Floating on the surface of the sea, Calvin felt as if an inexplicable force had grabbed him around the waist, slowly lifting him up, drifting towards a certain figure.
The owner of the figure stood on the sea surface as though standing on land. He gazed at Calvin with fervent eyes while calmly muttering to himself.
"Let's find a place to properly settle him. This fellow's magic power has begun to recover..."
With these words, he reached into Calvin's embrace and took out a card. Examining the design on it, it was unmistakably the card of the Demon Bat Dragon.
With a pinch of his fingers, the man infused magic into the card and then flicked it away. In flight, the card transformed into the Demon Bat Dragon, soaring high into the air.
In one swift turn in the air, the Demon Bat Dragon passed over Calvin and the man. The man, holding Calvin, leaped gently onto the back of the Demon Bat Dragon and flew away into the distance.
On December 16th, X784, after the legendary final battle with the mysterious White Dragon, Acnologia, the Dragon of Apocalypse, destroyed Tenrou Island and vanished once again.
Following this, a six-month investigation was conducted in the sea area, yet no survivors were found.
Acnologia's reappearance instilled fear once more, showcasing unparalleled power to the world. As the first guild of the Fiore Kingdom, most of the key members were almost instantly wiped out.
Moreover, during the infiltration of Tenrou Island, Council member Doranbalt discovered that Zeref still existed. This only made all factions more nervous.
However, upon hearing this news, the Fiore Kingdom boldly initiated a plan.
Half a month after Acnologia destroyed Tenrou Island, on a remote mountain peak of the continent, seven figures stood discussing something.
"The seventh one has also appeared. Let's proceed to the next step." Among them, a cold voice spoke.
"Hmph! You're quite arrogant. Since when did you become our leader?" Another voice, somewhat frivolous, discontentedly retorted.
"I was the first one to come out. If that means I'm the leader, I don't see any problem with it." The owner of the cold voice paid no mind, speaking indifferently, as if stating a fact.
"So, you're being arrogant about the order we appeared in? Does that determine our positions?" Seemingly provoked by the cold voice, the frivolous speaker challenged.
"Enough, Avon. This isn't the time for arguments. Do you want to anger me?" At this moment, another rough voice spoke, filled with dissatisfaction.
"Valaev, with your current strength, you're undoubtedly the strongest among us. If you want to be the leader, I have no objection." The frivolous speaker immediately flattered, seemingly wary of the person he was addressing.
As the pointless chatter among the few escalated, another voice, sharp and thin, interjected. "This doesn't matter at all. Let's quickly discuss the next plan. Our goal is to revive our master, isn't it?"
"Hehe, Greed is right. I really hope to see our master soon. My heart is pounding so fast." Another voice, coquettish in tone, echoed in agreement.
"Disgusting. Shut up with your pretense!" Hearing this coquettish voice, Avon scornfully cursed.
At the edge, a figure, visibly impatient, spoke weakly, "Ugh, so annoying. Can't you all just get to the point?"
But his voice was too faint, ignored by everyone. He paid no mind, sighing lightly and continuing to rest with closed eyes.
At this point, Avon suddenly proposed, "We seven have different personalities, so there's no need to force ourselves to come together. How about each of us acts according to our own thoughts?"
"Wanting to resurrect our master, gathering our seven selves is definitely the fastest way. I won't allow anyone to disregard this for their own ideas. Understand, Avon," the person who initially spoke, his voice still icy, expressed strong dissatisfaction in his tone.
"What a detestable tone. Do you really think you're the boss here, Padri?" Avon snorted, speaking disdainfully.
The person referred to as Valaev by Avon seemed even more impatient. In a serious and warning tone, he said, "Avon, I know your nature, so I won't blame you. But if you continue to interrupt Padri, don't blame me for getting angry."
"Well... then I'll shut up, can I? Please, don't be angry, Lord Valaev," Avon said disinterestedly, seeing that everyone seemed to dislike him and chose to quietly listen.
"Alright, then I'll continue," Padri glanced at everyone and continued calmly.
"Before you all came out, I found a suitable place in the Fiore Kingdom, the Olux Mountains. I propose to make it our headquarters and establish a Dark Wizard Guild there."
"With our strength, we can quickly become the new leaders in the dark guilds. Then it'll be much simpler to collect negative emotions."
After hearing Padri's words, everyone fell silent for a moment. Then, one person who hadn't spoken throughout asked:
"So, what about this guy? Can we eat him?" Pointing at Calvin, who was unconscious in the middle, his eyes were filled with hunger.
Padri showed an obvious look of helplessness and patiently replied, "Gurufini, you should know Calvin's importance to us. We exist depending on him, and he's also an important vessel for the master. Don't let me hear you say such things again, or we'll all consider you a traitor!"
As he continued, Padri's tone became severe, his eyes flashing with an inexplicable, intimidating light.
After a moment of silence, Greed suddenly spoke, "Establishing a dark guild? I agree with this proposal. What about your thoughts?"
"Agreed."
"Agree."
"Sounds pretty good."
...
Seeing no objections from everyone, Padri nodded imperceptibly. At this point, Greed asked again, "Since we're establishing a guild, let's also decide on the guild's name and emblem."
"Do we even need to think about it? Have you forgotten our former renown?" Avon smirked.
"Avon's right. We don't need to hide. Let's just revert to our previous name," Padri nodded.
"The previous name? It's truly nostalgic..." Greed reminisced.
Padri looked at everyone and then solemnly declared, "If everyone agrees, I hereby announce that the Seven Deadly Sins are once again descending upon this world."
"I, Padri (Pride)!"
"I, Slovof (Sloth)!"
"I, Valaev (Wrath)!"
"I, Laust (Lust)!"
"I, Greed (Greed)!"
"I, Gurufini (Gluttony)!"
"I, Avon (Envy)!"
"We, the Seven Deadly Sins, hereby swear to make the resurrection of our master our top priority!"