Chapter 171: The Allied Forces
"What?!"
Hearing Makarov's sudden, grave announcement, the entire Fairy Tail guild hall, which had been buzzing with the sounds of reconstruction and cheerful bickering, fell silent.
"Ah! Welcome back, Master." Mirajane, who was carefully polishing a glass behind the newly rebuilt bar counter, was the first to speak, her voice chiming with its usual warmth.
Lucy, who was sitting at the bar trying to calculate her remaining funds, immediately retorted, "Mira! This isn't the time for that! Did you hear what he said?"
Ren's eyes, which had been closed as he leaned back in his chair, snapped open. His focus wasn't on the mission, but on the promise Makarov had made before he left. His eyes lit up. "Master, you're back. Is my S-Class Quest settled?!"
The guild members, who had all frozen in place, collectively retorted, "Now is not the time for that either, Ren!"
Erza, who was directing the placement of a large support beam, set it down with a heavy thud. She walked over, her armor clanking, her expression serious. "Master, what exactly is going on? Subdue the Oración Seis? Did the Council assign this to us?"
Makarov, his face grim, shook his head. He hopped up onto the bar counter, his small form suddenly commanding the attention of the entire room.
"I just returned from the regular meeting," Makarov explained, his voice low and serious. "For some unknown reason, the Oración Seis, one of the three pillars of the Balam Alliance, has begun to act. This was discussed as the primary agenda item. This has become a major issue that cannot be ignored, and the agenda eventually evolved into which Guilds should be tasked with subduing these guys."
Gray, who had been nailing a board, scoffed. "And you drew the short straw again, old man."
"Is Fairy Tail going to complete this mission alone?" Juvia asked, her hands clasped to her chest. She looked worriedly at Gray. The rest of the guild members also looked uneasy. They were strong, but the opponent was one of the strongest Dark Guilds in the Balam Alliance, a guild that had numerous, powerful Dark Guilds under its own banner.
"No," Makarov said, shaking his head. "The enemy this time is too powerful. If only our Guild were to carry it out, even if Oración Seis were eliminated, the Balam Alliance would then directly target us. They would see it as a declaration of war from Fairy Tail alone."
"Because of this, the Guild Masters have decided... we will form an Allied Force!"
"An Allied Force?!" The guild erupted in murmurs.
"That's right," Makarov confirmed. "Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Cait Shelter. The four guilds will each select their strongest elites to form a joint team to subdue them."
"What kind of thing is that!" Natsu yelled, jumping onto a table. "We alone should be enough! I alone am enough!"
"He's right! Why do we need those other guilds?"
"Are they afraid we can't handle it?"
Many in the Guild were discussing animatedly. After their overwhelming victory against Phantom Lord, their confidence was at an all-time high. Furthermore, legitimate Guilds were also commercial competitors, and their relationships were not always harmonious.
Erza, however, crossed her arms, her expression thoughtful. "The Master is also considering the future problems," she said, silencing the complaints. "If the Fairy Tail Guild were targeted by the entire Dark Guild Alliance on future missions, it could cause a significant, devastating impact. By forming an Allied Force, we share the burden. The Dark Guilds won't dare to act recklessly against a united front, and there wouldn't be a situation where one party is in trouble and the others ignore it."
"Exactly, Erza," Makarov said, nodding. "This is about showing unity as much as it is about strength."
"What about the candidates, Master?" Mira asked, her smile fading as she understood the gravity of the mission.
All the Guild members looked at Makarov. Since it was about subduing Oración Seis, the candidates chosen would be very important.
"First..." Makarov's gaze went directly to the man sitting calmly at the bar. "Ren!"
Ren sighed. He knew it. After all the opponents they had faced—from Jellal to Jose to Laxus—he could only feel at ease if Ren went.
He looked speechless. He felt as if Transmigration to another world still couldn't save him from becoming a corporate drone, always being called on for the toughest jobs.
"Alright! I understand," Ren said, standing up.
Since this was a mission given by the Master, he couldn't refuse. As for Oración Seis, he still had some impression of them from his memories. They were a group of six powerful, but deeply unstable, individuals. These guys would appear from time to time in later plots and were the type of characters who were villains in the Early Stage and then got "whitewashed" in the Late Stage.
Of course, even if these guys were whitewashed in the future, Ren couldn't bring himself to like them. When it was time to act, he wouldn't be soft-hearted. If these guys were lucky enough to survive his encounter, then they should all be packaged and sent to the Magic Council.
[System Message: New S-Class Quest Detected: Subdue the Oración Seis. Reward: 1x Ten-Pull Gacha Ticket.]
Ren's internal mood brightened considerably. 'Oh? The old man did say he'd get me an S-Class Quest. This counts. A ten-pull is a ten-pull.'
"Next... Erza."
Makarov then looked at Erza. Although Ren had shown stronger endurance in recent times—especially after his magic power had increased—the overall duration of his strongest transformations was still a concern. His power was explosive, not suited for a long, drawn-out war. To deal with various emergencies, Erza, with her tactical mind and versatility, was the most suitable candidate to lead the ground team. Ren and Erza had cooperated several times, and their combined strength was beyond question.
Since it was to deal with Oración Seis, they naturally had to field their strongest forces on paper.
One reason was to ensure the mission could be completed. The other was, naturally, to show off their strength in front of the other Guilds.
Fairy Tail was now called the number one Mage Guild in the Fiore Kingdom, but in the eyes of many, their claim to being the strongest was greatly exaggerated. In their view, Fairy Tail's strength was mainly attributed to Makarov, a Ten Wizard Saint, and Ren, who had even defeated a Ten Wizard Saint.
There were only ten Ten Wizard Saints on the entire Ishgar continent, and Fairy Tail alone had, for all intents and purposes, two. If this wasn't the strongest, what was?
But the other members of Fairy Tail were generally seen as average in strength. Newspapers often reported on scandals where Fairy Tail's "enthusiasm" backfired, causing massive property damage.
Furthermore, Makarov was already 88 years old. What combat power could someone of that age still have? This also led some Mages to believe that Fairy Tail, beyond Ren, was actually nothing special.
Just like the guys Laxus had encountered in that village before, and the Ghoul Spirit guild annihilated by the Raijinshuu. Some people, if you don't really hurt them, will truly underestimate you. This was Makarov's chance to prove them wrong, to show that Fairy Tail's new generation was the strongest.
Erza stepped forward, her armor glinting. "Don't worry, Master! We will definitely complete the mission."
Makarov nodded, "Mm, I'm counting on you."
"This time it's Ren and Erza?!"
"The Guild's strongest duo are teaming up again!"
"It seems the Master really attaches great importance to this operation!"
"If Ren and Erza are involved, the mission can be completed even without people from other Guilds..." The Guild members discussed animatedly.
"Wait a minute! Master!" A fiery voice cut through the discussion. "Is that all? What about me? What about me?"
Natsu, who had been vibrating with impatience, was still waiting for Makarov to call his name. He didn't expect it to end just like that.
"Natsu," Makarov said, his eye twitching. "Don't you still have to do missions to pay back money?"
During the Fantasia festival and the battle with Laxus, Natsu and Gajeel had fought, causing considerable damage to the streets. The Fairy Tail Guild had paid the money first, and during this time, Natsu and Gajeel had been forced to work diligently to pay off their debt.
Indeed, no pressure, no motivation. Natsu had actually earned a decent amount of money during this period and hadn't caused any major trouble.
"That's not important!" Natsu roared. "I want to go subdue those Dark Guild bastards!"
"Uh... that's still very important..." Makarov grumbled. The Guild's reconstruction had already left its finances strained, and then this incident occurred, leaving the Guild with very little money.
"Since you brought it up," Makarov sighed, "you can go too."
According to the intelligence received, the Guilds under Oración Seis were also acting together. The exact number of people was uncertain, but it certainly wouldn't be small. They would need the firepower.
"Great! Watch me take down all those guys!" Natsu cheered, his fists igniting.
Gray stood up from his table, his shirt already gone. "I'll go too." He had nothing much to do recently and also wanted to meet this Dark Guild, hailed as one of the strongest in the Balam Alliance.
"Gray, why are you joining in the fun!" Natsu snapped. "There are no underwear for you to steal there."
Natsu said to Gray. Ren and Erza were fine, but he wasn't happy about teaming up with Gray.
"You bastard! How long ago was that! You're still bringing it up!" Gray was furious. Natsu, that bastard, was endless.
Makarov, seeing the two already about to fight, slammed his hand on the bar. "ENOUGH!"
He pointed at the group. "Since that's the case, then Ren, Erza, Natsu, and Gray will go together. That's the team. Go, and show the world the strength of Fairy Tail!"