Two Dragons

by The wiErDos Association

Saved from the tragic event of Tenrou Island, Natsu and Wendy press on to their future as they lived throughout the years of loss and hardship until the day of their friends return. Join as they fought through pain and sadness fate has in store for them and eventually will pave a way for the two to realize their growing feelings for each other. (Split-off route in the canon. NaWen)

26. Lumen Histoire

A/N: Sup guys, wiErD here and I've got another chapter for you all.

Hope ya like it! Sorry for the long wait.

Disclaimer: I don't own anything except for my plots. Everything else is owned by Hiro Mashima. Support the official release.

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- Lumen Histoire -

The arena was at a standstill. The mysterious blue hue that surrounds the whole area and also to the people within it are completely frozen as if they were stopped in time. No signs of breathing or any faint sounds can be detected on every one of them. Natsu, Wendy, and Laxus could only assume that a barrier was placed throughout the arena itself.

The ongoing battles between mages are also stopped. Dust and other flying debris were halted from their directed trajectories, leaving them in mid-air and the flow of the wind around them were stopped as well. The three were the only ones that can move around and seem to be unaffected by the time barrier placed around them.

However, the unusual scenery of the time-stopped arena was ignored as the three looked over to the five figures right in front of them. Of course, Natsu and Wendy showed signs of caution along with Laxus after knowing their affiliation. It's obviously clear for them to understand their true intentions.

After all, they set up this barrier to avoid any detection from the spectators and decided to confront the three in a seemingly unfair number advantage. Like them, they were also unhindered by the effects of the barrier although it could be assumed that they're the perpetrators for this mysterious spell cast upon them.

Aside from the unexpected appearance of Raven Tail, the recognition of the man called Alexei was called on to the other two dragon slayers as Laxus revealed his true identity.

"It's been awhile, Fairy Tail."

Ivan began while also finally putting down the mask on his face to reveal his true self to the three. Natsu and Wendy shot their eyes in surprise as soon as they recognized the name from the lightning dragon slayer.

"Yo, old man... It looks like you're looking shitty as ever." Laxus spoke.

"Ivan Dreyar... From what I can remember, isn't he Gramps–" Natsu was about to answer until the man in question suddenly interrupted him in mid-sentence.

"Oh, there's no need to push that even further. It disgusts me to hear that stupid old man's name in front of me. I wonder why his age hasn't killed him yet." Ivan spat with mockery.

"You bastard–!" Before any verbal insults could be exchanged, Laxus lifted his strong arm in front of the pinkette, prompting him to stop pushing further.

"Stop it, Natsu... He's just trying to mess with us."

"But, they just–"

"If you really matured over the past seven years, then you should know that they're provoking us. We can't afford to lose our heads in this kind of situation. Remember, we don't know what these people are up to and I don't know what kind of surprises they might have in store for us once we started fighting them."

He answered with a stern expression as his eyes gazed towards him with a steady composure. He knew Natsu wouldn't take any kind of insults towards his family so he needed to contain him as much as possible in order to avoid from getting any more violent with the other party. Considering their current situation of being trapped in a time-stopping barrier, there's really no other choice but to hear out their demands and make a decision afterward. Wendy seemed to be in the same mindset as his so he doesn't need to inform her on that.

The blue-haired woman simply held on to Natsu's shoulder in order to calm him down.

"Natsu... He's right. We really don't have any choice at this point. At least, we should endure for now." She softly spoke in which eventually calmed the fire dragonslayer in the process and nodded silently in response.

"Alright..."

As soon as the commotion ended, the three once again met their gazes back to the five in caution before speaking.

"So why is the guild master of Raven Tail participating in the games? I recall the rules that you're prohibited from participating. Although I can already see that you're here for some other purpose of why you decided to join anyway." Laxus was first to speak.

"Hoh? You catch on pretty quick, my foolish son. I guess I could expect that from you."

"..."

Despite giving his father a silent reply, Laxus lightly shook his head at the statement with a suppressed grunt. His eyes narrowed even further in suspicion as he began to examine the other four members standing beside him. All of them are giving him a scary look alongside with the other two dragonslayers right beside him. Natsu and Wendy remained silent and simply observed from their eyes, looking out for any foul tricks that might spring up from one of them, especially to Obra who was responsible for the sabotage on the first day of the Grand Magic Games.

They both knew how dangerous he is due to the fact that he managed to erase all of Wendy's magical power in an instant without anyone seeing. His magic is clearly unknown at this moment so they're going to have to stay on guard.

Apart from him, several members of Raven Tail were also observed as Natsu gritted his teeth in frustration towards them. After all, they're the ones who are also responsible for other sabotages aside from Wendy. If they're here for the same reason, he'll just have to beat the crap outta them if that's the case.

On the other hand, Laxus shifted his eyes back to Ivan.

"So what the hell is all this? Having us all three trapped in this time spell of yours."

He began to ask the most important question of all as the two dragonslayers steeled themselves beside him, waiting for the same answer as well.

A chuckle escaped from Ivan's lips, finding his son's harsh reply to be quite amusing for him at least. However, his eyes soon fell towards him with the same serious expression.

"Hmm... It is as you said. This is a time spell. A very complicated one that is. It covers the whole stadium and freezes everyone in time except for all of us."

"Seems like it. I suppose having us three here would mean that you got some business with us. I would've understood it because of the sheer number of our members fighting in the arena but I didn't expect you to lock only the three of us in this barrier." Laxus reasoned.

"That's right... It would really be a hindrance if all of your comrades are present but that is not the case here. What we're seeking is not a victory of course. We've been using the guild's position to the games as a façade for our true objective."

As soon as Ivan explained, Natsu and the others finally tensed and readied their fists. Their caution towards the five across them increased after learning their true purpose of joining in the games.

"Well, I don't see sabotaging the guild would really help out to your true objective."

"Sabotaging your guild is just one of the things that I'd like to do because I despise it. But then again, hurting your guild too much might just let our chances of fulfilling our mission grow slim as well. As a result, I'd like to keep it steady by attacking each of you in different ways."

"Then what happened to Wendy and the others back then were just one of your ploys to discourage us." Laxus inquired.

"That's right."

At that point, Natsu was already holding back his fists from connecting towards Ivan's face. He could easily punch his way through and beat them all up since they're already bringing up the same situation that happened to Wendy back in the first day. His anger was already in its tipping point but he tried to suppress it for Wendy's sake.

He can't go out of control once again. Or else he might end up hurting anyone else aside from her. That one thought scared him enough to not raise his fists against them.

On the other hand, the conversation between father and son continued as Laxus tried to figure out his father's real intentions towards this event.

"So what's this true objective you're all talking about?"

"Heh, demanding as always, my foolish son."

"I'm not here for any idle talk with you all. I have a match ongoing right now with my friends and I don't want to make them all wait any longer. It's the same with the other two here beside me." Laxus replied.

"Hmph... It seems that way. Then, let's get to the main point. We simply want to negotiate with you three." Ivan requested.

"Negotiate?" Natsu asked.

"That's right... I purposely selected the three of you because I know that you hold the answer to what we're looking for. Well at least, one of you that is, considering that some of you are left behind before Tenrou's destruction seven years ago and your connection with Makarov."

At that moment, Natsu and Wendy finally began to quirk their brows in curiosity due to their negotiation being connected to them for some reason.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. There's no need to hide it any further. After all, we know your secret already and we only need to find its location." Ivan replied.

Before they could even continue to speak further to the topic, Laxus interrupted the whole party with a demanding question.

"And what if we refused to cooperate?"

His eyes locked towards Ivan in great hostility. Although it may seem like an act of intimidation, Ivan couldn't deny a slight fear creeping onto his skin towards the hostile gaze. Even though they can't sense any surge of magic power within him, his stone-hard expression is enough for him to understand his nature.

He slightly took a step back in instinct but tried to steel himself afterward to show his tenacity as well with an evil smirk.

"Do you honestly think you have any other choice other than that? I forgot to tell you the true purpose of Raven Tail as well, my foolish son."

"What are you talking about?"

"Raven Tail... Otherwise known as the anti-Fairy Tail guild." He revealed which shocked the three in the process as soon as they heard him talking about his own guild.

"A-Anti-Fairy Tail guild?" Wendy stammered in disbelief.

"Just as it states, we composed of elite members known to be the weakness of each Fairy Tail guild members. You should already know that when we easily defeated you back in the first day." Ivan explained.

"Hihi... You and Blondie are quite the catch. Serves you right!" Flare mocked.

"Fufu... That Gray fellow is really gullible. You should see his face after that humiliating loss."

Nullpudding added his own mockery towards the ice mage which now puts them in a tight spot. Despite enduring their insults as of now, Laxus also began to feel hatred towards them for bad-mouthing their friends.

"Heh... Don't get so angry yet, Fairy Tail... Your chances of getting out here unscathed might thin out if you don't control your own selves. Remember, we're still in the middle of our negotiation."

"To hell with your negotiation! I'll burn you all right here!" Natsu burst his fist in flames to show his seriousness but Ivan and the rest seem to be confident to their own selves as well.

"Hoh, Natsu Dragneel... I've heard all your reports about you in the last seven years. It seems like your short temper is something to be worth taking note for. However, you're in no position to act on your own since you're trapped in this barrier. I suggest you listen to Laxus if you don't want your precious woman being hurt again."

The mention of Wendy suddenly puts his back to his own self as he looked worriedly over to the bluenette who stood beside him. The threat was enough for him to stand down and dissipate his flames while Ivan relished himself in triumph over him with a chuckle.

"Well even though you tried to force your own way against us, you won't be able to defeat us at the same time..." He paused before looking at them straight in the eye with a dark look.

"...Now then, we'll ask again... Where is the location of Lumen Histoire?"

At that moment, the three suddenly felt a bit confused at the mention of such a name. Moreover, they haven't heard anything like it so their first reaction towards his question would be bewilderment.

"Lumen Histoire?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"You don't have to play coy with us. I'm sure Makarov had told you about it, Laxus." Ivan spoke.

"Actually, I really don't know. And If I do know, I wouldn't even share it with you." He responded.

"Well, well... Aren't you a rebellious one? You're in a hopeless situation. Do you think stalling us would actually help you three? No one's going to rescue you. This time barrier cannot be repelled until the user is taken out."

"Hoh? Well, that makes things easier for us. What you don't understand is that you're underestimating us, old man."

"Same goes to you too, my foolish son. If you're not willing to accept the condition. It'll end more than just harming you and your friends beside you." Ivan threatened.

"Alright, then I'll ask you guys a question this time."

"Hmm?"

"If you're only targeting me, why even bother dragging Natsu and Wendy here in this situation? I wouldn't understand your reason for doing so aside from your plans of hurting them at least." Laxus inquired.

"I never said about choosing you alone, Laxus. Considering that those two handled what was left of the guild over the past seven years, I figured that they might even hold the secret regarding Lumen Histoire and its location."

Once again, the unusual name was mentioned before them. Both of them simply narrowed their eyes in suspicion before asking the guild master.

"What's this Lumen Histoire, you keep talking about?" Natsu demanded, revealing that he didn't have any knowledge regarding that name, resulting Ivan to shake his head in realization.

"It seems like you didn't know either."

He ignored the pinkette and shifted his attention back to Laxus.

"Well, I guess there's no helping it. You are the only one who has the closest possibility of knowing its location so I'll ask again, where is Lumen Histoire?"

This time, Ivan sported a dark expression that contained both malice and hostility towards him, prompting the other two to retaliate in the same manner. The other four standing beside Ivan slowly began to prepare themselves.

"You're really getting into my nerves, useless old man. I already told you that I don't know a damn thing about what you're talking about!" Laxus finally snapped.

Lightning sparks slowly began to show his body as his magic power began to show signs of huge pressure that is felt by both sides. Even Natsu and Wendy were quite surprised at the sudden change of magical pressure around Laxus as they looked at him in utter shock.

"W-Woah... As expected of Laxus. He never really lets himself get rusted all these years." Natsu noted.

"This power... is Laxus-san's. Amazing." Wendy awed at the tremendous feeling being felt around them.

It would seem like the lightning mage is getting really serious now. At this moment, Ivan began to feel the same fear as he felt back then when he gazed at him in hostility, however–

"Don't get cocky! A mere intimidation from you is not gonna let you win against my elite unit. We know everything about your weakness." Ivan threatened.

..

..

At that moment, Laxus suddenly lowered his magical power but not long before he slowly gazed at his father with a sentimental look. A brief sigh escaped from his lips before speaking.

"Gramps had done a thorough investigation of you."

Several forms of surprises went over to the other group as soon as Laxus revealed a vital information towards them.

"A thorough investigation, you say?" Ivan said in confusion.

"Do I have to say it again? The number of your guild members, your guild's location, funding, operations... all of it. We know everything that's been going on these past seven years."

"W-What?!" A stuttered response was uttered from the guild master while the others began to discern the cause of their compromise.

"It's Gajeel! There's no mistaking it!" Flare suspected.

"He seems like a nasty fellow but I didn't expect him to trick us," Nullpudding added.

"A double-agent it seems," Kurohebi replied.

"That's right."

Laxus affirmed their suspicions while Natsu and Wendy were left behind in their flow of conversation.

This is some serious talk about the guild. They didn't exactly get the details since the information was completely unrelated to them even to that mysterious Lumen Histoire.

Looking at a different angle, they were somehow pulled into something that is completely confidential and secretive for them and the others. Although it didn't stop them from overhearing their conversation and slowly began to grasp the conversation bit by bit as Laxus explained further.

On the other hand, Raven Tail managed to regain their composure after learning their secrets being monitored all the time. Their shocked faces however still remained.

"But isn't that strange? If our information was leaked, he should've done something earlier to prevent our intervention in the games." Nullpudding inquired.

"Even though Gramps knew all that, he didn't make a move on you," Laxus replied briefly before shifting his eyes towards his father.

He could recall his moment with his grandfather back at the guild when they were discussing the situation of Fairy Tail after seven years. It's supposed to be kept as a secret to anyone since Makarov called on to him to discuss Raven Tail's recent actions over the past seven years. Judging from their situation right now, it really doesn't matter if he intends to share or not.

Both of them talked about Ivan and his actions over the past several years when they were gone. The secret that Makarov mentioned in one of their talks seemed to be related on what Ivan was currently referring right now.

Lumen Histoire...

There's no doubt that what they're trying to say is the same. With Lumen Histoire to be the actual name of the guild's secret that Makarov thought that could harm the guild, he still doesn't understand what it is. But the gravity of the situation is enough for him to understand that it is something that should not be handled lightly.

If Ivan was here for its location, there's no denying that he's also trying to bring the guild down as well. It's obviously clear that he wanted Fairy Tail's demise by finding the information and the location of their guild's secret.

However, in the midst of all the threats, Makarov believed that Ivan wouldn't do such a thing because of he too, knew all well how dangerous it is if it were to be leaked outside the guild. Laxus could've taken the other way around and took some action but he was persuaded not to.

All that faith that his grandfather had placed on his son... He–

"...Maybe, just maybe somewhere in his heart, he had faith in you. The proof was already there, you didn't lay a hand on the guild even in its darkest days. There was no sign of danger with Natsu and the others during those times. Gramps believed in you because you're father and son..."

A sound of teeth clashing was heard from Ivan as his expression turned completely hostile and began to attack without warning.

"SILENCE!"

With a fierce swipe on his right hand, Ivan sent a wave of paper dolls towards Laxus who shot his eyes wide open at the sudden attack. Several waves of paper dolls also made their way towards the other two dragonslayers who simply dodged away while Laxus raised his fists to protect himself from the onslaught.

"Laxus!"

"Laxus-san!"

"I've been waiting for this day! Just to get my hands on Lumen Histoire!"

Ivan screamed both in frustration and anger as he continued to send more paper dolls towards the lightning mage in succession while Laxus merely raised his hands in defense to his attacks without flinching against it. Even he couldn't tell apart to himself of attacking his own son. His own hate towards his father and the guild clouded his judgment. Laxus knew it from the start so getting attacked by his own father was not a surprise for him at all.

"You say I didn't harm your guild for seven years? Of course not! There's no way the ones you left behind had no information on that! That's why I kept that useless guild in the dark like it used to be!"

"What are you talking about?"

This time, Natsu and Wendy caught on to what Ivan just had said earlier. An evil smirk escaped from the Raven Tail guild master's lips as soon as he got them questioning him once again.

"Hoh? You didn't know? All these years, we never left you sods alone even in your darkest times. We continued to operate in the dark, observing everyone one of you in that petty tavern you call a guild. All to find any information about Lumen Histoire!"

"W-What do you mean by that?!" Wendy asked.

"Hahahaha! There's no way we'd let you regain your footing in Magnolia! We've been containing you all this time, watching you suffer in desperation and hopelessness. Every time you try to set out to rebuild that trash guild, we destroy it by spreading rumors and keeping all of you in check!"

At that moment, Natsu and Wendy realized...

The struggle, hard work, their sacrifice... everything for their guild in those past seven years had been all weighted down by their wicked actions all along.

"T-Then, all we've been doing for the guild–" Wendy stuttered.

"THAT'S RIGHT! YOU'VE BEEN WALKING IN THE PALM OF MY HAND! YOU PIECES OF SHITS SHOULD REMAIN BELOW THE GROUND WHERE ALL OF YOU ACTUALLY BELONG! IF YOU SHOULD'VE JUST STAYED DEAD TOGETHER WITH THOSE LOTS ON TENROU, LUMEN HISTOIRE WOULD'VE BEEN IN MY GRASP!"

..

..

Laxus could only feel disgusted at the current state his father is in. Although, he wanted to believe to his grandfather's words, the way his father now is already beyond help.

"You good-for-nothing bastard..." He hissed but not long before he noticed Natsu's face suddenly shadowed in the process. Silence assailed in the air between both sides as the fire dragonslayer remained unmoving. Even Wendy is also silent as well. On a side note, he could feel a slight magic pressure emitting from the two dragonslayers.

Then suddenly–

"Hey, Laxus..." Natsu spoke.

"Yeah, what is it?"

"Is it okay to pummel this bastard?"

"Hmph... I would've done the same after hearing all that."

"Well, in that case, there's no need to stop me from doing what I want from now on..."

A chuckle escaped from his lips in response.

"Yeah, do what you want. But let me handle him on this one, you take care the others."

"Alright..." Their subtle conversation was overheard as Ivan steeled himself in response.

"Heh, are you going to challenge us? Then, let us show you, the power of the anti-Fairy Tail guild!" At the same time, Flare and the other elite members also began to use their magic to battle them.

"Obra! Do it! Erase all their magic at once–"

Ivan was caught by in surprise as soon as he saw a crimson blur swoop past him and went straight towards Obra at amazing speeds. The issue of the command was too late to carry out as Natsu appeared right before the mage and slammed his head towards his mid-section. The speed was too fast even for Laxus to follow as Obra was sent away at high speeds.

"THIS IS FOR HURTING WENDY, YOU BASTARD!" Followed by a flaming fist, Natsu released a wave of fire towards Obra, engulfing him in a sea of flames thus knocking him out instantly from battle. An enraged look was present on his face as he sent the mage crashing to the edge of the barrier like a ragdoll

The others also looked in utter disbelief at the defeat of one of their elite member, causing them stutter at the sight.

"Impossible! Obra was–" Ivan stopped again in mid-sentence as he looked to his right and saw Wendy suddenly attacking Flare and Nullpudding.

The two elite mages were also taken by surprise at her speed and could only shot their eyes open as the sky dragonslayer jumped high overhead before placing both of her hands on their shoulders.

"What the–"

"Why you–"

"THIS IS FOR LUCY AND GRAY!" Expelling a strong torrent of wind in her hands, Wendy blasted the two away in an intense force that caused them to scream in pain.

"Gyaaaaaah!" Flare's screams resounded in the silent arena before crashing on the ground.

Nullpudding somehow managed to regain his position in mid-air and tried to dash straight down to the bluenette with his body spikes.

"I got you!"

Wendy simply sidestepped to avoid the attack and easily made a chance to finally blow him away once and for all.

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Shattering Light, Heavenward Shining Star!" Locking her right fist, Wendy compressed an immense amount of air around her arm, using it as a boost to her swing as she connected her fist right towards Nullpudding's stomach in just a fraction of a second.

A deafening sound was heard upon contact. Along with its powerful gales, the shockwaves were created in a form of torrent waves that appeared behind Nullpudding as soon as the fist was drilled into his abdomen. The mage felt an immense pain spreading throughout his body before instantly fading out in consciousness and crashed in the fair distance.

The winds continued to dance around the bluenette before eventually dissipating. Her quick victory over the two only shocked Ivan as soon as he saw three of his elite members easily taken out in an instant.

"I-It can't be!"

Meanwhile, Kurohebi found an opportunity to attack Wendy as he appeared behind her in a form of sand.

"Gotcha!"

Before he could even touch the bluenette. A lightning-shaped halbert was thrown towards him at lightning speeds, electrifying him in the process before smashing into a corner as well, leaving only Ivan to be the last one standing against them.

"M-My elite team!"

He could only watch in disbelief as the four elite members beside him were already defeated in an instant. This couldn't even be called a match. The fight wasn't even long enough for any of his team to retaliate against the three. They completely overpowered his elite team in a matter of seconds. It was a one-sided battle between him and his enemies.

His fear hasn't stopped yet as Natsu, Wendy and Laxus closed on him, both had their eyes glaring at him in enmity.

"Damn you, old man... I don't know what it is you're after, but you're gonna pay for hurting my comrades."

"W-Wait! I'm still your father! We're family, right?! You wouldn't hit your own father now, would you?"

Ivan was desperate. His voice sounded scared as Laxus walked towards him with lightning sparks gathering around his body as if preparing for a final attack. Natsu and Wendy also released their own elements to their fists as well.

Knowing that nothing would convince them otherwise, Ivan clasped both his hands in desperation before a dark smile was plastered on his face.

"You ungrateful wretches!"

The three could only widen their eyes in shock as soon as they recognized the spell Ivan was trying to chant. Dark light emerged from his hands, giving off a sense of dread and malicious aura around the area. A similar sensation was felt after recalling a somewhat similar spell that Gramps used before. Only this time, it's quite the opposite of it.

"Don't tell me–" Laxus muttered.

"Grimoire Law!" Natsu said in worry.

"Hahaha! The information about Grimoire Heart's ultimate spell was really handy. It took years for me to master this spell and I intend to use it against you, Fairy Tail!" Ivan laughed evilly as the spell neared its completion.

"Tch, what a troublesome old man! Let's do this, Natsu, Wendy!"

"YEAH!"

Without wasting enough time, the three dragonslayers powered their fists with their respective elements as they closed their distance towards Ivan who could only shot his eyes open due to their approach. Casting an ultimate spell like this would actually take a lot of time. In compensation for its immense power, the caster was left vulnerable for any confrontational attacks.

The three knew the danger behind the spell once it was cast so they decided to use their power to stop it from being cast upon them. Ivan could not protect himself like this.

"Damn you all!"

Elements of fire, lightning, and wind surrounded the whole area as Natsu and the others prepared their spells aimed at the guild master who could only watch in shock as they bear down their fists towards him.

"Die, Fairy Tail!"

"THIS IS... FOR OUR GUILD! ! ! !"

"Fire Dragon's Meteor Fist!"

"Sky Dragon's Cyclone Fist!"

"Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"

A combination of both three elements smashed through the glowing dark light in Ivan's hands, pushing straight to his stomach, sending him far away and crashed into a nearby wall. A huge cloud of dust kicked up in the air as soon as he smashed right through it.

Moments later, the smoke settled and revealed a large cracked wall where Ivan was located with white eyes and multiple injuries all over his body. All three dragonslayers remained to their stances before eventually lowering their fists in response and attained victory against them.

"It's over... That actually felt good." Natsu smiled.

"But... the field seem to be still intact." Wendy looked around them and still found the others frozen in place. The barrier showed no signs of disappearing any moment.

"Don't tell me there's another one."

After a few moments, a sound of crack was heard from above as they gazed towards it and saw a huge crack on the top of the barrier. The crack grew further and the sounds grew louder before the whole barrier itself was shattered almost instantly.

The natural color of their surroundings returned to normal and the motions that were supposedly stopped slowly began to move again. It seems like it will take a few more moments before the flow of time goes back to normal.

However, in the midst of the disappearing barrier, Ivan and Obra also began to disappear as well, leaving only the defeated bodies of the chosen participants of the event to remain in place.

"What the hell? Where did they go?"

"Did they returned back to their original places?"

"Well, it seems like it. More importantly, we should regroup back to our own teams. The event is still not over, remember?" Laxus reminded which also got the other two to realize as well. Natsu and Wendy retreated away from the vicinity while Laxus remained in his own position.

"We'll continue our fight some other time, Natsu."

"Same here! For now, let's win this!"

"Let's go back, Natsu."

As the matter had finally settled between them, the time began to flow back as the fights resumed once more, leaving only a few unnatural occurrences that happened in the arena.

..

..

'What? She disappeared... Wait, how did she?'

Kagura felt dumbfounded as she found herself cutting the air in front of her and immediately lost her target. The blue-haired woman who was supposed to be in front of her seemingly disappeared out of thin air.

It didn't take long for the other fighters as well to notice the abrupt change of their motions in the surrounding arena as they saw the three bodies of Raven Tail lying in other places. However, the presence of the ongoing event simply made them ignore the three and went on like nothing happened except for the spectators.

"W-What a shocking turn of events!? Raven Tail's participants were defeated?" Lola exclaimed as soon as he spotted the defeated participants of Raven Tail lying on the ground for some reason.

"It sure is strange. We haven't seen every one of them yet in the arena. How did they wound themselves like that?" Even Yajima was surprised as well.

"There must be some kind of foul play here." Lahar suspected.

"W-Well either way, the event is still ongoing. This left Raven Tail out of the match since their participants are all incapable of fighting. Their position will automatically receive the last place! Now let's see how the other teams would fare in their own fights!"

Lola added as the cheers began to grow louder once more.

Far back from the arena, Makarov and Mavis also noticed the change of time flow inside the arena.

"Is it me or it's just that the time around the arena somehow stopped for some reason?" Makarov felt like asking to the First Master who only displayed a rather serious expression towards the downed opponents of Raven Tail in the stadium.

"There was a slight disturbance of time just now... It seems like they managed to break through."

She was also the first one to discern the situation between the three and Raven Tail, replacing her grim look into a smile as she looked towards the three in relief.

"U-Uh, what do you mean, First Master?"

"Nothing..."

A cheerful remark befell on the woman's face as she thoroughly observed the three mages as they returned back to their original positions.

..

..

Outside Domus Flau, a huge breath of relief was released from Ultear's lips as she sat down in exhaustion after pouring a lot of magic throughout the ordeal. Beside her was Meredy who also seemed to be in the same state as they watched the arena began to return to normal as well.

"I didn't think it would take me a lot of magic just to dismantle that." The time mage huffed.

"Well, it was one complex magic barrier. I wonder how Raven Tail managed to acquire such powerful magic. They even managed to get Hades' magic without us knowing all of it."

"It would be a disaster if that magic was invoked. Luckily, it seems Natsu and the others managed to stop him while at it." Ultear smiled.

"True... In any case, we should also inform Jellal about Raven Tail. They're not getting away with this one."

"Sure, sure... Just give me some time to rest for now. I think I'm losing my touch here."

"Fufu... I see your age is catching up to you."

*BONK*

"Hey! I'm not yet old. I'm still in my twenties!"

"Oww! You don't have to hit me. It only made sense that you're really are getting old." Meredy pouted.

"Wha–"

"Oooh, cat got your tongue~" She teased although it's a mistake that she would later come to realize as Ultear instantly locked the poor pinkette in her arms before showing a huge chili pepper in her hands, seemingly pointed at her mouth.

"Don't get ahead of yourself. You think you can outsmart me? Well, keep trying! 'Cause I'm gonna show you a bit of discipline from now on."

"Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!" The cries of the wailing pink-haired mage resounded at a distance.

---

Natsu and Wendy eventually reunited with Erza who was currently guarding the obelisk. The sight of her two teammates eventually caused her to lower her guard momentarily.

"Natsu! Wendy! What are you two doing here? I thought you two were supposed to be on the offensive."

The two dragonslayers looked at each other for a moment before gazing back at the puzzled scarlet knight. With smiles on their faces, the two spoke in reassurance.

"Well something happened but it's everything's all right."

"I don't know what happened out there on the battlefield but it seems like something good happened between you two." She suspected.

"You could say that." Natsu sheepishly replied although Wendy, on the other hand, interpreted it as some sort of a sensitive topic to her.

In response, she frantically flailed her arms in denial with a blushing face.

"I-It's not what you think, Erza!"

The redhead tilted her head in confusion at her companion as she also doesn't quite follow what the sky dragonslayer meant earlier.

Phew... A relief that one.

"Anyway, we only have a few minutes left before the event finishes. The rankings can only be determined after the fight so we should put out our best efforts to win this." Erza suggested.

"Yeah. We can still do this!"

"Right! Let's show them what Fairy Tail is really made of!"

With the team back in action, Natsu and Wendy soon faced back to the battlefield as several opponents try to make their way towards their obelisk.

"Let's fight to our hearts' content, Fairy Tail!"

"This time, I'll conquer your heart, Wendy-chan!"

Ren and Hibiki shouted as they charged to attack the trio along with the latter who carried their orb in his hands. However, a silver blur came across them in just a fraction of a second, prompting them to stop advancing. At the same time, an enormous pain was felt to their bodies as if it was slashed several times that their eyes failed to realize the wounds appearing soon after.

"Gaaaaaaaah–!"

A sounding scream of pain escaped from the duo's lips before falling down to the ground in the process. Standing a few meters away was Erza in her full form as she carried two samurai blades in both her hands. Her clothing simply consisted that of a series of white linen covering her breasts and a long red-flame pants for her lower part.

Her scarlet hair, once cascaded down, is now tied into a pony-tail and her face now donned in the same determined expression as the two.

The sound of two swords scratching down to the ground was heard as she lowered it down before gazing back at the two with confident a smirk.

"Well, what are you two waiting for? Let's finish this!"

"YEAH!" Her words confidence as the two dragonslayers shouted out their determination to the fight as well.

And in just like that, the group began to put out one last assault against the other opposing teams as the time slowly reaches down to its final countdown.

Spectators and some other people soon began to notice the sudden change of pace on the A team.

"W-What's this? Fairy Tail A Team sudden gained a huge boost of morale. They were just fighting their opponents with their normal confidence but now it seems like they were more serious than ever." Lola commented.

"Hmm... It looks like they managed to find their rhythm. This event can only work most on team members acting out with the same wavelength of understanding with each other. These three have been on the same team since way back that they knew each other's abilities. It gives as sort of a mutual trust with each other even in the course of a battle." Yajima explained.

"Well said, Yajima-san. Apart from all teams, these three had the best chemistry of teamwork yet." Lahar added.

"Let's see how well they can fare in these final minutes."

The commenting went on outside the battlefield as the event continued to progress.

---

Meanwhile, the battle continues on some several mages as Gajeel and Orga continued to trade blows against each other for supremacy. The objective of obtaining the orb was long forgotten within these two strong mages and the only thing worth fighting for is their pride.

The iron dragonslayer effectively used his elemental advantage over Orga's black lightning as he absorbs its effects, negating the powerful force driven in the lost magic. However, the shock wasn't entirely eliminated as he continues to suffer pain due to it hitting directly to his pain receptors.

As time goes, his body slowly began to feel numb but his wicked smirk, followed by his determination to keep going displays his immense durability throughout the fight.

"Had enough aren't ya, lightning bastard?" Gajeel managed to spit out an insult towards the godslayer who also received a couple of injuries and scratches from the iron dragonslayer though not as much bad as he is.

The Sabertooth mage mused in silence at the remark as he too began to feel a bit of a strain from using too much of his power. No matter how much he fires powerful lightning spells at him, he seems to be unaffected at least and that fact made him praise his opponent quite a bit.

"Not once I've encountered someone who would able to withstand by Black Lightning this much. It looks like I underestimated you too much, dragonslayer." Orga spoke.

"Gihi... That's just one mistake you're having right now. Make the same mistake twice and you're gonna regret it." Gajeel warned.

"I'm fully aware... That's why I labeled you as worthy as my opponent at this moment."

Despite the light conversation, Gajeel could still feel like he was still undermining his powers. He only acknowledges him in a small decree which made him feel angered for some reason.

"Tch, then how about this!"

"Iron Dragon's Club!"

Gajeel turned one of his arms into a giant club and went straight to smash the mage though missing it a few inches as Orga leaped to the side and tried to counterattack due to the wide opening between them.

"You fell for it!"

The iron dragonslayer smirked in response, seeing his opponent fell into his trap and began to shape his club once more. This time, into smaller versions of iron clubs that looked like javelins that came out from the original club.

The projectiles went into insane speeds that Orga forced to simply block the deadly iron with his bare hands. A couple of parries went on but a few somehow managed to graze through his skin, prompting him to widen his eyes in surprise as soon as the attack ended.

The smoke cleared instantly and the two fighters remain at a standstill once again. The Sabertooth mage, however, had his eyes shadowed which indicated his now frustrated anger towards the annoying dragonslayer.

"For me to get wounded like this..." A silent mutter was heard.

But Gajeel could sense the feeling of rage and hostility coming from it as he steeled himself towards the unmoving mage.

Moments later, black lightning suddenly sparked violently around their vicinity as Orga began to unleash his full power against him. The ground immediately shook at the powerful magic as his anger was no visibly shown and focused on the iron dragonslayer.

"I didn't expect to unleash all of my power from the likes of you. Now I'm really pissed..." Orga snapped as he moved into a stance with his hands closely placed to each other before a huge ball of black lightning gathered around it.

Gajeel cautioned himself at the incoming attack as he morphed his skin into iron until–

"Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!"

A flash of lightning was seen from the skies as Laxus brought down his own spell at Orga who canceled out his spell to block the incoming strike.

Both lightning mages finally met each other face to face.

"Laxus Dreyar," Orga muttered the intruder's name, earning his smirk in response.

"Hoh, so you knew about me?"

The two immediately widened their distance apart as Laxus landed beside Gajeel who could only look at him in surprise.

"L-Laxus?"

"Yo... Looks like I made it just in time."

"Don't joke around! I can handle him fine without your help, you lightning bastard! Get your own fight elsewhere!" Gajeel shouted irritation.

"Then, I'll ask for a switch. Mirajane had her hands full with that Sabertooth woman. You should head back to our base or we'll risk losing with a lot of hits."

There was no hesitation in his words. Gajeel wanted to protest but looking at his current state, he might risk himself unable to participate later in the rest of the games. Leaving his fight unfinished would really give him a bitter taste in his mouth but he knew too well that he must not overexert himself further and follow his request.

"Tch... Just when I was starting to enjoy my own fight, you bastard." With an irritated click in his mouth, Gajeel bitterly stands aside and fled the scene.

"I owe you one."

Laxus thanked which caught him by surprise there since this is the first time, he said something like that to someone.

"Tsk... Don't you dare lose on that guy, Laxus!? Beat him to a pulp!" With a little bit of encouragement between them, he finally sets out back to the obelisk, leaving him behind.

A few moments of silence went over the two after the little switch until Orga decided to speak first.

"Are you really sure you want to fight me, Laxus Dreyar? Our magic may be similar but I carry the power of the Lightning God. If we're talking about the quality of magic, I would reign superior."

Orga mocked but not long before Laxus cut him off with an uncaring tone.

"I don't really care about what you say. It makes it easier if we would just prove it by ourselves, don't you think?"

At that moment, Laxus brought down his thick jacket, leaving him in his black muscle shirt, releasing his own lightning in response to his opponent. Excitement filled both lightning mages as they both released their magic power inside the arena that even other mages soon began to notice in caution as well.

They were never called tough mages for no reason after all. Just looking at them sends shivers down to everyone's spines.

..

..

"Man, Laxus is really into it now..." Natsu observed in the far distance as he sprinted around the arena with a lacrima ball in hand, seemingly ready to attack as well.

His eyes peered over to the unguarded Sabertooth obelisk, prompting him to change his direction and went in for the shot.

"Here goes!"

But before he could even throw the orb, his instincts shot up instantly and forced him to retract his attack and dodge an incoming lightning bolt that was shot from the skies. He skidded just a few meters away but his attention is now full focused on his back as a figure slowly emerged from open space.

"Hoh? So you managed to dodge that one. I admire your sharpness in skill, Natsu Dragneel."

A cool voice was uttered from his lips but not long he grabbed his red hat and slightly nudged it to its perfect position while maintaining his composure towards his opponent.

Natsu, who had just recovered his composure, looked at the man with enmity.

"You're in my way."

"Same goes for me as well. Our Lady placed me in such a tedious position that I grew tired of. Although, it changed now since you came along. Competitions like this aren't really my time, you know. So let's get this over with."

At that moment, Rufus slowly gestured his hands beside his head thus, implementing his own magic against the dragonslayer. Crowds roared at the rare confrontation as commentators began their comments while the others try to observe the mystery behind the Sabertooth mage's magic.

"Here it comes... that guy's magic." Gray narrowed his eyes in anticipation.

"Memory Make: Freezing Chill and Death!"

Natsu felt a sudden drop in temperature around him as the field immediately began to freeze in the process. Cold and strong winds blasted out of thin air and tried to cool the dragonslayer's body as Natsu gritted in frustration at the nasty spell.

He'd seen a lot of mages having unique powers but for someone who can make a certain type of magic by just observing someone and mixing it with another is purely a cheat in his opinion. However, that didn't stop him from losing his composure and simply gazed at the mage right in front of him.

"I don't have time for this!"

"Fire Dragon's Pulverizing Inferno!"

With a vicious slam towards the ground, Natsu unleashed a massive pillar of fire around him that instantly vaporized the spell thus, canceling its effect as well. Rufus also disappeared before the flames could get to him and merely appeared on a safe distance away without a shred of surprise from his face.

"Memorized." He spoke as he observed the pinkette's spell and etched it in his memory for future use of his magic.

However, his actions cost his team's defense as Natsu eventually scored a hit into the obelisk. Dodging a powerful spell caused him to stray away from his position that gave way for the dragonslayer to hit the designated obelisk as a result.

"W-What?" A stuttered reply came from Rufus's mouth as he looked at the pinkette in surprise.

"Well, that was easy... As much as I wanted to stay around and beat you to a pulp, I'd rather stick to the plan."

Natsu smirked before the crowd began to cheer at his score against Sabertooth, leaving the mage quite surprised in the end. He didn't actually expect for the pinkette to not take the bait and ignore him since he observed him be quite a battle-maniac. A simple miscalculation on his part eventually cost him a point for the team.

"Hmph... A mere point doesn't change anything at all. There won't be enough for us to be weighed down like this." Rufus retorted in defiance.

"Who said I'm the only one making the score against you."

With that reply, Rufus noticed a presence coming from the skies as his eyes stared above before widening in shock as Wendy came down with another orb from the other team from her hand as well.

"Sky Dragon's Striking Talon!" She shouted as wind circled around her right foot before turning it into an air-like drill as she plunged down towards the unsuspecting mage.

Rufus wasn't given the time to react but his magic saved him in the last minute as Wendy struck down an afterimage of himself before eventually reappearing in a safe distance away from the two.

"Natsu!" With a shout, Wendy tossed the orb towards the pinkette in which he caught and struck against the obelisk to score once more.

Rufus could only watch as he failed to realize the presence of another mage from his vicinity and cost him again another point to their team once again.

On the other hand, Wendy landed beside Natsu as soon as she made her entrance to the scene.

"Sorry to keep you waiting."

"Nah, you came just in time. Erza is probably keeping the obelisk from any attacks so we should also focus on our offensive against other teams, especially Sabertooth."

"We managed to hit them twice but it's better to keep their guard occupied while the rest take the opportunity to hit them as well." Wendy proposed.

"You think a few mages are enough to stop me?" Rufus, having to overhear their conversation, mocked from the above with a condescending voice.

The two looked at him with confidence as they both flared their magic respectively before replying.

"We'll show you just how Fairy Tail is really made of!"

"In that case, I shall also represent the power of our guild in this confrontation!"

A male voice cut through their conversation as both mages from the two guilds looked at the source and eventually widened their eyes in surprise in the process.

At a split second, Natsu jumped out from his position as the ground below him immediately rose up like giant blocks. Wendy was also forced to leap away as well, breaking their formation as the two got separated as a result.

"Natsu!" Wendy called out in worry as she tried to reunite with the pinkette but the moving ground simply restricted her from getting close to him.

Rufus also had to jump away from the scene as the ground began to attack him as well but not long before his face turned into displeasure as his eyes gazed towards the lone figure situated a few meters away from them.

"Jura Neekis..."

All eyes now turned towards the Wizard Saint as he continued to gesture his hand, manipulating the movement of the rocks around him to hinder all the other mages that tried to get in his way.

"Shit..." Natsu cursed as he saw the rocks trying to constrain his body. Flaring his body in flames, the dragonslayer released a huge amount of heat that easily melted the rocks and flew away to recover.

He was able to get a look from below and could see the obnoxious movements of the ground as if they were alive, trying to pin down as many mages as it could find in its path. He shifted eyes towards the caster and clasped his hands in flames, creating a massive fireball above him and threw it towards him.

"Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!"

Looking like a miniature sun, the fiery ball descended down in such intense power that it created a powerful shockwave as it neared to the ground, blasting anything that comes in its way. Jura could only smirk in response as he clapped both his hands to initiate his own counterattack.

"Rock Mountain!"

As soon as his spell was cast, the ground shook violently before a large human-like rock emerged in the same stance as the caster and completely served as a defensive spell against the incoming meteor. The very same spell that was used to repel Jellal's Grand Chariot which boasted its high defense against powerful attacks.

Soon after, the two spells smashed to each other, forming an immense power struggle as the fireball tried to bear down towards Jura while the other prevents it from doing so.

The struggle lasted only a few seconds before resulting a massive explosion that obliterated both spells as powerful winds blasted everywhere throughout the arena, kicking up dust and rubble along the way while the rest of the mages simply shielded their eyes from it.

Moments later, the destruction ended and eventually revealed a slightly injured Wizard Saint who had the right side of his clothes burnt which also stretches down to his arm as well. The fireball somehow managed to break through but it didn't manage to bring down the mage completely.

"Impressive..." A word of praise came from the injured Saint as he looked over to the dragonslayer in a fair distance away from him with a smile.

"Heh, I'm just getting started! I'm all fired up!"

---

Meanwhile, Mirajane and Minerva continued to trade blows against one another as both mages displayed intense battle fights and clashes that only resulted in each fraction of a second. For anyone that happened to be watching them would simply turn out to a series of shockwaves emanating in open air due to their immense speed and skill.

In each successful attack, they put will be returned with a counterattack of the same caliber. Throughout the event, no one has dare yet to interrupt them nor would even try to butt in due to their inhumane-like powers.

Until now, none of them has yet to fall down on their knees.

A shrieking boom of sound was created as the two mages clashed their attacks once again, only to be deflected on both sides before forcing a fair distance away from each other in mid-air. The barmaid is still donning her Halphas form while the other is skilfully versatile with her mysterious magic.

Both of them were sustaining light injuries, judging on the current state of their bodies. However, they're yet to pull off their killer moves and were at a stalemate as time reaches down to its countdown.

"An impressive display of power. It looks like I completely underestimated you, fairies. For you to actually stand up to me this long is unexpected." Minerva showed a slight admiration of her opponent's skill in strength.

Mirajane, as being as kind as she is, simply bowed in respect. No one sure knows if she doesn't notice the sarcasm on her words or just feigning ignorance.

"Why thank you... It's been awhile since someone fought me like this as well. I actually gave up fighting a long time ago but Master seemed really desperate to win this year so..." She replied with a light-hearted tone.

"Hmph... You're not bad. If I'm to speculate, you and Titania are of the same power." Minerva mused with a sly smile plastered on her face.

"Erza-san was my rival back in our old days. It shouldn't come as a shock to me that she would be powerful."

"Oh, please... Let's set aside our pleasantries, won't we? Even as someone like you who haven't trained in those years, managed to remain that strong. Though I wonder who is stronger; you or Erza."

Mirajane loosened her stance and simply smiled.

"Well, how about you try and find out?"

..

..

"!"

In all of a sudden, Minerva's eyes shot wide as her body instinctively dodged a silver blur on her back as it slashed down from above. The blur was in a form of a sharp blade and Minerva was fortunate to notice it earlier due that it might instantly knock her out in just one blow to the back.

Finally, the unexpected visitor came to view as her scarlet hair graced down on the battlefield, earning the Sabertooth mage with a wicked grin.

Both eyes briefly met and Minerva could only see the fierce look present on her opponent as she brought out another blade from her other free hand for a second swing towards her.

However, just as the blade was about to slice her, Minerva instantly disappeared out of sight as Erza cut through the open air and missed her target at the last second. A short surprise dawned on her face but not before long her gaze set towards the ground where her supposed target is now located.

An evil smirk was present on the Sabertooth mage's face as she looked at the two Fairy Tail mages from above.

"Well, well... If it isn't the famous Titania. I did not expect you to come out here and interrupt our fun, don't you?"

"Minerva Orlando." She spoke her opponent's name.

"Hmm... I honestly didn't expect you to show up anytime soon. Though I'd like to commend for your efforts earlier. Not many sure can dodge that strike just now." She praised.

"Don't get so full of yourself. Look closely."

At that moment, a tiny smear of blood gushed out from Minerva's shoulder along with a ripped cloth as she widened her eyes in surprise after noticing her wound just now. She didn't feel any pain yet she was slightly bleeding. The cut was too thin to feel at all but it was deep enough to actually wound her in the process.

"You were lucky... If I had the intention of cutting you in half, you would've gotten way more grave wounds than that."

Erza then drew back her blade as she watched her opponent slowly regain her composure.

"I see... I see now, Erza Scarlet. It looks like I underestimated you a bit. So, what's the reason behind your interruption to my little game?"

"I came here to deal things."

"Hoh?"

Now Minerva was interested. For the scarlet woman to actually take the initiative to fight her here perked her curiosity. However, she maintained her composure as she looked down on the two as if treating them as low beings.

With a momentary silence between sides, Erza simply gazed on the white-haired mage with a serious expression.

"Mira... If I may, could I face her alone? I have something to ask for her without anyone around."

Mirajane could only take a pause for a moment to think about her suggestion. After minutes of an endless clash with Minerva, she finally ascertained her abilities which she regarded her as a dangerous opponent. However, her faith towards her comrade and the determination present on her face made her sure enough to leave this fight to her for now.

"Well, if you say so..." She replied with a cheery smile before dashing away to another part of the battlefield, leaving the two females to confront each other.

"Well now... this isn't something I used to see every day... Fighting both the Demon and Titania surely would make it a fight of the century." Minerva mused.

"Are you saying that we should team up?"

"I recommend it. Since one of you alone cannot fully beat me at this point."

"Well then, let's see about that." Ushering her stance with her knees slowly bent, Erza placed both her hands to her katana just beside her face as the blade draws forward towards its target while aided by the sharp eyes of the redhead as the fight between slowly began to unfold.

*WHOOSH*

The sound of an instant dash was heard as Erza disappeared once again into a silver blur, causing Minerva to wide her eyes before utilizing her magic to her hands to block a deadly strike from the above.

Sparks flew at the collision of both opponents attacks as Erza instantly came appearing from the skies, using the sunlight's angle to raise her first ambush strike. Despite all that, her opponent was able to track her own speed and barely noticed it by a second.

Minerva could only smirk at the deadly clash between them as she looked at the redhead with such praise.

"As expected of Titania, you don't waste any second of using your opportunities to bring down your opponents as fast as possible. I'm impressed." Leaving those words, she enlarged the distortion ball on her hand and tried to inflict it on the redhead if not for the sudden breakaway of their clash.

Erza skidded only for a few seconds away before sprinting yet again towards her at full speed as she carried her katana with sheer determination. Minerva followed the same transition and the two began in a series of clashes as one tried to bring down the other.

"This is good... You really are interesting, Erza." Minerva laughed as she calmly traded blows against the redhead in quick succession that make it look like she wasn't trying at all.

Erza continued to send a flurry of blade strikes against her opponent but her magic somehow hinders her from doing so. Every time her sword reaches to her body, her magic activates in making her somewhat intangible for a brief moment to protect her from the blade.

"... You said something about dealing things with me here. Really curious what it is you want from me."

Their close encounter finally broke as they distanced away from each other, briefly halting their fight to speak.

"I wanted to ask about Yukino..."

The mention of one of their member–rather, former guildmate quirked Minerva's brow as she looked at the redhead with a collected attitude.

"And what about her? I hear that she came to you after her disbandment on the guild. Don't tell me she begged for pity from you?"

Her question was ignored as Erza continued to speak only on her own terms to clarify something.

"Just wanted to make sure... Is it really true that you humiliated her just because of her own failure on the games?" At this point, Erza's expression was deadly serious. There was no joy or that stoic figure that she always put up.

"Hoh, so she did tell you what happened. Well, I don't particularly have anything against her. The moment she filled the spot for my position, she was already aware of the consequences when it comes to winning. We don't need any weaklings in our guild." Minerva explained.

"And that is your reason for shaming her in front of everyone?!"

"She wagered her own life and lost. What's more, she lost the pride of our guild in that loss. It's perfect that she got replaced since I came along, you know."

Erza gritted her teeth in anger. Her grip on her sword tightened even further.

"I see... So that's how it is." She muttered in an undertone.

"Hmm... I'm more curious about your relation with her. This is the matter of our own guild, not yours so normally, you wouldn't have anything to do with–"

Minerva had to stop as her eyes suddenly lost sight of the redhead before her. She was taken by surprise before trying to track down the disappearing scarlet knight. And in just an instant, she looked onto her right before raising her right arm against an incoming attack as Erza came striking her with her own blade once more.

However, Erza simply twisted her body and made a round kick towards her stomach, sending the surprised mage down to the ground in full force. Huge dust kicked up in the air as Erza looked down on her opponent in anger.

After a few seconds, Minerva emerged from the smoke with her hand clutching down to her abdomen where the kick is located. A small blood was seen down on the corner of her lips as she looked at the redhead in frustration and in disbelief.

"Hoh? It looks like you're not as tough as you look. A simple kick like that should be nothing to you but it seems like you're not that good at receiving physical attacks."

"Kuh... How dare you... Erza." Frustrated anger filled her tone of voice as she heard her words.

"You call yourself a guild? A guild that hurts its own member just by losing one time. You don't deserve to be called something like that." Erza mocked which ticked Minerva even more.

"It looks like I'm going to pluck off every one of your fairies when I'm done with you, Erza."

Minerva threatened but the scarlet knight simply drew back to her stance with a fierce look on her face.

"Bring it on, Minerva... You're not gonna touch anyone in our guild."

"We'll see about that!"

---

Wendy struggled as she continued to dodge away from the lightning stars that was aimed towards her. Her eyes set on the standing mage, chanting his own magic to hinder her from hitting the obelisk with the orb in her hands.

"Memory Make: A Night of Falling Stars!"

Rufus's magic was heard from all sides of the battlefield. Normally, his spell would target all of the participants in the area but he delved his attention solely on the blue-haired dragonslayer thus, his spell simply targets her alone.

"Kuh... He combines a lot of spells he memorized and making it a new one in just a flick of a finger. What a troublesome magic he has." Wendy muttered to herself as she observed from the distance while avoiding the lightning strikes from above with her insane speed.

Due to her current situation, she finds it hard to make an opportunity to attack him. He leaves no openings and always prepared to hide his presence which makes it difficult to track his own body. Even that figure standing seemed rather an illusion and Wendy had to be cautious to not be called a trap.

"I see you..." Rufus's voice appeared behind the bluenette as he revealed himself close. Wendy's reaction was fast enough to utilize her magic as she coated her own fist with air and punched the figure behind her.

"Sky Dragon's Cyclone Fist!"

Her attack was fast but Rufus's body disappeared into a mere illusion once again and revealed his body from afar.

"Memorized." He muttered after observing her spell.

"I must say, you're a wonderful woman. Even in times of a fierce battle, you displayed both gracefulness and determination. No wonder why Sting was so much drawn to you." Rufus remarked, catching her attention at the change of conversation.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well it is just as I said, you're a remarkable flower, Wendy Marvell. But you don't have any advantage against me. I've memorized all of your spells in your battles and I will not let you get another hit next time." Rufus warned.

"We won't know until I try."

"Sky Dragon's Cyclone Wing Blast!" Expelling wind to her arms, Wendy dashed forth like a soaring wind gale in such high speeds that even Rufus had to disappear from sight to avoid the attack and reappeared again in a safe distance.

"Memorize–"

Before he could even try to implant the magic to his memories, his body suddenly felt an immense pain towards his sides as if something crude was struck on it and caused him to crash to the ground.

At that moment, Wendy had to stop as well and simply looked at the other fighter from above and simply narrowed her eyes at her sheathed sword.

Cold eyes stared at the bluenette in silence until her voice broke the tense atmosphere between them.

"She's my opponent."

"Kagura..."

"I was honestly surprised earlier at your disappearance. At first, I thought it was some sort of magic to pull you off away from me or perhaps a disruption at work in this arena."

Despite being unaware of the whole predicament that happened earlier, her intuition was right on the spot. Wendy could only remark with such guess as she looked at the fierce swordswoman with caution.

However, the dust where Rufus plunged into suddenly cleared, revealing the mage with slight injuries but still able. His hands were now placed once again on the side of his head, initiating his own spell once more.

"To have myself hit by some woman... Unforgivable."

Great, he's pissed.

"Hmm... A magic of wind designed to kill gods and our Lady's magic, huh." Muttering each of the spells he memorized in the early fights, Rufus began to combine to create his own magic against the two women.

"Memory Make: Territory of the Sky Gods!"

At that moment, Wendy and Kagura suddenly felt the ground rumble violently beneath them. Their intuition towards the scene began to unfold. Soon afterward, surges of black winds began to circle above the two as they saw a massive distortion ball located at the center of it.

It was then, the effects of the said magic began to take place as the gravity around them slowly pulls them closer to it.

"W-What's this?" Wendy resisted the gravity by pushing herself out of the way with air before she gets too close. It would be impossible to get out of that sphere once you got too close from it.

Left behind, Kagura simply thrust her sheathed sword down to the ground as the force of the gravity ball continues to expand. The raging black winds that surround it batters her body like a series of raging waves in a stormy sea. Her eyes, however, displayed no such fear or shock towards the threat and simply closed her eyes before uttering her own spell.

"Useless attempt..."

A large magical circle was summoned beneath her foot as she began to initiate her own spell against him. The circle glowed in bright red as the effects of the gravity ball were nullified in an instant, shocking the mage in the process.

"W-What?!"

"A magic like that is wasted on yours... While you had the creativity of it, you're not built to face such encounters like this."

Rufus could feel a sudden chill as Kagura appeared behind him in an instant. Since when did she come behind him without noticing?

She swiftly struck down her blade but Rufus managed to use his spell to teleport away before the blade could even reach to his head. Moments later he finally emerged in a safe distance away from the swordswoman with a cautious look. Sweat formed on his face due to the tense atmosphere.

He was never this nervous before since he always comes off on top against his opponents with his superior magic. But his opponents seemed different apart from his previous enemies. They are not afraid of him.

"Sky Dragon's Striking Talon!"

A spell suddenly caused him to cut off his thoughts as he dodged a whirl of wind aimed at him as Wendy tried to attack him from above.

"Why you–"

"Too late!"

Rufus realized too late as Wendy was clearly intended to strike his undefended obelisk. Tossing the orb in high speeds, the obelisk was once again suffered another hit.

"What the hell are you doing, Rufus?!" Sting, who noticed the incompetence of the mage, began to scold him from afar as frustration built up to his system. He was starting to dislike how their guild was faring in the events.

As soon as Wendy scored another hit, her eyes soon turned towards the approaching swordswoman who intended to strike her as well without stopping.

"Slashing Form!"

"Sky Dragon's Tempest!"

Clashing both their magic against each other, both mages were simply engulfed in a large dust cloud as soon as they attacked each other. The cloud expanded for a moment until it dissipating, revealing two mages who had injuries on some parts of their bodies after clashing.

Wendy injured her right shoulder while Kagura had her left hand disabled after taking a hit from the former's spell. Both were showing signs of pain but their attention to each other are left unfazed as they gazed with a fierce look.

Rufus ignored the call from his teammate and simply focused his attention towards the two with a serious gaze.

Their three-way fight continued.

..

..

Eventually, the time reached in its final seconds as the large gongs outside the arena were heard from all sides, signifying the end of the event.

"And that's the final second! Everyone cease your fighting at once!"

The shout of the announcer boomed through the whole arena as mages stopped fighting with each other along with their other activities inside the battlefield. The tense confrontation between them soon receded as the event came to a close.

"And there's the time! What a spectacular event!" Lola cheered in happiness.

"The mages sure fought to the very best of their abilities for their teams!" Lahar added.

"Indeed..." Yajima followed with a satisfied nod.

Soon afterward, medical teams rushed out to the scene and began to treat the knocked out mages in the arena. They were immediately taken inside the infirmary and the remaining conscious mages stood far away from each other after the long battle they got.

"Tch... we've run out of time, huh..." Orga hissed at the notice and simply drew back his fist as soon as the announcement was declared. He looked at Laxus with a smirk before also looking at the injured state of his body.

"Not bad... It looks like you had it in you, after all, Laxus."

Said mage also drew back his fist as he simply walked away with the same expression as if he felt rather pumped up after their fight.

"Hmph... You're not bad as well." He praised.

Other mages also congratulated their adversaries and left with words as they all gathered to their own respective groups once more.

"Let's continue this some other time, Titania," Minerva called off her attack after the bell rang and simply disappeared from sight, leaving the redhead alone with an unfinished business. Erza silently gazed at a distance and slowly requipped back to her Heart Kreuz Armor, noticing that the battle finally ended in a stalemate.

'Minerva... What a troublesome opponent...'

She narrowed her eyes with a grim look after experiencing a fight with her. Despite in her full form, she was unable to bring down the said mage due to her expertise in her own magic that was rather problematic at times since it helps her evade her strikes in just a flick of a finger.

It looks like the fight is still far from over and from the looks of it, she thought her as a ruthless person who valued pride and superiority of their guild against others that made her even more furious to think about it.

After all, she just found out that they simply cast out Yukino without any pity.

Her train of thought was cut off at the voices of her two friends calling out to her.

"Erza!"

"Natsu! Wendy!"

Erza called out in relief as soon as she spotted her other two members safe and sound. However, she also noticed the injuries inflicted on them which only made her assume that they put out a fight out there with the other mages.

"It looks like you two are okay." She smiled softly.

"Yeah... Fighting with Jura was really a tough one. But at least, I managed to get his attention away from the others." Natsu spoke.

"And it looks like it worked. Thanks to you, Wendy and I were able to concentrate our own fights elsewhere without worrying about him. He was the most threatening one of them all." Erza reasoned.

"Well if you could just tell me to beat him, I would've done that." Natsu huffed in dissatisfaction.

"Now, now... We all had our own fights. We should focus on the results for now." Wendy smiled along and calmed the pinkette as they grouped together to the center to meet the pumpkin mascot.

..

..

On the other hand, Laxus and the other two gathered as well as soon as the event was finished.

"What the hell was that, Laxus? I told you to beat him, not part without knocking him out cold!" An irritated Gajeel shouted beside the lightning mage who seemed to ignore his insults as they gathered together at the center.

With an irritated sigh, Laxus replied with an uncaring tone.

"Just shut up... Besides, Mira was the one doing the scoring around the whole time so there's no problem with it."

"There is! How could just leave him without saying something?! That would make him more annoyed which would make it good for us to fight him even more seriously." The two mages sweatdropped at his response.

"Well, everything is fine now... We should look forward to the scores. I think we fared well along with Natsu and the others." Mirajane tried to break off the fight which only resulted the two scoffing at each other afterward.

"Ah, I completely forgot about Salamander. I bet he's crying over how his team hasn't got enough time for themselves." Gajeel smirked.

"I wonder about that..." Laxus thought the other way around before smiling in content towards the other group.

As the rest of the guilds' participants finally made their way to the center, the pumpkin mascot soon began to make his announcement towards them.

"What an impressive battle! But that does not mean that the superior team could win against the other just by fighting. The victors of the event will only result in the least number of hits of your respective obelisks-kabo."

"... Without further ado, let's see in the final scores!" He summoned a small paper containing the results as he looked into it and briefly read through it. The team members tensed at the momentary silence that befell on the battlefield as the mascot began his announcement of the team rankings.

"Starting from the bottom, we have Raven Tail which had the penalty due to its members incapacitated in the middle of the fight! So they'll be receiving no points in this event."

A couple of murmurs were heard as the leading guild received no such points in the event. Others were confused at the course of their penalty since they never saw them fought in action and were only able to see their injured states.

"... From the seventh place, we have Blue Pegasus which earned them 1 point and a stuttering 24 hits on their base!"

"Meeeeeen~ This is utterly disappointing!" Ichiya cried out in disappointment at the efforts of his team members.

"It can't be helped... They're too much for us." Hibiki spoke in a cool yet sad voice with the girls on the crowd pitying him and the other two members of the Trimens.

"... From the sixth place, we have Quatro Cerberus which got them 2 points with 17 hits on their obelisk throughout the event!"

Said guild shouted in their own famous trademark.

"WILD!"

"... From the fifth place, we have Mermaid Heel which gave them 3 points and also a hit number of 12 from their obelisk!"

"Well, it can't be helped... We tried but it seems like they are just some powerful opponents out there. Even Kagura was kept busy throughout the fight." Beth commented as she observed the whole fight with the rest of the group.

"Aaah! We could've done something more... This is so frustrating!" Milliana pouted in dissatisfaction.

"We tried but we can still catch up to the matches soon," Risley reassured.

Kagura, on the other hand, remained silent as she stared over the crowd with an unwavering gaze. She hardly cared for the result of the games and simply waited for the announcement to finish itself.

"... Standing in fourth place, we have Lamia Scale which gives them 4 points to advance their overall points in the games! Receiving 9 hits on their obelisk, they managed to put up a fight throughout the event."

"How could you fall to a fourth place even with Jura around?! Do you three want to spin around?!" Ooba shouted from the sidelines.

"Ooba Babasaama! Please calm down." A random member called out but instead, the guild master looked at him with fierce eyes and simply circled her finger around him.

"Start spinning!"

"Owaaa! I'm spinning!"

"... And now we're heading on the remaining three. Sabertooth and Fairy Tail A and B Teams have remained unmentioned on the list earlier so we're counting down on the third place. Throughout the fight, there has been a lot of confrontation between these guilds and the results were rather surprising."

"... For third place–"

The group tensed along with the crowd as they waited for the mascot to reveal the remaining three guild ranks in the events.

"SABERTOOTH! This is quite a change! The strongest guild of Fiore received a third place in the event! As a result, they will receive 6 points to advance their lead to the overall rankings. With a number of 6 hits on their obelisk, they gained their spot in the third ranking."

Cheers went up around the arena while the remaining two simply cheered in victory in securing their place on the top most rankings. Gajeel could only watch in shock as he found the other team getting on with the rankings.

"Gihi... I didn't expect this... Well, one way to find out who's the first, Salamander!" Gajeel called out.

"Heh, we'll see!" Natsu smirked on the other side.

Meanwhile, Sting and Rogue could only watch in surprise at the result of their rankings since they never expected them to lose on Fairy Tail. After all, they had the strongest three on their arsenal on that event so it shouldn't be that hard for them to chase for the first place.

"... And now for the final mention of both first and second. We have two teams sharing the same guild compete for the first place. Despite them as one guild, they displayed a rather competitive fight towards each other throughout the event. But only one of them will take the spot on this event!"

The whole people inside Domus Flau went silent.

"... A surprising close number between these two. With only 4 hits on the second and 3 hits in the first. The winner of the Lacrima Battle Royale is–"

A wide pause was uttered as two groups held their breaths altogether at the announcement.

"FAIRY TAIL A TEAM! ! !"

A deafening roar resounded on the background as the crowd cheered at the victory of the two teams. Members of Fairy Tail shouted in tears and joy at their result while Natsu, Wendy, and Erza hugged each other in happiness at the results.

"We did it!"

Only a jawdropping iron dragonslayer was seen as a rather different expression towards the result as the rest of the B Team cheered on their other team.

"With this, Fairy Tail A and B both received the highest point in the events with a score of 10 and 8 points respectively! This is truly a wonderful event!"

The celebration of victory continued on as the whole crowd finally shifted their support towards Fairy Tail. A once scorned guild in the last place was now praised by thousands of fans as they all shouted the name of Fairy Tail.

"Fairy Tail! Fairy Tail! Fairy Tail!"

Natsu looked around the crowd before returning back to Wendy with a smile.

"See? Told you we're going to turn things around!"

"Yes!" A soft smile was seen on her face as she hugged the pinkette in pure joy as they celebrated together with the rest of their members.

...

Sabertooth – 34

Raven Tail – 31

Fairy Tail A – 25

Fairy Tail B – 24

Lamia Scale – 24

Mermaid Heel – 18

Blue Pegasus – 16

Quatro Cerberus – 10

...

---

"Kuh–! I-I can't believe I lost! Shit... You'll pay for this, Fairy Tail!" Ivan finally woke up from outside the arena as soon as he regained consciousness after the fight. The plan to squeeze out information on the three was a failure. He considered every possible way to confront them but to actually know nothing of about Lumen Histoire, it was quite a surprise.

"Makarov... You really intend me to see your precious guild crumble in front of you... No matter, I shall collect again from scratch and when I'm done, I'm going after your precious little trash guild." He laughed like a madman despite his injuries and was already speaking to himself as if something came over him.

He looked at Obra who was still down like a lifeless corpse after the fight and began kicking him without remorse.

"Hey, we got work to do. Get up and stop fooling around, Obra! This mission is not yet over!" He shouted as if treating it some sort of object to vent out his anger.

"That won't be necessary..." A voice suddenly emanated from behind, catching him off guard as the Raven Tail master looked around and saw a band of Rune Knight appearing in his direction. Not only that, to the other side were anti-mages who had their weapons locked on the sole mage, ready to shoot if he tries something stupid.

"Huh? What is the meaning of this?! You dare attack a guild master in the midst of the games?!" Ivan shouted in fury.

"Drop the act, Ivan Dreyar! We have evidence of your previous sabotages on the first day and also the intended attack on one of the guilds during the event! You and the rest of your guild are hereby under arrest and will be banished from the direct order of His Highness for breaking the rules of the games!" The captain of the guard showed lacrima images and the rest of the evidence on their interruption on the previous event.

"H-How could this be?! How dare you accuse me of such meaningless proofs?! I will not tolerate this!" Ivan was getting desperate as he found no other way out from the room as the knights surrounded him with magic suppressing weapons.

"Silence! You have violated the rules of the game and the punishment will be delivered by your guild's restricted access to the games for five years!"

Ivan could only chuckle to himself as if something broke inside him.

"I will not stop here! You hear me! I will get my hands on Lumen Histoire! Remember that, Fairy Tail!"

"Take this madman away along with his mages!"

Resistance was futile and Ivan quietly surrendered while maintaining his maddened state. Other knights also proceeded to grab the downed Obra as they carried him and his master away from the room though not long before a small creature leapt out from his body and quietly hid itself as the guards emptied the room and took the suspects away.

It waited for a few more seconds and simply looked at the ledge where the celebration was currently held at. A wicked smile was seen on its face before disappearing into the darkness.

"We'll meet again, Fairy Tail..."

---

A/N: And there you have it! Thank you for waiting for this update. I apologize for the late update since I got studies to do in the previous months so I have to postpone this at that time. Well, it seems like the third event finally came to a close and we're now heading onto the matches once more. More surprises and other twists will come on the later chapters as well as the change of the team guilds due to Raven Tail's early disbandment on the games. Look forward to it.

It's been a heartfelt appreciation for leaving reviews on this story despite its long updates. I'll try to update more of this once I've got the time for myself once more. As always, leave a review and tell me what you think so far.

- wiErD SpeCtrumz blacking out… … …