AN: So I goofed bigtime. I realized when writing the this chapter that I somehow completely skipped over the Jura vs Gajeel Battle. So I came back and put that in, and also edited the ending, moving some of it to the this chapter, so if anything is familiar that's why.
Also, apologies for taking so long. Battle scenes are not and will never be my strong point. I kind of bypassed them by writing from a noncombatants POV. Hopefully, they still read well. If not, have a thousand more apologies. I just wanted to be done with this. I've been struggling for weeks on this one and I don't think its going to get any better than it is.
Makarov's room was quite crowded that evening. He and Mavis sat at his desk, Makarov behind it while the First Master perched on the corner. Both participating teams were present, as well as Jellal, Ultear, Meredy and the Future-Levy.
Warren had been present briefly to report his observations on the princess. Unfortunately, aside from her attempt to preemptively replace Lucy with Elfman, the young monarch had made no other moves against Lucy, and, due to being present in the arena all day, clearly had not met with her time-traveling informant.
Unwilling to believe that Hisui would accept Fairy Tail's interference with Grace, Makarov instructed Warren to continue to telepathically monitor the princess. As a guild member who wasn't part of either team, the telepathy mage wasn't restricted to the midnight curfew.
Once he had left, the focus of the conversation quickly turned to strategizing for the final event.
Wendy had questioned why they were holding a secondary, more private, strategy meeting when the First Master had just explained to the whole guild step-by-step, battle-by-battle, including encounters between the other guilds, how she expected the final event to go.
"Tomorrow's game is a war game," Mavis said solemnly. "Not just another entertaining event. While the rest of the guild understands that we are here as show of strength, it is still a game to them. One they dearly wish to win. So that is what I gave them. A version of events in which Fairy Tail wins. Everyone in this room is aware of the true nature of our goal, and the possibility that Zeref may walk amongst us. We will need a perfect strategy in order to succeed."
"What is your plan for Zeref?" asked Erza. With a quick glance at her mate, she continued, "no offence, dear, but while you won both of your events, they weren't particularly inspiring performances."
"No, I agree," Natsu easily capitulated. "I'll just have to show him tomorrow."
"You'll have plenty of opponents to choose from."
Overall, the games had been a rather impressive showing. Matches where one opponent stood clearly superior were few and far between. Kagura from Mermaid heel and Mirajane had the quickest battles. Lucy, too, finished surprisingly fast, on account of her opponent allowing her to summon her meanest spirit. Sabertooth, contrary to expectations, didn't aim for quick, overwhelming victories, instead using their match-ups as a chance to grandstand and display their elite and ancient magics.
They wanted it to be a message of their inevitability. Who would dare to stand against the might of last year's champion?
Technically, Sabertooth was the only guild to go undefeated in the one-on-one battles. Orga, the only member of their team that didn't outright win, hadn't lost either, ending his match in a draw. However, it was clear to everyone watching that the Lightning God Slayer would have been the victor if the rules didn't have a time limit.
"All of Sabertooth." Lucy shuddered remembering how viciously Minerva had taken down Ichiya. "Could you beat the whole team?"
Natsu grinned cockily. "I could defeat every team in that arena tomorrow. I'd just need to heat up the city and melt their clothes off."
"Oh my," giggled Mira, "that would be a sight."
"Can you do such a thing?" Juvia asked.
"Are you asking for a demonstration?" The air in the Master's room grew uncomfortably warm and there were several cries for Natsu to stop before he proved his claim.
"While Sabertooth is strong, Rufus is the only wild card with his Memory Magic. Even Minerva's territory is not unbeatable, however difficult achieving victory would be. No, it is not them I am worried about." Mavis frowned, pensive. "The Wizard Saint Jura. I do not have a strategy for him," she admitted.
Everybody glanced at Gajeel, who had just faced the aforementioned Wizard Saint hours previously. Wendy and Porlyusica had got him back in fighting condition for the final event, for the dragon slayer had proven himself no match for Jura Neekis.
"Normally, I would have you avoid him. But from what we've been told of tomorrow's event, the last team standing will be the victor."
It was a frustrating realization that all the points and victories they claimed up to this point amounted to nothing thanks to the rules of the final game. Sure, Mato had been extremely vague on the details, leaving the full explanation until tomorrow. But he had claimed that Blue Pegasus, the guild which was in last place having only a third of Fairy Tail's score, could still emerge the victor.
And, despite some matches that likely weren't chosen randomly, the Games themselves were very fair to all teams involved. So, if Blue Pegasus still had a chance to win, it reasoned that the overall winner of this years tournament would be decided based on the last team standing and not points accumulated.
"Which means we must defeat Jura," Laxus said flatly.
The First Master hung her head, bangs throwing shadows across her eyes. When she looked back up, her eyes were impossibly wide and shiny as tears welled in them. "I don't know if we can!" she wailed.
Makarov panicked, not knowing how to deal with the ghostly apparition of Fairy Tail's First Master on the verge of crying.
Winning wasn't necessary, however, Natsu knew. Fairy Tail's purpose in joining this year's game was Zeref. The Black Wizard had made his move. He wanted proof that Natsu was strong enough to defeat him.
It was a frankly impossible task, for who in the tournament could compare to the infamous Black Wizard who fathered hundreds of demons of destruction?
The closest wizard of comparable strength was the Wizard Saint. And even Mavis, renowned as Fairy Tail's greatest tactician, couldn't formulate a battleplan to defeat him.
"I'll do it," the pinkette claimed. "First Master, let me fight Jura."
Mavis rapidly blinked, clearing her eyes of unshed tears. "I can't guarantee that you'll win, Natsu."
The man snorted. "We don't pick fights that we know we're going to win. We fight to defend our friends. To protect our family. To see how far we've come and how much further we have to go still. When someone stronger than us threatens Fairy Tail, we create a way to win, even when it seems impossible. I'll defeat Jura so that Fairy Tail can win, and then I'll kick Zeref's ass."
This time the shine in Mavis's eyes was admiration and pride. She had only imagined what Fairy Tail would become when she first built the guild, wanting nothing more than to continue the adventure she had begun with Yuri, Precht, and Warrod. Of course, she was proud that all of Fiore considered them to be the strongest guild, but Mavis was prouder of the friendships that had been founded and the strength of their bonds.
Her guild was better than she had dreamed.
"Very well, then." Mavis squared her shoulders, confidence returning. "Raven Tail and Sabertooth will target our teams for personal reasons. Ivan has a ninety-eight percent chance of seeking out Laxus."
The lightning wizard's grin was all fangs. "I can handle my old man."
"The rest of your team will need to take care of the other for. Except for you, Gajeel."
"What? I've been looking forward to wiping the floor with those creeps!"
"I have a more important task for you. Sting has already declared his interest in fighting Natsu, but we need Natsu at full strength to face Jura. So, it's up to you to waylay Sting."
"But wherever Sting goes, Rogue follows," Juvia pointed out.
"Gihihihi. Those two wannabes won't get past me," promised Gajeel.
"If my calculations are correct, Rufus will be content to wait for an opponent to come to him. If we're lucky, someone else may take him out of the running. Perhaps Kagura. For all his skill at magic, he can't forget physical attacks."
"And Kagura is a skill swordsman."
"But not as good as you, Erza," Natsu said with pride, defending his mate's prowess.
"Seeing as how I have not fought her myself, I cannot say that with certainty," was Erza's humble response.
"I do not know if Rufus's Memory Magic would extend to 'forgetting' Erza's re-quips, but that shouldn't be an issue, because he will not seek her out. No, if anybody on Sabertooth comes for our Titania, it would be Minerva."
A silence fell over the room at Mavis's words, remembering the brutality Sabertooth's only female wizard had displayed in her battle against Ichiya. Natsu gripped the red-head's wrist, soothing himself with the pulse of her heart beneath his hand.
Mavis cleared her throat. "If you find her first, Erza, you'll have the upper hand in that battle. As for the rest of the A team, everyone else is fair game. My last concern," she said loudly, as the two teams took her instructions to the A team as a notice that the meeting was coming to an end, "is you, Lucy."
"Me?" the blonde questioned. "But why?" Her eyes hardened. "Don't think I'm weak because I'm a Celestial Wizard."
"No, no, no," the First Master quickly apologized. "That wasn't my intention at all. I know how strong you are, Lucy, but without your keys I don't see any way for you to participate tomorrow."
Natsu frowned at the First Master. Necessary as it may have been to have someone else stand in for Lucy tomorrow, it would have been kinder if Mavis had pulled her aside and not done it in front of both teams. It didn't matter that Mavis claimed to respect her strength. By calling her out in the manner she did, she was disproving her own words.
Lucy strode forward, slamming her hands on the desk in front of Gramps. "I already told you I can fight without my keys."
"My child, your event today didn't require magic to succeed."
"It was likely a deliberate choice, so the competitors would be at their best for the final day," Mira mused.
"Did you even use magic? Didn't Loke summon himself?" Gray snorted.
"I summoned Horologium!" she corrected, more than a little insulted by his words. "And I could have summoned Loke. He just beat me to it."
"I thought one of the tenants of Celestial Magic was that the key made it possible to open the gate between the two worlds."
Knowing it was a genuine question of interest and not an attempt to mock her, Lucy did not blow up when Juvia reminded them of the basics of Lucy's magic. "The keys assist, making it easier so that it requires less magic. But, with enough magic power and a strong bond between wizard and spirit, it is possible to open a gate without a key. It's what I did for Loke when he was fading."
Master Makarov appeared unconvinced, if the furrow between his eyes was anything to judge by.
"I'll prove it," announced Lucy, defiant. "Open, Gate of the Twins, Gemini!"
The two small blue creatures that made up the spirit Gemini poofed into existence, wriggling from side to side. Their summoner crossed her arms under her ample bosom, quite smug. "I can summon all of my spirits without their keys, and that's not the only trick I have up my sleeve. Star Dress: Leo Form!"
A golden light enveloped Lucy, bright enough to force every wizard to look away. When it dimmed the Celestial wizard was cloaked in an elegant, frilled black ball gown with a slit that exposed her left leg. A gold sash decorated her waist. And prominently displayed on her breast was a tattoo of Loke's symbol.
"Using Star Dress, I take on some of that spirit's powers. In my Leo form, my fighting capabilities are enhanced, and," she said, dramatically lighting her fist up with Regulus's light, "I can do this."
In a single blow, her golden fist smashed through Makarov's desk, send both the First and Third Masters tumbling.
Flat on his back, Makarov cried. "The inn is going to charge me to replace that."
"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to—I wasn't thinking!"
"It's fine, my girl," the old man said as he climbed to his feet. "You certainly proved your point. You shall keep your place on your team."
"I promise I won't let Fairy Tail down."
"None of us will," Erza said with conviction. "Now, we best rest up. Tomorrow is going to be quite the day."
Natsu held Erza close that night, irrationally afraid that she might vanish from his arms. His gut clenched, warning him that tomorrow would likely not go according to plan. Nagneel agreed with him, reminding Natsu that Zeref's involvement was still unaccounted for.
They had been assuming the Gates was the source of the Zeref-esque magic, but there was always the possibility that Zeref was actually present. Any one of those scents or magics he had chased down over the last five days could have belonged to the Black Wizard.
Had Natsu made a mistake by assuming Future-Levy was responsible for both he thought he sensed Zeref? Should he have kept scouring the city for traces of a wizard that could kill thousands in one go if he lost control?
What if Zeref was hoodwinking the Princess? Maybe he had convinced her she needed the Gates to defeat the dragons as an excuse to get her to open them. Then, just like Future-Levy was planning, he would step through them and travel through time.
The destruction two Zerefs would be capable of was terrifying.
Needless to say, Natsu got no sleep that night.
Hisui's gaze, as green as the color she was named for, was directed out the balcony doors in the direction of the Dormus Flau Coliseum.
With nary a whisper of his cloak, her future informant slipped into the room. These clandestine meetings never lasted long. Hisui wanted no chance of discovery. If she informed her father of the events she had been forewarned of, he would undoubtedly call for the Games to end prematurely. The decision would protect their people only temporarily. Evacuating Crocus meant little when your enemy was dragons. There was nowhere their destruction wouldn't reach.
Vile as it was, Hisui had to pretend that everything was fine, that a swarm of 10,000 dragons wasn't about to descend upon her city.
As always, the hood completely concealed his face. She only knew him to be a man by voice. He offered no name, and more suspiciously, no reward for his part in saving the kingdom.
Many of her own advisors thought the princess to be incompetent, not because she was terrible at her duties, but because she had never had the opportunity to prove herself. Why should she need to, when her father still sat on the throne, whole and hale and healthy?
Hisui could admit to naivety on her part, but she was not ignorant nor foolish. If her informant was not in it for the riches, fame, or goodwill, then he had another motive.
One she couldn't quite figure out.
It made her heart race each time he came before her. What would he tell her this night? How much did she trust his information? Could she afford not to?
The Eclipse Cannon was their only hope. She hadn't known the Eclipse Gate had a second function, and her family had been guarding the secret of its existence for centuries. But the mystery figure had demonstrated his knowledge regarding the gate. He knew how it worked and what purposed it served and how to power it.
For the future of her kingdom, she had to trust that the gate had a secondary function as a weapon strong enough to shoot dragons out of the sky.
Until today, Hisui had been given no major reason to distrust her informant.
"Lucy Heartfilia competed in today's Games."
"Oh?"
"Without her keys," the princess stressed. She dangled the ring of keys from her forefinger.
"Intriguing. I've not known a Celestial Wizard to be capable of much without their keys."
Hisui threw them down on the table, inwardly cringing at the disrespect she was showing. "Apparently, she doesn't need the keys to summon her spirits. She brought out Leo, the leader of the Zodiacs, without them."
"What unexpectedly remarkable power for a Celestial Wizard."
Hisui bit the inside of her cheek to prevent herself from saying something in her defense. The princess status as a Celestial Wizard was not heavily advertised outside the palace. "She wasn't supposed to. You told me Elfman Strauss replaced her on the last day."
The reflection of cloaked man in the glass raised his palms heavenward, fingers splayed. "I can hardly predict the stubbornness of man. By all logic, Lucy Heartfilia should be nothing without her strongest keys. It is the downfall of such magic. A Celestial Wizard without her keys is a dead wizard."
"What does this mean for tomorrow?" Hisui demanded. "Has Lucy's actions damaged the timeline?"
"The future is not set in stone," her informant said soothingly. "Even if this Lucy girl participates tomorrow as well, everything will still be exactly as I've envisioned."
July 6 X791
Mavis perched, rather dangerously if she were not an apparition, on the parapet wall as all eight teams marched into the arena to fanfare and pre-celebration. They stood in eight single-file lines facing the judges' balcony. The guest judge seat was empty, but beyond noting its unusualness, she paid it no attention. The only judge that mattered was the one wearing the pumpkin head who was pumping up the crowd.
"And now the moment you've all been waiting for, kabo! The finale of the Grand Magic Games! A victor will be crowned today. Will we have a new champion in one of Fairy Tail's teams in their first year competing?" Mato deliberately paused to allow the audience a chance to make their opinion known. "Sabertooth and Lamia Scale aren't far behind, and with a special rule in place, even Blue Pegasus could pull off an amazing come from behind win, kabo!"
Mavis leaned forward, tense and anxious. She worried endlessly that her strategies weren't prepared enough. She had had so little time and information to work with. She tried to account for the twist Mato promised to reveal—she had over three hundred ideas of what it could be.
"This special rule is called Last Man Standing, kabo!"
Mavis pumped her fist in victory. She called it! Taking out all the opposition would still be a challenge, but the victor would be determined not by points but by survivability. Using her own telepathy, she informed her teams of the change in plans.
'Hold your ground when the event starts. Let the other teams do the work of dwindling the numbers. You will need your full strength to take down your targets. Perhaps, if we're lucky, Jura will remove Sabertooth as an obstacle.'
Gajeel was disgruntled by the idea of inactivity, but agreed with the rest of his guildmates to follow the First Master's plan.
"But before I can explain the special rule, you must know how the final game works. It's a straightforward, no bars held, fight to the knockout between all eight teams. Each team will nominate one member to fill the role of captain. But it's just a fancy title to distinguish the team leader who is worth five points. All other members are worth one point." As was Mato's preference, a lacrima screen visually laid out the rules as he explained them, making it easy for the audience to follow. "As for the special rule, it is rather simple, kabo. The last member standing on each team is worth double points when defeated!"
"No," Mavis uttered, thoroughly horrified and utterly unaware that she was broadcasting to the whole guild. "This changes everything. Everyone is going to leave the captain's to defeat last in order to earn ten points. I hadn't calculated for a points based game. Stupid. So stupid. Why would they invalidate all the points earned in the previous stages in the final one? How could I make such a foolish mistake?"
'Don't sweat it First Master," Gray sent the mental equivalent of a shrug. "It may change the other teams' tactics but it won't affect us. Natsu, Erza and Laxus all have their targets and we'll keep the rest of the small fry off their backs. Trust us. We got this.'
Mavis felt like her undead heart might start beating again from the fierce pride that bloomed within it at Gray's encouragement. 'Right, yes, of course. I can recalculate the numbers. This is a minor inconvenience.'
The spirit mentally debated lending Cana Fairy Glitter for a third time. The card wizard had proved her mastery over the spell during her performance on the third day. All of Crocus was too large for her to cover, but targeting a single team would be manageable.
Yes, Mavis nodded fervently, this was exactly what they needed to deal with the wild cards that was the Sabertooth guild.
Anticipation rising, she watched as Mato had each team magically transported to randomly selected starting points. Cana rolled her shoulder, hand wrapped around the hidden seal, preparing herself as the seconds slowly dwindled to zero.
Shedding her jacket, she thrust her arm into the air, beginning to chant the instant the completed countdown registered, gathering the light of the sun, the moon, and the stars.
Dark shadows fell over the city.
'This isn't right." Mavis worried her bottom lip. The unnatural darkness was not the work of her spell. Fairy Glitter did not dim the world when it collected and concentrated the light of the heavens into a spell strong enough to eviscerate, if the caster so wished.
The First Master nearly jolted from her perch when she recognized the shroud of darkness, having seen it from one of the competitors already.
'On my command, jump to the side," Mavis directed through the telepathic link. 'Laxus, you must shield Cana. Now!'
The members of Fairy Tail scattered, narrowly avoiding the beams of lightning that crashed to the ground in their wake. Except for Laxus and Cana. The lightning wielding wizard had wrapped the two of them in his own lightning, simply absorbing Rufus's strike, allowing Cana to finish her chant.
"What an exciting start, kabo!" exclaimed Mato, wriggling in his seat like a child on a sugar rush.
"Indeed," Chapati agreed, sweat beading on his forehead enough to make his wig slide askew. "Sabertooth starts with an overwhelming show of power. The Minstrel's Night of Falling Stars has earned his team four points, taking out one member each from Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, Quatro Cerberus and Blue Pegasus."
"Not as many as he would have liked, I imagine," was Yajima's contribution, "but it is just enough to give them a three-way tie for first place with the two teams from Fairy Tail."
The rest of the judges' commentary was cut short but Cana's shout of, "Fairy Glitter!"
With pinpoint accuracy, thanks to Rufus's spell having revealed his location, and that of his team by default, a ring of light formed over the city, focusing all the energy she had gathered.
It was amusing, he acknowledged, how the princess couldn't help but glance at him, eyes impossibly wide, each time his words proved themselves true.
She had understandably doubted him when he first arrived to foretell the arrival of hundreds and thousands of dragons. The beasts hadn't been heard from in centuries. But, with the reappearance of Acnologia, the princess couldn't dismiss his warning.
However, she demanded proof. How did he, a man from across the ocean, know of an impending dragon invasion unless he was a part of it.
And so the princess ordered him to her Abyssal Palace and left him to the mercy of her Garou Knights, knowing her loyal executions would force the truth from him.
And what a terrible truth it was. Spriggan, he called himself. Apparently his family line had been involved in building the gates centuries ago, explaining his knowledge of their existence and their purpose. He convinced Hisui that, with the Dragon King defeated, the dragon civil war that had nearly torn apart the world four hundred years ago would reignite.
Fearful for her kingdom's future, what choice did she have but to trust Spriggan's words. If she followed his instructions, they would have enough magic power to open the gate tomorrow, the night of the Dragon King Festival and the Victory Banquet for the champions of the Grand Magic Games and he would handle it from there.
"All of Sabertooth is still standing. Their empress has transported them elsewhere."
Hisui frowned as she mouthed empress, displeased at his bestowing a higher monarchial title to someone not of the royal line. He cared not for her sensibilities. For all that she believed herself to be the queen on the chessboard, the princess was truly a pawn. A means for which he could reopen the Eclipse Gate.
Indeed, Minerva had utilized her Territory magic to remove herself and her guildmates from the blast radius, and strategically redeposited them against opponents they so desperately desired to dominate.
Orga against Jura. Gajeel and Rogue. Sting and Natsu. Herself and the Fairy Queen Erza. Rufus remained hidden, preparing for another extraordinary showing of ancient magic.
Spriggan only cared for the latter two battles. Cocky Orga was no match for a Wizard Saint whose element directly grounded and opposed his own, and Rogue would escape once he realized he was outclassed, retreating the side of his fellow slayer in the hopes of defeating Natsu and Gajeel one at a time in two separate two-on-one fights.
Natsu had both the power and skill to thrash the younger blond dragon slayer, but Zeref knew that wasn't his style. As a member of Mavis's beloved guild, Natsu didn't fight to prove he was unbeatable. He fought to defend his friends. Enemies he would crush without regard and without mercy, but Sabertooth was toeing the line between challenging opponent and enemy with their brutal tactics.
Particularly the Minerva girl, embroiled in her clash with her chosen foe.
Mavis studied the battlefield, concern fairly radiating from her body. She hadn't wanted Natsu to face Sting so early. While he would ultimately be victorious (she concluded he had a ninety-six percent chance of winning), expending that magic power meant Natsu would have less when he confronted Jura. A fight for which he would need his full strength.
Minerva wasn't the only one to start with a gutsy power play. Laxus blocking Rufus's lightning with his own made him a beacon, declaring his position—and that of Fairy Tail's B team—for all to know. Raven Tail crossed the city, pointedly ignoring the minor skirmishes that broke out between the other guilds (including a rather amusing one between the remaining Trimen of Blue Pegasus, Eve and Ren, and Beth and Risley of the all female guild) in favor of reaching Laxus, initiating the five-on-one battle he voluntarily claimed.
If looks were capable of murder, Makarov's son would already be dead from the fierce glare the father directed at his hidden son.
For his part, Laxus appeared unimpressed, using his height and width to put himself between his father's team and Cana, giving her time to retreat with the rest of his team, as per the strategy the First Master had laid out the previous night.
Her primary magic being illusions as well, Mavis is the only one to see through the fake battle in which the disguised Ivan handily dominates Laxus singlehandedly while his team watches on.
She witnesses the real battle, the clash between ideologies. Power and family. Wealth and loyalty.
Ivan tries to convince Laxus that his grandfather cares for him naught. Makarov had banished him just like he had his own son, valued strangers and nobodies over his own flesh and blood.
"All of Fairy Tail is considered family," Laxus proudly declared and proceeded to thrash the Raven Tail team in the name of his guildmates that they had targeted.
There was a massive clamor when the defeated Alexei was revealed to be Ivan. Raven Tail was immediately disqualified for breaking one of the cardinal rules for participating in the games, leaving the judges to furiously debate whether to award Laxus the points for his victory.
"I think it's only fair," Yajima said, eyes closed in contemplation. "Laxus did indeed defeat all five members of the Raven Tail team before Ivan's deception was discovered."
Chapati Lola clutched nervously at his wig. "He has already been awarded the points for four of them. It would be cruel to snatch them away after the fact, but Raven Tail has broken the rules."
"So Fairy Tail deserves to be punished in their place?" Yajima argued. "Because that is what you are suggesting."
"Ano, perhaps we could let Fairy Tail B keep those four points but not give any for Ivan, kabo?"
Yajima's frowned deepened. "It would be an injustice to deny Laxus points he has fairly earned. Don't forget, as Ivan was the leader and the last defeated, he is worth a game-changing ten points."
Mavis tuned out the rest of the deliberation, unconcerned with the final decision. (Which ultimately was to let Laxus's victory and points earned-all fourteen of them—and bar Raven Tail from participating in the next five years of Games.) She was peripherally aware of the two ongoing dragon slayer match ups. Minerva likely thought she was being magnanimous in setting up Sting and Rogue against those they most wished to fight, but it would be their downfall. Sting and Rogue were challenging opponents, certainly, but nothing Fairy Tail's dragon slayers couldn't handle. Natsu burnt away the White Dragon Slayer's paralyzing sigil, blindsiding the younger man and shifting control of the fight to him. Rogue's shadows made him difficult to catch, but Gajeel's rough exterior hid a clever and crafty mind.
Recognizing his impending defeat, Rogue retreated to Sting's side, falling back on their iconic Twin Dragon Slayers strategy of combining their opposing elements to devastating effect. Mavis shook her head mournfully. Their shared strength, while impressive, was also their shared weakness. The duo believed themselves infallible when fighting side by side.
So, even with Rogue's appearance bringing down Natsu's chance of victory from ninety-six to eighty-three, the pinkette still prevailed.
No, her concern was the battle between Erza and Minerva.
The Sabertooth wizard played just as dirty as she had in her match against Ichiya, taking great pleasure in breaking armor after armor. The worst moment was when, instead of teleporting away, Minerva used her territory magic to snatch Lucy and use the Celestial wizard as a human shield.
Erza's sword sank into her guildmate's abdomen with an obscene squelch, the noise echoing through the lacrima vision screens.
"Lucy!" Erza caught her friend, cradling the other woman close.
"I'm fine," she said through bloodstained teeth.
"Concerned, princess?" Spriggan questioned lightly.
Hisui's cheeks darkened. "Disappointed," she said shortly. "I had higher expectations of Lucy Heartfilia."
Spriggan hummed agreeingly. "Worry not, your highness, for Lucy is still is still in the game."
Her eyes darted to the scoreboard, confirming his words. Sabertooth's points remained at 68, meaning Minerva had failed to eliminate the blonde woman. A grave mistake on her part, particularly her failure in not noticing the unchanged status.
The woman dubbed Titania refocused on her opponent, a shadow of murder darkening her eyes. She lashed out with an unmatched ferocity, summoning more blades than Minerva could keep up with. But Erza's true goal wasn't to overcome her enemy. No, she was the distraction, the feint. For the pawn Minerva believed she had broken.
Barraged by Erza, Minerva had lost track of the woman she used as a sacrificial lamb, and thus didn't notice her switching Star Dress forms, trading out the elegant black ballgown for a high collared, short skirted blue and white dress with a diamond cut out to expose her cleavage. As a side effect, her magic power temporarily doubled.
Erza held her opponent's attention, letting her guildmate take advantage and get through the necessary chant unhindered.
"Urano Metria!" cried Lucy, summoning forth the eighty-eight heavenly bodies.
Minerva's eyes widened, genuine fear screaming from them. "No! Impossible. I beat you!" She called upon her territory, frantically relocating the planets that bombarded her. By happenstance, some were directed at the other players, sparking another round of argument from the judges about how to award the points.
"In a strange twist of fate, Minerva has aided Fairy Tail's Lucy in taking out Rocker and Jäger of Quatra Cerberus and Blue Pegasus's very own handsome man Ichiya!" announced Chapati.
"I didn't think we would need rules in place for situations like this, kabo." Mato personified distress in the way he clutched at his pumpkin headpiece.
"A puzzling conundrum," mused Yajima. "One could argue that the points belong to Lady Minerva, for without her interference, Lucy's spell would have only struck her. What do you think, Chapati? Should Minerva get the points for taking out others via redirecting a spell?"
The square-jawed man was riffling through the rule book, searching for anything that would instruct him on what to do in this scenario. Unfortunately, the previous incarnations of the Games hadn't depended on a point system to determine the victor, so he emerged empty-handed with no official ruling.
"It's up to you, Mato-kun. As the Games only judge, we will abide by your decision!" Chapati declared, gratefully passing off the responsibility.
"The points will go to Fairy Tail," Spriggan whispered in the princess ear, in sync with the Game's mascot. "It's only fair, seeing at it was technically the Celestial wizard's spell."
He observed the princess, taking note of her irrationally pleased expression. Pride in the display of strength from the Celestial wizard, for they were often assumed to be weak due to their reliance on their keys. The rest of the kingdom was not aware their princess was a mage, let only a Celestial one, nor did they know the Heartfilia girl was showcasing her strength. They fell back on their logic, that Celestial wizards needed gate keys and so, even though she wasn't waving them about, she must still be using them.
Said keys gleamed on the table top.
Spriggan acknowledged the girl's efforts and perseverance, but her magic power could sustain such high level magics only so long.
Indeed, once the dust had settled, he was proven right. Magic spent, Lucy had collapsed, removing her from the competition but rewarding no team points for her defeat. It would have been impressive if she had managed to take out Minerva, but the cruel wizard was still in it and out for blood, embarrassed to have been shown up by a Celestial wizard of all people.
Minerva's multicolored orbs exploded into existence around her opponent. "Territory Explosion!"
Erza requiped her strongest defense, her Adamantine armor which was capable of withstanding a Jupiter Cannon blast.
She emerged from the attack unscathed, thanks to the interference of another wizard.
Yuka Suzuki stood between the two females, a barrier of wave magic preventing Minerva's attack from reaching its intended target.
"Yuka," acknowledged Erza, followed by a breathless, "but why?"
His braid swayed as he turned to gaze down upon her prone form. "Don't get it wrong. I didn't step in to save you. I simply wish to face this woman myself. My Wave magic should prove more than a match for her Territory. My magic nullifies all others."
Minerva's eye ticked. "Such arrogance. If that were true you would be the wizard saint, and not your pal Jura."
Zeref's eyes drifted lazily to the lacrima screen that displayed the mountain that was Jura, currently locked in battle with Mira and Bacchus, amusing himself with imagining how Mavis must be panicking.
If Mavis required breath in her body like a living person, she would have been hyperventilating. How had all of her planning fallen to pieces to quickly?
It was unavoidable that Fairy Tail would get dragged into battles. All of the other teams still desired to win, which meant taking out the current forerunners. Assuming the captain were the last one defeated on each team, there was still seventy-six points available, enough to catapult even the lowest scoring team into first place.
Theoretically.
Numbers wise it was possible, but it was very unlikely that one team would claim all the remaining points. But Lamia Scale was close enough to the top and Jura was the one wizard she didn't know how to defeat. Mavis was trusting in Natsu to pull of a miracle because she saw no other option.
Never had it crossed her mind that Mira would be faced with Jura, or that Bacchus would throw himself in the midst with a signature cry of "Now this is wild!"
Surprisingly, Mira held her own against Quatro Cerberus's S-Class wizard, adept in dealing with drunken mages apparently. But she was unable to truly gain the upper hand with Jura's presence forcing her to split her focus.
Jura's rock defense proved insurmountable, allowing him to outlast and overcome both his opponents and net his team ten points.
Elsewhere on the battlefield, Kagura's sheathed sword sliced through Jenny's armor while Milliana handled Blue Pegasus's final member, trapping Eve in her magic nullifying kitten tubes and punching his lights out.
Honestly, the only thing that had gone to plan so far was Wendy avoiding any kind of confrontation. The blue haired girl hadn't been pleased with the directive but understood that her healing and enchantments would be pivotal aiding Natsu. For his sake, she was refraining from battles until he was faced with Jura.
A showdown which was drawing inevitably closer as the pool of competitors quickly dwindled. Lyon and Cheria had ambushed Milliana, who was promptly revenged by her last remaining teammate. Mavis was forced to recalculate the swordswoman's threat factor and worried if Erza would be in any state to take Kagura once finished with Minerva. Minerva was toying with Yuka by physically beating him half to death, much like she had with Ichiya, but not enough to truly count him out. She wanted to humiliate him before returning to her original goal of defeating Titania, Queen of the Fairies.
Aside from the two Fairy Tail teams, only five other competitors remained, and four of them were the wizards the First Master held the most reservations about.
Minerva. Rufus. Jura. Kagura. Nobarly.
Kagura was more dangerous than she had anticipated, Jura was still as serene as when the final game started, unphased by those that had attempted to unseat him, and Minerva wielded her ancient magic with a mastery Mavis had not expected. Rufus was unknown. No one had seen him since the beginning when he unleashed his Night of Falling Stars. Not even the lacrima cameras had located him. Similarly, Nobarly was nowhere to be found.
Mavis abhorred long, drawn out battles, prided herself on being able to finish any battle with efficiency. The key component of her plans was pitting her soldiers against opponents they could defeat with minimal effort, saving their energy for these four wild cards.
But when it came down to it, she wasn't confident that Fairy Tail would win all four fights.
"So, it's come down to these wizards, just as you said it would."
Zeref smiled, beatifically conveying innocence. He commanded an entire empire, several times larger and stronger than this pathetic kingdom. Anticipating those wizards that would make it this far wasv a simple task. Determining with winner was even simpler.
Zeref had been there, in the early days of Fairy Tail's founding. Been responsible for teaching its core members how to harness magical energy. Had watched from a distance as Mavis did the unthinkable, sacrificed her body and cursed herself, to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
He recognized that same determination in them now and knew their true goal wasn't winning this mockery of a tournament, but also that winning was pivotal in achieving that goal.
Even without having more participants than the remaining teams, Fairy Tail would be the victor of this war. Not because they desired the win more, but because they could not afford to lose.
To lose would be to show weakness, and Spriggan was one of many that would use that weakness to destroy them.
Now that the end was near, it was finally time for Natsu to prove his resolve. Was he unflinching in his determination? Was he ready to do as he had asked of him?
Natsu had largely refrained from fighting, a rather prominent turnabout from his years as a youth. His sole battle thus far had been initiated by his opponent. However, his triumph was only to be expected. As lauded as Sabertooth's Twin Dragon Slayers were, skill and talent were no match for experience.
A single loss could shape a person. Cut you down to the soul before sinking its hooks in. It was humiliating. Intolerable. The unending pain screamed for a balm, anything to soothe the wounded soul.
But it was impossible. Everything he had done to revive his brother had failed. And even though Natsu stood before him now, engaged in battle against the rock wizard Jura, the man was not his brother. He carried none of the memories, bore no love for Zeref-nii in his heart.
Zeref had been foolish in his own youth, convincing himself that the partial success of reviving Natsu as an etherious capable of one day killing him was enough. But he had had four hundred years to stew on his mistake. Four hundred years in which humanity had rejected him, painted him as the darkest wizard to ever walk Earthland, reviled him and his efforts restore his brother. Between bouts of depression and antipathy, Zeref had learned every secret there was to magic, realized where he had gone wrong.
Young, foolish, and impressionable, he had believed his teachers when they claimed it was impossible to revive his brother, eventually settling for the demon mockery he created from his brother's body. If he could not truly have his little brother back, then a final death at his hands was all Zeref could wish for.
Until he met the woman he could love.
Having Mavis torn away from him had revitalized Zeref. He delved into his research with a vengeance, searching for a way to travel through the Eclipse Gate beyond the restrictions of its existence. It took an embarrassingly long time, nearly a century, to realize that the gate itself wasn't the determining factor in how far back he could go. He was not limited to returning to a time in which the gate existed—all of which came too late for Zeref, having constructed the Eclipse gate more than a decade after Natsu's demise—because the Gate drew its energy from the world around it, primarily from the power of the eternally present heavenly bodies.
It had been necessary to power the Gates off Celestial magic. It was the only magic with the breadth and scope—a whole separate dimension where time ran differently. It was impossible to build a Gate to travel through time without Celestial magic. Arc of Time magic simply wasn't strong enough, limited as it was to affect only objects.
With renewed vigor and determine, it was astonishing how quickly Zeref realized the true limiting factor was the magic that powered the Eclipse Gate, and not the Gate itself.
The Gate was just a doorway, one that connected time and the Celestial Spirit World, thus enabling Zeref to go back to anytime and not just as far back as the Gate existed.
And thus Zeref had searched for his project, finding it buried beneath the Mercurial Palace, cut off from the very energies that powered. Without access to the heavens, it absorbed the ambient ethernano. According to his calculations, it would have taken another three centuries to acquire enough power for Zeref to use it.
The immortal wizard may have had all the time in the world, but truly he had run out of patience when he lost Mavis. He had waited long enough. And so he had orchestrated the creation of the Games which generated enough magical energy in five years that tomorrow, on the night of the requisite lunar eclipse, Zeref would open that Gate and go back in time more than four hundred years to save his brother from the dragon attack that killed him.
Of course, he would have to do it in secret. The Zeref of the past would need to believe his brother dead in order to create the Eclipse Gate, but once he conceived it theoretically, Zeref would step in to prevent himself from being cursed. Then he would send his past self forward in time to meet Mavis and aid her in her adventure to free Magnolia, providing her with the completed version of the Law spell. Then he would have everything he wanted.
Much like the princess, Zeref was highly anticipating the conclusion of this year's Grand Magic Games. The story he had spun her ensured that she would open the Eclipse Gate at the proper time, creating a gateway to a time where dragons roamed the skies and the seas. If he allowed it, those thousands of dragons could march through the gate to the present, where the ethernano would allow them to reign supreme again.
He had debated it. Simply allowing the dragons to pass through to the future before he sealed the gate was a simple way of getting rid of the infernal creatures. But such a method denied Zeref the satisfaction of ending their lives, of eradicating their species as recompense for the pain they put him through.
The lunar eclipse was three hours past midnight. With every battle, that hour drew closer. Using the strength of his inner dragon, his brother had overcome the wizard saint, breaking through his impressive Rock Mountain defense and laying the man flat on his back.
It was only a matter of time before the rest of the weak-willed wizards fell.
Mavis practically strangles Makarov in her joy, euphoric at Natsu overcoming Jura's almost impenetrable defense. And while she had focused primarily on his battle, she hadn't missed noticing Rufus emerge from the library to take on Kagura before the swordswoman continued to carve her way through the competition, nor Minerva finally deciding she had tormented Yuka enough and removing him.
It left three opponents. Erza reengaged with Minerva in a spectacular battle that displayed the sheer strength these two women possessed. It was game over for Minerva once the red-haired warrior donned her Nakagami Armor. Wearing it required vast amounts of magic power, due to its ability to dispel magic, and the accompanying halberd sliced through anything, even Minerva's space-based magic.
Norbarly was a minor concern. The most difficult part of defeating him would be locating him. Rufus was a threat, but now that it was down to just him, the remaining members of Fairy Tail's teams could team up. Incredible as his magic was, it simply couldn't be versatile enough to come out on top when faced with seven wizards with vastly different magics.
Mavis nervously bit her nails as Gray reached Rufus. His creativity and imagination gave him an edge, but Rufus's capability to 'forget' an attack made it near impossible to land a blow on the flamboyantly dressed wizard. He even negated a unison raid between Gray and Juvia, the water wizard having followed Mavis's mental directions to reach the pair of dueling wizards. But the Memory Make wizard proved to be too much for them.
Her mind tumbled, anxiously running through possible strategies that would beat Rufus. Against another creator type magic, he had proved superior, only because of his ability to erase his opponent's attack. Gray only hit the long haired man once, when he abruptly changed an attack mid-air. Magically, Rufus was a monster and there appeared to be no limit to what kind of magic he could forget. Juvia's water, Gray's ice, Kagura's gravity.
She mourned that Kagura hadn't won her battle. Based on the information she had gathered, Rufus's major weakness was his physical ability. As a swordswoman, Kagura should have triumphed, but Rufus had held her at bay by preventing her use of gravity magic and summoning towering whirlwinds or transforming the ground to lava.
'Gajeel!' She exclaimed mentally.
'Geez, not so loud,' he snarled back. 'Can you pipe down a bit, First Master?'
Mavis sniffed back her tears. 'Right," she acknowledged in a softer tone. 'You're the only one left that has a chance against Rufus. He's weak to physical attacks, which, as a dragon slayer, are your forte. Even without using magic, you possess enhanced strength and durability. Hopefully, negating Dragon Slayer Magic will be outside his capabilities.'
'I hear you loud and clear, First Master. Just point me in the clown's direction.'
If Rufus maintained his position, Gajeel would intercept him in approximately three minutes. The man had been content to conserve his energy, letting his competitors stumble upon him, until their numbers dwindled.
But you didn't have to be a tactician of Mavis's caliber to realize standing still was a terrible strategy when the flow of battle turned so that six people were gunning for your blood.
So, naturally, Rufus hightailed it from his current position. Conveniently for him, he chose a direction that lead away from an approaching Gajeel but set him on a path to cross Wendy.
The young blue haired girl had come a long way from the waif of a preteen that had first entered Fairy Tail's doors. She had matured both physically, much to her delight, and as a fighter.
Rufus eyed her with poorly concealed disdain. "Even the mighty dragons are no match for my memory, for the are a relic of the past, long since forgotten."
"We'll see about that!" she shouted back, "Cause there's one standing right here and I don't intend to go down without a fight!"
Wendy's first move was surprisingly vicious, trapping her opponent in a sphere of low oxygenated air. It had an immediate effect. Rufus gasped for breath, hands scrabbling uselessly at the pavement beneath him. In his panic, it took him longer to dispel her magic, giving the dragon slayer enough time to stack herself with enchantments.
In a blur of blue, she was upon him. Her speed and power, increased once by her enchantments, were further enhanced by focusing air around her fists and feet. Her first attack dissipated into a smoky after image, but Rufus, whose brain wasn't working as fast due to the lack of oxygen, wasn't quick enough to avoid the follow through. Her fist smashed into his cheek, sending him rolling down the street.
He stood gingerly, fingertips dusting over the injury he had just been dealt. He could already feel his face swelling. "It seems I have underestimated you. It matters not. You cannot win against me. The dragons have long since been forgotten. I will take you out and wipe them from everyone's memory! Memory-Make: Sword of Frozen Black Lightning!"
Black lightning descended from the sky, freezing into spikes of ice wherever it struck.
When the weather cleared it showed that Wendy had withstood the storm, emerging unscathed. She stood defiantly before her enemy as her hair slowly bled to from blue to pink.
"How can this be?" he muttered. "A mere dragon slayer, best me? Inconceivable."
Mavis cheered loudly with the rest of her guild as Wendy proceeded to prove that dragons still roamed the skies, or at least they did wherever she was near, unleashing a ferocious tornado. Her unexpected victory over Rufus eliminated Sabertooth from the game, firmly landing the former champions in third place for this year's Games. The only non-Fairy Tail competitor standing was Nobarly from Quatro Cerberus.
Once his predicament was announced by Mato for all to hear, the long-nosed man practically surrendered, throwing himself at the first person he found. Gajeel clubbed him soundly over the head with an arm he turned into metal.
"What a finale, folk!" exclaimed Chapati. "In the end it comes down to the two teams from the same guild. I give you this year's victors: Fairy Tail!"
Fairy Tail A: 89 pts
Fairy Tail B: 84 pts
Sabertooth: 82 pts
Lamia Scale: 63pts
Mermaid Heel: 40 pts
Quatro Cerberus: 25 pts
Blue Pegasus: 25 pts
Raven Tail: DISQUALIFIED
The cheers from the crowd were deafening. While the two teams could have continued to duke it out to determine which team was the ultimate victor, from the Games standpoint, it ended as soon as Fairy Tail was the only guild left, regardless of the fact that both teams were still standing. There would be a celebration in their honor at the palace tonight, a banquet for all the guilds that made it to the final eight.
With the Games finished, everything was drawing to a close. Whatever Zeref was planning, time was running short. They had some downtime tonight, before the banquet started. Enough time to heal and bandage their wounds so they appeared as if they hadn't been to war for the last several hours.
"It ended exactly as you predicted." The princess's voice was a mere whisper. "How long until the dragons attack?"
"You have until the eclipse starts. The totality will last an hour. From 3 in the morning to 4. That is when you must open the Gate."
Hisui donned a regal bearing like one would wear a cloak. "I must see to the final preparations. I'll trust you'll be there when it is time."
As usual, it was not a question from the young monarch. Zeref bowed at the waist, excusing himself from her presence. "I would not miss it, your highness. I've been waiting for this moment longer than you can imagine."