Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 51: Festive Ends

Goodbye Fairy Tail. Thank you for the years of enjoyment and inspiration. You shall always have a special place in my heart.

...

But I can probably write an ending that's better than that one.

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

Bickslow was panicking now. Things were going south very fast and showed no immediate signs of stopping.

It all went to hell when Erza somehow broke out of her rock dressing and got out to fight in the town. Then she crossed paths with Evergreen and the two of them exchanged attacks, ending with his teammate beaten on a roof and barely able to stand. And even when he decided to intervene with the help of his new puppet - who was a total pain in the ass to control at his current level- the ditzy bimbo had to get herself knocked out when Mystogan suddenly arrived on the scene to play against his casting and be a hero. And then despite his best efforts at controlling Mahiro they still managed to capture her and render him useless. And finally to hammer the nail into the clusterfuck that was the Raijinshū effort, Freed found himself up against a fully restored Mira who got her demon game back when she lost her shit.

Now Freed was out. Evergreen was down. Laxus was undoubtedly pissed. And all he had left were what remained of his babies.

Well that didn't matter. He could still do a lot of damage with what he had left. If they wanted to see what Bickslow could do, then let them see-

"Oh~, look what I found~."

Bickslow flinched and turned around before he got a massive steel bar slammed into his face that bent the visor around his face. He went flying back through the alleyway and skidded over the rest of it on his back. He let out one last groan before passing out and lying in the stone.

"Shit. That was anticlimactic." Gajeel scowled and groaned when the fight he finally got after all his time waiting ended in just one hit. Maybe he shouldn't have been so antsy and let the lanky bastard at least prepare for a fight. The Dragon Slayer frowned before raising his nose and sniffing through the air. God there was a ton of blood in the air. These idiots really beat the everliving shit out of each other, didn't they. He smelled some blood rushing through a wave of air and looked in the direction he found it before smirking, "Oh...bet there's something fun going on over there."

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

"Mahiro! Mahiro answer me!"

The older blonde woman stirred from her unconscious state and opened her eyes when she heard her name being called. When her vision started to clear and her ears stopped ringing she felt her muscles ache and her head hurt like it had been split open and forced back together. But as clarity came back to her she saw a head of red hair and a panicked look directly in her face. She swallowed, "E-Erza? Where-"

"Oh thank goodness, you're back to normal." Erza muttered in relief as her entire form slumped in relief. Erza's body shined and she returned to her base armor before looking the older woman over, "Are you okay? What do you remember?"

"N-Not much." Mahiro mumbled before looking down to see bright blue ropes of magic encircling her form and keeping her standing and locked in place, "Like what happened to me?"

"Mystogan captured you. We had to make sure you couldn't move around or fight anymore." Erza stepped over to the side and grabbed one of the staves that generated the field holding the blonde Senju in place. She pulled it out of the ground and the trap immediately disappeared. Mahiro fell to her knees and Erza was quick to come to her side, holding her shoulder to steady her, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"F-Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow. They surrounded me and caught me in a trap." The blonde woman rubbed her forehead to alleviate the pain, "Laxus was on the monitor and told Bickslow to..." Mahiro looked around at the damages in the immediate area and the bruises visible on Erza's face. Her heart sank, "How bad was it?"

"I took the worst of it. Mystogan might have a few singes..." The redhead looked off and started staring at nothing before she came back into focus, "But don't worry about me. I didn't survive all those training sessions with you without having at least some degree of toughness. I'll survive."

"Of course you will. You always do." Mahiro muttered sadly before looking up at the young redhead, "Erza I'm so sorry. I was so angry that I lost my focus and they caught me."

"Mahiro, it's fine. You were desperate-"

"And that desperation led to me fighting and hurting you."

"Because you were worried about Koyuki. Her safety was the first thing on your mind, and that's okay. That's what you should have been focused on." Erza reached up and cupped the older woman's face so she could look directly at her. Mahiro looked disheartened but Erza smiled, doing her best to convey to her friend that there was no sense of betrayal or pain for having to fight her. She was forgiven. Mahiro's expression lightened, "I promise I'll find Laxus, and when I do I'll save Koyuki-"

"Erza! Mahiro!"

"Mama!"

The two women looked over and saw Natsu come rushing through the streets as fast as he could. Cradled in his arms was the toddler that reached out with a big smile and some tears in her eyes. Mahiro's eyes widened and despite her fatigue and injuries she rushed to her feet as fast as she could, "Koyuki!"

"Mama!" The little Senju nearly popped out of Natsu's arms in time to jump into her mother's. When she did she wrapped her arms around Mahiro's neck as the mother kissed her chestnut hair, "I missed you!"

"I missed you too!" Tears nearly filled the blonde woman's eyes as she looked up at Natsu, "H-How?"

"Me and Naruto found Laxus in the cathedral. He held Laxus off while I grabbed her and ran."

"Come here!" Mahiro pulled the pink-haired man close and started kissing him on the cheek, "Thank you! Thank you!"

"Ew! Stop it! That's gross!" Natsu struggled to push the woman away from him and stop her barrage of thankful pecks. He finally pushed her aside and wiped his cheeks, "God, did you have to make them so slimy - AGH! WHY?!"

"Thank you Natsu!" Erza showed her gratitude by bringing the Dragon Slayer in for a hug, slamming his temple into her breastplate hard enough to send a ringing through his ears. Despite his efforts to escape from her tight embrace he failed and Erza's strength continued to crush him into her, "I cannot express my gratitude enough! I promise I will find the most delectable meals in town and set them all on fire for you!"

"T-That's not important now! But remember that promise later." Natsu finally pulled himself free and pointed back in the direction he came, "Naruto's stealing my fight with Laxus! I wanna kick his ass before this Thunder Hall whatever starts dropping."

"The what?" Erza looked around and finally noticed the Lacrima floating over the boundary of Magnolia. She looked around in shock and noticed there were only a few empty spots in the sky where there were no Lacrima, "When did this happen?"

"After you beat Evergreen and all the girls were freed. Then Laxus summoned those things and threatened the whole town with them." Natsu snarled, "We tried to destroy them but I guess whatever you do to them comes and hurts you in return. Bisca got knocked out after destroying just one."

Erza looked up at the crystals that threatened the safety of the town and its occupants. She slowly circled around to see they really had surrounded the whole town and if one could knock out a Mage then all of them could certainly do some heavy damage to the civilians and town. The redhead narrowed her eyes before grabbing Natsu by the scarf and dragging him away while he gagged, "Come along, Natsu. We have work to do."

"W-What?!" Natsu thrashed around as he was dragged, "Erza let me go! I wanna go fight Laxus! That's all I've been waiting to do today!"

"You can do that after we're finished." Erza said, "Besides, I'm sure Naruto is handling Laxus as we speak."

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

Naruto grit his teeth and pushed forward despite the fist violently smashing into his cheek. He pushed through and punched Laxus in the nose, the Dreyar smirking and pushing Naruto back as his fist crackled with electricity. Laxus roared and threw his fist but Naruto raised his hand and blocked it, flinching from the pain of the shock going up his arm while his other hand slammed into Laxus' chest and sent him flying back with a blast of wind.

Laxus just took the blow in stride, not looking affected or damaged at all by the attacks he had tanked so far. He looked up just in time to see Naruto dashing at him at full speed, covering the distance of the cathedral hall in a matter of seconds and jumping at the Lightning Mage with a flying knee to the face. But Laxus' extraordinary reflexes kicked in, catching the knee in the palm of his hand and squeezing down on it hard enough to almost hear a crack. Laxus would have kept squeezing the joint until it popped but Naruto bent down over him and slammed his elbow down on the larger man's crown. This staggered him for a moment and gave Naruto the chance to slip out of his hold and jump away. The whiskered man slid to a stop as Laxus clutched his head and laughed, "Hahahahaha! What happened, Naruto? You were talking about dealing with me so soundly but all you've been able to do is run."

"Patience Laxus." Naruto said with a smirk, hiding the ache in his leg from where Laxus' iron grip nearly popped it out of its socket. He really wanted to give Laxus a piece of his mind but knew that he couldn't be reckless with this fight. As much as he hated to admit it Laxus was strong, definitely in the running for strongest in the guild. His strength was no joke. His magic was adaptable and dangerous. And the well of power he drew from was more than enough evidence that he was Makarov's blood. As much fun as it would be to just go into a slugfest with the larger man, he knew it would be a risk and he couldn't take that chance right now, "You don't wanna be beaten into a crater too fast, do you?"

"Typical. I always expect you to actually back up your words, but in the end you're just as loud as Natsu, and that's it." The Lightning Mage scoffed and shook his head in disappointment, "I'm wasting time and energy even dealing with you! Dammit," He raised a hand and brought up a window to the guild, "I've been waiting to fight Jiji for the title of guild master and I ain't gonna bother with the small fry! Bring Jiji out-"

"Stop Laxus."

"God dammit I didn't go through all of this just to get the consolation prize-"

"Laxus! He can't! You not gonna get an answer!" Naruto screamed, making Laxus stop as his yell echoed through the halls of the cathedral and reverberate into the stone. The muscular Lightning Mage lowered his hand and saw Naruto's teeth strain together as his fists shook, "After you announced the Hall of Thunder, he toppled over. A heart attack, o-or a stroke. He wasn't responding no matter what we did. He just..." Naruto took a shaky breath, "He isn't coming to fight you. He just can't. Jiji...still loves you so much that the idea of you doing this nearly killed him. You did that to him. You betrayed him."

Laxus' cocky smirk and annoyed scowl were nowhere to be seen, instead replaced by an expression of shock and disbelief. The idea that the little but stubborn old man actually toppled over was too much to imagine. The scarred blond man looked down at the floor for a moment before his body started to shake. His shoulders shook and his teeth ground together.

Sparks of electricity started appearing off his form as his face twisted with unbridled anger, "No. No no no no no no no. That isn't fair. I didn't wait all these years - I didn't keep getting stronger and stronger - I didn't come all this way just so he could deny me the opportunity! I was gonna become guild master! I was gonna show him that I didn't need his name to become the strongest!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Naruto yelled out as his face turned red and spittle flew from his mouth, "This man raised you! He's your blood! How can you be so blind and selfish?!"

"Shut up!" Laxus' eyes disappeared behind bursts of electricity emitted from his eyes and the corners of his mouth. Bolts of lighting dropped around him and landed in his palms as he gripped them like he was keeping them from jumping again. With a snarl and sparking yellow eyes Laxus yelled, "I didn't want to waste my power on a fly, but if you want to die so badly then I'm happy to oblige!"

Laxus threw his hands out and the bolts arched out from his hands and covered Naruto. The whiskered man's screams of pain were drowned out by the crack of lightning that engulfed him. The sensation of millions of needles piercing his body made him fall to his knees as his body stilled. Naruto couldn't move and heard Laxus' cackle over his own screams as he forced his eyes open. Through the pain and with stilted movement Naruto braced himself on the ground and summoned his chakra and magic at the same time.

"WRAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Naruto shot through the lightning that tortured him as he went flying forward with his Storm Step. The ground behind him exploded and the wall of the cathedral cracked as he slammed himself and Laxus into the structure. Despite the force of Naruto barreling into him Laxus didn't seem affected at all and thrashed around. Naruto summoned his Wind around his fist and buried it in Laxus' stomach, doubling the larger man over before another fist cracked against his face.

"GO DOWN!" Naruto started collecting his magic and covered his fists in his Armor. With a ferocious yell he started throwing punch after punch. The mad man's head jerked around back and forth, violently getting knocked around as his cheeks became bloodied and bruised. Naruto let out another yell and started digging his fists into Laxus' chest and stomach hard enough to crack the wall behind him. Naruto's fists started to blur in his relentless barrage-

Until Laxus lurched forward and spit up all the blood in his mouth into Naruto's eyes. This stunned the whiskered man and he tried to rub the sting out of his eyes before Laxus slammed his forehead into the bridge of Naruto's nose. But not even close to being done Laxus quickly grabbed Naruto's head and head butted him over and over and over again. The shorter blond let out a pained gasp every time Laxus' forehead made contact as blood burst out and spilled by their feet.

"HA!" Between Laxus' attacks Naruto summoned one of his elemental swords and slammed it into the ground. A spire of rock shot out from underneath the cathedral floor in between them and forced Laxus to jump back. Naruto's vision blurred and came back into focus before pulling his earth cleaver back and slamming it into the spire, "Rumbling Earth!" The slab of rock shattered into dozens of pieces and went flying towards his opponent as Laxus raised his arms to defend himself. They pelleted and broke over his frame as he roared and let Lightning burst from his body.

Laxus' body nearly disappeared into a bolt of electricity as he started jumping and bouncing around the cathedral. He leapt down from the top of the ceiling and came barreling into Naruto's side. The whiskered man gasped as he was slammed into the ground with immense force. Naruto tried to raise his sword but Laxus' leg came swinging down and shattered the blade in a single kick. Laxus smirked and grabbed Naruto by the neck hard enough to make him gag, "Still eager to fight when you're getting beaten around this much?"

In response Naruto was the one to smirk as he threw the broken hilt up at Laxus' head. The angry blond knocked it away and prepared to attack again before he felt something start to constrict and squeeze around him. He looked down to see Naruto holding a pitch black blade that summoned a swarm of shadows to crawl up Laxus' legs. The shadows quickly bound the muscular Fairy's arms and forced them to his sides as Naruto lifted himself up. Laxus thrashed around in his confines as Naruto sighed, "Not in this for the fight, Laxus. Just here to stop you."

"You won't. You can't!" Laxus yelled and gathered his magic power as his body started to glow. The shadows around him started to expand before finally bursting as his electricity jumped off his body in every direction, "You need more to even come close to me!"

Laxus reeled his hand back to strike Naruto with another lighting attack. But even as the whiskered Mage raised his guard the attack never came and Laxus flinched in pain. He pulled his arm back and saw a small throwing knife imbedded in his bicep. Without flinching he pulled the small knife out of his flesh, looking at the bloody tip before scowling at his assailant, "I'm already dealing with one pain in my ass. If you know what's good for you you'll go and hide before I start breaking you too."

"Scary. But apparently there's this big festival that's going down here and it's gonna be a hoot." Gajeel slowly stepped into the cathedral without fear at the pain promised by the bulkier man, "But we're never gonna get around to the party if there's all this thunder and lighting threatening the show." The perpetually frowning Dragon Slayer cracked his neck and strode forward, "So either stop with the rumbling now or I'll just have to stop you myself. Please oh please pick the second option."

"Get out of here Gajeel. This ain't a game." Naruto warned, "One wrong move and you'll get put down and I'm not gonna be able to watch out for you."

"Good job playing yourself up Hunter because it totally looks like you've been handling this well by yourself." Naruto scowled and wiped the blood away from his nose as Gajeel came to a stop opposite of him. The Dragon Slayer and the Ninja had the rogue S-Class Mage locked between them as Laxus took the time to catch his breath, "Now I have no doubt I could probably wail on this jerk and do way more damage by myself than you, but I can't put him down." The short-tempered Mage scowled and looked like he was swallowing poison before he continued, "So I might need your help."

"Hahahahahaha!" Laxus finally spoke up and laughed wholeheartedly before catching his breath and shaking his head, "Well first off-"

Gajeel immediately raised his guard as Laxus' kick came flying into him. Even when prepared the Iron Dragon Slayer buckled from the force of the strike and went sailing through the air. Laxus quickly found his footing again and turned around to block Naruto's kick to the head. The whiskered man didn't let that stop him, twisting through the air and unleashing several more powerful kicks that Laxus blocked. A shadow lingered over the form of the sword as Naruto swung it down while Laxus dodged to the side.

"HA! HAHAHAHA!" Laxus held out his hand and released a flurry of electric orbs at his opponent. Naruto waved his dragon sword and created a wall of shadows to protect himself. The orbs bounced and burst against the magic wall and left holes in the shroud of black. Laxus was sure he was pressuring his fellow blond but the shroud burst open and Gajeel came rushing out of it. The black-haired man reeled back and threw a punch that stretched out into a metal pole that struck the violent Lightning Mage under the chin.

Laxus was knocked off his feet and when he looked up it was in time to see Naruto come dropping down on his chest. The ground cracked beneath them as Laxus let out a strangled gasp from the pressure on his chest. Naruto reached down, grabbing his foe by his shoulders before lifting him up and slamming him back down hard enough to make an imprint. Naruto repeated this again and again before lifting the Dreyar up and throwing him into one of the cathedral's pillars.

"Iron Dragon's Sword!" Gajeel's arm shifted into a sword and he swung it into the large Mage's body, toppling the pillar over his form and leaving him stuck under a pile of rubble. The rocks shifted and he attempted to pull himself out but Gajeel puffed his chest out and swelled his cheeks. He let out a massive breath of scrap and jagged metal that engulfed the pile of rocks and the Mage beneath them, "Iron Dragon's Roar!"

The massive rush of air and smoke blew out in every direction and the windows of the cathedral shattered into pieces from the force of the magical attack. Naruto shielded his eyes and stayed away from the falling shards as the dust finally settled. Gajeel dropped down beside him and caught his breath before smirking, "See, how'd you like that! Maybe I didn't need you after all!"

Naruto's response was a silent stare at the Dragon Slayer as his smirked slowly lowered. Naruto held out his hand and summoned a Copy sword that landed in his palm. He tossed it over to his comrade, "Eat. You're gonna need the pick up."

"Seriously?" Gajeel questioned through his mouthful of sword as he admitted that the magically constructed piece of metal was actually quite tasty. He swallowed the hilt and wiped his mouth, "You think he's gonna get up from that? We got him pretty good. Even if he can get up I know he'll be pretty badly-"

Gajeel went quiet when he saw a large shadow slowly stride out of the smoke cloud. When he finally emerged, Naruto and Gajeel looked on in shock and disbelief.

Sharper teeth.

Skin like scales around his forearms.

Magic power that increased further and further to the point it was almost suffocating.

Sparks and bolts spread off his body as Laxus let out a heavy laugh. There was stains of blood down his chin and bruises over his body but he continued to chuckle, "Impressed? I guess I should repeat it. You stand no chance." His chest puffed out and lightning glowed from his mouth, "Lighting Dragon's-"

"Oh shit."

"ROAR!"

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

"I-I wanted to fight! And all I do finally coming out here is have to break these things! You remember they knocked Bisca out with just one, right! And you want us to take care of all of them?!" Natsu looked around at the hundreds of Lacrima in every direction and frowned, "This is gonna suck, isn't it?"

"It won't be pleasant, but it still needs to be done." Erza honestly answered as the pink-haired man clicked his teeth in annoyance. Erza smiled and stepped up to the irritated Mage's side before patting his back. She still put a little too much strength behind it and Natsu bent back in pain from the action. He flinched in fear that he might have made her angry but when he looked back he saw a supportive, warm expression on the older woman's face. She held his shoulder reassuringly, "This is our town. The place our guild calls home. Where we go to get our cakes and torch our meat. We've lived here for so long...that I can't imagine Fairy Tail being anywhere else. This town needs us, and it would shame Fairy Tail's name to just not do anything." Erza summoned a sword from her Requip and looked up at him, "I can only do this with your help."

Natsu looked between her sword and her cautiously, "Really?"

"You are tougher and more tenacious than most anyone else in the guild. And I trust you to have the power to destroy every single one of these Lacrima."

Natsu's cheeks actualled reddened from the flattery of his old friend before looking aside, "I-I guess I can get my fight with Laxus some other time."

"Thank you."

"Yeah yeah." Natsu said defeatedly before stretching out his arms and looking around, "So how many are you gonna take? Because I'll take twice as much as that."

"I have another idea. Put your hand on my sword." Natsu looked skeptical of the idea but then looked up again to see the Lacrima starting to glow. They only had moments before the Hall of Thunder activated and Magnolia became the site of where the sky fell. The pink-haired man looked down at it again before grabbing a hold of the hilt, "Now close your eyes and focus. Think about what we need to do. The things we have to destroy and who we are trying to protect. Our friends. Our families. Our guild."

The redhead and pink-haired Mages let their magics leak out of their forms. Their pure aura raised and mixed around them as it attempted to take form. Their magic turned into flames before forming into pure white swords of shifting fire. The two Mages opened their eyes and whispered together...

"Unison Raid."

The blades of fire formed from their combined magic shot out into the air and impacted against one Lacrima, engulfing several others around it in an intense explosion. More and more swords formed from their aura and launched out in every direction. Explosions littered the air and shattered particles of Lacrima showered over the town that had been threatened with destruction mere seconds ago. After a few more swords rendered the sky free of any danger, the two Mages finally came out of their trance and lowered their magical power. They looked around at the fruits of their efforts before looking at each other and grinning in victory. They were ready to cheer for their success-

But then they felt a tingle go through their backs.

"AGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

"GAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!"

Erza and Natsu screamed in pain as their bodies were overwhelmed by the shock of electricity from the Living Link Magic. The damage from destroying just under 300 Lacrima rushed back into them as they were engulfed in lightning and racked with pain. The shock finally came to an end as they dropped to the ground unceremoniously, their bodies twitching and their breaths coming in belabored and ragged.

"You," Erza heard Natsu moan in pain, "You're gonna owe me so much food after all this."

Erza laid on her back and chuckled, "I'm happy to oblige."

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

The blinding light that filled the hall of the massive cathedral finally started to die down as the magic attack ended. Laxus let out a slow exhale and stretched out his arms as he looked over the damage his attack had left behind. A giant trench tore through the floor of the building and left of mark of melted and wrecked marble. Laxus let out a chuckle as he saw standing in the remains of the ruined floor was a wall made of shadow. The wall had holes in it and quickly melted away to reveal the injured party behind it.

Naruto was panting heavily and held up what remained of his shadow sword. The broken weapon slipped from his hand as he dropped to a knee, smoke and burns over his body from what he took of the attack before he could defend himself. Right behind him was Gajeel lying on the ground, his clothes charred from the intense attack as his body twitched. Naruto doubled over and coughed before gasping for air, "H-How? How are you a Dragon Slayer too? That can't be possible! You couldn't have learned from a dragon-"

"More than one way to get around it." Laxus flexed his arm and watched the sparks of electricity run up his bicep. He flexed his hand a few times, reveling in the increased strength and power he felt welling up in his body before looking back towards his adversary. The larger blond squared his shoulders and strode forward, "I gotta be honest Naruto I didn't expect you to be able to push me this far. But that's my fault. I keep underestimating you at the worst possible times. I need to remember that when push comes to shove you can pull out every stop you have. You managed to pull out the win against Jose. You apparently stopped another Saint in that Council guy. And let's not forget Sorrento, and how you actually handled him." The whiskered Mage's eyes narrowed in annoyance as Laxus smirked, "I know it might not sound like it, but this is me admitting you're strong. Not as strong as me, but stronger than I gave you credit. So, in honor of that, I'll break you at my full power."

"And I forgot something about you too, Laxus. How I underestimated you." Naruto let out one long breath before pushing himself up to his feet and standing tall to oppose his bulkier counterpart, "I forget out much you like to fucking babble." The Lightning Mage scowled at the audacious grin that stretched Naruto's face as his magic started to gather over his palm, "If you're only now going to start bringing out your best then I should warn you...it still won't be enough."

Naruto clenched his fists and started rapidly punching the air, releasing a barrage of concentrated magic at the massive Mage that impacted over his body, "Knight's Crusade!" The heavy magic projectiles burst over Laxus' body and hit like bricks as his feet dug into the ground beneath him. Even with the barrage of staggering attacks, Laxus powered through them and chuckled while stomping forward. He started moving faster and faster towards Naruto as his Armor attacks did nothing. Laxus moved his arms aside as he saw he was coming upon his opponent-

"Storm Fist!" The magic around Naruto's fist immediately switched with chakra, a blast of wind blowing out at staggering speeds to strike Laxus in the face. Even though it was weaker than his magic attack, it came out at such an incredible speed that Laxus was blinded for an instant. As his vision quickly came back to him he looked ahead just to see Naruto had vanished. But a shadow grew over his head and he looked up in time to see Naruto's foot covered in Armor as it came down like an axe on Laxus' collarbone. His form staggered and Naruto grabbed his shoulders before flipping over him to land right behind his back.

Laxus turned around and shot out with a ferocious kick that crossed with Naruto's kick. The two attacks landed against each other and the two Mages quickly separated. Laxus threw out his hand as lightning arched from his palm. Naruto blocked the static attack with his arm, feeling the intense pain shoot through his body as he charged forward. He got close enough to Laxus to knock his hand aside, stopping the rush of lightning before digging his other fist into Laxus' gut hard enough to lift him off his feet. With sensation coming back to his other arm he clenched his first and threw another sucker punch up into the larger Mage's chin.

But even as Laxus' head flew back, Naruto felt his vision blur as a fist struck across his cheek and nearly knocked him off his feet. He caught his balance and looked up in time to see Laxus' other fist come swinging in. He raised his guard and was knocked back several meters before landing in a crouch. He shot back up and immediately ducked beneath another hook from the large Dreyar. The whiskered Mage roared and punched Laxus in the ribs several times before he had to duck beneath another swinging clothesline.

Punch after punch was thrown between the two blondes, blood splashing out from each devastating punch as neither Mage would fall. Laxus blocked Naruto's punch and threw one of his own that was blocked in return. The two started trying to overpower each other as Laxus laughed, getting the upper hand on his opponent, "Still don't think it'll be enough. Is this the best you can do Naruto?"

"N-No." Naruto strained before smirking, "But I made you look."

"HA!"

Laxus felt a powerful strike knock him in the back of the head hard enough to stun him momentarily. Naruto took this opportunity to lift the Lightning Mage off his feet and spike him into the ground. His body bounced a few times before he came to a stop and looked up in surprise. Spitting some blood out and growling through his teeth he punched the ground in anger, "Can't you just stay the fuck down?!"

"I didn't wanna, but Hunter convinced me to play dead during your Roar." Gajeel looked back with a scowl at the whiskered Mage who just casually shrugged in response. The Iron Dragon Slayer then turned back to Laxus and grinned viciously as his body was coated in Scales. Metal scraped together as he clenched his fists as tightly as possible, "Now I don't need to. And I'm pretty sure I still owe you an ass kicking."

Naruto slammed his hands into Gajeel's back, sending his comrade flying with a blast of Wind. The metal projectile cackled as he threw out a punch that landed against Laxus' guard. The scarred blond threw a cross in return and buried it into Gajeel's face. The Iron Dragon Slayer felt a shock run through his body, not helped by the fact his body was covered in metal, but the wild Mage grit his teeth and roared as his hand stretched out into a spear. He started jabbing for Laxus' head, "Iron Dragon's Lance: Demon Logs!"

"How long do you think you can keep standing?!" Laxus weaved and dodged the assault of spikes as he got closer to his foe. When he got close enough he gripped into Gajeel's shoulder and released another current of lightning that made his fellow Dragon Slayer scream in pain. His fist came dropping down hard enough to tear the metal from Gajeel's cheek, "Do you think either of you can keep this up for much longer?!" He grabbed the black-haired man by the neck and tossed him into Naruto before he could get any closer, "It won't take long before the Hall of Thunder activates, so if you don't want your homes to be rendered to ruins and ashes, it's about time to surrender the position and make me the new guild master. Do it before..."

Laxus paused and blinked in surprise before looking around. He could see the sky had started to darken which signaled that his trap should have activated by now. He turned around, looking through the broken windows to see that the Lacrima were no longer floating in the sky, "W-What? What happened? Where's the Hall of Thunder?! What happened to it?!"

He swiped his hand and a progress report showed up in the air.

Progress Report:

Lacrima Destroyed

Erza & Natsu: 294

"No way. Fucking impossible." Laxus' expression started to falter as he trembled, "They should be dead. They can't do something like that. There's no way they could have destroyed all of the Lacrima! They're too weak!"

"That's it Laxus." Naruto helped Gajeel up to his knee and glared at the scarred Lightning Mage, "That's why you could never be the guild master. Because you underestimate the people in the guild. You think we can't stop you when everything we care about is put in jeopardy?" Laxus started to tremble in anger as Naruto shook his head, "You never understood the guild. You never had a chance of being its master."

"SHUT UP!" In a burst of speed Laxus charged them and knocked them back with a powerful kick. He watched them go flying back before he yelled and started to gather Lightning in his hands. Bolts violently started to arch out and tear through the ground and rubble around them before he clapped his hands together. Slowly he pulled them apart, a bolt of lightning stilling between his hands almost like it had physical form before he finally finished. The magical attack was fashioned to look like a weapon as he lifted the mighty attack over his head. Naruto and Gajeel looked in shock at the sheer power and intensity of the Laxus' attack before he pulled back and aimed at them, "DISAPPEAR! LIGHTNING DRAGON'S HEAVENWARD HALBERD!"

He threw the magical attack at full strength and watched as it soared through the cathedral in a flash of light. The bolt of pure magic power sailed towards its targets before erupting in a violent blast and deafening explosion. Thunder crashed and lightning struck everything like a thunderstorm around the floor of the building before finally dying out.

The light faded and Naruto's vision came back to him to see the figure stood before him. Gajeel's form looked hunched over and weakened. He was barely lifting his arms and standing on his own feet with the little strength he had left. The iron coating that covered his body had been chipped away from the severity of the Lightning attack. With a pained gasp he finally dropped to his knees and toppled over. Naruto looked down at the Dragon Slayer as Gajeel looked back at him with a pained expression and growled, "Finish this."

Naruto slowly stepped around Gajeel and faced the furious Laxus. He threw his hand out as a sword appeared from his Requip space. The Lightning Dragon Slayer finally lost what remained of his patience and charged at Naruto in a blind fury. Naruto yelled in return and swung his sword as a great gust of wind blew through the cathedral, "Grand Gale!"

A powerful rush of wind blew over Laxus with enough force to actually make him skid over the cathedral floor. He dug his heels in and grounded himself in place against the powerful current as the winds started to gather and rise through the building. The currents of rapid air were almost visible to the enraged Fairy Mage before he glared at his opponent and charged forward.

Naruto did the same and dashed to meet Laxus. He let the air and wind gather around him as lighting formed around the rogue Dreyar. The two blondes roared at the top of their lungs and collided before the two elements mixed and exploded in a violent reaction. The two blondes flew back before stomping down and charging back at each other.

Naruto split Laxus' lip with a devastating hook.

Laxus' elbow slammed down on Naruto's head.

Naruto made Laxus double over with a gut shot.

Laxus' knee flew up into Naruto's chin and knocked his head back.

"DIE!"

"NEVER!"

Wind raged and lightning rushed as the two men exchanged devastating hit after devastating hit. Blood and bruises accumulated over their bodies as their vision blurred and their strength waned. But neither faltered, refusing to succumb to the pain and beating they were receiving. Laxus threw a powerful cross that Naruto had to duck beneath before pulling his sword back out and swinging it up into the bulkier man's form. Naruto started jumping up the remains of the cathedral to attack Laxus but the older blond roared and covered himself in lighting.

"YOU CAN'T BE THIS STUPID! YOU CAN'T BE THIS BLIND!" Laxus started flying through the air and barreling through the columns and upper floors of the cathedral in an attempt to tackle Naruto. The whiskered blond ran along the wall, dodging Laxus' attacks as the scarred blond continued to attack, "YOU KNOW I'M STRONGER THAN YOU! YOU KNOW I'LL KILL YOU! SO WHY THE FUCK DON'T YOU RUN?!"

"Because you can't kill me Laxus!" Naruto released blast of wind towards Laxus even as the larger blond weaved through the air in his lightning ball. He vanished and appeared around the whole building, dodging Naruto's attacks and leaving quick strikes over his form that knocked him around. Naruto found his footing against the cathedral's wall and blocked Laxus' kick, "Not just because you can't, but because you won't! You won't go through with killing us, or hurting anyone else in the guild! You can't go through with fighting Jiji! Admit it!"

"AND HOW DO YOU FIGURE THAT?!"

"BECAUSE YOU LOOKED HURT WHEN I SAID HE WAS SICK!"

Laxus' eyes widened and his speed took a major dip in midair. This was enough opportunity for Naruto to come jumping in and kick him across the head. Naruto landed against the wall before immediately jumping off it, barreling into Laxus and pinning him against the adjacent wall. The scarred Lightning Mage gave a strangled gasp in pain before Naruto yelled and jumped off the wall again while pulling him along.

The two blondes started steadily falling towards the cathedral's ground level as Naruto started to gather Wind around him. All the powerful currents and gusts of winds that had been building up around the structure started to swirl around his body. He channeled it around his feet as Naruto screamed at Laxus, "You can't fight Jiji! You love him too much, even if you tried to fool yourself! And I hope you see that when you wake up!"

"D-DAMN YOU-"

"GIANT VOID STORM STEP!"

Naruto launched himself out of midair and slammed Laxus straight into the ground with enough force to send cracks not only through the cathedral but out into the streets around it as well. A mighty gust of wind shot out though the entire building, kicking up a dust storm that rushed out into the streets as quickly as possible.

After a few moments the dust and smoke finally started to spread out to give a sight of what had happened to finish the battle. Naruto coughed violently and tried to catch his breath, feeling a sharp sting run through his chest every time he tried to take a breath. No doubt the effect of a few broken ribs and all the strain his body took with that last massive leap. Barely able to lift himself up, Naruto looked down at the unconscious body below him.

Laxus laid in the center of the crater with wide white eyes and his head to the side. His body was covered in bruises and scales, and a few lines of blood seeping down his chin. Naruto waited for the possibility that he might shoot back up and reveal he still had some fight in him. But mercifully it appeared the battle was finally over. Naruto let out a deep sigh of relief, tumbling back and lying on the edge of the crater as he tried to ease through the pain of breathing.

It was over. Finally over.

"Is it done?" Gajeel's groan permeated the silence that had fallen after the fight, "Because I need some help moving."

"Join the club."

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

Naruto leaned against the gate of the guild and looked out over Magnolia with a weary sigh. He waved and greeted a few civilians passing by the guild hall. When they asked why he looked so tired and bandaged up so much, he would answer that the preparation for the parade went a little crazier than expected.

They didn't want the people knowing that Magnolia was nearly a casualty of the fighting that had occurred yesterday. So far they had just played it off as rehearsals and stunts they would try incorporating into the parade that had been pushed back until tomorrow night.

There were still quite a few complaints levied towards them about the fact he, Gajeel, and Laxus had nearly toppled the cathedral over with their 'practicing'. But there were also a few praises saying they hope to see the same 'fireworks' as yesterday.

Ignorance was bliss.

"You would probably put less strain on yourself if you came inside and sat down at a table." He looked over and saw Erza and Mira come out to greet him. Both ladies were covered in bandages and gauze after the tough battle they went through yesterday for their guild. Mirajane seemed to move a little slower and carefully, still trying to get accustomed to the feeling of pain and exhaustion she hadn't personally experienced in over two years. Erza was still quite mobile and leaned against the wall beside him, "Any reason you want to stand out here?"

"I spent pretty much the entire day locked up in the guild hall while shit was going down. If I go back in there I might go stir crazy." Erza chuckled and Mira giggled at his expense as Naruto frowned. The blond ran a hand through his hair before asking, "How's Jiji doing? He feeling better?"

"Yes, he's responsive and says he'll be up on his feet by the parade tomorrow. Porlyusica-San advices that he just focuses on resting and not stressing himself out too much." Mira's smile lowered, "Which probably makes it harder that he's talking to Laxus right now."

"I wish it didn't have to happen right at this moment when he should be focusing on recovering. But the matter with Laxus has to be addressed as quickly a possible. I don't envy the situation Master is in, but I'll trust in his decision." Erza let out a long sigh and crossed her arms together to try and relax, "Such a stressful situation. New topic; how are you two recovering from yesterday?"

"It hurts to breathe and every movement I take I feel my bones clatter together. Plus my nose fucking hurts." Naruto shrugged, "Could be worse though. I could be mummified like Gajeel." The S-Class Mage would admit to the enjoyment he had when he saw the comrade that stood beside him in such a harrowing fight covered in so many bandages. The furious Dragon Slayer tried to bark and scream at him but his mouth was covered and so was one of his eyes so he just kept waddling around in circles. Turns out he couldn't just walk away from taking such a powerful lightning strike while his body was covered in metal. He chuckled before looking between his friends, "What about you two?"

"I still feel a sting through my back every now and then. Lingering effect of destroying all those Lacrima." Erza gingerly rubbed her shoulders to try and alleviate some of the fatigue and soreness running through her muscles. She also let a small smile grow on her face as she heard Natsu continue to bemoan and scream how he hated being so wrapped up after helping her destroy all those Lacrima. Clearly one of them was more accustomed to damage than the other. Speaking of which, "What about you Mira? How does it feel to be back in the fray after all this time?"

"It aches." Mira responded cheerfully while looking herself over. She could remember the last time she had been this bandaged up as the night she and her siblings took on that S-Class job. Still with a smile on her face she looked to her two friends with joy, "But I'm glad I was finally able to fight alongside you all again."

"I know I could feel your magic power all the way back in the guild." Naruto asked, "So what now? Finally gonna go back to taking jobs? I'm sure there are a few people that would be happy to see The Demon fighting for the good guys again."

Mira gave a nervous chuckle, "Um, I think I'm okay where I am now. I'll still help when I can but I'm sure retirement agrees with me more."

"I'm not so sure." Erza added with a teasing glint in her eyes, "Everyone would be happy to see you in the ponytail and gothic look again."

"E-Erza!"

"She's right. It'd be fun to see you acting like a punk again and flipping everyone off."

"Naruto!"

"You were quite the rebellious spirit. Remember all those swears and names you called me as a kid?"

"Forget that. I was gonna be a part of her harem, remember?"

"Enough!" Mira finally cried out with an embarrassed blush on her face. She shuddered and frowned at the smiles and grins on their faces. She glared at them, "Do you both really have to have so much fun at my expense?"

"Maybe."

"We're just interested in how you will proceed."

The couple stopped jabbing at their friend when they heard the rowdy guild suddenly go silent. They looked towards the entrance of the guild and watched as a bandaged Laxus came stepping out. The scarred blond looked out over the town before turning to look at the three of them. They silently glared at him as he simply stared back. After a moment he just chuckled and shook his head, "You three gotta work on your intimidating glares. They're good but they could be better."

"So what did the Master decide? Erza inquired.

"Why do you care?"

"Because we do. It's important." Mira answered, "The whole guild needs to know how to act around you now. You forced us all to fight each other, held us hostage, and threatened the town. It's going to be hard working under the same roof as you now."

"Well that's not going to be a problem. You all aren't going to see me again." Laxus answered before she could continue, "I'm out. Jiji's cutting off the rotten branch before it goes any further."

The three Mages looked between each other in surprise. They knew that it was the course of action that would be most appropriate for what Laxus had done. But they had a hard time believing that Makarov's could actually go through with it. Because despite all the stupid shit Laxus did, he was still his grandson. Apparently Makarov had chosen the guild's side over his own blood.

Not easily. They could guess just how hard this was for the kindhearted old man. To let go of his own grandson for his guild.

"Well, no point dragging my feet." Laxus yawned as he started heading into the street, "Better start moving before the rest of the guild tries to lynch me. Heh, I know Mahiro would probably be looking for the chance to rip into me."

"You can't blame her after everything you did." Kidnapping her daughter and then taking away her free will would definitely leave a bad impression. Laxus didn't answer as Erza pushed off the wall, "Laxus, what will you do?"

"Don't know. Travel. Pick fights. Maybe start my own guild."

"Don't go to your father." Laxus' eyes narrowed on the redhead after the mention of his father, but Erza firmly stood in place and matched his look, "I know how vindictive you can be, but don't push Master any further. Please don't do anything rash or drastic."

Laxus only stared at her in silence. After a moment he looked away and shook his head, "I'll see. Bye-"

"Laxus!" The scarred Dreyar looked back and saw Naruto had stepped up to face him again. The whiskered blond scowled and yelled, "You can be a real unbearable dick! Always trying to piss people off and start a fight! And even though you can be strong and cool you always ruin it by opening up your fucking mouth! And it's shit like that why I never got around to thanking you for helping with Damnation all those years ago!" Naruto continued to scowl as Laxus stared at him blankly, "But then you had to start attacking the guild and taking Koyuki and trying to hurt Erza and just pissing me off all over again! I never know how I should act with you! So when I see you again - and I'm gonna see you again - I'm gonna punch you in the face, have a drink with you, and then hash this all out with a proper fight! You and me! One on one! Got it!"

...

Laxus stared into Naruto's eyes in silence as he just took in what the whiskered Fairy had announced. After a moment the bulkier blond just gave a chuckle and shook his head, "See ya Naruto. You were also a constant pain in my ass." The older blond started walking away and disappeared around the corner.

Naruto stood there for a moment before finally turning away from where the Lightning Mage had walked away. When he did he saw the amused looks on Erza and Mira's faces. They laughed between each other before the white-haired girl wiped her eyes, "You're so cute sometimes."

"I forget how much like a little kid you can be when you want to." Erza nodded, "Kind of like Natsu."

"Both of you shut up."

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

Laxus hefted his bag over his shoulder after finally clearing out his home. He was glad he already broke the news about being excommunicated from the guild to the rest of the Raijinshū. Fortunately the old man was smart enough to realize they were just doing as they were ordered by him, so he was lenient with those three.

Still they looked like their world had collapsed the moment he told them he was going away. He had no idea why they were so concerned about him. He was so spiteful and angry at their failure to help him enforce his dream just a few days ago, but now it just seemed petty to be angry at them.

Hopefully they would move on and stop looking to him for guidance. He was pretty shit at being a leader. Naruto had probably been right about him failing to be a guild master of any guild he built. Laxus looked around the empty streets one last time before with a shrug he started making his way towards the town limits-

"Laxus-niichan, wrong way! The parade is this way!"

Laxus felt something tug on his coat and looked back to see he was dragging Koyuki with him each step. The little Senju toddler was desperately trying to dig in her heels and pull Laxus back with her. He stopped before he could trip her over and looked down at the chestnut-haired girl, "Brat, what are you doing? Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"Yep! But I get to stay up late tonight to watch the parade!" The young girl grinned and looked back, "Me and Mama are looking for the best spots!"

Laxus looked up slowly and saw the dreaded woman standing a few feet away with her arms crossed and spite filling her eyes. Koyuki continued to gleefully drawl and ask him to come watch with them but Laxus was too focused on the woman that looked like she wanted to punch his head off.

As Koyuki happily stepped up to the crowd to watch the parade with the Fairy Tail members, Laxus followed after her while Mahiro walked alongside. As they watched the show proceed on and members from the guild get the crowd raring to go, Mahiro whispered with an edge to her voice only he could hear, "Is there anything you want to say?"

"Should I? I think even if I say sorry you wouldn't accept it."

"You're right. I wouldn't. Even if you didn't have the stomach to go through with killing anyone, the idea that you would bring my daughter into your fight was enough to make an enemy of me for the rest of your life."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Nothing." Mahiro gripped her arms tightly, "I respect the Master too much to harm someone he cares about so much." Laxus looked at her skeptically before she scoffed, "What, like you didn't know? What you did is similar to the actions of Dark Mages and are against the rules of the Magic Council. Not like Master had ever been an avid supporter of them, but after what you did there had to be punishment. But he thought this would be the best for you. You've become too aggressive. Too violent. You've lost sight of what you had here. So maybe you can find it somewhere else with enough time to yourself." Mahiro shrugged, "Seemed like a nicer punishment than me digging your face into the pavement."

"So you won't ever be as forgiving as Jiji, eh?"

"She's safe and sound. That's all the reason I'm not throwing a fist." Mahiro's eyes hardened, "Other than that, if you ever come near my daughter again, I won't be held responsible for my actions."

"Laxus-niichan, I can't see! Put me on your shoulders so I can watch!"

Laxus blinked and looked to Mahiro for a response before the older Senju frowned and reluctantly nodded. She watched like a hawk as Laxus bent down and let the happy girl climb up on his shoulders and hold his head for safety. The Lightning Mage felt a stinging pain letting her do this as he was sure his concussion was acting up but Mahiro looked ready to pounce at any little movement he made so he powered through.

"Ah! Look! It's Onii-chan and Onee-chan! Look how pretty they are!"

Laxus rolled his eyes and watched the parade go on as the next float came up. Erza was at the front of the float, getting everyone's attention as she danced around in an elegant armor with flashy blades swinging in her hands. It was enough to get everyone watching to cheer and scream at the top of their lungs for the beauty.

Suddenly they heard loud bursts above their heads and looked up to see a figure appearing and disappearing in midair. Then the figure dropped down on the float as well with a gust of wind flying out around it. The wind vanished and revealed Naruto, in a similar armor to Erza's as the crowd clapped at his sudden appearance. The blond looked to the redhead and offered his hand before she gracefully accepted. The couple started dancing together on the front of the float, swords flying and weaving over them as the crowd cheered in joy.

Laxus let out a small chuckle at their showing off.

"There's Jii-chan! Haha, he looks silly!"

Laxus looked up and saw his grandfather dressed like a weird combination of an orange cat, rat, and elf. Not to mention he was doing some silly dance that just looked demeaning and enough to make everyone point and laugh. He scoffed and shook his head, "Stupid old man."

"Hey, no shake." Koyuki bumped his head to stop him before she could fall off. Finding her balance the young Senju looked down at her living chair, "Laxus-niichan, why don't you go up there and play with Jii-chan? I bet he'd be really happy to play with you again."

Laxus looked towards Mahiro and saw the woman shake her head. Apparently the news hadn't been broken to her or the others yet. He droned, "Don't count on it kid. I'm not gonna be preforming in this thing for a long time."

"Really? Why not?"

"Because I'm going." Laxus said, "You probably ain't gonna see me again."

"But I don't want you to go."

"Some people do." He looked to the side and saw Mahiro silently stare ahead even if she heard their conversation, "For the best. I feel tired being around here anymore."

"But you have to come back, okay?"

"Not how it works."

"But Jii-chan will be really sad if you go away. You have to come back. Mama's really happy when she gets to see me again. I bet Jii-chan will be super happy when you come back!"

"You just don't listen." Laxus sighed and looked at the float, "He isn't-"

Laxus paused as he looked at the float his grandfather rode on. The old man had stopped his ridiculous dance and instead planted himself on the float while pointing his finger up into the sky. The rest of the crowd watched in confusion at the unknown gesture as Laxus just stared in silence.

He looked over the parade and saw all the members of Fairy Tail doing it while they walked through the street.

Laxus looked up one last time and saw his grandfather...

Looking directly at him.

And smiling.

"Come back soon, Laxus-niichan." Koyuki said over his head with a giggle, "He'll be so happy to see you when you come back."

"Jii-chan!" The little blond boy happily bounced around in front of his grandfather with a grin that nearly split open his face, "I have the best idea for Fantasia! It'll be great!"

"Haha, calm down Laxus. You're going to make yourself sick." Makarov chuckled at the actions of his ecstatic grandson, "What's this idea?"

"Well the parade is gonna be really big, right? And I might not see you when I'm on the float! So instead," He pointed his finger up in the air, "Ill do this!"

"Point up? That's rather silly-"

"Yeah but it'll be a sign! Like even though I can't see you right now I'll be watching for you! And waiting to see you!"

"But you won't know where I am in the parade?"

"Then I'll just do it the whole time!" Laxus said with a big smile, "I want you to know I'll be looking out for you all the time, Jii-chan!"

"We'll make sure not to tire yourself out, okay?"

"C'mon, Jii-chan! Take it seriously!"

Laxus lifted the little girl off his shoulders and situated her around her mother's instead. The two Senjus watched him step away, hefting his bag over his shoulder as he muttered, "Yeah, maybe one day."

Maybe one day he could come back. Give the old man a break from constantly looking out for him.

And maybe when that day comes...he can ask for forgiveness.

Laxus took a deep, shaky breath and wiped his eyes clean as he headed out of the town with Fantasia blaring and glowing behind him.

Maybe he just needed some time...to remember what it was this guild had meant to him as a child. What he had lost in his desperate attempt to make his own path for himself. It'll probably take some time...

Maybe he'll come back for another Fantasia to see the old man look like a goofball.

########Omake: In The Forest - 3########

"How did you idiots fuck up a simple search job?! All you had to do was look through the forest! And somehow you got caught in a stampede!" The furious leader whipped his hand out and slapped one of the Dark Mages across the face hard enough to slice his cheek open. The other two had busted lips as well from the beatings they had received for their incompetence, "How do you explain yourselves?!"

"B-Boss, we were just trying to look for some food!"

"Yeah, a-and when that local brat and her cat spotted us we tried to catch her before she could call for help!

"Excuses! All you dipshits are doing is making excuses for why you got caught with your thumbs up your asses!" Their leader seethed, "You'd have been better off getting crushed under all those animals!"

"I-I was Boss!" The Dark Mage with the split cheek flinched as he spoke up, "I got caught under those stupid animals and one of 'em stepped on my throat. I thought I was gonna die if that brat didn't heal me! Then when I tried to catch her the little bitch got me in the head-"

"You not only got caught by a little girl but you were saved by her too! Why you-"

"Stop." The firm voice spoke up before the leader could backhand his subordinates again. They looked back and saw two figures standing underneath the shadows while watching the punishment proceed. One figure slowly strode forward, the long purple snake slithering up by his leg and following him. The leader quickly shuffled away out of fear and left his underlings to cower under the gaze of the intimidating man, "You say this girl healed your injury?"

"Y-Y-Y-Yes sir."

"And you would've died otherwise?"

"T-T-T-T-T-"

"Less chatter."

"That's right!" The scared Mage finally spat out as his whole body shook out of fright as his eyes looked to the giant snake that could probably devour him in one bite.

"And this girl? She have a name?"

"I-I don't remember sir."

"I can hear your heartbeat. You're lying."

"I-I don't remember very well cause she beamed me in the head, b-but it was something ending in -dy!"

"-dy?"

"L-Like Mendy or Bendy or Lendy or Wendy or Sendy-"

"Stop. Just stop." The red-haired man sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose, "I've never heard someone's inner thoughts shit themselves before but I'm pretty sure that's been fixed." With a sigh he turned around, letting his snake coil around him without fear as he spoke to his fellow visitor, "What'd you think?"

"A local girl? Somewhere near the Woodsea that is capable of such proficient healing? Hmm." The figure stroke his staff in thought, "You all may leave. I shall contact you if I need any further assistance in this matter."

"O-Of course sir!" The underlings quickly fled from their main room and left the two men alone.

"Man, didn't think we'd get anything trusting the closest outfit to the Woodsea, but from the looks of it we got something valuable." His snake lifted its body and let its master sit on it as he stroke the creature's head softly, "We get what we need?"

"Yes, I do believe so. We may just have what we need in order to finally complete our objective."

The Woodsea. Their goal. The body that seemed devoid of life. And the one that may just be able to restore it.

"Wendy?" He deducted from the only name the nervous fool had prattled off that sounded remotely human, "I look forward to finding her."

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

Done

Fighting Festival Arc over! Wasn't that the most compelling, well-written, and best take on the arc you've ever seen!

No?

Yeah figured I couldn't fool you guys.

So as I'm sure enough of you have heard me say and are probably sick of listening about it; I like to plan ahead. I'm planned up to the Magic World. I'm planned up to Volume 4. Hell, I'm planned up to the World Rating Game. And this story is no different, I've planned up to the Grand Magic Games.

(Disclosure: Planning ahead and actually getting around to writing it are two different things.)

But the Fighting Festival Arc had never been a story I was too focused on. I was sure when it finally came around I'd have a plan for it but I never did.

And so these last few chapters have been lacking, as I'm sure a few of you have noticed. That's not to say I just jotted down whatever I wanted as fast as I could. On the contrary these were some of the chapters I spent the longest amount of time writing. And not to say I didn't like writing them either, but I just felt like I could have done better.

Honestly, they weren't the best but I'm sure they could've been a lot worse. A comfortable middle ground.

The next arc however is one I'm very excited for and have been waiting to write. I'm sure you've noticed considering the last three omakes have been building up to it. I sincerely hope you all enjoy them as they come out.

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