The alleyway was silent, except for the sound of Levy coughing.
Dust swirled in the air, kicked up by the violent battle that had just ended.
Levy McGarden stumbled forward, her clothes messy and her face covered in dirt. She knelt beside her two teammates lying on the cold cobblestones.
"Jet? Droy?" Levy shook their shoulders frantically. "Hey! Wake up! Are you okay?"
There was no response at first.
Levy placed her fingers on their necks to check for a pulse.
Thump... thump...
She let out a huge breath she had been holding.
They were alive.
"Thank goodness," she whispered, wiping a tear from her eye.
She checked their bodies carefully. Their injuries looked painful—bruises and cuts—but they weren't life-threatening.
They had simply been knocked unconscious by Gajeel's first, brutal attack.
Levy sat back on her heels. She ran her fingers through her blue hair in frustration.
"That Gajeel..." she muttered, her voice trembling. "He ambushed us again... like a coward."
She looked down the dark street where the fight had happened.
She remembered the terror of the Iron Dragon's fist coming toward her. But then, she remembered the sudden wall of ice.
A mysterious mage in a black robe had jumped in to save her.
Levy had wanted to help fight, but she didn't get the chance.
The robed mage was incredibly strong.
They used Ice Make Magic, but it was different from Gray's. It was sharper, colder, and aggressive.
The mysterious mage had forced Gajeel back with a barrage of ice spikes.
Seeing that the situation was turning against him, Gajeel had turned and fled into the night.
The robed mage immediately chased after him, leaving Levy alone to guard her fallen friends.
"Levy!"
Just as Levy was worrying about how she—a small girl—was going to drag two grown men to the hospital, a familiar shout came from the sky.
BOOM!
With a thunderous sound, four figures landed in the alleyway.
Ankh floated down gracefully, releasing his gravity magic as his boots touched the ground.
Natsu, Gray, and Erza landed around him, looking ready for a fight.
They rushed over to Levy, their faces full of worry.
"Are you okay, Levy?!" Natsu yelled.
"What happened here?" Gray asked, scanning the area.
"Was it Phantom Lord? Are you injured?" Erza demanded, her hand on her sword.
Levy looked at her friends.
Seeing them made her feel safe again. She lowered her head regretfully.
"I'm fine..." she said sorrowfully. "But Jet and Droy... they got hurt trying to protect me."
She looked up, anger mixing with her sadness. "It was Gajeel. He ambushed us on our way home."
The air around them grew heavy.
Natsu's expression immediately darkened.
Flames leaked from the corners of his mouth. He gritted his teeth so hard they creaked.
"Gajeel..." Natsu spat the name out like poison. "That bastard!"
Gray was also seething with anger.
His fists were clenched tight at his sides. "Attacking the guild hall is one thing... but how dare he lay hands on our comrades! That crosses the line!"
"Where is Gajeel now?" Erza asked.
Though she was just as furious as the boys, she managed to keep her voice calm and focused.
Levy shook her head and pointed down the dark street. "He ran off that way. But... someone is chasing after him!"
"Chasing him?" Natsu's eyes widened. "I'm going too!"
"Aye!" Happy shouted.
Without waiting for orders, Natsu and Happy charged off in the direction Levy pointed, their blood boiling with the need for revenge.
Erza stayed behind, frowning.
She caught onto the strange detail. "Someone is chasing Gajeel? Who?"
Levy nodded, looking puzzled herself. "It was a masked person wearing a black robe. They used Ice Make Magic. They saved us!"
"Ice Make?"
Gray was taken aback. He blinked in confusion.
"Another Ice Mage?" Gray muttered.
On this continent, there were other people who used Ice Magic.
But to master Ice Make to a level where they could fight Gajeel—the strongest S-Class Mage of Phantom Lord—was very rare.
Besides himself, only one name came to Gray's mind.
'Lyon?'
'But that can't be,' Gray thought. 'Lyon just left to find his own path. If he was here, he would have told me.'
Gray fell into deep confusion.
However, Ankh stood silently to the side.
He didn't look confused at all.
He was the only one who understood what was really happening.
'It's Ultear,' Ankh thought.
Ultear's main magic, the Arc of Time, was well-known by the Magic Council.
If she used it here, her cover would be blown.
So, Ankh had specifically instructed her: 'If you have to fight, use your secondary magic, Ice Make.'
Ankh looked at the unconscious Jet and Droy and sighed internally.
'Unexpectedly, even with her skills, Ultear failed to protect them completely,' Ankh critiqued silently.
'She let them get hit.'
Still, amidst the misfortune, there was a silver lining—Levy was unharmed.
Jet and Droy were tough guys; they could handle a beating.
But if Levy had been hurt or traumatized, that would have been a disaster for the guild's morale.
'As for Ultear,' Ankh decided, 'I will have to scold her later for being sloppy.'
At that moment, a panting sound came from the end of the alley.
"Wait... for... me!"
Lucy, who had been rushing over on her short legs, finally caught up.
Gasping for breath, she stumbled to Levy's side. She looked like she was about to collapse.
Her pajamas were messy, and she was sweating buckets.
For some reason, Lucy looked in worse shape than Levy, who had actually been in a fight.
"Lucy-chan!" Levy exclaimed. She was both touched and amused.
She hugged her blonde friend.
"What happened to you?"
Lucy shook her head, her face pale.
She took a deep breath. "I'm fine... just... running... How are you?"
"I'm okay," Levy reassured her. "Jet and Droy are injured, but thankfully, it's not serious."
Lucy looked at the fallen mages. Her mood grew heavy.
The exhaustion vanished, replaced by anger as she clenched her small fists.
"Phantom Lord..." Lucy whispered. "They've gone too far! They are bullying us!"
Erza turned to Ankh.
She spoke in a low voice so the others wouldn't hear.
"The Ice Mage who protected Levy... was that arranged by you?"
It was phrased as a question, but Erza's tone was filled with certainty.
She knew Ankh always had a backup plan.
Ankh nodded silently. "Yes. But in the end, Jet and Droy still got hurt. It wasn't perfect."
Erza looked him in the eye.
Her voice was resolute. "This time... it means war, doesn't it?"
Ankh's gaze gradually sharpened.
The lazy, relaxed look he usually wore was gone. In its place was the look of a leader.
"Since they struck first," Ankh said coldly, "we dont need to fear the Council's punishment. We have the right to defend our family."
He turned to the Ice Mage.
"Gray," Ankh ordered. "Gather everyone at the guild for a meeting."
Gray looked at the dim night sky. "Right now? It's the middle of the night."
"Right now." Ankh nodded.
A dangerous smile curled at the corners of his mouth.
"We will head to Oak town overnight!"
Just then, Natsu returned.
He looked frustrated—he hadn't been able to catch up to Gajeel or the mysterious mage.
Ankh didn't let him stay angry. He gave orders immediately.
"Natsu, take Levy and Lucy. Escort Jet and Droy to the hospital in Magnolia. Make sure they are safe."
"Got it!" Natsu said, lifting Jet effortlessly while Lucy grabbed Droy's arm.
"Gray, go signal the guild members. Wake them up."
"On it," Gray said, sprinting away.
"Erza, you and I will return to the guild first to prepare."
...
Thirty minutes later.
Under the dark night sky, the Fairy Tail guild hall was brightly lit. It was bustling with noise and excitement.
Nobody was sleepy.
Everyone wore expressions of righteous indignation.
They were angry.
They wanted to take down Phantom Lord to avenge Jet and Droy.
Natsu, having dropped off the injured at the hospital, had rushed back. He was so excited he nearly tore the guild's roof off with his shouting.
"Ankh! What should we do? Should we strike back?!" Natsu yelled, fire erupting from his fists.
"THAT'S RIGHT!" Elfman shouted loudly. "A real MAN protects his friends! We have to crush them!"
"Let's go!"
"Fight! Fight!"
The crowd echoed the sentiment.
They were clamoring to march to the next city immediately.
Ankh sat cross-legged on a table in the center of the hall. He folded his arms and looked at his guildmates.
"Quiet," he said firmly.
The room settled down, waiting for his command.
"This conflict was inevitable," Ankh said calmly. "The moment Phantom Lord laid a hand on our people, they signed their own defeat."
He stood up on the table.
"Tonight, we set out! We will reach Phantom Lord's base by tomorrow morning to officially declare war on them!"
"YEAAHHH!"
At Ankh's decision, the guild instantly ignited.
Their Magic Power surged out due to their excitement, forming a terrifying pressure inside the hall.
They were ready to tear Phantom Lord apart.
Ankh watched the crowd's roars calmly.
In his mind, he was calculating his cards like a chess player.
'Natsu, Gray, and Elfman are the main attack force for the group battle,' Ankh thought.
'Erza and Mirajane are my trump cards.'
But he knew this battle would be different from the original story.
In the original plot, Jose schemed against Makarov to take him out of the fight early.
'Since I am here, and I am one of the Ten Wizard Saint,' Ankh reasoned, 'it is highly likely Jose will scheme against me too. He might even target Erza or Mira to weaken us.'
The guild members began sharpening their weapons and packing their bags.
After pondering for a long time, Ankh reached into his pocket and pulled out a small wooden box.
He looked across the room and spotted the white-haired barmaid.
"Mira," he called out.
Mirajane walked over.
She wasn't smiling her usual sweet smile. She looked serious, ready for battle.
Ankh whispered a few words in her ear.
Mirajane's eyes widened slightly, then she nodded without hesitation.
"Don't worry," she said softly. "I'll get it done right away."
"One more thing."
Ankh handed her the small wooden box.
"There is something inside this box, along with a letter," Ankh instructed mysteriously. "Give it to Lucy. She is still at the hospital with Levy. Tell her to open it. She will know what to do."
Mirajane took the box.
She chuckled, a hint of her teasing personality returning. "You're always so meticulous, Ankh. Always planning everything out."
Ankh tapped his fingers rhythmically on the table, his eyes looking toward the distant horizon where Phantom Lord was waiting.
"I have to be," he muttered to himself. "I wonder how Jose plans to deal with me..."