"That's... Mystogan?" Someone in the crowd recognized the face, their voice trembling.
"That's him! It's him!"
Gajeel enthusiastically stirred things up, "He is Prince Jellal, who seven years ago resolutely left his homeland to find the Holy Sword that would save the world! Now, at a time when the world is about to be destroyed, he has returned with the Holy Sword!"
The people were stunned, but then a flame of hope quickly reignited in their eyes.
"His Highness has returned?"
"He went to find the Holy Sword... He's here to save us!"
"Defeat that demon king! Defeat Lu Chongwei!"
The cheers started faintly, but quickly grew into a deafening roar.
The crowd waved their fists, their initial fear replaced by a strong sense of anticipation.
Mystogan stood in the middle of the street, looking at the people who had placed high hopes on him, his eyes filled with complex emotions.
He understood that this was a play, a play staged to consolidate his rule and to reunite the world.
Erza appeared silently in the shadows behind Mystogan.
She lowered her voice and calmly reminded him, "Are you ready Mystogan? Everyone is cooperating with you."
Mystogan nodded slightly, his voice a little hoarse. "I understand... but this is too unfair to you."
" Fairy Tail's companions never care about these things."
Erza finished speaking, she secretly handed a Holy Sword gleaming with a cold light to Mystogan.
This was actually just a glowing prop that Lu Chongwei casually crafted, but in the eyes of the people, it was the legendary Holy Sword that could cut through all evil.
Mystogan gripped the hilt of his sword and immediately understood the good intentions of the others.
He held his breath, his eyes hardened, and with his longsword pointed diagonally at the ground, he let out a furious shout at Lu Chongwei in the distance.
" Lu Chongwei! Your atrocities end here! As long as I am here, you will never harm my people!"
Standing on high ground, Lu Chongwei looked at Mystogan's righteous demeanor and chuckled to himself: This guy gets into character pretty quickly.
"Oh? A defeated opponent dares to boast of his bravery?"
Lu Chongwei let out a piercing sneer. In a flash, he transformed into a golden afterimage and violently swooped down from the clock tower.
"Then let me see just how powerful your so-called Holy Sword really is!"
Lu Chongwei rushed to Mystogan, clenched his right fist, and frantically compressed golden spiritual pressure onto it.
"Bang--!!!"
Lu Chongwei threw a seemingly fierce punch at Mystogan.
The instant his fist made contact with Mystogan, he deftly withdrew ninety-nine percent of his strength, using only a gentle force to push his opponent away.
To outsiders, however, it looked as if Mystogan had been hit by a heavy artillery shell. He was thrown back dozens of meters away and crashed heavily into a dilapidated wall, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Your Highness!"
The crowd let out a terrified scream.
Wendy, hiding some distance away, clutched the hem of her clothes tightly with her little hands, her eyes reddening, and asked worriedly:
"Sister Erza... did Zhongwei hit too hard? Mr. Mystogan looks like he's in a lot of pain."
Erza looked calmly at Mystogan, who was slowly rising from the ruins, and casually Kaido:
"Don't worry, they all know what they're doing. Lu Chongwei's control over his power is already terrifying. It just looks scary."
As expected, Mystogan stubbornly crawled out of the ruins, wiped the blood from his mouth (actually, it was red medicine he had prepared beforehand), and raised the Holy Sword again, his eyes resolute.
"I... will never fall! For Edolas!"
The people were completely ignited by this tragic heroism.
"Go, Your Highness!"
"Down with the big devil!"
Seeing how enthusiastically Lu Chongwei was acting, Natsu couldn't hold back any longer. He the Roar and charged forward, his entire body bursting into flames.
" Lu Chongwei, let me deal with him first! Fire Dragon's... Crushing Fist!"
Natsu rushed up to Mystogan, and his acting was absolutely terrible.
His movements were stiff; before his fist even touched Mystogan, he made an exaggerated backward leaning motion.
"Ouch! Such powerful sword energy! I've been hit!"
Natsu yelled, then fell straight to the ground, rolling awkwardly twice.
Mystogan froze, his Holy Sword hanging in mid-air, looking utterly embarrassed.
Brother, I haven't even wielded my sword yet, and you've already fallen so early!
Natsu was lying on the ground, presumably pretending to be dead, but a piece of gravel on the ground poked his leg, and he couldn't help but reach out and scratch it.
The people. "..."
Lu Chongwei, watching from the side, couldn't help but facepalm, cursing inwardly. "That idiot Natsu, I'll definitely make him practice his acting skills more when we get back!"
Fortunately, Gajeel came to the rescue in time.
He snorted coldly, pushed Natsu aside, and his arm transformed into a jet-black Iron Dragon Club.
"Get out of my way, you idiot! Let me do it!"
Gajeel's acting was much more natural.
He exchanged a few blows with Mystogan with practiced skill; the sound of metal clashing was loud, and sparks flew, making it look intense.
"Damn it... the power of this Holy Sword is actually countering my Iron Dragon!"
Gajeel convincingly displayed a pained expression, then, with a casual horizontal slash from Mystogan, he was sent flying backward, readily admitting defeat.
Finally, only Lu Chongwei remained, standing quietly opposite Mystogan.
The surrounding crowd held their breath; they knew the final battle had begun.
Lu Chongwei walked slowly toward Mystogan, and with each step he took, a crack would appear in the ground beneath his feet.
He walked up to Mystogan, and the two exchanged a blow in perfect unison.
"Clang!"
In the instant their swords clashed, Lu Chongwei lowered his voice and spoke softly in Mystogan's ear.
" Mystogan, do you still remember Fairy Tail's three rules?"
Mystogan's body jolted violently, and his eyes immediately welled up with tears.
While forcefully pushing against the longsword, creating the illusion of fierce resistance, Lu Chongwei muttered to himself:
"First rule: You are never allowed to divulge any secrets that could harm Fairy Tail."
Mystogan gritted his teeth, tears welling in his eyes, and replied with difficulty, "I remember."
"Secondly, it is forbidden to exploit past client relationships for personal gain."
The two magic powers collided violently in mid-air, stirring up clouds of dust that obscured the public's view.
Amidst the smoke and dust, they were all silently shedding tears.
"The third point..." Lu Chongwei paused, his tone resolute, "Even if we take different paths, we must live on with strength. Never underestimate your own life, and never forget the friends you deeply love!"
"Boom--!!!"
Lu Chongwei voluntarily withdrew his magic, and his entire body was completely engulfed by the light of Mystogan's Holy Sword.
He slid backwards for over a hundred meters in a disheveled state, then weakly knelt on the ground.
"You win... Prince Jellal."
Lu Chongwei spoke hoarsely, then waved his hand towards the sky, "Retreat!"