Underworld Island · Tartaros
After Sera of the Cool Moon Heaven kidnapped Natsu, she brought him all the way back and handed him over to Plue Mard Geer, then went to see Zeref.
Seeing Natsu's painful expression as he inhaled Magical Barrier Particles, Zeref couldn't bear it and directly removed the toxins.
Natsu immediately regained his spirits and began shouting, only to be subdued on the spot by the Nine Demon Gates and tied up like a rice dumpling with Magic Sealing Chains.
He looked at Zeref sitting above him and roared, "What the hell are you trying to do, you bastard? I won't accept this! If you've got the guts, let me go and let's have a fair fight!"
Capturing him and then detoxifying him—it was simply nonsensical.
Zeref showed a look of helplessness: "You're still so noisy. Can't you just listen to what people have to say?"
"Huh?"
Natsu frowned and continued to shout, "What do I have to say to you? If you know what's good for you, let me go quickly, or watch out—my friends will come and smash your nest to pieces!"
As he spoke, his stomach let out a loud growl, making the atmosphere a bit awkward.
He suddenly remembered that since inhaling the Magical Barrier Particles, he had been hungry the whole time.
Zeref gave a signal, and the nearby Plue Mard Geer immediately withdrew. Soon, a table full of food was prepared—it was extremely lavish, with perfect color, aroma, and taste.
As the boss of Tartaros, he naturally had to consider every aspect. Ever since he learned that they weren't supposed to kill the Fairy Tail members, he had kidnapped many human chefs; after all, he couldn't just capture people and let them starve to death.
Natsu's eyes lit up, and he sniffed the air. Drool was already flowing like a waterfall, but he still remained stubborn: "Don't think you can tempt me!"
As a Mage of Fairy Tail, he would never beg an enemy for mercy.
Snap!
Zeref sat at the dining table and snapped his fingers. The chains on Natsu's body vanished instantly.
He looked at Natsu's confused expression and said with a smile, "Come and eat. It's been a long time since we've shared a meal."
Natsu became wary: "Stop being so fake. What exactly are you trying to do?"
Detoxifying him and then giving him food—this guy definitely had bad intentions.
Zeref helped himself to some food and smiled, saying, "Are you afraid I've poisoned it? Even if you want to run, you need to eat your fill to have the strength, don't you?"
Natsu thought about it and felt it made sense. Since the other party dared to detoxify him, wouldn't poisoning him again be redundant?
In that case, he wouldn't be polite. He plopped down on a chair and began to eat voraciously.
While stuffing his mouth full, he said, "I'm not going to thank you!"
Zeref rested his chin on his hand, his eyes showing tenderness as he kept putting food on Natsu's plate: "This is good, try it."
"Thanks!"
Natsu said it subconsciously, then froze for a moment. Why was he thanking him? This guy was a villain!
He shouted in anger, "I can eat by myself!"
This guy had caused his friends to be poisoned; he would absolutely not forgive him.
Zeref saw through Natsu's thoughts and said with a smile, "Don't worry about your friends. I've already arranged for someone to deliver the antidote."
Jackal had been killed by Erza but had now been resurrected, and he had reported what had happened previously.
Natsu was stunned, and the hostility in his heart dissipated slightly. He asked in total confusion, "What exactly are you trying to do?"
Although he knew Tartaros wanted to capture him and the First Master, he still didn't know what their goal was.
Zeref thought for a moment and said, "Since you want to know so badly, I'll tell you."
"My full name is Zeref Dragneel. I am your older brother."
As soon as these words were spoken, Natsu was dumbfounded. Is there something wrong with this guy? Isn't he from four hundred years ago... Wait... I seem to be from four hundred years ago too.
"Actually, we are both people from four hundred years ago. It's just that you came to the present through the Eclipse Gate, while I walked the path all the way here."
Zeref reached out and condensed a memory image—it was a picture of their family of four. The people inside made Natsu's heart throb; he recognized at a glance that the child was him.
Natsu said stubbornly, "I don't believe it!"
"It doesn't matter if you don't believe it. Just keep eating and listen to me finish."
Zeref smiled, and his magic controlled the image to continue, showing his and Natsu's lives as children, as well as Natsu's death and resurrection as a Demon, and then being handed over to the Fire Dragon King Igneel... Watching those images one by one, Natsu had unknowingly put down his utensils and was staring blankly... Was this his past?
Although he didn't want to admit it, in his heart, he already believed.
Was Zeref cursed by a god because he resurrected him?
The image stopped. Zeref saw Natsu's complicated expression and explained, "This is our past, and you were resurrected as the Demon END."
Natsu didn't want to believe all this. Tartaros had committed so many evil deeds in his name; wouldn't they all be counted against him?
And Gray's family had all been killed by demons—how could he go back and face his comrades?
Zeref also knew his worries and said, "I will resurrect every person killed by the demons to atone for past sins. You don't need to worry about Gray's family."
The number of people killed by the demons shouldn't exceed a hundred thousand at most. He had already sent demons to collect souls and then hold a resurrection ceremony.
After lifting the curse of the Ankhseram God, his understanding of resurrecting the dead was even greater than before. Resurrection was not a difficult task for him.
Natsu felt a bit more at ease. He asked, "Isn't resurrection a taboo?"
Zeref said, "The reason resurrection is a taboo is because of the existence of the God of Death. I once warned future generations not to touch it."
"But now that Acnologia can clear the curse, I naturally no longer fear it."
He planned to settle the resurrected people in the Western Continent. That was his territory, and no matter how many people were resurrected, they could be effectively managed.
Natsu's eyes widened: "You mean, Acnologia..."
Zeref said with a smile, "You're right. He's the one who helped me clear the curse. He is my benefactor and also my friend."
"As for Tartaros attacking Fairy Tail, it was a trial for all of you. No one will die."
Natsu felt like there was a bit too much information to process, and he couldn't wrap his head around it for a moment. Zeref was actually one of them, he was his brother, and he was even friends with Acnologia and Igneel.
Then what was he supposed to do?
Did he still need to defeat Zeref?
Zeref said with a smile, "Next, you can just wait in Tartaros for your friends to rescue you. You're always the one charging at the front; this time, let's see just how much potential your friends have."
"Of course, you are free to come and go. If you need anything, you can command the Underworld King and the Nine Demon Gates."
Natsu fell into thought and didn't speak for a long time.
Zeref didn't disturb him either and walked away. He could leave the rest to the Underworld King, and he also needed to speed up the progress of collecting souls.
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