Every military force Zeref had stationed across Alakitasia surrendered before the invincible Jovian.
Both the Wizard King and Irene, who had not even bothered to appear in person, publicly declared that they would not resist him.
Ultear, who had accompanied Jovian, was left completely speechless.
"Then what was the point of bringing me here?"
"What happened to needing me to counter their space-time magic?"
"Didn't you defeat the woman who used it in a single instant?"
Ultear could only continue complaining.
"I didn't expect things to be this easy, so I brought you along just in case. As it turned out, conquering this place was far easier than I imagined," Jovian replied with a slight smile.
He had expected the enemy to fight desperately to the bitter end, or perhaps even force the God of Time to personally intervene. In reality, he had worried for nothing. Faced with his lightning-fast assault, Alakitasia had offered practically no resistance.
Perhaps that was the weakness of an empire built around worshiping a single person. The moment their faith collapsed and the myth of their invincible ruler was shattered, surrender became remarkably easy.
"Heh."
Ultear merely sneered at Jovian's explanation. She had nothing to say in response. To put it simply, she thought he was making an outrageous humblebrag.
The overwhelming Magic Power inside the officers of Alakitasia had nearly frightened her into immobility. Those people were monsters, each one surpassing the strongest Mages on Ishgar.
And there were so many of them.
The elderly Wizard King and the red-haired woman who had briefly appeared while radiating endless pressure had made Ultear lose any desire to resist. The gap between their strength and hers was simply too vast. They existed on completely different levels.
Yet in Jovian's eyes, those terrifying monsters had somehow fallen short of his expectations.
It was ridiculous.
"If those monsters, who are far stronger than the Ten Wizard Saints, are weaklings in your eyes, then what do you think of the Wizard Saints?" Ultear asked.
The title of Wizard Saint was reserved for the ten strongest Mages on Ishgar. She wanted to know what such an honor meant to Jovian.
"It's a title I never wanted."
"If the Magic Council hadn't shamelessly insisted on giving it to me, I never would have accepted. Being lumped together with a bunch of amateurs and collectively called the Ten Wizard Saints is downright insulting," Jovian replied irritably.
Ultear fell silent.
She had finally understood something.
Jovian was a monster. There was no point wasting time trying to understand how a monster thought. His mind simply did not operate like anyone else's.
"What are you planning to do next?" Ultear asked.
"I'm going to dump Zeref on an island, beat the Black Dragon senseless, and make him guard Zeref forever so he can never leave."
Jovian's answer was remarkably straightforward.
Since Zeref wanted to die so badly, Jovian was determined to make sure he remained alive. Since Zeref feared Acnologia more than anything else, Jovian would force the two of them to spend the rest of eternity together.
"You really are a demon," Ultear said.
"A lot of people have told me that. You'll get used to it."
As Jovian finished speaking, he disappeared from in front of her.
"Father..."
After Jovian vanished, August stood inside the vast imperial palace with concern in his eyes.
He desperately wanted to help his father, but he could not abandon the people of this empire, people he had watched grow up over countless years.
There was also another reason.
Jovian had given him a note.
It read:
You may never see your father again, but you still have a mother. Perhaps you could remain at her side forever, provided you're willing to give up your father. Once you've made your decision, come find me in Ishgar.
Signed, Jovian.
The message was disturbingly blunt, but August understood exactly what Jovian meant.
Boom!
A deafening roar swept across Tenrou Island, and the entire island vanished from the world.
Roar!
Acnologia, the Black Dragon, roared repeatedly, announcing to the entire world that he had just slaughtered several more dragons, even if they were merely so-called hatchlings.
"Hey, big guy! Over here!"
Before Acnologia could fly away, Jovian appeared directly in front of him.
Roar!
Acnologia roared at Jovian. He considered humans inferior creatures unworthy of conversation.
The possibility of losing to Jovian never even crossed his mind. After all, Acnologia was a mighty dragon completely immune to magic.
Whoosh!
The next second, Jovian taught him a painful lesson.
Before Acnologia could react, Jovian appeared directly in front of him and slapped the Black Dragon across the face.
Boom!
A chain of sonic booms erupted as Acnologia was sent crashing into the ocean.
"You..."
After some time, Acnologia emerged in his human form, a muscular man with dark skin and long, dark-blue hair.
Boom!
Before Acnologia could finish speaking, Jovian punched him.
A massive cloud of dust and mist exploded around them, and Acnologia spat out a mouthful of blood.
It was the first time Acnologia had suffered such severe injuries since learning Dragon Slayer Magic and bathing himself in dragon blood.
"Physical attacks?!"
Acnologia finally understood why he had been injured.
The man before him was not using magic at all. He had been attacking him through sheer physical force.
"What the hell is this?"
Acnologia could not understand how someone like Jovian could possibly exist.
"I need your help with something."
Before the Black Dragon could ask another question, Jovian flew in front of him. He grabbed Acnologia by the throat with one hand and repeatedly slapped him across the face with the other.
Smack! Smack! Smack!
The relentless barrage continued for several hours.
Only when Acnologia was on the verge of losing consciousness did Jovian finally stop.
"Wake up! You still haven't told me whether you're willing to help!"
"You haven't even told me what you want me to do!" Acnologia answered, nearly in tears.
Jovian fell silent.
Boom!
He suddenly threw a punch.
A deafening explosion shook the world. The ocean split apart before the force of the blow, while the clouds in the sky violently rolled away.
The entire planet trembled.
"I want you to guard someone. Is that acceptable?" Jovian asked.
"Fine..."
Acnologia wanted to refuse, but he knew that he could not.
Elsewhere, Zeref was preparing to leave aboard Grimoire Heart's airship.
He had just killed Hades and was arrogantly surveying his surroundings when a piercing whistle tore through the air.
The airship was suddenly attacked.
"Who's there?!"
As everyone stared tensely into the smoke, a massive hand emerged from within it and grabbed Zeref by the collar.
The hand and Zeref immediately disappeared.
"What just happened?!"
Everyone aboard the airship stared at the empty space where Zeref had been. None of them understood what had occurred.
Several minutes later, on a deserted island, Acnologia was quietly recovering from his injuries.
A shadow suddenly fell over him.
Acnologia looked up at the figure blocking his view and fell silent. The next moment, the figure dropped someone beside him.
"I'm leaving this man with you."
The voice sent a chill through Acnologia's entire body.
A black-clad figure crashed onto the ground in front of him.
"That hurts..."
Zeref staggered to his feet, brushed the dirt from his clothes, and began examining his surroundings.
Then he saw Acnologia.
Their eyes met.
"Well, well. It's been a long time, Black Wizard," Acnologia said with a slight smile.
He finally understood what the man who had beaten him wanted.
Jovian expected him to keep Zeref imprisoned.
Acnologia reluctantly accepted the assignment. He had just endured a brutal beating and desperately needed someone upon whom he could vent his anger.
"No..."
"Please, no..."
"Stay away from me!"
Zeref screamed in terror as Acnologia approached him.
None of his protests made any difference.
Jovian then returned to Alakitasia and began reorganizing the continent.
His first action was to dissolve the Spriggan 12.
The emperor they were supposed to shield was gone, so what use were his shields?
Next came the military.
Finally, Jovian dismantled the empire itself.
Everything Zeref had spent years preparing was disbanded by Jovian.
Once the work was complete, Jovian returned to Fairy Tail.
A full year had passed.
With nearly all its strongest members sealed away, Fairy Tail had lost its former glory. The entire guild had become desolate and lifeless.
However, Jovian's return restored a faint spark of vitality.
"Jovian, you're finally back..."
"The Guild Master and the others have disappeared. You're the only one of Fairy Tail's strongest members still here!"
"Please serve as Fairy Tail's acting Guild Master!"
Macao and the others clung to Jovian's hands and tearfully begged him to accept the position.
"All right."
Jovian nodded and agreed to their request, becoming Fairy Tail's new Guild Master.
With a member of the Ten Wizard Saints serving as its public face, Fairy Tail gradually regained some of its former spirit. Mages who had intended to leave the guild began reconsidering their decisions.
After all, very few guilds on the continent had a Wizard Saint among their ranks.
That same year, Jovian used his authority as Guild Master to promote Ultear to S-Class, filling the void left by Fairy Tail's inability to complete S-Class jobs.
Ultear's strength was at least equal to Ur's, and she was fully qualified to become a Wizard Saint. With her support, Fairy Tail managed to preserve its reputation for the time being.
Several more months passed.
One day, an elderly man arrived outside the Fairy Tail guild hall and asked to see Jovian.
"You came," Jovian said when he saw him.
"Yes. I wish to see my mother," the old man replied with his head lowered.
"Follow me."
Jovian led him into Fairy Tail's basement, a hidden place unknown to ordinary guild members that contained Fairy Tail's greatest secret.
Once they reached the underground chamber, an enormous Lacrima appeared before the old man.
He stared at the magical crystal and the beautiful young woman sealed inside it.
Tears flowed from his eyes.
"Mother..."
August gazed at the beautiful woman in silence for a long time before softly addressing her.
"Your mother was the First Guild Master of Fairy Tail."
"As Mavis's son, it's only natural that you should join the guild and serve the organization she created."
"The current Guild Master is absent. You will inherit Mavis's will and become the next Guild Master of Fairy Tail."
Jovian placed the Fairy Tail guild mark upon the elderly man, August.
He then gathered all the guild members and introduced August to them.
"What?!"
"He's First Master Mavis's son?!"
Everyone in Fairy Tail cried out in astonishment after hearing Jovian's explanation.
"The First Master's son? Is he strong?" Macao asked.
"He's decent."
"At the very least, every member of the Ten Wizard Saints except me could attack him together and still lose," Jovian replied after briefly considering how to describe August's strength.
"How is that merely decent?!"
"That makes him practically invincible, Jovian!"
Macao and the others were stunned.
If all the Ten Wizard Saints other than Jovian could not defeat August even by joining forces, then he was no ordinary Mage.
He was a complete monster.
"In any case, I will do everything within my power to fulfill my responsibilities as Fairy Tail's Guild Master," August said as he bowed slightly to the guild members.
He had not submitted to Jovian because of Jovian's overwhelming strength.
He had chosen to help Jovian because of his mother.
He wanted to see Mavis again, and he wished to protect Fairy Tail, the wizard guild she had left behind.
Not long after August became Fairy Tail's Guild Master, another visitor arrived.
She was a voluptuous woman with long crimson hair whose appearance closely resembled Erza's, though her figure was even more striking and seductive.
"She's gorgeous!"
"She looks almost exactly like Erza!"
"Is she Erza's older sister?"
Fairy Tail Mages gathered around the beautiful stranger and began excitedly discussing her appearance.
If she had not been so much more voluptuous than Erza, they truly might have mistaken the woman for her.
"What are you doing here?" Jovian asked the newcomer in confusion.
"You completely destroyed the place where I lived. The empire is gone, and there is nowhere left for me in Alakitasia."
"After considering my options, I realized I had no choice but to come find you. You'll take responsibility for me, won't you?"
The beautiful woman smiled at Jovian as she spoke.
"Take responsibility?!"
"Jovian, what did you do to this beautiful woman?!"
The moment they heard her words, the Fairy Tail Mages crowded around Jovian.
No one knew exactly what they were imagining, but every one of their faces had turned bright red.
"You can stay here if you'd like," Jovian told the woman who looked so remarkably similar to Erza.
He then turned toward the other guild members.
"This is Erza's mother, Irene Belserion."
"What?!"
Everyone in the guild cried out in shock.
"That can't be true! She's so young!"
Some members refused to believe Jovian because Irene looked far too youthful and beautiful to be Erza's mother.
"First, the First Master's son joins us, and now Erza's mother shows up. What kind of guild are we becoming?" another member muttered.
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