Chapter 87
Salamander Rising
"Speaking"
'Thoughts'
"Flashback"
"Magic"
Location/Date/Time Change
Fairy Tail Guild Infirmary
Lucy and Happy looked over the sleeping Natsu, concern on the Exceeds face. "It'll be alright. I'm sure he'll wake up soon." The blonde said.
Outside the room, the guild started cheering in joy. "Another one of the enemy's beacons disappeared!" Warren reported.
"Then there's onky seven left!" Droy declared. "We might actually win this!"
"Such children…." Makarov mumbled, turning to the spirit next to him. "What's wrong?"
"East…" Mavis replied. "The Spriggan 12 in the east aren't moving. That's the unrest I'm feeling…"
The door to the guild was pushed open, catching everyone off guard. "This is a pretty neat guild…" A man declared. "The sweet smell of liquor, absorbed into the wooden walls of this place."
"Who are you!?" Mest questioned in fear.
"One of the Spriggan 12, Jacob Lessio from the Alveraz Empire, at your service." He answered, shocking the guild as he placed his hands together, a bright light filling the guild. By the time it died down, Mavis looked around and found herself completely alone in the building. "There's one more… a ghost I see…"
Mavis froze in fear at the statement as she glanced behind her. 'The only people who can feel, hear or see are those from the guild.'
"There you are." Jacob fired a bolt of magic from his fingers, hitting Mavis as she screamed in pain. "So you're this Fairy Heart the Emperor has been talking about. Tell me, where is your body?" Mavis groaned in pain as she crawled on the floor, trying to escape. "Tell me!" More bolts fired and hit the astral body, blood flowing from her leg. "I'll return your guildmates if you tell me."
"BACK OFF!" Lucy suddenly kicked the man in the back of the head, sending him crashing through tables. "Are you okay, First?"
"Impossible… my magic should have covered the whole guild…" Jacob groaned out.
Lucy and Happy grinned smugly as Lucy waved her hand. "We have the protection of the spirits."
"If you had disappeared like everyone else, you wouldn't have to go through something like this…" The assassin declared, throwing a knife from his coat.
Lucy braced for impact, only for the metal to suddenly melt. "Maybe I should turn you to ash instead." Natsu declared, having finally woken up. He charged forward and unleashed a flaming kick. Jacob blocked the foot before pushing back and punching the pyromancer in the gut. Flipping in the air, Natsu jumped off a support pillar and returned the favor.
Jacob gasped for air before quickly grabbing Natsu by the neck and slamming him downward. "Quit wreckin' the guild hall!" Natsu shouted, only to find his foe gone. "He vanished?"
"What about the sound of his footsteps, or his scent?" Lucy asked.
"No use, I can't feel his presence at all." Natsu confessed.
"Try harder." Jacob declared, slamming his elbow into the back of Natsu's head. The pinkette turned to fight, only to again find nothing but air. "Stealth… complete transparency… that is the nature of my magic. It also allows me to see what cannot be seen. Like this ghost girl, for example." Natsu turned around just in time to see him disappear from on top of Mavis.
"He hasn't vanished into thin air, we just can't see him." Lucy realized as she pulled out another key. "Loke!"
"I'm on it!" The spirit appeared and crossed his arms, creating a blinding light. Jacob shielded his eyes before Loke rushed forward, punching the stealth user back.
"Now you're in my way…" Jacob growled before throwing his arms up and down. Natsu and Lucy cried in pain as it felt like sharp blades were thrown against their skin. "Did you think I could only hide with my power?" A crack hit Lucy before Jacob vanished.
Instantly appearing behind Natsu, he forced the pyromancer to the ground and pinned him in place. "Starting now, I'm going to make your life a living hell." Forcing his head up, Natsu watched as the clothing on Lucy started to fade away, leaving her in her underwear. "Behold, a lithe female in nothing but her undergarments. I bet you're embarrassed by this, right? Don't play coy with-"
"Hate to break it to you dude, but Lucy doesn't do anything for me anymore." Natsu interrupted. "It's a Dragon Slayer thing."
"WHAT!? How can you say something so shameless!?" Jacob asked in shock.
"Better yet, why is your face like that?" Lucy asked, the contorted look on the assassin's face confusing her.
"What do you mean? It's improper for a gentleman to look at a woman in this state!" He replied. "Of course I'd look away."
The two were stunned by this before Happy struck Jacob in the back of the head, freeing Natsu. The pair both kicked the invader in the face, forcing him back. "You dirty brats… you've got some damn nerve, provoking a dignified grown man." He rushed forward and kicked Natsu back before sweeping the leg out from Lucy.
Jacob vanished from sight and struck the pair repeatedly, annoying Natsu. "Where's he hiding?" He growled.
"There's more pain in this world than you could ever imagine, you punks best not forget it." Jacob whispered from behind Lucy, kicking her to the ground. "Those 113 mates of yours I captured… I think it's time they start dying."
"Please don't!" Mavis begged.
"We've crossed the line. Violence is the only option left." The assassin declared.
Lucy's eyes went wide before pushing herself up. "Wait! You accidentally sent one of your friends away! Brandish with them, too!"
"Was she?" Jacob held up his hand and an orb suddenly appeared over it. "Brandish! And that wanker as well? If I took 'em out, Dimaria would never let me hear the end of it… right, out ya go."
The two people appeared on the ground, the male still in chains. "Mr. Jacob, you saved our lives!" Marin cheered, only to find himself staring at himself. "There's another me!?
"Gemini!" Lucy declared, holding up a golden key.
"If you're bringing out Gemini, why not just have them copy Brandish?" Happy asked.
"If the mage in question is too strong, not even Gemini can turn into them." Mavis explained.
"I had another reason to do this." Lucy smirked. "Do it!"
"Space Commandment, Activate!" The clone declared before the entire hall started glowing. "Wait…" The transformation faded, showing the two in their true form. "Now gonna disappear too!"
"That's all part of the plan." The blonde declared. "This will render all Spacial Magic ineffective!"
"My 'Transport'!" Jacob shouted, glaring at Lucy. "Damn you, woman!" In a flash of light, the entire Fairy Tail guild hall reappeared before him. "Enough of this nonsense! Off to the pits of hell with the lot of ya!" He clasped his hands together, only to find that Happy was suddenly between them.
"You've got some nerve, attacking the First Master…" Makarov growled, pulling his fist back. "You should show some respect to your elders!" His fist enlarged before he punched the invader clean through the guild hall wall, sending him flying and bouncing on the lake behind it. The master then grabbed Natsu and threw him out the hole. "Finish him off!"
Natsu smirked through the air and grinned as the water in the lake under them started bubbling and turned to steam as fire surrounded Natsu. "Fire Dragon King Mode!" He declared, deep crimson flames gathering around his arm. Once the battered and beaten Jacob was in reach, he threw his fist forward as hard as possible. "Fire Dragon King's Detonation Fist!" Smashing into the jaw of Jacob, Natsu sent him flying over the evaporating lake and into the nearby horizon.
Brandish once more sat on the floor of her cell, looking away from the trio at the bars. "Hey, I heard you really saved my ass before. Thanks!" Natsu chuckled.
"There was no need for you to go back to your cell, though." Lucy replied.
"I never would have expected Jacob to get taken out." The invader confessed. "Now I've come to understand the weight of the Emperor's words when he said not to make light of this enemy." His words caused a smile on Natsu's face. "But this is as far as you go. The month of fear approaches, and so does your doom."
Above them, the guild was in a scramble to repair the massive hole Makarov had punched into the hall. "How are things looking out on the battlefield, Warren?" Max asked the telepath.
"It looks like the radar is busted, but I don't think the Master did it…" He confessed. "There's some powerful jamming at work here. Someone is completely nullifying the radar!"
"Now that you mention it, that bastard did say someone messed with the markers…" The sand user mumbled. "August, he said."
"So, August has his sights set on us…" Makarov spoke. "The man called 'The King of Magic'."
"Then it's exactly when we need the first's wisdom to-" Max turned with a smile, only to find air. "Where'd the first go?"
Fairy Heart
"I never would've thought there was a place like this below the guild." Cana confessed as she walked next to the spirit.
"Come to think of it, I suppose this is your first time see it…" Mavis chuckled as they stared ar the large crystal. "What you're seeing is my true body, the eternal magic Fairy Heart."
"And that's what Zeref is after?" The brunette questioned as they stopped in front of the gem.
"Yes…" The projection answered. "From witnessing Jacob's magic, along with Natsu and Lucy's retaliation against him… I've finally devised it. A stratagem that will defeat Zeref once and for all! I cannot divulge the details just yet, but for the time being, we must remove my body from this Lacrima."
"How are we supposed to get it out?" Cana asked.
"Fairy Glitter." Mavis replied. "We will cast Fairy Glitter, and use its power to destroy this thought projection."
"Wha- what the hell are you sayin? Are you telling me I have to attack you!?" The drinker shouted. "It's too dangerous! I could-"
"Cana!" The first master cut her off. "We have no choice but to take this wager! It's all for the greater good of defeating Zeref!"
Zeref stood before his slightly diminished troops, clad in brand new clothing. "We shall now resume our march on Fairy Tail." Invel declared. "The fact that we suffered an attack from single enemy soldier, a boy no less. As such, it is unwise of us to make light of their power. Of the Spriggan 12, six members have already been defeated."
His confession sent a wave of fear among the troops. "However, that is no reason to be anxious. So long as we have the power of immortality, his majesty, on our side, our army shall not know defeat! Now march, children of Alvarez! Deliver the Fairy Heart to his majesty's hands!"
The army cheered in unison as Zeref looked up. 'All my doubts are cleared. Natsu… Mavis… I shall extinguish your lights once and for all…'
Northern Fiore
Snow fell around the fighting force as Nicholas knelt down, feeling the earth shake. "They're here."
"Looks like we won't be able to meet up with Saber and Pegasus…" Elfman mumbled.
"I hope they're safe…" Levy whispered. "They're marching right at us… what should we do?"
"Do I really have to say it? We start kicking some ass!" Gajeel chuckled. "We keep them in check here and don't let them get another step closer to the guild!"
"Let's do this!" Brianna shouted as they prepared to fight.
The army marched forward and the group watch in horror as they saw the other guild wizards tied to stakes like trophies. "Saber and Pegasus… completely wiped out!?"
Hargeon
Jellal, Kagura and Erza raced onto the ship only for darkness to cover the vessel completely. Instantly, something hit the three and knocked them to the ground. "Dark Instant… brings back memories, doesn't it?" The trio pushed themselves up and found themselves staring at Simon, seemingly still alive.
"No, this is an imposter." Jellal declared, angering Kagura.
"Impressive…" The three looked up to the mast and found a man wearing only green sitting. "What you're seeing is your 'Historia'. A tale of love, friendship, family, betrayal and death. What a sordid, wonderful Historia indeed…"