The air in the guild hall suddenly froze.
The playfulness and noise were cut short by the information Ikaruga suddenly revealed, replaced by an incredible sense of shock and doubt.
"What did you say?!"
Hope took a sharp step forward, supporting the tottering Ikaruga, his eyes sharp. "Grimoire Heart and... Tartaros? Joining forces?"
Ikaruga took a deep breath, enduring the pain as she continued, "Since the Tower of Paradise, we have been tracking 'Grimoire Heart' for over three months. Four days ago, we finally discovered one of their secret bases and overheard this information..."
"Grimoire Heart somehow found out the exact time and location of your guild's S-Class Promotion Exam."
"So they teamed up with Tartaros, and both sides have deployed their main forces. Their goal is clear: they're coming to kill someone from Fairy Tail."
"Who?" Hope's voice was as cold as ice.
Ikaruga coughed twice, blood spilling from the corner of her mouth. "We tried to get more detailed information but were discovered. Udadus was seriously injured while covering our retreat. We fought with our lives to escape and deliver this news..."
Wendy increased the output of her healing magic, her small face full of gravity. The surrounding guild members looked at each other, a chill running up their spines.
Through the Oración Seis incident, everyone had understood that the Balam Alliance seemed like the three major Dark Guilds tied together, but it was actually just a superficial alliance.
It was already good enough that they didn't trip each other up; how could they possibly join forces? Otherwise, Grimoire Heart and Tartaros wouldn't have sat idly by while Oración Seis was wiped out.
But now, the two Dark Guilds known as the "strongest" and "most mysterious" had actually joined forces, and it was to besiege a member of their own guild.
Hope's brow furrowed, his brain working rapidly.
Exactly who was worth such a massive mobilization from two major Dark Guilds?
Makarov was getting on in years; though strong, he was no longer what he once was.
Gildarts was a possibility, but this boozy uncle had always been low-profile and not very famous. Even among the few familiar friendly guilds, not many knew his true level.
The Dark Guilds would know even less about him.
Laxus, Erza, and the others were outstanding among the younger generation and would surely hold a place in the magic world in the future, but deploying all the elites of two major Dark Guilds to deal with them seemed a bit exaggerated.
As for the Quasi-S-Class candidates participating in the exam, there was even less reason... Hope's gaze swept across the hall. The guild's elites had basically all gone to Tenrou Island; at this moment, Fairy Tail's headquarters was unprecedentedly empty.
Could it be a plan to lure the tiger away from the mountain?
What if the home base was raided after he left?
"Hope, go with peace of mind." Macao stood up, seeing Hope's concern. "With us guys here at the guild, I guarantee nothing will happen."
"That's right, don't look down on us!"
Wakaba had a cigar in his mouth. "Don't forget, you brat used 'Archive Magic' to buff everyone. Even if you don't have faith in us, you should have faith in yourself."
"And maybe by the time you reach Tenrou Island,"
Watching his companions stand up one by one, patting their chests and promising to protect the guild, Hope smiled slightly, and the small worry in his heart was immediately dispelled.
He was overthinking it. With the guild members currently on Tenrou Island, maybe Makarov and the others could handle Grimoire Heart and Tartaros themselves.
"I understand."
Hope turned to Macao and Wakaba. "Everyone stay at the guild with peace of mind. I'm going to Tenrou Island."
Lilly walked out with a magic sword on his back. "Hope, if you need backup, my strength is somewhat useful, and I can fly."
Hope didn't refuse. No matter how strong Lilly was as an Exceed, he couldn't compete with a truly powerful Mage, but as a surprise factor, he might bring unexpected results.
Seeing Hope agree to let Lilly go along, Wendy also raised her hand and said, "Brother Hope, can you take me too? Everyone might need my healing."
That was for certain.
After all, they were fighting the two most powerful Dark Guilds; how could no one get hurt?
Trinity Raven had recovered quite a bit under Wendy's healing, so Hope left them to be cared for by other companions. He then walked out of the guild gates with Lilly, Wendy, and Carla, who was always inseparable from Wendy.
Carla haughtily tucked her paws in and reminded them, "Tenrou Island is far from Magnolia. Even with ordinary transportation, it will take at least half a day to reach Tenrou Island..."
"Don't worry."
"I will head out in Gundam form!"
Hope opened a massive Armor Magic Circle, and a blue-and-white painted magic mechanical giant slowly emerged from it. It was the freedom gundam he had originally intended to shine with at the Harvest Festival.
——
——
Tenrou Island.
Fried and Bickslow were the first group to land on the island. By now, they had followed the map's markings to the entrance of the eight paths.
Although the paths were divided into three types—"Quiet," "Fierce Battle," and "Struggle"—one could only know which type a route was after entering the tunnel.
"Which one do we choose?" Bickslow asked.
Fried carefully observed the ground tracks and surrounding environment of each entrance, finally pointing to the fifth path. "This one. According to the Formula feedback, there's almost no magic fluctuation on this path."
"It's either the 'Quiet' path, or it's... Mystogan."
Bickslow licked his lips. "A fifty-fifty chance. Will'strength' or 'luck' stand on our side..."
The moment the two stepped into the fifth tunnel, the surrounding scenery suddenly became Coفر, thick fog rose without warning, and the positions of the trees seemed to be constantly shifting.
"A Formula trap? No..."
Fried immediately drew his rapier. "It's an illusion!"
In the mist, a "Fierce Battle" flag loomed indistinctly.
Mystogan's voice came from all directions. "Fried, Bickslow, since you chose this path, then prove it to me."
As his voice fell, a Triple Magic Circle expanded simultaneously in the fog.
Meanwhile, the other groups arrived at the entrance one after another.
Gray and Loki chose the third path. Just as they were hoping to avoid an S-Class Mage, they had the bad luck of entering another "Fierce Battle" tunnel, where a smiling Mirajane greeted them.
Evergreen and Elfman chose the first path.
Natsu and Happy were the fourth group to arrive. Without thinking, they charged into the sixth path, which had the strongest magic fluctuations.
"Erza must be in there!"
Natsu shouted excitedly, "I'm going to have a fair and square fight with her!"
Happy muttered softly, "Aye... I think you're going to get beaten up again."
Unfortunately, Natsu met Gildarts, while Erza, whom he so dearly wanted to challenge, was on the fourth path waiting for Juvia and Lisanna.
On the seventh path, Gajeel was struggling under Laxus's pressure, getting beaten dizzy, while Salamander fled in panic under the chase of dense lightning.
However, Levy and Droy were in the unguarded eighth tunnel, leisurely walking toward the finish line while admiring the scenery.
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"