Chapter 91

The Winter General

"Speaking"

'Thoughts'

"Flashback"

"Magic"

Location/Date/Time Change

The group looked out over the cliff, the sheer number of enemies overwhelming. "There's the guildhall, but…" Lisanna nervously mumbled.

"We're gonna have to fight our way through." Gray declared, earning a nod from Juvia.

"It's obvious we're heavily out numbered, so we can't charge in without a plan." Erza stated. "That being said…"

"Don't worry! We'll have back up before you even now it!" Natsu declared, gripping Lisanna's hand. "No way these guys can stop us!"

"Agreed. When the others get here, we'll push harder until we reach the guild." The redhead continued.

"The First is surely waiting for us there." Juvia pointed out. "Which means Zeref is probably with her."

Gray slammed his fist into his open palm. "So who's gonna beat Zeref first?"

"Me, obviously." Natsu chuckled. "LET'S GO!" The seven charged forward at the army as he pulled his fist back. "Fire Dragon King's Destruction Fist!" The explosive punch tore through the army as the group soon unleashed a barrage of spells.

"Are they really attacking with just a hand full of people!?"

"They must be insane!"

"Enough blabbering! Use our numbers and take them out!"

A tornado shot out of the sky as Wendy and Carla flew over the battlefield. The rest of the guild soon joined the fray, as did every single available wizard from Ishgar. "We got this!"

Eight dragons of pure energy suddenly shot out of the center of the battle, taking out the army before the traitorous God Serena landed before them. "This is as far as you buffoons go! A god has descended upon you!"

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"Who is this joker?" Natsu asked, angering the former Wizard Saint.

"Purgatory Dragon Blazing Hell!" Flames shot out of his hand and headed straight for Natsu's open mouth. "Oh, then how about this? Sea King Dragon Water Envelopment!" Water then shot out of the other hand, splashing then somehow burning anything it hits. "Now die."

His eyes turn solid black before a beam shot out of the mouth, creating a massive explosion. As the dust settled, most of the guild found themselves completely fine. "What happened? My spell… shattered?"

Natsu looked through the mist as a hulking figure stood between them and God Serena. "Yo."

"Gildarts!" The guild cheered in joy as the Ace of Fairy Tail and the Strongest Wizard stared daggers at each other.

"I'm feeling hungry…" Gildarts spoke up. "I'm going back to guildhall. So stand aside, boy."

"So he finally came back!" Gray cheered. "The old geezer is as reliable as ever, huh?"

"You can say that again…" Erza chuckled.

"What sketchy back alleys were lurking around this time whole time?" Cana joked.

"Cana, you're so friggin' adorable!" Instantly, her father was hugging her.

"Hey, give it a rest!" She snapped back, trying to pull him away. "Don't forget that there's an enemy staring you right in the face!"

"Oh, you're right." He pulled away and glared back at 'God Serena'. "Thing is, I can't sense the kind of magic power a living human would have. If he was alive, he'd be a force to be reckoned with. But the way he is now, he's nothing but a small-fry."

"Blathering like a mindless idiot is common when faced with the might of eight dragons!" The corpse declared before the two reached each other and delivered a head butt, the magic power creating a shockwave.

As the dust settled, Wendy glanced over to fine a shaking Romeo. "Are you alright?"

"I… I'm not, Wendy. Not even close…" He replied. "I charged in so passionately at the start, but… this is just too much… The sheer number of enemies staring us down… It's terrifying! My legs have been trembling from the beginning…"

Wendy reached out and gripped his hand, a massive blush on her face. "I'm sure deep down everyone is scared. We just need to rely on one another and give it our all!"

Sand whipped around the field as Ajeel stared down the army. "Wither up and dry away! And bring out that stone user!"

"I've got this!" Elfman shouted as he charged forward, his body transforming into a tattooed horned being. "A little sand won't leave a scratch on a Sandbeast!"

Ajeel chuckled as he swung his arms down. A pit of sand opened up beneath Elfman before Lisanna flew down. "You could stand to lose a few pounds, Elfman!" She teased.

More and more wizards joined the battle as Minerva and Rogue intercepted 'Wahl' and 'Bloodman'. "We can't let Fairy Tail have all the fun, can we?" Minerva teased. "Let's show these invaders what tigers can do."

"Everyone's fighting with all they've got to make it back to the guild!" Natsu shouted, Romeo watching his idol in amazement. "Come and get some!"

'God Serena' was pushed back in horror, Gildarts smirking at the expression. "It's a real shame, I always wanted to see which one of us would be the last man standing when you were at full power." He pulled his arm back and channeled magic into his fist. "Crushing Evil, Spreading the Truth: Empyrean!" The fist hit square in the chest, blasting the former human back through the army. "Let's pick up the pace, people!"

"Forward!" Natsu shouted before the guild charged at the army. Clenching his fist, Romeo charged forward next to Wendy with renewed vigor.

"CHARGE!" Erza shouted, leading the guild coalition through the gap. She transformed her armor and swung a massive blade, causing the native army to cheer.

Gildarts jumped into the air and slammed his fist into the ground, cracking the earth and pushing up the land. "Watch out! You're gonna take our guys out too!" Cana shouted in annoyance.

Natsu roared as he rushed to the army, his group behind him. "Fire Dragon Roar!" He unleashed a torrent of flames only to find it frozen solid as soon as it left his mouth. "Gray!"

"I didn't do anything!" He snapped back. "It's weird. The air is changing…"

"I'm freezing…" Lisanna mumbled mid shiver.

A blast of cold wind hit the five, greatly annoying Natsu. "Time to turn up the heat!" Fire erupted out of the ground and burned in the wind, only for it to suddenly freeze in place. "No… way…" Ice crept onto his body he was completely frozen solid.

"Natsu! Juvia! Lisanna!" Gray called to his allies, catching the bespectacled man's attention.

"Seems you're resistant to cold…" The Alvarez general declared coming to a stop

Gray charged forward and prepared a spell, only for ice to suddenly crash into him. The blue clad man waved his hand and Gray was sent flying into a wall. He then posed his hand and ice exploded around Gray. "I'm Invel Yura, the Winter General. A title I earned for obvious reasons. You may handle the chill, but I bring winter itself

'How can this be happening…' Gray thought in a panic. 'I actually feel cold…'

Fairy Tail Guildhall

Mavis winced in pain as Irene held her hand over the freed body. "Poor little creature. The thing that set you apart was your intellect, and that's been stripped away…" Magic flowed off her hand as Mavis panted. "Invel's Ice Slave spell robs a person of their sense of self. Your inner voice, muffled like under a thick sheet of ice."

Off to the side, Zeref watched the event unfold. "How long will it take to complete the separation enchantment?"

"You understand more than anyone that this girl has a special power." The Scarlet Despair reminded her emperor. "This won't be quick."

"I just wish to keep her suffering to a minimum." He replied.

This caught Irene by surprise. "I never imagined you express such sympathies, your majesty. This may come across as insolent, but I mean no disrespect." She glanced over her shoulder and glared at Zeref. "You won't beat Acnologia with mercy, only cunning and force. He is the epitome of darkness, the true dragon king."

Zeref stared back at her before walking away. "You have a gift for speaking truth. I'll take my leave."

'Someone… please… defeat Invel.' Mavis begged inside her head. "Before I fade into nothing…"

Neinhart nervously walked up from behind, stopping far away from the table. "Lady Irene…"

"Clearly, I'm a bit occupied, Neinhart. Can't you wait to tell me what your problem is?" She replied.

"It's about Erza. I found her." His words caught her attention as the spell died. "What do you advise I do? I felt that I should consult you before acting."

"Kill her." Irene declared, shocking the memory mage. "You know I don't enjoy repeating myself."

"But my Historia has proven ineffective on her…" Neinhart declared.

"Then you go fight her yourself." She replied, turning to the other member of the Twelve. "Remember who you are…"

With Gray

The two ice users stared each other down before Invel waved his arm. "Shield!" A flower of ice blocked an attack before Gray slammed his hands together. "Ice-Make: Ice Impact!" A massive hammer of ice crashed down on Invel, who blocked it with one hand.

"Ice creation magic, I see…" The bespectacled man mumbled. "It's no wonder you have an affinity for the cold." Gray watched as the hammer shatter to pieces. "I use Ice Magic in a more absolute sense. Not creating objects from ice, instead freezing everything to its core. This 'Maker' magic you wield is a mere derivation of true ice magic. I can shatter your spells with barely any effort."

"Is that so? Then what about this?" Gray asked as his Devil Slayer mark overtook his arm. "I got it from my father. It's the power to slay demons, like E.N.D.!." Invel, momentarily surprised, could only watch as Gray rushed past him. "Ice Devil's Zeroth Long Sword!" A dark blade of ice sliced into Invel before it exploded.

"This cannot be… Demon Slayer Magic?!" Invel questioned. 'He can use it to create powerful ice weapons… but it seems as if it's taking something away from him. Perhaps this power robs one of their humanity…' A smile crossed his face before he held his hand. Ice and snow shot out of his palm before a massive blizzard overtook the entire country.

'I don't care how cold it is. I won't let him freeze me!' Gray declared.

"I believe you have what it takes to be one of us." Invel declared, confusing Gray. "Surely you must have realized this, but your heart is filling with darkness. Magic grew from the darkness, the abyss of sorcery. This is why his majesty uses it himself."

"You do know that means you admit to being the bad guys, right?" Gray asked.

"Good and evil are beyond what our side is." Invel replied. "Darkness is a force that exists inside everyone, regardless of your creed. It's strong in you, you can barely contain it."

"I'm getting sick of your yapping…" Gray growled back, clenching his fist. "If you knew me at all, you'd know I was never a 'white knight' to begin with. I'll protect my family by doing whatever I gotta do!

"You tell'em, Gray!" Both ice users turned to see Natsu break through the ice, his heat melting the ice around the others as well.

'Natsu managed to melt my ice…' Invel thought to himself with a smile. 'I guess it makes sense, given his origins…'

"Lemme warm up first!" Lisanna declared, her body glowing before a large hand to suddenly wrap around her. "What the!?"

Another hand grabbed Natsu and Happy, lifting them up to Brandish's hip level. "What the? Brindish!?" Natsu asked in shock.

"I'm taking what's rightfully mine." She declared before marching away, the couple literally in her grasp.

"Get back here!" Gray shouted at the giant. Invel took the opportunity to wave his hand, a pair of shackles and chains around the necks of Juvia and Gray. "What the… my head… it's spinning so fast…"

"Ice Lock." Invel declared. "A spell that constrains the mind, turning you into willing puppets. You two will now fight to the death. You have zero say in the matter." Gray pulled at the chain, trying to break it. "That chain will not break until one of you lies dead."

"Like hell we will!" Gray suddenly dropped the chain as his eyes glazed over. "My… head…"

"This is perfect. I know Gray will emerge from this fight.' Invel thought with a smirk. 'The moment he kills his friend the darkness will take over.' The two guild mates stared at each other as snow fell around them. 'His Majesty won't be the one to defeat E.N.D. It's you, Gray.'

'No, I refuse!' Juvia clenched her fist as she pulled on her end of the chain. 'I can't hurt the love of my life! While I still have some control, I'll have to kill myself!'