In Mystogan's view, after tonight, he would probably find it very difficult to ever see everyone again.
Returning to Earthland without the Anima meant he could no longer be Mystogan of Fairy Tail, only Jellal, the King of Edolas...
Mystogan sat alone in his seat, drinking glass after glass of melancholy wine.
Just then, a hand suddenly reached out beside him, offering a richly red apple.
"What are you thinking about?" Ankh, dressed like a noble gentleman, handed him the apple and asked with a cheerful laugh.
Mystogan perked up, smiled, and took a bite of the apple.
"Nothing, just... feeling a bit emotional."
Laxus also came over and sat down beside the two.
Seemingly seeing his concerns, he spoke up first, "If you want to see us again, just don't destroy the Anima after seeing us off. You are the King now anyway, you won't misuse it. You can visit us anytime."
"No." Mystogan immediately shook his head decisively upon hearing this. "Human greed is immeasurable. Even if I won't reach out to Earthland, what about others, including my descendants?"
Mystogan paused, then said firmly, "The Anima must be destroyed. I won't let a moment of personal reluctance cause harm to the guild and all of you ever again."
The topic ended.
Laxus sighed silently and said quietly, "Stubborn."
That being said, it was precisely this quality—being so resolute for the sake of his friends that it bordered on "cold-blooded"—that made Laxus willing to befriend him in the first place.
Makarov, holding a wine glass, patted Mystogan on the shoulder and said comfortingly.
"You're a child who grew up in our guild. I believe you will make Edolas a better place."
"Even if we can never meet again, you are still a member of Fairy Tail."
Ankh watched Mystogan, whose eyes were reddening, with a slight sense of surprise in his heart.
In the original story, because Mystogan couldn't return to Earthland, he had no choice but to officially leave the guild.
He even forced Natsu to swear to abide by the three rules for members who leave Fairy Tail.
But now, under Makarov's kind voice, Mystogan couldn't bring himself to propose leaving the guild at all.
Ankh pondered, then suddenly asked Mystogan, "Speaking of which, have you gone to see the Goddess?"
Mystogan was taken aback for a moment.
He scratched his head and said, "No, I requested an audience with the Goddess before the statue, but she never responded."
"Wait a moment. I'll go."
After saying this, Ankh immediately got up and jogged toward the forbidden area deep inside the palace.
The remaining three men—Mystogan, Laxus, and Makarov—looked at each other, not knowing what Ankh intended to do.
Leaving the noisy bustling banquet hall, Ankh made his way familiarly toward the secret chamber where the forbidden area was located.
The guards along the way didn't stop him.
They had personally seen how much the new King cared for these Mages.
No one wanted to cause trouble.
Ankh pushed open the basement door, saw the scene inside and was suddenly taken aback.
"What are you doing here?"
The graceful figure in the secret room was kneeling piously below the Goddess statue.
Seeing Ankh arrive, she wasn't flustered.
She spoke slowly and softly, "I am the attendant chosen by the Goddess. Previously, when the King had matters to request of the Goddess, he always sent me to seek an audience."
Ankh raised an eyebrow, suddenly understanding something.
The woman staying here was none other than this world's Erza Knightwalker.
Erza was Ankh's sister in Earthland.
In this world, her counterpart being close to another version of himself seemed quite reasonable.
Ankh nodded toward Knightwalker, then walked up to the Goddess statue, looked up and called her out without any courtesy.
"Anko! Send me in. I have questions for you."
The Goddess statue showed absolutely no movement.
Knightwalker quietly reminded him, "Ankh-sama, you need to pay your respects to the Goddess statue first before you can request an audience..."
Ankh curled his lip and said, "She's just putting on airs now."
Then, Ankh pointed directly at the Goddess statue without hesitation and said.
"Stop playing dead. If you don't talk to me, I'm going to carve 'I was here' right onto your statue's face, you hear me?!"
Just as Knightwalker couldn't help but start to speak, the long-silent Goddess statue actually opened its eyes, radiating a blinding divine light toward Ankh.
After the flash, Ankh's figure vanished.
Knightwalker was completely dumbfounded.
That works too?!
...
In a golden field of flowers, Ankh landed steadily.
The first thing he saw upon entering was a very disgruntled Anko.
"Please, can't we just have a proper farewell? Do you have to come back and bother me again?"
Ankh ignored Anko's displeasure and said with a cheeky grin, "It's just that we're about to leave, so I came back specifically to ask you a few questions."
Anko sighed.
Originally, she had wanted to maintain an air of mystery when sending Ankh off, letting him use his own brain to figure things out.
Who would have thought this reckless person would just come right back and ask her directly the moment he encountered a problem?!
"Hurry up and ask!" Anko waved her hand impatiently.
Ankh immediately asked, "The things said on the basement murals, about the first King making a deal with an Evil God—are they true?"
Anko nodded, then shook her head. "Most of it is true, but I am not clear about the part regarding the Evil God."
Ankh looked at her suspiciously. "You really don't know?"
"Hmph." Anko turned her head away, looking as if even if she knew, she wouldn't tell him.
"Alright then, second question: Has the magic in this world really disappeared?"
Anko gave a precise answer to this question: "Yes, after reversing the Anima, the magic in this world will completely vanish. However, it will plant the seeds of power within every human in this world."
Ankh showed a puzzled expression, and Anko promptly explained.
"That is to say, although magic disappears, the legacy left by magic within humans will gradually develop into another special energy over time."
Ankh suddenly understood—so the era of magic was over, and soon everyone would be cultivating physical disciplines like battle aura or internal energy?
"Although it cannot match the destructive power of magic, it will greatly enhance their physical combat abilities. This is especially true for guild members like yours who originally had high magic talent, and Erza, whom I wish to focus on nurturing."
Ankh immediately felt relieved.
One power system was gone, but another was being born—not bad at all.
Next, Ankh asked the question he cared about most.
"Then, is it possible to restrict the Anima without destroying it, allowing specific people from both worlds to travel back and forth?"
Anko seemed to have anticipated this question long ago.
She raised her hand and tossed a glowing blue stone to Ankh, who caught it immediately.
"Use this. I separated it from the Anima's main body and modified it. Only when both sides agree can it transport one specific person to the other world. It can be used once a year after charging. If you want to use it more frequently, you will have to modify it yourself."
"That's nice! You should've told me about this earlier." Ankh happily stored the stone away.
'Now, if anyone in Earthland missed him, they could visit Mystogan during the holidays—perfect, just perfect~'
Anko found Ankh's smug expression irritating and sighed, waving her hand.
"Alright, if there is nothing else, hurry up and leave."
"Wait a moment!"
Anko's charming face rarely showed irritation. Ankh quickly added, "Really, this is the last question!"
"How much do you know about Erza?"
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