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The gates of Mariejois loomed, their archway carved from the petrified ribs of ancient dragons. Weiss's claws twitched as Saint Jalmack stepped forward, his ivory robes stained crimson at the hem—a grotesque mimicry of regality. Behind him, enslaved attendants shuffled in chains, their eyes hollow.
"Anomaly," Jalmack purred, twirling his dragonbone staff. The weapon pulsed with a sickly glow, its runes leeching the warmth from Weiss's scales. "Did you truly believe you could trespass on godhood?"
Lucy's keys rattled as she summoned Taurus. "Godhood? You're just a spoiled brat with a fancy stick."
Nami's clima-tact crackled, storm clouds gathering overhead. "Let's fry him and find that seal."
System Alert
Ding!
Harem Sync Active (15%)
Lucy: Celestial Spirit Energy + Dragon Scale Defense
Nami: Storm Magic + Temporal Perception
Jalmack's staff struck the ground. A shockwave of dark energy erupted, dissolving Taurus mid-swing. The celestial spirit vanished with a pained bellow.
"Pathetic," Jalmack sneered. "Your toys cannot harm a god."
Weiss lunged, claws slashing. The staff parried, its touch searing his skin. Dragon Overlord faltered—the dragonbone was suppressing his magic.
"Lucy, now!"
She hurled the Gemini Key. "Copy his staff!"
A shimmering replica appeared in her hands, its weight buckling her knees. Nami steadied her, thunder roaring from the clima-tact. "Light it up!"
Lucy channeled starlight into the copied staff. Weiss grabbed Nami's wrist, merging her storm with his residual dragonfire.
"Celestial…" Lucy gritted her teeth.
"…Dragonstorm!" Weiss roared.
The combined blast struck Jalmack, shattering his staff. He screamed—a raw, human sound—as the void beneath his armor writhed.
System Notification
Ding!
Saint Jalmack Defeated
Reward: Dragonbone Seal (Unlocks Im's Vault)
Harem Sync upgraded to 20%
The Seal's Whisper
The Dragonbone Seal glowed in Weiss's palm, its surface etched with runes older than Mariejois. Lucy traced them, her fingers trembling. "It's… a map. To the Void Century."
Nami leaned in, her storm-static hair brushing Weiss's shoulder. "There's an island here. Not on any chart."
"Laugh Tale," Weiss muttered. The system flickered in agreement.
A roar shook the chamber. Above, the petrified dragon ribs cracked, revealing a hidden vault. Inside lay piles of dragonbone relics—and a mural depicting Im atop a throne of skeletons, a crown of stars on his brow.
New Quest: Confront the Starved King (Reward: True Dragon Form)
Nami's Doubt
As they fled Mariejois, Nami gripped Weiss's arm. "This seal… it's changing you. Your eyes—"
He glanced at his reflection in a shattered lacrima panel. His irises now swirled with stardust and embers.
"We're in too deep to stop," he said.
"I didn't say stop." She pressed her clima-tact into his hand, still warm from the storm. "Just don't forget who's pulling you back."
Lucy's Revelation
Back at the guild, Lucy cornered Weiss. "The seal isn't just a map. It's a key—to Zeref's curse. He's not the villain. He's… a prisoner."
Weiss's mind flashed to Zeref's spectral plea: Join me. Or watch both worlds burn.
"We need to talk to him," Lucy insisted.
"Or kill him," Nami countered, storming in. "Your choice, dragon boy."
Harem Affection Update
Lucy: 100/100 ("Keeper of Truths")
Nami: 100/100 ("Anchor of Reality")
Cliffhanger: The Starved King's Gaze
At midnight, the Dragonbone Seal pulsed. Weiss's vision fractured, plunging him into a void where a skeletal figure sat chained to a starless throne.
"Anomaly…" Im's voice echoed, dry as ash. "You tread where even dragons fear."
The chains snapped. Weiss jolted awake, the guild hall trembling as a new portal tore open—not his own.
From it emerged a dragon, its scales void-black and eyes burning with stolen starlight.
System Alert:
Ding!
Unknown Entity: Starved King's Herald
Recommended Action: Flee
But Weiss's claws were already blazing.
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