The battle between the light and the darkness has started. Wendy was bound to be the first to start, but on her way to shut down one of the Five Gates, she mysteriously disappeared. In her place was Erza as she faced Azuma and there was no turning back. Meanwhile, the others noticed the lights, but they knew something was wrong.

"This is strange." Erik said.

"What is it?" Meldy asked.

"When Natsu dueled that Hades guy, my mark was glowing and I could sense him." Erik said. "This time isn't the same. Wendy's suppose to be under that cat mark, but I'm not getting anything." His mark wasn't glowing and the same was with Gajeel and Laxus.

…

The Duel

"I'll start. I draw!" Erza said as she drew her card. "I summon Lightning Empress Armor in attack mode." A women in white and light blue armor shot up to the field with 1300atk points. "Now if you attack me with a light attribute monster, she won't be destroyed and I'll only take half the damage. I end my turn."

"My move!" Azuma said and drew his card. "I summon Terra Plant Folium Sica." He summoned a tree with a scary face on it and it had 800atk points. "Next, I use Folium Sica's ability. He's able to slice away 500atk points from one monster on your field." The tree shot out razor leaves and they sliced against Erza's monster as her attack points dropped to 800.

"All you did was make their strength even." Erza said.

"That's what you think. I activate Nature's Flowing." Azuma said. "This card increases the attack points of all plant monsters by 800." His tree's attack points rose to 1600. "Now attack her Lightning Empress Armor!" The tree shot out the leaves again her monster and destroyed it with Erza's life points dropping to 3200. "I place one face-down to end my turn." When that happened, his tree's power dropped to normal.

"This is bad. Erza can't fall behind." Lucy said.

"Don't forget that this is Erza we're talking about. She'll win." Gray said.

"I believe in her too, but this is no ordinary duel we're dealing with here." Natsu said.

"It's my turn now." Erza said. 'I have to beat this guy and my best chance is before he summons his Underworld Lord. I just hope that wherever Wendy is that she's safe.' She thought.

….

Wendy

"Hello?!" Wendy called out. Wherever she was, it looked like she was flying high in the sky. "This is too weird. Where am I?"

"Wendy." Wendy heard her name, but she didn't know her voice. She saw bright light flew out of her and it grew as it was forming something. Wendy got a little nervous until she saw it was Grandine.

"Grandine!? How is this happening? You're suppose to be a card." Wendy said.

"Sweet girl, the powers of dragons are mystical. Anything is possible for us." Grandine said.

"Were you the one that brought me here?" Wendy asked.

"Yes. I did so that we could speak." Grandine said. "I understand that you are afraid to face your enemies or nervous when it comes to dueling in general. You know that you are needed to face this darkness." Wendy knew all that, but she just couldn't help how she feels. How is one suppose to control how they feel? "I believe I know someone who can help us."

"Really? Who?" Wendy asked.

"Gladio the Sky Warrior." Grandine said. "He's a close friend of mine. I believe his power might be just what we need. What you especially need."

"How do we find him?" Wendy asked. Grandine just used her claw and placed Wendy on her back and flew off to what seemed to be the endless sky to find this Gladio.

…

The Duel

"It's my turn now!" Erza said. "I activate my Armor Exchange spell. This allows me to summon a level four or lower Armor monster. I summon Heaven's Wheel Armor!" Her armored monster rose up with 1000atk points. "Thanks to her special ability, I can summon another Armor monster. I summon Flame Empress Armor!" Another warrior woman in red armor came up with 1300atk points. "I'm not stopping there. I sacrifice my Heaven's Wheel Armor and summon Purgatory Armor." Another armored warrior in black armor with spikes around came up with 2000atk points. "Flame Empress Armor, attack his Terra Plant!" Her monster flew in with a sword of fire and sliced down with that tree burning and destroyed. Azuma's life points dropped to 3500. "Purgatory Armor, your turn! Strike him directly!" Her monster jumped up to swing a spiked club down.

"I don't think so. I activate Entangled Roots." Azuma said. Roots surrounded him and blocked her attack. "My trap prevents me from taking any damage if I have a plant in my graveyard."

"Very well. I'll end my turn." Erza said.

"She's doing well." Lucy said.

"Yeah, but they're both just getting started." Natsu said.

"It's my turn now." Azuma said as he drew his card. "I summon Terra Plant Bleve." A dandelion with a scary face came on the field with 1600atk points.

'I'm still good. Flame Empress Armor's ability is the same as Lightning Empress Armor, but for fire attribute monsters.' Erza thought.

"I activate Merging of Grounds." Azuma said. "Did you think I would not know about Flame Empress Armor's ability? This spell changes all my monsters to the earth attribute. Bleve, attack Flame Empress Armor with Boling Vapor Explosion!" Bleve shot out a heated beam and blasted Flame Empress Armor with Erza's life points dropping to 2900. "Also, when a monster is destroyed, Bleve destroys another such as your Purgatory Armor."

"I don't think so." Erza said. "By lowering Purgatory Armor's attack points by 400, she can survive being destroyed." Her monster's power dropped to 1600 and withstand explosions that went off.

"Very well. Due to the effect of Merging of Grounds, I get to draw a card for each monster that changed." Azuma said as he drew an extra card. "I end my turn."

"Here goes." Erza said and took her next turn. "Summoning a monster would be pointless at this point. Even if I attack, Bleve will still destroy it. I'll have to play defense. Purgatory Armor, attack!"

"What for? They'll both be destroyed." Azuma said.

"Perhaps, but I won't have to worry about Bleve's ability." Erza said. Purgatory jumped up and slammed down on the flower with both of them being destroyed. "Next, I summon Adamantine Armor in defense mode and end my turn." An armored woman with a giant shield came up with 2400def points.

"Nice. That monster is great for defense." Gray said.

"All you're doing is postponing your demise." Azuma said as he drew his next card. "I summon Terra Plant Ramus Sica in defense mode." Another monster tree without leaves came on the field with 1000def points. "I'll also place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"It's back to me." Erza said and she drew the monster that can still save her. "Perfect. First, I'm activating the spell, Armored Fixing. This spell allows me to summon two Armor monsters in my graveyard, but their attack points have to be 0. I'm bringing back Lightning Empress Armor and Flame Empress Armor." Both of her monsters rose back with no attack points. "They won't be staying because I release both of them to summon Clear Heart Samurai!" Her samurai warrior rose on the field with 3000atk points.

"Alright!" Natsu cheered. "That's one of Erza's best cards."

"Since Ramus Sica is in defense mode, Erza can still deal damage." Lucy said.

"Yeah and even if she loses it, she still has Adamantine Armor." Gray said.

'So far so good, but I have to be careful of the two face-downs.' Erza thought.

"That monster of yours is impressive, but it won't be staying." Azuma said. "I activate my Tower Burst trap. This trap destroys every monster on the field and both players take 300 points of damage for each monster….or should I say you."

"What do you mean?" Erza said.

"I activate my other trap, Rooted Guard. If I have a Terra Plant on my field, I'm not affected by own spell and traps." Azuma said. A burst of flames shot up right under Erza's field. The flames balsted against her and her monsters as they were both destroyed and her life points dropped to 2300.

"Erza!" Her friends shouted as she landed on her back.

"Don't tell me you've had enough." Azuma said as Erza tried to get back up. "Perhaps that will teach you not to interfere. As soon as I'm done with you, I'm going for the little girl."

"You leave Wendy out of this." Erza said. "As long as I'm still breathing, I won't let you touch her."

"I know Erza is doing this to protect Wendy, but she needs to protect herself." Gray said.

"This guy is seriously strong. The two of them are almost evenly matched." Lucy said.

"Don't give up hope. She'll find a way to win. This is Erza we're talking about." Natsu said.

"Let's see if you can even try to stop me." Azuma said.

"Just make your next move." Erza said.

"I shall." Azuma said. He drew his next card and saw a trap that will be a lot of use to him. 'Terra Clamare! Perfect, but I need to wait for the right moment.' He thought. "I'll start this round by switching Ramus Sica to attack mode and have him attack." Ramus Sica went to attack mode and shot out sticks and branches. Erza tried to stand against the attack, but the pain was becoming hard for her to resist the pain. Her life points dropped down to 1500.

"I've never seen someone push Erza like this before." Natsu said.

"She can't lose. It shouldn't be possible." Gray said. They all saw Erza as Fairy Tail's strongest. To see her actually lose, to be pushed back the way she has, they thought of it as an impossibility.

"Stop worrying about that." Erza said. "I don't care how strong I really am. Everyone has to lose at some point in their life."

"But Erza, if you lose, you could end up being lost forever." Natsu said.

"Don't you all understand?" Erza said. "I don't care what happens to me. I'm not invincible. So if I'm going to fall, I'll fall protecting my friends. I'll go down fighting."

"I highly admire your fighting spirit." Azuma said. "If you truly wish to keep fighting, I'll give you just what you want. Since Terra Plan Ramus Sica was able to deal damage to you, we're both allowed to draw an extra card." Both of them drew that extra card. "I place two of cards facedown and that's the end of my turn."

'This might be it. If I can't turn this around now, I might be done for.' Erza thought.

…

Wendy

Wendy rode on Grandine as they tried to find Gladio. Wendy felt like they were flying for a long time since everything looked the same.

"There he is." Grandine said. Wendy looked ahead and saw someone actually sitting on a cloud and he looked like he was in a meditative state. He was a turquoise armor with wings. "Gladio! Hello my old friend."

"Grandine!" Gladio said as he stood on his legs. "It's been a long time." He looked up and noticed Wendy. "Who might this young girl be?"

"This is Wendy." Grandine said as she moved her head for Wendy to get off. Wendy jumped off and was able to walk on a cloud.

"You're Gladio?" Wendy asked. "Gladio, I came here looking for your help."

"My help?" Gladio questioned. He took a closer look at her and saw she had a dragon mark on her arm. "I see. You must be the one Grandine chosen to lend her power to."

"That's right." Wendy said. "I need your help to defeat those who serve darkness and rescue my home." Wendy was hoping that he would lend the power she needs. Gladio studied her, saw inside her soul to see the kind of person she was.

"I'm sorry, but I can't lend my power to you. You're not worthy." Gladio said. Gladio could have been Wendy's and Erza's only chance. Is there any hope left after this?

To Be Continued….