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— Start of Beyond the Horizon Arc—
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[X780, A year later]
— Laxus Dreyar —
"So this is the place?" Laxus asked Freed.
"Yes, Laxus-sama. According to the directions sent by the client, this should be the hideout for the Dark Guild Mummy's Fear." The green-haired mage replied.
"It's quite funny that a guild named after the fearsome desert monster is stuck in the middle of a forest. How ironic." Evergreen commented as she fanned herself.
"Not very creative, I would say." Bickslow agreed as his totems kept chanting the end of his sentence.
The Thunder God Tribe had done a lot of missions in the past few years. Quickly being known as the strongest team in Fairy Tail, and himself regarded as one of its strongest mages.
He had changed much over the years, now much taller and muscular. A far cry from the sickly boy he used to be. The long coat that his best friend gifted him long ago is still draped over his shoulders, along with the headphones lacrima and the distinct lightning-bolt shaped scar on his right eye.
His tribe had also grown from the three stragglers he picked up after the slaver mission. Both in strength and mentality. They are all tried and tested mages, ones he had deemed worthy to be part of the new Fairy Tail he will one day lead.
"Let's just get this over with." Laxus declared as he approached the door of the guild. His arms charged with yellow lightning before he punched it forward, blowing the doors of its hinges.
This action caught the attention of everyone in the building. As the Thunder God Tribe entered, they were met with the members of Mummy's Fear, all stood up and ready.
Laxus announced. "Which one of you is the Guildmaster?"
As he asked the question. Laxus narrowed his eyes. There was something off about this. He realized that there were too many people here. He glanced at everything in the room, mentally counting the number of mages that fill the space.
There were thirty mages, which was the believed number that Mummy's Fear had. Which means that every single wizard they had in their employ was currently present. He wasn't worried about any danger, he knew Freed and the rest could easily clear out a bunch of weaklings like this.
What sent alarm bells in his head was the fact that everyone was here. In a guild, rarely does every member of the guild are present at the same time. The way jobs work would mean that most of the time, people are out and about doing their own things.
Which means something was going on, either they had something planned that required all members present, or someone else told them to do so.
One of the dark mages, who was an older man with a scraggly beard and had dark red hair and had a noticeable wolf motif decorating his clothes, didn't even hesitate and called out. "Fucking kill them!"
The response was instantaneous, numerous magical attacks were sent at the door, but they were all stopped. A blast of lightning was shot forward and easily canceled out the attacks.
"I'll take the master. Handle everything else." Laxus ordered his tribe as he moved. In a flash of lightning, he stood in front of the older man who gave the order. "So you are the Hungry Wolf. Fairy Tail and the Thunder God Tribe send their regards."
His words caused everyone within earshot to pale in fear. They recognized the names, Fairy Tail is famously known to be one of the strongest light guilds after all.
"What the fuck are you doing here?! We're just a small time dark guild dammit!"
"Don't care." Laxus remarked as his body sparked in electricity and he tapped his food forward. A large bolt of lightning then emerged from the heavens that pierced through the roof of the building that landed on the Hungry Wolf.
'Raging Bolt'
When the lightning dissipated, it revealed the charred form of the guild master. He wasn't dead yet, since Laxus still had questions that needed to be answered.
As the Hungry Wolf fell to his knees, Laxus picked him up by hair, pulling his head back and began interrogating him of all he knew. The questions he asked were about two things in particular. The first was regarding his suspicions about why the entire force of the guild was gathered. The second was about his father, Ivan Dreyar.
While this was happening, the Thunder God Tribe went to work. It was a three versus thirty situation, but none of them felt any hesitation or fear in themselves. Under Laxus and Dannis' tutelage, all three had grown strong in both mind and body.
Laxus and Dannis had saved their lives, so the three had long ago dedicated it to both their saviors. Laxus had told them to handle everything, and so they did so without hesitation.
The moment Laxus gave his order, Freed unsheathed his rapier instantly, his movement a blur to every dark mage in the area. Using the swordsmanship taught to him by the Dark Swordsman himself, he didn't even need to use his Jutsu Shiki as continued to beat down the dark mages mercilessly.
Bickslow was the same as he quickly gathered up his magic, his totems moving according to his will.
"Line Formation!"
The five totems gathered in midair and stood atop one another. A crescent-shaped beam of magic was launched towards the dark mages. A telekinetic mage tried defending themselves, pulling tables and chairs together to make a makeshift shield. But Bickslow merely grinned as the beam cut through it rather easily and hit the cluster of dark mages hiding behind it.
Evergreen supported her teammates from the back, much more suited for mid to long range combat. She kept her confident stance as she nonchalantly waved an arm towards a group of dark mages, the other arm still fanning herself.
A torrent of energy needles was released from her as she bombarded the dark mages from her position back in the entrance, not having taken a single step.
Many had taken note of this and believed Evergreen's reluctance for close combat to be a weakness, so they attempted to take down the supposed weak link of the team.
They rushed to her, only to suddenly be cut down by a rapier. A few others sent forth magical attacks, a mix of elements that made its way towards Evergreen. Only to be stopped by a barrier created by Bickslow's totems.
This was what made the Thunder God Tribe dangerous. Their years of working together had allowed a level of cohesion previously unseen in mages and wizards alike. Separated, each member was capable in their own right. But together, they were unstoppable.
This continued on for a while, and it didn't take long for every dark mage to be face down in the ground, all unconscious with numerous wounds covering their bodies.
As the last member fell, all three looked up to see Laxus finish interrogating the guild master before dropping him unceremoniously to the ground.
Laxus then turned around, saw the result of the clash between his team and the rest of the guild before simply nodding.
"Come on, let's get out of here. I've learned everything I needed to know."
"Of course, Laxus-sama." Freed replied as they followed their leader out the door.
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— Ivan Dreyar —
The Scrapyard's Den was a tavern located in the middle of nowhere, hidden amongst the foliages of the Greatswood, a large forest located on the Southwestern shores of Fiore.
It was here that the current event was underway, quite possibly the largest gathering of dark mages he's seen since his time.
Ivan sat on one of the corner tables, his sharp eyes studying every person in attendance. Everyone here was considered to be the scum of the earth, only a fool would drop their guard among such company.
He was accompanied by two members of his recently established guild, Nullpudding and Kurohebi. Both powerful mages in their own right.
Word had spread amongst the underground that a meeting was happening among the three most notorious dark guilds. Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart and Tartaros.
Raven Tail is not affiliated with any of them, and Ivan's pride refuses to actually bow down to any single one. But there's nothing wrong in knowing what these three titanic presences in the underworld have planned.
A gathering such as this was unprecedented, after all, there was no sense of loyalty amongst dark guilds. None of these people are anyone else's ally. They would sooner stab each other in the back than attempt to reach a common ground.
Case in point, a fight had just started inside the tavern. From what he could tell, the people involved were a mage from Skull Weavers and another mage from Bloody Axeman.
They were famous for having a rivalry that started when two mages from both guilds accepted the same job and killed each other in their attempt to finish it first. Ever since then, a fight would always erupt whenever mages carrying their guild marks appear in the same room.
"What are we gonna do, boss?" Nullpudding asked from his side, that wide grin always on his face.
"Absolutely nothing, let us just watch to see what unfolds."
The face off was getting more and more heated and it started to get the attention of everyone present.
"Now now, let's stop this meaningless bantering, shall we?" A cold and condescending voice cut through all the noise as a man made his appearance. He was tall and lean, dark, slanted eyes hidden behind the messy bangs of his long and wavy dark purple hair.
He clutched a book close to his chest, with a cruel smirk that sent chills into Ivan's spine. He didn't recognize him, but the sheer power Ivan sensed from him was staggering. It was even larger than Gildarts.
He was flanked by two women, one with a large helmet covering her face and the other that had two large gold horns that protruded from the sides of her head.
"Hah? Who the fuck are you?" the mage from Bloody Axeman sneered, his eyes wandering over the figures of the women.
Ivan noted the reaction of the Skull Weavers mage, who had lost all color in his face and was actively sweating. "K-Kyoka-sama!" he stammered. "I-I didn't–"
"You have wasted the time of the Underworld King. This one is severely disappointed," the helmeted woman, Kyoka, said coldly, raising an arm in the direction of the mage.
The atmosphere grew even more oppressive as another group made their entrance. Brain, the leader of Oración Seis, appeared flanked by Racer and Cobra. They laughed at the situation. "Drop that threat, Tartaros. The Bloody Axeman is a guild affiliated with us." Brain warned.
Before things could escalate once more, everyone in the room barring the two guild leaders had to take a sharp inhale as someone else made their entrance. One Ivan actually recognized.
"Hades, master of Grimoire Heart," Ivan muttered under his breath as the third group arrived, led by a tall, imposing man with piercing eyes. Hades was accompanied by Zancrow and Azuma, a look of menace from the former while the latter merely regarded everything stoically.
"Enough of this foolishness," Hades commanded, his presence immediately commanding the room. "Let us begin the meeting."
Mard Geer chuckled, his eyes gleaming with amusement. "Indeed. We have much to discuss. Stand down Kyoka." His order was met by a bow from the masked woman.
Mard Geer, Hades, and Brain moved to the center of the room, addressing the gathered dark mages.
"Oracion Seis, Tartaros, and Grimoire Heart are the three most powerful dark guilds that currently exist." Hades announced, his voice carrying a sinister edge. "In recent times, the light guilds have been dramatically rising in power. Their insistence on destroying dark guilds aplenty has been a thorn in our sides. So to combat this, we three have decided to create an alliance. To make sure that resources are not wasted simply fighting each other. We have enough problems as it is with Wizard Saints sniffing into our business."
"Each and everyone one of you worms who aren't yet affiliated with any of the three will now bow your heads as you work for us. We will receive tribute from each of your guilds, and in return you shall have the protection of the alliance." Mard Geer continued, his amused smirk ever present on his face.
"Every guildmaster will answer to a member of each of our guilds, and they will be responsible for your activities." Brain explained. "Those who refuse to answer a call to arms, will be dealt with efficiently."
The announcement sent waves of shock towards everyone in attendance. Slowly but surely, murmurs of protest rose from some of the dark guilds. Ivan wasn't any better, but he was smart enough to now show any of it vocally.
Unlike others, who even now cried out in defiance, each master of the defying guilds stepped forward with anger in their eyes. Ivan eyed some of them. The Black Serpents, Stampeders, and the Dark Tribe were among the ones he recognized.
"That's bollocks, is what I say! Who the fuck are you to tell us what to do?!"
Ivan knew they were making a mistake. None of them realized the extent of the power they were challenging.
Mard Geer, Hades, and Brain exchanged amused glances. There was a flash of movement, Ivan struggled to follow it.
A feeling of utter dread entered the minds of every dark mage present. Ivan glanced to his side to see both Kurohebi and Nullpudding down on their knees, trying their best to not puke from the putrid feeling in their stomachs.
Ivan was no better. He could barely even move. When the oppressive feeling went away, everyone looked up to a sight that would be etched into their memories for years to come.
The places where the dissenters were were now nothing more than pools of dark red. The floors, the walls. Everything was covered in a layer of blood, no doubt belonging to the remains of the dark guilds that spoke out earlier.
The room fell silent, the overwhelming display of strength leaving no doubt as to who held the power.
Eighty five dark guilds and thousands of dark mages had gathered at the Scrapyard's Den. By the time everything settled, twelve dark guilds and over two hundred lay dead, victims of the trio's might. The survivors looked on in stunned silence, no one daring to raise another word of protest.
The arrogant smirk that Ivan had already painted the master of Tartaros with was prevalent as the man turned around to face the survivors. "Anyone else?"
No else dared to utter another word. Ivan felt a bitter taste in his mouth as he reluctantly agreed to work under Oración Seis. This alliance changed everything. The dynamics of the underworld had undergone a massive change and he knew that Raven Tail would have to navigate this carefully, or else he'll end up just like the others.
On this day, the Balam Alliance had just been born. Ivan's mind ran wild, already thinking of ways on how to utilize this new development to his advantage.
He never noticed the eyes of Hades, narrowing in his direction.
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AN: Very meaty chapter here. A surprise Ivan POV as well. Since I wanted to expand on just how the Balam Alliance came to exist, I thought that Ivan was the perfect person to do a POV on for that exact reason.
Hope y'all enjoyed the chapter, cheers.