Chapter 337: A White Lie
"Laxus, what are you doing?! Cover your mouth and nose, quickly!"
The air was thick with a swirling, charcoal-colored mist—the deadly Bane Particles. Seeing that Laxus made no move to shield himself, Freed rushed toward him, his face pale with terror. He could feel the Ethernano in his own body recoiling from the toxic atmosphere, his lungs burning with every shallow, panicked breath.
Instead of holding his breath at Freed's frantic warning, Laxus stood his ground. He planted his feet firmly into the cracked earth, his eyes glowing with a fierce, electric intensity. Then, he did the unthinkable: Laxus opened his mouth and took a deep, rattling breath.
A powerful suction force generated within his lungs, creating a localized vacuum. The surrounding black mist was forcibly drawn toward him, swirling into a dark vortex that funneled directly into his throat. He inhaled every scrap of the magical barrier particles, clearing the air for his teammates.
"Laxus! What are you doing?! Stop it—stop it now!"
Freed's expression twisted in horror, his heart plummeting. Even a microscopic amount of these particles could cause organ failure in a mage; inhaling a cloud of this magnitude was nothing short of a slow, agonizing suicide.
Laxus's skin began to darken, the black veins of the curse spreading like spiderwebs across his neck and cheeks. He coughed, a spray of dark blood hitting the ground, but his gaze remained unshakable.
"A Dragon Slayer's lungs are different," Laxus wheezed, his voice sounding like grinding stones. "Watch me swallow all of this. You... you have to get everyone back. That's your mission, Freed. Get them home."
"Laxus!!" Freed screamed, but the lightning mage had already collapsed to one knee, his body trembling under the crushing weight of the poison.
*****
Fairy Tail Guild
The peaceful afternoon in Magnolia was shattered as the heavy front doors of the guild were kicked open.
Freed appeared at the entrance, a sight that froze the blood in everyone's veins. He was battered and bruised, his green hair matted with blood and soot. On his back, he hauled an unconscious, gray-faced Laxus. Evergreen and Bickslow were slung haphazardly under his arms, their breathing shallow, while he gripped the elderly Yajima by the collar of his coat, dragging him into the safety of the hall.
Freed's knees buckled the moment he crossed the threshold. He fell to the floor with a heavy thud, his voice a broken rasp. "Save... please... someone save Laxus!"
The guild members' expressions changed drastically. The usual boisterous laughter died instantly, replaced by a suffocating silence that lasted only a heartbeat before chaos erupted.
"What happened?!" Macao shouted, vaulting over a table.
"What's wrong with Laxus?! He looks like he's rotting from the inside!" Cana dropped her barrel, the wine spilling unheeded across the floor.
Master Makarov rushed over from the bar, his small frame moving with surprising speed. He stopped dead when he saw the state of his grandson. Laxus's skin was a sickly shade of ash, and the magical pressure emanating from him was erratic—flickering like a candle in a gale.
"Quickly, go get Porlyusica!!" Makarov roared, his voice cracking with a mixture of authority and paternal terror.
"I'll go!"
Ren stepped forward immediately. He didn't waste a second on questions. He knew exactly what they were dealing with. Tartaros had begun their move, and the "Bane Particles" were their signature weapon.
[System: Full Body Take Over — Gojo Satoru (Special Grade) — Activated.]
In a flash of brilliant light, Ren's appearance shifted. His hair turned a shimmering, snowy white, and a dark blindfold materialized over his eyes. The air around him seemed to warp and fold, as if the world itself were bowing to his presence.
Whoosh!
With a sharp distortion of space, Ren utilized the spatial compression of "Blue" to teleport. He vanished from the guild hall in the blink of an eye, leaving behind only a faint ripple in the atmosphere.
"Quick! Move Laxus and the others to the infirmary! Mirajane, get the medical kits! Levy, get clean water!" Makarov commanded, his eyes never leaving Laxus's face.
The guild went into high gear. Gray and Elfman carefully lifted Laxus, shocked by how cold his skin felt. They carried the Thunder Legion and Yajima into the back rooms, the atmosphere heavy with the scent of ozone and decay.
Almost as soon as they had settled them onto the cots, a sudden gust of wind blew through the hall. Ren reappeared in the center of the room, holding the arm of a very disgruntled but deeply concerned Porlyusica.
"Slow down, you white-haired brat!" she snapped, though she didn't hesitate for a second. She took one look at the unconscious mages and her expression turned grim. She didn't need to be told this wasn't a normal illness. She walked quickly into the infirmary, her heels clicking sharply against the floor.
The wait felt like an eternity. The members of Fairy Tail gathered in the hallway, huddled together in a rare, somber unity. Natsu sat on the floor, his head bowed, his fists trembling. Lucy stood beside him, her hand resting on his shoulder, though her own eyes were brimming with tears.
After what felt like hours, Porlyusica emerged, wiping her hands on a cloth. Her face was lined with deep exhaustion and a touch of helplessness.
Makarov stepped forward, his voice barely a whisper. "How are Laxus and the others? Are they... are they going to make it?"
"They are alive," Porlyusica began, and a collective sigh of relief rippled through the guild. But she held up a hand to silence them. "But they have inhaled a catastrophic amount of Bane Particles. This is a concentrated magical toxin—a virus that consumes Ethernano. It's a miracle they didn't die instantly. For the others, the prognosis is uncertain. But for Laxus..."
She paused, looking toward the door where the lightning mage lay. "The contamination in his body is too severe. He didn't just breathe it in; he absorbed it into his very blood. It is a miracle he is still breathing, but I cannot guarantee a full recovery. He may never use magic again... if he even wakes up."
A heavy, suffocating gloom fell over the hall. The "invincible" Laxus, reduced to this?
"Laxus... Laxus saved the entire town," Freed's voice drifted from the doorway of the infirmary. He had regained consciousness just enough to speak, leaning heavily against the frame. His face was a mask of agony. "If it weren't for him... the explosion... he took it all into himself so the people wouldn't have to."
Makarov's heart twisted. He knew the truth from the magic council reports he had sensed earlier. He knew the devastation that had actually occurred.
"I know, Freed," Makarov said, his voice unusually soft. "It's also thanks to you that everyone was brought back alive."
Freed looked up, his eyes bloodshot. "The town was saved because of Laxus. The town... is it okay? Please tell me it's okay."
Makarov stared at him for a long moment. He knew that the town of 8-Islands was currently a graveyard, a scorched ruin where the "Underworld" had claimed nearly everyone. But looking at the shattered man before him, the Master couldn't bring himself to speak the truth.
"Yes," Makarov lied, his voice firm despite the bile rising in his throat. "The town is safe and sound. You did it, Freed. Laxus did it."
"That's... good..."
Hearing this, the tension finally left Freed's body. He slumped forward, falling back into a deep, exhausted sleep. Even in unconsciousness, his brow remained furrowed, as if he were still fighting a nightmare he couldn't escape.
"This is too much!" Lucy cried out, her tears finally overflowing. "How could anyone do something so cruel?"
Natsu stood up slowly, his aura beginning to heat the air around him. Flames flickered at the edges of his scarf. "Those bastards... I'm going to make them pay."
"Ms. Porlyusica," Ren spoke up, his voice calm but possessing a cold, sharp edge. "Is there any way to treat them? A real way to purge the particles?"
"Well..." Porlyusica said, looking at the floor. "Since the enemy uses this substance as a weapon, their bodies must naturally produce antibodies, or they would be killed by their own power. If we can get a sample of their blood—specifically the blood of the one who released this—I might be able to synthesize a vaccine. But that would require hunting them down."
Ren adjusted his blindfold, a small, dangerous smile playing on his lips. "The enemy's blood? I understand. I will get it for you. All of it, if necessary."
Gray stepped forward, crossing his arms. "Wait, Ren. We don't even know where they are. Tartaros is a guild of ghosts. Where are you going to find them in this huge kingdom?"
Ren turned toward the window, looking out toward the horizon. "Their target isn't random. They are systematically hunting down current and former members of the Magic Council to weaken the continent's infrastructure. As long as we find the remaining Council Members, the demons will show themselves."
"Right! I'm definitely going to catch them and take them all out!" Natsu shouted, slamming his flaming fist into his palm.
Macao rubbed his chin, looking frustrated. "But we don't know where those Council Members live. Their residences are high-level secrets. Even the press doesn't know where they retire to avoid revenge from the dark guilds they've prosecuted."
"If it's the Council Members' addresses, I happen to know a few," a smooth, suave voice rang out from the center of the hall.
"Loke?!" Lucy blinked as her Golden Key spirit manifested in a swirl of stardust.
"Why did you come out on your own again?" she asked, though her voice lacked its usual bite.
Loke adjusted his glasses, his expression unusually serious. "Because I had a bad feeling, Lucy. The stars are crying. Besides, I couldn't just sit in the Celestial World while my family was suffering."
"Why does Mr. Loke know where the Council Members are?" Wendy asked, tilting her head innocently.
Loke leaned down and whispered something into Wendy's ear. The young Dragon Slayer's face turned bright red instantly, steam practically coming off her ears as she stammered. Everyone else in the guild just sighed; they knew Loke's "socializing" habits often led him to the doorsteps of many influential—and beautiful—women in high places.
"Loke, the addresses. Now," Makarov commanded.
"Understood, Master." Loke quickly listed the locations of four high-ranking former Council Members he was certain were on the hit list.
Makarov climbed onto the bar, his presence expanding until he seemed to tower over the room. The atmosphere shifted from grief to a simmering, volcanic rage.
"Listen up!" he roared. "The enemy is Tartaros, the final corner of the Balam Alliance! We have already crushed Oración Seis and Grimoire Heart, and Tartaros will be no exception! They have been foolish enough to mistake our kindness for weakness. They have stepped into our home and spilled the blood of our children!"
[Akarin's Note: The Balam Alliance was the triad of the three most powerful Dark Guilds in the world, intended to maintain order in the criminal underworld. With two gone, Tartaros is the final and most dangerous power remaining.]
"When a comrade is hurt, it's the same as being hurt ourselves!" Makarov's voice shook the very foundations of the building. "The blood our comrades shed is the blood flowing from our own bodies! Turn this injury, this pain, into the fighting spirit to crusade against the enemy!"
"We do not act as incarnations of justice! We act according to our will, for our family! Betting on our bonds and our pride, we will eradicate the enemies of Fairy Tail with everything we have!!"
"OHHHHHHHHHH!!!"
The roar of the guild members was deafening. The newer members felt the fire of the Fairy Tail spirit for the first time. Their loyalty burned bright; an attack on Laxus was an attack on the very concept of their home.
The mobilization was swift. The elite members were divided into strike teams to cover the addresses Loke had provided.
Gajeel, Levy, Jet, and Droy formed the first team. Gray and Juvia formed the second. Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy, accompanied by Happy and Carla, formed the third.
"Ren, you'll need a team," Makarov said, looking at the white-haired youth.
Ren shook his head, his hand already reaching for the space in front of him, ready to tear through the dimensions. "No. I'll move faster alone. I can cover the most distant location in seconds. If I find them, I won't just bring back blood—I'll bring back their heads."
The intensity in Ren's voice was chilling. This wasn't just a mission; it was a hunt.
"Move out!" Makarov's command echoed through Magnolia.
With the Master's word, the teams sprinted out of the guild, disappearing into the streets of the city. Ren, however, simply leaned back, his form blurring as he vanished into the void of his own technique.
The war with the demons had begun.
[Akarin Note:
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