"Ace!" Laxus roared.
The lightning sphere on his single, trembling left fist had swollen to the size of a boulder.
The intensely compressed energy within it caused the surrounding ground to crack, levitate, and vaporize on its own.
"Take this move… if you can withstand it, you win! If you can't… you die!"
He took a heavy step forward, the ground exploding beneath his boots as he pulled his left arm back.
Every remaining muscle in his broken body swelled to its absolute limit, his blood vessels bulging dangerously beneath his charred skin.
"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art—"
"Roaring Thunder!!!"
BOOOOOOM!!!!!!
The world lost its color.
No, the entire world was dyed a blinding, absolute gold.
Endless golden lightning erupted from Laxus's left fist, transforming into a thunderous torrent over five meters wide that tore through space, charging straight toward Ace!
Everything in its path was vaporized, evaporated, and annihilated.
The air became completely ionized, releasing the pungent smell of ozone and a deafening, continuous roar.
Stray arcs of golden electricity fell from the main blast, carving massive craters into the earth.
When they struck the ruined walls of the cathedral, the stone silently vaporized into dust.
Facing this world-ending attack, Ace took a deep, steadying breath.
He gripped the Dragon Soul Sword with both hands, pointing the tip straight down toward the ground, and forcefully plunged it in!
Shiiiiing!
The heavy blade sank deep into the fractured earth, buried all the way to the hilt.
The next second, crimson flames erupted from the blade—not upward, but downward, surging deep into the depths of the earth!
The flames burrowed like living creatures through the fault lines, spreading wildly along the magical leylines beneath the city.
Wherever they passed, the earth turned to molten rock.
Almost simultaneously, nine enormous cracks tore open across the ground within a hundred-meter radius of Ace.
From these fissures, crimson light shot into the sky, dyeing the night blood-red.
"Nine-Headed Dragon Formation!"
Ace's calm voice echoed from beneath his faceplate.
BOOM!!!!!!
From the nine massive fissures, nine colossal dragons composed entirely of liquid fire burst forth from the earth.
Each dragon measured over ten meters long, their bodies formed of molten lava and pure flame.
Their eyes burned with crimson-gold light, and their jaws gaped wide as they spewed scorching breath.
The nine flame dragons coiled and intertwined in the air, ultimately converging into a towering, fiery tornado that fearlessly collided with the golden lightning torrent!
KRA-KOOOOOOM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It was a true annihilation phenomenon created by the collision of two ultimate energies.
Golden lightning and crimson flames violently clashed, erased each other, and clashed again.
Each continuous impact produced a deafening roar that threatened to shatter eardrums, while the sheer force of the blast caused the surrounding space to visually warp and distort.
The ground didn't just crack—the entire landscape fractured like fragile glass, breaking into countless fragments that were lifted by the shockwaves, suspended in the air, and vaporized by the intense heat.
The sky trembled.
The storm clouds above were utterly torn apart, revealing the brilliant starscape behind them.
But even the stars seemed to twist and blur through the heat haze of the energy collision.
In the distant town of Magnolia, every building shook violently.
Windows shattered in waves as terrified residents huddled in their homes, trembling at the apocalyptic light show.
From their hastily erected defensive perimeter just outside the blast radius, Erza, Gray, Natsu, Gajeel, and the others stared toward the ruins of Kardia Cathedral in absolute shock.
Even from a kilometer away, they could clearly see the towering golden lightning and the crimson fire dragons.
They could feel the world-obliterating magical pressure pressing down on their chests.
"What... is that...?" Natsu murmured.
Even someone as battle-thirsty as him felt a heavy palpitation in his heart at the sheer scale of the magic.
"Ace..." Erza gripped her longsword tightly, her eyes filled with awe and concern.
At the center of the battlefield, the annihilation continued.
The golden torrent of lightning and the crimson tornado of flames pressed against each other, neither giving an inch of ground.
Laxus roared, squeezing out the absolute last drops of life force from his body and pouring them into his Roaring Thunder.
Across from him, Ace pressed both hands firmly onto the hilt of the buried Dragon Soul Sword, his Digital Soul burning wildly to maintain the output of the nine flame dragons.
It was a terrifying stalemate.
Suddenly, Laxus coughed violently, spitting out blood laced with dying static.
The lightning sphere on his left fist began to flicker unstably, and the power of his Roaring Thunder finally started to decline—slowly, but undeniably diminishing.
In contrast, the nine flame dragons showed no signs of weakening.
Having devoured and burned away portions of the lightning energy, their flames only grew more intense and violent.
The balance tipped.
The golden lightning torrent was completely swallowed and overwhelmed by the crimson flame tornado.
The fiery vortex continued its momentum unabated, crashing violently into Laxus!
Laxus let out a final, defiant roar, but against the absolute flames, everything was futile.
He was completely engulfed by the fire, his figure disappearing within the blinding crimson radiance.
The flames persisted for a full ten seconds.
When the fire finally dissipated, Ace leaned heavily on the hilt of the Dragon Soul Sword, panting as sweat dripped down his face beneath the helmet.
Maintaining the absolute power of KaiserGreymon for the first time was incredibly draining.
And ahead of him...
Laxus lay motionless on the charred, glass-like ground.
The lightning armor covering his body had completely vanished, revealing severely scorched, bruised flesh beneath.
His coat was gone, and his hair was singed.
Though his breathing was so faint it was almost undetectable, and though his life force flickered like a candle in the wind—he was still alive.
Dragging his exhausted body, Ace unsummoned his armor and walked over to Laxus's side.
He looked down at the man who had remained proud and stubborn even in defeat, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes.
Then, Ace raised his head and looked toward the sky.
Drawing a deep breath, he mustered all his remaining strength and shouted:
"The battle... is over!!!"
His voice, amplified by his remaining magic, echoed clearly throughout Magnolia.
Silence.
A brief, stunned silence blanketed the city.
Then—
"He... won?"
"Ace won?!"
"The civil war is over?!"
Exclamations, questions, and voices of disbelief rose from every corner of the streets.
This was quickly followed by an even greater sound.
Cheers.
Deafening, sky-rending cheers!
"We won! We won!"
"Ace! Ace! Ace!"
"Fairy Tail! Fairy Tail! Fairy Tail!"
Cheers erupted from the defensive perimeter, from the streets and alleys, from every Fairy Tail member, and from every resident of Magnolia.
The voices converged into a joyful torrent, echoing through the night sky and washing over the entire city.
The distant festival music started up again, more joyous and lively than before.
The clinking of glasses, the laughter, and the singing—all the sounds intertwined, playing a warm symphony of victory.
Amidst the ruined crater of the cathedral, Ace slowly sat down, leaning his back against a charred boulder.
Gazing at the stars relighting the night sky and listening to the distant cheers of his guildmates, a tired yet genuine smile gradually curved his lips.
It was over.
This absurd civil war was finally over.
The wind swept through the ruins, carrying away the smoke and ashes.
But beneath those ashes, the unbreakable bonds of the guild were beginning to sprout anew.
The Fantasia festival wasn't over yet.
In fact, it was just beginning.
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