Jacob and Brandish tensed, ready to strike—but August's calm voice cut through.
"Stand down. Neither of you can handle this man."
"What?!" Both froze, startled.
They were among the Twelve Shields, Zeref's handpicked guardians, each boasting power beyond the Ten Wizard Saints. Even God Serena, once Ishgar's top-ranked Saint, had been reduced to a mere member in their ranks. Yet August, their supreme leader, claimed they weren't even fit to fight this one man?
The air trembled.
"Om—!!!"
August's magic erupted, flooding the battlefield like a tidal wave.
Hyberion's eyes widened. "This…this magic power…"
Wolfheim's body trembled. "No way… is that even human?!"
Even Jura, who prided himself on raw magical power, paled. "So this… is the Sorcerer King August…"
The surge rattled Fairy Tail's very walls. The radar wasn't needed—this magic alone shook the guild to its core.
"Such vast power…" Makarov whispered, sweat on his brow.
Mavis's voice was steady but grave. "August. The Sorcerer King. The very pinnacle of the Twelve Shields… Gildarts must hold him off, or all is lost."
August's skin flushed crimson, white markings glowing across his frame, hair bristling like fire. Even his own allies stared.
"Grandfather is serious from the start?!" Brandish muttered, astonished.
Jacob cursed, tugging at his gloves. "That's rare…"
For August to bare his fighting stance so quickly—proof that Gildarts was no ordinary opponent.
Gildarts shrugged off his coat, his expression sharpening.
"…He's strong. Stronger than anything I've seen in years. But I've crossed blades with worse."
He thought of Acnologia, whose scales laughed at human magic. Of Su Yan, the "monster kid" whose speed, power, and defense bordered on inhuman. Compared to them, even August's overwhelming aura wasn't enough to make him flinch.
"Let's dance."
His boot slammed down, the ground fracturing, and he shot forward.
In a blink, he was behind August. The air itself had shattered to deliver him there.
"Hoh?" August's eyes narrowed as he backstepped, dodging the crushing blow.
His staff flicked—Gildarts vanished—
"Too slow."
The mage reappeared at his flank, left hand brimming with raw magic, and unleashed a blast.
"CRASH!!!"
August's body fractured, split into dozens of shards like glass under a laser net.
Jacob and Brandish froze. "He—he actually destroyed him?!"
But the shards reassembled, knitting back into August's form. His robes fluttered as if nothing had happened.
"…Intriguing magic," August said calmly.
Gildarts's eyes narrowed. "You've gotta be kidding me."
August lunged, his body scattering and reforming mid-motion, and reappeared point-blank. His fist drove into Gildarts's gut.
"GUHH—!!"
The force hurled him into a cliffside, stone exploding outward.
"Smash!"
The wall crumbled into harmless fragments, cushioning his fall.
August's gaze lingered. "Breaking the earth itself to soften your landing… clever. But cleverness won't let you win."
Gildarts rose, wiped the blood from his mouth, and grinned.
"Maybe not. But making the impossible possible—" his aura surged, raw destruction magic rippling off him in waves, "—that's what Fairy Tail wizards do."
He charged again. The battlefield quaked as the clash of two monsters began in earnest.
Western Battlefield
Meanwhile, Su Yan and Acnologia tore at each other, their titanic dragon forms colliding like gods of destruction. Su Yan's frame dwarfed even the Black Dragon's, every swing carrying catastrophic power.
Seven years ago, they had been equals. Now, Su Yan's strength had eclipsed his rival's.
Each clash scarred the earth. Entire battalions of Albarez soldiers were caught in the shockwaves, wiped out without a trace.
Zeref, leading his vanguard, did not even glance at the chaos. Even he dared not tread too close to their battlefield. His only thought—reach Fairy Tail, seize Fairy Heart.
"Got you!!"
A fierce cry thundered from the skies.
A figure dropped from above, landing before Zeref's forces with a quake that split the earth.