Ten Thousand Dragons?
The drinking contest at the tavern continued into the wee hours of the morning.
The Fairy Tail members had already prepared for an all-night party; empty barrels were piled up like small mountains by the bar, and leftover roasted meat bones were scattered all over the ground.
Suddenly, a series of rhythmic clanging sounds of metal armor clashing came from outside the street.
Heavy, orderly footsteps approached from afar, quickly reaching the two main streets surrounding the tavern.
The commotion was so loud that it penetrated the wooden door and directly interrupted the cheers and noise inside the hall.
The noise in the hall quickly subsided, and members of various guilds stood up one after another, pushed open the heavy carved wooden doors, and walked to the top of the stone steps by the street to check the situation.
Torches lit up both sides of the street.
A large number of Kingdom of Fiore guards, clad in heavy silver armor, stood in neat square formations.
"What happened?"
Why did the army arrive at this time?
At the very front of the group, a middle-aged officer with a long sword in a gold sheath at his waist strode forward.
"Fellow mages!"
The officer quickly explained his purpose.
His Majesty the King has urgently summoned all guild members participating in the Grand Magic Games, demanding that everyone immediately assemble at the central square of the royal capital!
Makarov pushed his way from the back of the crowd to the front.
"Summon all guilds? Has something happened in the capital?"
The officer shook his head.
"My subordinates have limited positions and are unaware of the specific details."
"But His Majesty the King looked anxious, and the entire Royal Guard has been placed on high alert."
"After informing everyone, I need to immediately go and inform the teams in the other blocks. Please make sure you set off as soon as possible!"
After saying this, the officer led his cavalry and galloped away down the adjacent street.
Makarov stroked his white beard with his right hand, and thought for a moment.
"Hmm... since the king has personally issued an emergency summons, let's hurry over and see what's going on!"
Ten minutes later.
Central square in Crocus.
All the participating mages from all the guilds gathered in the open space directly in front of the fountain, whispering and exchanging information.
King Toma, the supreme ruler of the Kingdom of Fiore, dressed in a heavy purple royal robe trimmed with gold thread, ascended the steps surrounded by a group of royal knights.
The murmurs from the audience subsided.
King Toma raised his head and, with the help of the amplifying magic crystal, amplified his voice throughout the entire square.
"My esteemed mages, the finest of the Kingdom of Fiore."
King Toma's voice sounded very heavy, cutting straight to the core facts.
"On this night of grand celebration that should have been filled with all-night merriment, I have disturbed everyone's enjoyment and prevented you from fully reveling. This is entirely my fault."
"However, this country is facing the most terrible catastrophe in its history, and I desperately need your help!"
King Toma gripped the stone railing tightly with both hands and announced the prophetic information he had just received.
"In just a few hours, this country will be hit by a full-scale attack from ten thousand dragons!"
The central square fell into an extremely brief pause.
Makarov's eyes widened, and his throat tightened.
"Ten thousand?! And they're dragons?!"
This number is simply too absurd and terrifying.
Seven years ago on Tenrou Island, a black dragon named Acnologia completely overwhelmed the entire Fairy Tail crew, except for Jiang Bai, who was powerless to fight back.
Now, with ten thousand dragons descending simultaneously, not even the entire territory of the Kingdom of Fiore could withstand a few rounds of their dragon breaths, let alone the city of Crocus.
Jiang Bai stepped to Makarov's side.
"Grandpa, don't worry too much."
Jiang Bai's tone was relaxed and casual, showing no sign of being intimidated by the number of ten thousand dragons.
"Not all dragons are called Acnologia; those are just larger lizards in greater numbers."
Jiang Bai turned and glanced around at his guildmates, whose faces were filled with panic, and directly stated his facts.
"Since that black dragon Acnologia was able to slaughter all the dragons from four hundred years ago with just the power of a single dragon."
"Then I can do it too."
His plain words, devoid of any exaggerated embellishment, carried an absolute air of dominance.
After hearing Jiang Bai's words, Makarov thought about how Jiang Bai's strength was already comparable to or even surpassed Acnologia seven years ago, let alone now.
Makarov's wildly beating heart gradually calmed down, and he regained his footing.
King Toma, standing on the high platform, took a deep breath and continued to explain the kingdom's response plan.
"There's no need for excessive despair. The royal family is not unprepared; we have devised a comprehensive plan to counter the enemy!"
King Toma raised his right hand and pointed towards the deepest part of the palace.
"The code name for this operation will be 'Lunar Eclipse Plan'!"
"Utilizing an ancient magical treasure buried beneath the royal palace for four hundred years, and gathering the vast magical energy collected during the Grand Magic Games, we will activate it the moment the dragon descends!"
"The devastating impact that erupts after the Eclipse Gate opens has a very high probability of annihilating all ten thousand dragons on the spot!"
King Toma then changed the subject and truthfully explained the potential loopholes.
"However, based on the most rigorous data analysis, it's difficult for such a large-scale annihilation spell to achieve 100% absolute eradication; there may still be a few dragons that manage to escape."
"Therefore, I implore all the mages present to join forces and eliminate the remaining dragons, protecting the innocent people of this nation!"
After saying that...
In front of nearly a thousand guards and hundreds of mages, King Toma removed his heavy pure gold crown, bent down, and bowed deeply to the crowd below.
The king of a nation, for the safety of his people in the capital, humbled himself to the dust in the center of the square.
This sincere attitude instantly ignited the fighting spirit in the hearts of the mages present.
Natsu took two steps forward, slamming his fists together in front of his chest, and blazing orange-red flames burst forth from between his knuckles.
"No problem! Leave this to us!"
Gray ripped off his shirt. "Since we're here to protect the town, we absolutely cannot back down!"
Sting and Rogue stepped forward, their bodies glowing with white light and shadow respectively.
"All Sabertooth members are ready for battle!"
"WILD FOUR!"
"Count us in for the Blue Pegasus!"
"Never back down from the Mermaid Heel!"
Shouts rang out continuously, and the previously oppressive and fearful central square was instantly filled with high fighting spirit; not a single person chose to turn and run away.
Seeing that all the mages from the major guilds had chosen to confront him head-on, King Toma slowly straightened up, gripping the edge of his crown tightly with both hands, his emotions running high.
"Thank you... thank you so much everyone! Pumpkin!"
King Toma had barely finished speaking.
Finally, that familiar suffix echoed loudly throughout the entire square, carried by the megaphone.
The clamor of high morale was completely cut off within half a second.
The hundreds of mages in the square froze on the spot, their necks stiffly raised, staring intently at the king on the high platform.
Pumpkin?
What?
Why would this catchphrase, which had been ringing out for five consecutive days on the commentary stage of the Grand Magic Games, come from the mouth of a venerable monarch?
At the same time, everyone's mind conjured up the image of the mascot referee with a Pumpkin head, short stature, who hopped around the field every day announcing the rules of the game.
Massaka...
Lucy pressed her hands to her cheeks, looked at Jiang Bai with a strange expression, and asked in a low voice.
"Jiang Bai... His Majesty the King wouldn't happen to be that...?"
Jiang Bai's lips twitched slightly, and he nodded in acknowledgment.
"Yes, you guessed it right, that Pumpkin Man who's always in the stands is none other than our old king himself."