Because it had been raining in Magnolia that day, Goodman had stayed ho instead of going out to run errands.
He spent the afternoon with Molly and their son Bayer, resting and preparing so wares for sale. It was shaping up to be a quiet day, until sothing utterly unexpected happened.
When he suddenly saw Rhodes standing in front of him, Goodman naturally assud the boy had co over for a visit. Glancing out at what should have been pouring rain, he said cheerfully, "Kid, what are you doing out in this weather? Co in, co in, don’t catch a cold."
But Bayer, who had been gazing at the sky, tugged on his father’s sleeve.
"Daddy... our house is gone."
Goodman blinked.
Molly, more clear-headed than the two, looked around calmly.
"Dear, I think we’re outside."
They weren’t in Magnolia anymore.
The sky was shockingly blue, and ten blazing suns hung overhead. Behind them lood a towering magic crystal the size of a mountain.
The scenery was completely foreign.
Yet despite this, Molly didn’t panic.
Because in front of her stood familiar faces: Erza, Gray, Mira, and most of all, Rhodes.
A whole group of Fairy Tail mages.
If Fairy Tail was around, it could only an one thing: sothing chaotic was happening.
But that wasn’t a concern.
Everyone in Magnolia knew the rules when it ca to Fairy Tail:
One, you won’t die. Two, any damage will be compensated later.
So Molly simply nodded and accepted it as another one of the guild’s wild escapades.
Goodman, however, wasn’t so quick to accept it.
He scratched his head and muttered, "Sothing doesn’t feel right... Rhodes isn’t the reckless type."
Rhodes gave him a wry smile. "Brother Goodman, this is a bit more complicated than usual."
He knelt beside a fallen soldier, unbuckled a piece of light armor, and pulled out a long spear. Then he handed them to Goodman.
"You hold onto these first. I’ll explain everything."
Goodman accepted the gear without question, though he eyed the spear like it might bite him.
From what Rhodes had gathered based on what Wendy, Natsu, and Lucy said earlier, all of Magnolia had been absorbed by Anima, its people, hos, trees, animals, even the river fish, turned into pure magic and crystalized into this mountain behind them.
Which ant everyone, from bakers to blacksmiths, had been trapped inside.
Wendy had just happened to kick out three civilians with her attack, these three.
But what surprised Rhodes the most wasn’t that it was Goodman’s family, it was how calm they were in such a bizarre new world.
Still, their arrival was a blessing.
With only three Dragon Slayers breaking the massive crystal, it would take ti. And there was always the risk of a surprise attack.
As mages, they had a responsibility to protect civilians.
But realistically, they couldn’t protect everyone all the ti. So arming the civilians with basic gear from the island’s guards was necessary. It might not turn them into warriors, but it would give them courage and protection.
Between the guards on the mountain and those down below, there were more than 200 full sets of weapons and armor, enough to form a small militia.
As Rhodes finished his explanation, the Goodman family listened wide-eyed.
This ti... it wasn’t Fairy Tail who started the ss?
It was too unbelievable.
This whole situation was perhaps even harder to believe than the existence of another world itself.
While Rhodes was still explaining, Wendy shattered another chunk of magic crystal with a burst of wind magic, and this ti, it turned into Goodman’s house.
Mrs. Molly gasped in astonishnt. "It really turned into our house!"
Bayer clapped his hands excitedly. "Big Sister made a house appear! She’s amazing!"
"B-Big Sister...?"
Wendy flushed bright red. The words gave her a sudden rush of energy. With new determination, she stepped forward and began striking the crystal again with her Sky Dragon Slayer Magic, casting spell after spell with a renewed spark.
One after another, houses and people erged from the glittering crystal, sotis a person first, sotis their entire ho intact alongside them.
Many of the newly freed residents were confused. Most had simply stepped out to check the weather when the rain mysteriously vanished, and the next mont, they were surrounded by bright skies, mountains, and mages.
Mira, Elfman, Erza, Gray, Lucy, and Chala moved quickly to explain the situation to each group, comforting those who panicked or looked overwheld.
Only Lisanna held back.
She quietly watched from the side, not daring to step forward.
Too many people in Magnolia knew her, and many thought she was dead.
If she suddenly appeared, it might cause a scene or even trauma. She decided it would be better to wait... let them see her slowly, naturally, after they’d returned ho.
anwhile, on another slope, Natsu and Gajeel had started "helping" in their own way, though, of course, it imdiately turned into a competition.
Gajeel picked a rocky peak that looked promising and slamd it with his tal-coated fist.
"Iron Dragon Rod!"
Boom!
The crystal cracked violently, and in the next burst of white light, out ca Levy, Jet, and Droy.
Levy blinked in confusion. "Gajeel? When did you get back to the guild?"
Jet scowled. "Hey, why are you suddenly standing so close, huh?!"
Droy pointed at Gajeel’s still-transford iron fist and growled, "Wanna fight again?"
Though the trio had long since made peace with Gajeel, that didn’t an they’d forgotten the past, especially Jet and Droy, who still held a bit of a grudge.
Gajeel, ever the picture of emotional tact, waved his hand dismissively. "Tch. Quit crowding . If you’ve got questions, go ask soone else."
"What kind of attitude is that—!"
But Gajeel wasn’t listening anymore.
He morphed his arm into a massive blade and roared:
"Iron Dragon Sword!"
Slash!
Another magic crystal split cleanly down the middle.
From the burst of light, a familiar face stumbled out: Dublin, still clutching a drink in one hand and looking like he’d just been interrupted mid-toast.
"Eh? Dublin?" Levy cried out.
"Wha... What just happened?" Dublin muttered, spinning in place. "I was drinking with the Shadow Gear Team just a mont ago..."
Droy helped him up and turned to glare at Gajeel again. "Hey! You better start talking—!"
But Gajeel had already lifted his leg, which now glead like black steel.
"Iron Dragon Spear!"
With a brutal kick, he thrust his spear-leg into a nearby crystal.
CRACK!
This ti, the result wasn’t what even Gajeel expected.
The mountain chunk that exploded outward wasn’t just housing a person or a house, but an entire section of the crystal landscape.
The sheer size of it was astonishing, nearly ten tis the mass of the previous magic structures. Dust flew, boulders rolled, and everyone nearby paused.
Even Gajeel blinked. "Huh..."
The mountain ridge where he’d been standing was now a gaping cliff.
As the dazzling white light faded, a familiar figure erged from the shattered crystal.
Juvia.
Gajeel gave a rare laugh, sounding almost proud of his forr comrade. "Gihihi~ That clumsy rain woman, still going strong."
Juvia blinked in confusion at her surroundings. But it didn’t take long before her sharp eyes locked onto a certain shirtless figure at the foot of the mountain.
"Gray-samaaaa!"
Without hesitation, Juvia dashed down the mountain like a rain-soaked whirlwind.
But after just a few steps, she skidded to a sudden stop and turned around.
"Mr. Gajeel? Are you... staying at the guild now?"
Even though they had once fought side by side in Phantom Lord, Juvia still spoke politely with Gajeel, always using honorifics out of respect.
"I—"
Gajeel started to answer, but she was already gone, her attention fully diverted by Gray.
It was like she’d only paused out of courtesy.
A throbbing vein popped on Gajeel’s forehead. "That clumsy rain woman! Didn’t she even notice the battlefield around her?!"
Why, out of all the people in Fairy Tail, did the one person he could hold a normal conversation with have to be this idiotic?
Frustrated, he turned and slamd his fist into the next magic crystal.
"Iron Dragon Rod!"
But then a thought struck him.
If he kept this up... wouldn’t that an he’d be the one to ’beat up’ the entire guild?
As more and more Fairy Tail mbers were punched or kicked out of the crystal by Gajeel, Levy gently stopped those who looked worried or wanted to ask questions.
"Don’t interrupt him," she said. "He’s doing sothing important right now. Let’s go down and get our answers there."
Many of the newly freed people were still disoriented. So noticed their magic wouldn’t respond the sa way, and others were clearly shaken.
But when they looked down and saw familiar figures, red hair, white hair, black spiky hair, their panic lted into relief.
One by one, they descended quietly, heading toward their friends.
At the top of the mountain, Natsu was also hard at work.
Sort of.
After reaching the peak, he turned to Happy with a grin. "Throw down from the top!"
"Aye, sir~"
Happy flung him through the air like a flaming cannonball.
"Fire Dragon’s Iron Fist!"
Boom!
Cracks spidered across the crystal beneath Natsu, but it didn’t break.
"Huh?!"
He looked around, slightly flustered, and checked to make sure Gajeel hadn’t seen.
Nope, Gajeel was still smashing crystals like a man possessed.
But Happy didn’t let it slide. "Natsu, that was so la."
"Shut up!" Natsu barked. "It’s because you threw weird!"
He backed up, then charged again.
"Fire Dragon’s Sword Horn!"
CRACK!
More fractures, but still no explosion.
"You gotta be kidding !" Natsu shouted, smoke rising from his fists. Then he inhaled deeply and yelled:
"Fire Dragon’s Blazing Brilliance!"
BOOOOM!
A massive fireball slamd into the crystal, rocking the entire peak.
The explosion tore through the mountain top, shortening the mountain itself, and sent shockwaves through the air.
The peak collapsed beneath Natsu’s feet.
"Whoa!" he yelped as he plumted.
But then he caught sight of the person standing below.
"Gildarts!"
"Eh?" Gildarts looked up, confused and groggy.
Having just been released from his crystal prison, he hadn’t even processed what was going on, but seeing Natsu barreling straight for him, he made an educated guess.
"Not today, Natsu... I had too much to drink last night. I’m not in the mood for a warm-up."
He lazily raised one hand, ready to swat Natsu away like always.
But sothing felt... off.
Thud!
Natsu crashed into him full force, knocking Gildarts flat onto the ground.
"Ugh, ow ow ow!" Gildarts grunted, rubbing the back of his head. "What the hell...?"
Why hadn’t he been able to counter Natsu’s hit? Even drunk, he shouldn’t have been this slow!
anwhile, Natsu was straddling his chest, squinting down with suspicion.
He pinched Gildarts’s face, stretching it left and right. Then he leaned in and sniffed.
"Huh. It’s Gildarts."
Gildarts didn’t resist, he was too bewildered. "What’s going on? Why can’t I feel my magic?"
Just then, Happy fluttered down beside them.
"Natsu, did you forget? He can’t use magic in this world."
"Oh yeah!"
Natsu smacked his fist into his palm, realization dawning.
Then he stared at Gildarts again, a devilish grin spreading across his face.
"That ans... I can finally beat Gildarts now?!"
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