Though to the outside world...
Entering the Star Council only meant an instant had passed.
But within this mysterious space, independent of space and time...
It was a full, genuine twenty-four hours.
While they waited for Zeref and Natsuki Subaru...
Perona, Aizen, and Joseph naturally did not sit idle.
Instead, they kept an eye on the situation over there while chatting casually.
Naturally, most of the conversation fell to the lively, restless Perona.
She vividly told Aizen and Joseph about the Top 100 Tournament currently in full swing on Sea Star, along with all sorts of amusing things she had experienced in daily life.
Joseph listened with great interest, letting out exaggerated cries of surprise and quips from time to time, giving her plenty of emotional feedback.
Aizen, meanwhile, maintained his gentle, refined smile the entire time, listening quietly and occasionally raising questions that struck straight at the core.
They always made Perona rack her brains for ages.
In the blink of an eye...
More than five hours quietly passed.
Just then...
The magic circle that had been rotating beneath Zeref's feet suddenly stopped and vanished.
The next second...
His figure turned into a mass of black mist and appeared beside Aizen, in the Scorpio seat.
This sudden change brought Perona and Joseph's conversation to an abrupt halt.
Aizen tilted his head slightly, looking over Zeref, whose aura was steady, and the corners of his mouth lifted in a mild smile. "It seems the process went smoothly."
"Indeed."
Zeref calmly nodded in acknowledgment.
A scholar's satisfaction appeared on that cold, stern face.
"The difficulty was unexpectedly low, but the gains were unexpectedly great."
"The two Witch Factors inside Natsuki Subaru's body gave me a deeper understanding of 'concepts.'"
After saying this, Zeref slowly raised his right hand and spread his