anovelconsole Chapter 580 The Dead Resurrected, Activated!
Chapter 580 The Dead Resurrected, Activated!
Chapter 580 The Dead Resurrected, Activated!
With Tartaros completely annihilated and the demon phoenix dead, Fairy Tail achieved a perfect victory in this war, except for failing to protect the town.
but----
The people on Nirvana, however, all looked dejected and gloomy.
No one celebrated, no one cheered, and no one could even muster the smiles that come with victory.
The price of this great victory was the loss of two important partners, Eclair and Mengmeng!
Lucy slumped to the ground, her legs giving way, her knees pressed against the cold stone slab, her body slightly curled up.
Even covering her face with her hands couldn't stop the tears from flowing. The glistening tears spilled from between her fingers, leaving two clear streaks on her dusty cheeks.
The howling wind high above drowned out the girl's muffled, sorrowful sobs, but it could not take away the somber atmosphere that permeated the scene.
hum!
Just as this atmosphere, which had reached its limit and was about to be completely suppressed, was about to explode.
High in the sky, deep within the gloomy clouds, a beam of dazzling, warm white light suddenly fell.
The light pierced through the thick, oppressive clouds, like a gentle hand of a god descending from the clouds, enveloping Nirvana in a holy radiance.
No one could see where the white light came from, nor could they notice the slowly rotating magic circle at the end of the white light.
All they knew was that as the white light dissipated and their vision gradually returned to normal—
Two incredibly familiar figures, one large and one small, appeared out of nowhere before my eyes.
It was none other than Eclair and Mengmeng, who had died along with the demonic phoenix!
The air seemed to freeze in that instant.
"Huh? I, I didn't already—"
Akelia stared in astonishment at her real hands, her ten fingers slowly opening and closing before her eyes—a sensation only a living person could feel.
Because she still had the relieved smile from saying goodbye on her face, her expression looked quite strange and comical: the corners of her mouth were upturned, but her eyebrows were furrowed, and her pupils were filled with confusion and shock.
"What, why are you back again?" Mengmeng stared wide-eyed in disbelief.
That feeling of disappearing into the world just now was definitely real.
What exactly happened? Is this the afterlife, or has a miracle occurred?
On the other side, Lucy and the others had equally interesting expressions. They stood there dumbfounded, as if a pause button had been forcibly pressed, their mouths slightly open, their pupils dilated, and clear tear tracks still visible on their cheeks.
Only Mira, Erza, and Makarov secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
Mira and Erza firmly believed that Chess would never "kill" Eclair with his own hands, and they were somewhat prepared in advance.
Makarov was the only person present who knew the whole truth.
"That brat Chase really didn't disappoint me. Couldn't he have activated the magic sooner? It scared my heart so much I could barely keep my eyes open!" Old Ma thought to himself.
As a highly respected elder in the magical world, he naturally strongly opposed magic that toyed with life, a kind of magic capable of overturning the entire world, and once discovered, it had to be stopped at all costs.
What?
The one who wields this power is a member of their own guild, and the one who is resurrected is also a member of their own guild.
What else is there to say? This is clearly a wonderful magic that can benefit all mankind!
Just as the atmosphere became awkward, a loud "boom" was heard, and Chase, having deactivated his dual-god mode, finally returned to Nirvana and appeared in front of his bewildered companions.
The heavy thud broke the silence, and the gravel rolled around his feet.
After a fierce battle, his clothes were tattered and torn, his strong muscles were covered in wounds, and some of them were still emitting black smoke from the scorching phoenix fire. He looked quite disheveled.
But his back remained straight, his steps were steady, and his eyes were bright and sharp.
In an instant, all eyes turned to them.
"Chess, what—what exactly happened?" Eclair asked, her voice trembling noticeably.
Her fingers unconsciously clenched the hem of her skirt, then loosened, then clenched again, repeating this several times.
Her feeling was even stronger than Mengmeng's; it was definitely not an illusion, she was sure she was dead.
Her intuition told her that her safe return was definitely related to Chase!
"Well, before I killed the phoenix, I had the black mage help me extract a drop of phoenix blood essence."
Chase had already prepared his answer to this, his voice calm and casual.
He slowly opened his palm, revealing the blood that was burning fiercely in his palm.
"Didn't you gain immortality because of the blood of the phoenix? I just wanted to see if I could bring you back through the life force contained in this drop of blood."
At this point, he tugged at the corners of his mouth, revealing a relieved smile, "Good luck, we succeeded."
This is obviously nonsense. The truth is that he activated the magic card "Monster Resurrection" the moment Eclair disappeared!
With Eclair's resurrection, Mengmeng, which is derived from her power, will also be able to return.
This was exactly the plan that Chase had discussed with Makarov from the beginning: Makarov would be responsible for the narration and creating a sad atmosphere, and Chase would then add explanations that sounded more reasonable.
The reason for going to such lengths was not simply to trick his companions into shedding tears, although there was indeed a touch of morbid humor involved. However, the main reason was that he had to conceal the existence of the resurrected dead.
Makarov said at the time: "When people no longer fear death, no longer fear separation, they are no longer able to treat others with kindness."
After the words were spoken, everyone present remained silent, clearly still reeling from the overwhelming joy and sorrow of regaining what they had lost.
However, the atmosphere of sadness and pain gradually dissipated imperceptibly, like the darkness before dawn being quietly dispelled by the first ray of morning light.
"There's one thing we need to understand: the phoenix is dead, and there's no longer a source of energy to sustain its immortality."
The essence blood in Chase's palm turned into dust that drifted away with the wind and vanished in an instant. "Eclair, you will also experience birth, aging, sickness, and death like ordinary people in the future."
He paused, looking directly into Acreya's eyes. "So, get ready to start your brand new life now."
"Not the Phoenix Priestess burdened by a predetermined fate, but a member of Fairy Tail!"
At this point, Eclair, who was already sobbing uncontrollably, could no longer remain calm.
That string, stretched for over four hundred years, finally snapped completely at this moment.
She took a shaky step, her first step unsteady, but then her pace quickened and quickened until she fell heavily into Chase's arms like a gentle breeze.
The force of her collision was so great that Chase took half a step back, his wounds aggravated, and he gasped slightly in pain.
"Waaaaaah!!" The girl, who had truly been reborn, burst into tears.
The crying was undisguised and unrestrained, heart-wrenching yet strangely comforting.
Years of repression, pain, loneliness, fear of death, reluctance to part with guild members, and many other emotions erupted like a volcano at this moment.
Tears soaked Chess's already tattered clothes, and snot smeared all over his chest.
"Alright, alright, you're over four hundred years old, pay a little attention to your image and persona." Chess chuckled and patted Acreia's trembling back.
Just then, the companions, who had finally regained consciousness, rushed over with great joy.
The belated joy surged forth like a flood bursting its banks.
"That's wonderful, that's wonderful—" Wendy kept wiping away her tears, but no matter how much she wiped, the tears wouldn't stop.
"That jerk Chess must have done it on purpose! If he'd said so earlier, Watashi wouldn't have cried so hard!" Lucy laughed and cursed, her voice a mix of laughter and tears, her lips still curving upwards.
"Oh my god! What a man!!" Elfman roared to the sky.
"Haha! I knew it! How could Chess possibly kill Eclair if he wasn't absolutely certain!" Natsu said with a determined expression and an incredibly bright smile.
"Heh, I wonder who was it that was yelling about rushing out just now," Gajeel scoffed.
"Damn it, Iron Man! Didn't you move your feet too?!"
"I... I was trying to stop you, you thoughtless idiot, yeah, that's right!"
The crowd immediately erupted into a noisy commotion, filled with joy and a sense of security.
Laughter, curses, and shouts mingled together, like a chaotic yet beautiful symphony, echoing in the dilapidated square of Nirvana.
On the outskirts of the crowd, Mira rested her hands on her burgundy dress and turned her head slightly to look at Erza beside her.
"Erza, have you counted them all?"
"Yes, we hugged for twenty-eight seconds, so we haven't reached the warning line yet." Erza nodded seriously.
"Oh my, that's really reassuring, having a meticulous and rigid rival like you." Mira couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle.
In terms of external affairs, the two of them have long been on the same side and need to be wary of any potential rivals.
Although they vaguely guessed that the whole story was probably not as simple as Chase said, it was not hard to tell from their relaxed conversation that they had no intention of digging deeper.
Anyway, it was all her boyfriend's doing, so why care what he did? As long as Acreya can come back safely, that's all that matters.
Erza, unusually, didn't retort. Instead, she looked at Mira with a scrutinizing gaze: "Speaking of which, it seems you've gained quite a bit this time."
They were childhood friends, and had been honest with each other several times, seeing each other at their most touching and most vulnerable. She immediately noticed that the aura emanating from the other person had become even stronger.
"Well, it's alright, we just received a few decent demons." Mira said casually, as if she were picking out a few cabbages at the market.
As she spoke, a receiving array lit up beneath her feet, and a dark purple light spread out from her feet.
The physical characteristics of the four demons, Ethel, Keith, Kyouka, and Sera, appeared one after another, causing Erza's eyelids to twitch slightly.
"Why do I have this strange feeling that the other companions are fighting against the Gates of Hell, while this woman has come to buy goods?" the Fairy Queen thought to herself.
Although the magic Mira used was originally demonic reception—in a sense, it was indeed "receiving" in the literal sense.
"Unfortunately, with my current physical strength, receiving four at once is already my limit, but it's still enough."
After letting out a rather disappointed sigh, Mira, frozen in her Sera form, raised her head triumphantly. "At least in terms of charm, you're no match for me anymore, Erza."
Erza didn't reprimand her as before. Instead, she crossed her arms confidently and looked up to meet her gaze: "Is that so?"
Let's wait and see!
What's so special about receiving demons? This time, she's getting a super perfect wedding dress!
A complete set!
"Tch, boring. I didn't even get angry." Mira dismissed Sera's call with little interest, wondering where Erza's confidence came from.
The reason she chose those four demons was quite simple:
Hades Maldo was blasted to smithereens by Laxus, and it would be too difficult to take on a demon of that level.
Ethel's demon sword magic can rival Erza's, Kyoka is the strongest demon of the Nine Demon Gates, and Sera's command magic overlaps with the demonization received by the Demon King, allowing her to exert an even more powerful domination and control effect.
As for Keith—
In a corner away from the crowd, Gray leaned against the wall, his back pressed against the cold stone bricks, the coolness calming his chaotic thoughts slightly.
His pupils reflected Eclair and Mengmeng, who were surrounded by their companions.
While he was happy and relieved that they had come back to life, he inevitably thought of his elderly father.
Juvia also did not rush over with the others, but chose to quietly stand by, her hands clasped in front of her, the gentle sunlight falling on Gray's cheek.
"Hey, my friend, you've finally been given a new lease on life, why are you making such a pathetic, mournful face?" A hearty laugh suddenly broke the silence.
Gray was startled at first, then suddenly looked up at the source of the sound, so fast he almost twisted his neck.
Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, the unharmed Silver walked over with a smile.
The silver-white armor was bathed in a warm golden light by the setting sun, and a lazy smile graced the face that bore a striking resemblance to Gray.
His steps were calm and steady, his boots making a soft rustling sound as they stepped on the gravel.
"Damn dad?!" Gray couldn't help but exclaim, his voice trembling.
"How could this be? The demon who cast the spell on you is already—" Juvia covered her mouth in disbelief.
"Well, that was the work of that white-haired girl from your guild."
Yin scratched his head in frustration. "Seriously, I had already made arrangements for my affairs, but I was dragged back to reality. What kind of situation is this?"
Even so, his gaze toward Mira, who was walking alongside Erza toward Chess, was filled with gratitude.
In a sense, this is like giving yourself a second life.
I owe Mira a huge favor —
Gray quickly figured out what had happened.
Remembering Yin's dying wish, he let out a heavy sigh and walked over to Yin, delivering a powerful punch.
"Damn dad, I'm entrusting you with what 'demon-slaying magic' means! I already have Ice God-Slaying Magic, I don't need it at all!"