Internet Magic in Fairy Tail

Chapter 369: Wizard Saints Audience…

Racer calmed down—in the physical sense.

“Ur!”

Gray called out, noticing Ur standing with a few unfamiliar faces.

“Hehe, young people sure are energetic, aren’t they, Precht?” chuckled Warrod, a cheerful old man whose head resembled a dried tree, with deeply wrinkled skin.

“Whoa!” Gray recoiled in surprise. “A tree monster?!”

Tree monster? Nate thought, stifling a laugh. Though his own reaction upon first meeting Warrod had been similar, at least he hadn’t said it out loud.

Makarov cleared his throat. “This is Warrod Sequen, an elder of Fairy Tail and the fourth-ranked Wizard Saint.”

Gray immediately apologized, bowing deeply. “I’m sorry! That was rude of me!”

“Calling me a tree monster is a bit much,” Warrod said with mock seriousness before breaking into laughter. “Just kidding! Just kidding!”

He really is a quirky old man, Gray thought, relieved.

Precht, no longer in his signature armor and helmet, now wore a simple mage’s robe and carried a staff. His kind, grandfatherly demeanor was evident as he addressed Makarov:

“Makarov, as the Third Master, you’ve led Fairy Tail well. This generation is outstanding.”

Makarov couldn’t hide his pride at the compliment, though he sighed. “We’re on the Fifth Master now. If you ask First Master Mavis, she’d call me the Fifth…”

“Why is Master Hades here?” Erza asked curiously.

“Second Master Precht is the main force of this raid,” Nate answered with a smile, before addressing the group: “We can chat later. For now, everyone, open your [Magic Net Map].”

They complied, finding a red marker slowly moving across the map.

“What’s this?” asked Bacchus, slightly tipsy.

“It’s the location of Tartaros’ headquarters—Underworld Island. I’ve marked its coordinates. Prepare yourselves; it’s almost time to depart.”

Erza zoomed in on the map, recognizing the area. Her expression turned serious.

“This is… the Cowbane Canyon? It’s close to Magnolia!”

Nate nodded. “That’s correct. Tartaros is heading toward Fairy Tail.”

“Their target is the councilors, isn’t it?” Gray asked grimly.

The councilors had been hidden in Fairy Tail, but how had Tartaros discovered this?

“There must be a traitor!”

Gray immediately turned to the Oración Seis members, his gaze sharp and accusatory.

“What are you looking at us for?” Cobra scowled. “We’ve got nothing to do with it.”

Having just regained their freedom and new government positions, they wouldn’t dare betray their benefactor.

“They’re not traitors,” Nate said dismissively. “The operation to hide the councilors wasn’t exactly secretive. It’s not surprising they found out.”

He waved his hand. “In any case, once you set out, follow the Second Master’s lead.”

“Follow me, brats,” Precht commanded as he headed toward the door. “We need to intercept them before Underworld Island reaches Magnolia.”

The group filed out, heading to a prepared magic airship waiting outside the council building.

Gray lingered behind, turning to Nate.

“Nate, about that man from a few days ago…”

Nate thought for a moment before replying, “You mean the Absolute Zero Silver of the Nine Demon Gates? He escaped; we didn’t capture him.”

He added, “If you have questions, it’s best to ask him directly.”

Explaining that Silver was essentially a reanimated corpse powered by immense curse energy was too complicated. It would be better for Silver to explain himself.

Gray nodded, though his expression was heavy. He stepped onto the airship, determined to find answers.

Eleven years ago, Silver had died during Deliora’s attack on Gray’s hometown. The same incident had left Gray an orphan, eventually leading him to be taken in by Ur.

It was during this time that Gray vowed revenge against Deliora. Despite Ur’s warnings, he had gone to confront the demon alone, inadvertently causing Ur’s sacrifice when she used the forbidden Iced Shell to seal Deliora.

Now, Ur was alive, and Gray’s father, Silver, was inexplicably part of Tartaros. Gray was determined to uncover the truth.

“Good luck, Gray. Don’t lose to the demons,” Ur said with a smile as the airship took off.

Watching the ship depart, Warrod expressed his concern. “Do you think they’ll be able to win?”

“Don’t worry, Warrod,” Makarov reassured him. “This will be a valuable experience for them.”

Nate added with a grin, “If anything goes wrong, I can teleport reinforcements in an instant. There’s nothing to worry about.”

The Second Master was being given a chance to prove himself. If Precht could take down Mard Geer, the strongest demon in Tartaros, he would have the credentials to be nominated as a Wizard Saint.

Back in his office, Nate returned to fine-tuning the [Truth Encyclopedia], continuing his work to perfect the program.

…

On the airship:

Precht addressed the group. “Before the battle begins, you’ll be fighting as comrades. Share what magic you use so we can coordinate better.”

Erza volunteered first.

“My magic is Requip: The Knight, with various armors for different scenarios. I also have a Zanpakuto given by my boyfriend, and augmentation magic taught by my mother.”

“A Zanpakuto?”

Ultear stepped out of the shadows, smirking. “Erza, you didn’t tell me about that.”

“Ultear?! Why are you here?”

“I’m a war correspondent,” Ultear said with a sly grin, opening the Magic Net to show the group a live chat.

In the chat were several familiar names:

“Raid Against Tartaros” Chat Group

Ur: “Good luck, everyone~”

Makarov: “Children, I’ll be watching over you.”

Hyberion: “Don’t worry. If things get dangerous, we’ll step in.”

Jura: “I wanted to join you, but this will be a great opportunity for your growth.”

The group stared at the chat in disbelief.

Saint-level audience?

If you’re so concerned, why don’t you come help us yourselves?!