Shirou's clones number 30 million

"Of course! If I agree to your conditions, get the magic, and leave immediately, it will be a deal. After that, we will have no further contact."

Shirou paused for a moment, then smiled and said:

"However, if I gain your trust, we can become friends."

"Next time I need your help, I won't have to go through this much trouble as I did today."

"In other words, your wisdom will become mine."

“That makes sense!” Mavis nodded slightly and smiled, “But what you’re doing now is completely destroying the little trust we have left.”

"The principle of 'destruction before construction' and 'no destruction, no construction' is probably self-evident and needs no further explanation from me, isn't it?"

"Well……"

Mavis fell silent, thinking to herself:

What should I do? Should I trust him this once? But if I trust the wrong person, I'm doomed.

This is something I absolutely cannot afford to gamble on.

Chapter 156 I can finally try to believe you

Chapter 156, Section 157: I Can Finally Try to Trust You

Mavis wanted to try to trust him, but the risk was too great, and the thought of the consequences of trusting the wrong person filled her with fear.

If what he said is all lies, then it's all over.

Since her death, Mavis has regarded the Black Dragon King as the enemy of Fairy Tail and even the whole world.

If what the other party says is true, the biggest enemy will become one of our own.

But even in my dreams in the past, I never dared to imagine such a thing.

While he was lost in thought, Shirou had already taken out Mavis's body.

Her body was encased in crystal, exactly the same as her ghost form, without any difference.

Upon closer inspection, one could faintly hear the sound of a heartbeat.

"Did I really kill you? In my memory, in the past four hundred years, the bodies of every person I've killed have rarely been preserved intact."

"Hmph... I am, after all, a powerful mage. Isn't it normal for me to be able to do this much?"

Mavis smiled smugly, then sighed softly and whispered:

"You seemed to be chasing Zeref at the time, and you roared at him. After hearing your roar, I immediately lost consciousness."

"That might be sound magic or death magic; it didn't attack my body."

"Are you sure you didn't die of fright?" Shirou couldn't help but ask.

"Impossible! It must be sound magic, or death magic, or magic that directly attacks the soul."

"Okay, my memory isn't very clear anyway, so you decide."

Shirou shook his head slightly, his gaze shifting to Mavis's body. He lightly brushed his finger across the outer crystal, and the crystal vanished instantly.

At the same time, Mavis's body fell to the ground with a thud, landing in Shirou's arms.

"The body is intact, full of vitality, breathing and with a heartbeat, and the soul is also there. So, it can't really be considered dead, right?"

However, there are many solutions to the problem of the soul leaving the body, according to Demon King Shirou's memories.

"Let's give it a try. Magic—return."

He silently chanted the incantation, and the next moment, golden light emanated from Shirou's body, instantly enveloping Mavis's entire body.

Immediately afterwards, the ghost Mavis's body gradually became illusory.

"What kind of magic is this? I..."

Two seconds later, the light faded, the ghost Mavis had disappeared, and the corpse Mavis slowly opened its eyes.

"This perspective, and that inexplicable sense of heaviness, could it be that I..."

"Well... that's it. Congratulations on your resurrection, Mavis."

"She really came back to life?"

Mavis sat up, looked down at her physical hands, and fell into deep thought.

Upon seeing this, Shirou continued:

"I am not good at breaking curses, so I can only temporarily suppress the curse in your body."

"In other words, you are still an immortal body that will not grow or age, but at the same time, you will not radiate death energy."

Mavis seemed lost in thought, unconsciously thinking:

In that case, the only remaining drawback of the curse of the god Ankhseram that he was afflicted with was the inability to grow up.

"Thank you. I... I hope I won't kill someone unconsciously like Zeref did?"

"No, the curse is suppressed within your body, preventing the death energy from escaping. But because of this, you might experience a sharp pain every time the death energy erupts."

"If that's all, it's perfectly fine."

Mavis shook her head slightly, then smiled and said:

"Now, I can finally try to believe you."

"Thank you."

"No, I'm the one who needs to be thanked. I have so many words of gratitude to express to you..."

"Don't say it! As the murderer who killed you and made you live alone here for so long, it would be strange to receive your thanks."

"What a kind person. Aren't we going back to Fairy Tail? Let's go."

"Ah."

As she stood up, Mavis suddenly turned around, looked up at Shirou, and asked expectantly:

"Um, on the way back, can I sit on your back?"

It felt a bit strange that it transformed into a dragon and carried people on its back.

But considering that it was actually quite similar to carrying someone on one's back, Shirou nodded slightly and agreed.

"can."

"Oh... really? I've always longed for that kind of thing."

"Well, yes."

……

Fairy Tail Guild.

"Gildas, what happened to your leg?"

Makarov's words caused everyone in the guild to look at Gildas's prosthetic left leg.

"You must be kidding me. Gildas was actually injured so badly."

"What happened? Even Gildas, with his strength, has become like this. Just how strong is the enemy?"

Returning to the guild after a long absence, Gildarts had a lot to say, but thinking of the enemy he encountered during the quest, he couldn't help but frown.

After a long silence, he said loudly:

"Everyone! If you encounter a black dragon during the mission, don't hesitate, run away immediately! Run as far away as possible."

As he spoke, he unbuttoned his coat, revealing his battered body.

"In just a moment, I lost my left arm and left leg, and even my internal organs were injured."

"And that black dragon wasn't serious at all. No, I should say it didn't attack me intentionally; I was just grazed by its unintentional attack."

"That black dragon is simply beyond the capabilities of humans. No human can defeat it!"

"So if you encounter it during a mission, even if you only hear a little bit about it, don't hesitate, just run away immediately."

At this moment, the guild fell silent.

Immediately afterwards, a lively discussion broke out.

"That guy is so strong! I never would have guessed."

"I know it's strong, but to be that strong is just outrageous."

"I thought all those stories he told were just bragging, but they were all true!"

"So, he really did slaughter countless countries? If the council finds out... it doesn't seem to matter, since no one can punish him anyway, right?"

Gildas looked puzzled. What did this mean? It sounded as if everyone knew the black dragon.

No, absolutely not!

With their strength, if they really encountered the Black Dragon, they would have no chance of escaping.

That black dragon, bathed in blood and death, would never spare humanity.

While he was deep in thought, a faint sense of oppressive power suddenly emanated from the outside world.

That strangely familiar sense of oppression made Gildas break out in a cold sweat. Without saying a word, he rushed out of the guild gate.

The next moment, he saw the huge black dragon flying in this direction.

"That's... Run! Everyone run!! The black dragon is coming."

"Hahaha... This is the first time I've ever seen Gildas make this expression. It's really funny!"

"No need to run, it's okay, we're used to this kind of thing."

"Gildas, you'd better calm down later. But it won't do you any good if you don't calm down, since you can't beat him anyway, haha..."

Chapter 157 Only after seeing the ocean can one realize one's own insignificance

Chapter 157, Section 158: Only after seeing the ocean can one realize one's own insignificance.

In the sky, the black dragon suddenly stopped its wings and hovered in mid-air.