"Mary… there must be nothing wrong."
Brandish μ stared into Dimaria Yesta's eyes, anxiety finally breaking through her usual composure. She clasped her hands together instinctively, beginning to pray.
She knew better than anyone that this ritual could not be interrupted.
Otherwise, she would have already rushed forward without hesitation.
Right now, praying was the only thing she could do.
"So this is the place… a location overflowing with the aura of a god."
A new presence arrived.
Zeref, who had been wandering nearby, felt the divine aura spreading through the land and came at once. The moment he arrived, his gaze locked onto Dimaria Yesta, who was in the middle of receiving the remnant soul of the God of Time.
"Your Majesty…?! Why are you here?"
Brandish's eyes widened slightly in surprise. She clearly hadn't expected the Emperor of the Alvarez Empire to appear here.
Wasn't he supposed to be traveling the world?
Why here—of all places—today?
"…Brandish."
Zeref nodded faintly.
As one of the Spriggan Twelve, Brandish was someone he at least remembered.
Of course, to Zeref, "remembering" simply meant recognizing her face and recalling her name.
After all, the Alvarez Empire itself was nothing more than a tool to him.
Useful when needed—discarded when it wasn't.
"I sensed the presence of a god," Zeref said calmly. "That's why I came."
With that, his attention shifted away from Brandish entirely.
More precisely—
His gaze settled on the divine remnant bound to Dimaria's body.
"The Emperor of Alvarez…?"
Erza Scarlet frowned slightly, curiosity flickering in her eyes. "To command more than seven hundred guilds… just how powerful is he?"
She couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of existence could unify such overwhelming force.
"…Zeref is here too."
Rain's expression subtly changed.
He was already prepared to retreat at any moment.
Not because he feared Zeref attacking them—but because of Ankseram's Curse.
If Zeref's emotions fluctuated too violently, death could erupt indiscriminately.
Still, aside from moments involving Fairy Heart, Zeref rarely acted recklessly. That was the only reason Rain hadn't withdrawn immediately.
At that moment, Dimaria Yesta's body finally completed its transformation.
The magic of the God of Time, Chronos, reshaped her vessel—making it fully compatible with time magic.
"…It's almost time."
Sensing the completion, the divine remnant prepared to act.
It began the usurpation.
"—Receive!"
Dimaria felt it.
The moment had arrived.
She activated her Receive Magic, pulling the remnant soul of Chronos directly into her body.
There was no resistance.
The god allowed it.
And then—
The moment the remnant soul entered her, it turned on her.
Using what little divine power it still possessed, it began forcibly eroding her soul.
"So this is why… everyone failed before."
Dimaria finally understood.
The truth behind her clan's destruction.
This remnant soul was conscious.
Its goal had never been coexistence.
It wanted a body.
A rebirth.
Even as a fragment, a god's soul was far beyond what a normal mage could contain.
Unauthorized reception meant only one outcome—
Death.
"Is this… really the end?"
Dimaria felt herself being pushed back.
Her soul was retreating, inch by inch, as Chronos advanced relentlessly.
If she lost—
Her body would become the god's vessel.
And she would disappear completely.
No matter how desperately she struggled, nothing changed.
She could only watch as control slipped away.
"…Did it really fail?"
Rain froze.
He had planned to observe—nothing more.
But seeing Dimaria on the verge of being overwritten by the god's remnant made his expression turn grim.
Was this… because of him?
"No… even without me, this was inevitable."
His eyes hardened.
"…Zeref?"
Rain instinctively turned toward him.
Only Zeref could interfere with something on this level.
"So that's it…"
"With Zeref's assistance, Dimaria received Chronos—but now needs help to finish it."
There was no other explanation.
"Mary!"
Even Brandish could no longer hide her panic.
Despite all their clashes, despite all their arguments—
they were friends.
And watching Dimaria approach death was something she couldn't endure.
She turned to Zeref, desperation clear in her eyes.
"Your Majesty… is there any way to save her?"
Zeref observed quietly for a moment.
Then he spoke.
"It's simple," he said.
"If one person can't bear the remnant soul of a god—then two people will."
"…Together?"
Brandish froze.
Receive Magic users weren't exactly easy to find—especially one strong enough to help now.
Then...
Her eyes widened.
"…Wait."
"Your Majesty…"
"…You can use all magic, can't you?"
Her gaze lit up.
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