A/N: Episode 235.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN: FAIRY VERSUS THE UNDERWORLD
"Laxus-kun!" Yajima exclaimed as Bickslow chuckled.
"We're saved!" Freed said as Evergreen had tears of joy.
"What's with this guy?" Laxus asked.
"He's with Tartaros! His target is Yajima-san!" Evergreen informed.
"Oh?" Laxus turned back to face the man, who ripped off his cloak.
THE NINE DEMON GATES / TEMPESTER THE IMMORTAL.
Laxus widened his eyes in shock. "He's not human!" He thought.
"Rumble."
Wind soon surrounded Tempester as he charged forward at Laxus, who used his lightning to dodge.
"Blast."
Tempester flew up where Laxus was. Laxus moved behind him before striking him with lightning, sending him crashing to the ground.
"You..." Tempester growled before turning around.
"Too tough for you, huh?" Laxus taunted.
Both of Laxus's fists were together as yellow lightning surrounded them. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" He shouted, slamming his conjoined fists down onto Tempester and causing an explosion.
Tempester laid down on the ground in defeat. "That's our Laxus!" Freed cheered.
"All right!" Bickslow exclaimed.
"He's a real man!" Evergreen commented, making Elfman sneeze.
Laxus turned around. "Old man Yajima. What should we do with him?" He questioned.
"The Council isn't functioning right now... How dare he trash my restaurant?" Yajima replied.
"The main restaurant, yeah, but you've got a lot of other branches, right?" Bickslow asked.
"We should bring him back to Fairy Tail for an interrogation." Freed suggested.
Evergreen pulled on some hot dog chain. "Oh, I kind of like the sound of that." She claimed.
"They're not only after the current Council members, but past members as well. I'm curious about their motive." Freed said.
"Yeah." Bickslow agreed.
"Call me 'Queen'!" Evergreen shouted.
"Don't play with the food!" Yajima scolded.
"Fairy Tail, eh?" Tempester spoke up, getting their attention. "A human with that kind of magic power wasn't part of the plan. Unforeseen damage... Do I have to die once?"
"Die? What the hell are you talking about?" Laxus questioned.
"I mean, you said you were too tough for me, human." Tempester replied as he disappeared into particles.
"Self-destruction?!" Evergreen exclaimed.
"What?!" Yajima said.
Smoke soon appeared. "What's that black smoke?!" Freed wondered.
"It keeps spreading!" Bickslow informed.
"People can't defeat a disaster. These are magic barrier particles. They contaminate and destroy Ethernano in the air."
"Anti-Ethernano?!" Freed quoted as he coughed. Yajima covered his mouth and nose.
"They cause magic deficiency disease and magic disability disorder. To wizards, both diseases are fatal. My only weakness is that, to reconstitute my own body, I have to return to headquarters. Let's meet in hell, dead ones." Tempester said.
"Don't breathe in the mist!" Freed warned.
"At this rate, everyone will..." Evergreen trailed off.
"The whole town will be contaminated!" Bickslow finished.
"Everyone escape! Somewhere there's no mist!" Yajima instructed before dropping to the ground.
"Yajima-san!" Evergreen shouted, rushing towards him before she fell to the ground as well, followed by Bickslow.
"Wake up! Ever! Bickslow!" Freed shouted.
Laxus clenched his fists. "I won't let anyone die! No one's dyin' here!" He declared.
"Laxus! Keep your mouth shut!" Freed warned.
Laxus opened his mouth as Freed widened his eyes. "Laxus!" Freed called out as Laxus began inhaling the magic particles.
"A Dragon Slayer's lungs are kind of special. I'll suck all this crap up!" Laxus thought.
"No... Stop!" Freed pleaded.
"Get everyone back home. That's your job!" Laxus told Freed as Laxus finally collapsed to the ground.
"Laxus!"
Everyone had gathered in the infirmary after Laxus and the Raijin Tribe had been brought in.
FAIRY TAIL'S MEDICAL ADVISOR / PORLYUSICA.
Porlyusica stood in front of the guild. "Porlyusica! How are Laxus and the others?! Are they okay?! Come on!" Makarov shouted.
"They are alive. However... their bodies are permeated with magic barrier particles. Even a small ingested amount is known to be poisonous, possibly fatal. I don't know if they'll make a full recovery." Porlyusica replied. "The contamination is especially bad in Laxus's body. So much that it's a miracle he's still alive."
Shun looked around to see all of the Fairy Tail members had worried and concern glances.
"These are their friends. I don't blame them one bit for being worried." Shun thinks to himself. "Even I'm worried for their health."
Laxus had become a good friend of Shun's whenever he would visit Fairy Tail. If he wasn't talking with Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, or Gray, he would always talk to him.
Natsu clenched his fist. "Laxus..." Freed muttered as Makarov stepped forward.
"Freed..."
"Laxus... saved... the town. If... it hadn't been for him... the town..."
"I know. And you did well bringing everyone home." Makarov said.
"But... thanks to Laxus... the town was saved." Freed said as Makarov glanced over at his grandson, who was in immense pain.
"Is... the town... safe?" Freed asked as Gray grits his teeth as Shun glanced down. Natsu looked away.
"Yes." Makarov lied.
"Good..." Freed teared up a bit.
"The gates of hell, Tartaros... If they're targeting former Council members, too, then they'll also go after Jellal." Erza thought.
"Terrible..." Lucy muttered.
Natsu turned and walked away. "Gramps..." He spoke, clenching his fist tightly as he had a dark look in his eyes.
"This is war!"
TARTAROS / GUILD HALL...
Tempester was in a tube. "I apologize for the inconvenience, Kyoka." He apologized.
"Don't worry, Tempesta." Kyoka said.
"Tempesta... Is that my name?" He asked.
"Yes." Kyoka replied.
"But when I receive a new body, I shall forget that name. A name has no meaning to me. How long will it take for me to regenerate?" Tempester questioned.
"It usually takes a day to regenerate, but the other lot is also in operation. So it'll probably take a bit longer." Kyoka answered.
"Other lot? Another is wounded?"
"No. My child. A newborn demon."
Kyoka glanced at the other tube, which had Minerva inside.
"Minerva. She'll be quite the hellraiser." Kyoka claimed.
Franmalth cackled. "As long as she doesn't turn out to be a dud like Doriate-san."
"Franmalth..." Kyoka muttered.
"How much does this one cost? How much?" Franmalth asked. "Tempesta-san, regeneration isn't free. Don't throw around magic barrier particles recklessly."
"Fairy Tail. This wouldn't have happened if not for their interference." Tempester said.
"Fairy Tail?" Kyoka repeated as Minerva moved in her tube frantically.
"What's this? It seems this little lady is reacting to the name, too." Franmalth pointed out.
"The guild that defeated the Six Demons and Grimoire... Fairy Tail." Kyoka chuckled. "Interesting. They would defy us?"
"It's war! I'm gonna crush Tartaros, every single one of 'em!" Natsu declared as he was being pinned down by Warren, Max, Nab, and Jet. Droy was knocked out.
"Calm down, Natsu!"
"We all feel the same way!"
"Let go of me, you bastard! I'll kick your ass!" Natsu shouted.
"You already have." Droy commented.
"They hurt our comrades! We can't take this lyin' down! Let's go on the offensive right away, Gramps!" Natsu said.
"I don't disagree. But we don't have enough information to go on." Makarov stated.
"Tartaros. We don't know their objective, and not even the Council knows the location of their headquarters." Erza said.
"That's right, Natsu! How are we gonna attack when we don't even know where they are?!" Warren tried to reason with him.
"All we have to do is ask other dark guilds!" Natsu argued.
"Where are the headquarters of the other dark guilds?!" Nab asked.
"Hell if I know!" Natsu answered.
"Then we have nowhere to attack!" Jet informed.
"The one thing we know is that they're targeting Council members. Past members as well as current ones." Lucy stated.
"Then if we go to a former member's place, they'll come to us?" Gray asked.
"But the addresses of former members are secret. Nobody knows them." Macao pointed out.
"Why?" Happy questioned, looking at Carla.
"If their addresses were known, bad guys would come seeking revenge, right?" Carla answered.
"Then we're at a dead end..." Cana muttered.
"No, you're not." Loke stepped forward.
"Loke!"
"I know the addresses of former Council members. Not all of them, though." Loke claimed.
"Loke!" Lucy exclaimed.
"How do you know, Loke-san?" Wendy asked as Loke began whispering in the young girl's ear. Wendy's face turned bright red.
"They're women, huh?" Lucy guessed.
"Loke gave us the addresses of four former Council members. Let's go as teams to each address, and protect the former members from Tartaros. And I'm sure they'll be tight-lipped, but get as much information from them as you can. The addresses of other former members... About Tartaros... and why they're being targeted. If you encounter the being who attacked Laxus and the others with those magic particles, exercise caution as you obtain a blood sample. I may be able to use it to create a vaccine that would cure them." Porlyusica announced.
Shun stood next to Gray along with the rest of the Fairy Tail members as Makarov stood in front of them.
Makarov raised his fist up. "The enemy is Tartaros. They're a cornerstone of the Balam Alliance, like Oracion Seis and Grimoire Heart were. However, we destroyed both of them. And like them, Tartaros will regret making an enemy out of us! Our comrades have been hurt. Their pain is ours. The blood that flows through their bodies flows through ours. This pain! This suffering! Turn it into fighting spirit and avenge them! We don't act out of justice! We act out of will! Take pride in our bond and drive away your family's enemy!" He announced as everyone cheered.
Gray turned to look at his brother. "Are you sure you'll be alright with helping us?" He asked.
Shun chuckled. "Of course. Fairy Tail has become my second home after all." He replied.
"Lyon is not gonna like this." Gray informed.
"Probably not. But I'll deal with him lecturing me later." Shun said, making Gray sigh.
"Watch out, Tartaros. You just pissed off the one guild you should never piss off." Shun thinks to himself as he smirked.
Shun had changed his attire to a black leather jacket, a white t-shirt, black leather pants, and black combat boots along with his cross earrings as he rode alongside Gray and Juvia.
"I can see it." Shun announced.
"You have good eyesight." Gray muttered.
"That town..." Juvia mumbled as both animals stopped.
"What did you suddenly stop for?!" Gray questioned.
Both of the animals were growling at the ground. "It seems to be afraid of something." Juvia noticed.
"Then something's here?" Gray questioned.
The three of them soon stopped at a destroyed house. "Well?" Makarov asked over the communication Lacrima.
"No good. We were too late." Gray informed.
"What?! Where's Sage Fogg?" Makarov questioned.
"He's... gone..." Juvia answered.
"Someone apparently went on a rampage through the town." Shun chimes in.
"I can't bear to look at it." Gray added.
"Good lord..." Makarov muttered.
"Good! We finally got through!" Lucy announced.
"Lucy!"
"The thing we brought got broken. This is the one from the town." Lucy informed.
"What's going on by you?" Makarov asked.
"Michello-san is safe." Lucy replied, causing Makarov, Cana, Romeo, and Laki to sigh in relief. "Though Natsu was hurt badly..."
"I won!" Natsu announced, raising a peace sign.
"He defeated a member of Tartaros." Wendy said.
"I won!"
"So it seems."
"The town is a wreck, though." Carla stated.
"And so is my hair..." Happy added.
"Did you get any info out of Michello?!" Makarov questioned.
"Actually..." Lucy looked at Michello.
"White legacy... Face... I don't know anything... I really don't know anything..." Michello muttered.
"Face?" Makarov quoted.
"Face... is one of the Council's weapons." Michello revealed, leaving everyone stunned.
"Huh? So it's not a myth?" Shun mumbled, causing Gray to look at him.
"You've heard of it?" He asked.
"Bits and pieces during my travels. Though I've only heard rumors. Apparently, it's a lot more destructive than Etherion. I don't know what it does, however." Shun replied.
Natsu sat up. "Weapon?" He repeated. "Why would the Council have that?"
"It must be to maintain order in the magic community. Right now, I think we should continue to hear him out." Carla stated.
"We have many weapons. The way we manage each one is different... depending on its levels of danger and necessity." Michello said. "For example, Etherion. It's a super-powerful magic cannon that can target an entire continent. It has the power to decimate a nation in a moment. Firing it requires the permission of the nine current Council members and activation codes of ten senior members."
"In other words, with all the current members murdered..." Jet trailed off.
"...the Council can't use Etherion?" Droy finished.
"Is one of their goals to neutralize Etherion?" Lily questioned.
"What kind of weapon is Face?!" Makarov asked Michello, who didn't reply. "I know you're sworn to secrecy! But this is more important!"
"Magical pulse bomb... It's a weapon that would destroy all magic over the whole continent." Michello replied.
"Wha...?!" Gray widened his eyes.
"Magic all over the continent?!" Gajeel quoted.
"Destroyed?!" Jet and Droy spoke in unison.
"All wizards would get magic deficiency disease." Cana stated.
"That's not all! That member said Tartaros's power comes from curses, not magic!" Lucy informed.
"So it would be a world in which all wizards would be suffering and unable to use magic, while only Tartaros could use their powers." Lily pointed out.
"To think they'd use a devastating weapon like that!" Makarov exclaimed.
Natsu grabbed onto Michello's collar. "Where is it?! We'll destroy it before they get there!" He said.
"I... I don't know... I swear... I've heard that three former Council members used Living Link Magic to seal it away, but only the former chairman knows who those three are." Michello answered.
"Living Link Magic..." Happy repeated.
"Three lives are the key to unlock the seal..." Wendy muttered.
"That's why those bastards are killing them without trying to pump the members for information." Gray realized.
"Then in other words, they don't need information. So does Tartaros already know where Face is being hidden?" Juvia asked.
"If they're trying to break the seals, I would imagine so." Shun responded.
"If the three former members who are keeping it sealed are murdered, Face will belong to Tartaros, Gramps!" Gajeel spoke.
"We need to find those three and protect them, ASAP!" Makarov claimed. "The former chairman knows who they are, right?"
"I... I believe so." Michello responded.
The Fairy Tail members began their search. "Nobody's figured out the former chairman's address yet?!" Makarov asked. "The enemy is targeting him, too, so hurry!"
"It'll be okay! We found the addresses of 16 more former Council members along the way. They're now under the personal protection of other guilds that agreed to help!" Warren informed.
"The former chairman's address is among them!" Laki said.
"Send someone over there on the double!" Makarov instructed.
"Relax. They're already on their way."
Mira and Erza were seen riding a bull with the Fairy Tail insignia on its horn.
"Our two most reliable members!"
A/N: Another chapter is finished!
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.