Hi everyone, well we're finally at the last event of the Grand Magic Games, the Battle Royale that had mixed feelings for everyone in canon. Let me tell you, planning this particular event out was a huge headache for me, there was all the math that came from the scores and to ensure that certain events and numbers lined up with the players, but above all, it was those participating in the Games and making sure that a lot of them had their moments to shine. Keep in mind that not everyone is on the same level so a few people will go down easier than others, but I believe I have everything planned out to make sure that these characters are done right.
This is one particularly large chapter given the number of characters as well as the lengths of the fight. But also keep in mind that this chapter for the most part is meant to sort out the rift-raft before we get into the big rivalries that have been set up since the start of this arc.
There's also the plot where Dante and Jellal's group have to infiltrate the castle to save Lucy and Yukino and stop the Eclipse Gate, and I believe I have everything planned out for that.
I only hope that this chapter is to your liking.
With that said, let's get started.
The Fairy Tactician
"Well, it's been an exciting week, but we're finally at the last day of the Games!" Chapati announced to the cheering audience. "Let's take a look at the current standings, in sixth place is the newly dubbed Quatro Puppy with thirteen points."
That reaction was met with more than a few boos from the audience, much to the dismay of Team Quatro Puppy.
"Dang, that hurts." Wally tipped his hat down slightly.
"Just watch, we'll win this yet." Bacchus stated.
"In fifth place, is Lamia Scale with twenty-five points." Chapati continued.
"Fifth place?! That's almost last!?" Toby said with a howl.
"Ah darn it!" Sherria pouted.
"Don't you worry." Lyon assured. "Fairy Tail was able to come back from being dead last, we can as well." He paid a glance towards a certain blue-haired woman on Fairy Tail's team. "I'm sure that Juvia will be more than impressed with such an awe-inspiring return!"
"Just stay focused on supporting your own guild, Lyon." Sherria told him irritably.
"In fourth place, we have Blue Pegasus with thirty points!" Chapati went on.
"It beats being dead last, I guess." Hibiki commented.
"We gotta work extra hard if we're gonna make it to the top." Jenny said.
"Yes, it is a new beginning for us." Nichiya said as the Exceed took a matching pose with his human counterpart.
"Let us show the world the parget parfum our guild is really made of!" Ichiya vowed.
"Next on the roster, the reigning champions that have fallen to third place with thirty-nine points, Sabertooth!" Chapati announced once more, but that reaction was greatly mixed as while there were some cheers from the crowed, there were more than a few boos as well. "Well that's quite a turn. At the start of this tournament, Sabertooth was the crowd's favorite."
"I imagine that many people weren't quite pleased with the performances of some of their guild's members." Yajima said.
Orga tisked. "Who the hell do these losers think they are, booing us?"
"Indeed, such a thing is a disgrace to my very memory." Rufus agreed.
"Let them boo as much as they want." Minerva said. "They will surely see our strength when we win this tournament."
Sting however had no rection to either the crowd's boos or Minerva's words, he was dead set on winning this for Lector's sake and nothing was going to stop him. Rogue happened to look towards him with concern.
"In second place, the beautiful ladies of Mermaid Heel with forty-nine points!" Chapati continued. Now the crowd was cheering once again.
"We got a real shot at winning this thing, so let's go all the way and make Mama Kurenai proud!" Risley proclaimed.
"Meow! Let's do our best!" Milliana cheered.
Sapphire couldn't help but looked somewhat disappointed as she looked towards Fairy Tail's team. "Stinks that Natsu's not here… But, if I happen to beat someone like Erza or Laxus… maybe I might end up surpassing him."
However, she wasn't the only one who looked towards Fairy Tail's team with curiosity. Lucia and even Kagura were somewhat surprised to see that Dante wasn't present, though Kagura kept her gaze focused mostly on Erza while Lucia looked towards Nero with a curious expression.
"And, in first place… with fifty-one points… give it up for Fairy Tail!" Chapati announced. The crowd cheered the loudest for the six-person team that stood serious and ready to fight with everything they had to win this tournament.
As the audience cheered loudly, Kurenai watched with a serious expression of her own from a secluded spot in the arena before she was joined by three others.
"Gotta have mixed feelings." Bruni commented. "You're probably cheering your hardest for your girls, but there's something bigger going on than this tournament."
Kurenai turned around to see not only Bruni, but also two other Wizard Saints, one was a woman in shinning golden armor, the other was another woman who was wearing a hooded robe.
"Aurora, Gandelina." She greeted.
"We came as soon as we heard." Aurora said. "I can't believe the royal family could be involved in something like this."
"The Eclipse Gate…" Gandelina commented somewhat lowly. "Besides Fairy Tail, who else knows?"
"Just us. I haven't even told the other guildmasters." Kurenai answered. "I didn't want to run the risk of something like that leaking out, or Fairy Tail's plan with Crime Sorciere to destroy the Eclipse Gate to get to the royal army."
"You haven't even told Jura?" Bruni asked in surprise.
"Not yet, but I might once this tournament is over." Kurenai answered. "Where are the others?"
"Draculos, Wolfheim, and Warrod are too far away. They won't get here in time." Aurora replied.
Kurenai sighed. "Dare I ask…? What about God Serena?"
"No response." Bruni's eyelids lowered in annoyance as Kurenai had a sweatdrop over her head.
"Why does that not surprise me?" Kurenai replied rhetorically. "We'll just have to assume what we have then is enough."
"Kurenai…" Gandelina began. "You know we can't predict what misuse of the Eclipse Gate will cause. But, if we're not careful… we could run the risk of starting a civil war in Fiore."
"And you know the Magic Council would have field day with that." Bruni added.
"Yes, I'm aware." Kurenai said as she looked up towards the sky. 'Dante, Jellal, we're all counting on you.'
Meanwhile, the group of sixteen that consisted of Dante, Jellal, Natsu, Happy, Lady, Wendy, Carla, Trish, Sheeree, Mira, Lisanna, Sorano, Lady, Cana, Panther-Lily, Kyrie, and Modeus had all gathered together under a bridge as they neared closer toward the royal palace.
"I think the final round's about to start." Wendy said, using her enhanced hearing.
"Perfect. This is our chance, guys!" Natsu stated.
"Aye sir!" Happy was rearing to go.
"With everyone focused on the final match of the Games, there will be less eyes on the palace. Rather clever." Jellal commented.
"So where are the rest of your friends?" Lady asked Sheeree.
"Ultear and Meredy are staying behind on that second Lucy, the one that supposedly came through the Eclipse Gate." Sheeree answered.
"She hasn't woken up yet?" Trish asked in surprise. "It's been about two whole days."
"No, there haven't been any changes." Sorano replied. "But they'll let us know if something happens."
Dante then heard something in his head. "Hang on, I'm getting something from Warren." This caused everyone to look with concern. "What is it?" Dante heard what Warren had to say and was taken by surprise. "What?! I see… Alright. Thanks for letting me know."
"What's going on?" Happy asked.
"Vergil's not participating in the final round." Dante revealed, much to the group's surprise.
"Saywhat?!" Natsu questioned.
"That is… quite concerning." Panther-Lily commented.
"Did something happen?" Kyrie asked.
"Don't know." Dante shrugged. "Apparently something went down with their master, so Vergil had to step in. Now somebody else is taking his place in the match."
"Why do I have a feeling something unsightly happened?" Carla said.
"I can take a guess." Dante had gotten a glimpse of what Sabertooth's master was like and how he tolerates loss given what happened with Yukino, and he probably wasn't happy with how Vergil, Sting, and Rogue were defeated back on Day Four. But Vergil isn't the type to just sit by and take any cruel or unnecessary punishments.
"This… feels a little too weird." Lisanna said. "Vergil's smart enough to know that if he doesn't participate, the chances of his team winning are actually pretty low."
"Even if he doesn't have the best relationship with his guild, him suddenly becoming their master this late in the Games doesn't really make any kind of sense." Mira added.
"This is concerning, but we can't worry about Vergil right now." Modeus got everyone back to the task at hand. "Our goal is to rescue Lucy and Yukino and to destroy the Eclipse Gate before it can cause any damage."
"But how are we supposed to do that if it literally sucks all your magic dry?" Trish questioned. Kyrie shivered somewhat uncomfortably as she remembered how that happened to her only recently.
"Easy, we smash it to pieces using our fists!" Natsu pounded his fist into his palm.
"Of course, you'd think of something like that." Lady said in annoyance.
"Or perhaps Lucy and Yukino could be the key." Jellal spoke up, getting their attention. "According to Lady Kurenai, while the Eclipse Gate absorbs all manner of magic and even demonic power to act as a fuel source, the same does not apply to Celestial Wizards as their keys are necessary to open the Gate. Theoretically, Yukino and Lucy can still use their magic within the Gate's proximity. So perhaps the power of their Celestial Spirits could destroy it."
"That would make sense." Sorano agreed.
"Aren't you a Celestial Wizard though?" Wendy asked.
"Not exactly…" Sorano replied. "My power's changed these past seven years. I can use a Celestial Key if I happen have one, but that's not my only card anymore. Probably best to have Yukino and Lucy do it since they have all twelve Zodiac Keys."
"But then there's the matter of getting into the palace." Panther-Lily said.
"Yeah, we're too big a group and I don't think it would be a good idea to split up and find multiple entrances." Dante said. "Especially since we don't know the layout."
"Don't worry about that, I have an idea." Sheeree smiled confidently, looking towards the Strauss Sisters. "You two have transformation magic, right?"
"Alright guildmates, show us your skills, your magic, and the bonds that tie you together…!" Chapati was getting everyone hyped up. "This is it! The last round of the Grand Magic Games will feature… a full team survival game!"
"Here we go." One of two royal soldiers watched the games from afar.
"We finally get to see which guild comes out on top."
These two soldiers weren't alone however as they were also acting as guards for a certain young woman with wavy green hair with a short strapless dress with a silver jeweled neckless around her head and a golden tiara on her head. She watched with an eager and mysterious smile.
"Strap in pumpkins, cause there's a special arena for our final fight! The entire city of Crocus itself!" Mato announced.
"The teams have already spread throughout the battlefield and are waiting on standby." Yajima said as multiple lacrimatrons popped up in the arena for the audience to see, showing the locations of all six teams at their respective locations.
"Combatants will rush through the city, battling any opposing guild members they encounter." Chapati explained. "Knocking out or incapacitating an opposing wizard will net the victorious wizard's guild one point on the board."
"First, each guild must elect one member as its leader. But there's a catch to this rule." Yajima continued.
"None of the guilds will know who the opposing team leaders are." Mato revealed.
"Defeating a leader is worth five points, this means it's theoretically possible for each team to score forty-five points, meaning that every guild has a shot at winning the title." Chapati continued.
"Should the teams work together? Or should they split up to take the gold?" Yajima wondered.
"Strategy will be a key factor this round." Mato said.
Team Fairy Tail stood by a statue of a lion as Nero happened to glance in the direction of Mercurius. Even if he couldn't see the palace itself, he still knew where it was, as well as the people who would be going inside to get their own back, one in particular.
'Kyrie…'
"Nero, you should focus." Erza got his attention.
"Yeah, your girlfriend's gonna be fine." Gajeel put in. "We both seen how far she's come in three months. She ain't no damsel in distress anymore."
"I know, I know…" Nero already knew. "But this whole thing seems kinda pointless. They're busy on a mission that could decide the fate of the world, and we're in a sports tournament."
"We get it." Gray said. "But our job is just as important."
"We keep everyone else's eyes on us, allowing Natsu, Dante, Jellal, and everyone a chance to rescue Lucy and Yukino, as well as destroy the Eclipse Gate." Juvia recalled their plan.
"But don't you guys think it's kinda weird that Vergil ain't here?" Nero wondered.
"I will admit that is concerning." Erza seemed to agree. "With Sabertooth's most powerful member no longer participating, it may seem like their guild has less of a chance at winning, but we still shouldn't underestimate the others."
"Hey, if it means we got a better shot at winning, I'm not complaining." Gajeel said.
"Fate of the world or not, we still got every reason to win this thing." Gray added. "It's for everyone in Fairy Tail."
"It's the very least we could do to thank them." Laxus said. "After seven years of heartache, they deserve nothing short of victory."
Nero took a moment to let that part sink in. 'Even after losing their top guys for seven years and falling to the bottom, they still stuck together. And only after just getting them back, they didn't hesitate to save my home even after all the shit we put them through.' He looked towards the guild emblem of Fairy Tail that was sewn on his jacket's shoulder. "I know I haven't been part of your guild for very long…" Nero got their attention. "But after everything you've done for me… my friends… my home…" He clenched his demonic fist. "I'm going to give this everything I got. Consider it my way of saying thanks."
They all smiled as Erza spoke in response. "There's no need to thank us, Nero. You're a part of this family just like every member, and we know we can count on you."
"Who will gloriously stand at the pinnacle of the magic world?! We're about to find out…! LET'S RUMBLE!" Chapati's announcement came with the sound of the gong and the fireworks that erupted in the air.
"Ready?!" Erza got her team fired up.
"YEAH!" Gray, Nero, Gajeel, Laxus, and Juvia all raised their fists up high.
As the cheers rang loudly, everyone in the audience watched with excitement, though there were a select few that would watch with their own serious expressions. Among them were Kurenai, Bruni, Aurora, and Gandelina from their own personal spot, Darton from a box higher in the arena, Vergil and Frosch from the Sabertooth box, and everyone else in Fairy Tail.
"It's a beautiful day for a battle, wouldn't you agree?" Chapati asked his fellow commentators.
"Quite, and most of our teams have decided to split up, which should make things interesting." Yajima said as the lacrimatrons showed various wizards going off on their own.
"Good luck out there, pumpkins!" Mato cheered.
"Uh oh, it looks like even the individually powerful members of Sabertooth have opted to split up." Chapati observed. "Even Sting and Rogue, a typical duo, are each going their own way. Meanwhile, some of the other teams have broken up into groups of two or three." The screens showed Toby and Yuka together, along with the Trimens sticking as a trio. "Whose strategy will carry them to the goal?"
Rufus stopped walking for a brief second as he looked in minor confusion. Dobengal landed on the roof of the building beside him to address his guildmate.
"What's the matter?"
"They aren't moving." Rufus answered, much to Dobengal's confusion.
"Uh… huh…? What's going on here?!" Chapati stood up from his seat in surprise while Yajima raised an eyebrow.
Everyone, from the spectators in the audience to even those in their own guild, were completely dumbfounded to see that the six members of Team Fairy Tail hadn't moved an inch from their spot. Erza, Nero, Gray, Laxus, Gajeel, and Juvia all stood in a line, their eyes all closed, almost like they were meditating.
"What gives?!"
"Come on! Move!"
"I have no idea why but… the members of Fairy Tail are just standing there… as if they're in a trance!" Chapati commentated.
"Hey! What the hell are you guys doing?!" Gildarts called out.
"Get out there and fight, you numbskulls!" Makarov shouted.
"What's going on?! Why aren't they moving!?" Patty questioned.
"I got no idea." Morrison confessed.
"Come on! Get the lead out!" Patty continued to shout.
Sparda looked towards Mavis, who hadn't taken her eyes off the screen that showed their six-person team. One look at her and he knew exactly what was going on, causing him to smile.
"Hey, why aren't they moving?" Frosch wondered with everyone while Vergil kept his eyes focused on the Fairy Tail team, remaining silent the entire time.
"Well, while Fairy Tail's sticking to their bizarre strategy… the other combatants have already found some targets!" Chapati revealed.
Nobarly turned around to see that Toby and Yuka had arrived on the scene. "Crap! Two of ya!? Just my luck!"
"You attack and I'll keep his magic at bay, deal?" Yuka told Toby.
"You're leaving him to me?!" Toby complained with a howl as he readied his claws.
"Stop winning. Wave Boost!" Yuka encompassed Nobarly in his wave magic, neutralizing his abilities in that one instant.
"Ooooh, he's blocked his magic!" Yajima commentated.
Before Nobarly had a chance to counter, Toby was already on him, slicing at him with his paralyzing claws. "Mega-Mega-Jellyfish!" With just two slices, Nobarly was shocked with paralysis and knocked out of the competition.
"The pain just keeps on coming for the Quatro Puppy guild, that's one point for Lamia Scale!" Chapati announced.
Meanwhile, the Trimens had run into Arana who appeared to be by herself. "Ah, just our luck, running into a nice lady." Hibiki said with suave.
"Three strong men against one delicate little flower? Don't you think that's a bit unfair." Arana teased.
"Heh, heh, on paper this does kinda make look like creeps." Eve replied with a nervous laugh.
"Don't act like a damsel in distress, we know you Mermaids got some claws." Ren told their female opponent. "As gentlemen, we'll kindly give you our all."
"Bring it on, then!" Arana attempted to run around them, but Ren and Eve were already on the attack.
"Aerial Phose!"
"White Fang!"
Magical blasts of air and snow mixed together and appeared to be bearing down towards Arana, but something suddenly landed in front of her and seemed to have taken the hit. A brief explosion of snow was blown around the area, creating a brief fog. Only for a loud slurping sound to be heard as the Trimens looked in surprise to see all the snow in the area being inhaled by a certain blue-clad Dragon Slayer from Mermaid Heel.
"Looks like Sapphire has joined the fray!" Chapati commentated.
"Points for the dramatic entrance." Mato added.
Sapphire had finished with her 'meal' and rubbed her mouth with her arm as she gave an eager grin. "Thanks for the snack, now I got a fire in my belly!"
"Mermaid Heel's Dragon Slayer!" Ren exclaimed.
"She can eat snow, as well?!" Eve questioned.
"Don't panic!" Hibiki told his teammates as he pulled up his Achieve magic. "We can still…" Suddenly, Sapphire shot herself straight at him with blue flames from her feet propelling her forward, pulling back a blazing blue fist before it shattered his magical screen and dealt a punch to his gut to send him flying straight up.
"Hibiki!" Eve exclaimed in shock.
"Look out!" Ren used his air magic to push Eve away in one direction while leaping back to avoid the spider-webs shot out by Arana.
"Don't take your eyes off the lady in front of you, boys." She told them.
While airborne, Hibiki winced in frustration. "Damn… I should have planned for this…"
"You're pretty good at the long-term plans." Sapphire granted as she leapt up to meet him while airborne. "But you gotta learn to think on your feet." She delivered a blazing blue fist to his face and sent him flying and crashing into a building.
"Ren, I think it's time for a strategic retreat." Eve told his teammate as they regrouped.
"Fine, but we're not out of the game yet!" Ren told their opponents as they ran into a nearby alleyway.
"Damn, they got away." Arana said in disappointment as Sapphire landed next to her.
"We still took out their strategist, that's a big blow to their team." The Azure Dragon Slayer said with a smile.
"Ooooh, that had to hurt!" Chapati said, referring to Hibiki's beaten and unconscious form that laid in the broken building he was smashed into. "Sapphire's surprise attack has rendered Hibiki unconscious, scoring a point for Mermaid Heel! They're now directly behind the leading Fairy Tail! Who, by the way, still have yet to budge an inch!"
"Yay, go Sapphire!" Amarilla cheered.
"At this rate, we'll be in first place in no time!" Beth said with a smile.
"Are they taking a nap?!" Macao complained, regarding his guild's team.
"Stop playing statues and throw a spell!" Wakaba called out to them.
"What in the hell are they doing?!" Bickslow questioned. "It's not like Laxus to just sit things out."
"I suspect it's some sort of strategy." Freed assumed.
"What? To just sit the whole tournament out? The other teams will catch up to them in the blink of an eye!" Evergreen stated.
Meanwhile, Ichiya ran (or rather skipped) dramatically down street. "Rest assured Hibiki, I will avenge you!"
"Now that's funny." He came to a stop as he found Bacchus blocking his path. "Avenge… I like that word. It really gives ya the chills."
"Oh boy! Ichiya has just crossed paths with Bacchus!" Chapati commented.
"Now this is a rematch I've been dying to see!" Mato said excitedly.
"Ya hear that? The audience wants a rematch. What do ya say we give em one?" Bacchus was already guzzling down all the alcohol in his gourd.
"Very well, I accept your challenge!" Ichiya took out a vile of potion and inhaled the purple vapor that came from it. Just like before, upon inhaling his Power Parfum, Ichiya's muscles grew to outstanding size, tearing through his clothes, as he was now just as large as when he and Bacchus battled. "Come at me!"
Bacchus hiccuped. "Okay big guy, let's go!" He rushed him, spinning his body around all drunken-like, while also spinning with such speed it almost seemed like a top had formed in his place. Ichiya crossed his arms as he looked ready to tank the hits, only for Bacchus to suddenly aim himself downward and strike rapidly at Ichiya's legs, which weren't so well-defended, causing the large man to trip up and crash on the ground as Bacchus slid to a halt.
"Whoa! Bacchus has just knocked Ichiya down hard!" Chapati exclaimed.
"While Ichiya's upper body appears to be much stronger and more durable, the same can't be said for his lower body, which appears to be less defended." Yajima commented. "Very clever."
"He figured that out while drunk?" Mato questioned.
"Just cause I'm drunk doesn't mean I ain't smart." Bacchus hiccupped. "Ya know the old saying about the bigger they are, the harder they fall, right?"
Ichiya pounded his fist into the ground as he slowly stood back up with a determined glare. "Very clever. You are truly a worthy foe. But it will take more than that to defeat me!" He took a dramatic fighting pose.
"Ah yeah, let's keep it up! My soul's all shaken and stirred!" Bacchus rushed Ichiya once more as he pulled back his hand and thrusted forward with a chop, which Ichiya retaliated with a powerful punch at the same time. The two strikes collided, creating a shockwave that blew through the surrounding area.
"Well, while Bacchus and Ichiya continue their clash, the puppies and lamias have met on the battlefield once again as Lyon is now face-to-face with Warcry!" Chapati announced.
Lyon took his stance as he saw Warcry bawling, his eyes acting like waterfalls. "You ready, ice boy?" The sobbing wizard challenged.
"Whenever you are! Ice-Make: Snow Tiger!" Lyon unleashed an ice tiger which snarled as it attempted to pounce towards Warcry.
Suddenly, Warcry threw his fist out to smash the ice tiger to pieces, much to Lyon's surprise. Warcry was then suddenly on him in a near split second, and throwing a series of punches, which Lyon tried to block by crossing his arms, but the force of the impact still sent Lyon crashing to the side of the building. When Warcry tried to rush him again, Lyon froze the ground underneath him with the stomp of his foot, causing Warcry to slip and slide towards the building, which Lyon avoided by rolling out of the way.
'I see.' Lyon noted. 'His Tear Magic seems to enhance his physical abilities The more he cries, the stronger and faster he becomes.'
Warcry pulled himself up, and while he still appeared to be sobbing, the look in his eyes was far from that of grief. "That is a rather impressive ability you have." Lyon told his opponent.
"Only through tears can a man get stronger!" Warcry declared.
"Quite literally in your case. Then I'll just have to dry those tears of yours!" Lyon crossed his arms together and generated a large flurry of ice that seemed to blow all across the general area, freezing the ground and the sides of the buildings around them.
"H-Hey… what's going on…?!" Warcry questioned as frost not only formed on his body, but the water that poured from his eyes solidified as his running tears were frozen solid. The ice trailed up from his tears and directly into his eyes, forcing him to shut them. "Ugh! My eyes! I can't see!"
Just then, a large ice dragon appeared from the frozen ground beneath Warcry, catching him in its jaw as the ice dragon went straight up briefly before turning around and fell straight to the ground, crashing face first and taking Warcry with it.
"Impressive as your ability is, there's more to a fight than just raw power." Lyon said as he slowly walked away, Warcry's beaten form laying on the broken and icy ground behind him.
At the same time, Jura appeared to be walking alone down one street, when a giant fly trap exploded from the ground underneath him and completely encompassed the Wizard Saint.
"If I got a chance to take down the big guy, I'm taking it!" Jager said from the top of a building as he went further on the attack. He thrusted his arms forward to send multiple thorny plant-vines at the flytrap and completely wrap around to further bind the supposed victim inside, but Jager wasn't done yet. "Tree fist!" He threw out his fist to grow out a large tree from the ground which took the shape of a massive fist before it was brought down on the trap with a smash.
Jager jumped to the ground as he smirked at his apparent victory. But that smirk turned into a look of horror as the tree fist and everything around it suddenly exploded in a flurry of rocks and magic power. When the dust was all settled, Jura stood where he was before and didn't have so much of a scratch on him.
"Is that all you got?" He asked with a grin.
"Unbelievable! Even after all that, Jura isn't the slightest fazed!" Chapati commentated.
Despite that, Jager refused to back down. "Fine! I'll take you down with my bare hands! Let's see how well you fight without magic!" He ran straight towards Jura and threw out his fist, which Jura caught easily.
"As you wish." Jura dealt a palm-strike to Jager's gut to knock all the wind out of him, the force of that one chop sent Jager flying and crashing through a whole building and halfway through the second before he was knocked out completely.
"Oh man! The carnage continues as Lamias hunt down the puppies one-by-one, adding two more points to their board!" Chapati commented.
"Lamia Scale is still in fifth place at this time, but they're quickly climbing the board." Yajima said.
"They're up to twenty-eight points, but it's still anyone's game as no leader has been defeated yet!" Mato added.
Ooba smirked triumphantly while Goldmine's jaw dropped at the performances of their respective guilds.
"They have a freaking Wizard Saint on their side! How is anyone supposed to compete with that?!" Alzack complained.
"Maybe if our guys ganged up on him…" Bisca said. "But it won't happen if they're still just standing there!"
"Seriously, what are you guys doing!? Move!" Romeo called out as Team Fairy Tail still hasn't moved from their spot.
"Maybe they all got tummy aches." Asuka said innocently. "Somebody should kiss it better."
"Ah the innocence of youth." Patty sighed.
"You're young too, ya know!" Romeo pointed out, causing Patty to blow raspberries at him. "And you just proved my point."
Nichiya meanwhile flew above the city's rooftops. "From here, I can scout the locations of our foes. Though with Hibiki eliminated, I cannot forward their location to my allies via telepathy. However, with my unmatched speed, I shall make up for that oversight!"
A cube-like gun suddenly appeared next to him and would have caught him off guard, but Nichiya's speed kicked into overdrive as he flew to just barely dodge the gunshot.
"Ha! Trying a sneak attack?! My warrior's instincts saw that coming a mile away!" Nichiya proclaimed, only for multiple rifles to appear in the air around him and shoot him from all directions. Nichiya had drawn his sword and moved with such speed and agility that he was able to dodge most of the gun fire, and anything he couldn't dodge, he used his sword to slice and block with incredible precision.
This brought the Exceed of Blue Pegasus closer to the ground, where Wally formed from a series of blocks and had his Polygon rifle aimed at him. "Milliana might kill me for shooting at a cat, but I got a game to win." However, a ring of cards appeared above Wally, and he only just noticed their electrical discharge in time and broke his body apart in blocks to avoid the resulting surge of lightning before reforming away from the attack.
"So do I." Sho appeared on the other side of the street, facing Wally and Nichiya. "Lamia Scale really needs points on the board, so I hope you don't mind me tagging in." He smirked towards his friend, with Wally returning the smirk.
"A three-way battle then." Nichiya readied his sword. "Very well, may the best man win!"
"Ace of Flames! Queen of Ice!" Sho threw a series of cards to generate an attack of fireballs and icicles at Wally and Nichiya, forcing them to dodge however they could. Wally disassembled himself and reassembled around a corner for cover and aimed his rifle at Sho to shoot, which Sho dodged by rolling out of the way, though he was quickly sliced across the back by a dashing Nichiya, only for the Exceed to fly and dodge the shots that Wally fired at him in return.
Meanwhile, a trail of destruction ripped across a whole street as Ichiya and Bacchus continued their brawl. With Bacchus' own speed and power, he was able to land many successful hits across Ichiya's muscular body, sending him reeling with each strike. However, Ichiya was just as determined to keep on fighting as every time he was hit, he retaliated with a powerful strike of his own, and while Bacchus was able to dodge some, he could not dodge them all.
When Bacchus tried to deliver a chop to Ichiya's side, the muscular man was able to grab Bacchus' hand before the strike made contact, where he then proceeded to haul him over his head and slam him both on the ground hard before throwing him towards a nearby building. However, Ichiya fell down to one knee in exhaustion, taking a moment to catch his breath as he was covered in multiple bruises, as was Bacchus as he pulled himself up.
"Hey… ya having fun… bro…?" Bacchus said in-between breaths.
"Indeed…" Ichiya said in-between breaths as well. "I commend you for such a valiant effort… but I'm afraid that I must claim victory for the sake of my guild…!" He stood up, ready to continue the fight.
"Whatever ya say…" Bacchus grinned. But just before either one could make a move to resume their battle…
*ZAP!*
A flash of white light shot in-between them, which was revealed to be none other than Sting as he slid past the pair, both his glowing hands hanging out.
"And it looks like Sting has joined the party!" Chapati commentated.
"Ah, the tiger cub wants to play! Well I can…" However, Bacchus' eyes widened in shoch as he tried to move forward but found he couldn't even move a muscle. "What… What in the hell…?"
The same was true for Ichiya, unable to move, and he soon figured out the reason why upon noticing a glowing white Stigmata on his right bicep, while Bacchus also had one on his abs. "We've been branded!"
Sting didn't even give them a chance to breathe as he was already on Bacchus with multiple glowing punches all across his body before finishing him off as he raised both his hands together to generate a large sphere of white light, which he smashed onto him with explosive results. He then jumped and grappled onto Ichiya's shoulders, starring him dead in the eyes as their faces were less than an inch from each other, right before he unleashed a breath attack straight into his face, the white laser beam engulfing his whole head.
Ichiya and Bacchus both fell over in defeat as Sting wordlessly walked away.
"I don't believe it! After such a humiliating loss on Day Four, Sting has defeated Bacchus and Ichiya at the same time!" Chapati exclaimed.
"He waited out their battle to the point where both were weakened before striking. Rather clever compared to his usual method of overwhelming his enemies through sheer force." Yajima said.
"As it turns out, Ichiya and Bacchus were both the leaders of Blue Pegasus and Quatro Puppy." Mato revealed. "This means that Sabertooth has earned ten whole points, which brings them right behind Mermaid Heel and Fairy Tail with forty-nine total!"
"We're not quite in the lead yet, but we'll be there soon enough." Minerva smirked from her position.
"Hey, that was dirty!" Elfman yelled after seeing Bacchus and Ichiya go down that way. "A real man would fight his opponent head on!"
"Wait, are you upset that Bacchus was taken down?" Evergreen questioned. "I thought you hated his guts."
"That was still an unmanly shot though." Elfman crossed his arms in disapproval. And though he wouldn't admit it, a part of him respected Bacchus for his brute strength, and seeing the opponent he fought with everything he had earlier in the tournament get taken down in a sneak attack left a bad taste in his mouth.
"You hear that? Sabertooth's making a comeback!" Yuka told his teammate as they ran through the streets.
"We gotta step up if we're gonna get out from last place!" Toby said.
"We're in second-to-last, idiot." Yuka replied with an annoyed sweatdrop, but the two quickly came to a stop as they saw none other than Kagura blocking their way.
"Uh oh! Toby and Yuka just ran straight into the mermaid who doesn't mess around." Chapati commentated.
"It's that sword lady!" Toby looked in fright.
"No matter, same as before! I'll just…" Before Yuka even had a chance to cast his Wave and neutralize her magic, Kagura had already zoomed past him with lightning-like speed, her sheathed Archenemy hanging out. Less than a second later, Yuka was flung all the way through the street with such force and speed that he flew like a bullet before smashing into a building so hard that he was knocked out in one hit.
"Yuka! You'll pay for that!" Toby lashed out with his claws at Kagura, which she effortlessly dodged. "I'm gonna take you down and steal your socks while I'm at it! I need a new chew toy!" When he slashed downward, Kagura had already leapt over and behind him to strike him in his back with the same kind of force she did to Yuka, to send Toby flying and crashing through a wall and into an empty tavern, knocking him unconscious as well.
"The lovely Kagura strikes again! That's two points for Mermaid Heel, bringing them to a total of fifty-two!" Chapati announced.
"This means that Mermaid Heel is now in first place! Yahowza!" Mato said with excitement.
Meanwhile, Nichiya continued to fly around the battlefield he shared with Wally and Sho, avoiding all their gunshots and card spells respectively, using his speed and swordsmanship to strike them both multiple times, though Wally's ability to break his body apart meant he avoided much of the damage, but not all. Sho, on the other hand, wasn't so fortunate as he was slashed at the side by the flying Nichiya, bringing him down to his knees.
"I commend you for surviving this long, but you cannot compete with my speed!" Nichiya proclaimed.
"You sure about that?" Sho smirked as while he was on his knees, a card had been placed on the ground directly below him before it suddenly split into a half dozen different cards that shot multiple crossing streams of lightning all around Nichiya, trapping him in a makeshift shield of lightning.
"Wha…!? I'm trapped! Curse you!" Nichiya then gasped as he felt a gunshot in the back, courtesy of Wally's own rifle. That one particular shot packed more power than usual and was enough to take Nichiya out of the contest.
"And it looks like Ichiya's cat-twin is down for the count!" Chapati announced.
"Since Wally was the one who took him down, that means Quatro Puppy gets the point." Yajima said.
"Does it really matter at this point though?" Mato asked in a teasing manner. "One point might not be that much of a difference."
"Ouch, that hurts." Wally winced.
"So does taking my point." Sho told his friend.
"Hey, you snooze you lose, pal." Wally shrugged with a grin. "So what do you say you and I settle this fair and square?"
Sho had drawn a set of cards. "Sounds fine with me. I'll…"
*SLASH!*
Rogue had suddenly emerged from the shadows of a nearby alleyway, having perform a quick draw with his katana to slash Sho and take him down, much to Wally's surprise.
"It's Rogue!" Chapati commentated. "Sabertooth's Shadow Dragon has emerged to take down Sho, scoring one point for Sabertooth!"
"Oh, we got a wise guy, huh?!" Wally's body broke apart and reformed into multiple polygon rifles and were already opening fire on Rogue, but he turned his body into his shadow form to let the projectiles pass right through him before melting away in the darkness of the alleyway he came from.
"I'm sorry." Rogue said as he vanished, much to Wally's frustration.
"Looks like both the Twin Dragons are following the same strategy." Chapati said.
"Letting their opponents wear each other down and coming in to finish them off with little effort does make sense strategy-wise." Yajima commented.
"And it seems to be working, because now Sabertooth has fifty points and are directly behind Fairy Tail, who has now fallen behind Mermaid Heel!" Mato stated.
As the scoreboard showed Mermaid Heel's current lead over the other guilds, Beth and Amarilla shared a high-five in celebration while Kurenai watched with a serious expression alongside her fellow Wizard Saints, though she was happy her guild was doing so well, the current stakes did continue to make her feel nervous. Vergil and Frosch both continued to observe with seriousness and concern respectively at their own guildmates' performances, while those in Fairy Tail were looking more and more nervous and frustrated over the lack of action from their own team.
"Well, it seems easy to figure out Sabertooth's strategy, Fairy Tail's continues to remain a mystery!" Chapati commentated. "I don't get it, what is going through their heads right now?!"
"Yeah, that's what we're wondering too!" Gildarts stated. "We just loss the lead!"
"Did they forget the enormity of our situation?!" Makarov questioned.
"They didn't forget." Mavis finally spoke up. "In fact, it's the very reason we must remain calm and focused."
"Huh? What are you talking about?" Gildarts asked.
"Over the course of this tournament, I have watched our opponents closely." Mavis explained to everyone present. "I saw their strengths, spells, and behavioral patterns, and I've committed them to memory. With all of these factors in mind, I ran through millions of calculations to find our strategy."
"How many…?!" Macao questioned.
"Millions…? Crazy…" Wakaba was at a loss for words.
Patty was rather stunned herself, looking towards Sparda, who only had a knowing smile on his face.
"And so far, all of my predictions concerning the enemies' strategies and casualties… laid out exactly as I thought." Mavis said with a confident smile on her face, much to the surprise of Makarov and Gildarts. "I then gave my battle plan to our team."
One-by-one, Team Fairy Tail opened all their eyes. Nero, Gajeel, Juvia, Gray, Laxus, and Erza, they all heard Mavis' plan in their minds via telepathy. Everything went down just as their first master had predicted. Now was the time to strike.
"Leading my comrades to a guaranteed victory… that's how a tactician wages war." Mavis stated as she stood up from her spot.
"Wage war…?" Morrison looked just about stunned as everyone else.
'That's my girl.' Sparda thought proudly.
Mavis pointed forward. "Let Operation Fairy Stars begin!"
'Though her operation names could still use some work.' Sparda thought.
"Rodger!" Erza and everyone all said as Team Fairy Tal finally went into action, all six members splitting up and running in separate directions.
"You all heard the runt. Time to kick some ass!" Nero said.
"'Runt!?' I heard that, Nero!" Mavis complained telepathically while the young half-demon just chuckled, picturing her child-like pout in reaction to his jab.
"Finally! Team Fairy Tail is on the move!" Chapati commentated as the audience began to cheer loudly for them.
Meanwhile, a pair of guards stood just outside one of the doorways that led into Mercurius and they could hear the cheers from Domus Flau even from their location.
"Man, this is the pits. I wasn't even supposed to be here today." One guard sulked, but he and his comraded noticed someone approaching. "Halt, who goes there?"
It turned out to be a group of thirteen royal soldiers, with one at the lead approaching the guards. "Thirteenth company returning from our regular patrol." The soldier saluted. "Requesting permission to enter."
"Permission granted." The two guards opened the gates for the soldiers to enter the palace.
Once they were all inside and saw the coast was clear, Sheeree dropped the spell, revealing the thirteen soldiers were actually the combined group of Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere, with Happy, Carla, and Lily standing on Wendy's shoulders to clear the height difference between most of them.
"We're in." Sheeree smirked.
"Wow, you not only copied our transformation magic, but even cast it on the whole group!" Lisanna said with an impressed smile.
"Yes, very impressive." Mira nodded.
"Your magic is amazing, Sheeree." Wendy praised.
"Of course, you think I've spent the last seven years twiddling my thumbs." Sheeree herself smiled at the praise.
"Now that we are inside, our next step is to locate Lucy and Yukino." Jellal said.
"Leave that to me." Cana pulled out one of her cards, one that had a cartoonish image of Lucy with the word 'help' on it. "When we found out Lucy was a potential target for this crazy conspiracy, I gave her one of my tracking cards so we could find her if she was in trouble."
"She gave that card to Yukino though just before she left." Happy recalled.
"Yep, and assuming their both in the same place, this should let us find them no sweat." Cana grinned.
"Lead the way." Dante told her as the group quickly went deeper into the palace.
'Hang on Lucy. We're coming.' Natsu thought with determination.
"You won't find a better chance than this, Princess." One of the soldiers told the green-haired young woman who had been watching the Games.
"Yes, I agree." Princess Hisui E. Fiore replied. "Make ready soldier and begin the Eclipse 2 Project."
"Everyone split up and proceed to your designated coordinates!" Mavis ordered the team while Gildarts, Makarov, Levy, Jet, and Droy looked with stupefied expressions of white dots for eyes.
"Uh… say wha…?" Gildarts stuttered.
"I was hoping you could tell us that." Jet said.
"I'm lost…" Droy also said. "What about you, Levy?"
"I got no idea." She replied.
"Fairy Tail has hit the streets of Crocus!" Chapati announced.
"What crazy play are these kids trying to pull?" Yajima wondered.
"I don't know… but being neck-and-neck Sabertooth and Mermaid Heel has put them in a bit of a bind. They'll need to step it up." Mato said.
As Nero, Gajeel, Erza, Gray, Laxus, and Juvia all ran in separate directions, they heard Mavis communicate with them directly in their minds via telepathy.
"Phase one, there is a ninety-seven percent chance that Rufus will try to eliminate all of you in one strike at this time." The first master of Fairy Tail warned them.
It was true, for Rufus stood on top of a building in the middle of Crocus with a confident grin. "I see you." He said with a slight chuckle. "You aren't the first to underestimate my talent for detection and you won't be the last. I'll spare us the headache and take you all out now."
His body began to glow a bright gold as he prepared to unleash his attack. "Memory Make: Night of Shooting Stars!" Six beams of golden light shot out from him and spread throughout the city, homing in on their specific targets.
"I know that spell…" Chapati recalled.
"It's the same one he used to decimate his opponents the first day." Yajima remembered as well.
"Oh, look at them sparkle!" Mato looked in awe.
"They may seem like a form of light magic, but they are really strikes of lightning." Mavis explained to the team. "There is a two second window when they shine overhead, evade or deflect how you wish."
Gray spotted the light that shined overhead from the attack that it was directed at him. Right as the bolt was shot down at him, Gray slid on the ground and successfully dodged the strike.
"Like we'd fall for the same trick twice!" He stated.
Juvia and Erza were both able to dodge the attacks sent to each of them by leaping out of the way, Nero performed a quickdraw with Blue Rose and shot upward to intercept the attack before it even touched him. Gajeel stood firm with metal spikes on his feet to pierce the ground while he extended his right arm as an iron-pillar to draw in the lightning and let it run through his body and into the ground to be discharged harmlessly.
"Heh, you call that lightning? I've had worse." Gajeel grinned.
The last attack that homed in on Laxus was little issue for him as he simply opened his mouth and let the attack hit, consuming all the lightning while he wasn't harmed in the slightest.
"Hey, that actually tasted pretty good." Laxus commented.
"What…? Impossible!" Rufus exclaimed upon seeing everyone in Fairy Tail still standing, not the least bit fazed by his attack, just as Mavis calculated.
"Rufus will become agitated from this failed attack and briefly lose his focus. In this state of confusion, there is a sixty-eight percent chance that he'll fall back to the spot I suspect he'll go and try to reinforce his spells, before attempting to close in on one of our members." She told the team. "And a thirty-two percent chance he'll remain at his current position, obviously the latter outcome will pose little threat to us."
"What's gotten into her?" Bickslow wondered.
"I got no clue." Elfman confessed.
"What is Operation Fairy Stars?" Freed asked. "Has the first master actually calculated and predicated the outcome of this entire match?"
"If she did, I'll be very surprised." Evergreen replied.
Mavis kept her serious face as she predicted the next move. "As she heads northwest, Erza will encounter an opposing wizard with magic similar to hers as she rounds the corner."
Jenny gasped as Erza suddenly appeared to face her, having rounded the corner from a nearby street. "E-Erza…?!"
"Looks like the first master was spot on." Erza commented with a smile.
"She'll panic at first, but try to stand her ground as she opts to overwhelm her opponent through raw power." Mavis predicated as Jenny's body began to glow.
"Take Over: Machina Soul: Flamethrower!" Jenny was encompassed in silver armor that encased her whole body with red flames painted on the arms and legs and helmet that had a gas mask. Her arms were equipped with flame throwers which she unleashed upon Erza.
However, the mighty Titania had quickly closed the distance, using her Flame Empress Armor to protect her from the fire, while also wielding the heavy sword from her Purgatory Armor. "You'd do well not to panic in battle, it'll only serve to aid your enemy." Erza lectured as she swung her massive blade with enough force to send Jenny flying through a whole building.
"Once she realizes she may be outmatched, she'll attempt to retreat and reevaluate her situation." Mavis predicted.
In another flash of light, Jenny had transformed into her Flash Piston form and used that to try and sprint down the street at high speeds and get as far away as possible. "How could I forget she could mix match her weapons and armor? I need to rethink my plan. Strategic withdraw."
"A good idea." Erza suddenly appeared next to her, moving at the same kind of speed with her Flight Armor, further enhanced by a boost of lightning from the spear of her Lightning Empress Armor, much to Jenny's surprise. "But I don't plan on letting you get away."
Jenny tried to deliver a kick, providing an extra boost to herself using the mufflers in her legs, but Erza had zapped over it in a flash of lightning and requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor to launch a volley of swords to completely trap her opponent in a circle.
"If she's backed into a corner, she'll focus all her efforts on her defense." Mavis continued.
"Machina Soul: Heavy Tank!" Jenny was now covered head-to-toe in heavy armor with a camouflage color scheme. She bunkered down and crossed her arms, the mechanisms in her gauntlets combining to create a tank barrel as she prepared to fire. "This is my heaviest armor. I lose all my speed, but the defense and firepower more than make up for it, and you can't dodge in mid-air! FIRE!" She fired a shell from her barrel, which seemed to strike its target.
However, when the smoke cleared, Jenny gasped as she saw Erza had quipped into her Giant Armor, with her right-hand wielding half of the shield from her Adamantium Armor, and the De-Malevo-Lance in her left hand. The half-shield had been used to tank the brunt of the damage, with Erza herself appearing not the least bit scratched.
"Not bad. Perhaps with some training, you would make a decent sparring partner." Erza complemented before throwing the De-Malevo-Lance, which ignited with a rocket-like blast and shot right at Jenny with insane speeds, dealing a devastating blow that tore up the whole street and all but obliterated the tank armor.
Erza landed on the ground to see Jenny was lying flat in the crater, her eyes white circles to indicate her defeat as she was barely conscious. "Owie…"
"Next, Juvia will come face-to-face with an opponent she will have total advantage over." Mavis continued as the Rain Woman ended up crossing paths with Risley.
"I remember you from the Naval Battle, you're something of a mermaid yourself, ain't ya?" Risley complemented. "How's about once this tournament is over, you and me grab a drink with some of my friends?"
Juvia smiled. "After all the animosity my guild and I have faced in these Games, it's nice to face someone who shows some good sportsmanship. But don't think that'll mean I won't give it my all." Juvia got serious as water twirled around her.
"That's what I like to hear! Show me what you got, girl!" Risley charged her, using her Gravity Magic to boost her forward but when she threw a punch, she went right through Juiva's body which had turned into water. Not only that, Risley was quickly trapped in a sphere of water as Juvia reformed herself just outside.
"Water Lock."
'Water Magic? She's good but she's got nothing on Mama Kurenai. I'll just bust my way outta…!' Suddenly, the water sphere had changed to take the shape of a water twister which spun around rapidly, taking Risley around for a spin.
"Water Cyclone. Your ability allows you to absorb the physical damage an opponent deals you and you use that to augment your own strength." Juvia said. "It's rather impressive, but it is completely useless against me."
As Risley continued to spin in the cyclone, she was unable to focus and use her magic, but more importantly, she was having difficulty breathing, and all the activity was causing her to become more and more excited, her heart pumping fast, which only caused her to rapidly loose her breath much quicker. It wasn't long before her vision became fuzzy and her mouth opened as the last of her breath was used up.
With a wave of her hand, Juvia had ceased the Water Cyclone, allowing the soaking wet Risley to lay flat on the ground in defeat.
"A mermaid defeated by water. Irony at its finest." Juvia prepared to leave but stopped for a moment. "But… about that invitation to share a drink with you and your friends…" She turned with a friendly smile. "I think that sounds like a nice time, so I accept."
"Gajeel will encounter two opponents in the south." Mavis predicated as the Iron Dragon Slayer faced off against Eve and Ren.
"So, we doing this solo or two-on-one? Either way suits me fine." Gajeel rolled his shoulder as he faced the remaining two Tri-men.
"Let's take em together, Ren!" Eve said to his partner, who went on the attack immediately.
"Aerial!" Ren had Gajeel trapped in an air-dome, the space inside quickly losing oxygen. "You're turn, Eve!"
"White Out!" Focusing his magic directly inside Ren's air sphere, a condensed snowstorm formed in the tiny space which seemed to strike down their opponent. "We got em!"
"Alright!" Ren pumped his fist.
"They will first try to trap Gajeel, unaware that he's developed a new ability these past three months in training, one that will catch them off guard." Mavis said.
The ground underneath the pair of wizards began to shake slightly, much to their confusion. "Huh, what's that?" Eve questioned, right before a large metal drill blasted upward, knocking Ren and Eve back in separate directions. This was none other than Gajeel, who had his right arm converted into an iron drill, having dug his way out of the enemy's trap the second it was let loose on him.
"You were saying?" Gajeel grinned before landing right on top of Ren and quickly pounded him into the ground.
"Oh no, Ren!" Eve exclaimed in shock, but Gajeel quickly turned to him and unleashed his breath attack, which Eve was unable to defend against as the cyclone of iron struck him and blasted him into a building. With that, the last two members of the Tri-men, and the Blue Pegasus team as a whole, were down for the count.
Nero ran down one street and happened to come at a crossroads with two alleyways on both sides, seemingly unaware of something that laid in the shadows of each of them.
"An ambush has been set up for Nero in the north, but he'll have already sensed it coming." Mavis predicated.
A pair of identical looking rifles tried to shoot at Nero, but he had drawn Red Queen in one hand to block the gunshot on the left while firing Blue Rose to intercept the gunshot from the right before shooting again to take down that gun while ducking under left's gunshot again and quickly fired to take down that gun.
"When the ambush fails, his opponent will reveal himself and challenge Nero." Mavis said.
Both polygon rifles broke apart in the form of tiny blocks and reassembled in the middle, taking the form of Wally's whole body as he had the stance of a cowboy mixed with a gangster.
"Quite the quickdraw ain't ya?" Wally tipped his hat challengingly.
"You train to fight demons, you get an instinct for stuff like this" Nero replied.
"Well, I was hoping to cross guns with Redgrave to see who's the better gunslinger, but you'll do." Wally challenged.
Nero scoffed. "If you think I'm gonna go down easy cause I'm not Dante, you'll be disappointed."
The two stared each other down as a tumbleweed was blown past them in a slight breeze, right before they pulled their respective guns and fired. Nero ran around Wally's shots as he fired Blue Rose, with Wally breaking his body apart to avoid the bullets.
"He'll try to surround Nero from all sides to gun him down, but Nero will be ready." Mavis predicted was Wally's entire body had broken apart and reformed in the form of multiple guns that surrounded Nero from nearly every angle.
"360 Omni Shot!"
As the bullets all closed in around Nero, time seemed to slow down for him as he took a deep breath, his Devil Bringer arm glowing brightly as he instantly drew his Red Queen sword and ducked towards the ground, driving the blade in and spun it around in a circle, revving up the handle like a motorcycle and kicking up lots of debris to shield himself from all the gun shots.
Simultaneously, Nero looked straight up to see Wally's floating face and quickly threw up his Devil Bringer arm, creating a large spectral hand to reach up and grab Wally's floating head before pulling downward to slam into the ground rather hard, causing all of Wally's guns to break apart as his whole body reformed.
Wally grunted as he laid on the ground, trying to pull himself up, only to look up and see Nero staring down at him, his coat blowing slightly in the wind. The blockhead couldn't help but chuckle.
"Nero, is it? At least make it look dandy." He said, resigned in defeat.
The young half demon smiled. "Sure thing." He had aimed Blue Rose at him. "Bang." He fired his gun to knock out his opponent. Nero blew the smoke from Blue Rose's barrel before spinning the gun in his hand as he put it away.
"Incredible!" Chapati commentated as the scoreboard for the competition was shown, with Fairy Tail reclaiming first place once again. "In the blink of an eye, Fairy Tail has earned five points, bringing their score up to fifty-six! They're back at the top spot with Mermaid Heel right behind them again, and Sabertooth still in third!"
"It also looks like all of Blue Pegasus' members are out of the competition, leaving them with a final score of thirty." Yajima added.
"They're tearing it up out there!" Mato said as the audience cheered loudly, with everyone in the Fairy Tail box looking very excited.
"I don't know how she did it, but her strategy is actually working!" Jet stated.
Droy laughed. "Never doubted her."
"Still outta give those guys a piece of my mind for making me worry like that." Morrison commented in a humorous tone.
"Juvia will provide cover and support from the rear." Mavis continued to relay her instructions to the team via her telepathy. "Laxus should continue to F-8. Nero will keep heading north. Erza will go to S-5, there should be plenty of targets to choose from there."
"How is she doing this…?" Gildarts asked in a state of surprise. "She sounds like one of those professional chess players."
"It seems the rumors are true." Makarov said in a tone of awe and amazement. "Her deep understanding of psychology and strategy in battle earned her countless victories. That's why she was known as 'The Fairy Tactician'!"
"We're saved…" Macao was comically crying.
"Not bad for a famous healing wizard." Wakaba commented.
"She looks like a kid, so it's kinda easy to forget that she founded Fairy Tail." Romeo said to Patty.
"Not to mention she's been dead for a while." Patty replied. "But it's hard to believe she's this smart."
Sparda chuckled. "Who do you think taught her all her tactical skills? Don't forget, before I defected, I was a high ranking general in the underworld, having led many great battles. I was also one of the leaders in the war against Mundus and the Dragon Civil War, not to mention being a leader of the Order of the Sword. Over two millennia of that kind of experience can teach you a lot. And I passed everything I know about tactics and strategy onto my fast-learning Mavis." He smiled proudly to the spirit of his adoptive daughter.
"Being raised by the Dark Knight is so freaking manly!" Elfman pumped his fist.
At the same time, Sherria ran down one street with an excited smile on her face. "Wendy's guild is doing great! Now it's time for me to shine…!" Suddenly, a strand of webbing was shot to ensnare her ankles together, tripping her up. "What the…?" She was hauled up in the air as more webbing was shot to completely ensnare and cocoon her from head to toe as she was hung upside down, struggling in her bindings with muffled groans as her mouth and nose were covered.
"Gotcha." Arana appeared in front of the struggling young God Slayer. She had separated from Sapphire when the Azure Dragon Slayer wanted to seek out a specific target now that Fairy Tail was on the move. "Sorry to put you in a bind chica, but that God Slayer power you got makes you dangerous. Don't worry, you won't suffocate. I just need to cut off your air supply so you don't replenish yourself."
However, a black wind began to slowly pour out from some of the tiny spaces in-between the web, much to Arana's concern. "What in…?"
Suddenly, the cocoon exploded in a black whirlwind as Sherria was freed before falling to the ground, breathing heavily to try and catch her breath. "Wow… that was close."
"H-how did… You shouldn't even have been able to breathe!" Arana questioned.
"Yeah, it was kinda hard. But I just used all the air I had in my lungs already." Sherria explained as she stood up. "And now time to refuel!" She began to inhale all the air around her as black wind vapors formed at her mouth, replenishing her magic.
"Time to go." Arana attempted to make a run for it, knowing she couldn't take on someone as powerful as Sherria in a straight up fight.
"Oh no you don't!" Sherria grinned as she prepared to unleash a breath attack. "Sky God…!"
*SLASH!*
A black mass shot up from the ground, drawing the katana coated in shadows to slash Arana at the back of her neck with enough force to knock her out as Rogue suddenly appeared, much to Sherria's shock.
"Uh oh! Looks like Rogue just made another sneak attack!" Chapati commentated. "That's another point for Sabertooth!"
"Hey, that was a cheap shot! Sky God Bellow!" Sherria let loose her breath attack to take down Rogue, but he melted into the shadows once again to vanish, much to Sherria's frustration. "No fair!" She pouted as she stomped her foot down.
"We currently have three teams duking it out for first place, while Lamia Scale is trying to play catch up and Quatro Puppy is down to one. Any thoughts on who's gonna take the gold?" Chapati asked his fellow commentators.
"Hmm, between all the power houses in each respective guild and depending on their overall strategies, it could go either way." Yajima said.
"The numbers are getting smaller by the second! You all better watch your backs, pumpkin!" Mato said.
"From this point forward, the battles are only going to get more intense." Mavis said.
"Hey, somewhat unrelated question… what do you think about Vergil not being a part of this?" Gildarts asked the spirit of the first master. "Think it might be a bit suspicious?"
"Undoubtedly." Mavis replied. "But there isn't anything we can do about it now. Erza's team's primary duty is to win this event, while Natsu and Dante's group rescue Lucy and Yukino and destroy the Eclipse Gate."
Sparda couldn't help but glance at the spot where his eldest son continued to stand, staring at the lacrimatrons and the ensuing battles with an expression that even the Dark Knight was unable to read.
Meanwhile, Lucy and Yukino were currently sleeping in their cell. Though there was only a single bed, which Lucy occupied while Yukino slept in the corner by wrapping her arms around her legs.
"Pssst. Lucy. Wake up."
The whisper of a familiar voice stirred Lucy from her slumber. She looked with tired eyes to see the blurry image of her cousin before her eyes fully opened and she saw not only Dante, but several of her friends and guildmates, as well as Jellal, Sorano, and Sheeree.
"Dante… everyone… you're here…!" She smiled, but Dante quickly reached through the bars to put a hand over her mouth as he motioned for her to keep quiet.
"Keep it down. We're trying to be subtle." He told her, to which he nodded. This also seem to stir Yuknio awake, who was surprised to see not only her friends but also her older sister.
"Sorano…"
"Don't worry, we're getting you out of here." Sorano told her sister as Natsu reached for the lock on the cell door and used his magic to melt it, allowing him to open the cell.
"Wow, you can actually open something without making a ruckus. Guess there's a first time for everything." Lady cracked to Natsu, which he ignored.
Lucy smiled as she stepped outside and was warmly greeted by all her friends with hugs from Lisanna, Kyrie, Cana, and Wendy along with shoulder pats from Modeus and Lady.
"Glad to see you're alright." Trish ruffled her hair.
"Here, I think you'll want these back." Dante handed Lucy the Morning Star and Fleuve d'etoiles, as well as his half of the Perfect Amulet. Though Lucy was expecting her whips, she was somewhat surprised to see Dante give her back the amulet. She looked to him with an unsure expression, to which all he gave was a nod and an assuring smile, earning one from her as she put the amulet back around her neck.
"Thanks guys."
As Yukino stepped out, Sorano wasted no time in hugging her. "I'm glad you're okay."
To say she was surprised was an understatement, not with the embrace, which she did return, but the fact that her sister was even here at all. "How did you even get inside?"
"A little transformation magic can work wonders." Sheeree answered with a grin.
"Here, we brought you all a change of clothes." Mira offered Lucy her usual set of clothes while Lisanna gave Yukino some of her own.
"Here are some of mine, I'm not sure if we're the same size, but it's better than nothing." Lisanna offered with a smile.
"Thank you." Yukino accepted.
"Yeah thanks, now all we need is a shower." Lucy said.
"Yuck, yeah you do!" Happy cringed.
Dante, Natsu, Modeus, Jellal, Happy, and Panther-Lily all turned their backs from the cell to allow Lucy and Yukino to change while the rest of their party stood around to act as guards.
"No peeking, understand!" Kyrie warned the guys.
"We won't." Natsu groaned.
"That means you, Dante?" Lady warned him specifically.
"I'm no mood to die." He replied.
While Lucy was changed into her usual clothes since she started training as a Devil Hunter, the outfit that Lisanna had lent Yukino consisted of her blue long-sleeved sweatshirt, green shorts, white socks and tennis shoes.
"Alright, so what's the plan?" Lucy asked as they finished changing.
"The first step was rescuing was you two." Jellal began. "The second is reacquiring your keys. Once we have them, we'll head for the Eclipse Gate and destroy it."
Yukino gasped at that. "Destroy the Gate…?"
"Hold on, doesn't that thing steal magic from any wizards that are nearby?" Lucy recalled.
"Not Celestial magic." Modeus shook his head. "Lady Kurenai says that since the Eclipse Gate operates with the Zodiac Keys, Celestial Wizards are capable using their magic within the Gate's proximity."
"Therefore, it should be possible for you to summon your spirits and they can destroy the Gate." Carla finished.
"Yeah… yeah, you might be right!" Lucy said with realization while Yukino looked with mixed feelings.
"Of course, the real challenge will be finding your keys." Panther-Lily said. "We'll need to be as discrete as possible without raising an alarm."
Wendy's eyes widened as her enhanced senses felt a change in the air. "Guys… something's wrong!"
Right as she said that, the floor along the entire dungeon began to glow a bright blue, much to the surprise of those in Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere. Before any of them could react, a large and bright blue magic circle formed under all of them as they were all engulfed in a flash of light, resulting in many of them yelling and screaming in shock before they all vanished.
A flash of light reappeared in a new location as all eighteen individuals found themselves somewhere else entirely. It was a massive and dark cave which had something of a green color on the cavern walls. But what stuck out the most was a gateway that led deeper inside the cave with two kneeling statues holding it up on the sides. It took a minute or two for everyone to regain their senses.
"Is everyone alright?" Jellal asked around.
"I'm seeing spots…" Lucy rubbed her eyes.
"Yukino, are you alright?" Sorano helped her sister to her feet.
"I'm fine." She replied.
"What in the hell just happened!? Where are we?!" Cana questioned as everyone looked around.
"Are we still inside the palace?" Kyrie wondered.
"It doesn't seem like it." Modeus noted.
"Why do I have a feeling we've been set up?" Lady assumed.
"Welcome to your permanent holding cell." A voice echoed throughout the cave, getting their attention.
"Who's there?!" Lisanna questioned.
"I hope you enjoyed our special trap."
"No!" Happy exclaimed back.
"Who'd enjoy that?!"Carla added.
"Looks like we were set up." Trish stated.
"So much for being subtle." Sheeree muttered.
"Take a good look around, this is the Palace of Perdition, the City of Death. It's the last taste of freedom for criminals. To this day, not a single inmate has escaped from it. I seriously doubt you'll fare any better, you thieves."
A magical projection appeared to show the very same green haired young woman who had been watching the Grand Magic Games and was apparently responsible for the group's current predicament.
"Who the hell are you?!" Natsu questioned.
"You are speaking to Hisui E. Fiore, princess of the Fiore Kingdom!"
"Then you're the one who trapped us in here?" Mira questioned.
"She's probably trying to stop us from smashing the Eclipse Gate." Dante assumed as he stared right at her. "That Arcadios-guy's probably just a pawn, and I'm guessing you're the real one behind that, huh?" Dante saw her eyes narrow which all but confirmed. "Yep, thought so."
"We suspected there was another party involved." Lily said. "And the mastermind has chosen to show herself."
"Okay lady, here's the deal." Dante spoke directly to Hisui. "You got two options. One, you let us out of here right now, step aside so we can smash that Gate and save the world before you screw something up, and we'll go our separate ways. No harm no foul. Or, we break our way out of this dump, and we have gotten out of worse places, still smash the Gate, and pound your face in while we're at it, I do not care that you're royalty. I'm only giving you the option cause you're hot." That caused all the girls in his party to sweatdrop in annoyance. "But if I have to kick your ass, I will. So, what will it be?"
Hisui glared at him. "You dare to threaten me?! You believe me a threat to the world?! I am trying to save it! The Eclipse Gate is necessary for our kingdom's safety and I won't let you jeopardize it! You cannot…!"
*BANG!*
Hisui's rant was interrupted as Dante had drawn Ivory and shot the projection, causing it to shatter.
"You could have just said 'no', we didn't need the whole tirade." Dante said in annoyance as he put his pistol away. He and everyone else stared at the gateway that led deeper inside the cave. "City of Death, huh? Okay, bring it on."
Hisui backed away with a gasp as the mirror she had used as the other end of her projection into the cave shattered with that gunshot.
"Princess, are you alright?" One of the guards came to her side.
"Y-yes, I'm fine." Hisui replied.
"Don't listen to those criminals, they'll never escape." Another guard said.
"But isn't one of them a Son of Sparda? The same one who took down freaking Vergil?!" A third guard asked, looking kinda nervous. "Maybe pissing him off wasn't such a good idea."
"Hey, nobody's gotten out of the Palace of Perdition yet, so maybe he won't either." A fourth guard replied.
"I hope you're right, otherwise we're all gonna get our asses stomped." The third guard said.
As the soldiers talked, Hisui looked down with an expression that seemed to show a sense of guilt and remorse for some reason.
"It's been one breath-taking bout after another, but I've got a feeling the best is yet to come!" Chapati commentated as Gray walked inside a large library, having found his target sitting at the very center of it as he appeared to be reading a book.
'Looks like the first master was right about where I'd find him.' Gray thought before speaking up. "We meet again, pretty boy."
Rufus lowered the book as he addressed the wizard before him. "How interesting… you had practically vanished from my memory." He smirked almost tauntingly toward him. "Perhaps you'd care to remind me who you are."
"Oh, don't worry, you're gonna have a hard time forgetting who I am after this. Cause I'm the guy who's gonna pulverize you!" Gray declared.
At the same time, Rocker hid around the corner as he peeked out to keep an eye for any opponents. "I'm the last guy on my team. Hate to say it, but it doesn't look like we're gonna win. That's totally not wild. But I'm at least gonna score as many points as I can."
Rocker noticed something coming from behind, which appeared to be a multitude of ropes that were all shot at him, but Rocker had drove his rapidly spinning foot into the ground below him to kick up some debris and block the attack as he leapt out from the corner and onto the open street.
"Meow, that was pretty good." Milliana said as she appeared to face him. "Not a lot of people can escape my ambushes. Sorry, but you're not winning this."
Rocker grinned. "You know the old saying about dogs and cats, right? Well this dog's gonna tear you a new one."
"I actually like dogs, not as much as cats, but they can be pretty cute too." Milliana replied. "But you're still going down!"
Suddenly, multiple projectiles rained down on them from the sky. These projectiles were large shurikens made out of glowing magic. Rocker and Milliana did their best to dodge them as the shurikens struck the streets and then exploded, creating a brief smokescreen in between them.
"Very impressive." The smoke cleared to reveal Dobengal as he stood in-between the two. "You've managed to evade my attack. However, it will not happen again. I will face and defeat both of you myself!"
Done.
So quite a bit has happened already as the final battle of the Games has begun and already many fighters have been eliminated, including the whole Blue Pegasus team and most of Quatro Puppy (with Rocker as the last one standing). I did my best to make it look like everyone had their chance to show what they could do, but with so many people present it was hard to give every single person the spotlight, but I feel I did a good enough job. So let's take a look at the current team standings…
*First Place – Fairy Tail – 56 points
*Second Place – Mermaid Heel – 52 points
*Third Place – Sabertooth – 51 points
*Fourth Place – Blue Pegasus – 30 points
*Fifth Place – Lamia Scale 27 points
*Sixth Place – Quatro Puppy – 14 points
But now with some of the smaller matches out of the way, we're finally getting to the more interesting fights. First up is Gray and Rufus and I've got some special plans for that fight, and at the same time, we have Milliana, Rocker, and Dobengal about to go at it in a three-way fight and that's going to be pretty interesting.
On the other side of things, while Dante and Jellal's group was able to rescue Lucy and Yukino, they were still caught and trapped in the City of Death by Hisui, but Dante's not having it. As for what kind of dangers they'll face down there, I also have special plans and a way to make it so that a group of eighteen powerful and talented wizards and Devil Hunters will have an uphill battle in trying to escape and I'm sure you'll be pleased with what's in store.
Until then, stay safe and stay healthy out there. Love you guys.