Fairy Tail Guild
"What is this abnormal weather?!" Makarov frowned, staring at the swirling storm.
"Quickly—shut the guild doors!" Mavis ordered sharply.
Outside, Wall the Inquisitor chuckled as he strolled through the sand-filled streets.
"So, Ajeel had to use that move… his Sand World. Whoever he's facing must be troublesome indeed."
"Enemy magic's flooding the town!" Bickslow barked.
Freed's barrier should have kept Magnolia sealed tight, but with the breach Wall carved earlier, Ajeel's sandstorm poured inside unhindered.
On the rooftops, Bisca cursed under her breath. "Damn it! I can't even aim… I can't see a thing in this storm."
In the sky, Ajeel sneered. "This is my world! A god in the desert—me!! Sand Sword!!"
Dozens of blades of sand lanced toward Erza and Mira.
"Requip: Adamantine Armor!!"
"Full Body Hardening!!"
Erza's strongest defensive armor gleamed as Mira's body shone like diamond.
CLANG CLANG CLANG!
The sand blades shattered against their defenses, leaving dents and scratches but not breaking through.
"Hmph. Clever tricks… armor and transformations. But how long can you two really last?" Ajeel mocked. "The fear of blindness, the fear of being unable to move freely—yes, I can see your fear."
Erza's eyes narrowed. Mira smirked.
"Fear? From the likes of you?" Erza retorted.
"You'll find no fear here," Mira added coldly.
"Just another opponent for us to crush," they said together.
"Full Body Take Over: Satan Soul—Sitri!!" Mira's form shifted again, dark power surging as her aura burned away the swirling sand around her.
"What—?!" Ajeel staggered back.
The deck beneath him erupted—vines and thorns bursting forth. They lashed toward him.
"Sand Burial!!" Ajeel roared, pouring magic into his storm to grind the plants to dust.
But Mira only smiled. "Sand is the perfect soil… for flowers."
"Hell Flower!!" A monstrous bloom erupted, its petals wrapping around Ajeel as he tried to drain its moisture. The flower withered fast—
—but from its heart, Erza leapt forth.
"When—?!" Ajeel's eyes went wide.
"Heavenly Armament: Armor of the Celestial Spirit King!! Azure Dragon Moon Blade—STRIKE!!"
The azure sword cleaved down.
"GAHHHHHHH!!!"
Ajeel screamed as the blade tore into him, hurling his body across the deck. His storm collapsed in an instant.
The skies over Magnolia cleared. Sunlight pierced through.
"The sandstorm… stopped!!"
"What happened?!" Makarov worried, fearing the worst.
Warren checked his radar, then grinned. "It's fine! Mira and Erza are safe—the enemy's been defeated!!"
"What?!" Relief flooded Makarov's face. "That was… Ajeel?!"
"To think they've grown so much in just a year…" the old master whispered.
Mavis smiled proudly. "Everyone has surpassed what I imagined."
On the battlefield below, Alvarez soldiers gasped in disbelief.
"Lord Ajeel… defeated?!"
"Of course he was!" Natsu barked, flames bursting around him. "That's Erza and Mira you're talking about!!"
He lunged forward. "Fire Dragon's Claw!!"
BOOM!
His flaming kick blasted through the enemy lines, scattering Ajeel's soldiers.
"Whooo!" Happy cheered. "Took you long enough, Natsu!"
Natsu wiped his nose. "Had to save my strength. Never know what kind of monsters are still coming."
"I only used one percent of my power," Gajeel muttered smugly.
Natsu grinned. "Then I only used a tenth."
"Tch. Show-off," Gajeel growled.
Cardia Cathedral
Wall frowned as he entered the cathedral with his soldiers. "So… Ajeel's already fallen. Hmph. The Twelve Shields' reputation weakens. No wonder His Majesty Zeref is cautious—Fairy Tail isn't like the other guilds."
He spread his arms. "But it changes nothing. Your fate… is still annihilation."
BOOM!
The cathedral doors blasted open.
Freed sat pale and exhausted, runes burning across the floor. "Sorry… I can't move while maintaining the barrier. I'll leave it to you two."
"Leave it to us," Evergreen said firmly.
"We're the Thunder God Tribe!" Bickslow grinned, puppets circling him.
"Kill them," Wall ordered coldly.
Alvarez soldiers charged.
"Laser Light!!" Bickslow snapped his fingers, his puppets firing searing beams that cut through the soldiers.
"Fairy Bomb!!" Evergreen's powder exploded in a chain of blasts, scattering more of the enemy.
Screams echoed as the cathedral shook with light and fire.