Just as the father and sons were sharing a moment of familial harmony, Brandish stepped inside, knelt on one knee, and said respectfully, "Your Majesty, Irene Belserion of the Fairy Tail in the Kingdom of Fiore requests an audience."
"Irene Belserion?"
August frowned slightly. He had heard this name before. Wasn't that the name of the scarlet despair from four hundred years ago?
Zeref naturally knew the name. As someone from four hundred years ago himself, how could he not? Moreover, Irene was Acnologia's wife and a benefactor to their family; she absolutely could not be neglected.
He immediately said, "Please, show her in!"
"Yes!"
Brandish responded and, after stepping out, led Irene inside.
Irene's gaze swept over Zeref, then August and Larcade. She smiled faintly. "Black Wizard Zeref, these two must be from the Spriggan 12. Their strength is indeed extraordinary."
The strength of the older one was not to be underestimated; his looming, powerful magic could be called the ceiling of humanity, not inferior even to Zeref's.
Zeref stepped down and smiled. "They still cannot compare to you, the Mother of Dragon Slayer Mages, the scarlet despair."
Having not spent four hundred years in decadence, Irene was significantly stronger than in the original story. Even if everyone present attacked together, they might not necessarily gain an advantage over her.
"Acnologia is my benefactor. If you have any requests, feel free to ask."
Zeref raised his hand to cast magic, manifesting a table and chairs, then invited Irene to sit.
Irene didn't stand on ceremony. After sitting down, she began to recount what had happened with the Heartfilia Family, primarily hoping Zeref could locate the Eclipse Gate to prevent such a thing from being exploited by those with ill intentions.
She continued, "We suspect the Eclipse Gate was taken by the King of Red Dragons, Osta, with the aim of bringing back the Evil Dragons from four hundred years ago."
"Such a thing is happening?"
Zeref's expression turned solemn. To him, this era was the most beautiful time, and he would never allow anyone to destroy his family's happiness.
Not daring to delay, he immediately cast magic to search for the Eclipse Gate.
In fact, he had left backdoors in all the items or demons he created, like a causal link. Through a single thread, he could easily track or remotely control them.
"Can't find it?"
After a moment, he frowned and withdrew his magic.
Irene asked, "Even you can't find it?"
Zeref said somewhat apologetically, "I'm sorry, the Eclipse Gate has been hidden. I can only see a void of dark space; the Eclipse Gate is not in the physical world."
"Not in the physical world? Could it be a pocket dimension?"
Irene knew that some Space Magic could create separate dimensions, such as Erza's Space Requip Magic, and some magic could even lead to other worlds, like Edolas.
"It should be!"
Zeref showed a reassuring expression and said, "Don't worry! If the opponent wants to open the Eclipse Gate, it must be in the physical world. As soon as the Eclipse Gate appears, I will immediately destroy it completely."
If the opponent didn't open the Eclipse Gate in Aslant, then let other worlds worry about it.
Moreover, he knew of the Moon Dragon's existence. She was the only dragon who could cross dimensional worlds and stood on the side of humanity; she would never help the Evil Dragons return.
Irene raised an eyebrow slightly. "You can directly control the Eclipse Gate remotely?"
"That's right!"
Zeref said with a serious expression, "As long as the Eclipse Gate appears in the Aslant World, no matter where it is, I can take control."
"Opening the Eclipse Gate requires not only magic power but also a celestial spirit key. Even if it summons Evil Dragons, they will appear one by one. It's impossible for the opponent to recreate the era of Evil Dragons."
He understood the Eclipse Gate better than anyone. As a progenitor-level figure among Black Wizards, he had that confidence.
Irene breathed a small sigh of relief and said, "If that's the case, I can rest easy. As long as a thousand dragons don't appear, everything will be fine."
"Even a thousand dragons wouldn't be a problem?"
On the other side, Larcade and August were both startled. This woman had such bold spirit!
One must know that the five dragons of Giltina on the Northern Continent were enough to leave the humans there helpless. What kind of scene would a thousand dragons be?
Could it be that Irene and Acnologia had the power to deal with a thousand dragons?
The two thought about it and realized they truly did, and they had already possessed such strength four hundred years ago.
Only then did they remember how strong the person before them was, and how strong Acnologia was.
They were existences truly dwelling at the apex of the world!
Zeref waved his hand and said with a smile, "It won't come to that. Even if I'm slow to lock down and destroy the Eclipse Gate, at most three or four dragons will appear, definitely no more."
"Then I'll leave the Eclipse Gate to you!"
Seeing the matter resolved, Irene stood up to leave, only to suddenly find Brandish beside her surreptitiously eating her dessert, her mouth puffed out like a little hamster. She immediately became furious: "What are you doing, you little green-haired girl?"
She had packed up half a dessert shop, and it had all gone into this girl's stomach. Even a pig couldn't eat that much.
Brandish covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes wide and round, saying indistinctly, "It's already gone!"
Seeing her face flushed red and her eyes rolling from choking, Irene couldn't help but be amused by her expression. She scolded, "Be careful not to eat yourself into a big fat girl, or you won't be able to get married later!"
Brandish took a glass of water handed to her by August, gulped it down completely, and said nonchalantly, "I know Size Alteration Magic; I can even freely adjust my body's weight."
For her, the most convenient thing about Form Magic was this—never having to worry about getting fat from eating.
"Well, aren't you clever!"
Irene looked at her proud and self-satisfied look and rolled her eyes. As expected of someone who grew up with Lucy, her air-headed cuteness left one speechless.
She looked back at Zeref and the others, waving her hand. "Since the matter is resolved, I'll take my leave."
"Alright!"
Zeref nodded and said, "Help me tell Acnologia that I will keep our promise. In the future, I'll ask him to help lift Mavis's curse."
"Understood, I'll tell him!"
"I'll see you out!"
Brandish also followed them out. Having eaten so much of the other's food, she felt more or less a bit embarrassed.
After the two left, August walked over and asked curiously, "What is your promise with Acnologia? To lift the curse, do we need to pay some kind of price?"
Larcade hurriedly said, "If there's a price, I am willing to bear it for Father and Mother. Even my life can be given to him!"
August felt a surge of anger. That was my line! Now that you've said it, what the hell am I supposed to say?
He had found this guy annoying before, and now he found him even more so!
Zeref smiled and said, "Don't worry, that's just a little game before our family reunion."
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