Memento Mori

Riyao and Mirajane ran to the top of the Parasol Tree.

The Parasol Tree absorbed half the life of the Underworld Beast, and now it is incredibly tall, with thick branches that spread out wide enough for horses to run side by side.

Beneath their feet lay a scorched battlefield. The massive carcass of the Underworld Beast lay paralyzed outside the town, entangled in layers of vines, unable to move, and still convulsing slightly.

The two stopped at the highest point of the treetop.

The wind is strongest here, the rustling of the leaves is almost continuous, and the air is filled with the rich, irresistible life force of the Parasol Trees.

Mirajane tilted her head, wondering what Riyao was up to.

"Shouldn't we go and rejoin the others? Only one Hades remains."

"Anyway, Natsu and the others are there, so there's no need to worry. Besides, the book's owner is already here, so I won't get involved. I have more important things to do."

As he spoke, Riyao squatted down and placed his hands on the Parasol Tree.

As I pressed my palm against the rough bark, a ray of warm green light slid down my wrist and into the tree trunk.

The Parasol Tree trembled slightly, and its leaves rustled softly.

Mirajane didn't urge him, but just lay on his back, chin resting on his shoulder, watching the green light crawl inch by inch along the bark's texture, like a living thing.

Mirajane pouted.

So mysterious.

She lay on Riyao's back, hugging his neck and humming softly.

"What's so important? Tell me, tell me."

A smile appeared on Riyao's face. He just wouldn't say anything, wanting Mirajane to act cute a little more.

Natsu stared at Gray's ice for a moment.

That was an entire ice wall that Gray had frozen with his demon-slaying magic, standing in place with a thick layer of white frost on its surface.

Natsu circled it twice, squatted down and tapped it, making a crisp thud, then leaned closer to sniff it, his eyes lighting up.

It's not hard to see what he's thinking; he simply wants to eat this ice block to increase his demon-slaying power.

Natsu took a bite, chewed twice, his face scrunched up, his cheeks puffed out, and he spat the ice around his feet with a "pui" sound, then rubbed it between his toes.

"It doesn't taste good; it's not as good as roasted meat."

Gray heard Natsu complain about his ice, and too lazy to argue with him, he just rolled his eyes at him.

Erza didn't hesitate for long and took command of the entire field.

"Gray, and..."

"That's Gray's dad—Silver," Ur kindly reminded Erza.

"Okay, Gray, Silver, you two will be the main force from now on. The rest of us will cover you."

Erza her longsword and gave orders to the crowd.

Natsu and Gajeel both showed expressions of displeasure.

Why is it that father and son, the ice cube duo, the main force? Why can't we be the main force?

Erza's eyes turned fierce as she glanced at the two of them.

The two immediately became obedient.

"Let's go, Gray!" they both said in unison.

Lucy rolled her eyes. These idiots... are hopeless.

Having exhausted her magic and unable to offer any help, she and Juvia hid to the side.

Juvia kept staring at her, making her feel very uncomfortable.

Those eyes were fixed on Lucy without blinking, like two wet lines of water.

Lucy felt a chill run down her spine from being stared at, and took a half-step to the left, which caused the gaze to shift half a step as well.

"Juvia, could you please stop staring at me like that?"

"Rival in love..."

"I've already said no, I have nothing to do with Gray."

Lucy covered her face and sighed. Juvia was completely impossible to communicate with.

She decided to give up entirely, leaning back and letting that gaze linger on her face, pretending she was already used to it.

Natsu and his friends surrounded Mard, and their attacks came from all directions, Mard couldn't defend against for a while.

Flames, iron rods, sword light, and an even stronger demon-slaying chill, like an impenetrable net, layer upon layer, tightened towards the center.

The stone slabs beneath Mard's feet were cratered and riddled with holes, and he had several cuts on his body, with dark purple blood flowing down his tattered robes.

If this continues, we'll be worn down sooner or later.

Mard's eyes turned cold as he carefully put away the Book of E.N.D., and his body underwent a change.

He originally planned to wait for Face to erupt before slowly dealing with the Fairy Tail members, but so far, Face has yet to erupt.

Of course, they wouldn't be able to wait for Face to unleash his power.

If you could see the light screen in the control room right now, you would see the red dot symbolizing Face on the screen decreasing at an alarming rate.

The Sky Dragon, Iron Dragon, Shadow Dragon, and White Dragon raced across the skies of the Ishgar Continent, smashing through everything with their bare bodies without even using magic. Face was as fragile as paper before the four dragons.

Unfortunately, Mard didn't know that.

He shed his human form and became completely demonic, his overall shape resembling a humanoid bat with a metallic texture.

His skin cracked inch by inch, and armor grew out from under his skin, gleaming with a cold metallic sheen.

Its back was arched, and its pair of bat wings spread out to be several meters wide.

Its entire body grew much taller, and its toes transformed into sharp claws, digging deeply into the broken stone slabs.

The moonlight fell on the metallic shell, reflecting a cold, sharp light.

"You should feel fortunate; dying by my hand is an honor for you."

Memento Mori.

Countless vengeful spirits surged from Mard's body, transforming into a purplish-black mist that rushed towards the Fairy Tail members.

The vengeful spirits were densely packed, layer upon layer, as if squeezed out from the depths of hell, shrieking and wailing, and merging into a thick, purplish-black mist.

The mist spread along the ground, instantly turning the vegetation black and leaving a layer of deathly gray on the ground.

Everyone stared wide-eyed and hurriedly retreated, but the purplish-black mist moved even faster than they expected.

Before I could even take a half step back, the mist had already caught up with me, wrapping around my ankles, climbing up my arms, like cold snakes slithering into my pores.

A purplish-black mist enveloped everyone.

An aura of decay and death erupted.

Even the flow of magic became sluggish, and the body was completely unable to move.

A dense, stinging pain spread across my skin; it was as if my life force was being slowly drained away.

A beam of withered green light shot into the sky.

Dead silence.

Everyone was frozen in place, completely still.

The wind stopped, and even the dust hung suspended in mid-air. Only that withered green pillar of light stood tall, silently proclaiming that this place had become a realm of death.

Lucy covered her mouth, staring at the scene in stunned silence.

She tried to shout, but her throat felt blocked, and she couldn't make a sound.

Juvia tried to rush over, but Lily and Happy quickly pulled him back.

She lunged forward, her shoes leaving two white marks on the gravel.

Lily grabbed her arm tightly, Happy flapped his wings and hugged her waist, barely managing to stop her.

Just then, Riyao's off-key voice rang out.

The sound wasn't loud, carrying a lazy, nonchalant quality, yet it was like a pebble thrown into stagnant water.

"That move has a great name, I'll try it too."

[Memento Vivere]