A/N: Episode 237.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER SIXTY: NATSU & SEBASTIAN VS. JACKAL

"Impossible... It can't be... It just can't..." Jackal mumbled to himself.

"I'm fired up." Natsu said.

"You... What are you?!" Jackal questioned as Natsu and Sebastian charged forward at Jackal.

"I'm Natsu!" Natsu responded as him and Sebastian sent a punch towards Jackal, sending him crashing into the water. Lucy and Wendy raced forward.

Jackal laughed. "You... You both touched me again!" He announced as Natsu and Sebastian's hand glowed. "Ka-boom! Detonate!"

Natsu and Sebastian placed their fists in their mouth as two explosions appeared. "Natsu! Sebastian!" Lucy shouted.

"Natsu-san! Sebastian-san!" Wendy yelled.

The dust cleared as Natsu and Sebastian stood there, perfectly fine. "I told you we've got the hang of it. It ain't gonna work anymore." Natsu claimed.

"Looks like you're the one who needs to listen when someone's talkin' to you." Sebastian added.

"What are those two?" Jackal wondered as both Natsu and Sebastian walked forward. "How can mere humans... make me... quiver?"

Natsu and Sebastian's eyes glowed with power. "Wait... Are they really human? This can't be!" Jackal thinks to himself.

Jackal begins to transform, getting Natsu and Sebastian's attention. "It's impossible!" Jackal exclaimed in his head.

"What is he?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Natsu-san, Sebastian-san, be careful! He's changing!" Wendy warned.

"Huh?"

Jackal now had a lycanthropic form as he let out a roar.

"He turned into a monster!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Somehow, he got even uglier." Sebastian insulted as he let out a snort.

His comment made Jackal charge forward and threw a punch at him in which Sebastian got thrown back. "Sebastian!" Natsu shouted in worry before blocking Jackal's punch that he sent his way, making him skid through the water.

Another explosion soon appeared, sending Lucy and Wendy back a few feet. Natsu and Sebastian both crashed to the ground as Jackal blew up another house.

"Scumbag! What, does he intend on wrecking the town?!" Natsu asked himself before charging forward again, blocking Jackal's claw and creating a small crater below him.

Sebastian rushed forward and tried to punch Jackal, but Jackal sent him to the ground. Sebastian gasped as he crossed his arms and blocked Jackal's fist.

"No puny humans are superior to us demons! Stop trying!" Jackal exclaimed.

"Demons?!" Sebastian repeated.

"He said 'demons'?!" Lucy noticed.

"You're all demons?!" Natsu questioned.

"Perish, humans!" Jackal shouted, a yellow glow coming from his claw.

"Is that what you're fightin' for?!" Sebastian asked, sending a flaming kick at Jackal's jaw.

"We're different! We're fightin' for our comrades that you people hurt!" Natsu exclaimed, sending a punch at Jackal. "The enemy could be humans, demons, gods, it doesn't matter!"

Natsu threw Jackal to the ground. "Lend me your power, Laxus!" Natsu said as lightning combined with his flames.

"Lightning Flame Dragon's Hammer!"

Natsu sent the attack at Jackal sending him flying through the town as he finally ended up slamming into a wall as Natsu was trying to catch his breath. "Both of them made a shambles of the town." Lucy commented.

"True." Wendy agreed.

Natsu and Sebastian soon exploded, getting Lucy and Wendy's attention. "Natsu! Sebastian!" Lucy called out.

"After absorbing an explosion of that scope, both Natsu-san and Sebastian-san..." Wendy trailed off.

"Is everyone okay?!" Happy questioned as him, Raden, and Carla returned.

"We finished evacuating all the area residents!" Carla informed.

"That pregnant woman is safe, too!" Raden added.

"Natsu!"

"Sebastian!"

Both Happy and Raden called out to their partners. "Are they all right?" Carla asked.

"The enemy was powerful. It took all of their might just to make it a draw." Lucy replied.

Natsu held up a peace sign. "No, we won." He claimed.

"It seems they won." Wendy commented.

"You beat him, huh?" Happy questioned.

Sebastian gave a weak thumbs up. "I'm all right as well. Just exhausted." He added.

"We have to somehow get information from him." Carla informed.

Jackal was knocked out of his Etherious Form, getting Wendy and Lucy's attention. "Boy... You really beat me. No one has ever done this before." He commented as yellow beams surrounded him. "It's frustrating... I'm sorry... Kyoka."

More yellow beams of light appeared, lightning up the sky. "At least... I'll take them to hell... with me!" Jackal said.

"W-What is this?!" Lucy questioned.

"Don't tell me..." Wendy started to say.

"He's going to blow up the whole town?!" Raden finished.

"Don't!" Lucy shouted.

"It's too late... I'm going to detonate. Nothing can stop it, not even death!" Jackal claimed as Lucy, Wendy, Carla, Happy, and Raden soon joined Natsu and Sebastian in the crater.

Jackal cackled. "I'll see you in hell!"

Lucy kneeled down next to Natsu. "What should we do? At this rate, the whole town will..." She started to say.

Happy flew towards Jackal, picking him up by his scarf. "I won't let that happen!" He exclaimed, lifting Jackal up in the air.

"Happy!" Natsu shouted.

"Hey..." Carla trailed off.

"Are you insane?" Raden questioned.

"You..."

"Happy! Fly away fast!" Wendy warned.

"We're not gonna lose to you guys!" Happy claimed.

"Dammit!" Jackal yelled.

An explosion appeared in the sky. "Happy!" Natsu screamed.

Everyone stared in silence, too speechless to say anything as tears threatened to fall out of Carla's eyes. Yellow orbs soon began to fall down as Natsu and Sebastian stood up, with Sebastian stumbling a bit.

"Oh, no..." Natsu mumbled as tears finally fell down Carla's face. "Happy..."

A sparkle was soon shown as Happy flew back down, making everyone sigh in relief. "Hair?" Wendy questioned.

"That was close..." Happy stated.

Gray and Juvia were currently riding on an animal. "I can see it." Gray informed.

"That town..." Juvia muttered as the animal they were riding on suddenly stopped.

"What did you suddenly stop for?!" Gray asked.

The animal was growling at the ground. "It seems to be afraid of something." Juvia noticed.

"Then something's here?" Gray wondered.

The two of them soon stopped at a destroyed house. "Well?" Makarov asked over the communication lacrima.

"No good. We were too late." Gray replied.

"What?! Where's Sage Fogg?" Makarov questioned.

"He's... gone..." Juvia answered. "Someone apparently went on a rampage through the town."

"I can't bear to look at it." Gray added.

"Good lord..." Makarov muttered.

"How about your team, Gajeel?" Cana asked.

"Have you found Sage Belno?" Laki added.

Gajeel appeared on the lacrima. "We were too late." He replied.

"There's no signs of violence here." Levy informed.

"We believe she was assassinated." Orion added.

Gajeel clenched his fist in anger. "Dammit! If we'd only gotten here a little earlier..."

"Gajeel..." Levy muttered.

"Even Sage Fogg and Sage Belno..." Cana stated. "There's still Natsu's team, which headed for Sage Michello."

"And there's Elfman's team, which set out for Sage Yuri." Makarov said.

Lucy soon appeared on the communication lacrima. "Good! We finally got through!" She exclaimed.

"Lucy!"

"The thing we brought got broken. This is one from the town." Lucy stated.

"What's going on by you?" Makarov asked.

"Michello-san is safe." Lucy replied, causing Makarov, Cana, Romeo, and Laki to sigh in relief. "Though both Natsu and Sebastian were hurt badly..."

"We won!" Natsu announced, raising a peace sign.

"They both defeated a member of Tartaros." Wendy informed.

"We won!"

"So it seems."

"The town is a wreck, though..." Carla stated.

"And so is my hair..." Happy added.

"Did you get any info out of Michello?!" Makarov questioned.

"Actually..." Lucy looked at Michello.

"White legacy... Face... I don't know anything... I really don't know anything..." Michello muttered.

"Face?" Makarov quoted.

"Face... is one of the Council's weapons." Michello revealed, leaving everyone stunned.

Natsu sat up. "Weapon?" He repeated.

"Why would the Council have that?" Sebastian asked.

"It must be to maintain order in the Magic community." Raden replied.

"Right now, I think we should continue to hear him out." Carla added.

"We have many weapons. The way we manage each one is different... depending on its levels of danger and necessity." Michello began to explain. "For example, Etherion. It's a super-powerful Magic cannon that can target an entire continent. It has the power to decimate a nation in a moment. Firing it requires the permission of the nine current Council members and activation codes of ten senior members."

"In other words, with all the current members murdered..." Jet trailed off.

"...the Council can't use Etherion?" Droy finished.

"Is one of their goals to neutralize Etherion?" Lily questioned.

"What kind of weapon is Face?!" Makarov asked Michello, who didn't reply. "I know you're sworn to secrecy! But this is more important!"

"Magical pulse bomb... It's a weapon that would destroy all Magic over the whole continent." Michello replied.

"Wha...?!" Gray widened his eyes.

"Magic all over the continent?!" Gajeel repeated.

"Destroyed?!" Jet and Droy spoke in unison.

"All wizards would get Magic deficiency disease." Cana stated.

"That's not all! That member said Tartaros' power comes from Curses, not Magic!" Lucy informed.

"So it would be a world in which all wizards would be suffering and unable to use Magic, while only Tartaros could use their powers." Orion pointed out.

"To think they'd use a devastating weapon like that!" Makarov exclaimed.

Sebastian grabbed onto Michello's collar. "Where is it?! We'll destroy it before they get there!" He said.

"I... I don't know... I swear... I've heard that three former Council members used Living Link Magic to seal it away, but only the former chairman knows who those three are." Michello answered.

"Living Link Magic..." Happy quoted.

"Three lives are the key to unlock the seal..." Wendy muttered.

"That's why those bastards are killing them without trying to pump the members for information." Gray realized.

"Then in other words, they don't need information. So does Tartaros already know where Face is being hidden?" Juvia asked.

"If the three former members who are keeping it sealed are murdered, Face will belong to Tartaros, Gramps!" Gajeel informed.

"We need to find those three and protect them, ASAP!" Makarov claimed. "The former chairman knows who they are, right?"

"I... I believe so." Michello responded.

The Fairy Tail members soon began their search. "Nobody's figured out the former chairman's address yet?!" Makarov asked. "The enemy is targeting him, too, so hurry!"

"It'll be okay! We found the addresses of 16 more former Council members along the way. They're now under the personal protection of other guilds that agreed to help!" Warren informed.

"The former chairman's address is among them!" Laki said.

"Send someone over there on the double!" Makarov instructed.

"Relax. They're already on their way."

Mira and Erza were seen riding a bull with the Fairy Tail insignia on its horn.

"Our two most reliable members!"

A/N: Another chapter is finished!

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.