In Makarov's view, Wendy Marvell's talent and temperament were both exceptional.
In his heart, he considered her potential to be no less than that of Natsu.
This was high praise indeed.
Few in the Guild could truly perceive the immense potential hidden within Natsu, who was usually beaten by everyone in the Guild's brawls.
Aside from Makarov himself, only a handful of people like Gildarts and Raizel could see it.
However, Makarov felt that Raizel was overly protective of Wendy in daily life.
He believed Wendy should be allowed to venture out more and gain real experience.
The mission led them to the Worth Woodsea, an incredibly expansive forest.
Looking at the map, its area was roughly equivalent to several Magnolias combined.
...
"I can hear it... the sound of light crumbling into depravity," a maroon-haired man murmured as he stroked the jaw of the large purple snake, Cubellios, coiled around him.
"You're so impatient, Cobra, but being quick is a good thing."
"That magic is hidden here, Racer."
"The magic that brings darkness and makes all light disappear... right?"
"Nirvana."
"The legendary Magic will eventually fall into our hands."
"Is that magic called 'Nirvana' really such an eagerly anticipated treasure?"
A white-haired man with intricate markings on his face pointed into the distance with his skull-tipped staff.
"Look, the land is beginning to die, all because 'Nirvana' is nearby."
Following the direction he indicated, deep within the Worth Woodsea, a sinister black mist emanated, enveloping a large area and continuously expanding outward.
Even from a distance, the corruption was clearly visible.
Nirvana—The thing Brain had searched for a very, very long time.
The Oración Seis had mobilized all their subordinate Dark Guilds and spent considerable effort to finally locate this place and confirm the position of the ancient magic.
"Alright, let's head to the meeting point."
The members of Oración Seis arrived deep in the Worth Woodsea.
This area was once the central region of an ancient settlement.
Here, there was a cave where, according to legend, the shrine maiden would reside during village rituals to receive divine messages.
This cave served as the temporary base for Oración Seis and was also the meeting point for Brain and one other person.
Once he arrived, they would soon be able to locate Nirvana and break its seal.
Inside the quiet cave, apart from the crackling of burning torches and the sound of insects crawling, the Oración Seis waited silently.
"He's here. Alone," Cobra alerted them before the person even entered the cave, his enhanced hearing picking up the footsteps.
"Finally here?"
Master Brain, who had been sitting cross-legged with his eyes closed in meditation, opened his eyes and looked toward the cave entrance.
"Long time no see. As per Master Hades's instructions, I will assist you in finding Nirvana."
The one who entered was a blue-haired man wearing a hood, with a distinct red tattoo above and below his right eye. It was Jellal.
The one who had made the arrangement with Master Brain was Hades, the master of Grimoire Heart.
Hades and Brain had been collaborating for over a decade, and their previous cooperation had always been smooth.
In fact, Brain had even sent a magical prodigy like Jellal to Hades years ago.
However, Hades looked down upon the so-called Nirvana and only sent Jellal alone to assist.
If it weren't for the fact that Jellal was the only one who knew how to unseal Nirvana, Hades wouldn't even have sent him.
His goal was to have the Oración Seis attract the attention of the Allied Forces here, giving himself time to find a way to break Zeref's seal.
It would be even better if the Oración Seis could crush a few more legal guilds in the process.
"There's no time to waste. Let's set off now. But let me make this clear—I will only help you unseal Nirvana. I won't intervene against the Allied Forces. My injuries from the last battle at the Tower of Heaven haven't fully healed yet."
Speaking of injuries, Jellal even put on an act, coughing a few times for show.
Jellal had heard that Raizel was one of the Fairy Tail members participating in the Allied Forces.
There was no way he would take action—firstly, he didn't want to, and secondly, he knew he couldn't win against that monster anyway.
Hades had only sent him to help release the seal, not to fight.
Jellal made it clear that he would only do what Hades instructed.
"Whatever. The so-called Allied Forces—we'll crush them ourselves," Racer said with a disdainful sneer.
"I can already hear it... the screams and wails of the Allied Forces..." Cobra remarked from the side with a smirk.
"Of course. As long as you help us unseal Nirvana, that's enough. We'll handle the Allied Forces ourselves," Brain said, brimming with confidence in his own strength.
In his eyes, the Allied Forces were nothing to worry about—unless Makarov and Ur came personally, then he might be concerned.
But he hadn't been idle all these years.
Moreover, he had another personality—Zero.
The Master of the Oración Seis had a dual personality.
His surface personality was Brain, a Mage who possessed extensive knowledge of Magic.
His inner personality, "Zero," wielded immense destructive Magical Power.
However, the inner personality "Zero" could only emerge once all six seals were released.
Normally, Brain remained in control of the body.
"I heard you're the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory. I wonder how strong you really are?" Cobra showed some interest in Jellal.
Jellal's injuries had actually already healed.
Cobra could clearly tell from the sound of Jellal's steady breathing and heartbeat that he wasn't injured at all, but he chose not to expose him outright.
After all, Jellal wasn't one of them, and it was understandable that he didn't want to fight for their cause.
"You'll find out someday—if you survive this," Jellal retorted, completely unfazed by Cobra's pointless provocation.
Not one to back down, Cobra was about to say more when Brain tapped his skull-tipped staff and interjected.
"Enough, Cobra. He is our ally."
In truth, Brain was saving face for Cobra.
While Cobra was highly talented and a Poison Dragon Slayer, talent varied in strength.
Brain was well aware of Jellal's talent—so extraordinary that Brain felt he would only stifle it if he were to teach him himself.
That was precisely why he had sent Jellal to Hades all those years ago.
Now, Jellal's strength had reached a level where even Brain felt he had to tread carefully.
...
A carriage raced onward without rest, carrying the members of Fairy Tail as they hurried toward the Allied Forces' gathering point near the Worth Woodsea.
"Why did the Master choose me? Mira-san is clearly more suitable for this, isn't she?" Lucy asked, still unable to quite understand why Makarov had selected her for such a dangerous S-Class level mission.
"Don't overthink it. Since the Master chose you, just try to live up to his expectations." Erza patted Lucy's shoulder reassuringly.
"Don't worry, I'll beat up everyone... ugh... Wendy..."
Natsu had just begun to deliver his bold declaration when the Troia spell's effect suddenly wore off, causing him to collapse onto the floor of the carriage, his face turning green.
"Please don't call my name while you're throwing up, Natsu-san..." Wendy sighed, looking exhausted from maintaining the balance spell.