A/N: Episode 237.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER SIXTY: NATSU & AKAME VERSUS JACKAL & FENRIS

"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 Akame charged forward at Jackal and Fenris.

"I'm Natsu!" Natsu replied as him and Akame sent a punch towards the two demons, sending them crashing into the water. Lucy, Wendy, and Zack raced forward.

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

Natsu placed his fist in his mouth as an explosion appeared. "Natsu!" Lucy shouted.

"Natsu-san!" Wendy yelled.

The dust cleared as Natsu and Akame stood there, perfectly fine. "I told you I 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." Akame insulted.

"What are those two?" Fenris wondered as both Natsu and Akame walked forward. "How can a mere human... make me... quiver?"

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

Both Jackal and Fenris began to transform, getting Natsu and Akame's attention. "It's impossible!" Jackal exclaimed in his head.

"What are they?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Natsu-san, be careful! He's changing!" Wendy told him.

"Be on guard, Akame!" Zack warned.

"Huh?"

Jackal and Fenris had transformed into their Etherious Forms - both of them having lycanthropic forms. Jackal's fur was yellow while Fenris's was purple. The two of them then roared.

"They turned into monsters!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Somehow, they got uglier." Akame commented as he snorted.

His comment made Fenris charge forward and threw a punch at him in which Akame got thrown back. "Akame!" Natsu shouted in worry before blocking Jackal's own punch, making him skid through the water.

Another explosion soon appeared, sending Lucy, Wendy, and Zack flying back a few feet. Natsu 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.

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

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

"Demons?!" Akame repeated.

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

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

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

"Is that what you're fightin' for?!" Akame questioned

Him and Natsu sent a kick of red mist and flames at Jackal and Fenris's jaws.

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

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

"Lightning Flame Dragon's Hammer!"

Akame leaped into the air, dodging Fenris's claw. "Blood Dragon's Clotting!" He called out, slamming his hand on Fenris's back.

Both Jackal and Fenris slammed into the wall as Natsu and Akame both tried to catch their breaths. "Both of them made a shambles of the town." Lucy commented.

"True." Wendy agreed.

"I'm not surprised at this point." Zack muttered.

Natsu soon exploded, getting Lucy, Wendy, and Zack's attention. Natsu then collapsed to the ground as Akame did the same. Lucy, Wendy, and Zack quickly rushed over. "Natsu!" Lucy called out.

"Akame!" Zack yelled.

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

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

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

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

"Natsu!"

"Akame!"

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

"The enemies were powerful. It took all of their might just to make it a draw." Zack responded.

Natsu held up a peace sign. "No, I won." He said.

"It seems he won." Wendy commented.

"You beat him, huh?" Happy questioned.

Akame chuckled as he gave a weak thumbs up. "I'm all right as well. Just exhausted. Whew, that took the wind outta me." He stated, making Zack chuckle.

"We have to somehow get information from them." Carla pointed out.

Both Fenris and Jackal were knocked out of their Etherious Forms as Fenris began to glow purple. "Fenris..." Jackal mumbled, knowing he was going back to the guild as his voice got Lucy, Wendy, and Zack's attention.

"Boy... You really beat me. No one has ever done this before." Jackal 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.

Zack gasped. "He's planning on blowing up the entire town?!" He 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, Zack, Carla, Chii, and Jim soon joined Natsu and Akame 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?" Jim 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 Akame stood up, with Akame stumbling a bit.

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

A sparkle was 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 mumbled as the animal they were riding on stopped.

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

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 how. "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 responded.

"There are no signs of violence here." Levy informed.

"We believe she was assassinated." Lily 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.

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

"Zack! Lucy!"

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

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

"Sage Michello is safe." Zack replied, causing Makarov, Cana, Romeo, and Laki to sigh in relief. "Though both Natsu and Akame were hurt badly..."

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

"They defeated two members of Tartaros." Wendy informed.

"I 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?" Akame asked.

"It must be to maintain order in the Magic community. Right now, I think we should continue to hear him out." Carla replied.

"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 responded.

"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.

"There's more! One of the members said Tartaros' power comes from Curses, not Magic!" Zack 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." Lily pointed out.

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

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

"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..." Chii 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 spoke.

"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 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, Erza, and Ezekiel were seen riding two bulls with the Fairy Tail insignia on their horns.

"Our two most reliable members!"

A/N: Another chapter is completed!

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.