CHAPTER 578: ALL-OUT WAR

"Re-equip!"

"Summon: Brambleback, Red buff!"

"Take Over: Murk Wolf!"

Rhodes first retrieved the medicine box, then summoned the Brambleback to stabilize Gajeel’s condition. Finally, he activated his Take Over: Wolf form, lowering himself to the ground and sniffing cautiously as he tracked the lingering scents.

Besides Gajeel, he could clearly smell Levy and Lily in the area, as well as an unfamiliar scent, faint but distinct.

He followed the trail for only a few dozen meters before stopping at the base of a massive tree.

Did they go underground? Were they Fire and Earth mages?

That was as much as he could deduce for now. It would be best to wait for Gajeel to regain consciousness before making any assumptions.

"Summon: Blue Sentinel!"

Seeing the sweat forming on Wendy’s forehead as she channeled her healing magic, Rhodes immediately casted the buff on both her and Gajeel. After a moment’s thought, he reached up and touched the spider-silk thread around his neck, activating the Crown of the Shattered Queen.

Red, blue, purple, and green light began to glow around Gajeel. Even if they couldn’t fully heal him just yet, at least it helped boost Wendy’s effectiveness and their overall chances.

Outside the tent, Freed narrowed his eyes at the fast-approaching figures descending from the sky.

"Is that Lily and Levy?"

Bickslow frowned. "They don’t look good. Are they hurt?"

"Quick!" Lily landed roughly, staggering as though he might collapse.

Freed immediately rushed forward to catch him. "What happened?"

"Enemy ambush! It’s Grimoire Heart!" Lily’s voice was urgent, almost frantic. "Gajeel’s fighting Azuma, one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, and Levy’s seriously injured. That guy’s crazy strong!"

Though his speech was a bit rushed, the message was clear.

"Bring Levy in. Now. I’ll signal the others. Bickslow, you’re with me. We’re backing up Gajeel!"

Freed brought Lily into the tent and quickly pulled out a red flare. With a sharp flick, he ignited it.

The flare shot into the sky with a piercing whistle, trailing a blazing red tail behind it.

Whoosh. Pop!

At nearly the same moment, another red flare shot into the air from the opposite direction.

Lily turned his head sharply. "That’s over where Gajeel was. Did someone else already get there?"

Freed furrowed his brow. "I think only the Master and the three examiners carry red flares. Maybe one of them passed by that area."

Hearing this, Lily finally relaxed. He shifted into his small black cat form and floated gently to the ground. "If an examiner’s there, maybe Gajeel’s going to be okay..."

"Whether he’s fine or not, we might still be screwed." Bickslow summoned his puppets, arranging them into a defensive formation around the camp.

Freed also drew the long sword from his hip, his face grim.

A few dozen meters ahead, something shifted.

From within the trunk of a massive tree, a head slowly emerged, eyes glowing.

Lily’s eyes widened in disbelief. "You! Where’s Gajeel?!"

"Who knows?" Azuma answered calmly. "Might be dead."

He wasn’t interested in chatting with a cat. His gaze instead landed on Freed and Bickslow, full of malicious curiosity.

Back at the hot springs, the sound of the red flare split the air.

Erza and Mira burst out of the water instantly, not even bothering to cover themselves.

Cana was a step behind but just as serious.

Erza leapt from the spring and immediately re-equipped her armor. "Red flare. An enemy assault?"

"And from two directions," Mira said as she dressed quickly.

Elsewhere on the island, the Master dropped his skewer mid-bite, Gildarts stopped reeling in his fishing rod.

"We’d better move. Now."

Elfman, Evergreen, Lisanna, and Juvia were already on their way back and now picked up their pace.

Natsu and Happy had originally wanted to investigate when they saw flames shooting into the sky. Now, seeing confirmation of trouble, they became even more anxious.

"There really are enemies! I knew that didn’t look like magic from someone in the guild!"

"Damn it, at a time like this, the exam can only be put on hold!" Gray and Loke made the decision instantly.

The exam could wait. Meeting the enemy came first.

Only Lucy remained puzzled. "Red... that should mean an emergency, right? What happened?"

Before she could figure it out, she suddenly saw a strange creature flying through the sky, scattering glittering particles as it passed.

It resembled a butterfly shedding luminous scales in midair.

"What is that?" Lucy stared upward in confusion.

The falling objects were round, glimmering like soap bubbles. They looked beautiful at first glance, reflecting sunlight in dazzling colors.

But as they approached the ground, Lucy realized that there seemed to be people inside.

The first bubble burst above Lucy’s head. The person inside, gripping a sword with both hands, came down swinging without warning.

"Waaahhh!" Lucy cried out and dove to the side, landing hard on the ground.

Immediately, more bubbles burst open around her. A dozen people surrounded her, and more began to converge from farther away.

Lucy had faced worse odds, but never had she been so isolated and alone.

Despite her nerves, the enemies didn’t hesitate. They attacked in sync.

Lucy scrambled to her feet, dodging as she pulled the Star River whip from her waist and lashed out.

After briefly repelling a few of them, she seized the chance to draw a Celestial Spirit Key.

"Open! Gate of Scorpio!"

"Yeah!" The Celestial Spirit Scorpio emerged with a whirl of sand. He whipped his tail and created a sand tornado that blasted five or six attackers away.

Lucy followed up by coordinating attacks with Scorpio, lashing out with Star River to protect herself.

She wasn’t the only one ambushed on her way back. Everyone who had seen the emergency flare and rushed toward the camp found themselves intercepted.

Even Mest and Lahar, who had been searching for Fairy Tail members, ran into enemy forces again and again, forced to teleport away repeatedly to avoid capture.

No one knew how many airborne troops Grimoire Heart had deployed, but it felt like the entire island was crawling with enemies.

They swept the island systematically, eliminating all life they encountered.

According to Capricorn’s orders, everyone except Zeref was to be killed without mercy.

According to Zancrow and Rustyrose’s instructions, if they found the Beast King or the Fairy Strategist, they were to report it immediately.

Zancrow soon located Elfman’s group and began making his way toward them.

But midway there, he came across someone else who intrigued him.

"Fire Dragon’s Wing Attack!"

Natsu spread his arms wide. Flames surged forth, forming wings along both arms. He swung with all his might, sending a wave of fire that launched over twenty enemies into the air.

"So strong! But try this! Fireball!" a clever Magician shouted, casting a powerful fire spell at Natsu.

Natsu grinned and inhaled deeply, swallowing the flames in one gulp.

"What?!"

"He can eat fire too?"

"Monster!"

"He’s just like Zancrow-sama..."

Zancrow approached from behind and gripped the speaker’s head.

"You said just like who?"

The man froze in terror. "Za... Zancrow-sama!"

Black flames erupted from Zancrow’s hand, consuming the man instantly.

"Waaahhh!" The victim screamed and rolled along the ground before falling silent.

The rest of the squad fell into dead silence, paralyzed with fear.

Natsu gritted his teeth, visibly angry.

"You... that was your ally, wasn’t it?!"

"Ally?" Zancrow burst into laughter. "The weak don’t deserve to be my companions!"

"Natsu! Those black flames..." Happy flapped nervously beside him. "Could this be the same guy Rhodes fought earlier?"