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.

39. Devils and Dragons

Hi everyone. Well, here we are. This is the battle that you've all been waiting for. Believe me I have been wanting to write this for a very long time and now we're finally here! It feels like I've reached a milestone in some kind of journey… And let me just say that I am proud of how far my story has come and how humbled I am by all your support.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

I apologize for the delay though as normally I'd have this out a couple days sooner. But given this is a very special chapter, I wanted to make sure it was done right. I spent a great deal of time on it, going step-by-step to deliver a chapter that I hope goes beyond all your expectations, and my own. Thank you for your patience.

It also just so happens to be the longest chapter I've ever written in my entire fanfiction career! I mean, seriously, over 31K words! That's a new record for me. :)

Because this particular chapter turned out to be so long, I will be taking a week off from writing, so to those who follow my other stories (notably "Code Prime"). You'll just have to wait a little bit longer. I thank you once more for all your patience and support.

It's also important to read the author's notes at the end of this chapter as it may address any concerns or questions you have with what you are about to see here.

And now, without further delay… let the battle begin!

Devils and Dragons

Just before the start of the final match of Day Four, the trio of Vergil, Sting, and Rogue made their way through the hallways and towards the arena. Despite Vergil and Rogue appearing stoic, Sting could barely contain his own eager grin.

"Finally. I get my chance to fight Natsu." The White Dragon Slayer said excitedly.

"Fight him? Yes. As for defeating him? That's another story." Vergil advised.

Sting's grin faded as he rolled his eyes. "Seriously? He may have been a big deal seven years ago, but that was a long time ago. And he's been frozen since then and hasn't aged a day. I'd say he's pretty far behind."

Vergil resisted the temptation to sigh. Pretty much any advice he gives to Sting goes in one ear and out the other, especially when it's anything Natsu related. Any words of caution or criticism towards his arrogance may as well be a waste of breath. Though Vergil will admit that he is curious to see just how Natsu and Dante would perform given that being frozen in time for seven years would indeed mean their power would be weaker than their own, at least from a logical and tactical perspective. But given how he witnessed the performances of Lucy as well as Erza and how they've improved despite the circumstances, it was safe to assume that Dante, Natsu, and even Gajeel had likely gotten stronger as well. And now, he was about to see what they were capable of himself.

"Hey uh… Sting?"

All three stopped as they saw Lector approach from behind.

"What's up?" The White Dragon Slayer asked his Exceed companion.

"I uh… I just wanted to say…" Lector looked somewhat nervous for a minute before putting on a confident smile "You got this buddy!"

"Hell yeah, I do." Sting grinned. "Give me five!" He kneeled down offered his hand for a high-five, which Lector returned. However, Rogue was quick to notice the uncertain expression that Lector had and saw the look in his eyes even as Sting pulled away and that there was still something on his mind that he wanted to say, but couldn't for some reason.

"You two go on ahead. I'll catch up." Rogue told Vergil and Sting.

"Sure, whatever you say." Sting shrugged as he walked on, though Vergil did pay a brief glance towards Rogue and Lector, he too went on his way, leaving the Shadow Dragon Slayer alone with the red furred Exceed, making the latter somewhat nervous.

"Uh… so…" Lector wasn't quite sure what to say to him.

"You wanted to say something to Sting but couldn't." Rogue said, causing Lector to look in surprise. "What is it?"

"I… It's nothing…" Lector tried to look away.

"No, something is bothering you. I'd like to know what it is." Rogue stated a bit more firmly.

While Lector wasn't as close to Rogue as he was with Sting, he did consider him a friend, so that seemed enough for the young Exceed to lower his guard and speak out to him.

"Sting's my best friend, I've known him since I hatched." Lector began. "You know how cool he is, and I'll always root for him. He's the best. But… the way he was when… that blondie from Fairy Tail…"

"Minerva tortured her… and Sting just laughed at it." Rogue was able to figure it out. "Is that what this is about?"

Lector only gave a single nod to confirm it. "He's gone around mocking all the bad guys he beats, and I know Lady Minerva does the same kind of thing… but that girl… She might be a loser from that sucky Fairy Tail… but did she really deserve to be tortured? She's not a bad guy. That's why I don't understand why my buddy would laugh at something like that."

"But he wasn't the only one. Everyone else was… except Vergil." Rogue pointed out. "Why don't you talk to him about it?"

"I… I don't know if I can." Lector confessed. "You know how it is in Sabertooth. Isn't stuff like that a weakness? And… I know I'm weak, at least compared to you and everyone else. So…"

"You're afraid you'll be kicked out if you show any sign of weakness. Like what happened with Yukino." Rogue realized. Lector made no attempt to deny it, which all but confirmed Rogue's statement as he looked down. "Maybe that might not be such a bad thing."

"What?" Lector looked up to him in shock.

"Sabertooth is powerful, there's no question about that." Rogue began. "But is power really all that matters? Despite her loss, Yukino was strong. Even Vergil admitted she had potential, but the master still chose to discard her because of one defeat."

"B-But that's how Sabertooth works…"

"And maybe that's the problem." Rogue stated. "And one of the reasons I plan on leaving."

Lector couldn't contain his gasp as he heard that. Did he hear that right? Did Rogue just say that he's quitting Sabertooth?

"This is something I've been thinking about for a while. And something I've talked about with Frosch." Rogue went on. "Sabertooth may indeed be the strongest guild in Fiore right now, but I'm not sure if I can agree with their philosophy anymore. Don't misunderstand, I'm not quitting in the middle of the Games. I have every intention of seeing this tournament through and giving it my all to try and achieve victory, but regardless of the outcome, Frosch and I will be leaving Sabertooth when it's all over. And you are welcome to join us."

"Huh…?" As if Lector wasn't surprised enough.

"Frosch was worried about the same kind of thing, about being weak and not fitting in with Sabertooth. That's one of the reasons I plan on leaving with him." Rogue continued. "And I realize that you and I may not be as close, but I too would be concerned for your own well-being, which is why I am extending this invitation."

"B-but… what about Sting? Y-You're partners, right?" Lector asked.

"I will also make the same offer to him, but I doubt he'll accept it." Rogue then noticed the conflicted look on Lector's face and didn't blame him for it. "But if you chose to decline, I'll respect your choice. You can stay with Sting if you want, I know how much he means to you. That's why I encourage you to at least say something about how you feel to him. Frosch does the same with me. The choice is yours, though I would ask that you not tell Sting about my decision, as I want to be the one to tell him."

"I…" Lector wasn't sure what to think about all this. Leave Sting and Sabertooth? He couldn't see himself doing either, especially since Sting more-or-less raised him. He was his best friend, his whole world. Even if he was with familiar faces like Frosch and Rogue, he couldn't imagine himself being apart from Sting. But he could also tell that Rogue was being genuine towards him and not forcing him to make a choice, which did help, but not by much.

"You don't have to make this choice right now. You can wait till the end of the tournament." Rogue said. "But even if you say no, the offer will still stand."

"Okay…" Lector nodded. "I… I won't tell Sting and… I'll think about it." With that, Rogue turned around and prepared to leave. "Hey… Rogue…" He briefly stopped and turned back to the red Exceed. "Thanks… for listening." He smiled. "Sting's my buddy but… you're a pretty cool guy, too."

Rogue simply smiled as he turned around and left, prompting Lector to do the same and return to the box where the rest of his guildmates were.

However, unbeknownst to either of them, Minerva was hiding herself around the corner of an intersecting hallway and heard everything. Her eyes narrowed at both of them.

---

The excitement had reached an all-time high in Domus Flau as Dante, Natsu, and Gajeel of Fairy Tail faced off against Vergil, Sting, and Rogue from Sabertooth. The two three-man teams stared each other down before the match could begin, almost like they were locked in visual combat. Everyone in the Fairy Tail observatory stand, as well as Team Fairy Tail, watched with his or her own expressions of seriousness. This wasn't just their fateful match against Sabertooth, it was their reunion with Vergil. The elder Son of Sparda and older brother to the one they all considered family.

For most of Fairy Tail, they all remembered all the actions Vergil took against them and how he not only endangered their lives, but many innocents as well. For Nero and Patty, this was the first time seeing him as they've heard all the stories from their new friends, Nero especially had a complicated expression as this man was technically his oldest half-brother, but he could tell from his stature that he was the arrogant and confident type, the type that he really doesn't like. Patty felt a similar way as this was man was also Lucy's older cousin, but it was hard to picture him and Lucy being related, they seemed so different. Even Mavis felt an odd feeling around Vergil as well; on one side, he was technically her own adoptive brother and the son of the man who raised her; but on the other, he had also directly attacked the guild that she had helped to create, so she too had mixed feelings upon seeing him.

But Gildarts… while he was taking Vergil seriously, his eyes seemed to focus more on Natsu. He remembered the S-Class trials, particularly when Natsu was reminded of Vergil and that caused him to freeze up in the middle of their match. Gildarts could tell that Vergil had left a mark on Natsu and it made him afraid. He even looked closely at Natsu's fist and could tell that despite the serious aura he gave off, Natsu's fists did shake slightly. The fear was still there, something Gildarts expected. But there was nothing else he could do but cheer the kid on and hope the words he said to him were enough to at least help him push past those fears in this match.

'Alright Natsu. It's up to you, now. Show that punk what you can do.' Gildarts thought with a smile.

"… Let the match begin!" Mato announced, signaling the start of the battle that everyone's been waiting for.

"You ready?" Sting asked his partner.

"Yeah…!" Rogue replied as he and Sting were ready to charge in… but were slightly blown back by a clash in the middle of the arena as Dante and Vergil had zoomed in at each other and clashed Rebellion and Yamato together, creating a brief shockwave that pushed the Twin Dragons back.

Only for them both to be caught off guard once again as Natsu and Gajeel were already on them in the blink of an eye with Natsu slugging Sting across the face and Gajeel doing the same for Rogue, much to the surprise of Team Sabertooth and the satisfaction of Team Fairy Tail.

A blur of blades erupted between the two brothers as they dueled once again for the first time in seven years, zooming back and forth, up and down past each other, swinging their respective swords. Dante jumped to give a downward swing of Rebellion, only for Vergil to duck under it and retaliate with an iaido-based attack by attempting to draw Yamato from its sheath, but Dante acted quickly to slam the flat of Rebellion into the hilt of the katana to keep it from being drawn as Dante gave a headbutt to Vergil before pressing forward.

Natsu launched himself at Sting as he was flung in the air by the first punch, he dealt to deliver a kick to and push him back, though Sting was quick to land on his feet and retaliate.

"White Dragon Roar!" He fired a breath attack, which took the form of a beam of light, that shot at Natsu, which he could just barely dodge.

"A laser….? Just like that other guy…" Natsu immediately thought of Job from Grimoire Heart. He was a Devil Slayer with light-based powers as well, and it seemed Sting had a similar power set.

However, Natsu didn't expect the beam to curve and change its direction straight for Gajeel, who saw the flash of light out of the corner of his eye and leapt out of the way before it curved around and went towards Dante in the back as he clashed Rebellion with Vergil's Yamato again. But with his right hand still on his sword, Dante was quick to draw Coyote A with his left hand and fire a shotgun blast to intercept the breath attack and create a brief explosion of light.

As Gajeel landed from dodging Sting's attack, he saw Rogue rushing him with shadows covering his hand and taking the form of sharp claws. "Shadow Dragon Slash!" However, Gajeel quickly formed his Iron Dragon Sword and used the flat to block Rogue's attack, much to his surprise before throwing him off, to where Natsu intercepted him, grabbing Rogue by the face and using flames from his feet to propel himself and Rogue straight at Sting, smacking the Twin Dragons against one another, but Natsu wasn't finished there.

"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" Flames lighting at his palms, Natsu delivered a wave of flames that sent Sting and Rogue upwards in a twirling inferno.

At the same time, the clash of blades continued as Dante thrusted Rebellion at Vergil, who caught it with the back of Yamato and spun it around to shake Dante's attack off before slicing the katana at him, which Dante flipped backwards to avoid just as Vergil jumped to slash at Dante, who countered with a slash of his own to block it just as Vergil leapt backwards and Dante tried to rush him while Vergil rushed in return, thrusting the Yamato forward… only for Dante to pull out the Coyote A and thrust it to meet the Yamato, firing the shotgun just as their tips met, the force of the blast being enough to push the Yamato upwards and leave Vergil open…

For Dante to thrust Rebellion right into him!

Vergil hadn't expected Dante to be so quick, and that cost him as the large broadsword had impaled right through him, much to the shock of everyone in Sabertooth as well as most of the audience, particularly Lector and Frosch, who looked in a state of speechless shock, while Fairy Tail cheered their hardest.

"Hurts, doesn't it?" Dante grinned, feeling a cathartic sense of payback for when he got stabbed by his brother.

Vergil however simply grinned in return. "Not even in the slightest." Despite being impaled, he flicked the Yamato in his hand to create a series of slashes all across Dante's body, cutting him in every direction, forcing him to pull Rebellion back and try to counter, allowing Vergil a chance to retreat.

"Whoa! I can't believe what's happening right before my eyes!" Chapati commented. "The illustrious Sting and Rogue have been overwhelmed by Fairy Tail! Not only that, but even Vergil, the Devil Prince of Fiore's mightiest guild, has been pushed back by Dante!"

Vergil had regrouped with the recovering Twin Dragons. "You were stabbed." Rogue pointed out.

"I was." Vergil confirmed.

"That's never happened before." Rogue added.

"Not in any encounter you have seen." Vergil commented. "I warned you not to underestimate this guild."

Sting scoffed as he wiped his mouth. "They're tougher than I thought, I'll give em that. But that's what makes this all the more fun."

"Tell me something, did you really defeat your dragons with that measly power of yours?" Natsu questioned skeptically.

"We didn't just defeat them." Sting smirked with pride as he clenched his fist. "We killed our dragons, with our bare hands!"

"Is that true?" Dante asked Vergil.

"I do not know. I was not there." The elder twin replied.

"So, why'd you do it anyway?" Natsu questioned again. "They trained you and taught you to use your magic, just as Igneel taught me. What made you wanna betray them like that?"

"It's none of your damn business!" Sting stated, his voice being laced with anger before putting on his cocky attitude again. "But if you losers wanna see our Dragon Slaying power, I'll be happy to show it to ya! White Drive!" The minute Sting said those words, his body was encompassed in a bright white aura of light.

"Shadow Drive!" Rogue underwent a similar process in which his whole body was encompassed in a dark aura of shadows.

Natsu and Gajeel eyed them seriously, while Dante looked at Vergil and saw an odd expression on him. It almost looked like there was a hint of disappointment in Vergil's eyes, something that caused Dante to look suspicious.

"We all know how much of a pain Vergil is, but these two so-called Twin Dragons have me worried." Gildarts pointed out as he and the rest of Fairy Tail continued to watch. "Mostly because we have no idea what their magic is capable of."

"All I know from reading their reports is that their Dragon Slayers with their elements being light and shadow respectively." Morrison said. "And I was as thorough as I could be. Sabertooth really likes to keep their cards close to their chest."

"There's also the fact that Vergil's undoubtedly gotten stronger these past seven years." Modeus pointed out. "Predicting the outcome of this match will be all but impossible."

"Especially now that they've finished testing each other's strengths." Mavis added. "This is where the fight really starts! Let's cheer extra hard!"

Jiemma sat from the audience and watched the match unfolding with a serious look on his face. After what Dante did, attacking and disrespecting him, his only regret is that he is not down there himself to make him suffer with his bare hands. "You're dying guild will be laid to rest, boy."

---

At the same time, the four women of Crime Sorciere watched the match unfold via Ultear's crystal ball and each of them looked more than a little anxious.

"This is it… Fairy Tail versus Sabertooth." Sheeree pointed out.

"Or rather, Fairy Tail's rematch with Vergil." Meredy corrected.

"But even if this is an official match and they all have to follow the rules of the tournament, I'd be lying to say I wasn't a little nervous." Sheeree said. "We've all seen what Vergil can do."

"I wouldn't be so quick to count Dante out though." Sorano replied. "He's done the impossible before."

"I'm worried about Jellal though." Meredy said. "What if Vergil finds him out?"

"Jellal is careful enough to avoid being spotted." Ultear assured, placing a hand on her adoptive daughter's shoulder. "Besides, it seems that Vergil is more focused on his brother right now. All we can do now is watch and hope for the best."

---

"The intense staring contest continues!" Chapati commented as the opposing Sons of Sparda and Dragon Slayers eyed each other with glares. "You could cut the tension in the arena with a butter knife! Who will be the first to make a move?"

That would be Sting as he gunned straight for Natsu at lightning speed, throwing a light-coated fist at Natsu, who blocked it by crossing his arms. "Sabertooth's Sting springs into action!" Chapati announced. "Fairy Tail's Natsu barely manages to block!"

"White Dragon Iron Fist!" Sting threw another fist coated in white energy, one that scored a solid hit on Natsu's face before pounding him repeatedly.

"Salamander!" Gajeel exclaimed. But, he quickly noticed a black blur moving in his direction and tried to punch it, only for his fist to phase right through. "What the…?" He then felt a slash along his back, pushing him down. He glared to see Rogue, covered in a fluent shadow, holding his katana outward. "Guess that fancy sword ain't just for show."

"I'll admit I'm not on the same level as Vergil." Rogue replied as he held his katana. "But I've made my own style from observing his own and combining it with my own magic, creating a sword technique that can bypass any form of defense. Shadow Dragon: Sword Style: Soaring Dark Slash!" He shot at Gajeel again in his shadow mode and pulled back his katana. Gajeel tried to brace himself, coating his arms in iron, but Rogue was able to pass through and strike Gajeel with a horizontal slash of shadow magic that brought him to his knees.

"Look at that! Gajeel seems completely helpless against Rogue's shadow-sword attacks!" Chapati commented.

"Try as you might, you can't catch a shadow." Rogue said before going on the attack again.

"Impressive swordsmanship." Modeus commented.

"Combine that with his own shadow magic and he seems almost untouchable." Trish added.

At the same time, Dante had drawn Ebony and Ivory and fired at Vergil in rapid succession, only for Vergil to twirl Yamato like a helicopter blade to easily slice through each individual bullet, something Dante saw coming.

"Alright, let's mix things up. Cerberus!" Dante brought out his ice-nunchucks and flailed it to send a line of ice spikes his away across the ground. Though Vergil pulled the Yamato back and brought it out with a slice just as the streak was about to hit, sending a slice that broke through Dante's attack, it also appeared to leave him open as Dante used that to come in close and strike Vergil repeatedly across his body with the three-pronged ice-nunchuck.

"And in a surprise twist, while Natsu and Gajeel have their hands full, Dante seems to have gotten the upper hand on his brother!" Chapati commentated.

As Dante continued to move all around Vergil, his weapon granting him impressive range and speed, bashing and striking him with physical and icy-attacks, Vergil didn't seem the least bit impressed.

"How pointless. Ifrit!" In a flash, Vergil's arms were suddenly quipped with a pair of demonic looking gauntlets that were quickly set ablaze, much to Dante's surprise. Vergil threw his arms outward to easily break through all the surrounding ice and slug Dante in the gut before following with a backhand to the face to knock him down.

"Oh, looks like I spoke too soon folks! Vergil's managed to break through Dante's attacks like they were nothing!" Chapati commentated.

"What was that? Fire gauntlets?" Gray questioned.

"I've never seen that Devil Arm before." Erza observed.

Dante got back up and wiped his slightly burned chin with a grin. "New toy, huh?"

"It's been seven years, Dante. Did you really think I wouldn't acquire new Devil Arms in that timeframe?" Vergil asked rhetorically as he showed his flaming gauntlets.

The red-clad Son of Sparda shrugged. "Yeah, I probably should have seen that coming. But let's test out their quality. Beowulf!" Quipping into his own gauntlets and grieves, Dante quickly closed the distance between himself and his brother, pulling back his right gauntlet as Vergil mirrored his actions with his own. Their fists collided once they met, Beowulf met Ifirit, resulting in an aftershock of light energy and demonic flames that overpassed their respective users. "Slugfest, bro! Me and you!" Dante then dealt a right kick to the side of Vergil's face before following through with a series of rapid punches.

But Vergil dug his feet in and took the attacks before noticing a gap in Dante's rapid punches and threw a punch with his own gauntlet into Dante's chest, sending a streak of fire right through him. "It's 'you and I'." Vergil corrected before bringing his other gauntlet down on Dante's head to pound him into the ground while also engulfing him in a blazing inferno. "Grammar, Dante."

What followed next was a cartwheel kick to the back of Vergil's head, courtesy of Dante who leapt into the air thanks to said kick. "I'll 'Grammar Dante' you into the ground, asshole!"

Meanwhile, Natsu and Gajeel appeared unable to fight back against their respective opponents as Sting clapped his fists into the side of Natsu's head to engulf him in a flash of light, while Rogue sliced Gajeel in the chest with his shadow-coated katana, both Dragon Slayers were pushed back against each other.

"Outta my way!" They said to the other.

"Hey, your fight is with us, losers! Show some respect!" Sting called to them. "Rogue, time for a crisscross! White Dragon Wing Rays!" Both of Sting's arms glowed white before he swung them to send two powerful waves of white light.

Rogue followed suit, lunging his katana forward. "Shadow Dragon: Sword Style: Rapid Dark Thrust!" He thrusted his sword forward multiple times, sending multiple shadow-projectiles out like bullets. Both light and dark attacks caught Natsu and Gajeel in a cross-cross attack.

"Their power drastically increased." Lily observed the Dragon Slayers battle. "I've never seen Gajeel or our fellow Dragon Slayers display that ability before."

"It has to be from those lacrimas implanted in their bodies, granting them additional power to their own." Juvia assumed. "Guess this is the power of a Third Generation Dragon Slayer."

"Come on Natsu! Dante! Gajeel! Show them what you can do!" Happy cheered extra loud.

"Don't let those guys beat you!" Romeo also called out.

Despite being caught in that attack, Natsu and Gajeel were still standing and appeared to be ready continue the fight as they charged at their opponents once again.

"Didn't anyone tell ya it's bad manners to hold back when you're fighting?" Natsu questioned as he tried to punch Sting with a flaming fist, but Sting parried it with a chop before following through with a glowing white punch.

"You're one to talk!" Sting then delivered a glowing kick to Natsu's side. "What's the deal with that pitiful defense, huh?" He leapt onto Natsu's shoulders and delivered a kick to his back to push him down before coming in from above. "White Dragon Iron Fist!" He slammed a powerful fist attack on Natsu while he was down, creating a small crater in the arena on impact.

"Shadow Dragon: Sword Style: Shadow Cutter!" Rogue in his shadow-mode dashed past Gajeel, delivering multiple katana slashes before sliding past him. The second he did, Gajeel felt all those strikes across his body and as his headband fell off, revealing a bleeding cut along his forehead. "Consider yourself lucky. That attack would normally reduce an opponent to a pile of severed pieces. But killing you would only disqualify me."

"Lucky me." Gajeel grunted. 'Come on… think. There has to be a way to counter this. I can't touch him, but he can still touch me. Wait...' His eyes widened for a brief moment. 'Why does that sound familiar?'

Dante thew a punch with Beowulf's right gauntlet towards Vergil, which he blocked by swinging his left arm down to create a wave of flame before throwing his own punch out with the other Ifrit gauntlet, which Dante avoided using the Beowulf grieves for an extra boost in speed to circle around him before trying to kick him from behind, but Vergil was quick enough to block it by swinging his left flaming gauntlet out, but Dante zipped back with a kick from his right grieve to the gauntlet.

'His gauntlets give him some firepower, but I got more than enough experience with that, courtesy of Natsu.' Dante thought. 'And even if he is quick on the draw, his weapon doesn't have the same kind of speed that Beowulf does, so I there's still a chance I can get a hit in.'

However, it seemed that Vergil had caught on to what Dante was thinking, taking a brief look at his Ifrit gauntlets and Dante's Beowulf before changing things up once more.

"Arbiter!" Vergil's flaming gauntlets disappeared as he quipped a new weapon, a large two-handed, demonic, axe-looking weapon that appeared to be made entirely out of stone. He raised it high and drove it onto the ground, creating a massive tremor that shook up most of the arena, with a large crack quickly speeding its way towards Dante before exploding to send him hurtling upwards.

"Whoa! Vergil's breaking out the big guns, folks! He just sent Dante flying with a mighty blow from his axe!" Chapati commentated as Vergil gave an upward swing with Arbiter, which sent multiple stones straight at the airborne Dante, who was unable to dodge, leaving him to get hit in every direction.

"He has an earth-based Devil Arm?!" Mira questioned.

"I hate to admit it… but that's a weapon of a real man…" Elfman growled.

"This isn't looking good." Gildarts said as he watched the match seriously.

"Sting and Rogue's lacrimas allow them to amplify their power, not to mention they're well-coordinated as a team." Mavis added. "In addition, Vergil's Devil Arms seem to focus on raw power, but he's clearly a master."

"Am I the only one feeling let down, here?" Orga said in disappointment as the rest of Team Sabertooth watched in smugness. "That Dante punk talked a big game, but he's barely holding his own against our boy."

"And those so-called Dragon Slayers are lacking in coordination and even any semblance of grace." Rufus said with an overly confident grin. "Honestly, it's a miracle any of them have lasted this long."

"That's the way!" Lector cheered. "You got em on the ropes! Now bring it home!"

"I'm cheering for you too!" Frosch called to them.

Minerva couldn't contain her own malevolent grin. 'I may not be the one to humiliate them so thoroughly in this round, but the time has finally come for Fairy Tail to learn their place.'

---

Infirmary

Meanwhile, Lucy, Lisanna, Makarov, Porlyusica, Wendy, Carla, and Kyrie continued to watch the match themselves, courtesy of a projection created by Sparda's spirit so that they too may witness the match, and many of them were looking with worry.

"The match does not seem to be going in our favor." Makarov observed.

"Those Twin Dragons are no joke…" Wendy said. "But… Vergil..."

"I… I remember all of you telling me about him… how he strong he was… even stronger than Dante but…" Kyrie stuttered. "To actually see it with my own eyes…"

"Yes…" Carla said. "That man is nothing short of terrifying. No offense, Sir Sparda."

"None taken." The spirit of the Dark Night replied. "He has grown significantly stronger, speaking as a father I'll admit I am proud." A small smile formed on his face. "But don't forget, Dante has more than a few tricks up his sleeve as well."

"He's right, we shouldn't count them out just yet." Lucy said with a smile as she sat up in her bed, Lisanna sitting close by her side as she put her own arm around Lucy's shoulder and held her hand at the same time. "He, Natsu, and Gajeel will pull through."

"They always find ways to surprise us." Lisanna smiled as well. "I don't see how this time around should be any different."

---

Back in the arena, Sting continued to pound Natsu relentlessly with his glowing fists, which the Salamander tried to block. "Beating the crap out of my idol is pretty freaking sweet!" He delivered an uppercut to Natsu's chest to push him up into the air. "All I ever wanted to do was show the world I'm better than you, and today… I finally get the chance!" He lunged a clawed strike at Natsu's exposed chest to push him back.

"Oh crap!" Gray exclaimed in distress as he saw Natsu get hit.

"Something's up with that punch." Erza eyed it with suspicion. "It was different from the other attacks he's used so far."

"Yeah, I see it." Laxus saw what she was talking about, and Natsu himself realized it as well.

His shirt had been torn at his stomach-area, revealing his abs, as well as a glowing white magic circle. Natsu soon found himself unable to move at all.

"The hell…? Hey! What did you do to me…?!" He questioned in frustration.

"My White Dragon Talon is infused with Holy Magic." Sting explained. "Anyone branded with its stigmata becomes paralyzed." His hands then glowed brighter. "Now the real fun begins! You're my new punching bag!"

Once more, Gajeel was knocked down by Rogue in his shadow-mode, with the Shadow Dragon Slayer about to come in for what he felt would be the finishing blow. "In the end, the Shadow Dragon always gets his prey, and you won't even see it coming." He tried to bring his katana down onto Gajeel…

Only for the Iron Dragon Slayer to clap it in-between his hands, much to Rogue's own shock.

"Gotcha." Gajeel grinned. "Iron Dragon Roar!" He blasted him with a point-blank breath attack, one that successfully hit Rogue to send him flying and crashing into the wall.

"Like a boss!" Jet pumped his fist.

"But how'd he do that though?" Droy asked. "I thought he couldn't touch him."

"His technique seems to be similar to my own." Juvia seemed to figure it out. "I can transform my body into water entirely, allowing my opponents' attacks to phase right through me. But in order for me to strike them, I have to solidify myself again, or at least the part of my body that I'm using to strike, such as my fist or foot. Rogue's technique has to work on the same principle, he can't be constantly in the form of a shadow if he's able to land a successful attack."

"And since you and Gajeel have been working together for so long, he was able to figure it out!" Levy realized with a smile.

Panther-Lily smiled as well. "He may be hard-headed, but Gajeel is nothing if not adaptable."

Meanwhile, the seemingly battered Dante picked himself up from the ground to gaze at his brother who held Arbiter over his shoulder. "Okay, I'll admit it. That thing packs a wallop. Pretty badaxe of you." He joked.

Vergil's eyelids lowered. "I'm at least pleased you didn't lose your sense of humor, Dante. But stay focused… if you wish to stay in one piece!" He brought Arbiter down again to send another tremor in Dante's direction, sending him up in the air with a rocky explosion.

"Oh, I'm focused alright…" Dante said while airborne. "Focused on bringing you to my level! Anubis!" Quipping his newer Devil Arm, Dante spun the shadow-axes around before throwing out one end, which extended all the way down to Vergil. The elder Son of Sparda blocked the seeming attack with the pole of Arbiter, as was Dante's hope as the shadow coil tangled around the pole, much to Vergil's curiosity. Though that curiosity turned into surprise as Vergil was yanked up from the ground, that one half of Anubis returning to the other in Dante's hands as the two brothers met in mid-air.

"Nice view up here, don't ya think?" Dante cracked before slicing with his double-edged axe across Vergil's chest. Though Dante did appear to be falling, Vergil soon after, he wasn't worried. "And now, for my next trick… Trickster!" A red magic circle appeared under Dante's feet, which he used to kick himself upwards from, right to his falling brother and slashed at him with Anubis again. As they veered past each other, Dante extended and threw out Anubis again, one of the blades embedding itself in Vergil's side to keep him airborne as Dante kicked off from another Trickster circle to come back down for another slash. "Can't cause earthquakes in the sky, can ya?" Dante said before repeating the process with another Trickster circle to push him back up to slash again.

"Whoa… what's Dante doing?" Patty looked in surprise. "I thought Vergil was winning!"

"I understand…" Modeus figured it out. "He pulled Vergil up in the air with Anubis because that axe of his utilizes the ground, and he's keeping them both in the air through a clever combination of that Devil Arm and his Trickster Style."

"Now that's thinking outside the box." Lady smirked.

"Huh… I'll admit. That's pretty damn clever." Nero commented with a half-grin and a nod.

"Considering his brother's still got seven years over him, Dante has to get a little creative if he's gonna catch up." Morrison said.

Sting tried to come at Natsu with a powerful punch, but the Fire Dragon Slayer simply smirked as he let Sting come in close, before ducking to avoid Sting's punch and striking him with a flaming punch to the face. Sting was pushed back as he looked in shock and frustration.

"You shouldn't be able to move!" However, he noticed the smoke coming from Natsu's abs where he struck him and looked in surprise. 'He burned off the stigmata?'

"You're good, I'll give you that. But you'll have to do better." Natsu cracked his knuckles.

"That's Natsu for ya." Gray chuckled. "Insane and brilliant at the same time."

"You can say that again." Erza said in a similar manner. "He is one of a kind."

Romeo laughed. "I was getting worried there for a sec."

"I wasn't. Of course Natsu would do something like that. Go Natsu!" Happy cheered on.

"And just like that, the tide of battle has turned once again!" Chapati announced as Natsu and Gajeel were able to land successful attacks on Sting and Rogue respectively, causing Lector and Frosch to look with worry. But not only that, Dante kept up his barrage in the air with his Anubis Devil Arm and Trickster style in tandem, striking Vergil from multiple directions and leaving him unable to counter. However, despite all that, Vergil couldn't help but smile.

'Excellent. I was afraid that you wouldn't be as I remembered you, brother.' Vergil thought to himself. 'But once again, you surprise me, and I wouldn't expect anything less. However,… the sky is also my domain now.'

"Zeus!" Vergil had quipped his double-bladed lightning spear and, in that instant,… a massive surge of dark indigo lightning lit up the whole sky. Dante couldn't avoid this as the demonic lightning surged in all directions striking him all across his body.

"Holy crap…!" Cana exclaimed.

"Lightning…?" Nero looked in surprise as Trish felt her arms twitch as everyone in Fairy Tail looked in clear shock along with the gasping and screaming audience, even Natsu and Gajeel down below stopped their fights to see the lightning storm erupt above them.

"Whoa! The sky just lit up with a sudden thunderstorm! I've never seen anything like that before!" Chapati commentated. "No way Dante could have dodged an all-encompassing attack like that!"

Lady and Patty seemed especially worried as they watched Dante fall back to the arena. Though he did land on his feet, it was a shaky landing as he struggled to maintain his balance briefly, small residual charges of dark indigo lightning briefly lit up around his body as he took a moment to catch his breath.

"Hey, you okay man?" Natsu asked.

"I'm fine…" Dante said. He looked to see his brother land in front of him with Natsu and Gajeel eyeing him seriously. "What kind of Devil Arm is that, Vergil?" Dante questioned seriously. "I get the feeling it ain't normal."

"You assumed correctly." Vergil explained as he showed the double-bladed spear. "I once wielded a lightning-based Devil Arm by the name of Alastor. But after I used it to slay a powerful demon that also has lightning powers, they combined together to form this new weapon. Zeus."

"He fused two Devil Arms into one?" Erza questioned in surprise as Gray's eyes shook while Laxus narrowed his own.

"Hold on, is something like that even possible?" Gildarts asked Modeus.

"It's a rare occurrence, but it is possible." The former apprentice of Sparda confirmed. "If a Devil Arm is used to defeat a strong enough demon that also utilizes the same element or weapon-aspect, they can combine to form a stronger weapon. And it seems Vergil has done just that."

Nero gave a sarcastic chuckle. "I'm sure as hell glad Sanctus and the Order of the Sword didn't try to do something like that, or else things could have gotten really bad back then."

"Oh no… I've got a bad feeling about this, you guys." Patty shook in her spot while Mavis looked in seriousness.

---

"He's combined Devil Arms…" Sparda felt a mixture of pride and nervousness at his son's accomplishments while Porlyusica and Makarov's eyes widened, clearly not seeing that coming herself.

"Even from here, I felt a charge in the air." Wendy muttered as Carla and Kyrie looked even more nervous than already.

Lisanna and Lucy both held one another close as they continued to watch, and while they were a bit nervous as well, there was another detail they both realized that may actually work in their team's favor. And they were certain that their friends have figured it out as well.

---

"Huh, okay I'll admit it. That is pretty cool." Dante smirked, earning a slight smirk from Vergil as well.

"Wait, why is he smiling?" Nero questioned. "Shouldn't he be freaked out right now?"

"Kinda looks like Vergil is smiling too." Happy noticed.

"That's how they are." Lady spoke up, getting everyone's attention as she stepped forward to gaze down at the brothers. "They've been like this ever since I first met them. The Twin Sons of Sparda… though the same blood of their father flows through their veins, they battle each other fiercely like arch enemies. But… at the same time… it feels as if they derive some kind of… twisted pleasure from this… brotherly fighting."

"They… enjoy cutting each other to pieces?" Romeo questioned.

"Yeah, I get that same feeling too whenever I see them clash." Trish added.

"I know Natsu loves to fight and all but…" Even Gildarts didn't have the words for something like that. "Not quite like this."

"You ask me, that's pretty messed up." Nero commented.

"'Messed up'? I'd call that straight up crazy!" Patty stated.

"It's just something the two of them share with each other." Mavis said with a wise smile forming on her face. "They've always done this, even as children they would fight with wooden swords. Even if the tragic events that followed set them on different paths, the twin Sons of Sparda would always come back to each other. And even if they do fight as enemies… you get the same sense that they love it. Perhaps it's how they express their affection for one another, by pushing each other to get stronger. I'd almost say it's brotherly love."

Everyone took the moment to process what Mavis said. It was really hard for those in Fairy Tail to really understand that given what Vergil did to them all, and they all knew Dante felt the same way. But still… it did kind of make sense in an odd sort of way. Such a paradox and it was hard to put it to words.

"In a weird way… that does sound kinda manly." Elfman said.

"Now then… Shall we continue?" Vergil thrusted Zeus straight upward, causing the clouds to darken as lightning struck down, being drawn to Zeus like a lightning rod, the Devil Arm glowing brighter the more electricity it took in.

"It looks like Vergil's about prep for another big attack!" Chapati commentated. "Dante couldn't even dodge the last one, so how will he fair against this?"

Dante however merely glanced behind to his Dragon Slayer companions, a smirk crossing his face as they both smirked as well.

Feeling that he had charged Zeus with enough power, Vergil lunged it forward to send an enormous blast of dark indigo lightning straight for Dante….

Only for it to suddenly veer straight right and away from Dante, the massive bolt of demonic lightning gunning straight for Gajeel who had an Iron Dragon Pillar extended outward to draw the lightning to himself. He grunted in pain as he felt the electricity surge around him while Vergil merely raised his eyebrow.

"What the…?" Sting didn't expect to see that.

"He's using himself as a lightning rod?" Rogue questioned.

Gajeel grunted even more. 'Come on! Ground yourself! Take all that power and redirect it!' He brought his arms together to create a large metallic cannon-like device as all that gathered lightning concentrated at the core.

"Iron Dragon Lightning Cannon!" Gajeel fired all the channeled demonic lightning, taking the form of a sphere that went straight for Vergil.

'I see. He used himself as conductor to absorb and redirect all that gathered electricity.' Vergil thought. 'Clever, but futile.' He already reached for his katana just as the attack was about to hit. "Darkslayer!" Quickly drawing the Yamato, and slicing upward to sever the electrical attack in half, both halves flying past Vergil and exploding behind in a flurry of dark indigo lightning.

"Whoa, what just happened?!" Chapati questioned.

"It seems that Gajeel had used his own body as a lightning rod to draw in Vergil's attack, and then he redirected it to launch a makeshift surprise attack back at Vergil. Most impressive." Yajima commented.

"It was impressive." Vergil agreed as he eyed Gajeel. "But not enough to beat me."

The Iron Dragon Slayer smirked. "Yeah, but I wasn't aiming for you. You were just in the way."

Vergil only looked in curiosity, briefly turning towards Dante, who smirked as he motioned with his head to look behind him, which he did, drawn by the sound of slurping coupled with electrical charges. All eyes in the arena were drawn to a cluster of the dark lightning that had exploded behind Vergil, and then all eyes widened in absolute shock at what they saw.

It was Natsu! His mouth hung open as he held his head up high… to draw in all the lightning and consume it all just as he would his own natural element.

"WHAT…?!" Sting exclaimed.

"Impossible…!" Rogue muttered.

Everyone in the audience as well as Sabertooth looked in complete and absolute shock. Chapati, Yajima, and Rabian had their jaws drop. Mato looked completely stupefied. Rufus, Orga, and even Minerva were caught off guard at what they saw, even Lector and Frosch looked as if they had just seen a ghost. Everyone in Fairy Tail, on the other hand, only smirked and grinned.

"Didn't see that one coming, did ya?" Gildarts commented.

Natsu wiped his mouth after consuming the last of the lightning. "Thanks for the snack. Now it's my turn!" Natsu was suddenly engulfed in an inferno and an aura of yellow lightning, having activated his Lightning-Flame Dragon Mode.

For one of the few times in his life, Vergil was surprised. Natsu could consume lightning in addition to fire now? He now wields the power of two elements! That surprise would leave Vergil open for the Lightning-Flame Natsu to burst right at him in incredible speeds and delivered a punch to his gut that exploded a flurry of fire and lightning all around Vergil.

"Dante got a shot at ya, now it's my turn!" His right fist coated in fire and his left in lightning, Natsu laid a series of rapid punches all across Vergil's body.

"What in the world happened?!" Chapati questioned. "Did Natsu just eat up Vergil's lightning?!"

"It certainly seems that way." Yajima said, looking rather surprised himself.

"But I thought he could only consume fire!" Rabian stated.

"Lightning Flame Dragon Firing Hammer!" His fist and forearm engulfed in fire and lightning, Natsu swung upwards, landing an attack on Vergil's jaw to blast him upwards in a dual elemental explosion. However, Vergil quickly recovered while he was airborne to regain his composure. As he shot himself down toward his opponent, he attempted performed a quick draw with his Yamato.

Only for him to catch a shine out of the corner of his eye and was forced to draw Yamato to block the incoming iron-pillar from Gajeel who rushed in to join the fight. Both his arms converted into his Iron Dragon Swords as he attacked. "Iron Dragon Bladed Spiral!" Gajeel spun his body around like a twister, both large swords pointing outward. This prompted Vergil to hold the Yamato and block the rapid bladed strikes.

Natsu then appeared above Vergil, his right hand charged with fire and the left charged with lightning. "Outta the way Gajeel!" Natsu warned, prompting Gajeel to leap back and avoid Natsu's attack. "Lightning Flame Dragon Brilliant Flame!" He slammed the two elements together and created a massive explosion of fire and lightning with Vergil in the center. Natsu and Gajeel both regrouped only to watch as the attack was sliced in half, courtesy of the Yamato that Vergil held upward. Though some of his clothes were burned and charred slightly, he looked more than ready to continue the fight.

"Hey, don't take your eyes off us!" Sting pulled back a glowing white fist.

"I'm not finished yet, either!" Rogue had drawn his katana, coated in shadow-magic.

Only for both attacks to be halted as Dante appeared in front of them, using the flat of Rebellion to block both of them, much to the Twin Dragons' shock before swinging his sword to knock them both back.

"Natsu's got some gripe to settle with Vergil, so let him have at it." Dante said. "In the meantime, I can play with you."

"And it looks like we got a switcharoo, folks!" Chapati commented. "Not only has Natsu shown that he's even someone capable of using lightning, but he and Gajeel seem to have their sights focused on Vergil, leaving Dante to face the Twin Dragons by himself! This match is just full of twists and turns!"

"Since when the hell can that punk use lightning?!" Orga questioned.

"Yes, his element is supposed to be fire." Rufus added in surprise.

Minerva narrowed her eyes at the Salamander. "It seems he's had a secret weapon all this time, one he was saving for this special moment."

"Hey, can Sting do the same thing?" Frosch asked Lector. "I know Rogue can't."

"N-no… that… that shouldn't be possible…" The red-furred Exceed stuttered.

"You surprise me, Natsu." Vergil told him. "I wasn't aware you've acquired dual elements. How did you manage to pull that off?"

"Trade secret." The Salamander narrowed his eyes.

"Now the two of you hope to face me together. You don't strike me as partners." Vergil pointed out.

"I can bite the bullet if I need to. Doesn't mean I have to like it though." Gajeel responded as he utilized his dual Iron Dragon Swords once again.

"Just try and keep up, Metalhead." Natsu said as he surged with fire and lightning once more.

Vergil tightened his grip on Yamato as he eyed the two Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail. "Let's go."

Meanwhile, Dante faced off against the Twin Dragons. "You think you can take on both of us? Big mistake!" Sting scowled.

"Step aside. I have a score to settle with Gajeel." Rogue demanded.

"I've got a score to settle with you too, specifically you, you blonde bastard." Dante pointed towards Sting. "Your guild's top bitch tortured my cousin, and you laughed at it. So, I'm going to make sure that this hurts, and I'm going to enjoy the hell out of it. Quicksilver!"

Dante disappeared and reappeared directly in front of Sting to slice Rebellion at him with enough force to send the White Dragon Slayer flying and crashing into the wall on the other side of the arena. He was then quick to hold Rebellion from behind to block Rogue's shadow-katana attack before spinning around to deliver a kick to the side of his head and knock him down.

"White Dragon Roar!" The recovered Sting blasted another breath attack straight for Dante, but he had already pulled out Ebony and Ivory to fire a charged shot from both pistols to intercept the beam of light, causing it to explode before it even hit him. Sting braced himself from the resulting shockwave but looked in shock to see Dante rushing through the smoke with Rebellion pointing outward.

Sting just barely rolled out of the way to avoid the impact that shook up much of the wall. "White Dragon Iron Fist!" Sting tried to rush Dante with multiple glowing punches, but Dante easily dodged them all before grabbing Sting by his face slamming him into the wall.

"I told you this would hurt. Quicksilver!" Using his time-stop ability once again, as well as his own natural speed, Dante ran along the wall, all while dragging Sting across said wall by the face, leaving a trail of destruction as he went. His ability wore off when he was about half-way across the arena before throwing Sting outward and firing a Ivory and Ebony once again for multiple shots that all struck Sting and sent him rolling, bouncing, and crashing against the ground, covered in bruises and bleeding shots.

Dante appeared to be covered in a surprise attack of shadows as Rogue appeared before him. "Shadow Dragon Waxwing Flash!" With a wave of his hand, Dante seemed to be flung in the air by Rogue's cluster of shadows before he drew his katana and thrusted it upward, but Dante was quick to recover and parry it with a swing from Rebellion before landing and clashing swords.

"You're pretty good with a blade, I'll give you that." Dante credited as Rebellion began to glow an aura of red, much to Rogue's surprise before Dante swung upward to knock Rogue back before unleashing his Million-Stab Technique point-blank, which Rogue couldn't block or dodge, the force sending him skidding towards the downed Sting. "But you're nowhere near Erza's level."

"I don't believe it, ladies and gentlemen! Dante is taking on the Twin Dragons solo and is wiping the floor with them! This is crazy!" Chapati commentated.

"Well, he is a Son of Sparda after all." Yajima pointed out.

"Yeah! Kick their butts, Dante!" Patty cheered.

"Bout time we see those shitty smirks wiped off their faces." Trish commented.

"Damn straight." Cana agreed.

Team Sabertooth continued to look with glares at Dante, while Lector and Frosch shook in their spots at seeing their Dragon Slayer companions get beaten down so harshly, with Frosch already in tears.

Dante looked down upon the Twin Dragons as they tried to pull themselves up. "You guys called yourselves Third Generation Dragon Slayers?" He questioned with a scoff. "I'm thinking third rate is more like it."

"…What did you just say…?" Sting growled as he stood up, Rogue right behind him.

"You heard me, you're honestly a bit of a letdown." Dante said. "So how exactly did you kill your dragons? Because I've seen a real one, and there's no way your shitty power can scratch that guy. Either you did something pretty underhanded, or your dragons were pretty weak ass."

"Shut your damn mouth… you don't know what you're talking about!" Rogue stated, his eyes shaking slightly with emotion.

"And you're one to talk!" Sting called out. "You're mad at your cousin getting beaten up? She deserved it. She was weak. And in this world, only the strong are meant to survive. That's how it works."

"Oh? Well, if that's the case, what about your little Exceed friend?" Dante replied, causing Sting to look in surprise. "He's pretty weak, right? And if being weak means you deserve to get beaten up, I'm surprised you didn't just straight up kill him. Shouldn't be all that hard since you killed your dragon mentor, right?"

Sting didn't have a response to that. He was too livid to think of one. His body shook with rage as he ground his teeth together. Was Dante suggesting that Sting kill Lector?! The thought of that made his blood boil.

"Shut… up….!" He growled.

"I know a hypocrite when I see one." Dante glared. "And it seems like your guild is full of em. Honestly, I'm glad Yukino's not with you guys anymore. If anything, you losers were holding her back. So, who's the real weakling, then? You self-righteous piece of crap"

With a roar of fury, Sting shot at Dante, his hands glowing brightly as he went on the attack, but Dante dodged all his attacks before pulling out Coyote-A to shoot a point-blank shotgun blast to his face and push him down. He growled in anger as he tried to push himself up.

"Sting!" He heard Rogue call to him as his partner was on the other side of Dante, putting the red-clad Devil Hunter in-between the Twin Dragons. "Let's do another crisscross, one at maximum power!"

The White Dragon Slayer knew what that meant and took a certain stance, with his whole body glowing in a bright white light. At the same time, the Shadow Dragon Slayer took a similar dance as an ominous dark aura formed around him as well.

"Heads up Dante, we're about to hit you with everything we got." Sting warned. "I was saving this for Natsu, but since you had to run your mouth, I decided to that you deserve this more."

"Individually we have slain even the strongest of demons with these techniques." Rogue added. "Both them combined should be more than a match for even you."

"Whoa…!" Patty gulped as everyone saw the bright light and growing darkness in the arena.

"Do you feel their magic power?" Romeo looked in worry. "It's crazy huge!"

"No kidding! I really think something big's about to go down!" Happy added.

Mira found herself looking directly at Rogue in particular as his own power continued to grow. 'That power of his… why does it feel… demonic?'

"I can barely see the arena between the bright light and all those shadows! What's happening Mr. Yajima?!" Chapati questioned.

"Those kids are focusing every ounce of their respective powers into one spot." Yajima explained. "They are likely getting ready for a conjoined attack."

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art…" Both Twin Dragons uttered at the same time as they unleashed all their power.

"…Holy Nova!" Sting launched himself forward, throwing out a powerful punch as his fist contained all the gathered magic power, his hand glowing brighter than the sun itself.

"…Black Ragnarök!" Rogue unleashed a similar attack, pulling back his clawed hand and throwing it forward as he charged, a large dark mass forming around him which took the form of a demonic-looking skull with glowing red eyes.

Both attacks appeared to strike Dante in the middle, encompassing him in a powerful explosion that mixed white light and dark shadows. Nearly everyone in the audience had to brace themselves, along with the observing members of Fairy Tail, including Dante's teammates.

The resulting dust slowly began to settle with Sting and Rogue having felt they made contact with something, the Twin Dragons making eye-contact with one another as the former gave a cocky grin while the latter nodded, indicating they felt they had defeated their opponent. However, when the dust cleared, it revealed something that made the duo gasp in complete and utter shock.

"The dust is clearing... is he… WHOA!" Chapati exclaimed as everybody in the arena saw that not only has Dante not even budged an inch from their combined assaults, he caught both Sting and Rogue's fists in his each of his hands! He hadn't even used Rebellion to block it! "Fairy Tail's Dante has stopped both of those attacks with his bare hands!"

"Whoa…! That's crazy…!" Lector muttered.

"He's strong…" Frosch muttered.

"No way…" Orga couldn't believe it.

"I don't recall anyone blocking either of those moves individually before, let alone both at the same time!" Rufus said.

"Very interesting." Minerva looked intrigued. "I can see why Vergil regards him so highly, and why he had the guts to attack us all by himself. Who knows? If I hadn't stopped him then, we might have seen quite a show."

Neither Sting nor Rogue could believe it! Their Secret Art attacks had never failed them before, much less get blocked like that! Their eyes shook in shock as both of them were already sweating.

"Yeah… third rate Dragon Slayers, alright." Dante commented in disappointment before pulling his hands forward to slam Sting and Rogue into each other and then went on the attack. "Doppelganger!" Splitting into four clones, all of them encircled around the Twin Dragons. "Agni! Rudra!" Each of them quipping copies of the dual elemental swords, they all swung them simultaneously to engulf the pair in a vortex of flame and wind, but Dante wasn't done yet. The doppelgangers all vanished as Dante leapt high into the air with his Trickster Style. "Nevan!" He quipped his electric scythe and spun it around rapidly to generate a wheel of demonic electricity before throwing it down at the center of the flaming tornado. The second the bolt hit, an enormous explosion of fire, wind, and lightning erupted, causing both Sting and Rogue inside to cry out in pain from the multi-elemental attack before it all faded and they landed on the ground covered in bruises and burns.

"Rogue… no…" Frosch was on the verge of crying.

"Don't give up Sting…!" Lector clenched his fists and tried to look strong, but tears were already in his eyes as well.

"Yeah! That's the way!" Patty cheered.

"Does he always have to finish off with such a flare?" Nero questioned with a half-smile.

"Yeah, like you're one to talk." Trish cracked as she playfully elbowed Nero in the side.

Lady smiled as she saw Dante land on the ground, his jacket blowing in the wind like a cape. She wasn't worried for a second. Take a hit and he comes back swinging twice as hard. It's one of the reasons she always found herself being drawn to him.

At the same time, Natsu and Gajeel kept their barrage of attacks on Vergil as Gajeel lunged his Iron Dragon Spear forward to send multiple energy-lance attacks in his direction, and while Vergil was able to block the majority of it by spinning Yamato in front of him, Natsu had used this to his advantage. Still in his Lightning-Flame Dragon Mode, he zipped through Gajeel's attacks, using them as cover, to bypass Vergil's defense in a flash of lightning before delivering a flaming axe-kick to Vergil's jaw that followed through with a zap of lightning.

However, Vergil was quick to recover and threw out multiple slashes with the Yamato, which Natsu could barely dodge even with the extra speed provided by his Dual Element mode, but this let Gajeel come in as not only had he drawn dual Iron Dragon Swords again, but his Iron Dragon Scales had also formed. He swung his right chainsaw-blade at Vergil, which he blocked with the Yamato before engaging in a vicious swordfight with the two clashing metal on metal. Vergil then leapt into the air to avoid a spinning attack and saw an opening around Gajeel's neck area and swung the Yamato there, only for the katana to bounce off, causing him to look in surprise.

"Gotcha!" Gajeel jumped up and slashed Vergil in an x-formation, causing an x of green energy to light up on his chest before it exploded and knocked him down. Though he was quick to get back on his feet.

"I see… so Natsu isn't the only one who's improved." Vergil noted.

"Fun fact about Iron Dragon Scales, whenever they're broken off, newer and stronger ones grow in their place." Gajeel told him. "I've spent a good long time having mine slashed and busted off to get the strongest type, so strong that it makes that fancy sword of yours look like a butter knife."

"Is that so?" Vergil looked ready to resume his attack, but Natsu zoomed in again, dashing past Vergil in a bolt of lightning as his arms lit on fire.

"Lightning Flame Dragon Wing Attack!" Vergil was sent up in a twirling storm of flames and electricity. Though he spun around in mid-air to hold out the Yamato to disperse the attack, it left him open for Gajeel to strike him with a breath attack, which he couldn't dodge in mid-air.

"Huh, I was wondering why Gajeel asked you to slice off his scales." Droy said to Nero.

"I thought he'd finally blown a head gasket." Jet added.

"Nope. He had me break them off with Gilgamesh and even slice em with Masayoshi." Nero himself said.

"And since that sword is meant to be a copy of Vergil's, it seemed logical that he'd use it as a practice of sorts to prepare for the real thing." Panther-Lily commented.

"It may have been crazy, but it looks like it all paid off!" Levy smiled.

"He and Natsu got Vergil on the ropes!" Happy motioned punches in excitement. "If they keep this up, they can win!"

"Vergil is off his rhythm, he's making mistakes." Modeus noted. "Natsu and Gajeel aren't accustomed to working as a team, so their combination moves are far from harmonious. And yet, that seems to be playing to their advantage and making it difficult for Vergil to predict and counter."

"Yes, but Vergil has proven to be quite the intelligent fighter himself." Mavis eyed the battle seriously as she saw Natsu and Gajeel attempt to gang up on him once again. "In fact,… I'd say he's already found a way to counter them." That caught everyone's attention.

"Mirage Edge!" A slash of blue light appeared just as Natsu and Gajeel got close, the force was enough to push them back.

Both Dragon Slayers found themselves looking in surprise as they saw a second sword materialize in Vergil's free hand. The weapon appeared to be almost transparent, made entirely out of blue energy with a vapor-like aura emanating from it, and yet he gripped it as if it were a solid weapon.

"Wait… that sword…!" Trish's eyes widened in shock.

"It looks just like…" Modeus and Trish both gazed at the Devil Sword Sparda that the lightning she-demon had strapped to her back.

"What the heck is that?" Natsu questioned, regarding Vergil's sword.

"Mirage Edge. A Devil Arm made entirely out of my own demonic power." The eldest Son of Sparda explained. "I modeled it after the original appearance of my father's sword, Force Edge, before it evolved and transformed into the Devil Sword Sparda that you're all familiar with."

"He made a Devil Arm from his own power…?" Erza looked in surprise.

"You never mentioned the guy doing that before." Laxus said.

"Because he couldn't… that's crazy!" Gray stated. "It's like he's wielding a Devil Arm version of himself!"

"So, you made a copy out of Trish's sword, big deal." Gajeel brushed off.

"Don't be so quick to presume." Vergil advised. "Devil Arms are often made from the souls of powerful demons, utilizing the power they wielded when they were alive. As such, Mirage Edge wields the same sort of power that I do. Allow me to give you a demonstration."

He crossed the Yamato and Mirage Edge together like an X. "Summon Swords: Harmonious Embrace!"

Suddenly, hundreds of transparent Yamato copies appeared all above and around Vergil, Natsu, and Gajeel, surrounding them in rows, almost like a dome. The Fire and Iron Dragon Slayers eyed this formation with caution as the rows of blades slowly spun in opposite directions of one another, almost like a bad omen.

"What a turn…!" Chapati looked in awe. "Natsu and Gajeel first appeared to have Vergil backed into a corner, but now it seems like they're caught in the middle of one of the Devil Prince's attacks!"

"It almost looks rather beautiful. Thank you very much for showing such a magnificent ability." Rabian added.

Minerva chuckled as the rest of Team Sabertooth looked with confident smirks. "It's all over now."

As Natsu looked at all the spectral Yamatos that surrounded him, he couldn't help but feel nervous as each of the blades smelled and felt just like Vergil himself. He then got this ominous feeling that something bad was about to happen. The second Natsu gazed into the cold stare of the eldest Son of Sparda, he felt his inner fire freeze up again.

"Like I'm gonna wait for your big attack!" Gajeel tried to rush Vergil. "I'm gonna take you down before…!"

*SLASH!*

The Iron Dragon Slayer was brought to his knees as he saw one of the spectral blades embedded itself in the ground next to him, having slashed him faster than he could have seen. "What the…?" He was then slashed along the back by another blade that came down from the dome around him, followed by a third to the side.

"I admit, I underestimated you, Gajeel Redfox." Vergil said with a dark look in his eyes. "That won't happen again."

Suddenly, almost all the blades began to rain down on Gajeel, slashing him from all directions as he tried to brace himself, hoping his Iron Scales could take it. But for each blade that was shot down at him, a new one materialized in it's place. Or rather, any blade that disappeared on the ground after hitting its mark reappeared where it was launched from in the air and shot again. Soon, Gajeel felt several of his scales chip off as blood was even being drawn. He yelled in pain as the barrage of attacks kept up.

"Gajeel!" Levy and Panther-Lily both exclaimed in shock.

"He can't keep up his defenses… This will wear him down…" Juvia looked with worry.

"But why is Natsu just standing there? Why doesn't he do anything?" Nero questioned.

"Come on Natsu! Go! Give it to him!" Happy called out, not noticing the serious look on Gildarts face as he looked directly at the frozen Salamander.

"This isn't looking good for Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayers, folks! Vergil seems to have the upper hand now!" Chapati commentated.

"Hey! You frozen or something, meathead?! Get your head in the game!" Gray exclaimed as he too noticed Natsu remaining stiff.

"Something's wrong." Laxus looked serious.

Erza looked as closely to Natsu as she could. Her eyes widened as she saw him shake in his spot. 'Natsu's… shaking. Is he… afraid…?'

Natsu couldn't move an inch from his spot, he trembled as he saw Gajeel getting pounded relentlessly by Vergil's attacks with no end in sight. He wanted to move! He had to move! But he couldn't!

'Why!? Why can't I move!?' He cursed himself. He felt his mind flash back to Vergil in his Devil Trigger form, the first time he saw that transformation, and when he got struck down and left a permanent scar on his chest. 'Damn it! Why the hell am I afraid?! I've gone up against worse, so why am I still afraid?!'

"It's perfectly fine to feel fear, Natsu." He gasped as this train of thought brought back a certain memory. "Without fear, we can't hope to know our own weaknesses." Natsu gazed up to the box where most of his friends were, where he saw Gildarts staring at him with a serious yet encouraging look in his eyes. "You need to know them in order to become a stronger and gentler person. The strongest type of people aren't those who have no fear, but rather those who accept their fear so they can overcome it. A necessity for those who want to become S-Class."

As he heard the words of the man he idolized again, Natsu took a deep breath as he tried to focus and concentrate. 'Accept it, huh?'

Gajeel was on his knees, most of his scales broken off as multiple cuts were laid across his body, and Vergil was already standing over him. Yamato in one hand, and Mirage Edge in the other.

"You fought well, Gajeel. I commend you…." Vergil granted.

"Spare me. If you're gonna finish me off, just get it over with." He spat. "I'm tired of listening to your damn preaches."

"As you wish." Vergil raised Mirage Edge and prepared to bring it down…

*ZAP!*

In a flash of lightning, Natsu had suddenly appeared in-between Vergil and Gajeel, much to the latter's surprise. Natsu held each of Vergil's wrists to keep him from swinging either sword and stood his ground.

"You step in even now?" Vergil questioned.

"I'm afraid." Natsu began, earning a raised eyebrow from Vergil. "I admit it… I'm afraid of you. You're probably the first opponent I was actually afraid of. And I've been afraid for a long time. But you know something I'm even more scared of? Not being strong enough to protect those close to me. So I'm going to get stronger. And if that means fighting you, then I'll do just that!" Natsu glared hard like a dangerous animal as he snarled at Vergil. "I refuse to live in fear any longer! I'll burn my fear to ashes! Starting with you, Vergil!" His body lit up in flames and lightning once more.

"Advance Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Flame Lotus Exploding Lightning Blade!" Natsu twirled his arms, throwing Vergil up with him as he unleashed his attack point-blank, blasting away Vergil as well as all the spectral Yamatos in a spiraling flurry of fire and lightning, much to the shock of the audience and Team Sabertooth, and the jubilation of Fairy Tail.

"That's more like it!" Nero pumped his fist.

"Heh, looks like were worried for nothing." Elfman commented.

A smile appeared on Gildarts' face. 'Atta boy, Natsu.'

"Whoa! Natsu just broke through Vergil's attack in a furious display!" Chapati commentated as despite being hit with a strong attack, Vergil was already back on his feet.

"Impressive, but…" He was interrupted as Dante had shot past him and sliced Rebellion with enough force to send him upwards.

"You didn't forget about me did you, bro?" While airborne, Dante drew Ebony and Ivory and fired multiple gunshots, which Vergil seemed unable to dodge or block as he was shot relentlessly, with Dante quickly pulling out Coyote-A once again as Vergil fell to shoot a powerful blast and send him plummeting toward the ground, where Natsu met him with a series of lightning flame punches before giving a kick to send Vergil towards the recovering Gajeel.

"I may be down, but I ain't out yet!" He shot his Iron Dragon Pillar into Vergil's gut.

"Am I going crazy, or is Vergil actually taking a beating?" Orga questioned.

"I have no memory of him being on the defensive before." Rufus said.

While Minerva wasn't too pleased about her strongest teammate appearing to be losing, a part of her couldn't help but feel satisfaction. 'It seems the Devil Prince isn't as invincible as he made himself out to be.'

"Any comments Mr. Yajima?" Chapati asked. "I have absolutely no idea what to make of this?"

None could blame him as everyone saw a punch to Vergil's face by Gajeel, followed through with a kick to the stomach by Natsu, and a double sword strike and shotgun blast from Dante was enough to push Vergil back, down on his knees, towards the downed Sting and Rogue.

"Hmm, they're on a whole different level now." That was Yajima's only comment.

---

Infirmary.

"Amazing…!" Kyrie looked in pure excitement as they all watched the match via Sparda's projection.

"That's putting it mildly." Carla smiled.

"I knew their training and Second Origins had improved their strengths, but I never imagined they'd be this powerful!" Makarov commented in awe.

"Big Brother Natsu, Gajeel, Dante… they're all so amazing! They might actually defeat Vergil!" Wendy said with all the excitement a girl of her age could have.

"Yes." Porlyusica nodded in agreement before looking towards the spirit of her old friend. "You must be quite proud."

"I am… of all of them." Sparda couldn't help but feel fatherly pride in the performance of his twin sons, as well as Natsu and Gajeel. "But we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves yet."

"What do you mean?" Kyrie asked in surprise.

"He's right." Lisanna agreed. "I have a feeling we haven't seen the worst of what Vergil can do."

"We're not done yet." Lucy looked at the projection seriously. "If anything, I'd say it's only half-time."

---

"If I wasn't watching it with my own two eyes, I wouldn't believe it!" Chapati commentated as he saw Dante, Natsu, and Gajeel standing together looking down on Vergil who was on his knees but already standing up, while Sting and Rogue next to him had a hard time pushing themselves back on their feet. "Not only are Sabertooth's Twin Dragons completely at the mercy of Team Fairy Tail, even the all mighty Vergil appears to be overwhelmed! Will the match end with Sabertooth's face down in the dirt?!"

However, Vergil was already back on his feet. A small smile graced his feet. "I'm more than capable of continuing. What of you two?" He glanced at his teammates, but they were able to stand back up, albeit shakily.

"We're not finished, yet." Rogue stated.

"We didn't expect this to be easy, ya know. Give us some credit, Vergil." Sting added. As he stood up, he remembered the promise he made to Lector years ago.

"…You gotta get up…" The red Exceed muttered, something Sting heard with his enhanced hearing.

'Don't worry, Lector. I know.' Sting thought. 'And my word, is my bond.'

For some reason, Dante, Natsu, and Gajeel felt an ominous feeling in the air. A feeling that surrounded the Twin Dragons.

"I'm not gonna lose!" Sting declared as a flash of white light surrounded his whole body, one stronger than before. Simultaneously, Rogue was surrounded by an identical flash of black shadows. "I made a promise to Lector, and I intend to keep it!"

Both Sting and Rogue appeared to have undergone transformations of their own. White scales formed on Sting's arms and up to his sides and the sides Sting's face, while Rogue underwent the same process with black scales on his own arms, sides, and the sides of his face.

"You guys feel that? They're not playing around anymore." Gajeel said seriously.

"No kidding." Natsu said in the same tone.

Dante's eyes narrowed as he recognized this type of transformation. 'So, they can use Dragon Force, huh?' However, he looked somewhat surprised to see a look of disappointment in Vergil's eyes.

"What…?" Erza looked in clear shock. "That… that can't be right…?"

"Don't tell me…" Laxus recognized the Dragon Force as well.

"They can do it on the fly…?!" Gray questioned.

"Only now do the fools truly understand the power they face." Minerva grinned mockingly.

Even from his spot, perched on one of the arena's giant statues, the disguised Jellal was caught off guard by this turn of events. 'This can't be! They can activate the Dragon Force at will?! Natsu only gained that power by consuming Etherion at the Tower of Heaven. He also unleashed that strength against Zero by consuming my magic. But somehow, these two can enter this state whenever they see fit.'

"Laxus did the same thing before, and we saw Cobra utilize that power during the Infinity Clock crisis." Modeus remembered.

"The Dragon Force…" Mavis uttered.

"Probably a benefit of those lacrimas they got." Gildarts deduced.

"Natsu and Gajeel can both do the same thing… right…?" Patty asked nervously.

"No…" Happy shook his head. "Natsu had to eat some kind of special fire or something to do it… and I don't think I've even seen Gajeel use Dragon Force even once…"

"And that might not even be the worst of it." Lady said. "Vergil hasn't even used his Devil Trigger yet…"

"Hey Rogue, tell ya what. You can handle Natsu and Gajeel… but Dante's mine." Sting declared. "Got a problem with that, Vergil?"

"No." Vergil stepped backwards. "Perhaps this will serve as a learning experience for you."

"Very well." Rogue accepted, stepping forward with his partner.

'Learning experience, he says.' Sting thought. 'I promised Lector that I'd beat Natsu. But if I take down Dante, someone who's on par with Vergil, I'll show the world that I'm far superior! I'll still have kept my promise!'

"Wow, this match has been one hell of a roller coaster!" Chapati commentated. "From all the switch ups, now we got this? Vergil's stepping back to allow Sting to take on Dante by himself, while Rogue thinks he can match the combined might of Natsu and Gajeel?"

"You have to hand it to those boys, at least they have self-confidence." Yajima commented while Rabian bounced up and down with excitement.

"You got that right!" Lector smirked arrogantly, following along with the commentary. "Sting and Rogue are in complete control now, thanks to their Dragon Force power. I can't believe we were worried. Vergil can just sit back and watch our boys take it from here."

"Maybe Vergil can cheer for them like us." Frosch suggested.

"You got that same kind of power too, right Laxus?" Gray asked. "How do you think this is gonna go down?"

"Don't know. We're going to have to see for ourselves." Laxus replied.

---

"Dragon Force?" Kyrie asked as she and everyone continued to watch in the infirmary. "I'm… I'm afraid I don't know what that is."

"You could say it's like the Dragon Slayer's equivalent to a Devil Trigger." Porlyusica explained. "A transformation that augments their power significantly."

"Can you, Natsu, or Gajeel do that?" Kyrie asked Wendy, who shook her head in response.

"I've never done it before, but I know Natsu has a few times." The Sky Dragon Slayer replied.

"Only because he's consumed a special type of fire or magic power. As far as I know, he can't call it up at will." Carla added. 'Although, when we faced Arkham in the Demon Realm seven years ago, I don't recall Natsu consuming anything special, and yet he was still able to transform.'

"It must be due to those lacrimas implanted in their bodies, providing additional power to their natural strength." Makarov assumed. 'Laxus could do the same thing. Are they just as strong as him?'

'Weisslogia… Skiadrum…' Sparda looked towards the projection, specifically the transformed Dragon Slayers. 'What exactly did you teach these two?'

"They can do this…" Lucy muttered, trying to hold out hope as Lisanna held her hand firmly.

---

"I think I'm insulted." Gajeel grunted.

"Don't underestimate them. They're strong." Natsu warned seriously. He knew firsthand how powerful Dragon Force was, having gone through the transformation himself.

Dante eyed the cocky Sting before looking to his brother. "Hey, you gonna let this punk hog your spotlight, Vergil?"

"That depends on your skills, as well as his own." Vergil replied. "At least make it a good show."

'I could tell that he looked disappointed when they transformed.' Dante thought. 'Is this some kind of test? But is it for us, or them?'

The transformed Twin Dragons attacked first, their speed drastically increasing thanks to their respective Dragon Force powers. Sting had thrown a glowing punch at Dante, which he blocked with the flat of Rebellion, but the force still sent him skidding back. At the same time, Rogue had appeared before Gajeel to throw an upward slash of shadow magic to throw him upwards. When Natsu unleashed a fire breath attack, Rogue sank in the shadows and quickly moved along the ground before popping back up to deliver an uppercut to Natsu's jaw. Both Fairy Tail Dragon Slayers recovered and shot at Rogue, throwing a volley of punches at him, but Rogue proved quick enough to block and parry all of them. At the same time, Sting threw his hands out to send a series of white light bolts towards Dante, who tried to intercept them with rapid shots from Ebony and Ivory.

"Oh wow… they're both so fast…" Levy looked more than a little scared.

"It's like they're different people now!" Happy stated.

"Natsu…!" Romeo muttered.

"Come on guys…" Patty shook.

Natsu threw a flaming punch towards Rogue, who parried it and dealt an elbow to his face. Gajeel tried to come in with a kick, an iron-pillar extending from his foot but Rogue caught it before zooming at Gajeel to slug him in the face.

"Ugh. What happened to that fancy swordplay?" Gajeel grunted as he slid back.

"When in this state, I do not need my sword. This should be more than enough." Rogue said with confidence as the shadows grew around him exponentially.

Dante performed his Million Stab Technique just as Sting threw out a blast of light with a lunge of his fist. Both attacks met in an explosion, which Sting zoomed through with his enhanced speed and delivered a glowing punch to his gut.

"You gonna take back that bullshit you said to me?" Sting said in a cocky growl. "Or do I have to make you?"

The red-clad Devil Hunter matched Sting's grin with one of his own. "What do you think?" He slashed upwards with Rebellion to knock Sting back. But he leapt high into the air alongside Rogue as they prepared to unleash a dual attack.

"White Dragon Holy Breath!"

"Shadow Dragon Hell's Breath!"

They both let loose more powerful versions of their respective breath attacks, which were far stronger and faster than those they used before. Both attacks appeared to engulf the Fairy Tail trio, creating a massive explosion of black and white that rocked the entire arena.

"Gajeel!" Levy, Panther-Lily, and Juvia all exclaimed.

"Natsu!" Happy, Romeo, and Mira also exclaimed.

"Dante!" Lady, Patty, and Trish both shouted.

---

"The room's shaking!" Wendy exclaimed as she stood up as the infirmary was indeed shaking almost like it was hit by an earthquake.

"We can feel their power… all the way down here…?" Kyrie was rather frightened.

"What did you expect? It's a battle involving multiple Dragon Slayers and two Sons of Sparda, not a dance recital." Porlyusica pointed it out as if it were obvious.

As Sparda and Makarov continued to watch with serious looks on their faces at the projection the former provided, Lisanna and Lucy continued to hold each other close, unable to take their eyes off it all.

---

When the dust from the combined attack cleared, it showed a massive hole had been torn up at the ground of the arena, revealing to a deep pit that led deeper into the mountain the colosseum was built on. Vergil himself stood on the edge of the newly made hole, gazing down into it with an unmoved expression.

"Incredible! The floor of the arena has given way to Sting and Rogue's combined attacks!" Chapati exclaimed.

"What happened?! I can't see them…!" Nero questioned.

"They must have fallen in…" Modeus deduced.

"Such power…" Mavis looked in awe.

Everyone in the Fairy Tail observatory box looked with his or her own expressions of worry, while Gildarts narrowed his eyes.

"Look at the damage they caused…" Erza said.

"No kidding… these Third Generation Dragon Slayers don't mess around." Gray commented.

It was revealed that Natsu, Gajeel, and Dante had both fallen into the hole and deeper into the hollowed-out mountain, but their Twin Dragon opponents had leapt in after them.

"We may have lost the battlefield, but the action continues underground! This just keeps getting better! Please enjoy with our crystal clear lacrima vision!" Chapati announced as a series of projection screens appeared to show the audience the battle that was taking place just below them.

"You can't leave, cause we're not done yet!" Sting declared as he shot at Dante, who used his Trickster, combined with his now equipped Beowulf, to shoot himself up at Sting in retaliation and land a successful strike to his stomach.

"Got that right!" Dante stated as he delivered an airborne roundhouse to kick Sting into the wall on the other side, with Dante latching on, facing him in the opposite direction, the two glaring at one another before they leapt forward to meet in the middle.

As he fell, Natsu saw Rogue coming his way and kicked off the nearest piece of falling debris. "Fire Dragon Sword Horn!" Natsu blasted himself like a rocket and hit Rogue, halting his fall as Gajeel appeared behind him.

"Iron Dragon Roar!" Gajeel's breath attack struck Rogue to send him crashing onto solid ground, the environment around them appearing to be a series of ruins with unused mining equipment scattered all over. The pair of Fairy Tail Dragon Slayers landed on the ground, but were surprised to see an unphased Rogue standing up, having taken their attacks like they were nothing.

"You will regret that."

Multiple clashes and flashes of light erupted in the air as Dante continued to clash against Sting, their own speed and strength appearing to be even thanks to Beowulf and Dragon Force respectively. They both landed on the ground, skidding to a halt before zooming at one another, both landing successful punches to the other's face. Sting followed through with a glowing headbutt to Dante, who dealt a kick to Sting's arm, who retaliated with a slug to Dante's side, which followed with an uppercut to Sting's jaw. Both continued to slug each other until Dante threw back both his gauntlets and delivered a double punch to knock Sting back, but he stood his ground even as he skidded back.

"Heh, you actually got a Devil Arm that lets you keep up with me. I gotta admit, I'm impressed." Sting said. "But I think I'm done with you!" He pulled his hands back to generate a ball of light. "The radiance of a White Dragon purifies all! Holy Ray!" Sting's sphere of light exploded into a massive amount of bolts of white light which Dante seemed unable to avoid or block as they struck him in all directions.

"Is he actually able to overpower Dante?!" Morrison looked in disbelief. "I knew the guy was strong, but I didn't think he was this strong!"

"Holy elemental magic…" Mavis uttered.

At the same time, Natsu and Gajeel tried to double-team Rogue, but he threw out both his hands, causing two massive, clawed hands made entirely out of shadows to extend and grab them both before he slammed them on the ground, keeping them pinned for his next attack.

"This ends now. Black Abyss!" A huge shadow spread along ground underneath Rogue, as well as the pinned Natsu and Gajeel, right before a multitude of shadow spikes erupted to pierce and slice the two Dragon Slayers from every which way.

"You felt that too… right?" Lady asked Mira. "That's not just some kind fancy shadow magic, Dragon Slayer or not."

"No… it feels like demonic energy." The She-Devil confirmed.

As Sting and Rogue stood together, the White Dragon Slayer couldn't help but grin in satisfaction. 'Lector… I've kept my promise to you.'

---

Flashback – Seven Years Ago

"What's up Lector? You get picked on again?" A much younger Sting asked as he sat against a rock on a small hill, the small, red-furred kitten was crying his eyes out as he approached his young Dragon Slayer companion.

"Those jerks… they won't believe anything I tell em…!" The sobbing Lector cried. "And I told them all how you beat a dragon using your bare hands… but they just laughed and called me a liar right to my face…!"

"Ah whatever, let em talk." Sting brushed off. "I don't care what they think, just forget about em."

"I can't! You didn't hear the other things they said about you!" Lector went on.

"It doesn't bother me. Really." Sting assured.

"I know… B-but I… but I… I don't like it when people talk bad about my best friend!" Lector continued to cry.

Sting's look softened at that before he slowly reached out and patted his hand on the red cat's head. "Alright then. In that case, I'll prove you're not a liar." That caused Lector to look up to him, his eyes still filled with water. "There might not be any dragons left to fight, but there is that Salamander-guy from Fairy Tail. I'll get stronger than him, and I'll beat him one day. And I'll do it in front of everyone." Sting vowed as Lector looked up to him in awe. "That's a promise, pal."

End Flashback

---

Dante, Natsu, and Gajeel all appeared to be beaten, all three of them laid flat on the ground, the light from the hole above shining down onto Sting and Rogue as the former raised his fist in victory.

"See that, Lector?! I won!"

Lector was on the verge of crying in joy. "Attaboy Sting. I knew you could." Even if he didn't beat Natsu directly, he proved to the whole world that he was stronger than him. He defeated Dante, a Son of Sparda! To Lector, that was enough.

---

"No…" Wendy was on the verge of crying as she and everyone else saw their friends appearing to be beaten. "It's… it can… they can't lose…" Kyrie tried to comfort her, by putting a hand on her shoulder, but even she looked upset.

"Is the battle over…?" Carla asked. Makarov and Porlyusica hung their heads down, the former's hands clenching into tight fists.

"No way… not like this…" Lisanna tried to say something. "They'll get back up… they have to…"

Lucy found herself looking towards her uncle, hoping he'd have something to say. He didn't say anything however… though he did turn towards her and gave a slight smile before winking.

---

"Change is inevitable. Here's the proof." Rogue said as he and Sting looked down upon their seemingly defeated foes. "The old generation beaten at the hands of true Dragon Slayers. Their era was grand, but now it's come to an end. And it seems they've taken a Son of Sparda with them."

"Got that right." Sting agreed.

"Dante, Natsu, and Gajeel may not be getting back up from that one, folks." Chapati commentated. "It was an intense fight from both sides, but it looks like Fairy Tail might have succumbed to the might of Sabertooth after all."

Minerva looked in disappointment, but she wasn't surprised. "Perhaps I was wrong, there's nothing special about him after all. A disgrace to Sparda's bloodline."

"T-this… This can't be real… it's not…" Patty was already crying, her hands over her mouth. The rest of the observing Fairy Tail looked with frustration and/or heartbreak.

"Oh no…" Levy was in a similar state.

"The hell do you think you're doing?!" Nero called out to them. "You can't just drop down like that! What happened to all that stuff back at Fortuna?!"

"He's absolutely right!" Lily agreed. "The fight isn't over yet; you're not allowed to quit!"

"Natsu, Gajeel, and even Dante couldn't beat these guys?" Wakaba questioned in disappointment.

"I was starting to think… that we had a chance…" Macao seemed to be acceptant of their supposed defeat.

"Get up!" The teary-eyed Romeo shouted. "Please! You can't lose like this!" He felt a hand on his shoulder and glanced upwards to see Trish looking at him with a serious expression.

"We mustn't lose hope. The match is still on." Modeus tried to encourage his guildmates.

"Natsu…" Happy's voice shook, his eyes watering, only to gasp slightly as Lady placed a hand over his head. The look on her face silently told the blue Exceed that they weren't done yet.

"Quit lying there!" Gray shouted. "You've got a fight to finish!"

"Don't tell me that's all you got!" Laxus also shouted. "I know you can do way more!"

"Listen to us! We're right here with you!" Erza encouraged. "You're never alone! Because you're part of Fairy Tail!"

"Wait for it…." Gildarts said with Mavis sitting next to him, a knowing smirk forming on his face.

As the Dragon Force transformations faded from the Twin Dragons, a dimensional rift in the form of a cross appeared behind them, one that allowed Vergil to step through and into the underground cavern.

"Are you finished?" Vergil questioned.

"Yeah, we're done here." Sting said as he turned to Vergil with a smile. "I kept my word."

"I wasn't talking to you." Vergil replied, much to Sting and Rogue's confusion. "How long do you plan on staying like that? The officials could declare your loss, and it would be unfortunate for you to lose the match like that."

"Damn… you're right." Dante admitted as he stood up, Natsu and Gajeel right behind him, much to the shock of the Twin Dragons. "It would suck to lose the match on a joke."

The second the three were back on their feet, the crowd was in an uproar of cheers. Cheers that were so loud, they were heard even in the town of Crocus below.

---

"They're up!" Wendy exclaimed with excitement as the group in the infirmary saw the trio stand back up.

"Thank goodness…!" Kyrie breathed in relief.

"I don't know why we should be surprised. Those three never learned when to quit." Lucy said with a smile.

"It's hard to tell whether they're tough or just stubborn." Carla commented.

"Oh definitely, both." Sparda said. "But I wouldn't say that applies here."

"What do you mean?" Porlyusica asked.

"There's something else going on?" Makarov asked as well.

"One could say it was showmanship…." Sparda began. "To make it look as if you're opponent had a fair advantage. Or, the more likely scenario is that three of them pretended to stay down for a moment, only to get back up and knock them off their self-established pedestals." He finished with a humorous grin.

"W-wait… wait… don't tell me…" Lisanna stifled a chuckle. "That… that was a prank!?" She soon laughed. "Natsu, Gajeel, and Dante… punked the Twin Dragons…?!"

"It was most likely Dante's idea, the other two just followed along for a laugh." Sparda confirmed.

"I… don't understand…" Kyrie said in confusion.

"Those boys pretended to be defeated as a form of a prank." Carla summed up before sighing exhaustion. "I swear…"

Wendy giggled herself, keeping her hand over her mouth, while Makarov pinched the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"That boy of yours definitely has your sense of humor." Porlyusica chastised.

"You make that sound like a bad thing." Sparda smiled in a manner that was similar to his son's.

Lucy couldn't help but laugh herself, which turned into a loving smile as she pulled out the Michelle doll. "That's our cousin…"

---

"You can't keep a Fairy Tail man down!" Droy grinned as everyone in Fairy Tail smiled with relief or cheered in joy.

"See, Levy? There's nothing to worry about. They heard us calling." Jet assured while Levy shook with emotional joy as she and Juvia shared smiles.

"That's the way, Natsu!" Happy cheered.

"Dante's still in the fight!" Patty cried in joy.

"Ha! I knew Gajeel wasn't done for, yet." Lily smirked.

"Got that right. It's gonna take more than that to put those guys in the dirt." Lady grinned.

"Now I get the feeling it's our turn." Trish grinned herself.

While Orga and Rufus looked in surprise, as Minerva gazed seriously, Lector and Frosch looked in genuine horror and disbelief.

"No way… how'd they get up…? This has gotta be some kind of nightmare… I'm dreaming right…?" Lector uttered in fear.

"I don't… think so…" Frosch muttered in the same tone.

Dante rolled his shoulder. "Alright, that was a pretty good workout. How are you guys holding up?"

"My head feels like it was in a paint-mixer." Natsu groaned as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Ugh, I'm gonna feel that in the morning." Gajeel groaned as well while he straightened out his back.

"Incredible! Dante, Natsu, and Gajeel are back on their feet! It's as if Sting and Rogue's attacks didn't even phase them!" Chapati commentated.

Now it was Natsu's turn to grin. "Not bad, now we've seen all your little tricks!"

"What…?!" Sting looked in disbelief.

"No…" Rogue was just as much in shock.

Vergil, however, was not surprised in the slightest. That's when Dante noticed the look in his eyes again. "Disappointed, huh?" Dante got his brother's attention. "In that we didn't lose, or your pals' performance."

"The latter." Vergil answered. "But also in the fact they were so quick to fall for such a ruse."

"The hell are you talking about?!" Sting shouted to Vergil in anger and disbelief.

"My brother took a dive after your attack and faked a defeat, if only try and goad you. A joke on his part." Vergil replied. "Natsu and Gajeel likely picked up on it and followed along for the sake of humor."

"A joke?!" Sting exclaimed in shock.

"Feigning defeat?!" Rogue questioned as well.

"Bingo." Dante pointed his finger with a trolling grin.

"That was a joke?!" Romeo questioned as most of the observing Fairy Tail looked in comic shock, turning white in response. "They were pretending to be down?!"

"Certainly seems like it." Mavis smiled cutely.

Morrison sighed. "I shouldn't be surprised."

"Those assholes… I'm gonna beat shit out of them for that…" Nero groaned.

Gildarts laughed in response. "Okay… that was actually pretty funny…!" He wiped a tear from his eye.

Chapati looked in confusion. "I… don't really know what to say… Was that a joke?"

"It seems that Dante and his team only acted in defeat to merely taunt their opponents." Yajima said.

"A twist for humorous purposes, thank you very much!" Rabian praised while everyone in the audience started laughing as well, actually getting the joke and in the fact they fell for it themselves. It honestly was rather humorous.

"A joke?! They almost gave me a heart attack over a joke?!" Gray questioned in comic anger.

Erza smiled humorously. "Are you surprised? This is Dante we're talking about. He can't help but taunt his enemies."

"Maybe… but it is kinda embarrassing." Laxus commented in an annoyed sweatdrop. "Especially in front of the whole world."

Sting couldn't believe it. "…No freaking way! This is impossible! I used my Dragon Force! You shouldn't even be able to stand right now!"

"You definitely pack a punch, but I've had worse." Dante replied.

"Yeah, same here. Erza's smacked me around much harder." Natsu added, stretching his arm and cracking his elbow.

"You must be bluffing…" Rogue tried to maintain his own composure, as difficult as it was.

Gajeel laughed. "Does Salamander look like the type who's smart enough to bluff?" He cracked his teammate.

"Hey, I'm smart!" Natsu argued back before smirking at the Twin Dragons. "Smart enough to figure out that you two have made your Dragon Force into a crutch."

"What…?!" Sting questioned, his eyes widening in disbelief, almost like Natsu had grown a second head as he said that.

"Like I said, I've seen all your tricks now." Natsu began. "Your style for fighting is just trying to overwhelm your enemies through raw power, that's basically it. But when you gotta give some effort, you juice yourself up with all that extra power your lacrimas give you. And… when it looks you gotta give even a little bit of effort, you jump straight to Dragon Force and pound em. That sound about right… Vergil?"

The eldest Son of Sparda sighed. "You are indeed correct. They've used their Dragon Force transformations so often, they've become too dependent on them. As a result, they've become complacent, their power stagnant. They've hit a ceiling and have no intention of breaking through it."

"Surprised you're okay with it." Dante said. "You don't seem like the type who'd approve of it."

"I've advised them, but they chose to ignore me, believe their strength was enough." Vergil replied. "I won't waste any time on those who refuse to listen. As I've told you, Dante. Sabertooth is a means to an end for me, nothing more. I really don't care whether they become stronger or not."

"Speaking of wasting time, we do got a time limit." Gajeel reminded. "So, let's get back to the action."

Right as he said that, Natsu ended up pushing Gajeel into a nearby mining cart. "Whoops-a-daisy!" He pulled on the lever, which sent the cart down it's tracks and into a nearby tunnel.

"Hey! What the crap..?!" Gajeel tried to climb out, but as the cart moved, his own motion sickness kicked in, preventing him from getting out, right as the cart went downhill and disappeared, much to Natsu's own amusement as he had a trolling grin just like Dante's, while Sting and Rogue looked in confusion, even Vergil raised a slight eyebrow.

"Hey, what did you do that for?" Sting questioned.

"Betrayal…?" Rogue wondered.

"Yeah… is now really the time for that, Natsu?" Dante asked.

"I'm not about let that little insult of theirs slide." He responded. "You handle Vergil, these two chumps are mine."

Dante then smirked in understanding. "Oh… I see what you're doing. Alright, they're all yours." He stepped forward to gaze at his brother. "What do you say, Vergil? Ready to settle this? Mano-y-mano?"

Suddenly, Dante's body was engulfed in a bright red flash of light before he transformed to reveal his newly evolved Devil Trigger. A powerful and intense red aura emanated from his body and shook up much of the underground, even slightly blowing back the Twin Dragons, who seemed to be in awe and fear over this newfound sense of power.

"This power… the demonic energy… is overwhelming…" Rogue shook.

"Don't tell me… is that his Devil Trigger…?" Even Sting shook.

Vergil eyed his transformed brother, noting how different it was in appearance before he gave his answer. "Very well. I wouldn't have it any other way myself." A dark blue whirlwind blew around the elder half-demon's body, picking up his jacket a bit, before the wind condensed and Vergil was engulfed in a dark blue flash.

The light then subsided to reveal Vergil's own Devil Trigger, which had undergone some changes of its own. While his face remained somewhat the same in terms of his demonic appearance as before, particularly with the large silver horns on his head, his body was covered in dark blue scales from head-to-toe, with five-toed talons on his feet. His black jacket now appeared to have molded onto his body, having grown scales all over it and bladed silver shoulder pads, taking the form of semi-chiropteran wings, the sheath of Yamato attached to his left arm. The aura from his own Devil Trigger seemed to eclipse even that of Dante. Though that was no surprise, it has been seven whole years, so of course Vergil's form appeared to be stronger.

The force of their combined presence pushed back Sting and Rogue, while Natsu instinctively took a step back the second he saw Vergil's Devil Trigger.

"Ready, Dante?" Vergil asked.

"Yeah, but let's take this outside. We'll have more breathing room." Dante replied.

The pair then revealed their wings as they shot straight up out of the hole and toward the sky high above the arena. Sting and Rogue watched in awe as they saw the twin Sons of Sparda ascend.

"What the hell are you two staring at?" Natsu questioned, drawing their attention. "Dante and Vergil got their own fight, so let em have at it. And I didn't forget that little insult from before!" He smirked as he generated a series of flames on his fingertips, which took the form of two words.

'COME ON'

"I can handle the two of you myself." The Fire Dragon Slayer challenged with a grin. "Come on! Give me all you got!"

"INSANITY!" Chapati practically screamed as he stood from his seat. "Natsu Dragneel has declared his own one-on-two battle against the Twin Dragons!"

Natsu grinned. "Are you getting fired up?"

"Not only that… but it seems Dante and Vergil are about to engage in an aerial showdown of epic proportions!" Chapati continued as another set of lacrima projections appeared to show Dante and Vergil facing one another in the sky, while the audience also saw red and blue lights as they looked directly up. "Both Sons of Sparda have entered their Devil Triggers! Between both these battles, we could be witnessing history!"

Jellal himself gazed directly up at the battle that was to come, sensing the intense demonic power the brothers exhibited. He had seen Vergil's Devil Trigger only once before… when the half-demon confronted him and his whole team. They almost beat him back when he was in his normal form, and it was still a tough battle. But when he transformed… it was honestly a miracle they all made it out alive. Seeing it again honestly made Jellal rather nervous, wondering how Dante could beat him by himself, even with his own transformation.

The transformed Sons of Sparda faced each other high above the arena, faint auras of red and blue shined around them respectively, both starting at one another, silently daring the other to make the first move.

"Your Devil Trigger has changed." Vergil noted. "Appearances aside, it has grown in strength. But as you've figured out, time has been more on my side. I'd say my transformation has still managed to surpass yours."

"Yeah, I know. But I think I've got a little something to even the odds." He motioned with his hand to bring it on. "Come on, I'll let you hit me first. See what happens."

Vergil suspected Dante was baiting him, but time was limited for their fight, and he was honestly curious as to why his younger brother seemed so confident despite the obvious power gap. He grasped the hilt of the Yamato and, with such intense speed, Vergil had zoomed at Dante.

"Dreadnaught!"

Right as Vergil struck, Dante's body was engulfed in a dark red flash, the Devil Trigger Vergil flying past him as he sheathed the Yamato.

"That was so fast… I didn't even see it!" Laxus commented.

"Did he get him?" Gray questioned.

"No, look closely." Erza instructed.

Vergil gazed back to look in minor surprise and see that Dante's Devil Trigger had changed. It was almost as if an armor of pure demonic energy had formed around his already transformed state. This was his Dreadnaught style.

"Huh, wasn't quite sure that would work. But I guess I pulled it off." Dante looked at his hands before clenching his fists together. "Devil Trigger combined with my Dreadnaught style. Those three months of training are really starting to pay off."

"Another new ability, hmm? So, what exactly is this 'Dreadnaught' style of yours?" Vergil asked.

"It's basically an armor made from my demonic energy. Similar to that Mirage Edge you got." Dante explained. "Not only that, its got power absorption. I take all the damage my opponent hits me with and I add it to my own! It used to burn away at my stamina when I first unlocked it, but I've since learned to regulate its power. Add that with my own enhanced powers of my Devil Trigger, and I got something really special here! I call it my Inferno Trigger!"

"He combined his Dreadnaught with his Devil Trigger?" Lady looked in surprise.

"We know he's been practicing at trying to keep it from burning his power away… but we've never seen him use it like this before…" Trish uttered.

"Not to mention his Devil Trigger augments all his abilities, so I imagine that his Dreadnaught power is even stronger now." Mira added.

"But both states would still burn away his power the more he uses each one." Modeus said. "But combining them…? I can't even imagine…"

"That's where his Second Origin comes in." Mavis spoke up, getting all their attention. "Having that unlocked has granted him an extra reservoir of power. Dante's smart and he likely knows this 'Inferno Trigger' is risky, but I imagine he wouldn't be using it if he wasn't confident that he couldn't handle it."

"But this is Vergil he's up against." Morrison said. "Honestly… this could still go either way."

"Come on, bro!" Dante challenged as he drew Rebellion. "The whole world's watching, so let's give em a finale to remember!" He flew straight towards his brother. While his Dreadnaught would normally slow him down, the speed of his Devil Trigger easily countered that. So the lack of speed was no longer a problem in his Inferno Trigger.

"That depends on your skills." Vergil had swung the Yamato at Dante with such speed and power that it would easily bisect almost anyone, but Dante threw out his arm to block the sword. Traces of blue energy went from the Yamato to Dante's Dreadnaught aura, indicating the power of the attack was absorbed. "What…?"

*PIERCE!*

Vergil's surprise, as well as Dante's block, left him open for the younger of the two to run Rebellion right through him, much to the shock of everyone in the audience, especially Jellal and everyone in Sabertooth, even Minerva was caught off guard.

"He blocked Vergil's Devil Trigger…?!" Rufus questioned in shock.

"What the hell kind of power does this punk have?! Orga questioned as well.

"Go ahead, hit me as much as you want! You'll only add more fuel to the fire!" Dante channeled a great deal of energy into Rebellion, causing the energy to explode outward and blast Vergil back. Dante tried to press the advantage and slashed Rebellion at him, but Vergil blocked it with the Yamato, the two locking blades as their glowing eyes glared at each other.

Everyone in the audience began to cheer as loud as they could, not only were they all excited and pumped for what was sure to be an epic showdown with Dante against Vergil, as well as Natsu's battle with the Twin Dragons, but more than half of the audience was cheering in support for Fairy Tail. Some were even shouting Natsu and Dante's names, cheering them on.

However… there was somebody in the audience who wasn't cheering. Someone who was clad in a black hooded cloak, watching the clashes through the lacrima projections. The second they saw the faces of those fighting… a single tear fell down their face and dropped on the ground.

Jellal's eyes widened. Despite the clashing demonic energies in the air, he felt a faint trace of very familiar magic.

"That power… I sense it again!" He communicated telepathically with his guildmates.

"Yeah, we sense it too." Sorano responded. "They probably felt they could hide their presence with Dante and Vergil's clash."

"It's very similar to Zeref, but still different." Ultear said.

"They're here. Hiding somewhere amongst the crowd." Meredy felt it too.

"Do you want us to call in Fairy Tail? Try and surround them?" Sheeree asked.

"No." Jellal answered as he was already running toward the source. "We can't afford to use too many people, that was what caught us last time. I'll try and tail them myself but be on standby just in case. They will not escape me this time."

"Y-you… you really think you can take us both..?!" Sting questioned, feeling as if he was just insulted.

"Why not? Dante kicked both your asses, didn't he? I see no reason why I can't." Natsu grinned.

Rogue growled briefly before looking in surprise. "I just realized… ever since I fought him and Gajeel… he hasn't used his lightning…" That caused Sting to look in surprise as well.

"You're right." Natsu confirmed. "I was mostly saving that for Vergil. I didn't use it against you cause I wanted to test your Dragon Force a bit. You're strong, but not quite strong enough for me to pull my lightning out again. Unless you think you can make me."

As if they weren't insulted enough, but the fact that Natsu just stated he can take on both of them without having to tap into any additional power felt like a slap to the face.

"Did you forget we have control over Dragon Force?!" Sting exclaimed as he and Rogue both went into their respective transformations, powerful auras of white light and black shadows surrounding them once again. "There's nothing in this world stronger than a dragon, and both of us have their power!" The transformed Sting proclaimed as he shot directly at Natsu with a glowing fist, but Natsu brought his fist forward to match Sting's as a powerful aura of light enveloped the White Dragon Slayer.

"I don't think you're quite there yet, pal." Natsu said, still maintain his grin, which only seemed to spur Sting's fury even more.

"This is the power of a true Dragon Slayer!" Sting shouted. "I should know! IT'S HOW I KILLED WEISSLOGIA!"

Natsu smirked. "Heh, well in that case…" An inferno expanded around his body, matching Sting's light aura. "I should use the same power Igneel taught me! The power I use to fight for those who can't fight for themselves, including all my friends that you laughed at!" He gave a roar as he pushed past Sting's attack and dealt an explosive punch to the face and sent Sting flying and crashing into the ruins behind him.

Rogue then appeared behind Natsu. "Shadow Dragon Roar!"

"Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu retaliated with a breath attack of his own, the flames clashed with the shadows and burned them away. Rogue instinctively drew his katana and coated it in shadows to try and slice through the fiery breath attack, though it did for the front most flames, he was still overpowered and sent rolling across the ground.

"Hey, you drew your sword." Natsu noted. "I thought you didn't need that when you were in your Dragon Force."

Rogue pulled himself up, looking in anger as he held his katana tightly, taking a stance as the shadows around his sword grew. "I have no choice… but to give this everything I got…!"

Sting also got back up with a roar of fury. "I'm not done with you!"

Natsu's grin only grew as he waved his hand to come forward. "Bring it on."

As the fight between three Dragon Slayers continued to wage underground with the Twin Dragons attacking Natsu however they could, the even flashier battle between the two Sons of Sparda further waged on as streaks of red and blue clashed against one another in rapid succession, creating explosions and booms with every contact that was made. The air itself shook from their clash.

Dante and Vergil roared as they flew in close and slashed at each other with all the skills of a pair of master swordsmen, all moving so fast it was hard for anyone to keep track of. Dante brought down Rebellion, which Vergil blocked with the Yamato, but Dante followed through with a headbutt, only for Vergil to retaliate with a rapid x-Slice on Dante's chest, which exploded. But thanks to his newly dubbed Inferno Trigger's combined power, all that energy was quickly absorbed and Dante continued to press the attack. He flew forward and brought Rebellion forward again, which Vergil blocked with his own sword once more, but Dante grabbed Vergil by the face before spinning around to shake off his brother from the standstill. Vergil was quick to retaliate however as he spun his own body while holding out the Yamato to slice at Dante and break off their lock, both transformed demons flying back slightly.

'He claims that Dreadnaught of his allows himself to absorb all that damage and add to his own power, yet he's not using to strengthen himself at the moment.' Vergil thought. 'Unless he intends to unleash it all at once for a finishing move, while he tries to wear me down now in hopes that it'll work. Clever. But let's test the limits of that so-called armor of yours, shall we.'

The Devil Trigger Vergil took a stance, despite floating in the air, he moved his feet as if he were standing on solid ground with his right leg forward and left leg back, his body slightly twisted as he gripped the handle of the Yamato. The Inferno Trigger Dante flew towards his brother and right when they were less than an inch from one another…

*SLASH!*

Vergil had dashed past Dante, the Yamato glowing bright blue as it was held out. A line of blue energy appeared on Dante's chest before it exploded, causing him to groan in pain as actual blood was spilled.

"There. Limit tested." Vergil commented.

"Wait… did he just cut through Dante's Dreadnaught?!" Droy questioned.

"I thought that armor was supposed to be invincible!" Jet stated.

"It's that sword of his." Nero said as the Masayoshi appeared in his hand. "The Yamato… it can cut through dimensions, right? So, wouldn't it also be able to cut through his armor?"

"You're right, Nero. That's exactly what it did." Mavis confirmed. "The Yamato's power is not to be underestimated, especially when in the hands of a master like Vergil. Despite that however, Dante was still able to absorb the energy from that attack."

"But he'll take damage now as he gets hit." Gildarts looked seriously. "This won't be an easy fight."

Dante placed his clawed hand on his wound, and despite it healing quickly enough, he could see the blood that was drawn. "Damn."

"It seems your 'Inferno Trigger' isn't as invincible as you believed it be." Vergil told him as he turned around directly to face him. "This is your first time using it in combat, isn't it? Rather reckless. You should already be aware of what the Yamato can do by this point."

"True. I actually had a feeling this would happen. Guess it couldn't be helped." Dante granted before turning around himself to reveal a wild grin on his face. "But that just makes this fight all the more interesting! Come on, let's see which one of us is gonna keel over first!"

A smile graced Vergil's demonic face. "As you wish." They both flew at one another and clashed once again.

"I think those two are having fun." Gray said with a smile, something Erza and Laxus both did as well as they continued to watch. "They're just grinning away like idiots."

"They're each one of a kind." Erza noted as she first saw Natsu continue to hold of Sting and Rogue. He parried Sting's first punch and dodged the second before delivering a flaming fist to Sting's jaw before limboing under the shadow-katana strike from Rogue and kicked the blade away with his flaming feet before blasting a point-blank fireball. "Natsu's endurance is beyond that of any normal fighter, and he's able to quickly adapt to any situation. It's like he's somehow able to match his own strength to that of his enemies after seeing and experiencing their power." She then looked towards Dante's fight as he and Vergil slashed their blades at one another, both making contact and drawing blood, but Vergil was quick to recover and thrust the Yamato at Dante's shoulder, piercing through, but the energy used was still absorbed. Dante then grabbed Vergil by his own shoulder and slammed Rebellion down onto the forearm that held the Yamato. "As for Dante, his own demonic heritage aside, arguably his greatest weapon is his creativity. Whenever he finds a weakness within a specific power or weapon, he uses whatever else he has in his arsenal to try and cover that weakness and even bridge whatever possible gap there is between him and his enemies. Thanks to this, he's able to use his styles and weapons in conjunction, creating combinations that even baffle me."

Bruni had been watching the whole fight since the beginning himself, leaning back at an entrance way in the arena. "Natsu had those two pegged. They're fighting harder and trying to overwhelm him, but he's fighting smarter. As for Dante or Vergil, it's creativity versus mastery. That fight's gonna be harder to predict."

Rogue thrusted his shadow-katana at Natsu, but he swerved out of the way to avoid it before grabbing Rogue by the arm and hauling him up to throw him into the incoming Sting. While they were both down, Natsu threw a Brilliant Flame attack to blast them both away.

Dante unleashed his Million Stab Technique once again, which Vergil countered with a Summoned Sword move. Both attacks met in the middle of the sky and exploded violently, but Dante had used his Quicksilver to appear in the very center of the resulting explosion, allowing him to tank and absorb all the resulting energy. The more he took, the more he stowed away to prepare his big attack. He then flew to engage Vergil in close combat again.

"What amazing battles…" Jura smiled with excitement. "To think even the Devil Prince could be matched in combat."

"That fire guy is something else, too! He's as amazing as Wendy!" Sherria said with a smile.

"He's a strange one." Lyon commented, but he smiled as well. "He seems so empty headed, but when he fights his mind moves at lightning speed."

"The Fire Wizard and Crimson Knight are both giving off potent parfums." Ichiya looked more than a little impressed.

"They were the ones who defeated Nelo Angelo and the Dorma Anim saving my kind from extinction." Nichiya added.

"Yeah… I've never seen anyone like them before." Ren also said.

"That Dante fellow is not too bad looking either." Jenny said somewhat flirtatiously.

Wally tipped his hat with a grin. "I ain't surprised. Salamander took down freaking Jellal."

"And that demon-guy's packing some serious power. I'd love to get into a wild fight with him." Bacchus smirked.

Sting fired his laser-breath attack at Natsu, which he flipped to avoid even as it curved on the ground and traced towards him. But Natsu countered with his own breath attack to blow Sting away. Rogue swung his sword in a circular formation to send a twirl of razor-sharp shadows Natsu's way, but he blasted flames from his feet to propel him through the twirl and avoid all the shadows, much to Rogue's shock, which left him open for a solid punch to the face.

"Wow. Nice hit." Lily said impressively.

"He's doing what he does best." Happy smiled.

"So... is Gajeel coming back or what?" Lily wondered.

Happy sighed. "I bet when he does, he's not gonna be happy about all this."

Dante and Vergil both let lose their demonic roars as they clashed their blades in rapid succession, sparks of metal and splashes of blood erupted from their violent clash as they moved up, down, and all around the sky, staying in close with one another as the twirling streaks of red and blue danced across the sky. Half of their sword strikes clashed with each other, the other half made contact and drew blood, but neither brother had any intention of stopping.

"I… I've never seen Dante fight like this…" Patty looked in a mixture of fear and excitement.

"I've always loved seeing Natsu in action, but the only other time I've seen Dante fight this hard was against Byro back then, but this is even better than that!" Romeo said excitedly.

Even Nero couldn't help but laugh with excitement. "Seeing them clash like this is getting my blood pumping. It makes me want to get stronger than either of them."

"Meow… I don't think I can follow all this! They're all moving so fast!" Milliana observed.

"Such ferocity and power…" Arana said in awe.

"I can see why you look up to that Natsu-fellow, Sapphy. He's really kicking butt out there." Risley said as she put an arm around Sapphire.

"He's kicking those Sabertooth jerks' butts!" Amarilla cheered.

Sapphire grinned. "Yeah… and it makes me wanna fight him even more."

"Dante…" Kagura seemed a bit more focused on the Devil Hunter's battle. "His strength is said to be even greater than Titania's. He may very well rival your own, Lucia."

"So, it would seem." Lucia couldn't help but smile herself. "I believe I found a worthy opponent."

Kurenai continued to watch as well. Even if they were in different locations, seeing Natsu and Dante fight together like this brought back fond memories for her. For a brief moment, she saw the Dark Knight, her sworn brother, standing and fighting alongside the Fire Dragon King.

'Those boys… they're going to do great things in this world.'

"What the hell is going on?!" Orga questioned.

"This is quite peculiar…" Rufus said. "I have no memory of the Dragon Force being overwhelmed in such a way, nor do I have one of someone on par Vergil's Devil Trigger!"

"Nor do I." Minerva appeared to be quite irritated.

Frosch, and especially Lector, were already in tears, not believing that their beloved Dragon Slayers were being beaten down so brutally. It was impossible to believe.

'No… Sting… please stay strong!' Lector prayed.

'Rogue…' Frosch didn't have the words.

---

In the infirmary, Lucy, Lisanna, Kyrie, Wendy, Carla, Makarov, and Porlyusica couldn't take their eyes off the fights for a second. It was certainly encouraging to see Natsu appearing to win against the Twin Dragons, but Dante's duel against Vergil looked like it could go either way.

Sparda on the other hand, as he saw his transformed sons bring their blades together once again, he couldn't help but think back to a much simpler time. Back when his boys were still just kids and fighting with a pair of wooden swords. Despite the many differences between those two times, Sparda got the feeling that they were both having fun. Despite being beaten and covered in bruises, the young boys both laughed as they laid on the ground together. And as he looked closely, he could see smiles on both their demonic faces now. Even if they were serious and fighting each other with everything they had, his boys were indeed enjoying themselves.

And that made the Dark Knight smile.

---

"The energy here is electric at Domus Flau!" Chapati commentated as the audience continued to cheer their hearts out. "I've said it before, and I'll say it again! We may be witnessing history-in-the-making, folks! Can Fairy Tail take back the title of Fiore's mightiest!? Four dragons and two devils are squaring off in a clash so intense, that it's shattered the floor! The dragons are shaking up the mountain from the inside, while the devils are making the sky ring with the clash of blades!"

"Though one dragon seems to be missing in action." Yajima said.

"Right you are, which means that Fairy Tail's Natsu has to defeat the Twin Dragons all by himself!" Chapati said. "But how is it going for Dante, who is facing his big brother one-on-one? I've heard of sibling rivalries, but this takes the cake!"

"A duel between brothers! You can't get any more dramatic than that! Thank you oh so very much!" Rabian added.

Dante and Vergil both hovered in the air with their respective transformations, both breathing heavily in exhaustion as the battle had taken it's toll. Even the Dreadnaught armor surrounding Dante appeared to be breaking off, ready to shatter at even the slightest touch.

'My Dreadnaught's just about done… and I'm not far behind either…' Dante thought. 'But all that power's been stored up! I can tell Vergil's tired too… but with so little time left… I gotta end this now!'

"This is it, Vergil! It's time to end this!" Dante held out Rebellion with both his hands, taking the stance of a proper knight. The Dreadnaught armor around him faded away, causing his Inferno Trigger to disappear and reveal only his natural Devil Trigger. Dante poured in as much power as he could into Rebellion, as well as all that gathered energy that he absorbed from Vergil's onslaught. The Rebellion began to glow a bright red, a massive and transparent version of the sword extended from the blade as a result of all the combined energy.

"I agree." Vergil mimicked his brother's actions, taking the stance to a master samurai, holding the Yamato back with the blade pointing backwards. He too channeled all of his power into the katana as it also began to glow a bright blue. Just like the Rebellion, a massive and transparent version of the katana extended backwards.

At the same time, back underground, Sting and Rogue both appeared to be barely standing, as Natsu stared them down, as if he was silently daring them to keep it going, and he looked more than capable of just that.

"NOW, STING!" Rogue called out as he held his hand back and generated a massive sphere of shadow magic behind him.

"YEAH!" Sting mirrored his partner's actions, holding his hand back to also generate an enormous ball of white light energy.

Natsu looked serious as he saw the dual spheres resonate with one another, growing in size and power. He knew exactly what they were trying to do. He's seen this technique before more than once, and even performed a few himself with his friends.

"Can you feel it? Their magic power seems to have changed yet again." Juvia said.

"The opposing powers of light and dark are merging together." Modeus responded.

"Dante and Vergil are giving everything they have up there." Trish said. "Channeling as much energy as they can."

"Hopefully all that power Dante's absorbed will be enough for him to win." Mira replied.

"These next attacks will decide it." Gildarts stated. "All or nothing."

---

"They're attempting a Unison Raid!" Makarov said in surprise as those in the infirmary continued to watch.

"A Unison Raid…?" Kyrie didn't know what that meant.

"It's basically a combination different magic powers into a single attack." Porlyusica explained. "It's not easy to do and not everyone is capable."

"And yet Sting and Rogue have done just that." Sparda said. "The fact they're able to pull it of is worthy of praise."

"Natsu can overcome it though, right?" Wendy asked. "And what about Dante? It looks like he and Vergil are about to go at it one last time."

"They'll be fine. Remember who it is you're talking about, Wendy." Carla reminded.

"Yeah… they'll pull it off." Lisanna smiled, having complete faith in them. Something Lucy did as well as she held the Michelle doll tightly.

---

Sting and Rogue's spheres both suddenly vanished, before a tiny yet extremely powerful sphere that mixed pulsating white and black formed at the center of their hands. One could compare it to a dwarf star in that it was so small and yet so powerful. Yet despite that, Natsu stood his ground, undeterred.

Dante and Vergil hadn't so much as moved an inch from their stances, the energies around their respective blades glowing and pulsating brightly, extubating auras of red and blue that clashed against one another, sparks appearing at the very center. The sky itself glowed as it seemed to be cut in half, with one half being a bright red and the other being a dark blue.

"Holy cow… what's going on…? I can feel the intense aura from above and below!" Chapati looked serious.

"Our Twin Dragons look like they're readying a Unison Raid." Yajima observed. "It's what you might call Fusion Magic."

"And our twin devils? They look like they're about to unleash something truly dramatic!" Rabian observed.

"Those boys are about to unleash all the demonic power they have into one single attack." Yajima answered. "This match is going to come to an end."

"Come on… you can do it Rogue…" The shaky Frosch tried to encourage.

"They can pull it off…" The sobbing and snot-nosed Lector said, though it sounded like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone. "BECAUSE NO ONE'S EVER GONNA TAKE STING DOWN!"

'The ultimate power of our Twin Dragons, and everything Devil Prince has at his disposal laid bare.' Minerva smirked with pride, but that smirk vanished. 'However…'

"Natsu! Get out of the way!" Happy called out.

"Dante! Be careful!" Patty shouted.

They both felt firm yet gentle grips on each of their heads, curtsey of Lady as she smiled at them. "They've got this. There's no doubt in my mind."

---

There was also someone else who had absolutely no doubt that those she loved would win. Lucy continued to watch the projection of the attacks that were about to be unleashed that would decide the match, and yet she never stopped smiling. She looked down at the back of her hand, where the pink emblem of the guild she called home was there. She then closed her fist, save for her index and thumb.

"What is that…?" Kyrie asked, referring to the hand gesture.

Lucy smiled. "It's a message. It means no matter where you are, I'll always be watching over you." She looked towards the projection once more, towards the faces of those she cared for. 'And I will. I'll always be watching over you. Natsu… Dante… and yes… even you, Vergil.'

She held up her hand, showing the gesture. This caused everyone in the infirmary to smile as they to raised their hands for the same gesture. Makarov, Wendy, Carla, Lisanna, and even Kyrie for the first time.

"Well, what do you know?" Porlyusica said towards Sparda. "The guild you created, this band of misfits and troublemakers has turned into such a strong and loving family. Bravo, Sparda."

Sparda smiled as he looked towards the projection, to the faces of his sons, as well as Natsu. 'No matter what paths you take, even if I'm in the afterlife, I'll be watching over you all as well. All three of my sons… Natsu… and even if I can't see you, I'll still be looking your way, Zeref.' He too raised his hand for that same gesture.

---

It wasn't just those in the infirmary. Everyone in Fairy Tail, including those competing like Erza, Gray, and Laxus, and even those who weren't, including Gildarts, Happy, Panther-Lily, Lady, Trish, Modeus, Juvia, Cana, Mira, Elfman, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, Romeo, Macao, Wakaba, Levy, Jet, Droy, Alzack, Bisca, Asuka in her mother's arms, Max, Warren, Laki, Kinana, Vjteer, Nab, Reedus, and even Nero, Patty, and Morrison, for the first time for those three, they all raised their hands with the exact same gesture.

No matter where they're loved ones went, even if they go in a separate direction in life, they'll always be looking their way.

'There are some walls that power alone will never break through.' Mavis thought. 'However, it is possible to get beyond them. Because it's not just about power. It's not the strongest warrior who wins in the end, it's the one with the strongest will. You taught me that… Daddy.' She thought with a smile.

"HOLY SHADOW DRAGON FLASH FANG!" Sting and Rogue unleashed their Unison Raid. The tiny yet powerful sphere they both held was thrown outward by a lunge of their fists, unleashing an enormous blast that mixed light and darkness. It was undoubtedly the largest blast they've unleashed in this whole tournament.

But Natsu continued to stand his ground, generating as much fire as he could. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Flame Lotus Exploding Flame Blade!" All the fire around him grew and took the shape of a large dragon before he threw his fists outward to send an enormous spiral of flames that clashed with the Twin Dragon's attack.

At the exact same time, Dante and Vergil let loose as they flew at each other with everything they had. Like two opposing shooting stars, one red and the other blue, that shot horizontally across the sky and straight at each other. Dante roared with all the emotion he was feeling at this very moment, while Vergil also roared, but this was more out of pure ferocity than emotion. No holding back! All or nothing! Dante pulled Rebellion backwards and swung it with all his might at the very same moment that Vergil pulled a quick draw of the Yamato.

*BOOM!*

*BOOM!*

Two powerful explosions erupted above and below simultaneously. One shook up the entire mountain and the whole of Domus Flau, and even blew away a massive chunk at the side. While the other lit up the sky in glorious flash that blew away all the clouds in the immediate area mixed red, blue, and even purple.

The whole audience had to hold onto their seats, or even one another, to keep from being blown away, as did many of the observing wizards, as everything shook around them.

"WHOA MAMA!" Chapati exclaimed. "IT FEELS LIKE WE'VE BEEN HIT BY A DOUBLE EARTHQUAKE! ONE IN THE MOUNTAIN, AND THE OTHER IN THE SKY!"

"Look!" Rabian pointed upward to see two falling objects, it was hard to make out anything from all the smoke surrounding them. But due to the faint traces of red energy from one and blue from the other, which flickered almost like the final embers on dying flames, it wasn't hard to figure out what, or who, they were. Both fell directly into the hole in the arena and back underground.

"It seems that all contestants are now back underground!" Chapati commentated. "But the shockwaves from those attacks seem to have had an effect on the lacrima projections! Just some technical difficulties folks, we should be back up soon!"

Everyone in Fairy Tail, competing or not, as well as Team Sabertooth and their master all stood up and looked with serious and impatient expressions, waiting for the result.

---

"What's going on? I can't see anything." Kyrie looked towards the projection that phased in and out, almost like static on a television.

"The resulting shockwaves from those simultaneous collision attacks have affected the projection. Give it a moment." Sparda said as the projection itself began to reconfigure and straighten itself out.

"I don't sense any power. Magic or demonic." Wendy said with worry.

"The fight may be over." Makarov assumed.

"But who won?" Carla asked.

Lisanna sat down on Lucy's bedside and reach out to hold her hand, both of them squeezing each other firmly as they looked with solidified and hopeful expressions towards the projection that finished readjusting itself.

---

It seems the projections outside began to clear up as well for the audience. "Alright! Ladies and gentlemen, it looks like we're back in business. Sorry for the delay, but who could have seen that coming?"

Underground, it appeared that Natsu and Dante were standing together in the center, both of them facing opposite directions with the Salamander gazing at the Twin Dragons, and the Crimson Knight facing the Devil Prince.

Natsu continued to stand on his feet, albeit somewhat battered and bruised. Dante, on the other hand appeared to be in much worse shape. Much of his clothes were torn and cut, notably around his upper body to reveal he was covered in so much blood and several open wounds. His breath was so shallow, it looked like he was having trouble breathing. He unleashed all of his power into that attack, and he received just as much from his opponent. He looked ready to fall over, but he willed himself to keep on standing, holding Rebellion in his blood-soaked hand so tightly that his knuckles could have turned white, even forcing himself to keep from using it as support. Vergil was in a state that almost mirrored his brother exactly, clothes torn, covered in blood and open wounds, shallow breath, and the Yamato held tightly on his hands, for he too had given everything in his own attack and received all his brother had to give him.

As for the Twin Dragons…

'Natsu… Dragneel…' Rogue was the first to fall over, unable to stand any longer as he fell flat on his face. 'Your power… knows no bounds…'

Sting fell to his knees. 'I'm sorry Lector… I failed. He's… too strong' He also fell to the ground in defeat.

The only one left standing for Sabertooth was Vergil. That is until the Yamato slipped from his hands, and clanged to the ground, and he too fell to his knees.

'Congratulations… Dante. You… win.'

The eldest Son of Sparda, the Devil Prince, had been defeated. All at the hands of his younger brother. And with him, the trio representing Sabertooth was completely beaten.

"Unbelievable…" Chapati gasped before shouting in excitement. "THE LAST ONES STANDING ARE NATSU DRAGNEEL AND DANTE REDGRAVE OF FAIRY TAIL!"

The bell rang, signaling the end of the battle and who it was that was victorious for this battle. Natsu laughed as he held up his fist, while Dante weakly smiled and held up Rebellion as high as he could. Though he shook slightly, Natsu was quick to grab onto his side with his other arm and keep him from falling over. Dante turned slightly to smile towards his friend, who in turn, smiled back with his titular grin.

"LET'S HEAR IT FOR NATSU THE SALAMANDER AND THE CRIMSON KNIGHT DANTE WHO DEFEATED SABERTOOTH'S TWIN DRAGONS AND EVEN VERGIL, THE DEVIL PRINCE HIMSELF!" Chapati announced, resulting in an outstanding ovation for the audience as virtually all the spectators stood up and cheered as loudly as they could, several even clapping.

---

Lisanna and Lucy hugged each other in joy, tears of happiness flowing from their eyes. Wendy leapt at Kyrie for a hug of her own which the older girl didn't hesitate to return as they both cried in joy. Carla looked towards the projection that showed the victorious pair as she smiled with pride and joy, tears brimming at her eyes. Makarov stifled a happy sob as he couldn't express how proud he was of those two. Even Porlyusica couldn't help but smile herself.

Sparda himself stood proud as now words could describe just how happy he was, not only for Natsu and Dante's victory for Fairy Tail, but for the amazing battle that both his sons had delivered. They've all grown so strong and he couldn't be prouder.

---

"It's a huge win for Fairy Tail! They've moved into first place!" Chapati continued as everyone in the observing Fairy Tail all cheered, shouting and grinning in victory, shared high-fives or fist bumps, hugged one another, and even a few cried in joy. Mavis simply smiled and nodded. "What an exciting way to end Day Four of the Grand Magic Games!" Erza, Gray, and Laxus looked towards one another with proud and eager smiles, truly happy for their teammates' victory and the resulting placement of their guild. "We're giving the fighters a day to recuperate and then it's on to the thrilling conclusion! It's all culminating into one ultimate match! A game that puts every team member on the field to duke it out in a battle royale! Only one guild gets the title folks, so you won't want to miss it!"

Everyone in Teams Mermaid Heel, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and Quatro Puppy all looked more than a little excited. And after witnessing such a spectacular match, who wouldn't be pumped and ready for the biggest battle of the tournament?

The scoreboard appeared in the middle of the arena for all to see. In first place with fifty-one points was Fairy Tail. In second place was Mermaid Heel with forty-nine points. Sabertooth had fallen into third place with thirty-nine points. Blue Pegasus now resided at fourth place with thirty points. In fifth place was Lamia Scale with twenty-five points. And in last place was Quatro Puppy with thirteen points.

Bruni chuckled. "Yeah, I had a feeling that it was gonna play out like that. Though it sucks I can't compete, I'm still gonna enjoy the hell out of it."

"I just knew the fairies would end up on top!" Master Bob smiled.

"There's no doubt about it, they're a wild bunch." Goldmine grinned.

"Thanks to this big turnaround, we're gonna have to beat them instead." Oba stated.

"I'm truly happy for them." Kurenai said before an eager grin formed on her face. "But don't think that means we're going easy on them. We're taking the gold this year."

Gildarts smirked challengingly towards his fellow guildmasters. "Bring it on!"

"Fairy Tail is going down!" Nearly all the other guild wizards declared.

"Watch out, Gray. I'm coming." Lyon warned.

"My target, is the would-be heir, Laxus." Jura smirked.

"Ooh! I wanna get the chance to fight Natsu, too!" Sherria said excitedly.

"Maybe I'll try my hand at Gajeel." Sho looked ready to battle.

"Alright Redgrave, let's see which one of us is the better gunslinger." Wally tipped his hat up.

"I'm gonna have me a fire and iron sandwich when I'm finished with those Dragon Slayers." Bacchus grinned with anticipation.

"Let's go find Natsu, Gray, and Gajeel!" Hibiki said for his fellow Tri-men.

"I can't wait to take down the mighty Erza." Jenny smirked.

"A chance to battle the saviors of Extalia, I am honored." Nichiya said with a serious look in his eyes.

"Your parfum is irresistible, Dante." Ichiya said in the exact same way as his Exceed counterpart.

"Looks like I get a chance to battle it out with Erzy's friends, after all." Milliana smiled.

"Titania." Kagura said seriously.

"I'm coming for ya, Natsu!" Sapphire pumped her fist.

"Dante, we'll cross our blades together soon enough." Lucia looked rather eager.

The only team that wasn't so enthusiastic was Team Sabertooth as they were still having trouble processing their defeat. Lector took it especially hard. Sting, his best friend, his hero, his idol, his everything… he lost. He never imagined Sting loosing. Ever. And yet, he did. Badly. Lector couldn't help but cry.

Frosch looked towards his fellow Exceed with sympathy. "It'll be okay…" But he too was crying over Rogue's defeat.

"I can't believe they lost…" Orga growled. "Our two dragons got their asses handed to them by one guy, and even Vergil got his handed to him by his own kid brother! He's supposed to be our strongest guy for crying out loud!"

"It was fascinating to behold." Rufus seemed to be taking it well… that is until he revealed a dangerous look in his eyes. "I've fully committed it to memory, and I shall use said memory to clip the fairies' wings in retribution."

Orga smirked mockingly to the projection of his downed teammates. "I'm gonna have a lot of fun holding this over their heads for a while."

"Perhaps you will." Minerva said. "That is… assuming they have that long."

"This guy's about to explode over here!" One guy in the audience looked in terror as he and all the other bystanders in the area cleared away from Jiemma as a dangerous aura of rage and magic power exhumated from him.

"That's Sabertooth's master!"

They lost! His Twin Dragons and top fighter! They lost! They lost to the members of a dying guild, one of them being the one to attack and humiliate them! That was unacceptable! He would make sure they suffer for their this!

"I'd advise you not to underestimate the Salamander."

"And that right there is exactly why you, Sting, will never become strong enough to surpass Natsu Dragneel."

Vergil's words repeated in Sting's mind as he continued to lay beaten on the ground. While he didn't like what he said at the time, now they seemed to hurt even more because in the end, Vergil was right. He gave everything he had, used his Dragon Force, fought alongside Rogue, and even used their combined ultimate attack, but it still wasn't enough.

"Well, looks like I win this round." Natsu said with a cheeky smile as he helped to support Dante.

"Don't you… mean 'we'?" Dante responded.

"Hey, you look like you're about to keel over, but I'm still standing." Natsu grinned.

"Cause I had a real challenge… you got stuck… with a bunch of wannabes…" Dante joked back.

"Fair enough, speaking of…" Natsu turned slightly to gaze at the defeated elder half demon. "Hey Vergil. You got to duke it out with Dante this time around, but next time it'll be just you and me, and I ain't getting any help. And when that happens, I'll win. I ain't gonna live in fear anymore. So, let's fight again sometime."

The pair walked away, leaving their defeated opponents behind. But Vergil heard every word Natsu had said, and all he could do was smile slightly.

'That may come sooner than you think. And I'm looking forward to it as well… Natsu."

'A complete and utter loss…' Rogue thought. "I wonder… could Gajeel be just as strong a fighter? If that's true… how could I ever have been so arrogant?'

With all the matches on Day Four concluded, nearly all the competing wizards and spectators began to exit the arena. Kurenai had already stood up and was prepared to walk away with her guild, but she glanced back towards the hole in the arena.

'That was quite the fight… a shame that Gajeel was pushed away. I'm sure he had more to show us. Maybe he'll show more of what he can in the battle royale. I'm certain he's made you proud, Metalicana. But where is he anyway?' Kurenai wondered. 'Natsu pushed him into a mine cart, and he… wait a minute.' Soon all of the excitement and happiness completely vanished as a look of shock and even horror fell on her face. 'No… don't tell me… he's not… there… is he?!'

---

Meanwhile, Jellal, still under the guise of Mystogen, had managed to blend in well with the exiting crowd and was able to catch sight on the individual who's magic energy was reminiscent of Zeref. Though he couldn't see their face, or any other distinguishable features to the hooded robe they wore. Jellal couldn't risk advancing on them right now with so many people, so he'll tail them until they were more isolated. But he will not lose them. Not this time.

---

Dante, Natsu, and Happy shared a three-way high five as they met up in the hallway. Though Dante still appeared to be injured, he was healed enough to the point he could walk on his own. And even if he wasn't, that wouldn't take away the joy and satisfaction all three of them felt for their victory.

"Way to go, you guys!" Happy sung.

"Did you expect something different?" Dante smirked.

"Let's go tell Lucy and everyone that we're back on top!" Natsu said with a wide smile.

"That was pretty awesome, you guys." Gray commented with a smile as he and the rest of their team entered the scene.

"Yeah, not half-bad." Laxus complemented.

"Thanks, that was fun." Natsu replied.

"What you two did today deserves genuine praise." Erza said with approval. "Well done Natsu, Dante." The red-clad Devil Hunter smirked as he and Erza exchanged a fist bump.

"For real, that was something else!" Trish said as she came in alongside Lady, Panther-Lily, and Gildarts.

"You actually defeated Vergil. All by yourself." Lady smiled towards Dante. "Guess miracles can happen?"

"Guess so." Dante replied. "And miracles deserve a kiss, right?" He poked his cheek for emphasis, earning unsurprised and partially amused looks from everyone else.

"Oh, what the hell?" Lady shrugged as she went over and kissed Dante right on his cheek. "But that's all you're getting."

"Hey, one step closer." Dante smiled.

"You liiike him." Happy teased, but when Lady flashed one of her pistols, the blue Exceed screamed as he flew behind Erza.

"Hey Natsu." Gildarts got his attention, who smiled and nodded with approval. "Nice job out there."

The Fire Dragon Slayer knew exactly what he was talking about. He wasn't just praising the outcome of the match, he was showing his pride in that Natsu accepted his fear, and stood his ground to face it. That was no easy feat.

"Thanks. Master." Natsu said with a genuine smile of his own.

"I applaud your victory. But do either of you know what happened to your teammate?" Lily asked.

"Oh, you mean Gajeel?" An irritated look formed on Natsu's face. "Yeah, that jerk took off in the middle of the fight!"

"Did you literally just forget that you sent him rolling away in a mine cart?" Panther-Lily questioned irritably.

"Unfortunately, that's how he is." Gildarts shrugged. "His head is as dense as his fists."

"Classic Natsu." Happy laughed.

"Be sure to remember that tomorrow's a day of rest." Erza advised. "And then it's on to the final round."

"Not to mention all the other guilds are gunning for us now." Laxus added.

"Well, I say bring it on." Gray smirked. "We'll be number one in Fiore again for sure."

"Damn right." Dante grinned.

---

The group then entered the infirmary where Lucy and everyone else was waiting, all of whom were smiling in congratulatory fashion.

"Good to see you guys." Lucy smiled.

"We saw the whole thing. Sparda showed us." Lisanna said.

"That so, huh?" Dante smirked teasingly to the spirit of his father. "Thought he couldn't do anything but float around and haunt people."

"I may be a ghost, but I still have a few tricks." Sparda said in a similar tone to his son before smiling sincerely. "But seriously, Dante… no words can express how proud I am of you."

Dante gave an honest smile back. "Thanks Dad."

"And Igneel would be proud of you too, Natsu." Sparda said to the smiling Salamander.

"Well, he wouldn't be the only one." Lisanna wrapped her arms around Natsu's neck and pulled him down towards her and Lucy's bedside for a kiss on the cheek.

"I knew you could do it." Lucy smiled lovingly with a blush on her cheeks, looking specifically at Natsu. "I've believed in you since I first joined the guild. And that hasn't once changed."

"Thanks." Natsu smiled back.

"So, you feeling any better?" Dante asked his cousin.

"I could use some of that fancy healing powers." Lucy said in a joking fashion. "But I'll be back on my feet in no time."

"Good, but this thing still ain't over." Dante stated.

"We still gotta win this thing! Well, don't we?" Wendy said cheerfully as she held Carla in her arms.

"Well of course, child!" Carla replied. "We've come this far, after all."

"It's hard to believe… our guild was in last place when this all started. Now look at us." Kyrie smiled.

"The audience thought it was a good idea to 'boo' us." Trish said. "Not to mention all the shit we got from Raven Tail and Sabertooth."

"But we made them all eat it." Lady stated. "They've learned now that it was a mistake to underestimate us."

"We've suffered defeat and humiliation along the way." Erza added.

"And now we can practically taste victory." Gray said as well.

"Hey, you guys remember what you all said?" Lucy recalled, speaking to Dante, Natsu, and Sparda. "It was right after I lost my fight with Flare. You said that zero points was a great way to start a comeback."

"Yep." Dante confirmed. "Fairy Tail doesn't give up and we ain't starting now."

"Let's win the thirty-million jewel!" Makarov proclaimed, much to everyone's comic shock.

"That's not why we're here!" They all shouted.

"Money is crucial." Gildarts pointed out.

"But not as satisfying as winning." Laxus countered.

Natsu raised his fist up high. "FIRST PLACE! YA WITH ME!?"

"YEAH!" Everyone in the infirmary all shouted in joyous agreement.

'So much has happened since I first joined this guild…' Lucy thought to herself as she saw all her friends and family celebrate. 'So many tears, so many laughs, so many special moments I got to share with people who mean the world to me. I even found a piece of my own family that I didn't even know was there. I couldn't be more proud to call myself a member of Fairy Tail.'

---

Meanwhile, after riding on the mine cart for an unknown length of time, only to get derailed on an old and worn out trail, resulting in him crashing, Gajeel had pulled himself up. After taking the time to throw up and get his senses back in order, putting up with all that motion sickness for so long was no joke, he found himself wondering underground and he had absolutely no idea where he was or how to get out. His heightened sense of smell couldn't pick up any kind of fresh air either.

"Damn you Salamander…" Gajeel grunted as he leaned against a cavern wall to rest for a moment. "If you live through that fight… I'm gonna kill you for this." He stood back up and resumed his search for an escape. "The hell am I? Still under the colosseum?"

When Gajeel made a turn, he soon found himself exiting the cavern tunnel and into a much larger cave. But what he saw made him stop in his tracks.

"Whoa… I don't believe it…"

There were giant skeletons everywhere! But these weren't just any skeletons, these were the bones of enormous dragons! There were so many it was impossible to count.

"Is this… some kind of dragon graveyard…?"

---

"Jellal, what's going on?" Ultear contacted him. Night had fallen over Crocus as the masked wizard continued to follow the mysterious individual from a distance. He already eyed the hooded figure walking through the streets as he stood on a bridge.

"Oh no, did they get away again?" Meredy asked with worry.

"No, I'm still tailing them." Jellal replied via their telepathy. "I'm waiting till we're in a less populated area if a fight were to break out."

"Let us know if something happens, and we'll be there in the blink of an eye." Sorano said.

"Should we contact Fairy Tail?" Sheeree asked. "The Games are over for today."

"Don't. We can't risk revealing our guilds' alliance unless we have no other choice or it could be detrimental for them." Jellal answered. "I'll keep in contact, but should our connection break then you may call them for help."

"Rodger." All four replied.

Jellal continued to watch as the hooded figure kept walking through the streets. He was still unable to identify anything about them.

'Who are you? Why do you remind me so much of Zeref?'

---

"They've actually done it…" Yukino looked out the window of her personal quarters in Mercurius, having a clear view of the Domus Flau colosseum and had seen the match remotely. "Natsu defeated Sting and Rogue by himself… while Dante has bested Vergil in single combat. That was certainly a surprise. I can't ever imagine Vergil losing."

"You must feel a bit conflicted, Sergeant Yukino." A royal soldier said as he entered the quarters.

"Not as such." Yukino answered. "While my attachment to Sabertooth has been all but severed, I had nothing but the highest respect for Vergil, such a strong and powerful warrior. And Rogue… he was kind enough to at least provide me a parting gift. But to be honest, watching that fight… seeing Natsu and Dante not only fight their hardest but also claim victory… honestly got me very excited. It was quite motivating." She turned around to address the soldier with a somewhat humorous smile. "Forgive me if I was rambling."

"It's no worry." The soldier assured. "I don't blame you. That fight had me on the edge of my seat too. It's not every day you see a clash between Dragon Slayers and the Sons of Sparda."

"What's really difficult for me is getting used to being called 'Sergeant'." Yukino said, feeling a tad bit embarrassed. She never imagined she'd be given a military rank in her life, much less a rather high one.

"I understand completely, ma'am. But your involvement with Eclipse requires a rank, it's a military project after all. You'll get used to it soon enough."

A serious look formed on Yukino's face. "This is an important undertaking. I am prepared to do whatever is required of me to ensure the success of this operation. And I'm very grateful to Arcadios for extending this invitation to me. Wait… I suppose I should call him 'Colonel', instead."

"Don't worry about it." The soldier said. "I usually just call him 'sir', myself. In fact, those in his Sakura Knight Squadron get away with 'Dio'."

"Speaking of, I haven't seen the Sakura Knight Squadron yet. Are they somewhere else in the castle?" Yukino asked.

"Unfortunately, they've been sent to deal with a surge of demonic activity on the other side of the country, and it's unlikely they'll return by the time the Games are completed." The solider answered.

"I see…" Yukino looked out the window, she caught a glimpse of Arcadios himself walking through the courtyard of the castle. "It's so strange… he's trying so hard to save the world… and yet nobody else knows about it."

---

The Castle of Mercurius had completely collapsed. A knight clad in white armor had a sword run through him, one that was shrouded in darkness. Lucy appeared to be in the middle of the chaos of it all and appeared to be singing.

---

Carla's eyes widened as she was hit with a sudden vision. It was that exact same one as before.

"What's the matter?" Wendy asked as she and Kyrie remained with Lucy in the infirmary, helping Porlyusica to patch up the last of her injuries. "Are you okay, Carla?"

"Yes, I'm fine." Carla replied before thinking to herself. 'That strange premonition again. Mercurius crashing down… the white knight… and a shrouded figure with a sword… but I couldn't catch a glimpse of who they were. The only one I could recognize was Lucy, but it was so fuzzy. Should I tell them? No. Not yet. I'll talk to Makarov and try to get into contact with Crime Sorciere and tell them. Hopefully they've found some clues on their end.'

"Did you hear?! We won!" Levy said excitedly as she, Jet, Droy, and Nero entered the infirmary, Droy carried a basket full of food with a ribbon tied around it.

"Hey guys!" Lucy greeted.

"Yes, we saw the whole thing." Kyrie smiled. "It was incredible!"

"Got that right." Nero grinned. "So, you feeling any better, Lucy?"

"Yeah. I should be back up on my feet first thing tomorrow morning!" Lucy was looking more than a little pumped.

"Maybe sooner." Wendy added with her own smile. "Kyrie's magic combined with mine are working wonders!"

"That's good to hear." Jet said.

"I brought snacks if you're hungry." Droy offered.

"And he surprisingly didn't eat any of it." Nero cracked.

"Hey, how is that surprising?!" Droy questioned in comic anger.

"If we keep our spirits up, we're gonna win this thing for sure!" Levy said with excitement.

"Oh yeah! There's no way Team Fairy Tail's loosing now!" Lucy said with determination.

"That's for sure. After seeing Dante and Natsu fight like that… it makes me wanna jump in on the action too!" Jet proclaimed.

"You wouldn't know where Gajeel went, would ya?" Levy asked. "We haven't seen him since the fight ended."

Wendy looked in surprise. "You mean he still isn't back yet?"

"That guy's probably just stuffing his face with iron somewhere, knowing him." Nero assumed.

"I imagine he'll be back soon." Kyrie said.

---

Gajeel continued to wonder through the underground cavern riddled with dragon skeletons, looking around with seriousness. "No scent… these guys have been down here for a while. But what in the world happened?"

He heard the sound of someone approaching from his side. The Iron Dragon Slayer turned around to see none other than Kurenai, who had a concerned yet knowing look on her face.

---

"It was nice… everyone was positive that we were winning… then the fight on that final day was so intense. Do you remember it, Lucy? That happiness was such a stark contrast to what was to come… on that fateful day… July 7th… when all our hopes turned to ash…"

This was written on a piece of paper by none other than Levy, who was covered in scars and bandages, holding up somewhere in a basement. Her only source of light being a candle at her desk, a partially burnt Fairy Tail flag being hung on the wall above her. And all around her outside, was a desolate wasteland. Fires burned and the whole city of Crocus was completely flattened as a glowing moon hung in the blood red sky.

"First they died… then we lost… we loved them so much…"

She stopped writing, her right hand… her only remaining hand… shook as tears spilled from her eyes.

"I can't… write this… Please Lucy… your plan… it has to work…! I can't take this anymore…!" Levy cried. "…I just want someone to help me…!"

---

The hooded figure had walked up a flight of stairs onto a small and empty courtyard, one that had a clear view of the moon that shined an ominous light. They found themselves gazing out at the quiet city below when they heard someone call to them from behind.

"Stop right there." Jellal had taken off his mask to show his face. "Reveal your identity, I've already revealed mine."

This was it. He had the figure within reach, and he was more than prepared for a fight if need be. When a gust of wind blew, the robe was blown slightly at the bottom to reveal the figure's feet, their slender ankles and sandals they wore.

'A woman?'

The figure slowly turned around to reveal her face to Jellal. But the second he saw her, his eyes widened in complete shock. He wasn't sure what to expect… but it wasn't this.

"What…?!"

It was Lucy! Even if she still had her hood up to partially obscure herself, he was still gazing at the face of Lucy Heartfilia!

Before either of them could say anything, the Lucy in front of him collapsed, like she suddenly lost consciousness for whatever reason. She would have fallen on the ground had Jellal not rushed to catch her. He slowly kneeled himself, being careful not to harm her if something was wrong. But as she laid, her hood had fallen off completely, causing Jellal to look in surprise as he saw cracks on her skin, running along her the sides of her face.

Jellal felt his hand to her head to try and see if she had any kind of fever, but the second he touched her, all he felt was dryness. Her skin was so dry that it felt like there was no hydration whatsoever. He lifted his hand to see some flakes in his palm. Jellal then lifted up the sleeve on her right arm to reveal the same kind of cracks were there was well, but he was focusing more on the back of her right hand, where the guild emblem of Fairy Tail normally would be, but he saw nothing there.

'No guild emblem. Could she be from Edolas? But why does this power around her feel so similar to Zeref's?'

A slight glimmer of light caught the corner of his eye. He followed the source to the area around her neck. Pulling the collar down, Jellal soon found himself staring at what appeared to be the Perfect Amulet that hung around her neck.

Done.

Now that was quite the chapter, wouldn't you say?

So much has happened and I'd say I'm happy with how it all turned out. So here are the total scores for the Grand Magic Games as of the end of Day Four…

*First Place – Fairy Tail – 51 points

*Second Place – Mermaid Heel – 49 points

*Third Place – Sabertooth – 39 points

*Fourth Place – Blue Pegasus – 30 points

*Fifth Place – Lamia Scale – 25 points

*Sixth Place – Quatro Cerberus – 13 points

We finally got our three-on-three battle with Dante, Natsu, and Gajeel facing off against Vergil, Sting, and Rogue and they all got their chance to really show off their stuff. I even gave some original techniques to Rogue, notably giving him the ability to use a katana since he's shown to have had one but never once used it (credit to 'altajir95' for helping me to come up with some of those techniques).

We also saw the rest of the Devil Arms in Vergil's arsenal aside from Zeus, which includes Ifrit (from the first game), Arbiter (loosely based off the DMC reboot, but I gave it an earth-elemental power), and Mirage Edge, which Vergil can combine with the Yamato to create a special attack that I loosely based off Byakuya's from Bleach.

While we had our initial fights with Natsu vs. Sting, Gajeel vs. Rogue, and Dante vs. Vergil, I switched it up in the match for Natsu to show off his lightning powers and catch Vergil off guard. I wanted to give Natsu a moment to face off against Vergil so that he could face his fears and begin to overcome his trauma, that's a very important part of his development for this story and I felt this was a good way to address it. Though he's still not completely over it, he's now willing to face it directly and refuses to live in fear, which I think is good development on Natsu's part. We also got to see Gajeel show off some of his moves as well.

I also wanted to give Dante a chance to humiliate Sting considering the asshole had the audacity to laugh at his cousin being tortured, and you know how personal it gets with Dante when those closest to him are hurt.

And yes, he totally pulled a fake-out on Sting to make it look like he won, all just to knock him off his high horse and get in a good laugh, with even Natsu and Gajeel going along with it.

And then comes the final fight between Devil Trigger Dante against that of his brother, as well as Natsu soloing Sting and Rogue.

Some of you may not like how I still had Gajeel pushed away from the fight like in canon, but it's very important to the overall plot as this is what lets Gajeel discover the dragon graveyard at the end, which will lead to the rest of Fairy Tail finding it in the next chapter. More on that later.

There is also a legit reason why Natsu was able to overcome Sting and Rogue together despite both using their Dragon Force, and not some kind of 'magic of feelings' deus ex machina like in canon. It's because Sting and Rogue use their transformations far too often and have become reliant on them. Their basic style of fighting is just overwhelming their enemies with raw power, and when the power they initially have isn't enough, they just tap into their own natural reservoir to fuel up even more, and Dragon Force when all that fails. This has caused them to become stagnant as they don't really train, they've hit a power ceiling but are comfortable where they are and don't have any desire to break through.

But that's where Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy differ from them. They can't tap into their Dragon Force on the fly the same way Sting and Rogue can, and Natsu's only used it twice in canon, two additional times in my story, and that's only after he ate some kind of special fire or power (though his fight against Arkham in the Underworld was a special case, but that's not important now). So they train, they put in the work to make themselves stronger the old fashioned way as opposed to cutting corners and are even learning to fight smarter as opposed to harder, Wendy even seeking aid from a veteran fighter to train her. Natsu, while has worked so that he can now call up his own Lightning-Flame Dragon Mode when he likes, also continues to train despite that and is being careful not to become too reliant on that transformation the same way Sting and Rogue have with their Dragon Force.

That is how Natsu was able to win this time, he not only fights smarter, he isn't over reliant on his powers and he's willing to work hard and train to get even stronger.

Vergil is fully aware of this problem, and while he has warned them of it, they just chose not to listen. Vergil is not the type of person to waste his time on those who refuse to listen to any advice he gives. Unlike Dante with Fairy Tail, Vergil's relationship with Sabertooth is professional at best as he himself said the guild is a means to an end to make himself stronger and he can leave it anytime he chooses to if they don't meet his expectations (and Jiemma couldn't stop him even if he tried LOL).

I hope that all makes sense.

But of course, Dante still had to give it his all against Vergil, even pulling off a new technique he dubs the Inferno Trigger where he combines his Devil Trigger with his Dreadnaught style (loosely inspired by Goku's Kaioken Blue technique from Dragon Ball Super). With these forms combined, Dante is able to absorb all the damage his enemy gets him, while still having his other abilities enhanced with the Devil Trigger, which he can further fuel by either having it gradually fuel his own, or combine it all in the form of one attack like he did here against Vergil. Seeing how the eldest of the Sparda sons had seven years to get stronger, Dante had to creative if he was going to find a way to bridge the gap between him and his brother. Though given the Yamato's ability to slice through even dimensions, it too was able to bypass the Dreadnaught, and injure Dante, even if the energy from the attack was still absorbed. It was a brutal battle between the brothers…

But ultimately Dante was able to net a win, coming out bruised and bloodied, but he won. He won against Vergil in a one-on-one battle without any outside assistance. And he's going to get even stronger.

And of course, despite all the intense battles that came before and those that are to follow in the upcoming battle royale, in which there are many things I will be fixing and improving upon from the canon, we're finally getting into the Eclipse conspiracy.

Gajeel has found the dragon graveyard, and has run into Kurenai, who knows about it. We'll be getting into some pretty serious lore in the next chapter.

But also, Jellal has met Future Lucy and she is not looking so good. She's collapsed, her skin is dry and cracking… and she still carries her half of the Perfect Amulet that Dante had given her.

I'm very excited to get to work on this part of the arc as there are many plot holes and deus ex machine moments here and I am hopeful that I'll be able to address all of it. You can also expect a lot more surprises of my own design here.

And yes, I do plan on the Sakura Knight Squadron (Arcadios' team) making an appearance in this story, just not specifically in this arc. There are too many characters here as it is, but they will appear later on.

Lore, action, hilarity, love, and heartbreak… all of this and more is about to happen as we continue with the Grand Magic Games arc. And nobody is prepared for the chaos that is about to come.

Until then, see you next time.