Ignoring Natsu, who was yelling about burning Acnologia to ash, everyone began discussing what to do next.
Mavis's ghost spoke. "In that case, we need to change how we handle the Eclipse Gate."
Charles felt the same. The crux of the future catastrophe was the birth of that dark magic lifeform. Solving the problem at its root was the best course.
Mavis continued, "So what we must do is not stop the gate from opening, but open it and release the immense magic stored within."
Makarov added, "That way, without that magic, the dark magic lifeform won't appear!"
Charles couldn't help regretting it. If he'd known, he would've simply destroyed the Eclipse Gate seven years ago. Now he could only do his best to make amends.
He looked to Future Lucy and said solemnly, "We will absolutely not waste the chance you brought back to change fate. You have my word—we will create a future where everyone can be happy."
Tears spilled in big drops from Lucy's eyes, and she cried as she smiled.
"Mm! I believe in you!"
After a long silence, Levy suddenly said, "By the way, Ryuzetsu Land in the capital is a famous tourist spot. Should we go have some fun?"
"Levy, is now really the time for that?"
"I thought it might help lighten the mood!"
"You know what, you're right. Let's set the heavy stuff aside and play hard first!"
"Yeah!!!"
Even facing the worst possible future, they could still enjoy the present with optimism. That was Fairy Tail!
…
After that wild day, the fourth day's matches began.
Makarov, however, received another bill right on the spot—for the damages Natsu and company had done to the amusement park—his eyes rolled up and went black-and-white.
Future Lucy wasn't suited to be seen, so she stayed at the hotel with the three from Crime Sorcière. The others took part in the Grand Magic Games as usual.
The fourth day's morning event was Naval Battle, and Sabertooth's Minerva took the win.
But this time there was no incident of Minerva abusing Lucy.
Perhaps Charles's reaction yesterday had scared everyone enough that Minerva didn't dare step out of line.
Honestly, if she had tried it, Charles would not have held back—the world could have heard the announcement that Sabertooth no longer existed as early as tomorrow.
In the afternoon battle phase, with Raven Tail expelled, the two Fairy Tail squads merged and six teams competed. Fairy Tail fielded a new lineup.
The new Fairy Tail team consisted of Laxus, Cana, Kagura, Sting, and Rogue.
As strong as that roster already was, everyone knew it wasn't Fairy Tail's strongest.
Many wondered why the Fairy Queen and the Fire Dragon weren't on the field. They didn't know most of Fairy Tail's strength had already been allocated to preparations for what came next.
In the doubles match, the Twin Dragons took the stage and, with their joint secret art, defeated Sabertooth's Minerva and Orga, the Thunder God Slayer.
And so the fourth day came to a close. Next came a rest day, with the finals to be held the day after.
And the day after that was July 7—the Dragon King Festival. It was also the day of the eclipse, when the Eclipse Gate could be activated.
That night, as darkness fell, Charles sensed someone tailing the Fairy Tail group back to the hotel.
He exchanged a glance with the others who'd noticed, then all of them walked on as if nothing were amiss.
Those trailing them were self-aware enough to understand they could do nothing if they showed themselves to Fairy Tail now.
Charles could certainly guess who they were—likely people from the kingdom, most probably subordinates of Arcadios, the captain of the Royal Guard.
Charles had considered that if they told the truth to the kingdom, they might cooperate.
But since the Games began, the kingdom's conduct had hardly inspired trust. To achieve their aims, they had indulged and even cooperated with Raven Tail—enough to show their way of doing things.
At the end of the day, if the Kingdom of Fiore hadn't concocted the Eclipse Plan, there wouldn't be this mess to deal with.
And it was strange: while Fiore was the main stage for the story, it was only a normal country on the continent of Ishgar.
In land and national strength, the Kingdom of Fiore was far from top tier.
Where did they get such a sense of mission—thinking they could take down Zeref and Acnologia and save the world?
Even the Council that governed the whole continent didn't think so boldly. To be blunt, the Kingdom of Fiore wasn't on the level to be worrying about problems concerning the entire world.
It's like a commoner from some country—patriotism is fine, but they can't represent the nation in a war with an enemy state!
Leaving aside that overreach, what really made Charles abandon the idea of cooperating with the kingdom was that the kingdom itself wasn't united.
Arcadios's faction was pushing the Eclipse Plan with all their might, while the minister's faction opposed it. The royal family's position was murky.
Just thinking about it, Charles could feel how complex the kingdom's internal environment was.
Charles believed in humanity's bright points—especially in times of disaster, when qualities like unity and resilience could light the future.
But when danger hadn't yet appeared, humans were usually disappointing. Charles wasn't counting on getting everyone on board in the two days left.
And the kingdom's cooperation wasn't necessary. Whether it was opening and closing the Eclipse Gate or handling any accidents in between, the kingdom couldn't contribute much.
After the rest day came the chaotic melee of the final round.
As the five competitors headed to the arena, the others moved into action. Many people noticed how empty Fairy Tail's section of the stands looked—not a single person who warranted caution was present.
Arcadios slammed both hands on the railing, wearing an ugly look. The person he cared about most—Lucy, the Celestial Spirit mage who held all twelve Golden Zodiac Keys—hadn't shown up, and he felt everything slipping out of control.
In the past few days, Arcadios hadn't failed to try and abduct Lucy. But it was as if Fairy Tail already knew something—there was always a crowd around Lucy.
Arcadios did not have the confidence to pull Lucy away from that many people.
With the Dragon King Festival looming, he had decided to tell Lucy and Fairy Tail about the Eclipse Plan and ask for her help.
But right then, Lucy disappeared, catching him flat-footed. He didn't know Lucy and Fairy Tail's strike team had already set their plan in motion—to do exactly what he hoped for and open the Eclipse Gate.
______
(≧◡≦) ♡ Support me and read 20 chapters ahead – patreon.com/Mutter
Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.
Every 5 reviews = 1 extra chapter on Saturday.