"Why are you here…?" Dimaria asked cautiously, taking the knife off of Natsu's neck.
"I just came to check up on my darlings." She inspected Lucy's face briefly before walking over to Natsu. "You're not going to ask why I'm alive? Oh wait, that's right, it's you. You've been keeping track of me ever since that day that I passed over you as my assistant."
"As much as I'd like to, I know there's no point in me trying to fight you, I'd be crushed." Isabella laughed softly.
"I'd like to warn you about something though. You're not aware of who Natsu really is, are you? If you kill him, Dimaria, I will not be happy. He is a necessary part of this war. If it were chess pieces, you would simply be a pawn, while he would be a bishop. Understood? Kill him, and I'll personally hunt you down and torture you. It doesn't matter how much you beg me to end it, I won't. I'll keep going. Understood?"
"...Yes."
"Good. So long." She disappeared. Dimaria noticed Lucy starting to stir.
'She didn't say anything about the girl, though.' she smirked.
"...Huh? Natsu!" Lucy saw him tied up across from her. Then she noticed her own situation.
"What...is all this?! When did I…?! Magic-Sealing Stone?!"
"Ishgar actually has some rather convenient tools, wouldn't you say? Not long ago, I was...done in by them as well. Restrained, tied up, and looking pitiful with no means of escape...pretty much how you are now."
"How could you do that to Brandish…" Lucy asked angrily.
"Me? No, no...you were the one who broke her." She clicked her teeth. "And no matter how much you beg and plead, I will have you pay for it." She now stood behind Natsu, holding Lucy's top.
'Teleportation?'
"Wha-?! What's the big idea you pervert?! Give it back!"
"Oh, don't you worry, I'll strip down this guy too, and then you'll be in the same boat! Although…The little punk's not moving at all, is he? Don't tell me he's already…" She lifted Natsu's head up. Dimaria clicked her teeth again, now standing on top of Lucy.
"What big beautiful eyes you have. I wonder...are all Ishgarians born with them? Or is it just your wretched family?"
"!"
"Just looking at them really pisses me off. I suppose gouging them out would be a good place to start, don't you think?"
"What do you know about my family?"
"I'm not telling. You can go ask Zeref about my relationship to that bitch Isabella."
"?"
"That's the best expression you can manage? Some tears and screaming in terror would be nice...It would really help to set the mood." She readied the blade, pointing it at Lucy's eyes.
"I'd much rather lose my eyes than entertain your twisted fetishes, you scum! Even if I can't see everyone's smiling faces, I'll always remember each and every one of them. The sight of our guild. The streets of Magnolia, with all the shops and houses...All the stains and dirty spots on the books I've read...I'll remember them all. IF YOU'RE REALLY GOING TO DO IT, THEN GET ON WITH IT ALREADY! DON'T THINK FOR A SECOND THAT I'M SCARED OF THE LIKES OF YOU!"
"You rebellious little bitch! I'm gonna take that pretty face of yours and take my time covering it in scars!"
'Natsu!' There was a stabbing sound before Lucy lost consciousness.
"H-Huh? What happened?" Dimaria asked. Instead of plunging into Lucy, the blade had been kicked away by a small burst of flame.
"Y-You're awake…" she chuckled.
"You...What were you about to do?" he said, growling demonically.
"What…? What happened to your voice? Are you truly that concerned about a worthless bitch like her?"
"Where...is Zeref…?"
"The Emperor? I'm not telling you-" Suddenly, Natsu appeared in front of her in an instant, even though her Time Seal was still active.
'Wh-Wha-?! Impossible! He shouldn't be able to move like-'
Natsu surrounded himself in a dark red and evil aura, pulling his hand back punching Dimaria in the stomach, sending her flying back against the wall. He turned around and stomped the ground, sending a shockwave to Lucy's chair, shattering it. She fell to the ground, her restraints now loose. Natsu turned back around.
"You're going to pay for what you did." His face was now covered in etherious marks like Tartaros' members were.
"Y-Y-You…" Dimaria was actually starting to tear up.
"You're not aware of who Natsu really is, are you?"
Isabella's words echoed in her head.
'Don't tell me he's...E.N.D.?'
X
"...Huh? What just...spattered blood?" Lucy woke up slowly, wiping the blood stain off her face. "My restraints have been undone...and the chair I was tied to was shattered to pieces…? What happened to her?! And what about Natsu?!"
"Uugh…" Lucy turned to see something truly shocking and frightening. Dimaria, her once proud captor, was burned, beaten and bloodied. Her eyes were almost rolled back into her head, and were widened in fear. Her skin was pale and sweaty.
"Mon...ster…"
"Natsu?! Where is Natsu?!" Lucy asked, noticing that his chair was broken as well.
"It's a...monster…"
'It couldn't be...did Natsu…?! How horrible…'
"That he could move freely within 'my time'...I've never seen anything like it...You're telling me his power surpasses even the gods?! Something capable of those feats...It could only be E.N.D."
"Lucyyy!" Happy yelled, flying into her.
"Happy!"
"Natsu isn't with you?" The other three walked in.
"Porlyusica!"
"Randi…" Dimaria looked at her, still scared. "Do you know what he is…?"
"..."
"You're still alive...what a relief…"
"More importantly, you must bind Mari with those restraints immediately, while you still can. Mari can stop time so dealing with her attacks would be quite troublesome." Brandish told her.
"Just what exactly happened here?" Evergreen asked.
"Your guess is as good as mine...I was captured, together with Natsu….but….when I came to my senses, that woman was barely conscious mumbling to herself, and Natsu was nowhere to be found…"
"Do you recall the tumor which formed within Natsu? At the time, I was under the impression that it was an Anti-Ethernano tumor which had developed due to Natsu overexerting his magic power. However...it turns out it was something else entirely. Even I cannot determine what exactly it is, but...In response to this girl returning the tumor to its former size, its likely that his body suffered an 'attack'...or perhaps it would be more accurate to say...it has awakened...A sinister, demonic power…"
'E.N.D.?' Happy thought.
"I...I have to go search for Natsu…!"
"Looking like that?"
"Perv…" Ever and Brandish mocked, while Lucy covered herself, forgetting she was half-naked.
X
Outside, the battlefield had been turned into a ravaged, flaming wasteland. Natsu slowly walked through it, still surrounded by his demonic aura.
"Zeref...where is...Zeref…" he mumbled.
"There...he is." He looked up the mountain at the location of the guild.
"Natsu…" Gray stood nearby, looking at his former friend.
"Gray…" he snarled.
"Oh my...it seems our friend has finally bared his fangs." Layla smirked. Silver narrowed his eyes.
"Well well...it's finally happening. Although his powers are incomplete." Yury looked up at the sky.
"E.N.D.?" Eileen asked. "Such evil power. Delicious."
"It seems that it's begun. I believe I just won this war." Isabella smiled, watching Natsu and Gray from a nearby cliff.
"Move."
"You're E.N.D., aren't you?"
"Out of the way!"
"Answer me, Natsu!"
"I'm gonna...defeat Zeref...And for that, I...Zeref…"
"You won't listen to reason anymore?"
"Mind your own business...I'm gonna….Zeref…"
"The Demons from the Book of Zeref are tools that the Emperor created to kill himself. The Emperor lamented his immortality and as a means to die, he created demons. Etherious Natsu Dragneel. The most powerful demon that used to be the Emperor's younger brother." Invel explained to Gray. "The demons from the book have something similar to an 'instinct.' A certain 'thought' as their desire. The thought of killing...Zeref…"
"I WILL KILL HIM." Natsu said angrily.
"And to think that my 'enemy' was right beside me…"
"Move."
"My parents, Ur...Everything I suffered...was because of the demons from the Book of Zeref...Because of that, Juvia…"
"Get out of my way!"
"Rest assured, Natsu. I WILL STOP YOU AND KILL YOU!" Gray yelled, his Devil Slayer Marks taking over his body.
"GET OUT OF MY WAY, GRAY!" Natsu roared, with fire demon magic swirling around him. The two clashed, punching each other, completely even for the time being. A large amount of magic power was being projected, dwarfing the surrounding landscape.
X
"I changed its size too. But the damage overall remained…" Brandish was explaining Natsu's 'wound' to Porlyusica.
"You said that Natsu moved within the time that you had stopped?" Evergreen asked Dimaria, who wasn't answering. "And that he basically transformed into a monster?"
"Even being able to make the wound that small...I couldn't stop hesitating."
"It's okay, right? People hesitate and care about their own failures...So even when they happen to increase…It's okay to hesitate about your determination. I think this is also proof that you're alive." Lucy told her friend, now wearing clothes again.
"Stay here, I'll look for Natsu!"
"We have to stop him!" Happy said, coming along with her.
"I need to find Gray-sama…" Juvia gasped.
"It's too early to be moving!" Wendy told her.
"If this keeps going, Gray-sama will break…"
Gray and Natsu were panting and shouting at each other, dodging their attacks and still fighting. Gray swung a punch towards him, but he ducked and clawed at him, startling the ice mage.
"I'm not gonna hold back!"
"Lucy! Why aren't you moving?! Lucy! Lucy!" Natsu cried, cradling her body in his arms.
"I WON'T STOP!"
"I WILL DEFEAT YOU! AND TAKE YOUR LIFE!"
X
Makarov was losing stamina.
"Master!" Alzack called out.
"Don't worry about me...Go!"
"Even if we wanted to...The number of enemies simply won't decrease...this is endless!"
"Don't worry! I'll make a path!" Erza cut down a lot of them.
"Master, hang in there."
"I'm sorry…"
"Our friends will definitely return to the guild!"
"That's obvious, stupid!" Suddenly, a bunch of people screamed.
"What is that thing?!" Erza looked up and saw Eileen's giant eye floating in the sky again. This time, her voice could be heard as well.
"Mavis...wherever you hide, it's futile. You cannot run away...from my eyes!"
"I'm not running nor hiding." Mavis' voice said back, telepathically.
"The place where you all belong is our guild! And we will take it back no matter what! Oh friends that listen to my voice! You are like a blade that the Fairy Strategist shall wield." A giant vision of Mavis towered over the land, facing towards the mountain.
"How flashy and encouraging…" Gildarts said.
"She elevated the spirit of everyone in the battlefield with a single shout…" Erza admired her.
"I see...she planned every word she said...How I hate that girl…" Eileen growled.
"Mavis. Enough of these games. Just come out already." Yury spoke through the eye.
"Th-That voice is…!" Mira became scared again.
"Mira?" Makarov asked.
"I'm tired of waiting. Come finish this. Now!"
"That voice...Mavis, do you know him?" Mira asked.
"Yes. Yury wants me." she narrowed her eyes and began to walk towards his direction.
X
Eileen tapped her staff on the ground, creating rays of light that branched out, hitting all of the soldiers. Their appearance changed and their personalities became wild. Their heads were now made of fire.
"Enchantment: Berserker." she smirked. One of them hit Erza's sword and blew her back with a single strike. They began attacking everyone and overwhelming them.
"Berserker enhances their abilities many times. It has the flaw of taking away their ability to think though. So what's your move? Mavis." Erza slashed through a bunch of them, but they didn't stop, despite the fact that they were injured.
"Is this the end…?" Makarov asked himself.
"Master! We can't give up! I'll create a path no matter what…"
"This is the end. Of my journey." He changed into a Fairy Law stance.
"You can't!" Mavis called out. "The more enemies you face while using Fairy Law, the shorter your lifespan will be! If you use it against a massive army like this, your body won't survive!"
"First...I'm well aware of that already. I don't want you to stop me...Since this is my stage."
"I have a plan! One that will save us from this situation and-"
"Just shut the hell up!" Mavis flinched.
"The kids are suffering right before my eyes. And they are wounded. To you they may be mere 'soldiers'...but to me they are irreplacable children."
"I...did not mean…"
"I know. We can win with your plan, First. I know that much. But I can't stand seeing these kids' blood being spilled for another moment! If with the short lifespan of this old soldier...I can create a future for those kids...this will be a cheap price to pay." he grinned.
"Master!" Erza called out.
"Listen, Erza."
"I won't listen to anything! Let's return to the guild together!"
"From hereon, even if it's painful...if you walk together with your comrades, there will be a way. Believe in your friends. Believe in yourself. The guild is your family. Never forget that. Thanks to all of you...my journey has filled with happiness."
"MASTER!"
"I don't have any regrets, so...all of you, play nice. FAIRY LAW!" And with that, all of the soldiers were wiped out, as well as Makarov…
"...It seems he sacrificed himself to save all of them…" Eileen told Yury.
"..."
"Do you feel any remorse for him?"
"...No. None. I left when he was quite young. He probably doesn't even remember me very well."
"You're cold hearted." she chuckled. "I mean, come on, he's your only child, and you outlived him. Isn't that just a little sad, to you?"
"...Perhaps just a bit. But I don't have time to grieve. Besides, Makarov was never my intended target to begin with."
"Yury, can I ask you something?"
"What is it?"
"I understand your desire to get revenge on Mavis. But why take it out on the rest of Fairy Tail as well? The current members had nothing to do with her decision."
"I have my reasons. I'm not angry at Mavis simply for causing Rita's death, I'm angry at her for not heeding your warning about the curse. If she had, then sure, Rita wouldn't be dead, but she would also be more careful and perhaps had learned how to control her abilities. But she didn't. And the guild follows her blindly. They still do. And because of that, they will always be naive."
"Yes, I get it. But you must also understand that they don't know what we do. About Natsu and I, or even that you and Layla are still alive, and Silver will be too."
"And can you honestly say that even if they did know these things, that they would understand us and our reasons? They still wouldn't join us."
"Well...no. No, I suppose not."
"Look, Zeref. I'm simply doing what I think is best. And as long as Fairy Tail exists, they're a nuisance, that will stand in the way of our goals."
"You're starting to sound like her."
"Like Isabella? I'm not so sure about that. She was far stronger and smarter than I ever was or ever will be."
"And she took all of her secrets with her to the grave."
"Yes. A mistake I don't plan to make. I refuse to die before I see Mavis' blood-soaked corpse lie dead at my feet. I'm sorry if that makes you feel uncomfortable."
"No, not anymore. I love Layla now. And nothing can change that."
X
"Master...could you do me the honor of naming this child, and becoming his godparent?"
"W-What? You would ask me?! Makarov!"
Mavis fell to the ground, crying. But then she felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Stand up for us one more time, First. There are still enemies who require our attention. And we cannot win without your strategies. Now...come on."
"Laxus…" she sobbed.
"Not just for us, but for the old geezer's sake too."
"How many of our people have been taken out?" Zeref asked Eileen.
"I'd say roughly 70-80% of our forces, if I were to make a quick estimate."
"I'd expect nothing less from that man. I must give credit where credit is due. Even so, I sorely underestimated it...the magic which I once taught to Mavis, and which she then passed on to Makarov."
"That being said, there were no casualties among the remaining members of the twelve. The flow of this battle is unlikely to change in any significant way from this point forth."
X
Natsu and Gray continued fighting each other, but Natsu now had the upper hand. Gray created ice particles that flew at Natsu. He dodged all of them, but then found his foot frozen. Gray fired a beam of ice at him, sending him flying back. Natsu slammed his hand into the ground, stopping his momentum. Gray summoned a few ice geysers from the ground, while Natsu blasted a wave of fire towards him. He flew through it and punched through Gray's ice wall, but he just made another one, and Natsu slammed into it.
"I'm putting a stop to you here and now...Natsu!" He formed a giant crystal tower that froze Natsu and the surrounding area. But the fire demon smashed through it instantly.
"GRAYYYY!"
"NATSUUUUU!" The two charged up their powers in their fists and clashed with each other. They screamed out, trying to overpower the other. But then, Erza stood between them, blocking their strikes.
"What do you two imbeciles...think you're doing…?"
"Erza…"
"Tears…?" Gray asked, noticing she was crying.
X
X761
"Are you ready?"
"Yeah, let's do it!"
15 minutes later,
"Was that all, Layla?"
"Damn…" she laughed.
"You may be used to being the strongest around the guild, but that doesn't make you invincible. Remember that there are people that are still stronger than you."
"Yeah, but...I didn't expect you to know 8 different kinds of Dragon Slaying Magic."
"So then you train harder and try to overcome that obstacle. The whole point of this training is for you to beat me, no matter how long it takes."
3 Years Later: X764
"Trying again, are we?"
"Yeah. I had to retire my Celestial Spirits, but I have mastered the Black Arts and some Devil Slaying Magic now."
"Very well. Let's begin."
An Hour Later
"Not bad. You lasted an hour this time."
"What's the point?" she coughed. "Three years of training and only 45 minutes later. You're intentionally keeping your magical prowess from me. How was I supposed to know that you know Light God Magic?" she pouted.
"Why would I tell you everything about myself the first time? Like I said, the goal is to defeat me, no matter how many times it takes and no matter what problems present themselves." Layla sat down.
"How many times have we sparred now though?" she sighed.
"I think this was number 50."
"See what I mean? 50 times, and every single one is a loss for me. This is taking a toll on my body, and I'm starting to feel like there's no possibility of me beating you. Maybe I'm not the person you want for this job…"
"...No. You are. And no one else, we're sure of that. I take it you know about your God Soul?"
"Yes…"
"We are the same, you know. Zeref and I."
"Huh?! You mean you're…?!"
"Descendants of Erebus and Aether, yes. He wants to assemble five of us together."
"Five? Who's the fifth?"
"A young girl around your age. That's all we know. We haven't been able to locate her yet."
"So you really did need me for this job."
"No. That's not quite it. You were chosen for opening the Eclipse Gate merely because you live in this time period. If it wasn't you, it would be whoever else. Your powers are very different from everyone else. We need to assemble the five descendants of the gods in order to carry out our two main operations: to obtain Fairy Heart, and to revive END."
"And if i want to carry out those plans effectively, then you want me to be stronger."
"Stronger than me. Stronger than Zeref. The strongest, as you should be. You are descended from Nyx, the oldest, most powerful, and most beautiful goddess. You deserve to lead this empire."
"...Not until I beat you." she smirked.
"That's the spirit." he grinned back at her.
Ten Years Later, X774
"This time. This time for sure. It's been ten years since that time."
"I hope for your sake it is this time. There's only 3 years left until we have to open the Eclipse Gate, and if you can't defeat me after training for ten, then I might have to take the throne."
"That's not going to happen."
5 Hours Later
The two of them were lying on the floor, breathing heavily.
"Well...you did it."
"Don't give me that...neither of us used God Soul...we'll never truly know who's stronger…"
"If you could beat me without our God Souls, then the same outcome should happen if we did use them, right? Even if you didn't use your full power, the Lucifer form was enough to beat me. Something that no one's been able to do for 70 years."
"It still took me everything I had though…"
"But that's a good thing."
"What do you mean?"
"You're the leader of this army, but you are the strongest. There's nothing I hate more than a cowardly commander or ruler who can't even defend themselves."
"Well, you won't have to worry about that with me." she laughed, sitting up.
"Case in point." he stood up.
"I'm...gonna go change." Layla said, noticing the damage on her clothes. She stumbled away towards her room.
"Well? How'd she do?" Zeref asked, walking up to Yury.
"She's strong. Stronger than we thought possible. She's not like her mother, but it's more than enough to suffice."
"No one can be like her mother."
"I know. But she's at least stronger than me, meaning that she's able to beat Acnologia without too much trouble."
"Good. Now all that's left is to find the last one. That's your responsibility. In the meantime, I'll take Layla over to Tartaros soon to teach her the revival spell necessary to bring back Silver. Everything's going according to plan."
End.
