On the massive projection screen, areas once marked in red were rapidly turning green. The pace was so swift that the watching Magic Council members were left utterly dumbfounded.
"H-how… how is he doing this?" Belno stammered, nearly speechless. Even with spatial transfer arrays, there were thousands of dark guilds scattered across the continent. How could he possibly be eliminating them so quickly?
Even if they were pigsties—over a thousand of them—spread so far apart, controlling them all would be no easy feat!
"Wait… could it be… did he wipe out all of the dark guilds?" one Councilor ventured, unable to contain the thought.
"This… that can't be. Fairy Tail isn't that kind of guild…" Org's words faltered as an icy dread crashed down his spine. His hands trembled uncontrollably. His body swayed, nearly unable to stay upright.
All of them are gone. Over a thousand dark guilds. More than one hundred thousand wizards—wiped out in a single stroke.
That would be…
That would be…
"How are our forces assembling?" asked a grim-faced investigator at Org's side.
"They're still gathering. The Investigation Corps and Knight Squads are mobilizing quickly. Should we let the units already assembled march first?" Lahar responded immediately, even daring to suggest.
He was cut off mid-sentence. Org's expression was ash-grey, his voice hollow.
"No. No need. Even if he did do it… what could we possibly do now? What can we… do? Nothing."
It was as if his very spirit had been sucked away. Having spoken, Org looked as though he had aged more than ten years in an instant.
The chamber fell into silence.
His words cut like a blade, stripping away the veil of denial and exposing the bloody truth beneath.
Even if Natsu had truly done it, what could they do? Stand atop some moral high ground and scold him? Don't be ridiculous. He was the one holding the "gun."
Go to war against Fairy Tail—and against Pai Pai? Impossible. The Council wasn't suicidal.
So, all they could do… was pretend not to see.
Such was the cruel contradiction of reality's game.
"Report! The Kingdom of Carluum has sent a formal protest, condemning the Council for allowing marauders to ravage their lands. They demand immediate resolution—or they will issue a decree withdrawing their guilds from the Magic Council, and revoke all financial and personnel support!"
A guard burst in, delivering the news into the heavy silence.
"What—?" The Councilors looked at each other, stunned. They hadn't expected anyone to be more anxious than themselves.
"Report! The Kingdom of Bosco has issued a denunciation, condemning the Council's violent actions. They have declared they will no longer abide by the Council's regulations—their guilds will now fall under the direct command of the Royal Magic Division!"
If Carluum's stance had shocked them, Bosco's statement was horrifying.
It meant Natsu's actions were spiraling beyond their control, provoking nations into outright defiance.
But worse was yet to come.
"Report! Fiore's branch of the Magic Council has issued a statement, strongly demanding that the Council immediately cease all operations—or they will take necessary military measures to defend themselves."
"That bastard! What has he done? And how did these kingdoms learn of it so quickly!?" one Councilor cursed, his composure unraveling.
Then came the fourth report. The fifth. The sixth. The seventh…
"Report…!"
Each message hammered their hearts to the point of breaking.
One messenger after another arrived, until finally, the Council's own Head of Foreign Affairs arrived in person. His department had already collapsed—he was the only one left.
"So you're telling us—the entire continent of Ishgar… every kingdom has issued denunciations against us?"
All eyes turned to Council Chairman Crawford Seam, who stumbled forward reluctantly, trembling with every step.
"For the most part, yes," the Foreign Affairs officer answered, his face twisted into a grotesque half-smile. "A few kingdoms have not yet responded, but by the time I return, I expect their messages will be waiting."
His expression seemed to say: Best if you admit this was your plan all along, a long-prepared scheme now reaching fruition. Otherwise, the Council has made itself the enemy of the world, and we're finished.
A foolish hope, of course. Looking at these men, it was obvious they lacked the courage.
Joining the Council was the worst mistake of my life.
"Why are they turning their spears against us? And what exactly has that man done!?" Crawford roared, his fury barely suppressed, a volcano on the edge of eruption.
—
Time shifted. The scene turned back.
We found Natsu Dragneel standing in the ruins of a destroyed dark guild.
Azuma's cluster and Seilah's cluster had already departed. But Natsu himself had not moved on.
Only one thought burned in his mind:
"The kingdoms are the backers of many dark guilds."
Once, he could never have accepted this. Nobles and royals—the beneficiaries of order. Dark guilds—the vermin of chaos. By nature, irreconcilable enemies. They should never drink from the same cup.
But now, Natsu understood. Royals and nobles were indeed beneficiaries of order—but they too were bound, and restricted, by that order. At times, breaking it served their interests better. So they broke it.
And the dark guilds? Pure chaos could not survive on its own.
Think simply: if they hid in the deep mountains, with impossible transportation costs, even if they amassed wealth from raiding, how could they bring in the supplies for a luxurious life? They couldn't.
They needed powerful backers to survive.
"Dialectical unity," Natsu murmured. The phrase perfectly described the current world. Order and chaos—contradictory yet dependent.
From this, he drew a simple conclusion:
"The kingdoms themselves must be purged as well."
"Corrupt royals, officials, and nobles—the power they hold must also be placed under regulation."
At that moment, figures rained down from spatial portals. Natsu wasted no time. The Seven Realms Sigil flared, white light engulfing each new arrival—reshaping their appearance, their thoughts, their strength.
They emerged transformed.
The funnel of golden magic in the sky blazed brighter still, pouring down dreamlike radiance upon the land.
More Azuma and Seilah replicas appeared. But this time, two new forms joined them—Precht and Mard Geer Tartaros.
Unlike the swarms of Azumas and Seilahs, these two were rare. Together, their numbers could be counted on two hands.
"Beyond the dark guilds, expand surveillance to the kingdoms within range of the transfer arrays. I want to hear what their high officials think of this world. Those guilty beyond redemption—bring them to me."
The Azuma cluster and Seilah cluster bowed and departed.
Then Natsu turned to Precht and Mard Geer.
"You will command the others. Ensure the transitional period of order does not collapse into chaos."
"In the end, this world will become as you desire." ×10
Precht and Mard Geer spoke in unison, brimming with faith, as they stepped into the portals.
For all the beings Natsu had shaped, he had implanted a single fundamental principle. Not loyalty, not some artificial law. But this:
Power must be regulated. The greater the power, the stricter the regulation.