Panther Lily, captain of the first mage squad, arrived at the scene, but the sight before him—countless fallen Royal Army soldiers and the two other mage squad captains lying defeated—left a grim expression on his black cat face.
"All these Royal Army soldiers, and they couldn't stop the Earthland Fairy Tail remnants?" he growled, his voice filled with anger.
"Captain, we couldn't stop them! They were monsters!"
"Yeah, those monsters could wipe out a full squad with one attack!"
"Even the two mage squad captains failed…"
The surviving soldiers murmured, their voices filled with fear and disbelief.
Witnessing the scene, Panther Lily sighed, turned, and addressed the newly arrived Royal Army reinforcements:
"Their objective isn't complete. They won't leave the capital."
"Therefore, seal off the entire capital! Search every house!"
"Yes!" The soldiers responded, immediately dispersing to carry out their orders.
Panther Lily turned and headed towards the palace. He needed to report this to the king.
Meanwhile, Finn and his companions returned to their previous lodgings.
After encountering Laxus and Gajeel, they used the Dragon Slayers' magic to restore the giant magic crystal back into human form.
To everyone's surprise, only two people emerged from the immense crystal:
Erza and Gray!
While surprised, their objective was achieved. Finn signaled for a retreat, intending to rejoin Natsu and the others at their designated meeting point to discuss their next steps based on the newly acquired information.
"Finn, what exactly happened?" Erza asked, her voice laced with confusion upon returning to the inn.
"And why can't Erza and I use magic?" Gray, having just regained consciousness, echoed Erza's question, his gaze fixed upon Finn and the others with a mixture of bewilderment and concern.
In response to their inquiries, Laxus produced a small vial. "To utilize magic in this world, you must first consume this."
"What is it?" Erza inquired, her voice laced with curiosity.
"This is 'Expor,' a substance that enables us to utilize magic within this world," Laxus explained.
"Let's discuss the details after you've consumed this," he added.
Without any further hesitation, both Erza and Gray consumed the contents of the vial.
"Oh! I can use magic again!" Gray exclaimed in astonishment, his eyes widening as he observed the formation of ice crystals upon his hand.
"Now then, perhaps you could enlighten us regarding the events that transpired," Erza requested, her gaze fixed upon Finn and his companions.
Seeing their eagerness to learn the truth, Finn proceeded to relay the information he possessed to Erza and Gray.
"In other words, we still haven't located the remaining magic crystals containing the rest of our Fairy Tail comrades," Erza mused thoughtfully, stroking her chin.
"That's correct. However, Natsu and the others have infiltrated the royal palace in an attempt to utilize Lucy's Celestial Spirit, Gemini, to replicate the king's memories, thereby enabling us to ascertain the precise location of the remaining magic crystals," Finn explained, nodding in confirmation.
He then proceeded to provide further details regarding Natsu and his companions' mission.
"So, we're currently awaiting news from Natsu and the others," Gray stated, his voice laced with a hint of apprehension.
"That's right. However, I'm starting to feel a bit uneasy. It's quite late, and Natsu and the others haven't returned yet," Finn admitted, his gaze betraying his concern.
"Let's give it a little more time. They might be on their way back," Gajeel suggested, his voice laced with a reassuring tone.
His gaze then shifted towards Nancy, who was seated on a nearby sofa, his eyes filled with a palpable sense of resentment.
Upon first encountering Nancy, Gajeel's mouth had dropped open in astonishment, his face radiating unadulterated excitement. This was the very cat he had been tirelessly searching for!
However, upon learning of the exceptionally close bond between Nancy and Finn, Gajeel's initial elation had quickly morphed into a deep sense of resentment.
"By the way, Finn," Gajeel inquired, his voice laced with a hint of desperation, "is there truly no chance that Nancy might have acquaintances among her own kind?"
Finn responded with a helpless shrug of his shoulders. "While I sincerely wish I could assist you in your quest, I'm afraid that's simply not possible…"
Upon hearing Finn's words, Gajeel's spirit sank, and he retreated to a secluded corner of the room, his heart heavy with disappointment.
"I never would have imagined that Gajeel would harbor such a fondness for cats!" Gray remarked, a playful smile gracing his lips.
"Shut up!" Gajeel retorted, his voice sharp with irritation.
Dong—dong—dong
A series of knocks echoed from the door, interrupting the conversation.
"Could that be Natsu and the others returning?" Gray questioned, his voice laced with a mixture of anticipation and apprehension as he approached the door. He opened the door, only to be met with a sight that caused his eyes to widen in disbelief.
"G… Gajeel?" Gray exclaimed, his voice laced with astonishment.
Gray stared at the figure standing before him, then turned to look at the Gajeel who was already present in the room, his face betraying a mixture of surprise and confusion.
"You must be one of the Fairy Tail members who were rescued from the magic crystal," Edolas Gajeel stated, his eyes gleaming with a hint of understanding.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Gajeel from this world," he announced, adjusting his suit with a practiced air.
"Yo, other me," Earthland Gajeel exclaimed, emerging from the room and embracing Edolas Gajeel warmly.
"I summoned him. He has urgent information to share," Earthland Gajeel explained.
…
Meanwhile, within the confines of the royal palace…
King Faust, seated upon his throne, his aged visage contorted with a mixture of rage and disbelief.
"You're telling me that my highly trained and well-equipped Royal Army was utterly incapable of thwarting the advance of merely three individuals? And that they even managed to restore the magic crystals?" he demanded, his voice exceptionally low and menacing.
Although his voice was subdued, it was evident to all present that the Edolas king was teetering on the brink of a volcanic eruption of rage.
However, Panther Lily's expression remained impassive, devoid of any emotion.
"Indeed, Your Majesty. The Earthland mages proved to be exceedingly formidable opponents. Our soldiers were completely outmatched, and even Hughes and Shug were defeated," he reported calmly.
"Don't exaggerate their capabilities!" Faust roared, his voice echoing through the hall.
Panther Lily silently shook his head, choosing not to respond.
After regaining his composure, Faust turned his attention towards Erza, captain of the second mage squad, and Byro, the chief of staff. "And what of those two Dragon Slayers?" he inquired.
Byro's voice trembled slightly with excitement as he responded.
"Your Majesty, the magical energy of the Dragon Slayers has been successfully extracted. The power of dragon magic truly is extraordinary!"
He raised his head, his eyes gleaming with an almost maniacal intensity. "With this potent magical energy at our disposal, transforming that object into a formidable weapon will be a remarkably straightforward undertaking!"
Upon hearing this news, a smile finally graced Faust's lips.
At the inn where Finn and his companions had taken refuge…
The group received alarming news from Edolas Gajeel.
According to Edolas Gajeel's extensive network of informants within the royal palace, Natsu and his companions' infiltration attempt had been thwarted by a well-laid ambush, resulting in their capture.
"Their objective was likely the Dragon Slayer magic contained within your comrades' bodies," Edolas Gajeel explained.
The news elicited expressions of astonishment from the assembled group.
After all, Finn had previously assured them that the passageway they had chosen for their infiltration was exceptionally well-concealed and virtually undetectable.
"Dwelling on this now serves no purpose. Since Natsu and the others have been apprehended, we must devise a plan to rescue them," Finn stated after a moment of silence.
"And we've also lost all contact regarding the whereabouts of the magic crystals," Laxus added, his expression laced with frustration.
"So, what course of action do you propose we pursue?" Earthland Gajeel inquired, his voice laced with concern.
"It seems we have no choice but to storm the royal palace," Finn declared resolutely.
"According to Edolas Gajeel, Natsu and the others are being held captive in the royal palace dungeons. The security will undoubtedly be extremely tight, so…"
Finn's gaze swept across the assembled group. "Laxus and Gray, your mission is to infiltrate the royal palace dungeons and rescue Natsu and the others."
"I will lead a direct assault on the royal palace, aiming to apprehend the king or another high-ranking official, and attempt to extract the location of the remaining magic crystals through interrogation," Finn continued, his gaze now fixed upon Gajeel.
"And of course, Gajeel, you're to wreak as much havoc as possible throughout the royal capital!"
"Heh!" The two Gajeels exchanged a knowing glance.
Earthland Gajeel's face broke into a grin. "Looks like we're going to war with the entire kingdom!"
"Iron Dragon's Club!" A magical formation flickered into existence within Gajeel's hand, and to the astonishment of the surrounding Royal Army soldiers, Gajeel's arm transformed into a freely extending iron club.
With a single, powerful blow, he sent a wave of Royal Army soldiers sprawling to the ground.
"This is quite exhilarating, isn't it? To be engaging in a battle against an entire kingdom with such a meager force," Gajeel remarked, his voice laced with a hint of amusement.
Surrounded by a throng of Royal Army soldiers, Gajeel exhibited no signs of fear, his expression radiating an almost manic level of excitement.
"And it seems Finn and the others have already commenced their assault," he muttered under his breath, his peripheral vision catching glimpses of the sporadic explosions emanating from the direction of the royal palace.
From the moment the group had finalized their plan of action, they had wasted no time in putting their strategy into motion.
Gajeel seized a nearby Royal Army soldier, who appeared to be a squad leader, and subjected him to a brutal interrogation. "Where are the giant magic crystals that were created using Anima?" he demanded, his voice laced with menace.
The Royal Army squad leader frantically shook his head in response. "That information is classified as top secret! There's absolutely no way I could possibly know!" he protested.
"You don't know? Then what possible use are you to me?" Gajeel retorted, his fist connecting with the squad leader's face with a resounding thud.
He then shifted his attention towards the next unfortunate individual.
Meanwhile…
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