NOVEL NEXT Chapter 386: Emperor Spriggan Retreats
(Third Person POV)
"Hm..." Jason said, "I wonder if that'll be enough..."
They all looked down to see the massive clouds of flames and smoke.
Lucy, who stood next to Jason, could feel the heat of the flames from up there.
"Jason..." She said
"Yea?" Jason looked at her
Lucy looked at him, her face filled with several emotions. Jason could tell that Lucy had several questions and doubts but he didn't care.
"You..." She started
"Doesn't matter." Jason said, "I'll do what must be done."
Before they could do anything else, they felt a powerful aura that shook the entire airship.
They turned around to see a massive swirl of black energy at the end of the ship.
"Jason!" Happy called out
Jason jumped in front of the group, putting himself between them and the black swirl. He knew exactly what this was and who it belonged to.
They then watched as Zeref appeared, standing on the ship, his bright crimson eyes piercing through them. As he appeared, he exuded an immense amount of magic power that still shook the ship that carried them.
"What do I do?!" Carla said as she shook with nervousness
"Keep the ship steady." Jason said calmly
Zeref then smirked, "Oh?" He said, "What's this? You managed to defeat Brandish?"
He looked at the unconscious body of his Shield.
"Barely." Jason said, "Where's Natsu?"
Zeref chuckled, "Him?" He said, "Here."
He lifted his arm, holding Natsu's head as he was covered in blood and unconscious.
Lucy, Happy, and Wendy widened their eyes.
"Natsuu!!!" They all shouted in unison
Jason narrowed his eyes, "You got him good, huh?" He said
"Indeed." Zeref said as he flung him forward
Natsu's unconscious body landed next to Jason, hitting the floor hard.
"Hm..." Jason said
Wendy ran up to him, "Natsu-san!" She cried, "Are you okay?!"
Zeref looked at Jason, "Your turn." He said, "Hand my Shield over."
Jason clapped his hands, releasing a dark blue aura.
"Void Prison"
Suddenly, Brandish's unconscious body was sucked into a single point in the air. Jason had used his Void Prison domain and imprisoned Brandish.
"No." Jason merely said
Zeref narrowed his eyes, "Is that so?" He said, "And was that a Spatial Domain? Don't tell me, you've made a contract with the God of Battle?"
Jason frowned, "Huh?" He said, "What're you talking about?"
Zeref chuckled, "I guess not." He said, "Oh well. I must commend you, Jason, you've done quite the damage on my army. I suppose I should punish you for it."
He began to release a powerful and dark aura that began to violently shake the airship they were on.
"Jason!" Carla exclaimed, "I can't keep the ship steady!"
As Zeref was releasing his aura, he moved his head out of the way as an arrow flew right by it.
Jason looked back to see Sagittarius aiming his bow at the Black Wizard, while sweating profusely with nervousness.
He looked back at Zeref who was unbothered by this.
He gave Jason a menacing smirk, "I'll kill you, right here and now!" He said as he was covered in a dark aura, "And I'll make my way to Fairy Tail and take what's rightfully mine!!"
"Tch." Jason said as he waved his arms
"Moon God's Relocation"
Suddenly, everyone but Jason and Zeref disappeared, replaced by a dark grey mist.
"Oh?" Zeref said
Jason then summoned a pitch-black black hand-cannon that was emitting a dark shadowy aura.
"Guardian Killer:"
Jason took aim and opened fire, sending large slug-like projectiles at Zeref and stuck at him. Instead of hitting his body, they landed on the aura surrounding the Black Wizard and suddenly exploded with a powerful explosion of black and white light.
"Malfeasance"
"What a nice toy you have.." Zeref said as he pointed his hand at Jason
Without wasting time, Jason jumped up high in the air, completely disregarding the plan to shoot Zeref with his hand-cannon, and thinking of a different plan.
He then snapped his fingers and watched as the airship that Zeref was on began to shatter and glow brightly.
"War Magic: Sacrificial Pawn"
Suddenly, the entire ship exploded in a massive cloud of flames that caused a shockwave that hit Jason and flung him further up in the air.
The explosion was so massive that it dwarfed Jason completely as he straightened himself up in midair.
"Damn..." He said
Suddenly, Zeref appeared next to Jason from a dark swirl.
"Oho..." The Black Wizard said, "That was close."
He gave Jason an unsettling smirk as he floated in midair, similar to Jason. Jason looked at Zeref with a serious face, feeling nothing but unease from the Black Wizard. He wasn't surprise, this was the person who walked the earth for 400 years and has taken countless lives. He wasn't supposed to give an easy aura to anyone.
"Hm.." Jason said
"You're quite something, I must say." Zeref said, "Defeating and killing you won't be easy."
"I bet." Jason replied
"I forgot to mention." Zeref said, "About my Eclipse Gate. Considering that you stopped the Eclipsed Darkness leaks and banished Endless, it wouldn't hurt telling you."
"First of all, what the hell did you do to Natsu?" Jason said
"Tsk tsk." Zeref said, "Do not interrupt me. As I was saying, 400 years ago, I made contact with Endless. A close friend of mine banished him and after that, I was approached by its master."
Jason widened his eyes, "W-What?"
Zeref smiled, "That's right." He said, "The Eclipsed God."
Jason couldn't believe what he just heard. Zeref had made contact with the Eclipsed God. That was a name Jason didn't want to hear again as it was related to Endless, the Eclipsed Darkness, and the Calamitous Edge that caused so much harm to many people. He shouldn't be surprised that this was the case, Zeref was the one who built the Eclipse Gate. He should've known there was a connection between the two of them, just like there's a connection between the Eclipsed God and The Celestial Spirit World, something he hasn't understood at all.
"Is that so..." Jason said
"Oh yes. " Zeref said, "There is so much you don't know, Jason. You've gotten yourself into quite a precarious situation. I would've joined me if I were you. I could've explained everything to you."
"I was never going to join you assholes." Jason retorted
Zeref chuckled, "I know. You've made it clear." He said, "Such a shame though.....I am going to retreat."
Jason looked at him with surprise, "Huh?"
"I have to regroup my armies that breached this side and mobilize them." Zeref said, "You've crippled them quite enough....."
"And I'll do it again." Jason said
"I know you will try." Zeref said, "But when we're fully mobilized and the others breach the other borders, you will not be able to do anything."
"Is that a bet?" Jason said with a scowl, "I'll burn all of you to the ground."
"No." Zeref said seriously as he was covered in a swirling black aura, "When I make my advance, I will not only take Fairy Heart, I will take that dragon child from you."
Jason widened his eyes, "What?!"
Zeref was beginning to be fully covered in the swirl, "That dragon might prove useful against Acnologia." He said as only his eye was visible and his voice fading, "He might be a perfect weapon."
Jason glared at him, "You son of a bitch!!!"
Zeref then disappeared completely as Jason floated in midair. He looked down, seeing as the army below him was fully advancing, scattering completely to avoid any further damage from Jason's attacks.
Jason clenched his fists, "I won't let him..." He said as he shook with rage,
"I won't let him have Erion..."