Chapter 90

Twisted Land

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

"Flashback"

"Magic"

Location/Date/Time Change

"Did Magnolia and Crocus somehow merge?" Natsu asked staring up at the castle.

"But the guild's not here!" Happy shouted from above. "It's like the rest of Magnolia disappeared!"

"Is this someone's spell?" Lisanna mumbled as Natsu turned his head.

"Wait… That smell…" He declared, sniffing the air. "Someone's here…" Rounding the rocky corner, Gray and Juvia walked out, the ice user carrying a heavily wounded Erza. "Gray, Juvia!"

"Natsu…" Gray begrudgingly mumbled.

"Happy and Lisanna, too!" Juvia cheered.

"Is Erza okay?" Lisanna asked, looking at the redhead.

"Yeah, she's pretty beat up, though…" Gray replied. "We were on the way back to the guild when this happened."

"That's all well and good, but we've got no idea where the guild went!" Natsu pointed out. "This is gonna suck!"

Mercuius

"What monstrous strength…" Arcadios groaned on the ground as he stared at tall, voluptuous woman with thickly braided, bow-adorned, scarlet hair standing over him. Donned in a risqué version of the typical witch's garb, her black top has a diamond-shaped opening, exposing a portion of her breasts, and a heart-shaped pattern around the borders. It extends down to the naval of her stomach where it meets a large angular scar, is draped over by a dark-colored cape with a light-colored inside and two medallion gold-like ornaments, and is held together by a golden chain.

Not left bare, too, her neck is decorated by other small cloth-based accessories, including a wide bow. Additionally, the woman wears an elongated black loincloth with the symbol of the Alvarez Empire emblazoned on its front, having white borders on its edges and being connected to another cloth piece with the very same heart-shaped design. She also wears black thigh-high boots with heels that have a white-colored border near the top and gloves of the same color and design, only having claw-like extensions. Her black witch's hat is much larger than her head and possesses dreadlock designs with white bandaging near its ends and a fur lining near its edges.

Irene smirked as she walked over the beaten army, forcing the king in front of Hisui. "I beg of you! Do whatever you wish to me, but spare her! Spare my only daughter!"

The redhead merely smirked and waved her hand, hitting Hisui with a spell. In a puff of smoke, the girl was replaced by a small green mouse. "Can you still love, even in form?" She asked, hatred in her eyes. "Love her despite the fact that she's a disgusting rodent?"

"Yes, of course!" Toma shouted, holding the mouse close. "No matter what she may look like, she's still my daughter! Hisui, I promise I will get you back to normal somehow…"

The sick smile on her face faded as her staff started glowing. "A waste of time…" A sense of magic caught her attention and she rushed over to the window, her eye glowing.

"Natsu, see that?" Happy asked, making everyone look upwards. A massive eye was hovering over the land, scaring everyone.

"Scarlet hair…" Irene mumbled in shock. "It couldn't be…"

Makarov's enlarged fist slammed into the ground and forced the soldiers back. "How can they're be so many!"

"We just gotta keep fighting!" Lucy shouted, Taurus swinging his axe behind her.

"I just hope Lisanna and Elfman are okay…" Mirajane mumbled, kicking a soldier in the face.

"Just try and keep up!" Jet shouted before the ground suddenly tripping, a white substance caught on his boot. "What is this stuff?" A black cloth wrapped around his leg before throwing him away.

"Who are these losers? So weak…" A girl in white teased.

"Irene Squad has entered the fray!" A ninja like girl declared before more soldiers charged into battle.

"We need to get back to the guild fast!" Cana shouted. "The first is…"

"I know! But I got no clue where it is!" Warren snapped back.

The girl in white dived at Mirajane and Lucy, forcing them to jump back. "What the-?" Mirajane questioned the gluey substance before black bindings wrapped around her.

"Hey! No fair!" Juliet shouted. "You stole her from me!"

Mirajane transformed and ripped through the bindings before blasting the two invaders with magic. "Lucy, go and help the others." She ordered. "I'm more than enough to handle these two."

"Right." The blonde nodded and ran back to the guild as the smoke cleared.

"Staring down Heine and Juliet of the Irene Squad…" The ninja girl spoke up. "You really think you're enough to best us?"

"Hey, why do you get top billing?" Juliet questioned before jumping into the air, throwing magic mucus at the model.

"This mucus… it's burning my skin!" Mirajane shouted before getting kicked in the face. Rolling along the ground backwards, she pushed herself up as the two stared at her. "Guess it's time to use the ace up your sleeve." She mumbled, her body glowing as she transformed. "Satan Soul: Mirajane Algeria!"

"What is that!?" Juliet shouted in shock of the new form.

"After our battle with Tartaros, there were plenty of souls ripe for the taking." Mirajane chuckled, licking her lips. "So I went and devoured them all." Instantly charging forward, she grabbed the two and slammed them face first into the ground, creating a massive explosion. As the smoke started fading, Mirajane's body returned to normal. "The one drawback is it consumes a massive amount of magic power…"

She glanced over her shoulder and watched the smoke clear. "I'm asking politely, so please don't stand back up." The model watched as the girls faded away and a pair of swords were left in the ground. "An enchantment technique… To think there would be such a fearsome mage among the enemy's ranks…"

A sudden pulse of magic appeared behind her, freezing her in place. "So you've meet my little ones… seems you've had quite the introduction."

'Her magic power… it's terrifying…'

Irene waved her hand and black bindings shot out of the matching sword, pinning Mirajane to a rock. The Scarlet Despair then snapped her fingers, causing mucus to fly out of the white sword and splash onto Mirajane, burning her skin. "You will not go gently into that good night. Let me begin by taking that flawless, beautiful skin and tearing it into ribbons. When I'm done, you'll be nothing more than a lump of meat."

"Irene..." The red head turned her head to see August and Brandish walking up. "Can't control your extreme desires, can you?"

"It's been a while since we crossed paths" Irene said, walking over to the two. "And you have Brandish with you. You've certainly grown."

"Why did you cast Universe One without His Majesty's permission." The Wizard King questioned.

"I had been confronted by Acnologia." She answered. "That was a battle I could not be drawn into. So I choose to expel the Black Dragon, and send our Lord to Fairy Tail all at once. I don't believe this is the time for lectures…"

"The Twelve are to assemble and confer with His Majesty about what to do next." August ordered, much to Irene's annoyance. "You would defy my order as the leader of the Spriggan 12?" The two stared at each other as Mirajane froze in fear from the sheer amount of magic power.

"Very well, I'll honor your request." Irene sighed before glancing back at the model. "However, this girl hurt my little one's. So I cannot let her live."

A beam of pure magic energy shot out of Augusts finger, puncturing Mirajane's chest and destroying the rock behind her. "She won't be a bother anymore. Are you satisfied?"

Mirajane dropped to the ground as Irene smirked. "A rather merciful move from someone like you. Very well, shall we?" Brandish stared at the model before turning away and following the two.

As the waves lapsed against the shore, Lucy ran along the shore. "Mirajane!" The blonde cried out as she rushed over to her downed guild mate. Picking her up, tears almost fell from her eyes before Mirajane started coughing up blood. "You're alive!"

The model felt her chest, finding the hole in her chest had shrunk in size. "Brandish… did she…" Shaking her head, she turned back to Lucy. "We have to get back to the guild! The Twelve are gathering!"

"Are you sure this is the way to go?" Yukino asked, walking in between Elfman and her guilds Exceeds.

"No idea." He replied, pushing a branch out of the way. "It just feels like the manly thing to do."

"That's encouraging…" Lector mumbled.

Rustling leaves caught their attention and they turned to see Angel walking out into a clearing. "Sister?" Yukino asked.

"Yuki… no?" Angel questioned, shocking the males.

"It is you… isn't it?" Yukino mumbled, making Sorano huff.

"I have no sister…" She declared, turning around.

"What are you saying? Of course you do!" Yukino shouted. "I've been searching for you ever since those awful men came and attacked our home! No matter what happened, you always protected me… I loved you more than anything!"

"Like I said… you've got the wrong person." Sorano replied, angering Yukino. "You don't have a monster like me for your sister. My little sister is a kind, decent human being! She can't be mixed up with someone as awful as me! If I ever atone for all my sins, I'll come back and give my sister the biggest hug in the world!"

Yukino wiped a tear from her eye as she smiled back. "Just knowing she's alive… is enough for me."

"Mira… Lisanna…" Elfman mumbled. "I hope you're okay…"

Dimaria crawled along a wooden bridge, still bound to her chair. "Sorry, but we can't let you escape." A man said, grabbing her leg. "It's nothing against you, but if you got away, we'd never hear the end of it from Olba."

A white glow suddenly covered the two before they started screaming in pain. "Fire! Put it out!" One man shouted before jumping into the river below.

"Bugs! Bugs everywhere!" The other one cried out, scratching his skin off before tumbling onto the rocks.

"I've come for you, Dimaria." The blonde looked behind her to see a pale blonde man walking forward.

"Larcade Dragneel…" She mumbled in annoyance.

Fairy Tail Guildhall

Zeref and Mavis stared at each other, hatred for each other in their eyes. "It's been about a hundred years since we last meet like this." Zeref said. "I could still feel your voice… even your very being that entire time…" An icy wind blew forward and suddenly Mavis was trapped in an ice shell of her own body. "Cease this at once, Invel."

"Your majesty, although I sympathize with your relationship with this girl, she is the embodiment of Fairy Heart itself." His adviser reminded him. "If she were to turn that power against us…"

"Mavis understands better than anyone that Fairy Heart is a spell which absolutely mustn't be used under any circumstances." Zeref declared. "Even if it was for the sake of killing me, she wouldn't dare activate it."

"But your majesty-"

"Mavis was trapped inside a crystal for an eternity, unable to move a single muscle in her body." The Emperor continued. "Stealing her freedom once again, after she has finally been freed, it pains my heart."

Invel and Zeref stared at each other before his follower nodded, shattering the ice around Mavis. Before she could even take a step forward, a collar of ice was latched around her neck. "I shall refrain from binding her body. Therefore, I have taken the liberty of binding her mind."

"I suppose I must settle for that." Zeref said, walking towards the door. "Mavis, could you follow me?"

The blonde slowly followed behind against her will, looking out over what was once Magnolia. To her horror, the entire Alvarez army was surrounding the guild, the Spriggan 12 at the guild hall itself. "Your comrades are making their way back her in order take back you and the guild. I wonder, do you think they have what it takes to break through our defenses?"

"Come to me, Fairy Tail. I shall not let you see tomorrow." Zeref declared.

Erza looked out over a cliff at what was once Magnolia. "Our guild, once surrounded by a warm lively town, is now wrapped beyond belief. It looks so cold and isolated." She glanced behind her at her sleeping guild mates. "Sleep well for now, dear friends. This may well be the last dawn we ever see,"

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Natsu declared as the others started waking up. "We're gonna bust in there and take back our guild! We'll see a new tomorrow, no matter what!"