Dead silence.
All sound between heaven and earth seemed to vanish.
The 'Fairy Law' in Gar's hand was poised, ready to strike, and the 'Devil's Law' in Hades' hand was also prepared to be unleashed at any moment.
The incredibly brilliant golden light on the ground and the spreading darkness in the sky stood in silent confrontation.
The Dark Guild Magicians caught between the two were the most uncomfortable.
They didn't dare move, fearing that at such a moment, disturbing either side would lead to their complete destruction.
Ur and Ultear stopped.
Kain Hikaru and Meredy also knew the timing was wrong and stopped fighting, not daring to act rashly. Even Zancrow, who harbored monstrous hatred for Gar, looked at the brilliant golden light in Gar's hand and felt an infinite terror rise in his heart.
Hades and Gar confronted each other for a moment, then Hades slowly spoke:
"I can see you're not surprised."
"So that means..."
"Makarov told you my identity?"
The 'Devil's Law' released by Hades could almost be said to originate from the same source as the Fairy Law.
Gar showed no shock on his face, so it wasn't difficult for Hades to guess that Makarov had informed Gar of his identity, or rather, from the moment Fairy Tail declared war on Grimoire Heart.
Hades knew that Makarov was aware of his identity.
Otherwise, Makarov wouldn't have taken such drastic action.
Gar looked at Hades and said:
"He mentioned some things."
"What a shame,"
Hades said.
"Whether it is light or darkness, they are merely means to pursue the ultimate secrets of Magic."
"Those of you who can't even see through this..."
"...are the most ignorant."
"I'm very curious. Since you know my identity, then you should know my understanding of the Fairy Law."
"Makarov shouldn't have given you that thing, so what gives you the confidence to use the Fairy Law?"
"Or are you saying you believe your Magic Power is stronger than mine?"
Gar looked directly at Hades and said:
"There are many ways to solve it."
"The world isn't static."
"Perhaps things that couldn't be done before can be done now."
"Want to try?"
Gar slightly raised his hand, and the light emanating from the 'Fairy Law' in his palm became more intense.
Hades' eyes narrowed slightly, feeling some doubt and uncertainty in his heart. He couldn't be sure if Fairy Tail had truly developed something in these decades that could resolve the side effects of the 'Fairy Law'.
Hades stared at Gar, contemplating this possibility in his mind.
But in an instant, Hades dismissed it. Impossible. There was absolutely nothing in this world that could compare to Lumen Histoire.
Because Mavis's existence was unique, just like the Dark Magician Zeref.
Furthermore, with Makarov's intellect, he couldn't research anything significant.
Otherwise, Fairy Tail wouldn't have had no development for decades.
Hades looked at Gar, his clasped hands slowly opening. Endless dark energy spread out, beginning to permeate the entire world. Hades spoke indifferently:
"To be honest."
"I don't believe it."
"The use of 'Law' requires extremely powerful Magic Power."
"How many seconds can you last?"
"One second? Two seconds? That should be your limit."
"If there truly was a solution, Fairy Tail wouldn't have had no development for decades."
Gar's clasped hands also slowly opened, and endless light spread out:
"That may be true."
"But similarly, how many seconds can you last?"
"Whether it's a C-Class Mage or an S-Class Mage, no matter how much Magic Power a human has."
"Under the extraction of 'Law', it's just a matter of being drained in an instant."
"From the Jushi Mountains incident, it can be seen that your continuous Magic Power couldn't wear down Gildarts' amplified Magic Power."
"Therefore..."
"It's not difficult to deduce that even with the supply from your Dark Magic source, you can probably only sustain it for about three seconds."
"Once it exceeds three seconds."
"Your Dark Magic source will be damaged."
"Looking at your age, your ability to maintain your current strength and lifespan is all because of that Dark Magic source, right?"
"How many seconds can you last?"
"Three seconds?"
Hades looked deeply at Gar. Could he even guess so much about the Dark Magic source?
"You are very smart, but unfortunately..."
"I still don't believe it."
Gar sighed:
"That really is a bit troublesome."
The battlefield was incredibly silent. No one knew what the two had been talking about for the past while, mentioning identities and Laws. Everyone listened with confused expressions but didn't dare to speak.
Because the heart-pounding sensation was getting stronger and stronger.
As Gar finished speaking.
The young hands on the ice and the aged hands in the sky opened simultaneously. The indifferent voices of both sides spread throughout the battlefield:
"Fairy Law / Devil's Law!"
In an instant.
Endless light and endless darkness bloomed simultaneously.
With Magnolia Town as the boundary, it seemed to divide the entire world.
Half light, half darkness.
Everyone's vision was occupied by either light or darkness. They couldn't help but raise their hands to shield their eyes, gradually losing their senses.
Only Gar and Hades stared intently at each other.
One second...
Two seconds...
Three seconds...
Until their vision was gradually covered by light or darkness.
Time passed, for who knows how long.
Boom—!
A loud noise came, followed by Gildarts' shout:
"Gar!"
Inside the Guild Hall.
Many people gradually lowered their arms and opened their eyes:
"It's over?"
"I'm fine? I'm fine too?"
"Is everyone okay?"
"What's going on?"
"That's Gildarts' voice."
A group of people rushed out of the Guild. Stellar Celestial · Seilah, who had been guarding the back door of the Guild, had already disappeared without a trace.
And what met everyone's eyes was the sight of lush greenery and a calm lake surface.
It was as if the battle just now had never existed:
"Where are those guys? Were they eliminated?"
"It feels like nothing happened at all."
"Did we really just experience a battle?"
There was no ice that had frozen everything, no densely packed ships, no smoke and blood generated by the battle, nothing. The lake surface was as calm as ever.
By the lake.
Gildarts was standing by the lake, looking surprised and feeling Gar all over:
"Are you really okay?"
Since Hades was competing with Gar in terms of consumption, the supply to the array that had sealed Gildarts was naturally cut off.
When Gildarts broke through Hades' sealing array and came down, this was the scene he saw.
Gar stood by the lake, not moving.
Gar looked tired and said weakly:
"What do you want to happen?"
Behind them.
The sounds of the crowd's clamor came:
"Gar!"
"How are you? Are you okay!"
"That's great! We won!"
"Hahahaha, what Dark Guild? They were nothing more than that?!"
The crowd surrounded Gar, with a few younger, more aggressive ones like Gray and Laxus chattering about the battle they had just witnessed.
However, Gar had no desire to celebrate. His body was simply too tired, too painful.
Although there was a huge Lacrima underground providing Magic Power, the vessel for releasing 'Fairy Law' was his body.
Acting as a conduit, his body released so much Magic Power within a few seconds.
The reason Gar wasn't moving was that he simply didn't dare to move. The intense pain made it take most of his willpower just to stand.
Splash! Splash!
There was a ripple on the water, and Ur pulled Ultear out of the lake:
"Those guys have already run away?"
Gar nodded with difficulty and said tiredly:
"Hades didn't continue to fight head-on."
Speaking of this, Gar's mouth couldn't help but twitch.
Part of it was from pain, and part of it was from shock.
The huge Lacrima underground, due to being prepared in a hurry, currently only had enough Magic Power stored to release 'Fairy Law' for six seconds.
But that guy Hades was still unfazed at the fourth second.
Each second was harder to endure than a year.
It wasn't until the fifth second passed that Hades chose to back down, perhaps realizing he couldn't continue any longer.
The light of Fairy Law overpowered the darkness of Devil's Law. Most of the Dark Guild members on the lake surface were instantly obliterated. Only a few powerful ones, under Hades' protection, vanished into the darkness.
Noticing Gar's unusual state, Gildarts dispersed the crowd:
"Go back and stay put for now. I'll take Gar back."
Gar was standing there motionless. Even a fool would know something was wrong. Gildarts walked forward, ready to help Gar directly.
Gar suddenly widened his eyes and looked up sharply:
"Above!!!"
Damn it!
The defensive barrier that had been above the town was now gone.
At this moment, he was completely powerless to defend.
Gildarts and Ur also reacted instantly, their expressions changing drastically as they looked up at the sky.
"Full Crush!"
"Ice Make [Rose Garden]!"
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