The glow of Hibiki's Archive magic illuminated the grand hall, casting a pale blue light across the serious faces of the Allied Forces.
A detailed, three-dimensional topographical map of the Worth Woodsea hovered above the central mahogany table, slowly rotating to display the dense, treacherous terrain.
"The Oración Seis are currently stationed somewhere within this vast expanse of ancient forest," Hibiki explained, tapping a glowing rune on his magical keyboard.
"Their goal is Nirvana, a legendary magic capable of switching light and darkness. It takes the morality of an individual or an entire guild and flips it, turning good to evil."
Jura stroked his beard, his heavy brow furrowing in deep concern.
"If such foul magic falls into the hands of the Balam Alliance, the world will plunge into chaos. We cannot allow them to unearth it."
Erza crossed her arms, her armor clinking softly. "We must locate their base of operations and strike before they find it. A coordinated search is our best option, but the enemy holds the home-ground advantage."
"The Worth Woodsea spans hundreds of miles," Lyon Vastia added, stepping closer to the hologram.
"Searching it blindly will drain our magic reserves before we even encounter the enemy. We need designated search grids."
Ace stood near the edge of the table, studying the glowing green digital renders of the forest.
The sheer scale of the landscape posed a massive logistical nightmare.
He reached into his pocket, his fingers grazing the smooth casing of his D-Tector.
Sending a Mega-level Digimon like Machinedramon to glass the entire forest would solve the problem in a matter of minutes.
However, it would also incinerate any innocent lives caught in the crossfire, devastate the natural ecosystem, and defeat the entire purpose of this joint operation.
The Allied Forces needed to learn how to fight together against elite threats.
He needed finesse, not a sledgehammer.
Ace raised his D-Tector.
A soft, warm light washed over the dim room as two small figures materialized on the mahogany table.
"Patamon!"
"Armadillomon!"
A flying, orange guinea-pig-like creature with large bat wings fluttered joyfully into the air.
Beside him, a yellow armored armadillo landed with a soft thud on the wooden surface, looking around the room with bright, curious eyes.
Natsu blinked, leaning in so close his nose almost touched the armadillo's shell.
"Whoa! These guys are tiny! Where are the giant metal dragons? Where's the big swordsman?"
"We need scouts, Natsu, not walking weapons of mass destruction," Ace said, reaching out to scratch Patamon affectionately under the chin.
"These two excel at tracking, tunneling, and aerial reconnaissance. They are perfect for a stealth approach through a dense environment."
"I'll dig up any bad guys we need to find, darm it!" Armadillomon announced, offering a cheerful toothy grin.
Ichiya struck a flamboyant pose, sparkling lights shimmering around his blocky frame.
"Ah! Such marvelous creatures! Their parfum is filled with youth and vigor! Speaking of which, I must excuse myself for a brief moment to prepare our secret weapon, the magical bomber Christina! Wait here, my beautiful fairies!"
With a dramatic twirl, Ichiya waltzed out of the room, his heavy footsteps echoing down the hallway.
...
The strategic meeting resumed.
Jura, Erza, and Lyon debated the best ways to split their forces to cover maximum ground, while Wendy listened intently, clutching Carla close to her chest.
Several minutes ticked by.
The heavy oak doors creaked open again. "Ichiya" strolled back into the grand hall with his wide signature grin plastered on his square face.
"I have returned! The preparations are almost finished!"
Jura turned toward the door, offering a respectful nod. "Excellent timing, Ichiya-dono. We were just finalizing the vanguard setup and discussing the primary assault routes."
"Ichiya" stepped closer to the Wizard Saint, closing the distance with silent uncharacteristic swiftness.
His hands remained tucked near his waist, his eyes fixed intently on the towering Lamia Scale mage.
Before the stout mage could reach Jura, a firm hand clamped down hard on his shoulder.
Ace stood there, his eyes narrowed into a sharp, dangerous glare.
Patamon fluttered anxiously above his head, sensing the sudden spike in tension.
"Ace?" Erza questioned, stepping forward, her hand resting on her sword hilt. "What are you doing?"
"He's an imposter," Ace stated smoothly, his grip tightening like a vise.
"Ichiya" let out a nervous, booming laugh. "Meeeeen! What a terrible joke, young man! The sweet parfum of my handsome presence cannot be faked!"
"That is exactly how I know," Ace replied, his voice dropping to an icy chill. "Ichiya wears an overpowering custom-brewed cologne. It lingers in a room for hours. You, however, smell like sweet vanilla, ozone, and.... celestial magic."
The fake Ichiya's eyes widened in genuine panic.
In a flash, the stout blocky form melted away, dissolving into a cloud of shimmering blue smoke.
Two small, floating creatures with identical grinning faces—the Gemini twins—hovered for a split second before transforming into a slender, silver-haired woman wearing a feathered dress.
Angel of the Oración Seis.
"Tch. What a sharp nose you have boy," Angel sneered.
Her sweet facade dropped to reveal a vicious, arrogant scowl.
"I was going to take out the Wizard Saint first and cripple your little alliance, but I suppose I'll have to silence you instead!"
She reached swiftly for the golden keys hanging at her waist.
"Open, Gate of the Scorpion! Scorpio—"
"Armadillomon!" Ace called out, not even flinching.
"Leave it to me!" The yellow Digimon curled into a tight, hardened ball, his armored shell locking into place.
"Rolling Stone!"
Before Angel could even grasp her key, Armadillomon launched forward like a cannonball, striking her squarely in the chest.
The heavy impact knocked the breath from her lungs, sending her stumbling backward toward the grand doors.
"Patamon!"
The small flying Digimon inhaled deeply, his cheeks puffing out to an absurd size.
"Boom Bubble!"
A concentrated blast of highly compressed air shot across the room, striking the silver-haired mage with the force of a battering ram.
Angel slammed hard into the wall, her celestial keys scattering across the polished marble floor with a sharp, metallic clatter.
Before she could recover her footing, Ace closed the distance.
He pinned her arms behind her back with practiced efficiency, manifesting a pair of dense magical cuffs to secure her wrists.
The entire hall stared in stunned silence.
The highly anticipated ambush by an elite member of the Oración Seis had been dismantled in less than ten seconds by a single mage and two cute tiny creatures.
Wendy covered her mouth with both hands, her wide brown eyes staring at the restrained dark mage.
"S-She was going to attack Jura-san? Right in front of us?"
Carla hovered protectively in front of the young Dragon Slayer.
"A cowardly tactic fitting for dark mages. But to disguise herself as that buffoon Ichiya... how dreadful."
Angel thrashed against the restraints, her eyes blazing with fury.
"Let me go, you filthy fairy! You don't know who you're messing with! Brain will slaughter all of you!"
"Gemini," Lucy breathed out, stepping forward to look at the captive.
As a fellow Celestial Spirit Mage, she recognized the signature immediately.
"The Twins. They have the ability to perfectly copy the appearance, memories, and magic of anyone they touch. She must have ambushed Ichiya in the hallway and used his form to walk right past the defenses."
Angel glared venomously at Lucy. "Keep your mouth shut, amateur. You aren't worthy of holding golden keys."
Ace bent down and picked up her discarded ring of golden and silver keys.
He tossed them lightly in his hand, feeling the hum of celestial energy, before pocketing them safely.
He pulled Angel to her feet, ignoring her venomous glares and looked toward Jura and Erza.
"We need to secure her somewhere safe and find the real Ichiya before we deploy," Ace said.
"If they are sending assassins directly into our staging ground, it means they already know we're coming."
"A preemptive strike," Jura said, his deep voice rumbling with profound respect as he looked at Ace.
"You possess incredible instincts, Ace-dono. Had you not intervened, I might have been severely wounded before our campaign even began. You have my deepest gratitude."
"I think the odds are looking a bit better now," Ace said, turning back to the shocked alliance members with a calm, unimpressed expression.
"Oración Seis is officially down to five."