Lyon's head was still lulled in a tired daze when Natsu, Gray, and Juvia found him. Kip leaned against a building, arms folded, keeping a watchful eye on the General. Gray slid to a halt in front of Lyon while Juvia eased to a halt.

Something tickled Natsu's nostrils. He balled his fists, an ember flickering away. Clouds moved over them as the sun hid behind some tall buildings.

"Jeez," Gray said. "Natsu really did a number on him, huh?"

"We need to get him moving," Kip said. He flicked his wrist and the earthy holds fell away. Gray caught Lyon, who sagged against Gray. "Or, at least, out of here."

"Yeah," Natsu said. He did a quick scan of the area. No enemies, yet, that prickling in his nose wasn't going away. "Get moving."

"You're not coming with?" Gray asked. "We should get outta the city, man."

Natsu hesitated. What was that feeling? Nothing was wrong around them, and nobody seemed to be around them at all, either.

"Hey, Natsu," Juvia said and pointed at Natsu. "Is your shadow—"

The Fire Dragon Slayer had maybe a half-second to react, and his body moved on instinct. His gut had been right. He stepped back as his shadow lurched up from in front of him, a talon ripping through the space between Natsu and Juvia. It still clipped his chin, but did not score the direct hit that would've knocked Natsu out.

Natsu flipped back and landed on the flat ground, bracing himself with an open palm. Fire roared in his hand.

The shadows broke apart as their assailant landed from his uppercut. Gray quickly threw up a wall of ice to brace himself, Juvia, and Lyon. Kip was long gone, having already stuck to the buildings to hide in case anyone from the Empire showed up.

"Finally," the shadow guy said. "I caught you, Natsu Dragneel."

"Am I supposed to know who you guys are?" Natsu asked.

"I am Rogue, Captain of the Dragon Division alongside Sting," Rogue said. "And as my brother has been tasked with defeating the rest of your guild, I have the privilege of killing you."

Natsu sneered. Rogue dropped into a fighting stance, reaching back for the small sword at his side.

"Bring it on then, shadow man," Natsu said. "But you missed your shot. You won't get one so easily again."

"I should think not," Rogue said. "But I have no intention of holding back against you, either, Natsu."

"Good."

Natsu swung his arm out, unleashing the plume of fire that'd been waiting there. Rogue vanished into the ground and reappeared next to Natsu, his outstretched arm almost hitting Natsu once more. Natsu dodged. Rogue kicked out with a leg basked in shadow that Natsu easily dodged.

"Shadow Dragon Roar!"

The black spell hit Natsu's shoulder. Natsu spun, but let his body keep moving, as Rogue likely expected him to stop. Fire whipped around him continuously until it formed an impenetrable vortex, giving Rogue only one way to hit Natsu: coming at him from beneath.

But of, course, he wouldn't do that. Natsu channeled more magic into his hands, then, unleashed the vortex in a massive explosion, lighting up the entire area in a great flash. Rogue stood stunned for a second, and in that second, Natsu darted.

He punched Rogue hard across the face but didn't let him get far.

"Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!"

His two fists slammed into Rogue and sent him flying into a nearby wall. Rogue hit the wall but didn't let it get him down long. He roared, exploding with a black aura while his eyes also darkened.

"Shadow Dragon Haste!"

Darts of darkness blasted at Natsu with incredible speed. He weaved through each, not noticing until it was too late that they each left a shadowy stain on the ground. Before he could guess which one Rogue could come from, the Shadow Dragon Slayer sprang up at Natsu. He punched Natsu hard across the chest. Natsu slid back.

He grabbed Rogue's ensuing punch and burst out fire from his hand. Rogue stepped back, fist singed. Natsu slammed his head into Rogue's and, stunned, launched his next attack, slamming his elbow into Rogue before spinning around to kick Rogue away.

Rogue vanished into shadow, but Natsu sussed out his ensuing strike, blocking it with ease and repelling Rogue once again.

The guy was sneaky, sure, but also predictable. He just wanted to get around his opponent and strike at their most vulnerable places. It probably worked well two-on-two, where he could partner with the more in-your-face Sting, but not here, where Natsu doggedly pursued Rogue.

There wasn't anywhere for Rogue to hide or run to, and no attack, he could suddenly spring on Natsu, either.

"Fire Dragon Claw!"

Natsu sprang up and away from the ground, thus leaving Rogue's attacks useless, then slammed his legs into the ground, breaking it all apart and giving Rogue nowhere to run. Rogue launched at Natsu from the skies above, diving down.

"Shadow Dragon Claw!"

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"

Rogue and Natsu's spells collided. A massive gust of wind blew out from their impact, and some sparks flew before Natsu ultimately won out, surging his attack upward so that Rogue bounced back. Natsu moved to counterattack while Rogue searched for a way to escape.

"Fire Dragon Roar!"

The spell sent Rogue back, soaring in a pillar of smoke until he landed in an abandoned building. Natsu brushed off some debris, clenching his fists once more. That wouldn't be enough to take out someone like Rogue, but probably enough to seriously damage his—

A black explosion consumed the building Rogue landed in. Dark wind lashed out all around Natsu, who, before he had time to realize what was happening, was being pushed back by a palm in his face, and then flung through the building he and Kip had been leaning against. Natsu landed and was grabbed through the ground by Rogue and dragged around, at last flung into an open plaza. He came to a halt against a stone fountain that shattered on impact.

Rogue leaped out of the ground while Natsu recovered, and a rush of shadows surged toward Natsu. He managed to get all the way to his feet.

And smiled.

He sucked in one breath, steadied his feet, and swung his arms out. At once, the entire area around him bathed in fire. The nearby stone quivered at the touch of his power, and the water in the fountain evaporated. Rogue's shadows met Natsu's flames and were broken apart.

Rogue stood among the carnage, waiting until it all died down to acknowledge Natsu. Rogue had changed forms, clearly. His hair stood taller, and dark marks lined his face. A pitch-black aura consumed him.

"I suppose," Rogue said. "You're also all done warming up."

Natsu felt the surging heat of his Second Origin making its way through his body. Finally, he had a chance to really tap into it, to let that power flow through his entire body.

"Oh yeah," Natsu said. He raised a hand and gestured at Rogue to make the next move. "I'm all fired up now!"

Sting couldn't move. He could hardly feel anything. For a second there, he thought he had a chance of getting back up and fighting Gray and the Rain Woman. Then his arms gave out, and the rest of his body with it, leaving only his mind to race and remember and remorse his loss.

Humiliation didn't even begin to describe it. Defeated by two regular wizards? He, a Captain of the Dragon Division, a man hand-selected by Zeref to be one of the main faces of the Twilight Empire's imperial army, was just beaten by some rain and icicles. Then, he was left in the ruins of the battle, of the capital of the Twilight Empire.

His fingers twitched, but there was no strength remaining to move any other part of his body. Water trickled away from him. Blood ran down his chest, leaving what would certainly be a permanent scar on him where the arrow Gray fired impacted him.

Something tickled his nose, but he hadn't the inclination to look. Sting closed his eyes. Maybe, if he waited, he'd just die and he wouldn't have to worry about the embarrassment or, worse, the punishment the higher-ups of the Empire would lay upon him. Emperor Spriggan, in all likelihood, would not suffer two failures from Sting.

Waves of light washed over Sting, heavenly in their feel. Warmth came with them, and a soothing presence so powerful Sting almost forgot about his pain. Sting's eyes widened.

A lithe figure strode by him, pale of skin with light clothing while bearing a heavy cross upon his back, turned to an X shape. His hands were pressed together in a prayer formation, and a thin smile was upon his lips.

"Here I thought to take a walk about the city, expecting to find foe not friend, yet here you lay, dear Sting. What has become of you?"

Sting could hardly find words. The overwhelming magic kept his mouth shut and lips trembling.

The light from the wizard dimmed, but the sensation about Sting didn't. Larcade Dragneel came into Sting's full view and took a seat on the rubble across from Sting.

"I believe," Larcade said, "that I am to be meeting with the rest of my Tartaros fellows right around now. Fancy that. The city is falling apart, yet we are meant to be scurried away in the depths. I suppose what happens to the surface does not matter to the demons below."

Larcade shifted so he could rest his elbow on his knee, his chin in his hand. Bored, he took another look around at the carnage.

"Must be quite the wizard to defeat you. Was it Natsu? I should suspect not. There aren't enough burn marks here to indicate as much. Water and ice? Fascinating combination, we should have summoned Invel for this battle. Though, wouldn't you think a Captain of the Dragon Division could handle some fairies?"

Larcade snickered while Sting fought through the pleasure to find his fear. His body was still immobilized. No doubt part of Larcade's magic was helping with that. Sting tried to resist it. Larcade's eyebrow twitched.

"You're feisty as the others," Larcade said. "Dragon Slayers are all alike, in the end." Larcade raised his hand up. A concentrated aura formed around Sting. "So much anger and frustration. What about love, Sting? Where in your heart is the place for that?" He narrowed his eyes. "Where is your lover, Yukino?"

Memories flooded Sting's mind, of him and Yukino tangled in the throes of their love. Pulses of their physicality echoed in his body, his body heating up at the thought. Yet, in his soul, he felt anguish, as he could only truly sense the despair of waking up to her abandonment earlier that morning.

"So, it is not pleasure that you shall derive your calmness from," Larcade said and sprouted a small smile. "How, then, shall pain do?"

The light shifted. It became harsher, inflicting itself further on Sting, and there it was. There was what he'd been feeling. Sting's fingers found the strength to curl in and form fists. A raging inferno, spurred by Larcade's magic, finally ignited. Yet, he couldn't move.

"It shall do well," Larcade muttered. "Good, good. Let's not let the spirit of the dragon break, shall we? Not while there's a fight still."

His magic surged. The aura collapsed on Sting, and at once, Sting's instincts kicked in. He ate the magic up, absorbing it into his system.

And in a brilliant flash of white, Sting regained his footing and all of his strength. He wiped his mouth as Larcade gave him a slight bow of the head.

"Thanks," Sting said.

"Do not fail us, Captain," Larcade said. He stood as well and strode in the opposite direction of where Sting was going. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I will leave the fairy hunting to you. My destiny calls me elsewhere. Natsu, after all, will have to wait for now."

Sting whirled around. "What'd you say?"

But Larcade was gone, making sure to leave behind the incredible potency of his magic. One that, easily, overwhelmed most of the other wizards fighting. Sting brushed off some dust and debris and sniffed around. Nothing, which meant it truly was time to go fairy hunting. Sting took off in the direction Rogue had run off. At least those two could regroup, and then they'd crush the rebellion.

TING-TING, VROOSH, BOOM!

Erza dodged, ducked, whirled around, dodged again, parried. Move. Move.

Move!

No time for thoughts. No time for anything but instinct. She had dropped her Lightning Empress Armor in favor of her minimalist Clear Heart armor. A sword was all she needed until she could get Mirajane's new pattern down.

But what a complex pattern it was. Attacks were as physical as they were fast, never mind how relentless she was as a demon. Elfman, bulky yet powerful, couldn't get anything hits-wise. He could hardly get close. Just as Erza was able to localize the fight near him, Mirajane moved to a range-based strategy, firing off Evil Orb after Evil Orb, obliterating the battleground.

Their wing of the city was going to be mere rubble in the aftermath of their fight, and it gave Erza and Elfman fewer places to use as cover.

Mirajane and Erza collided again, her sharp talons crashing against Erza's blade while sparks flew out, catching Erza across the cheek. Erza swung up, out, and then parried as Mirajane moved in, surprising her. Mira and Erza scooted back.

Erza, at last, Requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, while Mirajane wiped the bit of blood from the tip of Erza's blade catching against her lips.

"Finally," Mirajane muttered.

Elfman, in his Weretiger Beast Soul, slid next to Erza. It was the fastest form of Takeover he had, but he was already quite tired from trying to keep up otherwise.

"It's over, Mirajane," Erza said. "I've seen what you have to offer in this form. I'll defeat you."

"Of course you'll try," Mirajane said. "But the power of Tartaros is infinite. Defeat me now and I'll only return stronger, a version more refined against your methods of victory.'

"How is this even possible?" Elfman shrieked. "What did they do to you?"

"It goes beyond a mere Broken wizard," Erza said. "You're changed, altered."

"Improved beyond words," Mirajane said. "Manifested by the power of Hell itself." She examined her talons. "My Satan Soul has already imbued me with the power of the demons. It was a simple matter of modification and empowerment of my abilities to overwhelm a once-fragile mind." She then tapped her forehead with a smirk. "I am not Broken, as you'd think, Erza. None of the wizards who were brought into the Empire's fold are. Trust me. There are enough familiar faces here that you'd recognize and love to see again. Broken? That's a word used by those who can't possibly understand what we have now!"

She surged magic forward. Erza's wheel of blades spun from behind her then dropped like a shield and blocked the magic.

"Circle Sword!"

Erza pushed her magic forward as Mirajane's dissipated. Elfman chased after it.

Mirajane forced the swords aside and then swatted Elfman down, but he bounced back quickly as Erza also charged in, catching two of her swords in hand. Mirajane's talons came alight with fire hot as Natsu's.

"Trinity Sword!"

She swung her blades up, two slices of magic rushing toward Mirajane, who blocked both and had just enough time after deflection to catch Elfman's attack with her fist. Before she could ignite them, Erza charged in. Mira caught one of Erza's blades with her hand while Erza swung down with the next. Mira flung them both away.

Erza whipped around in mid-air while Elfman caught himself and bounced back. Erza raised her hand and summoned swords all around her. Tens, dozens, hundreds appeared. In a single motion, they all dashed toward Mirajane, who expertly weaved through them all. Even Elfman was repelled by Erza's attack.

The rain settled, but the swords remained. Erza charged Mira, who picked one up, intrigued, and swung it at Erza. Erza deflected but let Mira's attack overwhelm her defense. Mira's follow-through was poor, lurching her forward into Erza's elbow. Elfman took his chance.

He pummeled his sister with two powerful claws. She crashed through the wall of swords. Erza swung her arm out, charging the swords around Mira with enough magic to burst. She shot into the air and was punched down like a volleyball by her brother, whose speed was finally getting into rhythm.

However, Mirajane was good at upsetting those rhythms and stopped her brother before another of his attacks could land.

"Evil Explosion!"

Dark magic burst from her hand and showered Elfman. He was gone in an instant, crushed into the ground, immobilized. Erza still charged her armor clinking around her while she advanced. She made sure to lightly tap all the swords she passed before snagging two from the ground.

"Inferno: Soul Extinctor!"

Black fire swirled around Mirajane before finding its way in front of her in an incredible jet of pure darkness, hot as the bowels of hell itself.

Erza charged nonetheless, dropping her swords while muttering, "Requip."

The attack landed. She'd never felt such a heat. Such hatred and darkness all wrapped into a single spell, all backed by a malevolent cackle that was silenced as Erza emerged on the other end, her Flame Empress armor having absorbed the fires but not the power. She flicked her wrists, the swords she'd dropped reappearing in hand faster than Mirajane realized.

The demoness took a step back.

"Pentagram Sword!"

The spell smashed into Mirajane, but it wasn't enough.

"Circle Sword!"

The swords Erza touched along the way all rose, forming a circle that sliced across the sky and clipped Mirajane, spiraling her away even further. She crashed through a wall, but with a roar, the building disintegrated.

Erza leaped, Requipping again, this time to her Nakagami armor. Her magic circuits pulsed. This was her final spell. Her final Requip.

"Suppression Arts," Mirajane cast, her voice an echo among the cloud of dust and shadow her fall created. A purple aura exploded with fire wrung about it. "Satan Eruption!"

Erza swung her halberd at the attack, halting it in place until she was able to deflect it. Mirajane shot across the gap, wounds obvious, wings broken, blood spilling from arms and legs, down her face to hide those once-beautiful features. She punched Erza hard across the face. Erza hit the ground, took a step back, and had Mira right where she wanted.

"Die!" Mira roared. "Die, now—!"

A scaled fist caught her in the side, stunning her for just a moment, as Elfman, also bloodied and bruised, emerged.

Erza swung out with her halberd while Mira was frozen.

"Nakagami Starlight!"

The attack landed squarely against Mira, who tried to summon enough magic to deflect it, but it all exploded in front of her.

She dropped, her eyes rolled back as she tumbled away. Her legs splayed out helplessly. Elfman skidded and dropped his form, unable to hold it for long, as Erza, too, had to drop out of her magic. She fell to a knee and braced against her sword.

Mira remained unmoving for a moment, and then, her body twitched, she turned her head, and soft blue eyes met Erza and Elfman.

"Y—you're both so strong."

The voice was fair. Weak.

But entirely Mirajane. Tears sprung to Erza's eyes.

"Mirajane!" Elfman exclaimed and hurried to his sister's side. He tried picking her up, but her whimper stopped him, and he set her down. Erza hobbled over.

"Run away," Mirajane said. "You need to hurry. There's not much time."

"Before what?" Erza asked.

"Before I…lose myself again," Mira said.

She was still smiling.

"I'll be gone soon. Back to what I'm becoming now." She sighed, then, with what strength she had reached out for Elfman. "Promise me you'll look after Lisanna!"

"Come with us," Elfman said. "You have to come with us."

"We can carry you away, we can help you!"

Mirajane shook her head. "I'm not just a Broken wizard, Erza. As long as Tartaros lives…so to am I a…" Her body pulsed. She grabbed tight to Elfman, maintaining her bright grin. "Demon. Hurry. You have to run! I can't stop you, but, the guards may. And if others in Tartaros find out I was beaten, they'll catch you."

"We can't leave you!"

"I'm begging you!" Mirajane gasped. Tears streamed down her eyes. "Please run. Please get away from here. Save everyone else. It's not too late for them. It's not—!"

She screamed. It echoed around the city. It sat in Erza's heart. She clasped Elfman's shoulder as the dark aura of her demonic magic festered slowly around her. Elfman struggled to stand, then nodded at Erza, who led him away.

Erza spared one final glance over her shoulder at Mirajane, who, with legs broken, with hardly any strength, howled a manic laugh at them, spitting tiny fireballs in their direction. She called them weak and useless and cowardly and they couldn't finish the job. After all, then Mirajane, whatever good was left in her, wouldn't need to truly suffer.

And since they didn't kill her, she'd come for all of them. She'd make sure Lisanna stayed dead, she'd hunt Jellal down, and she'd mount Hisui and Makarov's heads on spikes.

Mirajane was coming for Fairy Tail, and there wasn't going to be a damn person to stop her if Erza couldn't do it.

Nevertheless, Erza and Elfman ran. They tried not to listen, but it was all they could do.

Rogue tried to fling Natsu aside but Natsu caught his sleeve and sent him soaring. With fire shooting out of his feet, Natsu blitzed Rogue, punching him hard across the face. Blood shot from his mouth but Rogue was fast to react, elbowing Natsu in the shoulder. They spilled to the ground. Natsu blocked more of Rogue's attacks, two shadow darts landing in his torso, before expelling Rogue's onslaught with a wave of heavy fire magic.

Natsu jumped up, Rogue fired off a Shadow Dragon Roar to blast Natsu back, but Natsu swatted it aside and obliterated the support beam for some big building they were near. Natsu ducked back into the dust, taking a moment to catch his breath. He sniffed out Rogue, who dove at Natsu from the side.

Rogue was too strong to simply block attacks from. Natsu had to dodge and work in a countermove: a heavy cross from his right that was followed up by a swift jab of a fire fist. The second strike was the one that landed. Rogue slid back. He and Natsu's fists collided, and they were both shot back from their stances.

Damn!

This guy was really stepping up his game.

Was that Dragon Force he was using or something?

Natsu dove away from a barrage of spells, landing in a small corridor reminiscent of the one that the fighters used to enter the arena at Clover Town. The entire thing exploded as Natsu flipped back from another strike, and he landed amidst a massive area.

"Oh," he muttered.

He stood in an arena that made the Clover Town one look puny. Massive statues of Zeref stood at all ends, with a humongous section for the elite of the Empire to watch. Deactivated runes were carved into the stadium walls, too.

Rogue landed at the center of the arena, letting his aura flow with heavy shadows, like the billowing of a thick cape. Natsu closed his fist.

"Nice place to kill you, I think," Rogue said. "Let's make this quick, Natsu."

"You're the one dragging it out," Natsu said. He put his hands together and gave himself a good arm stretch. "But we can pick up the pace, I think."

Lightning crackled from his aura. Rogue narrowed his eyes.

A boom from Natsu signaled his attack. Rogue was fast enough to dodge—but only just, as Natsu's strike cut across the entire arena, burying a hole in the opposite wall. He feinted one way, then attacked from another:

"Lightning Fire Dragon's Firing Hammer!"

Rogue took the blast and was beaten into the ground, but flung himself back up, trying to shake it off, even as Natsu laid into his assault, joining Rogue in the air. He elbowed the Shadow Dragon Slayer, but his opponent retaliated with a complex kick to Natsu's gut, and then pushed him off.

Natsu maintained his composure.

"Lightning Fire Dragon Roar!"

"Shadow Dragon Haste!"

Rogue sliced through much of Natsu's spell as he soared across the sky. Natsu cut off the spell and dropped. He bounced back. Rogue punched the ground between him and Natsu. Their eyes locked and both lurched at one another.

Natsu, at full strength, kicked at Rogue, who was saved by the quite timely arrival of a diamond wall. Still, Natsu was able to break through it, much to Rogue's shock. He put an arm up in defense. Natsu quickly took a step back to gather himself as, around them on the walls of the stadium, three Dragon Slayers landed.

Kiyl and Axel were among them, as well as a girl he didn't recognize, but was, certainly, powerful. She had short blonde hair, as well as a small torso but larger legs.

Rogue scowled at their arrival.

"What are you doing here?"

"Where are the Fairies?" Axel asked. "Captain, we were informed that they'd be here."

"There's only one," Rogue said. "And he's mine!"

Natsu raised an eyebrow. He was about to suggest taking on all four of them at once when Axel glowered at Kiyl and the girl.

"The others are likely running for the gate," Rogue said. "Hurry up and kill them!"

The girl stood. "Let me get ahead. I'll slow them down."

And she was gone fast. Natsu pursed his lips. Kiyl jumped after her while Axel lingered a second. Natsu, grinning, waved at Axel, who shook him off and jumped away.

Natsu sighed. "Ah well. Tried to throw a party, you know?"

"Focus," Rogue said. "The only opponent you need worry about is right—"

Natsu was already in front of Rogue, his fist mere inches from his face, when Rogue reacted but wasn't nearly fast enough. He exploded into the stands, snarling as he got back up. Natsu rubbed his fist as lightning crackled.

"You were saying?" Natsu said. "Come on! Let's keep it up, and I'll show how a Dragon Slayer really fights."