Ultimate Fairy
Chapter 63: Tenrou Island
Part II
…
Last time on Ultimate Fairy…
"Master." Ultear said not looking at his face knowing better "How are you after your procedure?" she asked as Hades had a minor surgery and it was to replace his only remaining human eye with that of the creature they had whom escaped last night.
"Wonderful." Hades said happily as Zs'Skayr's eye was simply marvelous "And you added the corrodium to the battery correct?" he asked her as she was not only his second in command but his top scientist, her magic knowledge was second only to his own, he had her add corrodium to the engine that not only fueled the ship but him as well.
"Yes, master." Ultear said to him wondering how high his level of power was now with the additions she made 'And what power does he wield now?' she couldn't help but ask as she felt nauseous being near it for so long and the men she had to assist her were worse off having less magical power than herself.
Hades felt it in his very bones, this eye opened doors to powers he never dared dream of, the one true magic was in his grasp, but he knew there was more and he knew the answers lay not with mana, monsters, or crystals, but with Ben Tennyson.
…
Hex watched the island from a distance, smiling vindictively "All the pieces are in play and all of them will fall and die." he said to himself as the Council was sending most of their advanced forces none of the wizard saints amongst them, Grimore Heart had an army and their own key players, Fairy Tail would not leave and given how the Council acted with them and how Lahar was leading this unit, he knew from the articles he'd create an incident 'Politians.' he thought to himself as they were useful to a point, but still irritating 'And the wild card.' he thought as Zs'Skayr-Wendy was on no one's side as Zs'Skayr was going to kill Ben and Hades for their crimes against him, the Council and Fairy Tail would just be his enemies or rather he'd kill them to sate his own bloodlust 'No matter what though they'll die painfully, I shall finally be free of the nuisance Ben Tennyson.' he thought finding absolute joy in the fact that he'd die from someone he loved.
…
Mirajane Strauss was in shock from what she heard from the master as her mind ran a million miles a minute, but it all ended up at the same place 'That day.' she thought clutching her shoulders in fear, terror, and absolute horror.
Erza was not in a better state either, thinking that something like that day could so easily repeat could happen now and to Wendy of all people was gut-wrenching as if the world was playing some cruel joke on them.
Makarov saw the looks on their faces knowing to expect this as it affected them both for varying and numerous reasons "Mira." he said bringing the Take Over mage out of her mental shock "I need you to subdue Wendy." he said as Mira was possibly the only person that could "You run the least risk should you defeat Zs'Skayr and he tries to possess you." he said seeing Mira's potential first hand, she would not be beaten in a battle of souls.
"Master I-I believe I should also go." Erza said as she couldn't abandon Wendy in her time of need, she held the little one close to her heart and if that weren't enough, she was Ben's daughter, if something happened to her, she feared the worst for him "I've fought this monster and some of my armors may be able to wound him." she said as from what she remembered of the memory of him she had fought.
Makarov took in a deep breath "No." he said to her seeing the shock "And do not disobey Erza, Grimoire Heart is on its way here, we need to be united not scattered." he said seeing her clutch her gloved hand so tightly that both he and Mira could hear the metal creaking from the strain.
"Erza." Mira said getting her rival's attention "I swear to you, on my life, that I will save Wendy and crush this ghost's soul." she said as she knew what it felt like to be powerless in this exact situation, she wouldn't wish it upon anyone, especially her own rival and would do everything in her power to make sure Erza never felt the pain she held onto for years.
Erza sadly nodded seeing Mira abandon her dress for more combat attire and seeing her lose all traces of her 'nice' persona, she didn't seem as cocky as she was in her youth, but her face held a deadly seriousness Erza herself usually had.
"Be safe my child and if you find Ben, send him to the S-class camp location, we are running out of time." Makarov said to her.
Mira nodded "What about Ben, are we telling him?" she asked as she didn't know what the right answer was and she was biased as she would hate and feel betrayed if someone knew this was happening to her family.
"I shall tell him, it is my duty as master to break this news to him." Makarov said to her seeing her nod as she got her answer.
Erza sadly left for the S-class camp for once dreading Ben coming to her as she felt like a failure not being out there with Mira or being able to assist in helping Wendy be liberated.
…
"Have you lost your minds!" Pantherlily said loudly almost roaring at Gray and Carla.
Gray sighed as he was expecting this "Listen Lily we don't have a lot of time we're on a bit of a deadline ok." he said as that was a literal understatement "Listen ok I know my judgment isn't the most trusted." he said as while the Daphne thing was considered swept under the rug, it was still hard for a lot of people to accept what had happened "But listen to what I have to say, if we don't do this Ben will die." he said as Paradox said Carla's vision was accurate and that how that event unfolded could always change, he said that Ben could die or that he could be wounded, that was sadly all he said and sadly that was all he needed.
Pantherlily saw the seriousness in both of them and decided to hear them out "How is Ben going to die?" he asked them wondering about the specifics.
"We're not sure." Carla said seeing him give her a look that screamed a combination of annoyance, disbelief, and anger "My visions don't show specifics, I saw Wendy holding onto Ben's jacket that was covered in blood and he wasn't there!" she said as she understood his annoyance, but she was also afraid and angry this could happen.
"We know how this sounds ok." Gray said as at best it sounded nuts "But you know Carla can see the future alright and we know we have the opportunity to save Ben, wouldn't you take it too despite not knowing everything?" he asked the manly cat.
Pantherlily truly hated the future-seeing ability, he truly wished he never knew it existed with how little it gave "Alright!" he said angrily "If Ben and Wendy are at the center of it all-" he was saying as he paused looking at them wanting confirmation as he soon got nods "-we need to find both or either of them to stop or change this event to our favor." he said to them getting nods.
"So where is Wendy, your her partner?" Carla asked him curiously.
Pantherlily seemed to gain a few gray hairs in that question alone.
"She's gone cat." Gajeel said to them appearing from behind some trees "This island is going to become a warzone follow me." he said to them.
"Gone, what do you mean gone!?" Carla said demanding to know.
"The situation with Zeref is that dire?" Pantherlily asked him seeing the shock in Gray and Carla.
Gajeel sighed "Let's walk and talk." he said to them as they began walking "Zeref is on this island, Grimoire Heart from the Balam alliance is coming here, and Wendy got possessed by some jackass named 'Zs'Skayr'." he said the name mockingly.
Gray froze hearing that name 'Is that why Wendy's in the vision, is she?' he thought wondering if Wendy was the deciding factor in if Ben lived or died.
"So we're facing a battle on many fronts, Grimoire Heart, Zeref, and…Wendy." Pantherlily said sadly as he had done many things he was not proud of, but to battle a child, even in these horrifying situations weighed heavily on his soul, even more so as Wendy was someone his prince cared for from what Ben had told them in some passing conversations they had.
"Does Ben know?" Gray asked as he had a feeling if Ben knew, there would be much of the island either missing or possibly on fire.
Gajeel abruptly stopped "No." he said his voice carrying much less attitude than it normally did "I was looking for him when I found you three, speaking of what are you two doing here?" he asked them wondering why they were here, to begin with.
"I had a vision, about Ben's possible death." Carla said seeing Gajeel freeze and harden much like his element and saw a dark gleam in his crimson eyes.
"Tell me, everything." Gajeel said as this was much worse than he thought 'Ben can't die.' he thought never thinking such a thing was possible 'But he is vulnerable.' he thought thinking of Wendy's current state and Ben not knowing she was possessed made him vulnerable.
…
"So any ideas what the final part of the test could be?" Rex asked Lucy as they had zero gain in this test and Cana was keeping her distance from Ben "I mean there was physical and then the mental." he said as he wondered what the third part would be.
Lucy thought on that for a moment "Could be…soul?" she said seeing Rex looked curious "I meant like the old saying 'mind, body, and soul'." she said as she saw he got what she was saying.
"How do you test someone's soul?" Rex asked as he got testing someone's character, but he didn't see how that was possible.
"I personally think it all comes down to a choice." a voice said surprising everyone as they all knew whom it belonged to.
"Gildarts." Cana said in a small whisper seeing the former Ace come into view.
Gildarts smiled at who had arrived "Should've taken bets." he said seeing the two teams that arrived "Congratulations on being the finalists." he said to them as it took time for this part to end.
"So who'd you nominate?" Ben asked curiously wondering if he nominated him for the test.
"I nominated Natsu and Cana." Gildarts said to him not seeing Cana's surprise "I knew you'd be picked out so I decided to pick the guilds more potential talent." he said as Ben earned his place and knew that Ben was being given S-class status.
"You nominated Cana?" Lucy asked as that was a bit shocking given what she knew 'It's no surprise about Natsu, but Cana too?' she thought in surprise as she heard how close this man was to Natsu treating him like his own flesh and blood, was incredible to know he did that to his actual flesh and blood without knowing she was his.
Gildarts merely nodded "I always appreciated both power and skill, Natsu's one of the strongest of his generation and Cana has much adaptability and skill with her magic." he said to her.
Cana blushed and felt a swell of pride fill her chest, happy that he was acknowledging her 'Has he, been nominating me for S-class?' she thought in wonder as despite the years he had been gone she had still been picked.
"Well we should wait here, odd the master isn't here yet." Gildarts said as the master usually beat people here 'Maybe he's being followed.' he thought remembering someone who did that one year "Well I guess it's time for you to be educated on our founding on this soil." he said with a smile seeing the looks of interest he was getting.
Ben wasn't sure why, but he thought he heard giggling nearby as Gildarts told the story of Mavis Vermillion.
…
"I was beginning to wonder when you'd show your face grandmother." Zs'Skayr-Wendy said with a smile seeing Verdona in all her anodite glory "Careful, you'll kill the island before I get a chance to." she said seeing much of the life from the nearby plants around Verdona was gone.
"I want you to know, you are going to suffer, the minute you are free from my great-granddaughter, is the minute your life becomes endless torture, I will make you regret ever escaping from the Omnitrix, for hurting my grandson, I will make your blood boil till you are wishing for the one and true death your species can attain!" Verdona said glowing even brighter than normal.
Zs'Skayr would've been frightened, but he had the ultimate shield "Keep your threats anodite, because I have a host that can manipulate and absorb mana, Wendy Tennyson no longer exists, I am all the remains, and when I kill Ben with his own daughter's hands, I'll tell him about our chat before I rip out his still being heart and see the life fade away from his eyes." Zs'Skayr-Wendy said tauntingly painting as descriptive a picture as he could for her.
Verdona clenched her fists as her family was being threatened in a myriad of ways "Ben will save you Wendy and no matter what happens he loves you." she said to Wendy seeing some specks of Wendy appearing in the specks of her eyes.
"That's what I'm counting on hag." Zs'Skayr-Wendy said to her changing Wendy's body back to normal "And when he thinks it was all her, thinking his own daughter whom he loves as his own flesh and blood kills him, this girl's soul will all but fade away and be broken and shattered like glass." she said as she laughed using Wendy's voice and everything.
Verdona sighed as her great-granddaughter passed her 'You are strong Wendy.' she thought knowing this ghost had invaded many bodies, no one had ever truly escaped unscathed 'Ben I want you to hear me, I want you to fight for your daughter, fight like the man I know you to be.' she thought silently praying to Ben 'Max how I wish you were here.' she thought knowing Max would do better than she ever could in her position.
"Wendy Tennyson can be saved Mrs. Tennyson." a voice said catching the woman's attention as she realized someone else was there.
…
"Can I ask why we're all here?" Evergreen asked as she was wondering why the test was called off as Natsu found them and brought them back here "This is beyond unfair why end the exams now of all times after all the fights and-" she was saying till a throwing knife dashed past her face and everyone nearby looked at Erza seeing she seemed very stressed.
"I want you, to shut your damn mouth." Erza said her aura very visible "We are in a state of emergency and you are not a nominee so no matter what, you are not affected, so stop talking or I will make sure you can never speak again." she said her very presence said she was not to be trifled with.
Everyone went silent hearing her threat thinking she was serious.
"What the hell did I just walk in on." Gajeel said arriving with Carla and Pantherlily "Also we have a problem." he said to Erza "And it's not about Wendy." he said to her assuming she was in the know as he could practically smell her nervousness "Turns out frost nuts is on his own little redemption mission." he said as he couldn't handle crazy and Gray ran off when he found out about Wendy.
"Gajeel tell her the rest." Pantherlily said to him as this was not the time for everyone to be kept in the dark especially when war was going to happen.
Gajeel sighed as his partner twisted his arm "Ben apparently has a death prophecy." he said to them seeing their shock.
Erza felt everything shut down hearing that as all she could hear was a ringing in her ear when the words Ben and death were used together.
"Death prophecy?" Juvia asked as that sounded awful.
"Ben is going to die." Gajeel said not beating around a bush "Let me be clear you morons, we are going to save him." he said sternly "Ben has helped ALL of our asses, he's our friend and helped us more than anyone ever has so I don't care how much it hurts us, we are saving him no debate." he said as everyone nodded, he turned to Erza and blew on his hand and slapped her across the face "Listen mid-life crisis when we save Ben!" he said everyone looking at him like he was insane for slapping the strongest woman in the guild.
Erza reeled back from the slap and took a deep breath and nodded "Wendy is-has been Taken Over." she said seeing Elfman stiffen given his history "By one of Ben's oldest enemies, we haven't found Ben or Wendy, and Mira is searching for her and we have less than a half hour when Grimoire Heart arrives, we're missing Natsu, Happy, Ben, Lucy, Rex, Cana, and Gildarts." she said as Natsu and Happy knew they were here, but had yet to return "This is our home, our sacred land, we will not have it taken away or lose it to the enemy our we will not disgrace years of memory of our past guild mates, we are Fairy Tail and this is our home." she said to them "And we are going to war now ready yourselves." she said to them.
…
"You have that look on your face." Doranbolt said to Lahar sitting above deck with his friend.
Lahar looked at him and let out a small chuckle "We're in a political nightmare further instigating a guild whom we have lost political standing with, have been outsmarted by a man with a spotless record, and all our attempts so far to show Fiore our current power and status have gone in vain." he said to him.
Doranbolt had to admit he made a point as Lahar was bringing in many of the lesser dark guilds some in the mid-tier of the balam alliance and while that showed results Fairy Tail's record and case points had reached the king and Sorcerer Weekly and everything had been made public.
"Let me ask you something, what would happen if we worked with Fairy Tail, to take down Grimoire Heart?" Lahar asked him wondering what would happen if he stopped fighting against them.
Doranbolt looked at him "On paper it looks good, but the council wouldn't have it even with the king breathing down their necks for wasting time with the pissing contest they were having with this guild." he said as the Council had assigned him to search the island and they were supposed to commandeer it, despite the guild legally owning the island as it had for years through the official channels and even kept to date with the records which were impressive given the island was so far from Fiore and still considered its land.
Lahar had to admit, it was a political nightmare as it was self-sabotage as the Council would probably use them as scapegoats and if not them some other poor soul to cover their tracks, he was starting to see Ben's point of view from their earlier confrontations, he always assumed he was doing the right thing restoring order, but he saw the Council was sinking if they kept trying to go after this guild who basically had a very clean record 'Even if we did find something, it would be pointless.' he thought as it would be seen as a frame job and in his opinion that would be how it'd be seen to everyone even if it was the truth.
"There's the shore." Doranbolt said to him pointing to the island.
Lahar saw it and sighed knowing today was going to be a hard one, he looked to the spot Doranbolt was and saw he had vanished 'Never stays in one place long.' he thought with a chuckle.
…
'You're right Lahar, there are many things at play.' Doranbolt thought teleporting through the island stopping before a familiar short man.
"Hello, Mest." Makarov said to his guild spy amongst the council.
"We have issues and possible solutions." Doranbolt said to him and informed him of what was going to happen "I scouted ahead and Grimoire Heart is nearby a few minutes out, this place is going to be a blood bath." he said as Grimoire Heart had burned towns too the very ground to demonstrate their power.
"More than you could possibly know my child." Makarov said to him with a sad sigh "Send your rune knights to handle the foot soldiers, Grimoire Heart's main members will be taken care of by us." he said knowing that without any Wizard Saints, the knights they sent would've been slaughtered.
"Yeah." Doranbolt said as that was how it looked "I'd have Ben at the ready to handle the Council if they pull anything." he said getting a nod "Should we erase my memories again?" he asked as he had been Mest and not Doranbolt for a while.
"Not in a situation like this." Makarov said as there were too many unknowns for his liking and it was better to have Mest know everything instead of knowing only one side of his two lives "Also I have another task for you." he said to Mest getting a raised eyebrow.
…
"You do realize I have the same senses as you, don't you Natsu?" Zs'Skayr-Wendy asked many memories of him being an idiot "Why are you here Natsu, and look it's your whimpy sidekick." she said sending Happy a look seeing his hair stand on end "What's the matter Happy, you scared, I can poison you, burn you worse than Natsu ever could." she said sounding like she was trying to make his fear much worse.
Natsu growled, but seeing Wendy's face he was unable to think of any threats or think of things he'd do as he couldn't think of how he could harm Wendy.
"You wanna save me some time Natsu?" Zs'Skayr-Wendy asked him with a smile "Tell me where Ben is so I can rip out his spine." she said with a smile.
"And here I thought you light guilds were so much better than us." a man said letting out a maniacal laugh.
Natsu, Happy, and Zs'Skayr-Wendy looked to see a blonde in monk-like robes.
"Zancrow." Zs'Skayr-Wendy said in annoyance "How are you speck, the tables have changed now haven't they." she said with a smile.
"Do I know-!?" Zancrow was saying before he tensed up when he saw the little girl's eyes flash at him in a purple light "So you did make it here." he said with a chuckle now knowing WHO this was.
"Laugh boy, keep using those lungs while you can because I'm going to rip them out of your damn chest." Zs'Skayr-Wendy said as she regained her more ghostly features keeping them off merely to catch Ben off guard, but Zancrow pissed her off as when Zs'Skayr was in his ghostly form Zancrow messed with the light that kept him prisoner making it brighter to increase his burning.
Natsu was at an impasse as Zancrow was the enemy and this could be his chance to subdue Wendy, but if he helped Zs'Skayr-Wendy he was positive, there would be carnage and he didn't want Wendy to stain her hands with blood.
"Well I intended for Ben to be my first kill, but killing the blight that is your life will be pleasurable as well." Zs'Skayr-Wendy said as mist started to appear around her person.
Both Natsu and Zancrow backed away smelling something foul and their concerns were well founded when they saw the mist touch the ground and saw the grass fizzle and whither.
"The girl drank Cobra's poison and had been practicing, she's been referring to this form as the Miasma Dragon mode." Zs'Skayr-Wendy said seeing the look of recognition in Natsu's eyes.
"Let out all the gases you want I'll just burn them away, specter." Zancrow said cockily as he made black flames appear "You're up against a Fire God Slayer." he said as he saw Natsu's look of surprise "Yeah pinky there is more than one type of slayer out there and you're looking at the top of the food chain!" he said as his flames and .Zs'Skayr-Wendy's poison mist spread.
Natsu saw both his enemies were bringing their A-game 'Ben, I'm sorry.' he thought as he regrettably activated his Atomic Flame Dragon Mode as this was not a fight he could walk away from and do nothing as someone was gonna be hurt and possibly much worse.
The three-way battle soon began.
…
Lahar sighed feeling the ship hit the island's sand, his troops immediately dispatched the moment Doranbolt arrived back.
"I found many locations with search parties of Grimoire Heart, one of their top tier fighters is engaging in a battle with two of Fairy Tail's mages, it's Zancrow." Doranbolt said to him as Zancrow was the less subtle type of mage of the dark guild, he was insane and killed everyone he came into contact with his black flames, he was a true pyromaniac and had little regard for life, he was one of that guild's top members.
"Keep your distance and capture Zancrow upon his defeat." Lahar said knowing best not to underestimate Fairy Tail.
Doranbolt nodded as that seemed best, he heard one of the troops engage Grimoire Heart's foot soldiers and knew the war on this island had commenced.
…
Hades eyes while no longer human operated on an even wider range than humanly possible "Hmmm, Fairy Tail and the Magic Council." he said stroking his beard "I hate to use something untested, but you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs." he said as he knew many darkness spells and types of darkness magic, especially one that was used in Fairy Tail's most recent war.
…
Lahar oversaw the imprisonment of Grimoire Heart's troops, some began complaining about feeling sickly, others complained about hurting all over, but he soon heard some begin to scream in agony.
"Sir we have a problem!" a rune knight said running to him "Grimoire Heart's ship is going airborne and it's releasing some kind of cloud-!?" was all the soldier could say before Lahar ran past him.
'A cloud what could it be?' Lahar thought taking in his soldier's words and soon saw they were accurate as could be as it looked like the ship was creating its own storm cloud that was spreading across the island quickly.
…
The Fairy Tail team at the S-class camp had to scatter as they ran into a group of Grimoire Heart's troops and decided the war had begun and they all separated sticking with their partners.
Gajeel was with Levy tracking down Ben 'Where are you Tennyson!?' he thought angrily before he dropped to the ground and began choking 'What is this!?' he thought as he felt something flood his lungs.
"Gajeel!" Levy said as she grabbed his head and placed it on her lap.
Gajeel remembered this feeling and his eyes widened before turning purple "Corrodium!" he said loudly as his body changed into his Iron Nightmare Dragon Mode.
…
'This is bad.' Mira thought to herself smelling the air in her Cleo form 'My body forcibly changed.' she thought as whatever the enemy's ship was putting out was not safe for the human body 'My demon blood must've acted.' she thought as her body's unique demon biology allowed it to react to certain environments or acted on certain conditions to change her to a safe transformation to keep her alive and well.
…
"Are those shades?" Erza asked herself seeing the familiar specter's from when they attacked the guild in Phantom's attack on her guild.
Erza watched as the shades went to a downed unit of Grimoire Heart's soldiers she had just beaten and saw black shadows enter them and soon they all got up, but also heard the sound of bones cracking and saw each had taken a more monstrous appearance.
…
"I thought those cells were reinforced and the prisoners all wore magic restraints!" Lahar said to a nearby knight.
"We did sir we don't know how all of them activated their Take Over Magic!" the knight said unsure of how this was happening "We saw shades entering the ship and destroyed as many as we can one knight reported one of them entering a prisoner before they began to change." he said to him.
Lahar looked through the bars seeing the men, if they could still be called that looked like savage versions of themselves while some random part was changed 'These look familiar.' he thought as during his investigation of Ben Tennyson he had documented all transformations he had revealed to that point and some of these matched a few he remembered.
"Orders sir?" the knight asked him curiously.
"I am authorizing lethal force to prisoners should they display signs of possibly breaking out, lethal force is also permitted in their capturing." Lahar said as the Council expected casualties he would not deny that, but he didn't think he'd have to give the order 'What did they do to their men?' he couldn't help but think wondering if this was some kind of power play toward Ben Tennyson 'I have to report to the Council.' he thought to himself, dreading what the next order would be.
…
"My my my, I must say I expected better." Zs'Skayr-Wendy said as she saw the looks of exhaustion on both Natsu and Zancrow, she looked up to the sky "Well seems like Anubis told Hades far more than I thought." she said taking a big whiff of the air "Ah I love the smell of corrodium in the morning!" she said as she smiled.
'Is this the stuff Gajeel ate?' Natsu thought having seen his Iron Nightmare Dragon Mode, but this felt wrong on so many levels.
"Hope you had your fun ghost because the real fun starts now!" Zancrow said as his guild symbol on his chest glowed and a shade entered him from behind "You know I always hated being human, bottom of the food chain, but seeing Anubis and that damn dog of Tartarus, I get to move up in the world!" he said growling as he seemed to double in size and grew blonde fur, his clothes growing with him.
Natsu was reminded of when Ben's Omnitrix was acting up and he and the others got transformed and when Ben cast his spell as Laserscale to give them powers similar to that of his aliens, but this felt wrong and dark on so many levels.
"So the bastard took more than just my DNA huh." Zs'Skayr-Wendy said as she could hazard a guess what Hades did 'Those aren't shades.' she thought as she had seen them on the ship during her imprisonment, now knowing Hades must've been experimenting on them 'Ectonurite, Loban, and Thep Khufans.' she thought as any person Hades deemed worthy could now possess the powers of those races 'In weaker bodies they'd be drones, but stronger like him.' she thought looking at Zancrow admire his new form and looked at Wendy's body whom he was now possessing 'He may be a threat after all.' she thought needing to either kill Ben or kill Hades before things got out of hand.
"Now time to burn pinky!" Zancrow said as he hated Natsu most as he had a flame he couldn't consume and it was an insult to his magic that a dragon could possess a flame he a God Slayer couldn't eat
Natsu got ready for his next attack as while Zancrow couldn't eat his flames the same could be said of him eating his flames both were at an impasse, and the only thing that was slowing them down was the miasma Zs'Skayr-Wendy was letting out, Natsu was doing better having been poisoned by Cobra before and Zancrow had been visibly sweating, but still the fire mages were the only ones suffering 'Can I beat that thing?' he thought knowing Blitzwolfer was very capable in combat.
"Flame God Howl!" Zancrow said as his jaw split open and he let out sonic wave that had black flames around the rings.
'Morons.' Zs'Skayr-Wendy thought to herself walking away thinking the powers of the poison were enhanced given the Ectonurite part of her.
Natsu saw her walking away and glared angrily "Where do you think you're going!" he said gathering the flames in his hand "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Flame Lotus Nuclear Sword!" he said not aiming for Zancrow or Wendy, but the very ground.
Zancrow covered his eyes and howled painfully as his skin and fur burned from the heat of the blast wave.
Zs'Skayr-Wendy given her body's stature was sent flying not suffering the same fate and pain Zancrow had and at that moment she saw Natsu running to her and tackling her to the edge of the island.
"I'm gonna get Wendy back!" Natsu said holding her tight in free fall.
"I swear Tennyson finds the most idiotic of people!" Zs'Skayr-Wendy said as everyone near his most hated foe was agonizingly heroic "How will you save poor weak Wendy, she's gone!" she said to him.
"No, she's not!" Natsu said not believing that for a moment "Now feel this!" he said as his red flames turned into a gold color "A gift from Ben, enjoy a taste of holy magic!" he said as when Ben got a new flame as Beelzebash, he immediately wanted to taste it "And best part is, is that it won't hurt Wendy." he said placing his hand on Wendy's chest over he heart.
Zs'Skayr-Wendy screamed in agony as golden fire enveloped her.
…
"Dude, are you ok?" Rex said seeing Ben's face lose all his color as his Omnitrix blinked purple.
"We need to leave, now, right now!" Ben said getting up everyone was curious following his lead.
"Kid you alright, it looks like you've seen a…ghost." Gildarts said seeing the normally yellow lights shine a bright purple and saw a nearby hole in the cave, seeing black stormy-like clouds 'There were miles upon miles of blue skies, we've been here a little over an hour.' he thought as he saw purple lightning and he thought that was an odd color and one he hadn't seen in a place like this.
"Error low levels of Corrodium radiation enriching the air, levels non-lethal, caution advised as levels are slowly rising!" The Omnitrix said loudly.
"How screwed are we?" Rex asked him curiously as radiation in the air seemed like a bad thing to all of them.
"Very if it keeps rising." Ben said as if the radiation levels climbed up they all ran the risk of being transformed into monsters "Rex come here." he said as Rex came closer and Ben tapped his guild mark and it was now glowing a bright pink "You don't have magic, I turned your mark into a battery you'll be shielded for a while." he said as Rex had no magic to shield him so he was most vulnerable "Your magic should shield you to sorry can't give you all one, but I gave Rex half my power." he said as it sucked but he did what he had to.
"Thanks, man I promise not to waste it." Rex said as he knew Ben could do a lot with mana and it meant a lot he was giving half his power to him in order to protect him.
"You three stay together, me and Rex are better on our own." Ben said as he and Rex ran off.
"You have a plan?" Rex asked Ben curiously.
"Do we EVER have a plan?" Ben asked him with a chuckle as they made it out the cave and looked around them.
Both saw the ships to both Grimoire Heart and the Council ships, Grimoire Heart's ship making clouds in the sky and the Council ships had much commotion and they could see explosions from the distance.
"I'll help the Council we need all the help we can get, I think you're needed." Rex said pointing to a bright pink light in the sky.
"May take me some time." Ben said seeing monstrous soldiers approach them.
"You ever just hate it when you have to deal with mindless minions to get to the boss." Rex said making his smack hands.
"Pal-" Ben was saying as he dialed someone in and slammed it down "You have no idea." Rath said extending his claws.
…
"About time Makarov, I was getting bored." Verdona said seeing him appear nearby at the edge of one of the island's high points.
Hades saw the woman that seemed to be made of pure magic power "And you are?" he asked somehow sounding both polite and condescending.
Verdona smiled in a confident and arrogant manner "My name is Verdona Tennyson, grandmother to the young man who will be your worst nightmare." she said seeing his eyes ignite with recognition at her grandchild's name "You know him good, know the name of the man who will destroy EVERYTHING you built and hold dear, you'll just be another wannabe villain in the end." she said with a smile as she did keep track of Ben's more universal achievements as they reached her no matter where she was.
Makarov smiled at that "As confident as I am Mrs Tennyson, my child will not be facing this traitor, we will." he said knowing he had no power or control over this woman and if she was as powerful as he thought then he couldn't stop her.
Verdona sensed his unease, but he was wrong, they were at a disadvantage 'Well Ben time to show you where you got your wild side from' she thought with a smile "Let's have some fun!" she said shining brightly as her mana hair grew out.
Hades and Makarov did not know what to expect as they had never seen a being like Verdona, her hair grabbed Hades' joints.
"I was expecting something more than this." Hades said clearly disappointed as he expected something grand from a being such as her as she was pure power, something he was very envious about.
"Oh, I was not finished." Verdona said as she lost her joking personality and became serious, she swiped her hair to the side sending Hades off his ship and crashing him into the ground, and began blasting Hades "Do you know something Hades, it may seem girly, but I always loved flowers." she said to him offhandedly "They are miracles in their own way some able to grow in places that are desolate, some can heal and save, and some are just deadly." she said happily.
Hades was wondering why she was talking about plants as he was picking himself up as he saw purple flowers with yellowish-white insides blooming around him.
"You see ectonurites may be parasites that feed off the living, but they can't be killed by mana, not in the traditional sense at least." Verdona said as it sucked, but she could not do anything about it "So the moment I found out my grandson had an ectonurite enemy, well I found way to make it so I can cause them harm and eventually I found a way to kill them." she said as her flowers grew larger binding Hades.
"Ah!" Hades said seeing them grow long thorns and when he broke away snapping flowers.
"I don't use magic myself, but this island is full of it and it certainly speeds things up." Verdona said as she increased the pace of her flowers whipping speed.
Hades swiped his hand as if he was drawing a pattern and soon the flowers and vines turned a dark purple.
"My flowers aren't easy to kill even with your ectonurite eye." Verdona said in disdain as for any living being to do such a thing as put a part of such a diabolical into their own bodies "It hurts doesn't it, my mana touching your body?" she asked noticing something odd as her mana touched him "Ectonurites can absorb mana since they are dead, but your body can't replicate the process can it?" she asked rather smugly as she knew the eye gave him ectonurite abilities, but she didn't know how much, now she knew his limits.
"I may not be able to fight you head-on, but you signed your own defeat when you used plants." Hades said cockily as Verdona's flowers all began to wither away.
"My flowers." Verdona said in horror as they were made of pure mana, for them to die like this was impossible, and soon she saw her own mana form begin to fade.
"Did you really think I wasn't keeping tabs on Ben Tennyson." Hades said with a cocky grin "I had many watching Ben Tennyson, and when I heard about you I needed to prepare in advance, I'm still getting used to this eye, but I chose well when I decided to keep Azuma hidden in the shadows." he said to Verdona seeing her eyes widen at the prospect of another person being here "Azuma!" he called out as his mage came out from a nearby tree.
"Master." Azuma said panting as he felt every muscle in his body tingling.
Verdona transformed into her human form as while she didn't like it, it would shield her mana from being taken.
"Why is the Tenrou Tree still standing?" Hades asked Azuma as he bowed despite his shakiness.
"There was a barrier in place, my lord, I assumed it was her." Azuma said looking at Verdona as the barrier felt like her power.
"Guilty." Verdona said with a smile "I bet you little pet dog forgot to inform you about something, my grandson beat him and his plague." she said as she stole a trick of Ben's.
Hades glared at her "What have you done?" he asked angrily.
Verdona stood her ground "I can't heal like my granddaughter or great granddaughter." she said as she never took the time to learn healing, but knew enough to get by and handle simple wounds "So I got creative, I brought a heavy concentration of ethernano from the ocean here and vaporized the water surrounding the island and threw a good portion of my own mana into the mix as well." she said with a grin.
"So that's why no one is dead." Hades said to himself as he assumed the corrodium concentration he had would've killed off his enemies.
"Yep, I can't save your men, but I could save everyone else." Verdona said as it was an easy choice for her, because she knew it was what Ben would've done.
"She's no longer a threat I shall add her to the battery." Hades said as mana would be a good addition to his own power.
'Well I've certainly come full circle, I need to be saved once again by a Tennyson man from being a battery to some lifeless monster.' Verdona thought to herself "Hades there is one thing you forgot during our fight." she said seeing him look at her in confusion.
"And what pray tell would that be?" Hades asked before noticing a bright white light 'Makarov!' he thought to himself in realization.
"FAIRY LAW!" Makarov shouted in anger seeing his former mentor and master launch this attack on their sacred ground, willing to hurt their guild and his children.
Verdona smiled seeing Hades steam up and burn, she watched as the corrodium clouds vanish from sight, seeing the sun setting in the distance.
"What did you do!?" Hades asked feeling a great deal weaker and the burning he felt was intense.
"That eye is weak to light and so were those crystals, with Verdona's mana and my magic and the ethernano in the air, I destroyed most of your crystals your men may still be monsters, but everyone is safe." Makarov said as Hades being his former master made him think he knew how to defend against the three Fairy spells, but now he knew without a doubt one of his resources was weakened or out of play.
Hades glared still feeling his crystals, but many of them were gone "I won't lie my boy, it was nice to see you, but it is time to end this." he said as shadows began forming around all of them.
"Well this was fun, but Hades we'll be going now." Verdona said as she stood up and walked to Makarov.
Hades had enough of her dismissive attitude, he raised his finger and put it in a gun gesture "Die!" he said firing at her back.
Verdona sensed the magic coming at her but she was not worried especially when the blast made impact with something else blocking it from hitting her "I swear you got my personality, but you are just like Max through and through." she said as she turned around seeing a white giant with glowing green lights "Glad you could make it Ben." she said truly glad her grandson arrived when he did despite knowing he was coming.
"Sorry for the wait grandma." Atomix said politely "So you're the vile foe that attacked my family." he said looking at Hades "I believe it's time we exchanged blows good sir, but first." he said raising his hand at Hades making glow green and just as he was about to fire he changed the direction of his hand and shot Azuma "Go grandma, take Makarov with you, he still has some magic left." he said as he saw Makarov's state and while the old man looked tired he was not out.
Verdona nodded as both needed to regain strength.
"Ben." Makarov said as Atomix looked to Hades and then to him "He hurt Wendy and now she is now in danger." he said as that was both a truth and a lie, but it was because of him Wendy was now in her current situation.
Verdona saw Atomix's light get even brighter 'Crafty bastard.' she thought as this was a smart play, the angrier Ben was the more serious he fought, she would never tell Ben like this, but did understand why Makarov felt the need to do this.
"I will ask this one time, what happened to my daughter?" Atomix asked his question to Hades wanting to hear it straight from the bastard's mouth, he got enraged seeing the bastard actually smile at him.
"Ah Ben Tennyson, I've heard much about you and the Omnitrix." Hades said seeing Atomix glare at him even more "Yes Ben, Zs'Skayr told me much about you and your toy, but don't worry he suffered appropriately." he said tapping under his newly acquired eye seeing the surprise as Atomix recognized it as Zs'Skayr's
Atomix looked at him and vanished as he was now suddenly infrount of Hades and gave him a upper cut to his jaw as he was sent flaying towards the sky but Hades was peapared for it as he had his cronies up his body with weird things given to him by Zs'Skyr to help him deal with Ben's power and he was right to use it now..
Atomix felt concerned now even more than before "You didn't answer my question, where…is…my…DAUGHTER!?" he said angrily.
Hades' face didn't seem to change "Given her age, I believe she should be dead." he said nonchalantly.
Verdona had to restrain most instincts she had and settled on delight knowing Hades had signed his own death warrant with that statement.
"Ben, Wendy is alive he's trying to get to you!" Makarov said as an angry Ben was one thing, but tormenting him about his daughter's life would've made him act without thinking
"Yes Ben, it's not like you let others die being near them, wait I'm sorry I forgot about Julie, a girl with dreams and a bright future who just wanted to support you while you played the hero" Hades said as Atomix looked at him with anger and sadness.
"Shut up you don't know a thing about her!" Atomix said in anger as he rushed in at him with full force making the Omnixtix glow in response to his anger his whole body glowed with green as his fist was generating a glow.
"No?" Hades said to him "You have abandoned people before have you not, you let your own grandfather Kamikaze himself didn't you, Gwen almost died for you, I mean how many people will die because of you." he said to him calmly.
Verdona was furious as she wanted to see it, this bastard had the gall to throw Max's presumed death from a few years ago in her grandson's face and dared to try and put something similar that happened to Gwen on him.
"Tell me Ben how many more have to die for you till you get stronger!?" Hades asked as his hands was full of dark flames
That was the final straw mentioning his deceased girlfriend's name after he talked about Wendy being dead and threw in some of his past failures as well.
"Ok, that is enough!" Atomix said as he charged at Hades and slammed his fist into Hades' face "You talk about my family the lives of people I care about as if they were meaningless and all with that damn smile on your face!?" he said furiously "I'm gonna make you pay for this, do you understand me, well SAY SOMETHING!" he said smashing his face into the ground repeatedly.
Everyone fell silent as Hades laughed.
"You certainly don't fail to disappoint me, Benjamin, that anger you would have done well in my care." Hades said with a smile as he grabbed Atomix's fist and held him in place "I know your limits, this form battled Jellal if I'm not mistaken." he said as he did more than just keep tabs he had Ben's forms cataloged "There was one more thing Zs'Skayr told me while he was on my ship." he said using his free hand keeping it flat and stabbed the Omnitrix dial making it flash forcing Atomix to change back to Ben.
Ben was surprised that Hades changed him back "You know how to change me back." he said as that was a major issue but he refused to back down as he quickly tried to change into another form but Hades was quicker and grabbed his hand holding it in place.
"So much power from such a small device." Hades said admiring the device on Ben's wrist.
"Yeah a little temperamental, but it has its moments." Ben said to him taking a breath "Omnitrix emergency transformation activation, voice command password 0000." he said loudly and quickly.
"Accepted." the Omnitrix said flashing green the light covering Ben.
"Humungousaur!" Humungousaur shouted before slamming the Omnitrix dial and grew and gained more armor "Ultimate Humungousaur!" he said arming himself and transforming his hands into their gun-cannon-like state "Let's see if you can touch it while dodging these!" he said as he fired missiles directly at Hades.
"Impressive firearms, let us see how you like mine!" Hades said firing from his fingers aiming for Ultimate Humungousaur canons.
Ultimate Humungousaur was pushed back as one of his missiles blew up as it was fired from his barrel.
…
Grandeeny lay in the dead field around a single blue flower, the only flower in the endless field that still contained life "Wendy." she said knowing it was risky to contact her granddaughter, but this risk needed to be taken "Listen to me, you are stronger than this vile creature, you have trained and fought harder than anyone and have survived, this will not be what ends you, you are not allowed to die, so please my sweet girl, don't give up." she said and smiled seeing a few flowers regain life and turned blue.
…
Wendy was tired, she felt as if she was choking on polluted air, she heard many things voices, but mostly she heard her own, but it annoyed her as she knew it was him, she opened her eyes seeing endless purple and smiled seeing an agonizing spirit seemingly smoking "I'm gonna eject you and the minute I see you outside my body I hope you fry." she said as she smiled as she knew there was a list of people that wanted a piece of him.
Zs'Skayr glared at her furiously as his 'body' was in extreme pain "You think you can overpower me, I am strongest amongst my species, I will not be beaten by a child!" he said angrily.
Wendy took the opportunity and spat right in his eye "You lost to my dad when he was ten, and I fully intend to beat you to." she said seemingly stronger than before "You feel it too, your hold is slipping, Natsu fried your ghostly butt." she said as Natsu really got him with his last attack.
Zs'Skayr glared at her as he could not refute her claim.
"When my dad beats you, I'll enjoy watching you fry." Wendy said to him trying to regain and build up her strength.
…
'There she is.' Mira thought seeing Wendy on the ground seeing her in her human state 'But who's in control.' she thought as it was hard to tell with Take Over's as it was always some form of fusion between the forms, but it the stronger soul's physical characteristics always stood out, but Wendy looked perfectly normal and this was a non magical Take Over, uncharted territory for her.
Mira spotted Natsu and he looked to be unconcious and seemed to have a few burns on him 'What happened?' she thought as this seemed very impossible situation 'Focus on Wendy.' she thought as that was why she was here, she went over to Wendy examining her physical form, she opened her eyes seeing they were black and purple and upon closer inspection she saw purple streaks in her hair 'This thing is still in her.' she thought to herself as she placed her hand onto Wendy's chest making a magical circle appear under her.
"Mira?" Natsu said as he had awoken.
"There you are." Mira said seeing him wake up.
Natsu stuggled to get up and made it over to her "What are you doing?" he asked her wondering what was happening.
"My magic circle is keeping the soul in Wendy contained, it might try to leave if it ejects from her, but I am trying to empower Wendy's soul try to shift the power of control inside her body." Mira said to him.
"You can do that?" Natsu asked knowing a great deal about Take Over through Lisanna and never heard Lisanna describe anything like that.
"After Elfman was Taken Over and recently Macao and that Vulcan, I tried to develop a way to change the rules a bit." Mira said as with this method she could help overpower the spirit and free the host body.
Natsu watched carefully seeing Wendy's body changing erratically.
'Ben fought this thing?' Mira thought as it was impressive how strong it was with her and Wendy fighting it together and Natsu weakening it and it still resisted her.
Natsu felt something odd hit his nose 'Pollen?' he thought to himself looking nearby and smelling a heavy amount coming out of all the plants around them, but he also got the scent of wet fur nearby.
Mira felt a little on edge 'Is this mana?' she thought wondering if it was coming off Wendy as when she first felt it from Ben and Wendy it frightened her demonic blood, but eventually it became accustomed to Ben and Wendy's, but this felt different.
Both were on guard not sure what to expect and were unaware of the hidden eyes in the shadows
…
"I have to ask how long does it take your powers to recharge?" Makarov asked Verdona as they walked.
"It takes some time with all I have done." Verdona said as while she has done great feats rivaling that of celestialsapiens, it did take her time to recharge, and given the amount of mana she let on this island to protect everyone in various ways she would need a good amount of time.
"I can't thank you enough." Makarov said to her as she protected the Tenrou tree without it, his children would've been weakened as if the tree had been damaged it would've siphoned power from them all in order to heal itself "How did you know how to protect it?" he asked her curiously.
"I told her." a short blonde woman with long hair said to him.
"It's about time brat." Verdona said to her as Mavis encountered her after Zs'Skayr-Wendy left her and told her what she could do to keep everyone safe "My grandchildren are in the fire Mavis and Paradox is playing his annoying game of watching and not acting till he's needed." she said to the small child-like woman.
"We're putting our best foot forward Verdona." Mavis said to her "The rune knights are taking care of Grimoire Heart's foot soldiers allowing our members to handle the more serious members, we have effectively taken care of the corrodium keeping it from affecting and poisoning our members and weakening Precht's battery." she said to her.
"And why couldn't I destroy the battery myself?" Verdona asked as she hated playing the long game.
"That much power running through it with all the other elements, if you attacked it the explosion and possible poisoning of the air, everyone would die." Mavis said as it was a better play to weaken it rather than destroy it and possibly kill them all.
Verdona hated to admit it, but she had a point she imagined a nuke going off and given the ship was virtually over the island her estimates were spot on.
"Ben shall keep Precht busy." Mavis said as all of them heard massive explosions "We should find Natsu and Wendy they are close by along with Mira we can take Zs'Skayr out." she said seeing Verdona beamed at that suggestion.
Makarov was eager as well if Mira couldn't free Wendy he liked his and Verdona's odds.
Verdona lost her smile hearing an even louder explosion "Will Ben be alright?" she asked as Ben would be running on fumes if he kept trading blows with Hades.
"Fear not Verdona." Paradox said appearing before them "Hello dear Mavis how have you been?" he said waving to the spiritual woman "Do not worry Verdona I have already moved Ben, things are right on track." he said taking out his pocket watch.
"I fucking hate time travel." Verdona said as Paradox always spoke the truth, but WHEN he did it was the true question as she could still hear Ben fighting in the distance, so it meant he had yet to do it, but already had.
"Many do Verdona, now I must be off a naked ice mage is in desperate need of clothing." Paradox said to them before he disappeared.
Makarov let out a sigh knowing who he meant and continued to follow Mavis.
…
"So Paradox gave you this info?" Kevin asked Max as he informed him of what Paradox had said "Listen I like the guy, but he's a bit nutty on the best of days, how do we know he's legit?" he asked him curiously.
"Because Azmuth trusts him when the chips are down, he has actual information we can use, and to top it off he has never been wrong whenever I've dealt with him." Max said to him.
Kevin was reminded of the first time he met the doctor when he didn't know that time creature was his old assistant and when they fought Eon "Ok for a minute let's say this is legit, what's the game plan and how-" he said pausing not sure what to say "How will we find Ben?" he asked him wondering what state his best friend would be in.
"Paradox said I should have medical ready." Max said his voice wavering a bit.
Kevin hated this always wondering what state his friend was in, wondering how they'd find him, but to hear that he needed medical help upon finding him was hard and confirmed some of the more depressing thoughts.
"Listen when we find him, we will help him no matter what." Max said to him needing to keep himself grounded as he had one thing keeping him together, a purple flower that Paradox had left, and if it meant what he thought Ben was in safe hands with someone he trusted with his life.
"And why aren't we telling Gwen, she is the only one who could heal him." Kevin said as he and Ben trusted her with their lives.
"I take grave offense to that Mr Levin." Azmuth said appearing in the room with Eunice in tow "My medical team is here ready to treat Ben upon arrival as apparently someone thought I needed help." he said looking at Eunice who smiled nervously.
"I didn't send them sir, I just informed Myaxx of possible harm to Ben and asked for any available staff, our current patients were low and we only took the excess staff." Eunice said as she wanted to be ready for anything and Myaxx being one of the few friends she had given they both answered to Azmuth was happy to assist as she had a great deal of respect for Ben given he annoyed Azmuth to no apparent end.
Azmuth sighed as the group commandeered a medical ship, he knew he was outnumbered as these people loved Ben and would risk everything to help him as Ben would've done the same without question "How much time?" he asked as Paradox gave Max an exact frame of time, which was rare given the time traveler's nature.
"12 hours." Max said feeling his age catch up with him as each minute felt longer than anything.
"Before you ask I have fully upgraded the med bay and upgraded the plumber ships scanners if Ben is going to be when and where Paradox said, they will find him." Azmuth said as that was how he kept busy waiting for Ben.
"Just so we're all clear, Gwen is gonna murder all of us when she finds out we knew about this." Kevin said as they didn't tell Gwen as she had been stressing over finding Ben, but to give hope and have it taken away was not something any of them could do to her.
Author's Note-Hi everyone hope the chapter was good, been trying to improve STILL looking for a beta-reader/co-author and I really needed help with the fight scenes, I tried to make the playing field as even as possible and everything is up to chance now, I am trying to improve I read the reviews and take each one as a sign to improve, hope you all liked what's happening with Wendy, I fully intend on making Zs'Skayr work for his control, with all the power players weakened Fairy Tail is gonna be in the fight of their lives now especially with Hades empowering his forces with the powers of monster aliens, hope I laid out some good groundwork.