Clash at Kardia Cathedral

is the 46th episode of the Fairy Tail anime. It first aired on September 13, 2010.

The Thunder God Tribe is defeated, so Natsu Dragneel, Erza Scarlet, Gajeel Redfox and even Mystogan all go after the source of the Battle of Fairy Tail: Laxus Dreyar. Battles begin between Laxus and three of the four Mages who are after him, with Mystogan and Erza leaving, with the latter going off to stop the Thunder Palace, leaving Natsu alone to face Laxus.

Synopsis
With the Thunder God Tribe defeated, only Laxus Dreyar and his Thunder Palace need to be defeated in order to grant victory to Fairy Tail and ensure the safety of Magnolia. Opposing Laxus are four strong players: Natsu Dragneel, Gajeel Redfox, Erza Scarlet and Mystogan.

Inside the Festival Hall, as Levy McGarden contemplates the actions taken by Laxus, Porlyusica arrives, demanding to see Makarov. After she has examined him, she requests the presence of Laxus, for Makarov is currently at death's door.

Concurrently, Laxus is reminiscing about his younger days inside the Cathedral. He remembers one debate he had with Makarov, in which he confessed that he was fed up of being recognized as the "Master’s grandson", scolding Makarov for having expelled his father, Ivan Dreyar. Ivan had been expelled for bringing harm to his fellow guildmates, but Laxus had been unforgiving and threatened to leave Fairy Tail to join his father's guild. Before leaving, Laxus swore that he would one day be stronger than Makarov. Laxus then returns to the present, in which he castigates himself for thinking these thoughts.

Moments later, Mystogan enters the room, and demands that Laxus deactivates the Thunder Palace. They get into an argument on who is stronger and Laxus starts to refer to him as "Another-", which makes Mystogan attack. Mystogan inquires of his source, and Laxus states that he may reveal it, if he is defeated. The battle officially begins and Mystogan is the one to make the first move. The two seem evenly-matched in their battle, but they are interrupted when Natsu and Erza enter the Cathedral, claiming Mystogan’s attention. Laxus sees this as a chance and burns Mystogan's mask. He is successful, and both Natsu and Erza see Mystogan’s true face, one which is identical to Jellal Fernandes’. They are both left speechless, and Mystogan apologizes to Erza saying he didn’t intend for her to know. He claims to know Jellal, but to not be him. He apologizes once more, and disappears.

Laxus sees this as another opening and hits Erza with a lighting bolt, which momentarily debilitates her. Natsu starts his battle with Laxus. They both deliver hits, but utterly ineffective ones. At this time Erza recovers from the shock, and decides to fight Laxus using her Lightning Empress Armor. She also demands Laxus to cease his Thunder Palace, but he won’t; not until Makarov resigns (he is ignorant of the fact that Makarov is terminal). They continue attacking each other with their Lightning Magic. At this moment, Natsu asks Erza to let him fight Laxus, and she concords in order to leave and destroy the Lacrimas. They both reconfirm their belief in each other, and Erza goes out and summons blades, wanting them and the spirits of her friends to help her. This silent plea of her is felt by Gray Fullbuster, Lucy and Happy, who all run to get everyone. Gray, in particular, has a plan. He wants to find the telepathic Warren Rocko in order to call everyone in Fairy Tail and ask them to help Erza. With this in mind, he runs throughout the city.

Back at the Cathedral, Natsu and Laxus’s battle rages continue. They both attack forcefully, but no one seems to gain the upper hand. Furious, Laxus unleashes a big bolt of lightning, and Natsu is knocked down. Laxus still thinks of the Thunder Palace, and wonders why his grandfather hasn’t resigned yet. Natsu tells him not to be concerned as Erza will take care of it. Outside, Erza is summoning more and more blades, and this is visibly tiring her. However, she doesn’t let go; she continues summoning, ready to hit the Lacrimas. The battle between Laxus and Natsu rages on, both beginning to get serious.

Fights

 * Mystogan vs. Laxus Dreyar (started and concluded)
 * Erza Scarlet & Natsu Dragneel vs. Laxus Dreyar (started and concluded)
 * Natsu Dragneel & Gajeel Redfox vs. Laxus Dreyar (started)

Spells used

 * Lightning Eruption
 * Lightning Body
 * Lightning Beam
 * Lightning Storm
 * Lightning Beam
 * Lightning Storm
 * Lightning Beam
 * Lightning Storm
 * Lightning Storm
 * Lightning Storm

Abilities used

 * Hand-to-Hand Combat
 * Swordsmanship

Weapons used

 * Magic Staves
 * Black Wing Bastard Sword
 * Lightning Empress Staff

Manga & Anime Differences

 * The anime includes a scene of Natsu and Erza frantically searching for Laxus.
 * There is a clip in the anime of Lucy and Happy wandering around town and worrying about the Lacrimas. In the manga, Lucy is shown asleep after her battle with Bickslow, and Happy is watching over her.
 * In the manga, Laxus wears a leopard-print shirt, whilst in the anime it is purple.
 * The cloth present across Mystogan's face has an army print in the manga, whilst it is dark green in the anime.
 * Whilst in Mystogan's Skyscraper attack in the manga, Laxus is wrapped up in belts. In the anime, stretchy black cords wrap around him.
 * In the anime, when Natsu goes to engage Laxus, Laxus removes his coat and headphones. This does not happen in the manga.
 * In the anime, Erza knocks Natsu to the ground before attacking Laxus. In the manga, she attacks after Laxus sends Natsu flying backwards and is open.
 * The wings on Erza's Black Wing Armor are feathery in the manga. In the anime however, they are bat-like.
 * The manga shows Erza requipping into her Lightning Empress Armor and then immediately leaving to deal with the Lacrima around the city. In the anime, Erza requips her Lightning Empress Armor, has a small battle with Laxus and then decides to leave.
 * The anime adds a scene in which Lucy, Happy and Gray hear Erza's voice as she asks for assistance in destroying the Lacrima. There is also an added clip of Gray searching for Warren Rocko.