Author's Note 1: Fairy Tail: The Bravestar Saga is a non-profit fanfiction series.
Fairy Tail and Fairy Tail Series II are all owned by A-1 Pictures, Satelight, Bridge Madman Entertainment, Funimation TXN, Kodansha, and Hiro Mashima.
Any original characters and concepts are owned by Navek or xpegasus.
Please support the official release.
Previously: As it turned out, the battle at Onibas station was a trap set for Team Bravestar. Erigor sealed the station with a Wind Wall spell, trapping the Fairy Tail wizards so that he could kill all the guild masters in Clover.
But thanks to the help from the Celestial Spirit, Virgo, our heroes were able to escape the enchantment, and Natsu & Happy went after Erigor. After an intense battle, the two were able to defeat the storm wizard. But unfortunately, the Eisenwald wizard Kageyama managed to steal the cursed flute, Lullaby, before running off towards Clover.
Chapter 7: The Demon's Scream
Night had fallen over the town of Clover. It was a medium-sized town, surrounded by a vast forest and a large mountain range to the west. In the center of the town was the four-story conference hall used for the annual guild master's conference.
Within the forest outside of town, Kageyama stepped out of the shadows, breathing heavily from exhausting his magic. He saw the town in the distance and smirked.
'Finally,' Kageyama thought. After months of planning, and despite all the setbacks, Eisenwald's dream would finally come to fruition. With a tired smile on his face, Kageyama reached into Happy's backpack and pulled out…a joke book? Confusion spread across Kageyama's face before he tossed it away before reaching into the backpack and pulling out…a small trombone.
This pattern continued for several minutes, with the Shadow Mage pulling out more stuff from the deceptively spacious backpack. This included several vials of motion sickness medicine, two raw fish, a domino set, a small wooden hammer, a half-finished ninja costume, a bunch of tiny instruments, a ton of lacrima bombs…
"Gods, how much crap does that pussycat keep in this thing?!" Kageyama shouted before finally pulling out Lullaby. But before the shadow mage could do anything else, we heard some chuckling nearby. Carefully, Kageyama skulked towards the source through the bushes. When he peeked through them, he saw Makarov sitting on a stump, reading the recent swimsuit issue of Sorcerer Weekly.
"Oh, ho! Sorceresses these days are way bolder than when I was a young wizard," Makarov said with a perverted smile on his face. Kageyama sweat-dropped at this, feeling a bit silly that he got worked up by an old man looking at softcore porn. He started to back away, intent on carrying out his mission but up stepping on a twig. The snap tore Makarov's attention away from the magazine. "Who's there?"
"Dammit," Kageyama whispered under his breath as he got up from the bushes, revealing himself to Makarov. He put on his best smile and tried to make himself as non-threatening as possible as he approached Makarov. "Um…hi. I think I got a bit lost. Say, you wouldn't happen to know where Clover is, would you?"
"You're standing outside it," Makarov said before realizing he still had the Sorcerer Weekly issue in his hand and quickly hid it behind his back. "I wasn't doing anything suspicious, I swear! I was just reading it for the articles."
"…I don't really care what you were doing," Kageyama replied and Makarov let out a sigh of relief. After he calmed down, Makarov saw the bandages wrapped around Kageyama's torso.
"You've been hurt badly, boy," Makarov said, concern evident in his voice. "You shouldn't be wandering around the woods in your condition."
"Yes sir. You're right," Kageyama said. As he continued to stare at the short, wizened wizard, Kageyama's gaze landed on his shirt. Kageyama's eyes widened and he bit back a gasp when he saw the Fairy Tail guildmark printed on the old man's shirt. 'Now I recognize him. That's Makarov, the master of the Fairy Tail guild. Why do I keep running into these flies?'
Makarov stared at the young man for a second before turning away. "Well, I'd better get going. Have a nice night."
"Excuse me, sir," Kageyama said with the best fake smile he could muster. Makarov stopped and turned around. "This might sound odd, but I don't suppose you care to hear a song?" He held up Lullaby for Makarov to see. "They wouldn't let me play my flute while I was in the hospital, and it would mean a lot to play for somebody again."
Makarov looked at the wooden instrument in the injured Kageyama's hand. "That's one creepy-looking flute you got there."
The Shadow Wizard gave a light-hearted chuckle. "I know, but it has a beautiful sound."
"Hmm. Well, I should be going…" Makarov said to himself before addressing the taller man. "But I guess one song couldn't hurt."
"Oh, thank you," Kageyama said with a smile as the eyes of the flute gave a faint glow. 'We've won.'
Close by, Natsu, Alyssa with Happy riding on her shoulders, Erza, and Gray ran through the Clover forest, with Natsu attempting to lead the pack by trying to pick up on Kageyama's scent.
"He has to be around here somewhere," Erza said while looking around.
"G-Guys, wait up." The five turned and saw Lucy and Zeke panting and wobbling as they reached up with their friends. Zeke rested his hands on his knees as he caught his breath while Lucy fell flat on her face.
"Wow, you guys are out of shape." Happy stated.
"We just ran for miles!" Lucy shouted back.
"Ya, not all of us have endless stamina," Zeke commented back before straightening himself up and looking around. And it was there that, in the distance, he saw Kageyama standing in front of Makarov. "Master!"
But before the gang could run ahead, a storm of feathers appeared before them. And when the feathers cleared, Lucy was sure she'd started hallucinating from exhaustion. In front of them was a chubby, bald older man clad in a red dress, a gold necklace, and red lipstick.
"Hold up, kiddies," the chubby man beamed. "We're just about to get to the good part."
"Master Bob?" Erza and Zeke recognized him.
"Ezekiel, Erza! Great to see you two again," the bald man greeted with a big smile. He pinched Zeke's cheek and turned to face Natsu, Alyssa, and Happy "And you three as well. Has it been that long since your little team-up with the Trimens?"
"Nice to see you too," Zeke greeted the weird man. "By the way, how's Ichiya doing?" He asked, having not seen his acquaintance from Blue Pegasus since they went on a joint Treasure Hunting mission a few months ago.
"Great actually. He even got himself a cute little girlfriend."
"Whaaaat?" Zeke asked, happy for his friend. Erza, on the other hand, found it hard to believe that Ichiya had decided to. "That playboy finally settled down? Good for him."
"Bob? Trimens? Hold up, this guy is Bob Bellamy, Guild Master of Blue Pegasus?!" Lucy asked, absolutely shocked this man led what Sorcerer Weekly called "The Most Elegant Guild in Fiore."
"Yup," Natsu replied as he looked back at Makarov and Kageyama.
"Just trust your master, kiddies," Bob said, a knowing smile on his face.
Kageyama looked down at Lullaby, ready to claim what would be the first of many victims. All he had to do was play a tune on the magic flute, it didn't even have to be good. And yet…he was hesitating.
'Why?' Kageyama thought, knuckles turning white as his grip on Lullaby tightened. 'I just need to play the stupid flute and the geezer's dead.'
He shouldn't have been hesitating like this. This was what he, Erigor, and the rest of Eisenwald had been working towards for the past four years. Along the way he had killed plenty of people without remorse, all in the name of his master and their cause. Or at least, he pushed the feelings of disgust down whenever he was forced to take a life. But he just needed to play a damn song.
"But counterpoint, most guild masters have wills that probably state who they'd want to replace them in the event of their death. So all the guilds you two will have wronged will have new masters. And not only would those masters probably be pissed, but you guys would have to deal with literally hundreds of guild wizards gunning for you. And that's not even mentioning what the Magic Council and their enforcers will do to you."
Was it the fear of reprisal that was causing Kageyama to hesitate? No, he had to do this, or else everything Eisenwald went through would've been for nothing.
"You know, I don't really get why you'd want to be part of a guild like Eisenwald. It doesn't really seem like a friendly place, five of your guildmates ran away because of Erigor's plan, and one of them literally stabbed you in the back."
But, he had to do this! He had to! After all, this one act would mean that Eisenwald would make their mark on the world! They wouldn't just be another guild that was forced into the darkness, Eisenwald would be a shining beacon of freedom for all the wizards that society had shunted and despised!
All of the murder! All of that time on the run! All of the persecution! It would've been all worth it for this one moment!
"Well?" Makarov asked, getting his attention.
'I can do this.' Kageyama tried desperately to reassure himself. 'I just have to play one song and that'll change everything.'
But what Makarov said next would make Kageyama believe that the old man could read minds.
"Nothing's going to change." Kageyama's eyes went wide as dinner plates. His gaze snapped towards Makarov who had a soft, gentle, understanding expression on his face. "You cannot change the fact that those who are weak will forever remain weak. Now maybe it's just me, but I don't think that's a bad thing. I mean we humans are weak creatures by nature. Our insecurities are the reason that guilds even exist. And they're why we have friends. When we're surrounded by allies, it's easier to stay positive about the future. Think of it this way. If we're clumsy, then we may stumble and bump into things. But as long as we have faith in our future, we can continue marching forward. Our inner strength emerges on its own. But we have to choose that path and pledge to live our lives to the fullest." The two wizards looked at each other, one whose eyes held optimism and decades of wisdom and experience, and the other whose eyes held surprise and guilt. "Don't let that silly flute get in the way."
As the weight of the speech came down on him, Lullaby slipped from Kageyama's finger, and the Shadow Wizard dropped to his hands and knees. It had been so long he had heard anyone even say anything kind to him. Or even offer a friendly smile to him. The black-haired mage felt he shouldn't have been affected so much, but he couldn't help himself. "I surrender."
The young wizards watching from a distance were happy at the turn of events and ran towards their master.
"Nice going, Master!" Alyssa said.
"That was awesome!" Natsu cheered.
"Way to go gramps!" Gray exclaimed.
"Waah! How the hell did you kids end up in Clover?" Makarov asked in surprise.
"Master Makarov, your words touched me so deeply I was almost moved to tears," Erza said as she hugged the shorter man, unfortunately slamming him against her chest armor.
Zeke looked down at Kageyama and smiled. "So, what made you change your mind?"
The shadow wizard simply looked a bit confused. "The old man has a way with words."
"That's Maki for ya," Bob said, freaking Kageyama out with his strange appearance.
"Who the fuck are you?!"
But this jovial mode was soon interrupted when a deafening, inhuman screech pierced the air. Many of the wizards put their hands over their ears in a desperate attempt to block out the horrific sound but to no avail. Their eyes widened in shock when they saw Lullaby floating into the air, its three eyes glowing purple with ethereal magic.
The flute radiated an oppressive, malevolent aura that made the wizards' blood run cold. Even Erza felt frozen in place by the flute. However, two wizards, in particular, felt a dreadful creeping sense of familiarity crawl out of the depths of their memories as they helplessly watched Lullaby rise into the air.
Grotesque images of death and destruction flashed through Gray and Alyssa's minds. All they had ever loved and known, ripped away from them by monsters who existed solely to kill and destroy. They felt their knees buckle and their breath quicken against their wills while their skin paled as the memories played in their minds.
But what happened next, no one could've predicted. Strange, thorn-covered vines rose up from the ground and enveloped the demonic flute like a cocoon. It began to pulsate like the beating of a heart and glowed with purple magic. Before anyone could even think of attacking it, the cocoon exploded, knocking most of the wizards to the ground. Out of the cocoon rose a giant woman made entirely out of wood, a pair of wings made of leaves sprouting from her back. She towered above even the tallest trees of the woods surrounding Clover. She glared down at the gathered wizards, her three eyes brimming with absolute disgust and hatred.
"What the fuck!?" Zeke exclaimed, breaking the eerie silence that had fallen over them.
"Vile humans," Lullaby said, her voice was enchanting and beautiful, yet vile and terrifying, filling everyone who heard it with a sense of dread. "I have idly waited long enough. For ages, I lay dormant in that wrecked prison, and I have been awoken to see a world desecrated by your disgusting hands. I am Lullaby, a child of Zeref, warden of nature, and songstress of death. For your crimes against this world, I sentence you all to death." As she finished, Lullaby took a great gulp of air, preparing to sing her song of death.
The wizards stood frozen in shock, with no idea what to do or what was even happening. Suddenly, a crazy idea popped into Lucy's mind. Acting quickly, she grabbed one of her silver keys and hoped against all hope that this would work.
Lullaby opened her mouth and…nothing happened, not a single sound escaped her lips. The formerly terrified wizard looked up to a bewildered and embarrassed look on Lullaby's face. She tried again, and still, no sound came out.
"Hey, what's wrong, tree lady," Natsu shouted. "A little rusty, eh? Should we let you warm up?"
"Sh-shut up!" Lullaby said. "I am not rusty, I did vocal exercises every day I was trapped in that prison! This isn't my fault!"
Suddenly, the sound of soft, ethereal string music floated through the air. Lullaby and the wizards turned to see a woman standing beside Lucy. She was a beautiful young woman who had long, strawberry-blonde hair. She wore an ankle-length sky-blue dress, a pink bonnet, and a pair of small white wings. In her hands, she held a blue harp accented with pink and gold, and she held a serene look on her face as her fingers danced across the strings.
"Maki, is she one of yours?" Bob asked.
"Never seen her before in my life," Makarov said before a perverted grin spread across his face. "Although, she's very cute."
"I see," Lullaby growled, narrowing her eyes at the new figure. "I had chosen to be merciful and grant you a swift death through my song. But you insolent humans have forced me to do this the hard way." Lullaby's eyes emanated a terrifying, unearthly glow as the ground began to shake.
As suddenly as the shaking began, it stopped. But the trees continued to move. The wizards watched in fascination and horror as the trees twisted and contorted in unnatural ways until they became vaguely humanoid. The trees stood up and turned towards the wizards, each one staring at them with three glowing purple eyes, just like Lullaby.
"AH! FREAKY TREE MONSTERS!" Happy screamed as he clung to Natsu.
"Your deaths shall be slow, and agonizing beyond comprehension!" Lullaby proclaimed. "We will dance to the sweet music of your screams of terror and pain! Tear them limb from limb and water the earth with their blood, my children!" With a wave of her hand, Lullaby's horde of tree monsters pounced, but Bob was quick to act.
"Feather Carpet!" Suddenly, the wizards were swept up in a tornado of feathers that carried them through the air towards Clover.
"Hey, what's the big deal?!" Natsu shouted. "We could've taken them!"
"I don't think so, honey," Bob said. "You're tough but they would've overrun us in seconds"
"What the hell's going on?!" Kageyama shouted. "I thought Lullaby was supposed to be a death song! Erigor never said anything about a demon lady!"
"So that thing is Lullaby," Makarov said. "Old beings like her tend to have plenty of legends and rumors about them. One legend says that it was a cursed weapon created by Zeref during the Forty-Year War that would instantly kill anyone unfortunate enough to hear its song. Another says that she was one of the first Etherious demons he ever created, who could control and twist plant life to her whims. And it looks like both the legends were true." He then turned towards the girl in the pink bonnet. "But I'd like to know where you came from, young miss."
"She's with me," Lucy said. "Everyone, this is Melody, my Lyra spirit."
"Ooh, so you're a Celestial Spirit Wizard?" Bob said. Lucy nodded in response.
"Yeah, and I'm her most beautiful, amazing, talented, and wonderful Celestial Spirit," Melody exclaimed. "But Lucy's so mean, she barely ever calls on me."
"You're the one who said I could only summon you twice a month!" Lucy snapped.
"Okay, but why is she here?" Gray asked.
"Saving all your lives," Melody said with a smug grin. "I used my wonderful musical skills to counter that Lullaby lady's awful singing and keep you all alive."
"Oh," Gray said as everyone stared at her with eyes wide as dinner plates. "Well…thanks."
As the group landed in Clover's town square, they saw dozens of guild masters running out of the conference hall.
"Bob, Makarov, what the hell is going on out here?!" Goldmine, master of Quatro Cerberus, shouted. He was an older but fit man clad in punkish gear, like tight black jeans, a dark blue t-shirt, spiked bracelets, a spiked neck collar, and a wizard's hat on his head. "We heard all the commotion and then saw that thing."
"An evil death flute made by Zeref transformed into a giant tree woman who tried to sing us to death and when that failed she created an army of tree monsters," Zeke explained before slowly blinking as he realized what he just said. "Huh. You know, saying that out loud makes me realize just how weird today has been."
"When you get my age, nothing sounds too strange," Makarov said as he and his former teammates stared at the horde of monsters charging towards Clover, Lullaby right behind them.
"Master, leave Lullaby and the monsters to us," Erza stated with a sword in hand.
"We failed to keep it from reaching Clover, so we'll put her down," Zeke said as he stepped in front of the group. Makarov looked at the two before smirking.
"Not a chance," Makarov said.
"Yeah, we've got…" Natsu began before he processed what Makarov had said. "Come again, gramps."
"You kids are tough, but this is a battle you can't fight on your own," Makarov explained. "The whole point of being in a guild and part of a team is to have people you can rely on in times of need." He then gave the young wizards a smirk. "Besides, it's been too long since I've had a good brawl. We'll hold off the trees and protect the townsfolk while you take down that leafy bitch!"
The Fairy Tail wizards stared at their guild master before smiling. "Right!" Zeke said as he slid his mana goggles over his eyes. With them, he saw past the approaching army.
"Man, it's been way too long since I've gotten my hands dirty," Goldmine said as he cracked his knuckles.
"And I've got some new spells I've been itching to try out," Bob giggled.
"ALRIGHT," Makarov cried out. "LET'S SHOW THESE OVERGROWN WEEDS WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A WIZARD!"
"YEAH!" the other guild masters yelled in response.
"So, if gramps and the other masters are fighting the tree-things, what's our plan to fight Lullaby?" Gray asked, only for Zeke to smirk.
"Well, we got four ridiculously strong wizards and the best archer in all of Fairy Tail. I'll perch myself on the highest building and bombard the demons while you guys go all Plan T on their asses!"
While Erza and Gray were slightly confused by the whole 'Plan T' thing, Natsu was hyped up, ready to battle some demons. But then he saw Alyssa staring into the distance with an uneasy look on her face, her shoulders and hands shaking. Natsu grabbed her hand, gently rubbing Alyssa's hand with his thumb and her shaking stopped.
"Don't worry, I'm right here," Natsu said softly. Alyssa turned and saw her boyfriend's reassuring smile. Seeing that smile was enough for Alyssa to calm her breathing as Lucy approached her fellow guildmates.
"I'll keep Melody here in case Lullaby tries her death song again," Lucy said. "But that means I can't support you guys on the front lines."
"I think stopping her from insta-killing us is more than enough support," Zeke said.
The Celestial wizard watched as her friends and the guild masters charged ahead to take down Lullaby and her brood of tree monsters.
"Take-Over: Cerberus Soul!" Goldmine shouted, taking off his glasses and revealing his glowing gold eyes. In a blinding flash of light, Goldmine transformed into an enormous, four-headed, anthropomorphic dog. He crouched on all fours with teeth bared and flames spilling from his mouths. "Let's get wild!" Goldmine leaped into the hoard of tree monsters, roaring and slashing them apart. He even grabbed one of the monsters and bit its head off.
"Still unrefined as ever," Bob said with a chuckle as he looked toward another group of monsters barreling through Clover. His lips curled into a dangerous smirk. "Then again, I suppose you things don't deserve any kind of refinement."
Bob held out his hand and a magic circle appeared before him. "Feather Cutter!" With a flick of his wrists, a swarm of feathers swirled around him before rushing towards the tree monsters and slicing them to splinter. Meanwhile, Makarov charged ahead, using his small stature to evade claw strikes, blasting them with light magic with each leap. But a group of them soon dogpiled him, but Fairy Tail's guild master was far from done.
"Size-Shift Magic: Titan Fist!" Suddenly, a giant fist uppercut the monsters, sending them flying. Makarov decided to make his other fist giant as he charged at the creatures. Many of the other guild masters followed suit, taking down Lullaby's brood with all sorts of magic, more than Lucy could take in all at once. Truly, it was a mesmerizing sight to behold.
With the guild masters fighting the hordes of tree monsters and protecting the citizens of Clover, team Bravestar, Gray, and Erza began their assault against Lullaby.
"Happy, let's go!" Zeke shouted.
"Aye, sir!" Happy replied, summoning his wings and taking off, lifting Zeke into the air.
"Okay, guys! Let's prune some evil-ass vegetation!" The brunette said as Happy began to fly him towards the town bell tower. In the meantime, Natsu and Alyssa's magic began to flow through each other through their held hands.
"Unity Link: Fire Dragon's Blazing Boost!" Natsu and Alyssa were both enshrouded in a fiery-purple aura. They readied themselves to fight as they stared down Lullaby.
"Hope you're ready, Lullaby!" Natsu shouted.
"Because we're all fired up!" Alyssa finished before the two blasted ahead. The cursed flute attacked, unleashing tendrils at the hot-blooded couple. But in response, Natsu jumped in front of Alyssa and unleashed a Wing Attack spell that destroyed the vines. This was followed by Alyssa leaping into the air with her right arm pulled back, purple fire blazing around it.
"Blazing Boosted Knuckle!" Alyssa flew through the air and punched a hole right through Lullaby's chest. Lullaby let out an ear-splitting scream as the purple flames burned in and around the gaping hole.
"YOU DISGUSTING LITTLE PARASITES!" Lullaby bellowed as vines sprouted from her body to smother the flames and repair the hole in her chest.
"Come on, Gray," Erza said as she held up her armored fist.
"Right." The shirtless ice mage said as the two touched their fists together, an icy wind surrounding them and a red & blue magic circle appearing above them.
"Unity Link: Sub-Zero Knights!"
The magic circle came down upon Erza and Gray. And when it vanished the two were now covered in armor made of ice. The two sets of armor were nearly identical, but Erza's armor had a pair of wings similar to her Heaven's Wheel Armor, while Gray's had thicker gauntlets. The two charged ahead, with Erza taking off into the sky and Gray running right into the fray.
Natsu and Alyssa deftly evaded a swing of Lullaby's arms as she tried to squash them like flies. While she was focused on Alyssa and Natsu, Gray charged in from behind her with one hand curled into a fist placed in the open palm of his other hand.
"Ice-Make: Claws!" Magical energy covered Gray's arms and manifested into mighty claws of ice. Gray rushed ahead and Lullaby hissed in pain as Gray cut deep into her bark. Lullaby summoned a cluster of vines and ensnared Gray. But, as soon as the vines touched his ice armor, they were completely frozen. Gray smirked as he effortlessly shattered the frozen vines and brought his hands together.
"Ice-Make: War Hammer!" Gray created a massive hammer as big as he was. Normally, he wouldn't be able to swing such a heavy object and smack away his demonic opponent with ease, but the added strength-enhancement of the Sub-Zero armor gave the ice-make wizard the boost he needed.
Erza followed his lead, high in the sky on her ice wings above Lullaby. Through her Unity Link with Gray, the redhead was able to conjure up a dozen flying ice swords around her.
"Frozen Heaven's Rain!" With a shout and mental command, the ice blades flew down towards Lullaby, stabbing it in the chest, arms and legs. The blades froze the areas they were embedded in over, but it seemed that Lullaby was dedicated to keeping the mages on their toes. The creatures' body suddenly burst into pieces, and a smaller, identical body emerged, its previous injuries gone.
"What the⎯ How?!" Gray shouted while Lullaby chuckled.
"I am Etherious, Magic Incarnate," Lullaby said, her voice was soft and smooth, yet pierced the air like a needle. "We are a higher form of life and are not burdened by such paltry limitations like you disgusting humans are. "
While the Natsu, Alyss, Erza, and Gray were distracted by Lullaby's speech, the fragments of her previous body transformed into wooden spears. Natsu's ears pricked up and he whipped around to see the spears rising into the air, aimed directly at Erza.
"ERZA, DODGE!" Natsu screamed. But it was too late, and by the time the words left his lips, the spears were already flying towards Erza. As soon as Erza saw the spears, she knew it was too late. They were moving so fast and were so numerous, that it would be impossible to dodge or deflect all of the spears. She would have summoned a shield or a more defensive armor, but Erza knew that at their current speed and distance, she would have been impaled a hundred times over before she could Requip her armor. All Erza could do was take a defensive posture, protecting her vital organs, and hope her current armor would stop the spears from running straight through her.
"Arch Shot: Swarming Arrows!" Suddenly, hundreds of Zeke's light arrows flew through the air and ripped the wooden spears to shreds, leaving nothing but splinters behind.
"Nighty night, Lullaby." Zeke proclaimed. "Arch Shot: Demolition Arrow!"
With his unmatched aim, the magic arrow flew through the air, the four other wizards dodging as it hit its mark, consuming Lullaby in an emerald explosion that sent it flying into the nearby house. "Right on the mark!" The brunette said as he waited to see the smoke from the explosion cleared. And when it did, he saw that Lullaby's left shoulder had been completely obliterated and her left arm had fallen to the ground.
But to Zeke's horror, another arm instantly grew from the smoking hole…and she turned her gaze directly towards him. And if that wasn't unsettling enough, Lullaby's jaw unhinged, and magical energy started to build up inside it.
With an inhuman, earsplitting roar, Lullaby unleashed a terrifying beam of magical energy that streaked through the sky and towards her target: Zeke.
"ZEKE!" Natsu and Alyssa shouted in fear for their friend.
"OH, FUCK!" Zeke screamed, barely managing to jump from the top of the bell tower before it was blown apart. Zeke quickly stabbed his bow into the side of the tower, stopping his fall. "The fuck was that?!"
Zeke saw Lullaby preparing another spell, and quickly dislodged from the remains of the bell tower and onto the nearest roof before it could fire. But before Lullaby could fire her spell, Alyssa shot off the ground like a rocket and bodychecked Lullaby into the nearest building. Alyssa stared down the giant creature as it slowly got back up, her purples eyes alight with rage and determination.
"I'm not gonna let you or any of your kind kill anyone else ever again, monsto!" Alyssa shouted, fiery purple magic coating her arms. "Boost Magic: Blazing Grand Combo-Punch!"
With a fearsome cry, Alyssa leaped forward and bombarded Lullaby with a flurry of fiery punches, kicks, and even headbutts, causing Lullaby to stagger and nearly fall over once more. Even as her body screamed with pain, Alyssa never let up her assault. Suddenly, a pain shot through Alyssa's arms, and in that moment Lullaby swatted Alyssa through the nearest wall and back onto the street.
"You bastard!" Natsu shouted, shrouded in flames before blasting towards the creature. "Fire Dragon's Swor-"
Acting quicker than Natsu could react, Lullaby swung her arm down, smacking him into the pavement like someone squashing a bug. Lullaby then turned her attention towards Gray and began to charge another blast in its mouth.
"Ice-Make: Shield!" The black-haired mage quickly conjured up a massive shield of ice in front of him, but the force of the blast was still enough to send him crashing into a nearby building. The living wood demon was about to fire another blast, only to be stabbed in the chest by a flying spear.
"LULLABY!" Erza shouted, causing it to look up at the airborne wizard. "I'll be your opponent!"
Lullaby scowled before pulling the spear out of her chest and crushed it. "You shall be my victim," she growled. With a mighty flap of her leaf wings, Lullaby lunged at Erza. Erza blocked a claw strike with her ice swords and cut off some of Lullaby's fingers which quickly regrew.
"Telekinetic Blast!" Erza chanted, using Telekinesis magic to force the giant demon back. In retaliation, the wooden demon held her hand out, creating a magic circle that unleashed hundreds of branches to encircle the wizard.
Before the branches reached, Zeke unleashed a rain of arrows that shredded the branches to pieces. Silently thankful for the assist, Erza charged with a whirlwind of sword slashes.
Lucy saw her friend's battle, feeling confusion and terror at Lullaby's powers. "Lullaby is so strong. Will they be okay?"
"It doesn't matter how strong this giant scratching post is," Happy said as he stood next to Lucy and Melody. "Natsu and others have taken on plenty of monsters before, and they've always won."
Lullaby's wings expanded, creating more eyes that unleashed a shower of magical energy at Erza, forcing the airborne redhead to dodge the attacks. At the same time, Alyssa, Natsu, and Gray got back up, injured but still determined to fight.
"No matter what happens, they'll keep fighting…" Happy said. "…because they're the strongest team!"
(Music Que - Fairy Tail Game OST: Bravers)
"Alyssa, give me a boost!" Natsu shouted.
"Right!" Alyssa said as she held her palms out. The dragon-slayer jumped onto his girlfriend's palms before she channeled magic through her arms. "Boost Magic: Enhanced Toss!"
Her body overflowing with magic, Alyssa roared and tossed Natsu into the air, purple fire swirling around his body as he flew towards Lullaby. Natsu took a massive breath of air as he faced the down Lullaby. She raised a hand to swat him like before, but before she could, Natsu opened his mouth
"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu an immense blast of raging hot purple fire that engulfed Lullaby. The demon screamed in pain as she shed her outer layer once more. Natsu blasted towards her with his fire, like some kind of insane firework, hitting Lullaby squarely in her forehead. She howled in pain and rage as Natsu leaped on top of her head and began a barrage of Blazing Fist spells.
"GET OFF!" Lullaby attempted to grab Natsu and throw him off, but he slipped through her fingers each time. Just as Natsu readied another Blazing Fist, he saw Zeke signaling him. Natsu grinned as he jumped off Lullaby, and as Zeke shot her in the face with another Demolition Arrow. While he was admiring Zeke's work, Natsu realized he wasn't falling, and saw Erza had caught him.
"Did you have a plan on how to avoid becoming a pancake?" Erza said with a scowl.
"Not really," Natsu said.
Back on the ground, Alyssa began channeling magic into her legs. She jumped into the air, leaving behind a crater in the street. As Alyssa shot through the air towards Lullaby, her long hair thrashing the wind like wildfire, she reared her right fist. Her arm ignited in brilliant purple flames.
"BOOST MAGIC: BOOSTED UPPERCUT!" Alyssa roared, her voice rising over the noise of heated battle all around her. Alyssa's fist struck true, and a thunderous crack rang through the air as Alyssa's attack ripped Lullaby's head clean off her body. As Lullaby's head demolished several buildings like a giant bowling ball, Alyssa started falling. She braced for impact, trying to orient her body to minimize the impact when suddenly a giant slide made of ice appeared beneath her. The long, twisting slide spat Alyssa out next to Gray without a scratch (well, not any new scratches.) "Thanks for the save, Gray," she said with a grin.
"No problem," Gray said as he looked up. And to everyone's dismay, vines sprouted from Lullaby's neck hole and attached to its airborne head, pulling it back and reattaching it to its body. As this was happening, Gray brought his palm and fist together and channeled his next spell. "Ice-Make: Saucer!"
A massive bladed saucer of ice appeared floating over Gray. And with a thrust of his hands, the construct flew through the air, cutting Lullaby in two. For a brief, beautiful moment, it looked like they had won… when thousands of vines burst from Lullaby's remains, stitching her body back together so perfectly it was as if nothing had happened.
"ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME!" Gray screamed, which unfortunately drew Lullaby's attention.
"Tell me, mortal, how many pieces should I cut you into," Lullaby said, her voice low, calm, and so cold even Gray couldn't help but shiver.
"What's it gonna take to kill this thing?!" Natsu shouted in frustration.
"Obviously, attacking one part of its body isn't going to work," Erza reasoned, watching as Lullaby fended off attacks from Alyssa, Gray, and Zeke. "We need a spell capable of engulfing Lullaby completely and destroying every part of it at once so it can't regenerate."
Suddenly, a lightbulb lit up in Natsu's head. "Oh, I got a spell that can do that! But I'm not sure if I got enough mana to pull it off."
A smirk appeared on Erza's face. "Say no more, Natsu."
"Huh?" The salmon-haired man said before he began to float thanks to Erza's Telekinesis Magic. "Erza, what are you-"
"Telekinetic Push!"
"AHHHH!" Natsu screamed as he blasted ahead like a cannonball shot out a cannon. Lullaby heard the oncoming stream and evaded the airborne dragon-slayer.
"HEY! DON'T TOSS MY HUBBY AROUND LIKE THAT, CAGNA!" Alyssa shouted as Lullaby flew towards Erza, wooden claws ready to shred.
"Re-Quip: Vulcan Caliber!" A new sword appeared in Erza's hands. This one with a dark red blade and an orange handguard. Erza quickly channeled her magic through it, causing orange flames to engulf the blade before swinging it twice, creating a huge flaming X in front of her. "Flame Cross Slash!"
With another swing, the fiery X blasted towards Lullaby, but the demon dodged again. However, Erza simply held her free hand out, a red magic circle appearing in front of her. "Telekinetic Float! Hope you enjoy the meal, Natsu!"
In the distance, Natsu stopped in the air, now floating freely. He then saw the Flame Cross Slash approach him and smirked.
"Ah, yeah!" Natsu exclaimed and opened his mouth as wide as he could, slurping up the flames like pasta. He could feel his mana reserves refilling, and was quick to shout so. "Now I've got a real fire in my belly!"
A large purple magic circle appeared behind him. As this happened, Erza shouted for everyone to attack Lullaby with everything they had.
"Frozen Heaven's Rain!"
"Ice-Make: Spears!"
"Boost Magic: Grand Over-Toss!"
"Arch Shot: Arrow Volley!"
Lullaby was bombarded by all manner of attacks. Icy constructs, magic arrows, all manner of blades, and whatever Alyssa could her hands on. Rubble, bricks, trash cans, Alyssa used all of those and so much as makeshift projectiles. Lullaby growled and screamed as she tried to counterattack, swatting at them with her hands, trying to engulf them in vines, and sending wave after wave of wooden spears at them. But with attacks coming from every direction and her opponents so small, it was near impossible to get a hit in. "Foolish pests," Lullaby snarled through grit teeth. "You are only delaying the inevitable, you will grow wither and grow weak as you fight while I remain strong. We Etherious are unstoppable, we are perfection, we are—"
"ANNOYING!" Zeke yelled as fired an arrow straight into Lullaby's mouth. While satisfying, it did little to slow the tree woman down.
Kageyama, some of the less experienced guild masters, and Lucy were looking in awe of this display of magic, while Makarov and the older masters were bemused by the tenacity of the younger generation, even as they themselves continued to battle with Lullaby's horde.
'Natsu, Alyssa, Erza, Gray. Zeke. You guys are amazing!' Lucy thought as she gazed on in utter awe. It wasn't just powerful magic that was helping them fight what seemed like an insurmountable foe, as Lucy could tell just from their fighting that experience was also playing a part in this battle. 'This…this is how real guild wizards fight!' Within her soul, Lucy felt something burning within her. It was like getting struck by inspiration for her novel, but ten times more potent. 'Could...could I become like that someday?'
"Here comes the best part!" Happy said as the fire around the floating Natsu was reaching its brightest point.
"With the flames in my right hand—" The dragon-slayer chanted as a purple fireball manifested in his right hand. "—and the flames in my left!" Another fireball manifested in his left hand, but this one was azure. "Put the two together, AND THIS IS WHAT YOU GET!"
Lullaby whipped around and her eyes widened in shock and horror as she watched Natsu bring the two fireballs together above his head. The purple and azure flames fuzed, expanding bigger and bigger until Natsu was completely dwarfed by the fireball. It was like a miniature sun of swirling azure and purple flames.
"FIRE DRAGON'S BRILLIANT FLAME!"
With a mighty roar, Natsu threw the colossal fireball at Lullaby. She looked at that oncoming fireball, mind racing for a way out. It was too big and too fast to dodge, there were no fire-resistant plants for her to use as protection. As Natsu's spell inched closer and closer, all Lullaby could do was hold up her arms in a defensive position, use her wings as a sort of shield, and hope against all hope she survived. And there was no one coming to save her.
The Brilliant Flame hit Lullaby dead-on and she let out a horrific scream as she was sent crashing into a nearby building. The mystical fire continued to blaze, Lullaby's body burning faster than it could regenerate.
"H-Humans…humans…YOU DISGUSTING HUMANS!" Those were Lullaby's last words as the Brilliant Flame reached its apex, exploding into a massive fireball that could be seen from miles away. For a few seconds, Team Bravestar, Gray, and Erza were unsure if that last attack killed Lullaby, but the demons soon began to turn back into trees and wood, answering their question as Zeke turned back towards the tower of fire and smoke. With his goggles, Zeke could see through the flames and watched as Lullaby's wooden body was burnt to ashes, leaving behind absolutely nothing.
"Etherious demon or not, this is what happens when you mess with Fairy Tail!" The brunette proclaimed as he slid his goggles off of his eyes.
(Music Que End)
"That…THAT WAS AWESOME!" Lucy shouted, the townsfolk and wizards cheering on the five. Erza brought her and Natsu back down to the ground. And now, having exhausted their mana, the blazing purple aura around Natsu and Alyssa as well as the ice armor around Erza and Gray faded into the ether.
"I hate to admit it, but that was a pretty badass final spell, fire breath," Gray said.
"It was, wasn't it?" Natsu said. "Gotta admit, that ice armor you and Erza had was super cool."
"I…suppose that was an impressive use of Telekinesis Magic," Alyssa begrudgingly admitted to Erza, the redhead slightly giggling in response.
"And your Boost Magic was rather useful."
As Lucy and Happy ran towards the four and Makarov looked on them with pride, Zeke approached the crowd of guild masters and townsfolk.
"That's right! You saw for yourselves, folks!" The brunette proclaimed. "You just witnessed history, as one of Zeref's very own creations was defeated by Fairy Tail's best…No, THE greatest wizard team in all of Fiore! The noble heroes that brave the unknown and shine brighter than any star in the heavens!"
Zeke jumped and flipped in the air. Natsu, Alyssa, and Happy saw this, standing next to Zeke as he landed. "We are…"
In an instant, all four of them posed and proclaimed, "TEAM BRAVESTAR!"
Some of the crowd was a bit baffled by the posing and loud proclamation, while others clapped and cheered at the showmanship.
"Lucy, strike a pose with us." Zeke whispered, making the blonde sweat.
"Um…no thanks, I'm good."
"Hey, we fought too, and we're not even part of your dumb team!" Gray shouted in indignation while Erza nodded in agreement.
"Oh, right. Let me clarify." Zeke said before striking another pose. "Team Bravestar and guests!"
"Guests?!" The two shouted in anger.
"Your grandkids are really something, Maki," Bob stated as he, Makarov, and Goldmine watched the seven start arguing.
"They sure are." The shorter man said with pride.
"Bravestar, huh?" Someone in the crowd said. They stepped forward to reveal a short, fat man with curly red hair with streaks of gray and a matching mustache that looked like a peppermint. He wore a green and pink checkered sweater vest over a white shirt, brown trousers, black shoes, and had a pair of glasses perched on his nose. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Clement Close, mayor of Clover. I would like to say on behalf of all the citizens of Clover, thank you for saving our lives."
Zeke beamed at the mayor's words. "You're welcome, good sir." He looked over the crowd with newfound confidence. "Now, if anyone wants an autograph, you can form a line-"
"However," Mayor Close exclaimed, cutting off Zeke. The wizard froze under the mayor's hard stare. "The same cannot be said of our once beautiful town." Mayor Close gestured towards the conference hall.
"What are you talking abo…" Zeke began before his face fell once he saw the mayor was pointing at. The team slowly realized and looked towards the conference hall…or rather where the conference hall used to be. Now there was only a smoking crater left by Natsu's killing blow to Lullaby.
"T-The conference h-hall…" Makarov said as he fell to his knees and his face turned white as a sheet.
"I'm so sorry, Master!" Erza said with genuine regret before turning to Natsu. "Natsu, how could you blow up the conference hall?!"
"Hey, I just fired in the direction you aimed me in!" Natsu shouted back.
"And that's not all!" Mayor Close yelled. "Each and every one of you left your marks on Clover! Just look around!" Erza, Gray, and team Bravestar all looked and slowly realized just what he was talking about. All around them were homes, businesses, and monuments that had been sliced apart by Erza's swords, riddled with holes from Zeke's arrows, frozen over by Gray, smashed by Alyssa, or burned by Natsu. The only ones who hadn't caused any property damage were Lucy and Happy.
"Oh man, you kids really did a number on the town," Goldmine said with a chuckle.
"Uh, Goldy, Maki," Bob said, grabbing his friends' attention. "It wasn't just them." Goldmine and Makarov were initially confused by their friend's statement. But when they saw what Bob was talking about, they could only gape at the realization. It wasn't just the younger wizards who had wrecked the town. All around them, the three guild masters saw destruction brought about by their own magic. Slices and tears from Goldmine's fangs and claws, Bob's feathers scattered all around, and blast marks from Makarov's light magic.
Goldmine let out a pained laugh as he surveyed the havoc they'd inadvertently wrought. "Well…looks like even though we left the guild we never lost that Fairy Tail spirit."
"N-now look," Bob pleaded with Mayor Close. "We're all really sorry about what happened, but given the circumstances, it's better than everyone being dead. We'll even help with the clean-up." Mayor considered Bob's words for a moment, but before he could respond, a strange rumbling sound drew everyone's attention.
"What the hell!?" Makarov shouted.
"Don't tell me Lullaby's still alive!" Lucy cried.
"Hey, look over there!" Goldmine said, pointing up the street. All the townsfolk and wizards turned to see a large number of bipedal bodies quickly approaching the town square. But unlike Lullaby's wild horde of tree monsters, these newcomers moved together in an orderly, synchronized block. And as they approached, Zeke saw they bore a familiar uniform.
"What the fuck are the Rune Knights doing here?" Zeke exclaimed.
The Rune Knights swarmed the town square, surrounding the wizard and separating them from the citizens of Clover. A single Rune Knight stepped forward to approach the gathered wizards. He was a tall, broad-shouldered man with long, flowing, wavy white hair tied back in a ponytail with a well-trimmed goatee and mustache. He wore a dark blue blazer with gold buttons, white armbands with black ankhs, dark blue pants, black shoes, and a white cape fastened with golden clasps. His eyes were lavender and wore a pair of square horn-rimmed glasses.
"As soon as I saw the destruction, I knew Fairy Tail was involved," the white-haired man said. "You lot really can't seem to reign yourselves in, can you."
"EWALD!" Bob, Goldmine, and Makarov sputtered.
"C-c-colonel Schuttman," Zeke said, his whole body shaking. "Wha-what are you doing here?"
"Hold up, you know this guy?" Lucy asked.
"Oh, I have a long, storied history with Fairy Tail," the Rune Knight Captain said. He was smiling, but Lucy could tell he was barely holding himself together. "And I assume you're Makarov's newest recruit." Lucy nodded. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Ewald Manfred Schuttman, Colonel of the Rune Knight's 7th Regiment. And as for your question, young Ezekiel." Zeke's blood ran cold. "My knights and I were carrying out wilderness survival training in the woods. When we heard all the commotion we rushed to investigate." Ewald's eyes narrowed. "And when I saw all the state Clover was in, I just knew you lot would be here."
"Ewald, look, we can explain," Makarov pleaded as he started sweating bullets.
Ewald's smile fell and was replaced by a scowl. "What, had a little too much to drink and got carried away with showing off your magic and having fun?" Bob opened his mouth to begin explaining, but Ewald cut him off. "You know what, you'll have plenty of time to explain yourselves once we've taken you into custody."
"WHAT!?" the wizards exclaimed.
"Okay, that's it," Natsu said as he approached Ewald, his fists alight with fire. "I've had just about enough of you always being on our case!"
"NATSU, NO!" Makarov screamed. "Do not threaten Ewald!"
"But this wasn't even our fault!" Natsu shouted. "So if you wanna take us to jail, get ready for the…the fight…of your…" Natsu started to trail off as the color started to drain from his face.
"Are you alright?" Ewald asked, genuine concern in his voice. "You look terrible. Do you need to sit down?"
"No! Now put up your dukes and…" Natsu's knees buckled and fell face-first on the ground in front of Ewald. "Hey guys, look. I just learned a new spell; I can turn my bones into jelly."
"By the founders! What's happened to him," Ewald exclaimed as he crouched down to get a better look at Natsu.
"I think that's just…the adrenaline…wearing off," Zeke drawled as he felt his body give out. "Yep, yep, there it is." Zeke collapsed into a rather unflattering heap. "Fucking hell, everything hurts."
"You fools, you've exhausted your mana reserves!" Erza said from her position sprawled out on the ground.
"YOU'RE ONE TO TALK!" Lucy shouted.
"I'm fine," Erza groaned even as she began to lose consciousness. "I'm just resting until I regain feeling in my everything. Gray, how are you holding up?" She received no response as Gray was out cold in one of the few undamaged bushes in the town square.
"What the hell," Ewald whispered to himself. He turned to address the crowd of Clover citizens. "Does anyone know if the hospital is still standing? I think these young ones need medical attention."
"It's one of the few buildings that got out unscathed," Mayor Close said.
"That's a pleasant surprise," Ewald said. "I would greatly appreciate it if someone could lead my knights there." He walked over to Alyssa, who had been oddly silent for a while. "Alyssa, would you please help us take your guildmates to the hospital." Alyssa didn't respond, not even acknowledging Ewald's presence. "Hello, are you alright?" He waved his hand in front of her face and snapped his fingers. "My word, she's lost consciousness while standing upright. Never seen that before."
While Ewald, the Rune Knights, and the citizens of Clover were busy looking over the younger Fairy Tail wizards, Makarov, Goldmine, and Bob decided to slip away in the crowd. "Won't your kiddos be mad we left them high and dry?" Goldmine said in hushed tones as the three guild masters made their escape.
"Look, I'm sure they'll understand," Makarov whispered. "Let's just get out of here before-" Suddenly, in a flash of light, Ewald appeared behind them.
"AAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" Bob, Goldmine, and Makarov screamed in unison, practically jumping out of their skin.
"Going somewhere?" Ewald asked, his voice low and dangerous.
"N-no," Makarov blurted. "We were just—" He and Goldmine quickly grabbed onto Bob's arms. "WING IT, BOBBY!" Bob manifested his wings and shot into the air like a bat out of hell.
"YOU IDIOTS GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Ewald screamed as his body was enveloped in a rainbow aura and blasted off after the three guild masters.
Everyone on the ground looked on, completely dumbfounded. 'What the hell have I gotten myself into?' Lucy pondered.
"Um, hi." Lucy turned to see a nervous Rune Knight approaching her. "Are you going to resist arrest like the others?" Lucy let out a defeated sigh and held out her hands.
As he watched the absolutely bizarre sight before him, Kageyama couldn't help but be amazed and amused. These hot-headed fairies not only took down his former guild but also straight-up killed a demon of Zeref. And he could tell just from their interactions that underneath the arguments, they truly cared about each other…something Eisenwald had lost a while back. He thought back to Makarov's words, about choosing his own path and living life to the fullest. And maybe Fairy Tail would put him down the right path.
But what no one noticed was in the smoldering remains of the conference hall, there was a faintly glowing gem, no bigger than a fingernail, underneath all the rubble. A small twig grabbed the gem before it burrowed underneath the dirt.
However, that is a tale for another time.
Author's Note 2: Well, this took longer than necessary, but I hope you guys that have been patiently waiting for the next chapter are happy with the changes I've made along with the fight scenes. Writer's block can be a real bitch, but sometimes you just got to power through it.
Anywho, that's the end of the Eisenwald/Lullaby arc! And me and xpegasus got a real treat for you guys concerning the next arc.
Next Time: Reunion in the Monsterous Canyon! Please remember to read and review!
See ya next time!