At that moment, before the tomb of Mavis—the first master of Fairy Tail:
"Mavis… The first generation," Mest murmured under his breath, feigning confusion. "I don't understand any of this."
Nearby, Mest kept up the act, pretending he knew nothing. But Carla glared at him. "Your ability must be a magic that manipulates other people's memories, letting you slip into Fairy Tail unseen. You cast a spell on the guild members so they'd think you were one of us. All those suspicious details – plus your supposed ties to Mystogan – never added up."
She folded her arms. "No one else recognizes you, and you don't even know what that flare signal meant. I won't let you keep pretending."
"Aaah—!" In a flash, Mest vanished.
"H-he disappeared!" Wendy gasped.
Suddenly, he reappeared at Wendy's side, yanking her clear of a violent explosion that erupted where she'd just been standing.
"Wendy!!" Carla cried, only to freeze in shock as she realized Mest had just saved Wendy. "He protected her…? But isn't he our enemy?"
Mest scowled, staring into the foliage. "Who's there?! Show yourself!" Yet all he saw was a towering tree.
Then the trunk of the tree rippled, revealing a human face.
"Nicely done, noticing me," it said in a low voice.
"W-what?!"
"Someone's coming out of the tree?!" Carla exclaimed.
The stranger stepped forward, calm and confident. "My name is Azuma," he said. "One of the Seven Kin of Purgatory… Grimoire Heart."
"G-Grimoire Heart?" Wendy repeated, startled.
Carla's eyes narrowed. "That's a Dark Guild."
Mest exhaled. "So that flare must've been a signal for an enemy attack… It's too late now."
Azuma folded his arms. "Indeed. I suppose I should let you know that your time is up." He flashed a cool glance around. "I assume you're from the Council, correct?"
Mest's body trembled. "I've infiltrated Fairy Tail under orders, intending to gather proof so we could take it down. But seeing you scum from Grimoire Heart here… If I can handle this, I might still get that promotion. The Council's battleship is stationed nearby, ready to capture all of you. I'll crush Grimoire Heart underfoot!"
Azuma tilted his head, an amused smile on his lips. "You mean that battleship?"
A distant explosion boomed from out at sea.
"W-what did you do?!" Mest cried, voice shaking as he imagined the Council's ship bursting into flames.
Leaping down from the tree, Azuma shrugged. "I simply disposed of it. Now then…"
"Everyone, get back!" Carla warned.
Wendy stared in horror. "H-how could he destroy a warship so quickly…? We never even saw him move!"
Mest swallowed hard. "The Council's ship… undone so easily?"
A steeled voice rang out: "Lily—attack now!" Carla cried.
Pantherlily zoomed forward, slashing at Azuma with his fists. Azuma merely lifted a hand.
"Close Blast."
Boom—!! A burst of explosive magic erupted around Lily, smoke billowing. Yet Lily burst through, fist catching Azuma's face and knocking him aside.
Azuma landed lightly, lips curled in faint displeasure. "Hmph."
Concentrated energy orbs appeared around Lily, then exploded.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
"Waaaah!" Lily roared, battered by the blasts.
"Agh, I need a weapon," Lily spat. Normally he relied on carrying a sword, but as he only had his humanoid transformation here, he'd come unprepared.
"Lily!!" Wendy cried.
"Sky Dragon Art—'Arms'!" Wendy poured auxiliary magic around Lily, boosting his power and speed. He launched himself upward, springing away from the ground to avoid more traps.
Azuma raised a finger calmly. "No matter where you run…"
But at that instant, Mest reappeared behind Azuma with Lily in tow. Azuma blinked in surprise.
Taking a deep breath, Wendy gathered swirling air in her lungs. "Dragon's—!"
Azuma cut her off mid-chant: "Flame Tower."
Rumble—!! In a split second, a towering pillar of fire roared upward, engulfing everything around it.
"Uwaaah!"
"Gyaaaah!"
Wendy, Lily, and Mest vanished in a surge of flames, the monstrous might of Azuma unleashed in a single heartbeat.