Silver Fullbuster

Silver Fullbuster (シルバー・フルバスター Shirubā Furubasutā) was an Ice Devil Slayer, the father of Fairy Tail Mage Gray Fullbuster, and a member of Tartarus' Nine Demon Gates. He died in X774 along with his wife, Mika, but was then resurrected by Keith, serving as a test subject for his experiments.

Appearance
Silver is a tall, well-built man who appears to be in his thirties or forties. His eyes are black and, like his son's, so is his hair, kept short and styled into a number of spiky strands pointing backwards, with some prominent ones topping his forehead; his thin sideburns reach down to the stubble covering the majority of his chin. He has a sharp face, marked facial features and a slight hint of wrinkles below his eyes. A long and massive scar extends from his hairline to his lower left ear; this appears to have been left by Deliora's attack on his and Gray's village. Both of his ears are adorned by silver-colored earrings, these consisting of a ring with a little chain ending in a cross pendant.

Silver seems to dress for cold weather, wearing a black, closely fitting shirt, possessing a grey furred collar, as well as light grey oversleeves, almost reaching up to the shoulders, whose hems are secured by two sets of double stitchings; the back of his shirt bears a light motif consisting of a circle with a segmented, upwards arc below it. Hanging from Silver's waist and covering his sides are two dark yellow, tasset-like cloths, he wears brown gloves over his hands and forearms and has his dark brown, baggy pants tucked inside brown boots. Over his shirt, the Ice Devil Slayer dons a grey, segmented metal chestplate, bearing the writing "Absolute Zero" (with the "o" crossed out), Silver's epithet, on the left pectoral; secured to it by two round, golden clasps is a long, brownish white cape hanging over the man's shoulders. Silver's armor is completed by two blue, rounded pauldrons, possessing metal-colored edges and squared protrusions on the upper and lower edges, each adorned by a golden Tartarus symbol.

In Gray's flashback, Silver was shown without his scar and scrubble, wearing a dark vest with stitching on the shoulders over a white shirt, and lacking his earrings; these, on the other hand, were present on Silver's body after his seeming death at Deliora's hands, but at the time he was missing the vest.

Personality
Unlike the majority of his guildmates, Silver appears to be a jovial, amicable, somewhat playful, if calm, man. After recognizing Natsu Dragneel as the one who melted the ice covering the Sun Village, he thanked him gleefully, noting his mistake in freezing it in a casual manner, and he also provided a naked and handcuffed Lisanna Strauss with a blanket to cover herself, demonstrating some chivalry. He described the Tartarus headquarters as a "sickening piece of architecture", highlighting a sense of beauty which is unlike that of his comrades. When reassuring a Tartarus messenger that he wouldn't have harmed him, Silver made claim that the only souls he's interested in consuming are those of Demons; something which contrasts with his membership of a guild entirely made up by Demons. Franmalth, possibly aware of such trait (or merely considering the Exorcist Mage's Magic a deterrent, as speculated by Keith), appears to have a certain degree of fear or unease towards him, sweating in his presence and respectfully referring to him as Silver-sama.

Silver's personality appears to change drastically when Gray is involved: when Natsu compared the Ice Devil Slayer's smell to Gray's, Silver abandoned his previous cordiality and froze him solid, warning him not to pronounce that "disgusting" name, and, while posing as Deliora during the battle against his son, he proceeded to recklessly brutalize him, make fun of his efforts and claim that he would have killed Gray's friends next. In stark contrast to this, Gray seems to have fond memories of his father and to be genuinely attached to him, and Silver himself went on to sincerely congratulate his son on his victory after Gray managed to overcome him. However, the latter instance of sincerity seems to be Silver's true personality, as, after being revived by Keith, he devoted seventeen years of his new "life" to the killing of Demons for the sake of avenging the family that they took away from him. In the end, though, after learning that his son was indeed not killed by Deliora, Silver gave up his bid for revenge, as he felt that his hands were too soiled to continue to fight for his son and deceased wife. Going even further, Silver wishes to no longer be among those properly living, and very much regrets the way he went about trying to get Gray past the trauma that Deliora inflicted unto him, calling himself unworthy of being Gray's father.

History
Not much is known about Silver Fullbuster's past other than the fact that he supposedly died during Deliora's attack on his village. At one point in time, however, Silver is seen laughing with his son, telling him to become strong. After his death, Silver's corpse was stolen by Keith for the purpose of experimentation, among the bodies of many others. Keith's experiment ended up being a success, and for seventeen years, Silver "lived" as a normal human being would. However, Silver then used his new "life" to exact revenge on the Demons that stole his family from him; masquerading as a loyal member of Tartarus (having been inducted into the guild courtesy of Mard Geer), Silver learned Devil Slayer Magic and covertly killed any and all Demons he came across, all in preparation for his ultimate plan: the destruction of Tartarus. After seeing that his son was alive and well, though after witnessing Gray's performance at the Grand Magic Games, Silver decided to abandon this plan because he realized that he didn't have the right to fight for Gray and his deceased mother as his own hands were too dirty, presumably from his official missions for Tartarus.

Sun Village arc
Silver Fullbuster freezes the entire Sun Village along with the Eternal Flame, which held the lingering spirit of its guardian Dragon Atlas Flame, whom he mistook to be a Demon.

Later, in an unknown snowy location, Silver is seen standing in front of a grave when he is interrupted by a messenger, who informs him that he's being summoned to meet with the rest of the Nine Demon Gates members. Upon noticing that the messenger is trembling in fear just for standing before him, Silver tells him to relax because he won't eat him as he only consumes the souls of Demons.

Tartarus arc
Arriving back to Tartarus' headquarters, Silver gazes at the castle standing in front of him, expressing his utter displeasure at its architecture. Albeit, he calls it his home. Shortly thereafter, he witnesses Kyouka's arrival, at the same time stating that she looks stunning as always, with several characters clad in armor following her steps. He is approached by the demonic woman, who is shocked to see Silver in his human form, only to have Silver claim that his human form appeals him. As Kyouka ponders where the other two members of the Nine Demon Gates are located, Silver stands by her side as they are joined by five other members of the Nine Demon Gates and are told that the other two are out on missions.

As the other Demons talk among themselves, Silver silently looks at the shrine in front of him, with Kyouka claiming that the hammers of Demons will descend upon mankind for the sake of their master: Zeref.

Some time later, an angry Natsu Dragneel breaks into Tartarus' headquarters destructively, earning the notice of Silver. Finding that Franmalth has engaged the intruder, Silver orders him to carry away the unconscious Crawford Seam while he takes over the fight. Once Natsu points out the sudden drop in temperature, Silver asks if he was the one who unfroze the Sun Village and is asked in turn if he froze it. Suddenly, Silver starts laughing, commenting that he froze the village due to a misunderstanding. Taking notice of him, Natsu tells Silver that his scent reminds him of someone. Upon hearing that he reminds him of Gray, Silver instantly freezes Natsu, telling him not to utter that disgusting name. Following Natsu's imprisonment, Silver visits the Dragon Slayer's cell and hands a naked Lisanna, a Fairy Tail Mage captured by Sayla, a piece of clothing. Natsu questions his actions, but Silver rapidly informs him that, although he cannot free them, he will not allow his little "princess" to bear the embarrassment. Walking away as he listens to Natsu questioning his identity, Silver murmurs Natsu's name. Later, when Mard Geer activates Alegria and Cube captures the Fairy Tail Mages, Silver calls Mard's Curse boring and states that "they" won't meet again, addressing an unknown someone. However, at that moment, he senses a certain Magic and it turns out that Lucy Heartfilia has managed to escape the effects of Alegria.

After Lucy summons the Celestial Spirit King and destroys Plutogrim, Silver ponders the sudden quake. After Jackal's defeat at the hands of Lucy, Silver makes a comment regarding the disappearance of Jackal's magical presence and soon appears at the sight of the battle, threatening to freeze Juvia after she intercepts Keith's attempt at Lucy's life. His ice, however, is cancelled out by Gray's own, and when he spots the young man, Silver smirks in his direction. After Tempesta and Natsu arrive as well, Silver stands with his three other Nine Demon Gates compatriots and stares down the group of four Fairy Tail Mages standing in their way. Silver is then seemingly recognized by Gray, while Natsu states that he is the one who froze the Sun Village. Gajeel then notices Silver's smell being similar to that of Gray, however, with a grin on his face, Silver says no word and rushes towards Gray. While the Fairy Tail Mages are surprised, Silver exclaims that he'll take care of Gray and the two vanish.

An exhausted Gray squats on the ground somewhere away from the battlefield as Silver reveals that three thousand Faces will soon awaken. Consecutively, Silver is asked if that was his reasoning behind bringing him here, the former responding negatively; explaining that he hoped to see despair on the enemy's face. Gray contradicts his statement, leading Silver to reveal his true intentions, which relate to killing him. Gray promptly asks Silver if he knows him, the latter responding affirmatively. Silver can only smirk as Gray proclaims that he recognizes his face and his voice, but his identity is shrouded in mystery.

Finally deciding to take pity on Gray, Silver reveals to the Fairy Tail Mage that he is his father. Gray however replies that he watched his father die, and angrily attacks with his Magic. Blocking his blows and sending Gray flying, Silver laughs at Gray's distress, and adds that though he is Gray's father, that isn't exactly his identity, as he is someone much more important who is destined to fight Gray. When Gray questions the statement, Silver lies to Gray, saying his current human body is merely a vessel for his, an Etherious', convenience, and that, due to the body's original owner, it is destiny that he and Gray have been drawn together. Hearing that his father's body is being defiled, Gray screams that Silver has no right to it, and asks why he is seeking to kill him. Smiling maliciously, Silver supposedly reveals his true identity as the Demon who murdered Gray's family and forced Ur to relinquish her life, much to Gray's terror. As the Ice Mage quivers at the memories of what Silver did, Silver baits him by offering to return to his Demon body; Gray responds by flying towards him in a fit of rage.

Sneering at Gray, Silver proceeds to both redirect and parry Gray's attacks, as well as push the boy back; Silver devours Gray's next strike and laughs at him, criticizing him for his use of ice against an ice Slayer Mage, adding that he learned Ice Devil Slayer Magic for the sole purpose of destroying everything to do with Ur. Attacking Gray, Silver relishes in the Ice Mage's pain, exclaiming that he'll kill Lyon when he's through with him, and then move on to his friends. Though an angered Gray attempts to retaliate, Silver once again devours the boy's spell and counters with his Devil Slaying breath attack, further reveling in the pain Gray is being inflicted; in response to Gray's claim that he'll kill the Demon Gate, Silver tells Gray that his chances of winning are zero percent. Chiding Gray for his continued use of ice, Silver is then surprised when Gray creates a cannon with which to fire rubble, and after a barrage of typeless attacks, Silver freezes the entire area with a swipe of his hand to prevent such a thing from occurring again. Gray, however, then redirects Silver's Devil Slaying ice back at the Demon, as he cannot eat ice created by himself to defend himself, just like other Slayer mages can't, as Gray remembers from a past conversation with Natsu; Silver emerges from the assault without much further injury whilst stating that regardless of where it comes from, ice is still ineffective against him. Moving forward, Silver asks Gray if he's remembered the true terror that Deliora can bring.

Silver continues to torment Gray, reviving the fear Deliora engraved upon him as a child. Overpowering Gray completely, he claims that humans will never be a match against Demons. Albeit, his opponent continues to arise, informing him that he will be victorious no matter the cost. Silver reminds Gray that ice has no effect on him, only to be taken aback when the latter assumes the position to cast Iced Shell. Regardless, Silver seemingly negates the attack by freezing Gray's Ice Dummies and canceling out his Iced Shell. However, the real Gray appears behind Silver, subsequently creating a weapon of ice to dramatically boost his throwing power, utilizing it to throw a steel ball, which he obtains from the surroundings which were supposed to have been frozen by Silver, revealing that it was he who had unfrozen the Eternal Flame in the Sun Village, in Silver's direction. The ball rips a hole through Silver's chest, enough to cause Silver to collapse on the ground. As he lies on the ground, Gray reveals that he is aware of his father's presence, leading Silver to display a disoriented expression.

Lying on the ground, Silver expresses his desire for Gray to kill him before explaining that he was Gray's father, but adds that he is now no longer human nor Demon, and that he has been dead for seventeen years. Informing Gray that Keith revived him for the purpose of experimentation, Silver tells him that he used his new life to exact revenge on all Demons for taking his family away from him, until, that is, he discovered that Gray was alive. Ultimately deciding to forsake his plan for vengeance as he realizes that he has no right to do so because of his own crimes, Silver goes on to tell Gray that he can forget about him, as he is merely a dead man; when Gray calls him his father, Silver rebuts this, saying that no father would hurt their son. Begging to return him to his wife's side, Silver eggs Gray on to kill him and sheds tears when his son finds himself unable to do so. Getting up and embracing his son, Silver tells Gray that he has become a good man and that he and his mother are proud of him. After the fact, using Telepathy, Silver contacts Juvia and tells her to defeat Keith so that the revived chairman can be stopped from activating Face, knowing full well that he, too, will disappear; to stop her from refusing, he tells her that it's for the benefit of Gray. Upon Keith's defeat by Juvia, Silver praises and thanks Juvia for freeing his soul, telling her to take care of Gray. Before he departs to the afterlife, Silver passes on his Ice Devil Slayer Magic to his son and leaves him with the task of defeating E.N.D.

Magic and Abilities
Ice Devil Slayer Magic (氷の滅悪魔法 Kōri no Metsuaku Mahō): A form of Devil Slayer Magic which allows Silver to produce, manipulate and control the element of ice for slaying Demons. Like other Slayer magic, it allows Silver to consume external sources of ice to enhance his own power and regain stamina while at the same time granting him immunity to it. He also gains tremendous resistance to his own ice (thereby eliminating a possibly lethal weakness); Silver was even shown capable of nullifying a spell as powerful as Iced Shell.

Unlike Ice-Make, which focuses around shaping elaborate constructs out of ice, this Magic relies more on sheer power, with Silver generating rough, shapeless masses of ice in order to both cause grievous cuts and inflict immense blunt damage, as well as to protect himself from harm. The most fearsome aspect of Ice Devil Slayer Magic, however, are the incredible freezing capabilities it grants: with a simple swipe of his arm, the Exorcist Mage has been shown instantly freezing people and vast landscapes solid with the same ease; his mastery over such form of Magic is enough to single-handedly encase in ice the entire Sun Village and its Eternal Flame, holding the remaining spirit of the Fire Dragon Atlas Flame. The ice itself appears to be exceedingly powerful, seeing as a Fire Dragon Slayer was incapable of melting it, and, as the name itself suggests, is especially effective against Demons. This Magic seems to surround Silver with a cold aura, with Natsu noting how the temperature lowered suddenly after his appearance. Following his departure, Silver transferred his Magic to Gray.


 * Ice Devil's Rage (氷魔の激昂 Hyōma no Gekikō): The Devil Slayer's equivalent of a Dragon Slayer's Roar and God Slayer's Bellow, Silver, after inhaling, releases a large blizzard of cold air, ice and (seemingly) snow from his mouth, directing it towards a target area. The blizzard inflicts great blunt damage upon those it contacts, causing everyone unable to resist it to be sent flying away with great force, as well as leaving behind a trail of destruction in its wake, heavily damaging the area it passes through. Silver was shown employing this technique right after consuming the ice from Gray's Ice-Make: Cold Excalibur, possibly enhancing its effects due to the strength replenishment.

Teleportation Magic (瞬間の魔法 Shunkan no Mahō): In order to move both Gray and himself away from the other Fairy Tail and Tartarus members and initiate a separate battle, Silver was shown employing some sort of teleportation, getting ahold of his son before disappearing from sight and reappearing elsewhere. It's currently unknown whether this was yet another use of his Ice Devil Slayer Magic or a separate ability; though the entire process seemed to have a greater impact than Teleportation Magic on the surrounding area, leaving behind a cloud of smoke and lifting some debris.

Telepathy (念話, テレパシー, Terepashī): Silver has shown to be able to make use of Telepathy from great distances, communicating with Juvia from the location of his and Gray's battle very clearly.

Expert Hand to Hand Combatant: While mostly relying on his freezing powers, Silver can handle himself quite well in melee combat, effortlessly shrugging off his son's attempts to assault him through parries and dodges; the Devil Slayer's freezing abilities make attacking him unarmed dangerous, as Gray discovered by having his bare arm covered in ice and being sent flying away for doing so.

Enhanced Strength: Not unlike his son, Silver possesses considerable physical strength, sending Gray flying away and crashing into solid rock with a flick of his arm, as well as blocking a downwards swing of his Cold Excalibur with his palms.

Enhanced Agility: Silver is shown to be quick on his feet and agile, evading Gray's assault with a leap, counter-attacking in midair with one of his own spells and then intercepting his son as he proceeded to dodge it, performing yet another attack.

Enhanced Durability: Silver is notably durable, being struck in the face by a rock fired from Gray's Ice-Make: Cannon, effectively doubling as a cannonball, without as much as a scratch, as well as surviving after having a massive steel ball pierce cleanly through his chest, leaving a hole in it.

Quotes

 * (To a messenger of Tartarus) "The only thing I consume... are the souls of Demons."
 * (To Gray Fullbuster) "I am part of a much greater existence, especially to you. We are destined to fight, you and I..."
 * (To Gray Fullbuster) "These hands of mine are too stained... I had no right to fight for your sake... or for Mika's sake."
 * (To Gray Fullbuster) "You are better off simply forgetting about me... The man you know died a long time ago after all."