Chapter 1021: [1021] : Revival

...

"Are you all angry? Do you feel like I have become a completely different person?" Shin asked, his voice echoing over the ruined cavern. "You are not wrong. Everything I have done was simply because I felt like it."

Shin turned his cold gaze toward Alice and Lucy, who were standing frozen in shock.

"But I will give you two a chance," Shin offered, an amused shine in his eye. "Since I brought you into this world, you can make a choice. Swear absolute loyalty to me right now... or die."

At that exact moment, a colossal phantom of the Nine-Tailed Fox appeared behind Shin, its nine massive tails thrashing wildly. The sheer density of the demonic chakra was something these mages could never even begin to fathom.

"Who... who is he??" Wakaba stammered, falling backward. "How is that even possible??"

Seeing the terrifying beast, Natsu’s rage finally boiled over. His body began to crackle with an intense, fiery aura as patches of reptilian scales rapidly formed across his skin.

Shin watched Natsu’s half-dragon transformation with a smirk. ’As expected of the protagonist. He can push himself far past his normal limits when cornered.’

If Shin were just a regular villain, he would probably be intimidated by Natsu’s sudden power spike.

"I see clearly now!" Natsu roared, his voice suffused with draconic fury. "You planned this from the very beginning! You never cared about Fairy Tail! I am going to crush you and avenge Gramps!"

"Lightning Fire Dragon Mode!"

Seeing Natsu stepping up, the remaining Fairy Tail mages didn’t hesitate. Erza, Gray, Gajeel, and every other capable fighter channeled the absolute last drops of their magic power and transferred it directly into Natsu.

They all knew Natsu’s unique ability to consume and adapt to different magic elements. By pooling their entire guild’s strength into one vessel, they hoped to create an attack capable of piercing Shin’s defenses.

They didn’t fully comprehend the sheer scale of the monster standing before them, but the S-Class mages instinctively knew this was their final, desperate stand.

"We are going to take you down together!" Natsu yelled, his fire turning an intense white-hot. "You bastard!"

Shin sighed, looking at the exhausted, desperate guild members.

"You are just a group of broken soldiers making a last stand. It is incredibly pathetic," Shin drawled. "But I suppose I will teach you a final lesson. Before that, though..."

Shin shifted his gaze back to the two girls. "Have you made your decision?"

Alice and Lucy were completely torn. They couldn’t believe the man they had trusted—the man they had begun to fall for—was actually a psychopathic tyrant.

But their feelings couldn’t be easily erased. With quivering hands, they both slowly moved forward, choosing to stand by Shin’s side.

At that split second, two jets of jet-black Amaterasu flames burst around them, instantly incinerating the girls where they stood.

"What kind of fire is that??" Macao screamed in horror. "The Master died the exact same way! He was the one who murdered Gramps!"

"They just chose to side with him! Why did he kill his own comrades?? Why??"

Natsu let out an earth-shattering roar, tears vaporizing from the heat of his fire. "I am going to show you the true power of Fairy Tail! Dragon Slayer’s Secret Art!"

A colossal, concentrated blast of lightning and fire tore through the cavern, hurtling directly toward Shin. It carried the combined hopes and fury of the entire guild.

But Shin didn’t even blink. To him, an attack of this caliber was completely irrelevant.

He slowly raised a single hand. "Gedo Mazo."

The earth violently ruptured, and a gargantuan, monstrous wooden statue burst out of the ground. Its massive, singular eye flung open, fixing on the incoming attack.

"Let me show you the power of the Six Paths," Shin whispered.

"Shinra Tensei."

An overwhelming, god-like force violently repelled outward. The guild’s ultimate attack slammed into the invisible wall and was instantly crushed like soggy tissue, dispersing into nothingness.

"How... how is that possible??" Natsu gasped, falling to his knees.

Shin chuckled, dusting off his shoulder. "From the very beginning, we were never standing on the same playing field. You challenged me without ever understanding the sheer gap in our power."

"But I must admit, I admire your spirit," Shin continued, looking down at the defeated protagonist. "You fought well. You can die in peace now. I have already sensed the presence of the next world, but before I leave, I have a few pests to exterminate. Acnologia and Zeref."

"The rest of you will die here today. And as for the First Master... I am going to have my fun with her, and then I will kill her too."

"My purpose in this world is complete."

With a final, indifferent glance, Shin unleashed a massive wave of Amaterasu, instantly incinerating the remaining Fairy Tail members.

The protagonists of Earth were dead.

Shin turned his attention to the pile of ash that used to be Mavis Vermillion.

"Edo Tensei. Outer Path — Samsara of Heavenly Life."

In a flash of blinding light, Mavis’s physical body was flawlessly reconstructed and resurrected.

Shin smiled as she slowly opened her eyes. "You are awake. Why aren’t you speaking? Are you terrified of me? You don’t need to be afraid anymore."

"I have purified your body completely. You are perfect now. From this moment forward, you shall serve me."

"If you please me, I might even consider resurrecting Fairy Tail."

For the next ten days, Mavis became nothing more than a hollow, emotionless doll. She was a slave to Shin’s twisted whims.

Yet, Shin was never really satisfied. As time passed, he noticed a highly disturbing shift in Mavis’s behavior—she was slowly becoming dependent on him, her mind completely warping under the psychological torture.

Realizing she was completely broken, Shin struck her across the face, his look cold.

"Didn’t you want to see your son?" Shin asked abruptly. "I think it is time we paid him a visit."

--------------------------------------------------

~ 70 Advanced Chapters Available on Patreon!

~ p-atreon.com/dragonnx

(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)