A Show of Force from Gildarts

When that crisp and familiar "Mom" reached Ur's ears, she was struck as if by lightning, instantly frozen in place. Tears burst forth uncontrollably, cascading down like a breached dam. She stared wide-eyed, unable to believe the daughter she had been separated from for two and a half long years was standing right before her.

Ur slowly extended her trembling hands, yearning to pull her beloved daughter into a tight embrace. However, the moment she was about to touch Ultear, she felt as if blocked by an invisible force, her arms hanging stiffly in mid-air. Hesitation, fear, joy—a complex web of emotions intertwined, leaving her momentarily at a loss.

Seeing this, Allen stepped forward without hesitation and gently handed Ultear, who was in his arms, over to Ur. Ur hurriedly reached out to take her daughter, terrified that the slightest carelessness might cause her to lose her again.

Mother and daughter wept in each other's arms, hot tears sliding down their cheeks and dripping onto each other's shoulders. Ultear wrapped her small arms tightly around Ur's neck, burying her head deep into her mother's warm embrace, and sobbed aloud: "Mom! I missed you so much! I really, really missed you!"

At this moment, Ur's mind was a complete blank. All words had become pale and powerless; she could only repeat that deeply affectionate call over and over again: "My Ultear!"

Noticing the gazes of everyone in the bar turning toward them, Allen asked the owner for a private room, knowing that this mother-daughter reunion would not conclude quickly.

After entering the room, Allen ordered some food from a waiter. Seeing that Ur had regained some of her composure, Allen introduced himself: "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. We are all mages from Fairy Tail, here on the Gildarts Continent to eradicate the Dark Magic Group. As for how I met Ultear, it starts with a Dark Guild called the Serpent's Lair."

Allen began by recounting their encounter with the Dark Magic Group's sacrificial summoning of Theodore on Mount Hakobe, then mentioned how Caitlin, a member of the Serpent's Lair at Rainbow Port, revealed that Brian, the head of the Magic Development Bureau, was collaborating with the Dark Magic Group. Ur was stunned, but her hands soon clenched into tight fists, her knuckles turning white from the force. She knew exactly what it meant for Brian to be in league with the Dark Magic Group.

Allen then described how he and Laxus went to the Magic Development Bureau to rescue over a dozen children, Ultear among them, and showed Ur the footage from that time.

"Brian!!!"

Ur couldn't help but smash the table in front of her into smithereens with a single punch. She was like a living volcano, on the verge of erupting and burning everything to ashes.

"I trusted him so much!!! How dare he do this?!"

Her voice was filled with rage and hatred. She looked at Allen with bloodshot eyes and asked furiously, "Where is he now?"

"Intelligence shows he is currently on the Gildarts Continent, mingling with the Dark Magic Group. He is our primary target for elimination, so Ur, don't be anxious. As long as we find him, he is a dead man!"

Allen's reply was earnest and firm; he truly believed that Brian had to die.

Looking back at the Fairy Tail anime, the number of people who died by the end of the battle against the Black Dragon didn't even exceed the count of one hand. Now, Allen was adding Brian's name to that list.

"Leave Brian to me! This is a mother's revenge! And a mother's duty!"

Ur's voice was as cold as an iceberg, yet as scorching as a volcano.

Allen knew that Ur's mind could not be changed; no one could stop a mother's revenge. "Fine. As long as we find Brian, he's yours!"

Ur nodded gratefully at Allen, then looked at Ultear with eyes full of tenderness. "Thank you, Allen! If it weren't for you, I might never have seen Ultear again in this lifetime. I can't imagine a life without Ultear in it. Really, thank you all!"

Just as Allen was about to say something, the door to the private room slowly opened. A waiter cautiously pushed a food cart inside, laden with steaming, fragrant dishes. However, the moment he stepped into the room, his gaze fell involuntarily upon the shattered remains of the table, and he froze on the spot.

However, the well-trained waiter hesitated for only a moment before regaining his composure. With a professional smile, he quickly said to Allen and the others, "My apologies, guests. I will go and fetch you a brand-new table right away, please wait a moment!" With that, he turned and left with agile movements.

Allen nodded slightly at the waiter to show his agreement and gratitude, saying, "Sorry for the trouble, young man. Just add the cost of the replacement table to our bill." Hearing this, the waiter nodded and hurried out of the room.

After this small interlude, Ur, who had been emotionally overwhelmed, seemed to calm down slightly. Yet, she still held Ultear tightly, refusing to let go, her grip even firmer than before, as if she feared the person in her arms would vanish if she were the least bit careless.

Not long after, the waiter appeared at the door again. This time, he not only brought a pristine new table but also cleared away the wreckage of the old one with incredible speed. The entire process was as smooth and natural as flowing water, and in no time, the new table was firmly set in its original place.

Looking at the neatly arranged food, Allen nodded with satisfaction and warmly invited the others to eat: "Come, come, everyone, dig in. We don't have much time to waste; there are others waiting for us." Everyone present was actually starving, so upon hearing Allen's words, they eagerly picked up their utensils and began to feast.

Although the portions on the table were generous enough to satisfy ten northern men, in front of this group of famished mages, the food didn't last long. Before long, the feast had been swept away like a whirlwind.

After the meal, a satisfied Allen said to Michael, "Let's go, let us see the mages of your Gildarts Continent."

In fact, the coalition forces of Gildarts were stationed not far from Shardo City, and the group arrived at the camp shortly after.

As Allen and his companions stepped out of the vehicle, the bustling camp fell instantly silent. Everyone's gaze was drawn to them as if by a magnet. Some looks were filled with curiosity, as if wondering about the strangers from afar, while others showed disdain, seemingly unimpressed by the arrival of Allen's group.

Just then, a middle-aged man walked out from the crowd. His stride was steady, his posture upright, and every step carried an air of authority that commanded respect.

Seeing this, Michael hurriedly introduced him to Allen: "Allen, this is the Minister of Magic of our Federation, Mr. Carlton Hines. It was because of his strong persuasion that our leader agreed to let you come, despite the opposition of many."

What met Allen's eyes was a burly, muscular man. He was undoubtedly a typical northern man, exuding a wild and heroic aura. Just from the way he walked, one could tell that his style of doing things was dominated by ruggedness and boldness.

Upon their first meeting, Allen was left with a deep impression of this man.

By now, Carlton had reached Allen and proactively extended his right hand. Seeing this, Allen quickly extended his own right hand and gripped Carlton's firmly. The moment their large hands met, it seemed to convey an invisible message, marking the beginning of an unknown journey of cooperation.

Carlton smiled and said, "Greetings, I am Carlton Hines. I have long heard of you people from Fairy Tail. That is why, after learning from the Council that you had defeated a demon, I wanted you to come and exchange some experience with us on how to deal with demons."

Seeing Carlton being so courteous, Allen replied just as politely: "You are too kind, we should learn from each other."

Carlton smiled and gestured to the side, "Then let's not stand here. Please, come inside; I have already arranged the venue."

The group followed Carlton's lead into a very spacious open area. The surrounding space was already filled with many mages from the Gildarts Continent, who were either whispering to each other or sitting in silent contemplation.

Carlton stepped steadily onto a high platform, cleared his throat, and said loudly: "Everyone, the mages of Fairy Tail from the Ishgar continent have now joined us. We can now begin discussing the crusade against the Dark Magic Group."

Just as Carlton finished speaking, a mage from the Gildarts Continent stood up abruptly, a powerful wave of magic power radiating from his body, drawing the attention of everyone present.

The man shouted: "I don't think we should be in such a hurry! Before we start the discussion, I would like to challenge the mages from Fairy Tail. I want to see what qualifications they have that make us wait for them!" As soon as these words were spoken, it was like lighting a string of firecrackers, followed by a chorus of echoing voices.

Allen watched this farce with interest, the corners of his mouth curling up into a faint, enigmatic smile. When he noticed Carlton casting an apologetic look his way, he simply shrugged his shoulders, then turned to Laxus beside him and said with a grin: "Laxus, since they are so enthusiastically inviting us, why don't you go up and show them a thing or two? Let these guys get a good taste of the strength of a Lightning Dragon Slayer Mage!"