She's coming… she's coming.
In Edolas, inside the Fairy Tail guild hall,
Everyone was tense and on edge.
Through the projected image, they saw Mirajane spare Knightwalker, and that left many of them dissatisfied. In this world, Erza had no bond with Fairy Tail—
Well, no, not exactly no bond. An enemy could still be considered a kind of connection.
No one could understand Mirajane's compassion toward Knightwalker. To them, the most satisfying outcome would've been Mira finishing her off, then wiping out the rest of the kingdom's army.
But judging someone else's choices was one thing—
Having that same person directly intervene in your affairs was something entirely different.
Even if Mira's words had shown goodwill toward Fairy Tail, the fact remained: they were strangers. There was no trust, no familiarity.
The only real link between them was…
Everyone turned their eyes toward Lisanna, their gazes heavy, almost burning, filled with scrutiny.
Once again, Lisanna felt immense pressure. Her calm heart rippled with unease.
At that moment, Mirajane stepped forward and gently patted her shoulder.
"It's alright. No matter what decision you make, I'll support you."
"Mira… sis."
"I understand. You're just like her—so kindhearted."
"Big sis!" Elfman also moved forward, throwing his arms around the two of them.
The three siblings embraced, overcome with tears.
Seeing this, the rest of Fairy Tail couldn't press Lisanna any further. The siblings had already come to their understanding. For outsiders to force the issue would bring nothing but resentment.
And if that terrifying woman outside decided to vent her anger on them…
The very thought sent shivers down their spines.
Of course, not everyone fully understood the situation. Some had been confused from start to finish and had no idea what was happening. For example, this world's Natsu.
He couldn't figure out why the three Strausses were suddenly so emotional.
What decision? What was happening? Was Lisanna leaving?
Before the sadness of parting could fully spread, the demon-like figure outside descended from the sky. Her body shimmered with a faint light as she released her Satan Soul transformation, returning to her usual model-like form.
"Li… Lisanna."
The delicate woman trembled as she reached out, tears spilling from her eyes. The entire guild was stunned. No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't reconcile this fragile figure with the devastating demon who had nearly destroyed the kingdom's army moments ago.
The contrast was simply too great.
"Mira!" Lisanna also burst into tears as she called out to her sister.
The next moment, Mira dashed forward and threw her arms around Lisanna.
"I've missed you so much. So, so much…"
"Me too, Mira. I've missed you so, so much."
The two sisters clung to each other, crying, pouring out the grief of years apart.
After a long while, Mira finally released her, wiping away her tears before turning to address the Fairy Tail of this world.
"Hello, everyone. I'm Mirajane Strauss—from another world."
"Another world?" Big Sister Lucy finally found her chance to cut in.
"You know about parallel worlds, right? Branching universes that split off from the original, existing side by side—similar, yet different."
Everyone nodded, and Mira continued:
"My world's name is Aslant. It's the parallel counterpart of this world. But in that world… because of me, Lisanna experienced death."
Mira's voice grew heavy with sorrow. She gripped Lisanna's hand even tighter, terrified that she might lose her again.
"Not long ago, I begged our guild master to help me revive Lisanna. But the master told me… Lisanna had never truly died—she had simply come to this world instead."
The Edolas Fairy Tail members turned their eyes toward the enigmatic "Papi" in the background.
So this guy is that powerful?!
Having witnessed Mira's destructive power firsthand, their respect for her far exceeded their impression of Papi. Though Papi had helped them and shown a protective, creative power, that force hadn't carried the same awe-inspiring impact as Mira's overwhelming might.
But now, hearing Mira's words, they realized—this faceless figure was far more formidable than they'd thought.
And he could even bring people back to life.
"Wait a second—so you're saying your Lisanna died, and that's why she ended up here? Then… does that make this world the afterlife? But that doesn't make sense—you're alive too, and came here. Plus, Mira exists here, and Lisanna was already here!"
Big Sister Lucy had completely misunderstood Mira's meaning.
"I… I don't know how to explain it…" Mira admitted, shaking her head before glancing toward Papi.
"Aslant and Edolas are simply parallel worlds. They have nothing to do with life or death. Lisanna came here because of a project carried out by this kingdom. It was an accident."
Papi explained casually.
Unlike the others, Mira of Edolas focused on something entirely different. Her eyes locked on Papi.
"Wait… you can bring someone back to life?"
At once, both Miras and Lisanna turned their gazes on him, eyes shining with desperate hope.
It was true—if Papi could revive the Lisanna of this world, then there'd be no problem. One Lisanna could return to Aslant, the other could remain here.
A perfect solution.
"In a certain sense, yes," Papi admitted without denial.
"Then, could you… Please bring this world's Lisanna—"
"You should listen carefully to what kind of 'resurrection' I mean before making a decision," Papi interrupted, closing the mysterious book that had appeared in his hands. His voice was calm.
"Please, go ahead."
"First of all, this world's Lisanna's body no longer exists. Her soul has likely already dissipated. That rules out almost every conventional method."
Mira of Edolas sank into despair. She was facing the same impossible situation as her counterpart—no body, no vessel left behind.
"There are two possible methods. One is to twist the flow of time. The other is to rewrite reality itself.
I don't recommend the first. Going back in time to alter reality risks creating paradoxes or spawning entirely new parallel worlds. It could lead to an endless loop.
The second method—rewriting reality—falls within my abilities. I could forcibly alter existence itself to make your sister alive again."
Mira of Edolas's eyes lit up with hope—
but only for an instant.
Papi continued, pouring cold water on that fragile joy:
"However, because it would rely entirely on my power, and because I don't truly know your sister, I wouldn't be able to recreate her accurately.
The person brought back might be utterly different from the Lisanna you remember."
Mira of Edolas's face fell. She didn't fully understand his words, but she understood enough.
The first option was impossible. The second wouldn't truly be resurrection at all.
Beside her, Mira of Aslant also lowered her head in disappointment. If Edolas's Lisanna couldn't be revived, then there was no way to resolve the problem of Aslant's Lisanna's future.
No matter what, one world would lose her.
"Actually, why are you struggling over this at all?" Levy suddenly spoke up, unable to hold back. "If this old man can freely travel between worlds, then surely he can let you cross back and forth as well.
If you can see each other anytime you want, does it matter which world you belong to?"
Levy's words were partly selfish. If ties between the two Fairy Tails remained, Edolas's Fairy Tail would gain one—or even several—powerful guardians. They would never again have to fear the kingdom's oppression.
But her words also rang with truth.
Hope flared again in the eyes of both Miras. Together, they turned to Papi.
He nodded. "It can be done."
In the next moment, glowing marks appeared on the shoulders of Mira, Lisanna, Mirajane, and Elfman. One white, one gray, connected in the middle—almost like a tiny chibi dumbbell.
"With these, you'll be able to freely travel between the two worlds. It will cost both magic and stamina, but those will recover naturally. Just don't use it more than twice in a single day—the burden would be too great."
"Thank you, Master. Thank you so much."
The Strauss siblings bowed deeply, their hearts overflowing with gratitude.