Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 50: Festive Life

Here we are. With the end in sight. I never thought the day would come so soon when Fairy Tail actually ends. On one hand that means no more curve balls that will totally fuck with my writing (Rosemary and Irene? C'mon! That made me worry for months!). On the other hand I love this series. And even if Mashima said that there might still be stories involved with it in the future, I'm not ready to see it go.

It had problems. It could have done better. There's so much I wanted. But damn am I gonna miss it. By the time I release the next chapter it'll probably be over.

And that hurts.

########Hunter########

Erza sighed in relief and clapped her hands together. With a satisfied huff she flipped some hair out of her eyes and turned back to the cowering men and cat watching her pressed to the side of the hall. She gave a confident smile and crossed her arms together, "Okay, I think I've cooled down now."

Gajeel coughed and twitched on the ground by her feet as he tried to form words but failed. Natsu felt bad for calling him out, but then realized he sorta deserved it for nearly destroying Erza.

Naruto was immediately on his feet again and ran up to hug his lover. He actually lifted Erza off her feet and squeezed her as tightly as possible before lowering her back on the ground. The blond man was beyond relief to have the redhead back but he he saw the amused smile on Erza's face. He gulped and wiped his eyes on reflex, "I wasn't worried about you. I knew you were going to be okay."

"I heard pretty much everything you all said." Erza smiled and reached up to kiss his cheek, "You suck at lying."

"Shut up."

"Erza, are you really alright?" Makarov interrupted their moment. The old Wizard Saint seemed puzzled as he looked the S-Class Mage over, "How is this possible? Evergreen's magic isn't weak you shouldn't have been able to break out of it like that."

"C-Coating." Gajeel moaned as he raised his fist victoriously, "Just a coating of rock over them. I-I was right. I'm always right. You may proceed to kiss my ass."

"No it wasn't coating. I remember everything that happened." Erza elaborated, "Someone tapped my shoulder and when I looked around I saw Evergreen's eyes before they petrified me. Dammit, I was careless." The redhead grit her teeth before continuing, "After that I saw her do it to the rest of the contestants, and then Laxus made his speech with the other Raijinshū beside him. He kidnapped Koyuki, challenged everyone to a fight, and you all have been stuck in here behind that barrier. I only got out of it because Gajeel knocked me over."

"THEN WHY THE FUCK DID YOU BEAT ME UP?!"

"BECAUSE IF IT DIDN'T WORK I'D BE A MILLION SHATTERED PIECES OF STONE OVER THE GROUND!" Erza barked back before pointing at the Dragon Slayer, "AND THAT'S NOT GOING TO WORK FOR THE OTHER GIRLS SO DON'T EVEN TRY IT!"

"But that doesn't explain how you got out."

Erza turned back to her master and pulled some hair away from her blue eye, "I think it didn't work because only half of the magic actually affected me."

"Your prosthetic eye! Of course! The eye magic couldn't work fully on you because of it!" Makarov's beamed a look of joy, "Erza, you may very well be our ace to turn the tide of this battle!"

"Aye!" Happy flew into the air and cheered in agreement. With Erza free and on their side their fortunes had suddenly skyrocketed.

"Hold on!" Natsu spoke up and looked between the others with a desperate look in his eyes, "I wanna fight too! There's no point if Erza goes out there and beats all of them! I wanna fight!"

"Very well Natsu." Erza nodded, "Once this fight is over you and I can do battle if you wish." Natsu immediately blanked and shrunk back into himself once the idea of fighting the stern redhead came into question. She seemed satisfied with his response and nodded, "Then I guess I should get out there and stop them."

"Be careful." Naruto warned, "We think they set up traps around the town. Plus Mahiro went out there and we haven't heard anything back from her yet."

"That's disheartening." Erza muttered but even so she strode towards the entrance of the guild with determination brimming in her mismatched eyes. She was not intimidated by the odds against her, and she would not falter from the task at hand. Her guild needed her. Her family. Her sister. Her friends. Everyone. She would not waver in this fight, "But I'm sure I'll find her out there with the others."

"Erza wait! That barrier that's keeping us confined in here-"

Erza threw her hand out as Excalibur appear in it from her Requip space. She gripped the broadsword tightly and felt a glow come from her sword as its special property started to carry out. Erza swung it at blinding speeds towards the Jutsu Shiki and the others gaped when they saw a visible cut in the air before her. The redhead Mage believed she had succeeded for a moment before the cut immediately sealed itself with a burst of purple lightning.

She narrowed her eyes and stabbed it into the ground by the runes instead. Another discharge accompanied it but there was still no sign of being able to breach the barrier with her weapon. She turned back around and shook her head, "I'm sorry but that's all I can do against this thing right now. I can keep trying."

"No, you'll just be wasting you energy." Makarov shook his head. He looked back at the still frustrated expression of the other men confined in the guild. Even with Erza revived and ready to continue the fight they were forced to sit back and wait for this to end. It was impossible to not be angry, but they didn't have time to waste just wallowing in anger, "Just get out there and stop them as best you can. If you can stop Evergreen maybe she can lift the petrification on the other girls. Try and reconvene with Mahiro and then find Laxus and rescue Koyuki."

"Of course, Master."

Happy came up to her side, "Erza, do you want me to fly you over the town for a better look?"

"Thank you Happy but I can fly on my own. Plus if they saw you they might try to take you out for an advantage over me during battle."

"Erza." She raised her hand and caught the black blade that was tossed to her. She quickly secured it to her side and looked up at Naruto as he gave her a confident nod, "I know you already got a ton with you, but just to be safe. Be careful out there."

"I know. And thankfully this sword goes so well with my outfit."

"You seriously going out like that?" Gajeel questioned as Erza gave her comrades a thumbs-up. The pierced man groaned, "Fucking weirdos."

Erza sent them all a nod and started striding out of the guild without pause. She easily passed through the door with no interference unlike the rest of them and she disappeared into Magnolia.

Naruto was gonna do everything he could think of to thank her for her contribution. Maybe buy a hotel room so they didn't wreck any rooms in their house or Fairy Hills. But then they'd have to deal with noise complaints.

Meh, cross the bridge when it came.

"Hey guys," Happy spoke up while he stared up at the top of the doorway, "With Erza back, we have four Fairies fighting for us, right?"

"Yeah, can't you count Happy?"

"I thought I could." Happy pointed his paw up and pulled their attention towards the report, "But why are there five then?"

########Hunter########

Erza walked through the streets of the town and kept vigilant of any Raijinshū members that could suddenly pop up to attack her. Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen were skilled and extraordinarily gifted Mages, but if they were able to defeat over 80 Fairy Tail Mages without being injured enough to stop, then they must have had some method of doing so.

Freed's runes probably littered the town. Bickslow' totems could appear at any time. And if Evergreen caught her off guard again then she probably won't be so lucky to break free with the help of a third party.

Some civilians greeted her, waving hello and asking her why she was dressed so strangely when the weather was turning brisk. Erza hated being rude but she didn't return the greeting and kept her focus on whatever might change in her surroundings. She had to be cautious.

Erza's hand immediately fell to Naruto's blade and pulled it out in one swift move. Her hair whipped about by her sudden movement as she aimed the tip of the blade upwards.

"Awww~, and here I was thinking I was being all sneaky. I guess I just can't hide from you." The lovely brunette leaned forward a little to look down at the cautious redhead. Evergreen's tongue came out to wet her full lips as she smiled and crossed her legs over the edge of the building. She pulled out her fan and hid her face behind it, "It's nice to see you up and about, Titania."

"My pleasure, Evergreen." Erza responded, "I'd have preferred you didn't sneak up behind me and use your Stone Eyes like that."

"Speaking of which how did you escape your petrification?" Evergreen closed her fan and frowned down at the red-haired woman, "I take serious pride in my magic incapacitating people. That's a blow to my name if you can just stride out of it so simply."

"It wasn't simple." Erza jabbed with a sly smirk, "It actually took one of the boys unconsciously waving his arms to dispel your specialty."

Evergreen's eyes narrowed behind her glasses, "Now Erza, please don't try to rile me up like that. Do I have to stone you again?"

"It won't work as well as you think." Erza's blue eye hid behind her bangs, wary to divulge her secret against her opponent's signature move.

"Poo, maybe you're right." Evergreen huffed, "Maybe instead I should just hold the rest of the girls hostage and threaten to break them-"

Evergreen immediately leapt from the edge of the building and flipped backwards as the spot she had been sitting on exploded. Erza landed on the roof as well with her sword at her side as the brunette sighed, "Geez, it's a joke. Where's the fun if I don't get the chance to beat you and take the title of Queen of Fairies for myself."

Erza scowled, "How can you joke about that? Those are your comrades, Evergreen. Your family. Can you really be okay with all this fighting and hurting them like this?" Evergreen's smile lowered and the green-clad woman looked more conflicted with each word, "Evergreen?!"

"Enough with the heavy stuff." The Raijinshū member deflected Erza's urgent cry with a casual wave of her hand. Her glasses glinted dangerously as a furtive leer stretched her lips, "How about you and I have a match? If I win, I claim the title of Titania for myself. After all I much more fairy-like and regal than you present yourself to be. But if you win I'll release the petrification on the other girls. How does that sound?"

"Why don't we just cut out the fight?" Erza countered, "I'm mad with what you and the others have done Evergreen but you are still my comrades. I'd prefer not to fight you. I never cared for the title and I'm not even sure where I got it from in the first place." These nicknames and monikers always sprung up out of nowhere. Usually from some paper article throwing out ideas, "If you release the girls then I will happily refer to you as the Queen of Fairies. How is that for a fair trade?"

"You would surrender your title so willingly? Just like that? What happened to the proud, demanding woman that commanded everyone in the guild with a simple raise of her hand? The great, unwavering, unyielding queen?"

"My friends were pulled into a battlefield. The girl I see as my sister was taken captive to spur on a fight. The man I see like a father has to watch behind an empty door as his children beat each other into unconsciousness." Erza's eyes softened, "I wouldn't dare prioritize my pride or name over stopping that from happening."

"I wanna claim the title. I wanna earn it." Evergreen's eyes hardened behind her spectacles, "So the questions is; are you ready to fight Erza, or not?"

"I said I prefer not to fight you." Her blue and brown eyes glinted with determination as her fingers tightened around the grip of her sword, "But that doesn't mean I won't."

The moment Erza finished, Evergreen swung her fan out as hundreds of magic needles formed from the end. With another wave they fired off rapidly towards the prone redhead. Erza seemed overwhelmed by the sheer number of projectiles making their way towards her, but without hesitation she swung the sword out to shatter a number of them. The woman in the Gothic Lolita garb weaved through the onslaught of needles and shattered every single one that came her way.

"How about this?!" Evergreen increased the number, waving her fan back and forth as hundreds of more needles flew towards Erza. The green-clad woman smirked as for a moment the redhead was completely blocked out by her needles.

"Evergreen!"

The Raijinshū woman was shocked when Erza barreled through the barrage of magic attacks with another blade in hand. The S-Class Mage charged forward and yelled at the top of her lungs as she brought both blades up in a cross. She swung out when she got close to Evergreen but the green-clad beauty flew up before it reached her. Erza glared up at the floating Fairy and prepared to jump but noticed she was being surrounded by sudden bursts of flames.

"Gremlin!" Evergreen waved her fan upwards and Erza was caught in a fiery explosion that completely engulfed her. "Gotcha!" Evergreen proudly announced her victory before her eyes widened when she saw the explosion suddenly split in half. Her reflexes flared and she flew to the side as a red blur dashed through where she was flying. She stopped in the air and looked over to see Erza flying in the spot she occupied a moment ago. The redhead was dressed in her Flame Empress Armor and didn't have a scratch or mark on her. Evergreen frowned, "No fair~."

Erza yelled and charged for Evergreen while waving her blades through the air. Evergreen dodged by a hair's breadth and flew over the redhead before diving back down. Erza was quick to circle back and swoop over the buildings to chase after her.

People in the streets pointed up and marveled at the green and red blurs zipping over the top of Magnolia's cityscape. Evergreen spun around and released a wave of needles back at her opponent. The redhead shattered the needles with the black sword and conjured up flames around her with the red one. The fire danced before she shot it up towards the fleeing Evergreen. The brunette squeaked as she avoided the worst of the flames but lost a good portion of her speed.

Evergreen spun through the air to avoid Erza's dash before the redhead came to a sudden stop. The Raijinshū member looked up in shock as Erza held out both swords and started spinning down at her like a bladed top. Evergreen panicked and released another wave of her Leprechaun at her foe to protect herself. But Erza easily barreled through the barrage of attacks and came upon Evergreen like a shadow of death. The buxom bespectacled woman held up her fan in an attempt to protect herself from the swords but was blindsided when Erza suddenly stopped and shoved both of her feet into Ever's stomach.

"GAH!" Evergreen gasped as she knocked out of the air and went careening down towards the buildings. She extend her wings in an attempt to halt her rapid descent but felt them buckle under the massive air pressure. She was only able to slow down by the smallest of margin's before she hit the roof with a bodily thud. Ever riled on the roof, sucking in as much air as she could as tears came to the sides of her eyes, "D-Dammit it all."

"That's enough Evergreen." Erza slowly lowered herself to the roof. Her twin-tailed hair bobbed as Erza looked at the downed woman pitifully, "This fight is over."

"Y-Yeah, I guess you're right." Evergreen went up to wipe her face before suddenly looking up at Erza with her Stone Eyes, "Not!"

"Yes it is." Evergreen gawked in horror as Erza shut one eye and watched over Evergreen with her blue eye instead. Titania shook her head, "I told you already that your petrification wouldn't work on me anymore."

"You seriously weren't kidding about that." Evergreen lifted herself up onto her hands and knees even while her head hung in disappointment. She clicked her teeth, "I just can't beat you, can I? Every goddamn time I think I have something up on you or some way to finally surpass you, turns out I've just been dragging behind one step."

"I understand your frustration, Evergreen." The woman scoffed but Erza continued, "But that doesn't mean you have to persist with this course of action. Attacking your comrades. Holding others hostage. This is not how you prove yourself to be the best."

"I know." Evergreen tried to stand up but buckled into her knees trying to exert herself. Erza reflexively reached her hand out to assist her fellow Fairy but Ever forced her knees together and stood up, "I'm not the best. But Laxus is. He was the one who found me. That gave me purpose. Gave me strength. So I'm gonna help him become the best guild master ever."

"Even if that means hurting Fairy Tail?"

"Yes!" Evergreen snapped back, "I will do everything I can to help raise him up! So no! I won't give up to you!"

"I'm not going to hurt you anymore, Evergreen. You are already beaten - AHHHH!"

Erza screamed in pain as pain shot through her whole body and she was sent flying across the roof. Her armor shattered on her back after the surprise attack had caught her off guard. The redhead gasped, coughing up some bile as she powered through her pain. She lifted herself up and looked back at her attacker before her eyes widened in horror, "Oh god no."

Standing on the roof with Erza and Evergreen was Mahiro. Her eyes were hazed over and her skin was a dark, unnatural red. Erza was shocked by the appearance of her dear friend but it was Evergreen who yelled in anger, "Dammit Bickslow this is my fight!

Mahiro shuddered and looked towards the brunette with her voice coming out in a raspy tone, "L-Laxus. I-I-Impatient."

Evergreen shook with anger but yelled, "I can handle her! Tell Laxus just a little longer! I promise I'll show him I can beat her and...prove...myself..."

Ever's eyes were glazed and her body slumped over. She fell to her knees and mumbled under her breath before she finally lost consciousness. Mahiro seemed affected by whatever knocked Evergreen out for only a moment but Bickslow's possession kept her immune from its full effect. Erza watched in surprise before she heard footsteps on the tiles beside her.

Standing over her was a tall figure draped in multiple rags and clothes to conceal his body. Secured on his back were five magical staves with wildly different tips. The masked figure stood across from the possessed Senju and narrowed his eyes from underneath his bandana.

"I didn't think you would show up." Erza said as she stood up and ingored the pain spiking through her side. Her body glowed and she changed her armor into another combative model, "I appreciate you assisting us. But maybe you should have been on the lookout for Laxus instead."

"You seemed in need of assistance." Mystogan's heavy voice responded as he made no move to look at the girl by his side, "And besides, I believe now I won't be able to escape to find him even if I tried."

"Bickslow wouldn't have been able to possess Mahiro so easily. He must have done something to catch her."

"I doubt he'd be able to control someone so much stronger than him without considerable effort." Mystogan looked around, "I'm sure he's hiding himself and focusing on controlling her movements. It would be easier to deal with him than fighting her."

"Yes it would." Erza nodded but raised her sword once she saw Mahiro lower into a stance and gather magic in her hand. Mystogan drew one staff from his back to prepare for battle, "But it never is easier, is it?"

########Hunter########

"And who do you think you - oh." Lucy paused as she realized the woman in front of her had suddenly disappeared. The busty blonde looked around at all the other confused girls on stage. She scratched her head, "What the heck?"

"Lucy!" The blonde stumbled back when a blue cat flew directly into her chest and hugged her tightly. Happy cried out with joy, "You're okay!"

"Happy?"

"Lisanna!" Natsu jumped on stage and hugged the startled white-haired girl.

"Natsu?"

Cana looked herself over, noting she was still in her competition bikini and scratching her head before looking around at the other girls. Mira, Levy, Bisca, and Juvia looked just as confused as her, "Did I blackout or something? Sudden scene change."

"Well that wouldn't be much different from your usual day." Naruto ribbed as he walked up to the stage and looked between the girls with a relieved smile, "Glad to see you girls back from your stints as bird perches."

"What do you mean?"

"You were petrified by Evergreen." Makarov explained, relief and joy evident in his voice as he looked between the girls, "Laxus was holding you hostage so the rest of the guild would participate in a fight between each other to rescue you." They gasped as he looked back to the entrance, "Fortunately Erza escaped and was able to save you."

Progress Report:

Erza vs Evergreen: Interrupted

Erza and Mystogan vs Mahiro

"Mahiro?" Mira looked at the report in confusion as she accepted Naruto's hand to step down from the stage. The barmaid looked so perplexed before she looked up at her blond friend for some clarity, "W-Why is she fighting against Erza? What is going on?"

"Laxus kidnapped Koyuki. He's holding onto her and keeping all of you petrified so he could force Jiji to hand over the title of guild master."

Mira covered her mouth in horror as the other girls looked shocked. Lucy looked around at the men around them and asked, "Well why aren't you guys out there fighting too?"

"Don't you think we tried that!" Gajeel roared and made Lucy squeak and jump in fright. The black-haired Mage grit his teeth and seethed with anger, "The stupid fucking lighting bolt erected some stupid fucking barrier to keep the stupid fucking geezer in place but for some stupid fucking reason it's keeping all of us in here as well so all we can do is watch as everyone else fights while we're STUCK IN THE STUPID FUCKING GUILD!"

Everyone stared at Gajeel after his tirade continued to grow louder and louder before he exploded. The pink-haired Dragon Slayer ignored Gajeel's huffing and frowned, "But I'm really pissed that we don't get to go out there and fight too."

Lisanna sighed and bopped him across the head.

"But we're free now, right?" Levy asked and looked around with some hope in her eyes, "We aren't being held hostage anymore. So if we just go out there and find Koyuki, then Laxus won't have anymore leverage over us. We don't have to participate in his fight anymore."

"Hold that thought."

The Fairies looked around in surprise when they saw some magic windows pop up around the guild with Laxus' insignia on them. The young Dreyar's voice boomed out, "Congratulations on getting all the ladies out, Jiji. I don't know how you got Erza out of it but I guess you got someone to go out here and fight your battles for you. She may have beaten Evergreen, but she might have some trouble facing off against Mahiro. She always was sentimental like that."

"How the hell did you get Mahiro to fight for you, bastard?!"

"Well it might not be with her consent. But she's certainly ready to fight our battles."

"Laxus!" Makarov yelled with fury as his veins started to pulse and his face went red, "That is enough of this! The girls have been recused! We're going to recuse Koyuki as well! Stop wasting time and end this silly farce!"

"The only one wasting time here right now is you, Jiji. And here's how. I know it might not be as effective as holding the guild hostage, but how about Magnolia instead? I'm giving you an hour and 10 minutes to surrender your position to me completely. After that, I will activate Hall of Thunder and render this place into a scorch mark. I'll let you mull that over."

"Laxus-"

The window closed before anyone else could call out to the rogue S-Class Mage. The Fairies were left in utter silence after Laxus' dire warning. They looked between each other in confusion before Happy noticed something floating in the horizon over the other buildings. He started flying for the door, "What's that?"

The others watched the blue cat float away and the girls were quick to follow. When they did and looked up they saw hundreds of black Lacrima hovering over the border of Magnolia. They were circling in the air with lightning bolts bouncing around inside of it. Lucy paled, "W-What are those?"

"Lightning Lacrima." Cana answered, "They contain concentrated burst of magic that would annihilate anything in its vicinity." The busty brunette looked around with fear in her eyes as she counted the hundreds of Lacrima that floated over the town and threatened it with annihilation, "If these things actually go off then Laxus wasn't kidding. This place will just be a scorch mark."

"Juvia is worried." She looked around, "How do we handle destroying all of them before the time limit is met?"

"I've got it handled." The others looked back at Bisca as she suddenly had a sniper rifle in her hands. She aimed down the barrel and caught one of the Lacrima in her sights. Without hesitation she fired and shattered the orb out of the sky. The boys and girls cheered for their sniper as she lowered her gun and smirked, "If it's handling these long-range shots then we won't have any - AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Everyone jumped back in shock as Bisca was engulfed in a sudden burst of electricity that covered her entire body. The green-haired woman screamed in agony before the electricity finally disappeared and smoke came off the gunner's form. Mira gasped as she and Lisanna came to catch her before she dropped to the ground in an unconscious heap, "Bisca! Oh god Bisca answer me!"

"Get her over here!"

Being careful with the injured gunner, Cana and Juvia lifted her by the legs and shoulders to carry her back into the guild. They gently laid her down on the floor of the guild as Naruto pulled his Sky sword from his Requip and started doing what he could to ease Bisca's pain. Natsu looked over her injuries with befuddlement, "How the hell did she get hurt?! She just shot that thing down and then she was injured!"

"Living Link Magic." Levy muttered, "Laxus set these things up with magic so whatever damage we cause to the Lacrima is sent right back at us." She looked out over the town, "And there are so many of them. I don't think we can destroy all of them by ourselves."

"So we can't destroy them before they go off." Cana clicked her teeth with a scowl, "I hate to admit it but Laxus and the others really thought things through." The bikini-clad woman sighed before walking over to the side of the guild and grabbing her jacket. She made her way out and slung it over her arms, grabbing a handful of her cards, "Well if that's how it is then we just gotta stop Laxus ourselves."

"Yeah!" Lucy pumped her fists and ran after Cana, "Let's save Fairy Tail!"

"Gray-sama! Juvia has to find Gray-sama!" Juvia was clearly panicking and grabbed Gajeel's collar roughly before getting in his face, "Gajeel-kun, Juvia needs to know where he last was!"

"I don't wanna know where that stripper is, you crazy woman!" The Iron Dragon Slayer attempted to pry her hands off him but realized once again just how stubborn she could be at her worst moments, "Dammit let go of me!"

"Gray was fighting out in the town with Elfman. They couldn't beat each other and were rendered unconscious."

"Gray-sama!" Juvia tossed Gajeel aside and charged out of the guild, "Juvia is coming! Just wait for her loving embrace!"

"Mira-nee! Let's go!" Lisanna was already making her way out the door before calling back to her older sister, "Elf-niichan needs us!"

Mira stepped to the edge of the door before looking back at the others still confined in the guild. Levy was staying back to help Bisca. Gajeel was huffing and fixing his shirt while Natsu encouraged Happy to go out there and help them look for help. The white-haired beauty looked over to see Makarov shaking with anger and Naruto picking Bisca up to bring her to the infirmary. The blond looked up in time to see Mira's complex expression before he nodded.

The former S-Class Mage hesitated before turning around and running to help her family.

"Dammit! Dammit dammit DAMMIT!" Makarov yelled at the top of his lungs and made the others flinch in surprise, "LAXUS, HOW THE HELL COULD YOU DO THIS?! YOU WOULD REALLY GO THIS FAR?!"

"Jiji! Calm down!" Naruto called back.

"Jii-chan, we're gonna stop him." Natsu nodded.

"It's okay Master." Levy tried to encourage him, "I think I might be able to help in this situation."

"How could he do something like this?!" Makarov ignored their warnings and continued to rage, "Why does another one of my boys have to go this far?! Why - w-why-" Makarov stumbled and grabbed his chest as his face twisted with pain, "O-Oh god."

"Geezer?"

"Master?!"

"Jiji!"

"Jii-chan!"

########Hunter########

"Gray-sama! It's Juvia! Please wake up! Gray-sama! Gray-sama! Gray-sama!"

"S-stop shaking me." Gray groaned as he finally started to open his eyes before the sensation of being drowned overwhelmed him. He spat, sitting up despite his injuries in time to see waterfalls cascading down Juvia's face as her expression became watery once she saw him awake. It took a moment she was normal again as a smile made its way to his face, "Glad to see you're back with us."

"GRAY-SAMA!" Juvia cried out in joy and embraced the injured Mage, "JUVIA IS SO GLAD TO SEE YOU OKAY!"

"I'm not okay! Don't squeeze me so tightly! Ow ow! Let go, dammit!"

"Well despite his injuries, some waterboarding, and maybe some internal bleeding courtesy of Juvia, he seems just fine. That calls for a celebration." Cana pulled out a flask and held it up, "Cheers."

"Really? Now?" Lucy groaned as the brunette downed her drink and pulled it back with a content sigh. The busty blonde stepped forward with the Happy floating by her side. She bent down to face the injured exhibitionist, "How are you holding up?"

"Been better." Gray smirked, "Better to see you all okay though."

Lucy giggled, "The feeling's mutual." The blonde would have kept talking with her friend but paled in fright once she saw Juvia's evil expression come her way. The blue-haired girl's eyes only just peeked out from under her hair, muttering something evil that made Gray pale in fear. Lucy decided to back away before she could be cursed and looked over to the side instead, "Lisanna, Mira-San, is he okay?"

Lisanna gently grabbed her older brother's massive shoulder and shook it in an attempt to wake him up. The short-haired girl looked up towards her elder sister to see she was just as worried as her. Lisanna's face scrunched up before leaning down by Elfman's mouth. Once she knew he was still breathing she shook him a little harder, "Elf-niichan, wake up! Please wake up!"

"U-Ughhhh." Elfman let out a guttural groan before finally starting to open his eyes. Tears brimmed Lisanna and Mirajane's eyes as they watched their brother look between them, "L-Lisanna? Nee-chan?" In a moment realization hit him and Elfman sat up on his knees, ignoring his injuries and quickly reaching out for his sisters to make sure they were actually real, "Lisanna! Nee-chan! H-How are you here?!"

"Erza beat Evergreen and our petrification was undone." Lisanna answered, sputtering and wiping her eyes clean of any tears. They continued to fall and Lisanna tried to catch her breath, "How can you be worrying about us when you look so beat up? Geez Nii-chan, we leave for a few hours and you get hurt so bad."

"I'm sorry. But since you two were on the line, I had to do whatever I could. Sorry I made you worry." The only brother of the Strauss siblings patted his little sister's head affectionately. He looked to his side and his smile fell when he saw the look on his older sister's face, "Nee-chan. Why are you crying?"

"How can you make light of this? How can you laugh when you're this badly injured again?" Mira sobbed, "That job years ago. The battle with Phantom. And now here too. I hate that I have to keep watching you get hurt like this over and over..." Mira sniffed and rubbed her eyes, "A-And I hate it even more that I let this happen to you. Both of you. I-I'm sorry for being such a terrible sister. I should be protecting you both, but instead-"

"Stop. Please, Mira-nee." Lisanna turned to her older sister and wiped a tear from her eye, "Don't say that about yourself."

"Yeah. We wouldn't be where we are now if it wasn't for you." Elfman nodded and reached out to wrap an arm around his crying sister. The younger siblings consoled Mira as she silently wept.

Lucy watched the scene in silence and wiped away some tears. Her eyes were red and puffy, "Poor Mira-San."

"She's never forgiven herself for what happened in the past." Happy whispered by Lucy's side, "She loves the guild so much that what's happening right now must be destroying her."

Lucy took a deep breath and steeled herself for whatever they had to do next, "Okay, are you all ready to get moving?" She asked around between her guildmates, "We still got a lot to do! Mahiro is somewhere in town fighting Erza and that Mystogan guy."

"What?" Gray sat up in surprise, "Why are they fighting? And when the hell did Mystogan get here?"

"We need to rescue Koyuki-chan!"

"How could Laxus take Koyuki like that?" Elfman slowly stood up on his feet and growled, "That's not what a man does."

"And be careful looking for all those Raijinshū people as well! So come on, we got work to do!" Lucy rallied and got looks of agreement from the other members of their little group. The blonde Fairy smiled and looked around before she spotted someone walking out from behind an alleyway. He strode out with a rapier in hand and when Lucy looked a little closer she noticed some scuff marks on his elegant burgundy coat. She spoke up to him, "Hey, are you-"

"Freed!"

Lucy and Juvia looked over at the green-haired man in shock as the veteran members all looked over at their enemy. The Raijinshū leader turned to face them directly as he raised his rapier, "I see Evergreen truly did fall. It's unfortunate that you girls have to face me after finally being liberated. But that is just the way the fates have set us."

"What's wrong, Freed? You look a little haggard." Gray jabbed as he stood up and squared off with the green-haired Mage, "Did someone finally get the drop on you and land a few hits? Must suck being on the other side of that, huh?"

"Gray. Elfman. I'm sure you already know but you cannot return to the fight. You both have been eliminated, so I ask that you stand down before you get hurt any further."

"You still going on with that crock of shit?"

"We aren't playing yours or Laxus' game any longer, Freed!" Elfman barked, "We're going to keep fighting as long as we can to stop you all!"

"I see." Freed solemnly nodded before looking at the girls glaring him down, "And what about all of you? I would feel more comfortable if you all stepped back as I punished these rule breakers properly."

Cana took another swig from her flask and pulled it back with a sigh, "Guess you have been away from the guild for too long, Freed." She slid it back into her bag before pulling out a handful of her cards and swiping them around in preparation. The others took their stances as well and were preparing their magic, "We stick together, always."

Freed stared ahead before closing his eyes and nodding, "Very well. Then if that is your collective decision..." He raised his sword again as his eyes hardened from behind it, "Then I am ready to proceed."

Instead of jumping to attack or making any offensive move, Freed turned around and whipped his sword around over the ground. Lucy squinted her eyes as she noticed he was writing something over the ground, "Are those-"

"Lucy no!" Happy suddenly dove to the side and grabbed the blonde by the shoulders. He quickly jerked to the side with the blonde yelping in shock.

"No!" Elfman lifted his sisters up and threw them over to the side of a building before they could get caught.

Gray yelled and smacked his hands together before releasing a sudden wave of icicles towards the green-haired man. Cana reacted as well, sending her cards flying as Juvia followed along and whipped her hand towards him.

Freed finished scribbling the runes down and the area around them was illuminated by a sudden wave of runes. The ice came to a stop. Juvia's hand reformed to normal. And Cana's cards fell to the ground without their magic enhancement. Lucy, Happy, Lisanna, and Mirajane watched from outside the barrier as words came up over the wall.

Rule: Magic is prohibited in this area until only one fighter is left standing.

"A-are you kidding?" Cana whispered before looking down at the cards that were just simple pieces of paper in her hand, "I can't use my magic."

"Juvia's Water is useless." The blue-haired girl looked herself as she failed to revert her body to liquid on command like she had always been able to do. Despite her best efforts she was forced to stay physical, "How can Juvia-"

"WATCH OUT!"

Gray pushed Juvia aside as Freed's blade came swinging in and left a long thin gash over his chest. The Maker Mage flinched and stumbled back before wiping some blood off him and raising his fists, "So, you're really going through with this?"

"Yes." Freed raised his blade once more as Gray's blood seeped down the length of it, "Laxus has trusted me with this task. I shall go through with it, no matter the cost. I requested that you stand down and the rest of you walk away. Whatever happens next, you should know I gave you a chance."

########Hunter########

Erza yelled and swiped her blades towards Mahiro's legs as the possessed blonde leapt over them and quickly countered with a spinning kick. Erza strained herself in order to block her friend's attack but even with her guard raised was skidding back from the force behind the Senju's kick. Though her armor creaked and cracked under the pressure, it thankfully kept together as she charged forward to attack the possessed Mahiro.

Although she hated the idea of attacking someone precious to her, Erza knew full well what would happen if she underestimated Mahiro. Even in her current state, the Senju managed to parry each slash and swing by smacking aside the redhead's blade. Erza kicked out for Mahiro's leg and even as the blonde jumped over it Erza spun back up to her feet and swung her blade to knock her back.

As Mahiro slid back and came to a halt a large shadow popped up behind her. Mystogan lunged for the older woman's back with his staff and knocked her off her feet. But the possessed Rune Knight quickly found her footing again and turned on the spot to lunge at the robed man. Mahiro barreled into the S-Class Mage but phased through him as Mystogan turned into smoke to avoid her attack.

Erza came running over to reengage in the fight as Mystogan returned to his corporeal state beside her. The redhead tried to catch her breath and watched as Mahiro turned back towards them with her Light coming off of her body. The armored Mage looked up towards her companion, "I suppose it would be too much to ask that you find a way to incapacitate her without injuring her, right?"

"I usually cast Sleep magic or Illusions to defeat my foes, but with her being possessed by Bickslow I'm afraid they wouldn't do much good." The masked Mage answered in a deep, gruff voice that Erza could almost swear she recognized. Had they talked before and she had just forgotten? While she mused with these ideas in her head Mystogan continued, "Although I might have something we can use against her. But I would need some time to prepare it."

"Very well." Erza swiped her swords to the side before stepping forward to square off with the possessed blonde woman, "I'll focus on holding her back."

"Are you sure you can?" Mystogan questioned, "I know how close you are to her. Can you risk hurting her while I set it up?"

"I know how tough she is. She can handle whatever I throw at her."

"Okay. Then let me change the question; can you hold her off considering how strong she is?"

"I have a little sister who is going to be very disappointed if she doesn't get to see the festival with her mother and the rest of the guild." Erza responded with a confident smirk as Mystogan had nothing else to say in opposition to the idea. He stepped back and drew his staves before piercing them into the ground around him. Erza raised her swords defensively as the possessed Mahiro dropped into her stance.

"HA!" Erza rushed forward as her body shined and her cracked armor was replaced with her Sonic Armor instead. Her quick dash speed immediately amplified dozens of times over as she charged the possessed blonde. But even as she came upon the former Fairy, the older woman shined and jumped back to avoid Erza's attack.

The two women started exchanging attacks at blinding speeds. They disappeared, reappearing for only an instant to cross attacks. The redhead and blonde kept fighting around the small area, cracking the buildings and concrete from the sheer force of their exchange. Erza yelled as she swung her blades at full strength while the bewitched woman countered.

Erza finally slashed Mahiro across the chest with the back of her blades, but in return the bedeviled woman landed a palm strike in the redhead's bare stomach. Her eyes widened before she was blasted back into a wall and splintered it like a web. The S-Class Mage slid down the wall to her feet and looked up in time to see Mahiro charging her again.

The fist broke through the wall and reduced it to rubble as Erza leapt over Mahiro's head. She landed behind the blonde and changed her armor into Giant Armor before grabbing her shoulder. The Senju woman attempted to free herself from the giant hand gripping her but Erza quickly lifted her up and threw her into the air. The redhead looked up and watched the cursed woman spiral through the air before her body started to illuminate with Light.

Mahiro came back down like a meteor on Erza and struck hard enough to splinter the large gauntlet over her right arm. Despite the sudden strike Erza still knocked Mahiro's hand back and dug her knee into the blonde's stomach. That gave her a moment of relief before Mahiro came charging back at her with full force. Erza almost summoned a blade on reflex but stopped herself before she could grievously injure her out of control friend. Unfortunately that left her open to be grabbed by the neck and slammed into the ground.

Mental note; invest in binding armors and weapons.

Erza prepared to free herself before a blue light shined. The redhead craned her neck back from her position on the ground and saw Mystogan gather a magic attack before firing it towards them. The attack didn't have much force behind it, exploding against Mahiro but not doing damage. He must have consciously held back, but the possessed woman did not seem to share the sentiment.

The Senju woman dashed forward and appeared before the masked Mage in an instant. Mystogan lurched back but Mahiro had already reeled her fist back and threw it for his face, discharging a blast of Light magic. The large man was blown off his feet and left sprawled over the ground with the rags around his face catching fire.

"Mystogan!"

The bedeviled blonde stood between the five stages. A large, intricate magic circle formed under her feet and raised up through her body before the staves started to glow with a blinding light. Five blue rays shot out from the tops of the wooden staves and circled around the woman before constricting around her. Mahiro attempted to fight her way out but with the bonds around her neck, arms, body, knees, and feet she was immobile. She fell to her knees and continued to flash her body like a flickering light but couldn't escape Mystogan's trap.

Even with her friend now detained, Erza immediately went to help her fellow S-Class, "Mystogan! Are you okay?! Answer me!" The redhead came to a quick stop when she saw the S-Class Fairy Tail Mage groggily lift himself up from the ground. The armored Mage sighed in relief once she saw him stand back up and smiled, "Oh thank god. Mystogan, your plan-"

Erza's voice died down once she saw the face hidden beneath the burnt remains of the rags. Her voice came out as nothing more than a whisper, "No...that's not possible."

"I didn't want you to see me like this." Mystogan said as he stood up and turned away from her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Lacrima, "I'm not the man you think I am. I know what this face means to both you and Naruto. But I am not him. And I'm sorry but I must be going. If you don't move the staves they'll keep Mahiro locked in place until you can break Bickslow's hold on her. Now-"

"Jellal."

The familiar blue-haired man stopped in his tracks. He slowly turned around and saw the small tears lining the edges of Erza's eyes. For a moment he seemed taciturn and stoic, before a small, sad smile took his face...

"You can't possibly understand how good it feels to hear you say my name again. Even if it is for someone else."

Erza was left in her confusion as the Lacrima activated and Mystogan disappeared into thin air. The redhead looked down at the ground before turning around and seeing her friend locked into place between his staves. She was worried, and confused, and scared, and happy. But more than anything she was relieved.

Relieved that Mahiro was safe...and that she could see Jellal's face just one last time.

########Hunter########

Mira shuddered in fear after watching the horrific scene unfold before her eyes.

Juvia was lying on the ground, clutching her bleeding leg and trying to keep consciousness.

Cana laid against the wall of the barrier, causing runes to flash around where she laid.

Gray had fared the best against the green-haired swordsman. Landing the hardest punch and avoiding most of the lunges and stabs from the rapier. But after Juvia and Cana had fallen, he tried to protect them with his own body. He now had several pierce wounds over his arms and body. After a while he lost feeling in his legs and Freed knocked him back with a hard knee to the bridge of his nose.

Now Elfman was the last one standing, blood seeping down from a cut on his brow and several lacerations over his massive frame. Lisanna slammed her fist repeatedly against the invisible wall and cried out for her brother to win or just stop before his injuries worsened. Lucy cried out for a response from her downed friends while Happy pleaded for Freed to stop. Mira just watched in silence.

"That muscle is not just for show. It is more difficult to pierce than other's." Freed wiped his chin, staining his sleeve with blood as he pointed the tip of his sword at the sole Strauss male, "But I will pierce it nonetheless."

"Elf-niichan! Just stay down!"

"Stop this Freed!"

"Please!"

"So what shall you do?" He questioned the muscular man as his eyes hardened, "Your sister is right. You already fell once. Fall again and you won't have to suffer anymore."

"No!" Elfman yelled and clenched his fists even as the action caused some blood to seep from his wounds faster. The white-haired man grit his teeth with ferocity and yelled, "I already failed once to protect the people I love! I won't let it happen again!"

"If you weren't strong enough the first time, then I doubt you'll fare much better now." Elfman yelled and charged like a bull. Freed calmly stepped forward and thrust his rapier into the Strauss man's ribs. Elfman flinched and stepped back after a long gash was left around the side of his chest. He yelled again and lashed out with a fist even as the Raijinshū leader slipped under his range and left another deep cut on his other side.

Elfman wavered on his feet but remained standing before charging at Freed with his shoulder. Freed elegantly spun on his feet to face his oncoming foe and thrust his sword into Elfman's shoulder until it couldn't go any further. The large Mage yelled in pain and felt the rapier pull out before slashing his stomach. It was a shallow wound, but one that grabbed his attention long enough for Freed to stab him repeatedly over his body.

One of the piercing thrusts got him in the leg, and that made Elfman fall to a knee. Before he could prepare Freed stabbed his other one and he toppled to the ground. He cursed his weakness. He cursed his inability to get up and push forward. If he was just outside of the barrier, he could use his magic to turn into a beast and heal from some of his wounds. But he didn't have the luxuries of hypotheticals, because he was weak and he had fallen.

He lifted his head but only received a kick to the face that finally knocked him onto his back. Elfman laid on his back, gasping for air as he tasted blood dripping from his nose. He peeled his eyes open in time to see Freed standing over him with a complicated expression on his face. He'd almost recognize it as pity or sorrow, "You lose again, Elfman."

"Freed!" Lisanna yelled as she stepped towards the green-haired man with a pair of claws over her hands. With Elfman fallen, the barrier fell as well and so did its restrictions, "Get away from him!"

Lucy pulled out a gold key, "Open! Gate of-"

"Halt."

The girls stopped when in one swift move Freed raised the pointed end of his blade over Elfman's throat. Mira's blood ran cold when she saw that as Lucy immediately lowered her key and Lisanna stopped in place. He looked between them all as the rapier hung precariously over the panting Mage's throat

"F-Freed." Mira grabbed his attention, looking at him with pleading eyes as she stuttered with her words, "Please. That's enough. I know what you and Laxus and the rest are trying to do. But that's too much!" Tears threatened the edges of her eyes as the white-haired woman shook her head, "You don't have to threaten his life just to beat us!"

"It's not just to beat you. It's a necessary action going forward."

Mira blanked, "What?"

"Laxus has said if I must take lives in order to help create the new Fairy Tail, then that is an acceptable loss. He has defied the rules numerous times, and fallen despite his rebellion. This is not a man deemed worthy to join Fairy Tail anymore. So his punishment..."

Freed raised the sword and Mira whispered, "No."

"Death."

Death.

It was an unwelcome but not unfamiliar concept to her life.

They had lost their parents and left her in charge of taking care of her siblings.

The guild had lost Hashirama and she still remembered the sadness when they were putting him to rest.

She remembered the panic when they heard that Naruto was succumbing to his injuries and was in critical condition.

The absolute despair she felt when she believed Lisanna had been killed was still a cold sweat that woke her at night.

The dark thoughts that maybe she would have had to kill her out of control brother still haunt her after all these years.

The fear when Phantom came attacking and she believed she was going to lose her family again.

Again and again and again Mirajane found herself surrounded and plagued by death, but always failed to act. She was simply spectating. Watching as the people around her, the most precious in her life, suffered and bled. And now, even now, she watched as death hovered over her little brother's neck...

And she could do nothing.

...

"No."

A cold air spread out over the area and made a chill go up their backs.

"No."

The ground around Mirajane's feet splintered out like a spiderweb. Some of the unconscious Fairies finally started to stir awake once they felt the powerful pressure of familiar magic. The wind started to kick up around them as Mira's hair swayed and lifted with it. Lisanna guarded her eyes but looked back in shock, "Mira-nee?"

Elfman opened one eye and looked over, "N-Nee-chan?"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

A rush of air blasted out in every direction as the ground they stood on shattered. The Mages all looked up to see Mira surrounded by a wall of air. Her hair billowed up, her eyes pure white as she screamed at the top of her lungs.

"I-Impossible." Freed muttered, "Is she-"

Wind and dust rushed in every direction and blinded all the Fairies for an instant. And in that instant a powerful fist dug into Freed's stomach and made him double over. The Raijinshū leader was lifted off his feet and sent spiraling through the air and over Magnolia. He wrote runes on his chest and a pair of black wings sprouted from his back to stabilize him. He coughed up some blood and looked down at his stomach to see the rip on his clothes over his stomach. From a single hit.

The dust burst away in every direction to reveal the creature within. Standing over Elfman was a human-like monster with a long tail swaying behind its back. Mirajane's soft features were suddenly sharper and more instense, her eyes becoming slits and her ears and hair pointing out. Her body was covered in burgundy scales and her hands were like claws covered up to her elbows. The other Fairies looked on in silence as the former barmaid took deep breaths and looked up at Freed with cold blue eyes.

Take Over: Satan Soul.

"The Demon."

"WRAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

Wings burst out from Mira's back and stretched out behind her before she jumped with enough force to crack the ground and send Elfman flying backwards. Her wings stilled and Mira went flying up towards Freed like a missile. The green-haired man panicked and waved his rapier down at her, "Dark Écriture: Pain!" Even with the enchantment placed on the approaching demon to make Mira experience terrible pain, she flew towards Freed in a mad rush. He could only raise his arms in time to block Mira's spinning kick that sent him flying over Magnolia.

The Raijinshū leader gasped from the pain but forced one eye open in time to see Mira already following after him at top speeds. Seeing her fly towards him Freed immediately made another pair of runes over his body, "Dark Écriture: Darkness!" Freed's body changed until he became a muscular demon that roared at the top of his lungs. The green-haired demon reeled his fist back and struck across the white-haired demon's face to send her flying.

As Freed dropped on Mira, the former S-Class Mage lashed out and struck his cheek as well. The two Mages separated before immediately charging into each other to trade blows. For every punch landed across her cheek, her foot came into his gut. For every rib he rattled, her knee connected with his head. They hurt each other over and over, but while Freed's mind became bogged down by fear Mira's was still lost in her refusal to stand and watch him hurt someone she loved.

The two demons barreled through a Lacrima in the sky and became encompassed by lighting. Freed's vision blurred from the pain but he forced himself to focus as he saw Mira fighting through the pain. "ENOUGH!" He shrugged off the last of the shock and gathered Darkness in his hand, "FALL, MIRAJANE!"

"RRRRAAAHHHHHHH!" Mirajane gathered Darkness as well as she gripped her fist within the black magic energy. As Freed's attack came towards her the white-haired Mage screamed at the top of her lungs and threw her hand out to unleash her attack, "HYAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

The two Darkness attacks collided in the sky and exploded with ground-shattering power. People looked up in shock at the blinding light and clouds being blown away by the force of it. The sky was illuminated by the two attacks before the energy finally started to die down and the light faded.

Freed went careening down towards the rocky area and river of Magnolia. His consciousness slipped in and out as he fell back to Earthland. And before he could summon his wings again to stop his drop he felt a powerful hand clamp around his neck and choke the life out of him. He gasped and looked up to see the crazed look stretching Mirajane's face. He felt the wind pass over them before his back finally cratered into the ground as he gasped in pain.

His demon form faded away into nothing as the defeated Raijinshū Mage was left sprawled over the ground. He gagged as Mira's sharp hands settled around his throat and pushed down with all her weight. Dots filled his eyes as his vision went black. As his sight darkened, he saw the desperate, furious expression on Mirajane's face.

A face covered in burns and bruises and blood.

They were marks and blemishes marking her entire body.

Because of him. All the Fairies and guildmates that laid unconscious in the street, beaten and bloody and broken were because he helped make them like that.

Freed let out one last breath before he closed his eyes and waited until it stopped.

"No."

The pressure around Freed's neck softened and he finally opened his eyes again. He looked up to see the woman positioned over him no longer lost in anger or possessed by a demon. The injured barmaid looked down at him sadly, "I hate this. Even after everything that you and the others have done, you're still part of this guild. You're all still part of our family. So even after today, I don't want to hurt you Freed."

"H-How can you say that?" The injured man said underneath her, "I've forced everyone to beat each other within an inch of their lives. I cut up your friends before your very eyes. I even threatened to kill your brother. How can you take all that and still not want to kill me?"

"Because I've seen enough death. And I don't want to experience it anymore as long as I can stop it." Mira looked down at the beaten man and gave a kind smile at his perplexed expression, "I know what you were trying to do, but I don't think you could have done it, Freed. Even if you wanted to help Laxus..." The barmaid smiled brightly, "This is still your home. And you don't want to destroy it."

"L-Laxus demanded it of me!" Freed roared, "I would follow him to the end! Whatever he asked of me!"

"I understand following someone you believe in, but that doesn't mean you should surrender your values. Submit to what you know is wrong." Mira shook her head but persisted with her smile, "This is your home...and it always will be..."

"I-I promised I would make him the next master! I would change the guild in his image!" Freed yelled, "He gave me everything! He gave me a second chance! This life belongs to him! I could never-"

Freed stilled as he felt something wet drip down his cheeks. He looked up in shock, gaze going watery as he spotted Mirajane through the shakiness of his vision.

His mind immediately went to the day he met Laxus. The moment the powerful Mage extended him an invitation to join the guild and become a member of his personal team. Growing and gaining strength under the blond's gaze. The man he promised everything to.

So even though he made that promise...even though he wanted to fulfill it no matter what...

"I-It shouldn't have been like this." Freed sobbed with a weak voice as he hiccuped and gasped for air. Tears fell down his face unabated as Mira wiped her own at his expression. Freed covered his face but continued crying, "I never should have let it turn into this. I wanted to help him! But not at the cost of the guild! Not with all of you! I-I-I couldn't stop it! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

"It's okay." Mira moved off the crying man and accepted him in a hug as the man screamed and cried at the top of his lungs, "We can still come back. It's not too late."

########Hunter########

Freed as well? Another of his Raijinshū had fallen.

No, he couldn't even say Freed was beaten. He had simply given up. To a woman that hadn't properly used her magic in two years. And he dared to call himself his right-hand man? Pathetic.

Evergreen was no better. She had a powerful pawn like Mahiro by her side and Erza on her knees but she still fell. To a sleeping spell by that raggedy bastard! Her petrification had fallen and now their hostages were out fighting them as well!

And Bickslow proved himself to be just as incompetent as those two. He barely had any control over Mahiro, and even when he could make her move to his whim he had to focus completely on her and couldn't go out and keep fighting. Now he was off hiding somewhere while his pawn struggled to escape from the trap Mystogan left behind.

Useless. All of them useless. He had no use for weakness, and if this venture had proven anything it was that even those that followed him were too weak for him.

"Laxus-niichan, look! They're winning!" The little brat cheered and pulled on his last nerve as the chestnut-haired Senju clapped, "Onee-chan let everyone out! And Mira-neechan won! So I guess that means you lose~!"

"Shut up." Laxus' shoulders hunched.

"Maybe you need to give up now." The toddler giggled behind him, "Then we can finally see the festival with Jii-chan and the others-"

Koyuki shrieked when a bolt of lighting dropped between her and Laxus. The little Senju cowered in fright before she looked up to see Laxus slowly turn around. The tall Dreyar glowered with anger before he growled out, "I'm not playing anymore. This stopped being a game the moment Jiji decided keeping his position was more important than anything else. That old bastard wants to play the long game then I'm ready to play hardball."

"Koyuki!"

"LAXUS!"

The scarred blond stood up as the little girl exclaimed with joy. A smirk stretched his face as Laxus turned around to face his opponents. Natsu and Naruto faced him, taking deep breaths after they sprinted here as soon as Natsu had sniffed him out. The Lightning Mage cackled, "Well, look who finally got out. Did Freed's magic fail as badly as he did?"

"You have no idea just how smart Levi is!" Natsu pointed at him and gave a cocksure grin, "Just a little time and she brought the barrier down no problem!"

"Well congratulations, you finally get to stretch your legs." Laxus closed his fists until they cracked. He stared past the two men and scoffed derisively, "Looks like that wrinkled little leprechaun didn't have the stones to show up and fight me himself. What happened? Jiji get scared and go to the corner to cry?"

Natsu's eyes narrowed and his expression got darker. He grit his teeth but before he could step any further Naruto's hand clamped down on his shoulder to stop him from running off. Even as he tried to calm himself the whiskered blond glared at Laxus heatedly, "You have no idea what you've caused, have you, you idiot?" Laxus' smirk lowered slightly and Naruto clicked his teeth, "Jiji's feelings are wasted on you."

"Onii-chan!"

"Koyuki!" Naruto sprinted across the cathedral floor as quickly as he could with the little brunette in his sights. But his vision was quickly blocked as Laxus jumped in front of him with a vicious smirk. Naruto scowled and threw a punch up at Laxus' chin that the larger man deftly avoided before lurching into Naruto's guard. The whiskered blond leapt back but still lashed out with a kick to defend himself. Laxus caught his outstretched leg and gripped it tight enough to make pain cross Naruto's face for an instant. He turned on his feet and spun around before throwing Naruto at full force back towards the entrance.

Naruto's body went sailing through the air but a figure leapt over the flying blond and towards Laxus, "Don't forget about me, jackass!" Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs with his fist cloaked in flames. Laxus simply palmed the burning fist, taking it in stride as he swung a backfist for Natsu's cheek. The Dragon Slayer ducked beneath Laxus' fist and dug his other fist into the S-Class Mage's gut. But Laxus didn't even flinch before Natsu pushed forward, "Take this seriously, bastard!"

"Don't have to!" Laxus drove his knee up into Natsu's face and knocked his head back violently before throwing a fist that knocked Natsu across the cathedral. Naruto jumped up and caught Natsu before he could go flying and the two Mages dropped to the floor before glaring up at him, "HAHAHA! DO YOU TWO NOT GET IT YET?! IF YOU WANT ANY CHANCE OF WINNING," Laxus held his arms out wide, "THEN YOU'LL HAVE TO SCRAP BY TOGETHER!"

Natsu yelled and charged forward, "LAXUS!"

Naruto called out, "KOYUKI!"

Laxus lowered his stance and prepared for Natsu's foolish charge. But at the last moment the pink-haired Dragon Slayer dug his feet into the tiles and came to a sudden halt. Laxus was shocked as Naruto came passing around Natsu and barreled directly into Laxus. He lifted him off his feet before pinning his fellow blond to the ground and locking his arms together, "NATSU NOW!"

"Come on, Koyuki!" The Dragon Slayer swept the little Senju off her feet before turning around and dashing for the exit. Koyuki reached out for Naruto but it was drowned out over the loud voice echoing through the hall, "Rescue complete!"

"For real." Laxus chuckled while struggling with Naruto pressing down on him, "You distract me and leave the brat's rescue to that timebomb? Bit irresponsible, don't you think?"

"One of us had to distract you to grab her. Felt like you'd be more focused on fighting me than you are stopping Natsu from grabbing her. Besides-"

Naruto felt the hair stand up on his neck. He immediately separated from Laxus and jumped back as a large thunderbolt dropped down over the muscular blond. The black-clad man slid to a stop before standing back up, "Someone had to stick around and kick your ass."

"You? Really think you can stop me?" Laxus cackled before giving a cocky smirk, "You know all those times I hit you I was just being a good sport, right? Part of me being such a nice guy." Laxus sighed and waved him off, "Why don't you go grab Jiji so I can get a real fight started?"

"What's wrong, Laxus? I always knew you were scared but you at least had the bravado to hide it. Guess you really don't want me kicking your ass, huh?" Laxus scowl brought a smirk to Naruto's face, "Jiji doesn't need to waste his time with you. I'm more than enough for a rowdy little troublemaker."

"Okay, Naruto, if you insist." The young Dreyar shrugged off his coat before another bolt dropped down over him, reducing it to ash. Electricity cracked over his entire body as his scowl deepened and he squared his shoulders, "I'm happy to help you with your death wish."

########Omake: In The Forest - 2########

Wendy gasped as she ran as fast as she could through the foliage. Her ears were filled with the sound of her rapid breathing and heartbeat. Her legs ached but she pushed herself as best she could as the blue-haired girl saw her best friend fly by her side. She saw Charle screaming to her and tried to focus on what she said, "Wendy, they're coming! We have to go-"

The young girl and cat screamed when the tree beside them burst at the stump. Wendy covered her ears and looked back to see her pursuers still hot on their proverbial tail. They were gathering magic into their palms and preparing for another attack, "C-Charle I-"

"Hang on!" Wendy yelped as Charle slipped her paws under the petite girl's arms and lifted her up in the air. The blue-haired girl looked panicked, looking down as she felt her best friend's paws settle on her back to lift her up. She looked down to see the ruthless Mages looking around desperately for them. With them momentarily relieved of panic Charle called in her ear, "Wendy! Attack them! Use your Roar!"

"M-my Roar?" The nervous girl stuttered and looked down at the intimidating figures searching the forest. They were scary, and if they got caught Wendy was sure they would be hurt but, "I-I can't do it."

"Why not?!"

"If I use my Roar, I-I might hurt them really badly!"

"Child, they are trying to harm us! I'm not sure what they would have done, but it would have been awful if we were caught by them! We could have been killed!"

"I-I know but-"

Wendy and Charle's argument came to a halt when the forest started to tremble and birds started soaring from the trees. Once the flock had cleared they looked back down to see a stampede of massive animals charging through the forest and towards the group of rogue Mages. Apparently all their screaming and discharging magic had startled the creatures and forced them on the run.

Wendy watched the dust rise from the sudden stampede of animals and after a few minutes the rampaging stopped. The animals had charged through the area they hovered over and were continuing through more of the forest. Wendy and Charle shared a look before the cat slowly lowered them back down while cautiously keeping her eyes peeled.

The other Mages were nowhere. They had seen the oncoming charge of animals and did what they could to escape before they were trampled. Except-

"Charle, over there!" Wendy called out as they hovered down at an angle and stopped by someone laying on the ground. Wendy slipped from Charle's paws and approached the body despite the white cat's protest. With a gulp the young Dragon Slayer reached out and grabbed their shoulder before turning them over.

Wendy gasped and covered her mouth in horror as she saw the man was still alive but gagging on blood. She could clearly see where his neck had collapsed inward with a crushed Adam's apple as well. The result of one of the animals catching him and kicking in his throat while they ran.

It didn't even look like he had noticed her. His eyes were shaking as they stared up into the sky and blood filled his mouth. The Cait Shelter Mage's skin crawled as she heard him gag and choke.

"Wendy! Don't!" Charle called out when she saw the young Mage raise her hands over his crushed esophagus. Her hands were already glowing while the flying cat came to her side, "You can't save him! He was trying to hurt us, remember?!"

"I know."

"I think I saw him over here!"

"Did he get squashed by the animals?"

"Let's just grab that idiot. I'm sure that girl and her pet are long gone by now."

"Wendy." Charle whispered and the muffled voices of the rogue Mages grew closer with every second. Sweat dripped down the healer's face as the cat frowned, "We'll get caught if you try to save him."

"I can't just watch him die." Wendy muttered, "I won't let someone die if I can do something to help." Charle wanted to argue more but the glow receded from her partner's hands and the short girl gave a sigh of relief, "There. He should be - Eyah!"

Wendy yelped as the man she saved grabbed her wrist and held it tightly. The intimidating man sat back up and patted his throat in surprise. He looked down at the girl as tears came to her eyes, "How did you-"

"HYAH!"

Charle slammed a large stick into the back of his head as he toppled over. The cat didn't waste another moment and grabbed her charge before flying away as fast as she could. Wendy looked down in time to see the faint image of the other Mages finding their comrade and checking on him. The young blue-haired girl hung her head in shame before whispering, "I'm sorry Charle. I didn't mean to risk our safety like that."

"I'm not sure what to do." Charle murmured with her nose raised, "I wished I could reprimand you, but then I'd be challenging one of your best qualities. It's hard to chew out someone for their kind heart."

########Hunter########

Done

So what else beside we're close to the end. Of the arc, and the series. It's crazy. Gonna be more so when the time comes around.

Anyway, what's most important on my mind right now?

...

My inner child, nerdy teenager, and irresponsible adult sides all squealed in joy when I got to see Spider-Man: Homecoming. I have no idea how someone with arachnophobia ended of loving a spider hero over everyone else. But shit I ain't complaining.

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