Chapter 344: Marking Complete
High above the clouds, suspended in the desolate skies of the Ishgar continent, hovered a colossal, floating fortress. This was Plutogrim, the cubic island that served as the mobile headquarters for the Dark Guild Tartaros.
As Ren approached through the freezing upper atmosphere, he immediately felt a dense, oppressive gravitational pull radiating from the cubic island. The air around the structure was thick with malice, saturated with a negative energy so vile it felt like breathing in ash. Yet, to a monster like Ren, this gravity and toxic atmosphere had about as much effect as a gentle breeze.
Hovering in the sky, his dark hair whipping wildly in the wind, Ren stared down at the floating monstrosity. His right hand twitched. Deep within his soul, a terrifying amount of magical energy began to stir. He genuinely wanted nothing more than to raise his hand, condense his magic, and fire a Lanza del Relámpago directly into the heart of the island. Just one perfectly aimed Thunder Lance would reduce this entire floating cube—and every demonic bastard inside it—into a rain of glowing green ash.
It would be so easy.
However, Ren forcibly quelled the surging violent energy in his palm, letting out a sharp sigh. It was still highly uncertain whether Porlyusica could synthesize an effective antibody solely using Jackal's blood. The safest and most guaranteed method to cure Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen of their agonizing Magical Barrier Particle infection was to capture the specific demon who had poisoned them.
He needed Tempester alive. Vaporizing the entire island would undoubtedly kill the very cure his family desperately needed.
Furthermore, every single member back at the Fairy Tail guild hall was practically foaming at the mouth. Natsu, Erza, Gray, and the rest were burning with a righteous fury, sharpening their blades and knuckles for a full-scale war. There was naturally no need for Ren to selfishly hog all the fun and deny his guildmates their much-deserved vengeance.
"System," Ren muttered, his eyes locked onto the dark stone of the Cube.
[System Notification: Take Over Magic Activated.]
[Full Body Take Over: Minato Namikaze.]
Before descending toward the island, Ren triggered his transformation. A brilliant, blinding flash of golden energy erupted in the sky, momentarily outshining the sun. When the light faded, Ren's casual attire had been replaced by a pristine white haori adorned with red flames along the hem, the very image of the Yellow Flash. His magical aura shifted seamlessly into a razor-sharp, focused chakra.
Swoosh—!
With a flick of his wrist, Ren hurled a custom, three-pronged kunai directly toward the sprawling island. The weapon cut through the violent crosswinds with physics-defying speed, silently embedding itself deep into a shadowed crevice on the Cube's outer rocky shell.
Shua—!
In a fraction of a millisecond, a streak of yellow light severed the sky. Ren vanished from his position mid-air and instantaneously materialized exactly where the kunai had struck, crouching silently against the cold, jagged stone.
He reached out, his fingers lightly brushing the engraved spatial formula on the kunai's handle.
"Marking complete," Ren whispered, a predatory smirk playing on his lips. "Whenever you're ready, Fairy Tail."
Tartaros Headquarters - The Underworld
Deep within the bowels of the cubic island, bathed in an eerie, flickering green luminescence, lay the central throne room of Tartaros. The air here was heavy with the scent of old blood and raw Curse power, a testament to the Etherious demons who called this hellish domain home.
"Have you identified the three individuals bound to the Organic Link Magic?"
Seilah, the Goddess of the Moonlit Night, stepped gracefully into the grand hall. Her traditional kimono flowed beautifully behind her, contrasting sharply with the demonic horns curving elegantly from her head. She had just returned to headquarters and immediately sought out the commander of the Nine Demon Gates.
Lounging imperiously upon an obsidian throne was Kyoka, the Goddess of Enslavement. Her long, clawed fingers rhythmically tapped against the stone armrest.
"Yes," Kyoka purred, a cruel, satisfied smile spreading across her striking features. "I must admit, the Former Council Chairman's Archive is a truly remarkable magic. For a human insect, his utility is commendable."
Crawford Theme, the disgraced Former Chairman of the Magic Council, had secretly contacted Tartaros. He possessed highly classified information regarding the activation of the Magic Council's ultimate weapon. His pathetic goal? To utilize the overwhelming, terrifying might of Tartaros to reclaim his coveted seat of power in the Magic Council.
Meanwhile, Tartaros intended to exploit Crawford to unleash a cataclysm that would directly eliminate all humans on the continent, simultaneously fulfilling their divine mission as creations from the Books of Zeref.
The two parties had struck an immediate accord. Following their twisted alliance, a massive underground facility had been rapidly constructed within the Cube. Just hours ago, the reconnaissance and activation arrays were completed, officially kicking off their grand operation. By plugging Crawford Theme into their demonic machinery and amplifying his Archive magic, they quickly sifted through the continent's data to pinpoint the three specific former Councilors who served as the living seals.
Seilah's serene expression didn't change as she approached the throne. "Then there will be no need for the vulgarity of unnecessary killing anymore, right?"
"Two of the three individuals acting as the Seal were already on our previous assassination list," Kyoka replied, waving a dismissive hand. "The remaining one is Jellal Fernandes. As long as we find and slaughter this boy, Face will finally be activated."
"Face... the White Legacy," Seilah murmured, a rare glint of awe in her dark eyes. "The Magic Pulse Bomb. An extremely terrifying ultimate weapon."
Seilah fully comprehended the sheer, apocalyptic terror of that weapon. Once Face was activated, all Ethernano—the source of magic power—across the entire Ishgar continent would instantly evaporate. Every single mage would suffer from catastrophic Magic Deficiency Syndrome.
It was wonderfully poetic. Humans were like fish living freely and arrogantly in a vast pond. But once the water was forcefully drained, the only future awaiting those thrashing fish was a slow, agonizing death on dry land. It didn't matter how strong the fish were, or how massive their numbers; without water, their strength was utterly meaningless.
Kyoka nodded slowly, her slit-like eyes gleaming with malice. "Exactly. And we need it."
"Yes, I know. But is there any concrete clue regarding Jellal's whereabouts?"
"Only a few," Kyoka said, leaning forward and resting her chin on her hand. "Jellal was defeated by some unknown party seven years ago and subsequently imprisoned by the Magic Council. However, he was later broken out of his cell and has been completely off the grid since. Our intelligence networks suggest he seems to have founded an independent, highly secretive guild. Very mysterious. I truly don't know if he's still continuing his previous foolishness," she chuckled.
Kyoka couldn't help but laugh at the boy's history. Jellal had been manipulated and deceived by Ultear and the fools from Grimoire Heart, wasting his life building the Tower of Heaven in a delusional attempt to resurrect Zeref.
Grimoire Heart had arrogantly believed they held the true key to awakening the Black Wizard, completely unaware that their understanding of Zeref was entirely fabricated. No one in this world knew Lord Zeref better than they did. After all, the members of Tartaros were literally born from his books.
"We've roughly pinpointed their area of operations," Kyoka continued. "The Former Chairman is currently tracking his exact coordinates. I believe it won't be long before he's dragged out into the light."
Seilah absorbed the information, her mind already shifting to the next variable. "And what about Fairy Tail?"
She had heard the whispered rumors immediately upon her return. Tempester had encountered Fairy Tail mages during his assassination mission and was pushed so close to death that he was forced to detonate his own body, releasing his Bane Particles just to ensure his soul returned to the Underworld to be reborn. Because of that clash, Tartaros and Fairy Tail had now formed an irreconcilable grudge.
Hearing Seilah mention Fairy Tail, the smirk vanished from Kyoka's face, her brow furrowing deeply in clear irritation. "Fairy Tail... they are indeed a highly troublesome variable. Especially that man named Ren."
Kyoka stood up, her imposing figure casting a long, dark shadow over the throne room. "Originally, I didn't pay any mind to these human mages. To me, they were just dust waiting to be swept away. But after Tempester's humiliating defeat, I launched a careful investigation into the Magic Council's files. What I found... Seilah, that guy is a genuine, incomprehensible monster."
She paused, her pride warring with pure factual logic. "Though I absolutely loathe to admit it... even as Etherious, immortal demons forged from the Books of Zeref, our chances of winning against that man in a one-on-one confrontation are abysmally low."
Seilah's perfectly calm facade finally cracked. Her eyes widened in genuine shock. "The mage Tempester encountered... the one named Laxus, was already exceptionally strong. According to Tempester's report from the Hell Core, he had almost no power to resist while fighting Laxus and was utterly beaten down in just a few moves."
Seilah knew Tempester's strength. To dominate an Etherious of the Nine Demon Gates so thoroughly required power at the absolute peak of the Ten Wizard Saints.
"Laxus is strong, yes," Kyoka scoffed, pacing down the steps of her throne. "But Laxus Dreyar is not even worth mentioning in the same breath as the man named Ren."
"What?!" Seilah gasped, her composure breaking. "There's actually a human that strong?!"
If Laxus was not even worth mentioning compared to Ren, didn't that imply that even the mightiest demons of Tartaros were nothing but mere fodder to him?
"Yes," Kyoka said, her voice dropping into a deadly serious timbre. "That man currently holds the title of the First Seat of the Ten Wizard Saints on the Ishgar continent. His strength is as monstrous as it gets. He defies every known law of magic. Originally, my plan was to march on Fairy Tail and slaughter them all as a side-show amusement before activating Face."
Kyoka clenched her fists, her sharp black claws digging into her palms. "But now that I know the true depths of that man's strength, I cannot take such a massive risk. If a single miscalculation occurs, it could jeopardize Lord Zeref's ultimate dream."
Information on Fairy Tail had been remarkably easy for Kyoka to obtain. As a Light Guild, their exploits were heavily documented, their destructive habits broadcast across the kingdom. Moreover, Fairy Tail had dominated the Grand Magic Games just a few months prior, and Kyoka had obsessively reviewed the lacrima recordings of the matches.
Laxus's raw power had been formidable—he had completely annihilated the entire elite roster of Raven Tail single-handedly. Yet, even his monstrous lightning magic paled in comparison to the absolute devastation Ren casually unleashed.
Ren's power had shaken Kyoka to her very core. According to her tactical calculations, to merely stall Ren, it would require all of the Nine Demon Gates abandoning their posts and fighting him together in a coordinated assault. Compared to them, the supposedly ultimate demons of Zeref, that human was the true eldritch horror.
It was precisely because she bore witness to Ren's god-like performance at the Grand Magic Games that Kyoka swallowed her pride and completely aborted the plan to attack Fairy Tail.
"The First Seat of the Ten Wizard Saints..." Seilah whispered softly, a sinister, knowing smile slowly returning to her lips as she regained her poise. "A terrifying title. But even the most powerful, god-like mage will be nothing more than a lamb to the slaughter once the magic power of the entire continent is completely erased."
To human mages, magic power wasn't just a tool; it was their very life force. When Ethernano was abundant, monsters like Ren could reign invincible. But the moment that magic disappeared, his incredibly vast reserves would turn against him. The stronger the mage, the more violently their bodies would reject the sudden vacuum of magic. The First Seat would be the first to die.
"Yes!" Kyoka laughed, the tension leaving her shoulders. "So there's absolutely no need to provoke the beast and cause unnecessary trouble. Slowly draining the ocean and watching them suffocate... winning steadily is our goal."
The heavy, strategic atmosphere in the dark throne room suddenly shifted, melting into something far more stifling and intimate.
Kyoka closed the remaining distance between them. Her tall, commanding figure pressed into Seilah's personal space. With a sultry hum, Kyoka reached out, her thick, leather-clad arm wrapping possessively around Seilah's slender waist, forcefully pulling the beautiful demoness flush against her own body.
"Come, Seilah," Kyoka purred, her voice dropping to a husky, commanding whisper that sent a visible shiver down Seilah's spine.
She leaned down, her lips brushing sensually against the shell of Seilah's ear. Kyoka's sharp, black claws traced a tantalizing path down the delicate silk of Seilah's kimono, the sharp tips lightly grazing the sensitive skin of her back. The stark contrast between Kyoka's aggressive, dominant power and the tender, highly possessive way she held her subordinate created a dizzying heat between them.
"It's been quite a while since I've favored you," Kyoka breathed, her hand sliding lower to firmly grip Seilah's hip, pressing their bodies intimately together so Seilah could feel the undeniable heat of her desire.
Seilah's normally stoic and serene expression completely melted away, replaced by a heavy flush of pure, unabashed submission. Her chest heaved against Kyoka's, her breath hitching as a profound wave of dark pleasure washed over her. She practically melted into the taller woman's embrace, her hands coming up to grip Kyoka's leather collar.
"Ah...! Lady Kyoka~~!" Seilah gasped softly, her eyes fluttering shut as she surrendered entirely to the intoxicating dominance of her mistress, the impending destruction of the human race utterly forgotten in the heat of the dark, secluded throne room.
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