CHAPTER 577: FIASCO

The two sides were already past the point of posturing, battle had erupted in full force.

While Lahar and Mest held their ground near Zeref, every other soldier of the Council’s Enforcement Unit was already locked in combat against the invading Grimoire Heart mages.

But something was wrong. The Council’s forces fought sluggishly, their spells misfiring, their bodies heavy as if weighed down by invisible chains.

Within moments of the first clash, they were being driven back across the deck.

"Why...?" Lahar’s brow furrowed. Even if Grimoire Heart’s agents were powerful, his Enforcement Unit shouldn’t have been this overmatched so quickly.

"Yahahaha~ Of course they can’t fight back, it’s all thanks to Capricorn’s Human Subordination Magic!" Zancrow’s manic laugh cut through the din of battle. "As long as they’re human, they’ll never be able to win against him!"

"Human Subordination Magic?" Lahar’s gut sank.

Mest’s eyes narrowed. "What’s that supposed to mean?"

"It’s an ancient magic," Lahar explained quickly, shooting Mest a meaningful glance. "It suppresses the magic power and combat ability of humans. Against someone who wields it, we’re already at a natural disadvantage."

"You seem well-informed, Captain Lahar." Capricorn’s voice was cold and level. He stepped forward, eyes sweeping over them like a predator sizing up prey. "If you understand the situation, stop resisting. Hand over Zeref, and I may grant you the mercy of living."

His tone was matter-of-fact, as if the outcome had already been decided.

Lahar’s and Mest’s stances shifted ever so slightly, both angling themselves toward Zeref’s position.

Their answer was clear.

’Zeref cannot be allowed to fall into Grimoire Heart’s hands.’

If it came to it, they would eliminate him themselves rather than let that happen.

Zeref, the very center of this storm, merely looked down with a sorrowful expression. "So... the cycle begins again."

Apart from Ultear, the remaining five Kin of Purgatory tensed, ready to strike.

But Mest’s hand shot out suddenly, clamping onto both Lahar’s and Zeref’s shoulders. In an instant, all three vanished from the deck in a swirl of space-bending light, reappearing high above the sea.

The suppression from Human Subordination Magic made it impossible for him to get far, but he didn’t hesitate. Before they even began to drop toward the waves, he triggered another teleport, and another, pushing his magic to its limit.

"Don’t think you can run!"

Black flames roared toward them, Zancrow’s magic, followed by a blade of pink light from Meredy.

Perhaps they feared harming Zeref; both attacks lacked the full killing intent of before. But even so, they came within a hair’s breadth of catching their targets.

That small restraint was all Mest needed. The three flickered out of sight again, reappearing on a stretch of sandy beach, then vanishing into the shadowed forest.

After several rapid flashes, Mest finally stopped. He slumped back against a jagged boulder, breathing hard, sweat beading on his forehead.

The weight of Human Subordination Magic still pressed down on him.

"You’ve done well." Lahar’s voice was heavy, his expression grim. At this very moment, his Enforcement Unit was likely on the verge of being overwhelmed, and Grimoire Heart had almost certainly begun scouring the island for them.

They had no communication lacrima, no way to contact the Council headquarters for reinforcements. Mest’s teleportation magic, already strained under the effects of Human Subordination Magic, wasn’t nearly strong enough to take them all the way from Tenrou Island back to Fiore in one jump.

"We may have no choice but to seek help from Fairy Tail," Lahar said bitterly.

They didn’t yet know Grimoire Heart’s ultimate goal in seeking Zeref, but one thing was certain, it couldn’t be anything good.

If the legendary Black Wizard and the most powerful Dark Guild in the Balam Alliance were to join forces, it could spell disaster for the entire world.

Undercover missions, intelligence gathering, none of it mattered anymore. Pride and secrecy could be damned; the situation was far too urgent.

Unless... they ended it at the source.

Lahar’s gaze sharpened. His hand went to his sword, drawing the blade in one swift motion and leveling its point at Zeref.

According to legend, this man was supposed to possess unfathomable power... and yet, standing before him now, Lahar sensed only a deep, unsettling magic. For once, the usually cautious Captain felt the dangerous temptation to try.

"Lahar!" Mest’s eyes widened, startled by the sudden resolve in his comrade’s expression.

"I know this breaks every regulation we have," Lahar said, his voice hardening, "but we’re far past the point of worrying about rules!"

He stepped forward and swung his blade toward Zeref’s neck.

"The predation of death... again..." Zeref’s head tilted downward, his voice heavy with grief. A heartbeat later, black energy erupted violently from his body.

"Danger!" Mest lunged, grabbing Lahar and activating his teleportation magic in the same instant. In a flash, they were a hundred meters away.

Where they had stood seconds earlier, the black wave swept outward, birds dropped lifeless from the air, beasts collapsed mid-step, trees and plants withered to ash.

Lahar’s eyes went wide, horror dawning on his face. "This... this is magic that directly strips away life itself?"

Cold sweat traced down Mest’s temple. He’d touched Zeref, twice, and had somehow survived. ’Was that luck... or something else?’

Zeref gazed blankly at the dead forest, his voice low and hollow. "I... am still rejected by this world..."

He knelt for a moment, then turned away, walking toward the shoreline. This time, neither Lahar nor Mest dared move to stop him.

On the Council’s battleship

"Ultear, you should understand that man’s magic, shouldn’t you?" Rustyrose’s voice carried an edge, his eyes narrowing. If Ultear had infiltrated the Council, she wouldn’t simply watch their quarry slip away.

"I can’t be expected to remember every insignificant member of the Council," Ultear replied smoothly, her tone calm and unreadable. "That magic can’t take him far. Continue with the original plan, attack the island. Lord Zeref will be ours."

The other Kin of Purgatory didn’t realize that their leader’s intentions weren’t perfectly aligned with their own. In their arrogance, none of them believed anyone could truly escape Tenrou Island right under their noses.

"Capricorn," Ultear called.

"Understood."

The goat-headed mage spread his arms. In an instant, every Grimoire Heart combatant still fighting aboard the ship vanished.

With a single leap, Capricorn landed on his personal flight device. Flames roared from its tail, and he soared high into the skies above Tenrou Island.

A few dozen seconds later, the remaining Kin of Purgatory also withdrew. Moments afterward, the Grimoire Heart airship’s main cannon blazed to life, and the Council’s battleship erupted in a deafening explosion.

...

"What the hell is Natsu doing?"

From a distance, Rhodes had caught sight of Azuma’s towering column of fire. His first thought was that Natsu must have been stirring up trouble again.

If Natsu went all out with his Dragon Slayer Secret Art, the destructive force would probably look just like that...

But what in the second stage of the S-Class Exam could possibly be worth unleashing that kind of power?

"No... this magic doesn’t feel right," Rhodes muttered, narrowing his eyes. "Wendy, let’s check it out."

Blue and white dragon wings unfurled from his back. In one smooth motion, he scooped Wendy into his arms and took to the skies, cutting through the wind with practiced ease.

Behind them, Blue Sentinel dragged three pieces of luggage and scratched his head. Somehow, it felt like his master had completely forgotten about him.

Wendy wanted to voice her complaints about the way she was being carried, but the roaring wind against her ears silenced her. Moments later, Rhodes descended, and her feet touched solid ground again.

Any thought of complaining vanished instantly when she saw the scene before her.

"Mr. Gajeel!"

Gajeel lay crumpled on the ground, his hair a tangled, blood-matted mess. His face and torso were covered in cuts, burns, and soot. His clothing was shredded, most of his upper body bare, his pant legs torn to ribbons, one shoe missing entirely.

Rhodes’s stomach tightened. Even with his sharp eyes, he couldn’t immediately tell if Gajeel’s chest was moving.

He didn’t have to say a word, Wendy was already kneeling beside Gajeel, summoning her healing magic without hesitation.