Chapter 422: Operation Commences
Evening quickly fell. After resting for the entire afternoon, everyone had fully recovered their strength and spirits.
Following dinner, the guys, led by Natsu, were practically vibrating with anticipation, eager for the inevitable battles to come.
"Is everyone ready?" Noah asked the group.
"Of course! I'm all fired up!" Natsu's excitement was palpable, and true to his catchphrase, flames literally burst from his body, burning brightly.
The others nodded firmly, their expressions resolute.
"Excellent. Then let's move out. Carla, lead the way," Noah said, turning to the Exceed.
Carla nodded. Clutching the hand-drawn map, she took point.
Noah cast his illusion magic over everyone, masking their figures, voices, and even their scents from the outside world. To each other, they appeared slightly hazy, but they could still easily recognize one another.
"This magic will conceal your presence from anyone outside our group. However, the illusion will break if you launch an attack or physically bump into someone," Noah instructed. He then turned to Cana and Lisanna. "You two stay put until we officially cause a commotion. Once the fighting starts and the chaos spreads, proceed with your mission."
Cana and Lisanna nodded, understanding their roles perfectly.
The group followed Carla out of the hotel. Cana and Lisanna separated from the main force, heading off to secure a strategic vantage point to monitor the city.
Gajeel also broke off on his own, heading toward the floating island holding the massive Lacrima that Noah had pointed out earlier. Noah had promised to launch him up to the island once the chaos erupted; from there, the rest was up to him.
The remaining members followed Carla straight toward the city limits. After a brisk jog and a few winding turns, they arrived at a dilapidated mine shaft supported by decaying wooden beams.
"This is the entrance to the tunnels," Carla announced, double-checking her map and scanning the dark opening.
"Here?" Wendy asked, peering nervously into the pitch-black tunnel.
"Yes. I'm certain of it," Carla affirmed with absolute confidence.
"Alright! Let's go!" Natsu cheered, ready to charge blindly into the darkness.
"Hold on a second. We need to split up first," Noah stopped him. "I'm dividing us into two teams. One team will walk in plain sight, and the other will remain hidden."
"Hidden?" Ultear questioned.
"Mhm. The vanguard team will dispel their illusions and walk openly. The rearguard will maintain their illusions and trail behind at a safe distance. We're infiltrating a royal stronghold; we need to be cautious," Noah explained.
"I see. You want the vanguard to act as scouts. If there are any traps, they'll trigger them first. The rearguard acts as a fail-safe, ensuring we aren't all caught in the same trap simultaneously," Ultear quickly grasped the tactical advantage.
"Exactly," Noah nodded.
"Who will be on the vanguard team?" Sorano asked.
"Those who have counterparts in the Edolas Fairy Tail," Noah smiled. "Their counterparts constantly clash with the Royal Army, so the Army already has an estimated measure of their strength. If they trigger a trap, the Royal Army will deploy forces based on that estimated strength. When that happens, your true, vastly superior power will give them quite the 'surprise'."
"Sounds good to me! We'll take the front!" Natsu agreed instantly.
No one else objected; Noah's reasoning was sound, and knowing Noah's team was right behind them provided an absolute safety net.
"Wait, so I have to walk in the front?!" Earth Land Lucy practically cried, looking at Natsu for support. But Natsu was practically vibrating with excitement, clearly useless for sympathy.
"You can do it, Lucy!" Happy cheered unhelpfully.
"You're coming with me! We're on the same team! And since Carla is leading the way, you obviously have to be up front too!" Lucy glared fiercely at the blue cat.
"Aye..." Happy didn't argue. Between Natsu and Carla, his place in the vanguard was practically guaranteed.
"I suppose that means I can't be in the vanguard," Erza noted with a hint of regret.
The others blinked, then quickly realized why. Her counterpart was the Fairy Hunter, a prominent captain in the Royal Army. Her face would cause immediate, uncontrollable chaos the moment she was spotted.
"So the vanguard is Mirajane, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Happy, and Carla. Wendy, Meredy, Yukino... what are you three doing?" Noah noticed the three youngest girls shuffling toward the vanguard group.
"We're on the same team as Carla. Obviously, we're going together," Wendy stated firmly.
"Besides, we're so young. If we get spotted, they'll underestimate us," Meredy reasoned, trying to sound tactical.
"We are members of Fairy Tail too. We can help," Yukino added seriously.
"Yukino~!" Sorano swooned, rushing over to hug her little sister and rub their cheeks together, deeply moved by her bravery.
Noah pondered for a moment. Meredy and the others had come all this way specifically to help. If he kept them perfectly sheltered and prevented them from participating, it would defeat the purpose of them coming. They wanted to contribute, not be dead weight.
While he still had a specific task for them later, he saw no reason to crush their enthusiasm now.
"Alright. You can go with the vanguard. But you must follow orders and not act recklessly on your own. Understood?" Noah said, looking at the three girls sternly.
"Understood!" The three girls cheered in unison, their voices echoing down the dark tunnel.
"Understood... understood... understood..."
Realizing how loud they were, they quickly slapped their hands over their mouths, looking at Noah apologetically, terrified he might revoke his permission.
"You understand now? You need to be mindful of your actions," Noah reminded them gently. The girls nodded furiously.
Sorano watched Yukino with a sliver of worry but didn't object. She knew her sister would eventually have to face danger; she couldn't shelter her forever. Since Yukino wanted to face challenges alongside her comrades, Sorano had to support her. Besides, Sorano would be right behind her in the rearguard, ready to intervene if necessary.
"Alright, the vanguard is set. Laxus, Ultear, Sorano, Erza, and I will form the rearguard. Keep a distance of at least ten meters between the two teams. Vanguard, proceed with extreme caution," Noah ordered.
Since Laxus's Edolas counterpart was virtually unknown to the Royal Army, keeping Laxus hidden in the rearguard maximized his strategic value as a surprise attacker.
"Got it," Natsu and the others nodded. Mirajane caught Noah's eye and nodded as well, silently promising to keep a close watch on the younger ones.
"Let's move out."
Noah dispelled the illusions on the vanguard team. To the vanguard, Noah and the rearguard slowly faded into the air until they vanished completely.
"Alright, let's go!" Natsu charged into the tunnel, taking point. However, after only a few steps, he realized it was pitch black.
Out of habit, he ignited his fist, illuminating the surrounding area.
"Are you an idiot?" Gray immediately scoffed from behind him. "We have no idea how long this tunnel is. If you waste your magic power acting as a flashlight, you won't have any left when we actually run into enemies."
Natsu instinctively flared up, ready to yell back, but paused. He realized Gray actually had a very valid point. Frustrated but unable to argue, he extinguished the flame.
"Damn it! Then what do we do?!" Natsu grumbled.
Without magic, they needed another light source.
"Hehe, we use these!" Lucy proudly pulled out two wooden sticks with cloth wrapped tightly around one end.
"Are those... torches?" Mirajane asked, slightly surprised.
"Yep! I grabbed them from that shed over there," Lucy pointed back toward a small shack near the entrance that was stocked with chopped firewood. "Just soak the cloth in oil and light it."
"Awesome! Leave the lighting to me!" Natsu grinned, conjuring a small flame on his fingertip.
Lucy held the torches out, and Natsu ignited them instantly.
Mirajane and the others quickly prepared a few more spare torches. Since they didn't know how long the journey would take, these mundane torches were crucial for conserving their precious magic power.
With their light sources secured, Natsu led the way, torch held high, as the group ventured deeper into the tunnel.
"This place looks like it hasn't been used in decades," Lucy muttered, shivering slightly as she examined their surroundings. The tunnel was dilapidated; the wooden support beams were thick with dust and cobwebs, and several had already snapped. Rotted wooden tools and shattered glass bottles littered the uneven floor.
"It feels so weird having to hold a torch," Natsu complained, holding the light ahead of them.
"That's because you usually just set yourself on fire!" Happy snickered.
"It's so quiet..." Yukino whispered, her voice trembling slightly. The only sound was the crunching of their footsteps echoing off the stone walls.
Meredy and Wendy immediately grabbed her hands, squeezing them reassuringly.
Watching from the invisible rearguard, Sorano's face contorted in distress, her protective instincts screaming at her to rush forward and comfort her sister.
"You have to trust her," Noah's voice echoed directly in her mind via Telepathy. "She's strong in her own right, and she has her comrades beside her. She'll be fine."
Sorano nodded slowly, though her hand unconsciously reached out and gripped Noah's. Noah squeezed back gently, offering silent support.
"Dead end," Natsu announced as they reached a solid wall.
"Bring the light closer," Carla instructed.
Natsu stepped forward, illuminating the blockage. The tunnel ended abruptly, filled with a dense wall of solid rock reinforced by heavy wooden planks.
"This is it. The escape route should be right behind this wall," Carla declared, checking her map one last time.
Mirajane stepped up and knocked lightly on the rock wall, feeling the vibrations. "It's incredibly thick. And I can feel traces of defensive magic woven into it."
"Should I smash it?!" Natsu grinned, rolling his shoulder eagerly.
"Idiot. If you smash it, the noise will echo through the entire castle. Who knows who might hear it?" Gray immediately vetoed the idea.
"Then what do we do? You want to freeze it?" Natsu challenged.
"I could try freezing it to make it brittle, then shatter it quietly," Gray offered.
"That would consume too much magic power," Mirajane shook her head. "Let me handle this. My magic is perfectly suited for quietly removing obstacles like this."
No one objected.
Mirajane activated her Satan Soul. She extended her right hand, and a sphere of pitch-black magic power coalesced in her palm. She pressed the sphere against the wall.
Hiss... Sizzle...
Her dark magic possessed highly corrosive properties—a trait she normally suppressed to avoid causing unnecessary suffering in battle. But for silently eating through a magically reinforced wall, it was the perfect tool.
Within moments, the thick rock and wooden planks dissolved completely under the corrosive magic, revealing a dark passageway beyond.
"There really is a path! Carla's information was spot on!" Wendy cheered.
Carla let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Even though she had sounded confident, having her 'visions' proven true was an immense relief.
"Let's hope it actually leads to the castle's basement."
"It definitely will! Finding this path proves your visions are real. The rest of the information will be accurate too," Meredy encouraged her.
Carla nodded, her confidence fully restored.
"Let's keep moving," Mirajane said, deactivating her Satan Soul to conserve energy.
The group stepped through the newly opened passage. The tunnel beyond was in even worse condition than the previous one. The rot on the wooden beams was severe, and the air was thick with centuries of undisturbed dust.
"This place looks like it's going to collapse any second," Natsu observed bluntly.
"Don't jinx it!" Lucy squeaked, shivering violently.
"But... it really does look incredibly old," Meredy noted, looking nervously at the sagging ceiling.
"Do you think there are ghosts?" Happy whispered ominously.
"DON'T SAY THINGS LIKE THAT!" Lucy shrieked at the cat, shivering even harder.
Beside her, Yukino also shuddered, clearly unnerved by the spooky atmosphere.
In the rearguard, Sorano practically vibrated with anxiety, desperately wanting to run forward and hug Yukino. Noah firmly placed a hand on her shoulder, shaking his head. Sorano sighed, forced to watch her sister brave the spooky tunnel from afar, her heart aching with worry.
~~~
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