Hi everyone, thanks for waiting. Happy early Mother's Day to any parents who are reading my stories. And special thanks to all those who are able to work in these trying times. We're all in this together and we will make it through it together. Be there for your friends and family and stay safe out there. With any hope, my updates will be able to provide a sense of ease for all of you.
But yes, in my last fic, not only has Trish unlocked her own Devil Trigger, but Lady is now officially a Devil Slayer. We'll learn more details about her powers as the whole story progresses, not just in this particular arc. So, with that being said, let's get started.
Hope and Love vs. Despair and Hate
After just finishing their brutal battle against Ultear, Job, and Kain; the group consisting of Natsu, Dante, Lady, Lisanna, Trish, and Lucy ran back toward the spot where Zeref was last seen underneath a tree. Dante was still heavily injured from Job's Holy Devil Slayer attacks however and had to have help in moving as both his arms slung over Trish and Lady as they ran with the group. However, by the time they made it to the tree where the Black Wizard was lying unconscious, he was already gone.
"Damn it. He's gone!" Lady cursed.
"Are you sure Zeref was right here?" Trish asked.
"Positive." Lisanna answered. "Ultear must have gotten to him when she escaped."
"Natsu, can you track em?" Dante asked the Dragon Slayer who was already sniffing the air.
"They were definitely here, but she must have done something to mask the smell, so I can't tell which way the went." Natsu said with a scowl.
"Don't forget about Cana." Lucy said with concern. "She's gone too."
"What happened Lucy? I thought Cana was with you." Lisanna pointed out as Trish winced slightly.
"I… I don't know." Lucy confessed. "She was with me one second then… I guess someone knocked me out and… she was gone."
"Lucy…" Trish got her attention as the blonde she-demon had a conflicted look on her face. "I hate to say it but… I think Cana was the one who knocked you out."
That caught everyone by surprise, but none more surprise than Lucy. "What?! No! She… she wouldn't do that…!"
Dante had a serious look in his eyes. "What happened?"
Trish sighed as she spoke. "After Lisanna and I split up, I ran into Lucy, Cana, Gray, and Loke right when this whole mess started. We went up against one of the Kin of Purgatory; Loke and I took care of him, but Lucy, Gray, and Cana went off on their own. When I caught up to them, Gray and Cana were both gone, and Lucy was at the feet of that voodoo-loving sumo-reject."
As everyone was gravely concerned by this, Lisanna, though she didn't want to believe it, remembered when Cana told her, Trish, and Lucy the reasoning for becoming S-Class so, there was a part of her that knew Cana's reasoning, but she didn't think she was that desperate to become S-Class. "Lucy… what happened after you guys left Trish and Loke?"
Despite the concern hanging in the air, Lucy was still able to give an answer. "Well, Loke ended up going back to the Spirit World after he and Trish won, but Cana said we should split up to cover more ground. Gray went one way; Cana and I went the other. Then she…" Her eyes suddenly widened in realization.
"She what?" Lady's eyes narrowed.
"She… she asked me about where Mavis' grave was." Lucy continued. "Before this mess started, I had an idea of where to find it. I told her where and… then everything went blank. Next thing I know, Trish and I are face-to-face with one of Kin of Purgatory."
That was when it hit them. Cana really did leave Lucy behind. "Damn it." Dante cursed, anger filling his body as he clenched his fists.
"What the hell is her problem?!" Natsu questioned. "I wanna get back to the trials as much as the next guy, but there are bigger things to worry about right now!"
"Natsu…" Lisanna began. "Cana told me, Lucy, and Trish, that if she didn't end up making S-Class this year…. She'd quit Fairy Tail."
That took Natsu, Dante, and even Lady by surprise. "What? The hell would she do that for?!" Lady exclaimed.
"She had, something personal she had to confess to someone." Lisanna revealed, while not going into the details. "But she felt she couldn't do that unless she was S-Class. And that was the whole reason she even wanted to become S-Class, even during her other past trials."
"What's so important that she'd place this stupid trial over the life of her own partner?!" Lady questioned in anger.
"We… we can figure it out later." Lucy said, though Natsu, Dante, and Lady looked in surprise at the blonde as she spoke. "Right now, we're in the middle of a war, and our first priority should be making sure everyone is safe."
"She's right." Dante agreed. "We need to take care of Zeref and Grimoire Heart first. But, once they're out of the way, we are going to have a nice long chat with Cana once this is done."
Natsu, Trish, and Lady had serious expressions as they silently agreed with Dante, while Lisanna and Lucy exchanged concerning glances. But they soon went back to discussing their current predicament as everyone sat down, while Trish and Lady helped sat Dante down so he could rest for a bit.
"From what we've all heard so far, Grimoire Heart worships Mundus as if he were their god." Lucy began. "And they seem to think Zeref is his 'chosen one'. He's apparently the key to freeing Mundus so he could take over the world."
"Why do the bad guys always wanna take over the world?" Natsu questioned in exhaustion after hearing this same shtick way too many times before. "Sounds like a huge pain in the ass if you ask me."
"They think they're gods or something like that." Lady shrugged. "Basically, more psychopaths who think the world should revolve around them."
"Sounds about right." Dante seemed to agree.
"Hey, speaking of Devils, since when were you a Devil Slayer, Lady?" Natsu questioned. "If you could use magic, why didn't you use it before?"
"I wasn't born with magic power, dumbass." Lady replied with a sweatdrop. However, Lady found herself looking at her left arm where black markings had already formed. She saw a black diamond-marking on the front and back of her arm, along with black arrows at the bottom of each diamond, with curves at the top almost like devil horns.
"But still… to have the same kind of magic as this Job-creep… it's… a little concerning." Lisanna pointed out.
"Well, if I had to guess. I'd say it was when I was kidnapped by Devil Hand." Lady assumed, getting everyone's attention. "Arkham had me strapped to a table in Temen-ni-gru and… I think he put something inside me… a Lacrima maybe."
"So that's how you got your power?" Lucy asked. "Arkham put a lacrima inside you?"
"That sounds a lot like Laxus." Natsu said. "His dad put a lacrima inside him to that gave him Dragon Slayer magic."
Lady scoffed slightly. "About the only good thing that bastard ever did for me."
"Still, having a power like that should really tip the scales in our favor." Trish said. "I mean, we just now took down two of the Kin of Purgatory and even forced their leader to retreat. And before that, Loke and I killed another one so that makes three."
"Natsu, Wendy, and I took one down to so that's four." Lisanna added as a hopeful smile soon formed on her face. "This group right here just took down half of Grimoire Heart's elite!"
"Don't get cocky." Dante advised in a serious tone of voice. "We still got no idea what kind of powers the others got. Not to mention their boss Hades took down Gramps."
That completely caught Lucy and Trish off-guard. "He beat the old man?!" Trish exclaimed in shock.
"Master Makarov… one of the Ten Wizard Saints…?" Lucy stuttered as fear began to sweep through her body.
"Yeah, but it doesn't matter." Natsu stated as he looked ready to tear the rest of their enemies apart with his bare hands, not just for what happened to Makarov, but for all their friends who were under attacked, and he was still rather peeved from when Zancrow attempted to rape Lisanna and Wendy right in front of them "Let's go find them, when I get my hands on those bastards, they're going to wish they never set foot on Fairy Tail's sacred ground."
Dante nodded in silent agreement. He was more than ready to destroy all of Grimoire Heart as well, but he knew they needed a plan before they did anything reckless. "Best we meet up with everyone else back at base-camp. We'll come up with a plan to take the fight straight to them."
"But how did they even get here?" Lucy wondered when an idea soon came to her. "Hey wait! They must have traveled on some kind of ship to get here, right?"
"Makes sense. We are on an island in the middle of the ocean." Lady pointed out. "And that time-bitch said she was planning to take Zeref back to her master."
"That would mean whatever type of ship they used to get to this island, must be anchored somewhere near the shore." Trish added. "Lisanna, can you fly and scout the area?"
Lisanna sighed apologetically. "I'm sorry. But that last fight took a lot out of me, so it's gonna be a while before my magic's recovered."
"Then we should probably check in on Wendy, Gramps, and the furballs." Dante said. "I'm hopping nothing happened to them while we were gone."
"Yeah, maybe Happy, Carla, and Lily could look." Natsu assumed as they all got back up.
Dante had a bit more trouble, but Lady and Trish, once again, helped him back on his feet. As they did however, Trish cast a glance on Dante and one onto Lucy. She was the only one in this group that knew they were related. Dante and Lucy themselves were somewhat suspicious of it already, but Trish had confirmation that they were really cousins.
'Should I tell them?' Trish thought to herself. 'No, it's too soon. I'll tell them after we beat Grimoire Heart.'
Route E
Meanwhile, Cana continued walking through one of the many the tunnels that wound through Tenrou Island, in the aforementioned route that Lucy had theorized was the location of Mavis' grave.
'If Lucy was right, then I should be able to find Mavis' grave somewhere down here.' Cana thought to herself. 'I'm gonna be the first one to find it. I'm gonna be the one who passes the trial this year. I'll finally make S-Class rank! Then I can look him in the eye, and I can tell him the truth, but I can't do it until I'm an S-Class wizard!'
She soon came to a stop before one tunnel that had a bright white light shining through it. "Is that it?"
At the same time, Gray continued to wonder through the island's foliage, and he was less than pleased about his current predicament.
"Oh yeah. Splitting up was an absolutely brilliant idea!" Gray voiced his disapproval aloud. "I haven't ran into a single person yet, friend or foe! I wonder what Cana's problem is anyway, I've never seen her in such a rotten mood. I guess she could really use a drink or something." He soon came to a stop, however. "Wait a second…"
He remembered when this whole fight against Grimoire Heart started, how Cana seemed more worried about the S-Class rank than anything else. In fact, she even suggested they'd split up so they could get back to the trail sooner.
"Is she really that obsessed with getting back to the trial?" He wondered aloud in a disapproving yet concerning tone. "I know she's taken it several times before but still…"
However, Gray heard some rustle in some nearby bushes and quickly hid behind a tree. He saw none other than Ultear, still covered in bruises and even a small bit of blood on her arm and leg from her fight with Dante and the others. She carried the still-unconscious Zeref with her, his arm draped over her shoulder.
"It won't be long before your restored rightful place as ruler, Lord Zeref."
'That's Zeref?' Gray questioned upon seeing the unconscious Black Wizard. 'He looks like he can't even stand up on his own.' However, once Gray got a good look at Ultear's face, his pupils shrunk. She looks just like his old teacher/adoptive mother, Ur! 'What…!?'
He silently clenched his fists, trying to squash down his emotions as he quietly followed them. 'No, she's with Grimoire Heart. But she looks just like her. Just like my master, Ur! What's her story? Who in the hell is she?!'
Grimoire Heart Airship
Hades sat alone in a relatively dark chamber, the only light coming from the stained-glass window behind him, as he appeared to be eating dinner. Even though he couldn't see what was happening, he could sense everything that was happening on this island, including the victories and defeats of his underlings.
The guildmaster of Grimoire Heart chuckled. "This is truly entertaining, indeed."
Someone else walked into the chamber, his features obscured by the shadows, but he was clearly someone from Hades' guild. "I'm pleased to find you in such high spirits, my lord."
Hades chuckled once more. "Of my elite Eight Kin, four have already been bested, and even Ultear was forced to retreat. It would appear that Makarov has trained all of his children well, including young Dante. If Sparda could see him now, he would be quite proud of his son."
"Should I go down there?"
"Not now." Hades told his subordinate. "I'm afraid that this is not your battle to fight. Stand down, Bluenote."
"I can't let those beneath me have all the fun, can I? After all, I can't risk my body going soft." The man apparently named Bluenote placed a hand on the table.
The second he did, the table began to shake, along with the wine in Hades' glass. But it wasn't just the table, soon the entire airship began to shake, as did the environment around it. It was as if the beach was struck by a powerful earthquake, the sand as well as the ocean behind the parked ship paved away as it would appear the massive vessel was sinking.
"That is quite enough." Hades ordered, not remotely intimidated, but speaking with a firm tone.
Bluenote lifted his hand and the shaking soon stopped. "What's the matter? If we submerge the ship, they'll have no hope of finding us."
"Dante and his friends will surely try to come aboard, unaware of the horrors that await them." Hades said with an evil smirk. "I would personally like to have the pleasure of meeting that boy face-to-face, if only to see the horror in his eyes upon realizing too late that he stepped right into the Devil's heart."
"You'd rather have your prey fling itself into your gullet?" Bluenote questioned. "I'd prefer the thrill of the hunt!"
"Some other time perhaps." Hades said as he lifted his wine glass for a sip. "Our Lord and Savior Mundus' liberation hinges entirely on this operation, and I do not want you throwing my plans into disarray, so you will remain here."
Bluenote scoffed slightly. "Already half your prized fighting force are down. If one more of them should fall… I'm going in! I'm ready to fly!"
Meanwhile, back with what remained of the Magic Council fleet, the Rune Knights were still discussing what they're next move should be. At the same time, Lahar choose to inform Doranbolt of everything they knew about Grimoire Heart's ranks. One member in particular really got Doranbolt's attention.
"Bluenote Stinger is with them?!"
"Legend has it, that during the Cabria War, he single-handedly wiped out Commander Gora's Blue Dragoon regiment." Lahar informed. "It is said his power was so terrifying, that even the most dreaded of demons quake in his presence."
"They've got someone that strong…?" Doranbolt uttered in horror. "This is going to be worse than we feared!"
"I'm afraid so." Lahar confirmed. "And we have no hope of defeating them on our own, neither does Fairy Tail." He walked towards a communication lacrima. "I'll contact HQ immediately; they'll advise us on our next move."
However, Doranbolt placed his hand on Lahar's arm to stop him. "Give me some time first."
"Look here…!" Before Lahar could protest, Doranbolt had already touched the lacrima before he vanished along with it, much to the shock of Lahar and three other Rune Knights present.
"Doranbolt's vanished!"
"Not only that, but he took the communication lacrima with him!"
"How are we gonna contact headquarters now sir?"
Lahar had a concerned look on his face as he looked towards Tenrou Island. "Doranbolt… I hope you know what you're doing."
Meanwhile, back on the island; Dante, Natsu, Lucy, Trish, Lisanna, and Lady had met up with Wendy and the Exceed trio, along with the still-unconscious Makarov. As everyone else began to inform them on what they've learned so far, including Cana's little stunt, Wendy used her healing magic on Dante to try and clear out the residual effects from Job's Devil Slayer magic.
"Sorry to have you keep being my nurse-maid, Wendy." Dante apologized as he leaned back against a tree.
"It's fine, really." Wendy assured. "I'm just glad I get a chance to help you."
"I still can't believe Cana actually left you behind, Lucy." Happy said to the blonde in a concerning tone.
"I just hope she's okay." Lucy voiced.
"I'm surprised you're not mad with her." Lady pointed out. "We're in the middle of a freaking war and she's more concerned with this damn trial?!"
"I have to agree." Carla voiced her disapproval as well. "It doesn't matter what your reasons are, you do not abandon your comrades like this."
"Look, I get that Cana has a lot to answer for." Lucy admitted. "But she's still a part of Fairy Tail. Our first priority should be getting everyone to safety first. We can talk with Cana after that."
Lisanna, Natsu, and everyone else exchanged concerning glances as they knew Lucy was right. But that didn't mean Cana was off the hook. What she did was very serious and there will be a serious punishment for her actions.
Wendy had just finished with Dante. "Alright, I cleared out the last of the Devil Slayer Magic's residual effects. Your wounds should be able to heal on their own Dante."
"I'm already starting to feel better, thanks kiddo." Dante smiled as he ruffled Wendy's hair, causing her to smile to and giggle slightly. Dante's smile faded however as he looked at unconscious Makarov. "How's the old man?"
"Still out of it." Trish answered. "But I think he's past the worst of it."
"Although it would seem the master's wounds are quite serious, for some reason, I don't feel as though his life is truly in danger." Panther-Lily said.
"Perhaps it has something to do with this island being considered Fairy Tail's sacred ground." Carla assumed.
"Our guild's first master is buried here, so maybe that has something to do with it." Lisanna put her two cents in.
However, Dante soon sensed something incoming. He quickly flashed Ivory in the direction where Mest suddenly appeared with the communication lacrima. Most of the group was taken by surprise by his appearance while Trish and Lady also flashed their pistols at him.
"Well, look who showed up." Dante's eyes narrowed.
"The traitor's returned." Lily stated.
"Where did you run off to, whoever you are?" Natsu questioned with his arms on his side.
"That's Mest. He's a spy for the Magic Council." Lisanna revealed with crossed arms.
"Oh, is that so." Lady glared as she flicked the safety off her pistol.
"To be quite honest, my name is Doranbolt."
"I don't give a damn what your name is, what the hell do you want?" Dante questioned, stepping protectively in front of Wendy as he kept Ebony trained on him.
Doranbolt raised his hands to show no ill-intention. "I'm not here to cause trouble, I promise."
"Could have fooled us." Lucy glared.
"You lied and manipulated Wendy to trespass on our guild's sacred ground. Why should we trust you?" Lisanna questioned.
"Was this part of your plan?" Trish questioned. "Did you know about Grimoire Heart? Did you lead them here and use them as an excuse for the Magic Council to come in and wipe us out in one shot?!"
"No, I didn't!" Doranbolt replied. "Look, I admit it, I infiltrated your ranks to find dirt on Fairy Tail and bring it down. But I only sought your guild's disbandment! Grimoire Heart and Zeref came out of nowhere! The last thing I wanted was to put people's lives in danger! I am not a killer!"
"I believe him." Panther-Lily said, surprising the group. "When Grimoire Heart first attacked, he protected Wendy and tried to help us."
"But I also remember this guy turning tail and bailing on us the second those chumps showed up!" Natsu scowled.
"Even if this prick didn't want to kill anyone, it doesn't change the fact he took advantage of Wendy to get here." Dante kept his glare up.
Happy looked towards Wendy, who had a concerned look on her face. "Wendy." She turned to Happy as he pulled out a doll. "Show me on this doll exactly where he touched you."
"WHAT?!" Everyone exclaimed in rage as Dante, Natsu, Carla, Lady, Trish, Lucy, and Lisanna all glared at Doranbolt with glowing red eyes and fire around them, causing Doranbolt to look in comic fright.
"No, it wasn't like that!" Wendy quickly exclaimed as she ran in front of her friends to stop them from doing anything crazy. "He didn't do anything to hurt me! I swear!"
"Once again, I can vouch for that." Panther-Lily added. "He did indeed protect Wendy, and while he is a spy, he doesn't seem like the pedophilic-type."
"I'm not here to cause any trouble!" Doranbolt insisted. "I do regret involving Wendy, but I never hurt or anything. I promise you, I'm here to help. You could say I'm on a rescue mission of sorts." All ten of the members of Fairy Tail present allowed Doranbolt to speak, but that didn't mean they were trusting of him, evident by Dante, Trish, and Lady keeping their guns trained on him. "I can use my magic to transport your guildmembers somewhere safe. I'll get you as far away from this island as possible, but first I need to know where everybody is in order to do that."
"Screw you." Dante said immediately, much to Doranbolt's surprise.
"Yeah, we don't need your help." Natsu added.
"You might not be a killer, but the Council hasn't exactly done anything we could consider 'trust-worthy'." Trish commented.
"Grimoire Heart picked a fight with us." Lady said. "This is our problem, not yours! We can handle it without your so-called help!"
"Listen to me!" Doranbolt exclaimed. "I guarantee once the Council finds out what's going on here, they'll do whatever it takes the neutralize the threat!"
It didn't take a genius to figure out what he was implying. "YOU MEAN THEY'LL BLAST US WITH ETHERION AGAIN!?" Happy screamed.
"Once was enough… like seriously…" Lucy gulped.
"What's Etherion? Do you know?" Panther-Lily asked Carla.
"I don't have any first-hand experience with it, but apparently it's extremely powerful destruction magic." Carla informed Lily.
"Remember when Faust tried to destroy Extalia by crashing a massive lacrima into it back in Edolas?" Lisanna asked the black-furred Exceed. "It's something like that."
"Yeah, and the Magic Council used it on us before when we were in the Tower of Heaven." Happy added.
"Really? How did you manage to survive?" Lily questioned.
"Well it's kind of a long story, actually." Happy began to sum up. "A bunch of other crazy stuff happened, and it was all absorbed inside this huge lacrima!"
"Yet another example of this guild running into major trouble wherever they go." Carla said in a sigh.
"But if they decide to fire it while we're on the island…" Wendy said in a scared tone.
"Who knows what kind of damage it might cause this time….?" Lucy said in the same sort of tone of voice.
"It would probably blow up the entire island." Lady assumed. "Killing Fairy Tail, Grimoire Heart, and Zeref all in one shot."
"So, we'll have to take care of things before that happens." Dante stated as Doranbolt walked right up to his face.
"Your master's been defeated! And Grimoire Heart's got incredibly powerful wizards on their side! There's no way you can beat them!" The spy for the Magic Council exclaimed.
"Right, so we should go straight to the nuclear option, huh?" Dante questioned with a glare. "Is that how the Council always handles things!? Something goes wrong so they resort to a WMD?! Sorry, but I'm not exactly comfortable leaving things in the hands of a bunch of overly-zealous trigger-happy, bureaucrats!"
"We can't let that happen!" Wendy pleaded desperately. "Our guild considers this sacred ground because our first master is buried here! We have to try and protect it!"
"Here's a message for the Council…" Lisanna glared at Doranbolt. "Tell them they better back off! Because if not, there's going to be trouble!"
"We already warned your bosses what would happen if they tried to screw with us again." Trish added. "Once were done with Grimoire Heart, they're next!"
"Yeah! Tell em Fairy Tail can always take care of itself!" Happy added as well.
Doranbolt looked nothing short of applaud at all of them. "Are you threatening the Magic Council?! Some lowly wizards and devil hunters?!"
"You've got a lot to learn man." Natsu went directly up to Doranbolt's face. "Whether it's Grimoire Heart, the Magic Council, Zeref, or even Mundus, Fairy Tail doesn't back down! You attack us, it's gonna be your last mistake! We'll put you deep in the ground!"
The tension was so thick, one could cut it with a knife. Doranbolt looked to Dante, Natsu, and everyone else in this group and saw they were dead serious. They really would declare open war on the Magic Council if they threatened them. Doranbolt had no idea what to say to any of that. The only sound that could be heard was the sound of rolling thunder from gathering storm clouds.
Wendy looked up toward the dark clouds "The sky… it looks like there's a storm coming."
Meanwhile, in the swampy area of the island, Juvia and Erza were still engaged with Meredy of the Eight Kin of Purgatory. The rain woman fell to the wet ground, her body covered with large and bleeding scratches while Erza remained standing.
"Juvia!" Erza exclaimed at seeing her friend fall. "Although we don't have much magic energy left after the S-Class trials, we have the advantage! A two-on-one battle shouldn't be this difficult!"
Meredy cast an indifferent glance at Juvia. "Number thirteen."
"Don't worry, I can handle her" Erza declared as she quipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor.
"The wizard known as Erza Scarlet, your assigned number five." Meredy said in her emotionless tone.
"And what does this ranking mean?!" Erza questioned as she ran toward the younger girl, a blade in each hand.
"Your priority." Meredy answered as she produced a series of magical blades. "It is the order of which you should be eliminated!" She threw several at Erza, who deflected them with her own swords.
"Utter nonsense!" Erza stated.
"It is necessary." Meredy argued.
However, not all of the girl's blades were aimed at Erza, as most of them rained down on Juvia's defeated body, causing her to scream. Erza slashed at Meredy, but she blocked the attack by producing more magical blades.
"Tell me why you're going after Juvia!" Erza demanded.
"Number thirteen is worthless trash, so I want to get her out of the way!" Meredy answered as she shot more magical blades at the apparently defenseless woman, causing her to scream in pain even more.
"Please stay strong! Juvia!" Erza told her friend as she was put on the defensive by several more of Meredy's magic blades.
"Number four is Gildarts." Meredy continued. "But it appears he's no longer on the island. Number three is Makarov, but Master Hades has already defeated him."
Though Erza was surprised by this revelation, she didn't allow herself to lose focus as she continued to parry her swords against Meredy's magical blades. "Master Makarov is number three?! You mean to tell me there are higher priority targets than the master of our guild?!"
"Number two is Dante." Meredy replied. "He is the blood-descendent of Sparda, and the greatest threat to our guild's mission."
"And who prey-tell has higher priority than even Sparda's son?" Erza questioned.
Meredy's emotionless appearance began to give way to one of rage and fury. "Number one is that man… Gray Fullbuster!"
Juvia's body twitched slightly at the mention of that name. "Why him?" Erza questioned in surprise. "Why chose Gray?"
As more of Meredy's rage began to fill her body, her magic power appeared to grow as her dark pink aura surged like an out-of-control fire. "Because… he has her blood on his hands… Ultear's mother… died because of him!" She shot Erza a look that carried such intense hatred. "That man… can never be forgiven for the pain he caused Ultear! WHEN I FIND HIM, I'LL TEAR HIM LIMB-FROM-LIMB!"
She shot dozens more magic blades at Erza, however, before she even had a chance to retaliate, the water around Erza surged and shot upward to destroy all the magic blades, catching Erza and even Meredy by surprise.
Soon, the sky darkened as the storm clouds blot out the light from the setting sun. Already rain began to pour down over the entire area as Juvia slowly rose from the ground, almost like a zombie.
"Now you've done it…" The rain-woman uttered with glowing red eyes. "If you dare carry out that threat… I swear to you… you will never live to speak of it!"
Meredy gave an annoyed scoff, not even appearing the least bit intimidated. "What's wrong with her? She's only number thirteen."
However, Erza felt a chill go down her spine. She'd seen Juvia when she was like this, and always knew the end result was never pretty. "Wait… try to calm down Juvia…"
But it didn't appear Juvia was listening as a dark aura formed around her. "How can I do that…?" She muttered in a rather scary tone of voice. "She plans to kill my beloved over pure nonsense, and you think I should remain calm?" She walked past Erza, still like a zombie.
"No… but I…" Erza stuttered.
"I'm afraid, there's no way that's going to happen…. Not now…!" Juvia stated as her own anger reached the surface and she faced Meredy directly. "You're gonna pay for even thinking about hurting him!" She shot her fist forward, resulting in a massive fist forming from of the water, which punched Meredy so hard it sent her flying and crashing into a large tree near the far end of the swamp.
Before Meredy even had the chance to recover, Juvia shot at her with such intense speed that she already had an attack primed before Meredy could even hit the ground. "Water Nebula!" Juvia shot a cyclone of water from the ground at Meredy to send her flying higher into the air.
Erza was nothing short of impressed with Juvia. 'Amazing! Juvia's magic has always been tied directly to her emotions. When she's angry, she becomes the equivalent of a typhoon, wild and uncontrollable. But when she focuses her anger, she's almost unstoppable. And that is her true power.'
Juvia delivered a punch, surging water encasing her fist, right into Meredy's face to send her skidding across the wet aground before she faced her fellow Fairy Tail wizard. "Erza listen, go ahead, I can handle this battle on my own. Find the others and make sure they're all safe, especially my darling Gray."
Erza decided to place her faith in Juvia as she quipped from her Heaven's Wheel Armor to a simple bikini. "I certainly will, best of luck to you."
"Get back here, number five!" Meredy was ready to launch another volley of magical swords to stop Erza from leaving, but Juvia clapped two waves of water into Meredy to stop her. The younger girl leapt outward with an annoyed expression on her face. "Maguilty Rays!" She launched a series of beams of yellow light in the form of swords at Juvia, but she was more than ready.
"Water Cyclone!" She launched a trio of water-cyclones from the water below her to block the attack as their magics pressed against each other before exploding and the two combatants glared at one another. Neither was willing to let the other pass.
Meanwhile, Ultear continued to carry the unconscious Zeref toward their destination, even as the rain that continued to pour onto them. "The storm is intensifying."
However, she didn't appear to notice Gray still following them. 'Where is she taking him? Back to their base? To Grimoire Heart's master?'
At the same time, in another location of the island, Rustyrose stood in the rain as he let it pour all over his face while he recited some more poetry.
"The sky's tears wash away my own desires. Its eyes turn cloudy with a looming darkness."
"Are those the lyrics of a song, Rusty?"
Rustyrose looked up toward a rocky ledge to see Azuma sitting over him. He had thrown away his shirt to reveal his bare chest, his right arm now replaced with the black stone prosthetic he made with his own magic.
"In a way." Rusty answered his comrade. "Music to accompany my drum. Speaking of drums, it looks as though you've taken a beating. You even lost an arm?"
Azuma carried no malice or regret in his voice as he showed his stone-arm and clenched its fist. "The result of a glorious battle with a pair of skilled warriors. I lost my arm to someone who trained under the Dark Knight himself. He was a truly worthy adversary."
"You make it sound as though you're happy you lost a limb." Rustyrose observed. "Well I must have gotten the runts of the litter, because I haven't seen even a hint of skill in the enemies I've already faced. My war drum beats a strong and steady rhythm."
"You would be wise to take them seriously." Azuma warned. "They are quite formidable, not just Sparda's son. They are capable of working effectively together as a unit, holding great value over their bonds forged in fire. But even then, they're power does not rely solely on magic, they've managed to use their own convictions and motivations to fuel their power."
"They use conviction as a weapon?" Rustyrose voiced in amused surprise. "Well, that isn't unlike our blossoming flower."
Meredy continued to glare at Juvia, as neither has attacked the other yet. It was almost as if they were both daring the other to make the first move.
"I find it strange." Meredy began. "We both speak of the same Gray and yet one is boiling with hate, and the other one with love. Although it's the same person, you'd think we were discussing two different men."
"I could say the same to you." Juvia responded. "Your guild views Sparda as a heretic of sorts, while also worshiping Mundus as a god. At the same time, the rest of the world sees Sparda for the hero that he was, and Mundus as the vile monster that he is."
"Personally, I couldn't care less about Mundus." Meredy revealed, surprising Juvia. "The only reason I'm with those that worship him is to get to Gray." Juvia glared further at her as Meredy continued. "This is an amazing stroke of luck. Right away into my mission, I encounter someone who has strong feelings for that same man."
"What do you mean?!" Juvia questioned.
"Your deep feelings of love for Gray, will be what kills him!" Meredy declared. "Now Juvia, enjoy your brief journey to Heaven before you descend into the depths of Hell!" Juvia looked only confused for a moment as Meredy pointed at her. "Picture your beloved! Feel him inside your heart!"
Juvia couldn't help but do just that. During this whole war, she was terribly worried for Gray. It didn't take much for Juvia to picture him inside her head. 'My darling Gray.'
That was all Meredy needed. "Just like that! Sensory Link!"
Suddenly, Juvia's entire body was covered in a bright pink aura, causing her to scream in agony as it felt like all her nerves were pierced with some kind of invisible energy. A beam of pink light then shot from her and straight into the sky.
The very same beam shot directly at the hidden Gray like a homing missile, hitting him on his right arm. "What is that?" He questioned as he saw a pink marking that looked like a bracelet made out of magic on his wrist with a heart at the center.
Juvia, meanwhile, had the exact same mark on her own wrist. "This is Lost Magic: Maguilty Sense!" Meredy revealed with a hateful expression.
"What have you done to me?!" Juvia questioned.
"I've linked your sensations to those of your 'beloved' Gray." Meredy answered. "It can only be accomplished by those who have strong feelings."
Juvia's entire face turned comically red with a blush, even steam rose from her head as the raindrops hit. "You really mean it?!" She already heard wedding bells in her head. "My darling Gray and I are finally living our lives as one?!"
Meredy's eyelids lowered. "Only your senses."
At the same time, Gray's face was blushing just as bad and he had no idea why. "What's happening to me?! Why does my face feel so flushed all of a sudden?!"
Something of a sadistic smile formed on Meredy's face. "Doesn't it feel nice? Your senses are now completely intertwined."
Juvia was about as happy as one would expect, complete with hearts around her. "Oh yes it does! It feels so amazing I can hardly contain myself!"
"However, this means, he also shares your pain!" Meredy slashed at Juvia's arm with a Maguilty Ray attack, causing her to yell in pain.
Gray felt the exact same pain on his own arm as well, causing him to yell as well. However, this also got the attention of Ultear who still had the unconscious Zeref with her.
"He too will experience all the pain I've prepared to put you through!" Meredy stated.
That made Juvia nothing short of enraged. "What?! You would use my love to cause Gray PAIN!?" She lunged at Meredy with extreme speed, slamming the younger girl with the force of a tidal wave, sending her skidding across the ground.
"But how?!" Meredy questioned as she pulled herself up. "Her magic power has increased! I underestimated her ability! It seems her magic is tied directly to her emotions." She placed a pink orb on her own wrist and channeled her own magic. 'Then I'll do the same! I'll show her the power of what I feel!' The magic around her wrist connected to the Sensory Link on Juvia. "Sensory Link!"
This went unnoticed by Juvia as she shot a water-cyclone around her fist for a punch into Meredy's stomach to send her flying and crashing into a small cliff. However, Juvia soon screamed in pain as she felt the exact same pain inflicted onto her own stomach as well.
"Why… why is my attack hurting me to?!"
Gray felt the same pain in his own stomach as he held his aching abdomen. "Damn… where's all this pain coming from?!"
Juvia and Meredy both appeared out of breath, both of them on their knees and deep in the water as they continued to face each other.
"For Ultear's sake…" Meredy began as she weakly stood up. "I would gladly give my life… I would make that sacrifice… You're the link between me and him." She spoke to Juvia directly. "You've allowed me to connect to my target." She showed the Sensory Link on her wrist for emphasis. "With the spell I've cast; me, you, and your 'beloved' Gray are all one. All of our senses have merged. And if one of us were to die in battle, the other and Gray will die as well. It will be the end to all of our lives. No, to all of our suffering!"
Juvia's look of anger and rage had completely faded away as she looked to the younger girl in not just shock, but pity and empathy. Was Meredy really ready to throw her own life away to get rid of Gray? Did she really hate him that much?! What could have happened to her to make her loose value in her own life like this?!
"You can't be serious…" Juvia tried to reason with her as she stood up. "We all lose this way! No one lives!"
"Precisely." Meredy said without even a hint of hesitation or regret in her voice. "That's how far I'm willing to go." Juvia couldn't help but look in disbelief. "This is it! Death is all that's left for us! Make peace."
At the same time, Gray continued to hide from the supposedly unsuspecting Ultear behind a tree as he held his stomach.
'What's causing this horrible pain!? I feel like there's a knife in my gut! And why do my feet feel so cold and wet?!' He thought to himself as he looked the Sensory Link on his wrist. 'It must be this thing. Where the hell did it come from? Damn it!'
Gray peeked out from behind his cover to see Ultear getting further away with Zeref. 'If I don't' do something quick, I'm gonna loose her!'
Juvia, meanwhile, continued to feel everything Gray himself was currently feeling. 'What's this pressure on my back? Is this what Gray is feeling?'
"I can sense Gray Fullbuster's connection." Meredy said. "There's no need to fight you anymore." She had already created two magic blades around her. "In fact, I'm going to end this right now!" She crossed both blades at her neck, much to Juvia's horror. "To do that, I will die!"
"No! Don't!" Juvia tried to stop her.
"There's nothing you can do to stop me!" Meredy stated as she was more than ready to end her own life, and by extension, Gray's and Juvia's.
"My love… forgive me!" Juvia quickly coated her fist with water and punched her own leg so hard, she felt her bone crack, which was enough to bring her down, as well as Meredy, as the sudden pain shooting through her leg caused her to shatter her own blades.
Gray ached in pain as he felt the exact same sensation on his own leg.
Meredy couldn't believe what her enemy just did. "You hurt yourself for him?!" She exclaimed to Juvia who, despite the pain she was feeling, carried a look of desperate pleading in her eyes. "Your smart, I'll give you that! But causing me pain won't help! If you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me! However, doing so will only aid my vengeance! Give up! You can't keep hurting yourself forever! Eventually, your body will fail! But that doesn't matter to you, does it? You'll fight to your last breath. Don't you get it?" Meredy's voice began to crack. "Nothing you do will change our fate! All roads converge on death for us! It's the only option!"
"No, that's not true…" Juvia said as she attempted to stand. "If you leave Gray alone, we'll live!" That caught Meredy by surprise as Juvia continued. "I used to be a lot like you. But joining Fairy Tail has taught me that all life has value, even that of your enemy!"
"UTTER NONSENSE!" Meredy practically screamed, filled with a flurry of emotions as a single magical blade appeared over her head. "I WILL KILL GRAY FULLBUSTER AND PUT ULTEAR'S HEART AT EASE!"
"Not if I can help it!" Juvia limped as fast as she could toward Meredy. "If I have to knock us both out to stop you, then so be it!"
Meredy screamed at the top of her lungs as she tried to bring the blade down on herself. 'I have to kill him! For her!'
Flashback
The toddler Meredy wondered through the ruins of the city she called her home, crying the entire time. She was lost and confused, her parents and friends were gone, and she was all alone. She didn't know what else to do but cry as she stood in the middle of a ruined street. However, someone walked toward her, causing her to stop sobbing slightly, though tears were still fresh in the little girl's eyes.
This person was none other than Ultear who looked towards the toddler Meredy in sympathy and pity. Once Meredy resumed her crying, Ultear kneeled down to her level and gently put her hand on her head.
"You don't need to cry anymore, no one is going to hurt you." Ultear said gently to the little girl, who began to feel a sense of ease around the young woman.
However, Zancrow soon appeared on a pile of rubble just above them. "What gives? Who's the little brat?"
"She's a survivor." Ultear answered as Job also walked onto the scene.
"We cannot have survivors." Job said in his usual emotionless tone. "We have our mission, end this girl's life."
That statement caused the toddler Meredy to cry even more, but Ultear wasn't about to lay a finger on her. "I'm going to take her with us instead."
"You've got to be out of your freaking mind!" Zancrow protested. "Master Hades said to find Zeref's key and wipe out everyone in the city! That means her to!"
"I must agree." Job also said. "Our mission is to our lord and savior Mundus. We must not stray from his intended path."
Ultear had a kind smile on her face. "She reminds me of myself when I was a little girl." She confessed, causing Zancrow and even Job to share confused glances with one another. Ultear picked up the sobbing child in her arms who couldn't help but burry her face into her chest. "I'll take responsibility. Besides, I have a feeling she has a great gift to share with us."
Despite their initial protests, Zancrow and Job seemed to accept their leader's choice. "Sure." Zancrow said in an uncaring tone.
"As you wish." Job nodded his head.
Years would pass and Meredy would grow up in the Grimoire Heart dark guild. She would eventually learn the secrets of the Lost Magic Maguilty Sense and even rise through the ranks as the youngest member of the Eight Kin of Purgatory. It would seem Ultear was correct in the potential Meredy had, and even Hades himself acknowledged it. However, despite being a member of the guild, there was only one person in Grimoire Heart that Meredy trusted without hesitation, and that was Ultear.
Meredy, now closer to her current age, stood on the upper deck alone with Ultear as the Grimoire Heart airship continued to soar above the clouds.
"Ur, why do you look so sad all of the time?" Meredy asked upon seeing the sorrow-filled expression on the older woman's face, and it wasn't the first time she's seen it.
Ultear sighed slightly. "How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that? Ur is my deceased mother; the name 'Urtear' died with her."
"She's… dead…?" Meredy asked in minor surprise, never having heard Ultear tell her that before.
"I'll tell you about it, someday." Ultear said as she simply looked toward the sky.
Meredy however couldn't help but feel utter sympathy towards the woman who took her into the guild and became her mentor. She knew exactly what it was like to lose a parent, she lost both her mother and father when she was only a child. It was that sense of empathy that had Meredy hug onto Ultear's arm, catching her by surprise.
"You are my mother. Now and forever."
Something of a sad, yet proud, smile formed on Ultear's face. "I'm far too young to have such a mature and talented daughter."
Meredy smiled brightly with a small blush on her cheeks.
End Flashback
'I have to kill him! For her!'
Before Meredy could bring down the finishing blow on herself, a surge of water destroyed the magic-blade before Juvia pulled Meredy into a warming embrace, tears flowing down the rain woman's face. Meredy did not see this coming as she could not contained the stunned and surprised expression on her face.
'I don't understand…' The stunned Meredy thought. 'Why…? Why is she crying…?'
Juvia pulled away held Meredy by the shoulders and looked directly in the eye. "You feel love! I can see it! You love someone, and they mean the world to you!"
Meredy's mouth hung open as her eyes shook. 'How does she know?! Did I somehow share my memories with her through the link? How is this possible?'
"Please live…" Juvia practically begged as tears continued to stream down her eyes. She did indeed see everything Meredy endured through the link. All the pain she endured at such a young age, and the love she felt for Ultear. "Live for her… please… Like I live for the person I love! You don't have a choice! If you have love, you have to live!"
'Love…?' Meredy thought as her eyes continued to quake. 'Live… for Ultear…' Tears were already forming in the young girl's eyes as all the anger and hate she initially felt had begun to wash away. 'These feelings… they're overwhelming! I can't hold them back! These tears of love and life… are unstoppable!'
Before she knew it, Meredy was practically sobbing, so much so that a smiling and teary-eyed Juvia pulled the girl into another warm embrace as they fell to their knees into the watery ground. She then purposely ended her spell, allowing the Sensory Link around her wrist to vanish, followed by Juvia's, and even Gray's from his own location.
"I can't do it…. please forgive me…" Meredy uttered as she fell back into the water, allowing her exhaustion to take her.
Juvia wasn't far behind either. "My beloved Gray… be safe until I can find you…" She too fell back into the water out of exhaustion as the fight came to an end.
Back with Gray, he saw the Sensory Link around his wrist had completely vanished, and all the pain he previously felt vanished along with it.
'That thing on my wrist disappeared, and that horrible pain vanished with it.' Gray felt along his face and could feel some tears coming down his face, but they weren't from any sorrowful expressions he had felt. 'Tears?! What the hell is going on?!' He quickly rubbed them from his eyes to peek out behind the tree he was hiding to see his quarry had vanished.
"They're gone." He muttered, only to gasp in shock as he felt a presence behind him. It was Ultear. She had discovered Gray, and after setting Zeref down gently on the ground, she was able to find him relatively easily. He immediately stood up and went on the defensive. "Stay back!"
However, it didn't appear Ultear was going to attack him. "Were you following me, little man?" She asked in almost a teasing manner.
"Who are you?!" Gray demanded.
"Surely you've noticed the resemblance." She said to him. "There's a perfectly good reason that I look so much like your master, Ur. I'm her daughter."
That took Gray by surprise, clearly not expecting that. 'No way! That's impossible!' He voiced in his thoughts. 'This is the same woman who helped Jellal betray the Magic Council, and now she's a member of Grimoire Heart? Or maybe she's always been a member and was just using Jellal as a fall-guy during that whole Tower-of-Heaven fiasco.'
"Well that's news." Gray spoke. "So, are you here to kill me? You must be holding a grudge." He wouldn't put it past her, there was still a part of himself that blamed himself for Ur's death, and he already went through the same thing with Lyon before.
"No, Gray." Ultear said, getting his attention as she appeared to have a friendly smile on her face. "Actually, I've wanted to meet you for a long time. Please don't worry, I'm a friend. I want to make things right."
Meanwhile; Dante and Natsu's groups had managed to find shelter in a man-made tunnel likely created by some ancient civilization that once inhabited the island. Happy, Carla, and Panther-Lily had flown outside to do some reconnaissance; Makarov continued to lay unconscious with a blanket and pillow over his injured body, while Natsu, Dante, and even Doranbolt sat at the entrance of the cave, keeping an eye out for any possible enemies, while also giving some privacy to the five women deeper inside getting changed into some new clothes after their old ones got torn in their previous fights.
Lucy had stepped out to reveal a primarily white dress with frilled sleeves, a frilled skirt, some blue outlines, and white thing-high leggings and white shoes. Her hair tied back in pigtails. Lisanna wore something similar, a primarily red dress and skirt with a pink fire-like pattern stitched onto the back with hints of white, along with some black boots.
"Well, what do you think?" Lucy asked as she and Lisanna showed off their looks to Wendy and Virgo, the maid Celestial Spirit having brought the clothes to them.
"You both look cute!" Wendy praised with a smile.
"Thank you so much Virgo." Lisanna thanked.
"You are welcome." Virgo bowed. "It's the latest fashion from the Celestial World."
"Lady, Trish, how are you two doing?" Wendy asked as the two devil hunters stepped out from behind a large rock with their new clothes.
Lady wore a black leather, zip-up, long-sleeved shirt with black shorts and brown boots. Trish had her usual black leather pants and boots, though she had a red top with blue lightning patters stitched onto the back and sides, and a lightning-shaped zipper up front
"Better than nothing I guess." Lady said. "Never tried all black-before. At least it doesn't have frills, no offense kids." She said to Lucy and Lisanna.
"No offense taken; you both look super-hot." Lucy complemented.
"Thank you." Trish smirked. "And thanks for bringing these changes of clothes for us, Virgo."
"Happy to be of service." Virgo bowed. She then presented some clothes for Wendy. "Your turn."
Wendy was somewhat surprised. "You didn't have to do this for me."
"Please, think nothing of it. Now change before you catch cold." Virgo said.
"Okay, thanks a lot." Wendy smiled.
"Would you like some assistance getting out of your clothes?" Virgo offered.
"I think I'll be fine, thanks for offering." Wendy went behind a large rock to begin changing. As she did; Lucy, Lady, Trish, and Lisanna joined Dante and Natsu up front as they still kept their guard up.
"Doesn't show any signs of slowing down, huh?" Lady observed.
Dante and Natsu both quickly noticed Happy and Carla flying in, the two Exceeds having large leaves over their heads in the form of make-shift hats.
"Happy! Carla!" Natsu called to them. "Did you lose Lily?"
"We decided to stop at base-camp on the way here." Carla informed. "Modeus, Gajeel, Mira, and Evergreen are all in pretty bad shape."
"Elfman and Levy are watching over them, so Lily decided to stay behind and help them." Happy added as they two Exceeds landed.
"I hope they all get better real soon." Lisanna said, especially worried for her older siblings.
"Did you find anyone else on the way back?" Dante asked, standing up fully.
"Aye, we ran into Erza on the way here to." Happy answered.
"Well why didn't you bring her back?" Trish asked.
"Once we told her about the situation regarding Cana, Erza decided to try and find her herself so she could bring her back to the camp." Carla answered. "However, we also spotted Grimoire Heart's ship off the east coast of the island."
"Let's swim over and bust heads." Natsu stated.
"Hold on, I think we should regroup with everyone else back at the camp first." Trish commented.
"Yeah, Trish is right." Lucy agreed. "If we all get back together, then we can come up with a plan to take the fight to Grimoire Heart."
"Good idea." Dante said.
"But that just leaves Gray and Juvia unaccounted for." Lisanna said. "You didn't see them?"
"No, sorry." Happy shook his head.
"Alright, here's the plan." Dante began. "You guys head back to base-camp, I'll head out and meet up with Erza. We'll find Cana and bring her back."
"You sure you wanna go out by yourself?" Lady asked. "I could come with you."
"I think Lady might be right, Dante." Wendy said as she stepped out with her new outfit. A pink short kimono with black thigh-high tights on her legs, with her hair tied in two long pigtails. "Your wounds might have healed, but you're still tired."
"It'll be quicker if it's just me." Dante replied. "Without knowing what kind of powers the other Kin got, it'll be best if we get everyone back together first."
"That does make sense." Trish seemed to agree. "But still…"
"I'll be fine." The red-clad Son of Sparda assured. "Plus, I'll run into Erza real soon and we all know how strong she is."
"You won't have to travel very far." Carla said. "Just keep heading east and you should meet up with her soon."
"Alright then." Dante said as he walked outside. "Meet you guys later."
"Watch yourself buddy." Natsu said as Dante already ran off into the rain, though everyone knew Dante could handle himself, as well as Erza, it didn't make them any less worried. "We should get going to. I'll carry Gramps."
"What about me?" Doranbolt asked.
"Keep the Council from blowing us up, you damn pedophile." Lady said with a small glare as Natsu picked up Makarov's unconscious form and carried him piggy-back style.
"Listen, we don't want their help!" Lucy stated to Doranbolt. "We can take down Grimoire Heart and that Zeref-creep by ourselves."
"This group right here already took down half their elite team. We can handle the rest." Trish commented.
"Tell them there's no need to fire an Etherion blast." Wendy added.
"You really think they'll listen?" Doranbolt questioned. "You don't exactly have their trust either."
"Then buy us time." Lisanna said. "We're not leaving until we know all our friends are safe, and we're finished with Grimoire Heart." She said as the group began to walk out in the rain.
"Come back!" Doranbolt stood up and attempted to stop them, but they didn't appear to listen. "You can't beat them! No guild that's faced Grimoire Heart has lived to talk about it! Do you even have a plan?!"
"Give em everything we got." Natsu stated as he, Lady, Trish, Lucy, Lisanna, Wendy, Happy, and Carla all had serious and battle-hardened expressions on their faces. "That's all."
Doranbolt looked toward them with surprise and concern. These people were dead serious about fighting back. Fairy Tail was ready to throw everything they had at Grimoire Heart and they believed whole-heartedly they could win. It wasn't arrogance, but their own convictions and singular desire to protect those they cared for.
Meanwhile; Gray continued to face Ultear, as the former was surprised by the latter's seemingly friendly gesture.
"You're on my side?" Gray questioned skeptically.
"That's right." Ultear replied.
Gray looked down slightly. "About Ur…"
"I know, you don't need to say anything." Ultear said as a somber expression formed on her face. "Her death wasn't your fault; I don't blame anyone. My mother was simply protecting her pupils, I'm very proud of her." She said with a smile.
However, it didn't appear Gray was buying any of it as he glanced towards the still-unconscious Zeref. "Sure, whatever you say. This might sound harsh, but I honestly don't care what you think of me. And if you're as proud of her as you say you are, you've got a funny way of showing it!"
"Are you referring to Zeref?" Ultear asked.
"Damn straight!" Gray exclaimed. "If anyone's responsible for Ur's death, it's that bastard! She was killed by Deliora, a monster that he created! But instead of getting rid of him, you're gonna use his power to free Mundus and he'll kill more people than any of Zeref's creations combined!"
Ultear looked away slightly. "You have it all wrong, Gray."
"Do I?!" Gray questioned.
"Like I said, I'm going to set it right, trust me." She said to him. "This is Ur's will."
Meanwhile, Dante continued to jog through the foliage and heavy rain, looking for a certain red-haired wizard that Carla pointed him toward. His jog ended up taking him relatively close to the massive tree at the center of the island. Pretty soon however, after passing through a series of bushes, he found the person he was looking for.
"Erza!"
She turned around when she heard a familiar voice call to her. "Dante!" She stated in surprise upon seeing him. "What are you doing here? Happy and Carla said you were with Natsu and the others."
"I came to help." Dante said. "Just in case we run into any more Grimoire Heart goons. Look I know you can handle yourself, but I'd feel a whole lot better knowing all my friends are safe."
Erza was somewhat surprised before a warm smile formed on her face. "You are a good person Dante, and I truly appreciate it." She said as she put a hand on his shoulder, resulting in him smiling back, though it quickly faded.
"You heard about Cana?"
Erza's smile faded as well as she did know the situation surrounding her. "Our first priority is making sure she and the others are safe. Everything else can wait."
"Indeed. You have greater things to worry about right now."
Dante and Erza were both alarmed by this third voice. "Show yourself!" Erza demanded.
The voice belonged to none other than Azuma, who's body began to grow out upside down from the bottom of one of the massive tree-roots hanging over the pair. Dante immediately pointed Ebony right at him. "You one of the Kin?"
"Dante, the son of the Legendary Dark Knight Sparda; and Erza Scarlet also known as Titania." The dark wizard acknowledged. "My name is Azuma, and I am the strongest member of the Kin of Purgatory."
Grimoire Heart Airship
Hades had appeared to finish his meal, all while still sensing all that had happened on the island. "To think that even Meredy would be bested in combat. I never imagined more than half of the Eight Kin would fall to such weak rabble. I've no choice now." However, as Hades glanced behind him, he saw that the only other member of Grimoire Heart that wasn't a part of the Eight Kin of Purgatory had completely vanished.
The master of the dark guild sighed slightly. "It would appear that he's already left. Forgive me, Makarov. He's the one wizard I hopped I'd never have to send into the fray. The end is near."
Bluenote Stinger, who was arguably the strongest out of all of Grimoire Heart's members, excluding Master Hades himself, had already walked onto the island. He was a large and hulking middle-aged man. He had long black hair, all tied in a pony-tail that stretched all the way down to his lower back. He a dark blue sleeveless cloth over a black shirt and pants, with a black symbol representing wings at the top, and a black sun at the bottom. He also wore a white robe over his back with the Japanese kanji for 'Blue' written on it.
His goal: everyone in Fairy Tail. His desire: the guild's complete extinction. He would destroy everything, even if it meant completley obliterating of Tenrou Island itself.
Fairy Tail Basecamp
"Dante, Natsu, and the others are heading this way?" Levy asked with a relived smile. "It'll be so good to see everyone again."
"Should have known. You can't keep real men like those guys down." Elfman smirked, his arms and chest completely wrapped in bandages.
"Well, they should be here soon." Panther-Lily informed. "They're following Happy and Carla to camp as we speak. We even ran into Erza and she will retrieve Cana as well."
"With so many of our friends down, we're gonna need all the help we can get." Levy said as she looked back inside the make-shift tent to see Modeus, Gajeel, Mira, and Evergreen all still unconscious and resting up.
"We'll be adding more to the wounded when they arrive with Master." Lily said gravely.
"I still can't believe they actually beat him." Levy said looking down.
"Come on, Gramps is one of the manliest men out there! Ain't no way he's gonna kick the bucket!" Elfman stated, only to feel his aching side.
"Take it easy, Elfman." Levy told him. "You really should get some rest to."
"No. What kind of man rests when his little sister is out there?" Elfman questioned. "I'll rest when I know Lisanna is safe."
A serious expression formed on Levy's face. "We'll make sure they pay for this. We'll send Grimoire Heart running for the hills! Natsu, Lucy, Dante, and the others already beat half their elite team, we can beat the rest! If we all work together, we can pull it off! I know it!"
However, someone else had walked onto the scene. Levy and Lily looked with serious expressions, while Elfman's became one of complete and total shock, added with a gasp, as he recognized the man named Rustyrose.
"No… not him!" Elfman stuttered as sweat already began to pour down his face.
"Oh, you've survived, I'm impressed." Rustyrose admitted with an evil smile. "You're the first person to ever survive my Dark Tower of Dingir. I'll be certain to be quite thorough this time around."
"Elfman… you know this guy…?" Levy asked as she was already reading herself for the inevitable fight.
"Yeah… that's the same freak who took down me and Evergreen!" Elfman revealed as he tried to stand up as well. Despite being scared, he wasn't about to let the enemy hurt his friends again.
"Feel your drums pound faster against their cages." Rustyrose said poetically. "And prepare yourselves for oblivion! Because that is where you're headed."
"Oh yeah? That's what you think, scoundrel!" Panther-Lily said as he transformed into his large and muscular form.
At the same time; Natsu continued to carry Makarov on his back, while also leading Happy, Lucy, Lisanna, Trish, Lady, Carla, and Wendy back toward the camp. He could already pick up some of his friends' scents, they weren't that far away now.
"I'm worried Carla." Wendy confessed. "What if Doranbolt fails?"
"Just forget about that creep, we don't need him." Carla replied.
"I'm a little more worried about Dante right now." Lady said. "I know his wounds have healed, but he still shouldn't push himself."
"But he's probably met up with Erza by now." Happy replied. "And there's nobody stronger than those two."
"Let's not forget about Cana." Lucy added. "I hope Erza and Dante find her safe."
"I hope she's okay to. Just so I can give her a piece of my mind." Trish commented with a slight glare.
"Guys hold on!" Lisanna warned the group as they came to a stop, seeing a man walking towards them. But this wasn't any ordinary man, it was Bluenote Stinger. And it looked as if there as a continuous waterfall over his head, as if rain was falling at ten times the rate than anything else around the area.
"We've got company." Natsu narrowed his eyes at the approaching man. However, once he got closer, the entire group, even Lady and Trish, gave audible gasps. Not just at the intense rain falling over him, but they could practically feel the intense pressure his own magic was giving off.
"He's strong… I feel his power…!" Wendy muttered.
'This man…!' Trish could sense it as well, and it was making her more than little nervous. 'Those other guys we've seen already can't even hold a candle to him! Not even demons gave off this kind of pressure!'
"Why the hell is there a damn waterfall over him?!" Lady questioned, her hands trained on her pistols, ready for a fight.
"My Happy-Sense is starting to tingle!" Happy said as well.
"Who are you!?" Natsu demanded. "One of the Kin!?"
Bluenote came to a stop as he simply looked at the quarry in front of him for a few seconds before speaking. "Tell me, have you learned to fly?" This only confused the group as they didn't know how to respond to that. "No? Pity." He held out his hands as all rain in the area came to a sudden stop, much to everyone's shock. "Then you'll fall."
Suddenly, a massive pressure came crashing down on the Fairy Tail members as they were pressed against the ground. Even the ground itself began to collapse downward, as if gravity itself had turned against them. Already a crater was being formed as Natsu, Lisanna, Lady, Trish, Wendy, Lucy, Happy, and Carla all screamed from the intense pressure being forced on them by their new enemy.
"What… what is he…?!" Trish muttered.
"I… I can't move…!" Carla muttered as well.
"It's crushing…!" Happy exclaimed.
Bluenote didn't appear to show any signs of slowing down as he kept the pressure on his prey. His face apparently bore no emotion, save for an intense look in his eyes. It was almost as if he was demanding they fight back against him.
The intense surge of magic power could be felt all over the island, even at Basecamp, catching the attention of not only Elfman, Levy, and Lily, but also Rustyrose as well.
"Do you feel that…?" Levy asked in a frightened tone.
"What the hell is that?!" Elfman questioned.
"This presence… It's stronger than the others combined!" Levy exclaimed.
A look of annoyance, as well as a slight hint of fear, formed on Rustyrose's face as he recognized this presence. "It's seemed as though an annoyance has reared it's ugly head. Does he intend to disturb my glorious feast?"
Even Dante and Erza could feel it from their location as well, and neither of them liked it. "What is that?!" Erza questioned.
Dante looked up toward Azuma. "Hey, that one of your guys?"
"Indeed." Azuma confirmed. "This war is over. Now that Bluenote has entered the fray, all life on this island is as good as gone."
Bluenote stopped his attack as the crater was already more than fifty feet deep. Despite the intense pressure easing off; Natsu, Wendy, Carla, Lisanna, Lucy, Lady, Happy, and Trish were all flat on the ground and could barely pull themselves up.
"Who… who the hell… is this guy…?" Lady muttered as she glanced up at Bluenote who was literally looking down on them.
"You know, personally, neither the Fairy Tail guild, nor our plans for Zeref or even Mundus, mean much of anything to me." Bluenote confessed to the members of Fairy Tail below him. "But there is one thing I've been longing to do on this island. Where is the grave of Mavis Vermillion? I wish to pay my respects to Fairy Tail's first master!"
Meanwhile, Cana continued to trek through the long and winding tunnel, coming closer to the light at the very end, her exhausting journey was almost near its end. She came to a stop near the end to catch her breath for a moment.
'I've finally found it. Mavis' grave. At last, I'll become an S-Class wizard… and then… I can face my father.'
It was true, Cana had indeed found the grave as she exited the cave into a large opening with the grave of Fairy Tail's founding master underneath a hut mixed of grass and long tree roots. However, something about the grave caught Cana's attention: a golden flame burning at the center of the headstone.
"What is this… this light…?" She asked herself. "It's like fire… am I seeing things…?"
Done.
So, good news, Meredy has surrendered; so that's five of the Kin of Purgatory down, and three to go. However, Bluenote Stinger, the strongest of Grimoire Heart, next to Hades himself, has entered the fray. So Fairy Tail is far from the finish line in this war.
*Dante has met up with Erza and have confronted Azuma.
*Panther-Lily, Elfman, and Levy have to defend the camp and their injured friends from Rustyrose
*Gray has finally met Ultear face-to-face, and it would seem she's actually a friend. (It would seem)
*Natsu, Lisanna, Lady, Lucy, Trish, Wendy, Happy, and Carla have crossed paths with Bluenote and are completely overwhelmed by him.
*But, perhaps above all, Cana has found Mavis' grave.
I suppose it would be considered fate to have this particular chapter posted the day before Mother's Day because we actually see here the genuine mother-daughter bond shared by Ultear and Meredy (talk about luck, huh?)
So, what's in store for the rest of our Fairy Tail friends? How will they grasp victory from this otherwise grave and seemingly hopeless situation? Find out next time on Fairy May Cry!