Chapter 88

Parley

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

"Flashback"

"Magic"

Location/Date/Time Change

"You did well to take notice in that short instant." Neinhart confessed. "Indeed, this is the manifestation of your historia… a wizard you all hold in your hearts. I can see inside them, your hearts, I mean. I gather all those emotions and give them form once more. I am a creator of life in a way."

Simon started turning into a glowing powder as Kagura rushed forward, tears in her eyes. "Control yourself! It wasn't really him, just an illusion!" Jellal shouted.

"Move!" The swordswoman angrily yelled back.

"Illusion is a bit of misnomer…" Neinhart declared, holding up his hand as it glowed. "You saw it yourself. I can create life forms which use magic. Living beings with memories and feelings…"

Jellal rushed forward and tackled Kagura as a massive blast tore through the ship, sending them both to the ocean. Neinhart snapped his fingers and Erza turned around just in time to block a sword strike. "You're here."

"I bet you thought our paths would never cross again." The assassin asked.

"Ikaruga of Trinity Raven… a dangerous flower." Neinhart declared.

The two started trading blade strikes before Erza was pushed back, holding her cut shoulder. "You're not the warrior I remember from years ago." The construct chuckled. "Perhaps time has dulled your edge."

"It's her wounds, nothing else." Erza froze at the voice from behind before turning to face Azuma. "The Erza I fought was powerful and fierce. So which is it: did you lose your strength, or are you just hiding it!?"

Erza jumped back from rising vines before Ikaruga struck again, forcing her to dodge from multiple attacks before vines exploded in front of her face. Both illusions attacked at the same time, sending her crashing to the deck.

"The historia of one who overcame countless powerful foes… how magnificently beautiful!" Neinhart cheered from his vantage point as Kyouka returned, the three ghosts standing over Erza. "Behold! This is my magic... the historia of corpses! With it, I can breathe new life into battles of old! All these souls, who never meet before, all have one thing in common, their interactions with you!

"Now, extend even further! My historia of corpses!" All over the battle field, ghosts of the past returned and started attacking the allied forces. But Neinhart was more focused on the 'show' in front of him. "Show me some quality entertainment! Souls which bloom from the battlefield… go forth!"

'I refuse to die here with you…' Kagura pushed herself out from under Jellal, looking up at the surface of the water. 'Erza needs my help, immediately!' She looked down and stared at the trapped man. 'This scoundrel is responsible for murdering my brother…' Reluctantly, she freed Jellal and swam him to the docks before performing mouth to mouth.

"Dimaria and Wahl were truly pathetic indeed." Neinhart declared. "Observe how handily I have suppressed these weaklings! A simple task for yours truly." The revived trio charged at Erza, who blocked the blades as best she could before getting hit with an explosion from behind. She tumbled on the deck before forcing herself up, summoning a second sword to protect her from Kyouka's claws.

The demon and Ikaruga swung their metal apparatus before Erza looked up, a shadow blocking her light. Jumping at Azuma, she kicked him in the face only to find him smiling back. "That's more like it!" He cheered before punching her in the gut, sending her crashing to the deck.

Kyouka rushed forward and swung her claws, cutting her gut and sending her back into Ikaruga. A single strike of her sword cut Erza's side as she stumbled back into another explosion from Azuma. Erza crashed to the ground as Neinhart looked down at her. "That spark in your eyes… You will surely become someone else's historia in the near future. Yet another beautiful corpse…"

"Tie her up." Kyouka ordered Azuma. Vines rose up and held Erza up by her wrists and ankles. "This brings us back, doesn't it Erza? How fondly I remember our time together. Would you like another less in my love and care?" Her claw glowed before it turned into a whip and struck the red head, making her cry in pain. "Isn't this a wonderful trip down memory lane?" She asked, holding Erza's face.

"I've had enough of this little reunion…" Erza declared, blood dripping from her wounds. "There was indeed a time when you three stood in front of me, blocking my path. You were all fiercely powerful foes… however, you all tasted defeat by my hands and lay before me!"

"Silence!" Kyouka swung her whip again and again but Erza never flinched.

The red head merely glared at the three, a wave of magic and malice streaming off her. "Begone, departed spirits, unless you wish to taste my blade once more." The ghosts of her past faded into smoke and vanished from sight, shocking Neinhart as her bindings disappeared.

'My historia… they cowered in fear and vanished!' The invader thought to himself. 'That woman… scarlet hair, this power… it cannot be… Lady Irene's…'

"Erza!" Kagura and Jellal rushed forward as the girl slid next to the red head, the man staring in shock. "Your injuries! Stay with us!" Kagura froze as she felt Jellal staring up at Neinhart, anger in his eyes.

"It seems, there's one final sin I need to commit." He declared as the sky opened up above the ship, showing the void of space. "May the seven stars bring judgement upon you!" He placed his hands together as dots in the sky started glowing.

"We've already seen your historia today!" Neinhart declared, Simon reappearing in front of him. "Simon! Your old friend, the one you murdered after all he'd done for you! You can't do it again, can you!?"

In blinding speed, Kagura jumped up and slashed her 'brother'. "This thing… is not my brother!" She shouted, the copy of Simon smiling at her resolve. "Jellal, strike him down!"

"Grand Chariot!" Seven beams of starlight shot down and obliterated the ships, blasting Neinhart into the water. The sun returned to the sky as Erza leaned over and smiled at the sunset.

Fairy Tail Guild Hall

"That's it!" Natsu declared as he slammed the table. "I'm gonna meet that guy in the middle and kick his butt!"

"Are you talking about August? There's no way you can beat him!" Macao replied.

"I'll go as well!" Lucy added, Happy nodding as well.

"I cannot agree to this…" Makarov said.

"You want me to just sit around and wait until he comes here!? What's the point if we're just gonna fight any way?!" The Dragon Slayer asked, butting heads with the guild master.

"If we're fighting the strongest of the 12, we have to be ready!" The elder snapped back.

"He's not the strongest. It would be more accurate to say he's one of the strongest." Everyone looked over to see Brandish walk forward, arms crossed.

"How the hell did you escape from your cell!?" Macao shouted in horror.

"She didn't. I let her out." Natsu answered, stunning everyone. "She's been pretty cool, ya know?"

"Wait, there's someone as strong as he is?" Lucy asked her would be killer.

"Exactly." Brandish nodded. "August is powerful, hardly anyone in the 12 could compare to him. But there is another that could rival or even surpasses him. If August is the strongest man, then she is the strongest woman. Irene Belserion, a wizard also known as 'The Scarlet Despair'."

"So, I see you've finally come around and are willing to share information with us." Makarov surmised.

"This is a one time deal." She replied. "I'm a citizen of Alvarez first and foremost, I simply cannot betray my homeland. And that is exactly why I refuse to become your ally in any way. That said, I'm in debt to Lucy, and for that reason I'm willing to negotiate with August for you."

"Negotiate?" Natsu repeated.

"Excluding Irene, there's no mage in existence who can stand up to August." Brandish explained. "One is known as the 'Calamity', the other 'Despair'. In Irene's case, we share no personal relationship and thus there is nothing I can do to stop her. As for August, I've known him since I was young, as a result, I may be able to persuade him to pull back."

"Master! You can't just believe her words!" Mest shouted. "This has to be part of her plan to escape!"

"Believe me or don't. It makes no difference to me." The Alvarez native replied.

"I believe her." Lucy spoke up, shocking Mest.

"Then it's decided." Natsu said, slamming his fist into his palm. "I'll be the one to beat the crap out of August!"

"Are those ears just for show!?" The blonde asked, slapping his head.

Hargeon

Erza groaned as she slowly opened her eyes, resting in a bed. "You've finally awoken." Kagura cheered as the red head pushed herself up. "Relax, you mustn't overexert yourself."

"Your wounds were terribly deep, so it will take a bit of time for you to fully recover." Wendy explained from the side, holding Carla. "But there won't be any lasting damage."

"Everyone…" Erza mumbled, looking around the room. "W-what happened on the battlefield?!"

Gray smirked as Millianna tackled Erza into a hug. "We took back Hargeon!" He declared. "Jellal and the others are still chasing out the rest of the Alvarez troops, but at this point, it's just a matter of time before they're taken out."

"I see…" She replied with a soft smile.

"For the time being, we're going to return to the guild." Juvia explained. "We're worried about everyone back at the guild is fairing."

"In that case, I too shall…" Erza groaned as she pushed herself up.

"You can't! You still need time to rest!" Kagura shouted as she pushed her 'sister' back onto the bed.

"I do not have that luxury." The red head replied. "What became of Laxus?"

"After fighting two intense battles back to back, he's down for the count." Wendy chuckled.

"Erza…" The swordswoman turned to find a blushing Kagura. "I… I'm not sure how ro put this but… please forgive me…" She grabbed the redheads face and pulled her in for a kiss, shocking the entire room. "Please accept my apology…" Kagura explained, leaving Erza even more confused.

Chelia sat out on the roof looking over the city at night. "Are you feeling alright?" She turned around and found a shirtless Lyon walking forward.

"I'm fine!" She replied with a smile.

"That sure was …rash of you." He declared, making her smile fade.

"I'm such a klutz, aren't I?" Chelia sighed out, tears in her eyes. "I went and lost my magic for good…"

Lyon sat down next to her and pulled her in. "That may be, but I'm confident you gained something even more valuable in exchange. Your future, and everyone else's."

East of Magnolia

"This August guy… I gotta wonder why kind of wizard he is…Natsu chuckled as walked along the road.

"Don't do anything to test him, okay?" Lucy questioned. "We're here to negotiate with him. Think of this as for Lisanna's sake."

"You'd be obliterated before you even knew what hit you." Brandish warned from the back of the group. "August is kind and warm hearted, and the most reasonable of the 12. However, he's also quite loyal. His loyalty to the emperor will be hard to sway."

"If that's the case, how do you plan to negotiate?" The blonde questioned.

"No idea." The lackadaisical answer stunned Lucy.

Natsu glanced over his shoulder and stared at a tree. "You can't hide, Mest. I know you're there."

His words stunned both the blonde and the spy. "What did you expext!? You two can't actually trust that woman."

"I already told you, didn't I? She's not a bad." Natsu replied, shocking the memory mage. "So, are we really walking to this guy? Cause I'm telling you right now, I'm not taking a carriage!"

"I don't think anyone would take us in this war." Lucy declared.

"I know what we can do." Brandish confessed before Happy suddenly ballooned into a giant, shocking the Ishgar wizards. "Seems like we can ride him now. This tremendous big ball of fluff!" She cheered as she hugged the cat's leg.

Happy leaned down and picked up Lucy in his hand. "I have a feeling I'm the coolest cat in the world right now!"

"Try ice cold!" Natsu cheered.

Magnolia

Fairy Tail Basement

A battered Mavis stood over the exhausted Cana, panting on the ground. "Not good enough. You have to stop holding back. Use your full power and destroy this false body."

"It's not that simple…" The brunette replied. "You're not just a thought projection, you're my friend. There's no way I can actually try to kill you!"

"Then think of it this way. You are not trying to attack a comrade, you're trying to save the rest." Mavis replied.

"…alright, one more time." Cana declared, standing up and aiming her arm.

Northern Fiore

"Sting! Snap out of it!" Gajeel shouted as he pulled the blonde off the cross. Around him, a battle had broken out between Fairy Tail and the troops.

"Gajeel…" The guild master groaned out. "How… how is everyone else?"

"We're here to help you all, so get your ass up!" He snapped back.

"I'm… I'm so goddamn pathetic!" Sting shouted in annoyance.

"Yo, metal head!" Nicholas shouted, causing the other Dragon Slayer to look around.

"What the- the snow…?" Gajeel mumbled.

"It's melting away." Levy realized as the ground turned to grass.

Two massive figures slowly walked forward and caused Sting to freeze. "Damn it! Goddamn it!"

"They've got three monsters on their side…" Rouge groaned out.

"Ain't that a coincidence…" Gajeel chuckled as the siblings transformed. "Cause we've got seven monsters and a genius over here!"

The army charged the group and the battle broke out, Fairy Tail acting a front guard for the recovering guilds. "Snap out of it, Sting…" Rogue told the sulking guild master.

"I couldn't do a damn thing…" The blonde mumbled in his hands. "I'm supposed to be the master of our guild…"

Minerva suddenly grabbed his hand, pulled him up, and slapped him across the face, shocking the rest of the guild. "You're the master now, and that means you need to act like one! It's your job to encourage us to be better, not sulk in a corner. Only you can do this…"

Sting hung his head before grabbing her hand. "Thank you, m'lady." He turned to the rest of the guild and raised a fist to the sky. "Listen up! If you can move, then stand up and follow me! It's time for the tigers to hunt!"

The rest of the guild charged back into battle with a cheer. Minerva waved her hand and space exploded around her, a smirk on her face. "These fiends made our master cry, they deserve no mercy!"

A single cloaked figure walked forward onto the battlefield, causing everyone to run from them. Iron spikes suddenly shot forward and pinned them to a tree. "I'm gonna make you pay for what you did." Gajeel declared.

The figure laughed as he looked up, showing red skin. "You have touched death…"