Laxus was completely lost. He didn't know the first thing about "Nirvana," so he turned around and asked, "So, would someone mind explaining what the hell is going on?"
He wasn't the only one; the entire Alliance was still reeling. Finally, Hibiki from Blue Pegasus stepped up to clear the confusion. "They're acting this way because of 'Nirvana'!"
The group blinked. "Huh?"
"I heard about this from my Master. When Nirvana activates, in its initial stage—right when this black pillar of light forms—it inverts the personalities of those caught in the space between good and evil!"
Hibiki continued, "Basically, if a good person is harboring too much negativity, they fall into darkness. But if a villain has even a shred of kindness left in their heart, they can turn good. That 'inspiring music' Kira played earlier was meant to drive away the fear and anxiety in our hearts to prevent us from turning."
He paused for a moment before adding, "I think our enemies fall into the second category. Maybe, deep down, they still had a spark of conscience left!"
The Alliance members suddenly understood, though the reality of it was still hard to swallow.
Villains who had spent decades pursuing world-ending magic were suddenly turned into good guys by that very magic? If you told that to anyone else, they'd call you crazy. Even Kira wouldn't dare write a plot twist that absurd in his novels, yet here it was, happening right before their eyes.
"Jura..."
Lyon looked over at Jura, only to find the Wizard Saint just as stunned and speechless. Lyon wisely decided to shut up and wait to see how things played out.
"Erza..."
Gray and Lucy looked at Erza. She was staring at Jellal with a complicated expression. The two exchanged a glance and decided now probably wasn't the best time to ask her for orders.
The three members of Blue Pegasus looked to Ichiya...
Who struck a pose he thought was dashing. "MEN~"
Suddenly, Natsu jumped up, agitated. He screamed at Jellal, "Are you kidding me?! You did all those horrible things at the Tower of Heaven! You hurt so many innocent people! And now, just because you suddenly 'found your conscience,' you think you can just walk away like nothing happened?!"
"Natsu..."
The Fairy Tail members knew Natsu was angry on Erza's behalf, so no one stopped him. To be honest, they were all thinking the same thing.
Who cares if you're light or dark now? He made Erza suffer so much in the past. Trying to whitewash his record with a single spell seemed way too easy. Besides, who knew if this magic was stable or how long it would last?
Everyone was waiting for Erza to say something, but she just kept her head down, lost in thought.
Laxus broke the silence. "Guys like him just need a good beating! Fairy Tail isn't a guild that lets people walk all over us!"
Jellal heard Natsu's shouting, of course. He didn't argue. He just lowered his head in shame, looking away. He couldn't bring himself to face Erza.
After a long silence, he stammered, "Erza, I..."
"DIE, JELLAL!!"
Just as Jellal was about to launch into a heartfelt speech, Brain suddenly sprang up to ambush him, magic surging in his hands!
It caught everyone off guard. Jellal had just been "redeemed" and his mind was still foggy; he couldn't react in time. He was too close to Brain, and the others were too far away to stop it!
However, the moment Brain fired his spell, another blast of magic intercepted it, shattering the attack!
The group was shocked—that saving shot didn't come from anyone in the Alliance!
Before they could process it, hundreds of crystal orbs appeared out of thin air, surrounding Brain completely. In the next second, they all shot toward him, glowing with a blinding white light!
BOOM! BOOM!! BOOM!!!
A chain of massive explosions followed. The detonating orbs released a torrent of magical energy, sending flames shooting into the sky. The blast compressed the air, creating a shockwave that rippled outward from Brain, carrying tongues of searing fire and debris in every direction.
It was an indiscriminate, wide-range attack. Although Brain was ground zero, Jellal, Cobra, and the others near him were caught in the blast wave. All six were sent flying, adding fresh injuries to their just-recovered bodies.
Racer's magic only slowed down his opponents' perception of time; it didn't stop explosions. He wasn't the Flash or Quicksilver—his physical speed wasn't infinite. Unable to drag his teammates out of the blast zone in time, he was blown away along with them.
The Alliance members weren't standing too far off, so they were in the blast radius too. Fortunately, Jura reacted instantly, manipulating the remnants of his rock wall to block the shockwave, saving them from disaster.
"Who's there?!"
As the rock debris crumbled in front of him, alarm bells rang in Jura's head. One explosion took out a layer of my Iron Rock Wall. This attacker is no ordinary mage...
Tap... tap...
Steady footsteps approached. Everyone looked toward the sound and saw a curvaceous figure emerging from the shadows of the forest. She held a crystal orb in her hand, her eyes filled with deep, venomous spite, and a dark aura swirled around her body.
Ultear!
Thud!
Brain's body flew out of the smoke and hit the ground hard. He was completely unconscious, eyes rolled back, mouth gaping open and leaking black smoke. His body was covered in scorch marks, his white hair blasted into a mess. Unnoticed by anyone, one of the six lines on his face slowly faded away.
That woman... she finally came out?
Cobra dragged himself up, glaring at the woman while straining his ears to listen to the surroundings.
Since they arrived, Cobra had heard someone hiding nearby. But he had been too busy activating Nirvana, and since the person hadn't made a move, he ignored them.
Then the fight started. It was only a few minutes of intense combat, but being pressured by Erza, combined with Ultear's inaction, made Cobra lower his guard. By the time Hoteye and Jellal were converted, he had completely forgotten she was there. He never expected her to strike now!
"Damn it! Who is she? Why did she attack the boss?"
The smoke cleared, and the rock wall lowered, revealing the destruction.
It had only been a month since the Magic Council was destroyed. The two main culprits, Jellal and Ultear, were still at large, a fact that deeply troubled the Council.
They had a lead on Jellal—intel confirmed he was beaten by Kira and sank to the bottom of the ocean. But Ultear had vanished without a trace.
Jura and Ichiya were veteran mages familiar with the Council. Ivan was a former Council member, and Hibiki had his "Archive" magic for top-tier intel gathering. They all recognized Ultear. As for Fairy Tail, Erza had once gone to the Council with Makarov to get scolded, so she had seen her too.
The others, however, didn't recognize this woman who had suddenly appeared.
But when they saw her face clearly, Gray and Lyon froze. "Ur..."
That familiar face made the two disciples instantly think of their respected teacher, Ur.
Ultear didn't look at them. She just stared straight at Brain lying on the ground, and at Midnight, Cobra, and the others scattered around him. She muttered to herself, "Revenge... I want revenge..."
"Huh?! She just took out the enemy boss?!" Natsu, never one to filter his thoughts, asked loudly, "Who is that guy?"
Jura looked grim. "That is Ultear. One of the two criminals who destroyed the Magic Council!"
"So, she's Jellal's partner?"
Hibiki answered, "Something's wrong with her state. It looks like she's been affected by 'Nirvana'..."
Natsu looked closely at Ultear and noticed she had clearly fallen into darkness. He shouted in disbelief, "What?! Isn't she a bad guy? If she got converted, shouldn't she be like them?!"
He pointed at Hoteye, who was smiling and preaching about "Love," and the conflicted Jellal. "How come she got converted and is still a bad guy?"
Hibiki was stumped by Natsu's question. "That... I'm not sure... Maybe she was actually a good person deep down?"
Hearing this exchange, Jura and Ichiya exchanged a worried glance. The situation had spiraled completely out of their control. The Oración Seis were technically defeated, but they had no way to stop Nirvana.
If possible, they needed to hand this over to the Council. The Council would surely know how to stop Nirvana!
With that in mind, they turned their eyes toward the man who claimed to have brought a squad from the Council. "Kira, what do you think we should do next? Kira..."
"!!!"