There was no other way; they simply couldn't figure out how to move "Extalia"—it was a floating island!
The ground beneath their feet was solid and unyielding, and moving it sounded like an impossible fantasy.
"Don't panic, Exceeds! In the face of such a crisis of annihilation, we must unite! We cannot just sit and wait for death! To protect our homeland, to avoid destruction, every one of us must give our all and strive with all our might!"
Nadi flapped his wings, shouting hoarsely, drawing the attention of all the Exceeds toward him, focusing on the solemn-faced "Queen" who slowly stepped forward.
"Exceeds, the time has come to demonstrate our strength and resilience. Even if we have to push, we must push Extalia away!"
Queen Shagotte's voice rang out, clear and powerful, carrying a determination to burn all bridges.
Queen Shagotte's appearance mobilized the Exceeds.
Since the "Queen" had spoken, they naturally had to step up.
To survive, to prevent Extalia from being destroyed, they had no choice but to try their hardest.
Led by Nadi, Nichiya, and the elders, all the Exceeds gathered, filled with anxiety and a faint glimmer of hope, arriving at one side of the floating island Extalia.
Together, they would combine their strength to push the island.
Countless furry hands pressed against the cold rocks and soil.
The Exceeds strained, their magic weak but united, pooling together and exerting force on the floating island.
"As expected, it's a bit difficult."
Marco wasn't surprised to see the floating island remain motionless despite the combined efforts of countless Exceeds.
He had anticipated this outcome—these Exceeds were too weak, their magic too feeble.
"It's still up to us!" Natsu could no longer hold back.
Flames ignited on his fists, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He was already rubbing his hands together, eager to get started.
"Then let's go."
Marco nodded, giving a concise order.
He had the crow carry everyone into the air, bringing them to the side of the floating island Extalia, joining the edge of the sea of Exceeds struggling with all their might.
"Move!!!"
Everyone unleashed their magic, pushing against the floating island with all their strength.
Multicolored, varying intensities of magical light instantly erupted along the edge of the floating island, dazzling like falling stars.
Terrifying magic immediately bloomed with an unusual brilliance in the air.
Although the "Expedition Force" was small in number, the power they unleashed far surpassed that of the Exceeds.
They were like heavy bombs dropped into a lake—even the weakest among them could match the magic of countless Exceeds.
"Bzzzzz!!!"
Magic surged, and the floating island itself emitted a deep, massive groan, as if a slumbering giant beast had been forcibly awakened!
With the combined efforts of the "Expedition Force" and the Exceeds, the floating island Extalia, high in the sky, finally began to move.
Although the island moved slowly, each shift accompanied by the grating sound of rocks rubbing together and the explosive roar of magic compressing the air, this result was already enough to inspire hope.
"Keep going!!!"
The Exceed and the Expedition Force members shouted, encouraging each other while continuing to exert their strength.
Sweat soaked their fur and clothing as magical power poured out like floodgates had been opened.
They gradually pushed "Extalia" away from above the Edolas Royal Castle.
The previously clearly visible castle rooftops and streets below gradually shrank, shifted, and eventually disappeared from the edge of their vision.
Seeing that their goal had been achieved and "Extalia" was now quite far from the royal castle, Marco and the others stopped, while Nadi also led the "Exceed" to cease their efforts and return to the island.
Exhausted "Exceed" collapsed to the ground one after another, gasping for breath, their wings drooping weakly.
"We succeeded!"
After a brief silence, deafening cheers suddenly erupted, resounding through the skies!
The "Exceed" shouted, though each was utterly exhausted, they were all excited, their faces filled with incredible joy and pride.
They had actually moved a floating island!
They had saved "Extalia"!
"Yes... we succeeded."
Shagotte's voice was very soft, almost drowned out by the cheers.
Her eyes held little joy, instead carrying a trace of solemnity and concern before the dust settled.
Since they had succeeded, that human prince should be making his move soon, right?
"BZZZT!!!"
Sure enough, a vibration far more immense and deeper than any previous sound came from the depths of the sky, as if the entire world's heart had been violently squeezed!
While the "Exceed" were still celebrating, a terrifying burst of magical energy erupted.
The sky seemed to tear apart as the originally calm blue expanse cracked like broken glass, revealing a massive, pitch-black, wildly spinning vortex.
This was Mystogan's modified "Anima" - a solution that could completely resolve the problem of magical depletion in the "Edolas" world.
To make the world completely devoid of magical power, without any magic existence - this was Mystogan's solution.
The "Edolas" world would embark on a different path, one completely distinct from "Earth Land."
"What is that?"
The cheers abruptly ceased as all "Exceed" looked up at the sky in terror.
The massive vortex emitted a heart-palpitating suction force and aura of destruction, instantly replacing their earlier joy with overwhelming fear.
"Is that the disaster the Queen prophesied?!"
Some Exceed screamed, their voices distorted by terror.
This was actually quite reasonable - the terrifying magical vortex in the sky resembled a gaping mouth ready to devour everything.
It clearly looked extraordinary and might truly be capable of destroying the entire "Extalia."
"Fortunately we moved away."
Many began to feel relieved.
They should be safe now, right?
"BZZT! BZZT! BZZT!!!"
However, as the "Anima" activated, the vortex's rotation speed suddenly accelerated, and an irresistible, terrifying suction force instantly enveloped the entire Edolas world!
The "Exceed" were immediately dumbfounded.
Their bodies were uncontrollably drawn toward the magical vortex, and even when they desperately tried to fly away, they still couldn't resist the vortex's power.
Screaming, the "Exceed" were sucked into the magical vortex one by one.
Not only the "Exceeds," but also the limited magic power of the "Edolas" world was being absorbed by that "magic vortex," and the few magical creatures were uncontrollably flying into the sky.
Even the members of the "Expedition Force" were no exception—the "magic vortex" was voraciously devouring this world's magic power.
"Then we'll take our leave now."
Marco's voice remained clear amidst the howling winds and chaotic magic currents as he stood beside Mystogan and spoke to him.
"Don't worry, I can handle the aftermath." Mystogan nodded in response, his voice low and resolute.
"Once Anima ends, we'll return to help." Marco shook his head.
They certainly couldn't let Mystogan handle the cleanup alone.
At the very least, they needed to ensure Mystogan could truly control the "Edolas Kingdom" and help him eliminate all opposition.
Only then would their "Expedition Force" not have come in vain.
Otherwise, if they left and Mystogan was overthrown immediately after, everything they had done would be meaningless.
"Hum!"
After saying this, Marco didn't wait for Mystogan's reply.
He released his resistance and allowed the power of "Anima" to pull him into the vortex.
After a dizzying spin, Marco returned to the "Earth Land" world.
Their location was the large crater in the eastern outskirts forest of "Magnolia"—a landing point Marco had specifically chosen.
Inside the crater, the Mages of the "Expedition Force" were battling magical creatures while protecting the Exceeds.
They needed to ensure these magical creatures wouldn't roam freely.
Although their numbers were small, if left unmanaged, these magical creatures could still cause considerable chaos.
After all, not all of them were as weak as the "Exceeds."
Marco planned to build a "zoo" specifically to "contain" these magical creatures.
Not just those from "Edolas," but he also intended to capture magical creatures from the "Earth Land" world like collecting Pokémon, all for display.
This "zoo" was sure to become a classic attraction in "Magnolia."
Since these magical creatures weren't easily seen anywhere else, it would undoubtedly attract large numbers of tourists.