"I think that went rather well," Tobias said with a smirk as he and the group walked back into Tartaros Castle.
"For once, you didn't fuck up," Maggie said while dusting herself off. "But you can still shut up."
"…I felt respected for almost 3 seconds…" Tobias sighed.
"I assume the mission was a success?" Diana asked with a slight smirk on her face.
"Indeed…" Hades nodded. "It's been quite some time since I've been around, however news does travel…"
"The plan isn't done yet," Tobias said. "You guys did well, which made the Council a piece of cake. Now, it's time for a small squad to go and send a message to Fiore…"
"What about the half dead guy?" Kain asked.
"I'll deal with him," Tobias replied. "He's not dead, and his condition, though serious, is nothing my healing magic won't fix."
"And the other two?" Daityas asked.
"I've already sent one of them out on a mission…heheh…" Tobias grinned slightly.
"I see you're all back…" Jackal said as he walked into the room, his arms crossed. "Did Tobias screw up again?"
"My plan went flawlessly!" Tobias replied, somewhat annoyed.
"Hm, I bet the lavawhore didn't do so well then?" Jackal asked, turning his gaze to Maggie.
"The lil' pup still doesn't know his place…" Maggie just rolled her eyes.
"Anyway!" Tobias started. "I've already decided who would be perfect for delivering the message that's about to come. A small squad, as I said. Myself, Blake, Bluenote, Kain, Veronica, and Ur."
"Just you five?" Horoki asked.
"Well, I'd bring Byron, but he's busy at the moment. Ruika is undercover, and I have a job for Zancrow and Rustyrose," Tobias replied.
"A job for us, you say?" Rustyrose asked, tilting his head. "And what would that be?"
.
.
"GUYS! GUYS!" Jet yelled as he rushed into the Fairy Tail, obviously catching everyone's attention. "I HAVE SOME REALLY BAD NEWS!"
"What's going on, Jet?!" Levy asked as she and Droy rushed over to their partner, who was panting heavily at this point.
"T-The Council!" Jet started. "It's been attacked!"
"The Council's been attacked?!" Makarov spat out the beer he was drinking. "Who did this?!"
"It looks like Tobias' plan actually worked…" Lucy thought to herself as she just watched the conversation, though she did plaster a concerned look on her face to keep her cover.
"It was Tartaros!" Jet exclaimed, causing everyone to gasp.
"They're making their move this time…?" Erza asked as she crossed her arms. "Is there any word on what happened to the people?"
"Well…" Jet started as he rubbed his head. "There have been a bunch of deaths from normal guards; a guard named Layanna is reported dead, and the status on the captain's is unknown…"
"Did they act alone?!" Cynthia blurted out.
"From how it sounds, it does seem like Tartaros did it on their own…" Lisanna spoke, and after she did, an explosion shook the entire town of Magnolia.
"W-What was that!?" Wendy asked as she stood up.
"They're here!" Lucy shouted.
"What do we do!?" Alex shouted.
"We fight, that's what!" Gajeel started as a smirk appeared on his face.
"We need people to stay here and hold down the guild!" Erza commanded.
"Alright, then who is going, Erza?" Makarov asked, trusting in Erza's judgment to pick a good time.
"Gajeel, Gray, Juvia, Lucy, Wendy, Cynthia, and Mirajane," Erza nodded. "Those are who I want to come with me."
"Mirajane's going out there? Welp, they tried…hehe…" Cynthia giggled slightly before standing up. "Alright, I'm ready!"
Wendy picked up Carla and nodded after. "Ready!"
"I'm ready, too!" Lucy nodded, though in the back of her head she was curious as to how this situation would play out, considering she was undercover and all. A few seconds after this, the group Erza selected left the building and went into town.
"Be careful, Cynthia…" Alex said while waving the group out.
"Come back safe, Gajeel!" Levy shouted.
"While Erza takes care of this, I'll make sure to let the other guilds know what's happening…" Makarov nodded as a serious expression appeared on his face; the wizard saint was about to get serious if he needed to.
"Hmph…" Laxus, who was listening to the conversation from around the corner, sighed. "I doubt she's gonna get the job done, even with those few; it is Tartaros, after all... I think it's time the Rajinshuu got involved this time…"
.
.
Luke strolled down the mountain path, oblivious to the events taking place just yet. He was actually going to go to Magnolia to pick up some items; however an oddly familiar presence caused him to stop and look around. "Eh…?" Luke continued looking around, knowing someone was there, but he didn't know who yet. "Come out, will ya?"
Cobra walked from behind a tree, his hands in his coat pocket. He flashed Luke a smirk, mainly because he knew the copycat was surprised to see him. "Luke, it's been a while."
"Huh…" Luke let out a chuckle after, crossing his arms. "I wasn't expecting to see you here…what happened, did you get a get out of jail free card or something?"
"…You could say that," Cobra replied, leaning his head back. "How's the first generation poison dragon slayer…Heather?"
"Eh?" Luke blinked a few times. "Oh, she's well. Is that all you came to ask?"
"I just thought I should let you know that Magnolia is about to become a warzone. I can hear it," Cobra started to explain. "I won't say much more, but I thought you should know since you were about to go shopping in that town."
"Wait…Magnolia's a WHAT?" Luke asked with his jaw dropping.
"Warzone. I think the battles have just begun," Cobra replied, a slight smirk on his face. "Tartaros has made their move, and it wouldn't be fun if everyone wasn't prepared…" Cobra then turned, beginning to walk off. "I know what you're going to do, so instead of standing there, how about you do it?"
"…GAH!" Luke turned around, sprinting back up the mountain trail to White Eclipse.
"The stars are trembling…" Saeko said to herself while standing on the balcony.
.
.
Natsu stood on the edge of a large cliff, spotting his destination from the horizon, a grin on his face. "Finally made it…After this I'll head right back home…" Natsu turned around beginning to walk off, though something caught his attention; a boomerang with a trail of fire coming his way. He noticed the fire right away, and was just about ready to inhale it, but to his surprise, the boomerang's element changed from fire to ice, striking Natsu in the head, thus freezing his head. Not even a second passed as his flames erupted around his body, thawing him out. "Who did that?!"
"Heh…" Byron stepped out from around a nearby tree, the boomerang returning to his hand. "Not bad, Salamander…I'll enjoy this…"
Natsu's gaze turned into a glare as he noticed Byron, remembering how he played a part in the kidnapping of Cynthia months ago, and that he attacked Lucy during the Grand Magic Games. "You…! I'll make you pay for what you did to Lucy and Fairy Tail!"
"Good, good…show me those flames…!" Byron grinned. "Master Jikan will thank me for this later…"
Without wasting any time, Natsu lunged forward towards Byron, his fist covered in flames. "Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon!"
"Heh…" Byron grinned as Natsu charged; a light appearing around Byron's hands and feet as he switched into his Power Gloves and boots. Byron pulled his fist back, throwing it forward just as Natsu threw his, the two meeting in the middle, causing a shockwave to boom out, shaking the trees in the area. "Not bad…" Byron thought to himself before jumping back, though Natsu continued to go on the offensive.
Natsu jumped up, his feet flaming as he aimed them at Byron's head. "Talons!"
"Too slow!" Byron shouted, placing his arms over his hands as Natsu's kick landed; Byron felt the burn from the fire, but that was just about it.
Natsu flipped back after the hit, allowing flames to flare around his body. After a few seconds, Natsu lunged forward head first towards Byron at blinding speed. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!"
"That's right, show me what you got!" Byron grinned as he pulled his hand back once again, clenching it into a tight fist; he then threw his fist forward, colliding with Natsu head on, the result causing an explosion.
.
.
"Ugh…you two pests AGAIN!?" Veronica groaned, remembering the last time she had to deal with Wendy and Cynthia.
"Ew…it's the old hag from all those months ago…" Cynthia pretended to gag.
"I wasn't looking forward to seeing her..." Wendy frowned slightly, but she held a serious position.
"Who are you calling an OLD HAG?!" The dark mage screamed, her temper rising quickly, but she calmed herself. "Hmph! Fine, I'll just deal with you both like last time…" Veronica held her hands up, using her telekinetic powers to lift up large pieces of buildings, hurling them to the two girls. "One first, and the other falls after!"
"She doesn't understand how we work at all…" Cynthia sighed, but there was a grin on her face.
"Shall we show her?" Wendy asked, preparing to make a run forward.
"After you," Cynthia replied.
"Hai!" Wendy nodded, taking the sprint forward, Cynthia following behind right after; the two split off, both dealing with the separate piece of debris. "Sky Dragon's Claw!" Wendy exclaimed, swiping her hand just as the large chunk of debris came her way, the harsh winds tearing through it.
"Iron Fist of the Omega Fire Dragon!" Cynthia shouted as he red flames appeared on her fist, which she threw forward, shattering the debris into harmless chunks, now leaving a clear path to Veronica. "She's open!" Cynthia puffed her cheeks out, immediately sending an Omega Fire Dragon's Roar towards Veronica, while Wendy did the same, sending a Sky Dragon's Roar, the two roars merging halfway, becoming a unison raid.
"Tch…" Veronica flicked her hand to the side, and an invisible force caused the roar to funnel off into another direction, striking a nearby building. "You two annoy me…"
"Oh…" Cynthia's expression changed into a comical shocked one. "I forgot she could do that…"
.
.
"Who the hell is this guy…?" Cygnus asked as he and Heather stood across from Kain, who was had hearts in his eyes from glancing at the poison dragon slayer.
"More importantly why is he giving me that face…" Heather asked as a sweat drop appeared on her forehead.
"What an amazing beauty…" Kain started as he began to daydream. "I know this is sudden, but YES!"
"…Yes to what?" Heather asked while blinking a few times, completely confused by Kain's attitude.
"I WILL be your boyfriend!" Kain replied.
"W-WHAT?! Hold on now…! I didn't even…! Who on earth would want to even be near you, cretin…" Heather protested.
"Oh…such harsh words from such a beautiful lady…" Kain said as tears began to flow from his eyes.
"…Can we just take this guy out already?" Cygnus asked.
"Gladly…" Heather replied as her magenta colored poison formed around her fist; she made the first move, dashing towards Kain while pulling her arm back. "Poison Dragon's Iron Fist!"
"Oh…if I can't have you, I suppose we must do battle!" Kain shouted, swaying his body nimbly to the left as Heather swung, clearly catching her off guard. Before Heather could react, Kain swung an open palm at Heather's face, the power behind it sending Heather flying into a one story building.
"Heather!" Cygnus shouted, clearly surprised at Kain's speed and power. "For a fat guy, he moves pretty well…" Cygnus then charged forward himself, making the gravity around his person much lighter. "Gravity God's…" Cygnus started as he pulled his fist back, gravity making his arm heavier to increase impact. "Heavy Smash!" Cygnus yelled, throwing his gravity infused arm forward, however Kain managed to dodge this attack as well, slamming two open palms into Cygnus' face and chest, pushing the gravity god away a few feet. "Damn…! This guy is really starting to get on my nerves…"
"Poison Dragon's Scales…" Heather whispered from inside the building; a magenta colored magic seal appeared in front of her, unleashing a barrage of toxic scales in Kain's direction.
"Oh my!" Kain shouted, immediately pulling out his Mr. Cursey doll. "Self-Strengthen, Mist!" As Kain shouted this, his body turned into a mist which allowed the toxic scales to fly through his body, leaving him unharmed. After this, Kain's body returned to normal.
"He…plays with dolls too!?" Cygnus couldn't help but laugh, but when he saw just a portion of what Mr. Cursey could do, he shut up. "Oh…it's THAT kind of doll…"
"I hate this one already…" Heather groaned as she walked from the building with a slight limp.
.
.
Lucy was ushering a child away from the chaos. Not because she wanted to, but because she had to. People would question why she wasn't doing anything. "There, go. Get out of here."
"Thank you, Miss!" The child said with a bright, innocent smile before running off.
That made Lucy feel a warm, disgusting feeling in her chest. "Ugh...gross..." Geninue gratitude? She wasn't sure how to feel about that at all...
Tobias stood on a building, looking down at Luke and Lucy, an annoyed expression on his face. "You two again…?"
"Long time no see!" Luke shouted, a smirk on his face. "How's that hole in your stomach?"
"How's yours?" Tobias retorted.
"…Touche," Luke replied, then looked over at Lucy. "Ready for round 2?"
"Round…" Lucy blinked a few times, then realized what Luke what was talking about. "Oh! Yes!" "You just had to make this difficult for me, didn't you, Tobias?"
Tobias was trying not to sweat, because he could see that Ruika was pissed. This was unfortunate timing, but neither of them wanted to break her cover just yet. "Hey! How was I supposed to know you were gonna get picked to fight us!?" "Alright, bring it on! I won't lose this time…heh…"
"Just follow my lead on this, you idiot…" Lucy reached into her pouch, pulling out a key. "Ready, Luke?"
"Ready!" Luke nodded.
.
.
Just in front of the cake chop, Erza, Juvia, and Reve stood across from Blake, who had his arms crossed, chuckling slightly. "Oh…I see we have Titania, her rival, and and the Rainwoman…interesting matchup…"
"I prefer the term, "Titania's Superior" Reve said with his usual cocky tone and grin, getting under Erza and Juvia's skin with that comment.
"Juvia would rather be partnered with Gray-sama…" Juvia mumbled.
"Don't worry, I'll make this a quick one," Blake said as a bright white aura started to appear around his body. "The light of the White God will eliminate all that stands in my way…"
.
.
Gray made his way through the town, evading the mass panic of people trying to escape from a certain villain terrorizing the southern part of the town. Gray came to a clearing, arriving with a sliding stop, looking around for the culprit. "Huh…?" Gray didn't see anything out of the ordinary; just Ur standing with her back turned. "Ur…?"
"Hm?" Ur turned around, placing a hand over her mouth to hide her snicker.
"What are you doing here?! It's dangerous!" Gray shouted.
"Oh…you're right, it is dangerous, isn't it?" Ur stated, removing her hand from her mouth to show her now sadistic expression. "It would be a shame if people got hurt…"
"Ur…?" Gray raised a brow, not quite getting it just yet.
"You're so slow…" Ur just snickered once again, sliding into her ice make stance. "Ice Make…" And as Ur readied herself to attack, Gray noticed something; the Tartaros mark on her body. He didn't notice it before when they talked in Crocus, but that was because she had it covered, so Gray's eyes widened at the sight of this. "Rose Garden!"
.
.
Sidney and Bluenote weren't actually in Magnolia, they both knew what was about to happen would need more space. Bluenote eyed Sidney curiously, his arms crossed as he prepared to ask his signature question. "Can you fly…?"
"I don't need to fly to defeat you," Sidney replied, staring at Bluenote with a serious expression. "It's the White Eclipse tradition to allow the weaker opponent the first move." The way Sidney said this was what got Bluenote. No cocky tone of voice, no cocky expression; Sidney was completely serious.
"I will enjoy crushing you with gravity…" Bluenote replied.
.
.
Wind stood on the roof of a building, just observing the ongoing conflicts between those she was ailed with and the legal guild members. She turned around, somewhat surprised to see Selene and Aira standing a few feet away from her. "Hm…?"
"I knew we'd find one!" Aira shouted.
"This one is dangerous…" Selene said in a serious tone.
(Them…) Wind looked towards Selene and Aira, a black wind surrounding her body.
"I think this is the one who's been destroying those towns lately…" Aira exclaimed.
"Then we should take care of her quickly…" Selene replied.
.
.
All in Bosco Land seemed quiet peaceful, as the amusement park reached its high of visitors for the day. Things were going great until the area erupted in black flames, causing a mass panic. "HAHA!" Zancrow laughed, catching the attention of most people. "Twilight Zone, come out, come out wherever you are!"
"Or are you too afraid to face the reborn Grimoire Heart once again…" Rustyrose asked whiel adjusting his glasses, looking for any sign of the guild.
"Your insults need work…" Evanee said as she, Rylo, Taranis, Flynn, Alexander, Tsami (who was eating a brownie she magically conjured up, though she was unaware of this) and Melanie walked forward.
"I-It's that man…!" Melanie shouted, remembering her past encounter with Rustyrose.
"Oh, it's the little girl who nearly brought doom onto others…" Rustyrose smirked slightly.
"Agh…Zancrow…" Flynn glared at the flame god slayer, remembering the beat down Zancrow gave him.
"So, this is Grimoire Heart?" Alexander asked while crossing his arms. "They don't look like much…"
"Arrogant one, aren't you?" Rustyrose smirked slightly, snapping his fingers, which created a large magic seal under the group. "Well, don't worry, this'll be quick…"
"Look out!" Tsami shouted, but the magic circle's effects were something different than they were expecting; the circle unleashed a pink, sleeping gas that quickly made its way into the systems of the guild, knocking them all out quickly.
"That was easy…" Zancrow scoffed. "Can I blow this place up now?"
"Not yet, Zancrow. Leave your artwork for the end, the crowd MUST be dazzled by the beauty only we can create." Rustyrose replied.
"Excellent work, you two," Rugal said as he stepped out of a portal. "Now, what do I do with them?"
"All but the speedy one, warp them back to their guild. Tobias already has the runes set up so our little game can begin," Rutsyrose responded.
"Alright," Rugal nodded, waving his hand after. This caused several portals to appear under everyone but Flynn, and warped them back to Twilight Zone. "It has been done."
"Perfect!" Rustyrose grinned, now using his powers to manifest a water gun, which he sprayed at Flynn, causing the speed mage to wake up.
"Ugh…" Flynn groaned slightly as he regained consciousness, looking around for his guild mates after. "W-What happened!?"
"You're our contestant for our little game!" Rustyrose replied. "You call yourself the fastest mage in Fiore, yes?"
"Perhaps…" Flynn said as he stood up, glaring at the three mages before him.
"Well, there's someone here who would just love to prove you wrong…" Rustyrose replied, and right after he spoke, Racer appeared in a blur, staring down Flynn.
"R-Racer..?!" Flynn's eyes widened; Racer's speed was something Flynn knew about, and in this situation, it was something he was hoping he'd never have to face. "W-What's the meaning of this!?"
"The rules are simple," Rustyrose started. "Your guild members are safe and sound back at the Twilight Zone Guild, or rather they would be if a friend of ours didn't place special runes up. You see, the runes around your guild come with a timer. Once the timer runs out, all the oxygen in the building goes, and so do their lives. Once I say the word "go", the timer starts. You will race Racer to see who will get there the fastest. And there's a catch; should Racer beat you, and even touch the runes with that pointy nose of his, it's over for your "family", understand?"
"Grrr…." Flynn growled, but he had no choice but to comply with Rustyrose's terms; he had to save his family. Flynn crouched down into a running position, and Racer did the same, though Racer gave Flynn a smirk.
"Think you're fast enough to keep up with me, kid…?" Racer asked.
"We're about to find out…" Flynn replied.
"Oh, I forgot to mention that you had about 7 minutes to race to the finish before the rune's timer runs out…and that those 7 minutes started 2 minutes ago. Whoops." Rustyrose snickered before ushering the two off. "Go!"
With that, Flynn and Racer blasted forward, leaving Bosco Land in the dust. Though Racer was obviously the faster one between the two to start off, as Flynn was left to eat Racer's dust, coughing violently as he did so. "G-Gah…!" Flynn shook it off, a magic circle appearing under his feet. "Mach 3!" Flynn shouted, and with this, his speed increased, allowing him to catch up to Racer.
"Mach 3? Is that all?" Racer asked, but he then used his forward momentum to pull off a shoulder tackle, slamming Flynn in the side, causing the speed mage to roll.
"A-Ack!" Flynn shouted at the sudden shove; he eventually caught himself by springing up, but he lost a lot of momentum, so he hurried to get it back, Racer still holding the lead. "No way am I gonna be out raced…!"
"You talk big…" Racer shouted over to Flynn, having quite the lead over him.
.
.
"Ugh…" Rylo groaned as he woke up on the couch in Twilight Zone, noticing the others were stirring awake as well. "What…happened?"
"I think…we were put to sleep…?" Alexander replied.
"Where's Flynn…?" Melanie asked.
"Probably on his way now…" Rylo said. He then walked over to the front door, only to comically slam into a set of runes. "G-Gah!? What the!?"
"Runes…" Evanee sneered, placing a hand on the runes so she could read them. "4 minutes until oxygen depletion…only those with speed magic can pass through…" After Evanee finished reading, she realized what was going on. "It's a finish line…"
"What?" Tsami blinked a few times.
"Flynn's in a race…" Evanee replied. "And he's not winning so far…and I don't think this Racer should be the winner in our case."
.
.
Racer decided to humor Flynn, entering the other speed mage in close combat. The two appeared as blurs to those who managed to catch glimpses of them. Flynn threw a quick punch to Racer, but Racer blocked it with his forearm and threw a kick at Flynn, who was unable to dodge, but he held his ground, and the two eventually jumped back to give each other space. "Trail blazing!" Flynn ran forward, his feet flaming, boosting his speed along with leaving a trail of fire. With this, he hoped to get passed Racer for at least two seconds, but he was denied this as Racer sped ahead of him still. "Dammit! I'm not done yet!" Flynn yelled, another red magic seal appearing under his feet. "Mach 2!" As Flynn shouted this, his speed boosted yet again, this time giving him enough to speed past Racer for a beautiful two seconds, causing the speed mage to explode in flames. "Got him!"
"Not so fast…" Racer said as he appeared beside Flynn, throwing a hard punch to Flynn's stomach, causing Flynn to fly back, but he caught his ground. Racer then continued on his way, the two now closing in on Twilight Zone. "One minute…"
{Flashback}
"Mach 10?" Rylo blinked a few times.
"Aye," Flynn replied. "It's about as fast as anyone could get. I can use it…but I need practice with it. If I use it wrong just once…let's just say there won't be another time…That's why I didn't use it during the Games…I didn't want to take that chance…"
"Think you can handle it?" Rylo asked.
"Gotta try. Otherwise I can't call myself the fastest mage in Fiore, ya know?" Flynn smirked slightly.
{End Flashback}
As Flynn ran, he realized there was no way he was going to beat Racer at this race. "I can't beat him…" Flynn stated, feeling disappointed in himself yet again. He realized that he never did much for his guild; he only managed to get them third in the preliminaries of the Grand Magic Games, and only managed to get them eight points overall. "But…" Flynn continued to run, not allowing himself to give up despite his condition. A magic circle appeared under Flynn's feet once again as he dared to do the thing he said he wouldn't. "Mach…10!" Flynn exclaimed at the top of his lungs; within the next second, his speed increased exponentially, breaking the sound barrier as a result. In no time, he caught up to Racer, his fist drawn back, and he slugged Racer across the face with his increased speed, catching Racer off guard, causing him to literally fly into the direction Flynn sent him, appearing as a twinkle in the sky. With whatever little time Flynn had left, he sped into Twilight Zone, passing through the "finish line" with a few seconds to spare, grabbed everyone inside, and sped out, stopping in a crouched position after. "With a few seconds to spare…"
"Flynn!" Everyone shouted, rather glad Flynn was alright.
"Heh…sorry about the wait…" Flynn grinned slightly, rubbing the back of his head. This moment lasted a few seconds as Flynn started to cough violently after, falling to his knees. "S-Shit…"
"Flynn, what's wrong?" Evanee asked, actually showing a little concern for Flynn considering what just happened.
"…You used it, didn't you?" Rylo asked with widened eyes.
"Y-Yup…" Flynn replied through his violent coughs, blood eventually started to fall on the ground.
"Relax, Flynn!" Taranis shouted. "You can make it through this!"
"What did you do…?" Tsami asked.
"Mach ten…Guess I didn't do it correctly…" Flynn chuckled slightly, though his coughing persisted in the middle of it, and he fell onto his stomach, his veins starting to show from the strain he placed on his body.
"Flynn, just…hang on!" Melanie shouted, tears starting to form around her eyes. "He's not gonna die, right…!?"
"Sorry, Melanie…" Flynn coughed, a slight smile on his face. "Guess I burned out a little too fast...You guys…are great family…you know that? Also…congrats on making second strongest guild in Fiore…you all earned it…Twilight Zone better win next year…and make sure those guys pay for what they've done…" With his last words, Flynn's body reached its limit. His heart couldn't take the strain, and he ended up collapsing on the spot, unmoving...not breathing. Everyone remained silent for a few minutes after this, but Evanee was eventually the first one who stepped forward.
"They're going to pay…"