When that crisp, familiar "Mom" reached Ur's ears, she stood frozen as if struck by lightning. Tears burst from her eyes uncontrollably, streaming down like a broken dam. She widened her eyes and stared in disbelief at the daughter she had been separated from for two and a half years.
Ur trembled as she slowly reached out both hands, wanting to pull her beloved daughter tightly into her arms. However, just as she was about to touch Ultear, it was as if an invisible force stopped her, leaving her arms suspended in midair. Hesitation, fear, joy... all kinds of complicated emotions intertwined, leaving her at a loss.
Seeing this, Allen stepped forward without hesitation and gently handed Ultear, whom he was holding, over to Ur. Ur hurriedly reached out and took her daughter, afraid that the slightest carelessness would make her lose Ultear again.
The mother and daughter embraced and wept, their burning tears sliding down their cheeks and dripping onto each other's shoulders. Ultear wrapped her tiny arms tightly around Ur's neck, buried her head deep in her mother's warm embrace, and began to sob loudly. "Mom! I missed you so much! I really missed you!"
At that moment, Ur's mind had gone completely blank. All words had become pale and powerless, and she could only repeat that heartfelt cry over and over. "My Ultear!"
After seeing everyone in the bar turn their attention toward them, Allen asked the owner for a private room. He knew this reunion between mother and daughter would not end anytime soon.
After entering the private room, Allen ordered some food from the waiter. When he saw that Ur had regained some of her composure, he introduced himself to her. "My name is Allen. This is Laxus and Michael from the Ice Crystal Federation. As for Gildarts, you should know him, so I won't introduce him. The three of us are mages from Fairy Tail. We came to Gildarts to destroy the Dark Magic Group. As for how Ultear and I met, that begins with a Dark Guild called Serpent's Lair."
Allen began by recounting how he had encountered the Dark Magic Group summoning Theodore through a sacrifice on Mount Hakobe. He then told them how Caitlin, a member of Serpent's Lair in Rainbow Port, had revealed that Magic Development Bureau Director Brian was collaborating with the Dark Magic Group. Ur was stunned, but then her hands clenched tightly into fists, her knuckles turning pale from the force. She knew exactly what Brian's collaboration with the Dark Magic Group meant.
Allen then spoke of how he and Laxus had gone to the Magic Development Bureau and rescued more than a dozen children, including Ultear. When he showed Ur the footage from that time, she...
"Brian!!!"
Ur instinctively smashed the table in front of her into pieces with one punch. She was like a living volcano on the verge of erupting, ready to burn everything to ashes.
"I trusted him so much!!! How dare he do this?!"
Her voice was filled with rage and hatred. Her bloodshot eyes turned toward Allen as she demanded, "Where is he now?"
"According to our intelligence, he is currently in Gildarts, mixed in with the people from the Dark Magic Group. He is one of our targets to be killed, so don't worry, Ur. Once we find him, he's as good as dead!"
Allen's answer was filled with seriousness and determination. He truly believed Brian had to die!
Looking at the entire Fairy Tail anime, even after the battle with the Black Dragon, the number of deaths did not exceed the fingers on one hand. Now, Allen intended to add Brian's name to that list.
"Leave Brian to me! This is a mother's revenge! It is also a mother's responsibility!"
Ur's voice was as cold as an iceberg, yet as scorching as a volcano.
Allen knew there was no changing Ur's mind. No one could stop a mother from taking revenge. "All right. Once we find Brian, he's yours!"
Ur nodded gratefully at Allen. Then she looked at Ultear with overwhelming tenderness. "Thank you, Allen. If it weren't for you, I might never have seen Ultear again for the rest of my life. I can't imagine what my life would be like without Ultear in it. Truly, thank you all!"
Just as Allen was about to say something, the door to the private room slowly opened. A waiter cautiously pushed in a food cart piled high with steaming, fragrant dishes. However, the moment he entered the room, his eyes involuntarily fell upon the battered table, and he froze on the spot.
Fortunately, the well-trained waiter hesitated for only a moment before quickly recovering. With a professional smile on his face, he hurriedly said to Allen and the others, "I'm terribly sorry, honored guests. I'll go get you a brand-new table right away. Please wait a moment!" With that, he turned and left briskly.
Allen gave the waiter a slight nod to show his agreement and thanks, then said, "Sorry for the trouble, young man. Just add the replacement table to our bill." The waiter nodded at that, then quickened his pace and left the private room.
After this little interruption, Ur, who had been too agitated to control herself, seemed to calm down slightly. However, she still refused to let go of Ultear, holding her even more tightly than before, as if she feared the person in her arms would vanish if she let her guard down for even a moment.
Before long, the waiter appeared at the entrance to the private room again. This time, he had not only brought an undamaged new table, but had also swiftly cleared away the remains of the old one. The entire process was smooth and natural, and before long, the new table had been firmly placed in its original position.
Looking at the neatly arranged dishes, Allen nodded in satisfaction before warmly calling the others to eat. "Come on, everyone, dig in. We don't have much time to waste. There are still people waiting for us." Everyone present was already starving, so as soon as they heard Allen, they eagerly picked up their bowls and chopsticks and began eating heartily.
Although there was enough food on the table to feed ten northern men, it could not last long before this group of ravenous mages. Before long, the feast had been swept clean.
After the meal, a satisfied Allen said to Michael, "Let's go. We'll see what the mages of your Gildarts Continent are made of."
In fact, Gildarts's allied forces were stationed not far from Shardo City, so the group soon arrived at the allied forces' base.
When Allen and the others slowly got out of the vehicle, the originally noisy base fell silent at once. Everyone's eyes were drawn toward them as if by magnets. Some gazes were filled with curiosity, as though they were wondering about these unfamiliar visitors from afar. Others held undisguised disdain, clearly unimpressed by Allen and the others' arrival.
At that moment, a middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd. He had a steady stride and an upright bearing, and every step carried an imposing air that demanded respect.
Seeing this, Michael hurriedly introduced him to Allen. "Allen, this is Mr. Carlton Hines, the Minister of Magic of our federation. It was because of his repeated efforts to persuade our leader that the leader agreed to let you come despite everyone's opposition."
The man who entered Allen's view was broad-shouldered and heavily muscled. He was unmistakably a typical northerner, radiating a wild and forthright air. Even from the way he walked, it was obvious that his style of conduct was rough, bold, and straightforward.
At their first meeting, Allen formed an extremely deep impression of him.
By then, Carlton had already walked up to Allen and extended his right hand. Allen quickly reached out his own right hand and gripped Carlton's firmly. The moment their large hands clasped, it seemed as if some invisible message passed between them, and an unknown journey of cooperation began.
Carlton smiled and said, "Hello, everyone. I'm Carlton Hines. I've admired the people of Fairy Tail for a long time. When I learned from your Council that you were the ones who destroyed a demon, I wanted to invite you here so we could exchange some experience in dealing with demons."
Seeing how courteous Carlton was, Allen responded in kind. "You're too kind. We should learn from each other."
Carlton smiled, stepped aside, and gestured for them to proceed. "Then let's not stand around here. This way, please. I've already arranged the venue."
Following Carlton, everyone slowly entered an extremely spacious open area. Numerous mages from the Gildarts Continent were already seated around it, some whispering among themselves and others sitting in silent contemplation.
Carlton steadily climbed onto the raised platform, cleared his throat, and announced loudly, "Everyone, the Fairy Tail mages from the continent of Ishgar have now joined us. Next, we can begin discussing the campaign against the Dark Magic Group."
Just as Carlton finished speaking, a mage from the Gildarts Continent suddenly stood up. A powerful surge of magic radiated from him, drawing everyone's attention.
The man shouted, "I don't think we should rush into that! Before we begin our discussions, I'd like to challenge the mages of Fairy Tail. I want to see what qualifies them to make us wait for them!" His words were like a string of firecrackers being lit, immediately followed by a series of loud agreements from the crowd.
Allen watched the farce unfolding before him with interest, the corners of his lips curling into a faint, amused smile. When he noticed Carlton's apologetic gaze, he merely shrugged lightly. Then he turned to Laxus beside him and said with a grin, "Laxus, since they're being so enthusiastic about inviting us, go up there and show them what you can do. Let these fools properly experience the strength of a Lightning Dragon Slayer Mage!"
Before you continue