Fairy Tail: This Healing Mage's hits hurt so much!

In the guild hall, everyone gathered together, with a diagram of the Dark Guild's structure that Lidas had just drawn floating in mid-air.

The image is filled with circles of varying sizes connected by lines of different thicknesses, and each circle is labeled with the name of a guild.

The image was densely covered with text, like a tangled spider web.

Kana's gaze swept back and forth across the architecture diagram several times, and finally she pointed at it with her finger, her tone nonchalant.

"I only realized how many Dark Guilds there are after I finished organizing them."

Lucy stood next to Cana, tilting her head to look at the densely packed picture, her face full of confusion.

Why do we need to organize this?

Mirajah crossed his arms and looked serious.

Her gaze slowly moved across the architectural diagram, and the smile that usually graced her lips vanished without a trace, replaced by an unusual coldness.

She raised her eyes, glanced at the crowd gathered around her, and spoke in a lower voice than usual.

"Because they've started getting restless again recently."

The air fell silent for a moment.

Mirajah's tone made everyone put away their usual playful smiles.

Gray put his hands in his pockets, tilted his head, stared at the diagram for a long time, and then pointed to the largest circle at the top of the diagram with one finger.

The circle was drawn several times with bold lines by Lidas, making it stand out.

Gray's brows furrowed, his tone revealing undisguised confusion.

"So what is this big circle?"

Juvia's eyes lit up instantly.

She pushed forward, almost knocking Lucy, who was standing in front of her, off balance, her voice filled with barely suppressed excitement.

"Juvia knows this!"

She pointed to the largest circle, then pointed to a circle drawn on the map, and then tapped on the three smaller marks below the circle in turn.

"That's the Balam Alliance, a dark guild comprised of the Oración Seis, Devil Heart, and Tartaros—the largest dark force!"

Juvia took a deep breath, her finger continuing to trace the map, extending outwards from the three core guilds and tracing the dense network of connecting lines.

"They have many dark guilds under their control, dominating the entire underworld. There's also Raven's Tail, which is independent and not under the jurisdiction of the Balam Alliance."

After Juvia finished speaking, she slightly raised her chin, secretly glanced at Gray, and her face was full of expectation that "Lord Gray, please praise me."

Lucy's gaze swept across the architecture diagram and then suddenly stopped.

She blinked and pointed to a circle crossed out on the picture, next to which was a small name.

There was a hint of surprise in her voice.

"Eh, isn't it Iron Forest?"

Sunburst appeared out of nowhere, silently appearing behind Mirajane. He wrapped his arms around her waist, rested his chin on her shoulder, and clung to her like a large golden retriever.

He tilted his head, his gaze passing over Mirajane's shoulder to look at Tu, a lazy smile playing on his lips.

"Yes, it's the same guild that had the Wind Man last time."

Mirajane was suddenly hugged by Sunshine, and her body stiffened slightly.

Then she relaxed and let him hang on her, only gently patting the back of his hand that was wrapped around her waist.

Riyao continued, his tone carrying a casual smugness.

"Don't underestimate them. They're actually quite good at looting. Mira and I have gone there quite a few times to plunder, and we always manage to bring back some good stuff."

Gray stared speechlessly at Sunrise's matter-of-fact expression, his lips twitching as he squeezed out a sentence through gritted teeth.

"They are truly blessed to have met you."

Wakaba, with a pipe dangling from his lips, squinted at the name of the Oración Seis on the architectural diagram.

He exhaled a smoke ring, which slowly drifted above the picture, his tone carrying a hint of disdain.

"I heard that the Oración Seis only has six members; their scale is really small."

Macao stood next to Wakaba, arms crossed, and nodded in agreement.

"I really don't know what use a guild that small is. There are so many people in our guild, we could drown them with just a spit from each of us."

Mirajane grasped Sunshine's hand that was roaming around her waist, tightening her grip on his fingers.

She raised her head, her eyes suddenly turning sharp, her gaze sweeping over Wakaba and Macao like a blade. Her voice wasn't loud, but it carried a sense of oppressive power that made people dare not underestimate her.

"With only six people, they are one of the largest dark forces; their strength is unimaginable."

Wakaba almost dropped the pipe from his mouth, and Macao unconsciously took a half step back.

Mirajane rarely showed such an expression, but whenever she did, it meant that things were anything but simple.

Just then, the guild's door was pushed open.

Makarov walked in through the door, his steps slower than usual, and his expression more serious than usual.

He held a folded document in his hand, the edges of which gleamed under the light with the distinctive gold foil pattern of the council.

He walked to the round table, glanced at everyone's faces, and then announced in a deep voice.

"Regarding the Oración Seis that you are talking about, it has been decided that we will be the ones to defeat them."

As soon as he finished speaking, the guild hall erupted in chaos.

The crowd buzzed with discussion, their voices rising and falling, some excited, some nervous, and some already itching to get started.

Natsu, who was dozing off at the table next to him, heard the word "suppression".

He sprang up as if he'd been electrocuted, letting out a howl, and scrambled over.

His eyes were wide open, and a burning flame of anticipation ignited in his pupils.

Makarov raised a hand, signaling for everyone to quiet down.

Once the noise subsided, he continued, "To avoid any single guild becoming the primary target of retaliation, we have decided to form a coalition to jointly attack!"

He paused, then unfolded the official document in his hand and laid it flat next to the organizational chart.

The document bears the official seal of the council and lists a string of guild names below.

Makarov's fingers traced over the names one by one, his voice steady and powerful.

"A united front comprised of Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Boa Hancock, and Neko no Yai!"

Sunlight's chin was still resting on Mirajane's shoulder as he lazily counted on his fingers, bending one finger for each guild he mentioned.

"They're all old acquaintances. If nothing unexpected happens, Blue Pegasus should be Ichiya, Snake Scale should be Jura, and as for Cat's Abode, I haven't seen the others before. Wendy also has healing magic, so she should be sent as well."

Lucy's eyes widened, her mouth opened slightly, and her expression changed from confusion to shock, and finally to terror.

Her voice unconsciously rose a few decibels.

"They only have six people, yet it took four guilds to defeat them? Just how strong are they?"

Sunrise lifted his head from Mirajane's shoulder, looking at Lucy with the eyes of someone looking at a rare animal, a mischievous smile playing on his lips, his tone undisguisedly teasing.

"Lucy, you're still too naive. You're always making a fuss over nothing."

Makarov cleared his throat, drawing everyone's attention back to himself.

His gaze sharpened as he slowly swept across the crowd before beginning to muster his troops.

"Erza!"

Erza stepped out from the crowd, her armor reflecting a cold metallic luster under the lights.

Her gaze was firm as iron, and her voice was strong and resonant.

"President, I will not let you down!"

"Natsu!"

Natsu slammed his fists together in front of his chest, flames shooting out from between his knuckles, and his mouth stretched to his ears in a wide grin.

"Wow! It's on fire!"

"Happy!"

Harpy took flight, raised his right paw to his eyebrows, and made a crooked, loud salute.

"Yes!"

"Gray!"

Gray had his hands in his pockets, shrugged slightly, and had a "here we go again" look on his face.

He sighed, his tone languid, but a sharp glint shone deep in his eyes.

"Ugh, this feels so troublesome."

"Lucy!"

Lucy froze, pointing her finger at her nose, her expression like that of a student suddenly called on by the teacher to answer a question.

Her voice carried three parts surprise, three parts nervousness, and four parts disbelief.

"Oh, am I included?!"

"And finally, there's Sunrise!"

Riyao lifted his head from Mirajane's shoulder, blinked, and looked around. After confirming that Makarov was calling him, his expression instantly fell.

He tightened his grip on Mirajane's arm, his tone revealing undisguised reluctance.

"Huh? Isn't my Mira going?"

Makarov put his hands behind his back, took two slow steps, then stopped and looked at Riyao and Miraj.

"The Oración Seis's target this time is Nirvana, a magic that can reverse good and evil. Mira is a recipient of demons, and if she is affected by the power of Nirvana, there could be unpredictable consequences. Even if you go, don't use your demon form."

Riyao frowned and pressed his lips into a thin line.

He turned his head and pressed his face against Mirajane's cheek, like a cat unwilling to leave its owner, his voice filled with a coquettish murmur.

"If Mira isn't going, I don't want to go either."

Mirajane turned her head to the side, pressing her cheek against Sunshine's cheek, feeling the warmth from his skin.

A gentle smile appeared on her lips as she reached out and gently rubbed Riyao's head, her tone as if she were coaxing a sulking child.

"Be good, the guild master is worried about Erza and the others going alone, that's why he asked you to keep an eye on them."

Sunlight buried his face in Mirajane's neck, and a muffled sound came from the crook of her shoulder.

"Yeah, but I feel terrible if I don't see you for a day."

Mirajane's smile deepened, and the corners of her eyes curved into two beautiful crescent moons.

She turned slightly to the side and cupped Riyao's face in her hands.

"How about I give you a reward when you come back?"

After saying that, she tiptoed slightly and gently kissed Riyao's lips.

The guild hall was silent for a second.

Lucy stood to the side, covering her face with her hands, but her eyes, peeking out from between her fingers, couldn't help but glance in that direction.

"I still don't understand how these two get along."

Kana somehow appeared next to Lucy, holding a half-empty bottle of wine, with a meaningful smile on her face.

She nudged Lucy with her shoulder, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "Why don't you talk to someone and you'll know?"

Lucy's face turned bright red instantly, from the base of her neck all the way to the tips of her ears. She jumped up like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, waving her hands wildly in the air.

"Kana! What are you saying?!"

Kana tilted her head back and took a swig of wine, letting out a hearty laugh that echoed through the guild hall, easing the tense atmosphere from before.