Chapter 372 - 372: Council Invitation
For instance, he could split into three thousand clones to sweep the continent and destroy the Face pulse bombs. These were no ordinary clones, either; each was capable of utilizing the Flying Thunder God Technique and Wind Release: Rasenshuriken, making their individual combat strength something that absolutely could not be underestimated.
He also had a multitude of Take Over forms at his disposal, each possessing unique, dimension-breaking powers. Now that his magic power had reached the 7.5-star tier within his System's evaluation, he no longer considered the Alvarez Empire an insurmountable threat.
Including the Spriggan 12 and Zeref himself, it would certainly be troublesome if he had to go head-to-head with all those monsters at once. Taking the old man as a baseline, Makarov's magic power sat comfortably at the 8-star tier, while the average magic power of a Spriggan 12 member hovered around a monstrous 8.5 stars.
The narrative of this world explicitly dictated that the magic power of the Spriggan 12 completely eclipsed that of the old man. The strongest among them, the Magic King August, possessed an unfathomable magic power of about 9 stars.
This lineup could only be described as a terrifyingly stacked roster. Only the legendary Black Mage, Zeref, could ever hope to gather and command such a devastating assembly of monsters.
However, while these imperial shields boasted world-ending reservoirs of magic power, their actual combat lethality and versatility were not as absolute as his own. Of course, they were still far from weak.
If elemental counters and his unique dimensional abilities weren't factored into the equation, their raw strength was no less than that of the Dragons that had appeared from the Eclipse Gate during the Grand Magic Games.
Makarov breathed a heavy, rattling sigh of relief upon hearing Ren's calm assessment. The elderly Guild Master had indeed panicked quite a bit when thinking about the western continent.
In fact, with Ren around to hold the front lines, combined with the infinite magic power of Lumen Histoire hidden beneath their feet, they would actually have the power to fight back if the Alvarez Empire truly decided to invade Ishgar. For the first time in decades, the crushing weight of the guild's ultimate secret felt a little lighter on his aged shoulders.
"Alright, old man, you should just focus on being the Guild Master," Ren said with a reassuring smile, leaning back against the wooden counter. "As long as you do that with peace of mind, leave the rest of the heavy lifting to me."
Ren crossed his arms, his gaze drifting toward the lively guild hall. "Next, I'll focus on getting stronger—so strong that absolutely no one can threaten Fairy Tail. When that time comes, even without Lumen Histoire, as long as I am here, they wouldn't dare encroach upon the Ishgar continent."
The Alvarez Empire was indeed a massive, looming nuisance on the horizon. But as long as he was given the proper time to grind and elevate his System's power limits, a world-ending catastrophe would eventually be reduced to a minor inconvenience.
Hearing Ren speak with such unwavering certainty, Makarov finally dismissed the lingering shadows of doubt from his mind. Ren had already accomplished the impossible: he had slaughtered seven Dragons single-handedly and even managed to inflict a grievous wound upon Acnologia.
In terms of sheer deterrent power alone, Ren's existence was vastly more terrifying to their enemies than the Magic Council's Etherion cannon. Furthermore, whether the Alvarez Empire would actually mobilize for an invasion was still an unknown variable. Makarov realized he had been acting far too hastily, letting paranoia cloud his judgment.
"Thank you for your hard work, my boy," Makarov said softly, a warm, grandfatherly smile wrinkling his features.
"I've said it already, old man, it's not a matter of hard work," Ren replied easily, grabbing a fresh drink from the counter. "This is exactly what I want to do, so I don't feel like it's hard at all. Protecting our home is just common sense."
[Akarin's Note: Lumen Histoire (Fairy Heart) is the ultimate secret of the Fairy Tail guild. It is an infinite source of Magic Power born from the crystallized body of the First Guild Master, Mavis Vermillion, and heavily tied to Ankhseram's Curse.]
The raucous victory banquet eventually ended, and the Fairy Tail guild slowly transitioned back into its normal, chaotic routine.
Tables were repaired, brawls broke out over trivial matters, and the familiar scent of spilled ale and roasted meat filled the air. Ren also began working diligently, taking on one S-Class mission after another from the second floor and completing them with terrifying efficiency.
He used these high-risk jobs to test his growing abilities, clearing out massive monster subjugations and dismantling dark wizard syndicates in record time. During this relatively peaceful period for the guild, the political landscape of the continent was desperately trying to stabilize. The new Magic Council was actively being rebuilt from the ashes of ERA.
Just as Yajima had stated during the immediate aftermath of Tartaros's assault, although countless people in the Magic Council had been mercilessly slaughtered, the bureaucratic foundation was still there. The basic structural network across the towns and cities remained largely intact.
The catastrophic problem was simply that the entire upper echelon—the high-ranking officials and the Council Members themselves—had all been systematically assassinated. It left a massive power vacuum at the very top of the judicial system.
Under the frantic direction of Mest Gryder, who was now technically the only remaining high-ranking intelligence official, the gears of the government began to turn. Along with the heavy influence of former Council Members Yajima and Makarov, the bureaucratic rebuilding of the Magic Council was quickly completed.
However, the actual selection of the new Magic Council Members proved to be an incredibly difficult and agonizing process. Temporary tents and newly constructed stone pavilions in ERA were filled with endless, circular arguments.
If they still followed the traditional route and selected bureaucratic scholars or political figures from within the Magic Council's remaining staff, what would they do the next time a threat appeared? What would happen if another Dark Guild like Tartaros launched a sudden terrorist attack?
Wouldn't they just be setting themselves up to repeat the exact same bloody mistake? It was a glaring vulnerability that no amount of paperwork could fix.
Most importantly, with the Magic Council's headquarters physically destroyed and its leaders wiped out, the organization had effectively lost the power to deter the criminal underworld. Since the Magic Council was the sole governing body overseeing the Ishgar continent's Magic World, their authority rested entirely on fear and respect.
Without absolute, overwhelming power backing their laws, who would actually care about the Magic Council's decrees? Dark Guilds would simply laugh at their arrest warrants.
In the end, after days of exhausting debates, it was the elderly Yajima who stepped forward and made a radical proposal.
He pointed out that there was indeed a specific group of people on the Ishgar continent who possessed transcendent power. They were individuals who would absolutely never be easily ambushed or slaughtered by the likes of Tartaros, and their mere names alone could violently deter the Magic World's criminal underbelly.
It was a completely unorthodox idea, but desperate times called for unprecedented measures.
"...That's exactly how it is! I've come all the way to Fairy Tail to officially invite Guild Master Makarov and Mr. Ren, who are both officially recognized as Ten Wizard Saints, to join the Magic Council as core Council Members."
Mest stood in the center of the Fairy Tail guild hall, his posture stiff and his voice echoing over the sudden, dead silence of the room. He took a deep breath, adjusting his coat before dropping the final bombshell.
"Furthermore, Mr. Ren is officially recognized as the First Seat of the Ten Wizard Saints. So logically, and by unanimous agreement among the remnants of the government, he could serve as the new Council Chairman of the Magic Council."
Inside the guild hall, Mest spoke directly to Makarov and Ren, who were sitting at the bar.
Before Makarov or Ren could even process the words, the surrounding members of Fairy Tail completely lost their minds. The collective jaws of the guild practically hit the floor, and their eyes bulged out of their skulls in sheer, unadulterated shock.
"No... No... No way!" Natsu yelled, knocking over his stool as he pointed a trembling finger at Mest.
"What... What... What the hell is going on?!" Gray gasped, entirely forgetting that he had just stripped down to his underwear a moment prior.
"Are the Master and Ren actually going to become Council Members?!" Lucy shrieked, clutching her head in disbelief as she imagined the sheer chaos that would bring.
"Not just Council Members! Did you hear him?! Ren is also going to become the Council Chairman!!" Wakaba yelled, his cigar dropping from his mouth and burning a hole right through the wooden floorboards.
What kind of people were those in Fairy Tail? They were a guild of specialized, hyper-destructive troublemakers.
To the average Fairy Tail mage, seeing a Magic Council Member was literally like a mouse seeing a cat. They were the strict, unyielding authorities who constantly handed out fines, threatened disbandment, and complained about the excessive property damage the guild caused on a weekly basis.
Old man Makarov, in particular, had been harshly scolded, fined, and forced to write groveling apology letters to Council Members for almost his entire adult life. Now, being asked to formally become a Council Member himself felt like some kind of absurd, twisted fever dream.
Makarov stammered, his face pale and sweating profusely. "This... this is asking me to be a Council Member... but I still have to be the Guild Master of Fairy Tail! I can't possibly do both!"
"I know this is asking a lot of you both," Mest replied, his expression grave and pleading. "But currently, the Ishgar continent is in a state of violent upheaval. Due to the targeted murder of the Council Members, a massive number of Dark Guilds have suddenly become active again, and some underground magic organizations are stirring up rebellions."
Mest clenched his fists at his sides, his eyes darkening as he remembered the ruins of ERA. "Although I hate to admit it to the public, the current strength of the Magic Council is indeed somewhat insufficient. We are completely toothless."
The harsh reality was that Mest's promotion to this high-ranking position only highlighted the Council's desperation; he was simply more capable than the remaining staff. Yet, his actual combat power was strictly specialized for infiltration and memory manipulation. In a straight fight, he couldn't even match a mid-tier guild mage.
This was especially apparent when compared to the elite mages of the top-tier Legal Guilds. In the vast, sprawling bureaucracy of the Magic Council, there wasn't a single official with an MPF value exceeding 3,000.
This utter lack of top-tier combat mages within the Magic Council's direct ranks was the primary reason the Council Members had been slaughtered so easily. It was, without a doubt, a humiliating tragedy for the continent's governing body.
Jackal, a single demon from the Nine Demon Gates, had attacked the Council Members in their own headquarters as if taking a casual stroll through an empty park. If Jackal had dared to attack the Fairy Tail guild hall with that same arrogant attitude, his head would have been separated from his shoulders before he even realized he was dead.
This glaring contrast showed exactly how urgent the Magic Council's need for high-end, world-class combat power truly was. They needed monsters to keep the other monsters at bay.
Makarov sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. He knew Mest spoke the undeniable truth. During his recent attendance at the regular local meetings with the town mayors, he had heard the terrifying reports. Many Dark Guilds had indeed become hyperactive, pillaging trade routes and terrorizing villages.
The abrupt, violent deaths of the Council Members made the criminal underworld realize that the Magic Council was little more than a paper tiger—a bureaucratic machine with nothing to fear. This revelation emboldened the Dark Guilds, causing them to act more arrogantly than before. They were expanding their territories aggressively, and even some weaker Legal Guilds were being openly attacked.
If they swallowed their pride and became Council Members, the Magic Council would instantly regain its proper deterrent power. The mere rumor that the strongest guild in the world was running the government would send the rats scurrying back into the shadows. It would undoubtedly be a good thing for the overall stability of the Ishgar Magic World.
"But... as for the guild..." Makarov hesitated again, looking around the rowdy hall.
There was still so much to do at Fairy Tail. The guild needed guidance, especially with the looming threat of the western continent. If he had to balance the massive, continent-spanning paperwork of the Magic Council alongside his daily duties here, he would be stretched far too thin. His aging heart simply couldn't take the stress.
Hoping for a way out, Makarov turned and looked pleadingly toward Ren.
Ren caught the old man's desperate gaze and immediately held up his hands, stepping back. He quickly said, "Don't look at me! I'm not interested in becoming a Council Member. I despise paperwork."
"Not a Council Member," Mest interrupted, his tone dead serious as he looked directly into Ren's eyes. "The Council Chairman."
The Magic Council Chairman was undoubtedly the person with the absolute highest status and political authority in the entire Magic World of the Ishgar continent.
[Akarin's Note:
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