The glowing image of Master Makarov had faded from the communication lacrima, leaving the room in dim silence.
Yet, Raizel and Ultear did not leave immediately. They sat amidst the rows of ancient books, the weight of the news pressing down on them.
Erza paced back and forth, her brow furrowed in deep concentration.
"I still don't understand," Erza muttered, stopping to look at Raizel. "Why is the Western Continent attacking Ishgar now? What do they gain? We are separated by a massive ocean. It seems like a logistical nightmare for a simple territorial dispute."
Raizel sighed, leaning back against a bookshelf.
"Actually, this isn't the first time," Raizel revealed quietly. "The Alvarez Empire had planned to attack once before, back before you even joined the Guild. I attended a secret meeting with Gramps back then. The tension was high, but... that time, the attack never happened. It fizzled out before it began."
Hearing this, Ultear nodded slowly, her eyes narrowing as she processed the information.
"Since they had intentions to attack years ago, and have returned now," Ultear analyzed, "it seems this wasn't a sudden, impulsive decision by a rogue general. It is a long-standing ambition. One with clear intent."
However, without more data, Ultear couldn't speculate on what that intent was.
Was it resources? Land? Or something far more specific hidden within the borders of Fiore?
....
Crocus: Magic Council Assembly Hall
The atmosphere in the grand circular hall was toxic.
The Council Chairman, the Council Members, and the Guild Masters of Ishgar's official guilds were locked in a screaming match.
"The dignity of Ishgar cannot be violated!"
A middle-aged Guild Master slammed his fist onto the table, his face flushed with agitation.
"If we keep retreating and compromising, they'll eventually reach the mainland! My guild is near the coast! I cannot just sit back and watch them take our islands!"
"I disagree!"
Another Guild Master, an elderly man leaning heavily on a cane, shook his head resolutely.
"If we use the Etherion, we become the monsters," the elder argued. "Even if we repel the Western Continent's army, the islands will be vaporized. That is Ishgar's territory, and there are still Ishgar's citizens living there! Are we to sacrifice them to save ourselves?"
"If we back down now and let them occupy the islands, they will use them as staging grounds to attack Ishgar directly next time!" a younger master shouted, standing up to oppose the elder.
The debate raged on, endless and circular. It was a clash between national security and humanitarian ethics.
The lives of the hostages versus the safety of the borders.
Finally, after hours of arguing, a compromise was reached.
They would negotiate first, using the threat of Etherion as a deterrent.
If that failed... they would play their darkest trump card.
...
Above the Ishgar Ocean
Aboard the flagship of the Alvarez fleet, Larcade Dragneel received the magical transmission from the Council.
He sat on his throne, reading the ultimatum with a bored expression.
He summoned Neinhart and Wall.
"They threaten us with 'Etherion'," Larcade scoffed, tossing the message aside. "They say they will fire it if we do not retreat."
"Analysis: Bluff," Wall stated mechanically. "But even if they fire, I can reconfigure the ship's shields. Or we can simply dodge. Their targeting system is antiquated."
"Precisely," Larcade nodded. "This isn't Alvarez soil. Let them fire. If they destroy their own islands, it only proves their incompetence. We simply move the fleet and continue the advance."
Larcade was brimming with arrogance.
He believed his magic placed him above such mundane weapons.
Neinhart, clad in his armor, grinned. He was naturally warmongering and had no objections.
"Let them come. More death means more soldiers for my Historia."
The three Spriggan reached a consensus: Continue the attack.
However, the Council was watching.
Seeing the fleet advance despite the warning, Chairman Crawford Seam played the final card.
A second message arrived.
[If you do not withdraw, we will detonate the 'Face'. We will wipe all magical power from the continent.]
This time, Larcade froze.
The Face.
A weapon that could neutralize all Ethernano in the atmosphere.
Losing magic power wasn't a death sentence for Larcade personally—he had immense internal reserves.
But his goal in this campaign was to seize Fairy Heart for his father. Fairy Heart was a source of Infinite Magic.
If Face was activated, the magical equilibrium of the continent would be shattered.
What was the point of securing Infinite Magic if there was no magic? It would complicate Zeref's plans immensely.
Furthermore, the Council's response wasn't limited to threats.
The sky lit up with multicolored energy.
The Four Gods of Ishgar—the strongest of the Ten Wizard Saints—had arrived at the front lines.
Wall and Neinhart began to sweat.
"Analysis: Probability of victory dropping," Wall announced, his gears whirring anxiously.
"Opponents possess significant combat power. Combined with the threat of the Face... the risk exceeds the reward."
They were powerful, yes.
But fighting the Four Gods while risking a total magic blackout? It was a tactical nightmare.
...
A Coastal Town in Ishgar
The sky above the ocean shifted hues, painted by the clashing auras of the Saints and the Spriggans.
Residents of the coastal towns gazed up in fear and awe, whispering about the end of the world.
Walking through the cobblestone streets was an old man leaned on a wooden staff.
Beside him walked a young girl who looked at the world with wonder.
August and Mavis.
August stopped. His beard twitched.
He sensed the immense magical power roiling in the distance. And within that chaotic storm, he detected a specific, familiar cursed energy.
It was an energy he particularly despised.
Larcade Dragneel.
"Mother," August said gently, turning to Mavis. "Please wait here for a moment. I have some business to attend to. I will be right back."
He escorted Mavis to a safe, secluded tea shop, ensuring she was comfortable.
Then, he vanished.
...
The Alvarez Fleet
CRACK.
Space distorted on the deck of Larcade's flagship.
August appeared instantly behind the three Spriggans.
"Larcade Dragneel," August's voice was low, calm, and utterly terrifying. "What is the meaning of this? I demand an explanation."
Neinhart and Wall flinched violently, breaking out in a cold sweat.
They could feel it.
The air pressure had dropped. The "Magic King" was angry.
This kindly-faced old man rarely lost his temper, but when he did, it was like standing at the base of an erupting volcano.
"We... we..." Neinhart stammered.
They quickly made a decision: Retreat.
Defying the Council was one thing. Defying August was suicide.
Larcade clenched his fists in frustration.
He was unwilling to back down, but he knew he was no match for the man standing behind him.
"We..." Neinhart tried to explain, forcing an uneasy smile as he rubbed his hands together. "We were just... trying to obtain the Heart for His Majesty."
The Heart.
Those two words struck August like a physical blow.
The explanation didn't soothe him; it poured oil on the fire.
It struck directly at his sorest spot!
He knew better than anyone what Fairy Heart represented.
It was the frozen body of his mother.
It was the source of his existence and his tragedy.
A memory etched into his mind since his childhood, one he could never shake off, though he had no desire to erase it either.
'They want to disturb her? My mother?'
RUMBLE.
The flagship groaned. The ocean beneath them began to boil.
August's skin began to turn a deep, angry red.
His white hair bristled with rage, standing on end. Intricate magical patterns glowed on his skin, signaling the activation of his copy magic.
The entire island-sized ship trembled under the sheer weight of his magical pressure.
"Retreat."
August's eyes narrowed sharply like an eagle's. His tone left absolutely no room for argument.
"Immediately."
He was restraining himself.
Moments earlier, when Neinhart mentioned the Heart, August had felt a flash of desire to kill all three of them outright.
To wipe them from existence for their insolence. But he cooled down. Killing fellow Spriggans would be difficult to justify to the Emperor.
"On what grounds?!" Larcade shouted, stepping forward defiantly. "I am doing this for Father! Why do you always stand in my way?!"
Larcade had always resented August.
He knew full well that August looked down on him, viewing him as a failed experiment, though Larcade never understood the true depth of that connection.
"On the grounds that I am stronger than you," August declared coldly.
He slammed his staff onto the deck.
A shockwave of magic nearly knocked Larcade off his feet.
"I am giving you an order, not a request. Obey."
Neinhart and Wall subtly took two steps back, distancing themselves from Larcade.
The pressure was overwhelming. It was the first time they had seen the Magic King so visibly enraged.
Larcade gritted his teeth until they creaked. He looked at August, then at the pulsating sky of Ishgar.
"Retreat!" Larcade spat the word out.
He conceded.
He stood no chance against August. Combined with the threat of Face, the war was untenable.
Without further explanation to the enemy, Larcade, Neinhart, and Wall turned their fleet around.
The massive ships accelerated, fleeing back toward the Western Continent.
...
The sudden withdrawal left the Ishgar side utterly bewildered.
One moment, the enemy was poised for a cataclysmic battle. The next, they had turned tail and run without firing a shot.
"They must have been afraid!"
Council Member Mikelo puffed out his chest, looking proud.
"They feared our Etherion and Face! Our resolve terrified them!" he declared, acting as if he had personally driven Larcade away with his bare hands.
Ur, standing nearby, narrowed her eyes as she watched the retreating ships.
"Strange..." she whispered.
She found it rather odd.
The retreat was too sudden, too disorganized. It felt like they were running from something internal, not external.
Still, she breathed a deep sigh of relief as the tension left her shoulders.
She loathed war.
Ishgar had already lost soldiers in the initial island skirmishes; avoiding a full-scale invasion was a blessing, regardless of the reason.
The emergency meeting resumed an hour later.
Chairman Crawford Seam wiped sweat from his brow.
He needed to spin this.
"The Council will issue a statement regarding the anomalies at sea," the Chairman announced. "We will claim that the Magic Council was testing new experimental weather weapons. The 'invasion' rumors were merely mass hysteria caused by the atmospheric disturbances."
He looked at the Guild Masters.
"As for the Western Continent's attack... I hope all Guild Masters will keep it strictly confidential. We cannot afford to cause panic. To maintain Ishgar's stability, this war never happened."
He couldn't allow the public to know that a foreign power had breached their defenses so easily.
It would undermine his rule.
-----
Canon will begin in 10 more chapter!