Zeref's appearance changed everything.
The Spriggan 12 had been split into two opposing sides only moments earlier, yet now they immediately fell back into line.
Calling it unity might have been generous.
The truth was that they were terrified—and they had finally begun to understand just how frightening Marco truly was.
"Yes, August. I leave the empire to you."
Zeref supported Marco's decision without hesitation. He turned toward August, his gaze filled with open approval.
That single look made August's entire body tremble.
"For Zeref's sake, I'll let the rest of you off this time." Marco smiled at the members who had been shouting for war only moments earlier.
"But if anyone causes trouble again, I won't be nearly as forgiving."
The battle-hungry mages who had acted so arrogantly before were now kneeling with their heads lowered.
Zeref's influence over them remained immense.
Years of living beneath his rule inspired a deeper fear than even the overwhelming enemy who had just appeared before them.
"Do as you wish," Zeref replied.
Several members of the Spriggan 12 shuddered at the casual permission he had just given Marco to deal with them however he pleased.
"And what about him?"
Marco raised an eyebrow and looked toward Neinhart.
The man remained on his knees, completely ruled by fear.
He did not dare raise his head or face the person who had haunted his thoughts for so long.
The more violent members of the Spriggan 12 had not joined Zeref entirely of their own free will.
Most had once been defeated by him, leaving them with a deep, instinctive terror of the founder of Black Magic.
Zeref's overwhelming magic and oppressive presence made Neinhart's soul shake.
How was this any different from the real Zeref standing before him?
Worse, Marco had proven that he was even more powerful.
The Zeref created through Historia of the Dead possessed his complete memories and strength only because Marco's power far surpassed his.
No one in the room was more frightened than Neinhart.
He feared Zeref—and now he feared the man who stood above Zeref even more.
"Spare him," Zeref said. "I don't want any more deaths caused in my name."
"Fine. We'll leave it there."
Marco waved a hand indifferently.
The recreated Zeref vanished as Marco ended Historia of the Dead.
"So," Marco asked, looking over the kneeling Spriggan 12 once again, "does anyone still object?"
"N-no, Lord Marco!"
Neinhart answered first.
His attitude toward Marco had become even more respectful than the one he showed Zeref.
Neinhart loved battle, but he also worshipped strength. In the presence of someone truly beyond him, he had no courage to resist.
The remaining members quickly voiced their agreement as well.
Every one of them behaved with remarkable obedience, and not a single person dared utter another word of defiance.
"Cooperate with August."
Marco shook his head and left them with that final instruction.
Buzz.
He disappeared.
Silence filled the assembly hall.
The members of the Spriggan 12 remained kneeling for several moments, none willing to be the first to stand.
"Let us continue."
August was eventually the one to speak.
He had regained his composure.
With Zeref's personal acknowledgment and support, no one could question August's identity or challenge his right to rule.
From that day onward, the Alvarez Empire entered a new era—the era of Emperor August!
He might already have been over eighty years old, but with his power and vitality, living for several more decades would hardly be difficult.
The only concern was succession.
August had never had children of his own.
He did not consider that a serious problem, however.
The person who eventually inherited the empire did not necessarily need to share his blood.
...
Another three years passed.
Marco finally accumulated enough contribution points for the final Gold Cloth.
He had completed plenty of small missions during that time, but receiving another reward large enough to unlock a Gold Cloth had become almost impossible.
With his current power, no one in Earth-land could challenge him.
Even if he searched several parallel worlds, he would struggle to find a worthy opponent.
"You're the only one left in the entire system."
Marco looked at the Taurus Gold Cloth and completed the exchange.
Buzz!
The heavens and earth trembled.
The final barrier that had restrained Marco shattered completely.
It was the threshold he had spent years trying and failing to cross, and now it simply ceased to exist.
Marco underwent the ultimate transformation from the Eighth Sense to the Ninth.
He had once merged with the world.
Now, he transcended it.
At the peak of the Eighth Sense, Marco had understood every mystery within existence.
Nothing in the world could remain hidden from him.
Rules no longer restrained him.
He could travel freely between worlds and parallel timelines, moving through the past, present, and future as easily as stepping across a room.
The Ninth Sense went beyond using those rules.
It granted the power to create them.
Marco could now define or rewrite the laws of an entire world.
He could alter timelines and decide for himself what qualified as the past, present, or future.
Buzz.
With a single thought, Marco connected several parallel worlds.
Permanent passages formed between Earth-land, Edolas, and Elentear, linking all three into a complete circle through which anyone could travel from one world to another.
"This... is true divine power."
Marco looked down at his hands.
He had changed completely once again, undergoing an evolution that affected every part of his existence.
More importantly, the Saint System had finally disappeared.
It had merged entirely with Marco and become an inseparable part of him.
Every power it had once granted through rewards and exchanges was now truly his own.
"So that's why..."
Marco murmured as understanding settled over him.
He had not merely entered the early stage of the Ninth Sense.
He had reached its peak immediately.
That was the result of completely absorbing the Saint System.
Only one final step remained before he reached the origin of all things—the realm of the Tenth Sense.
Upon awakening the Tenth Sense, he would become the true Primordial, an omnipotent existence capable of creating countless worlds from nothing with a single thought.
But reaching that state required severing every human emotion and transforming into the absolute will of a god.
Marco fell silent.
In that instant—or perhaps after tens of billions of years from the perspective of a being who had transcended time—he understood the truth.
It was not that he lacked the ability to reach that realm.
He had chosen not to enter it.
For the briefest moment, he weighed the decision before abandoning the path willingly.
He refused to surrender his humanity.
In truth, his emotions had always been what prevented him from entering the Ninth Sense through his own efforts.
To transcend into that realm normally, one had to shatter the previous eight senses, abandon every attachment, and rise completely beyond mortal existence.
Marco could not do that.
More importantly, he did not want to.
After unlocking the Taurus Gold Cloth and merging with the Saint System, he had found another path.
He had sacrificed the possibility of reaching the absolute summit in exchange for preserving the person he had always been.
"This is who I am."
Marco looked at his hands without the slightest regret.
"What would be the point of reaching the Tenth Sense if I had to abandon every emotion to do it? Would someone like that still be me?"
There were still people and things in this world he cared about.
He could not abandon them.
He could not turn his back on everything that had given his life meaning.
Buzz.
Marco appeared before the entrance of the Fairy Tail guildhall.
The entire guild had gathered outside.
None of them understood why, but they had all felt something pulling at their hearts and had come to wait for him with growing anxiety.
The moment Marco appeared, everyone released a breath of relief.
Then relief became joy—the unmistakable happiness of people who felt as though they had managed to hold onto something precious before it slipped beyond their reach.
"Marco!"
"You little brat!"
"Guild Master!"
"Marco-san!"
Everyone called out happily and rushed toward him.
Marco smiled and walked forward to meet them.
What had held him back?
What had made him choose humanity over absolute divinity?
The answer was obvious.
Erza, Mirajane, and Juvia ran at the front of the crowd, their faces filled with joy and tears.
They reached Marco and wrapped their arms around him.
And Marco held them close.
The End!
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