The towering pillar of ice nearly pierced through the entire Narlok Palace. This was with Calvin holding back; otherwise, it could have shattered the heavens. Staring at the unconscious Future Rogue, encased in the ice, Calvin's expression remained tense. Though he had subdued his enemy, interrogation was not his strong suit, and Rogue didn't seem like someone who would break easily.
"What should I do? Should I question Rogue about Lucy's whereabouts first, or rush to stop Princess Hisui at the Eclipse Gate?"
"Getting information from Rogue will be tough, but if I go straight to the princess, the kingdom's entire army will probably attack me on sight. That idiot princess!"
After a few seconds of deliberation, Calvin made his decision. Rogue's information was more valuable than stopping the Eclipse Gate for now.
With a wave of his hand, the ice pillar slowly melted, leaving only Rogue's head exposed while the rest of his body remained frozen. Calvin slapped Rogue hard across the face several times until he woke up.
As Rogue regained consciousness, the first thing he saw was Calvin's cold, unyielding face. Sneering, Rogue said, "You still haven't killed me? Do you really think you can get anything useful out of me?"
Ignoring Rogue's disdain, Calvin spoke, "There's something I need to confirm: Is the Lucy from the future alive or dead?"
Calvin's expression was ice-cold, his killing intent palpable. Rogue knew that if he answered "dead," Calvin wouldn't hesitate to kill him.
Naturally, Rogue replied, "How could I let someone useless stay alive?"
The moment he said this, Rogue saw death. Calvin's killing intent materialised in the form of a skeletal figure, looming behind him like a grim reaper. Rogue was inevitable that in the next breath, his seven years of struggle would end.
Yet, Rogue didn't regret it. Now that he had been captured and his plans had failed, the weight of everything he carried made him lose the will to live.
But Calvin didn't act. He fought against his murderous rage, forcing himself to stay calm.
"You said you intended to use the Eclipse Gate to defeat Acnologia. What's your plan?"
Rogue glanced at Calvin in mild surprise.
"To think you can hold back from killing me… Is it because of Acnologia? That's right—this guy was killed by the Dragon of the Apocalypse once before. No one knows Acnologia's terror better than him..."
Rogue's gaze turned scornful again as he coldly replied, "Hmph! So you fear Acnologia too. But no matter what, you'll never be able to use my method."
"..."
"Whatever. I never expected you to listen to me anyway. I'll find my own way to defeat the Black Dragon. In fact, there's only one thing I truly wanted to confirm."
"You said earlier that in the original timeline, I would have stopped the Eclipse Gate with two Lucys, and because the future changed, the future destroyed by the dragons ceased to exist, causing the Lucy from the future to disappear."
"You said this to earn my trust. I don't think you were lying..." Calvin paused and looked deeply into Rogue's eyes.
"Oh~ Who knows whether I was telling the truth or not?" Rogue's tone was flippant, but the earlier arrogance and disdain had faded, confirming Calvin's suspicions.
"I've been wondering whether changing the past would reverse the future or create a parallel world. Now I understand. Changing the past means changing the future."
"The Eclipse Gate is the key. It's the only thing that allows time travel. If I destroy it, all time travel from the future will be erased. You won't exist in this era, and Lucy won't die by your hand."
"Even your manipulation of Princess Hisui will be undone. Everything will be reset from the moment you arrived in this era. The Eclipse Gate is both the beginning and the end."
As Calvin spoke, he turned away, his anger and killing intent slowly dissipating.
"You're not going to kill me, Calvin?"
"Killing you doesn't matter anymore. You can't escape. Wait here for the end. Your fate will be worse than death. No one will remember you ever existed because you will have never existed."
"Goodbye, Rogue, the White Shadow Dragon."
With that, Calvin walked to the spot where he had fallen, spreading his black wings and preparing to break through the ceiling and leave.
"Calvin!"
Calvin paused.
"Please, stop me from becoming what I am now. I'm begging you."
"Don't overestimate me. I can't control what someone becomes," Calvin replied expressionlessly.
"I won't deny that there's darkness in me. But as long as Frosh is with me, I won't fall into that darkness," Rogue's voice carried an unexpected hint of warmth.
"Frosh? The frog-cat—is it dead?"
"Yes, Frosh was killed by an incredibly powerful wizard. Not just Frosh—Sabertooth was destroyed as well. After that, I merged with the darkness in my heart, and later I killed Sting to gain the power of the White Dragon."
"I became ruthless and cold, willing to do anything to achieve my goals. It's someone I never wanted to become. So please, Calvin, don't let Frosh be killed."
Perhaps Rogue's sincerity touched Calvin. He turned back, his expression serious. Though he didn't speak, his reaction clearly showed he was considering Rogue's request.
Seeing this, Rogue spoke in a strange tone.
"Around a year from now, the one who kills Frosh and destroys Sabertooth… is you, Calvin."
Outside the palace, the plaza was eerily silent. No one spoke as they awaited the moment to open the Eclipse Gate.
The moon still hung high in the sky, but it was no longer bright and white. Instead, it had turned a sinister dark red.
The eclipse had begun.
It was also the time to open the Eclipse Gate.
"Prepare to open the gate," Princess Hisui ordered calmly, though her trembling body betrayed her inner turmoil.
"From this moment on, we're on full alert for the dragon horde! Prepare the Eclipse Cannon for firing! Begin unlocking the gate!"
As the princess's words fell, one by one, the locks on the Eclipse Gate were released.
The gate was about to open.
Mirajane frowned. "The princess seems absolutely certain that the dragons will appear. Could Calvin have been wrong? Should I stop this?"
Just as she was about to channel her demon magic, she felt her magic being drawn out of her control. She stopped immediately.
"The Eclipse Gate is absorbing magic? It's not even about whether I should stop it anymore—I can't stop it."
The gate was nearly unlocked.
"Calvin, where are you? Please show up soon, or there's no stopping this!"
Suddenly, a loud roar echoed through the air. The wizards from Fairy Tail were all stunned—this roar was familiar.
A massive shadow quickly approached the palace at an incredible speed.
"Is that… a dragon?" Princess Hisui said, her face filled with both seriousness and fear.
As her words fell, the dark shape drew closer, but the Eclipse Gate had not fully unlocked yet.