In Crocus City, inside the venue of the regular council meeting, Makarov sat at the dining table with a drumstick in one hand and a mug of beer in the other. He drank heartily and ate with gusto while casually chatting with the guild masters of various guilds. Dirty jokes flowed endlessly, and his expression was one of complete ease and enjoyment.
At that moment, a blue messenger bird wearing a hat flew over, clutching a letter in its claws, and landed in front of Makarov.
"Guild Master Makarov! Guild Master Makarov! Miss Mirajane has sent you a letter!" it repeated.
Makarov reached out and took the letter, saying, "Thanks for your hard work."
"You're welcome. Thank you for your patronage." With that, the messenger bird flapped its wings and flew away.
Makarov traced a finger across the seal of the letter. A magic circle appeared, and Mirajane's projection emerged in midair.
"Guild Master, thank you for your hard work at the regular meeting," Mirajane's sweet and gentle voice rang out.
All the guild masters gathered around, curious to see what was going on.
"Well? This is the poster girl of our Fairy Tail—beautiful, right?!" Makarov said proudly, unable to resist showing off.
The other guild masters immediately began praising Mirajane, some even whistling.
"So it's Mira. That girl's getting more and more beautiful. That kid Aylin really lucked out," one of them said with a smile.
Makarov lifted his chin smugly, his vanity greatly satisfied, before continuing to listen.
"Guild Master, let me tell you—while you've been attending the meeting, something big happened in the guild!
Can you believe it? Aylin, Ultear, Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Lucy have formed a team!
I think this might be the strongest team in Fairy Tail's history!
Since it's such big news, I thought it would make you happy, so I sent this letter. That's all—good luck with the meeting!"
As the message finished, Mirajane's projection faded away.
The moment Makarov heard the first sentence, the corner of his mouth twitched and his whole body stiffened. When he heard that they had formed a team, it felt like his breathing stopped. He collapsed onto the table, staring blankly at the ceiling as he muttered:
"It's over… it's over… Those people together might actually destroy an entire city… Even with Ultear and Aylin there… no, it's still too dangerous… The meeting ends tomorrow… I just hope they don't cause any trouble before then…"
"Seems like everyone's worries weren't unfounded after all," another guild master said with a hint of schadenfreude.
Meanwhile—
A magic-powered four-wheeled vehicle sped wildly across the wasteland. The tires screeched against the ground, and the entire vehicle shook violently, as if it might fall apart at any moment.
Aylin poured his magic power into the magic engine without reservation. The circuits on his bracelet flickered wildly as the vehicle exceeded its limits, racing forward like a bolt of black lightning toward Oshibana Station.
Clinging to the roof, Gray could barely open his eyes against the fierce wind. He held on tightly and shouted, "Aylin! At this rate, the car's really going to fall apart!"
"Even if it does, it doesn't matter!" Aylin's gaze was sharp as a blade, fixed firmly ahead. "As long as we reach there before Erigor makes his move, it's worth it!"
Inside the vehicle, Erza, Lucy, and Ultear all wore grim expressions.
The terrifying power of Lullaby still echoed in their minds. If Eisenwald succeeded, the entire station—and even the surrounding towns—would become a land of death.
"Erigor's target… is Oshibana Station…" Ultear frowned.
"There are huge crowds there every day. If the flute's sound spreads through the broadcast system, the consequences would be unimaginable."
Erza had already changed into her armor. She clenched her fists, the armor giving off faint metallic sounds. "Those Eisenwald bastards… to even think of something this insane! This time, we absolutely cannot let them succeed!"
Lucy clutched her Celestial Spirit keys tightly, her heart filled with tension.
She had never experienced a crisis of this scale before, but she understood clearly—this time, they were facing a disaster capable of destroying an entire city.
"I feel like there was something I wanted to tell Lucy."
Amid the tense atmosphere, Happy, sitting beside Natsu, tapped his chin thoughtfully.
"To tell me? What is it?" Lucy asked.
"I forgot. I just remember it had something to do with Lucy," Happy said.
"I feel terrible… Let me off already…" Natsu groaned, completely disoriented from the shaking. If Lucy and the others hadn't grabbed him from time to time, he might have been thrown off the vehicle.
"Was it this?" Happy raised a paw.
"How would I know?!" Lucy snapped.
"What was it… Lucy feels awful… no, wait… Lucy is weird… fish tastes good… Lucy… weird weird weird weird…" Happy muttered, sinking deeper into confusion.
"Am I really that weird?!" Lucy retorted helplessly.
Thanks to Happy's antics, the heavy atmosphere lightened slightly.
Though it had only been a few minutes, it felt unbearably long to everyone.
Finally, the outline of a massive station appeared in the distance. Crowds bustled about like ants across the plaza and platforms, completely unaware that the shadow of death had already descended upon them.
"We're here!" Aylin slammed on the brakes.
The magic vehicle let out a sharp screech as it forcefully stopped at the station entrance. A dull explosion followed—the spark plug blew out, and the wheels showed signs of falling apart. The vehicle was no longer usable.
"There are so many people… why are they all gathered here?" Lucy said, slightly stunned.
"Lord Aylin, what should we do? Should we evacuate the crowd now?" Ultear asked, frowning at the sea of people.
"No. We don't know the situation inside yet. Let's split up and find out what's going on—why so many people are gathered here," Aylin decisively ordered.
Time was tight. Aside from Happy, who stayed behind to take care of the still-dizzy Natsu, everyone else scattered into the crowd to gather information.
Erza, however, charged straight to the front, grabbed a station staff member, and began interrogating him directly. If they hesitated even for a second, she knocked them out. After repeating this several times, she finally got the information she needed.
That series of actions left Lucy stunned, while Aylin and Ultear could only smile helplessly.