[X784, The Ring]
— Hades —
Walking through the remains of the Magic Council's prison, Hades let out a smile at the sight of all the dead Rune Knights.
The scent of blood lingered heavily in the stale underground air as bodies of Rune Knights lay strewn across the corridors. Some had died with weapons still in hand. Others had clearly attempted to flee, but none had succeeded.
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
It had been years since he had personally participated in a raid.
The prison known as the Ring was hardly a fortress worthy of his attention, but its contents certainly were.
Built deep beneath the earth near the border separating Fiore and Seven, the prison had been designed in the shape of a massive ring, each concentric corridor leading deeper toward its heavily warded center. The Magic Council had boasted for decades that no prisoner had ever escaped these walls.
A bold claim. One that had lasted until today.
Around him, his Seven Kin walked with him, his greatest assets and most powerful of subordinates, barring Bluenote himself of course. Said man was in the airship, guarding Hades' most prized possession.
Hades' hand unconsciously brushed against his chest.
The Devil's Heart was his source of power, the true source of his strength. It was the reason why he remained powerful, even after all these years. He was nearing his eleventh decade, yet his body was as strong as it was in his prime.
Its existence remained a secret, even among his closest confidants. Only the Seven Kin knew of it, and only Ultear and Bluenote knew of its true purpose.
A wet gurgle echoed behind him as the healed Meredy calmly withdrew her rapier from the throat of a Rune Knight who had somehow survived the initial assault.
The man collapsed wordlessly as blood pooled across the stone floor, but the young woman's face remained utterly indifferent.
It had taken a while for her to get back to the field, and even then she was still not yet fully recovered. Gone were the red jumpsuit she usually wore. Instead, thick dark garments concealed nearly every inch of skin, to hide the fern-like and branching red patterns that now scar her skin, resembling veins of lightning forever etched into her flesh, courtesy of Laxus Dreyar's lightning.
"How pathetic," Rustyrose said, kicking away one of the staves that was standard issue for the Rune Knights. "Is this what the Rune Knights are capable of nowadays? They sure have fallen through rough times."
"It is poor form to mock defeated enemies, Rustyrose." Azuma said calmly. "The cause of their fall is obviously due to the Magic Council's disarray. An incident caused by our very own leader in Era. When the head is cut, the body could only writhe in its attempt to survive."
Said leader of the Seven Kin merely smirked at the apt comparison, as Ultear walked beside Hades to the grand double doors lined with steel. With a mere glance, Hades could tell that it was enchanted and warded rather powerfully, but a simple application of the Amaterasu Formula had those doors blast apart.
Smoke drifted through the opening as beyond lay another corridor, long and silent. Iron-barred cells stretched endlessly to either side, at least hundreds where the most dangerous criminals that the Council had managed to capture throughout history were held.
Murderers, dark mages, cultists. Hades spotted the occasional barbaric ones that only used magic for nefarious purposes. One entire section remained occupied by surviving members of Phantom Lord.
Hades found himself mildly amused. How fitting. After all, many Dark Guilds imprisoned here had originally been captured by Phantom Lord, and now they all jeered and mocked as the former Light Mages were put in the same prison as they were.
As Hades and his kin stepped forward, chaos erupted as they recognized Grimoire Heart.
"Get us out!"
"You bastards!"
"Hades!"
"So the rumors were true!"
"Hell yeah, we're finally getting out!"
Hades raised a brow. Did these fools think that he came to rescue them? How utterly benign. Grimiore Heart had no use in any run of the mill prisoners. No, his mind was set on three specific people.
He and the seven continued walking, ignoring the clamors and the shouts of people taunting them, or in several cases, wanting to get out. Zancrow hurled a fireball at one of them, yet the prisoner merely laughed, thinking he was safe.
He was wrong.
While the anti-magic wards imbued on the iron bars stopped most magic from entering or exiting, it did nothing to stop the spell of a God Slayer. The black flames incinerated the prisoner, a Guildmaster of a rather minor dark guild. Screams of pain erupted from the man that echoed the dark hallway. When it was done, all that was left was the acrid stench of burnt flesh and ozone.
It was enough of a show for the rest of the prisoners to fall quiet, the only thing remaining was the clacking steps as he and the seven continued onwards.
Ultear led them deeper through and past more layers of the Ring. She had memorized the prison's layout before the operation began. Left, right, another ring, another corridor.
Eventually, they stopped at three neighboring cells, where three familiar faces looked back at Hades.
"What the fuck?! What are you doing here?" The one called Cobra called out, his face twisted into disbelief.
The commotion drew the attention of the other two. Hoteye slowly emerged from the shadows, still carrying the same calm expression.
Angel folded her arms, one eyebrow raised as she gazed openly through the bars. "Grimoire Heart...I'd thought you people would have better things to do."
"I do." Hades smiled pleasantly as his eyes passed over each of them. "How would you three like a change in employment?"
…
[A week later, Grimoire Heart Airship]
The lights dimmed within Hades' private room within Grimoire Heart's airship as he prepared for the conversation he was about to have. Another week had passed since the breaking of the Ring, an eventful one, all things considered.
The three newest members had already begun integrating themselves into Grimoire Heart, with Ultear personally overseeing their introductions and training.
Hoteye adapted rather quickly, his unique earth magic possessed considerable potential, but Angel had proved to be challenging as a Celestial Spirit mage was useless without any Golden Keys.
He wasn't surprised that she lost most of her keys to Lucy Heartfilia, for Hades' interest in the latter's potential had proven true. He had kept his attention on the young woman ever since the Tower of Heaven, and he was not disappointed in the slightest.
Lucy Heartfilia might not be S-Class mage in strength as of yet, but she wasn't far off. Which was an incredible feat for a woman who had barely been an active mage for a year. Now that her repertoire of keys had nearly doubled, her potential would rise even more.
Luckily, Angel had proven to be talented, for she had learned a new type of magic rather quickly when Hades had opened the option for her. She had chosen Angel Magic — ironically for her own name — which was a powerful yet dangerous magic, considered a Lost magic and outlawed by the Magic Council for the magic utilized one's own lifespan as a resource. The fact that she not only managed to learn it, but also use it within a week was impressive.
The one named Cobra however, proved to be a disappointment for he got sick the moment the ship started flying.
The disappointment turned to interest on the fifth day, for his motion sickness did not abate even the slightest bit no matter how much time had passed. Cobra had stated that it always happened to him ever since he had the Dragon Slayer lacrima implanted in him. Was it his dragon slayer instincts that made him suffer as such? Did all Dragon slayers share that weakness, or was Cobra a unique case? How curious. He mentally added another experiment to future research.
Something had to be done for the man considering their moving airship was detrimental for Cobra's strength, which had proven considerable after he matched Zancrow blow for blow when the blonde maniac requested for a spar. With a God Slayer and a Dragon Slayer now within the guild, the only thing he was missing now was a Devil Slayer.
In the end, Hades allowed himself a satisfied nod. His recruitment efforts had borne fruit, though another prospect remained.
Grilthos, the Wizard Killer. A former Tartaros operative and a man feared equally by Light and Dark Guilds alike.
The last anyone had heard of the demon was when he had the duel with the Dark Swordsman five years ago, before disappearing from the face of Ishgar entirely. Neither the Council nor Tartaros had successfully located him since, which made him valuable.
The communication lacrima embedded within Hades' desk suddenly glowed, dark violet light expanding outward. Moments later, the image of Mard Geer appeared within the lacrima, seated casually upon his throne with that lazy smirk as always.
Hades had tried numerous times trying to find the exact headquarters of Tartaros, to no avail. Despite them being in a formal alliance, Hades did not trust the Etherious even the slightest bit.
"Hades," Mard Geer's voice echoed softly. "To what do I owe today's pleasure?"
"Mard Geer…" Hades inclined his head. "I require a favour. Pull back the target you placed on Grilthos the Wizard Killer and withdraw your pursuit."
Mard Geer raised a curious brow. "Oh? And why should I do that? The man did betray me after all."
Hades remained silent as he just stared evenly at the master of Tartaros.
Mard Geer's smirk widened. "Oh I see, you wish to recruit him. Was that why you busted open the Ring a week past? Interested in expanding your numbers? Shall they be the Ten Kin of Purgatory now?"
"I tire of this drivel." Hades answered flatly. "Will you grant the favour or not?"
Mard Geer merely laughed. "Naturally. I am not so petty as to deny an ally a potential subordinate. Whatever information Grilthos possesses has long since become obsolete, so I care not if you ask him questions about Tartaros. He is yours, and this favor shall be repaid someday, as our agreement dictates."
"It shall." Hades nodded. The alliance functioned through equivalent exchange, something he was more than prepared for.
"I admit, you have piqued my curiosity." Mard Geer leaned forward. "Ultear being your spy within the council caught me off guard, truly. Her actions of destroying the council's headquarters in Era was also unprecedented. I lost quite the useful pawn that day."
"So Crawford Seam was your spy." Hades confirmed.
The smile widened once again on Mard Geer's face. "Spy is such an unpleasant word. He was my…puppet. Yes, that's the proper word. Puppet. The poor man had such strong ambitions, despite already being the Chairman."
Hades hummed at that information before speaking once again. "Even so, despite Ultear's actions, the Light Guilds reacted far more aggressively than expected, and Oración Seis paid the price. Brain was the weakest of us guildmasters, but he was by no means actually weak."
"True, I had expected him to at least kill one or two S-Class mages of the supposed Light Alliance, but even that was hard pressed for him." Mard Geer shook his head before resting his head on his fist. "It gives a bad name to the Calamity-Level Threat that the council chose to slap all of us with in their Hazard Registry."
Hades gave a quiet snort. "The Council is being reformed rather quickly. I have heard Gran Doma has been chosen as the next chairman, with Draculos Hyberion spearheading the reformation. I have plans for the near future…which is why I require another favour."
"Do tell." Mard Geer said.
"The Light Alliance is currently too stable, and their strength isn't to be underestimated with three Saint-level mages." Hades said, "Makarov Dreyar, Jura Neekis, and Gildarts Clive are not opponents to be underestimated. And should the remaining Gods of Ishgar involve themselves…"
Hades had no fear of Makarov. As a matter of fact, Hades was quite confident in his strength to defeat the son of his former friend. Both Bluenote and Ultear were more than a match for any run-of-the-mill Wizard Saint. But Warrod…the old druid possessed magic unlike anything else in Ishgar, and he was the weakest of all four Gods. Should the Gods of Ishgar mobilize, it would prove trouble for him. Especially considering his plans.
He knew he was close, so very close. Zeref was out there somewhere, and Grimoire Heart would find him.
"True enough," Mard Geer conceded, "So what exactly do you require of me?"
"A distraction." Hades finally revealed. "Something significant enough to draw away the Gods' attention."
"Hoo," Mard Geer's eyes gleamed. "And pray tell, what compensation accompanies such an arduous request?"
"I can bring you the Eclipse-Born." His words had the Mard Geer freeze, his smile turning to a frown. "You are interested in him, are you not? A rare existence, a human born with the full potential of a demon and Etherious."
The man was silent for another heartbeat, then slowly, the King of Tartaros smiled once more.
"I see." His eyes glittered with unmistakable interest. "Now...you truly have my attention."
…
AN: A full Hades chapter, something I surprisingly enjoyed. Hades is such an underused character in canon.
The man is really fun to write, and it provides well to the added Balam Alliance subplot I've introduced and fleshed out in this fic.
Anyways, the plot is picking up, and we're at the very early stages of the Dark Swordsman's ending.
Advanced chapters on my usual P-word page! Check it out if you're interested please, thank you!