Here is the fortieth chapter in this story released in accordance with my upload schedule for this story. Due to the business that is coming for me this will be the last chapter for about a month as I do not expect to get another one out before then end of January at the earliest and more likely it will be around early February. Anyway, the Grand Magic Games may be over and Fiore's new number 1 Guild, the Black Bulls, are already showing that as they work to heal up everyone both physically and magically, however while the Battle Royale was going on there was something else going on under the Royale Palace and a plan 7 years in the making was nearing fruition. Now all that is about to come to a head and it is to that that we turn and see the conclusion of the rescue mission and what that means for Fiore. That is all that I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and while there are no questions that need answers, or can be answered at this time, there is are 3 guest reviews that needs a response and an announcement to make, so I will do that now. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate.
To KingKam (guest), no he won't nor will he properly meet Liebe in this story. All that will happen in accordance with canon early on in the sequel when they return with some of the fairies to the Clover Kingdom with the added styles of Erza, Kagura, and any other sword styles that Asta picks up from Earth Land for when he and Liebe duel. This story is a replacement for the Heart Kingdom time skip so things that happen after the time skip and which require someone who is not present (Nacht) unfortunately can't happen. I hope that clears things up and do keep reading and enjoying my work.
To KGBeastboy, thank you for your review and suggestion but unfortunately this won't work. The issue is that for Asta to get his Devil Arm he has to sacrifice he actual arm to Liebe for it, an exchange to get the massive boost in power and raw Anti-Magic that it provides and why he's able while in his Black Asta form to turn Yami's katana into the Demon-Slashing Katana so simply losing his arm can't make it happen due to the trade aspect. That said, there is stuff in your suggestion that I do like and can work with. I have been trying to work in how the Black Bulls can help with the Tartarus Arc and the main way is via an attack/abduction of Asta to figure out his demon as they think Asta's got something to do with Zeref like them and are unaware that his power comes from an other world Devil and not a Zeref made demon. Should Asta be captured it's only natural that he be handed over to Lamy to find things out and that's where the fun really begins because Lamy is shown to have a deep interest in men and Asta is a physical specimen of a man she'll no doubt take an interest in it. Add in that Lamy is one of the few Fairy Tail characters who shares an English VA with a Black Bull and of all the Black Bulls she shares it with Noelle (who to add to it all is also married to Asta's English VA) and it makes things really fun to work with so suggesting that Lamy experiment on Asta does work. As for capturing Asta, well it may be easier than people think but y'all will have to wait for it there. Unfortunately this doesn't work with the Devil Arm but there are some places where Asta may face an enemy who he might have to make that sacrifice so it's not out of the realm of possibility but as of right now and based on Fairy Tail canon and how things are there is only one enemy and one moment where it can happen and it has to fit otherwise it will have to wait for the fight with Dante which is already going to be even more epic when I get to it and I won't lie if Asta has his Devil Arm before then then things can get interesting. Do keep reading and enjoying my work and keep the suggestions coming you never know what might be useful.
To Guest (guest), while you are right in that the only enemy that I was alluding to above being able to force that bargain for Asta is Acnologia, if it happens it won't occur in the Tartarus Arc. If it does, and this is a big if as I'm only going to do something like this if it fits the flow of the story and while there may be a place for this to work it could limit what Asta is up to, it will happen in the Alvarez War Arc. Even then, it will only result in at best a draw between them, Asta will not beat Acnologia but as I said there is a spot that this might work in but it has to work and could impact what Asta does in the rest of the arc and I won't know anything until I get around to planning that arc and that's a long ways off yet. As for the pseudo union, no that won't happen. I consider that a non-canon aspect of the film and it won't appear in this story. I'm sorry but that's not something I'm comfortable with doing. At best I would consider it if I did a separate side story adapting Dragon Cry into a stand-alone story as that's an anime film so it would work there. As for Mira's reaction, well this would only be applicable if Asta gets it in this story as Mira will not be in the sequel when Asta is guaranteed to get it as I've already decided which members of Fairy Tail will be in that. She may see it later in the sequel if other things align but that's all I'll say on that front. Depending on the friendship level between Asta and the Strauss siblings they may be concerned but I'm not sure how close they will be other than Asta and Elfman potentially being workout buddies and Lisanna will have a close friendship with a Black Bull but not Asta, more on that in time. Regardless, it is clear that Asta doesn't regret his decision and has no issues with his Devil Arm though he does cover it after the 15 month time skip so he'd be fine with it. I hope this clears things up regarding your suggestion and do keep reading and enjoying my work.
That is it for this long pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the fortieth chapter in Black Bull Banishment.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.
Chapter 40: Opening the Gate
"That's it, I understand, it all makes sense now. Well most of it does, there is still one outstanding issue that I don't understand."
The voice came from a blue haired man with an intricate red tattoo over his right eye and down the right side of his face and wearing a hooded blue robe with the down. He was addressing two women dressed in the same style and color of robe who flanked him but were a few paces behind him, one with straight black hair the other with waving pink hair, as the pieces all fell into place for him.
The man was Jellal Fernandez, a wanted man who'd been imprisoned and was awaiting execution 7 years prior in the wake of the destruction of the Oracion Seis, one of the three Dark Guilds that made up the Baram Alliance, by a team made up of members of Fairy Tail, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and the now defunct Caith Shelter Guilds for the many crimes that he'd committed in relation to the Tower of Heavan incident. All of this despite the fact that he'd lost his memories following that incident until he regained them one year afterwards.
Subsequently, and before he could be executed, he was freed by the two women, Ultear and Meredy, who were two of the former members of Grimoire Heart another member of the Baram Alliance that had been defeated by Fairy Tail. It was actually that battle and Grimoire Heart's subsequent defeat that precipitated the vanishing of most of Fairy Tail for 7 years.
Their reasons for this were complex, and Ultear herself had more than Meredy, but in short the trio had formed an independent Guild called Crime Sorcière designed to drive away the evil of the world. It was their form of atonement for the many crimes that they'd committed and right now their focus was on the events around the Grand Magic Games.
It was something that they'd noticed years ago and had been investigating ever since. With the return of Fairy Tail's strongest they had a feeling that this was the year were things were going to come to a head, and had even confided in a few of the Fairy Tail members that they trusted about their suspicions back when they unlocked the second origins of several members.
To further their investigation Jellal had even briefly posing as his Edolas counterpart Mystogan to more closely investigate it while pretending to be a member of Fairy Tail Team B until things got too hot with the Custody Enforcement Unit sniffing around, which included a close call that almost got Jellal caught, so he had to be replaced. Since then he and the women had been focused on the situation and after a run in with someone who shouldn't be there it all clicked for Jellal hence why he'd just vocalized it.
For the most part things were in place for Jellal but he wasn't lying about the outstanding thing that he didn't understand. There was one addition to everything going on that didn't make sense, even the contact he made the other day didn't understand it because by all rights they shouldn't be there. Now, though, things had really shifted after the announcement that had just been made and what had happened in the Battle Royale to conclude the Grand Magic Games as the moment of reckoning was almost upon them.
"What do you mean?" Ultear, the black haired woman, asked. "What makes sense and what's the issue?"
"When it comes to the gathering magic power, that I understand because all this time the truth has been there right under our noses but until I met her I didn't realize it." Jellal said. "That much we know for certain is clear."
"What's clear, Jellal?" Meredy asked.
"The Lucy I met who came to Crocus from the future said that she arrived on July 4th." Jellal said recalling his meeting with the time traveler. "However, it was actually just before midnight on the third that she arrived."
"If she arrived a few days ago then she can't be the source of the power that we've been sensing for years." Ultear said as realization started to dawn on her. "We can rule her out like we did that new Guild."
"Agreed, the taint of Zeref that has been sensed her for the past 7 years comes solely from the Eclipse." Jellal said with a nod. "Of that I have no doubt."
"This power is different though, it's a person." Meredy pointed out. "How can that be?"
"That is because the Eclipse is a product of the Book of Zeref so using it comes with a price, everything from that book does." Jellal said. "If you use it then you bear a trace of his power hence the feeling that led me to this future Lucy. It's why we could rule out that new Guild, they have no trace of Zeref's power so their sudden arrival could be cleared, at least on this front."
"Zeref, the greatest Dark Wizard in history." Ultear said her voice hard. "It makes sense that using something he created would leave his taint on you."
"You two are freaking me out." Meredy said. "And things aren't good to begin with."
"I'm just as uneasy as you are Meredy." Jellal said to the pink haired woman. "But we must focus elsewhere right now as there is too much at stake tonight if what Lucy said is coming is indeed coming. On this front if we assume that this Lucy from the future has been completely honest about us then she came to our time on the 3rd. If that is true, then who did I see earlier that evening who had the same trace of Zeref?"
"Someone else who traveled through the gate." Ultear said understanding what Jellal was getting at. "Someone with their own agenda that we don't know about."
"Precisely and that worries me." Jellal said. "The one thing I still don't understand though is who the Black Bulls are and what role they play in this whole thing. They don't have any traces of Zeref though their magic is completely foreign to me which given the timing of everything just feels off to me."
"What do you mean?" Meredy asked. "They're just a normal Guild right?"
"Are they?" Jellal asked back. "The Lucy from the Future said that they were new to her when I asked her about them. She said that they weren't part of the Grand Magic Games in her timeline but now they are. That's not the only thing though, just look at what they've done since they burst into the limelight this week."
"They're good and came out of nowhere, sure, but that happens." Meredy said. "Sabertooth rose in the wake of Fairy Tail and Raven Tail showed that they were strong in the Games before their cheating was unveiled. True they've been around longer and were a Dark Guild not associated with the Baram Alliance until recently but still who's to say that the Black Bulls haven't been around for a while and just bided their time."
"Because they haven't been." Ultear said her own reservations about them coming to the fore. "In my time on the council they weren't a Guild, they didn't exist and no one had heard a thing about them. I've investigated a bit due to how unprecedented their rise was and learned that what the commentators were saying is true, they appeared about 2 years ago and quickly formed a Guild. Until now they were just mid-tier with more focus on their other endeavors like magic tools and merchandise than actually desiring to be the top Guild."
"Correct and then all of sudden they come out of nowhere and put a stamp on the Grand Magic Games by not just competing with, but beating the best that Fiore has to offer." Jellal said. "Three of the four events were won by them and the only reason why they didn't manage a win in Pandemonium because Erza went first and showed her strength by beating all 100 opponents, a feat that I'm sure at least one of the Black Bulls could match. They may have lost two of their battles but both were close matches and after that they drew with a guy who doesn't seem capable of offensive magic and then won again Blue Pegasus's best in seconds so that they went into the Battle Royale in the lead. That's practically unheard of."
"Admittedly that's strange." Meredy said as she thought on it. "But does that mean anything?"
"Given that they've changed the present when compared to what someone from the future says, and we have no reason not to trust her as Lucy was as shocked as we were by them as she claims that Quatro Cerberus was in the Grand Magic Games not them, then it has to mean something." Jellal said his tone getting sadder. "Plus, well you both just saw what happened, we were all watching the Battle Royale as well as what is about to go down happens at midnight. They aren't some run of the mill Guild, they're a hell of a lot more and they shouldn't be here according to Lucy."
"That much is obvious, Asta beat Erza." Ultear said looking to Jellal as she at least knew that Jellal and Erza had feelings for each other but with their messed up past they weren't acting on them, at least not until Jellal atoned, well from his side at least. "We saw that. 100 enemies couldn't take her down but he could and that duel was epic. His power is off the charts and he followed it up by beating the remaining 3 fairies, most notably Laxus, to claim the Grand Magic Games for them. They earned their spot."
"And yet no one knows a thing about them, they're shrouded in mystery." Jellal said. "And it's not just that Asta kid though he is the top one. Look at the others, they have a Dragon Slayer who defeated the strongest in Sabertooth, a healer as there's no way that some of them could bounce back so fast, a Spatial Wizard with a keen battlefield eye, and several other powerhouses and that's not including their Guild Master who has yet to show what he can do. The only thing I can say is that there is no taint of Zeref about them, no evil or malice there, so they aren't bad and can't be part of this. I just don't understand who they are or why they're suddenly here."
"That should be enough then." Meredy said. "If they aren't evil then why fixate on them?"
"Because their presence is an anomaly." Jellal said. "And that could cause issues either with what is coming or down the road if we get through tonight. They are strong and I want to make sure they will aid the side of good but I don't know anything about them more than that they use books called grimoires to maximize their magic."
"Hold up, they have grimoires?" Ultear asked her eyes wide. "You didn't say that before."
"I didn't think it was relevant, we can see them do so when they fight." Jellal said though Ultear's reaction was noticeably more extreme than he expected. "Why?"
"It may be nothing but at this point anything could be useful." Ultear said. "But Master Hades has spoken on what he calls special grimoires though until you explained them in relation to the Black Bulls I had no real context for what they were. While it wasn't what gave Grimoire Heart its name, it was something that Hades sought out for a few years before forming the Dark Guild during his travels as he wanted one for himself but he could never find it and that annoyed him."
"You know of the Black Bulls' books?" Jellal asked and Meredy was confused. "True they're odd but I didn't think much of them as many use magical tools so that's what I presumed they were."
"Yeah I didn't know about them." Meredy said looking at Ultear. "Hades never mentioned it to me."
"I knew because of my focus on Time Magic and trust me they're much more than magical tools." Ultear said. "It came up a few times and I teased it out of him. Apparently, back when he still went by Precht and was still the Guild Master of Fairy Tail, there was a member who was not only close with Makarov personally but his rival and the only person who could challenge Makarov as Precht's successor."
"He could challenge Makarov?" Jellal asked. "That's some power."
"Yeah I was surprised as well but Hades spoke highly of him." Ultear said. "His name was Julius and he could only use Time Magic as wherever he came from people were born with the ability to use magic but only one specific element per person. As such, to maximize his magic, Julius used a coverless grimoire that apparently came from his homeland on a different continent and it was tied to his soul so only he could use it though the fact that it was coverless was apparently an extreme anomaly. Hades was intrigued by the potential of such a book and the fact that there was one for everyone so when he left Fairy Tail, which was after Julius left Fairy Tail as well, he sought it out but never found it."
"But didn't he go all over Earth Land?" Meredy asked. "So how come he didn't find it."
"He didn't go to Alvarez or Guiltina, at least I don't think he did, but he went to many other places." Ultear said. "So it could be there but Julius apparently said that he was from some continent that wasn't them or Ishgar though it has never been found. It was odd and Hades had other things to do so after he failed to find a grimoire for himself he focused on what he deemed to be more important."
"That is strange indeed." Jellal said thinking on it. "Just who are these Black Bulls then?"
"Right now they're the top Guild." Ultear said. "And if what you said is coming is then we'll need their assistance in it."
"True though I wonder if their presence changes things though." Jellal said as he turned and suddenly began to run toward Crocus. "However right now they are not the main concern. That is the second time traveler who's here. What could his or her goal be? We must hurry because I have a bad feeling about this."
All Ultear and Meredy could do was nod as they took off after Jellal and rushed into the city. There was no signs of evil when it came to the Black Bulls so hopefully they were just some Guild that come out of nowhere to reveal years of preparation to take the top spot and had done so at a coincidental time. A second time traveler was something else entirely and that needed to be addressed right away because two coming back from the future, a future that was bleak according to the time traveler that Jellal had met, couldn't be good.
Princess Hisui looked at the Eclipse Gate before her now that it had been moved so that it was outside the palace her resolve shaky but there. Yes things hadn't gone as predicted, the man from the future had never heard of the Black Bulls as they'd not been present in his timeline, but he'd reassured her that they were an anomaly from another world.
All that Hisui had done to look into what the man from the future claimed pointed to that being the only logical explanation for where the Black Bulls had come from, why they used those books, and why they were able to suddenly appear and take down Guilds like Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, Blue Pegasus, and a restored Fairy Tail. In fact it had been the Black Bulls' actions during the Battle Royale that had solidified all this for Hisui as surely the talent they had, especially that Asta kid, couldn't have gone unnoticed by anyone in the intel community.
As such they couldn't be from this world and so they had messed with the timeline by arriving in Earth Land and thus threw off the man from the future's predictions, that was how they'd defeated all 5 members of Fairy Tail and changed the outcome of the Grand Magic Games. The first sign had been Juvia's loss to Charmy but when Erza Scarlet, one of the strongest in Fiore and who had taken down 100 enemies, had fallen to Asta, a relative unknown, that had told Hisui that they were truly an anomaly. Add in Laxus's defeat and while her resolve was shaky she no longer had doubts about what had to be done.
Now it was that time and the soldiers were gathered in front of the Eclipse Gate to see Hisui's plan through. Arcadios had recently arrived and after Defense Minister Darton had apologized for throwing him into the Palace of Perdition, an act for which Arcadios held no grudge as the man had done what he'd thought was right, she'd told him that the men had been informed of the Eclipse's secondary purpose.
It should reach the rest of the garrison soon, including the Hungry Wolf Knights, which would end that situation that had been going on all day involving the attempt to rescue Lucy Heartfilia and Yukino Agria and allow them to work with the two Celestial Wizards to achieve this. However, there was one thing that Hisui needed to clear up with Arcadios now that he was back by her side.
"The time traveler's prediction about the end of the games may not have come true but there are reasons for it that were beyond what anyone could have seen or expected." Hisui said not going into more details as it wasn't her place to divulge that information she felt. "And with what I saw I do not doubt that the prediction would have come true had the Black Bulls not appeared in Fiore 2 years ago. They are an anomaly to the timeline and after their victory today it is clear that that is the case. As such we have no choice, we will switch to Eclipse Two. It is our only chance to counter what is coming."
"Princess, am I hearing you right?" Arcadios asked as he looked at her though with how things had gone differently, according to the Princess, he wasn't as convinced as she was that this was because of an anomaly. "Have you abandoned our original plan to go back in time and defeat Zeref before he becomes a threat to the world?"
"No, that is still a plan for the future but right now we have to focus on imminent threat to the kingdom." Hisui said with a shake of her head. "The coming dragons must be our priority and this is a threat does not involve Zeref."
Arcadios didn't say anything for a few seconds before he suddenly, though slowly, drew his blade and ignoring a shout from the minster had placed it in Hisui's hands and held the blade moving it so that the point was at his throat. He was a man of honor who lived by a specific code and it was time to restore that for the dishonor he'd caused the Princess.
"Princess, a true night must always trust his master's words and believe that he or she knows what is right." Arcadios said seriously as he held the blade and looked at Hisui. "This is part of the code that I've sworn to live my life by. It is my duty to put my faith in you and your judgement and as I have questioned that I must ask you to slay me Princess."
"Huh? Why?" Hisui barely breathed out her eyes wide in shock as she looked up at the knight. "This seems a bit extreme."
"It is because I cannot repress the doubt in me that there is but one recourse to counter what is coming for Fiore." Arcadios said his voice never changing its tone. "The inaccurate end of the Grand Magic Games is a major part of this, as is the mere presence of these unknown Black Bulls, and for those and other reasons I cannot shake my doubts. As such I must die for I have dishonored you and the kingdom."
"Arcadios, have you gone mad?" Defense Minister Darton asked. "This is no time for such…"
Darton's words were cut short by a glare from Arcadios as he turned his head to look down at the short man. All Darton could do was let out a gasp before Arcadios turned back to Hisui without saying a word to the minister who'd been his rival in this project.
"Princess, there is something that I must ask of you." Arcadios continued as if he hadn't just been interrupted. "And I'd like an answer before you slay me."
"What is it Arcadios?" Hisui asked as the sword shook in her hands as she had no intentions of slaying her trusted knight and advisor. "What happened? What are you talking about?"
"I have spoken with your contact that came from the future." Arcadios said. "And that person clearly has no knowledge of Eclipse Two! They knew about the impending apocalypse but they shed tears because they did not know how to stop it hence why they made the effort to come back. The only thing that they for certain didn't know about was the Black Bulls but that was not enough to assuage my doubts. Now that you've added that the prediction didn't come true I cannot shake them."
"How can that be?" Hisui asked gasping at what Arcadios was saying. "They're the one who gave me explicit instructions on how to activate the Eclipse Cannon. They're the ones who gained the critical information on the Black Bulls that showed that they were an anomaly and so things would still happen as they predicted despite the actions of this new Guild. They know about the Eclipse Two."
"So you're claiming that this person was feigning ignorance to me then?" Arcadios asked. "I can't see how that was possible, the emotions were clear and sincere. I cannot think of a single thing that she'd have to gain by lying to her friends. The Black Bulls are one thing, their whole presence is strange given what they've accomplished but they're just some new Guild from a different continent nothing more as far as I'm concerned. This woman from the future is from Fairy Tail, however, she wouldn't lie to her friends."
"Hold on, did, did you say 'she'?" Hisui asked as finally a first person pronoun was used and she realized that her and Arcadios were talking about two different people her eyes shaking and the tone of her voice made Arcadios's eyes go wide as he'd assumed that Hisui had been speaking of the same person despite the gender of that person having never been specified. "The traveler from the future who advised me, who gathered the information needed when I had my own doubts about this, that person was a man!"
"That means that there are two who came from the future then." Arcadios said as the eclipse of the moon began above them. "One of them, the one I just met, is the Celestial Wizard Lucy Heartfilia. She came back in time to warn her friends of the impending doom that is about to befall us."
"And then there was another one who came to tell the Princess how to avert that disaster." Darton said. "One with more knowledge that assuaged her."
"Regardless of the fact that there are now two people from the future, both clearly have the same objective at heart." Hisui said unaware that the one who'd spoken to her did not have the same objective as future Lucy did and was only using her for his own goals that would soon become apparent. "They have done what they could with the knowledge that both possess to try and save the kingdom. It's their only chance and if the future is as bad as they say it is there could still be more. So take back your sword, Arcadios, as you will need it for the battle ahead. I am going to open the Eclipse Gate. I intend to save my father's kingdom and that means drawing a blade of my own."
With that Hisui handed the sword back to Arcadios and took a step back. It was time to open the gate. Everything was in position and ready for that, the issues of the day no longer necessary and an apology on that front was needed. However that would come later as right now Hisui had to save her kingdom.
"In preparation for the impending dragon attack on the Fiore Kingdom we will begin the Eclipse Cannon's firing sequence!" Hisui said as she stood in front of the Eclipse Gate, back to it and voice loud and clear as she addressed the gathered soldiers before her before holding her arms out to the side and then lowering them and turning to the gate while thrusting her right hand in the air and at it. "Unlock!"
With that there was a shuddering and the gate began to unlock. This was seen by an orb on a track in the center of the gate turning clockwise from the base around the face of the gate at a slow pace. Every time it passed a locking mechanism said mechanism shot out with a thudding clank counting as one by one the 12 locks disengaged.
"Have there been any updates from our lookouts?" Hisui asked as she turned to the gathered soldiers while the gate slowly unlocked behind her. "Are the dragons inbound?"
"Western lookout has reported no dragon sightings." A soldier who said relaying the message as the sounds of the mechanisms unlocking continued behind Hisui.
"Nothing to the east either Your Highness." Another soldier said.
"Very well they are powerful creatures so their speed could surprise us." Hisui said no longer doubting that the dragons were coming. "And what about the evacuation? How is that going in the wake of the Grand Magic Games."
"Troops are moving the people out of Crocus as we speak." A third soldier reported. "It is progressing smoothly though there are some complaints especially after the end of the Games as there are many who want to celebrate it and toast the new number 1 Guild."
"That is to be expected." Hisui said before turning back to the Eclipse Gate as she continued to talk. "Thankfully all the participants are in one place and being healed up by that impressive member of the Black Bulls so my father is heading there to address them soon just in case we need their strength. Ideally I would like to wipe out all the dragons in one shot because if we miss it will be years before we can gather this much magic power again and by then it will be too late."
As Hisui was speaking five figures, three exceeds and two human girls, popped their heads up from behind a nearby bush to see what was going on as they'd finally made it outside the palace. They were of course the present time Lucy Heartfilia, Wendy, Happy, Carla, and Panther Lily. They'd come here while Natsu fought the other time traveler, a future and evil version of Rogue from Sabertooth who'd come from 7 years in the future, following future Rogue's murder of future Lucy.
To say that a lot had gone on for the quintet would be an understatement. Them, along with Mira, Natsu, and Yukino, had been through hell and back, in a sense literally, ever since the rescue mission failed and they all fell into the Palace of Perdition.
Still, they'd managed to find Arcadios as he too had been cast down into that place as well, defeat the Hungry Wolf Knights that had been sent to execute them, get rescued by Lucy from the future, learn of the impending apocalypse, and reach the main palace. Things had been looking good at that point until they encountered more resistance, first from the palace guards, including the Hungry Wolf Knights again, and then facing other future traveler and deal with all that.
There was plenty to think about but right now their focus was entirely on the situation at hand, they could deal with everything else later, and it looked like they had made it just in time. In fact Carla muttered that as the 5 fairies watched what was going on with the Eclipse Gate.
"Yes, they're about to open the gate." Wendy said as Happy began to look around confused.
"Guys, where'd Loke go?" Happy asked, he was standing on Lily's shoulders he forepaws on the black exceed's head. "He's not with us anymore."
"Makes sense, if he was here then Lucy's magic would get sucked into the Eclipse." Lily said. "It's the wise thing to do for him to go back to the Celestial Spirit world."
"That future version of Rogue has really been bothering me." Lucy said not really hearing what Lily had said as she thought on the recent encounter with the other time traveler who Natsu was currently fighting. "I can't stop thinking about what he said to us. About how I'd close the gate and doom humanity to 10,000 dragons. I wouldn't do something like that. I wouldn't doom humanity; I want to save it."
It had been a lot to take in for sure but Lucy was convinced that she wouldn't and Natsu believed her while also saying that Lucy had a right to her future. He was fighting Rogue's future self now as part of that, something she was deeply grateful for and reminded her why she trusted him implicitly.
There were other emotions regarding Natsu and his actions and rage at what happened to Lucy's future self, ones that Lucy kept buried and ignored, that were trying to make themselves known to her but the situation at hand ensured that she didn't dwell too much on that right now. Well that and right after she spoke a voice called out to the fairies.
"You have no reason to hide anymore members of Fairy Tail."
The voice was from Arcadios. He'd noticed them after they'd arrived and now that he was committed to this course of action and all misunderstandings between him and Darton had been cleared up there was no need for the members of Fairy Tail to be worried.
"Please come out and join us." Arcadios continued as Hisui and Darton looked confused before Happy leapt off Lily's head and onto the ground before the bush that the others were still behind to address the knight.
"Just so you know, we weren't doing anything wrong or bad over here." Happy said defensively as he pointed at Arcadios. "We're innocent in all this."
"Er, why is Arcadios side by side with the Minister now?" Carla asked not moving just yet. "They had different plans and goals; it's how we ended up in this mess in the first place."
"The situation has changed." Darton said. "We are no longer enemies and all misunderstandings between us have been corrected."
"You 5, you're from Fairy Tail, aren't you?" Hisui asked recalling what Arcadios had just said about them and they nodded. "Please come over here so that I may speak with you."
The 5 fairies didn't really have much of a choice given the situation so they did as requested and came out of the bushes, or forward in Happy's case, and approached the heir to the throne. In moments they were standing in front of the line of soldiers and before Princess Hisui who now had Arcadios and Darton to her right.
"Thank you for understanding and for what it is worth I am very sorry for how all of you have been treated today or over the last few days in some cases." Hisui said apologetically as the fairies stood before her as the gate continued to slowly unlock behind her. "I'm afraid that this current state of emergency means an official apology will have to wait until all of this is over but rest assured you will get a full one and be cleared of any wrongdoings."
"See I told you that she wasn't really mean." Wendy said to Carla. "She's actually pretty nice."
"Yes I know but now's not the time for that." Carla responded. "There is a state of emergency after all."
"Yes there is though I must also congratulate your Guild on its performance in the Battle Royale and the Grand Magic Games." Hisui said with a smile. "You have more than earned your place and reminded everyone why Fairy Tail was so revered in Fiore 7 years ago. I'd say that your return is now complete."
"Well we were the number 1 Guild before the whole Tenrou thing." Happy said pride in his voice as he interpreted what Hisui had said as meaning that they'd won the Grand Magic Games, which of course Happy had fully expected even without Natsu carrying the team. "So it's no wonder that we're back on top now that we're all back."
"I knew that the others wouldn't let us down in the Battle Royale." Wendy said with a smile. "I had faith in them."
"With whom we had in the Battle Royale I expected no less." Carla added. "It's good to know that all this hard work has paid off."
"Gajeel would not let himself fall, not when so much was on the line." Panther Lily said the support for his human partner clear in his voice. "Outstanding, it is good to see that we're back on top."
"Oh my apologies, I should have been more specific." Hisui said as she realized her slip up as another clank came from the gate but it wasn't the last one so there was a little time so she decided to explain. "Your new rank is the number two Guild in all of Fiore not the number 1. The Black Bulls won the Battle Royale and Grand Magic Games by 2 points. It was a rather exciting Battle Royale even if my mind was elsewhere though the duel between Asta and Erza Scarlet did manage to distracted me. I'm sure that if we can pull this project off tonight then that single battle will be the talk of Fiore for years to come until it truly becomes legend."
The 5 fairies just blinked at that as their mouths fell open in shock. Even Carla was slack jawed at what Hisui was saying to them and she was usually more stoic than most. They'd fully expected to win the Battle Royale and the Grand Magic Games, even going 3 points behind the Black Bulls. This was after all a battle with one of their strongest teams, even Juvia replacing Natsu wasn't that big of a gap in power, so how could they have lost? It was almost too much to comprehend and insult to injury after what they'd been through even if that wasn't the Black Bulls' fault.
"Come again?" Lucy asked even though she'd not responded to the news at first, though like the others she'd presumed that Fairy Tail had won, she was shocked and a little nervous given how strong she knew their team was. "We lost?"
"Yes though it was close and you led from shortly after you started fighting and right up to the final battle." Hisui said not noticing their reactions. "There will be time to go over it later I hope but it's rather pressing that we deal with the current situation as we are in a state of emergency so discussions of the Grand Magic Games can wait."
"Hold up, I, I don't get it." Happy said. "How did we lose? We may not have had Natsu but the others were more than enough to make up for that. Plus Erza's scary and I've never seen her lose."
"Yes Gajeel wouldn't fall to anyone." Lily added. "Even in the two on two battle it was that accident that sent him down into the mountain in a cart that removed him from the battle, not defeat."
"Plus we had Juvia, Gray, and Laxus as well." Carla said. "How is this possible."
"Does this mean that Erza was beaten by someone?" Wendy asked fear creeping into her voice at the thought of someone strong enough to defeat Erza. "You said she had a duel with that Asta guy, is, is he really stronger than her?"
"It would appear so, he won their fight and that was right after Erza claimed the title of strongest woman in Fiore following a battle with Minerva of Sabertooth, Noelle of the Black Bulls, and Kagura of Mermaid Heel in which only Erza remained at the end." Hisui said. "It was a spectacular battle and I know little about swordplay. Neither gave an inch the entire time and both were pushed to use their strongest moves I think but in the end Asta was stronger."
"Asta beat Erza?" Happy asked the news not processing for him as it was unfathomable for the scary and indomitable Erza Scarlet to fall in battle. "In a sword fight?"
"Yes he did though it was close." Hisui said. "And after that Sabertooth's final member yielded to him without a fight and he faced off against Gray, Gajeel and Laxus to win in a final confrontation that was almost as impressive as his fight with Erza. Well the fight with Laxus was at least, the other two fell in one blow each though both were pretty banged up from their own fights earlier."
This stunned the fairies into silence as they tried and failed to comprehend what they were being told. One person, a complete unknown before the Grand Magic Games with what they presumed was some kind of Requip Magic that had Wave Magic based swords and a perception skill, had bested 4 of their strongest members including 2 S-Class Wizards.
It was almost inconceivable that they'd lose to that. True there had been talks that only Erza had a strong shot against Asta due to the nature of his magic and his battle style but none of them had really expected a single member to fall let alone all 5 of them. It also begged one other question.
"What happened to Juvia?" Wendy asked as the others still processed it, Lily taking it especially hard given how easily it seemed that Gajeel was beaten. "You didn't mention her in regards to Asta."
"She was defeated by a different member of the Black Bulls earlier in the battle." Hisui said which was another surprise to them and Hisui finally noticed the reaction that her words were having. "Look, I know that this is a surprise but we are still in a state of emergency."
"You're right, we can deal with this later because there is something more pressing at hand." Lucy said doing her best to ignore her own feelings about the situation and the burning desire to know more about how someone as powerful as Erza could be beaten and with a sword no less as she switched to focus on the task at hand. "Why are you opening the gate right now? The dragons haven't arrived yet so there is no need for it to be opened at this moment."
"Wait she knows about the dragons as well?" Hisui asked giving a side glance to Arcadios and glad that they were moving this along even if she wasn't showing it on her face.
"Yes, they've all been informed of the current situation and the impending threat." Arcadios said before he looked at them. "Speaking of that, where is the future Lucy? Shouldn't she be with you?"
"No, she was murdered by a man who also claims to be from the future." Lily said his arms across his chest as Wendy and Lucy looked down at the ground sadness in their eyes, his words causing Arcadios and Hisui to gasp. "It just happened and he tried to kill Lucy as well. Currently Natsu is holding him off, that's why he's not with us."
"Yeah this guy is a serious nut-job." Lucy said. "He kept saying that I stopped the gate from opening and that I'm responsible for 90% of humanity being wiped out by dooming them to being dragon chow but I know that I wouldn't doom humanity."
"Let me get this straight, this man attempted to kill you?" Arcadios asked to which Lucy nodded in agreement.
"And you will swear that there no merits to his claim?" Hisui asked the issues that she'd had with the man from the future and his inaccurate predictions regarding the Grand Magic Games coming back to the surface though he had explained that away with his revelations about the Black Bulls and that did assuage her doubts for the most part. "You will not close the gate?"
"Of course not Your Highness." Lucy said shaking her head. "As I've said, I don't see any dragons yet so shouldn't we open the gate once the dragons are all in range so that we can take them out. I want to save humanity as much as anyone else here does."
"Alas we cannot wait for that." Hisui said her doubts about Lucy assuaged by the sincerity in the other girl's words as a resigned note appeared in her tone and another clank happened. "I wish we could but the gate takes way too long to open to allow for that scenario. If we wait until the dragons appear we won't be ready in time to take them all out and as such it must be done now."
"Very well and you're absolutely sure that it will take all of the dragons down with one shot?" Lucy asked taking a step forward. "This is 10,000 dragons we're talking about and right now there are only 7 Dragon Slayers present in Crocus so even if we can't take them all out we need to seriously dent their numbers if we're to stand a chance."
"I am not sure; with the numbers we're expecting and the fact that we'll only have one shot at this I can't be absolutely sure." Hisui admitted. "But what I can promise is that if the worst comes to pass the king will have a plan of action."
As she finished speaking the last of the lock things was passed by the orb and the lock opened with a clank meaning that all 12 bands were now open. With that the circle in the middle of the door turned black and red light glowed around it with a branch going slightly into the various golden bands from where the locks had been disengaged. Then the gate began to pulse a few times before a white line appeared down the center between the doors and they slowly began to open outwards.
Several people, including Wendy and the exceeds, gasped at what was happening as the gate opened and a white mist began to stream out and over the ground. Hisui, Darton, and Arcadios looked at the mist in confusion before looking back up at the gate as it continued to slowly open, a bright light behind it.
"Something, something's not right." Lucy muttered as she watched the Eclipse Gate open, a bad feeling coming over her and the bell tolled for midnight and July 7th began with the gate opening and a blood moon eclipse. "That power, it's…"
Lucy wasn't sure what was going on but she knew that it wasn't right. That sentiment wasn't shared by the gathered soldiers who were pointing to it and already proclaiming victory and that they were saved from the impending attack. Hisui, Arcadios, Darton, Wendy, and the exceeds weren't as sure as the gates continued to open and magic poured off it. One thing was clear, though, there was certainly enough power to potentially wipe out the dragons in one shot but with so much in one place it might not be wise to keep it there.
"This means that our future has been saved, right?" Wendy asked as she moved to be next to Lucy, the two girls looking up and at the gate as it continued to open a glowing white light getting brighter as more of it was exposed. "With this power it has to. That should be good news for the other you then, she can rest in peace now."
"Yeah, it…" Lucy began as her eyes went wide and blank as she realized what was actually going on as the drew ever closer to being fully open.
Without another word Lucy began to walk forward and towards the gate as it almost finished opening. Wendy called out to her as she walked but Lucy ignored her friend as she neared it knowing that this was wrong and despite her earlier promise she realized that she couldn't keep it because they'd been duped, this was never a weapon in the first place.
"Close it!" Lucy ordered as she walked forward. "We can't let it open; we must stop it! Now!"
"Why?" Wendy asked. "What's going on?"
"Just listen to me, we have to close the gate and we have to do it now before it's too late!" Lucy said getting gasps from her guildmates and Hisui at the certainty in her voice as it was unexpected right after she'd sworn that she wouldn't close it. "This isn't a weapon! We've been played!"
Alas it was too late for that and the plans and machinations of future Rogue had come to fruition, something he noted to Natsu as their fight ended. At last the Dragon King Festival had begun.
I think that's a good place to end this chapter off as it's a nice little cliffhanger to set up the next trial that Fiore will face. I know that this is one of the most canon based chapters but with how all the events outside of the Battle Royale are going on in accordance with canon it kinda has to be and better just one that concludes it and sets things up then retelling all of that. The first reactions from the fairies not present to their loss have come though Natsu still doesn't know but right now there's about to be a small problem that will require more attention once it fully manifests. Next up is the other half of this set up, the plan when the king addresses the Guilds and the start of the festival itself as we return to the Black Bulls and begin to see how their presence affects what is about to come. That is all that I have for y'all however so I'll leave this chapter off here. If you liked this please favorite, follow, leave a review, or let me know in a PM and I will try to answer any questions posed in reviews and PMs as best I can. Until next time.
Stringdog