Chapter 370: Coalition Assembly
"Come now, why don't you join us over here as well?"
Ren stepped smoothly up to Lucy's side, placing a hand lightly on her shoulder as he steered her toward the seating arrangement.
"Though... I must admit, you are exceptionally adorable," Ren added, a faint, visible blush creeping up his neck.
"Eek!"
Caught entirely off guard, Lucy let out a startled squeak, completely yielding to his guidance as she was led to the plush sofa.
"What in the world are those clowns doing?" Gray muttered, having finally secured his trousers and buttoned his shirt.
"Who are they again?" Natsu asked, blinking. He had completely tuned out their theatrical introduction.
"Let's focus on the parameters of the operation. This coalition requires our absolute cooperation..." Erza attempted to steer the meeting back to a professional military briefing, but Eve smoothly cut her off mid-sentence.
"So lovely! That fierce expression on your face is simply magnificent. I have always admired you from afar, Titania," Eve said, staring at Erza with eyes full of pure, unadulterated adoration.
Erza froze mid-breath, thoroughly dazed by the sudden, intense compliment, her authoritative voice completely failing her.
Nearby, Hibiki was relentlessly plying Ultear and Sorano with warm hospitality, adroitly offering fresh towels and crystal glasses of chilled wine, leaving both specialized dark-sector operators entirely speechless at the aggressive charm.
"Hmph... don't go assuming I prepared this drink specifically for you or anything," Ren murmured, sliding a crystalline glass over to Lucy before looking away sharply.
"A total Tsundere!" Lucy blurted out under her breath, a dense wall of comical black lines cascading down her forehead.
"Please, allow us to ease your burdens. The journey to this sector must have depleted your physical energy parameters," Hibiki said, stepping into the absolute center of the foyer. Eve and Ren smoothly fell into step flanking him, the trio locking into a flawlessly synchronized pose as they looked at the Fairy Tail girls.
"Tonight... stay with us, Forever!"
Ultear, Erza, and Sorano sat with their mouths slightly open, staring at the posing trio in absolute, dead silence, completely at a loss for human words.
"You boys, that is quite enough hosting for one evening!"
A deeply dramatic, melodious male voice suddenly resonated from the top of the grand marble staircase.
"Wh-What is that? That incredibly rich voice...?" Lucy stammered, her gaze instinctively tracking the sound.
"Master Ichiya!" Erza's face undergone a violent, comical distortion the exact millisecond she recognized the tone.
"It has been far too long, my beautiful Erza-san," the male voice echoed as the figure descended from the upper balcony.
He was a remarkably short, stout man with rich orange hair, a distinctly square, blocky jawline, and a comically flat nose. He wore a crisp, white formal suit accented by a brilliant blue rose pinned firmly to his lapel.
"Honey?!" Happy and Lucy shrieked in perfect unison.
Meanwhile, Ultear and Sorano watched the unfolding drama, soft, amused smiles playing on their lips.
Is this the exact Ichiya that Erza frequently mentioned with such intense dread back at the guildhall? Ultear whispered silently into Sorano's ear.
Mmm, exactly him. They crossed paths during a formal inter-guild assembly with Master Makarov a while back, and the man apparently experienced a lightning-strike of unrequited love at first sight. Erza harbors absolutely zero romantic interest toward his profile, but he has launched continuous, relentless courtship campaigns ever since. She has invested a massive amount of evasive strategy to completely dodge his coordinates. To think his network would claim a slot on this exact coalition... Sorano covered her mouth, giggling quietly as she broke down the background data.
Across the foyer, Erza's physical form was visibly shivering from pure psychological distress at Ichiya's theatrical advance.
"Ah, to think this fair maiden was actually Master Ichiya's designated lady. Our behavior was profoundly disrespectful," Hibiki and the trio immediately executed a synchronized, deeply respectful bow toward Erza.
"I deny that parameter with every fiber of my logical capacity!" Erza countered at the top of her lungs, her natural military authority returning in a panicked rush.
"Furthermore, I am currently locked into an active, exclusive relationship. I have a boyfriend!" Erza declared loudly.
The shock of Ichiya's entrance had temporarily compromised her cognitive processing, but she finally managed to retrieve her core defensive data.
"What?!"
This time, it was Ichiya's turn to experience an absolute system shock. He stared at Erza, wide-eyed with pure, unmitigated disbelief.
"Mmm. I have recently committed to a partner," Erza clarified, her composure fully restoring itself. Her shivering ceased instantly, and her natural, radiant smile returned to her face.
"Who is this man? Reveal his identity!"
"It's Noah," Erza answered softly, her smile turning incredibly warm and genuine.
"Ah... so it is that young man," Ichiya murmured, recalling his past academic and magical exchanges with the silver-haired Mage. A heavy, wistful sigh escaped his lips. "He is indeed a formidable gentleman whose refined qualities do not fall short of my own parfum."
Tracking the profound happiness radiating from Erza's smile, Ichiya recognized that his campaign had reached an absolute termination point. Suppressing the immense sorrow in his chest, he looked at her with genuine sincerity. "Then, across the currents of fate, I offer you both my deepest blessings for absolute happiness."
"Thank you for your gracious blessings," Erza replied, offering a formal, appreciative nod.
With the romance metrics fully settled, Ichiya whipped around, his demeanor instantly turning authoritative as he barked at the Blue Pegasus trio, "You boys, clear these structural obstructions immediately! We have deployed to this sector to execute a high-stakes military suppression, not to engage in a civilian holiday!"
"Yes, big brother!" the trio shouted in unison. Moving with frantic speed, they systematically packed away the luxury sofa, low table, and wine bottles they had manifested moments ago.
"Wait... didn't they just address him as 'Master Ichiya' a second ago?" Lucy sweatdropped, tracking the sudden shift in hierarchy.
"It seems their choice of honorifics lacks structural consistency," Happy analyzed from her shoulder.
In hindsight, this man Ichiya possesses highly commendable character parameters, Ultear noted via Telepathy, watching the nobleman cleanly retract his courtship out of respect for her relationship. To pursue fearlessly when a lady is unattached, yet to cleanly yield and offer genuine blessings the exact moment a partner is declared... his discipline eclipses the vast majority of the male population.
Mmm, an honorable gentleman, Sorano agreed, nodding her head in firm approval.
"I have meticulously parsed the operational files regarding your respective backgrounds," Ichiya stated, turning his gaze back to face the Fairy Tail line. "Titania Erza-san, Ur和Ultear-san, Angel Sorano-san, Heartfilia Lucy-san... and the auxiliary personnel."
"What did you just call us?!" Gray roared, completely dumbfounded. The man had systematically cataloged every single female Mage in the room by name, only to summarize Natsu and himself as "auxiliary personnel."
(Sniff) (Sniff) (Sniff) (Sniff)
Ichiya suddenly slid up to Lucy's position, his nostrils flaring violently as he took several aggressive, deep inhalations of the ambient air. "Magnificent! A truly exquisite parfum!"
"EEEEK! STAY AWAY!"
A massive wave of goosebumps erupted across Lucy's skin, and she recoiled in absolute horror. "That is profoundly stomach-churning!"
"My deepest apologies, Lucy. Lacking direct authority over his behavioral patterns, I cannot mitigate his actions. However, ensure your guard remains stable; despite his eccentricities, his capacity as a high-tier caster is historically formidable," Erza whispered frantically, taking two distinct steps back to create a safe distance between herself and Ichiya. Even with the matter fully resolved, the man's natural energy triggered an organic, acute physiological discomfort.
"Listen up, you pristine Blue Pegasus pretty-boys! Keep your hands off the ladies of our guild!" Gray barked, stepping forward aggressively. He had officially reached his absolute threshold for their hosting routine.
"Ah, the male elements may self-terminate and return to their home coordinates," Ichiya remarked casually, completely dismissing Gray's presence with a wave of his hand.
"Thank you for your hard work! Have a safe journey back!" the Blue Pegasus trio chanted in unison. Executing a highly synchronized, polite bow, they gestured toward the front doors, formally escorting Gray out of the conversation.
"Giving me attitude inside an active staging area?! You clowns looking for a structural remodeling?!" Gray's face flushed with pure, explosive rage as he clenched his fists.
"Are you proposing a physical gauge of our parameters?"
"I assure you, our combat optimization metrics are exceptionally high," Ren and Eve countered, their expressions turning intensely sharp.
"A brawl?! Heck yeah, sign me up! I'm taking point!" Natsu roared, his eyes instantly blazing as he caught the scent of conflict.
"All of you, stand down this instant!" Erza bellowed, her voice cracking like a whip across the foyer.
"Is this the official staging ground for the Coalition Force? Remarkably boisterous for an elite vanguard assembly."
A calm, deep voice suddenly cut through the heavy tension from the entrance. The brawling factions froze, turning their heads simultaneously toward the threshold.
Standing at the doorway was a slender youth of short stature, wearing a traditional martial arts uniform accented by a structural head-wrap. A long, dark blue braid trailed gracefully behind his back, framing a countenance defined by exceptionally thick, prominent eyebrows.
"To think my arrival would coincide with such an energetic calibration match," the braided youth noted calmly.
"Could we request the absolute evacuation of all male elements from this perimeter?" Hibiki muttered, his hosting protocols briefly misfiring.
"Hehe, you shouldn't overlook the female assets on the line," a soft, melodious female voice suddenly resonated from the floorboards.
The crimson carpet began to ripple and warp dynamically like liquid clay. Within the shifting fabric, a graceful female form materialized from the floor, stepping smoothly into the light. She possessed rich, pastel-pink hair and wore a delicate, light pink dress that beautifully complemented her striking features.
"Hehe," the pink-haired Mage offered a soft, sophisticated chuckle.
Despite the abrupt entrance of the two newcomers, Natsu and Gray maintained their locked focus on the Blue Pegasus trio.
"Bring it on, pretty-boys! Show me what your network can output!" Natsu grinned, beckoning them forward with a dynamic wave of his hand.
The Blue Pegasus trio matched his energy, their expressions turning deadly serious as a volatile, suffocating tension saturated the foyer.
Standing off to the side, Ultear, Erza, and Sorano watched the standoff without raising a single word of protest. The continuous, aggressive hosting routine they had suffered upon entering had left them thoroughly unamused. Since courtesy prevented them from flattening the hosts themselves, letting Natsu and Gray execute a physical disciplinary sweep was an outcome they were perfectly content to observe.
Should we step out of the cloaking field to abort their physical collision? Ur asked via the mental link, turning her head to look at Noah. The two tier-breaking Mages remained securely hidden beneath layers of high-level stealth magic, observing the foyer from a blind spot.
No need. Let the boys run their calculations. Frankly, those three Pegasus clowns are an eyesore anyway, Noah replied mentally, his tone perfectly relaxed. If Natsu and Gray didn't throw a physical sweep, he had already intended to covertly deploy a localized tracking curse to give the trio a proper lesson later. Besides, the physical brawl isn't going to trigger. The anchor asset tasked to enforce discipline has cleared the perimeter.
Oh? Ur murmured, her sharp sensory capabilities picking up a massive magical signature entering the estate's boundaries. Her eyes locked onto the main entrance.
"Cease this petulant display!"
A thunderous, booming voice resonated from the threshold. The brawling factions froze instantly, their magical output grinding to a halt as their eyes snapped toward the front door.
Standing at the entrance was a colossal, heavily muscled man with a completely shaved head. He wore a sharp, short cape draped over his massive shoulders, anchored by a traditional wide loincloth that extended cleanly down to his calves. He held a colossal, weathered magical staff firmly in his right hand, his posture radiating the absolute stability of a mountain bedrock.
"Master Jura..." the braided youth murmured, offering a formal bow to the colossal newcomer.
"Jura...?" Erza's eyes widened slightly as she parsed the name.
"That man is the undisputed..."
"The absolute anchor asset of Lamia Scale..."
"The Iron Rock, Jura Neekis..."
The Blue Pegasus trio muttered in rapid succession, their faces instantly turning dead serious as they tracked the massive Mage's advance.
"Who exactly is that old guy?" Natsu asked, looking around. Realizing the entire room had been completely neutralized by the newcomer's presence, yet failing to identify the signature himself, he nudged Happy for data.
"He is one of the officially designated Wizard Saints, Natsu," Happy provided the baseline metric instantly.
"I have seen that exact name cataloged across the high-level Council files..." Lucy whispered, a wave of respect washing over her anxiety.
How does his raw capacity measure up against someone like Jose Porla of Phantom Lord? Sorano asked quietly, directing her query through a private Telepathy link to Ultear.
Mmm... in terms of absolute magical volume, he does not scale to Jose's historical peak parameters. If I remember the Council registers correctly, Jura's status anchors the lower tiers of the Ten Wizard Saints, whereas Jose commanded a significantly higher numerical rank within the elite circle. Jura was elevated to the status fairly recently to fill a structural vacancy, whereas Jose had dominated his seat for decades, Ultear broke down the comparative data in a hushed whisper.
Ah, I see, Sorano nodded, her sharp eyes continuing to analyze the Saint's posture.
~~~
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