It all happened so fast, no one could believe what they were seeing. Unlike yesterday, where Natsu made a declaration of war against Lucia and the Wizard Hunters, he was instead standing against the King of Pergrande himself, both hands against his axe of lightning in order to stop it from slicing Mii's arm off. While Natsu was attempting to hold of Ashnard, Lucy was cradling the injured Mii in her arms. Thanks to a quick chain, Mii was flung from Ashnard's grasp and into Lucy's arms. It was an unintentional collaborative effort by Emmeraude, Lucy, and Natsu to save Mii. Mii was still suffering from black sparks around her body, so everything was hazy, but she could make out Lucy holding onto her. "L-Lucy…?"

"I've got you." Lucy repeated, giving Mii a soft smile. "No matter what."

Ashnard used his superior strength to push Natsu away, but the Salamander landed on the ground, keeping his glare on Ashnard. The King, however, just let out a chuckle. "This is the second time you've come brazenly rushing out into the battlefield once a battle is over…against Pergrande no less. I have to commend your courage…or would it simply be foolishness, for standing against me in favor of the traitor."

"If you guys weren't assholes, I wouldn't have to come down here ot teach you a lesson!" Natsu snarled in response.

"What the hell are they doing!?" Luke's eyes were wide. This was the worst thing Natsu and Lucy could have done! Standing against the King of Pergrande live!?"

"A-And in a shocking turn of events…Natsu is now staring down the king of Pergrande!?" Chapati was sweating.

"I can't help but admire his courage." Helena admitted, running a hand through her hair. Her land had a long…complicated relationship with Pergrande as a whole. While Ashnard had not yet done anything, she still held some skepticism towards him.

"Someone should really put a leash on him. He's interrupting the tournament again." Ice crossed one leg over the other, looking impatient. "But I suppose the King can make swift work of him if that speeds things along."

"What an interesting turn of events…" Song remarked quietly. It seemed as though she was the most invested in the events.

"Return to your team this instant, Dragneel." Count Waltz demanded.

"No, this is quite all right." Ashnard told Waltz. He then glanced back at Fiore, asking but a simple question. "These two are yours, correct? Do you intend to take responsibility for the actions they are committing?"

This was a problem. Not Reve's, though. He made it clear what he was here to do. Since Hisui was currently watching over Erza, that meant he was the one with authority and this was a recipe for disaster. "They acted on their own accord and not in the interests of our team. So whatever punishment you intend to take out on them, go ahead." In other words, Natsu and Lucy were on their own. "That is the decision I'm making as Fiore's new team leader."

"Reve-san, are you serious!?" Sting's jaw dropped.

"Winning is our endgame, isn't it? What they're doing is jeopardizing our standing." Reve responded without even looking at Sting. "You talk about me not having the team's interests in mind, but don't bat an eye when they act out? If you're going to go defend them, be my guest. I'm going to do what's needed to win, so Earthland can understand that among every mage in the world, I am in the top."

"Oi…" Zelos placed his hand on his forehead, still looking as though he were in pain. "A beautiful lady is in peril and the only thing you can think about is yourself? I'm starting to see why not many people outside your guild like you."

"I'm not here to be liked. I'm here to be the best." Reve replied.

"…." Jellal couldn't believe what he was hearing, but at the same time, he wasn't surprised. So without a second thought, he decided to throw himself into the arena as well to aid Natsu in case this encounter went south. The least he could do was ensure that no one got hurt.


Those at Fairy Tail were watching what was happening on the lacrima screen. "That idiot…" Gray grit his teeth. Granted he was only upset because of course the King of Pergrande had to be the one preparing to punish Mii. Everyone else at Fairy Tail would have done the exact same thing.

"Ashnard's just lucky we're not there!" Cynthia was punching the air frantically. "He can't take all of us!"

"Damn it," Laxus huffed. "Of course Erza's out when Natsu does something like this." Restraint was the most important thing needed right now. With Erza currently resting, no one was there to stop Natsu from acting so brashly.

"I know; we should've sent more people just in case." Freed shook his head.

"Please be careful…" Lisanna pleaded.


"KYAHAHAHAHA!" Prometheus started to laugh. "Now THIS is getting interesting!"

"…." Makarov was in agony! If only there was something he could do about this! But no, Prometheus' leash on him was too tight and he was powerless, only capable of watching the events fold out in front of him.

"Hey, what should we do?" Tia looked to the others.

"Let's kick his ass!" Jack shouted, but was promptly shut down.

"No." Heartless shook her head.

"This is a rather poor situation…" Magnus remarked.

"No shit…" Lore grunted.

"I don't get it." Asbel crossed his arms over his chest. "All this trouble for a person on a different team?"

"They're holding things up!" Tyson shouted angrily. "Hurry up and move on already! Some of us want to fight!"

"Your Majesty?" Little Queen looked at Emmeraude, who was intently staring at the situation at hand.

"I can't allow Koryuji to die before I extract Sophie's magic from her." Emmeraude responded. "That said letting Pergrande's King have his way is something I promised to never allow." She then cleared her throat, speaking so that Ashnard would hear her. "But I will say, while Fairy Tail is generally in the wrong about their actions, this is the one time they actually put their brains to use. It's almost impressive how you can bring out the good in even the most brutish of people."

Lucy had a sweat drop. On the one hand, it almost sounded like Emmeraude was actually validating their actions…but then she realized that this was more like the Empress was deciding she hated Ashnard more than Fairy Tail in this moment. "Well…at least she's siding with us…?"

The crowd continued to murmur their reactions. Beat slowly stood up, holding his arm. He was still in shock that after his fight with Mii and was speechless at the events unfolding before him.

"All right. I think it's impudent you think you can save her. But I'm feeling lenient and we do have a tournament to continue. So I will make things simple." The King pointed to Natsu, the one who dared to stand against him. "I will give you but a single chance to impress me, right here and now, with one attack. If you impress me, I'll leave the issue alone and we can resume the tournament. If you fail to impress me, I'll punish you in Mii's stead since you want to protect her so badly. I trust that is acceptable, Count Waltz?"

Count Waltz sighed. "Very well. Make this quick."

"Kick his ass!" Keele shouted, which was very surprising since he was on Pergrande's team. He was cheering for Natsu.

"What are you doing!?" Elly turned, glaring towards Keele. "Remember your position!"

"…!" Keele snarled at Elly. The woman seemed to really get under his skin. "Remember your position!" He shouted angrily.

"That is enough." The knight known as Xillia said. There was a glare under his helmet directed towards Keele.

Ultear and Meredy were watching these events unfold and were naturally panicking. "Ul, we have to do something!" Meredy told Ultear. Who knows what would happen if Natsu failed to 'impress' Ashnard.

"I agree." Ultear nodded. "Meredy, place a link between Mii and Ashnard. If he feels what she's feeling, it may incline him to stop."

"On it!" Meredy put her magic to work immediately. A sensory link between Mii and Ashnard was created but…it wasn't working. "Huh!?"

"What's the matter?" Ultear asked.

"It's not…it's not working!" Meredy said. "I don't know how, but he's not even budging!"

Natsu walked up to Ashnard, standing chest to chest with the King of Pergrande. "One attack is all I need."

"Hah…" Ashnard chuckled. To make things more interesting, Ashnard dropped his chest plate, leaving his body unarmored for the attack that was about to come.

Queen Nercon began to fan herself. "Oh, I do love it when he puts people in their place."

The witch Takeba leaned against Nercon, a wide smile present. "People paid good money for this!"

There were two more accompanying the Queen and the Witch; a woman with white hair and red streaks, yellow eyes and beautiful in every sense of the word, only slightly interested in the events occurring. "I wish Daddy wouldn't play around with trash." This was Adeline Pergrande, the eldest daughter of Pergrande royalty.

"He'll make short work of him." Said the slightly younger male with red hair and red eyes; this was Alex Pergrande, future heir of the Pergrande throne and a looker to boot. Ashnard wasn't joking when he said he'd rather spend time with his family during this event, however, his duties as King needed to be taken care of in this instance.

"So tell me…" Ashnard looked down at Natsu. "Why do you go so far out of your way to protect that woman? She's nothing more than an unfaithful traitor, working for me this whole time. She's betrayed you time and time again, has she not? Someone like that doesn't deserve your protection. Now cease your foolish actions so we can continue with the proceedings. I'll let you off with just a warning if you do."

"You don't get to decide that." Natsu told Ashnard. The flames and lightning around his body only intensified the more Ashnard talked down about Mii. "Mii has done some bad things in the past, but in the end, she was one of us. She's protected us and stuck her neck out for us time and time again." His hands went to his sides, generating an orb of fire and lightning that only grew more intense with each passing second. "Mii's only deceitful because she has trouble telling people how she really feels! If it's our fault she's hurting, then it's up to us to fix it! Because if there's one thing I know about Mii, it's that no matter what…" Mii said a lot of things. But no matter how bad it got, she always did the right thing. She helped Fairy Tail in the Isle of the Dragons at the risk of her own life; she aided them in the war against Alvarez despite swearing not to. "Mii fights for what she believes in! And if by any chance, she still believes in us, it's our duty to believe in her!" Crown Stadium was quaking from the magic power Natsu brought onto the field.

"…" Mii couldn't say anything due to the pain she was in, but Natsu's words were heard loud and clear.

"LET 'EM HAVE IT!" Tia shouted at the top of her lungs.

"DON'T HOLD ANYTHING BACK!" Daryan shouted.

"GO NATSU!" That was Makarov! Despite the odds, his will was temporarily capable of overpowering Prometheus and the look of shock, surprise, and excitement showed on the Reaper's face.

"You can do it!"

Natsu's eyes widened at the vaguely familiar voice. It sounded like Sophie. "Lightning Flame Dragon King's…GLEAMING FLARE!" Natsu threw his arms forward, releasing this massive beam of fire and lightning towards Ashnard. It was a direct hit and exploded against the King, the extreme heat from the attack melting a portion of the battlefield while lightning danced around in various locations. The fire Dragon released a large amount of magic power for this attack, panting heavily while gazing into the aftermath.

"T-That was…" Jack's jaw dropped.

"Wow…" Gaia whistled. "He's certainly come a long way from a few years ago."

The arena was tense. Would Ashnard really come out okay from an attack like that? Nercon let out a soft laugh, cutting the silence. "My King is not so frail to collapse from a gust of wind like that." And just as she said that, the smoke cleared and there was Ashnard, covered in burns, but ultimately unfazed.

"What!?" Natsu's eyes widened.

"How did he!?" Lucy gasped.

Ashnard's hand was extended. "Did you truly think I was going to sit back and allow you to attack me? I will say, it had much more kick than I expected, but it was nothing when faced with my Crash magic."

"Bastard!" Natsu went in for a punch, but found himself unable to move. "Huh!?"

"You've failed to impress me. So kneel. Your arm will suffice. Lay it out." Ashnard had a terrifying magic aura around him. This presence was so overbearing and overwhelming; Natsu's body had no choice but to obey.

"Oi, what the hell? Natsu ain't the type to knee to someone…" Bacchus remarked.

"What's going on!?" Lector panicked.

"Anyone weaker than I will fall to my Tyrant's Will. You have no say in the matter." Ashnard told Natsu.

Natsu grit his teeth, attempting to struggle, but his body instead just fell to a knee, lying out his arm. "You bastard! I won't…!" His legs were moving, but he just couldn't push himself up.

"NATSU!" Lucy cried out.

Ashnard lifted his axe once again, lining it up with Natsu's arm. "Since you are so willing to fight for Mii, then you will be punished in her stead. HAAAA!" Ashnard brought the axe down to cleave off Natsu's arm. There was nothing anyone could do.

But Ashnard's axe stopped. Mii's palm stopped the mighty blow; the sharpened edge of the axe digging into her palm to the point blood started trailing down her arm. Even with the black sparks still around her body, she protected Natsu. "T-That…is enough…"

"Mii!?" Lucy didn't even realize Mii left her arms.

"Mii…" Natsu looked up at Mii.

Mii was one of the few people who could hold Ashnard to a stalemate. Normally it would take all her might, but in this case in her condition, she was barely able to do so. "This wasn't part of the deal…! So back off, Ashnard!"

"Deal?" Emmeraude lifted a brow. She then shook her head, speaking aloud once more. "Honestly, King Ashnard. Do you make it a habit to show off in front of the entire world? It's not going to make you seem any more intimidating or anything. It's a little sad, honestly…"

"The irony…" Lucy thought to herself.

That's when Zelos made his timely appearance, using his blade to ward off Ashnard's axe. "True, true. Come now, King Ashnard. Do you really want to continue this little game? It's looking bad for everyone involved at this point. I understand that a punishment must be carried out, but why not let the day finish first? Joya and Pergrande are both in hot water, no point in making a scene of it for the public."

"I wanna see someone get murked!" Takeba shouted from the sidelines.

Ashnard let out a quiet sigh. "Fine then. This will be postponed until the day is over. Count your blessings, Koryuji." And just like that, Ashnard let it go walking off. Natsu was able to move, but he wasn't happy about it.

"Mii, thanks." Natsu gave Mii a smile. "You're hurt, but…"

Mii turned to Natsu. With the black sparks finally fading from her body, her injuries began to heal thanks to the Eternal Sword. "I didn't do it for you." Mii then lifted up her dress, revealing to them the scars across her body from her repeated suicide attempts. "Just give up on me already. I'm a lost cause." She then lowered her dress and started to walk off.

Lucy was in horror at what she just saw. "Mii…." How could she just be so casual about it!?

"AHEM." Count Waltz cleared his throat. "That is your second warning, Fiore. If you interrupt a third match, I will be more than happy to disqualify you from this tournament without a second thought. Your actions have consequences, remember that. Now leave."

"Tch…" Natsu sucked his teeth. But he had no choice but to leave with Lucy and Zelos.


"I apologize for that lengthy delay." Count Waltz sighed. "Now then, let us continue without delay. The 3rd bout is irony considered who just interrupted the tournament. Fiore vs Bosco!" And right after he made this announcement, the ruined forested area changed to a mountainous region with many large boulders scattered about.

"Bosco…" Kagura mumbled.

"Yo! I got this!" Daryan was excited to finally get the chance to fight. The skeletal dragon hurried to the arena.

"I'm with you, Daryan!" And in a surprising turn of events, Hiruka, his trust Exceed, was right behind him! This was the first tag team to take part in the tournament.

"And we have Bosco's fighters: Daryan Skeletalus and Hiruka vs….?" Chapati trailed off. Who would challenge this Dragon Slayer and Exceed combination!?

"…I'm going to take this." Kagura said.

"Are you certain? There are two of them." Minerva asked.

"This is something I need to do." Kagura nodded before making her way to the arena. She was the only one who knew what was on her mind the instant he stepped into the arena.

"She looks scary…" Lector's heart was still pounding from the events with Ashnard earlier.

"…" Reve was silent, arms crossed as Kagura insisted she work alone for this coming bout.

"Kagura Mikazuchi challenges the Bosco duo alone!? What could she be thinking!?" Chapati had no idea, but this was the sort of thing he came to expect from Fiore.

"Kagura-chan?" Daryan was a bit surprised that Kagura was challenging them on her own. "Wow, this sure brings back memories, doesn't it? The first time we met was in the Domus Flau a few years ago, right? Why don't we make a bet like we did before?"

"Er, she probably won't accept." Hiruka flew around Daryan with his arms crossed over his chest.

"Sure." Kagura agreed, much to their surprise.

"W-…" Daryan was in shock.

Kagura's hand went onto the hilt of her sword, slowly drawing the blade from its sheathe. Making a bet was unlike her, but this was something she needed to do. "These last two years, you've been a nuisance to me nonstop, yet I can't help these feelings that have been bubbling inside of me. That's why we must settle this once and for all."

Daryan was starting to sweat, but he could also understand where Kagura was coming from. "I see. And here I was just going to ask for another date if I won."

"And if I win…" Kagura pointed her sword at Daryan and Hiruka. "I'll claim your life when this tournament is over."

.

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Next Time: Once and For All.