"How did they know? How is this possible?"
Brain was bewildered.
His gaze swept over the Oración Seis.
Only the six of them—and his magic staff—knew about Nirvana. Could there be a traitor among them?
"Impossible."
Brain shook his head. He had hand-picked and trained each of these six individuals. They would never betray him, nor could they leak information right under his nose.
They always acted together.
"Leader?"
Seeing the shifting expressions on Brain's face, Racer, Angel, Hoteye, and Cobra broke a cold sweat. Brain's earlier glare had been sharp.
Only Midnight remained unfazed, as Brain hadn't suspected him.
If there was even a sliver of a chance someone else was the traitor, it was impossible for it to be Midnight.
He spent most of his time sleeping.
Unless he could transmit information in his dreams, he couldn't be the leak. Brain didn't doubt him for a second.
"Is there any other news?"
Brain couldn't figure it out. He turned to the Gemini Celestial Spirits, hoping the two little ones could provide more information.
"We do!"
Gemi and Mini chattered over each other, relaying the intelligence they gathered.
They explained the connection between Roubaul, the Nirvit tribe, and the Cait Shelter Guild.
They had gathered a great deal of information.
And they obtained it with ease. They simply disguised themselves as a Mage, wandered through the camp, and overheard most of the details.
It couldn't be helped; everyone was discussing the matter, making it impossible not to hear.
"So that's it..."
Hearing about the Nirvit ghosts, Roubaul, and the Cait Shelter Guild that guarded the site for centuries, Brain understood.
Now he knew how they discovered Nirvana.
The original guardians of Nirvana were still around—of course they would find it!
Brain could even picture the sequence of events.
The "Star Rose God" Marco must have questioned Roubaul and the Nirvit ghosts.
He would have learned they were guarding Nirvana and deduced the Oración Seis's objective. If Brain were in Marco's position, he would have done the exact same thing.
"This Cait Shelter Guild... is actually the ghosts of the Nirvit tribe..."
Brain let out a long sigh.
It wasn't his fault.
Who could have guessed?! He never imagined he would lose because of this. The outcome was beyond his expectations.
"So, is Nirvana's destruction a certainty?" Hoteye asked, unwilling to accept it.
"That's right. Prepare yourselves. We're going to confront these light Mages. They want a decisive battle? Then we'll give them one!"
Brain nodded, his tone sharp and resolute, leaving no room for argument.
His anger was boiling over.
And who could blame him? Anyone would be furious.
After years of planning, his grand scheme had been dismantled. The fact that Brain hadn't gone berserk was a testament to his self-control.
"Excellent! We must teach them a harsh lesson!" Cobra responded, confident in his own strength.
"This works out well. The light Mages must have brought many powerful Mages with them. It's a perfect opportunity to test their strength."
Midnight smiled.
In truth, the Oración Seis had never fought against any top-tier Mage Guilds.
Their immense reputation was built on Brain's strength alone—and the infamy they gained from plundering cities.
The other five Generals of the Oración Seis were eager for a fight. They craved fame and wanted to make a name for themselves, even a notorious one.
A bad reputation was better than dying in obscurity, better than being remembered only as "one of the Oración Seis."
"Order the Dark Guilds below us to mobilize. It's time to use them," Brain commanded. "If any guild dares to disobey, wipe them out."
They didn't see their subordinate guilds as people, but as expendable pawns and cannon fodder. If they refused to be used, they would die.
Such was the ruthless world of Dark Guilds.
"Yes, sir. I'll make the arrangements," Racer replied, rushing out to carry out the order.
Soon, the allied forces of the Dark Guilds began to move.
Under the oppressive might of the Oración Seis, which subordinate Dark Guild would dare refuse?
They could only brace themselves and charge toward the Allied Forces.
Furious and humiliated, Brain refused to wait. He launched a direct assault, igniting the great war.
The Allied Forces were ready.
The Mages had long been prepared for battle.
As the Dark Mages charged forward in a chaotic swarm, the Mages launched an effective counterattack.
A dazzling array of spells erupted, raining down upon the advancing enemy.
Master Bob's grand villa had been fortified with several defensive magic circles.
Unfortunately, in a battle of this scale, they didn't last long, only managing to block one or two volleys of magical bombardment.
But that was enough. Those blocked attacks bought the Mages enough time to unleash two full rounds of spells, sending the Dark Mages reeling.
Many were knocked out of the fight before they even reached the front lines.
"Charge!"
With the villa's defensive magic circles shattered, Guild Masters Goldmine, Bob, and the others didn't hesitate.
They led their Mages forward.
Laharl and his Magic Council troops also surged into the fray, and the two sides clashed in a chaotic melee.
Unsurprisingly, the battle was one-sided.
The Oración Seis's subordinate Dark Guilds were no match for Fiore's Allied Forces, especially since the Magic Council had dispatched their elite troops.
From the start, the Dark Guilds were suppressed.
Their top-tier combatants were outclassed by the Allied Forces. If the Oración Seis didn't intervene, the Dark Guilds would be crushed in no time.
"These worthless fools!" Cobra cursed, watching the unfolding disaster.
He knew he couldn't rely on these subordinate guilds, but their performance was pathetic—they were being routed without putting up any resistance!
Cobra's gaze swept across several breakthroughs in the enemy lines. In one area, flames raged; in another, ice ravaged the battlefield.
Most importantly, he spotted a few familiar faces—people who should have been working at the Tower of Heaven.
"Jellal, look what you've done," Cobra sneered, turning to the handcuffed Jellal.
With the battle underway, this unstable element had to be dealt with.
They had gone through so much trouble to rescue Jellal, but the bastard refused to cooperate with their plans!
After lording over the Tower of Heaven for so long, Jellal was now acting like a saint.
He even tried to dissuade them from causing trouble, claiming they couldn't succeed and that Marco's power was far beyond anything they could handle.