"Is that why Father wanted it?" Laxus muttered, remembering Ivan's obsession. He never thought it was something this terrifying.
"If this kind of thing leaks…" he clenched his fists, "I don't know how many people will go mad chasing after it. Infinite magic—there's nothing a mage fears more than running out of power."
Makarov sighed heavily.
"My son, Ivan, once longed for it. I wondered how he even knew. But now… even Alvarez knows."
Elfman spoke up, his voice low but firm.
"You mean Alvarez is fighting to take Fairy Heart?"
"But for what purpose?" Lisanna asked. "Their power already shakes the world."
Mavis's expression hardened.
"Even with power enough to shake the world, they are not the strongest. There is still Acnologia… and Su Yan. Both surpass Alvarez. When Zeref spoke of preparing for war in the past, there was no Su Yan, and only Acnologia posed a threat to him. So Fairy Heart… was likely meant as his countermeasure against Acnologia."
Everyone stiffened. The weight of her words was undeniable.
"Then if they attack us," Juvia asked nervously, "aren't they afraid Acnologia will strike while they're fighting? Like a fisherman reaping the spoils of snipe and clam?"
Mavis shook her head. "My guess is… if Acnologia shows up, his first target will be Su Yan."
"Why?" puzzled voices rose from every corner.
"Because Su Yan scarred Acnologia back on Tenrou Island. And Acnologia is obsessed with destroying dragons. But most of all—Su Yan became a new Dragon King at the Dragon King Festival."
Realization spread quickly. One mountain cannot hold two tigers. One continent cannot hold two Dragon Kings.
"Back then, Su Yan was weaker than he is now, and he still injured Acnologia," Mavis said gravely. "Now their strengths may be near equal."
"Two monsters fighting…" Gray muttered. "No matter who wins, the other will be badly wounded. And if Zeref has Fairy Heart waiting, then it doesn't matter who survives—Zeref could finish them."
Now the guild understood. Zeref's war wasn't just conquest. It was a strategy of snipe and clam—forcing Su Yan and Acnologia into battle, then harvesting the weakened victor.
If Fairy Heart fell to Zeref, Ishgar was doomed.
"Never!!" voices roared.
"Fairy Heart must never be handed over!!"
"She's our First Master! We'd never give her to anyone!!"
Mavis lowered her head, her voice trembling. "My sin… my magic… I never thought it would burden you all like this…"
"'What's wrong with falling in love with someone?'"
The words silenced the hall. They came from Gajeel.
"What?!"
Everyone stared in disbelief. The iron dragon who only ever brawled and growled… saying something like this?
"W-What?! I can say stuff like this every once in a while!" Gajeel barked, flustered.
Su Yan chuckled and turned to Mavis. "He's right, First. Don't blame yourself. If that's a sin, then I share it—because I'm the one drawing Acnologia's hatred now."
"…Sixth Master."
"Just call me Su Yan," he said with a faint smile. He never cared much for titles.
Mira stepped to his side, her smile gentle. "She's right, First Master. You don't have to carry this alone. Bad things haunted you, but if not for you, Fairy Tail wouldn't exist. You brought us together."
Her words lingered warmly in the air. Mira's closeness to Su Yan was no secret anymore; the guild often teased that the two already ran Fairy Tail like a family.
"We'll protect what you built," Mira finished. "No matter what."
The guild members all nodded, their smiles firm. It was Fairy Tail that tied them together, Fairy Tail that gave them a home. That was everything.
Tears streaked down Mavis's face even as she smiled.
Makarov beamed proudly. "Fairy Tail has grown strong. First Master, choosing this brat Su Yan as guild master… may have been the wisest choice yet. The spirit of Fairy Tail lives on, passed down through generations. Looking at these children… I couldn't be prouder."
"Waaaah!" Juvia suddenly burst into tears, startling Gray.
"Master Mavis has to fight her first love…"
"That was long ago," Erza said sternly. "Zeref is no longer just a man. He's a threat to humanity itself. And we will defeat him."
"But even if we fight Alvarez's soldiers…" Bickslow frowned. "Zeref is immortal, right?"
"Then he can't be killed!!" Evergreen added anxiously.
Freed nodded grimly. It was indeed the most troubling truth: how do you defeat someone who cannot die?
Mavis's gaze turned to Su Yan.
"I've thought of that too. If there's anyone in our guild who might kill Zeref… it's Su Yan."
The guild stared at him. Could he really?
"Zeref told me once… the demons of his books were created to kill him. They use power outside of magic. Su Yan's power is the same—neither spell nor magic, but something unique. That power may be the only thing in this world that can end him. Or…" she whispered, "that may even be why Zeref began this war."