"So, Erza, this horn… is this supposed to be the material you brought back for me?"
Kira walked over to the massive beast horn Erza had hauled in, inspecting it closely. He ran his hand along its surface, gave it a few taps, and drew on his years of experience crafting magical artifacts. His verdict? This thing was all show and no substance.
Sure, it was big, but it was useless for making potions or forging anything worthwhile.
Kira shot Erza a look that practically screamed, I asked you to bring back proper materials, and you give me this to work with?
"Oh… no, it's not that," Erza said, unfazed. "I didn't find anything suitable for materials this time. This horn is just a trophy from the beast I took down. The locals use them as decorations, and I thought it looked nice, so I brought it back as a souvenir."
She glanced at the others casually. "Is it a bother?"
"No, no, not at all!" the guild members chimed in.
"What a huge horn… from a beast she defeated?"
"That's so cool…"
The background characters gasped in awe.
Heh, bunch of rookies… Kira thought, though he had to admit—Is this horn even that nice? Erza's taste is so weird.
Then again, the girls in Fairy Tail all had their quirks. Lucy had some… questionable tendencies. Erza could be emotionally oblivious at times. Juvia was head-over-heels obsessed with Gray. And Levy? Probably a touch of Stockholm syndrome.
But Kira knew the real culprit behind these quirks wasn't the girls themselves—it was the manga's author! Everyone knew Hiro Mashima was just a guy who drew those kinds of comics. What did he know about running a guild like Fairy Tail?
"Anyway," Erza continued, "while I was out, I overheard some troubling rumors. I was going to discuss it with the Master first, but he's not here. In my judgment, this needs to be dealt with ASAP. Since you're here, Kira, I'm going to need your help. You too, Natsu and Gray. Come with me."
Her words sent a ripple of surprise through the guild. Erza almost always worked alone—team missions were rare for her, considering how insanely strong she was.
"What's going on?"
"This is the first time Erza's asked for a team…"
"What's the deal?"
Erza didn't elaborate, brushing off the questions. "We leave tomorrow. Go get ready. I'll explain everything on the way."
Her tone was firm, leaving no room for argument.
"Erza… Kira… Natsu… Gray…" one guild member muttered. "This lineup's never happened before."
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"Is this, like, Fairy Tail's ultimate team?"
The guild buzzed with speculation about what kind of enemy could possibly require Erza to assemble such a powerhouse squad.
"No way…" Gray groaned, pointing at Natsu. "Teaming up with this guy is bad enough, but with Erza too?"
"No chance in hell!" Natsu snapped. In a flash, he grabbed his scarf and jacket, tossing them onto Lucy. "From now on, you're Natsu!"
Lucy sighed, exasperated. "Yeah, right. Like that's gonna work."
---
Meanwhile, in a shadowy forest, members of the dark magic guild Eisenwald, under the command of the Six Demon Generals, were gathered.
"That woman in armor—who's her guild?" one asked.
"No idea," another replied.
"She was pretty badass… Damn, I should've talked to her!"
"You? Nah, you wouldn't stand a chance."
"What's that supposed to mean?!"
These were the same guys Erza had crossed paths with at a tavern in Ghost Lotus City. While she'd noticed them, they'd definitely noticed her too.
"Hasn't Kageyama come back yet?" a man with a massive scythe and bangs covering half his face asked the group.
"Breaking that seal isn't exactly a quick job," one replied.
"We can't keep dragging this out. Now's our chance—the old geezers are tied up at their council meeting."
---
Back at the Fairy Tail guild, at the bar…
Unlike Natsu and Gray, who flat-out refused, Kira took a seat, ordered a juice, and got straight to the point. "I just got back from a mission, Erza. I'm not exactly itching to head out again. So, spill—what's this all about?"
"Fine," Erza said with a nod. She knew she couldn't strong-arm Kira like she could Natsu or Gray, so she recounted what she'd seen at the tavern.
Ten minutes later, Gray summed it up. "So, basically, a bunch of guys are trying to break some kind of magical seal, right? Sounds like it could just be their mission. What's the big deal?"
Erza's expression darkened. "At first, I didn't think much of it either—until I remembered the name Erigor."
Mirajane, who kept her ear to the ground when it came to the magic world, spoke up. "Erigor… that name sounds familiar."
Kira raised an eyebrow, unimpressed. "Doesn't sound like a big shot. You've heard of him?"
"He's the ace of the Eisenwald guild," Erza explained. "They call him the Grim Reaper."
Kira snorted. "Grim Reaper? Talk about an overblown title."
"It's because he specializes in assassination missions," Erza continued. "The Magic Council banned those kinds of jobs, but Eisenwald chose money over morals. Six years ago, the Magic Council exiled them."
Kira rubbed his forehead. "Okay, I'll admit chasing cash isn't that bad, but assassination? That's a line you don't cross. If they love fighting so much, why not join a mercenary guild? Honestly, what do these people think magic is for?"
"Wait," Lucy piped up. "They broke the Magic Council's rules with assassination jobs and only got exiled? No other punishment?"
Erza sat down next to Kira, their red hair making a striking pair at the bar. "There was more. Eisenwald's leader was arrested, and the guild was ordered to disband. But most dark guilds ignore those orders and keep operating in the shadows. Eisenwald's no different—they're still active, and rumor has it they're now under the Six Demon Generals."
Gray started to piece it together. "No wonder you want backup. If it was just those guys at the tavern, you could handle them solo, Erza. But an entire guild?"
Kira, meanwhile, was starting to recall Eisenwald from the original manga. They were the enemies in the arc that introduced Erza, Gray, and the others as Fairy Tail's strongest team. The boss, Erigor, was a wind magic user, and the ultimate threat was the demon Lullaby.
Small-fry villains like these? Do they really need me to step in?
"Pfft, you're giving them too much credit, Gray," Kira said with a smirk. "Even if it's the whole Eisenwald guild, Erza could take them out single-handedly."
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