Sho, Wally and Millianna could only stare in shock at the form of their old friend, who had clearly rushed out to save them if the cries they could hear from her guildmates were anything to go by.
They hadn't even noticed the rest of the enemies being defeated, lost in self-flagellation as they were and unsure of how to approach their old friends.
Swallowing hard, Sho broke the ensuing silence ''S-Simon, I…''
Initially confused, Simon recalled that Sho had no idea what really happened earlier. Shaking his head, he proceeded to explain the truth behind that insidious trap.
''A-all of that happened?! That's just…''
Millianna looked like she was about to be sick ''W-we thought Jellal was still our friend…that Siegrain actually cared enough to help us attain freedom…all those years…they were stringing us along?''
In contrast to his friends, Wally's stoic front remained ''Just like that hag said. We were just convenient to have around but now that they got what they wanted, they don't have a use for us.''
''This…is actually working better than Juvia expected.'' The girl assumed that they'd have an uphill battle trying to convince them too.
''That's because they were listening in.'' Laxus had long recognized them as the presences he'd sensed during their talk with Sho.
That made Erza pause, Lucy giving them a pointed look ''Okay, so does this mean we can actually count on your help?''
''Yeah, not that I expect you to take our word alone but we're not standing for this.'' Wally declared with finality, Millianna nodding.
''Simon's been waiting to see Kagura-chan for so long and not only did Jellal ruin it, he even went on to use her like this…'' The girl hissed ''…that's unforgivable.''
''Guess they really do care after all…'' Happy hadn't been sure what to think. Sure, being told they were friends was one thing but seeing their actions and words so far. The fact that they believed the worst of Erza all this time left a bad taste in his mouth.
''Happy, there's this thing I'm sure you must've heard of, called tact.'' Mira put in.
Laxus snorted ''He was raised by this hothead. You really expected him to have any?''
''Hey!''
The two protestors were ignored with long ease, Erza turning her head as Wally approached ''Erza, we…''
She held up a hand, suspecting where this was going ''We can talk later. Our main priority should be ending this twisted scheme for good.''
''How much do you all know about what's up ahead? Simon told us his part but if you picked up on anything…'' Mira took over, the three sharing nods before facing her.
Lisanna's next attempt at an ambush had been upset when one of Coordinator's swords that were embedded in the ground suddenly let out a burst of fire that caught her off guard. Cringing, the girl was let unprepared when her opponent suddenly unleashed her blistering attack, the three blades cutting her repeatedly before she began to fall. The next thing she knew, Coordinator's hand was on her throat, slamming her to the wall.
''Finally, you slippery little pest. Time to die!''
She leveled her flaming swords again, Lisanna taking on her Alkonost form. Coordinator sneering as she made to dispel the transformation, only for nothing to happen. Little did she realize that the youngest Strauss sibling had figured her trick out, the ability only worked if the target couldn't overcome it with their own will. Fire and Ice collided moments later, bathing the area in steam. Neither was fazed however.
Coordinator was alerted to her opponent's approach by the sound of footsteps on the ice-encrusted ground. She elected to use wide spread attacks, her weapons damaging the ground so much that Lisanna was thrown down while attempting to dodge the rubble. Smirking as she heard her opponent's gasp, she could tell that her attack had hit the mark ''I wonder how your dear siblings would feel once I take your mangled corpse to them.''
Blue eyes sharpened as the girl fought against the pain, glaring defiantly ''You're never going to find out.''
With her Tigress form's quick reflexes, the girl was able to land smoothly and roll away from the oncoming blades. Coordinator clicking her tongue ''I can't believe a little brat's making me work this hard, what's wrong with me today?''
Lisanna wasn't even surprised that she was still being underestimated ''Maybe it's old age finally catching up, grandma!''
Spluttering in rage, the woman aligned her weapons again for a big attack ''This coming from one who hasn't even mastered their magic!''
Okay, where did that come from?
Wait…she'd stuck to using partial take-overs out of convenience but did that mean her opponent assumed she couldn't use the full forms?
That was convenient, actually.
Swiftly transforming her arms into a hard scale like material she'd seen from a monster they fought in the past, Lisanna fended off the oncoming blades, thankful for her take-over's enhancements.
A pleasant surprise came when the floor under her adversary crumbled, knowing her earlier trick had paid off after all. Her slug take over's acid had weakened the battlefield enough to make one stumble if they didn't watch themselves. Gritting her teeth, Coordinator took up her blade form again, the golden armor glinting beneath the menacing swords.
But Lisanna was already on the move, now in her Harpy form. She let out a piercing shriek that left her startled opponent stunned before changing back, the woman had basically made herself a lightning rod. There was no way she'd miss this chance.
With one flap of her wings, a deluge of lightning bolts rained down. A shriek escaped her opponent before she hit the ground, down and out.
Lisanna's transformation faded as she landed, the girl panting for almost a minute. Relief overcame her as her eyes found Coordinator, definitely out cold ''I did it!''
Sho and the others soon began leading the Fairy Tail team up the tower. The shortcut they'd intended on using was shut down, a teleporter that just wouldn't work and it left them to conclude that Jellal likely knew they'd changed sides. More enemies arrived then, convincing them that they were on the right track.
Their new allies turned out to have quite good synergy together. Wally was the main force behind their teamwork with his friends maintaining support, Millianna's binding magic and Sho's cards providing good coverage. Happy noted with interest that Sho's card magic was like his feathers in a way, creating a number of different effects. From the way they could double in number to even unleashing magical blasts from different angles. Simon also fit with them quite well, joining Wally in defending his friends and it quickly became clear that he was the strongest out of the four.
But the one fighting the hardest was most definitely Erza.
Having taken her previous shortcomings to heart, the redhead was giving it a hundred and ten percent. She hadn't even bothered requipping once, sheer skill and determination fueling her. Her expertise with weapons had also come in quite handy, not only could she counter numerous attacks with ease but she even took the weapons and used them against their owners.
Happy cringed when she bashed one enemy on the head with his own axe ''He'll be feeling that one in the morning…''
''Caladbolg.'' Simon's arm changed into a blue sword which had water spheres around it. The spheres blasted two nearby enemies, providing a distraction for Wally to snipe them down as Simon slashed widely, conjuring a wave.
Natsu stopped in his tracks, immediately pulling Juvia down as he ducked. The reason turned out to be the bullet that whizzed past their former location. He didn't know how her water body worked but he wouldn't take the chance now.
''T-thank you…'' She squinted, noticing a vague figure up ahead ''…wait, isn't that…''
''Yeah, no worries though.'' This was proven true a moment later as Endymion flew to face the attacker. And it turned out to be the one who'd managed to attack Lucy and Juvia before being forced to flee when Hope stopped him cold ''He'd have one hell of a time trying to pull that crap on Endymion.''
As if to emphasize his point, the man was trying but failing to get even one hit on the phoenix. He apparently had a limited ability to bestow his stealthy abilities to some of the mooks but even then, it proved to be of little use, Hope and Laxus swiftly taking them down.
''Th-they're even making short work of Master Chase…?!''
''What do we do…?''
The speakers had little time to think, Gray's ice lances pinning them to the wall. One of them flinched as the teen approached ''All right, boys, why don't we have ourselves a little chat?''
Things in Era seemed relatively peaceful, considering the situation at hand. It left some of the more battle loving Fairy Tail members wish they could've joined their friends at the tower.
That lasted until the chaos broke out.
No one was quite sure how it started, but they registered the sound of a battle from the prison area. With Mest teleporting the group there in an instant, they arrived to find a few rune knights being thrown away just as a dark mage made his presence known.
''Oh, don't tell me…'' Levy's words died in her throat as she registered that her suspicions were actually accurate and a bunch of the prisoners had been set free.
''What the hell?! How?'' Jet gawked.
''Never mind that! Mest, we'll take over the battle, can you take them out of here? And bring our friends up to speed.'' Cana demanded.
''Right, be careful!''
Mest teleported the two knights away and the brunette addressed her friends ''All right, Shadow Gear, why don't you show those bozos what teamwork can do?''
''Heh, don't need to tell me twice! Guys, plan Alpha sound good?'' Jet received two nods ''Then I'm off!''
The enemies were quick to focus on Jet, unaware that his teammates were already at work. Droy had a number of seeds scattered while Jet blitzed around the enemies, leading to instances of friendly fire. The former prisoners naturally grew aggravated with each other, dissent beginning to spread across the ranks.
Droy snapped his fingers, the seeds immediately sprouting into numerous shapes and sizes. A few were particularly fierce, snatching the enemies between their jaws. A couple of dark mages tried to flee when they spotted a strangely big plant that didn't seem to do much. But this quickly proved to be a mistake when what they took to be a misshapen bud unraveled itself, revealing Levy hidden within.
''Solid Script: Thunder!''
Cana allowed herself a grin as she grabbed two cards. Unexpected as this was, they would be ready.
Had they looked closer, they might have caught a glimpse of Siegrain just before he took out a lacrima, vanishing in an instant.
''Let's see your pitiful struggle, foolish humans…''
Once they reached a newer floor, their opposition came in the form of a young, dark-skinned woman who had clearly been waiting for them. She stood in the middle of a vacant area, a placid smirk on her face.
''That's Briar, she's one of Alok's minions!'' Millianna warned.
''So, you really have figured out the truth? The puppets have finally broken their strings.'' The trio bristled ''We're at the cusp of a new dawn, the greatest wizard of all is to make his grand return. Just what do you fools think you can do now?''
''Let's start with bringing this hunk of junk down on your heads!'' Natsu shot back, his fist blazing.
Briar took a step forward and the next thing they knew, a number of duplicates of her appeared. Satisfaction shimmered in her gaze as the dragon slayer recoiled in shock, raising an arm as she and her duplicates snapped their fingers. A ripple of magic surged a spiraling gate opened in the air and a number of monsters emerged.
Simon conjured a bronze sword which he stabbed in the floor and numerous stalagmites rose to impede their charge. Then with one wave of his other hand, orbs of darkness blinded a few of them. Wasting no time, Wally was quick to begin firing bullets at the confused monsters.
Gray let out a whistle ''Nice!'' Creating an icy bow and arrows, he was quick to join in.
Natsu fended off more monsters with a wide spread wave of fire, blinking as Sho hurled a couple of cards. This conjured a gust of wind that fanned the flames ''Oh, so you've got a bunch of tricks like Cana? Neat!''
The blond gave him a thumbs up, proving his conclusion further by holding up a third card which let out a brilliant flash of light that made a flying monster stop in its tracks.
Happy yelped up as he dodged a blast of green flame from a dinosaur-like monster, another two stomping behind it ''Lucy, can't you do something about this?''
''Do you seriously want me summoning Aquarius here?'' She'd made such a mistake before and once was enough. ''Even if I could, there's no telling what kind of damage she could cause in an enclosed space. Also, the only water I could possibly use to summon her would basically be Juvia's body. Not only would it feel wrong, if I ever tried something so stupid, she'd throttle me on principle. I'm not suicidal, thank you very much.''
''…Point taken…''
Having caught the mention about her, Juvia gave them an odd look, Lucy quickly supplying an explanation ''…Ah. Juvia agrees, summoning such a volatile spirit would certainly not be wise.''
Luckily, they didn't have to worry about that much longer. The sight of Erza in her Sea Empress armor proving that she'd come to the same conclusion as Happy, torrents of water cutting her a path to land before them. Her trident shone as she willed her power forth and threw it, leaving to sink in the ground. But then it released spirals of water magic that tossed the monsters into the air.
Briar clicked her tongue, waving a hand. Then almost as if in response, one of the monsters righted itself before aiming its fiery breath at the startled Erza. Recovering quickly, she snapped her finger and the trident flew to her grasp. She thrust it forth, a burst of water nullifying the flames.
And it kept happening, when one of the monsters seemed about to lose, Briar would somehow manipulate things so that it got back up and continued to fight. Eventually, a few started dodging attacks or plowing through them without a sign of stopping.
''Okay, what gives?!'' A frustrated Natsu burst out.
''We can't keep going like this, she's probably hoping to wear us down…'' Lucy grimaced as some of the monsters avoided Sagittarius' shot. ''…didn't you say her magic makes duplicates of her, Millianna?''
''That's what we heard too…'' The brunette frowned in confusion.
''It's not Seith magic…'' Gray thought back to the times he witnessed Bickslow in action ''…and I don't think it's like that doll power which Lyon's weird friend had…''
Laxus also agreed that they were missing something here and they needed to figure it out, fast. His eyes traveled to Endymion ''Any ideas?''
The phoenix's gaze continued to roam the area. He hadn't realized it earlier since the entire tower was so charged with magic but this place seemed to be far more effused with power than any of the others they'd seen. And most of it was focused on…
Briar was smirking ''It's no use. You idiots are in so much over your heads that you can't even see it. It's almost laughable. The little puppets decided to snap their strings at last, hm? I mean, really-you thought Jellal cared. That Siegrain was anything but a self-serving monster?'' A headshake ''That must be some façade he pulled over you all. Honestly, considering everything, it's a true wonder that this even worked.''
''What're you on about?'' Gray demanded.
''His original purpose, of course! Didn't you ever ask yourselves why the cultists bothered to awaken him in the first place?''
That was actually a good point. All they really knew was that the cultists had stumbled upon the demon years ago…
Erza wasn't oblivious to the fact that this was likely an attempt at a diversion but after their earlier encounter, she simply had to know ''Why?''
''They wanted a weapon.'' Briar returned simply ''Master Alok knew some of those fools, the demon was such a rare find that they wasted no time studying it. And once they could ascertain its abilities, they planned to grant it a new body by using one of the slaves since they knew some of them were mages.''
This sounded a lot like…even as the thought flashed in his mind, Happy's eyes found a certain phoenix who'd gone rigid at the news.
He'd seen his share of deplorable characters over his long life but the fact that people actively tried to replicate the experiment was more than a little disturbing. Numerous lives lost because of a few bastards' lust for power…his old anger returned when he thought of what Hope had to deal with over the years. They still had no idea how Hope survived the fusion when all the others didn't but the consequences were no less harrowing. It had taken them years of hard work to get this far and a good part of that was thanks to Hope's resilience.
The golden avian would never regret meeting Hope but he'd always wished the circumstances were different.
''By the looks of it, they would've been in over their heads even if the revolt hadn't happened.'' Hope remarked, missing the two staring at him in bafflement.
''True. Pathetic, isn't it?'' Briar added.
Laxus was inclined to agree but it was the utter lack of reaction that tipped him off ''Wait, you knew?''
Hope didn't respond, blasting another duplicate with a beam then. If he was aware of Endymion's shocked gaze, he made no sign of it.
While Briar's words had been a surprise, what Demon Fang intended for him most certainly wasn't. It wasn't like they'd been shy about the fact that they saw him as nothing but a weapon in the making. Especially once they confirmed that for some reason, unlike many of the other prisoners, Hope actually weathered their twisted attempts at science. A bunch of the terms they'd used back then hadn't made sense but after this much time passed, it was hard not to connect the dots.
So, the fact that he was likely intended to be something like Siegrain wasn't that big of a deal. Horrifying, most certainly but compared to what he'd seen…
There was a damn good reason Demon Fang was widely considered among the vilest dark guild in the last decade. He'd had enough experience with dark guilds to learn that some had actually tried to replicate their work with varying success. And given everything…
The dark, oppressive cell and the ever-present scent of blood, represented by the tang in the air…Those figures towering over him with their malicious gazes, piercing through the dim light.
'Look at this one. We really found a valuable one out of that trash heap. You…you're going to be our great success.'
These words heralded nothing but pain, the promise sending a chill down his spine with the memory of the screams haunting him like a phantom. The fact that he'd yet to see any of the prisoners they'd taken in for their experiments again wasn't lost on the terrified boy, who found himself powerless and alone, so alone in a world that forgot his humanity.
Hope willed himself to focus, knowing his friends would want answers but this really wasn't the time. Trying to spot the real Briar failed again, it looked like she was switching places with her doubles. Which likely lent credit to their conclusion about the way she was manipulating the battlefield. It was just hard to discern the difference here.
He'd refrained from using the sight spell for a while because it wasn't nearly as effective in the tower but perhaps it was worth another try.
The boy held back a wince, the sheer power surrounding them almost blinding at first. But then he spotted something near one of the Briars…
Endymion landed near him ''Don't, it's all right-I see it too.''
As those not in the know had been told of his telepathic abilities, none of them reacted much when he spoke into their minds 'I think I know what's going on now. There's some sort of spell circle connected to the real her, but it's hard to discern when she can switch places with her duplicates so quickly. I'm almost positive it's how she's manipulating the monsters. But it seems somewhat unstable, perhaps if we can corner the real Briar…'
'Then that's what we'll do,' Erza leaped back to avoid a charging enemy, focusing her thoughts back to the phoenix 'Keep an eye out and alert us if you pick up on anything. Natsu, Laxus, can you find any clue that would lead to the original?'
'I've been trying but…' The blond stopped to fire a lightning blast '…however her magic works, they all have the same scent.'
Natsu just nodded as Happy picked him up, the two choosing to combine their efforts for an aerial assault.
Juvia had a thought. It may be a long shot but what if…?
Briar just laughed ''It's useless, but do keep on your little struggles. It'll be all the better when you finally realize your powerlessness.''
A number of shining swords descended on the battlefield but they didn't hit any of the enemies, simply forming a makeshift blockade that forced them back.
This was an opening Sagittarius was happy to seize ''Perfect, moshi-moshi! Take this!''
He aimed a big shining arrow and fired it above the monster, it broke into numerous smaller ones that took down many duplicates. No one was really surprised when Briar tried to replace them with more, but they did note that there wasn't as many as her previous attempts. Despite her bravado, they were wearing her down.
As the battle continued, Lucy couldn't help but note that Juvia had stayed back, keeping a sharp gaze on the Briars. What was she up to?
The water mage allowed herself a satisfied smile, it looked like her reasoning had been on point. She just needed to wait for an opportune moment…
…which came in the form of four monsters crowding around one, it seemed to be an attempt at a combined offensive. But Juvia found her attention on the central monster, specifically its rider, her suspicions confirmed.
A speedy whip of water struck the Briar on the far left; the monsters coming to a sudden standstill and she was sent crashing to the ground.
''So, that really was her?'' Wally stared.
''Juvia, that's amazing!'' The girl allowed herself a small smile at Lucy's praise as she swiftly trapped Briar in a Water Lock.
Briar struggled to move, only her head being kept out of the water ''H-how did you know…?''
Juvia arched an eye ''Oh, it's quite obvious, the clones are simple magical constructs. It was just a matter of detecting the water in your body.''
Her mouth fell, Happy verbalizing their shock ''You can tell just like that?''
''Juvia has had strong water magic ever since she was born, this is nothing.'' It would've sounded as a boast had it not been not for the utterly matter of fact tone.
Endymion's prediction turned out to have been accurate as with the real Briar knocked back, a bunch of the monsters began to thrash and flail, even attacking each other. This provided an opening the group was all too happy to seize, soon wrapping things up.
''…It doesn't matter, I was here to stall anyway!''
That declaration had been the beginning of things going haywire, starting with the first explosion.
A strange laugh resounded as the blasts went off, everyone left scrambling to evade before Hope, Endymion and Juvia helped shield them.
''See, this counts as an advantage of a good strategy.'' Gray told his rival. After all, it had been them taking to interrogate the grunts earlier that allowed him to react in time and evade the attack. While they hadn't expected Briar's appearance, they'd learned plenty about the new arrivals and Natsu had been of the opinion that it was unnecessary.
One such thing being that this was Fukuro, a member of Death Head's Caucus, known as a vulture in the field of battle. He had the eerie ability to take someone's power and use it for himself.
Their eyes never left the figure hovering in the sky ''Ho, well now, this is interesting…you claim to have been prepared. Let's see how you fare!''
Elfman knew he was wearing his opponent down. What he'd taken to be a battle of attrition had slowly but surely turned in his favor and Cannon knew it too.
He hid it well but Elfman's enhanced senses via his Beast forms let him detect the signs of growing nervousness. He'd growing increasingly desperate in keeping Elfman away through a variety of different bullets, gearing up for a big move.
''You persistent little-!'' Cannon unleashed a widespread volley of bullets before lobbing two grenades. Aiming his rifle once more, he fired a shining laser that forced Elfman to look away once it made the impact, causing a big explosion. ''Mars Laser!''
A smirk grew as he took in the devastation, peering through the smokescreen as he waited to see his opponent's downed form.
But what he found was something else entirely.
The towering shadow alerted him to something being a miss before registering that not only was his adversary still in the fight, he was standing tall and more than ready to rumble. As his current form proved.
It was a stalwart stone gargoyle; the only signs of the attack's damage had been a few cuts and a chip in his leg. Elfman grinning at his opponent's shock ''My turn.''
A loud battle cry resounded as he kneed the man in the gut, unleashing a blistering combo of attacks which he punctuated by a shoulder throw which slammed Cannon face first into the ground.
One glance at the downed figure told Elfman all he needed to know. He won.
Gray reacted on instinct when at the sight of his ice wall being sliced in half, rolling to the side before summoning an ice blast which he fired at the charging attacker.
It was a pink haired woman in a kimono, her long blade gleaming as she sheathed it ''Not bad.''
Before he even knew it, her blade was out again and she was gone in an instant. She cut through everything in her path, even their own grunts and destroyed Gray's ice shield, the teen biting back a cry of pain as her sword made contact with flesh.
Wincing, as he tried to stand, Gray didn't miss her drawing her sword again. But just then, she jumped back in time to avoid a barrage of feathers as Happy swooped in to lift Gray.
''What was that?! I'm not sure even Erza is this fast!''
''Yeah, she must be Ikaruga.'' Gray mentally reviewed the information they received earlier ''It figures an assassin would be crazy quick…''
The woman had moved to face Natsu next, the teen having the same problem as Gray. His enhanced senses let him keep better track of her but it was clear that she would get the better of him soon. Hope faced a similar problem when he tried to help the dragon slayer, his memoria magic letting him restore much of the damage she caused.
''Now, that's interesting, I've fought your kind before but not one of them managed to recover this fast. Let's see if you fare better after all, child!''
Hope raised his weapons and Natsu braced himself as she charged again…
Jellal continued playing his chessboard smugly, well aware of all that was going on. Even better, despite Fairy Tail's interference in Era, the plan was working out. Sooner or later, those council fools would bow down. All he had to wait and the pieces would fall in place, heralding the return of Zeref.
Well, let's stop here.
Writer's block sucks. I had a general plan about how to handle this arc but nothing felt write so I kept trying to figure it out, it hasn't been easy but here we go. Anyway, I'm probably going to keep mixing and matching characters from here and there so long as it's convenient. The chances of me using much of any plot from after Tartarus are slim because at that point, I would've changed so much that it wouldn't make any sense to follow canon anyway. And I'm honestly relieved because there's a lot of parts I really don't like from the avatar arc going forward, don't even get me started about Alvarez.
To clarify, Siegrain messed with a couple of the knights to release the prisoners, using his emotion manipulation abilities. He's only in this for his own goals. The real conflict is still in the tower, this is all just a way to pressure the council into using Etherion. Oh, Ikaruga was actually referring to Hope's restoration spells, they're more than good enough to qualify as healing magic. I'm not going to make healing magic as rare as it was in canon because I don't see the point. And yeah, Demon Fang is gone but the guild made such an impact that other dark forces attempted to copy and even improve their work. It's just as well the cultists didn't manage to awaken the demon because that would've definitely blown up in their faces.
Welp, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed it. Till next time!