LeoTheSage: Okay what legitimately bad thing has Sasuke actually done? Being a douchebag isn't really such a horrible thing. In fact, he's been rather useful. Kabuto, Orochimaru, Danzo, Obito, Madara, Kaguya. He's actually been really fucking handy. And done a lot of good things, admittedly for the wrong reasons, but still.

ATastyRetreat: No Naruto is meant to be the Sky God Slayer, not Wind. Of course I can't deny you the fact that yeah, my beginning chapters are really weak. This, out of all my stories, probably has the weakest beginning. Mainly because I hadn't fleshed everything out yet when I made this story originally. How Naruto and Sasuke died isn't really going to be explored. They'll come to some realizations now and then, but for the most part they're over it. They just wanna move on. And yup, I'm making Gods in Fairy Tail universe on the fly pretty much. I mean I know who I will and will not include, but yeah mostly on the fly. Although the Gods in like Minerva's magic (I forgot what it's called and am way to lazy to check it up) will be brought up several times.

TheKindredzzz122: I really thought it would have been obvious who Isobu took over. Clearly I'll have to make it clearer.

God and Devil, Devil and God

Naruto cautiously flew around Jose, waiting for the man to make his move. The man was searing with anger, that much was obvious. That wasn't what Naruto was worried about however. Jose's power…it was overwhelming. He had never felt such an extraordinary power so up close before. Even Makarov when angry never used this level of strength. It was suffocating. Naruto was positive that if he was at top strength he could win, but now…now he didn't like his odds.

Jose turned to Naruto, the deep crimson slowly being reigned it. A chalky mist of red energy began to slowly leak into the air before a large crash sounded, a fist impacting with Naruto's gut. Naruto spat out blood, his body leaning forwards as he bent nearly in half. Then the force hit him, sending him flying backwards, yet before he could react he felt another explosion of power strike him, this one pure energy.

Naruto spiraled downwards, the crimson energy staying attached to his skin, burning it. Yet he was blasted upwards nearly instantly by another wave of crimson energy. Naruto's eyes were white, his mind in a null state of consciousness. Jose appeared above him, grasping Naruto by the neck.

"The game is mine. It will always be mine. You can never defy me! I am the one above all!"

Naruto slowly came back into a sound state of mind, his body still weak. "Gods bow to no devil."

Jose snorted. "Boy, with Makarov defeated you Fairy Tail mages lack the sheer power to defeat me. Give up or be destroyed."

Naruto smirked, closing his eyes and channeling his energy. Jose snorted, releasing his grip on the Uzumaki. "Yes…awaken your power…show me what makes you worth the title of a Wizard Saint. And once I crush it, once I crush you at your best, only then shall I eradicate Fairy Tail truly!"

Naruto's body began to glow a searing blue and white, magic blasting off of his body at unrealistic speeds. The lightshow caused Jose to squint before he outright had to use his own magic to shield his eyes from Naruto's power. Yet it still continued to rise, blue magic running through Naruto's veins and lighting them up inside his body, heating it dramatically. A searing bright blue swirled around Naruto before it became a ghastly black. Armor slowly formed on his body, leaving only searing whitish-blue orbs staring out at Jose.

"Sky God's Drive!"

Jose smiled, taking in Naruto's true power. "Good…this is what I expected…NOW FALL!"

Both combatants moved at the same time, a resounding boom shattering across the area.

XxX

Mard Geer frowned as he watched the winged creature float through the air, their eyes glowing with unrestrained power. The human-made demon was much more muscular than they were as a regular human, their body a heavy wall of muscle. Long, black hair shrugged its way down to his back, strands of white hair trailing down the front like a character from a video game. A thick, padded black vest covered his body. The white, engraved gauntlets that covered his forearms glowed with an enchanted magic power. The baggy white pants he wore were tucked into his pointed white boots.

"You are killing many of our fodder soldiers Midnight. Stop."

Midnight frowned, looking at Mard Geer with a look of extreme disrespect. "...They bore me. You said that I should test my new body as you made more alterations with me than you did Cobra. Well I like to experiment."

Mard Geer frowned. 'Well at least he doesn't know about his Etherious form yet.' "Listen here brat, as the great Mard Geer you will bow and listen or Mard Geer will make you, which do you prefer?" Midnight stared down Mard Geer, obviously weighing his options. However, he drifted down to the ground, folding his wings inwards. "My apologies master."

Mard Geer nodded. "Mard Geer approves. Now, you wish to test yourself against a true opponent yes?" Midnight nodded. He could feel the immense power that he possessed with each flap of his wings. With each breathe he took he felt himself growing more accustomed to his new body. His old one was fragile, weak. This new body made him stronger than he had ever been in his entire life. He could take on his father and win!

Mard Geer eyed Midnights movements, the subtle shifts of his body, thinking of soldiers that would be capable of defeating him. Finally, his mind settled on one opponent.

"Lamy, go get Seliah." Lamy raised an eyebrow, but nodded and rushed off nonetheless. Midnight smiled, spreading his wings and flying into the air once again. Mard Geer watched, amused. He would enjoy Midnight getting utterly humiliated in front of him. It would be one of the highlights of that day.

XxX

The beast roared, ripping out another slab of concrete and metal before he launched it at Sol, causing the Phantom Lord member to form a dome of earth to block the strike. Yet the beast was on him instantly, his fist lashing out and smashing right through Sol's shield. The fist violently impacted with Sol's body sending him flying. Sol groaned, trying to land on his feet, yet the beast was there smashing him with a hammer fist into the ground.

Sol groaned, feeling his bones groan under the strain of the blows. If it wasn't for the light coating of earth and rock on his skin, he was sure he would at the very least be badly damaged by now. Luckily the beast seemed no longer interested in him, instead in the structure that he was in. Sol took this moment to meld his body with the ground, his magic skyrocketing as a wave of earth slammed into the beast, sending it flying into the wall. Sol wasted no time in launching more attacks, his earthen fists slammed into the best, smashing it through the wall and into the open air. The beast landed on one of the arms of the Phantom Lord robot.

The beast stood, roaring to the heavens as it glared at Sol. It raised its hands before bringing them down, causing the metal to shred and rip forwards towards Sol. Sol's eyes widened as he barely dodged the strike, forcing his body into the air above it. Yet the beast seemed to be capable of strategy as it was in front of him, grasping him and launching him outside. Sol frowned, trying to land on the metallic arms of the robot, yet the beast smashed him into the arm instead, breaking his bones easily. Even his magic lacked the capability to stop that type of force. He was between a monster and a very, very hard place.

He never should have brought this beast out of Elfman. He didn't understand what it would do. He didn't know how powerful it would be. What he got was not what he had bargained for. As his body slowly went into a period of unconsciousness he vaguely saw Elfman's form changing back to normal, his magic finally having run out. However, something about the man seemed different. He was larger, and there was a small tattoo on his neck. It looked like it was of a crown.

XxX

Gajeel swung his massive chainsaw at Natsu's head, forcing the Fire Dragonslayer to duck or die right there. Natsu rushed inwards, flames on his fist surging like bright stars. Gajeel smirked, his chainsaw disappearing as he raised his fists. The duo clashed fists, magic circles of their respective dragon slaying element glowing powerfully in contact with one another. The clashing elements sparked against one another, releasing flashes of light and electricity that send both Dragonslayers stumbling backwards.

Natsu frowned as he regained his balance, releasing a tornado of his element straight at Gajeel, yet the Iron Dragonslayer likewise countered with his own version of the roar. The two clashing elements blew out the rest of the flames, and eventually reached an unstable union causing an explosion that destroyed the rest of the room the two Dragoslayers were fighting in.

Natsu frowned, smashing off of a rock towards Gajeel. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" Natsu rushed towards Gajeel, the rock he pushed off of shattering into mere particles of dust. Gajeel's eyes widened before he smirked, welcoming the strike despite the pain. Yet Gajeel then raised his hand as he grasped Natsu, smashing his fist into the Fire Dragonslayers face, sending him flying into a nearby falling metal piece. Gajeel followed it up immediately afterwards with an Iron Dragon's Roar that grinded against Natsu's body, scrapping against him and blasting him into the void of darkness.

Gajeel smirked, raising his arm and cocking it backwards. "Iron Dragon's Club!" Gajeel smirked, launching his arm as he simultaneously converted it into an iron shaft that attempted to spear through the darkness. However, Gajeel frowned when he felt his arm hit something solid and stop.

"What the-" Gajeel's words were cut off from the intense pain of being roasted alive, Natsu's flames roaring loudly as raced up Gajeel's body. Gajeel growled, retracting his body towards Natsu, and cocking his other arm backwards.

"Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!"

Natsu's sensitive ears twitched as they picked up on Gajeel's roar, causing Natsu to smirk. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Natsu jumped, launching his flaming fist directly at Gajeel's own fist. The two magic seals formed between them like last time, however this time Gajeel powered more magic into his strike, and thus his magic circle slowly overpowered Natsu's, turning it a bright green before Natsu's attacked faltered.

Gajeel smirked and roared, his fist slamming into Natsu's stomach, yet Gajeel didn't stop there. He continued forcing the attack, plummeting the final fifty feet onto the floor, smashing Natsu into it. Natsu momentarily flashed into a state of unconsciousness, his eyes dulling before they returned to their regular shine.

Gajeel laughed as he looked down at Natsu, who was struggling to stand.

"You can't beat me Salamander! Your flames are hot but they can't melt iron!"

XxX

Erza frowned as she looked at her opponent, the large man by the name of Aria. She cautiously shifted her blade, worried about her opponent. She remembered him from the tournament not too long ago. While he didn't make a necessarily strong showing, especially considering the fight was over in a matter of a few seconds, he had drained Makarov of all of his magic power, so obviously he had to be somewhat of a threat.

The man gave another creepy smile as tears flew from his nearly invisible eyes. "It is so sad that I will have to crush you 'Titania'! You could have truly been a formidable opponent if I played around. Yet Master Jose calls. Ah, so sad!" Erza, sufficiently creeped out for the day, backed away as Aria started to cry even more.

Aria however suddenly disappeared moving behind her, his hands raised in some sort of seal. Erza's eyes widened as she moved instantly, a sword appearing in her hands as she slashed with one of her blades, forcing Aria to back away in fear of being bisected.

'Teleportation,' Erza thought, a frown on her face. Quickly summoning two blades that floated around her back like a pair of wings she eyed Aria, carefully watching his movements. Aria frowned, an annoyed look on his face. "You dodged, that is quite sad, you drag your suffering on only longer!"

Erza frowned, watching the man's hands move upwards. Quickly she dashed forwards, pushing off her feet with all her might. She swung upwards, crimson red magic coating her blade as she swung it towards his body. Aria frowned, teleporting out of the away, his hands raised behind Erza. He opened his mouth yet teleported immediately afterwards, Erza's blades slashing the air where he previously was. The man appeared far behind her, magic radiating off of him.

"Zetsu!"

Erza turned, raising her twin blades as multiple purple spheres of air swirled towards her. She slashed at one, yet instantly regretted the decision, the contact causing it to destabilize and explode, sending her flying into another one which exploded upon contact. Erza groaned, slowly standing as the remaining purple spheres rushed towards her, preparing to surround her body. Erza growled, sending all four of her blades flashing outwards, causing them to explode with the first four they made contact with. Spinning upwards, she summoned a halberd to her, swinging the weapon with such power that it carved through every remaining sphere.

However, the explosions did cause the halberd to explode into fragments. Parts of those fragments lodged themselves into her arms, causing Erza to growl in pain. She turned to look at Aria, only to find him gone. Confused, Erza tried to summon a blade to her hands, but she could only watch in horror as the blade clattered to the floor her arms still. Groaning Erza moved her arms, only for them to respond slightly. They were to injured from the fragments to move properly. Suddenly Erza felt a sphere collect with her back, causing a violent explosion.

Screaming out in pain Erza slammed against the floor, slowly crawling away from the shadow of Aria. Aria then stomped on her back, a smirk on his face.

"So sad. I simply made you injure yourself and then the fight was over. But Master needs my help, so I am afraid I must end you know, Erza Scarlet. With the airspace of death. Goodbye. Zero."

A whirlwind instantly surrounded the duo, golden specs flying off of Aria's body and in Erza's direction. The whirlwind slowly began to glow an eerie golden color. Erza growled in pain, quickly flashing a brilliant white. Desperate to save herself she shuffled through her armors before quickly picking the one most likely to end her opponent.

Luckily her choice was correct, blades sticking out of Aria's body before he had any time to react. Aria coughed, blood falling onto Erza's beautiful gown. Erza smirked, the wingblades flashing outwards and ripping Aria's body to pieces. Frowning at the action Erza stood, releasing her grip on the armor before she could truly see the blood coating her weapons. Killing him had not been intentional, however she couldn't afford to be picky with him threatening to kill her already.

Erza sat on the floor, unable to tear her eyes away from the pieces of Aria that were scattered across the battlefield. Silently sitting there Erza slowly reached out, lightly touching blood on the ground before she screamed.

XxX

Naruto frowned as he saw another blast of Shade Magic tear through the sky around him, barely diverted by his winds. Frowning, Naruto rushed forwards, swiping his hand in front of him. "Dark Ericture: Speed, Strength!" Naruto shot forwards like a bullet, moving faster than he ever had before. However, Jose snorted, raising a single hand, shade magic reinforcing it as he caught Naruto's initial punch. His eyes widened however as he saw a kunai in front of his face, Naruto teleporting to it, a Rasengan held in his armor-clad hand. Jose growled, a wave of Shade Magic pulsating from his body. The orb of magic collided with the pulse, the two fighting for dominance before both combatants were thrown backwards from the force of the explosion.

Jose snarled, blasting off, the water below them exploding upwards into the air above as Jose's fist smashed cleanly into Naruto's breastplate, cracking it. However, with that crack a whirlwind of deadly wind spun, slashing Jose's body. Jose snarled, his wounds instantly cauterizing themselves due to the intensity of his magic. Jose then rushed forwards, taking advantage of Naruto's wheezing form. Naruto growled, leaning backwards to avoid the punch that would have sent him seeing stars. Naruto whipped upwards, his legs flying miniature tornadoes surrounding his legs. Jose's eyes widened.

"Sky God's Jets!"

Dual tornado's surged from Naruto's feet, slamming into Jose and forcing the two in opposite directions. Jose groaned, finally managing to disperse the tornadoes, smirking as his Shade Magic overpowered Naruto's own magic, however his eyes widened we he felt a searing pain in his back, his skin rotating and shredding.

"Unison Raid: Seal Rasengan!"

Jose screeched, yet he did not fall, only capable of moving his head as he looked at Naruto. "Bastard," he muttered. Naruto smiled, "You failed. Sky God's Bellow!"

Naruto roared, black winds shredding from his mouth and exploding into Jose's body. Jose growled, refusing to shout in pain if only to spite Naruto. The winds shoved his body into the water. As Jose tried to move, his magic finally beginning to overpower Naruto's seal he opened his mouth, a red haze caused by pain clouding his vision. Water rushing into his mouth, yet he still didn't close it, even as water rushed down his throat. Mere water had nothing on the pain he was feeling now.

Naruto smirked, his hand reaching into the water. "Sky God's Spear!"

His hand stabbed into Jose's back, digging in deeply. Naruto then smiled. "Energy-Make: Odama Rasengan!" Naruto cocked his other hand backwards before thrusting it forwards, slamming it into Jose's back. Jose screeched, crying out as the water in his system was destroyed by the power of his magic. Steam flew from his mouth from the heat, searing his throat.

Naruto smirked and pushed forcing both of them deeper into the water. The two continued to move, Naruto's speed increasing before water spread from around them due to Naruto's immense magical power pushing it away.

"Sky God's Drop!"

Jets spun from Naruto's back and feet, propelling both of them towards the ground. As they came close to the sea floor Naruto launched Jose forwards, watching with a smirk as the man smacked against the ground. Quickly Naruto moved to follow up his strike, eager to finish the fight while he had the advantage. Jose's true power took a while to truly activate due to how Shade Magic worked and thus Naruto used it to his advantage to end it.

"Sky God's Boreas!"

Generating black winds around his armored hand Naruto smirked, the winds much larger than usual as the split the water around them, black tendrils slashing at the water and turning them into small droplets. Soon all the water around them was a droplet, creating an eerie, almost divine glow to the area.

"Raagh!"

Darkness covered the divine as a massive whirlwind tore through the area, shredding water into pieces so small the naked eye couldn't seem them. However, a crimson light shone at the bottom of the whirlwind, causing Naruto to worry. His whirlwinds could shred the very sea floor, topple mountains, cut down entire forests, but one man was overpowering it all.

Jose then smirked, his magic finally negating Naruto's seal. A surge of powerful and hot magic shot upwards, searing Naruto's skin as he was cut in the outburst. Naruto screamed, the flames searing his skin and throat as his whirlwind was pushed aside like it was a child's play thing. Naruto barely managed to keep his eyes open. That was the only thing that allowed him to turn his body away from Jose's thrust, his hand spearing through his right lung instead of his heart. Blood flew from Naruto's mouth as he felt a searing pain rush through his body. It was even worse than was Sasuke stabbed him through the heart when they were kids. He couldn't feel anything, and couldn't see anything. Dark spots shrouded his vision, and a searing heat ravaged his insides. Jose smirked, holding him up by the neck and retracting his hand.

"Weakling."

Jose cocked his other arm back, and punched Naruto solidly in the chest, shattering two of his ribs and leaving the others badly bruised. As the fist made contact Jose let go, watching with amusement as Naruto flew backwards, his body releasing a boom that sent even more water flying. Jose laughed. He could only watch with glee as Naruto slammed into his robot, indenting himself so deeply that he was pinned. Jose smirked, rushing forwards and launching another punch. It slammed into Naruto's chest once more, breaking another rib and sending a rippling effect of spider web cracks on the massive robot.

Jose didn't care how much it costed him.

Winning this fight would be far more meaningful than a damn robot that couldn't even perform an Abyss Break.

Jose couldn't help but grin, the red and black magic radiating off his body giving him a demonic look. "You never stood a chance against me child!"

XxX

Natsu stood on shaky legs, blearily glaring at Gajeel. Gajeel smirked, picking up some iron. "You look hungry Salamander, here, eat some IRON!"

Gajeel thrust the iron, eating it quickly and feeling his reserves shoot back upwards. Refreshed, he shot a club at Natsu, using Iron Dragon's Club, the move slamming into Natsu's face and forcing him to the ground. Gajeel smirked, pushing grinding Natsu through the hard floor.

"How does it feel Salamander! To be so weak! For me to be capable of matching you in combat! Do you think you can beat me! Because I don't think you have the power to beat me! The iron dragon sent the pathetic flames tumbling into the sea!"

Natsu couldn't even groan in defiance as Gajeel let up his attack, walking over to Natsu, a look of joy on his face as his arm changed into a chainsaw once again. Natsu could only focus on one thing. His magic.

He felt so weak, so empty. He had never before been so low on magical energy. But he remembered something Naruto had taught him.

'If you're low on energy,' Natsu thought, rising to stand to his feet slowly. 'Mentally prepare yourself…'

Natsu took a deep breath.

'Keep your eyes on your fucking opponent…'

Natsu turned, glaring at Gajeel, defiance in his eyes. Natsu saw Gajeel's mouth moving, but he had completely muted his sense of sound. He was completely zoned into the action. His vision was black except for the path between him and Gajeel. His sense of touch was amplified due to him neglecting his hearing, feeling the very air flow around him. He felt as if he could feel anything that got within a range of him and be able to reach in time, even if he was this tired.

'Don't you dare run!'

Natsu steadied his shaking legs, his eyes growing sharper.

'Keep your damn guard up!'

Natsu raised his hands, taking on a boxer stance, small flicks of fire dancing across his skin. The white flames seemed to burn with more intensity than ever before, even when Natsu was at full strength. This new Natsu seemed to be able to draw out better quality instead of his usual quantity.

'Get close.'

Natsu shot forwards like a bullet, stepping into Gajeel's guard. The teen swiped but Natsu ducked under it, grabbing his chainsaw arm and locking it in place. Gajeel growled, swinging upwards with his leg, yet Natsu checked the kick with his own, swinging Gajeel's leg wide and forcing him to balance on one foot.

'Fight dirty…'

Typically, Natsu wouldn't be proud of it, as he preferred more honorable fights, but he didn't hesitate to crotch strike Gajeel, following up with a punch that pounded into Gajeel's kidney, and an elbow to the throat that had Gajeel sputtering for breath. Quickly Natsu shot back into Gajeel's guard before the teen could recover from the savage blows. In a secluded part of Natsu's mind he wondered why those blows seemed to effect Gajeel more than anything else he had thrown in that fight.

'Interrupt their game…'

Gajeel snarled as he recovered slowly, trying to tackle Natsu. Natsu raised his knee, slamming it harshly into Gajeel's nose, cracking it, before following up with a double axe handle, slamming it into the back of Gajeel's head and sending him careening to the floor. White flames sparked against Natsu's whole arm, lighting it up like a Christmas tree despite their small size. The flames, smaller yet more intense than Natsu had ever been able to form before surged inwards, sparking like miniature suns.

Natsu brought his arm up.

'And finish that fight with one good blow!'

Natsu dropped downwards, his entire body weight collapsing onto Gajeel. The combined force of his body weight along with the thrust of his arm proved to be a strain for the ground to bear as Gajeel roared in pain, blood trailing from his mouth, however when the flames surged outwards, searing everything in the room the floor couldn't take it anymore, shattering like glass. Natsu cried out in rage and pain, the flames even searing his right arm, forming a jagged scar directly up his right arm. As the two fell, Gajeel unconsciously from the impossibly powerful flames Natsu slowly closed his eyes, falling into the realm of Morpheus.

XxX

Midnight groaned as he stood, glaring at the attractive female demon before him. Seliah simply watched the new demon, an unimpressed look on her face. Midnight glared at the female demon before him, hardly paying attention to fighting her due to her ungodly attractiveness. He felt extremely attracted to her. She was the epitome of the female gender; she was undoubtedly perfection.

Seliah had large breasts, with two large gold-looking horns protruding from the sides of her head and pointing upwards. Upon her head was a white band that separated her hair, framing her bangs from her hair below the bang. Worn upon her forehead was a small circular symbol with a small dot on the inside and surrounded by several dots around the top. Around her neck was a small, white-colored strap. She was a very revealing beige-colored leopard-printed kimono, bearing the decorative marks on her shoulders. The kimono was wrapped around her torso with a thick, decorative yellow ribbon that tied behind her back. Complimenting her outfit were thigh-high socks that revealed her heels and toes.

Midnight didn't even know a woman was capable of being so perfect. He had never met a woman like her. He had never been attracted to anyone in his entire life, when he was a slave or when his so-called father had freed him from the Tower of Heaven. Yet this woman just drew a primal side out of him, a desire to prove himself to her if only so that she acknowledged his existence. She was perfection, a god in human flesh.

And Midnight craved for her attention, even her combating him, no matter how pathetic she was making him look, was better than nothing. And he would take whatever small grace he could get. He was mongrel, undeserving of her presence.

Slowly rising from another bout of punishment Midnight could only watch in awe as Seliah stood above him, a disgusted look on her face.

"I think we're done here. I refuse to continue punishing you. It was enjoyable at first, but now it's simply pitiable. You disgust me. If you ever get stronger then come and find me."

Seliah turned on her heel, walking off, an unintentional sway in her hips. Midnight couldn't help but keep his gaze on her bottom, and he felt a surge of lust wrap around his nether regions. Luckily his pants were still contact. Mard Geer noticed this and burst into a fit of laughter, gaining Midnight's ire.

"Shut up."

Mard Geer sneered at him, a comical look on his face. "You just fell for the hardest demon to pull a night with ever! Everyone wants to bang Seliah yet no one can! You're fucking hilarious Midnight. You'll never win her over. She likes guys with strength, who can absolutely dominate her. I can do that, yet for some reason she doesn't like me. Nobody can tell what that last standard of hers is."

Midnight growled "I will figure it out, I will train, and I will prove myself to her!" Mard Geer laughed. "Mard Geer approves of this new work ethic," he stated, a dark grin on his face. 'And Mard Geer approves of the easy way to manipulate you.'

XxX

Mito tapped a finger against her throne, shockwaves rushing out with every touch. Her ruby red hair flicked upwards dangerously, a dark crimson magic aura covered her entire body like a thick sheet of ice. Mito's eyes were narrowed on one person in particular.

"So what you're telling me is that Daphne took Isobu…and escaped to Edolas!"

Akira looked at the ground, his bruised face revealing the truth, yet he knew better than to not respond to Mito. It was a death sentence, and he was already toying with death by failing to control Daphne and Isobu. That was his job after all. It was the entire reason why she had recruited him and saved him from his life on the streets. She had brought him in, even if it was for her own uses, and he owed her that. He hated failing her, and yet fail her he had. He was supposed to be the ideal soldier, and yet here he was, failing to control a simple woman.

A woman who know had a very powerful weapon under her control.

Akira silently wondered how she had done it. Daphne was brilliant, everyone knew that, but to be capable of completely mind-controlling a Bijuu, who even weren't loyal to Mito, it was something that Akira respected. Mito had to occasionally remind the Bijuu who were in charge. They were very animalistic in that sense. They respected those more powerful than them. Yet they were undoubtedly intelligent, and if it came down to it, trusted those like Naruto before they would ever trust Mito.

Thus while Akira was disappointed at his failure, he hoped that with a venture into Daphne's studies that she had left when she went to Edolas Mito could find a way to control the Bijuu, and if possible, improve on Daphne's method. At least, that was what he hoped.

"Yes ma'am."

Mito glared at Akira, a furious look on her face. "This was a complete utter failure Akira…what do you have to say for yourself?"

Akira frowned. "I have failed you Mito-sama. Yet I believe from this darkness some light may be achieved." Mito snarled. "Oh, pray tell. If you don't recognize the issue we're in you're an idiot. We don't have a way to get into Edolas. Currently it is a realm beyond our capabilities. That was exactly why I wanted Daphne to unlock its secrets for me, you bumbling idiot."

Akira winced at the harsh words but held strong. "As I told you Daphne was capable of controlling Isobu, to a better method than even your seal. The seal controls through pain but Daphne's form of control seems to be out-right mind-control. That is something that even you cannot do."

Mito growled, her anger thinly restrained. Akira began to sweat, noticing the error of his words. He quickly made to fix it, "Something you cannot do yet," he quickly clarified, worry on his face. "As you know the Bijuu are sooner to join the Uzumaki due to their slight loyalty to him rather than truly help you in your goal. You can change that. I believe that with the study of Daphne's research you may find a way to control all of the other Bijuu."

Mito seemed to actually consider the idea, idly muddling it over in her mind before she shook her head. "No, Daphne is a brilliant girl, too brilliant to be so sloppy. Her research is likely trapped, her apex Lizardmen are likely guarding it, and they probably have a way to delete it all, if it hasn't been deleted already. She's smart enough to remember her research. I'd have to extract the information through her."

Akira gulped, his last hope washed away by Mito's fury. Yet the woman didn't lash out, and he still breathed. He would have questioned it, but he feared to much that she would end it. He believed she had truly just forgot to kill him at the moment, and he didn't want to mess that up.

He valued his life after all, more than he valued his thanks to Mito.

He supposed he was a lot like the Bijuu in that way.

Mito smiled. "However, you can possibly help me benefit from this situation. I've heard of portals opening up in the sky that are stealing magical power from our spies in the Magic Council. Currently they haven't found the source of these portals, but if my theory is correct they're from Edolas."

"Am I to go to these portals madam?"

Mito smiled. "Yes, but that isn't the important bit. I don't think Edolas would allow you to enter their portal so easily. Likely only free-roaming Ethernano can enter it so easily. The thing is, a mage has been spotted at certain portals, closing them. The Magic Council has approached this figure constantly, yet getting close seems to put many to sleep. No one knows who he is, and if the guilds do they aren't talking about it. I want you to find this man. He likely can get into Edolas. Your job is a long one that you will likely not return from."

Akira frowned. "Is this man truly so powerful that I could lose to him?" Mito shrugged. "I don't know. That isn't what I meant. You shall extract the information of how to get to Edolas from him, send it to me, and then go to Edolas yourself. Upon arriving you are to find Daphne, and bring her back, am I understood?"

Akira's eyes widened. "Madam, are you sure you-"

"Are you questioning my orders Akira?"

Akira quickly went over his words. "No ma'am! I simply think that…well am I enough to pull off such a large task?" Mito smiled.

"You had better be. You either come back with Daphne as your prisoner or you don't come back at all. Am…I…clear?"

Akira nodded, a bead of sweat rushing down his brow. "Crystal ma'am." Mito nodded. "Good. We don't tolerate failure here Akira. Remember that."

XxX

Gray smiled at Ullr, a confident look on his face. "How was that," he muttered, a smile on his face. Ullr snorted. "Decent," he stated, a plain look on his face. "However, the casting was slow, and it didn't do nearly enough damage. Remember what Arctic Magic is you fool. It is pure unadulterated power. The tundra is at your fingertips, ready for your beck and call. To use it properly, you must destroy all in your path. Slay them with a blade of tempered ice. Flash-freeze them in the depths of the world and watch them crumble away into the nothingness they were created from. You are only just beginning to scratch the surface. You aren't using your own Ethernano to use Arctic Magic. It is the very Ethernano of the tundra that you are using. It's quality. You must bond with it and be capable of calling on it at any time, no matter where you are. You are only just beginning to bond with the power at your fingertips. Given your rate of improvement, you may never be as good as Ur."

Gray snarled at the jab. He would become greater than Ur. Not because he had a vendetta to prove himself like Lyon. But to protect those that he cared about so no one would ever have to sacrifice themselves for him again. So demons could never hurt someone that he cared about again! He wouldn't let another soul die because of him, whether it be because of a demon or a Bijuu. He would stop them all!

Gray released a thick coat of white magic, quickly getting back to work. Ullr smiled. 'He's so easy to manipulate. His emotions are so rampant that I can easily craft him into an Apostle. I won't have the time necessary to do the full initiation, but touching on the subject couldn't hurt. It will have to be quick though. I feel Deliora coming. If she finds him she will undoubtedly kill him. My pawn must be ready to move when I command him to. That whore will fall, but not today.'

XxX

Naruto shuddered as he looked at Jose, his body unresponsive. He truly wanted to beat the man, yet he couldn't. He was drained. He hadn't felt this weak in a very long time. Being completely incapable of stopping the monster before him was something he wasn't used to. With Kurama at his side he was capable of anything…anything.

Naruto realized his problem. He had been relying on Kurama as a crutch. The Bijuu was always his backup plan in case he couldn't beat his opponent, with the chakra from Hagoromo a backup in case even that insane power failed him. He wasn't strong on his own. He was just average. He wasn't capable of defeating monsters on his lonesome, and that was why he was weak. That was why Mito knew that sealing Sasuke and he would be something the duo would be severely crippled by. They were too weak on their own to stop her. She knew that they had grown comfortable in their strength, because they had. They had grown so comfortable they had stopped striving to getting stronger to cover their weaknesses. They had deemed themselves unbeatable. Because for many situations they were. They were nigh-unstoppable in their own world, and that was the very reason they died. They grew too comfortable and locked away all of their other skills in favor of sheer power. They stopped progressing. Jiraiya had told him that those who stopped progressing would eventually find themselves killed, and yet here he was, halting in his path to becoming stronger. Everyone in Fairy Tail kept striving towards their strength, even Makarov in his old age. They idea that Naruto and Sasuke had considered themselves so far above them was the cause of their downfall. Their arrogance was what killed them in the end. They needed to grow stronger.

Naruto smiled lethargically. It didn't matter. He was too weak to move. He could only wait for the sweet release of death.

'I don't know if you can hear me Kurama, but I'm sorry for failing you buddy…'

Before him Jose raised his hand, magic shrouding it. "Shade Magic: Lethal-"

"I see I don't have time to put a stop to this traditionally. JOSE! FAIRY LAW!"

Jose turned, the accursed words he remembered defeating him all those times ago surging into his mind along with those terrible memories from when he was a dark mage. He never believed that he would hear them again when he had Aria drain Makarov of his magic. He truly believed the old man would be dead. Jose turned, confusion written all over his face. "How?"

He never received an answer as a piercing white light flashed over the area, and the entire world erupted into an immersive cry.

"Never fall," they heard a voice faintly whisper.


And thus ends the Phantom Lord arc. We have a wrap up next chapter, but that's it. I covered what I wanted to cover. Makarov getting back in the fight, at least briefly, due to, again Mystogan, Naruto having his realization, covering Gray for a little bit, talking about Midnight being horny...yeah I think I covered everything. Even the Natsu thing, which I hope has you guys interested. I wanted you guys to know about some mysterious that'll be sure to get you thinking. Don't worry though, unlike a few, these mysteries secrets won't be so mysterious for so long. More so, I know many of you probably think that Makarov appearing to save Naruto's ass at the last second there was a Deus Ex Machina (ignoring those of you who think Naruto shouldn't have lost that fight), but I had always intended that. Makarov was always going to pull Naruto's ass out of the fire in this fight. At the beginning stages of the story that wasn't true (as Sasuke and Naruto were supposed to double team Jose and beat him) but I decided against it. I want some more Fairy Tail O.G. characters to be getting some more spotlight, and that will be happening in the next like 4 arcs. Fairy Tail O.G. characters will be doing more significant things. Like beating major enemies for example. God I'm still anxious for that Natsu vs Laxus fight.

Don't act like a spoiled anything.

You all knew it was going to happen.