A day passed.
In the morning—
'Knock knock'
Maria's door was rapped on.
"Who is it?!" Maria exclaimed in surprise.
She glanced at the room.
Wendy and Lucy were still resting in bed, while Natsu had made a makeshift bed on the floor.
"Maria, it's me," came Mystogan's voice from outside.
"Jellal!" Maria quickly opened the door.
Although the man standing there looked somewhat unfamiliar, she recognized him immediately.
"Jellal!"
Maria rushed forward. Having no children of her own, she had always treated the ever-responsible Jellal as her own child.
Mystogan embraced her briefly. "I'm sorry, Maria. Since my return, I've been preoccupied."
"It doesn't matter as long as you're safe. I don't care about anything else," Maria said tearfully.
An emotional person by nature, she was now like a mother whose wandering child had finally returned home.
"Huh? Mystogan?" Natsu woke up.
"Mystogan?" Lucy sat up as well.
Given the circumstances, none of them dared to sleep without their clothes on—they needed to be ready for battle at any moment.
"Lucy, Wendy, Natsu, it's time to get to work," Mystogan announced.
"Yes!" Natsu instantly perked up. "I've been waiting forever!"
"Lucy, have Gemini inform the king that the conversion device is ready," Jehfrit said as he entered the room.
"Huh? Okay," Lucy nodded and asked, "Then what?"
"Then we watch the fireworks," Jehfrit replied casually.
He stepped aside to let Happy and Carla enter.
The two cats had just left the farmer's house and entered the palace when Jehfrit sensed them and brought them over.
"So, Happy, did you meet your parents?" Natsu asked.
"Carla?" Wendy chimed in curiously.
"..." Carla remained silent. Their trip had yielded nothing, leaving her hesitant to speak.
Of course, she also had questions about the queen.
The queen bore a striking resemblance to her.
But how could she possibly be the queen's child? If she were, why would the queen order soldiers to chase them?
Happy shook his head. "We didn't meet them."
"They must be somewhere in the kingdom. Once we resolve this, we'll definitely find them!" Lucy reassured him quickly.
"Mm." Happy nodded dejectedly.
"Alright, once everyone's eaten and rested, prepare for battle," Jehfrit instructed.
"Got it."
"Your Majesty."
Gemini, disguised as Byro, approached King Faust. "The large-scale conversion device and Dragon Lock Cannon are ready."
"Excellent!"
Even Faust couldn't help but slap the armrest of his throne in excitement.
"Then proceed with the plan," King Faust declared.
"Yes."
Byro smirked coldly—Gemini internally congratulated themselves on their stellar performance!
---
Night fell.
The army was ready.
King Faust rose steadily from his throne and strode confidently toward the exit.
One by one, office doors opened as his trusted subordinates followed closely behind, chests puffed out with confidence.
From this day onward—
They would have an endless supply of magic!
They reached the city walls and gazed at the two floating islands in the sky.
One belonged to the Exceeds' Kingdom, and the other housed the Lacrima Crystals from Earthland.
"Let the war begin!"
King Faust spread his arms wide and shouted, "Initiate Operation ETD!"
'Buzz—'
Horns blared throughout the palace.
Outside the castle walls, residents who were about to settle down for the night were startled awake by the sudden noise.
"What's going on?"
They rushed into the streets, looking toward the palace.
'Boom'
Suddenly, a battle erupted in the central square.
"Heh." Amidst the smoke, Gajeel emerged.
"I never expected someone as strong as you to guard this place," Gajeel said, sizing up his opponent.
To be precise, his opponent was a cat.
A muscular black cat.
"I won't let you interfere with His Majesty's plans," the muscular cat declared.
"Do you even know what you're doing?" Gajeel glared at him. "You're helping greedy Faust destroy your own homeland!"
"I've already abandoned that false nation!" the cat retorted. "I've pledged my loyalty to humanity."
"Haha." Gajeel chuckled. "How laughable—to destroy your own race for humans."
"What do you know? You understand nothing!" The muscular cat brandished a sword. "My name is Panther Lily, Captain of the First Magic Combat Squad!"
"Standing here is my duty!"
"Loyalty… interesting." Gajeel sneered. "I admire you. You're going to be my cat!"
"What?" Panther Lily blinked in confusion.
"All Dragon Slayers have cats, so I need one too. I'll bring you back to the guild!" Gajeel declared confidently.
Originally, he wasn't a cat person.
But seeing Natsu and Wendy with their flying cats, he grew envious.
Even Cobra had a flying snake!
Why should he be the only one without a companion?
And forget about Carla or Happy—They weren't his type.
But this towering, muscular cat?
It was perfect!
This was *his* cat!
Bigger and stronger than any other!
"What nonsense are you spouting?" Panther Lily growled, insulted. Did this guy think he could adopt him like some pet?
'Boom'
The battle began.
Panther Lily wielded a magical sword capable of changing size. Against most opponents, he'd make the blade several meters long and slash through them effortlessly. Even Earthland mages wouldn't dare block such an attack head-on for fear of being cut in half.
But his opponent was Gajeel!
The Iron Dragon Slayer!
'Clang!'
Panther Lily swung his sword at Gajeel's arm—but instead of severing it, the impact nearly caused him to lose grip on his weapon!
"How is this possible?!" Panther Lily gasped in shock.
"Because I'm the Iron Dragon Slayer! My skin is as hard as iron!" Gajeel unleashed his magic, deflecting the sword with ease before charging at Lily.
"Damn it!"
Lily felt completely helpless.
He was facing a natural counter to his abilities.
He wasn't Ikuto or Erza.
Ikuto's swordsmanship could pierce through Gajeel's defenses, and Erza's sheer power surpassed Gajeel's.
But Lily lacked both advanced sword techniques and overwhelming magical strength. Against Gajeel's steel-like resilience, he was utterly outmatched.
'Clang clang clang'
Blow after blow landed on Gajeel's arms, leaving only shallow scratches. Meanwhile, Lily's sword began to crack and warp under the strain!
"Captain!" Seeing their leader struggle, Lily's subordinates launched attacks at Gajeel.
"Iron Dragon's Roar!"
With a single spell, Gajeel obliterated most of them.
At that moment—
The king's voice echoed across the palace.
Gajeel paused mid-attack, giving Lily a brief reprieve.
After all, he wanted Lily to surrender willingly.
Besides, his mission was to draw attention and lure more troops from the kingdom. Finishing too quickly would ruin the plan.
King Faust picked up a magical device, amplifying his voice so the entire city could hear.
"My people—"
He delivered a pre-war declaration.
"This world has never known gods!"
"Not even those creatures in the sky!"
"What power do they truly possess?"
"No one has ever seen it!"
"In history, decades ago, they were weak beings who fled at the sight of blades!"
"Magic?!"
"If they truly had magic, then let them attack me! Let them kill me!"
"If they can't—"
"Then they should fall from the sky!"
"Why should a group of cats enjoy infinite magic?!"
"Why should only we humans suffer the pain of losing magic?!"
"The magic in our world is dwindling, and we humans are about to lose it entirely!"
"Who wants to lose magic? No one does! If given the chance, we will surely hold onto it!"
"And now, at this very moment, the opportunity has arrived!"
"I declare war on the sky kingdom and shall seize its boundless magic!"
"It shall become an eternal source of power for us humans!"
"In the name of the King of Edolas—"
"The era where humans have been ruled by cats is over!"
"We humans are the true masters of all creation!"
"All magic shall belong to us!"
"We shall create a glorious future!"
"My people—"
"My soldiers—"
"Let us march together and conquer the sky kingdom!"
"..."
The king finished his speech.
It didn't take long for the entire city to erupt in chaos.
"Magic belongs to humans!"
"I refuse to bow to cats anymore!"
"They're weaklings pretending to be great!"
"Conquer the sky kingdom!"
People roared in agreement.
However, a smaller group shouted back, "Humans don't need magic to survive!"
"The depletion of magic is the world's choice!"
"But this isn't the end—it's the beginning of a new era!"
"Believe in your muscles, believe in yourself!"
"Don't trust Faust! How could he possibly share magic with commoners?"
"From the king to ministers to nobles, each layer will hoard it! How much will ordinary citizens receive?"
"Once they have unlimited magic, they'll wield absolute military and political power! At that point, all civilians will become slaves to their desires!"
"Our only option is to abandon magic!"
Some listened and calmed down.
Indeed.
Most of the magic would inevitably fall into the king's hands.
The greatest fairness among humans was mutual vulnerability—if everyone could stab each other equally.
If one side gained absolute power, would the world really become better?
Forget Faust—he was an unknown quantity.
Even themselves—could they resist the temptation to control vast amounts of power rather than entrusting it to others?
Rather than trusting humans to act selflessly, it was better if no one had magic at all!
Equality in life and physical strength—that was the only path to lasting peace.
Some woke up to this reality.
But the majority remained swept up in fervor.
They only cared that they would soon have magic and wouldn't lose it.
They cheered for the king, eagerly anticipating the historic moment!
---
Outside the city—
Countless people gathered.
At the forefront stood a man with dead-looking eyes, glaring fiercely at the palace.
"Jehfrit—"
"Disrupter of peace—"
"Die!"
"Activate it," King Faust commanded, turning to Byro.
"Yes." Byro bowed and retreated.
He approached the massive magical apparatus.
"Jehfrit, are you sure we should fire it?" Lucy asked worriedly.
Once the Dragon Lock Cannon fired, there would be no turning back.
"I think it's safer to assassinate the king directly," Lucy suggested.
"Do you think Mystogan disappeared for so long just to do nothing?" Jehfrit countered.
"Huh?" Lucy hesitated.
"Fire it," Jehfrit ordered. "Everything is going according to plan. We're giving Mystogan a grand gift."
Assassination?
That would be easy.
Jehfrit could decapitate the king with a single strike, and Laxus plus himself could wipe out the kingdom's elite forces.
Then Mystogan could appear and drive off the remnants.
Problem solved.
But what about the depletion of magic?
What about the Exceeds?
Though Jehfrit's memories weren't crystal clear, he knew that eventually, the Exceeds would relocate to Earthland.
When they left, magic would vanish.
Faced with such a situation, Mystogan would lack authority.
After all, the public wouldn't understand what had happened.
All they'd know was—
Under Faust, they at least had access to magic.
But under Prince Jellal, the floating island collapsed, and magic disappeared!
Who would they blame?
Therefore!
Faust had to bear responsibility for driving away the Exceeds and exhausting the magic!
Only then could Mystogan inherit a clean slate, aided by Edolas' version of Jehfrit.
Only then could this chessboard come alive!
Rather than patching up a crumbling structure, it was better to start anew!
Moreover, there was another important reason—Jehfrit refused to be trampled upon by arrogant Exceeds.
So, it was time to show these cats their place!
"Yes," Byro nodded, preparing to activate the Dragon Lock Cannon.
"No!"
Suddenly, a young girl appeared and snatched the key.
"Coco?" Byro stared at the girl.
Lucy recognized her immediately.
Brown-haired and energetic, Coco was always running around.
"This is unexpected," Lucy muttered anxiously, glancing at Jehfrit.
But he remained calm. "Just wait."
"Alright," Lucy nodded reluctantly. She trusted Jehfrit not to make mistakes in such critical moments.
"Coco, what are you doing? Give me the key!" Byro demanded.
"No!" Coco clutched the key tightly. "Exterminating the Exceeds is wrong! What about Lily? He's an Exceed too! What will happen to him?"
"At this point, what are you talking about? This is the king's command!" Byro snapped.
"I'm sorry—" Coco shook her head, backing away step by step, clutching the key protectively.