"With three Oración Seis members defeated (Racer, Midnight, Cobra) and one turned (Hoteye), Brain must have noticed something by now."
Jellal arranged the three injured dark mages together against a wall, ensuring they were secure.
He stood up, wiping dust from his hands, and asked Ankh.
"Are you going after Brain?"
Ankh nodded, checking the direction of the magical signatures. "Hoteye was likely reformed by Nirvana's light, so only two Oración Seis members should remain active: Angel and Brain."
"I'll find Brain and eliminate him. We'll come back for the core of Nirvana after this mission is complete and the alliance disperses."
Jellal nodded, then hesitantly added.
"Speaking of which, do you really have a way to make them obey you? These people are fanatics."
After all, judging by Racer's immediate willingness to self-destruct earlier rather than surrender, their loyalty to darkness—or rather, their fear of weakness—seemed considerable.
Ankh stroked his chin thoughtfully and said:
"Some of them should be easier to persuade than others... We'll deal with that later. Let's take things as they come. Force works wonders on those who only respect strength."
After speaking, the two rested briefly before carrying the unconscious captives and heading toward the agreed meeting point.
...
Meanwhile, Lucy and Wendy, who had been at a disadvantage against Brain and Angel, still hadn't received reinforcements.
They were cornered in a ruined courtyard.
During the fight, Lucy became enraged by Angel's cruel treatment of her own Celestial Spirits.
"Spirits aren't tools!" Lucy screamed. "They are friends!"
With no escape route available, she chose to confront Angel directly.
Thus, the female protagonist who endured the most beatings and comedic misfortune in the series finally decided to face her opponent head-on with iron resolve.
However, the outcome wasn't ideal—she remained disoriented by the attacks from Angel's copied spirits (Gemini).
Wendy, however, unexpectedly unleashed a Sky Dragon Slayer roar while distressed about Lucy getting injured protecting her.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
The blast temporarily repelled Angel, buying them a moment.
Seizing this opportunity, Hibiki—who was monitoring the battle from afar via his Archive Magic—remotely transmitted the usage method of the ultimate Celestial Spirit Super Magic, "Urano Metria," directly into Lucy's mind through his Archieve.
"I can do this!"
Lucy, bursting with astonishing Magic Power she didn't know she had, began the chant.
"Open, Heaven! Stars of the universe, grant me your power..."
She ultimately used "Urano Metria" at the cost of draining all her magic.
BOOM!
Hundreds of stars rained down, completely defeating Angel and destroying the surrounding ruins.
Though she herself collapsed unconscious from absolute magic exhaustion immediately after.
"Star Memoir? Or rather... Urano Metria."
Brain, who had been sent flying back by Urano Metria's shockwave, stared incredulously at the unconscious Lucy from the dust.
"The legendary Super Magic of the stars, capable of using the power of all eighty-eight constellations for omnidirectional targeted attacks. It represents profound evolution in Celestial Spirit Magic derivatives, having developed into an extremely offensive form of Celestial Magic."
Brain's expression was complicated. "But that magic... should only be learnable by someone with profound mastery of Celestial Spirit Magic. How could this brat..."
But soon, he crouched down covering his face.
Throb.
A black pattern was gradually fading from his tanned skin.
"Another one down..."
Sweat beaded on Brain's forehead as he glared at the battered, unconscious Angel.
He gritted his teeth. "Useless... All four of Oración Seis's wishes have been undone. I need to hurry..."
Using his cane for support, Brain suddenly dashed toward the unconscious Lucy!
'Once Nirvana's seal is broken, I can have as many subordinates as I want! This girl has potential!'
'I'll take you first!'
Wendy, who was desperately trying to heal Lucy with her magic, was startled to see the perverted-looking man charging toward them.
She puffed her adorable cheeks, took a deep breath, and shouted in a clear voice.
"Sky Dragon's... Roar!!"
Whoosh!
A swift tornado burst from Wendy's mouth.
The sudden gale struck Brain and slowed his advance slightly, pushing him back a few meters.
Seeing this, Carla flew Lucy to a corner while cheering Wendy on.
"Go Wendy! Blow him away!"
However, no matter how poor Brain's combat skills were compared to the other combat specialists, he wouldn't be pushed this far by a young support girl like Wendy.
After suffering setbacks for several consecutive days, Brain's rage ignited.
Bracing against the storm with his cloak flapping, his black cane glowed with an eerie light as a dark green magic circle emerged.
"Dark Rondo!"
ZAP!
The dark green spiral beam pierced through Wendy's tempest with terrifying penetration power, effortlessly shattering her attack and sending Wendy flying.
"Cough... Ah!"
The flung Wendy clutched her stomach in pain, tumbling several times across the rocky ground before coming to a stop.
Struggling against the pain, she tried to rise.
Thud.
A large foot suddenly stomped on her back, slamming her small frame heavily to the ground once more.
"Gah!"
"Wendy!!" Carla cried out anxiously.
The impatient Brain swung his staff.
Carla was immediately struck down by an incredibly fast dark beam and pinned to the wall.
"Much weaker than Cobra," Brain snorted coldly, "but barely qualified as a candidate for the new Oración Seis if I need a healer."
He glanced contemptuously at the fallen Wendy before preparing to leave.
In his view, only Lucy—who could use the Super Magic "Urano Metria"—was a suitable human specimen for his immediate plans.
"Huh?"
After just two steps, Brain suddenly felt his foot being grabbed.
Looking down, he saw Wendy reaching out, desperately clutching at his ankle to prevent him from approaching Lucy and Carla.
"Don't... go..." Wendy wheezed. "Don't touch them..."
Brain's eyes turned cold.
He kicked Wendy away, sending her rolling.
He then remarked sarcastically, "Don't worry. Once Nirvana's seal is broken, your guild will be the first to be destroyed. By then, you won't care about comrades anymore. You will all be part of the darkness."
Wendy's bruised face showed panic as she weakly asked, "Wh-why?"
But Brain didn't answer.
He walked to Lucy, grabbed her by the collar, and dragged her toward the city center.
'That fool Jellal thinks using that magic leaves me helpless?'
'Hmph... This is the inconvenience your "light" brings you! I will use this girl to force him out!'
Watching Lucy being taken away, Wendy mustered the last of her strength from her small body, struggling desperately to stand.
Tears welled in her eyes, the rims red and swollen from crying.
After all, this was Wendy's first time facing an opponent head-on in a real war.
Staggering to her feet, Wendy fixed her blurry gaze on Brain...
Just for a moment—even if she could only hold him back for a moment!
"I won't let you!"
Puffing her cheeks once more, Wendy swallowed the air around her.
Her magic power and physical strength gradually recovered slightly.
A faintly glowing magic circle materialized before her again.
Noticing the movement behind him, Brain turned around, frowned, and spoke impatiently.
"This is exactly what I hate about those from the light guilds... You don't know when to quit."
With that, Brain raised his staff.
He gathered sinister black magical particles before unleashing another beam of Terror—even more terrifying than the last!
"Dark Capriccio!"
But Wendy couldn't muster another roar in time.
She stood there, defenseless.
"Die!"
As the swaying Wendy was about to be consumed by the dark energy...
FLASH!
A crimson blade of light tore through the darkness, blooming in an instant!
SLASH!
The dark beam was cleanly severed in two, fizzling out and landing on either side far away from Wendy.
Standing protectively before Wendy was the Fairy Queen with flowing crimson hair, clad in the Clear Heart Clothing and holding her katana—Erza Scarlet!
Erza's eyes blazed with fury as she turned and spoke gently to Wendy.
"Thank you, Wendy. You did well. Leave the rest to us."
Wendy smiled weakly.
She had already lost consciousness, collapsing limply backward.
She was caught by the steady arms of a potato-like man.
Jura Neekis gazed at Wendy's battered form in his arms, gritting his teeth as he glared coldly at Brain in the distance.
"To inflict such harm on a child..." Jura's voice trembled with suppressed rage.
His magic pressure began to rise, shaking the ground.
"Prepare to be paid back in kind, Brain!"