CHAPTER 576: 576

While Gajeel fought desperately against Azuma, Mest had already locked onto his target.

Zeref, unwilling for Natsu to face him so soon and determined not to bring further harm to anyone on the island, was steadily distancing himself from Tenrou Island.

"This presence... there’s no mistake!"

Mest was certain, this was the legendary Black Wizard, Zeref.

As for why he looked so frail and disheartened, Mest assumed it was because Zeref had yet to "awaken."

If he could capture him alive and bring him back to the Council...

Acting on impulse, Mest teleported directly behind Zeref, placing a firm hand on his shoulder.

Before Zeref could even fully turn around, the scenery shifted in a flash, from dense forest, to the sandy edge of a beach, and then, in the blink of an eye, to the deck of a massive warship.

Spatial Magic!

"Don’t come near me!"

"Quick, prepare the magic circle!"

Zeref’s voice and Mest’s shout overlapped, startling the Council soldiers stationed on the deck, most of whom didn’t yet grasp what was happening.

Lahar, leading the unit, froze for only a heartbeat before recognition struck. Upon seeing Zeref’s face and feeling the suffocating aura that radiated from him, beads of cold sweat formed instantly on his brow.

"Doranbalt... you, where did you find him?!"

Even Lahar didn’t dare to say Zeref’s name aloud, fearing not only to trigger his awakening but also to spread panic among the soldiers.

"I never imagined this guy would be hiding in Fairy Tail’s sacred ground!" Mest’s pulse was pounding.

To capture Black Wizard Zeref alive, this would be a merit so great it felt unreal.

"In any case, while he hasn’t awakened, set up the magic circle immediately!"

"All personnel, prepare for battle! Begin magic circle deployment at once!" Lahar’s tone was sharp. This was a threat beyond measure. There were only two options now, throw Zeref into the sea and retreat, or secure him instantly and report to the Council with utmost urgency.

As a Council officer, Lahar could not let such a dangerous individual slip away. He had no choice but to push forward.

Zeref, still clutching his head, muttered in anguish, "Stay away from me... don’t come near..."

Lahar motioned for all soldiers to keep their distance, instructing the circle mages to work from the edges of the deck.

Magic circles, once activated, could suppress nearly anything. Yet even with Zeref, the outcome was uncertain. This was a Black Arts Magician who had lived for over four centuries, mastering and creating countless forbidden spells—there was a real chance he possessed magic designed to counter sealing formations themselves.

That fool Doranbalt had taken a reckless risk.

Meanwhile, far across the waves, an enormous, strangely designed airship was closing in on Tenrou Island.

The moment Zeref appeared on the Council’s vessel, Hades, master of Grimoire Heart, abruptly rose from his seat, eyes gleaming with an almost feverish light.

"I feel him! He’s here!"

The other higher ups hesitated for only a breath before their faces lit with excitement.

They had prepared for a long, arduous hunt, Hades had even dispatched Azuma, Kawazu, and Yomazu ahead of time to scout the island. Yet fate had handed them the location of their quarry the instant they arrived.

The airship surged forward, slicing through the clouds with increasing speed until the Council’s battleship came into view far below.

Hades slowly raised a hand to stroke the eyepatch covering his right eye. His voice was thick with certainty.

"There’s no mistake... Zeref is aboard that ship."

Standing beside him, Ultear, once a member of the Council, recognized the vessel instantly.

"Master, that’s a Council battleship."

The pink-haired girl, Meredy, tilted her head in confusion.

"The Council? I thought you destroyed them, Ultear."

Ultear’s gentle expression hardened into a shadowed glare.

"Don’t call me ’Ultear.’"

Meredy flinched, bowing her head immediately.

"I...I’m sorry."

"You’re too hard on the kid," Zancrow drawled, flashing a toothy grin. "Meredy, you haven’t heard? Those useless geezers pulled themselves together after Ultear wiped them out. Now they call themselves something fancy, ’the New Council.’"

"Useless or not, they did us a favor this time," Zancrow went on, flames curling faintly around his fingers. "It saves me the trouble of tracking Zeref down myself. This way, I can focus on paying back that hulking brute and that sneaky little rat!"

Rustyrose flexed his prosthetic limb, his gaze cold.

"I don’t care about your grudges, Zancrow, but the Fairy Strategist is mine."

Zancrow’s grin widened in challenge, but Hades silenced them both with a single raised hand.

"Settle your squabbles later. The only thing that matters now... is welcoming Zeref."

Down below, on the Council ship, Lahar froze mid-command as his eyes caught the silhouette of the massive airship descending.

"That... no way."

The emblem painted boldly on the bow, a crimson heart, was unmistakable. His disbelief was echoed by the horrified voices around him.

"Grimoire Heart!"

What kind of cursed day was this?

Fairy Tail, whose new Ten Wizard Saint already demanded close monitoring...

The Black Wizard Zeref, long sought after but missing for centuries...

And now Grimoire Heart, the strongest of the Balam Alliance’s Dark Guilds, whose movements had been a mystery until now.

The three major forces that gave the Council the most headaches were all gathered here today!

Coincidence? Absolutely not.

If Fairy Tail’s presence was happenstance, the airship’s sudden course correction and burst of speed made its intentions obvious, it was heading straight for the Council’s vessel.

Or rather... for Zeref.

Mest’s heart surged with wild ambition. Capturing Zeref and taking down Grimoire Heart in the same stroke would be the greatest achievement of his career.

Lahar, however, saw only danger.

"Complete the magic circle immediately! All other units, prepare to repel Grimoire Heart! Doranbalt, get headquarters on the line...now!"

His orders came quickly, but too late.

A horned, goat-like man wearing a personal flight apparatus leapt from Grimoire Heart’s airship, the device roaring with tail flames as he dove toward the battleship.

He spread his arms wide, and in an instant, hundreds of people materialized in the air around him, their shadows blotting out the sun.

They crashed onto the deck as one, steel and magic already in motion. In moments, more than a dozen Council soldiers who had been working on the sealing circle were struck down, their formation collapsing before they could react.

Neither Lahar nor Mest had a chance to bark orders. Six figures had already closed in around them, six of the Seven Kin of Purgatory.

"Rustyrose. Zancrow."

Thanks to the intel Rhodes had passed along, Lahar recognized two of them instantly.

And then his gaze hardened. Standing among them, a black-haired woman cradled a crystal ball in one hand, her sharp eyes fixed on them.

"Ultear!"

Former Councilor Ultear Milkovich, the architect of the Council’s downfall, the one who had conspired with Jellal to trick her fellow Councilors into firing Etherion. The woman who vanished without a trace after the Tower of Heaven incident.

The Council had never discovered where she’d gone or uncovered her true loyalties. But now, with her standing here alongside Grimoire Heart, every unanswered question fell into place.

Lahar’s mind raced. ’So that was it...’

She had joined the Council to gather intelligence, everything she could about Zeref, and to shield Grimoire Heart from discovery. It explained too much. The last time they had escorted a group of captured Grimoire Heart members to headquarters, the transport route was supposed to be completely classified. Yet, halfway to their destination, they were ambushed.

Now it was obvious why.

’She was the leak.’

...

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