Chapter 10 - No End To The Fighting
Tower of Heaven
After sending Medusa and her sisters back to the throne. Lucy flew back up to the top of the tower where Natsu was likely still battling Jellal and Artoria was fighting Morgan alongside her knights. By the time she reached the top, she immediately surrounded herself in a magical barrier as a wave of flames nearly hit her. From the look of it, Natsu likely gave out while trying to use Beowulf's class card and managed to refuel himself with some fire just to use Karna's class card.
The Holy Maiden then turned her attention to her other servants who were still battling Morgan. It was rather shocking to see Morgan here of all places, but another surprise was the fact that she was taking a lot of hits and surviving them. While not having had Morgan before, Lucy was well aware of her past from having the various servants from Camelot's era and knew she was more of a magic only type of fighter. Someone that prefers to hide in the shadows before striking and delivering the final blow.
(Fate Apocrypha OST - Where it Begins)
Now she was holding back Artoria and two of her loyal knights. All Lucy could do for now was assume that Morgan either qualified for a separate class or was dual class like Henry Jekyll which gave her more of a chance to survive combat.
"I think they can handle Morgan for now. Natsu is likely running low on power." Lucy said to herself as she watched as Jellal tried to punch Natsu only for it to be blocked by Natsu's lance.
"You have to try harder than bruteforce Jellal!" Natsu yelled as he pushed Jellal away.
'Talk about calling the kettle black.' everyone thought as Natsu contradicted himself.
Jellal chuckled as he cracked his fists and neck, "Well like yourself Salamander, I'm no ordinary mage. I am a member of the 12 Wizard Saints even if it was under another identity." he said as he channeled more heavenly body magic and started flying in midair air.
Natsu started to feel Lucy giving him some more magic so he could start flying, "So what? You got nothing on the old man or me! Because titles aren't everything!" he yelled as they charged at each other.
Despite having a power boost of his own, Natsu wasn't used to using a weapon like a lance. So he did have trouble gripping it properly as he swinged at Jellal who blocked each at with grace before kicking him away. Natsu growled as he kept flying back at Jellal and kept using more force to stagger Jellal until he found and opening and smacked him into the ground.
"O Agni!" Natsu called out as he fired a small wave of fire at Jellal who crashed through another floor.
Jellal balled his fists as he blasted himself back up to Natsu and landing a kick on his chest. Natsu stood strong and grabbed Jellal's leg as he tossed him into the wall and sending a series of fireballs after him. Jellal continued to fly around as he dodged all the fireballs before deciding to fight the elements with his own elements.
"Jiu Lexing!" Jellal yelled out as several swords made of lightning made their way to Natsu.
"Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!" Natsu countered not realizing that his fire magic has dramatically increased in strength.
Not only did it cancel out the lightning swords. It also hit Jellal straight on and burned away most of his shirt. Natsu did feel a bit light headed, but he didn't feel like he lost a lot of energy. Unlike Siegfried, someone with elemental powers and access to magic was a bit physically draining for Natsu. He wished he could say the same for Jellal who kept coming back despite the heavy attacks. Maybe the enhancement made him a masochist for punishment?
"Is a little fireball all that defines your might Salamander? Perhaps Fairy Tail isn't all great as it claims to be." Jellal taunted as he kept attacking Natsu.
"I'll show you what Fairy Tail is all about!" Natsu yelled as he started to surround himself in a lot more heat. "I hope you took SPF one million Jellal!" he yelled as his power started to grow unstable.
Jellal may be confident, but he knew Natsu well enough to know when he was losing control. So the next thing he did was cross his arms and shield himself with another spell.
"Hexagon Barrier!" Jellal casted as he was surrounded himself in a dome.
"Sun-Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu roared as he unleashed a powerful roar that surrounded the entire floor in fire.
Erza could only watch in shock to see how strong Natsu has become. Even if it was borrowed power that was unstable. Erza could tell that Natsu wasn't trying to kill Jellal or harm anyone. Whether or not it's his own, Natsu was really maturing and becoming stronger so long as it was for someone he cared about. Her thoughts were cut off as Lucy trapped her and Simon in a Perfect Cube.
"Sorry, but I don't want my face burned off." Lucy said as she flew away with the cube.
With the Pendragons
Morgan gritted her teeth as Percival landed a critical attack before Tristan unleashed a volley of soundwaves around her body making her skid back. The sorceress grunted in pain as she stood up and looked up at her sister who looked down at her.
"It's over sister. Surrender now and Lucy will pardon you." Artoria offered but Morgan refused to listen to her when she saw the King of Camelot clutch Rhongomyniad.
Morgan glared at her little sister, "There is no retribution, there is no salvation Artoria." she said as she stood up in defiance. "This is as far as holy swords come. Fall! Lordless Camelot!" she yelled as she manifested a throne and slammed her scepter down.
"Everyone get down!" Artoria ordered as they avoided the crystal pillars before being engulfed in an explosion.
Morgan let out a small chuckle thinking she had some victory. It wasn't permanent, but at least Morgan had some satisfaction seeing her sister die. Even if her failed creation (Mordred) couldn't get the job done right. Her small victory was interrupted as she saw a perfect cube under the smoke caused by her Noble Phantasm.
"What!?" Morgan asked.
"Nice try Morgan." Lucy told the fairy who frowned at the sight of her. Just as Morgan was about to strike her, Lucy casted another spell around her, "Ark!"
Instead of just hitting Morgan with a direct attack. Lucy's spell was shaped into a binding spell that wrapped her arms and legs together. Morgan squirmed as she tried breaking free of her restraints before realizing her access to mana had been locked out.
"Well that's one down. So all we need to do is worry about Jellal." Lucy said as Morgan glared at her.
Before Morgan to curse her, she found an ethereal looking lock around her mouth. Keeping her completely silent as she was restrained in place.
"You know, I think Morgan looks lovely this way." Artoria commented as Morgan muttered some curse words. "I think Mordred wouldn't mind catching up with you again after all this time Morgan. She could really use the mother daughter time." she said as Morgan kept cursing while trying to escape.
However just as Lucy was about to take her away. She jumped back as a portal opened up and unleashed several chains trying to hit her. Out of it came a pale women with long black hair.
"I apologize for the reunion, but his majesty still requires the service of the fairy." the woman said as she placed a hand on Morgan's shoulders. "So I bid you all a good day." she said before disappearing with Morgan in hand.
"That's not good is it?" Erza asked as she didn't like the sight of the servant that saved Morgan.
Back with Natsu
Jellal's strength was finally starting to weaken as he registered his injuries. Natsu also started to lose some stamina too despite the boost Lucy gave him. Jellal's mind was too filled with a sudden pain that was caused by the enhancement he took earlier. He felt as if every nerve in his body was sensitive enough to where being surrounded by the wind hurt. Having this constant pain surrounding his body, Jellal no longer focused on his main task of resurrecting Zeref.
All Jellal wanted to do was defeat Natsu and figure everything else out later. Natsu's objective was still the same even if Karna's power was a bit too much for him. But for some reason his logic had gone into question as he used his little knowledge to try something he assumed would help him out.
(Fate Apocrypha OST - Battle)
Natsu ripped out a chunk of lacrima and bit down on it and immediately clutched his stomach before devouring the whole thing. Even in his state of pain, Jellal could see how stupid that was.
'Crap, this hurts, but lacrimas are full of elements and stuff right? So I'll get that boost to keep fighting!' Natsu thought as after a long pause he started to feel a bit better. 'Actually, I feel fired up!' he thought as scales started to appear over his flesh.
While Karna's noble phantasm is said to reduce all damage to a tenth, Natsu assumed it meant internal damage as well.
"Meteor!" Jellal yelled as he used every little bit of power his body could handle as he charged at Natsu.
Natsu however was able to predict this and disappeared in single step. Jellal's eyes widened before Natsu reappeared in front of him and slammed the back of his lance into Jellal's gut and sent him flying back. Natsu continued utilizing his new found speed and appeared behind Jellal where he proceeded to kick him into the air.
"O Agni!" Natsu yelled as he unleashed a giant wave of fire at Jellal.
Jellal gasped as he worked on defending himself, "Hexagon Barrier!" he yelled as he incased himself in the dome again.
This time the dome nearly shattered, but that didn't stop Natsu's assault, "Fire Dragon Claw!" he yelled as he bashed down on the dome. As it was ready to shatter, Natsu gave it one last attack, "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" he yelled as he finally forced Jellal out of the dome.
Natsu then grabbed Jellal and started ramming his body against the walls as he kept flying around. Having had enough of a one sided beating, Jellal grabbed Natsu and smashed his face into a wall before repeatedly punching his face. Natsu returned the attack by head butting him and kicking him across the room.
Jellal used this opening and summoned a magic circle, "Abyss Break!" he yelled casting a forbidden spell composed of air, water, earth and fire and launching it directly at Natsu.
Even if Natsu managed to devour the lacrima without much problems. Natsu couldn't handle the attack even if it had fire in it. At least that's what Jellal believed as Natsu took the hit. However all he saw in the end was Natsu stumbling out as he wiped away the dirt and grime caused by the attack.
"Impossible! What are you!? You can't be a normal man!" Jellal exclaimed.
"Me? I'm a mage from the strongest guild in Fiore. Not only that, but you hurt and tried to kill my big sister! So now it's time I get payback with this!" Natsu yelled as he put down the lance and summoned a large magic circle with a foreign symbol on it.
"What is this?" Jellal asked fearfully.
"Sun Deity's Roar!" Natsu roared as he unleashed a devastating amount of heat that was mostly aimed at destroying the tower and hopefully knocking Jellal unconscious.
Everyone above took cover behind another Perfect Cube as they could sense the devastating power behind Natsu's special attack combined with Karna's divine power. When it ended, they could feel the entire tower beginning to shake and collapse. As for Jellal, he ran out of magic as he attempt to use Meteor to fly away only to crash into the water. Natsu attempted to go after him and bring him to justice only to gasp as he felt the lacrima's side effects kick in and force him power down from the class card.
He would have also fallen had he not disappeared in a ray of light. The rest of his team and Simon were also concerned for Natsu but couldn't do anything as they also disappeared in the same manner as well.
(End of Song)
Outside of the tower
Everyone was then reunited back on the beach of Akane resort. Where they were graced with the presence of a white haired mage with a squirrel like creature on his shoulder.
"Merlin?" Lucy asked.
The man chuckled, "Hello Stella, it's been a while. I saw your battle from a distance and decided to step in." he said happily.
"Lucy who is this?" Erza asked curiously.
"This Erza is Merlin, he's the greatest mage in history and raised Artoria to be King of Camelot." Lucy answered as Merlin chuckled.
"Oh don't praise me. I didn't do much, I was just trapped in a tower for most of that. Besides, I'm sure Solomon is a greater mage." Merlin replied modestly. He then turned to Natsu who looked sickly, "Is something wrong with him?" he asked.
"That's right, Natsu what were you thinking when you ate that etherion?" Erza asked as she returned to her senses.
All Natsu could do was groan in pain. He was too sick to even care about his scary sister. As for Simon, he surprisingly came to Natsu's defense.
"Erza I know you are angry, but he did say he fought for you because you're his big sister after all." Simon said as Erza's eyes softened.
The Titania sighed as she kneeled down and placed Natsu on her knees to give him some comfort. Right before hitting him hard enough to lose consciousness.
"I suppose he did. So I will not punish him this one time." Erza said before looking at the boat carrying her friends. Then turning her head towards the collapsing tower, "Though, I know even with all that power. Natsu would never try to kill anyone. So what do you think happened to Jellal?" she asked.
With Mateus
The emperor stood outside on the deck of his boat and looked at several of his minions who were wearing diving suits. Many of them gave him a salute before diving into the ocean one by one. All before several of his guards dragged the three members of Trinity Raven who were in chains.
"Make them kneel." Mateus ordered.
"You heard his majesty." one of the guards said as they forced all three to their knees.
Mateus gave the dark mages a stern face, "While Fernandez was merely a test subject. You three still lost three servants that are only loyal to me." he said. He then started to walk around them, "You may have gauged their strengths, but in the end you still lost your battles and tried to runaway. Does anyone have a liable excuse for me?" he asked.
"Hoot." was all Fukuru said.
Everyone chose to ignore that as if nothing had happened.
So Taka spoke up, "Well your highness, you see..." was all he said before Mateus smashed his foot onto Taka's face.
"That is, "your majesty" to you, vile vermin." Mateus said as he removed his foot as Taka collapsed onto his back. "It was a rhetorical question. I do not want to hear excuses. Which now leaves me with how to punish you three deserters." he said as they all looked nervous.
Seeing as Taka had taken a hard hit from the monarch. It was safe to say that speaking up could likely lead to a punishment regardless of what they have to say. There was almost no way to get out of this alive.
"No defense? Well then, someone take the owl and turn him into a steamed dinner." Mateus said as Fukuru was dragged away. "Someone take the musician and teach him what proper music sounds like." he said as Taka was also dragged away.
"Hey man! I ain't learning no fancy ass orchestra music! Rock and Roll for life! For life!" Taka yelled as he gave some resistance.
"And what about you?" Mateus asked as he lifted up Ikaruga's face by her chin.
Ikaruga took a deep breath despite giving a nervous smile, "I suppose anything is suitable your majesty. I went along with the plan of my subordinates therefore failing as a leader. There is no honor left for me. I do not deserve your kindness." she said.
Mateus gave a small smile as he brought his face closer to hers, "I see you are quite understanding. Knowing who your betters are would give you the survival advantage." he said as he lifted Ikaruga enough to stand on her own. "A lovely woman like you should know that much. Which is why I'm sparing you." he said as she smiled.
In Ikaruga's mind, she hoped her wiles as a young and beautiful woman was enough to keep her alive. Hopefully to earn Mateus' grace or at least find a way to escape without getting caught. However that wasn't the case as he squeezed her cheeks.
"I'm sparing you to find a better use for your skills. So I will personally take you to be fixed." Mateus said as he dragged Ikaruga away.
Which left a pair of a guards alone on the ship, "Hey Biggs, is it me or did you think the emperor was going to kiss that lady?" he asked.
Biggs turned to his friend like he was an idiot, "You have a really dirty mind Wedge. Now stop gawking while we wait for those divers to come back with Jellal's body." he said as Biggs muttered under his breath.
With the guild, a few days later
Erza offered her childhood friends a home at Fairy Tail. However they all declined as they all had their own goals. Simon decided to leave and find his sister Kagura as they've been apart for so many years. Which left Sho, Wally and Millianna who wanted to explore Fiore. So after a bit of a tearful goodbye, Team Natsu returned to the guild to find that the building was rebuilt and improved. There was even a stage where surprisingly enough, Gajeel was a member of the guild too and attempted to sing while playing an instrument.
It was horrible and shortly after, someone dropped Erza's cake and caused a riot. It was a normal day in the guild. Now, the guild was beginning it's annual Fantasia Parade followed by the Miss Fairy Tail pageant. However Lucy had her own little surprise on the second floor.
"You didn't cheapen out on the upgrade did you master?" Lucy asked as she looked up at the upgrade.
"Of course not." Makarov answered sounding offended.
"Ok how much change did you have left with the money I gave you?" Lucy asked.
"I thought it was a donation." Makarov said while looking nervous.
Lucy sighed, "Well it doesn't matter. So long as it holds up." she said as she placed her palm on the wall beside it as the whole guild was filled with magical circuits.
"So how does it work?" Makarov asked.
"Unlike how I assigned a servant to Team Shadow Gear. I can still recall them while they're here. I won't go into the complicated details since its confusing to explain." Lucy said as Makarov didn't really want to deal with ancient lost magic.
"They won't destroy the guild will they?" Makarov asked fearfully.
"As long as Tesla and Edison are separated from each other. That and I'm having magic seals installed to reset the guild after every night." Lucy explained as Makarov sighed in relief. "So now, let's try summoning someone." she said as she summoned a gemstone and placed it on the wall.
Makarov watched as the upgrade transformed into a strange piller that emitted a powerful radiant light. By the time it calmed down, it opened up to reveal someone coming out of a magic circle. It came in the form of a beautiful young girl with white hair and a visible blue eye that was holding a doll. The girls eyes brightened as she rushed at Lucy and hugged her waist.
"I missed you big sister." the girl said.
"I missed you too Anastasia. I'm sorry I haven't called you out every so often." Lucy told the girl before she noticed Makarov.
The elderly guild master was surprised to see Anastasia giving her a cold stare. As if Anastasia saw her as if he was her enemy.
"Who's the elderly geriatric?" Anastasia asked very rudely.
"She's as cold as an iceberg!" Makarov exclaimed.
"Ana-chan, be nice. He's the nice guild master who gave me and Shirou a place to work. He even paid for the machine that summons you." Lucy told Anastasia who hid behind her.
"Creep." Anastasia muttered as Makarov face faulted.
Another day later
Eventually more servants had arrived and the guild gradually welcomed them in. Of course some were offered the chance to be used on missions so long as they had the magical power to handle them. Elfman learned the hard way when trying to see if he could borrow one of the Berserkers he considered to be manly. Though strange, everyone else seemed to be having a good time with every heroic spirit that came out.
Especially the younger ones that were allowed to see all the events set up by the guild for the upcoming parade. Atalanta being the most concerned, had decided to take it upon herself to chaperone them as she feared that each child would get lost. She along with Shirou Amakusa and a few others also lended a hand as they had small spots for children.
Meanwhile the guild had its own hands full as Erza in a meeting of most importance with another red haired swordswoman.
"Presenting, the strawberry galette!" Boudica announced as she placed the plate in front of a hungry Erza.
"This is all for me?" Erza asked.
"Of course, now eat up young lady!" Boudica said as Erza took in the first bite and was filled with pleasure.
"So good." Erza moaned as she kept eating as Boudica chuckled.
Meanwhile Gray was having a terrifying meeting in the guild master's office. Juvia had spread the word about the fact that Gray groped her and how it was considered marriage. A few people denied the idea saying that Lucy must have made it up only for Makarov to state that it was a real law and Levy confirmed it with her research. Now Henry Jekyll, who recently received a modern license to practice law, was confirming the paperwork.
"You can be serious master!" Gray yelled.
"Gray Fullbuster, you groped this poor girl and now you're trying escape your punishment!? When you came to this guild at a young age, you became my legal responsibility!" Makarov yelled.
"I'm 18 years old! I'm an adult!" Gray argued.
"With the path of destruction you and your teammates leave. None of you are considered independent adults which still makes you my responsibility!" Makarov argued back as Gray hanged his head in defeat.
"And the power vested in me. You two are to legally wed in three days time." Henry said as clapped his hands causing the door to open to reveal Lancelot.
"Ok why is he here!?" Gray asked fearfully as Lancelot made his way in.
"GRRR! RAAH!" Lancelot growled as he lifted up Gray's arm and jammed a wedding band onto his finger while gently doing the same to Juvia.
Juvia squealed as she crushed Gray in a tight hug, "Isn't this great Gray-sama. We're going to be married!" she yelled. At this point Gray was crying uncontrollably, "Aw, you're happy too!" Juvia said unaware of how Gray really felt.
Which made Orion, who was watching from outside look scared, "I feel sorry for you brother." he said fearfully.
"Orion, where are you my beloved?" asked Artemis as she was going up the stairs.
"Leave me alone!" Orion yelled as he ran as fast as his teddy bear body would let him.
As for Natsu, Lucy also invested for a special arena in the back of the guild in an open space. By giving some mana, Natsu and other guild members can create a large perfect cube used for sparring. Which he's currently using to fight with a couple of servants. With one of them being the cocky Achilles.
"Come on, is this what the Salamander of Fairy Tail is all about?" Achilles asked as he punched Natsu's gut.
"You haven't seen anything yet and you know why?" Natsu asked.
"Why?" Achilles asked with a smirk.
"Because you didn't give me a reason to go all out!" Natsu yelled as he jumped over Achilles and kicked him from behind.
Then there was the line with a few other servants who were interesting in fighting him as well.
Finally there was Lucy who was signing up a few of her girls to represent her in the pageant. With most of them standing around in their bikinis from their summer forms.
"Oh Franny are you not participating?" Lucy asked Frankenstein's monster who shook her head.
"Lucy why can't I try!?" Astolfo cried.
"You're a boy." Lucy answered.
"Discrimination! Discrimination against boys!" Astolfo yelled accusingly.
"It's a girls only pageant Astolfo. Not a cute boys competition." Lucy said as Astolfo cried in the corner with a rainy cloud over his head.
Lucy sighed as she looked over the girls and Medusa, "Is Medusa just a jellyfish?" she asked.
"Sadly yes, our little sister is not well prepared for these situations." Stheno said as the jellyfish looked sad.
Lucy rubbed her temples as she thought out her strategy, "Well girls, I know this is sexist and I know I'm not the type who intentionally wishes to show off her body. Sadly, the only way to win this is through strutting. That and making sure Erza doesn't rig the contest through fear." she said as she was suspicious of Erza who always wins these competitions.
Which is why Lucy had Kato Danzo keep an eye out for voter suppression or intimidation. Lucy doesn't believe Erza is that bad of a person, but at the same time Erza takes things too far and can be a bit too much. Especially when Mirajane told her about their past as children as to how Erza would not allow fights in the guild, while being a hypocrite and accepting a fight with Mirajane who was a gothic tomboy as a child. So even if Erza wasn't a bad person, sometimes she can be a bit pushy with her authority.
"Ok, let's just go over this one more time." Lucy said as she examined each of her summer based servants.
Day of the pageant
Ventus sat on a bench in the park beside Vincent who was eating, "Shouldn't we be observing your sister's contest?" Vincent asked.
Ventus shivered, "I'd rather not see a bunch of girls strut around in bikinis all day. I'm not a perv." he said.
Vincent nodded, "Very well, I guess judging girls based on breast sizes is pretty ridiculous." he said just as Nursery rhyme and a few other girls arrived.
"Ven come play with us!" Nursery Rhyme told him as she tugged on his arm.
"Ok I'm coming! I'm coming! You don't need to pull so hard!" Ventus said as he was dragged away to the game stalls.
Vincent then proceeded to follow Ventus close by. Though he briefly stopped and looked around. Vincent could swear he felt a strange energy surrounding him. Nobody would blame his sudden suspicion as he had incidents in the past where he needed to protect Lucy's past life along with a younger Ventus.
Back at the guild
As Vincent and Ventus thought, most of the Fairy Tail girls were focused on strutting around like bikini models. The only few still wearing clothes and presenting a real skill or talent were Erza, Levy and Lucy with the last one presenting her girls. While Lucy had her self respect, she couldn't help but to use her servants like this. Then again, some of them didn't mind the exposure as it mostly affected their pride.
"And next up, is Lucy Heartfilia." Max announced seeing as some men were interested seeing as Lucy would usually wear her clothes that covered her body.
And it's rare to see her using the Dress of Heaven outside of missions. However they were a bit disappointed to see her still dressed up like a shrine maiden. Though Lucy made up for it by presenting Carmela first then Nero Claudius with one more waiting in the back.
"Gaze upon me, witness eternal beauty empowered by youth." Carmela told the audience.
"Ignore the Hungarian! Witness the rare sight of an emperor's body who's shine rivals any goddess!" Nero exclaimed.
Meanwhile Elizabeth Bathory was annoyed, "Why didn't I get a chance to be up there? I'm a lot better than that hag!" she whined.
Arthur sighed, "That is you Elizabeth." he told her.
"I know she's me, but she's a super old and cranky version of me!" Elizabeth continued to whine.
'Why did she have to sit next to me of all people?' Arthur thought as he saw Carmela and Elizabeth glare at each other.
However just as Lucy was about to present her final servant. Evergreen came strutting in with a smug look on her face.
"Hey it's still my turn!" Lucy told her.
"Hush now." Evergreen said as lowered her glasses and gazed into Lucy's eyes.
"Wha.." Lucy tried to say as she was turned into stone along with the other girls.
Everyone was shocked by Evergreen's actions, "Evergreen what is the meaning of this!?" Makarov demanded.
Evergreen just continued to smirk as Laxus appeared and wrapped around Lucy's body, "It's obvious old man. It's time for someone young and strong to get rid of all of you weaklings." he said just as Freed placed a barrier outside of the guild's gate. "If you think you beat me. All you have to do is follow my rules. Otherwise, there will be consequences." he said arrogantly as he disappeared in a trail of lightning just as Shirou and the other servants tried to hit him from a distance.
"He's escaped!" Shirou exclaimed.
"LAXUS YOU ARE IN FOR IT NOW YOUNG MAN!" Makarov roared as he was planning out how to punish his grandson for his behavior.
Only when everyone started to run out of gate. Makarov and Natsu were stopped by the barrier. They soon saw Freed's barrier left a message stating that no one over the age of 80 years will be able to pass through. Which made sense for Makarov and a few of the servants who tried to go after Laxus since they were spirits in human form. However that didn't explain why Natsu couldn't get through or Gajeel either who was eating metal behind the counter.
"Are you both 80 years old!?" Makarov asked.
"Hey I think I would know if I was an old geezer. As for Salamander, he probably can't read a calendar." Gajeel said as Natsu looked offended.
"Are you calling me stupid metal head!?" Natsu asked as he was ready to fight.
Meanwhile Shirou was worrying for Lucy, "Mama?" he asked as he tried shaking the statue.
"Shirou stay back, you might damage her." Makarov warned as Shirou looked worried.
"Hey can't Lucy just use her anti magic or whatever it is?" Natsu asked.
Shirou shook his head, "Mom can't use magic while she's frozen like this. We need a golden needle to cure petrification." he said as Nero jumped beside Lucy's body.
"And that is why you have a magnificent individual such as myself young prince. For in this form I am a Caster and my Item Construction is EX rank. For there is nothing an almighty genius myself cannot create!" Nero explained pridefully.
"Anything except a mute button." Elizabeth said as Carmela snorted while Nero fumed.
"If we were not in crisis. I would have you locked away in the dungeon for 10 years!" Nero stated as she started pulling out tools from mysterious places.
"For once I agree with my immature self. Less speaking and more helping." Carmeralla said coldly.
Then suddenly Marie Antonette came out from the curtains, "Um, may I come out or is now a bad time?" she asked.
Carmela sighed, "Where have you been?" she asked.
"Waiting for my queue but at the same time concerned for what has happened to Lucy." Marie answered as she also started getting some items out.
"Cool, is she also a Caster?" Natsu asked.
"Yes, but my Item Creation is at D Rank. So I doubt I'm as good as Nero." Marie answered with a weak chuckle.
Nero chuckled as she started finishing up the golden needle, "Do not berate yourself Queen of France. For my amazing prowess will be enough to save our beloved leader." she stated.
Everyone sighed having realized how prideful Nero is.
Meanwhile outside of the dome
"I spy... with my little eye... something populated." said a brown haired girl with pigtails.
"Is it a town, for I wouldn't mind some rest." said a blonde man with red streaks.
"Yeah, my legs are killing me. Hopefully Stella is nearby and she can grant me my wish for a soulmate who will carry me in his arms." said the girl with a sigh.
"That and you're to afraid ride Lobo-san, Queen Himiko." said the man.
A large wolf with a headless man riding at him barked.
"Well... Lobo wouldn't let me anyways." Himiko said as the wolf barked in agreement.
Then they all stopped as they noticed the lacrima in the sky along with the barrier. The magic that was forming to create the barrier was not a good sign and all those orbs were rather menacing to look at. The Hessian riding on Lobo pointed it out and the trio could only plan out how to get in and help. The blond man looked around before approaching a tree and ripping off it's branch.
"What are you going to do Richard?" Himiko asked.
Richard smirked as he tossed the branch into the air and caught it, "I think I'm going to try my hand at opening the barrier. Hopefully I don't overdo it." he said as Himiko and Lobo stood back. "My power won't reach the potential as the King of Knights. However that doesn't mean I'm not as capable of her." he said as the tree branch took the form of a sword.
Back at the guild
Lucy finally broke free of the petrification, "Yes! I told you I could create anything!" Nero exclaimed.
"Then why is the "golden" needle the color brown?" Shirou asked with a deadpan face.
Nero glared at him, "It's not golden with all this negativity surrounding me." she said before going to work on the other girls.
Meanwhile Lucy was adjusting to being conscious again, "What happened?" she asked.
"Evergreen turned you to stone my child. Now Laxus is using this as an attempt to start a coup because of his big ego." Makarov said as he was angry at his grandson.
Meanwhile Lu Bu was out there sneezing and wondering if there was a master who had the same ideals as him. Which he would follow like a very loyal follower... until Lu Bu decided to overthrow them too.
"That and Freed put up this stupid barrier we can't smash." Natsu said as Gajeel gave the barrier one last punch.
"Let me see that." Lucy said as she stumbled towards the barrier only to be blasted back.
"Lucy!" all the servants exclaimed as they helped her.
"Is that green haired freak's magic that powerful?" Gajeel asked.
Lucy shook her head, "No, the barrier is easy to break, but something else protected it." she said as everyone turned their attention to the outside as some sort of conduit was flowing through the streets.
"Whatever it is, everyone's in trouble. Laxus just announced that he's willing to turn the guild against each other in a deathmatch." Makarov said as he could almost feel the guild members he sees as his family hurting each other.
At that moment Lucy could almost feel her darker halves wanting to be let out to give someone a lecture. However before she said anything, Erza broke out of her stone prison. Surprisingly enough, it was by herself as Nero had yet to work on her.
"See? Even my enemies are incapable of stopping the Emperor of Roses!" Nero said pridefully.
"What's going?" Erza asked as she came to her senses.
"Laxus is planning a coup." Lucy said as Erza's eyes hardened before noticing the other girls.
"Will they be fine?" Ezra asked worryingly.
Lucy placed a lock over Nero's mouth before she continued boasting, "Yes, but I think everyone else outside needs help. If we can't break everyone free in time then I suggest you go after Evergreen since she caused this." She said.
Ezra nodded as she ran out, "I'll be sure to find her first before going after Laxus." She said as she ran past the barrier.
Natsu growled, "How come Ezra gets to leave!? I wanna fight too!" he yelled.
"Natsu are you only hoping to fight your other guild mates?" Makarov asked.
"Yeah, why else? I can beat everybody." Natsu stated arrogantly.
That was enough to summon Dark Lucy, "Natsu-kun!" Dark Lucy sang as she pulled out a power saw.
Natsu shrieked in fear, "I meant... I wanna fight my way to stop Laxus from hurting my friends! Yeah that's what I meant!" He said hoping she would buy his lie.
"You can't trick me Natsu-kun! Now face punishment!" Lucy yelled as she revved up the power saw.
"Remind me not to get a scary girlfriend like the salamander." Gajeel muttered.
"She's not my girlfriend you stupid metal head!" Natsu yelled as Dark Lucy chased him.
"Are you breaking up with me now!?" Dark Lucy asked as she was on the verge of entering her second stage.
Meanwhile the other servants were hiding in fear of their master's terrifying alter ego. It also helped that they braced themselves as they felt a giant seismic attack from outside of the town. It also unintentionally activated several of the lacrima and made them strike at the aggressor.
"What the heck was that?" Shirou asked.
Back outside
Himiko and Lobo were both looking ragged from the use of Richard's noble phantasm. The English monarch gave his companions a sheepish smile as he scratched the back of his head. The rogue beast and Japanese monarch gave him an annoyed look.
"I suppose that branch must have been stronger than it looked. To be fair, had this been King Pendragon. The whole city would have been in flames." Richard said in defense to the fact that they had a small entry way.
Once inside, they noticed that some of the lacrima had exploded and unleashed a heavy lightning based attack. Lobo and Richard took cover while Himiko pulled out a mirror and stood her ground as she reflected the attack towards the ground. Despite the heavy consecutive attacks, Himiko pulled through and managed to handle the onslaught.
"That was close but I got it." Himiko said cheerfully.
Before anyone said anything else, they saw Reedus Stumbling towards them. To his surprise, he saw the servants at the edge of the barrier as it started closing behind them. Just as Reedus was about to continue running towards them to spread his warning of Laxus' attack on the guild. Freed appeared and was about to strike him down with his blade. Only for Richard to block it with his own.
"I do not understand what is going on, but attacking from behind makes me believe that you are a coward and a crook." Richard said as he pushed Freed away.
Freed recomposes himself as Reedus took cover, "I am Freed Justine, member of the New Greater and Stronger Fairy Tail guild." he said.
"Don't listen to him, he and the guild master's grandson are attempting a coup against the guild. They have gone so far as to surround the town with lacrimas filled with lightning magic." Reedus explained.
"Those things could kill any normal civilian!" Himiko exclaimed as she felt the intense pressure from the magic she reflected.
"Sacrifices will be made for the guild to prosper." Freed said though some of them could see that he was clearly feeling unsure of himself.
Richard narrowed his eyes as he aimed his sword at Freed, "Those who prosper off the murder of countless innocents is no man. But a fool, a coward who preys upon the weak." He said as Himiko cracked her knuckles and Lobo snarled loudly.
While trying to push away his hesitation, Freed kept his sword drawn and prepared his magic for the incoming onslaught.
Elsewhere
Hassan-i-Sabbah hid himself in the shadows. He could see the various members of Fairy Tail being forced to fight each other. While intentions are noble, they fools are destroying themselves and weakening each other in the process. Regardless of who wins each fight, the victor will be weakened and regardless of the winning streak. They will not have enough strength left within them to reach Laxus who was looking real cocky. Hassan is an assassin, not one of the strongest, but still one of the most skilled. With the granted skills, he developed keen observation and could see that if it wasn't for Lucy being restrained.
The battle would have quickly turned one sided. Hassan could see that as each servant outside of the guild was being identified as a single entity under Lucy. The worst part for the pathetic Jutsu Shiki is the fact that there are a few Caster class servants among them. Making it quite pointless for the barriers to be around as a more skilled mage can break them.
"The woman with the power of the Holy Grail and the man with the Dragon's Lacrima both rely on gifted or given power. However it only matters how that power is used. The fool will most likely be defeated." Hassan said to himself as he had to produce a report for Emperor Mateus. Then a purple haired assassin appeared, "What is your report Asako?" he asked.
"The trap has been set and many of the servants have been weakened along with Stella." Asako answered.
"Does his majesty have any new orders?" Hassan asked.
"No, but his advisors did give suggestions. Either release another wild servant onto the field to cripple the guild as a test. The other to be leaking information of this event to the government of this land." Asako explained.
Hassan gave raised an eyebrow in confusion, "Either send a reckless attack or send information to a collapsed council that no longer exists?" he asked.
"There is still the capital. Their magic council reports to them. One of the advisor states that this action could be taken as an attack on the country and likely shut down the guild." Asako replied.
Hassan understood now, "With the guild gone, the emperor will have less of a threat to worry about in the future. Therefore leaving his sister without a home or allies should they be disbanded. Update me on future plans and instructions." he said as Asako nodded and disappeared into the shadows.
Leaving the assassin to wonder what the emperor's plans for this guild truly are and why he considers them a threat.
With Evergreen
Evergreen smirked as she looked down at Erza, "I will consider freeing everyone Erza. Only if you bow down, kiss my foot and surrender the title of Titania to me. Which I might add, obviously belonged to me from the start." she said ever so arrogantly.
As if she was on an entirely different planet. For goodness sake, Evergreen was the one that was pinned to the wall with Erza's swords after losing her fight to the red head. Even worse, it almost looked liked Evergreen was being crucified which didn't help as three servants found Evergreen after Erza did and had no concern with ending the traitor's life.
So Erza only had one thing to say, "Well you heard her girls. Time to torture her." she said as Evergreen looked frightened.
Medusa gripped Evergreen by her cheeks and moved her face towards her masked face, "We should pluck out these eyes and be done with it." she suggested.
Medusa was having a fun time with her elder sister and surprisingly, her child self. Which was ruined once Laxus decided to that he wanted to overthrow the guild. So now the snake woman was very pissed.
Then Jack appeared and started drawing imaginary circles on Evergreen's chest with her knife, "We should cut out her heart. I doubt it's yummy, but she doesn't look like she needs it." she suggested.
Jack was also having a fun time as she enjoyed eating some cotton candy and playing games when Laxus interrupted her fun. She was also in a very sour mood right now.
Finally there was Jeanne D'arc Alter, "Why waste time with individual organs? We can just burn her at the stake and make it public. So we can be rid of her stigma all at once." she suggested.
Jeanne was already in a sour mood when the day started, Laxus' coup was just an excuse.
"Yeah that sounds good." Jack said as Medusa nodded.
"Very well, I can't stop you three." Erza said as she turned around as the servants started taking Evergreen down.
However Evergreen was the exact opposite of ecstatic, "Please don't burn me! I'll free the other girls! Just call them off Erza!" she pleaded.
Erza then punched Evergreen in the nose, "You really can't handle empty threats can you. I don't even know why you want the title. It's something stupid they gave me that I care very little for." she said as Evergreen whimpered in pain.
"Who said anything about empty threats?" Jeanne Alter asked as Erza was shocked by the proclamation.
Did Erza not understand that they were serious about setting Evergreen on fire in public?
Regardless, now that Evergreen was defeated and the girls were now saved from petrification. They still needed to stop the thunder palace, Bickslow and Freed before being able to reach Laxus and beat some sense into him. Which didn't look easy as the self proclaimed strongest mage was clearly in over his head. As well as the fact that he refused to play fair which did bring up some questions as to whether or not he actually had faith in his own power.
TO BE CONTINUED...