Chapter 74: Brewing Chaos

The wooden beams of the Sun-Dappled Inn practically shook on their foundations. Barrels of ale rolled out by the dozen, meat skewers sizzled over roaring hearth fires, and laughter echoed off the walls as Fairy Tail turned the place into their private victory hall.

In the center of the mayhem, Lucy sat at a long wooden table, a mug of cider cradled in her hands. A bright flush painted her cheeks, though it was hard to tell if it was the heat of the room or the sudden wave of affection washing over her.

"To Lucy!" Cana slammed a heavy glass mug onto the table, splashing foam everywhere. "For absolutely trashing that Raven Tail psycho!"

"Hear! Hear!" Macao and Romeo clinked their glasses together.

"You really held your ground out there, Lucy." Erza set down an oversized plate piled high with strawberry cake and took the seat across from her, a rare, gentle smile on her face. "Your execution of Urano Metria was nothing short of brilliant. You showed true martial discipline."

"Thanks, Erza." Lucy laughed nervously, rubbing the back of her neck. "Honestly, my knees were shaking right up until the match started. Flare’s magic was so unnatural..."

"Unnatural or not, you blew her away!" Natsu barged into the conversation mid-chew on a massive boar leg. "Knew you had it in you! Though man, I wish I’d gotten to beat up one of those Raven Tail creeps myself."

"You’ll get your turn, fire-brain." Gray leaned back against the bench, arms crossed, shirt already missing. "Besides, Lucy actually used her brain out there. Foreign concept to you, I know."

"What was that, Ice Boy?!" Sparks popped from Natsu’s mouth.

"You heard me."

Before a full-blown brawl could erupt, Lisanna and Levy squeezed past the squabbling duo. Levy held up a small, neatly tied box wrapped in ribbon with a bright grin. "Lucy! Lisanna and I baked these for you! They’re honey biscuits—perfect for restoring your magic power after that tough match!"

Lucy’s eyes softened completely. "Oh, you guys, you really didn’t have to do that! Thank you so much."

"You earned every bite," Lisanna added with a warm, encouraging smile. "You were incredible out there today, Lucy!"

"Yeah, you earned it," Happy chimed in, floating over with a half-eaten fish dangling from his paw. "Even if you are extra heavy today!"

"I am NOT heavy, you stupid cat!" Lucy yelled, though the fondly exasperated grin gave her away.

The cheerful noise around Lucy’s table rippled outward, blending smoothly into the hearty roaring from the other side of the room. Just a few feet away at a larger round table near the hearth, the spotlight shifted to Fairy Tail’s other star performer of the day.

Laxus sat leaning back into his chair, a heavy wooden tankard in hand. Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen hovered around him like a protective vanguard, though that didn’t stop a rowdy crowd of guildmates from swarming over to raise their own glasses in his direction.

"Hey, Laxus!" Elfman’s fist hit the table hard enough to rattle every plate on it. "Taking on a Wizard Saint head-on and standing your ground like a wall—that was pure MANHOOD!"

"Yeah, going toe-to-toe with Jura Neekis is no joke." Gajeel smirked from where he leaned against a nearby wooden pillar. "Not bad, sparky. Saved us from bleeding points on the board."

"Jura’s monster strength isn’t anything to scoff at." Laxus took a long swig of ale and set the mug down with a solid thud. A confident, dangerous edge gleamed in his eye. "The guy’s built like a fortress. But next time, I won’t be settling for a draw."

"That’s our Laxus!" Bickslow cackled, his wooden puppets spinning frantically around his head. "Next time, full blast! Full blast!"

"Of course." Freed proudly adjusted his coat. "Laxus was merely testing the waters today. The Wizard Saints will know the true power of Fairy Tail soon enough."

"Oh, sit down, Freed, you’re embarrassing him," Evergreen huffed, though her own proud smile gave her away.

Laxus let out a low chuckle, raising his tankard toward the crowded room as the two celebrations merged into one roaring hall. "Save the speeches. We’re still just getting started."

Up on the darkened balcony of the second floor, the deafening roar of the victory party below felt distant. Rudra leaned back against a wooden post, quietly sipping his liquor while his gaze remained fixed out the window, lost deep in thought as he tracked the nighttime bustle of Crocus.

A heavy wooden glass clinked softly against the table, snapping him out of his reverie. He looked over to see Mirajane gliding over, a warm smile grace her lips as she set down a steaming, fresh plate of grilled meat in front of him.

"You’re not going to join them, Rudra?" Mira asked gently, tilting her head toward the raucous crowd downstairs. "Lucy looks like she’s been looking around for you all evening. I think she wants to thank you properly."

"Nah, let her enjoy her moment," Rudra hummed, taking a slow, deliberate sip from his glass. "Besides, Natsu and Gray are about two drinks away from smashing the tables into kindling. I’d rather not get spilled ale on my clothes."

"You really looked out for her back there," Mira said softly, her blue eyes carrying a deeper understanding. "If you hadn’t put Raven Tail in their place from the sidelines..."

"I just hate bugs hovering around my ears," Rudra interrupted smoothly, his eyes flickering with a cool, dark light before softening back into his usual lazy glance. "Lucy did the hard part. She put in the work and earned that win herself."

Down on the main floor, Lucy paused mid-laugh, her eyes scanning the upper level until they finally met Rudra’s. Recognizing his quiet presence in the shadows, her expression softened, and she carefully mouthed a clear, heartfelt "Thank you" across the room.

Rudra offered a small, knowing smirk and a faint nod of approval. Satisfied, Lucy flashed a bright smile and turned back to celebrate with Erza and the others.

Watching her return to the chaos, the brief warmth in Rudra’s expression melted back into a sharp, serious gaze as he turned his attention once more to the darkened streets outside.

Recognizing the shift in his mood, Mirajane offered him one last gentle nod, quietly stepping back to leave him with his thoughts as she glided down the stairs to rejoin the celebration.

No sooner had Mira descended the steps than a petite figure materialized right on top of Rudra’s table.

"HEYYY-AAAH!"

Mavis Vermillion threw her hands up into clawed poses, her big green eyes wide, doing her absolute best impression of a horrifying apparition trying to jump-scare its prey.

Rudra didn’t even flinch. He slowly turned his head, his pitch-black eyes taking in the sight of the pint-sized, blond founding master standing precariously next to his meat platter. With an exhausted sigh, he turned his gaze back out the window, taking a slow sip from his glass.

"What do you want, ghost girl?"

Mavis’s dramatic pose instantly deflated. A bright, flustered blush spread across her cheeks as she puffed them out in indignation. "I am not a ghost girl! I am Mavis Vermillion, the First Guild Master of Fairy Tail!"

"Whatever you say, ghost girl," Rudra drawled, completely unbothered.

Frustrated, Mavis stomped her bare foot—which passed harmlessly through the wooden table—and crossed her arms before floating down into the empty chair across from him. She leaned her elbows on the wood, her playful antics fading as she gazed out the window toward the sprawling, shadowed skyline of Crocus.

"You know," she murmured softly, "I was watching you all evening."

Rudra glanced back at her, his brow twitching slightly as he gave her an unamused, judgment-filled look. "So... a ghost girl with Stockholm syndrome. Fantastic."

Mavis didn’t rise to the bait this time. Her expression hardened, the whimsical aura around her evaporating into an intense, seriousness.

"Can you feel it?" she asked, her voice dropping into a low, ominous hush. "It’s faint, but... there’s a thick, volatile pulse of demonic energy lingering somewhere in the capital. It’s cold, subtle, and malicious. But I can’t pinpoint where it’s coming from."

Rudra hummed softly, his pitch-black eyes never leaving the dark skyline. "I’ve been tracking it since sundown. It’s been humming at the exact same frequency for hours. Whoever’s leaking it isn’t moving—they’re just sitting on it, waiting for someone to take the bait."

Mavis tilted her head, her green eyes narrowing in concentration. "Is it a demon? Do you think this is Zeref’s doing, or something else entirely?"

"Only one way to find out," Rudra said quietly.

He drained his glass, set it down with a firm thud, and stood up. Adjusting his jacket, his casual posture melted into the dangerous presence of a predator on the hunt.

"W-Wait, Rudra! What are you doing?" Mavis blurted out, floating up after him. "We need to gather the others—"

"I’ll handle it," Rudra cut her off smoothly, already walking past her toward the exit.

Before Mavis could squeeze out another word to protest, space folded around his form in a subtle swirl of Kamui, and he vanished into the night air without leaving a single trace behind.

____

Navigating the quiet, back-alley rooftops of Crocus, Rudra moved like a ghost through the night. The heavy, oppressive air grew thicker with every step, guiding him away from the bustling tavern districts toward the desolate fringes of the capital.

"Watch your step, Rudra," a smooth, distinctly human voice echoed directly inside his mind—casual, yet laced with a sharp edge of caution. "This whole setup is reeking of bad intentions. The energy signature isn’t even trying to hide itself properly."

"Yeah, no kidding," Rudra muttered under his breath, his hands tucked lazily into his pockets as he dropped silently into a shadowed alley. "It’s practically screaming my name. Whoever set this up wants me right where they can see me."

The System chuckled dryly. "Glad to see your self-awareness is still intact. Just don’t say I didn’t warn you when things get ugly."

Rudra rounded a damp corner and stepped beneath the looming archway of an ancient stone bridge. The air down here was frigid, reeking of stagnant water and old moss. The surrounding clearing was completely deserted—no ambush party, no shadowy figures, no immediate threat waiting in the dark.

Instead, etched deep into the decaying brickwork of the bridge wall, an intricate, jagged sigil glowed with a faint pulse of dark crimson light.

Rudra stopped a few paces away, tilting his head as he studied the bleeding rune. "System. Scan the graffiti. What are we looking at?"

"On it," the System replied. A subtle ping echoed in his thoughts before it let out a low whistle. "Well, I’ve got bad news, and I’ve got worse news."

"Hit me with the bad news," Rudra sighed, rolling his shoulders. "Skip the suspense."

"That sigil on the wall isn’t a simple trap trigger—it’s an anchor for an active portal," the System explained, its tone growing sharp. "The worse news? It’s part of a web. Dozens of smaller nodes are primed right under the capital, ready to unleash whatever’s on the other side straight into Crocus."

"So, what’s the play?" Rudra asked, staring at the pulsing red sigil. "Can you break the circuit from this side?"

"I could, but where’s the fun in playing defense?" The System’s voice took on a distinctly smug, dangerous tilt. "Smash this anchor, and they’ll just re-route the magic through the secondary gates. The best fix? We step inside, slaughter whatever’s holding the leash on the other side, and pop back out."

A slow, vicious smirk spread across Rudra’s face, his Sharingan gleaming in the crimson light. "Just what I was thinking."

Without another second of hesitation, Rudra stepped forward and touched his palm directly to the center of the sigil. Space around the bridge distorted violently, a swirl of dark magic swallowing his form whole before snapping shut, leaving the damp underpass completely silent once more.

At the same time, deep within the Underworld—where rivers of molten magma bled into skies of endless, pitch-black ash—a towering colossus carved from stark white stone sat frozen upon a jagged throne.

Before the monument, kneeling on the scorching stone, was a grotesque high-ranking demon. Its skin was a patchwork of rotting leather and armored scales, and its four skeletal arms remained pressed flat against the ground in absolute submission.

"It is done, my Liege," the demon rasped, its voice sounding like grinding stones. "The descendant of Sparda has taken the bait."

A heavy silence settled over the chamber. Then, the statue’s eyes ignited.

Three blazing crimson orbs burst into blinding light across the stone face. The suffocating pressure of an ancient emperor flooded the cavernous hall, making the surrounding air vibrate with raw, malice-laced magic.

"Good," Mundus’s voice echoed—a deep, resonant roar that vibrated through the very bedrock of the Underworld. His stone gaze locked firmly onto the kneeling creature below. "Everything has been set into motion. Go now, and execute the next phase."

The demon bowed deeply, rising to its feet before vanishing into a swirling portal of dark fire.

As the creature departed, the blinding light within the three eyes slowly faded back into dull, lifeless stone. The suffocating aura vanished, leaving the colossal throne room in ominous silence once again.

Yet deep within the stone shell, the ancient Emperor’s thoughts turned with malicious precision.

Excellent... With Sparda’s descendant lured away, things can move forward with the Eclipse Plan. Now, all I need to do is wait and watch.