Makarov cleared his throat. "Fairy Tail will take position here to guard Central Park."
Warren looked around. "And the other guilds?"
"They're deployed throughout the city streets, on standby," Makarov replied.
Levy frowned. "Did anyone see Lucy?"
Mila answered, "The kingdom's nobles summoned her—along with Wendy, Carla, and… Happy."
Freed gazed at the sky. "This moon feels wrong… a blood moon during a lunar eclipse." Its crimson glow dyed the entire capital in unsettling light.
Suddenly, the massive Eclipse Gate began to grind open.
Lucy, standing before it, pressed her Celestial Spirit key to the lock—but her face went pale. "No… stop! Close it right now—never open that door!"
"Miss Lucy?" Yukino stepped forward in alarm. Wendy and Carla rushed to her side; even Happy tilted his head in confusion.
"The Eclipse Cannon isn't a cannon at all—it's a gate!" Lucy shouted over the rising clamor. "A portal through time and space!"
"By royal decree!" Arcadios warned. "Stop this, or face punishment!"
Lucy paid him no heed. "The gate connects to four centuries ago—when dragons still walked Fiore!"
Before she could finish, a massive tremor rocked the palace, tossing everyone off balance.
"Princess!" came the cry.
The Emerald Princess steadied herself. "I'm fine…" Trembling, she watched as a colossal dragon's silhouette emerged from the gate's gaping maw.
With wings unfurled, it roared, unleashing a shockwave that shattered the ground and blew nearby soldiers aside. Its claws smashed street buildings to splinters.
Central Park's guard line—Fairy Tail—felt the tremor through their feet.
"What just happened?" Warren shouted.
"It's heading toward the palace!" someone cried.
Arcadios could only stare in disbelief. "Such power…"
Wendy's knees buckled, but Yukino half-carried her to safety.
Another dragon breached the gate, its roar driving Lucy and the princess backward.
"Close the door!" Lucy screamed, grabbing the princess's shoulder. "How do we seal it?!"
"On that pedestal!" the princess cried, pointing. Lucy sprinted toward an ancient control panel—only to be slammed back as a third dragon emerged, its shockwave ripping through the hallway.
"Miss Lucy—hurry!" Arcadios urged, fending off guards to clear a path.
Yukino shouted over the chaos, "Use Celestial Spirit magic! The keys that open the gate can also seal it—twelve keys, one for each zodiac sign!"
Lucy nodded. Together, they lifted their Silver Zodiac keys and channeled their magic.
"O Celestial Spirits of the Zodiac Gate," they intoned. "Lend us your power to seal this portal! Open—then close—gate of the Zodiac!"
One by one, the twelve spirits appeared in shimmering light. They soared to the Eclipse Gate and pressed their combined power against it.
With a final, thunderous crash, the door slammed shut. A furious dragon's roar echoed as its claws scratched futilely at solid stone.
The gate sealed completely.
Lucy exhaled. "It's closed!"
Around them, the palace lay silent but for the fading echoes of dragon fury—and the resolve of Fairy Tail to stand watch against whatever horrors lay beyond.