Fairy May Cry - Devil's Retribution

by Iron117Prime

After seven years, Dante and the rest of Fairy Tail have returned from Tenrou Island. So much has changed since their absence; a guild called Sabertooth is now at the top spot, the forces of the Underworld are starting to become more active, and what's this new religious movement called the Order of the Sword? Times might have changed, but the insanity of Fairy Tail has not.

55. Finding Closure

Hi everyone, welcome back to Fairy May Cry. We have yet another emotional chapter right here… as a long-awaited meeting between certain individuals finally happens! I've been wanting to write this for a long time, and I know you've all been very anxious to read it yourself.

Things are going to get quite interesting here, that much I will say.

But we might also have a little bit of fun thrown in here too. You will see once you start reading. I'm sure you'll like a fun little surprise I have planned.

Now without further delay, let's begin!

Finding Closure

It was the day after the events of the banquet. Everyone was well rested, and all of the visitors of Crocus were preparing to return home, including most of the guilds who participated in the Grand Magic Games.

With the exception of a select few who chose to meet up in the mountains just outside of the city. This included many from Fairy Tail such as Dante, Natsu, Happy, Gray, Erza, Lucy, Lisanna, Trish, Wendy, Carla, Modeus, Lady, Juvia, Gajeel, Panther-Lily, Gildarts, Makarov, Laxus, Kinana, and the newly-recruited Yukino. Kurenai, Milliana, Kagura, Lucia, Saphire and Amarilla from Mermaid Heel; Lyon, Jura, and Sho from Lamia Scale; Wally from Quatro Cerberus; Sting, Rogue, Lector, and Frosch from Sabertooth; even Bruni, all of these people were present. And so was Crime Sorciere, which consisted of Jellal, Ultear, Meredy, Sheeree, Sorano, and the newly recruited Erik.

At present, Jellal stood with his own guild behind him as he faced Sho, Wally, Milliana, and Kagura. It was a rather tense and awkward silence between them as none of them had said much of anything since they had met up about five minutes ago. Sho, Kagura, and Milliana had expressions that seemed to mix between angry glares and seriousness, Wally had a serious look himself but not nearly as angry. Those closest to this group, notably Erza and Kagura, looked with concern as they waited for even one person to speak and get this whole thing going.

Jellal took a sigh before speaking himself. "I am… happy to see that you are all in good health."

The four looked at him seriously before it looked like Wally was about to reply…

"Okay, what the hell?!" Natsu suddenly interrupted as he marched past the group, gunning for Crime Sorciere, specifically their newest member. "The crap are you doing out?! Shouldn't you be rotting in a hole somewhere you wannabe Dragon Slayer?!"

"That's a real shitty way to talk to someone who helped save all your sorry asses." Erik glared as he marched up to Natsu in response.

"We didn't need you're stinking help!" The Fire Dragon Slayer shouted.

"Natsu, it's alright." Modeus quickly came up and pulled him back by the shoulder. "Erik was a valuable ally in the battle against the dragons. Though admittedly, I am surprised to see that you are not imprisoned." He said to Erik himself.

"A couple guys looked the other way, so I decided to roll with these folks." Erik answered, gesturing to Crime Sorciere.

"You sure that's a good idea?" Gray asked the vigilante guild. "This guy did help Sanctus in that whole mess with the Order of the Sword."

"Much like how the rest of us committed similar crimes?" Ultear reminded.

"Don't worry, I'll vouch for him." Sorano said, mostly towards Dante. "We'll make sure that he stays in line."

"Fine with me." Dante shrugged.

Erik looked past the growling Natsu towards Kinana who happened to smile when she saw him. Without a word, the man had a small smile himself as he gave a subtle nod.

"Natsu." Modeus pulled him back further, the Salamander himself crossing his arms and looking away with a pout.

"Fine, whatever. But don't expect me to be all buddy-buddy with him. He tries anything, I'm gonna char his face off!"

"Not if I melt yours off first." Erik shot back.

"Okay! Okay!" Sheeree got in-between them. "We're about to get started on a pretty serious and emotional moment here, so can we please just drop it?" The two Dragon Slayers looked away with crossed arms and pouts, much to Sheeree's emotional exhaustion.

Jellal smiled apologetically and thankfully to his guildmate before turning back to Kagura, Sho, Wally, and Milliana as it became serious again. "No words I say, or actions that I take, can undo the pain that I have caused all of you." He then looked to Kagura. "Simon didn't say anything about having any siblings, I wasn't aware that he had a sister." She narrowed her eyes at him. "That's no excuse… I'm not making any excuses here, nor am I asking for forgiveness, mainly because I don't deserve it." He looked to the people who were once his closest friends, the people he'd arguably hurt the most. "But know that I am truly sorry."

Kagura, Wally, and Milliana looked at him seriously, right before Sho walked up to him… and then punched him across the face.

Erza in particular, as well as Lyon and Jura looked with sympathy, as did most of Crime Sorciere as they saw that.

But Jellal just stood there and took it, even as Sho looked up to him with a tearful and angry expression. "I trusted you… for so many years… and you had me believe that it was Erza who betrayed us… who abandoned us…! Even as I slaved away in the tower that you had has build… the tower that had so many horrible memories for us… I believed in you! Only for you to use me and all our friends and then try to kill us! You killed Simon!" Jellal looked down at that and took it all in. "You're right, you don't deserve forgiveness and I won't forgive you ever!"

"I understand…"

"If there is somebody here who truly does not deserve your forgiveness, it is me." Ultear stepped up, right next to Jellal, much to the surprise of most people present.

"Ultear…" Meredy tried to reach for her, only for Sorano to gently grasp her shoulder and shake her head, telling her that this had to be done.

"The reason Jellal changed all those years ago… the reason for his heinous actions against all of you… was because I manipulated him into doing so." Ultear revealed, much to the surprise of Sho, Wally, Milliana, and Kagura. "I posed as Zeref's spirit, essentially brainwashed him into seeing the Tower of Heaven's completion, the project itself being nothing more than a distraction for the Magic Council while my guild of Grimoire Heart sought the keys for Zeref's seal, which were just concoctions of desperate cultists in the end…" She looked away at that before continuing. "Everything that Jellal did, everything he made you do, all of his actions… including the death of your friend and brother… was because I made him do it."

The four looked to her in absolute shock, Milliana's body shook even as Wally clasped his hand around hers to keep herself from acting out, but he himself was having trouble keeping it all in. Sho's body also shook to, with Kagura's expression being hidden by the shadows of her own hair. Honestly, it was probably best to let her mother hold onto Archenemy during this meeting, because right now, she was unsure if she could control herself and be able to resist the influence of her Devil Arm, running the risk of going berserk the way she did during the tournament.

"W-why…?" Milliana questioned as she looked to Ultear with teary eyes. "Why… do all of that…? Why did you… What did we do… to deserve what you did…!?"

Ultear closed her eyes before responding. "Hades spoke of the Grand Magic World, a place where wizards could use their power freely without consequence or limitations. I wield the Arc of Time, and I believed that in such a world, I could go back and undo all the pain that happened to me and everyone else, to make a better world than the one that we lived in. I believed that this world was nothing more than just our first try, and that our actions didn't matter in it. But I was wrong, and so much innocent blood was shed by my hands, and I may never be able to truly atone for it. Much like Jellal, I cannot ask any of you for your forgiveness… but I am sorry. Truly."

Jellal looked to his guildmate with sympathy and appreciation. While he was glad that he wasn't alone in this and had company in bearing this responsibility, he also felt truly bad for Ultear, who initially wanted nothing more than to go back to a simpler life with her mother… but had that wish twisted into something far more sinister. Gray and Lyon both understood that as well, and while she did things that they could never forgive, it was nice to see that she was at least taking responsibility and trying to do good. Ur would be proud of her.

The four looked to the two who had wronged them so much with expressions that carried so much emotion… anger, grief, resentment, all of it twirled around inside them. Even Wally, who did his best to try and move forward and not give into revenge, found it hard to contain the turbulent feelings inside of him.

"When I first heard what had happened to my brother…" Kagura began as all eyes set on her. "I swore on my sword… and even on the name of my adoptive mother… that I would hunt down the one responsible… and end his life." She looked at the two in front. "But it seems that two were responsible. Jellal may have been manipulated against his will, but he still performed the act. And you…" She looked to Ultear. "If you hadn't manipulated him the way you did, they all could have left that horrible tower and I would have reunited with my brother. In my eyes, you are both equally to blame."

"And now the two responsible are standing before you." Jellal said as he and Ultear exchanged eye contact and nods, before linking hands together, resolving themselves to face this together.

"I suppose… this is the point… where I forgive you… or I kill you." She said seriously. Even without Archenemy, she was still a master of her own Gravity Magic. If Jellal and Ultear don't resist, she could very well kill them both right here and now.

Meredy, Sheeree, Sorano, Erza, Kurenai, Sapphire, Lucia, Amarilla, and even Gray and Lyon, they all looked with concern… none of them having any idea what may happen next but hoped for the best.

"Have you decided?" Jellal asked seriously, not even flinching.

Kagura clenched her fists… as if she was at war with herself, her face wavering between rage and grief.

"To be honest… I don't think I can do either…" She confessed honestly. "My rage… my anger… it is still there… and… maybe it's a permanent part of me now… You two took away my last hope at seeing my only family again!" She exclaimed, shouting at them. "I can't and won't forgive you for that! But… these past few days…" She looked with remorse. "I almost went down that same path as you… I let my anger consume me… and almost took an innocent life… and that same innocent life… has feelings for one of you…" She looked to Jellal specifically at that. "…And even after everything you two have done… I still see… that there are people who love and value you…" She shook her head. "I won't do to them what you did to me… take away someone important and break their hearts." She relaxed her hands, causing relief to many around her, particularly her mother and surrogate family. "If you have any love for them in return, then you must live. Live for their sakes, just as I will live for my brother… and those that I love."

Ultear and Jellal relaxed as small smiles appeared on their faces. "Of course." The latter said before looking to his former friends. "I am truly happy to see that all of you have managed to find freedom, happiness, and friends. I wish that Simon could have shared that with you, and I as well."

"Yeah, us too." Wally said, rubbing the back of his head. "Look man… I can't forgive you. Sorry, but I can't. But I've tried to put the past behind me, and I say I'd done a pretty good job. I got pals who watch my back, I've got a good life going right now. And I can see that you're trying to do good yourself. You ain't running away or dodging the blame, which is pretty dandy if you ask me." He smiled. "If you're looking to find something, I hope you do."

Wally offered his hand to shake, something that momentarily surprised Jellal before he too smiled and shook his hand. "Thank you, Wally."

Sho walked up next. "I said it before, I can't forgive you, either of you." He said to Jellal and Ultear. "But I can't hold onto this hate anymore, it's hurting the people around me, especially Erza." He looked at Jellal. "You know she stills care about you, right?"

"I know." He confirmed.

"Then you better not die." Sho told him. "Cause if you do and break her heart, I will curse your grave, I swear…"

"I have no intention of dying or taking the easy route, I promise you that, Sho." Jellal stated. "I'll live to bear the weight of my sins and see that nobody suffers the same way that we did."

Sho could tell that Jellal meant that. One look in his eyes, and he could see the same boy he befriended in the Tower of Heaven, the same one he trusted and admired before everything took such a dark turn. And he chose to put his trust in that. "Good luck."

Jellal smiled at him too. "You as well."

As Sho walked back, Milliana stepped forward. "Be honest with me Jellal… I know how you feel about Erzy, but what about them?" She asked, gesturing to his comrades in Crime Sorciere. "How do you feel about the rest of your guild?"

"They are not replacements for you or the others if that is what you are implying." Jellal replied. "Nothing could replace what we had, and I'll hold onto those memories we shared, the good and the bad. But they are each precious to me too." He looked behind to his guildmates. "They are my family." This caused Sorano, Sheeree, and Meredy to smile. Erik just looked away, playing coy, only noticing out of the corner of his eye, Kinana giving a knowing smirk, causing him to pout even more.

"Does that include her? Even after what she did to you?" Milliana asked, referring to Ultear.

"Yes." Jellal said without hesitation, surprising Ultear. "It's up to us to choose what we forgive or don't. And I've chosen to forgive." He smiled towards her. "Because even after what she did to me, she chose to bear her own sins much like myself, to strive and make the world better for someone that she loves."

Ultear had heard these words from him before. She always knew how he felt. It was almost impossible for her to believe that he actually forgave her after robbing away his childhood and freedom. But he had told her that the same thing happened to her, being robbed of her own childhood and freedom, and it at least gave her someone to relate to and understand. Something s e appreciated and was grateful for. She smiled emotionally and nodded to him.

"Then you take care of them." Milliana said to Jellal. "You look after them all and protect them. You also let them take care of and protect you. Don't you dare take them for granted. Don't make the same mistake I did with my guild. That would truly be unforgivable."

"I won't. I promise you, Milliana." Jellal swore.

"Good." She nodded. "I'll be holding you to that." She walked away.

With that, the four of them returned to their respective guilds. The awkwardness fading and giving away to relief felt by all of their friends and comrades, as well as a sense of pride. Even if they didn't forgive Jellal and Ultear, something they couldn't fault them for, they chose to let go… to find a way to move forward and make peace. That was worth more than any victory made through combat.

"So…" Dante spoke up, walking forward a bit. "Crisis is done, world is saved. What are you guys gonna do now?" He asked the vigilante guild.

"The immediate crisis has been abated, yes." Jellal granted. "But our mission remains the same. Find Zeref and Acnologia and learn everything we can about Mundus. Find a way to stop all three of them for good."

"Though it might be four now with Vergil." Meredy said.

"Think you can use some help with that?" Dante questioned.

"Thanks, but we actually got help from the king now." Meredy revealed, much to everyone's surprise.

---

A Few Hours Earlier.

"A full pardon…?!" Jellal questioned in genuine surprise as he and his guildmates, including Erik, stood inside the Mercurius throne room with King Toma himself sitting on his throne with Darton and Arcadios at his sides.

"Yes. In our hour of need, you stood by us and saved not only all of Fiore, but possibly the world." King Toma said sincerely. "The Kingdom owes you a debt that it can never repay, but perhaps this is a start."

"Uh… hold on… are you serious right now?" Sheeree looked in disbelief.

"The King rarely jokes, I assure you." Darton said.

"Right." Meredy smirked. "Pumpkin." She got elbowed on the side by Ultear for that.

Toma coughed with embarrassment while Arcadios and Darton both sweat dropped themselves. "Well, I am being very serious right now." The king said.

"Aren't you at all worried about the Magic Council, though?" Sorano asked. "Even if you have a higher position of power than they do… they might not take this choice of yours lightly."

"They even considered using Etherion to blow this city straight to hell, including the royal family." Erik put in. "Thought about taking it over themselves in the aftermath."

"Your concerns are valid, but this is well within the king's power as well." Arcadios said. "And if the Magic Council truly considers declaring war on the Kingdom of Fiore…" He drew his sword for emphasis. "We are more than prepared to fight back."

Crime Sorciere looked in genuine surprise. Was the kingdom really willing to go to war with the Magic Council? That would be insane. While there was little doubt the kingdom could put up a true fight, maybe even defeat the Magic Council with the right kind of support… the result of such a conflict may end up working more to their enemy's favor.

"Your majesty, thank you for the offer." Jellal said seriously. "But I'm afraid I must decline."

That caused them all to look in surprise, including his guildmates. "Please, I insist." The King said. "You and your comrades…"

"Hold on, I'm not finished." Jellal held up his hand. "I said, I must decline. And I have three reasons for doing so. First, a war between the Magic Council and your kingdom would only cause more harm than good. Such a conflict can create numerous opportunities for those who would use it to their advantage, including many powerful dark guilds or even forces of the Underworld. Second, even if I accept your offer, I would no longer be able to continue my mission. Crime Sorciere was founded as an independent guild because we have more freedom to hunt down any and all dark forces connected to Zeref or Mundus. As a vigilante, I can do more good than I can as a free man."

"What is your other reason?" King Toma asked.

"When I said I decline, I insist that you give this offer to the rest of my comrades." Jellal said, much to the surprise of his guildmates. "Ultear and Meredy Milkovich, Sorano Agira, Sheeree Marvell, and Erik. They've more than earned their chances to live normal lives."

"Jellal…" Ultear couldn't find the words.

"But… what about you?" Sorano asked.

"I thank you all for your help, truly." Jellal said before he turned around. "But I can continue this mission on my own."

"No way, we're not gonna abandon you!" Sheeree stated.

"Sheeree, now is your chance to live the life you want with your sister." Jellal said, causing Sheeree's look to waver. "Sorano, you as well. You both have families to go back to, now. Ultear, Meredy, even you Erik, you've all lived in the darkness for so long, but now is your chance to start over and build a new life. Isn't that what you've always wanted, Ultear?" He asked her specifically. "A chance to start over with someone you love?" She and Meredy both looked towards each other at that.

"But what about you? Don't you want to have that kind of life to? A chance to live with Erza and be happy?" Meredy asked emotionally.

"Of course, I want that." Jellal stated. "But even putting aside the Magic Council, someone has to face the darkness. Someone has to take this mission, to rid the world of the darkness of Zeref, Acnologia, and Mundus forever. That is the mission that I chose… because I don't want anyone else to suffer the way we have."

King Toma, Arcadios, and Darton all looked with shaky eyes at this. This man was willing to go turn down a chance at a peaceful life in order to keep going on his self-imposed mission but was still willing to give that to his comrades and continue alone. This was not only an honorable and incredible warrior… but a great man. One whom they now have the highest respect for.

All of the members of Crime Sorciere exchanged looks with one another before they appeared to have come to a decision of their own.

"Well if that's the case…" Sorano smirked. "Then we all decline."

Jellal gave a slight gasp at that. "What…?"

"Believe me, I'd love to reconnect with my sister. But don't forget that my path is just as bloody as yours." Sorano said as she stepped up to him. "And this path of atonement is the one that I chose. And I chose to walk it with you."

"I have a sister too." Sheeree also stepped forward. "But she's not my only family, now." She grasped Jellal's hand with both of hers. "You're the closest thing I have to a father, Jellal. And I won't leave you either."

"I was the one who set you on this path to begin with." Ultear stepped up next. "This is just as my responsibility as it is yours. But Meredy…" She looked towards her foster daughter.

"Don't you dare try to push me away, Ultear." The girl insisted with a cheeky expression. "I'm living my life with you, because it's my choice! And you're not gonna turn me away! I'm sticking with you forever. Plus…" She looked to the rest of her guild. "These guys are my family to, so no way am I leaving it."

Sorano then looked to the other former criminal present who was once her own guildmate. "What about you Erik? You in?"

"You need to ask?" He stepped up too with a grin.

She then turned to Jellal. "There you have it."

After a moment of surprise, a grateful and humble smile appeared on his face as he looked at all his comrades… no, his friends and bowed his head. "Thank you… all of you."

A pair of sniffles alerted them, causing them all to turn around and see King Toma was crying. "Such loyalty… and a beautiful friendship…. Pumpkin…!" He said with a high-pitched tone, causing everyone in the room to turn white.

"Your majesty!" Arcadios and Darton both exclaimed.

"I still can't believe this guy was the freaking mascot." Sheeree whispered to Meredy.

"I know, right? The voice really threw me off." She whispered back.

Clearing his throat again, as well as wiping the tears off from his face, the King stood up from his throne before he spoke clearly. "While I do respect your choice to decline my offer for a pardon, there still must be something I can do to repay you for your help. And… I believe I might have an idea. Why not work with us?"

"Work with you?" Sorano questioned.

"As in, work for the Kingdom of Fiore." Toma clarified.

"Okay, the Magic Council will definitely pick a fight with you for that!" Meredy stated.

"Not if they don't know about it." Toma hinted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sheeree asked.

"Ah, I get it." Erik could already hear what the King was thinking. "You want us to act as your black ops team. We'll do as we do, hunt down the bad guys, with you pointing us in the right direction, and we all share information with each other."

"Precisely." The King confirmed. "Vergil left the Kingdom with information considered detrimental to the state, and I fear that he and others will exploit that. Fiore is now at grave risk and I need allies that can operate on the sly, and a team of powerful and discrete wizards such as Crime Sorciere fits that build."

"An intriguing proposal. However, there is still a grave risk that the Magic Council, as well as our own enemies, will attack you if we're all on the same side." Ultear said.

"Every choice we make here has its risks." Arcadios seemed to agree with his majesty. "But at least this way we stand a better chance of surviving by working together."

"The information both our sides learn and share with each other could help us in not only protecting our kingdom, but even help you accomplish your own mission." Darton added. "Our forces will do what we can to protect our kingdom, acting as defense…"

"While Crime Sorciere will go on the attack." Arcadios finished. "Though if you need assistance as well, we will provide."

The six independent wizards all exchanged expressions with each other as they seemed to contemplate this offer. "You spoke of responsibility, Jellal." King Toma began to descend down the stairs from his throne. "I understand that all too well. I'm responsible for the people of this Kingdom and I must do everything I can to protect them; you must undertake a mission that will protect the people of this world. We both want the same thing." He stepped before the man. "So, let's work together to achieve that goal." He offered his hand.

Jellal looked towards the King of Fiore seriously before turning back to his guildmates, all of whom looked very serious as they seemed to agree with this proposal. Jellal considered it too. An alliance between his guild and the Kingdom would certainly have its advantages. And ultimately, the King was right: they were both after the same thing.

The leader of Crime Sorciere grasped the king's hand in acceptance. "That offer, I can accept."

End Flashback

---

"You're working with the King?!" Lucy exclaimed as she, all of her guildmates, and everybody else present looked in genuine surprise.

"We are indeed." Jellal confirmed with a nod. "Unofficially, for obvious reasons."

"Even if you guys are keeping it a secret, I think the Magic Council could still find out." Gray advised seriously.

"Perhaps, but it's the best move they can make." Makarov granted, with everyone in Fairy Tail looking to him seriously. "As they explained, they have more to gain from this alliance."

"I agree." Jura nodded. "Communication and information sharing between these two factions could further their mutual objective."

"One thing's for certain, we're all in uneasy territory right now." Kurenai said. "We won this battle, yes. But Zeref and Acnologia are still out there, not to mention all the other dark guilds, plus the growing demonic threat, and now Vergil who has classified information from the Kingdom…"

"Yeah… we're gonna have to make some tough choices going forward." Bruni agreed with his fellow Wizard Saints.

"Great." Lucy put a hand on her head. "Just when we've solved one crisis, another one might pop up around the corner."

"We'll deal with that storm when it reaches us." Dante assured his cousin before looking to Jellal. "And don't think this means we're gonna stay out of it. We got our own score to settle with all of those guys, too. So, if you need help…"

"We'll reach out to you. I promise." Jellal nodded. "But now, it's time for us to go."

"Sister…" Yukino tried to reach for her elder sibling, only for Sorano to already be on her and gently clasp her hands around her sister's.

"Yukino, I told you before… you have to your own life to live now." She began. "Don't let my sins, my mistakes, define your choices."

"I won't." The youngest Agira sister said immediately. "I'm going to try and move forward, try to see more of this world… and fight for the good that's in it. But… that doesn't I won't miss you." She said with teary eyes.

Sorano smiled sadly herself as she rubbed her hand down her sister's face. "I'll miss you too. But no matter what happens, no matter how far apart we are from each other… You'll always be my little sister. And I will always love you."

Yukino leapt towards her, crying. "I love you too!" She cried as Sorano held her close, something that caused Dante to smile while Lucy and Lisanna smiled tearfully themselves.

Sorano looked to the three of them with a playful grin. "If anything happens to her, I'm coming for all of you."

"We'll take care of her, promise." Dante smirked back.

"Yeah, she's part of the family now. And Fairy Tail always looks after each other." Lucy added with a grin of her own.

"But you take care of yourself too. You're also family." Lisanna said to her distant relative, who nodded in return.

Wendy and Sheeree were sharing a hug with each other as well. "It was nice to see you again, Sheeree. I'm so glad that I got the chance to fight beside you again." Wendy said

"Same here." She smiled. "You make sure that fire-breathing idiot brother of ours stays out of trouble, ya hear?"

"No promises." Carla said playfully. "But you be careful out there."

"I will be." Sheeree assured as she stood back up and looked towards Modeus. "Thanks… for everything you've done for Wendy."

"Of course." Modeus nodded as he and Sheeree shook hands.

Gray, Juvia, and Lyon likewise approached Ultear and Meredy, the latter of which hugged Juvia as they exchanged their farewells. "I'm wishing you and Gray the best."

"Me too. And I hope you find happiness yourself, Meredy." Juvia said.

"I already have. Thanks again, Juvia." She replied.

"I'm sorry… that things turned out the way the did." Ultear said to the two young men who were raised by her mother. "If I had… even taken those steps back them… and just gone home… perhaps she'd still be here…" She said with a shaky voice. "And I'd have two brothers in my life."

"We can't change the past, no matter how much we want to." Lyon said. "We've all made our fair share of mistakes."

"And the only thing we can do is move forward." Gray added before smiling. "And I think I told you, I'm not living my life for Ur's sake anymore. I'm doing it for me, and for them." He gestured behind to all of his guildmates. "And you got that too now, right?"

Ultear said nothing at first, until Meredy came in and clasped her hand around her own and smiled towards her, causing Ultear to smile back. "Right."

Meanwhile, Natsu and Erik were butting heads with literal sparks in-between them as Happy and Kinana tried to pull the two apart.

"I hope you crash and burn!" The Salamander glared.

"I hope you choke on your own meal!" Erik glared back.

"Okay, okay, please stop!" Happy finally pulled Natsu away by his carf just as Kinana did for Erik by his coat.

She looked towards him with a smile. "Good luck out there, Erik. I'm so happy that I got to see you again."

Erik smiled back. "Yeah, you too. Later." He turned around and walked away, waving his hand, causing her to smile emotionally.

"Hey, what the hell is that all about?" Natsu questioned. "Are you actually friends with that jerk?"

"She liiiikes him." Happy sung teasingly.

Kinana rubbed the back of her head with a nervous laugh. "It's a long story… I'll tell you later, Natsu."

All that was left was Erza and Jellal, the latter looking towards the left stub where her arm used to be with an upset and worried look on his face, something she noticed as she rubbed her right hand against his cheek.

"Don't worry about me…"

"You know I can't do that." Jellal said as he put his hand over hers. "I'm so sorry that happened to you…" It almost felt just like when she lost her eye back in the Tower of Heaven, and he couldn't do anything to prevent it.

"It wasn't your fault, and Makarov said he had something planned that might help me." Erza smiled. "It was just as painful as back then." She knew the moment he was thinking of. "But the difference between now and then, is that I'm not facing this alone. I have my family with me, just as you have yours." That got a smile out of Jellal.

"Take care of yourself, Erza."

"You too, Jellal." She pressed her lips against his briefly before they parted ways. As they did, Erza noticed Lady looking her way with a teasing grin and a raised-eyebrow, to which Erza gently pushed aside with a slight smile of her own.

As Jellal regrouped with his guildmates, he heard someone call his name. "Jellal." Turning to the side, he looked to see Sho, Wally, and Milliana again, the former speaking. "Thanks."

The man smiled and nodded before joining his guild. They all linked hands together before Jellal used his Meteor spell, covering all six of them in golden light before they all blasted off into the sky with brilliant light.

Dante whistled with crossed arms. "Man's got style, I'll give him that much."

Kurenai then appeared before Kagura and Milliana, smiling proudly as she put both her hands on their cheeks. The two guild sisters smiled as they let themselves be caressed by their guildmaster and surrogate mother. No words needed to be said, they understood. She looked towards Wally and Sho, nodding to them both as they smiled towards her.

"I'm glad that was all settled, because… there is one more thing that needs to be addressed." Kurenai looked toward a certain blonde. "Lucy?" She turned to her as she heard her name being called. "Someone here wants to say something to you." She looked to a large rock behind her. "You can come out now."

Slowly and shakily emerging from behind the boulder, peeked a certain red-haired young woman whom everyone in Fairy Tail recognized.

"Flare…?!" Lucy gasped.

"I remember her!" Natsu's fists were immediately set ablaze as he was already in front of Lucy, with Trish being right behind her. "She's with Raven Tail!"

"No, she's not anymore!" Sapphire quickly appeared in front of Flare, who had yet to emerge completely from the boulder she hid behind. "She's left Ivan's guild! She even fought with us against the dragons!"

"It's true." Gray confirmed. "I saw her myself. She helped a lot."

"Doubt Ivan would come back for her anyway." Gajeel added. "Out of everyone in his guild, she was probably the one he liked the least, mostly because she kept on failing. Saw the bastard beat her constantly."

Makarov and Laxus both looked more than a little angry at that, but they weren't all that surprised either.

"So, what's she doing with you?" Gildarts asked Kurenai.

"Truth is, Flare is… something of a lost soul." The guildmaster of Mermaid Heel explained. "Based on what Sapphire told me, she grew up in an isolated community and had no interaction with the outside world. She left her old home with the hope of meeting people more like her, and unfortunately the first group of people that she came into contact with were Raven Tail. Ivan brought her in because he saw the potential for her magic… and she ended up falling into their ways."

"But, she's not like them!" Sapphire spoke up again. "She basically thought the way Raven Tail acted was like how everyone in the outside world acts! She wanted to leave the guild several times, but was so afraid of Ivan that she couldn't bring herself to do it!"

Everyone looked in surprise and sympathy at that, with Sting and Rogue looking towards each other with knowing expressions, which they shared with their respective Exceeds, understanding Flare's situation a little bit themselves.

"When Sapphire told me about Flare's situation, I intervened." Kurenai continued. "The Magic Council got everything they needed from her, so I took her into my custody."

"So, she's a part of Mermaid Heel, now?" Gildarts asked.

"Something like that." Kurenai answered. "This will be a way for her to get to know more people on the outside, people who have a more positive outlook and maybe help her to grow and build character." She looked towards the semi-hidden girl with an assuring smile. "I know she's done a lot of wrong, but if there's a chance to save this soul from falling into despair and darkness, I'll take it. Wouldn't you agree, Makarov?"

The former guildmaster sighed. "Yes, I do." After all, Fairy Tail's taken in lost souls before, with his children making peace with former enemies. In fact, they just witnessed that firsthand with Jellal and all of his former friends. And he trusted Kurenai's judgement too. So, he'll support this choice.

"She's gotta apologize to Lucy, though." Natsu said seriously. "Ivan's a piece of crap and he did a lot of bad things to her, but she still hurt Lucy. And she tried to take Asuka hostage. She's still gotta apologize for that."

"Natsu…" Lucy looked to him with a mixed expression, something she shared with Lisanna and Happy. On one hand, they were in agreement in that Flare had done them wrong and had to own up to that… but from what Kurenai had told them, on how Flare wasn't evil, just fell in with the wrong crowd, Natsu could still try to show some sympathy.

Dante looked seriously as he silently agreed with Natsu himself. If Flare was really sorry, she had to take responsibility for her actions.

"You're absolutely right, Natsu." Kurenai granted. "In fact, it's the reason she even came here in the first place. Flare?" She gently asked, looking towards the semi-hidden girl, who was shakily trying to step out, but soon found herself shrinking a bit under Natsu's glare.

That is until Sapphire came forward and offered Flare her own hand. "It's okay." She said with a smile. Flare smiled somewhat herself as she accepted Sapphire's hand and was slowly escorted out into the open, walking towards Lucy and sticking as close to Sapphire as possible.

Lucy decided to meet her half-way and walked forward herself. Natsu was about to walk with her, only for Lisanna to stop him as she shook her head, trusting Lucy to handle herself. Natsu looked towards Dante, who nodded in agreement, telling Natsu to stand back. The Salamander grumbled but did just that. Lucy already had her heart recently broken by Vergil; he'd be damned if he let someone hurt her again. Happy saw the look on Natsu's face as well and seemed just as concerned too.

Flare, while holding onto Sapphire's arm, appeared before Lucy. The redhead looked away bashfully, unsure of what exactly to say. She knew what she had to and wanted to say, just not how to say it.

"Just spit it out." Sapphire said to her, getting her attention. "No need to make a whole speech like those other guys, just say 'sorry'. If you mean it, that's all that needs to be said."

Seeing Sapphire smile again did cause Flare to relax a bit. She then looked to Lucy, who just looked to her with a neutral expression.

"…Sorry…"

Lucy gave a small gasp. Flare did it. She actually apologized. She remembered how she was when they fought, the girl seemed almost like a sadistic killer… but now… she seemed like a totally different person… someone who was shy and timid… but also honest. And she was honestly apologizing. She meant it. One look in her eyes was all to confirm to Lucy that Flare really did feel bad for what she did and intend to apologize.

"Okay. I accept your apology." Lucy smiled, surprising Flare. "Thank you, Flare."

"C-could… you tell that little girl… I said sorry… too…?" She requested. "I… I feel bad… for it… really…"

"I believe you, and I'll be sure to tell her and her parents. Don't worry." Lucy assured.

Sapphire then smiled towards Flare, the girl herself giving a small smile before she scurried back to her rock and hid behind it again. The Azure Dragon Slayer shook her head at that, it was clear that Flare still had a lot that they needed to work with her, but she had taken that first step. And that was always the hardest thing.

Natsu sighed as he relaxed. Flare apologized to Lucy and meant it. So, that was it for him. Dante smiled as well, feeling the same thing. Lisanna and Happy both shared smiles with each other too.

"Hey… uh… speaking of apologies…" Turning around; Natsu, Dante, Lisanna, and Happy saw both Sting and Lector right behind him, the White Dragon Slayer looking nervous and bashful himself as he rubbed his arm. "Natsu… I… I'm sorry." That caused Natsu to look in surprise as everyone else paid attention, particularly Yukino, Rogue, and Frosch, with Dante looking serious. "I… I was an asshole. I treated you and your guild like crap. I disrespected your dragon. Truth is, I've always admired and looked up to you, so much that I wanted to get strong like you, stronger even. But I went about it the wrong way. I didn't…" He grumbled, trying to find the words himself. "I didn't… want things to go so badly I… I'm sorry. Really… I'm sorry. You really are the better Dragon Slayer… and just a better person in general."

"Yeah… I'm sorry too." Lector bowed his head. "I was a major jerk to everyone… I'm sorry that I called you all a bunch of losers! You're not! If anything, we're the losers!"

Natsu looked to Sting seriously. "Tell me something, you were always boasting on how you killed your dragon. Did you really want to do it?"

"No." Sting answered, looking away. "But Weisslogia told me it was the only way for me to get stronger… I didn't want to do it… but I did it anyway." He muttered with his hands shaking and his eyes getting misty.

Yukino's expression did soften as she heard that. Even if she did resent Sting for his actions and the way he and most of Sabertooth treated her, losing a loved one like that is such a horrible feeling that she knew all too well and would never wish that kind of pain on anyone, not even him.

Natsu looked away somewhat. "Like everyone else here just said, what's done is done. Sorry about your dragon, honest. And yeah, you were an asshole. The way you spoke about Igneel really pissed me off. And I still can't believe that you and most of your buddies laughed when that Minerva-lady was torturing Lucy." That caused Sting to wince. "But you did get off your ass and helped us fight those dragons." Natsu admitted, causing Sting to look up at him. "You want to get stronger?" Sting didn't quite answer him, still looking at him with shaky eyes. "Well? Do you wanna get stronger or not?"

"Y-yeah! I do!" Sting stated before collecting himself. "I wanna get stronger the right way! I also want to be a better person than I was before! I wanna be the kind of Dragon Slayer that Weisslogia can be proud of! Someone strong enough to protect what's important to him… someone as strong as you!"

"Ah come on! You almost had me!" Natsu said, much to Sting's confusion.

"Huh?"

"Don't try to be strong as me, set your sights higher!" Natsu stated, causing Sting and Lector to look in shock.

Did… Did Natsu just tell Sting to get stronger than him? Was he encouraging him to get stronger than him? The look in his eyes told him he was dead serious. His idol… the Dragon Slayer he looked up to and worshiped since a child… was telling him to reach new heights and get stronger.

Before Sting knew it… he found his eyes watering as a smile formed on his face. "You got it!"

Natsu smiled himself. "Not that I'd make it easy for ya, cause I'm gonna get stronger too! So, whenever you're feeling it, swing by Magnolia and I'll take ya one-on-one!" He offered his fist for a fist-bump, something Sting reciprocated, touching his fist to Natsu's.

"I'll be there."

Lector looked up to his buddy with a proud and happy smile. "Hey." Happy got his attention. "You look after him, okay? Just like how I look after Natsu. He's gonna need a friend to help him get stronger."

"Of course. I'll be there every step of the way." Lector nodded. Happy offered his own paw to Lector, which he accepted with a shake of his own paw.

Lucy, Lisanna, even Dante, as well as everyone else in their guild all looked to Natsu with proud smiles, happy to see him finding a way to make peace with Sting. Even Rogue, Frosch, and Yukino smiled too.

"We should be going." Rogue said to Frosch.

"Okay." The frog-dressed Exceed.

"Y-you're really leaving?" Yukino asked.

"Yes." Rogue nodded.

"If you need help, come to Fairy Tail." Yukino told him. "They helped me when I needed it the most, I know they'd do the same for you."

"Of course." Rogue smiled and nodded.

"I'm gonna miss you, Yukino." Frosch said as he walked over to the white-haired girl, who smiled as she kneeled to his level.

"I'll miss you too, Frosch. You take care of Rogue for me, okay?" She requested as she patted his head.

"Okay." Frosch repeated with a smile.

Rogue found himself looking in the direction of Gajeel who nodded to him with Rogue nodding back before Frosch took his back and spread his wings to take to the sky.

"Rogue!" Sting called to him. "Good luck, man!"

"You as well, my friend!" Rogue called back as Frosch flew him away.

"We should meet up with everyone else too." Sting said to his own Exceed.

"Yeah." Lector nodded as he grabbed spread out his own wings and grabbed onto Sting's back before flying off in the opposite direction as his partner.

Yukino saw the Twin Dragon Slayers fly off separately with a heavy heart. She silently wished the best for both of them and that they would find whatever they needed to find some manner of peace one day.

"Okay, that's gotta be it, right?" Dante questioned.

"Hold it." He felt a firm grip on his shoulder, courtesy of Lucia. "One last thing."

"Ugh, now what?" Dante complained. As much as he liked settling things and helping people to find closure, this just felt like one thing after another. "I don't remember doing wrong by you."

"Oh you didn't, don't worry." Lucia said. "I was just hoping you and I can have a match."

"Huh?" Everyone was a little surprised to hear that.

"Hey, yeah! Natsu!" Sapphire pointed directly to him. "You owe me a fight! So let's have one, right here and now!"

"Alright, fine by me." Natsu grinned.

"Wait, just like that?" Happy questioned.

"This guy never says no to a fight, does he?" Lucy said in minor exhaustion.

"That's Natsu for you." Lisanna smiled.

"Sapphire was really disappointed that she didn't get the chance to fight Natsu in the final match." Amarilla said as she approached the group.

"But didn't she fight Laxus?" Happy asked.

"She did and she had fun, but she wants to fight Natsu too." Amarilla replied.

"I was likewise hoping to have a chance to duel with you during the Games." Lucia said to Dante. "You even hoped for that yourself."

"Yeah, I did say that." Dante confirmed. "But we were busy saving the world."

"And I understand that completely. However, the world is not at stake now, is it?" Lucia asked.

"No, it isn't." Dante confirmed before smirking. "Wanna go?"

Lucia grinned herself. "Yes."

"And there he goes again." Trish said unsurprised.

"Hold on, is this really okay?" Wendy asked.

"Do you really expect to change Natsu or Dante's mind when it comes to a fight?" Carla asked her Dragon Slayer companion rhetorically.

"Well, no… but…" Wendy replied.

"Just let it go, kid." Lady advised. "You ain't gonna win this."

"Yeah, let em go at it." Gildarts agreed. "I get the feeling these guys won't be satisfied until they get a proper fight. And we're far enough away from any civilians that they can go all out without hurting anyone, so I don't see the harm."

"Seriously?" Gray questioned.

Erza had a humorous smile on her face. "If that is the master's wish."

"I had fun in that final showdown. Really got to push myself with Laxus." Sapphire said, before looking past Natsu to the man himself. "Thanks for that, by the way!"

"No problem." He replied casually.

"But more than anything, I've wanted to fight you for so long, Natsu." Sapphire told him seriously. "Now I got a chance, and I'm not letting it slip by."

"I already said yes, so let's do it!" Natsu insisted.

"How about two-on-two, then?" Dante suggested. "Me and Natsu against you and Sapphire." He said to Lucia.

"That's fine with me." She accepted.

"Mother?" Kagura turned to her guildmaster and adoptive mother.

"Let them. We both know they won't stop until they get the fight they want, Sapphire especially." Kurenai accepted. "Let's just consider this an exhibition match."

"You heard the lady!" Bruni said to everyone. "Let's give these guys some space!"

"Allow me!" Jura clapped his hands and activated his own magic, channeling it into the ground below. The area suddenly became flat as the surrounding rocks within a specific permitter sinking beneath, creating a makeshift arena. Likewise, a circular stone wall was raised to all of the other present wizards a place to watch from relative safety.

Dante and Natsu stood together on one side of the arena, with Lucia and Sapphire on the other. All four of them looked more than a little eager to get started.

"Get em, Natsu!" Happy cheered.

"Try not to get your ass kicked, Dante." Lady smirked

"I won't let you guys let it live it down if you lose." Gajeel grinned.

"You can do it, Sapphy!" Amarilla called to her with Flare looking with curiosity behind Kurenai.

"Do your best, Lucia!" Milliana said as well.

"We'll operate under the same rules of the Grand Magic Games for this match." Makarov went along with it, appearing in the middle. "No lethal techniques and the fight ends when your opponent is no longer able to continue. Do you all find this to be acceptable?"

"No need to be so formal gramps, let's just get this started!" Natsu said eagerly.

"Very well, then." With that, Makarov hopped from his spot and landed on one of the stone columns to observe the fight himself.

"Dante, Sapphire's mine." Natsu told him. "You just fight that lady Devil Hunter."

"Fine, that's what I was going for anyway." Dante replied.

"Lucia, don't get in my way." Sapphire said to her comrade.

"Natsu's all yours." Lucia responded.

The four opponents stared each other down, eager grins appearing on all their faces as neither made a move. A subtle wind blew in-between them as all of their friends and allies watched with anticipation.

"And…!" Makarov raised his hand before bringing it down. "Begin!"

Natsu and Sapphire rushed each other first, both their fists pulled back and were set ablaze by their respective fires before colliding, creating an aftershock of orange and blue flames that overlapped both of them, while Dante and Lucia clashed themselves, Rebellion colliding against the dual blades of Cutlasser and creating a physical shockwave upon impact.

Lucia swung her dual blades with such intense speed that it seemed to put Dante on the defensive with Rebellion at first, leading to him to step back. That is until he brandished Coyote-A in his left hand while holding Rebellion in his right. All four weapons crossed each other with Dante pointing his shotgun at Lucia and firing, blasting her back and leaving her open for Dante to unleash his Million-Stab Technique, this time putting Lucia on the defensive as she slashed her blades rapidly to deflect the attacks.

Natsu and Sapphire threw their respective punches at each other, both their fists set on fire as Natsu crossed his arms to block a blazing blue fist from Sapphire and pushing him back somewhat. She smirked, to his own confusion and looked with surprise to see his crossed arms frozen together.

"Did you forget how my fire works, Natsu?" Sapphire questioned. "The flames of the Azure Dragon are so cold that they burn." She launched herself at Natsu with blue flames from her feet. "Azure Dragon Infernal Fist!"

However, just before the attack landed, Natsu set his whole body on fire, melting the ice and allowing him to break out of Sapphire's restraints, dodging under her fist and delivering an uppercut to her jaw. "Fire Dragon Flame Elbow!" With fire shooting out from his elbow and giving an extra amount of force, Natsu's punch had sent Sapphire straight up, with Natsu shooting himself upward as well with fire from his feet to meet her in the air.

"Sorry, but Gray's got stronger ice than that. Do better." Natsu smirked as he brought his hands together above his head to generate a fireball. "Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!" Throwing the large fireball at her, Sapphire was sent crashing to the ground in a powerful explosion with Natsu landing just outside the resulting fire.

Only to look seriously as he heard a familiar slurping sound. The flames in the area began to disappear, revealing Sapphire with an open mouth to inhale all of his fire and devour them all.

"Thanks for the snack, now I got a fire in my belly!" She whipped her mouth with an eager grin.

"Hey, that's my line, copycat!" Natsu complained with several comic anger tick marks all over him.

"Azure Dragon Roar!" Sapphire set loose a breath attack with swirling blue flames, which Natsu stood and took with a smirk of his own.

"Come to papa!" He opened his arms and his mouth, letting the breath attack hit him before the blue fire all swirled around him. Just like what Sapphire did with his own flames, Natsu opened his mouth and they were quickly gulped down before vanishing. "Hmm, minty." He commented as a cold breath escaped his mouth before orange flames encircled around his whole body and he leapt at Sapphire, who covered herself in an aura of blue flames and jumped at him to collide too.

"This is so weird…" Lisanna commented. "Natsu can eat everything Sapphire throws at him, and she can eat whatever he dishes out."

"It's almost like Natsu were fighting Gray, only they'd be able to eat each other's magics." Happy said as well.

"Can't Macao and Romeo do the same thing, use cold fire?" Gray asked.

"Yes, but it seems that Sapphire's own power has greater potency." Erza replied. "But with both Natsu and Sapphire able to consume their respective attacks and replenish themselves, I truly have no idea what the outcome of this fight might be."

At the same time, Dante and Lucia clashed their swords again before Rebellion glowed red, something Lucia noticed before jumping back just as he swung his sword to send a wave of red energy that tore apart the ground where she once stood. While leaping back, Lucia took out her dual crossbows Rosso and Azul and fired her arrows at Dante. Though he did skip back to avoid the bolts that hit the ground, he saw how they quickly exploded just before he had stepped back.

"Crossbows… a little old fashioned for my taste." Dante commented as he drew Ebony and Ivory and fired at Lucia, but she quickly and gracefully ran towards the side to avoid Dante's shots. As she ran around the perimeter of the arena, Lucia had returned fire with her crossbows, the bolts she shot impacting each and every one of Dante's bullets as she continued to run while he remained in his spot. "You're fast, I'll give you that much." The man smirked. "Quicksilver!" Dante disappeared and then reappeared directly in front of Lucia. "But I'm just a bit quicker. Beowulf!" Quipping into his gauntlets and grieves, Dante threw a punch to Lucia, which she blocked by crossing her blades and was sent skidding back to the wall behind her.

The lady Devil Hunter smirked despite crashing hard. She saw Dante zoom at her with the extra boost provided by his Devil Arm before she herself sped from the spot, moving at such speed that she almost left a trail of light behind her, even as Dante dashed at her with his own extra speed. Lucia brought Cutlasser out again as both her blades glowed white and blocked the punch from Beowulf gauntlets before she slashed forward with both swords, Dante appearing the block the strike before he punched her but she dodged and dashed past him, before pursuing after her.

"She's actually able to match Dante's pace with Beowulf… a Devil Arm known to increase Dante's speed quite a bit…" Modeus commented. "Impressive…"

"It does not appear that she has a counter for Quicksilver however." Carla said.

"Maybe not, but…" Wendy tried to look at the fight going on between Dante and Lucia, both appearing to be at equal speed as they dashed and struck each other. For most people, it was hard to even catch a glimpse of them. But Wendy's own enhanced senses, not to mention her ability to further sense things through her natural element, as Modeus had taught her, allowed her to catch a glimpse of something else. Lucia, for every strike she gave at Dante, also quickly slashed at the ground, leaving a glowing white slash on the rocky surface… and the ground was littered with dozens of slashes, all radiating with demonic power. Her eyes widened in shock, realizing what was about to happen.

"Dante! It's a trap!" Wendy called out to warn him.

He heard the girl's shout and that's when he noticed the glowing slashes all across the ground with him being dead in the middle, and Lucia being directly in front of him before smirking.

Suddenly, the entire ground exploded in a flurry of white light, multiple light blades shooting straight up into the sky with Lucia leaping up into the air, flipping over to land gracefully on the ground just outside the smoke.

"A trick I devised myself after watching your friend Nero in how he utilizes a certain Devil Arm." Lucia explained, remembering Nero's use of Lucifer. "A little rougher than I'd like it, but given it was my first attempt to use that technique, it is to be expected. So, what do you think?" She asked as she saw the smoke clear…

Revealing Dante, still standing in the middle, a few bleeding cuts across his body, but a smile still present on his face. "Not bad. You definitely got my attention now. Agni! Rudra!" Wielding his dual blades of fire and wind, Dante swung them both to send multiple slashes of those very elements straight for Lucia.

"Apollo!" Quipping her bow-and-arrow Devil Arm, Lucia shot multiple flaming arrows to intercept Dante's attacks and create a powerful explosion.

"Well, this just got interesting." Trish said with amusement as she continued to watch the clash between Devil Hunters.

Meanwhile, Natsu limboed backwards, dodging under Sapphire's strikes and performed a handstand as he shot his foot upward. "Fire Dragon Talon!" His flaming kick did strike her in the face, leading her to backpedal before Natsu pulled his head back. "Fire Dragon Sword Horn!" He would have struck her with a flaming headbutt, had she not had a counter planned.

"Azure Dragon Blazing Claw!" Blue flames formed at her hand like a claw as she slashed upward, cutting through Natsu's flames around his head and strike him across the face, leaving a patch of ice to cover it up and disorient him long enough for Sapphire to go on the attack. "Azure Dragon Infernal Fist!" She threw several punches across his body several times, creating multiple patches of ice with each impact that quickly spread across the front of Natsu's body.

"It looks like she's got Natsu on the ropes, now…" Laxus observed. He remembered how Sapphire was able to push him in a serious fight, coming up with all kinds of unusual and unconventional tactics when fighting him, Jura, and Orga and catching them all off-guard, the kind of fighting that Natsu himself usually does.

"In a way… her fighting technique is not all that different from Natsu's." Juvia said. "She's adapting to him rather quickly while fighting unusually much like himself."

"Ironic in that he's caught off guard by a fighting style similar to his own." Lily added.

"Don't count Salamander out just yet." Gajeel said knowingly. "This idiot's known for pulling trump cards outta nowhere."

It seemed like most of Natsu's body was covered in ice and frost as he was brought down to his hands and knees, with Sapphire leaping high above him. "Come on, Natsu! Don't tell me that's all you got! I know you can do better than that!" She ignited her foot with blue flames and proceeded to try and bring it down on him.

"Get out of the way, Natsu!" Lisanna warned.

"Move it, buddy!" Happy warned too.

Only for an explosion of fire to erupt across Natsu's body, melting the ice and frost around him, as he reached out to catch Sapphire's foot, putting out her blue flames as the fire around his hand took the shape of a large dragon claw.

This caused nearly everyone to look in surprise, most from his own guild and even Mermaid Heel. Though Lucy and Gildarts both smiled and smirked respectively as they saw this.

"Hellfire Dragon Mode!" The flames grew around Natsu as they took the distinct shape of an animalistic creature, complete with wings, claws, talons, and even a tail, something that a few of his guildmates recognized.

"Hang on… is that…?" Gray flashed back to the dragons' attack on Crocus, where he and his guild fought a giant dragon made of flames.

Sapphire was so caught off guard by this technique that she was unprepared for his next attack. "Hellfire Dragon Titan Fist!" Natsu threw out his enlarged flaming dragon fist, which was twice as large as his own fist and struck Sapphire with enough force that it pummeled her hard into the ground, followed by a burst of fire as a secondary attack immediately.

"Sapphy!" Amarilla exclaimed in shock.

"What the heck is that?!" Milliana practically screamed.

"Hellfire Dragon Mode…" Kurenai recognized it right away.

"Hellfire?" Kagura questioned. "But… he didn't use this ability before when he fought Sabertooth's Dragon Slayers in the tournament."

"Because he only recently learned this technique." Kurenai explained. "One of the dragons that emerged from the Eclipse Gate and allied with us was known as Atlas Flame, a close ally of mine as well as that of Natsu's dragon mentor, Igneel. During the war against Mundus, Atlas was trapped in the Underworld and was forced to consume the flames of Hell to survive. As a result, his own body and power mutated. During the recent battle, Atlas not only allowed Natsu to consume his fire, but granted Natsu his own ability. As a Fire Dragon Slayer, Natsu's own flames have grown significantly stronger, Hellfire now being a permanent part of him. But the technique of a Hellfire Dragon Slayer… the technique that Atlas himself mastered… is the ability to mold and shape the flames around your body."

"Like Maker-Magic?" Kagura asked.

"Very similar… if Maker-Magic was utilized by dragons." Kurenai went on. "When in this mode, Natsu can control and manipulate his own flames however he wishes. And to get the hang of this technique so soon after using it once in a life-or-death battle…" She smiled. "This boy is something else."

Sapphire pulled herself up with a slight groan, only to gasp and look in amazement as she saw the dragon-shaped aura of flames all around Natsu's form as he looked at her seriously.

"Well, Sapphire? How do you like this?" He questioned.

The girl grinned. "It certainly looks impressive." She took a combative stance herself as blue fire surged around her once more. "But let's see how well you use it!" This earned a grin from Natsu before he shot at her once again.

At the same time, Lucia backed away as she fired multiple flaming arrows from Apollo at Dante, which he sliced away with rapid swings from Agni and Rudra and quickly closed the distance to begin slicing at Lucia herself, the lady Devil Hunter barely dodging the strikes, only to get caught in a backlash of wind from a swing of Rudra, sending her into an upward fiery slash from Agni to send her straight upwards.

"Aquila!" Lucia summoned several dozen water shurikens around her, which she threw straight down towards Dante, who attempted to slice them all with his dual blades, only for the water to extinguish the flames of Agni and snuff out the winds around Rudra. He was then struck multiple times across his body by several more water shurikens, slicing and piercing him every which way and seemingly rendering him immobile while Lucia raised her hands to create a massive water shuriken twice the size of her own body and sent it straight down towards Dante.

"Doppelganger!" Acting quickly, Dante created a shadow-clone of himself, which still had the water shurikens embedded into it, while he backflipped to avoid the deadly larger shuriken that obliterated his clone. "Anubis!" He threw out his one end of his double-bladed axe, the shadow chain extending as Lucia found herself pierced through on her shoulder while Dante launched himself up with a boost from his Trickster style and retracted the shadow chain to slice at Lucia as he rapidly dashed past her and appeared above her to create another Trickster circle to catch himself before launching to slash past Lucia again, falling back down before he landed on another Trickster circle to leap up and slash at her again…

"Osiris!" Quipping her light-scythe, Lucia slashed Dante as he reached her, creating a diagonal slash of light across his body which exploded. "You tried that same trick on Vergil during your match in the games. Did you really think I wouldn't plan a counter for it?" She asked rhetorically, craning her head back towards him slightly as it looked like he was about to fall to the ground.

He happened to look in the direction of his cousin, who looked to him with concern, right before he gave her a smile and a wink. "Ah well. Worthy a try. Cerberus!" Quipping to his ice-nunchucks again, Dante was able to throw them out and latch onto Lucia's leg while airborne and pulled her down with him as he slapped her multiple times with his ice-nunchucks, creating patches of ice around her body just before they would hit the ground. Dante then wrapped his legs around her waist and flipped so that she would take the brunt of the impact before flipping up and giving a mighty swing of his nunchucks across her back to create a series of ice-spikes on top of her.

Lucia tried to push herself up, only to look in surprise to see ice was formed at her hands and feet, including the hand that held her Osiris, which in itself had a large icicle on top to keep it pinned too.

"This won't hold me long…" She tried to channel her power into Osiris, the scythe already glowing with white light.

"All I need is a second. Nevan!" Dante summoned his own electric scythe and raised it high in the air, creating a powerful surge of purple lightning around the blade before swinging it down to send a slash of purple lightning to obliterate the ice and electrocute Lucia, blowing a large crater in the ground while Kagura, Milliana, and Amarilla looked in shock with Kurenai paying close attention.

Lucia was in the center of the crater; her whole body was smoking as she tried to push herself up. "Not bad…" Still, she held Osiris tightly and swung her light-scythe to intercept the electric one wielded by her fellow Devil Hunter as he appeared behind her, the two locking their respective scythes as they looked towards each other with smirks. "You adapt quickly… your creativity knows no bounds."

"You're not so bad yourself. I can see why Nero had trouble with you. But I'm not him." Dante grinned.

"Then show me, Crimson Knight." Lucia challenged as their weapons glowed white and purple respectively before they broke apart and slashed at each other in a brilliant and fast-paced match of lightning against light.

Sapphire was forced to jump backwards and avoid the smash of the enlarged flaming fists from Natsu's fiery dragon aura, but he was quick to charge after her. "Hellfire Dragon Sword Horn!" The fire wings provided Natsu an extra boost as he zoomed at her, the flames condensing into a ball at the head's front and slamming into Sapphire to send her crashing into a wall which then exploded in a flurry of fire as Natsu leapt with his flaming aura up into the air and curled up into a sphere like an armadillo. "Hellfire Dragon Spin Dash!" The flaming dragon aura spun around rapidly, the flames forming something akin to a spinning disk, which blasted itself onto the downed Sapphire to spin and further embed her into to the ground before she was flown up by the resulting exploding force before Natsu threw another punch at Sapphire to send her rolling and crashing against the ground. "Hellfire Dragon Roar!" The dragon mouth opened up as a ball of fire appeared in the middle before it shot a beam of pure heat straight at Sapphire, which then exploded into a massive flurry of flames.

"Sapphy…" Flare muttered with worry.

"Holy crap…!" Gray looked more than a little stunned.

"So, this is the power of a Hellfire Dragon…" Lily noted.

"And Natsu appears to have mastered it in such a short time." Erza said seriously.

"I don't know why, but that seriously pisses me off." Gajeel groaned.

"Don't you think he went a bit too far…" Yukino said cautiously. "I thought this was just supposed to be friendly sparring…"

"Natsu does have a tendency to go overboard, even with a sparring match." Gildarts granted. "But I ain't too worried about that Sapphire girl."

"She's one of the top fighters in Lady Kurenai's guild." Makarov said seriously.

"Yeah, I faced her firsthand myself. And I can tell ya… she's just getting started." Laxus said with a serious look in his own eyes.

Natsu, still in his Hellfire mode, looked seriously as he heard a familiar slurping noise coming from where the smoke of the last attack was. Just like before, he watched as Sapphire stood and swallowed up all of the flames from Natsu's breath attack. When there was none left, she wiped her mouth yet again as she grinned at Natsu.

"Okay, I'll admit it. That Hellfire stuff is no joke. Even I can feel the heat." Sapphire commented. "But I still got one trick left." An aura of blue flames appeared around her body before they began to condense all over her. Bright blue scales formed along her arms and up the side of her face, her own hair flowing upward. Her teeth became fangs as she let loose an animalistic roar as well as a wave of cold air and embers from her icy flames.

"Here we go…" Amarilla said with a smile.

"Dragon Force…" Yukino recognized the technique right away. "But… it's way stronger than what Rogue and Sting could do…"

"She can use Dragon Force?!" Wendy exclaimed, seeing the transformation for the first time with Carla looking just as surprised herself.

"And at will it seems…" Modeus noted seriously.

"No freaking way…" Gajeel looked in surprise while Lily looked a serious expression.

"Natsu's not out of the game yet, though." Lucy said with confidence. "I know he's still got this."

"Dragon Force, huh?" Natsu smirked as he stood firm in his Hellfire Dragon Mode. "Sting and Rogue thought they were tough with that… let's see if you're any different."

Sapphire only smirked as she blasted herself at Natsu. "Hellfire Dragon Titan Fist!" He tried to throw another flaming punch at her, only for her to catch the strike with one hand, much to his surprise, and that of his friends.

"You saw what I did back there. Hellfire is still fire, right?" Sapphire grinned before she opened her mouth and bit into the flaming fist and began inhaling all of the Hellfire that surrounded Natsu's body, much to his own shock and that of his friends.

"She's eating Natsu's hellfire?!" Lisanna exclaimed.

"Funny enough… He did the same thing with Atlas Flame back when he and Dante fought him…" Happy recalled. He didn't quite see it himself, but Natsu told him what happened back then. "If that doesn't count as irony, then I don't know what does."

It didn't take long for Sapphire to consume all of the surrounding flames around Natsu, appearing to deprive him of his Hellfire Dragon Mode and exposing his body as her smirking face appeared directly in front of his shocked one. "My turn." She brought both her fists up high, lighting them both on fire with her blue flames and brought them down on Natsu. He tried to block it by crossing his arms, but the force of the impact still smashed him hard into the ground.

"Azure Dragon Blazing Meteor!" She created a large blue fireball above her and threw it point-blank at Natsu, sending him up in a bright blue explosion before she launched herself up to throw a blazing blue punch into his stomach and knock the wind out of him before throwing out a kick to his face to send him crashing back hard to the ground. "Azure Dragon Blaze Wing!" Both her arms lit on fire as she used them to blast herself straight down and torpedo the downed Natsu further into the ground. She quickly grabbed him by his hair and threw him up into the air. "Eat this! Azure Dragon Infernal Breath!" She unleashed a stronger version of her breath attack, which scored a direct hit on Natsu while airborne and lighting the sky up with a bright blue fireball.

Lucy, Lisanna, Happy, Gray, Wendy, Carla, Kinana, and Yukino all gasped as they saw this, as did Wally, Sho, and Lyon while Jura stood beside them and looked with something of an impressed smile. Erza, Laxus, Gildarts, Gajeel, Lily, Makarov, and Bruni, all looked serious as well, as did Kurenai as she stood with Milliana, Amarilla, and Kagura, all looking very pleased with smiles on their faces. Flare also saw from behind her rock as she looked with sparkly eyes and a small smile at seeing Sapphire like this.

'She's… amazing…'

Natsu had braced himself by crossing his arms as he felt the intense cold from the attack his opponent just dealt him, frost forming around most of his body. 'Yeah… she's way stronger than Sting and Rogue…' A smile formed on his face as well. 'But I ain't done yet.'

Suddenly, a flash of lightning appeared in front of the Dragon Force Sapphire, and she didn't get enough time to react as a punch was thrown into her stomach, one that mixed fire and lightning. She looked to see Natsu directly in front of her, as his body was then coated in those same two elements, having activated his Lightning-Flame Dragon Mode, much to the shock of everyone in Mermaid Heel and the other guild wizards, save for Kurenai; while Bruni and everyone in Fairy Tail smirked with pride or smiled with amazement.

"Lightning-Flame Dragon Iron Fist!" He threw his other fist into Sapphire's face, striking at her at twice the speed as before, before repeating the same attack with his other hand, which was then followed by multiple rapid flaming and electric punches across Sapphire's body, moving so fast that she seemed unable to counter. "You might be able to eat my fire, but you can't eat lightning!" Natsu proclaimed before Sapphire exploded an all-encompassing aura of blue flames around her hoping to blast Natsu off, only for him to appear in an electric flash directly above her. "And I'm way faster when I'm like this! Lightning-Flame Dragon Talon!" He struck her in the head, setting her ablaze which followed by a burst of lightning to burn and electrocute her at the same time before appearing directly behind her. "Lightning-Flame Dragon Firing Hammer!" His fist and forearm were both engulfed with fire and lightning as he swung upward to deliver a devastating uppercut that exploded in the electrical blazing flurry that seemed to engulf Sapphire…

Only for her hand to reach through the storm of dual elements and grab Natsu by his arm as she emerged with a wild grin and stared at him in the face. "Let's keep this going, Natsu! You really got a fire going in my belly now!"

Natsu grinned himself as both of them were engulfed in clashing auras of lightning-flame and blue fire respectively before they collided fists again.

At the same time, an equally powerful clash was occurring just next to this brawl as Dante and Lucia continued to go at it. Flashes of light and lightning continued to occur as Nevan clashed against Osiris. When they locked weapons however, Lucia shot her hand to the ground, resulting in multiple waves of light energy shooting up to slice Dante and knock him to the air, leaving him open for Lucia to swing Osiris around, catching Dante by his waist in the curved blade, which glowed brightly as she continued to spin around like a top before finally throwing Dante to send him crashing into the wall of the crater.

Lucia leapt to where he would be to continue her onslaught, only for a burst of fire to knock her back, just as Dante himself, coated in fire, appeared over her with Rebellion in his hand again. "Human Torch!" He held his blade high, which was also set on fire, to bring it down hard on Lucia, creating a flaming shockwave to further expand and dig the crater in deeper.

"Is he… on fire…?!" Milliana exclaimed as her guildmates looked quite surprised with Kurenai looking seriously.

"So that's Dante's new style… Human Torch." Lady observed.

Another series of light blades shot up from Lucia point-blank, the force pushing off Dante slightly and allowing Lucia to leap away, drawing her dual crossbows to fire more arrows at Dante. The man simply stood and let the arrows hit, which incinerated upon contact with his fire, much to Lucia's surprise.

Dante then brandished Coyote-A as a fireball appeared at the tip of his shotgun. "Flame on." He grinned as he pulled the trigger, sending a deadly and explosive blast to further push Lucia into the sides of the ever-growing crater.

"So, the fire works as a shield… and gives him an added boost for attack…" Trish noted with an impressed smile.

"It seems that Natsu wasn't the only one to be gifted by Atlas Flame." Modeus smiled too.

"Yet another wild card added to his arsenal." Carla added with her own smile.

Lucia groaned slightly as she pushed herself up from the hole she was in, covered in minor burns as she observed Dante's new ability. "Now I know I haven't seen that before."

"Yeah, just learned it a couple days ago." Dante said casually. "What do you think?"

"Impressive." Lucia smiled. "I can see why you've gained such a reputation Dante. But let's push this power of yours even further, shall we?" As she said that, her eyes closed as a white aura surged around her. The energy condensed and then exploded in a flash of white and black light, revealing the angelic-like transformation that was her Devil Trigger.

"Okay, my turn." Dante smirked as a red whirlwind formed around him, while his Human Torch style was still active. It then condensed as his red aura mixed with the flames around his body before they all exploded outward.

Like Lucia, Dante had transformed into his Devil Trigger, though it was slightly different than before. His body was now coated in flames like his Human Torch style, only they were now blood red as opposed to the natural orange.

"His Devil Trigger is on fire…?!" Happy questioned.

"Is that a new form?!" Lucy questioned.

"I don't believe so." Erza said. "I think he combined his Human Torch style with his Devil Trigger…"

"You mean like what he did before with his Dreadnaught for his Inferno Trigger?" Wendy questioned.

"It would seem so." Erza confirmed.

Lady found herself smiling as she looked to the transformed Son of Sparda. "I swear, is there anything that guy won't try?"

"Haven't quite worked out a name for this combo yet." Dante said casually, looking to the red flames around his transformed hand. "Can't use Inferno for this obviously, it's taken. Meh, I'll figure it out later."

"Hold on a moment…" Lucia looked in confusion at the implication. "Is this... the first time you're utilizing this combination?"

"Yep. Figured a fellow Devil Hunter would make a decent enough punching bag, don't you?" Dante questioned.

Lucia stared for a moment before a small chuckle escaped her lips, followed by full-blown laughter. "You are truly something else, Dante. Well then, let's test the limits of this combined state, shall we?"

"Bring it on." Dante accepted as both he and Lucia shot in the air, leaving a trail of white energy and red flames right behind them before they clashed in the sky, with everyone below watching.

The black Rebellion, which was coated in red flames, clashed against the dual glowing white blades of Cutlasser before multiple streaks of opposing demonic energies clashed in the air. Lucia zoomed into Dante, using one blade to parry Dante's sword and slash at Dante's exposed chest, only for her arm to get burned by the resulting fire, the surprise leaving her open for Dante to bring his sword down on her back, causing more burns and knocking her closer towards the ground.

But she regained her senses and recovered quickly enough to dash up at a diagonal angle away from Dante as he flew after her in pursuit. She swung her blades rapidly to send several waves of slicing white energy straight for Dante, who flew through them all as the blades made contact and incinerated once touching the flaming red aura before he quickly closed the distance in the blink of an eye thanks to his Quicksilver style and drove his flaming Rebellion through Lucia, much to the shock of the rest of Mermaid Heel. She grunted in pain before driving both her blades into his neck in response, focusing white energy at the tips to try and pierce through the aura before that energy exploded and shot through both sides of Dante's neck, and stumbling him enough to allow her to wrench herself free from his blade and escape, but Dante was quick to pursue after her.

"Lucia is on the defensive… that's a rare sight…" Kagura observed.

"Dante's new ability isn't quite like what we've seen with his Inferno Trigger." Kurenai observed. "He doesn't seem to be able to absorb the energy from the damage he's sustained, though the flames of his Human Torch style can act as a shield, with that defensive power further increased by his Devil Trigger. Likewise, his attack power from that same style is also greatly increased." She observed the stab-wound from Dante's previous attack on Lucia, it was healing much slower, mostly due to the residual red flames that remained. "It can even slow, potentially negate, regenerative powers. This ability has much potential."

A flash of orange, yellow and blue got their attention as they shifted their focus to the clash below between Natsu in his Lightning-Flame Dragon Mode, and Sapphire in her Dragon Force state, with Amarilla, Milliana, and even Flare watching in awe.

Natsu dashed at Sapphire in lightning-speed, appearing directly in front of her before she could counter and threw multiple rapid punches of his dual elements so fast that she was unable to block any of it. But even then, she powered through and saw a brief opening in-between Natsu's rapid punches and quickly exploited it by throwing a powerful punch into Natsu's stomach, a burst of blue fire shooting out from his back and halting his rapid attacks. She then generated a large blue fire ball in the palm of her free hand and threw it into Natsu's face, which exploded and left him open for her to come to his side and deliver a flaming kick that sent Natsu rolling and crashing to the wall on the other side of the ring.

"Don't you dare hold back on me, Natsu!" Sapphire shot herself at him again as he emerged from the hole he had made upon impact and dashed at her in lightning-speed, but she was ready this time as she coated herself in an aura of blue flames and let herself take his rapid punches of fire and lightning. But it was only then he noticed that his hands were beginning to frost over…

She was using her own power as a shield to defend herself! She then threw a punch at him, which he caught with one hand before throwing his own punch out, which she caught as they pressed against each other, opposing auras of orange-flame and lightning clashing with that of blue fire.

"I said don't hold back on me!" Sapphire continued, surprising Natsu even as she drove a knee into his stomach to push him back. "I know you can do better than this!" She pointed to him. "I sensed it, we all sensed it when those dragons came through! You unlocked something when you fought that freak from the future, right?! Show it to me! Show me all you can do! Fight me with everything you got, cause that's what I'm giving you! I can't be satisfied unless the person I look up to fights me seriously with everything he has! And I mean everything, so fight me for real Natsu Dragneel!"

Natsu himself gasped slightly at that as everyone looked with expressions of seriousness and concern, particularly those in Mermaid Heel, mostly for Sapphire's sake. She was being very serious about this. She wanted to fight Natsu with everything she had and expected him to do the same. Natsu understood that too, because he felt the same way. Like her he had people he looked up to and wanted to fight them on equal terms, where both laid out everything that they had to see who came out on top. That was the kind of fight he wanted.

"Alright, if you say so." He remembered that feeling he had when he fought Future Legion, that fire that was deep within his core. He reached deep inside himself and was able to grab a hold of that fire. The lightning around him vanished as his flames grew, changing from their typical orange to a brilliant gold color, getting the attention of his guildmates. Natsu then let loose a dragon-like roar from his mouth as red scales formed on his arms, up his sides to his face, his teeth sharpening as his hair stood straight up, with even his eyes becoming sharper.

Everyone around him, from those in Mermaid Heel, to Lamia Scale as well as Wally, and even those in Natsu's own guild, they all looked in surprise as they recognized this transformation, with even Kurenai's eyes widening slightly.

"Is that…?" Gajeel muttered.

"Dragon Force." Wendy muttered in an equal amount of awe as Carla and Lily both looked with shaky eyes. Even Lady and Trish were both caught off guard.

"Natsu can use Dragon Force as well…?" Yukino questioned. "But… I didn't see him use this during the Games…"

"Because he couldn't before…" Lisanna said, looking just as awed herself.

"Natsu's only been able to use this transformation a handful of times in his life." Erza said as she herself couldn't take her eyes off her transformed comrade. "And it's only because he ate a special kind of fire or other elemental substance. But this… this is different…"

"He transformed just like that… without eating anything…" Gray muttered.

"Natsu… can transform at will now…" Happy muttered as a sense of pride formed inside him, feeling proud and happy for his best friend.

Bruni smirked with an impressed grin of his own, as did Gildarts. "Attaboy, Natsu."

Makarov, while surprised, found himself looking to his grandson who seemed more than a little uneasy. "Something wrong, Laxus?"

"That form of his…" Laxus commented shakily. "It's… it's stronger than mine…."

Makarov gasped slightly. Did Laxus just say that Natsu's Dragon Force was stronger than his own?! Laxus has always been stronger than Natsu, with the boy only managing to just barely close the gap whenever he got truly serious. But now… he had reached a state that surpassed the strongest Laxus had.

Lucy found herself staring at Natsu, his brilliant and beautiful golden flames reflecting in her circular eyes. This was nothing short of amazing. Natsu had managed to find a means to transform at will all on his own, without any kind of outside assistance. He was growing stronger every day. She couldn't help but smile gently towards him.

"Well Sapphire, is this what you wanted?" Natsu asked seriously.

The Azure Dragon Slayer found herself shaking somewhat, but not from fear. She could sense the raw power coming from Natsu… it was stronger than Laxus when he went all out in their battle during the Games… stronger than her own. One would think that she'd be intimidated. But no. She only grew more excited.

"That's perfect. Thank you, Natsu." She said gratefully before taking a combative stance. "So, let's end this! Everything we both have! Right here! Right now!" The blue flames around her body grew brightly as she channeled everything that she had into this power up.

Natsu smiled himself. "Sure thing." He got serious too as he mimicked her actions, channeling all of his power as he prepared for one final attack.

Up above, Lucia and Dante flew past and slashed at each other with their respective swords. Dante's flaming Rebellion did more damage as a burning gash appeared on Lucia's side, while the brunt of Lucia's own attack was negated by Dante's protective aura of red flames. However, before they could continue, the two noticed the bursts of opposing flames down below, as well as the increase in power from the dueling Dragon Slayers of their respective guilds.

"It seems they are ready to finish their little bout." Lucia observed.

"So let's follow their lead and finish ours then." Dante said as he flew back somewhat and held his flaming sword in front of himself. "What do you say?"

"Agreed." Lucia flew back a bit herself as she crossed her blades. Both her swords began to glow a bright white as she channeled as much of her demonic power as she could into them, all in preparation for one final attack.

Dante mirrored her actions with a similar method, one much like his Dreadnaught form where he'd take all the combined energy and condense it into a single point to unleash all at once. All the fire and power from his Human Torch style, all being condensed into a single point at the blade of Rebellion. The red flames around him vanished as they all moved up the sword, which began to glow brightly to the point where his own sword appeared to be made entirely out of red flames.

Four opposing auras above and below clashed, so much that the ground and air around them began to shake, with everyone watching in anticipation.

"I'm getting major déjà vu here!" Lady stated.

"It's just like how it was against Sabertooth back in the Games!" Trish added.

"Lucia! Sapphire! Do your best!" Milliana cheered.

"You got this!" Amarilla cheered to.

"Go Natsu! Dante!" Happy and Wendy both called out.

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art…!" Natsu and Sapphire both exclaimed as they shot at each other.

"…Frozen Lotus Flashburn Fist!"

"…Hidden Fire Form: Flame Lotus Phoenix Sword!"

Sapphire threw a barrage of rapid punches, unleashing a maelstrom of icy-blue fireballs from her fists while the golden fire around Natsu took the form of a spear, which shot at Sapphire's barrage.

At the exact same time above, Dante and Lucia shot at each other in their respective Devil Triggers, both yelling at the top of their lungs as they closed the gap and quickly slashed their swords forward.

*BOOM!*

*BOOM!*

Two large explosions occurred simultaneously, one that mixed red and white demonic energy in the air above, and an overwhelming blast of fire, gold and blue mixed in, down below. The force was so strong, that nearly everyone was knocked off their feet, with the Exceeds being flown in the air from the aftershock. Kurenai, Jura, Makarov, and Gildarts were the only ones standing tall, with even the likes of Laxus and Erza being shaken somewhat as they looked forward in shock and awe.

The lights above and flames below quickly faded, and the battles had come to an end.

Above… Dante and Lucia were both past each other, their respective swords pointed outward. Dante's Human Torch style had faded, but his Devil Trigger remained. Lucia, however, lost her transformation in a brief flash of white before it looked like she was about to fall from the sky… though Dante was quick enough to catch her before slowly hovering back to the ground.

Below… Natsu and Sapphire were in a similar position, the two past each other with their backs to the other… Natsu's Dragon Force remained up, while Sapphire's faded before she fell flat on the ground, face-first, in defeat.

The battle was now over. Everyone in Fairy Tail looked with proud and satisfied smiles, with Yukino being especially in awe. Lyon, Sho, and Wally were rendered speechless over what they just saw while Jura was rather impressed. Those in Mermaid Heel were somewhat disappointed, with Flare being especially saddened, but also proud of how far their teammates went with Kurenai giving a single nod.

Dante landed with his back to Natsu as he carried Lucia in his arms, his Devil Trigger fading. "You just let her fall flat on her face?" He questioned rhetorically. "Some lady's man. How you got two chicks, I'll never know." He said in joking fashion, looking to Lucia, who despite being unconscious, had a satisfied smile on her face.

The same could be said for Sapphire. Despite losing, she too had a smile, with even Natsu smiling in her direction as he dropped his Dragon Force state. "Thanks for the fight. It was fun.

---

Sapphire found herself waking up to a warm and gentle sensation spreading across her body. Her eyes opened to find Wendy right next to her, applying her healing magic. "Oh good, you're awake." The Sky Dragon Slayer said with a smile.

"You're healing me…?" She picked herself up and found herself surrounded by her guildmates and friends; Amarilla, Milliana, Kagura, Kurenai, and Lucia, as well as Flare, who happened to hide behind a rock close to her as she looked to her with a small smile, to which Sapphire smiled back before looking at Wendy. "Thanks for the first aid."

"You're welcome." Wendy smiled happily as she finished and returned to her own guild as Sapphire helped herself back to her feet.

"And you're not getting the same treatment, why?" Sapphire asked Lucia.

"Wendy patched me up a bit earlier, but my wounds healed quickly enough. Being a demon does have its benefits." The white-clad Devil Hunter said with a smirk.

"You could try to sound less condescending since you lost, ya know?" Sapphire replied with a playfully angry tone.

"But you lost too." Lucia grinned, causing Sapphire to grumble somewhat.

"These two will never change, will they?" Kagura asked rhetorically.

"You could stand to smile a bit more too, Kagura." Milliana joked as she nudged her on the side.

"For real, a smile would be a nice change of pace from the gloomy stoic mood you always put on." Amarilla agreed, causing Kagura to blush somewhat.

"Lucia, Sapphire…" Kurenai got both their attention as she put her hands on both their faces and smiled. "I am so proud of you both."

"Thanks, Mom." Sapphire smiled.

"Yes… thank you… Mother." Lucia smiled too.

"And hey, Natsu…" Sapphire looked past her guildmaster to her Dragon Slayer opponent. "Thanks. That was an awesome fight."

"Heck yeah, it was." The Salamander gave his trademark smile. "Let's do it again sometime."

"Count on it!" Sapphire gave him a thumbs up.

"And Dante, thank you as well." Lucia bowed to him. "It is clear that you will continue to grow, and I look forward to seeing how strong you become."

"Same here. You had some real moves back there." Dante smiled. "What do you say we hook up one time and go on a demon-murdering rampage?"

Lucia lifted her head and smiled back. "I would be honored."

"Natsu, Dante, that was one incredible fight." Erza congratulated her fellow guildmates as the rest of their friends joined in.

"Aye! You guys really went all-out!" Happy agreed.

"I'm not surprised, I knew they could do it." Lisanna said.

"You guys were seriously great out there. I'm really proud of both of you." Lucy smiled with joy.

"Aw, thanks Cous." Dante patted her shoulder.

"And there he goes, letting it go to his head." Lady joked.

"Hey, after a victory like that, I think I'm entitled to get a little cocky." Dante joked back.

"At least the confidence is well-founded." Gildarts said as he stepped up. "I expect nothing less from Fairy Tail's newest S-Class."

"Yeah, I…" Dante then realized what the current guildmaster of Fairy Tail just said. He blinked as everyone looked to the man in surprise before he spoke again.

"Oh, you too, Natsu." Gildarts smiled to the shocked Dragon Slayer. "Natsu Dragneel, Dante Redgrave, starting right now, you two are S-Class."

Those from outside Fairy Tail were rather surprised by this revelation, as well as those in Fairy Tail. Happy, Gray, Lucy, Lisanna, Wendy, Carla, Gajeel, Panther-Lily, Yukino, Lady, Trish, and Kinana, they all looked in silent shock at this announcement. And while surprised themselves somewhat, Erza, Modeus, Laxus, and Makarov found themselves smiling gently.

"S-Class…?" Natsu stuttered. "But… the trial was…"

"Ancient history. Literally since it was seven years ago and all…" Gildarts brushed off.

"Gramps…" Even Dante, being shocked for one of the few moments in his life, found himself looking to Makarov, who merely shrugged.

"Don't look at me, I'm retired. The ability to promote a wizard to S-Class is the decision of Fairy Tail's current guildmaster. If that is his wish, then I have no complaints." Makarov said calmly.

"Getting soft in your age, old man?" Laxus joked, causing Makarov to smirk at him.

"This is some kind of joke, right?" Dante asked, looking at Gildarts.

"I do make jokes, but I'm being very serious here." He said as he addressed the two. "Dante, Natsu, you two are without a doubt, some of the strongest in the guild. And you practically grow stronger with each fight, learn something new and find ways to adapt and change if the situation calls for it. You're not only strong, but you know how to use your strength and are open to learning new things. You don't let yourselves settle and always try to improve. You even encourage those who rival you to grow stronger. You've faced world-ending threats, hell you two helped save the world a couple days ago. You more than deserve this, especially you, Natsu." Gildarts put his hand on the pink-haired boy's head, remembering meeting him when he was just a small boy. "You've grown so much… Not just in body, but in your mind and heart. You've faced your fear in the Games and proved that you're willing to accept it in order to get past it."

"He's right." Erza said with pride, looking to Natsu. "You more than deserve this. You too, Dante." She looked to him next as she put a firm hand on his shoulder. "When we first met, you felt you had to take on everything alone. But you've since opened your heart, and encouraged others to do the same, even helping former enemies to reform. When Yukino here was at her lowest, you helped to bring hope back into her life. That is true strength right there. So, wear the title with pride, my friend."

"Erza…" Dante was rendered speechless, a rare moment for him. One of his closest friends had said words that cut deep into his heart. He found himself looking back towards Modeus, Lady, Trish, and even Lucy, who all smiled at him in encouragement, agreeing with everything Erza said. He even looked at Yukino, who couldn't help but smile towards him as she also agreed and even nodded.

Natsu was in a similar state, looking up to the man he arguably admired the most, praising him for his strength and courage, granting him the rank of S-Class. He felt his own hand being gently grasped by none other than Lisanna who smiled with joy, tears in her own eyes. Happy flew right beside her, clenching his paws. Looking past his best friend, he also saw Wendy and Carla, the former looking especially proud and encouraging, along with Gray, his oldest friend, who nodded with acceptance. He turned to the side to see Laxus, looking at him with crossed arms as he simply gave a nod; Gajeel, Juvia, and Lily stood behind him, and while they weren't as close to Natsu as the others, they seemed happy for him nonetheless, with even Gajeel smirking. He even caught the glimpse of Bruni who gave him a thumbs up.

"Alright. Guess I'm S-Class then." Natsu smiled with acceptance.

"That makes two of us." Dante said, offering his hand to one of his best friends. "So let's keep pushing each other, Natsu. As hard as we can."

Natsu smiled as he shook the hand of his fellow S-Class member. "Count on it."

Smiles were shared among everyone in Fairy Tail, with even those outside the guild such as Kurenai, Kagura, Milliana, Sapphire, Amarilla, Sho, Lyon, Jura, and Wally smiling too.

However, Natsu's smile turned into that of a troll as he looked to two certain members in his guild. "Hey Gray, Gajeel… I got S-Class before either of you! So now we know who the better wizard is, huh?!"

"What?! Oh, like hell!" Gajeel exclaimed in comic anger.

"Are you kidding me right now?!" Gray shouted in the same manner as he marched over and butted his head against Natsu's. "Here I was being all happy for you, but you had to go and ruin it!"

"Oh boy." Lucy face palmed.

"Here we go…" Happy muttered with a small sigh.

"Wait… please, there's no need to fight." Yukino tried to ease the tension while everyone else in Fairy Tail looked unsurprised with sweat drops appearing on all their heads.

"I was S-Class long before you were, Salamander!" Gajeel exclaimed, butting his head with Natsu too alongside Gray.

"Duh, in Phantom Lord, and I kicked your ass back then!" Natsu grinned. "And I wasn't even S-Class! Now I am and I can totally kick yours and Gray's ass together!"

"You saying you wanna go?!" Gray exclaimed. "I'll take you on anytime, and I'll do it solo!"

"Not a chance! I got Hellfire mode, Lightning-Flame mode, and Dragon Force!" Natsu cackled like a hyena with a devilish tongue appearing in his mouth. "You're gonna need Gajeel's help!"

"Screw you, I'll take you and him down, no prob! I don't need any fancy transformation!" Gray exclaimed.

"Please, you don't have a snowball's chance in hell against me, one-on-one!" Gajeel butted his head against Gray's next. "I'm Iron-Shadow Dragon now! Go back to stripping and making ice-cubes!"

"Oh, that tears it!" Gray had already thrown his shirt away and prepared an ice-make spell. "I'm gonna freeze you both in your tracks!"

"Do your best, my love!" Juvia cheered.

"Give it your best shot!" Gajeel's arm converted into an Iron-Dragon Sword.

"I do believe that is enough." Lily attempted to stop him, but his words were wated.

"Bring it on, you jerks!" Natsu's body was lit on fire. "The reign of S-Class Natsu Dragneel has begun…!"

"Enough!" Erza's fist smashed Natsu's head into the ground, while Gildarts and Makarov did the same for Gajeel and Gray respectively, much to Yukino's own shock. "As an S-Class, you need to set the proper example, Natsu."

"Yeah… I doubt that's ever gonna happen." Dante commented jokingly.

Yukino still couldn't process it all at once. Just after such a heartwarming and emotional moment… Natsu and his two companions were bickering like little children, then they looked ready about to fight for real… only to be so quickly and brutally punished. She noticed the unsurprised looks on the faces of Lucy, Lisanna, and Happy, which took her even further by surprise.

"Wait… does… does this happen often…?"

"Oh yeah. All the time." Happy confirmed.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail." Lisanna added.

"Don't worry, you'll get used to it." Lucy said, leaving only Yukino to blink with uncertainty and confusion.

Laxus shook his head before looking in the direction of Mermaid Heel, specifically Kurenai, before a thought came to him. With a serious expression, he walked over towards her. "Hey." He got the attention of the guildmaster of Mermaid Heel. "Can you, me, and the old man talk for a bit?"

---

The three moved behind some rocks so that they may speak privately. "How can I help you, Laxus?" Kurenai asked.

"You remember that dragon you fought?" Laxus asked.

"Elexion, the Thunder Dragon King. What of him?" Kurenai replied.

"Well, some of the dragons I went up against said that my magic power was like his." Laxus said, getting Makarov's attention while Kurenai looked serious. "I got my Dragon Slayer magic from a lacrima that my old man put inside me when I was a kid, but I never quite found out where it came from."

"Neither did I." Makarov added. "I went through every black-market trace I could, but I could never learn the origins of that particular lacrima."

"But since you're someone who's been around for so long, knew Sparda and all those dragon-guys…" Laxus began.

"You believe I may know something." Kurenai figured out. "Well, I don't know how exactly Ivan got his hands on that lacrima, but I do know where it came from. Your lacrima indeed contains the power of Elexion… because it was made from his heart."

Laxus and Makarov were both more than a little surprised by that.

"After Acnologia's rampage four hundred years ago, Elexion and several other dragons fled into the wilderness, hoping to escape the Dragon Butcher's rampage." Kurenai continued. "One particular group fled the continent of Guiltina, with Elexion being among them. I tried to track down the Thunder Dragon King, fearing that he may try to seek retribution against humanity. But by the time I had found him, he was slain, his heart removed from his body." Her eyes closed somewhat before continuing. "I tried to trace the connections to learn who did the deed, to find out what sort of plans involved Elexion's heart…"

"I'm guessing you could do a lot with a dragon's heart." Laxus assumed.

"The heart, the source of one's life where blood flows in and out, is also essentially the source of one's magic power." Kurenai said. "I later found out that the one who slew Elexion was from a legal guild called Diabolos, which claim to specialize in dragon-hunting. Because I was a guildmaster and Wizard Saint from Ishgar, I was technically outside my jurisdiction and unable to interfere in their affairs. Though I did learn of Elexion's heart being processed and turned into a lacrima, which they sold for a rather wealthy amount of money, though I didn't learn whom they sold it to."

"Ivan." Makarov realized. "He did take many long trips away from the guild while he was still a part of it."

"And you weren't able to trace it all to my old man?" Laxus asked.

"Like I said, Guiltina is outside the jurisdiction of those who operate in Ishgar. My influence as a guildmaster was limited." Kurenai answered. "Though I do have one influential friend there, who did his best to try and limit the black market of all dragon-related relics, such as those lacrima. We were even able to retrieve another one, which had the power of the Azure Dragon."

"You mean Sapphire…?" That's when Makarov gasped in realization. "You implanted that Lacrima in her?!"

"To save her life!" Kurenai insisted. "Years ago, Mermaid Heel went to Sapphire's hometown on a job. Her family was killed and she herself was gravely injured. The girl was brought to me… but by the time I saw her… her body was a complete wreck… she certainly would have died if I didn't have that lacrima. So, I implanted it into her, which strengthened her body enough that it could heal itself." Her eyes closed as she remembered the horrid sight of the bleeding girl who was laying in front of her. "When she recovered, I explained to her what had happened… offered her to stay in my guild so I could train her to better harness her power, she took it."

Makarov sighed with acceptance. "Well… at least you had a valid reason." He grimaced, remembering how Ivan implanted the lacrima in Laxus as way to just make him stronger as opposed to the frail and sickly child he was born as.

"What about that Cobra guy? Or Sting and Rogue?" Laxus asked. "Those guys all have Dragon Slayer lacrima."

"To be honest, I don't know where or how those lacrima came to be." Kurenai confessed. "Perhaps they were made after I came to Guiltina."

"It's pretty weird though, considering those two Twin Dragons have lacrima that contain the same elemental power as the magic they were taught." Laxus commented.

"Yes, I doubt that's a coincidence myself." Kurenai said. "Even though I'm over two thousand years old, I'm afraid I don't know everything. Believe me, I wish I did."

Laxus shared a look with his grandfather as they seemed to accept it. "Thank you, Lady Kurenai." Makarov nodded, with his grandson nodding as well.

"Of course." She nodded back.

With that, the three returned to the others as they all began to exchange their goodbyes.

"Hey Erza, it was great to see you again." Sho said as he, Milliana, and Wally all stood together.

"Don't be strangers." She replied with a warm smile. "You're all welcome in Magnolia at any time."

"And if you need help from any of us…" Wally said.

"I'll call, I promise." Erza assured before Milliana wrapped her arms around her and began to tear up.

"Thank you for everything, Erzy. And I mean everything." She said joyously.

"And thank you, Milliana." She wrapped her only arm around her closest friend as Wally and Sho joined in on the embrace. Erza then saw Kagura looking at her, to which Erza simply smiled and nodded, with Kagura returning the gesture.

"Excuse me, Kagura." Modeus approached her.

"Modeus, was it?" She asked, to which he nodded. "Thank you… for what you said to me… at the banquet." She said, looking away somewhat.

"My pleasure." Modeus replied. "As I said back then, I understand what you may be going through. And I trust Lady Kurenai and the rest of your guildmates to help you through it, but if you want someone to talk to…" He was interrupted as Kagura handed him a crystal ball.

"A communication's lacrima." She said with an embarrassed blush. "Mother told me about you… said that talking with someone like you could be good for me. Since our guild halls are rather far from each other… perhaps we can communicate long distance. If you wish."

Modeus smiled as he accepted the lacrima and put in his jacket. "I look forward to talking with you, Kagura."

A small smile crossed her own face before looking past him to see a certain white-haired Celestial Wizard. "Yukino…" Hearing Kagura's voice call her name caused Yukino to stiffen up as she approached her.

"Y-yes ma'am?"

"First, I wish to apologize…" Kagura bowed her head, much to Yukino's surprise and confusion. "…For my embarrassing behavior during the banquet."

"Oh… it's… it's no worries…" She replied.

"Second, I understand that you wish to join the Fairy Tail guild…" Kagura began as she lifted her head.

"I know I'm owed a life-debt to you, and I understand that you wish for me to be part of your guild, but I really want to be a part of Fairy Tail!" Yukino said quickly, almost like she was panicking. "I mean no disrespect to Mermaid Heel, it's just…"

Kagura raised her hand to silence her. "That life-debt is still in effect, yes. But that does not mean I control your life. If you wish to join Fairy Tail, then you are free to do so." Yukino's eyes widened at that. "I don't own you, Yukino. I don't decide whether you live or die, nor do I have any impact on the choices you make. To me, a life debt means that I am responsible for you. Your life is mine to protect not to own. And while I have no doubt that you will be safe with Fairy Tail and they can certainly help you to grow stronger, and not to mention your elder sister is in Crime Sorciere and they are certain strong themselves; if for whatever reason you need help and they are unable to help you…" She offered her a second communication's lacrima. "Please, contact me. I swear on my life, and the name of my brother Simon, that I will be there."

Yukino was beyond stunned. She remembered facing Kagura in the games, the woman was beyond stoic and took everything seriously, not only that, but she was also strong enough to overpower her strongest spirit. In that moment, Yukino was afraid of Kagura. But right now… the woman was humbling herself and offering her protection, making it clear that she considered her to be a free woman to make her own choices. It kinda felt like that Kagura was owing her, and not the other way around. But she could also tell that it was perhaps Kagura's attempt at making peace, showing no hard feelings despite their battle.

"Thank you, Miss Kagura." Yukino accepted the lacrima.

"Please, just 'Kagura'." She insisted, offering her hand to shake, surprising Yukino again before she smiled and accepted the shake.

"Gray, don't you get soft on me." Lyon teased as he faced Gray and Juvia.

"Wouldn't give you the satisfaction." Gray joked.

"And Juvia, I wish you and Gray the best." Lyon nodded.

"Thank you, Lyon." She smiled. "I appreciate that."

"That said, I eagerly await a rematch with the both of you. I'll take you two-on-one again and emerge victorious." Lyon challenged.

"Not a chance, I'll kick your ass solo." Gray smirked as he and Lyon clasped hands.

"Hey Lyon?" Wendy called to him. "Tell Sherria I said hi!"

"Will do." He nodded.

"A pleasure to see you all again." Jura said to his fellow Wizard Saints, Bruni, Makarov, and Kurenai.

"And to fight together too. That was awesome." Bruni grinned.

"Hopefully we'll be able to meet up when the fate of the world is not at stake?" Kurenai suggested with a humorous smile.

"Where is Aurora, by the way?" Makarov asked.

"She left early, said she wanted to get started on a project, but she didn't say what it was." Jura answered.

"And Gandelina?" Makarov asked again.

"Left as soon as the battle was over. Didn't even stay for the banquet." Kurenai answered.

"Ah well, I feel like we'll see them again soon. But in the mean time, it was nice to catch up with everyone." Makarov nodded as his fellow Wizards Saints all did the same.

"Hey, Natsu!" Bruni called over to him, getting the Dragon Slayer's attention. "You keep getting stronger, okay?!" He encouraged with a big grin.

"Oh you know it!" Natsu grinned back as he gave a thumbs up of his own.

"And you're not the only one. I'm gonna get stronger, too." Sapphire came up to Natsu. "Stronger than even you."

"We'll see about that." Natsu smirked challengingly.

"It was nice to meet you, Amarilla." Carla said as she, Happy, and Lily all gathered around their fellow Exceed.

"Same for the rest of you." Amarilla said.

"Maybe we can all get together and meet up with all the other Exceeds that came from Edolas?" Happy suggested.

"I agree. It would be nice to see them all again." Lily smiled.

"Sounds perfect." The yellow-furred Exceed smiled.

Dante shook hands with Lucia. "Take care of yourself." He said to her. "Call whenever you're eager for a rematch."

"Will do, and you extend the same offer to Nero from me." Lucia said. "That boy is something else."

"He's my little brother, what do you expect?" Dante smirked.

With that, Fairy Tail went their separate ways from the rest of the wizards, Lucy happening to turn around and spot Flare. The blonde smiled as she gave a wave to the girl, who smiled slightly as she gave a small wave back. Lucy then gave a bigger wave to everyone else as they left the mountains to meet up with the rest of their guildmates and return to Magnolia.

---

Unfortunately, the return to Magnolia was by train, much to the horror of Natsu as he slumped across the seat he was at with Lucy and Lisanna right next to him, Happy, Gray, Erza, and Dante across from him.

"Trains… why…" Natsu groaned.

Gray chuckled. "Fairy Tail's newest S-Class everyone." He said in mocking announcement.

"Be respectful, Natsu." Erza said. "His majesty himself bought the return tickets for our entire guild, you should accept it."

"Hey, it's not Natsu's fault that vehicles make him sick." Lisanna said as she put his head on her lap and she began to stroke his hair.

"Lucky." Dante grinned.

"Wendy…" Natsu weakly called. "Help me…"

"Sorry… Natsu…" He gazed to the booth on the other side of the isles where Wendy, Carla, Modeus, Romeo, Macao, and Patty all sat, the Sky Dragon Slayer in a similar position as she leaned on Modeus' shoulder for support. "But… I don't feel good…"

"She's got motion sickness now too?!" Lucy exclaimed in surprise.

"Yes… in fact, since her own senses are stronger now due to her natural affinity for wind..." Modeus explained with a wince. "She has it worse…"

"Please… just knock me out…" Wendy cried as she held her own stomach.

"Sorry Wendy. Too bad I don't have any healing fire that can help." Romeo apologized.

"This is your fault, you idiot!" Patty pointed to Natsu.

"How's it my fault…?!" Natsu complained before his cheeks bulged out.

"Well if it helps, Natsu…" Levy called over from another booth she shared with Jet, Droy, Nero, Kyrie, and Lily. "You aren't the only one anymore."

Gajeel slumped over to the ground, his cheeks bulging out. "Oh, for the love of…" This resulted in Jet and Droy laughing.

"Oh, what's the matter?" Droy grinned.

"The widdle train made big bad Gajeel sick?" Jet laughed.

Natsu would have laughed, if it weren't for his own stomach doing twists and turns. "Ha! Welcome to the club, jackass…!" He almost threw up before slumping down himself.

"When we get back home… I'm gonna kill ya… Salamander…!" Gajeel groaned.

"I'm sorry." Kyrie apologized. "If I had known about this, I would have studied to find a cure for your motion sickness."

"Hey, I'm just enjoying the show." Nero smirked. "Right, Laxus?!" He called to the booth behind him where Laxus, the Thunder Legion, Elfman and Mira all sat.

The wizard in-question was doing his best to stay firm, his arms crossed as his body tightened up with his teammates and comrades all looking at him in concern.

"Wait… Laxus… gets sick… on vehicles too…?" Natsu groaned as nearly everyone else in Fairy Tail was beyond surprised.

"Yep." Nero smirked condescendingly. "Big guy here's weakness is anything on wheels."

"Nero!" Kyrie scolded, slapping her hand on his chest.

"Seriously?" Elfman looked unimpressed at the sweating Laxus. "Come on, man up Laxus!"

"How dare you! He is doing everything he can to maintain his focus as to not get sick!" Freed stated.

"Let's see you get motion sick and then we'll see who's laughing!" Evergreen added.

"Now, now, that's quite enough." Mira eased.

Lady and Trish chuckled from one booth that they shared with Alzack, Bisca, and Asuka. "Okay, this is just too good." The former grinned.

"Four of top tier fighters brought low by a lousy train." Trish smirked. "I'm gonna lord them over this forever."

"You could at least show some courtesy to Wendy!" Carla called out.

"Sorry, but the kid wants me to take her seriously." Trish joked while Modeus had a sympathetic smile as he patted Wendy on the back while she continued to lean against him.

"So… this applies to all Dragon Slayers?" Yukino asked as she sat at the booth in front of Dante's, sharing it with Juvia, Cana, Gildarts, Kinana, and Makarov. "I had thought this was only the case with Sting and Rogue."

"Here we all thought it was just Natsu's thing, but apparently not." Cana said. "Still funny to imagine though." She smirked.

"Hey…!" Gajeel called out from the floor as Levy helped him stand back up. "Did Rogue… have any kind of medicine for this…? Something you might have on you…?"

"Yeah… got a medicine spirit in there or something…?" The sick Natsu requested.

"I'm sorry, no. None of my spirits have healing properties." Yukino answered. "And Sting and Rogue simply chose to avoid vehicles whenever they could."

Happy sighed. "You'll have to grin and bear it. Sorry, pal." He said to Natsu.

"Someone… kill me…!" Natsu groaned along with Wendy and Gajeel, Laxus doing his best to maintain his own composure while the rest of their guildmates shared a laugh. All while Kinana silently wondered if Erik had this same problem, never really remembering a moment where he did get sick from being on a vehicle. He wasn't sick on Nirvana.

Though, Dante stopped laughing when he looked back at Yukino, particularly when Gajeel said Rogue's name. "Hey Gray, let's talk for outside a sec."

"Sure." The Ice-Make wizard shrugged as they stepped out from the booth and left the car.

---

"So, what's up?" Gray asked as the pair were outside with Dante leaning against the back railing.

"After Natsu and I took down Legion, we figured out how the Rogue from that time turned into him." Dante explained. "Turns out, the guy's in love with Yukino. And at some point in the future, someone is going to kill her and Frosch, his best friend. Rogue will be driven to rage, go on a revenge spree, you know the deal. But once he gets his revenge, he loses his will to live… and Legion takes over permanently."

"Okay, so who did it?" Gray asked.

Dante looked at him with a deathly serious expression, the kind of expression that is rarely seen on the laidback Devil Hunter as he gave his answer.

"You."

In that one instant, it became deathly silent. Gray's eyes widened to the point where they were circles as he felt a sudden chill run down his body.

"What…?"

"At least that's what Legion said." Dante confirmed. "Though that thing could have been lying and just probably said it out spite since it was literally fading away from existence and all."

"But…" Gray read the expression on Dante's face. "A part of you suspects… You really think that I would…"

"Never in a million years would I see you deliberately hurting an innocent person, Gray. Especially someone who is about to become a member of our guild." Dante said firmly as he stood up straight. "But anything can happen… like you being possessed by a demon or something… Believe me, man. You're my friend and the last thing I want is to suspect you, but…"

"Considering that thing almost destroyed the world, you wanna do what you can to keep it from happening again." Gray interrupted, gripping the railing as he found himself staring out at the horizon that sped past them. "Yeah, I get it."

Dante did the same thing as his friend, if only to keep him company. "Sorry to dump this on ya. But I couldn't keep it to myself."

Gray chuckled. "Honestly, I'd be pissed if you didn't tell me. So, thanks." Dante gave a snort in response before Gray got serious again. "So, who else besides you and Natsu know about this?"

"Just us, and now you." Dante answered. "What? You want us tell the others too?"

"Let me be the one do that." Gray stated.

"You got it." Dante nodded.

"Also, promise me one thing." Gray requested. "If something does happen… and for whatever reason I go crossing over… you'll stop me."

"I ain't gonna kill ya if that's what you're implying." Dante told him. "But, yeah. I promise. If something happens to you, I'll give you a good old ass-kicking and knock you back to your senses. If Natsu doesn't beat me to it first."

"Oh please, even brainwashed I'd still kick his ass." Gray smirked.

"Uh, you did see him use like three different transformations, right?" Dante reminded with a smirk. "Not to mention one-shooting a fellow Dragon Slayer?"

"Yeah, so what?" Gray replied as he held out his hand with an ice-cold mist forming at his palm. "I ain't gonna stay the way I am. And I don't need any fancy transformation or power up to get stronger. I'll get stronger on my own, and I'll do it my way. I'll get stronger than Natsu…" He turned to Dante with a challenging smile. "And stronger than you."

"Even though you're counting on me to keep you in-line and not go all evil in the future?" Dante laughed before rubbing his hand on Gray's hair, which he pushed away. "That's why I love ya, man. Good luck with all that. Cause I ain't gonna be easy to catch up to. I mean, you can hardly compare to Erza."

"No? Just watch me." Gray cracked as he punched Dante in the arm, the two sharing a laugh before making their way back to the train. As they did, Dante stopped for a moment and gazed out to the sun that hung high in the bright sky.

For a moment, he thought about the Lucy from the future… thinking about her again made his heart sink somewhat. But he found himself smiling.

'Thanks, Lucy. For saving our future. Now, it's our turn. And the future's already looking a whole lot brighter.' He thought to himself before walking back inside to rejoin his found family.

Done.

So, how'd you like that? Quite a bit happened in this chapter.

Crime Sorciere is now unofficially allied with the Kingdom of Fiore in order to share information and better prepare for the next potential apocalypse.

Jellal was able to talk with Sho, Wally, Milliana, and Kagura, with Ultear revealing her own hand in what had happened to all of them. Even though that neither were forgiven, they were still able to find some measure of acceptance and closure, all necessary for them to start moving forward.

Flare is also here, though not officially part of Mermaid Heel, she is going to be under Kurenai's care and supervision to help her get better, essentially getting some much-needed therapy. She also apologized to Lucy, which the blonde accepted.

We also got a bit of fun with Dante and Natsu having something of exhibition matches against Lucia and Sapphire respectively, which I enjoyed writing.

During this, Natsu has shown his newfound Hellfire Dragon Mode, in which his body is surrounded by a coat of fire which takes the shape of a large dragon and he's able to mold and shape those flames to his will. And he has also shown his ability to access his own Dragon Force at will, which is stronger than Laxus' power. The reason for this is that Natsu's never been able to access his Dragon Force on his own, always needing some kind of boost to do so, so he's trained his own strength and power the old fashioned way, steadily building up his power bit-by-bit, to the point that when he does use his Dragon Force now, his own power triples and surpasses all other Dragon Force users.

And with this, Natsu and Dante are now both officially S-Class wizards, which they've more than earned.

We also got a bit of world-building with some references to a specific continent with a certain group of dragons currently living there… hint, hint.

Lastly, Dante has told Gray about the supposed future of him killing Frosch and Yukino and sending Rogue down the dark path of becoming Legion, with Dante promising to personally stop Gray should he fall down a dark path, intentionally or not. As for whether or not any of this happens… you'll see in the future.

Only one chapter remains in the Grand Magic Games arc, and this is gonna be a fun and wholesome one, I'm sure you'll love it.

Until then, stay safe and stay healthy.

Happy holidays!