion from above. Shouting voices, running footsteps, and the distinctive clatter of armored soldiers moving in formation.
"Royal Army patrol," Lucy Ashley hissed. "They must have tracked us somehow."
They emerged from the black market to find themselves surrounded. Royal Army soldiers had cordoned off the entire area, their weapons trained on anyone who looked suspicious.
"By order of His Majesty King Faust," the squad leader announced, "all individuals in this district are to be searched and questioned regarding the presence of dimensional travelers."
The situation was about to turn violent when another commotion erupted from the opposite end of the district. Magical energy flared as someone engaged the Royal Army forces directly.
Through the chaos, they caught glimpses of the battle—a blonde woman in familiar clothing, wielding magic that created golden doors in the air from which emerged various creatures and weapons.
"Lucy!" Natsu shouted, recognizing their teammate despite the distance.
The real Lucy Heartfilia was fighting for her life against overwhelming odds. As they watched, she summoned Scorpio, whose sand magic devastated the Royal Army ranks. But there were too many enemies, and she was clearly exhausted from prolonged combat.
"We have to help her!" Wendy declared, raising her new weapon.
"Agreed," Cumber replied, his power beginning to flare again. "She's family."
The rescue mission had just become significantly more complicated. But they had found one of their own, alive and fighting.
And they would die before they let her face the Royal Army alone.
Rescue in the Chaos
The moment Lucy summoned Scorpio, the district erupted into total pandemonium. Sand swirled in devastating torrents, reducing Royal Army formations to scattered, disoriented soldiers stumbling through the artificial desert storm. But even through the chaos, it was clear their Lucy was operating on borrowed time.
"She's been fighting for hours," Carla observed, her analytical mind noting the tremor in Lucy's stance and the way her magical energy flickered with exhaustion. "Her celestial magic is nearly depleted."
Natsu didn't wait for tactical planning. His new flame sword ignited as he charged directly into the melee, cutting through Royal Army soldiers with a combination of Dragon Slayer fire and crystallized flame that left molten metal in his wake.
"LUCY!" he roared, his voice carrying over the battlefield. "WE'RE HERE!"
The reaction was immediate and emotional. Lucy's eyes widened with disbelief, then filled with tears as she saw familiar faces cutting through the chaos toward her.
"Natsu? But how—the Anima got everyone—"
Her moment of distraction nearly cost her everything. A Royal Army captain materialized behind her, his blade raised for a killing stroke. The attack never landed.
Cumber appeared between them with speed that left afterimages, his hand catching the captain's wrist and stopping the blade inches from Lucy's neck. His blue eyes were calm, but his grip was crushing bone.
"You were saying?" he asked the captain conversationally, then casually tossed the armored soldier through three buildings.
"Cumber!" Lucy threw her arms around him in relief. "You're alive! You're all alive!"
"Most of us," Wendy corrected grimly as she used her new Air Shatter Cannon to create a protective barrier around them. "We're here to get everyone back."
The reunion was cut short as more Royal Army reinforcements arrived. These weren't the standard soldiers they'd been fighting—these were elite units with equipment designed specifically for high-level magical combat.
"Anti-magic binding nets," Uruk identified, analyzing the weapons being deployed against them. "Designed to suppress and contain magical abilities through direct contact."
Gine stepped forward, her blue ki flaring as she studied the incoming threat. "Too bad for them our abilities aren't purely magical."
What followed was a masterclass in coordinated combat. The Saiyan family moved with practiced precision, their ki-based attacks rendering the Royal Army's anti-magic equipment useless. Gine's analytical strikes targeted weak points in armor and formation, while Uruk's scholarly approach turned each soldier's equipment against them.
Kizuna had found his rhythm in this world. His golden energy seemed to resonate with Edolas's magical field in ways that amplified his natural abilities. When he moved, reality briefly bent around him, creating localized distortions that made him nearly impossible to target.
But it was Teilanne who truly demonstrated the gap between worlds.
The Saiyan matriarch stood in the center of the battlefield like an immovable force of nature. Royal Army soldiers attacked her with everything they had—magical weapons, binding spells, coordinated tactical assaults. None of it mattered.
She caught arrows in mid-flight, deflected magical blasts with casual gestures, and when a squad of elite soldiers attempted to surround her with binding nets, she simply expanded her crimson aura and disintegrated the weapons at a molecular level.
"Your equipment is impressive," she told the remaining soldiers with polite interest. "But you're fighting with principles that don't apply to us."
Meanwhile, Natsu and Lucy were working together like they'd never been separated. His flame sword created openings that she exploited with precision celestial magic, summoning specific spirits for tactical advantages rather than brute force attacks.
"Horologium!" Lucy called, and the massive clock spirit materialized to provide mobile cover.
"Virgo!" The maid spirit emerged from the ground beneath enemy formations, creating sinkholes that swallowed entire squads.
"How are the others?" Natsu asked between sword strikes, his flames carving through another wave of soldiers. "Gray, Erza, the guild—"
"Converted to Lacrima," Lucy replied, her voice breaking slightly. "I was out on a solo mission when it happened. I've been trying to find a way to rescue them, but the Royal City's defenses are—"
"We know," Wendy interrupted, using wind magic to create a temporary calm zone around them. "We've seen what they're doing to everyone."
The mention of their friends' fate reignited the rage that Cumber had barely managed to control earlier. His power spiked again, golden energy mixing with silver crash magic in patterns that made the air itself unstable.
"They're using our family as batteries," he said quietly, his voice carrying lethal promise. "That ends now."
The remaining Royal Army soldiers took one look at the golden-haired young man whose mere presence was causing localized reality distortions and made a tactical retreat.
"This isn't over!" their squad leader called as they withdrew. "King Faust knows you're coming! The palace is ready for you!"
Lucy Ashley emerged from an alley where she'd been coordinating the Edolas Fairy Tail's support efforts. "Well, that was subtle," she observed dryly.
"Subtlety was never really an option," Gildarts replied, his crash magic still crackling around his fists. "When you're dealing with power levels like ours, stealth becomes irrelevant."
They regrouped quickly, but the encounter had confirmed their worst fears about the Royal City's preparedness.
"It's a trap," Lucy Heartfilia said flatly. "Everything about this—the way they let me stay free, the patrol patterns, even this fight. They want us to come to them."
"Of course it's a trap," Natsu replied with his usual grin. "But they're the ones who are going to be surprised."
The Palace Gates
By dawn, they had reached the outskirts of the Royal City, and the sight that greeted them was both magnificent and horrifying.
The city sprawled across impossible geography, its towers reaching toward the sky like crystal fingers. But at its heart, visible even from miles away, was the massive Lacrima crystal that housed their friends and guildmates.
"There," Wendy breathed, her Sky Dragon Slayer senses detecting the familiar magical signatures trapped within the crystal structure. "I can sense them. They're alive, but..."
"But weakening," Carla finished grimly. "The extraction process is accelerating. They don't have much time left."
The approach to the city revealed layer after layer of defensive preparations. Magical barriers shimmered in the air, creating a dome of protection around the entire settlement. Patrol units moved in coordinated patterns along walls that seemed to extend infinitely upward.
"The perimeter defenses are designed to detect and repel magical intrusions," the Edolas Lucy observed, consulting intelligence she'd gathered during their journey. "But they're calibrated for this world's magical signatures."
"Meaning our ki-based abilities should pass right through," Gine concluded with satisfaction.
They were proven correct when Kizuna simply walked through the outer barrier as if it didn't exist. His golden energy registered as something completely outside the defensive system's parameters.
"That's... not supposed to be possible," one of the Edolas guild members muttered.
"Welcome to fighting Saiyans," Happy replied cheerfully. "The impossible is pretty much their specialty."
The inner city presented different challenges. The streets were laid out in patterns that seemed designed to confuse and disorient intruders. Buildings shifted and changed configuration as they watched, creating a maze that constantly reconfigured itself.
"Spatial manipulation magic," Uruk identified. "The entire city layout is designed to prevent unauthorized navigation."
"Then we don't navigate," Cumber said simply. "We go straight."
His crash magic began to manifest, but instead of the usual destructive force, it created something new—pathways through space itself that bypassed the city's confusing layout entirely. His hybrid abilities were evolving, combining Saiyan ki manipulation with the reality-altering properties of crash magic.
They moved through his created pathways like they were walking through tunnels in the air, emerging directly in the palace courtyard.
The reception committee was exactly what they'd expected.
Erza Knightwalker stood at the center of a formation of elite guards, her massive spear gleaming in the morning light. Beside her, Sugarboy maintained his unnaturally sweet smile despite the obvious tension in the air.
"Welcome to the Royal City," Knightwalker said formally. "I am Captain Knightwalker of the Royal Army. You are under arrest for crimes against the kingdom of Edolas."
"We're here for our friends," Natsu replied, his flame sword already igniting. "Let them go, and we'll consider leaving peacefully."
Sugarboy's laughter was like silver bells, beautiful and somehow wrong. "Oh, my dear dimensional travelers, I'm afraid that's quite impossible. You see, your friends are now an integral part of our kingdom's infrastructure. Removing them would cause significant disruption to our magical systems."
"Then you'll learn to live without magical systems," Teilanne replied mildly, her crimson aura beginning to expand.
The battle that followed was unlike anything the Royal City had ever witnessed.
Knightwalker was skilled, dangerous, and equipped with weapons that could have challenged their world's Erza Scarlet. But she was fighting opponents who operated on principles she'd never encountered.
When she thrust her spear with speed that should have been impossible to counter, Cumber simply wasn't there anymore. His movement technique combined Saiyan speed with spatial manipulation, allowing him to exist in multiple locations simultaneously.
Her weapon passed through empty air while he materialized behind her, his hand resting gently on her shoulder.
"Captain," he said politely, "you seem to be under the impression that your weapons can hurt us. I'd like to correct that misconception."
His grip tightened just enough to crack her armor, demonstrating strength that made her earlier confidence seem absurd.
Sugarboy attempted to intervene with his signature magic, but found himself facing Gine instead. Her analytical mind had already cataloged his abilities and developed seventeen different countermeasures.
"Interesting technique," she observed as his attacks bent around her like she was made of liquid. "But you're not actually controlling physical matter—you're manipulating magical representations of physical properties. That makes your entire fighting style dependent on magical principles that don't apply to ki-based abilities."
Her blue energy formed geometric patterns around him, each one canceling a different aspect of his magic until he found himself completely unable to affect her.
"This is impossible," he protested, his sweet smile finally cracking. "Nothing can resist magical manipulation at the molecular level!"
"You're not manipulating molecules," she corrected, her attack striking with surgical precision. "You're manipulating the magical field that represents molecules. Without that field as an intermediary, your abilities have no effect."
The demonstration left Sugarboy unconscious and the remaining Royal Guards reconsidering their career choices.
But their victory was short-lived. The massive doors of the palace began to open, revealing a figure that made everyone pause.
Panther Lily emerged in his full Royal Guard regalia, his seven-foot frame imposing in elaborate armor. But it was his eyes that caught their attention—there was something in them that didn't match his official stance.
"Stand down," he commanded the remaining guards. "These are no ordinary intruders."
His gaze swept over the rescue party, lingering on Happy and Carla with particular interest.
"Exceed," he observed. "But not from this world."
"That's right," Happy replied, puffing up with pride. "We're from Earthland! And we're here to save our friends!"
For a moment, something flickered across Panther Lily's expression—something that might have been recognition, or regret, or hope.
"Your friends," he repeated quietly. "The ones trapped in the Lacrima."
"You know where they are?" Wendy asked urgently.
Lily's internal struggle was visible on his face. Duty warred with something deeper, something that looked suspiciously like conscience.
"I am Captain Panther Lily of the Royal Guard," he said formally. "My duty is to protect the kingdom and serve His Majesty."
"But?" Carla prompted, sensing the conflict in his words.
"But," Lily continued, his voice dropping to barely above a whisper, "I remember what it was like before the Anima. Before we became dependent on stolen magical energy. Before we started draining the life force of innocent people to power our civilization."
The admission hung in the air like a confession.
"You'll help us?" Lucy asked hopefully.
"I can't," Lily replied, but his tone suggested he wanted to. "My oath, my position, my people—"
"Your people," Kizuna interrupted, his golden ki pulsing with emotional intensity, "are powered by the suffering of our family. Is that really worth protecting?"
The question struck Lily like a physical blow. Around them, the unconscious guards and defeated commanders served as evidence of just how outmatched the Royal Army was against these dimensional travelers.
"The Lacrima chamber," he said finally, his voice heavy with decision. "Throne room level, eastern wing. But the extraction process—if it's interrupted incorrectly, the magical feedback could kill everyone trapped inside."
"Then we'll do it correctly," Uruk said with quiet confidence. "What do we need to know?"
Lily looked around one more time, then seemed to come to a final decision.
"Follow me," he said, removing his royal insignia and dropping them on the ground. "And pray we're not too late."
The alliance between the Royal Guard captain and the dimensional rescuers was formed in that moment, bound together by the recognition that some things were more important than duty or kingdom or even survival.
They had entered the palace. Now they faced the final challenge—reaching their friends before the extraction process claimed their lives forever.
The Celestial Spirit Disruption
As they moved through the palace corridors under Panther Lily's guidance, Lucy Heartfilia suddenly stopped, her hand pressed against her chest with a look of confusion and growing alarm.
"Something's wrong," she said quietly, her voice carrying a tremor of uncertainty. "My connection to the Celestial Spirit World—it's... different here."
"Different how?" Wendy asked, immediately concerned for her teammate.
Lucy concentrated, pulling out one of her golden keys. "I can feel them, but the connection is unstable. It's like trying to tune a radio through static." She held up Leo's key, the familiar weight somehow feeling foreign in this world. "Let me test this."
"Open, Gate of the Lion! Leo!"
The golden light that appeared was wrong from the very beginning. Instead of the confident, orange-haired leader of the Zodiac, the magic circle flickered and wavered before producing a completely different figure.
"Princess!" Virgo emerged in her maid outfit, her head tilted in confusion. "This is strange. I was not the one you called for."
"Virgo?" Lucy stared at her spirit in bewilderment. "But I called for Leo. Why are you—"
"The dimensional barriers interfere with celestial contracts," Panther Lily explained grimly as they continued moving. "Edolas's magical field operates on different principles than Earthland's. Your spirits are responding, but not necessarily the ones you're trying to summon."
Lucy's face paled as the implications sank in. "So I can't rely on getting the right spirit when I need them?"
"That could be a serious tactical disadvantage," Uruk observed analytically. "If you're expecting Leo's combat abilities but get Horologium's defensive capabilities instead..."
"We adapt," Natsu said firmly, his flame sword casting dancing shadows on the corridor walls. "Lucy's strong no matter which spirits answer. Right, Lucy?"
Despite her worry, Lucy managed a determined smile. "Right. Virgo, can you sense the others from here?"
The maid spirit's expression grew troubled. "There are... disturbances in the spiritual realm, Princess. Many voices calling for help, but they are muffled, as if trapped behind barriers."
"The Lacrima," Cumber realized, his golden ki flickering with renewed urgency. "They're probably still trying to summon their spirits even while trapped."
The group pressed forward, but Lucy's connection problems were just the beginning of their complications. As they approached what Panther Lily indicated was the throne room level, the very architecture seemed to shift around them.
"Spatial manipulation again," Gine identified, watching walls reconfigure themselves. "But more sophisticated than the city's defenses."
"The palace adapts to threats," Lily explained. "It's designed to separate intruders and isolate them for capture."
As if responding to his words, the corridor suddenly expanded, creating vast distances between team members who had been walking side by side moments before.
"Everyone stay calm!" Teilanne called out, her voice echoing strangely in the transformed space. "The magic is creating illusions of distance, but we're still together."
Her crimson aura expanded, creating a stabilizing field that seemed to anchor them to reality. The spatial distortions wavered but didn't disappear entirely.
"The extraction chamber is through that door," Lily pointed to an ornate entrance that seemed impossibly far away despite being directly in front of them. "But King Faust will be waiting. He knows we're coming."
"Let him wait," Kizuna said, his golden energy beginning to resonate with the palace's magical field. "We've come too far to stop now."
They approached the massive doors together, each step a fight against the spatial manipulation trying to keep them separated. But as they reached the threshold, Lucy tried one more summoning.
"Open, Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!"
The magic circle appeared, but instead of the confident centaur, a small figure in a cow-print outfit materialized.
"Mooo!" Taurus bellowed, his axes spinning. "Lucy! Where are we? This place feels strange!"
"Taurus?" Lucy looked between her key and the spirit. "I called for Sagittarius."
"The dimensional interference is getting worse," Carla observed. "Your contracts are being scrambled by whatever magical processes are happening in this palace."
Despite the confusion, Lucy smiled with genuine warmth. "It doesn't matter. Taurus, we need your strength to help save our friends."
"Anything for Lucy!" the bull spirit declared enthusiastically. "Point me toward the enemies!"
"Through those doors," Lucy said, gesturing toward the throne room entrance. "And Taurus? This might be the most important battle we've ever fought."
As they prepared to enter the final chamber, where their friends waited trapped in crystalline prison, the weight of their mission settled over them. The stakes had never been higher, and the obstacles had never been more dangerous.
But it was then that Kizuna's composure finally shattered.
The golden-haired Saiyan had been holding himself together through sheer force of will, channeling his rage into controlled power. But standing before the doors that separated him from Mirajane—his girlfriend, his partner, the woman he loved—the dam finally burst.
"Mirajane," he whispered, her name carrying all the pain and fury he'd been suppressing. "They have Mirajane."
His ki began to shift, the familiar golden glow deepening and taking on an emerald tint that none of them had seen before. The air around him started to vibrate with a different quality of energy—wilder, more primal, touched with something that made even Teilanne take notice.
"Kizuna," Wendy said carefully, recognizing the dangerous shift in his power signature, "we need to stay together. We need to—"
"They trapped her," he continued, his voice growing lower, more guttural. The emerald energy was spreading, crackling around him in patterns that seemed almost alive. "They're draining her life force to power their kingdom. They're killing her slowly, and they're making her suffer while they do it."
"Son," Gildarts stepped forward, his fatherly instincts recognizing the warning signs, "I understand your anger, but—"
"DO YOU?" Kizuna's roar shook the palace walls, his power spiking to levels that made the spatial manipulation magic falter. His hair was now fully green-tinted, standing upright as his ki transformed into something that transcended his usual golden energy. "Do you understand what it's like to know the woman you love is being tortured while you stand here talking?"
Cumber moved to restrain his brother, but Teilanne placed a firm hand on his shoulder, stopping him.
"Let him go," she said quietly, her crimson eyes fixed on her eldest son with a mixture of concern and understanding.
"Mother?" Uruk looked at her with surprise. "The ikari transformation—if he fully manifests it here, the power output could—"
"Could give us the edge we need," Teilanne finished. "Kizuna has been holding back, trying to be controlled, trying to be tactical. But sometimes, the situation calls for raw, overwhelming force."
Kizuna's emerald aura exploded outward with such intensity that it simply dissolved the massive doors blocking their path. The spatial manipulation magic that had been trying to separate them collapsed under the assault of his transformed ki.
"You want to know what happens when you mess with Earthland?" His voice carried harmonics that seemed to echo from multiple dimensions simultaneously. "When you trap our family? When you torture the people we love?"
He stepped through the ruined doorway, his power continuing to climb beyond any previous measurement. The ikari form was unlike his usual controlled strength—this was wrath given physical form, fury that transcended normal limitations.
"I'm going to make sure your bones remember this lesson," he declared, emerald lightning crackling around his form as he entered the throne room.
Behind him, the rest of the rescue party followed, watching in awe and terror as the gentle, scholarly young man they knew transformed into something that belonged in legends of divine retribution.
The final battle was about to begin, and this time, there would be no mercy for those who had dared to harm their family.
The Throne Room Revelation
What they found beyond the ruined doors was both magnificent and horrifying.
The throne room was a vast crystalline chamber that stretched impossibly high, its walls lined with magical conduits that pulsed with stolen energy. But dominating the entire space was the massive Lacrima crystal they'd glimpsed from outside the city—now revealed to be even larger and more complex than they'd imagined.
Within its translucent depths, they could see dozens of figures suspended in crystalline prison. Their friends, their guildmates, their family—all trapped in magical stasis while their life force was slowly drained away.
"Magnolia," Wendy breathed, her Sky Dragon Slayer senses detecting familiar magical signatures. "They took the entire town."
But it was Kizuna who reacted most violently to the sight. His emerald aura flared as he spotted a familiar figure near the crystal's center—long white hair flowing in the magical currents, peaceful face showing no sign of the torment she was enduring.
"MIRAJANE!" His roar shook the entire palace as his ikari-enhanced power spiked beyond all previous levels.
"Welcome, dimensional travelers," a voice echoed through the chamber with regal authority.
King Faust emerged from behind the massive crystal, his ornate robes seeming to absorb the magical energy radiating from the Lacrima. In his hands, he carried an elaborate staff topped with a fragment of the same crystal material.
"I must thank you for making this so convenient," he continued with cold satisfaction. "Gathering in one place, bringing such impressive power levels directly to my collection chamber. It will make the absorption process much more efficient."
The king raised his staff and struck the crystal with its tip. A small chunk broke away, dissolving into pure magical energy that was immediately absorbed into the palace's systems.
"Ten years of magical power," Faust declared with obvious pride. "That's what your precious Magnolia has provided us. But you—" His gaze swept over the rescue party with predatory interest. "You will provide so much more."
Natsu stepped forward, his flame sword igniting with fury. "Let them go! NOW!"
"Or what?" Faust asked with amusement. "You'll destroy my palace? Attack my kingdom? You're outnumbered, outmaneuvered, and completely at my mercy."
He gestured to the shadows around the chamber, and figures began to emerge. The Royal Army's elite commanders, each one radiating magical power that would have challenged the strongest mages in any normal situation.
But these weren't normal opponents they were facing.
"You want to see what happens when you threaten our family?" Kizuna's voice carried harmonics that seemed to echo from other dimensions. His emerald ki was now so intense it was causing reality distortions around him. "Let me show you."
He moved faster than anyone in the chamber could track, appearing directly in front of Faust before the king could even react. His hand closed around the royal staff, and for a moment, the king's confident expression faltered.
"This ends now," Kizuna declared, his grip tightening on the magical artifact. The staff began to crack under the pressure of his transformed strength.
But before he could complete the destruction, a new voice cut through the chamber.
"Stop! If you damage the extraction matrix incorrectly, the feedback will kill everyone in the crystal!"
Panther Lily emerged from the shadows, his expression grim but determined. "The magical resonance is too complex. One wrong move and the Lacrima will shatter from the inside out."
The revelation stopped Kizuna in his tracks, his emerald aura flickering with frustrated rage. "Then how do we free them?"
"Carefully," Lily replied. "Very carefully. And with help from someone who understands the system."
King Faust recovered his composure quickly, stepping back from the transformed Saiyan with calculated caution. "Ah, Captain Lily. I see you've chosen your side in this conflict. How... disappointing."
"I've chosen the side of conscience," Lily replied firmly. "Something you abandoned long ago."
The standoff hung in the air like a blade about to fall. Around them, the massive Lacrima continued to pulse with stolen life energy, each beat a reminder of how little time their friends had left.
"The extraction process is accelerating," Carla observed, her analytical mind reading the energy patterns flowing through the crystal. "They're not just maintaining the drain—they're increasing it."
"The Grand Magic Games begin tomorrow," Faust explained with cold satisfaction. "I intend to provide my subjects with the most spectacular display of power they've ever witnessed. Your friends' final moments will fuel a celebration that will be remembered for generations."
The cruelty of the plan—turning their friends' deaths into public entertainment—pushed even Wendy past her usual compassion.
"You monster," she whispered, her Sky Dragon magic beginning to swirl around her in patterns of barely controlled fury. "How can you be so heartless?"
"Heartless?" Faust laughed, the sound echoing off the crystalline walls. "I'm a visionary! I've solved the fundamental problem that has plagued Edolas for centuries—magical scarcity. I've created abundance from nothing, prosperity from sacrifice. History will remember me as the king who saved his people."
"History will remember you as a butcher," Taurus declared, his axes spinning as he prepared for battle. "And I'll make sure they remember accurately!"
The confrontation was reaching its breaking point. Kizuna's ikari transformation continued to fluctuate between control and complete unleashing, while around them, the trapped members of Fairy Tail waited in crystalline prison, their lives hanging by threads that grew thinner with each passing moment.
To be continued in Chapter 23: Extalia, A Chilling Warning, & The Wrath of Saiyans