"Geez…" Blues grunted while sliding backwards from Torafusa's blow. "What the heck is this guy made out of!?"

"Our attacks seem to have little effect on him…" Kagura was annoyed by this fact, however she kept her composure and instead focused on finding any potential weak spots in Torafusa's stance. "We have to strike in one spot if we wish to take him down."

"Just leave it to me." Lyon said with a confident smirk. "I'll expose this demon's weakness to everyone."

"You humans talk far too much…" Torafusa was quite annoyed, but he intended to finish this battle before it dragged on for too much longer. Spreading his arms out, his power began to spike. A blackish aura radiated off the demon's body before his entire being enlarged; arms grew bulkier, teeth turned sharper. Torafusa entered his Etherious form. "Etherious!"

"Wh…!" Lyon's eyes widened at the sheer power coming from Torafusa. "What is this…I didn't think he could get any more powerful!"

"This poses a problem…" Kagura did not falter. But she knew that this uphill battle just became that much steeper with Torafusa's Etherious form.

"This is nothing! I'm not about to lose to an oversized fish!" Blues spoke with a confident grin, not the least bit shaken by Torafusa's increase in power. A white aura radiated from his body to mix in with the aquatic aura already present. "White Water Mode!" With his dual mode active, Blues lunged towards Torafusa with his arm pulled back, white water swirling around his fist. "Iron Fist…!" Thrusting his arm out, Blues aimed a powerful punch to the demon's chest…..that was caught with ease, even though Torafusa was sent sliding backwards several yards. "Guh!?"

"Pathetic." Increasing his grip on Blues, Torafusa spun around once before hurling the dragon slayer directly towards Kagura! Blues crashed into Kagura rather violently, too.

Lyon watched as the two had an unfavorable collision before turning his attention to Torafusa, bringing his fist to his palm for another Ice Make Spell. "Ice Make…!" Before Lyon could finish, Torafusa was already on him and landed a fierce uppercut to the dynamic ice maker's stomach. Lyon grunted loudly before landing harshly on the ground on his back, clenching an eye shut while staring up at the Demon Gate. "Agh…what power…"

.

Things weren't so well on Chelia and Raven either. Rose was too much for the both of them, especially since Chelia had no magic of her own to work with. Rose slipped past the constant bombardment of wind arrows from the duo before sliding to a halt just in front of Raven, swinging her fiery leg at his chest. It was a direct hit and he was sent soaring backwards. "Raven…!" Chelia cried out, but Rose then slammed her fist into Chelia's cut, forcing her to hunch over and cough. "Ack…"

"How sad…" Rose took a few steps backwards while shaking her arm. "If you still had magic to work with, I think this would be going very differently. But you already knew that, didn't you?"

"Ngh…Cynthia, why are you being so mean and evil? That's not like you…" Chelia groaned while staring at Rose. She found it odd that she wasn't continuing to attack, so she figured now was her chance to try and change the tide!

"Cynthia is dead. How many more times do I have to say it before…" Her senses screamed danger. Leaning backwards, a gigantic wind arrow just barely cut her chest before it exploded just a few yards away. "…!"

"Darn it…" Raven grunted while falling to a knee. He didn't have much time to recuperate for Rose caused an eruption of Omega Flames at his location. With a cry of pain the archer was thrown backwards before landing on the ground. "Agh…"

"Raven…!" Almost on some instinct, Chelia responded to Rose's attack on Raven with a punch to her face. Her eyes widened upon realizing what she had done, but she didn't back down. "I…I didn't mean to punch you! You're just…so irritating right now! Don't you know what you're actions have been dooooIINNG!" Rose's curse activated shortly after Chelia's contact, causing Chelia's body to burn with demonic flames.

"I keep hearing the same nonsense from everyone and I'm sick of it!" Rose shouted. "I'm not…!" And before she knew it, Chelia did the unthinkable: slammed her skull right into Rose's to knock her over to the ground!

Without thinking about it, Chelia then sat on top of Rose to pin her to the ground and maybe talk some sense into her. "Don't you understand it! Damn it, Cynthia! You've been causing everyone so much pain and worry! You know Fairy Tail loves you! You know Wendy loves you, too! So much that she's been crying herself to sleep for who knows how long, and you have the nerve to deny who you are!? This girl I'm holding down is NOT Cynthia, but I know that girl we all know and love is buried in there somewhere…!" Flames erupted around Chelia's body once again, but by some force she was not letting Rose go even though her life was in jeopardy. "So wake up already…!"

"Chelia…" Rose stared at Chelia with widened eyes….before a skeleton latched onto Chelia, harshly throwing her to the ground and pinning her there. "…!"

"Agh…" With no magic, Chelia was stuck. Not only her, but Raven, Jura, and the others of Lamia Scale were beginning to get pinned down as well from the skeleton's under Keith's control. "What is this…!? L-Lemme go…!"

"How unsightly. You should be focusing on your mission, Rose. You know what it is you must do." Keith spoke while restraining Juvia in the process, tendrils of darkness wrapped tightly around the water mage's body to constrict her movement. "You must kill Wendy Marvell. You are not in the condition to be carrying out this mission anymore, but worry "

"…Right." Rose shook her head before nodding. Wings sprouted from her back and she started to fly off, presumably back to Tartarus Castle.

"Cynthia, no…wait!" Chelia tried to escape but with the skeleton holding her down she couldn't.

"No…! Cynthia-san…!" Juvia attempted to struggle within Keith's grip, but it was to no avail. The last thing she wanted was for Cynthia to actually bring harm to Wendy. "If Gray-sama were here…!"

"You talk a lot about Gray…" Keith's grin widened, his stiched mouth beginning to open as he leaned into Juvia's ear. "It's quite ironic…for that man is fighting a slain devil as we speak. His own father…and when he dies, I will use him as a corpse as well. Perhaps I'll use yours to slay him."

"You're wrong…Gray-sama would never…!" Juvia struggled to speak. She believed in Gray to the very end and wasn't worried. But this current situation…against Keith and Torafusa, things were not looking so favorable…

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An icy explosion covered most of the mountainside. Gray took a flipping leap backwards, several platforms of ice forming along with him. Once reaching the desired height, Gray took a full leap forward, sharp purple tinted ice forming around his skull. "Ice Devil's Bashing Skull" Gray dove directly at Silver, smashing his skull into Sliver's chest plate. The impact was more than enough to send the ice devil tumbling backwards before he caught himself with a grin.

"Not bad, son…but you'll have to do better than that!" Silver recovered from the blow almost instantly, swiping his hand sideways to create a trail of devil slaying ice that instantly closed the gap between Gray and Sliver, slicing through the ice maker to create a grievous wound in his side.

"Gnk…!" Gray's eyes widened and he started to collapse before narrowly catching himself. "Nothing I do works against him…"

Kuro sprang into action, quickly placing his hands on the snowy ground. "Fire Make: Devil Tornado!" From Kuro's spot, a raging tornado of devil flames emerged, rapidly spinning towards Sliver with the intent to burn him alive.

"That's cute, boy." Sliver chuckled before extending his hand outwards towards the tornado. A chilling frost emitted from his palm, completely freezing over the tornado before it struck him and shattered it into small pieces of ice. "You'll have to do much better than that, you know." From Sliver's extended palm, a ray of purple ice shot forth directly towards Kuro, piercing right through side!

"Gah…!" Kuro's eyes widened as the beam pierced through his side and blood splattered from his mouth. He didn't fall to the ground immediately but instead took to a knee, placing a hand on his bleeding side while glaring towards Sliver. "I don't believe it…nothing is working!? There's no way this is a normal demon…"

"Don't be so upset!" Sliver used his speed to appear in front of Kuro with his fist draw back, devil slaying ice wrapped around his hand. Sliver swung right for Kuro's face and it was a direct hit, sending him spiraling backwards a few yards. The Ice Devil then turned to Gray with a fangy smirk. "After all…I've been a special demon for years now. Don't you remember, Gray? The demon responsible for killing your father…your mother…your master. It is I, Deliora! And using your father's corpse to exact my revenge on you is…"

"SHUT UP!" Gray wasn't hearing any of this. Even though he could see his father's face in the demon in front of him, he refused to accept this. In a somewhat blind rage, Gray lunged at Sliver while covering his hands in devil slaying ice. Once reaching close range Gray just began swinging, throwing his hands wildly at the demon. Some punches landed and Gray's final punch was aimed at Sliver's chest plate, succeeded in forcing him backwards. Keeping the momentum up, Gray crossed his arms before uncrossing them, gigantic curved blades of ice forming in his hands. "Ice Make: Devil Bringer!" Gray then brought these swords down on Sliver where…Sliver caught them both in his hands. "…!"

"Ah, thanks for the meal, kid…" Sliver grinned before chomping down on the ice before him. It only took a second for him to devour Gray's attack whole before he fired back with a blade of his own. Raising his hands above his head, Sliver created a singular, large black of devil ice in his hands. "Ice Devil's Impact!" Silver then brought this sword down on Gray, a chain of icy explosions ensuing that overpowered Gray.

"GYAAH!" Gray cried out before landing on the gravel with a pained grunt. "Tch…he's…strong…"

"Fire Make: Hermes!" Mini wings of flame appeared on the soles of Kuro's shoes. These wings allowed him to hover above the ground while increasing his speed. The Eclipse mage used this increase in speed to circle around Silver with a trail of flame following behind him. Within seconds a complete circle formed around Sliver. "Devil's Trail." With a snap of his fingers, the flames shot up into the air with Sliver inside. But of course…it didn't last long as the flames froze over and shattered. Kuro expected this and flew forward and engulfed his own fist in white flames. "Flame Devil's Thermal Strike!" Thrusting his fist at Sliver's stomach, contact resulted in an immense fiery explosion to add to the destructive force of this attack. After the smoke cleared, Sliver was indeed blown backwards…however Kuro found that his arm was frozen solid as a result. "Ah…!"

Sliver spat out some blood before grinning devilishly. Placing his hands on the ground, a geyser of spiked ice rose up and struck Kuro, making him tumble until he was near Gray. "I'm disappointed Gray. I was hoping for some quality bonding time…but your friend over here is ruining it…don't you think?"

"Don't talk like you're my father!" Gray screamed before standing back up. He didn't let his anger get the best of him, but even so Sliver was just too strong. "I have an idea." Gray finally spoke to Kuro.

"What is it…?" Kuro questioned.

"What are you two plotting over there?" Sliver butted in like some nosy father overhearing a conversation around the corner.

"Ice Make….Cannons!" Gray formed several cannons in front of him and Kuro. The heavy artillery weapons were pointed directly at Sliver, who just grinned in the face of it all.

"Hah? You think that's going to work on me? You've got another thing coming." Sliver laughed as the cannons fired and the impact…was not what he was expecting. Eyes widened as it all clicked in an instant; the cannon balls were fireballs wrapped in ice! Flames and ice battered the Demon Gate and he couldn't move to fight against it. Against this dual onslaught from Kuro and Gray, even Sliver had to cross his arms while letting out several grunts of pain.

"Now…!" Gray had one of these 'cannonballs' in his grip. Rearing his arm backwards, ice formed in the shape of an armored gauntlet along his entire limb. "Ice Make: Vambrance!" Shooting his arm forward, a deafening BOOM echoed out in the mountains as the sphere flew like a meteor towards Sliver, who had no time to defend against the blow himself. The sphere pierced a gigantic hole through his stomach. Mouth gapping open, the Ice Devil slowly collapsed to the ground, defeated.

"Ha…" Sliver let out an exhale. "…you beat me."

Gray formed another blade of ice in his grasp, slowly walking over to Sliver while raising his arm up….he had such conviction before, but now his arm started to tremble. "Why did you lie to me?"

"So you already knew…?" Sliver chuckled weakly. "I guess I can't hide anything from my own son. I wanted you to kill me…to end this cursed body of mine. I thought for sure a blow like that would have been the end of me…but even now, I still draw breath…." Sliver explained it all…that because of Keith his corpse was found and was currently being used even now. "I became an ice demon to defeat the strongest demon of all…END. That cursed flame demon that is the heart of Tartarus' motives…I needed to destroy it at all costs…"

"Father…." Gray's arm was shaking terribly now. After hearing all of it, he just couldn't bring himself to finish the job. "I…I just can't do it…" Tears streamed down the ice maker's cheeks and he dropped his sword. "I can't kill you…!"

Sliver offered a soft smile. "You cling to your beliefs…I can understand that…"

"Then I will." Kuro formed a blade of flames in his hands while pointing it at the downed Sliver's neck…but Gray immediately responded by clashing his sword with Kuro's. The two devil slayer's locked eyes.

"I won't allow it." Gray scowled. "You will not lay another hand on him."

"I don't care about your family struggles." Kuro said while narrowing his eyes to a fierce glare. "This demon brought harm onto my family…and I've been tasked with his death. You know very well you'd do the same if the situation were reversed!"

"I won't let you kill my father." Gray wasn't moving on this issue. Gray and Kuro were in a deadlock, and neither of them were budging an inch…

.

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Next Time: Sea's Wrath.