Loke was watching the battle in the Celestial Heavens with the Celestial King in the Seeing Pool Gardens. All around them, Seeing Pools sat in small puddles. Everyone was focused on the Battle of Crocus. All Lucy's spirits were there, among every other spirit that dwelled there, watching it like it was a large-screen lacrima.

"Crocus is going to fall," Loke said, glancing at the King, "Aren't you going to do anything about it?"

"There's an army of elite Celestial Royal Guards there," the King said, "They're holding their own right now."

"Right now!" Loke yelled back, forgetting his place and that he was talking to the Celestial King, "If Crocus falls, the rest of Fiore will fall!"

Virgo touched his shoulder, "We can't do anything," she said gruffly, "We're contracted to Lucy and for now, Lucy is safe and hasn't called us."

"But HE can do something!" Loke shouted, outraged, "This is your fault! I'm sorry – I know I'm way out of line, but how many innocent spirits and humans will die today?"

"Our Royal Guards are mobilizing up here," the King assured him, "There are 1000 already in Crocus to defend it. The people are evacuated to a hiding place deep within the mountain. Most innocent people will survive. Furthermore, the Princess is not in Crocus."

"So because the Princess isn't in Crocus, you're going to let Crocus fall?" Loke demanded.

Atria laid a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Loke, please stop yelling, "Tomo is not going to go down easily. We will intervene if things get out of hand."

"The fact is," the King turned to him, showing him another vision. Gray, Gajeel, Levy, Juvia, Cana, Jellal and Erza were fighting an angry spider-like creature, "your friends are nearing the Gates of Hell now. I can lend my strength to Crocus, but the truth is, it is your friends that may need the help. I'm watching both situations to see where our intervention will be most beneficial."

Loke stared at the new scene. Gray and Juvia looked like demons, but he knew it was them based on their magic maneuvers. They were bloody and tired looking. All of them were. Jellal had a gash on his torso. Levy was favouring her right leg. Gajeel was panting, using his Dragon Roar on the gigantic spider. Erza sliced the leg of the spider, making it lose its balance, almost collapsing right on top of a running Cana. Arcadios stabbed it repeatedly from the top, right into its body. Several other Royal Guards aided Arcadios in the stabbing from above. The damned thing didn't seem to want to die.

"You can't help both?" he said in a low voice.

The Celestial King had an arm around his wife, "I will help where I can," he promised, "Your friends are not fighting the final battle yet. It will be sooner than later that they're face to face with Andromeda."

Loke's anger dissipated as he watched both scenes, "When the time comes, I volunteer myself for active participation."

"As do I," Virgo said immediately, "When it's punishment time."

The Zodiacs all agreed, stepping forward. Other spirits also stepped forward.

The King nodded, "You will all get your chance. But for now, all we can do is watch. If we lend our help too early, we risk using up our power before we can really be of help. Those Fairy Tail mages…they are our greatest hope. As yet, Hell has not detected their presence."

Atria veered away from the crowd, looking into her own seeing pool.

"Hisui and Lucy," she whispered. At her command, the Seeing Pool rippled, clearing to an image of the pretty Celestial Mage sitting on the edge of a bed, her large stomach protruding. She was stroking Natsu's hair as he lay on her lap. She was reading a book. In the background, she could see Hisui curled up on another bed with two or three children cuddled into her. Crocus children. She read them an adventure that Lucy had written, loosely based on their real-life escapades. Her heart swelled with pride. Hisui was the people's Princess. They loved her.

She breathed a sigh of relief that they were all safe. Things were starting to get intense now. Atria offered a silent prayer for all of them: Fairy Tail, Crocus, and the seven mages and hundred Royal Guards buried deep in the Earthland that fought for everyone's very right to live.


Gray was kicking the spider in the head.

"That's right!" he yelled, "You're DEAD!"

"Enough already," Juvia moaned, collapsing against a wall to rest. The creep crawlies didn't bother her anymore. The stench didn't bother her anymore. She was exhausted. Her body was full of pain. She just…wanted…to…sleep.

"What floor are we on?" Levy asked Erza.

"I lost count several days ago," Erza admitted, "but shouldn't we be getting close?"

"We have to be," Gajeel lamented, sliding to the floor beside Juvia, "Seriously. I think Hell is mocking us. I think we're already there and we're just going to be traveling floors and killing monsters forever."

"Stop bitching!" Cana exclaimed, joining them against the wall, "There's an end somewhere. We've been in this building for days. We've got to be getting close sometime."

"How's that gash?" Erza asked Jellal, lifting his shirt to take a look. It was pussy and festering. She wrinkled her nose in disgust, "Levy, can you script some medicine for him?"

She nodded, going to Jellal's side.

"This is really infected," she said, a worried tone lining her voice. She placed a hand on his forehead, "You have a fever. This is a real issue. I'm not sure you should go on."

"I'm fine," Jellal snapped, "Just tired like the rest of you. Besides…what am I gonna do? Go back up 300 floors to the surface?"

She looked at him in the eyes, "Is that why you just about bit my head off just now? The Jellal Fernandez I know does not snap like that."

He sighed deeply. He really wasn't feeling well, but felt he could not complain. They were all in bad shape.

Levy's eyes lit up and she started digging through her backpack, "Quaine!" she announced, holding up a small package from her research.

She laid the leaf over top of Jellal's festering wound and called Gray, "Freeze it please."

Gray laid his hands gently on Jellal's side and applied his magic. Instantly, Jellal's temperature began to drop and he felt the migraine he'd be sporting for a day subside slightly.

"Ohhh," Jellal sighed at the instant relief, "Now if I could just sleep for 3 days…"

"We all need sleep," Arcadios said to Erza, who was mobilizing for the next floor, "I think it would be a good idea to rest for awhile."

She nodded, "Okay. For a little while. We must be getting close. I, for one, would like this to end sooner than later."

Arcadios nodded, noting Cana had already drifted off, "I'll take the first watch."