AN: Hello all, it's been a while hasn't it, again.
Well all I can say to that is that I've been busy, again. That, and this chapter was long, and very annoying to write.
But it's done, and although it's not perfect. Even now I'm still not completely happy with it. I have hit all the points I wanted to cover, and have tied up some of the loose ends, and have managed to get it all out in a single chapter that will tie up this arc nicely. That said, in the future I might go back and tweak a few things, some maybe because of review I get. But the plot points will remain the same, as they are part of my plan.
That said, here is chapter 31, the last chapter of this Arc, I hope you all enjoy.
Please leave a review etc. If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to PM me, or if not join me on discord.
Speaking of which, I am a part of a discord group, there's tonnes of others there, plenty of writers, admittedly mainly PJO, but other stuff too. Feel free to pop along and say hi, I'm always happy to chat about the stuff I am writing. So if you fancy it please do to join by sticking this: discord .gg / ueJFynDNGG into discord, with no spaces, or using the link on my bio.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or Fairy Tail.
( - )
(Last Time)
Makarov, the Third Guild Master of Fairy Tail, was dead.
Gently closing Makarov's eyes, Percy soon closed his own eyes, his hold on Natsu strong as he allowed the pink haired dragon slayer to let it all out.
"Let the world honour you, my old friend," Percy muttered in ancient Greek, his eyes still closed as a single tear trickled down his cheek. "And if you find yourself alone, walking through fields of gold with the sun on your face, do not be troubled. For you are in Elysium. Be at peace, my old friend. I will see you again, but not yet… not yet."
( - )
Chapter 31
( - )
(With Percy)
Fury.
That was all Percy could feel flowing through him as he relentlessly stormed through Tenrou's thick, lush forests and towards the nearby coastline, his hands were clenched into fists, and his heart hammering away in his chest as he tried in vain to suppress his raging temper.
He wasn't being particularly successful in maintaining his composure, not in light of Makarov's demise.
The looming, thunderous dark clouds that had gathered overhead, the driving rain, and the occasional vicious crack and flash of lightning, aptly reflected his mood as he impatiently followed Natsu.
He had grieved for Makarov, and would likely do so again in the days to follow, but for right now he only felt anger, anger at the murderers that had invaded Fairy Tail's sacred island and violently struck down their Guild Master.
Fortunately, the pink haired Dragon Slayer in front of him had caught the scent of Makarov's killer like a bloodhound might trail the scent of blood, and he was following that stench all the way to this Master Hades' lair, leading Percy to his quarry.
Percy's mood darkened further at that thought, before they had left he had drained the water from several surrounding trees and had used the gathered liquid to entomb Makarov's body in a thick, dense layer of ice; protecting the remains from the island's wildlife and further decomposition.
Once this was all over, he would unfreeze him and give Fairy Tail's Third Master the send-off he deserved.
That would come later, though.
For now, though, all he could think of was vengeance and retribution.
Biting his lip at that thought, Percy noticed Natsu picking up the pace as they finally cleared the treeline and made it to the island's barren, rocky coastline.
"He's nearby," Natsu said, breaking the silence.
Glancing over at him, Percy could see that the Dragon Slayer's eyes were still bloodshot, and his composure still frayed and on the brink of collapsing.
"Good," Percy replied bluntly, forcing his concern for Natsu aside for the moment as he instead strode on ahead and made it to the edge of the sea cliff.
Less than four hundred metres away he could see a dark, forbidding, black airship sitting on the rocky beach.
The ship was large, easily capable of housing the hundred plus mages that had attacked the island, more than that it also sported Grimoire Heart's thorny red heart sigil prominently displayed on its side.
Narrowing his eyes as he saw dark robed and hooded figures patrolling the area around the ship and along the upper deck; Percy reached out and gripped Natsu's shoulder.
"Natsu," Percy said, his voice slightly more stilted than usual as he forced himself to remain calm instead of charging the airship right here and now. "You don't have to-"
"I'm coming," Natsu cut him off, his dark, bloodshot eyes flicking up to meet his gaze. "They killed gramps. I'm going to make them pay."
"It'll be dangerous, their Master, he was strong enough to defeat Makarov," Percy continued. He didn't want Natsu to rush off and get himself killed.
He could understand his anger, and understand his desire to inflict pain and vengeance on the killer.
But at the same time he had experience, he had seen what revenge and anger led to, and had seen how rage in battle could cloud a person's mind and cause them to make mistakes.
He had also seen the after effects, and the way their actions, actions which felt so justified and righteous at that moment, could then go on to weigh a person down in the future.
Revenge was a double edged sword, he knew that from personal experience.
At the same time, however, who he to deny Natsu the retribution he so clearly wanted.
"I don't care," Natsu shot back.
"Okay," Percy said after a moment. He could see the anger in Natsu's eyes. He could also see the stubbornness too. He would come with him no matter what. The only way he could stop him, would be to incapacitate him here and now; denying him the retribution he sought and robbing a grown man of the ability to choose his own fate, and make his own decisions. He couldn't do it. "Okay, fine. But follow my lead, and if I tell you to run, or to retreat, then you do it, understand?"
"No, I'm not going to-"
"I said do you fucking understand!" Percy snapped, cutting Natsu off with a raised hand. "That was not a request, Natsu."
Natsu scowled, his gaze boring into Percy's stoic, green eyes for a moment, before reluctantly he broke eye contact, and instead gave him a curt nod.
"Good," Percy said, turning away from the Dragon Slayer as he instead looked back over at the airship.
As he did so, he quickly noticed a pair of people had just boarded the ship. One of them was a dark haired woman in a tight one-piece, and the other was a dark haired boy wearing an archaic looking set of robes.
From just a glance, he could tell that they were not dressed like the other cannon fodder; which from prior experience could only mean that these two were likely both members of Grimoire Heart's elites, the Seven Kin of Purgatory.
That changed things slightly, as it now meant that they could be dealing with a powerful Guild Master that was able to defeat Makarov, Wizard Saint and one of the most powerful mages in Fiore, but also two other S-Class wizards.
A challenge certainly, and not one he was sure he could take alone, not without knowing what magic they each used.
Fortunately, he was not alone.
Call it anger, overconfidence or arrogance, but right now he didn't care about the odds.
Right now, he wanted some good old fashioned revenge.
"Now come on, let's go. We're going to hit them hard, and fast." Percy said, drawing his sword and giving it a few practice swings. "No mercy Natsu. This isn't some bullshit low tier mission. This is S-Class, these wizards will be fighting to kill. If you want to survive, then you will need to do the same. Fight with the intent kill, don't hold back, and don't let up until the fight is over. And remember above all Natsu; if I tell you to run, to retreat, to leave me, then I want you to fucking do it without a hint of hesitation!"
Natsu grimaced, but nodded, fire blazing to life around his clenched fists.
Seeing Natsu's resolve, Percy gave him a short nod and then turned back to the airship, only to see that a massive, glowing purple magical circle had formed beneath it, even as the airship rapidly started to rise into the air.
Scowling at the sight of them getting away, Percy started to run, Natsu following along behind him.
One way or another, someone was dying today.
( - )
(Elsewhere on Tenrou)
Stumbling through the forest, Gildarts Clive winced with every step he took as he left Bluenote Stinger's battered remains behind him, and instead limped through the tangled undergrowth and back in the direction of the camp.
His prosthetic leg and arm were both all but useless, Bluenote's gravity magic had done a real number on them by crumpling the metal plates and shattering the inner mechanism.
His prosthetic arm was now completely useless, he couldn't even move it an inch, and the hand and most of the forearm was completely gone, the shattered remains of it were scattered around the site of the fight, with some of them likely imbedded in Bluenote's abdomen from his last colossal blow to the powerful mage's chest, the blow that had almost folded the powerful wizard in half, and which had finally taken him out.
His leg, however, was thankfully in slightly better shape.
He couldn't bend it anymore, but it was at least locked at full extension, so he could still walk on it; even if he did now have a massively exaggerated limp.
Worse than the damage to his artificial limbs, however, was the pain.
The shock absorbers in his prosthetic leg had been destroyed, which meant that every step he took sent a sharp wave of pain shooting through his raw nerves.
This pain only added to the discomfort he was feeling from his broken ribs, bruised internal organs and broken nose.
He was alive though, the pain he was feeling was evidence enough of that.
Which was more than what could be said for Bluenote Stinger.
Grimacing at that thought, Gildarts continued his journey back to camp.
He did not enjoy killing.
In fact, he despised it, just like most Fairy Tail mages, and legal Guild wizards too for that matter, did.
Unfortunately, at times it was a necessity.
Magic, like Makarov always espoused, was a truly wonderful thing. It could be used to both create and achieve amazing and all but impossible things.
But it was also an incredibly dangerous art. It was unfortunately, in the end, just as deadly as it was wondrous.
For centuries, magic had been used for war and battle; spells and sometimes entire branches of magic had been created just for the singular purpose of killing. Magic was one of the most useful tools in the world for dealing out death. In fact, if anything, magical techniques and branches tended to develop at their fastest during times of unease and war.
He knew why too, after all, one only had to look at Percy, Makarov or himself.
Individually, each of them had enough power and skill to easily level an entire city and slaughter the entire populace that lived there with ease. They were walking, talking, weapons of mass destruction; so far above normal citizens in terms of power and deadliness, that it was absurd.
A single trained mage, even an incompetent one, was worth a hundred non-magic using soldiers in a fight.
It was a depressing thought really, the inequality and fear magic brought because of these immutable facts, but a realistic one too.
It was a realisation that every mage worth their salt had to learn about as they grew up and saw the world for what it really was, and because of this fact; and because of the willingness of some to abuse their magic, and use it to enslave, kill, torture and take advantage of others, it was also both necessary and at times legally acceptable for Guild wizards to use lethal force in exceptional circumstances, such as in self-defence, or in the defence of others.
It was a necessity at times, but a thoroughly unpleasant one; one that made him feel unclean.
Spitting out a wad of blood, Gildarts shook his head at that grim thought.
This was not the first time he had been forced to take a life; often times, S-Class mission's involved dangerous endeavours that occasionally ended in a death battle.
They were the kind of requests that involved pacifying or eliminating some of the more problematic and dangerous dark wizards and dark guilds in the kingdom. They also on occasion involved hunting and killing sentient magical beings that were causing trouble.
Some of the more outright extreme, S-Class missions, overtly stated that a particular individual or group needed taking out; they were essentially assassination requests. Fortunately, the Fairy Tail Guild didn't accept any requests of that ilk.
Even so, despite it almost being normalised for S-Class wizards, it never got any easier.
Sometimes, he honestly didn't know how wizards like Makarov and Perseus could keep going.
The two of them had lived through wars, and had been active S-Class wizards for decades, and maybe even centuries in Percy's case, and yet they never hung up their cloaks and gave up.
Instead, they were able to focus on all the good and wonder magic brought to the world, and ignore all the evil. They became bulwarks that stood against the darkness that writhed beneath the surface of their society, sheltering and protecting the younger and more idealistic members of the Guild for as long as they could.
It was admirable in a way.
He was different though, the sins he had been forced to commit in the name of peace and justice had long since started to weigh down on his conscience.
It was why he spent so much time away from the Guild.
He didn't want to corrupt the bright young wizards there with his cynicism and anguish.
It was why he drank and womanised; such vices gave him a brief respite from his own internal struggle, and allowed him to forget, even if only momentarily, the horrors he had seen and done.
Huffing out a loud wheeze, Gildarts held his remaining hand tight against his bloodied chest, as he continued to stagger forward.
He was beginning to get delirious from blood loss.
He never normally allowed himself to wallow in his recriminating thoughts and memories.
Shaking his head at that thought, Gildarts stumbled out of the tree line, only to find himself on another battlefield.
The ground was cratered and covered in rapidly melting frost.
Looking around, he could see slowly melting, rose brambles seemed to cover large portions of the surrounding foliage.
More than that, however, he could also smell the sweet, sickly stench of recently spilled blood.
Peeling his bloody hand away from his chest, Gildarts took another haggard breath, before thrust his palm forward and released a wave of 'Crash Magic' at the intricately formed ice sculptures blocking his path.
From a glance, he could tell that the constructs had been created by 'Ice Make Magic', and he knew of only one wizard that practiced that obscure branch of ice magic.
"Gray?" Gildarts called out in a raspy voice, as he reduced the ice to mist. "Where are you?"
There was no answer.
"Gray?" He shouted again, stumbling forwards as he looked around, only for his eyes to widen as they landed on the blood covered form of Gray Fullbuster, now revealed as the shattered remnants of the ice dispersed. "Ah shit."
Limping as quickly as he could over to the fallen body, Gildarts barely paused for a moment as he fell to his knees beside Gray's limp body and turned him over.
His chest and arms were covered in deep, vicious looking gashes and cuts, and his torso was liberally drenched in blood; but despite his gruesome injuries, he was still breathing.
Placing the fingers of his free hand against Gray's neck, he could feel a weak but steady pulse.
He was alive.
"You clever son of a bitch," Gildarts muttered as he looked closer at his wounds, only to see that they had all been frozen. Gray had somehow managed to clot his own wounds using ice before he passed out from blood loss. It was a temporary reprieve from death, but one that would hopefully allow him to cling onto life long enough for Gildarts to get him to help.
Nodding to himself at that thought, Gildarts groaned as he picked Gray's limp body up, slinging it over his bruised shoulder, even as he continued his journey back to the base camp, only this time he was moving as fast as his damaged leg would allow him too.
Magic was both a great and terrible thing, and was just as capable of destroying life as it was of preserving it.
"Just hold on, Gray, I will get us some help as fast as I can." Gildarts muttered, as he hurried back to camp.
He wouldn't allow another person to die today, especially not one of his own.
( - )
(With Ultear)
Stumbling up the gangplank and onto the airship, Ultear held Zeref's limp form close to her as she shoved her way past some of the grunts that moved to intercept her.
She had done it.
She both had avenged her mother's death, and claimed Zeref, all in a single act.
Victory was almost hers.
Sure, she had missed out on her secondary objective, but that no longer mattered.
She had recovered Zeref, sealed though he was, and now she was back at the airship, they could leave this wretched island and her plan, her goal, would finally come to fruition.
Dragging the unconscious Black Wizard along behind her, Ultear ignored the shaking of the airship as she felt it take off, as she instead quickly headed for the airship's main chamber. She could already sense the intense pressure of Master Hades's magic residing in the chamber, impatiently waiting for her to report to him.
"Master," Ultear shouted as she burst into the chamber, ignoring the skull motifs on the walls, or how dark and forbidding the chamber was as she instead dragged Zeref into the room with her. "I've found him, I've found Zeref!"
From his throne, Master Hades looked up, his single remaining eye narrowing as it bored into her.
"Good," Hades said after a moment, climbing to his feet and moving to meet her halfway as she dragged the unconscious Black Wizard into the centre of the chamber with her. "Then our time here on Tenrou is at an end. We must now move quickly to secure our victory, before the oncoming storm catches up to us."
Perseus, Ultear thought at once, her eyes narrowing for a second as she looked around, before widening as she realised that Master Hades was the only one in the room other than herself and Zeref.
More than that, she also realised that she couldn't sense the familiar magic of the other Kin of Purgatory nearby.
Of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, she was the only one on the ship.
"But what of the others?" Ultear asked, releasing her hold on Zeref, allowing him to slump to the floor at her feet.
"Dead or captured." Hades replied dismissively, his gaze no longer on her, but instead on Zeref as he sank down to one knee and lifted the Black Wizard's narrow chin up, so he could inspect the Black Wizard's surprisingly youthful face with his one remaining eye. "Either way, they no longer matter. Our purpose here has been fulfilled. Go join the captain on the flight deck, see to our defences and stop anyone who might try to impede our journey. We will unseal Zeref, and greet him properly once we are far away from this island."
Ultear froze at his words, her mind whirling as she thought about her comrades.
She didn't particularly like many of them, or consider the majority of them friends.
Rusty Rose and Caprico were braggarts and fools.
Zancrow was completely unhinged.
Cain was a moron.
Azuma was an arrogant, battle fanatic.
Meredy, well, Meredy was just a broken child.
But despite that, they were still her comrades.
She had travelled with them for years, and had committed many atrocities and braved many dangers at their side.
They might not be family or friends, but they still meant something to her, twisted and evil though that connection might be.
Especially Meredy.
She could remember the pinked haired girl's innocent smile as she looked up at her, hanging on her every word, doting on her like a dedicated child would their mother.
She could also remember her tears that night she lost her family to the Grimoire Heart's attack, she could remember finding her amongst the burning wreckage of her village and bringing her back with her, and comforting her as she wept.
She could feel a dull ache forming in her chest at those memories.
"Ultear!" Hades snapped harshly, once again rising to his full, intimidating height and glowering down at her. "I gave you an order."
"I-" Ultear struggled, her heart thudding in her chest as she froze up with indecision.
Everything she had ever wanted and strived for was within reach.
With Zeref she could go back to when she was happy, and change things to ensure they stayed that way.
She could go back in time and save her mother's life and then force her to stay with her; raising her as a mother ought to, instead of casting her away and replacing her like she had actually done.
She could make it so every dark deed and terrible thing she had ever done, had never happened. Undoing all the wrongs she had ever committed during her journey to this moment.
If she did that, then Meredy could grow up happy, loved, and surrounded by the family that she and the rest of the Seven Kin had stolen from her.
The others, they would all still be alive and free, free to pursue whatever asinine goal they might have in the new, better world that she would create.
Ultear quickly found her resolve firming at that thought, and gave Master Hades a curt nod.
The fate of the others would be immaterial once they were away from here and Zeref had been unsealed, they might be dead or captured in the current present, but in the future that she would create they wouldn't be.
"Yes Master," Ultear nodded, her eyes lowering to the floor as she pushed aside her doubts and turned and headed for the door.
Master Hades didn't even acknowledge her response.
Instead, he just turned back to Zeref's unconscious form, his brow furrowing as he continued to inspect his prize.
Throwing open the door, her confidence bolstered, Ultear quickly started down the corridors, her breathing harsh and sweat beading her brow, still very much lost in her own thoughts as she moved to fulfil Master Hades' orders.
Unfortunately, before she could make it to the bridge she was knocked off her feet as the entire airship suddenly shook from the force of a massive impact, even as the wall right in front of her exploded in a tornado of shattered metal and fire.
Letting out a shout of dismay, Ultear reacted quickly as she used the momentum of her fall to roll and regain her footing, her heart racing and her hair billowing around behind her in the sudden influx of cold wind, even as she steadied herself and glared at the attacker.
Wild, spiky pink hair was the first thing she noticed, and that was all she had time to take in before her foe let loose a deafening roar and rushed at her, fire covering both of his fists as he quickly crossed the several metre distance between the two of them and landed a ferocious blow.
Crossing both arms in front of her and forcing her magic to her arms to reinforce them, she instinctively fell back as the blow hit her, rolling with the force of the fiery punch, and ignoring the flames as they singed her clothing and hair.
Falling back, Ultear felt her back hit the door to the main chamber, even as she burst through it and into the room she had just left, the fire still following her as she landed back first on the floor of Master Hades's throne room, her attacker already pursuing her as he attempted to retain his initial momentum.
"On your feet, Ultear," Hades' calm voice sounded out as she once again regained her footing.
Looking back at him, she hastened to follow his words, even as Hades moved to intercept her attacker, easily swatting him away with just a simple flick of his hand and sending the roaring Dragon Slayer crashing into a wall.
Scrambling to her feet, her gaze momentarily landing on Zeref - who she could see was slumped unconscious in Master Hades's throne -, she quickly took a moment to centre herself before turning to face her attacker, even as he scrambled to his feet.
It was Natsu Dragneel, one of Fairy Tail's more troublesome members.
Only this was not the Natsu she remembered from back at Galuna Island when she had first met him. Instead, this Natsu was covered in scrapes, mud and bruises; his clothing torn up from battle, revealing more of his battered, sweat soaked body than normal.
Furthermore, this Natsu Dragneel exuded none of the excitement and idiocy of the one she had faced before, instead he gave off an aura of pure fury and anger.
The emotion evident in his gaze was enough to make her want to take a step back.
It was almost bestial.
"You were a fool to come here, boy." Hades said suddenly, his voice cold and dispassionate as he folded his arms and gazed down at the furious Dragon Slayer.
"Now I thought that was my line," Another voice rang out in response.
Ultear couldn't help but flinch at the sound of the familiar voice, even as she dragged her gaze up to the broken doorway to the room, a cold chill running down her spine as she saw the hated figure of Percy Jackson stepping into the room.
The man had no magical presence at all.
Instead, he seemed to exude an aura of pure force.
Enough so that she truly did take a few steps back, even as he idly walked into the room, his expression dangerously calm.
"Percy," Hades said softly, an unidentifiable tone in his voice as he shrugged off his long black cloak, and idly threw his dark, pointed helmet to one side. "My old friend."
"Precht…" Percy said, a tinge of surprise audibly entering his voice, only for it to be ruthlessly quashed as his calm façade suddenly broke, and his suddenly too bright, green eyes flashed with rage.
They were too late, Ultear thought as she quickly drew on her magic, even as the undercurrent of danger in the room seemed to intensify.
Without another word, Percy rushed forward, his sword already in one hand, and a miniature tidal wave of water following behind him like a cloak, echoing his every movement.
Letting out a snarl, Hades once again moved to intercept, even as Natsu unleashed a blast of fire directly at him.
With a wave of her hand she finally summoned her 'Arc of Time Magic' and reduced both elemental forces to nothing, the water evaporating into nothingness, and the fire guttering out as it was rapidly starved of oxygen.
The storm had arrived, but they were ready for it.
( - )
(Back at the camp)
Looking around at the once happy and relaxed base camp for the S-Class trials, Erza Scarlet couldn't help but feel guilt well up within her as she saw how many of her friends and guild mates were injured and missing.
Gajeel and Mirajane were both badly hurt, and were being tended to by Levy and Lucy respectively.
Still, they were stable and no longer on the verge of death though, and that was the important thing, and it was one of the few positives she was clinging onto at the moment.
None of them had died yet, that she knew.
Master Makarov, Gray, Gildarts, Natsu, Happy, Mest, Erza Knightwalker and Percy, however, were all missing.
They could be anywhere across the island, and yet she couldn't help them, not unless she left the camp now and abandoned her injured comrades. A prospect that she couldn't even consider, as already there had been several attacks on the camp from the remaining Grimoire Heart members that were still lurking on the island.
Unfortunately, Cana, Lucy and Levy were all tired from both taking the exam and fighting, they couldn't look after both Gajeel and Mira, guard their prisoner – one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory – and defend the camp from dark wizards all at the same time.
Loathe as she was to admit it, it was an impossible situation.
If she left the camp to search for the others, then the camp could very easily be overrun, and those in it slaughtered.
If she stayed, however, then for all she knew she could be leaving her other missing friends to die.
Glancing over at their prisoner, Erza considered for a moment the possibility of disposing of her. It would mean one less thing that they needed to do.
Only for her to then vehemently discard the idea moments later.
The girl was their prisoner, and she was unarmed.
To kill her now would be nothing short of cold blooded murder.
More than that, however, she was also a child, one not much older than Wendy.
Running her hand through her long red hair at that, though, Erza shook her head.
For the first time in a long while, she didn't know what to do.
Grabbing the sheathed hilt of her sword reflexively, Erza suddenly drew the blade in an instant, her attention on the nearby treeline as she heard the distant rustle of leaves, and some heavy breathing.
"Cana," Erza said harshly, her eyes narrowing as she gestured in the direction of the sound.
Nodding, Cana drew a card from her depleted deck.
Someone was approaching the camp.
"Show yourselves!" Erza shouted, her sword raised as she prepared to attack.
"Stop, it's me, Gildarts!" The familiar voice of Gildarts rang out, even as the man himself stumbled through the thick brush and into the camp.
"Gildarts," Erza said with a sigh of relief, even as she saw Cana rush towards him.
The man looked to be in a bad state. His prosthetic arm and leg were ruined, his chest and face were liberally covered in blood and mud, and his black cloak was in tatters.
But despite his injuries, he was at least still alive, and still able to move under his own strength.
"Cana, Erza," Gildarts said tiredly as Cana ran up to help him, even as he stepped fully into the camp and wearily lowered the blood covered body of Gray Fullbuster onto the leaf strewn ground. "Gray needs help."
Erza felt her stomach sink at the sight of Gray's wounds.
His skin was very pale, what little of it that could be seen beneath the blood, and his injuries looked grievous.
"Gray!" Lucy shouted, as ran over to help, leaving Levy to look after the stabilised Gajeel and Mira.
"What happened," Erza asked, her voice suddenly dry as she moved to help Cana and Lucy carry Gray into the centre of the camp, and over to where the prone bodies of the others were lying on camp beds.
"Not sure," Gildarts grunted. "I got in a fight with Grimoire Heart's ace, Bluenote Stinger, and won, obviously. But on my way back I found Gray. Not sure who he fought, but they sure did a number on him."
Erza grimaced slightly at his words.
"Don't worry though. The kid's tough. He'll pull through. He'd already clotted his own wounds by the time I found him." Gildarts said tiredly as he limped into the camp himself, and crashed down on the ground with a grunt of pain.
"I hope so," Erza said, a knot of worry forming within her as she saw Cana and Lucy lower Gray onto a bed, before they both started tending to his wounds. "Will you be okay?"
"Battered and bruised, but nothing major. I'll live." Gildarts waved her off. "What happened to Mira and the angry one?"
"They were attacked by Grimoire Heart," Erza said, glancing over at the two, before turning her attention back to Gildarts. "Do you know what happened to anybody else?"
"No, sorry," Gildarts shook his head. "But I wouldn't worry, Master Makarov and Percy are out there, they'll keep the others safe, I'm sure."
"I hope so," Erza muttered, her brow furrowing. She trusted and admired both men, and knew they would look after the others if they could. At the same time, though, she hated just standing around feeling impotent, while her friends were out there fighting.
Forcing a grin on his face, Gildarts looked around at the rest of the camp. "So what's the situation here? And what's with the pint sized Grimoire Heart kid over there?"
"The situation isn't good. The remaining Grimoire Heart foot soldiers have been poking at the camp's defences. Mira, Gajeel and now you and Gray are out of commission. Lucy and Levy are both exhausted and are looking after the wounded. Cana and I are defending the camp, but there are a lot of attackers out there, and the environment is working to their advantage. As far as I'm aware, at least three of Grimoire Heart's elites have been defeated. Which leaves four or five of them left…, each of whom are probably S-Class, as well as their Guild Master." Erza summed up succinctly.
"Yeah, I am a bit useless at the moment." Gildarts acknowledged, glancing down at his ruined arm. "But still, I can still throw out some magic if we're attacked."
Erza smiled weakly in response.
Unfortunately, before anymore could be said between the two, they were interrupted by a shrill cry from overhead.
Looking up, Erza quickly identified the source of the sound, even as she reached out and caught the falling Happy before he crash landed.
"Erza!" Happy cried, almost immediately burrowing his tear stained face into her breastplate.
"Happy, what is it, where's Natsu?" Erza asked quickly.
It was rare to see the two of them separated, and for Happy to be in such a state…
"He's with Percy," Happy wailed, "And they've gone to fight Grimoire Heart's Guild Master!"
Erza felt her heart lurch with relief at the thought of both Percy and Natsu still being okay. "Hey now, if Natsu is with Percy, then he'll be fine. You know Percy, he won't let any harm come to Natsu while he is there."
Happy shook his head at that, before bursting into tears again. "Master Makarov is dead!"
Shock.
That was all Erza felt as she heard those words, her heart sinking and eyes widening.
From around her, she could sense the others having a similar reaction.
"W-what?" Erza just about managed to get out.
"Master is dead," Happy repeated, his voice muffled as he once again buried his face into her armour. "And Natsu and Percy are going to avenge him."
Erza swallowed the lump in her throat at his words, and just stared listlessly ahead.
She didn't know what to say, or what to do…
Fortunately, that issue was solved for her as the Grimoire Heart mages chose that ill-timed moment to once again attack the camp.
Releasing Happy, Erza almost robotically raised her sword as she turned to face the mass of hooded, sword wielding mages rushing their camp.
She didn't know what to say or think right now, all she could do was act, and this group of foolish Dark Wizards had come at just the right time to provide the distraction she sorely needed.
( - )
(Back with Percy)
Precht was very quick to react to Percy's attack. Almost at once, his single eye narrowed, and his hands weaved through the air as he crafted chains of pure white magic from nothingness. Before, without a word, he lashed out with them, and began to use them like bladed whips, each razor sharp chain lashing forward with enough force to easily cut a man in two.
Percy, however, was just as quick to respond, his footwork rapid and careful as he easily avoided the fast moving chains, his sword held tight in one hand as slalomed back and forth, and started to close in on him.
Gritting his teeth as he was forced to leap to one side to avoid one of Precht's questing chains, Percy kept up his momentum, his every footstep warping metal and shaking the flying ship as he parried a chain, sliced a whizzing lacrima - courtesy of the as of yet unnamed woman with Precht - in two and pressed on trying to retain his momentum.
Unfortunately, he wasn't able to use his hydrokinesis, his primary weapon.
Every time he tried to summon or manipulate water, the black haired woman used her own magic to somehow reduce it to nothingness.
It was annoying, especially since he didn't fully understand what she was doing, how she was doing it, aside from it being due to magic.
Natsu too, had a similar problem.
Every time the Fire Dragon Slayer summoned his flames or unleashed a blast of fire, the woman extinguished them with just a wave of her hand.
Grabbing Natsu by the back of his scarf, Percy instinctively dragged him away from Precht's chains, saving him from being bisected, only for him to then pivot on his heel and hurl Natsu bodily at the dark haired woman.
If they were to stand a chance of beating Precht – and wasn't his identity a kick to the balls - they needed to take out the woman messing with their elemental attacks.
Regrettably he couldn't do it himself, as he was having enough trouble just keeping Precht busy, a task made all the more difficult by the woman dispersing his attacks before he could finish crafting them, or otherwise just spamming large orbs of lacrima at him from multiple directions. With him being forced to either deflect or destroy the orbs with his sword, or tanks or avoid them as and when he could.
"Take her out," Percy muttered to Natsu, before he threw him. After which, he darted forward again, slaloming from side to side as Precht gave up on wielding his chains, and instead pointed his fingers at Percy like they were guns. Only for fast moving bolts of purple magic to start shooting out of his fingers like bullets, blasting holes through anything they hit, as they peppered the already warped and damaged metal decking with even more craters, holes and dents.
Rushing forward, Percy tanked several of the blasts as he closed the distance between Precht and himself. The magic bullets impacted on him, jolting his internal organs a bit, but otherwise failing to breach his invulnerable skin as he continued to close the gap.
From the side, he could see Natsu already engaging with the woman, his fists clenched as he gave up on summoning magic, and instead rapidly pursued her across the wrecked floor of the ship, trying to engage her in melee combat, even as she skilfully danced away from his assault and instead used her lacrima orb to pummel him from every direction, brutally punishing him every time he made a mistake or stay still for too long.
Natsu's chosen style of attack wasn't sustainable. She was slightly too fast for him to catch, when he wasn't using his fire to propel him, which just mean he was tiring himself out trying to hit her, even as she deftly avoided his assault and unleashed her own counterattack on him.
Unfortunately, that wasn't something he could deal with at the moment.
Instead, he had his own fight to deal with as he tanked two more bullets, and ducked beneath a rapidly created chain, his knees bending before straightening again in a single movement as he shot forward, and under Precht's guard, his fist already chambered back for a punch, and seismic energy already gathering in arm, even as he unloaded a brutal blow to Precht's solar plexus.
With a crunching of bones, and a mulching of organs, Precht was blasted backwards by the punch, even as Percy followed through with it, hurling him back first into the wall on the other side of the room; blood already spraying from his mouth in response to the pulping of his internal organs.
Shaking his numb hand, Percy barely paused in his movements as he pivoted away from the direction he had sent Precht, and instead rushed the woman currently beating Natsu black and blue.
He didn't have time to double tap Precht, he just had to trust he had done enough damage to keep him down for a while.
Hopefully not enough to kill him, though, as he still had questions he wanted answering. Such as; how had a man as honourable as him become a murdering scumbag that preyed on the innocent people, and who murdered his former comrades? And also, how the hell was he still alive, as the man was well over a hundred years old by now, one hundred and twenty three by his reckoning, and yet he still looked to be in his late sixties?
Those questions could wait, though, for now he needed to help Natsu.
"Die," The woman screamed, her voice bordering on hysterical as she continued her assault on the battered looking Natsu.
"Natsu, get back," Percy barked as he leapt over the bloodied, pink haired teen - who at that moment had been forced to one knee by the woman's onslaught - only to then swing a sword at his foe.
"You!" The woman spat, her eyes gleaming with anger, confusion and the slightest hint of madness.
"Yeah, me," Percy replied bluntly, slashing the lacrima orbs in half as he landed on the floor, before he pushed forward, replicating the move he had just pulled off against Precht, as he rushed forward and tried to get within her guard.
"You abandoned me!" She cried, her eyes widening and red flooding her pale cheeks as she allowed her lacrima orb to crash on the floor, her right fist instead meeting the open palm of her left hand in a very familiar motion. Only for ice to then blossom in front of her, an entire forest of icy, rose-covered brambles forming between her and him, even as he drew back from his attack, and moved back to cover Natsu.
"I don't even know you." Percy replied, his voice tinged with confusion as he used his free hand to shatter the ice, before with a flick of his fingers he reduced it back to its liquid form, a whole new cloak of water forming around him now as he rushed forward.
"No, but you knew my mother!" The woman spat, the water around him freezing over, and the temperature suddenly dropping as she once again used 'Ice Make Magic' to craft thorny vines that rushed towards him.
"That's not narrowing it down much…" Percy replied, his eyes narrowing as he once again shattered the ice, and charged the woman, tendrils of water now whipping out from his cloak creating razor sharp crescents of water that shot in the direction of his raging opponent.
"Is this really the time!" Natsu roared, as he leapt to his feet, fire already emerging from his mouth, before with a roar he unleashed a funnel of it in the woman's direction.
"This doesn't concern you!" The black haired woman snapped back at him, her dark hair flying around behind her as she weaved between several crescents of water, golden magic circles now lighting up her hands, before with a few complicated hand movements, she once again dispersed both of their elemental attacks.
"This is getting so old," Natsu growled as he noticed his fire going out. "What is she even doing?"
"'It's some kind of time magic, I think." Percy replied, his eyes narrowing as he finally started to put together what the woman was doing.
"Yes, that's correct." A familiar voice suddenly broke in, drawing both Percy, Natsu and the woman's attention over to the familiar figure of Precht, even as he strode forward, his clothing and mouth were both spattered in blood, but otherwise he looked unharmed. He didn't even have a limp.
"I thought you took him down?" Natsu muttered.
"So did I," Percy replied, his eyes narrowing as he set his feet and stood up straight once more.
Both Precht and his subordinate were standing directly opposite him and Natsu.
His other subordinate, the boy in the robes, was slumped over in a throne-like chair at the back of the room, presumably still unconscious or badly hurt following a fight he must have had on the island.
It was like the field had just been reset, and the last five minutes of fighting had never happened.
"Not quite," Precht said dryly, before he gave Percy a nod. "Though I will say, I haven't felt a hit like that in some time."
"If only it had stuck." Percy responded coldly.
"You're angry, my old friend, I can understand that." Precht nodded, before forcing a smile. "But come on now, can't we still converse civilly, even if just for a short while for old times' sake?"
"You killed Makarov." Percy said bluntly, his rage about that fact still bubbling hidden beneath the surface.
"Yes, and I regret that it had to come to that." Precht sighed sadly. "But still, sometimes sacrifices have to be made for the greater good, you taught me that, if you remember, Perseus?"
"Now you're twisting what I said," Percy said, anger lacing his voice. "I distinctly remember referring to self-sacrifice sometimes being necessary, and even then only in exceptional circumstances…"
"Hmm, maybe," Precht replied dismissively, his eye narrowing slightly. "But how would you ever know? You're immortal, Percy, and you have been for centuries. How old are you now? Three hundred years old, four hundred? How can you call it self-sacrifice, or even talk about it, when you'd never be the one to pay the ultimate price? You can't, and that's what I figured out about you long ago, my old friend. You talk a good game, you always did. Not only that, but you espouse high-minded ideals, and dole out lectures on loyalty, honour, integrity, and common decency. You preach. But in the end, you're completely full of shit. You've always been just a bitter, jaded old man, hiding from the world. A coward that refuses to accept the truth about yourself!"
"Oh, and what truth is that?" Percy asked calmly, his gaze switching from Precht and back to his still angry companion, before returning to his old friend again.
"That you lost touch with humanity a long time ago. You don't give a damn about mortals, as they're just temporary supporting characters in your eternal life. One only has to look at the way you treat those around you, the way you look down on them, judge them, and eventually, abandon them…" Precht sneered, his lip curling up in disgust. "Just like you abandoned Mavis and Yury, you could have done something, no one other than Zeref himself has acquired as much knowledge as you about the primordial magic, the one true magic, and yet you did nothing, and why? Because in the end, they were nothing to you but passing distractions."
From beside Precht, Percy could see the black haired woman grit her teeth, he could see both pain and fury etched into the expression on her face.
"Just ask Ultear," Precht continued, idly wiping some of the blood from around his mouth, before he gestured at the now named woman. "You knew her mother, you taught her even, you became her friend, her lover, her confidant, and then you got bored of her, and abandoned her…, and her child…"
Percy furrowed his brow in confusion. "I don't even know who her mother is…?"
"It was Ur." Ultear snarled, her eyes flashing with anger, and her hands balling into fists at her side.
He could almost feel the air around her grow heavier, as her magic reacted to her anger.
"Wait, Ur? Wasn't that Gray's old teacher?" Natsu suddenly piped up, only for him to take a step back as Ultear sent him a poisonous look.
"Ur," Percy muttered, his eyes shutting for a moment, even as he spread his senses through the moisture in the air, keeping a weather eye on his opponents.
The fighting might've been paused for a moment, which was not exactly what he had planned, but he would take advantage of the break while he could. He now had more information on his opponents, which meant he had more info to strategise with.
At the same time, though, he was still slightly rattled.
Not by Precht's words, though, as they meant nothing to him.
After all, they were just words.
They were the words of a petty, vindictive man that had turned his back on everything he had ever stood for.
They were words meant for the sole purpose of distracting him and taking him off guard.
It was the kind of low cheap trick that might work on a younger, less secure person.
But they meant nothing to him.
Ultear's anger, however, was different.
It was real, and visceral.
"I remember Ur," Percy finally said, a slight smile playing around his mouth at the memory of the woman. "She was strong, and clever and bold. A good woman. But I didn't teach her. She came to me already knowing her magic. Yes, she approached me with the intention to refine it even further, but I didn't teach it to her. We were friends, though, and even lovers for a time. But I didn't abandon her. We both just… moved on. She met another man, and wanted to settle down and have a family. I grew homesick, and went back to Fairy Tail. That's all there was to it..."
"Lies," Precht replied swiftly, his single eye narrowing.
"Truth." Percy corrected, his eyes softening slightly as he looked over at the confused young woman. "I don't know what you've been told, Ultear. Or what you've been led to believe, but I'm not your father, nor am I related to you in any way. I didn't abandon your mother, we both went our separate ways more than twenty five years ago after only about six months together, this was well before you were born. We kept in contact for a bit, yes, but as with all things we lost contact over time. I didn't even know she was dead until long after the fact, or that she had a child..."
Ultear stared at him. "You're lying."
"You're being manipulated and weaponized by Precht," Percy shot back, before he turned his attention back to the man in question, his sword rising as he pointed the tip of it at the old man. "But the question is, why?"
Precht stared coldly at him.
"Is it because you knew I would be an obstacle to whatever it is you're planning? Just like Makarov would have been?" Percy asked, his anger reigniting within him as he released the implications of his words.
Makarov's death wasn't an accident.
It was premeditated.
"Master Hades?" Ultear asked, her gaze on the older, bearded man.
"Don't believe him for a moment, my dear." Precht replied, not breaking eye contact with Percy. "He is a consummate liar, he's had years of practice deceiving and tricking those around him. He is merely trying to cause a rift between us."
Ultear looked uncertain for a moment, before with a short nod, she gritted her teeth and looked back at him.
Whatever anger had been within her before, had been replaced by confusion, hurt and uncertainty.
Reaching out with his hand, Percy placed a hand on Natsu's shoulder and pulled him back.
Precht's entire body was tensed up like a loaded spring.
The tension between the two groups was palpable.
"Just focus on neutralising Perseus's attacks," Precht continued, his gaze still locked on Percy's face. "Leave the offence to me."
"Natsu," Percy muttered softly, his mouth barely moving, and voice so low that only someone with hypersensitive hearing like Natsu, would be able to hear it. "When I give the word, I want you to run. I'll cover you. You need to destroy the ship's engines, make it crash. The airship needs to go down."
Natsu glanced back at him, his expression stubborn.
"Remember what you promised," Percy continued, squeezing his shoulder lightly for a second, before releasing it.
Shifting his gaze back to Precht, Percy flexed his fingers in readiness.
His old friend had to have a trump card up his sleeve, something that granted him heightened durability, or regeneration. It was the only way he could be back on his feet so soon after Percy had all but caved in his ribcage.
The force of the blow he had landed, were it not for Curse of the Achilles, would have shattered every bone in his own hand and tore the muscles in his arm to pieces. There was no conceivable way that Precht, a mortal who was over a hundred years old, could have got up from that blow without a some serious magical trickery being involved.
Abruptly and without warning, Percht extended his right hand and primed his index finger directly at Percy, after which a series of dark-purple bullets made of pure magical energy once again shot towards him.
"Now!" Percy shouted, charging forwards in response to the attack, fully blocking Precht's line of sight as he tanked several more bullets, buying Natsu all the time he needed to make a break for it.
"Oh how noble!" Precht laughed, his onslaught continuing as Percy once again closed the gap and swung his sword at the younger man.
Only for Precht to stop his blade with the armoured gauntlet of his right hand, which allowed him to then bring up his left hand up in order to counterattack with the magical bullets he seemed to have an affinity for firing.
Percy, however, wasn't going to give him that chance as he instead head-butted Precht in the face, breaking his nose, even as he then grabbed his free hand, his fingers closing over his armoured gauntlets, before with a single squeeze and a twist of his wrist, he shattered Precht's forearm.
Letting out a snarl of pain and anger, Precht smashed his knee into Percy's abdomen, and then kicked out pushing himself away, his uninjured hand already swinging round as he took advantage of his proximity, and with a flashing of white light, he bound Percy with one of his glowing white chains.
"You shouldn't have sent away your help." Precht sneered, before with a nod to Ultear he swung his arm up, moving the glowing white chain as he did so, and slammed Percy into the wall, ceiling and floor.
Flexing his limbs as he felt himself being slammed around, Percy quickly shattered his bindings and landed back on the floor.
"I had a reason," Percy said simply.
In the distance, his enhanced hearing could pick up the sounds of battle, and minor explosions.
It seemed Natsu had run into some trouble.
Still, he trusted the young Dragon Slayer to complete his task.
"Scatter and fall!" Precht snapped in response, his hands, both of them, including his newly healed left hand, raised.
Gritting his teeth, Percy looked up to see a massive blast of dark-purple magical energy shooting directly at him.
Without a word, he readied his sword and sliced the attack in two, effectively redirecting the blast off to each respective side of his body.
The explosion was substantial, but it wasn't anywhere near powerful enough to cause him any physical harm.
"Did you really think that that would work?" Percy asked, once again standing up to his full fight.
"Oh, I had expected you to be able to block that attack pretty easily." Precht smiled.
"Then what's your game?" Percy asked, rolling his shoulders and eyeing Ultear warily.
She had not made a move yet, not even to try and get past him, so she could pursue Natsu.
"Hmm… you'll see." Precht replied, even as Percy thrust a hand forward and released a shockwave from his palm.
The air in front of him rippled as a wave of pure force shot towards Precht.
In response Precht created a dome of intricate purple script around both himself and Ultear, protecting them from the blast, only for the dome to collapse moments after the wave of force past, even as Precht brought up his right hand and made several gestures with his index finger, making it clear he was casting some form of spell.
A moment later, several magical circles appeared beneath Percy's feet.
"Amaterasu Formula 74…"
A large sphere of raw energy surrounded Percy's body, only for it then to implode moments later.
The base of the implosion expanded a fair distance outward, and a pillar of magical power shot into the sky, blasting a hole through the roof of the airship.
The attack quickly dissipated after the light show ended, though, revealing Percy standing in a shattered crater in the centre of the room, his body still smoking from the force of the blast.
Letting out a cough, Percy spat a globule of blood onto the ground, before glancing down at the sword in his hand, or what was left of it.
The blade had broken, and only three jagged inches of it remained.
Likewise, his clothing and shoes had also been vaporised, leaving him standing completely in the nude.
From beside Precht, he could see Ultear's cheeks flushing a light pink, even as she knelt down and picked up a six-inch-long fragment of his sword blade.
As for Precht, the master of Grimoire Heart was quickly forced to bring up his arms to guard his torso again, as Percy suddenly shot forwards and landed several heavy blows on him, the force of each blow breaking bones, even as Percy drove him back across the floor, the jagged remains of his blade plunging into Precht's stomach several times as he once again got through his guard.
"Amaterasu Formula 92!" Precht spat, as he fell back, blood staining his torso.
Once again, a series of magical circles surrounded Percy's form, but this time Percy didn't simply stand still and take the attack head on. Instead, with a twisting of his gut he wreathed his form in lightning and exploded forwards. Crackling electricity danced across his skin as he broke through the magical circles and closed in on Precht.
"Ultear," Precht snarled.
Jumping into action, golden circles quickly formed around Ultear's hands.
Before she could finish her spell, however and dissipate his lightning shroud, all three of them were nearly knocked off their feet by a loud and nearby explosion, as well as by the shuddering of the deck as the entire airship began to list to one side.
"The boy!" Precht snarled, a white chain forming from one of his hands, even as he wrapped it around a nearby pillar, steadying his footing.
UItear likewise abandoned her spell as she instead steadied herself.
The boy on the throne, however, just slumped forwards and crashed onto the floor face first, his body stirring slightly, even as he rolled down the now heavily listing deck.
Percy, meanwhile, kept his footing as he continued forwards, his gaze set on Precht as he slammed into him, the jagged remains of his sword shifting forwards as he plunged it through Precht's remaining eye.
"Master Hades!" Ultear screamed.
Letting out a roar of pain, Precht kicked himself away from Percy, blood now streaming from his ruined eye, even as he tore his eyepatch off, revealing his other eye to be almost demonic looking, with it having a black sclera and a red iris. "Forget me, and get the boy! Fix the ship, and then stop him before he reaches the heart!"
"But the plan?" Ultear shouted back.
"It can wait!" Precht snarled.
Pushing himself forwards, Percy weaved around a wild swing from Precht, his hair rustling from the force of the punch, only for him to lash out again, batting one of Precht's healed arms to one side, leaving an opening, which he then used to plunge the jagged remains of his sword into Precht's other eye, the demonic looking one.
In the distance, he could hear more explosions.
Kicking Precht away from him, even as the Guild Master clutched his regenerating eyes, Percy turned towards Ultear, his feet cratering the ground, as he ran across the heavily listing deck, ignoring the nearby explosion and shaking of the airship as it began to fall.
Moving her hands through the air, golden magical circles already forming around them as she tried in vain to fix the ship, Ultear's eyes widened as she saw Percy closing in on her, a bloodthirsty look on his face.
"Get back!" Ultear cried, her voice shrill with panic as she hurled the sword fragment at him, only for the fragment to multiply, hundreds of them forming around him in seconds as she repeated her trick with the lacrima on the shard of metal, with all of them razor sharp shards shooting at him from all directions.
Reaching back with his free hand, Percy covered his mortal point with one hand, even as he allowed the sword fragments to hit and shatter on his invulnerable skin.
Closing the distance between himself and Ultear, he then landed a solid blow to the side of her head.
As the blow landed, he could feel her jaw break, even as he pressed forward and delivered a kick to the centre of her chest, the force of the blow knocking the air out of her lungs, and blasting her off her feet and sending her crashing and rolling to the other side of the deck.
"So, was that your plan?" Percy spat as he looked away from the groaning, badly hurt woman and turned to face Precht.
Unfortunately, before he could, he get an answer, he was knocked off his feet as the ship finally crash landed.
The hull noticeably giving way in several places as they landed in one of the dense forest that covered Tenrou Island.
Several large tree trunks tore through the weakened deck as the ship continued to fall, only for it to get impaled by several of the massive trees that covered the ancient island.
Pushing himself quickly back onto his feet, Percy glared over at Precht.
Wiping the blood from his newly regenerated eyes, Precht sneered at him, his lip curling upwards in a snarl, only for him to then freeze, his gaze fixed on a point behind Percy.
Shifting his position, Percy reached out with his senses through the moisture in the air and immediately noticed what had caught Precht's attention.
The boy in the archaic robes had stood up.
Tensing up, Percy stepped back, so he could keep an eye on both of the wizards, even as he ripped the water out of one of the nearby tree trunks and recreated the blade of his sword, only this time with condensed water. Similarly, more water flowed around him, as for the third time, he created a cloak of water around his form, both enhancing his physical abilities, and giving him a ready supply of water for the fight ahead.
Now Ultear was out of the picture, elemental attacks were once again on the table, which was very much to his advantage. Especially since Percy could hear Natsu continuing his rampage in the distance, which meant that sooner or later he would find this 'heart', that Precht had wanted protecting, and presumably the source of his longevity, durability and regeneration.
"Well, let's not hang around." Percy said, his sword at the ready as he looked between the shocked Precht and the sombre looking boy.
"L-Lord Zeref…" Precht replied, his voice hushed and filled with a mixture of jubilation, fear and excitement.
"Zeref!" Percy snapped his head around, his eyes narrowing as he eyed the boy up and down.
Every wizard worth their salt had heard of Zeref.
The guy was infamous across Ishgar. He was the Black Wizard, the creator of demons, and the master of death.
He knew appearances could be deceptive, but the boy in front of him really didn't look like much.
He certainly didn't look like the big, bad Black Wizard whose name he had heard fearfully whispered about for the last few centuries.
"…People like you are the ones that carved me into existence." Zeref said softly into the silence that followed Precht's utterance.
Precht's eyes widened in response.
Percy's eyes, however, narrowed, even as he readied his sword.
"It is wicked thoughts like yours that will herald the end of this age. No one can stop it now. The world, as you know it, will be finished here…" Zeref continued, his red eyes shifting from Precht to Percy, and then back again.
"What crap are you spewing?" Percy asked bluntly,
"Am I dreaming?" Precht asked at the same time.
Zeref said nothing in response, instead he just looked between the two of them.
Precht smiled as Zeref's gaze landed on him, with a mixture of nervousness and ecstasy, "The keys! I have the keys to unseal you. Once I dispose of him!" He gestured at Percy. "Then I can unseal you, you can be free! There is so much I want to ask, and so much I want to know!"
Zeref shook his head, "Those keys aren't necessary. I am already 'Awake'. But even so, tell me… how many lives did you claim just to get those keys? How many people did you murder over some worthless objects; the made up creation of some foolish cultists that desperately tried to find me?"
"What? But…I used my 'Devil's Eye' and saw you!" Precht shouted, his eyes, including his demonic looking one, widening in shock at Zeref's words.
"I was never asleep." Zeref said, his red eyes boring into Precht, "The man before you is the Black Wizard Zeref."
"Impossible!" Precht yelled, Percy all but forgotten now as he devoted the entirety of his attention to Zeref. "You couldn't even defeat one of my underlings!"
From the corner of his eye, Percy saw said underling, Ultear, beginning to stir.
The background explosions had also stopped.
"Not in my former state, no. I lacked… the will, or the inclination I suppose, to hurt your subordinate and the ice wizard she was fighting…," Zeref said softly.
Gray, Percy thought, his grip on his sword tightening.
He dreaded to think what had become of his young friend if Ultear had succeeded in defeating both him and Zeref at the same time.
"I've lived for many centuries and watched the rise and fall of different ages. I have seen countless humans die, and lost all hope for humanity, and any respect I might once have had for the sanctity of life. I believed humans to be petty, cancerous creatures, that themselves held no value in life. But then, one day, I came to learn the true value of life. I once again came to understand and believe in the sanctity of life. Only since then, and since that realisation, my cursed body began to tear the life out of those near me. I'm a contradiction, you see. When I don't want to kill people anymore, my magic acts out and kills all those around me. But that matter changes entirely if I forget the value of a life, when that happens, I am completely in control of my magic..." Zeref continued calmly, his expression sombre as he seemingly talked to both himself, and those around him.
"You struggled with the weight of taking a life?" Precht asked, his brow furrowed in confusion.
"Yes I did, and yet I no longer have that struggle. Your actions here today, and the violence I have seen from the pair of you, it has once again made me stop believing in the sanctity of life." Zeref moved his hands in front of him into a formation. "People hate, and evil causes conflict, but I'm looking forward to a new age that will purify all of this."
"What a load of bullshit." Percy snapped suddenly, his eyes flashing with sudden anger. "You don't just forget the value of a life. That's not how a person's mind works. You've not forgotten it, you just don't give a shit about the lives of mortals. You probably never did. You're just making excuses for your own callousness, and your own disregard for human life!"
Zeref turned to look at Percy, his eyes narrowing. "You don't know what you speak, child."
Percy opened his mouth to snap back at him.
Before he could, however, he was cut off by a wave of black exploding from Zeref's body, which erupted outwards and consumed both Precht and himself.
With a thud, Precht fell to the ground, his eyes vacant of life.
Percy meanwhile collapsed to one knee.
"You live…?" Zeref said softly, his attention fully on Percy as he turned to face him, his calm face, shifting into an expression of light curiosity.
Percy didn't answer.
Instead, he let out a groan as he felt pain, pure agony for the first time in centuries.
It felt like his very nerves were on fire.
He could feel a dribble of blood running down from his nose; a single pure crimson droplet of it falling down and splashing on the decking below him.
He didn't know what was happening.
What he did know, however, was that his enemy was now standing right in front of him, his sandalled feet were only a foot away.
He also knew that the broken remains of his sword were still clenched in his hand.
With a grunt, Percy surged to his feet through sheer willpower, the sword held tightly in hand, even as he slammed it directly up and into Zeref's heart.
The blade struck true, and landed with a meaty thud.
The broken shards of the sword slid through Zeref's toga with ease, and then through a gap in his ribs, even as it finally punctured his heart.
He could feel warm blood on his hands as he forced himself to look up and meet Zeref's surprised gaze.
"What?" Zeref said, looking down at the blade in his chest. "How?"
Twisting the blade, Percy watched as realisation flooded into Zeref, even as the life slowly left his body.
"Thank you," Zeref whispered, one of his hands raising up to softly cup Percy's cheek, a gentle smile on his face, even as he then fell to the floor, dead.
Letting out a heavy breath, Percy crashed onto his knees beside Zeref's body, even as Natsu burst into the room moments later.
"I did it, Percy! I destroyed the engines, and busted this weird, evil looking, floating heart thing in a jar!" Natsu shouted as he ran into the room, fire covering both his fists as he looked around.
Percy didn't reply.
He couldn't, his body was wracked with too much pain to even comprehend Natsu's words.
"Percy! Natsu shouted as he rushed forward to catch him before he collapsed.
Percy didn't respond, though.
He didn't have a chance to, as at that moment the world exploded in a bright flash of light.
( - )
(Seconds earlier)
Standing at the top of the Tenrou Tree, Mavis Vermillion could only watch on sadly as the members of her Guild, old and new, fought for their lives.
Closing her eyes as she felt the massive build up in magical power overhead, she clasped her hands together in prayer, even as she began to draw on both the latent magic on the island gathered through a hundred years of S-Class trails, and on the collective magic and will of all those on the island that carried the mark of Fairy Tail.
She could only hope it was enough.
( - )
(Out at sea)
On the wrecked warships out at sea, both Doranbalt and Captain Lahar could only watch on in shock, guilt and horror as a large beam of pure magic struck Tenrou Island directly.
The Magic Council had acted.
The Etherion had been deployed.
Tenrou Island and all those on it had been obliterated and reduced to dust.
"By the gods, what have we done…" Doranbolt muttered into the shocked silence that followed.
( - )
AN: And so there we are! The arc is done, and what's that, no Acnologia? Why is that? Instead of a handy evil dragon, we now have a ruthless Magic Council that destroyed Zeref, one of the most dangerous Dark Guild's in the kingdom, and some of the more pesky and rambunctious Guild Wizards, all in one blast. I wonder what the repercussions of that would be?
Also what's going to happen to all those on the island after that Etherion blast? And what was that thing with Zeref? So many questions left unanswered... :)
That said a few things to note, I was not one hundred percent happy with the dialogue on the Zeref scene, it felt clunky to me, I think I struggled finding Zeref's voice. Similarly I'm not entirely happy with the fight against Hades. I feel like it can be improved. But that's something I might come back to. For now I am a bit tired of this story after blasting out this chapter in just a few days, and need a slight break before coming back to it. when I do I will look through the reviews and decide on the best course of action going forward. That and I need to update, as who knows what's going to happen next chapter?!
But either way I'm looking forward to writing the next arc and continuing this story (if this isn't already the ending), and exploring more of the Fairy Tail world!
Hopefully you enjoyed reading the chapter/ story, and continue to do so. If not, then please do tell me what you didn't like, or what you thought could have been done better. Please leave a review if you can, they are very useful. If you have any questions or suggestions feel free to hit me up.
Also I am on discord with a load of other writers, the invites at the top, please feel free to pop in and say high.
Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you later.
Seagate.