Chapter 388: Powerful Magic Comes with Powerful Side Effects
"You're totally pathetic right now, you know that?"
Gray stood over the green-faced Natsu, delivering the insult with absolute deadpan precision.
"What?! What did you just say?!"
As if a switch had been flipped, Natsu instantly recovered his vitality, leaping to his feet and roaring right in Gray's face.
"I'm talking about you, you squinty-eyed freak!"
"You wanna go, droopy-eyes?!"
In the blink of an eye, the two of them were locked in a chaotic brawl, trading punches and kicks as if Natsu's near-death motion sickness from a moment ago had never even happened.
The rest of the Alliance simply cast them a passing glance before entirely ignoring them.
"This place was once a great metropolis inhabited by the ancients, the people of the Nirvit tribe," Noah began, seamlessly shifting into a storytelling tone to explain the city's origins.
Hearing this, the Alliance members immediately stopped what they were doing and gathered around him. Erza swiftly delivered a brutal punch to the tops of both Natsu and Gray's heads, dragging the groaning duo over by their collars so they could listen as well.
"Roughly four hundred years ago, the world was engulfed in endless wars," Noah explained, his voice echoing slightly across the ancient stone platform. "The people of that era suffered terribly, unable to find a single moment of peace. The scale and brutality of the conflicts only continued to escalate, dragging more and more of the world into despair."
"The Nirvit tribe maintained a stance of strict neutrality, but they deeply lamented the state the world had fallen into. To restore balance, they created a magic designed to swap light and darkness. It was a Super Magic, and they named it the Country of Peace... Nirvana."
"Wait, so this entire moving city is actually Nirvana itself? That's incredible!"
A whole walking metropolis functioning as a singular Super Magic was a concept none of them had ever heard of. It completely shattered their understanding of magical application.
"The Nirvit tribe? Wait, isn't that them?"
Sherry turned around, looking toward the group of people Noah had brought along earlier. Ever since they arrived, Roubaul and the rest of the Nirvit villagers had remained completely silent.
Following her gaze, the rest of the Alliance noticed Roubaul and his people standing near the edge of the platform, staring out at the ancient city below.
Nostalgia, profound sorrow, deep regret, and overwhelming emotion washed across their faces. The sheer complexity of their feelings was impossible for outsiders to fully grasp. Recognizing the heavy, somber atmosphere surrounding the ancient tribe, the Alliance members respectfully kept their distance, choosing not to disturb them.
Leaving the Nirvit to their memories, the group resumed their discussion.
"It's incredibly ironic," Gray shook his head. "A magic named the 'Country of Peace' ended up being targeted by a dark guild, nearly used to plunge the world into absolute chaos."
"But still, if they just hadn't included the part where 'light turns into darkness', it would have been an incredibly wonderful magic," Lucy pointed out thoughtfully.
"That couldn't be helped. Perhaps the ancients simply didn't think that far ahead," Jura chimed in.
The group nodded in agreement. It was a very plausible theory. When desperately trying to end centuries of war, the creators might have rushed the process without fully considering the long-term consequences.
"Or perhaps they simply didn't anticipate the backlash," Ur spoke up.
Seeing everyone turn to her, Ur's expression turned serious. "Incredibly powerful magic is always accompanied by incredibly powerful side effects. The creators of Nirvana likely forged it with the purest of intentions, only realizing the horrifying consequences after it was already completed and activated."
As someone who had mastered Iced Shell—a spell that permanently sealed an enemy at the absolute cost of the caster's own life and physical body—Ur understood the terrifying price of ultimate magic better than almost anyone.
"Exactly. Just like Aunt Ur said, immense power always demands a heavy toll," Noah agreed. "Take the Fairy Law I just used, for example. It also carries a massive side effect."
"Fairy Law has a side effect?!"
Ultear, Sorano, and Mirajane gasped in shock, instantly staring at Noah with intense worry. They had never heard him mention this before. Mirajane and Sorano practically lunged forward to inspect his body for injuries, only stopping when Noah gently raised his hands to block them.
"Everyone here knows that casting a Super Magic requires a colossal amount of magical power, right?" Noah asked the group.
The Alliance nodded. Ultear had just explained that a few minutes ago.
"Fairy Law requires a volume of magic that is practically incomprehensible," Noah explained, looking toward the S-Class mages in the group. "To put it in perspective, out of everyone standing here, only Aunt Ur, Jura-san, Ultear, and myself possess the sheer magical capacity required to cast it without dying. No one else here has enough magic."
"Wait, we couldn't even cast it?" Gray asked in shock. The rest of the younger mages stared at Noah, wide-eyed.
"Not even close. You don't have anywhere near the reserves required to initiate Fairy Law," Noah stated bluntly. "Furthermore, if you wanted to target an army as large as the one I just wiped out, even Jura-san wouldn't have enough magic power to survive the cast."
Noah's revelation left the entire Alliance stunned.
They hadn't realized just how absurdly massive the magical drain of Fairy Law was. At the same time, it painted a terrifyingly clear picture of the sheer gap in power between Noah and the rest of them. Noah had casually tossed out a Super Magic that would instantly kill a Wizard Saint from magical exhaustion, and he hadn't even broken a sweat.
Wasn't that gap a little too ridiculous?
"Does all Super Magic require that much power? I'm currently trying to learn Urano Metria... will it drain that much magic too?" Lucy asked nervously, sweat beading on her forehead.
"While all Super Magic consumes vast amounts of power, as far as I know, only Fairy Law has a requirement this steep," Noah reassured her after a moment of thought. "As for Urano Metria, once you can stably perform a Triple Summoning with your Celestial Spirits, you should have enough capacity to cast it safely."
"Ahhh... if that's the case, it's going to be a very, very long time before I can use Urano Metria," Lucy groaned, her shoulders slumping in defeat.
She was currently struggling just to master a Dual Summoning. A stable Triple Summoning felt like a lifetime away.
Noah chuckled. Truthfully, if Lucy managed to master a Dual Summoning, he actually knew a specific method that could allow her to forcefully cast Urano Metria early. But he decided to save that secret for when they returned home.
The reality was that the original, unmodified version of Fairy Law didn't require quite this much raw magic. However, the original spell had a fatal flaw: the larger the number of enemies targeted, the more it drained the caster's actual lifespan. To circumvent this, Noah had heavily modified the spell formula, forcefully converting the 'lifespan cost' into a pure 'magic power cost'.
Because of this modification, the absolute minimum threshold to cast Fairy Law had skyrocketed. When targeting a massive army of over a thousand mages, the magic consumption became astronomical.
That was the side effect of Noah's customized Fairy Law: a magic drain so severe it would instantly kill 99.9% of the world's mages.
"Leaving the side effects aside, let's get back to Nirvana," Noah clapped his hands, pulling everyone's attention back to the ancient city.
"When the Nirvit tribe realized Nirvana possessed a danger far beyond their worst nightmares, they took it upon themselves to seal the very magic they had created. Terrified that someone might one day unseal and abuse it, they bound themselves to this land, guarding the seal for centuries as they waited for someone capable of destroying it completely."
Hearing this, Erza crossed her arms and frowned. "If there is a way to destroy the magic, why couldn't they just do it themselves?"
"Because of their unique circumstances, they physically lack the ability to destroy Nirvana," Noah answered, shaking his head.
"Then how are we supposed to destroy it? I assume you already know the exact method," Ultear said, looking at Noah confidently.
"Of course I do. But there's no need to rush. We have plenty of time to take care of a few other things first," Noah nodded.
He then turned toward the edge of the platform and called out loudly, "Grandpa Roubaul! Would it be alright if we explored the city for a little bit?"
Snapping out of his deep reminiscence, Roubaul turned around and offered Noah a gentle nod. "Yes, of course. Since you intend to destroy Nirvana anyway, please feel free to explore it as you wish."
Noah turned back to the Alliance with a bright smile. "Well, since we've managed to uncover a lost ancient metropolis, it would be a shame not to go on a little adventure. Think of it as a chance to broaden your horizons and see how people lived four hundred years ago."
"Lucy! Happy! Let's go on an adventure!"
The moment the words left Noah's mouth, Natsu let out an excited roar, grabbed Lucy by the wrist, and sprinted toward the edge of the platform.
"Aye!" Happy cheered, instantly sprouting his wings and flying after them.
"Waaait a minuteee!" Lucy screamed as she was forcibly dragged off her feet, fluttering helplessly in the air behind Natsu like a kite.
"Lucy, catch!"
Noah pulled a sleek Magic Camera from his spatial storage and tossed it perfectly into Lucy's flailing hands.
"If you see any beautiful scenery or interesting ruins, take some pictures! Make sure you're back here by six o'clock!" Noah shouted after them.
"Got itttt~!" Lucy's voice echoed back faintly, already fading as Natsu dragged her rapidly down the ancient stone staircases of the Audience Chamber.
"The same goes for the rest of you. Here are some Magic Cameras," Noah said, pulling out a large pile of cameras and handing them out to the Alliance members. "If you find anything cool, snap a picture. Just let me make a copy of the photos later."
"In that case, I believe I shall take a stroll around the perimeter," Jura said warmly, accepting a camera and heading toward the stairs.
With Jura taking the lead, the rest of the Alliance eagerly grabbed cameras and formed small groups, or headed out solo, to explore the legendary city that was actually a Super Magic.
"What about you?" Mirajane asked softly, noticing that Noah hadn't grabbed a camera for himself and showed absolutely zero intention of exploring.
"I'm going to stay right here and download all of the city's structural and magical data. You guys go on ahead and enjoy the sightseeing," Noah replied.
He casually sat down cross-legged on the stone floor, summoning his Archive screens into the air. With a wave of his hand, he deployed a swarm of highly modified Surveillance Lacrimas, sending them scattering across the entire city to rapidly scan and map the ruins, feeding the massive influx of data directly back to him.
"Allow me to assist you. In exchange, would you mind sharing a copy of the compiled data with Blue Pegasus?"
Hibiki, who had originally planned to use his own Archive to scan the city, walked over and offered his help upon seeing Noah's setup.
"Sure, I have no problem with that. With your help, the processing will go much faster," Noah agreed without hesitation.
Given the incredibly close ties between Fairy Tail and Blue Pegasus, there was no reason to refuse such a reasonable request.
Seeing that Noah and Hibiki were already deep in their complex data processing, the rest of the Fairy Tail mages grabbed their cameras and headed down the tower to explore the ancient city, leaving the two Archive users to their work.
The only ones left on the platform were Noah, Hibiki, and the magically bound generals of the Oración Seis.
Naturally, the captured dark mages hadn't stayed quiet. Aside from Hoteye, the other generals had begun hurling vicious insults and threats at Noah.
To demonstrate his 'friendliness', Noah promptly cast a sleeping spell on them, ensuring they enjoyed a quiet, peaceful nap.
Hoteye, however, had respectfully asked if he could walk around the immediate area. Noah granted his request, explicitly warning him that he would be constantly monitored by the Surveillance Lacrimas while he explored.
Having undergone his personality inversion, Hoteye was incredibly reasonable and empathetic. He fully understood Noah's precautions; considering the sheer amount of atrocities he had committed in the past, being kept under strict surveillance was entirely justified.
Before leaving to wander the ruins, he politely bowed and told Noah his real name: Richard.
The data processing was grueling, but by roughly 4:00 PM, Noah and Hibiki had fully mapped and downloaded the city's schematics.
"Thanks for the assist. I managed to finish way faster because you were here," Noah said, dismissing his Archive screens and standing up to stretch his stiff back.
"Not at all. You handled the vast majority of the processing. I only helped with a tiny fraction of the workload," Hibiki replied modestly, standing up to stretch his own legs.
Having worked directly alongside Noah, Hibiki had witnessed the boy's horrifying processing speed firsthand. Noah had effortlessly managed the lion's share of the data sorting; Hibiki had merely organized the leftover fragments.
"Help is still help," Noah smiled, waving off the modesty.
His expression then turned serious. "By the way, make sure you guard that data carefully. Don't go handing it out to just anyone."
The schematics they had just downloaded contained incredibly ancient, priceless magical formulas and architectural designs. The research and reference value was astronomical. If that data fell into the hands of someone with malicious intent, it would cause endless headaches. Noah wanted to make sure Hibiki understood the gravity of what they had just acquired.
"Of course. I will personally deliver this data directly to Master Bob and let him decide how it should be handled and secured," Hibiki nodded firmly. He understood the absolute importance of the information and would never dream of making reckless decisions with it.
"Perfect. That puts my mind at ease," Noah nodded. If the flamboyant but incredibly wise Master Bob was handling it, there was nothing to worry about.
"Well then, I believe I have just enough time to take a quick walk and see the city with my own eyes," Hibiki smiled.
"Go ahead. Just make sure you're back by six," Noah reminded him.
Hibiki nodded, grabbed a Magic Camera, and headed down the stairs.
With Hibiki gone, Noah walked over to Roubaul. The other Nirvit villagers had dispersed to explore their ancient home, leaving the old spirit standing entirely alone at the edge of the platform, staring blankly into the distance.
"Grandpa Roubaul, what's on your mind?" Noah asked softly, stepping up beside him.
"Me? Oh... I suppose I was just thinking about a great many things. Looking out at this city, it feels as though the tragedy of the past happened just yesterday," Roubaul sighed heavily. He closed his eyes tightly for a moment before slowly reopening them.
Standing here in the heart of Nirvana, the horrifying memories of his tribe tearing themselves apart flashed vividly in his mind. It was a hellish nightmare that still haunted his soul.
But it was almost over. Soon, he would finally be able to lay down his burden and reunite with his fallen kin in the afterlife.
"I plan to completely destroy Nirvana shortly. After that, I was thinking we could all head back to Cait Shelter and throw a massive banquet tonight to celebrate. We can leave the final, proper goodbyes for tomorrow morning," Noah said sincerely.
Since he couldn't stop Roubaul and the Nirvit spirits from passing on, the absolute least he could do was ensure that their final moments in this world were filled with warmth, laughter, and beautiful memories.
Roubaul instantly understood Noah's true intention. Destroy the cursed magic, celebrate life one last time tonight, and peacefully fade away tomorrow.
"That sounds wonderful. Let us do exactly that," Roubaul agreed, a genuinely warm smile gracing his ancient face.
He, too, wanted to leave Wendy, Carla, and everyone else with a final, joyful memory rather than an abrupt, sorrowful departure.
Hearing Roubaul's agreement, Noah felt a heavy weight lift from his heart.
With some time still left before 6:00 PM, Noah decided to take a walk himself. He wanted to personally walk the streets of this ancient metropolis—the legendary city that, four hundred years ago, was known to the world as the Country of Peace.
~~~
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