Chapter 310: Eclipse Gate
"This... I have only just learned of this news myself. Although it is hard to believe, it is not without foundation."
The expression on King Toma E. Fiore's face did not look like he was joking at all, and no ruling monarch could ever afford to make such a grim joke before the assembled might of his country.
Standing before the gathered Mages in the grand plaza, the normally cheerful and slightly eccentric pumpkin-loving King looked utterly exhausted.
The heavy crown upon his head seemed to weigh him down more than usual, casting dark shadows over his aged, lined face.
The festive atmosphere of the Grand Magic Games had been completely stripped away, replaced by a suffocating, terrifying tension that gripped the heart of every single person present.
Everyone couldn't help but start discussing it in hushed, fearful whispers; just hearing about such an apocalyptic scenario was terrifying enough to make seasoned veterans tremble.
"Just one Acnologia was enough to leave us completely helpless..."
Evergreen's face was solemn, her fan snapping shut as her knuckles turned white.
She couldn't help the primal, suffocating fear rising within her chest.
For the rest of the world, seven long years had passed, but for the core members of Fairy Tail, the apocalyptic events on Tenrou Island were a nightmare from only three months ago.
The memory of that colossal black beast descending from the heavens, the absolute despair of facing a creature immune to all human magic, was permanently scarred into her soul.
"Even if Acnologia is a special case among their kind..." Freed Justine muttered, his hand resting on the hilt of his rapier as cold sweat beaded on his forehead.
"Ten thousand Dragons..." Bickslow finished the thought, his usually manic energy completely gone.
Everyone in the plaza felt a heavy, throbbing headache building behind their eyes as their minds tried to comprehend the sheer, impossible scale of the threat.
"Currently, a large-scale, highly classified operation is being implemented in the lowest levels of Mercurius castle: the Eclipse Project." King Toma explained, his voice echoing off the stone walls.
"The ultimate goal of this plan is to utilize the stored magic of the Eclipse Gate as a cannon to annihilate the ten thousand Dragons in one fell swoop."
The King paused, gripping the fabric of his royal garments tightly.
"However, since there are ten thousand of these legendary beasts, our magical analysts speculate that a few, or perhaps several hundred, will inevitably survive the initial blast."
King Toma took a step forward, leaving the safety of his royal guards behind.
"Everyone from the Mage Guilds, heroes of Fiore... no matter what grievances you hold, please lend us your strength."
To the absolute shock of everyone present, the sovereign ruler of the entire Fiore Kingdom fell to his knees.
"We hope to use everyone's combined strength to defeat the surviving Dragons. That's how it is—please, I beg of you, save this country."
King Toma bowed deeply, his forehead pressing against the cold, hard cobblestone of the plaza.
He wasn't pleading as a King to his subjects; he was pleading as a desperate father and an old man trying to protect his home.
"Ooooh!!"
"Of course!!"
"Leave it to us, Your Majesty!!"
"How could we possibly be defeated by a bunch of overgrown lizards!!"
"This is our country!! We will protect it!!"
Seeing the proud King discarding his ultimate authority and dignity to plead with them like this, all the Mages responded with explosive, unyielding morale.
The fear that had gripped the plaza just moments ago was instantly shattered, replaced by a roaring blaze of fighting spirit and unwavering unity.
"Waaaah... Thank you... Thank you all so much..."
The King's tears flowed uncontrollably, soaking the stone beneath him as relief washed over his weary soul.
"Dragons?" Sting Eucliffe murmured, sitting against a nearby pillar.
His muscular body was heavily bandaged, and faint wisps of steam still rose from his skin.
Rogue Cheney sat beside him, looking equally battered, his shadows uncharacteristically subdued. "It's time for us to finally take the stage. We are Dragon Slayers, after all."
The two of them had been severely injured by Ren's 'Merciless Sun' attack during the tournament.
[Akarin's Note: "Merciless Sun" (Cruel Sun) is a tremendously powerful fire technique from the Seven Deadly Sins crossover abilities Ren possesses. It mimics the miniature heat of a literal star.]
Ironically, the miniature sun hadn't even been directly aimed at the Twin Dragons; they had only borne the residual aftershocks of the localized solar flare.
Even then, the terrifying heat had bypassed their Dragon Slayer resistances, leaving them completely unable to withstand the overwhelming power.
Fortunately, the Royal medical team was exceptionally skilled, utilizing high-tier healing Lacrimas to stabilize their burns.
Thanks to their inherent Dragon Slayer vitality, they were temporarily able to move and fight without severe hindrance.
"Good luck, Sting-kun!"
"Frosch thinks so too!"
The little red cat, Lector, was finally released from his captivity and woke up crying tears of joy by Sting's side.
Frosch, the green frog-suited Exceed, hugged Rogue tightly, bringing a rare, genuine smile to the Shadow Dragon Slayer's stoic face.
Not far away, the remaining members of Sabertooth stood in tense silence.
"Where is the young Miss?" Rufus Lore asked, adjusting his feathered hat as his memory magic scanned the surrounding crowds.
Orga Nanagear crossed his massive arms, his dark lightning crackling faintly in agitation.
"I don't know," Orga grunted, his expression sour. "When I woke up from that absolute beating, she was nowhere to be seen. She probably fled when things went south."
Over with the Blue Pegasus group, Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki struck a handsome, glittering pose despite his bruises.
"The wills of all the beautiful guilds of Fiore gathered together against a legendary threat—what a wonderful, intoxicating parfum!" Ichiya sniffed the air deeply, tears welling in his large eyes.
Eve Tearm, the blonde pretty boy of the Trimens, smiled brightly. "Dragons versus Blue Pegasus, huh? It looks like it'll make for quite a spectacular scene. We can't let the ladies down!"
[Akarin's Note: The raw text erroneously named the speaker "Ivan" here. Ivan Dreyar was the Master of Raven Tail and had already been disqualified and arrested. Contextually, this line belonged to a member of Blue Pegasus. I have corrected it to Eve Tearm for Wiki accuracy.]
"Go for it! Give it everything you've got!" The cheers from the minor guilds and the royal guards echoed around them.
Standing near the front of the Fairy Tail group, Ren casually scratched the back of his head in a classic tsundere style.
"Tch! What a pain in the ass," Ren muttered, though a faint, confident smirk played on his lips. "Since the King asked so nicely and got on his knees, I guess I have no choice but to help clean up this mess."
Nearby, the female Mages of Mermaid Heel were regrouping.
"Little Kagura, are you okay?" Millianna asked anxiously, her cat-like eyes full of deep concern.
She gently supported Kagura Mikazuchi's arm. Kagura had fought a desperate, brutal battle against Ren, and Millianna didn't know the full extent of her internal injuries.
With an even more dangerous, apocalyptic battle against legendary Dragons lying dead ahead, Millianna was truly terrified for her guild master's safety.
"I'm fine, Millianna," Kagura shook her head, though her breathing was still slightly ragged.
Her pristine white uniform was torn and stained with soot.
She had already been pushed to the absolute end of her rope when she took Ren's overwhelming attack, and then the treacherous Minerva had cowardishly snatched the final credit for her elimination.
This highly dishonorable outcome made her very unhappy.
Of course, Kagura was a seasoned warrior; she hadn't trusted the Sabertooth's young Miss for a single second from the start.
It could only be objectively said that Ren was simply a monster whose strength defied all logic and reason.
"To fight side by side with all of you once again... it is truly nostalgic," Jura Neekis commented, his deep voice rumbling with quiet strength.
The towering Wizard Saint tucked his large hands into the sleeves of his Lamia Scale robes.
Looking at the united fronts of Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, and the others, he was instantly reminded of the formation of the Allied Forces that took down the Oración Seis seven long years ago.
"Are you absolutely sure you're alright, Mr. Jura?" Sherria Blendy asked with genuine concern, her youthful face clouded with worry.
"Yeah, I'm okay. The lingering pain won't affect my fighting ability much," Jura smiled warmly down at the two young girls. "I have you and Wendy to thank for that miraculous recovery."
After Jura had returned from his devastating defeat, his body battered and his magic reserves completely drained, Wendy Marvell had immediately taken the initiative to rush over and help heal his deep wounds.
Having once been a vital part of the same Allied Forces, the Sky Dragon Slayer felt an overwhelming need to help out her old comrade in such a dire situation.
Her soothing, cool wind magic had mended his broken bones and stabilized his erratic magical flow.
"I'm going to spin!! Let the power of youth spin!!"
Ooba Babasama, the eccentric Master of Lamia Scale, spun herself rapidly like a human top, her bizarre battle cry adding a touch of much-needed humor to the grim atmosphere.
"Ren, what do you think about all this?" Makarov Dreyar asked, crossing his tiny arms as he looked up toward the young man who had single-handedly secured their absolute victory in the tournament.
Ren frowned deeply, tapping his chin in deep thought.
He had some vague meta-knowledge and fragmented memories of this specific canon event regarding the Dragons and the Eclipse Gate, but he felt like he had forgotten a crucial detail.
He had been drinking at the local Magnolia taverns a bit too frequently lately to celebrate their consecutive victories, and his memory of the original plotline was starting to slip. Many specific timeline things were hard to recall accurately.
"Hmm... I think the King is being way too stingy," Ren finally concluded, his tone completely serious.
"For an apocalyptic crisis of this insane level, he should at least issue an official SS-class suppression mission through the Magic Council."
Ren clicked his tongue and curled his lip in blatant annoyance.
His system-based, RPG-like mindset immediately sought out the optimal profit.
For something this ridiculously big, involving an army of legendary monsters, it would be absolutely great if a formal mission were issued so he could officially accept it and reap massive system rewards.
Without a registered mission and guaranteed bounties, how was this scenario any different from volunteering to do backbreaking labor for free?
"..."
Makarov was completely, utterly speechless.
A massive sweatdrop formed on the back of the Third Master's bald head. He hadn't expected Ren, possessing the power of a walking god, to be shamelessly thinking about mission payouts and profit margins at a critical time when the fate of humanity hung in the balance.
In the distance, hidden securely within the deep shadows of the castle's towering archways, Lahar and Mest Gryder stood in absolute silence.
The two Magic Council operatives were there on standby and had also heard the King's horrifying announcement perfectly.
"This is incredible..." Mest breathed out, his eyes wide as he looked at the sea of united guilds. "So many rival Mages seamlessly sharing a common enemy. I never thought I'd see the day."
Mest, whose real identity was the infiltration specialist Doranbolt, couldn't help but be deeply shocked at the magnificent, awe-inspiring sight of all Fiore's guilds standing as one cohesive army.
"Eclipse? He actually confirmed the existence of the Eclipse Gate?"
Lahar's stern, bespectacled face was incredibly heavy, his usually immaculate Rune Knight uniform feeling suddenly restrictive.
"Its mere existence violates at least thirty fundamental laws of magical governance set by the era of the first Chairman."
Lahar pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, his analytical mind calculating the catastrophic risks.
"Given the current, unprecedented situation, it would be best to contact the Council headquarters in Era immediately."
"Wait... wait a moment, Lahar!"
Mest instantly spoke up, stepping out of the shadows to firmly stop him. He grabbed his friend's arm tightly.
"What is it?" Lahar looked at Mest in pure confusion. "This is a class-one emergency. Protocol demands we report this."
"Don't notify headquarters about this yet," Mest pleaded, his voice dropping to a frantic, hushed whisper. "If those paranoid old fools in Era find out about an army of ten thousand Dragons, they might panic and use Etherion to attack this entire capital."
Mest said with a terrifyingly heavy expression, the ghosts of his past haunting his eyes.
"This..."
Lahar froze, the color draining slightly from his composed face as he also realized the grim truth upon hearing Mest's words.
Indeed, if ten thousand Dragons really appeared in the sky, the current Magic Council would absolutely bypass all standard procedures and authorize the use of the satellite magic weapon, Etherion, to strike Crocus.
After all, the threat of ten thousand Dragons was far, far too great to contain conventionally.
As legendary, unstoppable creatures of mass destruction, their sudden appearance here would pose an immediate, massive security risk to the entire world of Earth Land.
This specific term's Magic Council was notoriously strong-handed, led by militant hardliners who favored absolute eradication over negotiation.
Given their ruthless administrative style, using Etherion to vaporize the entire city and the Dragons together was almost a terrifying certainty.
"There are still so many innocent Mages here, as well as thousands of kingdom soldiers and civilians," Mest argued passionately, his grip on Lahar's arm tightening. "If Etherion is dropped from the sky right now, they will all die too. The collateral damage would be unimaginable. This is a very serious matter, Lahar!"
"But..." Lahar hesitated, gritting his teeth in profound frustration.
He had always followed the rules to the absolute letter.
As a highly respected Council Captain of the Custody Enforcement Unit, he couldn't knowingly break the law or ignore a world-ending threat just because of his personal feelings.
"Just wait a bit longer, Lahar. Please, just a bit longer," Mest begged. "The Dragons haven't actually appeared yet, and everything regarding this 'Eclipse Project' is still uncertain. Even if the Dragons do manage to cross over, let's see the tactical situation on the ground first before deciding whether to report it and doom everyone."
Mest stared intensely at Lahar.
Last time, on the shores of Tenrou Island, he had watched completely helplessly from a Council ship as the Fairy Tail members were brutally attacked by the Black Dragon Acnologia's world-ending roar.
The suffocating guilt of abandoning them had eaten at his soul for seven years.
He absolutely couldn't let Etherion fall on everyone's heads this time and become the very weapon that killed them all over again. He refused to be a bystander twice.
"Fine! Let's observe the situation first!" Lahar finally relented, letting out a long, heavy sigh.
"However, Mest, if things become completely irredeemable and the capital falls, notifying the higher-ups to authorize the strike will be our only choice."
Lahar saw the desperate, haunted look in his close friend's eyes and knew exactly what trauma he was thinking about.
Despite his strict adherence to the law, Lahar was still human; he also felt deep down that it would be far too cruel if so many brave people were killed by friendly fire from the Council they served.
Deep underground, beneath the foundations of the Fiore Royal Palace...
Princess Hisui E. Fiore stood before the colossal, imposing structure of the Eclipse Gate.
[Akarin's Note: The MTL originally translated her name literally as Princess Emerald. I have corrected it to her proper canonical name, Princess Hisui.]
The massive circular archway was built from ancient, dark metal, intricately carved with the Zodiac symbols and humming with vast, incomprehensible magical power.
It was a relic of Zeref's dark legacy, a doorway that bridged the gap between four hundred years of history.
Her green hair fluttered slightly in the ambient magical wind generated by the structure. Her beautiful face was set in a mask of absolute, royal determination.
Princess Hisui gave the final, fateful order to the engineers and rune mages manning the consoles:
"From now on, in preparation for intercepting the incoming Dragon swarm, transition the system to the Eclipse Cannon firing sequence!! Unlock the seals!!!"
Kachack! Kachack!!
The massive, heavy mechanical locks of the Eclipse Gate began to unlock, the sound of grinding gears echoing loudly through the vast underground cavern.
Ding-dong! Ding-dong! Ding-dong!!
High above in the capital city of Crocus, the grand clock tower's bells rang out into the night sky, signaling the official arrival of a new day.
The date also moved from July 6th to July 7th.
[Akarin Note:
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