(Edited 29/11/24)

I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.

First Casualty Of The War

*POTD*

A series of rapid explosions rocked the island as Azhrukhal flashed around the battlefield, avoiding multiple blasts of Etherious from both Mira and Seilah. Coming to a stop, they sidestepped Erza as she flashed past, the ground being sliced open from her single swing, as she skidded to a stop a short distance behind him.

"He's fast!"

"Unbelievably so," Seilah agreed, appearing next to Erza as Mira appeared on the opposite side to the Demon. "Then again, he is the result of hundreds of Etherious Demons, plus Karliah being put into one entity…"

"Even if that's true, he's not unbeatable," Mira huffed, bringing her hands together as raw purple lightning danced between her palms. "Etherious Aura: Evil Spark!"

Azhrukhal didn't bother moving as the attack struck his position, setting off another sizeable explosion. The attack definitely connected, yet the immobile shadow was evidence that it had little to no effect whatsoever.

"Is that truly the best you can do," the Demon asked, swiping their arm out to their far right, blowing the smoke away in an instant to reveal themselves entirely unharmed. "I must admit that I was expecting something a little more… substantial from you."

Azhrukhal (Etherious Aura Newly Born Etherious Demon Power Rapidly Increasing) – 1.17 Trillion MPI

"You seriously think THIS is my upper limit!? Your ignorance will be your downfall," Mira hissed, her Demonic cadence sending chills down Erza's spine, as she felt her longtime rival put out even more power than before. "It's time I showed the results of my training!"

Mirajane Lilith (PTS Etherious Aura High Take Over Suppressed) – 1.52 Trillion MPI

Dashing toward Azhrukhal, Mira's right fist became enveloped in bright purple lightning, as the Demon immediately shifted their body weight, blocking the strike with their left forearm, before being blasted across the island by a massive explosion.

"Etherious Aura: Evil Pulse!"

"Still not enough," the Demon smirked, seemingly jumping off the air itself at the last possible moment to avoid a slash from Erza. Said Requip Mage immediately spun around, firing off a powerful aerial slash attack that the Demon blocked with both forearms.

"Tengu Arashi!"

"Hn-!?"

The moment the attack made contact with the Demon it completely altered itself from being a straight slash, wrapping itself around Azhrukhal and spinning the Demon around so fast, a scarlet colored twister quickly formed around him.

The attack eventually released the Demon, tossing them out right at Erza's new position on the ground, as she slowly ran a hand across her blade, seemingly waiting for the precise moment to strike.

"Tengu Hijutsu!"

Right as Azhrukhal regained their bearings, Erza vanished, striking the Demon with over twenty slashes across the chest in a matter of seconds, before sheathing her blade once more.

"Kh-! Not bad," the Demon grunted, landing on his left foot and immediately dashing toward Erza, who made no move to get out of the way. "I can feel the refined power in your strikes… Give me more of it!"

Erza Dragneel (Tengu Armor Second Origin Sealed Full Power) – 912 Billion MPI

Before Azhrukhal could reach Erza, the Demon suddenly pivoted hard right, avoiding a dropkick from Elise that shook the entire island before it was shattered apart. Everyone on the ground held on as the seawater quickly flooded the newly formed chasms, the Demon itself landing nearby, a now guarded look on their face.

"That one was dangerous," Azhrukhal murmured, dropping down to one knee as they watched their foes regroup. "I see… The Aura of the Gods surrounds you?"

Elise slowly rose back to her full height, Aura flaring around her as she clenched her right fist, bringing it out to her far right as it became coated in a blackish hue.

"You've just been born, so I'll be sure to kill you nice and quick," the War God Slayer replied darkly, as Azhrukhal felt the entire area was struck by multiple tremors, as if there were an earthquake. "Prepare yourself, because we're not gonna make this easy for you…"

Elise Faulkner (God's Aura Base Form Suppressed) – 1.12 Trillion MPI

"Then let us see just what the power of Fiore can do against the might of Alvarez!"

Vanishing from sight, the Demon appeared high in the air as they fended off a barrage of punches and kicks from both Mira and Elise, the pair striking so hard and fast that their arms couldn't be seen by the naked eye.

Shock-waves rained down upon the area as Erza slid her left leg backward, her right hand firmly gripping the hilt of her sheathed blade as the combined assault from her friends slowly pushed Azhrukhal down to her position.

"Tengu Sokuji Kiretsu!"

Faster than one could blink, Erza had drawn her blade, fired off a powerful aerial slash attack, and sheathed it once again, with the attack directed right at Azhrukhal.

The Demon sensed her attack approaching, but knew they couldn't just turn around to defend against it. Thinking quickly, Azhrukhal allowed himself to be struck hard by Elise in the chest, sending them rocketing into the sea nearby.

Mira and Elise easily avoided Erza's slash, the trio moving quickly toward the area Azhrukhal had touched down. Before they arrived however, they were shocked to see a sizeable spherical mass of the seawater had begun to lift up out of the ocean, with Azhrukhal at its center.

"Is he able to manipulate water?"

"No, look," Erza replied, nodding off to their far left.

Standing there, the trio could see Seilah, her body coated with both Etherious Aura, and the deep purple of Gravity Magic. Both her arms were raised high to the sky, as she molded the lifted seawater into an aquatic prison.

Gravity bombarded the space as Azhrukhal struggled to move more than a few meters in any given direction, before being forcibly blasted back to the center. The Demon appeared genuinely annoyed by this, their Aura output increasing further as a result of their rising anger.

"We should hit him with lightning now, whilst we still have the chance," Mira suggested, conjuring dark purple lightning between her hands, as Erza utilized her Requip Magic, emerging from the light clad in her Lightning Empress Armor.

"Be ready Elise," Erza muttered, raising her spear high into the air as golden lightning sparked from the tip. "Lightning Shower Rain!"

From the tip, hundreds of golden bolts of lightning were fired, right into the spherical prison housing Azhrukhal. The Demon winced as the lightning surged through their aquatic prison, before noticing Mira high above him.

"Etherious Aura: Evil Voltic Surge!"

Firing a solid arc of deep purple lightning down into the aquatic prison, quickly merging with Erza's attack as lethal volts tore through Azhrukhal, the Demon unable to even roar in pain due to the water encasing him.

The pair funneled more and more lightning into the sphere, until Azhrukhal finally managed to make a break for it, their body visibly increasing in both height and bulk, before they shot downward toward Erza's position.

Erupting from the bottom of the spherical prison, the Demon roared, cocking their fist back as they prepared to strike Erza down for her part in their momentary torture. However, the Demon's fist was matched by Elise's own, as the God Slayer launched herself up to meet them.

"Damnable God Slayer!"

"…"

Elise didn't respond, her eyes narrowed as her attack was evenly matched by the Demon's own. They pushed back off one another momentarily, before beginning to flash about the area, trading a series of quickly blows against one another.

The pair reappeared on a nearby piece of the cracked island, as Elise skidded backward, wincing as she felt her fingers repairing themselves. It was obvious Azhrukhal noticed this too, as the Demon rose back to his full height, confident once more.

"His attacks have far more weight to them than before," the God Slayer hissed as Mira and Seilah appeared behind him, whilst Erza appeared next to the God Slayer's current position. "If this fight drags on, direct confrontation won't work anymore… We need a better plan than this?"

"The four of you are strong, but I have already adapted to your current level of power… It is futile to resist the will of Lord Zeref," Azhrukhal spoke coldly, his voice becoming emotionless once more.

The quartet watched as his body once again increased in both height and bulk, putting the Demon at nearly thirty-five feet tall, towering over even the already abnormally tall Elise. Flexing their clawed fingers, Azhrukhal chuckled softly, as power rolled off of them in waves.

"This could be bad…"

"You think? His power just increased exponentially," Erza laughed, almost amused at how casual Elise was about stating the obvious. "The Hell are we supposed to do now!?"

"There is a way we can match him," the War God Slayer mused, looking toward Erza. "But you'll need to use one of the Armors that Mother gave you?"

"…So, its come to that already," Erza sighed gravely, nodding stiffly. "I'll need a moment, its rather Magic Heavy, as you know…"

"The three of us will distract him, you bust it out, then I'll join you. Alright?"

"Alright," Erza replied firmly, as she flashed away in a bolt of lightning, reappearing several hundred metres away as the remainder of the trio slowly closed in on their Demonic adversary.

"A plan? Nothing you do can stop me, for I am a Demon who served the will of Lord Zeref. His will decrees your deaths, and it SHALL be heeded!"

"I don't think so," Elise replied firmly, both her arms becoming coated in a blackish hue. "Let's do it!"

Azhrukhal vanished as Elise surged forward, reappearing behind Mira and Seilah's positions as he went to take out the latter first. However, to the surprise of Mira, Elise and even Azhrukhal, the Demoness casually turned around with an open hand, catching his fist in a deep purple Magic Circle embedded into her palm.

"Etherious Aura: Gravity Dragon's Repulsion Claw!"

Azhrukhal found their body blasted back across the battlefield as Gravity itself slammed into them. Smashing into Natsu's Aura Barrier, the Demon grit their teeth as they struggled to adapt to the sheer weight and pressure of the Gravity striking them from a horizontal angle.

But then, out of seemingly nowhere, their body suddenly started flying back the way it came at a rapid pace. Clearing half the shattered island in a matter of seconds, the Demon quickly realized what was about to happen, as their body pulsed several times in rapid succession.

"God's Aura: War God's Armageddon Fist!"

Throwing the punch right as Azhrukhal appeared before them, Elise was shocked as the Demon caught her strike with their right hand, dragging her forward and delivering a brutal blow to her own face in return.

Elise crumpled to the ground, startling both Seilah and Mira, who hadn't ever seen the God Slayer drop so easily from a single attack. The Demon then turned around, instantly moving to strike at Mira, who recovered quickly enough from her shock to nimbly slide around their punch.

In a matter of seconds, Mira was delivering several brutal punches to the Demon's chest and face, as visible shock-waves burst through their body, as they stumbled backward, momentarily stunned.

Seilah quickly joined Mira as the pair pounced on the stunned Azhrukhal. The pair fought ferociously, with a tenacity befitting Demons, beating and slashing at their foe in a feral manner and taking full advantage of any opportunity to actually deal lasting damage to the powerful Demon.

"Etherious Aura: Darkness Blindsider," Mira cried, as her tail slashed at Azhrukhal's eyes, releasing a black mist that entered the Demon's eyelids, blinding them.

"Etherious Aura: Dark Etherious Claw!"

Seilah tore into Azhrukhal's face, ripping a gaping hole into it with a barrage of savage strikes, blood splattering across the area. As she struck them, the Demon suddenly tripped, falling onto their back, as something gripped their ankle.

"Fuck…"

Elise, having recovered from her dazed stupor, grabbed Azhrukhal's ankle and tripped them, allowing Seilah to fully pounce onto them. The Demoness struck again and again, stripping more and more flesh, as Elise crawled away in order to get back to her feet safely, knowing full well the Demon wasn't going to be down for long.

Sure enough, moments later, the blinded and savaged Azhrukhal swung wildly, striking Seilah in the side and sending her flying off into the Aura Barrier across the island. Quickly rising to their feet, the Demon reached up and ripped the entirety of their frontal skull off, before ripping out their eyeballs and tossing them aside.

"Eugh! Disgusting," Mira hissed, watching as Azhrukhal's face began to regenerate rapidly. "Elise, are you good to continue!?"

"Y-Yeah… Just don't get hit by him Mira," Elise huffed, rubbing her own face as she looked off toward the direction Seilah had been sent. "Man, I wouldn't want to be her…"

"This pointless resistance serves only to anger me," Azhrukhal snarled, stomping his foot as his power swelled up once again. "I shall tear your feeble forms apart in Lord Zeref's name!"

Azhrukhal (Etherious Aura Newly Born Etherious Demon Power Rapidly Increasing) – 4.47 Trillion MPI

"We won't lose to you, even if you are a powerful Demon of Etherious," Mira replied firmly, her own power rising rapidly in response. "Together we'll win, united!"

"Foolishness. You would side with these weaklings," Azhrukhal scoffed in reply. "A weak Human and a Human mimicking the powers of a God!?"

"Erza and Elise are my friends Azhrukhal, Sisters even! I wouldn't abandon them for anything, even if it meant my own death," Mira replied harshly, as she stepped right up to the Demon. "You'll never understand what we share, because you're just a violent amalgamation of broken souls, hatred and resentment made manifest!"

"Indeed I am, Sister Mirajane. And such hatred and resentment makes me strong," Azhrukhal replied darkly, an amused smirk worming its way onto their face. "The strong are the ones who shape the world, that is simply the reality of life! I have seen it all through the memories of those who comprise my being, and I know you all fight fate itself!"

"You know nothing of any Human, let alone me or my friends," Mira sniffed, turning her nose up at the Demon's proclamation. "Strength is just one facet of what makes someone unique, yet it takes many forms. There's more to strength than hatred and resentment!"

"And what good is that strength if Humans are weak and feeble creatures? Very few Humans ever achieve a level of power that can overcome even ten percent of the threats on Earthland, let alone the might of Alvarez!?"

"Humanity might not be the strongest, but you've forgotten something important," Elise snapped back, as the Demon shifted his focus back to the God Slayer. "The creator who you laud and praise to Hell and back…was once Human himself!"

Elise vanished, reappearing in front of Azhrukhal as the pair locked hands, muscles bulging as they exerted their raw strength. Azhrukhal was surprised at the raw strength Elise was putting out, having not expected such a thing from her after dropping her so easily minutes prior.

"T-This strength-!? Where did this power come from!?"

"What's the matter Demon!? Can't you beat this lowly Human imitating a God," Elise taunted harshly, suddenly breaking away from the clash and slugging the Demon across the face, causing them to stumble backward slightly.

"Impossible," Azhrukhal roared, immediately countering Elise's punch with a blow of their own, resulting in the God Slayer stumbling back a step as well. "No Human has the raw strength to match me!?"

"You think you stand a chance against me, Demon!? I'm the child of war incarnate! I belong on the battlefield, so I can't be outclassed by trash like you!"

Elise rushed the stunned Azhrukhal, striking him in the gut with a perfectly timed blow, before delivering a follow up headbutt that sent him skidding backward, clutching his stomach. She then followed up with an upward kick to the chin, knocking him slightly airborne, before spinning around and delivering a roundhouse kick to his right side, sending him crashing through several of the floating chunks of the fractured island.

Within moments however, the Demon was back, as Elise bobbed and weaved around their faster than light speed barrage of punches, returning fire with multiple of her own, as the pair started flashing about the area.

'I have to buy as much time as possible. Once Erza uses that Armor, with Mira and Seilah we can end this guy!'

"This doesn't make any sense!? Such a drastic increase in power from a God Slayer makes no sense!? You're just a Human!"

"That's where you're wrong," Elise smirked, catching both his fists as they struggled against one another midair. "I was once Human, but now I'm something more… I'm what you'd call a Demigod. Half Human, half God!"

"Demigod or no, it won't be enough," the Demon spat, ripping their right arm free from her grasp and striking her across the face. "You'll die, just like the rest!"

"Says you," Elise spat, yanking them forward and swiftly moving behind the Demon. Elise's arms slid under Azhrukhal's own, wrapping around their shoulders, restraining them midair. "Get him Mira!"

"Was already on it," the Demoness smirked, appearing in front of Azhrukhal with a sphere of void black energy between her clawed fingers. "Etherious Aura: Black Arts – Odnu Oitcnitxe Amitlu!"

Mirajane Lilith (Etherious Aura High Take Over Wielding Black Arts Suppressed) – 6.66 Trillion MPI

Elise vanished right as the attack was deployed, reappearing behind Mira as Azhrukhal's position was struck by a colossal beam of void black energy. Their body seemed to just vanish, Mira's attack striking Natsu's Aura Barrier so hard it actually managed to put a sizeable crack in it, the severely damaged form of Azhrukhal lodged right into it.

"Fucking Hell Mira… Did you just use actual Black Magic!?"

"You don't have a problem with me using it, do you," Mira asked innocently, her current Demon form making her look anything but, prompting said God Slayer to roll her eyes in response.

"A little warning would have been nice? True Black Arts can seriously wound even me, and you know Zeref is one of its greatest practitioners!"

"I'm not sensing any issues with me using it though…?"

"Of course not," Elise huffed, eliciting a smirk from the Demoness in response. "Given all that we're facing, how could I criticize you for using it? Just be careful, okay?"

"Of course Elise, I know what I'm doing," Mira smiled, as Azhrukhal ripped their form free from the crack in the Aura Barrier, charging back toward the battlefield.

"I have severely underestimated you, Sister Mirajane… To wield Ahnkseram Black Magic means you have resolved yourself to drown in the darkness. And yet, you would use it to defend such trash?"

"Like I said before Azhrukhal, I'm resolved to fight to the death alongside them. They're the most important people in the world to me, and there isn't a single price too high to pay for saving them."

"Is that so? Then let us test your words," Azhrukhal replied, preparing to strike only to suddenly come crashing to the ground, their body split cleanly in half by a fist.

Looking downward, they saw Seilah had returned, slightly bloodied and clearly annoyed. Her left hand was coated in deep purple, a sign of Gravity Magic use, her right fist bloodied from splitting Azhrukhal clean in two.

"You truly think that this will be enough to stop me," the Demon asked, their lower body rapidly regenerating as they got to their feet. "With every blow you deliver upon me, my power grows ever stronger…"

"Even if that's the case, we're not going to lose," Elise replied firmly, as both she and Mira landed next to Seilah.

"Speaking of which," Mira smirked, as a powerful Magical Signature flooded the area, causing the Demon to turn around and face Erza's position. "It's time you faced the music, Azhrukhal!"

Emerging from the light, Erza was now clad in a set of bulky, yet beautifully crafted armor, the Demon could feel the difference it made even at a glance. Looking up toward where her eyes should be, he could only see two glowing red orbs where they should have been, her face completely shielded from view.

Clad head to toe in thick, full plate armor made from pure ebony, runic symbols lined with gold lit up across every portion of its length. Appearing similar to veins, the golden symbols appeared to be linked via a set of different colored Lacrima Crystals, each sporting a different element, yet all seemingly flowing in perfect harmony regardless.

Wielding no weapon, Erza extended her left arm outward, her hand open, as her Magical Power exploded even further.

"Requip: Devastator Armor!"

"Is this some sort of joke? Do you seriously expect this alone to be enough to conquer me," Azhrukhal scoffed, clenching their fists. "You foolish Human… How dare you stand against the might of Lord Zeref so arrogantly! Die for your sins!"

Azhrukhal vanished, reappearing in front of Erza with their right arm fully cocked back, moving to end her in a single strike. However, Erza casually caught the punch, the shock-wave seemingly being absorbed by the runic markings across the armor itself.

"What-!?"

"This is for hurting Seilah before," Erza's voice boomed, as she pulled Azhrukhal forward, striking him directly in the face so hard, the ground beneath her shattered as the Demon was sent flying back across the island in an instant, smashing back into the Aura Barrier and leaving another sizeable crack.

Dropping down to her friends, her right gauntlet glowing bright gold as a two-handed battle axe made from ebony appeared in her right hand, the same golden markings across its surface as well.

Erza Dragneel (Devastator Armor Second Origin Sealed Full Power) – 5.9 Trillion MPI

"We won't have long before he adapts to the increase in our power, and this armor uses quite a bit of Magic. In short, we need to hit Azhrukhal with everything we've got girls," Erza spoke, lazily swinging the battle axe at her side like it weighed nothing.

"Seilah, how much control do you have over Natsu's Gravity Magic?"

"As much as my own reserves can allow," the Demoness replied, looking to Elise curiously. "Why?"

"If we're going to hit this bastard with everything we've got, it'd help if he wasn't able to avoid it."

"Ah… I think I have an idea on what to do then," the Demoness smirked, knowing exactly what technique she could deploy to keep Azhrukhal pinned. "If you three can lead them to me, I can get them pinned in one spot."

"Good. The three of us really only have one option, and that's to pummel the fuck out of them until they are trapped by Seilah."

"And then we pummel some more," Mira asked, an amused smirk on her face. "Say no more!"

"Alright girls, let's do it," Erza spoke firmly, turning on her heel right as Azhrukhal freed their form from the Aura Barrier again. "Let's kill this bastard and go help Natsu!"

Azhrukhal vanished, instantly closing the distance between them as the Demon took a wide swing at Erza. The Requip Mage blocked his swing with the flat of her war axe, the impact being absorbed into the weapon as she spun around and fired off an aerial slash attack at point blank range.

Azhrukhal immediately flipped out of the way, blocking several swift jabs from Elise, before taking a blow to the face. Recovering quickly, they were just in time to block a rapid series of punches and kicks from Mira, narrowly catching Erza's war axe by its blade between the claws of their free hand.

Stomping the ground, the Demon blasted the ground, sending them far away, along with dragging Erza with them. Once they were high enough, Azhrukhal flung her above their head, before lobbing her down at the earth as hard as they could.

Before Erza could hit the ground, she was suspended midair, only to then soar back up to the Demon's position with equal momentum, narrowly missing a brutal slash that could have dealt him some serious damage.

"Foolish Human! You think you can match a Demon of Etherious in the air!?"

Azhrukhal dashed forward, grabbing Erza by the face-plate and slowly turning them around, her back now toward the earth. The Demon then shot down toward it at their top speed, only for both of them to stop midair just like Erza had minutes prior.

"Seilah," Azhrukhal hissed, observing the Demoness with both arms extended outward, having halted their rapid descent. "To think that you of all Etherious Demons would fall so low!?"

"Can't fall if I never fell to begin with, idiot," Seilah sniffed, as Elise kicked the Demon off of Erza, before Mira landed a brutal dropkick that smashed them back into the murky depths below.

Gently placing Erza back on her feet, Seilah scarcely had the time to nod before dashing backward, a furious Azhrukhal bursting forth from the earth and attacking the Demoness with dozens of faster than light punches.

Seilah bobbed and weaved around many of their strikes, before retaliating with several of her own, being quickly joined by Mira. The two Demonesses quickly had the Demon on the defensive once again, as their combined barrage appeared to be too much for them to handle.

Receiving a blow to the back of the head from Elise, Azhrukhal snarled, grabbing onto her leg and slamming her into the earth as hard as they could, throwing off Seilah and Mira's assault, as the Demon instantly tore back into them, striking them with dozens of brutal blows, sending both flying off into nearby bits of protruding earth.

Spinning around, they dodged a swing from Erza, followed by several others, before catching the blade with their right clawed hand. Dragging her close, the Demon reached out to grab her by the head once again with its free hand, but Erza was ready.

This time, however, Erza struck first, the runic markings across her armor glowing briefly as she punched the Demon directly in the stomach, whilst simultaneously ripping her war axe free from their grasp, slashing them across the chest.

As they stumbled backward, Erza swung again and again, each blow shaking the entire area as entire chunks were cleaved out of the Demon. Azhrukhal hissed with pain, the wounds across his body glowing with the same golden light as the runic markings, refusing to regenerate like the rest.

"W-What have you done to my body!?"

"This is an armor forged by Godsmiths," Erza replied, catching their fist with her right hand. "You're a being born from Etherious Aura, which is a diluted form of Devil's Aura. It's only natural that a divine attack would cause serious damage to you!"

"You bitch," Azhrukhal snarled, sensing the other girls closing in rapidly around him. "It seems I have no choice-!"

Right as the other girls arrived, the fist Erza had caught began to pulse and throb violently, before a sudden tendril smashed through the palm of Erza's gauntlet, piercing through her hand and partially up into her wrist.

Erza cried out in pain, recoiling as she tore herself free, snapping the appendage off with her. Gripping her wrist, Erza dropped down to one knee as her friends quickly moved in on the now immobile Demon.

"Etherious Aura: Darkness Ray!"

"Etherious Aura: Soul Extinctor!"

"God's Aura: War God's Bellow!"

Seilah, Mirajane and Elise all fired powerful blasts of energy directly at Azhrukhal, the Demon's body being blasted into less than dust in a matter of moments. The trio didn't even wait for the smoke to clear, rushing to Erza's side with Elise dropping to her knees, skidding to a stop next to her friend and immediately grabbing her arm and examining the wound.

"This is a nasty wound, we'll need Wendy or Jason's Healing Magic for this," the God Slayer said, ripping the spike out of Erza's palm. "Wait…?"

Looking at the gaping hole in Erza's hand, Elise immediately realized something was wrong. For one, there wasn't anything inside the hole. No skin, muscle, tendons, sinew, bone fragments…simply a void.

And secondly, and probably most importantly…

The wound wasn't even bleeding.

"Erza… Erza, are you fi-?"

"I'm fine," Erza grunted, her tone slightly off as she looked up at Elise, her face still obscured by her helmet.

"Are you sure-?"

Elise didn't get a chance to finish speaking, as Erza's free hand shot out and grabbed Elise by the throat, slowly lifting her up into the air as she steadily rose to her feet. Her helmet vanished, revealing the Requip Mage to be smirking sadistically, as she directed her attention to the stunned Mirajane and Seilah.

"I see, now it all makes sense why you two would care so much for this Human," Erza purred, her grip on Elise's throat tightening. "This body, its far more suitable of a vessel than that clunky amalgamation Karliah thrust upon me… The body of Lady Belserion's Daughter!"

"No way," Mira whispered, looking toward an equally stunned Seilah, who hadn't predicted this. "Is this for real!?"

"E-E-Erz-GKH!"

Elise could only gasp as she felt the grip on her throat tighten even more, watching as the veins across her forehead became much more pronounced, slowly turning from a healthy blue, to a sickly black.

As her eye color slowly changed to a sickly yellow, Erza's voice gained a strange sort of echo to it, identical to Azhrukhal's, and yet it was distinctly Erza's voice.

"Her body is mine now, foolish Demigod! She is buried so deep within that you shall never find her again!"

"Let. Erza. Go," Elise ground out, eliciting naught but amused laughter from the clearly possessed Erza.

"And risk my own death!? I do think not," the Demon chuckled, as the nails on Erza's hand elongated, piercing into Elise's throat, drawing blood. "I'm going to enjoy wringing your fucking neck you annoying little bitch! And then, I'll be taking my time slowly inserting sharp objects into the white haired Etherious, before skinning the traitorous one alive and bringing her back to Lord Zeref as a trophy!"

Elise reached up and grabbed onto Erza's wrist, attempting to pry herself free from her possessed friend's grasp without harming her. This however only earned her a knee to the gut in response.

As Elise coughed up blood, Mira and Seilah went to attack, only for dozens of Etherious tendrils to erupt from the earth, quickly ensnaring them in their grasp, as Erza's body began floating upward.

"I went far too easy on you lot, but this body all but assures my victory! Such untapped potential… Such power," the Demon laughed, as the tendrils raised Seilah and Mira along with the Demon's ascent into the skies. "Fear the might of Alvarez!"

*POTD*

Natsu was in the process of gutting the Alvarez airship when he suddenly felt Erza's presence on the island fade almost to nothing in a matter of moments.

Halting in place, he immediately reached out to Seilah and forced himself into her head through their shared connection, only to recoil in shock upon seeing the situation the girls had found themselves in.

But most importantly, what situation Erza had found herself in.

"She's been possessed."

"This is just…FUCK! Why did this have to happen NOW of all times!?"

"You'd better be planning on going to save your mate," Igneel's voice grumbled, only to pause, a momentary feeling of fear washing over him as Natsu glanced in his direction from within their shared mindscape. "Sorry…"

"There isn't any other choice," the Hybrid replied sternly. "I've had enough of this…"

Taking a deep breath, he calmed himself slightly. He knew Jacob couldn't flee the area entirely, his Aura Barrier prevented that. He just had to be quick and keep Jacob occupied whilst he went and sorted out this mess with the Etherious Demon possessing his Wife.

Looking upward, Natsu flew straight up, smashing through multiple layers of the damaged ship as he conjured a Nova in his left hand, idly lobbing it at the debris before shooting off in the direction of Erza and the others.

Pushing his emotions to the side, he knew exactly what he needed to do. If he wanted Erza to survive, he'd have to act like the higher being he truly was…

*POTD*

"Erza… Fight back," Elise gasped, as the grip on her throat tightened, the nails digging deeper into her throat.

"For the millionth time you fool, she's in a place you'll never reach! Soon, Erza shall be no more, and her body all mine!"

"If…If that's true… You've just signed your own death warrant," Elise gasped in reply, chuckling despite the damage being done to her throat.

"I fail to see how that would be possible? This body is full of untapped potential, and could allow me to reach the heights of the top four of the Leichart Twelve?"

"You idiot… Natsu will destroy you… He'll tear you apart without even needing to touch you-!"

Elise gasped as the grip on her neck tightened to an almost unbearable degree, the possessed Erza's face drawn into a villainous sneer of contempt.

"You pray for Lord E.N.D to save you all!? Pathetic! When the time comes, Lord E.N.D will fall under Lord Zeref's control. Right now, Lord Zeref merely allows him to operate on a lax leash, in order to let him grow strong enough to-!"

The Demon paused, as Natsu simply appeared in the air several meters before him, a blank look on his face as he quickly took stock of the situation. Elise could only laugh weakly, knowing the Demon was about to get exactly what was coming to him, but said Demon wasn't as impressed by his entrance.

"So, the great Demon King finally reveals himself," Azhrukhal chuckled, sneering down at him as she tossed Elise off to the side, her form being wrapped up in the same Etherious tendrils as both Mira and Seilah.

Natsu didn't respond, his Hybrid Eyes scanning her body, noticing her soul being crushed under the weight of Azhrukhal's own. This left him with only one course of action, as he met the eyes of his possessed Wife, speaking in a cold, emotionless tone.

"You get one chance Demon… Cease possessing my Wife, or face obliteration. The choice is yours?"

The Demon could only laugh in reply, as Etherious Aura flared around Erza's body.

"And why would I do-!?"

Before the Demon could even fully vocalize its refusal, Natsu's eyes glowed brightly, as he extended his right hand, causing Erza's body to begin shuddering violently.

"Hybrid's Aura: Black Arts – Oitomer Amina."

Azhrukhal screeched as their soul was violently ripped back out of Erza's body through the hole in her palm, her body quickly returning to normal as her armor faded away, returning her to her base form, unconscious.

Catching her with ease in his left hand, as the soul of Azhrukhal was bound inside an Aura Bubble.

"MERCY!"

"No," was the immediate response from the Hybrid, as the soul within the Aura Bubble was struck by some sort of invisible force, bending and twisting it roughly to inflict as much pain as possible to it.

"MERCY!"

"No," came the dull response, ripping the soul apart before reforming it, torturing it over and over with a cold, ruthless stare that belied just how much joy he felt viciously punishing the one who dared harm his Wife. "Remember that I gave you a warning, and you laughed."

"Ho? You seem right at home torturing a soul? You'd make a pretty good Shinigami had you been born in my world…"

Looking to his left, Aizen emerged from a Crismon Gate, immediately floating toward the Aura Bubble to observe Azhrukhal's soul.

"Fascinating… So, this is the soul of a Demon of Etherious?"

"You're a Shinigami, right? If you promise to torture it, I'll give it to you for free?"

"Really? Well, that's quite a generous offer," Aizen replied, smiling hollowly down at the soul which backed into the farthest corner of the Aura Bubble from him. "I can think of quite a few experiments this could be useful for…"

Tapping the Aura Bubble with his left index finger, it vanished, along with Azhrukhal's soul. Once it was gone, the tendrils binding Elise, Seilah and Mira crumbled into dust, freeing the girls as they dropped to the ground to recover.

"So, you just watching me from the sidelines this whole time," Natsu asked, curiously, deactivating his Hybrid's Aura. "Or was there something specific you needed?"

"As much as I'd like to say I'm always watching, I'm here to remind you of the meeting you need to attend," Aizen replied, clearly amused. "Lord Life and Lady Death are putting on quite the show up in Equilibrius you know?"

"So, they actually went to Equilibrius then?"

"Yeah. All things considered, it will be a suitable place for both God and Devil alike to reconcile. A place of true neutrality where neither side possesses a distinct advantage over the other, yet we both still retain all our perks of being Higher Beings."

"And let me guess, both the Archons and the Council want me there as soon as possible?"

"Finish your business upon this island first. That was what Lord Life and Lady Death asked of you, wasn't it?"

"It was."

"Then go," Aizen smirked, opening another Crimson Gate to his immediate left. "But don't rush, I'm finding great amusement in seeing the Archons and Council squirm before the Primordials Lord Life and Lady Death…"

Aizen departed, as Natsu slowly dropped down to the ground, rejoining his friends, as he placed Erza down gently on some nearby grass. Once she was safely resting, he looked over toward the trio, with Mira now back in her base form as they approached.

"Is she alright," Elise asked quickly, eliciting a stern nod from the Hybrid. "Natsu, had we known-!"

Raising his right hand to silence her, he shook his head firmly. Meeting their apologetic gazes, Natsu sighed, his cold demeanor thawing as he returned to his usual self.

"Look, none of you could have expected he'd do that, right? What matters is that you fought him and learned a valuable lesson. Erza's alive, and Azhrukhal isn't. Let's celebrate that instead of worrying about potential what ifs, eh?"

"We shouldn't have held back so much against him though," Elise replied, refusing to not acknowledge their shared failure. "We're fighting Alvarez Officers now, not just random Dark Mages and Demons… We shouldn't have been so arrogant to assume our training would be enough."

"Like I said Elise, just learn from this. Same goes for the two of you as well," Natsu replied, as he looked over to Mira and Seilah, the pair nodding stiffly as he turned around and sat down by his unconscious Wife. "I'll stay with you girls until Wendy and Jason rejoin us. I don't trust Alvarez not to try something whilst I'm gone."

"But what about Jacob Lessio? Don't you have to go after him to save Mavis?"

"Believe me Elise, Jacob isn't getting away from me," the Hybrid replied darkly, his much colder, ruthless side emerging once again as the veins across his forehead became more pronounced. "Once Wendy and Jason are done with their battle, I'll head on over and take out Jacob. No more messing around."

The girls simply nodded in reply, unsure of how to respond to his clearly furious state. Instead, they chose to simply do as he said, sitting around Erza as they recovered from the battle.

As for Natsu himself, he was currently dividing his focus between two fronts.

The first was Wendy and Jason's battle against another Alvarez Officer. He could sense that their fight was rather close, but knew he couldn't interfere. This was their fight, not his, and Wendy most of all wouldn't want him getting in her way.

She was an adult now, after all.

But the second, and arguably most important front, was the smouldering husk of the Alvarez Airship. Now that Azhrukhal was dead, and the massive Etherious presence eliminated, he could easily track Jacob Lessio's position, finding great amusement in his frantic attempt to escape from Natsu's ongoing attack.

'Yeah. Seems like that should tide him over nicely until I can get back there and rip him apart,' Natsu thought happily, externally grinning in a way that slightly concerned his friends, though he didn't know it.

And so, the wait began, as the first victory in the Alvarez/Ishgar War went to Ishgar. The absorption of Karliah and subsequent defeat and capture of Azhrukhal's soul was the first major blow against Alvarez anyone had dealt in many years.

And hopefully, they would add two more causalities to the Officer Corps before this was all over. With Wendy and Jason facing down Aster Lucile, and Natsu having Jacob Lessio fighting for his life without even being physically present, the odds were looking good.

All in all, a rather great start to what would become a vicious, bloody war.