Chapter 104

Spirit's Sacrifice

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip

Hell's Core

"Sayla… did you have to hit me too?" Lamy groaned in the crumbling remains of the lab.

"She can't control herself anymore?" Lisanna questioned.

Mirajane looked up just in time to see the horned demon charge her. Crashing into her, Sayla picked up the model and dragged her back. "Why is she powerful?" She questioned, grabbing into the demon. 'If only Take Over worked I could win easily.'

"Useless." Sayla declared. "Take Over doesn't work on me. "I order myself;" She swung her blade arms and sliced into Mira. "Tear apart the enemy in front of you!"

Mirajane gasped as Lisanna was pinned to the ground. "Watch as your sister is torn in to pieces!" Lamy chuckled. "By the way, any hunks up in your guild?"

Bouncing along the ground, Mirajane gasped in pain. Pushing herself up, she raced over and clung onto the leg of Sayla. "How many times do I have to say that Take Over has no effect on me?" Mirajane glowed with her power as Lisanna squirmed under Lamy. Sayla's eyes went wide before she flexed her power, blasting the older sister back.

'Why do I feel so tired?' She glanced at Mirajane with anger. 'Was I about to be taken over, despite being an Etherious? She's too dangerous! I need to erase her from this world now!' Power glowed in her hands as she pulled he head back. "Demon Eye, release!" Her eyes in both her head and hands glowed as she charged. "Vanish!"

"Your Macro…" Mirajane gasped out. "is able to give orders to people that you've put under your control once, right?"

'Was that the reason I felt so tired!?' Sayla questioned. 'Did she take over just my power!"'

"That's why I ordered this." Mirajane glanced up and smiled.

"It's useless! Only I can use Macro on me!" Sayla shouted back

"Elfman…" A heavy fist crashed into Sayla's back, Elfman in Beast Soul slamming her into the ground. "Protect your sisters."

The impact shattered the ground upwards as Lamy fell back in shock. "I will protect my sisters!"

"Lord Mard Geer… The enemy is more powerful than we expected." Kyouka confessed on her knees in front of the man on the throne. "The Face Project has failed, and Ezel and Franmalth were defeated."

"Seilah and Hell's Core as well." Mard Geer added, shocking the masked woman.

"We have to call Master-"

"That's impossible." He cut her off. "We don't have enough curse power to revive the Master. If we don't erase this 'magical power', END won't revive."

"That was the purpose of the Face Project, but it failed." Kyouka reminded him.

"You don't see it." The leader mumbled. "You can't see the big picture. It's just a point."

"A point?" Kyouka repeated in confusion.

"Mard Geer is a perfect tactician." He bragged. "If you look at the whole situation, even the destruction of Face is but a single point. There's no problem, magic will soon vanish from this world."

"I don't understand what you're saying." Kyouka confessed.

"Kyouka, who are we?" Mard Geer questioned.

"Demons of the book of Zeref, Etherious." She answered.

"What is our goal?"

"To revive Master END and return to Zeref's side." She replied.

"What are humans?"

"Lower than insects." She declared. Mard Geer smirked before vines shot out and wrapped around Kyouka, making her groan in pain. "L-lord Mard Geer… What?"

"You captured humans and played with them." He declared as the vines wrapped around her mask, cracking it. "You like humans too much. Mard Geer finds it disgusting that one of his subordinates would play with creatures lower than insects. Consider this your punishment. Not for playing with humans, but for making Mard Geet feel disgusted."

"I… understand…" She sighed with her head hanging. "Thank you for the explanation."

"Humans…" Mard Geer mumbled. "Looking at the whole situation they're not an issue. But Mard Geer doesn't want them to soil his garden. Maybe I should use Alegria."

Kyouka gasped as the helmet cracked in half. "Lord Mard Geer, if you do that even our soldiers will be…"

"Corroded." He finished for her as he walked away. "Sacrifice. Death and resurrection. Despair and hope. What a foolish race. The Cube itself is a huge prison. Inside the Plutogrim."

With Natsu & Lucy

"Gray should be fighting someone over there." Lucy said as the two ran down the hall.

"I think Mira is also on this floor." Natsu added.

'Can you hear me?' A familiar voice echoed in both their heads.

"Warren!?" Lucy questioned.

'Listen up, everyone. We got news. Mirajane is with us.' He declared. 'Elfman and Lisanna are here too.'

"Thank god…" The blonde sighed in relief. "Hey, Warren. Can you make it so that everyone heads my voice?"

'Gimme a second… go ahead.' He declared.

"Wendy and Carla stopped Face! We crushed the enemy's plan!" She relayed, making everyone cheer.

'Master, can you hear me?' Happy asked. 'We meet the soul of Master Hades. He said even though we stopped Face, it's not over yet. Hades said to tell you to 'release the light'.'

Before Makarov could question, Warren screamed in pain before a new voice spoke up. 'Wizard Guild Fairy Tail, correct?'

"Who are you, bastard?"' Natsu growled.

'The King of Hades, Mard Geer.' The newcomer declared. 'But you don't have to remember that. Since you have no tomorrow. Alegria.'

The entire cube began shaking before the very walls seem to come alive, latching onto everyone it could. "The hell is this stuff!?" Natsu shouted as he sank into a wall.

"Natsu!" Lucy was blown back upwards, seeing even the Tartaros soldiers getting trapped in the membrane.

The shaking finally stopped as the members of Tartaros walked away from their now trapped opponents. "The boss sure likes using boring curses." Zero mumbled. "We probably won't meet again." He walked away, only for a feeling of magic to surprise him. "This magic… Someone actually survived. Not bad."

"One person has escaped the Alegria…" Mard Geer mumbled. "There a one in a billion chance… That's some good luck… or is it bad? Considering they're left alone in Hades."

Lucy fell to the floor and pushed herself up. "What is this? What happened?" She questioned as she looked around the entire base.

"Are you alright, milady?" The blonde looked up to see Horolugium hanging among tendrils. "My instincts told me you were in danger, so I came at once to save you. Sadly, I won't be able to save you again. Take care."

He returned to the Spirit World as a bellowing roar deafened her and forced her to cover her ears. "This horrible sound."

'Demons of Tartaros.' Mard Geer's voice echoed in her head. 'I've used the Alegria, the intruders lives have been snuffed out. Our plans remain unchanged, the Face's activation is imminent.' A green liquid suddenly flooded down the hall, taking her with it. 'However, it seem one unfortunate human soul has managed to avoid this fate. Whomever kill this human shall earn a place among the Nine Demon Gates. If a Demon Gate kills her, they shall receive an even greater reward. Good hunting.'

Clinging to a board, Lucy pulled herself out of the water as soldiers surfed after her. Unfurling her whip, she cracked them in the face and sent them slashing into the liquid. More came into view and fired magic at her.

"Open, Gate of the Archer - Sagittarius!"

The archer spirit appeared above her and peppered the guards before Lamy was shown spinning along the water. "Promotion time, promotion time! I'm gonna be a Demon Gate!" She cheered aloud.

"I'll handle her." The costumed spirit fired a volley, only for the arrows to bounce off.

"Those things won't work on my slippery curse." Lamy chucked before bouncing into his chest.

"Sagittarius, close! Open, Gate of the Maiden - Virgo!"

The maid appeared and started surfing, angering Lamy. "Princess, look out!" Virgo shouted as Torafuzar dived at the blonde. Quickly countering, she summoned Loke who blocked the fin arm.

"You stopped my blade barehanded." Torafuzar commented.

"Impressive, not even Regulus could block it all." Loke chuckled, a small cut appearing on his arm.

Demon and spirit stared each other down before they started trading punches. 'Lucy can't keep this up for much longer. She's already used a lot of power.' Loke thought. 'I have to end this now.'

"Oh, look. A human." Lucy turned around to see Jackal standing above the river. "Could have sworn there was only one of you left. Not that it matters.

'Didn't he blow himself up already?' The human asked as she unfurled her whip. Launching it, she was shocked as Jackal caught it.

"You haven't forgoten how my Curse works, have you?" The entire whip exploded, knocking her back in pain.

"Stop playing. If you're going to kill her, then do it." Torafuzar shouted.

"The fireball and the cat are dead, so torturing her is the only kind of revenge I'm gonna get." He chuckled back, sending an explosion that knocked her into the water.

Popping out with a key in her hand, Lucy growled in anger. "I can't lose! Not until I save everyone! Open, Gate of the Water Bearer - Aquarius!"

"You can't open three gates at once!"" Loke shouted as the mermaid appeared in the world.

"You're even stupider than I thought…" She growled in annoyance, catching the blonde as she fell back.

"She actually did it." Loke mumbled in shock.

"Stay back." Aquarius ordered as water swirled around her jug. Anger in her eyes, she swung her it and unleashed a torrent of water, blasting Jackal and Lamy into the drink.

"Lucy, that's enough!" Leo shouted.

"Close one of our gates while you can!" Virgo added

Aquarius looked down and gasped as the shark like demon was swimming towards them. "He can swim through my current!?"

"Water is my field of expertise." Torafuzar declared before breaching, slashing Aquarius in the shoulder.

"We're coming!" Leo and Virgo surfed over in a hurry.

"I won't let you…" Jackal said from behind before blasting both.

The dust settled and both Spirits stumbled forward. "With one attack…" Virgo mumbled as the two started returning to their world.

"Sorry, Lucy." Loke whispered as the two completely left, Lucy collapsing in exhaustion.

"What, summoning three of them was her trump card?" Jackal chuckled as the three demons looked down at her

"She probably can't move anymore cause she used too much magic." Lamy pointed out.

"I'll kill her with one blow." Torafuzar declared.

"Isn't that boring?" Jackal chuckled.

"Yeah, torture her some more!" Lamy cheered. "But I want to get the prize, kay?" Jackal waved his hand and a bomb went off on her leg, making the two laugh. "She looks so pathetic!"

"Enough if this. If you won't kill her, I will." Torafuzar declared.

Jackal slowly turned to the fish demon and glared back. "Weren't you on our side? You want me to kill you first?"

Torafuzar returned the glare before turning to leave. "It's pointless to talk to you."

"What are you gonna do next, Jackal?" Lamy asked, holding Lucy up by her arms. "How about her uselessly huge boobs? Make them go boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!" Jackal suddenly had his hands in her head and detonated a bomb, killing her.

"And now I can think." Jackal chuckled before water suddenly forced him back.

"Lucy, listen." Aquarius spoke up. "I can't stop him, none of us can. You're only hope is to summon the Celestial Spirit King. He's the strongest of all the spirits."

"But I don't have his key." Lucy declared.

"He doesn't have one." The mermaid explained. "You summon him by breaking a gold key as a tribute! But you need a strong level of trust between the two."

"I can't do something like that!" The blonde shouted.

"Break my key." Aquarius requested, shocking Lucy. "I'm not sure about trust, but we've been working together for a long time."

"I CAN'T DO THAT!" Lucy shotued as Jackal pushed against the water. "There has to be another way!"

"It's the only way." The spirit said back. "It's not like I'll be dead. You just won't be able to see me again. Honestly, I'm looking forward to it."

"I'd stop talking if I were you." Jackal chuckled as he was within arm's reach.

"DO IT!"

Tears in her eyes, Lucy pulled out the key and held it tight. "OPEN, GATE OF THE KING!"

"I have faith in you, Lucy." Aquarius chuckled as she and the water vanished. The key shattered as a comet suddenly crashed into the Plutogrim, slicing it in half.

The pieces fell to the ground as Lucy cried over her loss, Jackal struggling to stand up. Floating in the air, the Spirit King looked down as Mard Geer stepped into view. "The Celestial Spirit King…"

It is really hard to get excited about a chapter when it centers on your LEAST favorite character in the whole show. Seriously, I have no idea how she RANDOMLY survived and all the useful characters got stuck in that membrane. So I added a believable explination amd moved on. See ya next time.

Beta read by General Feng Xiang