"A Fairy's Message, huh?"
"That really leaves you with a lot to think about."
While everyone was still lingering in that emotion, Natsu suddenly rushed forward and asked,
"Master Warrod, you're even older than Gramps, right? Do you know anything about E.N.D.?"
"E.N.D... the end of all things," Warrod said gravely, leaning on his staff.
"It seems to be one of the demons from the Books of Zeref, and my dragon father, Igneel, apparently once tried to defeat it."
Warrod walked slowly as he spoke, tapping his staff against the ground.
"The Books of Zeref... that is a name steeped in danger."
"If we can find E.N.D., would that give us a lead on finding Igneel...?"
"Sorry, I don't know," Warrod admitted. "But when I heard you mention Tartaros earlier today, it did remind me of something."
"They are a terrifying guild of completely unknown origin. Even the location of their headquarters and the number of their members remain unclear."
"However, I once heard from people who had witnessed several of their gatherings that every single one of them described the same thing."
"That gathering was an act of demon worship."
"Although this is only a hypothesis from us, the Ishgar Four Kings, those people most likely possess powerful demons from the Books of Zeref."
Lucy asked in surprise, "You don't think that demon could be E.N.D., do you?"
"So there really is a connection... and then there's that half-human, half-demon from Succubus Eye," Ultear murmured, resting her chin on her hand in thought.
At that moment, Precht opened the door and stepped outside.
"I know a little about E.N.D. and Tartaros. From what I've heard, Tartaros was founded by E.N.D., who is said to be the strongest demon of all."
"The strongest demon?"
Seeing that everyone wanted to press further, Precht shook his head.
"That's all I know. Of the Nine Demon Gates, I've only ever seen one of them—a masked woman... no, I should say, a demon. Her name was Kyouka."
"They are demons from the Books of Zeref, but I have never seen their vice-master, the Underworld King."
Back when the Balam Alliance held its meetings, Kyouka had been the one who came each time.
But she had always kept a low profile and rarely showed off her strength, so Precht had never truly seen her fight.
"All of them... are demons!"
"The Nine Demon Gates..."
"And their vice-master, the Underworld King..."
...
Magic Council Headquarters, ERA
This year, the Magic Council had undergone a change in its roster.
Former council members such as Org, Belno, and Michello had already retired.
Org had not actually reached retirement age yet, but because he often spoke up on behalf of Fairy Tail, he had drawn a great deal of resentment.
In the previous vote, he lost his council seat.
Too lazy to fight for it, he simply chose retirement.
After all, those people had never truly posed any real threat to Fairy Tail in the first place.
Their positions as council members meant they could not act entirely as they pleased. If they went too far, they would be the ones forced to answer for it.
Org knew that Makarov had already kept Fairy Tail under excellent control, and he also had a good impression of Raizel.
So long as no one touched Raizel's bottom line or provoked his wrath, he was the sort of person who preferred fishing to picking fights.
Org had even chosen a retirement home quite close to Magnolia—Hargeon Port, less than two hours away by train.
Yajima was living there as well at the moment.
...
"So Fairy Tail won the Grand Magic Games, did they?"
A man in dark glasses, Leiji, said, "Given their strength, it would be stranger if they hadn't."
"Such a glory-seeking guild."
"Looking at it that way, the tournament format of the Grand Magic Games is something worth discussing."
"But if it's hosted by only one country, then things could become troublesome."
Chairman Gran Doma tapped his magic staff against the floor.
"Gentlemen, please be quiet. Don't forget that today's topic is Tartaros."
"You are all aware that, over the past few days, seven dark guilds believed to be under the umbrella of Tartaros have been destroyed."
"Although we don't know who is responsible, this is absolutely a cause for concern."
"Because if it was done by a legal guild, retaliation could follow."
One of the new council members said, "Could it have been that one? The guild that declared itself independent?"
"Morning Star, you mean? Hm, yes, that's certainly possible."
A newly appointed female council member snorted and said irritably, "If you ask me, this is probably Fairy Tail's handiwork again."
"People always want to flaunt their strength."
Still, there were some on the council who remained level-headed.
"Don't drag Fairy Tail into everything. If you're going to make accusations, bring evidence."
"If we're talking about possibilities, then maybe the parent guild, Tartaros, is absorbing its subordinate guilds."
"And why would they do that?"
"No idea. Perhaps they're strengthening their forces. Or maybe they're simply trimming expendable people at the bottom. Both are entirely possible."
"Hahaha!"
The council chamber erupted in laughter.
Gran Doma struck the table with his staff, signaling for silence.
"Councilor Robin's point is not without merit. Dark guilds move in the shadows. To destroy this many guilds in only a few days... the possibility that it was done by their own side is quite high."
"Chairman!"
Gran Doma's expression and tone turned stern.
"The Tartaros problem, which we have shelved for far too long, must finally be brought out into the open."
"Our enemy's origins may still be unknown, but if we can crush them, then we can dismantle the Balam Alliance!"
"It is time for this new generation of the Magic Council to give everything it has and confront them head-on!"
A cold sweat broke out across the backs of the newly appointed council members.
Not one of them dared to speak.
Outside the chamber, Lahar and Doranbolt exchanged faint smiles.
"So they're finally willing to lift those heavy backsides."
"It took some time, but at least the waiting wasn't for nothing. This way, we can finally begin sweeping away the dark guilds of the Balam Alliance."
"Everyone, this is bad!!!"
A frog-like staff member burst into the council chamber.
"Hm? What happened?"
"You idiot, we're in the middle of a meeting!"
"N-no time for a meeting! S-someone has broken in!"
A dazzling golden light burst forth behind the frog staffer.
Seen from outside, the entire Council building was shining with blinding gold—
BOOM—!
A deafening explosion thundered into the sky.
Thick smoke billowed high into the air, and even the city at the foot of the mountain felt the tremor.
The residents below stared upward, mouths hanging open, at the towering plume of smoke rising from the mountaintop.
"AAAAAHHHH!!!"
Inside the Council building, the surviving voices screamed in agony.
Doranbolt hit the ground hard. Frowning, he slowly opened his eyes and pushed himself upright.
"Damn it... what happened?"
He looked ahead.
The once magnificent Council building had been reduced to shattered walls and ruins.
Everything was in utter devastation.
"Lahar, wake up!"
"Lahar! Hey!"
"This... this can't be real."
It was only when Doranbolt lifted Lahar's head that he realized—Lahar had already stopped breathing.
The council members had also lost their lives.
Chairman Gran Doma's magic staff had been broken into several pieces.
"How...?"
Doranbolt's body began to tremble uncontrollably as he stared at the scene before him in disbelief.
"Is anyone still alive?" he shouted, staggering through the rubble despite his injuries.
Standing atop the ruins, looking down at him with a savage grin, was one of the Nine Demon Gates.
Jackal.
"All nine council members... wiped out."
"Remember my name well. I am Jackal, one of the Nine Demon Gates of Tartaros."