novelaction Chapter 553 The Gates of the Underworld, A Conspiracy Brewing in the Dark
Chapter 553 The Gates of the Underworld, A Conspiracy Brewing in the Dark
Chapter 553 The Gates of the Underworld, A Conspiracy Brewing in the Dark
Considering it was Lucy's home and contained many traces of Leila, Chesnaz and the others did not actually demolish the entire castle.
Well, it was just that the backyard mountain range that had once shocked Erza's worldview was razed to the ground.
The servants, who were close to Lucy, began to suspect that the young lady might have joined a dark guild.
Knowing the nature of this group well, Jiude's lips twitched violently, but he didn't say anything. He even prepared an incredibly lavish dinner for everyone.
"Oh well, let's just consider it fireworks to celebrate Lucy and those Fairy Tail bastards' safe return." The old man comforted himself in this way.
To be able to set off an entire private mountain range like fireworks—that kind of extravagance is probably only matched by the Heartfilia Consortium in the entire Kingdom of Fiore!
A banquet with Fairy Tail around is naturally lively and extraordinary, or to be more precise, chaotic.
Chess's flamboyant dance, Gajeel's electronic music in his white suit, Lucy's sharp wit, and Natsu's boisterousness—
A relaxed and cheerful atmosphere enveloped the brightly lit castle, and even Michelle, a "sister-obsessed" girl, couldn't help but feel the urge to join the guild!
Meanwhile, under the same night sky.
The Duchy of Veronica, located in the northern part of the Kingdom of Fiore, presents a completely different picture.
In the dimly lit hall of the capital city, several dying mages were thrown out like rag dolls, crashing heavily to the ground with several thuds.
"Who...who are you people?"
Prince Krim, with his mushroom-shaped haircut, huddled in a corner, trembling, his gaze filled with fear as he looked ahead.
Footsteps of varying depths approached from afar, and at the end of the dimly lit corridor, several demonic figures passed through the door and slowly walked into the hall.
They are called demons because although they have the most basic human outline, many parts of their bodies are closer to those of monsters.
Some have black horns on their heads, some have scales covering their bodies, some have jackal tails, and some have soft, octopus-like legs as their lower bodies.
As these demons entered, the temperature in the entire hall plummeted, becoming chillingly cold to the bone.
"No, don't come any closer! I, I am the prince of this country, the future heir to the throne!" Krim took another step back.
The golden crown on his head fell to the ground with a clatter, reflecting a pool of slightly yellow liquid in the moonlight outside the window.
Upon witnessing his hired Ruby Guild mage being brutally abused by the other party, the prince of the duchy was so terrified that he wet himself on the spot.
Besides fear, the trembling voice also carried an intense sense of resentment.
This morning, he unexpectedly learned from the Magic Weekly newspaper the whereabouts of the other half of the Phoenix Stone that he had been searching for for many years, and he was only one step away from immortality!
"Hehehe, how much is the head of the prince of the ducal kingdom worth? How much is it worth?"
Across from him, a one-eyed demon clad in heavy armor let out a strange laugh, completely ignoring Krim's words.
"Franmars, don't laugh so lewdly. Our character is easily questioned," the demon in shark-fish-man form said in a deep voice.
"What kind of character does a demon have! I just want to kill all humans as soon as possible!" The eight-legged octopus monster waved its four arms furiously.
"That's right, let's start with this country, and blow it all up!" The humanoid jackal demon clenched his right fist, a violent laugh escaping his lips.
"Don't be in such a hurry, Ethel, Jackal."
A pale-skinned woman with black hair and horns, dressed in a sleeveless kimono, slowly closed the book in her hands. "Stories all have a plot sequence. This is just the prologue, no, merely the preface."
Beside him, the demon dressed as a necromancer tapped his staff on the ground and muttered to himself, "Prayers, whispers, and the blessings of the underworld—"
"Hurry up, don't waste any time."
The only man in silver armor without demonic features leaned against the door, his face, which resembled Gray's, full of impatience.
"That makes sense, then—"
The leading female demon stepped forward, smiling at Prince Krim, "Your Highness, please allow me to introduce myself."
"I am Xingli Tian Kuanghua from the Nine Ghosts Gate of the Underworld. I have come here to seek cooperation with you."
Despite this, Kuanghua didn't even glance at Krim, but instead watched with great interest his swaying, sharp right claw.
"The Gates of Hell? Cooperation?" Krim was clearly skeptical, his eyes darting around as he tried to find a way to escape.
Even a fool could tell that the monsters on the other side were no pushovers. Besides, he felt like he'd heard the name "Gate of the Underworld" somewhere before!
"Don't try to do anything unnecessary, because if you do, even I can't protect you, Your Highness."
Q
Behind the demons, a bloated man walked slowly.
With the help of the moonlight streaming through the window, Krim could clearly see the enigmatic, sinister smile on the other man's lips, as well as his two large, distinctive mustaches that covered his chest.
"You are—Crawford Him, the former Speaker of the Council?!" Krim exclaimed incredulously.
As a prince of the Duchy of Veronica, he might not have much of an impression of the Gates of the Underworld, one of the dark guilds of the Balam Alliance, but it was impossible for him not to know the chairman of the council.
This face had appeared countless times on the front page of official newspapers and in the great hall of the Magic Council, but now, it was adorned with a sinister smile that seemed to be in cahoots with demons, making it all the more absurd.
The words "former Speaker" made Crawford's expression turn cold, clearly indicating that he had been hit where it hurt.
"You have half a phoenix stone in your hand, don't you?" Crawford got straight to the point.
As Ultear had previously stated, his memories of the key to the Fies were erased when he was dismissed and expelled from the council to prevent the leakage of important information.
Unfortunately, the "Demon Phoenix," which has been missing for over four hundred years, is not among them.
And this is the fundamental reason why Crawford is here: to resurrect the Phoenix and destroy the world, and to launch an extremely insane revenge against the Ten Council, which has replaced his supreme power and status!
In fact, ever since Crawford, who should have been retired at home, lost contact, he had been secretly colluding with the Hades to look for an opportunity.
It wasn't until today's newspapers published the news of Acreya's exposed Phoenix Stone that she came up with this vicious plan.
As for why the Gates of Tartaros chose to cooperate, it was naturally because they wanted to use the "Phoenix" to weaken the Council's power, forcing them to activate Fies, which can clear all magic power, in order to realize the ambition of demons to rule the world and resurrect Chairman END!
After all, the council is not what it used to be.
Faced with the formidable lineup of all ten Wizard Saints, even the Tartaros dared not confront them head-on as they did in the original story, brazenly attacking and killing their core members.
The fall of the black dragon Acnologia caused the five divine dragons of the northern continent to appear ahead of schedule. Furthermore, because Zeref saw hope in controlling the "Death Curse," the western continent was also stirring with restlessness, and it was unclear what was brewing.
These two increasingly dangerous events prompted Ishgar to establish the Ten Councils ahead of schedule, indirectly limiting the actions of Tartaros.
Chase, who was still passionately dancing in Heartfilia Castle, had no idea that the butterfly effect he had created would connect Crawford, the Gates of Hell, and the demonic phoenix!
"How...how did you know?!" Krim exclaimed in surprise.
Heh, of course it's because those greenhorns in the new council who took over didn't completely erase the information from my head.
Crawford sneered inwardly, then said in a sinister tone, "What was just a guess before is now certain."
""
More than four hundred years ago, the Fire Clan, who possessed the ability to seal the phoenix, was tragically destroyed, and the Duchy of Veronica was established and developed on the ruins of the Fire Clan.
As a former speaker, he had far more information than Biajima and could easily guess the whereabouts of the other half of the Phoenix Stone.
"You old fool, you dare to scam me!"
Krim belatedly realized what was happening, and the fear on his face was torn apart by anger, revealing the ferocious nature beneath.
"Don't put it so harshly. As Kuanghua just said, we're here to seek cooperation with you."
Crawford glanced at the Ruby Guild mage lying in a pool of blood, his life hanging in the balance. "These trash can't handle Fairy Tail. We can help you get the other half of the Phoenix Stone, but afterwards, you must, as a member of the royal family, support my return to the Council!"
Upon hearing this, Krim's expression shifted repeatedly, finally dissipating from fear and transforming into a strong sense of greed: "Aha, ahaha, I see. You should have said so earlier, former, no, new Speaker."
He smiled and extended his right hand toward Crawford, thinking to himself: Old man, once I gain immortality, the first thing I'll do is report him to the Council of Judges!
"Then I wish us a pleasant collaboration." Crawford smiled and reached out to shake his hand.
What he was thinking was: A new speaker? Heh, what I want is to stand at the pinnacle of world power with an immortal life!
The two scheming individuals failed to notice that behind them, the Nine Ghost Gate demons, led by Kuanghua, looked at them with the same indifference one would show to a dead man.
Whether it's the prince of the ducal kingdom or the former speaker, they are at most just a pawn on the chessboard of the Gates of Hell.
When the phoenix appears in the world, it will be the death of those who have lost their value!
At this moment, outside the palace, directly above the duchy, under a night sky as black as ink.
The enormous, square-shaped monster known as the "Netherworld Beast" hovered silently in mid-air, like a thick, dark cloud.
Its outline almost blends into the night, with only the occasional glimpse of moonlight outlining its sharp edges.
The thing was ridiculously large, covering almost half of the principality's airspace. When people on the ground looked up, they could only see a darkness darker than the night.
The buildings in the very center of the complex are the headquarters of the Dark Guild, the Gates of the Underworld.
Inside, on a throne piled high with bones, sat a humanoid demon with a high ponytail, legs crossed, looking on with amusement.
"Having defeated Oración Seis and Fairy Tail with Devil Heart, perhaps I can finally have some fun?"
"Pluto" Maldo Gil lowered his eyes and gently stroked the book in his arms.
The book cover prominently displays the "E.N.D" logo!
The three letters appear as if they were scorched by flames, gleaming slightly on the dark red cover.
"The show is about to begin, President END————"