SailorStar9: We now continue with Chapter 126 of this fic. (Sighs) Guys and girls, is it too hard for you to leave a review, instead of just putting this fic up on your favorited list and story alerts?

Disclaimers: I own nothing, except for the plot bunny and my OCs.

Chapter 126: Tartarus Chapter: Absolute Demon

"Where were you, anyway?" Gray asked, taking the lead as the pair headed towards Mard Geer. "You kind of vanished on us for almost a week."

"Somewhere strange." Ulyo replied. "Ensui," she started. "She made me realize a couple of things about myself."

"Nothing bad, I hope." Gray sounded worried.

"Nothing bad." Ulyo confirmed. "Just some things that needs to be said. We'll going need a serious talk after this fight is over."

"Yeah." Gray nodded. "My fight with my old man also let me come to terms with some things... you already knew about it, didn't you? About the mage who froze the Sun Village being my old man?"

"I had my suspicions." Ulyo admitted. "With you being able to actually mold the ice at the Sun Village, I figured the mage who froze the village had to be someone who's blood-related to you."

"Your hair..." Gray ran a finger through her white fringe.

"Ah, that." Ulyo noted. "A side effect of 'Final Release' training."

"What's this doing here?" Gray spotted something on the ground as they walked by. "I have a feeling everyone's in danger." he hurried on, with Ulyo in tow. "We'd better meet up with them soon."

"Hey, why the hell do you wanna wipe out magic all across the continent?" Sting asked.

"Didn't I tell you?" Mard Geer wondered. "By removing all magic, END's seal will also be broken. Right now, he's in that form, but END is the strongest demon of the Books of Zeref and the master of Tartarus. By reviving END, we shall be able to return to Zeref. You call yourselves sons of dragons, but in the end, you are mere humans. It is so difficult to understand? Have you ever thought why Zeref created us? None of my underlings had realize it. We Etherious have something like a strong obsession that demands that we 'return to Zeref'. It's an order of a genetic level: those are feelings. All of them come down to one truth. Zeref cursed himself for becoming immortal and wished to die. The final destination of that wish was the creation of things that could kill him. Those who are born to murder Zeref: they are the demons of the Books of Zeref. END was his masterpiece. But something must have happened because he was sealed away again in the book. A seal that can never be broken in Earthland, a world overflowing with magic. However, when Face makes magic all across the continent disappear, that seal will be broken and END will return. Then he will defeat Zeref. That is our wish, as well as Zeref's."

"A battle to defeat Zeref?" Natsu echoed.

"And you involved humans in this business that has nothing to do with us." Sting growled.

"When you walk somewhere, do you go out your way to avoid stepping on weeds in the path?" Mard Geer scoffed and smacked all three Dragon Slayers away with his vines.

"What the hell is this?" Natsu demanded, the two Sabertooth mages were trapped within Mard Geer's 'Thorn' Curse.

"A prison flower that blooms in the Underworld." Mard Geer replied, growing a thick vine with a large flower attached to its end.

"This damn..." Natsu hissed, tangled within the vines as the 'Prison Flower' closed in on him.

"White Ripple." Ulyo's ice wave, boosted by Gray's Ice Devil Slayer's abilities, froze the huge flower bud, along with the vines trapping Sting and Rouge and freeing both Dragon Slayers when the ice shattered.

"This is... my scarf..." Natsu blinked when his muffler landed over his shoulders.

"We found it." Gray stated. "If it's important to you, don't lose it again."

"When did you two...?" Natsu gaped.

"Who are you?" Mard Geer glared, finding his arm was frozen.

"I'm the Devil Slayer who came here to defeat you." Gray declared, the Devil Slayer mark manifesting on his right arm.

"Devil Slayer, you say?" Mard Geer growled.

"This is magic that defeats demons." Gray glared and froze Mard Geer in a pillar of jagged ice.

"This is Silver's..." Mard Geer realized. "I knew he would betray me one day." he broke himself free. "Although I didn't realize it would take this form. Fate is amusing indeed."

"White Ripple." Ulyo's ice wave once again countered the demon's 'Thorn' Curse, Gray's Devil Slayer powers increasing its effectiveness.

"They froze those thorns in an instant." Rouge was shocked.

"You think fate is amusing?" Gray scoffed, using his Devil Slayer ice in conjunction with Ulyo's 'White Ripple' attack and instant-froze the vine tunnel Mard Geer conjured. "I don't think it's one damn bit amusing. For the sake of m old man's wish, I'll destroy all of you!" he slammed another round of ice straight at Mard Geer. "Die!" he jumped up, ready to finish the demon off. "Ice Magic: Zero Sword!" when the frozen 'Prison Flower' scattered and Jiemma emerged, slammed an elbow on Gray's neck.

"You made it in time." Mard Geer remarked, Jiemma's blast sent Gray flying backwards.

"Please don't tell me he revived that bastard too." Ulyo muttered.

"No..." Sting recognized the resurrected demon.

"The one who was at the peak of your human Guilds." Mard Geer introduced his newest soldier. "Naturally, he was reborn as a demon, Jiemma."

"Wasn't he Saber's master?" Natsu asked.

"So he made you and Minerva both into demons, huh?" Gray mused.

"Made me?" Jiemma echoed. "Wrong. I obtained this power by my own will. To become the strongest of all."

"A demon with power that far surpasses the Nine Demon Gates." Mard Geer declared. "My new servant."

"Servant?" Jiemma repeated. "My name is know throughout the land and you called me servant, Underworld King?" he flared up his aura. "After I dispose of these whelps, you're next."

"Don't be scared!" Natsu shouted, seeing Sting and Rouge was stunned by Jiemma's immense power. "There's no reason to be scared of this bozo!" he charged in with a flaming fist. "Charge!" he roared, the fire fist clashing with Jiemma's aura.

"I have no business with you." Jiemma informed Natsu, knocking him back into a rock slate. "Weaklings! Weak!" he mocked.

"I'm taking you down!" Sting declared as he and Rouge charged at their former master.

"You are weaklings, Twin Dragons." Jiemma taunted, blasting both Dragon Slayers back with an energy blast. "Instead of sons of dragons, you are more like sons of lizards. Sting, Rouge, I have longed the day when I could dispatch you with my own hands." a sweep of his hand caused the ground to explode.

"We have nothing to fear." Sting muttered, unfazed by the exploding debris around them. "We're..."

"Gonna charge!" both Dragon Slayers burst out from the smoke and punched Jiemma.

"Leave him to us!" Sting shouted.

"We'll beat him." Rouge assured.

"Let's clean house and take our lady back to the Guild." Sting grinned.

"Oh dear." Mard Geer tsked. "It looks like I still don't have perfect control of my emotions."

"You're out of soldiers to protect you." Gray pointed out. "I'm going to..."

"You're not ready yet." Mard Geer cut him off, powering up. "Do you really think that power will work on the true form of Mard Geer? END is going to awaken for the first time in 400 years." he turned into his Etherious form. This is a good time for me to wake up as well. My name is Mard Geer Tartarus. King of the Underworld and an absolute demon."

"Natsu, Ulyo." Gray started, powering up his Devil Slayer abilities.

"Yeah, I know." Natsu agreed, charging up a flaming fist. "In the name of Fairy Tail, we're gonna take you down!"

"Come, humans." Mard Geer Tartarus droned. "This is the final battle."

"On that," Ulyo remarked, holding up her Ensui blade. "I completely agree. To be honest, I am quite hesitant to use this ability; one misstep could easily kill me." she stepped forward, the ground freezing over from the freezing air that emitted from her katana. "But since it's come to this... Final Release," she intoned. "White Haze Empress."

The battlefield erupted in blinding white.

SailorStar9: Now that's done, read and review.