Jack Corvus! Enraged by his sister's capture, Jack goes rogue and attempts to destroy Magnolia and Fairy Tail as a whole! His rage cannot be calmed, and he won't stop until he burns those who captured his sister to cinders!
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Not everyone was in a favorable situation with all of the chaos going on. Sherri and Chelia had no choice but to flee from a few demons that were chasing them. They weren't strong enough to handle them on their own, and since Chelia lacked magic, and confrontation was simply a poor idea. "This way!" Sherri told her younger cousin, pulling her along through a few ruined buildings.
"I'm sorry I'm dead weight…" Chelia mumbled.
"None of that!" Sherri chided. "What's important is that we make it out of this alive." She said that, but the demons were gaining on them and they had no way to slow them down. "We may have to fight a little more…" The two of them were pretty bruised as is. "Stay behind me…"
"But…!" Chelia objected.
"No buts!" Sherri shook her head. She and Chelia were backed into a corner, demons surrounding them on all sides. She wasn't sure how they were going to get out of this, but she wasn't about to let any harm befall her cousin. They were the only family they had left, and Sherri already came close to losing Chelia far too many times than she cared to count.
"Here they come…" Chelia readied her bow just in case. The demons lunged, but they were intercepted. Blair and Vernal launched through the sky, slicing through the demons with ease. "Huh!?"
Blair used her Therion arm to grab and slam a large demon to the ground. She was feeding off of it, her hand crushing the demon with a sickening crunch. "These demons taste like shit." Blair stuck her tongue out, disgusted.
"But it's the only snack you can have right now!" Vernal said in a sing song voice. This only annoyed Blair. "Are you gonna go for one of those bigger ones?" The jester pointed to some of the Gusios. But most of them were occupied in their own fights, especially since the Dragons from the Isle just arrived.
"If there are any left." Blair said before her attention turned to Sherri and Chelia. Her eyes narrowed. "I thought I told you to stay out of my sight."
"That's not fair…!" Chelia shouted.
"Oh ho! Is this the famed brother killer?" Vernal asked while leaning forward.
"Brother killer?" Sherri narrowed her eyes. "What is she talking about…?"
"That's…Raven's sister." Chelia said while averting her gaze.
"What…!? That's Blair…?" Sherri's eyes widened. She looked exactly how Raven described her in the past, but…
"Keep my name out of your mouth." Blair said while scowling at Sherri. "I'll kill you both."
"Is now really the time?!" Sherri said while gesturing to the situation around them. "We're all in danger right now!"
"Wait." A voice called out to everyone. They turned and saw Dimaria Yesta slowly approaching. "She isn't the one that killed your brother. It was me."
"You…!?" Chelia instinctively narrowed her eyes. She didn't think she'd see Dimaria again, nor did she want to.
Blair turned to Dimaria, that scowl directed at her now. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying the blame doesn't lie with her. It lies with me." Dimaria admitted. "It was during the war last year. They fought me, and I killed him. He gave his life to protect her, and I promptly erased him."
"Is this regret?" Vernal asked with a smile. She was very annoying.
"…I suppose you can call it that." Dimaria responded. "That was the first battle I ever lost. The events of that day stick with me even now. Anyway, the one your ire should be directed towards is me, not her. I am the murderer of your brother, although that is a line I could say to many people."
"…." Blair was silent for a moment. It was easy for her to direct her rage at Dimaria if that was the case; that anger was one thing that kept her going. "Then I'll just have to kill you instead."
"That…I cannot allow." Dimaria said while readying her sword. However, in the next instant, something she couldn't have foreseen happened. An arrow pierced through her body, causing her eyes to widen. She sensed something at the last second and was able to shift her body, but the wound was still very bad. "Ngh…!? I…I should've seen that coming!?"
"You've gotten so rusty, Dimaria. It's a shame." Neinhart was standing on the roof of a ruined building. Next to him was the Historia of Raven, who took aim. "Last year, you would've deflected that without even batting an eye! Is this was retirement does to you?"
"N-Neinhart?" Dimaria turned, glaring towards her former Spriggan. "But you're…!?"
"Who the hell…? Raven…?" Blair's expression changed. At first it was wide eyed shocked…but then she shook her head. "That's not my brother."
"You insult me." Neinhart scowled. "This is indeed your brother! His historia is linked between yours and the two pink ones over there! He is no memory, it is indeed him! He has come to say hello to his sister and guild mates! Would you truly be so cruel as to reject him, when your heart so clearly yearns to see him once again?"
Blair clenched her demonic hand into a fist. "Using my brother as a puppet…you're disgusting. I'll kill you!"
"Blair, wait…!" Chelia tried to stop her, but…
"DON'T GET IN MY WAY!" Blair roared, barreling towards Neinhart and the reborn Raven. As much as she wanted to see her brother once again, she knew damn well that moment passed. He was gone and there was nothing that could change that.
Neinhart only sighed. "They never learn. But very well…if you choose to deny your brother's memory, it shall make for a wonderful symphony indeed!"
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"Something's wrong…" Pandora said while looking around. "I think…Neinhart is here."
"Neinhart? The Spriggan?" Gray asked.
"Yes. Prometheus told me in the event he is incapacitated, that he would have Neinhart in the back pocket." Pandora explained. "He isn't near us, but I can tell he is taking part in the battle somewhere…"
"That's unfortunate…" Brax said with a shrug of his shoulders.
"I can smell something, actually…" Selene said while looking around. "A few things near us…" Just as she said this, it appeared. A large demon taller than anything they've encountered manifested into existence, swinging directly at all of them. "Over there!"
"It can't be…!" Gray's eyes widened. His shock was so strong, he didn't even get a chance to defend himself. He was knocked back along with Lisanna, Evergreen, and Pandora. "Gah!" The demon that had him shocked? It was Deliora. "This thing…now of all times…" Gray slowly stood up, sweating at the demon before him. This was the demon that took everything away from him, and even as he stared at it now, he trembled. He thought he got over this, but that was just easier said than done…
"Gray!" Natsu was about to rush forward, but he was halted when several blades of white magic flew towards him. He jumped backwards to avoid them, turning to the source of his attacker.
Rahkeid Dragneel stood a few yards away from Natsu, two fingers extended and a scowl on his face. This was a moment he had been waiting far too long for, since Zeref completely destroyed him in the midst of his battle with Natsu. "You." Rahkeid pointed at Natsu. "You are the reason why Father discarded me so…."
"You again?" Natsu grit his teeth. He barely remembered this guy, only that Zeref used him as a blueprint to resurrect Natsu from the dead. But none of that mattered right now, because he was an enemy standing in his way.
"Natsu, watch out!" Mira shouted, but at that moment, numerous demons started to attack her. She had to fend them off and make sure Pandora was protected. "This isn't a good time…!"
"You're telling me…" Evergreen scoffed. "Pandora, are you alright?"
"Mostly." Pandora said while weakly holding up her staff. "I am sorry for being a burden at this point in time…"
"It's fine." Selene said while holding her arm out in front of Pandora. "As long as you can keep your end of the bargain, you don't need to worry about it. This is a purely give and take request you've put in, so we're going to at least make sure we do our part. The rest falls on you."
"I know…" Pandora nodded slowly. She had the power to put an end to this, she just needed to get to that point.
Selene's eyes then widened. Another familiar face appeared in front of her… "T-Tak…?" Takeru Tenebrae. He was killed in the battle against Acnologia last year, and his death weighed heavily on Selene's mind since. The way her body froze up when she saw him told the story. Another result of Neinhart's magic. "No way…"
"Be careful!" Gray exclaimed. "These may as well be the real deals…that's how that dude's magic works." Of course, Gray was slightly less worried about his own wellbeing now. His Devil slaying magic would allow him combat this demon. Before he could launch his attack, multiple blasts of ice stuck Deliora, causing it to roar and turn in the direction of those attacks. "Huh?"
"You didn't think you'd take that creature on alone, did you?" Lyon asked with a confident grin. Deliora was practically the reason Lyon wanted to surpass Ur so badly. That creature was the thing that bound him, Gray, and Ultear together.
"This is our fight just as much as it is yours!" Ultear was next to Lyon.
"That's nice and all…but can you truly pull it off, I wonder?" Brax asked quietly, simply watching from the sidelines. He had no intentions of intervening unless he absolutely needed to.
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Zihark could only watch in panic as the dragons from the Isle started to tear through the Guisos on the field. Those were the angels secret weapons and they were being destroyed like nothing! He was surrounded by dragons, all of them very unhappy to see him. The only saving grace in this moment was that Ena and Kurthanga were distracted by Rajaron's appearance. "So…" Rajaron stared at Ena and Kurthnaga. "You are the siblings I never met…"
"To think we'd finally see you…" Ena stared. "Father…he never told us about you."
"That is because he was a coward." Rajaron scoffed. "I chose to fight in the war, and he decided to abandon me because of it. I was disowned on that day, and I never once looked back either."
"Yeah, that's nice and all…" Gaius said. "We can discuss the happenings of Dhegensea later, but for the time being, we have an important matter to attend to. Will you fight with us, Prince Rajaron?"
"Fight with you?" Rajaron scoffed. "No. I intend to destroy every dragon so that I may be crowned the strongest one day. That includes the Dragon Gods lurking on the other continent…but for now, until this situation resolves itself, and because the Isle was once my home…as long as you don't get in my way, I won't make an effort to destroy you."
"Nasir died to keep the peace…" Venoma sighed. She then looked down, realizing that Zihark made his escape. "Ah! The angel escaped us!"
"Of course he did, you were too busy talking." Edna shook her head.
"We can hunt him down later." Adam said while taking to the sky. "We need to clear the field of these ants first."
"You said it!" Gaia nodded.
"…May I assist you?" That voice came from Alice. She wasn't in her dragon form, but she was in the air with her six wings. "We are kin, are we not…? Besides, Her Majesty has given me the order to go all out at long last. My strength is a valuable asset if we are going to clear the field of angelic and demonic forces."
"AH!" Venoma gasped. She recognized that human form anywhere. "A-Alice…my dear sister, is that you?" She smelled the same, but that scent was also mixed in with something unfamiliar and demonic. "W-What happened to you?"
"Hm?" Alice turned to Venoma, tilting her head. There was a blank spot in her memory, but her head did hurt upon seeing Venoma. "You…I think I know you? No, we can save this for later. Right now, there is a battle that we must undertake."
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Zihark made a hasty escape since the dragons weren't looking. He was going to make his way to Yggdrasil and tell him it was likely time to unleash Metatron. The Reaper's Castle was in sight, he could make it there in a matter of minutes. He wasn't going to, however, as a bullet pierced his wing. "What-!?" Zihark gasped, finding himself unable to control his flight. Because of this, he began to plummet to the ground violently. The angelic commander was able to land and catch himself, but that did not mean he was in a favorable situation. "Who dares?!"
"Nice shot, cowboy." Taya said with a wry grin.
"I told you I could hit him with my eyes closed." Reve said while opening his eyes.
"I think it was luck." Rob crossed his arms, taking a huff of his cigar. "But since we've got him here…"
"Damn it…" Zihark grit his teeth. "This is the last thing I needed." But strength was on his side. It was three against one, but he was fairly confident in his ability to overcome this challenge. "All you're doing is delaying the inevitable, humans."
"I'm not human." Taya pointed. "I'm just a very angry demon that wants to go home and congratulate my guild mates for doing the impossible."
"You guys really just don't learn." Reve said while pointing his pistol forward. "We beat you once…so we'll just do it again and make sure the lesson sticks."
"We won't let you retreat either. Reve and I have some unfinished business." Rob said while exhaling some smoke.
Zihark shook his head. With his gigantic sword in hand, he dared the trio to come and face him. "All you're doing is slowing me down. You'll see that soon enough."
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Wendy, Cynthia, Yumia, Yukia, and Beat were all taking a break. They were able to defeat any angel and demon that came their way…but Yumia and Yukia were really letting Beat have it. "What's your problem, kid!?" Yumia said. "Stop recklessly shooting at every angel you see!"
"I have to kill them all…!" Beat protested. "We're stuck fighting them anyway!"
"That doesn't mean we wanna fight every single one that comes our way!" Yukia pinched the bridge of her nose, pointing at Wendy and Cynthia. "You two, talk some sense into him."
"We've tried!" Cynthia huffed. "I don't wanna say Mii needs to whip him again, but it just feels like he hasn't learned anything about what she was trying to tell him. Trust me, you don't want to get that blood on your hands. It's not worth it."
"Please, Beat-san…" Wendy pleaded. "Work with us a little longer. We'll be able to see this through without any need for deaths."
"…." Beat was outnumbered and he knew it. With a heavy sigh, he glanced away and crossed his arms. "I'm sorry. It's hard to get over it so easily…if you lost everything like I did…"
"You still have things worth keeping, right?" Cynthia asked. "Like the Joyan royal guard, right? They're your friends, aren't they?"
"Well…yeah…" Beat grumbled. Cynthia had a point. He just couldn't trust angels of all things to stay out of his life.
"Listen to me." Cynthia gave a smile. "I promise that we're gonna kick Yggdrasil's butt and make sure he never comes back down again!"
"It's funny you say that…" Suddenly, Verona just…appeared in front of them. She startled the group and waved. "Hi!"
"Verona-san…?" Wendy blinked once. "W-What are you doing here?"
"It just so happens, that I know exactly how to defeat Yggdrasil." Verona said while learning forward. "I don't mind sharing that information with all of you, but…" Her gaze turned to Wendy and Cynthia. "I have to make sure you're capable of seeing this battle through to the end. That knowledge is useless to you if you don't have the power of resolve to put it to use. That's why…I demand the two of you fight me here and now."
"W-What!?" Wendy and Cynthia gasped at the same time.
"Hey, relic!" Yumia pointed at Verona. "Is now really the time for this!? We're kinda busy!"
"Now is precisely the time." Verona was deathly serious. Her lackadaisical attitude vanished and her magical aura was released, the pressure behind it causing the ground to tremble and quake. "The only way to end this long battle is to put an end to Yggdrasil and Prometheus directly. Yggdrasil is on a timer, desperate for a certain item to remain alive and it all revolves around dear Mii, too…I can tell you everything you need to know, but you must manage a simple task against an invincible woman. Strike me once…and if you fail…"
This was poor timing, but Cynthia and Wendy weren't going to back down. "Fine…if that's what you want, we'll make this really quick." Cynthia said with a firm nod.
"So…you believe you can save your friend?" Verona asked while lowering her arms. She extended a magical field that ensured no demon or angel could interfere with them. "You get five minutes. I don't want to take up your time, I'm fully aware of the situation. But this will determine if you can truly save the world with your friends or not."
"You don't need to worry about that." Wendy said while balling her hands into a fist. Her hair flashed pink as she entered Dragon Force along with Cynthia. "If this is a trial to protect our family and friends, then we'll see it through, no matter what!"
Verona smiled. She knew they would say that. "Heh…That's the spirit. I promise you two…it is very worth your time."
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Next Time: Putting The Past To Rest