The S-Class Mage Chapter 36: Number 3, The Goddess of Creation, a fairy tail fanfic

Hey all! This is my first ever Fairy Tail story. Introducing... a tough, confident version of Lucy Heartfilia!

Credit for story image goes to pl. fairytail. wikia. com and to whoever posted it there.

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of the characters!

"What?"

"Lucy was captured by the Kingdom's army?"

"And they accused her of getting involved in some weird project?"

"In other words..." Laxus crossed his arms. "We can only get Lucy back if we win the Daimatou Enbu?"

Gray sighed. "Of course, we're not even sure we can trust their word."

"Who cares about that?" Natsu shouted angrily. "I'm going to save her now!"

Meledy pulled on the ropes tying Natsu to a pillar, tightening them. "Calm down, Natsu."

"Our opponent is the king." Happy added.

"We cannot act rashly, since we're against the king... on the other hand, they can't treat citizens roughly." Makarov observed. "They're probably using her as a hostage until the Eclipse project is blocked. I'm guessing she hasn't broken out because she realizes that."

"But I still don't get it." Gajeel frowned. "Why did they let us go after we discovered top secret information?"

"Maybe we're meant to be witnesses to condemn that Arcadios in the future." Lily mused.

"Still, we could spread that information around..." Charle added.

"Maybe they realized they can't keep it quiet much longer." Erza guessed.

Gray shook his head. "If they captured all of us, no one would have known."

"Think about it. You're participants in the Daimatou Enbu." Mira told them. "It would be suspicious if you didn't show up tomorrow."

Juvia nodded. "Juvia doesn't think the kingdom wants a wizard guild as their enemy."

"To us it's irrational that they would arrest Lucy." Erza scowled. "But the kingdom's army probably considers it just."

"Stop blabbering!" Natsu roared, breaking free of his ropes. "Let's go get her out!"

"Calm down." Makarov grunted, using a huge fist to slam Natsu into the floor. "They got a member of our family, it's no time to mess around. I'm sure we're all thinking the same."

"Considering our opponent, this time we cannot just attack them without thinking about the consequences." Makarov narrowed his eyes. "But here at Fairy Tail... we're not cowards either."

"I didn't think it could end up this way..." Yukino sighed. "I really attract bad luck."

"You're too tense..." Lucy looked up from her makeshift bed in a cell corner. "If you have time to be depressed, you might as well think of a way out."

"Can't you just break the cell door?"

"I still haven't had my nap."

"Lucy-nee..." Yukino's lip twitched. "Once we get out, we have to get back our keys first. I'm really sorry..."

"It's not your fault." Lucy smiled. "We just got caught up in the kingdom's internal issues, that's all. In the end, it's about whether or not they should go ahead with the Eclipse project, right? Honestly, I'm not sure about it... I can think of many pros and many cons for it..."

"I think they should do it." Yukino observed. "You know Sorano-nee, right? Of course you do... you're in the same guild. Back when we were young... no matter what I did, I was clumsy and made my parents angry. But she always defended me... 'it's not Yukino's fault', she'd say. But one day a group of Zeref's cultists killed our parents and took her away... she just pushed me out to safety and gave herself up to fool the slavers into thinking she was by herself. Many years had passed before she came back... with the Eclipse project we can defeat Zeref. If he'd never existed, me and Sorano-nee would have... we would have been together all this time. Maybe we'd even still have our parents..."

Maybe so... but the world might not necessarily change into what we want it to become. That's the danger of changing history that the minister told us about. Lucy frowned. Changing the past... is it really possible?

"At last! At last it's here!" Chapati cheered. "The last day of the Daimatou Enbu, the mages' passionate festival! No matter whether you're happy or sad, today the winning guild will be decided! Today's reporter will be me, Chapati... and the commentator will be Yajima-san, ex-member of the Council... and the special guest is Matou-kun, the official mascot of the Daimatou Enbu! Are you ready to be a referee today, Matou-kun?"

"Today I'm ok!" Matou smiled. "Let's do our best!"

"And now it's times for the teams to enter!" Chapati announced. "Currently in 6th place, will they make a comeback? The hounds dogs, renamed as Quatro Puppy!"

The team of five men cheered as they entered the arena.

"Next, Blue Pegasus! Lamia Scale! Mermaid Heel! And the current #2!" Chapati gestured to a gate. "Will they have to capitulate? Or will they get back their title? Sabertooth!"

Minerva smirked as she led Sting, Rogue, Orga, and Rufus into the arena.

"They look different somehow..."

"Maybe they renewed their fighting spirit?"

"They look so cool!"

A spectator glanced around and frowned, noticing something. "Hey..." He nudged his friend. "The cats that were cheering..."

His friend glanced at Frosch, confused. "One is missing..."

"And last, the current #1! The guild that was the strongest seven years ago has made its' comeback!" Chapati exclaimed. "Fairy Tail comes in!"

"Oh?" He leaned forward. "They seem to have changed their members!"

Chelia's jaw dropped. "Nee-chan!"

Rogue narrowed his eyes. "Natsu Dragneel isn't here?"

"It's ok, Rogue." Sting smirked. "We can consider ourselves lucky then."

Chapati looked puzzled. "How come Natsu, who dominated his tag battle, isn't here?"

"Maybe something happened." Yajima observed.

Datong frowned. "So his magic hasn't recovered yet..."

"Wendy! Do your best in Natsu's place!"

"Gray-sama, Juvia's rooting for you!"

"Erza!"

"Beat them all, Gajeel!"

"Sorano, show everyone how strong you are now!"

Mavis smiled. "You thought a lot, Sixth..."

"In the end, this was the only way." Makarov sighed. "If we win,we might be able to get Lucy back legally. However, since we can't really trust them... we cannot fight with only one strategy."

"Now is the best chance because everyone is busy watching the tournament." Mavis agreed. "Even we should be busy cheering on our team as usual. Behind the scenes, an extra team is going to save Lucy. Basically, it's a strategy that uses two fronts."

Makarov nodded. "I leave it to you, brats!"

Elsewhere, Natsu, Mira, Meledy, and the three Exceed were running through the deserted city to Castle Mercurius.

Mira glanced at the distant Daimatou Enbu arena. "Looks like the last event is about to start."

"Good." Natsu nodded. "Now is the perfect time!"

Meledy frowned. "But how are we gonna get into the castle without being noticed?"

Happy smiled." I have an idea."

"It's probably something stupid..."

"No way, it's a perfect disguise!" Happy countered, throwing three sets of costumes at the humans and watching as they put them on.

Charle looked over Matou-Meledy, teddy bear-Natsu, and Mira, who looked like a horror movie villain. "It's too suspicious."

"It's ok, I thought about it." Horror-Mira observed.

"Nice, Mira!" Teddy-Natsu cheered.

"Take that mask off!"

"We'll do our best to get Lucy-mama back." Meledy added, punting the Matou costume's head away. "I also wish luck to Erza-papa and the others."

"Show your weapons, magic, and bonds with your comrades." Chapati told everyone. "A survival game where everybody participates... the Daimatou Enbu starts now!"

Cheers split the air.

"The battlefield will be the whole town of Crocus!" Chapati explained. "The members of each guild are already scattered! You will run around the city, and when you meet an enemy, a fight will start. If your enemy loses consciousness or is unable to fight, your guild automatically gets a point. Also, each guild will decide a leader. The other guilds don't know who the leader is. If you defeat a team leader, your guild will get 5 points. The max points you can get is 45. Anyone has a chance to win. Every team has different strategies. They can either separate or move together."

"Listen." Erza told the others. "We have to win to save Lucy."

"If Natsu and the others manage to get Lucy back..." Wendy trailed off.

"That would be the best." Gajeel filled in.

"But we have another reason to win." Gray added.

"To make up for our guild which has lost seven years..." Sorano smirked.

"Who will get the top of the glory?" Chapati shouted. "The Daimatou Enbu... starts now!"

"Let's go!" The five Fairy Tail mages chorused.

"The last fight is about to start." Chapati observed, grinning.

"As expected, most teams separate."

"Everyone, do your best!"

"Sabertooth has skilled fighters so they separate." Chapati narrated. "Some fight in pairs, some in groups of three..."

Rufus frowned in confusion when he noticed something weird.

Orga looked down from a rooftop. "What's up?"

"They're not moving..."

"What's happening?" Chapati asked, shocked. "All the members of Fairy Tail... are standing still with their eyes closed!"

"What the hell are they doing?"

"What's going on?"

"No idea..."

"Fairy Tail's weird behavior is curious..." Chapati shrugged. "But in the meantime, someone has encountered an enemy.

Yuuka grinned and sealed away Novally's magic, leaving him a sitting duck for Toby to knock out.

Lamia Scale +1.

"Too bad we ended up against women..." Ren sighed, taking Arania down.

"Yeah..." Eve agreed, slamming a huge amount of snow into Beth.

Blue Pegasus +2.

"The points are changing and Fairy Tail still isn't moving! Meanwhile, Lamia's focusing on the Puppy!"

In two different places, Leon and Jura were walking away from their defeated foes, Semas and Yeager respectively.

Lamia Scale +2.

"With Jura on our side, no one will win against us!" Obaba crowed gleefully.

"As long as we have Leon and Jura we're safe." Yuuka told Toby.

"Chelia is strong too..."

"I wonder..." Bacchus slid out of a nearby street, smirking.

"Bacchus!"

"Not that guy!"

Sting shot out of nowhere, smashing Bacchus into the ground and knocking him out with a single strike.

Sabertooth +5.

"He defeated the leader of Quatro Puppy!" Chapati announced. "Five points!"

"He got us, damn..."

"Let's get him 2 vs 1!"

Sting's eyes widened when Kagura blurred past Yuuka and Toby, knocking them both out with precise sword strikes.

Mermaid Heel +2.

Kagura frowned when she turned towards Sting, only to find him gone. "He vanished?"

"It's ok, let's avoid Jura and Kagura." Minerva decided. "We'll just lose members."

Milliana cheered as she knocked out Rocker, eliminating Quatro Puppy from the event.

Mermaid Heel +1.

"Lamia and Mermaid are doing their best!"

"Is Puppy already out?"

"Their numbers are moving so fast it's confusing!" Chapati remarked. "But Fairy Tail still hasn't moved!"

"What are you doing?" Makarov paled. "We must save Lucy!"

"That's why we must keep calm." Mavis told him. "In these four days I recorded the enemy's battle skills, magic, mental and movement patterns... I memorized them all. And based on that I simulated countless fights."

"First, what are you-"

"I predicted the enemy's victories and movements. This is all my foretelling." Mavis explained, causing Makarov's jaw to drop. "I already told them the strategy. To lead our comrades to victory... that is my fight."

Five sets of eyes snapped open in unison.

"Strategy of the Starry Fairy... go!"

"Yeah!"

Blue wings formed on Wendy's back and the girl shot into the sky. Sorano threw a doll into the air and hit it with a blast of green energy, causing Michelle to land next to her. The other three shot off in different directions.

"Fairy Tail is moving!" Chapati glanced at Michelle, confused. "But Sorano's magic... what was that, Yajima-san?"

"A spell denoting one's mastery of the Creation and Movement branches of Animation Magic." Yajima explained. "The creation of a fully sentient being with its' own magical core."

"Who are they?"

"Intruders." A guard nudged Natsu and Meledy forward. "They came here to save the Fairy girl."

"People from Fairy Tail?" The door sentry frowned. "What do we do?"

"Both His Majesty and the Minister are away..." The second sentry observed. "Let's throw them in a cell."

The first sentry nodded and opened the gate. "Ok."

"Hey..." One of the sentries called the guard with the captives back. "You're going the wrong way. The prison is there."

"Ah, sorry." The man chuckled sheepishly. "I was just transferred here..."

Once they were past the sentries, the guard's face changed back into Mira's and winked.

"Nice, Mira!" Meledy grinned.

"Princess, I think now is the best chance."

"Right." Princess Hisui E. Fiore, a woman in her early thirties with forest green hair, smiled. "Let's start the Eclipse 2 project."

"Everyone spread out! Move to your next destination!" Mavis commanded. "At this point there is a 97% chance that Rufus will make his move."

"I saw it." Rufus pressed two fingers to his head. "They shouldn't underestimate my ability in finding enemies. I'll take you all on together. Memory Make... Into a Night of Falling Stars!"

Five blasts of bright light shot away from him and zeroed in on the Fairy Tail mages.

"This magic..."

"It's the magic that annihilated their enemies on the first day." Yajima observed.

"So pretty..."

"Within two seconds from the time you see the lights in the sky it's possible to evade with an emergency dodge." Mavis explained as Erza, Wendy, Gajeel, and Gray evaded the attacks. "Sorano is the only one who doesn't have to worry about it."

Michelle jumped into the blast, taking it on herself and shielding Sorano from it.

Rufus paled. "What?"

"Because of that, there is a 68% chance that Rufus will go after one of us. 32% chance he will wait where he is... but either way, he won't hinder our strategy."

"What's she saying?"

"No idea..."

"At this point, Erza will go northwest and encounter an enemy."

"It's as the First said..." Erza glared at Jenny Realight. "Quite a terrifying person."

Jenny screamed when Erza lashed out and kicked her into a wall.

Fairy Tail +1.

"Gajeel will defeat the enemy in the south."

"Sorry, guys." Gajeel cackled, taking Ren and Eve out with an Iron Dragon's Roar.

Fairy Tail +2.

Hibiki panicked, running away. "Is there someone in Fairy Tail able to exceed the calculations of my Archive?"

"There is." Gray smirked, leaving Hibiki trapped in a huge ice sculpture.

Fairy Tail +1.

"Wendy will scout for all other enemies from the sky. Sorano will move to F-8." Mavis continued gesturing. "Erza to S-5. The enemies are active around there."

"How could I forget... it's why Lucy idolizes her..." Makarov paled. "The First led her team to victory in many battles thanks to her unparalleled ability in making strategies... Mavis, the Fairy Tactician."

"She's skilled..."

"So she wasn't just cute..."

"She did create Fairy Tail, after all."

Ichiya scowled. "Leave the rest to-"

A chop to his head from Jura was enough to take him out. "Got you!"

Lamia Scale +5.

"It's Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints!" Chapati cheered. "He defeated Ichiya, leader of Blue Pegasus, and gained five points! And Chelia beats Risley, getting Lamia another point!"

Lamia Scale +1.

"What a passionate battle! Three teams are constantly pushing past each other!"

"So Pegasus is completely defeated..."

"The number of people has quite decreased."

Mavis frowned. "From now on it will be a hard battle."

"What are we going to do about Jura in the end?"

"Have you thought about it?"

"I have. I want to believe the information I received, as it would mean Jura's not a problem, but..." Mavis hesitated. "That man is powerful."

"Lucy!"

"Oh, hey." Lucy gave Natsu and the others a wave. "Took you long enough. Still, I finally got the nap I've wanted ever since I fought Minerva."

Meledy face-faulted. "Lucy-mama..."

"Stay back." Natsu advised Lucy and Yukino, grabbing the cell bars and pushing fire magic into them. With a fierce growl, he ripped the cell door apart.

Charle sighed. "Now, how to escape..."

"If possible, it would be nice to get out without being seen."

Lucy nodded. "They still have my keys, but my Spirits are smart enough to find me on their own."

That was all she could say before the floor under their feet split apart and they all plummeted into a hole.

"Ouch..."

Natsu looked around the cave in which they landed. "Where are we?"

"Welcome... to Hell Palace."

"Who's there?"

"You fell into the trap perfectly. Look around you... this is the city of death, the Hell Palace. The last bit of freedom given to criminals. However, no one ever got out of there..." Princess Hisui scowled at the group from the light screen showing her. "You can rot there, thieves."

"Hey there, cousin."

Princess Hisui grit her teeth and dispelled the mirror, vanishing from view. The group turned to Lucy in surprise.

"I didn't know you had a cousin, Lucy-mama."

"I don't." Lucy laughed. "That was Princess Hisui, a business associate of my father's. She came over to our manor once and I spent the whole day following her around and calling her my cousin. Although, she seemed to find it funny back then..."

"Who cares?" Natsu looked around in panic. "Where's the damn exit?"

"Princess..." One of Hisui's guards clapped. "That was perfect."

"She managed to protect the castle even without His Majesty!"

"Viva Hisui-sama!"

Princess Hisui looked down sadly, ignoring their cheers.

"Breath-taking fights continue to happen in the Daimatou Enbu!" Chapati continued. "And I'm sure they'll get even more hot-blooded form now on!"

"The First told me I could meet you if I came here." Gray observed, walking into a large library. "I guess she was right."

"Well, well..." Rufus smirked. "My memories were about to forget you... will you help me remember?"

"You don't have to remember." Gray countered. "Because it ends here for you."

"It's a library clash between Fairy Tail's Gray and Rufus of Sabertooth!" Chapati announced excitedly.

"Was this also planned, First?"

"Yes."

"Then that means Gray will win this fight!"

"I don't know." Mavis shook her head. "But he has to. Rufus is a key person in Sabertooth's strategy. And Gray insisted on fighting him because of what happened on the first day. Sometimes feelings surpass calculations. Now then... show me your feelings."

"Take this!" Gray shouted. "Ice Make: Lance!"

Rufus smirked, jumping away and dodging the attack. "Memorized..."

"You won't get away!" Gray pressed on. "Ice Make: Hammer!"

"Memorized..."

Gray frowned. "What are you mumbling there?"

"Memories can become weapons." Rufus explained. "I can memorize magic I've seen before, and create new types of magic based on those memories."

"What do you mean?"

"Memories of you, ice magic... memories of Orga, thunder magic..." Rufus smirked. "I remember. Memory Make... Freezing Blade of Black Thunder!"

Gray paled and barely managed to dodge when spikes of ice shot up from the ground, each of them being continuously hit by black lightning.

"Shrine of the Stormy Wind Fangs."

A series of small tornadoes tore through the floor towards Gray, who thrust an arm forward. "Ice Make: Shield!"

"Shield..." Rufus pointed at the protective ice. "Memory. And oblivion."

Gray's eyes widened when the shield vanished into thin air and the tornadoes reached him, tossing him around the room.

"What?"

"He can make people forget as well?"

"I'll sing of this fight to you. A requiem..." Rufus adjusted his hat. "You should remember it. You can't win against me."

Gray scowled and tossed his shirt away. "I wouldn't be so sure..."

"He stripped!"

"Gray-sama!"

"As long as this mark of Fairy Tail is on my body..." Gray jabbed a thumb at the black mark. "I'm not gonna lose to the same opponent twice!"

"Oh?" Rufus raised an eyebrow. "Do you have a strategy?"

"Ice Make..."

Rufus pressed two fingers to his head in preparation.

"Unlimited!"

Rufus' eyes widened in shock as various weapons and shapes began to form around Gray, protruding from an icy spiral coiling around the boy. "What an incredible making speed..."

"Did you memorize it?"

Rufus paled when understanding hit him. "My memory... can't keep up!"

"Simultaneous Dance!" Gray shouted, smashing the end of the weapon spiral into Rufus.

"It's too bad that it's ice magic..." Rufus grit his teeth. "Because I remember flames that can melt ice. Memory Make... Karma of the Burning Fields!"

"I remember flames hotter than these!" Gray countered, slashing at Rufus with two ice swords and knocking him into the ceiling. "Ice Bringer!"

Rufus collapsed to the ground, unconscious and with ice spreading from where he was hit. Mavis gave a relieved sigh.

"It's Gray! Fairy Tail wins!" Chapati declared as Gray put Rufus' hat on. "Rufus is defeated!"

"With this, Fairy Tail is the only one with a full team." He realized.

Yajima smiled. "They got the upper hand."

"No, the invincible Rufus!"

"Fairy Tail is strong indeed..." Rogue frowned. "But, Gajeel... until I defeat you..."

Minerva smirked. "Is Sabertooth going to crumble? Or is Sting..."

Her mind drifted back to when Sting attacked Jiemma, Minerva nominated him for the next master, when she revealed hat she held Lecter alive, and when she refused to give him back unless Sting led them to regaining 1st place in the games.

"If he's smart, he'll do what I told him." She decided. "After all, he knows what's at stake."

"The ceiling is completely closed too!"

"We didn't see any exit..."

"Shit!" Natsu cursed at the bad news. "And after we came this far!"

"Looks like they got us..." Mira smiled sheepishly.

"Oh, yeah..." Lucy turned to Natsu. "What about the games?"

"Wendy took my place." Natsu told her. "I considered getting you back more important."

"Are you trying to score with me?"

"Is it working?"

"No."

"I just noticed..." Mira examined Yukino. "You look a lot like Lisanna."

Meledy nodded. "Now that you mention it..."

Yukino frowned. "Who's Lisanna-sama?"

Mira smiled. "My little sister..."

Yukino's eyes widened and she looked over Mira curiously. "Actually, you look a lot like Sorano-nee too..."

"Hey!" Charle motioned to a narrow fissure. "There's a passage here!"

Meledy struggled to push herself through the hole, leading the way. Her eyes widened when she reached the other end and noticed someone on the ground. "There's someone there!"

Yukino climbed out and paled. "Arcadios-sama!"

"Hey!" Natsu ran over to the man and shook him. "Are you ok? Wake up!"

"Gh..." The man glanced at them weakly. "Run away..."

A huge figure appeared behind them, grinning around the bottle it was drinking from. Natsu's eyes widened when he barely dodged the thrown punch and noticed the ground under the fist melt down.

Lily frowned. "Acid?"

"Tai tai!" A second figure waved a flag happily. "Big catch!"

Water spread under the group, knocking them into the air.

"What the hell..." Natsu grit his teeth as he landed. "Who are those guys?"

Plants sprouted out of the wet ground. The largest one opened, revealing a smiling girl in a tall hat.

"There's another one..."

Paper coalesced in a spot off to one side, forming another girl.

"More of them?"

"It's an independent unit that supports the kingdom from the shadows..." Arcadios rasped. "The strongest executioners of the kingdom. The Order of the Hungry Wolves..."

"Order of the Hungry Wolves." A man in a metal mask and two large axes stepped in front of the other four. "Mission 1500... begin!"

"It because they're here that it's impossible to escape Hell Palace." Arcadios explained.

"With the special rights conferred on us, the Order of the Hungry Wolves, the independent unit of Fiore..." The masked man narrowed his eyes. "We are going to execute the criminals!"

"Ahaha..." Natsu began cackling. "Ahahaha! Look at them! Are they really supposed to be a knight order? Especially that one!"

The smiling man with a complete lack of any facial hair blinked. "Tai?"

"Don't let their appearance confuse you..." Arcadios grit his teeth. "The magic they use... is meant to kill people..."

"Perfect!" Natsu clenched his fists. "The exit came straight to us!"

"Yes." Mira and Lucy gave identical smirks. "It's a good opportunity to have them show us the exit."

"Happy, Charle." Lily transformed into his battle form. "Stay back."

Arcadios' eyes widened. "Are you planning to fight them?"

"You don't fear the Order of the Hungry Wolves..." The masked man glared at them. "Ignorant sinners, you are... go back to the earth of Fiore's kingdom."

The black-haired woman held up a red piece of paper. "Let's go, Cosmos."

The girl in the hat smirked. "Mine and Kamika's beautiful dance..."

Kamika blew the paper at the group, causing it to split into a flurry of small pieces. "Paper Storm... Red Dance!"

Natsu swung a fiery fist at the attack. "I'll just burn it down!"

His eyes widened when the papers flew straight through the fire. "It's not burning?"

"Red paper is the god of flames." Kamika explained.

"In that case..." Meledy focused and formed several light swords. "Maguilty Rays!"

Charle cheered when the attack tore the paper pieces apart. "Nice, Meledy!"

"Beautiful..." Cosmos agreed, as a carnivorous plant sprouted around Meledy and closed around her. "A doll that dances beautifully... it's the flower of corpses, that blossoms in blood..."

Demon Mirajane smashed a fist into the plant, shattering it. More leaves shifted to strike from behind Lucy and Yukino, only for Lily to slice them apart.

"Pan..." The huge man grinned, knocking Lily away with a stream of acid.

"Paper Storm... Purple Dance."

"What is this?"

"I can't move!"

Kamika smiled. "Purple paper is the god of binding."

"This is such a beautiful combination..." Cosmos added, creating a huge flower above them. "Grow Flow! Eat beautifully... the lives of the sinners."

The huge flower began to suck in the Fairy Tail mages. Lucy sighed and focused, shooting a column of violet light from under Kamika and dispelling the binding spell.

"I can move!" Natsu cheered, then looked up at the huge flower sucking them in. "As for that thing... we'll destroy it!"

"Ok!" Mira prepared a kick as Natsu's fists ignited and Lily adjusted his sword.

"The Hungry Wolves went to execute those criminals!" A guard cheered, drawing Princess Hisui's attention.

"That's helpful."

My strategy keeps on backfiring... The woman looked away. Please be safe... Arcadios.

"Gah!" Natsu burst out of the rubble and looked around. "Hey! Is everyone all right! Hey!"

"It seems the blast from destroying Cosmos' flower caused everyone to end up somewhere else." The man with two axes observed, approaching Natsu. "But my subordinates are skilled. No one will come back alive."

Natsu grit his teeth. "What was the point of coming here if I lose sight of everyone..."

"Guys! Lucy-mama!" Meledy called out. "Where are you?"

"Beautiful..." Cosmos stepped out of a flower. "Well, more than beautiful, I'd say lovely. But I'm going to execute you."

"Ehehehe..."

"Shit!" Lily scowled, glaring at the acid user. "I lost sight of everyone else."

"Lucy!" Mira looked around. "Yukino! Where are you?"

Kamika chuckled. "You shouldn't look away, you know."

"Dammit!" Lucy cursed. "We lost everyone!"

"I don't have my keys..." Yukino muttered.

Happy sighed. "Anyway, let's look for the others."

He paled when he suddenly began to rise into the air.

"I fished you, tai!" The smiling man cheered.

"I'm not a fish!"

"..." The man flung Happy into a pillar. "You're right."

Charle frowned. "Who's that guy?"

"Executor Uosuke." The man inclined his head.

"I'm sure we can beat him without magic!" Happy declared.

"If you say that..." The man continued smiling. "I'll get angry."

"We can handle him." Lucy smirked. "He doesn't look like much."

"This is bad..." Arcadios was sweating. "It's said that when he executed someone not even their bones are left..."

"Life is fleeting." The masked man observed. "Repent for your sins."

"I don't remember having done anything bad." Natsu shot back, slipping into a stance. "I have no choice. I'll defeat you to pass."

The man reached for his axes and swung them forward in one fluid motion, almost decapitating Natsu. A second barely dodged strike smashed into a pillar. Natsu paled as he jumped over a third attack, which gouged a trench in the wall.

"This guy..."

"I only aim for the sinners' heads." The man explained.

"Creepy." Natsu scowled.

"Acid is tough." Lily scowled, trying to block a stream of it. "I can't stop it with my sword."

"Melt down." His opponent cackled. "Melt down."

"Paper Storm, Green Dance!"

Mira coughed and covered her mouth, trying not to breath in the fumes coming from the paper.

"Green paper is the god of poison." Kamika explained.

"These people..." Mira rasped out. "They're really trying to kill us..."

"Spore Bomb!" Cosmos sang. "Rinka Renka!"

Meledy panicked, trying to avoid the scattering of explosive spores around her.

"Even your screams are pretty..." Cosmos observed. "It's time to sleep now. Makura Kamura."

Gas began to spread from the spores, engulfing Meledy.

"After you've fallen asleep thanks to the effects of this spore..." Cosmos giggled. "You won't wake up ever again. It's deadly magic."

"Ugh..."

"Sleep." Cosmos commanded, watching Meledy's eyes close. "Forever."

"Terrain Effect." Uosuke crossed his arms." Lava Range!"

Lucy paled when the ground under them began to melt. "The earth is..."

Arcadios' eyes widened. "It's burning..."

With a loud crack, the ground under the group sank into a pool of boiling lava.

"Yukino!" Arcadios panicked. "Lucy!"

"Let's go!" Happy commanded, flying forward with Charle right behind him.

Uosuke pointed at them, causing them to hover in place.

"Wah! He fished us again!"

"I'm not a fish!"

"Terrain Effect: Gravity Range!"

"Gh..." Lucy grit her teeth, holding on to the rocky edge over the lava. "In hindsight, my keys would have helped here..."

"You two..." Arcadios picked himself up slowly. "Be strong. You two... are my hope..."

"Arcadios-sama!"

"I didn't agree to anything yet..."

"Eclipse can't be activated without you. And for that..." Arcadios stepped into the lava. "I am ready... to sacrifice my life!"

Yukino paled. "What are you doing?"

Arcadios gave a loud scream of pain, pushing forward relentlessly as his legs began to burn.

"Eh?" Uosuke blinked. "A human stepped into the lava?"

Arcadios grit his teeth, reaching the other end of the pool and pushing Lucy and Yukino up. "Climb... fast..."

"Arcadios-sama!"

Lucy climbed out and spun around, reaching out to the man. "Hurry up!"

"If you manage to get out of here..." Arcadios slowly sank into the lava. "Meet the princess... Princess Hisui..."

He looked up at the two frantic women. "You can decide... whether Eclipse is right or not..."

And with that, the lava covered him completely.

"Arcadios-sama!" Yukino wailed.

"Right? Right?" Uosuke wiped sweat away. "Normally you die. Good, I was surprised."

"By a hair's breadth..." Horologium slowly rose out of the pool, unaffected by the heat. "But, well... my body is a bit of a problem."

Indeed, he was straining to keep Arcadios' large form safely locked inside him.

"With such a large body..." The clock sighed. "He barely fit."

"Why are you here?" Yukino asked, confused.

"We can freely pass through the gate." Loke filled in, handing Lucy her key-ring. "Your stars are back to your side."

Lucy nodded. "As I knew you would be."

"Sorry for taking so long. "Loke smiled, tossing Yukino three keys. "I have yours too."

"Thank you." Yukino held the keys tightly. "Sorry, you guys."

"Aye!"

"Now you can fight back!"

"Lucy." Loke smirked. "The 12 keys are together. It's time to counterattack."

"Tai?"

Natsu smirked, catching the axe blade in his hand. "Can I beat you down now?"

"It's ok, he's still breathing." Charle examined Arcadios. "It's surprising that he's still alive."

Yukino held up a key. "I'm ready to fight."

"Tai tai?"

"Open, Gate of the Paired Fish!" She swung her key. "Pisces!"

"Fish!"

"Fi..." Lucy trailed off. "...sh?"

"This is Pisces' real appearance." Yukino explained. "A mother and her child."

A man with spiky white hair smirked. "If we've been summoned in this form, Mum..."

"It means we have to exterminate the enemy." A stern-looking woman finished.

"As usual..." Loke had hearts in his eyes. "She's so beautiful I can hardly believe she has a son."

"Why are you still here?"

Yukino nodded. "Please..."

The man surged forward, swinging his pole-arm. "Ok, Mum!"

"I'm not your mother!"

The female Spirit chuckled. "Hehe..."

"Terrain Effect!..." Uosuke raised his arms." Gravity Range!"

"Open, Gate of Scales!" Yukino countered. "Libra!"

"Gravity Change..." The new arrival swung her scales. "Counterbalanced!"

Uosuke's jaw dropped. "Tai?"

That was all he could say before two Spirits attacked him at once.

"You... tai!" He flung his arms out, creating a whirlpool. "Terrain Effect: Whirlpool Range! Fish must go back to the sea, tai!"

Yukino grit her teeth when Pisces transformed into a pair of small fish. "He realized that Pisces is weak against water..."

"Isn't it a fish?"

"Still..." Lucy swung a key of her own. "Now that there's water... come out, Aquarius!"

"Tai?"

"Still hanging in there?" The large man cackled. "I'll melt you down, pan!"

"Remember all the time you spent training with Gajeel..." Lily grit his teeth. "This body has been hit by his fists of iron so many times! I'm proud of my steel-like resistance of my body and my spirit!"

"My spirit of steel won't lose to anything!" He roared, slicing the incoming acid into two streams that shot past him, leaving him unharmed.

"What?" The man paled. "He cut through the acid?"

"So, did you finally fell asleep in all your beauty?"

Cosmos paled when she felt herself get abnormally sleepy. "What's... happening..."

Her closing eyes noticed an unusual bracelet on her wrist. "Is this... her magic? Does it... share her condition?"

Panicking, she quickly dispelled her magic, waking both of them up.

"Phew..." She gave a sigh of relief. "That was-"

"Having done that trick many times, I recover fast!" Meledy cheered, smashing a foot into Cosmos' face. "Your creepy flowers ain't got nothing on me!"

"You look in pain." Kamika observed, watching Mira choke. "Why don't you just die?"

"Magic isn't meant to kill people." Mira wheezed out. "But without power we couldn't protect the ones we love. It's a bit of a contradiction."

"What are you saying?"

"You only made one big mistake." Mira began focusing her magic. "You know... when I'm in a tournament, or when my friends are close to me... in other words, when someone is watching, I tend to restrain my power. Maybe it's an issue caused by that contradiction..."

She began to inhale. "But when I'm alone, that's when I can release my full power."

"No way..." Kamika paled. "She's sucking in the poison..."

"Poison?" Demon Mirajane repeated, smirking. "For a demon, that's a treat."

A fist slammed the masked man into a wall.

"What's with this guy?" The man wondered, moments before Natsu smashed a flaming punch into him.

"Don't you understand?" He struggled to regain balance. "By doing this, you're going against the kingdom!"

"Against the kingdom?" Natsu roared, charging another attack. "It's you who should think twice before going against Fairy Tail! To protect our guild... we're ready to go against the kingdom, and even against the world!"

"That's Fairy Tail!" He finished, punching the man through the wall. His opponent gave a loud gasp of pain as he crashed into the other four executioners.

"Oh..."

"Hm?"

"Natsu!"

"Everyone..."

"Haha!" Natsu laughed. "What a coincidence!"

"No way..." The now unmasked man rasped. "They beat all of us..."

"Well..." Natsu cracked his fists. "Now you're tell us what we want to know, or we'll execute you."

Natsu looked around. "Is this really the right way?"

Yukino frowned in worry. "Is Arcadios-sama fine?"

"In a way he is." Loke observed, carrying the man. "It's actually surprising he survived the lava."

Lucy looked around. "Arcadios told us to meet cousin Hisui after we got out..."

"He also said we should decide for yourselves whether Eclipse is right or not." Charle recalled.

"But the princess herself threw us down here!" Natsu protested angrily.

Meledy frowned when a door ahead opened. "It's opening... is it a trap?"

A figure in a black cloak and hood stepped into the hallway, observing them silently.

Natsu scowled. "Who are you?"

"Princess! It's terrible!" A guard rushed over to her. "I was informed that the Order of the Hungry Wolves has been defeated by a bunch of mages!"

Hisui gave a relieved sigh.

"You shouldn't make that face." Minister Datong stepped forward. "It's obvious what you are thinking."

"Datong?" The princess panicked. "Weren't you supposed to be watching the games with Father?"

"I came back because I had a bad feeling." Datong explained. "And apparently, I was right."

"What do you mean?" Hisui grit her teeth. "Why did you even send Arcadios to Hell Palace without a proper trial?"

"And you used Fairy Tail to get him out, didn't you, Princess?" Datong accused her.

"Uh..."

"So you were indeed the one behind the Eclipse project." Datong mused. "Arcadios acted as the villain in order to conceal the person actually responsible... which is you."

Hisui looked away. "So you did know that much."

"Princess, you should reconsider." Dating told her. "That thing is dangerous. The world must not be changed."

"No... probably, the world needs to be changed." Hisui countered. "I actually promised that person... that I wouldn't tell anyone. But maybe I should tell you... about the Eclipse 2 project."

Datong paled. "2?"

"The real Eclipse project." Hisui explained. "If this project fails, then... tomorrow, this country will be destroyed."

"Last fight of the Daimatou Enbu continues!" Chapati announced. "Fairy Tail still has all its' members! Quite an advantage!"

"Great!"

"We're gonna win!"

"What's gonna happen next, First?"

Mavis frowned. "If my calculations are right..."

"Sky God's Boreas!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

Chelia smirked. "Ready for a rematch, Nee-chan?"

"If you want one." Wendy shot back. "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!"

"This should go the same way as before." Mavis smirked. "In the meantime, Erza will fight Minerva."

Erza frowned, stepping out into a clearing. According to the First's prediction, I should fight Sabertooth's-

"Hi there!" Kagura laughed, lashing out with her sheathed sword.

"It's Kagura!" Chapati cheered.

Mavis' eyes widened. "Eh?"

Erza grit her teeth, blocking the savage strike. The First's prediction was wrong?

Unsheathing her sword, she proceeded to exchange a series of slashes with the other woman. She's strong...

Kagura's eyes shone with unrestrained glee. Show me if you're as strong as everyone says, Titania Erza!

"First, this is-"

"No way..."

"My calculations... where did I..." Mavis teared up, looking away. "I'm not crying... I'm not crying..."

Makarov panicked. "Someone comfort the First!"

"This is getting exciting!" Chapati cheered. "This fight will prove who is the strongest swordswoman!"

An orb of dark green light formed between the two fighters and arms sprouted out of it, pushing them both back. Minerva smirked as she spun around and knocked both women down.

Chapati's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Cam I join in?" Minerva asked, giving an eerie smirk.

"I can't make a prediction..." Mavis trembled in fear.

"It just turned into a three-way struggle! A fight between the strongest female wizards of this competition!" Chapati hollered. "Who will survive?"

"Erza and Kagura... I remember your strength." Rufus smiled. "However... our Lady will win. She's the Master's daughter and Sabertooth's strongest mage. She's even stronger than the Twin Dragons."

Erza frowned. "Whoever my opponent is, I'm not gonna hold back."

Kagura glanced at Erza and her smile faded. Erza... why do you shelter Jellal? From what Milliana told me, it sounds like what you suffered from Jellal can't be easily forgiven...

"People seem to have lost faith in Sabertooth." Minerva observed. "Needless to say, that's because of your guilds, Erza, Kagura. To show that our guild is the most powerful, I'll get rid of petty soldiers like you."

Erza sighed. "You're pretty confident."

"Enough talking." Kagura reached for her sword. "Come."

And with that, the three women leapt at each other, two of them swinging swords and the third pushing an orb of green energy forward. All three attacks met in the middle, creating a shockwave.

Minerva smirked, using a strike to send Erza tumbling back. Kagura used the chance to smash a boot into Minerva's head. Landing after the attack, her eyes widened when Erza kicked her in the face. Minerva capitalized on Kagura's distraction to blast her with a stream of magic, pushing her out of the stage they were fighting in.

"I can see you." She smirked, turning to meet Erza's attack head-on.

Kagura jumped forward and jabbed her sheathed sword into Minerva's back, causing her to gasp in pain. Erza used the chance to slam a two-legged jump kick into the other swordswoman.

"I ragudo." Minerva made a hand sigh, trapping Erza and Kagura in green light. "Neer wirg mion... derus elcantias."

Mavis paled. "Yakuma's magic of the 18 Gods of Battle?"

"Yagdo Rigora!" Minerva shouted, pushing both women into a huge stone statue. The huge discharge of accompanying energy was enough to split the entire empty arena in half.

The smoke from the attack slowly cleared, revealing Erza and Kagura in slightly torn clothes, but otherwise unharmed.

"What the hell are those three?"

"'Incredible' doesn't even begin to describe them!"

"That's amazing!"

"I see..." Minerva nodded to herself. "I certainly did not expect you to be so tough. I had better modify my plan a little, otherwise this fight will never end..."

She swung her arm and Milliana appeared, trapped in a sphere of Minerva's magic. "I just caught this cat."

"Milliana!"

"Can you see how much she's suffering?" Minerva asked, motioning to the gasping woman. "Inside that space, I'm constantly absorbing her magic."

"Don't worry. I don;'t want you to surrender because of this hostage. I said I have a plan." She grinned at heir furious expressions. "Yes, that's the look I wanted to see."

"If that..." Datong was ashen white. "If that's the truth... we must stop the Daimatou Enbu immediately!"

"We can't." Princess Hisui sighed. "I myself doubt what I was told."

"But even if it's not true, the people of this country are in danger."

"That person knows the future." Hisui told Datong. "They know the results of the Daimatou Enbu. I heard that a guild will win with an unbelievable outcome."

"Unbelievable outcome?" Datong repeated.

"Due to the outcome being special..." Hisui frowned. "It's impossible to predict something like that... if what that person said turns out to be the truth... then I'm going to believe it."

Datong's jaw dropped. "Are you saying the fate of this country will depend on the results of the Daimatou Enbu?"

"It is that special." Hisui nodded. "I still can't believe that outcome is possible."

"So..." Datong started slowly. "If the outcome turns out how that person said it would..."

"It also means that the future I was told about is true." Hisui told him. "In that case, I will open the gate of Eclipse."

"That person said..." She looked away. "They came from the future."

"Who are you?" Natsu repeated.

The hooded figure pressed a hand to her eyes as she began to cry. "Sorry... lend me.. your strength..."

Yukino gasped. "That voice..."

"Eh?"

"You are..."

Natsu's eyes widened in shock as the mysterious woman pulled her hood off. "What the-"

Meledy stared at her older self in shock. "Me?"

"By the way..." Chapati realized. "Will the ruined parts of the city be ok?"

"Don't worry." Matou assured him. "We'll fix them with magic by tomorrow."

Mira paled. "Another Meledy..."

"It's not Gemini, is it?" Yukino asked nervously.

"And it's not even Edolas..."

"I think you already know about Eclipse, the gate which allows time travel." Future Meledy explained.

"Eclipse... could it be..."

"You used Eclipse to..."

Future Meledy nodded. "I came from the future."

Loke was wide-eyed. "No way..."

"This country... will soon..." Was all Future Meledy could say before she collapsed.

"Hey!" Natsu shot over to her. "Are you ok?"

Mira frowned. "Meledy..."

"It's creepy." Meledy trembled. "Why me..."

"Anyway, we can't leave her like this." Natsu slung Future Meledy over his shoulder. "Let's take her with us as well."

"We should leave the castle and send a signal." Mira observed. "To tell everyone we got Lucy back. Although a second Meledy was definitely unexpected..."

"I really don't understand." Datong shook his head, confused. "To open the gate of Eclipse you need the magic of a Celestial Mage... yet you sent those two to Hell Palace. Isn't that a contradiction?"

"Yes..." Hisui sighed. "It's because that time when I had all 12 keys in my hands... I was rash."

"But they managed to get the keys back." Datong realized. "How will you open Eclipse now?"

"I've already used the keys." The princess revealed. "I used them yesterday to unlock Eclipse. Now we only have to open the gate, with normal human hands."

"Is whoever does it ready to to take responsibility for changing the future of humanity?" Datong asked her.

"I can't do it alone." Princess Hisui mused. "That's why I wanted your approval and Arcadios' assistance. I'll decide whether to open the gate depending on the results of the Daimatou Enbu. Let's just watch for the time being."

Kagura grit her teeth. "Let go of Milliana."

Minerva shook her head. "I'll show you how a king fights."

"I won't say it again." Kagura readied herself. "If you want to live, let my friend go."

Minerva smirked in amusement. "Get her back if you can."

In a blur of movement, Kagura was next to Minerva, reaching for her sword. "You'll be the second tiger I take down."

"I hope it's a good one this time." Minerva agreed, before somehow switching places with a shocked Erza, who barely managed to block the attack.

"Settle the fight between the two of you." Minerva decided, waving an arm to make Milliana vanish. "I will fight against the winner."

"You're a pretty pathetic king if you only interfered to do this." Erza spat.

"The king is the one who moves the pawns according to his own strategy." Minerva countered. "You should feel honored. Two against one would be too much. I acknowledge at least that miscalculation. The king must always win, no matter the conditions."

"Give Milliana back!" Erza shouted after Minerva.

"Don't..." Kagura scowled. "Don't act like you're her friend!"

"It seems you have much to talk about." Minerva chuckled. "I was in the way."

"I agree to your terms!" Kagura shouted. "Release Milliana!"

But Minerva was already gone.

Erza sighed. "She outwitted you completely..."

"Shut up." Kagura snapped. "I'll slash both you and the Saber woman."

"Shit!" Gajeel ambled through a curving hallway. "The First's strategy ended up in a mess... I wonder where it started to fail."

"Gajeel..." Rogue narrowed his eyes, approaching from the opposite direction.

"You're persistent. "Gajeel smirked. "But I'm not as kind as Salamander. Prepare yourself."

"Finally..." Orga grinned. "Time for our rematch."

"Orga-kun." Sorano chuckled. "Do you truly think you can win?"

"I'm the Lightning God Slayer." Orga observed. "Last time you caught me by surprise... but my black lightning can kill a god."

"And who says fairies aren't stronger than gods?" Sorano countered calmly.

Chapati smirked. "The next fights are starting one after another!"

"I wonder where Sting-kun is..."

"The Lacryma vision is unable to find him."

"Will it really end like the person from the future said?" Datong looked doubtful. "To me it just looks like..."

"That's why it's an impossible outcome." Hisui nodded.

"How underhanded of you, Lady." Sting chuckled, leaning against a building. "Still, they can do as they please..."

"The scenario I thought of will lead us to the best victory." Sting declared confidently "Watch me, Lecter."

"If what Future Meledy said is true..." Ultear frowned in thought. "Tomorrow, this country will be destroyed..."

She gave a heavy sigh. "And we can't even evacuate the civilians, they'd all panic."

"Wait." Jellal cut in. "It's not necessarily true."

"What?"

"There's something wrong about what she said..." Jellal hesitated. "Something..."

Erza frowned. "I guess it's time to settle this."

"I plan to go all out." Kagura observed, lashing out at Erza.

"Exactly what I want!" The redhead growled, blocking the attack. Hey eyes widened when the force of Kagura's blow pushed her back.

"Heaven's Wheel..." She requipped in mid-air. "Pentagram Sword!"

"Blade of Resentment..." Kagura leapt over the attack and swung down. "Strong Form!"

The strike was enough to slam Erza into the ground.

"Slashing Form!" Kagura shouted, preparing to attack again.

"Herculean Armor!" Erza countered, changing into a thick and bulky suit of armor. Her eyes widened in shock when Kagura blurred past her, breaking the breastplate in half around the middle.

"No way!"

"That armor can withstand a Jupiter blast!"

Makarov trembled. "She's strong..."

Erza gasped and coughed up blood as she slowly fell. Kagura landed and watched her collapse, frowning. "Is it still not enough?"

"Flight Armor!" Erza shouted, requipping and dashing past Kagura in a split second. "Sonic Claw!"

Kagura looked on stoically as a new cut opened on Erza's shin and the redhead slumped to the ground, clutching her leg in pain.

"She's really strong!" Chapati shouted. "Mermaid Heel's Kagura is overpowering Erza, the one who defeated the 100 monsters!"

"I'm surprised... I didn't think there was someone like you..." Erza panted. "Does your strength come from your hatred towards Jellal?"

Kagura grit her teeth, clearly restraining herself from lashing out. "I suggest you stop before I decide to kill you."

"Whatever grudge you have towards Jellal... I don't care..." Erza struggled to stand up. "But don't involve Milliana, now that she started to look optimistically towards the future."

"You..." Kagura frowned. "That reminds me... you act like her friend, but how is it that you know her? She joined Mermaid Heel after the Tower of Heaven collapsed, no one before that should have known her, unless..."

Her eyes widened. "Don't tell me... you were a slave in the Tower of Heaven?"

"But then..." She sat down and took a deep breath. "Milliana refuses to speak of her days in the Tower, so maybe you can tell me... have you met a man named Simon when you were in there?"

"Simon..." Erza's eyes widened. "He's a friend of mine. Me and a few others from my guild were there when the Tower of Heaven collapsed and he was rescued."

"I guess I should thank you for that at least..." Kagura calmed down. "That man, Simon... is my older brother."

Erza gaped at her in shock.

"We were poor, but happy." Kagura recalled. "But our happiness ended with the children hunt 15 years ago. I managed to escape, but I spent years after that looking for him. I was so glad when he came back..."

"That's why I'm puzzled by you." She told Erza. "Why would you, who suffered for several years alongside Simon-aniki, side with Jellal and keep him safe in your guild?"

"I can understand that..." Erza nodded. "Jellal almost blew all of us up and nearly killed my fiancée, but... if you seek justice for what happened to Simon, then you're after the wrong person."

Kagura narrowed her eyes, both angry and confused. "What do you mean?"

"Would you believe me if I told you Jellal was manipulated?" Erza asked curiously. Ignoring Kagura's disbelieving stare she kept talking. "The true culprit behind all of that is now also a Fairy Tail mage, so I won't tell you who that is, but... I can tell you that when we met Jellal again during the Oracion Seis incident, he had no memory of any of his time as the master of the Tower of Heaven."

"An amnesiac..." Kagura muttered. "Than what about this other person? Why can't you tell me who it is?"

"I just can't..." Erza pushed herself up. "I won't sell out anyone from my guild."

Kagura sighed heavily. "I suppose that's as good as I'm going to get... in that case, I suggest we get back to fighting. Remember, we don't get Milliana back until one of us wins."

Erza nodded. "Still, I'd like to face you at your best."

Kagura's eyes widened and she hesitantly reached for her sword. "I guess... I do have some frustration to take out on someone... might as well be someone who won't die too easily."

And with that she charged forward, unsheathing Archenemy as she did so and swinging it forward. Erza smirked and blocked it with her own sword, but the force of Archenemy's blow created a shockwave which cut through the entire city.

"Impressive..." Kagura let Erza requip before attacking again.. "Show me what you're made of, Titania Erza!"

"I'm not going to lose to you." Erza shot back, knocking Kagura into the ground with her attack.

"Erza did it!" Chapati cheered. "Quite the fascinating match! To make a comeback in those conditions..."

Arania paled. "To think someone could stand up against Archenemy..."

Beth nodded, awestruck. "Yeah..."

"Kagura is getting up again!" Chapati announced as the brunette pushed herself up. "The fight isn't over yet!"

Erza's eyes widened when a piece of the pillar behind Kagura crumbled and began falling. "Look out!"

Kagura's eyes widened when Erza pushed her away, getting crushed by the stone debris herself. "Eh?"

"Why..." She looked confused. "Why did you..."

"You know..." Erza gave a small smile. "I remember you... I didn't know your name, just that you were Simon's sister."

"Wait..." Kagura trembled. "Are you saying that-"

Erza nodded. "Yes. Like you and Simon, I'm also from Rosemary Village..."

"Kyaaah!"

"Help!"

"Take all the children!" A man commanded. "Kill the adults!"

"Aniki!" Little Kagura wailed, looking around. "Where are you?"

"Come on!" A slightly older redhead grabbed her wrist and began dragging her away. "If we stay here they'll find us!"

"But my brother..." Kagura sounded hesitant. "He's..."

"I heard the voice of a child over there!"

"Hide!" The older girl commanded, pushing Kagura into a crate.

Kagura began crying. "And you?"

"It's ok, I'll find another place." Erza smiled. "Live."

And with that, the crate slid shut.

"Over there!"

"I found a kid!"

"Get her!"

"No way..." Kagura stared at Erza in horrified shock. "You were..."

"Simon always talked about you." Erza observed. "I was worried too. All those years, I wondered if you were safe."

Kagura slowly stood up and pushed the piece of stone off of Erza. "I wouldn't feel right if I fought you after what you just did... in that case, I'm just going to concede. I guess, this time I've lo-"

Minerva appeared behind Kagura, stabbing her through the gut from behind with a discarded sword. The brunette's eyes widened as she coughed up blood and collapsed.

"Erza is the winner." Minerva declared. "But the points are mine. I told you I would show you how a king fights. Kings only eat delicious food, like mermaid heads... or fairies who've lost their wings."

Sabertooth +5.

Erza glared at her, livid. "You..."

"You're next, Erza." Minerva smirked at the redhead. "However... with that wound, I can already tell how our match will go."

"Milliana..." Kagura rasped, getting Erza's attention. "Please... save Milliana..."

Erza nodded. "Of course."

"Milliana?" Minerva repeated. "That cat girl?"

With a causal wave of her hand, Milliana fell out of her prison and slumped limply. "She's already unable to fight. And I get the point."

Sabertooth +1.

"Milliana.." Erza hobbled over to the girl slowly.

Milliana smiled weakly. "Er-chan..."

Erza frowned, noticing a sticky patch on Milliana's cape. Examining it closely, she found a series of thin cuts and blood leaking from the cat-like mage's back.

"I was tired of waiting, and you two just droned on and on instead of fighting." Minerva explained. "So I hurt her to have some fun. I enjoyed her screams."

"Take this!"

Rouge grunted in pain when an iron club knocked him back.

"You can't get stronger than me, no matter what you do." Gajeel told him. "Give up. If you couldn't defeat Salamander two on one, you yourself have no chance against me."

"You're not as strong as Natsu Dragneel." Rogue observed.

Gajeel narrowed his eyes. "What was that?"

"You're as tough as I remember." Orga grinned, dodging a huge blast of fire, lightning, and earth.

"You, on the other hand, haven't improved." Sorano countered. "All you're doing is avoiding my attacks. Scared to meet one head on?"

"Hehe..." Jura stepped into the city square they were fighting in. "Some strong people are here... can I join you? I can finally feel my blood boil."

Orga examined him. "Jura of the Ten Wizard Saints..."

"Excellent!" Sorano looked giddy. "I finally get to fight you!"

"Not again..." Chelia gave a tired sigh. "I just can't beat you, Nee-chan..."

Fairy Tail +1.

"It was more fun than before, though." Wendy sat down next to the younger girl. "I could feel that your attacks were stronger. For just two days, that's an impressive rate of progress."

"I guess I should have expected that..."

"Shit! I had to run into him here..."

"Leon!"

"Gray-san!"

Leon smirked. "How come you're so worn out, Gray?"

"I can handle you." Gray shot back. "I've done it once already."

Natsu sighed.

Loke shook his head. "I didn't think we'd get lost."

"This is a problem." Mira agreed.

Yukino bowed apologetically. "I don't really know a lot about Castle-sama's structure..."

Meledy gave her a disbelieving stare.

"We're supposed to escape as soon as possible to tell everyone we did it." Lily recalled.

"It'll faster if we just find some guards." Natsu realized. "With so many of us, fighting won't be a problem."

"But our guild is currently fighting in the Daimatou Enbu." Mira countered. "Since it's a tournament sponsored by the king, we should try not to make a bad impression."

Lucy smirked. "Tell that to the Hungry Wolves."

Future Meledy gave a pained grunt and sat up slowly. "Where am I?"

"Dunno."

"It looks like the castle's dining hall."

"So we're still inside the castle..." Future Meledy muttered. "According to my memory... after we escape from Hell Palace, we all get captured again by the Royal Army. That's why we must let them know first..."

"What are you saying?" Natsu crossed his arms. "They can't possibly catch us."

"Indeed." Mira backed him up. "It doesn't look like we could lose."

"While escaping, we ran into the room with Eclipse." Future Meledy explained. "Because of that we couldn't use magic and got caught."

Natsu sighed. "Man, we're dumb."

"Um..." Meledy hesitated. "Future me, why did you come from the future?"

"To change the worst future." Future Meledy explained cryptically.

"The worst future?"

Yukino frowned. "What happened in the future you know?"

"That person told me..." Princess Hisui sighed. "That despair is awaiting us... a herd of over 10000 dragons will attack our country. The city will be burnt down, the castle destroyed... and many lives will be lost."

Datong frowned. "Is that a truth or a lie?"

"That person left me the answer." Hisui told him. "The results of the Daimatou Enbu... will guide my decision."

"What. The. HELL?"

Lily scowled. "You're loud." He told Natsu.

Mira sighed. "Over 10000 dragons..."

Yukino was pale. "How could such a thing..."

"Could it be somehow connected to that graveyard?" Meledy theorized.

Charle nodded. "I wonder..."

"Anyway, we can't just stay here!" Natsu shouted, putting on a helmet he got from... somewhere.

"Do you want to fight?" Future Meledy watched him, wide-eyed. "Will everyone... even believe us?"

"Is it a lie?"

"No! But..." She hesitated. "But I wonder, will the others be able to accept something like that as truth..."

Natsu looked puzzled. "And why would they doubt Meledy's words?"

Future Meledy gave a small smile and looked away, blushing.

"My future self shouldn't be so forlorn..." Meledy observed. "You should trust your friends more."

"You're lecturing yourself..." Future Meledy giggled. "But you're right."

Now I understand... Charle was wide-eyed. The crumbling castle... and Meledy wasn't singing, she was crying and screaming... wait, crying? Why?

"When the dragons arrived..." Charle started slowly. "What happened to us in the castle?"

"We of Fairy Tail made our stand here in Mercurius." Future Meledy explained. "Wendy managed to take down two dragons before her wounds killed her. You, Lucy-mama, entered your mad state and destroyed three dragons with one huge violet spell before your body simply dissolved from magic overload. Sorano was the best, having killed a whole ten dragons by controlling one and making it fight another, then the dragons caught on to the trick and one ate her. After that, we didn't manage to kill any more dragons... one by one we were killed. I found Lucy-mama's keys and used them to open Eclipse and come back here. It was only a few days into the past, but I'm here now... I got here on the 4th of July, X791."

"That was three days ago." Loke realized. "Couldn't you have traveled any earlier than that?"

"I don't know..." Future Meledy frowned. "A part of it was broken, maybe that's why."

I see... Arcadios thought weakly, resting in a chair. That's the mysterious person who advised the princess. I really wonder, though...

"There are lacryma scattered all around the city." Future Meledy told everyone. "I want you to use an underground passage to meet Jellal and the others."

Natsu frowned. "Jellal?"

"I told him everything." Future Meledy nodded. "I think now he should be thinking of a strategy."

"A strategy?"

"Sorry..." Future Meledy sighed heavily. "I don't have a strategy of my own. I don't know how to prevent what's coming."

Arcadios frowned. Indeed...

"That person said..." Princess Hisui hesitated. "That there's another way to use Eclipse: Eclipse 2."

Arcadios raised an eyebrow. "2? What would that be?"

"For seven years, we stored up magic using the Daimatou Enbu." Hisui explained. "This magic is now about as potent as Etherion."

Arcadios' eyes widened. "Are you saying it's strong enough to destroy a whole country?"

"We would use that against the dragons." Hisui nodded. "That is the Eclipse 2 project."

You told the princess about Eclipse 2... and it's a lie that you came on the 4th. Arcadios glanced at Future Meledy suspiciously. Why are you lying to your friends?

"I'm really sorry..." Future Meledy looked away sadly. "I didn't know what to do here... so far, I've just been wandering around town."

"We'll do something about it." Lucy reassured her, bringing her into a hug. "Thank you. To protect our future... we will definitely change it."

Natsu, Mira, Meledy, and Yukino nodded in unanimous agreement.

"We don't know if all of that is true..." Ultear stared at the sunset, thinking about what she heard. "There is the possibility Future Meledy is lying..."

"Over 10000 dragons... Eclipse... magic... something doesn't sound right." Jellal frowned. "Either what Future Meledy says is false... or Future Meledy herself is a fake."

"Try saying it again." Gajeel scowled down at the panting man. "Who's weaker than who?"

"I think I'm starting to understand..." Rogue rasped. "The reason you joined Fairy Tail..."

"What do you mean?"

"It makes sense that you don't remember... I was just a little boy at the time." Rogue sighed. "Just a kid who admired the guild you were in, Phantom Lord. I also wanted to join Phantom Lord when I grew up. But then the guild broke up after losing to Fairy Tail... what's more, you joined it, the guild that destroyed Phantom Lord.. I couldn't believe it. But there had to be a reason you stayed there... and now I understand it.

"Friends... right?" He smiled. "Sabertooth doesn't have that concept. We're the Master's army. Orders are absolute. Victory was absolute. Just what... is a guild? What are friends? What am I fighting for? Now... I can understand why you're so strong. And why we can't win against you..."'

"Stand up." Gajeel snapped. "You haven't understood a thing."

Rogue looked up in surprise.

"The frog..." Gajeel smirked. "It's your friend, isn't it?"

"The frog?"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch chirped, watching the scene on a lacryma screen.

"Frosch is a cat!" Rogue protested.

"To be precise, she's an Exceed." Gajeel looked amused. "Right?"

"That's true..." Rogue agreed. "Frosch is my friend. I guess... I'm no match..."

"Rogue..."

The boy's eyes widened in shock.

"Look ahead... the enemy is still... in front of you..."

"Who are you?" Rogue demanded, looking around wildly to find the speaker. "Where are you?"

Gajeel looked confused. "What's going on?"

"Rogue... kill Gajeel. That is your destiny..."

"Hey!" Rogue was becoming frantic. "Where are you? Where are-"

"Idiot..." A voice hissed from the ground. "I am your shadow."

Rogue watched in fear as an eye and a sneering mouth formed on his shadow.

"I'll lend you my power." The dark apparition whispered. "Kill Gajeel."

"This way!"

Meledy frowned. "How do you know where to go?"

Future Meledy sighed. "I wanted to avoid getting captured by the Royal Army again."

"I see..." Lily muttered in understanding. "She explored the basement."

"We must get out fast and send a signal to the others." Mira reminded everyone. "They're probably worried about us."

Natsu's eyes widened when a contingent of troops rounded the corner ahead of them.

"We found the escapees!"

"Get them!"

"The Royal Army?" Future Meledy panicked. "I didn't expect them to be stationed here."

"Don't worry." Natsu cracked his fists. "They can't capture us as long as we have magic."

"Indeed." Loke agreed.

"You're still here?"

Meledy glanced back and paled. "Arcadios vanished! And Yukino's gone too!"

"I don't know about that knight, but I can't leave Yukino alone!" Mira turned to go back. "I'm going to find them! Be careful, everyone!"

"I'll leave that to you." Natsu nodded. "We'll settle things here! We're gonna break through!"

And with that Natsu, Lucy, Loke, and Meledy surged towards the soldiers.

"Hey, what's with you?"

"Kill Gajeel... that's my destiny..."

Rogue grit his teeth, clutching his head in pain.

"Calm down."

"I'll lend you my power." The shadow decided, rising up and engulfing Rogue. With a quick swipe, the iron user was flying back, crashing into a wall.

"What happened?" Chapati paled. "Rogue is suddenly acting weird!"

"Maybe Gajeel-kun said something to him?"

"Here we go!"

Gajeel grit his teeth, watching shadows constantly twist around Rogue. "You... who are you?"

"Shadow..." Rogue explained in a sinister voice, as if two people were speaking at once. "The shadow that controls destiny."

"What are you sayi-"

A vicious kick slammed into his chin, knocking him back.

"I don't know what happened, but I guess you wanna fight to the end." Gajeel smirked as he recovered. "Interesting. Iron Dragon's Sword!"

His eyes widened when Rogue dispersed into shadows and coiled around the weapon, approaching Gajeel and sending him flying with another strike. "Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash!"

Frosch stared at the transformed Rogue in shock and confusion. "Who is that?"

Gajeel looked around wildly. "Where is he?"

"Here!" Rogue shot out of Gajeel's shadow. "Shadow Dragon's Slash!"

"That is..."

"He's possessed by something..." Mavis watched as Rogue continued to beat Gajeel down. "Some remarkably evil magic... that I haven't even seen before."

"As I thought, you aren't as strong as Natsu Dragneel." Rogue smirked. "Though not even he could compete with me now."

Jellal's eyes widened suddenly. "This magic..."

"There's no mistaking it." Ultear looked out at Crocus. "It's coming from the town!"

"Stay calm." Jellal told her. "Future Meledy is involved in a battle. As long as the others are with her, there's no reason to panic."

A guard paled. "Those guys are so young, yet so strong..."

"Call the anti-magic unit!" A lieutenant shouted. "We're not letting them pass!"

"Here!" Natsu shouted, throwing a guard and knocking down a group of soldiers.

A bolt of magic suddenly crashed into him, causing him to stumble.

"You took me by surprise." Natsu grinned, turning to the offender. "Do you think that with magic, you stand a chance against a specialist?"

"Kukuku..." Rogue chuckled, holding Gajeel up by his neck. "This is the famous Gajeel? What an easy job..."

"Please stop!" Levy wailed. "He's going to die!"

"Fro must go." The Exceed scurried towards the battle site. "Fro must get Rogue back!"

"The shadow will erode you." Rogue dropped Gajeel into a pool of darkness, which slowly engulfed him. "And you will disappear forever. Sleep in the darkness."

"If Salamander can do it..." Gajeel clenched his fists and began sucking the shadow in. "Then I can too."

Rogue took a step back. "No way..."

"I don't know who you are, but get out of his body." Gajeel commanded, standing up as shadows surrounded him.

"Rogue's?"

"Also, his name is not Rogue." Gajeel added. "His name is Raios and he used to be my student."

Rogue gasped.

"You didn't look up to me." Gajeel observed. "I know better than anyone else that I'm not that kind of guy. No, you feared me."

"I'll help you remember..." Gajeel gave an evil grin, now looking demonic because of the shadows around him. "That fear..."

Rogue began to sweat. "Two different types?"

"He absorbed the shadows?"

"He looks like a monster!"

"Well, he was always like one..."

Levy frowned. "Gajeel..."

"An Iron Shadow Dragon?"

Rogue scowled when he lashed out at Gajeel and the man disappeared into shadow. Reforming behind him, he sent out an iron club and slammed it into the back of Rogue's head, knocking him forward. Rogue used this chance to transform into shadow and sink into the floor.

"They both became shadows!"

"How's this gonna end?"

Two streaks of darkness sped along the floor, before an arm reached out of one and began pulling Rogue out of the other.

Rogue was wide-eyed. He's pulling me out of the shadow?

Gajeel grinned and smashed Rogue through several walls, chasing after him and continuing to pummel him as he did so.

"Vanish!" Gajeel threw Rogue up and took a deep breath. "Iron Shadow Dragon's Roar!"

I don't know... this Gajeel... Rogue screamed when the huge stream of energy blasted him into the sky, before gravity regained its' hold on him and he crashed into the stone floor heavily, unable to continue. Gajeel panted as the shadow receded from him and he turned back to normal.

Fairy Tail +1.

"The fight is over!" Chapati declared. "Gajeel wins! One point to Fairy Tail!"

"Hehe..." Rogue chuckled weakly. "So this is Rogue's current limit..."

A small streak of shadows broke away from Rogue and slithered away quickly.

"It vanished..."

"Stop!" Frosch shouted, blinking back tears as she stood in front of Rogue protectively. "Rogue will die if you continue! Stop!"

"The fight is over." Gajeel grunted, turning away. "I'm not gonna do anything."

"Fro... sch..."

"Rogue!" Frosch turned to Rogue and began shaking him.

"Why are you here?" Rogue rasped, wincing in pain. "My body feels... did I lose?"

Still withing earshot, Gajeel frowned. He doesn't remember? That shadow... what the hell was it?

"Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!"

"Regulus Impact!"

"Maguilty Rays!"

"There's a lot of them..." Lucy sighed, blasting a row with a streak of violet energy.

"We shouldn't have taken this way." Future Meledy observed.

Lily frowned when a stream of acid barely dodged him. "This guy again..."

"Don't underestimate the kingdom's executors." Cosmos told them.

Kamika smiled. "That scary one isn't here..."

"Tai tai."

"I understand your philosophy." The leader of the Hungry Wolves stepped forward. "But now you will hear mine. I"m not going to let you sinners escape this castle."

Natsu cursed. "How stubborn."

A guard gaped in surprise when a man dressed in pure white armor stepped out from a nearby room. "Colonel Arcadios?"

"Why are you here?"

"You were charged with treason for rebellion against the kingdom..."

Arcadios glanced at the closest soldier. "Where is the princess?"

"Ah, well..."

Arcadios scowled. "Where is she?"

The man paled. "On the last floor..."

"That was..." He watched Arcadios walk away. "The armor of the White Lily..."

"The battle armor." A second guard muttered in realization.

There is something I have to make sure of. Arcadios recalled Future Meledy tearing up at Lucy's words. Those weren't the tears of a liar. The one who is lying... is the princess.

Minerva smirked, using a rope of her magic to grab Erza's ankle and smash her through several pillars. "This will be Titania's public execution."

"Ice Make: Dove!"

"Ice Make: Shotgun!"

Chelia watched the two ice users with wide eyes. "They're so strong..."

"Michelle, take a rest. I want to handle this on my own."

Michelle nodded and green energy shot out of her, reverting her to a cloth doll which Sorano caught and put away.

"Jura-san..." Orga turned away from Sorano. "I want to see you go all out."

"Hm."

"Do you have the guts to stop this?" Orga quickly formed a huge attack. "Well, Saint, can you stop it?"

Jura nodded confidently. "Fine."

"Lightning God's Charged Particle Cannon!"

Jura blurred past the streak of black lightning, smashing a palm into Orga's face and slamming him into the ground with enough force to cause a small crater.

"I remembered your fight from the first day." He observed, stepping away from the unconscious man. "I ended this right away."

Lamia Scale +1.

"He's a monster!" Chapati forced out. "He beat Orga so easily!"

Makarov's jaw dropped. "We can't do it."

Mavis frowned. Now then... prove that you were telling the truth.

"Give up, Makarov." Obaba smirked. "In the seven years you were gone Jura came to rank fifth among the Wizard Saints."

"Of course, there's no way he can match any of the other four." Sherry added.

"Stop talking about them or I'll make you spin around!" Obaba snapped. "Those Four Gods of Ishval... those are true monsters. In other words, Jura is the strongest human wizard."

"I object!" Sorano shouted, having overheard her. "I am not a monster!"

Obaba frowned. "What are you talking about?"

"You said the top four Wizard Saints are monsters." Sorano explained pleasantly. "Last I checked, I was a human."

Jura's smile dropped.

"But..." Obaba paled. "You're not one of the Four Gods!"

"You're right, I'm not." Sorano nodded. "It just so happens that one of them retired as a mage one month ago and I took his place shortly after."

"Which one..." Obaba swallowed heavily. "Which one are you?"

"Why, I'm #3!" Sorano giggled. "The Goddess of Creation and The End of All Things!"

Scowling, Jura clapped his hands and shot towards Sorano, lashing out at her. He frowned when his hand met an impenetrable barrier inches away from her, knocking his attack away.

"In this world there is always someone stronger than you." Sorano explained, causing her air shield to glow slightly and making it visible. "And very often, it's someone you wouldn't expect at all. It might very well be someone you don't deem as a threat, Jura-kun."

"Show me..." Jura started, jumping back to a safe distance. "Show me the reasoning behind those titles of yours."

"I feel something weird on my back..." Milliana whimpered, feeling something squirming under her cape. "Maybe it's my imagination..."

Jura stomped the ground and a series of rock pillars erupted under Sorano, knocking her into the air. The woman responded by hurling several blasts of glowing air at him, which he blocked with a hasty rock wall.

Jura scowled and sent a horizontal pillar at her. His eyes widened when her fist lit up in a purple glow and she slammed it into the attack, making it shine the same color and sending it flying back at him.

Jura paled when he dodged the attack, only to have the rock bend and shoot towards him again. "What did you do?"

"There are four branches of Animation Magic: Creation, Destruction, Movement, and Negation." Sorano told him. "Creation Magic spells are green and cause atoms or small objects to combine into something bigger. Destruction Magic is gray and does the direct opposite, destroying things by breaking them apart. My End of Existence is an exception to the color. Movement Magic is yellow and makes an object move any way I wish it. And Negation Magic is purple, and it deals with moving magic particles. Any magical attack, when hit with my Negation Magic, will turn against its' creator. That's what I've just done."

Jura grit his teeth when the glowing rock finally crashed into him, pushing him into a wall and crushing him between the two.

"Well..." He smirked, breaking the rock and walking out. "I'm actually surprised. If you're being honest, then I can't get you with any magic attack."

Actually, that's not quite true... He frowned. Back when I knocked her into the air, I did hit her... which means she either can't guard against attacks that are instantaneous, or is afraid to do so for some reason.

He clapped his hands again. "Rumbling Mt. Fuji!"

The ground shook and a huge pillar of energy shot into the sky from under Sorano, completely engulfing her. Jura took a step back in shock when the base of the attack seemed to expand before bursting apart.

Sorano giggled as she stepped forward, covered in a thin purple glow. "Anti-Magic Armor." She grinned. "A defense that can't be penetrated by any magical attack."

"You're kidding." Jura's jaw dropped. "How is anyone meant to defeat you?"

"I plan on being able to destroy Acnologia." Sorano scowled. "This armor is meant to render that beast's magical attacks useless. I lost most of my guild for seven years because of that monster... I want my revenge. I plan to rise up the ranks until I become the #1 Wizard Saint. That will be confirmation that I'm strong enough to fight Acnologia, win, and survive."

"Also, you're talking to an afterimage."

Jura paled when Sorano appeared suddenly behind him, slamming a yellow-glowing fist into his back with enough force to make him spit up.

"Remember, I can manipulate anything." Sorano told him. That includes air and water, which in turn allows me to make a mirage of myself and make it sound like my voice is coming from it. I'm surprised you didn't notice my image's lips weren't moving, that's a fine detail I haven't perfected yet."

"Ugh..."

Minerva glanced at Erza's bloody and broken leg." You can't stand up with your leg in that condition."

"I will." Era grit her teeth, pushing herself up. "As long as I'm fighting a battle I can't lose... I'm ready to stand up as many times as needed. As I already told you, we're a guild that you really don't want to anger."

"Anger is bad for your looks." Minerva countered.

"How dare you... Kagura... Milliana..." Erza's fists shook. "I'm angry."
"And that's supposed to scare me?" Minerva asked mockingly, knocking Erza away and debris to fall on her. "Thanks to my special magic, I can attack in whatever spot you can see. Territory, the strongest magic for the strongest guild."

Her eyes widened when Erza burst out of the dust caused by the debris and slashed at her, cutting into her arm. The woman swung a glowing hand forward, only for Erza to dodge and strike again, drawing blood from the chest this time.

Minerva scowled angrily and shot forward with a glowing fist. "Ih rargas!" (AN: Apparently, it means 'bastard'.)

"My anger..." Erza shouted. "Is my guild's anger! Second Origin, Release!"

"Second Origin?"

"She was hiding it?"

"Go forward, youths." Mavis smiled. "Like wind on a field."

"Armor of Nakagami!" Erza finished, requipping into a regal-looking golden armor and clutching a long elegant halberd.

"Alright, Gray." Leon panted, observing a similarly tired man. "This is it."

"Chelia, I'll be right back." Wendy stood up. "Meteor. Vernier."

"Sorry." She told Leon, who paled when he heard her right behind him. "But it's a matter of pride of Fairy Tail to not lose a single contestant today. I'm going to intervene now."

Gray gave a relieved sigh and sat down.

"Your burning blood, sweat, and tears..." Mavis stood up. "Are as beautiful as a parasol. Show no fear, youths. If you go forward, you will find a way."

"You..." Jura winced when he noticed he couldn't move. "What did you do now?"

"Remember what I said? Yellow energy means Movement Magic, which makes anything my puppet." Sorano reminded him. "Figure it out."

"You're controlling my nervous system." Jura realized. "I can't possibly fight without moving. Very well... you've bested me this time. I concede."

Fairy Tail +5.

"Sorano won!" Chapati cheered. "She defeated Jura, leader of Lamia Scale's team!"

"Sky Dragon's Claw!"

"Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!"

"Sky Dragon's Roar!"

Leon gasped in pain, barely dodging the Claw, getting knocked into the air by the Wing Attack, and getting smashed back into the ground by the Roar. "I can't even see her..."

And with that, he fainted.

Fairy Tail +1.

"Jura... and Leon... were defeated?" Obaba stammered out. "I... I... I... am spinning!"

"Calm down, Granny!"

"Lo houseto! Lo housetia!" Minerva screamed, charging forward. (AN: Translation - "How pathetic. Absolutely pathetic.")

"This is the end." Erza announced, gritting her teeth.

"I ragdo!" Minerva shouted, causing dark green light to swirl around Erza. (AN: Translation - "Vanish!")

Her eyes widened in shock when Erza slashed the magic and it vanished. "Eh?"

"She slashed her magic?"

Levy was wide-eyed reading through a book she had, titled 'Magic Armors'. "Because of the huge amount of magic the Armor of Nakagami requires, for 10 years no one has been able to wear it."

"Where did you get that book?"

"However, the ones who are able to wear it..." Levy continued. "Are able to break the rules of magic without consequences and their sword can't be stopped."

"Impossible..." Minerva was wide-eyed. "How can you have so much power left?"

Erza began moving forward. "You hurt too many people I care for. This is your reward."

"No. Stop it!" Minerva panicked. "Stop! I... I..."

"Nakagami..." Erza shot past Minerva, having slammed her weapon into the woman with enough force to make her cough blood and collapse. "Starlight!"

Fairy Tail +5.

"Erza won!" Chapati shouted. "She beat Sabertooth's leader and gained five points!"

"Fairy Tail is too strong!"

"Will they win without losing even one of their members?"

"Only Sting from Sabertooth is left!" Chapati realized. "Yajima-san, this is-"

"Fairy Tail is very close to victory..."

"Victory..."

"We are..."

"We were always last place..."

"Idiot! It's still too early to cry!"

Princess Hisui frowned. "It's almost time."

Datong nodded. "Yes..."

"I didn't think it would go so much how I wanted." Sting smirked. "This must be destiny."

"I'm here!" He shouted, sending a burst of light into the sky and forming Sabertooth's mark. "Come, Fairy Tail!"

"Silver Cloud: Sky-Tearing Gale!"

"Animation Magic: Comet!"

A series of hurricane-powered arrows and a huge blast of mixed earth, lightning, and ice crashed into Sting. Once the smoke from the two massive attacks cleared, the Dragon Slayer was face-down and unconscious in a huge crater.

"What the..." Chapati gaped. "What just happened?"

Fairy Tail +1.

"What a quick ending!" Chapati shouted, still shocked. "The free-for-all is over! Fairy Tail is in 1st place and they didn't even lose any members!"

"It's settled!" He declared as a huge smile formed on his face. "Fairy Tail is the winner of the Daimatou Enbu!"

NOTE: Regarding Fairy Tail's adventures during the seven years that passed, look out for my other story, a Harry Potter and Fairy Tail (specifically a Harry Potter and The S-Class Mage) crossover. Chapter 9 will be out shortly after this gets published.

NOTE #2: The reason Yukino thinks it was Sorano who saved her from the Tower of Heaven is because her sister never told her about Angel. Even if it wasn't planned, Sorano considers ditching her sister and going to Edolas her most shameful decision.

NEXT TIME: Magic Guilds, Unite!

I made it into the second year of college! Woohoo! And since I apparently find it easier to write at the end of a busy day, chapter 37 is coming soon!

Thanks for reading!