Fairy Tail: Collapsing Stars

Chapter 356: The Alvarez Empire? Just Another Fairy Tail Branch

Ishgar Continent – former headquarters of the guild Tartaros.

What was once a towering mountain range had been reduced to rubble. The valley that once existed was now a wide, flattened plain, obliterated by a single punch from Evan. A fat old man stood in the ruins, his eyes burning with fury.

”Whether it was Grimoire Heart or Tartaros… They were once hailed as the strongest, most mysterious dark guilds in Ishgar. And yet, they were all wiped out by Fairy Tail?!”

Stomping through the wreckage, the old man spat out his words with disdain, his tone thick with contempt for both Grimoire Heart and Tartaros.

”Tch! So even dark guilds canʼt be relied on. If I want to destroy Fairy Tail and the Magic Council, Iʼll have to come up with a plan myself.”

The old man glared coldly at the desolate ruins, his words filled with boundless hatred for both Fairy Tail and the Council.

His name was Crawford Seam, former Chairman of the Magic Council. But thanks to Evanʼs Fairy Tail Council Branch Reform Plan…

After Warrod, one of the founders of Fairy Tail and current fifth-ranked Wizard Saint, came out of retirement, he, along with Rob, Yajima, Org, and Jellal, had ousted Crawford from his position. Humiliated, he had slunk away from the Council and gone into hiding in the mountains.

But Crawford Seam was not satisfied. As the former Chairman, he had grown used to power, being surrounded by it, using it, commanding it. Having it all stripped from him was unacceptable.

So, during his time in office, Crawford had used his access to ancient texts to gather knowledge, and with it, he had contacted Tartaros, known as the most mysterious dark guild on Ishgar, founded by the legendary dark mage Zeref.

After sharing intel about Nirvana and Face with them and witnessing the terrifying strength of the demons, Crawford became fully confident that Tartaros would succeed in crushing Fairy Tail and the Council.

Satisfied, he returned to his secluded mountain retreat, certain that Fairy Tail and the Magic Council would soon be destroyed. After all, the demons of Tartaros were said to be creations of Zeref himself.

But then, seven or eight months passed…

And not only were Fairy Tail and the Council still thriving, under Evanʼs leadership, they were now more powerful than ever.

This baffled and enraged Crawford. For months, he had waited for someone from Tartaros to inform him that his enemies had been wiped out, but no such news ever came.

Eventually, he did receive an update. Unfortunately, it wasnʼt the destruction of Fairy Tail or the Council.

It was the destruction of Tartaros.

Yes, rather than hear of their victory, Crawford learned that the Magic Council, led by Warrod, had officially announced that both Grimoire Heart and Tartaros had been destroyed by Fairy Tail. Peace had returned to the continent.

When he heard this, Crawford was shocked. He didnʼt want to believe it. So he came to the site of Tartarosʼs former base himself…

And found nothing but ruins.

Standing there now, the former Chairman felt a chill in his soul, and made a new decision.

”Heh… The true threat to Ishgar was never some dark guild.”

”The real threat… is the mighty Alvarez Empire from the Western Continent!”

Indeed, as a former Chairman, Crawford knew of the existence of the empire across the sea.

”Just wait, Fairy Tail…”

”Wait for me, Magic Council…”

”When I return from the Western Continent, I will reclaim everything that was taken from me!”

With grand ambition in his heart, Crawford swore vengeance. ”Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west, never underestimate an old man with nothing to lose!”

And so, with plans in mind, Crawford left the ruins of Tartaros and set off to travel to the Western Continent.

One month later…

While the rest of the world, and all of Ishgar, was abuzz discussing the newly named Ten Wizard Saints…

Crawford Seam finally arrived on the Western Continent.

Another month passed. After countless twists and turns, he finally reached the capital of the Alvarez Empire, the domain of Zeref himself.

To his shock, he was not only allowed into the capital, but welcomed into the royal palace as an honored guest.

Why? Because Crawford claimed to be the former Chairman of Ishgarʼs Magic Council, and said he had the knowledge and power to help Alvarez conquer Ishgar.

Inside a lavish conference room…

Crawford sat with two elderly men, one short and eggplant-shaped, leaning heavily on a massive cane, looking as if heʼd collapse without it, the other clad in a pale violet robe, with a long white beard and hair, holding a wooden staff.

”Mr. Crawford Seam, allow me to introduce you to August, the Magic King and one of the leaders of the Alvarez Empire. Please repeat your proposal in front of Lord August.”

The eggplant-shaped elder smiled at Crawford and gestured to the imposing, staff-wielding man beside him.

Indeed, the man exuding overwhelming presence was none other than August, the Magic King.

”Ah yes, you must be Mr. Crawford Seam. Iʼve heard of your situation.”

”You claim to have a way to help us conquer Ishgar. Iʼd love to hear what you have in mind.”

August smiled calmly as he addressed Crawford, who sat across from him.

”So powerful! What is this magic?! Itʼs like Etherion, no, even greater! Are there really mages this strong in the world?!”

”If this man helps me, Iʼll finally be able to destroy Fairy Tail and the Magic Council. As for the Wizard Saints of Ishgar? Theyʼre trash compared to this monster!”

Crawfordʼs face twisted in awe and terror as he sensed Augustʼs magical pressure. Heʼd met many Wizard Saints, Makarov, Jose Porla, even Warrod Shinken, with whom heʼd worked daily.

And while Warrod had already struck him as terrifyingly powerful, that was before Crawford met August.

Now, he understood why this man was called the Magic King.

Compared to August, Warrod, the demons of Tartaros, everyone, was like an ant.

”Mr. Crawford Seam.”

August, still composed, called out gently to the stunned Crawford, who had gone silent.

”Ah? Oh…”

”Ahem, let me explain then…”

Snapped back to reality by Augustʼs voice, Crawford realized heʼd been staring in awe. The sheer magic radiating from August had overwhelmed him, it wasnʼt human. It was divine.

Still, Crawford was once the Chairman of the Council. Within a few breaths, he regained composure.

”Regarding the conquest of Ishgar, I believe there are two primary obstacles standing in the Alvarez Empireʼs way.”

Crawfordʼs lips curled into a confident smile. He raised two fingers, deliberately mysterious.

”Oh?”

August nodded slightly, intrigued.

”And what might those be?”

August appeared curious, though in truth he already knew the answers, Irene and Selene, the two most powerful beings on the continent.

But he didnʼt expect someone of Crawfordʼs level to know about them. So he asked anyway.

”Two organizations,” Crawford said. ”Both extremely powerful…”

”The first organization is the one that ousted me, the Magic Council ERA. That council holds countless terrifying weapons, like the strategic magic Etherion, which can obliterate an entire country in an instant, and the ancient weapon Face, capable of wiping out the worldʼs magic.”

”If the Alvarez Empire canʼt neutralize the Magic Council, I fear your conquest of Ishgar will end in failure…”

As a former Chairman of the Magic Council, Crawford Seam knew what he was talking about. In just a few sentences, he laid out the full strategic threat ERA posed before August.

”Etherion and Face, huh?”

”I see. If those two are truly as powerful as you claim, then yes, they do represent a significant threat to our Alvarez Empire.”

August nodded lightly. Though he personally didnʼt take such weapons seriously, he acknowledged that from Crawfordʼs perspective, they were a genuine concern. Still, what intrigued August more was the second obstacle Crawford was about to mention.

”Impressive, Magic King. It seems you already understand the danger they pose.”

”Since thatʼs clear, I wonʼt elaborate further…”

”Now allow me to focus on the second thing powerful enough to obstruct the Alvarez Empireʼs invasion of Ishgar.”

Crawford could tell August was no fool, he understood the risks of Etherion and Face and could prepare accordingly. So Crawford didnʼt belabor the point.

”Iʼm listening…”

August nodded, genuinely curious now about this second major threat.

”The second threat is a mage guild…”

Crawford said this calmly, but the moment August heard the words ”mage guild,” he felt a strange unease.

”This guild is called Fairy Tail.”

”A vile, evil guild that hides behind the mask of light. No other guild in the world is darker than Fairy Tail…”

Before August could even react, Crawford pressed on.

”What?”

August frowned. His premonition was coming true.

Without showing his emotions, August gave a slight nod to the older man beside him.

”…”

The elder immediately understood and left the room silently.

Crawford paid him no mind and continued speaking, pouring out his long-harbored resentment.

”So how evil is Fairy Tail, you ask?”

”They traffic humans, betray their teachers, beat up the elderly, disrespect books, burn knowledge! They even destroyed a 400-year-old library without a second thought!”

”The worst part? I, Crawford Seam, former Chairman of the Magic Council ERA, was just sitting there, enjoying hotpot and singing songs, doing absolutely nothing… and I was kicked out of the Council by those demons from Fairy Tail!”

”They took over the Council like bandits! Unbelievable!”

”Especially that one called Evan, Evan Belserion. Despite having the most noble surname, he does nothing civilized. If heʼs not throwing meteorites or demolishing cities, heʼs throwing more meteorites and demolishing more cities! Savage! A complete monster!”

Crawford raged on, venting all his pent-up bitterness.

August remained silent the entire time.

Even when Crawford insulted Evan, August didnʼt flinch. In fact… he almost looked amused.

”And thatʼs not all…”

”I couldnʼt understand how Fairy Tail could behave like such thugs. So I dug deeper. I researched. And I found something shocking!”

”The reason Fairy Tail is so barbaric? The rot goes all the way to the roots. Their founders themselves are the problem, serious ones.”

At this, Augustʼs expression finally changed. His brows furrowed, something clearly stirring within him.

”The four founders of Fairy Tail, Mavis Vermillion, Precht Gaebolg, Warrod Sequen, and Yuri Dreyar, not a single decent person among them!”

As Augustʼs brow twitched further, Crawford kept going.

”Yuri Dreyar? Died young. Canʼt say much about the man himself, but he was the father of current Guild Master Makarov. And if the sonʼs trash, chances are the father was too!”

”Warrod? A thug. He stole my position, pure banditry! I even heard he and Yuri were literal bandits in their youth. Makes sense. Once a thief, always a thief…”

”Precht Gaebolg, Fairy Tailʼs second master? I know his roots. After leaving Fairy Tail, he founded the dark guild Grimoire Heart. He became its master! An absolute villain…”

”And the worst of them all, Mavis. She may look innocent on the outside, but who knows what she was like behind closed doors? Sheʼs been dead for years, and yet Warrod and Precht still pine for her. She had to be some master seductress, a total b*tch!”

Crawford rambled on and on, spouting his conspiracy theories.

Crack, 

At the exact moment Crawford insulted Mavis, a loud snap rang out. August had broken his staff in half.

”Eh? Whatʼs wrong? Did you also sense Fairy Tailʼs evil, Lord August?”

Crawfordʼs eyes lit up as he looked at Augustʼs broken staff. He assumed August was resonating with his hatred for Fairy Tail.

But then, 

”Mr. Crawford Seam, this guild you mentioned… does it have this insignia?”

August raised his hand and pulled off his glove, revealing the Fairy Tail emblem on the back of his hand.

”Ah, yes, yes! Thatʼs the one! I wouldnʼt mistake that symbol even if I went blind…”

Crawford grinned, until the words caught in his throat.

Because then, it finally clicked.

”Wait… why… why do you have Fairy Tailʼs mark on your hand…?”

Crawfordʼs lips turned dry. He had just stumbled upon something deeply terrifying.

”Yes, why indeed?”

”Why would the leader of the Alvarez Empire have Fairy Tailʼs insignia on his hand? Strange, isnʼt it?”

August looked at him with a cold, mocking smile.

His gaze was no longer that of a patient listener, but of a man staring at a corpse.