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Three days passed in a flash.
The first rays of dawn had barely broken through before being swallowed by thick, rolling clouds, snuffing out the light almost as quickly as it had come.
A deep rumble, like the growl of some ancient beast, drew closer and closer, making hearts pound as though they might burst free from their chests.
From the direction of Magnolia's port, an enormous, suffocating shadow tore through the gloomy sky.
It resembled a floating steel fortress, its hull bristling with spikes like the fangs of some monstrous creature. Dark purple magic runes swirled within its ominous cannon muzzles, radiating a heavy, oppressive magical pressure.
Grimoire Heart airship had arrived.
This ultimate weapon, a symbol of Guild Master Hades' ambition, sailed slowly over Magnolia with overwhelming might. Its shadow swallowed half the city whole.
The dark guilds Grimoire Heart had summoned, now under the command of Deputy Commander Bluenote Stinger, silently encircled Magnolia. A vast isolation magic gradually severed the city's connection to the outside world.
"Report to command!"
"Magnolia has been completely sealed off!"
Inside the airship, the communications mage relayed the progress of the affiliated guilds to Bluenote.
Bluenote received the report in silence and said nothing. To him, the affiliated guilds were nothing more than expendable pawns — cannon fodder that existed only to follow orders and die.
He wore a light-colored sleeveless coat, his long dark hair gathered at the back of his head and tied into a thick ponytail that hung well past his waist. In Grimoire Heart, he was the most powerful figure after Hades himself.
"Ultear and Meredy are taking too long. If you ask me, we should just start already!"
Behind Bluenote, a young man with wild blond hair radiated impatience, his red eyes gleaming with arrogance and bloodlust. "I can't wait to burn those damn Fairies to ashes!"
"That won't do, Zancrow."
Jellal stepped out from the shadows, dressed in a black robe, and addressed the Flame God Slayer in a casual, almost bored tone. "Master specifically ordered us to end the Fairy Tail mages swiftly, and to minimize damage to the city."
With Hades' authority invoked, Zancrow had no choice but to forcibly swallow his urge for destruction, though it clearly cost him.
Three days ago, Hades had learned that the Black Wizard had been brought back to Fairy Tail by Makarov, and immediately decided to attack Magnolia in order to seize him. However, just before their departure today, Hades had unexpectedly changed course — ordering them to limit the damage to the city, leave ordinary citizens unharmed, and focus solely on striking Fairy Tail to capture the Black Wizard.
This left Zancrow utterly baffled. He'd been looking forward to a proper rampage. But he dared not disobey the Master.
Ignoring Jellal entirely, Zancrow turned to the communications mage, his voice thick with irritation. "Hey, are the guys down there done yet? What's taking them so long to scout the situation in Magnolia?"
The mage's face went pale. He knew the intelligence he had to deliver was absurd, but every affiliated guild that had entered the city had reported the same thing. "M-Master Zancrow, there's something strange. According to reports from the affiliated guilds, everyone in the city is... gone."
"Gone?"
Zancrow grabbed the mage by the collar. "Don't tell me every single person in that city just vanished into thin air! Don't joke with me!"
The mage looked close to tears. He knew how outlandish it sounded. But the reports were consistent across the board — not a single person, not even a stray cat or dog, remained in Magnolia.
"He's telling the truth. Magnolia has become a ghost town."
As Zancrow was busy throttling the poor mage, a composed voice cut through the tension.
Ultear had arrived at the command room, dressed in a white combat uniform and holding her magic orb, with a small pink-haired girl in tow.
"Well, well — Ultear. Late to a mission assigned by Master Hades himself, and you brought Meredy along with you."
Ultear responded to Zancrow's snide remark with nothing more than a small, untroubled smile. "Isn't it common sense to take a little time to get ready before heading out? What's there to be angry about?"
She covered her mouth with a soft laugh. "Oh, I almost forgot — you've never had any luck with women, Zancrow. How would you know? Meredy, when you grow up, make sure you don't pick someone like him for a boyfriend."
The little pink-haired girl nodded obediently, tightening her grip on Ultear's hand.
"You — you two—!"
Zancrow went red in the face, spluttering with rage, yet unable to produce a single word of rebuttal.
The truth was, Zancrow had been alone his entire life. The humiliation was real. But the usually insufferable Zancrow dared not pick a fight at this moment — and it had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that he couldn't take on Ultear and Meredy together.
This is called respecting women.
Jellal watched as Zancrow somehow reined himself in mid-fury and couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"Jellal! You're laughing at me!"
Zancrow rounded on him immediately. Fine — maybe he couldn't beat Ultear and Meredy. But surely he could handle Jellal?
Jellal simply shook his head and gave Zancrow a pitying look. That this brainless hothead had managed to grow up at all was a genuine miracle — he ought to be thankful his magical talent was as high as it was.
It was just a fight. Jellal wasn't afraid of Zancrow.
Before things could escalate further, Bluenote — who had maintained a stone-faced silence throughout — finally spoke. "If the two of you want to die that badly, I'll personally see to it after this operation is over."
The moment Bluenote opened his mouth, both Jellal and Zancrow pulled back.
Their Deputy Commander was immensely powerful, extreme in temperament, and fond of fighting. He was rumored to have an appetite for collecting powerful magic, and was known as the mage in whose wake "not even a blade of grass remains." He was entirely capable of killing his own guildmates.
"Re-report to command!"
"Affiliated guilds in Magnolia are under attack! Fairy Tail mages have appeared!"
The sudden report shattered the brief lull. Bluenote's gaze swept coldly across Jellal, Ultear, Meredy, and Zancrow. "It's time for the Seven Kin of Purgatory to move. Go to Fairy Tail and bring back the Black Wizard."
He paused. "One more thing — the one called Noah, who defeated Jellal, is my prey. His magic interests me."
Zancrow, finally given permission to fight, threw back his head and laughed, his swagger fully restored as he strode out of the command room. He was completely oblivious to the knowing looks Ultear and Jellal exchanged behind his back.
The two undercover agents — having infiltrated Grimoire Heart's inner circle — held each other's gaze for a moment without a word. Then Jellal transformed into a streak of light and plunged toward the city below, which had already become a battlefield.
Ultear gently stroked Meredy's head. "Meredy, I'm taking you somewhere good. You'll make lots of friends there."
Meredy blinked up at her. "I have you, Ultear. That's enough. I don't need friends."
A flash of pain and guilt crossed Ultear's eyes — then hardened into resolve. No matter what it took, she was getting this poor child out of Grimoire Heart today.