Upon seeing that familiar figure in the rising tower, the sentient staff Kuroa's voice trembled with both fear and excitement as he exclaimed.
"Master Zero! You have awakened!"
Ankh, with his keen eyesight, frowned as he observed Zero.
The Magic Power emanating from Zero was far more terrifying than Brain's.
How was that possible?
They shared the same body, yet the quality of their Magic Power differed so drastically.
It was like comparing a candle to a wildfire.
Ankh casually set the unconscious Angel down on a safe patch of ground.
His rough handling caused her, who had been somewhat stirred emotionally by the rescue, to faint once again from the impact.
Jura, who had just battled Brain, warily stared at the figure in the throne room, puzzled.
It was unmistakably Brain's appearance, but unlike before, the six dark facial markings were gone.
His attire had changed from the ceremonial robes to a form-fitting combat uniform, and his once-gloomy eyes were now blood-red, filled with brutality and pure evil.
This was the Inner Personality: Zero.
"Master 'Zero' is Brain's inner personality!" Kuroa explained frantically to the confused allied mages.
"Due to its unparalleled destructive power and excessively cruel nature, Brain sealed this personality with six 'Living Link Keys'—the members of Oración Seis!"
"When all six locks are defeated, the seal breaks! That will be your doom! You brats of the Allied Light Forces! Hahahaha!"
Kuroa unrestrainedly boasted about Zero, and the "Nothingness" in the audience hall seemed to hear the commotion below.
He grinned, revealing sharp teeth.
BOOM!
Zero took a large step forward and shot down from the tower like a cannonball, aiming directly for the group.
"Watch out!"
Jura pressed his hand against the ground.
"Iron Rock Wall!"
Dense clusters of rocks rose one after another, attempting to intercept Zero.
"Weak!"
With a wild grin, Zero raised his fist and swung down heavily.
CRASH!
Smashing the rocks to dust as if they were flour, he didn't even slow down.
This feels completely different from before! Jura's heart tightened as he prepared to cast another spell.
But Ankh suddenly appeared before him, intercepting the path.
Thick black Death Wave gathered around Ankh's mouth before erupting violently.
"Death God's... Howl!!"
ROAR!
A dark, blood-tinged glow seemed to devour the already sparse starlight as it shot straight into the sky, colliding with Zero mid-air.
Zero's manic laughter abruptly ceased.
"What?!"
He hastily crossed his arms in front of his chest to block, allowing Ankh's breath attack to strike him directly.
BANG!
Then the very Guild Master Zero that Kuroa had praised as peerless and comparable to Zeref was sent flying into the distance like a kite with its string cut, blown away by the howl.
He crashed into the ruins of the royal city.
Jura: "..."
Kuroa: "???"
Ankh stared expressionlessly at the falling Zero, dusting off his coat.
He turned to Jura: "You all focus on stopping Nirvana. Leave Zero to me."
Jura hesitated slightly, asking: "Are you sure you can handle him alone? His magic power is immense."
Ankh nodded confidentially: "I haven't really exerted myself until now. This big fish is mine."
Jura agreed, bowing respectfully.
Erza and the others naturally had complete faith in Ankh.
"Go!"
...
"Useless."
In the ruins, Zero brushed the dust off his clothes and stood up.
His body was still wreathed in clinging black Death Waves like maggots burrowed in bone, eroding his defense.
"That move of yours really hurt..." Zero sneered, shaking off the black magic. "But that's good. Destroying a genius like you will be even more satisfying!"
Zero spread his hands.
Thick magic power whips extended from dark green magic circles, savagely lashing toward Ankh.
"Void Lash!!"
This technique was a variation of Brain's "Dark Rhapsody," but its power was several times stronger and faster.
Ankh stepped forward, concentrating Death God Power in his arm.
With a claw-like gesture, his pitch-black hand abruptly grabbed the thick dark green beam whip.
CRUSH.
The Void Lash shattered in Ankh's grip.
Then he leaped up, raising his arm to deliver a death-tinged black fist straight toward Zero's face.
Zero responded in kind, meeting him fist for fist with a maniacal grin.
"Death God's Devouring Fist!"
BAM!
The moment their fists connected, Zero's eyes widened.
He felt all the force he'd channeled into his punch being completely consumed.
Strangely, even his blood and flesh began to be drawn out.
Ankh's fist, solidified with death energy, acted like a small black hole, continuously devouring everything it touched.
"Tch!"
The ruthless Zero immediately withdrew his hand, tearing away a large patch of skin and flesh to escape the suction, then switched to attacking Ankh's other vital points.
"Brain already programmed Nirvana to be unstoppable! You have no way to prevent this!"
Zero frantically mobilized all his muscles, his punches and kicks coming at Ankh like a violent storm.
Ankh swiftly countered Zero's onslaught, parrying and dodging.
"My companions aren't as foolish as you think," Ankh said with complete assurance. "They'll find a way."
...
In the audience hall.
Hibiki had been typing furiously on his Archive screens for a long time but still couldn't crack Nirvana's shutdown sequence.
"Damn it!"
Nearby, Carla watched Wendy with deep concern.
According to the trajectory map on the screen, Nirvana was rapidly approaching Cait Shelter—meaning their guild would be its first target!
Jura asked with a grave expression, "Can we stop it, Hibiki-kun?"
Hibiki slammed the control panel in frustration, gritting his teeth.
"The leader (Brain) completely destroyed Nirvana's shutdown program software. There's no direct way to stop it from the console."
"Then... what about destroying it directly?"
Natsu, who couldn't help with the technical aspects and was sitting in the corner, brightened up and proposed a solution that matched his expertise.
"If we break the legs, it can't walk, right?"
Hibiki paused as his eyes widened.
He quickly flipped through the schematics on his screen, exclaiming excitedly.
"That's it! Nirvana's six tentacles continuously draw magic power from the earth. At the base of each tentacle, there's a massive Magic Crystal Lacrima that supplies Nirvana's magic cannon and movement. If we destroy those..."
Natsu punched his palm, grinning: "Simple! We'll take care of it! I'll break them all!"
"Wait!" Hibiki stopped him. "Since the magic crystals are interconnected, if one breaks, the others will automatically redistribute magic power to repair it instantly. We need to destroy all six simultaneously!"
Hibiki rapidly pressed the alloy keys on the ancient text keyboard.
"Archive: Telepathy! Map Download!"
He tapped the air, causing a golden progress bar to instantly appear above everyone's heads.
Ding!
"Huh? Did a map just suddenly pop into my head?"
Natsu froze for a moment, scratching his head as he spoke.
Chibi-style portraits of several people appeared on Hibiki's ancient text screen as he explained:
"This is the route I've planned for everyone. Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lyon, along with Mr. Jura and Mr. Ichiya. You will go destroy the Magic Crystals at the six legs."
"I'll stay here to care for the wounded, coordinate the timing via telepathy for everyone, and ensure nothing goes wrong."
Everyone nodded in unison.
Erza's serious voice encouraged the group.
"Let's do our best, everyone! We absolutely cannot lose to Zero or this city. We'll take care of Nirvana, and this will all be over soon!"
"Let's go!!"
After the rallying cheers, the six split up and ran toward their destination along the shortest routes Hibiki had planned.
...
Meanwhile, at a different destination deep within the structure.
Jellal, who had come for the secret mission assigned by Ankh, was already in position—having even infiltrated a more dangerous location than the leg crystals.
Inside the hall of Nirvana's Main Output Port, which was essentially the barrel of Nirvana's central magic cannon.
Jellal was steadying his mind, resisting the erosion of Nirvana's magic power on himself.
He held Ankh's white Magic Crystal in his hands, holding it up to the stream of energy.
He was desperately absorbing Nirvana's core magical energy signatures and data into the crystal.
"Just a little more..." Jellal gritted his teeth as the energy burned him.
The timing was almost perfect now.
He was just waiting for them to shut down Nirvana so he could escape before the backlash hit.
---------
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