Marvel's master of cosmic magic-Chapter 601

"This direction... isn’t this the Magic Council’s city?"

Following the trail left by his tracking spell, Rowan Mercer slowed in midair. The signature he was chasing led straight toward the Council’s headquarters.

That was unusual.

Until now, the Black Dragon had almost always been dormant, sleeping on a remote island far out at sea. It rarely moved unless stirred by something powerful. If it wasn’t there now, it meant only one thing.

Something had woken it.

Rowan frowned, a thought surfacing unbidden.

Natsu.

Just before Rowan left the guild, Mirajane had mentioned that Natsu, Erza, and the others had accepted an S-Class request issued by a Council member. The target had been described vaguely. Demons hiding within the Council itself.

At the time, Rowan hadn’t been concerned. Most demons in this world were remnants of Zeref’s experiments. Dangerous to ordinary mages, yes, but hardly insurmountable for Fairy Tail’s front line, especially with their recent growth and Rowan’s equipment backing them up.

Now, it seemed the threat had been underestimated.

Half an hour earlier.

The Magic Council headquarters was no longer a building.

It was a crater.

Explosions had torn through the complex, reducing stone and steel to burning rubble. The city’s residents had fled almost immediately. The Council’s guards lay scattered across the ruins, unconscious or worse.

"Fairy Tail," a deep voice scoffed. "So this is all they amount to."

Standing atop the wreckage was Mard Geer, ruler of the dark guild Tartaros. His expression was one of cold disdain as he looked down at the battered figures struggling to remain standing.

Erza.

Natsu.

Gray.

Lucy.

Wendy.

And two exhausted Exceeds hovering close.

Surrounding Mard Geer were nine figures radiating a pressure that twisted the air itself. They looked like mages, but every instinct screamed otherwise.

Demons.

Tartaros. The last and most dangerous of the Balam Alliance.

Their assault on the Council had been calculated. Their true goal was not destruction, but a key. A trigger required to activate Face, an ancient weapon designed to erase magic across the entire continent.

They intended to use it to awaken E.N.D. Zeref’s ultimate creation. The demon born to kill its own creator.

Plans had been precise. Silent. Efficient.

Until Fairy Tail interfered.

Forced out of the shadows, Tartaros had chosen brute force instead. And now, the key was already in their hands.

"All that’s left," Mard Geer said calmly, "is to remove you."

Happy waved his fish weakly. "That’s real brave talk for someone who smashed our teleport gear first, aye."

Lucy shot back without missing a beat. "Yeah! Afraid we’d call backup? And you call yourself some kind of king. More like a coward."

If their transport hadn’t been sabotaged, Fairy Tail’s reinforcements would have arrived long ago. Instead, they’d been fighting five against ten from the start.

And barely surviving.

"I’ve had enough," Mard Geer said flatly. "End this."

He turned to one of his subordinates. "Activate Face."

Then, to the others, "Kill them."

The demons moved.

What followed was chaos.

Each demon wielded a curse unlike anything normal magic could replicate. Senses were stripped away. Pain magnified. Flesh dissolved beneath toxic shadows. Orders burrowed into minds, forcing bodies to obey against their will.

Fairy Tail fought back desperately.

They were stronger than ever. Lucy had mastered all twelve Zodiac keys. Erza’s armor shattered curses that would have crushed lesser mages. Rowan’s enchanted equipment kept them alive longer than they had any right to be.

But this wasn’t a duel.

It was a slaughter waiting to happen.

Just as the balance tipped irreversibly, lightning split the sky.

Four figures crashed into the battlefield in a blaze of thunder.

Laxus had arrived.

The Thunder Legion followed, tearing into the demon ranks with brutal precision. The pressure eased. Moments later, more magic flared across the ruins as additional Fairy Tail mages arrived, drawn by the earlier explosions.

Natsu had done that on purpose.

He’d known they couldn’t win alone.

For a moment, hope returned.

Then Mard Geer stepped forward.

The battlefield bent under his presence.

He alone forced the tide back, driving Fairy Tail’s combined forces into retreat. And above it all, a distant roar rolled across the heavens.

The air itself screamed.

Time slowed.

From the clouds descended a shape that blotted out the sky.

Black scales. Vast wings. Eyes that reflected annihilation.

Acnologia had arrived.