"Gah!"
Brain, who was searching for Nirvana in another part of the Worth Woodsea, felt a sudden, sharp pain in his mind.
"Racer... he's down... Has one of the Oracion Seis fallen..."
Brain's expression immediately tensed, his body trembling uncontrollably as a black mark on his face slowly faded and vanished.
"Damn guilds! They always love meddling in our business and getting in our way!"
Brain glanced at Midnight beside him. Midnight was the Oracion Seis's trump card, his power far exceeding the others.
"Should I wake him?"
Brain felt a momentary urge to wake Midnight and have him slaughter everyone from the guilds.
"No! This guy is our final trump card. If we use him now, we're in trouble."
Brain quickly dismissed the thought. Midnight might be able to wipe out the others, but against Kael, he had no confidence.
That guy had defeated two Wizard Saints and even suppressed the Celestial Spirit King. He was an absolute monster. Midnight alone wouldn't be enough to defeat him.
If he lost his trump card before even finding Nirvana, things would become very complicated.
The four members of Blue Pegasus were also facing an assault from a large number of enemies.
After a bitter struggle, they defeated all the opponents, but they were covered in wounds. Because they had been humiliated and one-shotted by the Oracion Seis earlier without helping at all, they had vented all their rage on these grunts.
"Talk! Where is your base?"
Ren grabbed a man by the collar and demanded. Although the Christina had crashed, as long as they knew the location of the enemy base, the alliance could launch a coordinated strike and drastically increase their chances of winning.
Just then!
"Shuuu—!"
A laser beam suddenly shot at them.
"Look out—!!"
Hibiki immediately shouted a warning.
BOOM—!!
"Aghhh!!"
"Waaaa!!"
The blast landed right between Eve and Ren, erupting in a violent explosion. The powerful shockwave sent both men screaming as they hit the ground.
Already injured, the impact left them curled up on the dirt, unable to get back up.
"Eve! Ren!"
Hibiki called out to them.
"Oh? Did I miss? I was planning to pierce both your bodies. My aim must be a bit off."
Angel, the only woman in the Oracion Seis, stepped out from behind a tree.
"It's you!"
"Angel!"
They recognized her immediately. They hadn't expected her to appear at such a terrible time.
"What now? The two best fighters among you have fallen. You're in a real crisis now, aren't you? Ah-hahahaha!"
Elsewhere, the Lamia Scale trio, backed by the overwhelming strength of the Wizard Saint Jura, had managed to defeat their enemies alongside Lyon and Sherry.
"An abandoned village to the west?"
"The ancient village?"
The three of them easily pried the location of the enemy base out of their captives.
"What should we do? Mr. Jura, should we launch a raid on their base?"
Lyon asked for Jura's opinion.
"Don't act rashly. We've already seen how terrifying the Oracion Seis are. You and Sherry go scout for intel. We'll wait until the alliance gathers before attacking."
"What about you, Mr. Jura?" Sherry asked curiously.
"A powerful magical presence is approaching. I'll stay here to intercept it."
"Is it the Oracion Seis?!"
Jura nodded. "Yeah. It's that guy."
"Him!"
Lyon and Sherry immediately knew who Jura was referring to. Hoteye. He was the one who had given them hell earlier.
"Hey! Is everyone okay?!"
Lucy and Happy had been hiding in the back. Lucy could only fight using her Celestial Spirits; on her own, she wasn't a frontline fighter, so she only dared to hide.
Happy had no combat power besides being able to fly.
Natsu panted heavily. "What the hell? These guys... they weren't trash at all!"
He thought they were just minions, but they were surprisingly tough to beat. They had been hit several times and looked pretty beat up.
"They were persistent..."
Gray wiped blood from his lip. He was in the same boat as Natsu, having been hit by magic several times. If Erza hadn't stepped in, he might have been taken down.
"That's the advantage of numbers. No matter how cautious we are, one mistake can lead to defeat."
Erza looked mostly unchanged, though her magic power was slightly depleted.
Just then, a voice rang out.
Clap, clap, clap!
The sound of slow applause.
"Who's there?!"
They all turned warily toward the sound. A man with a giant purple snake draped around him appeared.
"You!"
"Oracion Seis!"
Their faces went grim. The memory of their previous encounter was fresh. The Oracion Seis were one of the strongest Dark Guilds for a reason; none of them could be underestimated.
Having just finished a fight and being low on magic, the timing of the Oracion Seis's appearance was terrible.
Cobra smirked. "You're wavering! You're wavering! I can hear your hearts."
"Not a chance!"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Natsu lunged at Cobra. Cobra tilted his head, letting the punch sail past, and drove a knee into Natsu's gut.
"Gah!"
Cobra followed up with an uppercut to Natsu's chin, sending him flying backward onto the ground.
"Natsu!"
"Ice-Make: Lance!"
Frost radiated from Gray's hands as he unleashed a barrage of ice spears. Cobra calmly stepped behind a large tree.
Boom, boom, boom!
Crack!
The tree was shredded by the magic, but Cobra stepped out from behind the wreckage, completely unbothered.
"Tch!" Gray was irritated that his attack had been dodged so easily.
Cobra said smugly, "I told you. I hear your heart."
Erza's gaze was steady. "Natsu, Gray, don't be reckless. He's alone and there are four of us. We have the advantage. Don't waste your magic. Stay calm, and we will win."
Cobra looked at Erza, his expression turning serious. "As expected of 'Titania' Erza. You're not just saying that; you truly believe it in your heart. I guess I'll have to get a little more serious too."
------------------------
Currently on Patreon: Chapter 280 available.
My Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/LEYI396
If you leave reviews, I'll upload more chapters faster.