"Zeref…" Dhegensea returned to his throne, staring at the Black Wizard with a quirked brow. Meanwhile Venoma was sitting with her eyes wide, not expecting Zeref himself to appear before them. "What business do you have on MY island? I don't recall allowing you permission to even step foot on here."

"Ah, that's the crux of the matter, isn't it?" Zeref mused while keeping his eyes on the Black Dragon King. "I don't recall allowing you to takeover humanity in such a fashion. We've our own presence over the domain. I've told you before that the one to destroy humanity will be me. I won't allow you to stand in the way of that. The world has rejected me, therefore it shall be I that destroys it, do you understand?"

"He who strikes first, strikes best." Dhegensea responded. "I care not for your wishes that those blind demon followers of yours wish to help you reach. I've my own agenda, but this island won't exist in a few more hours. So you may do what you wish to the other humans on this isle." His eyes then glanced to the book Zeref was holding in his grip. "In case you're not aware, he is on this island."

"I know." Zeref replied. "Though I'm curious if his power will awaken when the day is over."

"Oi, who're you calling a blind follower?" That voice belonged to one particular demon; Daityas appeared in a veil of flames next to Zeref, smoking a cigar. He blew out a puff of smoke before staring at Dhegensea. "This is the Dragon King you were talking about? He doesn't look like much to me."

"Indeed…" Mard Geer was the next to appear on Zeref's left. "What's stopping you from using your magic to end this poor dragon's life, Lord Zeref? Or perhaps you needn't waste the effort…?"

Zeref shook his head at Mard's question. "It's simple. My magic has no effect on him for as long as he remains disconnected with the Scared Gem, for that is his source of life. But it matters not, since the island and the king that rules it will cease to exist by the day's end."

"That's quite a bold statement, Black Wizard." Dhegensea tilted his head at Zeref's assumption. "You underestimate the hand of Fate. Those humans are working tireless in vain to try and stop the fate that's already been written out…not even you can fight against it."

"I don't particularly care for whatever story your piece of paper or that angelic bastard has drawn out for you." Daityas said while dropping his cigar onto the floor, stomping it out in the middle of Dhegensea's throne room. The disrespect of the action was so high Dhegensea found himself snarling for a few seconds while Venoma stared in disbelief. "Oh? For someone who doesn't care what happens to this island later, you sure care about things now? Interesting, that worry-free attitude can only go so far?" The spawn of satan dusted his hands off before turning his back on the king. "What is it you would have us do, Lord Zeref?"

"Send out a demon or two, preferably one from the depths of Hell, if you will." Zeref turned his back and began walking off with Marde. "Let them ravage the island, since the King doesn't seem to mind what happens."

"Of course." With that, Daityas snapped his fingers, summoning a fire demon from hell's depths. The heat radiating from the monstrosity was enough to cause Venoma to sweat and she was sitting the furthest away from the demons. Once summoned, both Daityas and the demon vanished in a veil of flames.

"Accursed Black Wizard…" Dhegensea clenched his hand into a fist. "Nothing will stand in my way as rightful place over the ruler of humans…Fate has decreed it and so it shall be. Not even you will stop me."

.

.

Back in Fiore, Mavis had something special set up in case things got out of hand later. Perched atop a tall mountain was the Jupiter Cannon Phantom Lord used against Fairy Tail all those years ago. Manning this powerful cannon was none other than Bisca Connell; Alzack was keeping an eye over Azuka and Makarov was around to survey the situation from the island. Even from miles away, signs of fighting were visible. "They're beginning to run low on time…" Mavis mumbled while looking at the sky. The sun was beginning to set on the horizon and the sky was starting to look pretty dark.

"Gildarts is on the scene now, perhaps things will speed up a little bit?" Alzack suggested, though neither Makarov nor Mavis budged an inch.

"Papa…" Asuka stared at Alzack with her head tilted curiously to the side. "They're gonna come home, right?"

"Of course they are!" Alzack replied without hesitation. "They're just going to be late…probably past your bed time, but we'll make an exception just this once, okay?"

"Yay!" The child cheered before hugging her father.

The sight made Bisca smile slightly before turning her attention back at the isle with the cannon at the ready. "Even so…we still have to be ready. First, Master, don't worry. When I get the shot I need, I'll take it."

"We're not worried, Bisca," Makarov responded with a slight nod. "We've full faith in you to hit your targets. I just pray you can get one before it's too late…"

.

.

"We need some sort of plan…" Laura said while crossing her arms. "That was way too close last time…I can't believe she almost unleashed that power on everyone in the area…if Mii didn't knock her out…"

"Some miscalculations were made." Xen said while brushing off his shield. "What's inside has already begun bonding with the subject's body…though most of the power lies dormant. Imagine waking up suddenly from a slumber only to fall asleep once again; that is what that was. But even so…we must do something about this while this isle still stands. We've not much time before this island is doomed for oblivion."

"You're the tactician for this mission." Laura shrugged. "So tell me what brilliant plan you've in mind, lest we return empty handed minus our original mission. We're already down Wes and Lex, so this better be good."

At Laura's words, a sinister smirk crawled onto Xen's lips. "Oh, you needn't worry about a plan. I've already come up with something that'll take care of all of our problems in one fell swoop…"

.

.

"Give up yet!?" Cygnus questioned Enda as he pounded her crystal shield with gravity infused punches. The shield wasn't letting up even the slightest but Edna actually had to show some seriousness within the battle. "I can do this all day!"

"I don't think you HAVE all day, nimrod." Edna replied with a sly grin. "And neither do I!"

"Too bad you're stuck with us!" Melody clasped her hands together before pulling them apart, creating a gigantic mallet composed of silver within her grasp; the silver haired female held the hilt of the hammer with both hands and swung it powerfully at Edna's crystal shield…or rather, the dragon who hid behind the shield. Melody was well aware her silver wasn't going to budge Edna's crystals, but the dragon herself? A totally different story.

"Agh!" Edna grunted as the silver hammer slammed into her small being. The purple haired female dug her heels into the ground to prevent from being thrown off her feet, but she was sent skidding quite a few yards away as a result. Before she could do anything else, Milliana wrapped her Nekosoku Tube around the wrist of the dragon, immediately catching some resistance as a result. "Annoying pest!"

"Nyah, we've got you now!" Milliana said while holding her ground to prevent Edna from going anywhere.

"You're one to talk!" Lyon closed the spaced between them while ice formed on his fist taking the shape of a lion. "Ice Make: Lion!" He thrusted his fist at Edna's chest…and to his surprise the ice shattered on contact. "Ah…!?"

"You underestimate how hard dragon skin is." Edna responded with a dull expression. She gave her arm a sudden tug and pulled Milliana off her feet to slam into Lyon. She then the tube to swing the poor Mermaid around right into Melody. "Anyone else?"

"Don't get too cocky now!" Cygnus moved in again, preparing to slug Enda across the face. But when he did, the female swayed to the side and swung her leg at the gravity god's side, sending him tumbling along the ground. "Ouch."

"This one's annoyingly persistent in some ways, isn't she?" Heather said while sliding into a stance. So far things weren't looking too for this group with Edna's surprising amount of durability. "And judging by the sky…we're running low on time."

"That's correct…" Hibiki said from the sidelines. "We don't have the time to fully be fighting this one…"

"That's fine with me." Edna shrugged, wings beginning to flap, lifting her into the air. "I got more important things to do than deal with you losers. As time runs low, the curtain for the final act begins to rise. It would suck if you were late to this event, you know."

"Too bad for you." Reve said while taking aim at Edna along with Heather and Jaxon. "You won't be making it to the final curtain." One that cue, Reve fired bullets, Heather fired scales, and Jaxon unleashed multiple raindrops in rapid succession that made them appear like needless. All of them raced towards Edna, but in the end she blocked them with another crystal shield. "Tch!"

"They do say Jewelry is a woman's best friend…" Jaxon said with some annoyance tucked within his voice.

"Now then, if you lameos will excuse me…" With that, Edna flew off.

"Damn, that one's annoying…" Cygnus said while rubbing his head. "Where are we supposed to go now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Heather said while taking the lead on the team, pointing in the direction Edna was flying. "She's heading back to the castle; therefore she's going in the direction of the city. That's our original destination anyway. So pick yourselves up and let's get going."

.

.

"W-What is it about you humans that makes you so strong!?" Nasir was in a fit of rage against Gildarts and Jura. For some reason, even for a pair of humans, he wasn't having as much success as he thought he would be. This reminded him of his loss against Wendy and it angered him greatly.

"Didn't think a mighty dragon would throw a fit when it was losing," Gildarts shrugged. "I've tussled with your kind before, and I have to say you aren't half the dragon he was."

"Don't compare me!" Nasir yelled.

"Even so…this is taking far too long…" Jura commented. "We're running out of time…it's almost nightfall."

"It is…" Gildarts nodded in agreement. "Hurry up and come back down here so we can move on."

"As much as I would love to…" Nasir stared at the castle which he could see from afar whilst in the air. "I have bigger plans to attend to. You humans will rue this day you dared challenge our island." With that, Nasir flew back to the city, leaving Jura and Gildarts on their own.

"Well, you heard 'em…let's crash his plans." Gildarts said to Jura, who gave a nod. The two were now on their way to the city.

.

.

"So…anyone want to explain where this one came from…?" Eve pointed at the fire demon standing before them. This was the exact same one Daityas summoned not too long ago, and it stumbled across Minerva's group while incinerating everything in its path just by walking. "It's quite unhandsome, if you ask me. Ichyia-senpai would be very displeased if he laid his eyes on this…"

"That's a demon without a doubt…" Minerva said while preparing for a fight. "Straight from the depths of hell…"

"We're not seriously going to fight it, are we!?" Toby shouted. "I DON'T WANT TO BECOME A HOT DOG! ON!"

"Please, calm down…" Ren shook his head to get Toby's voice out of his ear. "We haven't much time…so we may have to hurry this along, handsomely, of course."

"Don't even worry about it." Waiston said with a cocky grin, cracking his knuckles as an icy aura began to flare around his body. "We got this one, right Kuro!?"

"Of course!" Kuro stood next to his partner with a cheery grin. "Nothing can beat us!"

"We best prepare for a quick bout then…" Rufus said while placing his fingers on his temples. "I don't like wasting any time."

.

.

Jellal ran into the unlikely pair of Hisui and Lucius. He recognized the Jade Princess and the one thing he could not understand is why she was with Lucius, especially after the warnings of those in white coats. "Princess Hisui!" Jellal called out to the princess, but not only did Hisui not seem to hear him, Lucius wiped out his scythe and threw it forward like a boomerang, The sharp end nearly sliced Jella's head off had he not evaded with Meteor at the last second.

"Ah…" Lucius turned around and caught his returning scythe, running a hand through his pink hair while staring at Jellal. "I see someone has finally come after the lost Princess. It's sad thing to say, but she will be sticking with me for just a while longer. I promised I'd take her to the Dragon King, after all."

"I'm afraid I can't allow you to escort her anymore." Jellal said while glaring at Lucius. "Return her at once."

"If you so wish…" Lucius shrugged, taking a step to the side. "If she wishes to go, then let's see her go." …And after Lucius said that, Hisui turned around, only to reveal the near lifeless look in her eyes; almost as though her spirit was sucked from her very being. "Oh, no response? I guess she doesn't wish to go anywhere."

"W-What…?" Jellal's eyes widened at the sight of Hisui. "W-What have you done to her? Who are you?"

"I was hoping you'd ask." Lucius let out an egotistical chuckle before responding to Jellal's question. "I am Lucius, one of Pergrande's 13 Commandants. One of my beautiful magics allows me to control people that have been within my presence for a long period of time. The lovely Princess here has been in my care nearly the entire day; I'd be surprised if she even had the tiniest shred of free will left."

"You monster…" Jellal clenched his hand into a fist. "You will release her this instant, Lucius."

"Let me see…" Lucius tapped his chin before suddenly vanishing with a few petals of roses in his wake; the next second he appeared before Jellal and attempted a vertical slash. Unfortunately for the Commandant he whiffed as Jellal shifted to the side; the sinner aimed a heavenly magic infused punch at Lucius's jaw, striking the handsome male directly. The Commandant staggered back a step while rubbing his chin, a grin spreading along his lips. "Ah…you're much faster than I thought. This should be entertaining."

"Meteor!" Jellal exclaimed as a heavenly light erupted from around his body. Using this he sped towards Lucius to close the gap within mere seconds, preparing to unleash multiple close combat blows. To his surprise Lucius was able to keep up easily, elegantly evading the blows Jellal sent. At the last one, Lucius' body dispersed into rose petals once again and he instantly appeared behind Jellal, one palm extended as a beam of darkness magic shot out.

"…!" The saint gasped as Lucius vanished, but he sensed the commandant's presence behind him. Jellal turned and crossed his arms, tanking the beam of darkness magic, though he slid back across the ground with bruised arms. Before he could even make a move, Lucius was upon him again from above, aiming to decapitate Jellal right on the spot. Jellal was quick to evade with a dodge roll, now hopping up while pointing his palm forward. "Hah!" From his palm, a beam of heavenly body magic shot out and struck Lucius, sending the opposing male flying back until he caught his balance. Jellal did not stop there; once Lucius was successfully knocked away, one swipe of his hand and several arrows of Heavenly Body magic towards him.

"My!" Lucius exclaimed with what was almost delight, twirling his scythe in a counterclockwise motion. "You're quite strong for someone from Fiore. Normally my opponent's would be dead by now! But you're much too fast for me to use my true magic on you, which makes this slightly less enjoyable, though fun nonetheless."

Jellal ignored Lucius' words and continued to move with the offensive momentum. With another swipe of his hand, a shockwave shot out and the very ground underneath Lucius began to give way. "Abyss Break!"

"Wha…" Lucius was truly caught off guard by this move. He staggered around before taking the only option he could: leaping back. But Jellal anticipated this and used Meteor to speed forward, slamming a powerful haymaker for Lucius' pretty face. The force was more than enough to send the commandant tumbling around before finally coming to a halt. "Oof…my face…! How dare you! I think you bruised it!"

"Your face won't be the only thing coming out of this with a bruise. I won't ask you again. Release her." Jellal demanded while throwing off his cloak to the ground.

"No." Lucius responded while waving a finger; unbeknownst to the two of them, Marshall of Empyrean Dawn was watching in the shadows, a grin stretching along his lips as he was finally about to receive his action for the day.

"Finally. A chance to blow off my never ending steam…" A red aura cloaked Marshall. He was angry…not even just that. He was the embodiment of anger. He was Wrath.

.

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Next Time: Reunion.