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*****
In the world of Fairy Tail, on Tenrou Island, at the door of a cozy little house—
"The Celestial Spirit World is a magical place. Just as spirits can't remain in the human world for long without a contract, humans also can't stay in the Celestial Spirit World for long unless they wear clothing from that realm.
And one day over there equals a hundred days in the human world.
Back then, I used this principle to create the Eclipse Gate."
Zeref sat cross-legged in front of the tea table, sipping tea as he explained to George the concept and logic behind the gate's creation.
"So without gathering all twelve Celestial Spirit Keys at a specific time and borrowing the power of the Spirit World, you'd need incredibly strong personal power and mastery over time magic to activate the Eclipse Gate."
"That means the small world still needs further refinement, and we need to become stronger before we can hope to open the Eclipse Gate ahead of time."
Hearing Zeref's words, George, who was sprawled across the table, already had a plan forming in his mind.
He wanted to use the Eclipse Gate to release ten thousand dragons from the past, devour every one of them, obtain all types of Dragon Slayer Magic, and become the ultimate Omnidirectional Dragon Slayer Mage.
But unfortunately, there were still five years before the Eclipse Gate would open. Although he had already helped Lucy obtain the twelve golden Celestial Spirit Keys, opening it early—just as the creator Zeref had said—required immense individual strength and extraordinary mastery of time magic.
Time magic wasn't an issue. His current level in that field was not lacking.
As for power equivalent to that of the Celestial Spirit World, he had tested it. He was still a bit short for now, though the gap wasn't that large.
"In that case, I'll deal with the Black Dragon first and get Devour Magic!"
Since he couldn't yet devour ten thousand dragons to obtain omnipotent Dragon Slayer Magic, devouring the Black Dragon to gain Devour Magic and enhance the devouring effect of the Six Paths Thief wasn't a bad idea.
That would help his main body better absorb the Phoenix Force and Chaos Power.
Strengthening his original self might close the gap before long, allowing him to forcibly open the Eclipse Gate through his own strength.
Speaking of which, from the time he crossed into the Marvel Universe and created avatars across different worlds, from a Level-2 mutant clone he had grown to the peak of Heavenly Father level—almost at the threshold of a single-universe entity.
In fact, his combined strength was already enough to battle an ordinary single-universe being.
And all of this in less than six years.
During those six years, thanks to the growing strength of his avatars in various universes—and his own relentless effort to seek every path to power—his strength had risen at a frightening pace, practically in geometric leaps.
Only after reaching the peak of Heavenly Father level did the growth start to slow.
Though "slow" wasn't quite right. He was at the peak, yet his strength continued to rise—just without breaking the limit into the single-universe level.
Even now, he could easily crush several versions of himself from just a few months ago.
At first, he was a bit anxious, but later he gradually let go of that impatience.
Because after thinking it through, he realized that going from Heavenly Father to single-universe was an enormous leap—an entirely different classification.
It was like the difference between a mortal and an immortal.
You start as an ordinary person, then refine the body, build the foundation, form the golden core, condense the nascent soul, transform the spirit, refine the void, merge the Dao, and then undergo tribulation. Only after tribulation can one become an immortal.
Through those eight stages, countless cultivators progress, and with each stage many fall behind. The further one goes, the fewer remain. Once it comes time to undergo tribulation to ascend, it becomes unimaginably difficult.
It's the same for advancing from Heavenly Father to single-universe.
At Heavenly Father level, you still exist within a universe, as a being bound to that universe. At single-universe level, you can transcend that universe entirely.
Or be even greater—possessing your own dimension—becoming a creator god with a complete world of your own.
So, to step into the single-universe realm, he needed to settle down, continually build strength, increase power, deepen his foundation.
Only then could he break the barrier and complete a fundamental transformation of his existence.
Devouring the Black Dragon, devouring ten thousand dragons, devouring the Phoenix Force and Chaos Power, studying magic across worlds, comprehending the essence of magic and the laws of each world to perfect his small world—
These were all preparations for breaking into the single-universe level and gaining a complete dimensional world of his own.
Only with deep accumulation can one burst forth.
"Zeref, George, try the new snacks I invented!"
Mavis flew out of the house carrying two plates, each holding two lumps of unrecognizable paste, followed by the soot-covered Magic King.
"Oh, there are still guild matters I need to handle—I'll head out first."
The moment George saw this, his expression changed and he vanished on the spot, leaving Zeref behind with a paling face.
In magic, Mavis was a prodigy. In cooking, she was a disaster.
And just like she loved innovating in magic, she especially loved creating entirely new dishes and snacks no one had ever seen.
Reality had proven one thing: many recipes that never appeared weren't undiscovered by past master chefs—they were eliminated for good reason.
Ever since Zeref began living with Mavis, George had noticed that Zeref's curse incidents had significantly decreased.
"Master, you're back!"
When Mirajane saw George appear in the guild, she happily rushed over.
George shifted from cat form back to human, scooped Mirajane into his arms, and kissed her.
"The guild hasn't had any trouble lately, right?"
Everyone has desires, and after spending so much time together, emotional bonds were inevitable.
George spent most of his time studying magic, so he hadn't wasted time proactively seeking romance.
Besides, his true body and avatars weren't all single. His mind was one, simply split across separate bodies.
When one experienced pleasure, the rest felt it as well—there was no emptiness.
Though he wasn't proactive, that didn't mean others weren't.
As the guild master, leading the guild through wave after wave of crises, mature in mind and immensely powerful, it was hard not to attract female mages.
If he had always remained in cat form, it might've been fine.
But ever since he mastered perfect transformation, he often interacted with everyone in human form.
Over time, Mirajane—who spent the most time with him—naturally fell in love with him.
Since someone willingly threw themselves into his arms, and he wasn't some saint like Liu Xiahui who sits unmoved under a willow tree, he simply accepted and went with the flow.
"While Natsu and the others were on an S-Class mission, they accidentally blew up half of Acalypha City."
Mirajane released him and reported, "But the guild has already sent members trained in repair magic to help with the reconstruction.
It should be fixed in about half a month."
"Forget it, I'd better go in person.
If it takes half a month, the Magic Council will definitely send complaints again."
George rubbed his forehead. "These guys—when it comes to finding magic books, they're useless, but when it comes to causing trouble, they're number one."
(End of Chapter)