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In a secluded alley.
Space warped almost imperceptibly, and the figures of Ultear and Meredy slipped quietly into existence. They had watched Natsu's battle with Zancrow from beginning to end.
"Ultear, aren't we going to help?"
Meredy watched the last of the black God Slayer flames outside disperse, a faint confusion on her small face. That insufferably arrogant Zancrow had been crushed so completely it was almost hard to believe.
Ultear didn't answer right away. She looked down at the ice crystal nestled inside her magic orb, and the resolve already in her eyes deepened into something immovable.
"Listen, Meredy."
"The 'Great Magic World' that Hades seeks is built on destruction and sacrifice. He wants the Black Wizard's power, but pursuing that path will only bring greater disaster."
"We can't keep following him down this road."
The shock that moved through Meredy's heart made her pupils dilate slightly. Her sharp mind caught Ultear's meaning almost instantly. "Ultear... are you saying we're going to betray Hades-sama?"
"Not betray. Leave."
Ultear crouched down until she was at eye level with Meredy, her gaze more serious and more gentle than Meredy had ever seen it. "Leave Grimoire Heart, and go somewhere that can take us in. Somewhere we can feel real warmth and real belonging. Somewhere like... a family."
Family. The word was unfamiliar to Meredy, and yet it pulled at something deep inside her with an allure she couldn't name. She looked at Ultear, the most important person in her world, the one she depended on most.
Without a moment's hesitation, Meredy nodded firmly. "I trust Ultear. Whatever Ultear says is right!"
"Oh? What's right?"
The sudden voice made Ultear spin around, already on guard. A faint light bloomed in her magic orb as her Magic Power primed itself.
A pink-haired head was peeking out from behind the wall at the alley entrance, watching them with open curiosity.
"Oh! It's you! Gray's senior sister!"
It was Natsu. After defeating Zancrow, he'd intended to go support his guildmates, but his sharp nose had caught a familiar scent. He'd followed it without much deliberation and found the two of them tucked into the alley.
Recognizing him as one of Gray's companions, Ultear exhaled and lowered her guard.
Meredy, who had been ready to fight, relaxed as well. She tilted her head and studied the mage who had defeated Zancrow so easily. He seemed kind of... dense.
After Ultear gave him a quick explanation, Natsu crossed his arms and nodded. "So you want this kid to leave Grimoire Heart and join Fairy Tail?"
Ultear nodded. "Don't let her age fool you. Meredy's potential is enormous. She's already one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, and more importantly, her hands aren't yet stained with—"
"No problem!"
Before Ultear could finish, Natsu had already agreed. He didn't particularly care what she'd been about to say.
He knew Ultear cared deeply about Meredy. He knew she was Gray's senior and Noah's informant. Those three things were enough.
Ultear blinked, caught off guard, then felt something warm settle quietly in her chest. Being trusted this completely really was a wonderful feeling. "Meredy, come meet a new friend. His name is Natsu."
With the weight lifted from her heart, her mood shifted all at once. Her magic surged through her hands as she cast Arc of Time across the rows of collapsed buildings Zancrow had left behind.
Under Natsu's wide-eyed stare, the rubble reversed itself. Bricks and beams flew back into place, walls reassembled, rooftops resettled, until every destroyed building stood exactly as it had before, as though the battle had never happened.
The look in Natsu's eyes changed completely. If Meredy hadn't been standing between them, he would have run over and grabbed Ultear by the leg on the spot.
"Ultear! Join our guild too!"
"If you say yes, I'll make Gray do whatever you want!"
"...What?"
In the park adjacent to North Street.
A large, powerfully built man threw himself away from a tree an instant before the trunk exploded behind him, shredded by a ferocious burst of dark magic.
He landed in a low stance, arms crossed, and turned back with fire burning in his eyes. "Excellent. You truly are a worthy opponent for a serious fight, Demon Mira."
A figure stepped out through the gale left by the explosion. Dark purple magic and churning wind sent her dark red dress whipping around her.
Mirajane looked at the battle-hungry man and smiled calmly. "Azuma. A Grimoire Heart executive. One of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. A master of the Lost Magic, Great Tree Arc. Am I right?"
Azuma's pupils contracted sharply. His information had been leaked.
The only people who knew his magic were Hades, Bluenote, and his fellow Seven Kin of Purgatory. Every outsider who had ever learned of it was dead. There was no question about it. There was a mole inside the guild.
It couldn't be Hades, the Master who had taught him. It couldn't be Bluenote, the Deputy Commander who answered only to Hades. That left the other six members of the Seven Kin.
"The one who sold me out was Jellal." Azuma said it with quiet certainty, his eyes steady on Mirajane.
The Seven Kin of Purgatory had all been personally raised and trained by Hades from a young age. None of them would ever turn against him. But Jellal was different. Along with the former Seven Kin member Zoldeo, whom Jellal had replaced, they were the only two who had joined Grimoire Heart later in life. Zoldeo had been gone for some time, which was precisely why Jellal had filled his seat. That made Jellal the only real candidate.
Mirajane smiled at his quiet confidence. "Your deduction is impressive. Unfortunately, you've only guessed half of it."
More than one mole?
Azuma's frown was brief, and he composed himself just as quickly. "It doesn't matter how much information you have. Once Fairy Tail is wiped out, whoever the mole is won't be able to hide for long."
He spread his fingers wide and reached downward, connecting instantly with the magic saturating the earth beneath his feet. That power condensed rapidly in his palm, compressing into a dense magical bomb.
Great Tree Arc. A Lost Magic that lets its user draw energy directly from the earth, merge with trees, and command the surrounding vegetation for attack and control.
The magic bomb, packed with the concentrated power of the earth, detonated between them. The blast tore through the entire North Street park in an instant, leaving nothing but craters and upturned ground behind.
Azuma emerged from inside a tree at the park's edge, completely unscathed. His own bomb posed no threat to him, of course.
He surveyed the ruined park and let out a cold snort. "Demon Mira. She couldn't take even one of my attacks. What a disappointment."
"Oh? Are you really that disappointed?"
The voice arrived at the same moment as the magical pressure, cold and vast, crashing down on him like a wave. Azuma's composure fractured. His face went grim as an immense, surging wall of magical power pinned him against the tree at his back, locking him completely in place.
What terrifying power.
Sweat ran down his face. He couldn't see her, but he could feel it. Demon Mira, spreading her dark wings, swinging her deadly scythe, closing in from behind.