Natsu and the others didn't fully grasp the situation, but Kael did.
The magic-tech in this world wasn't bad. The problem was the people using it—most of them were just regular humans with no magic of their own.
A normal human had a hard limit. No matter how fancy the gear, it could only carry them so far. In a real fight, that gap showed fast.
And as for the enemy numbers—sure, it was annoying. Not impossible.
Lucy glared at him. "You… you're way too full of yourself!"
Kael's calm only made it worse. He was talking about the Royal Army like it was an inconvenience. The Royal Army—where every soldier carried high-grade magic equipment.
Kael didn't blink. "Maybe. So just tell me where the Royal City is."
Lucy bit back a curse. "Fine. If you're determined to throw your life away, I'm not stopping you. Keep going this way. On foot, you'll reach the Royal City in about five days."
"Five days?" Kael nodded like that was good news. "That's closer than I expected. Thanks."
Natsu's eyes lit up. "Perfect! Now that we know where we're going, it's simple. We get to the Royal City and bring everyone back!"
Wendy nodded hard, almost bouncing. "Yeah!"
Lucy threw her hands up. "Did you people hear anything I said?! That's the Edolas Royal City! They've got a hundred thousand soldiers armed to the teeth! How do you expect a handful of you to beat the Royal Army?!"
Her voice cracked with frustration. Had she not explained it clearly? Why were they acting like this was a casual walk?
Natsu's expression tightened into something unbreakable. "We know. And we're still going. We're not leaving our friends behind."
Carla's tail flicked sharply. "Move. If we waste time, they could really be converted into magic power."
"Right!" Natsu and the others were already turning, ready to charge off.
Kael lifted a hand. "Wait."
Natsu paused. "What is it?"
Kael's gaze slid past them—straight to Lisanna. "Lisanna. Your sister Mira and your brother Elfman… they miss you. Are you coming back with us?"
The air in the guild snapped tight.
Edolas Fairy Tail moved instantly—bodies shifting, shoulders squaring, stepping between Kael and Lisanna like a wall.
"The hell are you saying?!"
"Lisanna is our Lisanna!"
"If you want the Lisanna from your world, go find her somewhere else!"
"Yeah! Don't you dare try to take her!"
Lucy shoved forward, furious. "Get out. Now. You're not welcome here!"
Even Natsu hesitated, confused. "Kael… that's not the Lisanna we know. This is Edolas Lisanna."
Happy nodded, uneasy. "Yeah… our Lisanna is gone. She… she died in that accident."
Kael's voice didn't waver. "No. She's the Lisanna from our world."
The guild erupted.
"Get out of here!"
"Now!"
"Or we'll make you!"
Hands went to weapons. Feet braced. The moment teetered on the edge of violence.
Kael clicked his tongue—cold, dismissive.
Then—
BOOM.
Power exploded off him like a shockwave.
The entire guild hall shuddered. Floorboards splintered beneath his boots, cracks racing outward. His coat snapped like a flag in a storm, and his hair lifted as if the air itself had turned electric.
"Uwoooooh…!" Natsu stared, jaw slack.
Kael rarely showed his magic like this. He was always strong, always capable—but he didn't usually let it spill out raw.
This time, there was no mistaking it.
Even without Take Over, Kael's reserves were monstrous—top-tier. In all of Fairy Tail, only the Master and Gildarts carried more sheer magical weight.
And honestly… that tracked. Someone who could fire off an attack strong enough to wipe out Nirvana wasn't going to have "average" magic.
Wendy's breath caught. "That… that's insane…"
Happy and Carla stared, stunned into silence.
The Edolas members had it worse.
They weren't mages. They had no inner magic to brace against it. Kael's pressure crushed down on them like deep water—heavy, suffocating, merciless. In that moment, he didn't feel human at all.
Kael pulled his magic back.
Only then did the room breathe again.
Lucy swayed, eyes wide. "W-What was that? Magic…? How? You don't even have any magic items—nothing! How are you using magic?!"
Kael shook his head once. "That wasn't an item. That was just… magic power."
"Magic power?!" Voices overlapped in disbelief.
"How can a body hold magic power?"
"And that much?!"
Their world ran on Lacrima. Magic came from tools, from stones—not from people. What Kael had just released could've powered a teleport circle by itself.
Carla crossed her arms, tone sharp. "Earth Land humans are different. We're born with magic inside us. We spend it, it comes back, and with training it grows. Kael is an exceptionally strong mage. He could wipe out an entire mage guild alone—and I don't mean a guild like yours. I mean guilds full of mages."
It wasn't just an explanation. It was a warning: Don't try anything.
And it wasn't exaggeration.
Each member of Oración Seis had enough power to tear a guild apart. Kael had put every one of them down.
The Edolas Kingdom was terrifying on paper. But with Kael here… rescuing their friends wasn't a fantasy anymore.
Happy frowned, still stuck on one thing. "Kael… how are you so sure she's the Lisanna from our world? You never met her, right?"
Kael's expression softened—almost amused. "Simple. People here don't carry magic inside them. She does."
Everyone turned.
Kael continued, voice certain. "It's not overwhelming, but it's not weak either. Honestly, it's stronger than most mages in this guild. That's how I knew she doesn't belong here. And if she isn't from this world… she has to be from ours."
He glanced toward Lisanna again. "Mira told me her sister vanished after being blown away when Elfman lost control. That's why they thought she'd died."
"What?!" Natsu whipped his head toward Lisanna.
The room went still—like someone had slammed the brakes on reality.
Natsu and Happy looked like they couldn't decide whether to breathe or scream. Excitement sparked in their eyes, tangled up with fear—because hope hurt the most when it might be real.
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