Chapter 78: Prelude to War

"Laxus!" Yajima shouted, extremely happy and thankful to see the S class Dragon Slayer of Fairy Tail. Selene cleared her throat, and Yajima looked over with the same thankfulness. "And you too, Selene! Thank you! What an odd pair though.."

"I'm not fond of it either, since I can handle this alone. "The blonde haired brute said, lightning surging around his frame. As he glared towards the hooded one, Selene's frame began glowing a greenish hue. "Funny, I was thinking the same there, big guy. So take a back seat and make sure the old man is okay. I got this one!"

"As if." Laxus replied, and both of them took off simultaneously towards their target. The hooded one charged back as well, wind picking up around both of his arms as he held them back. Four arms then launched forward, two of wind, one of lightning and one of diamonds. The combined strength of Laxus and Selene easily pushed him back instantly, causing him to grunt in pain as he slid, skidding into the ground. Not even his unwanted momentum gave him enough separation through, as Laxus was already behind the culprit with an uppercut to his chin. Now suspended in air from the heavy blow filled with lightning, the hooded male was wide open as Selene darted in, sliding directly underneath him. "You call that an uppercut!? It's like...THIS!" She shouted, crouching as low as possible before shooting upwards with her diamond coated right fist to his chin. The blow was powerful enough to send the hood flying off of his head, causing Selene and Laxus to give a disturbed look. "Oh yeah. That's definitely not human!" She pointed out. "It doesn't matter." Laxus announced just above the demon itself. Both hands clasped together, an accumulation of lightning appeared around his giant fists. "Jaw..of the Lightning Dragon!" And with one mighty swing, Laxus slammed the devastating attack against the demon's skull, pounding him into the ground with one blow, leaving him within the crater of destruction he had just created.

"You're welcome for the setup." Selene bragged, folding her arms over her chest with a smug look. Laxus simply sighed in annoyance. "Thank you both!" Yajima repeated, bowing before them. "But my shop is in ruins. Oh well. It seems there are more important things to worry about right now, hm? Like what's going on!?"

"Apparently this guy and some others like him are looking for all the council members, new and old." Selene answered. "Didn't you hear? The building in Era was destroyed. It exploded with everyone inside. Suspiciously enough however...Siegrain wasn't inside when it happened."

"You think he has something to do with the attacks?" Yajima asked, to which Laxus gave his own assumption. "It's too obvious, so that means whatever Tartarus is planning, it must be big enough for him to risk his chairman position for."

As they were discussing, murmuring came from the fallen demon. It caught their attention, and both Laxus and Selene walked over to him, towering over the demon with inquisitive looks. "Wanna speak up? You know, before we exterminate you?"

"Go ahead. I'll only come back, and stronger at that."

His words caused them to both raise a brow in confusion. "Tartarus can't be stopped. You'll all perish, starting right here."

Suddenly, his body began to glow. A second afterwards, the demon instantly exploded, creating a black mist that would soon fill the air and begin to spread. Coughing, Selene quickly shielded her nose and mouth with a diamond plating. "What is this? Anti-Ethernano?" She deduced, making the right assumption as Yajima quickly fell over seemingly lifeless. "Yajima!" She and Laxus both yelled. Selene ran over to check on him while Laxus stood there, both fists clenched and shaking as he looked around. "It's spreading to the city." He said aloud. "With that big mouth of yours, you'll accidentally save everyone by ingesting it all if you don't keep your mouth shut!" Selene was right, which gave Laxus the riskiest idea. "Good point. I'm going to save everyone right here."

"Huh?" Before Selene could ask,

Laxus took in a deep breath, inhaling the black mist around him. "Wh-What are you doing!? You'll die!" She shouted, but he didn't stop. He kept inhaling, trying to gather as much of the mist as he could. "Laxus!" She shouted through her mask again. That's when he finally stopped, but only for a second to turn to the Diamond Dragon Slayer. "Just make sure to get everyone out of here. That's your job now, Selene." As he spoke those last few words, Laxus fell over face first and unresponsive. "Laxus! LAXUS!"

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"SHEEESH!" Kiora shouted out as she held her arm. "I didn't know he was that strong! I wouldn't have done that if that was the case..." She looked at the arm she was touching, then attempted to apply pressure on it. "Ow ow ow ow ow! That kick! Ah man, Big Daityas is going to be pissed."

"What's worse is that you dragged me into it. But I came out unscathed." Crow said, lighting a cigarette by sparking a flame with just his thumb. He inhaled, then exhaled, then turned to Kiora's mangled arm. "Now you're at a handicap just before our biggest fight. An injury like that would take weeks, probably a month to heal, Kiora."

The harsh reality caused her to bare her clenched teeth, thinking about the fight that just happened minutes ago.

{ "Then show me just how much of a waste of time I really am, oh so powerful Ghost Mage!" Those were Kiora's final words before the very short, yet brutal fight between her and the Ace of White Eclipse commenced. She charged him, rearing back and swinging her scythe right through Sidney in a horizontal manner. The only problem was, it literally went right through him. Sidney used his Ghost Magic to make himself intangible, causing the scythe to pass right through him. Catching the demoness off guard from her own momentum, Kiora's eyes widened as she was grabbed from the back of her collar and thrown through the nearest wall. Crow's attention was grasped, and while dodging Jack's hostile advances, he kept an eye on the two as Kiora angrily charged again. "Don't mock me with your tricks!" She yelled, and when she swung her scythe again, this time in a vertical manner, Sidney simply slid to the left to evade the incoming blade. What followed next sent the two demons to retreat. In one motion, Sidney reared his right leg back and then slammed it into Kiora's opposing side. Her arm was in the way, so the powerful, shockwave inducing kick caught her upper limb, twisting it to a position that arms just weren't accustomed to twisting — not to mention the bone that took the blunt of the kick making the most sickening sound.}

But what caused Kiora to hold the angered face she did at this moment, was the memory of the vulnerable, blood curdling scream she produced from the powerful kick. "I don't care how hurt I am. He'll pay for this! I'm not some weakling he can kick around like that! I'll

Make that human suffer! I swear it!"

"Crow is right." Daityas walked out with the rest of the currently present camp, glaring Kiora's way. "That bodily injury you have would take forever to repair. Fortunately though, there's one place where you can not only repair yourself within minutes, but become strong enough to take out the one who did that to you."

Kiora made a sour face. "You mean I have to climb into one of those things!? I don't wanna!"

"Then either sit here like a sidelined waste of space, or fight with one arm and risk further embarrassment. What we're about to deal with is no game. They're your...siblings. You know what they're capable of, because you're capable of the same things. So either follow my instructions and sneak yourself into the rejuvenation tanks, or die."

After much hesitation, Kiora turned her head, pouting, but the answer was clear, and she was ready to do as told. "Alright." Tobias began, surprisingly without interruption. "We're just waiting on one person, right?"

"The old man loves being fashionably late." Tsunako said, appearing off to the side, sitting down against a wall with Sora seated in his lap and his sword in hers. "But, he's going to deal a heavy blow to our opposition, so it's smart to wait for him."

"Heh..I wasn't planning on moving without all the pieces here anyways. I can tell by the atmosphere that Mard's camp has already begun movement, but it seems their plans are too big to be worried about some small time action so suddenly. We'll wait, definitely. Rugal, you and Kiora on the other hand..."

The green haired male looked up, and then nodded. "I'll get her there without a problem." Kiora sucked her teeth. "Whatever! Let's just go! And tell Maggie not to die before I get to see her again!"

Smirking, Daityas responded as the two walked through Rugal's portal. "Don't worry. If that headache didn't kill her, I don't think anything will."

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"And who the hell are you?" Reve asked, hands hidden deep within his pockets as he stared back at the male in question. "Although for some reason...he seems familiar." Taya thought to herself. Her speculation would come true as he laughed. "So it's been that long, has it, Tayakata?"

A brow raised. She would then fold her arms over, glaring towards him. "Do I know you?"

"A lot better than you realize." He replied, still grinning as he held out a hand. "I'm here to take you home, to Tartarus. Come on now, Tayakata."

"You're a Tartarus demon?" Reve asked. "You say that like there are other demons outside of Tartarus." He replied coyly. "Hey now..." Reve stated with a smirk of his own. "I'm the smart ass here. But since you're admitting that you belong to Tartarus, then that means we have every right to kill you."

"That you do." He added, shrugging at the threat. "The only issue is, does Tayakata actually have the ability to join you in killing her own father."

Disbelief struck like a lighting bolt. Reve and Taya both stood in confusion and shock, but Taya shook it off as she then gained an annoyed expression. "What an ugly joke. My father? That coward—"

"Abandoned you a long time ago, when you and your sister were just little adolescents. But look at you now. Oh you have your mothers looks. Thank goodness for that." He laughed heartedly. Now she was getting somewhat angry. "Knock it off. You know nothing of me, so stop making these ridiculous claims. Just because you know my name —"

"Tayakata, yes." He interrupted again. "But there's a name of yours only your closest family would know, isn't there, my oldest daughter?"

Taya would squint towards the demon, clenching her right fist tightly at the mere annoyance this man brought. "And what's that, you weirdo?" Reve asked, slowly readying himself to rid of this demon as well.

"My father's name is–"

"Noboru." He once again cut her off, causing a shocked expression to appears once again, but again she played denial. "Which is common knowledge in Tartarus."

"True, it is. But that's not the name that's been kept hidden for all this time. Isn't that right, Tayakata...Shuchun-Jiao."

Now she was stricken with fear. Taya broke out into a cold sweat as her body trembled. "...H-How?" She asked. No one know of Taya's last name but a few people — those being herself, Nami, and the one that named them. "How...why? Why are you here?"

He laughed. "Don't ask silly questions my child." Noboru answered. "I'm here to bring you back to the side you belong on. With you on our side, Mard and the others will go down easily, and we can cast our stones upon the throne where they belong."

"Huh?" Reve took a few steps forward. "What you're doing is futile, idiot! We're going to take Tartarus out, and that includes Daityas and the others. And besides, what are you cretins fighting for anyways? Zeref is dead! We finished him off back at that war along with four of your demon friends. Not that Taya would ever join y'all, but what do you really have to gain?"

Noboru simply smiled at Reve's ignorance, electing not to answer a single question. Instead, he kept his attention on the frozen stiff Taya. "What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost? Taya, my greatest failure."

"Alright, that's enough out of you—"

Just as Reve finished his sentence, Noboru snapped his fingers. Reve couldn't sense what was happening, but Taya could. Even so, she could react fast enough, only able to futilely reach out a hand as she screamed his name. "REVE!" She yelled, but it was way too late as the gunslinger was impaled in three different places by a familiar presence.

"Kch! Gah...Vectors..!?" He coughed out, spilling a ton of blood in the process. From behind, Noboru had conjured his own vectors that pierced right through Reve. It was also the last piece of proof Taya needed as she ran towards Reve, trying to free him with clouded eyes. "No...no no no! You're okay, cowboy. Just keep your eyes open!"

"Huh...? I'm fine.." He grinned past his bloody look, crimson liquid flowing from the side of his mouth as he pulled on one of the vectors that stuck from his chest. "I'll be fine...just give me some..." His words, just like his consciousness...faded. "Reve? Reve! NO!" She shouted, but she turned to face Noboru to take him on, he was gone. Only his voice remained as the wind howled past her ears one last time.

"Your carelessness is why you are weak now, Taya. Come to Tartarus, and let me fix you. Rejoin your family. I'll be there waiting for your answer."

Frustrated, fearing for Reve's quickly fading life, she shouted to the sky, slamming her hands to the ground, cratering the surface with her strength as tears fell from her eyes. She then scrambled back towards Reve, knowing the consequences if she simply pulled him free from those vectors. "But if I don't...you'll definitely die here." She choked up, placing both hands on a single vector, the one closest to his heart. "Hey..." She began, trying to smile towards the barely breathing Volver. "You're not going to die here, right? You've got promises that you have to keep, you know that right? Everyone needs you. More than they need me..."

With those ominous words, she tightened her grip on the first vector. "So I'm going to pull you out of these, Okay cowboy? And it's going to be very painful and almost fatal, but I know you'll survive." The weakness in her voice was evident, scared for her life, and his, that she would kill him, but she knew there was no other choice. "Okay Reve. It's only three. Ready?"

And without warning, she pulled, and his agonizing scream echoed into the air like a siren.

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All the while —

"This is Crawford Seam." The former chairman spoke, holding both Erza and Mirajane in his hands. "I have two more bodies for your collection, Kyouka. Both should be very useful to you. I'll be heading back to Tartarus now."

"Excellent work, former Chairman. We knew they would send their best to protect you." A voice on the other side spoke. "Now, let's speed up the process, and activate Face as soon as possible."

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Rugal reappeared through his portal, bowing before Daityas. "Kiora is recovering now. She should be fine."

"Kiora!? Where!?" She asked, finally awake from the headache that knocked her unconscious. Rugal blinked. "You've awakened quite quickly, Maggie." "I said where's Kiora!?" She demanded, choking Tobias. "Why me!?" He asked. Maggie then tossed him to the side. "I've seen all of your faces except hers! I know my bestie misses me!"

"You'll see her soon." Noboru said walking in, a bit annoyed at the tone of Maggie's voice. "Aren't we here for war? Is this how lax you all are when it comes to such?"

Sora was prime example as he turned a peripheral to see her happily clapping while still seated in Tsunako's lap. "Don't worry about us." Ruika chimed in. "This is who we are, and you of all people know better than anyone. We're all ready to go."

"Crow is definitely ready." Said Crow himself. "This is the prelude to war, and once we step onto Mard's territory, the concerto will begin. Hell's symphony will sing throughout Earthland, with the encore belonging to us."

Maggie grinned, lava flowing from her feet as she held a wicked grin. Daityas then walked up beside her as the rest stood close behind.

"Well then, let's bring the noise, shall we?"