"Measure the heavens, open the gates of creation, summon all the stars, gather all the light… Appear before me now, Four Books! I am the Sovereign of the Celestial Realm… Complete Liberation! Unlock all Gates of Desolation!"
"Grand Celestial Chronicle: Atlas of the Eighty-Eight Constellations!"
Lucy's clear, resonant voice echoed across the battlefield, her incantation ringing like sacred music. As she and her celestial twin completed the chant, a radiant golden light flared from their bodies, enveloping them both in a blinding brilliance.
The once-blue sky darkened in an instant, swallowed by pitch-black night as if the world itself had fallen beneath an endless eclipse.
All around, countless massive stars began to shine—each one as dazzling as a jewel, descending from the heavens at breathtaking speed. They converged from every direction, circling around Kael, forming an awe-inspiring celestial ring that illuminated the void.
The sight was breathtaking—like watching the birth of a new cosmos.
Then Lucy raised both hands high, her golden eyes flashing. With a single, forceful motion, she thrust her arms toward Kael's position.
Instantly, the gathered stars erupted into motion, streaking toward him like a storm of furious meteors.
Each star burned with unrestrained energy, blazing trails across the heavens as they tore through the night sky with a deafening roar. The air trembled under the force; the pressure alone felt like it could shatter mountains.
Kael's eyes widened slightly, and a low chuckle escaped him.
"Oh-ho… now that's terrifying."
For the first time, he felt an overwhelming sense of pressure—not from fear, but from sheer awe.
Standing amidst this cosmic storm, Kael realized how small he was before the immensity of such power. The blazing starlight filled every corner of the world, threatening to consume everything—including him.
He smiled, genuinely impressed.
"Lucy… you may still need your Celestial Spirits' aid, but it seems you've truly mastered this magic."
Watching her channel such divine energy with perfect focus, Kael couldn't help but nod in approval. Her mana output was steady and pure, her control flawless. She had improved beyond recognition.
But now—it was time for Kael to answer with his own full strength.
His eyes sharpened like a hawk's.
A surge of raw battle aura erupted from him, black and violet, flooding the air like a tidal wave. It coiled around his blade—Dragon's Lament—sheathing the weapon in rippling, obsidian energy.
"Time to show them… the true power of a master swordsman."
Bending slightly at the knees, Kael steadied himself midair—no magic used, no wings, just pure control and balance.
The air around him trembled as his killing intent deepened. The pressure from his stance alone was enough to warp the space beneath him.
In that suspended moment, razor-sharp sword energy radiated outward, slicing through the very air.
The sound was deafening.
Ancient trees on the ground below split apart as if struck by invisible blades. Trunks toppled, branches shattered, leaves fluttered down in swirling waves, creating a rain of green under the darkened sky.
But just as the overwhelming sword aura was about to crash down upon the others, a mysterious counterforce surged upward—an unseen blade of will that cut through Kael's residual energy and erased it completely.
It was silent. Invisible. Yet terrifying.
Like a calm sea hiding a monstrous leviathan beneath the surface.
Kael's strike had awakened something deep and ancient. A rumble echoed through the air—low, guttural, as if the earth itself had roared in anger.
The pressure was suffocating. The air froze. Even breathing became difficult.
Everyone on the ground felt it—the crushing dread, the invisible weight pressing against their chests.
Even Erza, who had acted quickly to retract her own sword aura, couldn't entirely dispel the tension that lingered.
For a long moment, no one dared to move.
Then all eyes turned to her—Erza Scarlet, standing poised and calm, her aura burning crimson-black like a smoldering forge.
Her sword intent alone made the others shudder.
"So that's… the Sword Aura of a true master…" whispered Juvia, her voice trembling with awe.
"Incredible…" murmured Ultear, with Meredy nodding beside her.
"Lucy's ultimate magic, combined with Erza's blade…" Gajeel muttered, a wild grin spreading across his face.
"Maybe… just maybe… we can actually win this!" cried Natsu, clenching his fists, fire flickering in his eyes.
Wendy, standing behind him, continued to channel support magic, her small hands glowing with runes of healing and enchantment. Her lips moved silently—a prayer for victory.
At that moment, every member of Fairy Tail was united in one heartbeat of shared belief.
They truly believed—together, they could defeat Kael.
Kael's aura flared again. In just a single second, his focus peaked—his body poised like a drawn blade.
"Ittō-Ryū… Iai Slash!"
With that shout, he unsheathed Dragon's Lament in a blur of light.
A colossal arc of violet-gold energy exploded from his blade, shaped like a crescent moon large enough to cover the heavens.
The slash screamed through the sky, fracturing the night itself as thousands of razor-like beams burst outward.
Each blade carried earth-shattering force as they collided head-on with the descending stars.
The explosion was apocalyptic.
BOOM!
Stars shattered in midair, their fragments scattering like cosmic dust. The night sky itself seemed to tear apart, leaving jagged black cracks streaking across the firmament before splintering into nothingness.
Lucy's Grand Celestial Chronicle—her most powerful magic—was obliterated under Kael's strike.
Yet even weakened, his violet-gold slash did not fade. Its momentum remained unstoppable as it carved straight toward Erza.
Facing that monstrous attack, Erza's expression remained perfectly calm.
Her eyes glowed faintly red as she raised her blade—a demonic, crimson-black katana.
With one swift motion, she swung it.
SHRRAAAK!
A streak of red-black light tore through the void, colliding head-on with Kael's golden strike.
The moment the two forces met—
The world exploded.
A cyclone of destruction erupted, wild and all-consuming. The very wind screamed, every current carrying the edge of a blade. The pressure shredded the air, bending trees, splitting stone, turning the ground into chaos.
At the heart of the storm, the two sword auras clashed like raging beasts locked in mortal combat.
Each refused to yield.
Their colliding energies twisted into a massive vortex of light and darkness, devouring everything in its path.
The shockwaves tore through the landscape—mountains cracked, trees shattered, and even the distant town of Magnolia trembled under the impact.
The guild members were barely able to stand. The wind howled like a beast, forcing them to shield their faces as debris flew past.
The sheer force left everyone speechless.
"Unbelievable…" whispered Gray.
Erza exhaled sharply, her magic nearly spent—but her resolve unbroken.
"Requip—Adamantine Armor!" she commanded, her voice echoing through the roar.
Golden light enveloped her as her body transformed, her armor hardening into glimmering diamond plates.
"Adamantine Barrier!"
A massive, translucent wall of golden light expanded before them, absorbing the shockwave's fury like a fortress forged by gods.
"Gray! Together!" shouted Ultear.
"Got it!" he replied instantly.
"I'm helping too!" added Meredy, rushing forward.
Their hands linked—magic flowing through their bodies like connecting rivers.
In the next instant, an icy surge burst forth.
"Ice-Make: Hexagram Seal!"
A towering wall of pink-and-blue crystal ice formed ahead of Erza's barrier, reinforcing it layer by layer.
The blizzard-like chill filled the air as the twin defenses fused into one—unyielding and radiant.
Even the citizens of Magnolia could see it from afar.
"What's going on over there?"
"Don't tell me it's Fairy Tail again!"
People leaned out from windows, eyes wide, staring at the distant tornado of magic tearing through the horizon.
At this point, they didn't even need to ask.
Whenever chaos erupted, Fairy Tail was always the prime suspect.
"Kael, that reckless fool…" grumbled Makarov, standing atop the guildhall's roof, rubbing his forehead in exasperation while clenching his fist.
He didn't need to see it to know—the training grounds were utterly destroyed.
The thought alone nearly made him cry.
"Now, now, Third Master," came a gentle voice from above.
Mavis Vermillion, the First Guild Master, floated gracefully in the air beside him, her golden hair swaying softly.
She placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled kindly.
"This is just what makes Fairy Tail… Fairy Tail. Try to keep a calm heart."
Makarov sighed, half in despair, half in pride.