Chapter 489: Fairy Tail Will Live Freely Alongside It
"Of course. Since I knew exactly what your weakness was, I could have ended the fight at any time," Noah said matter-of-factly, crossing his arms with a satisfied smirk. "So naturally, I had to take advantage of the opportunity to stretch my legs and enjoy a good, long brawl."
Hearing Noah's casual admission, the Fairy Tail mages burst into laughter. That attitude was as Fairy Tail as it got.
"Alright, I'm going to send a Thought Projection to clear out whatever Grimoire Heart stragglers are left on the airship and bring it closer to Tenrou Island. We'll start modifying it and take it back with us.
"For now, everyone just focus on resting. Oh, and pass these out. They'll help you recover faster."
Noah reached into his spatial pocket, pulled out a massive bundle of high-grade recovery potions, and handed them to Ultear.
"Is something else going to happen?" Ultear asked, her expression turning incredibly serious as she accepted the potions.
She knew Noah better than almost anyone. This sudden, excessive emphasis on recovering their stamina immediately after winning a war meant he was actively preparing for something else. Combined with the apocalyptic-scale barrier he had spent days building around Tenrou Island, Ultear felt a heavy, ominous premonition settling over her.
The others, who were also highly familiar with Noah's habits, immediately caught on and turned to him with anxious expressions.
"I can't say for certain, but it's always best to be prepared," Noah shook his head slightly, meeting their worried gazes. He offered a reassuring smile. "Don't panic. Even if the absolute worst-case scenario occurs, I've already set up all the necessary countermeasures. You will all be perfectly safe."
Hearing Noah's absolute guarantee, the group let out a collective sigh of relief.
While it was clear that whatever Noah was anticipating wasn't a minor issue, his track record was flawless. If Noah said they were safe, they were safe. The best thing they could do right now was follow his instructions and recover their strength. That way, whatever happened, they would at least be capable of fighting alongside him or defending themselves.
Ultear quickly began distributing the potions.
Noah seamlessly split off a Thought Projection, sending it flying toward the crashed airship in the distance to secure their new prize. His true body remained behind, standing quietly with Makarov and Mavis as they waited for Precht to regain consciousness.
"Alright! Let's resume the exam!" Natsu suddenly yelled, throwing his arms in the air.
"R-Right now?!" Happy shrieked, completely startled.
"The second trial got interrupted by these jerks, so it doesn't count! Let's just settle this with a brawl right here! A clean, straightforward fight!" Natsu cheered, instantly dropping into a boxing stance and throwing a few shadow-punches.
"No. We cannot restart the S-Class trials right now. Your only objective is to recover your physical and magical condition immediately," Erza commanded, walking over with a handful of potions.
"Hah?! I feel totally fine! I'm completely ready to fight for the S-Class title!" Natsu protested, throwing a flurry of rapid-fire punches to prove his point.
"Did you already just decide in your head that the trial is going to be a brawl?" Happy sweatdropped.
BAM!
Erza didn't waste a single word. She delivered a brutal, lightning-fast gut punch directly to Natsu's stomach.
Natsu folded entirely in half, his eyes bugging out and his jaw dropping open in a silent scream before he collapsed into an unconscious heap on the dirt.
The surrounding mages flinched and took a collective, terrified step backward.
Erza calmly crouched down, popped the cork off a potion vial, and unceremoniously poured the glowing liquid down Natsu's throat.
Once she was certain he had swallowed it all, she stood up and leveled a terrifying glare at the rest of the group. "As I said, something else might happen very soon. Your top priority is returning to peak condition. These potions will drastically accelerate the process. Drink them immediately. Understood?"
"YES MA'AM! UNDERSTOOD!" The group nodded so violently their necks cracked, absolutely terrified of receiving Erza's 'persuasion.'
Erza nodded in satisfaction and began handing out the rest of the potions.
Mirajane giggled softly, shaking her head as she handed potions to Elfman and Lisanna.
Sorano walked over to Yukino, Wendy, and Meredy, distributing their share. After making sure the younger girls drank them, Sorano pulled Meredy slightly to the side to explain Noah's ultimate plan regarding Precht.
Since Zancrow and Kain were merely the executioners, Precht—as the Guild Master—was the one who had ultimately ordered the destruction of Meredy's hometown. He was the root cause of her tragedy. Therefore, Sorano felt it was necessary to explain his fate to her.
After detailing the situation with the Devil's Heart, Sorano spoke gently but firmly.
"Don't blame the Master for choosing to spare him. Precht practically raised Master Makarov; the emotional bond between them is incredibly deep.
"However, Noah intends to completely destroy the 'Devil's Heart' hidden inside that airship—the source of Precht's monstrous magic and unnatural longevity. According to Noah, once that heart is destroyed, Precht won't have many days left to live. Furthermore, losing the heart will subject him to agonizing physical and magical withdrawal. Your revenge will be fully realized."
"No... I don't blame Grandpa at all," Meredy shook her head, looking at Sorano with absolute sincerity. "Without you guys and Grandpa taking me in, I would never have even had the chance to seek revenge. Since Precht and Grandpa share such a deep history, I have absolutely no complaints about his decision.
"Besides, you just said that once he loses the Heart, his unnaturally long lifespan will evaporate, and he won't have much time left, right? Taking a monster with near-infinite life and reducing him to a dying, crippled old man is more than enough."
Meredy's words were genuine. When she first discovered that her enemies were Grimoire Heart—the strongest Dark Guild in the world—she had practically given up hope. She was just a young girl; the gap in power was utterly insurmountable. She hadn't wanted to drag Noah, Ultear, or Fairy Tail into her personal vendetta, knowing how dangerous it was.
Yet, despite her hesitations, they had done everything in their power to help her. Noah had personally trained her. Ultear had constantly gathered intel. Makarov and the rest of the guild had showered her with unconditional love and support.
And now, Fairy Tail had waged a full-scale war, completely annihilating Grimoire Heart. The men who slaughtered her family had been permanently crippled and thrown at her feet, and the mastermind was going to suffer an agonizing, inevitable death. She was completely satisfied.
"That's good," Sorano sighed in relief, offering a warm smile. "But you really don't need to worry about Precht getting off easy. Knowing Noah, he's definitely going to leave some sort of hidden tracking or monitoring spell on him. Even if Grandpa officially let him go, Precht is still a dangerous monster who attacked our home. For the safety of the guild, Noah would never just let him wander off completely unchecked. The moment he finally dies, I'm sure you'll be the first to know."
"Mhm!" Meredy nodded brightly, fully believing Sorano's deduction. Noah was far too cautious to leave a loose end like Precht completely unmonitored. Knowing exactly when her ultimate enemy died was a comforting thought.
"Good. Now rest up. Like Erza said, this might not be over yet," Sorano patted Meredy's head affectionately.
"I will," Meredy promised. The two girls walked back to Wendy and Yukino, sitting down quietly to meditate and digest the potions.
The rest of the camp also fell into silent meditation.
For a brief, peaceful moment, the only sounds were the gentle lapping of the ocean waves against the artificial shore and the quiet, steady breathing of the Fairy Tail mages.
Loke, head back to the Celestial Spirit World with Capricorn immediately and prepare, Noah's voice suddenly echoed directly into Loke's mind via telepathy.
You mean the countermeasures you set up might actually be triggered?! Loke responded, genuine alarm bleeding into his mental voice.
Yeah. I sincerely hope we don't have to use them, but the probability just skyrocketed, Noah replied, his tone heavy with resignation.
Understood. I'll take Capricorn and initiate the preparations immediately, Loke agreed firmly.
Loke quickly grabbed Capricorn, offered a hasty goodbye to Lucy and the rest of the group, and vanished in a flash of golden light, returning to the Celestial Spirit World.
While the others were slightly curious about his sudden departure, they didn't pry. Gray, however, was absolutely livid. If the S-Class trials resumed later, what the hell was he supposed to do without his partner?!
But since Loke had looked so urgent, Gray could only swallow his complaints. If the trials actually restarted, he'd just have Lucy forcefully summon Loke back.
"Oh, he's awake," Noah stated, sensing the subtle shift in Precht's magical signature.
Precht slowly forced his swollen eyes open. He found himself lying flat on his back, staring up at the brilliant blue sky, the dark, oppressive storm clouds having been completely blasted away.
He could feel that the severe bleeding from his numerous wounds had stopped, clearly the work of high-tier healing magic.
Slowly turning his head, he realized he was lying on the artificial landmass. Noah and Makarov were standing silently beside him. The rest of the Fairy Tail mages were resting a significant distance away.
"Makarov..."
Precht croaked, his voice weak and raspy. He completely ignored Noah, focusing entirely on his former student.
"Deliver the final blow."
He knew perfectly well that Noah deeply respected Makarov. As long as Makarov didn't give the order, Noah wouldn't kill him. Therefore, he addressed Makarov directly.
"I learned countless invaluable lessons from you. As a token of my gratitude... I will let you go today. Take your broken body and leave this island immediately," Makarov replied, his voice eerily calm and devoid of anger.
"Naive fool. If you let me live today, I promise you I will return and utterly annihilate your guild," Precht scoffed, a weak, mocking sneer twisting his battered face.
"It is true that, based on the power you displayed today, I am no match for you," Makarov admitted freely, a faint, incredibly proud smile touching his lips. "However... Noah defeated you."
Hearing Makarov's quiet, absolute pride in his grandson, Precht was struck completely speechless.
He had been utterly, overwhelmingly defeated in a fair, head-on clash of magic and martial prowess. He had used every single forbidden spell and ultimate technique at his disposal, and it hadn't mattered.
Furthermore, Noah had known about the Devil's Heart. If Noah had simply bypassed him and destroyed the reactor on the airship, the fight would have ended instantly. Noah had intentionally given him the opportunity to fight at his absolute peak, allowed him to exhaust every single option, and still crushed him completely.
How in the world had a twenty-year-old brat attained such incomprehensible power? Why didn't his own guild possess a prodigy even a fraction as brilliant as Noah?
A bitter, suffocating sense of inadequacy and regret welled up within Precht's chest.
"Why... why did you fall into the darkness?" Makarov finally asked the question that had been tearing at his soul.
He had asked it earlier, but Precht had deflected. Now, defeated and broken, Makarov desperately needed to understand why the kind, wise Master who had raised him had transformed into a monster obsessed with slaughter and apocalypse.
"I told you before. Magic itself was born from the darkness. The miracles humanity refers to as 'magic' are merely the sanitized remnants of that primordial abyss," Precht answered slowly, staring up at the sky.
"After I retired from the guild, I sought the ultimate truth of this world. I plunged deep into the abyss of magic. But the further I went, the more I realized that this vibrant, diverse magical world we currently live in is nothing but a shallow, fragile illusion.
"The only true reality is the world Zeref once inhabited. The Ultimate Magic World.
"I wanted to see that world. I wanted to witness the absolute truth. To achieve that, I spent decades searching for the 'keys' required to awaken Zeref. I was so close... just a single step away... If I could just reach the end of that path, I would finally touch the One Magic..."
Precht's voice grew increasingly frantic and zealous. He weakly raised his right hand, reaching desperately toward the sky, his fingers clawing at the empty air as if trying to grasp the intangible concept of the One Magic. His hand fell back to the dirt, empty.
"Even if you obtained such a thing, it wouldn't change anything," Makarov stated coldly, breaking the silence after Precht's fanatical monologue.
Precht blinked in shock, turning his head to stare at his former student.
"If you wish to believe that magic was originally born from 'Darkness,' that is fine. If someone else believes it was born from 'Light,' that is also fine. Because magic... magic is alive!"
Makarov raised his right hand. A brilliant, warm sphere of golden magical energy flared to life in his palm.
"Magic constantly evolves alongside humanity. It changes and adapts with the eras. It grows alongside us. Everyone understands and interprets magic differently. That very diversity is magic.
"Depending on the heart of the wielder, magic can be a beacon of Light, or an abyss of Darkness. It can burn a passionate Red, or flow a tranquil Blue.
"Fairy Tail does not seek to conquer magic, nor do we seek its 'true' origin. Fairy Tail will simply live freely alongside it."
Makarov's voice was absolute, ringing with unshakeable conviction.
Hearing Makarov's profound, beautiful philosophy, Precht's eyes widened in sheer disbelief.
Makarov's words fundamentally rejected the entirety of Precht's life's work. They brazenly declared that the decades Precht had spent torturing himself and others in pursuit of a singular, absolute 'truth' were completely meaningless.
Yet, deep within the darkest, most buried corners of his subconscious... Precht knew Makarov was right.
~~~
Get early access to 50+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn