Wes Elwin calmly observed Gildarts, searching for any detail that might become a potential breakthrough.
The gazes of the two collided fiercely in the air, invisible sparks bursting between them.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion resounded through the sky, and the entire battlefield was shaken by the sudden blast.
Both of their attentions were involuntarily drawn toward the source.
At some point, Makarov had already transformed into a massive giant, his arm still frozen in the posture of throwing a punch.
Not far away, the Grimoire Heart airship was now billowing thick black smoke, its hull swaying unsteadily in the air, looking as though it might crash at any moment.
This sudden change caused a brief pause in the previously tense standoff. Both sides stopped their movements and turned their eyes toward that precarious behemoth.
The lights on the airship flickered on and off, and from time to time, sparks burst from cracks in the hull.
"The old man finally made his move, huh? Looks like your nest is about to fall from the sky," Gildarts said with a schadenfreude-filled grin as he watched the wobbling airship.
Wes Elwin did not panic as he had expected.
"The guild master happens to be on that airship."
"Then let's just hope he doesn't get smashed to death."
"I'd advise you not to celebrate too early. The guild master is going to give Makarov quite the surprise."
As Wes Elwin finished speaking, Gildarts raised an eyebrow.
"Oh? Is he really that impressive?" He didn't entirely believe Wes Elwin's words.
"It's not about how impressive he is. They're old acquaintances. You might've even seen his photo in Makarov's office before."
Wes Elwin revealed a meaningful expression after saying this.
"What do you mean?"
A heavy feeling settled in Gildarts's chest. He vaguely sensed that things were not as simple as they seemed.
Wes Elwin had no intention of explaining further. He simply turned around, preparing to head toward Hades's location.
"The real show is about to begin."
Compared to what was coming next, continuing his fight with Gildarts wasn't even worth mentioning.
"Your magic is very interesting. Let me give you a piece of advice — you're in big trouble."
After leaving those words behind, he vanished from the battlefield.
Gildarts was left standing there alone, his face filled with confusion, his mind in turmoil.
Wes Elwin's words struck his heart like a bolt of lightning, yet he couldn't make sense of them at all.
When Wes Elwin returned to his room, everything before him was in complete disarray. Items were scattered everywhere, and the blaring sound of alarms echoed continuously in his ears.
When he stepped out, the inside of the airship was already in chaos.
In the corridors, crew members ran back and forth in panic, alarms wailing nonstop, the piercing noise filling the entire space.
"Put out the fire, now!!"
"Activate the auxiliary wings! Don't let the airship fall!"
"No good! That last impact destroyed the balance — we can't hold it!!"
The members of Grimoire Heart were in utter disarray.
With Hades and the Seven Kin of Purgatory not aboard the airship, everyone had lost their leader, plunging into a state of leaderless chaos.
"No need to panic."
"Lord Wes Elwin!"
The members who had been panicking moments before immediately filled with hope when they saw him.
Wes Elwin raised both hands, and streams of mysterious runes gathered together, forming a powerful surge of magic that poured toward the underside of the airship.
Once the levitation spell he cast took effect, the massive, wobbling behemoth finally regained its balance and stopped its descent.
"That's great!" someone cried out, but they quickly returned to the tense repair work. "Hurry! Fix the damaged sections!"
Every member raced against time, hoping to restore the airship to normal operation as quickly as possible.
Amid this flurry of activity, however, Wes Elwin had other thoughts.
[I've helped this much. Taking a little compensation isn't unreasonable, right?]
While everyone was busy with emergency repairs, Wes Elwin slipped away from the crowd and headed straight toward Hades's private library.
Facing the door covered in complex seals, even he couldn't help but frown.
Forcibly breaking the seal was certainly possible, but it would immediately alert Hades. On the other hand, using safer methods would take far too much time.
While Wes Elwin was hesitating, three unfamiliar magical presences were quietly approaching the airship.
[Fairy Tail has broken in. Maybe I can make use of them.]
Just as he had predicted, it wasn't long before the remaining personnel on the airship discovered the three uninvited guests.
Since most of the combat-capable members were out on missions, only support staff remained aboard, making their resistance pitifully weak.
Before long, the three intruders broke through all defenses and reached the top level.
Wes Elwin stood there, looking at the three before him with a faint, meaningful smile.
"So it's three little cats, huh?"
Happy, Carla, Panther Lily.
"Bastard! We're not cats — we're Exceed!"
Happy shot back angrily, yet even in his rage, his big round eyes still looked ridiculously cute.
Panther Lily stepped forward, shielding the other two behind him, gripping his magic sword tightly and assuming a battle stance.
At this moment, he was even taller than Wes Elwin, like a dignified black panther general.
"You're here for the guild master's heart, aren't you?"
"How do you kn— mmph!" Carla quickly covered Happy's mouth, not wanting him to reveal any more information.
"Idiot!" she scolded in a low voice, while keeping a wary eye on Wes Elwin.
"You came at the perfect time. How about helping me break the seal on this door?"
"We're not listening to you," Happy muttered. Even with his mouth covered, his protest was still clearly audible.
"Is that so?" A faint killing intent spread out, making the temperature of the entire space seem to drop. "As payment, I can let you go."
At those words, the three Exceed tensed instinctively, their fur standing on end.
"Ha~ ha~" Wes Elwin suddenly burst into laughter. "Relax, I'm just teasing you."
Before they could react, three spells shot out from his fingertips, striking Happy, Carla, and Panther Lily with pinpoint accuracy.
Caught completely off guard, the three brave little Exceed were rendered unconscious and collapsed to the floor.
"With scapegoats in place, this just got a lot easier."
Wes Elwin turned toward the door of the library and, without hesitation, blew it apart with brute force.
Standing inside, he swept his gaze over the neatly arranged bookshelves, a satisfied grin spreading across his face — like a rat that had just stolen a taste of rich oil.
With a casual wave of his hand, the precious books flew one after another into his suitcase.
"I stopped Fairy Tail from destroying the guild master's heart. These books will be my reward."
Wes Elwin snapped the suitcase shut, now filled with books, looking thoroughly pleased.
Then, with one hand, he effortlessly lifted the three unconscious little cats. His figure flickered, and in the next instant, he vanished from the spot, reappearing on Tenrou Island.
°°°
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