A Shifting Balance of Power

Chiba frowned slightly. He hadn't expected this guy to run so fast, and with such advanced stealth skills, catching up with him would be really difficult.

"If you can't catch up, don't bother."

Nuolin sheathed her sword.

Chiba conjured another Demon Flash in his hand and hurled it towards the wooden house. With a deafening roar, the entire house was blasted to pieces. Chiba turned around, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and said, "It's not safe here anymore. Let's find somewhere else."

Nuolin nodded.

Chiba looked around, pondering where he should set up camp.

That person was most likely a mage from the Dark Guild. And he probably lay in ambush here beforehand, perhaps to spy on the enemy, since this place is adjacent to the location where the Magic Council's magic troops are stationed.

His ability to conceal himself left Chiba in awe. Chiba, who was clearly a ninja and better suited for stealth, had turned himself into a warrior who fought head-on.

Chiba raised his eyes, shook his head, and walked deeper into the forest.

Night fell, and the military tents were brightly lit.

"You mean there are traces of their assassins in the Northern Forest?"

"Yes, our men saw [Shadow] Morton, but he saw our men too, and then disappeared."

Captain, Jikade frowned slightly. "[Shadow] has no reason to be found alive and allowed to return to report after being discovered by our people... You said our people saw [Shadow] in the Northern Forest?"

"That's right."

Jikade sighed in relief. "Tianna said those two brats are stationed in the North Forest, and [Shadow] was most likely the one who injured him."

The mage looked surprised. "Those two brats from earlier that day? Even Lieutenant Tianna wasn't a match for [Shadow]. How is that possible?"

"Nothing is impossible." Jikade waved his hand and said, "You can go now. Keep a close watch; they might be planning something big lately."

Removing the surprise from his eyes, the mage soldier said in a deep voice, "Yes."

He left.

"Sigh, they're such a worry..."

With a sigh, Jikade looked at Tianna, who had her arms crossed, and softened his voice. "Tianna, are you still angry with me?"

Tianna glanced at him and snorted.

Jikade smiled, then turned his gaze to outside the tent, and said with a hint of mockery, "That brat... is that the 'Flame Emperor' you admire?"

Tianna's body trembled, her face flushed instantly, and she said somewhat flusteredly, "You brat, what... what nonsense are you talking about!"

Jikade chuckled; this was the first time he had ever seen Tianna so flustered.

"After they left, I sent people to investigate them. The former [Lava Monster], now the [Flame Emperor], Chiba Uchiha, one of Fairy Tail's S-Class candidates," Jikade said leisurely.

Hearing Jikade's laughter, Tianna's face turned even redder. Her feigned seriousness and indifference crumbled instantly, and she stomped her foot in shame and indignation.

At this moment, Jikade's smile slowly faded, and he said, "He counter-killed [Throne of Wind] Rina and his hundred or so elite subordinates, annihilated the entire Flames of Life and Death guild, and completely crushed Xien, the guild master of Shadow Skull, who is considered the number one person below the Ten Wizard Saints. Any one of these three achievements is enough to shock the magic world. But do you know why the Magic Council is trying so hard to cover up his reputation? Even within the kingdom, the title of [Flame Emperor] is not as well-known as the titles of [Titania] and [Demon]?"

Tianna looked blank and shook her head.

Jikade's gaze turned cold. "If his reputation had been built within the kingdom, that would be one thing, but he did it three times by stepping on the Dark Guilds. What will those forces lurking in the shadows think of him? [The Messenger of Justice]? [The Dark Judge]? They will see him as a thorn in their side. It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. If it were within the kingdom, that would be one thing, but he chose to appear on the front lines of the war between the Magic Council and the Dark Guilds!"

"The Sword of Slaughter, supported by the Shadow Skull, is its most mysterious dark guild, even more so than the Flames of Life and Death. The Magic Council's vigilance against it has reached S-Class standards. Moreover... on the surface, we are fighting the Sword of Slaughter, but what is the reality? [Grimoire Heart], which has always had friction with the Shadow Skull, has already quietly joined the battlefield. The complete defeat of the Flames of Life and Death has already disqualified the Shadow Skull from fighting the Grimoire Heart. How could the Grimoire Heart give up this opportunity to eliminate the Shadow Skull?"

Tianna stammered softly, "They... shouldn't they be allies?"

Jikade sighed and said, "Silly girl, what kind of absolute alliance is there in this world? Although I don't know the specific reason, recent news suggests that the Shadow Skull and the Grimoire Heart are in a state of deep conflict, and a massive war could break out at any moment."

"I let them leave for their safety; no one can imagine what kind of battlefield this place would become. He's a genius, but he needs time to grow. We already had a regret more than ten years ago; we can't let that regret repeat itself."

Tianna remained silent; she too remembered that day, with a similar scene. The Magic Council had witnessed the fall of a genius.

"Keep an eye on them. If necessary... be prepared to sacrifice yourselves for them. Whether for the greater good or for justice, as members of the Magic Council, we should stand in their way."

Tianna's expression turned unusually serious, and she nodded vigorously. "Yes!"

Lying in bed, Chiba looked out the window, her eyes sparkling.

He had heard of the dark guild, Sword of Slaughter, mainly because he stumbled upon it while idly researching some information about dark guilds during his hospital stay.

The Flames of Life and Death of Life and Death is ostensibly the strongest guild under the Shadow Skull, usually operating under the guise of a commercial guild. However, its true nature has long been known to its upper echelons. It is only because of the existence of its goods and the presence of the behemoth that the Shadow Skull of Flames of Life and Death has been able to continue to exist to this day.

The Magic Council knows almost nothing about the dark guild, the Sword of Slaughter.

Before the war, the Magic Council only knew of the existence of the Sword of Slaughter, but knew nothing about it.

Because this guild has done absolutely nothing since it was founded.

Even since the start of the direct conflict, the Sword of Slaughter has only exposed a small number of its officers.

For example, Morton's shadow during the day!

In reality, the complete annihilation of the Flames of Life and Death, along with the disappearance of its core and Seele, has plunged the Shadow Skull into dire straits. The high-ranking officials and wealthy individuals are gripped by panic at the loss of their goods. Consequently, they direct their anger at the Shadow Skull, even ordering a coalition of mages from legitimate guilds to attack its forces.

Coupled with the threat from the Grimoire Heart, the Shadow Skull seems to be in a desperate situation.

Chiba had a feeling that this mission would be even more complicated than the last one.