Chapter 130

Fimbulwinter

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

"Flashback"

"Magic"

Location/Date/Time Change

The group looked out over the cliff, the sheer number of enemies overwhelming. "I can see the guild, but…" Laki nervously mumbled.

"We just gotta do this." Gray declared, earning a nod from Juvia.

"Rushing headlong into this many enemies without a plan would be foolhardy." Erza stated. "Having said that…"

"Yeah, I know everyone'll come with me!" Natsu declared, holding Laki's hand. "And nothing could be more reassuring!"

"Until the rest of them get here, we'll push back their front line." The redhead continued. "Every step counts. Every step is a step back towards our guild."

"The First is surely waiting for us there." Laki pointed out. "Which means Zeref is probably with her."

Gray slammed his fist into his open palm. "Wanna see who'll take down Zeref first?"

"You're on." Natsu chuckled. "LET'S DO THIS!" The seven charged forward at the army as he pulled his fist back. "Fire Dragon King's Demolition Fist!" The explosive punch tore through the army as the group soon unleashed a barrage of spells.

"These guys willingly attacked us head-on!?"

"They're freaking insane!"

"Overwhelm them! We have the numbers advantage!"

A tornado shot out of the sky as Wendy flew over the battlefield. The rest of the guild soon joined the fray, as did every single available wizard from Ishgar. "We got this!"

Eight dragons of pure energy suddenly shot out of the center of the battle, taking out the army before the traitorous God Serena landed before them. "You shan't take one step forward, for a god has descended!"

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"Who is this clown?" Natsu asked, angering the former Wizard Saint.

"Purgatory Dragon Blazing Hell!" Flames shot out of his hand and headed straight for Natsu's open mouth. "Oh, then how about this? Sea King Dragon Water Envelopment!" Water then shot out of the other hand, splashing then somehow burning anything it hits. "Now die."

His eyes turn solid black before a beam shot out of the mouth, creating a massive explosion. As the dust settled, most of the guild found themselves completely fine. "My magic just… vanished… no, it was broken!"

Natsu looked through the mist as a hulking figure stood between them and God Serena. "Yo."

"Gildarts!" The guild cheered in joy as the Ace of Fairy Tail and Strongest Wizard stared daggers at each other.

"I'm hungry as hell…" Gildarts spoke up. "So step aside, boy. I'm going back to the guild."

"So he finally came back!" Gray cheered. "The old geezer is as reliable as ever, huh?"

"You can say that again…" Erza chuckled.

"What sketchy back alleys were lurking around this time whole time?" Cana joked.

"Cana, you're so friggin' adorable!" Instantly, her father was hugging her.

"Hey, give it a rest!" She snapped back, trying to pull him away. "Don't forget that there's an enemy staring you right in the face!"

"Oh, you're right." He pulled away and glared back at 'God Serena'. "Thing is, I can't sense the kind of magic power a living human would have. If he was alive, he'd be a force to be reckoned with. But the way he is now, he's nothing but a small-fry."

"Blathering like a mindless idiot is common when faced with the might of eight dragons!" The corpse declared before the two reached each other and delivered a head butt, the magic power creating a shockwave.

As the dust settled, Wendy glanced over to fine a shaking Romeo. "Are you alright?"

"I… I'm not, Wendy. Not even close…" He replied. "I charged in so passionately at the start, but… this is just too much… The sheer number of enemies staring us down… It's terrifying! My legs have been trembling from the beginning…"

Wendy reached out and gripped his hand, a massive blush on her face. "I'm sure deep down everyone is scared. We just need to rely on one another and give it our all!"

Sand whipped around the field as Ajeel stared down the army. "Wither up and dry away! And bring out that stone user!"

"I've got this!" Elfman shouted as he charged forward, his body transforming into a tattooed horned being. "A little sand won't leave a scratch on a Sandbeast!"

Ajeel chuckled as he swung his arms down. A pit of sand opened up beneath Elfman before Lisanna flew down. "You could stand to lose a few pounds, Elfman!" She teased.

More and more wizards joined the battle as Minerva and Rogue intercepted 'Wahl' and 'Bloodman'. "We can't let Fairy Tail have all the fun, can we?" Minerva teased. "Let's show these invaders what tigers can do."

"Everyone's fighting with all they've got to make it back to the guild!" Natsu shouted, Romeo watching his idol in amazement. "Come and get some!"

'God Serena' was pushed back in horror, Gildarts smirking at the expression. "It's a real shame, I always wanted to see which one of us would be the last man standing when you were at full power." He pulled his arm back and channeled magic into his fist. "Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Empyrean!" The fist hit square in the chest, blasting the former human back through the army. "Let's pick up the pace, people!"

"Let's go!" Natsu shouted before the guild charged at the army. Clenching his fist, Romeo charged forward next to Wendy with renewed vigor.

"CHARGE!" Erza shouted, leading the guild coalition through the gap. She transformed her armor and swung a massive blade, causing the native army to cheer.

Gildarts jumped into the air and slammed his fist into the ground, cracking the ground and pushing up the land. "Damn it, dad! How about you don't catch us in the explosion too!" Cana shouted in annoyance.

Natsu roared as he rushed to the army, his group behind him. "Fire Dragon Roar!" He unleashed a torrent of flames only to find it frozen solid as soon as it left his mouth. "Gray!"

"It wasn't me!" He snapped back. "Come to think of it, this cold…"

"I'm freezing…" Laki mumbled mid shiver.

A blast of cold wind hit the five, greatly annoying Natsu. "Burn!" Fire erupted out of the ground and burned in the wind, only for it to suddenly freeze in place. "No… way…" Ice crept onto his body before he was completely frozen solid as a lone man walked forward.

"Natsu! Juvia! Laki!" Gray called to his allies, catching the bespectacled man's attention.

"Oh, you seem to be immune to this cold. Fascinating…" The Alvarez general declared.

Gray charged forward and prepared a spell, only for ice to suddenly crash into him. The blue clad man waved his hand and Gray was sent flying into a wall. He then posed his hand and ice exploded around Gray. "You can address me as Invel Yura. I am he who brings winter's wrath to all."

'He's actually making me feel cold…' Gray thought in a panic. 'How is that even possible?'

Fairy Tail Guildhall

Mavis winced in pain as Irene hung a finger over her body. "Poor thing. To think having it stolen right from under your nose, your ever so precious imaginative ability…" Magic flowed off her hand as Mavis panted. "Invel's Ice Sleep causes one to lose their very sense of self. If I were feeling poetic, I would liken it to encasing one's heart itself in ice."

Off to the side, Zeref watched the event unfold. "Will the separation enchantment take much longer?"

"I believe you are aware of just how special the magic inside her body really is." The Scarlet Despair reminded her emperor.

"I have no desire to watch her suffer." He replied.

This caught Irene by surprise. "It's not often His Majesty wears his emotions on his sleeves. But rude as it may be, I fear I must speak my mind here." She glanced over her shoulder and glared at Zeref. "If you do not rid yourself of that naïveté, you will never defeat Acnologia. He is the apotheosis of darkness itself, truly the lord of all dragons."

Zeref stared back at her before walking away. "Indeed, your logic is sound. I shall be taking my leave now."

'Someone… please… defeat Invel.' Mavis begged inside her head. "Before I fade into nothing…"

Neinhardt nervously walked up from behind, stopping far away from the table. "Lady Irene…"

"Can this wait, Neinhardt? As you can see I'm a bit occupied." She replied.

"I have located Lady Erza." His words caught her attention as the spell died. "What should we do? She is currently engaged in combat, but as you know she-"

"Kill her." Irene declared, shocking the memory mage. "Do not make me repeat myself."

"But my Historia has no effect on her…" Neinhardt declared.

"Then you must fight her yourself." She replied, turning to the other member of the Twelve. "Remember who you are…"

With Gray

The two ice users stared each other down before Invel waved his arms. "Shield!" A wall of ice blocked an attack before Gray slammed his hands together. "Ice-Make: Ice Impact!" A massive hammer of ice crashed down on Invel, who blocked it with one hand.

"I see, ice molding magic…" The bespectacled man mumbled. "No wonder you were able to withstand my cold." Gray watched as the hammer shatter to pieces. "But I am the purest of ice mages. I do not toy with ice. I use the very essence of ice itself to freeze all. Your derivative flailing could never hold a candle to me. I will break them as easily as I would a child's playthings."

"Then how about this?" Gray asked as his Devil Slayer mark overtook his arm. "I inherited this power from my old man. The power to slay devils." Invel, momentarily surprised, could only watch as Gray rushed past him. "Ice Devil's Zeroth Long Sword!" A dark blade of ice sliced into Invel before it exploded.

"This power… Devil Slayer Magic?!" Invel questioned. 'He uses this power to mold ice weapons?! But… this power eats away at his soul. Those who hunt devils cannot retain their sanity. You have my attention…' A smile crossed his face before he held his hand. Ice and snow shot out of his palm before a massive blizzard overtook the entire country.

'It's cold enough to freeze!' Gray realized.

"You have what it takes to stand alongside me as a comrade." Invel declared, confusing Gray. "I fear you're unaware of this, but your heart is slowly being tainted by darkness. The powers of darkness are the seeds of Black Magic itself. Proof of the reality of the powers of the emperor himself."

"So what? You telling me you KNOW that you're the bad guys?" Gray asked.

"Darkness is neither good nor evil." Invel replied. "Darkness is a fearsome power that resides in the hearts of all. Your darkness is on the brink of releasing itself into the world."

"You're starting to make my ears bleed…" Gray growled back, clenching his fist. "I ain't trying to play Mr. Superhero over here either. If it's my family that's on the line, I'll be as dark and black a villain as I need to be in order to protect them!"

"Atta boy, Gray!" Both ice users turned to see Natsu break through the ice, his heat melting the ice around the others as well.

'He actually melted my ice…' Invel thought to himself with a smile. 'I see, this one called Natsu, he truly is…'

"Alright, what's the plan with this guy?" Laki asked, only for a large hand to suddenly wrap around her and Rose.

Another hand grabbed Natsu and Happy, lifting them up to Brandish's hip level. "Hold on, you!?" Natsu asked in shock.

"I'll be taking these three." She declared before marching away, the couple literally in her grasp.

"Hold it, right there!" Gray shouted at the giant. Invel took the opportunity to wave his hand, a pair of shackles and chains around the necks of Juvia and Gray. "What the… my head… everything's going dark…"

"Ice Lock." Invel declared. "A magic that seals a persons heart and makes them my willing puppets. You two will now fight to the death. You have zero say in the matter." Gray pulled at the chain, trying to break it. "That chain will not be removed until one of you lies lifeless."

"There's no way this crap could ever…" Gray suddenly dropped the chain as his eyes glazed over. "My… head…"

'As I see it, the boy will come out victorious.' Invel thought with a smirk. 'The moment he kills his friend and ally, his darkness will fully awaken.' The two guild mates stared at each other as snow fell around them. 'The one meant to defeat E.N.D. is not his Majesty. It is you, Gray.'

'Not gonna happen!' Juvia clenched her fist as she pulled on her end of the chain. 'If it means harming a single hair on my beloved, I would rather take my own life while I still can!'