Chapter Summaries

Lucy’s identity as the Heartfilia heir was revealed, and Brandish tried to force her back home by tempting Fairy Tail with Jude’s ten-billion-J reward. Fairy Tail rallied around Lucy despite the money, Brandish joined the guild and moved in with Lucy, and August agreed to bring the Shield of Spriggan to Fairy Tail; the chapter ended as August arrived at their meeting.

• Brandish revealed that Lucy was the Heartfilia Family’s runaway heir, but Makarov and the guild reassured Lucy that Fairy Tail would remain her home.
• Brandish offered the guild Jude’s ten-billion-J reward for returning Lucy, briefly turning several mages against her before Makarov restored their resolve and they apologized.
• Loke arrived to help Lucy, then abandoned her to flirt with Erza and Mirajane, who dragged him away to beat him.
• Ywen proposed recruiting the Shield of Spriggan into Fairy Tail, and August agreed to bring them over.
• Brandish revealed she had joined Fairy Tail and was staying with Lucy, who summoned Aquarius during their bath; Aquarius threw them into a river.
• At the Shield of Spriggan meeting, Ajeel complained about August’s absence, and August arrived.

August told the Shield of Spriggan that Zeref had abandoned the Alvarez Empire and ordered its members to join Fairy Tail, then transported them to the guild. Ajeel challenged Fairy Tail’s strongest, but Ignia’s boasts drew August, Igneel, Selene, Aileen, and Ywen into a confrontation that ended with them moving to beat him.

• August told the Shield of Spriggan that Zeref had decided to merge the Alvarez Empire with Fairy Tail, and Invel wrongly inferred that both forces had been raised to become the ultimate weapon against Acnologia.
• Ajeel demanded that the merged force keep the name of whichever side won a fight, and August approved his challenge while giving the Shield only five seconds to prepare before teleporting them to Fairy Tail.
• August introduced the six newcomers to Fairy Tail, where Dimaria recognized Brandish and Ajeel demanded to fight the guild’s strongest Mage.
• Ignia stepped forward, and Ajeel was overwhelmed by his presence; Ignia then boasted that he was stronger than August, Zeref, Selene, Aileen, Ywen, Igneel, and Acnologia.
• August and Igneel confronted Ignia, then Selene, Aileen, and Ywen arrived; Ywen led them toward Ignia, and the group soon beat him as he screamed.

Fairy Tail overwhelmed the Shield of Spriggan, absorbed the Alvarez Empire into the guild, and prepared an S-Class Mage contest between its veterans and the former Spriggan Twelve. The chapter ended with Lullaby realizing that Fairy Tail was filled with demons.

• Ywen, Aileen, Selene, Igneel, and the others unleashed their magic power, terrifying Ajeel, Invel Yura, and Dimaria.
• Ignia transformed into a dragon and accidentally swept Lucy away with his tail, while Loke abandoned her for Selene and was captured by the Moon God Dragon.
• Ywen and Selene defeated Ignia in a dragon battle, and August restored the damaged guild before Ajeel surrendered and the Alvarez Empire merged with Fairy Tail.
• Mirajane stamped the guild emblem onto the former Shield of Spriggan, while Selene took Loke and gave Lucy a key to Mount Night.
• Ajeel challenged Fairy Tail's S-Class rules, prompting Erza to arrange a six-on-six match; Serena, Neinhart, and Gildarts joined the Fairy Tail team.
• Lullaby looked over Fairy Tail's demon-connected members and realized that the guild was a den of demons.

Fairy Tail held a tournament between its S-Class Mages and the Shield of Spriggan, with the guild cheering and King Toma secretly refereeing as Pumpkin Head. Erza and Laxus won their matches, Bradman conceded to Mirajane, and Gildarts faced Dimaria, whose time magic failed to stop him from countering her attack; their battle remained unresolved.

• Ywen told August that he trusted Erza and the other Fairy Tail members to fight the Shield of Spriggan, while the guild members cheered for the coming battles instead of stopping them.
• King Toma arrived disguised as Pumpkin Head, paired the fighters, and announced the matchups for the tournament.
• Erza defeated Ajeel Raml with her Heavenly One God: Star Radiance and Raimei Hakke, leaving the Shield of Spriggan stunned.
• Laxus detected Jacob's invisibility with Thunderstorm, escaped Jacob's separate space, and won after Jacob conceded.
• Bradman conceded to Mirajane, who then yielded the arena to Gildarts for his match against Dimaria.
• Dimaria froze time and attacked Gildarts, but Gildarts smiled as her clothes and armor shattered when time resumed.

Gildarts defeated Dimaria by stripping her clothes and surrendering, then Aileen dealt with him as the fifth and sixth S-Class Challenge matches concluded with Fairy Tail winning 4–2. As Natsu launched a second round of challenges against the guild’s S-Class Mages, the newly joined Shield of Spriggan members struggled to understand Fairy Tail’s chaotic behavior.

• Gildarts exposed Dimaria, surrendered, and gave her the fourth-match victory; Brandish then lent Dimaria clothes she had taken from Lucy.
• Erza and Mirajane stopped Makarov from imposing a bikini rule, while Aileen later confronted Gildarts outside the guild and returned after dealing with him.
• Neinhart summoned the Sage Dragon Belserion with Ywen’s help, and Aileen let Belserion fade away before Wahl knocked the exhausted Neinhart from the arena.
• God Serena defeated Invel with multiple Dragon Slayer magics and a punch, giving Fairy Tail’s S-Class representatives a final 4–2 victory.
• Natsu announced a second round of challenges, prompting Fairy Tail’s mages to attack their S-Class members as the Shield of Spriggan watched in confusion.

Ywen and August prepared Fairy Tail for a campaign against Acnologia, then defeated the guild members in a brawl and gave them basic Haki abilities. A week later, the newly joined Shield of Spriggan had settled into guild life, and Brandish agreed to help Wendy enlarge her bust, only to learn that other members of the Flat Chest Association wanted her help too.

• Ywen and August decided to attack Acnologia in December during Fairy Tail's S-Class Mage Exam, giving the guild's young Mages several months to train.
• Natsu ambushed Ywen and August, but they punched him through the repaired ceiling before defeating the other brawling Fairy Tail Mages.
• Ywen attached basic Armament and Observation Haki abilities to the guild members, then left with Erza while the battered Mages vowed revenge.
• A week later, Ajeel drank with the guild, and Ultear and Dimaria agreed to exchange knowledge about Time Magic.
• Wendy introduced herself to Brandish as the vice president of Fairy Tail's Flat Chest Association and asked Brandish to enlarge her bust.
• Brandish agreed to help Wendy, who then revealed that other members of the association also wanted her assistance.

Wendy, Levy, and Mavis sought Brandish’s help to enlarge their breasts, but her magic could not affect Mavis, who resolved to join Zeref in defeating God Ankhseram. Two months later, Jude arrived at Fairy Tail to bring Lucy home, but she refused to leave the guild and argued with him.

• Wendy persuaded Brandish to use Form Magic on her, Levy, and Mavis; Wendy and Levy gained temporary fuller figures, but Mavis’s body did not change.
• Mavis contacted Zeref and asked when they would defeat God Ankhseram; Zeref said he had found a passage to the gods’ realm and asked her to wait.
• In October X784, Jude traveled to Magnolia Town after losing contact with Lucy and Brandish, then entered Fairy Tail and found Lucy among its eccentric members.
• Jude tried to drag Lucy home, but she refused and told him she wanted to become a mage rather than inherit the Heartfilia family business.
• Natsu stopped Jude from striking Lucy and called himself her companion; Jude misread Natsu and Lucy’s closeness, then asked Lucy how many months pregnant she was.

Lucy tried to convince Jude that she was not pregnant, but her guildmates' teasing led him to assume she and Natsu would marry. After Lucy used Aquarius to flood Fairy Tail and finally made Jude listen, he accepted her choice to stay in the guild and returned home; by November, the guild's mages were unusually focused on jobs as the S-Class Mage Examination approached.

• Jude assumed Lucy was pregnant and insisted that her child take the Heartfilia name, then arranged for her to marry Natsu, who agreed without hesitation.
• Lucy carried Cana's wine barrel, summoned Aquarius, and had her flood the guild hall and sweep the mages into the river so they would calm down and listen.
• Lucy told Jude she was not pregnant and wanted to remain a Fairy Tail mage, and Jude accepted her decision before leaving with Ywen's reassurance that Lucy would be looked after.
• Jude returned to the Heartfilia mansion, where Layla comforted him and privately welcomed Lucy's growing strength.
• Lucy resumed taking jobs and training with her guildmates, while Natsu and Happy suddenly left the guild and the other mages gathered at the job board ahead of the S-Class Mage Examination.

Lucy learned that Fairy Tail’s S-Class Mage Examination was approaching, and Loke returned to train her so he could avoid serving Selene. After a month of punishing training, Loke revealed his desperate plan to have Brandish eliminate Lucy’s potential rivals.

• Mirajane told Lucy that Fairy Tail mages were working hard to earn selection for the annual S-Class Mage Examination, then recalled how she had won her own examination after defeating the other candidates.
• Lucy returned home and found Loke waiting for her; he said Selene had made him wager that he could help Lucy win the examination.
• Loke dragged Lucy into an intense training regimen using multiple Celestial Spirits, while Fairy Tail’s mages competed fiercely for a place in the examination.
• A month later, Lucy collapsed from exhaustion, and Virgo warned Loke that Lucy was still unlikely to beat the other candidates.
• Loke called Brandish and asked her to assassinate every potential examination contestant except Lucy.

Lucy and Loke planned to secure her victory in Fairy Tail’s S-Class Mage Examination by having Brandish eliminate the other candidates, but Lucy discovered that Makarov was helping Loke rig the test. The examination was about to begin, leaving Lucy shocked by the Guild Master’s bribery.

• Lucy asked Loke for powerful magic or a secret technique, but he explained that her limited talent made a rapid increase in strength unrealistic.
• Loke proposed having Brandish help Lucy win during the examination on Tenrou Island, which would pair candidates and test their bonds.
• Lucy suggested recruiting Ywen, but Loke said he could not contact him and outlined his plan for Brandish to defeat the other candidates before losing to Lucy.
• At the examination’s opening ceremony, Lucy saw Loke give Makarov a bag of rare treasures in exchange for advance information and advantages for her.
• Makarov accepted Loke’s bribe and admitted he had arranged the team format and examination grounds to help Lucy, leaving her stunned.

Makarov announced Fairy Tail’s X784 S-Class Mage Examination and revealed that its theme was “Bonds,” requiring candidates to compete in pairs. Lucy was unexpectedly included among the candidates, but Brandish chose Dimaria as her partner, leaving Lucy unsure whether anyone would team up with her.

• Lucy challenged Makarov for breaking his own rules, but he defended his actions and then announced the S-Class Mage Examination.
• Makarov named the returning candidates and revealed that former Shield of Spriggan members, Brandish, and Lucy would also compete.
• Makarov announced that candidates would form pairs and be disqualified together if either partner could no longer fight.
• Natsu and Ajeel misunderstood the rules and teamed up so they could take each other out, then failed to change partners when Mirajane refused.
• Lucy expected to team up with Brandish, but Brandish said she had already promised to partner with Dimaria.
• Loke admitted he had not arranged Lucy and Brandish’s partnership, and Lucy worried that she would be left without a teammate.

Fairy Tail's candidates formed thirteen teams for the X784 S-Class Mage Examination, while Lucy was paired with a mysterious, absent teammate. Makarov revealed that the teams would face Fairy Tail's active S-Class Mages, then Zeref and several overwhelming arrivals joined the examiners, leaving the guild questioning how anyone could pass.

• Lucy failed to team up with Levy, Gray, Juvia, Cana, or Wendy as the other candidates formed pairs.
• Lisanna and Juvia formed an alliance to target Lucy, while Cana teamed up with Kagura and Wendy teamed up with Jacob Lessio.
• Mirajane announced the completed teams, including Lucy and Mysterious Person XXX, whose identity Makarov kept secret.
• Makarov told the teams that their opponents would be Fairy Tail's active S-Class Mages, who gathered on the platform.
• Zeref appeared and declared himself a Fairy Tail S-Class Mage, then Ignia, August, Ywen, Aileen, and Selene arrived.
• Ywen urged the candidates to show their strength, and Natsu excitedly welcomed the challenge.

Fairy Tail’s S-Class Mage candidates faced an overwhelming lineup of examiners, but Natsu roused them by declaring he would compete and defeat his rivals. Ywen explained that the candidates had already begun fighting to make other teams miss the one-week deadline, and battles erupted across Magnolia while Lucy remained alone and worried about the examination.

• The candidates despaired at the powerful examiners until Natsu declared he would take the S-Class spot, provoking them into renewed competition; he and Ajeel agreed to face the other teams together.
• Makarov gave the teams one week to train and ordered all candidates to gather at the guild at eight o’clock, warning that late arrivals would count as withdrawals.
• Ywen explained to Erza that the candidates could win by eliminating their competitors or making them miss the deadline, so the examination had effectively begun as soon as Makarov announced its rules.
• Natsu and Ajeel clashed with Gray and Invel behind the guild, with Invel freezing Natsu’s flames and Ajeel swallowing Gray in sand.
• Larcade confronted Brandish and Dimaria at an ice cream shop, while Lucy remained alone in her bathtub, fretting about the examination.

Loke orchestrated a plan to eliminate every S-Class Mage Examination team except Lucy, while the candidates clashed across Magnolia. Lucy remained unaware of the fights, happily drying her hair in her rented room.

• Larcade defeated Dimaria and Brandish with his Pleasure magic, and Bradman captured them until the examination began.
• Freed and Bickslow trapped Mystogan and Wahl Icht in an enchantment, but Mystogan drained their magic and Wahl escaped by breaking the barrier with his Magic Particle Elimination device, then defeated them.
• Evergreen, Elfman, Lisanna, and Juvia formed an alliance and agreed to target Lucy before heading into the woods to meet Freed and Bickslow.
• Wahl prepared to fight Evergreen and the others as Loke’s eagle Aquila reported their movements, and Loke planned to steer Mystogan toward Larcade and Bradman.
• Loke learned that Gajeel and Levy, Cana and Kagura, Lyon and Mest, and Wendy and Jacob had met in Magnolia, where the other candidates decided to join forces against Jacob.
• Lucy hummed and dried her hair in her rented room, unaware of the battles and Loke’s scheme.

Loke watched the S-Class Mage Examination’s battles unfold and planned to defeat whoever remained so Lucy would win. Jacob and Wendy became a team, but their fight against Kagura’s group was interrupted by Larcade and Bradman, leaving Jacob in danger.

• Lyon, Kagura, Cana, Gajeel, Levy, and Mest ambushed Wendy and Jacob, then used Wendy as a hostage to make Jacob release Lyon before they attacked him.
• Wendy entered Dragon Force, struck Mest away, and healed Jacob; she and Jacob agreed to fight together against the others.
• Kagura’s group split up the battle, while Levy and Cana boosted Kagura until she wounded Jacob; elsewhere, Mystogan and Wahl Icht confronted Evergreen, Elfman, Lisanna, and Juvia, and Natsu knocked out Gray and Invel Yura with Fire Dragon King's Roar.
• Larcade and Bradman arrived in Magnolia Town, and Larcade quickly put Kagura to sleep while Jacob, already wounded and exhausted, faced both Spriggan members.
• Loke watched the battles on a map and decided he could guarantee Lucy’s victory by defeating whichever side won.

Natsu’s released Dragon Force drew Acnologia toward Magnolia, while Ywen’s broadcast exposed Loke’s scheme and gathered the remaining S-Class exam candidates at the teahouse. Lucy appeared to save Loke and was knocked unconscious, but Larcade’s sleep magic disrupted the gathering before Ajeel and Mystogan began their confrontation as the preliminaries neared their end.

• Natsu unleashed the Fire Dragon King’s power to defeat Gray and Invel, and Acnologia sensed the unusually strong Dragon Force and flew toward Magnolia.
• Ywen broadcast Loke’s boast across Magnolia, prompting Larcade and Bradman to head for the teahouse as the surviving candidates gathered there with the eliminated participants.
• Loke tried to redirect the candidates toward Lucy’s apartment, but they attacked him and destroyed the teahouse before Lucy arrived and defeated Bradman with Urano Metria.
• Mest knocked Lucy unconscious, while the real Lucy remained at home; Larcade then used magic to put the candidates to sleep, and Mystogan revealed he had kept several of them unconscious.
• Ajeel attacked Mystogan, and Larcade went after Wahl Icht as the S-Class exam preliminaries approached their end.

Mystogan and Ajeel knocked each other unconscious, while Larcade yielded to Wahl Icht and revealed that Lucy’s missing teammate was tied to an overwhelmingly powerful figure. Acnologia descended and began destroying a replica of Magnolia, prompting Aileen to change the S-Class Mage Examination into a group battle against him; Lucy awoke amid the chaos and learned the dragon’s identity.

• Mystogan used layered spells, Haki, rain, and lightning rods to defeat Ajeel, but Ajeel stored the lightning and released it, leaving both fighters unconscious.
• Larcade refused to compete with Wahl Icht for the S-Class title and warned him that Lucy’s absent teammate was extraordinarily powerful.
• Acnologia arrived above Magnolia and destroyed part of the town, while Aileen revived the candidates and announced that defeating him would let them all pass the examination.
• Aileen revealed that the town was a replica on a deserted island, then sent the candidates to fight Acnologia; Natsu rescued Lucy and tossed her toward safety, where Ajeel caught her with sand.
• Levy explained the changed examination rules to Lucy, who recognized Acnologia as the Black Dragon King from the Apocalypse and protested the challenge.

Natsu, Wendy, Gajeel, and Fairy Tail’s other mages fought Acnologia, but their attacks barely harmed him. Natsu landed a powerful Fire Dragon King punch that left Acnologia battered but standing, and the chapter ended as the dragons and Ywen’s group revealed themselves to join the battle.

• Freed gave the S-Class Mage candidates wings, and Natsu and Wendy began attacking Acnologia, whose defenses easily stopped their blows.
• Ajeel trapped Acnologia in a sand pyramid, while Lyon and Mystogan created a giant Ice Dragon and mechanical Dragon Knight; Acnologia broke free and destroyed both.
• Dimaria’s Time Stop failed against Acnologia, and Gray and Invel Yura’s combined ice magic froze him only briefly before he shattered it.
• Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel combined their Dragon Slayer Roar and knocked Acnologia into a mountain, but he stood up unharmed.
• Natsu awakened the Fire Dragon King’s power, grew to enormous size with Brandish’s magic, and struck Acnologia with a punch that devastated much of the island.
• Acnologia survived Natsu’s attack, then Ign igneel, another dragon from Gajeel, and a dragon from Wendy emerged as Ywen, Selene, Ignia, Aileen, Animus, Kurnugi, Zeref, and August prepared to act.

Igneel fought Acnologia and lost, but severed one of the Black Dragon King's arms before collapsing. Ywen then gathered the other powerful dragons and mages to pin Acnologia down, leaving the supposedly invincible dragon surrounded and helpless.

• Acnologia questioned his memories after sensing numerous powerful dragons, while Igneel challenged him to a battle between dragon kings.
• Igneel unleashed a devastating roar that hurt Acnologia, but his magic ran out; Acnologia then wounded him, and Igneel tore off Acnologia's arm before being defeated.
• Natsu rushed to Igneel, while Ignia held him back and insisted that their father should finish his battle without interference.
• Ywen appeared beside the dying Igneel, and Ignia used Attach Magic to turn his father's soul into a red cat; Selene then knocked Kurnugi unconscious after he admitted he wanted to defy her.
• Ywen proposed that everyone attack Acnologia together, and Aileen, Selene, August, Zeref, and Ignia joined him as the other dragons revealed their strength.
• The dragons and mages pinned Acnologia to the ground, and Ywen transformed into an Azure Dragon and asked the trapped Black Dragon King what a surprise was.

Ywen and the Dragon Kings overwhelmed Acnologia with coordinated attacks, and Ywen finally knocked him unconscious. Acnologia woke to find Sanya beside him, remembered her, and became willing to hear what Ywen wanted to discuss.

• Lucy watched the Dragons pin Acnologia down as he realized five Dragon King-level beings had joined forces against him.
• Ywen reminded Acnologia of the Dragon Force bait he had sent him for years, then survived Acnologia’s roar through Elementalization and urged him to surrender.
• Acnologia refused to join Fairy Tail, so Ywen and the others attacked together: Ignia struck him, Selene crushed him with lunar gravity, and Aileen hit him with an accelerated asteroid.
• August revealed his power by striking Acnologia away when he charged the barrier, and the exhausted Black Dragon King challenged the Dragons to continue fighting.
• Ywen unleashed his full power, struck Acnologia unconscious, and took one of his teeth as a trophy.
• Acnologia woke to Sanya’s gentle greeting, remembered her, and said he was sorry he had lost.