mynovelonline Chapter 584 - 584
Chapter 584 - 584
"Don't be impatient, don't be impatient, Zeref. I prepared a key… a key that can awaken you!"
Even after Zeref spoke so plainly, Hades showed no sign of disappointment.
He was still brimming with confidence. As long as the key worked, everything would be fine!
"The so-called key said to awaken Zeref is complete nonsense. In these hundreds of years, I have never once been asleep. I merely exiled myself to avoid causing more innocent deaths. Your so-called key is the true danger."
Zeref's anger was starting to show clearly on his face.
He truly had not expected Hades to summon the Black Dragon for such a reason.
That was the Black Dragon.
Even he could not deal with the Black Dragon.
For all these years, Zeref had wanted to eliminate it, because the Black Dragon was like a blade hanging above the world—a blade that could destroy everything at any time.
The Black Dragon, Acnologia, clearly possessed the power to dominate the world, yet cared only for destruction.
Though it claimed it would destroy humanity, it had not truly acted for hundreds of years, remaining more like a detached observer.
There were too many things about its motives that made no sense.
But not understanding the Black Dragon did not stop Zeref from wanting to kill it—just as he had always wanted to kill himself.
"Wait, what exactly is this key?"
Marco raised a hand, cutting off their conversation.
A terrible feeling was rising in his chest.
This "key" that even Zeref considered dangerous… could it really be…
At the moment, the only thing Marco could think of that even Zeref would regard as such a threat was that Black Dragon.
After all, it was a being so terrifying that even Gildarts had nearly been killed in a single encounter.
Zeref looked at Marco, and there was a trace of admiration in his eyes.
Earlier, when Marco had teleported him away, he had actually been disoriented for a while and had needed time to reorient himself.
'This young man really was not to be underestimated.'
In all these years, it was the first time Zeref had ever taken a loss from someone else.
"The Black Dragon. Acnologia."
Zeref answered directly, without hiding anything.
"What?! The Black Dragon!"
Gildarts reacted the most violently to hearing that.
It couldn't be helped.
He was the only known survivor among those who had encountered the Black Dragon, so the terror of that creature was carved deeply into his mind.
It wasn't something he could simply forget.
Even Zeref probably would never have imagined that anyone could survive an encounter with the Black Dragon.
The moment they heard the words Black Dragon, the faces of Fairy Tail's members all changed as well.
They had all heard the stories.
A casual strike from that thing had nearly wiped Gildarts out completely.
Who wouldn't be afraid after hearing that?
That Black Dragon could probably kill them just by blowing in their direction!
"Master! We have to get everyone out of here immediately!"
Gildarts turned at once to Makarov.
There was no time to think about anything else now. The priority was to get everyone off the island.
Tenrou Island might be Fairy Tail's sacred land, but against the Black Dragon, they had absolutely no chance of winning.
If they saved their people and lost the land, then both people and land could still be reclaimed one day.
But if they stayed for the land and lost everyone, then both people and land would be gone forever.
Now was not the time to defend Tenrou Island.
As long as they escaped alive, there would always be a day to avenge this, a day to recover Tenrou Island.
"We have to go!"
Makarov did not hesitate either.
Gildarts's experience and Zeref's attitude both proved just how terrifying the Black Dragon was.
Yes, they had Marco—but this was not the kind of thing they could gamble on.
Even if Marco could defeat the Black Dragon, that did not mean he could protect everyone at the same time.
It was best to leave Tenrou Island.
"Gildarts! Take the children and get out!"
Makarov looked at Gildarts and gave the order with a grave expression.
"Master! What about you?!"
The instant Makarov said that, Gildarts immediately heard the problem in those words.
What did he mean, take them and go? Was the Guild Master not coming too?
"I'm staying. What kind of parents abandons the children and leaves first?"
Makarov's answer was firm.
He could already see that neither of his grandsons had any intention of leaving.
Under those circumstances, there was no way he himself could go.
He would never abandon the two boys!
Laxus shot Marco a look.
Marco signaled back, telling him to leave first—and while he was at it, drag the old man along too!
Laxus pretended not to see it.
Marco was instantly speechless.
After all this time, his big brother was still exactly the same.
There was no chance Laxus would retreat in a situation like this.
He absolutely would not leave.
If anything, he would charge straight into the front line.
Fairy Tail meant too much to Laxus. And with the guilt he still carried, he practically wished he could die for the guild if necessary.
So not only did Laxus ignore Marco's hint, he even signaled back for Marco to leave instead, while he stayed behind to hold the line.
Unfortunately, no matter how confident Laxus was, this was not a situation he could handle.
He couldn't even deal with just Grimoire Heart, much less Grimoire Heart plus Zeref and the Black Dragon on top of that.
"It's too late. He… has already arrived."
Zeref watched Fairy Tail's people moving around, but he knew it was all futile.
Looking toward the distant clouds, he could already sense the Black Dragon's aura.
"It's not too late at all. If we want to leave, even the Black Dragon can't stop us."
Marco looked at Zeref and confirmed something.
Although Zeref looked righteous, he had absolutely no intention of helping them.
He had no intention whatsoever of fighting the Black Dragon.
That was not something Marco could really blame him for.
Zeref simply understood his own limits.
If he couldn't win, then he couldn't win. He wasn't going to do something pointless.
He would not sacrifice himself to save Fairy Tail, because he still had more important things to do.
And Marco didn't need Zeref's help anyway.
If he wanted to send Fairy Tail away, all he needed to do was use spatial transfer.
He might not yet be strong enough to teleport armies, but moving a dozen or so people was easy.
"Go. Wait for good news from me."
Marco didn't hesitate, because he too had already sensed that destructive aura.
The legendary Black Dragon really was coming!
Buzz!
Marco focused his mind and directly targeted all of Fairy Tail's members, rapidly activating spatial transfer.
"Marco! You can't do this!"
Makarov's face changed dramatically.
He too was one of Marco's chosen targets.
Caught completely off guard, he only had time to shout that single sentence before he vanished together with the other Fairy Tail members.
Marco had acted too suddenly and too decisively.
Makarov and the others had no time to react before they were teleported right off the island.
The scenery before their eyes shifted, and in the next moment they found themselves back in Hargeon.
Marco could not send them farther than that, but Hargeon was already enough to pull them out of immediate danger.
"Marco, that damn brat…"
Makarov was frantic.
He cursed once and immediately began looking for a ship.
He had to go back!
Because both Marco and Laxus were still on Tenrou Island!
How could he possibly feel at ease?
Laxus, naturally, had not been teleported with them—because he had not been standing together with the rest.