Erza dove in front of Kai to take the first hit, and was knocked back into the smaller Dragon Slayer. He tumbled back and let go of his sword on accident. Minerva summoned it to her and then flicked it aside, holding it in a sphere.
"Won't be needing that, I believe," she said.
Erza and Kai got back up.
"What's the plan, then?" Kai asked as Minerva flung another few orbs at them.
"Not sure!" Erza exclaimed.
Kai and Erza darted apart. Kai sprinted at Minerva, who easily moved to dodge his attack and kicked him aside. He tried to twist around but couldn't find the right balance and slammed into a wall.
Kai peeled himself off and shook off the daze. He held his hand out.
"Fine then," he said. "You've asked for it!" He sucked in a breath. "Ice Dragon Roar!"
He opened his mouth and a little spew of magic came out.
"That doesn't seem—."
A massive stream erupted out from him and he flew back. Minerva howled with laughter, easily knocking Erza aside.
"What's wrong, boy?"
Kai landed and rolled away.
What's wrong indeed? Kai pursed his lips. Erza didn't seem to be fighting with magic; probably because any Requips she used would be too large. She could only summon tiny daggers with the hopes of those doing something against Minerva, as they were the only thing her tiny body could hold.
So what happened with Kai's magic? He grimaced. It had to do with him being a kid, no doubt, and when he had so little control over his magic.
Fine. Martial arts would have to do. He could adapt to this body.
Hopefully whatever was causing this body change would be gone soon. Kai and Erza could easily handle Minerva in a two-on-one fight.
Minerva launched magic at Erza with ease. Kai sprinted at her, sliding along the ice and kicking at her, but Minerva swept Kai aside with a bit of magic, teleporting him into a wall at great speed.
Kai growled and pushed himself off just before Minerva could crush him with her knee. Erza came flying in and Minerva batted her away. Kai stumbled back and was elbowed away by Minerva.
"Face it, you can't do anything against me," Minerva said. "Though I wish this weren't the method of your death, Erza, I suppose it'll have to do. Besides, I'll make you truly suffer."
She leaned down and picked up Kai, drawing the sword to his throat.
"No!" Erza cried.
Kai struggled but Minerva held him tight and drew the blade closer, a bit of blood seeping out onto the blade.
"Keep struggling," Minerva said. "It'll make this all the more worth it."
"You're sick, Minerva!" Kai shouted.
"No," Minerva said. "I'm back in control."
"What are you doing?" Erza shrieked. "This is what you want to do with your magic, this is how you want to live your life? To appease some Dark Guild, to kill us? Torture us?"
"I'm getting glee out of it, and isn't the point of life just to make yourself happy?" Minerva asked. "I could be doing more to him; be grateful his arms aren't twisted and snapped like a pretzel."
"You—."
Minerva slapped Kai's mouth with the flat of the blade, drawing blood. Kai stared at Erza's teary eyes. Minerva also had foot down on her, keeping Erza in check. She'd completely dominated them.
"Erza, it'll be okay," Kai said. "I promise."
"Kai…"
"I love you."
"Oh, perfect, those are good last words for her to hear!" Minerva exclaimed, then brought the blade in close.
But, her grip weakened and the world around Kai exploded into normality at once. The edge of the blade still cut him across the cheek but Minerva was forced to drop him. In her startle, she didn't see Erza coming up with a strong leg and crashing it against Minerva's side sending the woman flying.
Kai hit the ground and regained his composure, standing straight…and tall.
"Oh, thank goodness," he muttered, glancing at Erza to make sure she was also back to normal.
He blushed, his face going a deep, hot red.
"What is it?"
"You—your pants."
Erza took a quick glance down then immediately required back into her normal clothes.
"How embarrassing." It was her turn to get the deep red face. That returned a smile to Kai's face and he gently cupped her cheek.
"It was cute."
"In front of an opponent?"
"A deadly opponent!"
The wind shifted around them but Kai threw up an ice wall and Minerva's blasts deflected right off of it. Kai lowered the wall.
Minerva seethed. Erza stepped forward, patting Kai on the shoulder.
"Allow me this one, Kai. It's not personal between you two."
"When I kill you, Erza, it certainly will be."
Erza chuckled. "I'm sure it wi—!"
Once more, the world changed around Kai. He could only groan as everything grew. This time, though, there was no strange exception for Minerva, who shrank down into little more than an undershirt as well.
"Ha!" Young Erza exclaimed.
"What is Doriarte doing?"
"Seems your accomplice is quite incompetent," Erza said. "And forgot all about you. Must be getting desperate, then."
"He'll pay for this," Minerva said. "But my father trained me since a young age, Erza. My power more than dwarfs yours."
"Let's find out. Kai, stay out of this one, still!"
Kai grit his teeth but agreed as the two girls charged at one another. Minerva's statement proved quite true: she was still pretty skilled with her magic. Erza's resilience and tenacity kept her in the game, though, easily pushing her forward toward Minerva.
She got used to the weight of her sword, Erza did, and was able to block more of Minerva's blows.
Kai couldn't help but sit back and watch with his mouth open. Minerva was clearly the more skilled Wizard of the two, yet there Erza stood, blow after blow, move after move, hanging in the fight. Kai could only wish to have that amount of not only control but tenacity as a kid.
Then again, who was the one who taught him all of that? He shrugged.
Soon, though, a tremor shook the entire area, and a great flash consumed the mountain they'd been near earlier, before their fight.
"Natsu," Kai muttered, and another orange light draped over all the area.
Quickly, too, the ice began to melt around them, fading away and quickly evaporating from the extreme heat emanating from further ahead.
Great groans and moans consumed the area and more rumblings took place; the massive giants stirred.
Kai, too, felt a small shift in him before his body returned to normal size. Minerva shrieked and wailed as Erza regained her normal height and Requipped in her armor. Minerva snarled and pointed at Minerva, noticing the giants and Kai behind Erza.
"This is only the beginning, Erza," Minerva said. "Soon, I promise, we'll meet once more, and I will destroy you."
Her voice dripped with visceral and malicious intent. Gone was the conniving bitch of a sorcerous from the Grand Magic Games. Darkness replaced it.
But, not according to Erza.
"Minerva, it's not too late for you," she said. "Please. We can help you. Return to Sabertooth and—."
"Wallow with those pathetic losers? No. I've found a much better, stronger group that will help me one day reclaim that guild."
"Don't let the darkness consume you."
An ethereal aura appeared around Minerva. "It won't just consume me, Titania, but soon, the entire world."
Kai snapped his wrist and his sword broke free of her Territory magic before she, and any traces of Minerva, vanished.
"I think I hate that woman," Kai said.
Erza glanced back at him and nodded, though thoughts and contemplation clouded her expression. Kai approached, lacing his hand into her own.
The two quickly met up with the rest of the guild, and Flare Corona of the old Raven Tail guild of all people, near the great Eternal Flame. The giants danced and celebrated their freedom, and, for the first time, Kai saw Flare crack a legitimate smile.
Apparently she was one of the villagers here, and returned after Raven Tail disbanded to be with her people. Unfortunately, she came at a bad time, but she was also instrumental in Lucy and Wendy defeating Sylph Labyrinth. Kai barely remembered who they were, and was sure she'd forget them within the day.
For the most part, he was too preoccupied staring up at the massive flame that was talking down to Natsu: not just an Eternal Flame, but Atlas Flame, the dragon that Natsu fought alongside during the Dragon Festival to defeat that bastard Future Rogue.
Kai glanced to the side, where he heard some muttering. Wendy knelt there, her hands clasped together. No doubt she cast Milky Way so Atlas Flame could speak with them.
"How the heck'd you get frozen, anyway, Uncle Atlas?" Natsu asked.
Uncle? Damn, dude built relationships fast.
"It was an Ice Demon Slayer, one who held a caliber of strength I did not think possible," the dying dragon said. "He believed me to be a demon of great renown and power, when in reality, I only watch over this peaceful little village."
"How could he mistake you for a demon?" Natsu asked.
"Because there is a demon born of fire that we must all be wary of," Atlas Flame said. "It is a creature that not even Igneel could defeat. It is E.N.D. and it is the most powerful demon from the Book of Zeref."
A shiver slithered down Kai's spine. Nobody else seemed all that bothered by it, save, of course, for Natsu, who likely froze at just the mention of Igneel's name.
Atlas bade them farewell, then faded to a much smaller flame. Wendy sighed, standing up straight. Natsu glanced down at his hands as Happy flew over to him.
Zeref.
Yet another monster they had to deal with. Maybe if Accadios's plan had gone through as intended, if he could go back in time and kill Zeref, he'd also stop this E.N.D. thing, too.
As far as Kai was aware, that Lullaby Flute and Deliora were also creations of Zeref. And, Zeref had been present on Tenrou Island when Acnologia came flying in.
Whoever this Ice Demon Slayer was, though, he intended to kill Atlas Flame. He intended to kill E.N.D.
"Gray?" Kai asked. "Know anything about Ice Demon Slayers?"
"No idea," Gray said. "I was hoping you would, maybe your dad knew of one."
"Never mentioned it. I didn't even know Demon Slayers were a thing."
"Me neither."
"Regardless, our mission is complete," Erza said, stepping forward. "We should report back to Warrod to let him know how things went, and perhaps he has knowledge on this E.N.D. creature and Zeref."
Natsu just nodded, still speechless. It was so unlike him, like he'd heard the name of a ghost or something.
They returned to Warrod around sunset, who couldn't have been happier to have them return safely and successfully.
As compensation, since he was a member of Fairy Tail and nobody expected him to actually pay up, he revealed a hidden hot springs location within the hills and brought the wizards there.
Lucy and Erza were quick to dive on in while Natsu, Gray, Kai, and Happy stayed behind with Warrod. Eventually, Gray warmed up to the idea and went over to the side for the boys.
Warrod sat nearby, sitting rather happily and comfortably near the edge of the water, letting his wooded feet soak a bit. He sat near Natsu and Kai.
"I think Mavis would've enjoyed this spot quite a bit," he muttered. "I wish we could've taken the guild out here more often, when it was just the four of us. It would've been quite, peaceful."
"I always thought First Master was a bit adventurous, considering that she founded the guild on Tenrou Island and made her way across the sea," Kai said.
"Believe it or not, I was one of the more adventurous ones of the group," Warrod said. "We were the ones who found Mavis, but…oh, you're right, she did love a good quest." Warrod sighed, relaxing in the glory of his memories. "She was truly the best of us."
"She wasn't master of Fairy Tail for nothing."
"Quite so."
Warrod stood, gathering his walking stick and stretching out his limbs. Kai eased back near the water. He stood, stripping off his shirt, and strode toward it, dipping his foot into the hotsprings.
The water relaxed him instantly and he almost fell right in. He eased into the waters, letting the steam rise around his naturally cold body.
"You seem perturbed, Natsu."
The old man shifted his gaze at Natsu, who still sat near the edge of the water.
"Atlas Flame mentioned a demon that not even Igneel could slay," Natsu said. "E.N.D." The Fire Dragon Slayer glanced up at the aged wizard. "Say, you're pretty old, know anything about that?"
Kai couldn't help chuckle as Gray turned red in the face. "Dude!"
"No, I do not, unfortunately," Warrod said. "The underworld and its demons are something I would rather avoid."
"Maybe it's not a big deal, then," Natsu muttered, slouching.
Warrod did give pause, though. "I do worry, though. Demons seem to be on the rise of late, don't they? Certainly within the last decade. First there's the lullaby incident, then the Galuna Island incident. Then, a Demon Slayer, first to surface in several years, comes on the scene. It's rather unsettling, isn't it?"
"Zeref himself was on Tenrou Island."
Warrod's eyes flared open and he shifted toward Kai. "What was that?"
"Yeah, I ran into him," Natsu said. "I mean, I didn't know it was him at the time. I was saved by Igneel scarf, but, yeah, he was there."
"On Tenrou?" Warrod asked. "What could he possibly be doing there?"
"Not sure, and he probably got off before Acnologia blew it sky high," Gray said from within the pool.
Warrod hummed. "That is indeed most troubling." He sat back down. "Zeref is a frightening enough person, yes, but all of his books, of late, have been gathering in one place, I've heard. They're being rounded up and worshipped by demon worshipers, a cult-Dark Guild known as Tartaros."
Kai perked up at that. "Tartaros?"
"Tehy idolize Zeref and his works. Perhaps even this demon, this E.N.D., is among their ilk, among Zeref's many creations."
"Well then it sounds like we need to stop them," Natsu said.
"We already know they may come after us," Kai said, mostly to Natsu, but he hoped Warrod could hear him out, too. "We were told by some friends that our victory at the Grand Magic Games may draw them out."
"Seems like someone's hunting demons, too," Gray said. "Now's the time to make a move."
"Then you must be careful," Warrod said. "Tartaros is no laughing matter. Anyone affiliated with Zeref is to be treated with the utmost sense of caution."
Natsu sneered. "No sweat, old man. We can take that guild no problem. We've handled Zeref's demons before."
Warrod straightened up, but did not lose the fear laden in his voice, that which unsettled Kai. "I'm aware but…trust me, children, this is an enemy you may regret coming up against."
Those final words stuck with Kai on their journey home. The only thing pushing against it was the promise that they would have the backing of a buffed Crime Sorciere when the time came to face Tartaros.
What worried Kai more was the seemingly invisible nature of their moves. Tartaros had their fingers in even more Dark Guilds than either of the two other Balam Alliance guilds. Fiore was a large country, and they could cover a lot of ground and do a lot of damage to draw Fairy Tail particularly thin.
Natsu was eager, though, to take them on and maybe defeat this E.N.D. They'd all come to an agreement that this demon had to be of some renown for an Ice Demon Slayer to come out and try and defeat it, though Natsu questioned why not get a Fire Demon Slayer.
"Because ice is the natural enemy of fire, duh," Lucy said.
"Yeah but I wouldn't send Kai to fight Igneel," Natsu said. "You know?"
Lucy stared at him blankly. "Shouldn't you be motion-sick?"
They arrived in Magnolia promptly, and returned to the guild even quicker to assuage any fears from Master Makarov that they'd somehow burned down Warrod's house. Although, Kai had to admit, that much was a bit of a miracle. Warrod had the sense to distract them with other things so Natsu didn't get board and start messing around.
On his way home, to at last reunite with Iggy, something caught Kai's attention in the window of a shop not far from the guild.
He glanced over his shoulder, to see if Erza were nearby, then darted into the building, and shutting the door to one of the many Magnolia jewelers.
They greeted him warmly, and he asked to see a tiny ring that'd been in the display.
All the talk of demons and Zeref did little to get Kai's mind off of Erza and their future. If anything, it made him want to hasten the process, to marry her and ensure they'd be together should…anything happen.
He also tried not to think like that.
All that occupied his mind, though, when the clerk handed him the ring were two things: first, this was not the ring for Erza…but second, that he was actually ring shopping for Erza Scarlet.
And that definitely lit a smile on his face.
Gotta love a nice, quick arc.
Next, TARTAROS! And we're definitely going to spice things up a bit with this one...