Chapter 246: They Are Dead
Makarov Dreyar stood over his fallen predecessor, his giant fist raised high, trembling with the weight of judgment.
Below him, Hades—Precht Gaebolg—resigned himself to his fate, closing his single visible eye, waiting for the final blow that would end his long, misguided journey.
The wind howled through the ruins of the campsite, carrying the scent of ozone and dust. Seconds ticked by, stretching into an eternity of silence.
But after waiting for a long time without feeling the crushing impact of Titan Magic, Hades slowly raised his head. He looked up at Makarov in genuine confusion.
"Why do you hesitate, brat?" Hades rasped, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. "Finish it."
Makarov slowly lowered his fist, his body shrinking back to its normal, diminutive stature. He looked at the old man with a mixture of pity and profound sadness.
"I have learned many things from you, Master Precht," Makarov said softly. "Courage. Wisdom. The importance of protecting one's family. As a return gift for those lessons, I will turn a blind eye this time. Take your guild and leave this island."
Hades' eye narrowed. "How naive. Compassion is a weakness of the light. If you let me go, I will not learn from this. I will regroup. I will rebuild. And I will definitely crush your Guild next time."
"Just you?" Makarov scoffed gently, shaking his head. "Although my strength may be inferior to yours in a duel of magic, you have already lost the war of the future."
Makarov turned and gestured to the battered but standing members of Fairy Tail behind him—Erza, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, Gildarts, Laxus, and Ren.
"My children can defeat you right now. And their strength will only grow stronger with time. You are a relic of the past, Precht. We are the dawn."
Makarov did not take Hades's threat to heart at all. Precht was already over a hundred years old; how many more years could he jump around spreading darkness? The children in the Guild were still young, vibrant, and possessed infinite potential.
Especially Ren.
Makarov glanced at the white-haired young man who was casually leaning against a broken tree. Originally, he thought Ren's strength was comparable to Gildarts's—a high-tier S-Class mage. But today's battle showed him that Ren's strength was far, far greater than he had imagined. Ren had played with three Ten Wizard Saint-level opponents simultaneously. If Ren were given a few more years, Makarov had no idea what kind of monster he would become. Perhaps even the gods would hesitate to cross him.
"Why did you fall into darkness, Master?" Makarov asked the question that had plagued him since the battle began. "You were a man of righteousness. You were the Second Master of Fairy Tail."
Hades slowly pushed himself up to a sitting position, coughing weakly. "I've already said it. Magic was originally 'Darkness.' A miracle born from the void, which is called 'Magic.'"
His eye gleamed with a fanatic light. "After retiring from the Guild, I traveled the world. I constantly delved into the Dao of Magic, seeking the origin. And I found the truth of this world. I discovered that this world, which is saturated with shallow magic, is a false world. The world where Zeref resides, the 'Great Magic World'—the Ultimate Magic World—is the true reality. I want to experience that kind of world. I want to touch the essence."
"For this, I caused Zeref's Awakening and obtained all the keys. I spent decades preparing. I was just a little bit, just a tiny bit, away from obtaining the 'One Magic.'"
Hades reached out a trembling hand toward the empty air, as if trying to grasp a phantom. His expression was one of extreme, tortured desire.
Makarov sighed, seeing that his old master was truly lost to his obsession.
"Even if you find that thing, nothing will change," Makarov said firmly. "If magic was originally 'Darkness,' so be it. If it was 'Light,' that's fine too. Magic is endless. It isn't a fixed point to be reached. It advances with the times, constantly changing the role it plays and growing with us. Everyone's understanding of magic is different. From a sensory perspective, it can be darkness, or it can be light; it can be red, or it can be blue. But as long as we live, Fairy Tail will survive alongside freedom. We live for each other, not for some abstract truth."
Makarov pointed toward the shore. "All of this is what I learned from you, Precht. Now, take your people and get off this island!! Never set foot on our holy ground again!"
"Guild Master Hades!"
"Master!"
Several Grimoire Heart members who could still barely move quickly stumbled out of the woods. Rustyrose, Kain Hikaru, and a limping Bluenote Stinger rushed over to help up their fallen leader. Even Jose Porla, clutching his chest, dragged himself over, looking defeated and humiliated.
They supported the broken old man, glaring at the Fairy Tail mages with a mix of fear and hatred, before turning to flee toward their airship.
"Wait a moment!"
At this moment, a cold, indifferent voice rang out.
The members of Grimoire Heart froze. They turned slowly, terror etched on their faces when they saw Ren stepping forward. Was he going to change his mind? Was the monster going to slaughter them all right here?
"Ren?" Erza stepped forward, confused.
Ren didn't look at her. He walked to a nearby bush and dragged out a slumped, unconscious figure dressed in black robes.
He threw the black-haired young man onto the ground in front of the retreating dark guild members like a sack of garbage.
"Take this guy with you too," Ren said casually. "Consider it a parting gift."
The Grimoire Heart members were confused, unable to figure out the situation. This person wasn't a member of Grimoire Heart, was he? Why was Ren giving them a hostage?
However, when Hades saw the person's face—the youthful features, the peaceful sleeping expression—his single eye widened to the point of tearing.
"He... he is..." Hades' voice trembled with pure ecstasy. "Zeref!!"
"What?!"
A collective gasp went through the clearing. Everyone present was greatly astonished.
Only Elfman and Evergreen among those present had seen Zeref before during the exam. The rest only knew the name as a legend, a boogeyman told to frighten children.
"Zeref? Is he the legendary Black Wizard Zeref?!"
Erza widened her eyes, her hand instinctively going to her sword hilt. A chill ran down her spine. Since childhood, she had suffered greatly at the hands of the Black Magic Cults, which worshipped Zeref. The Tower of Heaven, Jellal's madness, the sacrifices—all of it was for this man. Zeref was the nightmare of all Mages in the magic world for 400 years.
"Yes, that Zeref," Ren confirmed, dusting off his hands.
"He... he's actually still alive?!" Erza stammered. "I thought Jellal was trying to resurrect him because he was dead. Furthermore, Zeref was an ancient person from 400 years ago; how could anyone live that long?"
"He is immortal. Cursed," Ren said briefly.
On the other side, Grimoire Heart's despair turned instantly into jubilation. They never expected that the person they had sought so painstakingly—the entire reason for this war—would be handed to them on a silver platter.
"Quick! Go quickly and bring Zeref! Bring him in!!" Hades urged the people beside him, finding a sudden burst of strength. "Don't let them change their minds!"
Rustyrose and Kain Hikaru quickly carried the unconscious Zeref towards the airship, treating him like a fragile god.
The airship's engines roared to life, kicking up dust as it took off in a panic. They ascended rapidly, terrified that Ren or Makarov would launch an attack to stop them.
Watching the enemy ship disappear into the clouds, the Fairy Tail mages were bewildered.
"Ren, that's the legendary Black Wizard Zeref! You just let them take him away like that?" Erza grabbed Ren's arm, her voice urgent. "Won't that make things even more dangerous?! If they wake him up... if they use his power..."
Makarov also looked at Ren with a questioning gaze. "Ren, what are you planning?"
Ren watched the speck of the airship vanish into the horizon. He smiled faintly, a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"It would be more troublesome not to let them take him," Ren explained calmly. "That guy is a hot potato. He's trouble alive, and even more trouble dead. His existence attracts... consequences. Since he's a curse either way, we might as well throw this curse at the enemy."
"Ren... are you saying..." Makarov's eyes narrowed, sensing a deeper meaning.
Ren nodded and smiled mysteriously, tapping his temple. "Yes! Those guys... they are dead."
High in the sky, aboard the Grimoire Heart airship.
The mood was somber. The once invincible dark guild was in tatters. The Seven Kin were defeated, the Vice-Commanders humiliated, and the Master beaten. This was the first time Grimoire Heart had experienced such a crushing defeat.
"I really didn't expect us to be defeated," Rustyrose murmured, leaning against the bulkhead. "The 'Monster of Fairy Tail'... he is an existence that defies logic."
Although they knew Fairy Tail was strong, Grimoire Heart was the strongest Dark Guild in the Balam Alliance. They had three powerhouses of the Ten Wizard Saints level. Yet, they had been dismantled by a single young man.
"That's right! Unbelievable..."
"If it weren't for that monster Ren, we definitely wouldn't have lost!" Jose Porla cursed, nursing his bruised ribs. "Next time... next time I will have my revenge!"
"Phew!"
Hades exhaled deeply, sitting on his throne, clutching the armrests. Despite his injuries, a twisted smile spread across his face.
"Although we failed to eliminate Fairy Tail this time, the goal of our trip has been achieved," Hades announced, his voice regaining some of its old authority. "We found Zeref! Look at him!"
He gestured to the black-haired young man laying on the floor of the bridge.
"We have the key! As long as we make him undergo the Awakening, we will be able to reach the true Great Magic World!! Fairy Tail may have won the battle, but we have won the war!"
When the others heard this, expressions of fanaticism appeared on their faces. The defeat stung less when the ultimate prize was in their possession.
"The One Magic... finally," Bluenote grunted.
Suddenly, a voice rang out. It was soft, melancholic, yet it carried a weight that silenced the entire room.
"It is the existence of people like you that created me... and it is the evil thoughts of people like you that summoned Acnologia."
The air in the bridge turned freezing cold. The shadows seemed to lengthen and twist.
"What?" Hades froze.
Zeref slowly stood up. His eyes opened, revealing abyssal black pupils that held eons of sorrow and death. He looked around at the mages surrounding him, not with fear, but with pity.
"You have announced the end of this era," Zeref whispered. "No one can stop it now. The Dragon King has caught the scent of your malice."
"The world will end here."
Seeing Zeref awake, everyone in the airship—Hades, Jose, Bluenote, Rustyrose—instinctively dropped to one knee. They bowed their heads to show respect to their god.
"Lord Zeref!" Hades cried out in joy, oblivious to the doom hanging over their heads.
They knelt before the endpoint of darkness, unaware that they were merely the first course for the dragon that was already on its way.
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