Thousands of meters in the sky, the magical engines roared like a thunderclap on a clear day.
The Nirvana, now in flight mode, deployed its windproof magic barrier. Its six magic crystals operated at full power, tearing through the thick clouds at tremendous speed as it raced toward the headquarters of Grimoire Heart.
On the high tower platform, the Fairy Tail members, led by Makarov, gathered together. Their surging, fighting spirit merged into one.
From the information Ultear had transmitted, it was clear that Grimoire Heart possessed considerable power. It had many mages under its banner, and the core members—the Seven Kin—were users of ancient Lost Magic, including Arc of the Great Tree, Usual Hour Arrival, God Slayer Magic, and more.
Even setting aside the unfathomable master Hades, Grimoire Heart was more dangerous than Oración Seis, which they had previously defeated.
Although Fairy Tail had the advantage of intelligence, charging in recklessly with personal emotions would be irresponsible toward the children.
Therefore, on the way to Grimoire Heart's headquarters, Makarov had made a series of pre-battle arrangements.
The specific action plan was as follows:
First, a team consisting of Gray, Juvia, Wendy, and Carla would go to support Ur and Sabertooth, who had already been targeted, making preparations in advance to avoid involving innocent townspeople.
Second, the weaker members would remain in Magnolia and be responsible for contacting the Magic Council to ensure that nothing unexpected happened to their rear.
Third, the main attacking force would launch simultaneous strikes on multiple fronts at Grimoire Heart's headquarters, drawing their fire and completely disrupting the enemy's rhythm.
Fourth, infiltration personnel would be dispatched to rescue Ultear, locate and destroy the Ultra-Magic "Grimoire Heart," thereby weakening Hades's power.
Fifth, all ops would carry Chase's Kuriboh derivative. If an accident triggered its effect, the teleportation magic array attached to the card would pull them back to the Nirvana. The Nirvana would then fire its city-destroying Magic Chaos Cannon, completely ending the war!
As a seasoned veteran of the magical world, Makarov Dreyar devised this plan in a very short amount of time. It not only gave Fairy Tail absolute initiative in this battle, but also maximized the safety of its members while taking the imprisoned Ultear Milkovich into consideration as well.
In truth, the safest approach would have been like the subjugation of Oración Seis—having the Magic Council organize allied forces from multiple guilds.
But given the Speaker and the councilors' tendencies, they would probably waste a lot of time deliberating before making a decision. Especially since Grimoire Heart had an unclear, complicated relationship with Fairy Tail!
During that time, no one could guarantee that Hades wouldn't launch an invasion. Speed was crucial in warfare. To avoid more unexpected situations and tragedies, Makarov had to act first and report later.
This, too, was Fairy Tail's usual style.
Time quietly passed amidst the excitement of waiting.
Finally, at the edge of their vision, the outline of the lifeless, withered forest appeared—Grimoire Heart's headquarters was right before them!
"Listen up, everyone! The main objective of this operation is to rescue our guild's friend, Ultear. So—"
The moment the magic barrier covering the Nirvana was released, a wind filled with the aura of slaughter howled, whipping Makarov's Ten Wizard Saints cloak.
He slowly walked to the frontmost position, pointing his sword hand at the dimly visible dark castle in the distance.
"While ensuring your own safety, go wild and raise as much hell as you can!"
"THE BATTLE HAS BEGUN!!"
BOOM.
The Nirvana landed. Its thick, six legs crushed the withered trees beneath them, causing a tremor.
"OOOOOHHHHH!!!!"
Shouts filled with blood boiling rang out through the dead forest.
Natsu, Happy, Lucy, the Thunder God Tribe, Gajeel, Panther Lily, Elfman, Lisanna, Team Shadow Gear, Macao, Wakaba—dozens of people each formed their own teams, bursting out from the Nirvana's six legs and charging toward Grimoire Heart's headquarters from different directions.
The guards around the dark castle had barely noticed the colossal object descending from the sky when a dizzying array of magical attacks was already upon them, exploding in sky-covering flames!
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"That emblem... it's Fairy Tail! How did those guys find this place?!"
"Quick! Report to Master Hades immediately!"
"They're just a pathetic legal guild! How dare they be so bold?! Fight back!!"
The mages of Grimoire Heart, accustomed to bullying the weak, had never imagined that anyone would be so audacious as to attack their headquarters.
Some panicked and rushed to report to Hades and the Seven Kin. Others made bold claims about fighting. Some hadn't even registered what was happening.
In an instant, the outer perimeter of the castle descended into chaos.
Caught completely off guard, Grimoire Heart was unable to organize any
effective resistance. They crumbled at the first strike, being pushed back again and again!
On the high tower of the Nirvana.
Watching Natsu and the others smash through enemy lines with overwhelming force, Makarov secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
The effect of the vanguard's surprise attack was now evident.
"Please don't cause me any trouble, Chase..."
Makarov's gaze flickered as he looked toward a remote area far from the main battlefield.
There, Chase and Mira had silently eliminated the guards on patrol, replaced with their purple robes and black-patterned masks, and disappeared into the castle entrance.
Chase's magic card, Brain Control, could instantly obtain information from the grunts—their identities, positions, and any possible contact codes—ensuring they could successfully reach Ultear's prison.
As a supplement, Mira's transformation magic could also handle more inspections.
Of course, with his incredibly versatile card magic, Chase could have perfectly accomplished the infiltration by himself.
Makarov was convinced of this, but his personality was another matter.
He was genuinely worried that this brat might do something jaw-droppingly "unexpected," so having Mira accompany him was mainly to serve as a restraint.
Aside from Erza, who had been assigned elsewhere, only Mira, an S-Class mage on site, could barely accomplish such a task!
"Next, I must also shoulder my duty as an elder."
After letting out a heavy sigh, Makarov put away his many thoughts and piloted the Nirvana slowly toward the dark castle.
King versus king. As the current master of Fairy Tail, his goal was naturally to stall Hades, buying time for Chase and the others to destroy the "Grimoire Heart"!
BOOM!!
A golden magical array burst forth with a skyward pillar of light. Transformed into a giant, Makarov's gaze was sharp and his fighting spirit surged as he confidently called out to the dark castle ahead. "Master Precht! Won't you come out and catch up on old times?!"
His deep voice, carrying the pressure of a veteran Ten Wizard Saint, echoed across the entire battlefield, making Grimoire Heart's grunts tremble in fear.
Deep within the castle, a spacious room filled with countless ancient books.
"Hah. Bringing a bunch of brats to my doorstep on their own accord."
Hades sat upon a high seat, coldly watching the advancing Makarov on the holographic magic screen. The corner of his mouth curled up. "You haven't changed a bit, have you, little brat?"
With that, he slowly stood up. The smile of reminiscence on his face suddenly froze, replaced by ice-cold killing intent.
"Though this is somewhat unexpected, since our guests are so enthusiastic, we must let them properly experience Grimoire Heart's hospitality."
Hades's exposed left eye moved slightly, looking down.
There, five figures of varying builds knelt on one knee. From left to right, they were: Rustyrose (Arc of Embodiment), Zoldeo (Human Subordination), Zancrow (Fire God Slayer Magic), Kain Hikaru (Usual Hour Arrival), and Azuma (Arc of the Great Tree)!
"Understood, Master. I'll make them regret coming here," Rustyrose said, his expression cold.
"That blonde woman... the Miss Heartfilia..." Zoldeo's attention was focused entirely on Lucy.
"Hehehehe... a Fire Dragon Slayer? I can't wait to see what he tastes like!" Zancrow's face was twisted with madness.
"W-wait, didn't Master say to warmly receive our guests? This is the time to bring out our treasure tea, right?"
Compared to the three above him, the oblivious Kain Hikaru seemed completely out of place.
"What a shame. Among the invaders detected so far, there don't seem to be any strong opponents that can get me excited."
Azuma, who crowed battle, sighed in disappointment, looking somewhat disinterested. "Those guys—the destructive maniac Chase, Demon Mirajane, the Fairy Queen Erza—none of them are participating?"
Regardless of their individual attitudes, they were all absolutely obedient to Master Hades's orders. They each departed for the main battlefield to hunt down the fairies.
Seeing this, Hades lightly raised a finger. He was then sucked into a dark purple vortex, disappearing from the spot.
The next second, he appeared at the very tip of the dark castle's spire, gazing across the distance at Giant Makarov standing atop the Nirvana.
"Long time no see, little brat," Hades said, his expression blank.
"So it really is you, Master Precht..." Makarov's face instantly darkened.
Before deciding to declare war on Grimoire Heart, he had still harbored fantasies. Perhaps Precht had been cursed by darkness. Perhaps he had been resurrected and controlled by some evil entity after death.
But the moment their eyes met across the distance, those fantasies shattered into pieces.
The man before him was absolutely the same second-generation master he had known!
Despite having mentally prepared himself, seeing the once gentle and kind master transformed into this... Makarov still found it hard to accept. "Why... why are you... in a dark guild?"
"Turning Nirvana, a weapon capable of destroying the world, into a guild weapon."
Hades did not answer Makarov's question. Instead, he glanced at the Nirvana beneath him and said in a deep voice, "It seems you've come to understand the true essence of magic a little bit, Makarov."
As the master of the strongest guild in the Balam Alliance, he naturally recognized Nirvana—that ancient Ultra-Magic.
In fact, he had been the one to deliberately leak the information and location of Nirvana to Oración Seis!
"This is the result of the children's hard work transformation. It's not for destroying the world, but for better maintaining the order of the magical world," Makarov retorted.
"Maintaining the order of the magical world? Heh. Even more foolish than I imagined."
Hades let out a series of cold laughs. "That kind of false existence is itself wrong. Only the Great Magical World is reality!"
Seeing the same madness and devotion on the man's face that only appeared on the most fanatical followers of Zeref, Makarov's heart ached as if being cut by a knife. "Master Precht... you've been corrupted by the darkness..."
"Surface and essence, light and darkness—how should one distinguish between them, Makarov?" Hades raised his right arm, unmoved, and clenched his fist. "There are countless things in this world that cannot be measured by good or evil."
"Good or evil aside... at least the spirit of Fairy Tail should remain unchanged, right?"
"You've become quite eloquent for the little brat you once were."
"'Little brat' is unnecessary. You are no longer a member of this guild. I must stop your extremely dangerous ideas!"
"I, too... even if only a little... my heart aches at the thought that one day I might have to personally destroy Fairy Tail."
At this point, Hades had no further desire to catch up with Makarov. His expression darkened, and an incredibly deep magical storm erupted from his body.
"Come, Makarov. Let me see how much you've grown over these decades!"
Although Makarov was shocked by the man's terrifying, hellish oppression, he still stirred up all his magic power and chose to confront him head-on, determined to buy time to destroy the "Grimoire Heart."
"I will never let you have your way—whether it's invading the sacred ground of Tenrou Island or destroying Fairy Tail!"
BOOM! CRASH!
Purple magic power and golden magic power clashed across the distance, instantly tearing the surrounding winds apart and changing the very color of the sky and earth!
***
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