Chapter 381: The Rebirth of the Devil’s Heart

"Are you sure you want to go down this path? Aren’t you afraid of ending up like Hades?"

Ultear didn’t try to actively persuade Finn to stop. Instead, she offered a grim reminder of reality. Hades—formerly Precht Gaebolg, the master of Grimoire Heart—had pursued the ultimate darkness and ended up defeated by Fairy Tail seven years ago, losing his life in the process. If Finn was trying to recreate a monstrosity like the Devil’s Heart, wasn’t he terrified of meeting the exact same fate?

Finn stared at her, completely unimpressed. "Who am I?"

"...." Ultear and Meredy exchanged a confused glance.

"Who am I?" Finn repeated, his voice carrying the calm weight of absolute authority.

"Finn Hoen," Ultear answered cautiously.

"Yes, that’s my name. But who am I?"

"The Chief of the Magic Council’s Fiore Branch... and easily one of the wealthiest men on the continent," Ultear replied, her eyes narrowing.

"Exactly," Finn nodded, leaning back. "By every legal and public metric, I am on the side of righteousness and justice. You three are the evil terrorists. Do you honestly think Fairy Tail is going to attack a beloved government official?"

"...."

Ultear and Meredy were speechless.

"Furthermore, unless Fairy Tail actively goes out of their way to make trouble for me, why would I ever attack them? Do I look like a warmonger to you?" Finn asked dryly.

"Then what could you possibly want with the Devil’s Heart?" Ultear demanded, her brow furrowing. She felt a cold sense of dread creeping in. Previously, she had pegged him as a standard corrupt politician—a greedy man who knew exactly how to limit himself so he wouldn’t be swallowed by his own vices.

But looking at him now, she realized he was far, far more dangerous than she had calculated. His ambitions were terrifyingly vast. But what lay at the end of that ambition? Was he trying to build a monster?

She knew Finn wasn’t a "good" person—a kind man wouldn’t casually blackmail fugitives—but his absolute lack of moral resistance made him an incredibly volatile factor in Earthland’s future.

"Does it matter to you?" Finn countered.

"Of course it does. If you plan to reduce this continent to ruins, then we’ll have to stop you. Even if it costs us," Ultear stated, shifting her stance defensively.

Beside her, Meredy jumped, her eyes widening in panic. "D-Do we have to fight him, Ultear?"

"..." Ultear sighed internally. Has this silly girl already fallen for his face?

"Don’t be seduced just because he’s handsome, Meredy. Underneath that suit, he is an absolute scumbag," Ultear warned without taking her eyes off Finn.

"I-I’m not seduced!" Meredy stammered, her face turning a violent shade of red. She rubbed her arms nervously. "I just... do you honestly think we can win?"

Ultear bit her lip.

Could they?

It wasn’t that she and Meredy were weak. But Finn was notoriously slippery, exceptionally powerful, and completely ruthless. During Fairy Tail’s seven-year absence, he had built a reputation for his untouchable speed and flawless magical execution. They knew that if he was cruel enough to push himself to the absolute limit for his ambitions, he certainly wouldn’t show them any mercy.

"You know what, Chief-sama," Ultear sighed, dropping her combat stance. "If you want me to awaken your Second Origin, fine. I can do that. But the Devil’s Heart? That requires forbidden, archaic knowledge. Please tell me you aren’t going to ask me to help rebuild the Tower of Heaven next."

If Finn was secretly a high-ranking member of the Cult of Zeref, they were all in massive trouble.

"Do I strike you as the type of man who prays to a dead god to get what I want?" Finn scoffed.

"Then why do you need so much power?" Ultear pressed. "Even if you become the strongest mage on the continent, there are things brute strength can’t obtain. Too much power isolates you. It’ll make you lose everything."

"Too much power means no one can ever shake me down," Finn corrected coldly. "While others are ruined by their ideals, I will become inevitable. And frankly, compared to a woman who slaughtered innocents just to turn back time and cry in her mother’s arms, my ambitions are practically saintly."

"DON’T TALK ABOUT ULTEAR LIKE THAT!" Meredy snapped, her eyes flashing with aggressive, protective fury as Finn ruthlessly poked at Ultear’s deepest trauma.

"Why shouldn’t I? It’s exactly what she did, and she used you to do it," Finn stated callously. "If she actually shared Jellal’s martyr complex, she would be rotting in a cell right now to ’redeem’ herself. Instead, she’s running around playing vigilante, pretending the blood on her hands doesn’t exist."

Meredy opened her mouth to scream at him, but Ultear gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It’s fine, Meredy. I’m not angry," Ultear said, offering a bitter, hollow smile. "Every word he just said is true."

She couldn’t deny her atrocities. She had hurt, killed, and destroyed countless lives. In the past, orchestrating tragedies had been as natural to her as breathing.

"But that is exactly why I won’t let history repeat itself," Ultear continued, her gaze hardening as she looked back at Finn. "If you want to recreate the Devil’s Heart for an evil purpose, then I’m sorry. I won’t help you."

"Why do you automatically assume my purposes are evil?" Finn looked at her like she was an idiot. "Aren’t you guys the evil ones here? You’re the wanted criminals hiding in the shadows."

"...."

"Oh, come on," Ultear smirked, recovering her composure. "You know exactly how black your own heart is, Chief."

"I disagree. From where I’m standing, I’m always right," Finn replied flatly. "And if you refuse to cooperate, I have no problem getting forceful. I can always just use Memory Magic to rip the blueprints directly from your brain."

Finn wasn’t bluffing. If Ultear and Meredy thought their beauty would grant them leniency, they were dead wrong. Aside from Meredy, Ultear had been the architect behind some of the most horrific events in recent history—specifically her leadership within Grimoire Heart, a cult that had kidnapped and sacrificed innocent people for a cursed immortal who couldn’t even die.

"...."

"...Would you really do that?" Ultear asked quietly.

"Only if you force me to."

Ultear stared into his eyes and felt a genuine chill run down her spine. He was entirely serious. Worse, she could sense the sheer density of his magic pulsing beneath the surface. He felt vastly different from the intelligence reports she had gathered.

It’s like he’s transcended his limits entirely...

His power felt boundless, vibrating with an almost uncontrollable intensity. If a man like this managed to successfully install the Devil’s Heart as his magical core, would anyone on Earthland even be capable of stopping him?

"Being forceful isn’t going to make you popular with women, you know," Ultear noted, adopting a teasing tone to mask her anxiety.

"The world is vast," Finn deadpanned. "I’m sure there are plenty of women out there who enjoy being disciplined by me."

Shiver.

Ultear’s lips twitched. She shot a sideways glance at Meredy, whose face had practically combusted into steam at Finn’s shameless comment.

Taking a deep breath to steady herself—and to cool the sudden flush on her own cheeks—Ultear finally yielded. "Fine. I don’t mind."

"Oh?"

"But you have to promise me," Ultear said firmly. "Promise me you won’t use it for an evil purpose."

She was willing to hand over the knowledge, but she needed some semblance of assurance that she wasn’t handing a nuclear launch code to a psychopath.

"Nope," Finn said immediately.

"....." Ultear stared at him.

"I’m absolutely going to use it for bad things," he added with a straight face.

"...." Ultear rubbed her temples. "...What exactly is magic to you, Finn?"

"It’s a tool. What else would it be?"

"...You are impossibly cold."

"Go to the coordinates I just gave you. If you aren’t there, I will hunt you down and take your memories by force," Finn ordered, turning his back on them. "Oh, and unlock my Second Origin now."

"...."

"You’re never going to be popular with how incredibly selfish you are," Ultear muttered.

"Don’t worry," Finn waved his hand. "There are plenty of women out there who are helplessly attracted to toxic men like me."

"....." Ultear.