The elites moved as one, and the grand army set forth.
With the "attack" order issued, the Magic Council's forces marched majestically out of the forest, moving toward the northern hill. Descartes and the others led at the front of the army, their hearts a mix of trepidation at facing a powerful foe and tension from the overwhelming presence of the man beside them.
"Hahaha..."
"No need to be afraid, no need to be afraid!"
"This old man doesn't hold a grudge at all. On the contrary, I'm quite easy to talk to!"
"This brat Descartes is just making me out to be a villain because he was too mischievous as a kid and got disciplined too much by me."
As Darwin spoke, he casually landed a fist against Descartes' chest, sending the boy into a coughing fit. Hearing this, Serena breathed a quiet sigh of relief, and the others lowered their guard. Only Gildarts and Descartes, who knew the truth, reacted differently—the former struggled to stifle a laugh while the latter looked utterly resentful.
He doesn't hold a grudge because if there's a grievance, he settles it on the spot!He's "easy to talk to" because no one dares to be difficult in front of him!
How could a leader who manages the Ishgar Magic Council and maintains order in the world be "easy to talk to"? If anyone actually believed that nonsense, their life would likely be coming to an end!
"Um... Lord guild master!"
"What is it?"
Ur pointed toward the distant hill and asked, "The enemy is 'Tartaros,' the 'Demons of the Books of Zeref.' Are we really just going to march right up to their front door with the army like this?"
Darwin looked at the young girl with interest. "Oh? What do you mean by that?"
Ur said with a serious expression, "The intelligence says the Tartaros base is actually a demon named 'Alegria' and possesses the ability to fly. Now that our army is launching such a grand and obvious attack, the enemy has surely noticed us. Aren't you afraid they'll just fly away right now, making our surprise raid a complete failure?"
Darwin's lips curled into a slight smile as he looked at Ur with satisfied appreciation. "The girl's mind is sharp—much more useful than this bunch of boys. However, I don't think you need to worry too much about that problem."
"Why?"
"Perhaps... those demons never even considered avoiding the fight!"
Meanwhile, inside the Tartaros base. Deep within the palace, ten figures were holding an emergency meeting.
Leaning back on the throne was the guild's acting master, the "Underworld King," Mard Geer. He held a magic book in his left hand and rested his head on his right, his gaze calmly sweeping over the people below. Though not overtly fierce, his presence was suffocating.
"The Council's army has moved!"
Kneeling on one knee below the steps in two rows were the guild's elites, the "Nine Demon Gates":
Kyôka of the "Slave Planet," Torafuzar "The Dark," Seilah the "Goddess of the Chill Moon," Franmalth "The Armored," Keyes the "Black Bishop," Ezel the "Dôjigiri," Tempester of the "Calamity," Jackal, and... Deliora!
Hearing Mard Geer's words, the demons reacted in their own ways.
"Watching us from the shadows for so long, and finally they launch an attack?" "They really showed a lot of restraint..."
"Among the attacking forces, besides the 'Seven Kin of the Holy Knights' who have been so loud lately, there is also the guild master of the Council, Darwin Lagrange!"
"Heeheehee... the Seven Kin, the guild master... I wonder how much their souls are worth? How much??"
"Give me their corpses later! Such good materials will surely refine into excellent puppets!" "Do we know the specific enemy numbers?"
"According to observations, approximately ten thousand magic soldiers."
"Ten thousand? It looks like we can have a proper slaughter this time!"
"Leave the strongest one to me, none of you better try to steal him!"
Just as Ur suspected, the demons had discovered the arrival of the Council's army—and they had known of their presence long before the march even began. However, they had taken no action.
The reason was simple: the arrogant demons had always looked down on human strength. Brave, but unable to see the gap in power. If the two sides clash, humanity will suffer a crushing defeat. That was the demons' mindset.
"Excellent! Very spirited!"
Mard Geer, as the leader, was very satisfied with the aura and attitude displayed by the Nine Demon Gates.
"It seems you are prepared for war! Then, run wild to your heart's content and let the magic world catch a glimpse of the tip of the 'Tartaros' iceberg!"
"YES!!" × N
With the order given, the Nine Demon Gates filed out of the palace and headed to their respective defensive posts. Soon, the lesser demons also received battle orders. In less than ten minutes, the entire nest was emptying out. The commotion was so great that the very base they lived on began to tremble slightly.
...
One hundred meters outside Tartaros.
The Council's army had advanced to this point but had not gone further, staying in place to wait for the battle horn. The restless aura coming from the stone mountain ahead told Darwin immediately that the enemy was ready.
"It seems those demons are prepared for battle and are just waiting for us to strike!"
"Eh??"
At these words, the others froze. Their sensory abilities were far inferior to a master like Darwin; moreover, with the two camps three hundred meters apart, sensing changes in aura was difficult. If the enemies were wizards with massive magic power, they might have noticed, but against demons using Curse Power—especially the weaker ones—even Descartes, the best at sensing, was powerless.
"You mean... we've been discovered?"
"With such a large formation, it would be a miracle if we weren't discovered!"
"Since we've been found, there's nothing left to say—let's just start the fight!"
Serena, unable to contain himself, flipped out from the ranks. As he landed, the two long ponytails behind his head swayed. "I'll be the vanguard to clear the path. The rest of you lead the army and focus the attack through a single route. How's that for a tactic?"
"Are you an idiot? Who leads an army like that?"
"Our goal in this battle is to wipe out 'Tartaros.' If we concentrate on one path and let them escape from other directions, what then?"
Earlier in the forest, Descartes had already scouted the terrain with binoculars and formulated a siege plan based on the Council's manpower. He took the opportunity to propose it to Darwin.
"I suggest we don't rush the attack. First, let the Council unit leaders lead armies to the East, West, and North to complete the encirclement. To reduce casualties, we should scatter the 'Seven Kin' into the four units to deal with the Nine Demon Gate-level demons! Finally, all four directions attack simultaneously!"
Darwin smiled and nodded toward his grandson.
"Your idea is quite good, but... I refuse!"