Episode 288

The Land the Gods Abandoned is the 288th episode of the Fairy Tail anime, and the 11th episode of the 2018 series.
After reuniting with Makarov, Team Natsu attempts to escape the Alvarez Empire. The Desert King Ajeel is in hot pursuit however, easily overwhelming the Fairy Tail squad until Laxus comes to their rescue. Days later at the guild, Mavis prepares to reveal the guild's secrets before the war.
==Summary==
After Mest safely reunites Makarov with Team Natsu, the Ten Wizard Saint reveals the identity of Emperor Spriggan as none other than the Black Mage Zeref himself, much to the Mages' surprise. Wendy then states her relief about the Master's well being, just for the latter to regretfully break into tears, claiming that all he did was for naught, and that he also sabotaged the Guild's history by disbanding it. However, the Fairy Tail Mages comfort their Master, insisting that whatever is done for others is never useless. Natsu stretches his hand at his Master and invites him once again back to their guild, much to Makarov's gratitude. 
Deciding to hurry their departure, Mest reveals that his Magic Power will allow only one more Direct Line to get them to Sorano's Olympia. Suddenly, the Shield of Spriggan and Desert King Ajeel Raml appears before the group, stating that they shouldn't be leaving so early. On Makarov's orders to avoid direct conflict with the Spriggan 12 member, the group quickly ride a Magic Four Wheel Vehicle and begin their escape, just for Ajeel to catch up with them on a Sand Golem. This prompts Gray and Lucy to take action and fight Ajeel's sand creations from the roof of the car, much to Ajeel's amusement. Suddenly, the latter disappears, much to Lucy's shock, before Makarov informs them that he merely merged with the sand underneath them. This is proven correct when a huge sand pit manifests under the vehicle. 
As the Fairy Tail Mages begin to sink, Ajeel boasts about the sheer destructive power of his Ant Lion Pit as well as the entire Alvarez Empire, stating that they have no chances left. However, Natsu proves this wrong when he unleashes his fire and easily dissipates the sand before delivering a punch to Ajeel, forcing him back once again, much to the Desert king's excitement. The Alvarez Mage continue to overpower the Ishgar Mages with his sand, forcing Makarov to shield his guildmates with his Giant form as he expresses his resolve to protect them no matter what and ignores their pleas for him to escape. Then, Ajeel summons the Sands of Death, said to be capable to entirely dehydrating anything they touch. Just as the sandstorm engulfs the giant Makarov, a bolt of lighting strikes the ground, disintegrating the sand and signaling Laxus's arrival to the Mages' aid on board of the Magic Bomber: Christina.
Cana, who is present on the Magic Bomber alongside the rest of Team B, the Thunder God Tribe and Ichiya, calls for Mest to teleport everyone on board the ship. As Ajeel tries to prevent their escape, Laxus strikes the area with his lightning, causing a massive explosion. However, Ajeel appears unharmed, although amazed at their power, due to a Magic Barrier that shielded him from the attack, conjured by the Wizard King August. Back at the capital, Zeref looks into the distance, stating that the battle has already begun.
After reuniting at the guild hall, the Mages continue to celebrate and catch up with each other, finally bringing joy back to the Fairy Tail Guild. During the party, Makarov steps up to offer his apology and reveal the danger of the impending invasion of the Empire. Natsu shouts out his resolve to continue fighting as they always did, not to win, but to live, much to the agreement of the rest of the guild and the Master himself, officially declaring war on Alvarez. Out of the blue, Mavis appears before the guild, deciding to reveal everything about Fairy Heart, Zeref's objective by obtaining it and her past sin with him.
==Characters in Order of Appearance==
==Battles & Events==
*Makarov Rescue Operation (concluded)
*Team Natsu & Makarov Dreyar vs. Ajeel Raml (started and concluded)
==Magic, Spells, and Abilities used==
===Magic used===
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***Summoned the Canis Minor, Plue
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===Spells used===
*Sand Golem
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*Sand Monsters
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*Sand Form
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===Abilities used===
*Flight
*Marksmanship
*Hand-to-Hand Combat
===Armors used===
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===Weapons used===
*Sword
*Bow and arrows
*Staff
===Items used===
*Magic Four Wheel Vehicle (魔導四輪 Madō Yonrin)
*Celestial Spirit Gate Keys
**Gate of the Archer Key
**Gate of the Canis Minor Key
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==Manga & Anime Differences==
*Lucy's Star Dress: Sagittarius Form differs in two media.
*Some lines were omitted such as Sorano's words to Mest, Ichiya's dialogue about Fairy Tail, etc.
*In the manga, it is Levy who takes to the loudspeaker to have Team Natsu to get aboard and mentions everything is back to normal. In the anime, the lines are given to Cana and Gajeel respectively.
*In the manga Laki and others discuss the master's hierarchy while in the anime background Fairy Tail members speak on it.
*Lucy's drink that Cana gives her in the anime is an ice cream float, while in the manga it's a regular drink.
*Lucy waves her hands from the alcoholic beverage intake in the manga, while in the anime she doesn't.
*Flashbacks during Natsu's speech from Tartaros arc are added in this episode.
==Navigation==
Category:Episodes