"Recovery complete!"
Mira gleefully gave Rhode an OK gesture.
The so-called recovery refers to the souls of certain 'heatstroke-suspected' members of the Nine Ghosts Sect and 'uncomfortable-bodied' demons like the Nether King.
After the battle ended, the kind Lady Mirajane took in Maldo, who was on his last gasp, ending his suffering.
Jia Ka'er and Dempsey Tower were also taken in by Mira before they self-destructed.
Kuanghua's soul was found in the core of hell, and although she cursed in the culture jar, being a soul, she couldn't resist at all.
Additionally, the core of hell held a tentacle monster and a group of bunny-eared lab coat researchers, whom Mira also took care of unceremoniously.
Except for Kisu, whose body shattered and soul went missing, making him completely unrecoverable.
It is speculated that Gray's demon-extermination magic wiped him out completely.
Indeed, it lived up to Shilba's evaluation of him — the weakest in actual strength among the Nine Ghosts Sect.
Aside from those knocked down earlier and a few die-hard ones among the remnants of the Gate of the Underworld, they all basically surrendered.
Rhode instructed the removal of several stone slabs with inscriptions from the ruins and then waved to let the Void Worms clean up the construction debris.
With this, the matter of the Gate of the Underworld came to an end.
"Alright, Mira and I will go out for a bit, everyone return to the guild and prepare for the celebration!"
"Oh oh oh!!!"
Talking about parties, everyone instantly became energized.
"Going out?" Natsu wondered if there was another fight waiting.
Rhode said, "Just sending these guys to the Council, and these stone slabs too. They serve as evidence of our wiping out of the Gate of the Underworld."
Mira hadn't gone out in a long time, and the fights today didn't involve her much, so she wanted to tag along for a stroll.
Lucy asked, "Wasn't the Council blown up?"
Rhode replied, "Mr. Org is still there, along with some middle-level management staff, basic tasks can still be done. Plus, the prison is underground, barely damaged, so it's still functional for imprisoning these criminals."
...
Pegrandi Kingdom, near the southern bay.
A half-transparent blue orb arrived from the west, landing precisely in the Magic Array left by Rhode near the Council.
Due to its rapid speed, ordinary people might not notice it, while those with keen eyes would see only a quick flash of blue, almost mistaking it for an illusion.
In normal times, the Council probably wouldn't notice, but now they were on high alert, so a patrol quickly came to check the situation.
"Mr. Rhode?"
Rhode greeted, pointing to the side at the bound individuals and said, "Oh, hello, please get these guys jailed first."
"These are... people from the Gate of the Underworld?" The captain quickly recognized the marks on the soldiers.
"Yes, the Gate of the Underworld has been defeated by our guild. Uh, is Mr. Org here?"
"Actually... yes." The lieutenant was so shocked he struggled to speak.
The perpetrators of the attack on the Council just a couple of days ago, defeated already!
He adjusted his emotions slightly and immediately ordered a subordinate to run back and report while the rest stayed to guard the captives.
He personally led Rhode and Mira to see Mr. Org.
The rescue work for the injured at the Council had long been completed, and the rubble cleared quite decently.
The once magnificent palace was now less than half standing, with workers scrambling up and down to inspect and measure, currently evaluating the cost between complete demolition and reconstruction or repair over the existing base.
Tents had been set up on nearby open areas for current personnel to use as offices.
Fixed and mobile sentries were arranged in every direction of the camp, while slightly further away were Pegrandi's troops stationed.
It was apparent that although the Council had suffered heavily, Org was putting effort into organizing work.
The captain brought Rhode and Mira to Org's tent entrance, where the guard went in to report.
Org's 'please enter' came ahead of the guard's echoed response, so Rhode didn't hesitate to lift the curtain and step inside.
The tent was quite basic, with only the essentials — a desk and a camp bed.
Org sat behind the desk, had paused his writing, looking at the entrance.
Mest, or Dolanbart, stood behind Org — just as he said, not leaving Mr. Org's side until safety was confirmed.
Org smiled, "Welcome, though it's rather inappropriate to say, I'm sorry I can't stand to greet you in my current condition."
Only then did Rhode notice that Mr. Org wasn't sitting on a chair, but a wheelchair.
Though his healing magic was administered in time during the incident, Org was of advanced age.
Being hit by such a large slab of stone, surviving alone was fortunate enough, but wanting to stand again seemed unlikely.
"Sorry for the intrusion." Rhode glanced at the piles of documents on the desk, suddenly feeling a bit empathetic.
9 people's workload stacked on one elderly person — truly challenging.
"Let's start with good news: the Gate of the Underworld has been eliminated."
"What?"
Org and Dolanbart shared the stunned expressions reminiscent of the captain.
Rhode and Mira smiled, briefly summarizing the battle and its results for them.
Org remained silent for a while, digesting the explosive news.
"Thank you," Org said solemnly, "I wish to thank Fairy Tail on behalf of the deceased evaluators, as well as mages across the continent... Thank you for stopping the Gate of the Underworld."
Rhode waved it off, "No need to be so formal, we are part of Ishujal too after all. Besides, the enemy was at our doorstep."
"Thank you," Org repeated, and then explained,
"Actually, I was just fretting over how to placate the daily visits from reporters and inquiries from various kingdoms. Solving it quickly really helps a lot."
"Looks like you're under quite a bit of pressure," Rhode remarked, "I didn't just bring captives this time, but also the corpse of the former president Crawford... With him, there shouldn't be any blame over the Council's destruction or Feis data leaks."
After Feis's self-destruction, Rhode didn't extend Crawford's 'life' any longer, and he was now truly just a corpse.
Being able to slightly relieve Mr. Org's pressure even after death shows he still had some use.
And it was his own wrongdoing in the first place.
"Crawford…" Org's face showed little joy, pondering deeply and finally sighing.
They had worked together for years, despite their flaws, never envisioning the other would take such a path.
"Regarding information about the main members of the Gate of the Underworld, we also compiled a report, which I believe the Advisory Council will find useful for archiving or interview responses."
Rhode placed a few documents on the desk, chatted briefly, and took his leave.
He planned to take his wife for a walk by the beach, then return to the guild.
Org asked Dolanbart to see them off, while he picked up the documents Rhode left.
After flipping through for a while, Org called out, "Dolanbart."
"Here."
"What do you think of Rhode as a person?"
"Which aspect specifically do you mean?"
"All aspects."
Dolanbart thought for a moment, carefully answering, "In terms of magic, incredibly strong, perhaps comparable to the Four Kings of Ishujal.
"In terms of ability and character… he has resolved numerous issues, which we've all witnessed.
"In terms of personality, more composed than most members of Fairy Tail... perhaps not just Fairy Tail.
"Even Lahar, originally not a fan of Fairy Tail, has always praised him — though due to position conflicts, he has made Fairy Tail more troublesome than before..."
"Haha..." Hearing this, Org reminisced about Fairy Tail's changes over the years, recalling how troublesome the lively guild always was.
Dolanbart wondered, "Why did you ask this suddenly?"
Org grinned, "Well... I have an immature idea..."