Back with the continuation
"speaking"
""thinking""
On with the story
Natsu and the others face their opponents with a determined gaze as they were ready for a fight
"Will they be alright?" Yukino asked Lucy as she was worried for them.
"Yeah." Lucy nodded with a confident smile. "Those four can handle this."
"That's the guy that froze Sun Village." Natsu told the others.
Gajeel sniffed the air. "He kinda smells like the stripper."
"That's the same thing I said."
Juvia's eyes widened. "The same scent as Gray-sama?"
Silver grinned in amusement as he shifted his cape then raced forward at a frightening speed.
He dashes towards and grabs Gray as their bodies began to glow. "Let's go somewhere more private."
"What?!" Gray shouted.
In a bright light, both of them vanished.
"Gray-sama!" Juvia called.
"They disappeared?!" Lucy gasped.
"Where did they go?" Yukino asked. Her worries increased by the second.
Tempester step forward as he whistled "furu"
Hurricanes appeared out of nowhere as it nearly blowed Lucy and Yukino away
"Lucy!" Yukino reached.
"Yukino!" the two Celestial wizards grabbed onto one another, hoping to shield themselves from the fierce winds.
Gajeel covered himself in his Iron scales and stepped forth from the dispersing whirlwinds.
"That little breeze won't work against iron!" He attacked with his Iron Dragon Club, but was blocked by Torafuzar. "Dammit!"
Keyes turns into black mist as he moves to attack Gajeel.
Natsu saw what he was doing as he dashed and tried to kick Keyes but the attack missed.
""this guys has no body, does he?"" Natsu thought before Juvia went to attack Keyes
"Water Slicer!"
Keyes dodged her attack as it misses as well
"What's with these guys?" Gajeel grumbled in annoyance before Torafuzar pushed him back with a hard elbow to the gut.
"gaaah!?" Gajeel groaned in pain as he slid along the ground.
Keyes in turn swiped his staff in the air, summoning particles to knock back Juvia to where Gajeel was thrown.
"Guys!" Natsu called from the air.
Tempester raised his arm, capturing Natsu in a ball of lightning. He then lowered his arm and thunderbolt struck the ball from above, sending it down to the ground like a rock.
""this is more stronger than Laxus'!"" Natsu thought as he grunted in intense shocking pain
"Natsu!" Yukino called out.
"Are they ok?" Lucy frightfully asked. She found her confidence wavering.
"We're fine!" Natsu answered. He stopped himself from sliding too far back and took off running again, his comrades behind him.
"Let's go!"
"Right!" Gajeel answered.
"Ok!" Juvia added.
Tempester readied himself for their attack along with Keyes and Torafuzar. "Come!"
In the castle's ruins
Lily wandered inside the broken halls of Plutogrim as he got separated with the others.
"this is bad, I am completely lost in these ruins" Lily said as he walks around and tried to find someone from the guild
Lily looks around before he spotted a brown tail around the corner "is that?" Lily said before he runs to where the tail is and sees Milo
"Milo!" Lily said in surprise to see the Vul cat here
"Good. You're unharmed." Lily said with relief.
"I was looking for Gajeel and-" he stops as he looks at Milo's head and jumped in fright at the sight of a mushroom seemingly growing from the top of the old cat's head.
"WHAT IS THAT!?" Lily shouted
"Meow nya meow nya nya (I don't know, i was sucked into this wall and when I got out, this thing appeared on my head.)" Milo meowed to Lily who nodded in understanding
"I-is that so?" Lily stammered as he sweat drops to the mushroom on Milo's head
"Well, do you want to try pulling it off?" Lily suggested to Milo who meowed in agreement
"Ok. Lower your head." Lily told Milo as Milo lowered his head to him
Lily gripped tightly onto the unsightly protrusion as he started pulling with all of his might but failed as the mushroom proved to be very stubborn.
"Nyaaaaa!" (you're pulling my head off!)" Milo meowed in pain
"this thing is very stubborn" Lily said as he stopped pulling the mushroom
"Nya meow nya (do I have to spend the rest of my live with a mushroom on my head?)" Milo meowed while crying
"maybe wearing a hat over it might help get used to it" Lily suggested to the old cat
The two then started walking away to find the others as they didn't know that the mushroom on Milo's head was no ordinary mushroom at all
the mushroom was actually a living being. It was Franmalth, the long thought defeated member of Tartaros.
""That explosion in Hell's Core really did a number on my body. Those damned humans! I will get my revenge!"" Franmalth cackled
""you're alive, Franmalth?"" END's voice spoke in Franmalth's head as it surprised the mushroom shaped demon
""E-END-SAMA! Y-Yes! I am, Master!" Franmatlh replied to him
""oh yeah, you can revive by sucking the life force of other creatures, I completely forgot about that ability of yours" END said as this made Franmalth a bit hurt to his words
""any who, get ready to begin the Face plan as scheduled. The game is nearly reaching its end"" END instructed him
""but how, Master? Face was destroyed by the humans"" Franmalth replied to his master
""and they say that your one of the smart ones besides Kyoka-chan"" END told him in amusement
""eh?"" Franmalth replied to him
""think of it this way, if Face is called a continent wide pulse bomb why would there be only one Face,hmm?"" END told him as this got the cyclops demon thinking
"""a-a-are you saying that!"" Franmalth stuttered out as he hears END chuckles
""yes, the destroyed Face bomb wasn't the only Face Bomb"" END told him
With Wendy
"What?" Wendy who was laying on a makeshift bed made out of leaves wakes up as she sat up and looks around
"Huh?" she said as she sees that she was sitting near a cliff
"Wendy?"
Wendy heard Charla's voice as she turns to see Charla who had bandages wrapped around her head.
"Charla?" Wendy gasped.
"Where are we? The last thing I remember…" she clutched her head and the memories came flooding back like a tidal wave. "Face!" she shouted. "What happened to Face?!"
"You stopped it." A third voice answered as the voice belonged to someone Wendy recognized.
Wendy and Charla turned to the source as they see Doranbolt sitting against the rock wall, the former was much more surprised than her companion.
"Doranbolt-san?" Wendy questioned.
"He said he pulled us out of the cavern just before the explosion." Charla explained to the shocked Wendy.
"It was a close call." The councilman sighed with a small smile.
"Then…" Wendy's eyes began to mist and she hugged Charla. "We made it out alive!" she cheered out in relief
"Yes!" Charla nodded, tears of joy in her eyes as well. "We did it!"
Wendy turned to Doranbolt. "Thank you so much, Doranbolt-san." she sniffed.
"It was nothing, but…" Doranbolt's expression turned serious. "I wouldn't celebrate just yet. Things are far from over."
"What do you mean?"
"Outside." Doranbolt pointed.
Wendy turned to Charla as the two were thinking the same thing.
"Can you fly in your condition?" Wendy asked.
"I can." Charla said as she spread her wings and latch on to Wendy.
They flied up and reach the sky where the two gasped in shock to see that there were hundreds of Face bombs jutting up from the ground as each spread out as far as the eye could see.
"How…? We stopped Face!" Wendy whimpered. "Why is this happening?!"
"At last count I detected around two-thousand Face bombs spread across Fiore." Doranbolt reported. He had walked to the edge of the cliff.
"2000?!" Charla repeated. She lowered herself and Wendy back to the ground next to Doranbolt. "It took everything we had to destroy one. There is no way we can do the same to that many." she began to despair. "It's just too much. It's over-"
"Don't say that, Charla." Wendy interrupted. She clenched her fists. "I'm not going to wallow in despair again. I said that we were going to live on together." She summoned blade of wind, cutting the remaining length of her own hair until it rested just above her shoulders.
"Wendy!" Charla gasped. "Your hair!"
"I'm through whining and waiting for the others to save us." Wendy faced the surprised Charla and Doranbolt. Her eyes burning with resolve.
"Everyone else is fighting. So that's what we're going to do too!"
"But what can you do against this many bomb?" Doranbolt implored.
"I don't know, but I'm not giving up!" Wendy looked out to the bombs with her back straight and her little fists clenched as tight as she could make them.
"You're right, child. We'll get nothing done if we sit here and wish for things to improve." She prepared to fly again. "Are you ready?"
"Yes." Wendy nodded.
"Wait." Wendy said. "Don't leave yet."
Doranbolt placed the two back on the ground.
"What is it, Wendy?" Charla asked. "We don't know when all of these bombs will go off. We should hurry."
"I know." Wendy said. "But I have an idea. Mr. Doranbolt…" she turned to the councilman. "Who long will it take you to get to Magnolia using your Direct Line spell?"
Doranbolt was caught unawares by the sudden question but answered honestly. "Since we're so far away I'd have to make a few stops, but at top speed...I'd estimate around five minutes. Maybe a little more."
"That should be good."
"What are you planning, child?" Charla asked. A bolt of realization struck her. "You mean to rejoin the others at the guild?"
"Yeah." Wendy nodded. "But not just them. Mr. Warren's telepathy can call all of the guilds in the continent to help us. If we all work together, then we should be able to deal with the Face bombs!"
Doranbolt and Charla looked at the determination in Wendy's eyes. They were surprised she had this plan so well thought out in such little time. They both grinned eagerly.
"Then when shouldn't waste any more time here." Charla said.
"You're right." Doranbolt grabbed the two again. "First stop, Magnolia." With that, all three teleported away.
With Erza
Erza and Minerva were in battle as the two wouldn't yield to each other.
"Minerva, you…" Erza said
"My name is Neo-Minerva!" the demon broke Erza's blade with her palm and forced her into a nearby pile of rubble.
"I have been reborn as the world's strongest wizard! You will acknowledge that fact!"
Erza sprang from the rubble and turned her body to strike with a kick, but Minerva shifted their position with her territory magic, kicking Erza into a wooden pillar.
Minerva smirked at her tactic. "Don't tell me that's all you-"
Erza dashed from the wreckage and punched Minerva in the face.
Initially staggered, Minerva stepped forward with a roar and lunged at Erza with her claws. "I am the most powerful! Me! I-"Her ramblings were cut short when a punch from Erza sent her straight into the ground.
"What are you fighting so hard against?!" Erza demanded before she punch Minerva straight to the ground
""Why are you so weak?""a voice spoke to Minerva in her head as her tragic childhood returned back to her.
Flashback
Minerva who was only six years old was being forced to undergo a harsh and torturing training in her childhood by her abusing father Jillemma
"Please, Father…" Minerva pleaded in tears to Jilemma who was standing in front of her. "Forgive me."
"Forgiveness?!" Jiemma raised his hand and slapped his daughter across the face.
Minerva pressed her hand against the red mark on her cheek and her eyes welled up even more.
"Don't you dare cry!" Jiemma ordered. "You have already disappointed me enough!"
"The world will be merciless towards you, Minerva. As your father, I have to prepare you for that hardship. If that means that I must beat these lessons into you…then so be it!"
Minerva fell to her knees, desperately trying to wipe away her overflowing tears.
"Didn't I say to cease that incessant sniveling?!" Jiemma roared. "Stand up this instant!"
"Y-yes, Father." Minerva hiccupped. She rose to her feet, still wiping away tears.
"Look at me!"
Minerva sniffed before looking up at her enraged father. She was terrified of him, and for good reason. His anger alone had the power to split apart the entirety of the forest they were standing in if he so wished it.
"Remove your clothes." He ordered.
Minerva looked through her watered eyes with disbelief and fear. "What?"
"Do not make me tell you again!"
Minerva jumped in fright. Seeing no way other than compliance, she nodded. "Y-yes, Father." She stripped down until she was completely naked.
Jiemma's expression didn't change as he looked down on his daughter, who was covering herself in shame. "This is what happens when you show weakness." He said.
"You will always be at the mercy of those more powerful than you. Is this how you wish for the world to see you? A sniveling, mewling, weakling?"
"N-no." Minerva shook her head weakly. Her body shivered in the cold winds.
Flashback ends
"WAKE UP TO YOUR SENSES!" Erza shouted as she punched Minerva straight at her face and sends her crashing to the ground
"you were once cruel in the GMG, but I know! Deep down in your hearr you did it for Sabertooth! You did it for your guild!" Erza exclaimed as she raised up her fists
"these fists of mine are weeping! They're saying that the fighting between the both of us has no meaning!" Erza told her as Minerva looks at her before smiling a bit
"yes….i realize it….and I accept it" Minerva said as she looks at Erza
"Please…with those fists of yours….just kill me."
Erza's eyes widened. "What are you saying?"
"I'm weak." Minerva admitted with a wry grin.
"That is why I succumbed to the darkness. That is how I was able to be tempted by Tartaros. My weakness. My fear of not being able to follow the beliefs that my Father instilled in me. I betrayed him and myself. For that I no longer deserve or desire to live in this body. Just end it…please."
Erza looks at her before she stands over her
"Despite what you think, you shouldn't casually throw your life away. Only you decide who you are, not your father. There are people who are awaiting your return. Never forget that." Erza told her with a hard gaze at her
"That is the problem with you humans." A voice spoke as Minerva and Erza looks behind them and sees Mard Geer freed from his petrification by the Celestial Spirit King.
"Your self-indulgent ramblings about life and death turn you into such pitiful creatures. You claim to have the answers to concepts you could never hope to comprehend." He said with a smile
"Who are you?!" Erza demanded. She focused on the man's voice and her eyes slowly went wide.
""Wait! I've heard his voice before. He's Mard Geer, the Underworld King!""
"I believed all of the trash had been taken care of." Mard Geer continued. "But thanks to the Celestial King's meddling, it seems to have cluttered in my domain once again. Thankfully, I have enough spare time on my hands to take care of it myself."
Before Erza could make a move, Mard Geer swiped his hand in the air, summoning a gust of wind that blew both Erza and the downed Minerva away.
Erza gritted her teeth. "What kind of magic is this?" She crashed into the ground.
"I will start with you." Mard Geer held his palm towards the still floating Minerva, summoning a stream of energy that zoomed towards her.
"Minerva!" Erza shouted.
Minerva smiled before she looks over to Erza
""Erza…run…""
The explosion knocked Erza back even more, but when the dust settled, even Mard Geer was surprised at what had just happened.
"We arrived just in time." A man said from within the dust.
"I think this is what they called "arriving in the nick of time."" Another said.
When the dust completely settled Sting and Rogue along with their exceed partners stood across from Mard Geer. As Sting carried Minerva in his arms safe from harm
"W-what are you all doing here?" Minerva asked the group in shock.
"What are you talking about?" Sting countered with a grin. "We're here to bring you home, Princess."
"It's been awhile, huh?" Lector said.
"The place you belong is Sabertooth." Rogue stated.
"Fro thinks so too." Frosch added with a smile.
""there are those who are waiting for you"" Erza's word rang in Minerva's mind as she looks at the twin Dragon Slayers and her tears were overflowing from her emotions.
"What are you two doing here?" Erza asked.
"because of your letter, of course!" Sting told her as he set down Minerva near a broken pillar
"but I have to say, Erza-san's writing skills is a bit.." Frosch said
"they suck" Frosch said with a smile as this got Erza to blush in embarrassment
"it took a lot of time for Rufus to decipher the message and he almost died from just reading your letter, but we got the message and came just in time" Rogue said as he looked at Mard Geer.
"Who knows what would have happened if we had got here a second later?"
"I'm sorry" Erza said with her face red as a tomato
"Let's go back to our guild when all of this over. Ok, Princess?" Sting told her as he then stood to face Mard Geer along with Rogue.
Minerva's tears still overflowed as to know that her former guild still wants her back
"Go back to your guild?" Mard Geer questioned with his usual smirk. "Well, since the world of magic is coming to an end, I assume a guild is as good a place as any to shelter one's self. Go if you wish. I will not stop you."
"Face was destroyed." Erza told the Underworld King
"One of them was, yes." Mard Geer corrected her
"We saw a lot of weird statues with faces on them on the way over here." Sting told Erza as her eyes widen in shock
"If those are the 'Face' bombs, then there are a great number of them scattered across the land." Rogue added.
"what!?" Erza exclaimed
"Three-thousand to be exact." Mard Geer revealed. "And in one hour they will all go off. The sheer number of them is enough to remove all magic from the continent."
"What?!" Erza gasped.
"The whole continent?" Sting repeated. He was still trying to wrap his head around it. It didn't make any sense.
Minerva wiped the tears from her eye and chuckled.
"He's bluffing." She accused Mard Geer. "A Face bomb can only be controlled from its source. It's impossible to set that many off at one time."
"If I remember correctly, the chairman has that exact ability." Mard Geer reminded.
"The chairman is dead." Minerva retorted.
"I'm well aware, but it seems that you have forgotten that our guild has the services of a necromancer."
Minerva's eye narrowed. "Keyes." she snarled.
"Precisely. He can rouse the chairman's form and use it to detonate the bombs from here."
Erza clenched her teeth. "I won't let you-"
"You should go find wherever they're keeping the signal source." Sting suggested, surprising Erza. He then cracked his knuckles. "Take Lecter, Frosch, and the Princess with you."
"We'll take things over from here." Rogue declared.
Erza grabbed Minerva and pulled her to her feet, draping her arm over her shoulder to keep her upright. "You two be careful." Erza advised Sting and Rogue. "He's very strong."
"I bet he's nowhere near strong as Natsu-san." Sting replied with a smirk.
"You humans amuse me." Mard Geer huffed. "Do you really think you can defeat the Underworld King?"
"You're damn right!" Sting declared. He and Rogue charged Mard Geer, Sting drawing his arm back and coating it in light. He lunged forward with a punch but the demon sidestepped. He swung with his other arm, but once again Mard Geer evaded.
Rogue turned to shadow and zoomed to Mard Geer's blindside with a clawed hand, while Sting stepped with a kick.
Mard Geer blocked both attacks without the slightest hint of distress. The Twin Dragons continued their salvo, but Mard Geer blocked or evaded all attempts to harm him.
"Go now! While you have the chance!" Rogue shouted to Erza and the others.
"Ok!" Erza replied.
"I want to fight too!" Frosch exclaimed.
"Don't be an idiot!" Lecter scolded, pulling Frosch's tail. "We're going with Erza-san!"
Minerva took one last look at the Twin Dragons as they were pushed back by Mard Geer. "Sting…Rogue…be careful."
With Natsu and the others
Tempester slammed his fist into the ground, but Natsu backflipped to avoid impact.
Natsu jumps back to the others before he dashed back at Tempester while summoning his sluggers
He slashed them at Tempester who parried them off
Gajeel repeatedly assaulted Torafuzar's guard with multiple hits from his Iron Dragon Club while Juvia was still trying to attack through Keyes' particle body.
Natsu grabbed onto one of Tempester's arms and began to swing him. "Gajeel!"
"Gotcha!" Reading Natsu's tactic, Gajeel grabbed Torafuzar's arm and did the same thing, but before the two demons could collide Tempester whistled, blowing Natsu, Gajeel, and Torafuzar to the ground.
Torafuzar recovered himself, grabbing the two dragon slayers and throwing them across the battlefield. Meanwhile, Keyes used his staff to push back Juvia
""I hope Gray-sama is alright"" Juvia thought before Keyes appeared behind her
"oh no!" Juvia exclaimed before Gajeel punched his fist right through Keyes who turned into mist
"Pay attention." Gajeel said to Juvia
"The stripper can take care of himself. We need you here now. If you can't do that then get back with Lucy and Yukino." He ordered her as he readied himself for a fight back with Torafuzar.
"I apologize. It won't happen again." Juvia replied with a nod as she rose to her feet just in time to see Natsu join them.
Lucy and Yukino struggled to stand as they watched their friends fight. They wanted to help them.
"Hold on, guys." Lucy muttered.
"Yes." Yukino added. "We will aid you and-"
"You two rest." Natsu interrupted. He turned to them and smiled. "We'll be done before you know it."
The Celestial Pair smiled and agreed to stay back. "Then we will leave it in your hands." Yukino said.
"Take them down." Lucy smiled.
"Thanks." Natsu replied.
"You catch that smell from earlier, Salamander?" Gajeel asked.
"Yeah." Natsu smirked. "I would have never guessed those four would show up." The dragon slayers were referring to Sting and Rogue with their exceeds partners
"We won't let them have all the fun will we?" Gajeel asked sarcastically.
"Hell no!" Natsu grinned, his eyes focused on the two demons before them.
"That's what I thought." Gajeel smirked. The two raced off again.
Back with Erza
Erza and the others were on their way to the monitor room in the Plutogrim ruins.
"Can you tell where the source of the signal is coming from?" Erza asked her passenger.
"I'm sure it's in the control room, but all of the destruction makes it difficult to pinpoint its exact location." Minerva answered regretfully.
Lecter and Frosch walked in front of them as heard footsteps from in front.
"Someone is coming." Lector pointed out
"Fro sees them." Dro said as well
"meow" a cat call was heard as the four of them sees Milo and Lily
"Milo?" Erza questioned in surprise as the cat walks to her
"I'm glad you're alright." She said with a smile before seeing the mushroom on his head
"Milo, is that?" Erza said as Milo nodded
"we don't know how but it's stuck on him" Lily told him as Lector and Frosch greeted him
"we don't have time for chit chat, we need to find the control room before Face goes off" Minerva said as everyone nodded
"We will go with you." Lily offered.
"I forgot to say but that thing on your head is super cool, Milo!" Lecter complimented. "It's going to catch on really quick!"
"Fro thinks so too." Frosch added.
Milo sweat drop to the two as having a mushroom on your head I quite unpleasant
"nya meow nya (was that a compliment or an insult?)" Milo meowed
"just accept it as a compliment for now" Lily told him as Minerva was also staring at the mushroom
"meow?" Milo meowed as he felt the hard gaze by Minerva as he looks back at her
"did you do something to Minerva in the past, Milo?" Lily asked the cat
"nya meow nya meow meow (I never even met the woman)" Milo meowed back
Minerva stared at the mushroom before she rips it off Milo's head as the cat meowed in pain
"meow nyaaa! (What was that for?!)" Milo meowed as the fur on the top of his head was gone
"this is a special type mushroom, a very rare one that has some price on it and I wonder…" Minerva said before
"how much?! How much!?" Franmalth dropped the act and finished her sentences
Minerva then grips him hard as he grunted in pain
"this one is one of the Nine Demon Gates, I'm willing to bet that he knows exactly where the control room is." Minerva told the others
Erza grinned and nodded at Minerva.
"That's our, Princess!" Lector boasted.
"Yep!" Frosch nodded.
"nya meow nya? (do you think the fur on my head will grow back?)" Milo meowed to Lily who was putting a bandage on top of Milo's head
"It will….probably" Lily replied
"Let's make haste! We don't have much time left." Erza declared as she looks at Franmalth in Minerva's hand
"Lead the way." Minerva ordered the demon with a frightening gaze
"eeekk yess!" Franmalth replied in fear
That's a wrap!
Bye bye