The banquet at Ankh's manor finally wound down long after the moon had climbed to its zenith.
It had been a chaotic evening of celebration.
At the main gate, the usual fierce rivalry between fire and ice had dissolved into a drunken stupor.
Natsu and Gray, their faces flushed red from Ankh's high-quality liquor, were dancing arm-in-arm like fools.
"You're... hic... not bad, Ice Princess!" Natsu slurred, kicking his leg out in a can-can motion.
"You too... burp... Ash Brain!" Gray retorted, matching his step with surprising grace for a man who could barely stand.
Erza, walking behind them, contentedly rubbed her full stomach with a look of pure bliss on her face.
"Brother's food is truly the finest in Fiore. I feel I could sleep for a week."
Lucy, the only one relatively sober, struggled to maintain balance.
She held bags of leftovers in both hands and bowed with a polite smile.
"Ankh-san, thank you so much for your hospitality! We're sorry for staying so late. We'll be taking our leave now."
Leaning casually against the doorframe, Ankh waved his hand, his silhouette framed by the warm light of the hallway.
"Don't mention it. The house is too quiet without you lot anyway. Stay safe on your way back."
"Aye, sir!" Happy mumbled from Erza's shoulder, where he was completely passed out, blowing a snot bubble.
Erza and Lucy began the arduous task of herding the drunken elemental duo down the street.
Their voices faded into the distance, blending with the chirping of crickets.
Ankh stood on the porch, a gentle smile on his face as he watched them disappear into the darkness.
However, once they were fully out of sight, the smile vanished instantly.
Ankh didn't turn around immediately.
He stood frozen, his eyes narrowing as the warmth in his crimson irises was replaced by a glacial sharpness.
The air around him seemed to drop in temperature.
"Stalking..." Ankh whispered to the empty night. "How bold... to lurk around my home..."
His faint voice echoed through the midnight air, carrying a chilling coldness that would have made a weaker mage's heart stop.
He analyzed the sensation.
He had personally trained Erza's detection awareness to near-perfection.
Gray was naturally cautious, and Natsu possessed the keen, animalistic senses of a dragon. Yet, none of them had noticed the presence.
That meant the observer was keeping a significant distance, masking their magical signature, and—most importantly—was not targeting the powerful S-Class mages.
'They are targeting the weakest link,' Ankh realized.
'Lucy.'
Ankh pinched his chin in thought for a moment, calculating the variables. He raised his hand and snapped his fingers.
Snap.
The shadows behind him twisted and condensed.
A beautiful figure appeared from the darkness like a ghost answering a summons.
"Master."
Ultear Milkovich bowed her head.
She was dressed in comfortable yet alluring attire—form-fitting purple undergarments beneath a loose white outer robe—ready for sleep, but always ready for duty.
"Follow Lucy," Ankh commanded, his tone calm but brooking no failure.
"See who is tracking her. Do not let them touch her."
Ultear lifted her head, her eyes flashing with a mix of loyalty and fear.
"Understood."
With a swirl of her robe, she dissolved into the night mist, moving faster than the wind.
...
"What a fun night tonight, Plue! I'm so full!"
Lucy Heartfilia walked playfully along the brick-paved riverbank, doing little skips as she headed toward her rental apartment.
The cool night air felt refreshing against her flushed cheeks.
Following closely behind her, a small white creature with a horn-like nose trembled as it trotted on two legs.
"Puru puru!"
This little fellow was the Canis Minor Celestial Spirit, Plue.
Though he possessed no combat ability, he was Lucy's favorite pet companion, a constant source of comfort in her chaotic life.
Under the tranquil moonlight, the canals of Magnolia were peaceful.
Small boats drifted slowly across the river surface, their lanterns reflecting on the water like fallen stars. A fisherman on one of the boats, reeling in his last catch, laughed as he saw the blonde girl skipping.
"Careful there, Miss! If you fall in the river, we won't save you! The water's freezing!"
"Alright, alright... I'm not that clumsy!"
Lucy responded casually in a clear voice, waving at him.
After walking straight for several hundred meters more, she turned a corner, leaving the river behind.
She arrived at the brick building that housed her attic apartment—a cozy, if drafty, place that cost her a painful 70,000 Jewels per month.
She unlocked the door and stepped inside, Plue waddling in after her.
Shortly after the door clicked shut, a figure emerged from the shadows of a nearby alleyway.
The man was gaunt and his skin were grey like a corpse.
He wore a ragged green coat and held a small, battered notebook in his hand.
He stared up at Lucy's illuminated window, his eyes narrowing with malice.
He lowered his head to scribble something down.
'Target confirmed. Location secured. No guards.'
After a moment, the man stopped writing. His thin lips curled into a mocking sneer, revealing yellowed teeth.
"The esteemed daughter of the Heartfilia family," he rasped, his voice dry and scratching like sandpaper.
"Actually lives in such a dump place. Pitiful."
He spat on the ground. "Has your rich father's money gone to your head? Coming to the Magic world to steal our livelihoods! Playing at being a wizard while sitting on a mountain of gold..."
The man spoke with a tone as sour as pickled plums.
He couldn't conceal the jealousy and disdain in his voice.
To him, Lucy represented everything he hated: privilege he didn't have, and happiness he couldn't afford.
He snorted coldly, tucking the notebook into his bag.
He reached to burst into Lucy's rental unit, but after thinking for a long moment, he withdrew his hand while scowling.
"I really don't know what Master Jose is thinking, sending us to investigate such a trashy girl instead of just leveling the place!"
The man grumbled discontentedly.
Ultimately, fear outweighed his malice.
He didn't dare to disobey orders and take action on his own without backup.
"Soon enough," he muttered.
He turned on his heel and prepared to flee into the distance, intending to report back to his headquarters.
But before he could take more than two steps, the temperature in the alleyway plummeted.
A beautiful figure stood blocking his path on the road ahead.
She had appeared there at some unknown time, silent as the grave.
"Little rat," a sultry voice called out. "Come with me."
Ultear stood leaning on her floating crystal ball, her posture relaxed.
Her red lips parted slightly as her beautiful eyes casually examined the man.
A flicker of disappointment crossed her face.
'Just a rookie,' she thought, her eyelids drooping lazily.
'Someone even Gray could defeat with a sneeze. What a waste of my time coming here personally...'
The man had no idea who stood before him.
Being suddenly stopped in the middle of the night made him nervous, but he blustered with false bravery to hide his fear.
"What do you want?!" he barked, puffing out his chest. "Do you even know who I am, blocking my path like this?!"
As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeve to reveal his thin, stick-like arm.
There, stamped in black ink, was a guild mark resembling a phantom rising from a grave.
"This is Phantom Lord's business! None of a bitch's concern! Get lost before I hurt you!"
Ultear looked at the crudely drawn guild mark on the man's arm.
Her expression didn't change, but her aura sharpened.
"Phantom Lord..." she murmured with interest. "How interesting..."
The man mistook her reaction for fear.
He proudly raised his arm and shouted, "Now that you know, get out of my way!"
Ultear lifted her crystal ball from the air, gripping it in one hand.
She completely ignored his posturing and let out a charming, chilling laugh.
"So it's Phantom Lord~ How scary~"
Her eyes glowed with a sudden, violent light.
"My dear Master will probably be even happier to hear this news..."
The man's face darkened.
He wasn't smart, but he wasn't brain-dead. He immediately understood the implication.
'The person behind this woman is targeting us!'
Realizing this, the man didn't dare to act tough anymore.
His survival instinct kicked in. He immediately turned around and broke into a desperate run.
'This woman's Magic Power is suffocating,' he panicked.
'It's leagues above mine. If I don't run, I'm dead! For that worthless guild? This deal wasn't worth it at all!'
Ultear watched the man flee without another word. She stood still, boredly pursing her lips.
"So slow," she whispered.
She swung her arm casually, throwing the heavy crystal orb.
Whoosh!
The orb flew through the air with terrifying speed and accuracy.
THUD!
"Guh!"
Dealing with such small fry, Ultear didn't even bother adding any time-dilation effects or magic to her weapon.
Like a bowling ball striking a lone pin, the orb simply and efficiently smashed into the back of his head.
Thump.
The man collapsed face-first onto the cobblestones, knocked out cold instantly.
Ultear walked over, the crystal ball floating back to her hand obediently.
She nudged the unconscious body with her foot, then grabbed him by the collar and vanished into the night.
...
Meanwhile, in the attic above.
Lucy, who had just changed into her pajamas and was preparing to sleep, paused.
She walked to her window and opened it, curiously peering out at the empty, dark street.
"That's strange," she muttered, tilting her head in confusion. "I could have sworn I heard something like a watermelon being split open... Must be my imagination."
...
Back at the manor, the atmosphere in the study was heavy.
Ankh sat in his high-backed leather chair, a glass of amber liquid untouched on the desk.
The fireplace crackled, casting long, dancing shadows against the walls filled with ancient tomes.
The heavy oak door creaked open.
Ultear walked in, dragging a limp form behind her. With a casual flick of her wrist, she threw the man onto the center of the Persian rug.
She smiled at Ankh, her demeanor shifting from cold assassin to eager subordinate seeking praise.
"All done, Master. This is the one who was following her. I didn't break him... much."
She paused, her expression turning serious.
"Oh, and he says he's from Phantom Lord."
Ankh nodded slowly. His eyes drifted to the unconscious man.
"Just as I expected," Ankh murmured.
Lucy had been with Fairy Tail for quite some time now.
Her father, Jude Heartfilia, was a man of immense resources and little patience. It was only a matter of time before he made his move to retrieve his 'property.'
Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail had never gotten along.
They were the two titans of Fiore, constantly at odds.
But the ambitions of Phantom Lord's Guild Master, Jose Porla, were far more sinister than simple rivalry.
He coveted Fairy Tail's position as the number one guild.
'The fact that they are targeting Lucy means Jude has already issued a formal commission to Phantom Lord,' Ankh deduced.
'And that old bastard Jose is seizing the opportunity. He plans to use this commission to not only get the Heartfilia money but to manufacture a war to destroy Fairy Tail.'
Regardless of the deduction, Ankh preferred certainty.
His expression became unusually stern.
He stood up and walked around the desk, stopping in front of the man lying motionless on the ground.
He looked down indifferently.
"Wake up," Ankh said softly.
He raised his foot, clad in a heavy boot.
CRACK!
"AAAAAAARGH!!"
Ankh stomped down hard on the man's shin.
The sound was sickening—wet and crunchy, like stepping on dry twigs wrapped in meat. The bone snapped cleanly.
The once luxurious, clean carpet was instantly stained with blood.
The man, unable to endure such excruciating pain, jolted awake from his unconsciousness.
He lay prone on the ground, howling at the ceiling, tears and snot streaming down his face instantly.
The agony twisted his gaunt features into a grotesque mask.
"My leg! My leg!"
He curled up, clutching the limb that was now bent at an unnatural angle. The pain was so intense he nearly passed out again.
But when he groggily opened his tear-filled eyes and looked up, the scream died in his throat.
He recognized the face looking down at him.
The dark hair and the crimson eyes that held no mercy.
"You..." the man gasped, his entire body convulsing violently. Even his muddled mind snapped to terrifying clarity.
"You're... Ankh! The Reaper of Fairy Tail!"
Ankh looked at his terrified face with a mocking smile.
He reached out and grabbed the man by the collar, pulling him close.
"Now, let's have a chat. When does that old fool Jose plan to make his move? Come on, tell me all about it. And if you lie..."
Ankh's eyes glowed faintly.
"...I'll start on the other leg."
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