Chapter 24: The End of Phantom Lord
Somewhere in the Phantom Lord guild
After the fight between both Dragon Slayers, the entire room shakes as more rubble falls around the room. Erza and Jose stare down one another as Erza have not manage land a hit on Phantom Lord Master who seems to remain calm.
"Our dragons have run amuck." Jose says amused.
Erza on the other hand has been hit by many of Jose's attacks with what she had gone through before as she is almost out of strength as she breathes heavily but kept her sword raised up and ready to continue the battle. Gray, Elfman, and Mirajane are still unconscious from what Jose did to them while Sakura is still conscious as she sits on the floor with Takeru in her arms and Latias by her side.
"It doesn't seem lie you accounted for Natsu's battle strength. He is just as powerful as I, I not more so!" Erza says as she holds her sword sideways and points it at Jose.
"Hmph. Enough with the modesty, Titania Erza. Your magical power is indeed amazing. I have never met a wizard who could hold out against me for so long. If you hadn't taken any damage from all by Shades and been fighting for so long, I suspect we may have had a better match." Jose says raising his right arm up with his palm open and holds it up. "I can't stand Makarov having a wizard this powerful in his or any other guild."
Jose then forms a fist with his right hand and extends it outward. Then with a flick of his finger and thumb, he sends an air blast right into Erza sending her flying back into the wall.
"Do you understand why I didn't finish Makarov off before?" He asks with his hand open as dark energy appears on the tip of his fingers and begins firing them at Erza, kicking up more dust and debris and then Erza flies up from it. "Despair!" he yells, sending another pressurized air blast at Erza who dodges it as she lands back on the ground only to be shot again by a small blast from the tip of Jose's middle finger as she jumps and flies to her right. Jose continues firing a few more dark energy blasts from his fingertips before continuing.
"It was to put him in despair! When he wakes up and sees his beloved guild and his beloved guild members destroyed… How will he feel?" Jose questions and chuckles a bit. "Crestfallen, I'm sure. I'll destroy that man with despair and sadness never-ending. I will not let him rest! He'll supper, and suffer, and suffer some more… 'Till the end of his days!" Jose states with his eyes widened a bit with an evil glare in them.
"That's too cruel…" Sakura says.
"You villain!" Erza yells out as she launches herself and swings her sword at Jose. Only to find herself striking thin air as she skids to a stop on her knees as Jose reappears a few feet behind her.
"Phantom Lord was always the number 1 guild. We had the most powerful magic, the most talented people, and the most money in the country. But in these past years, Fairy Tail has suddenly gotten powerful. Erza, Laxus, Mystogan, Gildarts… Those names were heard even in our city, and rumors of Salamander spread throughout the country. And now, quite recently that young tamer and holds strange magic have joined your Guild have also began making a name for herself and Fairy Tail. And at some point suddenly Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail became the two signature guilds of this country. I don't like it." Jose says squinting his eyes a bit before widens them again. "Especially when your guild was once crappy and weak!"
"Silence!" Erza yells out coming at Jose again swinging her sword as Jose dodges and slides back as Erza gives chase after him. He then disappears again in a blur and reappears atop a pile of rubble as Erza stops and points her sword at him. "Are you saying you started this war all because of some petty jealousy?!"
"Jealousy? Of course not! I wanted to show everyone our superiority!" Jose says.
"What a… What a worthless reason!" Erza shouts.
She then attacks him again, swinging her sword as Jose calmly without breaking a single sweat, dodges each swing at him and eventually counters, blasting Erza's sword out of her hand with dark magic. Then Jose creates a magic circle and summons out black skulls with purple aura around them as they fly at Erza and wrap up around her with a trail of purple magical dark energy before tightening up on her as they begin to strangle her, sending red electricity surging out as she cries out in pain.
"Erza!" Sakura calls out.
"I've long hand a distaste for your guild, so the trigger to go to war was but a trifle. A request to return the first daughter of the Heartfilia Konzern." Jose says.
"Lucy?" Erza says before the ghosts tighten their grip on her again causing more pain before loosening up a bit.
"A daughter of one of the richest families in the country in Fairy Tail? How big must you get before you're satisfied?!" Jose questions causing more pain to Erza and more electricity to surge out. "If you bastards can use the Heartfilia's money as you wish, there's no mistaking that you could gain power greater than ours. That, I cannot allow." Jose says as he tightens the grip again causing Erza to cry our more in pain before loosening it again. As Jose smirks, he notices something and gasps in shock, Erza is grinning right at him with an amused look on her face.
"Making such a big deal about who's on top… It's pitiful. But it's your lack of information gathering that's laughable!" Erza says.
"What?" Jose says confused by what she is talking about.
"Lucy ran away from home. You think she uses her family's money? She lives in a rent house for 70,000 jewel a month! She does jobs and fights, together with us! We laugh together, cry together, she's a wizard like any other in the guild! A trigger for war? The daughter of the Heartfilia family? As a flower cannot choose the place it blooms, neither can a child choose their parents…" Erza says as she suddenly managed to raise her arms from entanglement of the ghosts and begins to break her way free of their grasp. "A fiend like you knows nothing of Lucy's tears! You can't know her!"
Jose feels her breaking free from it and shows a worried expression at first but then his confident look reappears.
"I'll learn soon enough!" Jose says causing Erza to gasp in shock. "Do you seriously think I'd just hand her over to her father? If she does have any money, I'll keep her. I'll get the entire Heartfilia fortune!" Jose states with a sinister look on his face.
"Why you!" Erza yells out in anger as the ghosts have strengthens their grip on her. Erza attempts to break out but finds it more difficult.
"Don't struggle. It'll just cause you to suffer more." Jose says as he summons another magic circle in front of his other hand and two massive skeleton-like ghosts appear as they float up to Erza and open their mouths. Suddenly, Erza begins to cry out in more pain as it looks like her soul is being sucked out from her.
"Erza!" Sakura yells in horror.
"You will be dealt with next, young tamer. But for now, shall we shall start the horror show?" Jose says with his eyes wide and full of lust. Sakura's eyes are now shadowed by her hair as her hand slowly inches away from her bracelet. "Let's show how you're doing to the rest of Fairy Tail… Titania, so full of pride. If they see your pitiful state, the rest of the trash are sure to give up!"
"Does your wretchedness know no bounds?" Erza questions.
"You'll be looking pretty wretched yourself of the moment." Jose says as he laughs. All of a sudden, Jose could see a bring light at the corner of his eyes and sees that creature by Sakura's side, Latias, is changing form and the light disperses revealing Mega Latias. "What?"
"Latias, Dragon Breath." Sakura says and Latias fires the attack at Jose as it lands on him sending him and shocks Jose the difference in power of the attack from before. At the same time, Jose breaks his concentration as his ghosts disappears and Erza begins falling to the ground as she requips back into regular clothing due to all the damage she's taken.
Jose then picks himself off the ground and looks at Sakura and Latias as Erza manages to open her eyes weakly and looks at both of them.
"Sakura…" She mutters.
"Oh, what do want, you little girl? Is it that you want to save your fellow guild mate? Or is it to desert Fairy Tail and join Phantom Lord? Whatever the case, I will gladly let you join and spare your life." Jose says raising his arms forward towards her in a welcoming gesture.
"Shut up." Sakura says as the shadow still covering her eyes.
"Huh?" Jose says with a raised eyebrow.
"A person like you who only thinks about power and money and make everyone's lives miserable, is wrong. The only difference from our guild is that we value our friends, family and our bonds are inseparable." Sakura says as she clutches her fist. "Jose, you will pay for trying to hurt our friends, our Guild. To Fairy Tail!" Sakura yells as the shadow leaves her eyes showing them a serious look on them.
"Sakura…" Erza says hearing all this from her.
"Tch, persistent Fairy flies. Very well, you will be the first one to go. Don't worry, your friends will be joining you soon enough."
"Latias." Sakura calls and Latias quickly flies towards Jose at incredible speed before she headbutts into Jose's chest. When Jose crash lands on the wall, Latias comes back to Sakura's side. Jose stands back up with his left hand on his chest.
"W-What is this power?" Jose questions.
"When a compatible Pokémon holds their respective mega stone, they can evolve once more into the ultimate form. That's Mega Evolution." Sakura explains.
"Amazing…" Erza says.
"This power… Why… Why does Fairy Tail have something as powerful as this. I won't allow it! Dark Pulse!" Jose yells as he swings his right arm out in an arc, just like the first time, creating a massive blast in front of him in an arc with Latias and Sakura caught in it.
"Sakura!" Erza yells out in shock and Jose begins to laugh maniacally.
"Looks like all of that power I was feeling was for nothing! How pathetic!" Jose yells out just then his eyes widens again and looks back at the dying down explosion.
[Insert V(Volt)]
As the smoke clears, Sakura and Latias are still there standing their ground as Latias is in front of her trainer.
"What?!" Jose yells in shock.
"Let's go, Latias." Sakura says and Latias cries out. "Dragon Pulse!"
Latias fires the attack again but with more power than last one as it quickly travels to Jose, but he jumps to the right to dodge the attack. Then Sakura lifts her gloved hand as blue outlines appear around Dragon Pulse before it begins to chase the Phantom Lord's Master.
"What?!" Jose questions and the attack hits him.
"Do you think Latias is the only one you're fighting?" Sakura questions as the glove has the Mind Plate on it.
"Why you little…" Jose says when he hears someone running behind him and turns to see Takeru running towards him with a light blue energy bone in his hand before he swings it sideways on him as he is sent flying. Takeru then comes back to Sakura's side as he stands next to Latias and Jose stands back up. "You will pay…! Shade Entangle!" He yells out creating his magic circle again and sending the ghosts towards them specifically at Sakura. However, with a swift movement, Sakura takes off the plate and puts her hand up.
"Protect." She says as a turquoise force field appears in front of them causing the ghosts to be destroyed, shocking Jose as he extends his fingers out and fires dark magic blasts at her. Subsequently, the shots once again blocked by the force field as Jose stops in his tracks.
Once the force field is down, Sakura put her arm down.
"Extreme Speed." Sakura says and Takeru becomes surrounded in a white and clear aura before he runs towards Jose and quickly slams himself into Jose a few times extremely fast.
"Aura Sphere." Sakura says and Takeru then fires the attack when he gets in front of Jose and blasts the attack in front of him at directly.
"This… This can't be happening." Jose says to himself.
"This is the end! Latias use Dragon Breath at full power!" Sakura orders and Latias begins to charge the attack and fires a large multicolored dragon-shaped beam of energy from her mouth at Jose.
"Th-This can't be happening. I am the Master of Phantom Lord and one of the Ten Wizard Saints! I can't be defeated by some brat and those cursed creatures! ESPECIALLY ONES FROM FAIRY TAIL!" Jose yells out as the dragon-like energy envelops him and it explodes causing Jose send flying and crashing right into the staircase kicking up a massive amount of dust and debris.
[End V(Volt)]
Takeru comes back to Sakura's side as Latias transforms back to her previous form as the three look on towards where Jose is. Meanwhile, Erza stands back up on her feet as she looks at the staircase.
"Has Master Jose defeated?" Erza questions as they keep their eyes at where Jose crashed as smoke coming out from the hole in the stairs and suddenly, Erza widens her eyes.
Sakura, Latias, and Takeru tense up as purple light erupts from the staircase as the smoke still blocks their view on Jose. Suddenly, Jose appears out from the smoke, taking a few steps forward before stopping completely, he is surrounded in purple light, his clothes are torn to shreds as he also has scratches and bruise marks all over his body from Latias' and Takeru's attacks. However, what they caught everyone's attention is his eyes as they have completely blacked out, his pupils are small appearing as yellow dots in his eyes.
"That wasn't enough to finish him?!" Sakura questions as she is surprised at this.
"You… little brat… Never have I been so humiliated as to be beaten by some new recruit to a guild. I will make sure you pay for what you have done…" Jose says, as his voice sounds more monstrous.
"This is bad…" Sakura says.
"Enough!" A voice suddenly booms out.
From outside, dark clouds appear and swirl around above the downed magic giant as the sound of lightning booms in the air. Inside, everyone is looking around where the voice belongs to when suddenly, bright light begins to shine through the broken windows into the room. Jose seems to calm down as his eyes return to normal and he looks up past Sakura and her two Pokémons and Erza as they all turn around wondering what he is looking at. Slowly hovering down from the air is Master Makarov.
Makarov has his eyes closed with a not pleasant look on his face as he slowly hovers closer and closer to the ground. Jose sees him as he gives off a smirk while Sakura and the others are taken back by the sight of their Master before them as he finally plants his feet on the ground on top of a large pile of rubble.
"Much blood has been spilled. Children's blood. Because of their parent's failure, the children have suffered and shed tears. Enough of this, you and I. We must put this to an end!" Makarov says opening his eyes with a serious look in them.
Erza wipes away the tears that appear on her left eye as she and Sakura are glad to see their master gotten well.
"Master!" The two call in joy.
Jose looks up at Makarov as Makarov looks down at him. Jose raises his right arm when suddenly the same aura from before appears beneath his feet and his eyes turn again. "You wish to cause a disaster?" Jose questions again in a dark tone.
Makarov narrows his eyes at Jose, the veins on his forehead popping out in anger as then a bright ball of golden light appears on his left index and middle finger. Both of their actions causing small pieces of rubble to hover up into the air slowly around them as the whole room begin to shake.
"If it's for the sake of my guild!" Makarov states.
Meanwhile, Gray regains his conscious and opens his eyes.
"What is this warm, familiar magical power?" He questions and notices something as he looks up to see Erza, Sakura, Jose, and Makarov.
Purple magic energy erupts in Jose's hand as he then throws it forward sending multiple snaking magic blasts at Makarov. Makarov jumps down and creating a few golden yellow magic circles that blocks the incoming blasts.
"Everyone get away from here!" Makarov yells.
Both Gray and Elfman stands back up and notice Makarov in front of them.
"Master!" Gray shouts.
"Why is he here?" Elfman questions.
"Do as he say!" Erza shouts at them.
"Latias, Takeru, return." Sakura tells them after she gets her poke balls out for both of them. The two of them nod and they return into the poke balls before Sakura puts them away in her pocket. Then both Erza and Sakura get to them as Mirajane regains conscious and gasps upon seeing their Master.
"Let's go." Erza tells them.
"But…" Gray trails off.
"Nee-chan, can you stand?" Elfman asks his sister as Mirajane looks down.
"Now that you are here, I have no need for the small-fey. Don't worry, I'll finish them off later, of course. Especially that brat…" Jose says.
"We'll only get in his way by being here. Leave everything to the master!" Erza says as behind her, Elfman is helping Mirajane out through the wall to the outside. Erza, Gray, and Sakura look back one last time before turning and running out.
Once they are out, Sakura gets in front of them and cups her mouth.
"Lugia!" Sakura shouts and Lugia flies towards them and gets and lands on the ground in front of them before the Pokémon puts its head down as Sakura turns back around to the Fairy Tail wizards. "Let's get on! Hurry!"
"Got it!" Gray says as he and the other rush to Lugia as they get on and when Sakura gets on last she sits on Lugia's large neck before Lugia begins to take off flying away from the magic giant.
Inside
"It's been 6 years we've last faced each other, hasn't it? And Fairy Tail has grown in that time. But it's been destroyed now, hasn't it?" Jose mockingly says.
"A guild is not a building. It's a union between people!" Makarov retorts.
"But I'm so happy. I get to establish the order of superiority among the wizard saints." Jose says as then purple lights erupt around him while golden lights erupts around Makarov.
"I really owe everything to my kids! You've done well. Be proud to be part of Fairy Tail!" Makarov yells.
Outside of the magic giant, lightning begins to strike down from only the center of the swirling clouds above behind the giant as it surrounds by a dome of light with the water of the lake being kicked and staying high around the dome constantly circling around it.
"What the…" Alzack questions as he, the other Fairy Tail wizards, Sakura's three Pokémons, and Lugia spot what is happening.
"They sky!" Bisca says.
"Watch it!"
"WA–H!"
"The ground is…" Alzack says as the ground beneath their feet begins to shake.
"An earthquake?" Bisca questions.
"What the heck's going on?"
Back inside, Makarov and Jose send forth blasts of their magic at each other. The blasts impact into each other as their respective magic blasts back from the continuing impacting of their attacks as they attempt to overpower the other. Seeing the fight going nowhere, Makarov sends another golden blast flying around Jose's attacks as he does the same thing, their attacks once again connecting into one another until eventually a lucky one gets through and strikes Jose on his shoulder and the same though for Makarov as they are both blasted back.
"Dead Wave!" Jose yells sending a massive blast at Makarov who is engulfs by it.
Outside, the power of his attack sends out more dark magic blasts exploding out from the giant kicking up more high waves in the lake from the shockwave which is felt even by the mages at the guild.
Back inside, the smoke begins to clear when suddenly Makarov emerges from it nearly unscathed by three magic circles surrounding him before they move in front of him. Makarov then puts his fingers together and bends at Jose between the magic circles. Jose is hit by the blast but doesn't flinch or cry out as outside the attack sends out a bright massive light from the giant. This cause Natsu to send him flying over the edge to a floor below.
"Natsu!" Happy yells.
"Are you okay?" Lucy asks.
"Yeah!" Natsu replies.
"But what was that?" Happy wonders. Natsu then grins and chuckles making Lucy wonder.
"This is Gramps' magic, no doubt about it!" Natsu says.
Inside, both Makarov and Jose lands back on the ground as Makarov lands on the pile of rubble.
"Impressive. Such magical power and yet so young. You do have what it takes to bear the title of Wizard Saint. If you used that power for good and become a role-model for the younger generation, you would have led the magic world to its future…" Makarov says.
"You're lecturing me, aren't you?" Jose calmly asks.
"As in Fairy Tail tradition, I shall count to three before rendering judgement upon you. Beg for mercy." Makarov says with a serious and anger look on his face. However, Jose doesn't buy it and begins to laugh. "One!"
"I wonder what you'd say. Buy this? 'Beg for mercy?!'" Jose yells widening his eyes with an amused look.
"Two!" Makarov continues with his eyes blank as he brings his hands close together and opens them up as his right hand upside down as a golden ball of light appears between his hands.
"You expect the number-one guild in the country to bow down to you? Don't kid yourself!" Jose says summoning snake-like ghosts that appear to be laughing from his right hand as he holds it out to his side. "I can fight toe-to-toe with you! No, I won't hold back, so I'm actually more powerful!" Jose yells.
"Three!" Makarov yells as the light begins to slowly expands and glows brighter.
"You're the one should beg for mercy! Begone! Disappear with your brats into the ranks of history, Fairy Tail!"
"Time's up!" Makarov states.
"Die, Fairy Tail!" Jose cries out throwing both of his arms forward and sending his ghost creatures at Makarov. Makarov slams his hands together with the light still glowing out from between them. The light begins to shine brighter and brighter as the light destroys Jose's ghost before they can reach Makarov and Hose suddenly begins to cry out. The entire room shakes and suddenly covers in the bright golden light in between Makarov's hands.
"Fairy Law is invoked!" Makarov yells as he opens his eyes as golden magic circles with the Fairy Tail symbol in the center of them appearing in front of his eyes.
Outside
A bright light appears from the magic giant, the center of the dark clouds breaks apart as the sun shines down through it onto the giant as then a massive golden magic circle appears right above it, shining brightly that all of the Fairy Tail mages and Sakura's Pokémons fighting the Shades cover their eyes from it. Meanwhile, Lucy, Happy, Erza, Gray, Mirajane, Elfman, and Sakura all seem to have no problem looking back at it.
"What is this light?" Alzack questions.
"So bright…" Bisca says and the Shade beside her disappears. One by one, the rest of the Shades begin to disappear for good. "The Shades are… Only the Shades are disappearing." She says as she notices this. Eventually, all the Shades are gone and everyone begins to lower their hands in Sakura's Pokémons case, opening their eyes, and look at the bright light.
"One after another! But nothing's happening to us!" Alzack says.
"This light… is compassionate." Bisca says.
"It's Fairy Law." Erza says.
"Fairy Law?" Gray and Sakura asks.
"Righteous light that slays the darkness. It slays only that which the caster believes is the enemy. It's a super-powerful magic, mow counted as legend." Erza explains.
Finally, the light, that is Fairy Law, dies down and disappears, the dark clouds also gone as it is once again a clear blue sky with the sun shining down over Magnolia.
Inside
The room is no more, everything is now in ruin and rubble scatters across the floor. In the center of the room is Jose, but his whole body, skin, hair, and his clothes had lost their colors and gone completely pale gray. Jose is shaking where he stood, his arms covering his eyes and chest with only his mouth being shown as it was completely wide open. Cackles of terror are light escaped from his mouth as eventually his eyes are seen to be devoid of life as they stare wide-eye in fear and his skin also gotten wrinkly. Jose is in a petrified state, unable to move except for the shaking of his body.
Makarov stands in front of him with the still serious and angry look on his face. "Never come near Fairy Tail again." Makarov says as he then turns around. "The council will not stay silent after things have gotten so flashy. You should watch out for your own skin for a while. And same for me…" He says as he begins to walk away. Out of nowhere, Aria appears behind him, somehow recovered from his fight as he reaches out for Makarov, his eyes and mouth wide open in excitement.
"The sadness… He's wide open, just like the last time! He's mine!" Aria though as he prepares to drain Makarov's magic again as Makarov seems unaware of it as Aria gets closer. Suddenly, Makarov throws his right arm back and extends it out, slamming it right across his face and sending him flying into a pillar that still stands. Makarov then brings his arm back to normal as Aria's had falls into the floor a few feet behind him.
"It's over! The battle of the guilds is finished. But if you try anything more, I'll 'clean you out,' and leave not a trace…" Makarov says and turns around with a happy and perked up expression as he points at Aria. "Take Jose with you and go home! Right now!" Makarov says with his old happy tone.
"Yippee! We beat Phantom!" The Fairy Tail mages cry out as all of them raised their hands into the air and did their own things to celebrate.
Erza and the others have arrived back at the ruins to the guild as they get off Lugia's back as they all also happy at the victory as Erza lightly smiles, Gray and Elfman give a small grin, Mirajane has her mouth open into a smile and her hands together, and Sakura has her arm raise into the air. Happy is still in the air flying and carrying Lucy as the two also has their mouths open into smiles with Lucy laughing lightly in joy.
Eventually, Makarov appears on one of the arms of the giant and looks down at the gathered Fairy Tail wizards and trainer as their group has made their way to the front of the others as everyone has their attention turn towards Makarov.
"This victory is not from just my power, but a victory for our whole family." Makarov says.
Meanwhile, still lying atop the giant of the destroyed Phantom Lord Headquarter, Natsu looks up at the sky with a smile on his face.
"I knew you could do it, Gramps…" Natsu says closing his eyes happily.