He chuckled wryly, "Heh, impossible. That's something no human could possibly stop." Earthland Erza wasn't faring much better. Scars covered
He chuckled wryly, "Heh, impossible. That's something no human could possibly stop."
Earthland Erza wasn't faring much better. Scars covered her body, but as she looked at the figure in the sky, her eyes were filled with unwavering trust.
"If it's Finn, he can do it!" she declared with unshakeable conviction. Her resolute tone caused even Edolas Erza to hesitate, momentarily stunned by her certainty.
…
Meanwhile, after Gajeel's final, powerful punch, Panther Lily finally crumpled to the ground, unable to withstand the assault any longer.
Gajeel, breathing heavily, watched Panther Lily fall before breaking into a triumphant smile.
"You lose," he declared, his voice ringing with victory. "You're coming back to the guild with me!"
"Wait, Gajeel, look!" Happy suddenly pointed downwards, his voice laced with alarm, towards the grotesque dragon head that was rapidly hurtling towards them from below.
"That thing seems to be aiming for us!" Happy cried out in terror, his small body trembling as he fully grasped the horrifying implications of the approaching projectile.
"What?!" Gajeel exclaimed, rushing to the edge of the floating island, his eyes widening in disbelief as he witnessed the terrifying sight.
"What's going on?"
"It's our military strategy," Panther Lily stated calmly, his voice devoid of any emotion, neither sorrow nor joy.
"The Dragon Chain Cannon will be used to connect this floating island to Extalia, achieving the simultaneous annihilation of both sides, and allowing us to obtain limitless magic in the process…"
Happy's small body trembled uncontrollably as he processed Panther Lily's chilling explanation.
"Why… why would they do something so incredibly cruel?" he whispered, his voice barely audible, his question hanging heavy in the air.
It felt like a direct accusation aimed at Panther Lily, who remained silent, averting his gaze. Perhaps even he himself was unsure of the reasons that had driven him to agree to such a barbaric plan.
Was it fueled by a burning hatred for the nation that had cast him out? The answer was a resounding no. Any lingering resentment had long since faded from his heart.
As for the coveted eternal magic? That was something he, as an Exceed, already possessed.
The true motivations behind his actions remained elusive, even to himself…
Perhaps it was simply a manifestation of his own inherent weakness, he mused with a hint of self-deprecation.
"That's…" Happy's voice suddenly rang out, filled with astonishment and delight.
"It's Finn and Nancy!" he exclaimed joyfully.
"They're trying to stop it!" Happy cheered loudly, his voice filled with unrestrained enthusiasm.
Upon hearing Happy's words, Panther Lily's eyes widened in disbelief. He struggled to his feet, dragging his weary body to the edge of the floating island, his gaze fixed upon the figures suspended high in the air.
"Using human strength… to impede a kingdom's ultimate weapon?" Panther Lily murmured, his voice filled with a mixture of awe and disbelief.
"Heh! That guy's definitely not the type to just sit back and wait for things to happen!" Gajeel exclaimed, a broad smile spreading across his face.
It was unclear precisely when it had happened, but Gajeel, too, had begun to cultivate a profound trust in his comrades, as evidenced by his unwavering faith in Finn at this very moment.
The instant he laid eyes upon Finn, he knew with absolute certainty that Finn would succeed. His belief was unwavering and entirely devoid of any logical justification.
Suddenly, Panther Lily's gaze shifted towards Extalia, where a radiant glow was steadily intensifying, hurtling towards their current location.
"That's Carla and Wendy!" Happy exclaimed, his gaze fixed upon the leading edge of the approaching light.
"And there are tons of cats?!" Gajeel exclaimed, his voice filled with astonishment.
Carla and Wendy had succeeded in their mission. Through their words and actions, they had managed to persuade the Exceeds to join their cause. Now, they had arrived to defend their homeland.
Their objective was to prevent the magic crystal from colliding with Extalia. Although they had yet to devise a concrete plan to accomplish this seemingly impossible task, they had nonetheless arrived to offer their unwavering support.
Upon arriving at the scene, however, they were utterly shocked by the sight that greeted them: Finn standing defiantly before the Dragon Chain Cannon.
"ROOOOOAR!!!" Finn's enraged roar echoed across the battlefield.
The razor-sharp blade of Ryūjin Jakka came crashing down upon the Dragon Chain Cannon with devastating force.
At that very moment, an immense surge of magical energy erupted, its power sweeping across the land.
The Dragon Chain Cannon, propelled by its immense kinetic energy, relentlessly pushed Finn backward.
However, it was readily apparent to all present that the Dragon Chain Cannon's velocity had significantly decreased.
Finn gritted his teeth, his jaw clenched tightly, the veins in his arms bulging prominently as his muscles expanded to their absolute limits, tearing through his sleeves to reveal the fiery red Fairy Tail mark emblazoned upon his arm.
Nancy, behind Finn, frantically flapped her wings, desperately attempting to provide even the slightest assistance to Finn, even a minuscule amount of support would be invaluable.
Observing the gradual deceleration of the Dragon Chain Cannon, Faust, who was piloting the Dragon Knight, found his eyes widening in disbelief, his vision blurring as countless bloodshot capillaries filled his eyes.
His hand clutched the control stick with an iron grip, his voice laced with a mixture of fury and desperation as he gritted his teeth.
"Earthland mage! You will not succeed in thwarting my Dragon Chain Cannon!"
The Dragon Knight opened its maw once more, a golden stream of magical energy rising from the earth and flowing seamlessly into the Dragon Knight's interior.
The cannon barrel, which had extended from the Dragon Knight's mouth, was steadily accumulating a terrifying surge of magical energy.
"Vanish…!" Faust roared, his voice filled with unrestrained fury.
A beam of magical energy, far more potent and destructive than any previously unleashed, shot towards the heavens, its trajectory aimed directly at Finn.
"Finn! Get out of the way!" Gajeel's desperate cry echoed across the floating island, his voice filled with a mixture of terror and urgency.
Suddenly, a colossal beast materialized in the sky—a Legion—and from atop the Legion, a figure clad in golden armor leaped into the air with astonishing agility.
"Thunder Dragon Halberd!!"
The figure raised both hands high above his head, a brilliant golden magic circle unfolding before him.
A halberd, forged entirely from lightning, materialized in his grasp, before being hurled with immense force towards the terrifying beam of magical energy that was hurtling towards Finn.
An immediate, earth-shattering explosion rocked the sky.
"Get out of my way, you flea-bitten dragon!" Laxus's enraged roar echoed through the smoke and debris.
"Laxus!" Happy's voice rang out from the floating island, his tone filled with astonishment and relief as he caught sight of the familiar figure.
"Coco?!" Panther Lily's gaze was fixed upon the familiar figure perched atop the Legion, his voice laced with a mixture of surprise and concern.
Due to their close proximity, Panther Lily raised his voice, his words echoing across the battlefield.
"Coco! What in the world are you doing up there?!" he shouted, his voice filled with urgency.
"It's incredibly dangerous up here!"
Upon hearing Panther Lily's urgent call, Coco lifted her gaze, her eyes meeting Panther Lily's.
"Because…" Coco began, her voice soft and measured.
"Because everything we've been doing has been wrong," she confessed, a gentle smile gracing her features. "And so, I want to try and make amends, even if it's just a little bit," she added.
This girl, who possessed an unyielding passion for running and held the esteemed position of chief of staff's assistant within the Royal Army, was, at her core, an exceptionally naive and innocent individual. Her inherent innocence and unassuming nature were the very reasons why she was so deeply cherished and admired by those around her.
However, upon learning that the king had issued the order to initiate this catastrophic plan despite being fully aware of Panther Lily's presence on the floating island, a profound realization dawned upon her. She understood that the king was capable of such ruthless cruelty that he was prepared to sacrifice everyone without a second thought.
She was utterly unwilling to allow Panther Lily to perish as a result of this reckless plan, and she deeply empathized with the plight of the victims.
At that very moment, she understood that she had to do everything in her power to thwart this plan, but her efforts had ultimately proved unsuccessful.
Without delay, she immediately contacted her friends, the powerful Legions who were not affiliated with the Royal Army, and implored them to assist her in her desperate endeavor.
Fortuitously, it was this very act of defiance that enabled Laxus to intercept the devastating magical cannon fire that had been aimed directly at Finn.
Laxus's courageous intervention did not go unnoticed by Finn, who responded with a subtle yet meaningful smile, his gaze fixed intently upon the Dragon Chain Cannon.
Finn's magical energy was rapidly converted into flames, which were subsequently channeled into Ryūjin Jakka.
Under the intense heat generated by Ryūjin Jakka, the grotesque dragon head of the Dragon Chain Cannon gradually transformed into a fiery crimson hue.
Before Nancy's astonished eyes, the Dragon Chain Cannon's dragon head erupted in flames, the inferno spreading rapidly along the chains that secured it to the ground.
At that very moment, the Dragon Chain Cannon, its structure weakened and its power source compromised by the spreading flames, appeared to lose its final vestiges of momentum, coming to a complete standstill in mid-air.
The flames intensified, their heat growing exponentially. Faust, witnessing this astonishing turn of events, found himself utterly stunned. He could hardly believe that a mere human being had actually managed to halt the advance of a kingdom's ultimate weapon.
"I'll burn you to ashes!" Finn roared, seizing the opportunity to unleash the full extent of his magical power now that the Dragon Chain Cannon had been immobilized.
"Ryūjin Jakka: Taimatsu!"
With Finn's thunderous shout, the Ryūjin Jakka, which had been positioned against the Dragon Chain Cannon's dragon head, was forcefully swung downwards.
Instantly, the explosive flames that had been contained within Ryūjin Jakka erupted once more, forming a colossal fire tornado that completely enveloped the Dragon Chain Cannon.
Finally, before Faust's eyes, filled with despair and disbelief, the Dragon Chain Cannon—the culmination of countless years of research and development by the kingdom's most brilliant minds, the embodiment of their hopes for achieving eternal magic—was utterly and completely incinerated in a matter of moments.
Not even a trace of its former existence remained…
For a moment, Faust was speechless, his mind reeling from the shocking turn of events.
"Heh… heh… hahahaha!" Suddenly, his laughter erupted, a maniacal outburst that echoed across the battlefield.
"You damned fools! It seems that I will be forced to eliminate every last one of you, leaving not a single survivor!!" he roared, his voice filled with unrestrained fury.
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