That Day When Suzuki-kun Wasn't the Mob-B!

Sitting in the quiet of the Heavenly Blue waiting area, Finn leaned back against the sofa, closing his eyes as a wave of deep exhaustion finally caught up with him. Naturally, Ultear, Flare, Sorano, and Meredy had quickly surrounded him, unapologetically using his chest, lap, and shoulders as their personal cushions.

Watching the four women who had just been dismantled by Erza, Finn didn’t blame them in the slightest. He was honestly just speechless. Erza’s sheer willpower and combat endurance bordered on absolute cheating.

”That woman is a complete cheat,” Sorano muttered, nursing a bruise.

”I know,” Meredy sighed, nuzzling into Finn’s side.

”She’s a brute,” Flare pouted, her hair wrapping loosely around Finn’s arm.

”Yeah,” Ultear agreed, resting her chin on his chest to look up at him. ”Is her absurd stubbornness the reason you like her so much?”

”I love all of you,” Finn replied smoothly, his tone warm and entirely sincere.

Hearing his effortless deflection, the four of them rolled their eyes in unison, but a soft, satisfied atmosphere settled over the room. It didn’t truly matter. Even if Finn held a special affection for Erza, none of them believed for a second that he would abandon them. Why would a man who had successfully conquered the entire forest suddenly throw it all away for a single tree?

Internally, Finn also recognized that having Erza as a traditional wife might be incredibly complicated. As a partner and a mother to his future children? She would be incredible. But given enough time, they would inevitably clash. He knew perfectly well that his methods were pragmatic, entirely unrighteous, and fundamentally at odds with Erza’s unyielding knightly morals.

Then again, opposites always exerted the strongest magnetic pull on one another.

Still, while the Grand Magic Games had finally concluded, the true crisis was only just beginning.

Do I have enough energy left?

Finn had to admit that his gauntlet of battles—clashing with Jura, Ichiya, Laxus, and the rest of the Fairy Tail vanguard—had drained nearly all of his magical reserves. Yet, compared to fighting the plot-armor-fueled protagonists of Fairy Tail, he felt the upcoming battle would be a breeze. After all, ancient dragons didn’t have the Power of Nakama on their side.

”By the way, is everything going to be alright?” Ultear asked, a rare trace of genuine worry bleeding into her voice. She knew that widespread chaos was brewing deep within the royal capital, especially after Lucy had been thrown into the palace dungeons.

While Lisanna, Mirajane, Wendy, Yukino, and the Exceeds had already infiltrated the palace to save her, Ultear knew the unforgiving nature of this world’s plot. It would be a miracle if the rescue mission went smoothly. Trouble was inevitable.

”Don’t worry,” Finn murmured, gently stroking Ultear’s hair. ”Half the city might get leveled to the ground before the night is over... but I’ll make sure no one dies.”

”.....”

The girls stared at him in deadpan silence.

”...Is it really going to be that dangerous?” Ultear pressed softly.

Finn glanced down at her, a protective warmth stirring in his chest. He vividly remembered the original timeline, where this very woman had sacrificed her youth, her time, and her life just to rewind the clock by a single minute to save everyone.

”Don’t worry,” Finn smiled. ”I am here.”

That tragic fate would absolutely not have happened while he was around. The incoming danger was obvious, but to him, those legendary dragons weren’t a disaster—they were simply high-level prey. They were the perfect stepping stones for his evolution.

Meanwhile, deep within the cold stone corridors beneath Mercurius Castle, the rescue team was in the middle of a frantic escape. Lucy, having been freed with the help of Lisanna, Mirajane, Wendy, Yukino, Happy, and Carla, suddenly found their path blocked by a lone, cloaked figure stepping out of the shadows.

”Who are you...?” Lucy asked, her voice echoing in the damp tunnel.

”Rogue. That is my name.”

After a relentless string of battles against the Garou Knights, the exhausted group tensed immediately, raising their guard against this new, unknown opponent.

”Don’t you remember me?” Rogue asked, his hollow eyes sweeping over the group.

”No...?”

”.....”

A heavy silence fell over the tunnel. Unlike the original timeline, where Sabertooth was the primary antagonist of the games, Heavenly Blue had completely stolen the spotlight. To Fairy Tail, Rogue was just another face in the crowd.

Rogue looked momentarily at a loss, thrown off by the ripple effects of the changed past. But his expression quickly hardened. It didn’t matter. His ultimate goal remained completely unchanged. He had to unleash the dragons from four hundred years ago and purge this world.

”It doesn’t matter. I will simply tell you the truth. I am a man who came from seven years in the future.”

”Seven years in the future?”

The group stared at him with heavy doubt, their combat stances unwavering. They were ready to fight at a moment’s notice.

”Seven years from now, unlike the peace you know today, the world is in absolute ruins,” Future Rogue stated, his voice devoid of emotion. ”It is ruled by dragons. Less than ten percent of humanity remains. The rest were slaughtered.”

”No way...” Wendy gasped, taking a fearful step back.

They didn’t want to believe it, yet the raw, suffocating despair in Future Rogue’s voice carried a chilling weight of truth.

”I am merely stating facts,” Future Rogue said, shrugging his shoulders coldly. ”You have seen the Kingdom’s actions, correct? What they are doing right now is the right thing. If they do not prepare, this country will be reduced to ash by the ten thousand dragons that are about to descend. The only way to defeat a horde of that magnitude was to fire the Eclipse Gate, using its concentrated temporal magic as a cannon. Surely you can see that I am doing the right thing for the sake of humanity?”

His words were sincere. He truly believed he was a savior.

But in the next second, his stoic face violently contorted into a mask of pure, unadulterated rage. ”But there is one factor that attempts to stop this mission!”

His hateful glare locked directly onto Lucy. ”Yes, it is you! You are the one who closes the gate and dooms us all! Because of that, I will never forgive you!”

”What?!” Lucy stumbled backward, entirely confused and terrified.

Future Rogue didn’t give her a second to process the accusation. He lunged forward, shadows exploding from his body as he aimed a lethal strike directly at her heart!

”The only way to save the future is to kill you right now!”

The attack was too fast. No one in the exhausted rescue team could react in time. And unlike the original timeline, Natsu wasn’t here to intercept the blow.

Yet, an unexpected figure suddenly threw themselves directly in front of Lucy, wearing a tattered hoodie and a heavy cape that fell away in the desperate movement.

”You are...?!”

The entire group gasped in profound shock. It was Lucy.

Two Lucys stood in the dim corridor. But this second, future version of the Celestial Mage was about to take a fatal blow through the chest!

In that agonizing fraction of a second, Lisanna and Yukino’s minds flashed to the exact same person. They both screamed for the only man who could possibly fix this nightmare!

”NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!”

Just as the shadowy blade was about to pierce Future Lucy’s flesh, the space in front of her violently warped.

A figure materialized out of thin air.

”Eh??”

There was zero hesitation. Future Rogue wasn’t even given a second to register the sudden anomaly. A large hand shot out like a striking viper, clamping completely over Future Rogue’s face with enough crushing force to fracture his skull.

Without breaking stride, the figure violently pivoted, using Rogue’s own forward momentum to slam him face-first into the solid stone floor!

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMM!

The entire foundation of the royal castle shook violently from the impact. A massive crater spider-webbed across the tunnel floor.

For a moment, no one could breathe. The dust slowly cleared, revealing the tall, broad-shouldered man standing protectively over the two Lucys.

Tears of absolute relief and overwhelming happiness flooded the girls’ eyes.

”FINN!!!”

Yes. This time, there was no mask. Standing in the heart of the royal dungeons, radiating a terrifying, suffocating magical pressure, Finn had finally arrived.