Oración Seis Attacks

In the guild hall, everyone gathered together, with a diagram of the Dark Guild's structure that Reedus had just drawn floating in mid-air.

The image is filled with circles of varying sizes connected by lines of different thicknesses, and each circle is labeled with the name of a guild.

The image was densely covered with text, like a tangled spider web.

Cana's gaze swept back and forth across the architecture diagram several times, and finally she pointed at it with her finger, her tone nonchalant.

"I only realized how many Dark Guilds there are after I finished organizing them."

Lucy stood next to Cana, tilting her head to look at the densely packed picture, her face full of confusion.

Why do we need to organize this?

Mirajane crossed his arms, his expression serious.

Her gaze slowly moved across the architectural diagram, the smile that usually graced her lips vanished without a trace, replaced by an unusual coldness.

She raised her eyes, glanced at the crowd gathered around her, and spoke in a lower voice than usual.

"Because they've started getting restless again recently."

The air fell silent for a moment.

Mirajane's tone made everyone drop their usual playful smiles.

Gray put his hands in his pockets, tilted his head, stared at the diagram for a long time, then stretched out a finger and pointed to the largest circle at the top of the diagram.

The circle was drawn several times with bold lines by Reedus, making it stand out.

Gray's brows furrowed, his tone revealing undisguised confusion.

"So what is this big circle?"

Juvia's eyes lit up instantly.

She pushed forward, almost knocking Lucy, who was standing in front of her, off balance, her voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Juvia knows this!"

She pointed to the largest circle, then pointed to a circle drawn on the map, and then tapped on the three smaller marks below the circle in turn.

"That's the Balam Alliance, a dark guild comprised of the Oración Seis, Grimoire Heart, and Tartaros —the largest dark force!"

Juvia took a deep breath, her finger continuing to trace the map, extending outwards from the three core guilds and tracing the dense network of connecting lines.

"They have many dark guilds under their control, dominating the entire underworld. There's also Raven Tail, which is independent and not under the jurisdiction of the Balam Alliance."

After Juvia finished speaking, she slightly raised her chin, secretly glanced at Gray, and her face was full of expectation that "Lord Gray, please praise me."

Lucy's gaze swept across the architecture diagram and then suddenly stopped.

She blinked and pointed to a circle crossed out on the picture, next to which was a small name.

There was a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Eh, isn't it Eisenwald?"

Riyao appeared out of nowhere, silently appearing behind Mirajane, his hands passing around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder, clinging to Mirajane like a large golden retriever.

He tilted his head, his gaze passing over Mirajane's shoulder to look at Tu, a lazy smile playing on his lips.

"Yes, it's the same guild that had the Wind Man last time."

Mirajane was suddenly hugged by Riyao, and her body stiffened slightly.

Then she relaxed, letting him hang on her, and simply reached out and gently patted the back of his hand that was wrapped around her waist.

Riyao continued, his tone carrying a casual smugness.

"Don't underestimate them; they're actually quite adept at looting. Mira and I have gone there quite a few times to plunder, and we always manage to bring back some good stuff."

Gray stared speechlessly at Riyao's matter-of-fact expression, his lips twitching as he forced out a sentence through gritted teeth.

"They are truly fortunate to have met you."

Wakaba, pipe in mouth, squinted at the name of the Oración Seis on the architectural diagram.

He exhaled a smoke ring, which slowly drifted above the picture, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.

"I heard the Oración Seis only has six members; that's quite a small force."

Macao stood next to Wakaba, arms crossed, and nodded in agreement.

"I really don't know what use a guild that's so small is. There are so many people in our guild, we could drown them with just a spit from each of us."

Mirajane grasped Riyao's wandering hand around her waist, tightening her grip on his fingers.

She raised her head, her eyes suddenly turning sharp, her gaze sweeping over Wakaba and Macao like a blade. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a sense of oppressive power that made people dare not underestimate her.

"With only six people, they are already one of the largest dark forces; their strength is unimaginable."

Wakaba nearly dropped his pipe, and Macao unconsciously took a half-step back.

Mirajane rarely showed such an expression, but whenever she did, it meant things were anything but simple.

Just then, the guild's door was pushed open.

Makarov walked in through the door, his steps slower than usual, and his expression more serious.

He held a folded document in his hand, the edges of which gleamed under the light with the distinctive gold foil pattern of the Magic Council.

He walked to the round table, glanced at everyone's faces, and then announced in a deep voice.

"Regarding the Oración Seis that you're talking about, it's been decided that we will be the ones to defeat them."

As soon as he finished speaking, the guild hall erupted in chaos.

The crowd buzzed with discussion, their voices rising and falling, some excited, some nervous, and some already itching to get started.

Natsu, who had been dozing off at the table next to him, heard the word "suppression".

He sprang up as if he'd been electrocuted, letting out a howl, and scrambled over.

His eyes were wide open, and a burning flame of anticipation ignited in his pupils.

Makarov raised a hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down.

Once the noise subsided, he continued, "To avoid any single guild becoming the primary target of retaliation, we have decided to form a coalition to jointly attack!"

He paused, then unfolded the official document in his hand and laid it flat next to the organizational chart.

Below is a list of guild names.

Makarov's fingers traced over the names one by one, his voice steady and powerful.

"A united front comprised of Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Cait Shelter!"

Riyao's chin was still resting on Mirajane's shoulder as he lazily counted on his fingers, bending one finger for each guild he mentioned.

"They're all old acquaintances. If nothing unexpected happens, Blue Pegasus should be Ichiya, Lamia Scale should be Jura, and as for Cait Shelter, I haven't seen the others before. Wendy also has Healing Magic, so she should be sent as well."

Lucy's eyes widened, her mouth opened slightly, and her expression changed from confusion to shock, and finally to terror.

Her voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.

"They only have six people, yet it took four guilds to defeat them? Just how strong are they?"

Riyao lifted his head from Mirajane's shoulder, looking at Lucy with the eyes of someone looking at a rare animal, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, his tone undisguisedly teasing.

"Lucy, you're still too naive. You always make a fuss over nothing."

Makarov cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention back to himself.

His gaze sharpened as he slowly swept across the crowd before beginning to muster his troops.

Erza!

Erza stepped out from the crowd, her armor reflecting a cold metallic luster under the lights.

Her gaze was firm as iron, and her voice was strong and resonant.

"President, I will not let you down!"

Natsu!

Natsu slammed his fists together in front of his chest, flames shooting out from between his knuckles, and his mouth stretched to his ears in a wide grin.

"Wow! It's on fire!"

"Happy!"

Happy took flight, raised its right paw to its brow, and performed a crooked salute with a clear, resonant sound.

"Aye!"

"Gray!"

Gray had his hands in his pockets, shrugged slightly, and wore a "here we go again" expression.

He sighed, his tone languid, but a sharp glint shone deep in his eyes.

"Ugh, this feels so troublesome."

"Lucy!"

Lucy froze, pointing her finger at her nose, her expression like that of a student suddenly called on by the teacher to answer a question.

Her voice carried a mixture of surprise, nervousness, and disbelief.

"Oh, am I not included?!"

"And finally, there's Riyao!"

Riyao lifted his head from Mirajane's shoulder, blinked, and looked around. After confirming that Makarov was calling him, his expression instantly fell.

He tightened his grip on Mirajane's arm, his tone revealing undisguised reluctance.

"Huh? Isn't my Mira going?"

Makarov put his hands behind his back, took two slow steps, then stopped and looked at Riyao and Mirajane.

"The Oración Seis's target this time is Nirvana, a magic that can reverse good and evil. Mira is a recipient of demons, and if she is affected by the power of Nirvana, there could be unpredictable consequences. Even if you go, don't use your Demon Form."

Riyao frowned, his lips pressed into a thin line.

He turned his head and pressed his face against Mirajane's cheek, like a cat unwilling to leave its owner, his voice filled with a coquettish murmur.

"Mira isn't going, so I don't want to go either."

Mirajane turned her head to the side, pressing her cheek against Riyao's, feeling the warmth from his skin.

A gentle smile appeared on her lips as she reached out and gently patted Riyao's head, her tone as if she were coaxing a sulking child.

"Sweetie, the guild master is worried about Erza and the others going alone, that's why he asked you to keep an eye on them."

Riyao buried his face in Mirajane's neck, a muffled sound coming from the crook of her shoulder.

"Yeah, but I feel terrible if I don't see you for a day."

Mirajane's smile deepened, and the corners of her eyes curved into two beautiful crescent moons.

She turned slightly to the side and cupped Riyao's face in her hands.

"How about I give you a reward when you come back?"

After saying that, she tiptoed slightly and gently kissed Riyao's lips.

The guild hall fell silent for a second.

Lucy stood to the side, covering her face with her hands, but her eyes, peeking out from between her fingers, couldn't help but glance in that direction.

I still don't understand how these two get along.

Cana had somehow gotten close to Lucy, carrying a half-empty bottle of wine, a meaningful smile on her face.

She nudged Lucy with her shoulder, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "Why don't you talk to someone and see what happens?"

Lucy's face flushed instantly, from the base of her neck all the way to the tips of her ears. She jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, waving her hands wildly in the air.

"Cana! What are you saying?!"

Cana tilted her head back and took a swig of wine, letting out a hearty laugh that echoed in the guild hall, dispelling the previous heavy atmosphere.