Episode 44

Thunder Palace is the 44th episode of the Fairy Tail anime. It first aired on August 30, 2010.

Erza Scarlet defeats Evergreen, releasing all the girls that had turned to stone from her Magic. However, Laxus Dreyar changes the rules of the game, now with all of Magnolia Town in play. Lucy Heartfilia is found by Bickslow and begin their battle.

Synopsis
Throughout Magnolia, Erza is fighting Evergreen. No one seems to gain the upper hand, since Evergreen cannot petrify Erza because of her artificial eye, and Erza cannot reach Evergreen, who keeps flying away. Evergreen continues her attack, and since Erza is always able to evade them, she doubles the number of needles. Erza is scratched by some of the needles, and summons swords on her feet. Evergreen is flabbergasted by this, and is soon driven into a corner.

Erza demands for the hostages to be freed, but Evergreen states that her stone eyes have another power: Remote control, meaning that she is able to turn the hostages to dust from where she stands, and tells Erza that if she doesn't kneel before her, she will turn the contestants to dust. Erza then requips into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, and calmly threatens Evergreen, stating that if her friends are indeed turned into dust, she will avenge their souls by killing her. Evergreen, terrified by the threat, turns the girls back to normal, as Erza punches her in the face and tells her: "That's how you do a real bluff." Revealing that she not only knew Evergreen was bluffing about the remote control, but that she too, was bluffing about killing Evergreen.

Everyone learns of Erza's victory over Evergreen; Makarov learns of this and is delighted, but when Laxus learns of this, he becomes bewildered. Freed appears behind him, and tells him that Evergreen's defeat was not unpredictable, as for Erza to be defeated, Bickslow or himself should have been Erza's opponent. Laxus then asks him why he has returned, to which Freed replies that the game is over, since there are no hostages. Laxus retaliates by shooting a thunderstrike in his direction, and by saying that the game is not over. But if he wants to leave, he should do so, as he is not needed in his Fairy Tail.

In the guild, the girls, now free, are being briefed on what happened. Everyone agrees to punish Laxus, but Natsu thinks that a battle to determine who is the strongest in Fairy Tail is indeed needed. While they are talking, some of Freed’s runes fly in to make the shape of a skull. The skull, which is a way for Laxus to communicate, informs them of the activation of the Thunder Palace, which is a grand number of Thunder Lacrimas positioned over Magnolia, which will go off in one hour and ten minutes. When the Master learns of this, he suffers a heart attack, and Mirajane runs to get his medicines. Outside, the villagers also notice the Lacrimas, but do not understand the gravity of the situation. Bisca Mulan then shoots one of them off, but once the Lacrima is destroyed, due to Organic Link Magic, all the following magical power channeled into the destroyer strikes Bisca. The girls leave, and Natsu, Gajeel and Levy are left inside.

Due to the nature of her magic, Levy is confident that she might be able to break the runes, and elsewhere, Freed looks intimidated and absolutely against Laxus’s ways, but concords with his decision and leaves. He decides to follow him even to the pits of hell, while Laxus boasts that he will take out Erza and Mystogan. Concurrently, Erza is tricked by Evergreen into entering a public bath to look for Laxus. All she finds are men and boys taking a shower.

Meanwhile, Lucy Heartfilia and Happy are attacked by Bickslow who previously had beaten Gray Fullbuster. Lucy summons Sagittarius, the Archer, who takes out all of Bickslow’s babies, but he just uses others with his Human Possession Magic. He steals her keys, and then proceeds to shot her with Baryon Formation, but she is saved by Loke, who seemed to have crossed the gate regardless of her will. Bickslow says that he always knew Loke was a Celestial Spirit, and Loke says that everyone who threatens Lucy will be his target. He wants Lucy to stand back, but she takes out her whip, and states that she doesn’t use spirits as shields; she fights alongside them. With their new battle strategy, Loke calls on Regulus to give him power.

Fights

 * Erza Scarlet vs. Evergreen (concluded)
 * Lucy Heartfilia, Happy & Leo vs. Bickslow

Magic used

 * (Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius)
 * (Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius)
 * (Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius)
 * (Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius)
 * (Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius)
 * (Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius)
 * (Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius)
 * (Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius)
 * (Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius)
 * (Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius)
 * (Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius)
 * (Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius)
 * (Summoned the Archer, Sagittarius)

Spells used

 * Rune Communication
 * Target Lock On: Stinger Shot
 * Baryon Formation (バリオンフォーメーション Barion Fōmēshon)
 * Target Lock On: Stinger Shot
 * Baryon Formation (バリオンフォーメーション Barion Fōmēshon)

Abilities used

 * Flight
 * Swordsmanship
 * Levitation
 * Archery

Weapons used

 * Swords
 * Magic Sniper Rifle
 * Long Bow

Items used

 * Gate of the Archer Key
 * Magic Ring

Manga & Anime Differences

 * When Laxus speaks to Makarov via runes, the runes become dozens of two dimensional skulls and cross bones in the manga; however, in the anime, they merge into one giant three dimensional skull
 * Loke's tie has a tiger-stripe pattern in the manga but is plain red in the anime