Lies and the Key

Watching Precht and the other remnants of "Grimoire Heart" leave in a disheveled state, Jiang Bai simply shrugged indifferently.

Let the tiger return to the mountain?

It does not exist.

Precht's target was always Zeref.

Anyone who tries to get close to Zeref or take advantage of Zeref will ultimately meet the same fate—being devoured by the unsolvable "Ankhseram's Curse".

Ultimately, this group of people brought about their own destruction.

On the other side of Tenrou Island, deep in a quiet, dense forest.

The dark mage Zeref slowly opened his eyes.

He awoke from his slumber, his eyes filled with a sense of bewilderment and sorrow that seemed out of place in this era.

He stood up, dusted off his black robe, and looked toward the Tenrou Tree.

"Mavis, I know you're here."

His voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself.

As an outsider without the Fairy Tail seal, he was unable to see Mavis's Thought Projection.

But as a fellow cursed being, he could clearly sense that familiar and nostalgic aura.

A faint, ethereal figure appeared in the distance, visible only to members of Fairy Tail.

Mavis looked at the black-haired youth in front of her with a complicated expression.

[Zeref, are you still searching for a way to die?] Her longing echoed in the air.

Although he couldn't hear, Zeref seemed to understand him perfectly; he nodded, and even a relieved smile appeared on his lips.

"Yes, and I've already found it."

Mavis's Thought Projection dimmed slightly.

[Precht... he was once one of our comrades, and now he's ended up like this. Why... didn't you try to stop it?]

The smile on Zeref's face vanished, replaced by indifference.

"Precht was consumed by his own obsession, attempting to use my power to usher in some 'Great Magic World.' He completely misunderstood me from the very beginning."

He is no longer the Precht he once was.

"However, none of that matters anymore."

Zeref looked up at the sky, his eyes filled with a frantic anticipation.

"The day I've been waiting for will finally come. For it, I'm willing to start a war... that will engulf the entire world!"

"[Fairy Tail... will definitely stop you.]" Mavis's voice was incredibly firm.

Zeref did not answer again, but turned and walked alone into the deeper darkness.

The battle is over, and the crisis is over.

Makarov looked at his unharmed guild members and was about to breathe a sigh of relief when he suddenly remembered something.

He suddenly rushed up to Jiang Bai and grabbed him by the collar.

"You brat! Didn't you just say that Zeref is on this island?!"

"Yes, that's right." Jiang Bai said calmly.

"What are we waiting for! We must think of a solution immediately!" Makarov was so anxious he was jumping up and down.

"At the very least, we can't let him stay here in our guild's sacred ground!"

"That's easy." Jiang Bai picked at his ear and came up with a solution that left everyone speechless.

"Why not just send him to 'Grimoire Heart'? Their target is Zeref anyway, so consider it a parting gift."

"What kind of terrible idea is this!" Makarov's beard was practically askew with rage.

"What if! I mean, what if they really use Zeref's power to plunge the entire wizarding world into chaos?!"

"Relax, relax, old man, you still don't know enough." Jiang Bai waved his hand.

"In short, just trust me."

Seeing Jiang Bai's confident demeanor, Makarov stared at him intently for a long time before finally choosing to compromise.

"Since you've put it that way, let's do it your way."

Jiang Bai snapped his fingers.

With a thought, Zeref, who had just left, hadn't even taken two steps when he found that the scene in front of him had instantly changed.

A somber mood hung heavy on the airship, the Grimoire Heart.

Hades slumped in his chair, his face ashen. The remaining members were all wounded and demoralized.

This operation can be described as a complete and utter defeat.

However, at that moment, a black figure appeared in the center of the deck without warning.

"?!"

Everyone was taken aback by this sudden turn of events!

When they saw the newcomer's appearance, Hades' eyes instantly rekindled with a fanatical flame!

It's Zeref!

Their target this time is the Dark Mage Zeref!

They failed, but the other side actually... sent them the "god" they had been dreaming of directly?!

Standing in the crowd, Ultear felt a sense of foreboding the moment she saw Zeref appear.

She knew better than anyone how terrifying Jiang Bai was.

That man would never do something meaningless.

Without making a sound, she pulled Meredy, who was beside her, and quietly took two steps back.

"As expected of... an existence capable of killing me." Zeref sighed, sensing the lingering fluctuations in the space.

He looked around at the trembling, excited dark mages and asked in confusion, "But where is this? Precht?"

"Lord Zeref!" Hades struggled to his feet and bowed respectfully.

"We... we are all your followers!"

He excitedly shouted to his men, "Quick! Bring the 'key' over here!"

Upon hearing the word "key," Zeref's brow furrowed sharply.

He seemed to understand something, and a sorrowful yet mocking expression appeared on his face.

"I see... How pathetic."

"Those so-called 'keys' are nothing but lies fabricated by people who blindly worship the name 'Dark Mage Zeref'."