"He believes that the current 'light' of Fairy Tail is too naive and weak. He wants to explore the limits of magic and create a magical world—a grand magic world—that he envisions, ruled by absolute power and dark truths."
A deathly silence fell over the secret room.
The impact of this news was too great.
The Second Guild Master, Makarov's mentor, was actually the leader of the largest Dark Guild today?
This was a truth that could completely overturn one's understanding.
Makarov slowly sat back in his chair, covering his face with his hands, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Immense grief and struggle almost overwhelmed him.
After a long while, he lowered his hands. Although his face still showed sorrow, his small eyes were now filled with an undeniable resolve and determination.
"No ultimate magic, no grand magic world, is more important than family…"
"No matter who he once was, no matter what kindness he showed me or Fairy Tail…"
Makarov's voice was deep and powerful, carrying the decisiveness of a Guild Master. "When he points his butcher's knife at our family, when he attempts to harm the children of the Guild with such despicable methods… he, Precht, is already the mortal enemy of our Fairy Tail!"
His words were resolute, without any hesitation.
Protecting his current family was far more important than dwelling on past kindness.
Erza, Cana, and Ikaruga all looked on with reverence, their eyes growing firmer.
A flicker of approval also crossed Ezreal's eyes.
"So, the current problem is how to respond." Ezreal brought the conversation back to reality. "Hades wants intelligence, so we'll give him intelligence. But what we give him can be the intelligence 'we' want him to receive."
"You mean?" Erza looked at him.
"Fight fire with fire." Ezreal lightly tapped the table with his finger. "Let Ultear transmit false information."
"We'll fabricate some 'tempting' mission details: target members with weak power, who are 'conveniently' alone or in a weak team. But in reality, these locations will be the graves we have meticulously prepared for Grimoire Heart's assassins."
…After the secret meeting ended, Makarov remained alone in the room for a long time.
He walked to the window, gazing at the silent night outside and the scattered lights of Magnolia. His old eyes were filled with complex emotions, which finally resolved into a long, heavy sigh.
"Teacher… why… did you come to this point…"
After Fairy Tail's S-Class meeting concluded, the counterattack plan against Grimoire Heart quietly began.
Ezreal, using an encrypted communication card, had several covert conversations with Ultear, who was far away at the Council.
Soon, two seemingly "excellent" prey intelligence reports, transmitted via Meredy's sensory link, were sent back to Grimoire Heart's dark headquarters.
One report indicated: Fairy Tail's "Fairy Queen," Erza Scarlet, had accepted an escort mission to the western part of a neighboring country, escorting a small merchant caravan through a dangerous area called "Silent Hills."
The intelligence emphasized that the caravan's guard force was weak, Erza was the only main combatant, and the journey was long, with many suitable ambush locations.
Another report indicated: The newly promoted S-Class Mage, the exceptionally skilled swordswoman Ikaruga, had independently accepted a mission to explore an ancient sword art ruin, located at "Broken Blade Canyon" on the southeastern coastline.
It was a sparsely populated area with chaotic magic signals, an "ideal" place for murder and robbery.
These two intelligence reports, whether judged by the importance of the targets, the concealment of the locations, or the "weakness" of the escort forces, perfectly matched Hades's requirements… at Grimoire Heart's headquarters.
Hades looked at the intelligence Meredy presented, and a calculating glint flashed in his sole remaining left eye.
"Erza Scarlet… Ikaruga… both are elites from Makarov's little Guild." He chuckled darkly. "Very good… we'll start with them… Zancrow!"
"Here! Master Hades!" The red-haired youth immediately stepped forward, his face full of excitement and savagery.
"You go to 'Silent Hills.' That Fairy Queen, her blood should be very hot… use your God Slayer Magic to burn her to ashes!" Hades commanded.
"Haha! Leave it to me! I've been wanting to meet the so-called 'Fairy Queen' for a long time!" Zancrow licked his lips, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.
"Rustyrose." Hades looked in another direction.
"At your service, Master Hades." The man wearing glasses, feigning elegant manners, bowed slightly.
"You go to 'Broken Blade Canyon.' That female swordswoman… they say her sword is fast. Let me see, is your imagination faster, or is her sword faster?" Hades's tone carried a hint of playfulness.
"As you wish." Rustyrose pushed up his glasses, a confident smile playing on his lips. "I will perfectly present her head to you."
Hades nodded in satisfaction, not doubting the authenticity of the intelligence. He had absolute confidence in his deterrent power and the strength of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. "Go, let me see the wrath of Grimoire Heart."
Two deadly vipers thus emerged from their lairs, striking at the "prey" meticulously prepared for them.
Meanwhile, Magnolia was bathed in the warm morning light.
The Fairy Tail Guild's doors were open, and members arrived one after another, beginning a new day of hustle and bustle.
Erza and Ikaruga, watched by many of their comrades, each left the Guild, heading in different directions to fulfill their "on-the-surface" mission assignments.
Their expressions were calm, their steps firm.
After leaving the Guild for a distance, ensuring no one was paying attention, the two stopped separately.
Ikaruga stood in the shadow of a small alley and softly said, "EZ."
The shadow beneath her feet wriggled like a living thing, then returned to normal.
There was no leaked aura, but Ikaruga could feel a warm and familiar presence merging into her shadow.
Ezreal, through dimensional magic sharing, borrowed Evil Wolf's "Dark Walk" ability, perfectly infiltrating her shadow.
On the other side, at the crossroads outside the city, Erza took out a special card from her bosom, adorned with complex spatial runes and glowing faintly at the edges.
This was prepared for her by Cana in advance.
"Cana, are you ready?" Erza asked softly.
Cana nodded, taking a deep breath.
She formed hand seals, and magic power surged around her, transforming into a stream of light that was instantly absorbed into the card.
The runes on the card's surface lit up and then quickly faded, becoming like an ordinary card, only slightly thicker.
Erza carefully placed this card, which carried her companion, into a specially made compartment inside her armor, keeping it close to her body.
"Let's go." Erza's eyes sharpened, and she took a determined step.
The core safeguard of the plan was now in place…
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