"Lord Underworld King."
Kyôka knelt before Mard Geer as summoned. "Ezel and Torafuzar are dead."
Despite the report, Mard Geer showed no trace of grief. He reclined lazily upon his throne, propping his cheek with one hand, a faint smile curling at the corners of his mouth.
Kyôka frowned. "But Hell's Core showed no..."
"It was not death in the ordinary sense," Mard Geer interrupted calmly. "It was true erasure. The kind from which one cannot return to Tartaros."
Kyôka stiffened. "Someone can truly kill members of the Nine Demon Gates?" She immediately corrected herself. "I am not doubting your judgment, I simply cannot imagine how a human could accomplish such a thing."
Mard Geer chuckled softly, as though he had expected the question.
"Seventeen years ago, a human slew Deliora," he said. "It follows naturally that humans today can slay the Nine Demon Gates. Even within a nest of ants, one or two will always be abnormally strong. There is nothing strange about it."
He continued smoothly, "This is precisely why the Face Project exists. We will strip these ants of everything they rely upon, and then awaken END."
"The Guild Master will return to Zeref's side."
Kyôka lowered her gaze slightly. "Even so… losing two companions is regrettable."
"You think I should be angry?" Mard Geer's smile deepened. He tapped his temple with one finger. "I, Mard Geer, am a strategist. Ezel and Torafuzar were merely points within a larger design."
"Even if they are lost, new pieces will replace them. The overall structure remains unchanged."
He paused, amusement flickering in his eyes.
"If anything, losing them has added a touch of unpredictability to an otherwise flawless, but admittedly dull, plan."
Kyôka remained kneeling, confusion evident in her expression. "I do not understand."
She preferred clarity over riddles.
Mard Geer sighed faintly. Once again, he felt that none of his subordinates truly grasped his vision. A pity. Only Zeref himself would understand.
Shifting position, he propped his chin with his other hand and said casually, "It means the plan has been revised. Before Face is fully deployed, we will remove several obstacles."
"Consider it… an intermission."
As his words settled, Kyôka felt the floor beneath her tremble faintly.
Cube's course had changed.
...
"I've got it!" Levy exclaimed. "Based on the calculations, their most likely destination is near the southwestern border of the Bosco Kingdom!"
Lucy added quickly, "More specifically, the Great Hollow of Dokuzeri Valley!"
Cheers erupted throughout the guild.
"Well done, Levy!"
"Lucy too, great work!"
Both girls scratched the backs of their heads, embarrassed by the sudden praise.
"Then let's start the war already, Gramps!" Natsu shouted.
Makarov nearly nodded instinctively, then stopped and turned toward Rhodes. "What do you think?"
Rhodes answered without haste. "Open the warehouse first and distribute the magic crystals. Keep guild security at full strength in case the enemy attempts a diversion."
He continued calmly, "The location is far. If we move as a group and miss them, we'll lose our chance. I'll go ahead first, confirm their position, and make preparations. Once I've located them, I'll return and bring everyone through."
Even with Silver's intelligence and Levy and Lucy's calculations, Rhodes wasn't willing to rely on theory alone.
He needed confirmation with his own eyes.
Using the Hex Gate to retrieve everyone afterward would be far more efficient than traveling directly.
Natsu suddenly stepped in front of him, arms crossed, glaring suspiciously. "You're not planning to solve everything by yourself, are you?"
Rhodes laughed. "Tempting idea, but no. I've always preferred conservative strategies."
Makarov nodded decisively. "Then we proceed."
He called Warren over and issued orders through him. "All teams, prepare for battle. Defense teams, maintain formation. Scouts, remain alert."
"Understood," Freed replied from outside the city, still working on his magic formations.
"Understood," came the replies from Alzack, Bisca, and the other scout teams.
Mirajane handed the warehouse key to Macao, instructing him to begin distributing supplies. Then she turned to Rhodes.
"Be careful."
"Don't worry," Rhodes didn't say much more, afraid of setting a flag.
Cloudlike wings spread from his back.
Just before taking off, Rhodes realized he hadn't eaten breakfast. Without much thought, he casually reached over and swiped two patterned buns from Gray's plate.
Gray didn't object, in fact, he felt a subtle sense of relief.
Only Juvia looked slightly distressed.
Especially when Rhodes bit off the head of the chibi Gray drawn on the bun in a single bite.
Pure flight was, frankly, boring.
To pass the time, Rhodes finished the "Gray Bun," then moved on to the second one, neatly biting into the chibi Juvia drawn on its surface.
Even though the real versions weren't officially together yet, their chibi counterparts had already met inside his stomach.
A good deed accomplished for the day.
"Juvia's craftsmanship is impressive," Rhodes mused mid-flight. "And her drawing skills are surprisingly good."
Compared to her, Mirajane and Erza might have slightly better cooking overall, but neither of them could pull off patterns like this.
The journey passed without incident.
Before long, Rhodes spotted a conspicuous depression in the landscape, a vast, dark hollow carved into the ground.
He had long since forgotten most of his high-school geography, so he couldn't say what kind of landform it was. All he knew was that it looked like a massive pit, and whether it was natural or artificial was anyone's guess.
He circled once in the air, climbing higher to survey the surroundings.
Nothing.
No trace of Tartaros, no suspicious flying objects.
Nothing out of place.
"Maybe they haven't arrived yet?"
Rhodes landed nearby and chose a concealed spot to draw the magic circle for a Hex Gate. After finishing it, he contacted the guild and informed Mirajane that he had reached the designated location but detected no abnormalities.
Everyone could relax for now.
The moment he cut the connection, the ground shuddered.
Rhodes reacted instantly, taking to the air and scanning the area, half-expecting to see Tartaros descending from the sky.
But there was still nothing.
The only anomaly was the hollow itself.
Deep within the pit, a faint, indistinct glow flickered, weak, but unmistakable.
"You've got to be kidding me," Rhodes muttered as he landed near the edge. "At a time like this? That would be one hell of a coincidence."
He activated Void vision.
An imperceptible ripple spread outward from him, sinking through layers of earth and stone, plunging into the depths of the Great Hollow.
The scene below unfolded instantly.
At the center of the cavern stood a massive crystal pillar.
And carved into its upper surface, was a human face.
As the ground continued to tremble, the pillar steadily rose, pushing aside fresh soil and fractured rock. Judging by the loose earth surrounding it, the structure had only just begun emerging from underground.
Rhodes stared at it in silence.
This thing....is face?