chsdbacks Page 315
Page 315
After a moment of contemplation, he couldn't help but speak.
"That damn guy can't be allowed to cause any more trouble."
"Aria, Gajeel, and Mr. Thor... Oh, and Usuna-maru too, you guys go and take him down."
"It's me again??"
Gajeel pointed incredulously at himself.
"This time, I've mobilized all four elements except Juvia to assist you, Mr. Gajeel."
Joseph's gaze was fixed on Gajeel.
"But...you have no idea just how terrifying that guy is!"
Gajeel shook his head vigorously, like a rattle-drum.
"Don't worry, don't worry, I'm here," Rabbit Maru said with a smile.
"You know, my special weakness is fire mages."
"Not only that, Mr. Aria is also lurking in the shadows. If the plan is executed correctly, we can completely drain the fire dragon's magic and then kill it."
[Sol echoed in agreement.]
[It seemed the lineup truly countered Black Natsu, therefore, the bewildered Gajeel ultimately said nothing.]
However, as if remembering something else, he added.
"In short, let me make this clear: if things go wrong, I'll be the first to run! Absolutely!"
Looking at Gajeel at this moment, Joseph couldn't help but shake his head.
"Is this... still the same Gajeel from before?"
He didn't say these words aloud.
Instead, the topic was shifted elsewhere.
"Since that Hackintosh is causing such a ruckus, we can't delay any longer. We must begin our operation against Fairy Tail as soon as possible."
"But... most of our powerful mages have gone to hunt down the fire dragon, do we still have the strength to deal with Fairy Tail?"
Thor of the Earth couldn't help but ask aloud.
"No problem," Joseph smiled confidently.
"That fire dragon escalated things to this point, which conveniently gave me a reason to act."
Joseph's expression was smiling.
"A reason that could lure Makarov away."
"Next, in my capacity as Guild Master of Phantom Lord, I will request the Council to intervene and arrange for me and that old man Makarov to meet in the Council to make peace."
"Of course, this 'me' is not my true self."
"A 'Thought-Based Body'?" Gajeel looked at Joseph.
"Clever," Joseph smiled.
"Once Makarov is transferred to the Council of Judges, that's when we'll make our move against Fairy Tail."
Joseph's face contorted as if he were imagining something.
"This time! I'll take action myself. By the time that old man Makarov realizes what's happening, I'll probably have wiped out the entire Fairy Tail."
"As for the main objective of this mission..."
Joseph's gaze fell upon the expressionless woman at the very back of the conference room.
"Juvia, when we begin our operation, it will be up to you to bring Lucy back."
"Me?"
Juvia, whose name was called, slowly raised her head.
He then nodded slightly.
"No problem...drizzling..."
"Alright, everyone, time is of the essence, let's get started now, especially on that Dragon Prince."
"This time... I want you to come to me with his head!"
"Don't worry, President!" Thor gave a graceful, gentlemanly bow.
【…】
【At the same time.】
Fairy Tail, the Magic Guild.
The sound of the cup falling and shattering on the ground followed.
【"What?!!"】
[A scream from Makarov echoed throughout the entire underground guild!]
[Inside a cluttered basement.]
Makarov stared in horror at the newspaper before him.
[Several words were highlighted in bold at the top.]
[Major Event!]
Lisanna leaned closer, her gaze fixed on the words on the newspaper.
"Breaking news! Last night, the Phantom Headquarters in Ork City was attacked by an unknown force."
"The casualties have already reached hundreds of Phantom Troopers, and more than one-fifth of the towns have been completely destroyed."
The council stated that the evidence is currently incomplete and that it is conducting a full investigation into the matter.
Below the text are a series of horrific photos depicting the scene, the most striking of which is...
[It was that figure, engulfed in flames, amidst the endless ruins.]
【"this……"】
The moment Lisanna saw that figure, her pupils trembled.
[This figure is... far too familiar.]
Despite being completely engulfed in flames, that size, those golden eyes that seemed never to be extinguished...
All of this... is all too familiar.
"Ghost...flame..."
"This...could this be Natsu?"
[Even he himself seemed to find this conjecture rather shocking.]
Lisanna couldn't help but cover her mouth...
"This is no longer a question of 'should be,' but... a question of 'certainty'!"
Makarov looked grim.
His gaze fell upon Lisanna.
"By the way, where's Natsu from last night?"
"He...he didn't come back."
[Lisanna's voice was intermittent.]
However, what he said almost made Makarov's heart stop.
"That guy... he actually went?!"
Mirajane took the newspaper from Lisanna's hand, glancing at it only once.
His brows furrowed.
"This guy..."
Her hands gripped the newspaper tightly.
"Why weren't you called on for this?! That bastard!"
"Mira, can you please not get involved in this? If this isn't handled properly, it could have extremely serious consequences," Erza said in a low voice, her arms crossed.
"So, he really went and destroyed the Spectre??" Gray's expression was also full of astonishment.
"Hey... this is just too shocking." Kana seemed to have completely forgotten about drinking.
With her gaze fixed intently on Makarov, Kana asked, "So, President, what should we do next?"
【"what to do……"】
Makarov frowned.
"What is that guy thinking? He doesn't seem like the type to act recklessly..."
The more Makarov thought about it, the more serious his expression became.