The flight to Fiore was filled with tension. Lyon was torn between concern for the upcoming battle and concern for Gray the entire time. Invel kept a close eye on his former peer and it seemed as if Gray was not having another outburst anytime soon. He was even laughing with Lucy and Natsu as if nothing was wrong. Yet, that still just showed how skilled he was at keeping his issues to himself.

Really, he hadn't changed since they were children in that regard. He'd arrived suddenly, demanding training from Ur because she was a powerful wizard. Lyon had complained, arguing that she didn't need another student. Yet, Gray's persistence won out in the end and he found himself with an unwanted rival for Ur's attention. Lyon had done his best to get rid of him, subtly of course. His 'training' would go wrong and he'd 'accidentally' hit gray with a few extra spells on occasion. When they were allowed, Lyon's spars would often become more violent than necessary. In retrospect, Lyon was certain that Ur had recognized his poor behavior, based on how she rarely allowed that form of training between them.

The angry child never offered much of an explanation as to why he'd even come to seek out magic. All he'd heard for the first few months of training together was that Gray was alone and needed to learn more. Lyon had simply assumed it was a situation like his own and had let the matter go. That idea had all changed when they started hearing the rumors in town, regarding destroyed villages still miles north of where they were training. It took only one more week for Lyon to catch Gray packing a bag with a scowl at night when they were both supposed to be sleeping. In return for Lyon's silence, Gray had told him that he was researching the destroyed villages for signs of a demon known as Deliora. Gray's anger had continued to grow while Lyon remained silent. Ultimately, their entire make-shift family had suffered the consequences. Today was only proving that Gray still had much to understand about the consequences of his actions.

Ur approached, folding her arms over her chest and leaning against the wall by his side. "Heya, kid." She followed his gaze, frowning as she spotted Gray. "Thinking about earlier too, huh?"

"I don't know how or why, but he's drawing on his devil slayer magic." They were too far away to be overheard. "That's the only explanation I can think of. Yet, I never got the impression that it would have such a visible effect so quickly."

"You think a nation run by the man who made demons in the first place didn't consider the possibility that they might need to restrain one?" Ur raised her eyebrows at him. "Seems like their 'magic suppression' would include whatever sort of magic it is that demons use too."

"You've already said the reason why they wouldn't." Lyon looked over at his mentor. "He made those demons. If they became an issue, Zeref could simply change them or take away whatever energy it is that makes them alive. In fact, I'm almost certain they'd be more akin to servants than threats to the man."

"Natsu isn't." Ur nodded towards the dragon slayer. "But I do suppose he's a bit of a different case based on what we've heard."

"Maybe I am wrong." Lyon sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It just seemed like Gray was still able to use magic in some form."

"Well, we'll get the chance to talk to him when this is all over and figure it out, alright?" Ur gave him a half-smile. "I'm worried too, but at this point, I think we've got larger issues to focus on. We're charging head-first into a war we didn't even know existed a few days ago."

"Are you concerned about the results?"

"Nah, I've seen enough of you guys to know Fairy Tail will find a way somehow." Ur sighed. "I just don't expect that victory to come all that easily. Maybe I was more skilled at combat in my younger years, but I haven't been involved in actual fights since I had Ultear. I retired and never expected to be returning like this."

"I'll be there by your side." Lyon smiled at her. "Remember, I am your strongest pupil. I will surpass your strength, if I haven't already. Defending you in a single battle will be child's play for someone with as much power as me."

Chuckling, his mentor patted his shoulder. "That's the spirit. Keep up that confidence even if things start looking down, alright?" Lyon nodded, seeing her take a few steps away. "I'm going to check in with Gray and make sure he's not doing anything too crazy before we land. Last I heard, we'll be starting in just a few more minutes."

Left alone, Lyon closed his eyes and attempted to focus on meditating to conserve his energy before they'd land. Juvia was preparing on her own, working with Meredy on suggestions of coordinating their attacks once they infiltrated Nirvana. Lucy and Natsu were as cheerful as ever, hardly acting like a battle was approaching. By them, Erza at least held some degree of a serious expression, but the requip wizard did nothing to stop the two from being overly energetic. The noise and crowded space made it difficult for Lyon to focus, resulting in him more accurately just sitting and observing the others as the airship began to slow its progression, hovering in the air.

"We are approaching Nirvana's current location." An announcement from Irene echoed throughout the room through some system designed on the airship. Compared to what Lyon was familiar with, these had quite a few unusual advancements. He'd been near Natsu when the dragon slayer discovered he wasn't feeling motion sick during take off at all. Invel had explained that the ship was designed to offer transport for dragon slayers, built with a special lacrima within its energy system that focused on providing a unique form of stabilization for the ship.

Beyond halting a few conversations, there was little impact from the announcement. Mavis rose to her feet with it, her smile fading with her green eyes gazing towards the door that was between them and those flying the ship. "We are now within range," Irene continued. "Phase one will now commence. Begin flooding the ground with illusionary forces."

Moving to stand by the railing, Mavis inhaled slowly and closed her eyes. A golden magic circle formed at her feet, illuminating her in a bright light. The magic circle remained even as the illusions began to form, though Lyon could see little of what they were. A few flashes were the most he could catch, given how far into the air they were. Still, Nirvana was almost impossible to miss even if the illusions were small. A massive, elevated city on spider-like legs stood still not far below them. Lyon watched as a spiraling circle of light and black began to form near it. Only moments after it formed, it shot out in a massive beam, blasting over everything that had been in front of it.

"Nirvana has launched its first attack. Phase one is complete. Group one, deploy forces now." Irene's orders continued, calmly giving them as if it was her every day life. Knowing how rapid Alvarez's expansions had been from what little Lyon had heard of the nation, he supposed it was possible that this was a familiar sort of operation for their allied wizards.

Moving quickly, the majority of their group began to head towards the front of the ship. There, a lacrima had been placed to assist with teleporting to the ground below them. While simplified to preserve energy, it offered transport from the airship to the closest landing on the ground below them. Within an instant, the growing group vanished from sight. The ship grew quieter without them, though Lyon still was too far away to know how the initial battle was progressing.

There was a brief delay while Lyon wondered why they weren't joining them on the ground. Even if it wasn't their group's goal to fight in the initial wave of defenses, he'd imagined there was little purpose in waiting too long when their time was limited. "Group one has begun combat with the target. Group two, begin to deploy."

With that order, Lyon inhaled deeply and began moving towards the teleportation lacrima with the others. Gray was left behind, nodding at Gray when he caught Lyon's look. By Lyon's side was the team he'd grown quite familiar with, consisting of Gray's friends from his guild. There were plenty of strangers as well, but at least he could trust the people he knew. Once Invel verified they were present, the winter general placed a hand on the lacrima. In a flash of light, they were on the ground.

Telepathic link has been created. Everyone, please verify you are connected as you approach the target. Doranbolt's words came to his mind.

I'm connected. Lyon said quickly.

As am I. Invel was already beginning to move as he responded, hardly even pausing to answer.

With a grin, Natsu's response came verbally. "This is awesome! I can hear everything you guys say without even talking."

"We don't all need to know about that, Natsu." Lucy sighed, shaking her head.

Your connection is solid. I am prepared to listen to any further orders as necessary. The unfamiliar voice must have been the one back-up for their team, Kagura. She'd mostly kept to herself since Lyon's arrival and he was unfamiliar with her skills as a wizard.

Indeed. This will be sufficient to coordinate our actions. Erza agreed.

I hear you loud and clear. You better keep my pupil safe while we're down here, got it? Ur was still looking after Gray, even now.

Invel sighed, pausing as the sounds of the battle grew louder. August offered his own confirmation through the link along with Juvia as they arrived, ensuring they were connected and prepared for the necessary strike at the end of this battle. "They appear to be having issues of their own already."

In front of them, Lyon could see a rapid form in glowing yellow ramming into other wizards without warning. He wasn't seeing a single wizard managing to rival this enemy in speed and the wizard's attacks weren't lacking in power either. He'd knocked down some of Fairy Tail's lesser known wizards and was now moving to offer assistance to another wizard locked in battle with the two dragon slayers from Meredy's guild.

In another battle, Lyon could see a woman with dark blue hair lashing out with powerful wind attacks. It didn't take long for her to let out a large blast of air magic from her mouth, blowing away the wizards standing in front of her. With them shoved aside, she quickly turned and ran off to one of the few wizards that had been knocked down. The air wizard pressed a hand to the person's arm with a glowing spell surrounding them. Then, the fallen wizard got back up with a grin and returned to the battle.

The former rune knights joined in the clash, though Lyon couldn't identify their magics all that well. Some were more often relying on weapons, using requip magic to fight off wizards that were approaching them. As soon as it began to look like their allies would succeed, a glowing green magic circle formed beneath numerous enemies. The dark blue haired wizard from the prior battle had her hand outstretched towards them, casting a spell Lyon couldn't identify. Once it was done, the battling wizards suddenly were more adept at dodging attacks. Their speed gave them the upper hand, allowing them to stand their ground as the fight continued on.

"They're communicating with each other." Invel spoke after watching the battle only briefly. "A telepath is somewhere amongst their ranks."

Lyon couldn't tell how the winter mage was so confident in that fact. He may have been able to decipher some clue if they had more time, but right now they needed to progress quickly. Dimaria, clear a path. August's voice carried through their telepathic link, though Lyon suspected August had temporarily included Alvarez's other general before sending it.

The blond had been fighting with a sword, holding back on magic from what Lyon had seen. With that order, she rolled her eyes. "You're no fun!" With a huff, the wizard sighed. "A shame we've gotta be in such a rush to get through this. I suppose I'll do it this time, but try to ask nicely the next time you want something." Her voice was loud, carrying over the battlefield as if she wanted the enemies to know reinforcements were coming. Invel simply let his hands rest behind his back, watching calmly and holding out a hand to halt the few wizards that were preparing to join in.

"Hey! Those are our friends. We're not just going to stand back and do nothing when they're struggling." Lucy glared at the winter mage.

"We made a plan and will follow through on it." Invel lowered his hand, shaking his head. "Let's go. Dimaria has cleared a path, though it won't be open for long with the sky mage on their side."

Blinking, Lyon turned back to the battlefield. Lucy's objection had distracted him for just a small second, but somehow in that time, nearly half of the opposing forces had fallen. He didn't know if they were dead or simply injured, but he decided it was not the time to ask questions about Alvarez's methods. Joining the group, he began to move forward, staying alert and prepared for potential attacks directed towards him.

They were nearly at the base of one of Nirvana's legs when something began flying around their entire group, moving too fast for Lyon to even think of using a spell. Whatever it was, it collided with Lyon's arm first, before bouncing over to Natsu who glared at it and made an attempt to swipe at it with his fire magic. August lifted a hand, forming a magic circle that halted it in an instant. Lyon watched as a small orb fell to the ground at their feet.

"Well, looks like someone brought in a clever wizard after all." Tossing black hair over her shoulder, Ultear descended down to stand in front of them. "Not even you can stop the flow of time completely." With that, she raised her hands. Debris from anything that had gotten destroyed in the battle behind them began to lift into the eye. Objects as small as pebbles from large pieces broken off from buildings were included in the sight. "Stopping one is easy enough. Let's see you try to defend your friends from this." With a flash in her eyes, Ultear shouted. "Flash Forward!"

"Looks like someone needs a lesson in what real time magic is." Dimaria was by their side, nodding at August as she made a clicking noise with her teeth. Lyon blinked and in an instant, everything had fallen and Ultear was unconscious at their feet. "Get moving. I can't be doing everything for you, you know."

"Keep a level head. This battle is not about seeking a challenge," August warned. Dimaria met August's eyes, sighing and nodding in agreement. Then, their team focused on the leg they stood at the base of. "We need to split up to make matters efficient. To conserve energy, I advise we send a group to ascend each leg separately. We will need to split at some point regardless to find the six lacrima."

"I agree." Invel looked over at their team. "Lyon, Erza, Mystogan, Millianna…" The winter general began dividing up their teams, splitting them apart in an attempt to spread out their resources. Lyon's team consisted mostly of wizards he lacked familiarity with, though he was relieved that at least one familiar face was with him. He nodded at Erza, moving with the newly formed team to approach one of the other legs and begin their ascent.

Oddly enough, the ascent onto Nirvana was likely the most peaceful event since the invasion started. Lyon could hear battles continuing on below them, but no further interruptions arrived and his group eventually made their way onto flat ground. Now in unfamiliar territory, Lyon looked over at the group. "Alright. Our goal is to get myself and Erza to two of the lacrima contained somewhere within this structure."

"Given its design, I would assume we are looking for a path that leads underground, for lack of a better term," Mystogan offered. "I've done some work with complex magical items in the past. Energy storage needs to be centralized to channel it efficiently throughout something this large."

"Then let us begin searching for tunnels or entryways from here." Erza stood up, looking around the quiet place they found themselves in. Nirvana itself appears to be its own set of ruins, covered in deteriorating buildings on the surface of the structure. Lyon and his team gradually began approaching a few of them, peeking inside for any hints of a passageway that was not obvious or apparent from the path they'd taken to reach the surface.

Their search continued for far longer than Lyon was comfortable with. The eerie silence wasn't helping, leaving Lyon on edge and twitching every time he heard so much as a breeze shift around some of the dirt on the ground. This couldn't be that simple, could it? He imagined they'd have higher defenses than this if it had taken so long for anyone to manage to overcome their forces.

Eventually, Millianna called them to her side. "Guys, I think I found something!" They were near one of the edges of Nirvana, seeing a formation that looked like a make-shift ladder built into the side of the half-sphere supporting the ruins. "It looks like it leads down and towards a platform down there."

"Excellent work, Millianna." Erza stood by her side, giving the girl a smile. "We should keep moving. I cannot imagine we have much time left."

I have located one of the lacrimas we are seeking. August's voice came over the telepathic link as Lyon climbed down the ladder. They appear to be connected through a select set of pathways internal to Nirvana.

Relaying the information to Millianna and Mystogan, Lyon began to walk into the doorway they'd found. "That does sound reasonable."

Erza shot him a glance, frowning but turning away. Even Lyon could understand the look. Mystogan was identical to Jellal, both in appearance and in the sound of his voice. Still, now was far from the time to be asking personal questions. They kept moving along in silence through the dark tunnels, their eyes gradually adjusting to the difference in light inside of the structure.

Their team approached an opening, finding a room illuminated in white unlike the rest of the tunnel had been. "Well, this looks like it'll be boring." In the center of the room was a man with red eyes and short black hair greeted them. "I heard we'd have visitors soon, but I was hoping it'd be someone that could at least keep me entertained for a few seconds. None of you seem like you'll be able to keep up though."

"Don't worry, I've got this." Millianna launched out an attack, sending bindings flying towards the wizard in an attempt to restrain him. As soon as they neared the man, they suddenly curved and ended up landing on the ground harmlessly by his side. With wide eyes, Millianna frowned and paused to plan out her next attack.

"Too slow." With a wave of his hand, something seemed to shift. Lyon didn't even see anything happen, but all he knew was that Millianna was thrown back into the wall behind them. She let out a cry as he back collided with the rock. With a grimace, she slowly began to climb back to her feet.

"Ice Make: Eagle!"

"Blumenblatt!"

Two attacks launched in unison towards the man, one a living creation of Lyon's ice. He observed as Erza's swords harmlessly curved around the man's form along with Lyon's initial attack. Yet, he still controlled their flight. Turning them around, the eagles looped back to target the man from behind. The same result occurred. Narrowing his eyes at the attack, the enemy wizard gave another wave of his hand. In an instant, the icy eagles shattered in the air before getting the chance to return. The man brushed off a few of the fallen ice shards from his shoulder, looking over at them.

"Is that all you've got?"

Guys, there's another dragon slayer here! Natsu's voice spoke over the connection. He's blocking the lacrima. Hearing the fire wizard's comment, Lyon looked up to see into the room beyond the wizard they'd found. Not only was it lighter, but a massive lacrima stood on a pedestal behind where the man was standing. He was the barrier between them and their chance to destroy the source of this spell's power.

Kagura, something has come up. I need to return to the airship immediately. Invel spoke calmly, but Lyon frowned. What happened that forced one of Alvarez's generals to flee? From what he'd seen of August and Dimaria, they were all capable wizards.

Understood. I will remain and work with the others to coordinate our attacks.

While he was distracted, Mystogan had begun an attack of his own. "Five Layered Magic Circle: Sacred Song!" A series of colorful magic circles activated above the man, sending down a beam of light onto their enemy. Like everything else this far, the attack swerved off to the side, as if hitting an invisible dome that hovered around the man.

Once the attack finished, Erza charged forward. She lashed out with her sword directly, this time not even bothering with the magical attack. Even that was misdirected, sending her past the wizard who smiled at her and lifted his hand. Erza let out a cry as her armor began to twist and wrap around her body, squeezing tightly against her form.

"Erza!" Lyon glared at the man, not willing to let him get away with continuing. "Ice Make: Pufferfish!" The creation flew towards their attacker, directed towards his back due to Lyon's rushed casting. Seeing the attack, Midnight stepped to the side with ease. Focusing, Lyon redirected it to follow Midnight's movements until the wizard scowled and eventually used the same spell he'd been focusing on to destroy it just like he had with the eagles.

Gasping for air, Erza stumbled as she was released from the man's spell. She pressed a hand to her chest for a moment before slowly turning around. A glow of light formed around her and she was quickly in a different outfit, this one made of purple fabric with some new weapon along with it. It appeared to be some form of polearm, granting her more range with her attacks as she faced off against the man.

"Do not halt your attacks!" Erza looked over at Lyon. "His magic has limits. He cannot control more than one area at once."

"So, you've figured that out so quickly?" The man chuckled. "I suppose I may have underestimated you. That still doesn't change a thing, though. Nirvana is nearly recharged."

That meant Erza needed to find a way out of this fight. Either that, or Lyon needed to leave himself to find the next lacrima. Grimacing, he looked at the opponent and then turned towards Erza. The requip wizard nodded towards him before facing their enemy calmly. "You are the one they call Midnight, correct?"

"So, you've heard of me?"

Erza nodded. "Someone I know spoke much of your guild and its members before we arrived." She adjusted her stance, preparing to attack. "With that knowledge, I am confident that I alone will be more than enough to defeat you and accomplish our goals."

Giving her one last nod, Lyon took advantage of her attempts to bait Midnight into continuing the battle. He moved quickly through the halls again with Mystogan following him rather than staying near Erza. Lyon hadn't heard an update from anyone else recently. Had they found the other lacrimas? August and Natsu had both confirmed their arrivals, but no one else had.

Erza is encountering resistance but has located a lacrima of her own. Lyon started an update on his own as he sought out the next target. I am on my way to the one I will destroy as well.

It was as if he was talking into a void, directing his thoughts like that. Telepathy certainly was a strange magic, especially when others failed to respond to it. Eventually, he still managed to come across a room with another lacrima. Much like before, a wizard was here, standing guard. "Oh, yes! I've hit the jackpot and will certainly be rewarded for my actions today!"

A large man with orange hair was smiling, sounding overjoyed with their arrival. "This area is too small." Mystogan grimaced, shaking his head with a sigh. "I will distract him. Prepare a decisive attack as I do." With that, the man's five staves were planted in the ground in front of him in an odd formation. He raised his hand, shouting and activating yet another spell. "Skyscraper!"

Just as Mystogan's spell activated, their opponent activated a spell of his own. The ground beneath Lyon's feet began to feel like mush, slowly swallowing his feet and throwing him off balance. Grimacing, he pressed his hands together to at least focus on getting out one creation before he was immobilized. "Ice Make: Floor!" The ground around them froze over in ice, mirroring one of Gray's standard moves. With it, the sinking slowed and Lyon had something solid to use to pull himself free as needed.

First, Mystogan's spell was wearing off though. Rather than freeing himself, Lyon prepared another attack. "Ice Make: Snow Dragon!" While their opponent stood still, staring in front of himself with blank eyes, an icy dragon formed and flew towards the man. The wizard was thrown into the wall behind him, knocked out quickly from the attack.

Letting out an exhale, Lyon turned to see Mystogan already approaching. The man offered him a hand, helping pull Lyon free from the ground that was still liquified from their opponents magic. On the ice-covered floor, Lyon stared at the lacrima. "Good. At least he was easier to deal with than the last one we encountered."

"It was simply that I had a better approach this time after seeing exactly what the other was capable of." Mystogan folded his arms over his chest. "Illusions to create an opening followed by an attack - that is the premise behind our larger plan. Enacting it on a smaller scale likely would have been the better approach from the start."

Nodding in agreement, Lyon approached the man. "I'm not certain how long he will be out for." Frowning, he attempted to send out a message to the others. Are we prepared for our attack? How many of you are free to destroy one of the lacrimas?

Silence answered his question. Lyon frowned, looking around the room and trying to sense for something he'd missed. There didn't really seem to be signs of magic beyond the lacrima itself. He couldn't imagine it was easy to hide some sort of enchantment that blocked telepathy either. "I cannot reach the others."

"The link is broken?" Lyon nodded at Mystogan, looking up at the lacrima before sighing.

"I am going back to check on Erza. I need to find out if it is the same for her - stand guard and ensure he does not wake up."

Running out of the room before getting a response, Lyon hurried back down the path he'd come from. There was a chill in the air, likely from Invel's hasty exist out of this place. Lyon ignored it, focused on finding his companion first. After just a brief moment, he emerged into the room with the other lacrima only to stare with wide eyes at the sight inside. Midnight certainly had been defeated, but it did not look like what Lyon was expecting given his enemy being Erza. The man was frozen in ice, darker in color than the sort of magic he was familiar with from his own spells.

Erza was on the ground, shivering as she stared with wide eyes at the person who didn't belong in the room. With a hand stretched out towards Midnight, Gray was smiling darkly. "You guys are really annoying, you know. All this bragging and you can't even stop one wizard who's magic is restrained." The black spot Lyon had seen on Gray's side now seemed to have spread. A streak of black spiking upward from under his shirt was now slashing across one of his eyes. The chill in the air lingered, strong enough to make Lyon shiver along with Erza. Gray looked over to meet Lyon's eyes and smiled, closing his hand into a fist and forcing the icy sculpture to shatter sharp, jagged shards into Midnight's frozen form. As Midnight collapsed with injures Lyon doubted anyone could recover from, he found himself staring into Gray's disturbing smile, watching as his peer didn't even pause to react to what he'd just done.