"Ah! Master, you're back!"
Compared to Makarov's shocking announcement just moments before about "subduing them," the somewhat airheaded Mirajane's focus was clearly elsewhere.
She smiled brightly, happy just to see the old man safe.
Lucy's complaining instinct kicked in immediately from the side: "But that's not the point, is it, Mira?! He just said we're going to war!"
"Master," Erza stepped forward, her expression serious. "What do you mean by 'having us subdue them'? Are we acting alone?"
Makarov slammed his staff down to regain order.
"The frequent activities of the Oración Seis during this period have been formally discussed at the Local Guild Master meeting."
Makarov looked grim. "Since we can no longer turn a blind eye this time, the Council has decided to take the initiative. They want the guilds to step forward and destroy them before they cause an irreversible calamity!"
Gray crossed his arms, speaking thoughtfully, "So, did we draw the short straw again? Are we supposed to deal with one of the pillars of the Balam Alliance alone...?"
"No..."
Makarov shook his head and continued:
"Because the opponent this time is different from before. If we act alone, even if we succeed, we'll likely pay a heavy price. Afterward, we might even be targeted by other Dark Guilds and get caught in a pincer attack while weakened."
"So this time," Makarov announced loudly, "we will form a Joint Force with other official guilds! We are officially launching a subjugation war against the Oración Seis!"
"A joint force?!"
Everyone was shocked—this was a rather novel term for the fiercely independent mages.
In the past, they had occasionally collaborated with members of other guilds when they crossed paths on jobs, but for guilds to join forces and proactively take action together like this had never happened before.
Makarov went on to explain: "This Allied Force will be composed of our 'Fairy Tail,' 'Blue Pegasus,' 'Lamia Scale,' and 'Cait Shelter.' Each of these four guilds will send a team of elite members!"
"Huh? Our guild is participating too?!"
Wendy, who had been standing by holding Carla, feeling unsure of what to do in this high-level meeting, suddenly heard Makarov's words and asked in surprise.
Makarov turned his gaze to the little girl who was two heads taller than him and nodded kindly.
"Yes, you are Wendy Marvell, correct? Master Robaul of Cait Shelter decided during the meeting to send you specifically to join the joint force. You are responsible for supporting everyone with your Sky Magic. He also informed me that you can directly set off with our guild members when the time comes, so you won't have to make an extra trip back home."
Hearing this, Wendy had no choice but to nod in agreement, though she remained uneasy.
"I-I'll do my best!"
Ankh glanced at Wendy and couldn't help but sigh internally.
"As for our guild..." Makarov looked around the hall.
"Ankh, Laxus, which of your teams can go?" Makarov turned his gaze to his two most capable young men.
At this point in the original timeline Ankh remembered, Makarov actually had no one to choose from.
Laxus had been expelled, Mystogan was a lone wolf, Mirajane had retired from combat, and the only usable S-Class mage was Erza.
But now, things were different.
With Ankh and Laxus—two super S-Class mages capable of leading teams—present, Makarov naturally felt more at ease having one of them take on this tough challenge.
Laxus, aware of the seriousness of the matter, thought for a moment.
He glanced at the Thunder God Tribe.
"Mystogan made plans with me and the Thunder God Tribe a few days ago to take on a rather strange mission," Laxus replied earnestly. "He probably won't be available, and I gave him my word."
After the internal conflict, Laxus's personality had noticeably brightened, and he was able to communicate normally with many people in the guild, including the reclusive Mystogan.
Ankh crossed his arms and thought for a while before saying, "We just accepted a high-difficulty subjugation mission a few days ago to cover Lucy's rent. It's not exactly low difficulty. If we go to the Alliance, we'll probably have to transfer the task to another team."
Makarov pondered for a moment before speaking to Juvia and Gajeel, who were nearby.
"Then Juvia and Gajeel should take over the task from Ankh's team. It will be good practice for you two. Thank you for your hard work."
Laxus's mission requiring two S-Class Mages (himself and Mystogan) to resolve likely couldn't be easily set aside, but Ankh's extermination mission was different—the guild still had plenty of quasi-S-Class mages like Gajeel who could handle it.
"Yes, Guild Master."
Juvia agreed without hesitation, eager to show her worth.
Though Gajeel had been elusive lately, often appearing with fresh scratches on his face from... cat hunting.
"Then it's settled," Makarov declared.
"Ankh, Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Lucy—prepare to depart after gathering your belongings. You'll meet up with members from other guilds at the rendezvous point alongside Wendy."
"Yes!"
The group responded with fiery determination as their comrades cheered them on.
Only Lucy, the self-proclaimed "seduction specialist" of the Strongest Team, looked utterly bewildered.
'Wait... this doesn't seem right. How did I get roped into this super-dangerous S-Class operation? I just wanted rent money!'
While the Strongest Team scattered to prepare—some confused, others excited—Ankh was pulled aside by the Master for a private briefing in his office.
Makarov's expression was grave.
"You'll need to be extra vigilant on this mission, Ankh," Makarov whispered. "Blue Pegasus mentioned during the meeting their plan to launch an aerial strike directly on Oración Seis' location using a Magic Bomber airship Christina."
"The other guild masters raised no objections, but... I find this plan overly idealistic. It feels unreliable. Relying on a machine to end a war with Dark Mages seems foolish."
"In this alliance, you and Jura Neekis from Lamia Scale will likely be the strongest combatants. If anything goes wrong, watch over everyone. Aside from you two, try to avoid anyone going solo against Oración Seis members."
Makarov paused, then added a crucial piece of intel.
"Also... the Council informed us that Oración Seis has abducted Jellal Fernandes. Keep an eye out for any related developments. We don't know why they want him."
Listening to Makarov's ramblings, Ankh chuckled confidently.
"Don't worry, Master. I'm aware of the risks. Besides, while Oración Seis is strong, they're no match for me."
The statement sounded arrogant, but Makarov knew Ankh's confidence stemmed from genuine strength and didn't press further.
He understood Ankh's capabilities perfectly—from childhood onward, Ankh had never been defeated, even when facing Makarov himself or Gildarts.
His only setback had been against the nation-destroying Etherion, but even that ordeal had been overcome.
As Ankh prepared to lead the team out of the guild hall, Mirajane watched him from behind the counter with shimmering, worried eyes.
Recognizing her reluctance, Ankh walked over.
He patted her head affectionately as he'd done since their childhood.
"Don't worry, Mira. There's no real danger. At most, it'll be good experience for Natsu and the others. I'll be back soon."
Mirajane pouted, her concerns lingering. "Be careful."
Having previously faced opponents from Tartaros themselves, Mirajane understood the terrifying capabilities of the Balam Alliance—hence her apprehension.
But... she might have been mistaken about the scale of this specific threat.
Though also part of the Balam Alliance, Oración Seis' overall and individual strength paled in comparison to the monsters of Tartaros or Grimoire Heart.
Ankh analyzed the enemy in his mind as he walked out.
Aside from their leader Brain—also known as "Zero"—who possessed considerable power, the other five members were all in their early twenties, even younger than Ankh and Laxus.
Within guild standards, they belonged to the younger generation.
While each of these five possessed exceptional magical talent—with Angel's Celestial Spirit magic, Cobra's poison, Midnight's reflector, Racer's speed, and Hoteye's earth magic—they ranged between A-Class and quasi-S-Class.
In actual combat, leveraging intelligence gaps or terrain advantages could make them threats even to some S-Class Mages, but they weren't invincible.
'However...' Ankh smirked.
'Such talent and strength were precisely why I want to meet them.'
Since he already had a company with Frey, it was perfect to use it as a guild branch and "hire" a few rehabilitated villains as external members to work for him.