Too Much Energy Spent Staying Up Late?

You have no chance of succeeding.

Mavis decisively interrupted Zeref's delusions, stating the ending directly.

"You'll be the last one killed."

As she said those words, a heavy, bitter feeling welled up in Mavis's chest.

Mavis's mind was in turmoil.

She didn't want to see Zeref lead his army to destroy the continent and trample the homes of countless innocent people, yet in the deepest corner of her heart, she didn't want to see this man, who had been tormented by the curse for hundreds of years, turn to ashes.

Zeref, on the contrary, burst out laughing.

A look of relief appeared on his pale face.

"Mavis, you should know me."

Zeref took half a step forward, letting the loose rocks on the cliff edge fall into the abyss.

"Having lingered on in this world for hundreds of years, death has long become my greatest wish in this life."

Upon hearing this, Mavis was slightly taken aback.

Her previously tense face slowly relaxed, then gave a long, helpless sigh.

Mavis shook her head.

"It seems you've changed a lot over the years."

At this moment, Mavis saw through all of Zeref's schemes.

The so-called launching of wars, the so-called denial of the world, the so-called rebirth of the world.

Despite all the grand and terrifying rhetoric, Zeref's fundamental motivation was still to use the survival of the entire continent as leverage to force Jiang Bai to take action and, consequently, completely eliminate Zeref.

Using the people of the mainland as a chessboard, they staked their own lives.

Zeref turned his head, watching the clouds slowly descending from the edge of the mountains, and left with his last words.

"Regardless of whether we win or lose this war, I will definitely be on the list of the final winners."

Mavis said no more.

The illusory body transformed into specks of light, dissipating above the cliff and returning directly to the town of Magnolia.

Calm returned to the edge of the cliff.

Zeref dusted off the hem of his robe, turned and stepped into the shadows of the dense, dark forest, his presence completely vanishing without a trace.

Magnolia Town, Fairy Tail Guild.

The warm morning sun shone through the brand-new stained-glass skylight, illuminating the hall.

At the bar, Lucy held a glass of warm orange juice in her hands, her chin resting on her hands, her eyes fixed on the silver-haired bartender wiping glasses behind the bar.

Then, Lucy's gaze shifted to Erza was sitting elegantly at the round table next to her, enjoying a strawberry cake.

Lucy blinked and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Mira, you've been looking really good these past few days."

"And Miss Erza too, she looks radiant and glowing, even more dazzling than before the Grand Magic Games started."

Upon hearing this, Levy, who was reading an ancient magical book, closed the book and quickly approached.

Levy on tiptoe, carefully examining Mirajane's flawless, fair face, and uttered a heartfelt expression of envy.

"It really is! My skin is unbelievably good; there's absolutely no sign of staying up late or being tired!"

Levy gently tugged at the hem of Mirajane's apron with two fingers, her large eyes sparkling with curiosity.

"Mira, tell me quietly, have you and Erza been secretly using some new skincare product developed by a high-end merchant guild in the capital lately?"

"Looking for recommendations! I'd like to buy one and try it out!"

Mirajane stopped wiping the glass, placed the cleaned glass upside down on the shelf, and wore her usual gentle and dignified smile.

Erza, who was sitting at the round table, was suddenly jolted, and her right hand, which was holding a fork, froze in mid-air.

A large piece of cream cake fell onto the small plate with a thud.

A deep blush visibly rose on Erza's fair neck, spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.

Before Erza could even come up with an excuse...

Bang!

The guild's heavy door was kicked open with brute force.

Natsu stormed into the center of the hall like a whirlwind, yelling at the top of his lungs.

Where's Jiang Bai?!

"Where has Jiang Bai been slacking off again today? Come out and fight me! I've learned some more compression techniques today!!"

Happy flapped his little wings in mid-air, half a grilled fish in his mouth, and slowly followed behind, finishing off the attackers.

"Natsu, forget it. Even if Jiang Bai stood still and let you fight him all day, you still wouldn't be able to break through his Infinity."

"Stop nagging! Happy trying to boost others' morale!"

On the other side of the long table, Gray, shirtless, was grabbing an ice pop with one hand and taking a big bite.

"Natsu, save your energy."

Gray bit the ice cube in his mouth and stroked his chin with a puzzled look.

"It's really strange, though. Every time I see Jiang Bai these past two or three days, he looks listless and has aches and pains all over his back."

"Isn't Jiang Bai usually known as a monster with Infinity stamina who can crush even a giant dragon with ease? Could it be that he suffered some serious, unhealed internal injury during his battle with the nine-headed dragon in the capital?"

The more Gray thought about it, the more reasonable his hypothesis seemed.

After all, those were ancient dragons from four hundred years ago. Even if Jiang Bai won easily on the surface, he might have paid a price in secret.

Bisca, sitting on the sofa near the corner, was bending down to perform mechanical maintenance on the two pistols in her hands.

Hearing these young bachelors making such serious, nonsensical analyses, Bisca couldn't help but laugh out loud.

As a seasoned veteran who had long since married Alzack, Bisca glanced up at Gray and Natsu, put away her screwdriver, and spoke with a knowing, mocking tone.

"Natsu, Gray, you two are such complete children."

"When you grow up and start your own families, you'll naturally understand everything."

This statement, carrying a strong adult implication, was uttered.

Gray was completely bewildered, while Natsu was even more confused, clutching his short pink hair.

Erza, sitting at the round table, was completely restless.

Erza gripped the hem of her pleated skirt tightly with both hands, her face flushed crimson, and it seemed as if hot steam was emanating from her head.

The Titania, who had never retreated a single step on the battlefield, was now flustered and stammering.

"It should... it's probably... a hidden injury!"

Erza waved her hands haphazardly, her eyes completely avoiding Lucy and Levy's gaze, her voice growing softer and softer.

"Yes! After all, it's a nine-headed dragon. The battle was incredibly taxing, so some fatigue is to be expected..."

Mirajane, standing behind the bar, showed none of the girlish innocence and shyness that Erza.

As the guild's undisputed demonic mascot, Mirajane clasped her hands together beside her cheeks and smiled magnanimously, instantly shattering Erza's carefully constructed facade of Crush.

"Oh dear, everyone, please don't make wild guesses and label Xiao Bai with some serious injury."

Mirajane stated the absolute facts with a calm expression and a smile.

"Xiao Bai is very healthy; he doesn't have any internal injuries, not even a scratch."

"The reason he's been so listless and lacking energy during the day lately is simply because he's been staying up too late these past few nights with me and Erza, and his energy levels have been slightly depleted."

Staying up too late.

Excessive energy expenditure.

These two precise and informative words floated lightly from Mirajane's lips.

Erza face was already flushed, froze on the spot.

A few seconds later, Erza suddenly jumped up from the chair, waving her hands wildly in the air, completely losing control and going into a rambling, incoherent state.

"Mira... Mira!!"

"What nonsense are you spouting?!"

Erza's face turned as red as a ripe apple as she let out a stiff, dry laugh while desperately trying to change the subject.

"Haha! What a beautiful sunny day! The guild's new roof is really sturdy, haha!!"

Lucy's little hand, which was holding the orange juice glass, froze on the spot.

Lucy's cheeks flushed red at a visible speed, her eyes widened, and her mind uncontrollably conjured up certain inappropriate scenes for children that could never be broadcast.

The innocent and studious Levy stood there for a full three seconds before belatedly realizing the causal logic between "skincare products" and "energy depletion from staying up late".

Levy her hand to the ground with a thud, then curled up on the ground like a boiled shrimp, her cheeks flushed red, with a large cloud of white smoke rising from her head.