Kora had a hard fight against Norita. Norita was crazed for battle, but Kora was able to hold her own against her. Kora was pushed to the limits, but she put most of her power into one remaining attack. It looked like it worked and it looks like this might be the end for Norita.

"I'm sorry. I wish it didn't have to come to this." Kora said. It seemed like this fight was over, but Norita was a soldier that will not die so easily. She reached for her sword and tried standing back up. Kora couldn't believe what she was seeing. "You still want to fight?"

"I won't lose. I am strong. I am strong." Norita said as she tried to push herself up. She ignored the pain from her two wounds and kept pushing herself.

"Are you insane? You can't keep fighting with those wounds." Kora said. "If you keep this up, you really will die."

"So what?!" Norita shouted. "I'll be dead either way. If I'm going down, I'm not going down without a fight. I won't go so quietly."

'How much more can she take?' Kora thought as she didn't like this at all. 'I don't think I have anything left to fight with than simple sword techniques.' Kora thought this could be it for her, but she saw Norita was struggling just as well. 'It doesn't look like she can keep this up herself.'

"I won't die." Norita said with her eyes blazing fierce determination. "I am strong. I am strong!" Norita desires to be strong goes back to her whole life. Seeing as this might be her final moments in this life, she looked back at the life she had.

...

Flashback

"Become strong. That's what I always wanted." Norita narrated. When she was little, she was all alone. As she sat against a wall with her holding her legs, she watched others pass by. She saw them but it seemed like they didn't see her. "Everyone just saw right through me, no one wanting to help me. I had no friends, no family. I was completely on my own in the world."

"Get back here!" A food stand owner said as he chased after Norita. Norita carried as much food as she could with her running like her life depended on it. It might as well have. She rounded a corner, but she had nowhere else to run. The man caught her and he wasn't nice about her stealing from him.

"I've been fighting for my whole life." Norita narrated. "I was a mere child, but I got no mercy. That's how I learned that mercy only comes from those who don't hold the strength or the will to hurt others." Norita got beaten around a lot, even if she was just a child. It was always so hard for her and she got little food. "I needed to become stronger. I needed to become strong in order to survive." As time went on, Norita got to be stronger and stronger because each challenge she had to go through made her stronger.

"Stop! Thief!" Another food stand owner shouted. Norita was running again, but this one was a tough one. She got pushed around by this one. "You're going to be sorry for stealing from me." Norita seemed corner. She looked around and found a discarded knife.

"Then, the day came when I was able to grab a blade." Norita took the blade and she used it. The man screamed in agony. He escaped with his life, but that started the path Norita took.

"I showed no mercy to anyone." Norita narrated as she traveled around. "Before, I was just a commoner, struggling to make ends meet and did whatever it took to get what I wanted. I didn't join some stupid guild because none of them would have approved my taste. Not even a dark guild would have helped me. However, things did change when I was able to get to the heart of the Duat Kingdom." Norita did what she could to live in this kingdom. She soon found trouble, but cleared it as she was able to defeat around twenty men.

"Very impressive." Norita turned around and was met with Ankhselam for the first time. "Were you really able to defeat all these men by yourself?"

"What does it matter if I did?" Norita questioned. "They wanted trouble, I gave it to them."

"On top of that, you haven't sustained much damage. You all are just common folk and haven't used magic, but you beat each one by yourself. It looks like you even killed a few." Ankhselam said. "I think you might be useful to me. What would you say if I told you of a place that you can use your skills and make yourself stronger than you've ever been?"

"If you're the master of some sort of guild, I'm not interested in joining some stupid guild." Norita said.

"I'm not talking about a guild." Ankhselam said. "I'm talking about you becoming a soldier in the Duat Kingdom. You could be even stronger than you are now."

"Stronger?" Norita questioned. That's all she ever wanted. She wanted to become stronger and stronger.

"That was how I got into the kingdom." Norita narrated as she remembered all the training, all the fighting, and all she had to do that a soldier would have to do. "Everyday was a battle for me. What I went through was no different. I sought battles to see how strong I've gotten, to show how strong I am, and to see if I could become stronger. I did everything I could to get stronger. Then, the chance came." Norita was called to see Ankhselam. She faced him with members of The Ten.

"Norita Teresa, you've done quite well in the times you were here." Ankhselam said. "You are much stronger than any mere soldier, stronger than some of our generals. It's time to see how strong you've really become."

"That was my test to become one of The Ten." Norita narrated. "I fought, and even I was a little surprised. I managed to defeat some and gained my rank." Norita fought guys like David and Reginald. She was able to cut down one of David's monsters, but she was soon defeated as she layed against the ground.

"Unreal. She was actually able to slice down one of my monsters." David said as he and Reginald were exhausted.

"Indeed." Reginald said. "I can't believe how strong she is when she doesn't even use magic." Ankhselam walked over to a defeated Norita with he looking up at him.

"You've done quite well, Norita." Ankhselam said. "I knew I was right about you. You are now one of the Ten Gates of the Underworld."

"From that day on, I constantly craved for battle to show how strong I really am." Norita narrated. From day to day, she battled to settle her thirst. She believed she was getting stronger and stronger. "I couldn't really careless about Ankhselam or his goals. If I am grateful to him for anything, it's allowing me to reach this level of strength. His invitation allowed me to become stronger than I could ever imagine. I will continue to be strong. I will get strong. I am strong..."

End of Flashback

...

"I am strong!" Norita shouted as she pulled her sword out of the ground and managed to score a strong hit against Kora. She refused to be defeated no matter how much damage she's taken. She'll fight until her last breath for her crave for battle. Kora wished it didn't have to keep coming to this, but Norita wouldn't let her stop. Norita's crave for battle and uncontrollable desire for strength blinded her as Kora gave a final slash across her chest. Third time is the charm as Norita dropped. Her life left before her body even hit the ground. As her body laid there in a red puddle, Kora held her own wounds and stared at her with sorrow.

"I'm sorry." Kora said. She felt sorry for the suffering she went through and for taking her life, but she found some respect for her. Norita could have been a great warrior. If only she would have let go of her desire to prove her strength. It was at that moment that Kora felt a great deal of pain. The entire battle caught up to her as she dropped to the ground herself. 'Every bit of my body hurts. To the very end, she did all that she could.' As she laid in the destroyed par of Hargeon with the sun setting, all she can do is try to endure the pain. She might not even have much strength to do that. Even so, the three members of The Ten that were here all seem to have been defeated.

...

Reginald

Kisaru might have been beaten by Damien, and Norita might have actually been killed, but Reginald was still conscious. He didn't have the strength to fight anymore, but he still had one last trick up his sleeve.

"It would seem that Kisaru, Norita, and myself have been defeated." Reginald said. "Still, we won't accept defeat so easily. We have our orders." Reginald will not allow the Duat Kingdom to fail in their mission. As he raised his hand, he put all of his power in one last spell. "Memory-Make: Carrying Winds!" Reginald used one last spell that covered all of Hargeon. A strong wind travelled through all of Hargeon.

"What's happening?"

"What is this?" All those who weren't in the Duat Kingdom vanished with the wind.

"We had orders to take Hargeon. You will not stand in our way." Reginald said. He used his devotion for the kingdom to make sure the enemy wouldn't stand in the way. As Reginald's hand dropped with him using all his energy, he made certain that the Duat Kingdom took Hargeon.

...

Fairy Tail

Back at the guild, Nashi was still sleeping from her battle against Ankhselam. Lucy hardly ever left her side and just waited for her to wake up. Natsu came in and handed Lucy some stew.

"Here, Lucy. You need something." Natsu said.

"Thanks, Natsu." Lucy said as she took the bowl. "You know, I never did like seeing you or any of our friends like this. The feeling is even worse with it being our own daughter. I know she's strong, I know she's not a little girl anymore, but I just can't help feel scared and worried for her."

"I get it, but it's all going to go well in the end. It usually does." Natsu said. Lucy knows all that, but it can be hard for Lucy. It didn't help when she took a taste of the stew.

"Yuck! I just realized Mira isn't here! Who made this?!" Lucy said. While Natsu and Lucy were watched over Nashi, Zeref was trying to keep track of all that's going on.

"Anything new?" Laxus asked.

"I'm not sure." Zeref said. "There's been a major drop in magic energy levels coming from the south. I can't quite tell what happened, but it looks like Mermaid Heel and Blue Pegasus has been relocated in an instant."

"Really? That's strange." Laxus said.

"I'm afraid we have bigger worries." Zeref said. "It looks like the northern and the eastern enemy forces have split. a fraction from each side is making it's way around and heading for Magnolia. The western forces are still coming as well. I say we might see enemy forces from all three sides within the next twenty-four hours."

"Should I alert our friends to make their way to Magnolia?" Laxus asked.

"Not yet. They might be needed there. Let's see what will happen just for a little while." Zeref said. "The day is almost over. Rest will be made. Let's see what will come the next day?"

"What about remaining members of The Ten?" Laxus asked.

"It looks like all three have been defeated in Hargeon. Making this more confusing as to what is going on there." Zeref said. The tide of this war keeps turning. Just where will it end up going?

...

The North

"Poison Draogn Spiral Jaws!"

"Ice-Make: Geyser!"

"Ice Demon Rage!" Sabertooth and Lion's Crown tried their best to fight off the northern forces with their Fairy Tail friends to help them out. Even though night has fallen, they still keep fighting.

"Oh man. We've been at this all day." Coro said. "How many of these guys do they have? How tough are they?"

"Coro!" Coro looked and saw Ranko and Stella were able to catch up to them.

"Hey, guys? How are things looking?" Coro asked.

"Pretty well. They're numbers are dropping." Stella said.

"There shouldn't be many of them left. I say we put an end to this." Ranko said.

"Good idea." Coro said. Ranko went out ahead and tried to take on a few more, but the ground suddenly exploded right from under him with dark power. "Ranko!"

"What happened?!" Stella questioned. That was when the ground collapsed from under her and left her in a pit.

"What's going on?" Coro questioned. It was then that he felt a presence stronger than the mere soldiers they've been fighting. He looked to see someone stepping out from the dark trees.

"It looks like I might have found someone who could put up a fight. At least, someone that might make this interesting." The one who stepped out was Bradford, the seventh ranked member. Members above him might have been defeated, but that might not mean that he will be.