Natsu stepped closer to the railing, leaning over to stare at the massive crystal.
"It's huge. How are we supposed to crack it without hurting everyone inside?"
"You can't just hit it," Edo-Lucy said, her voice hushed as if afraid the crystal might hear them.
"If the lacrima shatters incorrectly, the magic life force inside disperses into the wind. They'll die."
Wendy covered her mouth. "Then what do we do?"
Before anyone could answer, Carla collapsed onto the cold stone floor.
"Carla!" Wendy dropped to her knees, hovering over the white cat.
Carla clutched her head, her eyes squeezed shut in obvious pain.
A strange, glowing aura flickered around her small body. "I... I rember. The mission. The floating islands. Extalia."
Happy tilted his head. "What's Extalia?"
"It's a kingdom," Carla gasped, forcing her eyes open.
"A kingdom of Exceeds. Cats like Happy and . The King of Edolas isn't just going to drain the Fairy Tail lacrima. He's going to ram it into Extalia!"
"Ram it?" Ace asked, his eyes narrowing.
"Code ETD," Carla whispered. "Extalia Total Destruction. If the giant lacrima collides with the floating island, the impact will shatter the crystal and cause a magical rain. It will supply Edolas with limitless magic for eternity, but it will wipe out the Exceeds and everyone in Magnolia."
A slow, hollow clapping echoed from above.
They all snapped their heads up.
Standing on a higher tier of the viewing deck, looking down at them like insects, was a frail, elderly man.
He wore an ornate, oversized crown and heavy royal robes. He leaned on a chanical staff that clicked and whirred with glowing gears.
"What a brilliant deduction, fallen angel," King Faust rasped, a cruel smile stretching across his wrinkled face.
"It seems the Exceed's innate knowledge isn't useless after all."
"The King," Edo-Lucy gasped, taking a step back.
Faust raised his staff and slamd the base onto the stone balcony.
"Engage the chains!"
Deep within the palace walls, massive gears scread.
The thick, glowing chains tethered to the giant lacrima pulled taut. With a deafening groan that shook the sky, the colossal crystal began to slowly drift away from the palace, moving toward a distant cluster of floating islands.
"Hey! Stop!" Natsu yelled, drawing his Fire Blade.
"Eliminate the intruders," Faust ordered lazily, turning his back and walking back into the shadows of the upper tier.
"Don't let them follow the crystal."
A massive shadow dropped from the upper balcony.
The stone deck cracked as a towering figure landed between the group and the stairs. He was a humanoid panther with dark fur, wearing white combat trousers and no shirt.
His muscles bulged with raw, intimidating power.
In his hand, he held a sword that defied logic—a colossal, double-edged blade easily four tis his size.
Commander Panther Lily.
"You won't take another step," Lily growled, his deep voice carrying a military authority.
He hoisted the giant sword, the Bustermarm, resting it casually on his broad shoulder.
"Out of my way!" Natsu charged, gripping the red hilt of his sword.
The lacrima core ignited, sending a wave of fire down the blade. He swung with all his might.
Lily didn't shift his stance.
He swung the Bustermarm down in a simple, lazy arc.
The massive iron blade collided with Natsu's sword. The impact rang out like a church bell. The Fire Blade shattered into a dozen pieces, the red hilt exploding in Natsu's hands.
The sheer force of the blow sent Natsu skidding backward across the stone deck, disard and staggering.
"Your black-market toys are fragile," Lily stated, stepping forward.
Wendy raised her fists, the silver bracers whining as they compressed the air around her.
She threw a double punch, releasing a massive shockwave.
Lily swung his sword again, slicing horizontally.
The sharp edge of the Bustermarm cut right through the invisible wall of air, splitting the shockwave in two and neutralizing it before it even reached him.
"Gatomon, Wizardmon, target the chains," Ace ordered, stepping past Natsu and Wendy. "I'll handle the cat."
Ace swiped his hand across the D-Tector's screen.
"Zudomon!"
A stream of dense data erupted onto the balcony.
The stone groaned under the sudden weight. A massive, bipedal walrus beast materialized. He wore a thick, spiked turtle shell on his back and held an enormous, jagged hamr forged from a strange, silvery tal.
Lily narrowed his eyes at the towering beast. "A summoning magic? Impressive size, but iron cuts flesh."
Lily leaped into the air, bringing the colossal Bustermarm down in an overhead strike ant to cleave Zudomon in half.
"Vulcan's Hamr!" Zudomon roared.
The Digimon swung his heavy weapon upward.
The silvery tal of the hamr collided directly with the sharp edge of the Bustermarm.
The resulting shockwave blew the wind from everyone's lungs. The stone balcony spider-webbed with deep cracks.
Lily gritted his teeth, expecting his massive sword to push through the resistance.
Instead, a sharp, sickening crack echoed through the air.
The Bustermarm fractured. The crack spread from the point of impact straight down the center of the giant blade.
With a sound like shattering glass, the legendary sword broke into massive shards of iron that rained down onto the balcony.
Lily landed on his feet, staring at the broken hilt in his hand in sheer disbelief.
"It broke... my Bustermarm shattered."
"Chro Digizoid," Ace said, walking up beside his partner. "It's a lot harder than ordinary iron."
Above them, the giant lacrima drifted further away, moving steadily toward the distant floating islands of Extalia.
"Ace! We can't break the chains from here!" Wizardmon called out, lowering his staff. "The anchor chanism is shielded by a heavy barrier. The only way to stop the crystal is from the island itself!"
"Then we're going to the island," Natsu said, gripping his bare fists. "But how do we get up there?!"
Happy jumped forward, flapping his arms. "I'll carry you, Natsu!"
Suddenly, with a familiar popping sound, two pristine white wings sprouted from Happy's back. The blue cat hovered into the air, looking down at his own wings in shock.
"My wings! They work!"
Carla closed her eyes, focusing her intent. A pair of angelic wings sprouted from her back as well, lifting her gracefully off the ground.
"Our magic is internal. We aren't reliant on the ethernano in the air. We can fly!"
"Aweso!" Natsu cheered, grabbing onto Happy's paws.
The blue Exceed strained slightly but managed to lift the Dragon Slayer off the ground.
Wendy grabbed Carla's paws, hovering into the air. "We'll follow the crystal! Ace, what about you?!"
Ace looked at the retreating lacrima. "I've got my own ride. Zudomon, return."
The massive walrus dissolved into data, returning to the D-Tector. Ace quickly swiped his hand again.
"Airdramon!"
A massive, winged serpent materialized in the air above the balcony.
It had deep blue scales, huge tattered wings, and a fierce, horned head. It let out a piercing screech that echoed across the Royal Capital.
Ace jumped onto Airdramon's back, extending a hand to Edo-Lucy.
"You coming?"
Edo-Lucy stared at the giant flying serpent, then looked back at Panther Lily, who was drawing a secondary combat knife from his belt.
She grabbed Ace's hand and pulled herself up onto the beast's back. Gatomon and Wizardmon leaped up right behind her.
"Hold on tight," Ace said.
Airdramon flapped its massive wings, generating a gale-force wind that forced Panther Lily to shield his eyes.
The serpent launched into the sky, soaring after Happy, Carla, and the giant purple crystal.
Below them, the Royal Capital grew smaller.
The cool night air whipped past them as they chased the floating mountain of magic.
"This is insane," Edo-Lucy yelled over the wind, clinging tightly to the serpent's scales. "We're flying straight toward the Exceed Kingdom! The King's entire aerial fleet will be waiting for us!"
"Let them wait," Ace said, his eyes fixed on the glowing lacrima ahead.
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator
User Comments
0 comments from readers