Chapter 59: FTRJ: Chapter 59

“What’s the point of all this talk now? I’m defeated. Didn’t you say you’d kill me if I attacked Fairy Tail again? Your sword is right on my chest.”

“Go ahead and fulfill your promise,” Gajeel closed his eyes, calmly awaiting death.

Finn shook his head and sheathed his sword. “Are Jose’s words that important to you? Have you ever considered what you are to him?”

Gajeel recalled last night—his injuries, Jose’s complete lack of concern. What was his worth, really?

“I won’t say more. I’m not after you. Tell me where Jose is,” Finn asked.

Gajeel remained silent.

As Finn shook his head, preparing to search Phantom Lord’s guildhall, Gajeel spoke. “He’s in the control room on the top floor.”

“You can’t beat Master Jose,” Gajeel added.

A smirk played on Finn’s lips. “How would I know if I don’t try?” He then left.

To be honest, Finn had almost killed Gajeel in that moment. But later, he saw him as a man consumed by blind loyalty.

He followed orders without question. With the right guidance, such a person could be steered towards the light; with someone like Jose, he’d be drawn to the darkness.

After all, Makarov always talked about saving lost young people. Perhaps Finn had been subtly influenced by Makarov’s words.

He might mention Gajeel to Makarov later and see what he thought.

Finn quickly arrived at the battlefield, but the situation was dire.

Phantom Lord’s guildhall continued spewing out countless ghost soldiers. The Fairy Tail mages were exhausted; these soldiers were seemingly immortal.

They’d be destroyed, only to resurrect shortly after. Worse, contact with these soldiers drained the mages’ stamina.

This left everyone increasingly exhausted, while the ghost soldiers continued to multiply, now even obscuring the sky.

Finn drew Ryūjin Jakka; flames erupted. He unleashed a powerful downward slash, flames dancing with the blade, engulfing the sky in a massive attack that instantly obliterated a large portion of the ghost soldiers.

“That…was Finn!!”

“Amazing! As expected of Finn! With an attack like that, even the ghost soldiers will take a long time to revive.”

“That’s a huge relief,” Cana breathed a sigh of relief.

Finn’s arrival sparked cheers from Fairy Tail; he was a beacon of hope in the darkness.

“Counterattack!!”

Mirajane, tending to Erza in the infirmary, emerged. “Finn, are you alright?” She carefully examined him, relieved to see he was unharmed.

Finn ruffled Mirajane’s white hair. “I only know the general situation. I need details. Tell me everything.”

Mirajane seemed to enjoy the head-pat, her worried expression softening into a smile. “The situation is…complicated.”

“Erza took a direct hit from Phantom Lord’s Magic Beam Cannon, Jupiter, and is now unconscious in the infirmary.” Mirajane glanced towards the window where Erza lay.

“Erza…she’s done so much,” Finn said, his eyes filled with concern for the unconscious Erza in the window.

“But luckily, Natsu just destroyed Jupiter, and Gray and Elfman have gone to assist him. They might be fighting the Four Elements right now.”

“You dealt with Gajeel. So, Jose and the Four Elements are our biggest threats.”

“And…the Master. His condition is unknown. Porlyusica said he might die if his magic isn’t recovered soon.” Mirajane’s face was etched with worry.

Finn smiled. “Don’t worry about that.”

“Huh? What do you mean?” Mirajane asked, puzzled.

“Mystogan’s gone to recover the Master’s magic. He’s been gone a while; he should be back soon,” Finn said, gazing towards the distant sky where a tattered Phantom Lord flag fluttered in the wind.

“Mystogan? With you back, I can finally relax,” Mirajane nodded.

The day had brought a relentless barrage of bad news. Isolated and outnumbered, the Fairy Tail members had been pushed to the brink of despair. Thankfully, the tide was slowly turning, and Mirajane’s anxieties began to ease.

In Phantom Lord’s mobile guildhall, in the top-floor control room, figures cloaked in heavy robes frantically manipulated the magic circles before them.

Jose sat upon a throne in the control room, lowering his crossed legs and rising to his feet. “Those pesky brats dared to interfere.”

“Excellent. Let them taste despair. Activate the giant!” Jose’s smile was unsettlingly manic.

“And then activate the forbidden magic—Purgatory Shatter!”

“Yes, sir,” the guild members below responded, continuing their frantic work on the magic circles.

“Elements stable.”

“Activating the stabilizing magic crystals.”

“All mages in the danger zone, evacuate immediately! Deploy support structures; the magic giant is about to activate!”

The announcement blared repeatedly throughout Phantom Lord’s guildhall.

Phantom Lord’s mobile guildhall began to undergo a dramatic transformation. The castle-like structure, driven by internal gears, continuously reshaped itself. The side structures detached from the main body, transforming into arms.

The six massive mechanical legs that had been propelling the guildhall forward began to converge and combine, ultimately forming a colossal mechanical giant that stood majestically upon the ocean’s surface.

The Fairy Tail members, whose spirits had been lifted by the destruction of Jupiter and Finn’s timely arrival, were now utterly stunned.

“What in the world is that? Are you kidding me?” Cana stared at the unfolding scene in disbelief.

“A giant. A magic giant,” Finn said, arriving at the shore, his expression serious.

“That thing…can transform into a giant?” Lucy, supported by Cana, had just convinced Mirajane to let her participate in the battle, but her magic was critically low, almost completely depleted.

“Beg for mercy, you punks,” Jose’s emotionless voice echoed from within the magic giant.

Inside Jupiter’s launch control room, smoke billowed amidst the wreckage, a clear testament to the recent explosion. The shattered fragments of Jupiter’s charging magic crystals lay scattered on the ground—a clear sign of Natsu’s intervention to prevent Jupiter’s launch.

Rabbit, one of Phantom Lord’s Four Elements and the fire elementalist, landed amidst the ruins, his gaze fixed intently on Natsu across from him. “This guy…is terrifying. I couldn’t control his flames earlier.”

Natsu’s hands blazed with flames. “My flames will never be controlled by you again! Next, it’s your turn to get beaten, Phantom Lord!”

Just then, the announcement blared, causing Rabbit to freeze. The entire Phantom Lord guildhall began to shake violently.

The ground beneath Natsu and the others began to tilt precariously.

“Wh…what’s happening? The whole thing is tilting!” Natsu and Happy looked at the tilting ground in panic.

Rabbit grabbed onto a protruding section of the wall to prevent himself from falling. “Could it be that the Master intends to…”

The increasingly violent tilting made it impossible for Natsu and the others to avoid being thrown downwards.

After the tilting subsided somewhat, Rabbit managed to pull himself up from the rubble. By now, he had realized what was happening, and with outstretched arms, he exclaimed excitedly, “You’re finished! The giant has awakened, haha!”

Turning to look at Natsu, he was stunned. Natsu was lying weakly on the ground, clutching his mouth and retching. The violent shaking had been too much for even a Dragon Slayer like Natsu to withstand. Tears welled in his eyes, and sweat poured down his face.

“Natsu, snap out of it!” Happy kept urging Natsu.

Rabbit approached Natsu, a smile spreading across his face. “So this guy’s afraid of vehicles, huh? Perfect! While you’re weakened and unable to eat fire, I’ll use my strongest magic to turn you to ashes.”

He crossed his arms, and a fiery red magic circle materialized in the air.

“Die, Dragon Slayer!” Rabbit roared with maniacal laughter.

Crack—crack—

“Eh?” Suddenly, a wave of intense cold enveloped Rabbit’s hands, instantly beginning to freeze them. And this ice, as if possessing a life of its own, continued to spread, completely encasing Rabbit’s hands in ice.

“Eh eh? Wh…what’s going on here? What the heck is this?!” Rabbit cried out in utter panic, but the ice showed no sign of stopping, continuing until it completely encased him.

“If you’re a manly man, you should become a constellation!” Elfman, wielding his magically enhanced beast arm, unleashed a powerful punch that sent Rabbit flying.

Rabbit’s hysterical screams echoed from the sky.

“Elfman and Gray, you’re awesome!” Happy exclaimed, as if seeing a savior.

“You’re really useless, Natsu,” Gray said, hands in his pockets, mocking Natsu.

“If you’re a manly man, you should conquer vehicles.”

By this time, the magic giant had completed its transformation, and the interior had returned to calm.

Natsu slowly stood up, sensing his surroundings. “Huh? It seems to have stopped moving.”

Happy volunteered. “I’ll go check out the situation outside.” He spread his wings and flew off.

Meanwhile, the transformed magic giant raised its hand, continuously writing something in the air.

“What’s that, writing?”

“Could it be…a magic circle?” Cana recognized it.

“That magic circle…it’s Purgatory Shatter! Isn’t that one of the forbidden magic spells?!” Mirajane exclaimed in shock, standing next to Finn.

“With this scale of magic circle, are they trying to wipe out all of Magnolia?!” Loki said incredulously.

More ghost soldiers poured out from within the magic giant.

“This will never end. Mira, go back to the guild,” Finn said, turning to Mirajane.

“And you…?” Mirajane seemed to understand what Finn was about to do, her gaze filled with worry.

“I’m going to find Jose!” Finn’s gaze fixed on the top floor of the magic giant.

“Then what about Purgatory Shatter?” Mirajane asked again.

Just then, Erza’s voice came from behind them. “We’ll handle Purgatory Shatter.”

“Eh?” Mirajane turned to see Erza slowly walking towards them. “Erza, are you alright now?”

Erza nodded. “I’ve recovered quite a bit.” Then, she looked at Finn and said, “Natsu, Elfman, and Gray are inside. With me, we’ll find a way to disrupt Purgatory Shatter.”

“I’ll deal with Jose,” Finn added.

The two exchanged a look, their eyes filled with unwavering trust.

Mirajane grasped Erza’s hand, her face etched with worry. “I know…I probably shouldn’t say this, but please take care of Elfman. I’m worried about his condition; he might not be able to fight.”

Finn smiled, stroking Mira’s white hair. “Don’t worry, Mira. That kid’s been working harder than you know. He’s a real man now.”

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