Lamy after Lamy was added onto the ever growing pile. There must have been about 40 of them or so in total because at the end of it all that pile was huge! "Finally…" Orga dusted his hands off. "That took way longer than it needed too…"
"Why a sheep of all things was so slippery, I'll never know…" Warren said while shaking his arms.
"Don't even pretend like you weren't trying to hook up with one of them…" Max narrowed his eyes at Warren, who had no comment to that remark.
"The important part is we've done all we can down here…!" Lisanna nodded while pumping a fist into the air. "Although…" Her gaze went back up to the sky, where Adam and Acnolgoia were still duking it out in the sky! The vibrations of their aerial battle could be felt down below, and the earth still shook violently as a result. "What about that…!?"
"When did he get there!?" Cynthia flailed.
"He tried to kill us a few minutes ago…but Adamantine stepped up quickly." Cana explained. "That being said…I don't know how much longer we have until things start going to total shit. Even without an arm that dragon is still putting up one hell of a fight."
"I believe he just needs to hold on for a little bit longer…" Zalen said while looking up at the sky. "Even though I believe Adam is genuinely going for the kill.
"In the meantime, what are we going to do with these lost sheep?" Tyson pointed at the Lamy pile. For some reason all of them seemed quite content despite having beaten so thoroughly. "They're kinda worrying me with all their mumbling…"
"I'll take care of them." Kuro nodded while placing his hands on the ground. "Fire Make: Devil Tornado!"
"Oh…that's a hot guy right there!" One Lamy exclaimed…before Kuro set them all ablaze in a vicious twister of Fire Devil Slaying! There were a few cries of pain before the Lamy clones were reduced to ash; they weren't exactly that durable anyway, and it was a relief to FINALLY be rid of that annoying laugh of hers.
"That's one thing to check off the list…" Levy said with an exasperated sigh. "I never want to hear that laugh again for as long as I live…" Right after she said that, the two dragons fighting in the air crashed down violently into the air, a cloud of dust and dirt flying up from the collision. "ACK!"
"Ah crap..!"
.
"You again…?" Erza narrowed her eyes at Kyouka, but that was really the only thing she could move with her body underneath Sayla's Macro.
"Aren't you happy to see me?" Kyouka smiled while approaching Erza, tracing her claw along Titania's cheek gently. "Doesn't this feeling remind you of the torture chamber…restrained…helpless…~?"
"You…" Erza grit her teeth.
"Fret not…" Sayla hummed while pointing her finger at Reve, commanding him to stand and point his pistol at Erza. "It will all be over soon. I will have this one here shoot your brains out…then Minerva's, and he will to the cats…then I will have him end his own life."
"You're insane if you think I'd actually do that." Reve spat, however Sayla ignored him and forced him to fire a shot off into the distance to prove her point. "….."
"I'm glad you see things my way." Sayla smiled sweetly before pointing her hand at Minerva. "Be rid of this traitor first." Reve's arm slowly moved to Minerva. "Annd…" Sayla was about to issue the command, but from out of nowhere, an injured Mira flew forward in her Satan Soul to punch the everloving crap out of Sayla, sending her flying into a nearby wall, thus releasing her hold on the others. "Oooof…! Y-You again!? You continue to pester me so…!?"
"Agh…" Mira landed back on the ground, her body forced out of Satan Soul. Her injuries from before were no better…in fact, they possibly had to be even worse because of how she forced her body to move. Writhing around in pain, Mira did manage to glare at Sayla. "I told you…I wasn't letting you get away…but I'm spent…"
"Kyouka-sama…I don't have any energy left…" Sayla rested against a piece of rubble. "Please…you must see our plan through…"
"Erza…I don't have anything left…" Mirajane was struggling just to speak. Mira looked to Reve to see if he could be of any help, but he was down…even though he wouldn't actually admit it, and his injuries from Taya were going to make it extremely difficult for him to continue, while Minerva was still unconscious.
"Don't worry." Erza and Kyouka spoke in unison, glaring each other down. "They won't be getting any further."
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Marde had quite the crowd in front of him after Gray's arrival. Bringing his hand up to his mouth, he wiped away the blood caused from Gray's attack. "Kyouka? Do you hear me? These humans have been testing the limits of my patience. It's time for you link yourself with Face's countdown…"
"But, Marde-sama…if I do that…I will die…" Kyouka responded.
"Tell me…what is more important than us? To ensure that Master END is revived…no matter the sacrifice, this is our mission."
"Yes…you are correct, Marde-sama. Then I will do what I must." That was Kyouka's final response before Marde turned back to the group before him.
"…You zoned out on us. Having second thoughts?" Cygnus said while cracking his knuckles. "With this many of us around, I wouldn't blame you."
"No." Marde casually replied. "I was just putting the final nail in the coffin that is your struggle. Now then…I believe it's time for me to put an end to this." Marde's body began to let off a malicious violet glow, his entire form beginning to shift. "You humans have caused so much trouble for me…it has grown very annoying…and I know not what to do with all of this anger…" Marde's teeth grew sharper as he spoke; everyone went on guard as Marde slowly emerged in his Etherious Form. "Now…gaze upon the true power of the King of Hades…the Ultimate Demon."
"You think that scares us?!" Natsu responded with a glare. "You can't take us all out and you know it."
"I'm not interested in ants." Marde's gaze narrowed to Natsu and Gray…and within the blink of an eye, he grabbed the two of them by their necks and flew off!
"Wait a second!?" Natsu struggled within Marde's grip. "Let me go!"
"Hey, you can't just pick and choose who you want to take on!" Cygnus shouted.
"I think he just did, Cygnus-san." Sting pointed out. It was then the tip of a scythe was pressed firmly to the back of his neck. With a cold sweat forming on his forehead, Sting spoke hopefully. "Rogue…I really hope that's you."
"….I wish I could say it was." Rogue replied.
"You hibernate for a few months…and you can't even wake up in peace?" Kiora let out a heavy sigh. "Looks like I'm going to have to teach you lot some manners. I'll start by removing your head from your shoulders…you can't cause any trouble that way."
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Marde dragged Gray and Natsu across the ground violently with their backs facing him. At this point, he was just doing whatever it took to ensure that any and all humans that dared to stand against him WOULD fall. "Perish, you foolish insects!"
"We're not…close to being finished yet!" Natsu growled while twisting his body, latching onto Marde's arm along with Gray to shift the momentum! A dual fire and ice punch slammed into Marde's back, now driving the King of Hades into the ground for a moment before the Fairy duo took a leap backwards to regain themselves.
"We're not letting this plan of yours go any further." Gray said while taking a stance.
"In the name of Fairy Tail, we're taking you DOWN!" Natsu roared with fire swirling around both of his hands.
Marde recovered from the surprise impact quite easily, glaring towards Natsu and Gray with complete and utter disdain. "Do your best, humans. For you will not live to see the next sun rise."
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Erza sped off first in her Flight Armor, closing the gap between herself and Kyouka within the blink of an eye. The second she closed the distance between them, Erza aimed rapid swings her sword at the sensory demon in rapid succession, refusing to let up for even a second. Despite her efforts, she only landed a few swings against Kyouka in the end. "Tch…Where do you think you're going!?" The blades she held were swapped for her Flame Sword, and a few slashes of that sent waves of fire towards the Demon Gate.
Kyouka used her claws to deflect Erza's high speed slashes. The slashes that did land caused a moderate amount of damage to her, but it wasn't anything she couldn't handle. For the incoming waves of flame, Kyouka swiftly evaded them with little damage done to her person. "Tell me…can you feel it yet?"
"Feel what?!" Erza took another step before…yeah, she felt it now. The weak breeze that was blowing through the area suddenly caused Erza an incredible deal of pain. Every single nerve in her body was shaken with immeasurable pain that caused her to cry out and hug herself in a vain attempt to cope with it. "What is this?!"
"Have you forgotten? I still have control over every sense in your body." Kyouka responded by licking her lips. "Even the slightest breath will feel like thousands of swords stabbing you all at once. Doesn't it remind you of my gracious treatment in the torture chamber?"
Mira took a glance at the others as if to ask if they had any idea what it was Kyouka was talking about, but alas, none of them had the slightest clue. "…Erza…"
"I will not falter in the face of pain…!" Erza shouted while her body returned to her Heaven's Wheel Armor, forcing herself to gather the magic needed to accumulate 100 blades, all of them pointing towards Kyouka. Without another moment's notice, she sent all of these blades towards the Demon Gate in attempt to skewer her mercilessly.
"You're absolutely adorable when you make that face. That's just one of the reasons I enjoy playing with you." Kyouka smiled at Erza's remark, not even giving the blades above a second thought. Her whip talons did the job for her, disposing of any of the blades that truly threated to cause damage. She then closed in on Erza, lifting her foot to aim a powerful kick to Erza's stomach. With her increased sensitivity to pain, along with the other battle damage she piled up throughout the day…let's just say that simple kick felt as if a cannon ball at full throttle blew a hole through her stomach. The cry of pain Erza released was a testament to how she was really feeling at the moment. "There's that scream I loved so much…let me hear more of that voice~"
"This demon is creepy…" Frosch tugged at Lector's vest.
Kyouka, now heeding Marde's message, leapt onto the Face control panel and…dug her claws deep into it. Electrical shocks emitted from the device, and the Face timer started to whacky. What was 20 minutes began rapidly decreasing!
"What the hell is she doing…!?" Reve forced himself to sit up, staring at Kyouka. "Is she linking with that machine…?"
"That's correct!" Kyouka grinned madly. "I am establishing an Organic Link with Face! This will speed up the countdown and bring you humans closer to your inevitable end!"
"You're insane. If you do that you'll end your life before you can even come close to beating Erza….!" Mira exclaimed.
"I'll gladly give my life in the name of the Underworld King and Lord Zeref! If I must become nothing more than a mere puppet to them to fulfill their desires, then so be it!" Kyouka's appearance began to change; her talons grew longer, her body increased in size just slightly; her mask reformed along her face…Kyouka's Etherious Form was now here! Leaping from the Face device, she released a roar and emerald lightning shot out from her being. This was her spreading the effects of her Curse to Reve, Mira, Lector, Happy, Pantherlily, and Minerva, who jolted awake from the intense pain; at the same time, the Face countdown began to rapidly decrease even faster than before!
Erza pinned a sword into the ground to act as a support to pick herself up. Her entire body tingled strongly with pain, but if she continued to stay down…at this rate, Magic would cease to exist. If it all depended on her, she wouldn't dare give up when it mattered most…
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"Thorns." Marde clenched his hand into a fist, sending enlarged vines towards Natsu and Gray with full intent to crush them. Standing side by side, Natsu and Gray crossed one arm over the other without moving an inch after that.
"Burn!"
"Freeze!"
A wave of fire and devil slaying ice shot out from their respective sides. The wave of fire completely incinerated the incoming vines on Gray's side, while the ice completely froze over the vines on Natsu's side. It was a perfect unison of fire and ice only capable through the teamwork of these childhood rivals!
"You only delay the inevitable." Marde narrowed his eyes before extending his arm forward, unleashing a gigantic beam of tremendously powerful curse power that soared towards Gray.
"Ice Make: Shield!" Arms crossed, the ice maker formed a large shield of ice before himself and Natsu. He honestly expected it to hold for just a little longer than it actually did, but it faltered at the last second and shattered, leaving Gray to deal with the brunt of the blast which blew him backwards.
"The only thing that's ending is YOU!" Natsu sprinted forward with lightning and flames wrapped around his arm. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Natsu swung his fist downward in attempt to crush Marde into the ground. Marde flew into the air to avoid the blow and the ground received it instead, shattering it to pieces. "Get back here!"
"Ice Make: Gugnir!" Gray placed his hands on the ground, forming a gigantic spear of devil slaying ice that shot forth, aiming to impale through Marde.
Marde only took higher into the sky to avoid something that could cause such damage to him. To the demon king's surprise, the large tip of the sphere shattered to reveal Natsu, who shivered slightly but wore a large grin on his face. "Cold!" Leaping from the frozen spear, Natsu linked his hands over his head as he now had the aerial advantage over Marde and slammed his conjoined hands into the skull of the Ultimate Demon, sending him rocketing towards the ground at a violent velocity.
Marde managed to catch his landing, landing on his feet, though the impact cratered the ground slightly. Lifting his arms above his head, creating a massive spinning sphere from his hands from where an immense wooden beam was fired at both targets. "Dea Yggdrasil!"
"Gah…!" Natsu's eyes widened as he and Gray tried to defend against the wooden beam, but it was no use! They were both pushed backwards before slowly regaining their footing. This beam of wood actually tried to crush them into the ground and they both decided they weren't going out that way. With rapid punches of fire and ice, Natsu and Gray respectively aimed to take a chip off the old block! "HAAAA!"
"HAAAA!"
"This is…" Marde growled. Before long, the two Fairies managed to succeed in destroying the Dea Yggdrasil before it could cause them any more damage.
"Give it up!" Gray pushed off the ground, covering his fist in ice devil slaying. Once close to Marde he aimed a punch at his face, but the demon king blocked it with his arms. Damage was still dealt and he slid backwards a great distance. Panting heavily, Gray grinned to know that they were finally making some headway against Marde after all this time.
"…I see. So you humans will not fall to conventional means." Marde was finally starting to put the pieces together. But at some point his frustration faded away, which is why he was able to laugh in the face of the two of them. "Perhaps I had been blind to your cockroach ways. I was focusing so much on stomping you under my foot, I forgot the easiest way to deal with such irritating creatures: to slice your head off. Metaphorically speaking…I have just the way to do that."
"Oh yeah?" Gray quirked a brow. "You think we're just gonna let you take us out that easily?"
"You don't have a choice in the matter. You never did. The fact you speak as though you do fills me with much rage…" Marde's voice was calm, contradicting the emotions he felt at the moment. The demon king began producing a black, paralytic mist around Natsu and Gray that sealed their movement to envelop them; a massive beam of dark spirits emerged from the mist and shot towards the night sky. "The ultimate Curse…the Memory of Death…a spell Marde Geer himself has crafted to fulfill the wish of his creator: Zeref. To kill even him! Memento Mori!"
"What the hell?!" Natsu tried fighting through the sea of dark spirits that nearly enveloped him, but it was no use.
"Gah…!" Gray was in the same boat…no matter what they did, it was useless.
"Worry not. Those who are taken in by this curse neither die nor live…they are simply…erased." Marde spread his arms as the beam of dark spirits expanded for a moment before slowly dissipating. "They simply become…nothing." Where Natsu and Gray remained…nothing. Finally…Marde could revert to normal and smile. Nothing could stop them now.
.
"I can't move a muscle…my body's numb…" Reve grit his teeth in sheer agony. Kyouka's curse was really doing a number on his already injured body…Mira and Minerva weren't faring too well either; the same could be said for the Exceeds suffering along with them.
"I won't stop now…!" Erza sprinted forward, fighting against the pain her body felt. She HAD to stop Kyouka now otherwise it would all be over. "I'll be sure to defeat her!" Erza swung her sword with all her might across Kyouka's chest, but the Demon Gate easily stopped it with one hand and gripped Erza's wrist tightly. "…!"
"I have plans for you, Erza!" With incredible strength, Kyouka slammed Erza down to the ground and slashed her side with her talons. With Erza's increased sense of pain, she would have been better off getting thrown through few solid brick walls. That scream of pain was always music to Kyouka's ears and it was clear that Erza was reaching the limits of how much pain she could take. "You have such beautiful skin, Erza…why don't we see more of it again?" Kyouka then began to rapidly claw at Erza's Heaven's Wheel armor, reducing it to it to nothing while leaving Erza in her undergarments. Kyouka then stomped on Erza's chest, garnering yet another cry of pain while Kyouka's foot continued to press her into the ground. "This is it! This is my total victory! I've defeated you humans and nothing can stop Face now! But don't worry Erza…I won't kill you." A devious smile formed and she licked her lips. "I'll turn you into a puppet for Lord Zeref or Marde-sama to use. Each day, ever so slowly…your body and soul will be torn apart!"
"Leave her alone…!" Mira acted as if she were about to move, but there was just no way in her condition and the pain was enough to put her on the verge of death.
"First…" Kyouka reached down to touch Erza's skull. "I'll rob you of your sense of sight…this will be the last thing you ever see. Then…your touch….your smell…your hearing…All of your senses will belong to me!" At this point…Erza couldn't see anything…hear anything…feel anything. Nothing but pain.
"Stop it!" Frosch pleaded.
"You can't do that to someone…!" Happy shouted with tears in his eyes. Erza was completely unresponsive at this point.
"…." Reve grit his teeth. Was there even anything he could say or do in his pathetic condition? Unlikely.
"That's much better." Kyouka snickered before staring at the others. "Perhaps I'll turn you all into puppets as well."
"….This pain…." Erza mumbled.
"…?" Kyouka thought she heard something…but there was no way. She stared down at Erza just to make sure…and that's when a roaring uppercut struck her in the chin. Erza's raw strength made Kyouka stagger back with widened eyes.
"This pain isn't even worthy of being called pain!" Erza shouted. Grimacing as her knuckles flared in the most intense pain possible. Her eyes were blood red….but that wasn't important in the slightest. "The pain of losing a loved one is more painful than this could ever be!" And yet another punch struck Kyouka's face. "I will not fall! There is a guiding light in my heart that will never fail me!"
"What the fuck!?" Reve's eyes widened at Erza's final stand…which shouldn't have even been possible!
"HOW?!" Kyouka roared in anger while slashing Erza's side once again. To Erza, it felt as though her entire side was sliced clean off…but she still refused to falter in the slightest. But even with whatever god forsaken force was driving her, she was NOT immortal. She would die if she kept this up.
"What…? All of her senses are off, how could this be!?" Lector looked at the others for an explanation. "Perhaps having all of her senses robbed gave birth to a hidden seventh one…but would that even be possible? I haven't heard anything about that before…" All of this was flying right over Frosch's head.
"It's simple!" Happy exclaimed. Don't do it…don't do it. "It's because she's Erza!"
"Because…she's Erza…?" Reve repeated those words while staring over at Erza. Now, if you're thinking that Reve watching Erza fight like this was awe inspiring to him…then you couldn't be anymore wrong. This was absolutely INFUIRATING to no end for Reve. How…why!? What was it about Erza that made her so god damn special that she could fight like this!?
"I've had enough of you! How DARE you stand up to an Etherious like some higher being!?" Kyouka was preparing to finish Erza once and for all! But before she could…bang. A bullet struck her right between the eyes, forcing her to recoil with a shocked expression. Even in Reve's critically state, he managed to take his pistol out to shoot her with pinpoint accuracy. "B-but how…you shouldn't be able to move in that condition…!"
"Because I'm Reve fucking Volver. And I refuse to take a back seat to anything that woman can do!" Reve shouted. His mantra? Whatever Erza could do, he could do better…that's what made them rivals after all.
Was Erza even aware of what Reve had done to save her life? Who knew, but it was time to bring this to an end! "FALL!" Two blades formed within her hands and she slid past Kyouka while delivering a fatal cross slash. That technique was enough to finally defeat Kyouka…Erza's senses returned and in the process she just blacked out and dropped her swords.
"She did it!" Pantherlily grinned.
"No, not yet…!" Mira pointed to the Face timer! It was still going down!
Minerva stared at Erza, then at Kyouka. Using what little magic she had left, she used her Territory to switch places with Erza. Grabbing the nearest sword, she plunged it into Kyouka's chest to finish her off; emerald lightning emitting from the finishing blow. Kyouka's body finally disappeared, which was thought to lead to victory…but they couldn't have been anymore wrong. "…The timer…!" 00:00. They were out of time.
.
"Ahhh…" Marde partook in the sweet sound of silence. At last, he was finally rid of the humans that pestered him so, and in a few short moments, the remaining Face units would go off. There was nothing that could stop this plan as the final phase was just about to go underway…at least that's what he firmly believed until he took another glance at the spot where Natsu and Gray should not have been…but were! "…!?"
Somehow, Gray shielded Natsu from the Memento Mori. "…."
"His body…has been demonized…?" Marde couldn't believe what he was seeing. How was this possible!?
"Natsu….the rest is…up to you…" Gray fell forward, collapsing on the ground motionless.
"Gray…." Natsu stared with widened eyes at his fallen comrade. It was then an unrelenting rage surged from within Natsu; flames exploding around his body as scales formed along his skin! Dragon Force was activated and Natsu's rage burned strongly. "YOU BASTARD! YOU'LL PAY FOR THIS!" Natsu lunged at Marde, aiming a fierce haymaker for his chest.
"This can't be possible!" Marde immediately turned to his Etherious form to leap away from Natsu, but the assault was relentless!
"Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon's Punch!" Natsu hounded Marde, aiming a series of high speed fiery punches all over the demon king's body before he could even react. The final punch was a roaring uppercut that brought forth a large pillar of flame that sent Marde soaring into the air. Natsu wasn't even close to being finished yet; fire and lightning wrapped around his body in union with his Dragon Force. Knees bent and he pushed off the ground, flying towards Marde. "Lightning Flame Dragon's Sword Horn!" IMPACT! Natsu's hard head slammed directly into Marde's stomach…even Marde had to cry out from such a blow. Unfortunately, Natsu's flames fizzled out and Marde still had yet to be put down.
"THIS ISN'T OVER YET!" Marde's voice raised for the first time in who knows how long. He grabbed Natsu before he could fall to the ground and glared at him. "I will end you myself!"
"…Amazing…I'm all out of magic…" Natsu's former grimace turned into a tired smile. Marde really was strong. If he were alone, this would be the end of it. But unlike Marde, he wasn't fighting alone. "But it's the end of the line for you now."
"What…?" Marde then caught something out the corner of his eye.
It was Gray, with a bow and arrow completely molded out of devil slaying eye. The tip of the arrow shone brightly while Gray had the string pulled back as far as it could go. "Ice Devil Zeroth's Destruction Bow!" Releasing the string, the arrow soared towards Marde and pierced right through his chest! The Demon King let out a cry of pain as his body jolted violently. Natsu and Gray gave each other that victorious smirk as Marde released the Salamander and fell to the ground, reverting back to normal with a giant hole in his chest. "Finally…"
"We got you…" Natsu landed on his stomach, wearing a large grin at their victory.
"…." Marde stared up at the sky, still wearing that smile he had when everyone first arrived. "…So the Demon King has been defeated…this is shameful. However…do not think for even a second that you have attained victory…because as we speak…" The ground started to tremble violently…all Face units still present began to activate and the life of Magic itself in Ishgar began to die. "…Face has activated. Everything is still going according to plan…and there is nothing you humans can do to stop it." As far as he was concerned...
This was Tartarus' victory.
.
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Next Time: Help From Above.