"Heh, not bad."
Back on the ground, Laxus looked at Mystogan with a teasing smirk.
Before Mystogan could reply, voices suddenly rang out from outside—Noel, Erza, and Natsu.
"Laxus!"
"Erza?"
"Noel! Natsu! You made it out?" Erza said, relieved to see them.
"By the way, who's this guy?" Natsu asked, looking at Mystogan with confusion.
"Mystogan… I think?" Erza replied uncertainly.
Almost no one in the guild had ever seen Mystogan's true face, except for a select few.
But considering that this person was able to hold his own against Laxus, aside from Noel and Gildarts, there was really only one possibility—it had to be Mystogan.
The moment Mystogan saw Erza, his expression changed.
He quickly turned away and hastily covered his face with his hands.
"A weak spot!"
Noticing that brief moment of distraction, Laxus let out a cold snort.
A golden lightning sphere crackled in his hand, and with a flick of his wrist, he sent it flying straight at Mystogan's face.
BOOM!
As the smoke slowly cleared, the sight before Noel, Erza, and Natsu revealed an incredibly familiar face.
"Jellal?!"
Erza's pupils contracted slightly.
As if realizing something, she quickly turned to look at Noel.
Noel, on the other hand, was staring blankly at Mystogan's face.
His blue eyes widened in shock, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Then, as if on instinct, he covered his face with his hand, his complexion turning pale.
"This face… I've seen it before… I've seen it before."
His voice was low and fragmented, as if he was piecing together broken thoughts.
A shattered and blurry memory surfaced in his mind.
A young boy with blue hair…
He was laughing.
A twisted, cruel smile of triumph.
Crimson blood splattered through the air, and then the vision became distorted and unclear.
"It hurts… My head… It hurts… I can't remember…!"
Noel clutched his head tightly, as if countless needles were piercing into his brain all at once.
"Don't think about it, Noel! Don't force yourself!" Erza shouted, gripping his shoulders firmly.
"Oh? Judging by your reactions… looks like you all know him, huh?"
Laxus smirked, clearly entertained by the situation.
"What's going on…? Mystogan is Jellal?" Natsu muttered in disbelief.
Mystogan's expression turned complicated.
He sighed and said in a low voice, "Erza… If there's anyone, you're the one person I didn't want to see me like this. I am not Jellal. I know who he is, but I am not him… I'm sorry. I'll leave the rest to you."
With those words, his body dissolved into mist and vanished before their eyes.
......
On the vast open plains, a gentle breeze swept across the land.
A wisp of mist slowly gathered, taking the form of a young man—it was none other than Mystogan, one of Fairy Tail's Three Great Powers.
"Erza saw me…"
Recalling how his face had been exposed to them just moments ago, Mystogan let out a quiet sigh.
"And Noel… something seemed off about him. Even his hair color changed."
Now that he had calmed down, Mystogan also noticed Noel's unusual state.
Although he wasn't aware of Noel's amnesia, he had clearly seen Noel's golden hair turn silver.
Moreover, despite already knowing Mystogan's true identity, Noel had looked genuinely shocked.
That alone was enough to puzzle Mystogan.
After all, if there was anyone in Fairy Tail who truly understood him, it was Noel.
Back when Noel first saw Mystogan in the guild, he had been surprised at first.
But after learning the whole story, he hadn't held back in giving Mystogan a brutal beating.
Thinking back to that moment, Mystogan couldn't help but shake his head with a bitter smile.
(Although I really had no other choice at the time… Still, leaving Wendy in the hands of a complete stranger so irresponsibly… No wonder Noel was furious.)
"Whatever… With Noel here, Laxus won't be able to stir up much trouble. I should take my leave for now."
Having decided to temporarily leave Magnolia, Mystogan was just about to depart when, suddenly, a black sword light slashed toward him from afar, aiming straight for him.
Mystogan's expression shifted slightly as his body once again turned into mist, narrowly dodging the attack.
His gaze immediately turned toward the direction from which the strike had come.
A lone figure was approaching.
It was a golden-haired young man.
If any member of Fairy Tail were present, they would be shocked to find that this young man looked exactly like Noel.
However, upon closer inspection, there were slight differences.
His golden hair was much longer, especially at the back, cascading down like a golden waterfall, nearly reaching his waist.
He was clad in pitch-black armor, and in his hand, he wielded a long sword wrapped in bandages inscribed with countless runes.
More than just his appearance, his very presence was vastly different from Noel's.
If Noel was like a gentle and radiant amethyst, then this young man was a bloodstained, peerless blade—an existence forged purely for battle.
A murderous aura seeped from his very being, as if he had stepped straight off a battlefield soaked in carnage.
"I've been looking for you for a long time, Jellal-nii." The golden-haired young man spoke coldly, the corners of his lips curving into a chilling smile.
Upon seeing him, Mystogan let out a sigh, a bitter smile appearing on his face.
His voice carried a complex mix of emotions as he replied,
"It's been a while, Noel."
The golden-haired young man raised his sword, its blade pointing straight at Mystogan.
His sky-blue eyes narrowed slightly.
"That old geezer is quite displeased with what you've done. You've been obstructing the activation of [Anima], delaying the entire plan for years."
Mystogan shook his head. "Noel, you should know... Father's methods are wrong..."
"So what?" The golden-haired youth interrupted him without a hint of concern.
"From the very beginning, there has never been absolute right or wrong in this world—only different perspectives. The strong prey on the weak; that is the natural law of this world. And besides, I never once believed that old man's words."
The corners of his lips curled up slightly, but there was no warmth in his expression.
"I only helped that old undead fool because I found it amusing."
Mystogan let out a sigh. "You're still so stubborn."
"In this world, I only believe in myself and the power in my hands. Everything else is an illusion. Besides, those mongrels' lives are meaningless—not even worth considering." The golden-haired youth spoke in a low voice, as if addressing Mystogan, but also as if speaking to himself.
"No matter what you think, I won't give up on stopping Father."
"This isn't something you can stop alone, Jellal-nii."
"I know. But some things, even if they seem impossible, must still be done."
The golden-haired young man and the blue-haired young man fell into silence.
After a long while, the golden-haired youth slowly lowered the longsword wrapped in bandages and engraved with countless symbols, securing it onto his back.
Looking at the blue-haired youth, he spoke softly:
"Soon, [Anima] will connect the two worlds. Let me see just how far you can go, brother. The next time we meet, if you dare to stand in my way... I will personally take you down. You'd best be prepared."
With those words, the golden-haired youth turned and left without the slightest hesitation.
Mystogan watched his retreating figure, remaining silent for a long time.
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