Two weeks had passed since the one-sided massacre on the deserted island.
To an outsider, the Fairy Tail guildhall looked exactly as it always did.
The heavy oak doors swung open to the sounds of raucous laughter, shattering glass, and the familiar chaotic symphony of flying furniture.
But to an observant eye, something had shifted beneath the surface of the guild's daily brawls.
Ace sat comfortably at his usual spot at the bar, nursing a steaming mug of black coffee.
"Watch out!" Lucy shrieked, ducking under a flying wooden table.
In the center of the hall, Natsu and Gray were completely surrounded by a dozen of the older guild members in a massive free-for-all brawl.
Normally, this was the part where Natsu would blindly unleash a roar and accidentally scorch Gray, prompting the two of them to start fighting each other instead.
But this time was different.
As Macao and Wakaba lunged at them simultaneously from opposite sides, Natsu and Gray didn't even look at each other.
"Duck, ice stripper!" Natsu yelled, dropping low to the floor.
Gray didn't argue.
He instantly vaulted off Natsu's back, launching himself into the air. "Ice-Make: Floor!"
A slick sheet of absolute zero frost coated the wooden floorboards.
Macao and Wakaba slipped and lose their balance.
In that exact fraction of a second, Natsu spun on his hands and unleashed a sweeping flame-wreathed kick that knocked both older mages clean across the room.
Ace took a slow sip of his coffee with a faint smile touching his lips.
'They're learning,' he thought.
The brutal lesson delivered by the Dark Masters had left deep physical and mental bruises, but it had successfully hammered a crucial concept into their stubborn, thick skulls: raw power meant nothing without synchronization.
'They were actively covering each other's blind spots.'
"They've really changed," Mirajane noted softly, leaning against the counter beside Ace.
She watched the Dragon Slayer and the Ice Mage high-five before immediately going back to insulting each other.
"They are much more aware of their surroundings now. You did a good thing, Ace."
"They just needed to realize that there are walls in this world you can't break by just punching harder," Ace replied.
"If they want to survive what's coming, they need to know how to fight as a single unit."
"What's coming?" Lucy asked, having crawled over to the bar to escape the crossfire.
She dusted off her skirt, looking up at Ace with a nervous sweat drop.
"Please tell me you don't have another deserted island training planned. I think Tauros is still traumatized by that giant sea dragon."
Before Ace could answer, the heavy front doors of the guildhall were pushed open.
The loud, chaotic brawling died down almost instantly.
The mages paused mid-punch, turning to look at the entrance.
Master Makarov stood in the doorway.
He wasn't wearing his usual goofy relaxed expression, and there was no trace of the cheerful old man who had danced in a cat suit two weeks prior.
His face was grim, casting a long serious shadows across his wrinkled features.
He walked silently through the parted crowd, his heavy footsteps echoing against the wooden floorboards, until he reached the center of the room.
With a light hop, Makarov seated himself cross-legged on the main bar counter, looking out over his silent, expectant children.
"Listen up, brats," Makarov began, his voice low and carrying an undeniable gravity. "I just returned from the regular meeting of the Guild Masters. The Magic Council has issued an emergency directive. The situation in Fiore is escalating."
Natsu dropped a bruised Elfman and marched to the front. "What escalating, Gramps? Some dark guild acting up?"
"Not just some dark guild, Natsu," Makarov said, his eyes narrowing. "The Balam Alliance is making a move."
A collective gasp echoed through the older members of the guild.
Erza's face turned pale and Gray's fists clenched tightly at his sides.
"The Balam Alliance?" Lucy whispered, her eyes wide with confusion. "What is that?"
Ace set his coffee mug down, his expression hardening.
He knew exactly what it was.
"It's the pinnacle of the dark underworld," Erza explained, stepping forward, her voice tight with tension.
"A massive, non-aggression pact formed by the three most powerful Dark Guilds in the world: Tartaros, Grimoire Heart, and Oración Seis. Every other dark guild in Fiore operates under their umbrellas. They control the entire criminal underworld."
"Exactly," Makarov nodded grimly. "And right now, one of those three pillars has actively mobilized. The Oración Seis. They have been spotted gathering forces in the Worth Woodsea, searching for an ancient magic known as Nirvana."
"Then we just gotta go there and smash 'em!" Natsu grinned, slamming his fists together. "If they're looking for trouble, Fairy Tail will give it to 'em!"
"Don't be a fool, Natsu!" Makarov barked, his voice echoing sharply. "The Oración Seis isn't a normal guild. Do you know why they are called the 'Prayer of Six'?"
The hall remained dead silent.
"Because there are only six of them," Ace said quietly from the bar.
Everyone turned to look at the Tamer.
Ace met Makarov's heavy gaze. "A dark guild that holds a third of the criminal underworld in its grip, yet only possesses six official members. That means each individual mage in their roster possesses strength capable of toppling entire guilds on their own."
Makarov nodded solemnly. "Precisely, Ace. They are overwhelmingly powerful. For a single official guild to wage war against them would be suicide. Furthermore, the Magic Council fears that a direct assault by the military would trigger an all-out war with the rest of the Balam Alliance."
"So what are we supposed to do?" Gray asked, his brow furrowed in frustration. "Just sit here and let them find this 'Nirvana' thing?"
"No," Makarov said, a fierce, defiant light finally sparking in his old eyes. "The Magic Council has authorized the formation of a coalition. A joint task force composed of elite members from four of Fiore's strongest official guilds. The Allied Forces."
Whispers broke out across the hall.
A joint operation between guilds was incredibly rare.
"Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Cait Shelter," Makarov listed, ticking them off on his fingers.
"Each guild will send a select team of delegates to rendezvous at the Blue Pegasus villa. From there, the Allied Forces will march into the Worth Woodsea and completely eradicate the Oración Seis."
Natsu's grin returned, wider than ever. "An alliance, huh? Sounds like a party! I'm in!"
"Of course you are," Makarov sighed, shaking his head before looking out over the crowd.
"I have already selected the Fairy Tail delegates. Erza. Natsu. Gray. Lucy. Happy."
Lucy pointed at herself, her jaw dropping. "Wait, me?! But I'm just a—"
"You have grown significantly, Lucy," Erza interrupted gently, placing a gauntleted hand on the celestial mage's shoulder.
"Your spirits will be invaluable in a prolonged battle."
Makarov cleared his throat, his gaze shifting past the main group and landing squarely on the young man sitting at the bar.
"And Ace," Makarov finished.
Ace blinked, slightly surprised. "Me, Master?"
"Yes, you," Makarov said, his tone leaving no room for argument. "The Oración Seis are monsters, and this mission requires utmost tactical precision. I need one of my strongest S-Class mages there to keep these reckless brats in line and to ensure the Alliance doesn't fall apart before the battle even begins."
Makarov's eyes softened just a fraction. "Furthermore... you just finished teaching them how to survive against overwhelmingly powerful enemies. I can think of no one better to lead them against a group of six monsters."
"Understood, Master," Ace said with confidence.
He looked at Natsu, Gray, Erza, and Lucy. "We'll crush the Oración Seis when we met them."
"Hell yeah we will!" Natsu roared, breathing a small plume of fire into the air.
"Pack your bags and prepare," Erza commanded, her eyes narrowing with absolute focus.
"We depart for the Blue Pegasus rendezvous point at first light."
The hall erupted into cheers and shouts of encouragement.
As the chosen team dispersed to gather their gear, Ace slipped his D-Tector into his pocket.
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