The winds at last died down, giving Erza the chance to hit the ground and Requip into a new armor set: her Morning Star Armor. Irene's fluffy hat flaps obscured all of her face save for her cheeky half-grin.

"Requips? How creative." Irene raised her staff. Her magical output far dwarfed that of Dimaria, outside of the God Soul transformation, Ajeel, and Brandish.

It was probably on par with Acnologia's, in fact, and something about her magic was so familiar.

Beyond that, of course, she had Erza's scent. And Erza's facial structure. Kai pursed his lips.

It couldn't be…right?

Erza raised her twin blades. Irene kept her focus on Erza.

"Well?" Irene asked. "What are you waiting for, Erza?"

"This magic is familiar. Are you the one that enchanted the enemy soldiers?"

"So intelligent. Yes. That was my Berserker Enchantment. But you have a powerful Master. That Fairy Law spell could have caused me some serious harm. If he were in his prime, I bet."

Kai stayed put, waiting to see what Erza would do.

"So it was you who forced his demise."

"Demise?" Kai heard Wendy whimper above.

"In a way," Irene said, shifting her staff between her hands. "But I am only doing what I am meant to. Your Ishgar allies are far more prominent and powerful than we'd predicted. But the gloves are off, now. His Majesty is moments from attaining Fairy Heart, and our greatest assets yet remain on the board, such as August and myself. Not to mention the looming threat of Acnologia. I'm sure when he comes back he'll be raring for another round against me."

"You defeated him?" Kai asked. Impossible. Acnologia consumed magic. How could she have a spell that would defeat him?

"I removed him," Irene said. "Universe One is a potent spell. It's how I rearranged this entire kingdom."

"You've caused us a lot of problems," Erza said. "Like standing in between us and returning to our guild hall."

"And I'l like to see what you'll do about it, Erza," Irene said. "So far, it seems like nothing."

"There's nothing I won't do to get back home!" Erza roared, and aimed her twin swords at Irene. "Photon Slicer!"

The two swords shot a beam that joined together just before hitting Irene, who slapped it aside with her staff. Erza blitzed the woman. Kai dashed after her.

Irene glanced over in his direction and aimed her staff at him.

A projection of herself appeared in front of him and punched him hard across the face, sending him spinning away.

"Don't bother," Irene said. "This is between the two of us."

Erza brought her swords down on Irene, who blocked. Erza followed with even more sword strikes, moving fast and hard as she possibly could.

And none broke through to Irene, at all.

The winds picked up and the magic pressure in the area increased to all-new heights as Kai watched Erza attempt to go to town on this woman but he gave Erza no openings. Granted, she was hardly attacking, too.

Any attacks she did unleash were simple beams or balls of magic for Erza to dodge and weave through.

Irene wasn't testing Erza. She was toying with her.

Erza landed from one set of strikes and Requipped into her Ataraxia Armor. The swords behind her spread out like wings. Erza straightened her back and reengaged Irene quickly, the blades all launching at Irene.

She deflected each of them quite easily, even summoning one to her and using it as a weapon to shoot a scarlet beam right at Erza, who retracted the blades and used them as a shield to deflect Irene's attack.

Kai remained frozen, unsure of how to approach the battle at all. He couldn't see any openings for himself.

He glance over his shoulder, where Wendy stood firm, her arms outstretched. Magic poured off of her as she summoned more magic into Erza, enhancing her power and speed.

Erza zipped around Irene's attacks, neither able to get a hit on the other. Erza morphed into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, summoning an Armada of swords around her. Irene smiled up at it.

"Blumenblaut!"

The swords descended like missiles down at Irene, who didn't make an attempt at dodging. They hit the ground with a massive explosion, shooting dust and debris all over the place. Erza landed and Requipped into her Red-Black Armor, holding the eponymous Red-Black Twin Blades in her hand.

"A direct hit!" Carla exclaimed.

"Doesn't mean anything," Erza said.

Kai stepped up next to Erza.

"Now that you've had your turn," Kai said. "What say the two of us attack this together this time?"

The dust billowed away from Irene, revealing her standing in the center of the swords, having shaped them into a flower. Irene nonchalantly clapped and smiled at Erza.

"I couldn't be more proud of you, Erza," Irene said. "That was most impressive. For that, you've earned a flower."

Irene tapped her staff on the ground and the swords melted away, fading into the ether. Erza shifted the grip on her swords. Kai glowered at Irene.

"What's with the long faces? Before long, you'll understand why I'm having so much fun," Irene said, leaning against her staff.

"You Spriggans are all terrible," Kai said.

"Because you haven't enjoyed your fair-share of fighting, either?" Irene chuckled. "I know some part of you is satisfied by that challenge. Especially at the prospect of Acnologia coming back."

Kai hesitated before speaking. Could she read his mind? She raised her head, revealing more of her face. One that looked striking similar, if a little more aged, to Erza's. Kai balled two fists. Who was this woman…really?

"Uncomfortable with the sight of someone looking just like the love of your life?" Irene asked. "Perhaps. But I believe those are the usual feelings one gets when meeting family."

"Family?" Erza asked.

No…

Kai closed his eyes.

"I'm sad you haven't figured it out yet, Erza." Irene stood up from against her staff. "I'm your mother."

"No!" Erza barked. "No, you're not!"

Irene smiled, then at last shifted her attention to Kai.

"You can't truly prove it, but you can smell it, can't you, Dragon Slayer?"

Kai glowered back at Irene, and for a moment, swore he saw the visage of his father there. Of another parent who had gone rogue and sided against his real family.

"How?" Kai asked. "And why would you abandon Erza?"'

"Oh that is a long story, but I'm sure you and that little girl over there would be quite interested in," Irene said. "Don't worry, you're in no rush to lose this war."

Erza tensed and went to move but scaled chains shot from the ground around her and held Erza in place.

"Please," Irene said, lowering her staff toward Erza. The chains dissipated. "This concerns most of you."

"How?" Kai asked.

"Don't you wonder how Dragon Slayer magic came to be, who first created it?" Irene asked. "And don't you wonder if there's not only a Dragon King…but a Dragon Queen?" Irene chuckled once more. "And don't you think it's possible that both…are me?"

Kai could hardly say a thing. Erza shifted the grip on her swords. Wendy marched up next to them.

"Go on," Kai said.

"We can't trust a word she has to say," Erza said. "She's the enemy."

"Your father knew all about it, son," Irene said, gesturing at Kai. "Because he was there, four hundred years ago…"

And thus, Irene Belserion, Queen of the Dragons, spoke her tale. She relayed to them all that happened to her in the ancient kingdom of Dragnof, of her friendship with the dragon Belserion, whom she'd adopted the name from.

She spoke of the rumblings of the initial Dragon Civil War, one that Acnologia would one day end in his rampage, and how Belserion sided with Irene and the humans. Irene had always been powerful, perhaps enough to contend with dragons, and her specialty lay with Enchantments, like Wendy.

Her friendship with Belserion, the Sage Dragon, helped foster this magic. It soon garnered the attention of a knight, Rung, who came to fall in love with Irene and eventually the two fell in love.

Kai couldn't help wondering if his parents met in the same circumstances. If Ichigo Nakamura had somehow been roped in with all of this.

As the war began, Irene sought ways to help Belserion in battle, and he bequeathed onto her parcels of his own magic, thus creating the first Dragon Slayer.

"Acnologia doesn't even know it," Irene said, a genuine smile breaking across her face. "But there are still Dragon Slayers yet alive. I am the greatest of our kin."

But her body could not handle the magic, same as others whom she bestowed it onto. Kai couldn't help wondering how far removed from Irene he was. It had to be quite a bit for him to have been born so late after her discovery; she learned all of this four hundred years ago, how could it be possible for her to have given it to the children?

Slowly, the Dragon Slayers began to fall prey to their very magic, turning mad and turning against one another. They could not control their draconian instincts. Said draconian properties also gave them motion sickness, as their souls and bodies rode the line between human and dragon.

But eventually, all Dragon Slayers became Dragons, and Irene was not immune to this. Her transformation came slowly at first, but she showed inevitable signs of transformation. As she explained, it all came down to the Dragon Seed in her body.

The very one that Kairi and all the others had ensured would never grow again in the bodies of the younger Dragon Slayers. They were safe from that curse.

Kai balled a fist. But…

What about Kairi? What if she…had been human after all?

Acnologia inevitably weaved his way into this story, killing Belserion in front of Irene and her husband and leaving them in peace, as they were not dragons, nor did Acnologia yet know of the power for Dragon Slayers to become Dragons.

Irene, soon, came to be with child, but her draconic transformation pushed her husband away, to the point where he saw her as a plague, and feared her.

"For years I stayed with child, not allowing her to grow with my magic, to protect her from being born into a cruel world. They tormented me until at last the date of my execution came." A long shadow cast over Irene's face. "When at last I tried to escape and my husband slashed at my stomach to cut her away from me. It was then that my transformation completed and I became the Sage Dragon anew."

Her husband and all the others in the castle died that day, and she vanished, lost to time for hundreds of years, still with child. She refused to bear the child until she could be human again, so the child would not fall prey to Dragon Slayer magic.

At last, Zeref found her, hiding in the mountains, and there he helped her return to her human body, but as she stated,

"My mind was still very much in that of the dragon's. And I did not wish to be a dragon, I still desperately wanted to be human. And this body had been defiled by draconic blood and rituals. I wanted a fresh start. Perhaps, I thought, I could enchant myself into a new body. I could take my child's. When I gave birth, though, I found I could not do it. I'm not sure why. Thus I gave you away, Erza." Irene shrugged. "You served me no greater use. And you've grown into this? Your body would not be worth enchanting."

Kai gulped. He so desperately wished to feel pity for this woman, but something held him back. What?

Was it that she would fight her own daughter? Similar guilt and bitterness toward his father surfaced.

"I—I have no blood parents," Erza said, holding tight to her swords. "My family is Fairy Tail! My master is the only parents I need!"

"He is gone," Irene said.

"Because of you! How can you be my mother if you would treat me this way?"

Irene gestured at Kai. "Ask your allies what they think of their parents. I know all about the legendary Ichigo Nakamura. The Water God-Slayer. Tell me, how was he defeated? Erza, our relationship…I hoped long ago that it would be something marvelous. Now?" Irene raised her staff. "Now I know it is nothing! You are just a pathetic girl who needs to be destroyed in service of His Majesty!"

Wendy quickly fell into her stance, empowering Kai and Erza.

"I will abandon this body one day," Irene growled. "I will no longer bear the curse of the Dragon Seed! Unfortunately for you two…well, you'd best wish for death today at my hand."

"We're not concerned with the Dragon Seed," Kai said.

"Our dragons stunted it, so it will never grow again," Wendy said.

Irene tightened her grip around her staff. "N—no! No! There is no way for Dragon Slayers to not become Dragons! It is inevitable."

"Nothing is inevitable," Kai said, lowering into a fighting stance.

"That's not fair," Irene muttered before slamming her staff on the ground. "It's not fair! Give me my proper life back, then! I want it all back!"

She roared and a red orb appeared around her that shot lances and beams of magical energy out of it.

Kai and Erza dashed forward while everyone else hung back, Wendy protected behind Iggy's storm wall.

Erza Requipped into her Ice Empress Armor while Kai charged up his sword. Irene just smirked.

She slammed her staff down and a beam of light almost burst beneath Kai, but he summoned a glacier to push him into the air and dodged the attack.

Erza laid into Irene, who, true to form, easily batted away all of her attacks.

Kai flung his sword down at his wife, who dodged beneath Irene'e staff and caught the blade. Kai slammed his hands together.

"Frozen Sword Formation: Sheer Cold Second Layer!"

Irene back-hand slapped Erza, sending the spell errantly away. However, with her staff, Irene pointed at the beam of ice and turned it into a stream of fire that she then turned to mud and then hardened stone and slammed him to the ground. All of his bones cracked hard on impact.

The stones tumbled away and she started toward him, her staff aimed down at him.

"I expected more," she said.

"Still getting over the in-law thing," Kai muttered.

"Cute."

A flare of magic blasted from Irene's staff but Erza, still in her Red-Black armor, kicked it away and swung her sword at Irene, cutting through some of her hat. Kai blasted forward, almost landing a punch on Irene who vanished.

"An illusion," Kai managed to say before a beam of magic wheeled around and hit him.

Several orbs of scarlet power appeared overhead and blasted down at him, plowing him through the ground and then out the other end. He slammed into a toppled building.

Erza barreled down on Irene with her swords, merging them into one, almost managing to snap Irene's staff. However, the Enchanter's rage spilled over and she returned the magic right back at Erza, who flew away. Erza slid back, Requipping into her Adamantium Armor to block the ensuing attack.

Erza emerged from the dust and debris in her Nakagami Armor, charging Irene with everything she had, holding her massive halberd behind her before surging it forward.

Irene slammed her staff down and created a nigh-impenetrable forcefield with her magic that Erza slammed into, trying to push her way through.

"Perhaps it is not so weak after all!" Irene exclaimed. "But you forget who you are dealing with!"

"Wendy…now!" Erza roared.

Kai hadn't even realized it yet, but Wendy hadn't been Enchanting either of them for a while. No wonder Irene's moves seemed faster against Erza.

Erza's strength surged.

Irene held out a hand, which seemed to be awfully talon-like, and a red aura appeared around it.

"I shall undo your enchantment! Deus Cero!"

"And I'll undo that with an Deus Cero of my own!" Wendy exclaimed. Wendy's power surged, shooting up so she could enter her Dragon Force and rival Irene's.

"Impossible! Such a young wizard with that kind of Enchantment ability?"

Irene went silent as Erza broke through the forcefield and almost slammed her sword down on Irene, nearly splitting her in two, were it not for the staff shooting up and splintering in front of Irene.

Kai dropped from the building, his legs a little wobbly.

Irene blasted Erza away as if she were nothing, then held her hand toward Wendy.

"I did wonder all that time ago whether or not it would even be possible," Irene muttered. "If there would be some sort of…conditions that would need to be met. But it seems that, if there were to be any…you, my dear, would meet all of them! Yes, yes, this is all-too perfect!"

The red aura around Irene's hand intensified, but, so did the winds around her. Before her spell could leave her hands, Kai's sword, that he'd long since dropped, flew through the air and sliced Irene's talon-like hand clean off.

The former Dragon Queen roared and turned to face who dared do that to her, and to everyone's surprise, it was not Erza, but Iggy.

"I get what it's like to be trapped in a body you've been cursed with!" Iggy exclaimed. "But you never learned to embrace it, to accept and love yourself! You just wanted to push that curse and hatred onto others!"

Irene snarled and unleashed a motherland of magic on Iggy, who immediately dodged out of the way, thanks to Wendy changing her enchantment to Iggy.

Iggy flipped end-over-end and landed a solid kick on Irene's shoulder, then vanished and dodged another attack. The Stormrunner ushered down a massive tornado that spiraled down and slammed on Irene, who turned it into a pillar of stone and blasted the debris everywhere.

"Stay out of this, pest," Irene growled, and aimed her hand at Iggy, who prepared to dodge again.

Instead, Iggy flew straight ahead, right into the direction of the winds. Irene blasted at Iggy and Iggy dodged, but Irene closed her fist. Something flew through the air, something non-magical that Iggy couldn't sense, and ripped straight through her chest.

Iggy dropped to the ground instantly. The broken part of Irene's staff landed in Irene's hands and a dark red aura covered Iggy, who screamed in absolute agony.

"You want to know suffering again? Now you will. So long as I live, you will suffer. And when it is my time to perish?"

Irene glared across the way at Kai, who seethed.

"So will you," Irene said.

Kai balled a fist and summoned his strength but couldn't move. Irene held her staff in Iggy's direction.

A talon make of red shadows formed where Irene's hand had once been.

"So strike me down," Irene said. "Do you worst."

"Wendy!" Kai shouted. "Can you undo this enchantment?"

Irene snarled. "She won't get the chance!"

The Scarlet Despair whipped around to try and strike down Iggy and ran right into Erza, who punched Irene hard across the face.

"You won't kill my friends or harm my family!" Kai roared.

"You've caused enough pain!" Erza followed.

Kai shot after Erza. Irene flipped over and caught herself, scrapping magic along the ground on the way, shooting it all over the place to try and ensnare Kai and Erza in it, but the two expertly wove through the magic and landed in front of Irene.

Erza, now in her Armadura Fairy Armor, swung the sword up at Irene, who blocked with her shadow-talon.

"Ice Dragon Roar!"

Irene did her best to block with her free hand but Erza adjusted the two so Irene took the blast point-blank. She flew through several buildings.

Kai and Erza sprinted after her, at last leaving the boundaries of Magnolia and leaving Wendy and Carla in the dust to deal with Iggy. They'd miss Wendy's enchantments, but nothing held their fury back anymore.

Irene slammed her fist on the ground and the entire place erupted in red light before two draconic statues appeared, then came to life and launched at Kai and Erza.

Erza adjusted properly in the air, while Kai slid beneath the magic dragon. He dodged its talon then struck back with one of his own, stunning it.

Before he could finish it off, Irene sprinted into view, almost clawing him across the face were it not for his instincts. Those instincts, though, did not help him dodge the dragon roar that came from the ethereal beast that slammed him deep into the ground.

Erza easily dealt with her dragon—her magic power soaring to heights even he didn't know it went to—and spun around to face Irene, swinging her sword down on her mother with a magical slice that tore the sky in two. Irene blocked with her shadow claw and struggled to shove it aside. That gave Kai a glimpse of an opening, which he took:

Kai propelled out of the burrow he'd been in, snatching his sword right out to the air when he emerged. Erza engaged Irene again, forcing the Scarlet Despair into the air right in front of Kai, where she didn't see him until the last possible second.

"I love you, Erza," Kai muttered, so happy she could be so in sync with him. "Ice Dragon Twister!"

Kai ripped the blade up, part of it slicing through Irene's skin as the twister burst to life around Irene before it completely consumed her and sent her flying way away into the ground.

Kai slid to a halt as Erza jogged up next to him, moving out of her Armadura Fairy Requip into her more basic Clear Heart clothing.

Irene crashed to the ground but did so standing, then she braced her arms against the ground as she pitched forward.

"I haven't been injured like this in ages," Irene muttered. "I'd almost forgotten what pain felt like. Yes…yes, you two are truly something magnificent together, aren't you?"

"It's over," Erza said. "Surrender."

"No. We've only just begun, Erza," Irene said, and her magic power somehow pulsed…and grow. "We've only just begun to have fun! Both of you think you can slay the Dragon Queen when you have not even seen her true form, when you have not seen the monster behind it all!"

Her final word echoed across the open fields and back into Magnolia as a red bolt of lightning struck down on her and scales coated her entire body.

Erza summoned another blade. "Photon Slicer!"

"Ice Dragon Roar!"

Both spells shot across the way at Irene with great power and speed and deflected harmlessly off of her growing body, now riddled with red scales.

She peered down on them with draconic eyes—sharp and piercing.

Another gust of wind and several more sparks flew before what had been Irene exploded and gave way to a massive scarlet dragon, spreading wings with feathers on the tips of them and roaring into the sky.

Kai and Erza slid back from the power before the dragon pounced them, swinging at Erza. Kai pushed her away and managed to throw up an Ice Dragon Shield that barely did a thing to halt the attack as he was batted way away. He tumbled to the edge of a cliff overlooking a massive lake.

Irene roared again, spreading her wings.

"Now come, my children!" Irene roared.

Kai managed to get to his feet, not even bothering to reach for his sword. Erza, too, stayed on her feet. The two stood opposite one another on the field, staring down the mother of Dragon Slayer magic, the one who, inadvertently, possibly gave way for the possibility of Acnologia.

And the one who, unless Wendy had enough time, held Iggy's life in her hands.