High above Tenrou Island, Capricorn flew, dropping large bubbles full of Grimoire Heart members onto the surface below.
"What are those?!" Lisanna asked, astonished, as she saw the falling bubbles.
One by one, these bubbles descended. As they burst upon hitting the ground, enemy soldiers spilled forth, attacking every Fairy Tail member they encountered.
"A bunch of people falling from the sky?" Loke muttered, somewhat at a loss. "Not exactly something you see every day."
Lucy, trembling slightly, groaned, "We should've checked the weather forecast for 'raining Dark Guilds…'"
"Enemies," Cana hissed through clenched teeth, frustration evident. "They're why our exam got canceled."
Gray's eyes widened as more bubbles kept dropping overhead. "How many are there? It's like an invasion force."
"Sister Mira," Lisanna whispered, clutching her sister's arm for support.
Mira nodded grimly. "Yes."
"Man…" Elfman glared up at the newcomers. "As a man, I can't forgive intruders on our sacred ground!"
Evergreen scowled. "Tch. This is gonna be a pain."
Nearby, Erza frowned at the sheer number of hostiles descending. Juvia observed softly, "They just keep coming…"
At the same time, in the distance, Azuma sensed his guildmates landing and scoffed, "Heh, the noisy ones are finally here."
Meanwhile…
Crack—!!!
Hades's magical barrier shattered, and Su Yan's fist smashed into Hades's face.
"Aaaugh!!" Hades cried out, flung back by the sheer force.
"You dared injure the old man and invade our holy ground," Su Yan growled. "Don't think you can just walk away!"
A dense swirl of Conqueror's Haki radiated from him in a purple shockwave. Lifting his hand, Su Yan formed an enormous sword of pure Haki above him. Without a word, he swung it down toward Hades.
"Amaterasu—Twenty-Eight!!" Hades bellowed, firing a massive burst of magic to meet Su Yan's blow.
Boom—!!!
Magic clashed with raw Haki energy, unleashing a colossal explosion. Hades was blasted clear of the dust cloud.
"Dark Wave!" The Grimoire Heart master thrust a dark shockwave from his palm.
Su Yan, however, merely wrapped Armament Haki around his own hand and swatted the attack aside.
Crack!
The shockwave careened away, shattering a boulder behind Su Yan instead.
"Y-you little brat," Hades snarled. He hadn't expected Makarov's "kid" to be so overwhelmingly strong.
From where he stood, Makarov looked on, astonished. Only just moments ago, Hades had been thrashing him relentlessly, but now Su Yan was dominating Hades. It reminded Makarov of three years prior, when Su Yan fought Gildarts to a draw. He knew Su Yan could transform into a dragon, making him even more formidable, but seeing Su Yan thrash Hades in human form was stunning.
Hades's expression hardened. "Su Yan, was it? So you're the rumored 'Undying Demon King.' I see Makarov truly nurtured a terrifying monster. But don't be cocky. You haven't tasted real power."
Su Yan's eyes narrowed. He unleashed another blast of his Conqueror's Haki, slamming Hades backward a few steps.
"Guh—!!" Hades staggered, feeling the sting of that intangible pressure.
"Blah, blah, blah," Su Yan retorted coldly. "The last guy who ran his mouth like you is pushing daisies. Who do you think you are?"
"Rgh!!" Hades charged in fury, launching a salvo of magic bullets. Yet Su Yan's eyes took on a red gleam as he activated advanced senses, weaving through the bullets with fluid motion and closing in.
The two exchanged a rapid series of blows, fists and spells colliding. Hades found himself slowly outmatched. Su Yan's physical strength was absurd, and each time Hades landed a hit, Su Yan's body seemed unhurt—merely shredding his clothes, not his flesh.
Finally, Hades pulled a sphere of magic in his palm, ramming it into Su Yan's side.
Boom—!!!
A powerful blast tore away the remains of Su Yan's shirt—but still left no injury on his body.
Su Yan responded by drilling a thunderous punch into Hades's face.
"Gnnh!!" Hades crashed backward through multiple trees, slamming into an ancient wall half-buried in the ground.
"D-damn you…" he growled, picking himself up from the rubble. "Such monstrous…strength—"
He looked up, face paling. Overhead, a massive purple hand formed from Su Yan's Haki loomed, ready to crash down with finality.