In the Underworld, Mard Geer's lair pulsated with bright light and loud explosions, followed by murderous, frustrated screams.

"WE WERE SO CLOSE!" His dark aura reaching its peak, Mard destroyed his entire Conference Room in tremendous fits of rage, his minions barely dodging the fiery blasts. His failure of what should've been his most successful plan drove him out of his mind. "So close! We're one step closer to ruling the cosmos, but we fell flat on our faces! We tripped at the finish line! Why?" He sat on his throne, adding in a sarcastic note, "Because that little Lucifer had to go all noble! Well, I hope she's happy, because death is a fitting reward for a traitor like her. And now, she's going to be stuck in the Underworld for the rest of her afterlife!"

Given the situation Mard was in, Kain and Rustyrose kept realizing, layer after layer, all of the consequences of their master's actions. Once the Olympians recovered from their battle with the Demon Gates, Igneel would like "to have a word" with his brother for the gravity of his treachery. And it won't be a pleasant one.

Suddenly, pounding noises came from the entrance of Mard's lair, startling the three. The wall crashed open, revealing a very tired and subdued Deliora with Natsu riding on top of his head.

"Deliora! My pet, my poor little baby…" Mard cried, concerned for his pet's well-being. He received only a small whimper in response, due to the fact he was beaten to submission by Mard's nephew. Any qualms about the deed, though, were quickly consumed by Natsu's anger. At the moment, nothing that happened now was any of his concern. He felt no guilt about venting his rage against his own uncle. That man had been the mastermind of the whole plot, complicit in stealing Lucy away from him… her very soul. Now that Natsu came all this way to the Underworld, he would finally have a score to settle with his uncle.

"Ah, Natsu!" Mard smiled jovially, keeping up a temporary façade to appease his nephew. "What do I owe the pleasure of this visit, nephew?"

Natsu was having none of it. He demanded, "Where is she? Where's Lucy?!"

Mard raised an eyebrow at his nephew's outburst, "Didn't she die trying to save you?"

Natsu snapped, "Don't play dumb with me! Her soul flew right here in the Underworld! She's still alive in there, I know it!"

Mard was surprised of his nephew's intuition. He asked, "How did you know she was here?"

Natsu explained, "I found the entrance underneath Mount Olympus. Your pet demon was generous enough to show me the way around."

Mard chuckled, trying to make the best out of a bad situation, "Look, we can be calm here. We can be reasonable."

"Sure we can. And it's reasonable to show you why I'm angry," Natsu frowned, cracking his knuckles. "Now where's Lucy? I know she's around here somewhere."

Mard chuckled again, "Oh, Natsu, really. You're too much."

Natsu's patience ran thin. He jumped from Deliora's head and furiously grabbed Mard by the front of his clothes. He growled, "So help me, I'm gonna smash you into a million pieces. I don't care if you're my uncle; I'll crush you just like any other enemy. Now let her go!"

"Get a grip," Mard removed Natsu's hands from his clothes, understanding his nephew's impatience. "Follow me. I'll take you to see Lucy."

Mard and his minions escorted Natsu to the Pit of Souls, the Underworld's largest collection of endless spirits floating aimlessly in a green whirlpool. Anyone who died ventured there. "It's a small Underworld after all, isn't it?" Mard grinned.

Gazing through the endless ocean of souls, his eyes widened upon seeing the soul of Lucy floating in their midst. "Lucy!" he cried. He reached out to grab her, but the moment his hands touched the water, they suddenly wrinkled and turned old. He was forced to pull his hands back, before they slowly returned to normal.

"Uh-uh-uh!" Mard wagged his finger. "You mustn't touch the Pit of Souls. Should any mortal touch or bathe in its waters, it would be deadly. You see, Lucy's running with a new crowd these days, and not a very lively one at that. Let's be frank, Natsu; I don't think you'll ever see Lucy again, nor talk to her. Do us all a favor and go home. You've beaten me and you won. That's all that matters. Don't let your efforts be in vain."

Natsu paused to ponder Mard's suggestion. How could he ever move on without Lucy? He would never regain his happiness, not as long as she was trapped for the rest of eternity in the Underworld. After much deliberation, there was only one way to get her out of that world. He knew what must be done.

"Say, Uncle, you like making deals, right?" Natsu asked with a grin. "Well, how about this: take me in Lucy's place."

"Well, this is something," Mard rubbed his chin, intrigued. This was the first time in a long time that anyone would actually offer to exchange one's soul for another. Then again, this could also mean that the Lord of the Dead would have revenge for his failure. "The son of my hated brother, trapped forever in the River of Death…"

"Going once!" Natsu dared with a smirk, showing off his index finger.

"Shouldn't there be a downside to this?" Mard wondered.

"Going twice!" Natsu added another finger. He knew his uncle would have to act fast if he was to accept his terms.

"Alright, alright!" Mard relented. "You go down there and pull her out. She goes…" He paused to add his end of the offer, "…you stay."

There was no turning back. Natsu already made his decision to save the soul of the girl he loved. He jumped from the ledge and dove into the Pit of Souls with a splash.

"Oh, and there's one more thing I forgot to mention," Mard reminded with a sinister smile. "You'll be dead before you can get to her. That's not a problem, isn't it?"

Natsu didn't seem to listen as his ears were garbled up by the water. He swam deeper and deeper into the Pit, mustering his strength to reach Lucy's soul. But the more he swam, his body grew older and began to wrinkle and decay, the Pit's curse sapping his strength. But despite the overwhelming odds, his desire to save his love urged him not to stop. He won't last long, though.

It wasn't long before the Fates caught wind of Natsu's impending doom. His fate had already been sealed. Belno held up his Thread of Life, and Hilda brandished her scissors, preparing to snip it open.

Natsu was inches away from Lucy's soul. He reached out his hand. He was almost there, his last bit of life drained away…

And then…

SNIP!

Something unusual and unexpected happened: the thread suddenly turned gold, and the scissors failed to cut it.

Hilda asked in confusion, "What the...?!" She tried cutting the thread again, but to no avail, and the scissors ended up broken as a result.

"What's the matter with those scissors?" Belno frowned.

"The thread won't cut!" Ooba observed the thread, confused and bewildered.

Slowly and surely, a withered hand grabbed the ledge, before it slowly reverted back to its younger appearance, along with the rest of the body. Soon, the whole body climbed on top of the ledge, and it glowed in a radiant bright light, just like the thread the Fates failed to cut, and the arms cradled Lucy's soul. This could only mean one thing…

"No… This is… This is impossible!" Mard exclaimed in horror. "You… you… you can't be alive! You'd have to be a..."

"A god?" Kain and Rustyrose asked nervously.

Their surprised looks couldn't be more wrong. Not only did Natsu emerge triumphantly from the Pit of Souls, safe and sound, but a familiar aura pulsated throughout his body: his godhood. Natsu had become a god again!

Mard's frustration boiled once again, and his dark aura exploded. He screamed, "NOOOOOO! NATSU, STOP! YOU CAN'T DO THIS TO ME! YOU CAN'T—"

He was cut off when Natsu wrapped his left hand around his uncle's throat, his right arm expertly holding Lucy's soul. "Natsu… Natsu…" Mard wheezed in agony, the tight bone-crushing hold squeezing out his breath. In response, Natsu erupted with an aura of his own; that of radiant, golden flames representing his revitalized godhood. The flames were so scorching and powerful that most of Mard's clothing and hair was burned away, and he was left in a burned, crumpled heap. With the deed done, Natsu eyed his uncle with a fierce look.

"You hurt my friends," the salmon-haired boy snarled. "You hurt my father. My family. All those people." He paused to let this sink in, "Lucy."

"W-W-What are you going to do about it…?" Mard winced nervously in a strangled voice.

A loud and clear anger fueled his voice, "I'm gonna make sure that you won't hurt anybody ever again!"

And thus, Natsu, the Fire Dragon Slayer turned god, raised a flaming fist uppercut with a thunderous shout, and smashed Mard in the chin, the impact sending him flying into the air. With a dreadful scream, the Lord of the Dead fell and splashed into the Pit of Souls.

By the time Mard resurfaced, thousands of souls emerged, grabbing his body and attempting to drag him down into the water. Those poor unfortunate souls had been tortured by the Lord of the Dead for so long. It's payback time!

"Aaaaaagggh! Get away from me!" Mard screamed, struggling to fight off the souls as they kept dragging him. "Get your slimy souls off me!"

Carrying Lucy's soul in his arms, Natsu watched from the ledge with Kain and Rustyrose. Kain affirmed, "I bet Mard's not gonna be happy when he gets outta there!"

Natsu corrected, "You mean, if he gets outta here."

Rustyrose crossed his arms, "I was about to say the same thing."

Kain nodded in understanding, "If… If is good."

"But look on the bright side, fellas," Natsu grinned at the two minions. "It gives you plenty of time to get a HUGE head start."

Kain and Rustyrose realized that Natsu had a point. With their boss trapped in the Pit of Souls, they could get their payback for years of taking his abuse!

Kain nodded in agreement, "The kid had a point. We'll literally be more than a hundred miles away by the time he gets outta here."

Rustyrose laughed in amusement, "You know, I actually like the sound of that."

As Mard's ex-minions watched with evil grins, Natsu smiled and waved his hand. He called out to his trapped uncle in a playful voice, "See you around, Uncle! Anytime you want a rematch, just let me know. I'll be waiting!"

"I don't feel so good! I'm feeling a little… FLUUUUUUSSSHED!" Mard screamed, the Pit of Souls completely sucking him in. One thing's for sure, that hapless ruler of the Underworld won't be making a major comeback anytime soon.