Hi everyone. Thanks again for your patience. In the last chapter, everyone is starting to get suspicious of Mest, and Dante, Lady, and Natsu made contact with you-know-who and this chapter is where the real action starts; the S-Class trials are going to be the last thing on Fairy Tail's minds as they face one of their most dangerous and ruthless adversaries yet.
Enter the Black Wizard and Grimoire Heart
The trees and grass in the area all withered and died, even wildlife such as birds all lain dead on the ground as Natsu, Dante, and Lady looked around in shock, with the Fire Dragon Slayer still on top of them. The three of them looked directly at the man in black responsible for this who still had a shocked and emotional look on his face.
"Natsu…"
The three of them got up just as a certain blue feeling flew into the area.
"Natsu?" Happy called to his friend. "Did you need to use the bushes to make a stinky or are we not going to the top?"
"Something definitely stinks here, but I'm not the one you should be blaming for it." Natsu said in a serious tone of voice as he and the others continued to glare at the black-haired man of mystery.
Happy then noticed the state the land was in and looked in shock. "Whoa! How'd all the trees die?!"
"Not just the trees… even the animals are dead." Lady said, looking down at some of the lifeless bodies of birds.
Dante then looked at the man. "Alright, who are you? Start talking pal." Tears formed in the man's eyes as he didn't answer.
"This guy did all that?" Happy voiced in nervousness.
"He's definitely not part of the guild, that's for sure." Lady said.
Dante's eyes narrowed even further as the mysterious man hadn't even given him an answer. He pulled out Ebony and shot a bullet past his head. "Hey, answer me! Who the hell are you?!"
"…You've grown… so much…" The man muttered, causing the four members of Fairy Tail to look in confusion as he appeared to speak to Natsu directly. "I've missed you… Natsu…"
"What?" Dante thought in surprise, but suddenly an angered Natsu leapt straight for Zeref and punched him across the face, much to Happy and Lady's comic shock.
"Tell me who you are or I'll hit harder!" Natsu demanded.
"That was… a little uncalled for…" Lady noted with surprise.
Happy however wasn't the least bit surprised. "That's how he does things."
As the black-haired man flew through the air from Natsu's punch, a sad smile formed on his face. "I see… nothing's changed… has it? Not at all." He caught himself on the ground with a single hand before landing gracefully on his feet. "You still can't break me." He glanced up at Dante and saw something in his eyes. "Sparda… your son… he's strong but… not strong enough to break me either."
"You better tell us who you are bub, I won't ask again!" Natsu stated.
"You really should listen to him." Dante also voiced, keeping Ebony trained on him.
The man shook physically and emotionally. "When will this mindless destruction end? I don't want to kill anymore! But the one person who could stop me still isn't strong enough. The second I saw your son Sparda, I felt maybe he'd be strong enough to kill me but…. He's not. Nobody is. How long must I wait?"
"…The hell…?" Dante's eyes slightly widened as he saw tears streaming down the man's face, even Natsu, Lady, and Happy were slightly caught off-guard.
"Is he… crying…?" Lady voiced in confusion.
"I… I don't know what's going on…" Happy uttered.
Suddenly, the man's heart stopped as the same black aura as before began to envelope him. He clenched his head in fear and distress as he felt the malevolent force deep inside him rising up again.
"Run… now!" The man exclaimed as the black magic around him formed a large and pulsating sphere like it did before.
"What the heck!?" Happy screamed.
"It's that death-wave we saw before!" Lady exclaimed.
Dante's pupils shrank. "Get back now!" He shouted to Happy and Lady as he ran to grab Natsu by his shoulders and pull him away just as the wave expanded. Dante and Natsu were both engulfed by it.
"Natsu! Dante!" Happy was about to fly after them, but Lady grabbed him and ran away as fast as she could.
"Don't be stupid! That stuff will kill you if it touches you!" Lady exclaimed as she ran and took cover underneath a large rock just as the black wave passed over them. The rock kept them covered so they were physically unharmed. Everything else in the area however withered away even further; the trees and plants almost disintegrated completely, and even the bird corpses withered into skeletons.
The dust cleared away to reveal the area was completely barren, Natsu groaned as he tried to pull himself up. "Well that sucked…" He coughed but looked in shock to see Dante laying unresponsive on the ground next to him. "Dante? Dante!" He shook him when Dante's eyes suddenly popped open and he shot up and clenched his chest to take multiple rapid breaths.
"The hell was that…?" Dante questioned, as he was drenched in a cold sweat.
"You're alive!" Happy saw that both his friends were unharmed.
"What about him?" Natsu asked, referring the black-haired man. "It looked like he lost control."
Lady got up as she looked around and saw their mysterious intruder had vanished. "He's gone." She looked down at the bird skeletons on the ground. "The hell kind of power is that?"
Dante shook his head as Natsu helped him get on his feet. "You alright?" The Fire Dragon Slayer asked.
"I think so…" Dante looked at Natsu's scarf and saw that it had turned completely black. "Natsu, what happened to your scarf?"
Natsu looked at his black scarf and his eyes widened in shock before a rage began to stir in him as he clenched the last gift Igneel gave him before he vanished. "He'll pay for this… next time I see that punk, he's getting a fiery-fist to the face!"
Lady quickly ran over to Dante. "You okay? You took that wave-thing head on and you look just fine."
"To be honest, I didn't feel fine when it hit me." Dante looked at his hands and clenched them. "It felt like… my whole body went cold… like my blood froze completely and… I think my heart actually stopped for a second or two." Happy and Lady looked at Dante with concern.
"Well… he did say that he was cursed, and your dad could survive it." Lady recalled. "Maybe that's why you're still alive? Cause you got your father's blood?"
"Maybe." Dante voiced in a serious tone. "He also said he knew my dad, and the way he sounded… it was like he knew him personally."
"Whoa seriously? That guy knew Sparda?!" Happy exclaimed with surprise.
"Yeah… and I think he knew you to, Natsu." Dante turned to the angry Dragon Slayer.
"Pretty sure I'd remember a cry-baby freak like that!" Natsu gnashed his teeth.
"Okay, I think I know how Dante survived being that wave-thing, but how'd you survive it?" Lady questioned to Natsu.
"Igneel gave Natsu his scarf, maybe it protected him." Happy guessed, feeling sympathetic for Natsu, knowing how much that scarf means to him.
"A magic scarf?" Dante wondered out loud. "Probably why it turned black… I don't think it shielded Natsu, but maybe it absorbed the magic."
Meanwhile; the black-haired and black-robed man had managed to get a considerable distance away from the group as he sat underneath a large tree.
"How much longer…?" He held his hand to the sky. "When will this world stop rejecting me…?"
At the same time, Mest felt a chill go down his spine as he continued to stand at the top of a cliff near an oblivious Wendy who stared happily at the flowers.
"This magic power… there's no doubt about it." A maniacal smile formed on his face. "It's him! He must be somewhere on the island!"
Master Makarov continued to sit in a meditative position in front of the grave of Mavis Vermillion, Fairy Tail's first master. As he continued to wait for whoever would find the grave, he felt an ominous aura throughout the air.
However, what no one appeared to notice there was another dark and oppressive force advancing its way towards Tenrou Island. A massive black and red air-ship flew through the skies, slowly making its way towards the island as it was propelled by dark red magic circles both at the bottom and stern of the enormous vessel. This airship was also the base of one of the top three guilds in the sinister Baram Alliance, the Dark Guild known as Grimoire Heart, arguably one of the most feared guilds in the entire magical world.
On the bridge of the ship stood a familiar woman as she looked into her crystal ball to see their destination of Tenrou Island.
"We finally found our quarry, and he appears to be in a state of rest." Ultear addressed the leader of the sinister guild who continued to sit in his throne. "I believe the time is upon us, Master Hades."
The tall and elderly man known as Hades had a long white beard stretching down his chin with a thick white mustache, he had an eyepatch over his. He wore a dark red long-sleeved shirt with black armored shoulders and gauntlets, with light brown pants and a dark red flame pattern at the heels with a dark cloak wrapped around his back like a cape. He also wore a black and grey helmet that bore a resemblance to ancient Greeks with long silver devil horns on the side.
Hades smiled malevolently. "I shall finally meet the man who showed the world the true potential of the Black Arts. His horde of demons created chaos and death-tolls without equal. Catastrophe is his daily bread. In all the history of the magic world… he is the true champion of wickedness: The Black Wizard Zeref. But, even as amazing and horrific as Zeref his, he is but a herald, the awaited messiah and incarnation of evil born at the hands of the ultimate God of Darkness: The Demon Emperor Mundus!"
Six other individuals have all gathered along with Ultear as they were prepared to unleash all the hell and darkness their master would request of them.
One was a man with long and spikey blonde hair, piercing red eyes, and a maniacal smile on his face. He wore dark blue and yellow armor surrounding most of his body save for the right side where his Grimoire Heart emblem was located.
Another man was present as he had long silver hair in a pompadour smile, dark grey eyes underneath a set of sunglasses. He wore a dark purple jacket with a fur-trimming on his upper collar with a grayish shirt underneath his jacket, grey gloves, and black pants.
Next to him stood a large and overweight, yet muscular, man with messy black hair and chalk-white skin. He wore barley any clothing save for a dark blue cape, a cross-pair of straps on his chest, black underwear and black shoes.
Another individual appeared to be a humanoid, white-furred, goat wearing a tuxedo and sunglasses with his shirt and sleeves cut off at the abs and arms.
There also appeared to be a young girl standing close to Ultear. She had pink hair and red eyes, with gold wing-like headgear around her ears. She wore a red cape with golden lining on the edges and the white Grimoire Heart emblem on the left shoulder. Under her cape is a tight purple leotard with brownish thigh-high boots.
Standing closest to Hades was a man wearing a uniform identical to that of a priest. He had black hair underneath his hood with green eyes. He wore a white hooded robe with a white shirt and black tie underneath, with a rope tied around his waist like a belt, a black Grimoire Heart emblem near the bottom of his robe, along with a long red sash draped over his shoulders, on each end was a white Grimoire Heart emblem.
Hades' malevolent smile only grew as most of his strongest wizards surrounded him. "The day is upon us!" He announced to his subordinates. "The abyss of sorcery is within our grasp! It's time to get to work. Tenrou Island will run red with the blood of Fairy Tail!"
As the ship began to loom closer toward its destination, virtually nobody was aware of the terrors that approached them. not the groups still looking for Mavis Grave; Cana and Lucy, Gray and Loke, Levy and Gajeel, Lisanna and Trish, Elfman and Evergreen; nor the others looking for Mest and Wendy; such as Juvia, Modeus, and Erza, or Carla and Lily, or even Mira who remained behind at camp just in case they came back before anyone else. Not even Master Makarov, or even Natsu, Dante, Happy, and Lady were aware of the darkness that would descend upon their sacred ground.
"Where'd he go?" Natsu questioned as he looked around for the man who turned his scarf black. "He has no idea how bad he's gonna get pounded when I get my hands on him!"
"Sorry…" Happy muttered.
"Hey Natsu, it's not just him." Dante said, getting Happy's attention. "It's Mest to."
"Mest? What about him?" Happy asked.
"He's not a part of our guild" Dante said immediately. "And considering Wendy's with him…"
A look of anger and concern formed on Natsu's face as even Happy was stunned by this revelation.
"That crybaby who charred my scarf is bad enough… but if there's a creep out there pretending to be one of us…. If he so much as lays a hand on Wendy I'm gonna char his whole body!" Natsu's fists clenched.
"So, we got a problem on two fronts now." Lady pointed out. "An imposter and a guy who can kill anyone just by looking at them. Yeah, this is a real problem."
"What are we gonna do about the trial?" Happy asked.
"I think it's gonna have to be put on hold." Lady answered.
"Yeah, with Mr. Doom-and-Gloom wondering around this place, not to mention Mest." Dante pointed out.
Natsu growled, as much as he hated to admit it, the trail can wait. His friends were in danger and their safety was always first priority for him. "So, what do we do?"
"We'll split up." Dante instructed. "You go with Happy, Lady's with me. We'll try to find Wendy, or any of our friends and let them know what's going on."
"But… that one guy… he was crying when he attacked. Like he didn't want to do it." Happy pointed out. "I don't think he was really hostile."
"Could have fooled me." Lady muttered.
"No, Happy might have a point." Dante said. "The guy said he was cursed; I don't think he was in full control. Meaning if he runs into our friends, especially those who'd like to punch first and ask questions later…" Gajeel and Elfman were among the first to come-to-mind, even Trish might be defensive around someone like that.
"Yeah, that could be a real problem." Happy agreed.
"Well then what are we waiting for?! Let's get going!" Natsu already ran through the dead forest. "Come on Happy!"
"Aye sir!" Happy flew after him.
"We should get moving to." Dante told Lady, who nodded in agreement as they ran in the opposite direction.
Meanwhile, Lisanna stopped walking as she gave a small gasp and looked up toward the sky, past the trees. Trish stopped walking and saw her partner's expression.
"Hey Lisanna, you okay?" The blonde demon asked.
"Yeah… it's just…" Lisanna couldn't shake this feeling. "I just felt this chill go down my spine… I think something really bad is about to happen."
"What makes you say that?" Trish asked with a concerned expression.
"Well… back in Edolas, the Fairy Tail of that world was constantly being hunted by the Royal army and Nelo Angelo." Lisanna began to explain. "And when you're constantly on the run, you learn to develop this sort of instinct… like you know if you're about to be attacked. It just…"
"Just feels like something's over your shoulder?" Trish guessed, getting Lisanna's attention. "Yeah, I know what that's like. When you're fighting demons, you learn to trust your instincts."
"Yeah well, I got that same sort of feeling just now." Lisanna said with a serious look on her face. "I don't know what's about to happen, but I just have this feeling… something is coming. And it's not going to be pleasant."
Meanwhile; Wendy didn't notice Mest's dark look as he felt the same presence as before. "He really is on this island." Mest thought. "Should I return and report now? No, I'll wait till I have a little more definitive information first."
Grimoire Heart Airship
All the dark wizards had gathered around their master. Not just the seven unique wizards seen before, but all the lower ranked mages among the dark guild. Virtually all of them wore black uniforms with dark purple hoods and capes, and white featureless masks with a large red Grimoire Heart emblem on each mask.
"This is a momentous day indeed." Hades spoke to his entire guild. Even those not gathered on the bridge could hear his announcement throughout the entire ship. "If all goes as planned, we will see the return of Zeref, the Black Wizard and Herald of Mundus." He clenched his armored fist and raised it. "The ambitions of Grimoire Heart will no longer be a fantasy. Now that we've gathered all the necessary keys, we will awaken that which sleeps within Zeref."
"Master, you're overlooking the opposition." Ultear informed him. "Our plans could still come crashing down around us should Fairy Tail decide to intervene, with Dante, the youngest son of Sparda being among the most troublesome. Even before he joined, Fairy Tail proved strong enough to destroy Nirvana and even defeat the Oracion Seis, one of the Baram Alliance's most powerful guilds. And more recently, they've even defeated Devil Hand and destroyed Temen-ni-gru, which not even Sparda himself could accomplish. The strongest among Fairy Tail, Dante included, are currently gathered on Tenrou Island, even a demon who once served as Sparda's own apprentice. Awakening Zeref will not be a simple task."
"Enough with all the wimpy talk!" The blonde-haired man with a maniacal grin spoke up. "Sparda's kid is one thing, but that sad bunch of weaklings shouldn't even be called a guild! I've got more power in my pinky finger!" He gave a crazed laugh as black fire surrounded his body. "When I'm done with them, they'll be ash beneath my boots!" He continued to laugh.
"Be silent, Zancrow." The man dressed like a priest in a white robe spoke with a cold and emotionless face. "I will not have your insanity jeopardize our holy mission. For we are merely the shepherds, who shall guide the naïve and lost people of this world into our lord Mundus' purifying darkness."
"Enough with the damn preaching, Job!" The man named Zancrow told the man identified as Job. "Just point me in the direction of those damn fairies and I'll burn them to ash!"
"Never underestimate one's opponent." The humanoid goat spoke up. "Even so, I have faith we will win this battle."
"I couldn't agree more, Caprico." The grey-haired man with glasses said as he adjusted his spectacles.
"I uh… well… yeah…" The large and overweight, white-skinned man stuttered.
"At last, we will unleash our ultimate desires!" The grey-haired man announced dramatically, which gave the overweight man chills. "Our war drums beat against their cages and cry for violence! We shall dance the waltz of death to their rhythm."
"Ifeelthesameway!" The large and obese man said so fast no one could fully understand him as he raised his hand.
"Nobody understands you, tubby!" Zancrow complained.
"Kain Hikaru's statement is deciphered as follows: 'I feel the same way', is that correct?" The young girl translated.
"Yep, that's it!" The fat man known as Kain Hikaru confirmed.
"Rustyrose's previous statement is deciphered: desire means wants; war drums refers to hearts." The girl continued to translate for the grey-haired and poetic man identified as Rustyrose.
"Meredy, will you be joining us?" Ultear asked the young girl identified as Meredy.
"In battle? Yes." Meredy confirmed.
"All is prepared Master Hades." Job bowed before his guildmaster. "Shall we commence with our holy crusade to begin purging this world of vile light?"
"Indeed." Hades confirmed as he stood from his throne. "Nobody will be able to stand our might, not even Fairy Tail. Their strongest wizards will soon now the power of true darkness, the eminence that lurks within the abyss. However, should any of you come across our young and ambitious Dante, I want him brought to me alive."
"Alive? Why is that, master?" Job asked. "He is the son of our greatest enemy. He who imprisoned our lord."
"Dante may be Sparda's son, but he is not Sparda himself." Hades voiced. "I wish to speak with him, to share with him the same truth that our lord Mundus has shared with me. For we are Grimoire Heart and have embarked the path of devils. If he is wise enough, I may very well welcome him into our ranks."
"And if not?" Ultear asked.
"Then I will personally force him to watch as we devils bathe in the blood of fairies! And as he sees all his beloved friends and family die a gruesome and agonizing death, I'll see the hope fade from his eyes before I silence him forever!" A malevolent smile formed on Hades' face as his body began to emanate a dark purple aura. "I'm looking forward to the agony on his and especially Makarov's face! The massacre of Fairy Tail begins now!"
Tenrou Island
Cana and Lucy, oblivious to the approaching danger, sat on the ground and contemplated their strategy on finding Mavis' grave.
"If I were the guild's founding master, where would I be buried?" Lucy tried to think as her celestial spirit, Plue, walked around her.
"Anything coming to you?" Cana asked.
Lucy hung her head in comic disappointment. "Not at all. I mean, how are we supposed to find this thing without any clues? My brain is going on strike here."
"I'm not convinced we haven't been given clues." Cana said, getting Lucy's attention. "The old man may be a sadist with his tests, but in the four times I've been through this trial, there's never been a task that was impossible, you get me? I have a feeling he may have subtly given us all the clues we need to find this thing?" Plue sat down to Lucy as she listened. "Then again, I could be giving him way too much credit. What do you think?"
"It does make sense." Lucy said. "First round tested strength; this one must test intellect so…" As she tried to think, neither she nor Cana noticed a large lizard with sharp fangs walking toward them. "Maybe it's a riddle?"
"I thought Dante already asked that back when the second round started, and the old man said there wasn't a riddle." Cana pointed out.
"Dante asked if they had to solve a riddle when they reached the grave." Lucy pointed out. "But the Master didn't say there was no riddle entirely. What if he told us how to find out when he was explaining the rules of the second round?"
"I don't follow you." Cana said.
"Uh… you know… like..." Lucy tried to think, when Plue noticed the large lizard and frightfully clung to Lucy's back. "Like the word 'grave'. We assume it refers to a physical hole in the ground or a headstone. But it can also be used as imagery to suggest the end of someone's life."
"Yeah that's true." Cana nodded as the lizard approached her, but she paid it no mind as she stomped onto it with her foot and kicked it away into the bushes behind her. She felt she heard a muffled yell in pain and looked suspiciously at the bush behind her. "Think you can speed up the brainstorming a bit? This place is making me paranoid."
Her instincts proved to be true as neither she nor Lucy noticed Gray and Loke hiding in the bushes and eavesdropping on their conversation. But the large lizard that Cana kicked into the bushes had accidentally bit down into Gray's head and he comically covered his own mouth to keep himself from yelling and giving away his location.
"Remember how he said he'd be waiting for us at the grave?" Lucy recalled. "What if he's going to die and wants us to find his body?"
"That makes no sense." Cana said with a sweatdrop on her head "Your over-analyzing, just say it like one of your Lucy-isms." She put on an impression of Lucy. "'When you die, you become a shooting star!' Something like that."
Lucy looked with black lines on her body. "Uh… Do I really come off as the type of person who would say something so ditzy and corny? I hope the whole guild doesn't think I'm that way." Her eyes widened as she just had an epiphany. "It's so simple!" She stood up with a wide smile. "Ditzy or not, this blonde bombshell just figured out where the grave is hidden!"
"For real?!" Cana asked excitedly.
"Follow me!" Lucy led Cana as they ran down through the forest, not noticing Gray and Loke coming out of the bushes, with Gray having a bandage on his head and holding the frozen lizard that bit him.
"Whoo! You go girl!" Cana cheered as they ran.
"Let's hurry! If I figured it out, I guarantee Dante and Levy are already on their way there to!" Lucy said as they ran.
Once they were out of earshot, Loke spoke. "I told you she'd get it." He said to Gray.
"It's good luck we ran into em." Gray said with a mischievous smirk.
"Now we just follow them and clear the round." Loke said.
"Hate to do this to you, Lucy. But this whole trial's about using what you got, and I wouldn't be showing off my S-Class potential I didn't use you." Gray stated.
"You do realize you sound like a pimp, right?" Loke pointed out.
"Just shut up and follow them." Gray grumbled.
Meanwhile; Modeus, Juvia, and Erza continued to search for Mest and Wendy as they walked around the outer most parts of the island.
"I forgot how big this island is." Erza said. "It may take us some time, but I'm sure we'll find Wendy and Mest."
Modeus however stopped in his tracks as he gazed out toward the horizon, something Juvia and Erza both noticed. "Modeus? Is something the matter?" Juvia asked.
"Something's coming." Modeus' eyes narrowed into the distance. He couldn't see anything, but every instinct told him something dark was approaching. "I can feel it. A dark presence is looming over this island."
"A dark presence?" Juvia asked with concern.
"How can you tell?" Erza asked as well with a serious tone of voice.
"I have this general feeling." Modeus explained. "I don't know what it is or where it's coming from. But… I just can't help but feel something. A dark aura of sorts, and it's coming closer. I can almost feel the hostility in the very air."
Erza had a similar feeling herself. "You have good instincts. I had something similar myself when we began our search."
"Could it be Mest?" Juvia asked.
"I don't think so." Modeus shook his head. "Mest is indeed someone we need to look for, but this… this is something else entirely. Something…. worse"
"How do you even get such a feeling?" Juvia asked.
"It's a form of warrior's intuition." Erza explained. "When you've been in battle long enough, you learn to listen with your instincts, and you can get this feeling when a threat is approaching."
"Do you know what it is though?" Juvia asked.
"No." Modeus answered grimly. "But I know it's not a friendly presence."
"Then we should hurry." Erza said. "We should not only find Wendy, but everyone else and warn them. I fear the trial may have to be put on hold."
With nothing else needing to be said, the three of them picked up the pace to search for any of their friends and comrades and warn them of what could be a potential threat approaching the island.
A giant monster loomed over Gajeel, but it didn't last very long as the Iron Dragon Slayer pounded him repeatedly with an iron-hammer for a hand.
"Think you can scare me?! You got another thing coming!" Gajeel exclaimed as the monster fell down with multiple comic bruises on its head.
Levy meanwhile looked annoyed at her partner's antics. It's not that she didn't mind him beating up the monster in the area, it made things considerably less dangerous for her, but he seemed more interested in fighting the monsters than finding the grave.
"I don't understand the point of this stupid trial!" Gajeel complained as they continued to walk. "How does picking a route or finding a grave prove your strength to anyone?!"
"Ugh! Would you shut up?!" Levy exclaimed.
"I only came to this island so I could have a chance to beat up Erza, Dante, or Salamander." Gajeel grumbled. "Walking through caves and fighting oversized lizards isn't not my idea of time-well-spent."
Levy looked at him with a glare. "Oh, so it wasn't to help me get S-Class?!"
"Huh? Why are you getting all bent out of shape, short-stuff?" Gajeel questioned.
"You just said the only reason you're here is so you can beat up our friends! You don't seem to fare about me at all!" Levy exclaimed. "I'm right, aren't I?!"
"Awe, is someone feeling left out?" Gajeel teased as he playfully patted her head. "So, you wanna get my attention, is that it, half-pint? In that case, all you gotta do is get strong enough to actually be a challenge for me."
Though it was only teasing, Levy felt honestly hurt by that statement as her eyes trembled. "What you're saying is… I'll never be up to the task… cause I'm too weak…"
Gajeel however didn't appear to hear her. "Not that this isn't fun, but you got way more important things to do than…
*SMACK!*
Levy had smacked her bag across Gajeel's face, causing him to fall down as she ran away from him.
"Fine! Who needs you, you iron-hearted jerk?!" She exclaimed as she ran away.
"What just happened…?" Gajeel muttered with a comic surprised look on his face.
Levy ran through the forest out of pure frustration and a deep sadness. "What's with him? I was starting to think he's a nice guy until this!" She remembered how he volunteered to help her get to S-Class and even said he'd make her 'bigger than she's ever been'. "But he's not!" Tears welled up in her eyes as she felt her heart beginning to break. "He's just arrogant… and selfish…!" Yet she still couldn't take her mind off him; like when he helped her decipher Freed's runes during the Battle of Fairy Tail, or even how he defended her from Laxus' lightning attack when he first joined the guild. "I hate him!"
Levy stopped running as she cried. She heard some rustle in the bushes behind her. "Leave me alone!" She said, thinking it was Gajeel, but it wasn't. It was two individuals; one being a humanoid brown-furred goat with armor identical to that of a feudal samurai, and the other being a humanoid chicken.
The goat-samurai sliced his katana at Levy, forcing her to fall down just to avoid the slash. "I don't think these are island-critters!" She exclaimed out of surprise and fright.
The humanoid chicken grabbed both of Levy's hands with one hand and pinned her to the ground and used his other to cover mouth to keep her from screaming.
"First catch of the day." The goat-samurai was about to gut her with his katana blade, but Gajeel suddenly appeared to block the blade with iron-coated scales on his right arm, with his left arm transformed into an iron-pillar to punch the humanoid chicken in the face and knock him off Levy.
Levy looked stunned at Gajeel's sudden appearance as the goat-samurai jumped back for some distance and the humanoid chicken got back up.
"It's tough to keep track of you when you run off on your own like that." Gajeel said to Levy as he kept his eyes focused on his newfound enemy. "Seriously, don't leave my side again." He said seriously. Levy looked up at him, he was serious about protecting her. She was tempted to shed tears of joy, seeing how he actually does care for her, she even blushed. But all that can wait. An enemy is right in front of them and that took first priority.
She stood back up and was back-to-back with Gajeel while he faced the goat-samurai and she faced the humanoid chicken.
"So, who are your new pals?" Gajeel questioned.
"They aren't any friends of mine." Levy answered. She glanced behind, past Gajeel and noticed the dark guild emblem on the goat-samurai's armor, and the same tattoo on the humanoid chicken's neck. She recognized it instantly. "Grimoire Heart?! I don't understand why anyone from a Dark Guild would be here?"
Gajeel had an amused smirk on his face. "The old man's more creative than I thought if he made these guys part of the trial."
"Master wouldn't do that." Levy said. "My guess is they snuck onto the island to cause trouble."
"Whatever." Gajeel cracked his knuckles. "I don't care as long as I get to beat someone up. There's one thing I'm good at, it's clearing out the trash like this. Dealing with the unexpected is an even more important skill than fighting. If you can't adapt, you don't deserve to get to S-Class."
"But they're in the most powerful Dark Guild there is!" Levy stated. "It's the head of the evil Baram Alliance! We're not even allowed to fight them without approval from the council!"
The goat-samurai laughed. "That's the problem with being in an official guild. What's the point of joining if you're going to be restricted by rules?"
"That's no way to fight a war if you ask me." The humanoid chicken said in agreement.
"Are you two done talking yet?" Gajeel was more than ready for a fight.
"Who are you guys?! What are you doing on Tenrou Island?!" Levy questioned.
"We're a couple of passionate hunters looking for the ultimate prey. I'm Yomazu!" The goat-samurai introduced.
"And I'm his partner, Kawazu!" The humanoid chicken also introduced.
"What's this 'ultimate prey' you're looking for?" Gajeel questioned.
"I'm so glad you asked." Yomazu said before he swiped with his sword and the Japanese symbol for 'yell' appeared in the air in front of him. This caused a loud and deafening sound to ring through the air, forcing Levy and Gajeel to cover their ears. "Our prey is every member of Fairy Tail!"
Meanwhile; Carla and Panther-Lily ran through the forest as fast as they could to try and find Wendy.
"Hold on, are you implying that this Mest-fellow might not actually be a member of the Fairy Tail guild?!" Carla questioned.
"All I can say is that the first time I met him; I got a strange feeling." Panther-Lily began to explain. "So, I've tried to think what I do and do not know about him. What I do know is crystal-clear."
"What?" Carla voiced in confusion. "That doesn't make any sense. What are you getting at?"
"What I mean is this…." Lily explained. "I've barley spoken to him, but there are things I know about him with complete certainty, as if I could see them. His name is Mest Gryder, he's the Earthland pupil of my prince, whom you call Mystogen. He competed in last year's S-Class trial, but he did not pass. And that's all. I feel as though I should know more about him, but it's all just a haze."
"I explicitly told Wendy she should have no means to associate with that man!" Carla exclaimed.
"Well we can't change that now. But hopefully our fears are unfounded." Panther-Lily hoped that was the case, but something in his gut told him otherwise.
Meanwhile; Wendy had picked many of the white flowers off the cliffside and looked quite excited at how pretty they were. "I've never seen flowers like these before!" She turned to Mest with a smile. "They're so pretty, you see?" Her smile faded however as she screamed.
Mest had suddenly dove into the flower bed and actually began to eat the flowers with his mouth straight from the ground. "I must know! I must find out what these never-before-seen flowers taste like!" He continued to eat them while Wendy just looked in comic shock with a massive X over her eyes.
"But the flowers are for looking at! They're not for eating!" Wendy exclaimed out of pure confusion.
Natsu meanwhile continued to run alongside Happy. He had also taken his black vest and turned it inside out to expose the white part so that it would match better with his blackened scarf, but that wasn't his top priority right now.
"Come on Mest…. And you, you teary-eyed-jerk! Show yourselves!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Natsu, we don't even know who that guy is, or if Mest even did anything wrong!" Happy told him.
"Doesn't matter! I don't like the idea of Wendy being left alone with him if he lied about being a part of our guild." Natsu said. "And you heard what Dante said, if anyone else meets that crybaby, they could get caught in that black magic of his!"
"Yeah, you're right." Happy new just how serious this situation was. "So, we're not doing the trail?"
"We'll worry about that later! Come on, let's go!" Natsu picked up the pace as Happy continued to follow him.
Meanwhile; Dante quickly climbed up to the top of a rocky ledge which gave him a good view of one corner of the island. While a normal person would have trouble seeing anything from that high up, Dante's own senses were more acute than others so he would be able to see a person moving even from the spot he was at.
"Anything?" Lady joined him.
"No, can't see anyone." Dante responded. He felt along his chest, specifically over his heart. He remembered how his heart actually stopped beating for a second once that black magic hit him. The only other time that's actually happened was when Vergil drove Rebellion through his heart, which was what helped him to unlock his Devil Trigger, but this felt completely different. Almost like he was actually about to die, but still survived.
"Just who the hell is that guy…?" Dante wondered.
"You know, he did say that he thought this island was deserted." Lady pointed out. "And since this place is sacred to Fairy Tail, it doesn't seem like a vacation spot for anyone."
"What are you getting at?" Dante asked.
"He didn't seem like he was in full control of that black magic." Lady explained. "So, he must of come here to avoid killing people."
"That does make sense." Dante nodded. "But I'd still like to know who he is. He said he knew my dad, and there's a lot that I need to ask him."
"Plus, we don't want our friends wondering into him and getting caught in that death-magic he has." Lady added.
Dante had a serious expression on his face as he continued to survey the area.
Meanwhile; Gajeel and Levy covered their ears as the deafening sound continued to pound away at their eardrums. It was especially painful for Gajeel, given his own heightened senses as a Dragon Slayer.
"So loud!" Gajeel exclaimed. "It's killing my ears! He's using magic writing! That's just like what you do, right?!"
Levy could barely hear Gajeel. "I'm almost positive he's using the Eastern version of Solid Script Magic!" She saw Kawazu leaping at them. "Gajeel! He's coming right for us!" However, he didn't appear to hear her, so she pulled him out of the way herself just as Kawazu lashed his claws out at the pair.
Kawazu then leapt into the air and shot out a multitude of eggs from his mouth like a gatling gun.
"Are those eggs?!" Gajeel exclaimed.
"Egg Buster!" The eggs broke open as the yolks enlarged and took the solid shape of fists which reigned over the pair like hail, only much more painful as each one hit with the force equivalent to that of a bullet shot out from a gatling gun. Gajeel tried to cover Levy with his own body so she wouldn't take the worst of it, but she still got hit by a few of them.
Gajeel tried to pull himself up, but with the intense sound still screaming throughout his eardrums, it made it only more difficult. Fortunately, he was still able to see Yomazu leaping at him with his katana blade, which Gajeel was able to avoid as he rolled out of the way just as the sword slice through the ground.
"Damn it! I couldn't hear him coming over this freaking noise!" Gajeel thought as he was on the defensive from Yomazu's relentless slashes.
"Gajeel!" Levy exclaimed, only to get kicked down by Kawazu. But she was quick to land on her feet. "Solid Script: Silent!"
The word 'silent' materialized itself in blue letters as it was shot and hit Yomazu's symbol for 'yell', destroying both and silencing the noise.
"She turned down the volume on ya!" Gajeel taunted.
"How dare that insolent little girl erase what I've written!" Yomazu exclaimed, but this left him open for Gajeel to strike him with an Iron Dragon Club attack straight for his chest and send him flying.
Kawazu sent another Egg-buster attack straight at Levy, but she was prepared. "Solid Script: Fire!" She wrote the word 'fire' out of flames and sent a stream of it straight of Kawazu's eggs, which burnt them to ash, much to the chicken's comic shock.
Yomazu had slid on his feet as he stood tall, ready to continue the fight. "You shall pay! Slice!" He sliced with his sword, while writing the Japanese symbol for 'slice', as his katana began to emanate with a dark purple aura as it sent an invisible airwave that sliced through multiple trees in the area, an attack that Gajeel could barely duck to avoid.
"That slice…. Why does it feel so familiar…?" Gajeel thought to himself.
Yomazu was on the attack again. "Slice!" He sent another attack gunning straight for Gajeel, who couldn't avoid it in time. Though he was quick to form his Iron Dragon Scales to block the worst of the attack, he felt a shallow but large bleeding cut across his chest.
"Man… this guy's intense…"
Kawazu sent another Egg-buster attack straight to Levy who seemed prepared. "Fire!" She used her Sold-Script magic to send another wave of flame, but it only burnt a small portion of the eggs as there were five times as many as before.
"There's too many of them!" Levy thought before she was bombarded with dozens of hard eggs, she screamed in pain as it felt like her body was blasted with a hail of rocks.
"Levy!" Gajeel was about to run and help her, but an air-slice cut past his face, causing a bleeding cut to form on his cheek as Yomazu attacked. "Slice! Slice! Slice!" He sent multiple air-slices at Gajeel like a rapid-fire machine gun that not only chipped away at his scales but cut deep into his skin.
"No way… he's cutting through my scales just like…. Just like…" Gajeel's pupils shrank as this felt almost exactly like his battle against Vergil where he was easily able to slice through his scales with Yamato in his Devil Trigger.
"Pierce!" Using the dark aura around his sword and Orient Solid Script, Yomazu sent a beam of energy that pierced through Gajeel's side, causing blood to blast out much to his shock and pain. But, Yomazu wasn't done yet.
"Now for my Dark Sword technique…" The aura around Yomazu's sword began to spread through to his body.
Levy struggled to get up. "No… please stop!"
"…Narukami!" Yomazu rushed past Gajeel, slashing at him at least a dozen times, before appearing directly behind Gajeel where he fully sheathed his sword, samurai-style. The second he did, a large diagonal cut formed on Gajeel's chest as the last of his scales were blown off and a wave of blood exploded out of his body.
Gajeel screamed in agony as he fell to the ground, much to Levy's horror. "GAJEEL!"
However, the Iron Dragon Slayer was still alive as he groaned. Kawazu looked amused. "This one's still clucking away."
"He should feel honored." Yomazu said in an equally sadistically amused tone. "Nobody else has survived my Dark Sword technique before."
"Hey…" Gajeel grunted. "That fancy knife of yours…. That thing a Devil Arm?"
Levy's pupils shrank. "A Devil Arm? In the form of a katana…? As in, similar to Vergil's own sword; Yamato?!"
"Hmm, perceptive, aren't you?" Yomazu mused. "Well, no it's not exactly a Devil Arm. You see, a Devil Arm is a demonic weapon imbued with power; and in some cases, it's even the soul of a powerful demon which takes the form of a weapon. My katana however was forged by human hands. But, thanks to our guild's research of the demonic arts, it has since been imbued with demonic power itself. It may not be a full Devil Arm, but it's still a deadly weapon all the same."
Kawazu clucked a bit with a chuckle. "If the other little Fairies are as weak as these two, we might as well kill them all before the main force arrives."
"There's more you scum bags?" Gajeel got up on his knees.
Yomazu chuckled. "We're merely the reconnaissance team. The rest of Grimoire Heart will be arriving shortly."
Gajeel looked in shock, even fear, while Levy's expression was one of absolute terror. "What…? The entire guild…?"
"Levy… run." Gajeel grunted. "This ain't gonna be some simple little fight. It'll be worse than we can imagine!"
"But I can't just leave you…!" Levy tried to protest
"Get out of here!" Gajeel exclaimed as he turned to face her. "You have to tell the others what's going on! I'll be okay! I can handle these bastards, now move it!"
Tears formed in Levy's eyes as she hated the idea of leaving him alone to face these two enemies, but she knew he was right. Everyone else had to know so they could be prepared. So with a heavy heart, she picked herself up and tried to run away.
"You're not going anywhere!" Yomazu tried to pull out his sword to stop her, but Gajeel shot an Iron Dragon Club attack straight at his gut to stop him.
"Gajeel!" She exclaimed.
"What'd I just tell you, Levy! Get moving!" He told her but looked in surprise to see the word 'Iron' appear above him with a heart in the middle of the o, it was thanks to Levy's Solid Script Magic. "That's Iron…!"
Levy ran as fast as she could to get away from the fight and warn her friends. "Stay strong! Please!"
Gajeel wasted no time in eating the iron Levy gave him, to give him the necessary energy to stand up and fight.
"How unfortunate." Yomazu said as he got back up. "We let the little girl escape."
"That one's got quite a bit of pluck." Kawazu observed. "Hunting her down will be even more fun."
Gajeel slammed his fist into the ground once he was finished with his snack, causing both dark wizards to look in surprise as he began to stand back up. "You think you wanna go to war with Fairy Tail, do ya?"
"He has the strength to stand?" Yomazu thought in surprise.
"I did to… way back when." Gajeel stood up as he recalled the words Natsu said to him when they first thought.
"Messing with Fairy Tail was the biggest mistake you've ever made!"
Yomazu and Kawazu instinctively backed up as they saw Gajeel chuckle and he gave the two a death-glare. "Are you ready? You're about to find out just how bad you screwed up."
Levy continued to run, but she was still hurt and fatigue from the enemy's attack, but that didn't matter. She had to get to someone as soon as possible and warn them so they could get back and help Gajeel.
"I gotta let everybody know we're in big trouble! Grimoire Heart is gonna be here any minute now! I don't know what they want from us! But things are about to get really scary!"
However, she tripped on a root, causing her to fall and roll down a rocky hill, before landing on the hard and unforgiving ground. She tried to reach out and push herself forward.
"Hold on Gajeel…" She lost consciousness soon after.
"Iron Dragon Roar!" Gajeel sent a breath-attack straight for Yomazu but he seemed prepared.
"Defense!" Using his orient solid-script magic and his sword, the goat-samurai created a barrier to protect himself from the blast. This appeared to have left Gajeel open for Kawazu to appear behind him and blast a hail of eggs up into the sky.
"The hell…?!" Gajeel looked as if the chicken had just lost his mind.
"Look above your head, you fool!" Yomazu told him as Gajeel looked up to see hundreds of deadly eggs about to rain down on him.
"Heavy Egg Rain!"
Gajeel braced himself as he couldn't avoid such an attack. He was bombarded with nearly all of them, and they each hurt like hell, but he stood his ground. As the smoke cleared, he could barely see a flash. Acting on instinct, Gajeel formed an iron-pillar on his right arm to defend himself from the relentless air-slash attacks of Yomazu. Each one cut and hurt him, causing more blood to fall back behind him with each but, but he refused to fall.
"Keep dreaming bub!" Gajeel grunted. "That wannabe Devil Arm you got… ain't cutting through my steel!" The iron fell off the pillar, revealing iron-scales coating Gajeel's entire right arm as he suddenly leapt at Yomazu and punched him in the face to knock him down.
Kawazu was about to blast another egg-attack, but Gajeel wouldn't have it. "Stop your damn clucking!" His left arm formed his Iron Dragon Sword which he launched at and impaled Kawazu in the chest. Though it didn't pierce deep enough to be fatal, it was enough to knock Kawazu down and take him out of the fight.
"Pierce! I'll run you right through!" Yomazu ran to impale Gajeel with his blade, which flowed with even more demonic energy, but Gajeel tried to stop him with his arm coated in Iron Dragon scales.
It actually pierced through his entire right arm, and even through his shoulder. His right arm was sliced all over and coated in blood, but Gajeel stood his ground and had a smirk on his face as he glared at him.
"Losing ain't an option for me." Gajeel grunted. "YOU HEAR ME?! IT'S NOT GONNA HAPPEN!" He shouted.
"…Levy…. Wake up! …Levy!"
She slowly opened her eyes to see Erza, Juvia, and Modeus looking down at her with worry as Erza had kneeled down to help her up.
"What in the world happened to you?" Modeus questioned.
"How'd you manage to get such awful injuries?" Juvia also asked.
Levy smiled as tears of joy were ready to fall down her face. "It's you… thank goodness…"
Erza had pulled Levy up. "My word, what happened to you?"
"We're in real trouble…" Levy said, terror lingering in her voice. "And he needs help…"
Gajeel grunted as Yomazu tried to run the blade even deeper into his arm with the intent on severing it completely, but Gajeel pushed back despite the intense pain he was feeling.
"Taking on Fairy Tail like this… these idiots really have their heads up their asses… just like how I was."
Flashback
Gajeel sat on a junkpile of metal, helping himself to a snack as he just ate and wallowed in frustration and sorrow. After the war between Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail, his own guild was disbanded. Once that happened, he just wondered, not really having anywhere else to go or what to do with his life. He was actually somewhat content with this sort of lifestyle, and even if he wasn't, it wasn't as if he had a choice. However….
"Hey there!"
Gajeel turned around and looked in shock as he saw the guildmaster of Fairy Tail standing at the bottom of pile of scrap metal giving him a friendly smile.
"You're master Makarov!" However, Gajeel could sense no malicious intent so he just turned around out of spite. "So, did you come here to gloat?"
Makarov tried to climb onto the pile. "What a nice hello indeed. Not big on manners, are you?" He climbed up to the top and spoke to Gajeel. "Your friend Juvia is the newest member of our guild."
That caught Gajeel by surprise. "You kidding me?!"
"No sir." Makarov confirmed. "She was very concerned about your well-being, so she asked me to come and look for you."
The Iron Dragon Slayer only looked in frustration. "Chick's got rain for brains! What the Hell is she thinking?!" He threw down his metal snack.
"Have you figured out what your next move is?" Makarov asked for the sake of conversation.
"Don't know. Keeping my options open, I guess." Gajeel answered, not turning to face the elderly Wizard Saint.
Makarov sighed. "I've got a question for you."
"Shoot."
"When you reflect on it, what would you say were your own reasons for going to war with Fairy Tail?" Gajeel looked at Makarov slightly as he continued to speak. "What did being part of Phantom Lord mean to you? For that matter, what does the idea of a guild mean to you? What do you want to do with the powers you possess?"
Gajeel turned away. "You sure got a lot of questions, old man."
"They're all the same." Makarov continued. "What kind of man do you tell yourself you are? And is that man the same person that lives inside your heart? If Jose asked it of you, would you take a life for him? Is his power absolute? Was his every wish your command? If that's the case, then you are nothing more than his puppet. But I don't get that impression from you Gajeel; you're not some mindless animal to be unleashed or a weapon to be used for war."
Gajeel was starting to get annoyed. "Would you quit flapping your gums and get lost already?!"
"There's no reason for you to give up and plunge into the darkness." Makarov made his offer. "Come with us, join the Fairy Tail guild."
Gajeel looked at Makarov as though he had just spontaneously turned into a cow. "Are you crazy?! Why the hell would I do that?!"
The Fairy Tail guildmaster maintained a serious look. "There is great value spent in the time of one's own company, but a lifetime of total isolation is a fate no one should endure."
The Iron Dragon Slayer's eyes widened in surprise. Was he serious? Was the old man really offering him a spot in his guild? Gajeel turned around.
"You know I'm the one who trashed your guildhall, right?" He reminded.
"I know, we'll rebuild it." Makarov told him.
"And I was also the one who hurt your three little friends." Gajeel also reminded, remembering how he ambushed and humiliated Team Shadowgear, which was what prompted the war in the first place.
"I know." Makarov uttered as his eyes turned piercing white. "A despicable act that I will never completely forgive!" Gajeel's spine shuddered as he felt only a taste of the power that defeated Jose. Makarov however calmed down. "But for me, letting a young man fall into darkness when knowing I could have done something to prevent it, is something even more unforgivable."
Gajeel's lips quivered as he could hear the sincerity in the old man's voice. He was almost acceptant of a life of solitude and loneliness, and yet… this man, this former enemy, was willing to show him another option.
Makarov held out his hand. "I cannot guarantee total salvation. I can merely point you down a path out of the shadows. Will you choose to walk that path? Or to forgo it and remain where you are."
Before Gajeel even knew what, he was doing…. He reached out and accepted Makarov's hand. "I will."
End Flashback.
Gajeel grunted as he grabbed onto Yomazu's blade with not only his pierced arm, but his second arm and actually smiled right at Yomazu who could only look in shock at Gajeel's persistence. The old man gave him a chance, and he wasn't going to blow it! He would never admit it to anyone else in the guild, but he had found a new home and family with them, and he was not about to lose it to these scumbags!
"I will not be defeated…" Gajeel began to bend the blade with both his hands. "Not gonna happen! I'll never lose to trash like you! Because… I'm a Fairy Tail wizard!" He bent the katana so much that it snapped in two, much to Yomazu's horror.
"No! Not my katana! My soul's in that blade!"
Gajeel immediately ate the remains of the katana. The demonic power embedded in it honestly tasted worse than crap to him, but it began to imbue with even more power than he had before. A large and bright green aura formed around him as he began to channel all that power and energy into one devastating strike.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art…!"
Gajeel clapped his hands together above his head and a bright white light shined straight up into the sky and high above the treetops before it became solid and took the form of a gigantic iron sword that was at least fifty feet tall and about as thick as a tree.
Yomazu's face became pale as he saw the massive blade and tried to make a run for it, but it was too late.
"…Karma Demon: Iron God Sword!"
He slammed the blade down hard onto the ground; though the blade itself just barely missed Yomazu, the force of the impact had completely crushed and shattered much of his armor and broke many of the bones in his body. The impact of the massive blade hitting the ground sent a massive tremor that shook the corner side of the island just before Yomazu fell to the ground in defeat.
That was it. Both dark wizards were defeated as Yomazu and Kawazu laid beaten and unconscious, even an egg hatched open above Kawazu's head to reveal a chick with a sign that had an X on it, indicating a KO.
Gajeel had lost virtually all his strength and stamina as his beaten and bloodied body fell to the ground just as Levy, Erza, Modeus, and Juvia entered the scene.
"GAJEEL!" Levy practically screamed as she ran onto the scene while the other three looked in shock at the battlefield around them.
"What is this?" Erza questioned.
Juvia gasped and covered her mouth as she saw the sorry state her friend was in. "Gajeel…"
Modeus quickly ran to join Levy as he began to assess his injuries while she was beyond terrified for him. "Gajeel! Oh please tell me you're okay!"
Despite the intense pain he was feeling, as well as the fact he was barely conscious, he chuckled as he gave a small grin in the girl's direction. "Told ya I could handle those losers by myself… didn't I…?"
Levy stifled a laugh as she let her tears of joy stream down her face. "Yeah, you did."
"His injuries are severe." Modeus saw the state he was in. "His right arm is especially serious; it may even have permanent damage."
"Can you help him?" Levy asked.
"I might be able to patch up the wounds and stop the bleeding with the tools we have at the campsite, but he's going to need Wendy's healing magic for his more serious injuries." Modeus explained.
Their attention was caught however by Yomazu, who was still conscious, despite his injuries and gave an evil chuckle.
"You fools don't stand a chance! Our main fighting force is right on our heels! Wizard's whose power far exceeds my own! They are known as the Eight Kin of Purgatory!"
Modeus and Erza had serious expressions while Levy and Juvia looked especially frightened. "The Eight Kin are coming…?" She heard about them from her time with Phantom Lord, and that they are among the most powerful dark wizards in the entire magical world.
"We must put the trial on hold!" Erza stated as she used her re-quip magic to pull out a magical flare gun. "Right now, prepare for battle! Condition Red! We shall intercept them at once!" She shot a flare up in the sky which expanded to form a pulsating red sphere in the sky, alerting all the Fairy Tail members on the island.
Makarov stood up from his spot at Mavis' grave. "What?! An enemy attack!? Who dares invade our sacred ground?!"
"Carla… was this the danger you warned me about? The one you foresaw with your clairvoyance?"
"A red flare?! But why!?" Lucy questioned in shock as she and Cana, as well as Gray and Loke who were hiding behind some ruins looked in surprise.
"Do you know what that means?" Loke asked Gray.
"Enemy sighted."
"An enemy is coming?" Trish questioned as she and Lisanna looked up at the flare.
"Yes, that's what a red flare usually means." Lisanna nodded with a grave expression.
"Well, you did say you had a feeling something was coming." Trish commented.
"But what about the S-Class trial?" Elfman wondered as he and Evergreen also saw the flare.
"Obviously, it'll have to wait." Evergreen responded.
"A code red huh?" Dante voiced as he and Lady also looked up at the flare. "Think its Mest or that guy in black?"
"I don't think so." Lady shook her head. "My guess, someone else is attacking the island." She cocked her pistols. "Looks like things are about to get ugly."
Ordinally, Dante would be excited about a big battle, but with too many unknowns like Mest, the mysterious black-haired wizard, his friends scattered over the island; something in his gut told him that this wasn't going to be a simple workout.
Natsu's eyes narrowed as he saw the flare as well. "I bet it's got something to do with that big crybaby."
"No, I don't think so." Happy said. "A red flare means an enemy is coming. There must be somebody else on the way."
Natsu pounded his fist into his palm. "Damn, just how many problems are gonna show up today?!" An eager smile however formed on his face. "But if they want a fight, we're gonna bring them a freaking fight!"
"Aye sir!" Happy jumped up.
"Why does this have to happen now?!" Cana exclaimed as Lucy looked to her in shock. "I swore that this would be my last trial! I'm serious! If I don't make it this year, I'm leaving the guild forever! I won't give up! I'm gonna seek this thing through to the very end!"
Lucy didn't like the look in Cana's eyes, or how single-minded she seemed. "Cana…" She tried to speak to her friend with concern.
"Would you take it down a notch?!" Gray stated as he and Loke walked onto the scene.
"Everybody feels the same way you do." Loke said to Cana in a calm and logical tone of voice.
"Where did you guys come from?" Lucy questioned.
"Yeah, no kidding, what are you doing here?" Cana flashed them a suspicious look.
"We've kinda been following…" Loke tried to speak, but Gray quickly covered his mouth with his hand.
"It's just a coincidence, okay?!" Gray quickly said. "But that's not what's important, right now! If we're really under attack, then we gotta focus on that."
He let go of Loke as they put the trial in the backseat for the moment. "Let's get to the camp." Loke said. "We should meet up with everyone else and find out what's happening first."
"Yeah, that's probably the best idea." Lucy nodded, while Cana looked down in frustration.
Erza quickly quipped into her Heart Kreutz armor as Juvia spoke to her. "So now what? What do you think we should do?"
"We need to regroup with everyone else." Erza began to instruct everyone. "Modeus, help Levy and Gajeel get back to the camp so Mira can give him some medical attention. Juvia and I will look for Wendy and Mest, but you should go with them in case they run into trouble."
"Right, I understand." Modeus knew he could trust Erza and Juvia to find Wendy. He helped get the injured Gajeel up as he held his injured arm over his shoulder. "I'm sorry if this will be unpleasant for you Gajeel."
"Forget it…" The barely conscious Iron Dragon slayer grunted.
"Be careful guys." Levy told them as they began to make their way back toward the camp; leaving Erza and Juvia alone to face the fully conscious, yet incapacitated Yomazu.
"Speak!" Erza demanded. "Tell me why you've come to this place!"
Yomazu turned his head away defiantly. "Revealing that to you will do me no good at all." He looked in shock however as Erza flashed a sword right at his neck, with just an inch away from his jugular. One look from Erza told him that she would kill him without a second thought. That got him to talk. "We seek… him. The legendary Black Wizard known as Zeref."
Neither Erza nor Juvia could have anticipated an answer like that.
"He is here, on this very island." Yomazu said.
"That's absurd!" Erza voiced immediately.
"But how can that be true? I thought Zeref lived hundreds of years ago!" Juvia also voiced out of shock.
"Four hundred years, to be specific." Yomazu added.
"You fool!" Erza exclaimed. "Zeref is long-since dead!" She remembered when Jellal was corrupted and brainwashed at the Tower of Heaven and trying so desperately to revive the Black Wizard.
A maddened grin formed on Yomazu's face. "No, he never died! Lord Zeref is immortal! His eternal life granted to him by his master!"
"His… master…?" Juvia questioned in confusion.
"Lord Zeref is indeed destruction incarnate, but he is merely a herald, a dark messiah if you will. Serving as an extension of our god!" Yomazu explained.
"What god?!" Erza demanded.
"The one true god of all that is dark and unholy! The very embodiment of evil itself!" Yomazu announced dramatically. "The Demon Emperor Mundus!"
If Erza and Juvia weren't stunned and horrified before, they were now.
"Mundus…?" Juvia practically shivered. "The demon whom Sparda imprisoned?"
"According to Master Hades, Zeref has been in a deep sleep for these past four hundred years." Yomazu continued. "And once he has been awakened from his slumber, he will pave the way for Mundus' grand and glorious return! All the world will drown in blood and darkness!"
"Utter nonsense!" Erza exclaimed. "Even if Zeref was connected to Mundus, this island is our guild's sacred ground! There is no way we will allow it to be defiled by the forces of evil with whom you align!"
The maddened grin never left Yomazu's face. "Believe what you will, but Master Hades and the Eight Kin of Purgatory will be arriving on these shores very soon and it would be wise of you not to take them lightly! The Time Wizard, Ultear! The Holy Devil Slayer, Job! Rustyrose! My superior, Caprico! Kain Hikaru! Zancrow! Meredy! And… there's one more member I haven't mentioned, who's already here!" He laughed evilly as Juvia and Erza looked in further shock.
"There's one here now?!" Erza questioned.
"Hey what is that?" Wendy asked Mest as they saw the red flare in the sky. "Do you know what the red signal up there is supposed to mean?"
"Well… it means…" Suddenly Mest bit down on the rock. "Now I must know! I really wanna know what it means!"
Wendy only looked in confusion. "It's okay if you forgot, but I don't think that's gonna help."
However, Mest knew exactly what it meant and had a serious look on his face. "I need to act now. Before the main force arrives."
"Wendy!"
They both turned around to see Carla and Panther-Lily flying toward them.
"What are you doing here?" Wendy asked, not expecting to see the two Exceeds here.
"Never mind that, just get away from him!" Carla said immediately as she and Panther-Lily landed in-between Wendy and Mest and faced the man of suspicion directly. "Alright, why don't you cut the act and tell us who you really are!"
Mest tried to feign a look of innocence and confusion. "Huh? What the heck do you mean by that? I'm Mystogen's pupil…"
Panther-Lily suddenly achieved his muscle-form as he punched the rock behind Mest, his fist less than an inch from Mest's shocked face.
"I find it very hard to believe that my prince would take on a pupil in this world." Lily said as kept his eyes focused on Mest. "Now, you were smart enough to use someone who doesn't live here anymore to back up your story… but are you gonna be smart enough to tell us the truth? Who are you!? And what are you trying to hide?!"
Done.
Grimoire Heart has finally made its appearance and are advancing their way toward Tenrou Island to acquire the mysterious black-haired wizard that Dante, Natsu, Lady, and Happy just encountered, which is actually the mythical Black Wizard known as Zeref. But once more, he might actually be connected to Mundus! Duh, duh, duh!
I'm not going to confirm if there is a connection between Zeref and Mundus, that whole thing is a story for another time as we'll see hints and details scattered throughout the entire story, not just this arc. But, if you were to look at it based on Grimoire Heart's motivations, I guess you could compare the approaching Dark Guild to a dark version of the Christian faith (I mean no offense to anyone who practices that religion, this is only a comparison so that you can better understand it)….
*Hades would be the Pope
*Zeref would be Jesus Christ
*Mudnus would be God. (That's basically how the members of this particular Dark Guild see it).
Also, I know in the cannon series that there are only Seven Kin of Purgatory, but I added an eighth member, considering several DMC members have joined the Fairy Tail guild, this will help to balance things out. My OC is named 'Job' (not a professional occupation, but a biblical figure from the Old Testament), he is called the Holy Devil Slayer, and is called that for a reason; not just for his appearance as a priest, or his personality as a one, but for a certain type of magic that he possess that may even cause someone like Dante trouble (hint, hint). If you want to know what he looks like, go to my Deviantart profile "Iron117Prime" and look at the pic titled "Job the Holy Devil Slayer"
And just so many of you have noticed, Gajeel's fight against Yomazu and Kawazu was much more gruesome than in the anime, because I went more in the direction of the manga for that. I may do some similar things later in this story or make the fights more brutal and bloodier, so fair warning.
But with Grimoire Heart now on Tenrou Island's doorstep, as well as Carla and Lily finally confronting Mest, what is going to happen next? Find out with the next update of Fairy May Cry!