"Another Dimension Space!"
On the open ground outside Fairy Tail's giant treehouse, Marco, clad in the Gemini Gold Cloth, made his move once more.
Surging magical power tore open a spatial passage, this time connecting directly to the royal city.
As Marco's connection with the "Gemini" grew stronger, his mastery over Another Dimension Space became increasingly proficient.
Previously, he wouldn't casually use Another Dimension Space for long-distance spatial travel, but now he had it completely under control.
"The other end of this spatial passage leads to the royal city of Edolas! Prepare for battle! Let's move out and end this once and for all!"
At Marco's shout, everyone's spirits lifted.
They responded with loud affirmations and followed Mystogan into the magical vortex.
After emerging from the magical vortex, they immediately spotted the royal city not far away, situated at the foot of the hill.
The exit point of Another Dimension Space was on a small hill outside the city, providing a perfect vantage point to overlook the royal capital.
Sunlight cast a dark golden outline over the massive city, while enormous shadows stretched from the clusters of buildings.
The enormous city was circular in overall layout, surrounded by thick walls constructed from dark gray giant stones.
Inside stood rows of peculiar buildings, mostly with pointed roofs.
At the very center of this large circle stood a smaller, elevated circle.
That smaller circle was naturally the royal palace.
Several towering spires rose like swords pointing toward the sky, appearing particularly grim and conspicuous in the twilight.
It resembled a fortress more than a palace.
"Something feels off. The architectural style is completely different from our Fiore Kingdom," Goldmine commented, adjusting his glasses.
This royal city and palace were entirely different from Crocus in the Fiore Kingdom, making it impossible for them to discern the functions of these buildings.
They couldn't even identify the core area of the smaller circular "palace."
"Shouldn't it be the top? The summit of that fortress-like castle," Bob pointed toward the peak of the ring-shaped fortress-like castle, where the spire reflected cold, metallic glints in the sunlight.
Logically, the king wouldn't reside in the lower levels.
"No, the upper levels of that castle are the prison," Mystogan shook his head, revealing the startling truth that shocked everyone.
"This central castle is indeed a fortress. The royal palace, military barracks, and prison are all part of it. This is the core of the entire Edolas Kingdom—all its secrets and power are concentrated here."
As the prince, Mystogan had naturally grown up within this central fortress castle and remained familiar with its layout.
During his childhood, this fortress had been his entire world.
Of course, Mystogan had never been one to stay content.
As he grew older, he began yearning for the world beyond these castle walls and would often sneak out to explore.
Recalling his childhood, Mystogan's expression shifted emotionally.
His gaze, hidden beneath his mask, swept complexly over the cold outlines of the spires.
Mystogan had no desire to be an enemy of the "Edolas Kingdom."
After all, this was his homeland, his native country.
But to end the evil and thwart his father's plans, he had to stand up and fight!
"Let's move, straight to that castle. As long as we capture the king, overthrow his rule, and let Mystogan inherit this kingdom, Anima will never threaten our world again."
Marco was the last to emerge from the spatial rift, then immediately took the lead and strode forward, with everyone quickly following him.
With a wave of his hand, Marco sent "rustling" black feathers swirling through the sky, releasing countless large ravens that surged forth like an ink tide from the void.
This time he had brought a considerable number of ravens with him.
"Go! We'll airdrop directly into the castle!"
Marco lightly tapped his toes, grabbed onto a raven, and immediately took flight.
The strong wind instantly billowed the cape of his Cloth.
The other Mages followed his example—some grabbing ravens, others stepping on or clinging to them—everyone rising into the air following Marco.
The imperial city's population distribution remained quite dense.
Since they didn't want to involve ordinary civilians in their operation, taking the conventional route was unnecessary.
Dropping directly from the sky to storm the castle was the optimal solution.
A "dark cloud" composed of numerous large ravens blotted out the sunlight, their wingbeats merging into a low, unsettling hum.
This dark cloud swept toward the imperial city with a roaring sound—a massive, oppressive mass that naturally quickly alerted the city's guards.
The guards on the city walls stared dumbfounded at the rapidly approaching black cloud, completely uncertain how to respond.
Panicked shouts rose and fell along the battlements.
Before they could receive orders from their superiors, the dark cloud had already swept over the walls with a howling wind pressure, flying above the royal palace before plunging into the castle like a black waterfall.
Black feathers fell like ink-colored snow as a flock of ravens dove down with sharp, piercing sounds, leaving the castle guards utterly stunned.
The royal city maintained numerous guards—Marco had noticed during his last visit that it resembled a fortress more than a palace, with patrol soldiers constantly moving about everywhere.
"Thud! Thud!"
Under the swift and powerful impacts of the ravens, armored guards were sent scattering in disarray, collapsing like bowling pins struck by a ball.
The clatter of metal hitting the ground echoed incessantly.
The Mages from "Fairy Tail," "Blue Pegasus," and "Quatro Cerberus" immediately joined the battle upon dismounting from the ravens.
Their movements were crisp and efficient—magical lights and gusts from spells and physical strikes radiating everywhere—instantly clearing the guards from their landing area and knocking them unconscious before tossing them aside.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
The fortress responded to the assault with remarkable speed.
"Ding-ding-ding" alarm bells immediately rang throughout the castle.
Guards sprang into action, and the elite "Magic War Unit" of the "Edolas Kingdom" promptly mobilized, charging toward the scene.
They truly lived up to being a unit constantly engaged in combat with Magic Guilds.
Of course, their rapid response was also closely related to the incident Marco had caused during his previous visit to the imperial city.
The death of Edolas Marco and the massive explosion in the imperial city had prompted the "Edolas Kingdom" to declare a highest-level alert.
The king had grown somewhat fearful, worried that his palace might be the next target.
The last time Marco came, he certainly stirred up quite a commotion, putting significant pressure on this world's "Fairy Tail" and forcing them to flee frequently, living in rather miserable conditions.
This time, when they met, some of them were even dressed in tattered clothes.
However, their suffering would soon come to an end.
The "Expeditionary Force" that had breached the royal palace would put a stop to it all.
"Follow me."
With Mystogan here, no matter how complex the palace fortress was, they wouldn't get lost.
Although seven years had passed, the interior of the palace hadn't changed much, so it wasn't enough to confuse even Mystogan.
The group swiftly moved through the cold, massive corridors built from giant stones, with uniquely styled wall lamps hanging on the walls, casting a dim, flickering light.
Before long, they arrived at a strange place—an amusement park.
Yes, right in the middle of the palace fortress, there was an amusement park, leaving everyone utterly stunned.
A giant, silently standing carousel stood with its paint peeling, while a tall Ferris wheel cast a massive shadow under the dim light.
The twisted and winding roller coaster tracks were rusted, resembling a slumbering steel serpent, and a large pirate ship rested not far away.
The air in the amusement park carried a faint scent of old paint, starkly contrasting with the solemn, oppressive atmosphere of the fortress palace.
"Even though I've come to accept the architectural style of this other world, having an amusement park inside the palace, inside this fortress?! Isn't that a bit too incongruous?!"
Gray clutched his head, finding it hard to accept.
In such a serious situation, while they were storming the palace, they ended up in an amusement park?! It seemed completely off!
The main issue wasn't just having a slide or a carousel in a small garden—that would have been acceptable, as the palace might have such things for children to play with.
But this large amusement park had everything from a Ferris wheel and a pirate ship to roller coasters, covering a considerable area.
"Everyone, be careful. This is actually a defensive measure."
Faced with the group's shock and confusion, Mystogan spoke up to warn them.
If he hadn't, they might have thought this place was built for him as a child.
In reality, it was a crucial line of defense in the palace.
To proceed further into the palace and meet the king, they had to pass through here.
"A defensive line?!"
Mystogan's words only added to everyone's astonishment.
How could an amusement park serve as a defense? By distracting enemies with its attractions?
"You people have some nerve, daring to force your way into the palace!"
Before Mystogan could explain further, a young male figure emerged from the shadows, accompanied by a grating friction sound, riding a massive pirate ship as it slid toward the group.
The young man stood atop the pirate ship's figurehead, looking down at them with a mix of arrogance and wariness.
The pirate ship had just glided across the ground, moving on dry land, which looked utterly bizarre.
"So, the baton has been passed to you now?"
Mystogan frowned as he looked at the young man with purple hair and a streak of white at the front—this was the guardian of this checkpoint.
"W-wait! Who are you?!"
The condescending young man stared at the intruders before him, his eyes widening in shock as he recognized faces that shouldn't be there - people who had already died in this world!
"They're invaders from Earth Land!"
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