章 136: Chapter 136: Welcome to the Dark Side...
"Ultear, you're planning to leave Grimoire Heart... but why?" Meredy asked, her voice laced with confusion.
"I've done a lot of bad things in the past, and now I want to atone for who I once was," Ultear said softly, letting out a sigh.
"Atonement?" Meredy whispered. "Ultear, you've changed."
Ultear smiled, crossing her long legs under her towel, looking relaxed and at ease. "And what about you? Will you come with me?"
"Go where?" Meredy asked.
"Hmm... let me think. How about Magnolia? We could join the Fairy Tail guild—how does that sound?"
"Ah?"
Meredy was completely stunned. They had come from a dark guild, and now Ultear was suggesting they join a legal guild like Fairy Tail?
"Hades won't just let us leave that easily."
"True," Ultear acknowledged, resting her chin on her hand, a hint of concern showing. "You're the only one in Grimoire Heart that I really worry about."
If Ultear was going to atone, she would start by helping Meredy—the girl she had raised but also deeply hurt in the past.
Meanwhile, in the bathroom, Nate lay soaking in a stone bathtub, enjoying his bath. He could easily overhear their conversation from outside.
'So Ultear plans to leave Grimoire Heart and even join Fairy Tail?'
"Ultear, Erza, Juvia... and me—we could all play a game of mahjong together," Nate mused, wondering if he should come clean to Ultear about everything.
Juvia knew that Ultear had been his first girlfriend, but Ultear didn't know about Juvia. If Ultear was serious about joining Fairy Tail, Nate knew he would need to tell her about the situation beforehand.
Otherwise, it could lead to a serious conflict. Ultear, feeling deceived, might end up fighting Juvia.
'But I need to pick the right moment to reveal everything.'
Nate turned his attention elsewhere and accessed the Magic Net, using his developer privileges to look up information on a certain user: "Precht"—Hades' Magic Net username.
Meredy had mentioned it to Ultear, and now Ultear had informed him as well.
"Hmm?"
Nate was surprised to find Hades online and currently in the [Magic Arena] matchmaking queue.
[Magic Net Username: Precht]
[Rank: Bronze Mage]
[Match History: 1 Win / 0 Losses]
Nate raised an eyebrow, digging deeper and discovering that Hades' only ranked match had been against Makarov—and Hades had won.
'Interesting. The second guild master of Fairy Tail facing the third guild master in a game world.'
After some thought, Nate sent a friend request from his alternate account, attaching a message with no words—just a small image.
...
Meanwhile, aboard the 'Grimoire Heart' magic airship, Hades was deep in thought. His recent match in the [Magic Arena] had left him shaken. Yesterday, he had faced Makarov and defeated him with ease.
No—more accurately, he had 'killed' him.
It all felt so real, but Hades knew Makarov wasn't truly dead.
How? After the match, he had added Makarov as a friend.
Makarov's status showed that he was still online, meaning he was very much alive.
"A battleground this real isn't something that can be achieved through illusions alone!" Hades muttered. "It has surpassed conventional magic, even forbidden and lost magic. I, who have delved into the deepest mysteries of magic, cannot understand this power…"
"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call it the 'Realm of Gods.'"
Hades couldn't help but speculate. No known mage could achieve this level of magic—not even his former teacher, the legendary dark mage Zeref.
Naturally, Hades began to wonder if Nate might actually be some sort of deity.
"The only problem is the queue time. If I could enter more matches, I might be able to uncover some secrets."
Hades frowned. He had been waiting in the queue since yesterday, but still hadn't been matched for a second game.
Suddenly, a notification popped up in the corner of his Magic Net interface—a friend request.
Friend Request: [Voldemort]
Message: "[Zeref's Black Magic Tavern.jpg]"
Hades was taken aback. Voldemort was a well-known figure on the Magic Net forums, and Hades, who frequented them, was certainly aware of his presence.
What intrigued him the most, however, was the attached image.
It was a small picture, barely visible without enlarging it. But the name of the image—[Zeref's Black Magic Tavern]—immediately grabbed his attention.
Hades clicked on the image to enlarge it for a closer look.
The moment he did, his consciousness separated from his body.
...
After a brief wave of dizziness, Hades found himself standing in front of a dark, damp castle.
"This... this is the Magic Net game world!"
Hades was astonished. He had entered the [Magic Arena] once before, and the sensation was eerily similar—his consciousness forcibly separated from his body.
'There's someone inside the castle!'
Sensing a presence within, Hades narrowed his eyes.
"Is it Voldemort?"
To pull someone into a place like this with just a picture—that was impressive.
Based on what he knew from the forums, Voldemort had been active on the net for a long time, but no one knew his true identity.
Hades approached the castle, realizing he could leave at any moment, which suggested there was no hostile intent.
He pushed open the heavy stone door and walked down a long corridor, eventually reaching the castle's interior.
Inside, a vast tavern stretched out before him.
By a glowing hearth sat a pale young man with white hair, wearing white clothes. He sat at the bar, his back to Hades, staring blankly into a glass of wine.
"Are you Voldemort?"
Hades stepped into the tavern, walking closer.
The man mumbled quietly, "Voldemort..." before turning around.
Hades froze. The man's face was startlingly familiar.
"Jellal?"
How could this be Jellal? He should be locked up in the Magic Council's prison!
The pale man grimaced, clutching his forehead in pain. "Yes, I'm Jellal... no... I'm Voldemort?"
Hades frowned, confused by this apparent memory conflict.
Suddenly, Jellal stopped struggling and began to chuckle softly. Slowly, he lifted his head.
"I am Voldemort. Welcome to [Zeref's Black Magic Tavern]!"
Hades' face darkened.
'Possession? Control?'
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