Back with the continuation
"speaking"
""thinking""
On with the story
With Natsu and the others
Kyôka was shackled, with Lisanna, Erza, and furious Natsu watching over her.
"Where's Mira and Elfman?" Natsu demanded from her
"Elfman was captured as well?" Erza asked and was answered by Lisanna's nod.
She turned back to Kyôka, holding her sword against the imprisoned demon's throat. "Where are they? Talk."
"This one knows not of an Elfman." Kyôka answered.
"But the one named Mira is located in the laboratory two levels above. However it may be too late to assist her"
"I'm going up there." Lisanna declared.
"Natsu, go with her." Erza ordered. "There may be trouble along the way. I will stay and deal with this one."
Natsu hesitated as he looks at his wife
"Don't worry, I will be fine. We promised to go back home together, right?" Erza said with a smile as Natsu nodded
"be safe" Natsu said as Erza nodded before the man runs to catch up with Lisanna
With those two gone, Erza and Kyôka were once again alone, though their roles were reversed.
"What was that shaking earlier?" Erza interrogated.
"That was our castle's reaction to Face's wards being removed."
Erza's eyes went wide with shock. "Face's wards removed? You don't mean that Jellal has-"
"He still lives." Kyôka interrupted. "The ward was vanquished through…other means."
"What are you hoping to accomplish through all of this? If Face has the power to eliminate all magic from the continent like the council said, then what could you possibly gain from activating it?"
Kyôka chuckled before answering the question.
"It will allow us to return to our Master, Zeref!" Before Erza had time to retort, the demon cut through her chains with her lengthened claws.
"You have deceived yourself! Those chains merely suppress magic power. They have no effect on those of us with curse power!" The demon swiped at Erza, but the redhead side-stepped, using her forearm to block. Erza then rose her leg and kicked Kyôka in the face, sending her to the ground.
"So…" Erza began, her eyes sharp. "You're all fanatical worshippers of Zeref?"
Kyôka looked back at Erza with sadistic joy. "Zeref used the written word to record his love. We demons, we are his words made flesh!" Kyôka extended her claws, but once again Erza dodged. She rushed forward and slashed at Erza, who blocked again. This time with her sword.
"Why should we not believe in our creator?" Kyôka inquired.
"Believe whatever you want." Erza retorted. The sounds of blades clanging rang throughout the vacant hall.
"But you should to look to your own heart when making your decisions!" Erza continued. "Not the honeyed words of a zealot!"
"Human's cannot comprehend what we demons feel," Kyôka told her
Erza knocked away Kyôka's hand, staggering the demon and allowing herself time to requip.
"Humans have beliefs too!" she stated.
"But you must never lose your own soul for those beliefs. Strive for the courage to think for yourself." Erza donned her Piercing armor and thrust her javelin into Kyôka's abdomen.
"And walk on your own two feet!" She forced Kyôka into the ground, the pressure from her armor's strength plunging both of them further underground.
On the underside of the Cube, Fairy Tail continued their battle with Tartaros' forces.
Gray found himself swarmed by the hordes of armored soldiers. "Dammit! Quit mobbing me!" he swung his arm, summoning a wall of spiked ice between him and his attackers.
"Get out of my way!" He was so focused on the enemies in front of him that the ice wizard failed to notice those coming from behind. One jumped into the air, his spear pointed at Gray's back.
"Gray-sama!" Juvia shouted. She turned into water and sped to his defense, kicking the armored attacker in face.
"Thanks for the save, Juvia." Gray said.
"You're welcome." she smiled, solidifying herself and standing back to back with him.
Everyone was giving it their all as the endless amount of soldiers keeps attacking them over and over
"How many of these guys are there?" Jet complained.
"They just keep coming!" Droy added.
"We're stuck!" Max shouted. "We gotta protect Laxus and the others!"
"We need to find a way in!" Romeo yelled.
"We can't use Aera in this gravitational field." Charla explained. "The force would just pull us back down."
"But we have to find a way to the top." Lilyreminded.
"But how will we…?" Lucy asked, biting her lower lip in frustration.
"Have we not found a place to break through yet!" Makarov shouted.
Just as hope was beginning to dwindle, a portion of the ground began to rise. It then exploded out, a large hole appearing in its place.
"What was that?" Alana asked.
From hole emerged Erza, falling through the air with Kyôka floating just above the end of her javelin.
"Erza?!" Lucy blurted.
"Look!" Gray pointed to the hole. "She broke through! That's our way in!"
Erza fell a few meters more before she was pulled back to the cube. She landed on her feet, equipping back to her hakama and sarashi.
"What is with the gravity here?!"
"Erza!" Laki exclaimed happily.
"You're ok!" Warren shouted.
"Mama!" Rose and Mary runs to her as Erza hugs them
"I'm sorry for worrying the both of you" Erza said before she looked up, seeing the town of Magnolia overhead. "What is going on?"
"We don't have to explain now!" Gray shouted. "We're going to head through the hole you made!"
"Right!" Erza acknowledged. "Lisanna and Natsu are safe as well. They're searching for Mirajane" She added.
"Where is Elfman?!"
"Right here!" he answered. He then jumped into the hole, the Fairy Tail wizards following behind him.
"I'm going to fix my mess!"
"Don't forget to retrieve the blood from the one with Devil Particles!" Porlyusica reminded.
"You got it!" everyone saluted before jumping into the hole.
Erza watched her friends, a grin on her face before she was grabbed by Kyôka and was lifted into the air.
"Erza!" Lucy shouted.
"MAMA!" Rose and Mary screamed as their mother was swinged away
"Don't mind me! Just go!" Erza ordered. "Face's wards are gone! You have to stop it from activating!"
"Ok!" Lucy nodded before Ikaruga takes the twins and jumps in the whole with Lucy
Kyôka slammed Erza back to the ground, but the redhead grinned eagerly.
"I haven't properly expressed my gratitude to you yet, have I?" Erza asked.
Kyôka returned Erza's grin with a glare.
"This one will make you pay for nearly ruining Master's gift to this one!" Kyôka exclaimed as she holds her left claw to her abdomen
She then looked to her soldiers. "After them!" she commanded. "They must not reach the castle!"
"Yes ma'am!" The guards saluted. They ran towards the hole and jumps in
With Natsu and Lisanna
Natsu and Lisanna ran through the castle, soon coming upon a flight of stairs. "Up there, Natsu!" Lisanna pointed.
"Right!"
As they ascended the stone steps they were spotted by a group of guards.
"There they are!" one of them shouted. "Don't let the prisoners escape!"
Natsu stopped and turned to face them. "Lisanna, you go on ahead."
"But, Natsu…"
"Go!" Natsu jumped from the stairs to the guards. "Find Mira!"
"Ok!" Lisanna nodded reluctantly and continued up the stairs.
Natsu equips Enryuo no Kiba and readied it before he dashed towards the guards and defeated them in a single strike
"Now to catch up to Lisanna and-what the hell?" Natsu said as he looked back to the guards he had defeated as they were floating in mid-air. It was as if time had stopped. "What's going on?"
Hollow footsteps echoed ominously through the hall.
"I knew you make it this far, Natsu."
Natsu turned his head around and sees Zeref.
"Zeref" Natsu said before the two heard other footsteps coming from behind Zeref as they turned around and sees END approaching them with his new looks
"what took you so long?" END said as he had a smirk on his face
"END." Natsu said as the demon stands beside Zeref
"I'm here to pick you up" Zeref said with a smile to him
"yeah about that" END said as he stand beside Natsu
"a game has begun and I'm in the middle of playing it" END told his brother
Zeref kept smiling to him as he nodded to END
"I see, so you intend to finish the game you started?" Zeref asked as END nodded
"Demons and Fairies, who do you bet?" END asked Zeref who shook his head
"I won't be betting on any side," Zeref replied to him
END sighs as he shrugs his shoulders "you were never the betting type anyway" he said to him
"the time will come, Natsu. You better win the game" Zeref said as he turns around and disappeared
And as he disappeared, the time went back normal
"now then" END said as he and Natsu looked at each other
"I'll be laying low while you try to defeat my or rather our guild members in the game" END said as he walks away before disappearing into thin air
Natsu looks to where he had disappeared before he started running upstairs to catch up with Lisanna
With Lisanna
Lisanna finally reached the laboratory and frantically called for her sister as she ran through the tube laden room. "Mira-nee?! Mira-nee! where are you?!"
The eldest Strauss sibling walked from the side of one of the pods, surprised to see her little sister. "Lisanna?!"
Lisanna leapt to her sister, wrapping her arms around her in a loving hug. "Thank goodness!" she cried.
"What are you doing here? And why are you in animal soul?"
Lisanna let her sister go, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I needed clothes."
"I don't understand."
"I was captured." Lisanna revealed. "Along with Natsu, Erza, and Elf-nicchan."
"What?!" Mirajane gasped in shock. "Where are they?!"
"Natsu and Erza are both ok, but we still have to find Elf, I was told he might be in here with you."
"But I haven't seen him." Mirajane said.
"That man was not captured." Sayla approached the sisters, her angered eyes focused on them.
"Be careful, Mira-nee!" Lisanna warned. "She can control people! She was the one who captured me and Elf and…"
"Get back." Mira said, stepping in front of her sister. She could sense how powerful Sayla was regardless of Lisanna's warning.
"I directed the one named Elfman to destroy your guild hall, and he did what I asked. Magnificently reducing your hall to rubble." The air began to shift and Sayla's mood worsened. "However, my plan failed. Not one wizard was killed."
Mirajane gave no answer, but Lisanna sighed in exasperation. She knew exactly what her sister was thinking. There were consequences for messing with their family, whether they blood or not.
Sayla gritted her teeth. "I was humiliated before Kyôka-sama, and that man is to blame! My tale is coming apart!" she looked Mirajane with hollow eyes. "So I will sate my vengeance by killing his elder sister!"
Mirajane's demonic glare matched Sayla's. "You had my brother do those things, huh? Then allow me to pay his debt in full."
In the monitor room
Franmalth typed away on the screens in the archive, finding more and more odd things by the second.
"How did Face appear so far from where we predicted?" he wondered. "I knew there would be a few small deviances, but nothing this big." He heard the door swing open in the distance.
"Who is that? Has Kyôka-sama returned?"
Lucy, Milo, Charla, and Wendy entered the archive room. All of them looking around in wonder.
"This is place the guard pointed us to, right?" Lucy asked for confirmation.
"nya" Milo meowed quietly as he pointed his paw to the holographic globe.
"Look at the huge globe." Wendy pointed. "It must be some kind of map."
"Perhaps this is some sort of control room?" Charla suggested.
Franmalth watched from behind a corner as the foursome walked to a control panel.
""The fairies have made it this far?"" He thought in a panic. ""How much have the guards failed us? How much?!""
"Look at this!" Lucy called to the others. She placed her hands on the stone keyboard and began to type, screens popping up left and right. "Erza was right. The wards on Face is gone."
"What are we going to do?" Wendy asked shakily.
"nya meow nya (Can we use this magical pattern to put the wards back on?)" Milo meowed pointing to said pattern on one of the other screens.
"Not possible…" Charla answered. "The controls are locked. We can't use them."
"It says here that Face can't be activated remotely, it can only be done manually at the site." Lucy recited from one of the screens. A light began to blink on the screen. "What?! It's starting up!"
Franmalth grinned from his hiding place. ""You sure are quick, Ezel.""
Wendy looked at one of the screens near Lucy.
"What do you see?" Lucy asked, worried about the pale look on the young dragon slayer's face.
"Face…" Wendy trailed off. "It says that it will go off in 41 minutes." Everyone gasped in shock.
"We've got to tell everyone!" Charla said as Lucy and the others nodded.
"It can only be stopped on-site!" Lucy reminded.
"then we don't have time to tell the others!" Charla shouted. "We just have to go ourselves!"
"nyaa!" Milo meowed in agreement
They then heard clinking metal like noise as they turned around and sees Keyes approaching them
"The prayers from these maidens in their gloom echo like a tolling bell in perdition. The brilliance of Demonic Light revives the lands and breathes life into the Morning Star." The skeleton spoke. "O fairy maidens who have fallen into the Underworld, shed your mortal forms and wander the paths of Purgatory!"
Both Lucy and Wendy shook in fear at the sight of the demon known as Keyes.
"I-is that a sk-sk-skeleton?" Lucy stammered.
"It's a mask." Wendy reasoned. "It has to be."
Lucy glanced over to the counter. Only 40 minutes remained until Face was activated. She and Wendy composed themselves.
"We don't have time for this." The blonde said. "As soon as we find an opening, we're making a run for it."
"Right." Wendy nodded.
Franmalth sauntered from his hiding spot to his fellow demon. "It looks like things have gotten pretty bad for you two young ladies."
"There were two of them?!" Wendy gasped.
"Leave it to me!" Lucy grabbed two of her zodiac keys, summoning both Taurus and Aries.
Aries rushed forward thrusting out her hand.
"Wool bomb!"
The wool covered the demons, shielding Taurus from their view. The cow man, gripped his axe tightly and swung around, capturing Aries' wool in the whirlwind.
"Wool Typhoon!"
"Now's our chance!" Lucy said to the others as they made a quick get away
"Do you know where Face is located?!" Wendy – who was already lifted into the air by Charla – asked Lucy.
"The screen it's located in the Great Caverns of Cowbane Canyon! Let's get there quick!"
"Ok!"
They run in the halls of the castle. As they wound down a curved hallway, Lucy was shocked to see Keyes standing in their path.
"He should still be in that control room!" Lucy shrieked.
"He probably found a way to cut us off!" Wendy deduced.
A dark aura began to flow from Keyes' body and he tapped his staff against the ground. "Regard, the star of destruction's-"Suddenly Keyes' speech was interrupted by Gray who appeared out of nowhere
"Out of my way!" the ice wizard shouted, punching through the archbishop.
"Gray!" Wendy exclaimed in relief.
"Great timing!" Lucy complimented.
Gray turned to his comrades, more than a little confused. "Lucy?! Wendy?! What are you-"He narrowly managed to duck as the girl's sped past him.
"Sorry!" Wendy apologized.
"We're in a hurry!" Lucy hollered.
"Thank you for helping us!" Wendy added. Soon the four were gone from the hall, leaving Gray even more confused.
"What was that about?" he asked.
Keyes reformed himself and faced Gray. He could feel a familiar power emanating from the ice wizard. "Thou must be Silver's…" he trailed off.
"Huh?" Gray questioned.
they reached the corner to turn, Lucy noticed a plume of wool inching from the corridor.
"Aries?" she called. Surprisingly Franmalth emerged from the corner, covered in Aries' wool and possessing what looked to be the spirit's horns on his head.
"You won't get away!" he shouted.
Lucy – distracted by the odd sight – collided into the wool along with Happy, stopping their momentum in an instant.
"What is Aries' wool doing here?!" she yelled as she struggled to free herself.
"Lucy-san!" Wendy shouted. She and Charla managed to avoid the obstacle.
"Don't worry about us!" Lucy yelled back. "Stop Face!"
"Ok, we're going!" Wendy nodded. She and Charla flew out of the window.
"Didn't I say you weren't getting away?!" Franmalth extended a wool arm towards the pair, but it suddenly blew apart, startling Franmalth, Milo, Wendy, and Lucy.
"We meet again you one-eyed bastard!" When the dust settled Natsu stood in front of Lucy and Happy.
"He always had to make a grand entrance." Lucy sighed.
"nya!" Milo meowed to him
""I believe this is the one who is Master's copy, I guess I have to play along with the act"" Franmalth thought with a grin before he turns furious
"You?!" Franmalth shouted in surprise. "How did you escape?!"
Natsu looked out the window to Wendy and Charla who flew off into the distance.
"Where are they going in such a hurry?" He asked Lucy. "Now that I think about it, why are you guys here in the first place?"
"Face is about to go off!" Lucy explained. "We can't deactivate it from here so Wendy has to find it!"
"What?!" Natsu gritted his teeth, there were too many things going on for him to handle. "But we have to find Mira and-"
"I know. We just have to leave Face to Wendy."
Franmalth bellowed, catching the three wizards' attention. When they looked to him they saw as his body began to morph and shift into something different. When he was done, his body resembled that of Taurus, save for his one-eye. "Revolution." He shouted.
"Whoa!" Natsu exclaimed at the new Franmalth.
"He's using Aries' and Taurus' magic !?" Lucy gasped.
Franmalth grinned evilly, relishing in the human's shock.
"I gain nutrition from the souls I absorb, and I can evolve using my Revolution curse! How much will you pay for letting those mice scurry away? How much?!"
"You're an idiot!" Natsu insulted. "Wendy isn't a mouse."
"It's a metaphor, Natsu." Lucy sighed.
"I know that!" Franmalth snapped at the dragon slayer. "I can tell humans from mice! I called them that because they were sneaking around everywhere!"
"Also Charla is a cat." Natsu pointed out. "She's not a mouse either." Milo meowed in agreement
"I said I know that!"
"Give me back my spirits!" Lucy demanded.
"Never!" Franmalth objected. "How much is my precious collection worth? How much?"
Natsu drew back his fist, igniting it. "If you won't give them back, then I'll punch those souls out of you, you mousey jerk!"
"You're using the word wrong!"
Natsu closed in on Franmalth, but the demon grinned. His face morphed, changing into Aries.
"Natsu-san." She whimpered.
"Aries?!" Lucy questioned in shock.
Natsu hesitated allowing Franmalth to change back and attack him. He clubbed Natsu on the head, driving him into the ground.
"I'll just do you a favor and suck your soul too!" Franmalth reached down, but Natsu managed to move out of the way.
The dragon slayer drew back another fist, and this time Franmalth changed into Taurus.
"Please stop, Natsu." The cow man pleaded.
Natsu hesitated for a brief second before striking Franmalth in the face. "Sorry, but him I can hit!" Natsu shouted. Franmalth crashed through the hall.
"That wasn't very nice." Lucy commented as Milo meowed in agreement
"You little brat!" Franmalth shouted to Natsu. "For that, I'll show you the most valuable soul in my collection!" Franmalth's body changed again, but his new form shook the Fairy Tail wizards to their core.
"That's impossible…" Lucy gasped while Milo hissed as his fur stands
Franmalth had changed into Master Hades…but with a few noticeable differences. First off, his body was still round like his demon form, and his tongue was stuck out. In reality the only thing that had changed was his head.
"This is kinda weird." Natsu pointed. "The body is all wrong."
"Who cares what my body looks like?!" Franmalth yelled. "It's Hades! You're all scared of him, right?!"
"Not really…" Lucy trailed off.
"When Hades was master of Grimoire Heart it was the strongest dark guild in the world!" Franmalth reminded. "Even though he was a genius wizard, he delved too deep into darkness. I discovered his body by complete accident while searching for Zeref seven years go! Quite the fortunate find for me! He is the closest thing to a demon that a human can be! How much do think his soul is worth?! How much?! You have no hope of winning now!"
Natsu grins before he disappeared and re-appeared behind Franmalth
"Sucks for you! When Hades went up against me, he got beat!" Natsu declared as he summons his sluggers and slash them at Franmalth
"Wha?! Guaaaah!"
Natsu slashed Franmalth in a fury of slashes as he then kicks the demon into a nearby wall, but the demon simply grinned from under the debris.
"You managed that all by yourself, did you?" Franmalth asked before he shot himself from the wall, head-butting Natsu in the abdomen and pushing him back.
"Natsu!" Lucy called out in concern.
"No matter what I look like, this magic is the real thing!" Franmalth shouted.
"then how about I show you mine?" Natsu said as he lifts his hands up and ignites them into flames
"Karyu no Agito!" Natsu hammers his fist at Franmalth, making the demon crash down into the ground
"Guuuahh!" Franmalth screamed in pain before he got back up and jumps back
Franmalth held out his hand, summoning one of Hades' chains. "This is the power of someone who has glimpsed the true depths of magic!"
Natsu avoided the chain by jumping from the wall, but Franmalth anticipated this action. Extending his arm, he grabbed Natsu by the ankle from mid-air and pulled him closer.
"Gotcha!" He extended his other arm, grabbing Natsu's shoulder. "Contact! Now I'll take your soul!"
"like hell I let you" Natsu said as he throws his sluggers as they fly back and slashes Franmalth on the back, making him release Natsu who backflips to the others
"You were the one who took down Jackal, right?" Franmalth asked Natsu.
"I hope you don't expect all of us to fall as easily as he did. We are demons from the book of Zeref! We are living weapons born from what he wrote long ago! Each of is powerful enough to take down the entire army of a country! Never forget that! Your puny magic doesn't stand a chance against the power of our curses!"
Lucy summoned Horologium to check on Wendy's status. "How much time is remaining before Face is activated?"
"9 minutes and 43 seconds, Miss." The spirit relayed.
Lucy looked down at the ground, fearing for the outcome of Face's activation. "The entire guild is fighting Tartaros right now. If Face is activated then…" She looked out to the window. "Please, Wendy…hurry"
In a dark room
A dark figure was sitting on a skeletal like throne as he sat in silence while not feeling disturbed with all the sound of fighting outside
"the Book of Zeref's demon known as Etherious….has little to fear from some human who plays at being demon" he said
He is Mard Geer Tartaros, the Underworld King of Tartaros
"isn't that right…Master?" He asked while carrying an old looking book that has the initials END on it
"at last, it has begun….the darkness is pouring out of the door of Tartaros" he said as he smiles
"all of this world's light will be blanketed in the darkness of the underworld"
He chuckles before hearing footsteps coming from in front of him
"a guest…Mard Geer Presume?" Mard Geer said in a third person voice as the figure slowly reveals to be END who have an unpleasant look on his face
"you sure grown full of yourself while I was away, Mard Geer" END said as Mard Geer looks in shock and surprise to him
"you need to be reminded on who is in charge of the guild"
END said with a smirk as his right hand turned into a black scaled demon claw
That's a wrap!
Bye bye