Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! Read at your own risk. There's still original stuff in here, but if you haven't gotten to this point in the anime/manga, then some things may be ruined for you. I advise catching up to the anime/manga if you haven't already (for more reasons than just reading my story)! Thank you and enjoy!

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 41

The rain continued to pour down heavily as Natsu and Happy stared at the sky from underneath the overhang of a cave. They were waiting as patiently as they could for either Carla or Panther Lily to return with any information. However, Natsu was feeling antsy, for he realized that every moment spent waiting was another moment where someone else could be in danger and Grimoire Heart could be making another move. He was glad that he found Lucy and Wendy, at least. He could make sure that they stayed safe.

Doranbolt sat by Master Makarov with his back pressed against the cave wall. His eyes were closed as he waited for his moment to try to convince Fairy Tail to run away. However, he knew now was not the time. He decided to wait until the Exceeds returned.

Lucy and Wendy were changing out of their wet clothes and into dry ones that Virgo brought over from the Celestial Spirit world. Lucy stepped out from behind her rock, now wearing a blue and white small dress. Wendy was still changing into her set of Celestial clothes with Virgo's aid, even though Wendy was adamant that she could do it herself.

Lucy walked over to Natsu and hooked her arm around his, placing her head on his rugged shoulder. "The rain is really coming down, huh?"

Natsu kissed the top of her head. "Yeah, it's not letting up."

"I hope Carla and Lily are doing okay," Happy said.

"I'm sure they're fine," Wendy said from behind her rock.

Natsu grinned. "Speak of the devil, here comes Carla now!"

Carla, who was using a leaf as a hood to keep her head dry, flew over and landed in front of everyone. She walked inside the cave, removed the leaf, and shook off any water that clung to her fur. "I truly hate the rain."

"So how'd it go?" Lucy asked, removing herself from Natsu's body.

"I spotted Grimoire Heart's ship on the east coast of the island. It's anchored there," Carla said. "I also stopped by base camp with Lily before searching for the ship. It's in an entirely different location."

"Really? Why's that?" Happy asked.

"Apparently the old base camp became a battle ground and no longer exists," Carla explained.

"Wow. So is everyone okay?" Natsu asked.

Carla closed her eyes. "I'm afraid not. Gajeel and Mira are in pretty bad shape. Even Elfman and Evergreen are beaten up, but not nearly as bad. Levy and Lisanna are doing everything they can to take care of them, but even they have their fair share of cuts. As for everyone else, no one knows much of anything. They're all still spread out around the island."

"Grimoire Heart is really beating us up, huh?" Lucy said.

Natsu clenched his fists. "Those bastards. Let's get to their ship and cave their skulls in."

Lucy put a hand on Natsu's shoulder. "Don't be too hasty, Natsu. I think we should stop by the camp first. If anyone else shows up, we could really use them. We should try to strengthen our numbers."

"I agree with Lucy," Wendy said, having finished changing into a pink sleeveless dress. "We should definitely check the camp first. Besides, I may be able to help heal some people."

Natsu nodded. "Makes sense. Alright, we'll stop by the camp first. I'll carry Gramps." He walked over to Makarov and hoisted him onto his back.

Doranbolt opened his eyes. "And what about me?"

Natsu looked at him. "Just keep the Council from firing an Etherion blast at us. That's all we need from you."

"Seriously?" Doranbolt said.

"We don't need anyone's help. Just keep them off of our backs," Lucy said. "We'll take care of Grimoire Heart and Zeref by ourselves."

"Just tell them that there's no need to get involved," Wendy begged.

"All of you are being moronic," Doranbolt shot at them. "Besides, you actually think that the Council will listen? You people don't seem to realize how many issues would be solved by annihilating this entire island."

"Fine. Don't tell them," Natsu snapped. "Just stall them." He started for the exit. "I hate to say it, but we're counting on you to do that."

"Wait!" Doranbolt called out. "Do you even understand the severity of your situation? Grimoire Heart is one of the most powerful guilds in Fiore. Plus, they're a dark guild. No one has ever beaten them. Hell, no one who has met them has lived to talk about it. You can't win. You probably don't even have a plan!"

"A plan?" Natsu asked. "Sure, we got a plan. Give 'em everything we got and give 'em hell. What else do we need?"

Doranbolt stood dumbfounded by Natsu's answer as he watched them run through the rain towards their base camp. He clenched his fists and narrowed his eyes. "Those idiots are going to get themselves killed."


"Wendy! Can you hear me? Wendy!" Erza called out in the hopes of finding the small Dragon Slayer. She and Gracie had been searching for about an hour after leaving Juvia behind to fight Meredy, but they were having no luck.

"Here, Wendy, Wendy, Wendy, Wendy!" Gracie called out.

Erza sweatdropped. "She's not a dog, you know."

Gracie raised an eyebrow. "I know that. When did I say she was a dog?"

Erza sighed. "Never mind, it's not important. We need to keep searching. Who knows what kind of danger she may be in?"

Gracie nodded. "You're right. We should hurry."

"Well, if it isn't the famous Erza," came a deep voice that seemed to echo in the small forest space.

Erza whipped around, searching for the owner of the voice. "Show yourself!" she demanded.

From a tree directly above the two women, a man with brown, strip-like hair and dark skin appeared from the bark.

Gracie giggled. "His head looks like a mop."

"Be wary, Gracie," Erza warned. "We don't know the power he possesses."

The man smiled at the two. "Allow me to introduce myself to you. My name is Azuma and I'm one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."

Gracie's smile vanished. "The Seven Kin, huh? So he's in the same league as that little girl?"

"It would appear so," Erza said.

"You have no idea how happy I am to find another great warrior," Azuma said. "I'm sure you'll give me even more of a challenge than my previous opponents."

"I don't have time for you," Erza said.

"Ah, yes. I heard you calling out the name of one of your guild mates. I'm sorry to inform you of this, but Wendy is gone. I saw to that," Azuma said with a malicious smile.

"Then you'll die!" Erza shouted. "No one attacks Fairy Tail and gets away with it!"

"That's right!" Gracie agreed as she summoned her katanas. "We'll destroy you for hurting one of our own!"

"Interesting," Azuma said. "So you have similar magic to the great Titania? I have to say, it will be most thrilling to face two warriors such as yourselves at the same time. It may be a fight far greater than the ones I shared with the She-Devil and the Half-Dragon."

Gracie's eyes widened. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that the wounds you see on my body are trophies from my victories from earlier today," Azuma said as he motioned to the scars decorating his muscles.

Gracie gripped her katanas tightly. "You're so full of shit. You expect me to believe that both Mira and Niky lost to you? Sorry, but I just don't see it."

"She's right," Erza said. "They're two of our strongest fighters."

"That's true," Azuma said. "Their strength was most impressive, especially the Half-Dragon. However, they allowed their feelings to get in the way. The She-Devil was too distracted by her sister's well being to fight well, so she fell. Afterwards, the Half-Dragon entered the picture and was too distraught over the She-Devil's injuries to fight with a purely level head." Azuma closed his eyes and chuckled. "That being said, I almost lost my life to him. If he were a second faster, he would have killed me before losing his own life. He truly was the most challenging opponent I've ever faced."

"Bastard," Gracie hissed as she raised her weapons, glaring at Azuma over the steel of her blades. She was confident that Nikolias wasn't dead, but it didn't prevent her from wanting revenge. "I don't care how strong you are. I'll kill you myself."

"We'll fight him together, Gracie," Erza said. "We'll make him pay."

Gracie nodded. "Right. Let's take this son of a bitch down!"


"I can't wait until Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy get here," Lisanna said with a smile.

Lily nodded. "I'm sure Carla has made it back to them and will be leading them here shortly."

"It'll be good to see them," Levy said. "The more of us that can stick together, the better."

"Yeah, you're right. Plus, they can help us out," Lisanna said while looking sadly at the sleeping bodies of Gajeel, Mira, Elfman, and Evergreen. "And we need all the help we can get."

"Make sure you're ready to add one more to the wounded," Lily said.

"Oh yeah," Levy said. "Master will be with them and he's pretty injured from what you've told us. I still can't believe they beat him so bad."

"Grimoire Heart's scary, that's for sure," Lisanna mumbled.

Levy smiled at her. "That may be the case, but we're Fairy Tail. We'll make them pay for what they've done."

"Interesting thought," a voice came from behind the group. They all turned to see a man with silver hair that lifted high into the air in the front. He wore a gray shirt and black pants while his navy blue jacket was drenched in water. He wore gloves and a pair of dark glasses. He smirked at the group. "Your determination is admirable, but is it really necessary? I mean, none of you stand a chance against us. All that there is for you all is oblivion."

"That's what you think," Lily shouted as he took his Edolas form. He took a battle-ready stance and waited to strike.

Lisanna and Levy stared down the newcomer as well. "Who are you?" Lisanna called out.

"Oh my, how rude of me," the man said. "My name is Rustyrose of Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin."

"The Seven Kin, huh?" Lisanna said. She could only imagine how strong this guy was after facing Azuma. She would never admit it out loud, but she was afraid.

Rustyrose looked around at his opponents and noticed Elfman and Evergreen lying on the makeshift beds. He smiled. "Ah, I see those two didn't perish after all. A pity that they will have to suffer again."

"We won't let you touch them!" Levy said. "We won't let you hurt anyone else!"

"You can't stop what we've set in motion," Rustyrose said. "This world will change for the better. You can't hope to win. You're only looking to delay the inevitable."

"We will fight you until the very end," Lily said.

Rustyrose laughed. "So be it! But don't say I didn't warn you."


Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy ran as fast as they could through the pouring rain, trying to get to base camp as fast as they could. Happy was running alongside Carla, who was leading the way to the new base camp.

Lucy ran beside Natsu. "I'm worried, Natsu. What if Cana never made it back to base camp?"

Natsu smiled at her. "Don't worry, Luce. I'm sure she's at base camp with everyone else. They're probably waiting for us, so we should hurry."

She smiled at his words. "You're right. Thanks, Natsu."

He gave his signature grin. "Anytime." Natsu's ears twitched and he quickly stopped in his tracks. "Heads up, guys. We're not alone."

Everyone looked forward to see a strange man walking towards them, the rain around him thundering down as if being poured from a bucket.

"Why is the rain doing that around him?" Happy asked.

Wendy shuddered and unknowingly stepped back. "This power…I can feel it. It's so heavy."

"I feel it, too," Lucy said as she instinctually stepped closer to Natsu.

"Who are you?" Natsu shouted. "Are you one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory?"

The strange man stopped and stared at Natsu through the thundering rain. "I see I stumbled upon you first. No matter. I'll deal with the other matter first. I'll find my prey later," he said with a booming voice that tore through the sound of the rushing water.

"Your prey?" Lucy asked.

"I have two missions. One is to destroy Fairy Tail. The other is to recover the Half-Dragon."

"Nikolias?" Wendy asked. "What do you want with Nikolias?"

"Master Hades has taken an interest in his power. He wishes to recruit him to our ranks," the man answered.

"How does he even know about Nikolias?" Lucy asked.

"He was first brought to the attention of our Master by one of the Seven Kin. His identity was revealed to our Master through another member of the Seven Kin after fighting him," the man replied.

"I ain't gonna ask again. Who are you?" Natsu roared.

The man chuckled. "Irrelevant. Now let me ask you a question, fairies. Have you learned to fly?"

"What does that even mean?" Lucy asked.

"No?" the man asked after not hearing an answer. He raised his hands and the rain all around him and Natsu's group began floating in midair. "Then you'll fall." With those words, all of the rain drops crashed to the ground with incredible force, breaking apart and pressing down the earth. Everyone but the strange man was forced to the ground by an invisible power and the weight of the rain.

"I…I can't move!" Wendy said.

"What the hell is this?" Natsu asked while he tried pushing against the strange pressure and rain, but to no avail.

"I'm being crushed!" Happy whined.

The earth continued to push deeper and deeper, creating a massive hole in the ground. The strange man watched from the edge of the hole with disinterest. After about three minutes, the rain and the intense pressure disappeared, allowing the Fairy Tail mages to move once more.

"That was intense," Lucy groaned.

"Is everyone okay?" Natsu asked, his arms wrapped protectively around the wounded Makarov.

"I think so," Wendy said.

"You don't interest me at all," the man said. "In fact, nothing about Fairy Tail or our plans for Zeref interest me. There are only two things that interest me. One of them is finding the Half-Dragon. The other I've wanted to do since I found out that we were coming to this island." He stared down at Natsu and the others with unblinking eyes. "Tell me, where is the grave of Mavis Vermillion? I wish to pay my respects to Fairy Tail's first master."


Lisanna whipped around. "This pressure. It's unbelievable."

Lily gritted his teeth. "I can sense a power that far surpasses anyone we've faced. This could be trouble."

"I hope everyone's alright," Levy said.

Rustyrose sighed, but his smile never faded. "Great. Now he's entered the picture to steal my fun."


Gracie and Erza glanced over their shoulders. "Did you feel that?" Erza asked.

"Yeah," Gracie said as she shivered. "It's so menacing. What the hell is that?"

Azuma closed his eyes. "The war is over now, Fairy Tail. Bluenote Stinger has entered the fray, and whenever that happens, all who oppose us fall. This marks the beginning of your end."


Nikolias continued to stumble through the woods. His senses weren't as sharp as they usually were due to the close range explosions and his own blood, so accurately locating everyone was proving difficult, although he did have a general location and direction.

His wounds were closing, but because he refused to rest and the wounds were serious, they were closing very slowly. Blood still poured from his body and he paused momentarily to balance himself on a tree as he vomited some blood. He coughed and wiped his mouth before pushing on.

Suddenly, he sensed a great pressure off in the distance. He paused to look in the direction of the power that he sensed. "Now what?" he wheezed before continuing on, determined to reach everyone soon.


"This is it," Cana breathed as she continued to step closer and closer to the soft light at the end of the tunnel. "I did it. I found it. I can be S-Class now. Finally, I can face him. I can face my father."

She stepped out of the tunnel and into a small room where the light seemed to be emanating from. She walked closer and closer towards the source of the light. She blinked a few times, not sure if what she was seeing was real.

Across the room stood a stone grave. Four small pillars surrounded it, covered in moss and vines from the passage of time. The grave itself was a stone slab that was split in two and in the very center of the stone halves was a bright, shining flame.

"Am I seeing things?" Cana asked. "Is that fire?" She stepped closer and closer to it, drawn by its warmth and brightness. She heard the sound of rain above her, causing her to look up. Her eyes widened in surprise once she saw that the rain was being blocked off by an invisible magical barrier. "No way." She returned her attention to Mavis' grave and kept walking closer to it. She felt as if she were being drawn to the intense light of the fire, like it was calling to her. As soon as she could reach, she cautiously extended her hand in an attempt to touch the flame.

However, as soon as she got too close, the flame whipped out, causing her to quickly withdraw her hand. She stared at the flame in disbelief, but was even more blown away when magical runes appeared in front of the grave. She leaned in slightly to read what the runes said. "'Here I seal Fairy Glitter, one of the three Grand Fairy Spells. May it forever shine in the darkness'," she read aloud. She stepped back slightly. "Wait a minute. This…This isn't the grave at all." She clenched her fists. "This is just fucking perfect!" she shouted. "I want to find the grave, not some spell! I need to become S-Class!" She faced the sky. "I want answers, now!"

She panted heavily before looking at the ground. All anger was gone and was replaced with sorrow. "I'm just not good enough. That's it, isn't it? I'm not as strong as Nikolias, Erza, Mira, Gildarts, or Laxus, so S-Class really is nothing more than a dream." Tears began streaming down her face. "I was so close. I thought I could really do it this time. These past 12 years have just been a waste of time.

"When my mother passed away and told me in her will that my father was still alive, I was determined to find him. My search for him led me to Fairy Tail. However, I had very little to go on other than his name; Gildarts Clive. It certainly looked like luck was on my side, because the very first person I saw when I showed up was him—my father. That was just a fake out, though. It turns out he didn't even recognize me. The next thing I knew, he was going out on a job. I waited for him, but his jobs always took him far away for unknown amounts of time. Eventually, I joined the guild so that I could be there when he got back.

"One day, he returned, but he just turned right back around and did another job. I never had the chance to talk to him about me or mom. So much time passed and every time he returned and I tried to talk to him, he would have to rush out the door before I could say anything. It got to the point where the weight of not telling him was crushing me and I couldn't breathe. It seemed hopeless. I wasn't going to give up, though. I started reading fortune cards in the hope that I could start predicting when my father would come back. That eventually led to me learning card magic with the support and kind words of Master Makarov. I was a natural and I kept working hard because I saw magic as a way to connect me to my father. But I was wrong. My father was the strongest wizard and everyone basically worshipped him. There was no point in trying to get close to him. The years passed by and it got to the point where I grew more and more afraid to tell him the truth. I mean, what if he refused to accept me as his daughter? What if I wasn't strong enough to be considered his daughter?

"Then came the S-Class Trials for that year. Master Makarov chose me and my father even told me that he was rooting for me. With those words, I had a new goal. Once I became an S-Class wizard like my father, I would tell him the truth because only then would I be worthy to tell him. But every year, I lost. Even newcomers surpassed me and became S-Class. I was a failure and that made me realize that my father could never be proud of me. After failing for the past four years, this was going to be my last attempt at being S-Class. Any more attempts would just be sad and pathetic." She lifted her head towards the sky again. "Don't you get it? I need to be S-Class, so why is everything getting in my way?"

Suddenly, a strange sound came from Cana's bag. She dug through it to find the source and ended up pulling out a card—the card that was connected to the card she gave Lucy, the one that would flash if she was in danger. Her eyes widened as she stared at the flashing card. "Lucy," she whispered. She fell to her knees and tears began flowing down her cheeks as if the rain was in fact falling on her face. "What have I done? I abandoned Lucy for my own desires and now she's in danger." She put her hands to her face. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. I didn't want to betray anyone!" She pushed herself up and, with a tear-stained face, stepped towards the light once more. "I don't give a damn about being S-Class anymore. I realize my mistake thinking that being S-Class was all that mattered. I don't care if Nikolias never takes me seriously. I don't care if I never tell my father the truth, even if I do want him to know. But even though I really want these things," she paused as she drove her right hand into the fire, causing it to expel magic power, "I want to protect my friends even more!" The magic dissolved her sleeve and pinched her skin, causing her to grimace, but she endured. "Please give me the strength to save them! I need to save them! That's all I care about! Even if I end up quitting the guild and become a different person entirely, Fairy Tail will always hold a special place in my heart and I want to protect them!"

The light expanded, illuminating the entire room. Cana watched as the light danced around. "Please, you're the only one who can give me the strength to protect the guild and the family that I love so much. I beg you, help me," she sobbed.

And suddenly, all pain disappeared and Cana felt like she was being embraced by the soft and warm light. She could hear a soft voice inside her head and she listened carefully before withdrawing her arm. She looked down and saw strange markings on her right forearm. "Was that Master Mavis?" She smiled. "Well message received. Thank you." With that, she took off running as fast as she could. "I'm coming, Lucy, everyone!"


"Like hell we'll tell you anything!" Natsu shouted.

"I won't ask again. Tell me where Mavis rests," the man said.

"We don't know," Lucy hissed, "but even if we did, we wouldn't tell you."

"Pity." He then summoned a purple magic circle that intensified the gravity above Lucy, crushing her into the earth.

"LUCY!" Natsu roared before turning back to the man. "Why are you doing this?"

"Let me explain this in a better way so that you understand. My name is Bluenote Stinger, the most powerful wizard underneath Master Hades and I'm someone who gets what he wants. I want the Half-Dragon, so I will retrieve him and I want the location of Mavis Vermillion's grave, so you will give it to me," Bluenote said.

"Like I said," Lucy groaned as she tried to push against the gravity, "even if we knew we wouldn't tell shit like you anything! That grave is sacred ground, so we wouldn't let you near it!" Suddenly, Lucy felt weightless as she was lifted off of the ground. Then, a split second later, the gravity intensified and she was sent crashing into the stone ground.

"STOP THIS!" Natsu bellowed. "What exactly do you want with Mavis' grave, huh?"

"I want the Grand Fairy Spell that was buried with the first master; Fairy Glitter," Bluenote said. "It's more powerful than Fairy Law and I want it."

"We ain't telling you shit!" Natsu shouted before a purple magic circle appeared above him and shoved him into the earth.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried.

"Tell me what I want to know or be crushed by gravity. The choice is yours," Bluenote said.

"No!" Happy exclaimed before being pushed into the ground.

"So tell me, who should I crush first, then?" Bluenote asked.

"You ain't crushing anyone," Natsu growled as he managed to somehow get to his hands and knees, despite the intensified gravity. "My name is Natsu Dragneel, asshole. I'm the son of Igneel and I've been trained by Nikolias. It'll take a lot more than a little weight to keep me pinned down!" Suddenly, Natsu was on his feet and running at Bluenote. "You won't beat me so easily!"

"You're actually standing? Impressive," Bluenote said.

"That's my Natsu," Lucy said with a smile. "He really doesn't know when to quit."

"He's so amazing!" Wendy marveled.

"I'll give you another chance since you're interesting," Bluenote said. "Tell me where the grave is and I will leave you alone."

"No deal!" Natsu shouted as fire enveloped his feet and hands. He leapt off of the ground against the intense gravity and cocked back his fist. "FIRE DRAGON IRON FI—." He was stopped before his attack could even get close by an invisible force.

Bluenote flicked his finger and Natsu was sent rocketing into the ground. "A pity. That deal was most favorable for both sides."

"Natsu!" Lucy cried after seeing the heavy impact Natsu made with the ground. She then returned her attention to Bluenote. "We can't touch this guy, can we? Just how strong is he?"

Bluenote noticed the injured Makarov lying beside his opponents. "Ah, I see Makarov is here. I'll just ask him where the grave is."

"You won't go near him!" Natsu roared as he was once again on his feet in spite of the intense gravity. "Lay a finger on him and you'll see just how quickly you can be roasted alive!" Suddenly, another magic circle appeared above him and the other Fairy Tail members, forcing them into the earth.

Bluenote continued to stare at them with unblinking eyes. "I gave you multiple opportunities to help me, but you have chosen the path of torture and pain. However, I'm feeling kind, so before I kill you where you lie, I shall give you a final chance to be of use to me. Tell me, where is Mavis Vermillion's grave?"

"We won't say anything!" Natsu shouted as he pushed against the force of the gravity.

Bluenote began walking closer. "I'm sorry to hear you say that. Very well, you leave me no choice. I'll have to kill you all since you are of no use to me." He began moving towards Lucy. "I think I'll kill this girl first. She's got a big mouth and you also seem very fond of her."

"YOU LEAVE HER ALONE!" Natsu roared. He tried to run to her, but the gravity was too intense. He wouldn't be able to get to her in time.

Bluenote got closer to Lucy. "I'm done playing with you."

"Stay back," Lucy demanded, trying her best to hide the fear she was feeling.

"ARE YOU THE ONE WHOSE ASS I NEED TO KICK?" came a young woman's voice from behind Bluenote.

He turned around. "What's this then?"

Lucy smiled. "Cana!"

Standing on a cliff at the edge of the hole that everyone was in was Cana, glaring angrily at Bluenote.

"She's okay!" Wendy cheered.

Cana leapt at Bluenote with cards in hand. "Get the hell away from them, you bastard!" she screamed as she threw a handful of magic cards at Bluenote. Bluenote, however, just lifted his hand and used his magic to completely deflect the cards, forcing them to collide with the ground. Cana gritted her teeth and cocked back her right arm, the markings on her forearm glowing brightly. "I will kick your ass!"

Bluenote's eyes widened. "No, it couldn't be," he muttered as he lifted his hand and created a magic circle above Cana that forced her to crash into the ground. "Tell me what that magic is and I'll consider not crushing every bone in your body."

Cana got to her feet. "Like I'd tell you a thing!" She then glanced at Lucy. "Lucy, I want to apologize. I never should have left you alone. It was selfish of me. But this spell that I got from Master Mavis," she said while holding up her right arm, "will wipe the floor with this guy to make sure he never hurts anyone again!"

Lucy nodded. "No need to apologize, Cana. Now kick his ass!"

"Wait a second," Natsu said. "If you got that from Master Mavis, then that means you found the grave?" He began to sulk. "Oh man, I won't be S-Class this year."

Lucy sweatdropped. "Not really the time, Natsu."

"Forget about the S-Class Trials for now, Natsu," Cana said. "Right now, I need you to distract this guy while I charge up some power."

Natsu grinned as fire surrounded his fists. "You got it!"

"Enough!" Bluenote shouted as he held out his arms to the side. Purple magic circles appeared in front of his hands as Bluenote's gravity magic sent everyone tumbling away. "You don't seem to understand the situation you're in, girl." Bluenote then directed the magic circles towards the ground as the entire area was pressed further down. He looked over at Cana who, like everyone else, was being pushed to the ground by Bluenote's gravity. "I have to say that I never expected to have one of my targets delivered to me. I'll be taking that magic that you have on your arm."

Cana laughed. "Even if you managed to get this spell away from me, you can't use it. Only a member of Fairy Tail can use this spell."

"How foolish of you," Bluenote said. "I have studied magic in depth and if you understood magic, you would know that all magic is fundamentally the same." He used his gravity magic to lift Cana off of the ground. "All magic that exists in this world was once part of a single unified whole."

'Why does that sound so familiar?' Lucy wondered. 'Where have I heard that before?'

"Because I understand this," Bluenote continued, "there isn't a spell that I can't use." He then closed his hand and squeezed, using his gravity magic to crush Cana. She screamed in pain as she felt like her body was breaking.

"Cana!" Lucy cried.

"Let her go!" Natsu roared as he pushed against the intense gravity.

Bluenote wasn't paying attention to anyone but Cana. "Fairy Glitter. A spell that uses pure light to eliminate anyone who the user deems as an enemy. Tell me, are you even worthy of wielding such a spell?"

"Piss off," Cana hissed.

"If you give it to me willingly then I won't have to kill you," Bluenote offered.

"You can forget it. I'd never give this to you," Cana said, the pain starting to become unbearable.

"Then I'll have to take that spell from you as painfully as possible," Bluenote said.

"I said get away!" Natsu roared as he drove his head into the ground.

"That's it. He's snapped," Carla sighed.

"Natsu can surprise you," Happy said. "Just watch."

Suddenly, little flames popped out of the ground all around Natsu. "FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" Natsu called out, his voice muffled from the dirt. Flames shot out of the ground and broke apart the earth as it traveled towards Bluenote.

Bluenote noticed this and was forced to release Cana to use his magic to deflect the powerful flames. He aimed his hands at Natsu and the others. "You annoying little pests!" he shouted as he used his magic to send everyone flying into the air.

"Now Cana!" Natsu called out from the sky.

Cana smiled as she got to her feet. "Thanks, Natsu. I'm good to go now." She glared at Bluenote. "Time for you to disappear!" She thrust her right arm into the air. "Assemble! O river of light guided by fairies!" The markings on Cana's arm began to glow as a pillar of pure light shot into the sky. The ground shook from the intense magic power. The thick rain clouds that had been covering the sky were being forced away, allowing the sun to once again shine through.

"Incredible," Wendy breathed. "Such power."

"May your radiance shine and vanquish the fangs of wickedness!" Cana cried before lowering her arm and pointing her fist at Bluenote. "Adios, jackass. FAIRY GLITTER!" An incredibly powerful ring of light wrapped around Bluenote and constricted him.

"So she can use it," Bluenote wheezed as the ring of light continued to bind him. He then focused all of his magic power around him. "FALL!" he cried as his gravity magic burst apart the ring of light, sending everyone in the area flying.

Cana landed on the ground and forced herself to her knees. "No way. He dispelled it?" she said in disbelief.

Bluenote started walking towards Cana. "While I'm surprised that you were able to use the spell, you're far too inexperienced to wield it properly."

Cana couldn't stop shaking as she stared blankly at Bluenote. 'I failed again. I couldn't protect everyone, even with a spell like Fairy Glitter.'

Bluenote stopped in front of Cana, noticing the defeated look in her eyes. "I'll take that spell from you after I send you to hell." He thrust his palm forward, intent on using his magic to completely destroy Cana.

However, before it could land, another hand shot forward, completely disrupting Bluenote's magic and sending him flying backwards. Bluenote skidded to a stop and stared down his new adversary.

"No way," Lucy breathed.

"He's here!" Natsu cheered.

Cana looked up and her eyes immediately widened as life returned to her. She couldn't believe who was standing in front of her. 'Dad?'

Standing in front of Cana with a look of anger on his face was Gildarts.