"Ice-Make! Great Hammer!"
Outside Magnolia's city walls, Gray, completely bare-chested, was engaged in fierce combat with his partner, Loke.
Loke's hands shimmered with the King's Light, mercilessly shattering the ice hammer before launching a lion-shaped blast of light toward Gray.
The two exchanged heavy blows in rapid succession.
On a distant hill, several figures stood hidden, quietly observing their training session.
Ur spoke with complex emotions swirling in her eyes, "Gray... he really has become strong."
Being alive truly was a wonderful thing—to witness one's disciple grow into adulthood.
And to hear news that her biological daughter still existed in this world.
"Let's go, Ur. It's time for us to depart." Ankh patted her shoulder reassuringly.
Ur nodded, her eyes regaining their fierce determination. "I won't let anyone destroy this child's happiness."
The two turned to leave, and the five people waiting nearby approached upon seeing this.
Sorano quietly moved closer to Ankh and asked with a playful smile, "So Boss, is this mission really that troublesome that you needed to call all of us?"
Jellal, seeing Ankh's unusually troubled expression for the first time, offered concerned comfort.
"Although Grimoire Heart is powerful, with Fairy Tail and our combined strength, we should be able to resolve this quickly."
Ankh shook his head and sighed. "If we don't handle this promptly, our opponents won't just be Grimoire Heart. We might also face... Acnologia."
Cobra scratched his head in confusion. "Acnologia? Who's that?"
Racer similarly shook his head, lacking any knowledge about the name.
Midnight's expression turned grave as he explained:
"That is the Black Dragon recorded in the Book of Zeref—the legendary Dragon King. Each of its appearance signals the end of an era, hence it is also called 'The Dragon of the Apocalypse.'"
The group boarded the magic airship Ankh had arranged from his company, setting their course for Tenrou Island.
Ankh led Ur and the several hidden employees into the airship's conference room for a tactical briefing.
"I have received intelligence that Zeref's traces have been detected on Tenrou Island. The Black Dragon is likely going to be drawn by the aura emanating from him."
Jellal froze momentarily, expressing pure horror. "The legendary evil Black Mage Zeref is there?!"
Ankh nodded, pulling out a document to make notes. "Our objective is to attempt locating Zeref before Grimoire Heart arrives. Whether we control him or drive him away will depend on the situation, but we absolutely cannot let his death energy spread and attract the Black Dragon."
Silence fell over the group—the mission sounded impossibly difficult.
Dealing with Zeref, and potentially Grimoire Heart too if they were too slow.
The four former members of Oración Seis, once part of the Balam Alliance's Dark Guilds, understood Grimoire Heart's terrifying capabilities all too well.
The Seven Kin of Purgatory were said to each practice lost ancient Magic, possessing combat power equivalent to S-Class rankings in legal guild assessments.
Yet, none of those present harbored any hesitation.
Ur was driven by her urgent desire to protect Gray and her profound longing for Ultear, who remained with Grimoire Heart.
Though Jellal had been deceived by Ultear using Zeref's name in the past, and held no hatred after regaining clarity, he still regarded Zeref with considerable wariness due to the R-System incident, considering him a target that needed handling.
Sorano's mindset was rather simple, she now held a pure loyalty to Ankh, following his every command without question.
Racer and Midnight had also turned over a new leaf, dedicating themselves to combating Dark Guilds.
As for Cobra, needless to say, he had been working tirelessly these days simply for the sake of his "little girlfriend," Kinana.
The atmosphere aboard the airship was somewhat subdued, but it was far from the despair Ankh had originally anticipated, which allowed him to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
After all, standing against Zeref and the Black Dragon was not a decision just anyone could make.
However, Ankh and the others, who had set out several days ahead of the S-Class candidates, were destined to fail in achieving their primary goal.
Due to a reminder from a mysterious entity, Zeref had long since left Tenrou Island.
Not only that, but the Alvarez Empire had also begun to take action.
The first to receive the news was, as always, the Magic Council.
...
Gran Doma stood in the Council hall, his eyes filled with shock and fury as he stared at the young man standing before the assembly of councilors, and spoke.
"You are saying the Alvarez Empire is dispatching troops to Tenrou Island?!"
A handsome young man with gray-blue hair, a neat braid tied at the back of his head, and wearing glasses stood calmly with his hands behind his back.
Under the collective, furious gaze of the councilors, he spoke calmly.
"Chairman of Ishgar, you have already formally leased Tenrou Island to us, and the payment has been delivered to the Council. So, what is the issue with our great Emperor inspecting the land he has purchased?"
The faces of all the councilors turned grim simultaneously.
Sweat beaded on their foreheads as their eyes darted toward the deeply uncomfortable Gran Doma.
For this specific meeting, the disempowered dove faction councilors had not attended, precisely to avoid them offending the envoy who had come to negotiate.
As a result, there was no one left in the room with the actual courage to negotiate terms.
Gran Doma forced a smile and said in a trembling voice, "But isn't it a bit excessive to bring an entire army into Ishgar's coastal waters?"
The young man's expression remained completely unperturbed as he coldly replied, "It is merely the Emperor's personal guard. Does the King of Ishgar not have guards when he travels?"
"You!"
An elderly councilor couldn't help but slam the table, wanting to warn the young man not to be so insolent.
However, the young man suddenly turned his head.
His icy gaze pierced through the old councilor, who instantly felt a terrifying chill run through his body, as if winter had seeped directly into his bones.
It was Ice-Attribute Magic... and its intensity was truly terrifying!
The old councilor was too intimidated to speak.
The young man withdrew his gaze and looked back at Gran Doma, seated at the head of the table, saying, "I am here only to convey the Emperor's intentions, not to discuss them with you."
Gran Doma clenched the staff in his hand, gritting his teeth in pure frustration.
If Alvarez intended to inspect Tenrou Island ahead of schedule, how could he carry out his plan to kill three birds with one stone?!
The elderly councilors present fell silent, while only Org and a few others still burned with rage but dared not voice their anger.
A flicker of disappointment passed through the young man's eyes.
This is truly a cowardly place, filled with weaklings who fear war.
Just as the young man was about to turn and leave, Gran Doma suddenly spoke up, "There are still Fairy Tail Mages on Tenrou Island. Could your country wait before entering?"
The young man paused for a moment, then snorted coldly and turned to leave.
His steady voice drifted back on the freezing wind into everyone's ears.
"Since Tenrou Island has now become our nation's territory, how we deal with those trespassing people is none of your concern."
After the ice-cold young man departed, everyone finally caught their breath, pointing in his direction and cursing vehemently.
Only Gran Doma's murky old eyes flickered with deep malice.
'So it seems the outcome remains unchanged!'
'According to that brat's arrogant words, Fairy Tail remains under control, and is now practically guaranteed to face complete annihilation!'