With his heart destroyed, Hades was in no position to cause any significant trouble in the short term. The objectives of this mission—to teach Grimoire Heart a lesson and rescue Ultear—had been accomplished.
Thinking of their past relationship, the soft-hearted Makarov ultimately did not kill Hades. After reiterating the true nature of magic and the spirit of Fairy Tail, he turned and led everyone away.
Aboard the flying Nirvana, including Ultear, the Fairy Tail combatants gathered together, looking nervously at Mira.
"Mira-nee, how are Gray and Wendy doing on their end? Sabertooth is fine, right?" Lucy asked worriedly.
Although she had full confidence in Ur and in Gildarts, who had gone to support, the opponent was, after all, the notoriously fearsome vice-master of Grimoire Heart. Moreover, the battlefield was in the middle of a bustling city. There were far too many uncertain factors.
Hearing this, Mira sighed with a grave expression, silently returning the card used to contact with Cana back to Chase.
Seeing her frown like this, everyone's worry grew even stronger. A flicker of panic appeared deep in Ultear's beautiful eyes.
"Don't worry. Gildarts and the others defeated Bluenote without any trouble, and no innocent civilians were caught in the crossfire. They just damaged a tiny bit of public infrastructure," Mira said.
Having successfully built up her comrades' emotions, she raised her pale finger to her cheek, a playful, cute smile appearing at the corner of her lips.
"You brats! Be proud to be members of Fairy Tail!" Makarov took over, raising his right arm. "We've crushed the strongest dark guild in the Balam Alliance~!"
"OOOOOHHHHH!!" xN
After a brief silence, snapping out of their strong sense of gap, everyone, ignoring their battered bodies, began cheering loudly, jumping around, celebrating this hard-won victory in the way of Fairy Tail.
Lucy squeezed out from the center of the commotion and walked over to Mira, a hint of resentment in her gaze. "That was so mean, Mira-nee! You made such a scary face on purpose!"
"Oh my, don't you think adding a little suspense before announcing good news makes it more interesting, Lucy?" Mira said with a beaming smile.
"How is that interesting?!" Lucy said, holding her forehead in exhaustion.
She's such a gentle, kind older sister. Why does she have to have this strange, mischievous dark side?!
"By the way, Lucy, who is this?" Mira ignored Lucy's emphasis and turned to look at Capricorn, who was standing behind her like a high-level butler.
"Hello. I am Capricorn of the Capricorn. I am now Lucy-sama's Celestial Spirit," Capricorn said, raising his right hand to his left chest and bowing respectfully.
After nodding in response, Mira propped her chin on her hand in a thoughtful pose. "I see. So Zoldeo, one of the Seven Kin, was defeated by Lucy?"
Based on the information Ultear had provided earlier, she naturally knew about Zoldeo's Human Subordination magic. The reason she asked was simply to confirm Capricorn's current status.
Lucy put her hands on her hips, proudly puffing out her broad chest, and seriously corrected her. "To be precise, I defeated him one-on-one."
"Lucy really has become strong, hasn't she? Do your best in this year's S-Class Trial," Mira praised unreservedly.
Having fought against Azuma, she knew all too well how terrifying the strength of the Seven Kin could be. Even though, like the guild's S-Class mages, there were varying levels among them, the fact that Lucy could defeat one of them with her own power already spoke volumes.
"Hehehe, it's nothing, really. I'm still far behind you, Mira-nee, and Chase-nii~"
For some reason, words that should have been humble, when spoken by Lucy, somehow came across as smug and smug.
"Lucy-sama, there's something I don't know if I should say," Capricorn said in a deep voice.
"Go ahead. Don't be so formal. We're partners now," Lucy said, generously waving her hand, still basking in the praise.
"For the sake of your health and more efficient use of your magic, I believe you should lose some weight," Capricorn said bluntly, having received permission. "When I was carrying you after being teleported here, I could tell. As a mage, your weight is slightly excessive. I recommend reducing your intake of sweets and meat."
The corner of Lucy's mouth twitched. "...I think you should be more formal."
For any girl who cared about her appearance, weight gain was an absolute super secret that she never wanted mentioned. Even someone she would trust with her life was not exempt!
Of course, Levy and Wendy were exceptions.
"Would you like me to ask Natsu and Gray for help? From a biological and physical perspective, saunas and freezing are both excellent ways to lose weight~"
"Mira-nee, you really are the demoness herself, aren't you?!"
Just as Lucy was complaining, a blue blur suddenly flew in from the side.
Happy lay sprawled on the ground, his eyes rolled back, his cat spirit seemingly having left his body. He looked like he was about to die.
Looking up, the main group
over there had already transformed from a cheerful celebration into a passionate brawl.
It had started when Natsu learned that Gajeel hadn't managed to defeat a single member of the Seven Kin. He had started crazy mocking mode, laughing very loudly.
Gajeel, who was already frustrated at not encountering any of the Seven Kin, naturally couldn't stand for it. He rolled up his sleeves and jumped straight into the fight.
Then, predictably, their battle spread to everyone else.
"The war just ended, so why does it feel like it's been over for quite a while?" Lily muttered as he quietly retreated to the side.
Nearby, Levy, who had also withdrawn from the chaos, smiled awkwardly. "Ahaha, that's Fairy Tail for you..."
"You seem to have gotten yourself a very nice weapon," Erza said, walking over slowly and looking at the delicate small knife Lily had strapped to his back.
"That's right. A magical knife that can change its size. It suits me well, so I took it," Lily said, unstrapping the knife and briefly demonstrating it.
He had taken it from a Grimoire Heart mage.
"Come to think of it, Erza, aren't you going to stop them?" Levy pointed at Natsu, Gajeel, and the others.
"We just won a war. Let them relax for a while. If their injuries get worse—" A magical array flashed, and Erza, now changed into a sexy nurse outfit, said confidently, "—I can provide the necessary emergency treatment in Wendy's absence."
"Levy, would you like me to bandage your wounds first?"
Looking at the syringe, as big as a pillar, hugged in the other woman's arms, Levy shook her head crazily. "No, no! They're just minor injuries!"
"Lily?"
"I-I'm fine too!"
In contrast to the relaxed and cheerful atmosphere aboard the Nirvana, the barren battlefield, leveled by the destruction dragon, was completely depressed.
"We lost... to a mere Fairy Tail..." Zancrow clenched his fists tightly.
"If that damn woman Ultear hadn't betrayed us, there's no way we would have lost!" Rustyrose gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with intense anger and resentment.
"Azuma and Zoldeo are dead. Master, what do we do now?" Kain's eyes were blank.
Even now, there was still no word from Bluenote or Meredy, who had gone to capture Ur. It seemed they weren't coming back.
In just half a day, the invincible, arrogant Grimoire Heart had been reduced to this state...
It was simply too hard to accept!
Hearing this, Zancrow and Rustyrose, as if grabbing at a lifeline, snapped their heads up to look at Hades standing before them.
As long as their "god" still existed, they would have a chance to take revenge on those damned fairies!
In their eyes, getting back at Fairy Tail had become an even higher priority than ushering in the Great Magical World.
Hades did not respond. He simply stared with complex eyes at the vast sky, dyed red by the setting sun.
Makarov's parting words echoed in his ears:
"Magic is endless. As the times change, its role also changes. It grows together with us."
"Different people have different understandings of magic. To them, the same magic can be light or darkness, creation or destruction."
"Fairy Tail must coexist with freedom!"
That was right. That was precisely the principle he had once taught Makarov.
In the past, Hades, who believed he had glimpsed the abyss of magic, would have dismissed this with a sneer. But after witnessing the magic of Dark Magician of Chaos, Dark Magician, and the others firsthand, he had developed a completely different understanding.
The same words, spoken by an elementary school student to a high school student versus a university professor to a high school student, carried vastly different persuasive power.
So, Hades had fallen into confusion. He no longer knew which path was correct. Even his understanding of the true nature of magic had begun to grow confusion.
Seeing him like this, Zancrow and the others were extremely anxious. But they weren't the only ones waiting for an answer.
Also waiting, hidden in the shadows of the ground fissures, was Dark Magician.
The old man Makarov had spared Hades out of their past relationship. But Chase had no such emotional attachment.
Hades's ideology was far too dangerous. If he saw the error of his ways and changed, that would be one thing. But if he continued to cling to his Great Magical World philosophy, it would be a major disaster for Fairy Tail and the entire world!
To avoid such an irreparable situation, Chase had secretly used the Magic Card Dark Magic Curtain to special summon Dark Magician and leave him here.
His goal was only one: if Hades and his followers showed any hostility toward Fairy Tail, kill them all!
Time quietly passed in the silence.
Just as Hades let out a long and was about to announce their next course of action, a dragon sigh's roar, filled with evil energy, suddenly echoed across the sky.
"What... is that?!" Hades's eyes widened in shock.
Under the setting sun, a black speck was rapidly approaching. In the blink of an eye, it had crossed the vast distance and descended above them, kicking up tearing hurricane winds.
Black wings blotted out the sky. A huge maw exhaled thick, foul breath. Pale white pupils radiated a penetrating, menacing light.
A mountain of cold, oppressive magic power pressed down, reaching deep into their hearts, bringing with it a suffocating sense of suffocation and despair!
That was the "Evil of Nature" recorded in the apocalypse. The Black Dragon... Acnologia!!
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