"Skeleton Guild? The Three Crows? If I remember correctly, that's a very famous assassination organization among the dark guilds."
Mira frowned. "Chase, how did you end up on their radar?"
When it came to guild affairs, she was practically an encyclopedia within Fairy Tail, knowing many things others did not.
She also knew a lot about the romantic relationships among guild members, although it was hard to say how accurate that information was.
"Probably someone put out a contract on me." Chase shrugged.
"Could it be... Jose's revenge?" Lucy asked tentatively, guilt in her voice.
That was the only possibility she could think of.
Even though her father Jude had changed greatly and probably wouldn't do such a thing now, Phantom Lord had been one of the largest guilds in Fiore, and many people's interests had been tied to it.
"Probably not. Jose is in prison, and Phantom Lord has been completely disbanded," Mira shook her head.
"Either way, we can't let them go back easily. We need to capture them and interrogate them properly!" Erza's expression was very serious.
Attacking a comrade was something she could not tolerate under any circumstances.
It was only because Chase was strong enough. If it had been someone else, the consequences could have been disastrous!
"No rush. Let them run about 4,399 meters first."
Chase reached out and stopped Erza, who was about to charge off in pursuit. "I planted magic on one of them. We'll wait until they leave Magnolia."
Hearing this, Erza calmed down and nodded slightly. "I see. Understood."
"As expected of Chase. Those people were unlucky to have targeted you," Mira said with a smile.
"How rare. Chase actually considered the town's well-being, and also—"
Only Lucy spotted the questionable detail. "Erza, Mira-nee, aren't you curious why it's exactly 4,399 meters?!"
"That's the distance from here to the outskirts," Chase explained with a perfectly straight face.
"Being that specific actually makes it less believable!" Lucy retorted firmly, shooting him a skeptical look.
Soon, more and more guild members gathered.
Hearing that the cute newbie Lucy had been bullied (Chase was actively ignored), everyone was furious, vowing to beat the "Three Crows" into "featherless birds."
The fierce, intimidating aura scared the nearby residents who had wanted to demand compensation from Chase into silence. They tucked their heads back inside their homes.
Magnolia. The outskirts, cloaked in moonlight.
Three figures raced past, the force of their movement stirring up fallen leaves.
"What a miscalculation. I didn't expect that man to be so difficult to deal with—"
Ikaruga's expression was grim, her eyes filled with lingering fear and frustration.
When she had first received the mission from Jellal, she had been full of confidence. After all, she had killed S-Class wizards from legal guilds before.
Considering the target this time was Chase of Fairy Tail, the Three Crows had mobilized fully and prepared a second plan. Yet in the end, they had still failed!
To the proud Ikaruga, this was nothing short of humiliation!
"So what now? Return to the Tower of Heaven?" Vidaldus asked.
At this moment, he had already lifted his magic state, reverting to a calm, strategic, intelligent persona. The contrast could not have been starker.
Rock really does make people crazy...
"We'll go back. Since we accepted the contract, we have to report the failure to the client."
Ikaruga thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Hopefully, the information we gathered on Chase will satisfy that person."
In their line of work, reputation was very important.
"Understood," Vidaldus nodded.
Suddenly, he noticed the bird-headed muscleman beside him, who had woken up but remained completely silent. "Owl? You okay?"
Normally, that guy talked the most.
Reminded by him, Ikaruga also sensed something wrong. Her high wooden clogs stomped hard on the ground, stopping her sprint.
Vidaldus and Owl stopped right after.
Night wind blew, bringing a chill to the open grassland.
"You okay?"
Owl's expression was somewhat dull. He stood there blankly. "In the words of a gentleman... that would be—"
"Your fate was sealed the moment you met me, the enforcer of justice!"
His pupils suddenly dilated. His muscles swelled. Without any warning, he swung his fist at Vidaldus, who was closest to him.
CRACK!
Blood splattered. Before Owl's fist could land, a cold blade light struck his chest, drawing a line of blood from top to bottom.
"Hey?! What the hell are you doing?!"
Watching Owl collapse, Vidaldus jumped back in shock.
"Isn't it obvious?"
Ikaruga sheathed her blade expressionlessly and said coldly, "He's been controlled."
"Controlled? But I didn't do anything like that to Owl!" Vidaldus clutched his head, confused.
His magic, "Rock Sandman," used musical rhythm to shake a person's will and turn them into a puppet under his command.
"Are you an idiot? I meant Chase!" Ikaruga was so exasperated by this mentally unstable fool that she almost laughed.
SWOOSH!
The sound of rushing wind drowned out Vidaldus's startled cry.
Chase, Mira, Erza, and Lucy jumped down from the backs of Guardian of the Fortress and Curse of Dragon.
"To strike your own comrade so viciously—"
The moment they saw Owl lying in a pool of blood, unconscious, all three women showed expressions of shock and disbelief.
"That's how dark guilds operate," Chase said, walking up to Ikaruga.
"This one simply chose the most efficient method. Setting aside such trivial matters—"
Ikaruga didn't look at Owl at all. She looked up at Chase. "Can you tell me how you did it, Mr. Chase?"
Seeing how polite she was, Chase didn't hold back. He showed the card that had been pinched between his fingers. The magic card 'Brain Control' can make an enemy do whatever you want. I left it on him when I punched him."
"I see. This one is completely convinced." Ikaruga sighed heavily.
HUM!
A dark purple magic circle lit up. Mira, transformed into Demon Satan, stepped forward slowly.
"Miss, daring to lay a hand on my comrade... won't be dismissed with just a simple 'convinced.'"
She would never easily forgive anyone who dared to assassinate Chase!
"Prepare yourselves to pay a heavy price!"
A Re-equip magic circle followed. Erza, clad in Heaven's Wheel Armor, also had sharp eyes. The long swords floating behind her rotated slowly.
Fairy Tail's three S-Class wizards stood side by side. The intangible pressure they released was unmatched—even Lucy, who was on their side, felt a little breathless!
Ikaruga gripped her sword with one hand. Knowing full well there was no escape, her eyes suddenly turned fierce. She adjusted her breathing, preparing to fight to the death.
***
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