Without hesitation, Marco unleashed Sekishiki Meikai Ha, tearing Selene's soul away from what remained of her dragon body!
"Wait!"
The moment her soul was separated, Selene cried out in panic.
All her earlier arrogance had disappeared as she looked at Marco with open terror.
Even Acnologia had never made her feel this helpless.
Was this man truly human?
Why did humanity keep producing monsters more terrifying than dragons?
"I already fled to another world!" Selene shouted, anger and fear mixing in her voice. "Why did you still come after me?"
She had stopped causing trouble in Earth-land.
Why had he crossed into Elentear just to kill her?
"I already told you. I accepted a job, and you Dragon Gods really are dangerous." Marco looked at her struggling soul without sympathy.
"I agreed to finish the work, so that's what I'm doing. If you want someone to blame, blame the choices you made before I arrived."
For a moment, he almost used that famous line about how it was not him but the cruel age that had killed her.
But Selene had no right to complain.
She might not have committed many recent crimes in Earth-land, but she had caused plenty of suffering in Elentear.
The magical imbalance alone had likely killed countless ordinary people indirectly.
Excess magic inevitably caused magical beasts to multiply and grow stronger, while most humans had far less resistance to it.
Buzz!
Accumulated Corpse Qi closed around Selene's soul and began tearing it apart.
No matter how desperately she begged, Marco showed no intention of stopping.
First impressions mattered, but so did the choices people made when they still had the freedom to choose.
Mercphobia had repented long before Marco arrived.
He had begun protecting humans and cooperated from the moment Marco confronted him. That was why he had been given another chance.
Trying to negotiate only after losing was something else entirely.
Boom!
Under the full force of Sekishiki Meikai Ha, Selene's soul finally shattered and disappeared.
At the same moment, the system notification appeared, confirming the Moon Dragon God's death.
"Finally finished."
Marco dusted off his hands.
The Five Dragon Gods had been somewhat exaggerated compared with Acnologia, but each possessed a unique and troublesome ability.
It was no wonder the 100 Years Quest had remained unfinished for so long!
....
[Mission Name: 100 Years Quest]
[Mission Progress:]
[Mission One: Defeat the Five Dragon Gods — Complete.]
[Mission Two: Resolve the conflict between humans and dragons — Incomplete.]
[Mission Rewards:]
[Mission One: Random Gold Cloth.]
[Mission Two: Blood of God.]
[The reward for Mission One is now available. Claim it?]
Marco looked over the mission panel.
The Five Dragon Gods had finally been dealt with.
Some were dead, one had been sealed away, and one had joined their side. Whatever the outcome, none of them would be terrorizing northern Guiltina again.
The 100 Years Quest was over!
"Still, I should probably clean up the mess in Elentear while I'm here."
Selene had come from Earth-land and then thrown this entire world into chaos for her own benefit.
Leaving Elentear to suffer the consequences felt wrong.
Marco knew exactly how furious everyone in Earth-land had been when Edolas tried to drain their world through Anima.
They had crossed into Edolas and put an end to the plan themselves.
If he ignored what Selene had done here, he would be no better than King Faust.
Once he made his decision, Marco collected Selene's Dragon Lacrima and teleported her remains away as well.
There was no reason to leave valuable dragon materials behind for someone else. If a corpse could be put to use, then it should be.
Elentear already had far too much magic, so leaving another dragon body here would only make matters worse.
Fairy Tail had a professional dismantler waiting back in Earth-land anyway.
Marco quickly delivered Selene's remains to Tenrou Island, adding a little more work to Gildarts's already ridiculous task.
Fortunately, Selene's body was nowhere near Aldoron's size, so this one would be far easier to handle.
"Another one?" Gildarts stared at the mangled dragon corpse in disbelief. "And what happened to this one?"
Hardly any time had passed since Marco left.
His efficiency was becoming absurd!
"She was the last one. The Five Dragon Gods have been dealt with, and the 100 Years Quest is complete."
Marco gave him a pleased smile.
"You finished it already?!"
Gildarts stopped working and froze in place.
He had complete faith in Marco's strength, but this was still the 100 Years Quest.
Five dragons had been involved, and somehow Marco had handled all of them in barely any time at all.
"It wasn't that bad. They're still below Acnologia in terms of strength anyway."
Marco did not think he had been especially fast.
He could have finished even sooner if the Dragon Gods had simply fought him head-on instead of relying on strange tricks and unusual states.
Even so, Sekishiki Meikai Ha had saved him a great deal of trouble.
Without it, Aldoron and Viernes would have taken far more time and effort to kill.
Viernes in particular had been a complete nuisance. They would have needed to restore his body before destroying him.
Having to resurrect an enemy before killing him was far more complicated than simply crushing his soul.
After chatting with Gildarts for a few moments, Marco teleported away.
Before returning to Elentear and repairing the damage Selene had caused, he had something more important to do.
He was going to claim his reward.
Blood of God was certainly rare, but the Gold Cloth was what truly mattered.
Every Gold Cloth increased Marco's strength, and there was no reason to leave one waiting after he had already earned it.
Deep within the forest outside Magnolia, Marco selected the reward without hesitation.
The mission rewards could be claimed separately.
He could collect Blood of God later, once Acnologia had been dealt with and the conflict between humans and dragons was truly over.
[Congratulations! The Aquarius Gold Cloth has been unlocked!]
Buzz!
Golden light flooded the forest as the stars across the heavens trembled.
The Aquarius Gold Cloth had been unlocked.
Marco was already familiar with the constellation, since he had learned Diamond Dust long ago.
But the moment the new Gold Cloth awakened, its power washed through him, shaking his Cosmo and sharpening every one of his senses.
For a moment, it felt as though he had discovered an entirely new way to see the world.
Under the endless surge of power, as his body became more deeply attuned to Cosmo, the final barrier inside him shattered.
Marco broke through the peak of the Sixth Sense and stepped into the true domain of a Gold Saint.
The Seventh Sense.
It was a wall countless Saints had spent their entire lives trying and failing to cross.
Marco himself had challenged it several times in recent months without success.
Now it gave way almost effortlessly.
Buzz!
Marco opened his eyes.
An overwhelming presence erupted into the sky, like a god descending into the mortal world.
Yet it lasted only an instant before Marco brought it completely under control, hiding the aura of his newly awakened Seventh Sense.
"Found you."
In that single moment, his awareness had swept across nearly half of Ishgar.
Acnologia had failed to escape his sight and Marco had located him.
"This feeling..."
Marco looked down at his hand.
The Seventh Sense was not simply a stronger form of the Sixth.
It was a complete transformation.
Standing here in the forest, Marco felt as though he could throw a punch and strike Acnologia from nearly half a continent away.
Gold Saints were warriors of miracles, and the miracle they embodied was the Seventh Sense.
It allowed those who awakened it to see the true nature of Cosmo and touch the source of the universe's power.
Put simply, only after reaching the Seventh Sense did one awaken a true Cosmo.
There was another, far more direct name for that power.
The power of a god.
Marco could feel his very life evolving once again.
His blood had begun to transform into Golden Blood.
Golden Blood slowed the aging process and could elevate a Cloth at its very foundation.
A Cloth reborn after being bathed in it would gain abilities approaching those of a genuine Gold Cloth.
That was not all.
Marco had also gained the ability to heal damage at the atomic level.
The Seventh Sense was tied to the source of life itself. He could now repair damaged atomic structures and heal injuries from their deepest foundation.
Minor wounds would disappear almost instantly.
"So this is the miracle... the power of those who act in the gods' place."
Marco drew a slow breath, feeling the immense power moving through him.
"Gold Saints really do deserve to be called invincible. Gods walking among men!"
In this world, the Seventh Sense was almost unfair.
Its power was simply too overwhelming.