Everything happened in less than a second.
Before the rest of the Spriggan 12 could react, Invel had already been defeated without the slightest chance to resist.
A deathly chill settled over the assembly hall.
"Please spare him!"
August was the first to recover and quickly called out.
He reacted faster than the others because he had already seen a glimpse of Marco's true strength.
Irene was equally quick to understand what had happened, but she felt no particular urge to beg for Invel's life.
"Invel is a good man when he isn't acting irrationally," August continued. "He's extremely capable, and he has governed the empire well. Once he calms down, he'll understand."
The Winter General had always been an outstanding administrator whenever Zeref was not involved.
Under his management, the enormous Alvarez Empire had remained remarkably organized.
August did not want to lose such a valuable official.
Marco looked at him for a moment before nodding.
Invel's problem was not particularly difficult to solve. He simply needed to see Zeref and hear the truth from the emperor himself.
A fanatic would naturally listen to the person he worshipped.
Besides, anyone capable of helping govern an empire the size of Alvarez clearly possessed genuine ability.
August's desire to keep him was understandable.
"Next."
Marco left the frozen Invel where he stood and turned toward Larcade.
Buzz!
Larcade's expression darkened, but he refused to retreat.
White tendrils burst from the floor beneath Marco and twisted around his legs.
Bang!
Marco did not move.
The tendrils exploded before they could touch him.
"Damn it!"
Larcade cursed and immediately used one of his strongest abilities.
Everyone in the hall had already seen enough to understand how dangerous Marco was.
There was no reason to waste time testing him with weaker spells.
"R.I.P."
Larcade's magic controlled human desire.
The white tendrils he had summoned could overwhelm anyone they touched with unbearable physical pleasure, robbing them of the will or ability to fight.
R.I.P. was even more dangerous.
It spread irresistible drowsiness throughout a wide area.
Anyone who closed their eyes would fall into an eternal sleep and die without ever waking again.
"Hah..."
Marco laughed softly.
The armor around his body changed, transforming into the Lyra Silver Cloth.
He brushed his fingers across the strings of the lyre in his hands.
The melody of Stringer Nocturne filled the hall.
Larcade instantly froze.
His body began to sleep.
Then his mind followed.
Finally, even his soul sank into silence.
Within moments, every trace of his presence disappeared.
Although his body still stood there, it felt as though he had been removed from the river of time and cast outside the boundaries of reality itself.
Marco waved a hand.
Larcade vanished into his private dimension.
He was still an Etherious, after all.
Marco could bring him back to Fairy Tail and let Mirajane Take Over his power.
There was no reason to waste a useful demon.
"Next."
Still smiling, Marco turned toward Neinhart, Ajeel, God Serena, and Bloodman.
"Who else wants to fight?" he asked calmly. "Is anyone still dissatisfied?"
Marco stood in the center of the room without releasing any visible pressure.
He wore an easy smile and displayed no threatening aura.
Even so, all four members of the Spriggan 12 took several instinctive steps backward.
"Hah... Hahaha." Ajeel laughed awkwardly. "What would be the point? Master Marco's strength is truly..... insane, I can't defeat you, so I surrender."
The Desert King spread his hands.
"If we'd known Ishgar had someone as powerful as you, we never would've considered invading in the first place."
Ajeel was aggressive and loved battle, but he was not stupid.
Marco had defeated Invel and Larcade instantly by surpassing them in their own specialties.
That was even more terrifying than August's usual method of fighting.
The Magic King could analyze an opponent's spell, improve it, and use a superior version against its original owner.
But even August could not have instantly defeated Invel with ice or put Larcade to sleep with a stronger sleep technique.
Ajeel understood the situation perfectly.
If he could not win, there was no point in getting beaten for the sake of pride.
Surrendering early might at least save him some pain.
"Very good." Marco smiled. "A wise man knows when to step back."
Ajeel was more interesting than expected.
He knew how to act arrogantly when he held the advantage and how to lower his head when the situation turned against him.
That required its own kind of intelligence.
The Desert King casually walked over to August and Irene's side, greeting the others with a cheerful smile as though he had supported them from the beginning.
He did not look embarrassed in the slightest.
Brandish's mouth twitched.
Dimaria burst out laughing.
Her eyes remained fixed on Marco with obvious excitement.
She was another battle fanatic who loved fighting and challenging strong opponents. S
he had sided with August only because the people closest to her were already supporting him.
Otherwise, Dimaria probably would have joined the war faction.
She had no great desire to conquer Ishgar, but the prospect of fighting its strongest mages to the death sounded entertaining to her.
Neinhart looked at Ajeel with open contempt.
Unlike the Desert King, he had never feared battle, no matter how powerful his opponent might be.
"Let me see your fear!"
Neinhart stared at Marco and activated his magic.
His Historia of the Dead allowed him to peer into a target's heart and recreate powerful enemies they had fought in the past—or people who had left deep psychological scars upon them.
The recreated dead retained their memories and combat abilities. If the original had been weaker than Neinhart, they could return at full strength.
If they had been stronger, their power would be reduced.
The spell could summon several dead opponents for a single target.
If one of the recreated figures became afraid, it would disappear. They would also vanish if Neinhart himself was defeated.
That condition made a certain amount of sense. The figures he summoned were supposed to represent the target's old enemies and fears.
If they became frightened of the person they were meant to torment, there was little reason for them to remain.
Neinhart stared at Marco and ... nothing happened.
His magic failed to produce even a single figure.
"How is that possible?!"
Neinhart was stunned.
Had he failed to see through Marco's fear?
Or had this man genuinely never encountered an enemy strong enough to frighten him?
"That spell is rather interesting."
Marco smiled.
Historia of the Dead could be extremely useful for training.
He could cast it on his students and summon powerful opponents from their past to serve as sparring partners.
Buzz!
With a thought, Marco struck Neinhart's soul and dragged his deepest fear to the surface.
A figure appeared before him.
Every member of the Spriggan 12 stared in shock.
The person summoned from Neinhart's heart was none other than Emperor Spriggan himself—the founder of Black Magic, Zeref.
"Hah. So Zeref is the person you fear most!"
Marco laughed.
He had not expected that answer, though it was understandable.
Anyone who spent enough time around Zeref would have found it difficult not to fear him.
"What... is happening?"
The recreated Zeref looked around in confusion.
He remembered dying. Why was he standing here?
The figures produced by Historia of the Dead were essentially projections of the deceased soul.
Marco was far stronger than Zeref, so the version he had forced into existence retained Zeref's complete memories and full power.
"Your Majesty!"
Neinhart was not the only one left speechless.
Every member of the Spriggan 12 stared at Zeref with a different mixture of shock, grief, fear, and reverence.
Buzz!
Marco released Invel from the ice as well.
Now that Zeref stood before them, the emperor's death finally became real.
Historia of the Dead could only recreate people who had already died.
If Zeref were still alive, he could never have appeared through Neinhart's magic.
"Your Majesty!"
The moment Invel saw him, the Winter General became overwhelmed with emotion.
"Invel, follow Marco's orders."
Zeref looked directly at him and spoke without hesitation.
After his initial confusion, he quickly understood his current state.
He knew Neinhart's Historia of the Dead and immediately recognized that he had been recreated through the spell.
"All members of the Spriggan 12—and the entire Alvarez Empire—will follow Marco's arrangements. Is that understood?"
Zeref swept his gaze across the hall.
Even though he was merely a magical recreation of the dead, none of the Spriggan 12 dared disobey him.
"Yes, Your Majesty!"
They accepted the command immediately.
"Sorry, Marco," Zeref said, turning toward him with an apologetic expression. "I should have arranged all of this before my death. Instead, I've left you with another problem."
"It's fine." Marco smiled. "It needed to be handled."
He then motioned toward August.
"Leave the Alvarez Empire to your son."
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