Hi everybody. Thanks for joining me, now before we begin, I would like to observe a moment of silence for a great man has passed away earlier this month. Stan Lee, the father and creator of Marvel comics, has left our world at the age of 95. Rest in Peace Stan the Man, for you have given us one of the greatest pieces of fictional history to date.
Now then, let us resume our story.
Demonic Descent
"What? No 'hello', 'how have you been'? Nothing?" Angel questioned to the surprised Fairy Tail members before most of them, especially Lucy, gave a hard glare towards the white-haired young woman. "I'm touched by your cold treatment."
"I'm sorry, who are you again?" Natsu asked; causing Angel's body to comically turn white as all his friends looked toward him either in comic surprise or exhaustion and lowered eyelids.
"Are you really that dense?" Grey questioned. "She was a member of the Oracion Seis, remember?!"
"You know, that psycho Celestial Wizard that almost killed me?!" Lucy also exclaimed to Natsu, remembering her fight against her.
"I don't think he'd remember the actual fight since he was stuck on a raft the whole time, and you know how Natsu is with that." Happy reminded.
It clicked back to Natsu as a light bulb popped over his head. "Oh, I remember! You're that girl in the weird feather dress!"
"It wasn't weird!" Angel yelled at him, only for Lahar to shoot her a look, causing her to sink deeper into her barred carriage, something both Erza and Dante noticed.
Lahar closed the gate and locked it back up with Angel inside. "Now then, are there any more questions before we begin?" Lahar asked the Fairy Tail members, Dante in particular.
"So, you say Devil Hand's after this Angel chick?" Dante began. "Who just so happened to be a member of the Oracion Seis, one of the main three heads in the Baram Alliance, but it's not a rescue."
"That is correct." Lahar confirmed.
"Where exactly are we going?" Erza questioned.
"A more secured installation on the other side of the Ibor Forest just north of here. It should take about a day's journey." Lahar informed.
"Then let's get going." Dante said. "The sooner we start the sooner we finish."
Lahar nodded as he turned back to his soldiers. "Move out!" All the Rune Knights stood straight as they turned around and began marching with the barred chariot that contained Angel toward the forest in the distance; the members of Fairy Tail were a bit further back as they talked amongst themselves.
"Well, this is certainly a surprise." Carla noted.
"No kidding." Lady noted. "First we got demons targeting one of us, now we're stuck with one of Fiore's most wanted."
"But why would Devil Hand wish to abduct Angel?" Modeus questioned. "I think we can assume they aren't part of the Baram Alliance, so it most certainly is not a rescue mission."
"I think the bigger question is why do they want Angel and Lisanna?" Grey also questioned as the aforementioned girl looked concerned.
Suddenly Happy flew into the air as if he had an epiphany. "Hey, I think I got it!"
"What is it Happy?" Natsu asked.
"They both have white hair!" Happy announced, causing the entire group, Natsu included, to sweat drop. "What it makes sense, doesn't it? Lisanna has white hair, and Angel also has white hair."
"A lot of people have white hair, heck even Dante has white hair!" Trish pointed out.
"Yeah sorry Happy, I gotta go with everyone else on this one." Natsu admitted.
Happy then sunk back to the ground and looked depressed. "Ohhh. I really thought I had something this time."
Lisanna gave a smile as she patted the blue exceed's head. "It's okay, at least you tried."
"Still, this is most disturbing." Erza stated. "I can't even imagine the idea of Lisanna being connected to Angel of all people."
"Was she really that bad?" Lisanna asked.
"Oh, she was the worst." Lucy pointed out. "She treated all her spirits like her own personal toys! On top of that she tried to kill me!"
"A lot of people tried to kill you, it's the price of being in this guild." Lady joked.
"That's not funny!" Lucy exclaimed in comic anger.
"I don't think our little angel is the only problem, though." Dante pointed out as everyone looked toward him. "Why take us through these woods, why take a whole day to get her to another prison. Don't they have special transportation for this sort of thing."
"Oh, just the word 'transportation' makes me uneasy." Natsu did not like the idea of riding on a vehicle, but everyone ignored them.
"Maybe they want to keep it a secret, so Devil Hand doesn't try to attack them again." Wendy guessed.
"If that were the case why bring a whole army? Why call us? Why call me? Someone who's an expect in fighting demons." Dante stated. "They're not doing a real good job of being subtle."
"You think there may be another purpose behind this mission?" Modeus questioned.
"Maybe." Dante replied.
"I can see where you may be going with this Dante. It is as if they're expecting an attack." Erza began to suspect.
Natsu punched his fist into his palm as he had an eager smile. "Oooh, I like the sound of that! I hope Devil Hand does show up, just so I can beat em down! I'm all fired up now!" Before anyone could stop him, Natsu ran forward as fast as he could to catch up with the caravan, leaving a dust trail behind him. Everyone had a sweat drop at his impulsiveness.
Lisanna however gave something of a giggle. "Well glad to see he hasn't changed. He's eager as ever."
"You do have to admire his enthusiasm." Modeus noted.
"I think you mean stupidity." Grey corrected in annoyance.
"Was he ever dropped as a baby?" Trish questioned.
"Yeah probably." Happy admitted.
"We better go and catch up." Erza told everyone. "Natsu may be right though, and Lisanna, you should especially stay close, just on the chance that Devil Hand were to attack."
"Okay, got it." Lisanna nodded in understanding.
"Don't worry, we got your back." Grey assured her.
Lady pulled out one of her pistols and locked and loaded. "Well, let's get going."
As everyone ran to try and catch up with Natsu, the only one who didn't appear nearly as eager was Lucy. "Am I the only one who's terrified at the thought of fighting demons?!"
"You were one of those who volunteered to join Dante on this mission" Carla pointed out.
"You could go back to the guild if you want to Lucy." Wendy said to her.
Lucy's face turned serious. "No, if my friends are involved in this, then so am I!" Her determined look faded into comic fear. "I'm just so scared."
However, what no one seemed to notice was roughly a mile away, on a nearby cliffside stood three individuals. The one at the center was one of Devil Hand's Seven Sins, Leviatha; and on her sides were two demons.
One appeared to be some sort of humanoid raven; he was covered in black feathers with red eyes, he stood up on his hind legs which bore his razor sharp talons, he had his arms folded which held the feathers on them, as they we're clearly wings; he was about twelve tall with the white pentagram symbol, the emblem of Devil Hand on his back.
On Leviatha's right was the second demon who bore the appearance of a large, muscular, and humanoid shark. His skin was leathery and was a dark blue color as he bore yellow eyes and a large fin on his back. He also had a white Devil Hand pentagram on his right shoulder.
"Master Vergil was correct." The Shark-demon pointed out. "His brother Dante is here, as our other members of his guild." He growled. "Even that vile-some Salamander!"
"Control yourself Fanglor." The Raven-demon advised.
"But it was the Salamander who killed our brother, Raviary!" The demon-Shark, apparently named Fanglor told the raven demon.
"Cragnar will be avenged, that much I promise, brother. However, we must stay focused on the mission. We are to capture Angel for our master."
Fanglor reluctantly growled. "Very well, but he shall now the consequences of slaying one of the Three Brothers of Devil Hand!"
"Keep your ego in check." Leviatha told the demons that we're about twice her own size. "It's the reason why Vergil assigned me here to."
"You sure that it is our ego you must watch, Leviatha?" Raviary questioned.
She shot them a scary look with her eyes. "What was that?"
"I saw the way you looked at that young human." Raviary responded. "I can see it in your eyes, the resentment you feel towards her. You must remember the mission is above whatever petty grudge any of us may have, including you."
Suddenly, Raviary was pulled down by his arm as Leviatha looked at him in the eye. "Do. Not. Question. Me. Again! I am one of Vergil's elite! I could crush both of you right now if I wanted!" She let him go, allowing Raviary to stand back up.
Fanglor glared at the young girl. Ordinarily he'd eat anyone who spoke ill toward them in one bite, but he knew she was right. Leviatha was among the strongest, despite being a twelve-year-old girl, hence the reason why Vergil appointed her among the Seven Sins.
Leviatha turned around to see the Fairy Tail group catching up with the Magic Council's Rune Knights as they came close toward the massive Ibor Forest. "Get the others, tell them we make our move tonight." She instructed the two demons as she glared down, her eyes settling on a certain blue-haired Dragon Slayer.
"I know my mission, but if I get the chance, I will make you pay. I swear it!"
The group had spent the entire day walking through the massive forest. Though the Rune Knights and Lahar kept to themselves as they stayed close to the incarcerated Angel; the members of the Fairy Tail guild were able to converse with themselves. Natsu and Grey butted heads as usual while Erza was quick to break them up. Whenever Erza was not busy keeping Grey and Natsu in line she made conversation with both Trish and Lady as they talked about fighting techniques and some of their most interesting battles in their respective careers; Dante and Modeus made conversation as well and even talked quite a bit with Grey. Natsu would often run ahead to 'scout' for demons, and by scout, he would try and look for any demons to beat up; even Happy helped to fly him up into the canopy of the forest to get look but find nothing., much to the Fire Dragon Slayer's disappointment.
At the same time; Lucy and Lisanna talked with each other as well as they compared their respective experiences with Fairy Tail. After talking with Trish back on the train, Lucy was able to have a pleasant conversation with Lisanna and the two seemed to be getting along quite well, Lucy even opened up a bit about her mother dying and her estranged relationship with her father. Wendy and Carla even joined in, it was clear these girls were gonna get along just fine.
Soon, night had fallen, and at Lahar's request, the caravan made a stop as they would camp for the night. If there weren't any other problems, they would arrive at the prison by noon tomorrow. While the Rune Knights set up their camp around the imprisoned Angel, the Fairy Tail members set up their own camp a bit a distance away. They agreed to stay up for a few more hours before any of them would sleep; they would each take about two hour shifts to stay up and keep an eye open for any demons that may attack. Dante volunteered to take the first shift, but it would still be about an hour before that was needed.
While Lahar spoke with a few Rune Knights he was approached by Erza. "I would like a moment to speak with Angel."
Lahar raised a questioning eyebrow before stepping aside. He saw nothing wrong with this as Erza walked towards the carriage and looked inside to see Angel sitting in the far corner her legs tucked inward.
Angel looked upward and saw Erza. "What do you want?"
"You were a slave in the Tower of Heaven, weren't you?"
The former Celestial Wizard did not see that coming as her eyes widened in shock. "How do you know that?"
"When I battled Midnight, he told me how you and the rest of your guildmates we're in that horrible place." Erza explained.
Angel glared once more at Erza. "What's your point?"
"I was also a prisoner there." Angel looked towards Erza in great surprise. "When I was a child, I was kidnapped and forced to work on that abomination just like everyone else." She shivered her arms as those memories still haunted her. "I also knew Jellal, we were close friends growing up in that tower. That is until he changed, until something changed him, after that he exiled me from the tower when he took control."
Erza then heard a scoff from Angel. "Lucky you. You got out of that hell-hole, while the rest of us we're stuck there! Sure, Jellal made things a little easier for us, he gave us food and actual beds to sleep on, but I was still trapped. He preached freedom through Zeref and all that garbage, but we never truly free." She sighed. "I don't know why I'm talking to you like this, why do you even care?"
"I want to know why." Erza replied.
"Why what?"
"Why did you join the Oracion Seis?" Erza clarified. "Why become part of a Dark Guild, the same type of people as those monsters who enslaved us?"
Angel looked away and didn't answer. This caused Erza to sigh and was about to walk away.
"I just wanted to be free." The scarlet-haired wizard turned back as Angel spoke softly. "Me, Cobra, Hoteye, Racer, even Midnight, we all had our prayers and dreams, but I just wanted to get out of there. To be free, to fade away into the sky… like an angel." She looked down as her eyes lacked any real emotion. "Now look at me, I'm about as free as any caged animal."
Erza couldn't help but look in sympathy toward Angel. What was once a deadly enemy was now a broken girl who lost faith in her own dreams. "I'm sorry, I truly am." She walked away as the imprisoned girl tucked herself in the corner even more and tears were ready to shed from her eyes.
Elsewhere, Dante chilled against a tree as he leaned back while sitting down, his hands behind his head as he gazed up at the full moon.
"Hey, uh... Dante?" He looked up to see Lisanna walking toward him.
"Yo." He causally waved.
"Mind if I join you?" Lisanna asked. Dante motioned for her to sit down, which she did. She gave a short chuckle. "Sparda's son… its… almost unbelievable."
"Flame-for-brain told you, huh?" Dante asked, in which Lisanna nodded. "Yep, son of a demon right here."
"The son of a truly heroic demon." Lisanna said. "I only heard stories about him, never imagined he was real. What was he like?"
Dante actually smirked. "I only really knew him up till I was eight. Just thought he was a normal guy, so you can imagine my surprise when I found out he was a demon." He laughed a bit, in which Lisanna laughed a bit to while Dante continued.
"My mother told me that my father was a man who fought for the weak. He had courage and a righteous heart." He looked down slightly as he held the silver and red amulet he wore around his neck, Lisanna looked at it with interest. "My mother gave me this for my eighth birthday, before she died."
Lisanna couldn't help but sympathize with him as she had a sorrowful look in her eyes. "I'm sorry."
"Thanks."
"I know how it feels." Lisanna began. "When I was little, my parents died so it was just me, Mira, and Elfman traveling alone for a long time. Mira did a lot of… bad things… just to help get us by. She even fought a demon that took over a church in a local town, it was how she got her Satan Soul take over."
Dante had listened to every word she said and was quite interested in hearing what the last part she just said. "How old was Mira when that happened?"
"Thirteen."
He raised an eyebrow. "Thirteen? She kicked a demon's ass as pre-teen? Damn. You're sister's a badass."
Lisanna giggled. "Not long after that we found Fairy Tail and the master took us in. It's how I met Natsu, Grey, Erza, and everyone else. Fairy Tail is my family and my home and I'll never think otherwise, but… once in a while, I… I just wonder what it's like to feel a parent's warmth. I never knew my parents well because I was so little when they died."
"It's the same." Dante said, getting her attention. "It's the same sort of story. Pretty much everyone I know in Fairy Tail has the same kind of story. They lose someone, someone they love, a parent, a family member, they hit rock bottom, and they find that guild and they got a family." He smirked. "It's what I like about that place. You think you lost everything, they show you how wrong you are."
Lisanna smiled. "That's what makes Fairy Tail so special. I don't know a whole lot about you Dante, but I want to. Fairy Tail is my family, and that makes you part of my family to."
He smirked back at her. "Ditto. You know he's lucky?"
"Who?"
"Natsu, he's lucky he's got someone like you." Dante said, causing Lisanna's cheeks to turn pink. "Oh come on I see the way he looks at you, and how you look at him. And don't worry, I'm not gonna quote Happy."
She gave an embarrassing laugh with her cheeks still flustered, and she wanted to change the subject. "Hey uh… Dante… speaking of families… do you have any siblings?"
Dante's smile vanished as he sat up. "Where did you hear that?"
Lisanna looked a bit confused at how serious his tone became. "When Cragnar tried to kidnap me, he mentioned when you joined Fairy Tail and called you Sparda's youngest son. Do you have any brothers or sisters?"
Dante didn't answer for a few seconds. "I got brother." It was best to get this out of the way now. "Twin brother, Vergil."
"Oh… so why haven't I seen him at the guildhall? Is he on a job or something?"
"He's not a part of Fairy Tail." Dante replied.
"Why not?"
"We're not on speaking terms." Dante said. "Look, it's a long story, and I get your curious, but you need to listen. There's a reason why most people around the guild aren't talking about him, and probably why Natsu didn't say anything either. Vergil is seriously bad news, he's caused the whole guild a lot of trouble, me included."
Lisanna didn't know what to say. Dante does have a brother, a twin brother in fact, but he's an enemy of Fairy Tail? How did this happen? What kind of person is he? Why are he and Dante fighting?
"I'm sure you got a whole lot of questions in your head right now." Dante told her. "I may give you a full explanation another time, but right now you need to listen. You do not want to meet Vergil. If you see him, and trust me you'll know him when you do, you run, don't talk to him, you run, and you hope he ignores you."
Her eyes widened. "He's really that bad?"
"You have no idea."
She suddenly felt guilty. "Dante, I'm sorry if I caused you any trouble…"
"It's okay, don't worry." He assured her. "I get it, you're curious." He gave a friendly smile. "You're a good kid. Nice to have you part of the family." He offered his hand to shake.
Her guilt faded as she smiled and shook his hand. "You to."
Lucy peeked around the trees to see Natsu and Happy by a nearby river and pulling fish out of it, apparently the two were having a contest to see who could fish the most.
"Ha! Ten fish!" Happy flew in the air as he held ten fish by their tales. "Beat that Natsu!"
"Twenty fish!" Natsu exclaimed as he held said amount of fish in both his hands high over his head. "I win!"
"I demand a rematch!" Happy exclaimed.
"I'll beat you any day." Natsu smirked.
"We'll see about that!" Happy was ready to go again any time he was.
"Hey guys." Lucy walked up toward them. "What're you up to?"
"Trying to see who can catch the most fish." Natsu answered. "And guess who won that one."
"You won round one Natsu, but can you handle round two?" Happy challenged.
"Before you guys start, Happy can you give Natsu and me some privacy, please?" Lucy asked, causing Natsu and Happy to look confused.
"Is something wrong?" Happy asked.
"No, nothing's wrong." Lucy assured. "I just need to talk to Natsu for a second."
Happy looked at her before a smirk formed on his face. "You liiike him."
She sighed. "Not now, okay? Just go."
The blue exceed looked in confusion. It wasn't like Lucy to not react in comical anger whenever Happy teased her. This must be serious. "Uh…sure. Okay." Happy extended his wings once more as he flew off to join the others, leaving just her and Natsu.
"So, what do you want to talk about?" Natsu asked.
Lucy took a second before speaking. "First off, I wanted to say I'm sorry, if it felt like I was giving you guys the cold shoulder earlier."
"Uh… yeah sure it's fine." Natsu said in a confused tone. "What's up?"
"Natsu, you and I are friends, right?" Lucy asked, causing Natsu to look even more confused.
"Yeah of course we're friends." Natsu confirmed.
"So, you can be completely honest with me when I ask you a question?"
"Sure, I can be honest."
"Then let me ask you. Do you like Lisanna?" Lucy asked, earning a surprised look from Natsu.
"Well of course I like her. I like everyone in Fairy Tail. You, Gramps, Happy, Dante, Erza, even those jerks Grey and Gajeel."
"No, I mean…. Do you like her?" Lucy asked. "As in, more than a friend?"
Natsu was actually looking a bit annoyed. "Are you trying to do some sort of Happy-impression, cause it's not funny when he does that."
Ironically, Lucy didn't look embarrassed or angry at that remark. "No, Natsu I'm being serious. Do you like Lisanna?"
He looked surprised as he rubbed the back of his head. "Well… she was the first friend I had in Fairy Tail, after Igneel vanished."
"Mirajane told me how you two hatched Happy's egg when you were kids." Lucy replied. "How you even played 'husband and wife' with that."
The Fire Dragon Slayer gave an embarrassing laugh. "Well that was like a million years ago, we were just a bunch of kids back then."
Lucy giggled a bit. "Yeah well it's still really cute." They shared a laugh before Lucy spoke again. "But do you think about that with her, now? Do you look at Lisanna and see yourself with her? As more than a friend? Like she's someone special to you?"
Natsu's own smile faded as he looked down to the ground slightly. "Yeah… I… I think I do."
Lucy looked down as her hair hid her facial features. "You really do?"
"Yeah." Natsu said honestly. "I never thought of it a whole much before, but I really do like her, more than a friend I guess." He saw Lucy's face was hidden. "Are you okay?"
Lucy lifted her head to reveal she had an honest smile. "I am. Natsu, I'm really happy for you."
The Salamander had found himself quite surprised. "You… are?"
"Well of course. You really do deserve someone like that in your life." Lucy began. "Sure, you're impulsive, highly destructive, a total meathead, a major glutton for both food and punishment, and you might be also slightly insane." Natsu looked miffed before Lucy continued to speak honestly. "But at the same time; you're also very caring, you always stand up for the little guy and help as many people as you can. You would do anything for all your friends. You stopped Grey from using that Iced Shell spell that would have killed him on Galanua Island, you carried Erza from the Tower of Heaven all the way to shore, you picked a fight with Vergil just for Dante's sake, and you saved my life more times than I can count. You're far from perfect Natsu, but you're a good person, one of the best people I've ever known in my life. And if you've found someone who can make you happy then… I'm really excited for you. You deserve nothing but the best."
"Even if it's not me." She said in a thought without actually speaking it.
Natsu honestly did not know what to say or how to respond to all that. Lucy never paid him a complement like this. Sure, they were really good friends and he wouldn't hesitate to help her if she were in any kind of trouble, from simple rent to fighting the bad guys. To hear her say something like this to him was completely unexpected.
"I… thanks… thanks Lucy."
She smiled before she walked up to him and pulled him into a hug, surprising him even further. "Even if you don't like me the same way you like her, I'll still be here for you. I promise."
Before Natsu could even think of a response, his nose picked up something. His look became serious as he backed away.
"Natsu?" Lucy asked in concern.
"Come on!" Natsu grabbed her wrist and pulled her, running back toward the campsite. Natsu ran past the trees and foliage before meeting up with Dante, having just finished his own talk with Lisanna as they stood up to see Natsu running toward them with Lucy.
"Natsu? What's wrong?" Lisanna asked, upon seeing the look on his face.
"Dante!" Natsu exclaimed to him.
"I know." He pulled out Ebony and Ivory. "We got company."
There was a loud wailing sound coming from above them. The group looked directly upwards toward an opening in the skies where several objects we're falling toward them. As they grew closer, their shapes could be made out. They resembled something akin to Grim Reapers with black robes made of smoke, with skulls for faces, each one wielding a scythe with a blade made out of purple energy.
It appeared that eight of them had landed and surrounded the groups.
"We got demons!" Dante exclaimed as he readied his guns.
"About damn time." Natsu smirked as his fists lit on fire.
"We got your backs guys, right Lucy?" Lisanna made a combat stance as she stood with Natsu and Dante.
"Absolutely." Lucy took out one of her keys.
The reaper-demons wailed at them as they lunged toward the group who responded in kind.
Of course, it was not just there, all around the area the same breed of demons appeared and begun attacking the Rune Knights. The whole forest erupted into chaos. The rest of the Fairy Tail members; Erza, Modeus, Grey, Trish, Wendy, Lady, even Carla and Happy gathered defensively with their respective weapons and combat stances as the same kind of demons began to circle them.
"Whoa, those are some scary demons." Happy noted.
"For once Happy, I completely agree with you." Carla noted.
"They are Hell Vanguards." Modeus stated.
"Hell what?" Grey questioned.
"Hell Vanguards, lesser demons that proclaim to be akin to the grim reapers." Modeus explained. "But why are they here?"
"To kill us, what else?!" Lady exclaimed.
"No, he's right." Trish confirmed. "Hell Vanguards are usually around some kind of portal. Something that connects Earth Land to the Underworld! But there's no portal or gate nearby! So why are they this far out?!"
"Devil Hand most likely." Erza assumed. "But it doesn't matter, they will fall all the same."
"Got that right." Grey placed his hand on his palm as an icy mist formed around them. He gave a yell as he slammed his hand and fist onto the ground to send a long streak of ice-spikes toward a pack of Hell Vanguards, sending them flying all around. The fight was on.
Erza's armor glowed as she requpied into her Flight Armor with a blade in each hand and dashed past two Hell Vanguards, cutting them down as she soared past them. She moved at such speed that when one tried to swing his scythe at her, she vanished and appeared behind it to slice it in half down the middle.
Modeus summoned both his blades from the ground as he blocked a scythe strike from one Hell Vanguard in an x-formation with his swords, but he kicked the scythe out of the demon's hands before slicing it in half with both his blades before rushing toward four more with his swords glowing.
"Demon Sword: Phantom Moon!" He launched multiple crescent-moon-shaped projectiles from his swung swords at the four Hell Vanguards, who were quickly cut to pieces by them.
Trish and Lady stood back-to-back with their respective pistols as six Hell Vanguards circled them; they both opened fire, Lady with normal bullets and Trish with her electrical ones. Trish's attacks did the most damage, while Lady's only seemed to tick them off. The Vanguards rushed toward them at the same time with their scythe blades, only for Trish to jump high into the air with her Sparda sword and point it downward just as Lady fell to the ground and took out her bladed rocket-launcher and pointed the blade up; their blades met in the center where the scythe-blades met. Lady fired, the explosion that resulted was from the Sparda sword destroying the rocket and scattering the shrapnel all around the demons, killing them as they fell back onto the ground.
"Ice Make Death Scythe!" Grey leapt into the air with an ice construct taking the form of a massive scythe, twice the size of the ones the Hell Vanguards were carrying. He swung it down and took out one Hell Vanguard with the swing. As he fell he looked into the air and saw in surprise three Hell Vanguards leaping higher into the air and bringing their blades down on him.
"Ice-Make Shield!" Grey landed on the ground on his back just as he created a strong ice-shield in front of him to block the scythe strikes from the Vanguards; but they kept up the pressure and looked like they we're about to crack through the shield, much to Grey's frustration.
"Grey!" Happy flew in and zoomed at high speeds, swiping Grey away from the spot just as the Vanguards cut through the shield, impaling the ground.
Happy hovered in the air as he held Grey the same way he would normally hold Natsu, but the ice-wizard wasn't complaining. "Thanks, Happy."
"Don't mention it."
"Ice Make Lance!" Grey shot out multiple ice-lances from a dual-palm thrust at the Vanguards before the recovered, impaling them in multiple places.
Meanwhile, Carla had taken Wendy and flown a bit into the air to avoid getting caught up in the worst of it.
"Carla, what are you doing? I can help them!" Wendy stated.
"Just because you've started training doesn't automatically make you an experienced demon hunter." Carla told her. "I know you want to help, but you must realize…"
As Carla was lecturing, Wendy's own nose picked up a scent from the trees above them, causing her eyes to widen.
"Carla, move!"
The white exceed heard a moan behind her, motivating her to fly away to avoid a scythe-slash from one Vanguard that attempted to ambush them from the tree canopy above them. As Carla moved backwards, Wendy was directly in front of it.
"Sky Dragon Roar!" Her breath attack shot the demon directly to the ground where it was completely flattened.
Carla had to admit, she was a bit impressed. Not only with Wendy's attack, but how her heightened senses were now developing.
"I told you I was taking this seriously." Wendy told Carla.
"So you did." Carla admitted. "Very well you may help the rest of our guild, but I will ensure that you maintain a safe distance."
"Fair enough. Now let's go help them!"
With that, Carla flew Wendy back toward the battlefield.
The Rune Knights however were not as lucky at dealing with these Hell Vanguards; they were proving to be far stronger than anticipated. Though the Rune Knights did put up a bit of a fight, they could only pick off individual Hell Vanguards if they worked in groups; though one-on-one they were no match. However, one was stronger than the rest.
Two Hell Vanguards were approaching Lahar who stood with a calm look on his face. They lunged at him, only for Lahar to thrust his hand forward and erect a barrier that blocked the demons' advance, encasing them in a trap. He then erected magic runes with his fingers before the barrier began to condense, to the point where it crushed the demons into pulp.
"Barrier magic hmm? Not bad."
Lahar looked up to see the hovering demon Raviary looking quite smugly at him. "But then again, being defensive is about as good as most of you humans are capable of."
"Try testing me, and I'll crush you just as I did those other two!" Lahar warned as he readied another spell.
"Thanks, but I think I'll pass." Raviary said as he was only keeping Lahar distracted from Fanglor as he rushed Lahar from behind and knocked him away with a swipe of his massive arm.
Lahar hit a nearby tree, the back of his head taking some impact, knocking him completely unconscious.
"To easy." Fanglor stated as Raviary hovered down to his feet. "I want a real challenge!"
"Fun later, brother. First the job." Raviary told him as the two walked toward the barred carriage as the Hell Vanguards had managed to successfully lure away the Rune Knights guarding it.
Fanglor used his strength to pry off the door from its hinges to reveal Angel who could only look shocked at these demons' appearances.
"Who… who are you?"
She was grabbed by the throat by Fanglor and pulled in close. "Your new owners."
Angel got a good look in this demon's eyes. Though she herself was indeed a Dark Wizard, something about these particular demons struck a sensation she never thought she'd feel again, not since the Tower in her childhood: Fear.
Two Hell Vanguard were gunned down by Dante as he crossed his arms and fired Ebony and Ivory, the bullets impacting their heads and causing them to explode before he made a limbo and fired his guns behind, turning another Vanguard into swiss cheese. Dante jumped up to avoid a slash from a fourth Vanguard, but he landed on the demon's face and fired both his pistols down all over him.
The red-clad Devil Hunter smirked as he stood up from the Vanguard's corpse. "Yep, still got it."
"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" Natsu dashed past two Vanguards while incinerating them with flame-like whips shooting out from his arms. He ran forward and delivered a fiery punch to another Hell Vanguard to send it flying through several trees. Four more surrounded him and gave their titular moans as they readied their scythes, but Natsu didn't look the least intimidated.
"Come on bone-bags, show me what you got!" His entire body lit on fire as he was ready to burn them to a crisp.
"Take Over: Dragon Soul!" Lisanna shifted into her newly acquired take over and flew directly at a group of Hell Vanguards. She lit her claws on fire as she slashed at several of them, slicing and frying any of them that we're unfortunate enough to be close to her. One tried to slice at her with its scythe, but she caught the blade as she clapped her hands and begun to spin her body like a top, spinning the demon along with her before letting it go and sending it crashing into another.
She knew she agreed to take it easy with her Dragon Soul form, but considering they we're fighting demons, it seemed like a good opportunity to break it in. "Inferno Blast!" She shot a breath attack at an incoming Vanguard, instantly blasting him back while frying him in the process.
"Open! Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!"
With a doorbell sound for emphasis, Lucy had summoned Virgo. "How may I assist you today, Princess?"
"See those scary demons? Take them out!" Lucy ordered
"As you wish." Virgo ran forward like a jack-hammer and pounded her way through a group of Hell Vanguards; punching and kicking them in and across their bodies and faces.
Lucy however saw a shadow loom over her and rolled out of the way to avoid a scythe-slash from one Hell Vanguard. "Oh wow, you guys sure are scary." She quickly got over it. "But I don't got time to be scared right now!" She took out her rod which she extended into her magical whip, the Fleuve d'etoiles.
She flung the whip, appearing to be made out of sparling water, at the Hell Vanguard, ensnaring it before snapping it to send it crashing into a nearby tree. She couldn't help but look proud at that.
"Oh yeah! Lucy Heartfila the Devil Hunter. Yeah I really like the sound of that." As she praised herself, she became ignorant of another Vanguard behind her, but it was quickly gunned down, causing Lucy to look comically surprised at the sound of gun shots. She turned back to see the dead Vanguard.
"Piece of advice, gloat after the battle's done." Dante told her with a smirk, causing Lucy's confidence to vanish.
"Yeah, probably a good idea."
A scream caught their attention, as well as Natsu's and Lisanna's, even Virgo's.
"What was that?" Lisanna asked.
"Sounded like someone screaming." Natsu said. "But it wasn't one of us."
Lucy spotted something in a hole in the canopy showing the open sky. "Up there! Look!"
The group looked to where she was pointing to see the flying demon Raviary carrying a struggling Angel by her shoulders with his talons.
"They got Angel!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Oh no they don't." Dante rushed toward a tree and jumped towards a tall branch. "I'll get her! You take out the rest of these chumps!"
"Dante, wait!" Lucy tried to call to him but another Hell Vanguard appeared in front of her just as Dante jumped into the canopy after Raviary. Fortunately for Lucy, the Vanguard was quickly pummeled in the chest by Virgo who shot out from the ground with her fist.
"Perhaps it is best we heed Dante's wishes and finish these demons now." Virgo advised.
"Yeah, good point. Besides, I know Dante can handle himself." Lucy readied her magic whip as Virgo stood by her side.
Natsu and Lisanna also stood side-by-side as more than a few Hell Vanguards stood in front of them.
"You ready Natsu?" Lisanna asked.
"Always." Natsu stated as they both lit their fists on fire and lunged forward.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Angel yelled as she struggled in Raviary's grip.
"You realize that if I do, you'll fall and gravely injure yourself, correct?" The raven-demon reminded. "Besides, you're much more useful to Devil Hand alive."
"Oh, you don't say."
Raviary's eyes shot up as he looked in surprise to see Dante leaped high in mid-air and fall to bring an axe-kick down on Raviary's back, forcing him to drop Angel as he tried to stabilize himself.
Angel didn't fall very far as Dante managed to catch her bridal-style in the air and land on both his feet in a river, where he was thigh-deep in water.
Raviary stabilized himself as he hovered in the air with his flapping wings where he looked down at Dante with a glare.
"The famous Devil Hunter, Dante. The son of the Dark Knight Sparda himself."
"Bingo, birdy." Dante confirmed with a grin, causing Angel to look up at him in surprise.
"He's… he's the son of… Sparda?!"
"So little bird, you mind telling me about your little guild?" Dante cracked. "Like who's in charge and why you want Angey here?"
"It's Angel." The white-haired woman muttered.
"My apologies, but that is something we shall take to your grave." Raviary said with an evil smirk.
Dante noticed a few bubbles in the water on his right when suddenly Fanglor emerged from the water like a great shark with an open mouth. Thinking quickly, Dante flung Angel over his left shoulder as Fanglor bit down on Dante's right shoulder. Though blood gushed out from the wound, Dante didn't flinch.
"Nice ambush, fishy." Dante delivered a knee to Fanglor's jaw, causing him to let go. Dante jumped backwards in one bound and made it over the river onto dry land. He set Angel down underneath a tree with large roots.
"Stay here." He told her as he turned back to face the two demons; Raviary hovering in the air with Fanglor half-way underwater.
Fanglor licked the blood from his serrated teeth. "I love the taste of his blood. I want more!"
"Have at it, brother." Raviary said. "It will be a glorious night for us as we slay the mighty Dante!"
Dante smirked as he drew Rebellion and pointed it at them. "Bring it on boys, meat's on the menu tonight."
Meanwhile; as Trish, Lady, Modeus, and Erza helped the Rune Knights fight back against the Hell Vanguards; Carla flew Wendy in the air as Happy did the same with Grey as they appeared to look around.
"I don't see them anywhere." Wendy stated.
"But I saw a flying demon snatch Angel, I know I did!" Happy pointed out.
"Yeah, well I also saw Dante knock him out of the sky." Grey said. "Which means we got nothing to worry about."
"Agreed, I'm quite certain Dante can handle whatever demon that was." Carla said. "Now then, let us…"
Before Carla could finish, something hit her and Wendy causing them to both fall and crash down toward the ground, much to Grey and Happy's shock.
"Wendy!" Grey exclaimed.
"Carla!" Happy shouted as well.
Both Wendy and Carla groaned as they tried to push themselves up from the ground. "Wendy, are you alright?" The white exceed asked.
"Owe." Wendy felt her head.
"Geeze, you're still such a cry baby.
The two of them looked to see an individual the same size as Wendy a few feet away from them, her body in a landing position, indicating she knocked them out of the sky. She wore a dark green hooded robe to obscure her face, the only thing they made out was the white Pentagram symbol on the chest.
"The symbol of Devil Hand?" Carla questioned. "But… you're no demon."
"No, I'm not."
Wendy looked in surprise. "Wait… I know that voice."
"Wendy! Carla!" They looked up to see Happy landing Grey as the ice-make wizard helped up Wendy. "You two alright?"
"I believe so." Carla answered as Happy helped her up. He turned and glared at the green-robbed girl.
"Hey! Who are you!? And why did you knock down Carla and Wendy?!"
"I… I know her." Wendy voiced, causing all three to look in surprise as Wendy started at the girl and couldn't believe her eyes. "But… it's… it's not… possible."
"I'm surprised you remember me Wendy, considering you we're Cait Shelter's favorite." She removed her hood to reveal her face. It was Leviatha, who had the appearance of young girl around the same age as Wendy with green hate-filled eyes.
"A kid?!" Grey questioned. "The hell is a kid doing in a Dark Guild filled with Demons?!"
"Sheeree?" Wendy voiced in shock and disbelief. "Is… is that… really you?"
Carla also looked in disbelief herself. "Impossible, you can't be here!"
"Nice to see you're still such a know-it-all, Carla." Leviatha voiced in utter resentment.
"Wait… you know her?" Grey asked.
"She was from Cait Shelter!" Wendy stated, not taking her shocked and shaking eyes from the girl, causing Happy and Grey to look in disbelief.
"What?!" Grey exclaimed.
"But… I thought Cait Shelter was an illusion!" Happy recalled.
"Not all of it." Leviatha said.
Wendy still couldn't get over her surprise. "Sheeree… how are…"
"Don't call me that!" She exclaimed. "My name is Leviatha! I'm a member of the Devil Hand guild! In fact, I'm among its elite, the Seven Sins!"
The Sky Dragon Slayer's look of surprised increased. "You… you joined a… Dark Guild?! Why?!"
"You joined a new guild, so why shouldn't I?" Leviatha was about to walk toward her, but Grey quickly stood in front.
"Look kid, I don't know what's going on, but do yourself a favor and get out of Devil Hand. It's no place for a little girl like you."
"Stay out of this!" Leviatha shouted to Grey. "I'm only interested in her!" She pointed to Wendy. "Now get out of the way before I have to hurt you."
"Wendy go, I'll take care of this." Grey told the young girl.
"But.. Grey I.. that's…" Wendy stuttered as her head was having trouble fully understanding all of this.
"Wendy, we can second guess later!" Carla grabbed Wendy and began to fly away.
"On no you don't!" Leviatha was about to run after Wendy, but Grey blocked her path.
"I don't think so. How about you make it easy on yourself and just surrender? I'd rather not fight a kid." The Ice-Make wizard told her with a serious look.
"Too bad." Leviatha placed a hand on her palm as an icy-mist formed right before she cast a spell.
"Ice-Make Lance!"
This caught Grey by completely surprise, he quickly formed an ice-shield to block the ice-projectiles shot his way, but his shocked look did not fade.
"What the hell? That's my spell! How did she know that?!"
"She can use Ice-Magic like you Grey?!" Happy questioned in shock, but suddenly he was shot by a blue beam which completely froze Happy in a block of ice, causing the flying cat to fall to the ground.
"Happy!" Grey was about to help but Leviatha was already directly in front of him, she shot him a cold glare before she shot both her hands on the ground in front of Grey, completely incasing him in ice just like Happy.
Leviatha then looked up in the direction that Carla flew Wendy.
"Carla… was that really... Sheeree?" Wendy stuttered.
"There was no mistaking it." Carla confirmed. "But I fail to understand how it was possible. Cait Shelter was a mere illusion. She should have faded with everyone else."
Wendy thought for a moment. That one moment where she saw all of Cait Shelter fade away was a heart-wrenching moment in her life, but now there was someone from that very same guild here, now! How is that possible? And why does she seem so angry toward Wendy?
"I didn't give you permission to leave!"
Carla stopped mid-air where she and Wendy looked in absolute shock to see Leviatha hovering above them slightly, but it wasn't the fact she was there that surprised them. No, it was the fact that out of her back was sprouted a pair of wings. White feathered wings! The same kind of wings that Happy, Carla, Lilly, and all the other Exceeds have.
"Aera magic?!" Carla exclaimed in shock while Wendy was unable to form any words. "Impossible! That is a magic only Exceeds can use!"
"Exceed? Is that the name of your species?" Leviatha questioned with a raised eyebrow. "But it doesn't matter." She then smirked evilly as she looked toward the blue-haired girl. "Oh and Wendy, if you think you're surprised now. Get a load of this."
Leviatha inhaled deeply and appeared to be engulfing a large amount of air as her cheeks puffed.
"Sky Dragon…."
Impossible. Wendy could not believe it. "No…"
"ROAR!"
Leviatha unleashed the exact same breath attack that Wendy uses directly at the shocked Sky Dragon Slayer and sent her and Carla slamming down hard toward the ground.
Dante jumped into the air as he parried Rebellion against the talon strikes from Raviary before he fell toward the river where Fanglor leapt from the water with an open mouth to bite onto Dante again, but the red-clad Devil Hunter was ready as he slammed his feet in an airborne round house to Fanglor's face to knock him back into the water as Dante landed. He didn't' have time to rest as Raviary shot down toward him and stuck his talons into Dante's back.
The raven-demon slammed Dante underwater and into the ground beneath before flying at high speeds, dragging Dante along the ground underneath the water and slamming him into a large boulder at the riverbank before flying upward. Fanglor swam like a torpedo, his back-fin sticking out of the water like a shark, as he shot at Dante and leaped at him with his open fangs. He pounced on him and appeared to be eating him alive.
Angel could only see bits of it from her hiding spot but could still look in shock as she saw what appeared to be carnage. Not even during her time in the Oracion Seis, or even her time as a slave in the Tower of Heaven, did she witness such bloodshed.
"Yes! Feast upon him all you wish, brother!" Raviary said extatically. "We shall deliver his bones to the master and be praised as heroes in the Underworld!"
Raviary's victory taunt was cut off by the sound of metal piercing flesh and could only look in shock to see Rebellion's blade shoot out from Fanglor's back, blood all over it. Fanglor's shocked body was shoved back slowly as Dante began to stand up out of the water, his face containing a smirk.
"You think a few nibbles are gonna kill me?" Dante taunted to the shocked pair of demons. "I've had dog bites that hurt worse than this." He tore Rebellion out of Fanglor, causing the shark-demon to yell in pain before Dante rushed forward with an elbow-thrust.
Dante's strength sent Fanglor skidding across the river slightly. He then looked up to see Raviary flying down towards him with a bird-like caw with his talons opened and ready to slice. Dante did not lose his smirk as he leaped up at him in response.
"Agni! Rudra!" Dante had pulled out his twin elemental blades as fire lit on Agni and a whirl-wind circled Rudra. While mid-air he spun around, using the fire and wind to give him a boost, at a rate fast enough that he created a cyclone of fire and wind. Raviary didn't have time to stop as the attack hit him dead on.
There was a small explosion in the sky with Dante flying right out of the smoke on the other side. "Fried chicken anyone?"
The charred and burnt remains of Raviary fell into the river as Fanglor was recovering from his stab-wound.
"Hey shark-bait!" He looked to see Dante land on a rock just outside the river. "Guess what doesn't mix well with water?"
"Nevan!" He switched Agni and Rudra for the electric scythe which he extended and sliced at the river, charging the entire body of water with purple demonic electricity. The result was rather shocking for Fanglor as he was electrocuted from the inside-out before he exploded all across the river.
Dante retracted his weapon as he stood proudly on the rock. From that spot Angel got a good look at him and could only look in awe at him as the moon shinned over him and a slight wind picked up the back of his coat, making it wave like a cape.
He jumped off the rock and landed gracefully on the ground as he walked toward the amazed Angel as she was only on her knees looking up at him as he continued walking toward her.
"Sparda's son… I only thought the Dark Knight was a myth… But… wow. Was he always a part of Fairy Tail? No, he must have joined only recently. If he was around when the Oracion Seis fought them, I doubt even Zero could have stopped him."
Dante was right in front of Angel as he offered her his hand, which she took without taking her eyes off him as he helped her up.
"You okay?"
She nodded.
"Good, then we better get going." He turned around and was about to walk back toward where his friends were likely finishing up.
"Why did you do it?" Dante heard Angel ask him from behind.
"Do what?"
"Why did you help me?" Angel asked. "It would have been easier for you just to let them fly off with me."
"You're saying you wanted to be nabbed by Demons?" Dante questioned in a joking sense, while still keeping his back toward her.
"No! No, but… you heard what that man from the Magic Council said. I'm… I was part of the Oracion Seis, one of the leading Dark Guilds in this kingdom. I tried to kill many of your comrades in Fairy Tail. I'm your enemy."
"Technically I wasn't a part of Fairy Tail when you fought them." Dante said.
"The point is, we're not exactly friends. So why help me?" Angel asked.
She heard Dante sigh as he turned around and gave her a serious look. "Cause you needed it." She looked at him in surprise as Dante spoke to her.
"Yeah, you might have done some bad shit in your life but look at you right now. You got no magic keys, no weapons, nothing. You're helpless right now and you know it. And I'm not gonna abandon anyone who's helpless, even if they were bad; and I'm especially not gonna abandon em when demons wanna get em."
Angel had no idea how to respond to that. She used to be among the most feared and despised wizards, and yet this man still saved her. And deep down, she knew he was right, she was completely helpless now, there was no way she could have escaped those demons.
"Come on, let's go." Dante motioned her to follow. "Don't want those Magic Council pricks to get the idea you're running off."
"Hey." He stopped as he turned around and saw she had a tiny smile on her face. "Thanks."
Dante smirked in response. "No problem."
Wendy was thrown against a tree as Leviatha glared at her, Carla on the ground in front of the resentful girl. Before the Exceed could crawl away, Leviatha stomped her foot on the talking cat causing her to scream in pain.
"No Carla!" Wendy screamed. "Sheeree, stop! Please!" She pleaded.
"That's not my name!" Leviatha exclaimed as she turned to Wendy. "I told you, my name is Leviatha!"
"Please… why are you doing this?!" Wendy cried as tears were about to fall from her eyes. "We were part of Cait Shelter together! We were friends!"
"No, we are not friends! We never were friends!" Leviatha told her, she saw the tears flowing down Wendy's face. "Aw is the little Dragon Slayer gonna cry?" Leviatha said in a mocking sympathetic voice. "You'll be shedding more than tears when I'm done with you!"
Leviatha readied another attack. "Sky Dragon Roar!" She shot another breath attack directly at Wendy who could only scream with closed eyes at it came close toward her.
"Full Moon Shield!"
A large and transparent shield, taking the appearance of the face of the full moon, had blocked the attack, causing it to disperse.
"What?!" Leviatha questioned.
Wendy opened her eyes slowly to look and see Modeus standing protectively in front of her with his blades crossed, indicating he had just saved her.
"Modeus." Wendy breathed in a thankful tone.
He gave an inward sigh that the attack did not hit her as he turned his head toward her. "Wendy, are you alright?"
She nodded. "Yeah… I will be. Thank you."
"Of course." He turned towards the attacker who tried to harm his student but looked in surprise as he saw her appearance. "A child?"
Leviatha glared. "Damn you. Protecting her like that."
"Who are you, child?" Modeus asked. "Why are you with Devil Hand?"
"My name is Leviatha, and I'm here to see Wendy Marvell suffer!"
"Why? For what purpose would you seek to harm her?" Modeus questioned.
"That's none of your business."
"If I were you, I would leave now." Modeus advised. "Your demonic forces have been vanquished, and you have failed to capture Angel. You have lost."
Leviatha glared daggers at Modeus. She wanted to hurt him so badly right now, not just for the loss her guild suffered, but for protecting Wendy. She thought she could probably take him, but not the whole team of Fairy Tail members present, especially considering Dante was also here.
"This isn't over Wendy! You'll see me again!" She took out an orb from her robe and smashed it on the ground, creating a dark purple flash; causing Modeus and Wendy to shield their eyes. When the flash subsided, Leviatha had vanished.
Modeus immediately came to Wendy and helped her up. "Are you unharmed, Wendy?"
"I think so." She then gasped. "Carla!"
The two of them quickly ran toward the injured Carla as Wendy immediately began to apply her healing magic.
"Wendy…" Carla moaned. "I'm glad you're okay."
"Don't worry Carla, she's gone. Everything's okay now." Wendy said as she continued to heal her.
"Wendy, who was that girl?" Modeus asked her.
The young girl hung her head down. "She says she's Leviatha, but her name is Sheeree, she was from Cait Shelter like me and Carla."
That took Modeus by surprise. "Cait Shelter? But I thought you told me that guild was an illusion, created to give you and Carla a home when you were much younger."
Wendy nodded. "I thought it was to, but…"
Carla was able to stand up as Wendy finished. "I am most disturbed by this to. The fact that there was a real person from Cait Shelter is surprising enough, but the very idea that she has joined with a dark guild, one that is comprised of demons no-less… I can't even begin to imagine how that happened."
Modeus put a consoling hand on Wendy's shoulder. "Wendy, I know this is rather disturbing for you, but we must get back with the others. Natsu, Lucy, and Lisanna we're able to help Grey and Happy who we're previously incased in ice; Dante has returned with Angel; and Erza, Trish, and Lady helped the Rune Knights finish the last of the Hell Vanguards, but there are many injured men who could use your help."
Wendy knew he was right. There were so many questions in her head right now, but they could wait. People needed her help now. She nodded as she stood up along with Carla and the three made their way back.
The rest of the night went along much more smoothly. Wendy was able to heal and help many of the injured Rune Knights, though there were a few casualties among them. Afterwards, when everyone regrouped, they took a bit of a rest before resuming their trek through the forest.
The next day, the caravan had made it to their destination. A large tower, one that looked like a prison made out of nothing but steel stood before them as the members of Fairy Tail stood on one side, and Lahar stood with his Rune Knights on the other, with the two groups facing each other.
"This is where we part ways." Lahar said before he bowed his head. "While I am aware that there is much tension between your guild and the Magic Council, I wanted to thank you for your assistance in this matter."
Erza gave a mature smile as she nodded. "You are welcome."
Natsu even gave a friendly smile himself. "Yeah guess you're not such a bad guy after all, considering when we last met you had a giant stick up your ass." He was then bonked on the head by Erza as Dante, Lady, and Trish chuckled at Natsu's comment while Lisanna and Wendy laughed nervously as Grey, Lucy, Happy, Carla, even Modeus sweat-dropped in minor annoyance.
Lahar choose to let that comment slide as he helped a pair of Rune Knights escort Angel out of her carriage. Before they could lead her to the tower, she stopped. "Wait, just let me say something real quick."
The Rune Knights looked toward their superior as Lahar was silent for a moment, he nodded and allowed this as she turned to Fairy Tail who looked in minor surprise, especially when she bowed.
"Thank you." Most of them, especially Lucy, could only look in shock at this action, save for Dante who maintained a neutral expression. "Especially you" She spoke to Dante directly. "If it weren't for you, I'd probably be part of some ritual sacrifice or something. So… thank you… eh Dante, right?"
"You already thanked me." He said before giving an honest smile. "But you're welcome."
She smiled before walking back toward the Rune Knights as they escorted her toward the prison. With that, the members of Fairy Tail turned around and began their walk back toward the train station, on the other side of the forest. But without having to escort a caravan; most of the group could probably run or be flown by an Exceed or carried by a Celestial Spirit, so they could be back by mid-afternoon without having to spend another night camping.
Grey smirked towards Dante. "Well, looks like you got a fan." He joked, referring to the moment Angel thanked him just recently.
Dante gave a semi-modest shrug. "Eh, what can I say? I got that effect on all the ladies."
"Yeah well you don't see me drooling all over you." Lucy joked with a smirk.
"That makes two of us." Lady also joked.
"Three." Lisanna joined in.
"Four." Trish added.
"You look like my mom, you don't count." Dante busted.
"But when do we ever see girls going gaga over you?" Natsu joked.
"Aye, Dante the lady-less man." Happy joked as well.
"Yeah-yeah." Dante waved off as the group of friends shared a laugh.
However, what none of them noticed was on a cliffside some distance away, Leviatha watched them with a hateful glare, one she shot in Wendy's direction.
"Go ahead, laugh all you want. None of you are prepared for what's coming."
"I would advise against any rash moves at the moment."
She turned around to see a familiar man walking toward her. "Arkham."
The dark, bald, man walked slowly toward Leviatha's side, still carrying his book, as he set his emotionless eyes upon the Fairy Tail group. "It would seem their mission has succeeded."
"Yeah, no duh." Leviatha spat. "Getting that Angel-lady is gonna be tricky now that she's locked up in there."
"Perhaps, but regardless she will be ours, as will one of the Strauss's." Arkham stated. "Soon the light from this world will fade forever and a new era of pandemonium shall begin. Come." He turned around and began to walk away. "We still have much to do."
Leviatha stood up and gave one more glare in Wendy's directing before walking after Arkham.
"I honestly don't care about his or Vergil's goal. One thing is for certain, I will make you suffer Wendy. I'll make you suffer just as much as you made me!"
Done.
Wow, this chapter was a lot longer than I thought it would be. But looks like the mission was a success. Fairy Tail had escorted Angel to where she needed to be, and they killed off two more of Devil Hand's demons, but we also got a look at what one of the Seven Sins can do, and what's more, it seems Leviatha has some kind of grudge against Wendy. Why? Only time will tell.
What will happen next for Fairy Tail? Find out next time on Fairy May Cry!