A/N: Episode 251.
Enjoy!
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR: A BOY'S TALE
"What are you guys doing here?" Ezekiel asked Sting, who sets Minerva down.
"You sent us that letter, Ezekiel-san." Sting replied.
"Minerva joined a Dark Guild?" Makarov questioned.
"We should probably inform Sting, too." Ezekiel responded.
"Now that you mention it..." Ezekiel trailed off.
"Incidentally, Ezekiel-san, the way you wrote that letter was, you know..." Lector started to say.
"Terrible." Frosch finished.
"At first I thought your letter was cursing us. Even thinking about it now makes me feel nauseated..." Lector claimed.
"Yukino fainted after reading three lines." Frosch added.
"Because of that, Rufus was prepared to die as he deciphered it, it wasn't until Dusk came and told us that it was just how you were and you weren't trying to curse us." Rogue informed as Ezekiel scratched his cheek in embarrassment.
"Sorry." He apologized.
"Ezekiel, have you seen Akame or Zack anywhere?" Dusk questioned.
"Uh... No, I haven't." Ezekiel answered, making Dusk sigh.
"I'm sure they're fine, Dusk." Bruno reassured.
"Yeah."
Sting turned to look at Minerva. "My lady. Let's go back to the guild."
Tears fell from Minerva's eye as Mard Geer smirked. "Return to your guild? This world of Magic is about to end. But go ahead. I won't stop you." He said.
"Face was destroyed." Ezekiel claimed.
"Just one of them." Mard Geer revealed as Ezekiel widened his eyes.
"Ezekiel-san, on the way here, we saw a lot of creepy statues of faces." Sting informed.
"If that's Face, there are tons of them coming up out of the ground." Rogue added.
"What?!"
"One hour. In one hour, all of the Faces will start up. That's approximately 3,000 Magic pulse bombs. They'll eradicate Magic all across the continent." Mard Geer explained as Ezekiel was in disbelief. "Everything will go as planned. No matter what you people try to do, it will be for naught."
"Dammit! Another pain-in-the-ass wizard!" Natsu complained.
"I'm not a wizard. I wield Curse power." Tempester said. "Sink."
Natsu began sinking into the ground. "What the hell are you doing?!" He exclaimed before Tempester kicked him in the face.
Natsu lights his fists on fire, joining them together. "Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame!" He shouted, throwing a large fireball in Tempester's direction.
"Downpour."
The rain soon made the flames disappear as steam appeared from it.
"Dammit! Again?!" Natsu said.
Tempester appeared from the mist as he charged at Natsu, who did the same. "You're annoying." Tempester insulted.
"You're the one with the smug look on his mug!" Natsu shot back.
Gajeel charged at Torafuzar who did the same. Torafuzar ended up striking Gajeel, who collapsed to his knees.
"Crap. Bastard's got a tough skin. What the hell's he made of?" Gajeel asked himself, holding onto his hand in pain.
"Iron-based Magic, eh? It's unusual, but your attacks are simple. But that's the impression I already got from your face." Torafuzar said.
"You don't gotta go there, jerkoff!" Gajeel shouted in irritation. "I'll clock you with Iron Dragon's Club!"
Torafuzar caught it with his hand. "Boring." He insulted before throwing Gajeel in the air. "You howl a lot for a weak human."
"And you flap your gums like nobody's business, sharkskin!" Gajeel exclaimed before he charged forward.
"Azure Dragon's Tangle Webs!" Zack called out, shooting a stream of dark from the palm of his hand as Fenris easily dodged and threw Zack back.
Akame leaped into the air. "Blood Dragon's Crushing Fang!" He shouted, swinging his right arm in an arc at Fenris, leaving a trail of red mist behind. However, Fenris slammed his palm on his chest, sending him back as he crashed into Zack.
"This guy is tough!" Zack exclaimed.
"Yeah, but we're tougher!" Akame informed as both him and Zack charged forward once more.
"Water Slicer!"
Juvia's attack went right through Keyes. He chuckled to himself and disappeared.
"Again?!" Juvia questioned as Keyes appeared behind her. "A body that's immune to Juvia's skills... This is one hard battle!"
"A tale..." Keyes muttered, grabbing Juvia's attention.
"What's that?" She asked.
Keyes chuckled. "Seilah said tales written by humans are wearisome. However... this tale of you humans in particular is so comical that it's captured my interest." He claimed.
Lucy recalls Aquarius's sacrifice and the Celestial Spirit King appearing.
"Aquarius... Celestial Spirit King... I..." Lucy struggles to sit up. "I... will continue... to fight!"
Hana lays her back down on her lap. "Hana..." Lucy mumbled.
"Your strength hasn't recovered yet, Lucy-sama. Please rest." Hana told her as Lucy nodded.
"3,000 Magic pulse bombs?!" Ezekiel repeated in disbelief. "I don't believe it!"
"What the hell is that?!" Sting questioned.
"In one hour..." Rogue started to say.
"...Magic will disappear all across the continent?" Lector finished.
"Fro won't be able to fly anymore?" Frosch asked.
"It's more than that. A great part of our lives depends on Magic. There'll be chaos everywhere." Bruno replied.
"It's a bluff." Minerva huffed out, making everyone turn to her. "He can't operate Face by remote control. It's impossible to activate 3,000 of them simultaneously."
"Certainly... the human known as the chairman has the authority to control them remotely." Mard Geer said.
"If I recall correctly, that chairman is dead." Minerva stated.
"Wha...?!" Ezekiel said in shock.
"We have a necromancer in our guild." Mard Geer revealed.
"What's that?" Frosch asked.
"Someone with the power to control the dead!" Lector replied.
"He will manipulate the chairman's corpse to turn on Face from the control room." Mard Geer said.
"How dare you?!" Ezekiel exclaimed.
"Amid all this destruction, that room was spared?" Minerva questioned.
Sting, Rogue, and Dusk stepped forward. "Ezekiel-san, get over there." Sting said, cracking his knuckles.
"Stop Face!" Dusk informed.
"Leave him to us." Rogue added.
"But..." Ezekiel began to protest.
"Take care of my lady and the cats, too. I know I can count on you, Ezekiel-san." Sting said.
"We'll take this guy down." Rogue stated.
"Humans say the silliest things." Mard Geer commented. "You're going to beat the Underworld King? You humans?"
"These humans are about to give you a one-way ticket back to hell." Dusk claimed.
"That's right!" Sting agreed as him, Rogue, and Dusk charged forward.
"If you must." Mard Geer said.
Sting and Dusk tried to send punches and kicks infused with holy light and starlight while Mard Geer dodged them all. Rogue soon snuck in his shadow, appearing behind him.
"Ezekiel! Now!" Rogue ordered.
"Take my lady with you!" Sting said.
"Bruno, go with them!" Dusk added.
"Right!" Bruno agreed.
"He's a formidable enemy! Be careful!" Ezekiel warned as he supported Minerva.
"What?! He can't be as tough as Akame-san!" Sting claimed, holy light appearing from his hand.
"Don't worry about us! Get going, Ezekiel!" Dusk ordered, starlight coming from his hand.
"Stop Face!" Rogue added as shadows appeared from his hand as well.
"Right!" Ezekiel said.
"Sting... Rogue..." Minerva muttered.
"Fro is gonna fight, too!" Frosch claimed as Lector was pulling him by his tail.
"Don't be a dope! We're going with Ezekiel-san." Lector informed.
"But..."
"I have faith in Sting-kun." Lector said.
Frosch turned around. "Fro does, too!" He agreed.
Sting, Rogue, and Dusk were suddenly thrown back from a bright light coming from Mard Geer as they skidded on the ground.
"Sting!" Dusk called out.
"Right!" Sting agreed, knowing what he was thinking.
"Star Dragon's..."
"White Dragon's..."
"...Roar!"
Dusk and Sting let out a blast of yellow-white light and holy light from their mouths, the two attacks combined into one. However, Mard Geer deflected it.
Rogue appeared behind Mard Geer. "Shadow Dragon's Slash!" He shouted as Mard Geer blocked that attack with his hand.
Mard Geer throws Rogue toward Sting and Dusk, making him crash into the two before engulfing them in a sphere of white light, causing an explosion.
"I don't like it. Mere humans wielding Dragon Slayer Magic..." Mard Geer commented as Sting, Rogue, and Dusk's silhouettes appeared from the dust.
"Yeah. There's somethin' we don't like, too. You hurting our comrades!" Dusk fired back as him, Sting, and Rogue had angered looks written on their faces.
"Whirl." Tempester spoke as a tornado appeared, causing Natsu to fly in the air.
"What the hell...?!" Natsu exclaimed, throwing multiple fireballs at Tempester.
"Squall."
Wind gusts went through Natsu.
"What's wrong? Is that all you've got?!" Torafuzar taunted.
"Shut up!" Gajeel shouted as Natsu crashed down on him.
"Get outta my way!" Gajeel shouted.
"You're in my way!" Natsu shot back.
The two Dragon Slayers both had irked expressions. "Apologize, Salamander!" Gajeel told him.
"You apologize, or I'll sock you in the jaw!" Natsu threatened.
The two of them soon got blasted by red mist. "The both of you are pissing me off! Quit your yappin' and fight the enemy in front of you!" Akame informed.
Juvia was shooting water at Keyes. "Akame-san's right! This is no time to be fighting amongst ourselves!" She added.
"It's his fault!"
Tempester and Torafuzar both struck Natsu and Gajeel as Lucy and Hana watched.
"Squabbling in the middle of a battle. Humans are curious creatures." Tempester commented.
"Who cares?" Torafuzar said.
"That hurt, for cripes sake!" Natsu complained.
"Those guys are cocky." Gajeel claimed. "I'll finish this business with you later!"
"That's my line." Natsu said as him and Gajeel charged forward at Tempester and Torafuzar.
"So what kind of tale will you show me?" Keyes asked.
"Juvia has felt uneasy for awhile now... Please don't let it mean something has happened to Gray-sama!" Juvia thought.
In a separate location were Gray and Silver. "3,000 Face statues?" Gray repeated as Silver smirked. "What the hell kind of weapon did the Council make?"
Gray soon stood up. "So you brought me all the way over here to tell me that?" He asked.
"Oh, please..." Silver replied as he stared at Gray, who stared back. "I thought maybe I would be able to see a look of despair on your face."
"Unfortunately I'm not even feeling a twinge of despair." Gray claimed.
"That is too bad. Merely killing you isn't amusing." Silver stated.
"You know me, don't you?" Gray questioned.
"Yeah. I know you well." Silver responded.
"Same for me. Your face... Your voice... I know them well." Gray said. "I know them, but they belong to someone else. Who are you?!"
Silver stayed silent. "Answer me! Who are you?!" Gray asked once more.
"I think you have an idea, don't you?" Silver questioned. "I'm your... father."
A gust of wind blew through Gray and Silver as Gray gritted his teeth.
"You're my old man, you say? That can't be. My dad is dead! I saw it with my own eyes! Deliora murdered him!" Gray exclaimed.
A younger Gray saw his dead father lying on the ground with his eyes opened, tears streaming down his face while Deliora walked away from the destruction he created.
"My name is Silver Fullbuster. I am your father." Silver revealed.
"Liar!" Gray shouted as he sent ice swords in his direction. However, Silver just shattered them.
Gray charged forward at Silver, who dodged his attacks. Silver caught his palm in his hand before sending a wave of purple-colored ice at Gray, causing him to skid on the ground.
"There's no way..." Gray mumbled, removing the ice from his hand. "There's no way my dad's alive!"
Silver then laughed hysterically as Gray got ready to attack, but Silver ended up sending him into the air.
"This is the stuff. I imagined you'd have that expression." Silver continued laughing as Gray was on the ground. "I am your father, and that's no lie... but it's also a little more complicated."
"What do you mean?" Gray questioned.
Silver had a purple magical aura surrounding him. "To you, my existence is much more important now. We're destined to fight!" He answered.
Natsu dodged an oncoming attack from Tempester. Natsu, Gajeel, Juvia, Akame, and Zack charged at the demons they were fighting.
"Gajeel! Akame! Zack!" Natsu shouted, grabbing onto Tempester.
"Yeah!" Gajeel agreed, grabbing Torafuzar.
"Got it!" Zack added as him and Akame grabbed onto Fenris.
"Boom." Tempester said as him, Torafuzar, and Fenris slammed the four Dragon Slayers into each other.
Keyes then attacked Juvia. "This foreboding..." Juvia thinks to herself. "Gray-sama!"
Juvia skidded back as Lucy watched from afar. "Everyone!" She shouted. "The same for me. I'm not done."
"Hey now. I told you to rest." Hana told her.
"Hana's right." Zack said. "We're fine."
"Besides, I caught a scent." Akame informed, grabbing Natsu and Gajeel's attention.
"Yeah." Zack agreed, knowing what he was talking about.
"This scent and presence... Dusk is somewhere fighting. Along with those two." Akame stated, referring to Sting and Rogue.
Sting, Rogue, and Dusk charged forward at Mard Geer once more.
"I see." Mard Geer spoke as he dodged Sting's kick, backing up a bit. "I can understand how Kyoka would be tempted to play with humans."
"Bastard..." Rogue mumbled under his breath.
"Give us your worst, asshole!" Sting challenged.
"You can't see a future in which you're dead. Your principles of conduct are governed by your emotions. And you don't know how weak you are. You're overwhelmingly ignorant." Mard Geer claimed.
"You're stupid to the point of being adorable."
Lector, Frosch, and Bruno were walking around. "Still, this place is a disaster area." Lector commented.
"Fro thinks so, too."
"Maybe demons just aren't good at cleaning." Bruno stated.
"They're bad at it!" Frosch agreed.
A little ways behind them, Ezekiel was still supporting Minerva with the help of Erza, who they met along the way.
"Do you know where the control room is, Minerva?" Ezekiel questioned.
"I can't tell when the whole place has been turned upside down." Minerva responded.
"It's too big to search from end to end. There must be another way." Erza stated as Ezekiel agreed with her.
"Ezekiel, Erza, leave me here. If I can't even guide you, I'm just a hindrance." Minerva claimed. "I don't want to become more of a burden than I already have."
The two siblings both stayed silent as Minerva moved away from them. "Can't you hear me, Ezekiel, Erza?! I told you to abandon me here!" She exclaimed.
"Stop beating yourself up already. If you realize you made a mistake with the way you've been living your life, you just have to take the next moment to start over. I'm sure it's not so simple, but I know several people who've done that and face their pasts head-on." Ezekiel said, thinking about Jellal. He then thought about Dawn, Riku, and Hana, who were former Horned Serpent members.
"Huh? Somebody's approaching!" Lector informed.
"Fro thinks so, too."
The dust cleared to reveal Happy, Lily, Jim, and Chii.
"Happy! Lily!"
"Jim! Chii!"
"Erza!" Happy said.
"Ezekiel!" Jim exclaimed.
"Minerva! Bruno! And the Saber Exceeds!" Lily noticed.
"Long time no see, Happy-kun!" Lector greeted.
"Happy-kun! Happy-kun!" Frosch repeated.
"What are you guys doing here?" Happy asked.
"Sorry, but we're in a hurry. We can be happy about our reunion later." Ezekiel replied as both Erza and Minerva hummed in agreement.
"I would like to know the situation..." Lily informed.
"Actually, blah-blah-blah-blah-blah, yes." Lector said.
"I see. We'll go with you." Jim said.
"Always a pleasure to see you, Chii!" Lector greeted with hearts in his eyes. Chii just huffed and turned away with her arms crossed. Bruno had a dark aura surrounding him, frightening Happy.
"Anyway, Happy-kun, I like your fashionable headgear." Lector then complimented.
"Fro thinks so, too!"
Minerva walks up to Happy, who was sweating nervously. "My lady?" Lector questioned in confusion.
"Happy, did you say something offensive to Minerva again?" Lily asked.
"What do you mean? I didn't say anything!" Happy replied. "I'm sorry..."
Minerva narrowed her eyes. "Little bastard..." She muttered.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Happy apologized as Minerva rips off Franmalth from Happy's head, causing him to shriek.
"We couldn't remove that mushroom for anything, but you plucked it right off!" Jim exclaimed.
"That's our lady, yes!" Lector cheered.
"Fro thinks so, too!"
Happy had tears streaming down his face. "What did you do to me?!" He cried out.
"This is no ordinary mushroom." Minerva informed. "I believe... the value is..."
"How much? How much?" Franmalth interrupted as Minerva tightened her hold on him.
"This is one of the Ten Demon Gates. I'm sure he knows where the control room is." Minerva said.
"Right." Erza nodded.
"I've never been treated with such disrespect!" Franmalth complained.
"That's our lady!" Lector exclaimed.
"Our lady!" Frosch repeated.
"Good work, Happy." Lily praised.
"Aww... It was nothing, really." Happy boasted.
"Is this what they call a self-satisfied look?" Jim questioned.
"We have less than an hour before Face is activated! Let's hurry!" Ezekiel informed.
Gray activated his Magic. "Destined to fight, you say?" He repeated.
Silver activated his Magic as well before sending Gray back a few feet as he collapsed to the ground. "Well, where should I begin the story? Yeah. I'll tell you about this body." Silver claimed as Gray gritted his teeth in anger.
"This body is a vessel. It's a corpse that happened to be around." Silver continued, grabbing Gray's attention. "The members of Tartaros are all demons from the Books of Zeref. Of course, that includes me. My true form isn't a human."
Gray stands up. "But there are a lot of inconveniences in going around in the form of a demon. That's why I usually take human form. And when I was going to choose a human for that task, there happened to be a fine corpse nearby. I've been using this body ever since." Silver continued.
"I thought getting this body was a coincidence. But maybe you and I were drawn together. You don't know how patiently I've waited for the day to kill you with my own hands."
Gray slammed his fist against a slab of rock. "You can go pack sand, you bastard!" He shouted. "You dare use my father's body... You've given me a reason to hate you, but you've got no reason to hate me!"
"Wrong. I won't be satisfied until I murder all of Ur's disciples." Silver claimed, making Gray widen his eyes. "See, I was sealed away for ten years because of her."
"My name is Deliora! You haven't forgotten, have you, Gray?!"
Gray recalls Ur using Iced Shell to seal Deliora away.
"It can't be... Ur killed Deliora..." He said.
"That's right. She did kill me. For all of ten years. But Tartaros had Hell's Core, a physical regeneration machine." Silver said.
"Are you really that Deliora?" Gray questioned.
"If you don't believe me, shall I show you my true form? The form I was in when I murdered your parents!" Silver answered, enraging Gray.
Meanwhile, the four Dragon Slayers continued sending attacks as Tempester, Torafuzar, and Fenris while Juvia had a stare off against Keyes.
"That feeling is getting stronger... A dire premonition felt before we even came here..." Juvia noted. "Have to get over to Gray-sama fast..."
"Gray? I see. That boy is special to you. All tales have a beginning... and an end." Keyes said, grabbing Juvia's attention. "For the boy, the beginning was the day Deliora stole everything from him."
"What are you talking about?" Juvia asked.
"Deliora stole his house, his friend, his mother and father... Amid the calamity and the flames that ignored his prayers, the boy's tale began that day. And Gray's tale comes to an end today." Keyes replied.
"What did you just say?"
"I can see it. Succumbing to despair again when faced with the power of inhuman calamity, the boy at last chooses the same future as his mentor."
A/N: Another chapter is completed!
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.