Back with the continuation
"speaking"
""thinking""
On with the story
Zeref stood before his army in the west. After waiting it was finally time to begin his march. Invel turned to Zeref "We shall now resume our march on Fairy Tail, Emperor"
"Finally…" Zeref said
"with Demon King Dragist out of the enemy forces, their battle power has been decreased tremendously," Invel said "but Among the Spriggan 12, six members have already been eliminated."
"What!?"
"It can be!?"
"Is this a joke…!?"
The soldiers began to murmur amongst each other at this news.
"One of them was the work of Acnologia, but who's counting…" Zeref thought to himself.
"However, that is no reason to be anxious!" Invel shouted out to the troops "So long as we have the power of immortality, His Majesty on our side! OUR ARMY SHALL NOT KNOW DEFEAT! NOW, ADVANCE! MARCH FORTH, CHDILREN OF ALVAREZ! DELIVER FAIRY HEART TO HIS MAJESTY!"
Invel's speech gave the morale boost for the troops, thus allowing the march to continue.
Zeref watches the soldiers marching to Fairy Tail as the time was getting near
"There is nothing that can stop me now. All my doubts have been cleared. Mavis...Natsu. I'll paint over your very existence with the darkest of black!"
Brandish sat in her cell as the green haired girl just sits there quietly
"you didn't have to go back to your cell, you know" Lucy said standing in front of the cell door with Natsu beside her.
"what made the Nation Destroyer this controllable?" Natsu said in a bit of an amused tone
Brandish just wrapped her arms around her knees while facing the wall. "I never would have expected Jacob to get taken out. Now I've truly come to understand the Emperor's words when he said to not make light of this enemy." She said to them "although it would make sense if the Demon king is with them"
"I already stop using that title, I'm just Natsu of Fairy Tail" Natsu said to the girl while crossing his arms
"But this is as far as you go. The Eight-Month approaches." Brandish said
"Eighth month…?" Lucy tilted her head curiously "but that was last month"
"no, Lucy, the eight month is August" Natsu said as he squinted his eye "August is the month of Gathering Calamities. August is the month of fear…. The month where everyone prays and behave in Alvarez. for he is one of the mightiest members of the Spriggan 12 other than me"
Back upstairs, everyone was in the middle of fixing the giant broken floor, Makarov made as the damage was quite big
"Why'd you have to destroy the floor, Master!? Couldn't you just throw the guy out the door!"
"I expected so much more from someone your age!
"Hey, pass me that plank over there!"
"I can fix that right up with my Wood Make magic!" Laki said.
"I'm utterly ashamed…" Makarov said while kneeling down in apology
Max turned to Warren as the man was fiddling with the radar. "How are things looking out there on the battlefield, Warren?"
"About that…" Warren trailed off. "It looks like the radar is busted, so…"
Jet and Droy cut their eyes at Makarov. "That…couldn't have been my fault, could it…?" The old master said with a sweat drop.
"No, this is some type of jamming magic." Warren said "I don't know where the signal is coming from, but whoever it is has the power to completely shut down our network, so we're blind."
"I think that guy said that this August guy must be the one messing with the radar, right?" Macao said
"I see…" Makarov's gaze turned sterner. "So he has set his sights upon us. The man called the King of Magic."
"This is exactly when we need the Firsts' wisdom to…" When Makaraov turned around, Mavis was gone "Huh…where'd she go!?"
"In order to tend to her wounds, she said she was returning to the basement for a bit…" Nab said.
"But she's a ghost! How did she get wounded?" Droy asked
"How should I know?" Jet told the fat man
"Your guess is as good as mine…" Macao said.
Mavis disappeared to the basement where her real body was, but she also brought Cana along with her. The brunette was pretty surprised to find a room like this sleeping under the guild.
"never thought there was a place like this under the guild." Cana said
"Come to think of it, I suppose this is your first time seeing it." Mavis said as up ahead was Mavis' body sealed in the lacrima crystal. "What you're seeing is my body. That is Fairy Heart."
"And that's what Zeref's after, yeah?" Cana inquired.
"Yes." Mavis responded with a nod. "After witnessing Jacob's magic, and Lucy's retaliation against him, I've finally devised it. A stratagem that will defeat Zeref once and for all!"
"Huh!?" Cana turned to look at the First.
"I cannot divulge the details yet, but for the time being, we must remove my body from this lacrima." Mavis explained.
"Hold on a second!" Cana interjected. She recalled Mavis' story and… "Are you telling me that the body inside this lacrima…"
"If my calculations are correct, yes. It's alive, quite possibly thanks to Precht's resurrection magic."
"So…how are we supposed to get it out?" Cana quirked a brow. She didn't understand what Mavis' aim here was.
"Fairy Glitter." Mavis responded. "We will cast Fairy Glitter and use its power to erase this thought projection body."
Cana's eyes only displayed her shock at this ploy. "as a result of my thought projection being attacked, it has been cracked. If I'm correct, exterminating this body will destroy the lacrima."
Cana couldn't accept this plan at all. "What…what the hell are you saying!? Are you telling me I have to attack you!?"
"As I said, this is merely a thought projection…an apparition. It's not as if you're truly inflicting harm on me." Mavis said to calm Cana's nerves, but it only had the opposite effect.
"I WON'T DO IT!" The card mage exclaimed. "IT'S TOO DANGEROUS! If by any chance your real body were to be….!"
"CANA!" Mavis raised her voice. She could understand Cana's hesitation. To attack a comrade intentionally like this did seem ludicrous, but she needed Cana to trust her. "We have no choice but to take this wager. Please, believe in me! It is for the greater good of defeating Zeref!"
Cana couldn't say a word. Did she really have to attack a friend like this?
Gajeel's group were positioned at the northern of Fiore as they saw a large amount of alvarez soldiers marching their way in the snow.
"There they are…the enemy's main forces…" Pantherlily stated out in his battle form
"They're marching right at us, what should we do…?" Levy asked.
"Do I really have to say it? We charge in there and kick some ass!" Gajeel said.
"Their numbers are overwhelming…" Mira said with a sigh.
"in the end we never managed to meet up with Saber and the others." Elfman stated.
"It's all right! I'm sure Saber and Pegasus are somewhere around here too." Lisanna assured his big brother
"We're going to stop them here! We can't let any of them get through the guild!" Gajeel said to everyone as they nodded and readied themselves for battle
"Prepare for battle!" Gajeel exclaimed as the enemy forces were nearly reaching into the view
As they went into view, Gajeel and the others saw that they were holding up poles and upon further looking, their face went into shock and horror
It was Sabertooh's and Blue Pegasus' members as they were all crucified to a pole while the enemy was holding them up and laughs
"Sting! Rogue!" Lily look in shock
"Jennie and the others!" Lisanna said in shock
"What monsters!" Levy said in disgust
"They took out…." Gajeel said in shock. "All of Saber and Pegasus!?"
South Fiore, Port Hargeon
Even with Dimaria and Wall defeated, the battle still raged on.
Laxus was resting after the intense battle against Wall, and those who fought Dimaria took refuge in a house.
Erza, Kagura, and Jellal stormed the docked ship where Neinhart awaited. They had no idea where he was, but they planned to defeat him.
They landed onto a boat and as they land on the ship. Darkness instantly covered the immediate area around the three.
"What is this!?" Erza shouted. She tried to look around, but there was nothing she could see.
"Pitch black darkness…!?" Kagura gasped.
"Our vision's been completely voided. This magic…" Jellal knew this magic. He also received a pretty strong blow that knocked him off his feet, throwing him back. "GUAH!"
"JELLAL!" Erza shouted, but Jellal wasn't the only one who received a strong blow. Kagura, and Erza, were all knocked down by the mysterious assailant.
"Well, well, we've got ourselves quite the nostalgic reunion here…" The voice came from none other than Simon, Kagura's older brother. "Dark Moment. Brings you back, doesn't it?"
"Simon…!" Erza began to sweat. He died for her and she recalled that all too wel
"You're alive!?" Jellal asked in shock
Kagura felt the rush of emotions flow into her the longer she stared at Simon. She was about to cry. "Brother…"
"Br…" Kagura was going to take a step forward, but Jellal put his arm out to stop her.
"No, it's not! This isn't Simon! It's an imposter!" Jellal told her
Kagura, who started to wipe away her tears, glared at the man. "YOU FIEND! HOLD YOUR-!"
"Hmhm~" A voice came from above as Erza directed her gaze up and that's when she saw him; a purple haired man sitting comfortably on the ship's mast. "Fate connects all of us. Even if the thread is tiny and thin, that connection is still very much alive. What you're seeing is your 'Historia'. A tale of love, friendship, family, and death. What a beautiful, sordid Historia indeed…"
He is Neinhart, a member of the Spriggan 12.
"You all did well to notice in that short instant. Indeed, what you all are witnessing is your 'Historia'. The thread of fate that binds all of you together." Neihart said "what you are looking at is the Historia within your hearts."
"Historia?" Erza said
"I can gaze into people's hearts. There are a myriad of emotions and sentiments to be found in the heart." Neinheart said while spreading his arms. "And with my magic, you see…I can materialize these emotions into reality."
With a snap of his fingers, Simon started to fade.
"Kagura…you've gr…" Before Simon could say anything more, he was gone before Kagura could even reach him.
"BIG BROTHER!" Kagura screamed as she reached out for Simon, but he was never in reach to begin with. The tears started to build and actually fell from Kagura's eyes. To have her brother back, only for him to be ripped away from her within mere seconds; the emotional wounds truly did hit harder than the physical ones.
"Calm yourself! That's merely an illusion created by that mage!" Jellal yelled, but Kagura wasn't having it. Her feet were already carrying her forward and she planned to cut Neinhart down right then and there.
"SILENCE!" The mermaid screamed, preparing to unleash her fury on Neinhart for toying with her heart like this.
"Tsk tsk…" Neinhart sounded genuinely offended by Jellal's words. "I'm insulted. Calling my creations a mere illusion…" His hand then rose, a sinister aura flowing around it. This prompted a gigantic blast of magic to drop from above, directly where Kagura was standing.
"You witnessed it, did you not? Just now with Simon, The life I create can even use magic; it has memories and a personality as well. And you have the audacity to call it a mere illusion?"
Kagura's gaze went up and her eyes widened. She was admittedly unprepared for what was coming but Jellal grabbed her and dove to the side, however he was unable to completely avoid the blast and it struck his back. Both Jellal and Kagura were blasted through the ship, falling through the newly created hole that led into the water.
"KAGURA! JELLAL!" Erza yelled in worry.
Neinhart then snapped his fingers, now using his 'Historia' on Erza.
Erza noticed and turned, her blade suddenly clashing with Ikaruga "You're…"
"Did you go and forget about me already, Erza-han?" Ikaruga's red painted lips curved into a subtle smile.
"Ikaruga, my beautiful Historia…" Neinhart said as he was absolutely enjoying the show before him.
Kagura and Jellal fell to the water's floor. They were trapped under the chain of the anchor, and Kagura was extremely fast to worm her way out of Jellal's grasp. "This man…unhand me at once! I must return to Erza and that idiot to offer my assistance!"
The mermaid then swam away from Jellal before turning to stare at him. "This scoundrel is responsible for murdering my brother…." There was…a thought that donned on her. He was trapped underwater and unconscious; it was only a matter of time before he drowned and he'd never know.
She could just leave him there. Ever since her eyes laid sight on him at the GMG, she constantly thought about ending his life. She had a chance once, but she failed. But now? There was nothing stopping her after all
Erza's battle against Ikaruga was ferocious as the swordswomen landed a cut across Erza's left shoulder, blood drawn as a result. "Kuh…!"
The pink haired swordswoman brought her sleeve to her mouth, snickering somewhat at Erza's condition.
"You are clearly not your usual self, Erza-han. I feel none of the sharpness you had in the past." Ikaruga said
another familiar figure from Erza's past appeared behind her.
"It's her injuries, no doubt. Erza at her best is far stronger than this." Azuma said as he materialized into existence.
"Wha…!?" Erza's eyes were wide. "Azuma!?"
Azuma reared his arm back, smirking while preparing to initiate what was about to be a 2 on 1 fight.
"Now then, I would sure like to bear witness to it; that incomparable strength of yours!" Azuma exclaimed as he brought his hand forward, causing vines to rise up from the floor in attempt to wrap around Erza.
She dodge the vines but as soon as she did, Ikaruga was on her
"Tch…!" Erza summoned two katanas as she had no choice but to try and parry Ikaruga while dodging Azuma's attack.
Erza jumped away from Ikaruga's slash, but the moment her feet left the ground, Azuma had his sights set on her.
"Bleve!" Azuma snaps his fingers as an explosion occurred on Erza's body, blowing her backwards and she let out a cry of pain.
"Ramus Sica!" Azuma yelled, releasing a bombardment of exploding twigs in Erza's direction.
Ikaruga drew her blade back before swinging it forward, a crescent slash of white light resembling the moon shooting towards Erza. "Mugetsu Ryu, Yasha Senku!"
the attacks converged on Erza and created a vicious explosion upon her. Erza let out a scream of pain as she fell from the sky, landing on the floor while knocking over some barrels in her wake. Neinhart was absolutely enjoying the scene.
"The Historia of one who overcame countless powerful foes. How magnificently beautiful! Behold! This is my magic, the power to conjure the very history of all your battles! The Historia of Corpses! Historia of the Dead!"
"Kyoka!?" Erza exclaimed as Kyok appeared in front of the Scarlet Knight
"So, you are dead?" Azuma questioned Ikaruga.
"You're just terrible, Azuma-han!" Ikaruga spoke with a quirked brow.
"These souls, which originally had never intersected with one another…my Historia is binding them together. The single thread that connects them all together is you, Erza Scarlet. This is the epitome of elegance and beauty!" Neinhart was truly feeling himself now. "NOW! EXTEND EVEN FUTHER! MY HISTORIA!"
In the town, Historias appeared
"W-What's this chill…?" Lyon asked as he and Gray looks in front and sees someone coming towards them
"well, looks like I get revived for a third time, huh?" Silver appeared as the man rubs the back of his head
"d-dad?!" Gray said in shock
Laxus let out a pained chuckle, an irritated smile crossing his lips as he stared at the foe behind him. "You gotta be fuckin' kidding me…is this some kind of bad joke?" The exhausted lightning dragon asked as he stared at…
Hades. The 2nd guild master of Fairy Tail and Master of Grimoire Heart. "So…it's you. You are the one who shares Yuri's blood…"
"Just how many damn times are you gonna crawl back up from the dead, you decrepit fossil…" Laxus let out one more sigh before bringing himself to his feet.
"Yo~" Zancrow appeared in front of Meredy who was shocked to see the man
"Z-ZANCROW!?" Meredy exclaimed in shock "but, you're dead!"
"yeah I was dead, but seeing you live all happy and alive makes me angry!" Zancrow exclaimed before he attacked Meredy
Juvia looks in shock to see the Dead God Slayer as he was presumed to have died in Tenroujima. "What's going on?! Why are the dead…!?"
"Contrary to my Nercomancy, which manipulates the dead, this magic is somewhat different." O
One of the Nine Demon gates of Tartarus, Keyes appeared causing Juvia to freeze on the spot. "How amusing indeed. From the hearts of those on the battlefield, the memories of powerful warriors are being conjured right before our very eyes."
Kagura pulls up Jellal up to the wooden docks as the man was still out cold
She looks at the man as she lifted her sword before putting it down
Kagura looks hesitant before she gives Jellal CPR
Erza was losing the battle against the three Historias as she was overpowered
"Gaah!" Erza fell down as Kyoka had struck her down with her whip claws
"Tie her up." Kyoka commanded, and Azuma did just that. Vines wrapped around Erza's legs to spread them apart, while her wrists were tightly bound together.
Kyoka stepped forward, grinning at Erza. "This really brings us back, doesn't it Erza? How I fondly remember our time together in that torture chamber…" She placed a claw on Erza's head, her smile turning into a tender, sadistic one. "Would you like me to give you some more tender love and care, hm? I'll multiply your sense of pain by ten!" A swift slash to Erza's side granted her an all too familiar sensation; one that felt like her entire body was ripped apart. Because of this she let out an agonizing scream.
Kyoka dug her claw into Erza's wound, grinding her sharp nails against it with a hum. "Hmmm…let's up your sense of pain even more, shall we?"
But then she moved that bloody claw to grope Erza's breast, giving it a tender squeeze. "Or would you rather…I raise your sensitivity in a different way?"
"Isn't this a wonderful trip down memory lane, Erza?" Kyoka asked her
"…Yeah…" Erza admitted. "But I've had enough of this little reunion." Her words caused them all to freeze. "There was indeed a time where you all stood before me, blocking my path. You were all fiercely powerful foes. However…you all tasted defeat at my hands and lay prone before me!"
Kyoka, however, wasn't having it. She swung multiple times, slashing at Erza's body violently. "SILENCE!"
"Begone, departed spirits. Unless you wish to taste my blade once more! I will cut you both down if you stand in my way."
"…..Those eyes." The Historias were stunned as Azuma and Ikaruga started to disappear
"ERRRRZAAAAA!" Kyoka screamed out in agony as she started to fade away. Azuma and Ikaruga never got the chance to say anything; all they could do was marvel at Erza's willpower.
All of Neinhart's creations gone in a single strike. "…W-What is this woman…!? Erza…Scarlet hair, and this magic power. T-There's no…it cannot be…Irene-sama's…?"
Jellal and Kagura coming on the ship and both saw Erza lying down unconcious
"Erza!" Kagura runs towards Erza as she helps her up
"Erza? Erza!" Kagura shakes Erza by the shoulder before feeling an immense magic power coming from Jellal
Jellal looks at Neinhart as the man had an angered glare on him
"I will take up one more sin." Jellal said as the sky above cleared and the starry skies appeared
"This magic!" Neinhart looks up to the starry sky as 7 magic circles appeared in the sky
Jellal positions his hand in a gesture "May the Seven Stars Judge thee"
"I know your Historia, Jellal!" Neinhart said as Simon appeared "it's Simon!"
As Simon was about to attack Jellal, Kagura intervened as she struck down Simon wit her blade "that is not my brother!"
Simon smiled to Kagura as he felt proud to his sister before he disappeared
"go! Jellal!" Kagura shouted out to the man
"Grand Chariot!" The seven stars above dropped down massive pillars of light upon Neinhart. These gigantic pillars utterly annihilated the ship they were on while also consuming the Spriggan within its powerful wake. In this court, there was absolutely no escaping for Neinhart.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHH…!" Neinhart screamed as the light consumed him before he fell to the ocean water defeated
The sky returned to normal and the sun began set. The critically wounded Erza barely managed to open her eyes, getting a view of the sight before her. "…What a beautiful, scarlet sky…"
The sky returned to normal and the sun began set. The critically wounded Erza barely managed to open her eyes, getting a view of the sight before her. "…What a beautiful, scarlet sky…"
"I will go and deal with August myself" Natsu proclaimed to everyone in the guild
"I'm going too!" Lucy said.
Makarov, however, was against this. "I cannot agree to this."
"even if it is you, Natsu. Your strength hasn't return yet and we're talking about the most powerful member of the Spriggan 12 here"
"You are mistaken." Brandish walked into the main hall. "It would be more accurate to say that he is the strongest man of the Spriggan 12."
"How the HELL did you escape your cell!?" Mest asked.
"I let her out." Natsu replied.
"WHY!?" Mest shouted.
"it's fine, even if she did try to retaliate, she wouldn't dare while I'm here" Natsu said as he looks at Brandish with his eye glowing black "Right?"
Brandish nodded while a bead of sweat slides down her cheeks
"So…Strongest man?" Lucy turned to Brandish. "What do you mean by that?"
"It appears that you've had a misconception about the 12 this entire time. While it's true August could be called the strongest among us, but there is another who shares the same title."
"another?!" Mest exclaimed as Brandish nodded
"If Demon King Dragist is the Strongest Demon of the 12 and August is the strongest man of the 12, then…she is the strongest woman. Irene Belserion" Brandish explained as Natsu squinted his eye
"the Scarlet Despair…." Natsu muttered out as in the northern part of Fiore, stood the proclaimed Scarlet Witch
That's a wrap!
Bye bye