A/N: Here's chapter twenty six! (Triple update, WHAT?) Thank you blazingpheonix123 for your review! This chapter has a lot of tiny little scenes, sorry if they're annoying. Speaking of annoying, I'm going to try and stay away from friendship power-ups, unless they're absolutely necessary, so some of the fights may vary a little bit. Hope you like this chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

The wizards of Fairy Tail looked up in horror as the giant slowly continued drawing the spell, "Damn it…that thing looks like it's just about done…" Macao said.

"If it finishes, we're screwed!" Wakaba said.

"It…sure does look like it's working turtle-like…" A female guild member said, with long purple hair, glasses, a white shirt and black pants.

"You're right, Laki…all we can do is hope for the best…." Cana swallowed hard, "Natsu and Gray are up there doing what they do best."

"Gray!" Elfman said as he and Mirajane ran over towards him.

"Elfman?" Gray asked, "And Mira? What are you guys doing here?"

Elfman looked at Juvia's body, "Is this one of the Element Four?"

"Yeah, that's right." Gray said.

"Why does she have that creepy grin on her face?"

"We're…not gonna talk about that right now…"

"So there's only one more left!" Mirajane cheered.

"The giant gets its magic power from the Element Four." Elfman explained to Gray.

"We still have some time then." Mirajane found her smile again, "We can do this."

Natsu panted for a while, quite bloodied and weakened.

"It seems after all that you are able to stand." Aria said, "That is an impressive feat in itself."

Happy swallowed hard, looking overall terrified at this one-sided match.

"Damn it!" Natsu charged at Aria with a flaming fist.

"Unfortunately for you nothing can stand up against my airspace magic!" Aria blasted a large gust of wind, Natsu screamed and fell back.

Natsu spit up a little blood and stood up.

"Back again? Quite a durable one, you are, Salamander."

"I won't lose! I'm a Fairy Tail wizard!" Natsu said.

"You'll find that my airspace magic is from the likes of which you've never seen…"

"Whatever…a wind wizard, I've fought your kind before…"

"But he's a lot stronger than Erigor…" Happy said.

"Now I'm fired up!" Natsu said, flaring up.

"Airspace magic, eradicate!" Aria held a hand out and horde of flashing explosions pelted Natsu. Natsu screamed and fell back, looking worse by the second.

Happy swallowed hard. It made sense as to why this man was leader of the Element Four. You couldn't even see his attacks.

"There's always someone better than you, young dragon slayer." Aria said.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu blasted his flaming breath at Aria.

Aria teleported away.

"Damn it, where did he go?"

"It is over, Salamander." Aria reappeared right behind Natsu, "I shall grant you the same cleansing that I gave your master Makarov." He held both palms out, "Airspace magic, Drain!"

Natsu screamed in agony as he felt all his magic power fading away.

"Natsu!" Happy teared up.

"Your magic will fade away into thin air!" Aria boomed.

Suddenly, a figure came flying out from the sky. It was Erza. She landed right in front of Aria, her sword out, her armor on. However, she still looked exhausted, blood stains and bruises covered whatever exposed skin there was. As she landed, she reared back and slashed into Aria.

Aria fell back and coughed up blood.

"Erza!" Happy cheered.

"Hey…" Natsu said weakly, "You're injured…y-you sure you should be up here with us…?"

"This is the man that hurt our Master…" She said lowly.

"It's so sad." Aria said, "I thought I was only getting Salamander's head today. But Titania is now offering hers as well." He said as he felt his new wound.

"This is the man that dared to attack our Master…" Erza's sword shone with his blood.

"Well, well, well…" Aria took his blindfold off, "If it's Erza I'm fighting…then I may as well get serious…"

"His eyes?" Gray asked.

"Yes, Aria usually keeps his eyes closed or bandaged to keep his magic power in check. He has so much, and it's so powerful, it's easy to lose control." Mirajane said.

"What does that even mean?" Elfman asked.

"It doesn't matter! Just take him down before he opens his eyes! If he does, you may very well lose your sanity!"

The symbol the machine had worked so hardly to create was finished. The Abyss Break was about to be cast.

"I…I think it's done!" Macao said.

"We're screwed…" Wakaba muttered.

"Is this it…?" Cana fell to her knees, her head throbbing as tears started to line her eyelids.

"Now, Erza!" Aria's blindfold fluttered in the air, revealing bright magenta eyes, split into fourths, almost like a targeting system, "I will now cast true airspace!" He held his hands out, "This spell shall suck away the life of all my opponents!" As wind began to furiously blow from him, Natsu and Happy grimaced and flew back.

"How is it so easy for you all to take lives with such ease!?" Erza screamed with as much voice as she could.

"Now the fun begins!" Aria grinned, "Let's see how you take my Airspace: Zero!" He blasted a volley of wind so powerful, that it exploded all around Erza.

"Erza!" Natsu cried out.

She swung her sword through his air, running through it effortlessly, like he wasn't doing a thing.

"What's this?" Aria gasped, "Impossible…s-she's cutting through my airspace…it's my most powerful magic!"

As a gust of wind cleared itself from his field of view, he saw Erza in her Heaven's Wheel armor. "Heaven's Wheel, Blood Sea!" She cried, her swords flying out and stabbing into Aria all over.

Natsu and Happy exchanged a terrified glance as Aria coughed up a lot of blood and slammed against the ground, his wounded body not moving after that.

Erza glared down at Aria's body, her head held up high, "That should take you down off your high horse." She spat, "And ensure you will never get back on."

"Everyone get down!" Macao said.

"I don't think this is the kind of spell that will spare us if we duck!" Wakaba said.

Suddenly the machine buckled and shook with a loss of power, the shining emblem for Abyss Break faded and the machine collapsed where it stood.

"They did it…" Cana sighed.

The guild burst out with laughter and cheering, happy beyond belief.

Erza's eyes melted as she fell on the unstable floors, fainting.

"Erza, no!" Natsu went by her side.

"I don't believe it!" Jose snapped, "My Element Four were taken out by the Fairy Tail upstarts!"

The Emerald Knight slowly woke up in a dingy lit storehouse, "Where…where am I?" He asked.

"I was worried that you would never wake up." Reedus smiled.

He sighed, able to see the destruction from their safe house, "This is all my fault…"

"No one thinks it's your fault, Ant. Didn't Mira tell you that?"

She did, but, that didn't stop the guilt. Caesar was going to pay for this.

The door crashed down, the second it did, Reedus protectively stood in front of the Emerald Knight, "Who's there?"

"I had a feeling you'd be hiding here." Gajeel snickered.

"Ant, run." Reedus said.

"But you can't take him alone!" The Emerald Knight protested.

"Ant, my job is to keep you safe, now go!"

The Emerald Knight nodded and started running away, but then he heard the sound of a man crying out and a crushing sound, then he just heard Gajeel's voice, "Going to let fatty take the fall for you? Now, that isn't very nice."

The Emerald Knight swallowed hard and held his hands out, "So you're Gajeel, I take it?"

Gajeel laughed, "What, are you gonna fight me with your bare hands? Cause that'll end faster than the blink of an eye, pal!"

"Well I'm certainly not running away from the likes of you."

"Ooh, tough guy, huh? We'll see how tough you are after this!" He lunged an iron club after him.

The Emerald Knight felt his vision get blurred as the iron club pounded him in the chest. He coughed up blood and fell back. With his armor, he would have barely felt a thing, but right now he could barely get up.

Gajeel snickered like a madman as he pinned the Emerald Knight down, "See? Wasn't that fast?"

The Emerald Knight wrestled for control, he pulled a hand out and went to punch Gajeel in the chest, but Gajeel held his iron club out and the Emerald Knight punched that instead. The Emerald Knight screamed in pain.

Gajeel picked him up and threw him through the wall, "Are you sure you're a knight? Cause you're acting a lot more like a princess to me!" He laughed, "Say goodbye!" He reared a club back.

"No, don't…" The Emerald Knight held his hands out, but Gajeel clubbed him over the head, knocking him out.

Gajeel slung the Emerald Knight's light body over his shoulder, starting to run off.

"Where do you think you're going with Ant?" A voice asked.

Gajeel turned around to see Loke, "Damn it…how many fairies from the peanut gallery do I have to fight today?" He threw the Emerald Knight's body aside, "Let's do this, pretty-boy." He shot out an iron club.

Loke moved out of the way with astonishing speed, then he charged at Gajeel with a golden fist, "Regulus Impact!"

Gajeel stumbled back as he was hit, "What the hell kind of magic does this guy use?" He muttered to himself.

Loke went for another punch, but he suddenly paused, his spirit fading right before Gajeel's eyes, "No…not now!"

Gajeel smirked darkly, once he hit Loke with a few barrages of iron clubs, he was down too, "Well, I guess you aren't anything special, I've gotta deliver this punk to the master." He picked the Emerald Knight back up and left.

Loke panted heavily, trying to get back up, but he couldn't. "I was…I was just too scared of him…if I wasn't so scared, I could've prevented the attack, but my fear held me back! I…I guess I really am pathetic…aren't I, Karen?"

"So, the Element Four have been taken out, huh?" Gajeel asked as he entered Jose's quarters, "If they were beaten by garbage, I guess they're somehow worse than garbage, huh?" He snickered, "If this is how it was going to play out in the end, you should've just sent me from the start."

"Gajeel?" Jose turned around.

"I brought you a present." He threw the Emerald Knight's body on the ground.

"You found the Emerald Knight? How?"

"He has the weirdest scent I've ever smelled. Even if the bastard left Fiore, I could probably still track him."

"But…he's alive…right?" Jose asked, "Caesar won't give us anything if he's not alive…"

"Hmm, well, let's see…" He kicked the Emerald Knight with such force that he slammed against the wall, unconsciously coughing up blood.

Gajeel laughed, "Sounds like he's alive and kicking to me…can't say the same for the rest of those idiots that were guarding him though."

Jose laughed darkly, "I always knew you were my best wizard! That's Black Steel Gajeel for you!" He then spoke through his speaker to the guild below, "Attention Fairy Tail! We have captured the Emerald Knight!"

"What?" Gray asked.

Mirajane gasped, "How…how did they find him!?"

"Which means we've achieved the first of our goals." Jose snickered.

"No, let me go!" The Emerald Knight screamed over the microphone.

"Come now, settle down…your ways of life and fighting style are so archaic, you and your little friend Caesar belong in a museum…"

"Stop it!" Mirajane screamed, her eyes flooded with tears once again.

"Our goal of killing all you pathetic little brats!" Jose announced, then he shoved the Emerald Knight towards Gajeel, "Watch him for me. There are still some insects scuttling around in my guildhall. I'm going to show them that they can no longer rely on miracles to save them! I'm going to kill them all!" He left.

"Those bastards…" Natsu fumed, holding the unconscious Erza.

"Natsu…" Her eyes slowly opened, "I'm…not going to be able to get up…by myself…" She admitted, even Natsu felt it was strange she was being so vulnerable, "You…need to fill in my place…understand?" She took a shaky breath, "Until I get a healer…you need to step up for me…"

"Erza…you…you can't be serious…"

"I'm dead serious…" She caught her breath, "I almost wish I wasn't…" She closed her eyes but kept speaking, "The Emerald Knight…he's part of our family now, right? And you were the one that….that brought him into our guild…I really…think it makes the most sense for you to save him anyway…." She gave a little smile, "Just this once…Natsu….pretend you're me…an S-Class wizard….do everything you can to stop them…I'll turn a blind eye…"

He gave a slight nod, gently setting her down, as fire covered his body, he ran off with Happy to take down whatever was in their way.

"Erza!" Gray cried out, as he Elfman, and Mirajane ran in, "What happened here?"

"She…couldn't have fought with those wounds, could she?" Elfman asked.

"Did you take down Aria?" Mirajane asked.

Erza gave a proud smile where she lay on the ground, "…Mmm hmm…but…the fight is far from over…"

A wave of cold death spread amongst the four of them, giving a huge remnant of darkness as the breeze faded.

"What…what is this feeling?" Gray asked, "It's cold…even for me…"

"I feel chills no man should feel!" Elfman said.

"What is this…?" Erza whimpered.

"I don't know…" Mirajane shuddered, hating the feeling of being so clueless.

Clapping could be heard next, as Jose entered the room, "Excellent work, children. Honestly, I never thought you would give me so much fun!" He laughed.

"Is he the master of Phantom?" Elfman asked.

"Now, I must give you an appropriate reward for giving me such enjoyment. Don't worry, I'm sure you'll all love it." He snickered. He launched a devastating aura of purple magic, it smacked into Gray and Elfman, they both screamed and smashed against the wall, their bloodied bodies collapsed in an unconscious heap.

"Elf! Gray!" Mirajane screamed.

Erza weakly sat up, adrenaline left a bitter taste in her mouth as she stirred.

Jose laughed madly, blasting away Mirajane next, he then aimed for Erza.

Erza ran forward, preparing to requip as she saw him prepare an attack. I hope my fleeting magic listens to me…

"I saw you take a full blast of Jupiter." Jose said, amused, "How are you even standing right now?"

She panted a bit, standing in her Black Wing Armor. "Sometimes it takes a bit of pain and discomfort to put out the darkness."

Jose chuckled a bit more, his eyes darkened until they were a soulless black, "You're so strong, courageous, and beautiful…it's a shame that I'll have to kill you where you stand!"

Gajeel punched the bruised and bloodied Emerald Knight into the wall again, laughing as he did so, "Come on, make some more noise than that!" He said.

"Gajeel…don't you think maybe you should give it a rest now…?" One of his guild mates piped up timidly.

"What else is there to do?" Gajeel frowned. He punched the Emerald Knight in the stomach and he coughed up more blood.

"Just stop it man, jeez!"

"Shut up." Gajeel swung an iron club at his guild mate and knocked him out, "I don't how big and bad this stupid knight thinks he is, he's just a pathetic royal weakling! It doesn't matter if he lives or dies!"

"But…but if he dies…the master will get really pissed at you…" Another guild mate said.

"Then I'll just say it was your idea."

"Please don't!" His fellow guild mates cowered.

"Jeez, this is stupid! The only reason those Fairy Tail dorks want him back is so they can get divine protection from Caesar and Fiore!"

The Emerald Knight pounded a fist in the ground.

"Hmm?" Gajeel turned around, "Well, look at that, you are still alive…"

The Emerald Knight gave a small smile, "It's a pity…I almost want to die, what with the alternative looking at your grubby, disgusting face. Hear that, knave? Or are you actually capable of showing mercy?"

There was a silence.

Gajeel narrowed his eyes, "You got the balls to be giving me attitude in that condition?"

"…well, you seem to think beating up an unarmed man without his suit of armor counts as some sort of victory for you. If that's how you win your battles, I must say the morale system of the esteemed Phantom Lord is very flawed."

"What did you say?" Gajeel growled.

"You heard me, or do you have scum in your ears too?" The Emerald Knight stood up, wobbling a bit, "If you want to boast and kill me, then I suggest you do it. I have someplace to be, a reunion rather. Someone is expecting to see me and she isn't part of this world anymore, so I want you to send me to her. Come on, do it, if you can't kill a simple human, then you don't really deserve to be called a dragon slayer, now do you?"

"You want to go to the other side?" Gajeel thundered, he ran at him with two iron clubs out on each arm, "I'll gladly take you there, bastard!"

"Gajeel, don't!" One of his guild mates said.

"You can't kill him!" Another said.

The ground below all their feet got very hot, and suddenly Natsu exploded out of the ground, "Gajeel!" He screeched at the top of his lungs, inside an inferno.

Gajeel smiled, "I knew I smelt you here, we have unfinished business, Salamander!"

Natsu didn't really have time to exchange a greeting, he gave Gajeel one merciless punch in the face after the other, Gajeel yelled and fell back, slamming through the wall.

The Emerald Knight gave a weak smile, he felt like a complete fool for wanting to go to Miranda. He should have had more faith in his friends, his family.

A/N: Let's see if I can keep the Emerald Knight as far away from Miranda as possible ;) How was it? Let me know with a review! Thanks for reading! I'll do what I can with trying to finish the arc, but it might not be done until next week.