Mystogan turned his head, looked at his former comrade-in-arms, and spoke calmly.
" Lily, Edolas's magic has been depleted. This false prosperity maintained by plundering others must end."
He paused for a moment, a resolute glint in his eyes.
"Once the magic disappears, the people will be angry and panicked. They need someone to vent their anger on."
Lily was stunned. He looked at Mystogan and a sense of unease rose in his heart.
What are you planning to do?
Mystogan walked to the edge of the formation, looking at the gradually collapsing palace above.
"I want to be the villain."
Mystogan's voice was soft, yet resolute.
"I will publicly announce that I stole all the magic in the world. Then, Lily, you will be the hero who executes me."
He looked at Lily, his eyes full of pleading.
"Only by publicly executing me, this so-called sinner, can the people's anger be quelled and they be able to reunite from the ruins."
Lily's eyes widened, and he took a step forward with a furious the Roar.
"I won't accept it!"
Lily stared intently at Mystogan, clenching his fists.
"You are the prince of this kingdom! You should stay and lead the world, not commit this suicidal act to become some kind of bullshit hero!"
His voice echoed through the underground space, filled with unwavering loyalty.
" Lily, this is the price."
Mystogan shook his head, his tone revealing a detached indifference that suggested he had seen through the ways of the world.
"Someone has to be held accountable for all of this, and that person can only be me."
Just as the two were arguing, a soldier scrambled into the underground space.
"Report! Your Highness! Captain Lily!"
The soldier's face was filled with terror, and his voice trembled violently.
"Three terrifying creatures have appeared in the city! They're wreaking havoc on the streets!"
Mystogan frowned slightly.
"Only three people? Can't anyone stop them?"
The soldier cried out, his voice trembling with sobs.
"We can't stop them! Those three are monsters! They even captured His Majesty the King and said they wanted to take over the entire capital!"
Mystogan and Lily exchanged a glance, their eyes both showing seriousness.
"Let's go! Let's go take a look!"
Mystogan grabbed his magic staff, his figure blurring as he hurtled towards the ground.
When the two rushed out of the basement and arrived at the most bustling street in the capital, they were completely stunned.
The once tidy streets were now a mess, with broken stones and collapsed stalls everywhere.
Mystogan stared wide-eyed at the figure on the roof.
Lu Chongwei, wearing a large black cloak, sat arrogantly on the edge of a towering roof.
He was holding a wooden stick he'd picked up from somewhere, and he was tapping the tiles idly.
In the middle of the street below, Natsu was laughing wildly.
"Hahahaha! I am Natsu, the Demon King! All the magic in this world belongs to me!"
Natsu's hair was a mess, his face was smeared with black ash, and his eyes looked crazy.
As he shouted, he pretended to kick a piece of wood that had already broken away.
Gajeel, standing nearby, also let out a cold snort in agreement.
"Hmph, weak Edolas, from today onwards, this place is ours to take over!"
Gajeel was holding several iron bars in his hands, diligently kneading them into various strange shapes, which looked quite destructive.
At Lu Chongwei's feet, Faust lay there, bound hand and foot, with a rag stuffed in his mouth, looking pathetic.
Mystogan's face twitched violently as he watched this scene.
" Lu Chongwei... Natsu... what are you guys up to?"
Lu Chongwei noticed Mystogan's arrival, and he deliberately lowered his voice, letting out a harsh, cold laugh.
"Oh, isn't this His Highness the Prince?"
Lu Chongwei stood up, his cloak fluttering in the wind. He looked down at the people below with an arrogant tone.
"The old king is dead at my hands. From this day forward, I am the master of this world!"
As he spoke, he winked at Natsu.
Natsu immediately understood, and dramatically jumped onto a lamppost, shouting at the crowd huddled in the corner around him.
"Did you hear that?! I am the Demon King's First General! Anyone who dares to disobey me will be burned to the ground!"
Natsu's erratic behavior, coupled with the occasional small golden flames he spewed out, really terrified the people around him.
Lily stood beside Mystogan, watching this absurd scene, completely petrified.
"They... they're putting on an act?"
Lily rubbed his eyes in disbelief, his voice filled with a strong sense of absurdity.
Mystogan felt a warmth in his heart as he looked at Lu Chongwei's villainous boss demeanor and then at Natsu and Gajeel putting on their best performances.
He originally wanted to be the villain, but he didn't expect that these guys would beat him to it and play the role first.
Lu Chongwei deliberately shouted arrogantly, his overbearing demeanor complementing Natsu's demon king-like presence; the two actually worked together quite convincingly.
The once magnificent buildings on the streets of the capital have now been reduced to ruins.
The rubble was piled up like a mountain, and the air was filled with a pungent smell of burning and smoke.
Lu Chongwei stood atop a collapsed clock tower, his black cloak fluttering in the gale.
He looked down at the terrified crowd huddled in the shadows below, his face arrogant and cold.
"This is the royal capital you're so proud of?"
Lu Chongwei's voice, amplified by magic, echoed like muffled thunder across the city, "Faced with overwhelming power, they're as fragile as paper!"
Natsu stood in the middle of the street, his body wreathed in golden flames, letting out a wild laugh.
With a casual wave of his hand, a fireball struck a king's statue precisely, shattering it into Crush.
"Hahahaha! I am Natsu, the Demon King! All the magic in this world belongs to us!"
Natsu roared at the top of his lungs, his crazed appearance terrifying the surrounding crowd.
"Devils... they are devils!"
"Help! Someone please save us!"
The people sat slumped on the ground, their eyes filled with utter despair and anger.
They watched helplessly as their home, on which they depended for survival, was wantonly destroyed by these so-called demons of Earth-land.
Just then, Edolas Gajeel, who had been lurking in the crowd, suddenly leaped onto a huge rock.
He pushed up his glasses, gripped the iconic megaphone in his hand, and shouted in a high-pitched, inflammatory voice.
"Look everyone! Who's that person?!"
Gajeel pointed precisely to the end of the street.
There, a tall, slender figure was slowly walking towards them.
Mystogan donned the prince's magnificent robes, and although his face still looked somewhat haggard, his innate noble bearing was undeniable.