Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 498: Future Lucy: Somehow, Fairy Tail Feels More Dangerous Than the Dragons

Northern Continent, Guiltina, former Diabolos Town, now Fairy Tail City, or Fairy City for short!

"Roar!!"

At this moment, high above this enormous city!

Accompanied by bursts of furious roars, three dragons at the Dragon King level flew through the sky. From the bodies of those three dragons, an endless and overwhelming might could be felt. This terrifying pressure caused the minds of the entire town's residents to tremble and become dazed.

"Is this the end of the world?!"

However, the residents of Fairy City did not seem to show any panic whatsoever. Looking at the scene in the sky where the sun and moon shone together, they could not help but smile, as if the residents of Fairy City were already extremely familiar with the scene before them.

"Ahahaha…"

"We finally waited for this day. The world has finally ended~"

"From today onward, we finally don't have to live in constant fear anymore! We're finally free!"

"Yeah! Yeah! This is really great…"

Clearly, the residents of the entire town had suffered under Fairy Tail for far too long.

Right now, when this group of residents saw the scene before them, which was comparable to the end of the world, not only did they show no panic whatsoever, they instead began singing and dancing in celebration. Some people even shed tears of excitement from their eyes.

"They're crazy! The people of this world have all gone crazy…"

On the other side, Lucy looked at the dragons that had completely destroyed the Fairy Tail Guild, as well as the residents on the streets who were singing and dancing like a bunch of lunatics, and could not help shaking her head repeatedly.

At this moment, Lucy only wanted to shout loudly: "The world has suffered under Fairy Tail for too long!"

However, in the end, Future Lucy was also a member of the Mage Guild Fairy Tail. Although the Fairy Tail she belonged to was not this world's Fairy Tail, in the end, Lucy was still a pure Fairy Tail member!

At the same time, even though Lucy had finally realized that this world's Fairy Tail enjoyed doing things that had nothing to do with being human, even so, Lucy did not say anything. She had no intention of causing any unnecessary trouble. After all, Future Lucy still needed to make use of this world's Fairy Tail Guild's power to save the world she came from…

The stronger this world's Fairy Tail Guild was, the greater Future Lucy's chances of saving her own world would be! Therefore, this was a good thing for Lucy! At this moment, Lucy's brain had already begun gradually becoming abnormal…

"Lucy, who are you choosing?!"

Just as Lucy was watching the three dragons in the sky and letting her imagination run wild, the Flame Dragon, whose entire body was scorching hot and whose skin was bright red, as if boiling magma were constantly flowing through it, descended from the sky and arrived in front of Lucy. Opening his huge bloody mouth, he asked.

For a moment, Lucy felt a scorching, fishy wind blowing across her cheeks. Ignia's terrifying aura made Lucy's already fragile heart become even more fragile, as if it would shatter right there at any moment.

"Gulp~"

"This…"

Lucy was stared at by Ignia's fiery gaze and felt her mouth becoming dry. She lightly pursed her lips, thinking about how she could properly answer Ignia.

"Lucy, how about choosing me?!"

"Only women can understand women. I know what you're thinking deep down, Lucy. As long as you choose me, everything will develop in a direction beneficial to you~"

"Lucy, think about it carefully. Those are one hundred handsome hosts and male concubines, all yours to take as you please!"

"In the Elentear world, the hosts of Black Moon Mountain have been driven up to astronomical prices. Every single host is a rare commodity. The opportunity to obtain a full one hundred hosts is not something we get often in Elentear, you know~"

Just as Ignia was attempting to use his masculine beauty to make Lucy choose him, Selene's figure suddenly descended. She burst into a charming laugh at Lucy.

Selene attempted to use the hosts she had carefully cultivated to obtain Lucy's approval. After all, she, Selene, would ultimately become the woman who would become the Dragon King…

"Uh…"

Lucy was slightly stunned after hearing Selene's words.

To be honest, if this were a multiple-choice question where she could only choose between Ignia and Selene, then Lucy might very well choose Selene without hesitation.

After all, one hundred handsome hosts were still somewhat tempting to Lucy. If all one hundred hosts possessed the level of charm of Blue Pegasus, that would be even better…

Ahem…

But this was not a multiple-choice question where, aside from A, she could only choose B. She, Lucy, had more choices. Therefore, although Lucy was extremely tempted by Selene's words, she still decided to hold firmly to her principles.

Thus, Lucy looked toward Acnologia in the sky with an incomparably resolute gaze.

Although the strength displayed by Ignia and Selene was also extremely powerful, Lucy still could not completely put her mind at ease. Compared with Ignia and Selene, Lucy trusted Acnologia a little more. After all, her Fairy Tail had already experienced Acnologia's strength firsthand…

"Looks like Lucy has already made her choice!"

"Very good, very good…"

"Lucy, you must firmly believe that this is the most perfect choice you could have made~"

Acnologia seemed to have sensed Lucy's gaze. A hint of a smile appeared on his hideous face.

"Whether it's Ignia or Selene!"

"If you choose either of them, there is a possibility that the commission will fail! Only by choosing me can your world obtain a bright future, because only I have one hundred percent confidence in killing those ten thousand dragons! After all, those ten thousand dragons that invaded your world are nothing more than a group of defeated opponents in my eyes…"

Acnologia spoke arrogantly, his words filled with confidence in himself and disdain toward Ignia and Selene.

Yes, the outcome of this competition had already been determined from the very beginning! From the very beginning, it had already announced the victory of Acnologia! Whether it was Ignia attempting to sacrifice his own sex appeal, or Selene planning to sacrifice the sex appeal of her subordinates, neither of them had understood one fact: Lucy's world was already on the verge of destruction. Lucy did not need these male concubines or hosts. What she needed was someone who could guarantee with one hundred percent certainty that they could help her complete the mission. And the person who possessed one hundred percent confidence in completing the mission was none other than the final Dragon King of the dragon race, the Black Dragon King Acnologia.

In this world, only the Dragon King possessed one hundred percent confidence in defeating other dragons!

"My choice is Aco…"

Just as Acnologia had imagined, Lucy really did think this way. If this were a commission that was not very important, then Lucy would not care which of the three dragons she gave the commission to.

But this commission was one that gambled on the lives of every living being in Lucy's world. How could Lucy dare to judge who should complete such a commission based on her own personal feelings?!

If the mission really failed, Lucy could not bear the responsibility for the destruction of the world and the displacement of all its living beings!

"Lucy, don't let this guy deceive you…"

"If Acnologia were saying this while in his prime, then it would be perfectly reasonable! With Acnologia's strength, eliminating those ten thousand dragons would be as easy as lifting a finger. But the current Acnologia is already old! His strength is no longer as powerful as it once was!"

"Lucy, open your eyes and look carefully at Acnologia's severed arm. Tell me, if Acnologia's strength hadn't weakened, how could he have had one of his arms bitten off by another dragon?!"

Just as Lucy was about to confirm her choice, Ignia aimed at Acnologia's severed arm and launched an attack!

"You bastard…"

Acnologia, who had originally been one hundred percent confident, had a drastic change in expression after hearing Ignia's words. When he looked at Ignia, his eyes were filled with fury!

"Uh…"

However, after Ignia finished speaking, Lucy was indeed stunned. She had previously been intimidated by Acnologia's overwhelming might, but she had not noticed that Acnologia had actually lost one of his arms!

For a moment, Lucy was somewhat surprised. Even Acnologia, who had lost an arm, was already this powerful. Just how powerful had Acnologia been before losing his arm?!

However, after thinking about it again, Lucy looked at Acnologia's severed arm, frowned, and thought: "What Ignia said makes sense! Acnologia's strength is no longer at its peak. No one can guarantee whether the current Acnologia can actually complete my commission and defeat those ten thousand dragons."

"As for the person to complete the commission, please allow me to think about it carefully…"

Thus, the person who had originally been about to leave her lips was forcibly taken back by Lucy because of Ignia's words, and she began thinking seriously.

"Ignia!!!"

Acnologia looked at the duck that had originally been in his mouth but had actually flown away again because of Ignia's interference. An endless fury was instantly ignited within his heart.

"Hahahaha, Acnologia, you are the dignified Dragon King, the final Dragon King of the dragon race. Don't tell me you're going to get angry over such a trivial matter?!"

As for Ignia at this moment, he smiled at Acnologia with an extremely fake and provocative expression.

"I fucking…"

After hearing Ignia's words, veins bulged on Acnologia's temples. Fresh red blood vessels spread across his empty eyes. Acnologia's patience was already approaching its limit, and he was almost unable to stop himself from going berserk.

"Ohohoho~"

"The famous Black Dragon King, His Majesty, is angry~"

"You actually got triggered by just a few words from Ignia~"

"Hahahaha, how interesting~"

At this moment, Selene also did not let go of this opportunity to kick Acnologia while he was down. She flew around Acnologia and Ignia, constantly laughing.

"Heh…"

After hearing Selene and Ignia's words, Acnologia remained silent for a long while before finally giving a faint smile.

It seemed that, in the end, Acnologia had abandoned the idea of throwing a tantrum here for the sake of the mission.

Just as Ignia and Selene were preparing to continue provoking Acnologia, Acnologia suddenly continued asking Lucy below him.

"Lucy, are you hesitating because you think that I, having lost one arm, am unable to handle your mission and commission?!"

"Uh…"

Lucy, who had originally been hesitating, was immediately stunned after hearing Acnologia's words.

Yes, Lucy was indeed worried that Acnologia's strength had declined because he had lost one arm, causing him to be unable to complete the mission she had given him…

However, Lucy had originally not intended to say it outright. After all, Acnologia was the Dragon King. No matter what, she had to give this great Dragon King some face.

"It's not like that. I still know about your strength, Lord Acnologia! A mere ten thousand dragons are absolutely no match for you! I just feel that you have already suffered such serious injuries. Before those injuries have healed, allowing you to recklessly accept this commission would be irresponsible toward your life~"

Lucy made it sound better than singing. She very tactfully expressed her rejection of Acnologia while still taking care of Acnologia's dignity.

"Hehe~"

After hearing Lucy's words, Acnologia merely smiled faintly. Of course, he could tell what Lucy meant. Lucy had rejected him…

With Lucy rejecting Acnologia, the situation once again returned to square one. At this moment, Ignia, Selene, and Acnologia had all been rejected by Lucy once, meaning the second round of interviews could begin.

"Lucy, how about this? What do you think?!"

After the second round of interviews began, the first one to speak was no longer Ignia, but Acnologia. At this moment, Acnologia seemed to have thought of something, and he calmly asked Lucy.

"What is it?!"

Lucy looked at Acnologia's calm appearance and suddenly felt her heart tremble. Lucy had a feeling that Acnologia was preparing some kind of ultimate move to use against her.

"Simply put, Lucy, what you want is someone who can guarantee one hundred percent that they can help you complete the commission. In other words, Lucy, what you want is the strongest person here!"

"That means, as long as I kill Ignia and Selene, the commission is mine, right?!"

As Acnologia spoke, his originally calm expression suddenly revealed a somewhat sinister smile.

"Ah, yes, yes, yes, that's exactly right. Actually, what I want is someone who can guarantee one hundred percent that they can help me complete the mission!" After hearing Acnologia's words, Lucy nodded repeatedly. Then, Lucy suddenly noticed that something was wrong. She looked at Acnologia and asked, "Wait, what did you just say? Who did you say you were going to kill?!"

"If that's the case, then wouldn't things become very simple?"

Acnologia did not answer Lucy's question. He spread his wings and once again returned to the sky.

"Hahahaha, yeah! If that's the case, then the problem will be easy to solve!"

"Sure enough, for us dragons, desperately slaughtering each other suits us better~"

"As for things like companionship, friendship, benevolence, morality, and so on, they're all bullshit! We dragons should follow the law of the jungle!"

Ignia also let out a wild laugh and flew into the sky.

"Seriously! If I had known from the beginning that we would ultimately have to use this method to determine the winner!"

"Then I wouldn't have held back with Lucy from the very beginning!"

"Right now, I'm in a very bad mood. You two better be prepared for the worst!"

As Selene spoke, she swayed the nine long tails behind her and likewise flew into the sky.

For a moment, three dragons at the Dragon King level once again faced off against one another a thousand meters in the sky.

Lucy looked at the three dragons that had suddenly flown into the sky, her expression stunned. She did not know what the three powerful Dragon King-level beings, Acnologia, Selene, and Ignia, were planning to do this time.

"Black Dragon King's…"

"Flame Dragon God's…"

"Moon Dragon God's…"

"…Roar!"

Just as Lucy was spacing out, Ignia, Selene, and Acnologia flew to different positions, then simultaneously unleashed their Roars at one another.

For a moment, three beams of light shot straight into the heavens! Three energy blasts powerful enough to shake the continent were released from the mouths of the three dragons, then fiercely collided with one another!

"Boom!!"

That terrifying might shook heaven and earth! Endless waves of heat seemed to boil the sky!

For a moment, time, space, sky, and earth! Everything trembled under the thunderous roar!

Even the magic power wandering through the air felt endless fear toward those monsters in the sky at this moment!

"Uh…"

Lucy looked at the dazzling sun that had suddenly exploded in the sky and could not help kneeling down on the spot.

How should she put it? This appearance of immediately starting a huge fight at the slightest disagreement was exactly the same as the Fairy Tail she knew. In Lucy's memories, Gray, Natsu, and Elfman had once gotten into a huge fight over the same mission…

However, Gray, Natsu, and Elfman's battle had ultimately been limited to inside the Mage Guild!

This was completely different from the battle between Acnologia, Selene, and Ignia. They were completely on different levels…

Acnologia, Selene, and Ignia were genuine monsters capable of destroying continents, burning the surface of the earth, and plunging the entire world into the apocalypse!

"Stop, stop…"

At this moment, Lucy continuously muttered under her breath. However, her voice was simply too quiet. The three dragons who were currently fighting fiercely in the sky over the opportunity to take Lucy's mission could not hear her. Or rather, even if the three dragons had heard her, they had absolutely no intention of stopping!

Nonsense! They had finally found an opportunity to vent their frustrations as much as they wanted. How could they voluntarily give up such an opportunity so quickly?! No matter what, they had to wait until they had enjoyed the fight enough before talking about it!

"Boom!!!"

For a moment, the sky shattered, as if the world had reached its end!

"Even space has shattered…"

Lucy looked at the shattered space in the sky and could not help muttering to herself. Those shattered spaces were all spatial traps cast by Selene, but all of these traps had been violently destroyed by Acnologia!

No magic could directly affect Acnologia. Even Selene's spatial magic could not do so…

"This is practically the end of the world!"

At this moment, Lucy helplessly knelt on the ground. She had begun to hesitate over whether she should hand the commission over to the Fairy Tail Guild! When Lucy saw the shattered space in the sky, she finally understood one thing: the Fairy Tail Guild of this world might actually be an even more dangerous existence than the ten thousand dragons wreaking havoc across the kingdom in her world…

"Too terrifying!"

After hesitating for a while, Lucy voiced her feelings about the scene before her that was like the end of the world.

At this moment, Lucy finally understood that this alternate world's Fairy Tail posed a threat and danger to the world far greater than those ten thousand dragons…

"This isn't a mission commission…"

"For my world, this is equivalent to driving away a tiger only to invite a wolf!"

"After the wolf devours the tiger, if things go wrong, the next thing to be devoured will be my world!"

Future Lucy muttered to herself at this moment. It seemed that she had realized something.

"Lucy, don't overthink it~"

Just as Future Lucy was thinking about whether she should bring those three monsters in the sky into her own world, to the point that her brain seemed to be about to crash, Evan's voice slowly sounded in Future Lucy's ears.

"This is a situation that cannot be solved by me!"

After seeing Evan, Lucy gave a bitter smile.

Yes, if Lucy did not invite this world's Fairy Tail to go to the world she came from, then the world she came from would ultimately be completely destroyed by those ten thousand dragons! However, if Lucy invited this world's Fairy Tail to her own world, then this world's Fairy Tail would devour the ten thousand dragons in her world along with the entire world!

"Ah…"

"Hasn't this fallen into an endless loop?!"

"Could it be that there is no perfect method in this world that can help me solve my world's problem?!"

Lucy held her messy golden hair with her fair hands, continuously letting out low murmurs.

"Actually, there is~"

Evan seemed to have heard what Lucy said. He smiled slightly, then turned his gaze toward the sky.

"Rumble!!"

As Evan raised his head, bursts of thunder suddenly rang out in the sky. As for Evan himself, his body underwent a violent transformation at this moment!

Evan's body suddenly grew layer upon layer of azure dragon scales, while his body continued expanding…

"No way?!"

Lucy's body trembled slightly as she looked at the scene before her.

Lucy had originally thought that there were only three dragons in the Fairy Tail Guild: Selene, Ignia, and Acnologia. However, with Evan's movement, Lucy's eyes immediately widened.

At this moment, Lucy seemed to have thought of something, and she could not help muttering to herself, "Could it be that what Mother told me about Evan being the strongest Dragon Slayer Mage in the Fairy Tail Guild is actually true?!"

"Boom!!"

It was precisely while Lucy was spacing out that Evan's figure shot straight into the sky, arriving above Acnologia, Selene, and Ignia.

At the very moment Evan flew into the sky, pitch-black clouds directly covered the entire Northern Continent, Guiltina!

For a moment, all living beings across the entire continent were overwhelmed by that terrifying atmospheric pressure…

"Our dragon race has produced a monster that surpasses the Dragon Kings!"

"Looks like the balance maintained by the Dragon Gods facing one another in the Northern Continent, Guiltina, for hundreds of years is going to change!"

Across the continent of Guiltina, some dragons that had fled from the continent of Ishgar four hundred years ago and came to the continent of Guiltina to survive now raised their heads and sensed the powerful magic power in the air, unable to help muttering to themselves.

"Roar!!"

On the other side, above the town where the Fairy Tail Guild was located.

Accompanied by a violent dragon roar, within the endless dark clouds, an enormous dragon rolling about freely was issuing a warning toward Ignia, Selene, and Acnologia.

"Looks like you've completely fused with that bastard Water Dragon God's magic power, Evan!"

"Just getting close to you is enough to make my entire body tremble!"

Following Evan's transformation, the sky was suddenly covered with dark clouds, lightning, and thunder! Countless raindrops fell from the sky! Then powerful winds arose, and torrential rain descended, blowing the flames on Ignia's body until they were barely holding on.

Aside from Ignia, who was naturally countered by Evan's attribute, the situations of the Moon Dragon God and Acnologia were much better. Nevertheless, they were still intimidated by Evan's might!

They could feel that even though it had only been a short time since they last sparred with Evan, Evan's strength had risen once again, already reaching a height that they could not even look up to!

"Ah…"

On the other side, Lucy, who was kneeling on the ground at this moment, finally understood what Evan had said.

"So Evan is actually the strongest existence in this guild!"

"No! Perhaps it should have been this way from the beginning…"

"After all, if there weren't an even greater monster above this group of monsters to maintain order, perhaps this world would have already been destroyed by Fairy Tail seven or eight times…"

Lucy felt Evan's endless intimidation and was stunned at first before muttering to herself. She seemed to have breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, Lucy also understood one thing: often, the seemingly most harmless person in a guild was actually the greatest monster in this world~

On the other side, in the sky, following Evan's "gentle persuasion"!

Ignia, Selene, and Acnologia all stopped their movements…

A few minutes later…

Ignia, Selene, and Acnologia, who had once again transformed into human forms, appeared in front of Evan.

"Then, Lucy, decide! Who exactly are you going to let help you complete your any mission?"

Evan stood on the ground and softly asked Lucy.

"Do I even need to think about it? Actually, I should have made my decision from the very beginning…"

After hearing Evan's words, Lucy smiled faintly.

Yes, there was actually no need to think about it, because from the very beginning, she had already determined who she should seek…

"Hmph, it's definitely me!"

"It absolutely has to be me~"

"Lucy, remember, one hundred male concubines~"

As Lucy made her decision, Acnologia, Ignia, and Selene all felt their hearts tighten. They quietly waited for the choice of fate.

"I've decided… My commissioner is… Big Brother Evan!"

However, just as Ignia, Selene, and Acnologia had all prepared themselves, Lucy suddenly pointed toward Evan beside her.

"I think no one other than Big Brother Evan can handle this job, right?!"

Lucy spoke with an incomparably resolute attitude.

"Eh?!"

As Lucy's voice fell, Selene, Ignia, and Acnologia all froze.

So after they had worked so hard and invested so much, Lucy had actually chosen Evan?!

They had finally taken something seriously for once, only for Lucy to make them lose this miserably?!

[Sudden Mission: Stop the invasion of the ten thousand dragons into the world where Future Lucy resides in the alternate world! Completely eliminate those ten thousand dragons, or send the dragons back to their own era…]

[Mission Reward: One 100-Year Quest Medal!]

At the same time, Evan, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly heard the system's voice in his mind.

"Hehe, just as expected!"

Evan smiled faintly as he looked at the system's mission in his mind. In reality, Evan had discovered long ago that only missions actively issued to him by others would trigger system missions, while if he took the initiative to help others, the system would not activate a mission.

Therefore, from the very beginning, Evan had deliberately acted as if he had no interest whatsoever in Lucy's world, handing the task of eliminating those ten thousand dragons over to Acnologia, Selene, and Ignia, because Evan knew that Acnologia, Selene, and Ignia refused to submit to one another. If Evan gave the mission to the three of them, the three would definitely fight each other…

As long as Evan waited for Ignia, Acnologia, and Selene to start fighting, and then made his move and forcefully suppressed the three of them completely in front of Future Lucy, he was not afraid that Future Lucy would be unable to make the correct choice!

"Hehe, everything is within my control!"

Evan smiled as he looked at the system mission on the mission system panel. Another 100-Year Quest Medal was in hand!

In order to deal with the mysterious God of Life and Destruction, Ankhseram!

Evan was now doing whatever it took, thinking of every possible way to increase his strength…

"Since Lucy has entrusted the mission to me!"

"Then I'll be the one to eliminate those ten thousand dragons~"

Evan smiled slightly at Lucy, then looked at the people around him, such as Ignia, and spoke softly.

"Uh…"

After hearing Evan's words, Ignia, Selene, and Acnologia exchanged glances. Although their hearts were filled with endless helplessness, since Lucy had entrusted the mission to Evan, there was nothing they could do about it!

Who told Evan to be the strongest one among all of them?!

"Sure enough, I can rest assured if I leave it to Evan!"

On the other side, when Lucy saw how Evan had made Ignia, Selene, and Acnologia submit with just a few words, she understood in her heart that she had chosen the right commissioner. Only by choosing Evan could she protect the world she cherished!

"Since you have entrusted the mission to me, Lucy! Then can how this mission is to be completed also be left to me to arrange?!"

Before setting off to help Lucy hunt down the dragons, Evan still had one very important thing to ask Lucy.

"Of, of course…"

"Since I have chosen to entrust the mission to you! Then I will no longer interfere with this mission! No matter what method you use to help me, as long as you can stop those ten thousand dragons, I won't say anything!"

Lucy had not expected Evan to be so courteous. Not to mention that she simply did not dare interfere with Evan's mission, even if she really wanted to complete the mission together with Evan, she did not have the ability to fight alongside Evan! Thus, Lucy repeatedly told Evan to go ahead and do whatever he wanted! No matter what the outcome was, she, Lucy, would absolutely not regret it. Choosing Evan to complete this mission was her own choice!

"I understand! Lucy, what you mean is that you only care about the result and don't care about the process, right?!"

Upon hearing this, Evan first nodded lightly, then continued asking Lucy.

"Uh…"

"That can also be said."

Lucy was stunned for a moment upon hearing this, then nodded.

"Good, then I can rest assured."

Only after receiving Lucy's affirmative answer did Evan reveal the faintest smile.

"Since we are going to save Fairy Tail in another world, then of course we have to have everyone from our Fairy Tail set out!"

"Only Fairy Tail can save Fairy Tail…"

After obtaining Lucy's permission, Evan made a decision deep within his heart.

"Huh?!"

"Wait, Big Brother Evan, what are you planning to do?"

After hearing Evan's words, Lucy's body suddenly trembled slightly. She suddenly thought of something troublesome, and an ominous premonition suddenly arose deep within her heart.

"Come on! Everyone belonging to the Fairy Tail Guild~"

Just as Lucy hoped that Evan would stop, Evan suddenly smiled. Then, in an instant, numerous teleportation gates suddenly lit up throughout the enormous Fairy Tail Guild hall.

"Boom!!"

The next second, the Fairy Tail Guild hall, which had already been reduced to ruins, was suddenly packed with Mages.

In an instant, the group of Fairy Tail Guild Mages who had originally been inside the Great Labyrinth of Dogramag, as well as the Dragon Eaters of Diabolos, all appeared inside the guild. In addition, Fairy Tail Guild's Second Guild Master Precht, the current Council Chairman of the Magic Council ERA, Warrod, as well as the Magic Council member and Fairy Tail Guild's number-one loudmouth Jellal, all appeared inside the guild hall…

"What is going on?!"

For a moment, the Mages in the hall were all stunned. Until just now, they had still been doing their own things. How had they suddenly appeared in a pile of ruins?

"Could it be that we stepped into another trap?!"

The group of Mages who had already become accustomed to life in the labyrinth muttered to themselves, subconsciously thinking that they had once again stepped into a trap set by Dogramag.

"No! Obviously that's not the case. We have already left the labyrinth!"

However, among this group of Mages who had been trapped in the labyrinth, there were also wise people. After merely sensing the magic power in the air slightly, they made the correct judgment!

Yes, they had already left the Great Labyrinth of Dogramag…

"Ah! They're the Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild!"

"Damn it, why are the people from Diabolos here too?!"

"Go to hell! Damn Diabolos…"

"What the hell! You're the ones who should go to hell, you damn Fairy Tail Mages!"

At the same time, the Mages of Diabolos, who had been fighting for who knew how long inside the labyrinth, now faced off against the Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the hall gradually froze.

"So many familiar faces…"

However, none of this had anything to do with Future Lucy. At this moment, Lucy looked at the group of familiar Mages in the Fairy Tail Guild hall, and her eyes gradually reddened. For a moment, endless memories filled Future Lucy's mind. Those memories with her companions from the Fairy Tail Guild were all the most precious memories of Lucy's life.

"Hehehe~"

However, just as Future Lucy's eyes were red and her heart was filled with emotion, following a soft laugh, a voice somehow appeared behind Future Lucy.

"I finally caught you, Lucy!"

Before Future Lucy could think, a cherry-pink figure rushed toward Future Lucy, embracing Future Lucy from behind. At the same time, the cherry-pink figure's hands were not at all well-behaved, continuously attacking the ticklish spots on Future Lucy's body.

"Eh? Pffthahaha! You're… hahahahaha… Natsu?! Hahahaha…"

Under the attacks of the cherry-pink figure, Future Lucy continuously burst into laughter.

At the same time, it seemed that tears were slowly flowing from the corners of Future Lucy's eyes.

Yes, the figure who had caught Future Lucy was none other than Natsu!

"Natsu, what are you doing?!"

However, just as Natsu was hugging Future Lucy and taking revenge on her, a somewhat adorable voice sounded from among the Fairy Tail Guild crowd. A figure with long golden hair slowly walked out of the crowd! The person was none other than Lucy herself.

"Eh? Strange, why is there another Lucy here?!"

For a moment, Natsu froze on the spot. He looked at the Lucy in his arms, then looked at the Lucy staring at him from among the crowd, completely dumbfounded.

"Natsu, I already told you, let go of me! I'm not this world's Lucy!"

At the same time, Future Lucy finally got a chance to breathe. She spoke to Natsu behind her with an incomparably complicated expression.

"Eh?! Is that me?! How can there be two of me in this world?" On the other side, when Lucy discovered that Natsu was holding herself in his arms, she was completely dumbfounded.

Lucy had originally become rather angry when she saw Natsu hugging someone else. But when Lucy saw the face of the person in Natsu's arms, she no longer knew what to say.

At this moment, Lucy was completely shocked, while a thought slowly arose in Lucy's heart: "So I cucked myself?!"

"Lucy, you're back~"

It was precisely while Lucy was shocked that Layla came behind her daughter and softly greeted Lucy.

"Mother? What exactly is going on? Could it be that I have a twin younger sister or older sister?"

After seeing Layla, Lucy was startled at first. Then she looked at herself in Natsu's arms, looked at her mother, thought for a while, and suddenly revealed a look of realization.

"Nope!"

In response, Layla directly gave the delusional Lucy an affirmative answer.

"Eh? There isn't?"

The Lucy of this world was slightly stunned, and a hint of disappointment flashed through her eyes.

"Two Lucys!"

However, before Lucy could think any further, and before Layla could explain, Natsu, who was holding Future Lucy, leaped forward and directly arrived in front of the Lucy of this world, then picked up this world's Lucy in one arm.

For a moment, Future Lucy and this world's Lucy were each held up by Natsu's left and right arms.

"Natsu, what are you doing?! Put us down!"

For a moment, both Future Lucy and this world's Lucy felt extremely embarrassed and shouted at Natsu.

"Three Lucys!!"

However, Natsu showed no intention of stopping. He shifted his gaze toward Layla and made his judgment.

"That's our mother, you idiot!!"

As Natsu's voice fell, Future Lucy and this world's Lucy almost simultaneously twitched at the corners of their eyes, then used Lucy Flying Fists on Natsu's face!

"Uh…"

Natsu was caught off guard and was directly knocked to the ground by the two Lucys.

As for the two Lucys, they were able to escape because of this.

"So, Mom, what exactly is going on?"

This world's Lucy, after briefly sizing up her future self, asked Layla in confusion.

"Well?"

Layla smiled lightly upon hearing this. She was thinking about how she should explain the current situation clearly.

"Probably because of the Eclipse Gate, causing Lucys from other timelines, or other space-times, to come to this world?"

Just as Layla was thinking and Lucy was confused, a voice extremely similar to Layla and Lucy's voices, yet slightly more mature, sounded in everyone's ears.

For a moment, Layla, this world's Lucy, and Future Lucy, who had been preparing to talk, all looked toward the source of the voice. There they saw a beautiful young woman with dazzling golden hair, fair skin, and facial features somewhat similar to those of Lucy and Layla. She stood with her arms crossed, smiling as she looked at everyone.

"Ancestor Anna!"

Layla looked at the newcomer and spoke with slight excitement.

Yes, the newcomer was none other than Anna, the ancestor of the Heartfilia family, Lucy and the others!

"You've worked hard all these years, Layla!"

After hearing Layla's words, Anna walked in front of Layla with a smile and lightly patted Layla's little head.

"Ancestor?!"

When Future Lucy and this world's Lucy heard the word "ancestor," they instinctively looked at each other. Both of them saw shock in the other's eyes, and then, almost simultaneously, they spoke in unison.

"Four Lucys!"

On the other side, Natsu, who had been knocked to the ground by Lucy, slowly climbed back up. He looked at Future Lucy, this world's Lucy, Lucy's mother Layla, and Lucy's ancestor Anna. His expression first trembled, then he spoke in shock.

"I told you, this one is my mother, and this one is my ancestor!"

Future Lucy and this world's Lucy simultaneously shouted at Natsu.

It could be said that the moment two Lucys were present, their ability to make sarcastic retorts directly entered double mode!

"Aye~"

In response, Happy flew above Natsu's head and gave an affirmative answer.

"What are you 'Aye'-ing about?!"

Future Lucy and this world's Lucy looked at that useless blue cat and spoke at the same time.

"Everyone! Quiet!"

Just as the hall became a complete mess, a voice that was not particularly stern, yet made it impossible for anyone to feel the slightest desire to resist, slowly sounded in everyone's ears. The voice was clearly not loud, yet every person in the hall could hear it clearly.

"Evan…"

For a moment, whether they were the Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild or the Dragon Eaters of Diabolos, they all stopped what they were doing and looked toward the person who had spoken, namely Evan.

"Everyone! In fact, I summoned all of you here because there is an important matter I wish to discuss with everyone!"

"Just yesterday, the Eclipse Gate opened, and Fairy Tail from an alternate world extremely similar to, yet completely different from, our world sent a distress signal to our world! The Fairy Tail of that world is already in grave danger, simply because… that world has an entire ten thousand dragons that feed on humans, wreaking havoc between heaven and earth!"

Evan briefly explained to everyone present why he had summoned them.

"Ten thousand dragons?!"

"Really…"

"What is the Eclipse Gate?"

"Some kind of magic that travels through time and space? Probably…"

As Evan's voice fell, the hall immediately erupted into waves of commotion.

"All you Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild, and Dragon Slayer Mages!"

"Can you really tolerate ten thousand dragons bullying our companions and wreaking havoc across the land?!"

Just as the hall became turbulent, Evan's voice sounded once again.

Evan's voice was forceful and powerful, directly striking the hearts of every Mage present.

"No!"

For a moment, whether they were the Mages of Diabolos or the Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild, there was only one voice in the hall.

"Tell me, everyone! How will we repay those who provoke our Fairy Tail Guild?!"

As everyone's voices gathered together, Evan's voice continued.

"Of course… a hundredfold!"

When the Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild heard Evan's words, their blood immediately began boiling, and they shouted the motto of the Fairy Tail Guild. It was also the foundation of the Fairy Tail Guild's strength, as well as the core philosophy of the Fairy Tail Guild's Third Guild Master, Makarov.

"Everyone…"

As Future Lucy listened to the familiar people in the guild say those familiar words one after another, Future Lucy's eyes gradually reddened, and tear after tear flowed from the corners of her eyes.

"Leave it to us without worry, Lucy…"

On the other side, after learning the specific situation from Layla, this world's Lucy placed her palm on Future Lucy's shoulder, or rather, her alternate-world self's shoulder, comforting her alternate-world self.

"Believe in the companions of the Fairy Tail Guild, Lucy!"

And Natsu, who had been fooling around with Lucy earlier, also became mature at this moment. He placed his hand on Future Lucy's other shoulder and smiled confidently.

"Everyone, for Fairy Tail!!"

At the same time, Evan stood upon the high platform and loudly spoke to the Mages of the Fairy Tail Guild before him, while opening a teleportation gate beside him.

That teleportation gate led directly to the Eclipse Gate in the forest surrounding Crocus, the capital of the Kingdom of Fiore, on the continent of Ishgar!

At this moment, beside the Eclipse Gate, a young man with short black hair and eyes as deep as an abyss stood before the gate and smiled at Evan and the others on the other side of the teleportation gate.

"I've already determined the coordinates. You will directly travel to that world, before the ten thousand dragons wreak havoc in Crocus, Kingdom of Fiore."

"This is all thanks to your help, Jellal~"

Evan stood before the teleportation gate and smiled slightly at Jellal.

"It's just a small matter~"

Jellal lightly shook his head upon hearing this.

"Then next, we'll open the Eclipse Gate…"

As Evan spoke, he lightly snapped his fingers. The teleportation gate in the guild hall immediately activated and directly swallowed Evan and the others.

By the time everyone reacted, they had already returned from the distant Northern Continent, Guiltina, to Ishgar, the Kingdom of Fiore.

"I remember that opening the Eclipse Gate requires the twelve Zodiac keys, as well as the power of a group of Celestial Spirit Mages, right?!"

Evan looked at the Eclipse Gate before them, which they had moved into the forest, and asked Lucy and the others behind him.

"Yes…"

Before Lucy and the others could think about it, Layla gave an affirmative answer.

"Huh? It requires all twelve Zodiac keys? I don't have enough here!"

Lucy looked troubled upon hearing this. At present, she only had the Zodiac keys of Leo, Virgo, Aquarius, Cancer, Capricorn, Aries, Taurus, and Sagittarius. Eight Zodiac keys. She was still missing four…

Although the fact that one Celestial Spirit Mage could gather a full eight Zodiac keys was already astonishing enough.

"Here are the remaining four!"

Just as Lucy looked helplessly at her keys, a clear voice sounded, and four golden keys were thrown toward Lucy.

"These are the keys of Gemini, Scorpio, Libra, and Pisces?!"

Lucy looked at the Celestial Spirit keys in her hand and spoke excitedly.

"I'm not giving them to you for free. I'm lending them to you. Of course, you can also buy them from me! I won't rip you off either. How about one hundred million per key?!"

Just as Lucy was looking at the keys in her hand with incomparable excitement, the owner of that clear voice walked toward Lucy.

The owner of the voice had a full and proud figure, a beautiful face, and long snow-white hair.

"Karen, you're not going to be a Celestial Spirit Mage anymore? You're even selling your Celestial Spirit keys?"

Evan looked at the woman who had appeared with the keys and asked softly.

"Hmph! She already has eight keys, so there's no point in me keeping these anymore!"

Karen answered with a helpless expression.

"That's true…"

Evan no longer asked.

"One hundred million each? One hundred million! How many years of rent is that?!"

On the other side, Lucy had already been completely shocked by the price of the four keys. Her hands trembled as she did not know whether she should accept these four keys or not.

"It's fine!"

Just as Lucy's hands trembled, Lucy's mother Layla walked to her side and gently covered Lucy's trembling hands.

"Mother!"

Lucy looked at her mother Layla and suddenly relaxed. Yes, she had a mother who was a billionaire. A mere few hundred million was nothing.

"It's only four hundred million. Mother will lend it to you first! I'll charge you a lower interest rate."

However, Layla pulled Lucy's hand and said with a gentle laugh.

"Pfft…"

After hearing Layla's words, Lucy nearly spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Lucy, pull yourself together!"

The Fairy Tail members looked at Lucy, who was about to collapse, and shouted at her one after another.

"I, I'm fine…"

Lucy answered the Mages of the guild with an iron-green face.

Although no matter how one looked at it, Lucy certainly did not look fine.

"Then let's open it here! Let's open the gate to save the alternate world!"

Lucy took a deep breath and made herself pull herself together again. She held the twelve Zodiac Celestial Spirit keys in her hands while also tightly holding the hand of her alternate-world self.

"Hmm?"

The alternate-world Lucy was stunned at first, then she discovered that Lucy had given her three of the Zodiac keys.

"That's the world you truly love, right?! Let's go save it together!"

Immediately afterward, alternate-world Lucy heard the gentle words of this world's Lucy.

"Lucy…"

For a moment, alternate-world Lucy was so moved by this world's version of herself that she nearly broke down in tears.

"Mm! Let's create a future belonging to Fairy Tail together!"

Alternate-world Lucy gently wiped away the tears from the corners of her eyes and raised the three Zodiac keys Lucy had given her.

On the other side, Layla and Anna also each received three Zodiac Celestial Spirit keys.

When Layla, Anna, this world's Lucy, and alternate-world Lucy, the four members of the Heartfilia family who had crossed time and space, gathered together at this moment, perhaps even the Celestial Spirit King, who normally had to be summoned through sacrifice, could be summoned into this world by the four of them without paying any price…

"Open! O gates of the Zodiac Celestial Spirits!"

When Layla, Anna, alternate-world Lucy, and Lucy simultaneously raised the keys in their hands, those twelve keys immediately radiated endless light!

The next second, as the four members of the Heartfilia family simultaneously waved the Zodiac Celestial Spirit keys in their hands, the Celestial Spirit symbols engraved upon the ancient and mysterious Eclipse Gate slowly began to rotate. Then, accompanied by bursts of rumbling, that mysterious and ancient gate, which looked as if it had been carved from stone, slowly opened before everyone's eyes, and endless white light filled the heavens and earth.