Chapter 9

Beach Breakers

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip

The Next Day

"How can one grown man be so freaking childish!?" Emi shouted as she kicked the sand, marching away from the body building competition.

"I'm not a child! I just don't want to cover up my guild mark!" Natsu snapped back. "Besides, I'm not covering myself in metal! Who am I, Gajeel?!"

"Natsu, that's not what 'bronzer' means…" Chiho meekly replied from behind, trying to keep up. "Though I still can't believe they disqualified him for that."

"I believe that it had more to do with Good Natsu punching a judge in the face." Suzuno declared, rushing forward to reach Natsu. "May ask why, you just refuse to cover the mark?"

"It's the symbol of the bond I have with my friends back in Fairy Tail." He replied with a smirk. "Covering it up is basically erasing the family I have there." Natsu turned back to Emi shouted at her. "Where are we heading!?"

"Where else, to check on Maou and the others!" She replied, disappointing the others as they followed her regardless.

When they arrived at the shop, they found it completely overflowing with customers. "Should we… help them?" Chiho asked.

"Not yet. I wanna enjoy this for a bit." Emi commented with a smile.

"Are you sure you're the hero?" Natsu questioned, walking into the chaos. Chi and Suzuno followed quickly behind before Emi reluctantly did the same.

A stunned Maou came to a stop, almost spilling his tray. "Hold on, why are you guys here?"

"Good Natsu was removed from the competition due to his refusal to cover his mark." Suzuno quickly explained. "We came here to see how you're doing, but it seems you're in dire need of assistance."

"I owe you guys big time!" Maou was almost in tears from the offer.

"You're damn right, you do." Emi mumbled.

"Don't sweat it, dude." Natsu chuckled, patting him on the back. "Now, what do you need?"

As the lunch rush finally ended, Natsu dropped into an empty chair with a sigh of relief. "My feet are killing me…" Maou let out, a drink in his hand. "Thanks again for this. If you hadn't been here, we might have been screwed."

"Hush up, we're happy to be useful." Chi said walking by.

"Your swimsuit looks good." Maou jokingly replied. "You might have a fan club if you keep that up daily." Hearing his genuine compliment, Chiho blushed brightly while nervously playing with her hair.

"We helped too, ya know? You gonna thank Emi and Suzuno too?" Natsu asked, drinking his free beer. "Wow, starting to see why Cana drinks barrels of this stuff every day."

"I don't think that's healthy." The girl nervously replied.

Maou turned to the other two girls and bowed to them, only for Emi punch him in the head. "Don't be sorry. I told you, you owe me for this."

"So Maou… what are you gonna do about that talking bird in your room?" Natsu whispered, causing Emi to step on his foot.

"What talking bird?" She growled out.

"The one that showed up with the fog. Didn't you notice?" He replied, gripping his sore foot.

Maou recovered from his blow before turning to the front of the store. "Amane, we're heading out for a bit!" He shouted before standing up. "Follow me." The group walked towards the small hut the three demons were sleeping in as Alas Ramus appeared on the floor.

"Morning. Is your diaper still dry?" Emi asked, earning a nod from the baby.

"So… I got this thing you'll want to see." Maou declared as he placed a box down on the ground.

Opening it up revealed a black bird sleeping on some tissues. "Tweety tweet!" Alas Ramus shouted, only for Emi to pick her up.

"Don't touch it, he looks pretty weak." Her words caused the bird to wake up.

"That smell, it's humans… tweet."

"Birdy says what now?" A stunned Emi muttered out.

"This guy's a demon." Maou said matter of factly, confusing Emi. "Meet Chancellor Camio. Basically, he's the brains to Alciel and Lucifer's muscle. He's also one of the few demons open to negotiation." Alas Ramus started chasing the bird around the room as Maou continued. "In a time where might made right in the demon world, Camio managed to survive on intellect."

The bird crashed into the wall, suddenly increasing in size to the surprise of the group. Alas Ramus fell over as Camio missed the tackle, flying to the other side of the room. "Lord Satan, may I ask who these people are, tweet?"

"Right, introductions." The Demon King chuckled, pointing over to Chi. "This is Chiho Sasaki, a human. She knows about Ente Isla and has been a great help to us." He turned and pointed at Natsu. "Natsu Dragneel, a wizard. To make a long story short, he kinda got dragged along due to a magical mishap in his world."

"And this The Hero and her sacred sword." Maou dryly said.

"Hey, you can't just say that!" Emi snapped back.

"You're not as I imagined." Camio confessed.

"I will turn you into a tur-duck-en and feed you to Natsu." She warned, scaring both of them.

"So… can we get back to the whole 'Ente Isla in trouble' thing?" Maou asked, picking up a wrapped object. "Also…" He unwrapped it, revealing a sword in a jeweled scabbard. "What the heck is this?"

A knock at the door cut him off, forcing him to hide both the sword and Camio. "Maou, can I come in?" Amane asked before entering the room. "Hey, just a heads up. Lunch rush is over, but we have a crap ton of cleaning to do. The sooner we get it done, the better, so get done here soon."

She walked back out and Maou opened the box, revealing a scared Camio. "That was her…" He mumbled in fear, confusing the five. "I couldn't do a thing against her. She had the power of a demon lord…"

"Wait, Amane?" Emi asked in disbelief.

"She was the one who swallowed my soldiers in that mighty dragon's roar." The bird declared.

Night

Lighthouse

"Okay, we're here." Maou declared as he walked in front of Ashiya and Hanzo, Camio sitting in a box. "Just you two?"

"Emi wanted Suzuno to stay with Chiho." Natsu explained. "Hell, she hasn't told me what this is all about."

"Perhaps I can explain, peep." Camio spoke up. "Not long ago, something odd occurred. I was in Satana's Arc when a visitor came. A peculiar human who came in and requested my presence. He spoke of a sacred sword, and whoever possessed it would reign supreme over all the realms. The surviving zealots left behind were easily decided by his honeyed words, tweet. They sought the power to avenge you."

"After your invasion collapsed, the army formed into two survivors." Emi continued. "One wanted to stage another attack to avenge your death, the other called for peace until you returned. Camio ran himself into the ground trying to make sure they didn't fight themselves, but the human came and destroyed the balance. And worst of all, they said there was two swords. One of which was Better Half. Not a lot of people know that name, or that it's in Japan."

"He took the zealots and vanished from the realm, tweet." Camio spoke up. "That human's name was Olba Mayor."

"That baldie!?" Natsu shouted. "I knew i should have punched him harder."

"Camio, who is leading this vengeful faction?" Ashiya questioned.

"Barbariccia, aide to Malacoda, general of the southern island, tweet." The bird replied. "I came here to stop them, but you can see the results of that."

"So why are we talking out here?" Maou asked. "Why not just talk back at Ohguro's?"

"Did you forget? If Amane is behind thrashing Camio and his crew, she can't just be a normal human being." Emi pointed out.

"Do you perhaps think she's from Natsu's world, then?" Ashiya asked.

"Never seen her before today." He replied. "Besides, pretty sure my friends would be the ones to come here looking for me."

"Not to mention I don't want her to know about what's coming." Emilia added, catching their attention.

"What's coming?" Lucifer nervously asked.

"A large unit of demons seeking revenge are coming to get Better Half right now."

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"WHY DIDN'T YOU START WITH THAT!?" Maou shouted, shaking Camio.

"Based on the size and our information, the Gate will open at midnight." The bird squawked out. "I wouldn't be so concerned, but the power of this Amane woman scares me. I do not wish to see them die a fool's death."

"I don't really care about what happens to you guys, but if Olba's involved, I can't ignore that." Emi huffed out. "We brought our war to Japan, so this is our responsibility. She can't fix it for us."

"I know that." Maou declared. "Still, I don't know what good the three of us will do right now."

"I prepared for that, tweet." Camio said. "That sword I brought with me was-"

Natsu sniffed the air and quickly stood up, leaning against a guardrail. "Guys, we might have a problem." He said, making everyone turn to him.

A magic circle appeared around Lucifer's eye, a shocked look on his face. "Wow… this isn't some little squad, it's the entire Malebranche, Malacoda's troops. Over a thousand of them."

"Let's see it up close." Emi declared before slamming a bottle of Celestial Force. "Divine Boots of Light!" She took off the ground in a glowing aura, leaving the boy's behind.

"Camio, where's that sword?" The Demon King questioned.

"Of course. Luckily, i brought it with-" The bird looked around his box, only to find the padding. "Wha-"

"And I just got finished telling everyone how smart you are…" Maou growled with rage. "IF WE NEED THAT FREAKING THING, SAY SO BEFORE WE LEFT, DUMBASS!"

"I'll go get it!" Natsu shouted as he broke into a sprint.

"Don't bother. You want this, right?" Natsu came to a sudden stop as Amane stepped out with the sword in her hand. "Don't ask me why I'm here. Just focus on what you need to do." She declared before hurling the weapon at Satan. "Let me know how it goes, okay?" The dark skinned woman turned and walked away as Maou quickly caught the blade and drew it, his body transforming.

"That's great, but how am I gonna get up there?" The pyromancer asked.

"Don't worry. I have a plan." Maou declared in a deeper voice.

Emilia sliced through the demon army and whatever weapon put in front of her. Flying over a strike, she noticed two flying apart as an older one held up two long claws, an eyepatch on his face. "You… you are no ordinary human." He held up a purple gem and a bright light shot forward, causing Emi to glow and the demon to laugh. "I never imagined I'd find you so quickly, Hero Emilia Justine!"

"No sense in hiding it now." Emi mumbled, her hair turning silver as Alas Ramus grew into a larger blade. "I bested the Devil King, remember? Retreat now or face your end."

"She's mine!" The green skinned demon declared, flying towards her. Emi moved to the side and sliced one of his nails off, sending it falling to the ocean.

"Still wanna fight?" She asked.

"No demon who would turn away in fear of defeat deserves to command the New Devil King's army!" He snapped back. A heavy magical presence froze both of them as the foghorn rang out.

"Ciriatto, right?" A voice behind her asked. "I need you to explain something to me. What is this New Devil King's army?"

"The hell are you?" The demon questioned in shock.

"How dare you, a lowly chief, address us in such a manner…"

"Did you seriously think we'd let you screw up our vacation without saying anything?"

"Next time, show up earlier." Emi snapped at Maou. "And where the hell is Natsu?"

"Oh, he should be here right about…" Maou snapped his fingers and the Dragon Slayer suddenly appeared in front of them, a mist in the shape of black dragon wings appearing off his back.

"This is awesome!" Natsu cheered as he started flying around, the wings beating to keep him up.

"Stop now! Would you let a human's words turn you against your master!?" Camio shouted, stunning the army.

"Master?" Ciriatto repeated as his army started panicking behind him.

"You are in the presence of King Satan!" Alciel declared.

Instantly, the entire army bowed to their ruler, the leader begging for his life. "Funny, I don't recall putting anyone but Camio in charge during my absence." Maou declared. "If you have an excuse, I'd like to hear it."

"My lord, we fight for the sake of peace in our realm." Ciriatto explained. "We needed to get the sacred sword before it fell into the hands of an enemy. Barbariccia pretended to be deceived by the human's words so we could learn the sword's location."

"Then why not seek the approval of Camio?" Alciel asked back.

"Ciriatto, can I see that pendant of yours?" Emi requested before the demon handed the jewel over. "It's a link crystal…"

"All I know is that the sword lies where the light points." The malebranche replied. "If this jewel is somehow connected to this place, I have no idea. I swear on the name of King Satan that I am telling the truth."

"Tell me, are you able to use the Gates you used to return to Ente Isla?" Maou asked, confusing Ciriatto in the process. "I would like to send you back, but I'm worried. If you return empty handed, you'll be punished for your failure. So, take this message back with you. Tell everyone that Demon King Satan is alive and well, and that the Sacred Sword is well within my grasp.

"I will return and reclaim my place, but until then Ciriatto, I order you to act as Camio's aide. Unite the demons and lead them. Now… don't let the door hit you."

Chiho and Suzuno stared out at the sea as the fog started clearing. "Is it over?" The inquisitor asked in concern.

"I hope so." The two panicked as Amane suddenly walked forward. "Your friends must be exhausted. Fingers crossed they can swim, seems like they belly flopped a good ways off the coast."

The two rushed to the shoreline and started shouting for their friends, only to find Emi and Natsu panting next to the three demons. "It… it's over." She gasped out, making her friends smile before Alas Ramus appeared and hugged Chiho.

"What happened out there?" Suzuno questioned.

"The bird calmed everyone down and we sent the army back home." Natsu explained, flopping onto his back. "Guessed it used more magic than they thought, cause they turned back into this-" He motioned to the seaweed covered trio. "And fell into the water. Same with me, but I still pulled them back here."

"Well, let's get you all back inside before you catch a cold." Amane chuckled, confusing the group as to what exactly she was.

The Next Morning

"Though our time together was short, thanks a million for making it so sweet." The restauranteur declared to the group. "I'd hate to do this, but I'm kicking you out."

"…huh!?"

"Don't worry, it's not all bad news." She chuckled. "Aunt Mikitty got the repairs done in record time, you're good to go. I knew you'd be good when she recommended you, but you're still a bit too much for my customers. You could mess up the entire energy of the beach."

"Uh… sorry to interrupt, but do you all see that too?" Chiho muttered out, pointing at a shadowy figure sitting in the bar. "Or am I losing it!?"

The being got up and ran away, right into a large conglomeration of the figures in the water. "Chill, this is like, 50% your fault." Amane declared, confusing them even more. "Remember when I told you about the Moren-Yassa? That was bull. In reality, this is one of the few places where the dead can clean their souls. My dad and I watch this place, and we fight to protect the dead.

"I guess you could say we're their guardians. Last night, whatever magic you were shooting around willy-nilly disturbed the natural order of this sacred place. These souls are on the verge of losing their human shape. You need to leave now. They can't handle any more of your chaos." She snapped her fingers and a whirlwind of sand blinded the seven.

By the time it settled down, the entire building was gone as seven envelops fell into their hands. "Sire, I found this atop our luggage." Alciel handed Maou a pamphlet about the lighthouse. "Perhaps it is a clue."

"So something has been bugging me..." Emi spoke up. "How did you suddenly get enough magic to close the Gate?"

"It was the sword." Natsu answered, confusing his 'sister' even more. "Guess it was a magic blade or something."

"Nah, it was the horn Emi broke off." Maou replied, shocking the two. "It still had some magic left in it, and I guess Olba turned it into a weapon. I'm more concerned about this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a Shard before chucking at Emi. "Camio had mentioned Olba gave them some way to find the sword, this must have been it."

"And you're not even a little worried that this will make me even stronger?" The Hero asked.

"Nope, not even a little." He chuckled. "You two should sleep with one eye open from now on, cause I plan on taking control of you the same way I do everyone else."

"PHRASING!"

2 Days Later

Tokyo

Staring up at the repaired complex, Maou couldn't help but sigh in annoyance. "Look, I don't care how fast she fixed it… WHY IS EVERYTHING EXACTLY THE SAME!?" Marching up the stairs, he lead the group in and opened their room. "There really is no difference at all."

"Not exactly, my liege." Ashiya replied, looking around. "They fixed the leaky kitchen sink."

"Smells like new paint too." Natsu added, holding his nose.

"Well, who cares. The rent isn't going up, so that's good news." Satan said with a smile as he sat down.

"Huh, battery's almost dead." Urushihara mumbled as he crawled over to the nearest outlet. "Hold on… did we always have this soc… NO FREAKING WAY!" Maou fell over as Hanzo ran out the room, looking up at the roof. "I knew it!" He ran back to the room, panting from the short run. "Maou, this is nuts."

"What is it?"

"We got an HD hookup!" The Fallen Angel declared, shocking the residents and confusing the false siblings and Chiho.

"That's it?" Emi questioned.

"That wasn't a super priority for us." Maou replied. "Not to mention we got the internet once Lucifer moved in with his computer. But then again, now that we have it… wanna buy a tv?"

"Why bring that up now, sire?" Ashiya asked.

"Cause I wanna watch cartoons with Alas Ramus like Emi does." He replied, eyeing the 'mom'.

"You kidding? I barely watch anything on it." She snapped back. "Natsu uses it more than I do, and even then, it's mostly for games."

"So can we get one?" Maou begged Ashiya.

"Hate to break it to you, but we do have a budget." Lucifer reminded his leader. "And with cable fees, hookup fees, installation, it's more expensive than you think."

"That's where you wrong." Satan chuckled, grabbing his wallet. "Remember where we got our fridge and washing machine?"

"Wait, you don't mean?"

"That's right." Maou chuckled as he pulled out a card. "I got points on points! With this, we can more than double our tv budget!"

"…I think we need to go now." Natsu sighed as he opened the door.

Night

Yusa Apartment

Lying on the couch, Emi just stared up at the ceiling as Alas Ramus played Puggle Burst on the Y-Box. Natsu was in the shower, having just finished a long run through the city. A vibration caught her attention before she reached up and picked up her phone. "Rika…" She mumbled before answering, walking out to the balcony. "Hey, what's up?"

"…Please don't laugh." Her friend requested, confusing Emi.

"You know I won't. Come on, tell me." She replied.

"Well… I know how weird it is for me to ask you this, but you're the only person I can ask." Rika continued."What kind of clothes does Ashiya like?"

Emi froze at the question, scaring her friend. "Something cheap…" The Hero replied. "I've never seen him in anything outside of that same Uniclo outfit."

"Wait, I didn't need to know that!" Rika cut her off.

"What do you need to know?" Emi questioned.

"Don't play dumb! I wanna know what kind of clothes he'd find attractive on a woman!" A death glare suddenly filled Emi's eyes.

"May I ask a question first?" The Hero asked. "Is there something going between you two?"

"NO! Nothing like that! All he did was ask me to go shopping with him tomorrow!"

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"WHAT!?"

The Next Day

Rika stood in the street before turning around at the sound of her name. "Oh, Ashiya!" She waved back as the hidden demon walked forward.

"Thank you again for helping with this." Ashiya declared, handing a bag of preserved food over. "I was in Choshi a bit ago, so I have a souvenir for you."

"Oh.. thanks." The human replied. 'I knew this would happen, but…' She turned to the side and found Maou, Suzuno, and Natsu standing behind Ashiya.

"Is something wrong?" He questioned.

"No, nothing." Rika mumbled back. "So, what are you all aiming to buy today?"

"I am here to procure a television." /"I'm here for a tv, too." Suzuno and Maou declared.

"There's a new game out, and I wanna see if I can get it." Natsu explained.

"I dunno how much I can help with buying a tv…" Rika confessed. "And I don't know enough about games to help."

"The fact that you own television is vital for the three of us." Ashiya replied. "I'm sure you bought yours yourself, right?"

"Yeah, a 26er." She nodded. "I bought it right when HD started up. It's a little outdated now, so I was thinking of upgrading to 4k."

"Four k what?" Maou asked, all four tilting their heads in confusion.

"Okay, maybe we should work our way up to electronics…" The non-magical human mumbled. "Hey, how about we get some food? I'll give you the basics over some lunch."

A loud growl echoed from Natsu's stomach, catching everyone within earshot off guard. "Yeah, I could go for some food." He chuckled. "Who's paying?"

"We pay for ourselves, Good Nate." Suzuno replied as they walked forward, following Rinka. "Knowing your voracious appetite, you would drain all of us of our funds before we ever arrived at the electronics store."

"You guys suck..." Natsu pouted while following the group.

"So, what kind of tv are you looking for?" Rika asked as they sat down with their food.

"One that plays the shows." Maou answered.

"That's the vaguest answer you could have given." She deadpan replied. "What's your budget?"

"26,239."

"Why so specific?" Rika didn't know wither to be impressed or scared.

"Don't worry about that." Ashiya spoke up. "Does our budget sound reasonable? I tried to do some research, but all I could find was some vague buying plans and such. The price of the television remains a mystery."

"I think we can find one that will fit." She said with a smirk.

"Dude, this guy at the front is really pissing me off!" Natsu growled, putting his tray down with force. "He's talking gibberish and scaring the guy behind the counter. Not to mention he smells funny. I'm getting this close to punching him in the face."

"Don't punch anyone." Maou said, standing up. "I'll go see what I can do." About two minutes later, he came back and finished the meal before heading to the electronics store. "There are certainly no shortage of options here!"

"Hey, you need to stick with Suzuno." Rika whispered to Ashiya.

"Why?"

"Remind me what she said her budget was?" She asked back.

"I believe she had the gall to say it was close to 70 thousand yen." Ashiya replied in annoyance.

"Exactly. So you both need to go to the same sales person." Rika explained. "Say you'll only be willing to buy the two tv's together. They'll look for stuff in her price range…"

"Giving us a bigger discount!" He realized, grabbing her hand in gratitude as her face turned red. "Thank you very much! I am so glad I decided to invite you here! I'll be back!"

"O-o-okay!" She mumbled as he rushed over to Suzuno.

"What ideas are you putting in my pal's head?" Maou asked as he walked up to the blushing human, only to get no response from her. "Yo?" Again, no response. "Hey!" He clapped in her ear, snapping her back to reality.

"Hi, Maou. How long have you been standing there?"

"Not that long." He replied. "So, can I ask you a question: Ashiya… are you in love with him?" Rinka stared at him for a second before screaming in shock and dropping to her knees. "No dying! Emi will KILL me if you die!"

"Why must I drink tea with you?" Suzuno asked in annoyance, the two tvs next to the chairs.

"Just be friendly for once." He begged. "Consider this a celebration for our purchases." The inquisitor just started at him before he leaned over his shoulder. "So, thoughts on those two?"

"Alciel and the good Rinka?" She questioned. "She looks nice while he looks dull. Rika put much more effort into her appearance."

"Good, I'm not the only one who sees it." Maou replied. "She jumped at the chance to get dolled up, it's so obvious."

"Are you… trying to imply that Rika has romantic feelings for Alciel?" Suzano didn't know whether to be horrified or sick at the idea.

"Well, when I asked her about it, she screamed and fell on the-"

A punch to the face cut him off as Suzuno grabbed his shirt, pulling him in close. "Tell me exactly how you phrased the question!"

"I just asked if she was in love with him!" He replied.

"Once more, you have proven yourself the enemy of all women without a single empathetic bone!" She insulted him before letting go, dropping Maou to the floor. "She's nothing like good Chiho. What is our next step: have Emilia and I rewrite her memories?"

"Rewrite whose memories?" Natsu asked as he walked over, a small bag of games in his hand. He sat down with a perfect line of sight to a blushing Rika close to Ashiya. "Crap, Emi was right." Natsu groaned in annoyance. "I'm not looking forward to telling her this."

"Not if we sever their contact here and now." Suzuno declared. "The good Rika is still clueless about Ente Isla and your world. That knowledge will only lead to disaster for her."

"Can't we just tell her the truth and go from there?" Maou asked.

"Even I think that's a bad idea." Natsu replied.

Glass suddenly shattered and the group rushed to see every single tv on the floor had shattered. "Ashiya, this could get ugly." Maou mumbled. "Take Rika home."

"At once." He replied before dragging her out of the store.

"Who did this? Another demon, or perhaps Olba?" Suzuno asked.

"No clue, but we should get back to Urushihara." Maou declared. "Nate, call Emi. I'm going to tell Chi to stay away for a while."

Natsu reached for his phone, only to find it already ringing from Emilia. "Talk about timing." He said before flipping it open. "Yeah, what is it? What, why th-… okay. Yeah, no prob." The call ended and he turned to the other two. "She wants us to meet at your place, Maou."

Maou's Apartment

Maou opened the door and found Emi standing in the center, Urushihara at the computer. "Tell me the truth, both of you. Was the Devil King with you two the whole time?"

"Y-yeah, and so was Ashiya." Natsu nervously declared.

"Well get him back here, now." Emi ordered, looking at Maou. "A part of me wishes this was your fault, but another part is glad it isn't."

"What are you talking about?" He questioned back.

"It's Chiho." The hero explained, stunning the trio. "She's been poisoned by a concentrated dose of demonic force. She's gone completely comatose and is in the hospital. Her mother told me she was already acting weird last night."

Another chapter done. Things are getting pretty weird on Earth with everything going on, and honestly I love it. The weirder the better, in my book. Yes, I am following the Manga order of events instead of the anime, so we're changing things around for anime exclusive people like some of my friends. Really can't wait for the next chapter, so I'll see you then.

Beta read by The 3rd Dragneel and The ExcadrillComics