Chapter 288

Chapter 288: Chapter 288

Marshall had originally given Lust both Wood Element Magic and Life Magic, but after he obtained the Curse of Ankhseram, she received what could only be described as an enormous indirect upgrade.

Life Magic was currently the only ability Marshall possessed at LV5, and as one of his Apostles, Lust had been fortunate enough to share in the understanding that came with that breakthrough. Better still, she inherited that knowledge without suffering any of the curse’s side effects.

Little Levy, once one of the weaker members of the Seven Sins, had suddenly jumped straight into the top tier.

By now, Lust had almost finished modifying her own body and was independently evolving toward a new form of existence.

She was the only Apostle who had managed, through her own abilities, to begin progressing from a second-generation design toward the third generation.

Her body was no longer formed from the same Curse Power construction as the other Seven Sins.

Instead, she had transformed herself into a peculiar living energy form, allowing her to merge into the interior of trees and move through them in ways even Marshall himself couldn’t reproduce.

That was exactly how she had dealt with Azuma’s preparations.

Before he ever tried to bring down the Tenrou Tree, Lust had already infiltrated the surrounding forest and dismantled the magical formations he had secretly arranged.

Since Ultear had leaked Grimoire Heart’s plan in advance, Marshall had known what Azuma intended to do long before the invasion began.

There was no chance he would simply leave such an obvious weakness unprotected.

Azuma, meanwhile, stared blankly at the little girl standing before him.

She had horns and a tail.

She looked vaguely demonic.

’Is she actually a demon?’

That confused him more than it frightened him.

The demons Hades summoned were grotesque, monstrous things, nothing like this small girl.

For a moment, Azuma genuinely wondered whether female demons simply looked completely different.

Lust ignored his confusion and turned toward Erza and Mira.

"Erza-sama, Mira-sama, please finish this opponent as quickly as possible. Laxus-sama needs support. Wrath is beginning to have trouble holding on."

Erza tightened her grip on her sword. "Understood. It won’t take long."

Mira glanced at Azuma, then shrugged. "Looks like you don’t need me here after all. I’ll go help on the other side first."

The original plan had been for Erza and Mira to overwhelm Azuma together, finish him quickly, and then reinforce Laxus against Bluenote.

Mira, however, clearly had no interest in crowding Erza’s fight when Erza already had things under control.

A pair of demonic wings spread from her back, and she flew away.

Erza remained behind and calmly raised her sword.

"Choosing Fairy Tail as your enemy was the greatest mistake your guild made. I’ll make the next strike quick."

...

Five of the Seven Kin were already approaching the end of their battles.

That left the remaining two.

Ultear and Meredy had found Zeref.

"Who are you?" The black-haired, black-eyed "boy" slowly stood up, swaying slightly as though exhausted. His long bangs hung over his eyes, making him look far more weary than threatening.

"There were other people on this island? Don’t come any closer. I’ll be leaving soon."

Ultear found it difficult to reconcile the person in front of her with the legendary Black Mage who had lived for hundreds of years.

Zeref looked no older than fifteen or sixteen.

The dead forest around him was far more convincing.

Ultear carefully examined the ring of withered trees

Everything within that area looked as though its life had simply been removed all at once.

’So this is the curse Marshall described.’

A chill ran through her.

But the affected area was much smaller than she had expected.

The dead zone around Zeref extended only a few dozen meters, while Marshall had said his own curse could spread nearly a kilometer.

Why was there such a difference?

Was Marshall somehow unusual?

Or had Zeref, after living with the curse for centuries, learned how to restrict the affected range?

Ultear had far too many questions.

"You’re the Black Mage Zeref, aren’t you?"

Zeref looked at her tiredly. "You know my name? Are you another lost person who has spent their life chasing it? If so, then you should already understand what I am. Stay away from me. I can’t control this power either."

"I’m not one of them anymore," Ultear replied. "I used to be, but I no longer need ’Zeref’ for anything. I came because I want to ask you several questions. Would you be willing to answer them?"

Zeref remained silent for a moment.

Under ordinary circumstances, he wasn’t particularly difficult to speak with as long as nobody provoked him. Unfortunately, the curse had been erupting frequently lately, and he had neither the patience nor the mood to entertain a stranger’s questions.

"No. I don’t want to answer anything right now. I’m leaving."

He turned away.

Ultear spoke immediately.

"I want to know how to control the Curse of Ankhseram."

Zeref stopped.

Ultear continued before he could leave. "Or at least tell me why it erupts. I have a friend who was cursed by Ankhseram too, and I need to know whether there’s any way to solve it."

For the briefest instant, Zeref’s expression changed.

When he heard that someone else in the world now carried the same curse, the corner of his mouth almost lifted.

There was a flicker of happiness there—perhaps simple relief at the thought that another person might finally understand him—but it vanished just as quickly.

"Your friend must be a genius," Zeref said bitterly. "Ankhseram has always enjoyed envying gifted young people and rewarding them with curses they can never escape."

Ultear frowned.

"Since the curse has no solution, there naturally isn’t a way to remove it. I’ve fought against it for hundreds of years, yet it still torments me. At best, I’ve learned how to reduce the range of its effects. I still can’t decide when it activates."

His voice became quieter.

"So.... give up."

"NO!" Ultear answered immediately. "That can’t be true. There has to be a solution! If you can already reduce the range, doesn’t that prove the curse can be controlled to some extent? Why not keep trying?"

Zeref was silent for a long moment before answering.

"I have tried. More times than you can imagine."

He lowered his gaze.

"In fact, the curse can be influenced. When I feel moved by the beauty of life, when I sincerely value the lives around me, the curse erupts. When I stop seeing human lives as precious, when I no longer care whether the people around me live or die, it remains quiet."

Ultear felt cold all over.

"I once managed to live for decades without a single outbreak. I thought perhaps I had finally conquered it, but the moment I was moved by life again, the curse returned and took everything from me."

The despair in Zeref’s voice wasn’t loud or dramatic. It sounded worn smooth by centuries of repetition.

"This curse is built on contradiction. The more you value life, the more lives it takes. If you want to stop killing, you must stop caring about the very people you wish to protect."

He gave a faint, empty smile.

"It drives people mad.... I suppose I’m already mad."

Zeref turned away once more.

"As for your friend... I can only wish him luck. Goodbye."

He had barely taken a step when several figures burst through the forest.

A blond fireball.

A pink-haired fireball.

And a blue cat with wings.

"BASTARD! DON’T RUN! FIRE DRAGON’S ROAR!"

Zancrow immediately spotted Ultear and Meredy.

"Ultear! Meredy! Perfect! Help me!"

Ultear stared at him.

Zancrow, normally so arrogant that he treated everyone around him like trash, was actually being chased through the forest by Natsu.

Fairy Tail’s performance was turning out almost exactly as Marshall had predicted.

Ultear calmly stepped backward. "Don’t interfere with my task, Zancrow. Deal with your own problem yourself."

"What?!"

Then Zancrow noticed Zeref and his anger vanished instantly.

"Wait... Is that Zeref?! It is! We found him!"

He immediately pointed toward the Black Mage. "We need to get him back to the Master! I’m faster, so I’ll carry him. Ultear, you hold that brat off for me!"

Without waiting for an answer, Zancrow charged straight toward Zeref.

Zeref barely seemed to notice as his eyes were fixed on Natsu.

Tears slowly gathered at the corners of his eyes.

"Natsu..."

His voice trembled.

"I finally get to see you again."

A gentle, deeply sorrowful smile appeared on his face.

"I missed you."

Then a pitch-black wave erupted from his body.

Ultear’s expression changed instantly.

"No! Get away from him!"