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"Golden Light Spell!"
"Phantom Shift!"
"Super Magic: Fairy Law!"
"Super Magic: Fairy Radiance!"
"Super Magic: Fairy Sphere!"
"Avada Lightning Chain!"
"Tri-Color Flames!"
"Sleep now."
George's entire body radiated with golden light. While physically overpowering Irene and slamming her into the ground with a brutal assault, he simultaneously unleashed a barrage of powerful spells, clashing against the magical attacks of the Magic King.
At the same time, he laid down a Five Elements Kabbalah defensive barrier around them, preventing the shockwaves from harming the guild's wizards or the twelve Shields whose memories he was about to copy.
Inside the barrier, magical explosions erupted endlessly, terrifying spells flying in every direction. Roars of dragons and shouted incantations filled the air in a chaotic symphony of destruction.
Outside the barrier, the guild's wizards and the remaining twelve Shields trembled uncontrollably, their eyes filled with fear and disbelief. They had never witnessed a battle of such terrifying scale.
If not for the protection of the barrier and the fact that this was happening in a mirror dimension, the destructive power of this battle would have already shattered the entire Western Continent.
Just then, a figure appeared before them all.
"Your Majesty!"
The ten remaining Twelve Shields, who had lost the will to fight, instantly lit up with joy, while Natsu and the others turned pale, immediately surging their magical power.
"Hold him off until the Guild Master finishes the fight—don't let him interfere!"
Erza switched into her most powerful bandage armor and shouted seriously.
The person who had arrived was none other than Zeref, the black mage who single-handedly founded the Alvarez Empire and created countless terrifying demons and forbidden magics.
Erza feared that if Zeref joined the already three-on-one fight, George wouldn't be able to hold out.
So she intended to join forces with the others to delay Zeref.
"Your Majesty, don't worry about them—we'll handle this!"
Despite their severe injuries, the ten Twelve Shields gritted their teeth and stood up with great difficulty.
But to everyone's surprise, Zeref made no move to attack. Instead, with a hint of relief in his voice, he said:
"Relax, I won't be joining the battle. Besides, even if I did, it wouldn't change the outcome."
Everyone believed that Zeref was the strongest mage in the empire—even George thought so. His reputation alone made that easy to believe.
But only Zeref knew the truth: in terms of pure combat strength, he wasn't much stronger than August or Irene.
In fact, he was never particularly skilled in combat. His strengths lay in magical research, creation, and simply living long enough to amass knowledge.
Years ago, he had swept across the Western Continent alone and established the Alvarez Empire simply because the continent lacked any powerful wizards at the time.
Now, the boy he adopted—who bore a striking resemblance to Mavis—was no weaker than him. But out of respect and reverence, the boy still listened to him.
As for Irene, a magical genius who created Dragon Slayer Magic four hundred years ago and also a dragon herself, how could she be weaker than him?
She only followed Zeref out of gratitude for helping her regain a human form and because she had nowhere else to go.
So in Zeref's eyes, based on the power George had just displayed—effortlessly toying with August and Irene—even if he joined in, the chance of winning was practically zero.
But why was he happy?
Because George's strength and the many unknown spells and techniques he wielded might finally be enough to kill him—and set him free.
Even if Natsu's potential were fully unlocked, Zeref doubted it would surpass the power George was currently displaying.
"Father, it seems I can no longer protect you."
Inside the barrier, Irene lay on the ground, barely breathing, pinned under George's dragon claw.
August's berserk form was also fading. His magic was nearly depleted—the outcome was practically decided.
So, he chose to use his final trump card: an ancient, forbidden spell that would cost his life and take George down with him.
"Ars Magia—!"
But just as he was about to cast the spell, his father's voice echoed in his ears.
"August, stop."
In that brief moment of hesitation, George's spell struck him and immobilized him instantly.
"Soul Capture: Thought Extraction!"
Unbothered by Zeref's presence or his sudden intervention, George grabbed Irene with one hand and August with the other, beginning to read and replicate their memories.
August's final spell had shaken him deeply. It had the potential to seriously injure him, and he couldn't afford to ignore such a powerful technique.
"These two... to think they were..."
After finishing the soul search, George silently lifted his dragon claw off Irene and released the magic binding August. He even cast two healing spells to keep them from dying of their wounds.
The vast trove of high-level spells in their minds didn't surprise him—what did was their identities.
Besides being Twelve Shields and the Empire's Twin Pillars, August and Irene had deep ties to the Fairy Tail guild.
First, August—he turned out to be the biological son of Zeref and Mavis.
But since Mavis was only a few months pregnant when she died, neither of them knew they had a child.
He was discovered by the second guild master after Mavis was resurrected, born, and then abandoned.
Now for Irene—a more tragic and bizarre story.
She was the queen of the Kingdom of Dragnof four hundred years ago. To resist the invasion of evil dragons, she invented Enchant Magic and used it to infuse human bodies with dragon power, thus creating Dragon Slayer Magic.
But later, due to the side effects of that magic, she began turning into a dragon herself and was hated by her husband, who despised dragons.
Her husband, family, and the very people she had protected with her life all betrayed her, branding her a traitor and imprisoning and torturing her for three years.
She was pregnant at the time.
Eventually, she completely transformed into a dragon and escaped into the mountains. Driven mad by her transformation, she hid away for centuries—until she met Zeref.
Zeref restored her human form, but her essence remained draconic—she lost her sense of taste and could never sleep again.
It was during this time that she gave birth to her child—Erza.
In desperation to become human again, she even considered transferring her soul into Erza's body. But motherly love brought her back to her senses.
Fearing she'd lose control again, she abandoned Erza and went into hiding in the Western Continent.
So one was the son of the first guild master, and the other was Erza's mother—both blood relatives of key Fairy Tail members.
"Zeref, are you trying to have a one-on-one fair fight with me?"
Dispelling the barrier, George turned to face Zeref.
Zeref shook his head and replied,
"No. I want you to grant me death."
(End of Chapter)