Chapter 102: FTRJ: Chapter 102

Ichiya, eyes closed, a faint shimmering light playing around him, said, “Those damned Oración Seis, they actually ran away after we arrived!”

He confidently clasped his hands behind his back. “Looks like Oración Seis wasn’t so scary after all!”

“Actually, they’d already left before you got here…” Lucy began, attempting to offer an explanation.

“Seriously? You’re all beat up and you’re saying this…?” Finn sighed, utterly exasperated by Ichiya’s obliviousness.

Ichiya looked at Finn seriously. “These little injuries are nothing!”

Finn shook his head, ignoring Ichiya and turning to address the rest of the group. “We’ve lost track of Oración Seis. We need to find them quickly.”

“According to that mind-reading woman, she already knows our battle plan,” Jura stated.

Ichiya’s expression turned serious. “I think we need to completely rework our plan.”

Finn waved his hand dismissively. “I don’t think it needs to be that complicated. The core objective remains unchanged: find them and destroy them.”

“But we no longer have the Christina. How are we supposed to destroy them?” Eve asked, voicing a valid concern.

“Destroying them is my job. Just let me find Oración Seis,” Finn stated directly, his confidence unwavering.

“I have a feeling Finn just casually said something incredibly powerful again…” Lucy muttered, her eye twitching slightly.

Jura nodded seriously. “I think Mr. Finn’s assessment is correct. Furthermore, if it comes down to a direct confrontation, I don’t believe we would necessarily lose!”

“Yeah, two Ten Wizard Saints and Ichiya-sensei weren’t even present in the previous encounter. With them here now, we should be able to hold our own against them,” Ren added confidently.

“Then let’s get going! We’ll find them and beat them to a pulp!” Natsu declared, his hands already blazing with fiery magical energy. The earlier beating he’d received had clearly fueled his desire for revenge.

Erza voiced a crucial concern. “I have one more question regarding communication.”

She addressed the group. “Unexpected situations could arise. For instance, we could be quickly overwhelmed by the enemy’s superior numbers. If we rely solely on the sounds of battle, the others might not be able to reach us in time.”

Hibiki patted himself on the chest confidently. “Leave that to me. I didn’t have a chance to explain earlier, but my ancient magic allows me to establish a telepathic communication channel. If anyone encounters danger, simply send a distress signal through this channel.”

“Just like Warren’s!” Finn said, his arms crossed, his mind recalling Warren from their guild. This kind of magic was undeniably convenient.

“However,” Hibiki added, a thoughtful expression crossing his face, “due to the significant magical energy consumption required for full-channel communication, to ensure uninterrupted information flow, we will initially need to establish individual connections, and I will act as the central relay point.”

“In other words, if anything happens, you should contact you first, and then you will relay the message to the others, correct?” Erza summarized, confirming her understanding.

“Precisely,” Hibiki nodded in agreement.

Hibiki extended his right hand and snapped his fingers. A magical control panel materialized before him, and he proceeded to perform a series of intricate manipulations.

A progress bar appeared above everyone’s heads.

“Hmm?”

“That’s amazing!”

“I can feel something appearing in my mind!”

Exclamations of wonder and amazement filled the air. Even Finn had to admit that this particular magic was exceptionally practical.

“I’ve sent a map to each of your minds, clearly marking everyone’s current location. You can then utilize this telepathic communication, along with the map, to provide precise support and situation reports,” Hibiki explained while continuing his manipulations.

Upon viewing the map that had materialized within their minds, smiles spread across the faces of the assembled group.

“With this, we should be well-prepared. Let’s get moving as quickly as possible. We need to locate Oración Seis before they can unseal Nirvana!” Finn addressed the group, his voice firm and resolute.

“Oooooooh!!”

With the powerful Ten Wizard Saints now back in action, the group’s spirits soared, casting off the earlier gloom. Natsu and Gray, in particular, were practically bursting with eagerness, their desire for revenge burning fiercely within them after their earlier defeat.

Natsu, Gray, and Happy were designated as the first team; Sherria, Lyon, and Jura formed the second team; Ichiya, Ren, and Eve comprised the third team; and finally, Finn and Erza made up the fourth team.

The remaining members of the alliance, with Hibiki at the center, were to remain at their current location, establishing a temporary command center to provide timely analysis and assistance as needed.

At the same time, deep within the heart of the Whispering Woods…

The dense foliage of the forest completely obscured the sky, casting the area in perpetual twilight. The tree trunks were a dark, ominous black, and an unnerving silence permeated the air, as if all life had been banished from this place, leaving only the trees themselves.

Dozens of towering stone pillars encircled a colossal ancient tree at the center of the clearing, their imposing presence adding to the unsettling atmosphere. Chains stretched from each pillar, binding themselves to the trunk of the ancient tree, as if restraining some powerful entity within.

A soft, silvery light emanated from the base of the ancient tree, providing the only illumination in this otherwise pitch-black forest.

However, this previously undisturbed sanctuary was now invaded by a group of unwelcome visitors.

“Unbelievable. This forest actually has a place like this,” Angel said, her eyes wide with surprise as she gazed around at the unusual surroundings.

“Is this the location where Nirvana is sealed?” she asked, turning her gaze towards Brain, who stood at the center of the group.

Brain closed his eyes, his arms outstretched as if to embrace the ancient power of the location, a hint of excitement in his voice. “That’s right. This is it. The resting place of the ancient magic, Nirvana!”

“We’ve finally found it! Hahahaha!” A wave of maniacal laughter erupted from Brain’s lips.

“With Nirvana, we’ll obtain limitless wealth, right?!” Hoteye’s voice was filled with unbridled excitement.

“Zzzz…” Midnight let out a soft snore.

Just moments after their arrival, Racer appeared from behind, supporting a clearly disheveled figure.

Brain’s gaze fell upon the figure being supported by Racer, his expression one of displeasure. “Cobra, why are you in such a sorry state?”

Cobra shook his head wearily. “There was nothing I could do. Finn was too strong; I couldn’t possibly stop him.” Even now, the memory of those terrifying flames sent shivers down his spine.

He continued, his voice laced with a sense of urgency. “On my way here, I overheard that the alliance forces have already entered the Whispering Woods and are searching for us. What should we do?”

“The alliance forces? They’re lucky to be alive, daring to come after us?” Angel’s voice dripped with contempt.

“Why didn’t we just wipe them all out earlier? If we had, we wouldn’t be facing this problem now,” Racer said, his voice laced with confusion and frustration.

Brain shook his head slowly. “I wanted to eliminate them all, but Finn arrived at the last moment, forcing us to retreat.”

Angel’s voice was filled with defiance. “Leader, do we really need to be so fearful of Finn? After all, we managed to defeat Jura, a Ten Wizard Saint.”

Brain’s gaze turned serious as he addressed Angel. “Underestimating your opponent will invariably lead to your demise! And that’s especially true when facing Finn, who has a proven track record of defeating multiple Ten Wizard Saints!”

He then turned his gaze towards the colossal ancient tree that stood before them. “The unsealing of Nirvana will require some time and will be accompanied by extremely noticeable phenomena. This will inevitably attract the attention of those pesky alliance forces.”

After a moment of silence, Brain addressed the assembled members of Oración Seis. “Your mission now is to prevent those alliance forces from approaching this location. If possible, eliminate those troublesome insects.”

“Wait a moment,” Cobra interjected, raising his hand to halt the others who were preparing to depart. “Who’s going to deal with Finn? I’ve faced him before, and I can tell you without exaggeration that the rest of us stand absolutely no chance against that monster!” His expression was one of grave concern.

Brain lowered his head, lost in thought for a moment before his gaze fell upon Midnight, who was still slumbering peacefully on the floating carpet.

“Finn will be dealt with by Midnight,” Brain declared.

“In that case, let’s begin our operation,” the members of Oración Seis exchanged a brief look before dispersing to carry out their assigned tasks.

“Midnight!” Brain called out to the slumbering figure on the carpet as he watched the others depart.

The sleeping man slowly opened his eyes.

“Go and eliminate all those insects from the light guilds. And make sure to deal with Finn personally,” Brain commanded.

Midnight rose to his feet, stretching languidly.

“Yawn~~” He turned his gaze towards Brain. “Understood, Father…” His voice was low and gravelly, like the growl of a wild beast stalking its prey in the darkness.

Meanwhile, Finn and Erza found themselves surrounded.

Figures were moving all around them, their numbers seemingly endless.

“Approximately one hundred,” Erza estimated after a quick survey of their surroundings.

Finn tilted his head, his gaze falling upon the guild mark emblazoned on the shoulder of one of the approaching figures. A flicker of understanding crossed his face.

“Those are members of the Black Unicorn guild, one of Oración Seis’s direct subordinate guilds. It seems they’ve also arrived.”

“So there are more than just the six of them,” Erza murmured, her voice low.

“Hibiki, are you there? What’s the status of the others?” Finn attempted to contact Hibiki through their telepathic link.

After a short while, Hibiki’s voice echoed in his mind. “The others are also under attack by various dark guilds, but the situation is currently manageable. You don’t need to provide support at this time.”

…

Finn nodded. “Understood. Contact me immediately if anything changes!”

After disconnecting the telepathic link, Finn and Erza exchanged a brief look, a silent understanding passing between them as they simultaneously charged into the fray.

“Just two of you dare to defy the Black Unicorn?” The leader of the Black Unicorn guild sneered, pointing towards Finn and Erza. “Kill them!”

“Yes!” The dark guild members charged forward, their eyes blazing with fervor.

“Get out of my way, you trash!” Finn roared, his arm swinging in a wide arc.

BOOM—

A torrent of flames instantly engulfed the area before them, extending for over a hundred meters.

“Aaah——” Screams of agony filled the air as the vast majority of the hundred-strong guild was instantly incinerated.

The leader of the Black Unicorn guild’s eyes widened in disbelief. “What… what was that?!”

No one bothered to answer his question as more screams echoed from the surrounding area. Before he could even begin to formulate a response, a sword was pressed against his throat.

Erza’s voice was cold and menacing. “Where is Oración Seis?”

“I… I don’t know… I really don’t know anything…” The leader of the Black Unicorn guild stammered, his reflection visible in the gleaming surface of Erza’s sword. He could scarcely believe that his guild, numbering nearly one hundred strong, had been completely annihilated in the blink of an eye.

Even slaughtering a hundred pigs would take considerably longer, he thought incredulously.

“What a bunch of pathetic trash!” A boisterous voice suddenly cut through the air.

Immediately following the arrogant declaration, a powerful, violent tornado descended upon Erza, forcing her to abandon the leader of the Black Unicorn guild and swiftly retreat with a nimble leap. However, the Black Unicorn leader lacked the agility to evade the onslaught.

Before he could even react, the raging tornado tore his body apart.

Finn’s gaze locked onto the figure soaring through the air, his finger pointing towards the remains of the Black Unicorn leader. “You guys seem to be working together, don’t you? Just like that… you kill your own allies?”

While Finn felt no remorse for the leader’s demise, he expressed his utter disgust at the callous disregard for life exhibited by those who would so readily eliminate their own comrades.

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