The Coastline of Magnolia.
BOOM—
Everyone inside the guild hall felt the tavern shake violently, with debris and dust continuously falling from the ceiling as the ground trembled.
"What's happening???"
"An earthquake???"
BOOM—
"Outside! Look outside!" Alzack pushed open the main door, his face pale with panic, for he was responsible for keeping watch but never expected the enemy to come from the sea!
The guild members evacuated the building immediately, as the guild hall, already compromised by Gajeel's earlier attack, was on the verge of collapse and couldn't withstand this intense shaking.
"What... what is that thing???"
Natsu had cold sweat on his forehead as he looked up at the monstrosity looming over the water.
Raizel shielded his eyes from the sunlight, finally getting a clear view of the moving castle's full appearance, beneath the massive stone structure, six gigantic mechanical legs extended from its foundation, churning the water as it walked.
Raizel even found time to joke, "Doesn't it look like a crab? Except it doesn't move sideways."
"It's so creepy—the entire structure is moving!" Happy's eyes widened in shock.
"Is that Phantom Lord?" Loke squinted, spotting the jagged Phantom Lord emblem painted on the hull.
"The Moving Castle of Phantom Lord—it's their mobile headquarters."
As the structure approached the shore, the shaking beneath the Fairy Tail guild intensified.
"What do we do?!" Wakaba had never seen anything so absurd and was at a loss.
"I never imagined Phantom Lord would attack in this way," Mirajane covered her mouth with both hands, utterly astonished by the scale of the assault.
Seeing the guild members' panic, Raizel stepped forward to reassure them.
"Everyone, stay calm, it's just a moving vehicle, so think of it like Blue Pegasus's magic sky ship, just uglier."
"I have only one demand: hand over Lucy Heartfilia."
Inside the moving castle, Jose sat cross-legged, looking completely at ease as he used amplification magic to project his voice dozens of meters across the water to the guild.
The guild members were confused, unsure why Jose wanted to capture Lucy, but they knew one thing: Fairy Tail never betrayed its own.
"Get lost!"
"In your dreams!"
This was non-negotiable, and everyone began shouting back insults.
Raizel also used a magical amplification tool to retort, "Jose, how does it feel to have your branch guilds wiped out overnight?"
"I hereby declare that Phantom Lord will be erased today, and Its a fact, since no one can stop me!"
"Damn it..." Jose gripped the arms of his chair tightly, veins bulging on his forehead, as Raizel's taunt struck a raw nerve.
"Since you're tired of living, don't blame me."
Jose snorted coldly and issued the command that would doom them.
"Magic Convergence Cannon—Jupiter, prepare to fire."
Four Mages channeled their magical power into the massive lacrima crystals, and a large gate at the center of the castle slowly opened, revealing the dark muzzle of a gigantic magic cannon.
Multi-attribute magical power condensed at the cannon's mouth, forming an increasingly large, unstable black sphere of destruction.
"Destroy Fairy Tail! Fire!"
"Everyone, fall back!" Raizel waved his arm and charged forward, shouting "Take Over: Craniummon!" as he ran.
"So tall!"
What appeared before everyone was a purple-armored knight standing nearly 10 meters tall, a form Raizel chose specifically to withstand the recoil.
"Is Raizel planning to block it?"
"Even Raizel might not be able to stop that, right?"
Bisca looked worried, for as a Mage who used firearms, she understood the power of a Convergence Cannon well, this one from Phantom Lord was likely custom-made and larger than usual, which meant even greater destructive force.
BOOM—
The Jupiter Cannon fired as scheduled, its massive shockwave parting the seawater on both sides as the beam tore toward the shore.
"Magic Shield: Avalon!"
A massive purple magic circle appeared on Raizel's shield, which then began to enlarge to cover the guild behind him.
Raizel set aside his spear, dropped to one knee, and gripped the shield with both hands to brace for impact.
CRASH—
The Jupiter beam collided with the shield at full force, the energy crackling wildly.
"I'll help!" Ur formed hand seals, conjuring a huge, reinforced ice wall behind Raizel to help absorb the kinetic impact.
Ur had considered placing the ice wall in front, but against a Magic Convergence Cannon of this magnitude, it might not hold long and could shatter, potentially endangering Raizel or other Guild members, so supporting him from behind was the safer bet.
"He blocked it!"
"He.... he actually blocked it!"
Alzack and Bisca exchanged stunned glances as the dust settled.
"Thanks Ur, though its unnecesssary," Raizel shrank back to his normal size and gave Ur a thumbs-up.
Even without Ur's assistance, Raizel could have withstood the blast with ease, but the ice wall made it significantly easier for him to hold his ground.
"Pleasure working with you!" Ur returned the thumbs-up with a confident smile.
"Fine, whatever! Fire another shot!" Jose snarled, watching Raizel withstand the Jupiter blast with frustration.
But that hadn't been Jupiter's full power, merely the first volley.
"Then let me treat you to another round! Enjoy your fear during these fifteen minutes of charging time!"
"What!"
"Can Jupiter fire again?"
Soon, everyone had no time to worry about Jupiter as countless Phantom Soldiers—Jose's Shade magic—swarmed out of the moving castle like a plague of locusts.
The sheer number of ghosts was enough to blot out the sky.
"These are ghost soldiers created by Jose's magic! Be careful—touching them will drain your life force!" Cana shouted to warn the Guild members.
"And Jupiter recharges in fifteen minutes! We have to stop the cannon too!"
"My target is Jose Porla, so I'll leave Jupiter to you," Raizel announced as he instantly transformed into Jesmon and soared into the sky toward the castle.
"Then I'll destroy it! I'll take care of it!" Natsu clenched his fists excitedly. "Happy!"
Natsu sprinted toward the moving castle and leaped high into the air.
"Aye sir!" Happy understood immediately, spreading his wings to catch Natsu and fly him toward the barrel.
"Elfman, let's go together," Gray shouted as he and Elfman ran side by side across the shallow water.
"Be a man!"
"I'm going too," Mirajane activated Satan Soul and flew into the sky with a powerful beat of her dark wings.
"Then we'll protect the Guild! Everyone ready?" Cana declared while throwing out cards, summoning magical projections.
"Black Panther! Bone Bow! Storm Wing!"
"Of course!"
Everyone began using their magic to battle the swarm of Phantom Soldiers and the invading Phantom Lord members.
"Time for us to shine! Requip!" Bisca equipped two heavy magic rifles, firing continuous green energy bullets into the crowd of ghosts.
"Guns Magic: Spark Shot!" Alzack refused to be outdone, blasting ghosts apart.
"Storm Shot!" Cana drew her bow and unleashed a barrage of wind-attribute arrows.
Meanwhile, Natsu flew to the muzzle of the Convergence Cannon, his fists wreathed in flames as he pounded relentlessly against the metal casing.
"Dammit, it's completely useless!" Natsu yelled, having been pounding on it for a full two to three minutes without making a dent.
"Given the situation, it seems we'll have to destroy it from the inside," Happy suggested.
"Oh? You're so clever, Happy!" Natsu looked as if he'd just had a sudden realization.
"Alright, let's go!"
"Aye!"
Natsu and Happy charged straight into the dark barrel of the Magic Convergence Cannon.
"What... what the hell is this thing inside?!" Natsu shouted, his voice echoing from within the weapon.
"Eleven minutes until Jupiter fires."
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