Fairy May Cry - Devil's Retribution

by Iron117Prime

After seven years, Dante and the rest of Fairy Tail have returned from Tenrou Island. So much has changed since their absence; a guild called Sabertooth is now at the top spot, the forces of the Underworld are starting to become more active, and what's this new religious movement called the Order of the Sword? Times might have changed, but the insanity of Fairy Tail has not.

11. Fairies, Demons, and Angels

Hi everyone, once again I thank you for your patience. As our heroes continue to search for the Infinity Clock, they find themselves facing more obstacles and new questions, but who is in the right here? Is it the humble Fairy Tail or the 'righteous' Order of the Sword? The questions and answers to come are sure to blow your mind. With all that being said, let's begin.

Fairies, Demons, and Angels

Within the underground city, the group consisting of Dante, Natsu, Lucy, Lisanna, Romeo, Happy, and Michelle found themselves facing opposition in the form of Nero, Dan, and Coco, with the Fairy Tail party immediately reading themselves for a fight.

"Aw man, not this clown!" Lucy exclaimed as she hid behind Michelle at the sight of Dan.

"How'd you guys even find this place?" Natsu questioned.

"Thanks to the 'Key of the Starry Heavens'." Dan replied as he wielded his spear and shield. "Samuel told us the whole story from memory. He even calculated that you'd be here first, so all we had to do was follow you while you figured out the puzzles for us."

"Now all we have to do is find the clock piece before you losers do." Coco stated.

"Damn it." Dante muttered. "Of course, they'd pull that kind of shit."

"Hey that's not fair!" Happy accused. "We actually had to figure this stuff out! You guys cheated!"

"Cheated? This isn't a game, furball." Nero replied. "It's real life."

Dan then took notice of a certain blonde hiding behind Michelle. "Ah ha! Could that really be my lovely Lulu Pumpkin over there?!"

"Don't you ever call me that again!" Lucy shouted toward him as Lisanna quickly stepped in front.

"Back off, creep! You wanna get to her, you go through me!" Lisanna challenged.

"Thanks, Lisanna." Lucy muttered in partial relief, while Dan looked toward the white-haired girl with wide eyes before quickly zooming over directly to Lisanna, much to her shock, as well as her friends'.

"Oh my, such beauty!" Dan began with an awe-struck expression. "Lisanna. Even your name is beautiful! I swear I am looking upon a goddess!"

"Oh boy…" Coco sighed while Nero simply groaned and smacked his forehead.

"L-O-V-E! Spells Love!" Dan sang as he got closer to Lisanna, only to have a fiery-fist deck him across the face.

"WOULD YOU SHUT UP!?" Natsu shouted as he sent Dan flying and crashing into a set of ruins with a single punch.

"Thanks, Natsu." Lisanna said in relief.

"Okay, now that's all over." Dante quickly drew Ebony and Ivory. "You guys find the Clock Piece, Natsu and I can handle these clowns." He ordered as he already opened fire toward Nero and Coco, forcing them to split as Coco used her speed to easily outrun the bullets while Dante focused on Nero, who quickly drew Blue Rose and fired his own gun to intercept Dante's bullets with his own.

"Alright, just be careful guys!" Happy called to them as he flew alongside the retreating Romeo, Lucy, Lisanna, and Michelle.

"Good luck!" Michelle also called out.

"Get back here!" Coco attempted to run after them but forced herself to stop as a wall of fire blocked her path right before Natsu dropped down in front of her.

"You ain't going anywhere, kid!" Natsu told her. "What in the hell are you Order creeps after anyway? And what's with the whole demon-ghost armor thing?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, now get out of the way!" Coco used her speed to run toward Natsu before veering to run on the wall around him and give chase toward the group.

"I ain't done talking to you!" Natsu shouted as he was about to chase her, only for a series of green energy bolts to shoot out from the wall, forcing Natsu to brace himself by crossing his arms as the energy grazed his sides, causing him to skid back as he faced Dan.

"Now that was a sucker punch." Dan commented, referring to Natsu's previous attack. "You should learn not to get in the way of my love!"

"And you should learn not to be a giant pain in the ass!" Natsu exclaimed back. "Fire Dragon Roar!" Unfortunately, Natsu's breath attack was not only blocked by Dan's shield Ricochet, but also reflected back at him, sending Natsu crashing through several walls before coming to a halt on his hands and knees.

"Did you forget? My Ricochet can reflect magical of physical attack and send it right back at ya." Dan said. "That Dante friend of yours might put up a fight, but I doubt you can match his skill."

Natsu scowled as he pushed himself back up. 'Damn it. Forgot about that shield of his. This is gonna be a pain in the ass.'

At the same time, Dante and Nero ran parallel to each other, shooting their respective guns at one another, however all the bullets were intercepted in the middle as not a single one made contact with the enemy gunmen. Getting sick of this, Nero leapt toward the top of a ruined wall before pulling out Red Queen and lashing out at Dante, who crossed Ebony and Ivory together to block the sword before letting himself fall back to kick Nero off him and send him flying in the air, but Nero recovered quickly enough to land on the ground. However, right as he landed, he found himself on the defensive end as Dante sped directly toward him with Rebellion, forcing Nero to block it with his own sword.

"I thought you wanted to talk things out." Dante told him, referring to their first meeting. "So… why the change of pace?"

"Beat me, and maybe I'll talk!" Nero stated as he reeved up Red Queen and put more force in the swing, knocking Dante back slightly toward a cavern wall. Nero shot towards him and slashed his sword at him, but Dante jumped to a higher perch on the cavern to avoid the slash.

'What's going on with this kid? First, he wants to talk, now he wants to fight?' Dante silently wondered as to whether or not Nero was being forced to fight, but one look in the young man's eyes said that was not the case as Nero jumped up to be on equal height with Dante before pulling out Blue Rose to shoot at him, while Dante leapt back and swung Rebellion to intercept all the bullets.

A knowing smirk fell on Dante's face as he seemed to get what Nero was doing. 'Ah, so that's it. Well then, guess I can humor him a bit.' He dashed toward his opponent, blocking more of the gun shots before swinging Rebellion down toward him, which Nero blocked and parried with Red Queen.

At the same time, as the rest of the Fairy Tail team ran deeper into the ruins, Romeo looked behind them to see Coco was already catching up to them. "Guys, we got company!" He quickly threw a purple fireball toward Coco, but she easily leapt to avoid it and run on the wall, getting closer to them.

"Too slow!" Coco mocked. "What's wrong? Not much of a threat without your little girlfriend?"

"Take Over: Animal Soul! She-Cat!" Lisanna had transformed into her She-Cat take over and lashed her claws out towards Coco, who quickly backflipped to avoid them as she landed on the ground to face Lisanna.

"Get out of my way!" She ran to try and either go around or bulldoze her way through Lisanna, but Lisanna charged at her in response and slashed toward her with her claws, forcing Coco to skid back as Lisanna lashed out with a kick, which Coco intercepted and blocked with a kick of her own.

"Lisanna!" Happy called to her, wanting to help.

"You guys, go!" Lisanna told her friends. "I can handle her!"

"What makes you think I'm the only one here?" Coco smirked.

Right as she said that; Lucy, Michelle, Romeo, and Happy came to a sudden stop as they glanced up to see two Bianco Angelos and one Alto Angelo slowing descending toward the ground before stopping right in front of them.

"Oh no, not those horrible Angelos again!" Michelle cried.

"As if things weren't hard enough." Lucy muttered before getting serious as she drew one of her keys. "Open! Gate of the Archer! Sagittarius!" In a flash of light, Lucy had summoned her archer spirit to the battlefield.

"At your service, miss Lucy. What do you have need of me?" Sagittarius questioned.

"See those guys in the white armor? Help us out with them." Lucy ordered as she took out both her Fleuve d'etoiles and Morning Star whips.

"As you wish, my lady." Sagittarius had strung a series of arrows.

"I'm really getting sick of these Order guys, let's show them what happens when you mess with Fairy Tail, right Happy?" Romeo said, ready for battle as he generated two purple fireballs in his hands.

"Aye sir!" Happy exclaimed.

As everyone else around her either continued their fight, or started fighting, Michelle looked with worry. 'Oh, I hope everyone else is doing okay.'

---

Meanwhile, the team consisting of Gajeel, Modeus, Levy, Lily, Jet, and Droy climbed the side of a mountain to get to their destination. Well, technically everyone else climbed while Lily simply hovered around them with his Aera magic, and while it seemed like Gajeel and Modeus had little issue climbing, Levy and the others were having a more difficult time.

"We're almost near the top, how are the rest of you doing?" Modeus asked, glancing down toward his comrades.

"Hanging in there…" Jet groaned. "If we were traveling on flat ground, I could get there in no time. But all this climbing is a huge pain in the butt."

"Are you sure there's not an easier way to get where we're going?" Levy asked.

"Hate to break it to ya, but according to the map we're following, this is the only way." Gajeel pointed out.

"Hey Lily, why don't you do your teammates a favor and fly us to the top of this stupid thing!" Droy said to their Exceed companion. "In fact, Modeus can fly to, so why is he climbing?!"

"If were to simply fly you up there, we also run the risk of missing any important clues we might find along the way." Panther-Lily explained. "We simply can't afford to take the easy way out."

Gajeel groaned in annoyance as he glanced down to everyone else. "Either stop with all your whinnying or get left behind!"

Levy's eyelids lowered. "As soon as we're up there, I'm gonna kill him."

---

Meanwhile, the team consisting of Erza, Lady, Cana, Wendy, Carla, Patty, and Millianna took a brief moment to rest as they were in a forest.

"Patty, are you okay?" Wendy asked as the only person in the group without magic seemed to be the most exhausted out of all of them as she laid on the ground to catch her breath.

"Never walked so much before in my life…" Patty said in between breaths. "Why couldn't we take a train or something…"

"Because there aren't any trains or anything that'll take us to where we need to go." Cana pointed out.

"Even so, this trek of ours has been rather exhausting." Carla said.

"We can't be that much farther." Millianna said. "We've gotta be close by now."

"Based on the map, I'd say we're about two miles away from our destination." Erza said, taking a look at said map. "If we continue eastward, we should be there soon."

"So where are we supposed to be going anyway?" Lady asked.

"Based on what Lucy was able to decipher from the 'Key of the Starry Heavens', the clock piece we're looking for is in some sort of library." Erza answered. "But there isn't too much information about where exactly the clock piece is hidden in said library, or about the library itself."

"Then we better get going." Carla said. "We need to get there before the Order of the Sword does first."

"Yeah, good point." Wendy agreed as everyone stood up.

Lady helped the exhausted Patty on her back. "Just get some rest kiddo. I'll carry you the rest of the way."

"Thank you…" Patty said, still a bit out of breath.

"So, what exactly are we expecting if we do meet these Order guys?" Millianna asked as the group continued on their way.

"We're not sure." Cana replied. "Whenever we think we got those guys pegged for something, they pull something else out of the hat."

"First we learn they not only claim to worship Sparda and have their own military force, then we learn they've been collecting Devil Arms and have been using demonic energy to power empty suits of armor like expendable foot soldiers." Carla said.

"The fact that we still know so little is exactly why we can't be too careful." Erza told the group. "Everyone, keep your guard up. We have no idea what to expect."

---

Meanwhile, back in the underground city, the entire tomb rocked as Dante and Natsu continued to duke it out with Nero and Dan respectively; leaving Lisanna to deal with Coco while also covering her friends, who were busy dealing with the Angelo soldiers in front of them.

Happy flew Romeo through the air as a Bianco Angelo gave chase before lunging its lance them, but Happy pulled Romeo out of the way as the weapon just barley grazed him.

"Yikes! That thing would have skewered us!" Happy shouted as Romeo threw a volley of ice-blue fireballs at the Bianco Angelo, who quickly brought up its wing-shield to protect itself. But, as soon as the attack made contact, the shield, and by extension the wings, were frozen solid, sending the Bianco Angelo falling toward the ground.

"Have a nice fall, jerk!" Romeo called to the empty suit of armor as it crashed on the ground.

"Nice one, Romeo!" Happy congratulated.

"Don't get cocky!" They heard Coco's voice as she ran up the wall to try and leap towards them, only for Lisanna to fly in her Harpy Form and lash out her talons to intercept her.

"You should stay focused on the opponent in front of you!" Lisanna told her, causing Coco to scowl as she delivered an airborne kick toward Lisanna, but she was able to stabilize herself in the air as Coco landed on the ground to face her again.

"Stand down fowl fiend! I shall not allow you to harm Lady Lucy!" Sagittarius declared as he shot a volley of arrows toward the Alto Angelo, which quickly used its shield to block the arrows before thrusting at him to slash its sword, but Sagittarius quickly brought his bow to block the blade as he glared at the armored entity. "What manner of demon are you?"

Lucy flailed her Morning Star whip toward the only remaining Bianco Angelo, but it blocked her attack with hits wing-shield before lunging at her with its lance, only for Lucy to roll out of the way and use her Fleuve d'etoiles whip on its legs where she pulled and tripped it up.

"Gotcha!" Lucy smirked, only to be caught off guard as the previous Bianco Angelo that Romeo had immobilized emerged from behind, having broken out of its ice restraints to lunge its lance at Lucy. But before the weapon made contact, Michelle had jumped down to wrap her arms around its neck, causing the spear to miss its target. "Michelle!" Lucy exclaimed as she saw her distant relative struggling to hold on.

"Lucy! Run! I'll try and hold it!" Michelle exclaimed. However, the Bianco Angelo flew backwards to ram her into a wall and knock her off. "Ow…" She groaned only to look in terror as the same Bianco Angelo loomed over her and threatened to run its lance through her, only for Lucy to flail and ensnare her Fleuve d'etoiles around its neck and pull it back.

"Get away from her!" Lucy challenged the Bianco Angelo as it turned around to face her, just as the previous one did, literally catching her in-between two enemies.

"Oh no, Lucy's in trouble!" Happy exclaimed as he continued to hold Romeo and hover in the air. Romeo however quickly noticed an old pillar that was rather close to the edge of a drop that led to where Lucy and Michelle were, along with the two Bianco Angelos.

"I got an idea." Romeo used his purple flame as a whip to latch onto the pillar. "Pull us back Happy!"

"Aye sir!" The blue Exceed did as he was told, seeing where Romeo was going. As Happy pulled Romeo back, this ended up pulling the pillar down toward the ground. "Lucy! Get out of the way!" Happy called to her.

Lucy saw the pillar about to fall down and quickly ran to grab Michelle and pull her out of the way just in time as the pillar crashed onto the ground, crushing the two Bianco Angelos underneath. This also caused the entire area to shake as a large section of the ground began to collapse. The Alto Angelo that had engaged Sagittarius pulled back, while Sagittarius attempted to get back to Lucy's side. However, while Lisanna was able to pull herself up in her Harpy Take Over, Coco found herself falling into the pit that had just formed, much to Lisanna's surprise, and even Lucy fell in after tossing Michelle out of the way.

"Lucy!" Michelle exclaimed.

"I'm okay!" Lucy said as she had not only got a good hold just above the ledge, but even found some good footing. Even Coco was in a similar scenario right next to her.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make the whole thing collapse!" Romeo said as Happy set him down along with Lisanna.

"No, it's okay." Lucy told him with an impressed smile. "Actually, that was a really good idea." This caused Romeo to smile and blush slightly.

"My lady, take my hand." Sagittarius offered his hand to help her up, but right before Lucy could take it, she glanced toward Coco, who was unable to pull herself out as she had no footing below her.

"Hang on." Lucy reached out with her right hand toward Coco. "Grab my hand, we'll pull you out."

Coco was surprised at first, but it quickly turned into a glare. "I can't accept an enemy's mercy!"

"Would you quit being so darn stubborn!?" Lucy questioned as she reached out to grab Coco by the wrist. However, before she could even reach to grab Sagittarius' hand, the footing underneath her collapsed, causing Lucy and Coco to both fall into the pit even deeper.

"Oh no, Lucy! Are you okay?!" Michelle called down to her as she and Coco hit solid ground.

"I'll live!" Lucy called back.

"Hang on, I can fly down and get you up!" Lisanna told her.

"No, don't worry about me!" Lucy called to them. "You guys just hurry up and find that clock piece! We'll meet up eventually, I'm sure!"

"Alright, just be careful down there!" Romeo called back.

"Miss Lucy, I'm going to return to the Spirit World!" Sagittarius called down to her. "You do not yet have the ability to summon two spirits at once! Should you run into another enemy, you can summon me again or one of my comrades to assist you!"

"Yeah, okay!" Lucy accepted. A second later, she felt Sagittarius' key glow, indicating he had returned to the Celestial Spirit World, enabling her to summon him again or another spirit if she needed to.

---

"Oh, I'm worried about her." Michelle said as she, Lisanna, Romeo, and Happy looked down into the pit, unable to see Lucy anymore. "I mean she's stuck down there with that horrible little girl."

"Lucy can handle herself, don't worry." Lisanna assured.

"Lisanna's right." Happy agreed. "And we still have to find that clock piece."

"Not to mention one of those Angelo things is still lurking around here somewhere." Romeo pointed out. "I only remember taking down two of them."

"Then we better get moving." Lisanna said.

---

Coco rubbed her sore rear which took most of the impact but looked to see Lucy offering her hand up. "Hey, are you hurt?" Lucy asked, only for Coco to slap the hand away.

"You get away from me!" She exclaimed. "In case you didn't notice, your so-called help is how we got stuck down here in the first place!"

"You better watch your mouth little girl, unless you wanna end up some place a whole lot worse!" Lucy exclaimed in comic anger.

"I can't think of any place worse than being trapped down here with you!" Coco exclaimed back in the same tone.

"What is with the attitude?!" Lucy questioned. "You know, I met someone who looks and sounds a lot like you, except she wasn't such a brat!"

"Wow, what a great story." Coco replied with obvious sarcasm. "Obviously it wasn't me, so get over it." She said as she walked away. Lucy was tempted to strangle her but restrained herself as she caught up to try and find a way out of their predicament, which appeared to be a tomb filled to the brim with skulls.

"So, what exactly is the Order of the Sword trying to do, anyway?" Lucy asked. "Why are you trying to collect all the clock pieces? What is with this holy war and chaos stuff?"

"Well, I got a question for you!" Coco replied, sounding incredibly irritated. "If you don't know what we're trying to do, then why are you and your friends trying to stop us!?"

"Hey in case you forgot, you brought us into this mess!" Lucy told her. "You attacked our guild, stole my father's memento, and even tried to kill some of my friends!"

"We're not trying to kill anybody!" Coco exclaimed. "Why are you trying to make us look like the bad guys?!"

"Maybe because you're using demonic energy to power suits of armor, for one!" Lucy told her.

"What are you talking about?" Coco questioned.

"Those Angelo things that you were with, they're empty suits of armor being possessed by demonic power." Lucy told her. "How can you not know that?! Don't you think it's weird how they don't talk or anything! They're basically soulless machines!"

"You expect me to believe that crap?" Coco didn't seem to buy it. "They're soldiers from the Order. Maybe they don't talk because it's not part of their mission."

"So, you've never seen them outside their armor?" Lucy questioned. "You don't ask them questions, or at least try to make small talk on the way here?"

"I don't have to explain myself to some crappy wizard!" Coco said as she turned around and walked away, causing Lucy to look in concern.

'She really doesn't know? But isn't she on the same side as them?' Her eyes narrowed slightly as an unsettling thought came to her. 'Or maybe someone in the Order is working behind everyone else's backs, like some kind of crazy conspiracy.' She quickened her pace to try and catch up with Coco, however she happened to step on piece of the ground that caved, triggering a trap in the form of large spikes that shot out of the ground.

"Look out!" Coco tackled Lucy out of the way to avoid a fatal impalement.

"Thanks… I didn't expect…" While Lucy was grateful, she didn't expect Coco to actually try and save her.

"Like I said, I'm not looking to kill anybody." Coco said, pushing herself up and trying to give an air of indifference. "But don't get the wrong idea, I'm not gonna become BFFs with you or anything like that, so don't read into it."

'Well isn't she a ray of sunshine.' Lucy thought as she pulled herself up and continued to follow Coco. It wasn't long before they made their way out of the tomb and began to ascend a flight of stone steps that led to a higher area of the underground city.

"Are you seriously this unfriendly all the time?" Lucy asked, but Coco didn't give a response. "It's weird, because you're so much like the other Coco I know, except she's a million times nicer."

"That so? Well then how am I like this other girl?" Coco questioned as they came to the top of the stairs.

"Besides your personality, you two are practically identical. You could even be twins." Lucy pointed out.

"What?" Coco was more than a little shocked at that.

"Like I was saying earlier, she looks and sounds exactly like you." Lucy explained. "We actually started out as enemies too. But then she realized the people she was working with were causing more harm than good, so she ended up switching sides to help us."

Coco narrowed her eyes. "Are you trying to get me to betray the Order?! Well forget it! I'll never turn my back on them!"

"I'm not trying to turn you against your friends or anything, I'm just looking for answers." Lucy told her. "Even if you don't believe me what's going on with the Angelos, you have to at least know what's going on with the clock pieces. My friends and I figured out they could be pieces to some kind of doomsday weapon so we're trying to keep it out of the wrong hands. Ya know, the 'inevitable chaos' thing?"

"Do you guys really think we want to destroy the world?" Coco questioned.

"We don't know what you want." Lucy said. "But maybe we could have figured it out if we did what your friend Nero suggested before and just talked it all over. That piece of the clock you guys took from us when we first met was something my father gave me on his deathbed, so I don't appreciate what you did."

Coco stopped for a minute as a wince of regret formed on her face. "Look, I'm sorry about your dad, really I am. I don't know how he was able to get one of the clock pieces, but we think it's safer if locked up in a vault or something."

"Ya know, you could have just told us that from the beginning." Lucy said. "If we want the same thing, wouldn't it have been easier if we worked together instead of fighting each other? A couple members of our guild are demons, and they got plenty of experience with that sort of stuff."

"You actually have demons in your guild?" Coco questioned.

"Just because someone's a demon, doesn't automatically make them bad." Lucy said. "I mean, you guys worship Sparda and he was a demon."

"True." Coco replied.

"Speaking of which, what's exactly going on with Nero?" Lucy asked. "Who exactly is he?"

"What business is it of yours?" Coco questioned.

"Well, from the looks of it, he's part-demon too." Lucy replied. "Kinda hard to ignore that arm of his. I just want to know if he's descended from a certain demon, I know or something like that."

"That's his business, not yours." Coco told her. Though she honestly didn't know what was going on with his arm and would like to know, she had known Nero for most of her life. He was like an older brother to her, she trusted him, and she would not say anything without his consent.

Lucy gave a sigh as this was probably expected, she might have better luck if she and Dante talked to Nero personally, but first-things-first. "Alright, changing the subject, how long has the Order been around? And this isn't me interrogating you or anything, I'm just wondering. Everyone thinks you guys are new, but we've heard some archeologists that Sparda actually founded the Order several centuries ago."

"It's true." Coco confirmed, causing Lucy to look in surprise. "Sparda did found the Order a long time ago, but it was disbanded. But we ended up reforming more than a few decades ago."

"Why was it disbanded in the first place?" Lucy asked. "And if you guys have been around for decades, why wait till now till come out in public?"

"Honestly, no idea." Coco said. "I never asked."

Lucy sighed yet again. "Great, more mysteries. Ya know, as much as I respect and admire Sparda, I just wish he'd give a straight answer, like what's going on with these clock pieces. I love puzzles as much as the next girl, but this is a bit much. I can't help but thinking there might have been an easier way to go about it."

"That might be the one thing we agree on." Coco chuckled, which Lucy chuckled as well. However, Coco realized what she was doing and tried to turn away with a scowl and hide her blush, but Lucy could see right through her.

However, this peaceful moment was brought to a sudden end as the wall next to them suddenly exploded outward, causing both Lucy and Coco to fall backwards onto the ground. They both looked in surprise to see the Alto Angelo from before looming over them, Lucy specifically, raising its sword to strike her down. Lucy reached for her Morning Star Whip, but Coco quickly stepped in between them.

"Hey wait!" Coco stopped the Alto Angelo from talking. "Look, I know we got our orders, but we don't have to go so far! Let's just take her prisoner, she might have information we can use!"

"Coco get out of the way!" Lucy warned. "That thing is not going to listen to you!"

"He's not a thing!" Coco turned back to Lucy. "It's a soldier of the Order, I'm sure we can…!"

*SLASH!*

The Alto Angelo slashed at Coco, sending her crashing toward the ground. She looked in clear shock as her right side was already bleeding, her eyes filled with emotional hurt and fear as the Alto Angelo loomed over to finish her off.

"Why…?'

However, right before it could deliver the blow, it was struck in the back the Morning Star whip, from Lucy who glared at it. "Hey! Pick on somebody your own size!"

The Alto Angelo turned around to zoom at her, while Lucy charged in response. Just as it swung its sword toward her, Lucy ducked and rolled, while also swinging the Morning Star toward her side. The chained whip sliced through the Alto Angelo's neck area to decapitate it just as Lucy rolled back to her feet. The severed helmet rolled along the ground closer to Coco before it stopped and revealed the inside was empty.

"What…?!" Coco couldn't believe it, even as she looked toward the fallen armor to see flowing red energy inside as it gave a moaning-like call before vanishing along with the armor.

"Now do you believe me?" Lucy said, though she was also surprised at what just happened as well. The Bianco Angelos were empty, but this had something inside it. Was it living demonic energy? Or something else? But right now, she had to focus on helping Coco, who appeared to have fallen unconscious. She either fainted or got hit in the head when she was knocked down.

"Hey, are you okay?" Lucy was already at her side, trying to address the bleeding wound.

"Lucy!" She heard Lisanna call her name as she, Romeo, Happy, and Michelle emerged from the hole the Alto Angelo previously made. "Are you okay?! We heard a fight nearby!"

"I'm alright." Lucy confirmed. "It was the last Angelo thing, but Coco got hurt real bad."

"Oh no." Michelle gasped at the sight of the blood.

"I don't think it's serious." Romeo got a good look at the wound. "But we should probably patch it up so it doesn't get infected."

"But isn't she one of the bad guys?" Happy asked.

"She's a little girl!" Lucy replied. "She doesn't even know what's going on. In fact, that Angelo purposely attacked her! I'm not just gonna leave her bleeding, even if it isn't serious!" Suddenly, she heard the sound of cloth being ripped as she looked in surprise to see Michelle ripping the hem off her own dress. "Michelle?"

"I don't have any bandages on me, but maybe we can use this." Michelle offered the torn hem to them, which Lucy took with a slight smile as she tied it around Coco's waist as a makeshift bandage.

"Come on, we should get going." Lisanna told her. "I'm sure she'll be fine."

"Yeah, okay." Lucy nodded as she stood up and followed everyone else.

---

It was a couple of minutes before Coco woke up with a slight gasp. She looked around to find there wasn't any one around her, but she quickly noticed the cloth that was wrapped around her waist, covering her wound. Did Lucy do this? Did she really go out of her way to help her? This left her more than a little confused, but not completely ungrateful. Maybe she misjudged her.

---

Meanwhile, Gajeel, Modeus, and Panther-Lily had made it to the top of the mountain, taking the moment to wait for their comrades while also looking at the map provided for them.

"According to the information Lucy gave us, we should be sitting on top of one of the clock pieces right now." Gajeel said.

Panther-Lily looked around but found no sign of the clock piece on the summit. "Hmm. If that's the case, how come none of us have seen it yet?"

"We did not find any sings or clues on the way up here, so there must be something here." Modeus deduced.

As the trio continued to contemplate, Levy, Jet, and Droy had finally made it to the top; and to say they were exhausted would be an understatement. "I was afraid we'd never get up that cliff." Levy tied to catch her breath.

"Here, this should help." Modeus offered her a bottled water.

"Thanks, you're a lifesaver!" Levy wasted no time in gulping it down as Modeus offered more water to the rest of Shadowgear.

"The air is so thing up here…" Jet said, trying to catch his breath as well.

"Not to mention super cold." Droy shivered as he held his arms close to his body.

"You cream puffs had better get over it." Gajeel chastised as he stood up with little issue. "Now come on, move your asses."

"Gajeel, give them a moment." Modeus told them. "They're not as physically strong as we are, so they need a little rest."

"Yeah… what Modeus said… just let us catch our breath for a minute…." Levy said as she sat down and continued to drink her water.

"I don't even think I can move right now." Jet complained.

"I gotta eat something." Droy also complained.

"Oh no!" Panther-Lily suddenly exclaimed as he looked at the map. "I think we've climbed the wrong mountain!" This caused Levy, Jet, and Droy to comically gasp in shock. "The clock piece is on that mountain over there! Looks like we've got more climbing to do!" He gestured to an even taller mountain that was at least triple its size, complete with lightning around it for dramatic effects.

"SAYWHAT?!" All three of them screamed as they turned white; Levy's jaw dropping with Jet and Droy clinging to each other.

Lily chuckled. "I'm just kidding but those looks are priceless." However, his joke was not shared by Shadowgear as all three of them fainted with ghosts coming out of their mouths. "Hmm, I was trying to lighten the mood with a little humor, but I guess it backfired."

Modeus kneeled and felt his hand along the ground. "If we can't find anything up here on the surface, and there was nothing on the mountain's side, I'm willing to wager the clock piece is likely buried in the mountain."

"Alright, should be easy enough to get." Gajeel grinned as he coated his fists with iron and began to pound into the ground and dig his way inside.

---

At the same time, Erza's team had made it their destination, which appeared to be a massive tower that shot straight up, it was so high up that it was almost impossible to see the top.

"Wow…! What is this place…? It's so big…!" Patty said in awe as she looked straight up.

"It's the library of sorcery." Carla explained. "It holds countless texts on nearly every type of magic that's ever been practiced. I wouldn't be surprised if they even had information on the demonic arts."

"Info on every type of magic?" Lady questioned as she got a good look at the building. "This thing is freaking huge! How many types of magic are there?!"

"Meow. It doesn't look anybody's been here in a long time." Millianna pointed out, seeing how vines have grown over the door due to its lack of use.

"That's a real tragedy." Carla said. "All that knowledge just waiting to be learned."

"Wow are we supposed to get inside?" Cana asked. "I don't see a doorknob or anything."

Erza extended her hand and projected some magic power to the door, which caused it to slide open and reveal the inside to the group. "Shall we?" She gestured for her friends to enter the building, which they did and looked in awe and amazement at what they saw.

The library stretched directly upward like how the tower looked from the outside. Bookshelves lined all around the walls with a series of bridges to connect the several different floors together. There were so many books and texts that it was practically innumerable.

"You're telling me all these books are about magic?" Cana questioned.

"I can't imagine… it's amazing!" Patty, Wendy, and Carla looked the most in amazement.

"What a wonderful sight to behold!" Carla agreed.

"Yeah, we should come back here sometime and bring Levy!" Wendy also said.

"Meow. I'm getting a headache just thinking about reading all of this." Millianna felt comically dizzy.

"Hey, focus." Lady told the quartet. "We're not reading any of this and we have a job to do."

"Lady is correct, let's start looking." Erza agreed as the team began to spread out and search the lower floors of the library before slowly making their way up.

After almost half an hour, the group had made it to the twentieth floor of the library, but it didn't even look like they were even near the half-way point to the top and had still come up empty.

"Anything?" Erza asked.

"No, nothing." Cana shook her head.

"Sorry Erza." Millianna apologized as well.

"I don't even know what we're supposed to be looking for." Lady said.

"Isn't it the piece of a clock?" Patty asked.

"Yeah, but we don't even know what the thing looks like." Lady replied.

"I have a feeling that we'll know once we see it." Carla said.

Wendy however was able to pick up an odd scent, causing her to gasp slightly. "Guys, someone else is here."

She turned toward the bridge that was directly across from them and led to the floor on the other side across the gap. Walking toward them from the other side was none other than Credo, who bore a serious expression on his face.

"Who is that?" Millianna asked.

"He's with the Order, I think he's the leader of their troops." Lady stated with a glare.

"Credo." Erza identified.

"So, the Order is here after all, huh?" Cana looked ready for a fight.

"What do we do?" Patty asked, looking a little nervous.

"Everyone, stay here. I'll handle this." Erza stated seriously as she walked onto the bridge and toward the approaching Credo. As she did though, Carla noticed an odd expression on Wendy's face.

"Wendy? What's the matter?"

'What's going on?' Wendy thought to herself. 'His scent… it's… I've never smelt anything like it.'

Erza soon met Credo at the very center of the bridge. "I take it you are here for the clock piece as well." Erza said to him, but he didn't give a response, only a glare. "Tell me, what is it the Order seeks from these relics? What is your objective?"

"You are not in a position to demand answers." Credo stated as he quickly drew his sword and swung it toward Erza, who quickly pulled her own sword to block and parry, while being stuck on the defensive from Credo's sudden and relentless attacks.

However, a series of Steel Magic bullets forced Credo to use his blade to block them, but the force sent him back slightly. He looked to see Lady, Millianna, and Cana already at Erza's side, glaring at him along with a hovering Carla. Wendy and Patty hung more in the back, but Credo seemed more focused on Lady as he recognized the type of magic she used.

"You possess the power of a demon." He told her.

"So, what if I do? It's none of your damn business." Lady told him.

"Please, we don't have to fight." Wendy tried to reason with him. "We can still talk this over. We don't want to hurt you if we don't have to."

Rather than be intimidated or insulted by that remark, Credo actually gave a small chuckle. "You really have no idea what you're dealing with, do you?"

Suddenly, his body began to emanate golden energy before a flash engulfed his whole body. When the light subsided; neither Wendy, Lady, Carla, Patty, Millianna, nor Cana could believe what they saw, even Erza's eyes widened in absolute shock.

"What the hell…?" Cana muttered.

What stood before them was no longer the same Credo. Gone was his human appearance and replaced with something as a mix of majestic and demonic. Most of his body appeared covered in white furred feathers, save for his black legs and golden talons, as well as a black scaled chest in the center. He also had a dark tail sticking out from his back. His left arm appeared to be merged with a hardened dark-colored wing that also seemed to take the form of a shield. In his right arm, he held a long golden sword, completely different from the Durandal he previously wielded, with a large white wing on his right side, and brilliant golden feathers at the ends. His face appeared to be solid black, and rock hard, almost like obsidian, with glowing red eyes. He also had white fur at the top of his head, complete with long white horns, and even an incomplete halo sticking out as well.

"I have been chosen, to take the next step in evolution! To become something far more than just human. I am an angel!"

"An angel?!" Millianna exclaimed in shock, while the speechless Carla instinctively recalled the Exceeds and how they used to view themselves as angels back in Extalia.

"Did he just say an angel!?" Patty also shouted.

"No…" Wendy shook in place. "His scent… I don't know what an angel smells like but… he smells more like a…"

"A demon." Lady's eyes narrowed.

"And he's not the only one." Cana glanced downward over the bridge, causing most of the group to look in further surprise to see four Bianco Angelos and a single Alto Angelo rise from below and surround the group.

Erza adopted a serious expression as she glared at the transformed Angelo Credo. "What have you done?!"

"As the Supreme General of the Holy Knights, I am placing all of you under arrest." Angelo Credo declared as the group readied themselves for battle. "It is the wish of his Holiness!" He declared as he pointed his blade toward them.

"Cana, take Patty and locate that clock piece!" Erza ordered. "Lady, Millianna, Wendy, Carla, deal with these possessed armors. Credo is mine."

"Are you sure, Erza?" Millianna asked with concern, only to see Erza transform into her Black Wing armor and shoot straight up, with Angelo Credo flying in pursuit.

"She seems sure to me." Lady pointed out as she fired her pistols at the Angelos around them, with Cana throwing her magic cards as well, forcing the Angelos to separate. "Cana, you take the brat and find the clock piece! We can handle this!"

"Alright." Cana nodded as she picked up Patty and carried her over her shoulder. "Come on kid, let's go!" She ran with the girl even as a few Bianco Angelos tried to give pursuit.

"Sky Dragon Roar!" Wendy's breath attack sent those Bianco Angelos crashing into the wall and several bookshelves, while she and her Exceed companion stood along with Lady and Millianna against the other Bianco Angelos and the lead Alto Angelo. "Are you guys ready?" Wendy questioned with a serious expression.

"Whenever you are, kiddo." Lady smirked.

"Indeed." Carla nodded.

"Let's get this thing started!" Millianna declared as the Angelos charged directly at them.

The sounds of explosions were heard from high above, even as Cana had leapt down to a lower level, still making sure not to jostle or drop Patty before setting her down once they appeared to have made enough distance.

"Patty, are you okay?"

"Yeah… I think so…" Patty tried to shake off the dizzy swirls in her eyes. "But… what in the world is going on?! Is that guy really an angel?!"

"No idea." Cana shook her head. "Looked more like a pretty demon than anything else."

Patty could not hide the concerned expression on her face. "I hope Wendy and the others will be okay."

"Hey." Cana put a hand on the young girl's head and gave an assuring smile. "They can handle themselves, don't worry." A guilty smile however formed on her face. "But I should be apologizing. We should not have brought you with us, Patty. You're not a wizard, this whole thing is way too dangerous."

"But… I can help!" Patty exclaimed. "Just because I can't use magic doesn't mean I'm useless! I know I can help you guys! Fairy Tail has been so kind to me, you guys took me in, a little orphan girl you barley even know, and made me feel like I finally belong somewhere! I want to help in any way I can! Find a way to repay your kindness, and I know I can help you find this clock piece, so don't you dare apologize to me!"

Cana was a bit surprised at first, before her expression turned into an impressed smirk. "Spoken like a true member of Fairy Tail. Alright, let's find this damn thing." She and Patty turned toward a collection of old texts and tomes. "'Upon the knowledge of aged old sorcery, time does rest'. Looks like we found the spot Lucy told us about, it matches the clue. And I think this might be where we should start looking."

"Are you sure? One of these old books has the clock piece?" Patty asked.

"The Library of Sorcery is the only place you can find books of old magic and techniques like these." Cana explained. "Printing technology didn't exist when most of these were transcribed, which means there are a lot of hand-written manuscripts, and all the books in this section are about ancient magic, so it seems like the best place to start."

"We narrowed down our search, but it's still a lot to go through." Patty observed, before the sounds of muffled explosions and shockwaves echoed throughout the entire library.

"Come on, time's not on our side here. We gotta start looking." Cana said as they began their search.

---

Natsu roared as he brought his flaming fists toward Dan, who leapt back to avoid the crushing blow before touching his lance, Habaraki, toward a nearby statue of Sparda behind him, causing it to increase in size and mass by at least ten times.

"I can't believe you fell for that!" Dan stated as he tipped the statue over, hopping to crush Natsu underneath it. The statue did crash on the ground, rocking nearly the entire underground city, but Natsu had actually blasted his way through the statue, his whole body coated in flames as he soared above Dan.

"Is that all you got!?" Natsu challenged.

"Excellent!" Dan smirked. "Now this is the kind of fight I've been missing!" He lunged Habaraki forward to shoot a volley of green energy bolts around Natsu, causing many of the ruins around him to grow in size, hopping to trap him in between several. However, Natsu was quick enough to leap from one of the growing pillars and around each of the obstacles, even punching his way through a few before appearing above Dan.

"Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu didn't aim his breath attack at Dan, but rather at a pillar that was on an edge above him, causing it to tip over and fall toward Dan, who was forced to block it with Ricochet, knowing this would leave him open.

"Now I can't believe I fell for that!" Dan scolded himself.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" Natsu dealt his signature attack into Dan's armored gut, now that it was exposed, sending him reeling up, but he quickly recovered and landed on the ground before chuckling slightly. "What's so funny?!" Natsu questioned.

"Nothing. Just having a little fun is all." Dan smirked. "I can't remember the last time I went up against such a strong guy, other than that Dante fellow back at the mansion. So don't you dare stop, come on, let's keep going!"

"Alright, but you're gonna regret that!" Natsu soared at him once again with flaming fists, colliding with Ricochet, creating an explosion that shook the entire area.

Meanwhile, high above this battle, Dante ran alongside the cavern wall near the top as he fired Ebony towards Nero, who swung from stalactite to stalactite with his Devil Bringer arm, using its spectral arm to latch on and pull himself toward another stalactite while using Blue Rose in his other hand to return fire toward Dante. Just like before, any bullets that missed either of them were intercepted half-way by those of the opposing gun.

Having enough of this, Nero swung from the stalactite, gunning straight for Dante as he tried to slam both his feet at him, forcing Dante to use the flat of Rebellion as a make-shift shield to block it before using his own strength to throw Nero off before jumping from the wall to meet Nero head on as they fell, swinging Rebellion while Nero blocked it with Blue Rose before quickly pulling out Red Queen to engage in a fierce sword-duel even as they fell closer to the ground. When they came close to the ground, Nero locked his blade with Dante before extending the spectral arm of his Devil Bringer toward the roof of an old building, pulling him away from Dante while also kicking him in the face with enough force to send him crashing into a series of pillars while Nero braced himself for a hard landing before pulling himself up.

"Agni! Rudra!" Dante had blasted himself into the air with a vortex of wind from his Rudra sword before propelling himself toward Nero using a blast of fire from the Agni blade. Nero quickly drew Blue Rose to try and shoot at him, but Dante was coming in too fast, forcing Nero to draw Red Queen in his other hand to block the swipe from the Rudra blade right as Dante used the momentum, he gained to slide his blade across Nero's and over him to land behind and kick him in the back, nearly sending him tumbling off the building.

Dante brought his two-swords together, similar to a double-bladed weapon, before going on the offensive. While Nero was able to block many of the swings with Red Queen, he was taken off guard by not only Dante's change in weapon's combat, but the elemental strikes of fire and wind from his weapon. Dante spun Agni and Rudra together to slash at Nero, sending him falling and crashing off the roof and onto the ground before Dante unleashed a large vortex of fire and wind straight toward hm.

Acting on instinct, Nero tried to shield himself with his Devil Bringer arm, but neither he nor Dante had expected the attack to be absorbed into Nero's demonic limb.

"Whoa…" Dante commented as Nero looked toward his arm, which surged with demonic flames and wind. Getting an idea on how to use this power, Nero shot his arm forward to not only shoot out a spectral fist, but one coated with flames and wind, straight toward the building Dante was standing on, causing it to explode. Fortunately, Dante had leapt off and glanced toward Nero as he leapt through the air.

'Kid's got some tricks not even he knows about. Can't say it doesn't make me more excited.' He smirked as he landed on the ground and swapped Devil Arms.

"Beowulf!" Dante shot at Nero faster than he could have reacted, slugging him in the gut, not only causing Nero to hack up a great deal of blood, but even send him flying and crashing toward the cavern wall before sliding down and ending up on his hands and knees.

"What's wrong? Done already?" Dante taunted as Nero looked up with a glare.

"Not even close!" Nero exclaimed as he shot another spectral fist with his Devil Bringer at Dante, which he avoided thanks to the speed of his Beowulf grieves before shooting himself at Nero again, pulling back a punch, which Nero retaliated with a punch of his own. Devil Bringer met Beowulf gauntlet, creating a powerful shockwave that sent both of them skidding back quite a distance.

"Ugh! Damn it!" Nero grunted in pain as he held his demonic appendage, while Dante had to wave his hand slightly, as even he felt something through his gauntlet, though it wasn't nearly as painful as what Nero was experiencing right now.

"You're full of surprises, aren't ya?" Dante said with a smirk.

Nero however looked up with a glare as he straightened himself up. 'He's way different than how I fought him before. Last time I was able to knock him, but now it's like he's ready for me.'

"You caught me off guard last time, kid." Dante told him, almost as if he could read his thoughts. "I didn't expect somebody else like me to suddenly show up."

"Someone like him…?" Nero looked in surprise.

"But now I got an idea what I'm up against." Dante said as he put his Devil Arm away for his signature sword and twirled Rebellion in his hands. "So, what else you got?"

---

Meanwhile, Lucy, Lisanna, Happy, Romeo, and Michelle continued their search and appeared to find themselves in a cathedral of sorts, one that was surprisingly well-maintained compared to the rest of the ruins outside.

"Lucy, are you sure the clock piece is here?" Lisanna asked.

"I'm positive." Lucy confirmed as she took out the 'Key of the Starry Heavens'. "The book says the final key is located in a cathedral, and this appears to be the only cathedral in this place."

"But we've looked all over, there's no clock piece in here." Happy said.

"It's gotta be. There's no other place it could be." Lucy stated.

"I'm still worried about what's going to happen if all six clock pieces are brought together." Michelle said. "We don't know the details, but if that book is anything to go by, it can't be good."

"That's why we're gonna seal them all away before something bad happens." Lucy assured her. "Don't worry Michelle, we totally got this."

"Do we?" Happy asked. "I don't wanna sound like a party pooper, but do we have an actual plan to seal the pieces away?"

"I've been wondering the same thing." Romeo said. However, before the group could continue their discussion, they heard the sounds of rumbling and battle that shook the entire cathedral.

"I swear, those guys are gonna cave in this entire tomb." Lucy muttered in annoyance as she and the others made their way back outside to see what was going on. On one side, Dante continued his epic duel against Nero, clashing swords again before Nero slugged Dante with his Devil Bringer arm, which Dante recovered from as he pulled out Ebony and Ivory for a charged shot to blast Nero into an old building. On the other, Natsu seemed to be having more trouble with Dan, attacking him from a distance by blasting or shooting debris at him, forcing Dan to either shrink the incoming objects and shield himself, but he kept his shield up to keep Natsu from getting closer and attacking with magic or physical strikes.

"Look at them go! They're both so amazing!" Michelle looked in awe with a stars in her eyes.

"Dante seems to be holding his own, but Natsu looks like he's having trouble." Happy pointed out.

"With that shield he's using, Natsu can't just attack like how he normally does. It's gotta be frustrating for him." Lucy said.

Lisanna's eyes widened. "I've got an idea. You guys just stay here and keep an eye out for the clock piece and how Dante's doing, I'll help Natsu!"

"You got a plan?" Romeo asked, which Lisanna only responded with a smirk.

"Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!" Natsu threw a large fireball toward Dan, but just like before, he blocked it with Ricochet, causing the explosion to reflect back at Natsu, sending him flying straight up. However, Lisanna was able to catch him in her Take Over Harpy form.

"I gotcha Natsu!"

"Whew, thanks." Natsu said with relief.

"Is that my winged angel Lisanna?!" Dan looked toward her with hearts in his eyes. "She even has wings! She must be an angel!"

Natsu growled. "Let me down so I can shut him up!"

Lisanna blushed with a smile, knowing Natsu wanted to beat Dan up for his attitude toward her was heartwarming for sure, but it was also the weakness she knew they could exploit.

"You'll get your chance. I've got an idea." She began to whisper their plan as Lisanna flew around the corner of the outside of the cathedral Lucy and the others were in.

"Where are you going my Lisanna?" Dan sang as he rounded the corner.

"Over here Dan." Lisanna sang back as she was in her She-Cat Take Over, taking an attractive cat-like pose. "This little kitty is so lonely. Would you please come here and keep her company?" She even gave a cat-like purr.

Dan's face turned red as he felt his heartbeat accelerate. "Oh yeah! Blast off!" He immediately dropped his lance and shield and ran toward Lisanna with open arms. "Come here kitty cat! I'm gonna cuddle you all day!"

However, this was what she was hopping for as Dan dropped his offense and defense, which also left him open for a hand to grab his shoulder, yanking him to turn and face the smirking Natsu.

"Sorry, but my girl's already spoken for!" Natsu stated before slugging him in the face with a fiery fist, but he wasn't done yet as he leapt and attacked Dan while in mid-air. "Flame Lotus: Fire Dragon Fist!" Natsu unleashed a salvo of flaming punches at such a fast rate it was almost like a machine-gun of fists that began to crack and break Dan's armor before giving a final punch that sent him flying and crashing into the cathedral.

"Ah yeah! How do you like that?!" Natsu said with a chuckle but was caught off-guard when Lisanna gave him a peck on the lips.

"My hero." She said with a smile, having turned back to normal, causing Natsu to smile widely with blushing cheeks.

---

Meanwhile; the battle continued to wage in the Library of Sorcery, as Carla flew Wendy up and around the gap between floors that stretched from the top to the bottom of the entire building, with two Bianco Angelos flying in pursuit of her. Carla turned Wendy around as she prepared to unleash an attack. "Sky Dragon Roar!" Wendy unleashed her breath attack, forcing the pair of Bianco Angelos to protect themselves with their wing-shields, but the force of the attack did send them crashing back into the wall and book shelves, only to recover a couple seconds later.

"You're attack barley even slowed them down!" Carla said as she continued to fly Wendy away with the Bianco Angelos still in pursuit. "I realize they are only suits of armor being fueled by demonic energy, but how are they so strong?!"

"Looks like we might have to get up close and personal." Wendy said. "Turn around Carla, get me in close to them!"

"Alright, I just hope you have a plan!" Carla stated as she turned herself and Wendy around and shot herself and her Dragon Slayer companion straight toward the Bianco Angelos.

"Sky Dragon Wing Attack!" Wendy waved her arms to create a pair of vortexes, trapping both of the Bianco Angelos in between, but they were still able to hold their own and defend themselves with their shields.

On the level below, Millianna flipped backwards to avoid the thrusting lance of one Bianco Angelo but didn't seem to notice a second about to come in from behind, but she did notice as she flipped into the air, just barley avoiding the lance that was thrusted into the ground where she once stood before landing on her hands to grab the Bianco Angelo's head.

"It's not nice to attack somebody from behind!" She stated as she flipped behind to deliver a double-kick and send it tumbling across the ground. The first Bianco Angelo attempted to rush and pierce her with its lance, but she was ready for it. "Bad Kitty Restraint!" She shot her hand forward to extend an orange binding coil that had completely ensnared the first Bianco Angelo, tripping it up before she was forced back by the reemergence of the second.

"Watch yourself." Millianna warned the second Bianco Angelo. "This kitty has claws." She extended her nails like cat-claws and slashed at the Bianco Angelo, who quickly shielded himself to take the blows.

Lady was sent skidding back on her feet along a bridge before going on the defensive as the Alto Angelo rushed her to slice its blade down toward her. "Steel Devil Skin!" Lady coated her body in steel, crossing her arms to shield herself from the blade, but the force sent her back a bit before Lady drew her pistols. "Steel Devil Bullet Barrage!" She fired her pistols, infusing the bullets with her magic, forcing the Bianco Angelo to fly in the air and avoid them.

'It's avoiding my attack rather than shielding itself.' Lady thought to herself. 'And since this thing is basically a demon, my magic should be able to do damage to it. Just gotta get close to it to land a decisive blow.'

At the same time, the upper levels of the library rocked as Erza continued her duel against Angelo Credo. Still clad in her Black Wing armor, she flew straight towards the transformed Credo, who mimicked her actions to clash blades with one another. The second their swords made contact, they began a furious clash of blades, moving at such insane speeds it was almost like a blur between the two combatants.

Suddenly, Angelo Credo's golden sword began to glow even brighter that as he delivered a slash, it not only shattered Erza's sword, but even slashed through her armor, the force of the attack sending her crashing onto the bookshelf on the floor below. Erza grunted in pain and looked in shock to see Angelo Credo summoning a spear made of golden energy before shooting it at Erza like a missile.

"Flight Armor!" Quickly requipping into her fastest armor, Erza was able to speed out of the way just in time to avoid Angelo Credo's Summon Spear attack before leaping straight up towards him to slash her swords, only for Angelo Credo to block the attack with his wing-shield before extending his wing to fly away from Erza at blinding speeds before shooting down toward her to slash at her, which she was just barley able to block with her swords, but like before, her swords were shattered once the golden blade made contact, and the force sent Erza falling and crashing onto a bridge below her. She backflipped to avoid the energy slash that Angelo Credo sent by swinging his sword, the attack cleaving through the bridge before Erza transformed armors again.

"Morning Star: Photon Slicer!" Quickly donning her Morning Star armor and bringing her swords together, she pointed them straight up and fired a powerful energy blast straight for Angelo Credo, who flew at insane speeds to avoid the attack before suddenly appearing behind her to try and slice at her, but Erza was able to block the slice with one sword before bringing down her other toward his head, which Angelo Credo blocked with his shield before shooting himself forward to knock Erza back. Before she was sent flying, Angelo Credo grabbed her shoulders by his talons and flew straight up before throwing her into the air, right as he used his Summon Spear attack to draw another energy spear and threw it at her. Erza couldn't dodge the attack right away as it made contact, piercing through her side, causing her to scream in pain before the force of the attack sent her hurtling like a meteorite into one of the upper most floors of the library.

'His power is overwhelming…!' Erza thought as she tried to pull herself up. 'Before, he was able to match me with his expert swordsman ship, and his weapon that allowed him to harness elemental lacrima. But he's not using it now, meaning his weapon must have changed somehow, or he's just playing with me.'

"I'm impressed." Angelo Credo commented as he hovered above the recovering Erza. "Even the strongest demons I've faced found themselves either killed or crippled after such an attack, yet you are still able to stand, albeit shakily, but still. Your reputation proceeds you, Titania."

"What have you done to yourself?" Erza questioned as she stood on her feet and held her wound. "Before, you were an ordinary man, but one with incredible skill and prowess. Why through that all away for demonic power?"

"You believe I am throwing something away?" Angelo Credo responded. "You couldn't be more wrong. I know full well that overuse of demonic power can lead to madness, but we have perfected the ceremony. We are not like those you have met in the likes of Grimoire Heart, who forsake our humanity and sanity for power. I have become something far greater, I wield incredible power, but my resolve remains unchanged!"

"You said you were chosen; does that mean there are others like you in the Order of the Sword?" Erza questioned.

"Only a select few are capable of handling this power." Angelo Credo answered. "Those who have the physical, emotional, and mental strength; while also the conviction to see the vision of his Holiness come to pass. You may have been an incredible warrior in the past, Titania. But while you and your friends slept for seven years, the world moved on. Those that were weaker than you before have surprassed you, including myself. You cannot stop me."

"You're not the first to say that." Erza stated as she quipped into her Purgatory Armor. "Even if the world is a different place, I won't waver! I'll protect my friends and the innocent no matter the cost!" She leapt toward Angelo Credo, bringing down her massive blade toward him, but Angelo Credo was quick to protect himself with his winged shield, but the resulting shockwave from the clash appeared to shake the whole library.

---

The shockwave was even felt by Cana and Patty, even though they were much father below. "Jeez, are they trying to tear this whole building apart?!" Cana questioned.

Another explosion rocked the area, causing Patty to trip and loose her footing as she fell backwards into a bookshelf. As Patty tried to stabilize herself by grabbing a random book, she unknowingly activated a trigger that caused the bookshelf to rise and reveal a hidden passageway.

"Patty, are you okay?" Cana helped her up.

"Yeah…." Patty said, rubbing her head before she and Cana looked into the darkened passageway. "What's this?"

"Come on." Cana led Patty deeper into the passageway before they came before a large gate that held a familiar emblem on it.

"Hold on, isn't that the symbol for the Order of the Sword?" Patty asked upon seeing the very same emblem on the gate.

"Looks like it, but we don't have time to worry about that right now." Cana said as she pushed the gate open to reveal what they were looking for. It appeared to be a set of clock legs, four of them pointing upward like a candle holder.

"Is this the clock piece?" Patty asked.

"Yep, we just struck gold!" Cana said with a triumphant smirk.

---

Back outside, Lady's right arm had converted into a sword as she locked blades with the Alto Angelo before flipping up to deliver a kick to its head, knocking it back before landing back as well. Before the fight could continue however, she heard a ringing-like noise that one would hear from a phone. She reached into her pocket to pull out a card that had Cana's face on it, which shined brightly.

"Well, what do ya know?" Lady smirked. "Hey! Cana found the clock piece! It's time to end this!" She called out to Wendy, Carla, and Millianna.

"Did you hear that, Carla?!" Wendy asked as her Exceed friend continued to carry her as they faced the hovering duo of Bianco Angelos.

"Indeed. I'm assuming you have a plan to finish this?" Carla asked.

"Yeah, get me in close again!" Wendy stated. Carla did as she was told and flew Wendy right at the Angelos that thrusted their lances at her. "Arms!" Casting her support spell on herself to increase her strength and offensive power, Wendy went on the attack right as the lances were about to make contact. "Sky Dragon Crushing Fang!" She threw out a punch that broke both lances. "Sky Dragon Claw!" Wendy delivered a powerful kick, enhanced by both her Arms support spell, and her Sky Dragon magic to one of the Bianco Angelo's heads and knock it off, while also sending it crashing into the second, leaving them both open for Wendy to deliver the finishing blow. "Sky Dragon Wave Wind!" She waved her hands to encompass both Bianco Angelos in a powerful tornado that tore both of them apart as it exploded outward, destroying both artificial demons.

Millianna slashed past one Bianco Angelo with her claws before swerving around the strike of the second to deal a kick from behind and knock it into the first before using her binding magic to ensnare both of them together before unleashing her attack. "Kitten Blast!" A coil of pink magic energy shot out from a pink magic circle in front of her before striking both immobilized Bianco Angelos, destroying them instantly.

Finally, Lady herself rushed toward the Alto Angelo as it swung its blade down toward her. "Steel Devil Bazooka!" She brought her arms together to create a rocket-launcher in front of he and blast the Alto Angelo point-blank, obliterating its sword and shield, leaving it wide open. "Steel Devil Rage!" Lady unleashed her breath attack, which all but destroyed the Alto Angelo in explosive fashion.

"Done and done." Lady brushed her hands with a feeling of satisfaction.

However, their victory was short lived as something fell down rather fast before crashing onto the bridge that led to the secret passageway just as Cana and Patty ran out to look in shock to see who it was that crashed in front of them.

"Erza!" Cana exclaimed, while Patty covered her mouth in shock.

It was true. Erza Scarlet appeared on the verge of defeat as her Purgatory Armor was almost completely destroyed, and she could just barley pick herself up. However, this was the least of their worries as Cana and Patty gasped at the sight of Angelo Credo who hovered down before landing gracefully on the bridge to face the pair.

"Thank you for finding the clock piece for me. Hand it over, and I promise no further harm will come to you or your comrades."

Cana stood protectively in front of Patty and held her magic cards, ready for a fight. "Go to hell, jackass!" But it wasn't just her. Wendy, Lady, and Millianna all landed in front of them, with Carla hovering in close by as well.

"You'll have to go through us too!" Wendy told them.

Though a part of Credo felt uncomfortable with the idea of attacking a child, he knew that she was a Dragon Slayer, and like the others in front of him, posed a threat to his mission and he was more than ready to fight as he wielded his sword.

"No…" They all heard Erza's strained voice as she tried to pick herself up. "You and I… aren't finished…!"

Angelo Credo turned to face her. "I applaud your conviction, Titania. But conviction alone cannot stop me. Stay down, you fought well."

"Erza… it's okay, we can handle him!" Millianna tried to dissuade her old friend, whom she hated to see hurt like this. However, Erza was already back on her feet and said nothing as she shed away all her armor, changing into her Clear Heart clothing to face Angelo Credo who looked confused.

"What is this? Are you trying to mock me?" He questioned. "You believe you can face me with mere physical strength alone?"

"This isn't mockery." Erza told him. "By forsaking all armor, I abandon all defense for offense, enabling me to wield this. Spectral Sword: Crimson Blossom!" Erza had quipped her most powerful weapon, a red katana, which she wielded like a master samurai, ready to strike down her enemy. "My most powerful weapon, which can only be used if I forsake all defenses. I don't know what you did to obtain this power, what you've had to sacrifice or anything of the sort. But I will not allow myself to lose to someone like you, someone who is willing to forsake his humanity to become something else, be it demon or angel. I am an ordinary human, and I will defeat you!"

"I accept your challenge, Erza Scarlet." Angelo Credo said as he took a similar stance, holding out his sword, which began to glow brightly with golden energy. At the same time, Erza held her Crimson Blossom katana back, which was already surging with a red aura.

"C… Can she really beat him…?" Patty asked, looking more than a little nervous.

"Yes, she can." Cana said without even a hint of doubt in her voice.

"Erza can do anything she sets her mind to, and no wannabe demon is gonna stop her." Millianna said in the same convincing tone. Lady, Wendy, and Carla remained silent as they watched with serious expressions, though they had little-to-no doubt in their friend, they were still concerned for her all the same.

Neither Erza nor Angelo Credo made so much as a twitch as they both remained still and silent, eyes locking to each other, as if they each silently dared the other to make the first move. The tension was so thick that no knife could cut it. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, which was probably only a minute, they both moved.

*SLASH!*

Erza and Angelo Credo slid past each other; their blades held outward as they delivered their attacks. First, a large cut formed on Erza's side, which already began to bleed as she fell on her knees. But Angelo Credo's transformation had disappeared as he fell on his knees as well, a long diagonal cut was on his chest, stretching from his right shoulder to his left side.

"Well fought… Erza Scarlet…" Credo fell face-flat on the ground, indicating he was defeated.

"Erza!" All her friends call to her as they rushed to her side with Cana and Millianna helping her up as Wendy began to apply healing magic to her wounds.

"Are you okay?!" Patty asked with worry.

"Yes, I'm fine." She glanced back towards Credo, one of the most challenging opponents she'd ever faced and yet, there was something he had said to her stuck, which caused her to laugh slightly.

"What's so funny?" Lady asked.

"I keep forgetting that seven years have passed, when it all seemed more like a blink to myself and those on Tenrou Island." Erza said as she looked toward her own hand. "The world has changed, people have grown and become stronger, while I remain the same." A humorous yet reflective smile fell on her face as she turned to her childhood friend. "I think you might even be stronger than me now, Millianna."

Millianna smiled and giggled. "That's sweet Erza, but I don't think I can ever hold a candle to you. But… if you really feel that way, I wouldn't mind taking you as my apprentice." She teased as she lightly patted Erza's head, causing the rest of her friends to laugh or simply smirk in Lady's case.

"So, you've found the clock piece?" Erza asked.

"Yep." Cana answered. "Now here's hopping everyone else did to."

---

Meanwhile; back in the underground city, Dante and Nero's fight continued to rage on as Dante swung Rebellion toward Nero, who punched the sword out of Dante's hands with his Devil Bringer arm and tried to swing Red Queen at Dante, only for the experienced Devil Hunter to swerve around him smack Nero on the head to knock him down before summoning Rebellion to his hand to deliver a swipe that sent a red energy wave from the sword at the recovering Nero, sending him crashing into an old building.

"I think you're done kid." Dante told Nero as he tried to pull himself up. "Or you still wanna go, in which case you'll end up unconscious. I'm cool with whatever."

Nero growled as his Devil Bringer arm began to glow even brighter. "Getting cocky already?!" Nero shot out a spectral arm towards Dante, which he batted away with Rebellion before coming in towards the younger swordsman, who tried to deck him with his demonic limb, only for Dante to catch it in his palm, though the impact did create a shockwave around them and it did sting Dante a bit, he stood his ground.

"Like I said before, you caught off guard last time, but now I got a good idea what you are." Dante said.

"Oh? And just what the hell am I?!" Nero exclaimed.

"Inexperienced." Dante said simply as he quicky drew Ebony to shoot Nero in the stomach, causing him to back away before Dante went on the offensive. "Quicksilver!" Dante slowed down time around himself, enabling him to deliver multiple strikes around Nero's body with Rebellion, right before the effects of Quicksilver wore off and Dante unleashed his Million-Stab technique with enough force and power to send Nero flying and crashing into the chapel where everyone else in Fairy Tail was, including the unconscious and beaten Dan.

Lucy, Natsu, Lisanna, Happy, Romeo, and Michelle looked up in surprise to see Nero flying through the air, and even more so as they saw Dante leaping after him to give a mighty swing with Rebellion and slice at Nero, sending him crashing once more into the wall at the farthest end of the chapel, smack dab into the emblem of the Order of the Sword that was etched into the wall.

"Jackpot." Dante smirked as he landed stylishly, his coat flowing slightly like a cape as everyone addressed the unconscious Nero.

"So, he's down?" Romeo asked.

"Yeah, put up quite a fight though, I'll give him that." Dante commented.

"Aw man, I wanted to fight him again." Natsu comically sulked.

"You got to beat up that looser over there, so what's the diff?" Dante cracked. Suddenly, his and everyone else's attention was caught as Rebellion itself began to glow a bright red color, as did the emblem of the Order on the wall.

"What the…?" Lucy questioned.

"The wall is shining…" Michelle said in awe.

However, the bright light began to subside as it revealed none other than what they came down here to find. It was a large cluster of metallic circles and gears, like the inner-most workings of a gigantic clock, that was strung up by several chains to keep it suspended in mid-air.

"Is that what I think it is…?" Lisanna said in a hopeful and excited tone.

"It's the clock piece!" Lucy exclaimed in victory.

"That thing's gigantic!" Natsu stated.

"So that's where it was hiding." Happy said.

"Sparda likely sealed it away with Rebellion before, so it's only natural the very same sword could unlock it." Michelle deduced.

"You got two birds with one stone!" Romeo told Dante.

"Heh, wasn't my intent, but I'll take the win regardless." The son of Sparda said cockily.

"Sure, one more thing to add to your already massive ego." Lucy teased. "We finally found one, we're still in the game!"

"Damn right. Give me five everyone!" Dante held up his hand, resulting in Natsu, Lucy, Lisanna, Happy, Romeo, and Michelle giving him a group high-five.

However, none of them seemed to notice that Coco was hiding just outside the hole Dante had made when he blasted Nero into the building. She set her eyes on the clock piece with a serious expression. "At last, I've found it."

---

Meanwhile, back with Gajeel's group; the Iron Dragon Slayer, Modeus, Lily, and Team Shadowgear continued to dig their way around the mountain top as the sun began to set, the sky turning a bright orange. Gajeel's arms turned into metallic pic-axes, which he used to dig, while Modeus dug with his sword Hunter's Moon. Jet and Droy moved the heavier rocks out of the way, along with Lily, while Levy used a simple shovel.

"Why haven't we found it yet?" Levy wondered aloud.

"Probably cause you're working your mouth instead of your arms." Gajeel said as he appeared to have made the most progress.

"What he means to say is, there is likely more to this than the clock piece simply being buried." Modeus said in a gentler tone before addressing everyone. "Keep your eyes out for any kind of gate, passageway, anything that looks like it was man-made, or demon-made in this cause."

"Gajeel could take a hint from Modeus." Jet said as he and Droy heaved a large rock out of the way. "He's got some nerve talking to Levy like that."

"Yeah, but we need him to find the clock piece." Droy said with reluctance.

Though Levy didn't quite appreciate Gajeel's tone, she was glad to see he was not only contributing, but even taking the situation seriously. She spent enough time with him to know that underneath his rough exterior and rude demeanor, he was actually a pretty good guy. However, she looked in surprise to see not only Gajeel stop, but also Modeus.

"Guys? What's wrong?" She asked the pair.

"You sense it as well?" Modeus said to the Iron Dragon Slayer as his arms turned back to normal.

"Yeah, we ain't alone." Gajeel replied.

This got everyone's attention. "Uh oh." Jet grimaced.

"Where are they? Can you tell?" Droy questioned.

Modeus could sense faint traces of demonic energy, the same type he felt from the Order's artificial soldiers he and his friends encountered before. "Above us!" He glanced straight up to see not only a trio of Bianco Angelos and one Alto Angelo, but also the Exceed named Samuel at the lead.

"Well, it appears we've been spotted." Samuel said without a hint of surprise in his voice, and an air of confidence surrounding him.

"He's from the Order!" Modeus recognized him as Gajeel, Panther-Lily, and Team Shadowgear readied themselves.

"Why are you here?" Gajeel questioned.

"That should be obvious." Samuel smirked. "We're after the same thing, aren't we? I've come to claim it."

Done.

So good news for the heroes, both Dante and Erza's teams have each beaten their adversaries and located their respective clock pieces; three down, two to go. But Modeus and his team have run into Samuel and his own company of Angelo soldiers, and it won't be an easy fight.

And, as many of you have wanted to see, Dante has beaten Nero in a one-on-one fight. I had already planned this fight out in advance, so it's not something I've written based on fan demands or anything like that. As I explained earlier, the reason Dante lost in his first fight with Nero was primarily because he was caught off guard by Nero's status as a half-demon, and the fact that his power felt similar to his own (I already explained the difference between that scenario and the one in the cannon DMC4 game, with Dante suspecting Nero was Vergil's son. But here, that is not the case, so Dante is obviously concerned about a potential relative that he didn't know and just suddenly popped up out of nowhere. I hope that makes sense). But this time around, Dante was prepared and while Nero put up a good fight, Dante was just a bit more experienced and was able to take him down solo.

Also, Erza and her team have discovered that not only the Order of the Sword is using demonic energy to power their armor like foot soldiers, but they're even turning people into demons! Angelo Credo himself has shown that he is a force to be reckoned with, as he was even able to give Erza of all people a struggle; but there is also another reason why Erza was overpowered at first. As Credo explained, she and her friends were frozen in time for seven years, during that time, the rest of the world moved on and people have gotten much stronger, this fight helped to showcase that Erza, Natsu, even Dante, and all the others might need to seriously pick up some slack if they're gonna catch up with everyone else.

One other thing to note, Credo is not the only one who's become an "angel", others have as well. As for who, right now I'm gonna say that neither Coco, Dan, Mary Hughes, Sugarboy, nor Samuel have undergone the process; but there might be others who have. You'll see as the story progresses.

Finally, on a personal note, I've gotten my first dose for the COVID vaccine today, with my second dose scheduled near the end of this month. I encourage everyone else to do the same whenever and however they can; while at the same time, not to let their guard down. Just because people are getting vaccinated, doesn't mean we're out of the woods. Please wear a mask whenever you go out, maintain social distance, and be respectful for the rules and policies that store owners have put in place to maintain everyone's good health. The only way we're getting through this is together. So do your part to keep not only yourself, but those around you healthy. Peace out.