User blog comment:FairyRaven/Fairy Tail Chapter 401: Igneel vs. Acnologia, Review and Commentary/@comment-24467372-20140922162609/@comment-25111584-20140922182458

As long as Gildarts is in Fiore, he'll know something is wrong, what with Face popping up all over the country.

For me, I'd prefer Jellal taking Mard on, but is unable to defeat him and loses his life, but creates an opportunity for Meredy to defeat him.

Oh, and CSK's power also depends a bit on Lucy, if we can take what everybody says about Celestial Spirit Magic to be true, though I'm not saying that it depends completely on Lucy. Still, he mp wasn't at his full potential in that fight ...

And if Gildarts doesn't stand a chance against Mard, even Jellal and Meredy might get slaughtered, they'll need the OS to back them up.

I ... don't want Gray to be the one defeating Mard, and his continued absence, imo, means that his father mp gave him a plan in case Face was still activated. He might be acting on it, and not have time for Mard. I really really don't want Gray to go up against Mard.