Hi everyone. Thanks again for your patience. Before we begin, I have something to say. I would ask that whoever's working with the TVTropes page for this story, please continue to work. I understand that this is a big story and there's a lot to cover, not to mention everyone has their own personal lives to attend, but this has been my longest story and I'd appreciate if it got the same sort of treatment several of my other stories on TVTropes has. I totally would do it myself if I could, but I got no idea how to work that site. Sorry to bug you all about it.

Now, with all that being said, let's get started.

The Neo Oracion Seis

Those among the Fairy Tail guild, and their gathered allies, as well as those from the Order of the Sword, all looked in shock to not only see the fully-assembled Infinity Clock hovering high above them, but also a group of six individuals standing just below it, on top of a ruined building to literally look down upon those below them.

"Who the hell are these guys?" Nero questioned.

"No… The Oracion Seis?!" Lucy exclaimed, recognizing three of their members.

"But… I thought you guys already put them all away!" Lisanna stated. Though Lisanna never encountered their full-guild, she remembered rescuing and even working alongside their former member Angel, also known as Sorano, during the mess with Devil Hand.

"They must have busted out." Lady stated with a glare. "Guess a lot can happen in seven years."

"Agreed, and it seems they have new members." Erza commented.

"This is one group of people I would be happy to never see again, but it looks like that was just wishful thinking." Gray said with reluctance.

Natsu growled at them, but Happy noticed an expression on Dante's face that he'd never thought he saw. It was an expression of absolute shock, his face being pale, as if he'd seen a ghost.

"Dante…? What's wrong?" Happy asked.

"No way…" Dante eyed a certain green-suited individual with bandages wrapped around his face, while carrying a katana. "Gilver?!"

"Hi Dante." Gilver gave a friendly wave with a sadistic smile. "Did you miss me?"

Lucy gave a gasp. 'Gilver?! As in… the demon that killed Dante's friend, Nel Goldstein? But I thought he was dead!'

Dante's face then morphed from shock to that of uncharacteristic rage. "How in the hell are you still alive?! I know I put you six feet under!"

"Guess you should have checked to make sure." Gilver continued to smirk. "And don't think I'll fall as easily as I did last time. I've gotten way stronger since the last I've seen you. And not only that, I've gained some plenty new friends too." He gestured to the dark wizards gathered around him. "Allow me to introduce you to my guild: the Neo Oracion Seis!"

"Neo Oracion Seis?!" Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, Happy, Wendy, and Carla all exclaimed at the same time.

"You seem surprised." The one known as Midnight spoke toward those of the Fairy Tail guild. "A great deal has changed since the last time we met."

"Midnight." Erza glared at the wizard she fought before alongside Jellal.

"I no longer go by that name. From now on, I ask that you refer to me as Brain II."

"We'll call you whatever you want!" Natsu shouted. "So what the hell are you guys even doing here?!"

"I have but one single wish: to make my father's dream a reality." Midnight answered. "And that is to destroy all that has form in this world."

"Sounds like another band of whack jobs." Nero stated.

Milliana looked to see Wally clenching his fists as he glared at the dark guild. "Wally?"

"I know these guys… They're the same bastards that put my bro on the dark side!" Wally shouted, thinking of his elder brother, Richard.

"Hey Lyon, you fought these guys before." Sho spoke to his guildmate as he drew a set of cards. "How bad of a situation are we in?"

"Hard to say with certainty." Lyon replied. "Half their guild comprises of new members, so I'm afraid I can't quite give a definitive answer."

Natsu took a few whiffs of the air however before he gave a gasp as he recognized the one in the robe. "What…? Erigor?!"

That caught Happy's attention. "Wait, as in the guy that led Eisenwald way back when?!"

"These days I go by Grim Reaper." Erigor said as he hovered in the air, just slightly above his comrades, carrying his scythe over his shoulder.

"We're not the same as before." Midnight said. "Myself, Cobra, and Racer have grown significantly stronger. But ever since poor Hoteye and Angel deserted us, and my father's disappearance, we've had to do some recruiting to refill our ranks. Gilver, Grim Reaper, and of course, the lovely Gloria are now one of us."

Trish eyed the tan-skinned woman in white. "So, you're Gloria?" She couldn't quite explain it, but there was something about this woman that made her quite uncomfortable.

"I also go by the nickname, White Tempest, but whichever works for you." The woman named Gloria introduced herself.

Lady looked at each of them with an unreadable expression. She could tell right away that most of them were strong; but there was something about Gloria... that just didn't feel natural. And it wasn't just her. Those identified as Midnight, Racer, and even Erigor, they had some kind of strange aura that only she could feel. It felt familiar and yet different. It was hard to put it to words, but it made her on edge all the same.

"We're all very grateful to you." Midnight began. "Both those of the Fairy Tail guild and their allies, as well as the Order of the Sword. But I'm afraid we no longer require your services."

He and his comrades raised their hands towards the Infinity Clock, which rang out with a gong once more. It then began to shine an ominous glow as the sigil of the Oracion Seis appeared on six different places of the Infinity Clock's face.

"So, we were used from the beginning." Nero glared.

"Nero, what do we do?" Coco looked to him with a scared expression.

"What else?" He pulled out Blue Rose. "We kick their asses!"

"Got that right!" Dan agreed as he pulled out his lance and shield. "Let's go!" He, Nero, and Coco were the first to charge in.

"What are you guys doing!? You can't fight them all by yourself!" Natsu tried to warn them.

"Get back you morons!" Even Dante called out, but it was too late.

Midnight however didn't look the least bit intimidated. "Heh, lousy insects. Look at how they swarm." He waved his hand to cast a series of dark green magic bolts that shot at the charging trio.

Natsu's eyes widened as he recognized that type of magic. 'That's Master Zero's magic!'

Dan took the lead with his shield. "I'm gonna bounce your attack right back at ya!" However, when the attack hit the shield, it didn't quite reflect back at the user. Or rather it did, but Midnight had also casted his own Reflector magic to create a dome around Dan that kept the reflected attack not only contained, but had it completely encompassed Dan and rendered him unable to defend himself, resulting an explosion that sent him rolling back.

"Dan!" Coco cried out as even Nero was caught off guard.

"His shield never fails! How in the hell did he do that?!" Nero exclaimed.

"Midnight has Reflector magic!" Erza explained. "He has the ability to reflect, warp, distort, and twist all non-living things, including magic itself!"

"Well, that's gonna be a pain in the ass." Lady growled.

"Stay back!" Byro suddenly appeared in between the two opposing groups, facing the Neo Oracion Seis directly with his weapon.

"You're still going, old man?" Dante questioned, seeing that Byro was still clearly and heavily injured from their battle. Though the red-clad Devil Hunter did give Byro credit for standing tall despite those injuries.

"All forms of magic are useless against me…." However, Byro was caught off guard as he was engulfed in a dome of Reflector magic from Midnight before being struck with a powerful dark green attack that brought him to his knees.

"What?! But I thought Byro could neutralize magic!" Lisanna was caught off guard along with Romeo.

"Is this guy's Reflector Magic that powerful!?" Romeo also questioned.

"If you want to know how he did it, Brain II here used his magic to distort the range of Byro's own magic nullification, but he also attacked him at the same time." Gilver explained. "That, and he's practically on his last legs right now thanks to Dante." That earned a glare from the young Devil Hunter.

"So that's the infamous Dante." Cobra finally spoke. "I'm far from impressed."

"Let me at him. I want to rip him to pieces." Racer practically snarled.

Midnight looked toward him before speaking. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you face-to-face Dante, Son of Sparda. Your feats were certainly legendary up until your disappearance, though now I'd say that's a different story."

"Oh really? You wanna come down and say that to my face you, emo-freak?!" Dante challenged as he pulled out Ebony and Ivory.

"Hmm, if you were part of this guild of insects when they went to war with the original Oracion Seis, you might have had the capability to take on half our ranks on your own. I'd even wager you'd be able to defeat even me and my father together" Midnight commented before smirking confidently. "But that was a different age of power, and I think we've long since surpassed even the likes of you." Dante continued to glare as Midnight spoke to not only him, but everyone else. "I'm sure you're well aware that your father was the one who hid the clock pieces away. But you may not be aware of this: once the Infinity Clock bears the seal of a wizard, it becomes their property. You know what that means, don't you Dante? Now that it bears the seal of the Neo Oracion Seis, it belongs to us."

"Your father, as well as others, placed a special seal on it that prevents demons or humans of dark intent from reassembling the clock and unleashing it's full power." Gloria added. "So, we kinda had to use you to gather all the pieces for us. Thank you." The Clock rang again as she gave a slight sigh. "What a beautiful sound…"

"That's not fair!" Lucy shouted. "You can't just show up out of nowhere and steal it for yourself!"

"Hate to break it to you Lucy, but that's exactly what they did!" Trish stated.

'But if that's true…' Lucy looked toward Michelle, who remained silent as she had a sad expression on her face. 'What about my Dad…? What did he have to do with this?'

"I can hear it.." Cobra said with hostile intent in his voice. "The anger, the frustration, the fear, it's building up, ready to explode."

"So, let's light up this powder keg." Racer snarled.

"I'm getting chills here…" Happy shivered. "These guys are super scary!"

"Their power… it's on a whole different level than before!" Erza said.

"But we have the advantage in numbers." Gray stated, ready for a fight. "We can still beat them."

"You sure about that?" Lady sounded skeptical. "They were one-step ahead of us before, they freaking planned this whole thing!"

Natsu punched his fist into his palm. "We can still take em! We did it before!"

"What are you assholes waiting for?!" Nero called out to them. "You want to stand around yapping, or do you wanna fight?!" Even Dante glared, specifically at Gilver, more than ready to rip him a new one.

"If that's what you want." Midnight said nonchalantly. "Several of you humiliated us seven years ago, so it's only fair we return the favor. Attack, now."

"Yes!" Racer, Cobra, Erigor, Gloria, and Gilver all said at the same time, as all six leapt toward the large group of heroes, thus beginning a battle royale that already shook the entire tomb as explosions raged all over.

"Salamander." Cobra faced the group consisting of Natsu, Lisanna, Happy, Romeo, Lucy, and Dan. "You and I have a score to settle."

"Got that right!" Natsu's fists lit on fire. "Come and get me you Dragon Slayer wannabe!" He shouted as he was the first to leap toward Cobra with a roar. The sound entered Cobra's ears before he snapped his fingers and unleashed a powerful sonic attack straight at Natsu that sent him flying and crashing into the ruins; much to everyone's shock.

"Natsu!" Lisanna called out.

"What was that?! I didn't see anything!" Romeo exclaimed.

"He must have somehow converted Natsu's sound into a weapon!" Happy guessed. "I know he couldn't do that before!"

Dan gave a shout as he thrusted his lance at Cobra, sending a hail of magic bolts around him, causing all the debris around Cobra to begin to grow in an attempt to crush him. However, Cobra not only heard the sounds of the specific pieces of debris that were about to grow, he read Dan's mind to learn which pieces he was aiming for. With his superior speed and agility, Cobra was able to avoid all the massively grown objects that were about to crush him before getting in close to slam his knee into the abdomen of the shocked Dan.

"That was a pretty clever trick. Too bad I can already hear it a mile away." Cobra commented as he kicked Dan back.

"Take Over: Dragon Soul! Inferno Blast!" Lisanna transformed into her Dragon Take Over and unleashed her breath attack, alongside Romeo.

"Purple Rain!" Romeo threw a multitude of purple fireballs. Both fiery attacks shot toward Cobra, but he easily evaded both their attacks to shoot himself in-between them where he punched Lisanna in the face and kicked Romeo in the gut to knock them down.

Cobra heard a sound coming from behind and reached out to grab the chain that extended from the Morning Star Lucy was wielding.

"The Morning Star, forged by Sparda and passed down from your ancestor Anna Heartfilia to you, right?" He glanced at Lucy, who looked in a mixture of shock and frustration.

"Crap! I forgot he could read minds too!" Happy said. Without saying another word, Cobra used his strength to pull Lucy in via her whip to deliver a kick and knock her into the ground, just as Natsu emerged from the rubble.

"I'm not done with you yet! Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" Natsu unleashed a wave of flame straight towards Cobra, who simply waved his hand to unleash another sonic attack that not only blew back Natsu's flames but even sent him crashing to the ground.

Meanwhile; Dante roared as he shot towards Gilver, clashing his Rebellion against the katana wielded by his smirking enemy. They clashed blades furiously before Dante leapt back and pulled out Ivory to shoot rapidly at Gilver, who drew his katana again, coating it in lightning to swing at insane speeds and intercept all the bullets before swinging his sword to shoot a cyclone of lightning at Dante.

"Nevan!" Dante spun his electric scythe to intercept the opposing electric attack, and much like his fight with Laxus, he spun it at a rate as the weapon not only absorbed the electric attack, Dante even added his own power before swinging it back to send an electrical surge that was twice as powerful straight at Gilver, who only smirked as this time, his katana was coated in a powerful whirlwind before slicing at the ground to create a tornado that drew up much rocks and debris from the ground to act as a shield and block the attack, much to Dante's shock. He was even further surprised as Gilver appeared behind him, his katana coated in flames this time as he brought it down toward Dante, slicing at his back to burn and cut him at the same time.

"Nero, did you see that?!" Coco exclaimed in shock.

"Yeah… his sword… it's just like Credo's!" Nero was more than a little surprised himself.

"What do you think, Dante?" Gilver mocked as he showed his katana. "This sword was implanted with several types of elemental lacrima, making it quite the swiss army knife, huh? I bet even Nel would be rolling in her grave right now. You know, the grave I dug for her?"

That really got to Dante as he quipped into a new Devil Arm. "Beowulf!" Block this you damn bastard!" He shot at Gilver at intense speeds, throwing out his right coated fist, but Gilver saw through Dante's movements and maneuvered under him, and sliced at right his side under his arm, his katana coated in acid that began to burn away at Dante's flesh, catching him off guard before Gilver pressed his hands on the ground to deliver a double kick into Dante's wound, causing him more pain as he knocked him back before getting up on his feet.

"Oooh, touched a nerve, did I?" Gilver continued to mock. "What's wrong? I'd thought you be over Nel by now since you got a new family with Fairy Tail. Just like how you replaced Mommy and Daddy, right?"

"Then how about I tag in!" Nero flashed Blue Rose, shooting at Gilver, who easily intercepted the bullets with swings of his katana. Seeing how that wasn't going to work, Nero tried to overpower him with brute force by throwing out his demonic fist, sending a large and transparent fist straight at him, forcing Nero to slice at the ground with a wind-vortex from his sword again to shield himself with the debris.

Gilver eyed Nero's Devil Bringer with interest. 'Hmmm, that's interesting.'

At the same time, Gray, Juvia, Lyon, Sho, and Wally found themselves backed together as Racer zoomed around them in the form of a chaotic blur.

"I can't pinpoint him!" Sho said as he continued to hold his cards. "How are we supposed to hit someone as fast as him!"

"The same way as last time, right Lyon?" Gray looked toward his fellow Ice-make wizard.

"Yes." Lyon agreed as he placed his hands on the ground to create a huge ice-tower that began to ascend them to incredible heights already. "We just have to get out of his range and…"

Suddenly, Racer appeared in the middle of the group to dish out a powerful attack that sent all five of them flying and falling off the ice tower. As they fell, they were each hit with such fast and powerful attacks that once Racer was done, they all hit and crashed onto the ground hard.

'What's going on…? We should have been outside his radius…!' Lyon thought as he opened his eye to look at the fights around them and was more than a little shocked. If this were like before, everything around them would be moving fast forward, but it all happened at normal speeds. 'He's not slowing down everything around us! He's really moving too fast!'

"Hold still freak!" Wally broke apart his body into multiple pieces, hopping at least one of them would hit. But not a single one did as Racer suddenly crashed into Wally to send him colliding into a pile of ruins as the dark wizard appeared over him.

"You're Hoteye's kid brother, aren't you?" Racer looked toward him like a wild predator ready to devour its prey.

"His name's Richard! Get it right, bub!" Wally exclaimed.

"Honestly, I don't care about any of that. I just want to rip you to pieces." Racer snarled.

"Iron Dragon Roar!" Gajeel unleashed a breath attack straight at Erigor as he, Levy, Lily, Jet, Droy, and Modeus faced the hovering Grim Reaper. But Erigor spun his scythe around to create a vortex of wind that intercept Gajeel's attack. They collided for some time before Erigor's attack ultimately pushed through Gajeel's and blasted him back.

"Oh no! Gajeel!" Levy shouted.

"You're going to pay for that!" Panther-Lily exclaimed as he shot at Erigor, transforming into his muscular form, drawing Baskerville to slice at him, which Erigor blocked and parried with his scythe.

"Hold him there, Lily! Chain Plant!" Droy threw a series of seeds under the hovering fight as a set of vines suddenly grew out to try and ensnare Erigor, causing Lily to pull back.

"We got him! Hit from all sides!" Levy ordered. "Solid Script: Fire!" She unleashed a stream of flames with her script magic as her friends followed a similar manner.

"Falcon Heavenward!" Jet leapt into the air to try and deliver a flying kick towards the bound Erigor.

"Demon Sword: Phantom Moon!" Modeus swung Hunter's Moon to send a flurry of crescent-moon projectiles at him.

"Iron Dragon Spear: Demon Logs!" Gajeel had recovered enough to send a rapid-fire attack of his Iron spears at the enemy as well.

All four attacks came at him from all sides, but the emotionless Erigor didn't seem the least bit intimidated or interested. Suddenly, his entire body was coated in a powerful twister, not only tearing up the vines that had wrapped around him, but also blew away all the incoming attacks, even sending Jet flying and crashing.

Meanwhile, Gloria backflipped to avoid the ranged attacks from Evergreen, Bickslow's dolls, and Trish's electric bullets from Luce and Umbre. "Nice try, but you're going to have to do better than that."

"Then let this job be done by a real man!" Elfman appeared in his Beast Soul Take Over behind her to try and grab her; but Gloria drew a pair of curved knives before her whole body was suddenly coated in white lightning. Before Elfman could even react, his form was not only electrocuted, but cut in virtually all directions before she appeared behind him as he fell face-flat and turned back to normal.

"Elfman!" Evergreen looked in shock as even Trish was caught off-guard.

"She can use lightning too?!"

"Demon Blast!" Mira unleashed a dark energy attack in her Satan Soul form as Freed appeared alongside her.

"Dark Ecriture: Destruction!" He swung his sword to send a wave of his own dark energy.

But, before both attacks could reach her, Gloria's form turned into white lightning again as she shot past both attacks, her knives pointed outward as she struck Mira first; a bolt of lightning piercing through her body as she was impaled and electrocuted simultaneously before Gloria slid past her and she fell onto the ground before turning back.

"No! Mira!" Freed shouted before Gloria shot at him to, who tried to block and parry her knives with his sword, but she used the momentum to flip over the sword and land behind Freed before striking him with the same attack in the back to send him rolling and crashing across the ground.

"Alright, who's next?" Gloria brandished her knives as more white lightning surged around her body, facing Trish, Bickslow, and Evergreen.

At the same time, Midnight faced the group consisting of Erza, Wendy, Lady, Cana, and Milliana. "Hello Titania. It's been a while." Midnight greeted Erza specifically as she glared. "What's wrong? Aren't you glad to see me?"

"No." Erza replied before quipping into her Infinity Robe and wielding her spear. "Remember, his magic warps all non-living things around him, including magic! Watch yourselves!" She told her comrades as she shot at Midnight first.

"That's not my only trick." Midnight commented. "After all, seven years is a long time, and much can change." He blasted her with a powerful point-blank Dark Rondo attack that engulfed her and sent her crashing into a set of ruins.

"Erza!" Milliana called out in shock.

"You're a dead man, bastard!" Lady suddenly appeared before him. "Steel Devil Rage!" She tried to unleash her own point-blank attack at him, but Midnight's Reflector magic split and diverted the attack around him, leaving him unphased.

"Devil Slayer… interesting. But futile." Midnight flashed his eyes open as a powerful Reflector attack sliced across not only Lady's steel-coated skin, but the ground around her and her friends to send all of them flying.

Meanwhile; Carla held Patty in the air to avoid getting caught up in all the intense battles taking place around them. "

I don't believe it…" Carla spoke aloud. "The Oracion Seis were powerful enough before… but now they're even more of a nightmare…"

Patty remained silent, but the expression on her face was one of absolute terror. She had heard stories from Lucy and Wendy about the Oracion Seis in the past, but to see them in person, as well as seeing all her friends loosing so badly was unbearable.

"They… they can still win though… right?" Patty asked shakily. "Lucy… Wendy… Dante… they… they can't lose… there's no way…"

But that was exactly what was happening. Fairy Tail and all their allies were loosing badly. Midnight unleashed a dual attack of Dark Rondo and Spiral Pain attack that blasted back Wendy, Lady, Milliana, Cana, and even Erza. Racer's intense speed was too much for Gray, Juvia, Sho, Lyon, and Wally. Erigor pulled Gajeel, Levy, Modeus, Panther-Lily, Jet, and Droy into a tornado, which he coated with electricity to not only zap at them, but slice them from all directions with razor-winds. Cobra even engulfed Natsu, Lisanna, Lucy, Romeo, Happy, and Dan in another powerful sonic attack that knocked most of them back. Even as Natsu attempted to stand back up and get right up in Cobra's face, the red-haired dark wizard flashed another sonic attack straight into Natsu's own face with even more force, which was too much for the Dragon Slayer to bear and knock him back.

Gloria spun like a top, her body surging with intense white lightning as she held her arms out to slash with her knives. The attack was enough to slice and blast down Bickslow and Evergreen. As Gloria stopped, Trish appeared over her, her own body coated with her own electricity as she tried to lunge at her with the Devil Sword Sparda, while Gloria mimicked the attack herself with her knives and white lightning. When both attacks struck, Gloria's own attack easily blasted through Trish's to send her crashing and skidding on the ground, creating a small crater.

'Her lightning… it's way more powerful than mine…' She hacked up some blood. 'I think… it's about as strong as Laxus'.' She tried to grip something in her hand, only to find it missing, much to her shock. 'What…. Where is…?'

"Looking for something?" Gloria sang as she caried the Devil Sword Sparda over her shoulder. "I don't think you'll be needing this, at least not as much as we do."

"No…" Trish tried to pull herself up but found herself unable to.

At the same time, Nero clashed Red Queen with Gilver's own katana before the later delivered a cartwheel kick to his face, knocking him back before Gilver brought down his katana to send a trail of ice straight at Nero. When the attack hit, it knocked Nero back before Gilver thrusted his katana forward for a stream of fire to further blast Nero back.

Coco tried to run up from behind and deliver a kick to Gilver, but the humanoid demon flashed his eyes toward her, causing her to look in shock before Gilver's flaming katana was sliced at her, when she suddenly disappeared before the blade made contact.

"Quick move there, Dante." Gilver commented as Dante appeared a bit away, holding Coco in his arms as he had used his Quicksilver to save her. "If only you were as fast back then, maybe Nel would still be alive."

"Stay back, he's mine!" Dante told Coco as he set her down before rushing at him with Rebellion again, but Gilver blocked and parried all of Dante's swings before slicing him at the openings he found with all sorts of elemental attacks: fire, ice, lightning, wind, and acid, causing Dante to be covered in burning and other types of wounds that had him covered in blood.

"I don't think you get it. I was brought here specifically to fight you." Gilver said as he blocked and danced around a strike of Rebellion before slicing at Dante's side with an acid-slice. "I was made to counter your every move and style." He sliced at Dante's ankles, causing them to freeze and hold him in place, allowing Gilver to appear in front of him and impale him through the chest. "You can consider me, the 'Anti-Dante'." While keeping his blade impaled, Gilver unleashed a powerful vortex of wind directly inside Dante, unleashing a powerful cyclone to cause him a great deal of internal damage and blast him back.

Dante felt the gaping hole in his chest, almost falling to his knees as he kept a hold of Rebellion to keep himself from falling. He looked around to see the rest of his friends and allies either barley on their feet, or already knocked unconscious. It was clear they weren't going to win this fight, but he glanced up at the Infinity Clock with a glare.

'We might not win, but we won't lose either!' Dante quickly utilized all the demonic power he had left and transformed into his Devil Trigger before blasting straight up at the Infinity Clock. He gave an inhuman roar as he brought the black Rebellion down onto the Clock itself, creating a powerful shockwave that blew him back slightly. He continued to hover in the air as he looked to see the Clock wasn't even scratched. He then hacked and sliced at it in any way that he could, in a desperate attempt to destroy it.

"Come on! Come on! Break you piece of shit! BREAK!" With all the demonic energy he could muster, his sword surging with intense red energy, Dante swung at the Infinity Clock with all his might, creating an explosion that engulfed the entire clock.

His transformation vanished, Dante fell to the platform where the Neo Oracion Seis once stood to look up at the smoke, his eyes widened, and pupils shrunk at the sight of the Infinity Clock completely undamaged.

"No…" He then gave a painful gasp as a spiral of green and orange magic pierced him from behind and out of his chest, causing him to lift in the air slightly. The one who struck him was Midnight, standing behind him with the energy coming from his fingers.

"Don't act so surprised." Midnight smirked. "If your father couldn't destroy it, what chance do you have? Dark Capriccio!" His attack drilled further into Dante as it lifted him into the air before slamming him down onto the ground hard. "Make sure he stays down." He told his comrades.

"With pleasure." Racer snarled as he attacked the downed Dante next with super speed, striking rapidly him from all sides before moving away and allowing the others to finish him off. A powerful sonic attack from Cobra, a bolt of white lightning from Gloria, a twister from Erigor, and a wave of flame from Gilver's katana. All four attacks hit Dante to create an explosion that shook most of the chamber.

The dust cleared and Dante laid face-flat in the middle of a crater; covered in blood, burns, and bruises; unresponsive, much like all his friends and allies. The only ones who still appeared to be conscious and/or standing included Patty, Carla, Michelle, and Byro.

"This… this is a nightmare… it has to be…" Patty was on the verge of tears, as was Carla.

'Even the Son of Sparda couldn't defeat them…' The injured and shocked Byro thought as he held his arm and remained on his knees.

Michelle said nothing, her face remaining uncharacteristically emotionless, though there was a hint of sadness in her eyes.

The entire Neo Oracion Seis regrouped where they started as Gilver noticed the new sword Gloria was carrying. "Looks like you got it."

"It wasn't that hard." Gloria smirked.

"The Devil Sword Sparda." Midnight sneered. "With it and the Infinity Clock, we're one step closer to our goal. But before we go, let's give these people a taste of the horrors that await this world."

He, Racer, Cobra, Gloria, Erigor, and Gilver held out their hands as they combined their respective magical attacks in what would appear to be a massive Unison Raid, taking the form of a dark sphere of energy that quickly began to expand and engulf most of the tomb before exploding.

*Boom!*


A giant plume of smoke shot from the desert sands as Mary Hughes, Samuel, and Sugarboy only just arrived on the scene to feel the tremor that shook the area as well as the aftermath.

"Whoa! Like, what was that?!" Mary exclaimed.

"Nooo!" Sugarboy shouted. "Looks like we got some serious double-trouble, baby!"

"This is terrible! I had a bad feeling something like this might happen!" Samuel stated.

"What do you mean?" Mary questioned the Exceed. "Wait a minute. Are you trying to say this is what you, like, calculated? Spill it, cat!"

"No, my calculations were wrong, which is rare for me." Samuel replied. "However, I have a suspicion that someone manipulated them to be wrong."

"Uh sorry, but this cat ain't following you, man." Sugarboy didn't seem to understand.

"Yeah, you wanna explain?" Mary said.

"I believe that someone has been pulling the strings behind all these events from the shadows." Samuel explained. "And it seems now they're making their move. You can already feel it, can't you? The overwhelming presence of evil in the air."

"And whatever it is, Coco and the others are trapped down with it! We have to do something to help them!" Mary stated.


Credo had only just arrived in an underground chamber just below the main cathedral in Fortuna. He walked across a stone bridge lit by a series of torches before coming toward the end on a circular platform where Sanctus and Agnus were expecting him.

"Your grace." Credo bowed before his leader.

"Welcome back, Credo." Sanctus smiled.

"I take it your Ascension went well?" Credo assumed.

"Better than I could have hopped." Sanctus said as he looked toward his own hand. "The Dark Knight's own power… now flows through my veins…"

"And only you are worthy enough to p-p-p-possess it, your holiness." Agnus said in awe. "Which is more than I can say for some." He turned his glance towards Credo, who glared in response.

"Now, now, no need for that." Sanctus raised his hand to stop any aggression before it could arise. "We must behave ourselves, for our partners have arrived."

Suddenly, a bright flash of light shined in front of them, which quickly faded to reveal not only the hovering Infinity Clock, but also the Neo Oracion Seis, now standing on the stone bridge across from their allies.

"Welcome back, my young friends." Sanctus greeted. "It would seem your mission was a success."

"Indeed, it was." Midnight confirmed. "In more ways than one." He glanced back towards Gloria as she held the Sparda sword in her hands.

"Ah… the blade of Sparda himself…" Agnus approached the weapon as Gloria held it out for him to observe. "How magnificent. But not as magnificent as… this! The Infinity Clock, now whole and c-c-c-complete!" He gazed up in awe at the massive clock that continued to hover above them.

"With this, our goal is ever more in reach." Sanctus said as he, Credo, and Agnus reached out with their hands, all three of their hands began to glow a dark red before three symbols representing the Order of the Sword formed on the Clock's face along with the six sigils of the Neo Oracion Seis. "Thanks to the new power that flows through our veins, we have ownership of the Clock just as you do. Just a few more things remain before we can satisfy your dream of this world's destruction…"

"Followed by your dream of a new world, reborn from the ashes." Midnight confirmed.

"You sure this Savior-thing will work?" Cobra questioned. "Did you even test it yet?"

"Oh, I am more than certain it will work." Agnus confirmed. "I think you already know by now, the results of my r-r-r-research. After all, from just a small drop of blood from the lovely Trish, I have created Gloria. And she is arguably, my g-g-g-greatest work."

"Thank you, Agnus." Gloria smiled.

"Everything is ready on our end, but your job isn't done yet." Credo stated as he glared at the criminals before him; several glared back, save for Midnight who remained professional.

"We'll get right on it, there's no rush." Gilver commented. "Oh, and by the way Sanctus you should know…" He leaned in close to whisper into Sanctus' ear. "Nero's power is developing."

That caused Sanctus to raise an eyebrow in surprise. "Are you certain?"

"All he needs is a proper awakening, and then he could serve as one half of the core to the Savior." Gilver said. "Seems he wasn't such a failed experiment after all."

"Perhaps not." Sanctus concluded before turning toward Midnight. "Our dream approaches…"

"…And with its fruition, all else will come to an end." He finished as both Sanctus and Midnight shook hands.

However, nobody else seemed to notice that just from behind the doorway on the other side was Kyrie. She had listened and heard almost everything; though she didn't hear the specific details of their conversation from her distance, it was now clear to her that Sanctus as well as her brother were indeed plotting something with these strange criminals. She didn't recognize any of them, but she could tell from a single glance they were bad news. She could only hope that Nero and the others get back soon, hoping they would have the means to stop them.

With an extra stride in her step, Kyrie turned around and ran as fast and as quietly as she could back to the surface. But only one did indeed notice her presence. Cobra glanced back towards the doorway with his only good eye, knowing someone was watching them.


Magic Council – Fiore Branch Headquarters

"The Oracion Seis?!" One of the administrative staff of the Magic Council exclaimed. "That's impossible!"

"I was under the impression they had been incarcerated!" Another exclaimed.

"Yes! We all were!"

"May I ask, was anyone there to witness their appearance?" Org questioned.

"Well actually… according to the reports the Fairy Tail guild was there too."

Gran Doma slammed the end of his staff on the ground in anger, startling the administrative staff as comically ominous aura surrounded him. "Not that reckless group of troublemakers again!"

"I… I know they used to be troublesome, sir… but from what I understand… they haven't caused us any problems since their new master has taken over."

"Yes, that is true." Org said. "But their former master, Makarov, has recently returned." That caused the administrative staff to look in comic panic as they glanced nervously toward Gran Doma.

"I'm aware of that." The head of the Magic Council said in a low growl. "And of course, he's brought all the old problems back with him, including Sparda's youngest and most irrational son." He heard a slight chuckle from his fellow council member. "What is it, Org? What do you find so funny?"

"I'm simply amused because this is just what I would expect from them." Org commented.

"Well, it's no laughing matter!" Gran Doma stated.

Soon, another of the administrative staff entered the scene and kneeled before the two council members. "The Chief Marshal of the Custody Enforcement Unit is here to see you."

"Good." Org nodded. "Go ahead and send him in. Thank you."


"Chief Marshal Lahar of the Fourth Custody Enforcement Unit, at your service." Lahar reported to the Magic Council in the building's main chamber, which also appeared to serve as a courtroom of sorts.

"We've been expecting you. Speak." Gran Doma told him.

"Yes sir." Lahar began. "I bring unfortunate news."

"I see." Gran Doma already had a good idea what he had to report. "Judging by the expression on your face, it must have been the genuine Oracion Seis that appeared in the desert."

"Half of the original guild, to be specific." Lahar confirmed. "The three members Midnight, Cobra, and Racer escaped from our custody some time ago, but they weren't the only ones. Erigor of Eisenwald has escaped as well and has since joined their ranks. We're not one hundred percent certain how long ago they've escaped, only that they were replaced with some form of magic dolls that disintegrated not long before their genuine reappearance in the desert."

"That only accounts for four members, but what of the other two?" One woman of the council questioned.

"One of them goes by the name of Gilver, whom we've confirmed to be responsible for all the church attacks." Lahar replied. "Leading to the certainty that the Oracion Seis are the masterminds behind all of it, though their reasoning for doing so remains unknown."

"And what of the last one?" Org asked.

"A female lightning mage named Gloria, also known as the White Tempest." Lahar answered. "But her origins remain completely unknown to us."

"How is it possible they were replaced?" One council member wondered. "What of the other one we had in custody? The one called Hoteye?"

"He remains incarcerated." Lahar replied. "We questioned him and he was cooperative, but he knew nothing."

"And what of the one that remains at large? Angel?" Gran Doma questioned. "How can we be certain she and the rest of Crime Sorciere aren't involved?"

"It would make sense." Another council member agreed. "Two of their members were formerly of the Magic Council themselves, so it is possible they could have helped."

"With all due respect sir, I don't believe Crime Sorciere had anything to do with this." Lahar replied. "Many of the dark guilds they've targeted were once under direct command of the original Oracion Seis; so, it does not make sense for them to simply clear the way for a new version of dark guild to appear, that would lead to a power struggle, which I'm certain neither side wants."

Gran Doma had a serious expression on his face, as did the rest of his comrades, save for Org. This could have been the perfect excuse to target Crime Sorciere, but without proper evidence to convict them, they couldn't make a move. For now however, their main focus was to find and eliminate the Neo Oracion Seis as soon as possible.

"But still, to use Personification Magic and replace prisoners with magic dolls… that would take a tremendous amount of skill. Especially if they fooled us for so long." Org said. "I thought casting spells was forbidden within the prison walls."

"Even if Crime Sorciere wasn't involved, the escaped convicts likely had outside assistance from somebody else." Lahar guessed.

"Who else came into contact with the Oracion Seis during their time of imprisonment?" Gran Doma questioned.

"Though I've never seen him, I was told a priest visited regularly to hear their confessions." Lahar reported.

"Tell me more. Who is this priest?" Gran Doma asked.

"I don't know, sir. We can find no record of him." Lahar regrettably reported.

"But that's impossible!" Gran Doma stated. "Even if there are no records of this priest, there are multitudes of surveillance lacrima scattered throughout the prison! Surely one of them would have picked up his image!"

"Apparently, the prison surveillance lacrima were recently replaced." Lahar responded. "Any that were active at the time of his visits had been sent for disposal."

"We must retrieve those lacrima! Track them down!" Gran Doma ordered. "We need them to identify this man!"

"This is most disturbing…" Org said. "The church burnings as well as this Neo Oracion Seis… this didn't begin till around the time the Order of the Sword made their public debut, as well as their intention to merge with Zentopia."

"I've been told that both organizations are now officially merged." Lahar reported. "I will make my way to Fortuna at once."

"Be careful Lahar." Org advised. "Fortuna is an independent nation outside the Council's jurisdiction. If anything were to happen, it could spark an international incident and that is the last thing we need right now."

"I understand sir." Lahar bowed his head.


Dante's eyes slowly fluttered open before he saw the face if Ichiya, less than an inch from his own. "Man…!" Suddenly, Dante's fist impacted Ichiya's face to send him flying and crashing into the ceiling.

"God, please don't tell me he gave me mouth-to-mouth…" Dante shivered as he pulled himself up from the couch he apparently had been sleeping on.

"You wish." Lady commented with a smirk as she approached to help him to his feet. "But seriously, you took one hell of a beating. You might be half-demon, but you're not invincible."

"Aw, you do care." Dante teased, causing Lady to grumble in annoyance. "But seriously, where the heck are we now?"

"The Blue Pegasus guildhall." Lady answered. "Everyone else is here too." She gestured to the rest of his friends in Fairy Tail as most of them all mingled around the guildhall while resting up and treating their own injuries.

"You can thank me at any time." Ichiya had pulled himself down from the ceiling. "I helped to rescue all your comrades from the rubble you were buried under."

Before Dante could even say anything in response, he heard a whistle from the bar and shivered at the sight of the old man and leader of the Blue Pegasus guild, Master Bob, giving him a flirtatious look.

"Welcome back, sleeping beauty. I trust you had a pleasant dream." Master Bob blew a kiss his way, causing Dante to shrink back and avoid it, while Lady laughed.

"Hey you're up!" Lucy said with a relieved smile as she sat at the bar alongside Natsu, Lisanna, Gray, Erza, and Happy.

"Geeze, it took you long enough." Gray commented. "I thought you heal in half the time we do."

"Well sorry, but get stabbed, skewered, blown up, and having a freaking hurricane tear up my insides isn't like getting a paper cut. It freaking hurts." Dante stated with a slight glare. "But seriously, how in the hell did we all get here?"

"These Blue Pegasus guys picked us up." Happy summed up.

"Yeah, their flying ship passed through the desert when everything went down." Lisanna added. "If it weren't for Ichiya, we'd all probably be buried alive."

"Well thanks then." Dante waved towards Ichiya, who continued to pose dramatically.

"You don't have to thank me. I know you would have done the same." Ichiya said sincerely.

"Fairy Tail has so many handsome hunks." Master Bob lulled, getting too close to Dante for comfort. "The world would be a much uglier place if were to let them die in battle."

"Sure… whatever you say…" Dante shivered as he backed away, while Lady just giggled.

Master Bob then got too close to both Natsu and Gray, causing them both to shiver. "Just thought you'd like to know, I cared for you two personally."

"Please don't do it again…" Natsu shivered, only to get bonked on the head by Erza.

"We appreciate it." Erza said for him.

"So where are those three Casanova wannabes that like to flirt with every chick they see?" Dante asked.

"You're one to talk, Dante." Lucy commented.

"Hibiki and the others are currently traveling abroad on another mission. Man." Ichiya answered.

"What about everyone else?" Dante asked. "All those other guild guys who helped us?"

"Lyon and the others were returned to their respective guilds." Erza answered.

"What about the Order of the Sword?" Natsu asked. "We still got some things to figure out with that Nero-guy."

"I'm afraid I didn't find anyone else down there." Ichiya replied.

"Must have escaped on their own." Dante assumed. "Their survivors, I'll give them that." His thoughts seemed focused on Nero and his demonic power. There were more than a few unanswered questions regarding that, but he had a feeling it would have to wait. "So, that was the genuine Oracion Seis, huh? The same group Sorano was a part of, and you took down before I joined?"

"Yeah, that was them alright." Natsu growled. "Those bastards."

"They're definitely a lot stronger than the last time we fought them." Happy said.

"And they've got some new members too." Gray also said. "Speaking of which, who was that guy Dante? He talked like he knew you."

Dante scowled. "Some I thought was dead, but I guess I was wrong." Lucy and Lady looked toward him with sympathy, they both knew why Dante felt this way. Gilver was the same person who killed his friend and mentor, Nel Goldstein, the same woman who helped make his guns and practically raised him after his parents died. It was no wonder Dante felt frustrated with this whole situation.

"Hey chin up." Lisanna tried. "Yeah… that was a pretty devastating defeat back there… but we can still bounce back."

"That's right." Natsu agreed. "The won Round 1, but this whole thing is far from over."

"What is this thing we're dealing with anyway?" Lady questioned. "First, we got all this shady stuff with the Order of the Sword, demon-possessing suits of armor, and people actually being turned into demons… now the Oracion Seis shows up out of nowhere?! I don't know what's going on, but there's no way that's all a confidence."

"I agree." Erza nodded. "There is something dire going on here, and all these events transpiring so close together is far from coincidental."

"I'm just as surprised as the Oracion Seis' revival as you are. I'll do whatever I can to help." Ichiya said.

"Thanks." Dante gave a single nod before looking around to the rest of his recuperating friends before noticing two people were missing. "Where's Michelle? And Trish?"

"Michelle left to get some fresh air, and Trish also left not long after that." Lucy answered.


Trish walked past a graveyard behind the Blue Pegasus guildhall toward the ruins of an old church, her own feelings of frustration continuing to build up. She lost the Devil Sword Sparda! The sword that Dante had trusted her with! The thought alone made her so mad at herself, she didn't know what to do. However, once she entered the building, she gave a light gasp upon seeing someone was already inside it.

Michelle turned in minor surprise to see her. "Oh, Trish. I did not realize you would be here. I can leave if you want…"

"No, it's fine." Trish raised her hand. "To be honest, I'm kinda glad. I think I could use some company." She walked forward a bit so that she was standing right next to Michelle as they looked toward the statue that the sunlight shined over through the hole in the roof. "It's a pretty nice place, huh?"

"Yes. It's quiet. Peaceful." Michelle replied as they descended into silence. "I truly am sorry." Michelle began, causing Trish to look at her with sympathy. "This is all my fault. I brought the Clock Hand to Fairy Tail, which brought down the Order of the Sword on you, and now the Oracion Seis."

"Hey, you had no idea any of this would happen." Trish said to her. "None of us did. Plus, you were fulfilling the final wish of someone who was dear to you. You didn't do anything wrong, Michelle. There's no need to blame yourself."

"But… there is. I'm just so weak and useless." Michelle was on the verge of crying. "Big Sister… and Cousin Dante… no, not just them. All of you in Fairy Tail… you welcomed me into your guild was one of your own… treated me like family… but I… I can't do a single thing to help you! All of you are risking your lives and I can't do a single thing!" Trish's expression became even more sympathetic as she allowed the sobbing Michelle to let it out. "I wish I was more like you! You… you were strong enough… and brave enough… to defy even a monster like Mundus! But I don't have any strength at all!"

"That's not true." Trish said as she put a hand on her shoulder. "You might not have any magic power or anything, but you're strong in your own way. You've helped us so much and you try to provide as much support as you can. Just being around with us, with Dante or Lucy, that alone helps them because it gives them even more reason not to give up and to keep fighting. It's the same with everyone in this sappy guild." Her smirk faded slightly as shame set in. "If you want someone to blame for anything, for not being strong, just look at me. This isn't the first time I've lost that sword… and it's not just any sword… it's the sword wielded by Sparda! It's got a lot of demonic power in it, and it's really dangerous in the wrong hands. But more than that, Dante let me have it because he trusted me. Maybe him giving me that sword was a mistake…"

"That was not a mistake, Trish." She and Michelle turned around in surprise to see both Dante and Lucy enter the church as the former continued to speak. "I don't regret giving you that thing, I've never regrated it once."

"Even after I've lost it?" Trish scowled, clenching her fists in frustration.

"Hey, it was a shitty circumstance." Dante said. "We trekked all across the continent to find pieces of a doomsday weapon, fought bad guys after bad guys, only to be completely one-sided by six maniacs that were apparently hiding in the shadows and waiting for us. We got caught with our pants down, and it's sure as hell frustrating, but it's not the end."

"He's right." Lucy agreed. "We've all been there, that feeling of frustrating and helplessness, when you let that lead to your own self-doubt… it's poison. So instead, we use that feeling of frustration to pick ourselves up, we make a mistake and learn from it so we become stronger. I know you did everything you could Trish, but this was outside our control and there's nothing we can do about other than learning from it and doing everything we can to set things right. And Michelle…" She turned toward the tear-eyed blonde as Lucy smiled lovingly. "You really are stronger than you think. I'm glad you came to Fairy Tail and I'm glad to have met you. So let's all stop beating ourselves up about it, alright?" She also directed that last part to her cousin. "I know how you're feeling right now Dante. We'll make sure Gilver gets what he deserves, I promise."

"Yeah, I know." Dante nodded.

Michelle's tears didn't stop, but they weren't tears of sorrow or frustration, but rather joy. "I… I love you… All of you…"

Without saying another word, Lucy pulled Michelle into a hug as she buried her face into Lucy's shoulder and let the tears flow. Dante and Trish followed a similar example as they put a hand on her back and shoulder respectively.

Meanwhile; the scene was being witnessed outside by Natsu, Romeo, Wendy, Gray, Erza, Happy, Carla, Lisanna, and even Modeus. It wasn't their intent to eavesdrop, but they wanted to come by and see if their friends were doing alright. From the sound of things, it was going to be just fine.

"Yeah, I think they're going to be alright." Lisanna nodded.

"I'm glad things are going pretty well for them." Wendy smiled. "But I can also understand why they feel so frustrated."

"Yeah, no joke." Gray agreed. "It's like we solved one problem but ran into another."

"I don't recall solving anything." Carla said. "All we did was bring together a doomsday weapon and practically hand-deliver it to the Oracion Seis on a silver platter."

"Nothing we can do about it now, though." Erza commented.

"Well, we're gonna find a way to get it back, right?" Romeo asked.

"Maybe it would have been helpful if that darn book we read gave us a warning sign." Happy said.

"Perhaps there was a warning, but we missed it." Modeus deduced.

"Then let's just read it another way." Natsu said bluntly, getting their attention. "I mean, we read it the normal way but didn't find any warning signs or anything, so let's try reading it a different way."

"What? You mean read it backwards or something?" Gray questioned skeptically.

"Yeah, duh." Natsu said as if it were obvious.

"Read it backwards…?" Modeus thought for a moment before his eyes widened in realization. "Natsu, you might actually be onto something."

"Wait, seriously?" Happy and Gray questioned at the same time.

"Modeus, do you have an idea?" Wendy asked.

"Yes, but we need to look at that book again. The Key of the Starry Heavens." Modeus said with a serious expression.


Meanwhile; back at the Fairy Tail guild, Asuka continued to sulk on the stump as her mother and father tried to figure out why she seemed so upset.

"What's the matter, pumpkin?" Alzack asked his daughter. "Why do you hate this book?"

"I just do, okay!?" The toddler replied. "Cause they got it all wrong! Can't you see that Daddy?!"

That got both parents' attention. "Tell Mommy and Daddy what you mean." Bisca said. "Why do you say, 'they got it wrong'?"

"They did!" Asuka stated. "They're not supposed to gather them together!"

Bisca and Alzack both gasped in surprise, realizing what that meant. "You mean the pieces of the clock?!" Alzack questioned.

"Yeah! Of course!" Asuka looked like she was about to cry in frustration. "It's all written inside of that book!"


Blue Pegasus guildhall

Modeus held the 'Key of the Starry Heavens' in his hand as he sat on a couch with Lucy and Wendy sitting next to him; Dante, Natsu, Lady, Gray, Lisanna, Happy, Erza, Trish, and Michelle gathered around as well.

"Read the 'Key of the Starry Heavens' backwards?" Lucy asked.

"Are you sure about this, Modeus?" Wendy also asked.

"I'm sure." Modeus began. "When you find something that doesn't make sense, it often helps to look at it in a different perspective. When reading something that doesn't make sense, it means there's an unseen pattern here. So, let's turn the book around, and read from the ending as if it were the beginning, while also considering everything we know so far."

"That sounds like a lot of thinking…" Natsu commented.

"Only cause you're an idiot." Gray mocked, earning a scowl from Natsu.

"You're both idiots!" Lady scolded. "So shut up and let Modeus continue!"

"Thank you, Lady." Modeus explained as he opened the book to the final page. "If we read the book backwards, the ending being the beginning, we see the start of the story centers around a disaster engulfing the world. The source of the disaster are six keys gathered together, which we know at this point to be Infinity Clock. But there are three people there as well: a girl, a knight, and a monk. We know with almost certainty that the knight is Sparda."

"But we got no clue who the girl and the monk are." Dante said.

"No, but that's not important right now." Modeus continued as he read the book's story in reverse. "Sparda and his companions are caught in the middle of a disaster, so they stop it by separating the clock into six pieces, which are depicted as six keys in the story. The three of them then go on a journey, a journey not to seek the keys, but to hide them, one-by-one."

"Which explains why they were scattered in the first place." Carla said.

"So, the Infinity Clock was taken apart by Sparda and he hid each of the pieces in a different location." Erza also said.

"Correct." Modeus continued. "With five of the pieces hidden, the final one remains with the girl who, for some reason, parts way with Sparda and the monk, taking the final piece herself, probably to hide it herself. Don't you see? This book isn't just a map to find the pieces…"

Lucy's eyes widened as she realized where he was going with this. "It's a warning to tell us what'll happened if they're gathered together again!"

Before they could say anything else, the book in Modeus' hands began to glow a bright golden color, much to the group's surprise, as well as drawing the attention of everyone in the Fairy Tail guild, as well as Master Bob and Ichiya. The book then hovered out of Modeus' hands and into the air as the pages left the book and began to spin around in rapid circles.

"What's going on?!" Natsu questioned.

"Why did the book rip itself apart?!" Happy also questioned.

The pages stopped spinning as the book cover opened up to reveal a magical projection of a certain white-haired man clad in purple, much to everyone's surprise. The appearance of this man wasn't what surprised the group, it was because they recognized this man.

"Dad…?" Dante was nothing short of shocked.

"No way…" Gray muttered.

"It's Sparda!" Trish exclaimed as everyone found themselves drawn in by the projection which then spoke.

"If you are listening to this, it means you've figured out the truth to the Key of the Starry Heavens. Though multiple copies of this book were published and sold, I asked Will Nevil to leave this message in his original copy."

"It's not really my old man, it's just a message." Dante said.

"But let's listen." Erza said as the projection continued to speak.

"The six keys depicted in the book are pieces to a powerful and dangerous weapon called the Infinity Clock, and I will now share with you it's origin. Long ago, in my never-ending mission to protect Earthland from the forces of the Underworld, I was approached by serval individuals who sought to join me. Initially I refused, not wanting any innocent soul to put themselves in harm's way for my sake. But I would soon cave in, as two certain students of mine also wished to join me. What started out as a small group of warriors would soon grow into an army larger than any even I could have imagined, a force that existed solely to protect the world from the forces of evil. That force was called the Order of the Sword."

"So Sparda did form the Order…" Michelle said in awe as everyone looked in surprise, but continued to listen.

"If you haven't already figured it out yet, I am the knight-character in the story, and the other two are the students I mentioned and fellow founders and leaders of the Order. The girl was a young woman, one of the greatest Celestial Wizards, if not the greatest of her time. Her name was Anna Heartfilia."

This earned a surprised gasp from Lucy as everyone found themselves looking toward her. 'My… my ancestor…? I knew Sparda was familiar with my family… but…' She looked to the Morning Star in her hand, remembering how it was passed down in her family for generations and silently wondered if this Anna ancestor of hers ever wielded it before.

"The monk-character in the story was my second student. A young man with vast knowledge of the magical arts, one of the most powerful wizards I've seen and had the pleasure of knowing." The message/projection of Sparda continued. "A man who once fell into the deepest depths of despair and was able to pull himself out again, a man whose goal was to make the world a better place for everyone. His name... was Zeref."

Nobody expected that. Every single person there looked toward the projection of Sparda as if he had spontaneously grown a second head.

"Did he just say Zeref?!" Natsu exclaimed, recalling the moment he saw Zeref on Tenrou Island.

"The Dark Knight really did know the Black Wizard." Carla said, still quite as surprised as everyone else.

"We suspected it… but to hear it confirmed…" Erza stuttered.

"It's something else entirely." Lady said as she cast a glance towards Dante, who continued to listen to the projection speak with everyone else.

"For many years, the Order of the Sword continued to grow; adding wizards, warriors, and other similar fighters to our ranks, protecting Earthland, not just from the forces of the Underworld, but others who sought to bring harm to the innocent. I truly thought the Order would be a symbol of hope and strength that would influence generations to come to protect the weak. However, as the years passed, there were those among the Order that grew weary of the never-ending conflict against the Darkness and sought to end it once and for all. Among them were a group of Celestial Wizards. They gathered several demonic relics, including a few Devil Arms, and sought to combine their Celestial magic with them to create a weapon that could destroy all evil. The result was the Infinity Clock, and it proved to be just the weapon they had wanted. It was powerful… too powerful. Demonic energy and Celestial magic, two different forms of power from two different worlds apart from Earthland; the darkness of the pit and the light of the stars, two forces that were never meant to come together in such a manner. Their opposing energies were incompatible with one another. The resulting energy that emanated from the Infinity Clock had the ability to distort the fabric of reality: fire would rain from the skies, oceans would turn to sand, the very laws of nature would be twisted and broken. Left unchecked, the Clock's power could destroy all of Earthland. And the Clock itself was too great a power, even the combined efforts of myself, Anna, and Zeref was not enough to destroy it. So rather than destroy it, we sealed its power away. The three of us, as well as the Celestial Wizards who made the Clock and sought to atone for their mistake, sealed the power within the Clock. After that, the Clock was taken apart into six pieces, each of which was given a seal that would prevent those of malevolent intent from touching it, be they demon, human, or otherwise. From then, the final order I would give as the leader of the Order of the Sword was to hide the clock pieces in places where we believed nobody else could reach them. After that, we disbanded the Order, but not before we told everyone to keep fighting the good fight and protect those that could not protect themselves. Five of the clock pieces were hidden across the land, but Anna choose to keep the clock hand, saying it would remain with her family and that her descendants could watch over it. Eventually, one her greatest students and future Celestial Wizard, Will Neville, would write this very book and asked that I place this message in its contents if the event the Clock was ever sought by undesired parties. I have made many mistakes in my life, but the Infinity Clock was among my greatest and I regret being unable to destroy it. If the pieces still remain hidden when you find this message, please keep it that way. But… if the pieces are found… and the Infinity Clock reassembled… a powerful seal was placed on it to keep its power from fully activating, so it's not too late to take it apart again and hide the pieces. But if the seal is broken… I fear nothing can stop it again. Forgive me."

With that, the message came to an end as the projection of Sparda vanished, the book reassembling itself before falling and clattering on the ground. What followed was a deathly silence as they allowed themselves a moment to take everything in. The Order of the Sword did indeed exist in the past, and not only was Sparda its founder and leader, but it was also even founded and led by Anna Heartfilia, an ancestor of Lucy's family, and the Black Wizard Zeref. But, even more so, they learned the origins of the Infinity Clock, what it was capable of, and why it was hidden in the first place. But, now it was no longer hidden, it was not only reassembled, but in the hands of a group that will undoubtedly use its powers for evil. This was truly the worst-case scenario.

"I… I don't believe it…" Lisanna stuttered.

"This whole time…" Wendy muttered.

"We've been doing the opposite of what Sparda wanted…" Carla also muttered.

"We were trying to do the right thing, but we only ended up helping the Neo Oracion Seis!" Happy stated.

"We screwed up big time." Lady said in a low growl.

Dante had his arms crossed as he struggled to keep his anger in check. 'I did the exact opposite of what my dad was trying to do! Did that bastard really know about it?' He thought back to Gilver's smirking face, which only seemed to make him angrier. 'No… not just him, but the rest of those bastards. Well I'll make sure the Oracion Seis pay for this! No way in hell they're getting off scot free!'

"I can't believe I was so cocky!" Lucy seemed madder at herself than anything. "How in the hell could I have missed this?!"

"Hey, don't go beating yourself up about it, Lucy." Natsu stood up immediately. "Yeah this is a pretty crappy situation, but if you wanna blame anyone, blame the Oracion Seis and the Order of the Sword."

"That's right." Gray nodded. "The Order attacked us first and look at all the shady stuff going on there. We knew the Clock was a weapon and we couldn't just leave it for someone like that to get their grubby hands on it."

"There were a lot of unknowns, but there were even more risks in not doing anything at all." Erza also said. "We did the best we could, and we didn't have much time to analyze everything. Maybe if we did look at the book beforehand, we could have found this out, but now is not the time to place blame on ourselves."

"I agree." Modeus also stood up. "We still have a chance to make things right. Sparda and his allies were able to stop the Infinity Clock in the past, so I'm confident we can do the same."

"Maybe if we learned how they did it, we can break the Clock apart too." Wendy said. "There's still hope, I know we can do it. We have Sparda's son, his apprentice, and so many other strong and good people in Fairy Tail."

"Aye! This isn't the first apocalypse we've stopped!" Happy beamed.

"One more to add to the list I suppose." Carla said with a smile.

Lucy couldn't stop herself from chuckling. "Uh oh, I think I see a smile." Lisanna teased playfully.

"Yeah, I can't help but smile when everyone else is in this grim situation." Lucy said, still smiling.

"What do you expect? This guild is notorious with its positivity, so much so even I'm infected with it." Lady said with a grin.

"What was it you said about frustrations and learning from our mistakes again?" Trish asked as she put her hand on Lucy's shoulder. "We're down but we're not out. There's still hope, right Dante?"

"Got that right." Dante stated as he faced everyone in Fairy Tail. "This ain't over yet. Not by a long shot."

Natsu then threw his arm around Dante's shoulder in buddy fashion. "So, let's get back home so we can go hunting for some bad guys!"

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered.

As the rest of Fairy Tail began to pick themselves back up, literally and emotionally, nobody seemed to notice Michelle was not smiling. But rather, she had a calculating expression in her eyes that was almost unreadable.


Fortuna

"Please let me through your eminence, I beg of you." Byro pleaded as he kneeled before Sanctus, who stood just outside the door that led into the chamber where the Archbishop was resting. "I must speak with the Archbishop immediately!"

"I'm afraid that's impossible Lord Byro." Sanctus replied in a seemingly calm and courteous tone. "Due to his current state, the Archbishop is not permitted any visitors at this time. But do not worry, now that Zentopia and the Order of the Sword have merged as one, I will act as leader until the time the Archbishop recuperates. Whatever you feel you must tell, you can bring it to me. And if you desire so, I can be certain to relay the information to him."

"Lord Sanctus, the Infinity Clock has been taken by the Oracion Seis!" Byro stated. "The Archbishop…"

"I'm already aware of the situation." Sanctus replied. "As is the Archbishop. Rest assured, everything is under control."

"What does he have to say on the matter?!" Byro questioned. "Forgive me, Lord Sanctus, but I would still like to hear…"

"There is no need to fret, my friend." Sanctus interrupted. "But if you must know, the Archbishop and I have a task planned to counter the activities of the Neo Oracion Seis, and you are critical to that plan. Be sure to put your divine powers to good use in the field of battle."

Despite being spoken to in such a tone of sincerity, Byro couldn't help but narrow his eyes at Sanctus. It was true that he had undergone the Ascension Ceremony along with Credo to gain his Angelo form, under the Archbishop's request, there was something about Sanctus' tone that put him on edge. As he thought about this however, the words of Sparda's youngest son echoed through his mind.

"We're not afraid to ask questions, which is more than I can say for you."

"Don't you even bother to ask your boss why you're doing it?! You really are just a blind old dog!"


Meanwhile; Nero walked down the streets of Fortuna before glancing down a certain alleyway. He stopped for a moment and looked in all directions to make sure he wasn't followed or that anyone was observing him. When it seemed like he was alone, Nero stepped into the alleyway and walked for a while before coming to a point in-between several tall buildings.

"Kyrie, I'm here." He said in a hush whisper, hoping she would hear him.

A door to one of the buildings opened as Kyrie came out. Before Nero got a chance to say anything, she ran out and wrapped her arms around him in an embrace, which he was quick to return. His demonic arm was re-covered in bandages to make sure Kyrie wouldn't see.

"Are you alright?" He asked as they pulled away.

"Nero… you… you were right." Kyrie began. "This… this whole thing… It's wrong. You wouldn't believe what I found… and Credo… he's… he's part of it, with his Holiness!"

The young Devil Hunter looked down with a scowl. So, Credo was planning something behind everyone's backs, and even Sanctus was a part of it. He didn't want to believe it, but he had his suspicions and it seemed they were correct.

"But that's not all. They're not alone." Kyrie continued. "They're… they're working with this group… I think they're called the Neo Oracion Seis!"

"What?!" Nero almost shouted but made sure to keep his voice down. "Are you sure? Tell me what they looked like!"

"Well… there were six of them…" Kyrie tried to describe them as best as she could. "A man in green with bandages over his face, a man with red hair, a woman in white, a man hunched over with blonde hair, another man with a robe and a scythe, and a man with black and white hair."

This caused Nero's scowl to deepen even further. "It's them." That caught Kyrie's attention. "Those bastards were there! They attacked us and Fairy Tail, stole the Infinity Clock right from under us!"

"What are we going to do Nero?" Kyrie looked to him desperately, hoping he would have an answer.

He looked toward the girl he loved with a steeled expression. "We'll get the others. I think it's time we do some maneuvering of our own."

Done. So, it looks like things are starting to escalate now. The Neo Oracion Seis have made their appearance and are far stronger than ever, they've also taken the Infinity Clock for themselves and even the Devil Sword Sparda. Not only that; but they're working with Sanctus, Agnus, and even Credo.

We also know the origins of the Infinity Clock and the original Order of the Sword, which was founded and led by not only Sparda, but also Anna Heartfilia and even Zeref! Bet you didn't see that coming, did you?

But, hope is not lost. Not only do our heroes in Fairy Tail refuse to give up, but Nero and his friends are doing some planning of their own.

And just so you know, yes Gloria in this continuity is an altered clone of Trish, one that was grown and made to be stronger than the original, which was shown in her debut fight, with Trish herself admitting that Gloria might be on par with Laxus.

Now before many of you start complaining about how Dante might have lost to Gilver, there actually is a logical reason why he did loose. Gilver is the very same demon that killed someone who was like a second mother to him, and Dante thought he had killed him, so of course he's not thinking straight. And in his emotional state of rage and confusion, Gilver was able to take advantage of him. Not only that, but he had a weapon that can counter all of Dante's various Devil Arms and most of his styles. Gilver said it himself, he's the 'Anti-Dante'. Plus, he's been frozen in time for seven years alongside his friends, so it's no wonder the Neo Oracion Seis have grown as strong as they have, but there's a lot more to their strength than you know. I've got more than a few surprises in store for each of them.

Anyways, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. I look forward to showing you what else I have planned. Until then, stay safe and stay healthy. Love you.