"Are we supposed to just let this happen?!" Wakaba burst out, anxiety clear in his voice. "If it were a battlefield, maybe Su Yan's strength would be enough… but with their troops split in four directions, are we really going to stretch him thin everywhere?"
Mavis shook her head, calm but firm.
"Don't worry. I've already read their intentions. The enemy wants to divide our attention, but I've prepared countermeasures. Each direction will be guarded."
A collective breath of relief passed through the guild.
"But don't misunderstand," she continued. "Strategy alone cannot carry us through. With such overwhelming numbers, even flawless planning only prevents us from being crushed in the opening move. The true trial will be the battles that follow."
Her gaze shifted to Su Yan.
"Su Yan, the West is Alvarez's main force. That's where Zeref himself will be. No one but you can confront that. Can I entrust it to you?"
Mavis' tone was steady, but she understood the weight she was placing on him. Facing Zeref, his Spriggan Twelve, and the bulk of Alvarez's army—on top of the looming threat of Acnologia—was far more than anyone should bear. And yet, she had no choice. Only Su Yan had even the possibility of breaking through.
Su Yan grinned.
"Ask? I don't need to be asked. I'm Fairy Tail's master now—it's my job to protect the guild. I'll handle Zeref and his main force. You just make sure to lead everyone else to victory."
Mavis' lips curved into a small, determined smile. "Don't worry. I will."
With the heaviest burden taken by Su Yan, she could give the rest of Ishgar hope through strategy.
Makarov watched, his heart heavy. Protecting the next generation had always been the duty of their elders—yet this boy carried more than even he ever had.
"Stinky brat…" he muttered.
Su Yan caught his look and laughed.
"Relax, old man. For me, this is just a small scene."
"—Mest."
"Yes, Master!"
Mest placed a hand on Su Yan's shoulder, and the two vanished from the guild in a flash of teleportation.
In under three minutes, Su Yan stood on a cliff overlooking the advancing army of Alvarez.
A black tide stretched endlessly across the land—row upon row of armored soldiers, a living sea that blotted out the horizon.
"So many…" Mest whispered, awestruck. He'd known the numbers: a million troops. But seeing them with his own eyes was something else entirely. "How can Ishgar possibly stand against this…?"
Even with Su Yan's dragon form, could one man really face such a tide without being exhausted?
Su Yan placed a steady hand on his shoulder.
"You've done well. Go back to the guild now—listen to Mavis' commands."
Mest hesitated, then nodded. His battle was not here. His strength lay in teleportation, not the front lines. He would return, and place his faith in the man before him—the miracle who was their master. With another flash, he was gone.
Left alone, Su Yan looked down at the endless army.
"So… it's finally here."
The final battle. The story he remembered from Fairy Tail's ending. But this time, the script had already shifted. The old finale had been unsatisfying, Acnologia's death anticlimactic. That would not be repeated. Not now, not with him here.
"No shortcuts this time. A true showdown."
A surge of energy erupted from him, his body radiating with overwhelming Conqueror's Haki.
"—Om!"
The wave of dominance rolled outward like a storm.
The nearest ranks of Alvarez soldiers froze mid-step, their hearts seizing. Memories of Su Yan's earlier invasion—the dragon who destroyed their capital's palace—flashed before their eyes. Fear gripped them.
In the distance, General Invel's face twisted.
"Don't falter!! He's only one man! Under His Majesty's command, Ishgar will fall beneath our feet!!"
But still, the army wavered. Because the man standing above them was not just one man.
He was Su Yan—the Dragon King of Fairy Tail.