Chapter 101
Counter Strike
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Magic"
Flashback
Location / Date / Time Skip
The guild rushed the large man and questioned him repeatedly. "Lisanna… got captured." He reported, shocking everyone. "We were too late to save Yuri as well." Makarov hung his head as Elfman lowered his in shame. "Even though I was there, I…"
"It's not your fault." Gray declared.
"Levy is calculating the location of their base right now." Pantherlily added. "We'll get Lisanna back. That you can be certain of that."
"Pathetic." Cana spoke up. "Your sister gets captured and you come crawling back here without even going after those responsible?"
"I… I lost sight of them." He confessed.
"LOST SIGHT!?" She repeated. "The people who captured Lisanna managed to evade you even though you're capable of transforming into a beast!?"
"That's enough, Cana!" Makarov ordered.
"I'm sorry." The large man mumbled as he walked away. "I just… I need some rest."
"You crossed the line, Cana." Gray said, though she probably ignored him.
Elfman walked through the guild with purpose, his dark orders repeating in his mind. "Return to the guild and install this lacrima there. It is an ultra condensed Ether light sphere. It's approximately 500 times more powerful than the Jupiter Cannon. Your guild will be instantly vaporized, a painless death."
Reaching the basement of the guild, he reached into his pocket and pulled out the bomb. "To get Lisanna back, I will obliterate Fairy Tail."
Tartaros Jail Cell
"Keep pulling, Lisanna!" Natsu was sat in front of the girl as she pulled on his cuffs with her feet.
"Don't you dare turn around!" She shouted back. "I'm pretty sure Laki would never forgive us if she found out about this."
"If you can just get your cuffs off…" He grumbled.
"I don't think they can be broken with normal human strength." Lisanna said as she dropped way. "I'm probably more likely to rip your arms off first."
"Want me to try?" He suggested.
"I said don't turn!" She shouted back, a blush on her face before a scrap of clothing fell into the cell. "What?"
Natsu slammed into the cell doors and saw Silver walking away. "I can't let you two escape. But I also can't let the little princess stay like that any longer." He chuckled.
"What a minute! Just who the hell are you!?" Natsu shouted, but his question went unanswered. "That guy… his stench is just like Grays."
Torture Chamber
Erza winced as tentacles wrapped around her body. "Do it." Kyouka ordered. Yakdoriga obeyed and zapped Erza with electricity, making her cry in pain. "That enough." The zapping stopped and the redhead gasped in pain. "Where is Jellal?"
"Mira…" Erza mumbled, catching the demons attention. "Return Mira."
Kyouka stared down at her, distain in her eyes. "Continue, Yakdoriga." The creature picked her up to her feet and the demoness walked forward. "Let's double your sensitivity to pain again." She grabbed her head and Kyouka's talon glowed before stepping away, Erza crying in pain.
With Crawford
"Ex-Chairman, it appears as though you will find Jellal soon, yes?" Franmalth asked.
"Quit it! I'm trying to concentrate." The human shouted back. "My Super Archive's Real Time Link is in the middle of searching through the continent's mages."
"If we can just find and kill Jellal, we'll be able to activate face." The demon chuckled. "How much will that power cost?"
"I'll definitely find him for you." Crawford chuckled before gasping in shock.
"What just happened!? Did you find Jellal!?" Franmalth questioned.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" The ex-chairman shouted back, typing into his magic.
"Did you find Jellal!?" The cyclopes asked.
"It seems I've done more than just find him." Crawford chuckled. "I've taken him out if the equation entirely. My Super Archive was able to transfer the seal. Think of it like a key: Jellal held it, but now I've taken it. And now, I can transfer it to anyone I want. Like say one of the two women we captured. Then we kill then, and Face is activated."
"Hold on, why don't we just kill you then?" Franmalth asked.
"BECAUSE WITHOUT ME, YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO CONTROL FACE!" He shouted back. "I had no idea this was even possible! My Super Archive is more fearsome than I even believed. We can unseal Face and bring the world of men to their heels!"
"How could the key for such a powerful weapon be so easily transferable?" The demon asked.
"Who cares? The fact is that I now control Face. We can-" A talon pierced his chest and he coughed up blood before glancing over his shoulder.
"Well, that's convenient." Kyouka chuckled. "This will break the seal, will it?"
"How could you?" He gasped out before she removed the blade, making him fall to the ground.
The entire castle started shaking, scaring everyone in it. "Even the Cube is reacting. Face truly has been unsealed." Kyouka was almost ecstatic in her joy.
Prison
Natsu crashed to the ground of the cell face first as Lisanna managed stay upright somehow. "How you hanging, Lisanna?"
"I'm fine." She replied. "But Elfman is still in trouble." Another quake bounced them around before Lisanna looked up. "Natsu, look!" He turned to her, and she kicked him in the face. "Not me, you idiot! Over there!"
A large sword clanged against the cell, catching him off guard. "We can get out of here!" He cheered as he crawled over.
With Kyouka
"This is quite the reaction." The demoness said as she struggled to stand up.
"There's no doubt about it! The seal of Face has been broken!" Franmath shouted, holding onto a pillar for dear life.
"And its coordinates?" Kyouka questioned.
Franmath grew a third arm and typed into the computer. "Seems farther than the expected emergence point."
The quakes finally stopped as Kyouka stood up. "No matter. Activate it."
"About that…" Franmalth mumbled. "It can't be done from here. Face can only be activated manually. Well, the former chairman could have done it remotely, but…"
The two glanced over to the fresh kill, blood dripping from the wound. "It appears I may have been a little hasty." Kyouka confessed. "No matter. Send someone to se to it."
"I just hope those Fairy Tail brats don't stick their noses where they don't belong!" Franmalth complained.
"Do not worry about such things." Sayla said walking forward. "It is only a matter of time. Before long, the end to the fairies story will be spun."
Laboratory
A black haired girl with rabbit ears skipped around before coming to a stop in front of one of the tanks. "Good thing those quakes didn't screw up with your rebirth." She chuckled, turning to a dark skinned man.
"So, this is my body…" The man mumbled, staring at his hand.
"That's right, Tempester." The girl nodded, ogling the muscles and face. "Oh, I turned you into such a hunk! It's so cool!"
"Oi, Lamy! Why the hell do I still have this stupid tail!?" Both turned to see Jackal standing over them.
"You're already a hunk, so I didn't need to modify you!" The demon replied, rubbing against his arm.
"Get off me, you little weirdo." Jackal pushed her away, an anger in his eyes. "That fireball bastard and those two cats… I'm gonna kill them next time I see them."
"Your angry face is so cute!" Lamy squealed, annoying the blonde.
"And who is that?" Tempester asked, making Jackal turn as well.
"Oh right, her." Lamy was completely uninterested as Minerva walked forward, a pair of horns on her head and black marking covering her body, including one of her eyes. "Some human that Lady Kyouka captured or something. I think her name was Minerva. Who cares about women, anyway?"
"So this is what it means to be a demon…" She stared at her clawed hand and smirked. "My power is overflowing…"
"Welcome to the club." Jackal chuckled as Minerva nodded.
"Oh, well. Guess I might as well modify this one too." Lamy slammed her face against the tube containing Mirajane, her body completely untouched. "Look at her with that pretty face. You're gonna be the world's ugliest caterpillar when I'm done with you."
Fairy Tail
Elfman stared down at the glowing bomb, tears flowing down his face. "I'm sorry, Lisanna. This is for you."
"Elfman?" He turned to see Cana walking down the stairs. "Something is really off about you…" She noticed the light and looked at the lacrima. "That lacrima…"
"Get back!" Elfman jumped onto her and pinned her to the ground. "Don't get in my way!" He wrapped his hand around her neck as another covered her head. "Perish, Fairy Tail."
'Is he being controlled?' Her mind was going a hundred miles an hour as she glanced at the bomb. 'At this rate…' "Elfman, wake up!"
"Destroy, destroy, destroy…" He chanted over and over. With her remaining strength, Cana managed to pull out a magic card and slapped it against his face. A glow filled the room as he was trapped in the card.
"Not the way I thought I'd meet a man today." She replied, pocketing the card. The lacrima caught her attention as the glow brightened even more. "Is it already about to explode!?" Standing up, she rushed up the stairs, thinking at a hundred miles an hour.
Above them, the guild was oblivious to the danger in their own mists. "I've got it! I know where Tartaros is!" Levy declared as everyone surrounded her. "Above us." She pointed upwards, confusing everyone.
"Those bastards are above us!?" Reedus asked.
"There's no mistaking it." Levy replied. "When Happy and Rose escaped, they were in the vicinity of our order with Bosco. Judging from their speed and direction of travel, right now, they're above Magnolia!"
"Looks like they came to us." Gajeel said.
"Let's go save Natsu and the others!" Laki declared, making the guild cheered.
Cana burst up from the basement and waved her hand. In an instant, the entire guild turned into cards, much to their confusion. "There are injured people here. This is the only way." She mumbled as the Excceds watched the cards fly into her hand. "Happy, Carla, Lily, Rose! The guild is about to blow up! Escape and attack them!"
With a glow, she turned herself into a card as well before the four split the deck and flew out the open door as a bright light emerged from the basement before an explosion obliterated the guild hall.
Cube
The demons watching the screen and chuckled at their apparent success. "I wonder how many people died…" Franmalth chuckled.
"If it was enough to purge them all, then taking the Cube to this remote place was a waste of time." Kyouka added. "The time is now. The White Legacy created by humans will now cause the destruction of humanity itself. Face will steal man's magic completely and start the era of our demon kind. The world will be as Zeref wished."
A small projection popped up before Franmalth, scaring him. "What's the matter, Franmalth?"
"Just a remarkable magical reaction…" He mumbled.
"Emergency!" A soldier shouted as he raced over. "Four figures are coming towards the Cube!"
"Four? It looks like a whole army!" The cyclops replied. "I'll pull up the visual." A screen popped up in front of them, shocking the demons as Happy, Carla, Rose and Pantherlily flew up at them, holding something." "They're Fairy Tail cats!" 'Silver, why'd you let those two escape?'
"How could those beast have such magic power?" Kyouka questioned.
"They're holding… cards?" Sayla questioned before her eyes went wide. "I… made a mistake?"
"Put up the barriers!" Kyouka shouted at a soldier. "Create a gravitational field in the undercube! Position the first battle unit in the front, rear and side of the Cube! Don't let them near the top of the Cube!
Undercube
A strong gravity field pulled the four cats to the bottom and they crashed into the rocky surface. "Are we upside down?" Happy asked.
"We have a bigger problem!" Rose pointed out as the soldiers raced at them. "What do we do now?"
"I got this!" Cana shouted before every single member of Fairy Tail returned to normal and charged onto battle.
Elfman laid on his back, staring at the ground. "What am I?"
"You sane again?" Cana asked.
"What did I…" Elfman asked, tears building up in his eyes.
"Don't you wanna save Mira and Lisanna?" She questioned. "Stand up, first of all."
"Right…" He nodded, pushing himself up.
Laboratory
Lamy stared at the source of the noise in annoyance. "They're being noisy outside…" She mumbled, turning back to Mirajane. "First, I'll mess up that pretty face of yours." Tentacles slithered down onto her face and latched onto her. "How does that demon blood feel!? You're gonna be so ugly when I'm done!"
The trapped woman's eyes snapped open before the tank exploded, blasting Lamy back. "Sorry, but I already have demon blood inside me thanks to my magic." She chuckled, the tentacles wrapped around her. "Thanks for the wakeup call." Lamy crawled up against a nearby tank, screaming for her life.
With Kyouka
"I'll have to use Erza and those other two." She mumbled as she walked down the hall. "Hostages are always effective against humans." The demoness turned the corner and found the chamber door smoking, shocking her.
"I was waiting for you!" Her arms were gripped and she looked at Natsu and Lisanna holding them tight.
"How did you get out of-" She started, thrashing in their grip.
"This sword is super powerful." Natsu chuckled.
Kyouka looked at his back and found the sword attached to his hip. "The Heat Blade!? Where is Erza!?"
"Since it took care of me…" She turned back to the door and saw Erza walking forward, Yakdoriga hung over her shoulder. "I thought I'd show my gratitude." Instantly, she threw shackles onto Kyouka and chained her up, cracking her knuckles. "I intend to make the remained of your short life a living hell!"
"Makes you wonder what she did…" Lisanna mumbled.
"Where did you take Elfman and Mira?" Natsu questioned, shocking Erza.
She raised her sword and pointed it at Kyouka's neck. "Whoever this Elfman is, I've not heard of him." Kyouka confessed. "As for the one called Mira, two floors down on the left. But there's no guarantee she's even alive."
"You two, go there now." Erza ordered. "I'll take care of this one." The two left the room as the redhead stared at the bird demon. "What was the source of all that shaking?"
"The fortress had a stronger reaction to Face than we were expecting." She explained, shocking Erza. "We didn't kill Jellal, we merely found another manner to break the seal."
"What are you trying to achieve?" Erza demanded.
"Activating Face purges all magic from this continent." Kyouka calmly said. "Everything we've done is so we may return to Zeref." She glowed green before pulling her shackles apart. "These restraints are designed for magic, not curse!" She charged at Erza, who blocked the hit before kicking back.
"So you're all followers of Zeref?" Erza surmised.
"Followers would be an understatement." Kyouka chuckled back. "We're more like his children. We're all born from the sacred books of Zeref!" She thrusted her claw forward and Erza blocked the extending nails. "It's only natural for us to have faith in our creator!"
"I have no problem with faith." Erza replied. "But it can't justify anything you've done!"
"How could a human understand!?" The demoness swung her claw as Erza glowed.
"Humans have faith, just like you." She replied before charging forward. "But we mustn't let it blind us! We think for ourselves!" Now clad in bronze armor and with a massive lance, she thrusted into Kyouka, knocking them through layer after layer of the base.
Light suddenly blinded her as they crashed through the bottom most layer. "There's our way in!" Her vision returned, she looked to find the rest of her guild fighting as well.
With Natsu and Lisanna
"The escaped prisoners!" Guards armed to the teeth charged the duo as they ran up the stairs.
"I got this! Go save Mira!" Natsu shouted before jumping into the fight. He landed on one before unleashing a flaming kick, sending the rest flying. "This is easy now that I can use magic." The armored warriors suddenly froze in mid-air, confusing the Dragon Slayer. "What's the deal?"
"You've come quite a long way, Natsu." Turning around, the pink haired boy went wide eyed at the voice behind him. "I always hoped you would. This is Tartaros, the library of Zeref. Where all my books reside."
"Zeref…" Natsu mumbled, readying for a fight.
I think this should have been the moment when we started worrying about the fate of FT. Seriously, an explosion THAT BIG AND NO ONE DIES!? That doesn't seem possible. Still, a dramatic chapter for now and I'll see you all next time.
Beta read by General Feng Xiang