Mavis Wanted to Die

As Invel was being beaten in the mud, the chill in Mavis's mind dissipated.

Once that sluggish feeling that threatened to freeze even the sparks of thought disappeared, the little girl's brain gears instantly started spinning like crazy.

A soft buzzing sound.

Irene was still focused on guiding the separation magic, the tip of her antler staff gleaming brightly.

But the Mavis on the stone platform had long been replaced with a phantom created purely by magic.

The slight rise and fall of her chest, the tiny beads of sweat seeping from her skin under the pressure of magic, even the frequency of her eyelashes trembling—everything was flawless.

The real Mavis slid down into the shadows behind the stone platform.

She was barefoot, crouching low, and stepped on the cold stone slabs without making a sound, slipping away like a little mouse that had just caught its prey.

Clatter

The tiny wooden dragon, no bigger than a palm, landed precisely on her messy ahoge (cowlick).

Two tender green paws gripped her hair tightly, chirping softly like a living radar, while its little tail kept pointing into the shadows in the southeast corner.

"Okay, okay, stop pulling my hair..."

Mavis muttered in a low voice, lifting her skirt with both hands, and jogged all the way to the exit of the main hall.

On the edge of the cliff, black-haired Zeref and white-bearded August stood side by side.

Beneath their feet lay a vast, seemingly endless expanse of lush, verdant forest.

The two monsters standing at the pinnacle of the world were staring at the magical fluctuations on the battlefield, not even glancing behind them.

A series of crackling sounds came from the woods.

A lush, verdant tree trunk, as thick as a person's embrace, parted the clouds and mist, like a smooth floating bridge, steadily resting at August's feet.

"It seems Riyao Sunrise is inviting me to join them."

August pressed his staff, his magical power receding like an old reef.

Zeref had his hands tucked into his wide sleeves, his eyes as empty as two dry wells.

"Go ahead, Irene's almost done too."

For him, this battle was nothing more than a boring shadow play.

If he wins, he can use the Fairy Heart to reverse time; if he loses, Natsu can scatter his ashes. Either way, it's a relief.

Zeref tilted his head slightly and glanced at the green-haired girl kicking pebbles behind him.

"Brandish, you're going too. Don't let me down this time."

"... Okay, I got it."

Brandish's lips pursed so deeply they could hang oil bottles, and he stepped onto the large tree trunk with a dejected expression.

No one noticed that Mavis was crouching low, following closely behind.

Using the infinite mana from the Fairy Heart, she pushed her stealth magic to its limit, so much so that even Zeref didn't notice a little tail following her heels.

But the moment the soles of my feet stepped into the thick fog of the forest, the surrounding air suddenly distorted.

Space was forcibly shredded and reassembled.

The pontoon bridge, which was originally a straight line, broke into three sections. The three people were thrown into three completely unrelated forest mazes without even seeing each other.

"Yo, First Generation."

A sound of tree bark rubbing against each other came from above, and a figure swung down from a branch.

Riyao held half a wild fruit in his hand, chewing it with gusto.

"Your best friend couldn't find you earlier, and she was crying her eyes out, grabbing my collar and wailing for ages, it was so noisy."

Mavis stood there stunned for two seconds, the dazed look in her eyes quickly dissipating.

There was no trace of the socially anxious girl around.

Zera's illusion had transformed into green light and scattered across the world, while the forgotten memory receded completely into her mind like a tide.

"Zera..."

Mavis sniffed and patted her cheeks hard with her little hands.

Thank you, Riyao.

Riyao casually tossed the fruit pit aside and patted the juice off his hands.

"Zera just updated you on the situation at the front, right?"

"Yes, they're all aligned."

Mavis's expression turned serious. He squatted down on the spot, picked up a small twig, and started drawing lines on the muddy ground while quickly analyzing the situation.

"Yes, the situation is in our favor now, but we don't have much time left. Irene will discover my Phantom Magic sooner or later."

"That's not the worst part. There's also the Black Dragon. We have to finish the battle before Black Dragon returns."

Mavis's small hand, which was gripping the branch, suddenly froze.

"Ah!!"

Mavis's body went limp, the branch in her hand fell to the ground with a thud, and half of a phantom white smoke trembled and floated out of her wide-open mouth.

There are no tactics to speak of when fighting the Black Dragon; in the face of absolute power, all tactics are meaningless.

Even Zeref had been planning for four hundred years, waiting for this era brimming with magic, to use the most rudimentary method: dragon against dragon.

If it weren't for the appearance of Mavis, the "Fairy Heart," this would have been Zeref's original plan, and the Alvarez Empire would have been just a backup plan created on a whim.

Of the Spriggan 12 August, Eucharist, Irene, Larcade, Dimaria, Bloodman, and Larcade were intended to be used against the Black Dragon.

August can Copy Magic, and perhaps he can copy the Black Dragon's magical countermeasures.

Irene is Sage Dragon Slayer with High Enchantment Magic.

Dimaria's power of time is as unique as her power of death, life, and Dragon Force.

Bloodman is a masterpiece that embodies the essence of evil, capable of opening the Gate of Hades, and using Curse Power distinct from magic.

Larcade's White Magic might be able to bypass the Black Dragon's magic resistance.

God Serena couldn't even activate the Dragon Force, so it was just a casual bet; the others were just there to make up the numbers.

Mavis squatted on the ground drawing circles, radiating a sense of dejection.

I feel like dying.

"I can help you with this!"

"???"

Mavis jumped three feet into the air like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, then stumbled back four or five steps, clutching her chest tightly with both hands and wide eyes.

"Human language?! Do you even listen to this?! I'm your ancestor! You hang around the guild's 'Healing Mage' sign, and all you do is plot how to send your first guild leader to his grave. Did you Happy your conscience?!"

"Look at you, always in such a hurry."

Riyao flipped over and landed lightly on the ground, clapped his hands, and his face was full of the shrewd smile of a quack doctor selling miracle cures.

"I have a grand plan, which requires you, First Generation, to make a small sacrifice. The rewards will be immense afterward."

Riyao rubbed his hands together, approaching Mavis step by step, looking at Mavis with ill intent.

Mavis was forced to slam his back against the tree bark, with nowhere left to retreat. He swallowed hard, his small body tense.

"You... you swear first that you won't use any strange dark magic... and also, you absolutely, absolutely cannot do anything that violates the code of the fairies!"

"Don't worry, I'm a legitimate stay-at-home dad, a nationally renowned super dad."

Taking advantage of the moment, Riyao reached out and patted Mavis on the head. The space around them distorted, and the two disappeared from the spot.