Chapter 38: Ominous Alliance Part 2

Beta read by Shigiya and Darklord331

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-Ishgar-

The Balam Alliance, a coalition of three major dark guilds with numerous minor guilds affiliated with each, stood as one of the most formidable forces in the continent and a major enemy to the Magic Councils along with all allied with the latter — including Fairy Tail. Among them was the infamous Oración Seis, a guild rumored to comprise of only six main members, while certainly lacking in numbers compared to Tartaros and Grimoire Heart, each individual wielded power comparable to that of a S-Class Wizard. 

Though many noted that as an exaggerated fact.

While lacking concrete evidence, the guild's resilience against the Magic Council's interference and the failures of numerous S-Class mages to dismantle them lent credence to the rumors. Making it grow more and more prominent the longer they continued to roam the continent with little to no resistance.

During a regular regional meeting, Broly discovered that the Guilds like Fairy Tail had resolved to dismantle Oración Seis once and for all. Forming their own coalition, five guilds joined forces for the mission: Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, Cait Shelter, Phantom Lord, and finally Fairy Tail. While he certainly felt uncomfortable about the idea of allying himself with people who tried to cause problems recently… Lucy held similar feelings but elevated them to a completely different level. 

The blonde couldn't contain her incredulity at the inclusion of the Dragon Slayer before them. "Why are they even in the same carriage!? She tried to drown us in water not even a day ago!" Oh, so she wasn't afraid of Gajeel, but rather the second member of Phantom Lord.

"Mister Sun, would you like to try some of these chocolates Juvia has made? They help with calming your mind from the effects of a certain screaming blonde banshee." The water wizard presented a box to Broly, the latter unable to ignore the sweet treat before him as he hadn't gotten much to eat lately. Having only eaten his full back when they were still in Akame Beach. 

And even though they were allowed to stay at the guild briefly before leaving, he pleaded with Cana to help Simon and the others to settle down somewhere comfortable. Makarov kept a hawk-like attention on Jose the entire time, looking very out of character from the easy-going old man from his memories. 

"Can I really? That's very kind of you, and my name is Broly… not Mister Sun." It was refreshing to encounter a guild member who didn't seem intent on carrying any previous grudge for no reason. Juvia, as Broly had recently learned her name, proved to be a remarkably polite young lady.

"I'm allowed to call him by his name," Juvia retorted, shooting Lucy a triumphant smirk as if she'd just won a significant victory.

"But everyone calls him that!" Lucy replied, but the blue-haired woman completely ignored her. 

"Hm, these are very good," Broly remarked, pleasantly surprised to find that Juvia's cooking skills were almost as good asMirajane. "Saiyans have sensitive hearing, so I'll save some in case I need them."

"Juvia can whip up more for you!" Juvia offered eagerly.

Broly waved off her offer, not wanting to impose on the girl's kindness as she sought to mend the strained relations between their guilds following their previous clash. "You don't have to trouble yourself. I already have Mirajane, who makes me plenty of food. Though I wouldn't mind trying them nonetheless from time to time, Cana would like it for sure and Erza here has a big sweet tooth."

"Another one!?" Juvia exclaimed in disbelief, earning a sigh from Erza and a curious glance from the others.

{Break}

As the group traveled by carriage to their meeting place, tensions simmered among the members. Lucy's incredulity at Gajeel's inclusion in the mission was palpable as she voiced her objections, casting a shadow of uncertainty over the upcoming collaboration with the enigmatic fifth guild member.

But given that the Phantom Lord guild members had traveled all the way to Magnolia for some reason, it was decided that they would travel together to foster camaraderie, so to speak. Broly himself was skeptical of this idea, not having the best impression of the said Dragon Slayer. Gajeel's attitude and penchant for violence toward his friends were traits he found hard to overlook. 

However, he didn't harbor hatred toward the man for his personality in particular; after all, he had experienced firsthand how harsh his father, Paragus, could be. Despite the pain inflicted upon him throughout his childhood from the constant training on a cruel planet where the weak were nothing but food for the strong, he never hated his father, recognizing that Paragus had nurtured him as nothing but a tool for revenge on King Vegeta, using the planet teeming with monsters to grow stronger. Considering all this, Gajeel was, at best, a somewhat abrasive wizard.

"Still… Why did it have to be these two in particular? Phantom Lord has as many members as Fairy Tail!" 

Erza gave her words some thought, recalling the answer the old man gave to this question when she asked about it. "According to Master Makarov, they're the strongest wizards in their own guild and appropriate candidates to bring along. Master Jose even insisted he tagged along as a way to mend our previous conflict. Besides, he's a Dragon Slayer like Natsu, so he could be very useful if their powers are similar." 

Though her response sounded polite and thoughtful, her stance on the matter couldn't have been more negative. She was clearly trying to be the mature one in this situation and get the mission over with as soon as possible.

"Juvia is very sorry about Gajeel's behavior," Juvia spoke up, looking a bit awkward when everyone had their gaze on her. "H-He's a good person and cares about his friends very much. Juvia had gone on many quests with him and gets very competitive with anything involving Fairy Tail. He won't cause any problem, that is a guarantee!" 

Truthfully, he hadn't expected this kind of explanation from the water wizard. But perhaps she was right, he was willing to grant the man a second chance. 

Meanwhile, Erza remained quiet with her arms crossed. Opening one of her eyes and looking at her shaking guild teammate. "You don't need to hide behind Broly, Lucy. I doubt this man can even hurt a fly," the redhead said with a deadpan expression, pointing at the steel Dragon Slayer, who lay on the ground, looking as sickly and powerless as Natsu next to him. The Saiyan nudged him with his foot, earning a groan and a silent curse from the downed Gajeel.

"He's still alive," Broly confirmed, casting an amused glance at Lucy, who cowered like a rabbit. "I don't know why you're even scared of him. If you want to beat him, just summon Aquarius, and she'll take care of the problem, after all, steel doesn't float." Broly remarked casually, his innocent smile chilling Lucy's spine. Though his words sounded harmless, they felt strangely unsettling coming from him.

"Totally not possible, I'll drown first before he's even defeated. Putting that aside, why the heck do I have to be part of a mission like this? Cana would have been a better choice in my opinion." She exclaimed with worry, her frustration evident. She couldn't shake off the feeling of being thrown into this mission against her will, especially after returning from a ruined vacation less than twenty four hours ago. Confronting one of the biggest dark guilds in the continent, filled with monsters rumored to be as strong as the guild master, was the last thing she wanted.

Aquarius may be strong, but Lucy couldn't rely solely on her. While her mother had always emphasized trusting the Celestial Spirit with her life, Lucy knew that Aquarius couldn't handle every opponent alone. Moreover, her second strongest Celestial Spirits were, Capricorn and Taurus as third, wouldn't be much help in certain situations. Taurus, in particular, would be useless against a woman clad in skimpy clothes.

Lucy considered summoning Aquarius as soon as the mission started, but she knew the spirit wouldn't appreciate being called upon at any time. And if she summoned her in a puddle, it wouldn't just be her opponent facing Aquarius's wrath; she herself would be in danger. But more than that, the girl did not want to keep relying on a single key the entire time and actually hoped to pull her own weight without Broly coming and aiding her at every given opportunity. 

"Unless I bring Broly with me and summon her when she's nearby, she'll likely won't try to drown me," Lucy mused, her eyes almost looking empty as remembered past traumas "but she'll use this opportunity to flirt with him and get closer. The last thing I want is for those two to get a bit too chummy with each other."

Now that she thought about it… when was the last time she actually handled a challenge by herself? Other than her confrontation with her father and some Gorans, nothing came to mind.

"You underestimate yourself too much, Lucy," Broly remarked between bites of chocolate. "I know that when you put your mind towards something, there's little that can stop you."

Lucy remained silent, chewing on her lower lip. His confidence in her abilities was both reassuring and daunting. Why did he have to believe in her so strongly when she struggled to do the same?

But perhaps Broly had a point. Maybe this mission wasn't such a bad opportunity after all. If given the chance, she would push herself to the limit and prove that she was capable, even if she didn't always believe it herself.

Hearing the topic of conversation, the other members of the Guild couldn't help but chime in as well. "Well, I think it's a pain too, but I'm not complaining so quit your whining!" Said gray as he lounged on the seat with half of his clothes gone as usual. 

"Master chose the members himself, and we must meet his expectations of us, correct?" added Erza.

Broly nodded. "And I know you're more than capable as well, Lucy. I heard from Cana that you punched a group of bandits until they were unconscious within a split second. You've grown so strong so quickly," he said with a proud expression, his words causing Lucy to lose color and go completely pale.

"That... That was just me shooing away a couple of pesky payboys annoying us on the street who were trying to hit on us!" Lucy protested, feeling embarrassed and mortified by Cana's embellished story.

As they conversed, another voice came from the floor. "Come on… aren't we… there yet…?" Natsu whined, huddled next to Gajeel, struggling to keep his motion sickness at bay. "And why did I have to be next to this guy? He stinks!" 

He attempted to scream but ended up throwing up on the metal dragon, much to Gajeel's horror. "I'm going to kill you, Salamander!" 

"Holy shit! Stop vomiting actual lava, you stupid flames for brain!" 

"Don't worry, Mister Sun, Juvia will protect you," Juvia reassured, though she herself looked disgusted by the sight.

"My new shoes are burning! Juvia, help me!" Lucy cried out, fanning her feet frantically.

"Ah… it seems I'm suddenly suffering from a terrible headache that makes it impossible to use my magic," The blue haired wizard muttered, massaging her temples with a grimace. "I need someone big to hold me."

"Why you—!" 

{Break}

It didn't take long for the group to finally reach their destination. "We're here! I see the building!" Happy announced cheerfully, poking his head outside the carriage and gazing at the large building with a heart-shaped stained glass mural at the top.

Exiting the carriage, the group surveyed their surroundings, with Lucy commenting, "Doesn't the decor seem a bit excessive? It feels more like a club or a fancy restaurant than a guild."

"Well, you're not too far off," Erza remarked, her expression more tense than Lucy's as she scanned the area frantically.

"What's wrong with you, Erza?" Gray asked the redhead, noticing that she was acting a bit jittery. "You look like a cat about to get pounced on by a dog or something."

"It's nothing," Erza replied tersely, though inwardly, she found Gray and Broly's observation somewhat amusing despite her anxiety. "I've been to this place before. Used to be a host club, but then the place was closed down and those who owned this place reopened in another city with more potential customers." 

"Host club? You don't mean…" The words hung in the air, met with a flash of understanding in Gray's eyes as he cast a glance at the red-headed woman. Behind him, Natsu struggled to suppress his laughter, while Happy's grin widened.

Broly's brow furrowed in confusion, his interest piqued by the peculiar reaction of those around him. However, his train of thought was abruptly halted as his foot touched something soft yet oddly bony beneath it. Instantly, he froze mid-step, a sense of bewilderment washing over him. Peering down, he was met with the sight of a tanned face, its features larger than his foot, and sparkling eyes gazing back at him.

"Wonderful, such a powerful perfume you possess, men~!" the voice chimed in, oozing with faux admiration. But Broly's gut recoiled at the sight beneath his foot. With a swift, decisive motion, he brought his foot down, driving the repulsive creature further into the earth with a powerful crushing noise as the floor crumbled into pieces.

"Do it again!" Erza's command sliced through the air like a whip, and Broly instinctively obeyed. With each forceful stomp, he carved a series of miniature craters near the entrance, driving the orange-haired bug deeper into the ground with each blow.

"Ah? Ichiya-sama!?" The cry rang out from the back, followed by the frantic rush of finely dressed men. Horror etched on their faces, they scrambled to dig out their beleaguered comrade, their panicked voices clamoring for an emergency bottle of perfume. Broly recoiled from shock as a hand came up the rubbles and gave him a thumbs up, forcing a wave of goosebumps to spread on his skin.

Before Broly could fully grasp the chaos unfolding behind him, Erza seized his arm and urged him forward with hurried steps. "Don't dwell on those morons, they aren't important for now... Also make sure to crush that face every time you see it. It's very important that you do that."

As they ventured further into the hall, Broly's senses were pulled in two directions: Erza's insistent tug and the escalating chaos behind him. To his surprise, it appeared that only he and Lucy were perturbed by the situation. Even Gajeel and Juvia seemed unfazed by the unfolding drama.

"Tch, that guy nearly destroyed my nose with his overpowering scent," remarked the gruff Dragon Slayer, earning a nod of agreement from his watery companion.

"Juvia was tempted to trap him in a water prison just to cleanse the air of his suffocating perfume," she confessed, her voice tinged with irritation.

As the two groups reached a giant set of doors leading into another room, they found the place to be empty. "Master told us that everyone will gather around here. How long should we wait before the other members of the guild arrive?" Gray questioned, the answer that was swiftly answered by the earth underneath his feet starting to rumble. Not long after, another door opened with a loud bang as a tall, muscular man walked in. 

"I am here." Spoke the newest arrival. "I present myself as Jura of Lamia Scale. It's a pleasure to meet you, members of Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord," he announced with a smile. A wall of rock was raised around him as Gajeel appeared out of nowhere and attempted to strike the man down with a metal sword club. 

A loud bang spread throughout the hall with sparks coming out from the impact. "Gihi! I heard rumors about you, Iron Rock Jura. Let me see if your title holds up against an Iron Dragon Slayer!" 

As his response, the man merely smiled with amusement. "It seems like some members are pretty eager today, but I am not here to fight against you," Jura calmly stated. With a simple raising of his staff, a pillar of rocks shot up from the ground and struck Gajeel right underneath his face. The power behind the attack was strong enough to send him flying through the roof, impressing every member of Fairy Tail.

But as for Gajeel's other teammate, Juvia was too focused on conversing with Broly to notice her teammate being blown out of the building. The two of them were in their own little bubble, discussing different topics with a smile. Lucy stood beside them, giving them a stink eye, unable to say much given the only thing they seemed to talk about was food. 

"Jura? I think I've heard of that name before. Isn't he the ace wizard of Lamia Scale? They sent him alone to participate in this battle? He must be particularly powerful for such above since even Phantom Lord sent two people and I don't know anyone more arrogant than them," Gray said with hesitation, lighting a cigarette while contemplating on the matter, his words to which Erza decided to add more.

"Don't let his sole presence fool you. His actual power is remarkable, a wizard of the same level as an S-Class wizard. Some would even consider him a one-man army, even Master spoke highly of him from time to time." Erza explained confidently.

"Couldn't we have just sent Broly instead?" Gray joked, chuckling while his last remaining piece of clothes had mysteriously disappeared once again. "I'm sure the Oracion Seis will be less of a problem to handle than destroying an entire mountaintop filled with hundreds of Vulcans. Heck, you can just scare them away by having him blow up some of the land around the region. It might make them surrender and make the mission far easier for us."

"You're just trying to play it cool while in actuality you're shaking in your boots, aren't you, brain-dead popsicle?" Natsu exclaimed loudly with a jeer, prompting the ice wizard to send a powerful punch to his face. The two of them started fighting one another within minutes of arriving at the meeting spot. Yet instantly, the following second, both boys froze as a chill ran up their spines. Two arms snaked around their necks as a rotund figure with wings floated right behind them.

"Hohohohoho! Having such energetic and motivated boys in my establishment is a blessing. You two are so cute when you're angry that it makes me want to give you a kiss," The bald headed figure remarked, Broly observed with interest as their expressions scrunch up in horror. Both boys jumped back in shock, turning to find a rather disturbing sight: an old man in female clothing with heavy makeup on his face. The latter threw them a finger kiss before continuing his speech.

"While it would be quite amusing to see two young boys get rough with each other so passionately, I'm afraid that Makarov's children will have to calm down today and focus on more pressing matters."

"Master Bob," Erza greeted him respectfully, a complete one eighty of the personality and emotion she showed towards the Ichiya. "I am sorry about these two. I promise I'll make sure they don't cause any more trouble." She grabbed onto the back of their necks as if they were little kittens before dragging them away.

Five people stood behind the winged man, the same three men from before and a fifth person that made Broly want to instinctively smack the head. Not a single sign of dust or cuts on his clothes, perfectly combed hair and shining glistening skin that made Erza want to puke. "Greetings my wonderfully scented allies! I introduce myself as Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki, the most handsome face in Blue Pegasus!" 

His eyes trailed towards Erza, the latter's eyebrows twitching violently. "Ah, you're as beautiful as always, Erza Scarlet. Your forceful ways of treating others and personality are as beautiful as I remember them, my beautiful Erza. Your perfume has only grown stronger and more... Pungent," Ichiya exclaimed, a similar expression to what Gray and Natsu had formed on Erza's face as she looked ready to throw up at any moment.

"Did I say something wrong?" Ichiya said, noting the weird stares he was getting from the people around him. Had they been dazzled by his handsome appearance and magnificent scent? Understandable. This was a blessing and a curse he had to bear with how handsome he was. Ren rushed by his side before whispering to his ear, "Sounds a bit rude... I think it's better to use a word like 'flowery' or 'unique' instead."

"As helpful as always, my friend," Ichiya commented, "but rest assured I'm certain that my words and intentions were pretty clear. You can see how the young girl has become mesmerizingly flustered by my adequate usage of the word. She's just shy. Look, I haven't even been hit yet—guh!" He didn't even have time to finish his words as an armored gauntlet heavily struck his face and threw him through the same hole as Gajeel flew out of.

A furious and embarrassed Erza took a deep breath of air as she tried to calm down. The other members in the room nearly found the scene amusing.

"Oh wow… I don't think I've ever seen Erza get triggered like that." Lucy commented, having felt a similar sense of disgust towards the man at first. Though more at the heavy odor of various perfumes than anything else. 

"I didn't know bugs could talk." 

"..." The blonde had no response to the Saiyan's words. 

"As much as I'd like for us to bond with each other, I believe we should start this meeting and get done with taking down the Oración Seis as soon as possible," Jura said, taking a formal tone and wishing to start the alliance's duty as soon as possible.

Having calmed down, Erza took a deep breath before nodding her head. "That's a good idea, but from the looks of it, we are still missing one guild that hasn't appeared yet," Broly also noticed this detail. Having been curious about the different guilds and their members, he made note of each of them, and so far, there was one he hadn't seen.

"Kyah!" A sudden impact jolted him from his thoughts, and Broly spun around to find a young child sprawled on the ground behind him. She sat on her bottom, rubbing her head as she attempted to recover from her unexpected tumble.

His movements were guided by instinct, honed through his experiences in the Tower of Heaven. There, he had encountered countless slave kids, many barely able to lift an axe, forced into grueling conditions that left their bodies frail and prone to collapse. Hunger, untreated wounds and malnutrition plagued them mercilessly.

During his time there, Broly had made it unconsciously his mission of sorts to offer instant assistance to anyone facing such hardships. The guards were too afraid to approach him back then, thus not harming those around him. And now, as he lifted the young blue-haired girl by her armpits to his eye level, a sense of familiarity washed over him. 'This kind of energy…' They exchanged curious glances, one filled with curiosity, the other tinged with embarrassment.

Her legs dangled due to how short she was and how tall he was. The girl slowly whispered, "A-Ah, than-thank you!" She bobbed her head, unable to bow with her being lifted up. 

"Hm. Are you hurt?" He asked, having the girl shake her head. "Good." 

"..."

"..."

"Umm… I'm fine, you can put me back—"

"—Ah, you must be a member from the Cait Shelter guild!" Jura welcomed the newest addition. "Please, we've been waiting for your arrival to start the meeting.

While he spoke with a friendly face, Broly did not like where this was going. His eyes narrowed as he glanced at Jura beside him. "Why is there a young child present here? I thought this matter only involved qualified wizards."

The idea of putting someone so young and frail despite the rather impressive amount of energy within her did not sit well with him at all. It didn't matter how much power one possessed, if they lacked the experience and knowledge to use them then it would lead to nothing but problems. And in her case, this girl seemed very innocent, not one he desired to lead into a possible bloody battle against one of the most dangerous Dark Guilds out there.

"Who are you calling a child?!" A tiny white figure flew right behind Wendy before striking him on the head. Unsurprisingly, he felt nothing as the impact was more like someone gently tapping a sponge on his head. His eyes widened as he noticed white wings attached to a small feline body similar to Happy's. His reaction was shared by the blue cat, though the latter looked more enchanted, as if it were love at first sight, rather than shocked. 

"Can't you see you're embarrassing the young lady in front of her peers by treating her like a child!?" The cat creature spoke loudly, a complete opposite to what he'd grown used to with Happy.

So he just ignored her. 

"I'm Broly," he introduced himself with one knee on the floor, having learned how to handle young kids without scaring them from his time spent with Lucy. "I'm from Fairy Tail." 

"Are you ignoring me!?" The white cat hissed in the background.

Overwhelmed by the attention, the young girl stammered and bowed deeply. "Nice to meet you all. My name is Wendy Marvell. I may look young um…, and I may not be much help in battle, b-but I know a lot of support magic that I'm sure will be helpful!" 

"Support magic?" Broly's mind flashed back to his time in Fairy Tail, where thanks to Cana and Mirajane he had learned about different types of magic from offensive to defensive, but support magic was less common and hinted to be more difficult to master. He couldn't help but be impressed by the girl's proficiency. 

"Please don't leave me out of the party!" Wendy suddenly pleaded, her eyes brimming with tears. It seemed she had mistaken him as the leader and the one in charge of choosing the members.

"What kind of man makes a girl cry! Have you no shame!?" The weird cat started to ramble again, which was starting to annoy Broly a bit. Perhaps he could ask Happy to keep her occupied.

"We can't have a young maiden cry under our watch!" The three men from before practically surrounded the young girl. "Would you like some orange juice to soothe your mind?" 

Broly watched as these weird people tried to comfort Wendy but ended up making her more nervous than anything else. She couldn't even utter a word, most likely speechless at how to handle the situation. Not liking the sight, he stepped forward and clasped the shoulders of the one with dark blonde hair. "Move." His tone came out sharper than he would have liked, despite not being his intentions his stature caused them to slowly back away and have the girl start shaking. 

A slight moment of panic formed within his mind as her eyes started to get more teary. He wasn't trying to scare her! Having been just uncomfortable with the idea of having a young girl like Wendy join them in battle, he was planning to ask her to stay behind. But that plan soon got replaced with a possible solution he could come up with to calm her down. 

"Stay away from Wendy! Can't you see you're scaring her!?" 

The chatty rude cat's words made sense, but he didn't want her to fear him as well. So Broly came up with a last ditch plan, initially a part of him felt the pain of what he was about to let go but believing it was a good enough sacrifice. From his pockets, the Saiyan retrieved a small ball shaped item wrapped in paper and presented it to the girl who became confused. 

"For you." 

"Ah!" Juvia in the background made some noise as she saw the item he was giving away. 

With some hesitation, the girl unfolded the wrapper and had her eyes widen as she found a piece of chocolate. Looking back at the Saiyan and back at her hand a couple of times. 

"You… This is a dangerous mission we'll be going into. I don't know much about Oracion Seis but they are dangerous people according to Lucy. It would be better if you stayed behind and let us handle the quest so you don't get hurt." He knew it sounded bad, harsh even to the ears of the young girl. But he preferred for her to stay unharmed and unhappy than going out there and possibly being killed. Despite his power, Broly knew that he couldn't be everywhere at the same time and there were factors he couldn't control unless he wanted to make things work. He didn't want to repeat the incident at the island. "This applies to all of you." He said while turning to gaze at everyone in the room, all surprised by his words. 

"Eh? What do you mean by that, Broly-dono?" Jura as well couldn't help but question the Saiyan.

Truth be told, he initially thought about the idea for a bit before dismissing it. But during the entire journey here, it kept returning repeatedly. He was on the edge of his choice, until Wendy showed up and made him realize. 

Why was he unnecessarily putting these people and his friends in danger when he could handle everything by himself? 

It would mean much less of a risk and if something bad were to happen to him, then they'd be far enough to avoid him. If he could prevent Wendy from getting hurt, then why not everyone else? It made sense to him, which was why he took a deep breath and announced with a louder voice. 

"I will handle Oracion Seis by myself, you all will just get in the way." 

The commotion that followed his words was loud enough that it shook the building. 

"WHAT!!!!????" 

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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 1 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.