"It's really Lucy!" Happy exclaimed, his voice laced with surprise.
"It's me?" Edolas Lucy stared at her identical counterpart, finding the situation bizarre.
"Why is Lucy here?" Natsu questioned, his brow furrowed in confusion.
Finn waved a hand dismissively. "Let's not dwell on that right now. Let's focus on rescuing her first."
With those words, he took the first step forward.
"You're Lucy from Fairy Tail! Arrest her!" the Royal Army squad leader commanded.
"Wait, why are you arresting me just because I'm Lucy?!" Lucy shouted, her voice filled with indignation.
"Quickly, arrest her!" The Royal Army captain showed no inclination to address Lucy's question, instead waving his hand dismissively as the surrounding soldiers surged forward, encircling Lucy and effectively trapping her within their midst.
Judging by the sheer number of soldiers surrounding her, Lucy estimated that there were close to a hundred of them.
As she surveyed the menacing figures surrounding her, Lucy realized that a peaceful resolution was unlikely.
"Then…" Lucy reached for the golden key at her waist.
"Open… huh?!" Just as Lucy was about to activate her magic,
a wall of flames erupted before her, engulfing her in an inferno of searing heat.
Recognizing the familiar magical energy contained within the flames, Lucy froze, a sudden thought dawning upon her.
The terrifying flames roared and raged, engulfing the soldiers who had just moments before surrounded her.
"AAAAAH!!"
"What is this?!"
"Flames? Where did those flames come from?!"
A cacophony of screams and cries of terror erupted from the engulfed soldiers, before finally fading into silence as they were consumed by the inferno.
The flames that had momentarily obscured Lucy's vision then dissipated as quickly as they had appeared, leaving behind only a scene of utter devastation—a ground littered with the charred remains of the Royal Army soldiers.
"This… this is the sheer destructive power of Earthland magic?" Edolas Lucy gasped, her eyes wide with astonishment and a profound sense of disbelief.
Her gaze was fixated on Finn, her mind reeling from the overwhelming display of power.
Although she was aware of Earthland mages' ability to wield magic without the aid of external tools or artifacts, she had never anticipated such a devastating level of power.
A single blow had completely annihilated close to a hundred soldiers!
"Is that man a monster?" Edolas Lucy whispered, her gaze fixed on Finn's retreating back. The sheer power she had just witnessed had shaken her deeply, causing her to reconsider her previous assumptions about Finn's capabilities. Perhaps he hadn't been exaggerating his abilities after all.
Nancy, perched on Finn's shoulder, was equally astounded by the display of raw power. She had witnessed the event from the most advantageous vantage point and had clearly seen that Finn had simply unleashed a single punch.
Yet, that single punch had resulted in a scene of utter devastation.
She recalled the earlier encounter with the giant green gorilla, during which Finn had effortlessly subdued the formidable beast with a single gesture.
It was difficult to even imagine the sheer scale of destruction that Finn would be capable of unleashing if he were to unleash his full power…
"Wow, Finn's still Finn. He's super strong in any world!"
Natsu exclaimed, his arms akimbo as he surveyed the battlefield, now completely devoid of enemies.
"Aye, that's Finn for ya!" Happy chimed in, his voice filled with unrestrained admiration.
"Lucy!" Wendy called out, her voice laced with concern.
Earthland Lucy, still reeling from the shock of witnessing Finn's overwhelming display of power, was jolted back to reality by Wendy's call. Turning her head, she saw Finn and his companions approaching, instantly solidifying her earlier suspicions.
"It's really all of you!!" Earthland Lucy exclaimed, her voice filled with unrestrained joy.
"I've missed you all so much!!" she cried, her arms outstretched as she rushed towards Finn and her companions.
"Huh?!" Earthland Lucy's eyes widened in astonishment as her gaze fell upon Edolas Lucy.
"It's… me?!" she whispered, her finger pointing towards herself, her voice laced with disbelief as she struggled to comprehend the sight of an individual who was her exact duplicate standing before her.
Earthland Lucy and Edolas Lucy stared at each other, their eyes wide with a mixture of shock and disbelief.
Nancy shrugged her shoulders, a wry smile playing upon her lips. "Well, there you have it. The two Lucys have finally met…"
"Alright, enough staring," Finn declared, his voice cutting through the stunned silence.
"We can discuss the details later. Word of what just happened will likely reach the king's ears very soon, so we need to pick up the pace."
…
In the forest outside Luen Town…
Finn and his companions paused to rest.
"So, how did you get to Edolas?" Natsu asked Earthland Lucy.
"We thought you'd become a magic crystal. We were so worried," Wendy added.
Earthland Lucy began to explain.
"So, you escaped Anima's absorption by hiding inside the Horologium Celestial Spirit?" Finn asked.
Earthland Lucy nodded.
"You must have met Mistogan to get here!" Finn asked.
"Yes, he sent me here. He also told me about both worlds," Earthland Lucy replied.
"Oh, right." She suddenly remembered something. "Mistogan gave me a pill."
"I don't know what it's for…"
Hearing this, Natsu's eyes lit up.
"Lucy, do you have any more of those pills?" he asked anxiously.
After all, Finn had explained that the pill allowed them to use magic in Edolas.
"Um… I don't know why you want it, but I don't have any."
Earthland Lucy shrugged helplessly.
Natsu was disappointed.
Seeing Natsu's disappointment, Lucy asked curiously, "Why is that pill so important to him?"
Earthland Lucy whispered to Finn.
"It lets him and Wendy use magic," Nancy said.
"I see," Earthland Lucy nodded, then looked at Nancy. "I wanted to ask, you're Finn's new friend, right?"
"I'm Lucy, also Finn's friend. Nice to meet you!" She extended her hand.
Nancy extended her paw. "Nice to meet you, I'm Nancy!"
After introductions, they packed up to leave.
Natsu, despite his disappointment about the pill, quickly cheered up.
Edolas Lucy watched them, then spoke seriously. "Are you really going to war with the kingdom?"
Her gaze fell on Finn. "I admit you're strong, but the others can't use magic."
"Wait, I can use magic," Earthland Lucy countered.
"Besides Finn, only I can use magic," Earthland Lucy realized, suddenly excited.
"That makes me the second strongest in Fairy Tail!"
Earthland Lucy felt herself getting inflated.
She puffed out her chest. "Leave it to me! I'll take care of them! I'm fired up!"
"I'm embarrassed," Natsu mumbled.
"This is what we have to do," Carla sighed.
"Go, Lucy!" Wendy cheered her on.
"Haha, I'll leave it to you," Finn laughed.
Seeing their smiles, Edolas Lucy fell silent.
"They're strange. Maybe they can really change this world," she thought.
"I never thought I'd feel this way…" Edolas Lucy shook her head.
"Can I ask you something?" Edolas Lucy asked Finn and the others.
"???"
They looked at each other.
Finn said, "Of course, if I know."
Edolas Lucy gathered her thoughts. "Why do you fight? Why do you fight even when it's hard?"
"Aren't you afraid of dying?"
She asked the question she'd wanted to ask.
Over the past two days, she learned about Earthland and Finn's adventures.
And how they defeated powerful enemies.
Why did they do it? Why did they face such strong enemies?
And always win, even against a whole kingdom? Why were they still smiling?
Edolas Lucy didn't understand.
Natsu answered readily. "For our friends!"
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