CHAPTER 595: THE TRUE POWER OF THE ARC OF TIME

The two of them carried Freed and Bickslow back to the camp, and Lily was also carried back.

Levy was already unconscious inside, and fortunately, she wasn’t affected.

Rhodes summoned Brambleback, and he also used Take Over on Brambleback, allowing everyone present to wear a buff.

Afterward, he returned to his original state and bandaged their companions with Mira.

Azuma had only returned their magic power, but he didn’t have the strength to help restore the Tenrou Tree; if he left everyone alone, they really might die.

Just then, Mira also took the opportunity to tell Rhodes about the Tenrou Tree.

The two of them estimated that their magic power would have recovered quite a bit after they finished these tasks, and then they would go support the others. Both were a little anxious because Azuma had just said that Zeref was on this island.

If it were just Grimoire Heart invading, they wouldn’t be too worried, because the Master and Gildarts were both there.

But the legendary Dark Mage Zeref, a figure from 400 years ago, the mere fact that he was still alive was enough to make both of them anxious.

Erza quickly caught up to Ultear.

She didn’t know why her magic power disappeared and then recovered, but she had to stop Ultear from approaching Cana.

This woman’s power, combined with that pink-haired little girl, was definitely not something Cana could handle alone.

Ultear was thoroughly annoyed by Erza’s persistence.

If she had known this would happen, she shouldn’t have been in such a hurry to leave just now; she should have killed her instead.

The two fought for several rounds, and Erza’s fighting style remained the same: even if her weapons and armor were constantly damaged, even if she herself got injured, she would definitely wound her enemy.

As a result, both of them now looked like they had been through a fierce battle.

Their hair was disheveled, their faces and bodies were covered in dirt, their clothes were tattered, and they were both panting heavily.

Although she had held the advantage at first, Ultear now felt that if the fight continued, she might actually lose.

Zeref was close at hand; she could not accept such a risk.

Taking advantage of the brief moment when they separated, Ultear feigned incomprehension and questioned, "Why? Why are you stopping me? You...you should be on my side, shouldn’t you, Erza Scarlet?!"

"Hmph," Erza also needed a moment to catch her breath, responding, "Stopping someone who arbitrarily invades the guild’s sacred ground is only natural, isn’t it?"

"That’s for others, but you should be on my side!" Ultear tempted, "Have you forgotten Jellal?"

Recalling the blue-haired young man, Erza’s eyes sharpened, and a long sword appeared in her hand: "Zeref, Jellal, sure enough, you were also involved in the Tower of Paradise incident!"

She charged forward with a furious expression, her long sword slashing at Ultear.

But Ultear was not angry at all, and with a casual gesture, she caused the long sword in Erza’s hand to rust and crumble.

Good, she had taken control of the conversation.

Ultear smiled confidently, "Don’t you want Jellal to return to his original self? Don’t you wish the tragedy of the Tower of Paradise had never happened?"

Hearing such tempting words, Erza instead steadied herself and asked, "What exactly are you trying to say?"

"I’m inviting you to join us in pursuing the creation of the Great Magic World," Ultear explained, carefully watching Erza’s expression as she spoke.

She laid out what the Great Magic World meant, but to her disappointment, Erza’s face showed not even the slightest sign of interest.

It seemed persuasion alone wouldn’t work.

Ultear, however, didn’t falter. Before Erza could refuse, she smiled faintly and added, "Of course, that is Grimoire Heart’s plan... but it’s not mine."

Erza, who had shown disinterest just moments earlier, instantly sensed something was off. Was this woman being forced to follow Grimoire Heart’s orders? No... it wasn’t that simple.

"You’ve already seen my magic, haven’t you? A Lost Magic known as the Arc of Time."

"What are you getting at?" Erza asked sharply.

"This magic, as it stands now, can only manipulate the time of small objects," Ultear said, her voice low but steady. "But its ultimate potential... is to shake the entire world itself. In other words, it can reverse the flow of time and return the entire world to the past."

"What?!" Erza’s eyes widened. If she could truly return to the past...

"That’s right," Ultear pressed on, seizing the moment. "All the suffering and misfortune of the past could be undone." Her voice softened, becoming almost pleading. "My Arc of Time... is magic that can reclaim lost happiness."

As she spoke, her eyes reflected a deep, almost painful longing. For Ultear, reclaiming lost happiness had always been the original reason she sought out the Arc of Time.

Erza’s heart wavered. Could she really undo the pain of her childhood? Could she erase the torment her companions suffered in the Tower of Paradise? Could she change Jellal’s path... even bring back Rob?

But suspicion quickly returned. "What does this have to do with Zeref?"

"Everything," Ultear answered without hesitation. "In the current world, magic like this demands a terrible price, your life. ’The one who reverses time will lose all time.’"

Her voice rose with growing intensity. "But if Zeref is awakened and we enter the Great Magic World, magic will be free. Lost Magic will have no side effects."

"Then you, me, Meredy, everyone who has suffered, we can all have a second life. We can reclaim the happiness we should have had from the start."

"Second... life?"

"Exactly!" Ultear’s eyes lit up. "This cruel existence we live now is only the first round. All the cruelty, all the sins, all the tragedies are illusions, destined to be erased. Once we begin our second life, everything will change. Everyone will find happiness."

Ultear believed it with all her heart. And because she believed, she would do anything to reach that goal. No matter how much evil she committed, no matter how many lives she took, it wouldn’t matter. Everything would be reset in the end, as if it had never happened.

"So," she said with quiet conviction, "join us. Every misfortune and regret in your life, I will help you reclaim them."

Deception was a skill she had honed little by little since childhood, her most formidable ability apart from magic.

She had deceived the Council, she had deceived Jellal, and she had even been deceiving Master Hades.

Erza lowered her head, her damp bangs hanging down, dripping water that merged with countless raindrops on the ground.

She had to admit she was very tempted, because her life had too many misfortunes. Not just her, but many of her guildmates had also experienced misfortune.

If all of this could be changed, it would, of course, be an excellent thing.

"But that won’t do", Erza said.

"What?"

"Reversing time, denying one’s life, that won’t do. Everything in the past is real, experiences that must be faced!"

Erza looked up, directly into Ultear’s eyes. "Misfortune is misfortune, sin is sin. Denying all of that is absolutely unacceptable!"

Ultear questioned, "What’s wrong with it? Shouldn’t such an unfortunate, terrible life be redone?!"

"Precisely because it was terrible, precisely because we experienced misfortune, that’s why we have persevered and lived until now. That’s why we should bravely face the future, instead of denying everything we’ve done!"

Ultear’s body trembled slightly, thinking of how her mother had abandoned her.

Her voice became somewhat hysterical. "To presumptuously say such irresponsible things, what do you know about the misfortunes others have experienced?!"