Time for the third chapter and some insight of how E.N.D came back to Tartarus! Remember to review at all times!
(Tartarus HQ, Hell's Core)
"My apologies for being a burden Kyouka." Tempesta said, as his body was staying afloat in a tube of strange liquid, slowly reforming itself.
"There is no need for formalities Tempesta." Kyouka said as she stood outside the tube, overlooking her fellow Demon Lord's rebirth.
"Tempesta…so that is my name?" Tempesta muttered. "Every time I gain a new body I forget my name. To me now names have no meaning." He said before changing topic. "How long will it take me to regenerate?"
"Hmm normally it would take one day. However as of now we're also working on another so the process will take more time." Kyouka replied.
Tempesta's eyes widened. "Another? Have we suffered a casualty?" He asked.
"No, not a casualty. A new comrade actually." Kyouka said with a smirk as she turned towards another tube that held Minerva Orlando, currently unconscious. "Minerva. The Master has deemed her abilities of use for the Netherworld."
"I pray she as of more use then that failure Doriate-san." Franmalth chuckled. "Most of our hybrids are incapable of achieving a full Etherious Form and those that can usually lose their senses."
"Franmalth…" Kyouka said as the one-eyed demon approached her. "I thought you would be at the communication room coordinating our force's operations?"
"Lord Mard Geer has taken over. I was sent by the Master to get a report from Tempesta-san." Franmalth explained.
"I failed my assignment and was forced to sacrifice my body." Tempesta said regrettably. "I shall accept any punishment the Master decides."
"Gehehe don't be so glum Tempesta-san. The Master is more relieved that you were able to return safely. And while the fact that you misused the Magical Barrier Particles he has decided not to punish you." Franmalth said. "However I wonder how much this little incident shall cost us. It's most likely that the former councilor will be well hidden this time. And those Magical Particles aren't cheap either."
"Fairy Tail…" Tempesta growled. "If not for their interference this would've never had happened."
"Fairy Tail?" Kyouka repeated.
At the sound of the name, Minerva began to shake about inside her tube, an angry look on her face. "My, my, it seems that the young dearer is a bit agitated by the name." Franmalth commented.
"Fairy Tail…" Kyouka muttered, her eyes narrowed, "The guild that took down both the Six Demons and Grimoire? And the ones that cause our Master pain?" Kyouka said. "Hmmm I wonder…will these Fairies resist us?"
"It was not just Fairy Tail." Tempesta said getting the two Demon Lord's attention. "Silver was also there. His ice sealed the Magical Barrier Particles from spreading."
"It appears as though the Master was correct." Franmalth said. "Silver would eventually show himself. Now that we know his location we should inform our Master and move in with our plan to eliminate the traitor."
As Franmalth walked away Tempesta looked at Kyouka. "What has happened while I was gone?" The Calamity Curse Demon asked.
"The Master has order our forces to attack certain places of interest while some of the Demon Lords continue to assassinate the former council members." Kyouka replied. "Including yourself, a few of the other Lords are on standby while the rest have split, with one leading our forces in attacking various Guild occupied towns, while the others are eliminating the former council members. Abaddon-sama is on a special assignment given to be the Master."
"I see" Tempesta said. "Then I hope I regenerate soon, I wish to be of use to Master E.N.D." He said.
Kyouka smirked. "Do not worry Tempesta, he will still have need of you so just replenish your strength for now." She said before walking off.
(Back at Fairy Tail)
"And that's what happened." Silver said, finishing his story.
Everyone stared at the man, who was revealed to be Silver Fullbuster, Gray's father (Much to Juvia's excitement) having been reborn as a living corpse seventeen years ago after his death by Deliora. The person responsible was a Necromancer in Tartarus. Since that day Silver had planned to have revenge for the death of his family as he had assumed that Gray died all those years ago along with him and his wife. Silver had joined the demon filled guild Tartarus and mastered Ice Devil Slayer Magic to slay demons, slowly weakening Tartarus secretly. A few years ago Mard Geer had given him the position as one of the Nine Demon Gates.
"It was only until the Grand Magic Games when I learned you were alive Gray." Silver said as he stared at his son, whom merely looked right back at him. "Learning that, along with several other variables, I decided to flee Tartarus and seek you out since I knew that your guild would be the only ones capable of defeating Tartarus."
"Dad…" Gray said as he looked at his father. Even now this all felt like a dream to him.
"I do not mean to be rude…" Erza said interrupting the moment. "But why did you freeze Sun Village in the first place? If you were hunting down demons in secret then why attack a place with no demons?" The Knight asked.
"That was a mistake on my part." Silver replied embarrassed. "I had thought the flames were of demonic origin or to be precise was where E.N.D's body was located."
"The body?" Makarov repeated.
Silver let out a sigh before speaking. "I should probably explain several important changes about Tartarus. Changes you need to know if you wish to stand a chance of defeating them. The first is that seven years ago on December 16th X784, the soul of E.N.D returned to Tartarus."
"Wait a minute!" Lucy exclaimed. "That's when Acnologia attacked us on Tenrou Island and we were frozen in time for seven years!"
"Could those two things be connected?" Erza thought out loud.
"But wait Silver-san it sounds like you're saying E.N.D was sealed or something?" Mirajane spoke.
"I'm not sure on the full details but apparently after founding the guild E.N.D went into some kind of slumber or something similar to it." Silver said. "All I know is that a part of E.N.D was kept by Mard Geer until seven years ago. At that time when he returned, the remaining Etherious around the world rejoined Tartarus."
"What's an Etherious? Also weren't all of Zeref's demons already with Tartarus?" Erza asked.
"For the first question Etherious is the actual name for demons from the Books of Zeref. A way to separate them from other demons." Silver replied. "And for the second question, E.N.D is the most powerful demon Zeref ever created. His mere presence united all of his kind behind him. After his slumber or whatever, another Etherious named Mard Geer, took command of Tartarus. Now while Mard is very powerful, there are other Etherious who could match his strength. Furthermore not all agreed with Mard's rule and promptly left the guild. That or weren't interest and were only part of it because of E.N.D."
"But the moment that E.N.D returned they all came back." Summarized Makarov.
Silver nodded. "It was as if a beacon became active. The moment his soul returned all the Etherious came back to Tartarus. It was also when E.N.D changed the Nine Demon Gates to the Demon Lords. And several weeks ago Mard Geer recovered his body and E.N.D was made whole. I have no idea what he looks like because I had to flee when I was cornered by several Demon Lords."
"What are those? Some kind of group?" Elfman asked.
"Yes the Nine Demon Gates were the core members of Tartarus and as the title says, consisted of only nine people." Silver said. "However with so many strong Etherious now joining, E.N.D renamed the group the Demon Lords, a group that has a total of twenty-nine members."
"Twenty-Nine!?" Lucy exclaimed in shock and worry that there were so many that were of the same level as the one that attacked the Raijingshu and Yajima.
"Well I was a member too so with my defection it's now twenty-eight." Silver commented. "However you shouldn't underestimate them, especially the leader, Abaddon. His power is equal to Mard and if you see him don't fight him no matter what. I don't even know his full capabilities since he always kept to himself."
"What other changes happened over the past seven years?" Laxus asked.
"Well just a few days after his soul returned, Tartarus began attacking dark guilds affiliated with Oracion Seis and Grimoire Heart." He noticed the shocked and confused looks on the Fairy Tail Mages' faces. "To an outsider it would seem that Tartarus was just removing any possible threats and try to reign over all the Dark Guilds. And while that did cause the Magic Council to be concern that is far from the truth. The reason why Tartarus was doing this is because they forcibly conscripting potential human mages into their guild…by turning them into demons."
"What? Turning humans into demons!? Is that even possible?" Gray asked.
"You've already met one back at Sun Village, Gray." Silver said causing his son to remember about his battle with Doriate the mage that used Law of Regression. "Tartarus has a room called Hell's Core, which can be used not just to modify humans into Etherious, but also revive fallen members whom have made a pact with the Underworld King. So now they have a large force that consists of both Etherious and Hybrids."
"Revive the dead!" Erza said. "Is that even possible?"
"The ability was bestowed onto Mard by E.N.D who has knowledge to the Black Arts just like Zeref. E.N.D wants a large army of demons under his command for his operation." Silver explained.
"And what is this plan? Does it involve the members of the Magic Council?" Freed asked.
"They serve a very important part actually, both the current and former." Silver said. "Tartarus goal is to activate FACE."
Yajima suddenly turned pale at the name, something everyone else noticed. "F-FACE!? How on in Mavis's name did Tartarus learn of FACE!?" Yajima asked.
"Yajima do you know what this FACE is?" Makarov asked his old friend.
Yajima was silent for a moment before speaking. "An ancient weapon of the Magic Council, which is on the same scale of the Etherion but greater: It's a magic pulse bomb that if used, will wipe out all magic on the continent."
Everyone gasped in horror. A bomb that could remove all magic on the continent in an instant. "Damn it what the hell was the council thinking of making such a weapon?" Gajeel asked.
"Wait if it will remove all magic then won't that include the members of Tartarus?" Lucy asked Silver.
"Unfortunately the members of Tartarus do not use Magic." Silver revealed. "Excluding the hybrids all the core members of Tartarus, including the Demon Lords, use Curses, something that is different from Magic. It also isn't affected by thing that would normally neutralize or effect magic in any other way."
"So while all our magic is gone Tartarus and their curses will be able to rule over us with no challenge." Pantherlily summarized.
"That's pretty much it." Silver said.
"Well it won't be that simple as it sounds like." Yajima commented. "From what I've heard of there are three keys to activating FACE. These keys are merged with three former Council Members through Organic Link Magic."
"And only by killing the three members will FACE be released." Makarov finished.
"Then our goal is clear." Erza said getting everyone's attention. "We must find and protect the former council members at all cost."
"I know the addresses of most of them except the former Chairman." Yajima replied.
"I can also tell you as well as the abilities of some of the Demon Lords. Before I left I also learned of their location as well as Tartarus' source of information." Silver added. "The Ex-Chairman Crawford Seam."
"The Ex-Chairman is aligned with a Dark Guild!?" Lisanna said in shock, a feeling shared by the others.
"Not much of a surprise." Yajima said. "Crawford always was a power grabber. It wouldn't come of a shock to me if he allied himself with a Dark Guild if it promised him a chance of higher stature."
"Then we should capture the Ex-Chairman ourselves." Erza said. "Though Silver-san probably knows much about their plans, since he defected from Tartarus, they most likely rearranged their strategy with the Ex-Chairman knowing it too."
"I agree with you Erza." Makarov said. "I think you and Mirajane should go and get him. Yajima can tell you his location and there's a good chance Tartarus might send someone strong to protect/retrieve the Ex-Chairman."
"And what will the rest of us be doing?" Gray asked.
"Silver and Yajima can give you the addresses of the former council members. Even if we don't know which of them have the keys it's important we protect all of them either way." Makarov replied.
"Everyone!" Romeo shouted as he opened the main door. "There's news about demons attacking towns and cities all over the continent!"
"What!?" Everyone shouted.
"Its most likely Tartarus's doing. With the Magic Council now in ruins, E.N.D wants to eliminate or weaken the strength of the continent's guild and military might and at the same time assassinating the former council members in the confusion." Silver said.
"Then we've got to help those towns!" Levy said.
"As much as I would like to agree with you Levy, this takes greater importance." Makarov replied grimly. "If Tartarus activates FACE then saving those towns will mean nothing. Besides I'm sure the other guilds are acting too. We'll have to put our faith in them." Then the Guild Master turned towards his family. "Now everyone I'll assign you into groups and you'll all go to the addresses of the former council members. And at the same time Erza and Mirajane will go and capture the Ex-Chairman! We cannot allow these people to bring harm and death to our homes just for their own gain!" Sounds of cheers were given back in response.
"Actually Makarov-san I'll need to borrow Gray for a while if you don't mind." Silver said as he put a hand on his son's shoulder. "I need to teach him how to use my magic, Ice Devil Slayer magic. Having two Devil Slayers is better then one."
"Gray?" Makarov asked the young Ice Mage.
Without even hesitating Gray replied back to the Master. "If I can help put down these bastards quicker then it's fine by me." Gray said as he slammed his left fist into his right palm. Silver smirked at his son's determination.
"Juvia will also go with Gray-sama and his father too!" Juvia declared as she latched herself to Gray's arm, much to Gray's discomfort and Silver's amusement, who only raised an eyebrow and smirked.
"Sorry Juvia but you'll be joining one of the groups to protect the former council members." Makarov said to the water mage. Juvia had a depress cloud over her head at that. Normally she would try to argue by saying some illogical reason but she couldn't argue with the Master.
"That's quite the interesting girl you got there Gray." Silver commented off handily as the two Fullbusters walked off. "She'd make a fine daughter-in-law!" Silver shouted before laughing.
"Dad!" Gray shouted in embarrassment while Juvia had gone into fantasying about being 'Juvia Fullbuster' much to everyone's amusement.
(With Rogue)
"Shadow Dragon's Roar!" Rogue cried as he fired another roar of shadows at Ezel. The demon merely smirked as he once again used his four arms to disperse the shadows. "Hahaha! Is this all you can do punk?" Ezel shouted as he launched a barrage of slashes at Rogue. The Shadow Dragon Slayer managed to dodge most of them but a few were able to land hits on him. "Then this fucking fight is going to end quickly!"
Rogue growled as he quickly turned his body into shadows and zoomed towards Ezel at impressive speed. He soon reached Ezel and before the Demon Lord could react Rogue struck. "Shadow Dragon's Crushing Fang!" And Rogue released shadows from his hand that struck Ezel right in the face, sending the demon skidding back a few feet. Ezel's face was slightly bruised but rather then being annoyed of it the demon seemed to have become excited. "Ha! Maybe this won't be so boring after all!" Ezel declared as he launched more slashes this time leaving a cut on Rogue's left arm. Rogue winced but managed to jump out of the way and make some distance between him and Ezel.
'Damn! This guy is really sturdy! Guess I better take this up a level." Rogue thought as he gathered shadows around him and soon his body was covered in an aura of shadow. His eyes became obscured, only showing red blank irises could be seen. "Shadow Drive…" Rogue muttered.
"The hell?" Ezel muttered before his eyes widened as Rogue charged at him again, moving much faster this time. Rogue appeared right behind Ezel and released a powerful kick on Ezel's back. "Son of a bitch!" Ezel yelled as he tried to hit Rogue. But thanks to his Shadow Drive, Rogue was able to morph into the shadows around him, becoming intangible and dodge Ezel's attacks.
"And now…" Rogue said as he turned into shadows before wrapping himself around Ezel. "Shadow Dragon's Waxwing Flash!" Rogue cried as he released a torrent of shadows from his hands, becoming tangible and struck Ezel in a barrage of shadows, the demon flying into the air.
Ezel crashed onto the ground but quickly recovered himself and got into another pose. "Now things are getting interesting. Let's see how you stand up to this, Juzumaru!"
Ezel unleashed another X-shaped slash just like Onimaru. Only this one took the form of a cross with a clean center and linear arms. The attack struck Rogue head on who felt himself being launched backwards by the attack and going through a wall. The move dispersed Rogue's Shadow Drive and gave him several cuts. Rogue could now be seen lying on the ground, slowly getting back up. 'Damn that attack completely broke through my Shadow Drive. Though if it weren't for that I would probably be a lot worse off.' Rogue thought as he got back to his feet. He just barely had enough time to dodge a body slam from Ezel.
Acting quickly Rogue formed a ball of shadows in his hand and then threw it at the ground. "Shadow Dragon's Eruption!" Rogue yelled as a geyser of shadows erupted from underneath Ezel. The demon was once more tossed into the air with a few scratches on his body. "I actually felt that one!" Ezel yelled excitedly as he fired more slashes at Rogue.
"Shadow Dragon's Scales!" Rogue shouted as he fired a barrage of shadow projectiles from the palm of his hand. Scales and slashes collided and canceled each other out.
Dust began to gather around the area but Rogue could still hear Ezel's laughter. "Man this is so much fun! Guess I'll have to really go out. Mika-"
Rogue raised an eyebrow when he heard Ezel paused just before finishing his spell. As the dust cleared Rogue saw that Ezel had a look of confusion and annoyance on his face. "What? Fall back? Deal with fairies? What the hell I was just having some-" Ezel's rant paused before looking a little pale. "F-fine! I get it!" He grumbled before glaring at Rogue. "You got fucking lucky you shithead! Next time we meet I'm going to spread your damn corpse across the ground!" Ezel roared before running off, leaving a confused Rogue behind.
"Rogue!" A voice from behind shouted.
Turning around Rogue saw Kagura approach with Frosch in her arms. The Mermaid Heel mage was a bit bruised but looked fine. "What happened? Where did the demon go?" Kagura asked as she reached Rogue. Frosch happily jumped from her arms into Rogue's.
"I don't know." Rogue said as he comforted his Exceed companion.
"That bastard could've possible killed me but suddenly he acted strange and then left. I think someone communicated with him VIA telepathy." The Shadow Dragon Slayer explained.
"The invaders also fled just moments ago." Kagura explained, her sheath sword in her left hand. "Either way this town is safe. I need to head back to my guild and see what else has happened. This can't have been the only town that they attacked." She said before heading off, leaving Rogue and Frosch to themselves.
"Frosch likes here." The Exceed said suddenly. Rogue smirked at his friend before frowning as he thought of Ezel's words involving fairies. A terrible feeling went up Rogue's spine as he began figuring out what or rather whom the demon was referring too. "Frosch we're contacting Sting." The Shadow Dragon Slayer said.
(Tartarus HQ, Communication Room)
Mard Geer sat on a throne-like chair as he stared at the large screen floating in the air, with several smaller screens surrounding it. All of them were showing pictures of the Dark Guild's forces attacking various places in Fiore. Down below several levels were Tartarus soldiers busy at work with Franmalth coordinating them. Mard had his usual calm look on his face as he stared at the carnage on the screens.
The Underworld King heard the door opening and realized that it was the Master. Getting up from his seat he bowed before the first Etherious. "Master the attacks are going well. Our forces are facing little resistance minus a few Rune Knights and mages from Legal Guilds. We've also received word of Silver's location too and that several of the former council members have been eliminated." Mard reported only for E.N.D to walk past him towards the screen, his cloak flowing behind him. Curious, Mard looked at the back of his Master, who was busy staring at images on the screens.
"Look at it Mard." E.N.D said. "Everyone is having so much fun out there. Flames you can even see from outside the castle." A small smile formed on E.N.D's lips as he kept looking. "It's so beautiful isn't it?"
"It is indeed quite a sight Master." Mard said as he stood beside his old comrade. "The beauty of seeing the humans face their destined fate can be quite pleasing."
E.N.D nodded in agreement. "Do you remember the last time we saw something similar to this? It must've been over 400 years ago during the Dragon Civil War when our race was still young. I had just founded our Guild before I was forced into slumber. These past four centuries you have taken my place and ensured both Tartarus' but the Etherious' survival while safeguarding my book." E.N.D then put his bandaged right hand on Mard's left shoulder. "I never gotten the chance to thank you for that my old friend." E.N.D said.
"You honor me with your words Master. I merely did my duty." Mard said sincerely as he bowed his head.
"I wish to see our dream fulfilled Mard Geer." E.N.D said as he turned his attention back to the screens. "I wish to see our people stand above the humans, to no longer be forced into hiding and bring forth the world we envisioned. And I want you to be there, by my side, when we reach our goal." The Guild Master of Tartarus looked back at Mard. "You have never failed me before Mard Geer. I shall be counting on you to see our goal fulfilled."
Mard Geer bowed again, his eyes closed and his left hand over his chest. "Without a second hesitation Master E.N.D."
The Master nodded. "That being said, I assume that you've taken care of the Silver problem." E.N.D said.
"I have Master." Mard said. "I've sent Keith along with Ezel, Askari, Homoru and Niebla with him along with their forces to deal with Silver. Even if he's not there at the moment it would be good to rid us of those Fairy Tail mages, something you've always wanted."
"That is good." E.N.D said as he raised his right hand and looked at it. "I don't know why but whenever I hear of them, I feel an indescribable pain flowing through me. Memories of people and places I cannot recall and for some reason or another I see bright yellow hair and brown eyes." The Demon muttered as he now clutched his right shoulder. "I don't know what it means but I cannot stand it."
E.N.D soon spun around and headed towards the exit. "Inform me when they reach the guild. Then send me an image of the progress to my chambers." The Master said before walking out the door.
"As you wish." Mard Geer said before returning to the task at hand.
(With Erza and Mirajane)
"Erza if what Silver-san said is true then it's possible that they'll target Jellal." Mirajane said to Erza as the redhead released the large reindeer they had ridden to the former chairman's house. "Perhaps you should be looking for Jellal rather then being here. I'm sure I can handle the chairman."
Erza smiled as she patted the reindeer, before letting it go. "Even I can't find Jellal. So it won't be easy for Tartarus to find him. And you know how strong he is; he wasn't a Ten Wizard Saint for nothing. Besides he has Meredy with him, he'll be fine. More importantly" Erza frowned as she stared at the humble-looking house in the center of the clearing. "Considering his importance, we can only assume that whatever Tartarus has protecting the chairman is something not to underestimate."
"True, but don't forget we're S-class mages of Fairy Tail. There hasn't been a single thing we couldn't handle alone and with both of us, I don't think anything can stop us." Mirajane said confidently. Erza nodded in agreement before putting on a serious face as she summoned a sword. Quietly the two young women approached the house with Erza taking the lead. After several knocks on the door Erza deemed it safe and they entered with caution. But what greeted them was quiet living room with nothing out of the ordinary.
"Hello?" Mirajane asked as she closed the door behind her. Erza was already looking around for any clues. "Ex-Chairman?" Mirajane added.
"I don't see anything out of place." Erza commented. "Or any signs of force entry or a fight."
Suddenly the sound of someone sipping a drink could be heard. The two girls froze in surprise, completely taken off guard for having not sensed it before. Slowly Erza and Mirajane turned around towards the fireplace, looking at the couch that faced away from them. The back of a head could be seen where it appeared like the person was drinking some tea. "Who are you!?" Erza demanded as she raised her sword threateningly towards the stranger. Both she and Mirajane got out of their shock and were ready for a battle.
Far from scared or worried, the person merely finished his tea before placing it on the coffee table. "My apologies." The man said as he slowly got up. "I merely wanted to finish this surprisingly good tea. I did not expect humans to create something so good." The person commented.
Mirajane caught onto the 'humans' part and her eyes widened. "You're from Tartarus?" She asked.
"Correct allow me to introduce myself." The demon said as he fully stood up, before a heavy and dark pressure was released, covering the entire house and even beyond that. Both female mages were astounded by the large amount of demonic power released from the demon, who slowly turned around, placing his right hand on the couch's arm. A calm look was on his face as he said his name. "I am Abaddon Apollyon, leader of the Demon Lords of Tartarus."
And there is chapter 3! What do you think? Also as spoiler next chapter will feature Erza and Mirajane fight Abaddon, Tartarus attacking Magnolia, Silver preparing to train Gray and both Gajeel's group and Laxus's facing off against members of the Demon Lords while protecting their respective former council members. You'll also get to see some of the OC demon's curses too!
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