Just as Marco continued observing these ghosts, several familiar figures suddenly appeared around him.
The reason they were familiar was naturally because all of these people had died because of Marco.
Or rather, some had been killed by him directly.
In any case, they were all directly or indirectly connected to him.
"Marco Dreyar!"
Seeing Marco, these ghosts all reacted as though they had been shocked.
Marco spotted several of them at a glance.
Among them were the already-dead unlucky ones from Oración Seis and Grimoire Heart.
There were no demons from Tartaros, though. Their souls had all been transformed into power and Taken Over by Mirajane, so naturally they would not appear here.
"I've been curious since earlier. How does sound travel in this place?"
This place did not even have air.
He was entirely relying on his body to endure it. Yet even though there was no air here, sound could still be transmitted with perfect clarity.
It really made no sense.
All one could say was that in a magical world, some things should simply be left alone.
"You're still alive?!"
After shouting their anger, the ghosts around him were shocked.
They were shocked that Marco had actually come to the Underworld as a living person!
"Don't be noisy. I'm thinking."
Marco casually waved his hand, sending out a mass of Accumulated Corpse Qi.
Several more ghosts were wiped out, turning into pure magic power.
"..."
Fear appeared on the ghosts' faces.
Even after reaching the Underworld, even after all of them had become ghosts, this man Marco could still kill them.
And he looked even more relaxed doing it.
"Wait. You guys should have died several years ago, right?"
After casually eliminating a few noisy ghosts, Marco swept his gaze over the large group of ghosts, then paused and spoke in surprise.
His gaze locked onto several ghosts.
Those should have been people he killed not long after his debut, not long after he first started taking jobs.
"And these magical beasts have been dead for some years too."
Marco's gaze swept over a group of magical beast souls nearby.
His memory was excellent.
Even things that had happened several years ago could still be recalled.
He could still recognize these people, and he could still remember when he had killed those magical beasts.
After all, they were magical beasts that appeared in specific regions.
By comparison, those magical beasts were much more obedient. They did not dare approach Marco at all, nor did they dare bare their teeth at him.
"Is the Underworld this inefficient at transforming souls?"
Marco could not help complaining.
These people and magical beasts had been dead for seven or eight years, yet their souls still existed even now.
"The stronger one was in life and the more abundant their magic power, the more resilient their soul becomes. After death, they also remain in the Underworld for a longer time."
It was Brain who answered Marco's question.
The "Leader" of Oración Seis, the former Director of the Magic Development Bureau, had clearly not been idle in the Underworld either.
Although Brain had not been here for a particularly long time, he had obviously already figured out some of the underlying logic of this world.
"So that's how it is."
Marco suddenly understood.
He had just been thinking that something did not quite add up.
Although Marco was not someone who killed indiscriminately, the people he had killed were definitely not limited to these.
After all, during his earlier jobs, he had wiped out quite a few bandits and mountain thieves, most of whom were ordinary people.
Among these ghosts, there were clearly none of those ordinary people.
But if things were as Brain said, then it made sense.
The souls of those ordinary people had long since dissipated. On the other hand, these people who had been mages in life lasted longer.
However, staying in this place for a longer time was not a good thing.
The longer one existed in this world, the more suffering one endured. It would be better to dissipate directly and avoid the pain.
Marco glanced over these ghosts.
It could be seen that those who had existed here longer were clearly beginning to lose their minds.
After all, existing for several years as a ghost in this sunless, lightless place was indeed torturous.
"Forget it. I'll be a good person to the end and help you all."
Looking at these ghosts, the Cancer Gold Cloth on Marco's body shone brightly.
He pushed both hands forward, and a terrifying Sekishiki Meikai Ha spread in every direction, striking those ghosts directly.
The sinister power within his Cosmo destroyed the ghosts, turning them into the purest magic power.
Buzz!!!
Magic power scattered through the space, then slowly began to disappear, returning to the living world and becoming part of the Great Magic World's magic power.
"How conscientious. I kill them and even handle the burial."
Marco sighed.
Who had ever seen someone as kind as him?
"What about me?"
Looking around, Brain pointed at himself.
Marco had "sent off" all the other ghosts, leaving only him behind.
"You're someone who understands things, and you're very good at magical research. Naturally, I had to keep you behind and ask you properly. During your time here, did you discover anything else?"
Marco smiled.
He had naturally kept Brain behind on purpose. This guy might have made even more discoveries.
"..."
Brain fell silent for a moment, then finally sighed helplessly.
Now he was the one who had to beg Marco to kill him.
No, that was not called killing. That was called release.
Marco would be helping him find release.
"To be honest, other than that one matter, I haven't discovered anything else. This place is a purgatory for mages, a purgatory for all magical creatures. This is punishment for all people and creatures who use magic."
Brain shook his head.
He had only discovered that one thing, something one could find as long as they paid attention and observed.
He had also tried saving himself, tried escaping from this place, but it was completely impossible.
Because they could not even use magic here.
They could only wait quietly for themselves to dissipate.
..
"However... sometimes, some souls suddenly disappear. I can't determine what that means, but it doesn't look like they've completely dissipated."
Brain added another sentence.
His illusory figure swayed slightly within the misty, almost frozen darkness of the Underworld, like a candle flame in the wind, without the slightest desire to survive.
After losing the power of magic, Brain was only a powerless ghost. There was very little he could do.
In truth, anyone who stayed here for a little longer and was observant enough would definitely discover these things.
They could not really be considered secrets.
"Oh? There's something like that too?" Marco narrowed his eyes.
It was indeed hard to say what had happened to those souls. Perhaps they had gone off to reincarnate.
"Then are you still willing to accept release here? Don't you want to wait a little longer? Maybe you'll disappear too. Maybe that really is reincarnation."
Marco smiled as he spoke to Brain.
If that truly was reincarnation, then the longer one existed, the greater the chance might be.
The fact that mages existed in this world for longer might not necessarily be purely a punishment.
At the very least, their chance of reincarnation would be far greater than ordinary people's.
"That is far too vague. Besides, I have never seen anyone reincarnated. I imagine that even after so-called reincarnation, I would definitely no longer be the me I am now. How is that any different from death?"
Brain's illusory head shook lightly, stirring a barely visible ripple.
He had considered the possibility that it was reincarnation as well, but even if it was, it was not worth enduring torture here.
After all, after reincarnation, he would no longer be himself.
"You have no idea how torturous this place truly is."
Brain's voice carried a bone-deep exhaustion, as though every syllable bore endless suffering.
Facing Marco, Brain only begged for one thing: "death."
In the past, there had been no way. If one could "commit suicide" in this world, then there probably would not be many people willing to continue "living" here.
Aside from newly arrived souls who still had not figured out the situation, anyone who had been here a little longer would definitely hope for release.
Of course, things could not be stated too absolutely.
There were also some people who wanted to endure and gamble on that chance of reincarnation.
But for someone like Brain, who had traveled widely, possessed broad knowledge, studied all kinds of magic, and could even seal away his own personality, reincarnation was truly not something worth pursuing.
He had never seen anyone awaken memories of their past life.
Buzz!
Marco casually waved his arm.
An indescribably sinister ripple instantly enveloped Brain's soul.
That illusory figure was like thin ice thrown into the blazing sun.
It could not even leave behind a single ripple before completely dissipating into the eternal gray darkness of the Underworld.
Marco granted him the release he had longed for.
Although Brain had looked rather detached, saying that he only wanted death, that was only because they had no ability to resist.
If there had been even the slightest chance, even the smallest ability to fight back, these people would have found a way to control Marco and return to the living world.
"This Underworld is nowhere near as interesting as the stereotypes. It's more like part of the magic power cycle, running completely on its own. There isn't even a god in charge. I really came here for nothing."
Looking around at the boundless, barren space filled with nothing but monotonous darkness, Marco commented before deciding not to linger in the Underworld any longer.
He raised his hand and spread his five fingers.
In front of his palm, an exit shimmering with dim light silently tore open. Marco stepped into it, and his figure was instantly swallowed by the light, disappearing from that dead, silent place.
The Underworld looked vast and endless, so it might not necessarily be without other secrets. Perhaps Marco simply had not found them yet.
But at this stage, he did not have the free time to wander aimlessly through an Underworld that did not even have a sense of direction.
He had just unlocked a new Gold Cloth, and his body and Cosmo had been strengthened again.
He needed to consolidate his condition.
"Although I didn't gain much, I did take the chance to verify Sekishiki Meikai Ha's damage against souls. It's absolutely dominant. An ordinary person's soul simply can't withstand the impact of Sekishiki Meikai Ha."
Feeling the remaining traces of that special sinister energy targeting the soul at his fingertips, Marco summarized what he had gained from this trip to the Underworld.
Putting everything else aside, Sekishiki Meikai Ha was truly specialized against souls and very useful.
However, this move was slightly troublesome when used against the living.
It required separating a living person's soul from their body first before attacking the soul. It could not directly pass through the body and shatter a person's soul.
At its core, Sekishiki Meikai Ha was a technique that combined spatial and soul-based effects.
It could separate a person's soul from their body and send that soul to the entrance of the Underworld.
When used directly against enemies already in soul form, it would tear their soul apart and scatter the fragments into another dimension, denying them any chance of peace forever.
"I still haven't trained it properly. If it were truly mastered, Sekishiki Meikai Ha could directly create a black hole-like vortex that devours all matter and energy affected by it, constantly expanding and strengthening itself. If left alone, it could swallow not only a planet, but even an entire galaxy."
Marco knew that the upper limit of Sekishiki Meikai Ha was still very high.
If this ability were translated into this world, it would probably absorb everything into that Underworld.
The same ability could produce completely different results in different people's hands. It was strongly connected to mastery and understanding.
There were no weak abilities, only incompetent users.
As long as one's imagination was big enough, any ability could be played in countless ways.
Marco had watched One Piece before, and the various Devil Fruit abilities in it had all been played with in imaginative ways.
Especially in all kinds of fanfiction, the use of those abilities was even more elaborate than in the original One Piece.
Buzz!
With a thought from Marco, the space around him rippled like water, and his figure faded away from where he stood like an illusion.
In the blink of an eye, Marco stood steadily inside the familiar, lively hall of the Fairy Tail guildhall.
"Does anyone know where Natsu and Igneel went?"
After returning to the guildhall, Marco began asking about Natsu and Igneel.
The matter of the strongest demon, E.N.D., had not been resolved yet.
He had to find Natsu and see how this matter should be handled.
Igneel might know something. After all, Natsu had been with him since he was very young.
Everyone in the guild looked at one another.
Everyone knew that Natsu and the Fire Dragon King Igneel had gone off to train, but no one knew exactly where they had gone.
Igneel and Natsu had not reported their location to the guild.
"Fine."
Marco did not find that strange either.
He closed his eyes, and an invisible perception spread outward in an instant like a fine spiderweb.
As one of Marco's disciples, Natsu was naturally within his constellation positioning radar.
He simply rarely used this function normally, so as not to give people the impression that he was some kind of peeping maniac.
Very quickly, a bright little point like a burning flame appeared, clearly presenting itself on Marco's mental perception map.
Buzz!
The instant he successfully locked onto Natsu's location, Marco's figure was once again wrapped in spatial fluctuations and vanished from the spot.
The next moment, he silently appeared in a clearing within a lush forest, standing before Natsu, who was training, and Igneel, who was crouched nearby.
"Master Marco?"
Igneel raised his enormous dragon head slightly, a clear trace of surprise flashing through his golden dragon eyes.
"Marco!"
Natsu also stopped moving, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and shouted in surprise.
Seeing Marco suddenly appear, both the Fire Dragon King Igneel and Natsu were somewhat surprised.
"Igneel."
Marco's gaze looked straight at the Fire Dragon King's enormous dragon head, his expression turning serious.
"There's something I want to ask you. It's about Zeref, and about demons."
At this point, Marco paused, his gaze sweeping meaningfully over Natsu beside them.
"Where do you think would be suitable to talk?"
Marco got straight to the point and directly stated why he had come.
If Igneel knew about E.N.D., then he would definitely understand the meaning behind those words.
"..."
Sure enough, the Fire Dragon King's expression changed at once.
Marco could confirm it now.
This guy definitely knew about E.N.D.
He absolutely knew perfectly well that Natsu was E.N.D. Coming to ask him had indeed been the right decision.
"Natsu, continue training. I'll have a talk with Master Marco."
Igneel chose to avoid telling Natsu for now.
For the time being, he still did not intend to tell Natsu about E.N.D.
"Oh, okay."
Natsu scratched his head, his expression a little confused.
Were these matters about demons and Zeref something he was not allowed to hear?
"Aye! Marco! Why are you here?!"
Just as Marco and the Fire Dragon King Igneel were about to leave, Happy flew over with his wings flapping.
He circled around Marco once, looking extremely surprised and delighted.
"I have something to discuss with Igneel."
Marco smiled and patted Happy's head, making him stay behind obediently as well.
Then he walked off to the side together with Igneel.
"..."
"How mysterious..."
After Marco and Igneel left, Natsu and Happy exchanged a glance.
Both of them saw the same thought in each other's eyes.
Marco and Igneel were acting very strangely.
The matter they were going to discuss was definitely strange too.
"Should we eavesdrop?"Natsu asked Happy.
But in truth, the moment he asked that question, he had already made his decision.
His heart was filled with curiosity.
"Aye? That doesn't seem too good..."
Happy was instead a little hesitant.
After all, Marco clearly did not want them to know and did not want them to go over.
Happy was not afraid.
He just felt that even if they went, they would definitely be discovered.
Happy had great respect for Marco's.
Unlike Natsu, who sometimes suddenly forgot who was the bigger boss, sometimes scared half to death and other times suddenly full of confidence, Happy had always viewed Marco's strength as something almost divine.
"Uh, we won't know unless we try."
After hearing Happy's worries, Natsu hesitated for a moment, but then quickly became determined again.
"...Then let's be careful."
Happy had been inseparable from Natsu for so many years.
He immediately knew that Natsu's stubbornness had flared up again.
There was no persuading him now. Happy could only go along with him, even though his heart was full of worry.
He would never abandon Natsu!
"All right! Let's be careful!"
Seeing Happy support him, Natsu became even more energetic.
He and Happy carefully crept forward, heading in the direction Marco and Igneel had left.
Happy flew a little higher, carefully searching for Marco and Igneel's figures.
"They're... they're gone..."
After searching around, Happy returned to Natsu's side.
He had not found Marco and Igneel.
They had clearly only just left not long ago.
A moment ago, they could still see Igneel's massive body, but in the blink of an eye, he had vanished.
"It must be Marco!"
Natsu clapped his hands.
He knew Marco had taken Igneel and instantly moved somewhere else, just to avoid them.
"I told you... If Marco doesn't want us to hear, we definitely won't hear anything."
Happy complained.
He had known this would be the result.
Over the years, whenever Natsu challenged Marco, he had always been completely crushed.
...
Elsewhere, Marco and Igneel had already arrived on a mountaintop.
"Tell me about E.N.D."
Standing beside the Fire Dragon King, Marco spoke directly.
"You... where did you learn about this?" Igneel asked hesitantly.
The matter of E.N.D. could be said to be the greatest secret surrounding Natsu. Igneel was very cautious and unwilling to reveal it casually.
"Look at this."
Marco did not keep him guessing.
He directly took out the Book of E.N.D., making his meaning very clear.
"I already have Natsu's true body in my hand, so Igneel, stop keeping things vague. Tell me everything you know."
Marco believed Igneel should recognize this book.
"You... How do you have the Book of E.N.D.?!"
As expected, Igneel truly recognized the book, and he also understood what this book meant to Natsu.
"I took it from a group of demons. Do you know Mard Geer? He established a demon guild in E.N.D.'s name, called Tartaros. That guild has now been destroyed by me, and all those demons have been eliminated."
Marco explained the origin of the Book of E.N.D.
Mard Geer could be considered a demon who had lived for a very long time. He just did not know whether Igneel knew him.
"..."
Igneel's dragon eyes widened, filled with shock.
As for Mard Geer or anything like that, Igneel was not very familiar with him.
What shocked him was that the Book of E.N.D. had actually fallen into the hands of those demons.
What exactly was Zeref thinking?
What was he doing?
Had he truly gone completely insane?
Marco had previously told Igneel about Zeref's condition, but Igneel had been doubtful.
Because when he had known Zeref, Zeref's mental state had not yet deteriorated that badly.