Chapter 335: Laxus' Foreword

The people of Fairy Tail were in disbelief; they hadn't expected Tartaros to be so bold as to attack the Magic Council and kill so many Magic Council Members.

This was undoubtedly a major incident.

"What is their ultimate goal in doing something this insane?" Macao asked, his voice trembling slightly as he stared at the freshly printed newspaper on the bar counter.

"It must be some kind of twisted revenge! The Council has been cracking down hard on the dark factions lately," Wakaba chimed in, chewing nervously on his unlit pipe.

"Or maybe it's just a brutal terrorist attack meant to show off their absolute power?" Erza Scarlet muttered, her sharp eyes narrowing at the gruesome photographs of the destroyed headquarters.

Everyone in the guild was talking at once, their voices a chaotic blend of fear and anger. They were frantically speculating on the dark reasoning behind Tartaros' unprecedented actions.

"Regardless of the specific reason, the Magic World is about to fall into complete and utter chaos."

Makarov Dreyar spoke from his seat, his voice heavy with the weight of decades of experience. His wrinkled hands gripped his wooden cane tightly, his knuckles turning white.

With the core Council Members of the Magic Council assassinated in cold blood, the entire governing body of Ishgar would be completely unable to function. Without the overwhelming deterrent of the Magic Council's enforcement units, there was absolutely no telling what ambitious, evil individuals might do in the shadows.

"We can't possibly look after the entire continent by ourselves," Makarov said in a heavy, commanding voice that silenced the whispering hall. "But we absolutely cannot let Tartaros run wild here in the Kingdom of Fiore."

"But Master, we have absolutely no idea what their actual goal is," Lucy Heartfilia pointed out anxiously, hugging her arms. "Moreover, Tartaros is far too mysterious; literally no one knows where their guild base is actually located."

"Yeah, that's a massive problem for any counterattack strategy," Gray Fullbuster agreed, crossing his arms with a dark scowl.

Ren sat quietly in the corner, gently swirling the amber liquid in his glass. He was also somewhat helpless regarding this specific geographical issue; he didn't currently know the exact location of Tartaros' mobile headquarters either.

[Akarin's Note: Tartaros operates from a massive, floating cubic island called "Cube," which makes tracking them through conventional magical means nearly impossible.]

"It would be extremely easy to figure it out if we could just capture one of their members alive," Ren thought internally, his sharp eyes calculating the odds.

Unlike the rest of the guild, Ren wasn't in a frantic hurry. He knew that as long as he remained stationed in Fairy Tail, the inevitable flow of fate meant he would naturally cross paths with Tartaros soon enough.

He was fully aware that these enemies didn't use normal Magic; they used Curses, a dark, negative-emotion-fueled power derived from Zeref. He looked forward to testing his System abilities against this entirely new energy source.

Tartaros Guild - The Floating Headquarters 'Cube'

The interior of the demonic fortress was cold, jagged, and entirely devoid of human warmth. Eerie, greenish magical torches cast long, terrifying shadows against the dark stone walls.

"Jie jie jie!! As expected of Mr. Jackal, your explosive technique is truly magnificent and perfectly devastating!"

Franmalth shouted excitedly, his single, massive eye bulging from his bizarre, cylindrical body. He rubbed his hands together like a greedy merchant calculating a massive profit.

"How much are the miserable lives of nine high-ranking Council Members worth? How much are they worth?! How much are they worth?!" Franmalth cackled, obsessed with the soul valuation of their victims.

"Franmalth, do not laugh so vulgarly in this sacred hall. It severely damages our guild's terrifying dignity."

Torafuzar, a massive, muscular demon resembling an armored humanoid shark, spoke up. His deep, resonant voice echoed off the cold stone, clearly dissatisfied with Franmalth's erratic, clownish behavior.

"What ridiculous 'dignity' do demons even need to have? We are weapons of destruction!"

Ezel, a terrifying demon with multiple bladed appendages, paced around the room like a caged beast. He was a bit hyper, his eyes glowing red; he desperately wanted to go out on a bloody killing spree of his own. "You must absolutely let me go next time, Kyoka. I want to hurry up and chop all those fragile humans to pieces."

Sitting elegantly on an ornate, gothic throne nearby, Seilah of the Frozen Moon gracefully flipped the page of the thick book in her hands. She possessed a serene, hauntingly beautiful face, framed by two dark, curving horns.

"Mr. Ezel, please try to contain your vulgar bloodlust," Seilah said elegantly, not even bothering to look up from her text. "Every grand story has a beginning and an end. This massacre at the Council is just the prologue—no, it should more accurately be called the foreword."

Kyoka, a tall, imposing demoness with sharp, avian features and an aura of absolute sadism, smiled cruelly at Seilah's poetic words.

"That's exactly right. Ezel, do not be so foolishly impatient," Kyoka said, her sharp claws lightly tapping against her armrest. "You have your own bloody responsibilities assigned to you very soon."

"But my body... my body physically aches for slaughter!" Ezel roared, slashing one of his bladed arms through the air. "It's always Jackal and Tempester who get to have all the explosive fun first. It's so completely unfair."

Kyoka stood up, her terrifying magical pressure instantly silencing the giant demon's complaints. Her eyes burned with a fanatical, dark devotion.

"The Underworld has only just begun to activate its true plan," Kyoka said, her voice dripping with venomous reverence. "Everything we do is for our absolute Master, for the Black Wizard Zeref. Let the heavy, crushing hammer of demons fall mercilessly upon humanity."

8Island Restaurant.

Far away from the demonic plotting, this was a cozy, beautifully decorated restaurant opened by Yajima, a former Magic Council Member, after his official retirement. The warm scent of roasted herbs and grilled seafood usually brought comfort to anyone who entered.

"This horrific incident... it is truly tragic!"

Yajima looked down at the latest edition of the Sorcerer Weekly newspaper with a very heavy, sorrowful expression. He had previously been a respected Council Member of the Magic Council, and many of those who perished this time were his former, long-time colleagues.

"The Council headquarters at ERA was completely bombed into dust."

Freed Justine gracefully wiped down a nearby table and glanced over from the side, seeing the massive, bold headlines printed in the newspaper.

[Akarin's Note: ERA was the mountainous, highly secure location of the Magic Council Headquarters. Its complete destruction signifies the absolute fall of magical law enforcement in Ishgar.]

"It seems all nine sitting Council Members have perished in the blast," Freed noted, his sharp eyes narrowing at the casualty list.

Bickslow, floating slightly off the ground, also saw the grim report. These nine Council Members could be said to be the nine highest-ranking, most politically powerful people in the entire Magic World. Their sudden, violent deaths would naturally have a massive, continent-wide impact.

"Not only that, the official death toll has already reached 119 innocent staff members and guards. It's absolutely horrific!" Yajima sighed, rubbing his tired eyes under his chef's hat.

Bickslow spun one of his floating tiki dolls and teased, "I say, Yajima-san, it's a really good thing you resigned from your Council Member job early. Otherwise, you'd definitely be finished too, haha."

Yajima slammed his hand lightly on the counter, looking at the eccentric mage dissatisfiedly. "You big idiot, don't be so loose-lipped about such a massive tragedy."

In truth, Yajima didn't actually bear any direct legal responsibility for the Jellal and Ultear infiltration incident years ago; he had voted against their dangerous proposals from start to finish.

It was just that he felt a deep, personal sense of guilt for failing to discover Jellal and Ultear's dark conspiracy sooner, and he had resigned entirely out of moral duty. If he hadn't resigned out of that guilt, he would have undoubtedly still held the position of Magic Council Member today.

"However insensitive Bickslow's timing is, this can truly be considered a massive blessing in disguise for you," Freed said calmly, adjusting his green hair.

Compared to the other, more rigid Magic Council Members, Council Member Yajima had always been a very good friend of Master Makarov. Because of this deep bond, whenever Fairy Tail caused a lot of collateral damage, Yajima would bravely speak up for them, which saved the guild from many severe punishments.

"Hmm... this bloody matter is definitely not that simple," Yajima muttered, his sharp political instincts kicking in.

"What exactly are you referring to, Yajima-san?" Freed asked, pausing his cleaning.

"I'm referring to the structural nature of ERA, of course," Yajima explained, looking out the restaurant window. "The Council headquarters, ERA, is the absolute key to controlling the numerous guilds across the continent—that is, controlling all Mages."

He sighed, pouring himself a cup of hot tea. "It must always possess precise judgment and strong, unyielding decisiveness. I was originally one of them, and I truly believe I worked very hard to fulfill my peaceful duties."

"But it's also a completely undeniable fact that there were various, deep-rooted problems with the way it operated behind closed doors."

Yajima took a slow sip of his tea. "Sometimes the Council made terribly wrong judgments, and sometimes it pushed highly unreasonable, oppressive policies. Later on, moderate people like me gradually lost our political power to the hardliners. When I finally resigned as a Council Member and opened this little shop, I could finally lay down that incredibly heavy burden."

"Although I did lay down the heavy burden, I always feel like something dark is still stuck in my heart."

Yajima looked at the tragic newspaper again. "Under such powerful, absolute authority, there will inevitably be a violent backlash; that's simply human nature. It's especially true under that strict system where everything was handled so forcefully by the new regime."

"I always had a terrible premonition that something explosive would happen one day," Yajima finished quietly. "But regardless of their political anger, this massacre is just far too much."

When he was in office, the Magic Council mainly turned a blind eye to minor infractions, and the fragile relationship between legal guilds and Dark Guilds was kept relatively harmonious through balance. Despite some perceived inaction, the Magic World was largely stable.

After he left, the actions of the newly appointed Council were incredibly aggressive and militant, causing deep, festering resentment in many dangerous people.

With old hatreds and new grudges combined, it wasn't impossible for the other side to take extreme, terroristic actions. His own moderate past in the Council might even play a role in making him a target in this new war.

"I say, you guys, even if there are very few customers right now, you should still work seriously and stop gossiping."

Evergreen walked over, her hands planted firmly on her hips. She was wearing a frilly, highly stylized waitress outfit that clearly annoyed her.

Bickslow floated upside down and quipped with a wide grin, "I'm telling you, Ever, that cute little outfit doesn't suit your scary personality at all."

Freed nodded sagely in complete agreement. The two of them were far too familiar with Evergreen's real, terrifying personality, and the sweet sexiness she deliberately exuded for the customers just made them feel uncomfortable all over.

"You guys have absolutely no right to talk about me!" Evergreen snapped, blushing furiously as she adjusted her frilly apron.

"Honestly, I can't take this humiliation. We won the grandest tournament, the Grand Magic Games, but it somehow resulted in us constantly getting assigned heavy labor jobs!" she complained loudly. "It's entirely thanks to my constant complaining that you guys even found this easy, well-paying job here."

"Don't be silly, Evergreen. Working efficiently in a high-class restaurant isn't exactly easy," Freed countered smoothly.

"Cooking is my absolute best Domain," Freed added proudly.

Freed cooked with flawless, magical ease. Cooking was Freed's greatest personal hobby, and working in a kitchen utilizing his delicate Jutsu Shiki runes to precisely chop ingredients was something he could handle with his eyes completely closed.

"And dynamic plating is what I'm best at! BABY!"

Bickslow laughed out loud, his magical dolls skillfully juggling several hot plates of food through the air without spilling a single drop of sauce.

Evergreen flipped her hair haughtily. "Hmph! Well, exuding irresistible sexiness is also my absolute Domain of expertise! So there!"

Yajima chuckled at their lively banter, his heavy mood lifting slightly. He looked around the empty restaurant and asked, "By the way, why hasn't Laxus come back yet? He only went to pick up some simple supplies."

Bickslow crossed his arms and guessed, "Could the big guy have gotten lost again? He's terrible with simple directions."

Freed laughed softly, shaking his head. "He can easily defeat a Wizard Saint, but he can't even handle running a simple grocery errand. I really don't know what to do with him sometimes."

Creak!

Accompanied by the sound of a heavy wooden door slowly opening.

Evergreen thought Laxus had finally returned and turned to look at the door with a scowl, only to see a completely stranger walking into the restaurant.

Whistle——!

[Akarin Note:

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