Ankh had already expected Atlas Flame to recognize what he was.
The dragon had faced Acnologia, who possessed the power of a Dragon God of Death, so it was hardly surprising that he could sense something unusual about Ankh's own power.
What Atlas Flame had said, however, gave Ankh plenty to think about.
If those dragons stood against him, then they were his enemies.
Which meant they might belong to Zous's side.
Ankh was certain that Zous, the God of Creation and Destruction and perhaps the true strongest being in the divine realm, had not spent all this time in the human world doing nothing.
The god must have begun laying plans long ago.
Acnologia's unnatural state on Tenrou Island immediately came to mind.
Looking back on it now, Ankh could not help wondering whether Zous had been secretly helping the Black Dragon.
Atlas Flame probably knew very little about the matter, though, and there was no chance to ask him anything else now.
After awakening and exhausting his remaining strength to thaw Sun Village, Atlas Flame had once again fallen into a deep sleep.
By then, the bewildered giants had finally regained their senses.
Once they understood what had happened, they welcomed Ankh and the others with overwhelming enthusiasm.
Barrels of alcohol, each one the size of a small house, were rolled out alongside slabs of meat heavier than the entire team combined.
With the giants celebrating and entertaining their guests, Sun Village soon returned to its former noise and warmth.
During the festivities, they also discovered that their runaway daughter, Flare, had returned.
At first, Flare worried the giants might no longer accept her, but those fears quickly proved unnecessary.
She had originally left because being so different from the giants had made her feel as though she did not belong.
Hoping to find acceptance, she had wandered into the outside world alone.
Out there, everyone might have been closer to her own height and appearance, but no one had ever loved and spoiled her the way the giants had.
The moment they saw their daughter again, the giants welcomed her back without hesitation.
Flare burst into tears of joy.
After being treated to the giants' hospitality for the entire night, Ankh and the others finally departed early the next morning, taking the captured Minerva and Doriarte with them.
With Flare and the giants waving farewell, the strongest team began their journey home.
They caught an express train and, as usual, stopped by the client's location first to turn their two prisoners over to the Magic Council.
Warrod looked approvingly at the team that had completed the mission with remarkable speed.
"As expected of the strongest mages of the new generation. Your efficiency is truly astonishing."
"The job just happened to match my companions' specialties," Ankh answered honestly.
Gray immediately seized the opportunity to ask, "Old man, do you know what other demons belong to Tartaros?"
Having lost to Silver twice, Gray remained deeply bothered by the matter and was desperate to learn more.
Warrod stroked his bark-like chin and thought for a moment.
"Tartaros… We possess very little reliable information. We only know that it appears to be a guild composed entirely of demons."
"As for their master, we suspect it may be the strongest demon from the Books of Zeref—E.N.D."
"The strongest demon… E.N.D.?" Natsu repeated, puzzled by the name.
Lucy's expression turned grave.
"According to legend, demons were created by Zeref, the most powerful Black Wizard in history. Each demon from the Books of Zeref corresponds to a separate book."
Hyberion nodded, giving Lucy an approving glance before continuing.
"That is correct. It is also said that four hundred years ago, the mighty Fire Dragon King Igneel attempted to destroy E.N.D. but failed."
"Igneel…"
Shock filled Natsu's eyes.
Any demon that even Igneel had failed to defeat had to be terrifyingly powerful.
"Unfortunately, beyond those uncertain fragments, we have discovered almost nothing," Wolfheim said with an irritated sigh.
"Damn Tartaros. They maintain strict control over their subordinate guilds, yet rarely take action themselves."
Warrod looked carefully at the two prisoners Ankh's team had brought back.
"This man possesses the ability to demonize himself. We may be able to extract useful information from him. But as for Minerva…"
"For now, she will remain imprisoned at the Magic Council. Please do not inform Sabertooth yet. We would rather avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings."
Erza opened her mouth to object, but ultimately said nothing.
In Minerva's current state, even returning her to the guild would not make her normal again.
For the moment, this was probably the best choice.
"Please continue paying close attention to any movements from Tartaros."
After discussing the full details of the mission and paying Fairy Tail its promised reward, the Council members personally escorted them outside, repeating that final warning before they left.
Everyone already intended to do exactly that.
Natsu in particular had become eager to storm Tartaros himself after hearing there was something Igneel had failed to accomplish.
Gray was equally desperate to find Silver and show him the Devil Slayer Magic he had learned.
Just as the group finished reporting the mission and prepared to leave, Ur suddenly pulled Ankh aside.
She looked unusually restless.
"What is it?" Ankh asked curiously.
Ur stared at him for a moment before speaking.
"If I remember correctly, Crime Sorcière's current mission is to investigate Tartaros, isn't it?"
Ankh nodded. "Yeah. They've been working on it for a while."
Ur rubbed her tired face and lowered her voice.
"Lately, I've had this terrible feeling. Ultear…"
Ankh immediately understood what was troubling her.
"Jellal, Meredy, and the former Oración Seis are all with her. Ultear will be fine."
"I know. I'm just worried."
Ur also knew that even if she asked her daughter to abandon the mission, Ultear would never return.
For someone so desperate to atone and finally step back into the light, cleansing herself of her sins was something she could not compromise on.
She could only hope this unexplained dread was nothing more than her imagination.
...
In a barren desert, every member of Crime Sorcière wore a cloak to shield themselves from the sand as they struggled out of the wasteland.
After finally crossing the storm-ravaged region, Ultear brushed the sand from her clothes and sighed.
"Councilor Cid certainly chose an isolated place to live…"
Sawyer could not resist complaining, "Important people have the strangest habits."
"Maybe he doesn't want anyone finding him and decided to live in seclusion," Macbeth suggested.
Then, after glancing at the lifeless wasteland around them, he added, "Though hiding in a place this godforsaken is a little excessive…"
Even he seemed unconvinced by his own explanation.
Jellal said nothing.
He watched the lonely house standing beyond the sandstorm with growing suspicion. Hardly anyone could possibly reach this place.
Living somewhere so completely unsuitable for human life…
It felt less like seclusion.
And more like someone hiding for their life.
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