Back with the continuation
"speaking"
""thinking""
On with the story
In the ruins of Plutogrim
Torafuzar found Jackal's unconscious body further in the broken Plutogrim. His face twisted in annoyance.
"How is this possible? How could one girl beaten both Jackal and Lamy?! What magic did they use?!"
Torafuzar readied his blades to administer the killing blow. "I told him to kill them quickly!" He swung his blade at Lucy
CLANG!
Torafuzar's blade got in contact with Gajeel's iron skin as the iron Dragon Slayer saved the two girls in time
"Impossible! Those girls should be the only humans left!" Torafuzar exclaimed after he got sent skidding back
"Gajeel." Lucy muttered out with a weak smile
"Bastard's tougher than I thought." He griped. As Gajeel awaited the demon's next attack, a black mist quickly made its way towards him. Just before it could envelop, Juvia appeared.
"Water Nebula!"
Juvia summoned a wave of water that turned back the mist, which was revealed to be the Demon Gate, Keyes.
"Juvia…" Lucy called out to the rain mage
Silver emerged from behind some rubble and stepped forward. "Freeze!" in an instant, Juvia's water was frozen over.
"oh no you don't!" Gray shouted from a distance. He used his own ice to block Silver's, locking the clashing wizards in a stalemate.
"Gray…" Lucy smiled.
"He countered Silver's ice?!" Keyes questioned in shock
Tempester fell from above as he landed in front of Gray, Juvia, and Gajeel.
"Fuu!" Tempester whistled before a torrent of fire burst out of his mouth
"Fire?!" Gajeel exclaimed before the flames were eaten away by Natsu
"you ok?" Natsu asked Lucy while facing towards the demons
"yeah, now that you guys are here" Lucy replied
"good" Natsu said as he punched his fists together and ignited them in flames "let's beat these guys up"
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 Natsu and the others
Natsu and the others face their opponents with a determined gaze as they were ready for a fight
"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 bright light, both of them vanished.
"Gray-sama!" Juvia called.
"They disappeared?!" Lucy gasped.
Tempester step forward as he whistled "furu"
Hurricanes appeared out of nowhere as it nearly blew them away
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 guy 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.
Tempester continued up his attack but then saw Natsu grinning to him
Natsu opened his mouth as all of the electricity flows into his mouth as he devoured it
"thanks for the quick meal" Natsu said before he burst into flames and lightning
"let me repay in full" Natsu said before he dashed towards the demons with Gajeel and Juvia following by.
Tempester readied himself for their attack along with Keyes and Torafuzar. "Come!"
In the castle's ruins
"Mama! Neechan! Baachan! Papa! Where is everyone!?" Aya called out as she was alone and scared
"where is everyone?" Aya whimpered out as she was going to cry
She then heard the sound of a pebble falling as she looks ahead and sees a small figure stuck under a pile of debris
Aya looks at the small figure and realized that it was Lily whose head is stuck in some rocks
"Lily!" Aya went to the black exceed who seems to be trying to get out of the pile of rubble he was in
"that voice! Aya! Is that you?!" Lily shouted out in the rubble
"yeah" Aya replied as she sees that Lily was having trouble trying to get out
"can you help me get out of this?" Lily said to Aya who nodded and then grabbed Lily's tail and started pulling
"DON'T JUST PULL MY TAIL!" Lily shouted as he felt like he was going to lose his tail and before long his head popped out of the rubble and he was freed
"I nearly saw the Sanzu River" Lily said as he was holding his precious tail before turning his attention to Aya who has her jaw dropped
"what?" Lily asked and Aya pointed to his head
Lily looks up and sees that he has a mushroom on his head
"WHAT THE HELL IS THIS!?"
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 as he pulled his right fist back
He sends a fury of punches 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." 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.
"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." Frosch said as well
They listen to the sound of footsteps before seeing Aya with Lily
"Aya!?" Erza exclaimed in surprise to see the child alone
"Aunt Erza!" Aya exclaimed as she runs to Erza with Lily following
"I'm glad you're alright." She said with a smile before seeing the mushroom on Lily's head
"Lily, is that?" Erza asked to Lily who put up a hand
"don't know how, and I do not care" Lily replied before 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, Lily-san yes!" Lecter complimented. "It's going to catch on really quick!"
"Fro thinks so too." Frosch added.
Lily sweat drop to the two as having a mushroom on your head is quite unpleasant
"t-thanks..i guess" Lily replied before he sees Minerva staring at him hard
"i-is there something I can help you with?" Lily asked the woman
"did you perhaps do something to Milady in the past?" Frosch asked Lily
"I never even met the woman" Lily replied back
Minerva stared at the mushroom before she rips it off Lily's head as the black exceed screams in pain
"What was that for?!" Lily screamed out 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.
"are you okay?" Aya asked Lily who had his arms crossed while trying to ignore the pain on his bald head
"yes" Lily said while crying a bit
"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
With Gray
Gray was teleported away with Silver, far away from the others as the Ice Make wizard stood in front of Silver
Fully prepared to fight his opponent at the onset, Gray was surprised when he found that Silver wanted to talk before, they engaged in battle. Gray begrudgingly obliged his request and in return the demon revealed all of Tartaros' plans to the Fairy Tail wizard.
"3000 Face bombs?" Gray questioned. Unsurprisingly he was skeptical of the demon's words. "Why would the council build so many of those things?"
"Your guess is as good as mine, kid." Silver shrugged.
"And you brought me all the way out here just to tell me that?"
"Don't get me wrong. I wasn't trying to help you or anything. I just wanted to see the look of despair on your face when I told you."
Gray smirked. "Sorry to disappoint you, pal, but that's not happening anytime soon."
"Damn, too bad." Silver sarcastically lamented. "I was hoping to enjoy myself for a bit before I killed you."
Gray stared at Silver in silence again as an old feeling was rising in his hear
"Something on my face?" Silver probed.
"You know who I am, don't you?" Gray asked. He didn't know why he did. He just felt that it was the right thing to ask at the time.
"Yes I do." Silver answered. "I know you very well."
"Your face and voice…they seem pretty familiar to me. There's this weird sensation in the back of my mind that keeps telling me you're someone I know you're not." Gray had visions – or rather memories – of a once quiet, snow-covered, mountain town.
All burned to ash by a monster with no care for human life. Among the most vivid of these memories was of a boy desperately reaching out for the dead body of his father. A man who looked just like the demon before him.
"Who the hell are you?" Gray glared at Silver, but the demon continued to smirk in self-satisfaction.
"You've already realized who I am…" Silver began. "I'm your father."
"Stop messing with me!" Gray shouted. "My old man is dead! I saw it with my own eyes!"
"Guess you need to check them because I really am your father. I am Silver Fullbuster."
"Stop lying!" Gray thrust out his arm, creating multiple blades of ice, and sent them forth to attack Silver.
Silver swiped his arm, destroying all of Gray's creations with his own ice. Gray clenched his teeth and ran forward in a rage, lunging to Silver with a punch.
The demon evaded and Gray swung again, but this time Silver blocked with his forearm. His amused expression unchanging he froze Gray's fist and wrist before pushing him back. Gray landed on the ground with a hard thud as the ice holding his arm broke apart.
He stood up again, all the while denying the feelings he felt inside.
"I'm taking you down! There's no way you're my dad!"
Silver snickered at the young man before breaking out in a full blown fit of laughter. Gray was nearly foaming at the mouth with rage.
The Fairy Tail wizard clasped his hands together to activate his magic, but a swipe of Silver's hand stopped him. Silver's explosions of purple ice pushed Gray back into a pile of rubble.
"It's true, I am your father." Silver reiterated. "But I'm someone else as well."
"What the hell are you talking about?!"
"It's real simple when you think about it. You and I are important to one another, Gray. It's always been our destiny to fight against each other!"
Gray gathered his power in his hands. "Our destiny? You're delusional."
Silver swiped his arm again, this time the ice he summoned managing to make Gray break through the rock he was standing in front of. "I don't blame you for being confused. I guess I'll start by explaining how I got this body."
Gray struggled to his feet as he listened to Silver speak.
"This body I have now is just a vessel. In other words I'm borrowing it. I know you humans have a thing against stealing but the law doesn't count if the body is dead now does it?" He grinned darkly. "All the demons in Tartaros originated from the Book of Zeref. Including myself."
Gray's eyes went wide in horror. "What?"
"Staying in demon form is a hassle though. That's why I appear as a human most of the time. And since I was going to be human most of the time, I decided to at least choose a good looking one." He patted his chest. "That's where this guy came from. I've been using this body for a long while now. Guess you could say I've gotten fond of it."
Gray was trying his best to comprehend Silver's words, but none of it was making sense. ""Stolen? He stole my dad's dead body? What the hell is going on here?""
"Although, it might be my choosing this body that brought us together." Silver chuckled. He then grinned once more, malice dripping from his tongue as he spoke his next words. "Do you know how long I've waited for the chance to kill you with my bare hands?"
"Don't use that shifty logic to justify taking my dad's body for a joyride, you demon bastard!" Gray snapped. "Besides even after you say that, I have no idea who the hell you even are! What's your problem with me?!"
"Oh I have a big one with you, Gray." Silver answered. "Same goes for Ur, Lyon Vastia and even that wretched spawn of hers, Ultear. Anyone connected to Ur."
Gray's eyes slowly opened wider. The true identity of just who he was facing was beginning to be made all the clearer to him.
A sadistic smile pulled on Silver's chapped lips. "That damned woman…she imprisoned me for over a decade. Remember?"
Gray's eyes opened as wide as they could and he began to shake with fear. "No…"
"I'm the demon Deliora!" Silver roared. "Don't you remember me, Gray?!"
Gray stared at Silver in hushed shock. Because of this wild proclamation he was forced to remember the tragedy,forced to relive the day when she sacrificed her life to save him and Lyon from Deliora's wrath. He clenched his fist and it began to shake.
"You're lying." he reasoned. He thought back to Deliora's body crumbling on Galuna Island. Was it a lie? No, it had to be real. There was no way that Deliora could still be alive. "Ur killed Deliora."
"She did." Silver nodded. "It took me ten long years to die, but thanks to Hell's Core I was brought back to life."
"You…you're really Deliora?" Reasoning and logic began to give way to revenge and wrath as Gray clenched his fists even tighter. He was squeezing so hard that he began to draw blood from his own palms.
"What? You don't believe me?" Silver teased. "I could transform if you want. How about I assume the form I used to kill your parents?"
"RAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" Gray let out a shout of anger as he rushed towards Silver the former laughed maniacally
With Natsu and the others
Natsu and the others were still in battle against the three Etherious as they were proving to be a bit hard to defeat
"Water Slicer!"
Juvia swings her hands as a scythe like shaped water attacks Keyes who evaded the attack and flies towards Juvia and knocked her down to the ground with his staff.
"The story of the boy Gray will end on this day." Keyes announced, floating and solidifying before them. He tapped the bottom of his staff on the broken Earth.
Juvia felt something in her click and she narrowed her glare at the necromancer, her pupils shrinking in her anger.
"What did you say?" she growled.
"I see what shall pass." Keyes explained. "He will once again fall into despair in the face of calamitous power. I foresee that the student will follow the same path as the Master."
Keyes chuckled as he holds his staff up before slamming it down to the ground
As skeletons came sprouting out of the ground and started to attack Fairy Tail
With Gray
"Deliora!" Gray roared. He sprinted forward, activating his magic with the slam of his hands.
"Let's see what you've got, disciple of Ur!" Silver exclaimed at Gray
Gray summoned a geyser of ice but Silver jumped in the air to evade.
Silver thrust his palm towards Gray's creation, breaking it into shards and using those to attack him.
Gray dodged the flying projectiles by jumping up but Silver met him in the air, blasting him off of their fighting platform with a block of ice.
"Dammit!" Gray looked at the distance he was to the ground. It was a long drop. There was no way he would land safely. Thinking quickly, he created a platform mid-air and jumped from it. He repeated this process on multiple platforms until he was sailing mid-air over Silver.
"Impressive." Silver complimented
Gray held his hands over his head, gathering as much energy as he could.
"Ice Make! Cold! Excalibur!"
Gray creates a giant blade as he swung it down at Silver who used his hands to catch the sword before he took a bite out of the ice sword.
"What the hell?!" Gray exclaimed as his weapon was eaten by Silver.
"Did you forget that Slayer-type wizards are immune to their own element?" Silver laughed.
"Since your one of Ur's flunkies, all you know is Ice magic. That's why I chose to learn Ice Devil slayer magic!"
"So what if you're immune? I'm still going to beat you!" Gray declared.
"You would like to think so, wouldn't you? Watch this." Silver snapped his fingers and shards of ice emerged from the cuts on Gray's body.
"Gaaaaahhh!" Gray cried out in pain as Silver smirks evilly
"This is great! Perfect even! The twisting features of pain in your face and eyes! It's all wonderful! After I finish you I'll take care of Lyon! Then Ultear but wait..." he smirked evilly. "She's already dead, isn't she?"
Gray gnashed his teeth in anger. "You don't get to say her name!" He raised his fist above his palm and slammed it down.
"Ice Impact!"
Silver caught the hammer with his bare hand and began to feast.
"You don't listen, well do you? Slayer type wizards can devour their nature elements!" Silver told him before he started puffing his cheeks with air
"My turn now." Silver said as Gray's eyes widen in surprise.
"Hyoma no Gekiko!"
Gray tried to block but he was blown away by the fierce blizzard from Silver's mouth and was sent flying through the air.
"gah!" Gray crashed down as Silver smirks while chuckling
"ahahahaha!" Silver laughed at Gray
Gray struggled to his feet, his body covered in cuts and bruises.
As he keeps hearing Silver's laughter the more he started to remember his father
""Grow up to be strong, Gray.""
His father's words rang in his head as Gray stands back up and glares at Silver
"I'm going to kill you…if it's the last thing I do."
"Give it your best shot!" Silver taunted, the evil glint in his eye growing brighter. "Your ice doesn't work on me, boy!"
Gray pressed his hand on the ground.
"Ice Make! Cannon!"
As soon as it appeared, the cannon fired at Silver.
Silver scoffed at his attempt.
"Pathe- gaah?!" Silver said before he was interrupted as a rock hits his chin
"What the hell?!" he looked over and sees the rock flying away.
"You created an ice cannon, but used the rubble as ammo?!" Silver exclaimed before he looked back at Gray and sees that he had made more Cannons and started rapid firing at Silver with any rubble he could find.
"That's enough of that!" Silver shouted. He clenched his hand into a fist, covering the entire battlefield in ice. "What are you going to do now, boy?"
Gray looked around at the frozen wasteland and grinned. "You've just dug your own grave." He placed his hands on the ground and his body began to glow, surprising Silver.
"What is this?"
"This is the ice you used to freeze Sun Village right?" Gray rhetorically asked, his body glowed even brighter.
"I can pass it through my body and use it in my own magic. I know that slayer wizards are immune against the same element, but that isn't the case when it's their own does it?"
Silver's eyes went wide at Gray's summation.
Gray turned his body and stuck out one of his hands towards Silver. "You're done!" a force of purple ice and snow shot forth from his hand and engulfed Silver, but much to Gray's alarm he stood his ground.
"Yeah it's true that I can't eat my own ice." The demon said.
"But that doesn't mean it'll hurt me. Ice is still ice no matter who uses it." He looked at the shock in Gray's expression and his satisfaction grew.
"There it is. There's the look of fear I've been searching for. You remember yet? The fear from the terror Deliora?!" Gray attempted another attack but Silver swiped his hand, creating spikes of ice that knocked Gray away.
"What happened to all that vigor?" The demon mocked. "Are you too scared to fight back now?"
Gray tried to stand but Silver stepped on his ribs. He then proceeded to repeated stomp and kick the downed Gray whilst berating him.
"That's it! Struggle in vain! Let me see the look of pain on your face! Grovel for your life, human!" He swung his hand, covering Gray in ice spikes as he knocked him away again.
"You really thought you could beat me? You're still that same pathetic kid that wet his pants the last time you faced me! Ur learned this lesson so why can't you?! A human can never defeat a demon!"
Gray once again staggered to his knees, blood dripping from his mouth. "I don't care…what you say!" he glared at the cocky Silver, though one of his eyes was closed shut. "I have to win this fight!"
"How do you plan to do that? We've established over and over again that ice doesn't work on me, I basically stopped any attempts at a physical attack, and you can't think that any emotional appeal is going to save you."
Gray's haggard breaths ached in his chest. "There's…one more thing…I can do." He spread his legs apart and crossed his arms over in front of himself.
"Iced Shell!"
Silver's eyes briefly widened in fear before he returned to his trademark smirk.
"You're bluffing. The same spell Ur used to seal me? Are you willing to give up your life for that? That spell is useless now that I've learned Devil Slayer magic."
"So you're man enough to test out that theory?!" Gray challenged.
Silver was starting to get worried the longer he looked into Gray's eyes. "Stop bluffing! You'll die!"
"We'll see about that, Deliora!" Gray roared. His body began glowing.
"Not again!" Silver swiped his arm to attack Gray, but the ice wizard broke apart on contact. "An Ice sculptures?!"
Gray appeared behind the demon. "This is for my family…and for Ur!"
"Damn you!"
""don't cast that spell again, using it is the coward' way to die"" Gray recalled the words Natsu said to him on Galuna Island and he briefly wavered.
Gray then started seeing images of his friends and family in his mind before he sees Ur who was smiling to him.
He closed his eyes before refocusing on the frightened Silver.
""I'm sorry!""
"Iced! Shell!"
As he opened his arms to unleash the spell, he remembered the times he spent with Ur and the others
"s-stop it!" Silver exclaimed as he froze Gray in ice before he sees him behind him
"an ice Sculpture?!" he exclaimed in surprise as the fake Gray crumbles to pieces
"for my family… I'll make you pay!" Gray exclaimed
"damnit!" Silver shouted as Gray unleashed Iced Shell as a blizzard flies towards Silver
"it won't!" Silver grunted as he focused the energies of Iced Shell and redirected them towards an astonished Gray. "work!" he shouted.
Silver was fooled yet again. "Another ice sculptures?!"
""I'm sorry everyone"" Gray voice out in his mind before he appeared behind Silver with a projectile in his hands
""I was forgetting something important!""
Silver turned around and sees Gray holding an iron ball
""I ain't dying today! Cause I don't want to see my friends cry!""
Gray readied the iron ball as he stretched out his hand as far as he can
""Where did he get that ball? From the rubble?!"" Silver looks in shock before his eyes spotted a crate full of iron balls
Ice started to appear around the iron ball as the ice forms into a giant hand
"Ice Make! Vambrace!"
Gray hurled the iron ball at Silver as the iron ball pierced through his abdomen.
Silver spit up blood fell backwards, lying flat on a platform of ice. A smile slowly crept across his lips.
"Nice…one…" he coughed out
"You can stop with the act." Gray said. Through their battle, he had come to a realization. "I already know you're not Deliora. You're really my dad, aren't you?"
Silver looked at Gray before looking back up to the sky. "Just finish me off…"
"Answer me!" Gray demanded. "You are my dad! What the hell are you doing in a place like this?!"
"I was waiting…for you to kill me…" Silver admitted.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I may have been your dad at one point, but not anymore. I haven't been human for a long time, but I'm not a demon either. I'm a dead man. I've been dead for seventeen years now."
Gray looked at his father in ever growing shock.
"That doesn't make any sense." He said as he looks at Silver. "If you're dead, then how can you be here with me right now?"
"A necromancer…" Silver began. "He chose to use my body in an experiment of his."
"An experiment…?!"
"Yeah." Silver nodded.
"He wanted to see just how close he could get to bringing someone back from the dead. I was just one in a line of hundreds, probably thousands, of other subjects, and it seems I'm the only one that 'survived'. If you can even call it that. I'm more of a puppet than anything. But even so…" He grinned as wide as he could, but Gray could feel his father's overwhelming sadness.
"Everything I've done since then was to rid the world of the demons who took my family from me!" he shouted.
"When I joined Tartaros, I did anything I could to rid the world of the demons without them catching on. I succeeded a few times. I even messed up a few of their plans without them realizing it, but I made a mistake when I froze that Village back then, I thought that the fire was a demon of some sort..sorry about that"
"I had created this whole plan that would wipe out the guild once and for all, but then I found out you were alive…you were so strong and so brave during that fight against that masked guy in the Grand Magic Games." Silver grinned as he remembers seeing Gray on a Lacrima screen where he was fighting Rufus
"I couldn't help but tear up. I was so relieved that you were alive. I had heard rumors about Ur taking on two young boys as students but I never thought that you were one of them. I was so proud at how strong you had become. I also realized something else…" he held his shaking hands over his face, gazing at both the past as well as present blood on his hands.
"I didn't have the right to fight for you…or your mother…"
"So you just decided to die…?" Gray surmised.
"I've been dead for years." Silver reminded. "I decided to end it. Just end it all and leave my mission to you." Silver sat up, his eyes locked onto the ground.
"No one asked you to do that!" Gray shouted. "Don't just go pinning things on me out of the blue! I didn't even know you were alive until now!"
"I know it's a lot to take on, and I'm probably the worst father in the world for pushing my problems onto you, but I know you'll do fine. I know I said some awful things to you…and for that I'm sorry, son. I don't deserve to be in your thoughts after the things I've done."
"That doesn't matter." Gray asserted. "You're still my dad."
"No!" Silver protested, tears running down his cheeks.
"what kind of father would hurt his own son!"
"you are" Gray muttered out
"Finish me off, Gray! I can't take this pain any longer…"
Gray created an ice sword as he readied it beside him
"So you really want this? You really want me to end your life once and for all?"
"Please…" Silver pleaded. "Reunite me with Mika…"
Gray hesitantly walked towards his shamed father.
"Don't hesitate, son!" Silver shouted. "I helped Tartaros with Face! I did nothing when they abducted a little girl! I murdered council members! This is what I deserve! I am your enemy!"
"Yeah…" Gray said. "Even if you are my father, you attacked Fairy Tail. You hurt my family! I can't let that slide!"
"I don't blame you, son. That is what it means to be human." Silver agreed with a sad smile.
Gray walked closer to Silver, but dropped his sword. "I know what I have to do but I can't do it!" he cried, tears surging from his eyes.
"Even after all you've done, you're still my dad! I can't kill you!"
Silver looked to his son with proud eyes as he smiled to him
"Dammit…dammit…" Gray repeated in frustration. He wiped away his flowing tears, falling to his knees on the ice. Silver rose and walked to him, wrapping his arms around his sobbing son.
"It doesn't really matter. My body won't last much longer anyway."
"Dad…" Gray said through his sobs. "Can we stay like this a little longer?"
Silver smiled softly, tears once again streaming down his face as he clutched his son closer to him.
"Sure, son. For as long as you want." He told him as he held his son after.
"You've made both your mom and I so proud!"
Gray wrapped his arms around Silver's back as he continued to cry.
With Juvia
Juvia was battling with Keyes as the archbishop was overpowering her with his curse
""Hello. Can anyone hear me?"" a voice called out to Juvia in her mind
""telepathy."" Juvia thought as she heared the voice
""young lady, Would you happen to be Gray's girlfriend?"" Silver said in the telepathy as Juvia's face went red
"JUVEEEN!" she squealed out while steam was coming out of her head
""N-no, I am not his g-girlfriend, but are you by chance…Gray's father? Silver?""
""I see someone's been talking about me, but that's not important. I reached out to you to tell you that you have to defeat Keyes." Silver requested.
"But that shouldn't be too hard, he's the weakest of the demon gates. He's a necromancer. His plan is use the dead body of the chairman to activate the 3000 Face bombs remotely."
""3000?!"" Juvia exclaimed in the mind link
""If you do that then they won't be able to activate Face."" Silver finished.
""But if I do that, you'll be…"" Juvia voice out
"You already found out about that, huh? No matter what happens to me you have to do this. For Gray's sake!"
""Mr. Silver, can you hear me?"" Juvia telepathically called. No answer. ""Is our only choice defeating this demon? Is there no other way?!""
"You were speaking with Silver, weren't you?" he asked as he tapped the bottom of his staff on the ground.
"I have been well aware of the man's attempts to undermine our efforts while in Tartaros." He sent forth more anti-magic bombs to the girls, but they managed to dodge.
"He learned Ice Devil slayer magic with the express intent of eliminating us as revenge for his family. However, this did not deter me. I was very adamant on using those buried feelings of anger and rage to aid in his prolonged existence. Does that not fascinate you? He makes for such a wonderful marionette."
"Such cruelty…it makes me sick!" Juvia yelled.
"Father and son…living and dead…all murdering one another!" Keyes mused.
"That is my story! The ongoing quest to create the perfect corpse!"
"Just what do you think humans are?!" Juvia demanded.
"Subjects for my experiments." The demon answered. "And what marvelous tools the both of you would make."
"Humans! Will never be your puppets!" Juvia shouted as a raging stream of water swirls around her
Juvia swings her hands forward as the raging water strikes at Keyes who dodged by flying around the water's current
"But puppets you will be." He argued as he drew closer to Juvia. "Now I shall slay you and use your corpse to kill your friends."
"Juvia will never allow that to happen!" Juvia retorted to him
Black tentacles started to wrap around Juvia's limb as she struggled in it
"The only way to free your friend is to end me." Keyes reminded. "But if you do, Silver's life will be lost as will mine!"
"Juvia!" Lucy shouted out as the tried to stand up but failed as the skeletons pushed her down and pinned her to the ground
"what is this!?" Lucy exclaimed
"Lucy!" Natsu shouted out before he got a right hook by Tempester
"This place is known as the Capital of the Dead!" Torafusa explained while fending off more of Gajeel's attacks. "It is haven of weapons for someone of Keyes' skills."
"What is troubling you?" Keyes mocked Juvia as she struggled in the bind
"Are you really unable to send the ghost of that young man's father to its proper resting place?"
"your one and only hope is to sacrifice the bond of father and son." Silver told her
Juvia gritted her teeth before tears started falling down her eyes
"Juvia…cannot" she cried out
"That is the folly of you humans." Keyes said. "You allow emotion to cloud your judgments." A cloud of anti-magic particles swirled around Juvia and collapsed in on her. "You are all nothing but repugnant displays of egotism."
"That was one."
Natsu gritted his teeth in rage.
"You gotta be kidding me…" Gajeel uttered in disbelief.
"Juvi…" Lucy gasped.
Keyes stepped back to attack the rest of Fairy Tail but stopped when something bulges out from his cloak.
"What is this?" Keyes exclaimed as his body was acting crazy
"ungh….what is this!?" Keyes exclaimed
"you're wrong" a voice spoke from within him as it surprised Keyes and everyone
"It can't be…she should be dead!" he exclaimed as his body was going out of control
"she's inside him?!" Lucy exclaimed
"the ties between humans cannot be broken by the likes of you!" Juvia shouted from within Keyes
"GAAAAH! She turned into water!?" Keyes exclaimed
"I underestimated this one! Yet, lowly human "magic" surely cannot defeat me!" Keyes exclaimed while trying to take control of his body
"the bond….between father and son..will hold strong!" Juvia exclaimed as Keyes shouted in pain before his body was ripped apart revealing Juvia from in it
"no matter what becomes of them! Their love will stay in each other's hearts!" Juvia screamed in tears
"We believe! In the power of love!"
Keyes turned to dust as his mask crumbles and shatters into pieces
The remaining demons were shocked.
"That human defeated Keyes!" Torafusa shouted in shock. Tempester grimaced.
""Gray-sama, please forgive Juvia! Forgive Juvia! Forgive Juvia!"" Juvia cried out her tears as what she had done
""It was for the best."" Silver said to her in the telepathy
"I thank you. You allowed me to rest, and you also stopped the Face bombs."
""juvia wants-"" Juvia argued.
""don't say anything, just look after Gray for me"" Silver spoke to her before the telepathy was gone
"Juvia….will" Juvia said as she cried her heart out
With Gray
Gray stood watching as the rest of his Father faded away into the air.
"Thanks for everything you've done, Dad. You've earned a rest."
""I'm leaving everything to you, son."" Silver said.
""and do you know the real reason why I learned Ice Devil Slayer magic in the first place?"" Silver told him as particles flies up into the sky
""it'ss because END is fire demon. And that power, can pass from Father to Son."
As the last of Silver's essence faded away, Gray clenched his right fist and tattoo appeared on his forearm. "You don't have to worry, Dad. I'll take care of END."
"as an Ice Devil Slayer"
With new found determination, Gray sets on to defeat the demon who caused it all but did not realize that the last demon was a trusted friend of his
That's a wrap!
Bye bye