Chapter 88: Jose: I Refuse to Believe There's a Connection Between the Legendary Tartaros and Fairy Tail!

"Damn it!"

"Now I finally understand why this Fairy Tail guild behaves so similarly to dark mages! They must be part of a dark mage guild..."

"This is the first time I've seen a sub-guild of a guild of light mages open a branch in the dark magic world and become the top guild in the dark magic world."

"Wait! Fairy Tail is the number one guild among light mages, while Grimoire Heart is the number one dark mage guild!"

"Could Precht be playing a much bigger game here?!"

"Is Fairy Tail trying to unify both the light and dark realms of magic?!"

In that moment, Jose panicked. He knew too much and feared that this old monster, Precht, would kill him to silence him.

"At this point, I have no choice but to fight my way out!"

"No matter what, I am still one of the Ten Wizard Saints!"

"Sure, there's a gap between me and an old monster like Precht who has lived for hundreds of years, but that gap isn't insurmountable."

"If I can just use my phantoms to buy me one second of time! No, even just 0.1 seconds would be enough for me to escape..."

Within seconds, countless thoughts flashed through Jose's mind, and he made a decision—even if it meant dying, he had to give it a try. Who knows, maybe he'd actually manage to escape?

As for fighting Precht head-on and defeating him, Jose didn't dare to entertain such thoughts.

As if he would dare fight against this legendary Precht?!

Even before he was born, this man before him had already been known to have power that far exceeded the Ten Wizard Saints.

"Phantom Soldiers!"

Jose swung his hand, summoning countless phantoms to attack Precht.

"Now's my chance…"

The instant the phantoms summoned by Jose Pollux surrounded Precht, he didn't hesitate, using all his speed to rush out of Precht's study.

"Buzz!"

But just as Jose turned, he was surrounded by various magic sigils that dazzled his eyes.

"Could this be the legendary super-destructive magic array, Amaterasu Formula?!"

Looking at the intricate patterns on the sigils that had enveloped him in an instant, Jose's mind raced, barely managing to identify the origin of this array.

"Impossible! How could anyone write the Amaterasu Formula so quickly?!"

"And how could anyone in this world manipulate so many of these arrays at once?!"

Jose's uncertainty stemmed from the fact that he had never seen anyone write an Amaterasu Formula in such a short time, let alone manipulate so many of them simultaneously, weaving them together to attack.

"Boom!"

With a thunderous roar…

After taking Precht's attack head-on, Jose Porla collapsed to the ground.

In an instant, all his combat power drained away, his magic completely depleted from his body. His limbs were stiff and powerless—he didn't even have the strength to stand up, let alone escape.

"Don't be surprised…"

"It's merely Amaterasu 28."

"It won't take your life; it'll just make you lose the ability to fight and move for a while, that's all."

"After all, using Amaterasu 100 in such a small space would destroy this entire magic tower along with all the documents and books I've collected over the years…"

Precht explained casually.

"Monster."

Blood trickled from Jose's mouth as he lay on the floor, looking at Precht, who was still seated on the throne, calm and graceful as ever, without even bothering to stand up to stop his escape. Jose's eyes were filled with fear.

He was one of the Ten Wizard Saints, chosen by the Magic Council ERA, one of the top ten strongest wizards in Ishgar! At just thirty-five years old, he was considered strong enough to rival Makarov. And now, he'd been crushed with a single blow. Was this what they meant by "there is always someone better"?

"Heh, boring little tricks."

"I had stopped using such low-level magic when I was thirty."

Precht dismissed the phantoms Jose had summoned with a wave, calmly sipping red wine from a goblet by his side without even glancing at the collapsed Jose.

"Since you've attacked me…"

"Then I think you know very well the consequences you'll have to face, no matter the reason, right?!"

Precht set down the goblet and looked at the half-dead Jose lying on the ground.

"Disappear."

Precht was done talking. He raised his hand, preparing to send Jose Porla to his demise.

"Wait!"

"Please, just a moment!"

Just as Precht was about to strike the final blow, Crawford Seam suddenly stood up from the ground, positioning himself between Jose and Precht.

"Move..."

"Do not make me say it again."

"I will count to three..."

"By the time I reach three, if you are still here, I'll assume you wish to die, and I'll kill both you and that Phantom brat."

"...Three!"

As Precht spoke, magic swelled at his fingertip, ready to kill both Crawford and Jose right there.

"Master Precht, I beg you to spare us, considering all the ancient weapon information I've given you."

Crawford pleaded, kneeling before Precht with trembling fervor.

"Oh? Weren't you asking me to help you take down Fairy Tail?"

Precht's gaze grew colder.

"I was mistaken! I had no idea of your connection to Fairy Tail! Please allow me to retract my request and give me another chance…"

Crawford continued his plea, bowing his head repeatedly.

"Your information only entitles you to retract that request…" Precht replied coldly. "If you wish to survive, it's not enough."

Precht's finger still glowed with magic, showing no sign of intending to spare Crawford and Jose.

"I'm well-versed in ancient languages! I know how to break the seals on Nirvana and the Phoenix—those ancient weapons! I also hold chairman-level authority within the Magic Council and can control Etherion and Face!"

Crawford's eyes turned, and he quickly proclaimed his skills loudly to Precht. He knew he had to prove he was worth something if he wanted to live.

"You qualify..."

"But what about him?!"

Hearing Crawford's offer, Precht's frown relaxed slightly. As Crawford had mentioned, he still found him useful.

"Master Precht, no matter what, Jose is one of the Ten Wizard Saints and also the master of Phantom Lord—the second-ranked guild in Fiore, second only to Fairy Tail…"

"As you said before, the greatest darkness is light itself! I think you need an agent in the world of light magic—just like the current Fairy Tail guild! So, I think Jose and his Phantom Lord can be your agents and serve you from now on…"

Crawford said anxiously, voicing his thoughts to Precht.

Whether his words would persuade Precht, even Crawford himself didn't know.

"Interesting!"

Precht's eyes narrowed slightly as he considered Crawford's words.

"Alright! We'll do it your way."

Ultimately, Precht agreed to Crawford's request.

Of course, it wasn't because Precht saw value in Jose's strength or potential. He simply wanted to spite the now long-dead founders of the Blue Skull guild.

As Precht had said, Blue Skull was the predecessor of Phantom Lord and a sworn enemy of Fairy Tail.

The birth of the Phantom Lord guild was driven by the original Blue Skull founders' defeat at the hands of Precht and his people—they were forced to disband their guild, but they had refused to give up. They formed a new guild for the sole purpose of seeking revenge against Fairy Tail.

But what if the Phantom Lord guild, instead of defeating Fairy Tail, became a branch of Fairy Tail?!

"Heh heh heh..."

Precht couldn't help but chuckle at the thought of those Blue Skull founders' despair if they could see the guild they nurtured for generations ultimately being absorbed by Fairy Tail.

Too bad they died too early...

If only they were alive, Precht would love to see their faces as they watched their own guild swallowed up by Fairy Tail.

That would be far worse than killing them.

And so.

"As you both wish!"

"Bear the mark of Grimoire Heart!" Under Precht's coercion and display of overwhelming power, Jose Porla and Crawford were forcibly branded with the Grimoire Heart symbol! This left Jose speechless. Being forced to bear another guild's mark was akin to NTR! No, this was practically on the level of rape!

As for Fairy Tail's emblem, even if Jose Porla and Crawford had wanted to join, Precht wouldn't have granted it.

There was no other reason—they simply didn't deserve it!

"Jose Porla…"

"I want you to manage Phantom Lord well for me!"

"In time, I will send Grimoire Heart members to your guild to infiltrate the world of light mages in broad daylight."

Precht looked at Jose with mockery in his eyes.

"As you wish!"

Jose was beyond miserable, with the Grimoire Heart emblem forcibly branded on him, along with seals placed by Precht to prevent any betrayal.

Not that Jose had the courage left to betray—not after being effortlessly defeated.

"Oh, by the way!"

"The name Phantom Lord sounds too unpleasant."

"A light mage guild should have a name that reflects light!"

"Change it as soon as you return!"

"The new name of the guild will be… Lumen's Guardians."

Precht wasn't asking for Jose's opinion—it was a command.

At the same time, Precht openly displayed his longing for Mavis - "Lumen" means "starlight" and is also another name for the infinite power source Fairy Heart. The meaning behind "Lumen's Guardians" was self-evident.

"You, Blue Skull, wanted to eradicate Fairy Tail?!"

"This old man will make your disciples and their descendants serve as guardians of Fairy Tail for all eternity."

"Heh heh heh…"

Precht showed no change in expression, but he laughed manically inside, ridiculing the Blue Skull founders for being so weak and always losing to Fairy Tail—even Phantom Lord lost to Fairy Tail.

It was a life of defeat, a lifetime of resentment…

"As you wish…"

Jose broke into a cold sweat, having no courage to resist Precht.

This old man was too powerful.

"Alright, now get lost!"

Precht seemed tired, dismissing Jose and Crawford.

"Understood."

Jose was filled with rage, but there was nothing he could do about it. After all, he was too cowardly.

So, Jose and Crawford left quietly, leaving the so-called Grimoire Heart—a guild that read as the ultimate dark guild in Ishgar, but essentially operated as a Fairy Tail branch.

"Goodbye."

This time, the one seeing them off wasn't Jellal, the blue-haired boy they had previously met, but another young man—one who was almost as talented as Jellal, with potential only slightly inferior. In Jose's eyes, this boy also had the chance to enter the Ten Wizard Saints.

This boy's name was Macbeth, and Brian had originally planned to give him the code name "Midnight," making him a vital member of the Six Demon Generals (Oración Seis) in the future dark guild he would establish. But Brian had been killed by Ian, and these talented youngsters ended up under old Precht's wing.

"It's not fair! Not fair at all…"

"Why is the world so partial to Fairy Tail?"

"Why?!"

Jose was filled with jealousy. He couldn't understand why all these promising young talents either joined Fairy Tail or its branch, Grimoire Heart. The heavens were unfair, giving his guild nothing but mediocrity…

Oh, he had almost forgotten—his guild, Phantom Lord, had disbanded.

Now it was renamed 'Lumen's Guardians'—the guardians of the 'fairies.'

He was now just the leader of a branch guild under Fairy Tail.

Jose felt like crying. He had been beaten by Fairy Tail twice in a year! He had thought that joining the strongest dark guild on the continent to deal with Fairy Tail would help him, but it turned out that this dark guild was actually run by Fairy Tail?!

In the end, not only did he nearly die, but his reputation was utterly destroyed. He went from being on equal footing with Makarov as the leader of Phantom Lord to being Makarov's junior's junior.

One of the Ten Wizard Saints, Jose's status had plummeted twice in mere minutes. It was ridiculous.

What a mess!

"Jose, I'm truly sorry for this."

"I never thought it would end like this…"

"It seems we can't count on Grimoire Heart anymore."

Crawford leaned on his cane, looking distressed.

"..."

Jose didn't even want to look at Crawford.

Sure…

Crawford had indeed saved his life earlier, and Jose acknowledged that.

But if Crawford hadn't dragged him to Grimoire Heart seeking assistance, he wouldn't have met Precht—who had vanished from the continent for years—and nearly been killed!

"Our last hope is the most mysterious dark guild in Ishgar, also one of the oldest guilds in the world: Tartaros!"

"Legend has it that Tartaros, also known as the 'Bookshelf of Zeref,' is a dark guild entirely composed of demons from Zeref's books. It's probably even more dangerous than Grimoire Heart, but it's our last hope."

Crawford spoke with determination.

He had saved Jose not out of the kindness of his heart—he simply valued Jose's strength.

Having one of the Ten Wizard Saints by his side gave him confidence in negotiations with the dark guilds.

"Do you think I trust you anymore?"

Jose shot a cold glance at Crawford.

This time, thanks to Crawford, he had not only lost his guild but almost his life!

What would he lose next time?!

"Jose, you have to trust me!"

"Tartaros was founded even earlier than Fairy Tail. There's no way they're connected to Fairy Tail!"

"Moreover, Tartaros's members are demons from Zeref's books—I refuse to believe that Fairy Tail could possibly be connected to the legendary Black Mage Zeref!"

"If we get Tartaros's help and acquire black magic from Zeref's books, not even Fairy Tail and Grimoire Heart combined could stand against us."

Crawford, the former chairman of the Magic Council, truly had a gift for painting grand dreams.

"Heh..."

"Tartaros is different from Grimoire Heart—they're elusive across the continent. Come talk to me when you actually locate them."

"Crawford, you owe me. I've already lost the Phantom Lord guild I've run for years because of you. What can you possibly give me to make up for that?!"

Jose smirked coldly, keeping his distance from Crawford.

But just as Crawford had said…

Jose refused to believe that Fairy Tail had any connection to Tartaros—the guild said to be Zeref's bookshelf and the most mysterious dark guild in Ishgar! He also refused to believe that Fairy Tail was somehow linked to the legendary Black Mage Zeref!

Meanwhile...

Within the dark guild Grimoire Heart's massive magic tower…

After Jose and Crawford left, Grimoire Heart's officers gathered.

Among them were Macbeth (Midnight), Sawyer (Racer), Sorano Agria (Angel), Erik (Cobra), and Richard (Hoteye)—originally intended to be members of the Six Demon Generals.

Alongside them stood four of the Purgatory Seven Kin: Zancrow, Rustyrose, Kain Hikaru, and Azuma.

Taking over Ultear's former position as the leader of the Seven Kin—now Ten Kin—was, of course, Jellal Fernandes.

Just as Jose Porla had bitterly noted, Fairy Tail monopolized the talents of the world—Grimoire Heart, as Fairy Tail's branch, received the second most. The remaining magic guilds across Ishgar shared what was left.

"Everyone, let us raise our glasses to the greatness of the fairies!"

Precht spoke, raising his goblet high. When these talented children grew into his pawns in the near future, along with the powerful pieces Makarov had gathered—Gildarts, Ur, and Ian—and the power of ancient weapons...

Precht refused to believe that even under these circumstances, he wouldn't be able to protect Mavis, whom he treasured so dearly, from the Alvarez Empire.

Yes, the kindest and most adorable Mavis in the universe would be guarded by Precht Gaebolg.