"Zeref... you've awakened!!"
"The key!! Quick, bring the key!!"
Hades urged them immediately.
However, no one moved.
"Move... we can't move..."
Zeref said flatly: "There is no need for that. I am awake. I was never in a deep sleep to begin with. The person standing here now is the Black Wizard Zeref."
"What?!"
Everyone was shocked.
"I never said I required those conditions to awaken. Those are merely false things born from people's imaginations. Those who blindly believed in the existence of the Black Wizard Zeref hallucinated several settings, and one of them was the key to Zeref's resurrection. You guys actually believed that."
"To obtain this so-called key, just how many lives have you taken?"
Hades said in disbelief: "No... impossible! If you weren't in a deep sleep, why would you lose to that brat? You are the strongest Black Wizard in history, Zeref!"
Zeref said calmly: "Me? Four hundred years ago, during the human wars, I witnessed countless deaths. However, it was because of those days that I learned the value of life."
"It was from that moment on that this cursed body of mine—the more it treasures life, the more it unconsciously steals the souls of others."
"To stop stealing souls, I had to forget the importance of human life. It made me very sad, so the contradiction in my heart made it impossible for me to use magic freely."
"Of course, that young human himself is also very powerful. You should have a deep understanding of that point."
Zeref thought of Kael. He had rarely seen a human capable of directly blocking his Death Hunt. That was a curse originating from the god Ankhselam; even a long-lived dragon would suffer soul damage if struck by Ankhselam's curse.
"How... how can this be? Then the Grand Magic World..." Hades had always craved for Zeref to create the Grand Magic World.
"Grand Magic World? You actually believed in something others made up? My research into magic is deeper than yours, but most of that comes from my long life. When you see more, you learn more. I am no different from you; at most, my level is just higher. Nine out of ten rumors in this world regarding me are fake."
"Acnologia has declared the end of this era. This was brought about by your evil thoughts. You must be punished."
"One is the sin of summoning Acnologia. The other is the sin of making me forget the importance of life. Go to hell and repent."
Hearing this, everyone's hearts were filled with absolute terror. On the other hand, there was despair. They had all pursued the noble ideal of the Grand Magic World, but Zeref's words had dealt them a crushing blow.
Tenrou Island.
"What did you say——?!!"
Makarov said: "I said, I am canceling this S-Class Promotion Exam."
"I don't understand, old man!"
Gray's mouth hung open. He had prepared for a long time to become S-Class.
"Why cancel it?!"
Natsu shouted as well. He wanted to become an S-Class wizard no matter what.
"I want to be S-Class!!" Gajeel also joined in the shouting.
Elfman commented: "Levy was the one nominated, you bastard."
"It can't be helped. After all, something like that happened. If it happens again, no one will be able to handle it."
Makarov was somewhat helpless. The chance of it happening again was low, but almost everyone in the guild was injured now. Forcing the exam to continue would only result in further injuries.
"Don't think I'll give up! I'm becoming S-Class no matter what!! Let's make it simple—don't make us look for things. Let's just have a massive battle between our teams. Whoever is the last one standing becomes S-Class!"
Natsu offered his suggestion.
"I'm fine with that!"
Gray agreed. As long as he could become S-Class and the competition wasn't canceled, it was fine.
Gajeel said excitedly: "Me too!"
Elfman sniped again: "I already told you! You weren't nominated!"
"How can we be so reckless?"
Makarov naturally wouldn't agree. Although the second stage seemed like a simple search for the First Master's grave, there was a reward hidden there: one of the Three Great Magics of Fairy Tail, 'Fairy Glitter.' Although it was a one-time use, it was a top-tier life-saving skill. It seemed these brats weren't destined to enjoy it.
At this time, Kael, Gildarts, and Laxus were sitting by the river fishing.
"I heard you were kicked out of the guild! That's so pathetic! Gwahahahaha!"
Gildarts patted Laxus on the shoulder and mocked him. He had watched Laxus grow up. Although he found Laxus's past actions a bit unbelievable, he knew the kid wasn't actually a bad guy at heart.
"So annoying! This old man!"
Laxus looked completely annoyed.
"Speaking of which, you brat—you didn't use your full strength when you faced me, did you? Damn it! To think a day would come where even I am underestimated!"
Gildarts turned his gaze toward Kael. By now, he had heard the whole story. Kael had fought one-versus-three and defeated three Wizard Saint-level opponents with overwhelming power.
He had fought Bluenote and knew the opponent's strength. That was an expert whose power far exceeded Natsu and the others. If the opponent hadn't been injured, it wouldn't have been easy for him to take the win.
He could handle one, but if he had to face two, he would definitely be defeated.
Kael dealt with three and still had strength left. This power far exceeded his own.
He knew that one day he would be surpassed by these young people, but he didn't expect it to happen so soon. This made him feel quite uncomfortable, like he was being left behind by the era.
Laxus also looked at Kael. Although he hadn't fought those three, he had fought the Seven Kin of Purgatory from Grimoire Heart, and they were all quite strong.
He had been training hard during this time, thinking about having a good match with Kael when they met again. He had never given up on the title of the strongest in the Fairy Tail guild.
Who knew that in such a short time, the power gap between him and Kael hadn't narrowed, but had instead grown wider. He felt somewhat unbalanced in his heart.
Kael waved his hand. "My strength is just like that. My magic power is about the same as Laxus's. It's just that the transformation I use is extremely powerful.
It's like forcing the same amount of energy through different channels—one leaks and disperses, the other compresses everything into a single, devastating flow."
"With all my magic power, I can only sustain it for about three minutes."
"If the battle ends in three minutes, I win. If it doesn't end in three minutes, I lose. You all saw it—when I had no magic, even the weakest dared to make a move on me."
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