Chapter 181: Bad Timing
"Ugh!"
Deep within the labyrinthine roots of the Endless Tree Sea, Brain stumbled, his hand flying to his chest as a phantom pain lanced through his mind. It wasn't physical, but a psychic severance—a thread of connection snapping violently.
He stopped, his eyes widening in disbelief as he stared at his own reflection in a pool of stagnant water. One of the intricate black markings etched across his face—the seal corresponding to Racer—began to glow faintly before fading into nothingness.
"Racer... he's dead?" Brain whispered, his voice trembling with a mixture of rage and genuine shock. "A corner of the Oración Seis... has collapsed?"
The implications were terrifying. They had barely begun their operation, yet one of his Six Prayers had already been silenced.
"Damn Light Guilds! Always meddling, always crawling out of the woodwork to stand in my way!" Brain snarled, slamming his staff into the ground. The wood splintered, and dark magic crackled around him.
His gaze shifted to the floating carpet beside him, where a young man with black hair and gothic attire slept peacefully, oblivious to the turmoil. Midnight. The strongest of the Oración Seis, a mage whose power eclipsed the others combined.
"Should I wake him up?" Brain's hand hovered over the sleeping boy. The urge was overwhelming. If Midnight awoke, he could annihilate these pests. He could sweep the forest clean of Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus... all of them.
"No... No!" Brain snatched his hand back, sweat beading on his forehead. "He is the last resort. The ultimate prayer. If I play this card too early and he falls..."
A face flashed in Brain's mind—a young man with white hair and indifferent, pale eyes. Ren.
"That monster..." Brain muttered, a chill running down his spine. "He defeated two of the current Ten Wizard Saints. He suppressed the Celestial Spirit King. If the reports are true, his power is irrational. Even Midnight... I have no confidence that even Midnight alone could defeat that monster."
If he woke Midnight and lost him to Ren, the key to finding 'Nirvana' would be lost. The risk was too great.
"I must remain calm," Brain hissed, turning away from his sleeping son. "Racer's loss is a setback, but the game is far from over. We still have the upper hand."
Elsewhere in the dense forest, the situation for the Allied Forces was deteriorating rapidly.
The members of Blue Pegasus—Hibiki Lates, Eve Tearm, and Ren Akatsuki—stood amidst a pile of unconscious dark mages. They were panting heavily, their usually pristine suits torn and stained with dirt. The Christina, their mobile base and heavy air support, had been shot down earlier, leaving them stranded and without backup.
To make matters worse, they had been separated from their ace, Ichiya.
"Damn it," Ren Akatsuki cursed, grabbing a conscious grunt by the collar and slamming him against a tree. "Speak! Where is your base? Where are you hiding?"
The dark mage sneered, spitting blood onto Ren Akatsuki's boots. "Go to hell, pretty boy."
"We don't have time for this," Eve said, wiping sweat from his brow. "If we can find their base, we can regroup with the others and launch a surprise attack. It's our best chance."
Hibiki nodded, activating his Archive magic to scan the area, but his expression suddenly changed. "Watch out—!!"
"Whoosh—!"
A blinding beam of high-density magical energy tore through the canopy, silent and deadly. It wasn't a spell; it was a laser.
"Eve! Ren, move!" Hibiki screamed.
Boom—!!
The beam struck the ground directly between Eve and Ren Akatsuki. The explosion was instantaneous and violent.
"Ugh ah ah!!"
"Wah ah ah!!"
Both Ren Akatsuki and Eve were blown off their feet, their bodies ragdolling through the air before crashing hard onto the forest floor. Smoke rose from their clothes, and the smell of ozone filled the air. Already exhausted from the previous skirmish, the two mages groaned in agony, struggling to push themselves up but failing. They curled into balls of pain, incapacitated.
"Eve! Ren!" Hibiki shouted, rushing toward his fallen teammates.
"Oh my? Did I miss?"
A sweet, melodic voice drifted from the shadows of the trees. "I originally intended to pierce through both of their hearts with a single shot. It seems my aim is a little off today."
A woman stepped into the clearing. She wore a white, feathered dress that resembled a pair of wings, and her blue eyes sparkled with a cruel, sadistic light. Floating beside her was a silver, metallic spirit—Caelum, the Chisel—its barrel still smoking from the laser blast.
"Angel..." Hibiki breathed, his fists clenching.
The only female member of the Oración Seis.
"It's you!" Hibiki recognized her instantly.
"What will you do now, handsome?" Angel giggled, twirling a lock of her hair. "Your two strongest fighters are down. You're all alone, and you look so... tired. Ah ha ha ha ha!"
Meanwhile, the team from Lamia Scale was faring better, largely due to the immovable wall that was Jura Neekis.
Jura, one of the Ten Wizard Saints, stood calmly amidst the defeated enemies, his robes barely ruffled. Behind him, Lyon Vastia and Sherry Blendy were finishing off the last stragglers.
"The ruined village to the west?" Lyon asked, pressing a chunk of ice against a dark mage's neck.
"Yes... yes! An ancient village! That's where we were told to go!" the mage cried out.
"We have the location," Lyon said, standing up and turning to Jura. "Jura-sensei, what should we do? Should we launch a surprise attack on their base immediately?"
Jura stroked his beard, his expression thoughtful. "Do not act rashly. We have already witnessed the strength of the Oración Seis. Rushing in without the full strength of the Allied Forces would be foolish."
He looked toward the west, his eyes narrowing. "Lyon, Sherry. You two go ahead and scout the perimeter. Gather intelligence, but do not engage. Wait for the others to gather."
"Understood," Lyon nodded. Then he paused. "What about you, Jura-sensei?"
Sherry looked at him curiously. "Are you not coming with us?"
"I cannot," Jura said, his voice dropping an octave. The ground beneath his feet trembled slightly. "A powerful magical presence is approaching rapidly. I must stay here to intercept it."
"Is it... the Oración Seis?!" Sherry gasped.
Jura nodded gravely. "Yes. It is that guy."
"That guy!"
Lyon and Sherry exchanged a look of dread. They knew exactly who Jura meant. Richard. Or as he was now known, Hoteye of the Heavenly Eye. The man whose Earth Magic could soften the ground itself, a direct counter to Jura's iron-hard rock.
"Go," Jura commanded softly. "Leave him to me."
"Hey! Is everyone alright?!"
In another part of the forest, the Fairy Tail team was regrouping. Lucy Heartfilia sat slumped against a tree, hugging her knees. Happy was shivering beside her.
"I... I think so," Lucy panted. "But those guys... they weren't normal dark mages."
As a Celestial Spirit Mage, Lucy relied on her spirits for combat. While Taurus and Scorpio were strong, Lucy herself was physically vulnerable. The constant ambushes had taken their toll on her stamina.
"What the hell is going on?" Natsu Dragneel wiped a smear of soot from his cheek, his breathing ragged. "These guys... aren't small fry!"
He had expected cannon fodder, easy targets to punch through. But the sheer volume and coordination of the dark guilds under the Oración Seis had worn them down. They were bruised, battered, and running low on magical power.
"They're surprisingly tenacious..." Gray Fullbuster leaned against a rock, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "My Ice-Make arrows barely slowed them down."
"This is the advantage that numbers bring," Erza Scarlet said, stepping forward. She was currently equipped in her Flight Armor, her speed having saved them from a pincer attack just moments ago. "No matter how careful we are, one mistake, one blind spot, can lead to defeat. We need to find the others."
Just then, a sound cut through the heavy forest air.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Slow, mocking applause echoed from the shadows.
"Who?!" Natsu spun around, flames igniting on his fists.
Everyone looked vigilantly in the direction of the sound. From behind a thicket of twisted vines, a man walked out. He had tan skin, maroon hair, and a smirk that promised violence. Wrapped around his shoulders was a massive, purple snake.
"It's you!" Erza's eyes narrowed.
"Oración Seis!" Lucy shrieked.
It was Cobra.
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy. The memory of their first encounter was still fresh—the way this group had dismantled them with ease.
"Just one?" Gray muttered, taking a stance. "Or are the others hiding?"
"Just me," Cobra grinned, tapping the side of his head. "And I don't need the others to deal with trash like you."
The timing was catastrophic. They were exhausted, injured, and low on magic. And now, they faced one of the generals of the enemy army.
"Wavering! Wavering!" Cobra laughed, his eyes darting between them. "I hear it! Your heart's voice. 'We're tired.' 'Can we win?' 'I'm scared.' It's so loud it's annoying!"
"Wavering my foot!" Natsu roared. "I don't care what you hear!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu launched himself forward, his fist wreathed in roaring flames, aiming directly for Cobra's face. It was a fast, angry strike.
But Cobra didn't even flinch. At the very last second, he simply tilted his head to the left. The fiery fist sailed harmlessly past his ear.
"Too slow," Cobra whispered.
Before Natsu could recover, Cobra drove his knee hard into Natsu's abdomen.
"Ugh!"
Air exploded from Natsu's lungs. Cobra followed up instantly with a vicious uppercut to the jaw, sending the Dragon Slayer flying backward. Natsu crashed into the dirt, rolling several times before coming to a stop.
"Natsu!" Lucy cried out.
"Ice-Make: Lancer!"
Gray reacted instantly. He clasped his hands, and a barrage of sharp ice spears materialized, shooting toward Cobra like a shotgun blast.
Cobra didn't block. He simply walked. He took a casual step to the right, behind the trunk of a massive oak tree.
Boom boom boom boom!!
Crack!
The ice lances shattered against the tree, shredding the wood to splinters. As the dust settled, Cobra calmly walked out from the other side, brushing sawdust from his coat.
"Tch!" Gray gritted his teeth. "He dodged it so easily..."
Cobra looked at Gray with a sneer. "I told you, didn't I? I hear your heart's voice. I knew you were going to shoot before you even formed the ice. Every muscle twitch, every thought... it's all broadcast to me."
Erza stepped forward, summoning a sword to her hand. Her expression was calm, betraying none of the anxiety the others felt.
"Natsu, Gray, don't be impulsive," she commanded, her voice steady. "There is only one opponent, and we have four. The numerical advantage is ours. Don't waste magical power on wild attacks. Respond calmly, analyze his movements, and ultimately, we will achieve victory."
Cobra's smirk faded slightly as he looked at Erza. He tilted his head, listening intently.
"Oh?" he murmured. "As expected of 'Titania' Erza. You're not just saying it to comfort them; you truly believe it in your heart. There's no fear in your inner voice, only calculation."
He uncrossed his arms, and the purple snake around his neck hissed, its hood flaring.
"It seems," Cobra said, his eyes narrowing into reptilian slits, "I'll have to get serious too."
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