A flash of red light appeared, and Raizel emerged from a teleportation circle with Natsu, Suzaku, Misaki, and Haku.
The two sources of Magic Power he had sensed inside the collapsing labyrinth belonged to Misaki and Haku.
The pair had reunited and were still moving, either searching for Suzaku or trying to find an exit.
Raizel had immediately taken Natsu and the wounded Suzaku to meet them, then teleported everyone back to the surface.
"Thank goodness!"
The others finally breathed sighs of relief.
They trusted Raizel and Natsu, but it was impossible not to worry when they had no idea what was happening underground.
Raizel stood there as though nothing had happened while Ultear and Mira brushed the dust from his clothes.
"Dogramag is dead. Let's get away from here before we discuss anything else."
The ground was still shaking, and the tremors were only growing stronger.
The earthquake was far more violent than Raizel or Selene had anticipated.
It spread across the entire continent of Guiltina and was severe enough to alter the landscape in certain regions.
However, the true connection between this earthquake, the collapse of the Dogramag Labyrinth, and the plan devised by Dogramag and Ignia remained unknown to them.
...
The members of Diabolos accompanied Raizel's group back to Magia Dragon.
They could not exactly call themselves friends, but after fighting side by side and getting to know each other, the hostility between the two guilds had largely faded.
After learning about Selene's relationship with Raizel and the others, the Dragon Eaters had also begun questioning whether hunting and devouring dragons was truly right.
That did not stop the arguments, of course.
The verbal battle between Laxus and Kirin had never truly ended.
"How are you still alive, Coffin Brother?"
"If we hadn't been fighting in such a cramped passage, I could have used my Magic properly. I wouldn't have lost."
"If that coffin hadn't kept throwing itself at me, you wouldn't have managed to hurt me at all."
Natsu had also inserted himself into the argument, repeatedly demanding a decisive battle with Laxus, while a weak and helpless Lucy tried—and utterly failed—to calm everyone down.
Kirin folded his arms and snorted dismissively.
"Misaki was at the same disadvantage. She can only display her true strength in a wide-open area."
"I'll concede this one."
Misaki elegantly wiped her lips with a handkerchief, looking very much as though she wanted no part in his boasting.
Kiria planted her hands proudly on her hips.
"Misaki-nee is the strongest female Mage on the entire continent of Guiltina!"
Skullion suddenly spoke up.
"Well, if we're limiting it to Mages, I suppose that might be true."
"Hey! Are you picking a fight with Misaki-nee, Skullion?!"
Kiria flared up like an outraged fan whose favorite idol had just been insulted.
Raizel, who had been enjoying the argument with his meal, silently raised one hand.
"Have you considered Selene?"
Selene continued cutting into her steak without the slightest concern.
"It's fine. You can count me as being from Ishgar."
Even if they had classified her as a resident of Guiltina, she would not have cared enough to argue.
Madmole finally steered the conversation back on course.
"Alchemy guilds exist on this continent alongside Mage guilds."
"Gold Owl?" Mira asked.
Sai had introduced himself as a member of Gold Owl, supposedly the greatest alchemist guild in Guiltina.
"That's right," Madmole confirmed.
Gajeel, whose body was mostly wrapped in bandages, slammed one fist against the table.
"God Serena joined Gold Owl too!"
Ultear rested her chin on one hand.
"So 'God Bro' really was Serena. He disappeared after that battle, but apparently he ended up on the northern continent."
Gajeel shook his head.
"According to him, some alchemists rescued him. I have no idea how they managed it."
Wendy timidly raised her hand.
"Hasn't everyone gotten a little off topic? We came here to decide what to do next, didn't we?"
There were two main issues to discuss.
The first was the future of Diabolos.
The second concerned the only remaining Dragon Gods among the original six—Ignia, the Fire Dragon God, and Viernes, the Gold Dragon God.
Raizel conveyed Selene's position to the Dragon Eaters.
"Selene wishes to live quietly as a human. Mercphobia also protects humanity."
"Whether someone is human or dragon is merely a matter of the body they were born with. What truly matters is the heart, their beliefs, and the choices they make."
"We'll give it serious thought."
With Kirin still busy arguing with Laxus, Misaki—the most senior woman among them—answered on behalf of the group.
Raizel carefully considered his next words before testing the waters.
"From what I've heard through several different sources, your guild master's character leaves quite a lot to be desired. Is that accurate?"
The members of Diabolos fell silent for a long while.
Kirin was the first to speak.
"I owe him a great deal, but even I'm sick of him hitting people simply because he can hide behind his authority as guild master."
Misaki added calmly,
"His sexual harassment is quite excessive as well."
Georg Reizen frequently made obscene jokes toward her and had even tried to put his hands on her.
Suzaku thought for a moment before contributing,
"He is overbearing. I dislike admitting it, but he truly is an unreasonable and tyrannical man."
Kiria slammed a fist against the table.
"Honestly, I'm sick of him pushing me around too!"
Georg constantly belittled, manipulated, and intimidated the guild members.
Those outside the Black Dragon Slayer Knights suffered the worst of it, and his abuse usually ended only when Misaki or Kirin stepped in to calm him down.
"I understand what must be done."
Selene set down her knife and fork, her expression perfectly calm.
She turned toward Irene.
"Removing all of his Magic Power should be sufficient, correct?"
Irene did not object.
"Separating his Magic from him would be simple, but we should verify the accusations once more before acting."
Selene and Irene might currently appear peaceful and harmless, but they stood at the very peak of all female Mages.
Neither woman hesitated to be ruthless when the situation demanded it.
Selene then looked toward Raizel for his opinion.
"That would be acceptable, wouldn't it?"
Raizel considered the matter before nodding.
"Confirm it for yourselves one last time. If the rumors are true, strip him of his Magic."
The accounts given by Guiltina's Magic Council, MNP, Elefseria, and the Diabolos members Georg had personally trained were all consistent.
Georg Reizen was arrogant, violent, and morally corrupt.
If Diabolos remained under the command of someone like that, Guiltina would probably never know peace.
Suzaku raised one hand.
"Forgive my bluntness, but Guild Master Georg Reizen is extremely powerful."
Raizel looked at him.
"Is he stronger than Dogramag?"
Suzaku had watched the entire battle between Raizel, Natsu, and the Earth Dragon God.
He could give a very clear answer.
Georg was nowhere near Dogramag's level. At most, he might have been slightly stronger than Dogramag's human form.
Suzaku quickly shook his head.
"No. Not even close."
That overwhelming difference in strength was also one of the main reasons the Diabolos members were considering abandoning dragon hunting and dragon eating.
They had now seen the gulf between themselves and the Six Dragon Gods.
Those dragons were not opponents they had any business challenging in their current state.
Raizel immediately lost all interest in Georg Reizen.
He turned toward Selene and Irene.
"Then it should be easy. I'll leave him to you."