"That's impossible!" Invel shouted.
At this point, he was beginning to suspect that something had happened to August and Irene themselves.
"It isn't," Irene replied with a sigh. "Do you think we believed Marco immediately? Our first response was to capture him and force him to explain."
Her expression darkened at the memory.
"We were defeated instantly. He then brought us to Ishgar and showed us the truth."
Although she hated admitting it, the difference between them and Marco had been immeasurable.
"I also met my daughter there," Irene continued. "August met his mother."
She no longer hesitated.
"August is His Majesty's true biological son—the child of Zeref and Mavis, Fairy Tail's First Guild Master."
The assembly hall went completely silent.
Then Larcade began to laugh.
"Hah... I understand now!"
He pointed at August, then at Irene, laughing so hard he nearly lost his breath.
"So that's what this is about! You want the throne!"
"I support August."
Jacob stepped forward immediately.
"So do I."
Brandish, who had remained uninvolved until now, lazily raised one hand.
She had little interest in political disputes, but August was obviously a better choice than the others—especially Larcade.
The difference between them was almost insulting.
"I suppose I support him too," Dimaria said after glancing between Irene and Brandish.
Irene had already declared her position, and Brandish stood with August as well.
Dimaria had no strong reason to oppose them.
The female members of the Twelve had always maintained relatively good relationships.
In the span of a few moments, four members had declared support for August.
The speed of it caught everyone off guard.
"August is really His Majesty's biological son?" Ajeel asked, still struggling to believe it.
Then he thought about August's ridiculous magical talent.
If that ability came from Zeref, it suddenly made much more sense.
The Magic King had always been unnaturally powerful. Being Zeref's son at least offered an explanation.
"So are we avenging His Majesty or not?" Neinhart asked impatiently.
He did not care who became emperor and had no interest in listening to a family drama.
He only wanted to know whether they were invading Ishgar.
What he wanted was bloodshed.
"August, are you truly refusing to avenge His Majesty?" Invel asked.
His meaning was obvious.
If August agreed to war, Invel would support his claim.
Otherwise, he would not.
"We cannot do it, Invel," August said firmly. "You would destroy the empire and plunge the Western Continent into suffering. His Majesty would never have wanted that."
He would not promise war against Ishgar merely to gain Invel's support.
It was a battle they could never win.
"Then there is nothing more to discuss."
Invel's answer was equally decisive.
Despite the respect he had always held for August, he would not compromise on this.
"We'll settle the matter through battle. Whoever wins will control the empire and decide whether we go to war."
He was determined to avenge Zeref.
If possible, he also intended to find a way to resurrect him.
He refused to accept August's version of events.
"Hahaha! Then let's fight!" Neinhart shouted, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Let's tear this place apart!"
He had wanted war with Ishgar for a long time.
Bloodman and Ajeel also belonged to the war faction. Both dreamed of conquering Ishgar and unifying the entire world beneath Alvarez.
"This is getting difficult..."
Dimaria looked conflicted.
She wanted war too, but she did not want to turn against her friends over it.
"Fighting among ourselves seems rather counterproductive..."
Wahl Icht, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke.
If the Spriggan 12 truly fought here, the empire itself could suffer catastrophic damage.
"How boring," God Serena said, casually cleaning one ear with a finger. "Is Marco really that powerful? Ishgar's mages are supposed to be weak."
He did not believe August's description.
God Serena had come from Ishgar himself, and not as some insignificant mage.
He had left only after reaching the top of the Ten Wizard Saints.
He refused to believe that Ishgar now possessed a mage powerful enough to humiliate both August and Irene.
He had never fought Marco, but that did not stop him from confidently deciding Marco could not defeat him.
Buzz.
Just as the Spriggan 12 divided almost evenly into two opposing sides and prepared to fight, a strange wave of power spread across the entire assembly hall.
Every member instantly became alert.
Their gazes snapped toward the center of the room.
Marco appeared there without warning.
He looked around at the gathered Spriggan 12 and slowly shook his head.
"I knew this would be too much for you two to handle peacefully."
His voice echoed through the hall.
"If all twelve of you start fighting here, the entire Western Continent will suffer."
Only then did the Spriggan 12 truly focus on his presence.
None of them had even realized that Marco had already walked a complete circle around the hall before stopping in the center.
...
Marco's arrival caught everyone by surprise.
Even August and Irene had not expected him to intervene.
The twin pillars of Alvarez had already been preparing to use force and wipe out every member of the opposing faction.
Within the Spriggan 12, August and Irene possessed overwhelming strength.
With Brandish, Jacob, and the others supporting them, the two sides might have looked evenly matched in numbers, but the outcome was never seriously in doubt.
Still, Marco had been right about one thing.
Once a battle of that scale began, no one would have the luxury of holding back.
The aftershocks alone could destroy the imperial capital, and if the fighting dragged on, the damage might spread across the entire continent.
Now that Marco had appeared, both August and Irene relaxed.
"If I hadn't come, this would've gotten completely out of hand," Marco explained with a smile. "If you could've settled things peacefully, I would've stayed away. But if fighting was unavoidable, it was easier for me to come and end it myself."
He glanced around the hall.
"I've never cared much for fighting. I just enjoy stopping other people from fighting. So listen to me, give up quietly, and don't waste everyone's time."
His eyes settled on Larcade and Invel.
They were the two main problems.
One was a demon who believed he was Zeref's son and therefore the rightful heir to the empire.
The other was Zeref's most fanatical supporter, whose mind had become consumed by revenge the moment his emperor died.
The remaining troublemakers, such as Ajeel and Neinhart, were simply eager for battle. Beating some sense into them would be enough.
"Marco... Dreyar!"
The moment Invel saw him, rage overwhelmed every trace of reason.
He had always been intelligent, calm, and disciplined, but anything involving Zeref stripped all of that away.
Invel had stubbornly convinced himself that Marco was responsible for the emperor's death.
"Fanatics really are terrifying..."
Marco sighed.
"Die!"
Invel attacked without hesitation.
The Winter General immediately unleashed his strongest combat form.
Ice spread over his body, shaping itself into a suit of frozen armor, while a sword of solid ice formed in his hand.
He charged straight at Marco and swung for his neck.
Marco calmly raised one hand as Invel reached him, his palm facing the approaching mage.
The Aquarius Gold Cloth shone around his body.
Buzz!
A torrent of freezing Cosmo erupted from Marco's palm and swept toward Invel.
A mocking smile appeared on the Winter General's face.
Using ice against him?
That was almost insulting!
He was the greatest ice mage in the Alvarez Empire. Marco was challenging him in the very field he had mastered.
Crackle!
Invel did not dodge.
He raised his frozen sword and charged directly into the wave of cold.
The result was immediate.
Ice swallowed him from head to toe, transforming the Winter General into a frozen statue.
He remained locked in the middle of his attack, sword raised and one foot forward, with the same confident smirk still frozen on his face.
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