Fairy Tail Guild Hall.
Just as Makarov, Macao, and the others were discussing countermeasures, Mavis suddenly sensed something. Her pretty face changed drastically, and her gaze shot towards the guild's main entrance.
"He's here!" Hearing Mavis's words, Makarov and Macao both quieted down.
Simultaneously, they also followed Mavis's gaze and looked outside the guild.
"First Master, what did you sense?" Makarov asked Mavis.
Before Mavis could answer, a black-haired man with a white cloak draped over his shoulders walked in.
"This person is..." Although Macao, Romeo, and the others had never seen Zeref before, the moment they saw Zeref, they felt as if they had fallen into an endless abyss.
"This person is the Black Wizard Zeref, and also the Emperor of the Alvarez Empire, Emperor Spriggan!" Mavis stared vigilantly at the approaching Zeref.
After explaining to Romeo, Macao, and the others, she was the first to step forward, shielding everyone behind her.
"Zeref, you've finally come."
"Yes, I've waited a long time for this moment, Mavis. No... Fairy Heart." Zeref stared at Mavis with cold eyes and said flatly, "Well then, hand over your infinite magical power to me."
Before Mavis could speak, Makarov, who had been in a weakened state since using Fairy Law, suddenly stepped forward and shouted at Zeref, "Don't even think about it!"
"As long as I live, I will never hand over the First Master to you!"
As soon as Makarov finished speaking, Macao, Romeo, and the others also chimed in with determined expressions: "The First Master is the First Master, not some Fairy Heart! If you want to take the First Master, you'll have to go through us first!"
"Everyone..." Seeing everyone ready to fight Zeref to the death, a warm feeling surged in Mavis's heart.
"Makarov, Third Guild Master of Fairy Tail. Originally, I planned to use your life to provoke Natsu."
"But at this point, it doesn't matter anymore."
"Once I obtain Fairy Heart, everything will end!" As Zeref spoke, he took a large step towards Mavis's location.
Seeing Zeref approach, Makarov's eyes narrowed sharply, and his body began to enlarge at a visible rate.
Soon, Makarov transformed into a giant and threw a punch at the approaching Zeref.
The moment Makarov struck, Mavis's face drastically changed.
"Third Generation, don't go!" Mavis knew Zeref's terror.
If Makarov went up like this, he would definitely be instantly killed.
But Makarov's fist was already thrown, so even if he heard Mavis, he couldn't pull back.
Just as Makarov's giant fist descended towards Zeref's head, Zeref raised his arm, and a massive purple magic circle instantly appeared above his palm.
Kaboom-
In the next second, Makarov's fist struck the magic circle.
Accompanied by a violent impact sound, an intensely brilliant light erupted from within the magic circle.
Seeing the light from the magic circle, Makarov's aged face changed dramatically.
Immediately after, Makarov's massive body was engulfed by the dazzling light.
Just as Makarov was about to be annihilated by Zeref's black magic, his body suddenly vanished into thin air.
"He disappeared?" Seeing Makarov vanish, Macao, Romeo, and the others, who had been extremely worried, were all shocked.
Zeref, who had been casting the magic, was first startled, then his gaze shot towards a specific spot in the hall.
Under Zeref's watchful eye, the figures of Kenichi, Erza, and Wendy materialized out of thin air.
"You arrived quite quickly."
"Hmm?"
Hearing Zeref's words, Macao, Romeo, and the others all followed his gaze.
When Macao, Romeo, and the others saw Kenichi, Erza, and the others, they were overjoyed.
"Kenichi! Erza!" Although Macao and the others knew Zeref was powerful, Kenichi was the one who had killed Acnologia.
With Kenichi's appearance, the worry in their hearts instantly vanished, replaced only by relief.
"Kenichi, you're finally back! Master, he..." Seeing the mixed joy and worry on Macao and the others' faces, Kenichi said, "Master is here!"
He then waved his hand, and Makarov, who had vanished from Zeref's magic circle, reappeared in everyone's sight.
Clearly, it was Kenichi who had intervened earlier, saving Makarov from Zeref.
"Kenichi, be careful! This person is..." The shrunken Makarov, seemingly worried Kenichi might not recognize Zeref, began to explain.
But before Makarov could finish, Kenichi interrupted him.
"We meet again, Zeref." Kenichi looked at Zeref and spoke with a faint, ambiguous smile.
Last time, during the battle against the Underworld King, Zeref had appeared before Kenichi once.
Therefore, Kenichi and Zeref could indeed be considered meeting again.
"Neither August nor Irene could stop your advance. As expected of the mage who killed Acnologia."
"Although I don't have much confidence in defeating you, as long as I obtain Fairy Heart, this war will be my victory!" Zeref curled his lips into a smile and said to Kenichi.