This is Natsu's doing.
Although Natsu suffered significant injuries from Bruno, he believed he could still fight and felt that taking on the Guild's President was something he should be part of.
However, after everyone discussed, they decided that they already had enough people, so they asked him to stay and guard the camp.
While Rhode and the others were fighting Precht, the camp did face two waves of attacks.
This only made Natsu more frustrated.
"Why can we only stay here and wait for them to come at us?!"
Natsu said this, grabbing a random person he had beaten to the ground and, after a few punches, interrogated them to find out where the Demon Heart's ship was located.
Then, on impulse, he ignored Gray and Lucy's advice and boldly rushed forward with Hapi.
Unable to dissuade him and worried about Natsu, Lucy chose to join.
Gray originally didn't want to be left behind by Natsu, but seeing so many severely injured people in the tent, he opted to stay.
Thus, Natsu attacked the Demon Heart's ship.
True to his personality, he of course headed wherever there were the most people.
Thus, the two humans and a cat made an unstoppable advance towards the most heavily defended chamber.
Inside, they discovered a suspicious purple object, larger than a human body and resembling a heart.
Lucy and Hapi felt that the object contained powerful magic power and seemed 'alive'.
This bizarre device made Lucy and Hapi somewhat fearful.
And Natsu's choice was... to test it with a punch first.
A regular 'Fire Dragon's Iron Fist' did not affect the device, but it scared the reinforcements to death.
They charged up as if risking their lives to stop him.
"The more they try to stop us, the more we need to destroy it!" Natsu cleverly found the purpose for the battle, while the guards had no way to deal with him.
And so, Natsu went all out, and the Demon's Heart exploded.
Natsu himself didn't know what he had destroyed was called 'Demon Heart', from which the Guild derived its name.
So he naturally didn't know that this was actually Precht's power source, and the little team of Natsu, Lucy, and Hapi unwittingly made a huge contribution.
This resulted in the Canyon Vanguard arriving late, only helping to speed up the ship's demolition process and share a bit of the retaliatory pressure from the enemy.
...
The moment the heart exploded, Precht was immediately aware.
He not only became distracted in battle but his magic power rapidly waned, rendering the injuries he sustained impossible to recover from.
Even though he was unwilling for it to end this way and wanted to retaliate desperately, he could in no way withstand the suppression from Makarov, Kildas, Laxus, Erza, Mira, and Rhode, such top-tier Guild lineup.
Precht fell.
Before falling, he shouted, 'Before reaching the pinnacle of the Demon Path, demons will not slumber.'
After falling, he asked Makarov to deliver the final blow.
Makarov remained silent.
Realistically, Rhode extended his right fist towards Precht, the markings on his forearm faintly glowing with a golden light.
"Fairy Radiance?" Precht naturally recognized this magic. He sighed deeply, revealing a relieved expression on his face,
"Is that so... Mebius entrusted this to you... It's true, I think I've heard someone call you 'The New Era's Fairy Tail Strategist'.
"Indeed, today's 'care' was much appreciated. In the end, to be sent to the underworld by Mebius's magic isn't bad."
Makarov raised his arm horizontally, motioning Rhode not to act.
Rhode paused momentarily, then silently lowered his hand.
With some sadness, Makarov said: "You are the one who led me onto the path of magic, and you entrusted Fairy Tail to me. I've learned many things from you.
"Consider this my thanks, I'll let you go this time. Thank you for your care, and thank you for everything you did for the Guild in the past."
"You're still so naïve, Makarov." Precht said, as if educating a junior, "If you let the enemy go, the Guild could be overwhelmed next time. Are you sure you can stop me again next time?"
Rhode felt that if the Second Generation wasn't an enemy, he might find him very approachable.
Makarov shook his head, "I'm no match for you, but Fairy Tail will never lose to you."
"Hahaha..." Precht chuckled, having no words for this defeat.
From being fully suppressed at the start, then his magic being deciphered, his inner magic restrained, and finally the heart being found, he himself considered his defeat justified.
He just felt regret now.
"This world where magic is overly exposed to light is a hypocritical world, the world Zeref lived in, that Great Magic Realm is the true world.
"I just want to see that world... the first magic of all magic origins, just a bit short..."
"No." Rhode suddenly spoke, "The world is the world, as long as one is within it, it's the real world. Even Zeref himself didn't like that kind of world."
Precht smirked: "How much do you understand Zeref?"
Rhode shook his head: "I understand very little, but the previous words weren't from me. Someone asked me to convey them to you."
"She?" Precht's heart shook.
Others looked at Rhode with curiosity, since they hadn't seen anyone talk to him just now.
Rhode pointed to the markings on his arm representing that Fairy Radiance and continued:
"She asked if you still remember why the Guild was founded, what was the mood when the Guild was first established, and if someone still owes you a lot of money, did you ever get it back..."
One sentence after another, like heavy hammers striking Precht's chest.
Those memories from nearly a hundred years ago, which should have been forgotten in corners, surged to the forefront of his mind.
Why was he researching magic at the start?
Right, it was to save Mebius, who was in the gap between life and death, the girl who was like a fairy finding the life paths for their trio.
She was a beam of light illuminating the three of them.
But he lost himself in the research, lost in the 'darkness' of the Demon Path.
To some extent, perhaps it was also because he lost that beam of light.
"She said, I'm sorry for accidentally leaving you all behind, it's her fault. But... seeing the scene now, she's very saddened."
Rhode's eyes reddened slightly. He did not fully understand the friendship between the First Generation and the Second, but through the connection of magic power, receiving and conveying the First Generation's words, he felt part of the First Generation's emotions.
And Precht, as if he could hear Mebius's sorrow in Rhode's tone.
Mebius, was she crying?
For a moment, he stammered to speak, clearly hoping she would always remain happy, and yet now he had made her cry.
Tears trickled down Precht's left eye.