When Ankh originally developed this technique, he had tested it through sparring with Laxus.
The results were evident—it nearly sent the lightning mage to the afterlife on the spot.
It was a move Ankh reserved only for things he wanted erased from existence.
Beneath the distant rubble lay Zero's corpse, deader than dead.
A black hole inherently devours everything, but one conjured by Ankh using Death God Power went a step further—it could swallow and shatter all internal life energy within a person, bypassing physical durability.
Unless Ankh's casting was interrupted during the wind-up phase, or one endured the locking effect during the black hole's flight with immense willpower, this technique was invariably fatal.
'Oh... unless the target possessed Divine Power protection at the physical level,' Ankh noted mentally.
'But Zero was just a man playing god.'
Gazing at the starry sky now unobstructed by the jungle canopy and the dust of the collapsed city, Ankh breathed a relieved sigh.
"Finally."
Now, it should truly be over.
Soon, the alliance members who had landed in various locations began regrouping amidst the ruins of Nirvana.
Natsu, who had been carried flying by Happy earlier to prevent Nirvana-induced motion sickness during the collapse, arrived first.
Seeing Ankh unharmed, Natsu slapped Ankh's back, laughing loudly. "You're so slow, Ankh! We destroyed the Magic Crystals way before you finished!"
Ankh scoffed, dusting off his shoulder.
He taunted back: "If you were fighting Zero, it'd take you at least twenty minutes to warm up."
Natsu immediately flared up, howling. "No way I would! I'd torch him in ten seconds!"
Happy covered his mouth and whispered to Ankh while snickering, "Natsu was really struggling when fighting Cobra earlier! He almost cried!"
"Shut up, cat! That was me adapting to my new power!"
The human and cat started bickering again as Erza, Gray, and Jura gradually gathered around them.
Ichiya twisted his muscular body, posing despite his bruises.
He praised Ankh, "Men! Master Ankh's Parfum is truly extraordinary! You defeated their Guild Master so easily. Your scent is the scent of victory!"
Ankh raised an eyebrow. "I feel like you've been missing for quite some time, is that just my imagination? Did you hide in a bush?"
Over there, Gray was pressing his forehead against Lyon's without holding back, sparks flying between the brothers.
"Our guild took down five of the Oración Seis members!" Gray shouted defiantly. "Still won't admit our guild is the strongest, Lyon?!"
Lyon pressed his head back just as defiantly, ignoring the question to retort.
"Gray, are you stupid? If it weren't for me, you would have been taken down by that Racer! How dare you claim you defeated him?"
"Hah? I could have taken that guy down even without you!"
"Ridiculous! Without me, you wouldn't even have been able to touch the hem of Oración Seis' clothes! You strip too slow!"
The members of Blue Pegasus, who had basically zero combat contribution and were nearly dead from exhaustion, whimpered from the ground.
"Stop fighting, please stop... our heads hurt..."
Erza crossed her arms, looking at the rubble where Zero fell.
She pondered, "Speaking of which, where is that Skeleton Staff Brain was holding? Was it defeated too?"
Ankh shook his head smoothly and lied without blinking.
"He hid behind the Guild Master back then, and disappeared once the battle started. Probably crushed in the collapse."
Jura frowned and said, "There's still one that got away, but just a staff probably can't cause any trouble anymore without a wielder."
Ankh turned his gaze to the injured lying on the ground.
Seeing they were gradually regaining consciousness thanks to his earlier healing wave, Ankh quickly went over.
Lucy was still fast asleep, though she seemed to be out of danger.
Natsu took advantage of the chaos between Gray and Lyon to punch both of them, then ran over to Lucy.
He mischievously started drawing graffiti on her face with a piece of charcoal from the ruins.
Wendy already showed some physical resilience befitting a Dragon Slayer Mage.
She was propping herself up to use healing Magic on Carla beside her.
Eve was tightly wrapped in bandages, while Ren and Sherry were blushing and holding hands, saying some tsundere things, looking completely lovestruck amidst the disaster.
Ankh crouched down beside Wendy and asked concerned, "How are you feeling, Wendy? Were you badly injured by Brain?"
Wendy shook her head, a gentle smile on her face.
"I'm fine now, thanks to your treatment."
"What I did was just emergency first aid. The detailed healing still relies on you."
Noticing Wendy seemed somewhat quiet, Ankh tilted his head and asked softly, "Are you thinking about Jellal?"
"Huh?"
Wendy was startled.
She lowered her head and poked her fingers together, whispering: "Because Jellal saved me when I was little... We mentioned Jellal before this mission, but I never saw him..."
Ankh thought for a moment.
He decided to protect the secret of his new "employee."
"I saw him," Ankh replied gently. "He's doing well. He provided me with a lot of information to stop Nirvana. His previous evil deeds were because he was being controlled. Now he's busy traveling around to atone for his sins."
"Really?"
Wendy's soft, adorable eyes lit up.
She swayed happily from side to side and giggled, "That's great! He's safe!"
When Wendy lost Grandeeney's care as a child, it was Jellal (actually Mystogan form Edolas, though she didn't know the difference) who looked after her and sent her to the guild.
Because they both had blue hair, the two were like siblings, and Wendy had never stopped searching for Jellal all these years.
However, the Jellal Ankh hired was not exactly the one she was looking for, though Wendy hadn't realized the complexity of the situation yet.
...
At this moment, Jellal was moving through the dense forest in the distance, stopping and starting.
He looked ridiculous.
He carried one person in each hand (Cobra and Racer) and had another slung over his shoulder (Midnight), miserably fleeing into the distance like a kidnapper.
All surviving members of Oración Seis—except for Angel and Hoteye—had been "rescued" by Jellal.
Simultaneously, the white Magic Crystal in his pocket had been fully charged with Nirvana's core Magic Power data, marking the complete success of Ankh's hidden mission.
Therefore, before the Council's reinforcements could arrive, Jellal needed to put as much distance as possible between himself and the area.
...
Back at the ruins.
Seeing that everyone was safe and sound, Ankh felt relieved.
Shortly after, Ichiya came running toward him with a pained expression, clutching his crotch, and wailed in his seductively magnetic voice:
"Men! Ankh-san! Emergency! I really want to release the perfume of my prostate!!"
A vein bulged on Ankh's forehead.
He yelled at the man who never failed to irritate him. "Then go piss you bastard! Why are you telling me?!"
Ichiya bent his legs and clamped them together, letting out a nauseatingly coy reply.
"But there's a Magic Formula over there! I can't get through to the bushes..."
"You... Huh?"
Ankh's voice trailed off.
He gazed into the distance, his expression instantly darkening.
Calling over Jura nearby, the three guild representatives walked toward the edge of the clearing.
A massive rune barrier surrounded them.
Outside the barrier stood rows of armed soldiers in Magic Council uniforms.
At the front, facing Ankh, was a young man wearing glasses who appeared refined and scholarly.
Lahar of the Custody Enforcement Unit.
"We have no intention of taking forceful measures. Please remain where you are and do not move," the bespectacled man spoke sternly to those inside the Magic Formula.
Ichiya, desperate and his face turning purple, cried out in a voice that was losing its magnetic charm and becoming shrill.
"I haven't urinated since I got here! I can't hold it any longer! Let me out MENNNNN!"
"Wheew~"
Hearing the commanding tone of the Council, Ankh let out a contemptuous whistle, making Ichiya feel even more like dying from embarrassment.
Then, without holding back, Ankh stepped forward, his aura flaring slightly as he launched into sarcastic mockery.
"If it isn't the hardworking Council army! What? The battle's over, the enemy is defeated, and now you show up to claim credit and clean up the mess?"
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