The vanguard at Hargeon froze, watching the enemy's shells soar past them instead of raining down.
"What are they doing?!" Sherry frowned. "There's nothing but barren mountains that way."
Toby barked, "Ao~! Maybe they're just trying to scare us! Did they think we'd be afraid?!!"
"Calm down, Toby," Yuka muttered.
But Leon's face went pale. "No… that direction… that's where Fairy Tail is."
The others blinked, unable to accept it. "Fairy Tail? But that's more than 400 kilometers away. You're not saying that blast could reach—?"
The silence that followed was heavier than words. The shell had kept traveling long after it should have landed. At that speed, it could cover hundreds of kilometers.
Magnolia Town
Inside the guild, the cheers of victory still rang. Freed finally released his barrier, collapsing to one knee from exhaustion. The first wave had been driven back. Fifty flying warships—nearly fifty guilds' worth of power—had been stopped.
It was a spark of hope in the endless night of war.
Then Warren's radar screamed.
"Heat signature detected!! Southeast—no, it's magic—and it's coming fast!!"
"What?!"
"Reinforcements?"
"No… it's an attack!!"
The first master's expression sharpened. "So they can strike from this distance… Freed, raise the barrier again!!"
"Y-Yes!" Freed grit his teeth, trying to stand despite his drained magic.
But a hand stopped him.
"Rest, Freed. You've done enough. This one's mine."
Lightning sparked across Laxus' body as he leapt to the cathedral roof, golden thunder dancing in his chest.
"My guild will never be destroyed again."
He inhaled deeply, lungs swelling with raw power.
"Roar of the Thunder Dragon!!!"
A colossal lightning beam burst from his mouth, streaking upward like a dragon's breath.
Moments later, Makarov's heart nearly stopped. "Can he do it?! Freed's barrier was already straining—"
"Wait!! Look!!"
Above Magnolia, Laxus' thunder collided head-on with Wall's magic shell.
BOOOOOOM!!!
The explosion lit the sky brighter than the sun.
"…It stopped." Warren whispered.
"It stopped!!"
"LAXUS!!!"
The guild roared in triumph.
Makarov's eyes softened, his voice trembling. "That brat… all grown up. From the reckless boy who once fought his own family… to this. He's surpassed me now."
Beside him, Mavis smiled gently. "Su Yan may not be here, but with Laxus standing… I can breathe easier."
Laxus let his thunder fade, watching the scorched sky. His thoughts turned inward.
Back then, Su Yan had leveled mountains with a single breath of flame. Even now, Laxus' best still hadn't reached that height. But it didn't matter. Fairy Tail didn't need another Su Yan. They needed him—Laxus.
Western Front
The ground trembled beneath the advance of the Alvarez Empire's main force. A million soldiers marched like a black tide, their banners blotting out the horizon.
At their head, Invel's cold eyes narrowed.
"There he is. The obstacle to His Majesty's designs. Eliminate him."
The command rang out.
"CHARGE!!!"
A million throats screamed. A million footsteps shook the earth.
And one man walked forward alone.
Su Yan's expression never wavered. Each step he took carried with it a crushing weight.
"Om—!!"
The air itself rippled. Waves of Conqueror's Haki rolled out from him, heavier and sharper with each stride.
"Thud… thud… thud…"
Soldiers collapsed by the hundreds, eyes rolling white, bodies convulsing as their will was shattered.
The scene was eerily familiar—like the day Red-Haired Shanks boarded Whitebeard's ship in another world.
But Su Yan's aura was stronger. Far stronger.
Here, numbers meant nothing. One man's will outweighed a million.
He could end it in an instant if he chose. With a single pulse, he could silence every soldier on the field.
And he hadn't even drawn his blade yet.