The guild did not disband since disbanding was impossible.
Only by taking jobs, completing requests, and earning money could everyone keep scraping by in life...
Putting aside the fact that Makarov had no such plan, even if he did, Raizel would not agree to it.
Because even if Zeref lost his mind and showed up right now, Raizel would not be afraid of him.
Zeref knew many kinds of Magic and possessed an enormous amount of Magic Power, but his actual combat ability was not especially outstanding.
His immortality and the automatic death-hunting effect around him were the truly unfair parts.
That was how battle worked.
Having huge Magic Power did not necessarily mean having strong combat ability.
Zeref's greatest strength lay in magical research. Most of his talent points had been poured into academic study.
In terms of combat talent, he was far inferior to his younger brother, Natsu.
One brother invested in knowledge, the other in battle.
Reasonable, right?
Of course, that being said, Zeref was still undeniably the peak of humanity.
Among the Spriggan 12, aside from the two walls, the others were not that troublesome.
Though Larcade was another matter. That guy was a bit of a bug...
Then it was decided.
Go, Natsu!
Larcade could be left to Natsu.
Hmm...
As for the Magic King August, at most he would stay neutral, throw out a few spells, and coast through things.
Irene could be handled by Erza.
Everyone's strength had risen sharply now, and Raizel would also need to find a chance to visit Irene.
Without the seven-year time gap, young members like the Desert King and Brandish were strong, but they had not fully grown yet.
As for the rest, Gildarts, Precht, Ur, Erza, Ultear, Laxus, Mira, and Jellal could absolutely fight them.
In fact... They might even surpass them.
Fine, cards on the table.
Ishgar had its own Twelve Shields too!
...
The latest issue of Sorcerer Magazine carried truly shocking news.
The last guild of the dark guild alliance, the Balam Alliance—Tartaros—had been wiped out.
The ones who defeated them: Fairy Tail.
Together with their defeat of Oración Seis and Grimoire Heart last year, Fairy Tail had become the undisputed number-one guild in Ishgar.
Their fame had reached an unmatched height.
The era of dark guilds could basically be declared over.
Taking advantage of the void left behind were the black magic cults that worshipped Zeref.
As for Acnologia's reappearance, that news was not released to the public since the Magic Council suppressed it.
...
Magic Council
Makarov sat upright in his chair, chest out and head held high.
He had never imagined there would come a day when he could act this boldly inside the Magic Council.
The current Wizard Saints and councilors overlapped quite a bit, so the Ten Wizard Saints and the councilors held the meeting together.
Of the Four Gods of Ishgar, only God Serena did not attend.
The other three were present, and the meeting was presided over by the fourth-ranked member, Warrod Sequen.
The main topics of the meeting were:
The Magic Council's primary work after the collapse of the Balam Alliance.
Proposals to abolish or amend certain laws and regulations.
Announcement of the new councilor list.
And most importantly—the Black Dragon Acnologia and the Black Wizard Zeref.
Although Zeref had not appeared during the Tartaros War, the fact that Tartaros was made up of demons created by him was now common knowledge.
The demons he created had already been this troublesome.
Warrod and the others had no choice but to raise their level of caution toward Zeref once again.
"The Council has already sealed all information regarding Acnologia and Zeref's reappearance. Now, let us discuss what measures we should take."
The group, which had been arguing fiercely moments ago, immediately fell into silence.
In the end, it was the brave Jura who broke the deadlock.
Jura looked toward Makarov and asked, "Lord Makarov, you personally witnessed the Black Dragon this time. How would you evaluate his combat strength?"
Makarov recalled Acnologia's roar turning the night over the Eastern Plains as bright as day.
That roar had changed the terrain itself.
He frowned and shook his head.
"Not something human strength can oppose. Even when facing five dragons and Raizel at the same time, he remained composed. Still, he had one arm bitten off by the Fire Dragon King Igneel, so that can be considered good news."
"There is another piece of good news. We can currently confirm the existence of eight Dragon Slayers."
"The bad news is... seven of them have yet to fully mature."
Dragon Slayer dragonification was no longer a problem now.
Dragon Slayer Lacrima also had the effect of suppressing dragonification.
Leaving aside the first-ranked of the Four Gods, God Serena, the strongest current Dragon Slayer was Laxus, but even he could not yet take part in a battle against the Black Dragon.
In reality, only Raizel knew the truth.
Even Serena would be taken out by one claw from the Black Dragon.
Of course, the main reason was that Serena had been careless.
Otherwise, he should at least have been able to struggle for a few rounds—scratching Acnologia's back, giving him a little massage, maybe helping him steam in a sauna or something.
Ever since obtaining eight Dragon Slayer Lacrima and becoming the top of the Four Gods of Ishgar, Serena had become arrogant beyond measure.
"Should we try, while the Black Dragon is injured..." Draculos Hyberion, the second of the Four Gods, drew a finger across his neck.
He meant eliminating the threat at the root.
Precht shook his head. "The most important issue is that we do not know where Acnologia is hiding."
Belno said, "Logically speaking, with a dragon that large, there should not be many places he can hide."
Org rested his chin on his hand. "He transformed from a human into a dragon, so he can probably return to human form as well. He is a human from four hundred years ago. Unless he reveals his aura, you would not recognize him even if he stood right in front of you."
"What matters most now is ensuring the growth of the seven Dragon Slayers. That will give us a better chance in the fight against the Black Dragon."
It did sound a little like they were throwing the responsibility onto the Dragon Slayers.
But they had to admit it.
In most cases, only Dragon Slayers could truly damage dragons.
Those outside that category were few and far between.
Jellal followed up.
"And then there is Raizel. He also participated in the battle against Acnologia, did he not? It seems he can injure Acnologia as well."
...
Regarding the Black Dragon Acnologia, the Wizard Saints and councilors each offered many opinions and suggestions.
In the end, the conclusion was simple:
If those seven Dragon Slayers who had not yet matured needed any resources or assistance, they would be supported with everything Ishgar could provide.
The meeting then moved to the second topic.
The Black Wizard Zeref and E.N.D.
"The demons of Tartaros are dead, but their guild master, E.N.D., still seems to be unaccounted for."
Ur knew the details of this matter, so she spoke.
"According to Mard Geer, E.N.D. is sealed inside a book. In today's Magic-rich world, it is impossible to unseal him. That is why Tartaros planned to kill the councilors, activate F.A.C.E., and drain all Magic Power from the continent of Ishgar."
"As for E.N.D., I do not believe we need to worry too much for now. You all know where the three Organic Link keys are currently located."
Raizel had modified the authority of the Organic Link keys only after receiving the agreement of the councilors and the Ten Wizard Saints.
And Raizel was someone who had survived the battle against the Black Dragon.
His security was reliable enough.
"Then what about Zeref?"
"We have already increased the scale of the search, but unfortunately, there is still no information at present..."