The Dark Prison of Death

Among several thick, pitch-black light columns, faintly visible were a few figures in agony. However, Hades didn't just stand there watching. He was well aware that these "little devils" weren't so easily defeated.

He folded his hands in front of his chest, leaving a gap between his ten fingers. Soon, a small black sphere materialized in the hollow of his palms, emanating an astonishing aura.

Though the black sphere was only the size of a thumb, it exuded an eerie sensation, as if it could draw in thoughts along with gazes.

As this small black sphere took form, someone finally managed to escape from the pitch-black light columns.

The first to emerge was Laxus, his body shimmering with golden lightning. Covered in wounds, crimson blood trickled from his mouth. His hands, akin to dragon claws, tore an opening in the pitch-black light column as he staggered out.

The nearby column was abruptly invaded by dark red hues. The red spread from the ground up through the magical formation above, drenching both in crimson. Then it ignited, the brilliance of the formation gradually dimming until it vanished entirely.

Calvin emerged next, his armor nearly shattered, panting heavily, barely able to grip the Crimson Eye Black Dragon Sword.

Lastly, Elucia and Mira stepped out. Elucia, in her Diamond Armor set, renowned for its defensive capabilities, now stood in tatters. She appeared in her snug undergarments, outlining her graceful figure. But her condition was dire; having just escaped the dark pillar, she immediately fell to her knees, unable to stand.

Mira was in a similar state. Despite her remarkable resistance to dark magic, leaving her with less severe injuries, her magical depletion was substantial, almost unraveling her Satan Soul.

As the four escaped, they saw Hades holding the pitch-black sphere. A chilling feeling swept over them.

Hades merely smirked coldly, raising the sphere in his hand, and calmly spoke, "I must truly commend you all. If it were forty years ago, I would have been comforted by the excellence of the guild's young members."

"Unfortunately, you are my enemies now. No one can stop me from obtaining Jellal!"

"Perish! Experience how terrifying the darkness of hell can be!"

"Inner Magic Secret Art: Dark Abyss of Death!"

With those words, Hades hurled the small black sphere. In an instant, it expanded into a dark sun-like entity, completely engulfing the four.

From a distance, a colossal spherical object, tens of yards in diameter, suddenly appeared at the edge of Tenrou Island. Its pitch-black surface emitted an aura of despair. This impact was felt distinctly by the Fairy Tail members on the island and the Council troops at sea.

Everyone was petrified, even Macarov, who had just regained consciousness from his coma, was startled by this terrifying presence.

Upon awakening, Macarov glanced around and found almost all the Fairy Tail members there. With the dreadful aura and the terrifying atmosphere pervading the island, he disregarded his physical condition, urging, "Quickly, go to Calvin's location!"

The people around wore grave expressions, moving toward the shore with deep apprehension.

Watching the dreadful black sphere from afar, the Council's four-eyed youth, Rahal, wore a fearful expression, urgently shouting, "Retreat quickly!"

On the island, just after achieving victory with the "Purge Evil and Reveal Justice: One Day" move, Kildas, who had been exhausted, suddenly sat up, looking grave, murmuring, "My goodness... there exists such darkness in this world..."

Ever since Ultear entrusted Meredy with taking care of the unconscious Jellal and left, Meredy had been dutifully fulfilling her responsibility. However, Jubia, who was also entrusted by Gray, despite being injured and unable to move during the recent battle, kept close to Meredy.

Later, amidst Meredy's frantic escape, she unexpectedly encountered Zancrow, who had awakened after being defeated by Natsu. After his arrogant words, he attacked Meredy and then snatched Jellal from her.

At that moment, Hades' Dark Abyss of Death manifested, causing Zancrow to pause in confusion. Before he could react, an even more chilling sensation arose within him.

Subconsciously, he glanced at Jellal, who had just awakened from unconsciousness. Their eyes met naturally.

In the next instant, an indescribable magical force erupted from Jellal's body. The surroundings seemed to turn monochrome and silent. Zancrow, with his eyes open, collapsed.

Upon closer inspection, even his life force had completely vanished.

Not far away, Meredy and Juvia also fell unconscious.

Looking sorrowfully at Zancrow, Jellal murmured, "I'm truly sorry, even without knowing your name, I've killed you."

Then, he glanced at the sky again, continuing, "That's Precht, right? To wield this level of magic now... He truly lives up to being a comrade of Mavis..."

After being engulfed by the black sphere, Calvin immediately lost all sense of orientation. His senses seemed inverted, as if in a state of weightlessness.

What's worse, everything around him was pitch black; no sound reached his ears, no sensation registered on his skin. The overwhelming solitude consumed his mind entirely.

He attempted to scream, but no sound came out. Trying to touch his own body, he realized it felt as though he had become part of the darkness.

Gradually, even his sense of time dulled. Calvin lost track of how long he had been trapped in this endless darkness. It felt like an hour and yet also like a hundred years.

The loneliness was driving him close to madness. Memories flashed through his mind.

Memories from his past life on Earth, the toil of studying; the despair of being abandoned and left to die upon arriving in this world; the joy of being rescued by his grandfather, the panic of the village attacked by a poison dragon; the happiness upon joining Fairy Tail, the excitement of becoming an S-Class Mage; the bliss of liking Mira, the sorrow when Lisanna was believed to be gone.

Each memory surfaced and drifted further and further away in his mind, about to vanish.

Calvin had a feeling that if these memories drifted away like this, he would truly lose something precious.

He struggled to catch up, but his body was uncontrollable, allowing the memories to gradually fade away.

At that moment, it felt as though even his emotions were being stripped away.

Moreover, for some reason, he felt as if something was pulling his soul away.

Instinctively, he felt something amiss, but it seemed inconsequential.

"Forget it, whatever," Calvin thought with his remaining consciousness.

Outside the pitch-black sphere, Hades was sweating profusely, maintaining hand seals on his chest, his gaze ice-cold.

Only his chilling voice echoed, "Even with a 'heart' as a supply, is the magic running low?"

"But it doesn't matter. The Dark Abyss of Death is invincible. The battle will end soon."

"Descend into the endless darkness! Faced with the only darkness, no one can resist!"