On the small stage, Ichiya continued to strike bizarre poses one after another. Everyone rolled their eyes internally but knew better than to try reasoning with him—it was just his personality, after all.
Ichiya explained, "If we head north from here, there's a forest called the 'Vas Tree Forest' In ancient times, powerful mages sealed away a forbidden magic deep within it—its name is Nirvana."
"Nirvana?" The group looked puzzled.
Erza shook her head. "Never heard of such magic."
Gray nodded firmly. "But if it's a forbidden spell that's been sealed away, then it must be dangerous."
Lucy guessed, "Something like Deliora, maybe?"
"In any case, it's bad news," Natsu declared confidently, flames sparking in his fists. "We've gotta stop those villains!"
"Do you know what Nirvana is?" Happy approached Carla—the aloof white cat—and held out a fish. "Would you like this?"
"No thanks." Carla flicked her tail dismissively, refusing to acknowledge him.
"She's so cute when she's shy…" Happy gazed at her dreamily, stars in his eyes.
'This guy is hopeless…' Lucy thought as she watched the scene unfold.
"Yes," Ichiya continued. "We don't know why the Oración Seis want Nirvana, or what they plan to do with it. But one thing is certain—something terrible will happen if they succeed. Therefore, our mission is clear:"
He grinned. "Stop them!"
"We outnumber them more than two-to-one," Jura said gravely. "But make no mistake—the Oración Seis are no pushovers. We must remain vigilant. I don't want anyone here unable to return to their guilds."
"Do we have intel on them?" Erza asked.
"Only partial information," Hibiki responded. Using his Archive Magic, he projected an image into the air.
The first picture showed a man with dark red hair and a purple snake slithering beside him.
"This is Cobra, a mage who specializes in poison-based magic. Be extremely cautious about getting poisoned during combat."
"He looks pretty menacing," Sherry commented.
"He's got that same sharp-eyed look as Natsu," Gray added.
"What did you say, ice brain?!" Natsu snapped, ready to throw a punch.
"Calm down, both of you!" Lucy quickly intervened, pulling Natsu back.
*Whoosh.*
Another image appeared—a man in tight-fitting tactical gear, wearing goggles and sporting spiky yellow hair. His most distinctive feature was his long, pointed nose.
"Racer, also known as Laxus. As his outfit suggests, he uses speed-based magic," Hibiki explained.
"He gives off a nasty vibe," Gray muttered.
"Agreed," Lyon chimed in.
*Whoosh.*
The third image revealed a rotund man with messy brown hair, angular features, and a necklace of red beads around his neck.
"Hoteye, the Eye of Heaven. He's obsessed with money and will do anything for it. Despite his greed, he's incredibly powerful—he once single-handedly wiped out an entire army using earth magic."
"That's impressive," Erza remarked. "And his magic aligns with yours, doesn't it, Jura?"
Jura nodded. "Yes, though he specializes in rock manipulation rather than raw earth."
*Whoosh.*
Next came a beautiful woman with short white hair styled into bangs and a small tuft curled atop her head resembling a halo. Her outfit left little to the imagination.
"She can peer into people's minds, which makes her quite troublesome—this is Angel."
Lucy shuddered visibly. "She sounds terrifying… Reading minds? I hope I never run into someone like that."
"Oh, you might just get lucky," Ichiya teased with a smirk.
"I hope not," Lucy replied uneasily.
*Whoosh.*
The fifth image displayed a man floating lazily on a magical carpet, dressed in punkish attire with heavy black makeup. His head lolled forward as though asleep.
"Midnight. No data on his abilities, but rest assured, underestimating him would be fatal."
"He's clearly hiding something," Erza analyzed. "No survivors from battles against him means he's someone to fear."
*Whoosh.*
Finally, there was a middle-aged man with stark white hair, strange tattoos covering his body, and holding a staff topped with a human skull.
"Their leader, Brain. Again, no available data."
"Given the strength of their guild, it wouldn't surprise me if this man possessed power comparable to a Wizard Saint," Jura warned seriously.
"The Wizard Saints…" Gray murmured, sounding impressed. "That's some serious competition."
"You scared, Gray?" Natsu taunted.
"Not a chance! It's not like we haven't fought Saints before!" Gray shot back.
Everyone turned to Fairy Tail's members, nodding in agreement. They'd recently taken down Phantom Lord, defeating Jose—a member of the Ten Wizard Saints—and had even dismantled an entire dark guild in Aharanita Town. With enemies ranging from S-Class mages to elite teams, they still triumphed despite having only two official S-Class members: Erza and Laxus.
Though they often joked about how much destruction Fairy Tail caused—and consequently how many complaints they received—their strength couldn't be denied. They were undeniably powerful.
Hibiki concluded solemnly, "Therefore, we absolutely cannot let our guard down. Each of these individuals has the capability to destroy an entire guild on their own."
"So—"
His tone became deadly serious. "We must cooperate fully. Only by working together can we minimize casualties while defeating them."
Leaning against a pillar, Jehfrit adjusted his glasses thoughtfully.
Minimize casualties…
In the anime, this point wasn't emphasized nearly enough. But real-life mage battles weren't always fun and games. Death and injury were commonplace. Failure—or even simple carelessness—could mean death.
There was no room for error here.
Still…
He hadn't lied when he told Wendy he specialized in support roles. These Oración Seis didn't intimidate him. None among them wielded magic capable of targeting him directly. He could provide full support throughout the fight; injuries were inevitable, but fatalities wouldn't occur under his watch.
Hibiki continued, "Based on the intel we gathered, we've narrowed down their temporary base to this location within the forest."
An image of the terrain appeared. Everyone studied it carefully, committing the coordinates to memory.
"If we're lucky—" Ichiya said optimistically, "they'll all gather at their hideout."
"Do you have a strategy?" Erza asked.
Ichiya raised a finger dramatically toward the sky. "When the time comes, we'll unleash our guild's pride and joy—the legendary flying fortress Christina! With its immense firepower, we can obliterate them all in one fell swoop while they're gathered!"
"That would certainly simplify things," Ren remarked.
"This feels way too formal…" Lucy felt uneasy. The gravity of the pre-battle preparations made her realize just how formidable their opponents were.
"These enemies won't go down easily!" Jura's voice was low and measured. "Let me emphasize this again: Do NOT wander off alone. Trust your allies, work together, and avoid reckless actions—especially fighting enemies solo!"
"This is scary…" Lucy whispered nervously.
"Don't worry, Lucy. Just focus on fighting—I'll keep you safe," Jehfrit reassured her calmly.
"That's right. As long as Jehfrit's around, none of us will die," Lucy reminded herself. She remembered well how Jehfrit's support and survival skills had saved them countless times in previous battles, whether against Phantom Lord or in Aharanita Town.
"All right, prepare yourselves. Once we step outside, we could encounter enemies at any moment," Ichiya announced.
"I'm fired up!" Flames erupted from Natsu's fists as he charged ahead recklessly.
"Natsu, slow down!" Lucy shouted, chasing after him.
The rest of the group followed suit, breaking into a sprint.
Only Jehfrit, Tiffany, Ichiya, Jura, Happy, Wendy, and Carla remained behind.
Wendy looked terrified despite Carla's attempts to comfort her.
It was understandable—this was her first major battle, and she was facing near-max-level foes.
"Don't worry! I'll protect everyone!" Happy declared bravely.
But Carla ignored him completely.
"Wendy," Jehfrit smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. I'll stay by your side and protect you."
"Mr. Jehfrit…" Wendy looked up at him gratefully.
"Hey, you!" Carla immediately stepped between them, glaring suspiciously at Jehfrit. "Don't get any weird ideas about Wendy!"
"Huh?" Jehfrit blinked, utterly confused.
"Hahaha, pedo alert!" Tiffany slapped Jehfrit on the shoulder, laughing uproariously.
Disgusted, Jehfrit took a few steps away from her.
"Carla, don't say things like that—it's rude. Mr. Jehfrit seems like a good person to me," Wendy defended gently.
"You're too naive—you don't understand the dangers of the outside world!" Carla retorted.
"But you haven't seen much of it either…" Wendy muttered under her breath.
Carla bristled but maintained her stern gaze at Jehfrit. "Just stick to normal cooperation. Don't try anything funny with Wendy—I'll be watching you!"
"Haha, I'll keep an eye on him too, but don't worry. This guy may not be a saint, but he wouldn't dare harm anyone," Tiffany added teasingly.
Jehfrit remained silent.
"Well, they've already gone far ahead. Let's hurry!" Carla grabbed Wendy's hand and started running.
Watching the diminutive Carla dragging Wendy along, forcing the girl to hunch over awkwardly, Jehfrit worried briefly that this high-difficulty pose might lead to another fall. But given Wendy's healing abilities, minor injuries weren't a concern.
"Wait for me!" Happy cried, rushing after them.
"By the way, why is your guild participating in this battle?" Jehfrit asked Tiffany.
Tiffany glanced at Ichiya and Jura.
"It's shielded," Jehfrit confirmed.
"This fight against the Oración Seis is secondary. My main objective is tracking down a certain organization," Tiffany explained cryptically.
"What kind of organization?"
"I don't know yet, but rumors suggest they're collaborating with the Oración Seis. So be careful—our enemies aren't limited to just them."
"Why didn't you mention this earlier?"
"Because there are spies among us," Tiffany replied matter-of-factly.
"Fair enough," Jehfrit conceded. "Let's move."
With a burst of energy, Tiffany leapt dozens of meters into the air and sped off toward the group.
"I'm leaving too," Jehfrit said, jogging off in the distance.
Only Ichiya and Jura remained.
"Ichiya sir, shall we proceed?" Jura prompted.
"Wait, Jura sir." Ichiya paused. "I hear you're one of the Ten Wizard Saints, correct?"
"That's right," Jura affirmed without arrogance or humility.
"Then can your strength match Master Makarov or Guildmaster Jose?"
"No." Jura shook his head honestly. "While the title of Saint reflects significant power, I hold the lowest rank among them. Compared to masters like Makarov or Jose, my abilities pale in comparison."
"I see…" Ichiya nodded thoughtfully. "That puts my mind at ease."
Jura frowned slightly, suddenly sensing danger. Instinctively, he prepared to activate his magic for self-defense—
But a pungent odor assaulted his senses.
Instantly, his body went limp, and his magic failed him entirely.
*Thud.*
Jura collapsed onto the ground, staring in shock at Ichiya's retreating figure.
"If you were truly as strong as Makarov or Jose, I'd be in trouble. Thanks for being honest, though."
Ichiya turned around, holding an open bottle of perfume. His voice shifted to a childish, mocking tone.
"Who are you?! You're not Ichiya!" Jura roared angrily.
"Zap zap~"
Two identical blue puppet-like creatures appeared where Ichiya had stood.
"Even among the strongest, humans prove disappointingly weak."
"Useless adults with no brains whatsoever."
"And poor Ichiya—always useless around women."
"Even someone hailed as a Wizard Saint falls so easily."