"I'm impressed on how quickly the council agreed to the plan." Erza said.

"They're probably desperate themselves." Gray said. "Why else would they actually let Fairy Tail do this type of mission?"

"Why?" Gon asked. "Is there a problem with Fairy Tail doing this?"

Erza sighed. "Well... as said before, it's against the treaty to interfere with dark guilds.This entire mission is an exception. And... our guild has a bad habit of destroying any area where we do jobs. Particularly due to a few people..."

Numerous heads turned towards Natsu and Gray.

"Hey!" Natsu protested. "Don't pin this on us Erza!"

"Yeah!" Gray agreed. "You are responsible for a lot of damage yourself!"

This weird guild keeps on getting weirder, the Hunters thought.

"Well, it doesn't matter." Killua said. "We have a plan this time, so we can probably avoid a lot of damage."

"Right, we're not BARGING IN" Kurapika said, remembering Natsu's previous remark. Kurapika was working away with the Archive. "Okay, I'm going to upload the empty map into everybody's heads. I don't know how it will feel like so brace yourselves."

Everybody immediately felt a small pressure on their heads. When it was over, they suddenly had an impression of an empty space with four entryways.

"Oh right!" Killua remembered. "Everyone use Zetsu. Then we can have the element of surprise on our side."

The training had paid off. Everyone was able to access their aura network to some extent, and shut it off. No presence could have been sensed at that moment.

"Okay, we're pretty much set." Levy said. She picked up her communication lacrima and talked into it. "Happy, Carla, are the entryway's clear?"

"Aye sir!" Happy's voice came through the lacrima. "You're all set to enter." Carla said.

"And Kurapika, you have yours, right?" Levy asked.

Kurapika held up the communication lacrima given to him. "Yes, I do. I'll keep in touch if anything comes up. The rest is up to the cats."

"And Warren and I will stay here." Levy said. "Okay, we're all set! Happy, Carla, fly us to the entry, two at a time!"

Everything happened very quickly. Happy and Carla flew in. "We'll fly you guys to the very left pathway first." they said to Kurapika and Erza.

As everyone flew into their respective entryway's, they found themselves carrying a new feeling they didn't know they had. It was excitement. They were being faced with the unknown and it was... going to be an adventure.

For that was the nature of wizards and Hunters. They don't fear the unknown. They welcome adventure with open arms. They tackle the challenges on the way with everything they got. And now was the time for those qualities to work together in this showdown. Wizards and Hunters vs the unknown.

It was time.

After around a minute, they reached an intersection of three pathways.

"I got this. Archive." Kurapika pulled out the Archive.

To his relief, the once incomplete map now showed a more complete pathway of the left corridor. And the very right tunnel led to the power source.

"I'll upload this into everyone's maps." Kurapika said, quickly typing. Then, they were off again down the pathways.

"Are you sure you'll be able to keep the Archive while facing the wizards here?"Erza asked.

Kurapika nodded. "I'll be fine. The Archive doesn't use up magic energy while in lacrima form. As for the wizards here, we can easily take them down. If I ever need to update the Archive during battle, I trust that you will be able to face the wizards."

Erza smiled. "Of course I can. I'm one of the strongest female wizards in Fairy Tail, if you didn't know."

That explains her strength, Kurapika thought. Suddenly, he stopped abruptly in front of yet another intersection of four pathways.

Erza sighed. "Another one." Suddenly, she clutched her sword. "I sense a presence. Someone's coming from the third tunnel."

Kurapika nodded. "Looks like we'll have to fight sooner then we thought." His chains appeared on his hand.

The footsteps came closer. Kurapika pulled out the Archive lacrima. "Guess this means the third tunnel is probably the correct way. I'll tell that to everyone. Erza, you start fighting first."

At this point, they were in a position where Kurapika was the closest to the third tunnel, therefore able to see the new enemy first. Erza saw a shadow coming out of the tunnel and got her swords ready.

"Okay, I-"

The lacrima fell to the floor with a crash. It had not yet been transformed.

Erza looked up in shock. Kurapika's hands were limp, as if they had dropped the lacrima without meaning to. She could only see the back of his head. "Kurapika, what's wrong?"

Erza looked at the enemy, who was also shocked but was hiding it well. She was a short women with a traditional ninja outfit. She had messy pink hair tied up. She was looking at Kurapika. "It's you."

Kurapika was breathing hard. He had taken off his Zetsu and Erza could feel a scary aura, filled with malice and anger. What was going on!?

Finally, Kurapika spoke. It was soft but so dangerous. "Erza... go ahead."

"What?"

"I'm going to take care off this enemy. You go ahead through the third tunnel. I'll... catch up."

"And leave her to you?" Erza asked.

"That's right."

Erza had to protest. "No! There's no reason to! We can take her down more easily if we both fight! Besides, what happens if I reach another intersection?"

"Why does it matter? JUST GO!"

Kurapika finally faced Erza. But what shocked Erza wasn't just his tone of voice but... his eyes.

They were shining an intense hue of red and so much anger emanated from them. When Kurapika had interrupted Carla's vision, she was talking about eyes. These must have been it!

At that moment, Erza knew that nothing she said would reach Kurapika. To this moment, he had seemed like someone who always made the logical choice but right now, logic didn't matter. Erza could tell that he was barely staying calm enough to give her instructions.

Erza could feel even more power coming from Kurapika now. He had his chains out, ready for battle. All of them. Erza knew that Kurapika wasn't going to hold back like he had in their fight.

So in this situation, faced with an unknown enemy, a comrade giving in to certain darkness, and having no grasp of what was going on, Erza did the only thing she knew was right.

She raced into the third tunnel at a speed where not even the enemy could stop her. She didn't look back.

Erza knew what it was like to want to be alone. The need to fight her own battles, to lock up her feelings and keep them to herself, she knew it too well. But she also knew what it was like to trust a comrade to fight their own battles.

And with that knowledge, Erza ran ahead past the place where a battle fueled on hatred was about to take place.