Chapter 162

Obeying The Doctrine

Back with the crew on the Christina Advance, they finished the repairs to the chip, and it was now flying proud and true towards its destination. Soon, they could see Zentopia and prepared themselves for battle as they stood on the deck.

"Man! Hang in there, Natsu and Ms. Lucy!" Ichiya yelled out. "I, Ichiya, along with this elite Fairy Tail team, shall save you from the enemy's clutches without fail! And as for you, Willy, we shall save you from your corruption of revenge as well! My Christina Advance, the great magic bomber, we're counting on you to lead us into the fray! Take us to the Grand Cathedral of Zentopia!"

"Yeah, you tell 'em!" Elfman roared in agreement. "This is for our big sister, who's taking on Racer all by herself so that we can keep moving forward!"

"We're coming for you," Erza murmured to herself. "Please stay strong. We'll be there soon."

"Let's just hope they're all okay," Wendy spoke worriedly.

"Don't worry, they'll be fine," reassured Happy. "I know they will."

"Wel, someone's certainly confident," said Pantherlily. "How can you be so sure?"

"I just got faith in them, you know?" responded Happy. "I believe Natsu's gonna be all right, and as long as he's doing okay, there's no doubt Lucy's will be, too. And no reason to worry about Willy either, because we're gonna rescue him and bring him home, too!"

"I agree. There's no reason to worry," smiled Warren. "So let's get in there and start kicking some butt."

"Yeah! You're extra manly for saying that, Warren!" grinned Elfman.

"Good grief. Talk about being simpleminded," sighed Gajeel.

As the Christina Advance continued, the crew happened to fly past a group of soldiers from the Magic Council on a cliff close by. They were preparing to fire a lacrima cannon on one of the Infinity Clock's chains. But as they did, the clock began to chime and one of the soldiers suddenly shrunk, and when the cannon fired, the attack rebounded back to them, exploding upon impact.

The crew saw everything, and they were surprised as well as disturbed.

"It would appear that the military's in a state of chaos as well," said Ichiya.

"Do you think that it's because of the Real Nightmare?" wondered Erza.

Her answer came sooner than expected. For as Erza turned her attention to the others, she caught a glimpse at Gajeel, and what she saw surprised her. The Iron Dragon Slayer was now thin and old, his black hair now thinning and white, and his muscles practically twigs. He even used his Iron Magic for a cane, which was old and brittle as he was. And it wasn't just him that changed. Everyone else on the ship had changed too. Warren now had the body of a bodybuilder, his muscles almost ripping his clothing, and Gray was a toddler. Elfman was flat as cardboard, Lisanna was a big ball, Wendy was a young adult, and Ichiya was tall and slim. Even the Exceeds had suddenly gone through changes, Happy being a dog, Pantherlily a bunny rabbit, and Carla, a raccoon dog.

"Screw this! This ain't nothing!" Gajeel rasped in an old voice. "I'm gonna pound that stupid clock's face in!"

"Yeah? Good luck with that, Old Man," Warren spoke in a buff voice.

"Whoa! When did Warren become a bodybuilder?!" exclaimed a young Gray.

"Goodness! Everyone seems so different!" gasped Wendy. "What's going on?!"

"You've changed as well, Wendy!" cried Carla. "You're all grown up!"

"And you're a raccoon dog, Carla!" barked Happy.

"And you're a dog, Happy!" said Pantherlily.

"This is bad!" Erza worriedly spoke. "Everyone's been affected by Real Nightmare!"

Then, Erza realized something. Out of everyone that was affected by Real Nightmare, she was the only one unaffected. At first, she was puzzled as to why. Then, she remembered the enchanted hammer given to her by Jean-Luc. Having a hunch, she used her Requip Magic to summon the hammer in question.

"Jean-Luc said that this hammer has the power to ward off evil," Erza said. "So, if I use it, I should be able to counteract the waves of Real Nightmare."

And with a quick flurry of swings, Erza struck every crew member right on the noggin with her hammer, which reverted them to normal upon impact. Everyone was grateful, aside from feeling sore after being struck.

The Christina Advance continued forward until, finally, the Grand Cathedral of Zentopia was in its sights. But there were also numerous soldiers of Zentopia left, even after the recent assault.

"It's Fairy Tail!" cried out a soldier. "Keep them away from the Cathedral! Open fire!"

The soldiers using their spears fired at the Christina, but the bullets didn't affect it as it pressed onward, undaunted.

"Never underestimate the Christina Advance!" Ichiya roared with pride. "Man!"

From the bottom of the Magic Bomber's hull, eight small cannons popped out, each one unleashing a powerful blast at the soldiers that sent them flying. Then, Byro arrived along with his faithful giant octopus.

"So, we meet again, Fairy Tail," murmured Byro. "Though we may have once been allies, I have a duty to uphold, and I have no choice but to stop you. Go, Kanolola!"

At his command, the giant octopus took to the air, gunning straight towards the ship.

"You've got to be joking," Ichiya spoke with confidence. "Do you think that your octopus is any match for us?"

The Magic Bomber unleashed another array from its cannons, but the attacks bounced right off of the giant octopus as it wrapped its tentacles around the ship, latching onto it tightly.

"Oh my!" gasped Ichiya. "What a perilous parfum!"

"Hurry and knock it off of the ship!" cried Erza.

The crew then attacked Kanalola using their magic attacks to try and get the beast off. However, that only made Kanaloa angry, causing it to shoot a squirt of black ink from its mouth, which was very acidic. It sprayed everywhere, causing the wood to corrode and the sails to rip, and due to his weight, the ship slowly began to descend off course, heading straight for the bottom of the Cathedral toward its roots where the hands held up the gold ring.

"Now what'll we do?!" cried Happy. "Unless we do something soon, this ship's going to crash like seven years ago!"

"Not on my watch!" Ichiya shouted bravely. "Now, Christina Advance, deploy Spiral Anchors!"

Numerous chains shot out from the bottom of the hull and wrapped all around, restraining Kanaloa, preventing it from escaping.

"Ichiya! What are you doing?!" Erza asked worriedly.

"There's only one way to defeat this monster!" Ichiya spoke bravely. "I shall defeat it by sacrificing the Christina Advance! Therefore, you must save yourselves before it's too late!"

The crew was horrified.

"But we can't just leave you behind!" protested Wendy.

"Just do as I say!" ordered Ichiya. "Mira gave herself up for the sake of this mission; now it's time I do the same! Now go!"

There was a long silence until Erza took control.

"You heard the man!" Erza ordered. "Let's go!"

The group, save for Ichiya, leaped off the ship, landing safely onto the structure below while the ship flew past. The Christina Advance fell towards the ground below, taking Kanaloa and Ichiya with it, creating a massive explosion upon impact.

"That lousy jerk," Gray huffed bitterly. "Always trying to act cool 'til the very end."

"He was the manliest of all men!" wept Elfman. "A true man's man!"

"Chip up, everyone. There's no need to worry about Ichiya," reassured Erza. "Surviving dangerous situations like that is what he does best, so I'm sure that he'll be fine. We have to find Natsu, Lucy, and Willy."

Everyone agreed and began their ascent toward the cathedral.

Back inside the halls, Natsu, Lucy, and Coco were racing down the halls, with Coco leading the way.

"How much farther until we get to the Archbishop's room, Coco?" asked Lucy.

"Not much farther," replied Coco. "The Archbishop's room should just a few more halls down."

"All right! Once we get there, we'll save that old geezer," said Natsu. "And after that, we can stop Willy, too!"

"Hold on a minute, Willy's here, too?" said Coco. "But if he's here, then why isn't he with you? Or rather, why didn't he bust you out? Isn't he a member of your guild?"

Lucy and Natsu were silent for a brief moment, remembering their talk with Willy and what he said to them.

Lucy then explained. "It's a bit complicated," she said. "Long story short, Willy had a bit of a fallout with us, and now he's gone rogue, quitting the guild. Not only that, but he intends to take on the Oracion Seis all by himself."

Coco was surprised. "But why would he do such a thing?!" she asked. "Taking on an entire dark guild all by himself is suicide!"

"Let's just say Willy has some history with the Oracion Seis, particularly this Silver Beard guy, and most likely wants revenge," said Lucy. "That's why after we rescue the Archbishop, we have to find Willy and stop the Infinity Clock."

"And kick the Oracion Seis' butt!" Natsu added. "As soon as I see those jerks, I'm gonna give them some good old-fashioned payback for what they did to Willy!"

Then, as they pressed forward, Natsu suddenly stopped running, going rigid as a statue.

"Natsu, what's the matter?" asked Lucy. "Why'd you stop?"

"M-My body!" Natsu grunted as he struggled where he stood. "I can't move!"

At that moment, someone stepped out of the darkness, coming towards them. It was Mary Hughes who had her Holy Tact raised while glowing.

"Sorry, but you're not going anywhere," said Mary. "I've got you, totally, under my control!"

With a wave of her hand, Mary waved her Holy Tact, and Natsu suddenly lunged at Lucy, igniting his fist on fire while swinging. Lucy let out a squeak of fright as she barely managed to get out of the way.

"Natsu, what the heck do you think you're doing?!" Lucy demanded.

"It's not my fault!" Natsu squawked. "My body's acting on its own!"

"It's not his fault!" said Coco. "It's because of Mary's Holy Tact! She's using Command Magic to control him into doing whatever she wants!"

Mary scowled at Coco. "Hey! Who do you think you are revealing my Magic like that, Coco?" she snapped disapprovingly. "And if you're with these Fairy Tail guys, then you must have let them out. Totally not cool! Whose side are you on anyway?"

"Listen to me, Mary! We have no reason to fight anymore!" Coco pleaded. "Natsu and Lucy know about our situation, and they want to help us rescue the Archbishop!"

Mary was surprised, but that quickly switched to anger as she waved her wand sharply, making Natsu shoot towards her and swing at her with a fiery fist, forcing her to dodge.

"Have you totally lost it, Coco?!" Mary demanded. "Whatever you told them is like, totally, our business! You have no right to get outsiders involved, or did you forget our doctrine!"

"I'd say they're plenty involved after what we put them through!" Coco shot back as she avoided Natsu again. "And they're not outsiders! They're our friends!"

"Friends? Them? They were just a means to an end," said Mary. "We only got cozy with them was so that they could find the Infinity Clock for us, all for the sake of protecting and saving the Archbishop, so I don't understand why you're calling them friends. The Legion Platoon... no, all of Zentopia doesn't need something totally pointless, especially after what we did. A measly guild like these people shouldn't get involved in other people's affairs, so shut up and come quietly!"

With another wave of her wand, Mary forced Natsu to use Fire Dragon Wing Attack, forcing Coco to jump to the wall, while Lucy hastily got out of the way.

"Please, stop this, Mary!" Lucy cried. "We want to help you save the Archbishop, too! We know about the Oracion Seis holding him hostage, so why won't you let us help you?! Don't you realize what you're up against?! If you and the other members try to take them on by yourself, you could die or put him in danger!"

"We were already aware of the risks the moment we teamed up with those guys, but we can handle ourselves just fine!" Mary snapped. "Besides, why would they even care after all we did to them? If anything, you guys would know to leave well enough alone!"

As Mary prepared to direct Natsu towards Lucy, Coco sprang off of the wall straight towards her. Before Mary could even wave her Holy Tact, Coco kicked it right out of her hand, disarming her and losing her control over Natsu.

"All right! I can control myself again!" cheered Natsu.

"Zero points, Mary! Please stop this!" Coco spoke firmly. "There's no reason to do this anymore! All of this chaos and suffering is because of us because we tried to rescue the Archbishop on our own. And now, no thanks to us, the Infinity Clock is active, and we most likely up the Archbishop in more danger. And even after we betrayed them, Natsu and Lucy are more than willing to help us, and I'm sure that the rest of Fairy Tail will want to help too if we explained our situation. We need Fairy Tail's help, and you know it!"

Mary stared at Coco, while Natsu and Lucy remained silent.

"Our goal as members of Zentopia is to use our strength to protect those who are weak, and we've clearly strayed from that goal," said Coco. "And despite our ulterior motives, Fairy Tail was still kind of us. When I was with them, I couldn't help but be filled with warmth and kindness. Despite it all, I wanted more than anything than to tell them about the Archbishop, even if it meant betraying our doctrine. But now, I've opened up my heart to them and trust them more than anything. So, I'm sure if you do the same thing, you'd feel the same as I do."

There was a long silence as no one said a word. Suddenly, a strange being came falling from above and landed in front of everyone with a thunderous boom. It was tall, had green skin with aqua-colored squares all over, and wore a khaki-colored coat with maroon shorts. He also looked like a cubic giraffe with a long neck with a huge boxy head with orange hooves for hands and feet.

"Well, well. Looky what we have here," the strange being leered. "A bunch of intruders with a lot of magic power inside 'em. This is going to be fun!"

"Who the heck is that?!" exclaimed Lucy, clearly unnerved. "Or rather, what is that?! Is he inside my head?!"

Coco was tense as she swallowed a lump in her throat. "That's Gutman Kubrick known as The Cleaner," she said. "Another member of the Legion Platoon whose strength is well known in Fiore and is also telepathic. He was originally locked up for being too wild, so I'm surprised that he's out here."

"Doesn't matter to me," Natsu grinned while cracking his knuckles. "Now that I'm not being controlled, I'm all kinds of fired up now!"

"Be careful," warned Coco. "Don't underestimate him. Despite his looks, he's a master of Rupture Magic."

"Rupture Magic?" repeated Lucy. "Do I even want to know what that is?"

"Hold on a second, Gutman," said Mary. "You don't need to get involved in this fight. I'll take them into custody."

"We got to stay faithful to Zentopia's doctrine," said Gutman. "That means we can never doubt it, no matter what."

"And what happens if you do doubt it?" Natsu asked innocently.

"You really wanna know?" Gutman asked while looking across to Natsu, a sadistic smile stretching his cheeks. "HEATHENS GO BOOM!"

A green magic circle appeared on Natsu's left, close to his hip.

"Natsu, get away from that magic circle now!" Coco yelled.

But it was too late. Natsu began to glow along with the circle, and before he could even react, he exploded, his own explosion sending him into the air as he screamed in pain. Lucy and Coco quickly rushed over to him as he hit the ground.

"What the heck was that?!" Lucy cried as she helped him to his feet. "He just exploded!"

"That's the power of my Rupture Magic," said Gutman. "It expands the magic power inside of my target, 'til they go boom boom! I'll clean away anyone who goes against Zentopia!"

"That's what you think!" Natsu winced while holding his hip. "You don't scare me!"

"That's nicey-wicey!" giggled Gutman. "Then, let's make more boom-booms!"

More magic circles of Gutman's magic appeared all around Natsu, causing him to float into the air. Coco and Lucy charged at Gutman, trying to help him, but with a wave of his hoof, the two girls found themselves caught in Gutman's trap, too.

"Do you want to dance too?" Gutman giggled with madness. "Then you're gonna rupture, too!"

Natsu, Lucy, and Coco all hovered in the air until all three of them exploded due to Gutman's Magic. The three all screamed in pain as their magic power ruptured from all over their bodies, making them shoot high into the air before falling to the ground. As Gutman enjoyed the fireworks, all Mary could do was watch, unnerved and unsure of whether or not to intervene, Coco's words seeming to resonate with her. Natsu, Lucy, and Coco were banged up but were still able to get back up.

"We don't have the time to be dealing with this guy," grunted Natsu.

"Is that so? Then how about I speed things up," Gutman smirked maliciously. "It's time for your last little dance, Natsu-watsu."

But before he could use his Rupture Magic again, Mary then rushed in front, stepping in his way.

"Gutman! Stop! Like, that's enough!" Mary cried. "Aren't you, totally, going overboard?! If you keep this up, you'll kill them!"

"And so what if I do?" Gutman spoke coldly. "These guys are enemies of Zentopia, and by order of his eminence, these guild rats have to be punished!"

"But what about Coco?!" demanded Mary. "She's a member of the Legion Platoon! Wouldn't it make sense to take her into-"

But Mary was rudely interrupted by Gutman, who used her Rupture Magic on her, making her go flying into the air screaming in pain, much to Natsu, Lucy, and Coco's shock.

"The moment Coco sided with these guild rats, she became a traitor to Zentopia," said Gutman. "And since she's a dirty traitor, that means she goes boom-boom!"

"Mary!" cried Coco.

"How could you attack her like that?!" Natsu growled. "She's one of your friends!"

Gutman then coldly glared. "His Eminence's words are the Archbishop's," he said. "His words are sacred! They are holy law! If he wants me to kill some guild rats and a filthy traitor, then that's what I'll do! Now, it's time for your last dance!"

The murderous green giraffe raised his hoof, preparing to use his Rupture Magic with the intent to kill, but then he stopped, his body going rigid and frozen.

"Wh-What's going on?!" Gutman exclaimed. "How come I can't move?!"

The reason turned out to be Mary, who now had her Holy Tact pointed straight at Gutman, which made him scowl in anger.

"What do you think you're doing, Mary?!" Gutman demanded through gritted teeth.

"You know, it's funny," panted Mary. "I used to think the same things that you did, Gutman. But, with someone like you and the Oracion Seis, I don't know what to believe anymore after doing what you did. I'm not even sure what to do."

Natsu, Lucy, and Coco could only stare in surprise. Then, several Rupture Magic circles appeared all around Mary, causing her to explode again, sending her flying into the air.

"I don't need to move to use my Rupture Magic, you know," said Gutman. "I'll make you go boom-boom all the same!"

Mary hit the ground hard after taking the hit, but she still kept her Holy Tact active as she set her sights on Gutman again.

"Oh yeah? Well, immobilizing people isn't the only thing I can do!" Mary grunted with a grin. "Watch this!"

Gutman suddenly shot into the air with a wave of her wand and began to spin like a top, which made him very dizzy.

Mary then yelled at Natsu and the others. "Get out of here now! I can't keep stalling him forever!"

"But Mary... !" protested Coco.

"Please, hurry and go!" begged Mary. "If what you said was true, then I've decided to trust these people as well! Don't worry about me! Hurry and save the Archbishop!"

"C'mon, Coco!" urged Lucy. "We have to go! This is the only chance we have!"

Coco was still reluctant and worried, but she knew that Lucy was right, and so she, along with Natsu and Coco, ran on ahead while Mary continued to use her Holy Tact to keep Gutman at bay.

Meanwhile, in another part of the Zentopian Church, Gildarts and Laki were stealthily making their way around the church, using Laki's Wood Make Magic. Laki's Wood-Make not only helps her utilize and create wood, but it also allows her to merge with it along with whoever is with her while moving around inside of it. Thanks to most of Zentopia's being already made of wood, the two were able to sneak around without being detected. Eventually, the two came to a certain room filled with numerous candles and other structures. This was the Archbishop's room.

"Seems kind of weird that there's no one guarding the Archbishop's quarters," commented Gildarts. "You'd think that there'd be at least a couple of soldiers."

"Who cares? It works out for us," said Laki. "At least this makes our job a whole lot easier."

Then, Laki saw something. There was a bed in the middle of the room amongst the candles, and sitting on top of it was the Archbishop himself, wearing his traditional robes along with his crown.

"Hey, Gildarts!" Laki pointed out. "Look over on the bed! It's the Archbishop!"

"Perfect. Saves us the trouble of having to look for him," said Gildarts. "Now's the time for us to get direct with the guy."

Before Laki could stop him, Gildarts popped out of her Wood-Make magic and now stood in front of the Archbishop.

"Hey, Old Man. You're the Archbishop, right?" said Gildarts. "I got some questions for you."

"Let me assure you, there's no reason to be afraid," said the Archbishop. "This is simply the only way Zentopia can rectify the world."

Gildarts was now puzzled. "Hold up. You're not making sense," he said. "Mind giving me a straight answer?"

"Let me assure you, there's no reason to be afraid," repeated the Archbishop. "This is simply the only way Zentopia can rectify the world."

Gildarts then sighed, giving up. "This is pointless," he complained. "What the heck is wrong with this guy?"

Laki then came up, looking the Archbishop over. "From the looks of things, he seems to be under the control of mind control spell," she said. "That's most likely why he's repeating himself."

At that moment, there was the sound of a single clap that echoed throughout the room. Gildarts and Laki looked up, and on top of a structure behind them was Cardinal Lapointe.

"Who's that?" wondered Gildarts.

"That's Cardinal Lapointe," said Laki. "He's a Zentopian Cardinal."

"So, you both know who I am?" Lapointe spoke while giving a cold stare. "And if I'm not mistaken, you're Gildarts Clive of the Fairy Tail guild."

"Well, now. If a Zentopian Cardinal knows my name, I guess I'm more famous than I thought," said Gildarts with a hint of sarcasm. "Sorry, but I don't have time for autographs. We're a little bust at the moment."

"I commend you and your colleague being able to make it this far," went on Lapointe as he jumped off the structure standing before them. "But I'm afraid that you've both seen too much. Therefore, you will both have to die."

"Is that fact?" smirked Gildarts. "Then why don't you go ahead and try? Let's see what you got."

The two began releasing their magic auras, filling the atmosphere with a sense of foreboding and danger, Lapointe's being an eerie green, and Gildarts an intimidating white. But before they could start fighting, they heard a voice.

"Hold it right there!"

Then, Natsu, Lucy, and Coco came bursting into the room.

"So, you managed to break out as well, Coco," said Lapointe. He looked at Natsu. "And you, I know exactly who you are. You're Natsu Dragneel, a dragon slayer wizard."

At first, Natsu had no clue who Lapointe was, but then he took a few whiffs of his nose. Immediately, he recognized him.

"Hold on a second! I know that scent!" Natsu gasped. "You smell just like that Brain guy!"

Everyone else looked at Natsu in shock while Lapointe began to laugh.

"Well, it doesn't really matter if this guy's Brain or not," said Gildarts. "But he is the one controlling the Archbishop."

"He's also the one who forced the Legion Platoon to betray us," said Lucy. "Not to mention using Michelle, too."

"And what if I am?" Lapointe smirked cockily.

"Isn't it obvious?" Natsu growled, cracking his knuckles. "I'm going to destroy your ass! I'm gonna burn you to a crisp!"

"Hold on a second, Natsu," Gildarts spoke while lowering Natsu's fist. "If anyone's going to be fighting this guy, it should be me."

Natsu was about to protest, but then, a magic circle appeared underneath Laki, and a long green clawed tendril of Darkness Magic wrapped around her tightly, pointing its claw dangerously to her throat.

"Since you two seem to enjoy fighting so much, let's see you two exchange blows," taunted Lapointe. "Defy me, and she dies."

"Let her go!" demanded Lucy. "She's got nothing to do with this!"

Suddenly, Lapointe's spell that held Laki disappeared, setting her free. Not only that, but Lapointe's white skin turned dark brown, revealing his true face, which was Brain. Lapointe looked behind him and saw the reason how. Standing right behind him while using his Dispell Magic was Byro.

"Octo-Geezer!" gasped Natsu.

"Byro!" gasped Brain.

"This is for all the suffering you put my people through, Lapointe! Or should I call you, Brain!" Byro spoke in cold spite. "And for threatening the Archbishop!"

Taking advantage of Lapointe being powerless, Gildarts shot forward and, before the man could even defend himself, gave him a swift and powerful uppercut that made the whole room shake from the amount of force. Brain went shooting upwards, slamming straight into the ceiling with a crash and landing on the ground with a thud.

At that moment, the crew from the Christina Advance came storming in.

"Hey! Natsu! Lucy! Thank goodness!" Happy spoke with relief. "I'm glad the two of you are alive!"

"Yeah, we're fine, Happy," reassured Lucy. "And we're happy to see you guys, too."

"Wendy. Hurry and tend to the Archbishop," ordered Erza. "He needs treatment."

Wendy and Carla then rushed over to the Archbishop to help him. Simultaneously, the doors of the room exploded, and standing in the doorway was another surprise. A stood in front of the hole. It was a young woman with familiar white hair, wearing revealing white and cyan garb with a pair of white angel wings protruding from her back and a long fluffy tail.

"Is everyone all right?" asked the woman. "I came as quickly as I could."

"Who the heck are you?!" everyone exclaimed with surprise.

Lisanna and Elfman then squinted and gasped, recognizing the woman immediately. "Mira?! Is that you?!" the two exclaimed.

"Yes, it's me!" Mira said, blushing a bit. "I know I look different right now, but it's not my fault! I just changed like this while I made my way up here!"

"It would seem that even Mira's been affected by Real Nightmare," said Erza. "Don't worry, Mira. I've got just the thing to fix you."

Erza summoned forth her enchanted hammer, and with a mighty bop on Mira's head, Mira was back to normal with a small lump on her head.

"So, you're all here as well," commented Byro. "I never imagined that you would be so bold as to break into the Grand Cathedral of all places."

"Yeah, well, so was Brain," countered Gray. "So, get used to it."

Then, Brain began to laugh as he struggled back to his feet. "Struggle all you want, you pathetic insects, but the Real Nightmare already has you in its web," he spat. "As of now, the world once knew is over. The Infinity Clock fueled the great power that Zentopia was founded upon, which hasn't diminished since its sealing. Back then, it was known as the Infinity Castle. During the Founding Festival held once every hundred years, it releases all of its accumulated power. A century's worth of power ripe for the taking and having no means of stopping."

"You did all of this so that you could steal magic power?!" Happy spoke with anger. "Why are you doing this?!"

"I thought it would be obvious!" Brain cackled. "To revert this world into chaos. With Real Nightmare under my control, I'll have the power to return the world to the days where anarchy reigned long before Zentopia's time! All that enmity and greed buried deep in the hearts of man will finally be unleashed!"

"This must be what Will Neville was trying to prevent," realized Carla. "He realized that something like this could happen, so he created a seal that would span across generations."

"There's no way in hell we're going to let that happen!" Natsu growled. "We're going to stop you and shut the Infinity Clock down!"

"Well, if you want to save the day, then you can certainly go ahead and try," Brain chuckled. "Either way, it suits me fine. No matter what you do, Zentopia's Armadgeddan, chaos will reign supreme! And speaking of chaos, if you intend to stop us, then you'd better prepare yourselves, for you have yet to see our greatest triumph yet." He looked across to Mira and smirked sadistically. "Tell me, girl. I've heard that you care quite a bit about someone from your guild. Therefore, I assume that you would do whatever it takes to save your precious friends. Let me ask you this, how many lives is one single person worth?"

Mira felt confused from those words, as was the rest of the group, but before anyone could ask what Brain could be talking about, the man snapped his fingers, and in an explosion of dark magic, he was gone.

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Until then, Dragomaster, signing off!