Ishgar Continent. A death forest rarely visited by humans.
Deep within, surrounded by withered trees, stood a dark castle that almost completely blended into its surroundings.
This was the headquarters of Grimoire Heart, one of the members of the Balam Alliance dark guilds.
Inside the dimly lit prison underground, a binding magical array woven from dark magic patterns emitted a faint glow.
Ultear sat crouched in a gloomy state. Although she wasn't bound by shackles like an ordinary prisoner, her ability to move was completely restricted within this room, which was at least decently furnished. She couldn't take a single step beyond it.
Clunk. Clunk.
Heavy footsteps echoed from the end of the long, dark corridor. The figure approaching was an old man with a single eye, dressed in pitch-black armor, wearing a horned helmet, with white hair and beard, and a fierce, brutal, and violent gaze.
"Master Hades..." Ultear looked up as he approached and spoke his identity.
Hades—originally named Precht—was the master of Grimoire Heart. At the same time, he was also the second-generation master of Fairy Tail, and one of the four founding members of the Fairy Tail guild!
"Ultear. Have you made up your mind?" Hades asked coldly.
Since the plan to assist Jellal activate the R-System—also known as the Tower of Heaven—had failed, going undercover in the Magic Council no longer served much purpose. So, some time ago, he had ordered Ultear to return to Grimoire Heart and participate in the upcoming operation to "capture Zeref and realize the Great Magical World."
However, what Hades had never expected was that upon her return, Ultear not only refused to assume her duties as the leader of the Seven Kin, but her personality had also drastically changed. She urged him to stop the operation, spouting a bunch of foolish things that only those living on the surface world, incapable of understanding the true essence of the magical abyss, would say!
Hades, who had cultivated Ultear for over a decade, could not accept this. In a fit of anger, he locked her up in confinement.
"Master, magic is not absolute. Emotion is the bond that maintains relationships between people. The guild you once belonged to taught me that lesson," Ultear said, raising her eyes to meet Hades's gaze, her expression firm. "The Great Magical World you insist upon was wrong from the very beginning!"
"It seems that all these days of confinement still can't make you abandon such boring and ridiculous thoughts..."
Seeing that his once staunch supporter remained so "obsessed," Hades's expression completely darkened.
"The current location of the Dark Mage Zeref has already been confirmed. The operation will begin soon. This is the most important step toward realizing our ideal world. Absolutely nothing can go wrong!"
"So, Ultear, I'll ask you one last time: Are you willing to follow in my footsteps and usher in that great era?!"
Hearing this, a flicker of pain appeared deep in Ultear's eyes.
She, too, who had once been trapped in a vortex of hatred, had been just as insane as Hades, lost in an illusory, fleeting "beautiful dream."
Although it was more out of using him than anything else, Hades was still the teacher who had led her into the path of magic and taught her ancient Lost Magic. Having come to understand the value of life, Ultear truly did not want to see him sink any deeper.
Just as her lips moved slightly, as if to continue pleading, Hades's cold, threatening voice rang out first. "If I'm not mistaken, the root cause of your regression into foolishness is Ur, who awakened from her frozen state, and that extremely troublesome guild..."
Whether it was her own abilities or her status as the leader of the Seven Kin, Ultear was very important to the upcoming operation to capture Zeref.
Therefore, he had to ensure that Ultear obediently cooperated with him—by whatever means necessary!
As expected, upon hearing her mother's name, Ultear's emotions immediately became agitated and anxious. "Master! This has nothing to do with Ur or Fairy Tail! Don't drag them into this!!"
"Don't worry. I've only sent people to Sabertooth to invite her over for tea. After all, she is your biological mother."
"As for Fairy Tail? Hah. Once you're willing to participate in the operation, I'll wipe them out as well."
Leaving behind these two cold statements, Hades flicked his cape, turned around, and walked away, ignoring Ultear's frantic shouts as she pounded against the binding magical array.
Only after Hades's figure had completely disappeared into the depths of the darkness did Ultear, in her despair and helplessness, her legs giving out as she sat on the ground, hesitate before finally pulling out the card Chase had repeatedly given her.
Having only sought atonement, she had long been prepared to die. So, from the very beginning, she hadn't actually wanted to drag Fairy Tail into this.
But now it seemed that she had thought too simply. Hades was already planning to move against Fairy Tail!
And on top of that, even Ur and Sabertooth couldn't escape...
Magnolia. Fairy Tail Guild.
The usually cheerful and lively atmosphere had been replaced by suppression and seriousness. The members gathered together without requests, their faces filled with shock.
"The founder of Grimoire Heart, a dark guild that, like Oración Seis, is part of the Balam Alliance, was actually our guild's second-generation master, Precht?!"
"You're... you're kidding, right? Not only is a figure like that still alive, but he's also planning to move against the guild?!"
"I don't care if he's the second generation or the third generation! Anyone who dares to harm the guild or our friends is our enemy! We'll make him regret ever being born into this world!!"
After the initial disbelief, the guild members who had snapped out of it were all filled with righteous indignation, shouting and yelling as if they wanted to charge straight to the enemy's headquarters right now and raise hell.
Lucy glanced at Natsu, who was practically bursting into flames. If she weren't equally shocked by Hades's identity, she would have been tempted to point out that the third-generation master was actually the old man right in front of them.
The information about Grimoire Heart had, of course, been provided by Chase.
Without needing to use the excuse of the all-purpose Guiltina continent, Ultear had already transmitted all the relevant information through the card—including the member information, structure, headquarters location, and so on.
"So even Master Precht has been corrupted by the darkness..."
In the middle of the crowd, Makarov sat cross-legged on the bar counter. A complex, flickering light shimmered in his murky eyes.
Staring at the image of the brutal-looking, one-eyed old man projected from the card onto the counter, long-buried memories began to surface.
Back then, he had been a reckless, brash young man just like Laxus, unable to tolerate anything that might damage the guild's reputation, and always quick to resort to violence.
It had been the patient guidance of the then-second-generation master, Precht, that had pulled him back toward the light and set him back on the right path.
And now, that same Master Precht, who had once gently spoken of the spirit of "harmony," who had preached that pointless fighting only begets more fighting, and who had firmly believed that people should rely on and trust one another, had actually fallen into the abyss of darkness, intending to attack the sacred ground of Tenrou Island and destroy Fairy Tail?
What in the world happened to you all these years?!
Veins bulged on Makarov's forehead as he clenched his fists tightly.
"Old man, this is no longer something we can ignore. Give the order," Chase's calm voice rang out, interrupting the guild members' commotion and pulling Makarov back to reality from his confusion and angry reminiscing.
That was right. No matter what bonds they had once shared, the Precht of today was, without a doubt, an enemy of the guild who had to be dealt with!
As the master, Makarov absolutely could not allow the guild's sacred ground to be defiled. Nor could he stand by and watch Ultear, who had helped the guild on multiple occasions, fall into danger, nor allow the children of his guild to become targets of that man's hunt!
On a personal level, he wanted to see the man who had once been like a father to him and ask him why he had willingly descended into darkness.
On a professional level, a dark guild was itself a dangerous organization that had to be subjugated.
And the fact that they were planning to harm the guild and its allies—Sabertooth—was already unforgivable.
So rather than waiting for them to come knocking, it was better to take the initiative!
When it came to matters of principle like this, Makarov had always been decisive. He immediately raised his right arm and made a decision.
"You brats! Get your spirits up! We're going to pay our respects to the former second-generation master!"
"Everyone board the Nirvana! Prepare to declare war on the dark guild—Grimoire Heart!!"
"OOOOOHHHHH!!!!!" xN
***
Dive deeper into the story with 30+ advance chapters, available now on Patreon!
patreon.com/CNBLUE
If you're enjoying the novel, please consider leaving a review. Your support is crucial and helps the story grow immensely. Thank you!