Hi everyone. Thanks once more for your patience. We have now officially entered the climax of the Devil Hand arc of Fairy May Cry! Arkham has activated Temen-ni-gru's hidden power and is ready to gain the power he sought for so long. Will he succeed? Not if Fairy Tail has anything to say about it! So, without further delay, let's get started!
Ascension to Hell!
The whole tower of Temen-ni-gru began to shake immensely as everyone both inside and outside felt the intense tremors. Among the first to feel it was the group in the caverns just underneath the tower. The whole cave shook as some rubble began to fall down from the ceiling, and some of them fell on their backsides.
"What the hell is going on?!" Gajeel questioned.
"Great! Now what?!" Elfman also questioned.
Mira's eyes widened and quivered at the same time. "I… I can feel an immense surge of pure demonic energy! And it's growing exponentially!"
"Could it be Vergil?" Juvia wondered as she did her best to maintain the water-lock where the imprisoned Satan and Mammon were both trapped while also trying to maintain her footing.
"I don't think so. Not for this level of power." Lily assumed. "Just what in the world is going on?"
Chamber of Echoes
Lucy, Trish, Lisanna, Modeus, and Angel all felt the whole tower shake as most of them fell to the ground. "What's happening now?!" Lucy exclaimed.
"It feels like this whole place is going to fall apart!" Lisanna exclaimed as well.
Modeus had a look of shock and terror on his face as he felt a very familiar force rising quickly from down below. It was right under them!
"Get back! Now!" Modeus threw himself to tackle all four women back just as the floor gave way. All five of them had just barely made it out of the way as they saw a rising platform break through the floor and continuing to rise higher up into the tower. Their eyes also widened at the sight of a man standing at the middle as it continued to rise.
"That… that was Arkham!" Trish exclaimed.
"This power… I… I never felt anything so intense… so… sinister…" Angel voiced, completely terrified. Not even Nirvana had this level of power, nor this amount of dark energy surging through it.
Outside
The members of Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, and Blue Pegasus had just finished mopping up the last of the demons and gathered all together just as they felt the tremors, knocking many of them down as well.
"Is that... some kind of earthquake?!" Ren questioned.
"What the hell is going on now?!" Cana exclaimed. "Can't we catch a break!"
"Uh… hey guys… is it just me… or is that tower getting bigger?!" Toby questioned in shock.
"It's not just you… it is getting taller! It's changing!" Lyon stated in shock as everyone's eyes widened in fear as they saw the shifting and changing tower.
"Stand your ground everyone! This isn't over yet!" Freed voiced to the whole group.
Temen-ni-gru shot even higher up into the sky as it began to twist and turn; but as it did, pieces of its outer layer began to crack and fall off; revealing a large, red, swirling pillar at the center with a near bottom-less amount of demonic energy practically pouring out of it. While inside, the ever-rising pillar was doing a number to the innards of the tower, gathering several large bells onto its platform as it continued to rise; already it had four bells on its platform, surrounding Arkham just as a fifth bell was collected. A sixth bell was now on the platform just as Temen-ni-gru had reached a height that was almost twice as tall as it was previously.
By the time the seventh bell was now gathered, the roof of the tower opened up as the platform had finished rising. The tremors had all stopped, and the tower finished its transformation. Temen-ni-gru had entered its final stage. Arkham now stood at the very top of the even larger and more dangerous tower, all seven bells gathered around him. He smiled evilly as everything was now in place. He waited years for this, and no one was going to stop him now.
Dante had managed to pull Lady to safety from the pit she nearly fell in as Natsu, carrying Happy, Gray, Erza, Wendy, Carla, and Sheeree all regrouped together.
"Is everyone alright?" Erza asked, in which most responded with subtle groans and nods.
"Physically, I'm fine. Otherwise, I'm far from alright." Dante said as he clenched his fists. "Cause right now, I'm pissed!"
"That makes two of us!" Natsu pounded his right fist into his left palm, a small explosion erupted from the contact. "That sick bastard! I'm gonna kill em!"
"No…" Lady grunted as she tried to stand up. "I… will do that…" Lady fell to her knees, her leg still bleeding from the injury Arkham gave her.
"Lady!" Wendy ran toward her. "Don't move, I'll heal you." Wendy then began to apply her healing magic to Lady's wound. Already it was starting to close, and Lady could feel a relaxing sensation moving through her body.
"Hang on, I'll help." Sheeree joined Wendy and used her Magical Drain to copy Wendy's healing spell and applied it to Lady's wound.
"Nice." Natsu said with a smile before a confused look formed on his face. "Who are you again?" He asked Sheeree, resulting in her body turning comically white.
"Natsu, she was one of Devil Hand's Seven Sins." Happy told Natsu as he was still in his arms, still weakened.
"But it's okay now!" Wendy quickly added. "She's on our side! She's my friend!"
"Oh, okay then." Natsu smiled.
"Wait… what?" Sheeree did not expect that.
"Wendy says you're cool and that's alright with me." Natsu smiled and gave a thumbs up.
Sheeree naturally looked stunned. "I didn't expect him to be so easy-going." She whispered to Wendy.
"That's Natsu for you." The Sky Dragon Slayer gave her friend an assuring smile.
"Can we all please focus on the matter at hand?" Carla got everyone's attention.
"She's right." Gray agreed. "We need to talk about what the heck just happened."
"Arkham tricked us, that's what happened." Dante stated as he glared upward at the large pillar that undoubtedly stretched all the way to the very top of the tower. "He set the whole thing up and we fell for it like a bunch of chumps."
"I have to admit, but this was a rather clever scheme." Erza said. "His knowledge of Temen-ni-gru was stunning enough; but the way he brought this all together: forming Devil Hand, not just to unlock the tower itself but to occupy Fairy Tail… even tricking someone like Vergil of all people… all just to lure us here."
Sheeree hung her head in shame while Lady, Dante, Gray, and Natsu all practically growled. No matter how his plan was, it did little to deter the fact that Arkham was a complete and total monster.
"It doesn't matter!" Lady tried to stand up but limped a bit.
"Lady, be careful! You're not fully healed yet!" Wendy told her.
"I can stand and that's enough for me." She looked up the pillar. "I'm going to finish him myself."
"You're kidding, right?" Gray questioned. "He just threw all of us down like we we're rag dolls."
"We have no idea what sort of power he possesses; going by yourself would be a huge mistake." Carla told her.
"Regardless, I must go." Lady insisted. "I had a chance to stop him before, but I couldn't. I'm responsible for all this mess."
"How are you responsible?" Dante asked. "You're not the one who did all this."
Sheeree hung her head. "He's right. If anything, I'm responsible. I helped raised this tower, I helped him get what he needed."
"Sheeree…" Wendy tried to console.
"You were just another one of his victims." Lady told the kid. "He played you like he played the rest of us. He's my father! Besides, who else can undo what he's done?"
However, before anyone could dwell on this any further, they each began to hear something; not with their ears, but with their minds.
"Hello? Is anyone there? Hello!"
"What was that?" Sheeree asked, slightly startled.
"Telepathy… its Warren!" Gray realized causing the group to look in surprise.
"If anybody is there, please respond so that we know that you're okay!" That actually came from a second voice, one that was different from Warren's.
"Okay, who's that guy?" Natsu asked. "Sounds familiar."
Erza's eyes widened, recognizing it instantly. "I know that voice, it's Hibiki!"
Outside
It was actually both. Warren had two fingers on his head as he held Hibiki's shoulder with his other arm as the second telepathy wizard placed two fingers on his head as well while using his second hand to type rapidly on a holographic-magic-screen that showed a two dimensional image of Temen-ni-gru.
"Yo! We read you!" Dante's voice responded back.
"That's Dante!" Warren recognized him.
"We can hear you!" Happy's voice called to them. As he did, the Archive-screen showed chibi-like faces of Dante, Natsu, Erza, Gray, Wendy, Carla, Happy, and Lady, all gathered around the center-bottom area of the hologram.
"Erza, Wendy, and everyone else." Hibiki recognized. "Good to hear your voices."
"You're that guy who uses that fancy Archive stuff, right?" Natsu asked.
"How can we hear your voice to?" Erza asked.
"A whole lot of us showed up to help you guys out." Warren tried to explain. "We got busy with a bunch of demons outside, but wizards from Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale showed up to."
"We had trouble trying to get through with our telepathy, so we combined both our magics to see if we can reach all of you. Looks like it worked, I even located you with Archive as well." Hibiki finished explaining.
"Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale all showed up?" Gray voiced in surprise.
"What, you think I let you have all the fun, Gray?" A familiar voice asked him in a joking sense.
"Lyon!" Gray recognized him instantly.
"All of you came?" Wendy asked, her voice wavering, sounding very touched by this.
"Of course. Our guilds are allies after all." Hibiki responded back.
Sheeree was so stunned that she didn't know what to say. Carla however put her small paw on the girl's shoulder and motioned for her to be silent. Sheeree nodded in response; they didn't want to make this anymore complicated than it already was. They'd explain everything later.
"Dante, you doing okay?" Cana asked.
"What about you Natsu? Are you alright?" Macao also asked.
"We're fine, a bit pissed off right now, but otherwise okay." Dante replied.
"Yeah, but it's good to hear all you guys again." Natsu said with a grin.
"Hey! What am I?! Chopped liver?!" Happy comically exclaimed from Natsu's arms.
"Glad to hear you're in one piece to, little kitty cat." Bickslow joked.
"Hey! We read all you guys to!" Lucy called out to them from the Chamber of Echoes with everyone else.
"Lucy! Good to hear your voice." Levy said to her.
"Natsu, are you okay?" Lisanna asked.
"Lisanna? Are you alright?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." The white-haired girl replied as she smiled.
"Wendy, I am relieved to hear you are alright as well." Modues spoke to her via the shared telepathic link as well.
"Modeus! I'm so glad that you're okay!"
"Don't worry, your teacher is not going to die so easily." He assured his student.
"Yeah, not if the rest of us have anything to say about it." Trish added.
"Trish, good to hear from you to. You doing alright?" Dante asked.
"Yeah, don't worry about me."
All the while, Angel remained silent as she also heard the telepathic exchanges, natural considering she was once an enemy to all these guilds. They probably don't know about her being here and it would probably be best to avoid making the situation more complex than it needed to be. Regardless, it actually felt very comforting to hear all these voices, so much so she actually smiled.
"Lisanna! Can you hear me?!" Mira called out to her sister via the telepathic link.
"Mira?! Are you okay?! You're not hurt?!"
"I'm fine, I'm with Elfman, Lily, Juvia, and Gajeel right now. We're all okay. What about you?" Mira asked.
"Don't worry about me either, I'm fine."
"That's good Sis, that's good." Elfman said with a relaxing sigh.
"Juvia, nice to hear you're doing okay to." Gray said to her, causing her cheeks to turn pink.
"Yes… well… I'm just happy to hear the same from you." She twiddled her body nervously.
"Yo metalhead! Looks like you didn't die after all." Natsu joked.
"Come here and say that to my face and I'll make you dead flame-brain!" Gajeel comically exclaimed before smirking back in response.
Panther-Lily smiled. "It really is good hear so many familiar voices right now."
"Aye! You said it!" Happy called to him.
"I am glad to hear your voice to, Lily." Carla said.
Outside
The archive-hologram of Temen-ni-gru showed the chibi-faces of Lucy, Modeus, Lisanna, and Trish in one spot; along with those of Gajeel, Mira, Elfman, Juvia, and Lily in another spot.
"Is that everyone?" Hibiki asked.
"Yep, they're all okay!" Warren exclaimed to everyone on the battlefield around them via their telepathy.
"Thank goodness. I was so worried about all of you." Levy said with a sigh while Jet and Droy smiled as well.
"I wasn't. No way these guys are gonna die that easy." Cana smirked along with Bisca and Alzack.
"Leave it to these powerhouses to keep us worried." Macao joked.
"Yeah and to leave us in the dust to." Wakaba joked as well.
"That only just shows how badass they are!" Bisca cheered while sticking out his tongue and flashing a pair of rock-on-devil horns.
"Of course, we could have been there to help to, but we were a little busy out here." Evergreen said in an arrogant tone of voice, while waving her hair a bit.
"Regardless, all our comrades are safe and sound." Freed nodded.
"My sweet honey." Ichiya, still in his muscular form, called to Erza as he posed dramatically with sparkles in front of the Thunder Legion, causing the trio to sweat drop with dark anime lines on their heads. "Have no fear, your darling Ichiya is here."
"Who are you posing for dude? She can't actually see that." Bisca commented.
Erza said nothing, but her body comically shivered at the sound of that voice. Of course, he'd be here to. She'd personally beat the crap out of him for being such a stalker, but he was still so reliable.
"All of you lovely ladies can rest easy." Eve said.
"Because the Tri-mens of Blue Pegasus are here to sweep you off your feet." Ren also said in a near seductive tone of voice; causing many of the Fairy Tail women inside (and even those not with the guild) to sweatdrop in annoyance.
"Good to know that air-head Lucy is still kicking. Who am I going to make fun of if she dies?" Sherry said in a joking-mocking sort of tone.
"Considering the guild that she's in, I don't think you have to worry." Yuka added
Toby gave a dog-like howl. "Yeah Fairy Tail's about as strong as we are!"
"Don't give them too much credit Toby." Lyon joked arrogantly. "We'll surpass them soon enough."
Back inside the Lair of Judgement; everyone there had either honest smiles or confident smirks. Not only was it glad to hear so many familiar voices, but how many people came just to help them, not just Fairy Tail, but their guild allies as well. It was truly remarkable. Even Lady smirked slightly, almost forgetting the bitter and vindictive thoughts she had at the moment.
Dante was truly touched by this; not just with his family, but the fact that so many people came to help them out. He really was proud to be a member of Fairy Tail. However, his smile vanished as he got down to business.
"Hold the celebrations, we're not done yet." Dante said to everyone via their shared telepathic link. "For all of you who don't know; this tower is called Temen-ni-gru. It's basically a giant tunnel or bridge that connects Earthland to the Underworld; it was sealed away by the Dark Knight Sparda, my dad, and the dragons a long time ago. Yeah, I'm the son of Sparda, deal with it." He heard a few murmurs and ramblings from some of the Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus wizards, only natural considering the bomb he just dropped. "I'll explain later, but just listen right now. A guy named Arkham just activated its final stage; he's ready to open a portal and turn the whole world into Demonvile."
"But what about Vergil?" Lucy asked. "Wasn't this his plan?"
"No, turns out Arkham was responsible for all of it." Dante explained, getting everyone's attention. "Arkham formed Devil Hand, not just to unlock the tower, but to keep Fairy Tail and everyone else busy while he made final adjustments; he formed an entire guild just for that, everyone else, Vergil included, we're all just pawns to him."
Pretty much everyone in Fairy Tail was stunned silent. Vergil was tricked?! It seemed almost impossible! This Arkham guy must really be something else. However, back in the caverns, both Mira and Elfman slightly thought of Adrian; the poor boy cursed with the Wendigo. So he was just a pawn to?! All his suffering and pain meant nothing to Arkham! Elfman growled as he really wanted to tear Arkham limb-from-limb right now, while Mira just felt even greater pity and sadness for the boy.
"But listen carefully, we can stop all of this." Dante revealed. "I know how to destroy Temeni-ni-gru!"
With that revelation, everyone had their attention focused solely on Dante; including those in the same room with him. Vergil told Dante about the tower's weakness just before everyone else showed up, so only he knew, and now he was ready to share that weakness with everyone.
"Please, tell us!" Erza stated.
"We can bring this ginormous thing down? How?" Lisanna questioned.
"You all see that giant red column in the very center?" Dante began. "That's its power source. It was hidden when the tower was in its first stage, now that it's fully activated, its power source is exposed. Destroy it, and the whole thing should tumble down."
Outside; Hibiki pressed a few more buttons on his archive-magic-screen as the image of Temen-ni-gru was shown. It showed a large red pillar at the very center stretching from the bottom to the very top.
"You're right." Hibiki said. "That is the source of the tower's power. All that energy is being regulated in and out through the column in the center."
"It's demonic power." Modeus said. "However, as this tower once served as a medium between two whole worlds, it has stored within an enormous amount of raw energy; it won't be easy to destroy."
"But maybe if we combine all our magics together; and concentrate into one large attack it should do some damage." Levy stated.
"Perhaps." Lily said, as he hovered in the air with his group. "However, even though we can certain damage it, can we destroy it?"
"Not to mention some of us are fatigued from our battles." Juvia added regarding to herself, not mention both Elfman and Gajeel who still looked worse for wear.
"We may not have time for that. But if we can do some damage, we can at least slow it down, and buy us some more time." Gray said.
"Let's just beat up Arkham himself so he doesn't open a portal. Problems solved." Natsu suggested.
"The tower is still a significant threat." Erza countered. "So long as it's still active, someone else besides Arkham can open a portal should they choose. We have to destroy Temen-ni-gru for good."
"I agree." Carla said. "But still, destroying something this large and powerful will be a herculean task to say the least."
Happy soon got an idea. "Hibiki, Warren, could you guys maybe use your combined telepathy to call for reinforcements?"
Just as Warren and Hibiki looked to each other in surprise, Lisanan also spoke up. "Hey that's right. If you guys were able to reach us together in this place, when neither one could, shouldn't your range be big enough to contact some of the other guilds? Maybe even get the Master and Gilldarts here!"
"Hell yeah! With Gramps and Gildarts, they can tear this place down, no problem!" Natsu exclaimed.
"We should call Jura as well." Lyon suggested. "He is a Wizard Saint just as Fairy Tail's master is."
"And we should still reach out to the other guilds as well." Freed also suggested. "If in the event a portal were to open, countless demons could potentially use it to pour into our world."
"Yeah if that happened, we'd need all the help we can get." Trish added.
"What do you think man? Can we do it?" Warren asked his telepathic-partner.
"Yeah, if we combine our telepathies together, we can emit a distress signal for miles." Hibiki confirmed.
"Alright. Hibiki, I need you to use your Archive to upload a map to everyone inside the tower." Erza instructed. "Show them the quickest way out so we can all regroup. We need to move as soon as possible."
"Looks like we got a pretty solid plan." Dante stated. "Let's do it!"
"Hell yeah! Let's blow this damn thing up!" Natsu cheered, as did everyone else on the telepathic link. Even if many were injured or exhausted, they were all ready to fight together and end this once and for all.
"I apologize, but I cannot allow that."
All celebrations came to a screeching halt as that voice entered each of their minds via the telepathic link that they all shared. Most didn't recognize it, but everyone else in Fairy Tail, particularly those within the tower, all did. They either responded in shock and fear, or anger and hate.
"Who is that?!" Lyon questioned.
"It's Arkham!" Wendy exclaimed in shock
"Damn him!" Lady growled, almost gnashing her teeth together.
"How could he hijack our telepathy?!" Warren questioned.
Arkham stood at the top of Temen-ni-gru, the dark clouds above him beginning to slowly swirl as he used his own limited demonic power to easily hack into the shared telepathy that his enemies were all using.
"For all of those who do not know me, I am indeed Arkham. I am the true mastermind behind the Devil Hand guild, however thanks to all your efforts that guild is no more. But it no longer matters, Devil Hand was nothing more than a stepping stone for me, one I have now cast aside. Heed my words, forces of Light, listen to my voice, for it will the voice of your new dark god who shall stand above you."
The pillar behind Arkham began to lower into the ground as he continued to speak, wanting everyone to hear the words and voice of their new god.
"He plucks the threads that make us dance finger and toe. We surrender, in joy, to the lowest of the foul and rank." The seven pedestals that the large bells hung from around him began to rise into the air. "We submerge through darkness, rancid filth." The pedestals stopped rising as the bells themselves were lowered down and hung via chains. "Hour-by-hour, we move downward, ever closer to Hell in a slow… steady… gait." He slowly spread his arms out and raised them. "Now, let the world resonate. "Sloth. Gluttony. Greed. Envy. Lust. Wrath. And Pride." A strong and powerful whirl wind began to blow around him, causing all the bells to ring, making loud and ominous sounds like in a large cathedral. "The bell of chaos that tolls human desires."
As the dark clouds above continued to swirl like a whirlpool, they condensed towards the center where a small but bright red light began to glow as the bells rang louder and louder.
"After two thousand long years… the once sealed gate to the Demonic World will open. DESTRUCTION! CARNAGE AND DESPAIR!" His eyes shined a bright red and blue glow as the clouds were blown away to reveal a large red and transparent portal high above him. "Let your instincts drive you!" A powerful red force began to lower down to Arkham as the floor underneath him glowed a brighter red. "Entrap this world with fear as its very name Temen-ni-gru strikes terror into the heart of mankind!" Already a large swarm of Bloodgoyles flew out and swarmed around Arkham as though he were there leader. "Then I will become the ultimate ruler of this wasteland, engulfed with pandemonium!"
An unseen force began to lift Arkham straight up to the open portal. "The Demonic Power… that Sparda once imprisoned… will be… MINE! HA HA HA HA! HA HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
Virtually everyone who heard those words, both inside and outside Temen-ni-gru had been rendered silent. The worst-case scenario had now become a reality. Arkham had opened a portal to the Demonic Realm and is ready to claim the power he sought for so long. Though most wizards had expressions of fear and terror; there was a select few that harbored rage and anger at the man; one of whom was the youngest son of Sparda.
"Archive guy." Dante called to him via telepathy.
"Uh… its Hibiki…" He responded in a shaky tone, still not over what he just heard.
"Change in plans." Dante got to the point. "Get everyone else a route out of this place but get me the quickest and most direct route straight to the top of the tower. I'm going after Arkham!"
"By yourself?!" Wendy exclaimed in shock.
"We don't got time to argue about this!" Dante exclaimed not just to Wendy, but to everyone else in Fairy Tail that was about to protest as well. "He's already opened a portal so we're gonna get a whole bunch of demons pouring out any minute. I'll make sure Arkham doesn't get my old man's power; but I'll need the rest of you to destroy the tower, even if I don't make it out."
Naturally everyone from Fairy Tail, even those from the other guilds, were shocked by that statement.
"Dante wait… if we do that, you'll never make it back!" Lucy protested.
"You could be stuck in Hell for the rest of your life!" Happy also protested.
"Let me worry about that." Dante got straight to the point.
"Do you really think you can take him all by yourself?" Gray questioned.
"Dante, think about this for a moment." Erza also said. "Arkham was smart enough to fool all of us, even your brother. You don't think that maybe he'll be ready for you if you charge in head on?"
"I know the risks but tell me the part where we have a choice." Dante replied.
"Don't worry, he ain't gonna be by himself, cause I'm going with him." Natsu said, surprising pretty much everyone else, including Happy as he sat his exhausted Exceed friend down. "And before any of you say otherwise think about it for a minute; Dante and I took down Vergil last time we clashed; we can do the same to this demon wannabe! Plus, that bastard kidnapped several of my friends and manipulated everyone else, including his own guys! Ain't no way I'm letting him get away with that!"
Dante knew first hand just how strong Natsu was, and he did actually make a valid point. It was true that Dante wouldn't think twice about sacrificing himself to protect his family, but it would be nice to finish this and still be with Fairy Tail; and he could tell that Natsu still had plenty of energy left to spare. He smirked at his fiery companion.
"Alright flame-brain, let's go." Dante said, resulting in Natsu forming an eager and wild grin on his face.
"Natsu… are you sure?" Lisanna asked over the telepathy, deep with concern.
"Yeah, don't worry about me." Natsu said as he and Dante both looked to Erza with a serious look in both their eyes, causing Erza to smile.
"Very well, we'll put our faith in both of you." Erza nodded.
Gray smirked as well. "I'll let you have this one pyro, just don't go about making this a habit."
"You're only saying that cause your all tuckered out ice-boy." Natsu shot back, though it was a joking sense, he knew that Gray was almost drained of magic and wouldn't be able to recover in time.
"Hang on…" Happy tried to stand up. "I want to come…"
"Don't be ridiculous Happy." Carla scolded him. "You're still exhausted, there is no way you can go without becoming a liability." Happy looked saddened at that comment. "Which is why I am going instead." That caught not only Happy and Wendy with surprise, but even Natsu and Dante, even the silent Sheeree didn't see that coming.
Carla sprouted her Exceed wings and hovered into the air. "I possess Aera magic, if I carry the two of you, and if Natsu provides a boost with his fire, we can shoot straight to the top of Temen-ni-gru in no time at all."
"Carla… are you sure?" Wendy asked.
"Kid's got a point; you're flying straight into the Demon Realm with us. Take it from me, that place ain't for the faint of heart." Dante advised.
"I'm aware, but I am a part of Fairy Tail and if I can contribute in any sort of way, I will! Regardless of the risks!" Carla stated with a firm resolve.
Natsu, Gray, Wendy, Erza, even Dante smiled at her determination.
"Spoken like a true member of Fairy Tail." Natsu gave her a thumbs up.
"Aye, that's my Carla!" Happy swooned with hearts in her eyes.
Sheeree looked at her in awe. "I don't believe it… the Carla I remember would never do anything for anyone else, let alone something so dangerous." She smiled. "I guess Wendy isn't the only one who's changed."
"Okay, just be careful Carla." Wendy told her.
"Don't worry about her Little Sis, we won't let anything happen to her." Natsu promised.
"You hear them Hibiki." Erza said over the telepathic link. "Maps to the top of the tower for Dante, Natsu, and Carla; everyone else gets a map out of here."
"Yeah sure… hang on."
A second later, a digital upload bar appeared above everyone's heads in the room, as well as everyone else throughout the tower. Within two seconds, a map was fully uploaded into everyone's minds.
"Got it!" Dante stated.
Outside
"Okay." Hibiki said, still linked with Warren and using his Archive. "I've uploaded a map to everyone."
"Good, because it looks like we're gonna need some serious back up." Cana stated as everyone looked toward the top of Temen-ni-gru where the portal was; they could already see large dark streams starting to flood out of it.
But these streams were really demons that were already starting to pour into Earthland via the portal. They included countless Fallen, Enigma, Arachne, Bloodgoyles; and several other demons not seen before such as Blades, Nobodies, Frosts, and Plasma demons. There were thousands of them and they were already shooting down straight towards the ground.
"Oh my god… that's a lot of demons…" Levy backed away in fear as Jet and Droy readied themselves.
"Come on! We just fought a whole army! Give us a break already!" Bickslow complained while Freed stood his ground, though Evergreen looked rather frightened.
"This could be rather problematic." Lyon commented, feeling a bit nervous himself.
"I hope I have enough parfume to make it through this. Men." Ichiya shook in fear, despite his muscular physique.
"We need to send that distress signal now!" Warren exclaimed. "Listen everyone; once we send the signal, it'll cut off our telepathy! You all have the map you needed so get what you need to do done as quick as possible! Hopefully we'll see you soon after this!"
"Forget 'hopefully'! We're definitely going to make it out of this!" Natsu exclaimed back.
Warren smiled at his friend's resolve. "Right. Natsu, Dante, Carla, good luck."
"Sending the distress signal now!" Hibiki exclaimed as he and Warren combined their telepathic magics, causing both their bodies to glow a bright gold color before a large bright yellow pulse shot outward from both of them. The distress signal had been sent, consequently their telepathic link had been cut off due to the sudden burst of magic.
Underground Cavern
"Looks like this fight isn't over yet." Panther-Lily said.
"No. Not until we know for certain that all our friends and family are safe and sound, and this horrible tower is destroyed." Mira said.
"Then, let's get going! We gotta man-up and help all our friends!" Elfman exclaimed.
"I hear ya! I might not get a crack at the final boss, but I'll be damned if I let a couple of wimpy demons do me in!" Gajeel exclaimed.
"We mustn't waste any time then." Juvia said as she and everyone else followed the maps in their heads for the quickest way outside, while still carrying Mammon and Satan in her Water-Lock.
Chamber of Echoes
"We've lost our connection." Modeus said.
"Doesn't matter, we know what to do." Trish stated.
"But… what about Natsu? And Dante? Do you really think they can win?" Lisanna asked.
"We don't think, we know." Trish said. "You don't know Dante; he's gotten out of more than his fair share of impossible situations."
"Natsu is certainly tenacious as well. If he and Dante work together, they can defeat Arkham." Modeus added.
Lucy smiled as she put a hand on Lisanna's shoulder. "Don't worry; they can do it. Dante and Natsu have both pulled through enough times that I believe in them. So, let's go help the rest of our friends."
Lisanna smiled back and nodded. "Right. I'll put my faith in them to."
"So will I." Angel said, getting everyone's attention. "I know we've been enemies in the past, and I've got a lot to make up for. But Dante saved my life, he gave me something that I never experienced in a long time: hope. I know he can do it. And I'll do everything I can to help you and the rest of your friends to, you also saved me, so this is the least I can do."
All four of them smiled. "Not bad." Trish smirked, sounding quite impressed.
"Thanks Angel." Lucy said.
"Sorano." She said. "I know I said I put my faith in everyone, but just in case I die, you should at least know my real name. It's Sorano."
Lisanna smiled. "I like 'Sorano', it's a nice name."
"Well then, let us go and help all our comrades." Modeus stated with a firm expression.
"Right!" All four women said as they all ran out the main gate and into the outside.
"You ready Natsu?" Dante asked.
"I was born ready!" Natsu replied.
"Wait… I'm coming to!" Lady stated as she struggled to stand up, but managed to get back on her two feet, albeit shakily.
Before anyone else could protest, Dante already walked up to her and put both of his hands firmly on her shoulders. "I told you, you can't do it! Don't you get it?! You're not strong enough to…"
"You're the one who doesn't get it!" Lady shouted. "This has nothing to do with humans, demons, or whatever!" She punched him in the chest as she pushed forward, though Dante wasn't hurt, he didn't do anything back in response. "I'm driven by the inability to forgive him! My soul is screaming! Demanding me to kill him!"
Everyone listened as both Gray and Erza each thought about moments in their past. Gray thought about Deliora, and his obsession over destroying the demon that killed his family. Erza also thought about the Tower of Heaven, when Jellal was consumed by darkness. They both knew just how strong such a drive was.
Lady almost lost her balance from her injury, but she stabilized herself with a hand on Dante's shoulder. "That's enough motivation to keep me going. This is my family matter! You of all people should know what that's like, Dante!"
Dante couldn't argue with that. This whole thing started with his father, and what he had to endure from having his blood flow through his own veins; and all the issues he had with his brother as well. Dante was about to say something, but Natsu already beaten him.
"Hey, you said 'family matter'?" Natsu began. "Well he's our family matter to! This guy may be your dad, but you're a part of Fairy Tail! You know what that means? It means that your problems are our problems to! We're all pissed at the guy, and I'll be sure to give him an extra smack down for you, but you're in no shape to fight him!"
Lady looked towards Natsu. "You don't know anything about him."
"Who says I need to know the guy to beat him up?" Natsu asked. "Besides, I honestly don't know you all that much either. But I can still… take you down!" He ended up punching Lady in the gut, knocking the wind out of her, and knocking her unconscious.
Sheeree, Carla, and Wendy were both completely stunned by that action; but Erza, Gray, and Happy saw that coming, even Dante wasn't all that phased.
"You know she's probably gonna kill you for that, right?" Dante told him.
"Yeah, but I'm gonna turn Arkham into paste first." Natsu said as Erza silently walked towards them and picked up Lady.
"I'll look after her, now get going." She said with a nod.
"We have no time to waste!" Carla, still donning her titular wings, grabbed onto Dante's back as Dante himself held onto Natsu. "Are you ready?"
"Let's do this." Dante nodded.
A large burst of flames shot from Natsu's feet as he shot himself, Dante, and Carla up. Carla used her Aera magic as well for an extra boost as all three shot straight up at high speeds. Everyone looked in the direction they went with smiles, a strong feeling of hope flowing through each of them.
Erza looked to the unconscious Lady in her arms silently with a serious expression before turning to everyone else.
"Gray, take Wendy, Happy, and Sheeree and met everyone else outside." She instructed.
"What? Erza…?" Gray was surprised.
"Please just trust me, I know what I'm doing, and I'll be right behind you." Erza assured.
Gray seemed to get the message. "Okay." He picked up Happy. "Wendy, let's get going."
"Right." Wendy nodded.
"Hang on, let me come. Let me help you." Sheeree said.
"Sheeree."
"This is my fault." The formerly jealous girl began. "I helped Arkham, I gave him exactly what I needed, and I hurt you. So please, let me make it up to you. Let me help you and all your friends. I want to fight with you Wendy, I finally have magic now and I want to use it to help you! Let me fight with my sister!"
Wendy was taken aback by this, but she smiled back. "Okay, let's fight together Sheeree!"
Sheeree smiled as she tried to hold back her warm tears. "Come on you two, let's get going!" Gray said.
"Hey Erza, you'll be okay, right?" Happy asked.
"I'll be fine. Now go."
With that; Gray carried Happy as he led Wendy and Sheeree towards the door, following the map inside their heads. Erza meanwhile looked at Lady again, though she had a map that told her the way out, she only had one other place in mind. With a brief requip, Erza had transformed into her Black Wing armor. She carried the unconscious Lady as she flew off in the same direction Natsu, Dante, and Carla went.
Arkham had finally entered the Demon World. He dreamt of this moment for so long, to finally walk in the footsteps of devils, and now he was finally about to become one. He walked along a large and single pathway of stone-pedestals that lined what appeared to be a purple sea right below him. The stone-pathway continued to ascend as he held out the Demon Sword Sparda and let the blade guide him.
Despite the sword being held by Trish, it belonged to Sparda himself for countless millennia, even before his rebellion against Mundus. As a result of that, there was still a trace amount of Sparda's essence practically embedded into the blade itself. The blade began to pulsate a dark purple color that began to glow brighter and brighter, the further Arkham walked. He was close, oh so very close.
The blade's glow reached its brightest once Arkham reached the end of the stone-pathway. This was it; this was where a large amount of Sparda's power had gathered. Long ago, once Sparda had finished sealing away Temen-ni-gru, the toll it took on him was considerable. It cost him a great deal of his own strength and power. Though he would slowly recover and regain his power in time, all that raw power had gathered here in this one spot. Why? Perhaps some form of singularity drew it all here? Who knows? All that Arkham needed to know was that Sparda's power dwelled here. He could feel a pulsate in both his pockets as both halves of the Perfect Amulet, each emitting a faint red light from the jewels inside, fly off his person and begin to encircle the Devil Sword Sparda that he continued to hold before both halves embedded themselves into the blade, causing the blade to glow a mix between red and purple.
Arkham looked in ecstasy. This was it! The moment he had been waiting for, for so long! From the first moment when he sacrificed his wife, to studying and locating the dormant and well-hidden Temen-ni-gru, to forming Devil Hand; he invested so much into that guild; looking for seven specific souls strong enough to bare the Seven Deadly Sins and battle Fairy Tail's strongest; he guided the Fairy Tail guild and tricked it into battling his guild. Everything had all led to this one moment! Now all he'd do was reach out and take it!
Arkham then plunged the glowing Devil Sword Sparda into the ground, where it immediately began to suck up all the demonic power stored there. All the power of Sparda that laid dormant for over two thousand years. Not even a full second later, all the stone columns around him began to rise and shoot up as the power continued to flow. As the power flowed through the Devil Sword almost like a conductor, Arkham himself could feel the power flowing through his veins. Finally, he pulled the sword from the ground and lifted it proudly into the air.
It was unbelievable! The Power of the Dark Knight himself was finally his. In a state of pure excitement, Arkham swung the blade, it shot off a flash as several pillars were cut down like tissue paper. He swung the blade downward as he felt a ripple of pure power surge from the blade's swing alone. Arkham himself began to glow a dark purple color as his red and blue eyes each glowed their respective color. The glow intensified before Arkham was engulfed in a flash of a dark orange light.
When the light faded, a new figure stood in Arkham's place. The twisted and demented scholar had transformed! He had taken the form of Sparda himself; black scales, dark wings, and horns and all, all while emitting a powerful orange aura around his body. The eyes both glowed red as the newly transformed Arkham smiled malevolently.
Following the map inside their heads; Carla had flown Natsu and Dante out of the tower as Natsu continued to use his fire to boost all three of them straight up. In no time at all, the three of them had made it to the summit of Temen-ni-gru.
Carla put Natsu and Dante down as she lowered her own body, her wings fading as she put her paws on her knees to catch her breath.
"I don't remember the tower being this tall." Carla said in-between her breaths.
"It must of gotten bigger as it transformed." Dante said. "As if this dump wasn't enormous enough."
"Hey guys." Natsu looked up, directly toward the red and transparent portal that led into the Demon World. Dante and Carla looked up towards it as well. "Kinda funny." Natsu said. "We're actually flying up into Hell. Ya'd think it be the other way around."
Dante chuckled slightly. "Yeah, pretty weird huh."
"So, this is it." Carla voiced. "We are actually flying straight into the Underworld."
"You don't have to go with us you know." Dante said. "You got us up here in record time, that was plenty of help. We have no idea what's in there or what Arkham's got in store for us. You wanna turn back, we won't hold it against ya."
Carla had a serious expression on her face. "I already made it this far, and I won't turn back now. I know for a fact that Happy wouldn't either!" Natsu chuckled slightly. "What's so funny?"
"You liiike him." Natsu teased, resulting in Carla's face turning red.
"That has absolutely nothing to do with it!" She comically yelled before her face turned back to normal as she continued. "I said it before, and I'll say it again. I'm a member of Fairy Tail, and as such, I will see this through till the end."
Natsu smirked in response. "Took the words right out of my mouth, Carla."
Dante was also impressed by her resolve. "Well then, let's wrap up this crazy party, shall we? gotta clean up the mess Father left behind."
"Igneel tried to seal this tower away to. No way am I staying out of it." Natsu added as the trio walked into the transparent red beam at the very center. An unseen force began to pull all three of them up straight to the portal, where they entered the Demonic Realm.
Erza had flown with her Black Wing armor, with Lady in her arms, one third her way up the tower. Though she was leagues behind her comrades, she would not let that deter her. She had flown up towards a ledge and set down to catch a breather. Erza looked down where she could see flashes of lights and explosions across the ground. No doubt all her Fairy Tail comrades, as well as those from Lamia Scale and Blue Pegasus were doing everything in their power to push past the demonic hordes. On the plus side, this meant they would have more time till they try to destroy Temen-ni-gru, giving Dante, Natsu, and Carla more time to defeat Arkham and escape without being trapped on the other side. However, this also meant that her friends were in danger; even those that were fighting the forces of Devil Hand inside the tower were no doubt weakened from their battles, and of course, this would mean that they probably wouldn't have enough power left to do some damage to the tower. All Erza could do now was hope her friends and comrades hold the demons back long enough for reinforcements to arrive.
Erza turned to the sounds of Lady groaning as she woke up. Lady sat up straight as she held her head. "Damn that… idiot…" She groaned before her eyes opened. "What the… Where the hell am I?!"
"Lady, it's fine. We're moving up the tower." Erza helped Lady back to her feet.
"Erza? Why are you….?"
"I know how it feels." Erza began. "You remember back when Lisanna came back, and I told her about my time in the Tower of Heaven? I know you heard that to. I said it before, that I can understand when your soul is screaming at you to push forward and do what needs to be done. I understand that completely; my soul is screaming at me right now to help those I love, and that includes you."
Lady's eyes widened with that last statement.
"This man… he murdered your mother; scarred you for life." Erza continued. "But it's not just you. What Natsu said was true. Arkham manipulated Fairy Tail, tricked everyone, including myself, into being pawns in his schemes. So many of my family suffered at his hands. He has to pay, and I firmly believe that you are the one who's meant to do it. So, I will help you every step of the way."
Lady honestly had no idea what to say. Erza willingly said she would help Lady get the justice she craves for; and she knew that Erza was smart and she probably knew what she would do once she would see Arkham, yet she was still going along with it.
Erza had removed a piece of her armor along her left arm to show the dark blue emblem of Fairy Tail. "This is not just the symbol of the guild, it's the sigil of a family, the same one you now bear as well." She pointed to the black Fairy Tail symbol on Lady's leg. "That means your problems are no longer just your own anymore. Arkham hurt you, he hurt all of us, I will help you finish this. And once this is all over, we'll go back home, to the family that we both belong to."
Lady was tempted to shed some tears right now, but she kept her resolve firm. She would not let herself become soft just yet, not till this was finished. But she still smiled. "Thanks, Erza."
Erza smiled and nodded before they resumed their journey. However, before they took flight, Erza noticed something out of the corner of her eye. She almost gave a slight gasp when she could have sworn she saw a blue flash shoot straight up past her.
"What is it?" Lady asked, noticing Erza's surprised expression.
"I thought I just saw… never mind. Let's get going." Erza said as Lady wrapped both her arms around Erza and they took flight once more with her Black Wing armor.
As they flew however, Erza couldn't help but think about what she glimpsed just a second ago, what was now long gone. "I could have sworn I saw… no… it couldn't be… could it?"
Dante and Natsu walked along what appeared to be purple, pulsating water, yet they walked on top of it almost like it was solid ground. They, and Carla who flew by their side with her wings, looked around at the odd surroundings.
"So… this is the Underworld." Carla observed.
"Looks that way." Dante replied.
"I was actually expecting a lot more fire to be honest." Natsu said.
"I imagine that's everyone's first impressions when they think of hell." Carla said. "But as we all know, not everything is what it seems."
"There probably is fire, brimstone, and all that jazz here, just not in this one place." Dante stated.
"What do you mean?" Natsu asked.
"It's kinda like how Earthland's got different sort of environments." Dante explained. "You got forests, mountains, desserts, oceans, etc. I'm guessing it's the same kinda deal here, only much more whacky."
"That does make sense." Carla pointed out. "But we must get back on track. Natsu, can you locate Arkham?"
Natsu's face was that of frustration. "I tried… but there are so many crazy scents here, my nose can't tell which way is up. This place is totally screwing with my senses!"
Dante however felt something coming their way, very fast. Without even turning around, he brought Rebellion up to his back to block an incoming sword-strike toward his back. Carla was briefly startled by this, but Natsu instinctively swung a fiery fist towards the dark figure and sent it skidding across the ground before it came to a halt in front of the Fairy Tail trio. However, all of them looked in shock at what stood opposing them.
"No way… is that… Sparda?!" Natsu exclaimed in shock.
"No. That most certainly is not!" Carla exclaimed as she glared at the imposter.
"Arkham." Dante glared at him, along with both Natsu and Carla. Bad enough what this guy did to get here, but he had the gall to actually take Sparda's appearance?! The Dark Knight! Dante's own father! He even wielded the Devil Sword, almost just to add insult to injury. Oh, they we're going to rip him to pieces for sure!
"Welcome." Arkham greeted. "What do you think after looking at your father's image?"
"It's like staring into a backed-up toilet!" Dante exclaimed.
"Got that right! Just who the hell do you think you are, huh?!" Natsu shouted. "You ain't no Sparda! You're just a wannabe, psycho old man trying to play god!"
"I couldn't have put it any better myself." Carla agreed. "Someone as vile and cruel as you, has no right to bear that appearance!"
"First my family, then Fairy Tail; why do you always stick your nose in other families' business?" Dante questioned. "Come on dude, don't you have any hobbies?"
However, the transformed Arkham actually began to laugh a bit, and for some reason, Dante gave a slight chuckle as well. Natsu however just looked confused.
"I don't get it, what's so funny?" However, Carla seemed to get it.
"Arkham is laughing at Dante's declaration, yet Dante is actually laughing at Arkham, if only to egg him on." Carla smiled slightly. "I suppose that's who you are Dante; no matter how evil or strong your enemy is, you can't resist antagonizing them."
Arkham stopped laughing. "Can you still talk big after seeing this?" However, something strange began to happen; Arkham's transformed body began to change. Dante lost his smile as he, Natsu, and even Carla were taken by surprise by this.
"…The heck…?" Natsu questioned.
Arkham's body looked like it was growing, but it also expanded and contracted. The black scales gave way to purple features, waving around like water, before the whole body lost all its features and turned blob-like. When it was all done, Arkham's new form appeared to be that of an enormous, purple, chaotic, grotesque blob with insect-like legs coming out of the bottom, and elongated arms and even a distorted face pulsing out of the sides.
"I feel the devil's power overflowing my body! THE POWER OF SPARDA!"
Dante looked a bit dumbfounded by this new transformation. "The hell just happened?"
Carla seemed to have an answer. "If I had to guess, I would say that it's his own body. No matter what demonic power he's accumulated before this, his body was still physically human. It cannot handle the intense amount of raw demonic power now surging within him. It's become chaotic!"
Natsu suddenly burst into a fit of laughter. "HA HA HA! OH MAN! THAT IS TOO DAMN FUNNY!" He laughed as he held his chest with one hand and pointed at the blob-like Arkham while comic tears came from his eyes. "NOW THAT IS STARING INTO A BACKED-UP TOILET! HA HA HA! A PIECE OF CRAP ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE A PIECE OF CRAP! HA HA HA HA HA HA!"
Dante smirked as he almost chuckled himself while Carla rolled her eyes. "Disgusting." The white exceed thought. "Accurate, but disgusting."
"Dude, my father wasn't so hideous." Dante said before looking at his own reflection on Rebellion's blade. "Can't you tell by looking at me?" he then glared back at Arkham as Natsu stopped laughing. "Anyway, that shape suits you better. You guys ready?"
"Absolutely!" Carla steadied herself.
"Yeah, time to end this!" Natsu got serious as he took a combat stance with both his fists lighting on fire.
Dante swung Rebellion back and readied himself. "I'm all fired up now."
Done.
So, this is it. The final battle of the Devil Hand arc has begun! Dante, Natsu, and Carla are ready to face Arkham and finally put an end to this nightmare, and they might get help from an unexpected source as well.
I know it seems a bit out of place for Carla to be here, but I wanted to give her a moment for her to contribute as well; since she really hasn't given any contribution to this battle at all. Even Happy was instrumental in Dante's battle against Iblis. So now, Carla is going to help out in any way she can.
It also looks like that everyone from Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, and Blue Pegasus, along with a few reformed allies, are about to make a final stand against the demons. But a distress signal was put out. Wonder who's gonna answer it? We shall see.
Thank you all again for your support and your patience. I will be back soon with the explosive finale to this arc. Later.