Ignoring the intense pain and weakness in her body, Juvia's lips trembled. She used all her strength to utter a voice as faint as a mosquito's buzz, yet as harsh and dry as metal grinding, and the core answer burst out: "Phantom... Jose Porla..."
This name instantly dropped the atmosphere in the entire infirmary to freezing point!
A cold glint flashed in Erza's eyes, and Makarov's brows furrowed tightly!
Gray's gaze became even sharper!
Juvia gasped for breath, her chest rising and falling violently, and the pain in her back caused fine cold sweat to seep from her forehead.
Mira immediately stepped forward, gently wiping her forehead with a warm towel, and softly comforted her: "Don't rush, take your time."
Juvia looked at Mira with a mix of gratitude and complexity; something in the depths of her lifeless eyes seemed to be stirred.
She swallowed hard, though there was almost no saliva, enduring the discomfort. In broken sentences, yet with chilling clarity, she revealed the horrifying truth:
"Jose... jealous... Fairy Tail... becoming the number one in the Kingdom... holding a grudge..."
These few words alone made all the Fairy Tail members present understand the root cause!
Rivals are enemies, and there was a clear rivalry between Makarov and Jose even among the Ten Wizard Saints!
"He... with the Four Elements... betrayed... joined..." Juvia's voice trembled violently from weakness and emotion, but she held on, "...Oración Seis!"
"Oración Seis?!" Lucy exclaimed, her face instantly turning pale!
The infamy this name represented was well-known even to a relatively new member like her!
"The former Master, Brain... accepted Phantom rebranding... Ten Demon Generals!" Juvia spat out the name like a curse, "Jose was appointed Vice-Master..."
"Ten Demon Generals? Oración Seis plus Jose and the other three Elements?" Erza quickly pieced together the structure, her expression extremely grim.
A Dark Guild merging with a Ten Wizard Saints Mage and his elite combat forces was an absolutely catastrophic upgrade!
Juvia nodded with difficulty, deep disgust and fear surfacing in her eyes: "I... refused to join, and was severely wounded by Jose himself..."
She gasped even more heavily, almost unable to catch her breath.
Makarov gestured for Porlyusica to give her more Life Stream.
The gentle medicinal power flowed into her mouth, slightly alleviating her pain.
Porlyusica looked at her with concern, her stern face uncharacteristically showing a hint of gentleness: "Child, your choice is correct. Darkness will only consume people."
Juvia looked at Porlyusica's kind face, then at the Fairy Tail members around her, who, though strangers, showed undisguised concern—Mira's gentle wiping, the worry in Lucy's eyes... A complex feeling she had never experienced before surged in her heart.
This was completely different from the cold, calculating 'care' of Phantom.
She closed her eyes, gathering her last strength. She knew the most important information had yet to be revealed!
When she opened her eyes again, a flame named 'resolve' ignited in the depths of her lifeless, grey-blue pupils.
She bit down hard, using all her strength, word by word, to throw out the name that had haunted her like a nightmare. It was like a bombshell, exploding with a roar in the silent infirmary:
"They found clues... and are fully searching for... the ancient forbidden magic—"
Her pupils suddenly dilated.
"—'Nirvana'!"
"Nirvana?!"
These two words, as if imbued with magic, instantly plunged the entire infirmary into a deathly silence!
The younger generation, like Erza, did not understand the secrets of the magic world, but from Juvia's expression, they were certain this was important information, and they exchanged uneasy glances.
Makarov's small body trembled violently!
In his eyes, which had seen much of the world, an unprecedented shock and disbelief erupted, as if he had heard the most impossible, most terrifying news!
A deep apprehension and worry, which he had never shown before others, crept onto his face.
"The legendary... 'Nirvana' that can reverse light and darkness, and manipulate hearts?" Levy, considered learned among the younger generation in the Guild, pushed up her glasses, her voice tinged with gravity. She had clearly heard of this legendary magic, but had never imagined it truly existed.
Gray's fists silently clenched, his knuckles turning white from the effort, and a cold aura unconsciously emanated from him, making Lucy next to him shiver.
His expression had never been so serious.
Manipulating hearts... reversing light and darkness... this was truly the power of a demon!
"What? Reversing light and darkness? Manipulating hearts? This... this is too terrifying, isn't it?" Lucy's voice trembled with fear.
"Hey! It sounds like a super troublesome thing! I don't care if it's Nirvana or whatever-vana, if it dares to cause trouble, I'll burn it all down!" Natsu yelled, baring his teeth, but his eyes also became incredibly serious.
Master Makarov took a deep breath, as if that breath would draw all the solemnity of the infirmary into his lungs.
He looked at the blue-haired girl on the bed—Juvia—who was almost exhausted, semi-conscious again, her breathing faint but with the relief of having completed an important mission.
This Rain Woman from the Phantom Guild had brought a shocking secret capable of overturning the Kingdom, and even affecting the entire world's order!
The old man's voice, lower and more serious than ever before, echoed in everyone's ears:
"Notify Ezreal, Ikaruga, Gajeel, and the others to return. There's no need to chase after Phantom's traces outside anymore."
"Also, all members above A-rank, except those currently on external missions, should return to the Guild as soon as possible to prepare for battle."
"Our old opponent has truly been consumed by darkness this time."
Inside the infirmary, there was a heavy silence.
The wind outside had grown fiercer at some point, rattling the windows with a wailing sound, as if portending an imminent, all-consuming terrifying storm... The next morning, Fairy Tail Guild · Emergency Meeting Room
"The news... has been relayed to the Council." Master Makarov stood with his back to everyone, his small figure at the large window. Little emotion could be heard in his voice, but his clenched fists betrayed the turmoil within him.
"Those old geezers are probably stunned now," Gajeel snorted, arms crossed, his iron-grey hair standing on end, his tone full of mockery and distrust for the Council's efficiency.
At that moment, the heavy oak door of the meeting room opened, and Ezreal, still carrying the scent of the night's dew, and Ikaruga, holding her ancient long sword, walked in.
Both had a trace of imperceptible fatigue on their faces, clearly having rushed back as quickly as possible after receiving the urgent summons.
"We already received the general situation via telepathy on the way." Ezreal looked around, his sharp gaze sweeping over each of his grim-faced companions. His golden hair reflected a cold sheen in the fireplace light.
"We investigated 31 Phantom branches in one day; all were empty, but there were very fresh magic residues and signs of a hurried transfer."
Ikaruga leaned against a carved pillar, the shadows perfectly obscuring half of her face. Only her slightly open eyes gleamed with sharpness: "Jose, and all the Phantom members he took with him, plus Oración Seis—these guys always have an extraordinary resolve when doing evil."
"The trouble has escalated!" Makarov suddenly turned around, his small body emanating astonishing decisiveness.
"Jose's madness and the threat of the Ten Demon Generals—we absolutely cannot stand by! If they get their hands on Nirvana, Fiore and even the entire continent will be doomed! We must take the initiative, find them, and stop them before they truly control Nirvana!"
Erza frowned, "The Kingdom of Fiore is vast. Finding the Ten Demon Generals and Nirvana will certainly not be easy."
Levy also looked troubled, showing everyone the Ancient Records of the Kingdom of Fiore she held. "Records about Nirvana are scarce, with only a few fragments remaining. The only thing we can confirm is that Nirvana was created for the purpose of reversing light and darkness."
"But what Nirvana actually looks like, whether it's a magic circle, a magic item, or a type of magic, we don't know."
Ezreal tapped the table lightly, attracting everyone's attention. "Nirvana is a large magical weapon, resembling a rock spider."
He let out a long breath, then a gentle smile appeared on his face.
"I have a reliable source of information."
"Although I'm not sure of Nirvana's exact location, I know the Guild closest to Nirvana—Cait Shelter!"
"Find Cait Shelter, and we won't be far from Nirvana."
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