Chapter 41

" Here are the reports of the last days! " Announced Susanoo, while enjoying the members of Night Raid are all in the common room! " First, there has been a marked improvement in safety in the city! Because of this, it is now impossible for one of us to approach the cathedral where Borick is located! "

" However, it has been two days since Seryu and the last demon of Rakshasa have been seen! As a result, the chances that they were killed for good are great! " Said Chelsea! " Which also means that it makes us two less powerful people to fight during the final operation! However ..., Wendy has not been seen since, either! "

Not knowing what to say, Mine turned her gaze to Natsu and Gajeel. However, far from being frightened by this information, the two boys remained calm, just waiting for the reports to end.

" Uh, I ...! " Said the girl, not knowing how to approach the subject! " Sorry about that ! I left Wendy alone in front of this girl! Instead of leaving, I should have stayed with her and ...! "

" There is no reason to worry! " Retorted Natsu, with a confident tone! " Even if no one can see it at a glance, Wendy can handle the worst situations! I am sure she is fine! "

" And then, what would you have used? " Asked Gajeel! " Your gun still needs to be repaired! Clearly, you could only have been a spectator, nothing more! You did well to leave instead of bothering her! In addition, the magic card I have on me didn't activate! So Wendy did not try to contact me in case of danger! "

" In any case, you should also know that Esdeath is now constantly alongside Borrick! " Akame continued.

" She must understand that our attack is coming soon! " Understood Najenda! " Leone, what about the tunnel? "

" Almost finished! " Announced the latter, raising two fingers in the air.

" Very good ! Even today, we are going to carry out a spy day! However, I want everyone to be ready! From now on, be sure that the final operation will be soon! "

Gritting his teeth, Gajeel started to roar.

" Do it more slowly, damn it! I'm sure you love making me suffer! "

" I'm just doing my job as an attending physician! " Retorted Susanoo, as he placed an alcohol-covered cloth over what was left of Gajeel's neck wound! " Honestly, given the extent of the injury, you are very lucky to be still alive and even more so that it did not get infected! This woman almost snatched your carotid! "

" Tsss! I have seen others! " Replied the man! " It is not a small bite on the part of this woman who will prevent me from continuing to fight! "

" However, given your injury, it is better that you do not fight for a few days! Too much shock could reopen your neck injury and damage it! "

" Hmmph! As if I was going to let the Salamander be in the spotlight! And then, for me, it is impossible not to fight when there are powerful guys who are just waiting to become my next opponent! I guess you can understand that! "

" Not really ! " Confessed Susanoo! " To tell the truth, I still have a lot of trouble understanding what we are supposed to feel with joy; anger or sadness! The only thing that matters to me is to serve Najenda-sama as it should be! It is my one and only duty as a teigu! "

Listening to him, Gajeel surprised him by elbowing him on the abdomen. Hearing him groan, Gajeel said.

" Do you know what differentiates a human from a weapon? "

Getting up while putting on a top to cover his chest, he taught her.

" It doesn't matter who she's fighting with, a gun will always face her because she doesn't feel pain! Humans feel that! And if you too, Susanoo, can feel it, then you are more a human than a simple weapon! "

" Human ? "

Inspecting the ruins destroyed by the recent fighting, Natsu was inspecting the site for any body. However much he might have examined the whole area, he hadn't found a single trace of Wendy's body. Yet he knew very well that it meant nothing.

"The army could very well have gone first here and taken its body!"

However, shaking his head, he slapped himself, while asserting.

" What am I saying? Wendy is alive! No matter that she is alone, she is able to compete with anyone! "

Suddenly, wrapping his arm around his neck, a person laughed.

" Say that you said you were confident, earlier! I see, in the end that you worry a lot! "

Thus finding himself half strangled under Leone's arm, Natsu retorted.

" I don't see what you're talking about ! "

" Haha! Come on, be honest! It is nothing to be ashamed to be afraid for your friend! "

" Is not to be ashamed, which bothers me! " Retorted Natsu! " It is rather to realize that I do not trust her enough to let her fend for herself! "

Taking advantage of Leone's release, he sat cross-legged on a stone, while informing him.

" Wendy is still a child! It is often awkward; can make blunders by wanting to do well; find it difficult to feel comfortable in the face of compliments or in a crowd ... in short, a lot can make him lose his means! However, we must not believe that it is defenseless either! She is a great fighter who has managed to impress me more than once! Nevertheless…, of all the members of the guild, I always tended to keep an eye on her, lest she be hurt! It's like that ! It's a kind of reflex! "

" In doing so, you look like a big brother wanting to take care of his little sister! " Giggled Leone! " However, even if she only stayed with us for a few days, I can understand why you care so much about her! Wendy is like a fragile flower! No matter who she is with, she has this strange power! The one who brings people to her, and then protects her! No one wants to see a child like her being hurt! "

Preparing to nod, Natsu sniffed the air, to turn around as a man, dressed like a priest, walked towards them.

" Good morning, young travelers! "

" We are supposed to know him? " Muttered Natsu.

" It's the great lord! " Leone told him! " The head of the church! "

" Hein? Is he Borick's superior? "

" Do you need help or an indication, noble foreigners? " Wanted to know the priest.

" No, no, not really! " Said Leone, while giving him a smile! " We are just visiting here! "

" Visiting ? "

" Hey you ! " Cried Natsu suddenly, pointing at him! " If you're the head of the church, you should know that Borick is just a tr ...! "

Placing his hands on his mouth, Leone stopped him before strangling him then.

" A problem ? " Asked the priest, surprised by his violent gesture.

" No nothing at all ! " She assured, while continuing to strangle Natsu! " My stupid friend is just convinced that malicious people are among the leaders of your religious group! "

Hearing this, the great lord appeared to be surprised. However, while Leone finally let go of Natsu, he began to giggle, before affirming.

" There is no human without darkness! "

" Hum? "

" It is true that I feel deep darkness emanating from certain leaders! But when you run such a large organization, sometimes you have to make tough decisions! When I was alone, I could only help those in front of me! But now we have come so far thanks to these leaders who created this organization! Because of this, I chose to believe in them! "

Getting ready to say something, Natsu was silent, however, without Leone needing to strangle him.

" This guy ! Even knowing that there is a risk for him to be betrayed, he decides to continue to trust his men! "

" Life is short and ephemeral! " Remarked the priest, going away then! " Try to live to the fullest and not regret any moment of your existence! "

" Hot in front! " Suddenly exclaimed Susanoo.

Seeing the others sitting around a table, he arrived with several dishes, while asserting.

" By request of the boss, I have concocted a specialty for each of which you will tell me news! First of all, for the boss, savory ramen, with slightly crunchy noodles! "

" Perfect ! As usual ! "

" For Mine, a strawberry parfait, with a special ingredient inside! "

" A dessert like that,… it's a real work of art! "

" For Lubbock, a fresh filled lobster! "

" Oh, you know that I love you, my friend? "

" For Gajeel, assortments of metal pieces accompanied by a pili-pili sauce with a thousand spices! "

" Let's see if it's tough enough for my stomach! "

" For Leone, luxury oden and local alcohol! "

" Hiha, long live the alcohol! "

" For Akame, an assortment of meat, prepared with my special sauce! "

For his part, Akame let his stomach make a comment, while the latter appeared with a huge crash.

" For Natsu, flamed pork! " Continued Susanoo, while bringing the animal beginning to be consumed by the flames.

" You're a real chef, man! "

" For Chelsea, here is an apricot jelly cheese cake! "

" Yum ! Do you know I could fall in love with you, Suu? "

" Since Tatsumi told me that everything would suit her, I made her my special Susanoo dish! "

" Hey, it's a children's menu! " Cried the latter, while Mine and Chelsea began to giggle.

" Good, now that everyone has had their favorite meal cooked by Susanoo, let's eat well and be in a good team state! "

Nevertheless, Najenda stopped when she saw everyone already starting to eat.

" Ah? You all started before I started talking! Glad you all see that you at least always have your appetite! "

" Your food is great, Suu! " Akame announced, putting down his empty plate.

" What? Already finished ? " Wondered Lubbock.

Having a swollen belly while using a small bone as a toothpick, Natsu confessed.

" I wonder what we can do without you! "

" You too, are you already finished? "

" Suu, you really are an irreplaceable guy! " Tatsumi assured him.

Hearing this, the teigu asserted.

" I am glad to hear you say it! "

However, taking a serious look, he pointed to Tatsumi before shouting.

" You are at fault! I see that you left grains of rice on your plate! I don't want any waste! "

" Haha! Always so manic! " Sneered Leone.

Leaving them and her time to finish their own meals, Najenda then said.

" As announced earlier, the tunnel to the cathedral is finished! So we can start Borick's assassination mission! "

" The cathedral is full of various corners! " Noticed Lubbock! " By finding a good hiding place, we will be able to take our targets by surprise without arousing the slightest suspicion! "

" Moreover, according to an internal source, the target organizes a night prayer once a month! " Announced Akame! " It will be the day after tomorrow! So we have to move tonight! "

" Yeah, finally of the spain! " Rejoices Gajeel! " And against Esdeath ! Great ! "

" Gajeel, you ...! " Began Susanoo.

" Let me do it! " Replied the man! " I will not back down, no matter my state of health! "

" And for once, I won't stop you! " Najenda told him "! Even if Seryu is possibly dead, there are three jaegers left in addition to Esdeath! Our chances are already very slim to defeat her, alone, then, with her team, it will be mission impossible! We are obliged to mobilize all our present forces! "

" To be honest, it wouldn't surprise me that they had already anticipated our plan! " Said Chelsea.

" And that's why we're going to split into two teams! First of all, a diversion team, going through the underground! They will charge, cause disorder and grab the attention of enemies! Susanoo, Leone, Natsu, Tatsumi and I will be part of this team! I took with me a robust team because it is very likely that the jaegers will respond to the attack! However, we should not face them directly if this can be avoided! Instead, we will lead them to chase us and focus on our survival! And shortly after the initial attack, the others will use the flying line to infiltrate the cathedral from the sky and you will assassinate Borick in the midst of chaos! "

" What? Timeout ! " Cried Gajeel! " No question that I am in the second group and even less that I am on this damn flying ray! "

" It could be spotted before arriving at destination! " Informed Najenda! " In particular, I'm anxious about the Jaeger by the name of Run! He could very well attack him using his power! Therefore, I also want good warriors to be present to protect the other team! And do not forget … ! "

Staring at each member of her group in front of her, she said.

" If we keep in mind that our goal is to assassinate Borrick and not Esdeath, we can have every chance to kill him as well as return to base all together! And that is the most important! "

Listening to him, Natsu put his hand on the tattoo of his guild before finally raising two fingers in the air.

" Hum? You do something ? " Lubbock asked, seeing him do it.

" It is the symbol of our guild! Thanks to him, he allows everyone to be "in contact" with others and support them from afar! "

Then striking his fists, he cried.

" Our group has no reason to lose today, tomorrow or never! Let's go ahead and prove our determination to the empire! "

Taking advantage of his invisibility, Tatsumi struck several guards by surprise, before the latter could have time to raise the alarm. Once this was done, the rest of his team left the entrance to an underground gallery, hidden under a pile of branches, to find themselves just in front of the cathedral. Then letting Susanoo throw a grapple and hold it, each went one by one to the first floor of the building, climbing a rope.

And it was only when they dropped into the building courtyard that the team found themselves in front of a huge group of soldiers, armed to the teeth.

" Very well, the second part of the plan can begin! " Announced Najenda! " Make as much mess as possible! Above all, don't hold back! "

" So there, no problem! " Assured Natsu.

" Great ! They prepared us a fantastic welcome! " Remarked Leone.

" Uh ... do we really have to be happy about that? " Asked Tatsumi.

" Whatever, charge! "

Wiping Grand Chariot with a cloth, Wave remained quieter than usual. Looking up in the great room where he was, he couldn't hide a certain form of frustration, seeing only Kurome and Esdeath with him.

"Even counting Run which is outside, our number has damn dropped! Are we therefore destined to be massacred? "

" Alert! " Cried a man, entering the room where Borrick was! " Night Raid is just outside and has just launched an assault! "

" What? " Horrified Borrick! " Are they really there? "

" As expected ! " Announced Esdeath, with a small smile! " We will finally be able to have a little fun! "

Turning to the other girl on her team, she ordered him.

" Kurome, don't take your eyes off Borick! "

" Understood ! "

" General! " Suddenly cried Borrick, gripping his leg! " Protect me, I beg you! "

" Shut up and get up! " Esdeath ordered him, with a disgusted look! " You are pathetic! Anyway, if I'm there, it's to keep you safe! "

Then kicking him to let go of her, Esdeath let his sadistic smile form on his face as she thought.

"No matter how many soldiers you can defeat, as long as Borick stays alive, this will by no means be a victory for you, Night Raid!"

With swollen cheeks, Gajeel was ready to vomit, while Mine pushed him away with his foot.

" Beurk, don't come near me! Go vomit elsewhere! "

" As usual, you have no mercy! " Said Lubbock, seeing her take advantage of a weak Gajeel.

" The cathedral is in sight! " Chelsea announced! " Once arrived, Mine will only have to drill a hole in the roof and Gajeel will take care of potential enemies! At least if he can get up! "

" And for the rest, it will be the fastest of us to have the right to kill Borick! " Announced Akame, already ready to draw Murasame.

" That everyone is preparing, in this case! " Announced Mine, already pointing Pumpkin towards the building! " The attack is imminent! "

However, a nudge from Gajeel made him lose his balance.

" That … ? "

Then taking a cloud of sharp full-face feathers, Gajeel moaned in pain as they pierced his metallic skin here and there.

" An attack ? " Wondered Lubbock.

" Here ! " Akame informed her, as she saw the silhouette of Run flying next to them.

Smiling confidently, the newcomer assured.

" It looks like we have the best strategy this time! "

" The bird ! " Spat Gajeel, while still trying to smile at him! " It's been a while! "

" Hum? Do I understand that you are the type that Wave attacked before being the one who led us to this slave trader? Gajeel, I presume! "

" Indeed ! What if you went down to the ground so we could settle our accounts? "

" Hum… tempting, but no! According to Wave reports, I know you have incredible physical strength, more powerful than mine! If I stupidly waste the only advantage I have over you, I would only bite my fingers! Besides, weren't you able to fly the other day? "

"I would still be able to if Lily was there! Damn, it may have been a bad idea to have left it at the base! "

However, to his surprise, a pair of black legs grabbed his back as the sound of a flapping of wings was heard.

Jumping in surprise, Gajeel turned to see Lily right behind him, smiling at her.

" Ready, partner? "

However, despite the perfect tone of his voice, Gajeel only had to see the lollipop in his mouth as well as smell his smell to know who was really the newcomer.

" Also a pest, Chelsea! "

" Yes, but also very useful! "

Then lifting Gajeel, she made him fly in the direction of Run while asking him.

" Are you ready to beat him? "

" Of course ! "