A magic merchant infiltrating Fairy Tail

The hook-nosed man looked at Gerald with suspicion: "Lord Gerald, what are your plans? Are you just going to let the intruders go unchecked?"

"I've said it before, this is a game. I just want those guys to work hard, level up successfully, and get here so it gets more and more interesting, hahaha..."

"But if the ceremony isn't held soon, the councilors will find out sooner or later."

“Urdalus, are you still worried about this?” Gerald said. “I won’t let anyone stop me!”

Hearing Gerald's confident words, the hook-nosed man raised another concern: "The Fairy Tail people are really something else. If we let them cause trouble like this, they'll probably come up soon."

Gerald said, "That's what makes games interesting. Nothing is more boring than a one-sided game."

"Lord Jellal, you should capture Erza and hold the ceremony as soon as possible. Now is not the time to play around."

"Then you may go, Udarus."

"I see."

Udarus crossed his arms in front of him, and after a puff of smoke, he looked like a completely different person. His demeanor changed drastically; he was not only wearing heavy makeup and changing his clothes, but he also had a guitar in his hand, and two other people were with him.

Assassination guilds are magical guilds that specialize in assassination missions, and the Skull and Bones Society is one of them. Within the Skull and Bones Society, the strongest squad is called the Three Crows.

The Three Ravens got their name from the fact that they were all assassinated by Western officers during the Caprian War.

The Three Crows consist of three people: Udarus Eagle, a guitarist with heavy makeup and long, flowing black hair; Owl, a burly man who looks like a sentient owl and carries two rocket launchers; and Ikaruga, their captain, a female swordswoman with long, cherry-blossom-colored hair and wearing a kimono.

The departure of the three crows heralds the start of the game.

Gerald stepped down from the throne. In the empty room, a stone table held a chessboard with black and white squares, on which stood cartoon-shaped chess pieces. He himself seemed to be the mastermind behind the scenes, using people as chess pieces and playing chess for amusement.

A short while later, the walls inside the entire Tower of Paradise were covered with mouths.

"Welcome, everyone!"

Upon hearing this sound, the people who were running around inside the tower stopped in their tracks.

“I am Gerald, the ruler of this tower. Both sides have their pieces ready, it’s about time to begin.”

Hearing the voices coming from these mouths, Natsu asked in confusion, "Is this a game?"

"The rules are simple. I will use Erza as a living sacrifice to perform Zeref's resurrection ritual. In other words, if the gates to Paradise open, I win; if you can stop this from happening, you win."

“But… that’s not fun at all. I’ve arranged three more warriors here. We have to get past them to reach where I am.”

"In other words, this is a massive 7-on-7 battle!"

Kira counted the people on both sides, and his side included: himself, Dispel, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Juvia, Erza, and Happy;

Gerald's side includes: Gerald, Udarus, Owl, Dove, Card Man, Catwoman, Diamond Man, and Simon.

"Isn't this 8 vs 8...?"

Even if Harpy isn't considered a combatant, there are still four people on the other side who could betray them at any time. Is this guy serious?

Of the people on the other side, apart from Jellal, only Ikaruga's strength is passable, but in terms of swordsmanship, she can't beat Erza, not to mention there's also Dispel on this side. If all else fails, Juvia can stand there and let her hack away for a long time without any problem.

Kira couldn't understand it at all. Had Gerald been staying at home for too long that he couldn't even compare the strength of the two sides? With this lineup, how could the other side possibly win?

"Finally, let me explain a special rule to you: the Council may use a satellite magic circle to attack this place. That is the ultimate destructive magic that can destroy everything—magical spirit power!"

"The remaining time is unclear, but when the magical spirit's power strikes, everyone here will die. There can be no winner, which means the game is over."

"Alright, enjoy the game now!!"

After Gerald declared war, everyone who heard the news was surprised, especially the four from the Tower of Paradise. They had all helped Gerald for the sake of freedom, but in the end, he completely disregarded their lives.

Erza was the most worried, both for her former comrades and terrified by Jellal's motives.

Kira and Dispel were probably the least worried, as they knew about Jellal's plan and were not concerned about the influence of the magical spirit power.

"How could this be... What is that Jellal guy thinking..." Lucy said, trembling, upon hearing that the magical spirit power might attack. "And he's still talking about games in a situation where he might even die..."

Not only Lucy, but Gray and Juvia were also a little worried. The only one who didn't react was Natsu, who was oblivious and fearless, but that was also because he didn't even know what magical spirit power was.

Don't worry! Everything will be fine!

Kira then explained to everyone the untold story between the Tower of Paradise and the magical spirit power: "That's how it is. The Tower of Paradise is a crystal tower that stores magical power, just like my magic crystal."

"Even though you say that, I still feel a little uneasy..."

Kira smiled confidently: "It's alright, by then the battle will be long over."

Just then, a commotion came from ahead, and then Erza could be seen fighting with the guards.

"Erza!" Natsu shouted, waving his hand.

At the same time, Erza spotted them: "Why... are you here?"

Natsu said angrily, "We're here to save you... I won't let that guy named Jellal get away with it!"

“Go back!” Erza’s eyes darted around. “This is not a place for you.”

Chapter 123 Three Crows

"Even Harpy has been captured! We're not going to go back like this!"

Upon hearing Natsu's words, Erza had a guess in her mind: "Happy? Could it be Milliana...?"

Where is that guy?

"No...don't know..."

Natsu turned and left, saying, "Okay!! I understand!"

"What do you even know! Kira already told you, those people are..."

"I don't care what their past is like, or whether they were deceived by Jellal!" Natsu roared, turning around, his eyes blazing with anger. "Happy is waiting for us to rescue him!!!"

After saying that, Natsu charged forward, searching for Happy's scent in the air as he ran.

"That idiot is being reckless again!"

"Let's catch up quickly!"

Lucy was about to step forward when Erza blocked her way with her sword: "No, go back!"

“Miriamana loves all kinds of cats, I don’t think she’ll hurt Happy. I’ll take care of Natsu and Happy and bring them back. You all get out of here right now!”

"We can't do that. If Erza doesn't come with us, we won't leave!!"

Erza replied, "This is my problem, and I don't want to involve you all."

“We’re completely involved now, you see what Natsu looks like?” Gray said. “This is nothing like you. Why don’t you just say ‘Come with me’ like usual, without all that nonsense?”

"We'll help you. It's okay if you feel scared even once in a while!"

Erza was still feeling touched when she felt someone patting her shoulder. She turned around and saw Kira.

"I've already told them everything about you, so there's no need for further explanation or to think about facing this alone. We're Fairy Tail's comrades!"

Several chapters later, Kira once again uses this phrase to solve a problem, and its effectiveness remains undiminished.

As expected, Erza wouldn't let them leave, though she was still somewhat surprised: "My business?"

"Yes, I know more about your affairs, the Tower of Paradise affairs, and Gerald's affairs than you do!"

"Why do you know all this?" Erza pressed.

"Ahem...that's not important!" Kira evaded the question. "What's important is that you heard what Geralt said just now, right?"

"You mean?"

"It's a game, a game!" Dispel was indeed the one who understood Kira best. He knew what Kira was going to say as soon as Kira opened his mouth. Although they had only known each other for a short time, they had the same tacit understanding as old friends. "Everyone has gone too far in provoking us. I can't just let this go!"

"Dispel, you?"

"In my world, there is no such thing as failure! Since I'm included in this 7-on-7 game, none of you are allowed to lose, or else..."

Watching Dispel's departing figure, the group exchanged bewildered glances; it was the first time they had ever heard such a statement.

"This guy, he really deserves his good looks!" Kira exclaimed. "When it comes to being handsome, only I can compare to him!"

Lucy and Gray were speechless for a moment.

"Castle battle, that was really fun! I'm off then!" With that, Kira walked off in another direction. "You guys form your own teams!"

"Hey, wait a minute!" Gray said impatiently. "These guys are all acting on their own!"

Erza wiped away her tear-stained eyes and smiled, "It's okay, they're both very strong!"

Then, her eyes regained their usual confidence. "Let's go find Natsu first. Follow me!"

"Ok!"

The Tower of Paradise wasn't particularly large or small, but it was a maze of interconnected paths, and there was more than one way to reach the top. Before long, they encountered their respective enemies.

Inside the cat house, Natsu faced off against Miriam and the cube-shaped man. Although he couldn't remove the cat headgear from his head, Happy helped him out, and they managed to defeat their opponents in a two-on-two battle.

On the other side, Card Man and Simon also faced off against Erza and her group. After Erza and her group explained the situation and Simon persuaded them, the two instantly switched sides, and the situation suddenly became 10 against 4.

The four had been traveling for a short while when they encountered Udarus, one of the three ravens.

"Is this strange guy the combat power Gerald was talking about?"

Simon, standing nearby, explained the origins of the three crows to the group: "Each of them is very strong, so we can't be careless!"

Seeing Erza draw her sword, ready to fight, Gray said, "Erza, you go first, leave this to us!"

"Grey?"

"Aren't you going to settle things with that Geralt? Kira said he's one of the Ten Wizard Saints. You can't waste your energy here. Leave these guys to us!"

"I understand!" Erza sheathed her sword and then said to them, "Time is running out. Ah Xiang, Simon, you two go find Miliana and Wori first! Gray, you leave after you find Natsu! I'll take care of Jellal!"

After saying that, she ran away without looking back.

No sooner had Erza left than the group heard a commotion. Turning around, they saw Owl, one of the Three Crows, carrying two rocket launchers and leading Natsu to the battlefield.

"Natsu! Happy!"

Natsu scrambled to his feet, flames crackling in his hands: "Damn it, I'll never forgive them!"

The six exchanged glances and split into three groups: Natsu and Lucy dealt with Owl, Gray and Juvia dealt with Udarus, and Simon and Asha went back to find Miriam and Worry.

Two battles broke out simultaneously, not far apart, but each fought independently. Natsu and Gray were the main force, with Lucy and Juvia providing support, and the two sides cooperated well.