Makarov sighed with a touch of emotion. "So, even you could not complete it."
Gildarts' expression turned serious. "I am sorry for bringing shame to the guild."
"Not at all. The fact that you returned alive is already remarkable," Makarov comforted him, his aged face breaking into a smile.
"As far as I know, you are the first person to ever survive this quest."
Gildarts managed a faint smile, tinged with bitterness and defeat.
"Well, I will head back now. I am exhausted from the journey... Oh, by the way, Ankh, there is something I would like to ask you."
Ankh was taken aback for a moment, then quickly replied, "Sure, I actually have something I wanted to talk to you about too."
As he spoke, Ankh subtly glanced toward a figure in the corner who was drinking heavily.
Unlike the cheerful crowd around her, Cana was hidden behind the noisy group.
She held a barrel of alcohol with a gloomy expression as she drank alone.
"And me, and me! Our fight is not over yet, Gildarts!"
The revived Natsu leaped to his feet in a flash, jumping into the conversation with boundless enthusiasm.
"Alright, alright~ We will deal with that after we finish talking. Go play somewhere else for now."
Saying this, Gildarts raised his hand and flicked Natsu's forehead with his finger just as the boy leaned in.
Natsu's body instantly flew backward and embedded itself into the wall once again.
Happy raised a paw and announced helplessly, "Aye, Natsu has lost again, just like that!"
"Dammit!"
Unwilling to accept defeat, Natsu pried himself out of the wall.
Clutching the large bump on his forehead, he prepared to chase after the departing Gildarts and Ankh.
Lucy thoughtfully watched the playful banter between Natsu and Gildarts.
She asked curiously, "Happy, are Natsu and Gildarts very close?"
Happy folded his paws and nodded seriously. "That's right. Even though there is a world of difference in their strength, Gildarts has a special fondness for Natsu."
"Eh? But doesn't Gildarts only come back once in a long while?"
Happy replied, "Yes, I only remember him returning once, not long after I was born."
He paused, then added, "After all, Natsu used to be very weak and annoying. Back then in the guild, only Gildarts would accept his challenges without ever getting irritated!"
"Coming from a flying cat who can't do anything else but talk shit about his partner..." Lucy muttered.
Thus, the human and the cat began bickering again.
Erza, concerned about Gildarts' unfinished mission, turned to Makarov.
"Master, since Gildarts failed to complete the commission, should we assign someone else to continue the Century Quest?"
Makarov took a sip of his drink, pondered for a moment and said, "Let's put it on hold for now."
"If even Gildarts could not complete it, we can only hope the younger generation will grow strong enough to handle this problem."
Makarov instructed Mirajane to continue sealing the Century Quest, then looked out at the bustling guild without any sense of panic.
As the Guild Master, he knew better than anyone what his guild was capable of.
Even though the Century Quest was terrifyingly difficult, it would not be enough to defeat their guild forever.
In a few years, when Ankh and Laxus had grown stronger, one of them could lead either the strongest team or the Thunder God Tribe... or perhaps both teams could go.
They would eventually solve it.
Makarov never doubted the potential of his children.
...
In the remote forests on the outskirts of Magnolia, a run-down small house stood beside a stream.
This was the home of Fairy Tail's strongest Mage.
It was quite shabby, indeed.
Gildarts had very low material demands and did not care much about his living conditions.
It was a habit that seemed to have rubbed off on Natsu...
After all, both of them preferred living in small, broken houses on the edge of town.
"Cough, cough..."
Ankh coughed several times, vigorously waving away the dust flying in the air.
Barely able to keep his eyes open, he said, "After three years of no one living here, your home is almost covered in spider webs."
Gildarts waved his hand dismissively, laughing without a care.
"Haha! No problem. As long as I can sleep here, it is enough!"
"So, what did you want to ask me by calling me here?" Ankh asked as he found a relatively clean stool to sit on.
"I am not in a hurry to ask questions yet. First, take a look at this."
As he spoke, Gildarts slowly removed his black robe, revealing his bandage-wrapped body hidden beneath.
His left arm and left leg had even been severed, replaced with wooden prosthetics.
"You are injured this badly?" Ankh gasped, looking at the wounds all over Gildarts' body.
"I encountered that Black Dragon at Mt Zonia. Because of him, I became unable to continue the mission and had to return in defeat."
"Acnologia," Ankh said, furrowing his brows as he spoke the name of the beast that had wounded Gildarts.
Gildarts' expression darkened as he replied in a low voice, "So you know of his existence. In just a single instant of fighting him, my left arm, left leg, and some internal organs were all destroyed."
"I have heard Natsu talk about the dragon that raised him, but that Black Dragon is definitely not as friendly as Natsu described."
"I could sense his emotions! Even though it was only for an instant, I am certain he must be an enemy of humanity!" Gildarts said with a solemn expression, clearly still very wary of Acnologia's power.
"And..."
Gildarts looked at Ankh with heavy eyes, slowly adding, "I sensed a power in him that is almost identical to yours."
Ankh finally understood what Gildarts wanted to ask him, and his heart grew heavy.
First Igneel's words, and now Gildarts—it was completely confirmed.
That Black Dragon Acnologia had inherited divine power.
He was far more terrifying than in the original story!
Ankh sighed.
He slowly extended his hand to summon the Death God's power and asked, "Is it this kind of power?"
Gildarts looked at the divine power released by Ankh and compared it to the Black Dragon's power from his memory.
He could not help but frown.
"It is very similar, but your power is more pure, and the core quality seems better. However, Acnologia's..."
"Although his is not pure enough, it is mixed with many other terrifying Magic Powers. It seemingly contains thousands of other evil forces."
Ankh sighed inwardly—that was to be expected.
Acnologia was not a fool, either.
Even if the Death God's power Acnologia obtained through "Divine Inheritance" could not compare to the original, having lived this long, blending the Death God's power with his own formidable Dragon Force and devouring so much Magic Power... it was enough for him to create his own unique "Dragon and God" power.
Unexpected, yet reasonable.
This was a deified Black Dragon that was even more abnormal than the original version...