"Ahaha! Finally out! I was dying in there!" Future Natsu radiated immense heat as he raised his arms and laughed excitedly.
Ever since Motherglare had appeared, he'd been clamoring to come out, but Chase had been busy fighting and had no time for him.
Then came the briefing about the other side of the Eclipse Gate and the announcement of the "Eclipse Operation." He'd been practically climbing the walls.
Future Gray immediately jumped in to mock him. "Tch. If you don't even have that much patience, you might as well stay put. You'd just get one-shot by a dragon anyway."
His stripped-down state made the female mages blush and turn away—except for the two Juvias, whose love-struck eyes widened as they panted heavily.
"Gray. Clothes," Future Mirajane said with a smile.
"What?! Did Chase leave my clothes in the card again? Damn that perverted card nerd!"
"He wouldn't do something that weird..." Future Cana belched, exasperated.
Future Erza, Future Levy, and the others greeted their counterparts from Chase's world.
The lively and bizarre scene left King Toma and the other guild mages utterly bewildered. Two identical Fairy Tails?!
Only now did they realize that there had been two Lucys present all along, occasionally throwing out comments.
The dragon's appearance had been so shocking that, combined with Lucy's clone usage during the Grand Magic Games, they had subconsciously overlooked this minor detail.
Of course, Lucy's naturally low presence also played a part—like that time with Weekly Sorcerer's Jason.
"I see. So that explains the strange feeling I've had these past few days."
"No wonder a powerful mage like Chase suddenly appeared in Fairy Tail..."
Looking at the two Fairy Tails, the well-traveled guild masters like Future Bob pieced together the various oddities from the Grand Magic Games and vaguely guessed the truth.
Future Jura wiped the sweat from his brow, his gaze shifting between the two Makarovs, voicing the question on everyone's minds.
"Um, Mr. Makarov... what exactly is going on?"
Even he was momentarily confused, unsure which Makarov was the "real" one.
Future Makarov cleared his throat, signaled for the children to quiet down, and began explaining the whole story.
The reason for hiding the existence of another world had been to ensure the Grand Magic Games could proceed smoothly, win the 30 million—ahem—wash away the left-behind members' humiliation, and avoid the Magic Council's tedious investigations.
But now the prize money was in hand, and dealing with the Council's investigations was trivial compared to heading back four hundred years for training. There was no need to keep secrets anymore.
This was the decision reached by Chase, the two Makarovs, and the First Master.
After the explanation, the future world's mages exchanged glances, marveling at the existence of a nearly identical world—and that Fairy Tail from that world had traveled here!
"Wait... having two guilds compete at the same time counts as cheating, doesn't it?" Future Lector whispered.
He was still sore about the championship on behalf of Sting.
"But if they split up, we wouldn't be facing one guild, but two separate Fairy Tails."
Future Frosch raised his paw, his voice soft and adorable. "We'd just lose even worse. Frosch thinks so~"
Future Lector thought about it for a moment, then immediately shut up.
"There's just no dealing with them, is there..."
Future Minerva overheard their conversation and shook her head with a resigned smile.
After all the upheaval, she seemed to have let go, rediscovering her original purpose.
After the initial shock, the other guilds began discussing as well. Those closer to Fairy Tail—like Future Jura, Future Lyon, and Future Ichiya—accepted the news calmly and walked over with smiles to greet them.
Future Ichiya felt that his lost opportunity had returned. He went over to sniff Future Erza, only to be kicked dozens of meters away as expected.
Laughing and chatting, the group followed Chase in a grand procession toward the Eclipse Gate. Sensing more excitement ahead, some of the bolder residents and tourists quietly tailed them, fully prepared to die for the spectacle.
Unfortunately, the damned royal guards once again blocked everyone.
Entering through the massive hole Motherglare had made, the mages quickly reached the underground chamber housing the Eclipse Gate.
A squad of fully armed soldiers stood guard, clearing the surrounding rubble.
Princess Hisui was indeed cautious in this regard.
Staring at the massive gate, with its exquisite craftsmanship and faint aura of cold darkness, everyone was speechless with awe.
Behind this ancient gate lay tens of thousands of dragons!
"Before opening the gate, I need to make something clear to everyone."
Chase walked to the front of the Eclipse Gate, turned to face the crowd, and got straight to the point.
"I'll attach a Kuriboh to everyone who wants to go, which can nullify one fatal attack. Once the effect triggers, you'll be forcibly teleported back here."
"However, the situation on the other side is complex, and I can't guarantee there won't be any accidents. I hope everyone thinks carefully before deciding."
Hearing this, the Fairy Tail members, who had experienced this protective chain during the full-scale assault on Grimoire Heart, smiled in relief.
Even the timid Lucy found some courage, confidently calling Future Lucy to join her.
As for the others, especially those aware of their own limits, they hesitated. Being pumped up didn't mean being brainless. They would only be cannon fodder to the dragons' roars, useless and burdening Chase.
So, balancing the guild masters' advice and personal wishes, some stepped forward while others stayed behind to cheer.
Blue Pegasus, Mermaid Heel, and Quartet Cerberus each sent their sole S-Class mage: Ichiya, Bacchus, and Kagura.
Lamia Scale, as a long-established guild, sent Jura, Lyon, and Sherria.
Sherria's Sky God Slayer Magic had supportive effects for the whole group, while Lyon just didn't want to lose to Gray.
Sabertooth sent the most members, with all their final-day competitors present.
Minerva and the Dragon Slayers Sting and Rogue needed no explanation. Rufus wanted to collect the dragons' "memories," and Orga was just stubborn.
As for Fairy Tail, aside from the more laid-back and less confident Levy, Éclair, and Lisanna, the Tenrou Island members from both worlds all joined the fight!
***
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