A/N: Episode 256.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN: FINAL DUEL

Everyone was looking at Freed, Evergreen, Bickslow, and Yajima who were still unconscious as Romeo walked up. "No good. I couldn't find him anywhere." He informed.

"I looked over there, but didn't see hide nor hair of him." Macao stated. "If we don't find him soon..."

"He ain't over there, either. This ain't funny. Laxus shouldn't be goin' anywhere in his condition..." Wakaba added.

"Good grief. He reminds me of Makarov. A real troublemaker." Porlyusica commented.

"So, what do we do?"

"It can't be helped. I'm calling off the search." Porlyusica replied, shocking everyone.

"But..." Romeo began to protest.

"The damned fool. What is he doing in that condition?" Porlyusica wondered.

"You ready for this?" Laxus asked.

"Laxus, don't!" Gajeel warned.

Laxus ignores his warning and gets covered in lightning, charging at Tempester. "Your struggling is pointless." Tempester claimed.

Laxus sends a punch towards him as Tempester blocked it and a huge lightning ball appeared in the air. "Raging Bolt!" Laxus shouted, slamming the lightning ball down onto the ground and causing an explosion. Laxus tried to catch his breath.

"Is that the best you can do?" Tempester taunted, making Laxus grit his teeth. "Rumble."

Tempester charged forward. "Boom!" He exclaimed as Laxus blocked his attack with his arms. He leaped back to the ground as he was on his knees.

"How long can that body hold out when it's filled with anti-Magic particles? Putting it to the test amuses me, human." Tempester stated.

"Bastard..." Laxus muttered.

"Whoosh!" Tempester called out next. Multiple tornadoes charged towards Laxus.

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Laxus releases a blast of lightning from his mouth.

"Boom!"

The two attacks collided, making an explosion and fire soon appeared, shocking Laxus as the fireball destroyed the lightning, making Tempester smirk.

Laxus breathes heavily. "You're really doin' a number on me..." He claimed.

"Stop moving!" Gajeel told him.

"You have two choices. Keep going and die. Or give up and die." Tempester said.

Laxus got covered in lightning again, charging forward. "You people don't understand! Humans have the power to get up when they're down!" He exclaimed.

"Spin!" Tempester said, thrusting his arm forward as it collided with Laxus's fist.

Laxus soon did a backflip and tried sending a kick to Tempester, who blocked it. "Demon, my ass!" Laxus insulted.

Tempester threw a punch at Laxus's chest, causing him to spit out blood. "You're the one who's scared! As well as your pal who's just watching!" Laxus insulted, referring to Fenris who growled at him.

Laxus clasps his hands together. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" He shouted, releasing a large amount of lightning.

"Spin!" Tempester shouted, trying to attack Laxus who flew into a rock. "Smash."

A boulder flew towards Laxus, crashing into him.

"Laxus!" Gajeel exclaimed.

Laxus soon appeared from the rubble. "Give up, human. I mean, surely you can't move anymore. It's over for you." Tempester claimed as Laxus wipes his mouth.

"I'll be the judge... of whether I can still move or not." Laxus said, walking forward and shocking Gajeel. "Puttin' on airs... You don't give me orders!"

Laxus gets covered in lightning again and speds forward. "Dragon Slayer's Secret Art! Roaring Thunder!" He called out.

Tempester blocked the attack. "Rattle!" He shouted, bits of rocks raising in the air and charging towards Laxus before causing an explosion.

Tempester walks forward as Laxus laid in the rubble, struggling to breathe. Tempester hovered above him. "This time for sure, it's over." He stated.

"Again... Again, I..." Laxus thinks to himself.

Laxus was lying on the bed in the infirmary room. "Hey, Laxus!" He heard the sound of Natsu's voice, who banged on the door. "You can hear me, can't you, Laxus?"

"Stop it, Natsu!" Happy warned.

"Yeah. Porlyusica-san said to let him rest quietly." Lucy reminded him.

"Laxus won't get better if you keep on botherin' him." Akame added.

"I know!" Natsu turned to the door once again. "Laxus! We're goin' off to search for the Council members. No matter what I suck up, I'm always fine. You're the same way, aren't you? Leave the rest to us."

"Natsu..." Lucy muttered.

"I'm sure you'll be fine! Just get your rest." Happy said.

Lucy turned to the Exceed. "Happy..." She mumbled.

"They're right you know, Laxus." Zack added. "We got things covered from here on out."

"Zack..." Akame muttered.

"See ya, Laxus!" Natsu bid farewell to Laxus.

Laxus gets pulled out of the memory. "I'm ready to give you a fitting end." Tempester raised his fist. "Farewell, human. Whoosh!"

Wind engulfs Tempester's fist before he struck down at Laxus's chest, making him scream out.

"Laxus!" Gajeel exclaimed.

The wind had suddenly stopped as Laxus grabbed ahold of Tempester's wrist, who turned to him. "Let go." Tempester ordered.

"You're right... I can't... move anymore... But..." Lightning surrounded Laxus's fist.

"He's crazy..." Gajeel muttered.

Laxus stands up from the rubble. "You... You left yourself open... with that body?" Tempester asked in shock.

"I was waiting." Laxus replied, shocking Tempester. "Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!"

Laxus punched Tempester in the jaw with lightning covering his fist. Tempester spat out blood as it landed on Laxus's coat. Tempester fell to the ground in defeat and Laxus collapsed to his knees.

"Gajeel!" Laxus called out to the Iron Dragon Slayer, tossing his coat over to him.

"Hey, Laxus..." Gajeel mumbled.

"Take him. My coat... Take it over there... Deliver it to the old lady." Laxus instructed.

Gajeel looked down, noticing the blood. "His blood... I hear it can be used for an antidote." Laxus said before finally collapsing to the ground.

"Laxus!" Gajeel shouted. "You... You went this far..."

Makarov was standing around the ruins of the Fairy Tail guild, looking down to see a flag with the guild's emblem on it. "It wasn't enough... But it isn't over yet." Makarov thought, clenching his fist. "As long as the brats are around, Fairy Tail won't give in!"

Gajeel soon helps Laxus up. "Dumb-ass, didn't you hear me? I said to get goin'." Laxus spoke weakly.

"If I left you here, my conscience will wouldn't let me hear the end of it." Gajeel stated.

Laxus looked at him. "Never mind, just go! The blood! Take that blood over now!" He ordered.

"Shut up!" Gajeel told him before he noticed how Tempester had stood up.

"What is this guy, invulnerable?" Gajeel questioned as Laxus grits his teeth.

"I am the immortal Tempester. As long as the Underworld King is with us, my body is constantly being supplied with a faint amount of Curse Power." Tempester explained.

"What?!"

Fenris soon joined Tempester's side, deciding he finally had enough of being bored.

"The Hell's Core resurrection is an ability possessed not only by me, but by all of the Ten Demon Gates. Nevertheless, for some reason only I was given the nickname 'the immortal.' Do you know why?" Tempester questioned as Gajeel and Laxus stayed silent. "My body has always been stronger than the others'. On top of that, the Curse Power that the Underworld King supplies me with increases my natural demon healing ability several times over."

This shocks Gajeel. "If you still intend to fight me, I'll tell you one thing." Tempester informed.

"What is it, asshole?!"

"In order to destroy this immortal body, you'd better take me down with one attack that doesn't give me the chance to heal. But to do that, you'll need tremendous offensive strength. Strength you two just don't have right now." Tempester responded, making Gajeel grit his teeth.

"No, you're already finished." Laxus claimed.

"Stupid human. What are you talking about?" Tempester asked.

Lightning was surrounding the ground around Tempester and Fenris. Laxus moves Gajeel away from him.

"As you wish, I'll take you down with one strike! Your friend, as well!" Laxus exclaimed. "Lightning Dragon's... Roar!"

Multiple lightning currents headed towards Tempester and Fenris as a pillar of lightning engulfed the two demons. Tempester and Fenris eventually crashed to the ground, knocked out as Laxus eventually collapsed as well.

"Laxus!" Gajeel shouted, limping over to him. "Laxus! Hey, wake up! Laxus! Dammit!"

"Well done, human... I have no way to get up again." Tempester claimed. Fenris was knocked out of his Etherious form. "The Curse Power supplied by the Underworld King won't heal me in time... I'm going to die... in a matter of seconds... And Hell's Core no longer exists."

Fenris smiled to himself. "Looks like I'll be joining you soon... Jackal..." He thought.

"Then quit making a fuss about it and just..." Gajeel started to say.

"However... I must serve one last purpose." Tempester said as him and Fenris began to glow purple, grabbing Gajeel's attention.

"What?!"

"Come with us, along with these anti-Magic particles... Come with us to the land of the dead!" Tempester claimed.

Anti-Magic particles began surrounding the area. "I can't do it! There's no time!" Gajeel exclaimed, slamming his fist to the ground. "Dammit!"

Frost soon appeared, covering the area in purple ice and freezing the anti-Magic particles. "Ice?" Gajeel questioned. "Anti-Magic particles?!"

Gajeel looked up, seeing Gray had arrived. "In the space of a moment, you froze all these anti-Magic particles?" He asked.

Gray looked down at Laxus. "Don't tell me he fought in his condition?" He questioned.

"Yeah..." Gajeel responded.

"These anti-Magic particles are what made Laxus and the others sick. I froze all of them, but what about the blood?"

"I've got it right here."

"I see."

Gray turned back around. "What's goin' on?" Gajeel wondered.

"I'm going to crush Tartaros." Gray informed.

Ezekiel, Erza, Minerva, and the Exceeds finally arrived at the control room. "So this is the control room?" Ezekiel asked, holding onto Franmalth.

"Yes." Franmalth replied.

"Ezekiel, over there!" Bruno exclaimed, pointing at something.

They saw Crawford in front of a screen. "The former chairman!" Ezekiel charged forward, dropping Franmalth on the ground. "I'm gonna stop Face right now!"

"This isn't Keyes-sama's corpse-manipulating power... Then..." Franmalth thinks to himself.

"Former Chairman!" Ezekiel exclaimed.

Ezekiel suddenly stopped in his tracks. "W-What?! My body... is moving by itself..." He managed to get out as his hands went to his throat, choking himself.

"What is this?!" Happy asked.

"What's going on?!" Lily wondered.

"Enemy Magic..." Lector said.

"I... I can't breathe..." Frosch muttered out as Jim, Chii, and Bruno were in the same state.

"Zeke..." Erza mumbled.

"Crap..." Minerva muttered.

"It's my Curse Power, Macro." Seilah's voice was soon heard as Ezekiel glanced over to see her along with Kyoka.

"Don't kill them yet. That one's mine." Kyoka claimed, referring to Ezekiel.

"Seilah... Kyoka..." Minerva spat out.

"Then... the former chairman's body, too..." Erza trailed off.

"That's right. I can't control them as skillfully as Keyes-sama, but my Macro can get the dead moving to an extent." Seilah explained.

"As long as we have the former chairman's authority, we can activate all 3,000 devices from here." Kyoka added as everyone was struggling against their own might.

"Eze...kiel..." Chii managed to get out.

"For all of you, the tale ends here." Seilah claimed.

"You were still exposing yourself to ridicule, Minerva?" Kyoka taunted. "Ezekiel... How does it feel to lose control of yourself? I bet it makes you recall that torture room. Shall I have more fun with you?"

"M-Move!" Jim stuttered out.

"I can't breathe..." Frosch mumbled.

"Frosch... Hang in there!" Happy told him.

Suddenly, Mira charges forward in her Satan Soul, attacking Seilah straight in the face.

"Mira!" Erza exclaimed.

"What?!" Kyoka questioned.

Seilah was sent crashing to the ground as everyone was released from her control. "The binding's broken!" Happy exclaimed.

"All right! I have control over myself again!" Lily cheered.

Crawford soon collapsed to the ground. "The Chairman stopped moving, too!" Lector exclaimed.

"Damn you..." Seilah cursed.

Erza and Ezekiel both rushed over. "Mira! I was worried about you!" Erza said.

"I'm glad you're okay." Ezekiel spoke in relief.

"Me, too." Mira spoke weakly. "I may have just used up all my power..."

"Seilah..." Kyoka muttered. "You did well with what little power you had left."

"I'm sorry. That was the last of my Curse Power. The Face Project is..." Seilah started to say.

"No need to fear." Kyoka assured. "The Chairman completed his task. The 3,000 Face devices will be activated in a matter of moments."

"No..." Mira mumbled.

"We did it!" Franmalth cheered.

"Kyoka-sama... You're the last one left of the Ten Demon Gates. Please... make our dearest wish come true. Return all of us to Lord Zeref..." Seilah pleaded.

Kyoka grabbed her hand. "Yes. Along with your soul..." She said as a dark blue sphere surrounded her and Seilah.

"She's absorbing Seilah-sama's power? How much power is that worth? How much? Although that's my ability..." Franmalth said.

"Face is going to activate!" Bruno exclaimed.

"What should we do?!" Jim asked.

"We'll just have to stop it." Ezekiel replied.

"Get Kyoka! She has almost all the information!" Minerva informed.

"Please! Ezekiel!" Mira added.

"Please win, Kyoka-sama!" Seilah said.

"Yeah."

Ezekiel soon requipped into his Hades Armor. "I swear I'll stop Face." He promised.

"I'll destroy the enemy for Zeref's sake." Kyoka claimed.

A/N: Another chapter is completed!

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.