Irene worked quickly.
That very evening, 500,000 Magic Net rings were distributed throughout the capital. Each ring was priced at 50,000 J, netting a staggering 25 billion J in revenue.
Nate divided the money into three parts:
1. 10 billion J was wired to Jude: 5 billion J covered costs, and another 5 billion J was reinvested as profit.
2. 10 billion J was allocated to Invel to expedite the construction of a massive magic workshop capable of producing 5 million rings per month.
3. The remaining 5 billion J was reserved as Nate’s private fund.
Of course, money wasn’t the primary goal—Nate was already quite wealthy. The main purpose of this endeavor was to establish a workshop on the western continent. If Invel’s plans progressed smoothly, the 5 million-ring monthly output, combined with Jude’s 1 million-ring output and Queen Erza’s contributions, would ensure an impressive supply. In just two months, every citizen in the Kingdom of Fiore could own a magic ring. Within a year, the number of users could easily exceed 100 million.
…
That evening, a grand banquet was held in the palace to celebrate the new emperor. Nate invited the Spriggan 12 to deepen mutual understanding. The banquet was a resounding success, filled with lively conversation and camaraderie. The attendees were Zeref’s forr subordinates—each incredibly powerful. Even God Serena, the top-ranked mage of Ishgar’s Ten Wizard Saints, could only be considered middle-tier in this group.
Nate didn’t expect loyalty from them; he only needed them to follow orders and get things done.
“During today’s eting, Ajeel expressed curiosity about the power of a god.”
“Apologies, Your Majesty! I deeply regret my earlier rudeness!” Ajeel imdiately dropped to one knee before Nate could finish speaking.
“No need to be so tense,” Nate said with a smile. “I can’t show you the true power of a god, but I can demonstrate an interesting magic.”
Nate rose from the throne and stood before the group. In his mind, he activated Requip Magic. The Zanpakuto Kyoka Suigetsu materialized in his hand.
“This is called Kyoka Suigetsu, an exceptionally unique magic weapon.”
With those words, Nate recited its release command:
“Shatter, Kyoka Suigetsu.”
All eyes were drawn to the blade. The next mont, everyone was stunned to find themselves in outer space. Below their feet was the Fairy Tail world, its continents clearly visible—Alvarez in the west and Ishgar across the ocean to the east.
“Mass teleportation?”
“No, this is an illusion.”
“What an incredible illusion! I didn’t even realize I’d been affected!”
The group exchanged uneasy glances.
“It’s an illusion,” Nate confird with a smile. He raised his hand toward the sun and made a gentle grasping motion. Incredibly, the sun seed to shrink, becoming a small, fiery orb in his hand.
“Its true na is Complete Hypnosis. It can make a fly appear as a dragon or a swamp look like a sea of flowers. Just a little entertainnt—no need to be surprised.”
With those words, Nate clenched his fist.
BOOM!
The sun exploded. The terrifying flas of a supernova consud everything in an instant, including the planet below. In the blink of an eye, the illusion vanished.
The Twelve gasped, looking around to realize they were still in the banquet hall. Was that truly just an illusion? It had been flawless. Even August, the Wizard King, widened his eyes in astonishnt. His magic, Copy, allowed him to replicate nearly all known magics. Yet just monts ago, he had tried to copy Kyoka Suigetsu—and failed.
It must be an item-based magic, he thought. That would explain why I couldn’t replicate it.
“Alright, that’s enough for tonight.” With the hypnotic ritual complete, Nate dismissed Kyoka Suigetsu and rose to leave. “It’s getting late. Good night, everyone. Let’s go, Mavis.”
“Farewell, Your Majesty!” the Twelve said in unison.
…
Over the next two days, Nate spent ti exploring the imperial capital with Mavis. Since his status as emperor hadn’t been officially announced to the citizens, there was no risk of being recognized. Nate didn’t plan to stay in the empire long-term. After enjoying their outing, he prepared to return to Ishgar with Mavis.
Before leaving, he summoned the empire’s regent for a private eting.
“Report to imdiately when the ring production reaches one million units,” Nate instructed.
“Yes, Your Majesty,” Invel replied with a bow.
“If you encounter any difficulties, don’t hesitate to let know. I’ll handle them personally.”
“Rest assured, this task is straightforward. We estimate we’ll produce one million rings within a week.”
So quickly? Nate thought, surprised. He had underestimated the empire’s industrial capacity.
“Very well. I’ll return in a week. The empire is in your hands.”
“As you wish!” Invel knelt on one knee. When he looked up again, the throne was empty. With a sigh, he muttered to himself, “Just like when Emperor Zeref was in charge—years would pass without seeing him. At least the new emperor is reachable via the Magic Net. Much easier than tracking down Zeref.”
…
Magnolia, Evening
After dropping off Mavis at her treehouse, Nate returned to his apartnt. Before even entering, he sensed Lucy’s presence inside. Walking in, he saw Lucy wiping down the table with a cloth. Silently, Nate crept up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist, chuckling softly.
“Thanks for cleaning my place. You’ve been working hard.”
“Ah!?” Lucy gasped in surprise, her body trembling slightly.
Hmm? Sothing feels off. When Nate squeezed her chest playfully, he noticed sothing was wrong. The size wasn’t quite right.
“N-Nate... I’m future Lucy!” she exclaid, blushing furiously.
Nate released her imdiately and rubbed the back of his neck, looking a bit sheepish.
“You and Lucy have identical magic auras. How was I supposed to know?”
“It’s fine,” future Lucy said with a shy smile, shaking her head.
Nate suggested, “You and Lucy sharing this apartnt must feel cramped. Why don’t I rent—or buy—a bigger place for you two?”
“Thanks, but it’s okay,” future Lucy replied, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, her gaze avoiding his. After hesitating for a mont, she mustered her courage and t his eyes.
“What’s on your mind?” Nate asked. Although she was a version of Lucy, he could tell from her expression that she had sothing important to say.
“It’s about my world…” Future Lucy bit her lip nervously. “The ga [Dragon Hunter]—it’s ant to clean up the 10,000 dragons, right?”
“Yes,” Nate confird. “But progress hasn’t been great. I’m still thinking about how to make it work.” Even after a few days, the Coal Dragon’s difficulty had risen from one and a half stars to three stars, but it still hadn’t been defeated.
“But even if the dragons are cleared, my fallen comrades won’t co back to life,” future Lucy said, gripping his hand tightly. “Nate, please… can you send back to the day of the Grand Magic Gas?”
“You want to close the Eclipse Gate?” Nate furrowed his brow. “I’ve told you before—it won’t work. This is about ti elasticity.”
He explained, “Imagine the tiline as a flexible string. Small changes cause slight vibrations—that’s manageable. But large changes exceed the string’s elasticity and cause it to split into a new tiline. Closing the Eclipse Gate would be a significant alteration.”
“I still want to try,” future Lucy said resolutely.
“Let think…” Nate fell silent, pondering. If the world of [Dragon Hunter] was the first parallel tiline, going back to the Grand Magic Gas and closing the Eclipse Gate would create a second parallel tiline. That second tiline would diverge from the mont Nate initially arrived in this world—essentially recreating the original story without him in it.
Future Lucy pleaded, “I know closing the gate won’t bring back the dead, but I want to prevent the tragedy from happening. Even if it’s a different world, Fairy Tail’s mbers are still my comrades!”
How could I refuse?
“Alright,” Nate said with a smile. “Let’s do it. But once the gate is closed, you must co back with .”
“I promise!” Future Lucy’s face lit up with joy. Truthfully, managing so many parallel worlds was giving Nate a headache.
Once I beco a god, I’ll consolidate all tilines into one!
With that thought, Nate summoned a golden light in his palm, reaching back through ti. This ti, the coordinates were tied to his own presence, as the second tiline branched off from his arrival. After ten minutes of effort, Nate said, “Found it.”
Taking Lucy’s hand, he activated the magic. In an instant, they vanished from the apartnt.
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