"Gajeel!"
The man turned around to the sound of Levy calling out to him, accompanied by Erza and Juvia. They were both supporting her, her arms hung over their necks.
"I'm fine!" he yelled back and immediately winced in pain, his pierced side reminding him of its presence.
"This is..." gasped Juvia, taking the scenery in. She was more focused on the blood spilled all over the area, rather than craters, cuts and cracks in the soil and downed trees.
Erza silently took the area in, her eyes landing on Yomazu's corpse. Her eyes narrowed at the sight of his state, her stomach turning a little. "What happened here, Gajeel? Explain." she demanded, her tone harsher than she meant it to be, as she left Levy in Juvia's care and walked up to the Dragon Slayer.
"As you can see." grumbled Gajeel, clutching his side. "We got ambushed. Pricks tried to kill me, and not just me. They said their guild has proclaimed war to Fairy Tail. Their guild is called Moira Heart or whatever."
"Grimoire Heart." corrected him Levy while sitting down next to him. "Are you okay?" she asked him with concern.
"Yeah. Like hell I'd lose to someone like them." he smirked through pain.
Erza's eyes widened. "Grimoire Heart, on this island?!"
Her right hand glowed in bright light, as she Requipped a flare gun. She aimed it towards the sky and pulled the trigger, a red flare launching out of the gun. "We must let everyone on the island know immediately. The Exam is hereby suspended!"
On the other end of the island, Natsu looked into the sky, frowning. "Red signal...enemies?" he muttered.
"Yes, the red signal means there are enemies nearby." nodded Wendy, having remembered Mirajane's hints she received couple days prior. "The exam has been suspended."
Natsu's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You think it was that guy?" he asked, referring to the young man in black they met earlier.
"I don't know. I hope not."
Natsu sighed gently through his nose. "All right, let's meet up with others."
In the middle of the island, Lucy and Cana stared into the sky, the latter's face slowly twisting with anger. "Why now?!" she roared, frustration taking the better of her. "Why did this have to happen today?! We're so close to the finishing line!"
"Nothing we can do, Cana." Lucy put her hand on brunette's shoulder. "It's only suspended. There's a chance it's a false alarm, and it'll be resumed."
She wanted to argue, but deep down, she knew her personal feelings had no place here right now. Cana slowly nodded, receiving a reassuring smile from Lucy in return.
Gray and Loke, who've been tailing the pair for quite a while now looked at each other and nodded, before coming out from the bushes.
"Yo." greeted them Gray, his right hand raised.
Lucy blinked in confusion. "Gray? What are you doing here?"
"Pure coincidence." he replied quickly. "But it's a good thing we met you. There are enemies on the island, best to stay together."
"Let's head to the emergency meeting spot. We have to filled in on what's going on here." added Loke.
Lucy nodded, with Cana doing the same a moment later, although not as eagerly.
Erza threw the gun away and changed into her Heart Kreuz armor. "Now, Gajeel." she turned to the Dragon Slayer. "Explain what happened here. In details."
Before he could reply, Kawazu woke up and began to cough weakly. Erza quickly turned in his direction, before walking up to him.
"You're awake. Good. Tell me what your goal is." she commanded the fallen dark mage.
Kawazu looked at her with his half-open eyes and cackled lightly. "As if...I'd tell you anything."
Juvia walked up to the knight's side, eyeing the chicken in the same fashion. "You are speaking to Titania of Fairy Tail. I'd spit it out if I were you." she warned calmly, at the same time threatening him. It was a trick she saw being used by Gray in the past – Erza's reputation was known amongst dark guilds, and her name alone was often enough to intimidate them.
Kawazu stared intensely at the women in silence for a few seconds. "Fine. I'll tell." he gave up, his gaze and voice giving in to fear.
After giving him some quick first aid treatment in a form of rags wrapped tightly around his torso, Juvia and Erza laid him back down and stared at him in expectation.
Although hesitant, he decided to give in to their eyes, unwilling to die just yet. "Zeref. Our goal is Black Wizard, Zeref." said weakly Kawazu. "He's on this island."
"What did you say?" asked him shocked Erza. "How is that even possible?!"
"Zeref..." wondered Juvia out loud. "As in that legendary black mage who lived hundred years ago?"
"400, to be precise."
"There's no way he could be alive! I mean..." denied Erza. She still remembered the chaos his person caused. Seven Commandments, Tower of Heaven. Jellal. All of this happened in order to bring him back to life, and now it turns out he was alive all along? Everything she's seen, every tragedy she witnessed turned out to be for nothing. With rage building up inside of her, she focused on the dark mage once again, willing to listen more to their plans.
"He lives." confirmed the dark mage. "And he has lived for 400 years. According to Master Hades, he's been merely in the state of "slumber"."
"I can't believe this..." Erza pinched the bridge of her nose.
"When Zeref wakes up, this world will be submerged in complete darkness." continued the chicken, his tone growing bolder with each word.
Erza opened her eyes and looked at him dangerously. "Are you planning on causing chaos on this sacred land? Despite the Fairy Protection granted by the Tenrou Tree?"
"Exactly that. The main army of Grimoire Heart under the direct command of Master Hades is approaching this place as we speak. I would not underestimate the Seven Kin of Purgatory if I were you!" he laughed. "Ultear, Rustyrose, Caprico, Kain Hikaru, Zancrow, Meredy. They are all coming here!"
"Wait a second." Juvia's eyes widened after listening to his threats. "You said there is seven of them, but you've mentioned only six names."
Kawazu sent her a sinister grin. "The last one is already on this island."
Erza felt chills being sent down her spine. "Juvia, take Gajeel! We are moving out, we need to find everyone and warn them!"
"No."
The knight turned to Gajeel, who was now back on his feet, although wobbly. "Don't. I'll take shrimp back to the camp, you two go and warn the others. That way we'll cover more ground."
"Don't be ridiculous. You're both injured." she shot him down.
"We'll manage. Worst case scenario we'll hide. We don't have much time left."
Erza opened her mouth to argue back, but she was cut off by Juvia.
"The camp is in the direction we've just come from. I doubt there are any enemies in that area." she noted.
Erza sighed and nodded. "Very well. Mira and Lisanna are at the camp, they'll patch you up and escort you to the meeting point. Good luck and stay safe." she threw in farewell to already parting Gajeel and Levy, and motioned at Juvia to follow her, but not before wrapping Kawazu in ropes.
Pantherlily and Carla flew over the coast, searching for Mest. Their already bad feeling has been fed by the flare shot out by Erza couple minutes prior, which Lily recognized as a signal of approaching enemies, mostly by its color that has been used by the Edolas army.
"Can't things just stay quiet for once?! How did they even get here?" wondered Carla out loud, her patience wearing thin. She already has enough of this exam.
"It is possible they sneaked in on the same ship as we did." noted Lily.
After couple more minutes of flying, the pair of Exceeds spotted the man in question, who was standing on the edge of a cliff, staring into the vast ocean.
"Mest!" called out Carla, catching the man's attention. He slowly turned around in their direction, surprise written on his face. "The cats? What are you doing here?"
"We've been looking for you." answered the tabby after stopping to meet him at eye level, Lily beside her. "But more importantly, have you seen the signal?"
Mest blinked in confusion. "What signal? I haven't seen anything."
Lily's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Just who the hell are you?"
Now the man was completely lost. "What do you mean, who am I….I'm Mest, Mystogan's disciple-"
Before he could even react, Mest felt a giant fist fly by his right cheek, as it smashed into the rock placed behind him. He stared with eyes wide open, taking the sight of an enraged Pantherlily, now in his true, battle form.
"If this is a poor attempt of a joke, then I suggest you drop it immediately." snarled the Exceed. "The Prince would never take a disciple in this world, not while carrying out his mission. I do applaud you for using someone who is no longer in this world – a smart move. But you've made a terrible mistake in your setup, Mest. If that even is your real name."
Cold sweat ran down his face. "I...I don't know what you're talking about!" the man tried to defend himself.
"You can probably use magic that allows you to alter memories of other people. You cast it on other members and then pretended to be one of them. However, even without the bit about the Prince, your story is almost as full of holes as a wheel of cheese. Starting with the fact, that you've been absent from the guild for months, and you did not even bother to put the new members under you control after reappearing. Me included. You probably never even suspected someone could doubt you."
Carla watched the scene, slightly impressed by her friend. As expected of a former military commander.
"On top of that" continued Lily. "you appear to not even know what the signal sent out earlier means. Tell me the truth. While you still can."
Mest's expression changed. Now it expressed pure annoyance. He opened his mouth to speak out, but he froze in this position, his mouth slightly agape, his gaze glued to something behind Pantherlily. Suddenly, he vanished, surprising the Exceed. He disappeared?! No…Teleportation Magic!
Mest appeared in front of Carla and before she could realise, he grabbed her and clutched tight to his chest, before jumping to his right. A massive chain of explosions plowed down the place she was hovering in, dust and pieces of the cliff flying in all directions.
Once it calmed down, he released the Exceed from his arms, his gaze focused on the tree up ahead.
"An attack? What is going on in here?!" wondered out loud Lily.
Carla stared at Mest, shocked. He guarded me?
"Who are you?! Show yourself!" demanded Mest.
Suddenly, the tree started to shake, with something that resembled a man shaping out of it, his face growing out of the trunk.
"Well done finding me." he praised, as he continued to grow out of the tree.
"A person is growing out of the tree?!" questioned Carla, having never seen such absurd in her life
"Who are you?!" Lily repeated Mest's earlier question. He sensed tremendous magic from the man, who was more than likely an enemy.
"My name is Azuma." stated the man, his head now out of the tree. "One of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."
"Grimoire Heart?" repeated Pantherlily in confusion.
"One of the dark guilds." explained Carla.
"I see." Mest's eyes narrowed. "So the previous signal was to announce an enemy attack."
"And, as you can see, it was launched slightly too late." mocked him Azuma, his torso now freed from its prison.
Mest started to chuckle to himself nervously. "Of course...I should have expected, that if I infiltrated Fairy Tail's Holy Land, then a few questionable things would have popped out." He then covered his face with his palm, his body now slightly shaking. "But Grimoire Heart on top of Black Wizard Zeref?! Give me a damn break..."
"Just who the hell are you?" questioned him Carla.
Mest turned around and looked at the cat, a nervous grin on his face. "Haven't you realised it yet? I'm with the Council. I've been put in here to find evidence good enough to take Fairy Tail out for good."
"Oh?" hummed Azuma from his tree, clearly intrigued by the confession.
"But it looks like my mission has failed. Time for a change of plans." grinned Mest and looked at the ocean once again with a confident look.
The Exceeds and Azuma looked in that direction as well. On the horizon, there was a giant ship approaching the island, with the Council's sigil on its sails.
"To think a guild with an unknown location such as yourself would come directly into my trap. It must be my lucky day!" exclaimed Mest. "This battleship was originally intended to carry the members of Fairy Tail after I've found them guilty, but it will do just fine for you demons! I am taking you all under arrest!"
Azuma slowly directed his gaze back onto Mest. He was now completely out of the tree, his arms crossed on his chest. He was standing perpendicularly on the trunk. "Battleship?" he questioned. "Are you talking about that?"
Suddenly, the ship blew up, a massive explosion swallowing it in a matter of a second. Pieces of scorched wood, metal and bodies flew up in the air, with a giant mushroom of fire and smoke expanding on the surface of the water, shocking the other three. They were speechless.
Azuma scoffed and jumped down, his feet now fully on the ground. He had dark skin, with thick brown hair and a goatee. He wore silver earrings in the shapes of a crescent moon pointing downwards, with a leather armor and dark-green pants with widened pantlegs.
"Now then, Mister Official." he said as he cracked his neck. "Would you mind if I began my job now?"
Pantherlily quickly ran up ahead of the two and put up his guard, awaiting an attack. This is gonna get ugly...
Makarov stared at the grave with guilt filled eyes, before closing them. "First Master, Mavis Vermillion..." he uttered quietly. He then bowed down. "Please forgive me. I have invited enemies onto this holy land. Words cannot express how disappointed you must be at this moment. I take full responsibility."
He straightened himself up and opened his eyes. "I absolutely accept any form of punishment you wish to inflict upon me. Therefore, please...protect these kids from harm." he begged, and bowed once again. He picked up his previously casted aside bottle and took couple more sips, before putting it back on the ground and walking away from the grave.
This old man still had a job to do.
Lily kicked the ground and rushed at Azuma with a beastly roar. The man has simply raised his right arm in response, aiming it at the cat.
BLEVE
Pantherlily was swallowed by a point-blank explosion. Azuma stayed in his spot, curious of the state his opponent was in. Much to his joy, the Exceed emerged with light injuries and struck him with an uppercut, landing beneath his chin, which blew him back.
With all of his expectations lost, Azuma put his head back in its position, completely rid of damage. Disappointed by his opponent's strength, he scoffed and jumped back.
Before Lilu could follow through with another attack, he spotted multiple bright particles around him, which then blew up, swallowing him with yet another explosion. Lily cried out in pain inside the explosion. Mest and Carla who were watching from the side have been blown away by the wind pressure.
After a short while the dust has gone down, revealing injured Pantherlily/ Although he managed to put up his guard at the last possible moment, he still received heavy damage, his forehead split and bleeding, as well as many cuts and burns all over his body. Damn it. If only I had a sword…
"Oh? You can still stand?" questioned impressed Azuma and pointed at the cat with his hand once again. Lily grit his teeth and spread out his wings, flying up into the air just in time to avoid another explosion, with the ground beneath his feet blowing up into pieces.
"Mest, you fight too!" shouted Carla.
The man looked at her like she was insane. "What the hell are you talking about? I'm a member of the Council!"
"That doesn't matter right now!"
"I came here to destroy your guild in order to get a promotion, don't you understand it?! Why would I help you?!"
"Because even if you run away from here, you will still get killed once he's done with us! If you stay and help us, we still have a chance! He blew up your friends, right? Does that mean nothing to you?!"
Carla's words stung Mest deeply. Although it belonged to a different unit, he still had people he knew onboard. And they were more than likely gone now. The sheer thought ignited flames of anger he hasn't felt in years.
In the meantime, Pantherlily ducked right under a long chain of explosions, one of them catching the fur of his ear. He flew into the sky, another chain following him. He danced in the air before diving down, with yet another explosions flying in his direction. This time he had no means of dodging, and blocked it with his already injured arms.
"No matter where you go, my explosions will still reach you." proclaimed Azuma.
Fed up with the man, Lily grit his teeth in anger and dived down at Azuma in a straight line. Cursing his opponent's foolishness, the Kin released another Bleve. Lily let it come close to him, and using every bit of agility he had in him, he maneuvered out of the way and moved to his right, the attack passing him by. He then resumed his charge, his right fist readied to strike.
In the meantime, Mest teleported directly behind Azuma with a knife in his hand. He's surrounded. It's over!
"Pathetic." scoffed Azuma.
TOWER BURST!
A giant tower of fire erupted from beneath Azuma, taking both Mest and Lily in, with Carla being struck by the wind pressure as well. The entire cliff has been blown up, with the tower flying high into the sky and expanding with each second.
Natsu, who was nearby, stared at the pillar with narrowed eyes, his instincts kicking in.
"Tower of flames? No one in the guild uses magic like that." pointed out Wendy from behind him.
More than certain that it was caused by an enemy, Natsu reached out to Wendy and grabbed her hand, before dragging her back into the jungle, as they both rushed to the cliff.
In the meantime, Azuma looked down at the aftermath of his spell, with downed Mest and Lily lying right by hiss feet. The Exceed tried to stand up, only to fall out of his battle form and plop back onto the soil. Carla has been blown aside, completely unconscious.
So this is one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory that the rumors spoke of… wondered Mest, a black curtain forming before his eyes.
"Is this guild made out of cats and spies? What a waste of time." questioned Azuma in disappointment, before walking away for a bit. He then turned back around, his figure now facing the Tenrou Tree. "If that is the truth, then I will deal with you all before the rest of the guild comes here. There may be no need for it, but I shall give the signal, just as how I was instructed to."
"S-signal? What signal?" asked him weakly Pantherlily.
"You can't miss it."
Azuma spread his arms out and then quickly clapped his hands. As soon as he did it, the whole island has started to shake, with a deafening, painful sound echoing throughout the island. The Exceed was forced to block his ears in pain, his eyes closed shut. Still, despite the pain, he slowly opened them, before feeling them widen in complete terror.
The Tenrou Tree has been blown up at the very base, pieces of its trunk flying in all directions, plunging themselves into the ground, ocean and rocks. A giant cloud of dust and smoke started to form around the blown up area, as the tree has started to slowly tilt to its right, falling.
Everyone on the island could not muster a single sound at the sight, as they all stared in shock and horror.
"What have you done?!" roared Lily.
"The Tenrou Tree provides those with the mark of Fairy Tail with divine protection and a boost in magic power. No one with your guild's mark can die on this island, as long as this tree is intact. I have destroyed this tree, thus taking your protection away. You have also lost your magic boosts, meaning everyone present on this island has been weakened. I have been setting this up long before your arrival on the island." explained Azuma. He then turned on the balls of his feet and simply walked away, leaving his opponents behind to die from their wounds. His mind was now focused on finding someone stronger to battle with.
There are...six more people like him? panicked Mest, as the sound of the falling tree filled every fiber of his being. Fairy Tail has….no chance of winning… he concluded before losing consciousness.
Grimoire Heart's ship
Ultear walked out of her chamber and stretched, now clad in her usual battle uniform. She entered the main room of the ship, where everyone has already been assembled. At her sight, Zancrow raised his eyebrows and whistled, impressed.
"Damn Miss Ultear, you're unusually pumped up about this, aren't you?" he asked her with a smirk.
"I appreciate your compliment, Zancrow, but I don't think now is the time for this." she smirked in response.
"In his defense, I, too, think like this. To me, this is war. The sensation of excitement is only natural." said Caprico from the side.
"That's not what you said last time, though." remarked Zancrow.
"Opinions change."
"It's not really an opinion."
"I understand your feelings very well, my comrades." threw in Rustyrose while adjusting his glasses. "The sensation of the upcoming battle with the fairies provides me with the most stimulating sensation, that I am unable to describe with human vocabulary. Let us all head to the Eden known as battle! Let us fulfill our inner desires!"
"You're being creepy, man." noted Zancrow.
Meredy, who was ignoring the bickering of her male guildmates looked out the main window and beamed. "Ur, look!" she announced happily, as she pointed at the window in excitement. "I can see something!"
Ultear quickly snapped her gaze at the girl. "Do not call me by this name." she whispered coldly. Although it was rid of anger, the cold left by this warning was just enough to make the girl curl up, her smile gone.
"I'm sorry." she apologized quietly.
Zancrow laughed and walked up to the girl, before patting her on the head. "Now, no need to be so scary, Miss. So, Meredy. What did you see?" he asked her in a curious tone.
Meredy recovered a bit of her smile and pointed once again. "There! I can see the island!"
The man looked out the window, and so did the other Kin. Just like she said, Tenrou Island was now in full view. The Tenrou Tree has been already falling down, a sight that suggested the island was ready to start the operation.
"So, Azuma did it after all, eh?" Zancrow licked his lips in sinister fashion.
Despite their eagerness to crush Fairy Tail, and although they came here to leave it in flames, they would lie if they said they didn't find the island fascinating. Some of them even regretted destroying the tree, which they considered to be simply beautiful. However, they did not get to admire it for too long.
Something has started to raise up from the ocean, with a giant figure resembling a human growing with each second. The Kin could only stare in shock at the sight of a giant elderly man with a white mustache standing in front of the island, like a guardian protecting its fortress, as he stared the ship down from above. Even Hades was surprised.
"A giant..." muttered Ultear in disbelief.
"Are you serious?" Zancrow grinned nervously. "I haven't heard anything about this!"
"It's huge." pointed out Meredy.
Hades recovered from his shock, now with a small smirk forming on his lips. "Makarov."
Makarov breathed in, his enlarged mouth making a deafening noise. "Your sin is far too serious to be left unanswered! All of you shall disappear by my hand!" he roared in pure rage, his voice creating waves on the surface of the ocean.
Not intimidated in the slightest, Hades continued to smirk, taking in the sight of the man standing before him.
Seeing that they were not eager to comply to his order, Makarov punched the ship, shattering it into tiny pieces in the process. Everyone inside the ship has lost balance, some people even fell out due to holes in the armor.
"The steering is dead!" called one of the crew.
"He's pierced through our enhanced armor like it was paper! I can't believe this!" yelled other member.
"Increase speed!" ordered Hades.
The ship sped up and managed to dodge a second punch just in time, the wind currents created by the strike pushing it even further away.
"Deploy magical convergence cannon, Jupiter!" Hades gave another order from his throne.
The cannon slid out of the roof of the ship, now aimed at Makarov. "Fire!" shouted Hades, as it launched itself at the giant.
Makarov raised his left arm, blocking the beam with his left forearm, which earned him an impressed sound from Hades. Feeling himself being pushed back, he grit his teeth and raised his left leg up, kicking the ship from beneath, this time killing its engines for good.
"Ultear!" called out Hades, his voice expressing a small glimpse of worry.
"Yes, Master!" The woman kneeled and touched the floor with her hand.
ARC OF TIME: RESTORE!
The ship has started to put itself back together, regaining its original shape in mere seconds. Makarov stared at the repairs in awe, but quickly brushed it off, ready to strike again.
"Caprico, take everyone on board to the island." ordered the Master.
"What about you, Master Hades?" questioned the goat.
"I shall deal with Makarov myself."
"As you wish."
Caprico bowed and straightened himself up, before clapping his hands. Everyone on the ship has vanished in an instance. He then put on his jetpack and flew out of the ship, heading towards the island.
Makarov, who caught the small figure flying past him clenched his fist. "Do you think you will escape from me?" he asked and reached out for the goat, only to be avoided with ease. "Well, no matter. There is no escape for you lot anyway."
He shifted his attention back to the ship and put his hands in front of each other, a green orb forming in-between them. "By Fairy Tail's ordinance, I shall give you all a moment to pray, while I count to three."
Hades stood up from his throne and walked up to the pedestal, the roof above his head opening slowly. "A mage has to be prepared to acknowledge his target as an absolute enemy to cast this spell, the ultimate magic. Fairy Law, is it not?" he questioned, as he rose up with the platform.
"One."
"When exactly did you learn such powerful magic, Makarov?"
Annoyed with the familiar tone used by the dark mage, a vein appeared on Makarov's forehead. "Two."
Natsu and Wendy have finally emerged from the trees and rushed to the scene, taking the sight of their downed friends in.
"Carla! Hang in there!" called out Wendy and ran up to her friend, gently picking her up onto her lap. The tabby slowly opened her eyes, glad that the girl was still safe. "Wendy..."
"Don't talk, I'll heal you right away!"
In the meantime, Natsu walked up to Mest and eyed him down. "You the one who did it?" he questioned. He then took his sorry state in, and realised how stupid this question was. "Guess not. Who the hell are you?"
Mest stirred and looked up into the Dragon Slayer's eyes. I see...my magic has worn off…
"What happened here? Answer me."
Before Mest could respond, Carla has raised her head and replied the question for him. "Grimoire Heart...is on the island."
Natsu's eyes widened in shock. "What are they doing here?"
"One of them has blown up the tree. He said they came here to destroy us." added weakly Lily from the ground. Natsu quickly ran up to him and gently picked him up, before placing him next to Carla. The girl spread her arms out and started to heal them both at the same time.
Unbeknownst to all of them, Caprico was flying above their heads on his jetpack. Deciding that the time was ripe, he spread his arms out, dozens of small, white balls starting to fall onto the island.
Lucy looked up curiously, one of the balls falling directly at her. Suddenly, it popped, revealing a young male, who swung his club at the blonde, forcing her to jump back to avoid a critical hit.
Multiple people landed around Lucy, Loke, Gray and Cana, confusing them greatly.
"People are falling from the sky?!" gasped Cana.
"Enemies, I presume." noted Loke and put up his guard.
"Wait a second..." began Gray and stared with wide eyes into the sky. "Those are all people?!"
The sky above was now covered by the bubbles, with people popping out of them everywhere, the number of enemies standing before them increasing with each second. Gray's group wasn't the only one – every Fairy Tail mage has now found themselves surrounded by enemies, all of them dosing Grimoire Heart's guild mark.
The Kin have also landed on the island, each of them heading in the direction of their choosing. Zancrow landed with an excited scream and sighed, unable to contain his excitement.
Ultear has gracefully landed on her feet and started her search for Zeref.
Meredy landed not too far from Zancrow, and carefully observed the area. "Mission, begin!" she muttered to herself, before dashing into the wild.
On the other end of the island, Zeref looked up into the sky with pained eyes. "Another war is about to begin. Is there really no other way?" he questioned no one in particular.
"Three! Your time is up!"
Makarov clapped his hands, green, blinding light emitting from his hands.
"Fairy Law! Acti-"
"Stop it."
Hades interrupted the spell and raised his hands in similar fashion, a dark-blue orb forming in-between his hands. Makarov's eyes widened in shock at the resemblance of the spell – it looked like a re-colored Fairy Law.
"Grimoire Law!" announced Hades. "This magic is deterrent. I can't just launch it whenever I want to. However, if you refuse to stand down obediently, you shall witness the most grim of conclusions."
Makarov dispelled his magic, too shocked to go through with the attack. "This is...impossible..." he gasped, memories of 48 years ago flashing before his eyes like a film.
Hades canceled his magic and smirked gently. "It's been a while, boy."
"Master Precht!" announced shocked Makarov. "Why are you..."
Before he could ask the question, Hades conjured two giant chains with claws and attached them to Makarov's shoulders. He then pulled them to his right, knocking Makarov off balance. The giant fell into the water and slid on the ground, now entering the terrain of the island. He reversed back to his true form and Requipped his signature coat with the insignia of Ten Wizard Saints on his back, as he slid on the ground. He then came to a halt and glared at his predecessor, who was now casually walking up to him.
"Why are you of all people in a dark guild?" questioned Makarov.
"Aren't we just two sides of the same coin, Makarov?" replied Hades. "This world is full of things that cannot be described with merely the definitions of good or evil."
"Good or evil have nothing to do with this. The spirit of Fairy Tail that you have carried for decades should never have wavered. "
Hades snorted in amusement. "Looks like you've learned how to use words, boy."
"Enough with the boy." scoffed Makarov. "You are no longer a member of this guild. However, I do not wish to fight you. Could you please leave this island?"
Hades' smirk faded, now giving in to a small, saddened frown. "Although my heart pains me a little at the thought, I must see the destruction of Fairy Tail through with my own hand. I'm afraid I cannot leave until Fairy Tail is no more."
This declaration was enough. Makarov unleashed his magic power, his body now surrounded by a green aura. "I will not give you my guild." he declared in a low voice.
Hades scoffed and released his own, a dark-purple aura surrounding his figure. "So, you're going to defy me after all, boy?"
After a long while of building up their magic, both men mirrored each other's movements, both of them launching the exact same spell at the same time. Multiple thunders crashed into each other above their heads, neither gaining the upper hand.
Seeing that stalemate was the best result he could achieve, Makarov extended the index and middle fingers of his right hand and pointed them at Hades, a dragon made out of earth growing from beneath the soil behind him. It charged at Hades, who took his lightning back and reshaped it into a dragon, matching Makarov's design. The lightning dragon turned out to be superior, with Makarov's attack getting obliterated.
Using the flying pieces of the ground as cover, Makarov quickly ran in a circle around Hades, who carefully watched him, curious of what he was about to cook up.
Fairy Tail's Master stopped running and clapped his hands, a giant magic circle forming beneath Hades' feet.
Having recognized the magic, Hades whistled gently, impressed by his opponent's knowledge of magic. "Oh?" hummed the dark mage. "Trying to seal me away, are we? Impressive, but foolish nonetheless." he smirked and put his hand on the seal, canceling it out with relative ease.
"You think so?" questioned Makarov.
Hades' eyes widened in small surprise as he looked up, only to see a giant ball of light descending onto him faster than he'd want it to. The previous Master of Fairy Tail was swallowed by the light, a giant explosion erupting where he stood. Makarov panted lightly and set his hands apart, awaiting the results.
"Using light against a demon is foolish, Makarov."
The elder felt his eyes widen at the sight of Hades keeping up a shield of dark-blue energy, that has been continuously absorbing the light. However, the man did not come out of this unscathed – his attire was torn in several pieces, and a small burn was present on his forehead.
The barrier changed into a giant ball of energy, which launched itself at Makarov, who jumped back just in time to avoid it.
The tiny mage put his hands together in order to channel another spell, but he was interrupted by Hades, who drew the infinity sign in the air with his index and middle fingers, surrounding Makarov in two golden, circling magic circles.
"Amaterasu's 28th formula...in an instance?!" gasped shocked Makarov.
"You cannot defeat me." declared Hades and swiped his fingers to the side.
Shortly after he was taken in by an explosion of purple magic, that formed itself into a shape of a pillar, with everything inside of it being obliterated. Makarov put up a round barrier and forcefully expanded it to the sides, breaking the spell in the process.
In response to that, Hades conjured his chains and launched them at Makarov, who turned his right arm into a sword of light and knocked them to the side in return. Using the momentary opening, he pointed his left hand at the older man and created a sharpened pillar of ice, which was then launched at Hades.
Hades did not even move from his spot, with the pillar breaking into pieces before it could even make contact with his chest. Unwilling to give up just yet, Makarov knocked the chains away once more and put his hands on the ground, a chain of earth spikes forming in Hades' direction, all of them pointed at him. The dark mage turned his left hand into a magic sword, just like Makarov, and sliced the spikes in half, killing them before they reached him. He then spotted his opponent, who leaped at him in the air and swung his blade downwards. Hades was forced to raise his hand and block the strike, before pushing Makarov back. The tiny mage slid on the ground and dispelled his blade, ready to attack once again.
Not willing to let that happen, Hades snapped his hand to the right and successfully caught Makarov with his chains, before throwing him to the side and dragging him against the trees and rocks.
"I dance with magic! Freely!" announced amused dark mage and smashed Makarov into the ground, breaking it in the process. To his surprise, the tiny mage was standing on his feet, with his guard put up.
Hades used his free hand to draw another sign in the air, this time surrounding Makarov with multiple purple magic circles. The sight froze the elder's blood, fear starting to take control over his body. "What is this?!" he questioned, before crossing his hands on his head and torso.
MAXIMUM DEFENSE SEAL: THREE PILLAR GODS!
AMATERASU: 100TH FORMULA!
A giant explosion of purple energy shook the entire island down to its core, a vast chunk of the forest getting destroyed in the process. Trees and rocks flew in all directions throughout the island, startling the wildlife and knocking people off balance.
Everyone currently fighting on the island took a short break from their battles, astonished by the amount of magic power they felt. Erza kicked her opponent to the ground and looked in the explosion's direction. "Master..."
Hades carefully watched the aftermath of his attack, his eyes slowly widening at the sight of Makarov still standing in his spot. His clothes were torn up and he was bleeding from several wounds placed all over his body, majority of them on his hands, but other than that, he was still in one piece, a feat almost impossible to achieve after being hit by the 100th Formula.
"Your choice and timing of spells is truly remarkable, my old friend." praised Hades. "As expected from the man I had entrusted my hopes to. You did well supporting the guild for the past 48 years."
Just when he was about to reply, Makarov felt excruciating pain in his chest, as he grabbed it, struggling for breath.
"Oh? Is something wrong, Makarov? Do you not feel well?" taunted him Hades, as he walked up to his opponent.
Makarov stared at Hades with hateful eyes, his breath uneven.
"I guess it is to be expected. We have both grown old, haven't we? This is also the difference between two men, who've taken different paths. You stayed on the path sculptured by Mavis, and you are about to die by my hand. I, on the other hand, have found a new one, and I shall see the changes that shall befall onto this world in near future."
Makarov panted heavily and dropped to his knee. "You were...an admirable Master. You taught us about the harmony of the world, you've shown us the right path. What happened to you? What could possibly cause this drastic change?" he questioned, now back on his feet.
Hades' eyes narrowed. He raised his hand and increased the gravity above Makarov's figure, brutally grinding him into the ground. The tiny Master gasped from pain, blood escaping his mouth.
"Magic was originally born in darkness." explained Hades. "A power once feared and detested by humans. However, years later, gradually, magic has become an everyday phenomenon, to the point where taking it away could cause the entire human culture to crumble. After tracking down the very roots of magic, as well as going through Zeref's research, I have seen what can be called the "essence of magic". This, my old friend, is what changed my views."
Realising that Makarov was no longer conscious, Hades turned around on the balls of his feet. "Sleep well, Makarov. Fairy Tail's era has come to an end." he announced, before walking away from his defeated, broken opponent, a weird, long forgotten sensation dwelling on his heart.
Natsu grabbed one of the mages by the neck and threw him at a group of others, knocking them all down. He then sidestepped to his left to avoid a charging spearman and kicked him in lower back, incapacitating him. Right behind him was Wendy, who continued to heal the Exceeds. Mest was already long gone, having teleported somewhere right before Grimoire Heart invaded the island.
"I'm sorry...I would fight, too, but my magic power..." Pantherlily apologized to Natsu.
"Don't worry about it, there's no helping about it. Wendy can't restore even her own magic." Carla tried to cheer him up.
Natsu knocked out yet another dark mage and sent a short look at the cat. "Don't worry about it, just focus on recovering. I can handle it." he assured while grinding yet another mage into the ground with his right leg.
Tired of being beaten up, the mages grouped up on Natsu and swarmed him in a group. He cracked his neck and allowed them all to swarm him, before starting to knock them out one by one. He continued to dodge and attack at the same time, making it impossible to hit him.
With yet another man falling to the ground in defeat, four of them stood in a formation and summoned a giant fireball, before sending it in Natsu's direction. The Dragon Slayer simply smirked and blocked it with one hand, before starting to suck the flames in with his mouth.
"He's eating flames?!"
"This guy's a monster!"
"Wait a second...fire magic, dark clothes..."
"Salamander?!"
As the men panicked upon learning of Natsu's identity, the Dragon Slayer extended his left arm to the side, his flames forming around it.
FIRE DRAGON'S WING ATTACK!
With just left arm alone, Natsu knocked all of Grimoire Heart's mages down in one sweep, his flames blowing up upon impact.
"Monster..." muttered the downed mages.
Suddenly, someone laughed from a cliff above them, with a young man with long, blond spiky hair standing on the edge, a grin glued to his face. "That's enough, you lot! Enough, I said!" he yelled.
"Master Zancrow!" gasped one of the mages in relief, the others starting to feel safer as well. They slowly stood up from the ground, unwilling to stay down in front of one of their commanders.
"You guys are clearly no match for him." deduced Zancrow with a smirk. "Go and look for Zeref. I'm more than enough to take care of this guy."
The men nodded eagerly and started to leave the scene. "I was starting to think he might be too strong for us, but with Master Zancrow here, nothing bad can happen!"
Zancrow's eyes narrowed dangerously, his smile gone. "Hey. What did you just say?" he asked quietly, sending chills down his guildmates' back.
"I...I said I thought he could be too strong for us...the infantry!"
"There is no one stronger than Grimoire Heart in this entire world. We are the strongest guild there is." said Zancrow, black flames forming in his right hand. "If this guy here is too much for you, then you are not fit to be in our guild. We do not need trash like you!" he roared with a smile and set his comrades aflame.
The men screamed in agony, as the black flames burned them alive. They fell to the ground one by one, dead, their corpses slowly turning into ash.
Wendy grasped her mouth in horror, the horrible smell filling her nostrils. Unable to fight it back, she leaned to the side and threw up, with the last screams dying down as she did so.
"This man...his own allies..." gasped shocked Carla.
Zancrow licked his lips and took a loud sniff of the air, the smell filling his nose. He sighed in bliss, his eyes half-closed. "I just can't get enough of this smell. The sensation it gives me..." he trembled in joy, before looking down at Natsu. "I envy you, with that enhanced nose of yours and all. You must feel the same way, don't you, Salamander?" he asked with a sinister smirk.
Natsu did not reply anything. Instead, he continued to stare at the burning corpses, the same stoic expression he had for the past few minutes still glued to his face.
Zancrow's smile faded. "Not the reaction I was hoping for, to be honest. Say something, will ya?" he called to the Dragon Slayer.
Natsu has finally taken his eyes off the corpses, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Am I supposed to thank you for making my job easier?" he questioned, his voice low and rid of emotions.
Wendy looked at her partner, shocked. There it was again. It's happened at least once before, but this was the first time she was genuinely scared of Natsu. Not of his lack of compassion, or care, but his sudden shift in personality. At times, it felt like he was a different man.
Zancrow's eyes narrowed dangerously, He jumped down from his spot and started to walk towards Natsu, who returned the favor by closing the gap himself. "Have to say, I'm not exactly fond of your tone, wannabe Dragon Slayer. Don't get cocky, trash." hissed Zancrow.
Both men stopped, with only mere meters between them.
Carla, who was more or less fine now, carefully walked up behind Wendy and grabbed her by her dress, before lifting her off the air. Taking the hint, Lily spread out his wings best to his ability and flew away as well.
"Carla! What are you-" Wendy tried to protest.
"We have to get away. This is going to get ugly." explained the tabby.
Zancrow stared Natsu down, with the Slayer doing the same. "What do you go by now, Salamander?" asked the blonde.
"Natsu of Fairy Tail."
Zancrow smirked in amusement. "I see. I'm Zancrow, one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."
Not even a second later, the Kin tried to hit Natsu with a nasty right hook, however, his plans fell short. Natsu struck first, and quickly stepped in, dodging the punch, at the same time landing a powerful right straight that sent the blonde flying backwards. Zancrow fell onto his back, his limbs spread out to the sides.
"I'm getting sick and tired of number seven." growled Natsu, his flames flowing with the wind.
Fairy Tail's Camp
Mirajane kicked away the last of her enemies, with Lisanna putting hers down after choking him out. Before she could take a breath, however, she felt strong presence behind her. She quickly grabbed her sister and guarded her with her figure, with a man with brown hair approaching them from behind the trees.
"My luck is truly against me." he sighed. "First cats, now women?"
Mira tensed up after feeling his magic. He was no pushover. "Why don't you try your luck, prick?" she asked him, annoyed by his approach. "Are you the one who blew up the tree?"
Azuma exhaled through his nose and raised his right arm, aiming it at the women. "Perhaps. But don't worry, I will not treat you the same way. I'll try to make it as painless as possible."
On the shore of Tenrou Island, Hades plunged the flag of Grimoire Heart deep into the sand.
"Your brats have no chance of winning against my Seven Kin of Purgatory, Makarov." he declared. "All of them are great mages I have raised myself for years. Each and every single one of them uses the magic that is closest to the source of all magic." He then looked into the horizon. "Lost Magic is at their disposal. Nothing will stand in the way of their forbidden arts."
Hades turned around and walked back to his ship, the sounds of battles spread out across the entire island falling into his ears.
It was the beginning of the end. The war has begun.
End of Chapter 22. To be continued in Chapter 23: Fire Dragon vs Flame God
5 manga chapters are in this thing. Huh.
Normally, I'd explain Natsu's behavior at the end, but not this time. I'll that to you guys :)
Next chapter will be dedicated entirely to combat, and this is the chapter where you'll see clear changes from the manga. I mean, this one had them as well, but the coming ones will be much clearer to notice. I will say only one thing - expect the unexpected.
I hope you liked it and see you next time!