The Council members had already gathered, preparing for a meeting to discuss operational plans concerning Tartaros.
"As Everyone knows, the Dark Guilds affiliated with Tartaros have been successively eliminated!" a Council member said cautiously.
"We don't know who did it. It's good for us, but it's also very troubling!" a third Council member said, frowning.
"Could it be their enemies taking revenge and eliminating them?" a fourth Council member speculated.
"Possibly~" a fifth Council member echoed.
This meeting was precisely about the Dark Guilds they monitored being inexplicably eliminated, and they had to figure out the possibilities to determine the Council's next course of action.
"Could it be Fairy Tail's good deed!" Suddenly, a woman said, clearly targeting them.
"Wanting to show off their powerful strength is normal, isn't it? And Zorn, he's done things like that before!" another Council member chimed in.
Among them, one male and one female Council member even started mocking the Fairy Tail Guild on their own.
"It's not good to link everything to Fairy Tail like that~" August warned the two with his eyes to watch their tone and manner of speaking.
He also understood in his heart that if it really was Fairy Tail, given Zorn's personality and magical characteristics, it would have been confirmed long ago; there would be no need to discuss it here.
"Hmph~ Teacher August really favors Fairy Tail!" The man with the explosive hairstyle took the opportunity to tease, his tone full of dissatisfaction.
"No, there's just another possibility, which is that Tartaros absorbed its subordinate Guilds!" August said gravely. According to his conjecture, it's very likely that Tartaros sacrificed some grassroots members for military preparations, or someone directly ordered them to do so. The entire meeting suddenly fell silent.
Just a moment later, "Hahahaha~" the other Council members were amused by August's statement.
"Hahaha, Dark Guilds killing each other, that's the most impossible thing!" a Council member next to August denied with a laugh.
"No~ that's the most likely. It's time for us to mobilize the full strength of the entire Council to fight~"
"The long-standing problem of Tartaros, it's time to solve it!!!"
The Chairman, however, heard August's statement and suddenly thought of something. Combined with the news from Jellal, he seemed to understand something: Tartaros's true intention.
The news Jellal investigated was that in the eliminated Guilds, one or two people would inexplicably go missing. He originally thought they had escaped.
But it's also possible that Tartaros absorbed them for some specific need.
The Chairman's expression became extremely solemn at this thought, and that terrifying expression immediately shocked the other Council members.
Even the male and female Council members who still wanted to object were startled and withdrew their intended objections.
Bang~ The main door of the conference hall was roughly pushed open by a large, flustered toad, making a dull thud.
The large toad gasped, shouting in panic, "Everyone, this is bad, this is bad~"
"Hmm~ What is it? Don't you see we're still in a meeting!" One of the Council members frowned and immediately reprimanded him.
"Enemies… invading… small…" The large toad stammered, his words unfinished.
Suddenly, the entire venue was surrounded by dense specks of light, and the intense glow made the Council members squint their eyes.
They tried to make out what these specks of light were, but the dazzling brilliance made it impossible to distinguish.
However, the Chairman among them seemed to have seen something, and his expression immediately relaxed, as if he had sighed in relief.
Bang~ Bang~ Bang~ Boom~ The original location of the Council exploded violently, and a powerful shockwave swept through instantly.
The walls and ceiling of the conference room began to collapse, and debris flew everywhere. Everyone tried to take cover, attempting to escape this sudden disaster.
The town residents down the mountain saw this scene and stopped what they were doing, some covering their mouths, some protecting their children, but all stared in horror at the ruins before them.
One must know that this was the Council Headquarters, considered the most powerful institution, yet it was subjected to a terrorist attack.
"Hahaha, what Council? Destroying you is effortless, aren't all 9 targets completed like this~" A leopard-like man suddenly appeared on the bombed ruins, looking proudly at his masterpiece.
His eyes gleamed with madness and cruelty, and the corners of his mouth turned up in a sinister smile.
However, as his gaze swept around, his rampant laughter gradually faded, replaced by a calm expression.
But this calmness was not true composure; it was anger hidden deep within. His eyes became sharp and fierce, as if someone had ruined his perfect plan.
"Damn it~ No one could escape my explosion~" Jackal, one of the Nine Demon Gates, said through gritted teeth, his voice filled with unwillingness and rage.
His body moved swiftly, searching the surroundings for possible survivors at an astonishing speed, but found nothing.
Meanwhile, all the members in the high sky were now trapped within a giant orb of light.
Most of them were filled with relief, grateful that Zorn had arrived in time and saved their lives.
However, several Council members looked disheveled, each with an explosive hairstyle, a few teeth knocked out, and even a slight lisp when speaking.
One of them angrily vented his dissatisfaction at Zorn: "Damn it~ Zo-rn… you did it on purpose!" His voice was filled with anger and resentment, clearly extremely displeased with the thrilling experience just now.
Clearly, these were the few who had spoken disrespectfully about Fairy Tail during the meeting.
"Zorn, you were here long ago. Since you detected the enemy's attack, why did you only act now!" The Chairman stared fixedly at Zorn, his tone also full of reproach.
"I regret to say, I just arrived. It's already a stroke of luck that I could save you, isn't it~" Zorn raised an eyebrow, his eyes full of playful mockery.
"Chairman, don't complain so much, alright!" Zorn glanced sideways at the Chairman, and that gaze made the Chairman's heart pound.
The Chairman recalled that during the meeting, they indeed had negative speculations about Fairy Tail, and he had not stopped them. On the contrary, in his own heart, Fairy Tail was also considered one of the hidden dangers.
The conversation high above was soon heard by Jackal of the Nine Demon Gates below.
"It's you, you bastard~ Die!" Jackal's eyes gleamed fiercely. He raised his hand and waved it forcefully, releasing an invisible force from his palm.
With his movement, the space around Zorn instantly twisted, and countless dazzling explosive light points surged like raindrops.
These light points, like scattered sparks, densely surrounded Zorn, emitting heart-palpitating energy fluctuations.
Jackal's face showed a triumphant smile as he tightly clenched his fist, as if he controlled everything.
Immediately after, those light points erupted simultaneously under his control, forming a breathtaking explosion.
Intense shockwaves and flames swept in, engulfing Zorn. A tremendous roar echoed in the air, shaking the entire space.
However, just as Jackal thought his attack had succeeded.
A cold and resolute voice suddenly sounded behind him: "If that's all your ability is, it's still far from enough~"
Jackal's heart leaped. He quickly turned his head and saw Zorn standing there, completely unharmed.
He hadn't even had time to react.
Zorn's eyes were cold and sharp, and his right foot, gleaming with golden light, kicked fiercely into Jackal's abdomen.
This kick contained immense power. Jackal felt a sharp pain, and his body involuntarily flew backward.
He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood, his body tracing an arc in the air before crashing heavily into the ground. The ground instantly cracked and exploded around him, sending gravel flying.
To be continued~
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