Fairy Tail: Strongest Creature

"Hey, what's this?"

"It looks like a chart of the Dark Guild's organization."

Levy raised her hand. "Ah, I drew it up."

"Why'd you make another one?" Lucy asked, curious. When she first joined the guild, even hearing about the Dark Guild frightened her. Now, though, she felt calmer, even after seeing the dense network of evil guild names.

Mira answered, "Because the Dark Guilds have become active lately. If we don't strengthen our ties with other guilds, the consequences could be…unimaginable."

Though the Magic Council periodically purged Dark Guilds, its efficiency was too poor to launch a truly effective crackdown. And when Dark Guilds sought revenge, they usually didn't attack the Council; they targeted legit guilds like Fairy Tail.

Su Yan couldn't fix all of that single-handedly, so he simply made sure any Dark Guild that came after Fairy Tail met swift, brutal retaliation, hoping it would scare off the rest.

"What's with those curly braces?" Elfman wondered, pointing.

"Juvia knows! That's the biggest force in the Dark Guild world—the Balam Alliance. Three powerful guilds united, each commanding multiple subsidiaries. They basically control the entire underworld!"

"Sort of like how the Magic Council oversees all legit guilds?" someone mused.

Erza nodded. "Yes. A scattered Dark Guild is easier to eliminate, so they formed an alliance. That's why a lot of people hesitate to challenge them directly."

"Ah! Eisenwald's in here too!" Lucy noted with surprise upon spotting the name. She recalled first crossing paths with that Dark Guild—and especially how Su Yan had tackled a train head-on back then, walking away unscathed while the train was destroyed.

"So they're affiliated with Oración Seis?" Gray muttered, frowning.

"And the Corpse Soul guild, which the Thunder God Tribe crushed, also belonged to them," someone remarked. Even though Laxus was gone, Freed and the others remained, having embraced Fairy Tail more fully than ever.

Juvia, smiling brightly, added, "Back when Gajeel and I were in Phantom Lord, we also took out a few guilds under Oración Seis."

Gray groaned, "Don't grin about that stuff…"

"It appears Oración Seis mainly operates in Fiore," Su Yan said, scanning the list. If multiple Dark Guilds in the region were affiliated with Oración Seis, it was no coincidence.

Lucy hugged herself. "Ugh! Let's hope they don't come after us."

"It's rumored they only have six members," someone interjected with a chuckle. "A tiny guild, right?"

"Don't underestimate them," Mira warned. "If just six wizards formed one of the greatest underworld forces, you can't take them lightly."

The two who'd joked about it shrank back under Mira's stern gaze, realizing they might've spoken too soon.

Suddenly, Master Makarov's voice rang out: "Speaking of Oración Seis, we've been chosen to go after them!"

Many people froze, startled. One of the three Balam Alliance guilds? And Fairy Tail was supposed to take them on?

Mira greeted him warmly: "Ah, welcome back, Master!"

Lucy exclaimed, "Now's not the time for that!"

Erza asked, "Master, what do you mean? What's going on?"

Makarov explained, "At the recent meeting, rumors about Oración Seis' movements came up. It's become a big concern that can't be ignored. In the end, they had to decide which guild or guilds would move against them."

Generally, recognized guilds didn't cross paths with Dark Guilds unless they had reason: the Dark side took shady jobs, while the normal side took legitimate ones. Only if a Dark Guild got too brazen did a legitimate guild intervene. With Fairy Tail's track record, Makarov often took responsibility for such missions—though usually, Su Yan handled them, since Makarov trusted only him to see them through safely.

"But is Fairy Tail alone enough to handle something like Oración Seis…?" Juvia wondered.

"No," Makarov said grimly. "They're too strong for just us. If we alone pick a fight, all three Balam Alliance guilds might target us. So the final decision is that an 'Alliance Army' will be formed." The old man wouldn't risk his children's lives without backup.

"Alliance Army?!" gasped many in the guild.

"Right. Four official guilds—Fairy Tail, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Cait Shelter—will each send elite wizards. Together, we'll bring down Oración Seis!"