Fairy May Cry - Devil's Retribution Chapter 44: Past and Future Revelations, a Devil May Cry + Fairy Tail Crossover fanfic

Hi everyone, thanks again for waiting. I'm sure many of you wanted this chapter to be posted on Halloween, and I wanted to do that to. But it was bigger than what I thought it was going to be, so now here we are. So...

Happy late Halloween!

This is one chapter that I'm quite certain you'll enjoy. A lot of you have been wondering about a specific battle in the anime that many of you have certain feelings about (good and bad) and I can't blame you for them, I have mixed feelings about how it all played out myself. But I'm sure you'll like what I have to provide for you as not only do we get one incredible fight scene that I've been wanting to write for a long time, but we also get some answers regarding the conspiracy of the Eclipse Gate.

Now, with all that being said, let's get started!

(Note: please read the author's notes at the end of this chapter)

Past and Future Revelations

"The underdogs from Fairy Tail have made a thrilling rally and are now leading the pack with an impressive fifty-seven points!" Chapati commentated as the various lacrimatrons in the colosseum showed what was happening in Domus Flau as the remaining combatants made their way through the city in search for their next opponents, while those who were defeated had either returned to the colosseum, or remained where they were to recover.

"And all six members of their team are still in play." Yajima added.

"But, nipping at their tails are Mermaid Heel and Sabertooth, both guilds neck-and-neck with fifty-three and fifty-two points respectively." Chapati continued.

"With twenty-seven points, Lamia Scale really needs to kick it into high gear to step up." Yajima said.

"Grrr!" Ooba growled while Sho, Yuka, Toby, and Sherry cautiously took some steps away from the elderly guild master before she shouted outward. "Lyon! Jura! Sherria! You three brats better win this, or I'll spin you so hard you won't even know which way is up for a whole year!"

"It's really not looking good for us." Yuka said. "I don't actually see us winning this year."

"Hey come on, guys. Between my sweet cousin, Lyon, and Jura, we still got a big fighting chance!" Sherry tried to encourage. "We're not done yet!"

Toby howled. "Let me back in there so I can paralyze everyone with my claws!"

"You can't go back in if you're knocked out, remember?" Yuka reminded him irritably. Though Toby also noticed a concerned look on Sho's face. "Something wrong, Sho?"

"It's just… I haven't seen Milliana since she won against that guy from Sabertooth." He said.

"Should you really be worrying about somebody from the other team?" Sherry questioned.

"I know, I know… but she's one of my oldest friends." Sho replied. "And… I just can't help but shake this gut feeling that something's wrong."

And it wasn't just Sho. Wally, Kurenai, and everyone else from Mermaid Heel had also noticed Milliana's absence since her victory over Dobengal, and it left them all more than a little concerned.

Meanwhile, back in the dungeon, the group that consisted of Dante, Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Lisanna, Jellal, Wendy, Trish, Carla, Mira, Lady, Panther-Lily, Sheeree, Yukino, Sorano, Cana, and Kyrie continued to make their way through the massive cavern, hoping to find the exit. Loke had also chose to stay with them, as he currently carried the injured and unconscious Arcadios with one arm over both his shoulders.

Happy groaned with impatience. "It feels like we've been down here forever. Are you sure we're going the right way, Lucy?"

"Gemini copied that guy's memories, so there's no way we're off course." Lucy herself confirmed.

"It's true. You can't fake memories." Sorano added, having used Gemini before during her time as Angel.

"Yep, so this is just the way we're going." Natsu said.

"Still, everywhere looks exactly the same. It's impossible to tell where you are down here." Kyrie said.

"That's kinda the point of a dungeon. To keep prisoners trapped." Cana pointed out.

"Well, I can sense a slight change in the airflow, so we must be going in the right way." Wendy revealed.

"What about you, Loke?" Mira asked. "How'd you even get down here anyway?"

"I just jumped through the gate like normal." He answered.

"But you don't know about the area you're being summoned to?" Lisanna asked.

"It doesn't quite work that way." Loke explained. "When a Celestial Spirit passes through the Gate, it's always from the Spirit World. We don't exactly know where we're being summoned to until we get there. We're not all-knowing."

"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Dante seemed to accept.

"Still, the fact that you two have your keys again is concerning." Jellal said, specifically toward Lucy and Yukino.

"What do you mean by that?" Yukino asked.

"I mean that the twelve Zodiac Keys were separated from their owners for an extended period of time." Jellal clarified. "And if that's the case…"

"There's a possibility that Princess Hisui has already used them on the Eclipse Gate." Modeus finished, causing the group to look more than a little worried.

"That's a disturbing thought." Carla said.

"But don't you have to be a Celestial Wizard to even use the Gate?" Trish asked. "And all those spirits are contracted to Lucy and Yukino, aren't they?"

"Based on what Lady Kurenai has told us, you don't have to be contracted to the Zodiac spirits to use the Eclipse Gate, you just have to have all twelve keys." Modeus revealed.

"That, and the Gate can only be used during the event of an eclipse, hence the name." Jellal added.

"Following that logic, the Eclipse Gate could be unlocked already." Lily said seriously.

"And with an Eclipse just hours away…" Kyrie looked rather fearful.

"Yeah, we're on a serious deadline now." Dante said seriously. "Let's pick up the pace."

"Hey, speaking of… why are we carrying extra baggage?" Lady looked towards Arcadios. "That guy was the one who tried to kidnap Lucy, remember? He's also involved in all this crazy conspiracy stuff."

"All the more reason to bring him with us." Sheeree stated. "He could have important information for us to use."

"That and he saved our lives!" Lucy said, referring to herself and Yukino. "I'm not just going to leave the guy down here for dead!"

"I'm honestly shocked he's even alive, after walking through freaking lava!" Sorano pointed out. "And I don't sense any magic power from him at all!"

"Did he really do that?!" Kyrie asked Lisanna in surprise. "He walked through lava without any help at all?!"

"It's true." She confirmed. "He jumped in while the rest of us were all pinned down."

"Wasn't he injured before that?" Cana asked.

"I'm guessing those Wolf Knights ruffed him up a bit." Dante assumed.

"But aren't they all on the same side? Why would they do that?" Happy asked.

"Well, based on what I learned from Gemini, there's actually a pretty intense rivalry between the Wolf Knights and the group Arcadios is a part of." Lucy tried to explain.

"What? Some sort of in-fighting?" Lady questioned.

"Apparently the Wolf Knights have been trying to gain favor of the Fiore royal family so that they can be of more use to them." Lucy replied. "But the Sakura Knights, Arcadios' group, thinks they're too ruthless and dangerous for that."

"After what those barbarians tried to do to us, I wholeheartedly agree." Carla said.

"So, are we gonna fight these other knight guys to?" Natsu wondered. "I actually had fun knocking that flower girl down a peg."

"That makes two of us." Sheeree grinned as she shared a fist-bump with Natsu, causing Wendy to smile brightly.

"I don't think so." Yukino answered. "I heard the Sakura Knights were dispatched to the other side of the country to deal with the rising demonic threats, so it's unlikely we'll run into them here."

"There it is again…" Wendy said in contemplation. "Ever since we got back from Tenrou Island… we heard that there were more demons popping up."

"I kinda thought it was because of the Order of the Sword and the Infinity Clock." Trish assumed.

"Doubtful. Demonic activity has been on the rise ever since Zeref and Acnologia showed up seven years ago." Sorano put in. "It may have something to do with those two."

"I'm worried it might be some sort of omen, like something pretty bad is coming." Lisanna said.

"We already got something pretty bad going on right now, we don't need anything else, damn it! Cana complained.

"Maybe it's the same thing." Happy suggested. "Haven't people been using that to steal magic power these past seven years to fuel the Eclipse Gate?"

"Possibly. But it's also equally likely that they're not connected and something else is going on in the world." Panther-Lily countered.

"A mystery to be resolved at a later date." Jellal said. "For now, we must focus on the task at hand."

"Speaking of demons, I can't believe the Fiore royal family has one down here working for them." Kyrie commented before looking towards Dante, Trish, and Modeus. "No offense…" She said with an apologetic smile.

"None taken." Dante and Trish both replied.

"It was surprising to find Moloch down here." Modeus said with concern. "Though he's not the most powerful demon in the underworld, he's not to be underestimated either."

Dante gave something of a scoff. "Get this, apparently he was the one who killed Master Mavis."

That caused everyone, particularly those in Fairy Tail, to look in obvious shock as they all stopped for a moment to let that thought process.

"Wait, what…?!" Cana questioned.

"It's true." Carla confirmed. "He claimed to have been responsible for Master Mavis' fate. Moloch explicitly targeted her because she was close to Sparda."

"Couldn't beat my old man in a fight, so he decided to make him hurt instead." Dante said in a low growl.

Jellal and Sorano glared at the idea of that, already developing a deep resentment for the aforementioned demon while Sheeree looked with sympathy. Happy, Wendy, Lisanna, Mira, Kyrie, and even Yukino, were all in clear shock as they could only imagine something like that. Natsu, Trish, Lady, Panther-Lily, and Cana were more than a little angered at such a low and petty move, with the Salamander literally growling. Lucy couldn't help but look to Dante in sympathy, knowing that he and Vergil went through something very similar when they were young, and that made her all the more sympathetic to her uncle, any attempt he had at having a family was met with tragedy in the form of retribution from the underworld.

"Alright, where the hell is that ugly bastard?!" Natsu growled as his fist lit on fire. "Tell me where he is so I can burn him alive!"

"Don't waste your energy, Natsu. Dante already took care of him." Carla told him.

"And we got something more important to do right now, like saving the world. Let's go." Dante once again picked up the pace as the group continued their trek toward the exit.

The group then found themselves descending a large stone staircase. "Okay, seriously… how big is this damn cave?!" Sheeree questioned. "For that matter… why do they even need a dungeon this big?! What, we're they trying to trap a freaking army down here?!"

"It does seem kinda overkill." Mira agreed.

"That's gonna be one of many complaints we're gonna give that princess once we see her." Cana said.

"Complaints? I'm just gonna straight up break her jaw!" Lady growled.

"She is the princess of Fiore…" Lisanna said. "Not that I don't agree with you… but let's try talking before resorting to violence."

"She's the reason Lucy's down here, so we definitely got a lot to talk about!" Natsu agreed in a furious growl.

Wendy picked up a whiff that caused her to smile. "I can smell fresh air!"

"That means we're near the exit!" Kyrie beamed.

"Finally!" Happy exclaimed. "I never wanna go underground again!"

"Hey, look down there!" Lily pointed to the very bottom of the staircase, where there was a cavern wall, and a giant stone doorway.

"It would see we have found the exit." Jellal observed.

"It's huge!" Lucy commented.

"How do you even open a door this big?" Sorano asked.

"Maybe there's a control mechanism somewhere?" Yukino assumed.

"But since it's a prison, it is likely on the other side." Modeus assumed.

"Don't worry, I'll just blast our way through!" Natsu was already sprinting toward the door as his fists were lit aflame again. He was ready to unleash a powerful strike…

When the door suddenly opened on its own!

"What…?" Dante looked in surprise.

"We're free!" Happy proclaimed joyously.

Natsu tried to pull back his punch and stop himself, but this caused him to trip and roll across the ground, making his way towards the door as everyone else tried to make their way there as well.

"It's opening?" Lisanna questioned.

"Someone must have opened it on the other side?" Carla assumed.

"Is it a trap?" Wendy asked worriedly.

"Everyone, be ready!" Jellal instructed as they all prepared for a potential fight to ensue.

All except the still-rolling Natsu, who came to a stop just before three pairs of feet. Glancing up, Natsu's eyes widened in surprise to see none other than Ultear and Meredy, both looking just as surprise to see him, but Natsu soon found his eyes drawn by the person who was with them. A certain blonde woman wearing a black robe, her arms slung across the shoulders of her escorts who had helped there. He would never mistake that face.

"L-Lucy…?"

It was true. He was staring into the shaky and teary eyes of Lucy Heartfilia, or rather the Lucy double that Jellal and his guild had encountered before but collapsed just after meeting.

"Natsu…" Her voice cracked as tears were already flowing down her face. She slowly lifted her face to see everyone else. All of them… the moment they saw her, their eyes widened in surprise and disbelief, even those in Crime Sorciere who had seen her were surprised that it was her and their guildmates that had greeted them at the exit of this dungeon.

"Meredy… Ultear…" Sheeree was more than a little surprise.

"And… is that…?" Kyrie stuttered, not believing what she was seeing.

"Lucy…" Dante felt his face lose its color. Despite all being told about this, about another Lucy that may have possibly come from the Eclipse Gate, actually seeing her with their own eyes was something completely and totally surreal, despite everything else they've been through. Lisanna, Loke, Wendy, Modeus, Trish, Cana, Lady, Happy, Carla, Panther-Lily, Mira, and even Yukino, they all felt their hearts stop as they saw her. Arcadios eyes slowly opened as he too was not expecting to see who was in front of them all.

But that was nothing compared to what Lucy herself thought as she stared at her double. Though she had seen others who bore her appearance like Gemini, or even her counterpart from Edolas… but she was really staring at herself. She had no idea what to even think about this.

"Dante… Lisanna… Trish… all of you…" The Future Lucy was already sobbing, even as she leapt from Ultear and Meredy and right into the surprised Dante, burying her face into his chest as she cried. Despite the surprise he was feeling, Dante could tell from the way she clung to him that she was still the same Lucy he knew. This was enough for him to gently put his hands on her shoulders as he let her cry.

"…They were exactly where she'd said they'd be." The still-surprised Meredy said to her adoptive mother.

"Which means… what she told us… could also be true." Ultear said with dread.

"Ultear… Meredy…" Jellal approached them. "How did you find us? How did you get into the castle without any guards noticing?"

"She showed us the way. Literally." Meredy pointed to Future Lucy as she continued to sob into Dante's chest. "Like step-by-step instructions."

"She even said we would meet you here if we arrived at a certain time." Ultear added.

"But if that is truly the case…" Jellal began.

"Then she really is from the future." Modeus realized, confirming the theory they had all suspected.

Dante had a serious yet concerning look in his eyes as he helped Future Lucy stand up straight and look at him. "Did you use the Eclipse Gate to come here?"

"I had to…" She replied, sounding exhausted. "…I had no choice… the world needs your help… the kingdom… is doomed…" That was all she could say before fainting into Dante's arms.

"Oh no, not again…" Meredy groaned.

"Is she going to be okay?" Happy asked.

Dante adjusted his grip so that he could carry her bridal style. "She's still breathing… but she's in really bad shape." He could tell from all the cracks on her body that she must have went through a horrible ordeal.

"Maybe we can use our healing to help her." Kyrie offered.

"Let's get out of this dungeon first before we do that." Loke said.

Lisanna and Trish both found themselves looking towards the Present Lucy. "Hey… you okay?" The lightning she-demon asked.

"I… I don't know…" She wasn't quite sure what to feel about this. But Lisanna quickly came to her and gently squeezed her hand as she looked at her with a firm expression.

"We'll get this figured out." She promised, which caused Lucy to nod slightly, easing her burden a bit.

"What in the heck happened to her?" Natsu questioned as he stared at Future Lucy in Dante's arms. "Her scent is… off. It's dry…like… dust." He saw the look on Dante's face and could tell that he was wondering the same thing.

"Come on, we can't stay here." Dante said to the whole group as he gestured towards the now-open exit. "Let's find a place to sit down and rest. We'll try and heal her and find out why she came here."

"We know why she came." Ultear spoke up, getting everyone's attention. "She told us what had happened in her future on the way here."

"And… it is not pretty." Meredy said in an ominous tone.

"Princess! Princess!" A royal soldier quickly entered Hisui's personal quarters where she and the current group of soldiers presently resided while the princess herself kept staring out the window toward Domus Flau despite the urgency in the soldier's voice. "I bring terrible news!"

"Calm down and tell us what it is." One of the soldiers said to him.

"Okay… we haven't received any updates from the Palace of Perdition, so we sent a squad to investigate." He explained. "They report that the Wolf Knights have been defeated!"

Hisui gave a slight gasp, still keeping her back turned to the other soldiers who looked in surprise at that revelation.

"What?!"

"Impossible!"

"And it's not just that…" The soldier continued. "Even Moloch was defeated!" That revelation seemed to cause Hisui to relax slightly as a relieved smile formed on her face.

"Are you serious?! Him too?!"

"Well, wasn't one of the intruders Dante? Sparda's Son?"

"Yeah, it was the same guy who defeated Vergil in the games!"

"Well, where is he and the other intruders?"

"It seems they were able to escape." The soldier revealed.

"That doesn't make sense…"

'I knew it…' Hisui felt incredibly relieved upon hearing all of that. That would also mean that Arcadios was rescued.

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet, Princess." A familiar voice spoke up, one that Hisui recognized as she gasped and turned around in surprise to see none other than Darton entering the room with a stern and knowing expression on his face. "Your plan is as clear as day."

"Darton! I thought you were accompanying my father to Domus Flau!" Hisui exclaimed.

"I couldn't shake my suspicions, so I decided to return." The defense minister replied. "And now, they've been confirmed."

"I won't stand for this abuse! Not from you!" Hisui stated firmly. "After all, you're the one who sent Colonel Arcadios into the Palace of Perdition without a formal trial!"

"Which is precisely why you used Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere in order to rescue him, correct?" Darton responded with narrowed eyes, causing Hisui to look in surprise while many of the soldiers were more than a little shocked and confused by this. "Truth of the matter is, you're the one who's really in charge of the Eclipse Project. Arcadios was willing to play the role of villain to deflect suspicion." Darton continued as he walked towards and gazed out the window by the princess' side. "He wanted to conceal the fact that you're running the show." He turned his gaze towards her. "Please, correct me if I'm wrong, Princess."

There was no sense in denying it. "No, you are correct. And you're not the only one. Even Dante saw through our charade. I suppose I should have been more thorough." She said as she looked away slightly.

"I implore you! You must understand what is at stake here! That device is dangerous! Changing history could doom the entire world!" Darton told her, hoping that she would see reason.

Hisui didn't reply right away, even as she turned to stare back out the window and toward the colosseum. "Perhaps, but it may be our only salvation."

"It may be?" Darton asked, not quite understanding the way that she phrased that sentence.

"Listen, I swore that I'd tell no one about this, or else risk a panic among our citizens… but now it seems that I must tell you." Hisui said. "There is another plan in the works. Another way that the device can be used, though it's not necessarily of conventional means… The Eclipse 2 Project."

"'Two'? Now Darton was just confused at this point.

She turned toward him with a terrified look in her eyes, one that caused him to back away slightly. "If this project fails… tomorrow… our kingdom will be wiped off the map!"

Meanwhile, back in the Palace of Perdition, within the deepest and darkest pit of the massive dungeon, the demon that was known as Moloch laid broken underneath a pile of rubble, his hornless head being his only visible feature. He was so beaten and devastated by Dante, that he was unable to so much as move in addition to all the rocks and debris that laid on top of him, with a puddle of demon blood slowly forming underneath his body.

'How…? How did I fall so low…? I was… a commander of Mundus' armies… hordes of demons bowed to and worshiped me… I was one of the greatest warriors in the Underworld… one on par with Sparda…! And yet… his half-breed bastard defeated me! And what's worse… he didn't grant me the warrior's death I deserve! He just left me here to rot! I do not deserve this humiliation!'

He wanted to roar, to scream, to shout to the heavens, but nobody would be able to hear him anyways. Not to mention he was too weak to even do that.

'Is this it…? Am I meant to die here in this pit…? I… I can't die here! Not like this! Not in such a disgrace! But I don't even have the strength to stand…'

However, Moloch sensed another presence in this pit. Somebody else was down here. He weakly turned his head toward the side, toward a dark crevice in the wall where he knew he could sense something.

"Who… Who is there…?"

The only thing he saw after that, was a pair of glowing white eyes in the shadows.

Domus Flau was in an uproar as the cheering audience continued to watch the events of the game unfold in front of them, with Team Fairy Tail gaining the most crowd support.

"With all six members still in the game, Team Fairy Tail is looking like an unstoppable force!" Chapati commentated.

"No surprise there. After all, my dear friend Laxus is among their ranks." Freed said proudly, standing by his teammates.

"We're all called the Thunder Legion for a reason, ya know?" Evergreen reminded.

"Ha, I just wish he'd stop holding back and put the hurt on those other guilds!" Bickslow said excitedly.

"Hmm, savoring the moment before victory. That's my Laxus." Freed smirked.

"We're a team!" Evergreen replied irritably.

"Laxus! Time to show the world your power!" Freed cheered.

"Go Laxus! Go Laxus! Go Laxus! Go Laxus!" The whole Thunder Legion cheered, much to Patty and Makarov's partial annoyance.

"Are they always this love-sick over Laxus?" Patty asked.

"Believe it or not, this is them when they're toned down." Makarov replied.

"So, what's next, Miss Fairy Tactician." Gildarts asked Mavis. "Who's gonna go up against who now?"

Mavis smiled confidentially. "Just watch, Juvia is about to meet her next opponent at any moment."

The water wizard of Fairy Tail appeared at a street crossing and it didn't seem like there was anybody there at the moment, but she still kept her guard up.

'I've hit my mark precisely when I was told.' Juvia thought to herself before sensing a strong magic power coming down at her from above. She turned in that direction to see Sherria appearing in the sky and already unleashing an attack.

"Sky God Boreas!" Bringing her arms together to collide two opposing black whirlwinds, a spiraling cyclone of black wind was blasted straight at Juvia, who quickly formed a water bubble around herself to avoid getting blown away.

'Just as Master Mavis predicted!' Juvia thought as her water barrier was dispersed, having taken the brunt of the attack that just came to an end, leaving Juvia to face the Sky God Slayer that stood on a lamppost above her.

"The cute little goddess Sherria is here!" Chapati announced in a cutesy voice.

"Yeah, yeah." Yajima said in minor annoyance.

"You're the girl Lyon's in love with, right!?" Sherria pointed to the Rain Woman accusingly.

"Yes, and it's definitely not mutual!" Juvia exclaimed in irritation.

"Oh yeah?! Then get lost!" Sherria tried blasting Juvia with another Boreas attack, only for Juvia's body to liquify and sink into the ground beneath the cracks just as the attack obliterated the area where Juvia had stood.

And while Sherria seemed focused on that particular spot, she was oblivious to the water slashes that emerged from the ground directly blow her, slicing apart the lamppost that the younger girl was standing on. Stunned and surprised by this, Sherria briefly fell just as a geyser of water erupted and struck Sherria. The minute it struck her, Sherria took a deep breath just as she was encased in a large sphere of water, with Juvia appearing on the street behind her before turning around to run away.

"And just like that, Juvia has immobilized Sherria, but she seems to be running away!" Chapati commentated.

"That could be a smart move given how powerful Sherria is, but I wouldn't be so quick to judge right now. Juvia could have a plan in place." Yajima said.

"I don't understand why though since she has Sherria trapped in her water bubble." Mato pointed out.

However, that didn't last very long. That breath the young Sky God Slayer took in just before she was trapped allowed her to add some additional power to her lungs. Much like the trap that Arana had sprung on her, Sherria focused her inner power to generate a black whirlwind around her and quickly expanded it to blow away her water prison.

"Never mind!" Mato quickly corrected himself.

"Hey, get back here!" Sherria quickly sprinted after Juvia, using a boost of black wind to try and catch her. Just as Juvia had rounded the corner, Sherria had caught up to her and was already on the attack.

"Sky God Bellow!" The young girl unleashed a breath attack, but Juvia seemed prepared even for that.

"Water Nebula!" Quickly turning around, Juvia unleashed a powerful spirally stream of water from her hands to collide with Sherria's breath attack. The resulting collision created a large splash of water that sprayed in all directions. Sherria briefly shielded herself from the water before watching Juvia's body liquify again and slip into a narrow gap between two buildings.

"Grrr! Quit running away! Sky God Cleaver!" Sherria clapped her hands to send a vertical black wind-blade right into the narrow alleyway, which exploded soon after.

But Juvia had already emerged from that alleyway and onto a roof top before jumping to the next one and the one after that. She turned her head slightly to see that Sherria had leapt to the rooftops as well and was in hot pursuit.

'Yes, that's right follow me.' Juvia thought as she continued to lead her opponent to a specific location.

"That's Sherria, the Sky God Slayer." Evergreen said with caution. "She may not look like much of a threat, but she's more powerful than Wendy and she's capable of healing herself."

"But Wendy still beat her when they fought, right?" Patty remembered. "Maybe Juvia can do the same thing Wendy did."

"By wearing down her stamina? I don't think so." Freed countered. "She may be young, but Sherria seems to have a good handle on her magic, the kind that can come from experience. I doubt she's going to repeat the same mistake as before."

"I don't get it. Sherria can still get tired, right?" Patty asked.

"Perhaps, but she is still capable of rejuvenating herself by consuming air the same way that Wendy can." Sparda responded. "Wendy was able to defeat her by striking her throat, cutting off her air supply and preventing her from doing just that."

"So how in the heck is Juvia supposed to beat her!?" Bickslow questioned.

"It would be an uphill battle for her if Juvia were to face her by herself." Mavis said. "But take a close look at where Juvia is going."

Gildarts and Makarov both happened to look at the screen in front of them that showed Juvia making her way to a certain location. That's when they both saw the outside of a familiar building.

"Hey… isn't that the library where Gray kicked Rufus' ass?" Gildarts asked.

"I think I get it now." Makarov seemed to understand. "Juvia is going to try and regroup with Gray, and luring Sherria with her!"

"Yes, that's exactly it." Mavis smiled. "Juvia is strong, but she would struggle greatly against Sherria by herself. But she and Gray are a strong team, working together they have the means to overcome Sherria."

"Now that's rather ingenious." Freed smiled. "Though I would expect nothing less from Fairy Tail's first master."

"Thank you, Freed." Mavis smiled smugly with sparkles around her, which only caused Sparda to sweatdrop a bit.

"Maybe you should focus more on the other fight that's about to take place." The spirit of the Dark Knight advised.

"What other fight?" Gildarts asked.

"Erza and Nero against Minerva." Sparda revealed, much to the group's surprise.

"That horrible woman who hurt Lucy in the water battle?" Patty shook in her spot just thinking about her, prompting Evergreen to put a comforting hand on the girl's shoulder.

"Don't worry Patty, she's nothing that our Titania can't handle." Evergreen assured. "But I am surprised in that you're having Nero help her. Surely Erza can defeat Minerva by herself. I mean, she's no Vergil."

"That doesn't mean she's not dangerous." Sparda said. "Her spatial magic will make things rather difficult, but she's also conniving and ruthless and we can't afford to have someone like that roaming around."

"Which is why we have the perfect plan in place to deal with her." Mavis smiled.

Erza walked down the street before spotting her destination. It appeared to be a rooftop park, one of the tallest buildings in the immediate area. "There it is." She said to herself before making her way there. It didn't take long for the redhaired swordswoman to reach her destination, where she stood out in the open with little-to-no cover whatsoever, as per Mavis instructions.

However, unbeknownst to everyone else, Nero was also nearby, concealing himself in a building right next to the one that Erza was standing on top of. He hid himself just besides a window that gave him a near-clear view of the area.

'I hate all this sneaking around.' Nero thought to himself. 'But if it means I get to knock that Sabertooth bitch off her high horse, then I'll play along with the plan.'

"Erza will stand out in the open, baiting Minerva into attacking." Mavis explained to the guild. "Taking advantage of her ego, which we've all seen can overshadow her own strategic thinking. When Minerva is drawn out, Nero will attack with the Masayoshi."

"You mean that sword of his that's supposed to copy Vergil's?" Bickslow asked.

"I understand…" Freed understood. "Similar to the Yamato, the Masayoshi is capable of cutting through space, which makes it the perfect counter against Minerva's spatial magic."

"And since Nero didn't use it in his previous match, nobody here knows about it." Evergreen said in realization. "He has his own secret weapon that Minerva will be unprepared for."

"Between that, and Nero and Erza's combined power, they should be able to defeat Minerva rather swiftly." Mavis continued. "Once they have, they'll regroup with Laxus and take on Jura together!"

Makarov laughed. "Now that is a great plan!"

"Yeah, Potato-head's probably the strongest guy here. We'll need to bring out the big guns if we're gonna take him down." Gildarts said.

Sparda however had an uncertain look in his face. There was no doubt that his adoptive daughter's plan was well-thought-out and very clever. He can even see it working if everything went according to it. However, if his thousands of years of battles have taught him anything, it's that not every plan goes exactly the way you intend. And Mavis, despite her strategic and tactical brilliance, wasn't exactly the best at adapting should her plans go wrong.

Suddenly, Erza glanced behind in surprise as she felt a presence rushing toward her. But it wasn't Minerva as Mavis had predicted…

"Here comes Kagura!" Chapati announced as the swordswoman of Mermaid Heel had appeared, her sheathed Archenemy drawn and ready to collide with Erza.

As the audience cheered loudly upon Kagura's sudden appearance, Mavis' eyes widened as her pupils shrunk.

"…What…?"

'The first master was wrong!?' Erza questioned in thought, but quickly regained her focus as she drew a pair of katanas to block Kagura's initial strike before engaging in a furious clash of blades, locking eyes with another even as they swung their respective swords at one another, blocking each strike that moved at such rapid speed and pace that it was like a blur in-between the two before leaping back to gain some distance.

'Her skill…' The redhead noted seriously.

'Let's see if she's deserving of her reputation as a warrior!' Kagura silently declared.

"The hell…?" Nero muttered as he looked in surprise from his hiding spot. "This wasn't part of the plan?"

"That's the thing about plans." His eyes widened in surprise as Lucia had suddenly appeared behind him. "They sometimes go astray."

Acting on instinct, Nero had Red Queen quickly drawn as Lucia rushed him, her dual curved blades, Cutlasser, slashing at him. Though Nero blocked it with his own sword, the force of her rush had blasted them both through the wall and out into the open, with Erza glancing back in surprise.

'Nero…!' But she was forced to pay attention to Kagura as her opponent went on the attack again to bring her sheathed Archenemy down toward her, which Erza just barely blocked.

"Focus on the opponent in front of you!" Kagura chastised.

While airborne, Nero took advantage of Lucia being so close as he wrapped his legs around her waist. When she tried to slash both her swords at him, Nero blocked them with Red Queen in his right hand and quickly drew Blue Rose in his left to fire at her face, which Lucia just scarcely avoided by curving her face upward. However, as they fell, Lucia spun her body to try and shake off Nero, which she was successfully able to do and send him toward the rooftop park where Erza and Kagura both still were.

Nero landed rather roughly on the ground, but rolled to quickly recover as he shot Blue Rose at Lucia again, to which she countered by drawing her twin crossbows, Rosso and Azul, and fired her arrows to intercept Nero's bullets and fire a volley at him, forcing Nero to leap backwards as he came back-to-back with Erza, both facing their respective opponents.

"Look at that, folks!" Chapati commentated to the cheering audience. "Nero and Lucia have both entered the scene! We ourselves a two-on-two showdown!" He spun around with excitement.

"This should prove to be one of the better fights." Yajima smiled.

"Nero was able to hold his own against Jura back on Day One, but how will he fair against Mermaid Heel's top tier Devil Hunter?" Mato asked to perk up the audience's excitement even more.

"Kagura and Lucia?!" Makarov questioned. "That wasn't part of the plan!"

"Nero was even busted out of his hiding spot! They actually got the drop on us when it was supposed to be the other way around with Minerva!" Gildarts stated.

"It would seem that the renowned Fairy Tactician has made an error in her calculations." Freed commented seriously.

"Sssh!" Evergreen, Bickslow, and even Patty all shushed him before pointing towards Mavis, who looked more than a little distraught at this turn of events.

"I made a mistake…? How could this happen…?" She shook before it looked like she was about to cry. "I'm… so… ashamed…."

The entire guild turned white in shock, including Gildarts and Makarov, as the current guildmaster desperately and comically to calm her down.

"Hey… it's okay…!" He looked like he was about to put his hands on her for comfort, but he was unsure if that would even work considering she was a ghost.

"No…! I'm not gonna cry about it…" The teary Mavis tried comically to hold back her tears and stand tall. "These things… just happen sometimes… Daddy says so…!"

"Ow!" Freed felt Patty kick him in the shin.

"This is your fault, you big jerk! You made her cry!" The younger girl accused.

"What?!"

"That's enough." Sparda spoke firmly, getting all their attention. "There isn't anything we can do now but hope that Nero and Erza are able to adapt to this change in events. But given how we've all seen what they're capable of, I'm confident they'll find a way to win this."

"The runt's plan didn't work." Nero said as he remained back-to-back with Erza, holding Red Queen in one hand and Blue Rose in the other, facing Lucia while Erza faced Kagura. "Now what?"

"We fight." Erza said seriously. "Can I count you, Nero?"

"Sure. You got my back, I got yours." The young Devil Hunter said determinedly.

However, something appeared in-between them, which quickly expanded like a bubble as a pair of hands emerged from it, grabbing them both by the back of their heads, much to the surprise of Kagura and Lucia. This was none other than Minerva herself, smirking with pride as her body emerged upside down from the bottom of her spatial bubble, spinning herself around before throwing away Erza and Nero, sending them both into Lucia and Kagura respectively.

"Holy cow! Minerva jumps in from seemingly out of nowhere!" Chapati commentated.

"If you don't mind, I'd love to join you." The strongest woman of Sabertooth said with a condescending smirk as her opponents recovered.

"She shows up now?! Talk about crappy timing!" Gildarts commented.

Mavis shook, still not over her initial shock. "No… I didn't see this coming."

"Amazing! This two-on-two duel has now turned into a five-way brawl!" Chapati announced. "Fairy Tail's mighty Titania and Nero, the dark horse Devil Hunter, versus the Mermaid Heel's top two swordswomen, versus Sabertooth's queen of the tigers Minerva!"

"Amazing!" Mato jumped up and down from his seat. "This could be as big as the Devil and Dragons fight back at the end of Day Four!"

"They're all immensely powerful…" Freed said seriously. "How can anyone predict this outcome…?"

"Erza's got this! She's the strongest gal out there!" Patty pumped her arms.

"Nero's no Dante, but he's definitely strong." Bickslow commented. "But those other three chicks are plenty strong too."

"Does that Minerva bitch think she can take on all of them at once? She's due for a serious ego-check." Evergreen glared.

"Kagura, Lucia, you got this!" Arana put her faith in her guildmates as she stood with her friends in the Mermaid Heel observatory box.

"They're gonna win this, right?" Beth asked nervously.

"Are you kidding? Those are our top two up there!" Amarilla said. "If Sapphire was there, we'd have our unstoppable trio!"

"Yeah, I know but… we saw that Erza-lady clear out all those scary monsters, that boy up there is also plenty tough, and that Sabertooth lady is also kinda scary." Beth said, still sounding nervous.

"Don't worry yourselves." Risley replied with confidence. "Those two have never let us down before and I don't see them doing it now."

Sho and Wally were also watching this fight, showing concern for Erza as well as Kagura. Despite being from different guilds that were competing with one another, they still knew them very well and considered them friends, but given what's going on with Crime Sorciere, even they could see the tension forming that would ultimately explode in this match up.

"I imagine you have mixed feelings about this." Bruni said to Kurenai as they stood together with Aurora and Gandelina in their own separate spot. "You're Mermaid Heel's guildmaster, but we're all technically on the same side with that Eclipse Gate thing going on."

"That is true." Kurenai admitted. "But that's not the only issue here."

"You're worried about that lady from Sabertooth?" Aurora asked.

"A little." Kurenai replied. "The magic she wields… I get this sinking feeling there's more to it than that." But that wasn't the only thing she was worried about. 'Erza and the rest of Fairy Tail are protecting Jellal, the man that Kagura hates the most. She won't interfere in their mission… but I wouldn't be surprised if she took this match very seriously. There's really no way of knowing how this will turn out.'

At the same time, Frosch looked with mixed feelings at this particular fight as he stood with Vergil in the Sabertooth box. Frosch wanted to root for his guildmates, but Minerva was the one who abducted Lector and used him as leverage against Sting and even Rogue, so it made him feel confused on how to feel about this match.

'Minerva Orland…' Vergil thought to himself. 'She is insufferable, but her pride is not unfounded. The power she wields is one to be cautious of. Regardless, against the opponents she faces, it will still be an uphill battle for her. Particularly with him.' He looked towards Nero on the lacrimatrons, specifically the partially obscured view of the demonic arm on the young man.

Back on the battlefield, Minerva stood at the very center as her opponents stood around her with Erza and Nero on one side, Kagura and Lucia on the other. They all took this matter very seriously, but Kagura couldn't help but find herself looking toward Erza in particular.

'Milliana told me about hers and the others' history with Jellal.' Kagura thought. 'She suffered at his hands just as much as they have. I understand the necessity of working with Crime Sorciere in this instance… but the idea that she even considers protecting him is unthinkable!'

"Hey, didn't your mother teach you it's rude to butt in other people's business?" Nero said to Minerva.

The haughty woman gave a slight chuckle before responding. "You must be quite confident in yourself if you're willing to take Dante's place, boy. Speaking of, where is he? I find it odd that he and your pet Salamander chose not to participate today. I was looking forward to crushing them myself."

Nero smirked. "Considering Natsu kicked your ass before, I really doubt you can take them both, especially since Dante took down your top guy last time." He noticed an odd look in Minerva's eyes as she stared at him. "What?"

"The resemblance is uncanny." She noted. "You look very much like them, and you wield demonic power as well." She took notice of his demonic arm. "A distant relative perhaps? Are you, by any chance, descended from Sparda somehow?"

"None of your damn business." He glared at her.

"I suppose not, but I do have business with both of your guilds." Minerva said to all her opponents. "Fairy Tail, Mermaid Heel, the guilds who have dealt the most damage to Sabertooth. Because of you, our reputation has been tarnished. But I intend to remedy that. I will crush all four of you right here and now, proving to the world that Sabertooth is the guild that stands atop the heavens."

As she said that, an ominous purple aura formed around Minerva as she began to exercise her magical power.

"How very ambitious of you." Erza noted as a scarlet red aura formed around her as well.

"Let's see if you can back up that talk." Nero added, a dark blue aura formed around him, as his own Devil Bringer arm began to glow brightly.

"I believe that's enough talking for now." Lucia commented as a white demonic aura flowed around her body.

"Yes. Time for action!" Kagura declared as a dark indigo aura formed around her as well.

The clashing auras of magical and demonic energy began to shake the whole area, rocks and pebbles closest to them were lifting up and breaking apart just from being so close to them. Everyone still competing in Domus Flau, as well as the entire audience could feel the intense combined energy from the five gathered fighters.

"Uh oh… you feel that…?" Chapati asked Yajima. "The surge of power emanating from our competitors is totally off the charts!"

"Yes, even from this far away, I can feel the waves of intensity." Yajima said. "And this is only the beginning!"

"Oooh… I'm getting chills!" Mato shivered.

"They have strength, but they'll never match our spirit! Erza! Nero! Take em down!" Makarov called out as everyone from Fairy Tail, Mermaid Heel, Sabertooth, the gathered Wizard Saints, as well as Wally and Sho watched with intensity, just waiting for the action to begin.

The five-way stare down and flexing of raw power continued for a few seconds before their respective auras dropped. The rocks and pebbles fell to the ground, and all became quiet for just a second…

Then they clashed!

"A h-hundred thousand demons….?!" Darton exclaimed in shock with a clearly terrified look on his face, his eyes shaking and sweat pouring down his face, having been just told this by Princess Hisui. "Are you sure of this…?! If it's true, then we must act at once! That means calling off the Games this instant!"

"No, not just yet." Hisui replied, much to the defense minister's surprise. "It's too soon. First, we must verify if this person's claims are accurate."

"Princess, we may not have that kind of time!" Darton tried to persuade her. "We're putting the lives of countless citizens at risk!"

She knew very well that was true, and she hated to do something like this. But with such enormous stakes, the princess of Fiore felt that such a risk was necessary.

"This person claims to have come from the future." Hisui revealed, causing Darton to look in even further surprise. "They told me the outcome of the Grand Magic Games, specifically the final battle that is currently taking place. They explained it to me in detail, and so far… everything that's happened… every victory and defeat… has gone exactly according to this person's prediction, and that is why we must see how the final battle unfolds in its entirety, and if it proves to be correct, I will believe their word."

"This is the future of our kingdom, and it may even affect the whole world!" Darton told her. "You're willing to bet all of it on the result of the Grand Magic Games?! What if this person isn't who they say they are?! How can you be certain they're from the future!?"

"I don't completely believe it myself." Hisui said as she turned towards Darton. "Which is why we must wait and see if this prediction is indeed true. But so far, it has proven to be that."

"And if this individual is indeed from the future and their prediction comes to pass?" The short and older man asked. "It is true that demonic activity has been on the rise these past seven years… but a hundred thousand of them…?! There has been no horde that big since two thousand years ago!"

"Indeed, and if this person's claims are accurate… I'll have no choice but to activate the Eclipse 2 Project." Hisui said with a determined look on her face.

"Your majesty, you told me the Eclipse Gate has another way to be used, something you said to be unconventional. Explain what you mean by that." Darton requested.

"This person told me of a method in which all that gathered energy needed to power the Gate can be unleashed once the door has been opened." Hisui explained. "Think like a makeshift cannon."

"Princess… the Eclipse Gate has been syphoning energy from wizards and even demonic power for seven years now… do you even know much raw energy is stored inside…!?" Darton questioned.

"Enough to equal two, possibly even three Etherion Blasts." Hisui confirmed, much to Darton's surprise. "Such a powerful attack will completely decimate the demonic horde that may approach us."

"But it could also destroy the entire city…!" Darton exclaimed.

"Which is why I have a plan in place to evacuate Crocus should it come to that!" Hisui revealed, turning towards the defense minister. "If the person from the future is correct, and the outcome of the Games goes according to their predictions, all the civilians in the city will be swiftly evacuated before the demons arrive and the Eclipse is unleashed. Cities can always be rebuilt, and while my current actions can be considered underhanded, I will not risk the safety of all these people."

Darton could tell just how serious the princess was about this. He had known her for a long time and knew that she was actually a very tactical thinker. So, if she did have a complex plan that could ensure the safety of all the people currently occupying the city, he believed her. And yet, he still had some questions to ask.

"Princess, there is one thing I don't understand." He began. "You need a Celestial Wizard to open the Eclipse Gate, and you threw the two you had into the Palace of Perdition. Not only that, you even dispatched the Wolf Knights to deal with the members of Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere who tried to rescue them, despite having them sent down to rescue Arcadios. None of that makes any sense. Why would you hinder your own plans like that?"

"I only need the twelve Zodiac Keys, not the wizards themselves." Hisui explained. "And I had already used them the night before. The doorway through space and time is now unlocked. All that's needed is the eclipse to fully activate it. As for why I dispatched the Wolf Knights, I may have indeed given the orders to confront the intruders… but I could think of no other way to release Moloch for the same purpose."

"Moloch? What does he have to do with this?" Darton asked.

"The person from the future claims that Moloch was the mastermind behind the upcoming demonic invasion." Hisui revealed, much to Darton's surprise. "Despite being contained within the Palace of Perdition, it would also make sense. A long time ago, Moloch was indeed a commander of Mundus' armies in the Underworld."

"So, you had the intruders, one of which being a Devil Hunter and Sparda's son, eliminate him to cut the head off the snake, as well as rescue Arcadios in one fell swoop." Darton seemed to understand.

"Two birds with one stone, yes." Hisui confirmed. "But even with Moloch defeated, the threat of the horde is still upon us, but they will be directionless now that their leader is eliminated, which will make it easier for us to use the Eclipse 2 and obliterate them."

"And what of Colonel Arcadios? Was he aware of all of this? Did he also meet this person who claims to be from the future?" Darton asked.

"He was aware of the situation, but he did not meet this person." Hisui answered. "I was asked to not tell anyone anything of this person, not their name, not their gender, nothing. It's not that I don't trust you, Darton. I had to be certain that this information did not leak out, which could lead to many complications that'll only make this insane situation even more messy."

"I see…" Darton understood, though that didn't mean he'd have to like it. "I hope you know what you're doing then, Princess."

"As do I. For the time… is nearly upon us." Hisui said as she looked out towards Crocus once again with a worried look on her face.

Meanwhile, the combined group from Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere walked down a darkened tunnel, not too dissimilar from the one Arcadios had led them to show them the Eclipse Gate some time ago, having just left the Palace of Perdition and now made their way toward the surface. During their walk, Dante continued to carry the unconscious Future Lucy in his arms while Ultear and Meredy had told the group what they had learned from the time-traveler.

"Wait… How many dragons…!?" Natsu questioned.

"Thousands of them." Meredy answered. "According to her, they leveled all of Crocus. The entire sky was covered with smoke. She described it as Hell on Earthland."

"Oh, my goodness…" Lisanna covered her mouth in shock as everyone had his or her own expressions of shock and terror, just imagining something like that happening.

"That's… that's horrible…" Kyrie muttered.

"But… that shouldn't be possible." Modeus said. "There aren't that many dragons left… if anything, there's probably a handful of them at most."

"All probably thanks to Acnologia, as you've told us." Carla agreed.

Jellal's eyes then widened as he came to a realization. "Unless they came through the Eclipse Gate!"

"What do you mean?" Wendy asked.

"Think about it for a moment." Jellal explained. "The intent of the Eclipse Project is to travel to the past to stop Zeref from becoming immortal and even prevent Acnologia from becoming a dragon. At that time, dragons roamed freely across Earthland…."

"And a door swings both ways." Sorano saw where he was coming from. "There's no other explanation as to how that many dragons could come here."

"What, she didn't see where they came from?" Lady asked.

"No." Ultear shook her head. "According to her, all of you were still inside the palace, all part of the mission to rescue Lucy and Yukino, when it all came crashing down. When everyone emerged, the dragons were already there. At least, that's what she told us."

"Is that how you were able to find us so easily?" Carla asked. "Because this had already happened in her time?"

"Yes. Exactly." Ultear confirmed.

"Uh… I'm kinda lost here, can somebody explain it to me?" Happy requested with a question mark over his head.

"Yeah, I don't get any of this either." Natsu said, sounding just as confused.

"The Lucy from the future went through the exact same thing our Lucy did, but the dragons attacked, so she then traveled back in time to warn us and probably stop it from happening." Cana summed up. "Is that clear enough for ya?"

"Oh yeah, I totally get it now!" Natsu said more confidently.

"Aye, that makes more sense." Happy agreed.

"Well, you two are as dense as rocks." Sheeree groaned.

"You're only just figuring that out now?" Lady questioned.

Trish, Sorano, Mira, and Lisanna both happened to glance toward the rear of the pack and saw how Lucy and Yukino each had confused and conflicting looks on their faces, not that they couldn't blame them.

"Hey, you two okay?" Mira asked.

"I'm just… still trying to process this." Lucy said, prompting Lisanna to come and join her, linking her hand to hers to provide some kind of comfort, which the blonde appreciated.

"This… doesn't make sense though." Yukino said as she looked towards Loke who continued to carry Arcadois. "The purpose of the Eclipse Project is to stop Zeref and Acnologia. Even if Princess Hisui did trap us down here, I don't see her or Colonel Arcadios doing something so insane…!"

"Doing something horrible for the 'greater good'? It wouldn't be the first time something like that had happened…" Kyrie said, looking away with anger and sadness, remembering just how much damage the Order of the Sword did in its quest to make a 'better' world.

"Perhaps they're not responsible." Panther-Lily assumed. "We can't jump to conclusions with something like this. Could the Eclipse Gate have malfunctioned, and that may be the reason?"

"Maybe… I mean, with something that complex… it wouldn't be impossible for something to go wrong…" Loke said.

"Or maybe it wasn't an accident, and somebody else is pulling the strings." Dante said with narrowed eyes.

"You believe another party could be involved?" Jellal asked.

"Wouldn't be surprised." Dante commented before looking toward the future counterpart of his cousin in his arms. "But let's find a place to set down and help her first. Hopefully she'll give us some more answers."

"But… what happened to her? I'm not sensing any kind of magic power at all from her." Wendy said with worry.

"Even her scent has changed… it's like she's bone dry or something…" Natsu tried to find the best way to describe it.

"We don't know. She didn't say anything about that." Ultear said.

"All she could think about was getting here and she was very desperate." Meredy added.

That only made Dante even more concerned as he looked towards Future Lucy once again. 'Lucy… what the hell happened to you?'

A large explosion erupted from the five-way collision. Erza, Nero, Kagura, and Lucia, all with their respective swords, and Minerva with a sphere of her spatial magic coating her fist. The force of the impact blew all five back slightly. Glares were exchanged before they collided with one another once again.

Nero gunned straight for Minerva, swinging Red Queen, which she blocked and parried with her spatial magic before expanding it to knock him back just as he fired Blue Rose at her, which she leapt to avoid. Lucia then came at Minerva while airborne just as Kagura did for Nero, locking Archenemy with Red Queen, even as Nero revved up his sword, it still didn't cut through her sheathe. She pressed forward, her strength somehow increasing and broke down on Nero's guard before swinging her blade at him with enough force to send him rolling and skidding across the ground to the other side of the rooftop park. At the same time, Lucia quickly and swiftly slashed with Cutlaseer at Minerva, who brought her hands together to create a large sphere of her spatial magic and then exploded it right into Lucia's face, knocking her back before multiple spheres of the same kind of magic appeared around Lucia, all of which exploded in a flurry of raw power.

Minerva and Kagura then exchanged glares with one another, but before they could fight, a flash of light caught their attention from above as Erza had quipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, while also wielding the sword from her Flame Empress Armor, which was already set ablaze.

"Circle Sword!" Multiple swords appeared around Erza and spun around like a disk formation. But with the flames from her Flame Empress sword, the attack was set on fire as it was sent towards her opponents. Even as they broke apart to avoid it, the attack exploded, blasting away a large chunk of the rooftop park, blasting away Minerva and Kagura as well. Erza then caught notice of multiple flaming arrows heading in her direction as.

"Apollo!" Quipping her fire bow Devil Arm, Lucia had launched multiple fire arrows at Erza, all of which exploded in a fiery blaze. However, Erza flew right out of the flames, now clad in her Flame Empress Armor and wielding the sword of her Sea Empress Armor. Even as Lucia fired more flaming arrows from Apollo, Erza sliced and extinguished them all with her water sword and quickly closed the gap, swinging her watery blade at Lucia who brought out her Cutlaseer blades again to engage in a vicious sword fight.

As they engaged in a heated duel, Kagura had already recovered and engaged with Minerva, using her Gravity Magic to keep the woman suspended in mid-air as Kagura lunged her sheathed Archenemy at her, but even as Minerva blocked it with a barrier of her spatial magic, Kagura wasn't done yet and neither was Minerva as she attacked simultaneously.

"Blood Sword: Archenemy: Strong Form!"

"Territory Explosion!"

Kagura's sheathed Archenemy broke through Minerva's barrier and struck her in the stomach just as a powerful explosion tore through at Kagura's sides. Both landed roughly on the ruined ground and were about to engage in battle once again, only for a series of rockets to be shot at them, knocking them back slightly.

"Pandora: Epidemic!" Using his brief-case Devil Arm, which had converted into a double barrel, bow-rocket launcher, Nero had fired more rockets at Minerva and Kagura, both braced themselves from the resulting impact.

"Wait your turn, boy." Minerva teased him. "I'll be with you soon."

"Don't underestimate me! Revenge!" Pandora then converted into a large steampunk-designed laser cannon the size of Nero's body and fired multiple energy blasts at Kagura, Minerva, and then he aimed them at Lucia who was engaged in battle against his teammate. "Erza, get out of the way!" His warning was promptly received as Erza leapt back just as Nero fired his laser cannon at Lucia, exploding the area around her.

"Aquila!" While up in the air, Lucia had quipped a new Devil Arm, one that was a shuriken that seemed almost completely made up of water. It then broke apart into at least two dozen water shurikens, which she then threw at Nero. They were too fast and too small for him to get with Pandora's current form, so Nero was forced to withdraw that Devil Arm and jump back to avoid the front most water shurikens before firing Blue Rose to intercept those that remained.

Lucia, however, wasn't finished. Clapping her hands together, Aquila formed once again, but as she raised it above her head, the water shuriken grew to enormous size, twice as big as her whole body. The giant water shuriken spun around rapidly just as she threw it at Nero, who stood his ground and didn't bother to move out of the way.

"What's he doing!? Is he trying to let it hit him!?" Romeo questioned as everyone in Fairy Tail couldn't take their eyes off this insane battle.

"Run for it, Nero!" Patty called out.

However, Nero's Devil Bringer arm began to glow and just before the giant water shuriken could strike him, he reached out with his demonic appendage to catch it, much to the shock of everyone watching, particularly Fairy Tail and Mermaid Heel. Nero grabbed his Devil Bringer arm with his other hand and braced himself as the giant spinning water blade pushed him back, but he dug his feet in as he groaned and channeled his own demonic power, the water shuriken glowed the same kind of light around Nero's demonic arm before he lifted it up in the air with one hand and then threw it back at Lucia, much to her own surprise, as well as that of Kagura and even Minerva.

Lucia tried to block it by crossing her Cutlaseer swords together, but the energy that was infused into her own redirected attack caused it to explode. At this point, the entire rooftop park had completely collapsed and gave way to the inside of the building. But even as they fell, Nero, Erza, Kagura, Minerva, and even Lucia, were all still willing to keep going and fight, though Minerva took an observation of what just happened.

'That power… I know it…'

"What the heck just happened?!" Risley questioned.

"He caught Aquilla and threw it back at Lucia?!" Arana also questioned.

"I don't remember anyone doing something like that before!" Beth said.

"Oh no… are Lucia and Kagura in trouble…?" Amarilla asked worriedly.

"How in the hell did he manage to do that?" Gildarts questioned.

"It's his own demonic power." Levy explained. "While we trained those three months, Nero learned that his Devil Bringer arm can absorb other demonic attacks and send them back at the enemy. He can even infuse them with his own power to make them stronger."

"Most impressive." Makarov smiled.

Even Sparda found himself smiling with pride at Nero's development, something that Mavis noticed and caused her to smile as well.

The quintet of fighters landed inside the ruined building and resumed their battle, with Kagura rushing directly at Nero, who felt a strong form of pressure from above, courtesy of Kagura's gravity magic as she quickly closed the distance.

'Trying to keep me pinned, huh?' Nero thought as he tried to stand his ground. 'In that case…!'

"Slashing Form!" Kagura threw out her sheathed Archenemy at her enemy, just as he had his own attack planned as well.

"Gilgamesh!" Quipping into the grieves, gauntlets, and mask Devil Arm set, Nero threw out his right armored fist just as it collided with Kagura's sheathed sword.

The resulting collisional created a huge shockwave that blew away much of the area around them, sending both combatants flying and crashing to opposite ends of the ruined building.

'There's no mistake. That boy wields Sparda's power.' Minerva narrowed her eyes. 'This is problematic.' However, a flash of light out of the corner of her eyes caused her to instinctively dodge a wave of slashing light that just barely grazed her own face.

"Osiris!" Wielding a silver-colored scythe, one that had a glowing blade of light at the end, Lucia swung her blade to send more waves of light at Minerva, almost a dozen total. However, Minerva smirked as she created a barrier of her Territory Magic in front of her, one that actually absorbed the attack that Lucia sent at her, with another sphere of Territory appearing behind Lucia, her own light waves attack coming out from the other side and striking Lucia right before Minerva unleashed another explosion with her own power.

The condescending wizard's smirk however vanished as something incredibly fast shot past her, striking her with enough force to send her crashing into the wall of the ruined building they were inside. Minerva's eyes opened to see who it was that struck her. It was Erza, clad in her Flight Armor while also wielding the spear of her Lightning Empress Armor, as she glared at her enemy.

"That was for Lucy!" Erza proclaimed before her spear lit with lightning again, surging around her before she combined that with the speed of her Flight Armor to zoom at speeds that almost seemed like a flash of light and blasted Minerva in the chest. "And this is for Happy!" A beam of lightning blasted through Minerva and shot her through the wall and right outside into another building all together.

However, Erza didn't quite get the chance to celebrate yet as Lucia had quickly moved at her, spinning Osiris around to send a circular wave of light in Erza's direction, which she counted with an electric swing of her spear, but this allowed Lucia to close the gap and swing her scythe Devil Arm at her, which Erza blocked with the pole of her spear. She once again combined her spear's lightning powers with the speed of her Flight Armor to zoom away and get some distance, only to find that Lucia had already caught up to her, much to her surprise even as she blocked the next deadly scythe swing.

'My Flight Armor combined with my lightning spear is among my fastest techniques. Even Dante could only counter it with his Quicksilver! And yet, she's able to keep up with me like this? Lucia of Mermaid Heel… you are truly strong.' Erza mentally noted before quipping into her Black Wing armor, dual wielding the Flame Empress Sword along with the Bisento of her Infinity Robe and engaging in a vicious bladed duel with her opponent.

At the same time, Nero and Kagura had recovered as they faced each other once more before the former spoke up.

"I figured it out…" He said with a chuckle, still wielding his Gilgamesh Devil Arm. "You use your gravity magic to increase the speed and force of your sword strikes, and you can do that even as you use that same kind of power to pin me down. Not bad, might give Dante a bit of trouble."

Kagura didn't seem all that bothered by this. "You've learned my techniques. Impressive observation, but it won't be enough to beat me."

"You sure about that?" Nero asked, pointing toward Kagura's sword. She glanced down to look into something that completely caught her by surprise…

There was a large crack on the sheath that concealed Archenemy… even a chip had been broken off, exposing a slight sliver of the shiny metal inside.

"Did that guy just break Kagura's sheathe?!" Beth questioned.

"No freaking way! That's impossible!" Risley exclaimed.

"It's that Devil Arm of his." Arana noted seriously. "It's strong."

"Oh no… Kagura…!" Amarilla looked worriedly.

'Gilgamesh is a powerful Devil Arm, yes. But it takes more than that to crack the sheath to Archenemy.' Kurenai thought. 'He may not be quite at Dante or Vergil's level yet, but he may get there soon. Nero is growing fast.'

Kagura couldn't shake the look of shock as she saw the cracked sheath of her sword. Even if it was a relatively small crack, the fact that someone was actually able to break through it was no small feat.

"Huh, where'd that stone-cold look, go?" The young half-demon teased. "First time for everything."

Kagura then narrowed her eyes at him. "Nero, is it? I underestimated you. Be assured, it won't happen a second time." She took a combative stance and was ready to charge him.

"Thanks. I appreciate that." Nero said as he continued to wield Gilgamesh before charging forward at Kagura, who charged at him in response. However, as they did, a sphere of Territory Magic appeared directly in front of Kagura, which she was unable to stop herself from entering, causing herself to vanish and re-appear in the sphere that suddenly appeared in-between the dueling Erza and Lucia, which also exploded to engulf all three.

Before Nero could even react, he too was trapped in a sphere of the same kind of magic with Minerva hovering directly above him.

"There's no mistake, you do wield Sparda's power. So, I think it would be best to have you eliminated right now, boy." She crossed her arms and made specific signs with her fingers as she enacted a certain spell. "Obelisk Phrike!"

"Wait… what did she just say…?!" The shocked Sparda questioned as even Mavis looked in surprise.

Spreading out her arms, a massive flash of light shined out in front of her, a surge of magic power quickly appeared to shake up the whole area as a large and imposing figure emerged from the light. It was a massive, blue-skinned humanoid, clad in Egyptian armor. It easily towered over the likes of Nero, who could only look in just as much shock as the recovering Erza, Kagura, and Lucia.

The being that was known as Obelisk Phrike, brought its hands together to create a large sphere of blue energy, which it then used to slam into the restrained Nero, causing a massive explosion that all but obliterated what was left of the building that they were in.

"Nero!" Erza exclaimed in surprise, but was even further surprise to see that she, Lucia, and Kagura were likewise trapped in spheres of Territory Magic the same way as Minerva recited another summoning incantation.

"Yagd Rigola!" This time, in a flash of yellow light, a different figure was summoned, one about as big as Obelisk Phrike. A humanoid clad in armor akin to Babylonian with a black long beard and dark hair. The figure roared before it unleashed an all-encompassing blast of yellow energy, one that shot a powerful beam into the air that could be seen even from miles away just before it all vanished.

Every remaining participant in the battle royale had to stop what they were doing as they found themselves drawn to the sudden flash of power. This included Gajeel, Gray, Laxus, Jura, Lyon, Sapphire, and Rogue. Sting felt it as well, but he remained sitting in his spot in the alleyway, completely unsurprised. Even Juvia and Sherry had to stop their chase briefly just to process the level of power they felt. Orga smirked unsurprisingly.

"That's milady." The Lightning God Slayer commented.

Nearly everyone in the audience looked with white circular eyes and dropped jaws, that included all three of the commentators. Frosch shook in his spot having seen and felt all of that just now while Vergil remained unphased with crossed arms and a stoic expression.

"Holy…" Bruni muttered.

"What was…?" Aurora also muttered.

"Kurenai, that power…" Gandelina said to the top ranked Wizard Saint and guildmaster of Mermaid Heel.

"I know…" Her hand slightly shook. "I had thought that power was gone… Sparda and I saw to that…"

"What the hell was that…?!" Gildarts questioned as nearly everyone in Fairy Tail had the same expression as the audience. "Some kind of summoning…?!"

"I've never seen a summon spell like that before…!" Makarov added.

"I have." Sparda said with a serious expression. "The Yakuma Eighteen Battle Gods Magic."

"Wait… did you just say… gods…?" Bickslow questioned.

"Some centuries ago, there was a tribe of bloodthirsty warriors known as Yakuma Clan." Sparda explained. "Their lust for battle and strength knew no bounds, so much so that they struck a bargain with a group of lesser gods that referred themselves as the Eighteen Battle Gods. Much like the Clan, this band of gods also lusted for battle and combat, but because of the strict rules set upon by Anu and the other Primordial, they could not directly interfere in the affairs of mortals, or else risk suffering a similar fate as Pluto, also known as Mundus. So, the Yakuma Clan had formed a contract of sorts with these gods. Through a special kind of summon ritual, whether it be through a sacrifice or an incantation, those of the Yakuma bloodline could summon one of these gods to unleash a single devastating attack before the god in question returns to their realm of origin."

"That sounds a lot like Celestial Spirit Magic." Freed pointed out.

"Exactly. In fact, the Yakuma Clan and the Eighteen Battle Gods created this ritual based off that." Sparda added.

"So… How come we've never heard of them until now?" Evergreen asked.

"Because this situation, being so similar to the scenario with the God Slayers, I had to intervene." Sparda continued. "Kurenai and I tried to plead with the clan to see reason, but they refused. After that, we had no choice… but to wipe out the entire clan." That caused everyone to look at the spirit of the Dark Knight in surprise.

"First master… did you know of this…?" Makarov asked Mavis.

"I did. Though I never saw it myself, Daddy told Zera and I stories about that." The spirit of Fairy Tail's first master confirmed.

"Though… we didn't kill everyone in the clan, there was one survivor." Sparda revealed. "A child, who had not taken part in any wars or bloodshed. His hands were innocent. After that battle, Kurenai and I took the child and delivered him to a city with people that I could trust so that the child could live a normal life. We kept tabs on the boy as he grew up and it seemed he would live that life. I had thought this magic had become lost to the sands of time, forgotten. But it seems I was wrong."

"That would mean that Minerva is a direct descendant of that child." Mavis said with worry. "It's the only way she could even use that magic!"

"But what about Erza and Nero? Are they okay?" Patty asked with worry as everyone looked to the lacrimatrons to see there was nothing but smoke and dust so far.

Minerva stood atop a pile of rubble as she looked towards the cloud of smoke that slowly began to clear away. 'My father may have been a descendant of the Yakuma Clan, but he was unable to summon the Eighteen Battle Gods, so he tried to bear a child that could. Ever since I was born, I had known nothing but the expectations and pain of my father. He would beat me to within inches of my life, hoping it would act as a catalyst to awaken my magic. Even with my Territory, it wasn't enough for him. That is until I learned I could use the spatial effect of my Territory as a medium to summon the Battle Gods without any sort of sacrifice. That at least got him to stop the beatings, now that he had his weapon.' A smirk fell on her face. 'But the truth is, I've long since surpassed that foolish man. I could have killed him anytime I wanted, but I had to wait for the perfect opportunity, thankfully, Vergil was able to do the work for me. Once this tournament is over, I'll tell the Magic Council that Vergil murdered my father. He'll be declared a criminal and expelled form the guild, leaving it to me. I'll see to it we become the mightiest force in all of Fiore, all will tremble before the name Minerva, Queen of Sabertooth!'

However, the smoke soon cleared and Minerva narrowed her eyes at what she saw at the bottom of the resulting crater.

Erza, clad in her Adamantium Armor with her shields held upward, remained standing, along with Kagura, who had a magic circle to create a protective gravity barrier to warp the attack around her before it hit, and finally Lucia, who had appeared to have taken the attack and was standing tall despite that, albeit covered in bruises and a few patches of blood.

"HOW CAN THEY STILL BE STANDING!?" Chapati screamed while the audience was in a state of awes.

"They're incredible!"

"That's the understatement of the year, man!"

"They're so cool!"

As the audience began to cheer once more, everyone in Fairy Tail looked in amazement.

"Erza is still standing…" Gildarts said with a wide smile. "Way to go for her…"

"But where's Nero? I don't see him…!" Makarov stated, causing everyone to look with worry, while Sparda and Mavis both narrowed their eyes at the lacrimation.

"How fascinating… It seems I've underestimated you all." Minerva told her three opponents. "Though, it seems we may be missing one. So that's one less fairy to worry about."

"Why did you isolate Nero?" Erza questioned. "You could have hit all of us with that attack, instead you chose to attack him directly before doing the same to the three of us."

"He is related to Sparda, is he not?" Minerva replied and caught a glare in Erza's eyes which all but confirmed it for her. "I've already learned a long time ago not to underestimate anyone who bears the Dark Knight's power, so I had to get serious in order to finish him quickly. Now it's just us girls."

'Mother had told me of the Yakuma Eighteen Battle Gods Magic, but I had thought that power to be lost forever.' Kagura thought to herself.

'The fact she summoned two gods back-to-back alone is impressive. However,…' Lucia focused her senses and could hear Minerva's breathing, despite putting up a front, she was rather tired, even exhausted. 'It still consumed a great deal of her own magic power. I'd wager she can only use that attack one more time before she's all-but spent. We can still finish her, here and now.'

"But, I've only just realized that continuing on like this will take me nowhere, so let's change things up a bit." Minerva then generated a sphere of her territory magic on her side… but this sphere was different from all those seen before, because it had a certain somebody inside it.

"Do you see that…? It's her…" Chapati muttered.

"Yes." Yajima growled.

From their respective boxes; Sho, Wally, Kurenai, Arana, Risley, Beth, Amarilla, and even Frosch all gasped in shock, while Vergil narrowed his eyes with a glare.

Erza, Kagura, and Lucia could not believe what they were seeing as they saw someone they cared for greatly being trapped in Minerva's Territory sphere, her arms and legs outstretched and restrained as she moaned in pain.

"I found a stray kitten." The haughty wizard smirked.

"MILLIANA!" All three female warriors exclaimed upon seeing their friend in this predicament.

"What is the meaning of this?!" Erza growled.

"Look at that sweet little faced twisted with pain." Minerva sneered, referring to her hostage. "The sphere she's in constantly drains her magic power. It's quite excruciating."

"You twisted wretch…!" Lucia glared hard.

"How could she stoop so low?!" Arana questioned.

"It's just like when she tortured that girl from Fairy Tail!" Beth exclaimed fearfully.

"But why?! Why would she kidnap Milliana?!" Risley questioned.

"Oh no…!" Amarilla covered her mouth as she looked in fear.

"I knew I had a bad feeling but… I didn't think it would be like this…!" Sho's body shook as he glared at the screen with the rest of Lamia Scale glaring with him.

"That bucktooth bitch! I'm gonna fill her full of holes!" Wally pounded his fist in.

"Is there a rule against something like this?" Chapati asked his fellow commentators.

"As long as she doesn't kill her, it's technically by the book." Mato put in, sounding anxious himself while Yajima glared darkly.

However, everyone in the arena felt a strong and intense pressure all coming from a specific spot. All eyes, be it spectator or wizard, found themselves drawn to the spot where the four Wizard Saints were at, with Bruni and Aurora taking a step or two back from their top ranked comrade who had an intense demonic aura flowing around her as she clenched her trident tightly. The pebbles around her slightly flowing upward as her face as concealed by the shadows of her hair and hood, even as they waved slightly from the aura.

"K-Kurenai… Take it easy…" Bruni said to her.

"Y-You have right to be mad… but… you can't go down there…!" Aurora tried to say as well.

That didn't seem to abate the demonic aura though, that is until Gandelina had the courage to walk up and gently wrap her hand around the free one of Kurenai.

"If anything happens to my little cat girl… and I mean anything… I swear on the names of Sparda, Igneel, Grandeeney, and every one of my fallen friends and loved ones…" Her head lifted slightly to reveal a glare so hateful that it could probably kill anyone who dared to look back. "…That I will murder Minerva."

Sparda looked in the direction of his oldest friend and sworn sister and understood his righteous anger all too well. So much so that he gently placed his own hand on Mavis' shoulder, and she reached out to place her hand over his.

Erza, Kagura, and Lucia, all three of them looked ready to rip Minerva apart, with a faint glow of red coming from the crack in the damaged sheath that concealed Kagura's Archenemy, but before they could even make a move…

"Nuh, uh, uh." She shook her finger as she increased the pressure in her sphere, causing Milliana to groan even more painfully. "One move towards me, and I promise to make it even more painful than it already is. And if you think about it, this is a fate she deserves. After all, trash deserves to be tossed." That caused them to glare even harder. "But if you really do care for her, then fight each other for her. I'll be more than happy to take on the win…"

*SLASH!*

Suddenly, Minerva's Territory sphere was slashed apart as a blur had shot through it, much to the surprise of Minerva herself, as well as that of Erza, Lucia, Kagura, and everyone in the audience.

Said blur skidded to a halt on his feet some distance away from the haughty wizard, carrying the barely conscious Milliana in his human arm and holding a shinning katana in his demonic hand that glowed brightly.

"I thought I told ya…" The youngest Son of Sparda looked up with blood covering the right side of his face along with drips of it coming down from the rest of his body, to reveal a smirk that rivaled that of a certain Dragon Slayer and a red-clad Devil Hunter. "…Don't underestimate me."

"Nero…" Erza smiled with relief.

"And Nero makes an epic comeback!" Chapati stood up from his seat in amazement.

"He even rescued Millianna even though they're on different teams!" Mato pointed out.

"Cause that boy's got heart just like the rest of his guild!" Yajima gave a thumbs up of approval. "Good work with that one, Maky!"

Sho took a deep sigh of relief. "Thank goodness…"

"I owe ya big time, kid. Real dandy of ya." Wally tipped his hat forward in respect.

"He saved her!" Amarilla cheered.

"That's a relief." Beth breathed with ease.

"And he's still standing after getting hit by such a devastating attack." Arana said in an impressed tone.

"Bout time somebody wiped that smirk off the bitch's face." Risley smirked.

Kurenai let her anger vanish, much to the relief of Bruni and Aurora as she felt immense relief. She even shared an emotional happy glance with Gandelina, who glanced up with her hood to reveal her own smiling face.

'Thank you, Nero.' Kurenai voiced internally.

Gildarts laughed. "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!"

"Attaboy, Nero!" Makarov laughed as well.

"I knew he wasn't done yet!" Levy smiled with joy.

"That was amazing!" Patty beamed.

"And with that, Minerva no longer has any shields to hide behind." Freed said with a smile.

"You know what that means, right?" Bickslow smirked.

"That haughty tramp is in for a world of pain!" Evergreen also smirked.

Mavis looked up towards the spirit of her father as she smiled with joy, as Sparda couldn't help but feel a great sense of pride himself.

'That's my boy.'

However, Vergil found himself drawn to the image of the katana that Nero held in his demonic hand. 'That sword…'

"Y-You… how… how did…?!" Minerva stuttered in disbelief. The fact that Nero was still moving even after getting the brunt of one of her Battle Gods Magic attack was shocking enough, but he was able to get the drop on her by severing through her Territory Magic to rescue her hostage! That's when her eyes were drawn on the sword he likely used to do so. "Is that… the Yamato…?"

*SMASH!*

Something fast and powerful struck Minerva in the face with enough force that she was sent flying and crashing through a whole building and into the second one behind it.

Nero and Erza's eyes all widened in surprise as they saw something that took them completely off guard. Kagura, however, wasn't surprised to see this as she looked with her own serious expression.

It was Lucia, having been briefly engulfed in a flash of white light before undergoing a special kind of transformation. She had the appearance of an angel and a humanoid dove, clad completely in white feathers with bird-like wings on her back, bird-like talons for feet and clawed hands. She had a white hood over her head as her face was completely black save for a pair of glowing white-blue eyes. The demonic aura surging around her was intense to say the least.

"Whoa! What is that?!" Chapati questioned.

"It would seem that Lucia has transformed." Yajima observed.

"Her power has shot through the roof!" Mato exclaimed.

"She transformed?" Makarov questioned.

"That's not just any transformation though…" Sparda looked in surprise as even he did not expect this. "That's a Devil Trigger!"

That took everyone in Fairy Tail by surprise.

"A Devil Trigger?! Like what Dante can do?!" Patty questioned.

"It would seem so… I had no idea…" Freed looked with shaky eyes. "The demonic power around her is overwhelming… I'd say it may very well rival Dante's…"

"So that would mean…." Evergreen looked in awe as well.

"Well, if we weren't sure she was a demon before… we sure as hell know now." Bickslow commented.

"But her power… it's not like any demon I've seen before…" Mavis said.

"Lucia went up and used her Devil Trigger?" Beth questioned.

"Can't say I blame her." Amarilla said.

"I just hope she doesn't kill Minerva and get herself disqualified." Arana put in.

"I honestly wouldn't mind if she did, given what she tried to do to Milliana." Risley said with venom clearly in her voice.

'Lucia has enough control over her Devil Trigger that I don't think she'll go overboard.' Kurenai thought as she glared at the lacrimation. 'But at this point… I'm content with her ripping Minerva a new one. Nobody threatens my girls and walks away in one piece.'

"Kagura, let's put our battle with Fairy Tail on hold for the moment." The Devil Trigger Lucia said to her guildmate while Erza and Nero continued to look at her in awe.

"Very well." Kagura accepted.

"Please look after Milliana for me. This won't take long." Lucia said before she flew in the direction that she had sent Minerva flying in.

Minerva pulled herself from the side of the building she had crashed into as she felt her bruised face where she was struck. 'A Devil Trigger?! Mermaid Heel has a demon in their ranks?! How did I not see this coming!?'

She gasped as she saw a flash of light land hard on the ground in front of her, prompting Minerva to jump to the ground, where she gasped as she saw Lucia's Devil Trigger form glaring hard at her.

"You had your own secret weapon, hmm?" Minerva questioned, but when she saw the glaring demon offering no verbal response, she began to partially lose her composure. "Well don't get cocky! I wield the powers of gods! You are nothing to that!" She crossed her arms again as she used her Territory once again as a medium to channel another Battle Gods attack. "Mars Triumphus!"

In a bright flash of red light, yet another towering figure was summoned to the battlefield. This figure was a giant, red-skinned individual clad in armor akin to a Roman soldier with long flaming hair, wielding an enormous battle axe with the blade that was also on fire. The giant raised his axe and brought it down to the ground, creating a large crevice that spread towards the transformed Lucia before a mighty blaze erupted from it and an enormous explosion all but leveled the immediate area.

Everyone in the audience looked in absolute shock at such a display of power, while Fairy Tail and Mermaid Heel paid very close attention. And while Frosch shook with clear fear at such a display of power, Vergil looked unimpressed.

Minerva fell to her knees, completely exhausted, having used all but the entirety of her magic power for that third summoning spell. "Worth it… It was worth it… to see that foolish creature…" She said with a delusional chuckle. "I will surpass you Vergil… No matter what I…" However, Minerva saw something that caused her to completely lose what was left of her composure. "WHAT?!"

Lucia's Devil Trigger form walked right out of the resulting smoke, a few slight embers were on her person, but nothing too serious. If anything, she just brushed off a little bit of fire from her shoulder like it was a minor annoyance before standing over the surprised Minerva, glaring down hard at the haughty witch that was on her knees.

'Impossible…! The only one who could stand three of my Battle God summons in a row was Vergil! But she has no connection to Sparda! So how?! How can anyone else be this strong?!'

"Brace yourself." Lucia warned.

Before Minerva could even react, Lucia had smacked the back of her hand against her face, creating an explosion of light that sent Minerva flying in one direction. Before she could even crash or land, Lucia had appeared in the direction she was flying and gave a powerful kick to send her flying into the air and followed through with waves of her arms to send waves of light energy upward to slice and blast Minerva further up into the sky. Just as her ascent was halted, Lucia had flown above her, raised her hand and thrusted it downward to send beams of white light down like meteors blasting at Minerva, all of which blasted her straight down to the ground, creating a large impact, which exploded even further as Lucia shot herself straight down and landed feet first onto Minerva herself, creating an enormous crater.

Minerva laid at the very center of the crater in a puddle of her own blood, covered in large gashes of bruises in all directions. She looked up in pure terror as Lucia stood over her, her right talon pressed on her stomach to keep her pinned.

"How does it feel to be so utterly helpless?" Lucia questioned. "To be powerless and at the mercy of someone else? Someone who has none to give?"

"P-please…" Minerva began to beg, only for Lucia to wave her hand and have blades of light rain down and pierce Minerva all over her body, causing her to scream in agony. "AAAH! HELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!" However, the only response to her pleas came in the form of fists as Lucia pounded Minerva in the ground with such speeds that her arms seemed like blurs and they were with such force that the crater only grew with each strike. After about the twentieth strike, Lucia raised both her hands together and smashed them into the ground, creating an aftershock of light energy that blew the crater out even more.

When all was said and done, Minerva was nothing more than a bloody and broken mess, her face so swollen and cut up that she could barely see, several of her teeth were knocked out, and many of her bones were completely broken or even crushed. She didn't even have the strength to move, even as Lucia picked her up by the head in her clawed arm and lifted her to stare directly into her glaring and glowing eyes.

"S-stop… please…" Minerva sputtered. "Spare me… I beg you…."

"That girl from Fairy Tail was right about you. You are a coward." Lucia began. "With no power or hostages to hide behind, you're nothing more than a spineless little girl, one I can so easily end right here and now." She began to squeeze slightly, causing Minerva to moan in agony. "How easy it would be for me to crush your skull like a grape, to send your vile soul to Hell, but that would only disqualify me. Fairy Tail has shown they're more than capable of handling garbage like you, so I don't have to worry about them. But if you ever come near Mermaid Heel again, I will kill you. Do you understand?"

Even in such agonizing pain, Minerva could tell that Lucia spoke the truth. She could and very much would kill her. She really was just a weakling in the end.

"Y-yes… I understand…" She muttered as tears flowed down her swollen eyes.

"Trash deserves to be tossed, correct?" Lucia dropped Minerva, right before she kicked her with enough force to send her crashing into a pile of ruins, where she finally fell unconscious. The white-clad Devil Hunter took a deep sigh before she transformed back to normal and quickly made her way back towards her friends and allies.

Everyone in the audience looked in shock or even fear at such a brutal and one-sided slaughter, but not a single person could really blame Lucia for doing something like that. Many people were even satisfied with it given how dirty Minerva acted, not just with kidnapping a fellow competitor and using her as a hostage, but even torturing Lucy during the water round on Day 4 and later attacking her unprovoked.

"I-it looks like… Minerva is down. She definitely won't be getting back up from that one, folks." Chapati commentated. "Victory for that battle goes to Lucia of Mermaid Heel!"

Already people were starting to cheer even as Mato made the next announcement. "And as it turns out, Minerva was the leader of the Sabertooth team, meaning that Lucia has claimed five points for her guild!"

"Which brings their score up to fifty-eight points." Yajima added. "Mermaid Heel now resides in first place with a one-point lead above Fairy Tail."

"Alright, we're in lead!" Risley smiled.

"But that could change still." Arana advised cautiously.

"I'm just glad that Milliana's going to be okay now." Amarilla said.

"Yeah, so am I… but Lucia can be pretty scary when she wants to be." Beth said. "Even if that Minerva deserved it."

Kurenai couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. While her guild moving up to first place was indeed nice to hear, she was even more relieved to know that not only was Milliana safe, but that Lucia was able to deliver some much-needed justice and even restrain herself from being disqualified.

"That's my girl." The guildmaster of Mermaid Heel said proudly.

Lucia had made her way towards everyone else as Nero had set down Milliana with Kagura and Erza kneeling to her level. "How is she?"

"Nearly all her magic energy has been drained, but she will recover." Kagura assured, much to Lucia's relief.

A slight groan got their attention as they all looked to see Milliana open her eyes and see those gathered around her. "Erzy… Kagura... Lucia…"

"It's alright Milliana… you're safe now." Erza assured with a smile.

"I'm sorry… she caught me by surprise and… I can't even stand right now… I can't compete any further…" Milliana was in tears at that.

"It's alright, don't worry about it." Lucia quickly assured. "Minerva won't harm you or anyone else anymore. All that matters is that you're safe."

"It seems Milliana is unable to compete, folks." Chapati announced. "And since she was put in that condition by Minerva, that means Sabertooth will gain one point for their team."

"Read the damn room, asshole!" Nero called out.

"Yes, I'll have to agree." Yajima said.

"Sorry! I'm just doing my job! But… we'll leave you alone for right now until you're ready to get back into the action!" Chapati signed off from the general area.

"Thank you, Nero." Lucia said sincerely. "For saving my guild sister."

"No problem." He smiled, which earned a smile from Erza as even Kagura had a slight smile of relief on her face. However, Nero happened to notice a fuzzy pair of ears appearing in-between Milliana's breasts, which caused him to look somewhat nervous. "Hey… can one of you uh…" He tried to look away with a blush while also gesturing to what he saw, drawing their attention. "If my girlfriend found out I did something like that… she'd probably kill me…"

Erza smiled humorously and heartwarmingly as she reached in-between Milliana's breasts and pulled out, much to her surprise, an unconscious Lector.

"That cat… I think he is from Sabertooth…" Lucia said in surprise.

"The poor kitty…" Milliana muttered, causing them to look toward her. "He was so scared… I tried to help him…"

"Hold on… that bitch kidnapped the furball too?" Nero questioned. "Why?"

"Perhaps as some form of leverage involving one of her guildmates." Erza assumed. 'Could this be connected to Vergil taking the stead of Sabertooth's master?'

"A matter to be resolved later, for now we must get back to the tournament." Kagura said as she stood up. "The other competitors are still fighting and they may likely come here to challenge us."

"Yes, you may have a point." Lucia agreed.

"Leave me here…" Milliana said. "Someone needs to look after the kitty… And I can do that much at least… and I'm not going anywhere right now…"

Erza looked with concern toward her friend. "Are you sure you'll be okay?"

"I'll be fine Erzy, don't worry about me." Milliana smiled with assurance, earning a smile back from Erza as she placed Lector into her arms, the cat-girl holding the red furred Exceed gently and close to her person before Erza, Lucia, and Nero all stood up.

"Nero, you have my thanks as well." Kagura told him. "So, I propose a proper fight for each of us. Lucia, you take him, but leave Titania to me."

"Sure, I'm cool with that." Nero said. "What about you two?" He asked Erza and Lucia.

"I agree." Lucia accepted.

"Very well, I accept as well." Erza also agreed.

With that, the pairs ran of opponents went off in opposite directions, leaving Milliana behind as she weakly scooched her body behind a pile of debris for cover while holding Lector protectively.

Two lacrimatrons had popped back up, having turned off for a brief moment, to show Erza and Kagura walking in one direction while Nero and Lucia headed off in another.

"It seems we've gotten a bit old-fashioned here, ladies and gentlemen." Chapati commentated. "The members of Fairy Tail and Mermaid Heel have split off together."

"They probably intend to now partake in one-on-one duels." Yajima assumed. "A form of mutual respect the Mermaid Heel ladies are giving as a way of saying thanks to the Fairy Tail members who saved their friend. Given most of these ladies were raised by Lady Kurenai, it makes sense."

"Who doesn't love classics?" Mato added on.

"Minerva's beaten… but what about Lector?" Frosch asked with worry. As the lacrimatrons were turned off briefly, Frosch had no idea that Lector was, in reality, rescued along with Milliana.

Vergil, however, was unphased by Minerva's defeat. Just like everyone else in Sabertooth, she relied too much on raw power to win. Though her deceitful nature did make her unpredictable to the average opponent, deception and overwhelming force can only get you so far. At this point, the odds of Sabertooth winning have dropped significantly.

Kagura had led Erza toward an area that was surrounded by pillars that held a large stone roof up before the former stopped to observe the area around her. "This should suffice."

"I suspect the reason you chose to face me alone was because of Jellal?" Erza got right to the point, seeing through Kagura's intentions. That caused her opponent to turn toward her with a glare, all but confirming it. "Yes, I had a feeling this would happen, ever since I talked to Milliana and the others." She instinctively drew a sword to block the strike from the sheathed Archenemy, a blow so powerful that it sent Erza crashing through several pillars before skidding to a halt on her feet.

"Looks like the action's picking back up, folks! It's Erza versus Kagura! Who will win in this epic swordswoman showdown?!" Chapati got the crowd riled up as Kagura herself slowly approached Erza, who took a combative stance to be ready for her.

"Mother had told me everything." Kagura revealed, referring to Fairy Tail's arrangement with Crime Sorciere, without going into any critical details that would expose their alliance and complicate matters, something Erza understood and appreciated. "I'm not so consumed by my hatred that I will get in the way. But once it's all said and done… I will kill that man. That is the vow I made on this sword!" She showed Archenemy once again. "Despite the sheath being damaged, my sword will remain there… until I finally face him!"

"To avenge your brother, Simon?" Erza asked, causing Kagura to glare harder. "He and I were close friends… I wasn't aware he had any siblings until the others told me, but that's not important right now. I won't ask you to forgive Jellal, you can hate him as much as you want, that's your choice and yours alone. But you must let go of your need for revenge!"

That reminded Kagura too much of what Kurenai had told her. It was something that her adoptive mother had told her many times ever since she learned of her brother's passing. She had trained since she was young to become a warrior for justice like her adoptive mother, like Sparda himself, someone who could rescue her brother and see to it that what had happened to their family would never happen to anyone else again. Only to learn that her brother was murdered, and not long after that, the man who did the bloody deed was at large, performing acts of so-called heroism. Why? To wipe the blood from his hands?! No amount of good he did would ever bring her brother back! She won't let go of her hate until her sword pierces through his heart!

"Why defend him?" Kagura questioned. "I know that you suffered just as much pain as Milliana, Sho, Wally, and my brother! All at the hands of Jellal! What kind of twisted thought process do you have makes you want to defend the man who murdered your friend?!"

Erza looked with sympathy towards Kagura. She had every reason to be angry with Jellal, but it seems there was something she wasn't aware of, and she had the right to know.

"There's something you need to know about how your brother died." Erza began. "Sho, Wally, Milliana, none of them were there when it happened. They didn't see it. It was only myself, Jellal, Natsu, and Simon." That caught Kagura's attention as Erza continued. "I went to confront Jellal back then. And just like you, I intended to kill him. Or rather, I intended to die and take him with me. I had no value over my own life back then, I thought it was unimportant, at least compared to those I cared for. I also felt it was a form of atonement for not stopping Jellal from being corrupted and leaving my friends to suffer longer than I have. Natsu wouldn't let that happen. He tried to stop Jellal in my stead, but Natsu couldn't stop him. Jellal intended to kill him, and I had planned to take the blow for him. I didn't care if I died… all that mattered was that my friend… someone I considered a little brother… could survive…" Erza's voice cracked as she clenched her fists, recalling that memory. "But then Simon stood in the way… throwing himself at Jellal and taking the hit… your brother died in my arms…" Tears were already flowing down her eyes. "If I wasn't so eager to throw my life away… maybe he would still be here…. Jellal may have been the one to pull the trigger… but I was the one who handed him the gun."

Kagura's expression couldn't be fully seen as the shadows of her hair covered her eyes, but her body began to shake as a faint red aura began to seep out from the cracks of her sheathed sword.

"What is this…?!" She said in a low growl. "Are you trying to be his scapegoat…?! How do I know this isn't some lie to get me to let go of my grudge…?!"

"I would never lie this." Erza said as she stared at Kagura with teary-eyes, the kind of eyes that contained nothing but grief and truth. "I am truly sorry."

She took a stance with her sword, her body shaking as she grabbed the handle of her sword, the red glow of Archenemy glowing brighter as the bandages around the handle and sheath came loose.

"W-what is she…?!" Sho stuttered.

"Ah damn… she's not gonna…!" Wally looked in fear.

"Kagura, no!" Arana called out.

"Think about what you're doing!" Beth also called out.

"Don't draw your sword! You could kill her!" Risley shouted.

"Don't do it, Kagura! Please!" Amarilla pleaded.

Kurenai looked in fear. She knew exactly what Erza was doing, but Kagura… is she really willing to draw Archenemy like this?! 'Kagura… Please… don't…'

Kagura's body began to shake even more, as if she was at war with herself. A part of her was screaming at her not to draw her sword, and a part of her was also screaming to give in to her rage and unleash all her hatred on the woman in front of her. She closed her eyes in conflict, tears of rage building up as she tried to desperately think on what she should do.

However, the more conflicted she became, the more the demonic aura of Archenemy was drawn to her. So much so that it caused her to think back to the smiling face of her dear older brother as a child just before their lives were ruined.

'Kagura…'

That was it. Hearing her late brother's voice decided it for her.

Kagura had drawn Archenemy, the bandages and seals tearing away as she screamed in unbridled fury… and all that could be seen was a bright flash of blood red.

Done.

Bet you all didn't see this epic battle coming, did ya?

We had Erza and Nero versus Lucia and Kagura versus Minerva! And let me tell you, I had so much fun writing that!

But that wasn't nearly as fun as Nero using the Masayoshi to rescue Milliana (and by extension, Lector) and wipe that damned smirk of Minerva's face, as well as the ensuing and brutal beatdown of the Devil Trigger Lucia upon the condescending bitch and eliminating her from the tournament. Admit it, visualizing Minerva being so epically demolished was therapeutic to you, wasn't it. ;)

(Oh, I also expanded a bit on the Eighteen Battle Gods Magic, giving them my own original idea for their creation, as well as some additional gods as we only saw two in canon. And I'm sure you noticed I put in Obelisk the Tormentor. LOL. Credit to altajir95 for coming up with the names)

I also revealed two more of Lucia's Devil Arms: Aquila, a water shuriken; and Osiris, a scythe with light powers.

And now for the current score of the Grand Magic Games…

*First Place – Mermaid Heel – 58 points

*Second Place- Fairy Tail – 57 points

*Third Place – Sabertooth – 53 points

*Fourth Place – Blue Pegasus – 30 points (eliminated)

*Fifth Place – Lamia Scale – 27 points

*Sixth Place – Quatro Puppy – 14 points (eliminated)

With Minerva out of the way, our opponents have split up to partake in one-on-one duels with Nero about to face Lucia and Kagura having some business to settle with Erza (though that is the understatement of the year). The next chapter is about to be a real emotional roller coaster, let me tell ya. And I promise to give those two a proper battle that I'm sure you'll all enjoy.

(Note: Sting is currently unaware that Lector has been rescued.)

Speaking of emotional roller coaster, Dante and Natsu's group have met up with Future Lucy and are now aware of the apocalypse where she comes from. We'll get more answers to your questions regarding Future Lucy's condition in the next chapter.

Oh, and I'm sure you've noticed a change in Hisui's side of the story. If you recall in canon, she was told by a 'certain person from the future' that Fiore will be destroyed by an army of ten thousand dragons. Despite this person being from the future, and having told her the outcome of the Grand Magic Games to confirm the validation, it still makes no sense plot wise. Cobra once said it back in the Neo Oracion Seis arc how everyone knows the dragons have been extinct for centuries (courtesy of Acnologia), not to mention there is a literal dragon graveyard right underneath her castle that the royal family has to be aware of. If ten thousand dragons were going to attack the capital, where the hell are they coming from?! Shouldn't the first answer be the Eclipse Gate? A device that can be used to travel to the past, to an era where the dragons roamed the planet? Hisui should have figured it out! So, I decided to change the story she was told to where Fiore is supposedly destroyed by a force of a hundred thousand demons. That is much more believable, especially given the rise in demonic activity the past seven years, with the Underworld being an active threat to Earthland. That's also the reason she had the Wolf Knights free Moloch, hoping that Dante and his friends could kill him as she was told that he was the mastermind behind it all. Now, as for what is happening to Moloch right now? You'll just have to wait and see.

I hope you guys all enjoyed this chapter, and I will see you soon with the next one. Love you guys. Peace out.