Zash's flames didn't burn as hot as Salamander's, but the guy was physically more impactful. His fist collided with Gajeel's, and most other people would've been forced back or at least been stunned momentarily, but Zash pushed through it and launched his knee into Gajeel's gut. Gajeel narrowly blocked it with his own and stepped back, giving them some space. Zash let out a guttural chuckle before diving back in.

He didn't seem to know much about martial arts, though that didn't help Gajeel at all since he didn't, either. He was a bruiser, using his flames as a means less to harm his opponents and more to keep others away. He had to lock Gajeel in and keep the fight close—at range, Zash had little means of getting to Gajeel.

Their gap in Dragon Slayer was probably insurmountable, but this Zash guy didn't seem like much of an idiot like Axel or Kiyl. Those two knuckleheads ran into battle against Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy thinking they could match up. Those other two from the capital got the upper hand on Gajeel and Wendy only because of a sneak attack and were quickly outmatched. They played to their strengths but gave the Fairies enough room to breathe and figure things out.

Zash was doing no such thing. He was a Dragon Slayer, sure, but not primarily. He wanted to beat the shit out of his opponents, both on the battlefield and mentally.

Gajeel couldn't ignore the cries of the Exceeds while their village burned and Kagura, Lily, Millianna, and the Exceed soldiers did everything to hold back the onslaught of troops. Each time Kagura seemed to knock down a squad, a fresh new one would get up, or the old one would also rise back up, their eyes flaring red.

Gajeel was helpless to get over there. Zash had him locked in, his furious fists flurrying all across Gajeel's vision while he put up defense after defense, jabbing and trying to find a way through to break Zash's stance. But the man was built like a freight train and took command of their tiny ring of fire.

Finally, Gajeel managed a hit, a solid one, just under Zash's chin that seemed to stun him temporarily. Zash took a few steps back. Gajeel leaped backward, through the flames.

"Iron Dragon Slayer Roar!"

The spell slammed into Zash, who took it head-on and stumbled out of the ring of flames. It dissipated back into Zash's hand before warping to his other and the man shot it at Gajeel. Gajeel sliced through it, feeling the singe of its heat on his metal arm. Gajeel rushed Zash but knew he had to get out of his grasp quickly if he had any chance of keeping the fight beyond what Zash wanted.

He slammed his fist into the ground and punched at Zash twice, both of which missed, but that was fine, as it did force Zash to take a step back. He slammed his hand on the ground, and Gajeel recklessly charged forward again. The guy was wide open.

"Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!"

"Purgatory Dragon's Blazing Inferno!"

Zash took the hit as the ground beneath Gajeel erupted in a massive ball of fire that completely engulfed him and sent him soaring into the air. Zash blasted up to meet him, punching him once more. Gajeel quickly activated his iron scales and plummeted, landing long before Zash did. He summoned multiple fireballs around him, and with a roaring laugh, launched them all around.

A few hit his soldiers, but they easily deflected them. Most were aimed at Exceeds. Gajeel dove to protect a small bunch that'd been running away, and was rewarded with another fireball to the chest that sent him spinning. Gajeel flipped to catch himself as Zash landed on the ground and charged Gajeel. His sprint was slow, by comparison, but had a ton of build-up and power to it. Gajeel charged him as well.

The two slammed into one another and grappled for a moment, neither able to get a firm hold on the other nor land a solid enough hit until Gajeel crashed his head into Zash's nose, shattering it. Zash used that pain, though, as fuel, and reared around with his flaming hand to smack Gajeel across the side. Gajeel slid to a halt.

Zash launched another flurry of fists that Gajeel either dodged or parried. Good. He was getting Zash mad. He was getting the upper hand.

His moves were predictable. Less a brawler, Zash was the kind of guy who had to finish his opponents with ace moves or in single strikes. That spell he used was probably intended to melt Gajeel. Maybe that attack would've hurt coming from Natsu.

Maybe.

Beyond, as Gajeel fended off Zash, the battle continued to run at nearly a total standstill. Kagura was doing all she could. It would be no issue if she could simply draw forth Archenemy, but all her allies around her would stand no chance of surviving a fully unleashed blade like that.

He couldn't be distracted. He had to finish this idiot. Doing so would let Gajeel aid them as reinforcements that would win out. Maybe the army would break and retreat, or—

A sudden shift alerted Gajeel to reinforcements indeed coming, for the enemy. Something flashed before him, and he had less than a second to react to a powerful and swift punch almost clocking him across the face, but it didn't matter, as the shadows from the flames around him lurched and held him steady while a furious jet of water slammed into him, and was all bundled up by a gust of wind sending him flying through a village hut. A foot slammed on his chest.

A woman with long black hair and small lips smiled down at him.

"You're dead, little Fairy," she said, as something boomed between her hands.

Gajeel sneered. "More of you? Well, that's just peachy."

"Lightning Dragon Slayer Ro—!"

Gajeel's fist hit her straight in the chin and sent her flying. He grabbed her leg and flung her away as the onslaught began anew.

Thomas, Johan, Kiyl, Kristine, and now that little bitch had all arrived, yet none of them were focused on the exterior fighting, where the Exceeds were getting severely pushed back.

Gajeel summoned more magic. Zash walked in front of them. Gajeel charged.

"Kill him," Zash said, and their eyes each glowed red.

With a mighty roar, the Second Generation Dragon Slayers also blitzed at Gajeel and unleashed all sorts of spells at him that would wipe out almost any army in the world, that would kill anyone.

And Gajeel still moved forward.

He always would.

The Exceeds didn't stand a chance, Lily and the others didn't stand a chance if he fell. Besides, who the hell was gonna rescue that little blue shrimp from the Twilight Empire if he couldn't?

Their attacks, for the most part, landed, and he moved on, anyway. Kiyl came flying in, his long hair flopping about all around, but Gajeel swatted him away. He and Thomas tussled, the two locked in a fistfight while Kristine charged up a spell, then launched it at Gajeel, who deflected only to be attacked from above by a massive windstorm, then a kick by the equally-swift other girl, the one with Laxus's magic.

Zash came to finish it off, punching Gajeel into the ground. Gajeel still got up. He pushed Zash back, and the Dragon Slayers didn't stop.

His Iron Scales were doing nothing. Blood ran down his face, bruises weren't showing but were there. Gajeel heaved a breath.

"Iron Dragon Lance!"

He leaped up, shooting the lance and knocking Thomas away. One down, even if he wasn't out for good.

"Iron Dragon Club!

As the lightning girl came by, he managed to properly time his strike and take her out. She spiraled, and as Gajeel landed, Zash appeared before him, his original foe, the one about to tear down the lives of the innocent Exceeds.

He and Gajeel exchanged blows but they were only aided as Kiyl's onslaught of Sea King magic mixed with Johan's above, creating a hurricane that swept Gajeel and left him on unsteady feet, giving Kristine the perfect opening. Gajeel screamed but didn't budge.

He did not yield.

Zash howled a laugh. The Dragon Slayers converged. Six Dragon Slayers, all against him.

"It's a shame Axel and Kip aren't here to join in on the fun!" Zash shouted over the cacophony.

Gajeel didn't have any room to breathe. Take one down, for just a moment, and two more were on him. Spells? Yeah, right. He had only his own strength to rely on.

Which had to be enough. It was down to him, and only him. This was their stand to save the Exceeds.

This was his chance to be a hero.

If only it didn't end up with him face down in the dirt, hardly able to move.

In the realm of frozen time, it should only have been Dimaria and Ivan who stood alone. The great warrior, whose magic could be felt in the trembling heart of all soldiers who feared the angel of death, strode upon the battlefield without missing a beat toward little Master Makarov, whose expression remained stout, determined that despite their insurmountable foe they could find a way to find.

However, not if they were unable to move.

Dimaria rested hands on her hips, then squatted to face Makarov.

"So, how's a little guy like that fit between a woman's legs, anyway?" Dimaria asked, glancing over her shoulder toward Ivan.

Ivan said nothing, as usual.

Dimaria shrugged.

"Guess he can just hike his way up there, do a little dance, and, well, out you pop. Right, Ivan?" Dimaria laughed. "Look, I'm just trying to figure out how you got so spineless. Sold out your guild, now you've just gifted me your father and son. What a family dynamic you all must've had. Hey, if it means anything, you'll die as a member of the Twilight Empire. Not bad, right?"

Dimaria looked at the rest of the frozen Fairies. She sighed.

"Sometimes you can only wonder what if, you know? What if I actually had to fight these chucklekfucks? I don't think they'd put up a fight but sometimes you get so bored with snapping necks. Look at that guy." Dimaria pointed at Laxus. "Big, beefy dude. And he has lightning magic. Imagine getting punched in the face by someone with that muscle who moves faster than you can be seen. Oof. Good pick on the lacrima for him."

"It was torturous on him, but well worth it indeed," Ivan said, his voice small.

"I'd sad. Man. What a shame. But! Great news. Once he's dead we'll dig the thing out and hand it off." Dimaria pointed at Ivan. "You want it? You can be a big bad Dragon Slayer."

"After this, I expect to take some time to rest," Ivan said.

Dimaria pretended to pout. "Weary from betraying your family? Cute. But rest is for the wicked, little Ivan, and the Empire is always moving forward. Once we're doing here we're going home to our next mission, got it?"

She patted Makarov's head, then moved on to Evergreen, grabbing at her breasts and making leud comments to her.

She had yet to notice Freed, who, in hearing that Dimaria had the magic to freeze time, made sure, before they confronted her and in stealth, to put a Timeless Rune upon himself.

He was unaffected by the distortion of this realm, able to move, able to breathe, able to act. Yet, there was no way he would have any chance of taking her on in a fight. Their gap in magic was too grand.

It was down to Master Makarov or Laxus.

And Dimaria was going to begin killing any second. She tapped Bickslow's tongue and asked Ivan about the dolls floating around them.

Master Makarov was a Wizard Saint, one of the most powerful in all Ishgar. He could crush her, he could wind her. Yet…

He would do everything in his power to prevent the deaths of his children, much to his own detriment. Freed had seen enough that it was clear Dimaria had no intentions of keeping any of them alive, and Freed…

Freed knew that for the world to move forward, it was she who had to die, no matter the cost.

A tear nearly fell down his face at a realization. The Thunder Tribe was one of the few teams remaining in Fairy Tail, and any one of the members would be willing to lay it all on the line for Laxus, their leader. Yet, he was not so quick to reciprocate. He did not take them on his pilgrimage and had always maintained a distance between them.

Their loss, to him, would not hurt as bad as if Makarov failed to save any of them.

Freed did not close his eyes but did shift his gaze. Yes. There really was only one choice.

He could move the rune to another, bestow upon them the timeless gift. And then, it was totally out of his hands. It was down to whoever fought Dimaria. Freed would not know what happened in the fight, but his chest ached with the knowledge that, the moment he moved the rune, he would either wake up or…

Or know that his final thought was a prayer.

What better way to go out?

He placed his gaze, his heart, and his faith all on the shoulders of one man. In an instant, he moved, catching Dimaria's attention, and the rune latched to Laxus, and the world froze again.

Lucy really only ever got to see Crocus at night from the confines of her room, where she'd stare out to the distant rooftops and watch the lights dance. From above it was almost impossible to see the folk down on the street, all of them minding their own business. There was only the city, only the lights.

But below, on the ground, there were no lights, and there were no people. There was only the shadows that reached to her, beckoning her approach that they may see to her swift end. Each one promised to hold, within, an assassin. A dagger in the dark that'd rip her open, take her keys, and be done with her. Lucy Heartfilia walked knowingly to her death, and tears slid down her face. By the hand of Brandish or the magic of Axel, by the morning, Lucy would simply cease to be.

Yet, she marched on, anyway.

Maybe she could find a loophole to get something to her friends. Maybe could convene with Aquarius so that, in the end, Brandish would know the truth about her mother.

Or maybe it was all for naught.

She marched on, anyway.

There was but one regret she had: that she'd never get to tell Kip, to his face, that she knew it was him. He was the one who sold her out. He used her to gain favor back into the Empire. And she couldn't warn him not to mess with Levy, as if there was anything Lucy would be able to do about it. But Levy was smart, smarter than Lucy, and she'd scheme her way out of this pickle. She'd know what to do where Lucy didn't.

Nobody was in Lucy's apartment when Orga arrived. He knocked the door down, coming in with a great huff. No lights were on, either. Unlike other lightning users, his magic would be of no use to him, and he was too great a dolt to bother looking for the light switch. He'd know where Lullaby was simply by seeing it, of course.

The place quickly became a mess as he flipped tables, shattered glass, broke through cabinets, and flung furniture around the place, all in search of a flute. And it wasn't like the flute was so similar to any other's. It was very easy to spot.

But the man left no stone unturned. He brute-forced his way into the search, devastating poor Axel's apartment with the vain hope of finding Lullaby and impressing August so much as to secure the Captain position for the Division.

After a while, though, after all avenues had been explored, Orga returned to the living room, arms folded, and thought. He looked such a fool when he did so, like a buffed clown attempting to solve a riddle.

"Nothing yet?"

Minerva let her voice carry forward before Orga could spot her as she slithered out from the shadows, her hands folded in front of her.

"You said it was here, right?"

Minerva tapped her chin. "Did I? No, I couldn't have."

"What? Minerva, come on! You said Lucy had Lullaby."

"Ah. I meant she had been searching for Lullaby."

Orga sighed. "Great. What a waste of time."

No, dear. No, it wasn't. Far from it. Because as he'd been searching, as Minerva had kept her eye on him, she ensured the tower was completely empty.

She ensured that nothing was around.

Minerva approached and laid a hand on Orga's shoulder. He was tense, but not because of her, though her touch did make him shiver a bit.

"Orga?" Minerva said. "I want you to know something."

He turned toward her, and their eyes met. She placed a hand on his chest, and Orga Nanagear breathed his last as the Territory spell Minerva planted in his body activated, and consumed his heart and lungs, dumping them somewhere in the city.

Orga's eyes widened, and his massive body collapsed. Minerva glowered down at it.

"Even in death," she muttered, "you still look a complete fool."

Lucy was guided by Maron—making constant rude comments about her appearance and how she was dressed well to have her body squished—up to the same room she'd come out of before, this time bathed in more shadow, but with a single lantern lit that at least allowed Lucy to see Brandish easier. The woman sat in an exaggerated chair, maybe done up a bit because of her magic.

Wind from the high breeze outside swept into the room, brushing Lucy's hair behind her shoulders.

Brandish tilted her chin. "The keys, Lucy?"

Lucy removed them from her side and held them aloft. "Right here, General."

"So formal."

"Sorry."

"Don't apologize. It's the way the world is. However, I'm a kind woman, Lucy. You're not gonna die at my hand, and I wanted to repay you for your efforts. Maron? Go ahead and get our guest."

Lucy's blood ran cold. No, please. Anyone but him.

Maron went to the back of the room, and opened the door to a small corridor, guiding an older, well-dressed man inside. Lucy swallowed the lump in her throat and let the tears slide down her face freely. Jude Heartfilia approached, his face aghast with confusion.

"What's happening?" Jude asked. "General Brandish, what is it you want with Lucy?"

"Well I wanted her keys, since Aquarius, by right, is mine, and I figured it couldn't hurt to get the rest. We'll recover the other Zodiacs from Yukino eventually, I'm sure someone has a plan to take her out. And, you know what, I felt a bit giving. So, here. A little daddy-daughter reunion."

Jude swiftly made his way across the room and held Lucy's trembling hands. Lucy sank into the embrace of her father, her one link to anything good.

"Are you alright, have they hurt you?"

"No," Lucy said through the sobs. "No, I'm fine, daddy."

"Okay, the show's over," Brandish said, clapping. "Go on and get outta here. I need to have a little chat with my new spirits."

"Wait!" Lucy exclaimed, the word flying through her mouth before it ever crossed her mind.

Maron chuckled as Brandish's expression turned even colder. Lucy stepped back from her father. She squeezed his hand.

"Lucy…" he muttered.

"I'm thankful you brought my father and me together because, Brandish, I believe he has the answers you're looking for," Lucy said.

"What answers?" Jude asked.

"As if this man wouldn't take the side of your mother, as you did. As if he wouldn't warp the story!"

"What story? What is going on?" Jude burst.

Lucy attempted to compose herself. Hope wasn't found in massive moments, it was the tiny holes in the tunnel walls that helped someone get free. This was it. She'd wanted some huge gesture, some bombshell, to get her out of this.

In the end, all she needed was her father.

"Father, do you remember Grammi?"

"Grammi?" he echoed. "Yes, of course. She was wonderful, particularly to your mother."

Brandish tightened her grip around the keys. "Shut your mouth. Do not speak of her like that."

Jude glanced from Lucy to Brandish, and understanding quickly dawned on him. "Wait. You cannot be…yes, the hair, the eyes, I see her in you. You're her daughter."

"And your wife murdered her!" Brandish exclaimed. She swung her arms in a fit of rage, accidentally unleashing a wave of magic that sent Maron spiraling out of the door, behind Lucy, leaving it wide open.

Jude stepped aside from Lucy to get a full view of Brandish.

"I'm sorry, Brandy," Jude muttered. "But you're wrong. Layla played no part in your mother's death. I'm afraid it was all at the hand of a madman."

"We need water, Brandish. Aquarius knows everything," Lucy said. "She can explain!"

"Your mother returned to our home to take care of Layla when her magical deficiency disease took hold of her! She meant only to care for her, as Layla did so well for Grammy. But on the way home, Grammi was intercepted. It was—curses, I can't remember the fiend's name!"

"Water, Brandish!" Lucy shouted.

Brandish stood. She was as tall as Jude, and though she had a slender form, she was still nonetheless incredibly intimidating. She approached him, her face darker than ever before.

"Your story is not funny, nor is it endearing. I will squash you like the bug you are, Jude Heartfilia. Enough talk. Leave this room before I change my mind, and you will join your daughter to rot in the dungeons of our castle."

Jude balled his fist. "You may misremember the past. You may twist events, Brandish, but if there's—if there's one thing I cannot abide, it's to threaten the well-being of my daughter! If you won't take my or her word, I implore you to allow Lucy to summon Aquarius this instant! She loved Grammi just as much as she did Layla! She loved you."

Brandish shook her head. "You can't know that."

"I can, Brandy. Because the day your mother died was the day I saw the final embers of hope leave my wife's eyes."

Brandish took a step back but kept her eyes on Jude. Lucy reached down and grabbed her father's hand, seeing him for the first time, in his full form. He was tall and proud, he was the man she knew him to be all those years ago, but gone were the suits and business partners. Gone was the stern ferociousness.

Instead, there was a man determined to do good. There was a man who stood up for his daughter and did not push her away.

There was Jude Heartfilia.

And then, there was a diamond blade through his chest.

Lucy opened her mouth to scream but nothing came from it. Jude looked at the blade as he crumpled to his knees. A cold hand grabbed Lucy from behind, wrapping around her neck, whispering,

"You needed water, my dear? I believe your tears will suffice."

"Axel, you imbecile!" Brandish exclaimed. "What have you done?"

"As my fiancé asked," Axel said, stepping around Lucy while still keeping his hand on her neck.

Silent tears slid down her face as her father, face down in his blood, lay there. Completely still. Lucy couldn't move—Axel held her up. Brandish balled fists, then held her arm out.

"What are you doing?" Axel asked.

"She will summon Aquarius."

"What?"

"We were in the middle of a conversation before you…what the hell were you thinking? He was useful to us, you fool. The Heartfilia Foundation was a critical resource for our Fiore ventures, and you've wiped it out."

"I have Lucy. It's all I need. Now, her father is out of the way, and we can continue planning for the wedding. Besides. She wanted water. Look how her tears are gathering at her feet. I'mhelpingyou, Brandish, and Lucy, at the same time." Axel shrugged. "Besides, you have the keys now. I'm sure August knows how to break the bond between wizard and spirit, so you can make new contracts, get your little answers, and Lucy can be all mine. No magic, no fuss, just the way I want her. Right, darling?"

He kissed her cheek. She wished her heart could stop.

If this was a nightmare, surely the shock of her father dying would wake her up.

"I'm sorry, Natsu," she muttered. "I should've gone."

"No, listen to me, listen," Axel said and spun Lucy to face him. He forced her gaze upon his face, maddened by lust and tinged with flecks of her father's blood. "You don't need him, or them. You need me, Lucy. I can comfort you, I can make you what you've always been destined to be. Okay? Look. I even went through all this trouble of getting this so you could report back to your little princess that you did your job, you fulfilled your role to the rebellion, and now you can be free of all that bullshit."

He reached into his coat, and from it, retrieved something so familiar to Lucy, once so desired, that she could barely comprehend what she was looking at. Yet, even without touching it, she knew it, indeed, to be Lullaby.

Brandish folded her arms. "You are such a pain."

"You killed my father," Lucy said as Axel gently placed the flute in her hands.

"I relieved you of him."

"You…killed my father."

Lullaby was a one-time use. She'd die the moment she heard its tone, as would any others. Axel would be gone.

Yet, August would live.

As if any of that mattered. She had no keys, she had no father, she had nothing.

Save for a weapon made by Zeref himself. Lucy tightened her grip on the flute.

"Axel," she said, her voice soft.

Finally, she met his eyes, and not for the first time, saw all that he was. The monster, the madman, the truly disgusting creature with the power of a dragon brimming in his body.

With nothing to lose, nothing to gain, Lucy at last said what lay deep in her soul,

"I hate you."

His face twisted, but before he could say, or do anything, the building shook. It even startled Brandish, as did the ground completely collapsing under them as the stone broke apart and they all moved into a slight freefall before hitting the level below. Lucy cried out as she landed but was quickly grabbed and moved from more falling rubble.

Axel and Brandish stood at once, Axel coated in a diamond layer. Lucy spotted her keys, and they moved, along with the stone they were on, to her, flying into her hand. Brandish glowered and lazily stood as Lucy lurched back, with her…savior?…holding her hand.

"This way! I've got a tunnel here further into the tower!"

Kip.

It was Kip, the Cavern Dragon Slayer.

August watched from his crystal ball as Lucy Hearfilia made her way through the makeshift escape route Kip had built into the tower mere minutes before. He wanted to feel disappointment in the lad but considering his history with the Empire, as a survivor of the great Bosco massacres, this move on his end was hardly surprising. He'd be dealt with. Axel and Brandsih would pursue—at the very least, Axel would, and that would buy enough time for August to mobilize another member of the Twilight Division to eliminate Lucy.

Or, well…

"My dear," he said, turning to his side, "I grow bored of merely being a passerby in events. I quite enjoyed the exercise we took together out near Cedar Airfield, and I'm infinitely curious about my father's inventions. For your diligent work in exposing young Lucy to us, I ask you to come with me, to see this work fulfilled."

Levy, staring with a poorly-veiled horror at the events, nodded.

"Do not show fear now, Levy," August said. "She has yet a choice to be made to live. I will not slay her until it is your will to do so, nor shall I Mirajane or Lisanna. That is our agreement, and I'd ask you not to forget this."

Levy nodded despite her sunken heart, despite her tears, and despite the actions she took to spare Lucy Heartfilia a certainly brutal death at August's hand when he wrenched the information from Levy after one of their meditation sessions.

"Come," August said. "Let us attend this mess."