The Fairy Contender

by Insane Dominator

One day, Nic Pularis is drawn into a sub-dimension, where he encounters Legendary Pokemon. He is entrusted with Plates by Arceus, and send to the land of Fiore, where he encounters Natsu, Lucy, Gray, and Erza. He must go through multiple perilous journeys with his Pokemon and Fairy Tail, and triumph and endure hardships to master all eighteen Plates and save the universe. OCxErza.

50. Death's Challenge

Chapter 50 – Death's Challenge

Happy New Year's Eve guys! It's almost been a year since I joined FanFiction (January 3rd), and I already established the 50th chapter of The Fairy Contender, and established 39 chapters in EDventures in Kalos, as well as the OVA 2 remake called Fairy Academy's Light.

Guest: Actually, OVA 2 is the only one separate. I'm not doing OVA 1, 3, or 6. However, I do intend on adding OVA 4 and 5 in. For Sophie, I really haven't thought of pairing her.

I've also finally got over 100 Favs and Follows, thank you guys for those! Thanks for sticking with me this entire year, and so here's the 50th chapter!

To Recap:

Nic and everyone met up a t base camp, where Team Natsu, along with Nic and Charizard, charge into battle with Hades while Kecleon lead the Exceeds to the power source on Hades' ship. Though they dished out some harsh blows, Hades easily gained the upper hand; that is, until an unexpected visit from Laxus temporarily turned the tide. Before Laxus was beaten, he transferred his powers to Natsu, turning him in a Lightning Flame Dragon.

---

Chapter 50 – Death's Challenge

The entire ship was feeling pressure given off as Natsu growled much like a dragon. His glare made everyone's hair stand on end as the lightning and fire both coursed all over his body. Hades was on guard as Natsu emanated an extraordinary amount of power.

"What's is this crazy power? I've seen nothng like it." Gray remarked in surprise.

"A…a Lightning Flame Dragon?" Wendy repeated.

Nic's eyes narrowed as he felt this surge coming from Natsu. 'This force, it's much like when Jellal gave Natsu the Flame of Rebuke.' Nic recalled how Jellal was lying down, and he smiled as he gave Natsu the golden flame. He remembered the power given off, and the strength enhancement behind his power-up.

Natsu let out a battlecry as the ground beneath shook. Hades' eye shot wide open when Natsu suddenly appeared in front of him, dealing a Lightning Flame Dragon's Fist into his face, shooting him back into a wall.

Natsu gave no time for Hades to recover as he jumped and turned upside-down and spun with a Lightning Flame Dragon's Claw, swinging his kick down onto Hades face. Hades blocked at the second with a forearm and forced Natsu back, but was struck by a bolt of lightning from above. Hades screamed in agony as he felt pain course through his body.

"Natsu can use Laxus' attacks too?!" Gray exclaimed.

Lucy smiled again. "Alright!"

Hades remained standing after the lightning went away and he let out a battlecry, unleashing a glowing chain at Natsu. The Lightning Flame Dragon Slayer jumped straight up and dodged, evading the chains. In midair, he twisted his body and was upside down once more. Hades lunged after him, a dark coated fist ready.

As Natsu's axe kick coated in lightning flame went down, it collided with Hades' fist, making darkness and lightning flames palpitate wildly, shaking the ground.

Everyone watched in awe as the two were at a complete match. At least to what they knew.

Natsu planted his feet onto the ground, Hades landing right in front. Natsu brought back a lightning flame coated fist. "This is what happens to anyone who messes with Fairy Tail!" He punched Hades with great force, smashing him into the flooring.

Hades grunted as pain flared everywhere. He only had time to look back up before Natsu dealt a left hook with lightning flame coated. Hades felt the massive force and skid back harshly, leaving a trail of shattered flooring.

Natsu then jumped above as flames coated his right hand, while lightning coated his left. "You've hurt a lot of people! You'll never be forgiven!" Over his head, he brought them together. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" He brought the humungous fireball downwards, lightning crackling within it. An explosion rumbled about as the place quaked yet again.

As a giant dust cloud erupted, Hades jumped up out of it, swinging his arm that had a chain on it. The chain coursed through the air, shackling both of Natsu's hands together.

Natsu showed no visible shock when their feet landed on the ground.

"HAHA! Try attacking with your hands tied!" Hades challenged.

Natsu's hands steamed as he used his pure strength to shatter the shackles, shocking Hades to the extreme. Natsu then began to suck in a huge breath, fire streaming like crazy into his mouth.

Charizard's eyes narrowed. "You feel that too, don't ya?"

Nic nodded. "Yes." He turned towards everybody else. "Everyone cover up!"

"Lightning Flame Dragon's…ROAR!" The entire ship rumbled and violent winds raged like a mad tempest as Natsu unleash a massive volume of lightning flames, so big that it could destroy half of Hades ship if fire so.

Hades screamed as he was swallowed in in the attack, his demise flaring before him.

Everyone was sent flying away from the devastating attack, but Erza, Nic, and Charizard all barely held their ground as Natsu's roar raged with that of a dragon's roar itself. The massive oar shattered the entire wall, breaking through and angling into the sky above, barely above Tenrou Island.

---

Above everyone was a huge lightning flame that stormed the skies above. Levy covered up as the entire island shook from the supreme force of Natsu's attack.

"Whoa! Look at that!" Lisannna shouted.

"Oh man, that's crazy." Bickslow said.

Vanessa gawked at the huge lightning flame that was extremely large as it passed right over Tenrou Island. "I think I know who did that."

"Natsu, don't die on us." Freed said.

Mira and everyone watched as the fire raged above.

Nearby, walking through the forest, Gildarts looked up and saw the incredible lightning flame storm the skies above, a smile plastering as he realized who did it.

---

Surprisingly, just after the roar diminished, the rain in the sky finally stopped, no longer waterlogging everything.

Natsu heaved as his mouth steamed, looking at the broken wall. Gray, Lucy, and Wendy gaped their mouths in sheer shock, Erza smiled, and Nic and Charizard grinned.

"Not too shabby." Charizard admitted.

Lucy slowly broke into a smile, seeing Hades lying on the ground. He was all tattered and with a gaped mouth, not moving.

Natsu smirked, though lost balance. "I warned ya…" He slowly fell backwards into the pit Laxus fell in.

"Natsu!" Lucy picked her feet up and rushed over towards him. She hurried over and grabbed Natsu's wrist, catching him and letting him dangle.

"Thanks." He muttered weakly, his eyes barely opening. "That was close…I don't suppose…there's food in that outfit, right?"

All Lucy did was smile down at him.

'If I used that much Magic Power in one blast, I'd be exhausted too.' Erza thought.

Gray grinned. "Finally, it's over."

"We did it!" Wendy cheered.

Nic and his flaming pal both grinned at the other, yet something still didn't feel right for both of them. Nic still somehow sensed Magic Power emanating from Hades. It was faint, but he still felt it.

If observed, there was a pit in the center, where broken trails of flooring converged and lead to the destroyed wall. Several ornaments were destroyed, and Hades was in a trail.

"You feel that?" Nic asked.

Charizard growled, silently stepping forward. "This guy's a major glutton for punishment."

Hades' eye shot pen as his face was covered by a dark shadow, giving him an ominous feeling.

"You certainly are full of surprises to say the least." Hades admitted. His broke shattered the cheer going around as Natsu and gang's eyes darted as Hades with shock.

Hades slowly arisen to his feet. "Well done Makarov. You've raised some incredible children."

Wendy was shaking and stepped back. "…n-no way…"

Hades finally stood up. He flashed a requip of his own, adorning a high-collar cape with dark colors. "I can't remember the last time I had a good beating. That was rather rejuvenating if I do say so myself."

"This can't be happening!" Gray stammered, stepping back.

Hades' glare darted into everyone's eyes, darkly eying them. "I thank you for the fun, but now I must exterminate you."

Erza's eyes were written with sheer shock. "What kind of monster can survive an attack like that?"

Nic's eyes remained demeaning and serious. "One that is unbound by anyone below him." Nic answered. He was well aware of such experience, as his many battles in the past made him be sure to take in everything, and what he picked up was Hades' Magic Power gone.

"Nic 'Luminous' Pularis." Hades said aloud. "I have to say, you seem to show some bravado in your courage, such as Laxus, but it's time you're shown true fear…" Hades slowly reached for his eye patch, with Nic and Charizard tensing up as they began to feel a great swell of power already."

He removed his eyepatch, slowly opening his eye, which was a bright red. "Demon's Eye."

Lucy started to panic in place while supporting an exhausted Natsu. She was very scared as Hades was surging with circling purple and dark force. The Magic swelling was beyond measurement; even Nic had to admit Hades' increasing power was extraordinary.

"You shall witness something you've never seen before." Hades warned, a shadow over his body, the dark Magic swirling around him slowly. The level of power made everyone's hearts race. "Prepare yourselves, for the Abyss of Sorcery. An area of which surpasses your imagination."

"Can you feel that?" Gray's voice sounded broken, as if almost trembling.

Wendy began to tear up. "Please tell me this isn't real!"

Erza's eyes were shaken. "This power is unimaginable." If she said she never felt so much power before, she'd be lying to herself. The level of power of another individual surpassed Hades by a grand margin, and the remembrance of it made her almost tremble.

"No way…" Lucy trailed off as Natsu was on his knees, grunting as he wsn't able to act.

Hades continued to give off a demonic vibe. "I am the heart of your destruction."

Natsu finally gave in and he had his forearms on the ground, panting and shaking. "Damnit! I don't have any Magic Power!" He punched the ground under him. "That last attack used up every bit I had."

Nic looked at Natsu and then back at Hades, his body actually feeling its own heart beat faster. The pressure given off was tremendous. Hades had more strength than what he and Charizard had realized.

'Kecleon, better be careful. It's about to get uneasy.'

---

Kecleon and the Exceeds looked up at the windows in the sliding doors, being careful not to open them. The Exceeds used their Aera Magic to gain flight so they can peek in and see the numerous Mages inside.

"I never expected so many in one place." Lily said.

"Aye." Happy responded.

"If are that many goons here, then that must mean the power source must be nearby." Carla assumed, narrowing her eyes. "And from the looks of it, behind that door at the far end is the power, just like Kecleon said."

The Exceeds descended and met Kecleon's altitude. Her odd gaze left them awkward, but she wasn't wrong when the power was close at hand.

"Why don't we find another entrance?" Happy suggested.

Lily crossed his arms. "I find it unlikely. Even if we make it around, damaging the power might get their attention regardless. Our only bet is to charge in and storm the room and take down the power source."

"We must raid the island, banish the bandits, and take the glory!" Kecleon announced, small question marks rising over the Exceeds' heads.

Lily cleared his throat. "Anyways, let's take them out!"

They approached, the sliding doors opened. Almost immediately, the Mages inside turned with weapons in hand. Swords, Magic Staves, hammers, a lot of other weaponry, but that didn't stop them from walking inside.

Lily glared up at them, pulling out the broken handle he accidentally pried off earlier.

"Where'd that come from?" Happy wondered.

"How in the world did cats and lizards get inside?" A Mage asked.

"Who cares! Just stop them!" Another masked Mage barked.

"Stop this!" Lily spun and threw the handle, using it like a projectile as it circles around, hitting several Mages before returning into his right paw, much like a boomerang.

A few glints here and there, and suddenly Kecleon slashed through a vast number with her Slash, sending Mages all over the place.

"Stop them!" One Mage yelled. The masked men charged after them, with one swinging a sword down on Lily, but he blocked with the door handle. The Mage backed away. "You're in for it now!"

To everyone's sudden surprise, Lily transformed on the spot, growing to human size. Lily's teeth bared as he let loose a battlecry, once punch sending a couple Mages flying.

"How'd he get so big?!" "Stop them, come on!"

Happy and Carla both used their Aera Magic to keep away from the fight as swords were thrown at them, making them unable to be of much help.

A fellow Mage charged after Lily with a long sword. The swords had a curved blade with light edging and dark red all over the rest. There was a light symbol near the hilt, resembling a music note. The handguard extended over the blade, with a curved-claw decoration near the cutting edge. The 'claw' had a wing-like decoration on its end, having three metal feathers. The part connecting the hilt to the blade curves were that of rectangles in an unsteady line. The hilt was long with leather, having a pommel at the end that almost look like the head of the Fairy Tail emblem.

The mage swung it, but Lily caught it with ease. Using his pure strength, he grabbed the blade from the Mage. "My, how generous!" He sarcastically sneered.

"B-But that's my sword!" The Mage whined.

Lily horizontally slashed the sword, leaving a green trail as Mages flew back. Lily readied another swing, but he noticed something peculiar about the sword as it was swirling green energy. To his surprise, the sword grew exponentially.

"Well this is quite a surprise. I'd never thought I'd find a size-changing sword outside of Edolas." He admitted.

Kecleon stopped her attacking and looked back, tilting her head. "One size fits all." And then she turned back around and jumped back into the fray, her hand-to-claw combat easily besting everyone.

Lily smirked. "I think I'll keep it. I could use a replacement for my Bustrmarm."

The Mage who wield it was against a wall, reaching out. "Oh come on man! I spent four months paying for that!"

"Bring it on!" Lily slashed horizontally, the force sending several other Mages back.

Kecleon saw swords coming at her. "Thief!" In a vast blur, she passed the two holding swords, not only knocking them down, but grabbing their swords. She held them up. "Behold! The ultimate butter knives that'll slather you with pain!" She slashed them like she's been using them all her life, given she uses Slash all the time.

Mages were sent flying left and right as Kecleon was seen jumping and throwing the two swords, knocking more Mages down. Upon landing, her Shadow Sneak sprung up, sending many skyrocketing.

Happy and Carla were against the wall, spectating as the two went to work.

"Let's be glad we're not in there, otherwise we'd be a nuisance." Carla said. "We'll wait until they clear out."

"Uhh…" Happy sweatdropped, seeing the endless slashing from Lily, and the Thief and Shadow Sneak attacks Kecleon used, not to mention were spinning and kicking. "This might take some time."

---

Makarov's eyes began to twitch as he was beginning to awaken. His groaning attracted the attention of everyone, including the now-present Gildarts.

"Master! You're awake!" Mira happily cheered.

Makarov sat up with the support of Freed, and Gajeel, Sophie, and Evergreen alike all began to arouse from their rest.

"Ugh." Gajeel groaned, putting a hand on his head. "What just hit me?"

Levy was right by his side, tears almost visible in her eyes. "Thank goodness. I was scared there."

"Sophie!" Vanessa cheered as her friend slowly arose.

Sophie slouched a little, yet her body still stung all over. She winced. "Ow. Well, at least pain knows that I'm still alive." She groaned.

Vanessa gave a relieving sigh. "Thank god we're all in one piece."

Sophie looked around. "Wait." She noticed the familiar faces. "Vanessa? Freed? Bickslow? Mira? What happened?"

Cana stood up. "We'll fill you in on the way. Right now, we gotta go help the others."

"Cana is right." Freed agreed. "Now that we're all able-bodied, it's best to get back to our feet and assist in the fight. Everyone, support the wounded and make haste."

---

A dark mist enveloped Hades' feet as his glowing red eye intimidated everyone present.

"The Abyss of Sorcery?" Gray repeated.

"Yes, and its power is overwhelming." Erza added.

Wendy was paralyzed in fear, having tears in the corners of her eyes. She'd been frightened before, but this brought back painful memories of Kalos, where Nic was almost ripped into pieces by someone who was beyond Hades.

Lucy nudged Natsu's back. "Natsu, get up!"

"I can't! I don't have any Magic Power!" He cursed aloud.

Nic's fists clenched tighter as he grunted as Hades. Charizard gave a low growl.

Hades' eyes were wide. "In order to follow the path of Sorcery, one must fall into the dark depths that it arose from." He said. "Within, is the Primordial Magic." His dark coated fist clenched. "Primordial Magic, the purest of Magic Power. It feels so close that it's almost in reach, yet so far."

"Primordial Magic?" Nic muttered. "That's what Azuma said earlier."

His whole right side of his face was sprouting a trunk. "So as to get closer to the Primordial Magic; the very Magic that has been around since the beginning."

"Within it is a place known as the Grand Magic World, and the key to reaching it is Zeref. Once we have him, history shall forever be altered and the Primordial Magic shall be mine!" Hades' Magic surged like a corrosive veil. "You shall be reduced into nothing before that happened."

Gray's eyes were still wide with great anticipation of dread. "This is bad, very bad."

Hades slowly rose both of his arms, his Magic almost creeping about around him. "From the Book of Zeref itself. Black Arts – Nemesis!"

The ground began to shake as darkness enveloped the area, the hue around everything reduced to an ominous purple. As the ground quaked, the debris from the ship began to manifest. Slowly, they manifested into demons made of pure darkness, all having various shapes and size, but all had red lines on them. They all had sharp fangs as well. They all roared, sending chills down everyone's spines.

"What has he done?!" Gray shouted, with Wendy cowering.

Hades' hair was no longer running down his back, but was standing up, his red eye glowing even brighter. "With the power of the abyss, I can create monsters from even the tiniest speck of dust."

Erza's eyes were wide and terror was written on her face. 'Each of those demons is overwhelmingly deadly. How can he control this much power?' She looked down and saw her hand shaking. 'I haven't felt like this in a long time. This terror, it's unholy.'

Lucy was holding Natsu tight out of fear, Wendy was near-crying in her hands, Gray was on his hands and knees, but there were two were standing completely still.

Nic and Charizard both just stared ahead, the ominous feeling making their eyes shake and their hearts race at high speeds. This feeling they were feeling, it was great, but…

Nic wasn't at all trembling, and Charizard wasn't cowering like the rest. Both showed no fear. Looking at the demons before him, it only made Nic think to an experience that made him toughen up.

His fear, was being overpowered by authority. Fear itself was something Nic wasn't scared of. The assailant from before, he embodied Hell and every bloody thought that could be imagined, magnified into screams of trembling dread that could shatter the sound barrier, and make it rot until it was reduced to pitch black. The assailant that went at Nic twice, he was so fearful that everyone behind him cowered like they were at that moment. Looking ahead at the demons still, a blank expression plastered him.

He wasn't afraid. The fear he was supposed to be experiencing would be nothing compared to what he felt before Edolas and in Kalos. The man, or whatever he was, was more intimidating. No contest.

Charizard and Nic looked at the other, seeing right through the other's eye. They had the same undeterred glare that showed no fear. Charizard saved Nic, along with the others. Even he was frightened by the fire the tainted Moltres possessed, but yet his resolve was too important, as was this one. They shared the same level of experience, facing Death in its face, regardless of what form it took, and Hades' wrath compared to before was amateur.

They both looked ahead, unwavering as their gazes eyes the demons before them.

"Tremble before you perish!" Hades shouted. "Now die-"

A sudden Heat Wave violently surged, a firestorm swirled as it made way towards Hades, shaking up the ship and swallowing up the demons. They all screamed violently as they were being incinerated just like that, their bodies being charred. Hades covered up and screamed as he also felt the Heat Wave, the scorching blow making him unable to act.

When the attacked stopped, Hades' whole front was sizzling. "Wh-what the-." He was then hit across the face with a sudden Mach Punch, a bone-cracking sound echoing as he slowly fell back.

Time slowed down as everyone there looked with sheer surprise in their eyes. They were so petrified by fear that it made them lose focus entirely. Their mouths gaped and their pupils were filled with surprise as Charizard and Nic landed right beside the other, the latter clad in his Fist Plate attire.

Nic's sleeveless coat flapped as Hades quickly got his feet under him, keeping him from falling backwards. He looked back at the two before him, shock swallowing his gaze. The demons before him began to crumble and reduce to nothing.

As they crumbled and broke apart, he began to stumble back. "No, this can't be. My Black Arts had no effect?!" He exclaimed in shock. He saw the sheer gaze the two gave off, completely opposite of what the others were showing. "You should be trembling with fear! Begging for mercy!"

A small wind blew as the flapping of Nic's coat ceased. "You're right, we should be terrified…but we're not." Nic retorted.

The two began to proceed a couple steps ahead.

"Fear can either force one back or move forward." Charizard noted, stopping his feet with Nic, standing several feet away from Hades. "This fear only makes us burn with intensity that you can't overcome."

Hades grunted, unable to understand. "I don't understand. I am the almighty Hades!" Angry, he lunged forward recklessly. "You should bow before me!"

Seeing Hades advance, Nic brought his left fist back, and Charizard brought his right claw back. Nic enveloped his left forearm in red-orange aura, using Power-Up Punch while Charizard readied Dragon Claw. Both thrust their attacks forward, colliding with Hades' own fist. The ground shook briefly as there was a pressure from the two-on-one collision, but broke apart when Hades was overpowered and skid back several feet.

Nic showed no visible reluctance as his power grew, a shadow over his eyes. "I stared Death in his own face. Twice."

Everyone behind stared with intense surprise and remembrance.

"That very remembrance, it makes my spine crawl, my goosebumps died, and the very touch of his gory claws left me mentally scarred with an ominous, bone-shaking dread that'll remain as long as he's still after me." Nic paused as his tone set a serious mood. "I don't care how much power you have, because I know that'll it'll never compare to the fear and death that that one man could cause."

Charizard's tail hit the ground, making a small thud echo as he brought it back up. "I stared at his face, I was swelled with fear. I could've trembled, but the resolve of saving family drove me to burn away all fear and fight with extreme force." He said. "You'll never measure up to what we've been through."

To say Hades was shock would be an understatement. "But that's…" He suddenly grew angrier, and his Magic began to swell around him. The ground shook as his hair and moustache remained standing up, his red eye undeterred.

"I shall make you regret saying those words you fools!" Hades made a Magic circle and fired a beam that was Amaterasu at Nic and Charizard.

"Detect!" Nic's eyes glowed light green as the beam traveled at him. Charizard spread his wings and sailed upwards, dodging the beam. Nic suddenly jerked towards his right, dodging the beam with ease. Even if he did take it, no damage would've been applied. The beam continued down its path, passing the others as they fell out of the way. The beam made the ground shake as it left a hole in the opposite wall.

Nic darted in, with Charizard using Fly above, shooting at an angle downwards as fast as lightning. Nic coated his fist in another Power-Up Punch and the two family members collided with a dark-covered fist from Hades, sending violent winds in Nic and Charizard's direction, and dark winds into Hades'.

All three backed away to gain ground. Hades shot his hand out and a chain went at Nic. Nc used his right forearm to take it, but remained still. "Karate Chop!" His left hand glowed and he chopped straight down onto the chain, shattering it and freeing his forearm.

"It can't be!" Hades shouted.

Looking forward, Nic frontflipped after Hades while Charizard went aerial and spiraled downwards towards him. Hades jumped up and away just in time as Charizard's spiral almost made contact. Nic and Charizard continued the same course until Nic flipped onto a spinning Charizard. The Fire and Flying-Type continued his spiral and changed course into an arc, stopping his spin as he was upside down right above a midair Hades, with Nic still on his back.

Nic jumped straight down, shooting like a rocket and driving a Hi Jump Kick into Hades' abdomen, making the old person gag with a gaping mouth as a shockwave spread upon impact. The force left Hades to smash into the flooring below, sending violent winds that made the others cover up.

Upon landing, Nic made no attempt to give Hades room. When Hades had risen from the dust with a grunt, Nic let a harsh grunt escape as he coated his left fist in light blue. "Sky Uppercut!" He left a trail as his attack struck Hades' chin, sending him straight up.

In the air, Charizard shot a stream of fire. "Flamethrower!" He let loose a very hot stream of fire that even made the watchers below feel exceedingly roasted.

As the attack traveled towards Hades while still in midair, he recovered easily, making a midair counter. "Amaterasu – Formula 28!"

The two attacks collided in an epic flash of searing hot winds, shaking the ground massively and an explosion quaked. Everyone covered up as the whole section was engulfed in a melting explosion that completely destroyed the walls and remains of the roof, leaving a flattened terrain.

As the sizzling heat settled, and the dust blew off somewhere, Nic and Charizard were standing twenty feet from Hades, all three giving defiant glares.

"You…" Hades growled, his Demon's Eye not making Nic cower in fear.

Erza was too baffled for words. 'Amazing. He surpassed his fears and is toe-to-toe with him.'

"Oh man! Nic isn't afraid!" Gray exclaimed.

Wendy gaped her mouth, still shaking greatly. "It's…unreal. This mixture of heat and fear…"

Hades refused to believe that Nic and Charizard alike were beginning to be on par. The intense heat Charizard gave of made the air around wave like water. The heat signified his experience and intensity, and Nic had clenched fists as he stared Hades right into his Demon's Eye.

Hades growled, but a sudden voice stopped every bit of momentum.

"That's enough, Precht."

Hades' eyes glanced towards his right, and on the shores of the island that connected to the flattened battlefield that was the ship, he and everyone else saw all of Team Tenrou present, even Juvia, Vanessa, and Gildarts surprisingly.

"You won't win now that Nic is in control of the battle." Master Makarov warned.

Natsu's gazed went up with a smirk. "Alright. Nice timing, Gramps." He weakly said.

Erza smiled. "Master."

Gray smirked, as did Wendy, despite their terrified states.

"You impudent fool!" Hades shouted at him, swiping his arm. "Makarov, you should've stayed down!"

"Our Master is more resilient than you think." Freed said.

Lisanna clenched her fists. "Give up, Hades!"

Hades growled. "You don't seem to understand!" His body was coated in thick darkness as his Magic continued to grow even more, the pressure actually spreading about. The Fairy Tail Mages' tough talk died when their heart rates escalated and began to become immobile, save Nic and Charizard. "THE DEVIL WITHIN ME SHALL NEVER SLEEP! NOT UNTIL I STAND BEFORE YOU ALL!"

Bickslow shook. "This Magic…it's making my bones quiver."

Evergreen and Elfman's eyes shook as Hades' Demon's Eye was making them feel a great swell of power and pressure.

Gildarts was in shock as he felt this Magic. "This geezer…he's even more monstrous than Bluenote. Just what the heck is he?"

Not wanting to stand around, Gildarts began to get into action but Master cut him off with an arm extended out. "No, not yet." He said.

"What? But Master-."

Makarov up at Gildarts. "I need to see for yourself what the boy and his Pokémon can do. Believe me, there's an incredible power that even I can feel."

So Gildarts reluctantly watched on, seeing the ground shake between Nic, Charizard, and Hades.

"I'll deal with Makarov when I'm through with you, Luminous." Hades warned.

Nic glowed and began to shift into another Plate. When the glow ceased, Erza blinked as she saw that Nic adorned the new Earth Plate Form. His shirt was a clay-like brown, and was short-sleeves, but tattered on the collar and edges. His pants were a red clay color and seemed a lot like a miner's pants. His shoes had become boots that were a light mud color, with darker shades of laces. While his sunglasses were left alone, his sleeveless coat was a tan-like brown with tattered edges. The flames were turned to dark brown waves of mud that went up from the bottom to the back of his thighs.

"You'll try, but you won't succeed." Nic warned.

Hades extended his arms out. "Amaterasu – Formula 56!" He let loose a combined three-circled attack that traveled at Nic.

"Try this!" Charizard gushed out a grand Flamethrower, the heat spreading and making dust fly as it raced towards the incoming Amaterasu. The attacks met at the center, making a small flash of light before a rapid explosion spread about, shaking everything and sending hot, powerful winds in all directions.

Hades remained still, but many Fairy Tail Mages skid back from the force. From the dust, Nic and Charizard shot backwards into a skid, both accumulating more scratches.

"Drill Run!" Nic clasped his two hands together high above his head and jumped, spinning massively fast like a drill into Hades. Charizard proceeded with flying at the same speed. Hades, still swelling with rage and power, let out a battlecry as he let loose a purple shockwave up front. Nic and Charizard dashed right in, their combined force behind their momentum racing through and meeting Hades' fist with Dragon Claw and Drill Run, making the shockwave unstable. A harsh burst erupted in between the three, making Hades skid back on his back while Nic and Charizard sailed back on their sides, quickly getting their feet underneath to finish in a skid.

Hades quickly shot back up, his Magic enveloping him to no end. He let loose chains and shot them at Nic and Charizard. The two shifted to opposite sides and dodged, rushing ahead towards Hades. Hades lashed his chains in hopes of throwing them off, but Nic and Charizard both jumped above and dodged.

In midair, Nic put his hands together and then spread them, making a light green bone. He then threw it down at Hades. "Bonemerang!" The bone spun greatly into Hades. Hades ducked as the bone spun over his head.

He shot back up, making an Amaterasu – Formula 28 circle. "Don't make me laugh! GRAH!" He fired the beam at Nic and Charizard, the ground shaking as it sailed towards them.

They made no attempt at dodging, which piqued curiosity. Then everyone saw the Bonemerang loop around back towards Hades, striking him in the back of the head. He gagged as his body slowly fell forward, his Amaterasu being thrown off course, flying two feet right past Nic's right, missing entirely.

Hades stopped himself from falling forward, his Magic aura surrounding him momentarily gone. He was too in shock from the blow from the Bonemerang that returned to Nic's hand that he was unable to act when Charizard drove his knee into his chin, following it up with a midair tail swing into his gut. Hades gagged as he shot back and fell with a thud onto the ground.

Charizard landed and watched Hades get back up. He sneered. "Tch. He's got some sturdy bones." He muttered under his breath. He then lunged in and attacked once more.

Seeing Charizard approach, Hades shot a fist ahead. "No! I WILL NEVER FALL TO YOU!" His fist collided with Charizard's own left forearm, their strengths unable to break through the other. Hades swung a kick, but Charizard ducked and went for an uppercut. He struck Hades, but he only stumbled back one step and kicked fiercely ahead, meeting Charizard's knee, cancelling the other out. Their hands/claws tried to deliver punches, but Hades' vicious blows that went back-to-back were parried by Charizard's claws, blocking, deflecting, and repulsing.

Infuriated, Hades had enough and jerked back. His Magic enveloped him and a great surge of power erupted. "Amaterasu – Formula 56!" He yelled.

"Flamethrower!"

Hades' point-blank attack and Charizard's flames met instantaneously. Both let out a yell as their attacks were swallowed up by the other.

The ground quaked heavily as the two were caught in yet another violent explosion that spread great amounts of heat and violent winds in all directions. Everybody skid back and covered up as the explosion even made Gildarts' cape flap rapidly.

The explosion was reduced to dust, with Hades grunting in place while Charizard backflipped and landed on his feet as he was forced backwards into a skid, his right claw leaving a shattered trail in the ground to anchor him. He came to a stop fifteen feet in front of Nic, grunting as he accumulated even more dust and damage.

Hades saw Charizard struggle and his Demon's Eye glowed with such intensity. "Your courage is commendable, but I won't be defeated!" He brought his fists up and his Magic Power made the ground shake greatly.

Natsu, Erza, and the rest still felt themselves unable to move due to no power. They were just gaping at the awe the three were transpiring before them.

'Nic and Charizard are truly fighting terror. Are they really filled with no fear?' Erza thought. Her gaze went down to the ground. 'I can't believe this. Nic's still fighting and here I am still trembling. His fear made me useless.' If Erza could punch the ground out of frustration, she would to an endless manner. What she really hates is being of no help, and Nic always has to put his life on the line to save her and the others. She has to experience this nightmare over and over, being no help and have Nic play the hero. It really made her sad, yet at the same time appeased, because it showed just how dependable and selfless Nic really was.

Charizard winced and grunted as he was exhausted, but no sense in making him stop. He was getting very close to his limit. "This guy's really pushing my buttons." He noted. "I didn't think I'd be so close to my limit after a long time."

The last time he was pushed to his limits was when he fought the tainted Moltres, where his Blaze activated. If he did so here after another indirect hit, the tides should turn into their favor, along with the entire area becoming a living furnace.

Nic's serious gaze turned rather worrisome. 'Hades certainly is harder to take down than we'd anticipated. Kecleon must be having a hard time dealing with the power source, but we can't falter.' His gaze narrowed.

He had no choice with this next move.

Nic stayed silent as his fists clenched. Charizard glanced back, his breathing heavy as he saw his own reflection within Nic's eyes, as Nic in Charizard's. Simultaneously, their glances widened slightly, as they realized that they both thought of the exact same thing.

Charizard slowly turned back towards Hades, a confident glare emanating. Hades' Magic Power didn't seem to dwindle in the slightest.

"Oh, are you forfeiting so soon?" He mocked.

Nic's Mega Wristband glinted, and he held up high the air, keeping the same pose as a heated wind made his Earth Plate coat flap.

Makarov hummed in suspicion. "Hm? What could the boy be doing now?"

Gajeel, now standing, had a straight face. "Oh man."

Levy turned towards him. "What is it, Gajeel?"

"We all might wanna stand back. Things are about to get really heated." He advised.

Though still wincing, Natsu took a moment and recalled the Mega Wristband back in Edolas. "H-hey. That's that stone that…"

Lucy looked down at him. "Huh? Natsu, what's happening?"

Erza felt a breeze pass by her, one filled with sheer anticipation, heat, and a great force that would potentially arise. 'What is this intensity? It's hotter than Natsu's flames. Just what are Nic and Charizard doing?'

"Hm?" Hades questioned, feeling this sudden force.

"Charizard, let's go!" Nic shouted, the Key Stone embedded shined.

"All the way!" Charizard shouted, spreading his wings and making heated winds surge.

"Charizard…" Nic brought the Mega Wristband down and tapped the Key Stone. Almost immediately, a great power was flowing as he brought it up. "…Mega Evolve!"

The Mega Wristband unleashed light waves through the air. The light waves waved around, and Charizard began to growl as his body emanated blue light waves.

Everyone watched with sheer surprise as they watched Mega Evolution.

"What is this power?" Hades announced. "What's happening?!"

Everybody watched the light waves connect. Once they did, the lights traveled down towards Charizard until they finally reached his center. He then shined a powerful light as he underwent Mega Evolution. The ground beneath shook and small debris defied gravity upon Charizard transforming.

Gildarts' eyes widened with intensity. "That dragon from before…he's releasing a massive amount of power. Just what is happening?"

Gray and everyone gaped their mouths with wide eyes as the air around them pressurized with increased temperatures. Charizard grunted as his wings began to shape into pointed edges. They saw his physique become slightly more defined and bulky in the arms and legs. His neck grew spikes and his horns sharpened. They all saw the sides of his mouth unleash waves of blue fire, fire that was beyond any level of temperature they felt.

Then the light finally exploded, Charizard fully Mega Evolved into Mega Charizard. He shot his red eyes open and his wings spread out and he let loose a heated roar that made the ground shake once more, the floating debris almost reduced to ashes, and he released a powerful shockwave that made many lose their footing. Mega Charizard released blue flames, intensifying the air around with his roar. The flooring within a five-foot radius was black with char.

Mega Charizard looked at Hades, the blue flames on his tail and sides of his mouth burning to the extreme.

Hades stepped back. "Wh-What is this power?!"

Gajeel's eyes shook. 'You gotta be kidding me. Each time this guy does that Mega thing their transformations get more powerful.'

Bickslow awed, as did the rest of the Thunder God Tribe. "Whoa, what kind of freaky power is that?!"

"Whatever it is, Nic's Charizard had grown in power immensely." Freed answered.

Vanessa was wide-eyed. "Oh god, so this is Nic's Mega Evolution." She muttered, still shaking greatly from fear of Hades' power and Mega Charizard's.

"I don't remember such intensity, even when Charizard's Ability activated in Kalos. This heat and power he has, it's very large." Sophie said.

Gray was just as surprised as everybody else. "Oh man, just what happened to him?!"

Erza's eyes shook. 'This is just like back in Kalos.' Erza remembered in Lumiose City, how that girl named Zetta wield Mega Evolution, and how her Lucario Mega Evolved; but this time, Nic's Charizard underwent it. 'So, Nic's finally using Mega Evolution.'

---

Lily swung the Musica Sword once more, sending several Mages flying. He huffed as he brought the sword back. To his surprise, his Battle Form timed out, and he puffed into his little form, landing on the ground with the sword minimized to his size.

He looked at himself. "Oh no! I'm completely tapped out!" He looked back and saw several Grimoire Heart Mages running after him, holding up their weapons. "There's still too many of them!"

Slash trails were seen all around, and the Mages fell to the ground, weapons flying out of their hands. Lily and the Exceeds looked in surprise to find Kecleon still fighting.

"Whoa! What stamina!" Happy shouted.

She frontflipped and axe kicked a Mage downwards into unconsciousness. Landing on her feet, she looked ahead. "I fight with Nic all day, every day."

Lily crossed his arms. "So she can keep this up all day if she wants. Interesting."

Carla turned towards the others. "This is no time to gawk! We gotta destroy that power source!"

"Right!" Lily and the other Exceeds began their dash through the fallen army while Kecleon slashed and combated through the dwindling numbers, her reflexes undying as she sent guys screaming and hitting the wall.

"Man, just how many are there?!" Lily shouted, seeing the numbers. Seemingly fifty remained, but Kecleon kept on attacking. When a hammer went down, she became invisible, becoming a red zigzagged blur that made everyone unable to detect. She struck down so many in one fell Slash.

The remaining Mages all fell on their backs groaning. Lily and the Exceeds made it to the other side and looked back, seeing how they completely wiped out the numbers thanks to Kecleon.

"Whoa! This is unreal! I never thought Kecleon would be so deadly!" Happy shouted.

"This is Nic's Kecleon we're talking about; of course she would be that fast and dangerous." Carla protested.

Lily turned towards them. "That matter aside, it seems we don't have any interference between us and the power source."

Kecleon reappeared before them, startling Happy. She only had minor scratches here and there, but seemed fine. She tilted her head. "We're close. We just open the door and say goodbye to the power source inside." She said in her creepy, monotone voice.

Lily looked up at the door. "I see, so it's unguarded inside. This'll make things easier for us then."

---

"Grah!" Hades extended his arms out before him. "So what if you gained power?" His Magic encased him in a thicker, more demonic aura. "I am the all-powerful Hades!" He let loose Amaterasu – Formula 56. The attack raged ahead, the Magic circles racing after Nic and Mega Charizard as the ground quaked.

Nic moved his arm in an arc as the attack sailed towards the two of them. "Alright Mega Charizard, Flamethrower!"

Mega Charizard brought his head back as blue fire began to surge from within. He then brought it forward and opened his mouth. The ground shook violently as he unleashed a grand volume of blue fire at the incoming Amaterasu. The huge volume was as big as Natsu's Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar, which startled everybody. The attack rushed towards the Amaterasu, obliterating it with ease and traveling across the flooring. Hades screamed violently as he was swallowed up in the attack, the blue flames feeling like a scorching incinerator.

The Flamethrower continued its path behind Hades, across the sea and into one direction. Everyone's mouths gaped at the raw power Mega Charizard had, even Gildarts was baffled. A blue explosion could be seen in the distance.

Steam sizzled as Hades' cape was burned to a crisp, and his clothing was torn badly. His mouth gaped as he felt so much pain. His face suddenly felt a heavy, bone-crushing force that was Mega Charizard's knee, a rippling shockwave making a crater as Hades felt his facial bones break. Mega Charizard was still in midair as he twisted and slammed his tail down, striking Hades' back and smashing him into the flooring, making the ground thunder with extreme pressure.

Natsu and everyone gaped. That was all they could do. This level of power was immense, and the heat given off was extreme. How does Mega Charizard wield so much literal fire-power?

Hades arose from the ground, his Magic flaring. He screamed as he punched forward. Mega Charizard easily blocked with his forearms and claws, parrying every blow that went his way, without so much as stepped back.

Hades soon punched, but Mega Charizard leaned right. He then ducked and spun, hurling his right wing into Hades, making him sail back several feet with a crash sound. Mega Charizard watched as Hades lunged ahead once more, his Demon's Eye flaring red.

"You will tremble before me!" A dark coated fist was shot forward, but Mega Charizard caught it with one claw, skidding back a couple of feet as the ground shook once again. Hades' punch remained in Mega Charizard's left claw, his strength keeping him from moving it. Mega Charizard brought his right claw back and enabled Dragon Claw, strong winds surging as he brought it back, making Team Natsu behind, including Nic, barely keep their ground.

"Let's see you use stop this!" Mega Charizard thrust his Dragon Claw forward, the attack slashing at Hades. With his left forearm, Hades tried blocking, but Dragon Claw's power was so massive that the raking of it left a trail of light blue. Hades was caught in a light blue, rattling explosion and shot back, smashing and tumbling backwards to a stop on a knee.

He looked up, shocked. "How can this be? He forced me back just by slashing?"

Nic's eyes were fixated on Hades. "Mega Charizard's Ability becomes Tough Claws when Mega Evolved, meaning physically, you're at a disadvantage."

Hades growled and shot his arms forward. "I WON'T BE BEATEN!" He shot Amaterasu – Formula 28 at Mega Charizard. The beam went traveling at him, and when it got close, he diagonally slashed his Dragon Claw upwards, posing as he slashed through it, nullifying it completely.

Hades' eyes shot open wide. "This can't be!"

"Fly!" Nic commanded. Mega Charizard spread his pointed wings and sailed up into the sky, making violent winds spread about as he shot up with incredible speeds. Everyone below either fell back or barely held their ground.

Hades looked down at Nic, still seeing no fear. "I will make you experience true terror before your demise!" He shot another Amaterasu – Formula 28, but Nic jumped out of the way, watching the area he was standing recently get obliterated and the ground shook briefly.

Hades grunted and then heard something like a jet above. He and everyone looked up, seeing Mega Charizard fly straight down, smashing his foot onto Hades. The force of the impact made a ten-foot crater and the ground quaked greatly, not to mention more strong winds that made everyone skid back.

Hades felt a lot of his own bones broken. Mega Charizard backflipped off of Hades and back in front of Nic. Hades got up and growled, but looked as though he was about to keel over.

"I'll give this guy an A for durability, that's for sure." Mega Charizard said. "But I'll burn his stamina away in one go."

Hades swelled with Magic Power, making the rubble near him float. "GRRAAHHH!"

"Whoa! You feeling that?" Bickslow exclaimed.

Mira's eyes narrowed. "He's releasing a great amount of Magic Power. I've never sensed so much in one place."

"Amaterasu – Formula 100!"

"Heat Wave!" Nic yelled.

Simultaneously, Hades unleashed an all-scale Amaterasu, a huge dark explosion beginning to swallow up everything around him. Mega Charizard roared loudly as he brought his wings back and then forward. Everyone's jaws nearly dropped when they saw Mega Charizard released an ocean of blue flames. The two attacks collided, keeping the two at a stalemate. Everything in between Hades and Mega Charizard was swallowed in an incinerating firestorm. A wall of darkness was swirling with a blue whirlwind that reduced everything around to ash.

Everyone screamed as they were all blown away by the immense force. Nic sailed back into a skid on a knee while everyone else flew back. Heat and darkness was like a hurricane that shook the entire island.

The Heat Wave and Amaterasu both were dispersing, and in between was a smoldering air. Steam and a charred crater was in between the two. Hades was startled and horrified as Mega Charizard growled from the other side.

"But…but how?" He looked into Mega Charizard's eyes. "Just what kind of power is this?"

---

Inside the opened door, Kecleon showed everyone the Devil's Heart, the huge beating structure inside protective glass.

Lily put a paw under his chin. "So that's gotta be it. The heart of the ship itself."

Kecleon tilted her head. "I thought bad guys were heartless." Surprisingly, her implication actually got across this, and the Exceeds smirked. "Shall we break their hearts?"

"Yeah!" Happy shouted.

"Shadow Sneak!" Kecleon's shadow extended outwards, reaching out and striking right through the glass. The glass shattered, and the liquid inside began to flush out, pouring away as the heart was left to fall like a lump onto the ground, still beating, but very much damaged.

---

Hades shook incredibly. "Curse you…" His eyes shot wide all of a sudden, his Demon's Eye deactivating, leaving him with a normal eye. He held his hand over his eye. "What…what is happening?" He gasped, feeling his Magic drain. "No…the Devil's Heart…"

He was brought out of shock when Mega Charizard roared, making the ground shake a little. Hades looked back and saw Nic and Mega Charizard ready to strike.

"This is the power of Mega Evolution!" Nic shouted. "Your fear is nothing! MEGA CHARIZARD! GO!"

Mega Charizard's eyes shot open and he let loose another roar; this time, a flaming burst was underneath him, shattering the ground and making a crater, showing his pure power. He used Dragon Claw, the light blue claws making strong winds like before.

"NICE KNOWING YA!" Mega Charizard screamed as he lunged ahead, the flooring still shaking from his lung. He roared as he brought his claws together, making the Dragon Claw one as he began to rotate, spiraling like a powerful drill. "Flamethrower!" Mega Charizard opened his mouth and let loose a spinning Flamethrower, the blue flames encasing his entire being as he was a flaming spiral with a light blue point. He left a ground-shaking trail of blue flames, all shooting out like waves and everyone ducked for cover as the blue flames raged in all directions.

Hades put his hands together. "Grimoire Law!" A pure orb of darkness appeared before him, but as Mega Charizard continued on, the orb began to feel super-heated from Mega Charizard's proximity. Hades' power was dwindling, and he was unable to keep the orb intact as it fell apart. His eyes widened when it dispersed before him. 'No, my power was burned away!'

Mega Charizard drove himself into Hades, a flash of a light blue explosion echoing. Hades screamed violently as he was stabbed by a blue-flamed, spinning Dragon Claw.

Everything quaked as the light blue explosion increased, sending scorching winds in all directions. The ones on the shore covered up again as they felt a burning wind leave them sizzling in the forearms. Gildarts himself was too awestruck to realize how much power Nic and Mega Charizard had.

When all cleared out, Nic was seen grinning as Mega Charizard posed in a slashing pose, the blue flames from the spin dispersing as Hades was seen in midair behind, landed on his back with a thud. His entire attire was charred, and a majority of his abdomen was wounded from Mega Charizard's assault.

As Hades laid on the ground, defeated, the sun began to rise over the horizon. Everyone on shore looked in awe as the sun rose from Mega Charizard's side, giving him a more savoir-like appeal.

Mega Charizard looked back down at Hades, seeing him defeated. He then turned forward and let loose a triumphant roar that echoed, with Nic smiling.

Mega Charizard looked back at Nic, smirking. "Hey Nic…"

"Yeah, Mega Charizard?" He asked, sharing the same smirk.

Mega Charizard glowed a rainbow color, reverting to his scratched-up self, but keeping the smirk. "I think we went too many extra miles to count." He turned his body towards him, his head still slightly turned away. "Then again, I wasn't counting to begin with."

The ones ashore cheered loudly in victory, their joyful smiles returning all around.

"We did it! We finally won!" "That's how a real man finishes things!" "That was awesome!" "Awesome. Awesome." "That display certainly was unmatched, I doubt even we'd stand a chance."

Gray and the others continued to heave, and then the ground began to shake. "Hey…what's going on?"

Everyone turned around, seeing something in the far distance, where the shaking originated. Their eyes widened when they all saw the Tenrou Tree from afar, slowly tilting back up back to its base.

"What the…" Sophie trailed off.

"The Tenrou Tree. It's…returning to normal?" Vanessa questioned.

---

At the base, dust blew as Ultear was using her Arc of Time to restore the tree to what it was before Azuma fell it. She huffed in exhaustion.

"Thanks to you all…I have a new lease…on life." She huffed as her Magic was exhausted completely when the tree was restored.

Behind, Meredy glowered with a glare at Ultear.

---

Everyone's Fairy Tail emblems began to shine, with Makarov's red, as well as Natsu. Erza's blue emblem shined, and so on. Even Nic's under his coat illuminated through.

"Wait, you feel that?" Vanessa asked.

Juvia felt her Magic return. "Our Magic Power, it's coming back."

Freed looked back at the Tenrou Tree. "Could it be that the tree restored our power?"

Natsu punched the ground, feeling somewhat refreshed. He slowly arose. "Whatever the case, I got my power back."

Gray smiled. "It's finally over."

Erza nodded. "Yeah." She glowed, requipping back into her Heart Kreuz Armor.

Nic and Charizard both regrouped, with Nic reverting into himself. They were so caught up in their victory and exhaustion that they didn't pay attention to the clouds above, still thick.

To everyone's surprise, a hole broke open in the flooring behind. They turned and saw a shadow reach up, and from the hole, Happy, Carla, Lily, and Kecleon popped out.

"Haha!" Happy cheered. "Mission complete!"

Natsu smiled. "Happy!"

Wendy gave a cheerful smile. "And Carla!"

"It was difficult, but with the help of Kecleon we've managed to destroy the power source."

Lily approached by her side. "And from the looks of it, you completed your objective as well."

"Double home run! That's the ball game!" Kecleon exclaimed.

Gray crossed his arms. "I'll never understand her."

Nic turned towards him. "She says that it's all over now."

"Oh."

Everyone converged and cheered, with Gajeel squeezing Lily, Cana and Lucy hugging it out, Juvia fawning over Gray, and much more to go around. Vanessa ran up to her brother and squeezed him, glad he was in one piece. Nic accepted the embrace, and Erza closed in and gave a warm smile towards Nic.

Kecleon looked up at Charizard. "We vanquished the unforgiven."

Charizard snickered. "Yeah, we showed them."

"That was amazing Nic! You and Charizard showed them!" Vanessa cheered.

Nic nodded. "Yeah." He looked at Hades, and the dark clouds above caught his attention. It's as if the feeling from before the fight with Hades slowly sneaked back into his being. '…' This odd sensation, like he was being watched, it never went away, and it left him uneasy. 'I still wonder…who was that man?'

Makarov, adorned in his robe, walked right up to a cross-legged Laxus. Makarov stared at Laxus as the grandson had a scowl and turned away. A light wind blew in between the two as the clouds above thickened a little bit more.

"Laxus…" Makarov's voice was gentle…and then he commenced with the scolding.

"HOW DARE YOU COME BACK TO FAIRY TAIL AFTER I KICKED YOU OUT! WHAT THE HECK IS WRONG WITH YOU?! YOU'RE STILL EXPELLED YOU KNOW!" He yelled with a huge tick mark.

"Geez, you're gonna have another heart attack old man." Laxus warned, his ear being shot by Makarov's yelling.

The Thunder God Tribe all looked with shaking eyes and bodies as their leader was right in front.

"It-It's Laxus…" Freed muttered. The Thunder God Tribe quaked until they suddenly lunged at Laxus into a crushing group hug. Freed being the happiest.

"You came back to us!" Bickslow shouted. Waterfalls of tears streaming.

"We thought we'd never see you again!" Evergreen happily cried.

Freed only cried and nuzzled Laxus. All three were making it hard for him to breathe.

Natsu raised a fist. "NOW! LET'S GET BACK TO THE TRAILS!" He shouted, startling everybody present.

"Whaaaaaa? Are you serious?!" Happy shouted.

Natsu punched the air a couple of times. "The second round was interrupted, so it doesn't count! I say we have a battle with last one standing!"

Gajeel butted heads with Natsu almost immediately. "You must have had your brains fried if you think you stand a chance against me when you're tired like that."

"Uh, guys? Don't." Levy asked.

"Try me sucker! I'm a Lightning Flame-" Natsu suddenly twisted his face, groaning and twitching in place.

"Hey, uhhh, you alright?" Gajeel wondered. Natsu then fell backwards into exhaustion. "Hey! Don't go down on me!"

Gildarts sighed. "That's Natsu for ya. Always going overboard."

Nic continued to look up, the clouds getting darker and darker. He couldn't help but feel uneasy, yet façade a smile so as not to draw worry. Everything around still felt ominous, foreboding something that made him uneasy.

"Nic?"

Nic turned towards Vanessa. "Oh, don't worry Vanessa, I'm just seeing the forecast." Nic looked at Charizard and Kecleon next, showing them their Poke Balls. "You guys did great. Your efforts helped Grimoire Heart face their downfall. Return, and thanks."

Charizard and Kecleon both returned to their Poke Balls with smiles.

"It looks like it's gonna rain." Gray said.

"We should head back to camp so we can recover." Wendy suggested. Everyone then slowly proceeded and conversed.

As Makarov turned away to walk back with the group, he heard Hades groan and stopped.

"Makarov." Hades said weakly. "Why didn't you end me? You know I'll come back."

Makarov continued to look away. "I've learned many things from you over the years." He responded. "As thanks, I'll overlook what you did this one time. You may have defeated me in battle, but you are no match for the children I raised."

Hades looked up at the sky, seeing the darkness that cascaded, almost blocking the sunrise. "My Devil's Heart was destroyed, but Nic and his dragon weren't powered by the Tenrou Tree. How can this be?"

Makarov still looked away. "He has such potential that no one can measure." A long pause passed before he talked again. "Why did you fall to the dark side?"

"I told you. Magic was born from darkness; such miracles brought that Magic into the light. After I retired from Fairy Tail, I began to look into Sorcery, traveling down such path, learning that the overflowing Magic we have, is alive." He paused. "The Grand Magic World; a world that Lord Zeref described was the true Magic. I was so close…so close…"

Makarov huffed. "Even if you accomplished such a thing, nothing would change."

Hades gasped. Laxus turned back towards his grandfather, overhearing.

"If Magic is darkness, I can live with that. If light, I can accept that too. Magic is alive, therefore it grows with the Mages who use it." He slowly proceeded away. "There's no real definition of Magic because it forever changes. It's as limitless as the universe…Fairy Tail is free to use it however we choose. This is what I've learned from you…Master Precht."

Hades was wide-eyed, but slowly closed his eyes as Makarov walked away.

As they walked, Gildarts looked down at Nic. "Say, you and that dragon really kicked butt." He praised. "You know, that guy saved my bacon."

Nic grinned. "I know. Pokémon are quite amazing in their own way…" Nic lost his wording as the feeling didn't stop. He flashed images of the assailant, how he almost slaughtered Nic twice.

"Nic?" Erza asked, making his head turn towards her. "Are you alright?"

"…" Nic looked ahead. "…I still don't know, why that monster strikes fear regardless. His power…" His fists clenched. "Just thinking about it, it makes my spine crawl."

Erza understood. She was terrified as well. Hades was terrifying, but thinking back, the assailant was the real monster. All she did was continue on ahead.

Nic was in a daze. This ominous feeling still crept under his skin as he was left to ponder. 'I still can't stop thinking about him. There's something familiar about him.' Questions arose in his head. 'His hair seemed familiar, but that disastrous face, and his speech pattern…' He thought back to when the man spoke.

"No! Because you are not my concerns! Nic Pularis is my target! Don't you see?" He implored. "Humanity has suffered greatly. There has been a contamination in your nature. There's greed, selfish desires that I loathe. And it's that very aspect that makes your existence all the more despicable!"

"If this world were to be created for beauty alone, you leave it beautiful. But humanity's ignorance has caused that beauty to be stained. By creating a new universe, life would be able to be born from the darkness that gave me power. The void of nothing is where everything started, and that's how it must always be."

Nic continued walking, his pacing slowing down. 'I definitely heard that somewhere before, but I don't know where.'

The rising sun was blocked off by the spreading dark clouds above, almost as black as storm clouds. At that very instant, Nic's footing came to a sheer halt, his heart pulsing as he felt an intensifying force looming about.

A hollow and desolate wind blew about, the waves down below Hades' ship swishing about.

Everyone stopped and felt this wind. They all felt something very off. Something terrifying that even made Gildarts stop and become wide-eyed.

"Wh-what the-?" Gildarts began to stare fixated and his skin began to grow goosebumps that made him start shaking a little.

Cana was shaking as she was feeling goosebumps of her own die. "What is this feeling?"

Natsu breathed in the hollow air and he regained consciousness. He gasped and jerked back up. "This air…I remember it."

Freed, Juvia, and everyone else began to feel their spines crawl. The waves and nearby forest no longer rustled, as if they moved, they'd die.

The wind became ghastly and went about everyone, and Nic had the worst of it. Everyone turned their wide gazes to find Nic stopped in place.

"Nic…" Vanessa muttered.

Everyone, including Makarov and Hades, began to feel as though they were suffocating. Their heartbeats intensified, and a few members actually began panting.

"What is this?!" Bickslow said, feeling his whole world shake. His breathing was heavy, as the foul, corrosive air was making it hard for him to do anything.

Elfman touched his own throat and looked with shaking eyes. "This air…no, this feeling…it's like I died."

All that could be heard was the sound of a heartbeat, a slow, agonizing one as the air blew, feeling corrosive to the touch.

Gray was shivering. "This dread…I'm so cold, why?"

Makarov turned around, his eyes wide as he was shaking for no reason. "This power…this unholy, bloodthirsty lust…it's pressure is making us feel…scarring dread."

Hades' eyes shot open as his damaged body was shaking. 'Wh-wh-what is this power? It's making my bones quiver. I'm the devil…I-I should be fear itself, but this…'

Erza's eyes looked back, and Nic had a ghastly expressing. It said it all. Everybody felt their spines shiver violently as the heartbeat in the background pulsed faster. Gray, Elfman, Makarov, and everybody saw Nic's eyes, seeing something some haven't seen in a long while – fear. Erza and Vanessa were seeing Nic mentally freaking out as he turned his head here and there.

"Oh my god…why now…why now?" Nic's voice sounded rushed and unexplainable. He sounded very antsy and terrified.

"Nic?" Gildarts asked.

"Nic?" Sophie asked.

"Nic, what's happening?" Cana asked.

Nic sharply turned around, the wind becoming silent and stiffening. "…He's here."

The heart beat pulsed loudly one last time.

Everybody slowly turned back towards the ship, feeling the corrosive, evil energy surge about, making even more shake and quiver, even making Levy and Wendy tear up a little due to fright.

Hades felt this tainted, foul, and gut-tearing evil. Unable to move, he and everyone stayed still.

"Hades you say? The personification of evil?" The demonic monotone voice said, every syllable making some twitch and cringe. "…how degrading."

A haze of pure shadows began to manifest on the flattened battlefield that was the ship. The shadows began to converge into a swirling, thick cocoon. As the silent, ghostly wind died down into thin, suffocating oxygen again, the cocoon slowly dissolved. Evergreen and the other girls covered their mouths in sheer horror.

They saw a pale smirk, and his vermilion slits pierced into their hearts, making Makarov step back in front of everyone.

The assailant's return made everyone hollow, especially Nic. He felt as though his insides turned pitch black, and the slightest blink from the assailant would be nerve-wracking. "…it's been a while, Nic Pularis."

The dark purple aura that coated his body like a veil, just like the previous two times, was present. Hades and Makarov were both feeling goosebumps.

"Oh no." Lucy mumbled. "It's him."

Freed was feeling petrified, as was Laxus. Laxus could barely breathe. "The hell is going on? Who is this monster?"

"Just his presence alone is suffocating." Mira said. "This demon, this pure evil…it's so evil that it makes Hades look like nothing."

The assailant gave a bone-shaking chuckle. "Those faces. Those terrified faces, they're such a welcoming site to behold."

Nic clenched his shaking fists and growled at the assailant.

"Nic, who is he? And why did he say your name?" Levy asked in concern.

Nic hesitated before speaking. "He's the man who's been after me this whole time. He almost killed me twice. He's got the same powers that I have, but on a darker scale." He spited. Everyone looked with shock. "You could say that he's living Hell."

The assailant smirked. "You always have a way to compliment me, don't you?" He turned his head towards Hades, who still couldn't move. "As for you…" He put his arm out, the dark purple aura still coating his body as he floated in midair. Hades was shaking as he saw shadows converging onto him.

"Wh-what is this?!" He shouted, the cold, skin-rotting shadows crawling over his body and forcing him up. He looked at the assailant as the shadows held him up, and he couldn't shake off this dread.

"What are you?" His trembling voice demanded. "I've felt demonic powers before…but, yours is…"

The assailant raised his forearm up a little, and Hades was pulled up into midair, his body encased in a cocoon much like he appeared in.

"You think that your power can be considered terrifying?" The assailant asked. "You were Fairy Tail's Second Master, Master of a guild of light. Did you not think that you should've remained in the light? Switching to darkness, just for power. Hmph. I was once the exact same." He held his hand up. "…I can't believe that you followed down my path…pathetic!"

Hades was terrified as his painful screams echoed as the Fairy Tail Mages watched in sheer horror as Hades was slowly having his head and his arms get sucked into the shadowy cocoon. His screams became muffles as his face and his arms soon followed. Once his entire being was inside, only silence fell.

The assailant gave a pause and his smirk arose, showing his toothed canines. With one grip of his hand, the shadow cocoon imploded, darkness and shrilled screams bellowing as Hades' was killed on the spot, not even his blood remaining as the thick shadows spread.

Everyone's eyes shot wide with horror as the assailant didn't even try. He just killed Hades, and the girls of Fairy Tail, especially Vanessa, had hands covering their mouths, and Levy and Lisanna fell to their knees, gasping in terror,

Makarov and Gildarts were both wide-eyed with horror as they saw Hades being reduced to nothing. Makarov was speechless and frozen.

The assailant watched the shadows disappear and turned back towards Nic, who had a gaped expression, as did Erza and everyone else. "Well, that takes care of the besmirch of darkness. It is my path that I was given. That man chose it, and in turn left you all."

Makarov gave an authoritative tone, despite what happened. "That's enough! Who are you?!"

The assailant gave a scowl as the dark clouds gave his dark purple aura a more demonic feeling. "Who am I? That is for someone to figure out before I slaughter him, and claim this place known as the universe."

Erza and Vanessa turned towards Nic, who remained still with a straight face. They were still scarred with what happened last time. They looked ahead, still shaking in the eyes.

"I'll ask again, who are you?" Makarov demanded, slower.

The assailant paid no heed. "I don't answer that question, for I am nothing as far as you're concerned. I am but a void that is to expand and take life, giving it a new lease. Humanity has been tainted, and I seek to expunge it to start over."

He pointed towards Nic. "I am here because I shall, and this for certain, kill Nic Pularis. He is what is keeping Arceus alive after I tainted him. There is no reborn universe if this one is stuck rotten like it is now."

Erza requipped a sword and pointed it at the man. "No! Your foul, corrupted behavior won't even lay a finger on him!"

Elfman clenched his fists. "If you wanna be a real man, you gotta take on all of us!"

"That's right, and together we'll keep you away from Nic." Mira announced.

Increasing his elevation, the assailant raised a brow. "My, how touching. It's sick. Perhaps I need to show you just what I did to your light the last time we came face-to-face." He moved one of his arms in a vertical oval, making a black aura frame. "Please, enjoy this little clip. I had such a good time reliving it myself."

Team Tenrou all watched as the mirror expanded, and they saw a flashback of what transpired in Kalos. To their horror, the assailant was seen trashing them left and right, and many got weak in the knees when they saw him kill off life in a large area. Laxus and the Thunder God Tribe was gaping their mouths when they saw Nic go crazy, his corrosive vibe so unreal that everyone present felt as though they were there, feeling their spines shiver even more.

Levy and Wendy cried and turned away when the part with Nic's gut getting pierced through happened. Makarov's gaze intensified when that part happened, and many felt their wills gets drain away when they saw Nic get tortured and screamed in violent pain, followed by Natsu and Erza easily defeated.

The image and frame faded away, and the assailant smirked. "This fear I'm giving you, it's just what I wanted to see. The turmoil, the anguish, the blood." He clenched a fist and held it up. "The more you give, the more I grow stronger."

Makarov began to growl, which made everyone on edge as they felt his Magic increase exponentially. "You…you vile creature."

Erza looked at Makarov. "Master, wait!"

Nic stepped forward towards him. "Master, you have no idea who you're dealing with!"

"Stop it Gramps! That guy's too strong!" Natsu shouted.

"As a parent, I must forsake my safety for my children'." His glow stopped, and he put his arms forward. "You not only hurt my children, but you killed before our eyes, you scarred us, you nearly killed one my own children. Those actions shall leave you to face oblivion."

The assailant failed to show shock as he saw Makarov make an orb of light, one of pure light. The Magic Power given off was grand.

Laxus felt the pressure. "Gramps, you're…"

"Now…" Makarov warned. "I'll give you 'til the count of three to surrender."

Seeing the proceedings to Fairy Law, the assailant gave no effort as to run; instead, he smiled, showing his demonic canines once again.

"One-"

The assailant snapped his fingers, and all of a sudden Fairy Law's pure light became pitch black; foul and scornful. The spell burst, making Makarov fall back with a thud.

"Master!" Erza shouted, running up to his side. Mira and Sophie proceeded to go check on him.

Gildarts turned towards the assailant, his glare and pressure rising. "You bastard." He growled. The ground began to shake, and a geyser of white sprouted upwards. Everyone around turned with wide eyes as Gildarts was emanating all of his Magic Power.

"Oh no, not Gildarts as well." Nic warned under his breath.

"The Ace of Fairy Tail, am I right?" The assailant asked. "I can feel the power you're giving off. Wouldn't it be a shame if you lost it? Wouldn't you want to have it forever, so as to do good until your last breath?"

Nic narrowed his eyes. "There's that kind of speech again. Where have I remembered it?" He muttered, looking at the man wearily.

"This power you Fairy Tail Mages have, you use it to help, but alas you cause destruction. There are Dark Guilds that derived from regular guilds, using power to take what isn't theirs."

"I've had enough of you!" Gildarts crouched and lunged at the assailant, making shockwaves and the ground crack as he lunged ahead. His face was full of veins as he went to attack. "You're gonna pay for messing with our Master!"

"No don't!" Cana pleaded, but she and everyone watched as Gildarts let loose a battlecry as his prosthetic left arm shot forward. The assailant used only one arm and grabbed Gildarts' wrist. The shockwave went past the assailant, and he kept a straight face as Gildarts was stuck in place, the proximity making his heart beat even faster.

"What…no way…" He muttered.

"Hmph. I'm not impressed." Gildarts' hand and wrist began to feel a rotting sensation, and the Ace of Fairy Tail began to grunt as yelp as he felt his prosthetic arm go numb. The assailant threw Gidarts to the side, making him crash onto the flat battlefield.

Cana gasped. "No!"

The dust cleared, and Gildarts was seen on his feet. He clenched his fists, though his left one still felt terribly numb. The ship began to shake as his Magic flowed again. He let a low growl escape as he then lunged again.

"GRAAHHHH!" Gildarts let out a battlecry as he closed the gap, but he was suddenly struck from below, and he gagged as he felt Shadow Sneak hit his abdomen, sending him skywards. The assailant dispersed into shadows, reappearing in front of a midair Gildarts, still having his cloak of purple evil forever waving about.

"How pathetic." He said. "You are not my priority." He made and afterimage and it curled into a silver ball that he raised over his head. "Ancient Power!" He brought it down on Gildarts' head, a sudden blur engulfing the area before a silver explosion engulfed the skies, sending violent winds around.

Everyone below yelled as they all skidded back a couple of feet. When the explosion cleared out, everyone saw Gildarts lying on the ground, slowly trying to get up.

Makarov winced as he slowly began to rise back up. He grumbled and his eyes opened.

"Master, are you okay?" Sophie asked.

"What did…how did my Fairy Law get vanquished just like that?" Makarov couldn't believe it himself. One of the Three Fairy Spells was vanquished just like that. He never felt anything so inhumane.

Gildarts was on all fours before a purple portal appeared atop of him, where the assailant emerged and dealt a blow onto Gildarts' back, via Phantom Force. The Ace of Fairy Tail screamed as the impact made the ground quake and his spine vibrated in fright of the corrosive beast smashing his back, leaving him in a crater.

"Gildarts!" Cana shouted, worry overshadowing her.

Laxus' eyes saw horror. "I was wrong…"

"Laxus?" Freed wondered, seeing his eyes shake greatly.

"That fossil from before…he wasn't even half the monster this guy is." He looked down, his hand unsteady. "This guy's terrorizing us without even moving much. Damnit."

The assailant turned into shadows again, disappearing and leaving Gildarts to struggle to his knees.

Nic tried to call out to Gildarts. "Don't be a fool Gildarts! It's me he's after! He'll kill you if you get in the way! Get out of there!"

Gildarts turned towards Nic. "NO!" His Magic quaked the ground again, palpitating. "I may have ran away before, but that was because no one but me was at stake!" He turned forwards, his Magic making a pressurized white aura. "This time, I ain't going anywhere."

"Don't be a fool!" Erza shouted.

"Do as Luminous says and get out ya geezer!" Gajeel shouted.

"You should listen to your comrades." The assailant's monotone demon voice echoed about in the air, making Vanessa quiver. Gldarts turned and saw the shadows forming several feet away. The assailant didn't seem at all exhausted. "Gildarts, the only one who possibly has even the slightest of chance is Nic. You have no hope, and will sunder with humanity."

"You hurt Fairy Tail! I won't-" In a sudden flash, the assailant appeared in front of Gildarts, his sudden appearance making him flinch.

The assailant made rings of black and purple in between his hands. "Begone!" He thrust his arms forward, and Gildarts was swallowed up in a ground-shaking explosion of darkness. Everyone felt the force and they all flew back. Gildarts was seen yelling as he was hit in the abdomen by a shooting Dark Pulse, leaving a long trail as he shot back, the Dark-Type move trailing him until he crashed several feet behind everybody else, heinous winds violently surging and nearby rock shattering.

When the raging dust finally settled, everyone uncovered and they gasped in surprise. Makarov's gaze shook as a huge trail split the group apart, and said trail went on for fifty feet, leading towards the end, where Gildarts laid groaning with barely any consciousness.

"Gildarts! No!" Cana yelled. She and Lucy ran after Gildarts to check his conditions, and Makarov and the rest turned back towards the assailant.

The Master's eyes shook in horror. "That's…impossible."

The assailant chuckle, making everyone uneasy. "Now you see? I can slaughter you all, and all you can do is stall the inevitable." A sudden wind blew, one of hollow and remorse as a monstrous power spike began to shake the earth a little. Nic and everyone got to a knee as they were losing balance. Their faces grew with fear as the man's canines turned blood red, and his vermilion eyes turned feral, and his aura thickened even more.

"I CAN TAINT THE PUREST OF LIGHT!" He swiped his right arm, making a giant wave of water rise. "I CAN MAKE YOUR FEARS TEAR YOU APART!" He lashed his other arm, making another giant wave rise in the other direction. "I CAN FEED OFF OF YOUR DREAD, AND MAKE YOU SUFFOCATE UNTIL YOU END UP SCREAMING FOR BLOODY MURDER!"

Juvia's eyes shook with terror as she thought she was gonna suffocate.

"I WILL EXPUNGE ALL SICK HUMANITY! AND START OVER WITH THE VOID!" He pushed both arms out to his sides, humungous waves that were as big as the island itself, both pushed the right and left.

Gildarts, still barely conscious, felt this extreme force. "This…this guys…it can't be." Gildarts was feeling true terror as his whole body began to shake, making it hard for him to get up, even with Cana and Lucy's support. "His evil…it's even worse than…than…"

"Hey, snap out of it!" Lucy shouted.

"Guys, we don't have a chance!" Gildarts finally admitted.

The assailant's calm expression slowly returned, his power spike gone and returned to its still horrifying level. He slowly descended to the ground, where his feet planted softly.

Nic's eyes narrowed. "Why did you stop?"

The assailant's vermilion eyes were still striking goosebumps all over Nic, killing them as well, but his demeanor seemed more of a compromise. "I have been trying to be reasonable this whole time." His demonic monotone was still the same, but calmer. "Nic Pularis, I have been given this power, and in turn, I must take the lives of all. But don't you see? Humanity was been sullied. Those who turned good have been cursed with the burden of so many sins to be committed."

"What are you saying?"

"To put this in simple terms, I'm saying that no matter what good you may have done, it is my mission and obligation to take those sins, and send you and those who you love to Hell, where you'll rot for eternity."

Nic grunted and his eyes narrowed. "Giratina and the others are terrible creatures. They're the ones who deserve to be in Hell."

"None of that matters." A sudden voice from the assailant's left broke the conversation, and everyone from Team Tenrou turned towards their right.

What they made their mouths gape. The very reason Grimoire Heart came to Tenrou Island - Zeref.

"I-It can't be." Makarov.

Erza was shocked beyond recognition. "Zeref and the assassin in one place?"

"This is so unmanly!" Elfman shouted.

"So that's who Zeref is." Vanessa said.

Zeref began taking steps forward, advancing towards the assailant. "So you wish to take a life, so as to end all and start anew." He confirmed.

The assailant turned towards Zeref. "Yes. I must seek Nic's blood, and soak in his screaming torture. That is my destiny, and what must be done."

Zeref's eyes were glowing red, yet the weak winds still gave goosebumps all around. His gaze had no effect on the assailant. "So you wish to extinguish any trace of life. The sins completely eradicated from existence. This power I feel, it's completely pure hatred, rotting to the flesh."

The assailant gave a half smirk. "You must be Lord Zeref. I've heard a few things about you."

"And yet everything I have made is completely trumped by this moral hatred that I feel." Zeref looked at the Fairy Tail Mages and back. "And your corrosive nature is petrifying and killing all life at will. You now burden the sin of murder for Hades."

The assailant gave a smirk, his pointed canines showing. "I love sins; they make me feel so alive."

Zeref's eyes opened wide. "400 years exactly…" Winds picked up and he was surrounded by black winds. The assailant raised a brow. "…I watched countless human conflicts, and saw them slaughter before me, but one day, I learned the true glory of life…"

The Fairy Tail Mages all paid attention with gaped mouths.

Zeref continued. "However the more I treasured it, the more this body of mine would steal around me." He paused before speaking again. "This world shall be forever changed, but this evil and vile, it's almost infinite. I can't sense the limit to its vile extent. I hate to admit it, but this foul power you have, it may trump-"

"Let me cut you of there." The assailant insisted, his dark purple aura still thick and rotting. "You don't seem to understand. This isn't about the world, it's about the universe." He paused as Zeref looked surprised. "Zeref, you think too small. I was given this power to taint a god. That would've been the finish, and yet the lone person known as Nic Pularis has been inherited with the protection of all that exists." The assailant turned towards Nic, staring demonically at him, and then proceeded slowly towards Zeref.

"I was given this power, and in return, I must take the life of everything. If you haven't realized it, humans are diverse into two groups: The ones who give, and the ones who take."

Nic's eyes narrowed. "Wait…I know I heard that somewhere, definitely."

Zeref's veil continued to swirl. "And where are you going with this?"

"I was once a man who would give, trying to give those a chance to look at the joys of humanity. I was sickened by those who took for their own gain, believing what wasn't given to them is theirs."

Nic just stared, contemplating and looking into his memories, trying to figure out where he heard that.

"The same concept is that of giving and taking life. I was given this power, this glorious power, and use it to take what keeps all that is right together. The give and take ratio is unimpeded. Given this power, there was no return, as I shall forever seek the void that shall swallow all that shines, and make it start from zero in the darkness."

The assailant turned into shadows, suddenly appearing inside the veil of darkness. Zeref could not believe what he was seeing. Someone was actually surviving his Black Arts. His red eyes were wide. "You…"

"You and I are much alike, Zeref." The assailant said. His thick aura began to suck in the winds, all corrupted death that he smiled as he took it all in. When it was all sucked in, the assailant smiled devilishly while Zeref stood in shock as the man before him took and swallowed the death, smirking.

The assailant continued. "We both despise humanity. We both seek a new era. We both use darkness to eradicate sins. And to sum it all up, we're both basically misanthropes."

Nic's eyes squinted. "I definitely know someone who's like that, but…" Nic looked down at the ground, a foul and ominous vibe looming over him. "Hating humanity…destroying everything to start fresh…those who give and…take…"

"An era's worth of filth was wiped clean, a long time ago…and now…I shall do the same."

It finally happened. The answer came to Nic. A massive pulse went through him as his eyes shot wide with an epiphany of sheer terror. His head whipped back up and at the assailant, seeing his face, that hair, and the tail.

Nic felt a gloomy and deadly wind pass by him. He was almost shaking, which got Vanessa's attention. "Nic?"

His eyes were shaking in sheer shock. "…No way. After all this time…that's who he is…" His voice was all broken and hollow. "It can't be, yet…it is. How is this possible…"

The assailant glared at Zeref. "When the population outweighs the number of things it wants, that thing can't be shared. People would fight for it, leading to conflicts that turn many against the other, leading to self-destruction. That's why to destroy all conflict, the number must drop to zero."

Zeref's red eyes never left the assailant's. They both stood five feet away, and yet their corrosive powers were at a standstill. Zeref emanated more of his Black Arts, and the assailant widened his eyes as he unleashed Ominous Wind. The two assaults brewed ghastly about, violent screeching being heard as the two death-like attacks collided. The ground beneath cracked a little from the force the two gave off, and soon both exerted enough and died down.

The assailant and Zeref were both untouched, yet their death-like powers were at even grounds.

"Tell me. If you can kill a god, then why not kill me?" Zeref asked.

"It's obvious." The assailant turned his head towards Nic, whose face was now blank. "My ultimate priority is Nic Pularis. He is why I was created, and why I exist. After I spill all his blood, and rip his heart out, I can swallow up everything in shadows, and have you all suffer the same fate as Hades."

There was a long pause, the shrill and foreboding torture still looming about. A corrosive air made everyone feel yet another wave of goosebumps. Finally, Zeref turned away.

He started walking. "If you wish to destroy all starting with one, a chain reaction will be committed, and yet you'll take glory in the sights. What separates us is that you now live for blood."

Another swift wind changed and a dust cloud loomed, in which Zeref suddenly disappeared into. When it passed, Zeref was gone.

Elfman swallowed. "That was scary intense."

Lisanna was still stiff as a paralyzed Gigalith. "Zeref…he was here?"

Makarov's eyes were shown to have an array of horror, revelation, fear, everything unimaginable. "The Great Black Wizard Zeref, being on par with a man of pure evil."

Gildarts was at a loss for words himself. "This man, he's more than a demon. If he can sully a god, then we have no chance."

Natsu clenched his fists. "Damnit. This isn't right. This shouldn't be happening! Fairy Tail is supposed to be unstoppable!"

The assailant turned towards Nic and the rest, hearing their commotions. He arose back into the air, several feet off the ground. His glare continued to stare and make their heartbeats quicken.

"Now, anyone else care to perish before I slaughter Nic?" He challenged.

Everyone hesitated as they were all paralyzed by this overwhelming fear that even made Makarov and Gildarts unable to act. The assailant was just too powerful, for he could taint any light, no matter how pure. Fairy Law and Fairy Glitter would be useless, and Gildarts would fare no better.

A sudden pair of footsteps was heard. Everyone's gazed zoomed towards the sound, revealing Nic with a straight face of sheer seriousness. "No. No one is going before me." He responded.

"Nic." Makarov said. Erza's eyes showed fear behind her stern gaze.

"You get what you want, it'll be me against you – alone."

The assailant smirked.

Makarov and Gildarts both got to his sides, their instincts temporarily overshadowing their fear. "Nic, you will do no such thing!" Makarov ordered.

"That guy's a bloodthirsty monster." Gildarts reasoned. "You saw what he did to me. It's best we all combine and-"

Nic turned towards Gildarts and cut him off. "You heard what he said. The only one who has even a remote chance of stopping him, is me." He turned ahead. "Besides…I know who I'm dealing with now."

"As Master, I absolutely forbid you!" Makarov demanded.

"You don't have a choice!" Nic shouted back, shocking everyone there. "You saw what he did to Fairy Law, and you saw how Gildarts stood no chance. If you guys get in my way, you'll suffer an eternal Hell like Hades did."

"But-"

"That's enough." Nic had it, and his glare down towards Makarov showed just how dead serious he was. A silence fell as the two coldly stared at the other. "It's just me. It has to be."

Makarov couldn't allow his children to get killed, let alone hurt. He couldn't live knowing a Fairy Tail Mage died in front of his eyes, but Nic brought up a point, that Gildarts and Makarov together never stood a chance. Back in Kalos, Team Natsu and a few others hardly did anything against him.

Makarov looked away. "…I may be a parent, but I know when my children need to do things on their own. Go."

Gildarts was ashamed of himself. He was defeated so easily; it was more humiliating than the Century Quest he returned from earlier. He had no choice but to have Nic fight this fight alone.

Nic looked forward at his opponent. "We may have fought in the past, twice, but this time is different. I know his motives, and I realize who he is. I may have a small chance, but I'll take it."

"Nic!" Nic felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist as he felt someone hug him from behind. He was still as he took in the hug of his sister. "Nic! You better be careful! I don't want my brother to die again!"

The plea in her voice made his heart sank, and he knew that fighting would only make Vanessa suffer even more…but fighting was the only solution to end it. He felt her tears on his coat, and her squeeze tightened a little.

He looked down. "I won't keep promises Vanessa. I might not come out of this in one piece, but I'll live, no matter what." He looked over his shoulder back at her, a serious glare plastered. "I'll make it through, but to do that, I need you and the others to stay out of this."

Vanessa really didn't want to. She had Magic now, and she wanted to fight, but even she had absolute zero hopes against the assailant. If what he said was true, then Nic really is everyone's only hope. She trusted her brother to the end; if she didn't now, how could she live with herself knowing that she didn't put faith into him? This was all she could do, for now at least.

"…okay." Vanessa reluctantly pulled away and stepped back. Nic turned around and looked at her eyes.

"I'll be careful." He turned towards Sophie. "Sophie, Erza, if anything goes wrong, just make sure you all keep yourselves alive, especially my sister. Got it?"

Everyone gave slow nods, grimly acknowledging Nic's request.

Nic turned towards Erza, seeing her eyes. He looked right into them, seeing exactly what she was feeling. She wanted to hold him down right there and now, begging him to not go, for if he did, he might die. She would be devastated if he did.

Nic reached up to his V-Neck, grabbing his sunglasses and holding them out to her. Erza looked down with sheer surprise. "Erza, I know what you're thinking. You gotta trust me. I trust you with my sunglasses, can you do the same?"

Looking down at the sunglasses. Erza saw that she didn't necessarily have any choice. She looked back up at Nic and gave a slow nod.

"Good." He placed his sunglasses gently into her armored hands, slowly grabbing her fingers and curling them over the handles. "Hang onto them, this will get very rough." Nic then began turning his back and started his way towards the assailant.

Erza's grip on Nic's sunglasses tightened. She knew Nic would take his phone and earbuds to his own grave, but the sunglasses were more than enough for her. The object that shield's Nic's eyes.

"Good luck." Sophie said.

"Better leave a good mark for Fairy Tail's sake." Laxus said.

"Show him what a real man you are." Elfman said.

Makarov stepped forward, Nic stopping as he heard Makarov's footsteps. "Nic, no matter what, Fairy Tail has your back. You are never alone."

There was a silence as the foul air and dark sky gave little twitches in Nic's fingers, so he balled them up in anticipation. "Unfortunately Master…" He looked back at Makarov. "…I have to be." He turned ahead and then proceeded towards the battlefield.

Everyone present watched on as Nic stopped at the edge of the island, on step away from getting back onto the flattened scrap of a ship. He stood at least twenty feet away from the assailant with vermilion eyes.

"So, it's come down to the chosen ones; the last light against the eternal darkness." The assailant said. "The light which shall be ripped in pieces, his death marking the start of the void."

Nic ignored his passive speech and spoke. "I've lasted long enough, and I've finally put the pieces together. The deaths, the humanity, everything. I know who you are."

The assailant looked amused, yet kept a straight face. "Is that so?"

Nic nodded. "It took a while, but it all made sense when I realized I heard those phrases in a different time. Only one person talked so bitterly yet nobly of humanity." The assailant remained silent as a long pause took over, the anticipation making everyone's heart beat like crazy. "It's been a long time…Lysandre."

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Here's the last chapter of 2015, hope you all enjoyed the sheer cliffhanger I gave ya! I bet you all are shocked beyond recognition, but answers will come in the next chapter. I hope the fights this chapter were appeasing, the next one should be out in a week, more or less.

I hope you guys are okay with the changes I've made compared to the anime, and leave a Review or comment with the assailant reappearing made your skins crawl, because that's the feeling I was trying to display.

Please Favorite, Follow, & Review this story and/or chapter if you guys love and admire the creativity I convey.

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Next Time: Sea of Nostalgia