"Argh!!"
Everyone's bodies became engulfed in black flames conjured from the Death Waves, agonized screams filling the air.
"Has Ankh... been enduring this kind of pain all along...?"
Natsu, corroded by the death energy, clawed at the ground with distorted features.
Mirajane's exquisite beauty twisted into something grotesque as everyone gritted their teeth against the torment.
Even Levy and Lucy, despite their weaker constitutions, cried out in pain but showed no intention of retreat.
Gildarts watched Ankh's complexion regain color and roared through clenched teeth.
"Everyone, hold on!"
Makarov, now resembling a frenzied old man, bellowed, "Bring it on! Channel more of this pain to me—I can take it!"
Laxus roared back, "Don't kid yourself! I want more too!"
Jellal, faring slightly better than the others, gritted his teeth and declared, "Count me in!"
Those with stronger physical constitutions voluntarily bore greater shares of the suffering.
Ophiuchus sweat profusely as the conduit for the injuries, simultaneously enduring the collective agony transferred through her.
Despite being the master of this ability, channeling Divine Power was clearly pushing her to her limits.
The three healers—Erza, Ultear, and Wendy—didn't share the pain, instead pouring their remaining Magic Power into amplifying their healing energies.
On a distant hillside, a petite, golden-haired figure watched everything with haunting stillness.
The Magic Power released by the Tenrou Tree from the earth grew increasingly pure, continuously nourishing and restoring the guild members' conditions.
This small, adorable golden-haired girl stood translucent-bodied atop the high ground, barefoot in a loose dress, gazing like a ghost toward the scene.
Watching each contorted, suffering member, she whispered in an ethereal voice:
"Everyone... do your best..."
ROAR—!
A familiar, colossal roar exploded across the sky, making everyone's expressions shift simultaneously.
The ghostly girl observed the massive figure reappearing in the heavens, her face tightening as she murmured.
"It's coming."
Simultaneously, she brought her hands together, gathering golden light that coalesced into a radiant sphere slowly forming from the edges of Tenrou Island.
'No matter what... protecting everyone comes first. This is my duty as the First Guild Master!'
The evil dragon in the sky was none other than Acnologia, who had left and now returned, yet his appearance was bizarre.
Half of his body, destroyed by Ankh's single finger, had been restored by a mass of dark green, fluid-like shadow.
The already terror-inducing evil dragon now appeared even more sinister and unnatural.
Acnologia gazed down at the humans below, his contempt more pronounced than before, to the point of dismissing their existence.
Dark green Magic Power spread through the sky like a stain as the Black Dragon began absorbing all surrounding Magic with overwhelming force.
"He's preparing another roar!" Gajeel gritted his teeth against the pain, watching the sky as he warned everyone.
"There's... no escaping this time. He intends to destroy the entire island!" Mirajane murmured, her eyes vacant as she stared upward.
"We aren't going to die!" Natsu's inner fire still burned fiercely, even when all escape routes were cut off.
"Ankh won't die, and neither will we! We're all returning to the guild together!"
Ignoring the Death Waves erupting from her body, Erza embraced Ankh tightly, channeling her feeble Life God Power into him as she spoke with heartbreaking sorrow.
"Everyone... we'll always be together!"
"We'll live together!" Mirajane likewise disregarded the danger and hugged them both.
Ultear went all out, pouring all her Magic Power into Ankh with a final glimmer of hope still shining in her eyes.
"Nothing... could be more terrifying than this!"
Wendy tearfully hugged them, while Ur embraced her daughter.
"Save Ankh and go home!"
"I can't bear to lose my family again!"
Amid these words meant to encourage their comrades and themselves, everyone instinctively drew together.
The Death Waves coalesced around them, forming what appeared to be a black sphere on the verge of a catastrophic explosion.
Nearly all Fairy Tail members connected their Magic Power, collectively offering it to Ankh at their center.
"We are... Fairy Tail!"
"Survive and return to the guild!"
The founding Guild Master Mavis watched the embracing members and heard their cries as she desperately released magical radiance:
"Everyone's Magic and hearts are connected! I will... bring everyone home!"
Above, the Black Dragon gathered Magic Power toward the heavens, dark green magical energy converging into a black sun that spelled certain doom for all.
"Insects huddling for warmth only make themselves easier to crush."
A voice both supremely arrogant and icily unfamiliar emerged from Acnologia's maw.
"Ankhseram, vanish into dust along with these tedious bonds of yours."
The black sun descended with irresistible Divine Power, enveloping all of Tenrou Island like an apocalypse.
At the critical moment, Mavis completed her spell, merging it with everyone's collective will and Magic as she cried.
"Fairy Sphere!"
A golden barrier instantly illuminated, shielding the entire Tenrou Island!
The world turned blindingly white, nothing tangible within sight.
Drifting in void and emptiness, Ankh floated through the chaos.
"Can that technique withstand Acnologia's roar?"
In the blank expanse, Ankh sat up cross-legged, staring blankly at the apocalyptic scene outside as he asked.
"Probably not."
An unfamiliar woman's voice echoed mysteriously from nowhere, distant and ethereal.
Tears flowed from his eyes, tracing down his cheeks before dripping into the pale expanse of the consciousness space...
Watching the crowd outside protecting him within layers of embraces, Ankh closed his eyes and smiled bitterly.
"In the end, I've dragged everyone down."
"That was their choice, Ankhseram. Perhaps you weren't wrong from the beginning—emotions might truly be something worth pursuing."
Ankh stood up and turned toward the source of the voice—a blurred, indistinct glow that seemed close yet unreachable.
"You must be the one who's been making me sleepwalk and act crazy."
The hazy light didn't deny it, stating plainly, "Yes, I want you to become my Divine Successor."
"Though you were once a God, you are now human, meeting the criteria to inherit my power. So all these years, I've been observing you."
"The sleepwalking occurred because you hadn't accepted my power before. Now, I've decided to bestow it upon you."
Ankh stared directly at the mysterious white glow and asked, "Can your power help me protect everyone?"
"Yes."
The distant voice was resolute and confident.
Without hesitation, Ankh nodded. "Good!"
The blurred light slowly merged into Ankh's body, and one of the Magic Crystals on his wrist turned gray.
"Remember my name, Ankhseram."
The voice echoed in Ankh's mind one last time:
"I am the God of Illusion and Reality, Vierte. You, who tread in reality, shall become my Divine Successor. Go and protect those you hold dear."
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