Chapter 89.1 : Only by embracing despair can we discover Hope!!!

Edward cleared his throat and shouted, "There has never been a great war!"

"Only a cruel war!"

"Only a tragic war!"

"Only a war of resistance!"

"Only a war of last resort!"

"What you're doing is creating a cruel war, while I'm here to start a war of resistance!"

Edward made his way to the front of the crowd, trying to stand up straight despite his stooped posture. With open arms, he declared, "I'm not a great person."

"But you don't have to be great to resist!"

He continued, "I am Edward Adrian, the future mayor of Ahhanita Town! I've come early to investigate the corruption and bribery of the Ahhanita family, who have been kidnapping children for experiments!"

The crowd reacted with shock—some people were astonished by the mayor's apparent complicity, while others were devastated to learn about the "missing children" case, as they had finally found the root of the problem. Some people broke down in tears.

"My child!"

"My daughter!"

"Did that old bastard John kidnap my wife?"

The wailing grew louder.

Edward's expression shifted subtly—he'd heard something from a young man in the crowd.

"Don't panic, everyone. Your family members aren't dead!" he said. "They're somewhere in the city, waiting to be reunited with you!"

"We're all in danger, and the most important thing right now is that we stay alive!"

The civilians fell silent, uncertain of what to do.

"But Mayor Edward, we're just ordinary people. What chance do we have against a monster like this?" someone asked.

"Courage!" Edward replied. "The courage to follow behind me!"

"The courage to stand up for what's right!"

Edward said firmly, "Only by embracing despair can we discover hope!"

The crowd of civilians stared at the man in disbelief—an old man standing with a confidence that seemed out of place in such a perilous situation.

"Mr. Edward?" one of the civilians murmured, not expecting to see someone like him here. Even the Knight of Sacrifice seemed taken aback.

"I misjudged you," the Knight of Sacrifice admitted. "You are a man worthy of respect."

But then the knight's expression hardened. "And for that reason," he continued, "your sacrifice will be of greater value."

"Then end my life!" Edward declared, walking boldly toward the Knight of Sacrifice.

The civilians behind him hesitated, but only briefly. They no longer fell back step by step like a flock of sheep being herded to slaughter. Instead, they followed Edward forward, their collective spirit bolstered by his courage.

They knew that retreat meant humiliation and death. If they were going to face their end, it was better to do so with dignity, standing beside this brave old man. An anger, previously dormant, now burned within their hearts.

Die! 

Die!

But die with honor!

Everit was drenched in sweat. The magic required to channel so much courage into the people was exhausting. He couldn't just focus on one spot—he had to be everywhere at once.

No time to wipe his brow. He fired two shots with his back to the enemy. One shot forced the Humble Knight to retreat; the other kept the Knight of Truth, who boasted that his body was tougher than a shield, at bay.

"Whoosh!"

The moment Everit fired, the Knight of Justice lunged forward, while the Knight of Honour pulled out a heavy sniper rifle and took aim. Everit quickly switched to barriers mode, but the bullets hit in rapid succession.

"Bang!"

The first bullet hit Everit's barrier, causing it to crack. The second nearly penetrated through. As the Knight of Justice charged, he swung a massive hammer, shattering the barrier entirely.

Everit swung his sword in a desperate backhand slash, but the Knight of Justice avoided direct contact, shifting his stance to sweep around in a half-circle. This gave Everit just enough time to distance himself and "disappear" from view.

A low buzzing filled the air—the magic item embedded under his skin responded wildly. The Knight of Honour sensed it—was Everit coming for him?

He swiftly pulled his hands back, his white coat shredding into pieces. What appeared behind him was a massive turtle shell, crammed with all kinds of weapons!

The Knight of Honour withdrew his head and limbs into the safety of his turtle shell, and with a swish, Everit swung his sword.

The Knight of Honour peeking out from inside his shell watched the blade graze the tip of his nose. Sweat beaded on his forehead as fear gripped him.

How could this be? His turtle shell was supposed to be indestructible—even if a hundred heroic knights unleashed their magic against it, it wouldn't break! So what was with this sword? How could it slice through his shell so easily?

With a powerful swing, Everit jumped back and vanished, leaving the Knight of Justice chasing after him, yelling in frustration, "Why don't you fight him!"

"I don't dare," replied the Knight of Honour.

"Aren't you supposed to be a Knight of Honour? You should be the most shameless knight out there," Everit's voice echoed from a distance.

"Maintaining world peace is a matter of honor, and to achieve it, you need to be unbeatable," the Knight of Honour shouted back. "To secure victory, I'll do whatever it takes!"

"That's not honor, it's just doing whatever you want," Everit retorted.

"Damn it! You devil! You don't understand the significance of peace! You don't understand what it means to have honor!" The Knight of Honour was livid.

Everit chuckled at him and fired another shot.

"Huff, huff—"

Lucy and Juvia gasped. This opponent was truly formidable.

His swordsmanship is second only to Ikaruga, but his body is nearly invincible.

What's more, he also possesses the magic to compel others to reveal the truth.

That power is a form of control!

The Knight of Truth pointed at Lucy and asked, "What kind of bra are you wearing?"

Lucy's cheeks flushed red. She couldn't help but respond, unable to control her own words: "Black lace!"

"What a surprising answer, Miss Lucy," Juvia commented, looking surprised.

Even the distant Ikaruga appeared taken aback. Lucy, who seemed so innocent, revealed something unexpected.

Wait a minute, that's not what I'm wearing! I was forced to say that! I'm being controlled to lie!

This "Knight of Truth" is nothing but a liar!

While Lucy was answering his question, the Knight of Truth moved forward and swung his sword toward her.

"Water Slicer!" Juvia quickly formed a blade of water to intercept the attack, hoping to rescue Lucy.

But the Knight of Truth deflected it with ease. "This kind of attack doesn't work on me. My body is as solid as a shield!"

The sword continued its downward arc, but then, all of a sudden, he stepped back.

*Bang*

A bullet struck near his toe, grazing his shoe and hitting the ground.

"Damn it!" The Knight of Truth growled. This kept happening!

He turned his head toward the battle on the side of the Knight of Honour, then spoke into his communication device, "If you two can't keep that deceiver contained, then let me do it!"

Switch it up! 

If it were him, he'd be down even quicker!

The Knights of Honor and Knights of Justice were at a loss—it made sense why Patrick couldn't defeat Everit and was taken down so fast. This guy was too tough, too cautious, and impossible to deal with!

He didn't seem like a Fairy Tail wizard at all!

Weren't their guild's mages supposed to be bold and brash? How did this cunning trickster show up?!

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