The tide of soldiers wasn't simply infinite but seemed to be amplifying. Their power was, somehow, increasing. Erza wasn't quite so fatigued as to believe it was her own failing strength. They hadn't moved far from their original position. Losing Juvia to the fight against Sting forced them to lose one of their advantages in their wide-ranged assault, but having Elfman alongside Panther Lily helped them have two battering rams alongside Erza's spearheaded attack.

She blew through another column of soldiers as two bestial commanders dove in toward her. She'd been locked in her Black Wing Armor for quite some time, as it served best for making her way around the battlefield. Lily quickly dove into Erza's path as she ducked beneath his attack, obliterating the rank of soldiers behind the commanders while the empowered Exceed took on his opponents.

Elfman roared. He was ahead of them, softening the enemy up quite significantly. Erza twirled her blade and deflected an oncoming beam of magic back at its caster.

"Any sight of Wendy or Gajeel?" Erza asked.

"They may still be going on ahead!" Lily exclaimed.

"Then you scout ahead to see what the path ahead looks like," Erza said. "Make it quick, Lily. We've got incoming."

Something was coming for them, she sensed. Either another great mass of opponents, or one mighty one. Erza Requipped out of her Black Wing armor to her Morning Star Armor. She clasped the twin blades in her hand tightly while the new enemy approached.

Elfman finished off his gaggle of opponents with a heavy swing.

"I'll keep going, Erza!" Elfman exclaimed.

Erza nodded to him and braced herself. The enemy was coming in fast, just as fast as she or Laxus. And the power was…incredible. She prepared magic in her swords, prepared to launch an assault.

Until a gust of wind came, sending debris everywhere, slicing up her face, and she was punched in the gut before she could realize what'd happened.

A blanket of white hair matted with black covered her vision.

"Hey, Erza," a deep, familiar, voice said before Erza was blasted away through two buildings, coming out the other end with two glass shards stuck in her thighs.

That voice…

It couldn't…

Erza rolled out of her little crater as the enemy landed in front of her, then lashed out with talons that sliced across Erza's armor. Erza tried to counter with her swords but her opponent was damn fast, blasting a fireball at Erza that sent her spiraling away.

She, at last, got a chance to recover as she Requipped to her Flame Empress Armor and blocked the next oncoming spell, one that obliterated the area around them in black flames.

Out from it strode a demonic figure, with bat-like wings unfurling to send two gusts of wind out that suffocated the flames. Black tendrils traced all down the demon's figure toward pure black talons and claws that served as hands and feet. A wicked mass of white hair rolled down their shoulders and covered their breasts, though they had a long yet tight black dress to cover themselves. Scarlet and amber eyes, slit, scowled at Erza.

But the face was still there. Still the same.

Elfman charged toward his opponent, throwing a punch they easily blocked with a single raised hand. She turned toward her opponent.

"Hello, brother," Mirajane said. "It's been some time, hasn't it."

"Mirajane?" Elfman asked and was flung away by his sister. She flicked her wrist while Elfman crashed near Erza.

Erza readied herself.

"What's happening, Mirajane?" Erza asked. "Why are you attacking us?"

"I was finally let out to play," Mirajane said. "After I've spent a dreadfully long amount of time being fixed up for this moment." She raised a talon, pointing a jagged finger right at Erza. "For you, Erza."

"What is this new form?" Elfman asked. "Did you make this?"

"I've become this," Mirajane said.

"This?" Erza howled.

"A true demon," Mirajane said. "My soul unlocked by Mard Geer Tartaros and his machinations in Hell's Core. Now, I can finally fight freely, no need to worry about Takeovers or being corrupted." She closed her fist. "Perhaps I rushed out of there, but when I heard you all were here? I had to come to test my strength, to see what improvements have been made."

"You didn't need improvements!" Elfman exclaimed.

"No?" Mirajane asked. "Why ever not, dear brother? You're certainly in need of some if that's the most powerful punch you can throw at me." Mirajane cocked her head at Erza. "Or this one. Let me guess, if I come at you, you'll hold back? How trite. This is why I had to come to deal with you, Erza. Let the dragons fight the dragons, but me? Only I can kill you because you don't have the will to do the same to me."

"Of course I don't, you're my family!" Erza shouted. "Enough of this charade, Mirajane!"

She was Broken. Had to be. But how could Mirajane fall so easily? Did they truly have those among their ranks so powerful as to easily turn Mirajane against Fairy Tail, against her brother?

"I can't believe this," Elfman muttered. He fell to his knees. "Mirajane…big sis…"

Mirajane's grin sickeningly widened. The pit in Erza's stomach deepened. She almost lost grip of her swords. Seeing a member of their guild accidentally brainwashed was one thing, but from what Erza understood…unless they could get Mirajane's aid, she was gone. The Mira they knew was locked away to never be rescued.

And this woman? She had the potential to be far stronger than the Mirajane they knew and loved. She was being hasty, running into the fight as she was, which gave Erza only a slight advantage. Yet, Mira knew all of Erza's moves and knew exactly how to counter her. Erza could only guess the magic Mirajane had at her disposal.

"Stay down on your knees, Elfman," Mirajane said. "It'll make killing you easier. I can't imagine Erza will just give herself up?"

"Never," Erza said.

"Good," Mirajane said. She licked her lips with a forked tongue. "Then we can have some fun!"

She bolted at Erza, moving fast as the wind. Erza flared her magic. A plume of fire erupted between her and Mirajane, a good enough smoke screen for Erza to dart away from Mirajane's assault and Requip into her Flight Armor.

If Mirajane wanted to get the upper hand via speed, Erza could at least match that.

The two engaged one another, exchanging a flurry of fast blows that Erza was certainly on the losing end of. Erza slid back as Mira shoved her away, then the demonic woman pressed forward with a ball of fire swirling in her hands. Erza blocked that strike and slammed her head into Mira, who lunged and tried to bite Erza with sharp fangs. Erza whipped back into Mira's leg. She felt a rib crack.

"I have both speed and power, Erza," Mirajane said. Her elbow crunched Erza's nose in and sent Titania flying. "Try to keep up with either, please!"

Erza slammed into a wall that Mira punished her through. She rolled back, stars wheeling around her, and Requipped once more, this time into her Lightning Armor.

"Trying to be like dear old Laxus?" Mira shouted. "Nice try!"

Erza stepped back to avoid Mira's strike, then, with a fist of lightning, punched Mira hard across the face. She jabbed the lightning spear at Mira, who dodged but couldn't avoid the pulse of magic that sent her scooting out of the room.

"There is nothing faster nor more powerful than a bolt of lightning," Erza said. "So I figured I'd try it on for size."

"Now we're getting somewhere," Mirajane said. She spat out some black blood.

Erza breathed out of her mouth. Her nose was certainly broken. Blood had splattered across her face and dribbled down her dimples and over her lips. Dirt matted her face. She had a welt forming on her leg, and all the moving around finally jarred those shards of glass from her leg but the wounds remained, some scarlet seeping down her boots.

She wasn't getting anywhere quite yet. Perhaps the Lightning Empress Armor would be enough to expose chinks in Mirajane's armor, but not enough to overwhelm her. Erza would need more power for that, but her other arms weren't built for speed, they were built for power. If she could damage Mirajane some more, at least reduce her maneuverability, a single strike could end the fight.

Her eyes drifted to Elfman, whose fists had clenched. Tears stained his cheeks. He glanced at Erza. Within those tears swam the years he'd spent distanced from his sister, his family, that he finally got back…only to have them taken again. If Mira was gone, where was Lisanna? Elfman no doubt had that thought swirling over and over in his mind. Plus, even if this person was corrupted, it was still Mirajane.

"Elfman!" Erza shouted, snapping his eyes open. The rush of the battles going on around them flew into Erza's ears as if the battlefield remained clear. Hopefully, it'd done the same for Elfman. "If Lisanna were here, what would she ask you to do?"

Mirajane howled a laugh. "Her? She's probably dead by now. August was dealing with them."

Elfman scowled at Mirajane. "Dead?"

"That's right," Mira said. She so easily waved him off. "A little twerp like that, like you, wouldn't mean anything to the—"

A massive fist crashed into her face, sending Mira flying through the building she'd been braced against.

A beast, so great and tall, huffed out a breath of air. It roared, bellowing its rage for the Twilight Empire all about the city.

Erza regained grip of her spear as the building fell to dust at Mirajane's magic.

"No sister of mine would brush off Lisanna like that," Elfman said. "You're a demon. And you're gonna pay."

Mirajane brushed herself off, then became engulfed in an aura of black fire.

"Good. Now the fun can truly begin!"

Levy rested her hand on the glass of the room in the highest tower of the castle. Each window pane beheld a different area of the skirmishes going on—watching as Wendy and Gajeel and the Exceeds held the area near the gate, as Erza and Elfman tussled with the new Mirajane, as Natsu, Gray, and Juvia ran from their fight with Sting. Levy stood before the one with Gajeel.

He was so splendid with how he fought, brutally putting his opponents down, showcasing his full might for the Empire to try, and fail, at stopping him.

August was behind her, observing each window, as well as some others around the city as the Dragon Division marshaled into action.

Brandish was just next to him, sitting in a fine cushion seat, looking quite bored. Her legs were folded, and one hand rested on her cheek.

"Just say the word and the Twilight Division could end this so quickly," she said. "Why are we letting this drag on?"

"It hardly drags," August said. "Look at the struggle the Dragon Division is facing."

"We're willing to let them get wiped out?" Brandish asked.

"We're willing to cull the weak," August said. "A proper gauge of Fairy Tail's strength. Besides, this may heighten the resolve of others to defeat Fairy Tail. I'm willing to distribute a handsome reward to any capable of defeating them, after all."

Levy wanted to take her eyes off of Gajeel's fight, but couldn't bear to see what Mirajane was doing, or what the Empire had done to her.

She could only, silently, hope that Gajeel would make it out okay. And that he never found out where she was.

The doors of the Urdstatz library were magnificent, if only for the fact that so few had, probably, ever laid eyes on them. Minerva skimmed her fingers over them, and with a single pulse of magic, they flew off their hinges into the labyrinth she stared down. Fires raged behind her while moans and screams for help graced the world with their symphony.

"Rufus?" Minerva called into the place. Less a library, she thought, and more a dungeon.

She stepped into the place and the doors sealed right back up. Some light remained from the scant torches all about her. Minerva's heart fluttered. This was it.

Her moment. And Rufus had locked her in, at last admitting that his chase was done and that it was time to face Minerva head-on.

The man was meant to be a genius, yet made the gravest, and most foolish, mistake of his entire life. And Minerva couldn't have been happier for it.