Fairy Tail, Tome 40

The battles and magic felt so well-crafted, but I'm curious whether this was planned early or evolved during writing. What inspired these particular abilities?

Some scenes really hit me hard emotionally, especially with the character relationships. Was this intentional to deepen the story's impact?

The world-building continues to impress, and I'd love to know if there's a real-world influence behind this new location or if it was created purely from imagination.