The Rise of a Warrior: Fairy Tail

by The Legendary Dragon Reaper

Luke Drako, S-class wizard of the Fairy Tail guild, the true Lightning Dragon Slayer, student and son of the Lightning dragon Kaminari. This is his story. The story of a Dragon Slayer trying to find his place in the world, and make one hell of a strong team along the way. And with any luck, he just might win the heart of a certain brunette card mage. OC x Cana. Read and review.

38. Tenrou Island V

I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited or followed this story since I updated it.

Jaemos: Thanks, I'm glad to see you like the story so far. And yes, addressing certain movies and anime makes it a lot more fun to write.

Morregen: Yeah, if I don't have Gildarts fight Bluenote, then truth be told there really isn't anything for him to do during the war against Grimoire Heart. Don't worry though, I already have an opponent in mind for Luke, so don't worry about that. But yes, there will be epic entrances for both Luke and Laxus in the battle against Hades.

Guest: Thanks, I'm glad to see you like the story. Yeah, I wanted to give Gajeel more time to shine than he had in canon. The interactions between Noah and Cana were something I hadn't planned on, but enjoyed doing. Yep, next chapter is going to see Luke and Gildarts finally back in action.

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'So this is it… this is where it ends for me… Everyone… dad… Luke… I'm sorry…' Cana could only shut her eyes and wait for the inevitable… but it never came, so she opened her eyes, and she was shocked by what she was seeing.

As it turns out, Luke was holding her in his arms bridal style, clutching her close to his chest like his life depended on it, with Gildarts (incredibly pissed off) having sent Bluenote flying with his Crash magic. Once he knew that Bluenote was a safe distance away, Luke immediately pointed his sword at him while still holding Cana "I'm going to say this once, so listen and listen good. If you ever lay a hand on any of my friends, especially her, I won't hesitate to cut you down."

'Luke… dad… you came…'

"Sorry I took so long to get here, I've been stuck dealing with the numerous lackeys of their guild for hours, and once that was done I needed some time to recover."

Bluenote quickly stopped himself and his gaze hardened at the sight of those before him "So this is the legendary Gildarts, and the Thunderclap of the Fairy Tail guild, Luke Drako."

"So you've heard of me. I'd be a lot more flattered if it wasn't for the fact that you've been trying to rip a bunch of my friends a new one."

"Save the smalltalk for later." Gildarts calmly levelled his furious gaze on Luke "You need to go, take the others and get out of here now." then his magic power started surging around his body, taking on the form of a very thick and potent white aura, which complemented Bluenote's black aura "I'm going to handle this one myself."

'He's so intense and serious… I can't remember the last time I saw him this serious, but the amount of power he's putting out right now is like what he showed me back during my S-class trial years ago. Alright, I'll leave you to it Gildarts, but remember this: If you let this guy beat you, then there's no way in hell I'm letting you live it down."

"Duly noted, now go!" Gildarts promptly charged into the fray, countering Bluenote's gravity magic by severing a large chunk of land he was standing on and propelling it into the air, and then he shattered it using his Crash magic, and then he charged at Bluenote and their fists collided, the force of their clash ripping apart the landscape surrounding them and nearly sending the others flying.

"So yeah, if him being pissed wasn't enough incentive for you, stay out of the way when he goes on the war path, and we should really get the hell out of here. Any objections to that?" he was met with various simultaneous groans "I didn't think so."

Bluenote promptly threw away his jacket after seeing Gildarts' level of power 'I don't believe this, to think he was able to push me back.'

"Okay yeah, now both of them are getting pissed, so if we're gonna get the hell out of here, then we should do it now. Cana…"

"You don't have to say it Luke, I know." Cana told him quietly "He can handle this on his own, and we'd only get in the way if we stuck around."

"Good, glad you understand."

"I do, at least I do now." Cana spared one last glance over at Gildarts 'Just be careful and make sure you don't get yourself killed… dad.'

"Come on, we'd better get moving." Luke reached down and picked up Makarov's unconscious form, and then he turned back to Gildarts "Just remember what I said, you lose to him and none of us will ever let you live it down." and so he left, with Cana, Gajeel and the rest of the group right behind him.

'Oh trust me Luke, that's exactly what I intend to do.' Gildarts gave a quick smirk, then turned furious as he levelled his gaze back on Bluenote "You know you interrupted something very important. These kids were in the middle of something very important, they were working to make the world a better place than the pile of crap we left them. They've been putting absolutely everything on the line for the sake of salvaging the future, and then you and your buddies came along and trampled all over it. I'm gonna make sure you pay for that."

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Meanwhile, with Luke's group…

Having left Gildarts to fend for himself, Luke was leading Cana and the others through the pouring rain, while he was carrying Makarov on his back "Alright, I think for the time being we should head back to camp and regroup with the others."

"Probably a good idea." Cana muttered quietly "From what I've heard, Natsu and Lisanna are in pretty bad shape."

"So I've heard, and Aftershock was the one that did it. If I had to guess as to why, aside from trying to gauge their power for the sake of a good fight, he wants to get me riled up so I'll give him the best fight possible, even if it isn't out of malice."

"And don't forget that Mest, I mean Doranbolt, promised that he would do his best to help us get off this island." Wendy pointed out.

"Not sure how I feel about that, especially if he's really a spy for the Magic Council." he then glanced over at Cana "So what about you, are you gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, I think I…" then she stopped in her tracks, which caused the others to as well "Actually no, I'm not okay. I need to say this before we go any further." so with a deep breath, she decided to come clean "I'm sorry guys… I'm so sorry. I was so focused on my goals, so convinced that I had to do it, that I ended up losing sight of what's really important. I get that now, and I'm gonna take responsibility for what I did, and no matter what happens, I'm always gonna do everything in my power to protect the guild."

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Meanwhile, at the Fairy Tail base camp…

By this point, Rustyrose had confronted those at the camp, and he was still talking "The Seven Kin of Purgatory have come calling. My name is Rustyrose, I spy a feast of dreams waiting to be devoured."

"And you're gonna keep waiting." Mira turned back to the others "We can't let this guy get near any of the wounded, and frankly he's getting on my nerves."

"I'm fighting too." Levy suddenly pulled herself back to her feet "I can't just sit by and do nothing when I know my friends are in danger."

"Just don't overexert yourself."

"It's only right that I should warn you now, I don't have the energy stay in my battle form for that much longer." Lily told her.

"Which means that if we're gonna put an end to this, we're gonna have to do it fast."

"Two young girls and a cat guarding the infirmary." Rustyrose noted "Oh dear, and here I was hoping that I would get the chance to be involved in a more epic battle. Well no matter, for this is the hand fate has chosen to deal me, so I intend to play it unencumbered by mercy."

"People like you not only annoy me, as much as you do, but you make me sick. What, you think that you got to be the strongest just because you pray on those who can't fight back? You think that's what makes people think you're strong?"

"Such a thing has to be done, those poor and futile souls would never have even the slightest prayer of surviving in the Grand Magic World, so we simply decided to help nature run its course by speeding along the inevitable."

"And what, you think that creating an ideal world means that you have to kill whoever you think doesn't deserve it? It's exactly what the king was trying to do in Edolas, and it ended with a bunch of ours and even one of yours ripping him a new one."

"Then by all means, you should use your righteous conviction to try and stop me, for the most effective weapon against darkness is the light that you claim to wield. Jet Black Sword!" he summoned a black sword on his arm and blitzed forward, tearing through Levy and Lily with significant ease.

'Shit!' Mira was the only one able to avoid his attack by activating her Satan Soul, though it quickly faded 'Dammit, I don't have enough magic power left to sustain it. I'm totally useless right now!'

"What sounds, cries and screams! They shall provide such a perfect soundtrack to the very end of your dreams!" he burst forward and aimed another attack at Mira, only to suddenly be sent tumbling backwards by an attack from behind "Who dares to silence my symphony?"

"You mean aside from anyone who happens to have ears? Freed and Bickslow."

Sure enough, Freed and Bickslow stood before the lot of them, both of them looking mad as hell and ready for a fight "Sorry we kept all of you waiting."

"I thought the two of you went with Gildarts back to the guild, what the hell gives?"

"We saw the red flare in the sky that the rest of you set off before, and so we returned as fast as we were able to with Gildarts."

"So he came back to the island with you guys?"

"Indeed he did, but I'm afraid that he is preoccupied elsewhere. I'm afraid we'll have to do for the time being."

"But it won't be enough." Rustyrose pulled himself back to his feet and promptly summoned his Jet Black Sword again "Though the numbers in your ranks may swell, you're still going to be swept away by my Arc of Embodiment, and all that will remain of you is going to be the unrecognizable fragments of tragically fading memories."

"I think you'll realize quite soon that we don't always intend to follow the rules of our guild, at least in very rare occasions. We'll do whatever we deem necessary to defeat you. To put it as simply as is necessary, since you are responsible for harming a member of the Thunder Legion, the rules no longer apply."

"Is that so? Well then, come and prove that."

"Believe me, we intend to."

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The great Tenrou Tree provided shelter for the entire island, and among its roots, two warriors on opposing sides were sure to entangle in the heat of battle, those being Erza and Azuma in this case.

Erza was beyond pissed at what she was hearing "So you're telling me that I'm supposed to believe you actually eliminated Wendy?"

"Indeed, but she hasn't fallen on her own." Azuma told her "Several of your comrades have joined her, and the rest of them are all being dispensed with as we speak."

"What nonsense! There's absolutely no chance you could overpower Luke, Natsu and any of the others."

"I can't vouch for a number of your comrades, but as for the She Devil, I imagine that a certain Dragon Slayer comade of mine dealt with her some time ago."

"Dragon Slayer… you mean Noah don't you?"

"Oh yes, he did mention he met you face to face. Tell me, do you doubt my words?"

"I can't say that for certain, so I'll have to test your abilities myself before I decide whether or not I should believe you. Requip!" with a flash, Erza promptly requipped into her Flame Empress Armor.

"Well I can't believe my luck. First I face the She Devil and her younger sister, who actually provided more entertainment than her older sister, and now I get to face the mighty Titania in the flesh. It truly is amazing, what lovely trophies for the hunt of this day." and then Azuma pounced at Erza, starting their battle.

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While Freed and Bickslow were dealing with Rustyrose and defending the camp, and Erza was battling against Azuma in the roots of the Tenrou Tree, Gray was still having a hard time processing the fact that Ultear didn't hold any grudge against him over the death of Ur. Despite the fact that Ultear admitted that their guilds were sworn enemies, she went on to say that there was more to life than just a guild, and that Ur lived on in both of them, seeing how they were both taught under her guidance.

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Meanwhile, back with Erza vs Azuma…

The battle on the Tenrou Tree raged on.

"Moon Flash!" Erza requipped from her Flame Empress Armor to her Black Wing Armor, and with two axes requipped into her hands, she charged at Azuma and aimed a series of slashes at him.

"Bleve!" Azuma leapt over Erza's attack, used his magic to catch Erza by the ankle using a nearby vine, and then he held out his hand and ignited an explosion that sent her flying backwards as a result.

"Requip!" Erza rebounded and flashed into her Morning Star Armor, then promptly surged forward amidst a series of vines attempting to grab her "Photon SLICER!" she brought both of her sabers together and hit Azuma with a powerful blast of magic energy, sending him flying backwards, only for her to be met with a smirk "What's the matter, does something about this amuse you?"

"Not quite amused exactly, but I have to admit that I am quite intrigued. I've heard a great many tales of your skill and valor, and I believe that you and I are cut from the same cloth. The reason we seek out warriors is because fighting means everything to us."

"Is that so?" Erza promptly requipped back into her regular Heart Kreuz Armor "I'm afraid that's not quite the case, I don't go looking for warriors to fight."

"No? The only way that you could reach this level of strength is by facing off against powerful foes."

"Perhaps, but all that I've ever wanted is the strength to protect those that I hold close to my heart, and I would give up all of my strength if I could still guarantee their safety. It may be strange, but it is true."

"It is a shame though, I find you to be quite interesting. I had hoped that the two of us would have a fair fight."

"What exactly do you mean by that?"

"I mean that we've reached a different stage in our battle." and then the entire area around them started shaking.

"What is this, what's going on?"

"I am connected with nature, with the earth and with the forest itself! The Lost Magic that I use is the Arc of Tree!" he waved his hands and set off a number of explosions "I can take the explosive power from the land and channel it into the heart of the wood!" roots began sprouting up from underground, and his body began merging with the roots in question "But where the true power of my magic lies, is that it gives me the ability to become one with the land and control the magic energy that lies within!"

"You mean you can control the energy of the land itself?"

"That is the reason why I was the first on my guild to arrive on this island, to harness the magic energy that is contained within your sacred ground!"

"No… that can't be, it's impossible!"

"This was not my choice, but I have to follow the orders that I was given."

"What are you talking about, what are you going to do? Answer me!"

"To put it bluntly, this." his body pulsed slightly, and then it happened. The Tenrou Tree started falling over.

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The chaos was spreading itself all over the island, with the sight of the Tenrou Tree being toppled causing a massive amount of panic. Observe one example, featuring our main characters.

"Dammit this is bad! Come on you guys, keep moving before it crushes us!" so yes, Cana and the others were running like hell at the sight of the Tenrou Tree falling "We've gotta hurry and get back to camp ASAP!" but then she suddenly fell over, with the same happening to Gajeel and the others too, even the Exceeds, with one exception.

Luke was the only one of them still standing, but he quickly screeched to a halt at the sight of the others keeling over "What's the matter?"

"I don't know… it's like all of my magic power just got sucked right out of my body…"

'They're all losing their magic power? It must have something to do with the Tenrou Tree being toppled over, but why isn't it effecting me? Dammit I don't have time to dwell on that, if they can't outrun the thing then I've only got one choice. Dragon Sword Style: Thunder Dome!" he drew his sword from its sheath, blitzed in front of the others and thrusted his sword into the ground, erecting a dome of electricity around all of them, preventing them from being crushed by the massive roots and large amounts of debris.

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Unfortunately, Luke's team wasn't the only one experiencing problems, as all of the Fairy Tail wizards on the island could feel themselves being drained of their magic power, which ended up causing big problems for the likes of Gildarts, Freed and Bickslow, and it put them at a major disadvantage against Bluenote and Rustyrose respectively.

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Meanwhile, on the Grimoire Heart airship…

Hades watched from his place on his airship as the Tenrou Tree slowly but surely fell all the way over "I must admit, it's quite the impressive pawn that Makarov has created in the form of that wizard Gildarts. To think someone other than myself or Noah, at least when he's at full power, would be able to stop Bluenote in his tracks, if only for a moment. Although it did take a bit longer than I had originally intended, the magic power of all of Tenrou Island is now under our complete control. And with that, any chance that Fairy Tail has of surviving this battle has been completely evaporated." he then let out an evil laugh that echoed throughout his entire chamber.

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Meanwhile, with Erza…

Amidst the chaos of the tree collapsing, Erza was forced to move from one root or branch to another to find her footing 'Dammit, he's actually doing it?'

"Master Hades holds a vast amount of knowledge about this island." the voice of Azuma was echoing throughout the area.

"Does he now?"

"Indeed he does. At the center of the island stands the great Tenrou Tree, it blesses all who bare the mark of the Fairy Tail guild with divine protection from harm and death, while at the same time, it amplifies their magic power and allows them to use extraordinary abilities."

'So that's why the Master chose to hold the trial on this island. But then you just felled the Tenrou Tree!"

"That is correct, and as a result, not only has this protective spell over every Fairy Tail wizard been nullified, but all of your magic power will rapidly drain from your bodies."

"If that is the case, then at least tell me this. Why do I still stand despite your claims?"

"This may be the end for your guild, for it will die along with that tree. However…" he slowly emerged from the side of the root he was connected to "Seeing how I control all of the magic power on this island, I've decided to keep your power intact, along with one other at the request of one of my comrades. Now Titania, all of your friends are at death's door, weak and helpless and unable to defend themselves, and you are the only one who can save them. You strive for the power to protect those close to you, so come and show me what that means."

"...Your name is Azuma of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, correct? And you claim you're acting under orders?"

"This is part of the plan that Master Hades devised, yes. Felling the tree was the easiest way to deal a death blow to Fairy Tail."

"I see, but if you could dispatch us so easily, then why bother to keep me around?"

"You know exactly why, now are you going to give me the fight I want or not? I want you to give me your answer."

"...I suppose I don't really have a choice in the matter, now do I? You insist on having a fair fight against me, so I expect you to return our powers once you've lost."

"You have my word, and believe me when I tell you that I'm not fond of having to use these methods either. Of course, that still means you have to win."

"The lives of my comrades hang in the balance, I have no intention of losing. Requip!" with a quick flash, she charged forward towards Azuma and also requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor "Heaven's Wheel: Scattered Petals!" she summoned a number of swords and sent them forward.

With a wave of his hands, Azuma summoned a series of vines to protect him from Erza's swords, blocking every blade "Folium Sica!" he summoned a massive funnel of leaf blades and hurled them forward.

Erza fended off as many of them as she could with the two swords she was holding, though they still managed to land a few cuts on her.

"Ramus Sica!" Azuma sent forward a flurry of sharp blades made from tree branches, which forced Erza on the defensive "Tree Fist!" he summoned a fist formed from a tree that slammed straight into her, the force of the blow sending her tumbling backwards "Come now Titania, I'm not even sweating yet, now get serious already. If I have to force you then I will!" he sent a series of vines forward.

"Requip!" Erza quickly leapt out of the way of the vines and requipped into her flight armor, blitzing through Azuma over and over again and leaving a series of deep gashes across his upper body.

'Yes that's much better, she must be using her flight armor. Tree Fist!" he summoned a series of Tree Fists that closed in on Erza from multiple directions, with one of them coming down right on top of her.

When the smoke cleared, it was revealed that Erza had managed to protect herself with a new set of armor and a powerful shield "Adamantine Armor."

"The impenetrable shield, it's been claimed that the shield is powerful to stop a direct blast from a Jupiter focused magic cannon. Excellent. Folium Sica!" he sent forward another barrage of leaf blades "Now what do you say we put it to the test?!"

Erza was forced to put forward her shield to defend herself from the onslaught, her mind racing as she did so 'I can't hide behind this shield forever, and this armor drains a great deal of my magic power. I'll only have one shot at this. REQUIP!" with a flash, she requipped into a new suit of armor, obliterating all of the projectiles with a surge of lightning. She then dove down towards Azuma in her Lightning Empress Armor and brought down her lightning spear.

Azuma dodged the attack, and then used his Tree Merge ability to appear in front of Erza and slam his fist into her face, the force of the blow sending her crashing through several trees behind her "The Lightning Empress Armor? It seems you're pulling out all the stops. I see it then, you truly have earned the name Titania. Your speed with requipping is unmatched, and your sword technique is noticeable flawless. Very impressive, you're obviously everything that I wanted in an opponent."

Erza rebounded on the edge of a branch and steadied herself, her mind racing 'His Arc of Tree magic is overwhelming, this isn't good. It seems to me that you're a lot more than just inflated ego and talk, your obsession with strength is quite obvious now."

"Are you saying that you intend to fight me seriously?"

"You had best be careful, getting what you want can be detrimental to your health." she flashed back to her Heart Kreuz Armor.

"Which makes it all the more enticing to me." the two of them charged towards each other and began trading even blows across the battlefield in a round of fisticuffs, landing several brutal blows on each other, which ended when Azuma used his magic to grab Erza by the wrist with one of his vines "Bleve!" and then he unleashed an explosion, only to be met with a flaming spear bursting through the smoke, which landed a large burn on his side.

"Take this!" Erza suddenly grabbed him by the ankle using her Giant Armor and threw him down onto one of the large roots below him, and then she charged towards him.

With a wave of his hand, Azuma sent forth a number of vines that pinned her to the side of a tree, causing her to cry out in pain, and then the tree in question fell on top of her.

"REQUIP!" Erza burst out of the wreckage in her Purgatory Armor and burst forward in an attempt to cut down Azuma with her spiked mace.

'Her magic power has increased exponentially.' Azuma quickly dodged every blow from the spiked mace, and when he couldn't, he used vines to protect himself.

'Not even the magic power of the Purgatory Armor is enough to defeat him. If things keep going like this, then I'll have no choice but to use Armadura Fairy. But that one uses a great deal of magic power, and I need to use the magic power I have left carefully.'

"You let down your guard!" Azuma suddenly grabbed her by the ankles using his Tree Merge ability "You overestimated the effectiveness of your armor, and as such you left the weak spot wide open! Tower BURST!" he unleashed a tower of explosive flames, engulfing Erza directly in the middle of it and causing her to scream in pain.

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Meanwhile, with Luke's group…

As a result of the destruction of the Tenrou Tree, most of the others, including Cana and the group, were left on the ground unable to move "What is this… what the hell is going on… I can barely move… It feels like all of my strength… got sucked out of me… and it feels like my head is spinning in circles… I might hurl… I haven't done that since I was 16…"

"Yeah, and the last time you did hurl it was on me." Luke pointed out dryly as he tried to steady her, but then he looked around "Still though I don't get it, all of you are drained dry and practically passing out from exhaustion, but I feel perfectly fine."

"You think it's because… because you're a Dragon Slayer…?"

"If that was the case then Gajeel and Wendy would be totally fine, but one of them is already passed out and the other one is barely hanging on." he frowned in thought "I wonder, does it have anything to do with the Dragon Slayer lacrima Kaminari implanted in me?"

"Nope, the only reason you're fine is because I asked him to make it so."

Luke glanced back at the sound of that voice, and he let out a sigh "You know something, you really have to work on picking your moments Aftershock."

Sure enough, Noah was standing before the group, and he shot a smirk at Luke "I show up when it's the most convenient."

"It's clearly not right now."

"I said convenient, I never said who it was convenient for."

"Fair enough. Anyway what are you talking about, do you know how this happened?"

"It's not that complicated actually, the old man had one of the Seven Kin, Azuma if I had to guess, take down the Tenrou Tree and the protection spell it had on all of the members of your guild, and then nullify all of the magic power of every Fairy Tail wizard on the island. Now all of them are pretty much sitting ducks with the exception of you and whoever is confronting Azuma right now, and if I had to guess as to who that is, then judging by the scent and the magic power I'm picking up, I'd say he's going toe to toe with Titania."

"Then he's already lost. Why me too though?"

"Why do you think, so you and I can finally go at it. I've been waiting for this moment for months, for the moment when you and I finally go head to head at full power."

"...I shouldn't be surprised by that."

"No you really shouldn't, so what's your answer?"

"You don't have to coerce me into doing it or anything, I did promise you the last time we met that this would be the time where I gave you the fight you wanted. If I do beat you, does that mean the others will get their magic power back?"

"I'd like to say yes, but truth be told it's not up to me. The only way they get their magic power back is if Titania takes out Azuma, which will most likely happen. But even if she beats him, you still have to beat me."

"And I plan on doing that, for the sake of protecting those I hold dear."

"Glad to hear you actually do have your priorities in order, unlike a certain other Dragon Slayer that really gets on my nerves."

"Speaking of which, let's move this somewhere else. I don't want the others to get caught in the crossfire while they can't protect themselves."

"No problem, I've already got a fix for that. Mountain Dragon Terra Dome." Noah slammed one hand into the ground, and a sphere of rock surrounded Cana and the others "There, that way they can't be hurt by our battle and they still have a limitless supply of air."

"Good, at least I don't have to worry about that now."

"Good thing too, you've got other things to worry about. Mountain Dragon Scales." Noah then covered his body in brown-colored scales, hardening himself like rock.

"Believe me, I know." and the battle began as the two of them started running across the battlefield and clashing with each other, Luke and his sword against Noah and his literally rock-hard skin.

Luke aimed his sword and thrusted it at Noah's side.

Noah stopped the blade from advancing with his forearm and leapt onto the side of a nearby cliffside.

"Dragon Sword Style: Thunderous Blade Dance!" Luke fired a series of slashes from his sword infused with his lightning magic.

Noah leapt along the cliffside dodging every sword slash, and once he saw Luke blitz in front of him bringing down his sword, he leapt off the cliffside towards him, clashing his hardened arm against Luke's blade, only to see his scales cracking 'He's piercing through it already, he did that faster than I expected.'

"Lightning Dragon Talon!" seeing Noah's scales cracking, Luke dealt Noah a sharp kick to the side, sending him hurtling along the cliffside.

Noah was quick to rebound and dodged the next series of strikes Luke was dealing him, and with his hardened skin he soon caught the blade of the sword and hurled it aside, taking Luke with it as a result "Mountain Dragon Talon!" and once Luke stopped himself, Noah dealt him a fierce kick to the face that sent him tumbling off the cliffside.

Luke quickly stopped himself once he hit the ground and wiped the blood from his lip "I've gotta admit, you know your stuff."

"Say what you will about Grimoire Heart, they don't cut corners on training their forces, and I used that to my advantage."

"I doubt anyone in my guild will object to that." Luke promptly charged forward as his fist started crackling with electricity "Lightning Dragon IRON FIST!"

"Mountain Dragon TERRA FIST!" Noah met the charge and the fist with one of his own, the collision resulting in a powerful explosion that sent both of them skidding backwards, along with sporting light burns on their dominant arm "All things considered you're pretty impressive yourself, keeping up with me so easily."

"You haven't seen anything yet, keep in mind that Dragon Force be damned, I'm still fighting at my lowest possible level."

"Then kick it up a notch, I told you that I wanted you at your best, whether it be physical or emotional."

"And thanks to you and the effort you put into saving my guild during the whole thing in Edolas, that's exactly what you're going to get. Thunder Drive!" Luke activated his Thunder Drive technique, his body crackling with golden-colored electricity "You ready for me to bring out the good stuff now?"

"I'm dying to see it for myself."

"Then get ready, or you might actually die. Lightning Dragon Stream!" Luke slammed one hand into the ground and sent out a currenct of electricity towards his opponent.

Noah quickly found himself forced on the evasive, leaping across the battlefield to avoid being electrocuted, and once he found a clear area he slammed one hand into the ground "Mountain Dragon Terra Shield!" he summoned a wall of earth in front of him, which proved to be enough to disrupt the current and result in an explosion.

'What's his next move?'

"Mountain Dragon MOLTEN FIST!" Noah charged through the smoker faste than Luke was able to react and slammed a fist into his face, a fist encased in molten rock, the collision causing the molten rock to explode, the force sending Luke tumbling backwards.

Luke quickly stopped himself and wiped the blood from his face, though he couldn't do anything about the light burns across his face "Well that's gonna hurt later."

"Don't tell me that's all it takes to bring you down."

"Not by a long shot!" Luke returned his sword to his sheath, then blitzed behind Noah and aimed a kick at his head.

Noah dodged the kick, resulting in the two of them trading even blows, which resulted in the two of them gaining a few noticeable bruises, but this ended when Noah blitzed behind Luke and tried to deal him a solid fist to the face, sending him tumbling into the cliffisde, while Noah then pounced towards him "Don't tell me this is all you've got, the guy who defeated one of the Ten Wizard Saints?!"

"If you think this is all I've got, then you're way too big of a damn fool!" Luke was quick to throw Noah off of him "Lightning Dragon ROAR!" he let out a roar and a powerful blast of lightning at Noah while he was still in mid air.

"Mountain Dragon Terra Shield!" Noah summoned a wall of earth in mid air to protect himself from the roar, and then he used the wall to propel himself forward towards Luke with his fist readied.

Luke was prepared for this and met Noah's fist with his own, the force of their clash creating a powerful shockwave that also resulted in the formation of a large crater surrounding the two of them.

"So tell me something Thunderclap, how does it reveal to finally go up against an opponent that can not only fight you on equal ground, but doesn't want to rip your guild apart for shits and giggles?"

"I've gotta admit, a fight like this does feel pretty incredible."

"I see, so you're as excited for this as I am. It's taking you some time to fathom what it means to really enjoy a fight." Noah blitzed towards Luke and aimed a kick at his head with his hardened skin.

Luke blocked the kick from Noah with his forearm and slammed his fist directly into Noah's chest, resulting in the two of them trading fierce yet even blows with each other.

This ended with Noah gave Luke a brutal earth-enhanced headbutt that sent him tumbling across the battlefield, and he quickly blitzed after him with his teleportation magic, continuing the clash with several fierce yet even blows.

This next clash came to an end when Luke dealt Noah a brutal kick to the chest, sending him crashing into a cliffside, and then he went after him.

Noah quickly pulled himself out of the cliffside and retreated up to the ledge of the cliff, and he wiped the blood from his face "Oh fuck yeah to the fuck yeah, now this is exactly what I wanted to get from you. Now you're getting into it."

"That's one way of looking at it." despite their battle, Luke appeared to be unsatisfied.

"What's the matter? You seem disappointed in our fight so far."

"I don't know if that's the way I would describe it, but whenever I'm around I just find myself thinking about it."

"Thinking about what exactly?"

"You know, part of me feels like… like our roles could've been reversed… like you are what I could've become if it wasn't for Fairy Tail."

"I'm not sure that I follow what you're saying."

"The reason I'm at the level I'm at now is because I've been training for so long and for so hard so that I could protect Fairy Tail and everyone in it."

"And when you look at me, you think that I'm what you would be like if you had never joined Fairy Tail, how it would be like if you never had the proper motivation to get stronger… how you wouldn't be who you are now if it wasn't for them… especially her."

"Yeah, you pretty much took the words out of my mouth." on that note, Luke charged at Noah at full speed, and the battle began anew, with the two of them trading even blows

"You know your power isn't the only thing interesting about you, the stuff you say really catches people's attention! Aren't you happy to have people by your side that you care about and who care about you, people that actually make you happy?!" he dealt Luke a sharp kick to the side, sending him spiralling to the ground.

Luke quickly rebounded in time to avoid an uppercut and kicked Noah in the jaw, sending him flying back "Yeah of course I am, but it still makes me wonder. What would I have turned out like if I had been where you are, in a guild full of people doing things that make you sick to your stomach, being surrounded by people you hate rather than people you love, not knowing what it's like to be part of a real family like Fairy Tail? No offense."

"None taken."

"It's just that… that thought scares me, it really shakes me to my core."

"Why bother to think about that now?"

"Well to be honest, while it does shake me to my core, stuff like that gives me a newfound level of appreciation for what I do have now. It's why and how I'm as strong as I am now, and it's how and why I'm going to win this battle, and then I'll take your master down with my own two hands."

"I'm gonna make you live up to that claim of yours, so don't expect me to go easy on you anymore!" Noah blitzed forward and slammed his fist into Luke's gut, causing him to cough up blood, and then he dealt him a series of blows that ended with a sharp kick to the neck, sending him soaring across the battlefield.

Luke stopped himself on one of the abandoned roots of the Tenrou Tree just in time to be kicked in the face and sent flying into a nearby forest and crashing through several trees

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Meanwhile, with Erza vs Azuma…

When the explosion of the Tower Burst subsided, Erza was left on the ground with her Purgatory Armor practically shredded, and she spat out some blood 'Incredible… I can't believe the amount of power that he has at his disposal… I don't know how to counter him… my Armadura Fairy armor requires a great deal of magic power, and I doubt any of my remaining armor will do the job. Think Erza, you have to think. Well actually, there is that. I may have bought the Seduction Armor for private use, but perhaps… Do I look like Lucy to you dammit?! I have my pride as a warrior, I won't stoop to such underhanded and scandalous tactics!"

"...What the hell are you talking about?" was all Azuma could say.

"Nothing, just forget I said that. Come on Erza, you have to think this through. If I'm going to find a way to overcome his power, then I'll have to sacrifice my defense and start focusing on my attacks. In fact, it might be best for me to forego defense entirely for the moment. Requip!" with a flash, she swapped out her Purgatory Armor for her Clear Heart Clothing 'This might be the only way, I may end up having to put all of my magic power into my sword, the blade that can't be held without shedding all of my armor. Come forth spectral sword, the Crimson Blossom, the Benizakura!' she summoned a single katana in hand, carrying with it a faint red color but surging with raw power "If I lose this battle, then all of Fairy Tail is going to pay the price. The fate of our entire guild is resting in my hands! I can't afford to lose this fight! For the sake of my friends and for the sake of my guild, I will end this with one stroke!" with a mighty roar, she charged forward with her sword raised.

"Yes that's it, now show me!" with a roar of his own, Azuma sent forward a large series of tree roots.

Erza managed to cut through a few of them, but that was all she was able to do before she was caught by the roots 'Dammit!'

"I'm afraid that you just lost your chance, and now you're going to end up facing all of the power of Tenrou all at once!"

'I can't break free, at this rate I'll have to use it!'

"Hear the outcrying of the Earth itself! Terra Clamare!" Azuma slammed his hands together, and then he released a massive explosion from within the Earth itself, causing Erza to scream in pain and agony from the blast. When the blast subsided, Azuma was left panting heavily from the amount of power used, but he smirked at the sight of Erza lying on the ground in a heap "So this is it then, at long last the great Titania finally falls.

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From his place in his prison, the amnesiac form of Jellal was able to sense Erza's condition, but his muttering caught the attention of the guards watching over him, and they began torturing him because they mistook his muttering for an attempt at casting a spell or using magic.

However, despite the pain he was in, Jellal simply paid them no mind and called out to Erza, telling her not to lose, much to the confusion of the guards.

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"Erza… don't give in… you can do it… I know you can… Erza…"

'That voice…' Erza's eyes snapped open at what she was hearing from where she was sprawled out among the vines, and she slowly pulled herself back to her feet, using her Benizakura sword as a crutch.

"What?!" Azuma was clearly taken aback by the sight of Erza rising again 'She lives, but that shouldn't be possible! I hit her with all of the power of Tenrou! How is it that she's still standing even now?!"

'I could hear it… the voice of Jellal… but how? Was I just dreaming… No, stop it… you don't have time to be selfish… Clear your mind… don't cling to phantoms and memories… Now that you've found the strength to stand, find what you need to win this fight. REQUIP!" with a roar filled with pain and strain, Erza swapped out her Clear Heart Clothing for a certain pink suit of armor complete with dual swords, and she charged forward at full speed, cutting through all of the vines that Azuma put in place to stop her with ease.

Azuma dodged her first attempted assault and rose some vines to protect himself, only to be forced to retreat at the sight of Erza cutting through the vines and nearly cutting his head off with the same stroke 'Those eyes of hers… Tree Fist!" he summoned a hand from a tree to try and grab her.

Erza didn't even have to look back to cut through the attempted grab 'I was almost able to close the distance, but even if I'm able to get that close again, I'm not sure I have enough magic power left for me to take him down. But then again, what I lack in power, I make for with conviction and a sense of purpose, a purpose that he forced on me. He's the one who backed me into a corner, and that's what's going to be his downfall. I will protect what I hold dear in the form of my guild, my friends and comrades, and I will win for them! I have to! This is Armadura Fairy, the strongest armor in my arsenal, named after my guild to symbolize my pride and love in being a member of Fairy Tail!"

"Show me its capabilities then."

"I fully intend to, but only as I cut you down!" Erza blitzed forward and aimed both of her swords in an attempt to cut Azuma's head clean off.

Azuma ducked underneath the attempted decapitation and dealt Erza a sharp kick to the torso that sent her hurtling upwards.

Erza rebounded and cut clean through the vine Azuma was standing on, and she easily cut through the onslaught of Folium Sica being hurled at her without taking a single scratch, and then she went on to fend off a series of vines, which she had more difficulty with.

"It's been a long time since I've feared an opponent." with a wave of his hands, Azuma used his vines to bind Erza's arms and legs "Titania of Fairy Tail, miss Erza Scarlet, the so called Queen of the Fairies. I have no intention of forgetting your name for as long as I live."

"I'm not done with you, not yet! I'm not going to let it end this way!"

"You don't have a choice in the matter! I've won this battle, and there isn't anything you can do about it! Terra CLAMARE!" he unleashed a second Terra Clamare blast, engulfing Erza in the explosion that followed.

'So this is it… after everything… this is how it ends…' Erza could only shut her eyes and accept her supposed fate 'Everyone… I'm sorry…'

"Is that it? Is that really how the great Titania falls? Come on Erza, you've got more fight in you than that."

Erza's eyes snapped open, and they widened at the sight of the one standing before her "Luke…"

Sure enough, Luke was standing in front of her, albeit with various minor wounds and burns from his own battle "Yeah I'm kind of in the middle of something too, but the difference is I'm not giving up. Why are you?"

"Luke, I… I've fought him with everything I have… he has the power of all of Tenrou Island at his disposal… I'm not good enough… in the end, I'm just…" she was met with a hand slapped over her mouth.

"Enough of the doubts Erza, just listen, mainly because Aftershock sent my flying and I've got about 30 seconds before he finds me. All I want to say is that if you don't do this, master is going to die. Natsu and Gray are going to die. Everyone in Fairy Tail is going to die. But before all of that, if you don't do this, then you are going to die. And you're better than that, you're better than him, you're better than all of us."

"You're…"

"One of god only knows how many people inspired by your strength in spirit, your inspiration is what helped me to become as strong as I am now. You are more than just another member of Fairy Tail, you are Erza Scarlet dammit! Now get yourself back up, plant your feet, grit your teeth, and eat that mother fucking horse!" and on that note, he promptly disappeared in a quick flash of electricity.

'Luke… you're right… you're right about all of it… I can't afford to give up… not as long as I have so many people depending on me…' with renewed determination, Erza burst back to her feet and surged forward, both of her swords glowing with green magic energy 'I'm sorry, I've been such a fool up until now. In my arrogance, I forgot the most important thing of all: I wasn't the one protecting everyone around me, they were the ones protecting me all along! This is just my way of returning the favor, and I can't do that if I just lie down and give up! This battle ends here and now!" she surged forward and cleaved through every vine that was being sent towards her without even batting an eye.

Azuma could only watch her surge towards him, his mind racing 'This can't be! All of the magic on Tenrou Island should be under my control, and yet she's cleaning right through it! Is this the strength she was talking about, the power that comes not from physical strength, but mental and emotional strength, the power to protect those that she holds dear? It comes from strength of heart then does it? It seems that this guild truly is something special…' seeing her close in on him, he could only smile "Well done."

"TWIN FAIRY BURST!" she blitzed through him with two simultaneous Fairy Burst attacks, one for each sword, and she cut clean through him, leaving him to spurt out blood from both massive holes in his chest and shoulder, and then fall to the ground in defeat, while she steadied herself on a nearby branch behind her, but then that balance quickly faded as she fell and hit the ground herself.

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Meanwhile, with Luke vs Noah…

After leaving Erza to fend for herself, Luke stood waiting on a tree branch 'He'll be here any second now, so what's he going to-'

"Mountain Dragon ROAR!" a powerful brown colored tornado shot through the forest towards him, ripping clean through a large number of trees, courtesy of Noah as he blitzed forward at full speed.

"Dragon Sword Style: Thunderclap STRIKE!" Luke thrusted forward his sword and unleashed a blast of lightning to cancel out the roar, and then he used his blade to block an earth-enhanced palm strike "Lightning Dragon TALON!" he aimed a lightning-enhanced kick at Noah's head.

"Mountain Dragon TALON!" Noah countered Luke's enhanced kick with one of his own, the force creating a powerful shockwave that resulted in the formation of a large crater surrounding the two of them "Not too shabby of a speech to Titania before."

"You heard that?"

"Dragon Slayers have enhanced senses that go beyond just the nose, why do you think we can never listen to heavy metal? Speaking of which, Mountain Dragon MOLTEN FIST!" he encased his fist in molten rock, blitzed towards Luke faster than he could react, and slammed his fist into Luke's gut, causing him to cough up blood right before the explosion that followed sent him tumbling backwards across a great distance, out of the forest and into a rather large clearing that looked mostly like a desolate desert area.

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Meanwhile, with Erza and Azuma…

The battle was long and brutal, but at last it came to an end, with both combatants sprawled out on the ground.

Azuma lay on the ground sprawled out on the grass, but his body suddenly began merging with the ground around him "So this is it…"

Erza was able to lift her head just enough to see what was happening to him, and her eyes widened at the sight "What is this… What's happening to you…? It's as if… as if you're being swallowed by the ground…"

"I shouldn't be surprised by this. Looking back, I suppose I was a bit too careless with my actions earlier. I'm sure it comes as no surprise that using Lost Magic takes a heavy toll on the user. I'll honor my word, and the power of your comrades will be returned to them."

"Thank you for that. Let me ask you though, do you know a man by the name of Jellal?"

"Yes I do. Supposedly he lost his mind after being possessed by the spirit of Zeref, or that's what he was led to believe. It resulted in him being left as an empty shell, living a life without any sort of meaning. Tell me, was he close to your heart as well?" he received no reply "I see. I offer you my condolences, for that was also the doing of Ultear. All of it was part of an elaborate scheme that spanned over the course of several years, one that was meant to distract the Magic Council from the actions taken by Grimoire Heart at the time. Her skills are truly terrifying, so perhaps that is the reason why Master Hades chooses to keep her closest to his side, and make her the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory."

"Then tell me something else, why is it that your guild seeks Zeref so intently?"

"It was to get closer to the Primordial magic, the magic that has existed since the creation of this world we live in. And that is why…"

"The Primordial magic… and what would happen if you were ever able to attain such a magic as that?" that question went unanswered.

"Jellal had dreams… he was dreaming of a paradise… of heaven…" and with that, Azuma's transformation into a tree was complete, and he went out with a smile.

"Magic from the creation of this world…" Erza was left in thought, until a golden light began shining over the island.

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Meanwhile, with Luke vs Noah…

'Come on man, stay focused!' Luke quickly stopped himself on top of a small plateau, and he spared a quick glance over to the side 'I can sense the magic power of everyone else in the guild, I guess that means that the guy who was draining has been dealt with. Nice work Erza, I knew you had it in you.'

"Don't let yourself be distracted! Mountain Dragon TERRA FIST!" Noah charged forward at full speed.

'Dammit!' without enough time to counterattack, Luke was forced to block Noah's attack using his forearms, leaving a shallow cut on his cheek.

"So you think I'm what you'd be like if you didn't join Fairy Tail?"

"To put it simply, yes!" Luke blitzed forward and tried to land a fist on Noah's face, only for that fist to get caught and for the collision to send out a powerful shockwave.

"Sounds to be like you've got a metric fuckton of pride about that subject. Pride can be your best friend."

"Or it can be your worst enemy."

"And in case of Vegeta, it's both, and the same logic applies with you! Mountain Dragon TALON!" Noah dealt Luke a hardened kick square in the jaw, the force of the blow sending him tumbling backwards down towards the island's coastline, and then he took off after him and attempted to follow up with a smash attack.

"Lightning Dragon SURGE!" Luke recovered from the initial attack, blitzed above Noah and hit him with a point blank range blast of electricity, blowing him clear through, sending him crashing into the sea below and divinig the waters surrounding them "And apparently that saying about pride can go both ways faster than either of us realize, and it's pretty rare to meet someone who doesn't allow it to consume them!"

"No arguments here." the two of them descended through the ground beneath them, continuing to trade blows with each other.

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Meanwhile, on the coastline…

"Come on, I can smell both of them coming this way!" Gajeel led Cana and the others down to the coastline, just in time to see their clash diving the ocean surrounding them and for them to descend underground "You've gotta be fucking kidding me."

"I know." Wendy muttered "Their level of strength is so hard to believe."

"No not that, I mean how they're hogging all of the good fights while we're stuck taking a bunch of cat naps in a rock dome!"

"Luke wouldn't risk fighting if it meant putting us in harm's way." Cana pointed out "So he probably had Noah put that dome around us to protect us, and then he's been gradually leading the fight away from us."

"Do you think Luke will be able to beat him?" asked Lucy.

"That depends on whether or not they start to take it seriously. The way things are progressing right now, it's almost like they're just training each other."

"So then when are they going to get serious?"

"My guess is as soon as we start making it back to camp. Come on, let's get going. We've gotta get Master medical treatment as soon as we can, and we'd better make sure the others are okay too."

"Right." so they promptly started making their way back to camp and away from the coastline.

But not before Cana spared one last glance down at the coast 'Luke… just beat him and get back to us soon.'

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All over the island, the incapacitated wizards of Fairy Tail started feeling the return of their energy and their magic power, which resulted in them turning the tides of their various battles.

One example of this Gildarts sending Bluenote flying, but not before shattering his Black Hole technique, only to collapse afterwards.

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Meanwhile, at the Fairy Tail base camp…

"Very good, so our magic power is finally back." Freed and Bickslow pulled themselves back to their feet after taking a brutal beating themselves "I believe this means that we're suitable for battle once again."

"Way ahead of you, now let's rock babies!" Bickslow sent his dolls forward, which quickly resulted in Rustyrose being sent flying, along with a stroke of Freed's sword.

"It does seem strange, I can't think of any sort of explanation for what just happened."

"Well whatever the case is, the fact is that our magic power is back to normal now. And not only that…" Mira slowly stepped up into the fray and gave a smirk "But I'm feeling up for a fight myself now."

"Excellent. Looking back, perhaps this bizarre phenomena is the main reason why the others haven't returned yet. Whatever the case, we'll worry about that after we deal with him."

Rustyrose quickly pulled himself back to his feet and wiped the blood from his lip, his mind racing 'What have you done Azuma?! All of them were supposed to be reduced to dead leaves that should've been blown away by the wind! No, I'm far from being through with them yet! I refuse to accept defeat to these wretched fools! Come forth, Dark Tower of Dingir!" he then summoned forth the massive tower that bound all of the wizards he caught in it "Turn all of your sorrow unto the foolish fairies, and return them to the refuse from wence they came!"

'What is this spell? I can't move anything below my torso, we're all trapped in this tower!'

"This sacred ground that you hold so dear will serve as your graves!"

"You're forgetting one thing."

"And what would that be-" Rustyrose was cut off by a claw burying itself in his chest, causing him to cough up blood, which caused his tower to disappear.

As it turns out, Mira had flashed into her Satan Soul and stuck one of her claws clear through his chest "That I'm still standing you fool. Evil Explosion!" she unleashed a blast of dark magic energy at point blank range, the force of which sent him tumbling across the landscape "Yeah that's right, you don't fuck with the She Devil, and more importantly, you don't fuck with Fairy Tail."

"Well said." this was when Freed and the others returned to the ground, just in time to see her collapse.

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Meanwhile, with Luke vs Noah…

Luke and Noah continued their clash as they hit the watery depths of an underground cave beneath the island "So yeah, pride is like people, capable of doing great good or great evil, so really it's a matter of circumstances."

"Sounds about right to me." Noah cracked his neck and his knuckles.

"You can't forget that there are a lot of other people in my guild obsessed with their pride, whether it involves being part of Fairy Tail or not. Take Natsu or Gajeel for example."

"The difference between the two of them being that Black Steel actually has a little something called a brain."

"I call that shameless stupidity shaming, even if it is kind of true."

"I mean just take a look at before, he's the one who came to me looking for a fight, so I gave him a fight."

"And left him somewhat comatose in the process. I do respect him for fighting to the end like that, I mean it was a bitter choice to make, but he did it anyway, because he knows that there are times when you have to walk away, and times to fight with everything you've got to protect the people you hold dear."

"I understand that better than he realizes. But speaking of walking away, you did that when you left to train with that Wizard Saint for a year and a half."

"That's not exactly something I'm proud of, but it was something I had to do. I had to train and grow, and it's led me to become the person that I am now."

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Meanwhile, with Cana's group…

"Come on you guys, we have to get back to camp and fast!" Cana had now resorted to carrying the unconscious form of Makarov, with Gajeel and the others following right behind her.

"I can't believe all of us felt so horrible and weak just a minute ago." Wendy muttered "Speaking of which, are you sure that all of us are back to normal right now? I don't think we should rush into anything we're not ready for."

"I know that, but right now the main thing we have to focus on is getting Master somewhere safe where we can help him, and keep in mind that we won't have any sort of clue about what's going on with the others back at camp until we're actually able to see them for ourselves."

This was when Happy chose to start complaining "I don't think I can make it, I might actually die of starvation before we even get there."

"Get over yourself cat, it's not like the rest of us have been stuffing our face up until now either you know."

"Maybe I'll just die from a sympathy overdose instead."

"More like an underdose of sympathy, because you're sure as hell not getting any from us right now."

"Actually I'm getting pretty hungry too." Gajeel noted "I haven't had any fire or anything to eat since I swallowed that iron Levy gave me earlier."

"...Actually now that I think about it, just something to hold me over wouldn't be too bad of an idea. Master is heavier than he looks, and I've been running on empty for hours."

"Wow." Wendy muttered "You know Cana, you should probably be glad Master can't hear you because that's kind of rude."

"You wanna try and carry him to see for yourself?"

"No thank you."

"And there we go."

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Concurrently, Ultear was seemingly able to convince Gray to use his Iced Shell in order to take out Hades, in order to fulfill Ur's mission of avenging her husband, Ultear's father. After that, she left with Zeref, after which she met up with Meldy, and with plans of betraying Hades and Grimoire Heart, she told her that she had converted Gray into her pawn by feeding him a bunch of lies. She then noticed Juvia lying unconscious by the side and attempted to kill her, only for her to be foiled by Gray, who saved Juvia from her and revealed that he never fell for any of her lies. Ultear went on to declare that he should not underestimat her, seeing how she was the leader of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, but Gray didn't bother to heed this, and he ended up landing the first blow.

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By this point, Cana and the others made their way back to the base camp, only to see the wounded forms of Natsu and the others "Oh man, this is a hell of a lot worse than I thought it would be."

"Holy crap." Gajeel muttered "So he was right, Salamander really did go down hard, the same with the Animal Girl."

"Elfman and Evergreen are looking pretty bad too."

"Don't worry you guys, I'll use my Sky magic to heal them." Wendy quickly knelt down in front of Natsu and the others and set to work healing them.

"What about the others?"

"What about us?" this was when Mira came up to them.

"Oh hey Mira, glad to see that you're still okay."

"I've been a hell of a lot better, but I've been worse too, so yeah let's go with okay. Hey by the way Wendy, I appreciate what you're trying to do as much as the next guy, but I don't think it's a good idea right now. God only knows how much of your own magic power you've already used up until now, try and rest for a little while like the rest of us."

"I side with you on this Mira, but what the hell happened anyway?"

"You see the greaser guy over there?" she pointed at where Rustyrose was tied up to a tree near the campe "That freak over there showed up and attacked us, and then all of a sudden we lost our magic power out of nowhere, like we all got sucked dry at the same time, and not in a good way either. Freed and Bickslow fought the guy with everything he had, but with all of the others injured we were already at such a huge disadvantage. Shit hit the fan big time, so what the hell are we supposed to do?"

"We're gonna do the only thing we can, we're gonna find a way to figure this out."

"Yeah I know, we're gonna raise all sorts of hell on them for what they did. They're all gonna pay for what they did."

"We'll be damned if we don't try, but for now we've gotta count Master among the injured with the others." Cana let out a sigh "I don't get how they got the upperhand like this."

"The airship of Grimoire Heart is stationed right off the shoreline, it should be just east of the camp." Lily told her "I propose this strategy, that we split our group into two separate teams. One of the teams will be offense, and the other team will be defense."

"Count me on the offense…" this was when Natsu suddenly pulled himself back to his feet, albeit with a great deal of strain "I'm going with you guys…"

"Natsu you can't, you don't have the strength." Cana told him.

"I just need some fire, and then I'll be good. You're not talking me out of this."

"Of course not."

"Just hold on everyone, I'll heal you once I recharge myself." on that note, Wendy took a deep breath inwards and consumed the air around her, recharging herself, and then she quickly set to work on healing Natsu and the others.

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Ultear ordered Meldy to take Zeref and leave, while Juvia ended up pursuing her due to orders given by Gray, and once they were gone, Gray and Ultear resumed their battle, with the latter quickly gaining the upper hand due to her Arc of Time magic neutralizing Gray's Ice Make abilities. When Ultear declared that she learned how to use Arc of Time magic in order to kill mages like her mother, Gray was enraged to the point where he proclaimed that he was going to defeat Ultear using Ur's magic, and he broke his own flesh, freezing his own blood and landing a direct hit on Ultear with a bloody version of his Ice Blade: Seven Slice Dance, with Ultear being unable to manipulate it due to it being a living entity.

Much to Gray's surprise, Ultear struck back at him with an Ice Make spell very similar to Ur's, known as the Ice Make: Rosen Krone. She quickly became furious when he commented on how she was related to Ur by blood, and their confrontation sent the two of them tumbling down a cliffside. As they fell, Ultear recalled how she was abandoned and then replaced by her mother, and was painfully experimented on in a facility, led by Brain of the Oracion Seis. Her anger led her to join Hades and Grimoire Heart. The two of them resumed their battle in an underwater setting. However, her train of thought was interrupted by the voice and memories coming from her mother.

This led to Ultear seeing the past through the eyes of her mother, how she was informed and lied to by Brain about Ultear dying, and she was distraught over it. This proved to be enough of a distraction to give Gray enough of an opening, and he was able to defeat her through the use of his Ice Make: Gungnir. Now that she was trapped, Gray told Ultear that Ur once said that her daughter was her happiness, and was the proof of her life. Ultear could only admit defeat, along with the fact that all she wanted as to see her mother again.

When Ultear recovered, Gray decided to head off to his next battle, and next time he wasn't going to be alone.

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Meanwhile, with Luke vs Noah…

The battle had reached a temporary stalemate, if only for a moment, with both combatants taking a moment to size each other up.

At last, Luke finally broke the silence "You don't look happy, I figued you'd be fucking thrilled that we're finally fighting each other for real."

"I was at first, you finally taking me seriously." Noah let out a sigh "But to be honest, my excitement has sort of faded."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I mean that to be totally honest, I'm not anywhere near using my full power right now. I've still got a major trump card to play in this fight."

"That makes two of us. I've still got a trump card of my own to play, so really I've been taking it easy on you up until now."

"Yeah I noticed, I know what it takes to take out a Wizard Saint, and this sure as hell isn't anywhere near that level. Show me."

"I'll show you mine if you show me yours first."

"Fine by me." Noah dropped into a stance, and with a primal roar he let out a powerful surge of brown and orange colored energy, causing the entire cavern to shake from the sheer force and intensity. When everything subsided and the smoke cleared, Noah was revealed be standing where he was, only now his body was covered in brown dragon scales, "Here it is Thunderclap, this is my Dragon Force. So what do you think, do you like what you see?"

"To be honest, I think I do. Well Aftershock, now that you've shown me yours, it's only fair that I show you mine."

"Oh fuck yes. Whip out your power, let me feel it."

"Oh yeah, now you're speaking my language. But here's the thing, I don't give out that kind of power so easily, so if you want to see if, you're going to have to earn it from me."

"If you're gonna play hard then fine, I'll just have to start fighting seriously." and so the second round began as Noah burst forward towards Luke, dealing him a rapid and powerful barrage of attacks, quickly forcing him on the defensive "How's that Thunderclap, are you taking me seriously now?!"

"I think you're about to find out!" Luke dealt Noah a sharp kick to the face, right before his Thunder Drive technique disappeared.

"Mountain Dragon Molten SPEARS!" Noah slammed his hands together and summoned a barrage of spears made of molten rock from the ground around him, and he sent them hurtling forward at full speed.

'Dammit, his attacks are so much faster now!' Luke was forced to leap into the air to avoid the spears, and then he went on to use small concentrated bursts of his lightning magic to avoid the spears while he was in mid air, and then he returned to the ground, only to find the molten spears closing in on him 'I'm only gonna have one shot at this! Dragon Sword Style: Thunder DOME!" he quickly drew his sword and thrusted it into the ground, creating a dome made of electricity that caused the spears surrounding him to explode around him, the blast blowing him backwards and leaving him with more minor burns across his body, and he spat out a small amount of blood as a result 'Well all things considered, that could've turned out to be a hell of a lot worse.' he quickly blitzed through the smoke and debris and tried to deal Noah an attack from behind.

"Attack from behind? That's cheap in pretty much every sense of the word." Noah quickly stopped Luke's sword with one hand, the same with the kick aimed at his head that followed, and he quickly threw him away.

Luke suddenly blitzed out of Noah's grip and dealt him an uppercut kick to the jaw, allowing him to break away and gain some distance.

"So a little bit of teleportation magic huh? You're better at that than I was expecting, which makes this all the more fun for me! Mountain Dragon Bouler Barrage!" with a wave of his hands, he ripped a number of large boulders out of the cavern walls and started hurtling them forward at rapid levels of speed.

"Oh come on, you didn't tell me we were back hurling shit at each other!" Luke was quickly forced on the evasive, dodging and weaving his way around the boulders hurtling towards him, and cutting through the ones he couldn't dodge using his sword, until he found an opening and blitzed through Noah with his sword, leaving a deep gash on his shoulder, which also just happened to be where his Grimoire Heart was located, though the gash was so large it wasn't even visible anymore "There, since you hate being in that guild so much I got rid of that mark for you."

"And just for that, I'm gonna show you the newest spell I created! Mountain Dragon MOLTEN ROCK BRIGADE!" he summoned and subsequently fired off a massive barrage of boulders made of molten rock at an absolutely massive amount and level of speed "So how do you like this for earning it?!"

Luke was again forced on the defensive, fighting off the molten boulders and those that were closing in on him, until he was finally buried within the series of boulders, and he let out a truly primal sounding roar "I WON'T LOSE TO YOU! I'LL DO WHATEVER IT TAKES TO PROTECT MY GUILD!" and with a primal roar, he instantaneously ascended to his full power in the form of Dragon Force, his raw magic energy alone enough to allow him to soar right through the rock and boulders surrounding him and out of the underground cavern entirely "Now COME AT ME!"

"Oh believe me, I PLAN TO!" Noah soared right out of the cave after him, the two of them taking their clash to the skies "So this is the power that I've been waiting to see, the power that defeated one of the Ten Wizard Saints, the power that defeated Tempesta in one shot, and the power that represents the pinnacle of Dragon Slayer magic!"

"Oh trust me, what matters isn't the power, what matters is how you use it!"

"Team Four Star?"

"Danny Phantom!" the two of them continued clashing throughout the skies, trading swift yet brutal blows with each other, though Luke was landing a considerably greater number of blows during their clash, elbowing him in the face and kicking him in the chest, their clashing taking them well into the skies high above Tenrou Island.

"Oh fuck yes, now this is what I'm talking about!" Noah dodged a few strikes and landed an uppercut to Luke's jaw, sending him flying away a short distance.

"If you're so excited to see me bring out the big guns then fine, how about I show you one of my best!" Luke dodged a few more strikes from Noah, using small amounts of teleportation magic to divert his attention, until he finally appeared directly below him, fully ready to attack "Now this is what happens when I bring out the big guns! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Indra's Wrath: ROARING THUNDER!" he fired at Noah with an absolutely massive blast of lightning at nearly point blank range.

Noah could only raise his arms to try and block the blast right before the massive explosion went off.

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The resulting blast could be felt all over the island.

Meldy was still dealing with Juvia chasing her over Zeref, only to look up at the sight of the blast raging above them 'This magic power… this familiar sensation… Noah… are you finally getting the fight you desire… Just please, don't allow yourself to die…'

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Meanwhile, at Fairy Tail's camp…

Cana was now in the middle of being healed by Wendy, when she and everyone else looked up at the sound of the explosion raging overhead 'This power… I think that's Luke when he's using Dragon Force… You'd better not lose, or I'm never letting you live it down…'

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The explosion raging from Luke's Roaring Thunder went on for several moments.

Luke himself was left panting slightly as a result of unleashing the attack 'Okay, maybe I used more magic power than I was expecting to.'

When the smoke cleared, Noah was revealed to have blocked the majority of the blast, although he wasn't unscathed. His body was suffering from some noticeable burns, and all of his Mountain Dragon Scales had been blown clean off, but he was still raring and ready to fight, as proven by how he grabbed Luke's ankle during his attempt to kick him "Oh yeah, now this is definitely the good shit."

"So you still want to go? Keep in mind that I do want to have enough power to take on Hades too when the time comes."

"I get that, but first you're gonna have to prove to me that you've really got what it takes to take him down, and I know exactly how to do that!" he summoned a small black orb in hand and held it over his head, and it started sucking in massive amounts of rubble and debris "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Planetary DEVASTATION! Madara Uchiha, eat your heart out!"

"Oh you've gotta be kidding me!" clearly exasperated and running out of juice, Luke just let himself fall for a few feet until he landed on a piece of rubble "For fuck's sake, I thought you were just joking when you used that spell back in Edolas!"

"I don't joke about Naruto stuff."

"I can see that! Dammit, right when you think you've got him figured out he just gives you one gigantic middle finger, and now I'm about to get sucked into a black hole! No come on Luke, you have to get a grip. I have to figure out how this works, then I have to calm down and think it through properly. Okay, from the looks of it it's definitely true to the Planetary Devastation, starting with the strong gravitational pull. If it's really true to the original, then I have to assume that black sphere he created is the center core of this gravity, which means that I have to destroy it before this thing gets too big. I have to use my strongest long range attack on the thing, which really narrows it down. Most of my attacks are close combat to mid range, but then again it will hit even if I don' aim, thanks to the gravitational core. Still though, I need to use something that won't require me to get close to unleash it.'

"You claim that you're going to defeat Hades, but that takes a lot of walk to back up that much talk! I fought him once myself and he totally demolished me, and since that day three years ago I've been training myself until my bones cracked, not just for the sake of surpassing him, but also to find the one warrior who may be able to defeat him! After more than two years went by I gave up on that search, and I decided to bide my time and wait for the moment when I could strike and end him myself, but then I met you on Galuna Island and you were able to defeat me, counter me at almost every turn, and you have been ever since then. I never thought it was possible, but even by the standards of a Dragon Slayer, you're a true prodigy like few I've ever seen."

"I only wish that I could be happy about that or appreciate the flattery, but I think it's safe to say that I've got bigger stuff going on right now!"

"Then stay focused and find a way out of this if you're so confident!"

"What the fuck do you think I'm trying to do?! Wait, that's it! I never thought I would hear myself think this, but thank you Laxus. Lightning Dragon Demolition Fist!" he fired upwards a massive blast of lightning in the shape of a fist, which guided towards the gravity core and left a noticeable crack in it "Okay, so far so good. Lightning Dragon Heavenward Halber!" he fired upwards a halberd made of pure lightning at the gravity core, which cracked it even further than it already had "And now for the finisher! Lightning Dragon ROAR!" he let out a roar, and with it came an absolutely massive stream of lightning, ripping clear through the core and shattering it when the roar made contact, resulting in an absolutely massive explosion.

When everything subsided, Noah had returned to the ground and looked up at the form of the Planetary Devastation crumbling into simple debris "So he figured it out, he's smarter than I gave him credit for."

"And faster too."

"I figured. Mountain Dragon Terra Fist!" fully aware of Luke standing behind him ready to attack, Noah hardened his arm like rock, whipped around and aimed a fist at him.

"Lightning Dragon Talon!" with his Dragon Force still surging, Luke grabbed Noah by the wrist and weaved his way around his attack, and then he dealt him a lightning-enhanced kick to the chest that sent him skidding backwards a fair distance, and then Luke drew his sword and charged in to finish it.

"Don't think I'm out of this just yet! Even if that Planetary Devastation did take up more than half of my magic power, I've got one last trick up my sleeve! Mountain Dragon MOLTEN BURST!" Noah slammed his hands into the ground and unleashed a burst of molten energy from within the rock and earth surrounding him, resulting in a powerful explosion, burning Luke even further and sending him tumbling back as a result, but immediately after, Noah fell to his knees and coughed up a considerable amount of blood 'Dammit… I must have used up too much of my magic power, and combined with how much blood I've been losing from this fight… shit, I guess I overexerted myself. Oh well, the only thing I can do now is bluff. It's too late for any sort of last resort tactics you've got now, you don't have a chance in hell of winning against me, so why don't you just give up."

"I say you give up!" Luke steadied himself with one final blast of lightning in hand, and he used a burst of lightning from his foot to propel himself forward "You give up on me EVER GIVING UP! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Indra's Wrath: ROARING THUNDER!" he slammed one final blast of lightning into Noah's chest, and then sending him flying into a nearby plateau as a result, and then crashing to the ground with a loud thud, while Luke himself fell to his knees in exhaustion 'Okay, that was fun…'

The battle was over, and Luke was victorious.

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About an hour passed, and things had calmed down a little bit.

Luke tied some bandages on the part of Noah's arm where he had cut him down and removed his guild mark "Sorry about this, basic first aid is all that I know how to do, and I don't have Wendy here to fix you up."

"As far as I'm concerned, me not bleeding out is enough for me." Noah told him dryly "I've gotta admit though, as much as I wanted to fight you, I never thought you'd be able to do this much of a number on me."

"Then you shouldn't have ripped some of my friends a metaphorical new one."

"Fair enough." Noah glanced up at the storm clouds raging overhead "I guess this is it for me though."

"I wish I could say the same, but I've still got work to do."

"I figured. Anyway I'm a man of my word, I'll leave the island in peace, as soon as I manage to track down Meldy."

"Fair enough. I'm not gonna turn you in or anything, as long as you do leave the island in peace with your friend."

"I will. You're going after Hades now aren't you?"

"I can't quite yet, I have to recover as much of my magic power as I can if I want to stand a chance in hell of beating him."

"It's not gonna be that simple. I know for a fact that even with Dragon Force, you still won't be able to beat him on your own."

"That's about what I expected, but the thing is I'm not alone."

"Yeah yeah, power of friendship and all that good shit. But the thing is, even if he can't be beaten in a straight up fight, there is a weakness of his you can exploit. His source of power, I know where it's hidden. It's called the Devil's Heart, it's hidden beneath the engine rooms on the airship. Hades is the only one who knows where it is, at least until I found it about a year ago, but he has no idea that I found it. It sort of acts as his life support and it grants him almost limitless magic power. It's also ridiculously invulnerable, it would take the power of one of the three great spells of your guild to destroy it. Let me put it another way, your girlfriend would have to hit it with that magic nuke she's got attached to her arm."

"You mean Cana, and she's not my girlfriend." the pink tinge on his cheeks tended to say otherwise however "Anyway I'll be sure to keep that in mind, but even if Dragon Force isn't enough, I do have one last trump card up my sleeve."

"Duly noted, but don't forget that nothing comes without a price, which is the entire moral of Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood."

"I know that all too well, but it may be the only choice I've got. It's a long shot, incredibly risky, but it may be my chance, and Fairy Tail's only hope."

"Well you'd better be right about that, if you're not then there's no way in hell the others will let you live it down." Noah spat out some blood and pulled himself to his feet "Well I'd better get going and track down Meldy and make sure she doesn't try and do anything stupid to try and please Ultear. Before I go though, you remember what I said to you back during the whole Edolas thing?"

"About how you couldn't fucking stand Natsu?"

"No not that, before the whole thing started. Back when I tried to fight my way out of Grimoire Heart a few years back, ask your girlfriend for the details since I already told her."

"Not my girlfriend."

"Shut up, I'm giving meaningful life advice for once. I was on the ground in a bloody heap, and I saw Hades preparing to finish me off, and you know how they say that your whole life flashes before your eyes in a near-death experiences? Well it doesn't. You don't see everything. You just see the things that are the most important to you. The people you really love. Don't ever forget that Thunderclap. It's how I realized that Meldy was the most important thing in my life and I wanted to stay by her side. You never know what it might mean if that ever ends up happening to you." and with that, Noah disappeared from the scene in a flash.

"Don't worry Aftershock, I'll be sure to keep that in mind." Luke glanced down at the coastline and breathed a deep sigh "And besides, like I already told you, I know for a fact that I'm not alone. I can feel it, the same burning desire in Cana, Natsu and everyone else in Fairy Tail. They know just as well as I do, that the time has come to end this. It's time for us to end this war once and for all."

A/N:

Now THIS is the chapter that I've been looking forward to writing almost since day one. Not only do we see Luke and Gildarts finally return to action, along with Freed and Bickslow to a lesser extent, we also get to see two fights that I've been looking forward to for a damn long time: Luke vs Noah, and Erza vs Azuma. We even get to see Gray vs Ultear, which means that almost all of the forces of Grimoire Heart have finally been defeated. Now there's only one opponent left, and that's their guild master, Hades himself. The final showdown with the master of Grimoire Heart is going to be coming next chapter, and it is going to be glorious.

I have to say, the Luke vs Noah fight is the one that I've been looking forward to the most since I created the character of Noah in the first place. Not only did I love writing out the fight scene, but I enjoy describing the parallels between the two of them, as well as the similarities and differences between each other, and how in the end, they really aren't that different from each other.

If there's one thing that I've learned in my time as a fan of Fairy Tail, aside from the fact that the people involved in shipping certain characters are pretty much toxic in every sense of the world (people who write those fics about Lisanna being a heartless bitch, I'm looking at you), it's that Erza is considered by some to be a Mary Sue. I know that technically means perfect with a tragic past, but I consider the reason for this belief to be because of the way she wins some fights in this anime, through what they consider to be plot armor. It's my belief that there are three fights that fall into that category: Erza vs Azuma, Erza vs Kyoka, and Erza vs Irene. The first one is in this chapter, and it's pretty easy. Rather than have her win with what is believed to be the power of friendship, I just had her use her Armadura Fairy armor, mainly because it's a simple fix, and it's my favorite of all of Erza's armors. The others are going to be harder though, mainly for the little things involved like certain throwaway lines that are supposed to be a joke, but are badly misunderstood (because she's Erza), or certain feats that are involved (Erza blowing up a meteor with her sword), but I think I can make it work when the time comes.

Like with a few others in this arc, I glossed over the Freed & Bickslow vs Rustyrose fight since there really wasn't any sort of significant difference from canon, at least for the most part. For the parts that are actually different from canon, those I write about for sure, such as the part after they get their magic back. That's really the only part that's different from canon, as in Mira helping them win instead of the likes of Elfman and Lisanna.