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*****
"How dare you! Such insolence before His Majesty the Emperor!"
The Spriggan Twelve's expressions immediately darkened as they saw Natsu speak so rudely.
To them, Zeref was the great emperor who single-handedly built the empire, bringing peace and order to the chaotic Western Continent.
Even after all these years, he had shown no signs of aging. In their eyes, he was nothing short of a god.
"Natsu, you don't need to understand why. You just need to hate me—despise me."
Zeref raised a hand to stop the Spriggan Twelve from making a move, his gaze on Natsu tinged with sorrow.
He didn't want to do this—but perhaps, this was the only way left.
"Larcade, kill everyone except Natsu."
"Yes, Father."
From Zeref's other side, a young man dressed similarly and carrying a large cross on his back stepped forward.
His name was Larcade Dragneel, one of the earliest and most powerful demons Zeref had ever created.
He took great pride in being granted the same surname as Zeref.
Upon hearing the order, Larcade pressed his palms together and unleashed a wide-range sleep spell over all the Fairy Tail wizards.
"R.I.P."
A powerful wave of magic erupted from Larcade's body, and the Fairy Tail mages' eyelids began to droop instantly.
"Such a powerful sleep spell…"
Even those at the level of Gildarts, Jellal, and Laxus began to succumb to the spell's effect.
As for the others—they didn't stand a chance.
It was worth noting that Laxus had been almost completely immune to Mystogan's sleep magic in the past due to sheer magical power.
This alone showed how devastating Larcade's spell was. If things turned violent, just one member of the Spriggan Twelve—Larcade—might be able to wipe out all of Fairy Tail.
"Forget you lot—even Acnologia wouldn't escape my spell. No one can—"
"Ahem, your magic's certainly impressive, but don't you think you're exaggerating a bit?"
George cleared his throat and flicked his tail, releasing a streak of blue light that chained through Gildarts and linked to every other Fairy Tail member.
He had realized something about the Spriggan Twelve—they were undeniably powerful, but overly confident, likely due to never having lost on the Western Continent.
"Awaken, all of you!"
The Revival Charm—a spell that swiftly wakes those put to sleep.
After extensive magical study, George had modified nearly every single-target spell from the Harry Potter world into area-of-effect versions.
So his version of the Revival Charm worked like a chain lightning spell.
Thanks to George's powerful magic, the Fairy Tail members instantly snapped awake, no longer under the influence of Larcade's spell.
"He actually broke Larcade's magic!"
Zeref and the other Spriggan Twelve were visibly surprised to see Larcade's spell undone.
This sleep spell was strong enough to affect even them. Breaking it shouldn't have been this easy.
Larcade himself was stunned.
"I didn't want to dirty Father's palace. I had hoped to grant you a peaceful death… but since you insist on dying violently, don't blame me."
He grabbed the cross on his back—his magical weapon.
But before he could cast anything, George acted first.
"Sweet dreams, little one."
It was a refined version of the Lullaby spell.
When it came to sleep magic, George was a master.
He had studied not only this world's sleep spells but also sleep-inducing magic from the Harry Potter universe, as well as Lucian's spell that could put Morgoth to sleep.
With all this combined knowledge, George's expertise in sleep magic even exceeded Larcade's.
The spell was targeted entirely at Larcade, allowing its full power to take effect.
"W-What?!"
Larcade had just begun to act when his mind went blank. He collapsed with a thud, eyes rolling back into unconsciousness.
The rest of the Spriggan Twelve instantly grew tense.
At that moment, they realized something crucial—while Fairy Tail's other members might be average, this golden cat—their guild master—was no pushover.
"Your Majesty Spriggan, please wait. Our Guild Master, Mavis, wishes to speak with you!"
Seeing that the situation was reaching a breaking point, George quickly shouted out.
It was clear that Zeref was hiding something—and George intended to play his final card. If peace couldn't be achieved, then a fight would be inevitable.
If it came to battle, then at least it would be on Western Empire territory. If they won, he could copy the memories of everyone here—including Zeref.
And if they lost, they'd just retreat back to the East.
"Wait."
At the mention of Mavis's name, Zeref froze and again lifted a hand to stop the Spriggan Twelve.
Mavis was long dead, but he could vaguely sense her presence here—just like he had on Tenrou Island, where he often felt her nearby.
"Guild Master Mavis, don't resist."
George turned to the ghostly form of Mavis, who nodded slightly.
As a spirit, Mavis could only be seen by Fairy Tail members. To allow Zeref to see her, George would have to use other means.
Fortunately, one of his newest clones had just learned a method that could solve this.
"Spirit Summoning!"
George reached toward Mavis. His magical energy turned into black qi and rapidly enveloped her.
Soon, her spirit—wrapped in black qi—was pulled into George's body as part of the summoning process.
Because Mavis didn't resist at all, the ritual went smoothly despite George having only recently learned it.
"Come forth!"
Moments later, George waved his hand, and Mavis's soul, now strengthened by qi, materialized in a near-physical form visible to everyone.
"Zeref, I know what you fear. I know how to break the curse—to free you from immortality."
Mavis spoke directly to Zeref upon appearing.
From what Zeref had said earlier, she had already pieced together his true intentions.
She and Zeref bore the same curse. Once his closest companion, she understood his heart more than anyone else.
During her days wandering alone after leaving Fairy Tail, her deepest wish had been for someone to end her life—so she would no longer hurt others.
"Mavis… I never imagined I'd see you again."
Zeref's expression grew extremely conflicted as he looked at her. A wave of deathly energy seemed ready to explode from within him but was quickly suppressed.
Once it was contained, his face returned to that same cold indifference.
(End of Chapter)