Ch 264 : Hidden Crisis

"This time, I won't let you escape."

Following the shadow, Jellal stepped out of Arena and gazed at the distant figure with a solemn expression, murmuring to himself in a low voice, "Possessing such evil dark magic... just who exactly are you?"

...............

Somewhere in a high tower of Crocus Mercurius Palace.

Dressed in a Knight Order uniform, Stella stretched lazily and leaned against the window, gazing in the direction of the Arena.

With a languid voice, she said, "Ah~ ah~, those guys from Fairy Tail did pretty well. They actually managed to beat those two brats who were using incomplete Dragon Force. Even though they were just immature kids, they had at least touched the threshold of Dragon Slayer magic. Looks like, despite disappearing for seven years, their strength has surpassed what it was back on Tenrou Island."

"If Dylan finds out about this, his feelings will probably be complicated. I just hope he doesn't impulsively go after Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayers and cause unnecessary trouble. What do you think, Commander Stella?"

A voice, carrying both amusement and exhaustion, came from behind Stella.

Stella turned her head and looked at Garlos, who had a weary smile on his face.

"Why are even you calling me that? That boring title feels way too awkward."

"Haha, you'll just have to endure it for now. After all, in order to participate in the plan legitimately, you needed a suitable military rank. Ophelia went through quite a bit of trouble to arrange that for you." Garlos rubbed his temples in frustration, leaning against the wall as he spoke.

"Yeah, yeah. I guess that also means I have to call Ophelia, who's controlling Arcadios, 'Lieutenant Colonel,' right?"

"You'll have to ask her about that yourself. But she's got a lot on her plate, so who knows if she'll even make it back today," Garlos replied weakly.

Looking at the utterly exhausted Garlos, a fleeting trace of gentleness passed through Stella's eyes.

She softly said, "You've been out there all day. You don't have to push yourself so hard, right? Haven't things already been mostly completed?"

"Yeah, but there are still some details that need to be refined."

Garlos spoke in a low voice as he walked over to Stella's side.

He sat by the window as well, gazing at her somewhat worried expression.

With a faint sigh, he reached out and gently brushed his fingers through her hair.

"There are only three days left until the Day of Destiny. I won't allow anything unexpected to happen. The new world we've wished for will soon arrive—a world without deception, without sorrow."

Stella's lips curved into a small smile as she took Garlos' hand, nodding. "I believe in you."

...............

Inside the infirmary, Carla suddenly trembled, nearly dropping the cup in her hands.

"Carla? What's wrong?" Wendy asked worriedly.

With cold sweat forming on her forehead, Carla gently shook her head.

(It's happening again… the vision of the collapsing castle…)

Wendy watched Carla's anxious expression and was about to speak when the infirmary door suddenly burst open.

Levy rushed in excitedly, exclaiming, "Lucy! This is great news!!"

"Levy?"

"Natsu gave the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth a proper beating! It was so satisfying! You should've seen it—when Sting and Rogue went down, the Sabertooth Guild Master's face turned darker than the bottom of a pot! At this rate, we're definitely going to win the tournament!"

Hearing this, Lucy clenched her fist and nodded firmly. "Of course!! There's no way a team like that could lose."

"By the way, have you seen Gajeel?" After delivering the good news about their victory, Levy turned to Wendy and Lucy with a question.

"Huh? He hasn't come back yet?" Lucy responded in surprise.

"He's probably wandering around somewhere," Wendy thought for a moment before saying. "He'll be back soon."

Levy considered Gajeel's usual habits and couldn't help but nod. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

............

"Stop!"

After following the figure into a secluded alleyway, Jellal, who had been holding back to avoid causing a commotion, could no longer restrain himself and called out to the shadowy figure ahead.

As he spoke, he also braced himself for any possible reaction—whether the figure would flee or retaliate.

However, to his slight surprise, the cloaked figure actually stopped upon hearing his words.

Though puzzled, Jellal remained composed.

He reached up and pulled back his hood, revealing his true face.

With a serious expression, he said to the figure, "I've shown you my identity. Now, reveal yours."

A faint breeze swept through the alley, filling the silence.

Slowly, the shadowed figure turned to face him.

And when Jellal saw that face, his expression was one of utter shock.

"You... you are...?"

—

"Is this... really true?"

"This is unbelievable."

Somewhere in Crocus, Meredy and Ultear were left in shock after hearing Jellal's account.

Jellal's expression was grave. "While committing our past sins… we were also trapped in an inescapable fate. The 'Eclipse' Plan to change the world, and the Dragon King Festival—so this is the truth behind it all."

"Then, what do we do now?" Ultear furrowed her brows.

Even with her intellect, the current situation felt overwhelmingly complex.

No matter what actions they took, they risked pushing events into unpredictable territory.

And with their sensitive status, their options were extremely limited.

Jellal also found the question difficult to answer.

His face darkened as he fell into deep thought, unable to speak.

Deep in thought, the three of them failed to notice what was happening above them—high in the sky, several dozen meters above, a strange purple metallic structure was slowly hovering.

Beneath the metallic structure, a transparent mirror-like surface reflected a faint, eerie glow.

..........

Somewhere in Crocus.

Reign gazed at the image within the magic crystal, a cold glint flashing in his eyes as he smirked.

"Finally, you've exposed yourself. The reason we haven't eliminated Jellal and his group isn't just because that man—Jellal—is a former member of the Ten Wizard Saints. Without Lance and Tsukiyo, taking him out silently would have been far too difficult. But more importantly, we've been waiting for this moment."

He leaned forward slightly, his smirk deepening. "

We knew you wouldn't just sit back and watch the Grand Magic Games come to an end. And the moment you appeared... you sealed your fate. There's no escape now."

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