Irene Belserion

Irene Belserion (アイリーン・ベルせリオン Airīn Beruserion) is part of the Alvarez Empire as the strongest woman of the Spriggan 12, the protection guard of Emperor Spriggan. She also leads the Irene Squad, her own personal squad, within the Empire. She is regarded as the "Scarlet Despair" (緋色の絶望 Hīro no Zetsubō) in the Empire, due to her peerless magnitude of power.

Appearance
Irene is a seemingly tall, voluptuous woman with large amounts of scarlet hair thickly braided and located in the front and back of her body as pairs, all of which have bows near its ends. The frontal braids also have two golden ornaments near the upper sections. Also, the woman has two U-shaped earrings on her ears, while donning a light-red lipstick.

For clothing, Irene dons a scanty version of the typical witch's garb. Her black top has a diamond-shaped opening, exposing a portion of her breasts, and a heart-shaped pattern around the borders. It extends down to the naval of her stomach where it meets a large angular scar, is draped over by a dark-colored cape with a light-colored inside and two medallion gold-like ornaments, and is held together by a golden chain. Not left bare, too, her neck is decorated by other small cloth-based accessories, including a wide bow. Additionally, Irene wears an elongated black loincloth with the symbol of the Alvarez Empire emblazoned on its front, having white borders on its edges and being connected to another cloth piece with the very same heart-shaped design. She also wears black thigh-high boots with heels that have a white-colored border near the top and gloves of the same color and design, only having claw-like extensions. Her black witch's hat is much larger than her head and possesses dreadlock designs with white bandaging near its ends. It also has a fur lining near its edges.

Personality
Irene has shown to be very knowledgeable, showcasing herself as a historian when revisiting a folktale of her birthplace, seemingly enjoying the counterbalance of a "wonderful story" of the two angels of Zonia. She's shown to have a humorous side to her, as seen when she wanted to see Juliet and Heine do battle, only to later say it was a joke. In regards to her underlings, she is very attached to them, even referencing them as her "children", coming to their defense after their battle against Mirajane Strauss, painfully torturing the latter as collateral for defeating them.

Irene is extremely confident in her own power, wanting to take care of Acnologia by herself (even talking of humanity's greatest threat without any timidity in her words) nevertheless as her very own comrades, among them being August, noted that they could not defeat the Black Dragon without Fairy Heart at their disposal. Due to this, her confidence not only spreads within her, but to the might of her Empire, saying that she could put aside the Majesty's "war game" due to the task of handling Acnologia, stating Alvarez (with her Majesty at the helm) would be victorious regardless of the outcome.

She also displays signs of being a cruel individual, such as when she questioned Toma E. Fiore's love for his daughter, Hisui, after personally transforming her into a mouse. When displeased at his caring words for his child, she makes a muted expression on her face before moving to attack them, showcasing her dislike for things not apropos to how she conceives it to be. When she started to torture Mirajane, she devilishly promised her that not only would she not have a swift death, but after it is all said and done, she would turn her into a a lump of rotting meat, showing more of her evil and brutal nature.

When serious, she has shown to criticize and be honestly blunt to those even above her, such as the Emperor, for the latter treating the war as a game and also inviting naivety in his heart in regards to his former lover, wanting to be the one to correct him through it all. Besides all of this, she is very respectful and complimentary to those higher than her, still delivering high praise to the same Emperor who she claimed if he participated in the war against Ishgar that it would be over sooner after it began, while taking honor from the Black Dragon's compliments after engaging in battle with him, returning the favor by saying the rumors of his power don't do him any justice in person. However, she can be somewhat vain to go along with her sly mouth, remembering that society has dubbed her the "Scarlet Despair", wishing for the title to be something "cuter" than her current alias.

History
At some point in her past, Irene crossed over from Ishgar to Alakitasia to join the Empire and to follow Zeref, for reasons yet unknown. Some time later, Irene was taught the art of Magic and enchanting from the Black Wizard himself, which she later went on to use her new power to enchant a white and a black sword that became Juliet and Heine respectively.

Alvarez Empire arc
In light of the upcoming war between Ishgar and the Alvarez Empire, and their subsequent fight to retrieve Fairy Heart, Irene receives an immediate summons to attend a meeting between Zeref, Emperor Spriggan, and the entirety of the Spriggan 12, but because of her immediate location within the extremely vast expanse of Alakitasia, she finds herself unable to attend.

Irene, along with Larcade, Bloodman and her own personal squad, are ordered by Zeref to mobilize to the northern Ishgar border, eliminating any resistance while heading towards Fairy Tail, successfully annihilating the Sabertooth and Blue Pegasus alliance. Irene is then seen walking with her two subordinates, Heine Lunasea and Juliet Sun in the Sacred Mountain of Zonia. She recalls an old legend about a white angel and a black angel clashing, in which the white one comes out victorious. Heine and Juliet praise her, and she comments that the angels were the spitting image of the two. She expresses curiosity at who would emerge victorious if Heine and Juliet were to fight, but later states that she was kidding. Irene then drastically changes the snowy climate to a warmer one, then turns to Bloodman and Larcade, asking them if they are prepared for battle.

Irene watches the battle proceed from afar with Heine and Juliet. The two express their worries at the Ishgar forces' comeback, but Irene calmly states that they've nothing to fear as Bloodman and Larcade are there as well. Before long, Irene orders Juliet and Heine to join the front lines to deal with Blue Pegasus, Sabertooth and Fairy Tail, as well as the incoming Crime Sorcière. She then goes on to describe the incoming fourth guest as very troublesome, and resolves to handle them on her own; To make preparations for the incoming fourth guest, whom she reveals is Acnologia, Irene enchants the ground, proclaiming that Zeref's "game" will have to end as she declares premature victory over the Dragon King. Irene very quickly locates Acnologia, hears that his objective is the annihilation of all Dragon Slayers, and then proceeds to block his path. Acnologia attempts to dismiss her, but she instead challenges him, affirming that she is aware of his strength, and confirms to him that she can, indeed, give him a worthy challenge. Irene immediately begins her fight against Acnologia by casting several destructive enchantments, but her attacks are parried and she is subject to Acnologia's own Dragon Slayer Magic. After managing to step out of harm's way, Irene is praised for her magical ability by the Dragon King: praise which she returns; however, she wonders aloud about the possibility of Zeref's strength exceeding Acnologia's once he attains Fairy Heart. The two briefly taunt each other until Irene expresses her desire to put an end to Zeref's "game" and bring the war to a swift conclusion. In response to this desire, she begins casting a brand new type of Magic that is unknown to even Acnologia by enchanting the earth of the entire Kingdom of Fiore. Irene then tells Acnologia her name and states her want to meet Acnologia again in the future before ultimately enveloping all of Fiore in the light of Universe One.

She later is warped inside of Mercurius's castle due to her Magic, saying that for the first time using the spell, the results were favorable, before pondering her location in front of the confused Royal Family. Afterwards, Irene defeats the Royal Family guards with relative ease, leaving a beaten Arcadios in shock of the might of her power. Irene then turns her attention on Toma E. Fiore and his daughter. The former asks her to do as she pleases with him, but to spare his daughter. For an answer, Irene turns Hisui into a mouse and then cruelly asks the king if he's still able to love his daughter despite her new appearance. To her disappointment, the king replies that he'll always love his daughter no matter what, Irene calls his affection for his daughter a pity, as she prepares her next move. Suddenly, Irene freezes as she senses a familiar presence, she goes on to investigate and uses her Eye Magic to scan the environments, when she finally spots a red-haired woman, she starts pondering about her identity. Irene then later appears right behind an exhausted Mirajane after she defeats Heine and Juliet and reveals that the two of them are actually swords enchanted with a personality.

As Mirajane remains shocked by Irene's vast amount of Magic Power, the female Spriggan uses this opportunity to make use of both Heine's Magical Bands and Juliet's Mucus Magic to tie Mirajane up and then torture her, using the mucus to burn her skin and clothes and declaring that she will not let Mirajane die a swift and easy death. She is stopped by August, who appears with Brandish as well, and accuses the witch of using Universe One without the Emperor's consent. Irene blames it on Acnologia's appearance and also points out the Magic's successful usage. Brushing her comments aside, August decides that the remaining Shields of Spriggan must assemble at the Emperor's side, which Irene stubbornly refuses to do, causing August to remind her that he is general of the Spriggan 12. Irene reluctantly obliges, but declares she will take care of Mirajane first, however, it is for naught as August pierces Mirajane's heart before the witch can act. Satisfied, Irene departs with August and Brandish.

Later, Irene is seen with the Spriggan 12, who are gathered at the Fairy Tail Guild. She is then greeted by Zeref, who praises her for sucessfully casting Universe One. He orders her to remove Fairy Heart from Mavis, who is shocked that Irene is capable of such a thing. Along with Zeref and the rest of the Spriggan 12, Irene then stands in front of the guild as a part of an impenetrable battle formation. While the fight outside continues, Irene is inside the guild building, making use of her ability to slowly extract Fairy Heart. She shows pity for Mavis' current state, with her intellect being stolen thanks to Invel's Ice Slave. All of this is witnessed by Zeref who confronts Irene, displeased to see Mavis' suffering and questions the duration of the Enchantment. Irene calls him out for his naivety, noting that Acnologia's defeat is impossible if Zeref himself has such feelings. Zeref acknowledges her words and leaves the building, letting her continue the extraction. However, she is interrupted yet again, this time by Neinhart, who informs her that Erza's whereabouts are known. Irene coldly orders him to kill her and even though Neinhart argues that his Historia is ineffective against Erza, Irene insists that he does it himself, reminding the Spriggan of his true identity.

Afterwards, while still in the process of extraction, Irene is interrupted as Zeref arrives at the scene, wishing to speak to Mavis one last time. Irene expresses her opposition, commenting on foolishness of that act. Zeref, however, is still persistent in his intentions, before it's proven that he's been an illusion all along. As the real Zeref makes that clear, he says that Illusion Magic is one at which Mavis is particularly good, having been allowed to do so due to Invel's defeat. Infuriated that she was able to be deceived, Irene gladly obliges to pursue the escapee.

Magic and Abilities
Universe One (ユニバースワン Yunibāsu Wan): Also known as World Reconstruction Magic (世界再構築魔法 Sekai Sai Kōchiku Mahō), Irene, by firstly enchanting the land, can manipulate the very geography of the ground itself, with the ability of compressing the land to as much as five percent (or less) of its original size, thereby altering the entire landscape. The true purpose of this Magic is the power of bringing certain things or people to specific areas and locations, for example pushing the Emperor to the Fairy Tail Guild where Fairy Heart is located, while vanquishing Acnologia to deep into the sea. There are major side effects, however, as the new age Magic teleports all the inhabitants of the area (including Irene herself) and even structures and landmarks randomly all over the affected area. An indication to its power lies in the area of effect and Zeref's shock at the fact that Irene would cast it in the first place. Irene calls this Magic one of "a new era", indicating that it was created rather recently and would thus be unknown to someone who has knowledge of all Magics of old, such as Acnologia. She also noted that the casting she performed against Acnologia was her first ever time using Universe One.

Eye Magic (眼の魔法 Me no Mahō): Irene has shown the ability to remotely view an area by summoning a giant eye in the sky over the location she wants to see and linking this eye with her true one. Both the giant eye and her real eye show a cross-shape pattern while the Magic is active.

Animal Transformation: Irene was shown to be able to transform people into the form of animals. She demonstrated this ability when she turned Princess Hisui E. Fiore into a mouse.

Enchantment (付加術 Fukajutsu): Irene has shown extremely high proficiency in the art of enchantment; so much that she's classified as a High Enchanter ( Hai Enchantā). It is implied by Acnologia that she learned this ability from Zeref himself, giving her the ability to change and alter landscapes, climates, and the terra firma of the world, as well as manipulate the atmosphere, people, and objects "enchanting" them into any forms on however way she desires. It's been noted by Zeref that she's prodigious when it comes to attaching and detaching Magic from objects, as seen when she offers to detach Fairy Heart from Mavis, something which should normally be impossible. However, due to Fairy Heart's complex nature, this task proves time consuming and delicate for even Irene.
 * Berserker: Irene can enchant her target(s) to this form; the ones enchanted take on a monstrous form with sharp teeth and flaming skulls, increasing their abilities, power, as well as their durability. However, she has noted that the ones in this form lose their ability to think as a cost to their new gained power.

Flight: Irene has shown that she can fly to any location.

Enhanced Agility: Irene has proven herself to be quite nimble, swiftly dodging Acnologia's attack by backflipping into the air several meters away from the explosion, while being still able to land on both feet, unharmed by the attack.

Master Sensor: Irene has shown to be able to sense presence of Mages to great extent and determine how strong they are without them being near her, as she could sense Crime Sorcière and Acnologia from a relatively long distance, unlike her subordinates.

Immense Magic Power: Irene holds vast reserves of Magic Power, being the most powerful woman among the Spriggan 12 (which even Brandish μ acknowledged), and, alongside the strongest male member, the "Magic King", August, the strongest member overall. Neinhart, another Shield, even seemed somewhat afraid of Irene, sweating and trembling at the thought of Erza Scarlet being in some way related to her, as Erza's Magic Power is apparently of similar signature or potency to Irene's. She is shown to have tremendous aptitude in her power, easily changing the climate of Mt. Zonia without much effort. She's shown more to her aptitude of having her Magic, Universe One, to affect the entire country of Fiore by reorganizing its landscape with ease. Even Acnologia, the self proclaimed Dragon King, was impressed by her power and even praised her. Even one of Fairy Tail's S Class Wizard's Mirajane Strauss, was terrified by her power and proclaimed hers (and August) defies common sense. Mavis Vermilion even sweats and trembles from simply being in Irene's presence.

Equipment
Staff: Irene wields a massive light-brown staff in her right hand, matching, if not surpassing, its owner's height, and being divided into two large, inwardly curved antlers near the top; considerably below those, the weapon begins to be overlaid with brown leopard-skin spots that extends up to the antler's tips. It has yet to be revealed if the staff fulfills a specific purpose. She has shown to use her staff in conjunction with her Magic, simply by tapping the ground or waving the wooden artifact as if it were a wand to induce her abilities.

Trivia

 * In Volume 57, Hiro Mashima showcased the various early design concepts for Irene.
 * In the the top-left design, Irene sports a two-brace neck ware to go along with her slicked back hair and her visible forehead.
 * In the top-middle design, the mark of the Alvarez Empire is shown to be on her back.
 * In the top-right design, her face is drawn with wrinkles and appears to be older than her current.
 * In the mid-left design, her appearance is similar to her current, but with shorter hair while a different design of her gloves is shown.
 * In the mid-region, her hair is in a ponytail with a decorate bandanna tied around it.
 * In the mid-right design, her appearance resembles Erza Knightwalker, with a long bang reaching from the right side of her face to go along with a primitive outfit.
 * Her bottom-left design sports a clear bandanna and an eye patch.
 * Her bottom-middle design is a light-colored sketch of her side view.
 * Her bottom-right design is her current design, with her from two long locks tied in medallion ornaments, completing it with a witch garb-like hat.

Quotes

 * (To Juliet Sun and Heine Lunasea): "The white and black angels... I'm sure they were the spitting image of you girls. Which begs the question... If the two of you were to battle... Who would be the one to come out victorious? Shall we find out?"
 * (To herself on Acnologia): "Upon this land in which the white angel reigned supreme, a Black Dragon now descends... It's as if the malice of the black angel has been made manifest. But the one who will be laughing when all is said and done is I... The Scarlet Angel."
 * (To Acnologia): "Still you are correct. I do not want you to interfere. Inside, His Majesty thinks this is a game. I want him to be serious. I desire a swift end to this war."
 * (To Zeref Dragneel): "If you do not rid yourself of that naviete, you will never defeat Acnologia. He is the apothesis of darkness itself. Truly, the lord of the Dragons."