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.

34. Crimson Wrath

Hi everyone, thanks again for your patience, and Merry Christmas to all of you. I'm really glad you enjoyed my last chapter, particularly how you all reacted to Vergil defending Yukino's honor, again that's why he's one of my favorite characters. Even if he is villainous, Vergil has his own code of honor and won't hurt people just for the sake of unnecessary cruelty. Things are going to get tense between Fairy Tail and Sabertooth in this chapter once they find out what happened to Yukino.

With that said, let's get started.

Crimson Wrath

Yukino had changed into casual clothes and had packed up all her belongings. She pulled her rolling suitcase through the halls of Crocus Gardens. When she got to the main loby, with the intent of leaving, she was surprised to find Rogue at the entrance waiting for her, with a teary-eyed Frosch right beside him.

"Rogue…? What are you doing here?" She asked as she approached him.

"Here." He handed her an envelope. "There's a million jewel in here. I'm sure you already have a manageable amount saved for yourself but… this should help as well."

To say she was surprised was an understatement. "I-I don't… I can't take this..."

"Please. I insist." He handed her the envelop again. Though hesitant at first, Yukino did take it and put it away.

"Thank you." She nodded then felt something soft on her legs. Looking down, she saw that Frosch was hugging her.

"I'm going to miss you, Yukino." The green Exceed cried.

A sad smile formed on her face as she kneeled down to his level to pat him on the head. "I'll miss you too, Frosch. Thank you for being so nice to me all the time." She stood up and smiled at the Shadow Dragon Slayer. "And thank you as well, Rogue. It was a pleasure to work alongside you."

"You as well. Take care of yourself." Rogue gave a simple nod, which she appreciated as she left the inn as well as the Sabertooth guild.

"The hell you do that for?" He and Frosch looked back the set of stairs to see Sting having walked down the stairs alongside Lector. "No need to be nice or anything, she's out. Simple as that."

"She was still one of us." Rogue said firmly. "Even if we work differently than the other guilds, it wouldn't hurt to be a bit more respectful to our own."

"Still doesn't changed that she screwed up." Sting brushed off.

"Yeah, there's a reason we're the most powerful guild in Fiore." Lector added.

"You know what they say about the weakest link, Rogue. She would have just held us back." Sting said.

"And if she were to become stronger?" Everyone looked up to see Vergil leaning against the wall on the second floor. "Every living being is weak at one point in their life, but nobody every stays weak unless they chose to. Yukino is not the type to do so. The master was a fool for expelling her."

"It ain't our call to make." Sting said.

Vergil sighed. "And that right there is exactly why you, Sting, will never become strong enough to surpass Natsu Dragneel." That comment earned a glare from the White Dragon Slayer, who would have shot back a reply, but Vergil had already left.

"Don't listen to him buddy, he's just being a jerk as usual." Lector tried to tell his Dragon Slayer companion. "We all know that you're way stronger than that loser, Natsu."

"Yeah. Got that right." Sting said, though the look on his face showed he was still angry at Vergil's comment.

As Frosch saw them walk away as well, he thought about what Vergil said before looking toward his friend. "Hey Rogue? Can I become stronger?" That got Rogue's attention. "I know I'm weak… but… I don't wanna leave Sabertooth. So… can I become stronger?"

"I'm certain you can." Rogue said with a genuine smile. "But even so, I would never let you leave. I promise, you'll always have me by your side." Frosch smiled with teary eyes as he nodded in return.

---

Meanwhile, Kyrie was at Domus Flau's infirmary where Elfman was spending the night to recover from his injuries, as she applied her Arc of Seraph magic to help with his healing. Porlyusica and the Thunder Legion watched as a white aura emanated from her hands as she sat down at his bedside, the white light shining gently over him.

"Thanks for the help, Kyrie." Elfman smiled. "Sorry to be a bother."

"Oh no, you're not a bother." Kyrie assured. "I'm just so happy that I have a chance to help you."

"Man… whatever kind of crazy magic you got is really something. It feels so warm." Elfman said with a relaxed smile.

"The Arc of Seraph. One of the original Lost Magics said to be among the first wielded by humanity. The so-called magic of the angels." Freed surmised. "Truly amazing."

"That stuff could probably put Wendy's healing magic to shame." Bickslow commented.

"Where exactly did you learn that?" Evergreen asked Kyrie.

"Mostly from the books I read in Fortuna's library growing up." She explained. "While Nero, Credo, and everyone practiced fighting, Sammy and I would always read together." She smiled reminiscently. "At first, I thought it was just simple healing spells, with some basic defense in there too. But it wasn't until Levy and I went to the Library of Sorcery that I really began to understand what it truly was. All these years… and I was only scratching the surface."

"Man, if it's that hard core, maybe you should participate in the Games." Bickslow said with his usual grin. "I bet Nero wouldn't mind you being on his team." He teased.

Kyrie blushed. "Oh, I'm still no fighter like him. But… I hope to do everything I can to support all of you. You accepted me into Fairy Tail without question, and I hope to live up to your expectations."

"What you do already is enough." Evergreen assured.

"Yes. Our guild is truly lucky to have you in its ranks, Kyrie." Freed added with a smile and a nod.

"And Nero's one lucky guy to have a girl like you by his side." Elfman also put his two cents in.

Kyrie couldn't help but smile warmly. She had only been with them a short time, and yet, these people already felt like family to her. "Thank you… for everything."

Porlyusica watched the interactions from the other end of the room. 'She's certainly among the very few tolerable humans. That much I will say.'

---

At the same time, Gajeel had arrived at the inn where Raven Tail was residing. Currently, he sat across from a table with Ivan on the other side and the rest of the competing team sitting around him. Though Gajeel could tell that there was somebody else nearby, someone remaining out of sight in the hallway behind him.

'The eavesdropper is probably that Sid creep that ambushed Wendy and her friends.' Gajeel thought to himself. 'Dude seems pretty weak though, I'm honestly tempted to beat the shit out of him for what he did to the kid, but I gotta keep my cover intact for now.'

"Quite the game yesterday." Gajeel struck up the conversation first. "Those chicks from Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel were no joke."

"Oh definitely." Ivan agreed. "Almost a little jealous myself."

"Though Celestial Keys aren't exactly hard to get." Gajeel said. "Just kill off the wizard and take what they got. Or you can just nab em too."

"Eh, I'm not all that interested in the Zodiac Keys." Ivan brushed off. "My goal honestly makes those fancy golden keys look like cheap toys by comparison."

'Figured as much. He wasn't after Lucy earlier. But I at least got confirmation.' Gajeel thought before speaking again. "So, what is that prize anyway? Given that I've been gone for seven years, I think I might be due for a recap on what you want. Can't help if I don't know what's going on."

"All in due time, my friend. I can't risk it leaking out." Ivan assured. "But I will say that it's all happening tomorrow."

"Is that right?" Gajeel's eyes narrowed only slightly. "And the other guilds aren't gonna be any trouble?"

"Oh please. They're nothing." Ivan dismissed. "They're all so focused on trying to overthrow Sabertooth at the top spot, they're not even concerned about the guild that's stuck on rock bottom. By the time they realize it, it'll be too late."

"Speaking of, I was honestly shocked that Fairy Tail was still around all this time." Gajeel said. "With its top brass gone, it would have seemed like the perfect time to wipe them out. With the resources you had, you could have easily made it look like an accident. And like you said, with it being so low, nobody would even notice."

"Oh, I certainly could have done all that easily." Ivan said with a grin. "But it would have been a waste of energy."

"I get it. You just wanna have the pleasure of taking out the old guy with your bare hands." Gajeel said with a fake grin of his own.

"I knew Makarov wouldn't leave his precious children alone for so long. Now he's back." Ivan replied. "And not only that, he actually let that drunken fool Gildarts be his successor. Seems that he's finally going senile."

"Gildarts is still a juggernaut though." Gajeel advised. "Seriously, he's on par with the Wizard Saints."

"But when I get my prize, even he won't be able to stop me." Ivan said, glancing at the Fairy Tail emblem on Gajeel's shoulder. "And you can finally rid yourself of that accursed guild emblem and bare your true colors, my friend."

Gajeel's fake smirk only grew. "Sounds like a party." He stood up. "Better get going before anyone suspects."

"Rest well, Gajeel." Ivan waved off as Gajeel left. A sickening grin formed on his face. "Raven Tail's time is finally coming. We'll extinguish the light of Fairy Tail forever, and become the most powerful guild in this world! Even the likes of Sabertooth will bow to our power!"

---

At the same time, the group consisting of Dante, Natsu, Lucy, Lisanna, Happy, Wendy, and Carla walked back toward the Honeybone Inn to turn in for the night.

"I don't think I've ever been this stuffed before." Natsu said with a happy smile.

"You'll eat yourself sick someday." Carla told him in mental exhaustion.

"And I'll be right there with him." Happy proclaimed.

"I really got no idea what you mean by that." Dante commented.

"The Inn should be somewhere around here, right?" Wendy asked.

"Yep, it won't be long now." Lucy replied. "By the way, why are you coming with us, Lisanna? Don't you have a place to stay with everyone else?"

"Yeah, but I wanna spend the night with you guys." Lisanna answered.

"We only got six beds in our room." Dante said. "So, unless Gray and Erza decide to shack up somewhere else, you'll probably have to rent a different room."

"Or she could share a bed with a certain someone!" Happy teased, looking directly at Natsu.

"Hardy-har." The Salamander gave a sarcastic laugh.

"So… we're all sharing a room?" Wendy asked with a blush.

"Yeah, can barley afford one." Lucy confirmed with an embarrassing smile. "Though I'd give about anything for one night free without Natsu's crazy snoring. Not that Gray and Erza are any better."

"Speaking of, where are those two anyway?" Happy asked.

"Last I checked, Erza met up with Mystogen to talk about all the mystery stuff that's going on." Dante answered. "As for Gray…" A smirk fell on his face. "He's got his own band of craziness with his girlfriend and boyfriend that he's gotta sort out."

Happy didn't bother holding back a laugh. "Lyon's Gray's boyfriend? Oh man, I'm gonna tease the heck out of him for that!"

Carla looked with a wince. "I do not envy that boy. The craziness he has to deal with is beyond normal, even by our standards."

Most of the group shared smirks and laughs, but when they approached the Honeybone Inn, they looked in surprise to see that someone was there waiting for them. Upon closer look, they saw that she looked very familiar…

"Wait a second… is that…?" Natsu was the first to get a good look at her.

"It's that girl from Sabertooth!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Yukino… Sorano's sister…" Lisanna muttered.

Dante and Lucy both shared concerning glances as they saw the white-haired Celestial Wizard staring right back at them.

---

Meanwhile, Erza sat on a stone staircase along with Sho, Milliana, and Wally to catch up. So far, the group of old friends had been enjoying each other's company.

"I'm a little disappointed I didn't get a chance to show off in the Games so far, but I'm sure I'll get at least one chance." Sho pointed out.

"Perhaps we may face each other in battle tomorrow." Erza suggested.

"That would be a one-sided slaughter for sure." Wally joked.

"Hey come on! You know I've gotten stronger, Wally!" Sho exclaimed in comic anger.

"Yeah, but you still ain't no Erza." Wally joked back, earning a giggle from Milliana as well as Erza.

"I would very much enjoy a battle with any of you." Erza said sincerely, earning a smile from Sho especially. "Speaking of, I have to admit, I was very surprised by your guildmate, Milliana."

"Yeah, Kagura's something else." The cat-girl replied. "Next to Lucia, she's the strongest member in our guild."

"The rest of us are acquainted with her too." Sho added. "Sure, she might seem a bit cold on the outside, but she's a decent lady."

"Unless you're a bad guy, then she's a real ice queen who shows no mercy." Wally said as well.

Erza then looked serious for a moment. "Tell me, that sword she uses… is it truly a Devil Arm?"

"Yes, it is." Milliana confirmed. "It's called Archenemy. It has the power to draw on the user's anger to increase its own power. It can also absorb the damage of any attack that is used against it for the same reason."

"That's quite a weapon." Erza noted with a serious expression, something her friends noticed.

"You sound a little… upset about that." Sho commented.

"'Upset' isn't the word I would use." Erza explained. "Devil Arms aren't to be taken lightly. I've seen first-hand what demonic power can do if it's misused, how it can change people… and it's not pretty."

"Oh, don't worry about old Kagura, Erzy." Milliana assured. "She's got the strongest, most iron-clad, will I know. You saw how she didn't draw her sword during her fight, right? Not only is it a powerful Devil Arm, she knows how to use it." Her face became serious. "She'll only draw it… when she finally confronts the man that she hates the most."

That got Erza's attention as Wally and Sho each looked with serious expressions of their own.

"…That person… she won't be satisfied until he's deep in the ground…" Milliana continued. "She'll do whatever it takes to put him there herself. She'll only draw Archenemy's full power… when she has her chance to kill Jellal."

Erza's pupils shrunk at that.

"I don't blame her… I feel exactly the same way…" Milliana went on, a vengeful smirk formed on her face. "I have never stopped hating Jellal…! He used us like tools… He killed Simon…! For all those sins… he has to pay…"

"Milliana!" Wally stopped her for a moment. "Look, we all get how you feel, you know we do. But you gotta stop."

"Why?! You hate him too, don't you?!"

"Of course, I do!" Wally exclaimed. "But it ain't my sole focus! Cause I'm not gonna let that freak take over my life! And you shouldn't either!"

Milliana turned away with crossed arms, earning a sigh from Wally.

"Was… Was Kagura a slave too…?" Erza asked, wondering the reason why she wants to kill Jellal.

"No, she wasn't at the Tower like us." Sho answered. "She's actually… Simon's sister."

As if she wasn't surprised before, but Erza honestly didn't see that coming. "His sister…?"

"We met her a couple months after you and your friends helped us." Sho explained. "She was already a part of Mermaid Heel, looking for her brother. We told her what happened and well… I'm sure you can guess what came next."

A sorrowful and sympathetic expression formed on Erza's face. She remembered everything that happened at that awful place: from her childhood as a slave, to Jellal's corruption, and of course… Simon dying in her arms.

"To be honest… I feel that way myself too." Sho added, his hands clenching into fists. "I'm not going to become obsessed and hunt down Jellal or anything like that. But if I ever see him again… I will make him pay."

"It's the reason I joined Mermaid Heel… to be strong enough and take him down too." Milliana said, her vengeful look returning. "I love everyone there… especially Mama Kurenai but… I won't stop hating Jellal. Not ever."

The look on Erza's face only became sadder. To see one of the sweetest people she knew become so consumed by vengeance and hate was just heartbreaking. At the same time, she understood why her friends felt that way, and they had every right to. She wanted to say how Jellal was also manipulated but held herself back as she couldn't say anything without revealing that Jellal and the rest of Crime Sorciere are in Crocus, as well as leak out what's been going on behind the scenes. But perhaps once it's all over…

---

Meanwhile, standing on the balcony of the Inn where Mermaid Heel was staying, Kurenai stood alongside the spirit of the Dark Knight, her sworn brother, as they stared up at the moon together.

"Your guild is beyond impressive, Kurenai." Sparda complemented. "You've raised them all quite well."

"Thank you, and I know." She replied. "I'm proud of all of them. Just as you are proud of Dante and everyone else in Fairy Tail." The two shared smiles with one another before Kurenai looked a bit serious. "But, I have the feeling you didn't come here to simply make small talk."

"Can it be so hard to believe that I just want to catch up with one of my oldest friends? I did technically come back from the dead, so…?" Sparda said humorously, which earned a giggle from Kurenai. It then became serious again. "But there is something that I do want to ask you."

"Let me guess, Kagura?" She assumed.

"She wields a Devil Arm, and incredibly powerful one at that." Sparda got to the point. "It reminds me much of the Yamato."

"It's similar, but not the same." Kurenai explained. "It can't cleave through dimensions, it's not nearly as powerful. But Archenemy is indeed a strong weapon and she's proven to be more than efficient with it."

"How did she get a hold of it?" Sparda asked.

"I gave it to her." Kurenai answered, much to Sparda's surprise. "You might assume that it was a reckless choice, but rest assured I did not grant it to her on a whim. We both know how dangerous demonic power can be if it's in the hands of someone unworthy, but my Kagura is more than worthy. She's trained since she was little to be a warrior for justice, to protect those who can't protect themselves, and I was there every step of the way."

"Since she was a child?" Sparda questioned.

"You know how I treat those in my guild as if they were my own daughters, correct?" Kurenai began. "Well… that's literally the case for her. Kagura isn't just a part of my guild. She's my adoptive daughter."

To say Sparda was surprised was an understatement. Kagura was Kurenai's adoptive daughter?!

"She has no demon blood, but I raised her as my own." She continued. "I was tracking that dreadful cult that used Zeref's name…" Kurenai noticed Sparda's fists clench at the mention of that cult, and she didn't fault him for his anger. "They had attacked a small village, and I had hoped to intercept them but… I was too late." She looked down in remorse. "All the adults were killed, and the children taken… all except one. A little girl named Kagura. I took her in, fed her, gave her shelter, and… one thing led to another."

"I know." Sparda nodded. "Believe me, I know exactly what that's like, you know I do." Sparda had a faraway smile on his face, something Kurenai mirrored as she remembered fondly those two little girls that he brought into his home and raised as his own daughters.

"As she grew, and I told her more about you and myself… and yes, she knows I'm a demon, she found that out pretty early on." Kurenai went on. "She said she wanted to be like us, a warrior for justice who protected the innocent. So, when she was old enough, I trained her. Even at such a young age, she was so skilled with the blade that I'd dare say she was a prodigy."

"When did you first train her?" Sparda asked.

"Since she was ten." Kurenai answered.

"Impressive." Sparda nodded before a half-grin formed on his face. "Though, Dante and Vergil started their training when they were around six so…"

"And by training, you mean they beat each other with wooden swords like a pair of immature boys." Kurenai shot back with her own half-grin, causing Sparda to shrug. "But back to Kagura, when she showed such potential, I trained her myself. She was almost the perfect student, doing everything she was told, and when she made a mistake, she was quick to learn and correct herself. She wanted so badly to be like us and I did my best to make sure she also had a happy and fun life, and I'm certain I struck a proper balance with that, especially when I formed Mermaid Heel and she met and befriended everyone there. She may have lost her old family, but she gained a new one. She was happy. So, I gave her Archenemy, believing the happiness and love she felt along with her steadfast conviction and discipline would keep the demonic power of that weapon in check."

"Why do I hear a 'however' coming?" Sparda assumed.

Kurenai sighed. "However, seven years ago… she heard about the death of her brother, Simon. After that… everything changed. She heard a little bit before about the possibility of her brother being alive… only to find out that he was killed."

Sparda looked with remorse, having seen many people experience something similar as well, particularly what Lucy went through with her father and their relationship. He was aware of how strained it became after Layla's passing, and how it looked like they were patching things up again. Then when Acnologia attacked Tenrou Island, she, Dante, and everyone else lost seven years of their lives, and Jude was killed by the Order of the Sword. Any chance of amending their relationship was lost. It wasn't quite the same as what Kagura experienced, but it was similar.

"Kagura became much more… rigid." Kurenai continued. "She still loves everyone in Mermaid Heel, including myself, and that hasn't changed in the slightest. She still desires to be a warrior for justice."

"But now there's vengeance thrown into the mix." Sparda stated.

"She vowed to only draw out Archenemy's full power to kill the man she views as responsible for her brother's death. Jellal Fernandes." Kurenai said.

"And how do you feel?" Sparda asked with genuine concern.

"She has to face that man, and she's not the only one. Milliana must do so as well." Kurenai said before a determined look formed in her eyes. "But I won't let them fall down that path. They are my daughters and while I will do everything I can to see to it they find closure and justice, I won't let them be consumed by revenge. We both know what that does to people."

"Yes… we do." Sparda said with a distant look in his eyes before he smiled sadly. "You're truly fortunate. You have a chance to help your child, or children in this case, and see to it they make the right choice. As for me…" He looked away. "While I am glad with how things are turning out for Dante and Nero… I know I could have done more. And of course… Vergil…"

"But you have a chance now, don't you?" Kurenai asked. "You may be a spirit, but you can still talk to him. I'm sure that…"

"I have tried." Sparda said, looking away. "I have allowed a certain number of individuals to see my presence, and he is one of them. I did try to talk with him, but… those individuals can also chose to ignore me if they want. I know he sensed my presence but… he hasn't said anything. I'm no fool, I know he doesn't want to see me, and I don't blame him."

Kurenai looked with sympathy toward him. Did Vergil really push him away? She stepped forward and walked in front of him so that he could face her directly.

"Sparda… one of these days you have to stop blaming yourself." Kurenai told him. "And it's not just with what happened to your family."

He tried to look away, but he couldn't find himself to do it. As much as he wanted to, the many, many, many, things that he was responsible for were hard to put behind him, especially when those he cared for ended up getting hurt.

"Kurenai, speaking of Jellal Fernandes… There is something you should know."

---

Honeybone Inn

Yukino currently resided in the room where Fairy Tail Team A was sleeping in. She sat at a table across from Lucy while Dante, Natsu, Lisanna, and Wendy all stood behind her, with Happy and Carla standing on the table itself. It was rather silent for a moment, the situation being rather awkward.

"I've got some fish if you're hungry." Happy offered, trying to stir some things up and be friendly. "It tastes best when it's raw."

"That's not the issue here." Carla said in a partially annoyed sigh.

"Well, first…" She looked towards Dante. "Are you Dante Redgrave, Son of Sparda?"

"Yeah, that's me." He confirmed with a nod.

"The resemblance is uncanny. You really do look just like Vergil." Yukino said. Just the mention of that name however caused Dante and Lucy to have complicated expressions on their faces while Natsu's eyes narrowed, as Wendy, Carla, Lisanna, and Happy each looked a little bit nervous.

"So… how is he doing?" Lucy asked.

"He seems to be doing very well." Yukino confirmed. "He's the strongest member in our guild, and one of the reasons why Sabertooth currently has the number one spot."

"Yeah, we already knew that." Dante said. "Kinda like to keep tabs on him. So is something going on with him?"

"Is he causing trouble again?" Natsu questioned seriously.

"No, nothing like that." Yukino replied. "The truth is… I came here to actually see you, Lucy Heartfilia."

That caught the blonde by surprise. "To see me? But what about?"

"Does Sabertooth wanna mess with Lucy or something?" Natsu questioned again, almost like he was interrogating her.

"Natsu, you don't have to interrogate her, it's not like she's done anything wrong." Lisanna said.

"She's right." Wendy added. "Let's at least hear her out."

"I realize this is out of the blue but…Please take these." Yukino placed two of her golden Zodiac Keys on the table. "The Key of the Two Fish, and the Key of the Balance. I want you to have them. They should belong to someone who can wield them properly."

Though her friends were quite surprised, none were more shocked than Lucy herself. "What…?!" She couldn't believe it, but when she looked into Yukino's eyes, she could tell that she was serious about this. "No way…! I-I couldn't…! Please think this through!"

"I already have. I made up my mind after watching your match yesterday." Yukino said. "You're not only a superior Celestial Wizard, you're even a Devil Hunter. I was going to give them to you once the tournament was over anyway."

"So why not just wait till then?" Natsu questioned.

"The Games were over for me the moment I lost." She answered, causing many of them to look with concern. Dante noticed a faint look of hurt in her eyes, but it was quickly pushed down as she spoke in a serious manner once again. "Minerva will take my place. Tomorrow you'll be up against Sabertooth's strongest. Vergil, Sting, Rogue, Rufus, Orga and Lady Minerva, the six members who transformed the guild into the powerhouse that it is today."

"Wait… you mean…?" Happy recalled how they heard that Vergil, despite being the most powerful member of Sabertooth, was also among five other wizards that made up the top brass of the Sabertooth guild.

"But we thought that you were one of the six." Carla assumed.

"Normally a newcomer like me wouldn't compete." Yukino explained. "But Lady Minerva was on a job and couldn't make it, so I stepped in for her."

"How would you compare this Minerva-chick to my brother? Just curious?" Dante asked.

"Vergil is clearly superior, anyone can see that." Yukino answered. "Though she aims to surpass him one day and is dead serious on accomplishing her goal. I wouldn't underestimate her if I were you. Out of everyone in Sabertooth, she is arguably the most ruthless."

"Noted." Dante shared a serious glance with Natsu.

"But I thought Celestial Spirits were precious to their wielders." Lisanna said. "Aren't Libra and Pisces your friends?"

"That's exactly why I'm handing them over to Lucy." Yukino replied. "If they stay with me, I'm only going to hold them back. In the hands of Lucy however, I know they will become much stronger."

"Don't you think you're beating yourself up too much?" Wendy said.

"Yeah, I mean, I appreciate the complement, but I'm afraid the answer is still no." Lucy said as well.

"Please, you must take them." Yukino insisted. "You've already managed to gather ten of the Zodiac Keys. All you have to say is yes. With these in your possession, you will have them all. And the Door of World Change will open."

That got their attention. "Door of World Change?" Lucy muttered in surprise.

"What does that mean?" Natsu questioned.

"Well, that's not ominous." Dante commented.

Wendy, Carla, and Happy seemed as surprised by that phrase as everyone else as the Sky Dragon Slayer leaned to her Exceed companion. "Think you can look into the future Carla?"

"Sorry, but precognition doesn't work on demand, child." Carla replied. 'But still…'

'Could this be what Jellal was talking about?' Lisanna wondered. 'We think that what Crime Sorciere is looking for might be connected to Celestial Wizards so… maybe…' She looked towards Dante and could tell by the expression on his face that he was thinking the exact same thing.

"It's just an old legend." Yukino explained to all of them. "To tell you the truth, I don't understand what it means either. But there is one thing I'm sure of, over the past few years, the number of Celestial Wizards have plummeted."

"She's not wrong." Dante said in agreement. "And that whole mess with the Order of the Sword didn't help much either."

"In fact, I believe that Lucy and I may very well be the only ones left." Yukino said, taking them by surprise even further.

"Wait… are you serious?" Lisanna asked in shock.

"Only two Celestial Wizards left?" Wendy questioned as well.

"I can't say with utter certainty, but it is a possibility." Yukino said. "In a sense, we are now an endangered species. I can tell that you love your spirits, Lucy, and they love you in return. If anyone should have them, it should be someone who is both strong and loving toward them."

"Just these two though? What about the other one?" Dante asked. "That giant snake you got."

"That's right." Lucy also said. "I've heard rumors of the thirteenth gate, but I never knew it existed until I saw you wield it."

"I'm sorry… but I cannot allow anyone else to have Ophiuchus." Yukino said.

"Why?" Natsu's eyes narrowed. "You think Lucy can't handle it? Or you're saving the strongest for yourself?"

"Natsu! Will you please stop with the attitude!?" Lisanna scolded.

"It's nothing like that." Yukino stated. "I just feel that Ophiuchus is my burden to bear."

"What do you mean by… burden?" Lucy asked.

"Ophiuchus is not like any other Celestial Spirit." Yukino replied. "She's not only powerful, but also incredibly dangerous. In fact,… I believe that she may be… evil."

Lucy's eyes widened to the point where they were almost circular. "What did you say…?"

"An evil Celestial Spirit?" Wendy asked in surprise.

"That thing did look pretty scary." Happy pointed out.

"It didn't just look it, that thing had demonic power coming from it." Dante put in. "I know I felt that."

"An evil… Celestial Spirit…" Lucy tried to wrap her head around the very concept. "I… I can't imagine that. I mean, I've met a few spirits that aren't the friendliest but… nothing evil."

"I know it's hard to believe, I was skeptical myself." Yukino said. "But… whenever ever I summoned her… I could feel the malevolence. The first time I used her in battle… the aura she gave was so intensely negative it was… almost suffocating. And… whenever she would strike down an opponent… even when I didn't ask her too… it almost always ended in my enemy losing their life." Lucy gasped at that. "And I could feel the pleasure she felt as she did it. The sheer satisfaction at… killing her enemy." Her hands shook in her lap.

"How the heck did you even get a hold of something like that anyway?" Natsu asked.

"From my mentor." Yukino answered. "I was raised by a powerful Celestial Wizard who taught me everything I know today. She said that Ophiuchus has been part of her family for generations, but since she had no children, I asked to take it. She was hesitant at first but… at one point she told me that she would be leaving." She looked down slightly. "She wouldn't tell me why, other than staying with her would put me in grave danger. She gave me Ophiuchus, believing I was strong enough to handle her, and I should only summon her as a last resort."

"So where is she now?" Lisanna asked. "This Celestial Wizard who trained you?"

"I do not know. I haven't seen her in years." Yukino replied. "But now you understand that I cannot part with Ophiuchus. I won't let anyone else be in danger, so I will bear the burden of keeping her contained."

Everyone could tell how serious she was. Not just with parting with Pieces and Libra but keeping Ophiuchus as well. Dante in particular could tell that she was scared of that giant snake, but the fact that she was still willing to hold onto it to keep anyone else from getting hurt showed that she had quite the strong will. He was genuinely impressed, so much so that he gave a slight smile.

Lucy saw that as well. "Thanks, but I still refuse." Her response was a surprise to Yukino. Lucy smiled toward her. "Celestial Magic is about the bonds we form with our spirits. It's not as easy to give up ownership of them as you might think."

"I know…" Yukino admitted with a sad look in her eyes. "Trust me… this isn't easy for me." She then stood up, taking her keys back. "Forget about it, I had a feeling that would be your answer from the start." She then gave a small smile. "But for better or for worse, I'm sure that all twelve keys will find their way together someday."

Lucy smiled back. "And hey, I still don't believe that there's an 'evil' Celestial Spirit but… if Ophiuchus does give you any trouble, don't be afraid to come to me for help."

Yukino bowed her head. "Thank you for your time. I hope this isn't the last time we meet." She then walked out of the room.

However, unbeknownst to any of them, Sheeree had been on the rooftop of the building. She went there to try and check up on Wendy, having heard that she recovered from being attacked by Raven Tail. And she happened to hear everything they talked about with Yukino.

---

The girls then went to the bathroom to get cleaned up and changed into their pajamas. "You passed up a golden opportunity." Carla said to Lucy.

"I'm with Carla on this one, I'm not sure I could have said no." Wendy added.

"A long time ago… I would have jumped at the chance to have all twelve Zodiac Keys, I probably would have tried to grab that thirteenth one too. But I haven't wanted that for a while now. I could tell that Yukino loves her spirits the same way I do. Honestly… it's hard to believe she's Sorano's sister." Lucy remembered her first battle with Angel when she was still part of the Oracion Seis. She had no love for her Celestial Spirits back then and only used them as tools. Though she could tell that Sorano was trying to be a better person now, it was still hard to forget that battle. "And I'd be a pretty crappy Celestial Wizard myself if I allowed Yukino to sever their bond. At least, that's how I feel anyway."

"Well that only shows just how much you've grown." Lisanna smiled as she gently took Lucy's hand. "Forsaking power for the bonds of somebody you don't even know? You are a truly pure soul, Lucy."

"I wouldn't say that…" Lucy rubbed the back of her head with a nervous smile. "I'm just not into breaking any hearts or anything."

"Still, I should also express concern on what she said about Ophiuchus." Carla said. "While she may care for her other spirits, you could tell that she was visibly scared of that one in particular."

"I don't know if I can believe that a Celestial Spirit could be evil." Lucy confessed. "But… if it does become a problem, I'll find a way to deal with it."

"We'll find a way to deal with it." Lisanna stated looking at her firmly with an eager grin. "Your part of Fairy Tail, remember? That means you never do anything by yourself."

Lucy looked towards Wendy and Carla and could tell by their facial expressions that they felt the same way. She formed a similar face of her own as she pumped her fist in determination. "Got that right."

---

Yukino had walked some distance away from the Inn, not really having any set destination in mind since she couldn't go back to Crocus Gardens. She soon stopped when a certain someone appeared in her path.

"Excuse me, you're Yukino, right?" Sheeree asked.

"Yes…? And you are?" She asked, not knowing who the girl in front of her was.

"Somebody who knows a certain someone that you also know." Sheeree said with a smile, but when she looked to her right, toward an alleyway between two buildings, she was surprised for a moment. "Um… hang on one second." She said to Yukino before going into the alleyway, much to the girl's confusion, even as she heard some minor struggling from the alleyway.

"Sheeree, I really don't think…"

"Come on, you know you want to see her!" Sheeree tried to pull out a certain woman, someone that when Yukino saw her, she gasped in absolute shock.

"Please! We don't…!" Sorano was pulled out completely. She glanced to her left and that's when her eyes made contact with her younger sister.

The second they saw one another, all time seemed to stop. Yukino dropped her suitcase as her eyes wavered and her mouth hung open slightly. Sorano looked at her with a nervous expression, before trying to look away slightly.

"S-S-Sorano…?" Yukino stuttered. "Is… is that…y-you…?"

She didn't try to look her younger sister in the eye, but she couldn't help but give a tiny nod to confirm it. "You've… You've grown up quite a bit… Yukino."

Yukino felt herself instinctively walking toward her older sister before it turned into a full on sprint and she leapt at Sorano, the two falling backwards much to Sorano's surprise as she felt Yukino bury her face into her shoulder and cry her eyes out.

"I… I… I missed you… so much….!" Yukino cried, holding onto Sorano with all her might, as if she was afraid she'd disappear the second she let go.

Sorano felt her own eyes water as well. She wanted to push Yukino away. How could she still have any kind of love for a sister who's caused so much suffering and committed so many irreversible crimes, including murder? And yet, she couldn't stop herself from pulling her sister in tighter and crying as well.

Sheeree wiped the tears from her eyes as she smiled warmly at this little reunion. Despite what Sorano might be thinking, she did deserve this. After all, if Sheeree got a chance to connect again with her own sister, Sorano deserved that as well. She also noticed someone else approaching from the other side of the pathway. It was Dante, Natsu, and Happy.

When they saw the crying sisters, it didn't take long for the three of them to figure out what was going on. Dante and Natsu smirked in approval while Happy almost cried himself.

After a moment, Sorano and Yukino both stood up as they smiled emotionally toward each other. "I can't believe it… I found you…" Yukino still cried.

"More like the other way around but… yeah…" Sorano tried to act cool, even as she tried to wipe the tears from her eyes, but her voice was so shaky and happy, one could easily see through it.

"Awe, that's so cute. Getting a little misty-eyed over here." Happy said, finally drawing on Yukino's attention.

"Y-you… you're here too?"

"So, how'd this happen?" Dante asked Sheeree.

"I was outside your Inn, hoping to check in on Wendy and I overheard you guys and Yukino talking." Sheeree replied. "Figured it would be the best time for a little reunion."

"I will get you back for this." Sorano gave Sheeree a look that mixed a mischievous glare with emotional happiness.

"Yeah, love you too." The younger girl brushed off.

"So… why are you here?" Yukino tried to move past her emotions as she addressed the trio from Fairy Tail.

"Well, we kinda wanted to apologize." Natsu said.

"Apologize? You haven't done anything." Yukino looked more confused than anything.

"I gave you a bit of a hard time before, mostly cause you're with Sabertooth." Natsu began.

"Wait, bro!" Happy interrupted. "You can't assume someone's bad just cause they're in another guild! I thought you were better than that, Natsu!"

"Duh, that's why I came to apologize, you dummy!" Natsu said in annoyance before turning back to Yukino. "Sorry it's just… Sabertooth's been really rubbing us the wrong way. Those two Dragon Slayers you got were real jack assess, especially the blonde. And Vergil…" a serious looked formed on his face, as well as Dante's. "He's caused me and my friends a whole lot trouble in the past, and it's kinda hard to forget it. But… you're not like them." Natsu smiled. "You seem like a nice person. And hey, you got to see your sister again, so that's cool. Really, I'm happy for ya!"

"And that's where my apology comes in." Dante stepped up. "Though mine's a bit more complicated."

"I told you, it's not your fault." Sorano reminded him.

"I know, but I still feel I gotta say something." Dante replied.

"What's not his fault? I… don't understand…" Yukino looked more confused than anything.

"Long story short, the two of us met seven years ago." Sorano explained. "He saved my life and… I asked him to look out for you when I couldn't." That caught Yukino by surprise. "But then some unfortunate turn of events happened, and he and his friends got frozen in time for seven years."

"And yeah, I know it's not our fault but… I still made a promise and I fell short, so sorry about that." Dante put in.

"Y-you… you promised to… look out for someone… you didn't even know…?" Yukino's expression was hidden underneath the shadows from her hair.

"I don't always need a reason to help someone." Dante said. "And you seem to be doing pretty well for yourself, so I'm happy. But, if you do need any help for any reason at all, just let me know. I promise it won't be any trouble for me."

Yukino didn't respond right away. "…You're very kind."

Natsu chuckled. "Well, glad it's all settled then."

Sheeree even clapped her hands as she smiled. "Yep. Everything's coming up with smiles."

Suddenly, Yukino fell on her knees and cried, much to everyone's shock. "Whoa! What'd we do?! Please stop crying!" Natsu exclaimed in surprise.

"Whatever they did, I'll fix it!" Happy exclaimed.

Sorano immediately and instinctively kneeled to her sister's level. "Yukino… what's wrong?"

"…I can't take it…How can you all be so kind when… they weren't…" Yukino cried, but these weren't tears of joy. That 'they' part is what got all their attention, however. "I looked up to them once… the members of Sabertooth… were my idols…! I finally joined them… but now… I'll never… get to set foot in the guild again…!"

"What…?" Dante questioned, he and Sorano both having a bad feeling where this was going.

"I was forced to leave… just cause of one defeat…!"

Natsu was especially shocked at that.

"I was humiliated in front of everyone…!" She continued to sob. "They… they would have… stripped me… and he forced me… to erase my guild mark…"

"They did what…?" Sorano growled, her anger quickly rising as Sheeree covered her mouth while Happy looked completely mortified.

Dante's fists clenched. "Vergil?"

"No… he… he tried to defend me…" Yukino still cried. "But… he couldn't stop it… It was so… frustrating… and embarrassing… they took my self-respect and shattered it to pieces…! Sabertooth was my home and I'll never see it again!"

That was all she needed to hear. Sorano immediately stood up and was about to walk a certain direction, but Sheeree quickly grabbed her arm. "And where do you think you're going?"

"To obliterate that pathetic excuse for a guild. What else?" Sorano revealed, causing Yukino to gasp as she looked to her older sister in shock.

"You can't do that! And you know why!" Sheeree stated, walking in front of her. "I get that you're angry…"

"They humiliated my sister, all just because she lost a match!" Sorano shouted. "Anger doesn't even begin to describe how I feel right now!"

"And you have every reason to feel that way!" Sheeree replied. "If it happened to Wendy, I would have done the same thing! Hell, I actually want to go there with you too! But you know we can't! We're wanted criminals, remember? If we go there and openly attack the number one official guild in Fiore, that will bring the Magic Council here to Crocus, which will cause trouble for us, Fairy Tail, and everyone else! We have a job to do here, and we can't afford to act recklessly! Especially given the fact that Vergil is a part of that guild too!"

As much as Sorano wanted to argue, she knew Sheeree was right. But that didn't lessen the rage burning within her. Those bastards in Sabertooth made her sister cry! She didn't care if Vergil was one of them, she'd honestly go back to her old Angel persona just to wipe them out with her bare hands.

"You know she's right." Dante said to Sorano as he walked past them and gave her a brief pat on the shoulders. "So, I'll go there and bust some heads myself."

That caused Yukino to look in even further surprise.

"Hang on, I'm right behind you." The angry Natsu was about to join him.

"No. Natsu, you and Happy make sure Yukino gets back to the others." Dante told him, his back turned.

"What?! Come on!" The Salamander complained. "I wanna roast them alive too!"

"And I'd honestly let you, but we also got another job here besides the Games." Dante reminded. He glanced back to Yukino. "Do you have anywhere else to go?"

Despite the surprise she felt towards everyone's reactions at her grief and humiliation, Yukino shook her head.

"Then you get back to the rest of our friends." Dante told her. "Natsu…"

The Fire Dragon Slayer knew Dante was right. Even he had to remember what's been going on. Whatever was going on here likely had Lucy at the center since she was almost kidnapped earlier today. And Yukino could be a target as well given that she had the same kind of powers as well as more of the Golden Keys. And since she was no longer a part of Sabertooth, she didn't have anyone else to protect her. With reluctance, Natsu forced himself to calm down as he extended a hand to Yukino.

"Come on." He said. She slowly reached out and took his hand as he helped her up.

"What… what is going on…?" Yukino looked more confused than anything.

"Yukino, your life might be in danger." Sorano told her. "We'll explain everything on the way, but we're going to make sure you're safe."

"We'll help her get back to your friends." Sheeree said to Dante.

"Thanks. Appreciate that." He replied as he walked away.

"Hey Dante…" Happy got his attention. "Are you going to be okay?"

Dante turned his face slightly to reveal a smile as he gave a finger salute, saying it was all gonna be fine, before walking off. As he did, his smile turned into a look of pure anger. Even if Vergil did try to defend Yukino's honor, it doesn't change what the rest of those pricks did to her. And he was going to make sure they all felt the same kind of humiliation, especially their boss.

---

Meanwhile, Erza stood by herself on a balcony that overlooked most of Crocus, still processing her encounter with her old friends. She didn't blame them for how they felt, they were all victims too. But… it certainly made things more complicated than they already were. Jellal and the rest of his guild had a mission here, one that could help prevent a potential apocalypse. So Erza would do what she could to defend Jellal if they crossed paths for that very reason. But, it wasn't just her friends though that was on her mind.

Kagura. The same woman from Mermaid Heel that she saw compete earlier today was Simon's sister. That caused her to think back to when she and all the other kids from her town were abducted. She remembered that there was someone else there when their home was attacked. Another girl around her age, possibly younger, that she helped to hide in a chest right before Erza herself was snatched. Could that have been the same girl? It was highly likely. If Erza could get a good look at her face, she would know for sure.

"Hey Erza, what's up? Something the matter?" Gray approached her from behind, drawing her out of her thoughts.

"Hello Gray." She was glad to see him. "I had a run-in with my old friends." She explained. "They seem to be doing well. But…"

"Let me guess… Jellal?" Gray assumed as he stepped up next to her on the balcony. She only gave a nod to confirm it, causing Gray to sigh. "Sorry life's gotta be complicated."

"Aren't we all?" Erza said humorously.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Gray asked with concern.

Erza put on a smile. "There's a lot going on, but I'll be fine. I'm sure everything will work out. What about you? What brings you out here?"

Gray gave an emotionally exhausted sigh of his own. "After dealing with Juvia and Lyon's nonsense all night, I figured I could use a little fresh air to clear my head."

"You think it's nonsense, huh?" Erza began. "Come on. I mean, I wasn't even there and I bet I can tell you exactly what they wanted to talk with you about." The knowing look on her eyes caused Gray to stutter as he looked more embarrassed than anything. "Be honest, what do you think about Juvia?"

"She's crazy." Gray said bluntly. "But… she's also reliable. If I need help, she's always there. So I appreciate that about her at least."

Erza smiled. "You know exactly how she feels about you, it's not like she hides it, and she deserves a straight answer. Though, I suppose I don't have much room to talk in that regard." She took one last look at the full moon. "It's getting late, we should be heading back."

---

Mercurius

Sitting in his own private chamber, Arcadios went over all the papers, blueprints, plans, and equations he spent seven long years studying and researching, making sure that this plan would work without a hitch. So far, it seemed like everything was coming together very nicely.

"One wizard with ten of the Keys, and another with two of them… I couldn't ask for a better situation!" Arcadios grinned with excitement. "With all twelve, Eclipse will work just as we imagined and without any lives lost no less! It's perfect! It will be soon, Zeref! Acnologia! Very soon!" Arcadios couldn't help but give off a laugh of pure excitement.

---

Crocus Gardens

The Inn where Sabertooth currently resided was quiet.

That is until multiple explosions erupted across the building, waking up all those that were sleeping.

"What the hell was that?!" Sting shot up from his bed.

"A party maybe…" Lector rose up from the bed, rubbing his tired eyes.

Rogue entered the room with a serious look. "We've got an intruder, Sting!"

"Everything's going boom-boom!" Frosch flew in with a panic.

"They must have a death-wish!" Sting said as he got up. "What kind of idiot would storm in here and start messing with our guild?! Who is it?!"

"No idea!" Rogue replied as the Twin Dragons and their Exceed companions ran down the hallways to confront the intruder. "But if they think they're getting out of here alive, they're in for a real shock!"

They made it into the lobby, where Rufus and Orga had already arrived as well, where they saw several of their guildmates go flying and crashing into the walls around them. A blur of red appeared in the middle of the lobby, wielding a sword in one hand and a shotgun in the other.

"Hey! Who's in charge here?!" Dante called out, a look of anger on his face. "I've got a complaint to make!"

Sting, Rogue, Orga, Rufus, Frosch, and Lector, they all looked in clear shock as they saw the Son of Sparda, the younger brother of their strongest member, blast his way into their place of stay and wreck several of their members without even breaking a sweat.

The rest of Sabertooth looked ready to fight back, but they backed away in fear as their master stepped up to confront the red-clad intruder.

"If you have something to say to me, you should say it." Jiemma told him.

"So, you're the top dog of these bunch of ingrates?" Dante glared at him. Yeah, the aura this guy gave, as well as the way everyone else was around him told Dante that this was Sabertooth's master. "Make a mistake, and you're homeless and humiliated, huh? Maybe you'd like a taste of that yourself."

As Dante and Jiemma glared at one another, the former's eyes narrowing down as he looked ready to attack at any moment, the latter looked at him with a contemplating expression and yet one could tell that he was not afraid to fight back either. To say that the tension was high would be an understatement. It was making everyone else around them quite nervous.

"That's… That's Vergil's younger brother… Dante…" Rufus stuttered.

"Why is here though…?" The still-shocked Sting muttered.

"You really don't wanna tangle with our master, pal." Orga warned.

"That guy's gonna get murdered…!" Lector looked with a tense expression.

"Yeah… I don't wanna watch this…" Frosch didn't bother to hide his fear.

"It seems that all of Sparda's sons share the same arrogance." Jiemma said to Dante. "Foolish boy."

"I ain't here for thrills, old man." The red-clad Devil Hunter maintained his glare. "I'm here to beat the shit out of you destroying that girl's self-worth. One defeat, and you tried to strip her and then expel her? I've met a lot of scumbags in my life, but that alone puts you in the top five at least."

Rogue's eyes widened and his pupils shook with surprise. 'He's talking about Yukino…!'

Sting glared at Dante. 'Where does he get off?! How our guild operates is none of his damn business!'

"Hell, I'm surprised you didn't try to rape her while you were at it." Dante added.

"That lamb was far too weak to bear my children. I wouldn't have wasted my time." Jiemma brushed off.

*BANG!*

A shotgun blast shot past the guildmaster's face and obliterated the top half of the decorative tree behind him and the other guild members, much to their surprise. Dante held out the smoking Coyote-A as his glare intensified.

'He'd actually consider raping someone!?' The enraged Dante thought. 'Yeah, I'm definitely gonna put him in the morgue now. Tournament rules be damned!'

"So, victory or defeat determines one's own self-worth, huh?" Dante asked. "Well let's see how much yours is. You and me, right here and now. And when I kick your ass, we'll see how much you're really worth."

"I don't feel like wasting my time with you. Dobengal!" Upon Jiemma command, a man dressed like a ninja, suddenly appeared by his master's side.

"Yes, master?"

"Deal with this intruder." Jiemma ordered.

"As you wish!" Dobengal rushed Dante, who was more than ready to fight back…

Only for the tip of a certain katana to come in-between them, forcing Dobengal to stop as the blade was less than an inch from his own neck.

Everyone looked in even further surprise to see their strongest member's sudden appearance, particularly in how he pointed a deadly weapon to the throat of his own guildmate, his back turned to his younger brother as he kept his eyes focused on his guildmaster.

"Your actions are unsurprising, Dante." Vergil said. "Though I did not expect you to come here tonight. I can only assume that you encountered Yukino and learned of her expulsion."

"Quite the pack you got here, Bro." Dante told him. "Not exactly the friendliest bunch. Call me curious, but how do you think about what happened to her?"

"It was unnecessary and foolish." Vergil replied. "She is far stronger and has more potential than most of these fools. Unfortunately, I'm not the guildmaster so I cannot make that call."

"Never pegged you as the type to follow anyone's orders." Dante said.

Vergil paid him a slight glance. "I have my reasons."

The two twin brothers maintain eye-contact for a brief second. Dante could tell that Vergil meant what he said about Yukino, and Vergil saw the small look of respect in his younger brother's eyes, indicating he knew that Vergil did defend what honor she had, for which Dante was grateful toward. But the tension between the two was still there.

"Vergil… why are you…" The still-shocked Dobengal stuttered as Vergil kept the Yamato close to his neck. The ninja dared not move, else risk his head being separated from his body.

"Dobengal, you will stand down." The eldest Son of Sparda told him.

"B-But…"

"You were not the one challenged, our master was." Vergil set his eyes on his glaring guildmaster. "This is his fight, and I will not tolerate any outside interference." He said that as he looked to the rest of his guild.

"Why should I waste my time fighting this boy?" Jiemma questioned. "Perhaps you should see him out as he is your brother."

"Because I wasn't challenged." Vergil replied as he put away the Yamato, causing Dobengal to sigh with relief. "And Dante is correct, as the guildmaster of Sabertooth, you must follow the rules and code that you placed on this guild. If you believe victory and defeat truly determines one worthiness, then face him and hold true to your principle. If you defeat Dante, you will prove that you are indeed worthy to lead our guild. However, should you fail or decline his challenge…" Vergil shot a glare at the man. "Then you must walk away, forever a disgrace and unworthy to bare the emblem of Sabertooth!"

As if the members of Sabertooth were shocked before, but all of them looked in complete and utter surprise. Did they really just hear Vergil say that right to Jiemma face?!

"Holy crap…!" Orga muttered.

"I've never heard Vergil so audacious before…" Rufus commented.

"Whoa…!" Frosch looked ready to scream.

Lector winced back in clear fear. "Vergil actually called the master out?!"

Sting and Rogue were both rendered silent as they were already sweating. They knew firsthand that Vergil and Jiemma did not like each other, but this was the first time they were so confrontational, and Vergil was the one who shot first. They honestly wondered if this fight would turn into a three-way brawl right here.

Dante noticed the glares shared between the two as well. He could practically see the animosity between them. But he would think more on that later. First things first, he had to teach Jiemma a lesson.

"Very well." Jiemma stepped forward as Vergil walked to the side, allowing him and Dante to face each other. "I'll admit you have spirit boy, the kind that nobody else in my guild has. But spirit isn't enough!" He shot his hand forward and shot a blast of raw magic power right at Dante.

Only for the red-clad Devil Hunter to leap through the blast and thrust Rebellion forward, Jiemma crossed his arms to block the thrust, but the force of it still pushed Jiemma back as he batted the sword away and slammed his massive fist into the side of Dante's face. Though he fell briefly, Dante was able to retaliate with a roundhouse kick to Jiemma's jaw and push him back. Jiemma shot another blast of magic at Dante, which he countered with a burst from Coyote-A. Both blasts intercepted and created a brief explosion.

Leaping through the smoke, Dante had quipped Beowulf and used the speed from his boots to slam his right gauntlet into Jiemma's gut, much to his surprise and that of the rest of Sabertooth as they continued to watch the slugfest. Dante's left gauntlet struck Jiemma's face, but the older man shot another wave of his Blast Magic at Dante, appearing to engulf him in it.

However, everyone, Jiemma especially, but excluding Vergil, were surprised to see Dante leaping above the blast and deliver an axe kick to Jiemma's head, which he was unable to block as the force of Beowulf's kick struck him to the ground and created an impact. While he was down, Dante brought both Beowulf's gauntlets down together to create a devastating impact, one that shook up the entire building and drew the attention of a few onlookers outside.

Nearly every minor person in Sabertooth had their jaws dropped and eyes widened in clear shock, while Vergil continued to watch seriously. Though his eyes quickly narrowed as he senses the sudden appearance of a familiar force of magic.

A propulsion force appeared in-between Dante and Jiemma, pushing them away from each other a somebody else appeared before them. It was a slim young woman with green eyes, slightly tan skin, black hair braided in the back and tied in loops. She wore a blue strapless dress with a large slit to expose her left leg and thigh with dark boots. But what really set her apart from everyone else was the arrogant and condescending smirk she had on her face.

"Minerva…" Jiemma acknowledged in minor surprise.

"Milady?" Sting didn't expect to see her here.

Dante got a real good look at her. 'So, this is who Yukino was talking about, Sabertooth's top chick. She looks hot but… that smirk on her face. It's worse than how Ultear was when she was with Grimoire Heart.' He already didn't like this woman.

"I think that's quite enough." Minerva spoke up as Dante's eyes narrowed even further.

"How dare you get in my way!" Jiemma scolded. "This does not concern you!"

"Please forgive me, father." Minerva said. "While I would love to see you match a Son of Sparda in combat, but we must take into consideration how this altercation would appear to the outside world."

'So, she's his daughter, huh?' Dante noted. 'Guess arrogance runs in the family.'

"That being the case, I'm rather surprised with you, Vergil." Minerva looked towards the eldest half-demon in the room. "I never expected you to actually permit such a violent fiasco."

"I didn't." Vergil replied. "Your father was challenged, and he had to respond accordingly. I only prevented outside interference, that said, I would ask you step aside."

"I'm afraid I can't. I'd rather not risk our guild being disqualified from the Games." Minerva said before turning toward the younger half-demon. "Now then, Dante, is it? It's rather unfortunate that we have to meet under such extenuating circumstances, I really do admire you. But I think we can agree that this has gone on quite enough. Of course, if you happen to disagree, perhaps you'd like a little incentive."

With a twist of spatial magic, Happy suddenly appeared in Minerva's hands, wrapped up in rope and crying his eyes out.

"Be aware, that is also the only way your kitten will be returned to you, unharmed." Minerva teased. Dante's response was to draw Ivory in a fraction of a second and point it right in-between her eyes as he flashed a death-glare.

"Let. Him. Go. Now." No jokes. No snark. Just the order. Nobody hurts Dante's friends and walks away in one piece.

"Agree to leave and I will do so." Minerva patted the sobbing Happy's head.

"Sorry Dante…!" The blue Exceed cried.

"You had best listen to my brother, Minerva." Vergil warned, his hand on the hilt of Yamato. "He doesn't make idle threats. Something we have in common."

"Now, now, this doesn't have to end in bloodshed, Vergil." Minerva told him. "We are clearly the victims, and your brother the aggressor. But it can all be resolved right now should he leave. Let us continue the games like nothing happened, wouldn't you agree… Dante?" She held Happy close, patting his head and making the not-so-subtle threat of harming him.

Dante was tempted to put her down right here and now. But he had no idea what this Minerva-bitch could do, and he wasn't going to put Happy's life at risk for this. With reluctance, he put his pistol away. Minerva did release Happy, the rope falling off him as the crying Exceed flew into Dante's chest.

"I'm sorry Dante! She caught me by surprise!"

"It's alright, don't worry." Dante assured as he patted Happy's head. "Let's just get out of here."

"Okay…" Happy muttered as Dante turned around, carrying him and leaving the wrecked lobby.

"You've got some serious guts for just a fool." Jiemma told him.

"We can settle this matter once-and-for-all inside the arena, where we'll show no mercy." Minerva's diabolical grin grew.

Dante stopped for a second as he gave a hollow chuckle. "If I had a penny for every time that I heard the whole 'show no mercy' shtick…" He turned around to glare at them. "Come at us with everything you got, it'll make it all the sweeter when we kick all your asses." That earned a glare from nearly every member present. "Fairy Tail's gone up against worse odds, we can handle some wannabe dark guild like you chumps." He then looked towards his brother. "Tell me for real, Vergil. Why are you with Sabertooth anyway? It's clear you don't like any of them."

Vergil gave a brief sigh before answering. "To be perfectly honest, Sabertooth is a means to an end for me. I need to get stronger, and they provide me the means to do so. Should they fall short, I won't waste any more time with them and leave. Liking them doesn't really factor in."

"Yeah, that sounds like you." Dante said. "Still… maybe you should just leave. Lucy's really holding out hope for you, and I'd hate to see you lose your honor the more you hang out with these idiots." With that, Dante turned back around. But rather than leave…

He drew out Ivory again and shot straight up into the air. As he walked out with Happy in his arms, the chandelier from the ceiling fell and shattered on the ground. A clear sign of disrespect if they'd ever seen one, and one they did not take lightly.

As everyone glared at the exit as they saw Dante vanish, Rogue looked down in shame. 'He may be right… perhaps we aren't all that different from a dark guild.'

Sting shook with a look of fear on his face that he desperately tried to put away. 'That was crazy! He's way stronger than I thought…! He might actually be on par with Vergil!'

"Hey! I call first game, tomorrow!" Orga shouted. "And I'm gonna make sure those Fairy Tail punks pay for this!"

"He had the audacity to compare us to a dark guild…? He will suffer indeed." Rufus said with venom. "And I'll commit his pain to my memory."

"Indeed, we shall respond accordingly to this act of disrespect." Minerva commented as she kicked a piece of the broken chandelier. "Although, I must admit, disturbances such as these do keep things exciting. And since Yukino is no longer with us, I shall take it upon myself to fill her vacancy. That being said… I trust that if you and your brother end up competing against each other, you won't be pulling your punches, Vergil."

"I never pull my punches with him." Vergil responded. "Just as I won't with you should you ever try anything like that again."

"Whatever do you mean?" Minerva brushed back her hair, feigning innocence mixed with her usual arrogance. But Vergil stepped forward and faced her directly, standing a mere inch from her.

"Those who use the weak as shields, are only those that are weaker than they are." Vergil told her. "And you, Minerva, have proven just how weak you truly are."

With that, her cocky smile faded as her eyes narrowed back at him.

---

Honeybone Inn

"You picked a fight with Sabertooth's master?!" Lucy exclaimed in shock, with Erza, Gray, and Lisanna all standing around her, looking just as surprised.

"Yep." Dante made no effort to deny it, leaning back against the wall with Happy sitting on the bed next to him, still partially upset over what happened. "But that bitch Minerva got in the way."

"It's my fault…" Happy muttered. "It's because I let her kidnap me."

Lisanna was immediately by his side as she picked up the blue cat in her arms. "It's okay Happy, it wasn't your fault."

"I would have gone myself to pound their teeth in, but I had to get Yukino back here." Natsu added with a growl. The idea that Happy was put in danger really pissed him off.

"Where is she anyway?" Dante asked.

"Just outside." Erza answered. "Sheeree and Sorano dropped her off before leaving."

"So, she knows the situation?" Dante asked Natsu.

"Yeah, we told her." The Salamander replied.

"Well at least that went more smoothly." Dante commented.

"'Smoothly'?!" Carla stood up from the bed that she and Wendy sat on. "Do you have any idea what your actions could have caused us?!"

"Yeah, if anyone on their team had gotten injured, our whole guild could have been disqualified!" Wendy added.

"Tell that to Vergil who actually let it happen." Dante brushed off. "You guys know what they did to Yukino, right? They didn't just kick her out of the guild for losing a fight, they had to try and humiliate her! They almost had her strip down in front of everyone and… get this…. Their boss actually considered raping her!"

That earned gasps of shock from everyone present.

"What…?" Erza, her eyes carrying shock and anger.

"But he didn't cause he said she was 'too weak to bear his tiger cubs' or something like that." Dante said as he clenched his fists on his arms, anger still burning inside him. "Kinda makes me wonder if that Minerva daughter of his popped out because of something like that too."

"Alright, that's it!" Natsu stood up and was about to walk out the door. "I'm definitely going to kick their asses for that!"

"Hold it, you moron!" Gray grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back.

"Yeah… stop him from doing something really stupid, Gray!" Lucy told him.

"I'm coming with you! Why should you get to hog all the fun?!" Gray exclaimed, much to Lucy's shock.

"You totally missed the point!" Lucy cried out.

"You all have your reasons for being angry with them, I myself am quite angered with how they treated her, but we must save it for the competition, understand?" Erza instructed.

"I wouldn't have actually hurt anybody." Gray put in. "I just wanted to get in that pretty boy's face and let him know I ain't losing to him again! Maybe just scare him a little bit!" He pounded his fist into his palm.

"Speak for yourself! I'd love to beat the crap out of those Dragon Slayer wannabes!" Natsu growled.

"Maybe not every guild has to work the same way ours does, but they crossed the line with what they did to Yukino." Lisanna added.

"There's a big difference between strict and cruel." Carla said as well. "To be honest, I'm actually glad that Yukino is no longer associated with them."

"She seems like such a good person. She really didn't deserve what happened to her." Wendy said.

"I'm at least glad that Vergil defended her." Lucy added. "I know how you guys all feel about him, and I don't blame you. He's done us a lot of wrong. But… he does have his own code of honor, and I'm at least glad that being with Sabertooth didn't compromise it." Dante was in silent agreement with that.

"Still not gonna stop me from pounding his face in!" Natsu proclaimed with fire on his fist.

"Save it for the competition." Carla told him. "You can thank Dante for stirring up the hornet's nest. And yes, you had every reason to be angry with them…" She quickly told the Son of Sparda. "But now every member of Sabertooth is going to have a personal vendetta against our guild!"

"Aye, we already have Raven Tail to deal with, not to mention all that stuff Jellal's worried about." Happy added.

"…Um, excuse me?" All their attention turned toward the door as it was opened slightly, with Yukino shyly stepping in. "May I come in…?"

"Of course." Erza nodded as everyone calmed down to ease the tense air for Yukino's sake as she stepped into the room.

"Is it true…?" She asked Dante specifically. "Did you really attack Sabertooth because… of how they treated me…?"

"It's called human decency. If it were anyone else, I'd still would have done it." Dante said, causing Yukino to look in surprise. The fact he did that for somebody he didn't even know was noble of itself, but that it was for her sake made her feel something inside that she had never felt before. "So, you know the whole story?"

"…Yes. Sorano told me everything." She confirmed.

"Since you're not part of a guild anymore, maybe you should stick with us until we get that mess taken care of." Dante said.

"Yes, that is probably for the best." Erza agreed as well.

"…I really don't want to be a burden to anyone." Yukino said, looking down in partial shame.

"Oh, you're not a burden." Lucy assured with a smile. "Don't worry, helping people is just what we do."

"At the very least, stay here so you can have a roof over your head and a bed to sleep in." Lisanna said before wincing slightly. "But this is kinda cramped with only six beds, but there's no helping that."

"And just forget about Sabertooth from now on." Gray told her. "We saw your match and you're plenty strong. Those guys didn't deserve you."

"Yeah, screw them. How about you join Fairy Tail instead?" Natsu offered, causing Yukino to gasp.

"You'd accept me into your guild?"

"Yeah, I don't think Master Gildarts would have a problem with it." Wendy said.

"Aye! Plus we already got three Dragon Slayers, four if you count Laxus, and three demons." Happy added. "So, it's not like we limit Celestial Wizards too."

"While all your hearts are in the right place, I feel that Yukino has been through quite a bit tonight. Let's not add on any more pressure." Carla advised.

And yet, that was what Yukino was feeling right now. She was quite overwhelmed with everything that happened all at once. First her expulsion, then reuniting with her sister, then she learns of a possible conspiracy where her life could be in danger, now an offer to join Fairy Tail?

"Hey, listen." Lucy stood up and approached her fellow Celestial Wizard. "You don't have to make that choice right away, or even by tomorrow for that matter. If you do wanna join Fairy Tail, great. If not, no worries. But at the very least, stay with us for the rest of the Games, that way you at least have a place to be. It's no trouble with us, I promise."

Looking around, Yukino saw all the smiles from everyone present, including Dante, showing that they were sincere with her. She fought back her tears as she put on a smile.

"Thank you… you're all very kind. I'll… stay with you for tonight." Yukino accepted. "But also…" She looked to Dante again. "Thank you… for standing up for me and… for helping me to reunite with my sister." That caused her tears to flow. "That alone… makes me so happy."

Lucy, and even Wendy and Lisanna didn't waste any time in comforting her as she tried to stand up straight while everyone else simply smiled. Even if Dante felt he was seven years late, the fact that he was able to help Sorano and Yukino see each other again was enough for him.

---

"The Door of World Change. Does that ring any bells to any of you?" Sheeree asked the rest of her guild as she and Sorano made it back to their hideout for the night.

"I'm afraid not." Jellal shook his head.

"The only 'door' we're familiar with was the doorway to the Grand Magic World that Hades always went on about, and it didn't involve any Celestial Wizards." Meredy added.

"But this could point us in the right direction of what's been going on here these past seven years." Ultear said. She noticed a smile on Sorano's face, causing Ultear to grin at her in a teasing fashion. "I've never seen you smile so much. Something good happen?"

"I got to see my sister again." Sorano said with a content smile. "And she's in good hands now. That right there… that's enough for me."

That earned smiles from all her friends as Sheeree put a hand on her shoulder, knowing exactly how she felt.

"I'm happy for you, Sorano. Truly, I am." Jellal confessed.

"I know. Thank you." She nodded.

---

The Next Day

Fairy Tail Team A, along with Lisanna, Happy, Carla, and Yukino, made their way from the hotel and straight towards the arena.

"Once we're there, we'll take you to the observatory stands where you'll meet the rest of our guildmates." Erza instructed Yukino. "Don't worry, they know the situation."

"Thank you, again." Yukino nodded.

"No problem." Lucy said before smiling apologetically. "Sorry you had to share a bed with me last night, and you had to deal with all that snoring."

"Snoring? I didn't hear anything." Yukino said.

'She actually slept through Natsu, Gray, and Erza sawing logs? Wow, talk about a heavy sleeper.' Lucy was legitimately impressed.

"Excuse me!" All their attention was taken by an approaching royal soldier that Natsu and Wendy both recognized.

"Hey, I remember you." The Salamander said.

"It's that soldier who arrested those guys that wanted to kidnap Lucy." Wendy pointed out.

"There something you need, man?" Dante asked.

He looked to the only person not a part of their guild. "Yukino Agira. Is it true that you are no longer participating in the Games?"

"Yes. How do you know that?" She asked.

"The roster for Team Sabertooth was changed this morning." The guard explained.

"There something you want with her?" Gray questioned.

"We've been interrogating those kidnappers we've apprehended, as well as investigating the matter, and we believe that Ms. Agira could be in danger." The guard said. "I'd recommend that she be brought into our protection."

"She's got plenty of that already." Dante stepped forward. "Thanks, but we can handle it."

"I'm afraid that it's not quite a request." The guard brought out an order on paper. "It's a direct order from her majesty, Princess Hisui E. Fiore."

"Princess?!" Everyone questioned in surprise.

"I didn't know these guys had a princess." Natsu commented.

"They do have a king." Carla pointed out. "Not that any of us have ever seen him."

"Now that I think about it, we haven't been paying attention to Fiore's politics." Lisanna said.

"What could this princess want with Yukino?" Happy asked.

"I give you my word, no harm will come to her. She'll be placed under the direct protection of the royal family." The guard told them.

Erza thought for a moment. "May I see the order?" She requested, and the guard handed her the paper, which she took the moment to read thoroughly. "Hmm, it seems legit."

"Are we really sure about this?" Natsu questioned.

"We don't necessarily have a choice." Erza said with some reluctance.

"It's alright." Yukino stepped forward and gave the group a smile before bowing her head. "Thank you all for your kindness and help, but I think I can manage on my own from this point forward."

"You sure?" Dante asked.

"I'm sure." She confirmed.

"Yukino, hold on a sec." Lucy came up to her and handed her a magic card that had a cartoonish image of herself with the words 'help' on it. "This is a magic card my friend Cana gave me yesterday. It's designed that if anything were to happen to me, the matching card that she had would sound an alarm and everyone else would come and help. But… I'd like you to hold onto it, just in case. If anything happens, signal with this card, and Fairy Tail will be right there to help you."

Yukino looked at the card for a moment before she smiled as he accepted it. "Thank you. If I do need any help, you will be the first I call."

"Take care of yourself, okay?" Dante said to her, to which Yukino nodded with a happy face before joining the guard to be escorted straight toward the palace in the distance.

"Are we sure about letting her go like this?" Gray asked.

"Yeah, the bad guys are still after her." Happy pointed out.

"It was a direct order from the royal family, so we can't exactly turn it down." Erza said.

"I think she'll be fine." Lisanna smiled. "She's plenty strong, and she has a way to contact us if anything goes wrong."

"Yeah, we should get back to the Games." Wendy agreed. With that, the group in Fairy Tail turned around and made their way toward the colosseum.

---

Just like the previous two days of the tournament, the entire colosseum of Domus Flau was bursting with excitement, perhaps even more so than before.

"Welcome to Day 3 of the Grand Magic Games, that puts us in the half-way point!" Chapati announced.

"How are we ever going to top the dramatic fights and eye-candy the last two days?" Yajima asked in a joking fashion.

"I personally will be on my best behavior around today's guest from the Magic Council, Marshal Lahar!" Chapati revealed as their guest commentator today was indeed Lahar.

"It's been quite a while." Yajima greeted, due to being a former Council member himself, he was already well-acquainted with their guest.

"Thank you for having me here." Lahar replied with a friendly smile.

"As chief marshal of the Custody Enforcement Unit, your job is catching the bad guys, isn't that right?" Chapati asked.

"Yes. And let me remind any would-be cheaters that I'm watching you." Lahar warned teasingly, resulting in a laugh from the audience.

"That's right, he's got eyes in the back of his head, and he never sleeps! So, no funny stuff!" Chapati added.

---

Meanwhile, Doranbolt walked through the inside of the stadium with a grumpy look on his face. 'I only came here because I wanted to warn Wendy about Vergil. I wanted to leave before the Games even started, but Lahar just had to insist I'd stay here. I have work to do. Reforming the Magic Council isn't exactly easy.'

However, he also happened to stop for a moment as he spotted Modeus quickly walking with Romeo, Patty, Wendy, Happy, and Carla running right behind him.

"Oh no! We're going to be late!" Wendy looked worried.

"I told you, Tomcat! We didn't have enough time to stop and buy food!" Carla scolded.

"Yeah! This is your stomach's fault, Happy!" Patty added.

"It just smelled so yummy that I couldn't resist it!" Happy said as he ate some fish.

"Quit flapping your gums and move your feet!" Romeo told them.

"Relax, we'll all be just fine. The seats are right up ahead." Modeus assured.

The second he saw them, Doranbolt looked with something of a small smile. He knew Fairy Tail wouldn't be that happy to see him after what happened on Tenrou Island, but it was still nice to see them rather active like this, and worrying about silly things. At the very least, he was happy that those younger, such as Wendy, appeared to be in good hands and were looking toward the future.

---

"And now let's kick off this lovely day with a game that's sure to be exciting, one that we call… Pandemonium!" Chapati announced, getting the audience very excited.

"What the heck's Pandemonium?" Romeo asked.

"It can mean something small like a den of monsters, or something big like Hell on Earth." Lady said. "You know, a typical apocalypse."

"Or it can simply mean something like chaos or panic, but the demonic terms are often associated with it as well." Modeus added.

"Maybe it'll be set up like some sort of haunted house game." Makarov said as Asuka rode on his shoulders. "The players walk down a long dark hallway when all of a sudden… A scary ghost pops out of nowhere!" He grew his face to enormous and comical size while putting on a comically scary face to scare Patty, Romeo, Happy, and Carla.

"Whoa! I might be too scared to even watch this one!" Happy shivered.

"Meh, we deal with demons all the time." Gildarts shrugged. "This can't be that bad."

"A game like that sounds terrifying to me!" Mavis comically cried in fear, much to everyone's shock.

"Hey, aren't you a ghost yourself? Plus, you were raised by a demon." Lady pointed out.

"Daddy's a nice demon! Not a scary demon!" Mavis pouted.

"Thank you, Mavis." Sparda nodded.

While the rest of the guild shared laughs, Lisanna leaned back to speak to Mystogen. "Hey, I'm sure you noticed, but you really should be careful if this announcer is really the same guy that arrested you seven years ago."

"Yes, I'm aware." Mystogen replied.

"Oh, and just keeping you in the loop… Yukino is now with the Fiore royal family." Lisanna added. "They had an order from their princess so we couldn't exactly say 'no'."

"Understood. Thank you for letting me know." Mystogen nodded.

"Now before we kick things off, a word from our sponsor for Day 3, the Uroboros Corporation!" Chapati announced. "In just a short time of seven years, this conglomerate has grown so much it's reached out to multiple countries all across the continent of Ishgar!"

"They are most well-known for the development of a prototype energy source known as Argent Energy." Yajima said. "While not much of it is known at this time, Uroboros believes that Argent will provide clean and sustainable energy to all the world."

"It's quite a goal to aspire toward." Lahar commented. "If this energy source does provide the world with clean and sustainable power, then they will have the Council's full support."

"As usual, we'll have just one member from each team competing, so please choose wisely!" Chapati said to the players.

"I got this one!" Natsu volunteered. "Dante got to try and wreck Sabertooth last night, so now it's my turn!"

"No, you did yesterday's round, remember?" Gray reminded.

"Maybe Dante should go. Pandemonium sounds like a job for a professional Devil Hunter." Wendy suggested.

"If I went down there, it would make things more complicated with Sabertooth." Dante declined. "Tempting as it is to legally beat the shit out of them, I think maybe Erza would be our best option."

"Yes, I agree." Erza herself nodded before walking toward the arena.

"Alright! Go and fetch us a win, Erza!" Lucy cheered.

"Yeah! You've got this!" Wendy cheered as well.

"This is so unfair! I called this one!" Natsu complained.

"The decision's been made, so would you shut up?!" Gray stated.

"I think I should be the one to go in for our team." Cana volunteered for Fairy Tail Team B.

"Well, I think I should. I gotta redeem myself after yesterday." Gajeel said.

"How about I go?" Nero suggested. "Pandemonium sounds like it be something up more my ally."

"I may not be a Devil Hunter, but I got more than a few tricks up my sleeve." Cana grinned eagerly "I spent three months being trained by Gramps and my dad, so I'm more than ready for something like this."

"Can't argue with that." Mira smiled.

"I'm fine with it." Laxus shrugged.

Nero sighed. "Alright, have it your way."

"Hey, if Erza's gonna be going in for her team, I wanna play against her!" Milliana volunteered for Team Mermaid Heel.

"Fine, we'll allow it." Kagura accepted.

"I took yesterday's game, so go ahead." Lucia encouraged.

"The Council is watching, so be careful not to draw their attention Obra." Alexi instructed his subordinate, who nodded in understanding.

"I should go, for my fans." Hibiki stepped in for Team Blue Pegasus, taking a pose, resulting in heartfelt cheers from several girls in the audience.

"I'll take this one!" Nobarly stepped up for Team Quatro Cerberus.

"Watch yourself around Erza, buddy. She don't play nice." Wally warned with a smirk.

"Jura's gonna play in this round!?" Sherria was more than a little surprised as the strongest of Team Lamia Scale was up.

"It's what the hag wanted, so yes." Lyon confirmed.

"If he's going up against Sis…" Sho looked more than a little excited. "Now that's something I really wanna see."

"My poor sock…!" Toby cried, still in morning over his torn sock from yesterday.

"Just buy a new one, dummy." Yuka said in exhaustion.

Jura smirked confidently. "Victory is mine."

Orga clenched his fist. "I said that I was gonna take this one, last night. I'll give them all a taste of my black lightning that they'll never forget!"

"Try not to get ahead of yourself, we don't even know what this game entails." Minerva instructed. Rufus chuckled in amusement while Rogue looked a little upset. Not having Yukino there anymore didn't feel right, not to mention that he couldn't get the words Dante said the previous night out of his head either. Which was especially in the fact that he had to watch Jiemma expel all the members of Sabertooth that Dante had beaten up when he stormed their guild, just because he viewed them as weak. Though he didn't feel the same way he did when Yukino was kicked out, it was still hard to watch.

'It doesn't matter to me.' Sting thought to himself. 'If Natsu's not competing, then I really don't care who goes.'

Vergil watched as Erza made her way onto the field. 'Erza Scarlet, one of the few aside from Dante and Natsu that can really push me. Lucy has shown how much she herself has grown in the first day, now it's your turn. Show me what you can do… Titania.'

Erza stopped only briefly as she glanced upward toward the box where Team Sabertooth was at, she and Vergil making eye-contact in that one instant. Even with the distance between them, they could almost read into each other as all their past encounters with one another raced through each of their minds.

"Hey, whatcha looking at, Erzy?" Milliana asked, breaking her from her trance.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." She assured.

"Well sorry, but I'm gonna win this round!" She ran up to meet everyone else in the center.

"That so?" Erza asked playfully. It was nice to see Milliana bouncy again, though Erza still couldn't help but draw back to how vengeful she looked last night when they all talked about Jellal. Though Erza smacked both her palms on her cheeks to break herself out of that.

'Don't. Now's not the time for that. Focus on the Games.' She told herself as all competitors met in the center of the arena.

"All of the competitors have been chosen!" Chapati announced as lacrima-screens showed headshots of each of the competitors and which of their respective teams they were from. "From Sabertooth, Orga! From Lamia Scale, Jura! From Blue Pegasus, Hibiki! From Raven Tail, Obra! From Mermaid Heel, Milliana! From Quatro Puppy, Nobarly! From Fairy Tail A, Erza! From Fairy Tail B, Cana! Let's all give them a big round of applause folks!"

The audience and their fellow guildmates all cheered as they, and even Doranbolt in the audience, all watched with excitement as the event was about to unfold before them.

A massive, dark magic circle appeared in the sky above the arena, the circle almost the size of the arena itself as something huge began to descend from it. It appeared to be some kind of dark and unholy fortress, taking the shape of an upside-down castle, not unlike something one would find in the Underworld, complete with demonic-looking statues scattered everywhere as well as multiple massive chains to connect various parts.

"What is this?" Erza asked.

"I don't know…" Milliana looked a little concerned.

"I'll see what Archive brings up." Hibiki already brought up his magic as he attempted to scan inside.

Once the massive structure stopped its descent, a long and ominous stone staircase appeared connecting the ground to the entrance of the scary-looking building. And Mato had appeared near the steps to explain the situation to the competitors.

"Before you stands a castle full of vicious monsters! That's Pandemonium!" The mascot of the Grand Magic Games announced.

"Holy crap…!" Cana looked at it with awe and slight nervousness.

"I take it we are to do battle with these monsters?" Jura assumed.

"Yes, you are correct, sir. One hundred terrifying beasts are lurking within the castle walls!" Mato revealed as the audience looked with concern and even fear. "But don't panic, there's no danger of them escaping and attacking the ground as these are not real demons or anything, they're magical projections we created solely for this game. They are classified by their degree of difficulty, we have five classes total: fifty monsters in the D-Class, thirty in C, fifteen in B, four A-Class monsters and one S-Class. To give you an example, let me show you how strong a D-Class monster is, they're the weakest, remember?"

A lacrima-screen appeared for the whole crowd to see, revealing a D-Class monster inside. It was rather large, appearing to be made out of a silver metal as it walked on all fours and had a spiked tail at the end. It gave a bone-chilling roar that more than spooked the audience before it charged forward and obliterated a nearby pillar in one strike.

Lucy, Wendy, Mira, and Juvia each gasped from their respective spots, showing concern for their teammates, while Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Laxus, and Nero all looked rather serious.

Dante simply shrugged. "Meh, it's big, but I've seen worse."

"Yeah, but that's the weakest!" Lucy reminded. "I wonder what the other guys are like."

"So do I." Dante grinned. "Now I do wish I was down there."

"The Pandemonium Castle is filled to the brim with these vile creatures and many more that are far stronger!" Mato continued. "One hundred monsters await you!"

The rest of the observing Fairy Tail looked either serious or concerned, even slightly scared.

"I know he said that they were all magical projections, but they can probably still hurt people, can't they?" Happy wondered nervously.

"I just hope that Erza and Cana come out unscathed." Carla said.

"So do I… those things do look rather terrifying." Kyrie shivered slightly.

"I'm sure they can take care of themselves, but it's still scary." Romeo said.

"So, a giant tower with killer monsters lurking around every corner." Lady summed up. "This feels familiar."

Trish nodded. "Yeah, it's like Temen-ni-gru. I wonder if they based it off that."

"If that's the case, then Erza and Cana might be in trouble." Lisanna said worriedly.

"Yes, I had hoped we had put the events of that dreadful tower behind us, but apparently not." Modeus added.

"All these games just get more and more extravagant!" Mavis exclaimed.

"It's a little too much if you want my opinion." Makarov commented.

"I'm certain the organizers wouldn't allow any of the competitors to die." Sparda said. "But if I were still alive, I would have liked to give them a piece of my mind for coming up with a rather twisted game."

Morrison chuckled. "Ya know what's ironic? This game is perfect for Devil Hunters, and half of the competing teams all have em, including three Sons of Sparda, but not a single one of them is down there."

Gildarts laughed. "Yeah, Dante and Nero would feel right at home there. Hell, I'm sure Natsu and Gajeel would have jumped at a chance to compete in this."

"Go Erza! Go Cana!" Patty cheered. "Show those mean monsters whose boss!"

Mato then began to explain all the rules of the game in detail to the competitors. "Monsters of a higher class are two times stronger than the ones beneath them. So, if you think that D-Class guy looked nasty, you'll lose your mind when the S-Class rears its ugly head! I'm not even sure that a Wizard Saint could beat one of those." Everyone continued listening and looked at the Pandemonium structure while Hibiki tried to analyze it with his Archive, typing away at the holographic keyboards. "You will all take turns in choosing the number of monsters that you wish to fight in each round, we call this 'the competitor's right to challenge'!"

"So, we make the choice?" Erza asked.

"That is correct!" Mato continued. "So, for instance, if you say you wanna fight three monsters… then lo and behold! There will be three waiting inside for you! You will go in alone, of course. If you successfully vanquish those three creatures, you will be rewarded three points! The next competitor in the rotation, will chose the number out of the ninety-seven that still remain to challenge, and then the process repeats! The game will end, when either all one hundred monsters have been cleared or at the point where everyone runs out of magic power and is no longer able to compete, whichever comes first."

"So, there's some math involved, huh?" Milliana pointed out.

"Yes, to a degree." Mato answered. "After the first round, choosing your numbers wisely will become a bit more important. But you'd do well to remember, that not all of these monsters are created equal. Whether you chose to test your skills against five monsters or only one, they will be chosen completely at random!"

"So that means we'll have to strategize and try to use our heads to avoid going against the S-Class guy in there." Hibiki said.

"He just told us that they're gonna be chosen at random, so how the hell can you use any kind of strategy?" Orga questioned.

"You can't, but I sure can." Hibiki said with pure confidence. "I know all about probability. And my Archive Magic will come in handy."

"Although the higher-ranked creatures are more difficult, points are determined solely by the number of monsters you can defeat." Mato continued. "Once you enter the castle, you will not be allowed to leave until you successfully completed your challenge."

"So, what happens if you can't beat all of them and get knocked out inside?" Cana asked.

"You'll keep all the points you accumulated in the previous rounds, but you'll also be out of the game." Mato answered. "No points will be rewarded if you beat less than the number you challenge that round."

"Yes, perhaps Nero would have been a wiser choice." Juvia commented. "His own natural strength and healing factor would have given him an advantage."

"I tried to tell ya." Nero himself said.

"There's nothing we can do about it now, though." Laxus said. "Just sit back and watch."

"Don't worry, Nero." Mira assured. "Cana might not be a physical juggernaut like you or Dante, but she has been an often candidate for S-Class wizard and for good reason. I'm sure she'll do us proud."

"If she doesn't, she'll get an earful from me." Gajeel stated.

"It would seem that not getting over-zealous with your challenges is key." Makarov said.

"Well, they at least get some time to rest while the other guys do their fighting." Gildarts put his two cents in.

"But if you only fight one monster in every round, there's no way that you can get ahead!" Happy stated.

"And they also need to factor in how much magic power they'll recover between each round." Carla added.

"This game is way more complicated than it seems." Romeo said.

"Best case scenario, they get a group of weak D-Class guys. But worse case, they can be stuck with all four A-Class and the S-Class all at once!" Lady stated. "Seems like a real hit-or-miss with that!"

"But it's also the number of beasts they need to consider." Modeus said. "Even if you deal with only the weaker ones, you can still be overwhelmed."

"Yeah, a thousand smaller animals can probably do just as much damage as one giant monster, maybe even more." Lisanna added. "Small guys like snakes and scorpions can still be deadly on their own."

"I'm curious to see how many our numbers will chose." Mavis said with a smile. "I think they'll both do a really good job."

"I'm certain as well." Sparda nodded. "So let us cheer them on."

"Now, to decide the order you'll go in…" Mato presented the competitors a box of sticks. "…I'd like everyone to please draw a straw."

Erza was the first to draw hers, while Cana drew next. Erza looked at her straw and saw the number one appear on it.

"I'm going first."

"Man, you're lucky." Cana told her. "And I'd be willing to bet that means you'll also get the most amount of turns. Meanwhile, I'm stuck back at number eight." She showed her straw that had the number eight on it.

Erza looked toward the Pandemonium castle. "Interesting… I had assumed victory in this event relied entirely on the luck of the draw."

"It's far more than that." Mato replied as the remaining competitors drew their straws. "You have to consider pacing your opponent's strength, the likelihood of getting a really nasty monster, the list goes on and on. It is quite a complex game if you think about it."

"No." Erza said with a confident smile. "In fact, this is no longer even a game." That statement left Mato a little confused as Erza stepped forward. "Inside this castle… wait one hundred monsters. I choose to challenge… all of them!"

Almost nobody could believe what they just heard. The audience had their jaws dropped as they all looked with fear and worry, even Doranbolt was caught off guard, as were all three commentators.

"SAYWHAT!?" Mato exclaimed as Jura and Obra looked incredibly serious while Milliana, Orga, Hibiki, Nobarly, and even Cana were beyond stunned.

Most of the observing Fairy Tail all felt the same way, including the competing ones such as Nero, Gajeel, Juvia, Lucy, and Wendy looked more than a little concerned. However, the likes of Dante, Natsu, Gray, Mira, Laxus, Lady, Trish, Gildarts, as well as Sparda, either smirked, chuckled, or out-right laughed, totally expecting this from Erza.

The disguised Jellal's eyes widened as his heart raced, instinctively feeling fear and worry for the woman that he loved, despite being fully aware of her strength.

Team Sabertooth also looked in surprise, particularly Sting and Minerva. However, Vergil looked serious as he gave this his undivided attention.

'She chose the option that would grant her either absolute victory, or complete defeat. Quite literally, all or nothing' The eldest Son of Sparda thought to himself as an intrigued smirk formed on his face. 'I'd expect nothing less from that guild. So, which shall it be. Show me that you are worthy of your namesake, Queen of the Fairies.'

Done.

So, quite a bit happened in this chapter.

We had Sparda meet up with Kurenai and learned more about the Archenemy Devil Arm and what it can do. It's ability to absorb damage and channel one's own negative emotions, notably anger, is something that I came up with, and you'll see more of what it can do as we see Kagura continue here.

And yes, in this story, Kagura is the adoptive daughter of Kurenai, having raised and trained her herself. Kurenai also knows that Kagura and Milliana seek vengeance on Jellal, which she hopes to steer them away from.

Fairy Tail has also met Yukino, and we had a lovely sister-reunion between her and Sorano. That was one of my favorite moments in this chapter. We also know a bit more about Ophiuchus and how it was given to Yukino by her mentor. As for who said mentor is… you'll have to wait and see. ;)

Then of course, we had Dante storm Sabertooth. He feels personally responsible for Yukino because of the promise he made to her sister seven years ago, that and Jiemma's treatment of her goes beyond human decency. I was tempted to write it so that Dante and Natsu both wrecked them, but I settled with just Dante.

We also met arguably my least favorite female character in canon Fairy Tail, Minerva. Yeah, she's still as much a bitch as she was in canon. But don't you worry… she'll get her just deserts in due time, I promise.

Yukino did briefly stay with Fairy Tail one night, but it seems that Arcadios was still able to get to her, this time in a more subtle manner as opposed to straight-up abduction like he tried with Lucy. Though Lucy did give her a special card that Cana had made for her (kinda like what they had on Tenrou Island), so Yukino has a way to get to them if she's in trouble. And that card is going to come into play later in this story.

We also got a little bit of foreshadowing with the mention of Uroboros as a sponsor for the games, as well as their development of Argent Energy.
(Note: Argent Energy is from the 'Doom' franchise. Look it up if you want a good idea of what it is. The idea was shared with me by a friend here on FanFiction, Squeegeman, so credit where it is due).

Now Day 3 of the Grand Magic Games begins. Just like canon, Erza is facing off against the entirety of Pandemonium by herself. Being honest here, I was tempted to have Dante do it, or even Nero, but the later already had his time to shine in Day 1 against Jura, and he's still got plenty more to show off. I also wanted to give Erza her moment as this was one of her best ones in the series. Seriously, she is the ultimate female badass in Fairy Tail (both the show and the guild) and I plan to show why she's earned the name Titania. But this won't be a carbon copy of what happened in canon, she's got a few extra aces up her sleeve due to her three months of training, and I can't wait to write it.

I hope this chapter was to your liking and I hope you all enjoy the Holidays with your families and loved ones.

Take care, and Merry Christmas!