Eileen found Acnologia a new set of clothes and helped him put them on: "How does it feel?"
"It was a bit of a stretch."
Acnologia felt no fatigue whatsoever, a far cry from the dragon-slaying he did four hundred years ago.
He glanced at the hesitant expressions on Wendy's, Natsu's, Lucy's, and the others' faces, and said calmly, "Scared?"
"We're partners, how could we be afraid!"
Natsu shook his head seriously and said, "This is the first time I've seen you like this. Have you killed too many people?"
"We're not afraid either..."
Lucy and Wendy are both girls and have not seen many bloody scenes. Even though they told themselves that Acnologia was their partner and family, they could not hide the fear deep in their eyes.
This wasn't just killing one or two people; it was a bloodbath that flowed like a river. The entire Fairy Tail crew combined didn't kill as many people as he had alone.
Acnologia seemed to sense an invisible distance between them. After a moment of silence, he said, "Perhaps we've killed too many, but if they choose to be our enemies, they should be prepared to die."
"If you are ever caught, I will eliminate all obstacles in your way."
"To me, all the people in the world combined are not as important as you!"
He wasn't lying. Without Fairy Tail, he would have no interest in this world. One of the reasons he fought so hard to slay the evil dragons four hundred years ago was because he wanted to see them.
Looking at Acnologia's serious expression, Lucy and Wendy felt a surge of self-reproach and regret.
What were they thinking? They were actually afraid of their own companions...
Everything Acnologia did was to protect them and the guild. Should she hold back against an enemy who harms her comrades?
Lucy and Wendy's eyes reddened, realizing that the fear in their eyes must have hurt Acnologia, so they sincerely apologized, "We're sorry!"
Acnologia flicked each of them on the head, then laughed as he watched the two women clutching their heads and crying out in pain. "Stop being so sentimental. Instead of wasting time on this, let's hurry up and rescue Erza and the others."
Having said that, he strode forward.
Nazhabi, who had already walked ahead, turned around, waved, and laughed loudly, "You guys hurry up and catch up!"
Eileen reached out and put her arms around Wendy and Lucy, smiling as she said, "Stop dawdling. Among all these people, you two are the most affectionate, aren't you?"
"Acunorokia won't get angry over something so trivial. Let's go."
"Thank you, Eileen!" x2
"Call me'sister'!"
"Sister Eileen!" x2
"Hmm, you two are much more well-behaved than little Erza!"
...
Led by Knightworth, the five people and two cats arrived at a heavily guarded plaza. In the center of the plaza was a huge magic crystal. Although they could not see the sealed people through the crystal, the familiar magic was unmistakable.
"That's...our partner!"
Natsu trembled, his eyes filled with rage. He would not let any of his family members get away with this.
Lucy's heart ached, and her eyes reddened. Seeing Natsu trying to rush over, she reached out and hugged him tightly: "Natsu, don't be impulsive. Acnologia and Irene haven't moved yet!"
Acnologia reached out and placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder, saying, "The mana extraction hasn't started yet, and we need time to wait for someone to arrive. It could be Gajeel, or it could be Mystogan. They have potions that restore mana."
"If we unseal everyone now, war will break out immediately. Without magic, our companions will be unable to stop the kingdom's army from encircling and annihilating us, and I will be unable to protect everyone in the war."
"So the most important thing now is to calm down and wait for the right opportunity!"
Natsu nodded seriously: "I understand all of that, I will endure it!"
"good!"
Acnologia knew that although Natsu was usually carefree, he was more meticulous than anyone else when it came to his friends.
"We'll settle down near the plaza and wait for Mistgang and Gajeel to appear. That will be our moment to strike."
...
Three days passed in the blink of an eye
On a bright and sunny morning, the atmosphere in the square was already exceptionally lively, with cheers resounding through the sky.
"His Majesty!"
"Long live the Emperor!"
The kingdom's inhabitants gradually gathered from all directions, their faces beaming with anticipation and joy as they looked at the old man on the high platform—their king, Faust, a king dedicated to leading them to the magical world.
Faust stretched out his hand, his voice abruptly ceasing, now filled with a sense of vicissitude and unwavering resolve: "People of Edolas, our Holy Kingdom has extracted ten years' worth of magic from Anima..."
Harpy shouted angrily from the crowd, "That old man actually said it was manufactured, what a shameless thing to do!"
Xia Lulu whispered, "Calm down!"
King Faust, standing on the high platform, waved his scepter and laughed, shouting, "Let us cheer and shout together, and share this joy!"
Everyone cheered again, some even shedding tears of emotion, seemingly rejoicing that the kingdom had a king of great talent and ambition.
Faust's voice was passionate and infectious; every word and gesture elicited cheers from the entire audience.
"I hereby promise that in the near future, the kingdom will gain even more magic, and we will achieve true eternity!"
"And this magic crystal is nothing but fragments!"
As he spoke, he brandished his scepter and stabbed it at the magic crystal. Instantly, a crystal shard shattered and fell to the ground with a crisp sound in the excited gazes of everyone.
Natsu's eyes widened instantly at the sight; the shattered crystal seemed to be the flesh and blood of his comrade.
His expression was furious, his teeth were grinding together, and at that moment he wished he could tear that bastard on the stage to pieces.
Gajeel, standing in the corner, sneered: "How ridiculous! This hypocritical speech can actually bewitch so many people."
He turned and walked away into the distance: "Next, I need to think about what to do."
Unlike Natsu, who only acts recklessly, he has to rely on his own clever mind to save his comrades.
Suddenly a hand landed on his shoulder, startling him, but he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw who it was.
The person who came was Acnologia!
Gajeel asked in confusion, "Why are you alright?"
Suddenly he remembered: "Oh right, you're also a Dragon Slayer Mage!"
Mystogan had told him that none of the Dragon Slayer Mages had been consumed by the super-subspace magic Anima.
Acnologia nodded slightly: "Come with me now, let's discuss how to save our sealed companions."
"Just the two of us?"
"No, there's also Irene, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Charlene, and Happy."