A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

"What does it matter? Lucy is often at the guild anyway..."

"Stop talking!!"

The group of mages seemed indifferent to Lucy's change, surrounding her as usual, bickering and complaining, as if Lucy was just in a good mood today, changed her clothes to cosplay, and was just giving the guild members some perks, nothing special.

However, aside from these usually unserious older men, people like Erza, Mira, and Laxus, who have always been reliable, still noticed Lucy's unusual behavior at this moment.

"How are you? Is your mind still clear?"

Kira asked Lucy Number 1 with concern, while waving his right hand in front of her, making a "Y" shape, "Look, what number is this?"

He had no choice but to ask. With the 'Ten Thousand Dragons Crisis' about to occur here, he needed to make sure that before that happened, his group wouldn't have to deal with a new boss—even if that boss was Lucy.

Of course, there was also the reason that he had just made a promise to the mages of other guilds that "this Lucy won't hurt anyone," but that only accounted for part of the reason, because Kira thought that promise was worthless.

After all, when have we, Fairy Tail, ever needed to make promises to others?

"I...I'm fine..." Under the gaze of all the mages, Lucy No. 1 spoke slowly, rolling her eyes at the finger that Kira was holding in front of her. "At least I haven't gone blind yet."

Her voice became cold and clear, like a frigid pool deep in the Zonia Mountains, giving people a chilling feeling. Combined with her charming and affectionate eyes, there was a strong sense of contrast.

"Awoooooo!!"

"This...this...is this person really Lucy?! Is this really our lovely Lucy-chan?"

The group of middle-aged men instantly screamed like a pack of wolves in heat. They wiped away their nosebleeds and drool, trying their best to hide their undisguised admiration for the beautiful woman. Lucy was just too much of a ripple for them!

Even Natsu, Happy, Erza, Levy, Cana, and others who knew Lucy best were startled by this Lucy's voice. Her appearance, voice, clothes, temperament, and magic all changed drastically. What on earth happened?

Kira nodded, relieved: "Looks like besides your eyesight, your sarcastic spirit hasn't completely disappeared..."

In this world, Lucy rested her chin on her hand, lost in thought. Her brows furrowed slightly, and her eyes constantly observed her transformed 'self,' while her body sensed the changes in her magical power: "Kira, what exactly was that magical power just now...?"

"If I'm not mistaken, it must be the power of the solar eclipse!" Kira made a decisive judgment and explained and analyzed the underlying principles to everyone.

There is a consensus among geniuses. They may have differences in experience, but after a certain point, their insight, analytical thinking, and judgment will grow to a very similar level, and therefore their conclusions will be almost identical.

Yes, Kira's conclusion, Jelf's conclusion, and even Wendy Erin, who was observing from afar, all reached the same conclusion, and they were all very close to the real reason.

Is there any way to change this situation back?

Lucy couldn't wait to consult Kira, the only one who might have a solution. She felt a little uncomfortable with this kind of plastic surgery-like transformation, even though it was something that happened to her in a parallel world.

After a moment of contemplation, Kira replied, "If we find the right method, it should be possible to recover, but I haven't thought of any effective measures in the short term."

As he spoke, Kira turned his gaze to Lucy #1 and reminded her, "This Eclipse power has now found its original 'root,' which is you! And as you continue to use the Eclipse Gate to travel between different worlds, this power will continue to absorb the newly generated 'Eclipse Magic,' causing your changes to intensify once again!"

"But you don't need to worry too much, this change is not irreversible."

In any world, the word 'irreversible' is a devastating blow to humanity: humans experience anxiety because of the irreversibility of aging, sadness because of the irreversibility of death, and even lose pure love because of the irreversibility of the Minotaur's mind...

Fortunately, this is a world of magic, and everything can turn around.

"That's enough!"

Lucy #1 smiled slightly at Lucy, her smile as charming as a spring breeze melting winter snow. "I was worried about what I would do without the Celestial Key for my future journey, but this power has solved that problem for me."

"I can clearly sense that this eclipse magic originating from the Protoss is very strong, and it will only get stronger!"

She clenched her right fist, and a black magical power condensed within it. Everyone could sense that it contained extremely terrifying destructive power, which was formed by the convergence of the power of multiple worlds and countless star spirits.

Kira frowned and warned again, "This power is too complex; it will gradually devour your mind!"

The girl simply smiled and said, "As long as my world can be restored, I don't care if I fall into darkness because of it!"

"Anyway, someone will definitely wake me up eventually!"

Chapter 773 The Dragon That Descends on the Grand Magic Games Arena

Lucy's optimistic attitude silenced everyone.

Looking at her sunny smile, so incongruous with her carefully crafted appearance, they suddenly felt a pang of pity: How pitiful! This Lucy…

Before we knew it, time had quietly slipped away. Dusk had arrived, the setting sun cast its last rays, and red clouds filled the sky.

The mages stood or sat in twos and threes scattered across the Grand Magic Games arena, enjoying the beautiful sunset, but more than anything, they were dissatisfied with the king for wasting their afternoon.

"So the news about the Dragon Group was just a prank after all? They made it sound so serious, but they still haven't come."

"As expected, we shouldn't have believed that so-called prophecy letter in the first place!"

"This king is like a fool; the kingdom has completely lost its credibility..."

"Don't say that. His Majesty the King only summoned us as a precaution. Isn't it a million times better that nothing has happened now than if tens of thousands of dragons actually attacked Crocus?"

Hearing what the mature older men said, the young men who were originally dissatisfied immediately calmed down, thinking that it was true, being bored here was much better than fighting to the death with the dragons.

On a high platform at the top of the venue, King Thomas stared intently at the fiery clouds on the horizon, his brow furrowed, his wrinkles clearly visible, and his entire being exuding an unyielding worry.

Behind him, Princess Emerald and Knight Commander Arcadios stood on either side, watching their father and monarch with equal tension.

"Father, do you think the dragons will really come?"

Princess Emerald, being young and impulsive, finally asked the question she had been pondering for a long time, amidst her inner turmoil.

"I...I don't know..."

King Thomas felt embarrassed by his daughter's question, cold sweat beading on his forehead as he repeatedly wiped it away with a handkerchief. "That's what the prophecy letter said..."

King Thomas was torn. He hoped the dragons wouldn't come, so his kingdom, capital, and palace could remain safe and prosperous. Yet, he also secretly hoped they would come, which would prove the prophecy true, that he hadn't deceived his mages or believed rumors, and that he was a wise ruler.

This conflicting feeling tormented the short king, but he knew in his heart that if he really had the choice to let the dragons come or not, he would definitely choose not to let them come.

Because Thomas was an excellent king, he knew that the safety of his people was more important than his own and the royal family's reputation!

"But there's still no news..."

Princess Emerald muttered a complaint under her breath, then continued, "Father, wasn't this too hasty? Even a prophecy letter could turn out to be completely fake!"

"For example, the results of the first six days of the competition written in that letter could very well have been 'inferred' from existing intelligence, or it could have been a complete coincidence."

"The biggest point of contention is that the prophecy letter didn't include the results of the final day's match, which greatly reduces its credibility!"

King Thomas listened quietly to Princess Emerald's words until she stopped, then sighed and said, "You're right, but as king, I can't gamble..."

His gaze was not only fixed on the red clouds on the horizon, but also on the mages below who were preparing for battle against the dragons!

Fortunately, the mages of our Fiore Kingdom are incredibly talented!

Just then, a deep roar suddenly came from the distant horizon. At the same time, the space rippled slightly, the mountains swayed gently, the wind direction changed drastically, and the air was filled with a foul, cold, and dark aura.

The sky darkened rapidly.

A massive black hole appeared in the distance, in the direction where the sun was setting, in that fiery red sky.

"Are they here yet??"

King Thomas, Princess Emerald, and the Knight Commander all tensed, instantly becoming extremely alert. They immediately turned to their soldiers and ordered, "Quickly spread the word! All soldiers, be on high alert and prepare for battle! Also, warn the mages to be careful!!"

"Yes...yes!!!"

Upon receiving the order, the soldier immediately took off running, loudly announcing the king's command to his passing colleagues until he finally arrived at the broadcasting room.

In order to ensure that the orders could be quickly delivered to every soldier and mage, King Thomas had already arranged for the broadcasting equipment in the venue to be on standby, and now was the time to put it to use.

"Urgent notice! Urgent notice!!"

"An unexplained magical black hole has appeared in the sky to the west of the venue. All soldiers and mages must be on high alert and prepare for battle as soon as possible!!"

"Urgent Notice..."

The announcements immediately put all the mages still in the venue on high alert. Those who were dating, taking a nap, or eating all stopped what they were doing and quickly got into battle mode.

A mage with Kira's keen senses didn't need to wait for the broadcast to react. He was practically one of the first people in the venue to notice the anomaly, the magic black hole. While the king was still chatting with the princess, he had already instructed his guildmates to prepare for battle.

"What is that black hole? A spatial tunnel?"

"Is it just my imagination? It seems to be getting bigger, and it looks like it's getting closer and closer!"

"They came from the west? That's good, at least we can buy some time for the people in the capital..."

Closer...closer...

As time went on, the black hole expanded at a visible speed and got closer and closer to the venue of the Grand Magic Games, bringing with it an unimaginable pressure of magical power.

It was as heavy as a dozen mountain peaks, as painful as the pressure of the deep sea thousands of meters below the surface, colder than running naked with ice in your mouth in the dead of winter, and darker than ten thousand meters underground...

The moment this terrifying magical power pressed down, more than 90% of the soldiers and mages lost the ability to move. They trembled all over, their pupils vibrated, and their hearts pounded violently, much like puppets whose souls had been extracted, completely forgetting their identities and duties.

"Is this for real? Is this magic real...?"

"Gulp... Just what kind of being could possess such terrifying pressure?!"

"Hey everyone! Doesn't this magic seem familiar?"

Just as the mages of various guilds were discussing the black hole, in Fairy Tail, Natsu was trembling all over, his face filled with horror, shaking like a child who had lost his mother, looking at his companions and saying.

This incident immediately attracted everyone's attention and concern.

"Natsu, are you alright?"

Happy spread his wings and flew to his partner's side, looking worriedly at the boy who usually gave people confidence, but at this moment looked even more helpless than himself.

Lucy quickly followed, standing beside Natsu and gently embracing him, hoping that the warmth of her body and her familiar scent could give him even a little bit of a sense of security.

Noticing Natsu's unease, Gajeel's eyes flashed, and he grinned smugly, displaying his tsundere side: "No way... Fire Dragon, are you scared at a time like this? Why don't you just hide behind me and let me protect you? It won't make a difference if you're not one more..."

“Something seems off! I’ve never seen Natsu look like that before.” Erza frowned, her cool voice silencing the others.

Just then, Natsu said in a trembling voice, "Haven't you noticed? This magic is..."

Magic? What is it? Whose is it?

No one heard the last name in Natsu's words, because it was drowned out by a deafening roar that came from the black hole.

Accompanied by a roar that seemed to tear the heavens and earth apart, terrifying magical power instantly pressed down, enveloping the entire mountain!

The mages of Fairy Tail widened their eyes simultaneously, their hearts surging with countless emotions, and a name buried deep in their hearts surfaced in their minds.

Acnologia!!