Five of the Six Oración Seis were safely taken into custody. As for Zero… well, they had to pack him into a box.
His eerie skull-topped staff had been reduced to ashes at some point during the battle, so they sealed it in the same box with him.
By the time cleanup was done, it was already late at night. Everyone headed back to Cait Shelter for some much-needed rest.
The guild had plenty of empty rooms, so housing the dozen or so coalition members was no issue.
Master Roubaul welcomed them warmly. He seemed like he had something important to say, but when he saw everyone was exhausted and covered in cuts and bruises, he simply smiled and told them to get some rest.
Even Wendy, who had done most of the healing, looked like she might collapse any minute. Half a year ago, she probably would have fainted after such intense healing.
That night passed quietly.
By the time they all woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.
Rhodes was the first to wake, mostly because he couldn't sleep sharing a room with Natsu and Gray.
He slipped out of bed and, with a mischievous grin, turned Gray's sleeping form around so that his head faced Natsu's feet and vice versa.
Gray twitched in his sleep and unconsciously rolled over, grabbing Natsu's leg like a body pillow and landing a solid kick right in Natsu's face.
Rhodes left the room chuckling to himself. After washing up, he heard a familiar scream followed by a thump and a scuffle.
Moments later, a dazed Happy was launched from the room and caught mid-air by Rhodes.
"What happened?" Rhodes asked calmly.
Happy, still woozy, replied, "I dunno… I think Natsu bit Gray's foot. Then they started fighting."
"How noisy," Carla grumbled, rubbing her eyes as she padded into the hallway. "Honestly, boys are such a headache in the morning."
"Good morning, Carla!" Happy immediately perked up and zipped over to her.
"Back off a little," she said flatly, pushing his face away with one paw. "You're too close."
Happy beamed. "Did you hear that, Rhodes? Carla said good morning to me!"
"Yes, yes," Rhodes answered with a sigh. 'This child is beyond saving...'
Loud bangs echoed from their room. Carla looked worried. "They're not going to bring the whole house down, are they? Mira said she'd stop them later, but I don't think the walls can take much more."
"I'll go calm them down," said Rhodes. "No need to bother Mira with this."
Seconds later, a shout came from the room,"Sneak attack!", followed by two heavy thuds. Then... silence.
Rhodes strolled back out, dusting off his hands. "There. They've been persuaded. I expect they'll be dressed and ready to fight me instead in a few minutes."
Carla blinked. "Your persuasion methods are… unique."
"I learned them from Erza," Rhodes explained with a smirk. "Though I admit, my personality's too soft to scare people like she does. Sometimes I wish I could just punch people so hard they forget what they were mad about."
"Are you sure you have a good personality?"
"Of course! I'm always nice to Wendy."
"I guess I can't argue with that."
By the time everyone finally gathered for breakfast, it was already close to ten in the morning.
Everyone except the members of Blue Pegasus had changed into traditional Nirvit clothing.
Let's not talk about the guys for now, Sherry, Lucy, Erza, and Mira all looked absolutely stunning in their outfits.
Mira nudged Rhodes playfully with her shoulder. "Well? Are you enjoying the view?"
"Hmmm…" Rhodes dragged out the sound as he stared at her, clearly taking in the sight. After a few seconds, he finally managed to say, "I didn't say it earlier... but yeah, I am now."
"I don't believe you," Mira teased.
"MEN~ Last night, I had a dream," Ichiya suddenly announced with dramatic flair, despite being covered in bandages. "I dreamed we were defeated by the Six Oración Seis members, but then—bam!—a fire-breathing dragon fell from the sky, wiped out the leader, and blew up Nirvana! Then, get this, another dragon showed up, one that could control the earth, and helped put out the fire! What a bizarre dream, huh? Hahahaha…"
Wrapped like a mummy and yet brimming with energy, Ichiya kept striking over-the-top "elegant" poses as he recounted his so-called dream to the group.
That deep, overly dramatic voice of his might've had some charm, if you didn't look directly at his face.
Unfortunately, no one laughed. He was the only one finding himself funny.
Rhodes wasn't sure whether Ichiya was still delusional from fatigue or just showing off his famously questionable sense of humor.
Hibiki leaned over and whispered in Ichiya's ear, "Master Ichiya… that wasn't a dream."
"W-What?" Ichiya blinked, startled, but then quickly composed himself, held his fist to his lips, and cleared his throat. "Ah… a dragon, huh? What a fragrant revelation…"
"You're incredible, Master Ichiya!" Hibiki praised.
Ren, Eve, and Hibiki, the ever-dedicated supporting cast, immediately jumped in to flatter him. Then, for no apparent reason, they suddenly began wriggling their bodies and chanting their usual absurd slogans:
"Ichiya?"
"Ichiya!" ×3
"Active?"
"Active!" ×3
"What kind of ridiculous dance is that?" Lucy grumbled, although the sparkle in her eyes betrayed a desire to join in.
As strange as it was, it was kind of fun.
"Well, after everything we've been through, it's not so bad to have a little lighthearted fun like this…" Erza started to say, but then her expression changed as she turned sharply toward the village entrance.
"What's wrong?" the others asked, following her gaze.
At first, they saw nothing.
But when the Blue Pegasus goofballs finally quieted down, everyone else could hear it too, loud, coordinated footsteps approaching from outside.
Jura furrowed his brow. "That sounds like a marching unit."
Lyon asked, "Are there any troops stationed near here?"
Carla spoke first, her tone calm but firm. "I've never heard of any military force stationed nearby."
Wendy shook her head. "Me neither."
Could it really be the Balam Alliance retaliating so soon? And sending such a large army already?
With the two local girls unsure, the group had no choice but to investigate for themselves.
At the village entrance, a large contingent of mages stood assembled, all dressed in white robes and clutching ornate magic staves. The insignia emblazoned on their chests revealed their affiliation, and when Natsu and Gray spotted it, their expressions immediately crumbled into panic.
"THE MAGIC COUNCIL?!" the two troublemakers cried in unison.
"What are they doing here?!"
In an instant, the fearless duo who never backed down from a fight were now covering their heads and scanning for a place to hide, as if the sky itself had collapsed.
Even Lucy grew nervous, suddenly looking as though she'd committed some crime. The Council's presence had that effect.
One of the Council agents stepped forward, a man Rhodes recognized.
"I am Lahar, Captain of the Fourth Enforcement Division under the New Magic Council."
The restructuring of the Council had largely changed the upper ranks, but field units like Lahar's remained relatively intact. The emblem on his uniform was a new version, fresh and formal.
"The New Council?" Lucy blinked.
"So it's already been reestablished?"
"I remember Mr. Yajima mentioning that."
"And didn't Rhodes and Mira warn us too?" Erza added thoughtfully.
The group began murmuring among themselves. Though surprised, they'd known this change was inevitable.
Lahar straightened his back and continued, projecting conviction. "To uphold true justice, we have reformed and risen anew. From this day forward, we will tolerate no evil."
It was a declaration both firm and idealistic, either to assert the new Council's moral stance or simply to mark a clean break from its controversial past.
His eyes swept across the gathered coalition. Though he was personally familiar with Rhodes, the most senior figure present was clearly Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints.
So, naturally, Lahar addressed him.
"Master Jura, our purpose here is to apprehend the Oración Seis and all members affiliated with their subordinate dark guilds. Please hand them over."
Though his demand followed protocol, the tone was sharp enough to ruffle feathers.
Jura, who had dealt with the old Council before, wasn't quick to take offense, but his brows did knit together slightly.
"We understand your position," Jura said calmly, "but this mission was authorized by the Fiore Guild Alliance, and the coalition was dispatched under their order. Before I can surrender any captives, I must contact the Alliance for formal guidance."
Lahar nodded but quickly added, "That brings me to the second matter."
He adjusted his glasses. Despite the anxiety eating at him, he steeled his voice.
"The local Guild Alliance assembled this coalition and launched a military operation without prior consent from the Council. Strictly speaking... this act violates regulation."
"What did you just say?" Lucy's voice trembled.
"You've got to be kidding..." Gray muttered.
"Do you have any idea what we just went through?" Erza said through gritted teeth.
"Too much..." Happy squeaked.
The entire group erupted in disbelief. Lahar's remark had struck a nerve.
Natsu's fists clenched, his body trembling with suppressed rage.
If Natsu were to be arrested for destroying so many buildings and setting entire forests ablaze, he might just run away instead of fighting back, but being accused of breaking the law after risking everything to protect others? That was something no one could accept.
Jura stepped forward calmly, his voice firm but composed. "The guild masters realized the threat posed by the Oración Seis and quickly formed a joint force. At the time, it wasn't even clear whether the Council had resumed operation. If this action is to be deemed 'illegal' because of that, then I must respectfully disagree."
The other mages voiced their agreement, clearly upset. They spoke out in support of Jura's explanation and criticized the Council's inconsistent stance.
The members of the Detention Unit gripped their staffs tightly, their nerves clearly showing. The tension in the air was palpable, and several wizards on both sides exchanged sharp glares, it looked like a fight could break out at any moment.
Rhodes, who wasn't technically part of the coalition, chose his words carefully. He stepped forward and addressed Lahar, relying on the small degree of familiarity they had shared before.
"Lahar... are you serious about this?"
A bead of sweat slid down Lahar's forehead. This was easily the most awkward assignment he'd ever been given. He took a breath and tried to explain, "Please hear me out. If we were to follow the letter of the law, then yes, technically it was unauthorized. But given that the guild masters had no way of knowing the Council was active again, all we're asking is for a formal explanation, a statement to clarify the situation."
In other words, it was bureaucracy. Now that the Council was back in action, everything had to go through official procedures. They were just here to check boxes and assert that the system was functioning again.
Jura understood that, but frowned. This wasn't how things should be handled. If the Council truly wanted cooperation, they should've reached out before deploying forces, not showing up unannounced with accusations, right after the dust had barely settled.
And now they were in this awkward standoff, forced to use communication crystals to explain something that could've been handled with a simple conversation beforehand.
Rhodes could sense something off too. He couldn't quite articulate it, but the timing of all this didn't sit right.
He gave a short laugh and quipped, "Wow, you guys sure have great timing. Showing up right after we've finished defeating the big bad guys and cleaning up the mess. Would've been nice if you came yesterday."
Lahar's face tightened. His subordinates looked just as frustrated, and one of them, an officer who appeared to be his second-in-command, couldn't take it anymore.
"That's ridiculous! We already—!"
Lahar immediately raised a hand to cut him off.
The truth was, they had set out the day before. Their plan had been to lay a containment spell deep within the forest, a trap designed to capture the Oración Seis all at once.
But they hadn't anticipated the coalition's speed, or the enemy's sudden activation of Nirvana.
Once Nirvana began to move, everything changed.
The city-sized weapon with its six massive legs easily scaled mountains and tore across the land in a matter of minutes. Meanwhile, the Council's soldiers struggled to march through rugged terrain. They never stood a chance of keeping up.
By the time they arrived at the site of Nirvana's fall, most of the fires had already been extinguished.
To be honest, it was hard to say which came first: the New Magic Council officially beginning operations, or the local guild alliance deciding to dispatch a joint task force.
The Council's original plan was simple, take down the Oración Seis in one bold strike. This would send a clear message that the reformed Council was not only determined to uphold justice but capable of enforcing it.
Unfortunately, the guild coalition's swift action threw a wrench into their plan.
Lahar had been ordered to assert control over the coalition the night before, detain everyone involved, and take custody of the prisoners under a strict show of authority.
Even if the Council hadn't done all the work, they could still polish the story and use it as public relations—"a new Council, a new era." As the saying goes, a new official must light three fires.
But Lahar had disagreed.
Because he had seen it.
Two dragons had flown across the night sky, one trailing fire, the other shaking the very earth.
He knew, deep down, that they stood no chance.
Even if they had finished setting up their binding spell, would it have mattered? Dragons don't follow rules. They don't fear bureaucrats. And they definitely don't wait for you to catch up.
It wasn't fear of death that held him back—it was the pointlessness of it. He would die without achieving anything.
So Lahar had sent an urgent report to headquarters. After a long night of heated discussions among the council members, the Council finally agreed on a revised plan.
Their final order: Do everything in your power to preserve the image of the New Council.
But now, standing face to face with Jura, Rhodes, and the others, Lahar could see that trying to bluff or posture would only lead to unnecessary trouble.
And then there were the dragons.
They had helped destroy Nirvana, yes—but that didn't change what they were. Dragons were supposed to be extinct. Yet two had appeared out of nowhere.
The Council needed answers.
Were these dragons acting on instinct? Were they aligned with justice, or was their intervention purely accidental? Or worse… were they testing their strength before turning on humanity?
These were questions that needed answers.
The Council had to investigate their motives. They had to determine if more dragons were hiding somewhere—what they were doing, what they wanted, and how much of a threat they posed.
Truthfully, the Council's actions today reeked of bullying the righteous. After all, the coalition had just risked their lives to stop a major catastrophe, and now the Council arrived late only to demand prisoners and throw accusations.
...
Bonus @400
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