Nine Dragons Break Through! The Twelve Celestial Spirits Force the Gate Shut

The stone bricks in the palace courtyard were completely shattered.

The first dragon forced its way out of the wide gap in the Eclipse Gate, its wings suddenly spreading out and obscuring half of the artificial ceiling above its head.

The dragon's enormous nostrils spewed out scorching white steam as it surveyed the densely packed human guards below the steps.

In the ancient consciousness of the dragon, these little creatures clad in iron armor were nothing more than food that it had trampled and devoured at will four hundred years ago.

The dragon raised its right forepaw, its muscular, hard joints pausing briefly in mid-air before slamming it down onto the orderly royal phalanx in front of it.

Without any probing magic, pure, savage force slammed directly onto the flat granite plaza.

The bluestone slab instantly turned into dust under this stomp.

A violent, circular shockwave, visible to the naked eye, surged and spread wildly in all directions from the point of impact.

The sturdy defensive arrow towers collapsed and disintegrated on the spot like building blocks, the carved stone walls collapsed in sections, and the stone pillars on both sides were uprooted and shattered into rolling stones scattered all over the ground.

The devastating impact hurtled along the straight corridor, heading straight for the unsuspecting area where the kingdom's scholars and heavily armed guards were gathered.

The group of magical scholars who were usually responsible for reading ancient books stood there dumbfounded, their legs trembling, unable to even make the initial movement to set up the protective magic circle.

Jiang Bai stood at the front of the corridor, his hands originally neatly tucked into his coat pockets.

Just as the raging waves of stone were about to completely engulf the stunned crowd, Jiang Bai casually withdrew his right hand, his five fingers sweeping lightly across the air.

The air rippled with force fields that were barely visible to the naked eye.

The violent shockwave and scattered rocks hurtling in were like a gale crashing head-on into an insurmountable mountain cliff.

All the force was wiped out and disintegrated in an instant.

The gravel fell with a crackling sound onto the three-inch-wide open ground in front of Jiang Bai's feet, scattering into a harmless pile of dust.

Although Jiang Bai neutralized the terrifying destructive force with a wave of his hand, that earth-shattering stomp had already vividly demonstrated the absolute destructive power of an adult dragon.

The soldiers standing in the back row felt their legs go weak, and the steel shields in their hands almost slipped and hit their shoes.

"A dragon... this dragon is actually this powerful?!"

"Are you kidding me! With just a casual press, half of the forecourt is completely destroyed!"

Why did a giant dragon emerge from the door?!

A royal scholar hysterically questioned the captain of the royal guard as he tore at the collar of his robes.

"Wasn't it said to be an ancient, world-saving weapon that consumed seven years' worth of the nation's magic power, specifically designed to completely annihilate ten thousand dragons?!"

"Why did the weapon meant to save the world become a teleportation array for a dragon?!"

Before these utterly devastated officials could get any answers, a sharp grinding sound of bones came from inside the Eclipse Great Gate once again.

Another enormous creature emerged, its long, bony horns protruding menacingly.

"Look! Another dragon has emerged!"

"My God! This isn't a weapon at all, it's inviting trouble!"

The crowd descended into complete chaos, with the sounds of clashing weapons mingling with panicked shouts.

Directly above the platform, Princess Hisui gripped her clothes tightly with both hands, her once noble and dignified demeanor completely gone.

Princess Hisui stared at the crimson second dragon that stepped out from the doorway, her knees buckled, and she collapsed onto the steps, utterly exhausted.

The crown fell to the ground and tumbled down the steps.

Princess Hisui's mind went blank. Finally, she belatedly realized that the so-called top-secret plan to save the country that she had painstakingly promoted over the past few years was actually a ridiculous and fatal deception.

The intense green light emanating from the Eclipse Gate showed no signs of diminishing.

The second one.

The third one.

The fourth one.

Heavy footsteps echoed one after another in the underground hall.

In the original timeline, thanks to Lucy and Yukino's early detection of the anomaly and timely intervention to seal it, only seven dragons managed to escape through the gate.

But at this moment, because Jiang Bai deliberately suppressed the timeline and prevented Lucy from closing the magic circle in advance, the surging inside the gate became even more unrestrained.

The fifth gray dragon, its body covered in petrified bone plates, strode past.

The sixth swift young dragon, its body covered in golden light spots, roared and charged out of the passage.

The seventh head, the eighth head!

Immediately following, accompanied by a violent smell of magma, the ninth dark red adult dragon, exceeding thirty meters in length, also squeezed its way into the royal capital in the present world through the open door.

Nine pure-blooded dragons of varying sizes and ferocious savagery formed an impenetrable wall of flesh, completely filling the hall in front of the Eclipse Great Gate.

The air was thick with the pungent smell of sulfur and burning.

Lucy stood beside Jiang Bai, her hands gripping the cuffs of Jiang Bai coat tightly, her fingertips turning slightly white from the force.

Although Lucy trusted Jiang Bai's invincible combat power in her heart and chose to obey Jiang Bai's orders without interfering in advance, her rationality was still being violently impacted when she saw nine living ancient monsters standing in a row in front of her one after another.

Lucy was so anxious that a fine layer of sweat appeared on her forehead.

"Jiang Bai! Nine heads have already emerged!"

Lucy tugged at Jiang Bai's sleeve, her voice trembling noticeably.

"There are just too many of them! If we don't close the door soon, the whole crowd behind it will surge in!"

Jiang Bai turned his head and looked at Lucy, who was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, and felt a little regretful.

Jiang Bai originally planned to wait a couple more minutes and release fifteen or sixteen giant dragons.

However, since Lucy is already this nervous, if she continues to force herself to stay calm, she'll probably have a heart attack on the spot.

Just do things in moderation; after all, the nine-headed dragon is big enough for the entire Fairy Tail crew.

Jiang Bai patted Lucy on the shoulder and began to explain directly.

"Alright, calm down. We've had enough of the show."

Jiang Bai pointed his index finger at Yukino was also looking terrified, not far away.

"Lucy, go find Yukino. The two of you should work together to use the Celestial Spirit Key to close this door."

Upon hearing the command, Lucy immediately turned and rushed out, taking three steps at a time to leap onto the scattered stone platform and grabbing the short-haired girl who was leaning against a pillar, looking bewildered.

"Yukino! There's no time to explain!"

Lucy pulled a whole bunch of golden Zodiac keys directly from the key pouch at her waist.

"Quickly, follow me and mobilize all the Celestial Spirit magic to use the Zodiac to completely close the Eclipse Great Gate!"

Seeing Lucy's resolute attitude, Yukino did not hesitate for a moment and immediately took out her own golden key from her waist.

"I see!"

"Open! The Gates of the Zodiac!!"

Twelve golden keys simultaneously burst into dazzling starlight in mid-air.

Twelve illusory images of high-level Celestial Spirits, each with a unique form, appeared simultaneously in mid-air.

Without uttering a single word, the Celestial Spirit rushed toward the Eclipse Gate.

Pushing hard, the heavy bronze door closed inwards inch by inch.

Behind the crack in the door, the tenth dragon's sharp, bony claws, which had just emerged halfway, were caught in the gap between the closed doors, and it let out a painful roar.

With the combined power of the Zodiac Celestial Spirits, the bone claw was forcibly pushed back behind the door.

Boom--!

The Eclipse Gate completely closed, and the ancient Celestial Spirit on its surface instantly dimmed and went out, while twelve tight golden star map seals lit up at the seams of the gate.

The time tunnel spanning four hundred years has now been completely severed.

The surviving guards around them let out a long sigh of relief, and many of them dropped their spears and collapsed to the ground.

"It's closed... the door is finally closed!"

"Great! No more monsters have escaped from inside!"

The shouts of relief had just begun to rise.

Captain Arcadios, his hand on his longsword, strode to the front of the hall, his brow furrowed in a deep frown, and his stern rebuke shattered the soldiers' hopes.

"Don't get too excited! Hold your weapons tight!"

"Don't forget, nine pure-blooded dragons have already successfully crossed the gate and landed in our capital!"

Right in the center of the steps.

Princess Hisui remained slumped in the pile of rubble, her hands covering her face, tears streaming down her face, her voice filled with deep self-reproach and despair.

"It's all because of me... If I hadn't trusted the Lunar Eclipse Plan, this door would never have opened..."

"The king is going to be destroyed, the whole world is going to be destroyed because of my stupidity..."

Lucy hurried down the stone steps to Princess Hisui's side, bent down, and patted the princess's cold, trembling shoulders.

Lucy turned her head, her gaze passing over the dilapidated palace corridors, and looked towards the central square in the west of the city, her expression full of calm and confidence.

"Crying will not solve anything, Your Highness."

Lucy's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally powerful.

"If they really want to destroy this world, they'll have to ask my friends if they agree first!"

At this very moment.

Central square in Crocus.

Although the mages from the various guilds were still gathered around the fountain, the terrifying dragon roars that erupted from the depths of the palace had already torn through the night sky and reached everyone's ears clearly.

The violent sound waves, carrying the majesty of an ancient overlord, shook the colorful flags around the square, causing them to flutter wildly.

Gray suddenly turned his head and looked at the towering tower of the palace.

"What's going on? Why are dragon roars coming from inside the palace?"

Natsu's nose twitched, his hands pressed against the edge of the stone railing, and the Dragon Slayer Magic within his body surged violently and uncontrollably.

"It's a dragon... there's no doubt about it! That scent is inside the palace!"

Makarov frowned.

Something is definitely not right.

Makarov looked up at the rising dust from the direction of the palace, then slowly relaxed his tense shoulders, his tone still maintaining its usual confidence.

"However, with that brat Jiang Bai in the palace, the situation won't deteriorate to the point of no return."

However, before the words had even completely faded...

At the corner of the main road leading to the palace, a fast horse galloped towards them. The messenger on horseback even tumbled and fell down the steps of the square. Ignoring the scrapes on his face, he shouted at the top of his lungs.

"Urgent situation! All personnel on standby!"

The messenger's trembling voice shattered the last vestiges of hope in the square.

"The Eclipse Gate has opened! But what came out of the gate wasn't a weapon of annihilation!"

"Everything that came out of that door was a living, breathing dragon!!"