“After so many centuries, it seems we have visitors in Tartaros once again…”
“Torafuzar, Tempester!”
“You two go and greet our guests.”
In the deepest part of Tartaros, within a room devoid of light, a black-haired youth sat with his legs crossed, holding a book with the large letters E.N.D. printed on the cover. This youth was Mard Geer, the acting leader of Tartaros. After sensing the death of the Hellhound and the unconsciousness of numerous soldiers, his eyes narrowed slightly as he gave his orders.
“Yes, sir.”
With Mard Geer’s command, a sturdy, fish-like demon and a dog-like beast demon appeared before him. They bowed slightly to their shadowed king and then darted towards the intruders in the guild.
Inside Tartaros, Evan led Mirajane and Seilah through ancient, wide hallways, lined with unconscious Tartaros soldiers who were foaming at the mouth. These soldiers, trying to defend the guild, had been overwhelmed by Evan’s conqueror’s haki, and now lay unconscious. Given the disparity in their mental strength, it would take these soldiers at least seven or eight days to wake up.
“Evan, where are these stronger demons you mentioned?” Mirajane asked, her hands clasped behind her head as she looked at the fallen half-demons with disinterest. Before coming to Tartaros, she might have been intrigued by them, but these lower demons held no appeal for her after absorbing the Hellhound’s power.
“Don’t rush~”
“Patience, Mirajane~”
Evan walked ahead, leading Mirajane and Seilah. Even though this was Seilah’s territory, it seemed like Evan was more familiar with the layout of Tartaros.
In truth, Seilah, who stayed at home criticizing human stories or immersed in her own creations, didn’t know the structure of Tartaros well. She rarely ventured out and didn’t care much about it. On the other hand, the moment Evan entered Tartaros, his immense observation haki scanned everything, giving him complete awareness of the layout instantly.
“….”
Behind them, Seilah remained silent, her face slightly flushed and her body trembling. As a member of Tartaros, she was now leading the way for the intruders, witnessing her comrades fall instantly. This gave her a deep sense of helplessness.
The most troubling thought for Seilah was how she would face her deceased comrades now that she had inadvertently become an accomplice to their defeat.
“Oh, we have company~”
Just as Seilah was fretting over how to explain herself, Evan, walking ahead of her, broke into a smile.
“Huh?!”
“That demon smiled!”
Seilah snapped out of her thoughts, her wide eyes focusing ahead.
“Whoosh~”
Accompanied by a gust of wind, a canine-like beast demon appeared before Seilah.
“It’s Tempester!”
Seilah immediately recognized the demon approaching with the wind.
“Human! I am the undying Tempester, sent by the great Mard Geer to execute you.”
“Before I execute you, human, you must understand the grave mistake you’ve made by challenging Tartaros!”
The canine-like demon glared at Evan, his voice filled with arrogance as he repeatedly called Evan “human,” much like Seilah had when they first met, believing himself to be a superior being.
“Tempester, run! This is not an enemy you can defeat!” Seilah’s anxious voice called out from behind Evan.
“Huh? That voice… Seilah?!”
Tempester, distracted by the familiar voice, looked behind Evan and saw the worried Seilah.
Tempester was confused. Why was Seilah, a fellow member of Tartaros, standing with the enemy?
“The undying Tempester? So impressive~ Are you really immortal?” Evan’s teasing voice echoed in Tempester’s ears.
“Hmm?”
Tempester turned towards the voice, only to see a black boot flying towards him.
“Boom!”
Before he could react, Tempester was sent flying, crashing through numerous walls before losing consciousness.
“Looks like you’re not really immortal after all~”
“Mirajane, absorb this so-called undying demon’s soul. While he’s not truly immortal, he’s tougher than the average demon. Absorbing his soul should boost your endurance.”
Evan lowered his foot and turned to Mirajane with a smile.
“Got it~”
Mirajane nodded and dashed towards the unconscious Tempester.
“Seilah, you did well! You successfully distracted him, making it easier for me to take him down. At least one percent of the credit goes to you~”
Evan smiled at Seilah, who was wide-eyed with shock.
“No, no, no…”
“I didn’t mean it like that!”
“Tempester, it’s my fault!”
Seilah clutched her head with her white hands, panicking. She had meant to warn Tempester, not help Evan!
She realized she wasn’t just leading the way but had become Evan’s accomplice.
“This isn’t just about how I’ll face my comrades; I can’t even look them in the eyes anymore…”
“Splish splash~”
“Seilah, I never thought you would betray Lord Mard Geer!”
“Damn you! We’re both creations of Zeref, members of Tartaros. Why would you betray E.N.D., our great master Zeref?! Answer me, Seilah!”
As Seilah panicked, a river of water appeared before her and Evan. A muscular fish-like demon emerged, yelling at Seilah.
“Torafuzar? No, I didn’t betray Lord Zeref. You misunderstand…”
Seilah nervously placed her hands on her chest, explaining to the fish-like demon before her. However, she didn’t explain about betraying Mard Geer and E.N.D.
She herself was unsure if she had betrayed Mard Geer and E.N.D., but she knew she hadn’t betrayed Lord Zeref, having seen Zeref and Evan talking happily.
“Enough talk! Your treason can only be atoned for with your death, for the sake of our fallen comrades…”
The fish-like demon Torafuzar glared at Seilah, deciding to kill the traitor before dealing with the intruders.
“Boom!”
Just as Torafuzar prepared to strike, Evan extended two fingers, aiming at Torafuzar. Several black beams shot out, piercing Torafuzar’s body.
“Ugh…”
Torafuzar coughed blood, his vision blurring as he fell backward.
“Scary~”
“Seilah, are all the Nine Demon Gates such monsters? Except for you, they all look like terrifying creatures.”
Evan looked at the fish-like demon, Torafuzar, now lying in a pool of his blood, and spoke calmly.
“Who’s the real monster here?”
Seilah watched in disbelief as Evan easily took down two of the Nine Demon Gates, Tempester and Torafuzar, known for their strength among demons, and couldn’t help but mutter.
“Mirajane, absorb this one too~”
“He looks like a fish, so he should be good at underwater combat. This will cover your weakness in water.”
Evan called Mirajane over.
“Coming~”
Mirajane, having absorbed Tempester’s soul, bounded over like an excited rabbit, kneeling beside Torafuzar’s body to absorb his soul.
“Once you absorb this one, we’ll go meet the mini-boss of Tartaros, Mard Geer~”
Evan smiled at Mirajane.
“Mard Geer? Is he strong?”
Mirajane’s eyes sparkled with excitement upon hearing about the mini-boss.
“If you can fully harness Mard Geer’s power, you could easily defeat Laxus. He wouldn’t be able to challenge you for at least five years~”
Evan thought for a moment before smiling at Mirajane.
“Suppress Laxus for five years?”
“Is Mard Geer really that strong? Is Tartaros hiding such a powerful being?”
Mirajane was shocked. She knew Laxus’s strength and rapid progress.
“Just the thought of absorbing Mard Geer’s power was exhilarating. However, if Mard Geer is only the mini-boss, how powerful must the main boss of Tartaros be?”
“If I absorb the main boss, could I even defeat Gildarts?”
Mirajane broke into a cold sweat, her thoughts overwhelming her.
“Haha, I thought Evan was making it look easy, but Tartaros must be hiding real monsters. How naive of me…”
“Wait, if the mini-boss is that strong, how powerful is the main boss?”
“If I absorb the main boss, I could even defeat Gildarts!”
Mirajane was excited by the thought of becoming one of the top five in the guild.
“No, you can’t absorb the main boss of Tartaros~”
“If you absorb the main boss’s soul, it could lead to family conflicts.”
Evan patted Mirajane’s head, looking a bit helpless.
The main boss of Tartaros? That guy’s still running around Fairy Tail stealing underwear~
“Huh? No absorbing the main boss’s soul? Evan, you’re so stingy~”
Mirajane pouted, feeling sulky.
“Relax! Just the Nine Demon Gates and the Hellhound’s power are enough for now.”
“Besides, there’s Mard Geer’s power. These demons’ powers will help you break past human limits and reach the top of the Saint Ten!”
“Many people dream of gaining such powerful magic to surpass their limits but can’t find a way. You’re getting a big advantage…”
“You can consider stronger demons once you can maintain the Hellhound’s power all day.”
Evan ruffled Mirajane’s hair, thinking he might spoil her too much.
Besides, stronger demons than Mard Geer might only be the Reaper Bradman and Larcade from the Spriggan 12.
And Natsu—he couldn’t let Mirajane absorb Natsu~
“Okay~”
Mirajane nodded, realizing that she couldn’t handle more powerful demons yet.
“What are they talking about?”
“Absorb Mard Geer? They must be mistaken. The Nine Demon Gates aren’t the full strength of Tartaros! Mard Geer is different, ruling Tartaros for centuries due to his overwhelming power, not comparable to us Nine Demon Gates…”
“He’s not just another demon; he’s the absolute devil in Tartaros!”
Seilah was stunned by Evan and Mirajane’s conversation as if Mard Geer was just a minor character to them.
Seilah admitted Evan was strong, but only at a human level. Mard Geer surpassed humanity and most demons, being the absolute ruler of Tartaros, just below E.N.D.
“What’s going on?”
Seilah’s face filled with terror as she felt something approaching.
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