4 AM of December 6th, Era
A hooded figure climbed up the stairs of Era's famous hill, their figure casting a small shadow onto the chiseled rock in the early sun. They looked to their side and whistled at the sight The city looked rather mesmerizing in this contrast, the sun slowly waking up from its nap and rising far in the horizon, ready to tower over it for the remainder of the day.
The figure shook their head, as if shaking off a trance, and resumed climbing the stairs. They took their hand out from beneath the cloak and revealed a creamy, almost white in color uniform of the Council, which would not raise any suspicion in the slightest, granted where the figure was headed. Except for maybe one tiny detail: their hand had claws and was clad in thick, black fur.
The figure was now walking directly towards the building, and after a minute they opened the door to the massive headquarters. Inside they were met with a massive waiting hall, with lots of chairs placed by the walls to the sides, and a single, massive desk right in the middle, where sat a young, very tired woman wearing a uniform similar to theirs.
The woman looked up from her papers and looked at the approaching individual, her eyes narrowing gently. "I'm sorry, but this is not the troops' entrance." she told them. "If you're a rookie, or have just been transferred, please refer to your superior officer and-"
The figure grinned under their hood, revealing a set of sharp teeth. They reached out over the desk and tapped the woman on the forehead with their finger, startling her. The woman blinked and was about to speak up, but her face lost all its color and began to contort. The skin on her face began to twist and expand, growing uneven as if something began to move inside her body, as she began to twist and fidgeting. Then, her body began expanding from the inside and a moment later she exploded from within, her remains disintegrating within the flames, along with her chair.
The figure cackled to themselves in a male, raspy voice and passed over the now scorched desk. As he opened the door, the secretary's Council pin rolled off the table and dropped to the floor, being the only proof of her existence left.
The man entered the main hall and took the sight in. The hall was still empty, the soldiers just starting to wake for their shift. Even the lights were not on yet, which only made the situation better for the intruder. He took a deep breath and spread his arms apart, his hands beginning to glow.
Whatever it was the man about to do was interrupted by a large shadow towering over him in the dim lit hall. The man turned around on the balls of his feet and was met with the sight of a massive head of a warhammer traveling towards his face at blinding speed. The intruder barely had enough time to raise his hands to defend the attack and as the weapon made contact with his arms, the intruder felt most of the bones break like thin ice on a chilly autumn morning. The attacker roared on top of his lungs and dragged his weapon as hard as he could, dragging the intruder along with it, as he was cast across the entire hall. He rolled on the floor and barely managed to get back to his feet, sliding on the massive, polished tiles as he did. The cloak he was wearing fell off his head and revealed his inhuman appearance consisting of blonde hair falling gently onto his fur covered face and pointy ears, that sat on top of his head. His squinting, black eyes glared daggers at his attacker as his shattered arms dangled by his sides, twitching, bruised and unusable.
"Looks like a little vermin found its way into our halls!" roared the attacker on top of his lungs and swung his warhammer over his right shoulder, resting it. He was a massive man, easily pushing past 2 meters in height, with shoulders so wide he most definitely struggled with going through doors. He had a rather aggressive widow's peak on his forehead, with short hair styled to stand up at attention, its color so black it looked like an abyss. His face was rough and tired, but still rather young, no older than 30. He had a gentle scar on his right brow that split it in two. His brown eyes, although now fully focused, were soft and kind.
"You lost, little boy?" the man asked and cracked his neck.
The beast grinned at his attacker through pain. "Kyouka, you bitch...you miscalculated..." he mumbled to himself and raised his broken arm to lick the blood off of it. "I wasn't expecting anyone to be around this time of the day."
"Clearly," the man said and raised his eyebrows. "Otherwise I would have thought you were mad."
The beast's grin faded. "Who the hell are you?" he asked, now irritated. This guy...My arms are still not healing. He's not just some ordinary human...
The man took his hammer off his shoulder and let its head fall to the floor, shattering it in the process. "Captain of 5th Division, John Springer. What do they call you, beast?"
He ignored the question, instead choosing to mock the man. "They got a Captain on guard duty? What an absolute joke of an organization." he chuckled. "Should have expected that, based on your security levels."
"Just your luck to have found your way in during my morning stroll, cockroach. I take them every morning just in case someone like you wanders in." said John and raised his hammer. "There is no better security than that."
The beast grinned. "Tell that to the woman at front door." he cackled and licked his lips.
The Captain's face dropped. He inhaled through his nose and charged at his enemy, his warhammer held high above his head. The beast dodged it in time, his arms waving helplessly as he jumped away from the giant. The Captain raised his weapon to his eye level, ready to strike again, and spotted something weird. His weapon began to glow in bright yellow light and not even a second later it exploded, swallowing him whole in the process.
The Captain grunted and swung his weapon through the smoke, his uniform scorched and torn. He wasn't too damaged, light burn marks over his face and arms, and his weapon changed color from the heat.
"You little worm..." he chuckled in anger and dusted his uniform off. "Even after I turned your arms to dust, you've still got some tricks."
"More than you'd like." the beast gave the Captain a devilish smirk and looked at his feet. The floor beneath his armored boots began to glow, and before he could even react he was swallowed by another explosion, but not this one: his warhammer was the one that blew up first, followed by the one by his feet. With a loud cackle, the intruder turned away from his believed to be beaten enemy. "Now then, I've got-"
He barely managed to duck under a now slightly cracked warhammer almost smashing his head like a pumpkin. He clicked his tongue and jumped out of the way of a follow up strike that shattered the floor into tiny bits. "Tough, aren't you?" he asked with annoyance.
"You don't even know it yet!"
The intruder snapped his head to the side and spotted a head of red hair descending upon him with a blade held high above said head. He dodged out of the way, but was too slow on the follow-up and felt the blade make its way across his chest, slashing it open. Blood splattered onto the floor from the wound and the beast cried out in pain, now desperately sliding back on the floor, away from his attackers.
Rickard Smith swung his sword to the side in order to get rid of the blood tainting his blade and raised it at the enemy once again. "You couldn't have picked a worse time to arrive, Tartaros." he announced.
The beast blinked in surprise upon being recognized, but did not lose his composure. He looked around, confidence returning to his face. "Oh, that so?" he asked.
"There are six Captains in this building alone." Rickard told him. "Not to mention several Wizard Saints that currently reside upstairs. There is no way you're leaving this building alive."
The member of Tartaros grinned from ear to ear, his body beginning to glow. He dragged his hand across his already healing wound and brought it up to his mouth. "Correct." he said and aggressively licked his hand with his long tongue.
Rickard's face dropped. He looked around the hall and where the beast stood and realized his mistake. He gripped his blade harder and kicked the ground, dashing straight at the enemy, but it was too late. Not only did the blade explode in his hands, effectively putting a stop to his charge, but the demon raised his shattered arms as high as he could, his whole body glowing and beginning to expand from the inside. He looked the Captains straight in the eye and mouthed a word that resembled "Boom.", before exploding with the force of several dozen bombs set off at once. Fire consumed a vast portion of the building, eradicating everything it touched within seconds, as the people of Era could only watch in shock and despair as the Council building lit up like a Christmas tree.
Once the dust settled, Rickard narrowed his eyes, only to widen them in shock once again. Before him glimmered a barrier, which he recognized right away, however that was not the cause of his reaction. The entire left wing, or rather half, of the building has been missing, reduced to nothing but pieces of wood and debris scattered over the scorched and shattered floor.
"Dear God..." John muttered in shock and turned to his right. "If it hadn't been for you, this entire building would have been erased, Benny-boy." he addressed the person standing beside him.
Benjamin Wiss, the Captain of 10th Division, along with two of his Squad Leaders, stood directly behind the two still shaken men. They were all chanting something under their breath, their magic power focused on the barrier than inevitably saved their lives.
The Captain opened his tired, grey eyes and looked at his comrades with a mix of irritation and fear. "I'm sorry, this was the best we could do with the given time..."
"No time for apologies." Rickard said and sheathed his blade. "We must tend to the wounded and assess damage." he called out and pulled out his lacrima phone. "Check up on all Sages, find out whether they've been attacked or not. You, get me a direct list of everyone meant to be in that side of the building at this very moment." he pointed at one of the Squad Leaders, who nodded and ran off immediately.
Rickard looked at the open space that gave him a look at the sun rising from above the horizon. He bit his lip so hard he broke skin and refrained from crushing his phone in his grip. Wounded? What a joke. It was clear as day that everyone present in that part of the building was dead. It was only a matter of determining who it was exactly. His train of thought was interrupted by buzzing of his phone, and upon picking it up he heard information he just didn't feel like dealing with at the moment. With a loud groan he excused himself and left the hall.
While the Council was up and running, just beneath their feet a group of three hooded individuals made their way through the dark corridors of prison.
"We were too late..." one of them cursed under her breath and clutched her torch tighter.
"We did what we could. Let's make the best out of this situation and get out of here." said another, also a woman, and sent a floating orb at a startled guard, knocking him out in one blow.
The guard fell by the feet of the third figure, a man, who knelt down and picked up a set of keys hanging by his waist. He twisted the key in the door and opened it, entering a hallway littered with cells.
The man approached the one furthest to the right and took off his hood, revealing his face to the prisoner, who scowled at the sight.
"What in the name of everything that is holy are you doing here, Heavens?" Cobra asked and stood up from his bed. He looked ragged and worn out, the years of being kept underground taking its toll on him. His hair got so long it could no longer keep itself up right, now gently resting on his shoulders and back. A sign of a beard could be spotted in the poor lighting of the cell, indicating that he was at least given the courtesy of shaving every now and then. His eyes, however, were as sharp as ever.
Jellal blinked and leaned closer to the door. "I am offering you a chance to get out of here." he stated blankly. "I wish to free all of the Six Generals."
Cobra was taken back. "Why?" he asked with a hint of suspicion in his voice. "You know what we'd love to do to you once we're out of these cuffs. You'd willingly set us free, despite knowing that?"
"If I could, I would have helped you with that." Jellal stated and started to rustle around with the keys. "But I'm afraid I don't have that option, at least not now. I am willing to face your wrath if that's what it takes for you to follow us."
Cobra grabbed the door and kept it in place, not letting Jellal open it. "We wouldn't follow you even if death was the alternative." he snarled at the man.
Jellal met his gaze and matched its tenacity. "I am offering you a chance at destroying the root of all our problems. I want to destroy Zeref and those, who follow him. Despite our differences we can both agree that we have that one thing in common."
Cobra remained skeptical, but took his hand off the door. "Don't think you can sweet talk us out of killing you." he scoffed and took a few steps back. "I won't risk my neck for you when others see you."
"I can take care of myself." Jellal said and opened the cell. Cobra emerged from the cell and stretched his back. Ultear pointed her hand at the cuffs, which then turned into dust, their age accelerated. Cobra squeezed his hand repeatedly and took a deep breath, his eyes closing as he did.
"Ah, so that's how it is..." he muttered and looked at Jellal. "I gotta say, you're a much more forgiving man than I could ever be." he told him and looked briefly at Ultear, before going further into the prison. "Others are over here, follow me."
The group ventured deeper into the prison, various prisoners making ruckus from their cells, clearly excited over the events above and asking to be released as well. After a minute of walking, Cobra stopped by a cell and cut the lock with his magic, revealing Midnight's pale face reflecting in the dim light of the candles.
"Is it time?" he asked and stood up from the floor. He extended his arms and let Cobra cut him loose. "I never expected you to be the one who frees us, Jellal." he then addressed the man with a tone that was much gentler than Cobra's.
"I am aware." Jellal said. "I shall explain-"
"No need." Midnight stopped him. "If Erik is fine with the idea, so am I. There will be time to talk. Let us get the rest."
"Speaking of which..." Cobra began. "What do we do with him?" he asked.
Midnight blinked. "That's for all of us to decide. But I think you already know my answer."
Cobra smirked. "Oh, I do."
The group then freed Racer, Angel and Hot Eye, all of them having different reactions to Jellal. Although Angel had to be restrained, she listened to reason and decided to prioritize escape, and postpone fighting for later. The only one left was Brain, and once they approached his cell, his eyes glimmered in the dark.
"At last." he said with a smirk. "You have done well, Cobra." he praised the Dragon Slayer. "Now free me and let us resume our plans for this world!"
"You're not going anywhere." Cobra told him with disgust. "You think you can just use us and get away with it? Nobody walks over us, not even you."
Brain's face dropped. He looked to his son, who merely stared back at him with casual nonchalance and turned away. Others didn't say a word either, but Racer couldn't help himself from spitting while looking Brain in the eye.
As they walked away from the cells, the obscenities and insults he'd been screaming have started to become quieter, now just noise bouncing off walls. None of them looked back, nor gave their former leader any thought, now fully focused on carving their own path.
Cobra stopped walking upon passing by a certain cell. He turned around and looked at it, his face forming a deep, aggressive scowl.
"Is that his?" Racer asked and walked up to Cobra'
"Yeah, he's in there all right." Cobra said and bared his fangs. Angel approached the door. "Shall we? I've been itching to do it ever since they've thrown him in here." she asked, her hand squeezing the cold, steel bars as hard as they could.
Midnight looked through the bars and spotted the inhabitant of the cell, his long, silver hair scattered over his sunken cheeks that could be spotted despite the thick beard occupying his face, as he hanged from the wall, kept there by his restraints and chains. His crimson eyes, previously sharp and cold, were now rid of life, staring blindly at the wall ahead of him, just next to the door.
"No. Let's leave him." Cobra said before Midnight could speak up and turned to his comrades. "It'd be mercy." he said as a final word and stepped away from Silva's cell. Soon, each of them began to walk away from the cell but couldn't help but take one last look at the cell door.
They sneaked out of the prison and escaped through the empty corridors, the soldiers too busy trying to put out the flames and searching for survivors. For the first time in years Oracion Seiss could breathe the fresh air, and despite their differences, every single one of them felt a certain level of gratitude to Jellal and his comrades.
But that sure as hell didn't mean they'd just answer to him.
8:30 AM, a small town near Magnolia
Laxus folded the newspaper with a deep frown on his face. He handed it over to Freed, whose eyes widened upon reading the headline.
Yajima, who'd seen it just a moment prior, collapsed on a chair and supported his forehead with his hand. "Lahar...everyone..." he mumbled sadly and began to shake in his seat.
Evergreen put her hand on his shoulder and looked at her team with a look that expressed what they've all been feeling: nothing came to mind to say about this situation.
A few days earlier Fairy Tail received a call from the Council. speaking on behalf of Yajima. All of the five Sages were to be taken under protection of various kinds, and Fairy Tail, being one of Yajima's closest friends, was requested to aid in his protection. Having already grown sick of his duties, Laxus accepted the job and the team arrived at the elder's restaurant the previous night, having been there ever since.
"I knew there was a reason they stashed us away like that, but to think it was for this..." Yajima said and wiped his old, teary eyes.
"How many have died?" Bickslow asked Freed, who was still skimming through the paper.
"95." he replied with a dry mouth. "Mostly staff and officer workers, but one Captain and all of his Squad Leaders have been killed, leaving his entire division under the command of a Unit Leader. Basically just above the bottom of a barrel. Seeing how Lahar's division was mostly responsible for keeping peace on the streets, there's already a spike in criminal activity."
"It's been just four hours!" Evergreen said in disbelief.
"The reports mention just Era and its surroundings. I suppose seeing half of the building gone was as good of a sign as any." Freed said with a sigh and folded the paper back, before tossing it aside onto a table. "All things considered, this was the best outcome possible. Yes, I know it sounds awful" he added, having already spotted the outrage on Ever's face "But had the other side gotten blown up, the Council would lose almost all of its commanders and leaders."
Laxus sighed and massaged his eyes. "Any word on who did it?"
"The paper says something about Tartaros, but it's just suspicions of the writer. The Council has yet to give an official statement on who did this."
Yajima's eyes widened. "It must have been them." he said weakly. "They have been snooping around for weeks. I would have gotten killed myself had it not been for Jellal and Rickard."
Laxus frowned. "Jellal? That guy is still going around?" he asked.
"He was present during the Games to investigate Tartaros. I'm sure it was them, nobody else would have dared to attack the Council like that."
Laxus hummed under his nose and reached for his mug. Suddenly, he froze, his eyes slowly shifting towards the entrance to the restaurant.
"Freed." he said sharply and stood up straight. The man, although confused, took the signal and immediately stood next to his friend, his eyes already on the person standing in the door.
He was most definitely a man, but no human by any means. He has long talons and sharp teeth, his skin dark and glowing in the morning sun. He had long hair that reached his shoulders and eyes with pupils shaped like a merge between slits and circles. He was clad in a cloak and a hood, but despite that they could spot blades on each of his elbows just barely not piercing through the material of the cloak.
"Can I help you?" Laxus asked with a drop of mockery in his voice, his fist already clenched. Behind him, Bickslow and Ever got in front of Yajima and prepared for battle.
The creature stared everybody down one after another, before locking his eyes with Yajima's. "I was not expecting to be opposed." he said in a deep, slightly hoarse voice.
"Clearly." Laxus said, his lightning crackling gently around his right fist.
The creature made a noise and soon the entire restaurant was taken in by a massive cyclone that appeared out of thin air. Everyone was pushed back, barely able to stay on the ground. Yajima was holding on to Bickslow's coat like his life depended on it, as his small frame shook with the wind, his chef's hat flying off into the distance. Once the wind settled the damage was revealed, with the restaurant being practically evened to the ground by the currents.
"Everyone all right?!" Freed asked and clenched his left hand, which was hurt by a piece of glass slicing it open. They all grunted in agreement, albeit shaken and hurt.
The creature's eyes widened in mild surprise, clearly having not expected his attack to be fended off so easily. He quickly recollected himself, however, and just as he was about to attack once again, Laxus zapped through the ruined restaurant like a yellow flash of light and smashed him in the face with his fist. The creature was smashed into the ground and slid back, stopping only upon hitting the building on the opposite side of the street. Laxus straightened himself and looked back at his team, before mouthing "Stay here." to them.
He stepped outside and cracked his neck, his enemy already back on his feet. He wiped the blood off his face and scowled at Laxus. "Are you really human?" he asked.
"As human as they get." Laxus replied and charged forward.
The creature mouthed something yet again only this time Laxus was attacked by a wave of scorching flames. He powered through it by electrifying his whole body and punched him straight in the jaw, breaking several of his teeth in the process. Without giving the monster much time to recover, Laxus grabbed him by the collar of his cloak and pulled him directly into his incoming right fist that sent him flying across the street. Before he could even land on the other side, Laxus was already there and kicked him in the back. The creature crashed into the pavement and tried to turn around, but Laxus stepped on him to keep him in place. He then joined both his hands over his head and brought them down like a hammer of justice.
LIGHTNING DRAGON'S JAW!
The bricks shattered like glass under the weight of the strike and buried both Laxus and his enemy under rubble and dust. Once the dust settled it revealed the creature's broken body lying by Laxus' feet, as he stared it down from above with the tenacity of a hawk, his hand ready to strike if needed.
"And there's that." Bickslow said with a smirk and dusted his clothes off. The Thunder Tribe and Yajima emerged from the restaurant and approached Laxus, although still kept their guard up.
"As usual, I'm lost for words." Yajima said nervously and scratched his forehead.
The creature stared blankly ahead, his body broken and unable to move. His power and speed...I was a fool to engage in this form...There's no other way now.
The creature turned its head a little and began to move its jaw around. Laxus quickly delivered yet another punch that was met with a scream of agony. Regardless, the creature was still conscious and as he moved his mouth around, he maintained eye contact with Laxus. Upon finding what he was looking for he showed the contains of his mouth to Laxus, who spotted a small capsule in-between his teeth. With a painful smirk of triumph the demon bit down on it and cracked it in his mouth.
"What the hell are you playing at?" the Dragon Slayer asked with a gentle frown.
Suddenly, his foot that he used to keep his enemy at bay sunk into the rubble. The creature's body began to disintegrate into sparkly, black in color ash that lingered over the ground like a cloud.
I never thought I'd need to resolve to this. the cloud said with an echoing voice. Do not worry, human. I am dead. But so are you and everyone in this town.
"What kind of nonsense are you-" Laxus began, but was interrupted by a sudden cough. Upon looking at his hand he spotted fresh blood, and as the confusion took over his brain he failed to notice that the ground has begun to get surprisingly closer and closer. At the last possible moment Laxus stopped himself from falling and looked around in pure confusion and shock. Evergreen and Bickslow were already on the ground, with Yajima following them in suit. Freed, who was covering his mouth, used his magic on both himself and them to stop whatever was happening, but the damage was already done.
"What have you done?!" Laxus asked angrily.
Anti-Barrier Particles. Deadly to humans. You left me no choice but to resort to my last card in order to fulfil my mission. In my death I shall take you all with me!
Laxus roared on top of his lungs and unleashed his lightning, however it could not cover enough ground to burn all of the mist away, which has now begun to spread deeper into the city. With his ears he could pick out citizens beginning to cough and fall, which made him break in a cold sweat. In a desperate race with time, Laxus thought of ten different outcomes at the same time, and only one made sense in their current situation.
"Freed..." he said and stood up. "You do not take that thing off your mouth for even a second. You're taking everyone home!"
Freed stared at Laxus with wide eyes. "Laxus...What are you-"
Laxus turned himself into lightning and followed the mist that was now slipping deeper into the town. He got ahead of it and stopped on an now empty square, the stalls abandoned, with people lying on the ground everywhere. He cursed under his nose and tried to burn the poisonous mist away, but to no use. He could not utilize enough heat to burn it all away without harming the town and its folk. With his one and only card remaining out of play, he decided to put his own life at stake.
Laxus opened his mouth and began to suck in the air along with the mist. It all began to travel directly into his mouth, as Freed cried out in terror for him to stop from, far away. After what felt like eternity, all of the mist has been devoured by Laxus, who gave Freed one last smirk, before collapsing onto his face with a loud thud that echoed across the now quiet city. Freed cried out his friends name in pure despair, his voice bouncing off the walls like the cry of help it was.
But none heard it.
10:30 AM
Erza kicked down the door leading to the main hall of their new guildhall. Natsu, Gray, Wendy and Lucy were all behind her, with Carla hovering over Wendy as well. They immediately followed upstairs after Macao pointed at the ceiling with his finger and entered the makeshift infirmary.
There laid Laxus, his team and Yajima, all in critical condition. Freed, who could still somewhat move, was trying his best to help the others, although staying conscious was all he could muster.
"What happened?!" Erza asked and immediately grabbed a wet compress and replaced Evergreen's old one.
Mira, who was pale from both anger and fear, couldn't even look at her. "Tartaros. They attacked Yajima's restaurant and poisoned them all, along with the town. The Council is already there, taking care of it."
"Damn it, again?!" Gray cursed and punched the table in frustration, almost breaking it.
"What's wrong with them?" Lucy asked shakily.
"Anti-barrier particles. they're essentially being destroyed from within by their magic." Levy explained as she flipped through one of the books laid down by her table. They all belonged to Porlyusica and were fetched by Gajeel soon after Freed and the others returned home.
"Have you found anything?" Wendy asked and began to use her magic on Laxus, who was in the worst state.
Natsu approached his bed and narrowed his eyes at the poor sight his newly appointed Master was in. His skin was as pale as the sheets he was under, his eyes sunken and dark around the edges, with veins popping out all over his face and hands.
"Only a formula that could stop it from spreading, Elfman and Cana are already looking for ingredients." Levy replied and showed Wendy the book. "You could start with that."
Wendy took a long look and nodded, before tying her hair up. She then sat between Laxus and Yajima and used her magic on both of them at the same time, focusing it on their lungs. "If I repair their lungs they should hold on until we can mix the potion. Until then, please keep doing what you're doing!"
Everyone engaged nodded. Those, who couldn't help, simply watched their friends fight for life in silent fury.
Freed, who was awake for a brief moment, looked to his friends with hopeful eyes. "The town...is it-"
"It's safe." Mira told him as she continued to wipe sweat off of them all. "You guys saved it."
A faint smile took over Freed's face before he fell back asleep. No one had the heart to tell him that hundreds of people have died already, with more on their way.
Natsu clenched his fists and turned to Mira. "Where's gramps?" he asked, his voice tense.
"We had to remove him from the room, he lost his shit when he saw them like this." she said and wiped her forehead with her shirt. "Should be outside."
Natsu nodded and gave Erza a gentle pat on the shoulder before leaving the room. He went outside and spotted Makarov sitting by the largest tree in the shadow, his right hand resting on his closed, tired eyes.
Natsu approached the elder and planted his back against the tree trunk. "What do we do, gramps?" he asked quietly, his voice indicating he was fully prepared to make a move if given a word.
Makarov exhaled through his nose. "I don't know." he replied truthfully. "Let's wait for them to wake up and then we can make our first move. Freed ought to be able to talk soon."
"Should I make it myself?" Natsu asked.
"No." Makarov shot him down. "If they could do this to Laxus, none of us are safe. We can not afford to lose anyone else."
Natsu nodded and put his hand on the elder's shoulder. He gave it a firm squeeze and left the man to himself, which he most definitely needed.
Yajima's attacker opened his eyes, his vision blurry due to the liquid he was submerged in. He blinked in confusion and looked around, his memories returning to him in a rapid fashion. He spotted a familiar face of a young woman with long, dark purple hair and horns staring at him through the glass. She was reading a book in a strange language, most likely not meant for humans.
"Ah, Seilah..." he said quietly. "You've saved me again."
"No, I did not. You died." she said with a deadpan. "You're in the Hell's Spawn now, Tempesta,
Tempesta blinked slowly and allowed his face to relax. "Ah, of course." he said. "I'm sorry, whenever I die, I forget who I am..."
"We know." Seilah said and tapped the container with her finger. The liquid began to be retracted back into the thick, dark pipes connected to the top of the container. Tempesta set his foot on the glass floor and awaited for his pod to open. Upon leaving it Seilah handed him a robe that he placed over his naked body, which he was now examining in an attempt to remember its shape.
"Got you too, eh?"
Tempesta raised his eyes and spotted another of his kin, who has left his own pod not so long ago. He scratched his furry ear and patted Tempesta on the shoulder. "Looks like we're both adding one to the board." he chuckled.
"Jackal..." Tempesta murmured and blinked. "Have you completed your mission?"
"Not exactly." Seilah said and flipped a page in her book. "He destroyed only half the building."
Jackal's face soured. "How could I have known it'd be so heavily guarded?" he snapped and grit his teeth. "Those damn humans...What about you, Tempesta? Did the old fart have a few Captains with him, too?"
"No, just one man." Tempesta said.
Jackal's face dropped. "One guy? He beat your Etherious form, too?!"
"No." Tempesta replied shortly. "My mission was to kill the Sage, not engage in a fight with humans. He bested my human form, so I used Keith's pill. There was no point in me receiving further damage and have him run away."
"Are you certain of the kill?" Seilah asked.
"No. I've lost consciousness before I could see."
Seilah sighed and closed her book. "Miss Kyouka will be most displeased..."
"I'm sure you'll find a way to change that." Jackal muttered under his nose.
The woman chose to ignore this comment. "Come with me. There's a meeting in place, we shall talk more there."
The two followed Seilah out of the room and through dark corridors. Shortly after they entered a well lit room with lots of bookshelves, which Jackal hated with passion: it was Kyoukas personal room.
The demon was sitting by her desk, with several other demons being already seated in the corners of the room.
"You're late." said a large demon with fish-like eyes and a booming voice. His arms were crossed before his chest and his foot was tapping the ground repeatedly.
"Sorry, Torafuza. I was too busy being dead." Jackal scoffed at him and gave him the finger, which made the fish demon raise an eyebrow.
"Dead and a failure. You failed to blow up the headquarters fully!" said an orange, one-eyed demon in a steel plated suit of armor and pointed at Jackal with his finger. "And you! You didn't kill that old fart, he's still breathing!"
"And you know this how, exactly?" asked him the most human looking demon out of the bunch, his dark hair gleaming in the light.
"Silver, if there's one thing we can put our trust in when it comes to Franmalth, it's his information network." Kyouka said with a gentle chuckle. "Seems like this day is not going according to our wishes."
"Big guy say anything?" Silver asked her and leaned against one of her bookshelves.
"No. It's too insignificant to inform him." Kyouka replied. "We shall achieve our goal, regardless of our initial missteps."
"Out tale is one that ends in success." said a skeleton looking demon with a staff and dark-purple robe, that was surrounded with particles very similar to those Tempesta turned into earlier.
"Are we still going through with the next phase?" Torafuza asked.
"Yes. Once this meeting has concluded we're each to leave for our designated target." Kyouka nodded and smirked. "Our little per has proven himself to be rather useful after all."
"That guy gives me the creeps." Silver said with disdain. "I'm glad I ain't the one who has to deal with him."
"He is rather vulgar, indeed, but his expertise and cooperation has been very valuable to us." Kyouka agreed. "He's also very careful not to exert his boundaries. Franmalth, I'd like you to keep watch on him."
"Very well." the cyclops bowed gently.
"Where's Ezel?" Jackal looked around in search of said demon. "He usually never skips the meetings."
"He's already on site. A torture for him to be sure, based on the nature of his task. I expect to get an earful once he comes back." Kyouka said with a gentle chuckle.
Jackal groaned at the thought of listening to yet another rant from Ezel, who was notorious for yelling and bothering everyone.
"Let's get to it, then." Torafuza said. "The Council must be on their toes after today, we should not waste time on pointless chatter."
Everyone agreed with him. Kyouka grabbed her glass of wine and raised it to her companions. "To our creator, Zeref. May he find joy in the world we are about to create." she said with a smirk and took a sip, the red liquid dripping down her pale chin like blood on snow.
12 PM
"What do you mean we're staying put?!"
Mira's voice echoed through the guildhall, followed by her hands slapping the table top of the bar counter. She was pissed, and not just her. The entire guild wanted to get out there and lay their hands on those, who've harmed their friends.
Makarov sighed tiredly and dragged his hand across his face. "Things have changed, Mirajane. We can not just go out there and start hunting demons on our own accord. That's one of the reasons the world turned on us during our absence. There are certain rules we have to follow, otherwise we'll be back where we were three months ago!"
"It's not us who threw the first blow!" Elfman said in a loud voice.
"They have it coming!"
"So what, are we supposed to just forget this happened and wait for some pencil pushing asshole to let us do something?!" Macao asked in anger.
"No!" Makarov roared, which immediately silenced the guild. "I never said anything about forgetting! I can hardly contain myself, too! But that is not an option at the moment, and without the Council's approval we're nothing but a bunch of lawbreakers, waiting to be captured! Don't you think they are trying to find Tartaros themselves by now?!"
Makarov took a deep breath and massaged his forehead. "Our personal feelings are meaningless right now." he added in a much calmer voice. "This is just how things are at the moment, and we have to accept that if we wish to continue living as usual. It's our own fault we're in this situation right now."
"So call them." Natsu said, breaking the silence after the elder's rant. Makarov looked at him, slightly confused. "They sanctioned the hunt for Oracion Seiss, didn't they? If we use the right words they might let us help out in a way that won't get anyone arrested." he continued.
Makarov blinked. "Mira, grab the lacrima." he ordered. "Erza, bring me the coordinates, they should be in my chambers by my desk."
The two women nodded and ran off to fetch their designated items. A few minutes later Makarov was nervously tapping the armrest of his chair with his finger, as the lacrima tried to connect with the oppointed coordinates. Finally, after what felt like eternity, the lacrima cleared out and showed a rather young looking man in glasses on the other side.
"Yes, hi." Makarov said and cleared his throat. "I'm Makarov Dreyar, former Master of Fairy Tail. I'd like to speak with you."
"I'm sorry, but you'll have to hurry. We're overburdened as it is, so unless you have an emergency to report I'm afraid I'll be forced to hang up " said the man.
"Very well." Makarov said. "As you most likely have heard, Sage Yajima has been attacked by Tartaros. My grandson and several of members of my guild were present during the attack and got hurt in the process."
The man's face dropped. He quickly started to shuffle papers and upon finding what he was looking for, he cleared his throat. "It appears your guild has been contacted of the incident immediately upon our intervention, what more can we do for you?"
"We'd like to assist in the chase after Tartaros." Erza threw in on her own.
The man looked shocked. "I don't understand, you're asking for permission to-"
"Find them and obliterate them like we did with every other head of the Baram Alliance." Gray threw in and walked up closer to the lacrima.
The Council member began to sweat. "I'm sorry, but I don't think that-"
"There's no risk in it for you whatsoever." Cana shrugged in the corner. "Rather than spending your own resources and men, we're volunteering to help you out in any way we can, free of charge. Think of it as a job, only you don't pay us a single jewel."
"Yajima is already at our guild, he's being patched up. Four of our own, including our current Master have almost died defending him. Whether you like it or not, we're already involved in this mess." Natsu stated and approached the lacrima. "All we need is a green light from you guys."
The man was conflicted to say the least, especially upon realizing who was lecturing him at the moment. After a brief moment, during which he appeared to consider Fairy Tail's proposition, he adjusted his glasses and gave his verdict. "This is not my decision to make, but I shall pass it on higher up. Please stay still while I consult higher ranked officers."
"Be my guest." Makarov said and leaned back in his chair.
Fifteen minutes later the very same man returned to his desk, now much more composed. "There is something you could do for us." he said and began to read from his papers. "Since, as you've said, you were present during the attack on Sage Yajima we might as well tell you the truth. Three Sages have been hidden away in different places around Fiore, all of them under guard from out troops. The only exceptions were Yajima, who denied protection in exchange for your members, and Michello, who refused to leave his home and any soldiers in proximity of his property. We've lost contact with the three Sages under our protection. We've already dispatched small distress units to find out what happened, but as we are, we can not spare more men to go and check those places out. Your task would be to assist all of the remaining Sages and ensuring their safety until we can spare more of our own men."
"Doesn't the Council have over 50,000 soldiers at their disposal?" Wakaba asked with a frown. "You really can't spare anyone to check it out?"
"We find small groups easier to travel than whole battalions of soldiers marching through the streets." the man said. "Most of our commanding officers are busy dealing with both attacks that have occurred today, and some of them are the ones not responding to our calls. What we can spare, however, is two of our medics with knowledge and equipment necessary to help your wounded, as well as Sage Yajima. They shall be with you shortly."
Makarov sighed. "Very well. Give us the addresses of those Sages and we shall move out immediately."
"Of course. And let me be very clear: the Sages must live. Their survival is your priority, no matter the cost. If even a single one of them dies, it would be a catastrophe."
Mirajane scoffed. "Should have thought of that earlier." she said and walked away from the lacrima, leaving the visibly frustrated man to himself.
Half an hour later, with all of the addresses received and agreed upon, Fairy Tail gathered around the main hall, already divided into groups. Gajeel, Levy and Pantherlily were to go to Sage Belno's location, Gray and Juvia to Sage Yuri's, Elfman and Lisanna to Sage Bauman's and Natsu, Lucy and Wendy, who did everything she could to help their wounded for the time being. Erza and Mirajane, on the other hand, have been designated to aid the former Chairman Crawford, who was Gran Doma's predecessor.
Natsu stared at his girlfriend while Makarov briefed them all in and wagered a war deep inside his heart. The words of the old hag that have continuously tortured him for the better oart of the week bounced off the walls of his mind like an annoying fly, and although he still found them to be unlikely to come true, the small speck that couldn't be persuaded terrified him to his very core. He excused Lucy upon passing her by and approached Erza. He gently grabbed her by the hand, which surprised her. He motioned with his head and took her to the side, where they could be quiet.
"What is it?" Erza asked.
"Switch with me." Natsu said and gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "I've got a bad feeling about this. I think I should be the one who guards the Chairman."
Erza frowned. "Why? Is there something bothering you?"
"No." he lied and swallowed heavily. "It's...just a hunch."
Erza looked at him for a longer while, still confused. "We'll be fine." she reassured him and gave his hand a squeeze back. "There's no time to change plans."
"Just switch with me!" he snapped at her all of a sudden, which only startled the girl. "Go with Lucy and Wendy, I'll take Mira and-"
"Natsu!" Erza hissed at him. "It is final! We've got jobs to do and no time to spend, if there's something you've got to say, say it out loud. You're a man."
Natsu opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out. Embarrassed of his sudden little outrage, he pulled Erza in for a hug and squeezed her as hard as he could. "Stay safe, you hear me?" he mumbled into her ear.
Although with a slight delay, the knight returned the hug. "You, too." she said and the two broke up the hug to join their selected teams.
"Now that you've all heard everything there is to hear, go. We can't spare any more time. Get to those places and contact us as soon as you hear something. And stay safe." Makaov ordered his kids. With a loud approval they spread out and left the building, all heading out in different directions but not without wishing each other luck first.
Natsu kissed Erza and subconsciously held her hips in place, so that she couldn't go. With a smile she gently freed herself and joined Mirajane. "I'm off." she said with a smile. The Dragon Slayer nodded and joined Lucy and Wendy, before the two went their separate ways.
"She'll be fine, you know." Lucy told Natsu with a smile and playfully punched him in the shoulder. "She's tougher than you may think."
Natsu sighed. "Yeah, I know." he said and the four of them left for the train station.
Gray ran through the forest towards the train station, with Juvia running just behind him. She could tell something was bothering him, and couldn't leave it at that.
"Is something the matter, Gray?" she asked him gently.
Gray ducked underneath a branch. "I don't deal well with demons." he admitted to her with a sad smile.
"Oh." was all Juvia could say and decided to not pry any further. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"
"No, it's okay." Gray told her and smiled reassuringly. "No use in hiding it any longer. My Master Ur died while fighting a demon. She was a very important person in my life and ever since then I've hated demons, just talking about them makes me angry. Going there, knowing full well I might have to face them...it's just a lot to process."
Juvia's eyes narrowed sadly. "I'm sorry."
"It's fine. Let's hurry, the train's about to leave."
Half an hour later all teams were already en route to their designated places, each prepared for the worst. After everything they have been through, optimism was something that came with great difficulty, and this time was no different.
1:30 PM
Cobra stopped walking. They were now several kilometers away from Era, the smoke coming from the ruined building now barely a dot in the distance. He locked his narrowed eyes on Jellal, who turned to face him with an indifferent look on his face.
"This is as far as we go with you." he said and reddish poison began to bubble around his right hand. "We're grateful for the help, but it's like I said. We're not following you anywhere, not after what you've done."
Jellal blinked. "I understand that." he said.
"No!" Ultear threw in and put herself in-between the two groups. "If there's anyone to blame, it should be me."
"Lady, I am well aware of that story." Cobra said without even looking at her, his eyes still locked on Jellal's face over her shoulder. "Doesn't really make a difference to me."
"Me neither." Angel threw in. "That cursed tower is where we lost everything, and he helped rebuild it, forced many other children to suffer the same fate as we did. That's not something you get to repent for, ever."
Jellal stared at them with a weird mix of emotions. "If I promise to give you your chance to settle our score when the time is right, will you bury your hatred until then?" he asked them. "Will you aid us your strength?"
Cobra narrowed his eyes. His magic let him see whether the man was stalling or not, and seeing how genuine his words were, he decided to postpone his revenge for a while longer. With his nod Angel hid her fangs as well, and the group resumed walking. But not for long.
"Show yourself." Cobra demanded and turned around, his eyes staring just above Meredy's shoulder at a small cliff behind them. A few seconds later the red head of Rickard Smith emerged from behind the cliff, with his hands raised in the air and a goofy smile plastered to his mug. "Oops, not as sneaky as I thought I was!"
Cobra scowled. This guy...He must have followed us from the beginning. If the winds hadn't blown my way just now, I'd never have smelled him. He's dangerous!
"Rickard! What are you doing here?" Ultear asked the Captain as if he were an old friend, which confused Oracion Seiss.
"I've been following you since this morning." he admitted and lowered his hands.
"Hey!" Racer snapped at Crime Sorciere. "Why are you guys acting friendly with this guy?! It's a trap, isn't it?!"
"No, it's not." Jellal deadpanned. "What do you want?" he asked the Captain.
Rickard laughed. "Chasing Tartaros, same as you, probably." he said. "Between you and me I don't really care that you guys escaped. Sure, it will be yet another month of whining and complaining from the papers, but all things considered things could be much worse. We have people that put you lot to shame down there, your escape, especially judging who broke you out, is a minor issue at the moment."
"What about the Council?" Angel asked.
"They're too busy to realize someone's missing. Your status is the responsibility of my division, and nobody else's."
"How exactly did they let it happen, anyway?" Racer asked. "Don't you guys have any security?"
"He infiltrated the building while wearing an uniform, most likely of an officer. The entire hill is protected by a barrier that can only be penetrated by those wearing the Council's clothing, which has a key sewn into it. However, the only people who know about this are the Chairman, Sages, and the Captains. Nobody else knows about this barrier, because it's a breach risk." Rickard explained. "Tartaros must have a spy in our ranks, which is why I haven't told them I chased after you. I'm going rogue, so to speak."
Jellal's eyes narrowed. "So you want our help in finding Tartaros." he said.
Rickard winked and clicked his tongue whilst pointing at Jellal. However, his playful expression soon gave in to silent fury that took over his entire face. "I feel like their extermination is long overdue, and killing my buddies has only solidified their fate. I know you've been onto them for months now, so it's only natural I followed you."
"I don't think I can help you." Jellal admitted. "But I know someone who can. His current hideout is not far from here."
Ultear turned to Oracion Seiss. "We'd appreciate if you followed us. If we do end up confronting Tartaros, it would prove our word. We really do wish you aid us as an ally, not servants."
Midnight looked at his comrades, before coming to a decision. "We shall follow you, but we do not promise we will help you in your vendetta." he told Jellal and Rickard.
The two nodded. "Let's go, then." Jellal said and the group resumed walking, now in a new direction.
3 PM
Gajeel's iron hand smashed into Sage Belno's thick, maple desk, shattering it into tiny pieces and splinters. Her frozen body, shattered into several pieces, laid just few feet away from it, along with two high ranked officers and several foot soldiers, some of them in several pieces scattered across the spacious room. The room was cold, so cold one could easily break the furniture like twigs with their bare hands.
Levy covered her mouth in both shock and horror and watched as Gajeel shook from rage, his eyes glued to the Sage's body like a magnet to a fridge.
Pantherlily hovered next to him. "Did you know her?" he asked softly.
Gajeel took a deep breath. "Yeah." he replied with a choke voice. "She used to save my butt whenever I was to be chewed up by the geezers in the Council. She was the first person before gramps to notice there was more to me than I was showin'. Said my glare everybody hated me for was more than one could believe."
Levy bit her lip. She overcame her fear and cut the room to hug him from behind, something he wasn't anticipating. Nevertheless, he welcomed it and rested his hands on hers, as she clutched his hips in a tight squeeze that signalized she was there for him. He appreciated it a lot, but his mind couldn't help but wander towards revenge against those, who did this.
"I'll contact Master Makarov." Lily announced and pulled out their communication lacrima out of Levy's bag, leaving the two to themselves.
Chairman Crawford laughed and stroke his long, silver beard as he prepared tea for his visitors.
"Oh, I do appreciate your concerns, but I can not for the life of me imagine what would a dark guild want with an old man like me." he said to Mira and Erza, who had just finished explaining the situation to him. "I've been retired for nearly 25 years, there's nothing of value that I could bring them."
"Nevertheless, we think Tartaros may come for you." Erza said and thanked him for the tea. She took a sip and laid her cup back down on the saucer. "Is there really nothing they could use you for?"
Crawford collapsed in his chair and scratched his chin. "No, I don't think so." he said after a long pause. "Every protocol I was aware of has been long changed. I don't even know who runs it, truth to be told. Is it still Gran Doma?"
"It's Org." Mira said with a gentle frown. She clearly found his attitude to be weird.
"Oh, that one? I remember him as just a whelp!" Crawford laughed and drank some of his tea. "Time truly flies...But to think someone would openly attack the Council like that! So many lives lost, and for what?"
With a deep sigh the former Chairman took another sip. "Not that I mind the company, but how exactly did you obtain my address?" he asked.
"The Council gave it to us. We've been asked to help out with the protection of valuable members." Mira told him and took a sip herself.
Crawford laughed again. "Even after all this time, they still worry about me! Well, I suppose good service means good favors!"
Mira groaned into her cup and took another sip. Suddenly, however, her felt had begun to get dizzy. She dropped the cup and clutched her head in confusion, looking at Erza, who was acting the same way. The last coherent thought that formed in her mind was that they both have been played for a fool, and soon Mirajane slid off her chair towards the floor, where Erza joined her not a second later.
Crawford sighed and pulled back his chair, before standing up. He pulled out a lacrima phone from his pocket and dialed it, his expression mixed with joy and pride.
"Crawford reporting. I've secured two bodies for you to enjoy." he said with a grin and looked at the unconscious women with lust in his eyes. "Also, they're onto us. Fairy Tail has joined forces with the Council, they probably went to other Sages, too. Oh, you have? Fantastic, I shall await my pick-up."
With that said he hung up and hummed whilst pouring himself another cup of tea, as he sat in his chair and watched Erza and Mira like trophies on a wall.
Lucy knocked on the door to Sage Michello's house with her fist, clearly irritated with being ignored for so long. The man was home, as confirmed by the two Dragon Slayers who were with her, but for some reason refused to let them in.
"I wish something would go smoothly at least once." Lucy sighed. "Just once, I want to do something from A to B, without detour on the way."
"That's never happening." Wendy chuckled.
Natsu looked around with a small frown on his face. Having noticed it, Carla flew up to him. "Do you smell something?" she asked.
"Not sure." he said. "Something just doesn't feel right about this town, but I can't say what..."
Suddenly, Natsu became irritated with being ignored and repeatedly smashed his fist into the door, leaving small cracks in the wooden frame. Finally, after the sixth time, the door moved and there stood a young girl with a long braid and an apron.
"May I help you?" she asked, clearly tired and annoyed.
"We're from Fairy Tail, we're here to check up on Sage Michello." Lucy said.
"Grandfather is not feeling well at the moment, he asked for you to leave us." the girl said quietly.
"Tough luck." Natsu said and barged in to their home, much to the girl's outrage. Upon entering the house he noticed Michello, who was sitting in his chair by the fireplace, most definitely well and enjoying himself with a cup of tea and a newspaper in his hands. Upon noticing the intruders he choked on his tea and stood up.
"Who are you, why are you in my house?!" he yelled at them and got his cane. "Get out, immediately! Do you not know who I am?!"
"We do, and that's why we're here." Natsu said. "Tartaros is after you, so we're here to protect you. We're from Fairy Tail, on Council's orders."
"Well, I don't need your protection! Why do you think I sent those fools away from here?!" Michello continued his outrage and waved his cane at them. "Leave, now! I knew I should have had your guild exterminated when I had the chance, nothing good ever comes from you lot!"
Lucy's eyebrow twitched. "Sir, please listen to us." she tried to be nice to him, despite the rage building up inside her. "Neither you or your granddaughter are safe here, please, you must let us-"
"I don't have to do anything! Leave!"
"I'm so sorry for him." the granddaughter said to Wendy and Carla, clearly exhausted from his attitude. "I tried to talk some sense into him, but-"
"Michelia! Do not talk to these criminals!" Michello yelled at her and struck his cane against the floor. "I will repeat myself for the last time, leave!"
While the others argued, Natsu's nose twitched. He picked up something that wasn't there just a moment ago, and he didn't like it one bit. The smell was then overtaken by another one, one he had smelled before, a long time ago during the biggest fight of his life.
Without a moment of delay he quickly pushed Michello and his granddaughter to the ground, before tackling his team as well. The entire house then blew up into smithereens, but no fire was present. All of the fire has been absorbed by Natsu, who smothered it before it could harm anyone, and with a loud slurp he finished his meal, before pinpointing the source of the explosion. He locked his eyes on the target, who stood on top of a wooden pillar that used to support the house's roof and waited for the dust to settle.
Michelia helped her grandfather get back on his feet, and upon seeing his ruined house, he once again began to curse Fairy Tail. Lucy and Wendy, who have also gotten off the ground, got in front of the two and prepared themselves for battle.
"Huh? Nobody kicked the bucket?" said a voice from within the dust. Once it settled it revealed Jackal's irritated face, who stared the humans down as if they were vermin. "Kyouka's tip was right, so I was hoping to blow all of you up at once...Guess I'll have to put some work in."
"Who is that?!" Michello asked, terrified. "Y-you destroyed my home! Who do you think you are?!"
"He has to be the one who blew up the Council!" Wendy pointed out.
"Shut your mouth, old man." the demon snarled at him, which made the geezer take a step back. "You're about to die, what do you care about some house?"
"Hey."
Jackal's eyes shifted to Natsu, who stared at him from below with a confident almost off-putting face. "You're from Tartaros, right?"
"What of it?" Jackal responded with a scoff. "You guys are from Fairy Tail, aren't you? This has nothing to do with you, leave the old man and go, or you'll die."
"Not going anywhere." Natsu said firmly.
Jackal grinned. "You sure? You might want to listen to me, buddy." he chuckled gently.
"We'll leave only after I get to punch that grin off your mug." Natsu declared.
Jackal's smile faded. "So be it." he whispered and snapped his fingers.
Wendy collapsed to the ground in agony and clutched her ears, as the sound of dozens of explosions going off in the distance hit her ears. Lucy felt the ground shake under her feet and as she rushed to the remains of the window overlooking the town, she felt blood leave her face.
Half the town was now in flames, smoke rising high into the sky like a black beacon of death. The screams of the town folk were audible enough for her, let alone those with enhanced hearing.
"The town..." Michelia covered her mouth in shock. "Everyone..." Michello merely stared blindly at the destruction, clearly too shaken to speak.
"You monster!" Lucy roared on top of her lungs, her shock giving in to pure fury. Natsu stood just ahead of her, his eyes glued to the destruction, with guilt and anger slowly taking over his face, as his fists clenched on their own.
Meanwhile, Jackal laughed on top of his lungs and clearly admired his destruction. "Relax, that was only half of the town! The other one still hasn't been set off!" he told Fairy Tail and licked his lips. "I'm feeling generous, so I'll give you one more chance! Leave, or I will blow up the other one, then slaughter you all after. Your choice!"
Lucy grit her teeth in anger as Jackal continued to laugh at the destruction he caused and was about to speak up, but noticed something. She calmed down and turned back to Michello and Michelia. "I think you should both step back." she told them.
Jackal continued to laugh and was just about to taunt the humans once again. He opened his eyes and upon doing so the only thing they could register was a pair of furious, onyx eyes staring directly into his soul like a starved wolf looking at its prey. His face then bent under the weight of the flaming fist that caved it in and before he could even register pain, Jackal's body was smashed into the floor beneath like a meteor. The remains of the house began to shake, the wood splitting and breaking even further. Natsu jumped down to the floor and simply stood over Jackal's body, buried under rubble and wood.
Natsu's face portrayed a mix of many emotions, but most of all, guilt. He cursed himself in his mind for not acting up on his hunch earlier, and simply stared at Jackal's figure like a hawk.
Finally, Jackal stood up from the ground, his face bleeding and already beginning to swell. He stared at Natsu with pure hatred and readied his stance, clearly eager to fight back, despite being overwhelmed. Natsu replied in suit and readied himself to throw another punch.
And he intended to make it hurt.
End of Chapter 51. To be continued in Chapter 52: Etherious
Thank you all for over 2000 follows. Never expected to see this number, I appreciate you all still enjoying this story and I hope you keep enjoying it.