Actually, issuing a quest to a mage guild in the name of a kingdom was a very rare occurrence in the mage world.
Every kingdom had its own army.
Issuing a request to a mage guild was a huge loss of face.
But with most of their elite magic unit wiped out, they were truly terrified. If the enemy attacked the royal palace, they would be done for.
That was why they had frantically sought help from a mage guild. But when they saw the reinforcements were two children, Lucas and Erza, they panicked again.
At this moment.
"Your Majesty!! It... It's bad!!"
A soldier rushed in, panic written all over his face.
The King and his many ministers felt their hearts tremble. They had heard this kind of report several times in recent days.
"Again... What happened now?!"
"The town of Baron has been breached by the Dark Magic Cult! Everyone in the town has been abducted by them!"
Hearing this, everyone in the great hall turned pale.
"Damn it! What exactly is this Dark Magic Cult trying to do by capturing so many people?"
The King panicked even more, shouting with a trembling voice, "Request reinforcements! Request reinforcements from the Magic Council immediately! Tell them our kingdom is willing to pay the protection fee!"
Lucas said calmly, "Don't panic. Even if you ask for help now, it will take at least a month for the Magic Council to send troops. Why not let us try? If we wipe them out, won't you save a huge sum of money?"
Lucas's calm demeanor helped settle the King and his ministers slightly.
The army commander frowned. "That's a Dark Magic Cult. Even our kingdom's elite mage unit couldn't defeat them. How can just the two of you be a match for them?"
Vwoom—!
A terrifying magical power erupted from Lucas's body.
Everyone felt an overwhelming pressure radiating from him. Their legs trembled uncontrollably, and some collapsed to the ground, looking at Lucas with terror.
"We are Fairy Tail mages. Don't compare us to those mages in your army. We are not the same."
After saying this, Lucas retracted his magic power.
No one in the hall dared to underestimate Lucas and Erza anymore. Almost everyone present possessed some magic power, so they could sense just how terrifying Lucas's power was.
Lucas looked at the soldier who reported the news. "Tell me the location of the attacked town."
"...! The attacked town is to the southeast, 200 kilometers from the capital."
200 kilometers? No wonder the kingdom's higher-ups were all panicking. At that distance, the enemy could attack here at any time.
"Knowing their location makes things easy."
Whoosh—!
Three pairs of pristine white wings unfurled from Lucas's back, startling those around him.
Lucas extended his hand to Erza. "Let's go."
Erza immediately understood. Lucas put his arm around her waist, and they flew rapidly in the direction the soldier indicated.
In less than five minutes, Lucas arrived at the attacked town.
The town was now empty. Ruins were everywhere; homes were destroyed.
Seeing this scene, Erza's face was extremely grim, and she struggled to suppress her anger.
"Those damned bastards!"
Bang!
Erza punched a wall, shattering it.
The scene before her reminded her of her childhood, when she was captured by the Dark Magic Cult just like this, sent to the island as a slave to build the Tower of Heaven.
Lucas carefully scanned the surroundings. "These are fresh signs of destruction. Moving so many people is a huge operation. I believe they haven't gone far."
Erza reacted immediately. Now was not the time for anger; the priority was to rescue the people.
"Let's chase them!"
There were footprints all over the ground, making it easy to track them.
Not long after, Lucas and Erza arrived in front of a city.
Lucas took Erza silently to the top of the city wall. Looking down, they saw a massive crowd gathered in the center of the city. Almost everyone's face was filled with fear, and cries of despair could be heard.
Surrounding them were numerous members of the Dark Magic Cult clad in black robes. There were a lot of them—at a glance, at least five hundred.
"So many people! What exactly are these guys planning to do with them?"
Erza clenched her fists as she watched. At first, she thought this cult was like the one from her past, capturing people for slave labor to build the R-System. But now, it seemed that wasn't the case.
At this moment, a man wearing a steel mask appeared on a high platform.
"Everyone! From now on, we will conduct the Purification Ritual!"
"These people are sinless!"
"Three thousand lives, completely ignorant of their impending fate."
"These holy lives will create the key to awakening that great existence, allowing him to be reborn on this land."
"To walk alongside him in this world, we offer up these three thousand pure souls as a sacrifice!"
"Everything is for the great Black Mage Zeref!!"
"For Zeref!!"
"For Zeref!!"
The crowd of cultists below shouted in excitement.
Erza understood the meaning of his words. Her face turned pale, her eyes widened in disbelief, and her body trembled uncontrollably.
"These guys... they're planning a blood sacrifice!!!"
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