Hades narrowed his eyes and stared at Gaal. "You sharp-tongued little brat…"
Distracted by his concern, he only watched as Makarov appeared in the sky. Not paying attention to what was happening behind him, Hades never expected to be fooled by such a simple trick.
Had his mocking slap meant for that brat backfire on him? Hades's face darkened as he turned toward Azuma and asked, "Do you still have any strength left?"
Azuma took a deep breath; although he was in a sorry state, clutching his arm, he nodded solemnly, "I'm fine."
The battlefield suddenly fell into a deadlock. Hades, unsure what further tricks might be employed, and Azuma, who could almost merge with the earth, both knew that failing to kill their enemy in one blow would bring endless trouble.
And Hades, not wanting to die himself, had no choice but to bank on Makarov's affection for Fairy Tail. Although Makarov could crush Hades's Magic Source in an instant, the consequences of doing so were unacceptable.
For a moment, the scene fell silent.
Splash! Sounds echoed from the lake.
Gildarts, looking utterly disheveled, dragged Ur and Ultear as he swam ashore. In his disarray, he tossed Ur and Ultear onto the bank before collapsing onto the ground, baring his teeth as he muttered, "I almost… nearly died."
"Damn old man."
Gildarts then pulled out a few bottles of Recovery Potion and gulped them down. Panting heavily, he got to his feet and looked toward Hades and Azuma, asking, "Are you going to kill them?"
"Let me handle it," he added.
Hades ignored Gildarts's words and instead looked toward Makarov, asking, "What now?"
There was a brief pause before Gaal looked up at Makarov and said, "No need to rush, old man. I'm sure Guild Master Hades doesn't want to die, does he?" He continued, "Not having discovered the ultimate secret of magic—fighting Fairy Tail to the death—is a huge loss either way."
Hades's eyes exploded with murderous intent; he wished he could tear Gaal's mouth apart, regretting not having killed him at the first opportunity. Facing Hades's murderous gaze, Gaal shrugged nonchalantly and, glancing at Makarov in the sky, floated away toward him.
At this moment, aboard the Grimoire Heart Guild's airship, no one dared act rashly—the vessel was far too fragile. Any mishap that led to the airship being inadvertently crushed by Makarov would leave Hades no choice but to kill them all.
Gaal slowly landed on the airship. Makarov looked puzzled but said nothing.
Zancrow, Kain Hikaru, and the others also wore grim expressions when they saw Gaal appear.
"What the hell is this bastard doing here?"
Zancrow tried several times to move forward, but Kain Hikaru restrained him.
"Don't forget—we're in Makarov's grip right now. If the airship has issues, none of us will get away."
Kain Hikaru was genuinely frightened. That idiot Zancrow had caused enough trouble already; if he blew up the airship, it would be curtains for everyone.
After landing, Gaal merely cast a glance around before walking straight toward the Grimoire Heart Guild Headquarters. His psychic power swept over the entire airship. Within moments, any paper or book containing words began to float as if lifted by an unseen force.
They drifted out from every corner and converged toward Gaal. Meanwhile, Gengar emerged from Gaal's shadow, opened his mouth wide, and swallowed every book in the guild.
Inside Hades's room, the drawers of his everyday desk opened on their own, sending all the papers whirling into the air. At the same time, books from the densely packed shelf flew out the window one after another.
Kain Hikaru and Zancrow watched in horror as their anger turned into pure terror, cold sweat streaming down their faces. They knew this was about to expose every secret of Guild Master Hades.
Gulping, Kain Hikaru exchanged a glance with Zancrow before looking at Gaal and ordering, "Stop right there!"
"Gaal Brons! You've gone too far!!!"
"Flame God's Bow!"
"Self-Enhancement: Light Source Body!"
Gaal raised one hand to form a reflection Magic Circle while speeding up his pace. Down below, Hades sensed the commotion above and dark magic surged through his body as he roared, "Makarov! Tell that kid to stop right now!"
As Hades raised his hand, a dozen dark chains erupted from the ground, lashing upward toward Makarov's arm.
Since the Grimoire Heart had always resided in the sky, the airship in question had served as its guild headquarters for decades. Not to mention that all of Hades's years of magical research and notes were stored on that vessel. If that kid were to seize them all, it would be as if he were handing over decades of his hard work. Hades simply could not allow his magic to be so exposed.
Makarov, watching the dark chains come his way, clenched his fist and smashed them aside with a powerful punch.
Boom!!!
Under the crushing force of light magic, the dark chains shattered one by one. Hades was seething with anger—if it weren't for his faltering magic supply, things might have turned out differently.
Glancing at Azuma with fury, Hades bellowed, "Azuma! Kill everyone in Magnolia Town! Leave not one alive!"
Boom---!!!
Explosions rang out in the sky as Gaal's face showed a trace of regret. In his hand, he held a pink-haired loli who had fainted. Still gazing wistfully at some books that hadn't been gathered in time, he nodded at Makarov.
Makarov then looked over at Hades and said, "I promise."
Hades's face turned as grim as still water while the hesitant Azuma looked on and asked, "Guild Master?"
After a long, brooding silence, Hades slowly spoke as he turned to Gaal, "Hand over your loot."
Gaal descended from the air and pointed at the nearby, ruined guild. "Then, Guild Master Hades, do us a favor—why don't you restore our destroyed library?"
Under the recent impact, the guild's library had completely collapsed. Except for the sealed secret room, the books normally available for the guild's mages were scattered everywhere and utterly ruined.
Hearing Gaal's words, Hades nearly exploded from what he considered shameless audacity. How could those cheap trinkets sold all over the Continent possibly compare with the magical notes he'd painstakingly researched for decades?
Hades gripped his Magic Staff tightly, several times tempted to unleash his power and kill Gaal, yet his magic supply wouldn't allow it. The thought that Gaal had taken away the fruits of decades of his hard work filled him with bitter rage. He was nearly ready to go down in a blaze of glory.
However, after years of searching, Zeref's trail was nearly pinpointed, and there were scarcely any unsearched places left. In the face of his dreams and hard work, Hades suppressed his anger.
He shot a cold glance at Gaal and said to Azuma, "Leave now. Once we find Zeref and Black Dragon, this score will be settled sooner or later."
No sooner had Hades's words faded than Azuma activated his magic. A rocky wolf head rose from the ground and carried the two away.
Makarov maintained his giant form until the two had completely vanished, then slowly released his hold on the airship. Kain Hikaru hurried to the helm, turned the vessel around, and steered it away. Gradually, Makarov shrank back to his normal form, though his arm bore some burns.
Meanwhile, Crawford Seam, head of the Magic Council, frowned and said, "Makarov, why didn't you leave him? If you let him go now, he'll only cause more trouble later."
Makarov shook his head and replied, "You heard him too—he's willing to fight us to the death."
Crawford Seam's frown deepened as he wondered what leverage Fairy Tail might have that ended up in the hands of Grimoire Heart. Had Ivan leaked some information? However… Crawford Seam was destined never to know.
After all, something like Lumen Histoire—unless absolutely necessary—would never be so lightly revealed by Hades. It represented infinite magic power, and even Hades couldn't create a second one.
As peace finally settled over the world, Gaal let out a thud as he collapsed onto the ground. Makarov rushed over, exclaiming, "Gaal!"
Gaal waved his hand dismissively and said, "I'm fine… I need to take a nap first." Although his mind still lingered on reviewing Hades's years of notes and research, his exhausted body could no longer hold on, and he promptly fell asleep.
X775, September.
The leader of the Balam Alliance, under the guise of negotiations, had led over twenty Dark Guilds with the Grimoire Heart Guild to attack the Fairy Tail Headquarters. The details of the battle remain shrouded in mystery, but the might of Fairy Law shook the entire Continent. Over half of those twenty-plus Dark Guilds were obliterated, leaving not a trace of their existence. Hades's defeat and retreat only added to the mystique of Fairy Law.
Several days later, at the bustling Fairy Tail Guild Headquarters where reconstruction was underway, many children played and worked side by side.
Gray and Lyon, shovels in hand, competed with Elfman in mixing mortar, while Laxus sent sparks dancing as he heated rebar until it glowed red, straightening it before forcefully driving it into the building. Gaal was busy directing the Gengar as they moved bricks and stones.
Suddenly, a shadow passed over the sky. Makarov, wearing a leisurely smile and sipping tea, looked up to see a ship from the Magic Council. A squad of guards disembarked from it.
The lead guard, carrying orders, approached Gaal and said, "Gaal Brons. Your dealings with demons have been exposed. Come with us."