Chapter 39: Ominous Alliance Part 3

Beta read by Shigiya and Darklord331

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-Meeting Room-

The room fell silent in shock, Lucy and Erza mirroring everyone's disbelief. 

"Broly-dono, you must be joking," Jura finally spoke, his voice tinged with confusion. "While I commend your bravery and determination to take on this challenge alone, it's incredibly reckless to face these people by yourself."

"Exactly," one of three members of Blue Pegasus, Hibiki Latest agreed with the Iron Rock mage. "Just like many hear, I've heard stories about your magic from various sources, and while you do sound like someone capable of becoming an S-Class Wizard very soon, taking them on like this is madness. You'll lose."

Broly stood firm on his decision, he knew there would be some pushback. "Then you don't know me," he retorted, his voice carrying an unwavering tone. 'I've witnessed firsthand the consequences of my hesitation and fear. I've seen my friends suffer because I couldn't make the tough decisions when it mattered most. But not anymore. I refuse to stand idly by while others risk their lives because of me.'

Erza exchanged a glance with Lucy, neither knowing what to say in the first place.

Unfortunately for him, Jura wasn't willing to back down anytime soon. "I understand your desire to protect your friends, but there's strength in numbers. We can face this threat together, as a collective team. Oracion Seis is not just any run-of-the-mill Dark Guild, I already mentioned how each of their members is no different to an S-class wizard and some even on par with Wizard Saints."

Lucy nodded in agreement. "He's right, I know you're strong but we should be careful. We've faced other challenges together, and we've always come out fine at the end of it right?"

'Through sheer luck at times,' Broly commented in his mind, taking in their words. Despite their concern, he could see the determination in their eyes, the same determination that fueled his own resolve. "...I'm sorry, I can't let that happen. These dark mages from Oracion Seis are people I'm confident I can handle by myself — but if all of you guys are there then I'll have to hold back."

The tension in the room was palpable, each word Broly uttered adding weight to the gravity of the current situation. Shock and disbelief washed over the faces of those gathered, some exchanging worried glances while others struggled to comprehend the sudden turn of events. Even Erza, known for her steely resolve, appeared visibly shaken in his eyes, with the fire Dragon Slayer and Ice wizard showing varying degrees of anger. 

"Please rethink your suggestion, Broly-dono." 

"This isn't a suggestion or a request," Broly reiterated firmly, his voice cutting through the uneasy silence. "I know it sounds selfish and hard for you all to understand, but it's for the best as not only will no one risk their lives in this quest, but it will also allow us to get done with all of this in a single day."

Despite feeling like he was bringing up a valid argument, most did not seem to share his opinion as Natsu responded immediately. "Are you serious!? This is no time for jokes!" the boy snapped, his tone betraying her frustration. "We came here as a team, Master tasked each of us to do this as a group. As much as I like the idea of taking all of them by myself, I won't leave my friends out of it for such a reason."

Others in the room echoed Natsu's sentiments, clearly holding an outright opposition to his words. 

"Can't believe I am saying this but flames-for-brain is right, I don't know what's gotten into you to suggest such a thing but we are not going to let you handle such dangerous individuals all by yourself."

"Who are you calling flames-for-brain, icy breath!?"

"Shut up! Not the time for that right now, you idiot!"

Everyone in the room, or at least most of them shared their thoughts, agreeing with the message being said by the duo who opposed his idea. Of course, they would be against this idea in particular, but after living and going on different quests with his group, he gained a somewhat good understanding of their characters. Despite how different everyone was personality-wise, they all cared about one another as a family but so did he… and Broly was willing to go against their beliefs if it meant that at the end of the day, none would get hurt.

He looked at Lucy, the girl approaching him most likely trying to dissuade his intent. "Why are you suddenly wanting to do this? Did something happen of which I am not aware of?" 

He smiled slightly, resting his hands on her head and messing with her hair a bit, apologizing to the girl in his heart. "No, nothing bad happened, and that's how I wish for it to remain. I probably wouldn't have said anything if not for  what happened in our last quest. And there is no one to blame but myself for how it ended." 

As easy as it was to put all the fault on Acnologia for forcing him to the extreme, part of it also fell on his head. For it meant that there was a lack of control despite the years of training. "I nearly lost you guys in our last quest and that is one time too much. I am not expecting anyone to agree with me, but you can lecture me, hate me, or punish me as much as you want after this quest is done." 

A scoff came from Gajeel, the man turning his back before walking away. "That is not up to you to decide, nor are we forced or obliged to listen to your words. Phantom Lord doesn't follow orders of a Wizard from Fairy Tail like this, we are not your dogs. Don't think you can snatch away all of the fun just because you want to prove who is the true strongest wizard here… which is me! I'll defeat Oracion Seis by myself and shove it in your face! Let's go, Juvia, we have some criminals to beat up."

"Gajeel-san?"

The Saiyan calmly listened to all of them, his face unchanged as his eyes remained shut before taking a deep breath. He knew this outcome would happen, all of them were strong-willed, and kind people who at their very core would not accept his decision whatsoever nor were capable of taking orders such as this. And he was too naive, believing that a few simple words were going to be enough. Perhaps he wanted to believe in a small corner of his mind that they would listen to him, hoping for something impossible but doing so out of respect more than anything else. 

Now… now He needed to take drastic measures.

Crack!

"—!?"

The ground all around him crumbled under the sole of his boots, a small film of his Ki flaring up coating his body followed by a gentle wave of strength surging throughout his body like water. The pressure drifted all over the room and tensed up everyone, no different from dropping a boulder onto their shoulders.

"I told you, that was not a request." 

"This guy has gone crazy! Let's get out of here quickly, Wendy, you'll get hurt by this brute of an idiot if we stay any longer here!" Sharla pulled onto the young Dragon Slayer's sleeves, the blue-haired girl watching him confused and fearful.

To have such a young child participate in this dangerous quest… just what were these people thinking? The power he was sensing from her though impressive for someone her age was just not enough.

"I-I refuse!" 

"Wendy!?" 

Despite her companion trying to pull her away, Wendy remained firmly standing in her spot and visibly tried to accumulate as much courage as possible. The sight almost made him chuckle at her action, for such a shy and young girl, she surprisingly had a brave spirit to her personality. The people in Fairy Tail would have loved to have someone like her as their member. 

"I-I agree with e-everyone, you shouldn't look down on us!" 

He didn't look down upon them, far from it, especially his own guild members — he just didn't trust himself.

"Sorry," he responded to her, "You should listen to the annoying white cat, I'm just doing this to protect you." 

"Excuse me!? Annoying!? Who are you calling annoying!?" Ah, the annoying white cat was angry again for some reason but wasn't hitting him like before. 

"Are you betraying us, Broly-dono?" Jura went into a battle-ready stance, along with Ichiya and every other member of Blue Pegasus assuming a similar behavior, preparing their spells and weapons while facing him. But those of Fairy Tail hesitated and in Erza's case, the latter clenched her hands hard around the hilt of a blade — struggling to draw it. Lucy didn't even think of using her keys while Natsu and Gray were in a similar case to Jura and Ichiya.

Many were conflicted and he couldn't blame them for that. "This alliance has been approved and certified by the Magic Council, any action of disrespecting or disrupting or sabotaging it is no different to that of backstabbing us. You can easily be taken to trial and removed from your original guild. I am still giving you a chance to reconsider, it is clear that you have a good heart and pure intentions but this is not the way to proceed, please do not force our hands. Your comrades are visibly distraught by your actions as w—!?" 

Jura initially released a sigh of relief as Broly's energy died down, and before he could even be assured that the young man had come to his senses, the latter bent his knees right as the floor cracked further, the ground beneath caving as he rushed straight towards him! 

"You fool!" he shouted, swinging his staff to summon a pillar of stone to act as a wall of defense between him and the Saiyan. "You leave me no choice!" 

Crash!

"Huh!?" Not batting an eye, Broly's hands mid-air came into contact with the stone and instantly broke through the layer of defense with little effort, passing through as if it were made of sand. Forcing a cloud of dust and debris to fill the room before it came crashing down onto the table. 

"..."

"Just what kind of magic even is this? I thought he possessed some form of energy manipulation but this kind of strength is too much!"

Unfortunately, his move to grasp the earth wizard's head was unsuccessful as the man managed to jump away at the very last second, joining Ichiya's side as the latter already held a couple bottles of some strange concoction within his hand that already made his nose feel irritated.

'I have to be careful, if I use too much strength then I might endanger their lives or cause permanent injuries.' He thought, analyzing his surroundings and finding out that a thin but clear cloud of some kind of yellow smoke surrounded him. His nose scrunching up as an intense stench of concentrated 'perfume' assaulted his nose. 

"Stand down young man, this is just a simple odor that will freeze your body, do not resist it as it will only make the inevitable—argh!" Ichiya's body blurred, a single powerful stomp stomping the floor below, an invisible pressure dispersing the clouds and forcing everyone to protect their faces. 

"Careful!" Jura shouted, having watched with frustration at a giant shadow emerging from the cloud of dust faster than lightning and instantly grasping the orange-haired man's neck. 

Broly lifted him up, feet dangling in the air as the mere act of breathing became nearly impossible. Sensing the gathering of energy from the other wizards in the room, he whispered. "Go to sleep."

A loud crashing sound spread as he pummeled the smaller guy onto the floor once, his move swift and clean as it instantly rendered Ichiya unconscious, the light in his eyes fading within a second before his body was gently placed away from the rubble. Just to be sure, Broly used some of his ki to heal him, stablizing his life force, and making sure that he wasn't in any danger. 

"Ichiya-san!" Seeing their leader get taken out so easily, Hibiki, Ren, and Eve were incensed, livid even while glaring at the Saiyan. The first member in particular had a bigger reaction, being the first one to deploy his magic. "You'll pay for this, Ren we need to trap him! Use your Aerial spell!" 

"Got it!" 

Right before Broly eyes a sphere that seemed to be made of air was shot straight towards him, sensing little danger from it he opted to just deflect the attack or dodge it. "Hm?" But as his arms went to slap the attack away, it expanded right before contact with a giant dome surrounding the entire area around his body. "H-Hu—Hugh!" 

'I… I can't breathe?' Instead of a powerful attack spell, as he expected, the spell in question turned out to be something completely different, something he had never faced in his life. The dome of air circulates around him like a tornado sucking up every bit of oxygen and causing him to feel the atmosphere become more and more difficult to breathe in. 

This turned for the worse in the following moments, with white fog escaping his mouth and the surrounding temperature steadily decreasing. 

"Eve?" 

"He should be incapacitated, do it now!" Shouted the blonde, surrounded by snow, all of it surrounding the dome of air and serving to detain Broly more than anything else and incapacitate him. 

"Good job," Hibiki pulled his sleeves and concentrated, his palms facing his opponent who fell to his knees. Even with the snow and air making it hard to see the inside, it was clear to him that Ren's magic was very effective against him. "Overload!" The best way he could think of to defeat his opponent without being at a disadvantage of facing a strength-enhanced wizard — by overloading information into Broly's head to the point of causing a blast. 

The combined effort sent his body flying backward and into a pile of rubbles. The debris fell on top and covered his entire body completely until not even a single hair of his was visible. 

"Broly!" In the back, Lucy exclaimed worriedly, having never seen him getting actually pushed back. 

"Wait," warned Gray, stopping the girl from running over to the other side, his gaze firmly focused on the rubbles. 

"Did we get him?" Asked the blonde, having used his most reliable magic spell in order to hold back that man. "Hibiki!" Eve exclaimed, pointing in the same direction as Gray was looking where all saw the rocks start to move. Slabs of concrete and pillars getting pushed aside as they watched in fear at the Saiyan emerging completely unharmed. 

"What the… WATCH OUT!" He and Hibiki had no time to take any other action before all three men were facing the shadow of a large pillar thrown straight at them. "Kurgh!" 

The object hit them in the stomach, putting the two members of the Trimen out of commission, following a similar fate as Ichiya. 

"What even is this guy!?" Left all by himself, Ren could do nothing but watch in horror at him being the only one standing in his group. A gust of air gathering around his palm, prepared to Aerial once more proved to be ineffective, all of his focus getting thrown straight out of the window as the next projectile that emerged from the debris was not another stone pillar but a miniature man. 

"Meennnn~!" 

"Ichiya-san!? Oh shit, not the fac—" Unfortunately, Ren's lack of reaction speed proved to be his undoing, as both men's faces collided against one another in a grotesque sight that made Erza want to throw up. 

With a low thud, their bodies fell to the floor, the entirety of Blue Pegasus having been defeated by the Saiyan who emerged from the destroyed walls. His clothes were tattered, his hair covered in dust and some remnants of snow here and there. Though just like the members of Blue Pegasus noticed, not a single scratch was present on his body, let alone so much as a bruise.

"Sorry," He whispered slowly, setting his eyes on Jura and making his way towards him. He stopped near the unconscious Hibiki, warily looking at the young man. "I never experienced something like that, it's a dangerous power." 

Who would have thought out of everyone here the one who actually made him start to worry about losing would be this person if there was more power behind that magic and it forcefully pulled all of the air from his lungs and the surroundings… then he would have been forced to get more serious.

With a light sigh, he pressed forward, ignoring Hibiki's state as he focused his attention on Jura — one of the few other people he had to use more force again. "Don't underestimate us, Broly!" Natsu's words echoed behind him, his gaze making a sharp turn as the temperature rose by several degrees.

Instantly, a wall of flames erupted in his path, expanding and covering his sides as well courtesy of Natsu, forcing him to leap back to avoid the searing heat.

As he regained his footing, Broly's senses heightened, detecting a shadowy figure descending upon him with a blade of steel. "Don't think he's the only one you should be careful of!" With a swift twist of his body, he narrowly evaded the attack, his movements fluid and precise as he landed on the opposite side of the room.

The giant steel blade cleaving through the floor with each strike. 

Natsu's voice cut through the tension, filled with determination. "I don't know what's gotten into you, or if you're under some weird mind-controlling spell, but I'll snap you out of it!" His words carried a sense of resolve, his fiery spirit unwavering. "And this is the perfect opportunity for a rematch!" 

Beside him, Gajeel snorted dismissively, his own intent evident in his stance. "Shut the hell up, Salamander. I'll be the one to teach this guy a lesson. I owe him a rematch after what went down at Akame Beach. GIHI, I'LL BE THE ONE TO BREAK YOUR BONES THIS TIME!!!" His voice dripped with a mix of rage and excitement as he readied himself—a twisted smirk on his face, raising both hands now resembling serrated blades.

Despite their ongoing rivalry, both Dragon Slayers put aside their differences to join forces against Broly. The sight of them working together impressed Broly, who couldn't help but feel a sense of respect for their camaraderie, despite the high tension between their guilds. Perhaps Gajeel wasn't as bad as he had initially thought.

"I'm doing this for your own good, Natsu. You weren't there on the island, you would have understood me otherwise." 

Having gained an understanding of Natsu's and Gajeel's strengths, there was absolutely no chance for either of these two to keep up against Acnologia. Dragon Slayers, yet they most likely wouldn't have been able to even scratch that monster… and he killed that very same dragon in a fit of pure uncontrolled rage. 

"Like hell, I would!" Shouted the salmon-haired wizard coming at him with blazing fists. "Fire Dragon's Fist!"

"Iron Dragon's Swords!" 

Broly prepared himself for the onslaught as the duo charged at him from both sides, Broly prepared himsel for the onslaught. With a surge of ki, he reinforced his forearms with a thin film of his energy to serve as shields against the impending attacks. Natsu unleashed a torrent of flaming strikes from one side, while Gajeel slashed those blades horizontally, aiming to cut through his abdomen's defense. 

The room erupted into chaos as flames engulfed one side and sparks flew from the collision of metal on the other. The Saiyan stood in a firm horse stance, his arms absorbing the impact of both attacks. "Aah!" With a swift motion, he seized Gajeel's blade, using its momentum to swing the Iron Dragon Slayer off his feet and collide with Natsu in a powerful clash. 

"Salamander!?" 

"Shit!" 

The force of their collision was greater than what happened with Ren and Ichiya. Gajeel's more rigid body served as a metal bat to practically pummel his partner onto the ground with little effort on Broly's end, though the attack was still not enough to take them out in one fell swoop. 

"What the hell was that for? Stop getting in my way, you shitty wizard! "

"I should be the one saying that! Your fat face and clunky swords can't even swing that damn thing properly. Go away if you can't fight!"

"Stop fooling around you two, your opponent has not fallen yet!" Jura's panicked voice echoed from behind, jolting both Natsu and Gajeel out of their argument. A chill ran down their spines as they realized that a figure casting a large shadow upon them.

"Oof!" 

Before they could react, two pillars emerged from the ground, striking each of them in the gut and sending them hurtling away once again. The force of the impact shattered the floor beneath them, leaving them sprawled on the ground. Yet it played its role as Broly's feet came crashing onto the area where the two were previously, a calculated strike intended to take them out of the battle while they were distracted. 

"..."

Frowning, he glanced up at Jura, acknowledging the Earth mage's keen awareness and skill in combat had begun to annoy him more and more often. It seemed targeting him first was truly the wisest strategy.

He just needed to make sure to not get distracted.

"You're hurting your comrades," Jura admonished, his voice firm with disapproval. "I thought this was about protecting them yet your actions are accomplishing the very opposite!"

"I know this will hurt them, that's why I tried to ask all of you to remain behind first. But none of you are willing to listen to me… even now." Seeing the duo get back up the raging emotions of battlelust within their eyes was all the answer he needed. "But this is better than what can happen if actions of the past were to be repeated. I'm doing this for their own good," 

"You can't be sure of that, that's why guilds exist with the members helping each other out! We get stronger whilst facing such challenges, you can't protect them from everything like this!" 

"I know… I know that, but I just can't take the risk anymore!" Broly retorted, his gaze shifting between Natsu and Gajeel. "They are lacking… you and everyone here are just not strong enough yet, I can tell something isn't right with this quest and it would be better for me to handle it by myself." And above anything else, he just wanted to see if he was truly capable of handling himself without losing to the inner rage. 

To grasp once again at that confidence which assured him that everything was okay, to feel a semblance of control over himself. A feeling that was completely destroyed by Acnologia's actions and putting him in doubt till this day.

"I'm afraid we can not let that happen, Broly-dono." 

He knew the level of strength needed to contend with these two formidable wizards. Natsu's resilience and Gajeel's ironclad defense made them challenging opponents. He had sparred with Natsu countless times, always emerging victorious, but he respected the Dragon Slayer's tenacity and desire to be stronger.

Gajeel possessed similar qualities which he recognized from their first battle.

However, his main concern lay with Erza, who stood at the back, her conflicted expression betraying her inner turmoil. Like Lucy, Erza hadn't moved against him yet, but Broly remained wary. He knew the girl's stubbornness rivaled Natsu's, if not exceeded it, making her a formidable foe in her own right.

"Ice-make floor!" 

Gray next to Jura slapping his hands onto the floor and causing a wave of thin blue eyes to spread all over the room. It was just like what happened previously against the Trimen, the floor beneath his feet turned white, but instead of a layer of snow, it was ice creeping up his legs. Broly watched curiously as moving his feet required more effort than before, proving itself to be largely effective compared to what Eve used. 

Contemplating using more force, he shook that idea away instantly. Even with nothing but his muscle strength alone cracks started to appear, disappointment once again creeping its ugly head within his mind. 'If I wasn't at the island, they wouldn't have been able to defeat the black dragon, and now are asking to take on one of the strongest Dark Guilds?'

Even though he had little idea of how powerful those people were, to be this infamous would at least require a certain level of power — especially when the Magic Council had to assemble so many people. 

"Don't think you can ignore us!" He looked up to find the trio preparing another wave of attack, Natsu and Gajeel's cheeks bulging like frogs while a large magic circle appeared at the tip of his spear. 

'I'm giving you one last chance to prove me wrong.' He thought, relaxing his body and letting them finish their spells. "Heh, this kinda feels familiar." 

But unlike with that person, Broly didn't feel fear for his life. 

"Fire dragon's roar!"

"Iron Dragon's Roar!"

"Rock Avalanche!!" 

One by one, all of the three wizards gathered their wells of magic, and poured it all in the ensuing attacks fired at the same time. With cheeks bulging, Natsu unleashed a stream of fire hot enough to turn the surrounding red, while Gajeel conjured a tornado of pure metal shards that resembled a tornado of razor blades. Simultaneously, Jura added his own element of earth pillars shooting from the ground and heading straight for him.

His hair getting pushed back from the wind, the Saiyan watched the myriad of colors representing different elements get closer and closer. Shredding what little remained of the room into dust, the sheer sound nearly deafening his ears.

Woosh!

The three attacks collided with each other in a spectacular display of power. The stones heated up upon contact with Natsu's flames, turning into molten lava that further combined with Gajeel's metallic tornado. The fusion of elements created a breathtaking sight, leaving Broly momentarily stunned by the sheer force and beauty of the combined magic.

"I've never seen magic attacks combined like that before," Broly remarked, awe evident in his voice. He couldn't help but admire the seamless coordination and power behind their synchronized assault. Even someone as skilled as Erza would struggle to defend against such a formidable barrage without sustaining injuries or exhaustion. It was a display of strength that surpassed even some of Broly's techniques from his battles on Earthland.

His hands twitched, a reflex born from years of combat training. The formerly transparent wave of ki changed, condensing and turning brighter into a greenish hue. "—!" But as he was midway through bringing his arm up to defend, Broly hesitated. Instead, he pushed his arm back down, accepting the attack without any defense, his eyes closed in acceptance. 

"This is…"

The ensuing explosion was nothing short of a spectacular sight, the concentrated amount of magic detonating making the very earth shake, a dome of pure fire and metal expanded where he stood, consuming half of the building. The intense heat radiated outward, threatening to engulf everything in its path. The Pegasus Guild members were fortunate enough to be protected by a bubble of water that surrounded them just in time, shielding their bodies from the searing flames and molten metal.

"Un!" Juvia flinched, even with her water magic the intensity was still too much. "Eh?" Yet the very next second a dome formed around her, a construct made of pure green Ki easily blocking all of the oncoming heat with little difficulty, leaving her stunned.

"Mister Sun…" whispered the girl, her heart beating like a drum as she watched the scene before her. 

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"That should have done it," Jura gasped, clutching his sides as he spoke calmly to the wizards beside him, the Dragon Slayer struggling to catch his breath while the Ice wizard remained vigilant. "You two have done well. We should gather those who have been knocked out and figure out what to do with your guildmate."

The unexpected but welcomed inclusion of a nearly forming unison raid reinforced his idea of how capable these younglings were and gave him a front-row view of their abilities. "I'm certain you're all very worried about his health but do not fret. We did not use our full strength, just enough to knock him out, let's report this back to the Magic Council," he reassured them, though he still found it hard to believe they had to go to such lengths to restrain one who should have been their ally.

"Shut the hell up, old man," came a brash retort, cutting off his words abruptly. "Don't you drag those idiots in this case, they'll just make things worse and arrest Broly again! He was just not feeling well today… he's not like this usually." 

Jura frowned, "I'm afraid I can't do that, his actions have incapacitated a quarter of our available numbers, and the members of Blue Pegasus need to recover which ruins any plans we prepared. You can't expect me… to… look… past…" 

Something wasn't right, his voice slowly came to a stop as the man noticed the look of shock on everyone's face, their eyes looking not at him — but at something past him. 

"... still not enough." said the gruff voice behind him, delivering a quick chop to the back of his neck. 

"Urgh!" A shock traveled all throughout his nerves, rendering any thoughts of dodging or jumping away as nothing but a dream. But before Jura fell to the floor, he saw with his own eyes as Natsu, Gajeel, and Gray tried to use their magic once again but followed his fate soon enough.

The knuckles of a giant fist sticking to the fire Dragon Slayer's chin, the back of another hand digging into Phantom Lord's ace, and the back of a boot crushed Gray's head onto the ground. All happening at the same time, moving fast enough that no one could even react in time. 

"... Speed… Ma-Magic…?" Those were the only words Jura managed to utter before falling, unable to understand just where such a monster even emerged from and why hadn't Makarov said anything to the Council. 

"No, you're just slow." 

"..."

…

"Not you too," having dealt with the majority, Broly found himself facing the only person whom he worried about the most to battle. Not out of fear of getting beaten but due to how unwilling his mind was at the idea of harming her like this. 

"..." Erza didn't say a word, looking at the people behind him instead. 

"I made sure to hold back, they will wake up in a few hours with a headache at most. Please take care of them, I don't want Natsu to come running after me, I know he will." Knowing the boy, not even an army of grunts working under Oracion Seis would be able to stop him. "Though I will most likely be done with them before that happens." 

Her armored hands went to grasp the sword at her hilt, forcing the man to clench his hands. "You know why I'm doing this, you saw what happened back there along with Lucy. I can't put you all in danger, I need to make sure such a thing won't happen again." 

"We can deal wit—"

"No, you can't," he cut her off immediately, using a tone she rarely heard from the man. The latter took a deep breath, "I know I'll be in trouble with Master and the Council, but I'll handle it. As long as all of you are safe then that's all that matters to me. This quest is far too dangerous, I can't look after all of you at the same time. If something happens and I wasn't there on time… I'm more afraid of that outcome than anything else." 

Afraid that he would make things far worse.

Erza gritted her teeth, "Are we really that weak in your eyes that you can't trust us?" 

"I trust you," he pressed, wanting to push that point across more than anything else. "But I don't trust myself, just make sure they don't do anything rash when they wake up." 

Erza realized that he didn't deny her question about them being weak, worst of all, she couldn't even deny it after he emerged from the fight with nothing but a small bruise on his chest from the last attack. 

Walking past the redhead, Broly found Lucy in the background frozen in her spot, still looking at the downed Natsu, Gray, and Jura. "B-Broly?" 

He clapped his hands and smiled in gratitude, "Thanks for not having summoned Aquarius, I know for certain she would have hated my suggestion as well. I honestly don't think I'm capable of harming her even if she asked me to." 

"A-Ah, yeah…" Honestly, she had completely forgotten about her own Keys, far too flabbergasted by everything that happened in such a short amount of time. She tried to gather her strength to confront the man, hoping that he would listen to her at the very least, though before she could do that he flew away. "Wah!" 

The gust of air flipped her skirt and messed with her air, his figure soaring through the clouds before it vanished completely. 

Bam!

Lucy flinched again, looking to find Erza having smashed her fists against the ground with a furious expression that scared the living daylights out of her. "Damn it all!" 

Another crashing sound came, this one being that of a door falling off its hinges. "Eh?" Lucy turned around to face the strange sight of a completely disheveled white-haired young girl covered in soot. Wearing the remains of a dress which had white frills on the skirt and on the collar. "Who… is she?" 

Last she remembered, there was no one like that from any of the guilds was like that.

Unfortunately for her, the stranger didn't seem to be in any mood for talking, falling onto her knees and starting to cry out loud. "Waaaaaahhhh! What the hell happened here!? I thought I was going to die after that big man crashed into the bathroom! AND THEN EVERYTHING WENT UP IN FLAMES! DID BRAIN START THE ATTACK WITHOUT TELLING ME!?" 

Lucy was starting to think that perhaps a crazy person must have made her way inside the meeting room.

Unbeknownst to both of them, Wendy secretly inched closer to the exit until she and Sharla were gone from sight. 

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"You want to follow him!? Are you crazy, young lady!?" Exclaimed the white cat, mouth hanging open at what she heard the girl ask outside. "Did you see what happened inside? Don't tell me you're blind, I know you aren't! If he says he can handle this and even goes as far as to beat everyone up, why would you want to follow him!?" 

Sharla seriously started to think that her partner had gone mad. Her request made no sense and was ridiculously dangerous!

"I-I know!" Wendy answered with a whisper. "I-I just want to make sure h-he has someone to heal him in case he gets i-injured. You never know what k-kind of powerful wizards the dark guild can have! And… and he doesn't seem like a bad guy, he's just trying to protect his friends…" 

"By breaking their skulls?" Sharla said with a deadpan. 

"They're fine! I checked one of them and he's only been knocked out. A-And this is the perfect opportunity to prove that Cait Shelter is a capable guild!" 

"I won't fly you nowhere near that man!" 

"T-Then I'll walk!" Wendy remained stubborn, stomping her feet without showing any signs of backing down — giving her partner a bigger headache. "Please?" 

"No!"

"Please!" 

"I said no!" She continued to deny it but turned pale as soon as the girl started to run into the woods. "Wait… don't you try walking in the woods by yourself Wendy! You'll trip and fall! Aaaah! Fine! I'll take you near him, but if you so much as get near a few feet of that brute, I will seriously ground you!" 

Her warning earned a joyful smile from Wendy, followed by an energetic nod. It just earned another exsaperated sigh from the cat. 

"Hah, what a disaster." 

{Break}

-???-

In a dimly lit room, a floating staff approached the center where a young, beautiful red-headed woman sat comfortably while reading a book. Once wielded by the leader of Oración Seis, the staff now quivered like a leaf in the presence of this person before. It had witnessed the twisted and merciless punishments she inflicted on those who defied her, even Zero proving to be no match for her. To avoid being turned into splinters, it had chosen to become a loyal servant, obeying her every command without question. For now, at least.

"Mistress, the traps have been set, and the improvements you suggested have been implemented with the help of our other members. We are prepared for any invasion from the guild alliance," the staff reported dutifully.

A shiver ran down the staff's length as if it could feel a chill creeping up its non-existent spine. The woman's words sent a wave of confusion and worry through it, more unsettling than anything it had experienced before.

"Guild Alliance? Don't be ridiculous, those preparations I made for a single person rather than an entire group come up, they are nothing more than mice to a lion."

For one single person? 

What kind of answer was that!?

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 1 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.