Acnologia didn't bother with Zeref anymore. He closed his eyes and felt the Power of Life and Death within his body. Although it could plunder the vitality of all things, it wasn't as powerful as he had previously imagined.
Because he could clearly sense the limits of this power.
Just like in the original anime, where the Fire Dragon King Igneel gave Natsu a scarf containing Dragon Power to resist Death Predation.
The Power of Life and Death was not unstoppable.
"While it can't make me immortal, it's enough for limb regeneration."
Any power has its limits, and this Power of Life and Death was no exception. Even the Ankhseram God couldn't achieve infinite power.
The reason Zeref seemed immortal was simply because not enough energy had been consumed yet.
"So that's how it is..."
Zeref sat under a tree, tears streaming down his face. He laughed one moment and cried the next, swinging between joy and regret.
Mavis, you're actually still alive!
And I have a child, one who has been by my side all along.
August, my son, why didn't you tell me?
Were you afraid I wouldn't recognize you?
If I had known of your existence earlier, I definitely wouldn't have made you wait so long.
No, that's not right—the curse hasn't been broken!
It was actually fortunate he hadn't recognized August too early; the more he cared, the more the Death Curse would trigger.
But now, everything was heading in a better direction.
He planned to find Natsu and Mavis first, return to the Alvarez Empire together, and then recognize August so the family would never be apart again.
At that moment, Acnologia opened his eyes. Seeing Zeref's blissful expression, he remarked sarcastically, "What's wrong? The most evil Black Wizard in history doesn't want to die anymore?"
"I'm not dying!"
Zeref ignored Acnologia's mockery, a smile he couldn't suppress plastered on his face. Knowing his family was alive, why would he want to die?
Life had its ups and downs; he had soared from hell to heaven.
He suddenly hugged Acnologia and said with utmost sincerity, "Thank you, thank you!"
He had once thought Acnologia was an enemy and had even formulated the Eclipse Plan to kill him in the future. Thinking back, he felt like a monster for plotting against his savior.
"Get away from me, I don't like men!"
Acnologia looked disgusted and pushed him away. Perhaps he used too much force, as Zeref was pushed right over.
"I don't like them either."
Zeref lay on the ground, staring up at the sky with a silly grin on his face.
Having not interacted with people for years, he suddenly didn't know what to say.
Acnologia glanced at the idiot. At this moment, Zeref was a lot like Natsu. Was it a brother thing?
He asked, "What are your plans now?"
Zeref didn't hesitate to explain his plan. The most important thing now was to get his family back.
Acnologia thought for a moment. "You can go back and recognize August first. As for Mavis and Natsu, don't be in such a hurry."
Zeref was a major boss in the story, after all. He had to leave some challenges for Natsu and the others, otherwise how would they grow?
In the future, there might be gods like the Ankhseram God waiting to be defeated.
After Acnologia's persuasion, Zeref felt it made sense. He had waited over four hundred years; a little longer wouldn't matter.
He also wanted to see just how much Natsu had grown.
Moreover, as long as he found Natsu and Mavis's magic signatures, he could set up a detection spell to watch them anytime.
Zeref hesitated. "Then I'll... go back now?"
"Suit yourself!"
With the matter resolved, Acnologia had no reason to stay. His figure turned into a flash of light and vanished.
On the other side, Irene was still guarding the entrance to the First Master Mavis's grave, with Lucy and Cana in front of her.
The two were currently being attacked by countless red lasers, scrambling and rolling to dodge.
Lucy had originally planned to dig a tunnel, but halfway through, she discovered Irene had set up Barrier Script. No matter how much Virgo dug, she couldn't move an inch.
With no other choice, the two crawled out of the hole and chose a direct confrontation, which resulted in their current state.
"Sister Irene, go easy on us!"
Lucy's eyes were tearing up from the pain. She clutched her rear and bolted. The red light from Irene's staff specifically targeted her buttocks; it was a truly wicked sense of humor.
Irene covered her mouth and giggled. "I'm already going very easy. Otherwise, your backside would have been blown to bits."
"Call of Lightning!"
Cana's gaze was determined. Her body dodged nimbly as she flicked her wrist, sending out several cards. Dozens of lightning bolts shot out, colliding with the red light and causing a violent explosion.
"Now's our chance!"
Cana ran with extreme speed, throwing out more cards: "Icicles of the Reaper!"
Endless ice gushed out, covering the ground and freezing everything in layers as it surged forward.
Lucy hadn't expected Cana to know so many elemental magics and was instantly delighted. "Great job, Cana!"
Irene narrowed her eyes. She couldn't stand seeing little Lucy happy, so she immediately treated her to an Explosive Fire Rocket, blasting her until she was charred black all over.
She looked at the approaching ice and tapped her staff on the ground: "Enchantment Magic: Explosion!"
Boom, boom, boom!
The ice seemed to turn into highly flammable and explosive material in an instant. A series of explosions shattered the ice into tiny pieces, and even Cana was blown back, looking quite disheveled.
"Open, Gate of the Maiden..."
Lucy had just taken out a key to summon a Celestial Spirit, but before she could finish, Irene suddenly appeared in front of her. Not only did she snatch the key from her hand, but she also swiped the key pouch from her waist.
Lucy: "..."
What... just happened?
Irene shook the key in her hand and said with a smile, "Can you still summon Celestial Spirits without this?"
Lucy snapped out of it and was immediately moved to tears of frustration. "That's totally cheating..."
"I'm not playing anymore!"
How could she do that? She actually directly snatched the celestial spirit keys.
Irene felt speechless and tossed the key pouch back to Lucy. "What are you crying for? Who told you to be so careless, posing and making so many movements during a fight?"
"In a fight against a real enemy, they won't give them back to you."
Lucy got her celestial spirit keys back and immediately beamed. "Thank you, Sister Irene!"
She brandished a key: "Open, Gate of the Bull, Taurus!"
"Moo!"
A brilliant light shone, and a muscular, black-and-white minotaur carrying a double-edged axe emerged from the ground, splitting the earth with a single swing!
"Miss Lucy's body is as hot as ever!"
Taurus looked at Lucy, red hearts popping up in his eyes as he wiggled his rear in excitement.
Lucy covered her face. "This perverted bull!"
She pointed at Irene. "Go and defeat Sister Irene."
Taurus laughed confidently. "I will perfectly carry out Miss Lucy's command."
As soon as he turned around and saw Irene, he became even more excited. "There's actually someone with a hotter body than Miss Lucy?"
"However, since it's Miss Lucy's command, then excuse me!"
Taurus leaped into the air. His strong body, illuminated by the sunlight, was full of power, and the way he brandished his giant axe was incredibly overbearing.
Cana gave a thumbs up and praised, "Lucy, you finally have a reliable Celestial Spirit!"
"Quite a fierce bull..."
Irene let out a soft laugh. Watching the giant axe come toward her, she extended her staff to block it.
Boom!
The ground beneath her feet cracked open, and debris flew everywhere. Although the giant axe's power was strong, the slender staff held it back, and Irene was completely unharmed.
"Impossible! How can you block my strength?"
Taurus was pale with shock. Before he could react, he was sent flying by a roundhouse kick from Irene, crashing into a wall and vanishing in a flash of golden light.
Lucy was shocked. "One-shot kill?"
Cana silently turned her thumbs-up into a pinky-down.
She really shouldn't have had any expectations for Lucy's Celestial Spirits.