Irene wasted no time in unleashing her flames upon them. Although she knew full well that she could not waste any of her power and that she was towards the end of her rope, she refused to give in so easily. Even without using her magic, she knew she could be more than formidable. Erza could hardly believe it. She swallowed hard, seeing Laxus barely get out of the way of one of her mother's attacks before finally getting over to where Caity was with his kids, still protecting Hisui. She curled up in his hand the second she could and Caity, cursing under her breath, shifted back to Annie and ripped off part of her own sleeve to continue working on a makeshift tourniquet. Fallon anxiously curled up next to her godmother, still shaking badly. Bickslow and Arcadios stood by Toma and Sylvain, protecting them both.

It truly was chaotic, and nothing like any of them had thought it would be. Freed still couldn't believe that Laxus had needed to push his magic to the limit, and he flinched when he saw that Evergreen was still petrified. He could not fathom any of it, apart from finding it absolutely horrific. With the scorching flames all around them, he wasn't quite sure what to do, what he could do now. Refusing to back down, however, with their victory so closely within reach, he drew his sword and once more threw himself into the fray. Mira quickly moved in alongside him, though she was not in her demonic form anymore. Pushing through the flames with her own miasmas and the aid of Freed's magic both protecting her and deflecting the flames that grew closer on them, Mira slowly began to steady herself. She was more than prepared, now, to go for the kill.

However, though they were managing to get closer in on Irene, they were not close enough to be able to get any good hits against her. Jellal and Siegrain, though, were, and the two brothers continued to assault her flames, combining their light magic to create short bursts that, for just moments, left the Scarlet Despair, the Unceasing Empress without defense. Erza, alongside them, took every chance she could to slash her mother, to smack her, to pin her down, to restrain her in any manner possible. Irene was becoming more and more erratic, however, something which her daughter was unprepared for. She just barely evaded being harshly scorched, even having requipped to her Flame Empress armor, and, in her own moments of weakness, Irene was able to smack her and knock her back at least a few feet. Still, Erza continued to refocus her magic.

Finally, Erza broke past her mother's flames again but soon it was simply the two of them engulfed. She could hear Jellal scream for her, fear for her safety evident in his voice. Nevertheless, she stared her mother down, the two of them mere inches apart. Then, Irene made the first move, lunging at her daughter and kicking her harshly in the side. Erza swore under her breath and just barely ducked out of the way of a painful uppercut to the jaw. Unrelenting, Irene whipped around, sidestepping her daughter in order to be able to kick her in the back. Erza fell to the floor, groaning in pain, but forced herself up, nearly able to tackle her mother but missing by barely an inch. Irene, however, was not able to beat her daughter back down either. Frenzied, mother and daughter threw quick punches and violent kicks towards each other but neither seemed quite able to land solidly against the other.

"Don't make us kill you," Erza wheezed, jumping out of the way of another one of her mother's slashes, nearly being beaten with one of the staffs her mother was still relying upon. "There has to be a better way….or was I right the first time in thinking you're too far gone already?"

"There is...nothing...in me that….has been lost!" Irene bellowed, trying yet again to kick her daughter through the flames. "Except for you!"

"You never had me!" Erza snapped back, in her rage finally managing a harsh punch to the chest against her mother, who stumbled back, panting, and clutching her stomach from where Hisui had shot her. "I'm not going to argue this point with you again….it's not worth it. You are not worth it."

"If it weren't for your confused loyalties, we wouldn't be having this conversation!" Irene regained herself and lunged at Erza. "I'm your mother! Before anyone else, you should be loyal to me! You do that to your husband and daughter, now don't you?"

"Jellal and Wendy…" Erza shook her head, remorse in her eyes. "It has never been the same. You and I, no matter what you insist, are not the same."

Utterly enraged, Irene strengthened her flames, paying no mind to the fact that her magic energy was nearly depleted. Still, this time, she finally succeeded in blasting Erza back through the flames. Then, she emerged herself, the flames around her and a harrowing look in her eyes. She no longer looked particularly human; at least, the flames which surrounded her made her seem to have the likeness of the demon of legend, Lilith, rather than that of a human being. Everyone who dared make a move on her were scorched by the flames. She burned Erza deep in the side as she tried to reach her mother again to settle the smoke and settle the score. At first, Irene had viewed what she had come to Mercurius to do that night as little more than a game. Things were far from that now. No, she wanted more. She wanted to force their hand. She had done so without much effort those almost seventeen years before. It had taken oh so very little.

"Hmm…"

Irene had musingly tapped her long, blood stained nails against the edge of the Fiore family records. She had then glanced towards the king and queen before pushing Toma and Makarov out of her way with far more force than was necessary, leaving them winded and on the ground. With a smile, she had approached the newborn prince and princess while Ivan restrained everyone else except her and his son and daughter in law with his magic. Her hands had grazed over the sleek, dark wood of the formal bassinet, and had she reached out and touched the princess' head, something which she recalled eliciting a horrified scream from Hisui, who had desperately run towards her daughter and son only to be knocked back herself by Irene's magic. The empress had smirked at the queen of Fiore while tears brimmed in the queen's eyes. Laxus, too, had angrily run towards Irene, but she smacked him back with ease. With nothing else he could do, he had moved protectively to his wife, holding her tightly in his arms.

"Why the hell are you doing this?" Laxus had snapped, glaring at Irene. "They're innocent!"

Irene had tossed her hair back with an innocent smile. "Oh?"

When he had finally been able to stand again, Toma had stared at Irene pleadingly. Then, to the shock of everyone present, he'd fallen to his knees. Freed and Mirajane had tried to get close again to help but could not.

"Do what you want with me," Toma had begged, his voice low. "But spare them...please, spare my daughter and her family."

Irene had tapped her chin in thought. Then, she had laughed. It was quite the spectacle, and she was rather amused by the way everyone seemed to be so disenhearted. For her part, she had felt as if she were doing next to nothing, at least, at first. Almost lazily, Irene had glanced over her shoulder to where Mirajane and Freed were trying, alongside the rest of the Thunder Legion and their spouses, to break through Irene's enchantments to stop her. She had looked over them and then the king and queen with a look of sheer contempt. It was then that she had, without a hint of remorse, activated her magic over the crying princess. She hated the way the girl cried; it had almost reminded her of Erza but she quickly cast that thought aside and looked back at Toma, a dark look in her eyes. She could see that Hisui and Laxus had both tried again to get to their children, but couldn't. It was so clear that they hated what was happening; their children were in danger and they were helpless to stop it or to comfort them. Irene had paid that no mind. She refused to give a damn.

"Fallon...oh, Fallon, Fallon, Fallon," Irene had grinned, her magic energy convoluting and laying the curse within the baby princess. "This poor little girl is never going to be able to step into the sun without being put through excruciating pain. As for Sylvain," Irene had shifted her magic disdainfully onto the prince, who was wailing even more than his sister. "He will fall into dark sleep time and time again...and who knows when he'll awaken."

"No!" Hisui had exclaimed, shaking in Laxus' arms.

"Don't you —" Laxus had cried, in his guilt and grief finally breaking through her enchantments.

"Why?" Toma had coughed out. "Irene, why —"

"Because of you," Irene had smoothly replied, stepping away from the crying twins and relinquishing her magic over them all. Her curses had been lain; what else did she need to do? "You should have married me, Toma," Irene had added. "Things wouldn't be this way if you had."

She had laughed when she realised Hisui and Laxus had run over to their children and brought them tightly into their arms, doing everything they could to soothe them. The prince and princess did quickly calm down in the warmth and comfort of their parents' arms, but the curses were very much within them.

That day was nothing like today, and the fact of the matter was that Irene knew it full well. Of all the things that could be said about her, that she was a fool could not be counted among them, however brazenly she had come to action this night. As she pushed back against the power behind Jellal, Siegrain, Freed, and Mirajane's onslaught, she found that to be all the more true. Even with Erza now struggling to get off the floor, this was going to be no easy win. Under her breath she cursed out Laxus for his spell, for what he had somehow been able to fucking cast without her noticing. No, she was absolutely certain, the last time she had been in Mercurius was nothing like the story of tonight. She knew they had been unprepared then. She had planned it that way purposefully. She would have done the same tonight, too, and had fully intended to.

Yet she knew, though she would not admit it, the same could not be said for the way things were now. Ivan's betrayal had worked, though she still could not believe that it had been him to be a rat in her Empire. If it were not for him, she swore things would be so much easier than they were now. Freed was dangerously close to piercing her through the flames, and the same could be said for Jellal and Siegrain. Mirajane had swerved around the attacks she had flung her way and was now beside Erza, doing everything she could to drag her off the floor and get her back on her feet. In this terrible time, this awful moment where everything felt ready to break, this was all they could do. She glanced back, seeing Jellal and Siegrain once again using their light magic together to quell Irene's flames and break past them. However, it would not be them who finally broke her. Rushing through the brief break in her flames, Freed darted at her and used his dark ecriture to finally put an end to her magic.

Irene let out a piercing scream upon this, painfully feeling her magic energy snap in two. Jellal and Siegrain, briefly sharing a knowing look, moved in to restrain her but were pushed back by Erza, who ran through them, her swords drawn. However, Irene managed to skid out of the way of her weakened daughter, using the very last bit of magic she could muster to slam her into a wall. Now on her knees, panting, Irene forced herself back up, hatred still in her eyes. Freed was closing in on her, everyone was, but then, out of seemingly nowhere, Mirajane charged at her and tackled her to the ground. All around them, for just a matter of seconds, it seemed, time stopped. Mira gritted her teeth, pushing back against the force Irene tried to use to pry her off her. It ended up being futile for the Scarlet Despair. Mira, after immense struggle, finally pinned her down, holding her painfully against the floor. Then, she pulled out a knife, no hint of pity left in her completely blazing eyes.

"Just…" Mira's chest rose and fell quickly and she looked away the second she could feel her knife go through the woman's heart. She ripped it out and took one more stab before slumping forward over the body, every inch of her aching. "Just stop."

And then, her world went dark. All around her, however, a great deal of magic energy was released. In this time, Freed set down his sword and came over to her, delicately lifting his unconscious wife off of Irene's body. He checked her pulse, breathing a sigh of relief when he easily found it. He looked up with a smile when he saw Evergreen restored and (decidedly aggressively) hugging Elfman, Bickslow, Caity, and Siegrain. And, ever so slowly, Sylvain woke up, blinking into consciousness and feeling unusually light. Barely three feet away, his mother regained her human form, sprawled out on the floor. Laxus immediately pulled her in close to him, gently stroking her hair. Hisui wrapped her arms tightly around him, burying her head in his chest while he held her. He made no attempt to hide that he was crying, never more relieved to have her in his arms.

"It's finally over, 'Sui," Laxus whispered, giving her a light squeeze. "We're going to be okay."

Hisui shifted slightly to meet his gaze and then kissed him, which he quickly reciprocated.

"I love you," She murmured, curling tightly into him. "Laxus, I -"

"I know," He smiled weakly and cupped her cheek. "I love you too, 'Sui, so damn much."

"It's really going to get better," Fallon tightly embraced her godmother, surprising her briefly. "Isn't it?"

The bespectacled, butterfly adorned mage nodded, smiling faintly.

"I would think so."