A/N: Should've said this in the first chapter, but I as ecstatic as I'd be to be a mangaka, I do not own Fairy Tail or the characters within. Hiro Mashima holds that honor.
Prelude to The END (II)
"Natsu is E.N.D."
Gray's breath caught. He lost track of Lucy's voice. Natsu was a demon- more than that, the demon that Gray had been focused on for the past year. And Natsu knew.
"Gray?"
He didn't know who said his name. He took long strides toward the walking boiler, who was still on the ground. The ice mage's hands curled into fists. Gray used his magic to guard against stray fire.
"You," Gray growled, swiping his arm down to grip Natsu by his scarf. "Flaming" Gray hoisted him up off his feet. "MORON!"
Gray was shouting at the pink-haired dragon slayer. The topless wizard heard his companions yelling at him, but he wasn't paying attention.
"Of all the idiotic decisions you could have made, you chose to keep this a secret," Gray yanked Nastu toward him until their foreheads were almost touching. "You didn't think that being Zeref's most powerful demon was important enough to tell us?"
The white, scaled scarf that Natsu treasured came loose from his neck as a result of his flailing. The fire mage fell back to the ground, suppressing his screams and still expelling bursts of fire. Gray glared at him until he felt a small hand touch the wound on his shoulder.
"Gray-san, he can't hear you."
Wendy took a step back when Gray turned to look at her. The ice mage had to make a conscious effort to drop the scowl on his face.
"And you're bleeding."
Gray tossed Natsu's scarf at him, pushing past Wendy toward his guild mates.
"Don't worry about it. I'm fine."
In truth, Gray was exhausted, no surprise after facing one of the Spriggan 12. He ignored the heavy weight in his legs, markings of devil slayer magic reappearing on his arm.
"Basically, if we get that book away from Zeref, we get back coal-for-brains, right?" Gray asked, not looking at anyone in particular.
"Aye!" Happy chimed.
"Very well. We'll forgo the initial plan. Right now, we save Natsu," Erza said, requipping again into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. "Don't waste time or effort on Zeref's army. Just clear a path to Zeref and get the book."
Fairy Tail's rallying cry sounded off as Gray charged ahead of the others.
"AYE SIR!"
Gray wove his way past numerous lesser wizards, freezing those that came too near him. He'd received a boost in magic power by eating some of Invel's ice magic, but he had no intention of conserving his energy. A formation line of Zeref's followers blocked his way. They stood shoulder to shoulder, equipped with staffs to create a continuous magic barrier. Gray called on his devil slayer magic, filling his cheeks with air.
Ice Devil's Rage!
He blasted the barrier and his enemies, scattering them and hundreds of others with the force of a blizzard from his mouth. The ice make wizard only had eyes for one immortal dark mage.
"Get the hell out of my way!"
Erza kept pace behind Gray, concentrating on the remainder of soldiers between her team and Zeref. Once Gray paused to attack, Erza overtook him.
Blumenblatt!
A moment and a few swords later, another third of Zeref's army had fallen. A glance behind her confirmed that Lucy and Loke were picking off those who hadn't been caught in her and Gray's consecutive attacks. Above, Wendy flew with Charla toward the lingering masses.
Sky Dragon's Roar!
A blast of dragon slayer magic left Zeref as the last enemy standing. Erza used her armor to fly ahead of the others, a sword ready in each hand. Once she was within a few dozen feet, though, her target flickered in her vision, replaced with-
"Jellal?"
The redheaded wizard faltered, almost tripping over nothing. Confused, Erza paused, uncertainty filling her. She didn't know whether to trust the sense of dark magic she felt or what she saw clear in front of her. Both strains of logic seemed vague and unreliable to her.
Sky Dragon's-
Wendy came up by her, pausing the same way she had. Titania watched the young dragon slayer's reaction, hoping her instincts might catch something she wasn't seeing.
"Chelia?" Wendy whispered. The blue haired mage took a step forward, kept from rushing ahead only by Erza taking grip of her shoulder.
"No!"
Erza's head snapped up toward the sharp denial before she could question Wendy. Gray wasn't far from them, shuddering as though he'd seen something terrifying.
"Illusionary magic, it seems."
Erza glanced up, seeing Loke with his glasses off standing opposite Wendy. The celestial spirit had a more serious expression than usual.
"Best not to get any closer than this, then. Just being near Zeref like he is now has been known to disorient the flow of a wizard's magic."
Erza frowned.
"But"
"Actually," he said, holding up one hand and tucking his glasses into an inside pocket of his jacket with the other. "If you don't mind, permit me." Erza caught a glimpse of something dangerous and raw in Loke's eyes as he smiled at her. "Dark mage, after all, and being the leader of the Zodiac, light is my specialty."
With that, Loke set off toward Zeref, his magic power swelling. A shining aura surrounded his form and concentrated around his right hand. The glowing light flared when Loke closed it into a fist as he came up to his target.
Regulus Impact!
Rather than the projection of a lion's face, Loke's fist and arm seemed to transform into a glowing beast. Erza saw the light of Loke's magic clash with a darkness that flickered around the illusion. The air hung still for an instant, before the illusion and the darkness around Zeref cracked and fell.
Zeref looked up from his work with the book of E.N.D.
"Hello, stranger," Leo quipped, his hand diving into his pocket and replacing his glasses. "Pardon the intrusion, but I believe you have something that doesn't really belong to you."
Zeref raised an eyebrow at the spirit's implication- something that didn't belong to him?
"The rules of possession and ownership differ between mortals and immortals," the dark wizard replied, lifting his free hand. "As you ought to know, Leo."
He pointed two fingers at the leader of the Zodiac, dispelling his black magic toward him. The runes from the tome flew around him at a slower pace given his split focus, but Zeref wasn't keen on being interrupted.
Lion's Mane!
Leo drew a nine-point diagram of the Lion constellation with his magic. A barrier of bright light appeared between the spirit and Zeref's attack.
"You've lost your shyness," Leo said, his magic stalemating that of the immortal mage. "But I'm not here to philosophize or reminisce. You see"
Cold Excalibur!
The raven-haired boy charged in, slashing at Zeref with an ice sword. The dark wizard shifted so the sword cut through his free hand- his curse healed over the wound left behind. The Fullbuster child glared.
"Tricks and illusions tend to aggravate me," he said, one of his eyes flashing violet as demon markings crawled up his arm. "Hand over the book or I'll take it along with that hand."
Zeref regarded the threat with mild amusement and pensiveness before preparing minor Ankhseram magic.
"Why should I?" he asked, even while he cast the sure-kill spell.
"Gray, get down!" Leo shouted, but the ice mage just rolled out of the black magic's path and pushed ahead.
Ice Devil's Jagged Spear!
The shirtless wizard thrust an ice spear tinted with demon slayer magic toward Zeref. The immortal emperor made a sweep with his right hand and manipulated one of his fallen soldier's bodies. The ragdoll form flew until it came between Zeref and the boy's weapon. The soldier was skewered, and the dull smell of rotting meat arose as a consequence of manipulation by Zeref.
"Y-you slimy bastard," Fullbuster murmured, shocked into apparent paralysis. "You used one of you own just like that?"
Zeref lifted his eyebrow again. Was the boy deaf? He hadn't answered Zeref's earlier question. Shrugging, the black mage used the limp body to push the younger wizard away. The soldier's body sank further onto the ice spear as a result. Not that the emperor took much notice.
"He was just a pawn. I am his eternal ruler," Zeref said, one eye keeping track of his progress with the book. "His life was forfeit to me when he chose to be in my army"
"Silence!"
The redhead, Titania, came next. Zeref glanced up to find the daunting vision of a fiery-haired fairy bearing down on him with a large spiked mace. The immortal wizard just managed to avoid being smashed, a fate the ground he'd been standing on wasn't able to escape.
Clad in black body armor with spikes to match her weapon, the esteemed Queen of Fairies followed after him. Zeref sighed. His physique wasn't such that he could keep pace with these younger wizards without using magic.
"Why are you so set on taking this book all of a sudden?"
"You're killing Natsu!"
Zeref frowned.
"What concern is it of yours if I am?" He ignored the fact that killing his brother was far from anything he was doing.
"Because he's our friend!"
Zeref peeked over his shoulder. The younger dragon slayer- Winry, perhaps- was the owner of the smaller voice.
Sky Dragon's Roar!
The child blew out a gale toward him, while the redhead closed in from the front. Zeref let muscle rather than conscious memory dictate his reply. Reflector magic flowed out of his fingers, redirecting the little dragon's air around him and into Titania.
"I'm sure Natsu appreciates the little facade you've all put on for his benefit," he said, absently sending another shot of Ankhseram's magic toward the blue-haired girl. "But"
Ice Make: Cinderblock!
Before Zeref could finish, he found his feet encased in thick cubes of ice, doubtless courtesy of the Fullbuster boy.
"It's not a facade!"
"But." Zeref said in a firm tone. "To say that the book doesn't belong to me is presumptuous. And all of you are fools to try using force to take it from me. I gave Natsu life. As with all things I've created, I'm free to use him at my discretion"
The sound that broke into Zeref's words for the umpteenth time was not a voice. Rather, that of a whip slicing through the air.
"Natsu," Lucy said with acid in her voice. She pulled her whip tight around the book of E.N.D. in Zeref's hand. "Is not" she set her feet against the ground and pulled back in a sudden, swift motion. "A tool!"
The blond teenager reached her hand out to catch the tome. Once in her grasp, she closed it, stopping the flow of runes, and gripped it so hard her knuckles turned white. Lucy glared at the immortal black-eyed mage.
"You have no right to decide whether he lives or dies, no matter how powerful you are!"
Zeref stared at her while she took a gulp of air. Lucy wasn't sure if she'd ever shouted with so much heat behind her voice. The burning was replaced with a chill in almost an instant.
"So much like Anna," Zeref murmured.
Lucy shivered as the dark wizard melted the ice around his feet. Just his gaze made her skin crawl.
"Regardless, I'm going to have to take that back."
"Not happening!"
Lucy saw Gray, who'd pushed back onto his feet, rush Zeref with Erza. The ice mage called to her over his shoulder.
"Lucy! Give the book to Loke and send him back!"
Trinity Sword!
Back in her Heaven's Wheel Armor, Erza was the first to make a move. Lucy took a moment before she understood what Gray meant.
"My lady!"
"Right!"
Her spirit was already by her side, hands open and waiting to take the book. Loke looked at her with reluctance in his face.
"Will you be all right without me?"
"Of course!" Lucy said, shoving the book toward him. Even as his hands closed around it, she held on with her fingers.
"Please," she whispered. "Keep it safe, okay?"
The Lion spirit gave his usual confident closed-mouth smile, readjusting his glasses with one hand.
"Of course. My love for you will ensure its protection!"
Lucy rolled her eyes as Loke disappeared. Her Star Dress changed back into her usual attire. She pulled out her golden keys, ready to summon another spirit.
"Oh well."
Lucy blinked. Twice. Zeref looked like he was also fading right in front of her and her teammates.
"It won't really change anything now, I suppose."
Zeref seemed to be thinking aloud more than talking to any of the other wizards. Gray didn't appear to appreciate that.
"Oi!"
Without another word, the immortal mage was gone. Lucy did multiple double takes before letting out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. Relief crashed onto rather than washed over her, and she was about to let herself sink to the ground when Happy's cry broke the sudden silence.
"Everyone! Come quick! Something's wrong!"
Lucy stiffened and set off running.
"What is it, Happy?" She asked before she saw the fire mage's body and took in a sharp breath. Natsu's skin was covered in blotches, darker than bruises yet not discolored. Lucy knelt beside him. At least he'd stopped screaming. Happy looked at Lucy, a silent question in his eyes. The celestial spirit mage shook her head, I don't know.
Wendy and Gray were there moments later, Erza trailing behind. Wendy nipped at her knuckle while Gray muttered dark curses.
"Something isn't right."
Lucy turned to look at Erza, whose expression seemed pensive, if not blank.
"You mean aside from fire fart's new sunburn?"
Gray's comment earned a scowl from Lucy. Erza shook her head.
"None of you noticed?"
She gestured all around them with a sweeping motion of her arm.
"All of Zeref's army has vanished as well."