The bruised purple sky swirled like a vortex around the Dorma Anim's exposed, blood-red core.
King Faust laughed, a harsh, grating sound that vibrated through the air.
The mechanical beast's new frame was sleek, shedding its bulky outer armor for raw, concentrated power.
"Your magic is mine!" Faust shrieked. "All of it! The Dragon Slayers, the Exceeds, the entire world!"
Natsu dropped to one knee on Airdramon's back, gasping for air.
The bright flames around his fists flickered and died. Gajeel gritted his teeth, his iron arms reverting back to normal flesh.
Even Wendy stumbled, the supportive wind around her vanishing.
"It's pulling everything," Natsu groaned, gripping his chest. "I can't spark a single flame."
Ace stood at the front of the winged serpent.
He didn't say a word, nor did he boast. He just pointed at the towering machine.
"Take it apart."
CresGarurumon's golden armor flared.
The Mega-level knight didn't bother charging a ranged attack. He fired his thrusters, leaving a trail of blue light as he rocketed straight toward the Dorma Anim's glowing core.
"Fool!" Faust yelled, aiming the mechanical dragon's massive claws. "Black Sky absorbs all incoming energy!"
The Dorma Anim swung its heavy claw, aiming to crush the golden knight mid-flight.
CresGarurumon banked sharply, his agility far surpassing the bulky machine.
He spin in mid-air, bringing his crescent halberd around in a devastating upward arc.
The golden blade struck the mechanical arm.
There was no magical blast to absorb. It was just the sheer, unstoppable force of Chrome Digizoid colliding with Edolas machinery!
The Dorma Anim's arm cleanly severed at the joint, crashing into the courtyard below in a shower of sparks.
Faust's confident laughter died in his throat. "What?! That's impossible! The core is active!"
"Your core absorbs ethernano," Ace called out, his voice echoing over the roaring winds. "You're fighting something else."
CresGarurumon didn't give the King a second to process the loss of his arm.
The golden knight closed the distance to the exposed chest.
"Beast Cyclone!"
CresGarurumon spun his entire body, turning into a golden, bladed tornado. The heavy halberd chewed through the Dorma Anim's inner frame, tearing the red-hot metal to shreds.
The wizard-canceling properties were useless against the physical onslaught.
With a final, deafening crunch, the golden halberd pierced directly into the Dorma Anim's glowing red core.
The machine froze and the purple vortex in the sky immediately dissipated.
A massive shockwave of pure, uncontained energy erupted from the broken core. The Dorma Anim exploded, breaking into a thousand pieces of burning scrap metal.
King Faust was thrown clear of the blast, tumbling through the air before crashing hard onto the cobblestones of the Royal Courtyard.
The King of Edolas was down!
Natsu let out a heavy breath, falling onto his back.
"Man, I owe you one, Ace."
Gajeel crossed his arms, smirking. "That golden dog packs a serious punch."
CresGarurumon landed smoothly on the ground next to the defeated King, his halberd resting at his side.
He looked up at Ace and nodded.
...
High above the courtyard, on a shattered floating island, another battle reached its end.
Earthland Erza and Erza Knightwalker clashed one final time.
Their weapons—the standard broadsword and the shifting spear Silfarion—struck each other with everything they had left.
Both weapons shattered into tiny fragments.
The two scarlet-haired warriors plummeted toward the ground, exhausted and bruised.
They crashed into a ruined courtyard, panting heavily.
Knightwalker struggled to her knees, glaring at her counterpart. "Why... why don't you just finish me?"
"Because we're Fairy Tail. We fight to live, not to destroy," Earth-Erza said, standing up despite her injuries.
She offered a hand to the defeated Fairy Hunter.
Knightwalker stared at the offered hand, tears finally welling in her sharp eyes.
She didn't take it, but the fight drained out of her entirely.
...
Back on Airdramon, Wendy pointed up at the sky. "Look! The Anima!"
A massive, glowing portal tore open in the sky above the Royal Capital. It was identical to the vortex that absorbed Magnolia, but the energy was flowing in reverse.
A bright, warm light spilled out from the rift.
Below them, Mystogan walked into the courtyard.
He wore his Royal garments, the staff slung over his back. He looked up at the portal with a sad smile on his face.
"Mystogan!" Natsu yelled, leaning over the serpent's side. "What's going on?!"
"I reversed the Anima," Mystogan explained, his voice carrying through the quiet courtyard. "It's pulling all Earthland magic back to where it belongs. The giant lacrima, the Exceeds who want to leave, and all of you. You're going home."
"What about you?" Wendy asked, her voice trembling.
"I'm the Prince of Edolas," Mystogan said, looking at the ruined palace and his defeated father. "My world has lost its magic. I have to stay here and guide my people into a new era. An era without ethernano."
Natsu gritted his teeth, tears forming in his eyes.
He didn't want to say goodbye, but he knew they couldn't force Mystogan to abandon his home.
"You better be a great King!" Natsu yelled, wiping his eyes. "Or Fairy Tail is gonna come back and kick your butt!"
Mystogan smiled, raising a hand in a classic Fairy Tail salute. "Farewell, my friends."
A warm, golden light enveloped Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, Gray, and Erza.
Happy and Carla began to float upward, their bodies glowing as the Anima locked onto their Earthland signatures.
Ace watched his hands glow.
The portal recognized his physical body as an Earthland entity, pulling him along with the rest of the guild.
"Airdramon, CresGarurumon, Gatomon, Wizardmon," Ace commanded. "Return."
The four Digimon dissolved into streams of data, flying back into his D-Tector.
He slipped the device into his coat pocket.
As they floated higher into the sky, drawn toward the massive Anima portal, Ace looked down.
He saw Edo-Lucy waving frantically from the edge of the courtyard, Edo-Gray shivering next to her, and Edo-Natsu crying in his magical car.
"Goodbye, Edolas," Wendy whispered, holding Carla tight.
The golden light flashed, blinding them all.
The tearing sensation of dimensional travel washed over them, but this time, it didn't feel like being stolen. It felt like a warm embrace.
When the light finally faded, the harsh, greenish sky of Edolas was gone.
They fell through the air, landing softly in a field of green grass.
Natsu sat up, looking around. A few yards away, the towering, noisy, chaotic building of the Fairy Tail guildhall stood perfectly intact.
The citizens of Magnolia were wandering around, looking confused but unharmed.
"We're back," Gray breathed, looking at his hands.
"We did it," Erza smiled, a profound relief washing over her face.
The heavy oak doors of the guildhall burst open. Master Makarov walked out, blinking in the bright sunlight.
Behind him, Macao, Wakaba, Elfman, and the rest of the guild poured out into the streets, looking around in a daze.
"Natsu? Erza?" Makarov asked, scratching his head. "What happened? One second we were drinking, and the next we're standing outside."
Natsu leaped up, a massive, fiery grin stretching across his face.
He didn't bother explaining.
He just ran forward, throwing his arms around the old master.
"WE'RE HOME!"
Ace stood at the edge of the field, watching the tearful, chaotic reunion. He smiled, feeling the comforting warmth of the Earthland sun on his face.
The long, crazy adventure through another dimension was finally over!
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