Natsu and Happy sped westward. Their mission wasn't to win, but to contain. If things went badly, Happy's speed and mobility would be enough to snatch Natsu away in an instant.
They weren't alone—their transport came courtesy of Mest. Though not much of a fighter, his teleportation magic had become invaluable in this war. With the tide shifting moment by moment, rapid deployment was as vital as raw strength.
Mavis watched from Magnolia, her usually bright face shadowed with tension.
"All the cards are on the table now," she murmured. "It's down to who plays them best."
Even she could not predict the outcome. Alvarez's armies were vast, and the Twelve Shields terrifyingly strong. But the true scale-tipper was elsewhere: Su Yan and Acnologia. Their clash would not just decide Ishgar's fate—it could decide whether the entire world survived at all.
Southern Front – Hargeon
The coalition had already fallen back, and the once-bustling port city was now under Alvarez's banner.
Leon scowled over the battle maps. He had poured everything into his strongest spell, the Beast Tide, but it was meaningless against an army this size. His magic-created beasts had been swallowed by the true tide: endless soldiers.
They had evacuated the civilians beforehand, but the loss still burned. Their towns, their soil, their homeland had been taken. Every mage here longed to strike back, to drive the invaders out.
"Getting close to the city is impossible," Leon muttered. Then his eyes narrowed. "And that woman…"
He remembered Dimaria, the War Maiden. In just one exchange, she had shattered Kagura's blade technique and humiliated her—her magic so overwhelming it silenced the entire battlefield. That a woman so young could possess power even beyond Makarov's was unthinkable.
Kagura's face was pale as she recalled it. Dimaria had stripped away her defenses with casual ease, leaving her exposed before allies and enemies alike. Risley shouted angrily at the men who dared stare, but Kagura herself felt only burning shame.
"The Twelve Shields are the true threat," Leon admitted. "Unless we bring them down, reclaiming Hargeon is impossible."
"Leave the Twelve Shields to me."
The voice came from ahead. Leon and Kagura turned—and froze.
"Gray! Juvia!!"
Leon's shock was plain. Gray, his junior rival. And Juvia, the woman who had once captivated him at first sight—now standing proudly by Gray's side. Leon still remembered the day he heard they were together, the night he drank himself into tears.
And behind them—
"Laxus!!"
The name spread like fire among the coalition.
Once, Fairy Tail had been mocked as chaotic. Now it was Ishgar's number one guild, and its strongest wizards were known across the continent. Among them, Laxus Dreyar shone like a thunderclap.
Leon stared. "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be guarding Fairy Tail itself?"
Everyone knew Alvarez's true goal was Fairy Tail and the Heart of the Fairy. To leave the guild undefended seemed reckless.
But Laxus' eyes were cold, a dangerous gleam in them.
"The guild's fine. The old man, the others—they'll hold it. The best defense is to crush the enemy before they ever reach us."
His killing intent spread like static in the air.
Millianna swallowed. "But the Shields' magic is monstrous…"
Gray answered flatly. "We know. Mira and Erza already brought down Ajeel, the Desert King. And Su Yan killed God Serena himself. That makes two Shields down."
Juvia added quickly, "Three, counting both fights. That leaves only seven."
The southern mages froze. "God Serena…?"
Their disbelief was palpable. God Serena—the strongest of Ishgar's Ten Wizard Saints. The traitor who had abandoned them for Alvarez. Even he had been slain?
Fairy Tail wasn't just Ishgar's hope anymore. They were rewriting the balance of the world.