Erza loosed a yell, leaping forward as her swords flew with her and scarlet hair streamed back in waves. Five swords shot toward Ajax, five toward Verlane, and two she held in her hands, swinging them toward the demons and infusing them with as much power as she could muster. One blow wouldn't defeat them, but she could try.

Ajax grabbed one of the swords flying at his face and turned on Erza, using her own blade against her. Verlane threw himself to avoid the weapons, and from his new position he shot a torrent of black magic toward the warrior's legs.

Erza leapt into the air, her sword keeping in contact with Ajax's the entire time. She drew forth more weapons, relishing in the flow of magic coursing through her veins. It was a feeling greatly missed these last several months. She was fierce with a weapon in her hand; with magic in her arsenal, she was that much stronger.

"Heaven's Wheel: Circle Sword!" Her blades danced through the air, slicing through clothes and slamming into the demons, spending them stumbling backwards due to the sheer force and magic behind the attack.

Verlane growled, and a blast of black light burst from him, tendrils targeting the scarlet warrior. Erza pulled her swords back and cut the light away from her body. Several smashed through pieces of her armor, and she flipped backward to avoid the rest of them. Her body was enveloped in the same beautiful golden light, and then she was different. The demons gaped for a minute, not ready for the immediate and sudden change in the warrior. Wings sprouted from her back, hair pulled back into a high ponytail. Very little skin on her front was actually covered, most of her breasts, stomach, and legs bared to the world and revealing the scratches and wounds she had received when the machine had exploded.

"What the hell are you?!" Verlane shouted, rolling to his feet and blocking her new red and black sword with a sharp blast of magic. Erza grunted, throwing most of her weight behind the weapon to attempt to cut through his blow. Ajax swung the weapon he still held, trying to distract her and end the fight quickly.

She kicked out, knocking her sword from his hand and sending it back to her arsenal. Ajax blinked, barely managing to stop her next kick through his shock. What kind of demon was she? He'd heard tales of Erza Scarlet, but he'd never imagined that she could be this powerful. And what kind of magic was she using? It couldn't be requip magic; no one could possibly use it this quickly.

She leapt forward, grunting and slicing her blade in a cross pattern and sending sharp bolts of energy flying at the two lords. One hit Verlane in the shoulder, and he flew backward, slamming against a wall before forcing himself back to his feet. Ajax managed to duck, focusing on his own magic and relying on Verlane to keep him safe from any more attacks.

Sensing what Ajax was planning, Erza jumped up, using her Black Wing Armor to fly up to the rafters. She grabbed a beam with one hand before turning and pushing off with her feet, requipping in the same motion. As she plummeted back at Ajax and Verlane, the golden light hid her from view until she was striking them down with a large spiked mace. She spun through the air, landing on her feet and facing the men who were barely standing after that strike. Her Purgatory Armor glinted in the dark room, spikes protruding and matching the wild expression on her face. "I am Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail," she proclaimed again, hair stirring in a phantom wind. "And you will not win today."

"We can't be defeated." Ajax rolled his shoulders, feral grin returning. "Not here, where the ethernano is so strong. Go ahead and run yourself ragged. It won't work."

She laughed. "The amount of times I have heard that. I have not made it this far by giving up when a fight is hard. I live for these fights, for these chances to prove myself. For how can I grow stronger if not by forcing myself to stand up again?"

"There's no way you're human," Verlane gasped out, gathering his magic to prepare for whatever she did next. "No human can wield the power you hold."

Erza only seemed to grow taller. "I am as human as they come. And it seems fitting that a human will bring you down after all the suffering you have caused us."

"Oh, you are human. You smell just like the rest of them. But are you so sure that it's true for the rest of your teammates?"

Erza frowned, not letting herself become distracted and yet too confused to not question it. "What in Earthland could you possibly mean? If you're talking about Happy and Carla, then I assure you I know they're Exceeds. Really, if I didn't know that, I think I would have a lot bigger problems to worry about than dealing with you."

Ajax rolled his eyes. "Oh keep laughing Scarlet. It will only bring you grief in the long run. We demons know things, after all. We've lived for hundreds of years. And we know the truth behind what your friend is hiding. To think that he was right under our noses this whole time, and we didn't even notice. I suppose this is a good thing, hm? You've taught us to not become so complacent."

"Your lies do not scare me," Erza ground out. "I trust my friends wholeheartedly. And there is nothing they would keep from me if it meant potential harm to the guild. You don't keep friends by demanding the truth. You keep them by respecting their wishes and listening only when they are ready."

Ajax continued to smirk, glancing over at Verlane to make sure he was as amused as he was by this situation. "You're a funny girl who doesn't know much about the world she lives in. One of these days, your eyes will be opened. Maybe I'll do it once he arrives. That is, if he even does arrive. Hasn't the lack of backup concerned you, Scarlet? Haven't you stopped to wonder what has become of your friends?"

"What have you done to them? If any harm has befallen them, then rest assured that I will find no mercy in my heart tonight."

Verlane grinned. "If anything it was you who hurt them. After all, the building only started to collapse when you destroyed the machine. So perhaps it is your fault your traitor friend was crushed by the ceiling."

Erza inhaled sharply, knowing exactly who they spoke of. Then she relaxed, tightening her grip on her mace. "You see, that's the thing about Lucy. She may call herself weak, but she is stronger than she knows. A little rock won't hurt her. Besides, with the return of ethernano, her magic has returned as much as mine has. And I can think of one spirit who has never let harm come to her before. Several, actually."

Ajax spat at her feet. "Smile all you want. It doesn't change the fact that we will end you all."

Erza waved her hand, ignoring his statement. "Yes, yes. Death and pain, nothing new. All you villains are the same."

"Villains? Villains?!" Ajax turned to Verlane in disgust. "She called us villains Verlane. Why? Because we're demons? Because we have no choice in what we must do to survive?"

"Wrong! I have met demons before, an entire island of them who were kind and loving. They never would have bled an entire country out in order to gain a little more power. You only harnessed ethernano a century ago, and yet you claim to have been alive for hundreds of years. Do not attempt to lie to me. It will not end well."

"Well then, if we are demons, why shouldn't we rise to our birthright? Why shouldn't we be the coldblooded monsters you think us to be?"

"You are never just what you are born as," she replied quietly. "Many of our guild, our friends, were once on the wrong side. But they saw the light. They were able to change. And not only that. Lucy could have remained as nothing more than a trophy meant to win her father more power and land and money. But she changed her life. She ran away, she joined Fairy Tail, she did what she could to live life how she wanted to, not how she was raised to. Nothing gives you a free pass in life. Not grief, not love, not anger. Nothing."

Verlane scoffed, crossing his arms as the black mist rose up higher around his knees. "And what gives you any right to tell us what to do? This is our home. You are the foreigner causing chaos. Things were fine." He threw out his hands, sending the mist to wrap around Erza's legs and lock her in place. She gasped at the cold contact, the darkness chilling her even through the hard shell of her armor. She pulled on her legs only to find them stuck fast, unable to move through the thickening mist continuing to creep up her body. "Don't struggle, it's pointless," Verlane called, his smirk turning poisonous. "I'm sucking your ethernano out once more. Have fun being helpless."

Erza gasped for breath, hair sticking to her face as she began to sweat. Ajax and Verlane looked on as she continued to writhe and yank at her legs, ignoring the draining presence of the mist. This pain was somehow worse than before, and, through the haze of agony, she guessed it was likely because Verlane was the source of that black light from the machine. Ajax too, probably.

She looked around wildly, eyes locking on one of the beams high above. She returned her sword in place of a grappling hook and length of rope. Ajax and Verlane snickered to themselves as she tossed the tool at the rafter and began to pull, relying on the beam of thick wood to try and pull her out. When she didn't budge, she pulled even harder.

Ajax and Verlane stopped laughing when, with a huge crack, the rafter broke away from the ceiling, tumbling down to crash to the floor. Erza was left panting, no farther than she had been a minute prior and with considerably less magic power.

But she didn't give in this time. She might not have heard Jellal's voice in her head this time, but she could picture him just as well. Jellal, Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Wendy, Mira, Cana, Juvia, Laxus, Gajeel, Levy, Master Makarov, Millianna, and so many more stood by her side, giving her strength. She couldn't fail. What would Natsu say if she did?

She loosed a breath, letting her Purgatory Armor fade away. Ajax watched on in morbid curiosity as her heavy armor disappeared and was replaced by just a simple outfit of fabric. What he could see of her legs were covered by loose red pants and her breasts were bound by white cloth, hair kept back in a high ponytail. "What are you doing?" He asked, hair on the back of his neck prickling in worry. "Giving up?"

Erza ignored him. She took another deep breath, closing her eyes and channeling her remaining magic inward. The space before her hands began to shimmer, glimmering spheres of light dancing from palm to palm and filling the darkening room with the brilliant glow of magic. Her hair danced around her face as the wind began to blow, muscles completely relaxed even as the dark magic reached her thighs.

Verlane and Ajax exchanged a worried glance before the older demon thrust his hands out as well, pouring even more magic into the force trying to drain the warrior of her ethernano. They urged the magic on, and it began to rapidly cover her torso and stretch up even higher. Erza didn't flinch, standing tall and proud even as the awful light crept down her arms. Sweat poured down her face and back, eyes fluttering beneath her eyelids as she continued to draw on that weapon.

"More!" Ajax shouted, but it was too late.

A flash of light burst from Erza, and the demons stumbled backward, crying out against the brilliant golden glow. Verlane peered through the smoke and light and found the scarlet warrior standing before them, a katana in her hands as her chest heaved, strain finally catching up to her. The sword steamed, the black magic around her legs crumbling away after her weapon cut clean through the darkness.

"Impossible," Verlane breathed, staring in shock at the glowing blade. "No one can cut through our magic. It's impossible." Ajax just continued to stare, breathing heavily in shock.

Erza rose to her full height, sword hanging from her hand as her eyes sparked with intensity. "Never again will I be made to feel weak or helpless. I will not succumb to your magic, no matter how hard you try to bring me down. It doesn't matter if you are human, demon, or something else. I will win because I have something to fight for." Someone to fight for. "My team and I will return to Fairy Tail. That is inevitable. And this blade, Benizakura, will be your downfall. There is a reason it has been named 'Demon Blade.'" She swiped out, catching Verlane in the side and cutting through him with magic power. He was thrown backwards, only Ajax's grip on his jacket keeping him from ending up feet away on the ground.

"You cannot stop the likes of us!" Ajax hollered, sending an intense blast of magic directly at her head. She blocked it with Benizakura, only to have the sheer strength behind the blow knock the weapon from her hand. Verlane was close behind with another attack, and this one finally made contact. It exploded against her bare stomach, sending her flying backward into the beam she had pulled down minutes before. They laughed, and Ajax held his arms out to the side.

"You see? While you have continued to exhaust your reserves, we have just grown stronger and stronger. Not even your 'demon blade' can stop us now. Just give in! Maybe then we will make your death swift. Perhaps not painless, but I assure you it will be swift."

Erza groaned, leaning heavily against the beam as she pushed herself to her feet. Her pants were torn and ragged from the knees down, her top falling apart and dirty. Hair hung in her eyes, yet she had never seemed more powerful. Magic coursed through her once more, body surrounded by a golden light until she stood before them in yet another set of armor. She raised her chin, scarlet locks hanging loose against her breastplate, navy blue skirt brushing her mid-thighs and boots nearing the bottoms of her knees. A simple sword appeared in her right hand, and the picture of Titania Erza was completed. Her eyes narrowed, locking on the demons as she leveled her blade at them.

"I think you'll find that Fairy Tail mages are as stubborn as they come. So don't be surprised when I say never."

Verlane scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Your resolve isn't going to stop us from killing you. Nothing will."

"And that is why you are completely and utterly undeserving of the love you searched for in Shelia."

Verlane shouted, rage at that comment consuming him. He threw bolt after bolt of magic at her, and though she raised her sword in defense, the power pushed her backward before one of them nailed her in the leg, sending her to the ground once more.

"Unless you've forgotten, it's two against one," Ajax sneered. "So we can continue this cycle forever. While one of us pushes you down, the other will recover, and so on and so on. One little girl doesn't stand much of a chance against us. How did you really expect to defeat two of the world's strongest demons all alone?"

Erza lifted her head, glaring at them through her hair even as she struggled to her feet once more. She opened her mouth to retort, but a familiar voice interrupted her before she could.

"She's not alone."

Ajax and Verlane whirled, finally taking note of the six figures in the doorway behind them. Erza allowed herself a smile, running a hand through her hair as she relished in the magic power she felt coursing from her team.

All were battered and worn, Lucy and Natsu the worst of all. Yet they stood tall and strong, glowing from the magic that had finally been returned to them. Carla stood beside Wendy in human form, both girls looking as fierce as they had ever been. Happy hovered above their heads, serious for once. Gray cracked his knuckles, grinning at Erza.

"Thanks for the save Erza."

"I should be saying the same to you," she replied, lighthearted and happy despite the tense situation. She glanced at Lucy, raising an eyebrow. "I see you made it out of that pile of rubble. Do we have Loki or Horologium to thank?"

Erza swore that Lucy blushed. "Mostly Natsu. But Loki did show up, that awful flirt. I'm really surprised he went back so quickly." Happy sniggered, and Carla rolled her eyes.

"I'm sorry, but this isn't reunion time," Verlane interrupted, unable to take his eyes from Wendy. She rolled her shoulders, glaring right back.

"But we do have to thank you. Gathering all in one place certainly makes our job easier. We won't have to hunt you down and kill you now."

"You gotta be mistaken." Natsu rolled his neck, grinning like a maniac as fire came to life and danced across his knuckles. "I'm pretty sure Erza told you. You're going down. And there ain't nothing you can do about it. Cause I'm all fired up."

"Oh really, Dragneel." Ajax placed emphasis on Natsu's last name, and Lucy couldn't help the way her stomach dropped. "I'm pretty sure there is something that can be done to stop you. Maybe your own friends might help me once they learn the truth. You willing to take that chance, E-"

Natsu charged forward with a roar, fire escaping from his mouth in a desperate attempt to quiet the words pouring from the demon's poisonous lips. That was not a secret that needed to be shared. And if it ever was, he definitely wasn't going to let some demon spill it for him.

Gray and Lucy leapt forward as well with Happy, knowing exactly what Natsu was so quick to hide. And even though Wendy, Carla, and Erza had no idea what was going on, they joined the fight as well, trusting their friends over the words of a demon who was responsible for so much chaos and suffering. Questions could be asked later. Now was the time to fight.

Damn this was a very Erza heavy episode, but I sure loved it :) Erza is such a badass but she's so amazing and caring too that it really gets me man. But here comes the real fight now that the rest of Team Natsu has joined the fray. Also wonder what is up with Lucy blushing hehehehe

Anyway, enjoy! Also my last dance show is tomorrow (as of the writing of this author's note) and I'm so excited/nervous/scared but I just gotta believe, you know? Ahh, until next time!