"Cynthia, what are you doing…?" Mirajane asked while watching the young girl step forward towards the crazed Wendy. "You can't just go on alone; we have to think of something!"
Cynthia shook her head at Mirajane's response to her actions. "I have to do this…I can't let this happen to her."
"So you're going to fight her like she did you…?" Lucy asked.
"No…" Cynthia replied. "I can't do that…That machine she was in strained her body by putting that much magic into it. I honestly don't know how she's still standing, but if I attack her I could her…and then…" She shook her head, walking towards Wendy. "Wendy…Snap out of it…please...?"
"What are you going to do then…!?" Carla shouted.
"Why don't you hush so we can find out?" Hyde said towards Carla. "Now, begin!"
"You're going to pay for this…!" Natsu growled while clenching his fist.
"Wendy, just calm down…" Cynthia said in a comforting tone while easing her way towards the dragon slayer, but before she could get any closer, Wendy slammed a fist covered in omega flames and wind towards Cynthia's face, the force sending Cynthia rolling across the ground, sliding on her side before coming to a halt. "Ow…." Cynthia groaned, picking herself up slowly.
"C-Cynthia-san…" Juvia winced, not from her injuries, but from watching Cynthia taking such a hit.
"Oh, I think I felt that one…" Hyde said with a chuckle.
"How dare you just sit there and laugh!?" Lisanna shouted towards Hyde, but he waved a dismissive hand.
"If we're going to talk about sitting around, might I say that I'm not the only one doing so?" Hyde replied.
"I'll take you out before Cynthia's done!" Natsu exclaimed while running forward once again, flames covering his fist. Natsu leapt forward, throwing a fist towards Hyde. This time, Hyde decided to humor Natsu and swayed to the side, avoiding the hit. Natsu immediately followed up with a flaming roundhouse, but Hyde leaned back, avoiding Natsu's kick completely. "Hold still!"
"Oh ho, how amusing…" Hyde said while bringing his cane towards Natsu head, smacking the fire dragon away and into the nearest wall. "But I'm afraid you don't have the power to beat me, Salamander."
"Natsu!" Happy and Lucy exclaimed at the same time, running over to Natsu's aid, putting Wendy's fate in Cynthia's hands.
"Don't underestimate us! We still have enough magic left to kick your ass into the ground!" Iron Dragon's Lance! Demon Logs!" Gajeel pointed his arm forward, morphing it into an iron lance. A green magic seal appeared on the tip of the lance, unleashing a plethora of fast iron lances towards Hyde.
"Is that so? I'd certainly like to see you all try, then! It's a nice addition to the script!" Hyde replied, spinning his cane in front of him in a circular motion. The circular motion of the cane deflected the iron lances that came his way, much to Gajeel's annoyance.
"Tch!" Gajeel scoffed, putting more energy into his attack, causing the lances to fire out at a faster rate, but Hyde managed to deflect them all despite this. "Annoying little…!" Gajeel stopped his onslaught, realizing he needed to conserve
Lisanna jumped into the air, a magic seal appearing over her body as she entered her Animal Soul: Tigress. She now pounced towards Hyde. "Take this…!"
Hyde drew his cape back, swinging it forward, causing a spiraling tornado to fly towards Lisanna. "Phantom Slash!"
"Gah!" Lisanna yelped as the Phantom Slash attack consumed her, sending her flying into the nearest wall.
"Lisanna…!" Mirajane watched as Lisanna was struck by the Phantom Slash. Her body immediately went into Satan Soul as a result, though she knew she couldn't stay in this form for long due to how much magic she used against Terra Condor, so she planned to make the confrontation with Hyde short and sweet.
"Oh…so the demon makes her appearance…lovely…" Hyde smirked at the appearance of the demon; he seemed to be rather excited by this. It was then that Lucy wrapped her whip around his arm, causing him to look over. "Hm…?"
"I got him…!" Lucy exclaimed with a grin, attempting to hold the Dark Phantom down.
"Perfect." Mirajane grinned, her wings sprouting. She took off at an incredible speed, pulling her fist back as darkness magic surrounded it.
"Oh, yes…Perfect…" Hyde said while using his own strength to overpower Lucy, using her whip against her to throw her in the path of Mirajane.
"Wah…!" Lucy yelped as she felt herself lifted off the air and into Mirajane's path.
"Gah…!" Mirajane threw her fist before Hyde threw Lucy, but she had to quickly change her arm's direction at the last second to avoid the celestial mage, causing her to lose her balance. Lucy slammed into Mirajane, causing the two to slide back a few feet, dazed.
"Phantom…" Hyde crossed his arms over his chest before leaning back, placing his arms at his sides, unleashing a large demonic claw from his chest which raced towards the two. "CLAW!"
"Look out…!" Mirajane leapt forward to take most of the attack, but the claw nearly ripped through her and Lucy, sending them rolling across the ground, near the entrance. Mirajane exited her takeover as a result, panting heavily from the heavy damage. "Ngh…"
Erza took charge now, using what was left of her magic to bring forth a simple sword, using it to slash at Hyde, but he blocked it with his cane. "You…" Erza started in a tone that showed familiarity. She jumped back, landing with a wince.
"Yes, I know you…" Hyde said while stroking his chin. "It's been a long time…"
Mirajane looked to the side, only seeing Wendy slamming Cynthia with a heavy kick to the side. "C-Cynthia…?"
"Gah…!" Cynthia yelped, rolling across the ground once again, a small trail of blood following her. She stopped rolling and laid on her stomach, coughing up some blood. She placed her hands on the ground, shakily picking herself up. "C-Come on, Wendy…Snape out of it…"
"Why isn't Cynthia-san fighting back…!?" Juvia asked with a shocked expression.
"Cynthia! Fall back, you can't take much more!" Carla exclaimed, fearing for the wellbeing of both dragon slayers at this point. "I don't want to lose you both at the same time!"
"I-I'm fine…" Cynthia replied, swaying from side to side. She had trouble keeping her balance and her vision was fairly blurry.
"At least fight back!" Gray shouted towards the omega fire dragon, but she shook her head.
"I can't…I can't hurt her…" Cynthia said in a low tone.
"Is that was this is about?" Lily asked. "If it's for her own good, you must do what you can to bring her back!"
"Oh, this is rich!" Hyde let out an obnoxious laugh. "How do you expect to bring her back when you won't even lay a hand on her!"
"S-Shut up…!" Cynthia shot back, though it was rather weak considering her condition.
"Hm…Things could pick up a little bit…Wendy, how about you show off one of your stronger attacks, no?" Hyde nodded, snapping his fingers. The snap caused Wendy to let out a yelp of pain while red sparks appeared all around her body.
"She's not some tool for you to command!" Natsu screamed while rushing towards Hyde once again, throwing another flaming fist towards Hyde's face, but just as before the attack merely went right through Hyde, leaving Natsu annoyed more than anything else. "Dammit! Why can't we hit you!?"
"You cannot hit a phantom…" Hyde merely replied before turning to look at Wendy. "Now, do as I say."
"Y-Yes…" Wendy replied, giving an obedient nod.
"N-No!" Cynthia shouted in objection, running over to Wendy as fast as she could. "Don't listen to hi-!" Before Cynthia could finish, Wendy landed a Omega Flame Sky Dragon's Claw on Cynthia, the force sending her flying back with a pained yelp.
"Cynthia! Stop this, it's crazy!" Lucy pleased.
"You can't keep this up! Look at yourself!" Carla shouted.
Cynthia shakily brought herself up once again, one eye held shut. She limped forward again, shaking her head though it was probably out of pure stubbornness this time. "I-I'm fine…"
"She's really picked up your stubbornness…" Lisanna winced while looking towards Natsu and Gajeel.
"You can't even stand up straight…" Mirajane said while holding her arm.
"That's fine…" Cynthia replied, taking a few heavy breaths as she stared at Wendy. "You don't deserve this, Wendy…I can't let this happen to you…"
"You can't do anything about if you're dead!" Carla shouted towards Cynthia, pleading for her to fall back. "Please, fall back! We can figure this all out together! We just need a little time…!"
"Time is something you don't have." Hyde said.
"He's right…" Cynthia said in agreement, despite how painful that was. "The longer she stays like this, the more her consciousness begins to rip apart…"
"And eventually she will fill the spot of the mindless tool that you were supposed to be!" Hyde exclaimed. "It's the perfect script!"
"You monster…" Cynthia clenched fist, taking another step forward, almost falling over to her body reaching its limit. "G-Gah…Wendy…please…help me help you…"
"Hm…this is starting to run dry…Wendy, I believe it's time to finish this. Let loose your strongest attack and finish this battle!" Hyde demanded, snapping his fingers once again.
"Y-Yes…!" Wendy yelped out, cringing in pain as the red sparks flaring around her body. She brought an arm up, gathering a large mass of red fire and blue winds around her, arm, generating a small whirlwind in front of her. "Dragon Slaying Technique…"
"No…" Carla's eyes widened at the move Wendy was about to use. "Wendy NO!"
"Don't do it, Wendy!" Lucy screamed.
"Omega Shouha Tenkuusen!" From Wendy's hands, a large beam of blue winds and red fire raced towards Cynthia, completely obliterating everything in its path.
"Cynthia move! An attack like that in your condition WILL KILL YOU!" Erza screamed.
"H-Heh…" Cynthia merely smirked slightly, not moving despite the ferocious attack coming towards her.
"CYNTHIA!" Lucy screamed at the top of her lungs. The Dragon Slayer art sent by Wendy just barely missed Cynthia, the edge of the blast just missing her arm, and shot out the wall, completely destroying it. The attack continued for several more seconds before it dispersed. "…She missed…!"
"She…missed…" Hyde blinked a few times at what happened.
"Now's my chance…" Cynthia limped forward, making her way towards Wendy, who was resisting the urge to attack, but instead let out a pained scream. "Wendy…It's okay…" Cynthia finally reached Wendy, wrapping her arms around her best friend for a tight embrace. Wendy trashed around in Cynthia's grip, her scream continuing. "Sssh…It's okay…I'm here now…It'll all be okay, Wendy…"
Wendy's trashing continued, but her scream slowly died down and turned into sobbing. Tears ran down her cheeks as she sobbed into Cynthia's shoulder. "C-Cynthia…I-I'm so sorry…!" The flames and wind around Wendy's body began to fade along with the scales around her wrists and ankles, her eyes returning to normal. "I-I knew what I was doing and I couldn't stop myself!"
"I-It's okay, Wendy…" Cynthia said in a comforting tone, allowing her friend to cry into her shoulder. "You're back now, and that's all that matters…"
"C-Cynthia, I…" Wendy started.
"She's back…" Lily let out a sigh.
"Thank goodness…" Carla let out a relieved sigh.
"Is it all over…?" Happy asked.
"As much as I hate to interrupt such a touching scene…" Hyde said while crossing his arms.
"Oi!" Natsu exclaimed while walking forward, pounding his fist into his palm. "It's over, Hyde! You've lost! Wendy is back with us!"
"That's right!" Juvia stood behind Natsu, glaring at Hyde. "Hyde's script has ended in failure!"
"So turn yourself in, and makes this easier on yourself. Or don't, I don't care!" Gajeel said while grinning. "Giheh. Personally, I want to smash your face in, so I'm hoping for the latter…"
Considering the situation, Hyde should've been more distraught. But instead, he just let out a quiet chuckle. "I've lost…hm…?" Hyde said while pulling out the device he used to manipulate Wendy. "I'm afraid that would be incorrect…"
"THAT device…!" Cynthia's eyes widened the second she laid eyes on it.
"Because you see…this production is far from finished!" Hyde yelled, pressing the button on the device.
"NO!" Cynthia shoved Wendy away, now gripping her head as red sparks began to appear around her body. "G-G-GAHHH!" Cynthia's flames flared around her body uncontrollably, though she was doing her best to suppress them.
"W-What?!" Natsu backed off, bringing his arm up to shield from the intense flames.
"W-What's going on!?" Lisanna asked.
"I-I thought you said you could only use that device once!?" Wendy asked Hyde with a shocked expression.
"I lied." Hyde merely replied. "I can use it twice. I only said once so you would fall right into the trap, which you did beautifully. Welcome...to the climax of the Black Phantom's Production!"
"W-What are you talking about…!?" Gray asked.
"You see, Fairy Tail wizards…EVERYTHING that has happened today has all been a part of my script, and you've all acted perfectly!" Hyde revealed with a large grin on his face. "I knew all the events that would happen in this tower, and it all worked out perfectly. You all won your fights, you all are standing right here to witness my beautiful production! Cynthia is too worn out to fight off her original programming, so it's only a matter of time before she falls to herself!"
"Cynthiaaaaa!" Wendy shouted, but she was unable to get close to her.
"G-GRAH! G-Go back guys! I don't know how long I can hold myself back!" Cynthia pleaded, gripping her head as she tried to fight off herself.
"N-NO!" Wendy objected, shaking her head. "I'm not going to leave you like this!"
"Wendy, don't be stupid…! I can't…Just run!" Cynthia began.
"I made you a promise that I wouldn't let it happen to you again! I'm not…I'm not going to break that promise…!" Wendy shouted, forcing herself to take several steps forward. She couldn't let this happen again. Her mind was already weak, but her heart would completely shatter if something happened to Cynthia again. "I'm not leaving your side! Just fight it! I know you can!"
"W-Wendy…guys…please…!" Cynthia was taken aback by Wendy's stubbornness, but she was surprised the others were just the same.
"We're not going to leave you, Cynthia!" Natsu shouted while walking forward, attempting to get close, but the flames seemed to be pushing her back. "We're right here with you!"
"Why would you want to run anyway?" Hyde asked with a grin. "Stay and enjoy! We've reached the climax of the production. This is the final act!"
"Shut up you asshole!" Natsu shouted towards Hyde.
"She won't be able to hold on much longer…" Vanessa said while appearing out of nowhere, a worried look on her face.
"You're a spirit!" Carla shouted. "Can't you do something about this!?"
"She's pushing everything away…even I can't get close. She wants you all to stay safe…" Vanessa replied with a frown. "She's afraid of losing herself..."
Carla's eyes then widened as the realization hit her. This was the vision she saw a while back (chapter 1). It was this exact scenario, and she was scared. She didn't know what to do. "W-We have to do something."
"Don't' give in, Cynthia…!" Mirajane shouted.
"Please…everyone…go away…I can't hold on much longer…" Cynthia pleaded, her voice getting weaker and weaker.
"We're your family, Cynthia!" Wendy said to Cynthia. "We'll never leave you behind; we're always there for you! I won't leave you alone to suffer like this again!"
"We won't make the same mistake twice!" Lucy added onto Wendy's statement.
"You can do it, Cynthia! Just believe in yourself and us!" Natsu pleaded.
"Everyone….." Cynthia could literally feel her bonds with those around her. They didn't want to see her give up, and she knew she couldn't let them down, despite her condition. "Guwaaaaaaaahhh…..!" Cynthia let out a battle cry as she began to battle with herself for control of her flames, the entire tower shaking vigorously as a result.
"Cynthia…!" Wendy's eyes widened.
"W-What?!" Hyde's eyes widened from shock. "What's going on…This isn't part of my script…!" The shaking intensified for a few seconds, only to end with a bright light, blinding all the spectators.
When the light faded, Cynthia was seen with scales on her arms, legs, and forehead, panting heavily as she regained herself slowly. Her flames died down to a small aura around her person. "Huff….Huff…."
"T-That form…! That's…Dragon Force…!" Hyde gasped, taking a step back. "T-This is not…in my script…this is not…..NOT IN MY SCRIPT!"
"Shut the hell up about your script!" Natsu roared while charging forward once again, throwing another flaming fist towards Hyde's face. This time, it was a direct hit, and Hyde flew back before catching himself. "Finally! I got to punch you!"
Hyde landed on his feet after the hit, completely taken aback. "N-No! This can't be happening! You're all ruining my beautiful script! Stop it, stop it right now! This is not the way the story was supposed to go!"
"Not so tough when things don't go your way, huh?!" Gajeel exclaimed with his cheeks puffing out. "Iron Dragon's Roar!" Gajeel threw his head forward, unleashing a funnel of iron dragon slayer magic towards Hyde.
"P-Phantom Slash!" Hyde shouted with some desperation, throwing his cape forward to send a tornado which would counter the Iron Dragon's Roar.
"Ice Make: Freeze Lancer!" Gray called out, sending a large barrage of enlarged ice lances in Hyde's direction. The lances struck Hyde's side, causing him to slide to the left.
"Ngh…!" Hyde panted heavily. Everything was going all wrong and there wasn't anything he could do to change the situation. He looked to his right, noticing Erza and Mirajane coming in. Erza with her sword and Mirajane with preparation for an Evil Explosion. "N-No! Stop!" Too late, his pleas fell on deaf ears, and the two attacks of the S class wizards, slammed into him, the power sending him high into the air, heavily damaged. "GAH!"
"Water Lock!" Juvia pointed her hand at the airborne Hyde, catching him in a Water Lock, which happened to be scalding hot.
Wendy tilted her head up at the Water Lock, puffing her cheeks out. "Sky Dragon's Roar!" She threw her head forward, unleashing a sky blue hurricane towards the trapped Hyde. The result was an explosion that sent Hyde hurtling to the ground, writhing in pain.
"W-Why…why is this happening…how could this happen…" Hyde grumbled while picking himself up, staggering around, only to see that Cynthia was glaring at him. "Oh dear…"
"You…" Cynthia opened her palm, gathering a large accumulation of Omega Flames in her hand. "I'm going to give you…" As she spoke, the accumulation steadily grew. "The most pain imaginable…" Accumulation grows. "For even getting the idea…" Growing still. "That it would be okay…" Immensely huge by this point. "To even hurt Wendy!"
"O-Oh my…T-That's a rather big accumulation of Omega Flames you have there…." Hyde gave a nervous laugh.
"THIS IS THE END OF YOUR STUPID SCRIPT!" Cynthia threw the giant mass of Omega Flames at Hyde, the giant sphere exploding violently on impact, blowing off the ceiling of the tower.
"AAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Hyde let out a scream as the dark red flames consumed him. When the attack slowly dispersed, Hyde was seen on his feet, heavily burned along with his clothing. He panted heavily, staring at the Fairy Tail wizards who seemed to suddenly have the strength to keep fighting. "How…" Hyde took a step back. "I don't understand…this wasn't part of my story...where did things go wrong...?"
"This is what happens when you mess with Fairy Tail." Natsu said while taking a step towards Hyde.
"It's over for you." Gajeel sneered at Hyde. "Your script was a dud."
"I don't…" Hyde seemed to ignore Natsu's words, taking another step back. He was approaching the opening in the wall left by Wendy's earlier attack, but it was unclear if he was aware of this or not. "My script…what happened to it...? Was I...not a good writer?"
Erza seemed to notice. She took a step forward, calling out to Hyde. "Hyde, turn yourself in!"
"More…" Hyde said, ignoring Erza's words. He took another step back, now on the edge. "More power…" He then took one last step, falling off the edge of the tower.
"Hyde…!" Erza ran over to the edge and looked down, but there was no trace of Hyde…
"Ah…" Cynthia exited Dragon Force, falling forward while losing consciousness.
"Oi, I gotcha…" Lucy said while catching the worn out Cynthia.
"She's safe…" Wendy let out a relief sigh before all her trauma caught up to her, and she passed out on the spot, but she was caught by Mirajane.
"These two are a handful…" Mirajane said with a slight smile.
"Can we go home now…?" Happy asked while rubbing his stomach. "That was too intense for my empty stomach…"
"Is all you can think about fish…?" Carla shook her head unable to help but smile.
"Guys…!" Lisanna hurried over to the others.
"What's wrong…?" Natsu asked.
"I just got a transmission from the group outside! Ace is fighting against Tia!"