A monstrous roar exploded from Cube's gaping mouth.
The sound tore through the sky like a physical force.
Birds dropped mid-flight, shrieking in panic. Beasts in the forest below fled blindly. The roar didn't just echo, it pressed down, carrying a violent gale that slammed into the earth.
Trees snapped like brittle twigs.
Leaves and debris spiraled through the air in a raging storm.
Hidden among the forest canopy, several Fairy Tail members lost their footing and were nearly hurled into the open.
"Damn it!"
"Get down!"
They scrambled for cover, digging their fingers into bark and stone to anchor themselves.
High above, Rhodes hovered in the sky.
He casually dug a finger into his ear.
"What an ugly voice."
He flicked his hand and shouted sharply:
"Purgatory Dragon, your turn. Warm them up."
...
Inside Cube's control room
"Found them," Crawford said eagerly, fingers dancing across the console. "Hiding in the forest below."
Dozens of red dots appeared on the screen, marking Fairy Tail's positions.
Franmalth immediately looked toward Kyoka, who had just entered.
Kyoka didn't hesitate.
"Plutogrim," she ordered coldly, "descend. Kill them."
Outside, Cube's grotesque body responded instantly. Its massive limbs shifted.
The living fortress began its descent.
In Kyoka's eyes, the humans below were already dead. She turned away, losing interest, and asked instead:
"How is Face?"
At that, Crawford's face lit up with manic excitement.
"It's incredible!" he cried. "There aren't just seven, there are three thousand Face units!"
He trembled with joy.
"They're emerging all over the continent as we speak. One by one, their seals are breaking!"
"The world…" he whispered, voice trembling,
"…will soon belong to us."
Kyoka's eyes narrowed.
"I didn't ask for your fantasies," she said coldly. "When can it be activated? Don't tell me you expect us to activate three thousand devices manually."
"Of course not!" Crawford said proudly, puffing up his chest. "My Super Archive connects them all. Once every unit is unsealed, I can activate them simultaneously!"
He spread his arms grandly.
"Magnificent, isn't it? This is the power of the Speaker! Only I am worthy of this role!"
He grinned greedily.
"When you rule the world, it will be thanks to me."
Kyoka looked at him as if he were garbage.
A mere human. Arrogant. Delusional.
If his ability weren't necessary, she would have tortured him to death long ago.
"Then hurry," she said flatly. "I want to see magic vanish from this world."
Franmalth giggled beside them.
"What a luxurious funeral," he said gleefully. "They should feel honored."
Crawford laughed darkly.
"Heheheh… then let me just..."
BOOOOOOM!!!
The entire control room violently lurched.
"GYAAAH!"
Crawford lost his balance instantly and crashed into Franmalth.
The two rolled across the floor like dropped sacks.
Kyoka alone remained standing, her clawed feet rooted firmly in place.
Dust rained from the ceiling.
The temperature spiked, the air itself felt scorched.
Franmalth's armor dented slightly.
Crawford groaned, clutching his back.
"What happened?!"
Kyoka didn't answer immediately.
She stared at the surveillance screen.
Her pupils shrank.
"A dragon?"
...
On the screen, a colossal dragon hovered in the sky.
Black scales like obsidian. Crimson patterns glowing like flowing magma.
Its jaws were still open. Smoke poured from its throat.
It had just unleashed its breath.
And its target was Tartaros itself.
The guild building was drowning in fire. Molten flame swallowed everything. Explosions erupted continuously.
The surface structure was almost completely erased.
Only at the last moment, black thorns erupted from within the fortress.
They wrapped around the core structure like a cocoon.
Protecting it.
Saving the control room from destruction.
Kyoka felt cold sweat slide down her neck.
"Lord's Curse."
Even her voice was tight.
"To force Lord to intervene personally…this is our failure."
The door burst open.
Seilah rushed in.
"Lady Kyoka! Are you unharmed?!"
"I'm fine," Kyoka said immediately. "Where are Jackal and Tempester?"
"They've already gone up," Seilah replied. "They said Lord shouldn't be troubled with this kind of opponent."
"Keyes said he couldn't help much with this, but if that dragon could be killed, he'd like the fresh corpse delivered to him."
Kyoka nodded in approval. Jackal and Tempester's initiative was commendable, the Nine Demon Gates should share Lord Mard Geer's burdens. "At least some of us understand what it means to serve," she murmured, casting a sideways glance at the others.
Seilah lowered her head. "I'm sorry. My 'Macro' had no effect on that dragon."
Kyoka stroked her hair. "Of course not. After all, dragons are a race that once ruled this continent, nothing like fragile humans."
Explosions echoed one after another, accompanied by the pained roars and enraged bellows of Plutogrim.
The giant dragon was just a tiny speck compared to it, but this tiny speck was causing havoc across its body! Plutogrim now just wanted to devour it whole!
But Kyoka didn't give it a command to counterattack, she only urged Plutogrim to descend faster.
Franmalth asked, "But why would a giant dragon attack us? Is this its territory?"
"You don't know?" Crawford asked in surprise. "Isn't this Rhode's magic? They say he can summon dragons!
"Speaking of which, don't you know about the Grand Magic Games? Being targeted by him is very bad news. We should get out of here quickly!"
Kyoka glared at him. "We have no interest in human affairs, and this is the route designated by Lord Mard Geer. Does Tartaros need to go out of its way to avoid a single human?
"Rhodes, I remember now. He was the one who disrupted Jackal's operation, wasn't he?" She turned. "Seilah, let's go. We're sending him to the underworld!"
"Yes." Seilah followed without hesitation.
"Insane... they're insane," Crawford's lips trembled with fear. "Why provoke someone like that at a time like this?"
"It's not us provoking him, he's the one hindering our operations." Franmalth thought of the 'after-party' Lord Mard Geer had mentioned. "Eliminating him and his guild is nothing more than a warm-up game for Lord Mard Geer before the real plan begins."
Crawford pointed at the rampaging giant dragon on the screen. "That thing is also just a game?!"
"Uh..well..." Franmalth was speechless. "Just hurry up and activate Face! That's our job!"
"I already told you, it takes at least an hour to warm up." Another violent tremor. Crawford barely managed to stay on his feet by grabbing the wall. "Can you even last an hour?"
Plutogrim landed with a thunderous crash. The prepared Tartaros soldiers shouted battle cries and rushed into the forest.
At that moment, a small purple thing shattered the ground, shoved aside trees, and slammed its head directly into Plutogrim's flank.
BANG!
"AWOOOO!!!"
Purely in terms of size, Rift Herald hitting Plutogrim was like a fly slamming into a basketball.
Yet it was the impact of this insignificant little creature that made Plutogrim let out a fierce roar of pain.
The soldiers who had just disembarked from the island were sent flying by Plutogrim's roar before they even laid eyes on the enemy.
Rift Herald retreated slightly, preparing for another charge.
But Plutogrim didn't give it the chance. It swung its massive black appendage and easily shattered Rift Herald's carapace, sending it straight back to the rift.
Rhode's voice echoed through Warren's telepathic link: "Don't rush in, hit them with a wave of ranged attacks first!"