The headquarters of Grimoire Heart was a massive airship, silently drifting above the clouds.
Inside the airship's grand eting room, an elderly man with an eye-patch and a long, imposing beard sat at the head of a large table. He looked calmly around at the gathered mages.
"How did the operation go?" he asked, his voice deep but oddly gentle.
Caprico, who resembled a sophisticated goat-man, adjusted his glasses politely. "All of our captured mbers have been safely retrieved, Master Hades. Azuma's magic made things exceedingly simple."
Azuma crossed his arms and frowned slightly. "I didn't particularly enjoy this mission. There wasn't a single opponent worthy of my magic."
Azuma's magic allowed him to plant himself like a great tree into the earth, controlling all magical energy within a given area. Of course, this ability had limits depending on his strength and preparation ti. But with Grimoire Heart's extensive intel network, selecting an ideal ambush location on the Council's escort route was child's play.
With Azuma's well-placed spell, the Council's elite squad lost their magical power instantly. Combined with Caprico's "Human Subordination Magic," rescuing their captured comrades was as effortless as plucking fruit from a tree.
To avoid raising unnecessary alarm or provoking a larger response, they had swiftly rescued their mbers without harming any of the Council soldiers.
"Our primary objective," Hades stated quietly, his tone thoughtful, "was simply to avoid further leaks of information. It would be inconvenient if people learned that the leader of my Seven Kin of Purgatory is actually nad Ultear."
He sighed gently, tapping his finger on the table. "I've told that girl countless tis to use a code na or disguise herself when she goes undercover, but she's too stubborn."
Caprico lowered his head respectfully. "This is my fault. I shouldn't have involved Zancrow and Rustyrose in unnecessary distractions."
Hades waved dismissively. "No need for apologies. You simply wished to bolster our strength. None of us expected Fairy Tail to interfere suddenly."
Azuma leaned forward eagerly. "Can't I visit Fairy Tail personally? I'm intrigued by the people who managed to defeat Rustyrose and Zancrow."
Zancrow, who stood nearby wrapped tightly in bandages, jumped up furiously at this. "Who got defeated?! They just got lucky and ran away like cowards!"
Azuma ignored Zancrow completely and continued, excitent building in his voice, "Besides those two newcors, Fairy Tail has Erza Scarlet, the Fairy Queen; Mirajane Strauss, the She-Devil; Natsu Dragneel, the Fire Dragon; and even Makarov, one of the Ten Wizard Saints. It's overflowing with incredible opponents!"
He clenched his fists in excitent, practically vibrating with anticipation. "What a thrilling guild! I'd love to fight them all right now."
Hades smiled faintly, amused by Azuma's enthusiasm. "Indeed, Fairy Tail is fascinating, but now isn't the right mont."
His expression darkened with ambition, and his single visible eye sparkled ominously. "When our ultimate ambition, the Grand Magic World, is finally realized, you'll have as many powerful adversaries as your heart desires."
At these words, Caprico and Zancrow both wore expressions of fervent anticipation. The Grand Magic World was their grandest dream, a future worth any sacrifice.
Only Azuma remained calm. His mind was focused less on grand ideals and more on the promise of fierce battles ahead. Though he would certainly follow the master's orders, if given a chance to test himself against powerful foes now, Azuma would happily ignore grand sches.
"Fairy Tail..." Azuma whispered to himself with an eager smile.
Elsewhere, in Magnolia, Rhodes and Elfman had unknowingly beco rather famous lately.
The Council, far from keeping the recent events secret, actually seed intent on fanning the flas of publicity.
However, their emphasis was clearly strategic, they wanted the public to praise Rhodes and Elfman for their bravery, while condemning Grimoire Heart's dark deeds. As for the embarrassing loss of prisoners, the Council hoped everyone would just quietly forget about that.
As a result, the latest sinister actions of Grimoire Heart were inevitably linked to the heroic deeds of Rhodes and Elfman.
Elfman earned a rather impressive nickna: "Beast King."
Of course, Elfman himself would've greatly preferred a more "manly" title, like "Manly Man," "Manly Beast King," or even "Beastly Manly King."
Recently, Elfman must've had a heart-to-heart with Mira, as he no longer rejected the Beast King Soul form. Instead, he had begun training diligently to master it completely, aiming to gain greater strength to protect his loved ones. He'd even started experinting with other forms of Full-Body Take Over magic, determined to grow even stronger.
As for Rhodes, surprisingly, it wasn't the victory over Rustyrose that brought him the most fa. Instead, it was the astonishingly detailed intelligence report he'd prepared, copies of which had quickly spread throughout all major guilds that truly caught people's attention.
Among the older generations, so had started referring to Rhodes as the "New Era Fairy Strategist"
Younger wizards, who knew less of history, simply called him "The Fairy Strategist."
When Makarov heard these nicknas, he was overjoyed.
The first master, Mavis Vermillion, was soone Makarov deeply admired; after all, she'd even personally given him his na. Hearing Rhodes compared to her didn't offend him in the slightest. On the contrary, Makarov saw it as a precious legacy being passed down, proof that Fairy Tail's new generation was inheriting their predecessors' wisdom and courage.
Rhodes himself, however, wasn't nearly as thrilled. Becoming famous could cause serious problems after all, as the old saying goes, "Tall trees catch much wind." He worried soone might deliberately co after him, eager to brag, "Hey, look, I just defeated the famous Fairy Strategist!"
"You know what this ans, right?" Rhodes said to himself, scratching his head in mild frustration. "I'll have to get even stronger."
The simplest solution to avoid being predictable was straightforward: train harder, improve faster, and ensure all the enemy's carefully collected information quickly beca useless, outdated garbage.
Both Master Makarov and Lahar had ntioned it would be challenging to learn new magic quickly, but Rhodes believed that with enough hard work, anything was possible.
Besides, Rhodes was even considering creating a new persona for himself, one that matched his nickna, perhaps portraying himself as soone skilled at making plans, but weaker when it ca to direct combat.
A bit like a beast tar, soone who commands from behind.
But in the end, he knew he couldn't rely solely on tricks or reputation. True strength was essential.
"Mira, I'm going out to train," Rhodes called to her.
"Okay," Mira replied simply.
As Rhodes stepped away, he couldn't help glancing back at Mira again and again. Recently, he'd felt sothing was a bit off about her, almost as if she'd grown slightly distant, or colder than usual.
No, not exactly cold. It was sothing subtler than that.
Whenever they trained together after work, Mira still cared for him just as warmly as before. Their teamwork during missions was flawless as always.
Yet during their regular conversations, sothing had definitely changed. It wasn't coldness, exactly, nor was it distance, but rather a peculiar feeling he couldn't quite pinpoint.
Could it be just one of those things? Maybe she was having one of those days?
Rhodes puzzled over it for a while as he headed into the guild's backyard for training. After a while, he decided to take a break and summoned Warm, who excitedly bounded off to the tavern to find Elfman. Ever since Warm had received a feast as a reward for delivering Rhodes's ssage last ti, he'd beco particularly eager about delivering ssages.
It didn't take long for Elfman to arrive.
"What's up? You want to spar?" Elfman rolled his shoulders, looking excited. "Co to think of it, you haven't tested your strength against my full Beast King Soul yet, have you?"
"Have you recovered fully from your injuries?" Rhodes raised an eyebrow, grinning. "I was just thinking I'd love a proper match."
"Of course! I'm back to peak condition—manly condition!" Elfman flexed proudly. "Actually, I'm planning to take on a new mission tomorrow. How about you?"
"I think I'll rest for a few more days," Rhodes admitted thoughtfully.
After that last intense, near-death battle, he'd gained a lot of experience. It was a perfect chance to reflect, consolidate his growth, and think through his strengths and weaknesses carefully.
Especially the new skill he'd discovered, summoning creatures without using his hands. He wanted to stabilize and fully master this before attempting sothing more advanced.
His next goal was clear: eventually summon creatures without even needing direct contact with his pendant. Achieving that would take his capabilities in battle to a whole new level.
After all, breakthroughs during life-and-death monts ca from consistent training and having a clear goal. He had to set that direction clearly now, rather than relying on luck or instinct alone when the ti ca.
Elfman didn't press Rhodes to join him for a job; instead, he nodded approvingly. "Honestly, I think it's better if you don't take any jobs for a little while."
"Huh? You're worried soone's gonna ambush because of my reputation now?" Rhodes asked, only half-joking.
Elfman tilted his head, confused. "Ambush you? What are you talking about?"
Clearly, their thoughts were on entirely different wavelengths.
Rhodes stared blankly, scratching his head. "If that's not it... then why don't you think I should go on any missions?"
"No, nothing," Elfman replied, his tone unusually soft. "I just think you were hurt pretty badly... you should rest more."
That didn't sit right with Rhodes.
He narrowed his eyes, watching Elfman carefully. Sothing was definitely off. Elfman wasn't eting his gaze, his eyes flicked to the side, avoiding direct contact.
That wasn't like him at all.
"n shouldn't lie, Elfman,".
"So... why?"
...
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