Everyone couldn't believe all that they've learned. Not only has Fairy Tail learned about a coming war from a great kingdom, not only did they learn that Ankhselam is the one in command, but the biggest shock was learning what he's planning. He plans to take Natsu's power to be used as part of a spell to revive Acnologia.
"I can't believe he's really planning to revive Acnologia." Lucy said.
"No joke. There's nothing left of Acnologia, but he somehow plans to do that." Gray said. "It's unbelievable."
"Earlier you said that he also plans to control Acnologia." Laxus said. "How does he plan to control a beast like that?"
"When you fought Acnologia, his mind and body were separated. The dragon slayers fought the mind while the rest of you fought the body." Zeref said. "Ankhselam plans to revive the body. Without some form of consciousness, it be that much easier to control him."
"I can't even imagine anyone controlling him." Happy said.
"Indeed." Carla said. "Acnologia was a true monster. If someone like this Ankhselam takes control of him, there's no telling what will happen. It might lead to the end of the world."
"That's only assuming he gets his hands on Natsu." Zeref said.
"Let him try! I'm not scared of him!" Natsu said.
"This must have been what he was after when we faced him the first time back on Tenrou Island." Laxus said. "He must have been trying to get ahead of his own little game."
"That time was awful. We threw everything we had at him and nothing worked." Drake said.
"Things will be different." Nashi said. "We're stronger now than when we were back then. This time, we know what we're up against when we have to face him. Now that I think about it... Uncle Zeref, it might be a good idea if you tell us more about what we're up against."
"Yeah. We need to know what the deal is with this Duat Kingdom if we're going to end up facing them." Storm said.
"Very well." Zeref said. "The first thing you should know is how powerful they are. I'm aware some of you have faced followers of Ankhselam before, but this group is larger and much more powerful than anything you've faced before. The Duat Kingdome is grand and vast with a good estimate of over a million soldiers. At the very top of the kingdom is Ankhselam himself as he is the ruler. There is also his inner circle: The Ten Gates of the Underworld."
"The Ten Gates of the Underworld?" Nashi said.
"That already doesn't sound good." Gale said.
"More commonly known simply as The Ten." Zeref said. "Ten powerful wizards who's strength were rival that of my own Spriggan Twelve, maybe even stronger."
"Stronger than the twelve and they hold less members?!" Lucy said. The Spriggan Twelve was among the most powerful group Fairy Tail has ever faced. Hearing they might be against a force stronger than them did not sound well.
"No worries. We've beat those guys before. We'll beat these guys." Natsu said.
"Careful, Natsu. Don't sell yourself so high." Zeref said. "Those who overestimate their abilities always end up in defeat. While you may have emerged victorious, you barely survived against them. Some of you are lucky to even be alive after that battle."
"He's got a point." Gajeel said. "I'm still not sure what happened, but I was lucky to be saved when I took down Bloodman. If it weren't for that, I wouldn't be standing here today."
"You're right." Wendy said. "Erza and I had so much trouble against Irene. She ended up taking her own life to finish our fight."
"Even Gildarts and Cana together couldn't really beat August." Lucy said.
"The Ten won't be any different." Zeref said. "They are a powerful force. In the ten, they also rank each other. Ankhselam did that as a way to motivate his soldiers to do better. However, rather than using a numerical system, they use animals that represent the pieces that make this world: the sea, land, and sky. He did this for he plans to destroy this world and create a new one. From the bottom there's the barracuda, the shark, the whale, the elephant, the rhino, the lion, the falcon, the eagle, the condor, and the top is the phoenix."
"Hold on. Did you say the barracuda and the shark?" Gray said.
"Mark of the barracuda and mark of the shark!" Lucy said. "That is what the two that fought us earlier said."
"You're telling us that those two were members of the ten and they were the weakest?!" Gray said. "Look at what they did to Erza!"
"Yes. That goes to show you how powerful they truly are." Zeref said. None of them liked the sound of that.
"Sounds like we're dealing with a really powerful enemy." Laxus said.
"Zeref, you've got to tell us everything you know about The Ten if we're going to have a chance of beating them." Simon said.
"I was able to identify all of them, but I don't know what magic they use or what they're rank is." Zeref said.
...
The Duat Kingdom
While Fairy Tail was getting itself ready, Ankhselam was getting ready as well. The ten have gathered with their lord and are making their plan of attack.
"Now that we're all here, we can begin. Airin and Kisaru, what do you think of Fairy Tail?" Ankhselam asked.
"From what I've seen, they can hold their own in a fight." Airin said. "They're reputation does them well."
"Airin Boras, alias: Airwave."
"Are you kidding me? They're nothing." Kisaru said. "I don't see why we're wasting their time with them."
"Kisaru Hoshin: The Olympian."
"I agree with Kisaru." One member was a slender female with long black hair. She had a sword ready. She also wore a white shirt with beige shorts with her wearing boots. "It's just a guild. They're probably as weak as hell."
"Norita Teresa, also known as Sword Behemoth."
"Now, now. Our lord says otherwise." One man had long blonde hair. He wore a white dress shirt under a red vest with beige dress pants and boots. "We wouldn't be going through this much trouble if it wasn't necessary."
"Reginald Casswell, goes by Prometheus."
"Agreed. It was simply the prologue." One was another man that had short black hair. He wore a black toga with a white cloth tied around his waist and had a crimson book in his hands. "The joy of a good story is when you go through it, not skipping to the end."
"David Vest, known as The Grimoire."
"I agree as well." One member was big in muscle. He had long black hair and a long beard. He wore grey pants and brown gloves. He wore a purple shirt that had a grey cross with a circle around the middle. "Fairy Tail is a powerful guild. We shouldn't take it lightly."
"Bradford Grim: Living Hex."
"I'm actually excited." One member had brown hair with five o'clock shadow. He wore grey gloves with a black shirt with grey pants. "It's been so long since someone actually gave us a challenge. I'm looking forward to see what they got."
"Travis Lester: The All Magic."
"It frankly doesn't matter what the rest of you think." One lady was a beauty had long brown hair with a witch's hat. She wore a revealing outfit as she had a black bra-like and thong-like piece of clothing. She wore a black cape and wore heeled boots that reached her thighs. She also wore gloves that reached her shoulders. She also had a wooden staff with it curving out at the top. "Our lord calls the shots and I'll gladly follow my orders."
"Serena Salana: The Mistress."
"I wish we didn't have to go to war." One female had short blonde hair. She wore an elegant blue dress with gold lining around the edges with slits for her legs and was shoulderless and wore blue shoes with heels. She wore white gloves that reached her shoulders and wore a white furry boa around her neck. "However, if we must, I will follow my orders as well."
"Aelita Alla: The Elemental Mistress."
"It's not just this guild." The final member was a man with long teal hair, two strands placed in front of his shoulders and wore a crown like piece on his head. He wore a royal-looking outfit as he wore a teal top with gold lining with a cape and blue pants. "It's all of Fiore as well. However, it will fall, all of it."
"Finally, there's Terran Harravin: The Cold Flame."
"That's right." Ankhselam said. "It won't be as easy as you think. They're sure to give us a good fight because Fairy Tail won't go down without a fight."
...
Fairy Tail
"Oh man. They all sound dangerous." Nova said.
"As I said, I am able to identify them, but I don't know their rankings or what type of magic each one of them uses. So there's no way of knowing what to expect." Zeref said.
"Well, thanks to Gray and Lucy, we know this Airin uses strong air magic." Laxus said.
"And based on how he talked, I think Kisaru uses take over magic just like I do." Mirajane said.
"Their titles must be an indication of what type of magic they use." Simon said. "The Sword Behemoth has me thinking she uses a form of sword magic."
"Even so, you all must be ready." Zeref said as he was making sure all of them knew what they were getting into. "All of Fiore must be. They won't show any mercy. They'll be relentless. It will be a sea of blood and destruction. Lives will be lost and it will be mayhem. That is war for those who haven't experienced it. I know this seems scary and overwhelming, but we must remain strong. You've won many battles before. This won't be any different. Now is the time you must take everything you've all learned for you to survive, use every ounce of strength you have to continue living. Prepare yourselves for this will be all-out war."
...
Duat Kingdom
"So are we all clear on the plan?" Ankhselam said as they all went over their plan as how they are going to attack this war.
"I still don't get why we're doing all this." Kisaru said. "Why go through all this trouble if we're dealing with just one guild?"
"It's not just one guild we're after. It's a member inside the guild." David said. "However, I have to agree that this all does seem a little extreme, my lord. Is this Fairy Tail really all that?"
"Indeed, they are." Ankhselam said.
"But they are just one guild." Terran said.
"They might be one guild, but they are powerful." Ankhselam said. "Even if we do have the numbers, their level of magic power all together could possess a real challenge to us. It's also not just Fairy Tail we have to worry about. Other guilds they have allied themselves with will get in the way as well. However, if we do manage to crush the strongest guild in Fiore, it will be a boost of morale for us and a damper on the spirits for them."
"Sounds like fun to me." Serena said. "I can't wait until we get started."
"Still, are they really going to make such a fuss over protecting one man?" Travis asked. "Why won't they just surrender him over to us and save everyone a whole lot of trouble."
"You must not take this guild so lightly." Ankhselam said. "They would rather die than surrender one of their own. They'll fight to their deaths if it means they can protect their comrades."
"Valant and noble, but they've never faced an enemy like us before." Reginald said.
"Careful." Ankhselam said as he stood from his chair. "Many thought they could take Fairy Tail, but they've defeated all of them. The Alvarez Empire and even Acnologia himself fell to their power." He made his way over to a balcony with the other ten following. "The way I see it, we can't afford to hold anything back over such an enemy. Even with our forces, we must not lighten up on any of our attacks. Although, let's see how well they do against this enemy." Ankhselam stood at the top of a tower and looked upon his army. It was a black sea as there were many soldiers in midnight black armor.
"Lord Ankhselam!" All of those soldiers were ready for battle as they all followed him.
"The time has come!" Ankhselam said as he called out to all of them. "Together, we will turn Fiore, all of Ishgar if we must, into a battlefield! Our target lies with the mightiest guild in all of Fiore! Do not underestimate this enemy, this guild! They are powerful! It is not just enough to defeat them! They will rise back up! We must crush their hopes and spirits! Make them loose the will to continue! We will shall take Fiore and a new era will begin for the world!" All of his soldiers cheered as they were more than willing to go through with this. An entire kingdom ready to fight with ten powerful wizards, stronger than anything Nashi and her friends have probably fought before. It will be war and Fairy Tail must win if the world is to survive, but Ankhselam believes he has match their power. "Fairy Tail, you've met your match!" Ankhselam's laugh echoed through the area. As of this moment, the war has begun.
