"Shaka, how was your recovery?" Zeref raised his eyelids slightly, still wearing that same indifferent expression.
"I had recovered about seventy percent of my strength." Shaka spoke softly. He had been severely wounded by Bradman in that battle. If it had been any other apostle, being able to get back on their feet by now would have been impressive. But Shaka's foundation ran deep, and he now looked as though nothing had happened.
"That's good. Lord Shaka, just now, someone sounded Behemoth's summoning device."
Shaka's eyes widened. "Hadn't Saga and Mu died several days ago? If the Tablet of Fate shattered, there shouldn't have been any mistake. Could those two have learned to block the Tablet of Fate?"
Zeref slowly shook his head. "I don't think it was the king chosen by Behemoth. When Saga and the others died, there had still been a month before they were due to meet the king. It had only been a little over a week since their deaths. No matter how you counted it, the other party couldn't have reached the location already."
"August?!" The muscles on Shaka's face twitched involuntarily. "But he shouldn't have the ability to sound that whistle, should he? Even you can't sound it. And that August relies more on brute force—how could he possibly..."
Zeref sighed. "I could probably guess. This must have been his doing again. But isn't that a good thing? After all, we sent Saga and the others to their deaths from the very beginning."
Shaka slowly lowered his head. "But..."
Zeref nodded lightly. "You and I both understand that even if that man's strength has been greatly diminished, he still isn't someone Saga and Mu could deal with. That makes two members of the Twelve Shields gone. You know how to handle the remaining