Night came and went rather quickly, it seemed. The armies of Alvarez all set up camps and watches in the fields before Magnolia, no doubt waiting for the next rush of battle to begin. The rearrangement of space time made Kai believe that a lot more time had passed, but instead, evening had just descended much quicker upon them.
Maybe an hour passed before there came a buzzing in Kai's ear, though the wince and aggravation everyone else felt told him that everyone else had a similar feeling.
"Listen to me, Fairy Tail!" It was a woman's voice, one Kai didn't recognize. "Mavis is in big trouble right now! We have to get back to the guild hall to save her!"
"Anyone know who this is?" Kai asked.
"Probably a Spriggan trap," Iggy said.
"What are you all talking about?" Ultear asked.
"A woman is speaking to the members of Fairy Tail," Wendy said. "But we don't know her."
"She has to be with Alvarez, then," Ultear said.
"Please, listen to me! We don't have much time! They're going to kill her!"
"Would a Spriggan know Mavis's first name?" Kai asked.
"Of course they would, Zeref would've said something," Iggy said.
Kai set his jaw. "She sounds genuine—"
"Hey! If you idiots don't start listening and getting back to the guild hall I'm gonna have to arrest all of you when I find you!" And that was Gajeel.
"Definitely didn't sound under duress to me," Kai muttered.
"No Spriggan would know how Gajeel talks," Carla said. "That has to be him."
"If that's the case then everyone will be converging on the guild hall pretty soon," Kai said. "We'll continue resting until we have more reinforcements.'
"We can attack now and loosen up the numbers."
"Or have every single one of the Spriggan Twelve, and Zeref, come bearing down on us," Kai said. "I don't think so. They're not hasty to move, so we should just stay calm back here as well."
Everyone ultimately nodded. Kai especially knew that they needed to keep Wendy as healthy and magically-full as possible; her healing magic could prove absolutely pivotal later on.
Day broke fast as night faded and the wizards stood upon the hill before the vast battlefield. Kai kept his sword sheathed.
"Iggy, see if you can find anyone from a guild to protect Ultear," Kai said. "We need to get her to safety."
"I'm sorry I can no longer be of use," Ultear said. "At least, on the battlefield. I'll tactically help however I can."
"Perfect," Kai said.
Iggy nodded, then grasped Ultear and they flew back over the hill they way they'd arrived.
"And that leaves us," Carla said.
"I want to conserve as much magic as I can for when we get into Magnolia and face the Spriggan Twelve," Kai said. "Wendy, you should probably do the same."
"It may be frugal, then, for us to skip the battlefield entirely," Carla said.
Kai shook his head. "Maybe you guys can, but once others charge in, I'm following after them. With enough reinforcements we won't need to use nearly as much magic as is necessary."
"And what if the Spriggan Twelve are somehow hidden in this huge sea of soldiers?" Carla asked.
Kai shrugged. "Then we have no choice."
Wendy and Carla nodded. Kai wanted to wait for Iggy to return so he could have the former Exceed help fly him across the battlefield at least partway. Iggy's Storm magic would be a massive boon for the forces of Ishgar, since her attacks had such a wide area of effect.
There came a great roar and blaring of magic from the west. A huge barrage of flames and water poured down on the enemy before a massive pillar of ice crashed down on a chunk of the enemy forces.
"It's Natsu and the others!" Wendy exclaimed.
"That's our cue!" Kai shouted.
"For what?"
Iggy returned overhead, still flying. Kai motioned her to come down.
"We've gotta thin the herd and then get into Magnolia," Kai said.
"Let's go, then!" Iggy shouted, and latched onto Kai, transforming into her Exceed form.
Carla did the same with Wendy and the two Dragon Slayers took off, aided by their Exceeds. Iggy dropped she and Kai down closer to the ground.
"Ice Dragon Tundra!" Kai cast, leveling the area in a huge blanket of ice, freezing the Alvarez forces in place.
They weaved around a powerful cannon blast that almost took Kai out and shot higher into the sky.
They didn't necessarily have any ships up there, but did have a small battalion of winged soldiers that Wendy had engaged with.
Several Ishgar wizards fired upon the enemy from below, too, including Yukino, who used her Libra Celestial Spirit to control pockets of gravity and send the enemy hurtling to the ground.
Iggy let Kai go and he kicked and slammed into some forces, sending them spiraling away. She caught him and they continued their assault, spiraling through the air toward a Commander in the army, wearing a heavy set of armor.
Kai used the momentum from Iggy to punch through the armor and send them flying through a huge line of forces. His fist was coated in ice.
A barrage of soldiers charged him.
"Iggy, let me go, you take care of the bigger chunks coming out of Magnolia," Kai said. "I can take these guys."
Without a word, Iggy left Kai to it and split. Kai hit the ground and drew his sword.
"Try me, you bastards," he muttered.
Several in heavy armor launched at him, with some wizards even backing them up with magic of their own. Kai's sword flared to life with ice magic and he darted at them.
In a single swing he had enough power to blow back the charging spearmen, and with a few more bounds and a blast of air he was able to take out the wizards.
Two Commanders approached with heavy glades held over their well-armored heads. Kai coated his arm in thick Ice Dragon Slayer magic and blocked one glade with his arm while he used his sword for the other.
They had quite an overwhelming amount of physical power, but Kai couldn't give up. He couldn't fold, couldn't let them think they could get any ground on him.
He let out a roar, that of a true dragon, and swung out, sending the two spinning, before taking the two out in a successive series of kicks.
Kai landed, facing a third Commander who'd appeared out of nowhere. Before he could parry their attack, though, something shot through the air and blasted them back, only to be followed by an angel of scarlet hair landing in front of him.
"Glad to see you're having fun out here too, dear husband," Erza said, winking back at Kai.
He could only smile at her, despite how bad he wanted to squeeze her.
"Seems like you're in the same boat," Kai said.
Their attention returned to their enemy. They flipped swords to one another; Erza using her Ice Empress Armor to supercharge the sword and cleave through a huge chunk of foes while Kai used the sheer might of Erza's blade to do the same.
Husband and wife spun around, blocking the spells of opposing commanders and sending them flying back into the faces of their opponents, knocking them right out.
A massive commander, almost the size of a half-giant, launched at them but was punched out of the sky by an even bigger fist.
"Erza! Where are Natsu and the others?"
Master Makarov sprinted over to them. He slammed his hands on the ground, casting a jutsu-shiki like Freed to momentarily keep the opponent at bay while he spoke with his senior wizards.
Erza and Kai exchanged weapons again.
"They were right behind me and I thought they'd only gotten lost in the battlefield," Erza reported.
"Kai? Were you with anyone?"
"Same. I sent Iggy ahead to deal with oncoming reinforcements. Wendy and Carla were heading up the winged soldiers with some of our air-support, I guess."
"Not necessarily ours, that's probably something from other guilds," Makarov said. "Excellent, that means we have our full strength here."
"We need it. All the Spriggans are in Magnolia," Kai said.
"As I suspected," Makarov muttered. "A few are out here now. The reanimated form of God Serena, that fool Bloodman. Gildarts is heading up God Serena while Orga and Rufus of Sabertooth are fighting Bloodman."
"Reanimated?"
"Yes. I seems their necromancer Neinheart is still alive, perhaps by some twisted form of magic by Zeref. We must defeat him. Doing so will eliminate both God Serena and Bloodman from the battlefield."
"Who beat God Serena, was it the other Gods of Ishgar?"
"According to Jura," Makarov said, his voice quite soft. "It was Acnologia, and in a single blow."
A chill ran through Kai.
"He said he was hunting Dragon Slayers," Makarov said. "Is he nearby?"
"I can't smell him," Kai said.
"Then he must have been flung away when all of this was rearranged," Makarov said, gesturing at the battlefield. Enemies continued to pound at the forcefield. Makarov hummed.
Neither Kai or Erza spoke. Other forces of Ishgar had indeed arrived on the battlefield—Minerva had leapt into the fray with Yukino while Crime Sorciere battered away at opponents. Lamia Scale was carving a slow but steady line toward Magnolia, too.
"Kai, can you smell Natsu and the others?"
"Faintly," Kai said after a few sniffs. "Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Gray, and Juvia are there." He grit his teeth. "Brandish and Dimaria are closing in on Natsu and Lucy."
"And Gray and Juvia?"
"One other."
"That'd be Invel, then, the Winter General." Makarov folded his arms behind his back. "Go to Gray. Natsu and Lucy will handle Brandish and Dimaria. If my recollections are correct, Brandish and Dimaria have something of a sisterhood, but Lucy has converted Brandish to our side. That may cripple Dimaria."
"All due respect, Master, I don't think we need to worry too much about her. Ultear, Iggy, and I were able to defeat her God Soul. She may have some Time magic, but nothing like before."
"That's even better news than I could've hoped." Makarov smiled up at Kai, a genuine one, that a grandfather would give to his grandchild. "Well done.
"Erza, I want you out here with me. Your versatility is vital to fending off the enemy forces. Kai, against Invel do not expect to win through Ice magic. You must use martial skill to defeat him. He is the greatest Ice wizard in the world."
Kai nodded. Makarov cracked his knuckles.
"Once I let this fall, I'll deal with these cretins. Both of you know what to do."
They glanced at one another and reached out, squeezing their hands together.
Makarov clasped his hands together. The barrier fell. In the same instant, Kai and Erza bolted away and Makarov fired off powerful golden beams to blaze through the enemy.
Kai and Erza darted off in opposite directions; Kai rode the momentum of power from Makarov's spell toward the town. When he landed, he managed to do so on his feet and sprinted through the enemy lines, barreling through the openings made by some of the other guilds, ore even Natsu and the others.
Anger boiled in him at the sight of a rundown, destroyed Magnolia, though some of it was pieces of other towns, too. There were clear signs of magical damage, of other battles having taken place.
Kai swore to get justice in his mind for the town, and continued on his way, running through the empty skeleton he had once called home, now little more than ruin. Gray and Juvia were up ahead, as well as a third force, one with absolutely tremendous magical power that did, indeed, dwarf Gray and Juvia's.
He bolted as fast as he could through the city but the battle behind and in front of him continued to rage on.
"Make it," he muttered to himself. "Just make it, just make it in time."
He unsheathed his sword and tried to push himself on faster without expending magic. Damn it! Come on!
Kai slid around a corner and then clambered up some rubble, leaping off of it to clear even greater ground. He landed on another building and slid down it for better speed, using it as a boost to cut around another corner of town and slide to see:
Juvia and Gray, both impaled by their own magic. Juvia dropped to her knees, Gray sting at her in utter disbelief. Beyond them stood a man, who didn't even look touched, had his arms folded behind his back.
"Juvia!" Gray shouted.
Juvia smiled and muttered something to Gray before hitting the ground. Gray lost his footing and dropped as well. Blood spewed all around them.
Kai couldn't even speak; he just opened his mouth in a wordless scream.
The wizard, likely that Invel figure, looked beyond Gray and Juvia.
"Perhaps you may prove up to snuff with the power of my winter," Invel said. "You're Kai Hope, the Ice Dragon Slayer, nephew to Acnologia. Yes, His Majesty will be quite relieved to see you defeated."
He pushed his glasses up to adjust them. Kai sprinted over to Juvia.
"Hey, you okay?" Kai asked.
Juvia couldn't respond, but still smiled. Somehow, magic still ebbed form her.
Kai turned to Gray, who lay motionless.
He rose to his feet. Invel still didn't make a move toward Kai.
"Wha—"
A massive rush of wind almost knocked Invel off-balance as enraged Kai reappeared in front of him, slamming his fist down on a heavy Ice wall that appeared in front of Invel.
"You're gonna die, right here!" Kai roared.
"Quite different from the last time we met, you're much stronger, but just as unhinged, aren't you?" Invel muttered.
Kai surged his power down on Invel, who just bounced him back. Kai, without thinking, summoned Ice magic into his sword and blasted it at Invel, who didn't even need to move to have it deflected.
"I am the greatest Ice Wizard who ever lived," Invel said. "Even your great Dragon Slayer magic pales in comparison to mastery of winter."
"We'll see," Kai said, falling into a proper stance.
"I had to make sure that my power would be greater than yours after you embarrassed me in front of my entire village," Invel said, his voice turning cold.
"What?"
"It was nine years ago," Invel said. "I was the greatest wizard of my village, who sought to only mock my power. I prepared an army of Vulcan to attack it and show them my true strength, and then you came and defeated me as if it were nothing. And I knew then what I had to do.
"I had to seek out the greatest. I had to find the Dark Wizard Zeref and gain Ice Magic to surpass you, or any of your kin from Fairy Tail. And His Majesty trained me, grinding me to nothing before reshaping me into the Winter General, his greatest advisor.
"Now you stand helpless before me, Kai Hope, same as Gray Fullbuster. Though, you are in the way of my plans."
"Yeah, sounds like I do that to you quite a bit," Kai muttered. "What plans are these?"
Invel gestured behind Kai. "Those."
Kai turned.
Gray slowly got to his feet, inspecting a small tube of magic pumping into his body. It came from Juvia; she was performing a blood transfusion.
"She sacrificed herself for him."
"You killed her."
"For him. Because he is the one that shall kill E.N.D. I'll not allow His Majesty to face his own brother like that."
"What?" Kai asked, spinning around, but before he could say anything more, he was frozen in place.
Invel smiled at Gray and turned around. Kai quickly absorbed the ice, breaking free.
"Get back here!"
"Have fun dealing with…him…"
Kai glanced back at Gray. An ever-darkening aura consumed Gray, and a great cry broke free of the Ice-Make wizard.
No.
That wizard was gone.
This was a Demon Slayer.
Gray glared up toward Kai, but even the Dragon Slayer could tell his ire was not toward Kai. Gray's eyes flashed purple and he blitzed toward Invel, who turned in true disbelief.
He cast magic to protect himself but Gray's own purple Ice Demon Slayer magic obliterated it.
"No!" Invel exclaimed, and was too slow to block Gray's next attack, which leveled Invel through several buildings.
Kai sprinted after him, landing just in front of him after taking a leap over a fallen building.
Invel lay broken in the rubble.
"It—it's perfect," Invel said through heavy breathing. "He's perfect. Yes, he will defeat E.N.D."
Kai slammed his knee onto Invel's chest. "Who is E.N.D.? Who is Zeref's brother?"
Invel laugher, some blood trickling down his mouth. "Why, he's your dear friend."
Mard Geer's words from before rang through Kai's mind.
"E.N.D. is quite simply Etherious Natsu Dragneel. Zeref's brother he returned from the dead. And your dear friend."
Kai grabbed Invel by the collar and raised him up.
"You're lying!"
"I'm not!" Invel exclaimed. "What do I have to lose?"
He howled a laugh and Kai let him go. Well, if only Kai knew, then maybe he could get to Natsu, or Lucy, or Master Makarov, and let them know before—
He turned, and just a few feet away, no doubt having heard the whole thing, stood Gray.
The one sworn to defeat E.N.D.
"Don't even think about it, Gray."
The black demon magic on Gray's arm slithered. "Think about what? There's nothing to consider. E.N.D. is going down. He's the reason my family was destroyed."
"We're talking about Natsu!" Kai shouted.
"No. We're talking about a demon."
"Natsu isn't a demon."
"Maybe just doesn't know it."
"Would you listen to—"
Kai stopped. That look in Gray's eyes…Kai had never seen it before.
Definitely, Kai wasn't speaking to Gray anymore. He was speaking to the Demon Slayer, possessed by the strength and darkness of a demon.
"Don't do this."
Gray raised an arm. "You can't stop me."
In a flash, Ice Magic shot at Kai that the Dragon Slayer had to deflect. He tried and failed to absorb it.
Gray shot at Kai, who braced to face his friend gone mad…only hoping that another friend hadn't also fallen into an equally powerful darkness.