Gemini's efficiency in interrogation was difficult to overstate. A single moment of contact was enough to draw out everything in a person's mind.
It happened that a cadre Lahar's team had recently brought in was sitting in one of the cells. The moment Gemini made contact, it shifted into Abel's likeness: a small figure with a thick turban wrapped around his head and clown makeup across his face.
"Wali wali. The Black Magic Cult's objective is the Purification Plan." Gemini relayed the contents without pause. The specific operation: kill all thirty thousand people in Marba City and offer their souls, described as innocent and pure, to Zeref.
Rhodes wasn't surprised. Zeref fanatics producing plans like this was entirely predictable.
Lucy, however, went pale. "You. You want to kill thirty thousand people?"
In his cell, Abel looked between them in open alarm. "What is happening?!"
He had not taken it seriously at first when he saw two small figures shift into his likeness. Transformation magic, nothing remarkable. He had privately found it almost charming in its naivety, as if they intended to send his copy back as a spy. Then he heard what Gemini was saying, and the amusement faded entirely. This was not ordinary transformation magic.
Gemini continued without acknowledging him. "Originally, the cult needed more than half a year to complete their recruitment and prepare carefully. The Council's recent operations have made them anxious.
They've decided to accelerate the expansion and move the plan forward. Their leader, the one known as the High Priest, issued a new order: on New Year's Day, all members are to gather at the southern outskirts of Marba City to execute the Purification Plan together. The reasoning being that vigilance tends to be lower on New Year's Day."
Lucy turned to Rhodes. "New Year's Day is coming up soon."
Lahar's expression was tight. "We cannot allow this to happen. We have to move before New Year's."
"There's no need to rush," Rhodes said. "We have the location and the timing. We can position people in the outskirts of Marba City and wait for them. How many are we looking at total?"
Gemini answered. "One leader, the High Priest. Two headquarters cadres. Over a dozen branch leaders. More than eight hundred other members. That said, the last count Abel was aware of was from two weeks ago. By New Year's Day, the number could exceed a thousand."
Cold sweat formed on Lahar's forehead.
A thousand mages was not the same as a thousand soldiers. These people were genuinely capable of leveling a city. And given that every one of them was a devout cult member, it was safe to assume their magic ran toward the lethal end.
The Enforcement Unit could handle them. But wiping out a force that size without significant casualties on their own side was a different question.
Rhodes looked at him. "Feeling the pressure?"
Lahar's frown deepened, but his answer was firm. "We can manage it."
Rhodes said, "As it happens, Fairy Tail has several dozen mages who are close to bursting from being cooped up and are eager to test their recent training against real opposition."
Something shifted in Lahar's expression.
The combined destructive output of several dozen Fairy Tail mages might actually exceed that of a thousand-plus cult members. And Marba City's outskirts were open, flat terrain. Practically designed for what Fairy Tail did best. Even if things got messy, the worst outcome was probably an unplanned lake appearing near the city. Not ideal, but livable.
Lahar finished the calculation quickly. "Please. We would be grateful for the help."
The reward would of course be handled appropriately. The operation itself needed proper planning, so Rhodes brought Lucy and Lahar through to the office to work through the details.
In his cell, Abel watched them go, baffled. He could not understand why adding a few dozen extra mages had made the bespectacled one look so visibly relieved.
These people were completely underestimating them. The High Priest and the others would be fine.
The great magic world was coming.
"I'm in!"
"Sign me up!"
"Me too!"
"My body is going to waste if I sit here much longer. There's no way I'm missing this!"
"A real man does not step back at a time like this!"
Back at the guild, the moment Rhodes mentioned there was an actual fight, a cluster of thoroughly restless guild members stopped sitting still and started pushing to the front. They had been on the receiving end of Rhodes's training every day and hadn't managed to beat him once. Fighting someone else would do just fine.
The Black Magic Cult. A thousand people or so. They wouldn't mind if things got a little rough, would they?
They even had the Council's backing for it. There was no reason not to go.
Rhodes pressed his hands down to quiet the room. "I understand the enthusiasm. But these enemies are Zeref's true believers, and much of the magic they use is designed to kill. The danger level of this operation is close to that of open warfare. Think it through before committing."
Gajeel promptly produced a white robe from somewhere and threw it on. "Gi-hee. For the lives of thirty thousand innocent people, I have no choice but to go. This is the duty of a Council member."
Levy stared at him. "You never gave that back?"
Panther Lily followed up, "Gajeel, you are not a Council member. You have never been a Council member."
The behavior was absurd, but what he had said landed on a few people who had been on the fence about joining for the fun of it.
Thirty thousand innocent lives.
By the time registration closed, every person present had signed up for the New Year's Day operation.
Mirajane and Asuka were marked invalid. Coco was also set aside. Her magic required extended preparation time once she left Magnolia, making it difficult to deploy effectively in an outside engagement.
After the sign-ups were finalized, the training took on a noticeably sharper edge. People who had been going through the motions started pushing harder, eager to arrive at the real thing in good shape.
The wait stretched to the eve of New Year's. On December 31st, X791, Rhodes led a group of Fairy Tail members to the designated location.
Gray looked around at the terrain. "This is still quite far from Marba City."
"It's an ambush," Rhodes said. "We need to stay well outside any range where they might detect us."
Natsu was already bouncing on his heels. "Why make it complicated? Just find them and hit them until they stop. What's the problem?"
Gajeel said, "Idiot. That only works if you can find them first."
"What did you just say?"
Erza knocked them both on the head with a single measured motion and they went quiet. She turned to Rhodes. "Do we need to link up with the Council?"
"No. They're working inside the city, screening for suspicious individuals. We're handling the outside."
After the previous joint operation, Lahar had concluded that large-scale battlefield coordination between the Council and Fairy Tail was more complicated than it was worth. Better for each side to handle what they were suited for. The Council had experience and discipline, so the detailed work fell to them. Fairy Tail had raw capability, so they took the parts that didn't require careful maneuvering.
"Freed, Evergreen, Levy. Go and set up the town barrier formation first."
Three voices answered at once. "Understood."
The residents' safety came first. Everything else could follow once that was locked in.
...
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