Chapter 103
Center of Hell
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Magic"
Flashback
Location / Date / Time Skip
Wendy stood in the center of a raging whirlwind, her eyes glaring at a shocked Ezel. "What's this!?"
'I can feel the voice of the wind… the heartbeat of the atmosphere…' Wendy said to herself. 'I am the one ruling this space right now!' She flexed her legs and the whirlwind went faster before she suddenly vanished from view.
"She vanished?" Ezel questioned before he was suddenly punched in the back, sending him crashing to the ground. "You brat!" He turned to swing his fist, only to hit empty air. Shocked, he was open to another punch to the gut. Wendy waved her hands and a tornado shot out, sending him crashing into the roof of the cave.
Ezel jumped back into the fight as the clock went down. "Wendy, the time!" Carla shouted.
"I know!" She replied. "I'll finish it with this!" She spun around and wind surrounded the demon. "Dragon Slayer Secret: Shattering Light; Sky Drill!"
A blast of pure wind shot forward, but Ezel smirked. "My curse is a demonic blade that can cut through everything! New Moon!" He swung his arms and sliced through the attack. The spell backfired and forced Wendy back as the demon chuckled. "Slayer Mode!" He waved his arms, and his chest, head and arms were coated in black armor.
The time reached 3:43, scaring Carla. 'I'm ruling over this space!' Wendy assured herself as more wind spiraled around the demon.
"It's useless! There's nothing I can't cut!" Ezel roared as he sliced the torrent. No matter how much he cut, more just took its place. "What is this!" Wendy held out her hands and a typhoon shot forward, sending the demon crashing into Face. The tower crumbled and buried Ezel as Carla smiled.
"I… did it…" Wendy mumbled, only to go wide eyed as the clock continued down. "Even though I destroyed Face… The countdown didn't stop!" Her body gave out and she collapsed to the ground as Face started glowing. "I'm sorry."
Cube
The entire fortress started shaking, scaring Natsu and the others. "What is this!?"
"It's too late!" Franmalth chuckled. "The era of magic is finally over! If you still want to fight, I suggest you do it soon! You have less than three minutes to do so anyway!"
Hell's Core
A whole library shelf of books slammed into Mirajane, forcing her to block. "So this is how a true demon fight!"
"She seems perfectly matched to Mira's soul." Lisanna mumbled from the side. A weight suddenly landed on her back and she glanced over to see a bunny eared girl.
"War isn't a spectator sport, girlie…" Lamy chuckled before pulling her back, sending Lisanna to the ground in a chokehold.
With Erza
Erza swung her sword and batted away Kyouka's claws as the Cube started shaking. "The beginning of the end…" Kyouka chuckled, scaring the redhead. "Man shall rule this world no more."
With Wendy
The cave around them began to crumble as Ezel lied on his back. "I couldn't save anyone…" Wendy cried in shame. "Carla, I'm so sorry…"
"There might… still be a way…" The cat groaned out as she pushed herself up. "What's left of Face draws its energy from the same Ethernano that empowered you." She explained as she walked forward. "If we can slightly change how that Ethernano is processed, we could detonate Face and destroy it."
"How do you know all this?" Wendy asked.
"I saw myself do it in the future." Her answer shocked the young girl. "I had a premonition in which Face didn't go off." She reached the base and began making changes to the program. "This is it…" A single button appeared, making Wendy smile.
"Then everything will be okay?" Wendy asked in hope.
"Not exactly." The cat replied. "In the vision I saw, nothing happened after this. I can tell you that this will stop Face, and magic will endure. But we won't be able to escape the blast in time." Wendy went wide eyed in horror at the realization. "I know this world could survive without magic, like Edolas.
"But with everyone fighting right now, we don't have that option. So listen to me, Wendy. I have no way to predict how large this blast will be. If you leave now, you might make it. So go."
"How can you ask me to do that!?" Wendy shouted as she hugged the cat, having crawled over there. "We'll be together forever! That's what you promised me! Didn't you mean it!?"
"I… I did…" Carla replied, tears falling from both their eyes.
"I'm gonna stay…" Wendy declared. "Honestly, Carla. There are worse ways for an adventure to end. We got to save our friends…" Face shot up into a pillar of light., forcing them to break the hug. "All we have to do is press it, right? Together, right?"
"Yes, we'll be together forever." Carla chuckled. "Friends forever." Both reached up and pressed the button with smiles and tears. Face glowed brightly before it suddenly exploded, shaking the land and shooting up a massive pillar of energy. Seconds later it dissipated, revealing a damaged landscape.
Mest suddenly teleported in a huff, Carla and Wendy in his arms. "Just in time." He sounded relieved. "So these are the heroes who destroyed Face. They're about the two smallest warriors I've seen."
Cube
"Face is activated!" Franmalth chuckled. The three humans panicked before Natsu raised his hand, still ablaze.
"My magic didn't disappear." He declared, confusing the demon.
"Wendy and Carla did it!" Happy cheered.
"That's impossible!" Franmalth shouted. "Do you know how much this mistake will cost you!?"
"Give Mira back." Natsu demanded.
"It costs… it costs… it costs…" Franmalth suddenly snapped forward, forcing the Dragon Slayer to dodge. "It's worth about a thousand of your souls! Give me your soul! Give me your soul!" He swung his arms wildly, swiping at both him and the stone around him.
"If we don't do something…" Lucy mumbled.
"But he can absorb people, spirits and magic." Happy reminded her.
"Did you forget that I also have Hades' Magic!?" The demon shouted before waving his hands, creating a magic seal around the trio. "You can't win. Amateratsu Formula 28!" An explosion shock the very base of the Cube, knocking them to the ground.
With Erza
Kyouka blocked a sword swing, her mind in a panic. 'Her magic didn't vanish? Did the Face project fail!?' She jumped back from a swing and leaped up, running from the red head.
"Are you running away?" Erza shouted before gasping in shock.
"I live this to you, destroy these fairies." Kyouka ordered as she retreated.
"Gladly…" Minerva chuckled. "This is the perfect setting to meet you in, Erza Scarlet."
"Minerva!?"
"My name is Neo Minerva." She declared. "I'll show my power now that I've been reborn as a demon."
"Why… did you…" Erza questioned, completely forgetting about Kyouka.
'I didn't expect the Face Project to fail.' Kyouka thought as she raced through the fortress. 'There's no other choice, we must wake up Master E.N.D.'
With Natsu and Co.
Franmalth stood over the fallen trio and laughed triumphantly. "And now your souls are mine!" His arm stretched forward and split into seven hands, three grabbing the two humans and one for Happy. Instantly, they all screamed in pain as their souls were slowly ripped away. "You can become part of my collection You'll meet your friends soon enough!"
"Won't let you!" Natsu shouted as he shocked the demon and pushed himself up. "I won't… let you…" He fell face first to the ground, making the demon chuckle. "I won't let you have my soul! It stays here!"
"It's useless to struggle." Franmalth declared.
"Don't give up!" The Dragon Slayer shouted at his guildmates. "Our souls stay with us! Be strong! We're here!"
"My curse can't be broken just by thinking!" The cyclops declared.
"My soul is here!" Natsu declared, pushing himself up to his knees. "Until I meet Igneel… Until I make Laki happy again… I'll never give you my soul!"
"Stubborn little…" Franmalth grumbled.
"Feel it!" Natsu shouted. "The most important thing! The thing you can't let him have! That will keep your soul tied to you!"
'Something important to me…' Lucy thought to herself. 'The Spirits! Taurus and Aries were absorbed by that guy. I won't let this thing hurt them.' "Taurus! Gate Close!"
"…Huh?" Franmalth blinked before his entire body was forced upwards. "W-whats happening!?" Lucy blinked in surprise as he stretched wider. "What's going on!? My body!"
"Is he going back to the Celestial Spirit world with Taurus?" Lucy questioned.
"You can't do that, you bastard!" Franmalth growled. "Taurus, eject!" The spirit suddenly shot out of the demon before vanishing to his home.
"Aries, gate close!" Lucy's second spirit was forced out of the demon before she left. "Natsu, Gate Close!"
"This guys's a spirit!?" Franmalth let go of Natsu, who immediately sprinted forward. "You lying little-" A fist cut him off, sending him flying back and breaking his connection to Lucy and Happy. "Don't you learn!? Magic doesn't work on me!"
He looked up and blinked in a panic as Natsu held up a MASSIVE slab of stone. "Eat this!" He slammed it down on Franmalth before grabbing another one and doing it again. And again. And again.
Franmalth, now in his normal form, popped out of the stone in his body bubbled and souls left his body. "The souls he stole are finally free…" Lucy smiled as Franmalth was reduced to nothing.
"It's not over yet." A voice from behind scared the trip. "Tartaros's real goal was never Face. Tell Makarov it is time let out the light…" Natsu and Lucy turned around only to find nothing.
"What was that?" Natsu questioned.
"The ghost of master Hades!" Lucy shouted in a panic. "Let the light out… What did he mean?"
"He said to tell our master." Happy declared.
"Wendy and Carla stopped Face, but we still need to find Mira." The blonde reminded.
"First, we settle matters here." Natsu slammed his fist into his palm, creating a tuff of flame.
"I'll go find the master." Happy said before taking to the sky.
Far from the trio, Franmalth laid face up and laughing. "How stupid… We will neither lose nor die. As long as we have the lab, we're immortal beings that can recover forever. Well, I should go to the lab too."
Hell's Core
"Mirajane!" Lisanna cried out as Lamy had her in an over-the shoulder chokehold. "Let go!" She slammed backwards, crushing her into a pillar.
"Who are you?" The demoness questioned. "I'm surprised that my Macro doesn't work on you."
"Macro?" Mirajane repeated.
"I think it's what she used to control Elfman!" Lisanna shouted, pushing Lamy away.
"It doesn't work on you, but it did on your brother." The horned demon replied. "I'll tell you one of the characteristics of my curse. Someone that's under my control can be given orders from a distance at any time. I could even have your brother commit suicide right now."
The tube next to her started bubbling before a damaged Ezel appeared. "HURRY UP! RESTORE ME RIGHT NOW! I'M GONNA KILL THAT BRAT! HURRY UP, LAMY!"
"What the…" Mirajane was wide eyed at the sudden appearance. "Restore?"
"Yep, this is the place of Tartaros' rebirth." Lamy chuckled. "Thanks to our black contract with the king of hades, even if we lose our body, we can restore them here! We're a guild of immortals!"
"You shouldn't tell the enemy this, Lamy." Sayla chastise, making the smaller demon chuckle.
"That's annoying." Mirajane huffed, transforming back to her human form. "I guess it's better to destroy this whole place first."
"Can you do that?" The demon questioned.
"Easily." Mirjane replied before the tube next to her exploded. Sayla gasped in shock as more tubes exploded around her. Franmalth didn't get a word out before his tube exploded. Ezel screamed in pain as he faded from existence.
"How can you do this!?" Sayla shouted.
"Take Over." The model chuckled. "Before you came here, I put all these tentacles inder my control."
"You can absorb demons!?" The horned girl shouted in shock. "Is that why my Macro doesn't work on you?"
"It's the same for me." Mirjane confessed. "I thought I could win if I absorb you. But it seems my Take-Over doesn't work on you either." She glowed and transformed into her Sitri form, chuckling. "Hand to hand combat it is."
"Mirajane's strongest demon!" Lisanna cheered.
"The strongest demon?" Lamy asked. "How can you say that in front of one of Zeref's Demon?"
"I order you…" Sayla mumbled
"It doesn't work." Mirajane replied.
"To remove my limiter!" The demon shouted, shocking the sisters as she glowed. The shining light died, revealing the transformation of the demon. Her skin had darkened and her horns becoming noticeably larger than before. Her hair becomes much wilder, and the clothes around her torso disappears, revealing her bare chest to be covered in an intricate, symmetrical tattoo that begins at the choker around her neck, and ends at her stomach and hips.
The Tartaros guild mark is printed onto her stomach, underneath a heart-shaped design in her tattoo. Her lower body significantly changes, with her legs changing into narrowed stilts that gradually widen up to her hips that now flare out into two wing-like protrusions and her feet changes into those of sharp blades.
Mirajane was in shock before Sayla launched forward, punching her in the gut. The force launched her back into Lisanna and Lamy, sending all three sliding back. Sayla thrusted her hand forward and an eye opened in her palm. A beam of energy shot out and destroyed even more of lab.
Lisanna gasped on the ground as Lamy was unconscious. Mirajane pushed herself up as Sayla stared down at the three.
"The demons of Zeref's books, also called Etherious." A man sitting on a throne, holding a book. "A human demon cannot compete with them. Master… It's about to start. Darkness will flow out of hades' door. The darkness of the underworld will cover the light of the world."
Wow, I never imagined Wendy of all people could kick ass. And the freaking transformation of her Dragon Force was the beat of the series, hands down. And now we get the first tease of E.N.D, probably the most influential bit of FT lore… at least in terms of Fanfiction. Seriously, there are a lot of dark fics that emerged from this moment. And I'm all for it, I love dark stuff.
Not much left to say. See ya next time.
Beta read by General Feng Xiang