I am back, peoples. *waves* Finally, we're getting to the really good stuff, with lots of fighting, yelling, and people dying. *coughs* Anyway. I have waited so long for this moment, the moment where everything I'd been building up starts blowing up in your faces. Hope you guys are ready for the ride!

To treeofsakuras: Yes, the action finally begins! I thank you for being so patient with me this entire ride. :) Believe it or not, it is very possible to survive a stab through the heart. Whether I'll take advantage of that or not is up to your interpretation. Also, like I've said previously to someone else, I've got lots of possible endings running around in my head right now. We'll have to see what happens (because even I don't know yet!).

To FTfangirl818: Thank you, I'm glad you liked it! Here's what happens next!

To Justice Tokidoki: Yes, the demon is a douche! That's what I was going for. XD Sorry that the last chapter was so predictable, but I'm still happy that it was an enjoyable read. Also, hurting Natsu while he was standing right there in the middle of all his friends would've actually been a very bad idea. Recall from last chapter at what Natsu commented on what it felt like while the demon was in charge of his body, and make the analogy. You're welcome.

To KIKR15 and any other reader who was thinking this: Well…this is the first time I've ever gotten a comment like this. Let me tell you something—I really wish I could update whenever I wanted. I really do. But it just doesn't work that way. Even so, I'm sorry I made you wait so long, and I do hope you enjoy what I have here. I work with the flow, but sometimes…the flow just isn't there.

To Guest: Ah, yes. You make a good point. Don't you worry, though. I know what I'm doing.

To SkyGod (guest): Oh, wow; thank you! I'm truly honored and really happy to hear that this story is awesome in your eyes! :D I hope this chapter is as good as the rest!

Ch. 11: From The Bottom Up

"Which city was it this time?!"

"It was Lupinus! Casualty is confirmed at twenty-one; hundreds were injured! A division of the Royal Army is heading out there as we speak!"

"What about Hargeon?!"

"We almost got everybody evacuated! Fried is setting up the runes in the outskirts!"

"Hey, this is Max reporting in from Clover! Our scout group managed to find several survivors! Heading to the rendezvous point now!"

"Damn it; where'd Jellal run off to?!"

"How many cities have been hit?!"

"Nine, counting the three in the last two hours!"

"We can't even slow it down! Every squad we send after it ends up incapacitated at best!"

"Whatever the case, we need to save as many people as possible! Keep tabs on his position no matter what and evacuate out of all city parameters!"

"Roger that!"

"That damn demon; we can barely keep up! How's it working so quickly?!"

It was absolute chaos. We could barely keep track of who was where or keep up with the constant carnage. We'd been lucky with Hargeon because it wasn't very large, and we were able to set up a rune right near the entryway to the city to keep the evacuated citizens safe before it could be destroyed. Even so, many other cities were being decimated at this very moment, and I was being kept away from the front lines since everyone had gotten a good demonstration of my "good luck charm" and what it did.

Right before the demon had left, it had effectively exploded in a raging inferno and reduced our guild hall to rubble. When the tremors had stopped and I'd regained my bearings, I saw that everybody around me, even ones who were clearly out of the range of impact, was covered in burn scars and various other injuries thanks to the debris…but I'd been completely unscathed. I eventually realized that it had been the mark that the demon had left on me in our last encounter, and its true nature was made all-too clear—whatever damage I was meant to sustain was reflected to any and all persons around me. Thus, I was forced to stay behind and remain with Wendy and people too injured to take part in the guild basement, which had miraculously survived the explosion, in order to avoid needlessly hurting my friends.

And even besides that…

"It's gone," Wendy gasped in terror-induced tears. "It's gone…it's not there…it's not there anymore…!" She covered her bloodstained face with her bloodied hands and sobbed hysterically, "Master's heart isn't there! I can't find it! I can't find his heart! All…all I can see is blood…there's…there's too much! Too much…!"

I walked over to her shakily and put my arms around her in an attempt to comfort her…and myself. She wouldn't stop crying; I could feel her trembling beneath my arms and hear her muffled cries through my embrace…and it was all I could do to keep my own tears in check. I wanted to tell her that it was okay, that everything was all right. I wanted to tell her to stay strong…I wanted to tell her that we were going to make it through tonight and have Natsu back with us.

But…how could I lie to her? Nothing about this was okay. None of this could be dismissed with a simple wave of the hand. After tonight, nothing would ever be the same ever again, whether we survived or not.

Up until this moment, I hadn't been able to fully comprehend the reality that we would inevitably lose some of our closest friends in this battle. I should've realized it from the moment Natsu was taken away. But at the time, I'd been keeping my faith in the belief that everything would turn out okay in the end, like it always did. The thought of any one of my allies—my family—dying in this endeavor hadn't crossed my mind for even a moment.

Of course, I couldn't have been more wrong.

Carla stood next to us impassively, as if she was too stunned for tears. Her arms were crossed, and she gazed steadily at her companion in concern and helplessness, her normally snow-white fur and neat clothes flecked with dust and scorch marks.

"Wendy…" she whispered.

Happy lay right next to her, his eyes still shut. He'd been hit point-blank by the fiery explosion since he'd been clinging to Natsu's arm, and he'd been knocked out for the past several hours. His tiny body was riddled with bandages that covered his countless burn scars. Carla, standing between both his and Master's still forms, couldn't bear to look at either, keeping her luminous brown eyes fixed on Wendy.

I held Wendy all the closer. I understood all too well why she was weeping, but we couldn't let this situation get the best of us. Crying about this turn of events wouldn't do us any good in the end.

"Wendy," I said, and my voiced cracked. I cleared my throat and tried again. "Wendy…don't cry anymore. Okay? It won't fix our problems…and it won't bring Master back."

I pulled away from her slightly, and I could see her face was even more blotched with crimson thanks to the tears that were streaming down her cheeks.

"It's unbelievable…" Carla muttered, her own voice uncharacteristically unsteady and hoarse. "The Master was just…so easily…"

I bit my lip and nodded. "I know. But…we can't go back now…not anymore."

Wendy wiped her face as best as she could, but she still couldn't help sniffing and hiccupping thanks to her tears. Her small hands clamped into fists against the cobblestone floor of our basement. "But I…I could have…if I'd realized sooner…th-then Master wouldn't be—" She broke off into sobs again, unable to finish her statement. I knew how she felt. I didn't want to hear or speak that dreaded word, either. Saying it would only confirm the inevitable and become a permanent stamp in the history of Fairy Tail. We didn't want the finality, as if not speaking of it would somehow rewind that had just transpired…but of course, there was no such luck. We were only deluding ourselves. It had happened too fast—there wasn't anything that anybody could've done.

"No more crying, Wendy," I said again, a bit more firmly this time. "We can't let this get the best of us. Master wouldn't like it if we wasted our time crying over him when we could be saving our home."

Wendy sniffled, her eyes bright with fresh new tears. "But Lucy…Master was killed…the demon killed him…so that means that…Natsu was forced to see himself killing the Master! Losing the Master is bad enough, but—but I don't even want to think about what Natsu had to—" She broke off into another series of choked sobs.

"I know, Wendy…believe me. I don't want to think about it, either." My arms tensed at the mere thought. "But…we did what we could for him, so…let's let him rest now, okay? He deserves it. We'll definitely take revenge for Master…and Natsu, too. I promise. The demon will pay for what it did to our family."

I smiled at her, and that seemed to calm her nerves, if only by a small amount. Still, it was enough.

"Y-yeah…you're right…we will." She looked up at me earnestly. "We…we'll get Natsu back…won't we? For sure?"

I hesitated for a moment; then I nodded. "Yeah. For sure. We just have to believe in him like we always do…and things will turn out okay in the end."

Wendy then gave me a small, tear-filled grin. "Yeah…" she said. "I'll believe in Natsu. No matter what."

I nodded, a small light of hope igniting in my heart. "That's the spirit."

"Lucy!"

I raised my head and turned in the direction of the voice. I saw Gray and Juvia hurrying toward us.

"You guys!" I said in surprise, standing up to greet them. "What're you doing back at the guild? Weren't you guys in charge of weakening the fires?"

"We were, but that's not important right now," Gray said feverishly. "We just saw the demon on our way back; it was leaving the limits of Hargeon. It was heading in the direction of Shirotsume!"

"Shirotsume…" I gasped once I realized what he was saying. "Oh, no…that's the city that Erza and Mirajane are supposed to evacuate!"

"That's right," Juvia said, her pale face tinged with worry. "Normally, this wouldn't be a cause for concern, but…"

I saw the expression in her eyes and understood immediately. These weren't normal circumstances, so it stood to reason that whether it was Erza and Mirajane there or not made little difference. The demon was indiscriminate in its destruction; it didn't care who got in the way.

"Well, why didn't you chase after it, then?" I asked, confused. "Why'd you come here to tell me about this? I mean, it's not like I can go out there and—" I stopped myself once I realized what this meant. "Whoa, wait a second. You're asking me to go with you? But I—"

"It doesn't matter," Gray interrupted me. His dark blue eyes were firm. "Listen, I know it's messed with you a lot, but I have a feeling that you'll need to be there if we're gonna have any chance at stopping it." He grasped both my shoulders as if trying to make me understand (thankfully my burn scars didn't act up—likely due to his magic). "There's a reason Natsu forced you to make this promise to him without even letting us know about the situation first. He trusts you more than anybody else. You have to be there to help everyone stop him."

I had no idea what to say to this. I'd never thought about it before, but Gray brought up a good point—it was definitely weird that he'd made me promise him like that that night without telling anybody else in the guild.

"You…you really think that?" I asked doubtfully. "Because…I might end up hurting you all, and—I don't know how much help I can actually—"

"You being there will be more than enough, Lucy," Juvia insisted. Her normally dim blue eyes were shining with a light that I usually never saw from her. "Please, Natsu needs you. You must come with us to Shirotsume before he vanishes again. We can't afford to let this go on any further. The longer you wait, the more he and this country both will suffer."

I bit my lip. I knew that what she was saying was true. I wanted to go, more than anything. I wanted to help in any way I could in order to stop the demon and get Natsu back from it. But if I left…

"You…have to go, Lucy…"

I started in surprise at the sound of Happy's voice.

"Happy, you shouldn't move yet!" I heard Carla cry out in worry. "You're still hurt; you need to rest!"

I whirled around just in time to see him struggle to get to his feet. It looked like it was all he could do to stay upright. He hung onto Carla as support and gazed at me intensely, breathing with difficulty from his efforts.

"You have to…go and help him," he panted fiercely. "You…have to save Natsu!"

I was too shocked to utter any more than, "H-Happy…"

"We'll be okay, Lucy," Wendy finally said, slowly rising to her feet and looking at me with determination flashing in her brown eyes. "Don't worry about us; we'll be just fine. I'm a Fairy Tail wizard, too, so I swear to protect everyone here since they can't protect themselves." She stepped forward. "It's what Master would want for us to do! Please go—and bring Natsu back to us!"

Her sudden fierceness caught me off-guard, which barely gave me a chance to retaliate. "B-but then—you'll be all alone!" I said frantically. Despite her apparent fortitude, I knew she was still shaken inside by Master's death. "I can't just leave you—"

"We're a team, aren't we?" Happy interrupted me furiously, still breathing heavily. "We're supposed to be there for each other! You've gotta be there, Lucy…you've gotta be there for Natsu! We believe in you, so you've gotta trust us, too! Get out there and save him already!"

Their words hit me hard. I stared around at all of my friends, saw the fire burning in their eyes, and I knew I couldn't argue anymore.

"…All right, I'm going with you," I said firmly at last, turning to face Gray and Juvia. "Let's go to Shirotsume—and put the demon in its place!"

They both smiled and nodded at me in turn, satisfied with my answer.

"C'mon, let's get going!" Gray urged us, already on his way out of the basement. "We don't have much time!"

"R-right!" I started chasing after him, but I turned back briefly to call to them, "Stay safe, you guys!"

Wendy and Carla waved while Happy let out a weary yet determined, "Aye, sir!"

"Please, be careful!" Wendy called back to us. "We'll be waiting here for you to come back!"

I smiled warmly at them briefly before turning back around and following after Gray and Juvia's backs, courage and determination welling up inside me with each step.

Yes, that was right. Natsu—not to mention the entire country of Fiore—needed us, and I couldn't just sit in the sidelines and not make good on my promise. We had to help him, and we had to stop this wanton destruction of our country.

Don't worry! We're coming, Natsu!

The good news—we managed to arrive in Shirotsume without incident.

The bad news—the city itself was up in flames, and we couldn't find Erza or Mira anywhere. There weren't any signs of them, which worried us. Did something happen to them? Or had they not managed to get here yet? Were they too late?

The city was loud and clamoring even in the dead of night, thanks to people being injured or killed in the fires, and that didn't help settle the nausea I felt in the pits of my stomach. Even if no one was outside, it didn't mean that we would escape the sight of people dying in mere minutes. It was a miracle that none of them had made it onto the streets—or maybe the demon had intentionally trapped them inside with no escape, which was even worse.

"The two of them should've gotten here by now," Gray mused darkly, crossing his arms over his bare chest in worry. He looked nearly feral in the light of the billowing flames and smoke. "Maybe they're just in a different part of town?"

"Possibly, but I'm personally not convinced," I admitted. "Should we split up and search for them? They might not have even gotten here yet, since this place has already been destroyed."

"I'd rather we didn't," Juvia put in matter-of-factly. "In the event that we happen to run into—into the demon, we wouldn't stand a chance against him alone. If we end up having to fight him here, it would be best to be working together."

Gray frowned, probably noticing the way Juvia had stumbled over her sentence, like I did. "Good point. We should stick together as a group for now, then."

I nodded. "Okay."

Gray gestured to the road leading into the heart of the town. "Come on. Let's get looking already."

"Right!" Both Juvia and I trailed some distance behind him as we ran through the streets—no doubt disturbing some of the residents, but that was the least of our worries right now.

As we ran, I couldn't help but think about how many people Natsu had been forced to kill with his own magic. I didn't want to imagine the kinds of things that he would be seeing and hearing while the demon abused his powers and eradicated various cities filled with innocent people. I recalled the conversation that we'd had back in the ice cavern on Mount Hakobe, and remembered the trace of apathy in his eyes that I had never seen there before in the time I'd known him. It had had a profound effect on me—I still didn't know if I'd been just bothered, angry, or sad once I'd figured out how the demon tortured him by forcing him to hurt the people he cared about and called family…and forcing him to watch on top of it all. People would be calling him a monster, even in spite of the fact that he hadn't been the one actually behind the destruction. I knew I wouldn't be able to handle it well at all if I'd been the one in his shoes.

I'd hated seeing that expression on his face. It didn't belong there—it was never supposed to belong there. It was uncanny, unnatural, just utterly wrong. It just made me all the more determined to send the demon to the deepest pits of hell so that we could have the old Natsu that we all knew and loved back.

"Are you alright, Lucy?"

I flinched as Juvia's voice brought me back to reality. "H-huh? What're you talking about?"

"Well, it just looked like you were deep in thought, and I thought it was strange," she said, glancing at me sideways as she ran. "Are you thinking about Natsu?"

Immediately I felt my face flush with heat. I nearly tripped as I spluttered in indignation, "W-well, I was—I mean—yes, of course I was, but—but I'm just worried about him; that's all; it's not like—!"

"I understand," she said suddenly, turning her head slightly and smiling warmly. "I know you're worried. We all are."

I bit my lip. "Is…is it that obvious?"

"Don't be embarrassed," she assured me. "It's all plain on your face, but you're not alone." A melancholic expression crossed her face for a moment. "We're all concerned for Natsu, and what he must be going through now. But we need to keep a stiff upper lip and hold ourselves together if we want to rescue him." She looked ahead at Gray's bare back. "I'm sure that my dear Gray feels the same way, as do I. We shouldn't worry Natsu by thinking such thoughts. Just have faith that this will pan out."

I started and stared down at the ground. She was right. Worrying wouldn't help. We had to stay strong and positive to hold ourselves together. If we didn't put in our all, we would lose everything in all sense of the word.

"Yeah…you're right," I said at last, smiling at Juvia in gratitude. "Thanks."

She simply grinned back in return. Now, more than ever, I felt so blessed having joined a guild like Fairy Tail. Nobody here would ever let each other down.

Juvia looked ahead and blinked in surprise. "Look. He's stopped."

Sure enough, Gray was standing stock still at the entrance to the city's square. We jogged up to him to see what was going on.

"What's the matter, Gray?" I asked urgently as we approached him. "Is something wrong—" I stopped mid-sentence once I saw what he was looking at. Juvia, too, froze in place at the sight before us.

"It—it can't be," she gasped. "But—how is this possible?"

Gray didn't say anything; he simply glared with pure venom at the demon, who proceeded to drop a small, blackened body to the ground of the ruined town square as he looked up to greet us, wearing that horrible grin again.

"Hey," it drawled carelessly, turning around in full with his hands on his hips. "Where were you guys this whole time? You missed the best act of the party!"

The moment we saw that black mass drop to the ground like a sack of potatoes, Gray went absolutely ballistic. He slammed his fist into his open palm as he bellowed, "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" and formed a giant ice axe, which he snatched out of the air, before he charged straight at it without giving us any time to react.

"Gray, wait!" I yelled in panic, but it was too late. The weapon was already in motion, and it struck the demon square in the gut—it sliced through his stomach and blood came spilling out. It was sent flying back several yards away, landing heavily onto the stone street.

Both Juvia and I grabbed each of Gray's arms and did our best to pull him back, but it was hard—Gray was much stronger than either of us.

"Stop it, Gray!" I cried, struggling to hold him back as the demon pulled itself to his feet as if nothing had happened. "Don't just attack him like that without thinking! You'll hurt him!"

"She's right, my love," Juvia said desperately. "Please, you must settle down!"

Gray kept struggling against us, never taking his eyes off of the demon. "Are you insane or something?!" he growled furiously. "You're telling me to settle down after seeing something like that?! That bastard just roasted a little kid like it was nothing! That freak deserves the absolute worst possible death!"

"We know that, Gray!" I said as I strained against his strength. "But charging in like that without thinking could kill you! Don't make this worse! Calm down!"

"I'll calm down when hell freezes over!" Gray shouted, his words growing more and more livid as the demon smirked at him. "That asshole is gonna pay for this!"

The demon looked on at our spectacle with mild interest, crossing his arms and tilting his head slightly to the side. "You know, I would take the ladies' advice more seriously if I were you, exhibitionist, sir," it said evenly. It paid no attention to the fountain of blood flowing from his abdomen. "Think about who exactly you're hurting here."

"And why the hell should I listen to a sadistic monster like you?!"

"I'd think that it's pretty obvious," it scoffed. "Or must I always resort to spelling things out for you lot?"

None of us bothered to answer it—partly because we really did have no idea what the demon was explaining (though I had my own suspicions—which I really hoped weren't true), and partly because we figured that the demon would tell us, anyway.

After a moment of waiting, it sighed. "I figured as much." It pointed to himself lazily. "Think about it this way, then. This kid is my puppet—a marionette, if you will. And I'm the puppeteer. Simple enough to understand, right?" It then lowered his hand and narrowed his eyes in a sly expression. "With that in mind, answer me this…since when does the condition of the puppet ever affect its master?"

Gray and Juvia gasped in horror once they grasped what the demon was telling them, and my stomach dropped to the soles of my feet once my fears had been confirmed. That comment Natsu had made back in the cave hadn't been a throwaway to make me feel better. If anything, it only made me feel worse.

I could see everything that it saw,he'd said, feel everything it felt…and hear everything that it heard.

The demon's eyes lit up in a wicked light. "Ah, so you understand now. Good, good." It then threw a patronizing glance my way before flicking his gaze back to Gray. "Though I'm sure the little princess is already aware of it. Natsu did give away some hints without my permission."

Gray gasped in shock as he whipped his head around to stare at me in utter disbelief. "Are you saying that you knew about this, Lucy? Why didn't you say anything to us before?!"

I could feel my eyes tighten in reluctance—I hadn't told them on purpose. I hadn't wanted—and still didn't want—to admit Natsu's words as the truth. I hadn't wanted them to know that the demon couldn't feel any of the pain, since Natsu was semi-conscious in there and could still hear, see, and feel everything happening to and around him, and I hadn't wanted them to feel agonized over fighting the demon because of that. I'd thought that keeping that truth from them would make it easier for us to fight the demon…but no such luck. My emotions had gotten the better of me the moment Gray's weapon had drawn Natsu's blood, and I'd had to pull him away to keep him from hurting Natsu any further.

And now, I had no choice but to believe his words.

"I didn't want to tell you," I admitted at last in a shaky voice, gritting my teeth in an attempt to steady my words. "I thought that maybe if I kept quiet…it would be easier for you to fight the demon. But when you attacked him, I…I had to stop you. It just…wasn't right…!" I felt the tears cascading down my cheeks as I again recalled the state Natsu had been in when he'd told me that. "Natsu told me everything, but…I didn't want to believe him. I didn't want to think that…he was suffering more than we even imagined. But…it's all true."

"So you're saying," Juvia murmured dazedly, "that only Natsu can feel this pain? The pain doesn't register with the demon at all?"

The demon gave her a mock ovation. "Well, there's a smart lady!" it cheered half-heartedly. "Heh, neat little trick, wouldn't you agree?"

"You…" Apparently, Gray couldn't think of a bad enough word to call the demon, because he simply stood in place with his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles appeared white. His jaw was so tense, I was afraid he might crack his teeth. "How could you…!"

"Don't get your boxers in a knot, idiot," the demon griped. "Quit worrying about your stupid friend; he won't be suffering like that forever."

This surprised us. "What are you talking about?" I asked, every nerve in my body shot. Whatever this demon meant by that statement, it was definitely not a good thing.

"The answer's simple," it said shortly. "I'm still waiting for the opportune time."

"What do you mean; you're still waiting?!" I exclaimed. "You've already started destroying the cities in Fiore! What else are you possibly planning?! How can you even say that in the same breath as when you said Natsu won't be suffering anymore?!"

"I don't recall ever saying that in the same breath, young lady," the demon snorted in disbelief. "And speaking of breath, don't waste yours asking. It will get you no answers from me." It raised an eyebrow and smirked in a superior way. "But I will promise this—it will happen very soon…and it will be a real treat."

Juvia gritted her teeth in anger. "You are utterly disgraceful!"

"Aw, thank you! That's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me." It turned his back to us. "In any case, I really need to finish up here. It won't be long now until the time comes, and I have bigger matters that I must attend to."

Gray made to lunge for the demon again, but Juvia and I kept him in check by pulling him back again. "So what you're basically saying here is that reducing Fiore into a mountain of cinders isn't going to be the end of it?!" he growled in fury. "What in the hell defines the word satisfied in that twisted head of yours?! Just how far do you plan on going, huh?!"

The demon didn't even flinch as it snapped his head around to glare at us. I could feel its bloodlust almost clinging to the atmosphere around us, and I felt my chest tighten in terror at the horrific reality—the demon was no longer messing around. Its desire to kill was strong…almost palpable.

"However far I decide to go," it said in a sinisterly unfeeling tone, "is my business alone, human."

All three of us froze beneath the glare. Even Gray stopped fighting against us (which was a good thing, since both our hands had since slipped off of his arms) and stood there, paralyzed. He seemed to realize that he'd finally crossed the line with his anger.

"Wh-what the hell is this," Gray muttered to himself, stumbling over his words, "This feeling…he's totally different from just a minute ago…"

The demon's eyes glinted in tranquil fury. "I would advise you to remember your place, ice wizard," it said coldly as he turned his body enough to glare at us with both eyes, "unless you want me to melt you into a pathetic puddle of skin and bone. And don't you forget…" His hands blazed up in flames. "…I am just as capable of maiming this body as you are. Don't be so presumptuous as to think that his status as my current vessel will make me hesitate."

I quickly moved my hands to my keys at the demon's words. "You wouldn't dare!" I cried, my fingers hovering over my pouch and staring intensely at it. "There's no point in threatening us like that since you need his body to move around! It doesn't matter if you can't feel the pain! If he's crippled, you're crippled! You won't be able to move freely if you hurt him!"

"Spare me the idiocy, girl," the demon countered abruptly, making a lump form in my throat from the shock. "Did you honestly believe that I wasn't aware of that? An imbecile would have realized it sooner than you."

I gritted my teeth in helpless fury. My hand trembled against the cold surface of my keys, but I couldn't bend my fingers to grab one. The horrible aura emanating from the demon was suffocating, stifling, smothering—all three of us were sitting ducks standing before it.

"As much as I'd love to kill you at the moment," it went on, clearly annoyed, "my work isn't quite—" It paused without warning and blew a wave of searing-hot flames right past me into the roof of a nearby building, blowing it up and scattering fragments of the roof shingles everywhere. Some part of me that wasn't completely overcome with fear wondered why it was doing that out of nowhere, but my question was eventually answered.

"It's pointless to hide," the demon said calmly. "Show yourselves."

Who is it talking about…? I wondered vaguely to myself. None of us are hiding from him…

I was yet again answered by the intrusion of a new voice, which immediately released me, Gray, and Juvia from the clutches of panic once we recognized it, and we quickly turned to search for the source.

"Who said we were hiding?" Erza declared from atop the now-ruined building. She had donned her Flame Empress Armor to shield herself from the flames. "We were simply late to the party; nothing more."

Juvia gasped. "It's Erza! She's all right!" she exclaimed in relief.

I shared her sentiments. I couldn't tell you how relieved I was to see Erza here. Now we at least stood a marginal chance against the demon. I still couldn't see Mirajane anywhere, but I knew that she must be close by if Erza was here.

"Clever," the demon said flatly, unimpressed. "Did it take you all day to think of that one?"

"Oh, no; I'd had it up my sleeve for a while," she said. "I've had time to come up with a couple more things…" She flashed a triumphant smirk at the demon. "…like this, for instance."

Three more silhouettes appeared out of nowhere, coming at the demon from all sides with such speed that I didn't recognize them at first.

Then another voice (that I recognized to be Yukino's before I could see her rush off to the side) cried out, "Libra, increase the target's downward gravity!"

I felt magical energy ripple through the air, and the demon was suddenly knocked down into a hunched position like a dozen sandbags had been dropped onto his back. It grunted in surprise at first at the unexpected pressure, but it growled in anger once it realized what was going on.

"Curses…it's that girl again with that irksome Spirit!" it snarled, struggling to straighten itself. "Using the same damned trick again!"

Out of nowhere, Sting and Rogue dropped in between my friends and the demon before it could do anything to retaliate. Sting rushed at it in the same motion, and Rogue remained where he was, raising a hand and letting his shadow creep toward it.

"Sorry, pal, but we're joining in on the fun this time!" Sting yelled giddily as he enveloped his fist in a bright white light. "And your fun is about to come to a standstill—right here and now!"

Sting then struck the demon in the bloody cut that Gray had made earlier with his fist, causing a strange circle-like rune to appear on his abdomen. Sting backed off just as Rogue's shadow reached the demon, spreading beneath his feet and causing it to sink into the ground knee-deep. The demon was now trapped in a combination of three powerful movement-inhibiting spells.

All that happened in such a short span of time that I barely had any time to process what was going on. Both Gray and Juvia looked just as flabbergasted as I felt.

"What the—what the hell are you all doing here?" Gray demanded incredulously. "Where'd you all come from? And I thought you Sabertooth guys were supposed to be Onibas!"

"A little change in plans," Erza explained as she jumped down from the roof with Yukino approaching her side from the shadows of a nearby alleyway. "I had a bad feeling about Shirotsume, so I recalled Sting and the others to regroup with Mira and myself, and devised a plan to trap the demon here if it happened to show up. I sent Gajeel and Levy's team to Onibas instead." She glanced at the demon in disgust. "And wouldn't luck have it; my hunch was correct. The plan also succeeded. Even with Natsu's strength at its disposal, it cannot break free of all those spells on its own."

I couldn't stop the marvel from washing over my chest. "And you planned all this based on a hunch?" I asked in awe. "You're really something else, Erza!"

She crossed her arms. "Well, to be fair, it's not an overly complicated plan. Just taking advantage of the abilities that our allies had with the element of surprise. Nothing elaborate."

"Are you kidding?" Sting laughed, striding up and slapping Erza on the back in appreciation. "That was freakin' awesome! I never would've come up with that!"

Rogue nodded with another smile. "Your plan worked flawlessly."

"Everyone did wonderfully," Yukino noted happily. "You truly are amazing, Miss Erza."

"Speaking of which, Erza," Gray said at last, his voice still somewhat nonplussed. "Where's Mira? Isn't she with you?"

Erza turned to face him. "She's with Gildarts, on her way to our capital Crocus. We figured it would be smart to station two S-class wizards in the Royal City of our country. It will need the most protection."

"Gildarts was here?!" I exclaimed in surprise. "When did he come back?"

"We just happened to run into him right before we made to head here," she elaborated. "He knew about all the destruction the demon was causing, so he naturally wanted to help us out. It's a shame that we couldn't provide him with all the details, but—"

We suddenly heard high-pitched laughter from behind Erza's gang and returned our full attention to the demon, which was still trapped by the spells placed on him. Its countenance had done yet another one-eighty, and it was now laughing at us with mirth.

"What is it that you find so amusing, demon?" Erza snapped, summoning a spear and brandishing it at his gashed abdomen so that its tip barely grazed his skin. "Is the mere thought of camaraderie that laughable in your twisted eyes?"

"Oh, no; perish the thought! I'd never dream of saying something like that!" it chortled. The deadly weapon brushing against his skin did little to shake it. "Rather, just how dense can you dimwits get? Spilling all the information on the movement of your forces right in front of the enemy? That's what's laughable!"

"It's not like it matters anymore," Sting retaliated, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. "You're not destroying anything else tonight, demon. You're better off surrendering over Natsu right now before we do things the hard way."

The demon flashed a superior smirk at us at Sting's words. "And how could I have missed this; I almost forgot about the sheer naivety of you humans," it mocked. It then grinned slyly. "Trust me when I say that it is far from over. In fact…this is just the beginning."

"What does that mean?" Yukino demanded.

The gleam of insane giddiness in his eyes as it answered us chilled me (and likely everybody else) to the bone almost as much as the answer itself.

"I've been waiting for this moment," it announced with glee. "It has finally come! The time is here at last!"

The demon then suddenly grabbed the spear point and rammed it into his stomach.

I KNOW; LUCY'S STILL BEING USELESS. BE PATIENT; I KNOW WHAT I'M DOING.

*sigh*

Yes, there was a slight time skip at the beginning. It worked boatloads better than following right up from the previous chapter (trust me; I tried)…partly because I didn't want to describe in detail the first casualty of this story. Status of the victim notwithstanding, it's ineffectual plot-wise…

…Jesus, what the heck am I saying? *plunks self into corner of shame* I'm a horrible person. ToT

Anyway, more stuff happens next chapter, whenever that may be (might not be for a while since I started school two weeks ago), and we'll FINALLY get to one of my favorite parts of the story.

Thanks for sticking with me and this story this far, and I appreciate any and all feedback. This chapter was absolute hell to write, but definitely more than worth it.