The Demon Eyes of Fairy Tail

by Michael Shadow

Itachi is given a second chance at life for an unknown reason. He is sent to Earthland where he ends up in the tower of heaven, meeting a certain little red haired girl that becomes his little sister. Join them on their adventures with the Fairy Tail guild. Rated M just in case. I don't own Naruto or Fairy Tail.

49. Dragneel!

Chapter 48: Dragneel!

A never-ending tunnel of darkness, seeming to lead nowhere. With only an unbearable heat filling the atmosphere, the air itself felt like it was on fire. The dark void made the same sound as that of a raging fire, the sound of flames flickering from every corner. Along with the flames, were the echoey sound of footsteps. Walking through this dark hot landscape, was Natsu Dragneel. His body starting to grow dragon scales, as even his fire dragon slayer body was starting to sweat from this heat. The dragon scales acting as protection to keep his body from overheating.

Igneel had told Natsu to go down this path, if he wished to discover who or what he really was. A Dragon? A Demon? Or a human? Was he E.N.D or Natsu Dragneel? He was determined to find out, even if this heat nearly made him wanting to give up, Natsu's determination kept him marching on forth. He had come too far to turn back now.

The deeper he went, he started hearing faint whispers all around him. Natsu groaned as he pushed forward. "I'm Lucy, nice to meet you!" The whispers from the cave had taken him back to his first encounter with Lucy, but he needed to go deeper. "Maybe someday I could be your real wife." The whispers of a childhood memory with his friend Lisanna followed next. "Sorry Natsu, maybe next time." The whispers of Itachi when Natsu challenged him to a fight. "Natsu, huh? I'm Erza Scarlet, welcome to Fairy Tail." Whispers of his first encounter with the iron woman of the guild, and one of his best friends Erza. "He's like a little blue ray of happiness." The whispers took him back to the day his partner Happy was born. "Happiness, huh? Well, then I will call him Happy!" The younger version of himself declared. "Aye!" The newborn Happy said his first word which would become his catchphrase. "Huh, the hell you looking at flame brain?" The whispers of his best friend, Gray followed next.

"Ugh!" Natsu grunted as the heat not only increased, but a sudden intense surge of wind blew through threatening to blow him away. Natsu planted his feet firmly, and struggled in the face of this wind.

"Do fairies really have tails? Do they even exist? Like them this place is an eternal mystery… A never-ending adventure." Through the intense wind, Natsu still heard the memory of Makarov's speech loud and clear.

"You call this wind? Compared to Wendy's roar, this is nothing…" Natsu smirked as he kept marching forward. And before him, a pair of red glowing lights in the shape of eyes, letting out a monstrous growl.

Meanwhile, back on the battlefield. Itachi narrowly avoided Obito who charged at him through some rubble. Mystogan countered the reanimated Uchiha however, using A series of layered magic circles from his staffs, to reflect Obito's fire jutsu straight back at the Uchiha. But Obito merely phased through the fire with the use of Kamui and with a powerful kick launched Mystogan into the air.

Itachi was right, fighting against Obito was a lot harder in the outside world than it was in the Kamui dimension. But with the right timing and precision they could manage. "Itachi can you hear me?!" The voice of the guild's telepath Warren rang inside Itachi's head, causing him nearly to slip up in dodging an attack from Obito. 'Warren, this isn't the best time!' Itachi replied with his thoughts. "Oh, right… Well, I just thought you might like an update, since you are the guild master and all…" Warren timidly responded. 'Very well, go on.' Itachi kept his focus mainly on Obito, but he would listen to Warren's update. Itachi heard all about the attack on the guild, which he was already aware of due to having gotten his clones memories who was taken down by Yuri Dreyar. Itachi learnt how the battle went, learning that Mavis was now released from the crystal, and defeated Precht and Yuri with ease.

Itachi leaped over an incoming fireball from Obito. 'Very well, I shall trust the first master and her wisdom… What's happening on the other battlefronts?' Itachi ducked from a slash attack from Obito wielding a chakra rod. The two engaged in intense hand to hand combat. "We've lost Hargeon to Dimaria of the Spriggan 12. Kagura's squad has regrouped with the squad in Magnolia to hold them off. But, we're still heavily outnumbered on almost all fronts. Jellal's squad is the only one which actually now has the Alvarez army outnumbered." That wasn't a surprise, seeing as the Edolas Fairy Tail had come as their back up. And with the alternate version of himself on the battlefield, Itachi could imagine the damage they have dealt to the Alvarez Empire here down in the southern isles. 'Very well, could you add Mest to this call?' Warren without hesitation heeded Itachi's request, and patched in Mest to their call. 'Mest, it's Itachi here. I have an order for you.' Itachi avoided a series of flying chains being shot towards him, as Obito summoned them from the Kamui dimension.

"What is it?" Mest replied without any hesitation through the call. 'I need you to divide up the Edolas Fairy Tail members, summon them on other battle fronts. We need more warriors up north and in Magnolia.' Itachi could hear the nervous gulp from Mest on the other end, it would require a lot of magic power on his front to teleport so many at such a great distance. 'Not to worry, I have given the medics on each squad some replenishing Ethernano pills. They should help you manage.' Itachi replied, having used Porlyusica's help to create more Ethernano replenishing pills based off the ninja chakra replenishing pills he had back in his old world. "R-Right, I will get right on it." And with that, the call ended and Itachi could return his focus on the battle itself.

Meanwhile, the forest in Magnolia was experiencing a mighty strong heat wave radiating from Natsu's body. Porlyusica was nearly out of ideas, all of her medicine all of her equipment had either evaporated or melted from Natsu's intense body heat. The unconscious pink haired dragon slayer was tossing and turning in bed, with his friends and companions Lucy and Happy at his side.

"Natsu…" Happy cried, he couldn't get too close to Natsu without feeling like he was burning up. Lucy's skin was even beginning to look a little bit sunburned.

"Come on Natsu… wake up." Lucy used her Aquarius Star Dress to create water and pour it onto Natsu. It did little good, as the water nearly instantly evaporated upon contact with Natsu's skin.

Lucy was so occupied with Natsu's condition that she didn't even notice some of her celestial keys were jiggling around in her belt. However, the little blue feline next to her noticed. "Huh?" Happy eyed the keys of Cancer and Capricorn on Lucy's belt, they both looked like they were being pulled in one direction. "Lucy…" As Happy called out, both the golden keys were flung off from Lucy's belt and flew straight out the window.

"What the?!" The sudden tug she felt on her belt from her keys flying off, gained her attention. Next, they hear what sounded like the slicing of blades, and before their very eyes Porlyusica's house was sliced up to bits. Two familiar figures standing there radiating a golden aura. Both Capricorn and Cancer stood ready to battle from the looks of it.

"Cancer?! Capricorn?! What's going on?!" Lucy looked completely caught off guard, true sometimes her spirits would appear by themselves but something felt different.

"L-Lady Lucy… I'm sorry but we can't resist!" Capricorn spoke through gritted teeth.

"E-Even though she died, our contracts are still valid?" Cancer looked just as shocked over having been forced to attack his current contractor.

"Huh?" Lucy gasped seeing a third figure walking out from between the trees. And the broken key of Aquarius was flung towards this figure as well. "Hey! Give me back my spirits!" Lucy jumped out from the broken house, with Happy closely following.

"Yeah! They are Lucy's spirits!" Happy glared at this newcomer, although then the feline looked confused. "Huh…? T-Two Lucy's?"

Lucy was trembling, her eyes wide like saucers and her mouth gaping in disbelief. "N-No it can't be… mom?" Lucy spoke in a barely audible whisper. Standing before them was the late Layla Heartfillia, in all her glory. Just like Lucy remembered her from their family photos. Looking like a real high society lady.

"Lucy?" Layla looked astonished at seeing her grown up daughter, clutching onto their family photo and all the letters Lucy had written her. All which she recovered from Lucy's now broken apartment. "I can't believe it… it really, is you?" Layla smiled. She would cry if she could but Lucy seemed to have that part covered. Tears began running down Lucy's face.

"B-But how are you here?" Lucy took a step closer, although to her surprise Capricorn jumped in and struck her "Argh!" Lucy cried as her body clashed into a tree.

"Lucy!" Layla cried out. "Eh? N-No! G-Get out of my head!" Layla dropped everything in her hands, clutching onto her head, she was resisting Neinhart or attempting to, at least. "You monster! I won't! Get out!" Layla shrieked to the heavens. Her mind was burning up as Neinhart kept telling her one thing.

"Kill them! Kill them!"

"N-No! Arghhhhhhhhh! Get out! I refuse to harm my daughter!" Layla struggled, but to no avail. By Neinhart's command, he had Layla command the two spirits to attack.

"Lucy!" Happy aimed to grab Lucy out of harm's way, although quickly realized that only Capricorn went for Lucy. Cancer was going for Natsu! "No, Natsu!" Happy looked torn between Lucy and Natsu. Both looked to be defenseless, or so it seemed.

"Happy! Go to Natsu!" Lucy, in her Taurus star dress caught onto Capricorn's fist and threw a swift right hook into the goat spirit. "I got this!" At the same time, Lucy summoned the giant perverted bull. And Taurus blocked Cancer's scissors with his giant battle axe.

"Mooooo!" Taurus with a mighty heave sent the crab spirit flying. Cancer landed onto a tree, and took a giant leap towards the giant bull.

"Ebi!" Cancer weaved from Taurus battle axe and slashed his scissors at the giant bull. "Hope you like your cut, ebi?" Fur fell from Taurus' body, leaving just enough fur to make it look like he was wearing a bikini.

"M-Mooo! Totally not cool Cancer!" Taurus appeared to be blushing with embarrassment.

Lucy gave a battle cry as she jumped at Capricorn, their fists connecting causing mild tremors. "Lucy Kick!" Lucy took a small leap into the air, and delivered a drop kick to Capricorn. The goat man blocked the kick with his forearm, although his knees buckled a bit under the pressure, and the ground even sank into a small crater. "Capricorn, what's going on?! Why are you and Cancer suddenly attacking?!" Lucy questioned whilst she and Capricorn were locked in a fist fight.

"It seems with Lady Layla revived, our contract to her is still valid. By the rules of the Celestial realm, we cannot disobey her." Capricorn delivered an elbow strike to Lucy, sending her skidding back a few feet.

"What about your contract to me?!" Lucy questioned and rushed at Capricorn, delivering lightning-fast jabs at the goat man who looked like he barely could block them all, yet he somehow managed.

"Normally we would have been unable to disobey both of you. However, Layla has a special ability that made her one of the greatest Celestial wizards to have ever lived. The Ruler, a special magic ability Lady Layla invented. She could take control over the mind and bodies of Celestial Spirits, and force them to bend to her will. That is how I found myself serving under her, it worked wonders for Aquarius. Lady Layla was able to tame that wild mermaid in a day's time." At hearing this, Lucy was naturally shocked, especially because that meant. Lucy suddenly found herself dodging the battle axe of Taurus, taking a flip over the axe and drop kicking the cow man upside his head.

"Mom, you forced Celestial Spirits against their will?!" Lucy questioned in shock, her Celestial Spirits were like her friends, and now she learnt that her mom took control over them.

"Not exactly… I created that ability for a reason." Layla looked down and sighed, she had no idea how to explain it.

Capricorn interjected, attacking along with Taurus. "Lady Layla needed all the Zodiac keys for a family project that had been 400 years in the making. However, due to certain circumstances she failed…" Capricorn took a jump back from Lucy, giving Taurus his opening to swing his axe at her. Lucy took backflips to avoid the heavy blows from two of her heavy hitter spirits.

Meanwhile, Happy was flying around with the unconscious Natsu at max speed trying to avoid the slashes of Cancer. "Lady Layla didn't force us into the contract, she did however test her ability on us. She did it on me and my former master who she defeated in combat. After the battle, I was given to Layla who was declared the superior wizard." Cancer revealed, as he kept jumping after the flying feline carrying the unconscious Dragon Slayer.

Lucy looked somewhat relieved, although what was this family project Capricorn was talking about? And why was she not aware of it? Lucy was too engrossed in her own thoughts, that she didn't notice Taurus bringing his axe down on her. Lucy acted quickly and caught the axe before it hit her. "Star Dress Mix: Taurus x Capricorn!" Lucy's top was replaced by a black closed vest and her cowbell replaced with a black tie. Her strength and agility having been boosted, she pushed Taurus back and moved around him to deliver a spin kick to the side of his head. Taurus was sent flying straight through several trees.

"What is this?" Layla looked astonished at seeing Lucy's Star Dress ability. "She can mix them?" Layla couldn't be prouder at seeing her daughter's growth.

Lucy while midair, swung her whip down on the ground causing the earth beneath them to tear open in an explosion. "Such power…." Porlyusica herself looked astonished at seeing the level of strength Lucy was putting on display.

"The Ruler." With a twirl of her hand, all the remaining zodiac keys on Lucy's belt were flung into the air. Loke, Virgo, Scorpio, Aries, Sagittarius and Gemini all appeared around Layla. "I see… Aquarius is dead…" Layla noticed first now the broken key of the water bearer spirit. "Star Dress: Aquarius Form!" Layla's Aquarius star dress looked exactly like Lucy's only it also had a gorgeous ocean blue vail decorated from her shoulders, and around her hips.

"The hell is going on? Why can't I move my own body?!" Loke found himself asking, even the leader of the Zodiac spirits was unable to resist Layla's "The Ruler" spell. Loke's hands glowed in a brilliant golden glow, and he rushed towards Lucy. "Lucy! Look out!" Loke warned. "Regulus Impact!" Lucy just in time managed to duck, and deliver a swift backhand strike to Loke.

"Sorry." Lucy apologized.

"Heh, no problem… hardly felt it." Loke smirked trying to act all macho even as blood dripped from his lips.

"You have been busy Lucy… to have gathered so many of the Zodiac spirits." Layla looked amazed at seeing the number of spirits that had formed a contract with Lucy. Layla raised her hand at Lucy, feeling the energy of Aquarius flowing through her very being. "Aqua Metria!" A tsunami wave of water was unleashed towards Lucy, this amount of water would probably even flood the entire forest.

"Star Dress Mix: Scorpio x Sagittarius!" Lucy's outfit changed into a mix of her Sagittarius Star Dress, with only the tail of her Scorpio Star Dress added to the mix. Lucy aimed the metallic scorpion tail towards the incoming wave of water. "Sand Buster!" The tail shot out a spiraling whirlwind of sand, the dry sand clashing against the moistening water. Lucy then also aimed her bow and arrow into the air, seeing all her spirits coming in for an attack. "Star Shot!" Lucy's bow fired off multiple golden energy arrows. The soaring arrows clashed with the attacking spirits, although some of them didn't let themselves get stopped so easily. Loke smacked the arrows aside with his Regulus power, Scorpio unleased a sand whirlwind to block the arrows, Virgo began spinning like a drill and the arrows only bounced off her.

With a quick turn of her tail, Lucy redirected the sand whirlwind towards the attacking spirits, blinding them a bit and giving the arrows a chance to clash into them and explode. Lucy had to quickly direct her sand whirlwind back towards the still incoming water. The water was being absorbed into the sand, and the sand was moistening and weakening. She couldn't hold back the water forever. "Happy! Drop Natsu!" Lucy called out to the blue feline.

"Aye!" Happy swooped down with Natsu, his heat radiating body causing the water to evaporate upon contact with his body. There were certain pros to this, with Layla's unending supply of magic power the water was never ending so Natsu's body got to cool off. And with Natsu evaporating almost all of the water at once with his body heat, the forest wouldn't get flooded.

Lucy however, was still alone in the battle. Appearing on each of her sides were Aries and Loke. "Wool Explosion!" Aries created a massive cloud of pink fluffy wool, blinding Lucy's sight. "Regulus Impact!" Attacking Lucy from her right was the roaring head of a golden lion. The lion clasped its jaws onto Lucy, the Celestial Wizard crying out in pain as she was dragged away by the golden lion. The lion dragged her up into the sky and exploded with her.

Lucy's body was twitching from the pain, when suddenly metal chains wrapped around her body like snakes. "Sorry princess!" Virgo looked conflicted, yet she was compelled to continue with her attack. "Diver!" Virgo began spinning her body like a drill, and crashed the bound Lucy hard into the ground.

"Dammit! Once I find this guy behind this reanimation spell, I will kill him!" Loke cursed at his own weakness for not being able to resist this spell. How dare they use Lucy's own mother against her like this? These Spriggan 12 were despicable! Loke couldn't stop trembling with anger, he tried his best to fight it, and he wasn't the only one. All of the Zodiac spirits present were struggling to regain control.

"Princess…" Virgo carefully called out, seeing Lucy laying there in a hole in the ground. Her body not moving, and blood pouring over her face from a small cut on her forehead.

"Lucy…" Layla like the spirits was boiling with rage over being forced to fight Lucy like this. But Lucy was never Neinhart's goal anyway. Taurus found himself suddenly standing over the unconscious Natsu, wielding his battle axe.

"Moooo! Natsu! Wake up! Please! Wake up and kick my ass back to the spirit realm!" Taurus pleaded with the unmoving fire breather. Taurus then closed his eyes as his body moved on its own, swinging his battle axe down on Natsu. But to Taurus surprise, he suddenly felt his axe feeling lighter than before, and the handle was hotter. "M-Moooo?" Taurus opened his eyes, seeing the head of his axe having melted, the sheer body heat from Natsu seemed to have turned it up a notch.

"Wow… the heck?" Loke looked in disbelief, he a spirit was sweating like crazy from the sheer heat unleashed by Natsu.

"Kill Natsu Dragneel!" Neinhart's voice rang through Layla, who couldn't help but widen her eyes a bit. "Natsu Dragneel?" She knew that name. But before she could continue her train of thought, she had Loke jump at Natsu to deliver the finishing blow.

"Regulus Impact!" Before Loke knew it, he unleashed his attack at Natsu's unconscious body. Natsu may be able to melt weapons, but no way was he melting an energy blast. "No! Natsu!" Loke called out to his friend.

"Lion Maiden!" An echo coming from the ground bellow rang through the forest. Followed by the sound of rumbling, and multiple light pillars exploding out from the ground beneath Layla and all the spirits. The ground beneath them exploded, as a massive pillar of light, rivaling Cana's Fairy Glitter in size and destructive power rose from the ground.

Layla's upper body burnt away from the impact, well the left half anyway. "Lucy?" Layla uttered as her body was regenerating itself. Standing at the center of the now massive crater, that even swallowed up the remains of Porlyusica's house. Luckily Happy had swooped in and taken Porlyusica out of harm's way. Pebbles of rocks rained down around her, Lucy was standing tall and firm. In her Star Dress Mix Leo x Virgo form. Six brilliant glowing fairy like wings of light sticking out from her back. And in her arms, was the still unconscious Natsu. "I'm fired up now…" Lucy took a page out of Natsu's book, her body unleashing a massive amount of magic power. She wasn't done just yet. Laying on the ground was Aries, Taurus and Cancer all knocked out from the looks of it. "Rest up…" Lucy said as her three unconscious spirits vanished back to the spirit world. Seems even Layla's "The Ruler" spell couldn't prevent spirits from retiring to the spirit world.

"Lady Lucy, splendid form as always." Capricorn complimented, although was quickly forced into action. Sagittarius acting as Capricorn's support shot multiple energy-based arrows at Lucy. Lucy readied herself. "Diver!" Using Virgo's own spell, Lucy drilled herself into the ground and out of sight. The arrows hit the area where she stood and exploded in a brilliant light.

"She vanished?" Sagittarius blinked, and coming up from the ground behind him was Lucy. Her right leg glowing in a brilliant light.

"Regulus Lucy Kick!" Delivering a spin kick, Lucy launched Sagittarius into the air. The horse man gaping as the wind was knocked out of him when he collided with a tree. Thus, retiring him back to the spirit world.

Capricorn sprang towards her aiming for an elbow strike to Lucy's face, yet due to her constant training with Capricorn predicting his fighting style was easy enough. Even with Capricorn's speed being superior to Lucy, Lucy was able to dodge all of his quick jabs. "Regulus Gattling Impact!" Pushing Capricorn's left arm back, Lucy unleashed a flurry of blows at Capricorn. Multiple golden lions flying into the goat man, bombarding him with a series of explosions.

The bruised and battered Capricorn was now free falling, smiling and giving Lucy a thumbs up for a job well done. Then Capricorn as well vanished into the spirit world. "Incredible… she beat Capricorn in hand-to-hand combat." Layla was continuously amazed by Lucy's growth. Loke, Scorpio, Gemini and Virgo all gathered together and attacked Lucy simultaneously.

"Piri piri!" Gemini turned into a recent threat to the Fairy Tail guild, into Ajeel of the Spriggan 12, though not nearly at Ajeel's level of power Gemini was still dangerous in this form. And together with Scorpio they unleashed a massive sandstorm towards Lucy.

Virgo drilled herself into the ground, probably aiming to flank Lucy from behind. Loke just charged along with the sandstorm. Lucy countered Loke's attacks blow for blow. The ground beneath her started to collapse, meaning Virgo was coming. "Princess!" Virgo attempted to warn Lucy as she popped up behind her.

"Thanks! And sorry!" Lucy ducked causing Loke's next punch to hit Virgo instead. Lucy then drilled herself into the ground, and allowed the sandstorm to blast into Loke and Virgo. "One more time…" Lucy panted as she hid underground. "Lion Maiden!" Unleashing the mighty attack once again, with pillar of lights coming up from the ground around the remaining spirits, followed by the towering exploding light pillar carrying them.

Lucy climbed out from the ground in the aftermath of the explosion. Lucy held onto her knees that were threatening to give in, she was out of breath and panting. Her Star Dress form vanishing, leaving her in her normal clothes. Lucy gasped however, as Virgo, Scorpio and Gemini had vanished but Loke was still standing. Loke however, smiled, his suit ruined and covered in bruises. "Nice job babe." Loke then vanished to the spirit world as well, which made Lucy breathe a little sigh of relief.

"Huh?" Lucy found herself restrained, arms of water holding onto her limbs. Lucy followed the trail of water towards her mother, who was regenerating once more from that last blast. "No way… I was sure that…"

"Lucy… I'm sorry… I-I can't-" Layla was trembling, she couldn't believe she was forced to harm her own daughter.

"I know mom…" Lucy sounded defeated. She knew her mom was just being controlled by a member of the Spriggan 12. Lucy could tell just how much this pained her mother, and how much she was struggling to resist Neinhart's control. "I've missed you…" Lucy wept tears, and Layla gasped, if she could cry, she would.

"I've missed you too baby, you and your father." Layla was trembling, as in her hand formed a sword of water. "I-I won't…! I won't hurt my little baby do you hear me monster?! You can rot in hell!" Layla roared to the heavens, cursing Neinhart who just cackled in the back of her mind.

"Oh yeah? And what are you going to do? You can't resist my control. And there is no one here to stop me!" Neinhart cackled, forcing Layla to raise her hand with the water sword, aiming at Lucy. "Kill this pest! And then kill Natsu Dragneel!"

SLASH!

Lucy gasped, her eyes vibrating and tears running down her cheeks as she looked at her mother. "M-Mom?" Lucy uttered. Stabbing through Layla's chest was what looked like a golden spear. Layla herself looked shocked, her body was lifted off the ground and tossed aside.

The golden spear then shrank back into that of a hairpin, and walking out from the shadows followed by a massive pressure of power Lucy was familiar with. "Layla Heartfillia and Lucy Heartfillia…" Stepping out from the shadows, was Brandish, with a menacing smirk spread across her face. "Two birds with one stone. I will kill Lucy and make you watch." The sight of the Country Demolisher, caused Lucy to tremble with fear.

The water restraining Lucy vanished and she fell to the ground, nearly out of magic power, and now standing before one of the mighty Spriggan 12. Layla picked herself up, the hole in her chest regenerating and closing itself up. All that it took, was one good look at Brandish and Layla recognized her immediately. "You are… Grammi's daughter? You're Brandish, aren't you?"

"That's right, and I'm here for revenge." Brandish coldly declared, as her incredible power created so much pressure that neither Lucy or Layla could stand. Happy even fell from the sky with Porlyusica.

Porlyusica stared in disbelief. "Such a frightening level of magic power… is this one of the Spriggan 12?" Happy was even trembling, this was bad, really bad. Happy looked over to the still unconscious Natsu. "Come on Natsu, what's taking you so long… you have to wake up. Lucy needs help…" Happy was worried for his friends, worried for Natsu and Lucy's safety. Just what was going on with Natsu?

As the battle raged on within the forest of Magnolia, Natsu was walking aimlessly within his own mind. The dark space around him, surrounded by a thick foggy mist. Natsu didn't even know which way he was going, but at the same time it didn't even seem to matter. The further he walked, the clearer the whisperers he heard around him.

"Ah…" Natsu gasped as he heard a child's laughter. It felt so familiar, he walked towards the source. He was drawn to it. Breaking through the fog, Natsu was met with a wooden door. Natsu looked to a wooden platter nailed to the door that read "Dragneel". Natsu panted a bit, as he heard what sounded like the collective laughter of a family. Natsu felt his heart beating as he reached for the doorknob, his breathing growing incoherent almost like his body wanted him to run away, to forget about the door. Feeling a deep pain in his chest as he slowly twisted the doorknob. He was scared of what he would find on the other side.

Natsu took a deep breath in, and pushed the door open. Overcome with a bright blinding light, Natsu closed his eyes as they stung. Natsu pushed through, and walked right in. And then the light died down, and Natsu's nose suddenly picked up a scent. A delicious scent he felt he hadn't smelled in a long time. In fact, he was at first shocked as he couldn't recall this scent. Natsu opened his eyes and was met with the sight of a family of four, sitting at the dinner table. The source of the smell, a hot beef stew that a woman with long black flowy hair tied into a bun, placed on the table.

Natsu was captivated by this woman, her eyes and smile so gentle and kind. And for some strange reason, so familiar. "Who…" Natsu uttered, but of course no one reacted. They couldn't see him, because this was all but a memory of a distant past. But, Natsu couldn't remember this scene playing out before him, and yet it was a memory within his own head.

"Mother, I wish to help set the table." The polite voice of a young black-haired boy approached the woman whilst holding a salad bowl.

"My little sweet Zeref. Always so kind." The mother beamed with a warm smile at the young little Zeref. Natsu was instantly alarmed, this little innocent looking child was the Black Wizard Zeref?

"Daddy! Arm wrestle!" Natsu's head snapped to the other two by the table. And looked absolutely flabbergasted. There sat, a slight younger child than Zeref from the looks of it. A little pink haired boy filled with energy. Natsu was looking at a child version of himself.

"Oh? Wanna go little Natsu? Sure." A man with a short cut pink hair smiled at the young Natsu, placing his muscular arm on the table. The young Natsu did the same, and placed his tiny hand in the big gruff strong hand of his father. The young Natsu snickered and gave it his all to push his father's arm down, which of course didn't budge. His father smiled warmly and chuckled at seeing his youngest son struggle. "Come on little man! You wanna grow up to be a warrior like your old man don't ya?"

"Yes!" The young energetic Natsu declared as his face was turning red from the intense struggle to beat his father in an arm-wrestling match.

The mother gave a sly smirk to the father, who gave a sheepishly chuckle. The father relaxed his muscles, his arm resting to which the young Natsu managed to push his arm down. "Oh! Nice one! That's my boy!" The father snickered and lifted the young Natsu up onto his shoulder.

"Yeah!" The young Natsu cheered as he smiled happily sitting on his father's shoulder.

"Heh…" The older Natsu couldn't help but smile at the sight of this happy family. His family. "Huh?" The room suddenly started to rumble, and Natsu looked to the young Zeref whom was looking out the window with a curious look on his face. Then, Natsu heard the earth-shaking roar of a dragon. Both parents gasped, and the mother instantly grabbed Zeref pushing him away from the window. "Zeref! Natsu Get down now!" Their mother cried as a bright light was seen from the window.

"Huh?" The young Natsu looked perplexed, as his father rushed to push him down to the floor.

The older Natsu gasped, as a fire breath attack blasted into the family home, the whole house exploded and burst into flames. Natsu shakingly walked through the burning rubble, his mother laying crushed beneath the rubble. His father standing tall, but his body was burnt to a crisp as he had attempted to protect his family. "Mommy! Daddy!" The cries of the young Natsu echoed. "Nii-chan!" Natsu called out for Zeref

"Natsu…" The weak voice of the young Zeref called out, to which both young and the older Natsu rushed towards the source. The young Zeref was covered in a few bruises, and breathing heavily. The young Natsu cradled in his brother's arms, crying at the sight of their parents being dead.

"Natsu." The young Zeref gasped, as the young Natsu had a big wooden shard stabbed into his back. The young Zeref panicked, and began crying out for help. But all the other adults from the village, just fled, ran away out of fear for becoming a dragon's meal.

"Nii-chan… it hurts…" The young Natsu cried, his body looking paler. Zeref kept calling out for help, too young to understand what to do to save his little brother. All his crying was for nothing, the young Natsu died before the sun rose the very next morning. The Dragon attacking the village, had somehow ignored the two brothers.

Natsu grunts, holding his right hand to his temple, his mind feeling like it was burning up. The scenery before Natsu suddenly changed. He was in some sort of laboratory. And before him was an egg-shaped container filled with some liquid. And in the egg container, was the young Natsu. The young Natsu opened his eyes, and walking through the older Natsu, was Zeref as Natsu remembered him from today.

A lot of time had passed since their village was attacked by a dragon. Zeref was much older, and already cursed with his immortality. "Finally, after all these years… my little brother, Natsu. E.N.D." Zeref smiled whilst crying tears of joy. "It's me, Zeref. I am your big brother." Zeref hugged the egg container containing young Natsu.

The scene changed ever so slightly, as the egg-container was broken. Natsu looked around, and spotted his younger self carrying a tray of tools. "Nii-chan!" The young Natsu smiled as he handed the tools to his brother.

"Thank you, Natsu." Zeref beamed with joy, as he was dissecting a body of some sorts. The older Natsu gasped as he recognized the body, it was Kisame. His body was hooked up with tubes. And pumping into his body from those tubes, was a mass of darkness contained within a simple jar.

The young Natsu walked around the laboratory, and suddenly stopped before a big egg-shaped container. "Huh?" Tilting his head, the young Natsu stared at the shape within the container. The older Natsu, followed his younger self and gasped as within the container was the body of Itachi. Although, Itachi was younger, and his skin and hair were pale white like when he was in his E form. Young Natsu stared at E with fascination, the eye of the demon of Extinction cracking open, his Rinnegan eye meeting Natsu's gaze of fascination. "Yo! I'm Natsu! Let's be friends!" The young Natsu enthusiastically held his hand out, with a big smile on his face. E merely stared at him, not responding.

"Come now Natsu, E needs his sleep." Zeref grabbed onto the young Natsu's shoulders, leading him away from E, who quickly fell back to sleep. "Besides, it is time for your lessons."

The scene switched to a bored young Natsu sitting at a wooden school desk, as Zeref stood before a chalkboard, with complex sentences written on it. "Nii-chan!" The Young Natsu whined to which Zeref stopped and looked to his younger brother. "I don't understand it…" Zeref sighed, no matter how hard he tried. Natsu refused to learn anything. Zeref's teachings were just too complex, heck even the older Natsu watching this memory didn't understand what Zeref had written on the chalkboard.

No matter what Zeref attempted to teach Natsu, a written word, a spoken word or even a magical chant. The young pink haired boy refused to learn. Zeref's level of intellect proved too much to teach someone like Natsu, who required a simpler form of learning.

Both brothers were currently out in the middle of a field in the wilderness, looking for herbs Zeref required for his studies. Natsu had to pick them, as if Zeref touched them they would wither away and die instantly. Recently Zeref's priced demon, E, had contracted a rare lung disease. Something Itachi Uchiha had died off, it seemed to be resurfacing in E's growing body. Luckily, Zeref knew how to cure it. But the herbs he required were hard to find. Especially the rare Blood Vain Flower. It seemed the flower didn't grow well within an area filled with Ethernano, which was a problem indeed.

The young Natsu happily skipped his way through the field and looking for the herbs his brother had described. When suddenly, he noticed Zeref had stopped in his tracks. "Huh, why am I here again?" Zeref found asking himself, to which Natsu looked worried. He knew his big brother had these, "episodes" where he would act strange, or have certain bad thoughts as the young Natsu would describe them.

"Nii-chan!" Natsu ran up to his brother, who instantly turned his attention to the hyper pink haired child.

"Ah, E.N.D. Lovely, are you here to kill me?" There his brother went again, asking Natsu these strange questions like if he is going to kill him, or when, and calling him "E.N.D". Natsu didn't understand what his brother meant by it, but Zeref had explained to Natsu before that he is a little sick in the head. Which the young Natsu understood, he would get sick every now and then as well. 'Poor nii-chan.' Natsu gave a weak sigh, and grabbed ahold of Zeref's hand.

"Nii-chan, we're here to pick… Uhhh…." Natsu pondered within his mind, forgetting what the word was for these strange plants and flowers. "Ah! Herbs! We're here to pick herbs for E!" Zeref tilted his head.

"Herbs? For E? Why?" Zeref then noticed he was holding a list of certain herbs in his hand, looking puzzled as to why. He had no recollection of why he needed to collect these herbs for E. "Ugh!" Zeref clutched his hands onto his temple, seeming to be in agony. "Wh-What? Argh!" A pulse of darkness exploded from Zeref, as he released a Death Wave, killing all life around him. All the plants, the trees, the animals, all but Natsu were affected by the thick sickening black wave of death.

"Oh… no." Natsu sighed as the herbs he had collected in his basket, were all withering away to dust. Natsu dropped the basket and looked in defeat, he held firmly onto Zeref with his tiny hand and lead him back home to Zeref's laboratory. "Nii-chan, let's go…" Zeref didn't protest, to busy crying over seeing all the animals that had died because of him. Zeref kept muttering apologies under his breath for every animal carcass they passed.

The older Natsu watched the memory in awe, seeing just how close his younger self appeared to be with Zeref. The older Natsu watched the death happening around them, as Zeref with his curse killed all but the young Natsu in his path.

Days went by, and things only seemed to be getting worse. Zeref's curse of contradiction seemed to be slowly driving the Black Wizard insane. The young Natsu would sometimes wake up to the sound of his older brother crying, screaming, laughing like a mad man. Then one day, Zeref said he had someone he wanted to introduce to Natsu.

The older Natsu watching the memory unfold looked in shock, whilst the young Natsu in the memory looked on in awe. Before them, was a massive red scaled fire dragon. Before them was the fire dragon king, Igneel. "This is the little demon, huh?" Igneel for the first time since Natsu knew him, didn't look upon Natsu with love. Rather with some intrigue, intrigue over Natsu's hidden power as E.N.D.

"Wow! So cool!" The young Natsu beamed, the childlike fascination showing in his eyes. Seeing something as big as Igneel, was truly an amazing sight in the young boy's eyes.

"Indeed, this is Natsu. Natsu this is the fire dragon king, Igneel. He will be your teacher as of today." Zeref introduced the two, and Natsu looked on with childlike wonder. While Igneel looked at the boy himself with little interest, although Natsu's hidden power could prove useful to the dragon.

"Anything I should be on the lookout for?" Igneel turned to Zeref, his longtime friend.

"Hmm, Natsu has a rather problem with learning and listening. He is such an unruly child." Zeref spoke with nothing but love for his younger brother, and Igneel just sighed and seemed annoyed. "Oh, you meant anything dangerous?" The dragon in responds nodded. "Well, there is a small chance if he enters his E.N.D form he will go on a rampage. But in his current state, I would say you could manage to handle him just fine~"

"I see, very well. Natsu, was it? From today on, I will teach you Dragon Slayer magic. I shall also teach you about the outside world, and human knowledge to the best of my abilities. I am a rather strict instructor, think you can handle it, runt?" Smoke emitted from Igneel's jaw, the fire burning in his belly. Natsu still smiling with childlike wonder at the challenge Igneel proposed.

"Yeah! Bring it!" Natsu spoke with enthusiasm which seemed to please the fire dragon king.

The memory went on, and Natsu witnessed memories he couldn't even recall having with Igneel. The Dragon would often scold him for getting things wrong, sounding quite harsh. Yet the young Natsu would just brush it off or pout, challenging Igneel to do the same assignments. Which of course made the dragon sweat drop, he was after all the one who made these assignments for the young boy to complete. Was the boy that stupid? Time went on, several hunting trips, several lessons, and the more time they spent together. Igneel was beginning to warm up to Natsu. In fact, he grew quite fond of the little hyperactive pink haired boy. Which made things troubling.

Igneel sat by himself, grumbling. He knew very well what Natsu was. A false experimental demon created by Zeref. Although he and Zeref were friends, well sort of friends. Igneel knew very well what Zeref was, and what his plans were for E.N.D. "Hmm, dammit!" Igneel cursed under his breath, he was getting soft on the little demon.

"Igneel!" The young Natsu called out, dragging a dead boar by the tail with him. "I got lunch!" The young boy smiled with pride, holding his hands in a peace sign.

"…" Igneel stared in silence, as the echoing voice of Zeref rang in the back of his mind. "He is a demon of the book of Zeref, once he kills me, he will die as well." Igneel knew, the boy was fated to die one day in order to save Zeref. But, the thought of such a burden being placed on such a young child. It didn't sit well with the peaceful Dragon King. But at the same time, Natsu was supposed to be a demon, E.N.D, one of the most vicious demons Zeref has created.

"Igneel?" Without Igneel knowing, the young boy had walked up to him and placed his hand upon his tail. "Are you okay?"

"Uhh… Yeah, I'm fine kid. Anyway, hurry and cook your lunch. We'll be meeting the other dragons with their kids soon." Igneel had told Natsu of other human children that had been taken in by dragons, and ever since Natsu had wanted to meet them. So, today Igneel had promised to introduce them to Natsu.

The older Natsu watched his memories unfold, he had never seen Igneel acting so distant. It hurt the young Dragon Slayer a little bit on the inside, although from the looks of it the dragon that he would one day view as a father was warming up to him. The memory changed into that of an open field, Igneel stood together with the young Natsu looking up in the sky. Violent winds blew around them, as several dragons flew in the skies above, their mighty flapping wings sending such powerful winds that the young Natsu was knocked off his feet.

Four Dragons landed around Igneel, one was Metalicana the Iron Dragon. Followed by Grandeeney the Sky Dragon. Weisslogia the White Dragon and Skiadrum the Shadow Dragon landed next. "It's been a long time, fire breather." Metalicana gave a light chuckle at seeing Igneel.

"Heh, watch it or I will burn your metal ass." Igneel threw back with what appeared to be a smirk on his face. Seeing the Iron Dragon and the Fire Dragon interact, truly reminded the older Natsu watching this of himself and Gajeel.

"Settle down boys, the children are here." Grandeeney went in-between the two dragons, she lowered her body as coming sliding down from her feathery wings was a young little Wendy. The little girl giggling happily from feeling the ticklish feathers of Grandeeney's wings. The Sky Dragon looked lovingly at the child, leaning her head forward so the young Wendy could attempt to hug her snout. "This cute little darling is Wendy."

"Hello…" The young Wendy looked a little nervous and timid standing before these other dragons.

"Hmm…" Metalicana hummed, as they all heard what sounded like snoring coming from his back. Metalicana then humped his body a little, and the snoring figure was flung into the air and crash landed into the ground. "This nasty eyed brat is Gajeel." Metalicana introduced, as the young groaning Gajeel landed on his head and slowly fell onto his back.

"Ow! What was that for?! You stupid old man!" The young spirited Gajeel glared at Metalicana who merely sighed and ignored Gajeel's tantrum.

"Hahaha!" The young Natsu started laughing at seeing the young Gajeel having been flung into the air, even the older Natsu watching this memory couldn't help but bust out laughing.

"What are you laughing at pinky?!" Gajeel went up and headbutted the young Natsu, Gajeel's thick skull proving to be even thicker than Natsu's as he was knocked over.

"Owch! What the hell is your problem iron jerk?!" The young Natsu snarled as he threw an upper cut to Gajeel knocking him on his feet.

"Wanna go bastard?!" The two young boys then locked hands and heads, glaring daggers at each other.

"Oh! A fight!" Jumping from Weisslogia's back was a young Sting, followed by a young Rogue jumping from Skiadrum's back. Seeming eager to join these two slightly older boys in a fight.

"The blond one is Sting." Weisslogia introduced with a humorous chuckle at seeing the young boys all looking so lively.

"This one is Rogue." Skiadrum introduced the slight shy and timid Rogue who looked like he wanted to join the brawl, but was a little nervous at meeting all these new people.

The boys were quickly interrupted in their fighting, at the sound of someone crying. They all looked towards the young little Wendy bawling her eyes out. "Please don't fight…" The poor little young girl having been told she would make friends here today, hated seeing them already fighting.

"Ugh!" All the boys stiffened up, neither knowing what to say at seeing a little girl crying. One thing is for sure, they hated the feeling they got from it. "Uhh, w-we aren't fightin'… anymore… uhh…" Little Natsu had no idea what to say, he hadn't seen a girl since his mom died.

"Hmph, and they are supposed to be our hope?" Igneel couldn't help but chuckle, seeing all the boys stiffen up like that from a little girl merely crying. They had a long way to go before these young children would grow up, to become the very warriors that would bring down the dark legacy of their race.

"Hmm, ho, the rest are here." Skiadrum looked up, seeing at least fifteen other dragons arriving, all carrying human orphan children of their own on their backs.

The older Natsu watched in awe, he had no recollection on who these other fifteen dragon slayers were. He just watched the scene unfold, where all the kids introduced each other, ran around playing while their dragons discussed important stuff.

However, to the older Natsu watching the scenery began to change. The cheerful laughter of children, turned into screams of horror. Natsu's eyes widened, the peaceful scenery turned into warzone. The forest was on fire, new dragons had arrived at the scene and began fighting Igneel and his group. Igneel and his other dragons made up a total of 20 dragons, but the ones attacking heavily outnumbered them by at least 50.

"You traitors want to make more like Acnologia?! Like we would stand idly by and allow it!" A large grey dragon covered in scars, unleashed a breath attack that annihilated one of the dragons on Igneel's side.

"These runts will make a fine snack!" A dragon with really long claws, picked up the children one by one, stabbing them onto her claw. Giggling at the sound of their pained cries and pleas for help. Once there was no more room on her claw, she opened her massive jaw and dropped the stabbed children into her mouth one by one. The sound of her teeth crunching on their flesh and bones, along with the quick sickening echoes of their cries as they were squashed in her fangs.

The young Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Sting and Rogue were all cradled behind Igneel, their eyes filled with fear. Igneel unleashed a mighty fire breath attack that incinerated more than 10 enemy dragons. "Natsu! You and the rest climb on my back! Don't leave my side!" Igneel had the remaining children climb onto his scaley back, which consisted only of Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Sting, and Rogue as the rest had been eaten by the anti-human faction dragons. "These are mere children you bunch of monsters! You will burn for this!" Igneel roared as he, Metalicana, Skiadrum, Weisslogia, Grandeeney all charged like a group. Their raging emotions and superior power crushed the other dragons.

Although, the anti-human faction dragons still heavily outnumbered them. Igneel, Metalicana, Skiadrum, Weisslogia and Grandeeney all might be stronger than the average dragon. But even they couldn't take down fifty other dragons by themselves. Their other fellow dragons, had all already fallen along with their human children.

"We'll kill all of you, and those children, and then Acnologia! The Dragons! Own the skies, and the earth bellow! This is our domain!" The leading grey scarred dragon roared, as he and his fellow dragons all charged up a breath attack.

"Looks like you could use some help, old friend." All dragons turned their heads, as a lone human walked onto the battlefield. This human, was none other than Zeref himself. "Sorry, but one of those kids is my beloved younger brother Natsu. And I will not allow any of you to harm him!" Zeref snarled in anger, his body unleashing a sickening black mist of death.

"Heh, a human? What could you possibly do against a dragon?!" The female dragon who ate most of the other orphaned to be Dragon Slayer children, charged at Zeref.

"Human?" Zeref grew a sickening smirk, the smell of death and battle bringing out the darkness in him. As the dragon came close enough, her heart suddenly seized its beating, her eyes lifeless as she crashed to the ground. All the other dragons flinched in shock and looked startled. "I stopped being human a long time ago…"

"Kill him!" The grey scarred dragon ordered, and all the angered anti-human faction dragons charged at once.

"I am neither alive… nor am I dead." Zeref took a step forward, and unleashed a sickening black wave of death. The dragons were dropping from the skies like dead flies all around him. "I am a cursed being…" Zeref smirked, his death energy going to new levels as the dragon corpses around him all began rotting away. The nauseating smell of rotten flesh of the dragons filled the air.

"W-What are you?!" The grey scarred Dragon unleashed a mighty breath attack at Zeref, the blast connected in a brilliant explosion. The grey dragon took a few deep breaths to calm himself, this weird human was dead now.

"I am immortal." The grey scarred dragon gasped in terror. Zeref walked out from the burning smoke, his flesh burnt, the left side of his face showing just the bone of his skull. His flesh melted showing the bare bone. Then in an instant, all those injuries healed and Zeref looked unharmed. "I am Zeref Dragneel, I am the Black Wizard." The grey scarred dragon panicked, and tucked tail and ran. "And you should repent while you still can." Zeref's eyes turned red, as he glared at the fleeing dragon. "Ankhseram Formula 8: Death Warp!" The space around the fleeing dragon began warping itself into a black mist of death, the dragon began screaming in pain as his joints were torn off, his limbs and body shredded into pieces. In the end, nothing was left of the dragon but ashes.

Igneel was the only one who appeared calm, as his dragon friends looked absolutely frightened. There had been no human like this in all of history. Zeref was death incarnate, just by being close to him you would die. "Nii-chan!" The young Natsu sprang towards Zeref, who awaited the young boy with open arms. Metalicana was about to protest, but they all flinched as Natsu hugged Zeref and was still alive after.

Zeref hoisted the young boy in his arms, and looked with a loving smile at his younger brother. "It's okay now Natsu, I am here." Zeref gave the young Natsu comforting pats on the back.

As the others were about to approach, Igneel stopped them. "Stay back, or your dead." Igneel warned his fellow dragons, and their children. "Natsu is the only one who won't die from touching him… the rest of us, would die in a heartbeat." Igneel knew he was strong enough to stand close to Zeref without dying, but even he knew himself he couldn't physically touch Zeref without dying. But Igneel was confident he could overpower Zeref in combat, as long as he kept his distance. Even though those anti-human faction dragons weren't that strong, Igneel would probably say that the grey scarred dragon was a bit weaker than Igneel's old friend Atlas Flame. Zeref due to all his knowledge and his curse, was far more powerful than them. Igneel knew for a fact he himself and Acnologia were amongst a few dragons that were stronger than Zeref.

"Igneel… why can your kid touch Zeref without dying?" Metalicana looked serious as he glared at Igneel.

"… Demon DNA. Zeref revived his brother using Demon DNA, from the Sacred XIII no less. Due to that, Natsu can survive the curse of Ankhseram." As Zeref himself had explained to Igneel before, Natsu's demonic DNA makes him have powers no mortal has. Demons, Gods and their Angels were all viewed as non-mortals, therefor they could survive the curse of contradiction.

"The Sacred XIII?!" Grandeeney looked in fear, the title of that demon elite group was enough to make any dragon tremble in fear. Although they themselves haven't had the pleasure of meeting them, they have heard stories from older dragons, especially of the groups captain.

"Careful, calling their name out is bad luck." Igneel gave a light chuckle and jab at Grandeeney. The Sky Dragon huffed, whilst Metalicana, Weisslogia and Skiadrum couldn't help but look concerned.

"Igneel… is that why you picked that child?" Metalicana asked his old friend.

"It is, his hidden potential will be just what we need to kill Acnologia." Igneel was confident in the hidden power of E.N.D within Natsu. Igneel begins to tell the other dragons his plan, Natsu's hidden E.N.D power combined with the might of a Dragon Slayer, would be just what they need to end Acnologia for good. Plus, Igneel also raised Natsu to one day get rid of Zeref as well. As it was per the Black Wizard's request that he trained Natsu to one day kill Zeref and end his suffering. And as a result, E.N.D or rather Natsu would die as well with Zeref.

The other dragons looked unsure of the plan as they looked at their leader and friend. "Igneel… you're raising that kid like a lamb to the slaughter. Are you saying that for our plan to succeed, and for the world to be at peace, the boy must die?" Metalicana couldn't help but snarl in disgust at Igneel, who only solemnly nodded his head.

"Yes… he must die. Thanks to Zeref creating him into E.N.D, he could never have lived a peaceful life anyway… And the world needs Zeref gone for there to be peace. You saw what his power made him capable of." Igneel looked with some regret over the fact he was raising Natsu to one day march to his own death.

"Igneel… he is a child." Grandeeney looked judgingly at the Fire Dragon King, who once again solemnly nodded and looked at the crying pink haired boy who was embraced in Zeref's arms. Crying over all those friends he had lost today. "You see his tears, his sorrows, his grief over his dead friends? Can you honestly say he is anything but a child? Demon DNA or not."

"… What other way is there?" Igneel asked, sounding a bit defeated judging by his tone of voice. His mind going over these past few weeks with the young Natsu, how the cheerful little boy struggling to learn basic language, how to read, and to do basic math. No matter how much the young brat failed, and how much Igneel scolded him, Natsu always kept up his smile and went right back at it. Igneel was beginning to feel a warm fuzzy feeling in his heart, the dragon snarled and looked away from Natsu. He looked down on Gajeel, Sting and Rogue all hugging the still crying Wendy. All the friends they had made today, were gone just like that. These normal human kids, were crying just like Natsu, grieving like Natsu.

"Igneel…" Metalicana looked at his friend, it was easy for the Iron Dragon to see when Igneel was thinking. He was making such a strange face whenever he thought about something heavy, it was unmistakable. "The plan is still in the mere planning stages… it can still change. We'll find a way." Metalicana went to comfort Gajeel, who looked angry whilst crying. He was angry over all those Anti-human dragons who killed his new friends.

A few years past, Natsu was a little more grown up but from the looks of it he hadn't entered his teens just yet. The time frame was a bit confusing for the older Natsu watching this memory, he had no idea how much time had passed or when this was. For he had forgotten all about this life.

Currently the young Natsu was sitting with Igneel who was laying on the ground with his eyes lazily opened. And a beautiful blond woman who shared a striking resemblance to Lucy. "And there we go Natsu, a scarf made out of daddy Igneel's scales." The woman smiled brightly, as she handed over Natsu's signature white scarf made out of Igneel's fallen scales.

"Oh, hell yeah!" The young Natsu smiled brightly, although flinched as the woman gave him a stern look for using such language. "I-I mean… Awesome, thank you Anna-sensei." The young Natsu looked flustered and sheepishly smiled at this Anna woman, who smiled back and gently ruffled his hair.

"You are welcome little Natsu." Anna giggled a bit at seeing the young Natsu struggling from escaping the hair ruffling.

"Why would you want a scarf made out of Dragon scales anyway?" Igneel found himself curious of Natsu's decision and decided to ask.

"Huh, so I can be like you dad! Now I have cool scales as well!" The young Natsu smiled brightly at his surrogate father and teacher, who looked flustered and turned his face away from Natsu to hide his embarrassment.

"I-Is that so?" Igneel mumbled a bit, having grown attached to the little Natsu over the years. Something he dreaded as he knew what was waiting in this young boy's future. Anna gave a light chuckle at Igneel's flustered behavior, causing the Fire Dragon King to grumble.

Later it was time for school, and Natsu was seated at his desk with Gajeel, Sting, Rogue and little Wendy all around him. Natsu actively paying attention to Anna's classes and teachings, he wasn't focus on what they were learning but rather Anna herself. Her scent was sweet and calming to the young Dragon Slayer.

Gajeel snickered a bit at seeing Natsu's expression, the young pyro was smiling brightly and his eyes glistened from looking at Anna. "You have a crush on Anna-sensei~" Gajeel sang in a whisper voice to Natsu, causing the pyro to look flustered as his face turned beet read.

"N-No I don't!" Natsu shot back at Gajeel, although his sudden increase in volume earned the whole classes attention.

"Is something the matter Natsu?" Anna stopped in her lecture and looked at the flustered young Dragon Slayer. Natsu intently looked at Anna's big brown eyes, her beautiful long blond hair and pretty face.

"Ummm, no, sorry Anna-sensei…" Natsu lowered himself back in his seat, hiding his blushing face behind his book. Gajeel, Sting and Rogue all chuckled at this while Wendy looked clueless as to what was going on.

The older Natsu watching, couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed himself. This Anna reminded him so much of Lucy, in fact she even smelled like her. Natsu couldn't help but wonder if he bonded with Lucy so quickly was because she shared Anna's scent.

The young Natsu was currently rushing home to visit his brother Zeref. Natsu hadn't been home for a while, having been busy with training with Igneel and learning academic stuff from Anna-sensei. Natsu saw a big black looking castle in the horizon of the dead forest, to most children this scenery would frighten them. But Natsu looked at with joy as this was his home, his brother's home and laboratory.

Natsu entered the castle, excited to show Zeref his new backpack and scarf, and show how far he had gone in his studies. "Nii-chan! I'm home!" Natsu called out, although strangely no one responded. "Nii-chan!" Natsu ran around the castle looking for his older brother. "Nii-chan-" Natsu halted as he walked by his brother's laboratory. There was Zeref, and he was talking to the shark man Kisame.

"I'm telling you. You should take this opportunity. If you are going to revive Sasori and Kakuzu, you might as well take Itachi's soul as well. If you add it to E's body, without a doubt he would have no qualms about killing you. Itachi is just that type of man, he even killed his own parents." Kisame advised to Zeref, who looked like he was contemplating the idea.

"Is he really such a brutal killer?" Zeref asked with intrigue.

"Yes, and with E's power I'm certain Itachi can end your suffering." Kisame revealed to which Zeref looked with glee. Having no idea, the shark man was secretly planning to run away with Itachi, after all if they killed Zeref they would all die. Kisame didn't want to openly admit it, but he missed his little Uchiha buddy. It would be just like old times the shark man kept thinking.

"Alright, let's begin…" Zeref stood over a small pool of green misty water, moving his hands while chanting the magical chants of the God of Death. Zeref's eyes glowed red, and the green mist grew thicker to the point where the floor wasn't even visible. The young Natsu quietly looked in awe. And then, three blue orbs flew out from the pool of water, and into Zeref's grasp. "Bring the artificial bodies for these two." Zeref instructed, and Kisame brought forth the bodies of Sasori and Kakuzu. Zeref placed two of the blue orbs into their bodies, causing both bodies to rise a bit as they took in a deep ghostly breath. Then they froze in an ice spell. "Ankhseram Formula 8: Death Freeze!"

"Now for Itachi-san…" Kisame presented the sleeping body of E who looked like he was in his teens now.

"Yes, now… time for my strongest creation to be born." Zeref snickered as he lowered the last blue orb into the body of E. The Demon of Extinction gasped, and stared to breath steadily. Zeref then froze Itachi as well, and looked to Kisame. "Be a dear and put E back in his pod. I still have a few tweaks I need to work out with these three. After that you can go back to sleep as well."

"Very well." Kisame nodded, although snarled a bit under his breath. He carefully carried the body of Itachi, his best friend back into E's pod. Zeref then with a wave of his hand, had Kisame sealed back into his book.

"Thanks for your hard work." Zeref put Kisame's book back on its shelf, and only first now noticed the little Natsu standing in the doorway. "Natsu, I didn't hear you come in." Zeref casually greeted his little brother.

"Wh-What was all that green smoke?" Natsu asked and Zeref only tilted his head at the question.

"Green smoke? Ah, you mean from the spell I just performed. Just a little experiment, nothing more. So, did you have fun?" Zeref seemed quick to change the topic.

"Yeah!" Natsu without further questioning presented his scarf. "Anna-sensei made this out from Igneel's scales! Pretty cool, right?"

"A scarf made out of dragon scales? My that is quite a rare garment." Zeref smiled warmly at seeing his younger brother's excitement.

"A-And! Anna-sensei and Igneel taught me all kinds of new words! See!" Natsu presented his note book, containing basic words young children would learn during kindergarten.

"Yes, I see. Well done." Zeref gave light pats to Natsu's head, praising him for his accomplishments. "Anna Heartfillia huh? To think I only first sought out her help with a project, and suddenly she is your teacher."

"Yeah… Anna-sensei is amazing, nice, and very pretty…" The young Natsu whispered that last part, Zeref heard him but paid no mind to it.

Time went on, and the scenery changed to the young Natsu sitting between Zeref and Anna. Anna was sitting at quite the distance from Zeref to avoid his curse. "The Eclipse gate project is in the works. I have written in my will for this diary to be passed down my family bloodline. My daughter has agreed to the plan and wishes to pass it on to her future child, and so on. We can use the Eclipse to send the children approximately 400 years into the future. Which going by the way Acnologia is currently slaying dragons, will be the perfect time era for the children to grow. That time era will have a ton of Ethernano for them to absorb and grow strong enough to end Acnologia. As things stand now, even if Igneel teams up with the other dragons they cannot defeat Acnologia."

Zeref nods to Anna's explanation. "Yes, I agree, and with how passive I have been lately, I fear my powers won't be much of a help in defeating Acnologia. I have my E who possibly could kill Acnologia. Although, he needs to grow accustomed to his new powers first. And there is his current developing sickness as well."

"… That demon of yours, I'm not so sure about him. He is a danger to all of humanity." Anna looks concerned, the topic of E scared her. Not just because of the Demon itself, but because she had no idea how Zeref would react to her criticizing his latest masterpiece. Or rather soon to be masterpiece.

"Not to worry, once he kills me, he will fade away from existence as well." Zeref casually said in front of Natsu, who looked a bit sad at the thought of his brother dying.

"… If you say so." Anna still didn't sound convinced, but decided it was best to drop the subject for now. "But is the gate ready?"

"As long as you have your Celestial Spirit Zodiac Keys, then yes, it's ready to be opened and used." Zeref removed a curtain behind him, revealing the Eclipse gate in all its glory. "Now, Natsu needs to prepare for his journey."

"I don't wanna go." Natsu pouted, earning the attention of the two adults. "I don't wanna leave, I wanna stay with Nii-chan and Igneel." Anna looked a little heartbroken, not wanting to force Natsu away from his family. But at the same time, she knew it was for the best with how unpredictable Zeref was, and in order to stop Acnologia.

"Natsu, don't worry. Igneel will always be with you. And I will wait for you on the other side. I'm immortal after all." Zeref put his hands on Natsu's shoulders and gave a reassuring smile. "It wouldn't be goodbye forever. It would be like 'see you later' type of thing. You know, like when you go to school. We will see each other again."

The young Natsu begins to cry, and hugs his brother tightly. "Be careful Nii-chan, don't let the bad thoughts get the best of you." Even a little knucklehead like Natsu understood 400 years was a long time. And he also knew of Zeref's personality changing episodes.

"Yes, you be careful as well…" Zeref begins crying, enjoying this warm embrace as it might be the last time, he would enjoy the warm embrace of another person for centuries.

But when the time comes for Natsu to leave things changed. Natsu stood by the Eclipse gate along with his fellow Dragon Slayers Gajeel, Wendy, Sting and Rogue. "Now due to the effects of the Eclipse Gate, you might forget certain things… Like that you are from the past and stuff. Which is a good thing, because then you would be able to blend in better with the current times." Anna explained to the young nervous and slight frightened children.

Meanwhile, inside Zeref's laboratory the Black Wizard was clutching his head in immense pain. His eyes glowing bright red. "N-Natsu…! M-My N-N… My E.N.D…! My salvation!" Zeref's eyes begin vibrating, a dangerous smirk spreading across his face. He didn't want his priced E.N.D to leave, E.N.D was needed to end his suffering.

Anna was making her way through Zeref's castle, gathering last minuet luggage for the kids. "Hmm?" Anna peaked into Zeref's laboratory where the now crazed Zeref loomed over E.

"My precious E… With you, I shall destroy this world that keeps rejecting me! But first, we must save E.N.D, I will not let them steal my property from me!" His tone sounding dangerous, Anna dropped what she was holding and in fright ran back outside. There was no time to waste. "Who goes there?!" Zeref snarled and exited his lab, looking around for the intruder. Zeref ran straight past what appeared to be an old grandfather clock.

Once Zeref was out of sight, Anna stepped out from the old grandfather clock. "Thank you, Horologium."

"Any time my dear." The grandfather clock replied and vanished back to the spirit world.

Anna had no time to waste, she entered Zeref's laboratory and went straight over to the pod containing E. 'I can't let Zeref keep this demon… he will wreak havoc and could destroy humanity faster than Acnologia ever could.' Anna made up her mind, although with this she would sort of betray Zeref. Anna opened the pod, and lifted the naked teenage body of an unconscious Itachi. Itachi groggily moved appearing to be near waking up.

Anna snuck out of Zeref's castle, whilst the Black Wizard was still occupied looking for an intruder. Anna rushed outside carrying E, seeing Igneel having already started sending the kids into the Eclipse gate. All the dragons looked near dead, having taken a serious beating from Acnologia beforehand. The Dragons merged their souls with their individual Dragon Slayer child, and their bodies dropped dead on the spot. And then they were sent flying, the young Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Sting and Rogue flew through the gate.

"Anna!" Zeref roared from behind. Anna gasped and turned around, seeing an ooze of darkness emitting from the angered Black Wizard. "E belongs to me!" Anna was quick, she tossed the unconscious Itachi into the Eclipse gate, the young Itachi groggily opened his eyes catching a quick glimpse of Anna and Zeref, before he flew through the gate. "No!" Zeref roared and unleashed a death wave at Anna. To survive, Anna quickly jumped through the gate herself.

And just as the crazed Zeref reached the door, the Zodiac keys were flung out from it and scattered now that their contractor was gone. And thus, the gate closed before Zeref could reach. "NOOOOOOOO!" Zeref roared to the heavens, surrounded by the corpses of Igneel and the other dragons, and left with the closed Eclipse gate.

The older Natsu looked flabbergasted, taking in the sight of time and space as he flew with his younger self and the other dragon slayers through a blue vortex that appeared never ending. And tailing behind him, were Itachi and Anna.

"Urgh! ArrrgggghhhhHH!" Itachi woke up screaming, his demonic power acting up from the environment around him. The massive power of darkness causing a rift in the time vortex to open. Anna tried to reach Itachi, trying to calm him down. Although Itachi's body fell through the rift, Natsu caught a glimpse of what was outside the rift. The ocean and the Tower of Heaven.

"So that's how Itachi ended up there…" Natsu uttered to himself, looking in awe at how Itachi ended up in the Tower of Heaven, and how he met Erza. And the next moment, they were taken in by a bright light.

Natsu and his fellow dragon slayer children, shot out like rockets from an opened Eclipse gate in the year X777 on July 7th. Standing by the gate, was Lucy's mother Layla Heartfillia, looking exhausted. Natsu and the other young Dragon Slayers shot out into the sky and scattered across the continent.

Due to this being his memory, Natsu followed only his younger self and could only stare as he was separated from the rest. The young Natsu crash landed in the wilderness a bit outside of Magnolia.

It took some time, but the young Natsu finally woke up to a morning, all alone. The young Natsu looked around, confused. Like Anna said he had forgotten everything about the past, only one thing still fresh in his mind. The last thing he saw before entering the Eclipse Gate, Igneel. "Dad… where did you go?" The young Natsu asked, and just like that the scenery before Natsu vanished. And he appeared in a white empty void.

"…" Natsu stood there speechless, hearing the sound of flapping wings he turned around to face Igneel.

"Now, do you have your answer? What are you? Human? Dragon? Or E.N.D?" Igneel asked him the question that had been bothering Natsu in his mind since his battle with Zeref.

"…" Natsu looked to be gathering his thoughts of his regained memories. He thought back on all of it, on his parents, Zeref, Igneel, Anna, Fairy Tail, Lucy, and he had his answer. "Human? Dragon? E.N.D? I'm neither of those things. It doesn't matter." Natsu answered, and looked up at Igneel with a smirk flexing his arm showing his Fairy Tail symbol. "No matter what, I will always be Natsu Dragneel."

Igneel narrowed his gaze at Natsu, the once little frail, weak and energetic boy stood now before him as a fully grown man. "Heh." Igneel smirked, and gave a nod of approval. "Would you look at that… You finally answered a question correctly. Time to go, son."

"Yeah, I have to help my friends… Thanks for everything, dad." Natsu smiled at his dragon surrogate father, Igneel faded from his vision and everything went black.

Natsu's eyes opened, overcome with the bright light of the sun. His eyes taking time to adjust, he was taking in all around him. He smelled smoke, he heard fighting. Once his sight had adjusted, Natsu saw the sight of Lucy, standing before her reanimated mother Layla and the member Spriggan 12 Brandish. Natsu's mind drifts over to his brother Zeref, and one thought crossed his mind. 'Nii-chan… I swear I will end your suffering.'

Brandish smiled at the sight. Her vengeance was finally here. She took in the sight of Layla's horrified frozen facial expression, standing there helpless as Brandish threatened to kill Lucy. "No… Brandish wait…" Layla tried to stop her, but Neinhart restricted her movements. "Who am I to deny Brandish the sweet satisfaction of revenge?" Neinhart cackled, enjoying the show before him.

"This is for my mother… die!" Brandish snarled and once again, expanded the size of her sharp hairpin. Lucy gasped as the blade was nearing her chest, everything in her vision began moving in slow motion. Was this how she was going to die?

Lucy's mind was racing with over a million different thoughts. She had so much she still wanted to do, things she wanted to say to her mother now that she had the chance, more adventures she wanted to go on with her friends. But one thought stood out, one she hadn't considered before and it even shocked her. 'I wanted to tell Natsu how I feel…' Lucy then suddenly felt heat, a fiery fist came swooping in, in an upper cut fashion. Natsu looked with anger, his fist burning in a blazing fury, the flames clashed into the expanding and growing hairpin and melted it upon impact. "Natsu!" Lucy smiled at seeing the pink haired pyro finally being awake. Happy as well looked overtaken with joy.

"Tch!" Brandish hissed in anger. Natsu turned to Brandish, raising his still burning hand, and with a mighty punch he launched a blazing wave of fire at Brandish. Brandish quickly grew a mere pebble before her, to the size of a house. The violent fire clashed with the rock, smoldering it as it shot around it like a freight train. Brandish looked at the rock as it was being torn apart, and gasped as Natsu plowed right through it and smacked her with a heavy punch sending her skidding backwards a great distance. Brandish looked at her forearm, seeing it was bruised and slightly burnt.

"You got a problem with Lucy…" Natsu threw his vest aside, standing there shirtless with his white scarf flapping in the wind. "… you got a problem with me!" Natsu exploded with a fiery rage, flames burning brightly around him.

"His majesties little brother…" The very forest was trembling as Brandish unleashed a bright green aura. "I will be sure to apologize when I send you to him in a body bag!"

"Natsu, be careful! She has the power to change the mass of things and people! If you let your guard down she can shrink you to the size of an ant, or make your inner organs burst like balloon! Itachi managed to discover she can only change the mass of things one at a time!" Lucy quickly warned Natsu of the danger that was Brandish's power.

"… Okay then. Thanks Lucy." Natsu have a toothy grin as he glared at Brandish. "I'm fired up now…!" Natsu stomped his foot to the ground, and hard, knocking up a piece of earth with it. Natsu grabbed onto the massive piece of earth, catching it ablaze with his flames before chucking it straight at Brandish.

Brandish quickly shrunk the size of the burning rock coming her way, although gasped as Natsu unleashed a mighty breath attack as well. "Fire Dragon: ROAR!" Brandish quickly tucked and rolled, dodging the incoming wave of fire.

"Not done yet!" Natsu latched his hands onto a tree, and ripped it right out of the ground. "Burn baby burn!" Natsu set the tree in his hands on fire, and tossed it towards Brandish.

"You annoy me!" Brandish snarled and once again tucked and rolled out of the way, Brandish then slammed her palm into the ground. "Command T: Expansion!" The ground exploded as a spike of earth and stone shot up and crashed into Natsu. Natsu grunted as the spike continued to grow until it was at the size of a mountain.

"Fire Dragon: Demolishing Fist!" Natsu threw a mighty fire punch, the flames spreading into the mountain and burning it from within. The flames spread quickly, and causing the mountain to explode like a volcano. The flames popping the top of the mountain off in a mighty explosion. Fiery rocks rained down from the sky, and Natsu used his magic power to direct all that fiery rain at Brandish.

Brandish smirked, and with a twist of her hand the fiery rain started dispersing so it fell all around the forest. "My own magic power was infused into those rocks as well… I can redirect them just fine." Brandish dangerously eyed Lucy, sending a fiery rock her way. Although before it could hit, the rock exploded as the fire expanded in it.

Natsu then leaped down from the destroyed mountain, the whole forest now burning. Natsu groaned a little in frustration, his and Happy's house was in this forest. Natsu was sweating, and he even began breathing a little heavier. He still hadn't fully recovered from his fight with Zeref.Natsu's ears began twitching, hearing the swirling sound of water coming his way. "Ugh!" Natsu grunted as he did a 180-degree turn catching an incoming wave of water.

The mighty spray of water pushed Natsu back a few feet, in order to halt himself Natsu dug his feet deeply into the ground. "Fire Dragon: Wing Attack!" With a twirl of his arms, Natsu created dancing wavers of fire that clashed with the water, the sheer heat of Natsu's fire not only evaporated the water wave, but also the water restraining Lucy who fell to the ground.

"Dammit!" Layla cursed that once again her movements were controlled by Neinhart. "Stop it…! Stop making me attack my daughter and her friends!" Layla trembled, desperately trying to fight back against Neinhart's control.

"Neinhart!" Brandish shouted, spikes of earth stabbing through Layla's body restraining her in place. "Interfere with my revenge again… and I will kill you!" Brandish snarled.

Layla's body froze, and her chestnut brown eyes turned white, her voice changing sounding manlier. "My, my, and here I was just trying to help you Brandish. Besides, I need to kill Natsu Dragneel. He is a danger to his majesty, even though his majesty doesn't acknowledge it."

"Hey you coward! Instead of hiding behind Lucy's mom! Come and fight me yourself!" Natsu challenged Neinhart, who only chuckled at the pyro's outburst.

"One does not win a war, by sending a resource to the battlefield. That is what I am, a resource. I can revive the dead, and provide the empire with an endless army of the undead. I don't have time to waste my time going out into combat."

"I bet you just scared! Can't fight yourself, is that it?!" Natsu tried to annoy Neinhart, hoping to draw him out from hiding.

"Your friend Itachi might have fooled me once… But there is no way I will fall for such childish slander like yours."

"Itachi, huh? Alright then, I will just take this chick down, and I will make sure Lucy's mom gets some rest!" Natsu smirked, a blazing inferno flaring around his entire body. If Itachi knew where Neinhart was, it would only be a matter of time before that punk is dealt with.

"Take me down?" Brandish's lips crooked themselves into a smirk, her hand reached out towards Natsu giving off an ominous vibe. "Your sorry lot manages to take down one of the Twelve and suddenly you are so confident. Command T: Expansion!" Natsu quickly reacted sensing imminent danger, but then a small golden glint caught his eye and was tossed in-between them. Before Natsu and Brandish grew a gigantic golden broken key, formerly that of the Celestial Spirit Aquarius. "Ugh!" Brandish adverted her gaze to whoever threw it, and her gaze landed on Lucy.

"Enough already!" Lucy shouted. She was sick of this. Her family had some secret 400 year long project she didn't know about. Her mother had been brought back to life and forced to fight her. And Brandish claiming she wanted revenge on Lucy's mother for something that happened to Brandish's own mother. "Just what is your connection to my mom anyway?!" Lucy looked straight at Brandish, who in return glared back.

"… Very well, my mother Grammi, was one of your mother's disciples." Brandish revealed which shocked Lucy a great deal, there weren't many who used to work for her family that she didn't know of. But she had never once heard of this woman named Grammi.

Layla seeming to have regained her consciousness, witnessed this little discussion. Brandish seeing this, continued the tale. "When your mother gave up on being a Celestial Wizard, she entrusted her keys amongst three of her servants. My mother, Grammi was entrusted with Aquarius' key. And my mother, loved and looked up to Layla. She was so devoted to her task, she used to polish the key until it shone without fail, every single day. Until Layla betrayed my mother." At hearing this, not only Lucy but even Layla herself looked surprised.

"N-No, I never betrayed Grammi! She was my precious disciple and friend, I would never!" In anger Brandish flashed her aura and snarled at Layla.

"Then how, did she come about having Aquarius' key?! My mother was supposed to look out for the key. She was tasked with keeping it in her care, until the day a Celestial Wizard worthy of it was born. Even if that Wizard was Lucy Heartfillia, how come she didn't meet my mother to claim it like she was supposed to?! You killed her to get the key back!" Brandish accused and Layla who looked hurt at the accusation.

"No, Brandish please listen… I could never have killed Grammi, by the time she had died I was already on my death bed. She even visited me, and gave me Aquarius key to give it to Lucy one day. The day I heard she died. I was devastated over the loss of my closest friend." Layla's plea fell on deaf ears, as Brandish was overcome with anger.

"What reasons do I have to believe you?!" Brandish shrieked, and prepared to attack Lucy and Natsu to silence Layla's lies. The skies then suddenly darkened. With violent torrents of wind blowing all around them. Tiddle waves struck across the shores. And thunder struck from the heavens.

"My old friend, it has been a long time." A booming voice echoed all around them, as a golden ray of light shone from the sky. And descending down, was the Celestial Spirit King in all his glory. "I heard from Loke of the strange return of my old friend. So, I wished to see it for myself."

"The Celestial Spirit King?!" Lucy sounded shocked at the appearance of the mightiest spirit in the Celestial realm.

"What? The king of all Celestial Spirits?" Brandish looked in awe, as this was her first time seeing the giant king.

"Your majesty, it's been a long time." Layla greeted the king with a smile, who returned it happily.

"Now, before anything. Let's rid you of that horrendous reanimators control." Celestial light shone from the King, and a beam shot through Layla's head. The light beam then retracted, and pulled some sort of sealing tag out with it. The tag burnt within the grasp of the Celestial light.

Meanwhile, onboard Neinhart's ship. The Spriggan 12 member recoiled back in shock with visible sweat running down his forehead. "What was that?! What the hell just happened?!" Confusion visible on his face, Neinhart found himself panicking. "How? How did I lose my connection to Layla? I can't sense her, was she destroyed? No, it can't be I would have felt it. Madara-sama assured me the only way to break free from my control, was either through the use of a special sharingan genjutsu… or if the reanimated warrior knows how to break the reanimation contract from their end. But Layla couldn't have possibly known about it, only me and Madara-sama know about it. And no one in that group had a sharingan… What is going on here?!" Neinhart snarled in rage and frustration.

Back within the burning forest of Magnolia, the flames were near extinguished due to the sudden appearance of the Celestial Spirit King. His presence sending such mighty winds, that the flames were snuffed out. Layla found herself able to move freely, even freed from the restraints put on her by Brandish. But in return, she also felt her consciousness fading. Her body slowly falling apart. "Apologies my old friend. But by releasing you from the casters control, it seems your spirit is letting go and preparing to become one with the stars once more."

Layla smiled at the Celestial Spirit King as he lowered his head to her. "It's okay, thank you. I'm just thankful I won't be forced to harm my daughter anymore."

"Perhaps I could also repay, by assisting in showing this troubled child the truth of the events surrounding the parted Aquarius' key?" The Celestial Spirit King raised his massive armored hand, his finger letting out a sphere of light that resembled a star in the night sky.

At hearing this, even Brandish looked intrigued. "Can you do that?" Lucy asked the giant Celestial Spirit King.

"Indeed, through the archive of Aquarius' star sign. An archive woven by Celestial Spirits and their contractors for generations." The glowing star sphere expanded into a bright light. A vail of darkness overcoming all their surroundings, making it look like they were all floating in the vast emptiness of space.

"What is this?! Where are we?!" Brandish hissed, uncertain if she was walking in a trap by the enemy.

"The memory archive, young troubled one. You can think of it like being inside dream, only that all you witness is the absolute truth." Natsu and Happy eagerly looked around at the shining stars. Lucy, Layla and Porlyusica looked on with intrigue. Brandish however, looked to be on guard.

As they soared through the starry space of darkness, the stars started forming themselves into an image. "Hey, something is coming into view." Lucy pointed out, as the stars formed the image of a blond-haired woman identical to Lucy and Layla.

"That old friend, is the one who helped orchestrate the 400-year project in your family. Your ancestor, Anna Heartfillia. The greatest Celestial Spirit to have ever lived. 400 years ago, Anna and the man known as the Black Wizard Zeref, and the Fire Dragon King Igneel, came up with a plan." The stars showed images of Anna meeting with Zeref and the Fire Dragon King. All but Natsu and Layla looked surprised.

"The emperor?" Brandish knew that Zeref was immortal, but she had no idea he had been involved with the ancestor of Layla.

"And Igneel…" Lucy looked astonished at seeing Natsu's adopted father being involved in all this. She looked to Natsu, and was further surprised at seeing Natsu didn't appear shocked at all.

"It was a plan to send five powerful warriors to the future, all for the purpose of defeating Acnologia." The image changed into what looked like shooting stars, only they weren't stars, but young children. And Lucy noticed one of them looked like Natsu. "Natsu Dragneel, Gajeel Redfox, Wendy Marvel, Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney. Were these five warriors. All orphaned children, raised by dragons to one day defeat the dragon races' dark legacy, Acnologia."

"Wait, Natsu… did you-" Before Lucy could even ask, Natsu frowned a bit.

"I found out today… from Zeref." Natsu clearly looked to be holding certain things back from Lucy. Like him being E.N.D and him also being Zeref's younger brother.

"Using the Eclipse Gate, Anna opened it, and also passed down a diary through her bloodline. Instructing to wait for the perfect era blooming with ethernano to send the children for them to grow. Your mother, Layla was the one who opened the gate on her end. Unless the gate were open in a different time period, the children would have traveled to a random location in time. The date of this was July 7th in the year X777. However, certain complications occurred."

The images changed to into that of a simple homestead, where a green haired woman resembling Brandish sat drinking tea. When suddenly a young little Brandish came running in. Brandish in that moment showed a hint of emotion, at seeing her mother again. "Layla had been unsuccessful in gathering the twelve zodiac keys. Having entrusted the keys to her loyal disciples, and retired from being a Celestial Wizard, all to take care and raise young Lucy." The image changed into Layla standing before the Eclipse Gate, Lucy looked to her mother who looked with sadness over reliving these memories. "Trying to gather as many Celestial Wizards as she could to aid her in her task, and also contacting her disciples that she had entrusted her keys to. Yet problems kept popping up, Grammi wasn't able to be contact in time. Having traveled the world, and landed on the western continent of what is known as the Alvarez Empire. Grammi didn't get Layla's message in time. In compensation for the missing keys, Layla used her own life force to open the gate."

"She went that far?" Brandish questioned. She was starting to feel sorry for Layla. But the answer of her mother's death still remained unanswered.

"Although it was successful, Layla herself ended up suffering from magic deficiency disease. Seven days after Layla getting her diagnosis, Grammi received the news of Layla."

The image of Grammi sitting by Layla's bedside, crying as she held onto the dying woman's hand. "Miss Layla… after all the kindness you have showed me. I have inflicted such pain upon you, for that I will never forgive myself."

Layla gently stroked her finger across Grammi's hand. "Do not worry. It is nothing to get yourself worked up over Grammi."

Despite Layla's kind words, Grammi shook her head and held out Aquarius' key. "I am no longer worthy of possessing this key which you so graciously entrusted to me. Please take it in your hands once more."

Layla shook her head, pushing the key back into Grammi's hands. "In this state, I can no longer wield Celestial Spirit magic…"

"Then please, allow me to give this to miss Lucy. Surely she will become a splendid Celestial Wizard like you." Brandish and Lucy couldn't help but look at each other, seeing their mothers being such close friends. Whilst as they were opposing enemies.

"The duty of opening the Eclipse gate, which has been passed down in the Heartfillia family for centuries, has finally been fulfilled by my generation. For that alone, I am eternally grateful. My only wish was for my daughter to be able to live freely, and now it has been granted. Which reminds me, how is young Brandish? Still full of energy?"

At this, Grammi giggled and smiled warmly. "Of course, although without Aquarius I am sure she feels a tad bit lonely."

"She's around Lucy's age, isn't she?"

"That's right… I'll be sure to bring her along the next time I visit you."

"I do hope they'll become great friends." The two mothers giggled at the thought of their daughters getting along.

"They will… I am certain of it." Grammi cried bitter tears, knowing this might be the last time she would see Layla.

"Yeah, just like us." Layla however, smiled without any concern or malice towards Grammi considering her situation.

On her way from home, Grammi was wiping her tears. Not noticing the menacing figure approaching her from behind. She didn't notice until a knife had been plunged through her back. "Mother!" Brandish gasped at seeing her mother getting stabbed. Even Layla gasped in terror at the sight, especially considering who the murderer was.

"Z-Zoldio…" Grammi uttered, recognizing her fellow disciple of Layla. And Lucy recognized him as the member of Grimoire Heart who had taken control over Capricorn.

"It's all you fault! Miss Layla is dying because of you!" Zoldio wept tears of rage and anger.

"Stop! Stay away from her!" Brandish desperately cried at the memory, as if she could change it and save her mother.

"Indeed, you are right. It is my fault. This is what I deserve." Grammi trembled as her blood dripped into the earthy soil beneath them. "I beg of you, Zoldio. My daughter Brandish, please spare her life. In exchange for mine, could you grant me this final wish?" Zoldio pulled the knife out, and backed away trembling in terror. Almost like he was in disbelief of his own actions. He watched as Grammi fell to the ground in a pool of her own blood, and then ran away.

"Mother! Please don't leave me!" Brandish cried, and suddenly found herself in the warm embrace of Lucy.

"We may be a little late… but maybe the two of us could become friends? Just like our mothers…" Lucy cried for Brandish, and Layla looked touched at seeing this scene play out before her.

They were then brought back to the forest outside of Magnolia, and the Celestial Spirit King looked like he was about to fade away. "It seems I have done what I can in this realm for now… My best regards my old friend, your daughter has become a splendid Celestial Wizard…" The Celestial Spirit King paid his respect to Layla.

"Thank you… old friend." Layla smiled as the Celestial Spirit King vanished back to the Celestial realm. Layla then eyed the family photograph, and all the letters from Lucy addressed to her, that she had dropped at the start of the battle. Layla approached them in silence, looking at the photo of herself, her husband Jude and her young daughter Lucy.

Layla opened the letters, one by one. The words she read, the tales of adventure and all the friends Lucy had meet on them. Her adventures with Natsu, Gray, Erza and Happy. Her days in Fairy Tail. Lucy had broken free from the shackles of the rich dream Jude had wished for them. And gone on her own adventure. She also read of what had happened to her husband. How he became obsessed with greed, and after Layla's death neglected Lucy. And not until he one day lost his wealth, did he redeem himself to Lucy. And how he had died living a peaceful life. Layla couldn't help but notice Natsu getting mentioned a lot in the letters. Reading of the life of her little girl and her adventures, created a feeling of peace in her hearts. Layla felt she could rest in peace.

Layla smiled warm heartedly from reading these letters, and at seeing the woman her daughter had become. But then, Layla noticed her body was falling apart. "Lucy… Brandish…" The two girls looked up, noticing that Layla's body was falling apart.

"Mom…" Lucy was in tears. Her mother was vanishing before her very eyes once again.

"I do hope the two of you could become friends… Brandish, Grammi would have been really proud of seeing how much you have grown. The two of you look exactly like we did when we were young." Brandish looked with guilt over having blamed Layla for her mother's death all these years.

"Mom… please don't go… I have so much I want to tell you…" Lucy cried and ran up to hug her mother.

"I know, I read all about it." Layla smiled showing Lucy the letters. "You've had quite the adventurous life. Just like I wanted you to have. I couldn't be prouder…" Lucy's eyes were bawling with tears as she hugged her mother tighter.

"I love you mom… And dad despite his flaws." Lucy trembled, Layla smiled warmly and embraced her daughter for what would be the last time.

Layla lifted her gaze over to Natsu and Happy. "Thank you, for taking my daughter to Fairy Tail. Please, take care of my little Lucky Star…" Layla in particular looked at Natsu, having figured out from the way Lucy talked about him in her letters that she liked him.

Natsu despite being a little weakened from the battle with Zeref, and the small bout with Brandish gave a thumbs up, and a big grin. "Yeah, I will."

Layla smiled as her body dispersed into several pieces of paper, and rising from them was her soul and spirit. Taking one last look at Lucy, Brandish, Natsu and Happy with a big smile on her face. Lucy looked at her mother's spirit as it faded into the heavens.

"Goodbye… mom." Lucy fell to her knees, she wept salty tears at having lost her mother once again. A hand then reached out to her. Lucy looked up at the smiling Natsu who pulled her up.

"… She was a great mom, huh?" Natsu wasn't quite good in these situations, unsure of what to say, unsure of what would be comforting or sympathetic. Natsu just said what first came to his mind, the truth.

"Yeah, the best…" Lucy smiled and hugged Natsu. "I'm so happy you are okay…"

"Hey, who do you think you are talking to? Ain't no way something like that would kill me." Natsu patted the top of Lucy's head and smiled brightly at her, making her feel like everything was going to turn out okay.

"Yeah…" Lucy giggled a bit.

"Pardon the interruption… but what about her?" Porlyusica pointed over to the broken looking Brandish.

"… Just take me back to my cell. I don't care." Brandish mumbled.

"We don't have to do that." Lucy tried to reason with Brandish, maybe even getting her to help them against Zeref.

"Our nations are at war, don't be a fool. I don't want to fight you… but I do not want to betray my country. You will all be better off just locking me up." At this Lucy couldn't help but ask her a question that was nagging at her mind.

"Why do you follow Zeref?" From Lucy's point of view, Zeref was a threat to all mankind, pure evil. How could someone like Brandish serve him?

"… His majesty, wishes to destroy this reality and create a new. I agreed to help him, because I have nothing left in this world. And if he is successful, he would create a reality where my mother is still alive. That is why I have sworn my loyalty to the empire, and to his majesty the emperor." Brandish revealed her reasoning for siding with Zeref and his plans.

"… What about now?" Lucy hesitantly asked.

"… I do still want that reality if possible. But now… I'm not so sure. My mother's last wish was for my life to be spared, and to get along with you… Just put me back in my cell, before I change my mind and kill all your friends or whatever." Brandish seemed to be in deep thinking, and sounded rather annoyed. Lucy complied with her wish, and together with Natsu and Happy escorted Brandish back to Magnolia, and back to the guildhall.

All the while, down in the southern isles of Ishgar, explosions of fire raged through the islands. Itachi taking chase after Obito who was wielding chakra rods as weapons. Itachi in his Stage 2 Demon transformation, punched his darkness cloaked demonic fist at Obito. The sheer size of the fist being bigger than Obito's torso. Yet it made no impact and only slipped right past the reanimated Shinobi's body. Obito in responds sliced the chakra rod downwards towards Itachi. Obito's arm slipping past Itachi's darkness that attempted to block the strike. Once Obito had a clear strike of Itachi's chest, his body solidified itself and the chakra rod slashed a gashing cut on Itachi's chest.

Itachi gave a light grunt, and threw a kick to Obito's chest sending him skidding backwards. Obito puffed his chest, his hands flashed in the tiger hand seal. "Fire Style: Grand Fireball!"

Obito spat a gigantic blazing ball of fire that made Itachi look like a tiny moon before the sun itself. Itachi activated his Rinnegan, and was quick to absorb the blazing inferno. 'If I attack Obito with ninjutsu, he would use his Rinnegan to absorb it… I need to rely on my demonic power in this fight. First I need to buy time for Mystogan to charge up his Kamui.' As Mystogan didn't have an Uchiha's body that goes with the sharingan, using the Kamui drains a lot from the king of Edolas.

Currently Mystogan was on standby charging up, with a clone of Itachi to guard him should any Alvarez soldiers decide to attack. "How much longer?" Itachi's clone sounded a bit impatient as he asked Mystogan who was sitting in a lotus position.

"I'm nearly there… Just hold on for a little longer." Mystogan calmly replied.

Itachi slashed his arm that had formed into a demonic sword of darkness at Obito, yet every attack slipped right past the reanimated Uchiha. "Now I know you are planning something, it's not like you to attack blindly like this." Obito commented during the exchange. Normally in a fight like this, Obito would try to grab onto his opponent when they least expect it, and send them to the Kamui dimension where they would be trapped. But even if he traps Itachi, Mystogan would simply teleport in after him and get Itachi out again. And Neinhart knew this. Which is why he had Obito fight in a more direct style than he was used to.

Itachi carefully eyed Obito's patterns, reading them and predicting when and where he would attempt to strike. Obito jumped at Itachi, and passed straight through him. Obito was aiming to attack him from behind. Itachi swiftly took action, whilst Obito solidified himself and aimed to stab Itachi in the back with the chakra rod. Itachi quickly entered Stage 3 of his Demon Transformation, his partially transformed state. Creating a cloak of darkness going over his back, Itachi turned the end of the cloak into a spear and stabbed it through Obito.

The darkness like a tentacle hoisted Obito into the air, and Itachi created a sphere of darkness in the palm of his demonic claw of darkness. "Extinction of Life." Itachi fired off a blast attack of darkness at Obito, who was quick to use the chakra rods as a shield by holding them in an x-formation. The blast of demonic power however, destroyed the chakra rods as if they were mere sticks.

"Shinra Tensei!" Obito flashed his Rinnegan eye, creating a gravitational blast around him to push away the blast. At least until his Kamui was ready to be used. The blast to even further surprise Obito, broke through the gravitational push. Obito's Kamui however was ready, and he slipped right past the wave as it engulfed his body. Out from the blast, shot out Obito's hand towards Itachi's face. Itachi merely gave a hum as he saw Obito's body slip past the blast. Obito's hand then latched itself around Itachi's neck, holding him up.

Neinhart cackled. "I got you now…!"

"Heh… Of course." Obito smirked as the Itachi in his grasp exploded. Obito was flung out from the explosion, both his arms blown off. "Exploding Shadow Clones… You knew I would slip past that attack and prepared a trap once I solidified myself." Obito's arms regenerated, and as they were he flashed a series of hand seals. "To me, that frightening mind of yours was what was in my way, not your power in itself. But now, even your power is frightening to me." Obito puffed his cheeks, and his chest puffed out. "Fire Style: Flames of Fire Mountain!" Obito spewed out an ocean tiddle wave of fire towards Itachi. Despite its magnificent size, Itachi used his Rinnegan to absorb it none the less. And once the fire disappeared, ten Obito's jumped at Itachi. "Wood Style: Wood Clones!"

The Obito clones surrounded Itachi, each wielding dual wield of chakra rods. Itachi created demonic blades of darkness and began dueling with all ten clones of Obito at once. What made it more infuriating to Itachi, was that he himself couldn't touch the clones. Whenever he attacked one, his attack just slipped right past it, whilst the others attacked him. Itachi's back, his shoulder, his torso was covered in slash marks from the chakra rods. Itachi's demonic power couldn't keep up with healing his injuries, as more would just appear by the second. "Shinra Tensei!" Itachi tried a last-ditch effort to gain some space, yet all the clones used Kamui and the gravitational push itself did nothing to them. Once the gravitational push ended, the Obito clones solidified themselves again and resumed attacking Itachi.

Itachi grunted in frustration, if he used the Susano'o the clones would just teleport inside it and resume their attack. If he used Amaterasu, they would just suck it into the Kamui dimension. Using a powerful attack from his demonic arsenal would just be a waste of energy. And Tsukuyomi was out of the question, as not only was Obito a reanimated Shinobi, but he also had the Mangekyou Sharingan to break free.

Itachi was kicked in the chin by an Obito clone, struck with a palm strike to the stomach by another, having the back of his head kicked knocking Itachi to the ground. Blood leaked from Itachi's nose. This was starting to get annoying. In the flying hurricane of fists and kicks, Itachi still tried to read Obito and his clones' movements. If he could just predict which clone would have to solidify itself to attack him, Itachi could strike and destroy the clone.

Itachi analyzed the patterns of Obito and his clones' attacks, and a clone was about to punch the back of his head. Itachi titled his head aside as Obito's clone's fist flew by. Itachi elbowed the clone, feeling the blow connect, Itachi followed up with a swift decapitation with his blade of darkness. The headless Obito clone withered away like dying wood. "Okay… that's better." Itachi sighed as he caught the fist of another clone, and kneed the clone in the chin sending him flying a bit over the ground, and Itachi quickly cut him in two straight down the middle. Another clone attempted to kick Itachi, who did nothing as the foot of the clone past right through Itachi's head. Whilst another one threw a punch that Itachi blocked with his wings of darkness. "I'm starting to get the hang of this." Itachi smirked.

Using his eyes, Itachi searched after the slightest hint of muscle movement in Obito and his clones. And predicted which would fake an attack, and which would actually attack. The real Obito leapt out from the crowd, his eye warping the Kamui dimension open, as one of the dimensions many white gigantic pillars fell out and down onto Itachi.

Itachi didn't even look faced, as in an instant he created the giant spectral skeleton of his Susano'o to slice the pillar in two with the Totsuka blade. 'Now!' Whilst Obito was occupied bringing this object from the Kamui dimension, Itachi stabbed forward the Totsuka blade and pierced straight through Obito. Only for that Obito to whiter away like dead wood as it turned out to be a clone.

"I can't believe you fell for genjutsu!" Obito teleported into Itachi's Susano'o and stabbed him with the chakra rod.

"… I can't believe you did." Itachi threw back, as this Itachi exploded into a murder of crows. "Small subtle genjutsu might work on both of us, even if only for a second." The real Itachi appeared behind Obito, and slammed his elbow straight into his face sending the reanimated Uchiha flying straight into a massive boulder which collapsed onto him.

"Oh, what irony…" Obito rolled his eyes, as the collapsed boulder covered the entire area of his body that got crushed by a boulder when he was young during the third great ninja war. Obito however, stood up as his body slipped right through the boulder without any issue.

Mystogan's eyes shot wide open, his sharingan morphing straight into the Mangekyou Sharingan. "Sorry for the wait. I'm finally ready." Mystogan then used his Kamui, the warping space sucking both him and Itachi's clone that was with him into Kamui space.

Obito calmly looked at the spot where Mystogan used to be, and then over to Itachi. "Well, I suppose it will all be over soon…"

"Most likely." Itachi remained as stoic as ever, Itachi slashed his demonic blade at Obito without a second's thought. The blade itself passed straight through the reanimated Uchiha, although as it did Obito's body was suddenly sliced in half from the waist and down.

In the Kamui Dimension, Mystogan was preparing the next step, his magical staffs stabbed and lodged into the surface of one of the giant pillars. Whilst Itachi's clone sliced through a part of Obito's lower body with his demonic blade of darkness. One end fighting outside, and the other fighting inside was the best way to deal with Kamui. With one attacking from the outside, and the Kamui user sending parts of his body into the dimension to avoid the attack from the outside end. All the while the ones in the Kamui dimension attacked the parts of the body the Kamui user sends into the Kamui dimension.

Obito reattached his lower body, Itachi expanded his demonic fist to the point where it nearly outsized Obito's body. Itachi threw a heavy punch, and Obito once again used Kamui to slip right through. Obito like a ghost flew straight through Itachi and leaped behind him. Then suddenly Obito's upper torso exploded in a fiery blue explosion.

In the Kamui dimension, Itachi's clone slammed into Obito's body with a rasengan. Obito grunted as part of his body was blown apart. But he wasn't frustrated, he wanted Itachi to win anyway. Neinhart on the other hand, was biting his nails in frustration.

Obito leapt at Itachi, wielding chakra rods. Itachi blocked the chakra rod slashing down onto him, using his right forearm. Itachi then pushed Obito off and threw a series of punches into the reanimated warrior. Each punch tearing a hole through Obito's reanimated body. Obito summoned chakra rods stabbing out from the ground, piercing straight through Itachi's limbs. Itachi groaned in pain as he was restrained by Obito's chakra rods.

Neinhart then had Obito throw a series of punches into the restrained Itachi. Itachi however used his demonic darkness to create multiple demonic arms, plucking out the chakra rods and Itachi then headbutted Obito. Itachi tossed the chakra rods straight back into Obito, severing the reanimated Uchiha's right arm, and into his shoulders. Obito skidded backwards, Itachi followed up by unleashing an energy blast of darkness.

Obito used his Kamui to slip right through the wave. Although then had his other arm severed by Itachi's clone in the Kamui dimension. Obito stepped backwards, it truly seemed like he was caught in a corner. Especially as his right arm didn't regenerate whereas the left one did. Itachi of course caught onto this, especially seeing that the penetrated holes in Obito's body from the chakra rods weren't healing either.

"I see, so these chakra rods prevent a reanimated warrior from regenerating? The spiritual powers of the Sages chakra in these rods must be the cause of it." Itachi now knowing another weakness of the reanimation, took a giant leap at Obito creating chakra rods out from his own palm.

Obito looked at the incoming Itachi, and using his Kamui Obito launched massive purple flaming chakra chains attached to chakra rods. The chains wrapped around Itachi's body like snakes, the chakra rods stabbing into Itachi's body keeping him restrained in place. Obito smirked as he saw something Neinhart didn't, the restrained Itachi turned into a murder of crows that scattered across the battlefield.

"Amaterasu!" The black flames of a blazing inferno appeared on the chains. All being burnt and melted away in a near instance in the face of the massive sea of black fire. The flames in face of Obito cleared away, and Itachi appeared holding his dominant arm up with powerful winds tearing through the very fraction of space around him. What looked like black lightning crackled around the palm of Itachi's hand, creating a sphere of darkness.

Itachi generated a massive black sphere of demonic energy, rings rotating around the sphere at an intense rate. "Dark Solar!" Itachi chucked the black sphere of demonic energy at Obito, the sheer size of it making Obito look like an ant in comparison. Obito smirked, knowing the caster would have no choice but to make him use the Kamui to avoid this destructive attack or else Obito would certainly be destroyed. And so, he did, Neinhart made Obito slip right through the destructive sphere. Obito was standing in the Kamui dimension, and looked around seeing he was surrounded by magical staffs, and multiple layers of magic circles hovering over him.

And Mystogan was ready for Obito's arrival. "Five Layered Magic Circle: Sacred Song." Coming raining down from the magic circles, was a bright purple beam of light. Obito was pressured to the floor, the pillar beneath him was cracking under this intense pressure as well. In fact, it was near falling apart and plunging Obito into the abyss of the Kamui dimension. Then, however in what seemed like a mere flash, Obito was back out in the real world, although his body restrained from the effects of Mystogan's spell.

SLASH!

Obito widened his eyes, looking down seeing a massive flaming sword stabbed right through him. And with this, Obito finally felt like he was free as Neinhart lost control over Obito's body.

"NO! NOOOOO! GODDAMMIT!" Neinhart cried out in pure anger, one of his priced fighters was out of commission. "Damn that Itachi Uchiha…! I only have one other that could possibly contend with him… one even stronger than Obito. But my magic power is not enough to control him!" Neinhart was trembling not only out of rage, but fear. At this rate he would be forced to face his majesty as a failure, not to mention he would have to grovel to August and Irene to grant him more power. He didn't know what was worse, the humiliation or the punishment he would suffer from the emperor.

Obito meanwhile was restrained by the effects of Mystogan's spell, and was easily stabbed by the Totsuka blade. Obito's body was falling apart, he looked to Itachi with a hint of regret. "Itachi… As I am going away now. Could I part away one last message?" Obito felt he needed to try and make things up for Itachi, after everything he did in their times in the Akatsuki. Plus, he thought what he had to offer Itachi might make up for it, if even only a little.

"… Very well, I shall humor you. What message?" In responds Obito flashed his sharingan, Itachi felt his heartbeat increase as he was being placed in a genjutsu. Itachi saw all of Obito's memories from after the Edo Tensei was undone. He saw Obito getting unmasked by Naruto, Kakashi, Killer Bee and Might Guy. He saw Madara and Obito unleashing the Juubi onto the Allied Shinobi forces. All the previous Hokage reanimated with the Edo Tensei appearing to fight against Madara, Obito and the Juubi. But then, what Obito really wanted to show Itachi was the late arrival of Sasuke. Sasuke declaring, he was going to protect Konoha, and become the Hokage which even came as a shock for Itachi himself.

Itachi couldn't help but smile, as he saw the sight of Naruto and Sasuke fighting side by side against Obito even as he became the Jinchuuriki for the Juubi. Obito's eventual defeat to Naruto, and Madara's betrayal of Obito by making himself into the Juubi's Jinchuuriki. Obito clinging onto life after he had used Rinne Rebirth to bring Madara back to life. Sasuke getting the Rinnegan and Naruto the powers of the Sage of Six Paths with the Truth Seeker Orbs. The infinite Tsukuyomi casted onto everyone on the planet except for Naruto, Sasuke, Kakashi and Sakura. The fall of Madara who was betrayed by Black Zetsu, the revival of Kaguya. And finally, Obito giving his life to save Naruto, Sasuke and Kakashi. Then things changed, strangely from Kakashi's perspective as he temporarily gained Obito's sharingan once again to use the Perfect Susano'o, giving Naruto and Sasuke the window, they needed to seal and defeat Kaguya.

Itachi was then brought back to reality, looking at the smiling face of Obito as his body was beginning to get sealed by the Totsuka blade. "It may not be good enough… considering all the things I have done. But I hope, this at least can bring you some peace in regards to Sasuke's future… I owe you that much."

Itachi stared at the fading form of Obito Uchiha in silence, stunned silence. "… You are forgiven, Obito." Obito looked in shock at hearing Itachi say those words, he looked up to face the gaze of the younger Uchiha and Itachi was smiling at him. "Thank you, for showing me that. May you rest in peace."

"… Heh, thank you, Itachi." Obito closed his eyes as the Totsuka blade pulled him into the jar sealing him away and allowing Obito's spirit to rest.

Itachi stood a few moments in silence, wondering what became of Sasuke's life after the battle with Kaguya. Did Sasuke start a family? Did he become Hokage like he said he would? Did he protect Konoha along with Naruto until his final days? Itachi for sure was at ease, that his brother appeared to have escaped from the darkness and the cycle of hatred.

Itachi's train of thoughts were interrupted from the sounds of explosions coming from a few islands down. Explosions of light and darkness raging across the isles from Jellal battling Zeref and Invel. Then coming out from the Kamui dimension, were Mystogan and the clone of Itachi. Itachi's clone quickly vanished however, and Mystogan walked over to Itachi's side. "So, shall we go help my counterpart? With any luck we could end this war." Itachi nodded as he and Mystogan leapt towards the battlefield, towards Zeref. If they put an end to the Black Wizard, this war would end much faster.

The fight still raged on in Magnolia, although with enough effort and with the back up from the survivors of the squad in Hargeon. Laxus' squad in Magnolia had been able to push the remaining members of the deceased Ajeel's squad, and Wall Eehto's squad to the edges of Magnolia. In the front lines leading a charging spirit group of Fairy Tail wizards, was Elfman using his Weretiger Beast Soul form. With his now enhanced speed he tore through the Alvarez troops.

Following her brother, was the youngest Strauss sibling, Lisanna. Using her Animal Soul Cat form, and her claws to shred through the armor of the Alvarez Knights like a hot knife on butter. "We need to push them back before their reinforcements arrive!" Macao and Wakaba joined the siblings, Macao sending a whip of purple fire and Wakaba sending a torrent of smoke fists knocking into the Alvarez Knights.

"Where the hell are Wall Eehto-sama and Brandish-sama?!" The sound of panicking cries amongst the Alvarez Knights made victory seem certain for the Fairy Tail wizards. So certain, that even Jet soared through the knights with ease, and Droy's plants grew into gigantic size beneath several magic mobiles knocking them over. The two said Spriggan 12 members hadn't been seen or heard from in a while, making the troops lose face without the might of their generals to guide them.

Whilst Brandish was currently in the woods near Porlyusica's home, Wall Eehto was still onboard his airship. Wall cackled as he watched the battle through his binoculars. "Look at all those chumps getting destroyed! Hilarious!"

"S-Sir! Those are our very own men!" One of the crew pointed out to his general, although Wall didn't seem to care one bit. "We need to provide backup! With your power sire, we annihilate those Fairy Tail wizards and claim the emperor's prize!"

"Huh? Oh yeah, his former lover's body… I wouldn't be so sure. You saw that destructive pillar of light, right? I mean, of course you did. It probably shot itself all the way up to space!" Wall Eehto snickered, the memory of seeing Mavis' Fairy Law blasting into the heavens still fresh in his mind. Wall knew that it had strengthened the hope of the Ishgar forces from seeing that pillar of light, shining like a beacon of hope. "With Brandish and Dimaria's help, sure we could take this stinking town no problem. But Brandish is M.I.A and Dimaria is still on her way. If I go in now, well… I would look worse than that fool Ajeel and get myself killed."

"B-But, we can't just abandon our own men…" The knight stuttered. The enemy had someone even Wall Eehto admitted he couldn't defeat by himself? He had never heard his general ever praise an enemy in such a way.

"Not to worry, I called in a small favor from Neinhart. And I sent the men the second-best thing… Blitzkrieg should be able to hold those Fairy Tail chumps busy long enough until Dimaria arrives with reinforcements." Wall chuckled with confidence as he continued watching the show from afar.

Back on the battlefield, even little Romeo was doing his part. Using a flame coated fist like Natsu, and knocking down a couple of Alavrez Knights. "I'm all fired up!" Romeo smirked, as he charged with a mighty blue fire coated fist. Only for the flames to be snuffed out by an ice-cold blizzard coming soaring in from the enemy's side.

"That iz far enough, whelp." A tall figure, towering over even the likes of Elfman came landing down onto the battlefield.

"Romeo! Get behind me!" Macao quickly stood before his son, and Wakaba joined him.

"What the hell is that thing?!" Wakaba looked to be near panicking.

Standing before them, was a towering man, no, a machine. A giant bulky robotic figure armed with giant rocket launchers on his shoulders. And dual cannons on his back. His robotic armored plating a mix of silver and purple. And his face looked icy blue. His eyes glowing red, with his left eye being bigger and looking like a red monocle. "The name, iz Blitzkrieg vermin. I am the second in command of master Wall Eehto." His face suddenly shifted into a shade of fiery red with a stronger looking jawline, and his voice sounded more hot-tempered. "Remember it! Cause it's ze last thing you're gonna hear before I-" His face shifted again into black, with red glowing eyes and a mouth like a jack-o' lantern. "-express my feelings in song!" He sang out, following by the maddening cackle of a mad man. One thing all faces shared, was that accent of his. The center of his chest glowed. It was a lacrima unleashing a tremendous amount of magical power.

"Falcon Kick!" Coming soaring in was Jet, landing a kick straight into the side of Blitzkrieg, although the robotic giant didn't budge an inch.

"Knuckle Plant!" The plants beneath Blitzkrieg's feet, grew into giant fists that bombarded into his chest, yet he didn't flinch. Jet and Droy stood before Macao, Wakaba and Romeo, now trembling in fear.

Blitzkrieg changed back into the icy blue one, smirking down on the members of Team Shadow Gear. "More insects? Good thing I have my bug spray." The cannons on his back aimed down towards Jet and Droy, charging up an ice beam.

"Wind Style: Tornado Fists!" A sudden fist of a raging whirlwind tornado clashed into Blitzkrieg's face knocking him over. shortly followed by a tsunami wave of mud coming crashing into him. "Earth Style: Mud Flood!" Coming crashing in, was something that made Jet, Droy, Macao, Wakaba and Romeo's jaw drop in disbelief. Landing before them, in contrast to the skinny Jet and the fat Droy they were used to. Were a Jet and Droy that looked like they were on steroids. Both jacked up with muscles, and even cool scars.

"I brought back up!" They all looked up, seeing Mest teleporting in with several familiar faces. A big, yet still less muscular looking Elfman. A lady-like looking Cana. Nab, Reedus, Wakaba without a cigarette in his mouth, Macao wearing glasses, a cuddly couple that were Bisca and Alzack. And the most shocking of all, a grown-up looking Wendy with big boobs.

"W-Who are these guys?" Romeo blushed slightly as he couldn't help but stare at the grown-up version of Wendy.

"Edolas Fairy Tail! Attack!" Edolas Jet let out a war cry, that was shared with his fellow guild members as they all joined in on the fight.

"Edolas Fairy Tail…?" Macao gasped, as they all remembered the Edolas Kingdom they heard from Natsu, Itachi and the rest eight years ago. These were the Edolas versions of themselves?

The Earthland Fairy Tail wizards weren't the only ones who were shocked from seeing their counterparts. "Smoking… really?" Edolas Wakaba looked with disgust at his Earthland self.

"Oh my! Why aren't you dressed?!" Edolas Cana squealed in terror at seeing her Earthland self.

"Huh? What do you mean? I'm wearing clothes." Cana looked a bit disturbed at seeing her Edolas version looking like a high society lady. In contrast to her just wearing a swimsuit top and shorts.

"Lisanna!" Edolas Elfman cried as he embraced the Earthland version of his deceased little sister.

"It's good to see you!" Lisanna smiled warmly and returned the hug to the more fragile Edolas counterpart of her brother.

"O-Oi! What the hell is this?!" Elfman on the other hand looked mortified at seeing any version of him crying like a child.

But the most shock to anyone, had to be for Edolas Jet and Droy. Both staring in disbelief at the sight of their Earthland counterparts. "W-Why am I fat?" Edolas Droy found himself asking.

"H-Hey! This is all muscle!" Droy shot back, looking heavily insulted at having his weight brought into question.

"Why do we look so weak?" Edolas Jet paled, seeing their Earthland counterparts seemed to have traumatized him a bit. "Oi, Droy…"

"Yeah, Jet?"

"Why do I feel like we owe Elfman an apology?" Edolas Jet and Droy looked both equally mortified. And they now knew why every enemy they have encountered in Earthland had underestimated them.

"H-Hey don't be rude!" Jet and Droy both looked near tears at being insulted by the Edolas versions of themselves.

"More insects? My, thiz iz really troublesome." Blitzkrieg rose from the mud, his red glowing eyes making him look like something straight out of a horror movie. "You dirtied my glorious body, punishment for thiz iz death!"

"Bring it creep!" Edolas Jet and Droy both powered up with a blueish fiery aura.

"We'll throw you to the scrapheap where you belong!" Edolas Droy slammed his palm to the ground, and the earth beneath Blitzkrieg shot up into a giant earth pillar. Edolas Jet ran up the pillar, gathering a torrent of wind at his feet.

"Eat shit!" Edolas Jet flipped Blitzkrieg off, as he jumped high above him and the rising earth pillar. Edolas Jet began spinning, the wind around his legs taking the shape of a giant drill. "Wind Style: Falcon Tallon!" Edolas Jet crashed down onto Blitzkrieg, and the earth pillar shattered as a result.

Edolas Jet kept using his attack to push Blitzkrieg into the ground, as Edolas Droy prepared another attack. Edolas Jet could only gasp however, as the mechanical hand of Blitzkrieg shot up and grabbed onto Edolas Jet's face. Blitzkrieg rose from the ground, his face fiery red as he smashed Edolas Jet into the ground. The ground tore open, rocks being flung into the air like it was from an explosion, forming into a crater by the sheer force of Blitzkrieg's attack.

"Earth Style: Mud Dragon!" Edolas Droy was quick to aid his best friend, having the mud from the dirt beneath them blast up. The mud gathered into the shape of a Chinese Dragon, and latched its jaws into Blitzkrieg pushing him away a great distance. "Jet, you okay?" Edolas Droy jumped into the crater, helping Edolas Jet back up.

Edolas Jet hissed in pain, as a bloodied gash opened at his forehead causing blood to run down over half his face. "I'm fine… Let's kill that bastard."

"H-Hey, you guys need help?" Earthland Jet and Droy tumbled down into the crater, causing their Edolas counterparts to sweat drop.

"… No offence, but you would just get in the way." Edolas Jet spat out some blood to the side, his teeth dyed red from his blood.

"Yeah, go and fight those soldiers… We got the big guy." Edolas Droy nodded as they stared down Blitzkrieg, who tore open the mud dragon and was now marching towards them.

"You little pissantz ready to die?!" Blitzkrieg's hotheaded temper was showing, as his now red face was scowling at the Edolas duo.

"Blah, blah, come on you oversized washing machine. Fight us." Edolas Jet smirked, despite his bloodied teeth and face he oozed of confidence.

"Hey, maybe Levy can find some use for all these spare parts we can gather from this hunk of junk." Edolas Droy cracked his knuckles, looking ready to tear Blitzkrieg apart piece by piece.

"I love you humans… get a few lucky hits in and you feel invincible. It makes things so much more fun, when I put you through ze meat grinder!" Blitzkrieg launched four rockets from the rocket launchers on his shoulders, two homing missiles for each of the pests.

Gathering the wind beneath his feet, Edolas Jet took off in an attempt to outrun the missiles. Although even with his speed, they were gaining on him. Edolas Droy however attempted to shield himself, bringing up a wall of stone before him to take on the missiles. Blitzkrieg cackled at seeing their pathetic attempts of escaping.

Edolas Droy gasped seeing the missiles do a U-turn around the wall and about to crash at him from both sides. Then to his surprise, two giant plant hands shot up from the ground grabbing onto the missiles. The plant hands grew high up into the air carrying the missiles, giving them a good tight squeeze causing them to explode. Edolas Droy's earth wall crumbled from the force of the explosion, and he was knocked over. Staring in disbelief, as the explosion clouded the sunny skies.

"You okay?!" To Edolas Droy's shock, it was his fat Earthland counterpart that had saved him.

"Yeah… thanks." Edolas Droy wiped the sweat off his brow, he almost died back there.

Meanwhile, Edolas Jet had made his round around the battlefield twice already, and the missiles were still hot on his tail. "Dammit!" Edolas Jet cursed, his energy running low and the winds beneath his feet ready to give in.

"Falcon Rush!" Coming zooming in, was Earthland Jet, pushing his Edolas counterpart aside. "Now! Droy!" And then plant hands shot up and grabbed onto the missiles, pushing them up in the air before making them explode. "You good there?" Jet panted as he held onto his Edolas counterpart.

"Yeah… you're pretty fast for a skinny weakling." Edolas Jet smirked a bit, seeming to compliment his Earthland counterpart. Jet was a little ticked off at being called a weakling, but decided to brush it aside and take the compliment.

"Insects saved by weaker insects. Such a pathetic display." Blitzkrieg mocked them, as the cannons on his back pointed towards them. Charging up the roaring sound of blazing fire. "Burn you cretins!" Like a flamethrower, Blitzkrieg unleashed a wave of destructive burning fire towards the pairs of Jet's and Droy's.

"Earth Style: Mud Wall!" Edolas Droy, slamming his palms to the ground summoned a tall wall of earth to shield all four of them. The flames blasted into the wall, and shot around them. All four of them were sweating bullets from the intense heat, the fire seemed to be burning through the wall as it started to crumble. "I… Can't….! Hold it!" Edolas Droy grumbled as the fire burnt straight through the wall. Both Jet's grabbed onto their Droy's and at full speed took off to escape the burning fire.

Blitzkrieg cackled. His face having switched into the Jack-o' lantern looking face. "Hope you can skate~" From his hands shot out a freezing breeze, the ground started to freeze and be coated in ice. The sudden slippery ground caused both Jet's to trip. The Jet's and Droy's all rolled onto the icy floor, all as Blitzkrieg aimed his cannons unleashing another spray of flames. "You are zo toast!" Blitzkrieg cackled at his own pun, although stopped as a hammer made out of rocks slammed into the back of his head. The head of the hammer broke into several pieces, and Edolas Jet and Droy were left amazed as they glanced on the one who struck Blitzkrieg.

"Elfman?" Edolas Droy uttered, as the cowardly Elfman they were so used to mock for his weakness. Just saved their lives.

Edolas Elfman was trembling out of fear, he bit his teeth together tightly and clenched his fists. "P-P-Pick on someone your own size!" Edolas Elfman stuttered, all he heard from Blitzkrieg was the buzzing sound of a machine.

"Dead meat…!" Blitzkrieg's face shifted into his red, hot-headed persona, throwing his metallic fist in a right hook towards Edolas Elfman's jaw. Although, the scaley hand of lizard caught the fist. Blitzkrieg turned in confusion towards the owner of this hand, seeing a giant lizardman monster. The monster then smashed his scaley head right into Blitzkrieg's face in a headbutt.

"Fear my manly spirit you damn machine!" Elfman threw a right hook into Blitzkrieg knocking him back a few feet. Elfman didn't let up, and tackled the massive robot to the ground. Proceeding to pummel his hard scaley fists into Blitzkrieg's face. Elfman's punches actually looked to be doing some damage, as Blitzkrieg's face started to crack with electric sparks shooting out from the cracks.

"Way to go! Elf-niichan!" Lisanna cheered for her brother, and at hearing this Edolas Jet and Droy looked puzzled. This massive lizard monster was Earthland's Elfman?

"Wow… he's really amazing huh?" Edolas Elfman gave a sigh of relief that he didn't have to fight Blitzkrieg. And stared in amazement at the sight of his counterpart. Such strength, such spirit, to think he could have possibly been so brave, so strong.

"Takeover magic? I see." Blitzkrieg's chest opened, revealing the lacrima as it fired a blast of fire straight into Elfman launching him into the air. "Too bad for you…" Blitzkrieg turned icy blue, as she shot a blast of ice at Elfman. The ice blast hitting Elfman in his torso, and freezing him stuck onto the side of a building. "You need more than brute force to kill me." Shooting out from his robotic wrist, a blade made out of ice. "A manly gentleman such as yourself… wouldn't feel much pain if I harmed you… no, you would feel much more pain if I hurt, others!" Blitzkrieg in a swift motion turned towards the ones who humiliated him earlier.

Jet and Droy both gasped, not having managed to pick themselves up yet from the ice. The ice blade shot out from Blitzkrieg's wrist, and flew at the speed of a bullet towards Droy, his size making him a perfect target in Blitzkrieg's eyes.

Jet's eyes widened, as he picked up the speed and rushed towards Droy aiming to push his friend aside. Jet was fast enough to reach his best friend, and rolled Droy over to the side and out of harm's way. But the blade now threatened to pierce Jet. "Damn… guess I can't outrun this one." Jet closed his eyes, tears leaking from his closed eyelids.

The sound of flesh being pierced echoed around the darkness as Jet had his eyes closed, yet he didn't feel any pain. And the next thing he knew, something hot and wet sprayed across the side of his face. Jet opened his eyes and gasped, seeing the sight of his Edolas counterpart having jumped in front of the attack. The ice blade stabbed straight through Edolas Jet's chest.

"Uh… Uhhh… Jet!" Edolas Droy cried out for his friend, as Edolas Jet's body hit the curve in a thud before Earthland Jet.

"N-No…." Edolas Elfman looked pale, seeing one who was revered in his guild as one of the strongest. Laying in a pool of his own blood, whilst choking on it, blood gurgling out from his mouth.

"You bastard!" Elfman roared and broke through the ice, slamming his fist into Blitzkrieg. The robot's face shifting into the black Jack-o' lantern, and cackling like a lunatic as he caught Elfman's fist and headbutted him.

"Running little mouse, ran into a trap~" Blitzkrieg sang creepily. "Little mouse's legs went snap~" Blitzkrieg blasted missiles into Elfman, the protective scales of his Lizardman form shielding him from most of the damage. "Now ze little mouse takes ze eternal nap~"

Jet hurriedly crawled over to his Edolas counterpart, cradling the bleeding version of himself in his arms. "Why did you do that?!"

"… N-Now we're even." Edolas Jet hurled up blood, his eyes twitching in pain. Jet and Droy had saved their lives earlier from those missiles. "H-Hey… P-Promise me something…"

Jet froze up, it was strange sensation. Seeing a version of yourself dying like this in your own arms. "Name it…"

Edolas Jet's eyes seemed to grow heavier as they threatened to close for good. "P-Promise me to… to grow stronger, kay? You and your Droy. Don't continue to seem like a joke… look at me, look at my Droy… You could be this strong too, we're the same after all… Heh, and we're from the inferior Edolas…" Edolas jet spoke with sarcasm at that last bit. "Y-You two… could become way stronger… Yeah, I can see it now… Mmph!" Edolas Jet smiled, and with that his eyes closed for good, and his head fell down to the side.

"I promise…!" Jet cried between his gritted teeth, holding onto the hand of his dead Edolas counterpart.

Edolas Droy limped towards the corpse of his friend, his leg a little twisted from the fall on the ice. Edolas Droy stared through his sunglasses, looking at the smiling face of hid oldest friend. His entire being trembling, rage bubbling up to the surface. Edolas Droy clenched his fists so hard he drew blood. His eyes falling to the ice blade still stuck in Edolas Jet's chest, and then trailing towards the cackling Blitzkrieg locked in a fist fight with Elfman. "Go…" Edolas Droy mumbled, causing Jet to look up. "Go, and take the fat ass with you… This fight is mine." Droy limped towards Blitzkrieg and Elfman, leaving the bewildered Jet behind.

"W-Wait…" Droy called out to his counterpart, grabbing a stick and placing it against Edolas Droy's twisted ankle. Wrapping the stick onto his legs with plants, keeping Edolas Droy's foot steady.

"Thanks…" Edolas Droy gave a thumbs up at his Earthland counterpart, and continued walking towards Blitzkrieg and Elfman. Staring at the back of his Edolas self, and remembering what Edolas Jet said with his dying breath. Really got Jet and Droy thinking. Could they be as strong as them?

Blitzkrieg was sent flying, as a mud dragon dragged him away from Elfman. Elfman was panting, a little exhausted, he looked towards the approaching Edolas Droy. The two men exchanged a single look, and they instantly understood each other. Elfman exited his Lizardman form, taking on the familiar form Edolas Droy was used to. Well except for the different hairstyle, and the more muscular body. Elfman stepped aside, as Edolas Droy continued walking towards the direction Blitzkrieg went flying.

"You know he can't beat that thing…" Edolas Elfman looked at his counterpart, seeing the firm strong figure of his Earthland self with his head held high.

"Yeah, I know…" Elfman was panting, his stamina and energy nearly drained from having fought all night and morning. "Mest…" Elfman called out to the teleporter, who was about to make his way back to the southern isles. "Pass me one of those replenishing pills will ya? I will need it to help Edolas Droy fight that thing."

"Alright, but I only got two left. I've been teleporting around the continent to bring reinforcements around." Mest tossed Elfman one of the ethernano replenishing pills, Elfman grabbed the tiny pill and swallowed it in one go.

Elfman took a deep breath, feeling his ethernano and stamina replenishing itself as his body got filled with adrenaline. "Okay, time to bust that bucket head!" Although as Elfman stood up, an air cannon suddenly launched itself into him. Elfman tumbled over, with his Edolas counterpart, and Lisanna quickly going to his aid helping him get back up.

"Not so fast, loser." A snickering voice halted Elfman in his steps. Elfman growled as he saw a familiar face, it was Rustyrose, a member of Grimoire Heart and one of the Seven Kin. Accompanied by Kain, a fellow member of the Seven Kin. Both reanimated. Elfman recalled it all too well, how Rustyrose had beaten him and Evergreen on Tenrou Island eight years ago during the S-class trails.

A bit further away on the battlefield. "Ze hell was that?" Blitzkrieg crawled out from the puddle of mud, his circuits a little fried as he stared down at the approaching form of Edolas Droy. "Ah, the other little mouse~"

"…" Edolas Droy slammed his good foot into the ground, a surge of chakra exploded from his feet sending several giant-sized rock projectiles flying into the air. The rocks suddenly started to rotate at an intense level of speed around him like if he had his own gravitational field. "Earth Style: Rings of Saturn!" The rocks around Edolas Droy divided into two separate rotating rings, with a heave of his arm Edolas Droy sent the first ring flying at Blitzkrieg.

"Agh!" Blitzkrieg cried out as a rock slammed into his face. The rotating ring of rocks pummeled into his mechanical body. Blitzkrieg's body began denting from the intensity of the rocks slamming into him. Edolas Droy then tossed the second ring, and thus doubling the beating Blitzkrieg was receiving. "You think this can stop me?" Blitzkrieg charged the rocket launchers on his shoulders, with his twisted ankle Edolas Droy would have a hard time to dodge. But Edolas Droy wasn't about to let up on his assault as he quickly flashed a set of hand seals.

"Earth Style: Mudslide!" The solid ground under Blitzkrieg's feet began to liquify into mud, and thus causing the massive robot to slip and his rockets fired into the skies above. "Earth Style: Moving Earth Core!" The ground beneath Blitzkrieg turned solid again, as it raised itself up into a massive rocky tower carrying Blitzkrieg. "Earth Style: Earth Pillar Explosion!" The earth pillar carrying Blitzkrieg then exploded in a flashy display of fireworks. Edolas Droy panted, releasing so many jutsus at once was draining, but he wasn't going to give up. "Earth Style: Earth and Stone Dragon!" A rocky dragon made out of earth and stone, flew itself out from beneath the earthy soil, and straight towards Blitzkrieg. The earth dragon snarled itself around onto Blitzkrieg's body like a snake, squeezing him hard. "I am going to smash you to pieces you damn tin can!" Edolas Droy created stone fist gloves around his hands, and jumped at Blitzkrieg.

Not showing any mercy to the second in command of Wall Eehto, Edolas Droy began pummeling the mechanical monster with his stone fists. Blitzkrieg unable to raise his arms as the stone earth dragon had him trapped in its grasp could only take on the beating from Edolas Droy. "Adorable~" Blitzkrieg cackled, and shooting straight out through the Earth Dragon, and through Edolas Droy's chest was a beam of energy coming from Blitzkrieg's lacrima core.

Edolas Droy's face began twisting in agony, yet he latched one of his hands onto Blitzkrieg's face. Holding his available hand in a hand seal. "Earth Style: Earth King's Stone Spear!" Shooting up from the ground beneath them, a massive sharp spear made out of stone and earth, soared its way into the sky.

Blitzkrieg's face shifted into his icy blue persona. "Are you crazy?!" Edolas Droy's stone spear wasn't only flying towards Blitzkrieg, but it was aimed at Edolas Droy's back.

"… I have to make sure you stand still somehow, don't I?" Edolas Droy gives a bloodied smirk, he wanted to take Blitzkrieg with him to the grave. Edolas Droy squeezed his earth hand tighter onto Blitzkrieg's face.

"Fool!" Blitzkrieg acted quickly, making a sword of ice he slashed it cutting Edolas Droy's arm clean off. Edolas Droy didn't flinch, and with his remaining hand he latched and grabbed onto the fleeing Blitzkrieg's arm. Blitzkrieg snarled a bit, but before he could do anything the stone spear stabbed through Edolas Droy's chest and continued to advance. The stone spear reached Blitzkrieg, stabbing into the restrained arm Edolas Droy held onto. Sparks flew as the spear severed straight through Blitzkrieg's circuits cutting his left arm from the elbow and down.

Blitzkrieg remained stoned faced like any machine, even as he watched the body of Edolas Droy along with his severed mechanical arm freefall into the ground bellow. "Foolish human." Blitzkrieg snarled, landing onto Edolas Droy's body. "Little mouse… takes ze eternal nap." Blitzkrieg picked up his severed arm, good thing about being a machine he could easily get his arm reattached by Wall Eehto.

Blitzkrieg took a tactical retreat. With one arm he would be at a disadvantage. Besides, he had given the troops enough back up for now. This human had slowed him down a bit, but he would be back after having his arm reattached by his master.

Meanwhile, Elfman was slammed in the face by the giant white palm of the reanimated Kain Hikaru of the Seven Kin. "Dosukoi!" The large black haired man's palm thrust unleashed an air cannon that knocked Elfman back a few feet.

"It seems things have really changed since our battle on Tenrou Island. I mean, now there are two of you." Rustyrose chuckled at seeing the two Elfman's especially at the pathetic looking form of Edolas Elfman. Rustyrose's right arm turned into a monster like arm, with black claws. "Jet Black Sword!" Rustyrose aimed for Elfman's back whilst the giant was focused on Kain.

"Animal Soul: Lamia!" Lisanna jumped in, turning her lower body into that of a giant snake. Lisanna quickly restrained Rustyrose by wrapping his body up with her snake body. "I won't let you hurt Elf nii-chan!" Being stuck in the tightened grip however, didn't bother Rustyrose one bit. Being reanimated he didn't feel any actual pain.

"Tower of Dingir!" Rustyrose smirked, as a massive towering pillar rose from the ground. The pillar latching onto Lisanna dragging her off Rustyrose. Lisanna cried out a bit, struggling to break free from the tower's grasp. "Die." Rustyrose smirked.

"Earth Style: Stone Hammer!" Edolas Elfman created a war hammer made out of solid rock, the heavy head of the hammer restricted his movement, but he had a plan for that. "Wind Style: Speed Boost!" A surge of wind blew from the hammer head, and Edolas Elfman smacked the hammer into the back of Rustyrose's head. Rustyrose's head flew off from his body, pieces of paper flying around like they were shot from a confetti popper. And on que the tower vanished and Lisanna fell to the ground. "I already lost my sister once! I will not lose her again!" Tears ran from Edolas Elfman's eyes, as he eyed the regenerating head of Rustyrose. "Tch, get lost nobody." Rustyrose snarled, even if only half his head had regenerated. "Jet Black Sword!" Rustyrose slashed Edolas Elfman across the chest with a black claw like monster arm.

"Ugh!" Tears leaked from Edolas Elfman's eyes, the burning sensation of pain and his red blood spraying before his very eyes. Edolas Elfman fumbled and fell onto his knees whilst whimpering in pain.

"Now, onto my business with this big idiot." Rustyrose chuckled at seeing the angered face of Earthland Elfman.

"Dosukoi!" Kain slammed his palm at full force straight into Elfman's upper right shoulder. Elfman grunted in pain as his arm was knocked out of place, unmovable Elfman suffered a second blow straight to the face. "Your muscles, don't compare to mine!" Kain threw a series of palm thrusts into Elfman, the towering figure of Elfman was being knocked around with ease in the face of Kain's strength. Elfman's body was bruised and his muscles were sore, yet Elfman managed to avoid an incoming palm thrust. Kain's stray palm thrust soared like an air cannon, and annihilated an entire apartment complex in the blink of an eye.

"Beast Soul: Belcusas!" Elfman's entire being changed into that of an armored beast, the sheer armor power protecting Elfman from another attack by Kain. Yet the vibration from a mere direct strike by the giant sumo wrestler looking man, was enough to nearly make Elfman buckle under the pressure. "Get lost tubby! My muscles are the very true essence of a MAN!" Elfman slammed his armored fist straight into Kain's face, and the equal massive towering sumo wrestler was sent skidding back a great length. SLICE! "ARGH!" Elfman cried in pain as Rustyrose using his beast black clawed monster arm sliced through Elfman's armor like butter.

"Remember this? The Jet Black Sword, it can cut through anything. Even this armor you stole from my very own magic." Rustyrose smirked from ear to ear at the sight of a bleeding Elfman. "Now, let's see just how great this reanimation spell is." Rustyrose slammed his palms together, in a flamboyant fashion he spread his arms out and with it created an army of monsters with armor identical to Elfman. "Arc of Embodiment. Sacred Guardian Beast: Belucsas the Thunderclap."

Elfman groaned as he glared at the laughing Rustyrose. "Marvelous, the revenge of Grimoire Heart is nigh! My thanks to the caster for a second chance against Fairy Tail! And also, a chance to find that man who ripped out my heart and killed me and-" Interrupting Rustyrose mid dialogue, was a swinging snake tail, Rustyrose groaned as he was launched into the air by Lisanna.

"Elf nii-chan!" Lisanna rushed to her brother's aid, although the army of armored beasts stood in her path. "Animal Soul: Kyuubi!" Lisanna's appearance changed into a fox-girl, nine majestic white tail growing from her lower back, a pair of fluffy white fox ears on her head, and her hands turning into fox claws. "Fox Impact!" With a mighty swing of her nine tails, she smacked them into the ground. The sheer impact sending a shockwave ringing across the field, and knocking most of the armored beasts to the ground. "Fox Fire!" Lisanna continued her assault as spheres of blue fire generated around her and like a gatling gun, unleashed a fiery barrage into the armored beasts.

"Lisanna…" Edolas Elfman looked in awe, he was shocked at the power Lisanna had displayed. So, unlike anything he had ever seen from Edolas' Lisanna. 'I see… with a brother like that of course you would grow strong…' Edolas Elfman smiled and created a second stone hammer. 'Lisanna, nee-chan, Jet, Droy… and Earthland me, please lend me your strength.' Taking deep breaths to help himself steadying in his steps, Edolas Elfman picked himself up from the ground. Standing tall, standing strong and firm like a tower. 'I will protect Lisanna! I will protect my friends!'

"Elf nii-chan, can you stand?" Lisanna did her best to help the giant frame that was her brother to stand back on his feet. Several of the armored beasts laying around them burning with blue fire.

"Yeah… I'm fine. Thank you, Lisanna." Elfman seemed a bit embarrassed over Lisanna having helped him out. Being the older brother, the roles should have been reversed Elfman thought. "Alright, I'm ready for these creeps!" Elfman however quickly got his spirits up with a manly shout to the heavens. The damaged armor around him repairing itself.

"Are you though?" Rustyrose stood together with Kain, seeming mildly annoyed that Lisanna had interrupted him earlier. "In case what happened on Tenrou Island didn't make things clear. Your pathetic takeover magic, cannot possibly hope to defeat my Arc of Embodiment. And Kain here can easily contend with you physically. The two of you, don't have any chances at victory."

"Tch!" Elfman hissed under his breath, deep down he was worried that what Rustyrose said was true. Elfman had lost to him once, not to mention Evergreen was there to back him up back then. And they still lost. And even if Lisanna had some power now, Elfman knew his little sister's limit after all the training they did with Itachi and Crime Sorciere for the past year.

"Good thing there is three of us!" Edolas Elfman jumped in and swung his stone hammer straight into Kain's plump face sending the sumo wrestler crashing into Rustyrose. "Earth Style: Great Divide!" The ground beneath Rustyrose and Kain suddenly split open, and swallowed the two of them whole and then smacked together at great force. Yet the ground tore open, Kain using his massive strength to power through. Both Kain and Rustyrose looked beaten up, missing some limbs that were already regenerating. "Or should I say… there are seven of us. Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Four identical clones of Edolas Elfman suddenly appeared on the battlefield.

"Little rat!" Rustyrose was officially annoyed.

"Hey… other me." Edolas Elfman whispered to his Earthland counterpart. "If I keep the big guy distracted, could you and Lisanna take down the little one?"

"Don't mind us, you should go and help your Droy." Elfman hadn't forgotten about Edolas Droy, who had gone off to fight Blitzkrieg.

"… It's too late. Droy's chakra is gone, he's already dead." Edolas Elfman trembled, but not out of whimpering fear, no, it was out of rage. Elfman's head fell at hearing of Edolas Droy's death. If it hadn't been for these two suddenly showing up, he could have helped against Blitzkrieg. "So, do you think you and Lisanna together can take the little one?" Edolas Elfman asked again.

"Yeah… it's not a matter of power. Just that my magic isn't the best counter against his. But we should manage. What about you? That Kain guy was strong enough to knock me around, can you handle him?" Elfman looked a bit worried for his counterpart, even if today was their first-time meeting. Elfman couldn't help but feel a connection to his Edolas counterpart, he was just like Elfman used be like when he was a kid after all.

"No, I know I can't win in the long run. My chakra level isn't that high, I'm already starting running on fumes. Those clones and some stone hammers, will probably be all that I can manage. But I can keep him occupied until you have dealt with the little one." Edolas Elfman spun the stone hammer in his grasp, preparing to jump in for the attack.

"… Alright, Lisanna, let's take this creep down." Elfman entered his Weretiger form he was going to need the agility and speed.

"Right!" Lisanna readied to pounce on her opponent like a fox, whiskers growing out from her cheeks. Her teeth turning into fangs, and her nine tails looking wilder than before.

"The worms wish to try some strategy against us?" Rustyrose shook his head, holding back a condescending laugh. "You're welcome to try."

Edolas Elfman and his four clones together all rushed at Kain. "Dosukoi!" The sumo wrestler gave a war cry as he thrusted his palm into one of the clones, causing it to explode in a puff of smoke. The clones all slammed their stone hammers into to the big frame of Kain, yet it didn't matter to Kain as he fought through the pain. Kain thrusted his palm into Edolas' Elfman's upper arm and also broke the stone hammer.

"Despite my big handsome muscly frame, I'm very flexible!" Kain threw a kick into one of the clones behind him causing it to disappear in a puff of smoke. And a back hand strike into another clone causing it to vanish as well. "Dosukoi!" Before he could land a blow on the final clone, the real Edolas Elfman jumped in and pushed Kain's arm aside. Taking a quick jump, followed by a spinning kick, Edolas Elfman knocked Kain to the ground. And Edolas Elfman's clone slammed his stone hammer into the downed Kain.

"I may be weak, but even I know how to fight with taijutsu." Edolas Elfman went into a fighting stance and readied himself. Kain got up looking like almost nothing happened.

"That tickled~" Kain snickered as he and Edolas Elfman engaged in hand-to-hand combat.

Elfman rushed at Rustyrose, despite his big frame, with his weretiger form Elfman was able to blitz Rustyrose's field of vision and slash his claws into his reanimated body. "Still just a big monster." Rustyrose smirked, holding up a golden shield that had blocked Elfman's slash attack. "Huh?" Rustyrose widened his eyes as suddenly the shield cracked a bit. "What's this? This shield is supposed to be able to repel anything." Caught in his own thoughts, Rustyrose didn't have time to react to Lisanna's attack. Like a feral fox she pounced onto his body, her claws ripping into his body leaving burning blue trace marks. "Tower of Dingir!"

Lisanna rushed off of Rustyrose as the massive towering pillar shot up around him. "I won't fall for that again!" Lisanna declared and unleashed a barrage fire of blue fox fire spheres upon Rustyrose.

"Ugh!" Rustyrose rolled away from the burning fire, only to gasp as he saw Elfman jumping at him from above. With his powerful fists, Elfman smacked into Rustyrose causing the ground to explode into a big crater. If Rustyrose had been alive, he would without a doubt have died right then and there. "Pegasus Wings!" Decorative wings appeared onto Rustyrose's shoes and he took off flying. "Ghosts of Britta!" Whilst midair, Rustyrose unleashed a wave of what appeared to be ghost-like entities. The waves of ghosts surrounded themselves around Elfman and Lisanna, leaving them immobilized.

"I can't move…!" Elfman growled, struggling to break free. And Lisanna seemed to be having the same problem.

"I can't even use my magic!" Lisanna groaned as she tried to unleash some fox fire.

Rustyrose hovered over them with a condescending smirk. "Fools, as much as I would love to play around with you. The caster has other plans, so I'm going to kill you both right here and now." Rustyrose's right arm turned into the black monster claw arm again. "Jet Black Sword!" The black beast blade arm expanded, and flew straight towards Lisanna. "First I crush that manly spirit of yours." Rustyrose looked with glee as he glared at a panicking Elfman.

"Lisanna!" Elfman roared, unable to move he desperately tried to gather what strength he had, trying to break free. "I will not let this happen again!" Elfman thought back on when they all thought Lisanna had died, at his own hands none the less. The massive hulking form jumped in front of Lisanna, shielding her. The beasts' claws pierced through his flesh and straight through his chest. However, his muscly arms grabbed onto the claw halting its movement.

Lisanna looked with a horrified gaze at her savor, blood splattering onto her face as it was frozen in terror. "E-Edolas Elf nii-chan…" Lisanna mumbled, as standing before her was the trembling whimpering form of Edolas Elfman.

Meanwhile Kain was caught inside a massive heap of earth, keeping him restrained. The beaten form of Edolas Elfman's clone laying before him in a mere second before vanishing in a puff of smoke. "… I refuse to see you die again, Lisanna." Tears rolled down Edolas Elfman's face as he grimaced in pain.

"…." It was ringing in Lisanna's ears, as all she could do was look in terror upon the stabbed form of her brother's Edolas counterpart. Even if their time was short, even if he wasn't her real brother, he was still Elfman. Scared and passive just like Elfman had been when they were kids. How could she not love seeing that kind side of her brother once more? It had helped Lisanna getting along with the members of the Edolas Fairy Tail.

"Oops, sorry Kain seems I got your opponent by accident." Rustyrose gave a condescending chuckle, and with Edolas Elfman now critically injured Kain had no problem breaking free from his restraints.

"Oy, Rusty! Can I take care of the girl instead?" Kain asked whilst slamming his feet to the ground like a sumo wrestler.

"Heh, sure, not like I care." Rustyrose shrugged.

"L-Lisanna… I won't let you harm her…" Edolas Elfman pulled on the arm stabbed through his chest, pulling Rustyrose down from the skies as a result. As intense as the pain was, Edolas Elfman pushed through, shedding tears from the pain as he kept pulling Rustyrose in. Once Rustyrose was in his sights, Edolas Elfman threw a punch straight to his face.

"Pointless." Rustyrose snarled, he couldn't even feel any pain so what Edolas Elfman did was truly pointless. For that, Rustyrose pulled the arm out leaving Edolas Elfman to bleed out on the ground. "Pointless, a weakling like you could never defeat me."

"Uu…. UWAH!" Lisanna cried out in sorrow over seeing the bloodied and dying form of her brother's Edolas counterpart, no, it was Elfman to her no matter how you looked at it. Blue flames exploded around her, the fox fire going wild and burning away the ghost wave that restrained her and Elfman. Lisanna grew more white fur around her body, resembling more that of a feral fox.

"Aww, is the little girl sad?" Rustyrose mocked, not even faced by Lisanna's transformation. "Takeover magic is truly disgusting." Rustyrose snarled, although before his eyes Lisanna vanished in an instant. "Huh?" Rustyrose gasped as he suddenly found his entire upper right torso torn to bits. Lisanna was behind him, holding her claw out whilst it was burning with fox fire. "Wh-What?" Rustyrose looked to be near panicking as it seemed as if Lisanna would attack again. A few more attacks like that and his reanimated body will be burnt to dust.

Lisanna let out what sounded like an animalistic growl as she jumped towards Rustyrose once more. Only this time, Kain jumped in-between them. Lisanna swiftly dodged a palm thrust from Kain, by wrapping one of her tails onto his wrist and spinning herself straight up to his face to slash him with her burning claws. "FOX FIRE IMPACT!" Flames burnt around her nine tails as she whipped them hard into Kain, the blow sending the massive sumo wrestler flying back whilst burning.

While Lisanna was going ballistic on the two reanimated Grimoire Heart members, Elfman was tending to his Edolas counterpart. "Come on, hang in there! Come on!" Elfman pleaded, feeling the tears building up in his eyes.

"… A-All I ever wanted. Was to grow strong… strong so I could this time protect Lisanna…" Edolas Elfman mumbled as his eyes started to feel heavy, his body having gone numb. "I-I failed to protect my Lisanna… from the Edolas Royal Army. I was a coward, and weak so I ran when she told me to… And then she ran the other way, whilst they chased her… until she fell down that cliff… and died. I was weak, and a coward, I couldn't even protect my little sister…"

Elfman clenched his fists at hearing of his counterparts struggles. "You already protected her!" Elfman couldn't stop the tears from falling. "I don't care what others say about you. You are no coward or a weakling… You are one of the manliest people I have ever met! Even more manly than me…" Elfman admitted, seeing his whimpering Edolas counterpart so easily sacrificing his life to save Lisanna was proof enough. Manly tears ran down Elfman's face as he held onto his dying Edolas counterpart.

"Yeah… thank you…" Edolas Elfman also shed a tear. "Big sis, sorry to leave you alone like this… but I did my brotherly duty, I protected Lisanna… I will be sure, to tell our Lisanna all about it, when I see her again…" Edolas Elfman smiled, looking up the heavens. "Tell our Itachi… to please, not let my big sis despair…"

Elfman grabbed onto his Edolas counterparts' hand, and held it firmly. "I promise!" And with that, a sense of relief washed over Edolas Elfman, as he closed his eyes and died.

Back in the southern isles of Ishgar, the forces of the Alvarez Empire were being pushed back. A lot of it owed to war world Itachi, who with his Perfect Susano'o destroyed near half the Alvarez navy fleet.

And in that chaos somewhere, was Edolas Mirajane fighting several Alvarez soldiers using mere taijutsu. Fighting through waves after waves of soldiers without even breaking a sweat, Edolas Mirajane found herself halted as she sensed her brother's chakra fading. "Elfman…" Edolas Mirajane froze in terror, feeling her brother's death.

"Now is our chance!" An Alvarez soldier declared as several of them tried to jump her. But a gigantic spectral red hand came smashing down upon them, squashing them like bugs. War world Itachi jumped down, and shielded himself and Edolas Mirajane with his Susano'o. "Oy, Mira! Get ahold of yourself-" War world Itachi was about to scold her, but stopped as Edolas Mirajane broke down into tears. "Mira?" Itachi held her close with his non-mechanical arm, he took a moment to feel it, and then he sensed it. "I'm so sorry… Hold onto me, cry your heart out if you must." Edolas Mirajane cried into War World Itachi's shoulder. "Cry all you must… I got you."

Edolas Mirajane held onto a medallion around her neck, cracking it open to view a picture. Seeing this picture was the only thing keeping her sane, and preventing from going on a total reckless rampage right now. Seeing this picture, she knew why she had to stay alive and return home. Her babies were waiting for her. In the medallion were two pictures. One of a little black-haired girl with big blue eyes, and one of a little black-haired boy with the same blue eyes. Her and the former commander's babies were waiting for them back home, she couldn't fall apart and die here.

Back in Magnolia, Elfman and Lisanna charged at Rustyrose and Kain. Both nearly burnt up and destroyed. "YOU BASTARDS!" Elfman roared and with his speed he tore right through Rustyrose and Kain, his weretiger form and its massive claws ripping them to shreds. And Lisanna thus burnt their shredded bodies to ashes with her fox fire.

"N-No… this can't be…" Rustyrose mumbled as his and Kain's body were burnt to nothingness.

Lisanna huffed with heavy breaths. Lisanna's hands were shaking even as she returned to her normal form. Elfman looked worried as he looked at his hyperventilating little sister. "Lisanna…" Before Elfman could say anything else, his sister embraced him in a hug, and broke down crying. "I'm sorry… I was too weak again."

"Elf nii-chan, this isn't your fault… B-But, just please promise me… Promise me that after this war, that we and Mira-nee will make it…" Lisanna was trembling in Elfman's arms, he held her firmly, his eyes filled with determination.

"Yeah, of course we will… There ain't no way we're gonna lose!" Even though Elfman himself knew those words might not be true, it is what Lisanna needed right now. He was going to be a good big brother and protect her, and make sure that if anything she was going to make it. Lisanna and Mira would make it through this, he would make sure of it.

Further up on the northern battlefield, Ultear along with Meredy together ran through the forest. Various groans from Alvarez imperial knights that were taken down by the two former ladies of Grimoire Heart. The imperial knights of the Alvarez Empire had tried to circle around the northern Ishgar Attack Squad to flank them. Ultear with her sharingan luckily picked up all their signatures as they moved through the dense forest.

"Got 'em!" The cheerful Meredy declared as the last of the Alvarez Knights fell to the snowy ground, with a magical blade latched onto his back. The white snow stained red with his blood.

"Good job, Meredy. That was the last one." Ultear complimented her adopted daughter. Looking warmly at the cheerful smile on Meredy's face. Although Ultear then quickly looked alarmed as her ears picked up a sound that grew closer. "DOOOOOMMMMM!" "Look out!" Ultear jumped at Meredy pushing her down, and zooming over them was a wave of golden magic energy.

Meredy gasped as an all too familiar maddening cackle reached their ears. The sound of two people approaching made the two alarmed as they jumped up, and readied themselves for battle. "Yo! It's been a long time, bitches!" Standing before them, was the maddening Zancrow and the calm Azuma. Two deceased former members of Grimoire Heart.

"Zancrow… And Azuma…?" Meredy looked shocked at the reunion with their former guildmates.

"I see, like HQ informed us before we lost connection. Someone from the Alvarez Empire have revived the dead to fight for them. So, the two of you were amongst the zombie soldiers, huh?" Ultear didn't look that shocked, in fact she was rather calm. She outranked both Azuma and Zancrow in the past, she should have no problem dealing with them as she is now.

"Ultear and Meredy, huh? Judging by the way you look. We must have been dead for nearly a decade." Azuma casually greeted, while Zancrow looked to be fuming with rage.

"Yeah, how dare you bitches survive?! When someone awesome like me had to die?!" As always Zancrow was beyond self-important and entitled.

"Heh, funny." Ultear smirked at Zancrow. "Seeing as Zeref, the one who killed you, is in charge of the one who revived you. I can't help but see some irony in that. You're a slave, to a mere pawn of the man who killed you." This clearly triggered the blond God Slayer, who blew up in a raging storm of black fire melting all the snow, and igniting the surrounding trees ablaze.

"You bitch…! I always hated you, Ultear! Acted like you were better than me, all because Master Hades found your time ability useful!" Zancrow snarled.

"Hades has been dead for a long time. The man you admired as a "God" lost to Fairy Tail." This new information greatly shocked the two reanimated Grimoire Heart members.

"L-Lies! Master Hades would never die to such trash!" Zancrow roared.

"He did lose to Fairy Tail, and later was killed by Zeref. In fact, that pink haired dragon slayer you fought, played a part in defeating Hades." Ultear said all in order to spite Zancrow further. At the mentioning of Natsu, Zancrow's body trembled in anger.

"I see, so Master Hades also perished." Azuma however remained calm about the whole thing. "I assume that Itachi was the one to defeat master Hades?" Azuma rubbed over his arm. Recalling how Itachi squashed his forearm crushing all of it, even the bone making it look like a used tube of toothpaste.

"He did, also…" Ultear morphed her eyes into the sharingan, startling the two reanimated men. "Turns out Itachi and I are related. And he so gratuitously taught me some new techniques. If you wish to meet a swift end, by all means, come on." Both Azuma and Zancrow were suddenly overtaken by a strong surge of power, blowing at them like a mighty wind.

"Itachi? That monster…" Zancrow uttered, barely recalling the man who interrupted his battle with Natsu and Makarov. He recalled only the strength Itachi displayed on their short brief encounter. Azuma as well looked a bit distraught, yet intrigued at the same time.

"Meredy…" Azuma looked to the pink haired girl, or rather young woman. She had grown up quite a bit since last time he saw her. "I can see you have grown… And your power?"

"Hah, the shrimp is probably as weak as she was all those years ago." Zancrow refused to acknowledge Meredy, in his mind she remained one of the weakest of the Seven Kin.

"I-I have grown stronger!" Meredy shot back, a pinkish aura of magical power emitting from her. To which Azuma raised his brow a bit in surprise, while Zancrow growled.

"I have made sure Meredy surpassed all the deceased members of the Seven Kin. You two included." Ultear added salt to injury on Zancrow's pride, who was beyond angry.

"You! You think that matters! As we are now! We are way stronger than before!" Zancrow wasn't a fool, he knew they had an endless supply of magical power and stamina. So, sensing Meredy and Ultear's power didn't discourage him. It more or less pissed him off that they have grown so much stronger than him.

"Yes, we're well aware of the perks you reanimated warriors have. But we also have been made know of your weaknesses. As long as we manage to pulverize your bodies into dust… your wicked souls will have nothing to cling onto." Ultear released a mighty surge of energy. Her chakra and ethernano in perfect harmony, forming a greenish aura of power. Mixed with the blue aura of her chakra, and the yellow aura of her ethernano.

"Stuck up bitch! I've wanted to kill you from day one!" Zancrow enraged took a giant leap towards Ultear and Meredy. The madman grinning madly, looking deranged as he did so. Zancrow formed black fire out from his fists, the flames stretching out and forming into a scythe. "Flame God's Scythe!" With one mighty swing, Zancrow unleashed a wave of black fire headed towards Ultear and Meredy. Both quickly reacting by taking a giant leap into the sky. The flames of Zancrow burning through, and nearly cutting down the entire forest whilst also setting it ablaze.

Tower Burst!

From bellow, Azuma unleashed a massive pillar of destructive explosive flames. Meredy gasped at the sight of the incoming tower of destruction, while Ultear calmly analyzed the situation. "Arc of Time!" Ultear formed a crystal ball before her, and suddenly the destructive pillar of fire was snuffed out in an instant. Ultear having used her magic to drag the explosion into the future, where it had faded.

Maguilty Rays!

Forming around Meredy in a circling formation, were blades of pure golden energy. With a wave of her arm, Meredy shot the blades flying at the reanimated Azuma and Zancrow. "Little shrimp!" Zancrow hissed under his breath, enraged that someone like Meredy dared to fight him.

Flame God's Bellow!

Zancrow quickly countered by unleashing a mighty breath attack, the massive wave of black fire reaching for the golden energy blades. "Arc of Time!" Then, however, the flames vanished as quickly as they appeared. And Meredy's raining rays of blades came down onto Zancrow and Azuma.

"DAMN YOU BITCH!" Zancrow roared at Ultear as he and Azuma were stuck in the rain of magic blades.

Azuma in an attempt to shield himself had tree branches shielding him from the blades, yet Meredy's blades cut through them like butter, and thus through Azuma. "Heh, well what do you know… she has gotten stronger." Azuma snickered. The old Meredy he knew could never breach through his defenses.

"Shut up Azuma! There is no way that weakling! Is stronger than me!" Zancrow roared, Meredy's blades having cut off his arms and split his right shoulder open. "I am a God Slayer! She's a nobody!" Zancrow snarled, his reanimated body restoring itself along with Azuma's.

Ultear, then put her right hand that was bawled into a fist, into her left palm. Ultear let out a chilling ice-cold breath, the air around her shifting. "Ice-Make: Rosen Krone!" Appearing from this cold winter land, giant ice roses and thorn branches. Stretching all over the forest, the thorny branches snarling up Azuma and Zancrow all at once. Both looked shocked as this was the first either had witnessed Ultear's Ice Maker magic.

"The hell-" Before Zancrow can even utter a single word, Ultear summons forth thousands of crystal balls. All surrounding the reanimated Azuma and Zancrow.

"Meredy." Ultear looked to her adopted daughter, who nodded right away, forming several teal-colored magical swords all pointing at the reanimated warriors.

"Time Ballade!" The crystal balls began to glow in bright fiery colors.

"What is this move?!" Zancrow looked panicked, this was a new move on Ultear's part.

"Time Ballade, both of your attacks from earlier that I made vanish. They weren't merely sent into the future. I stored them away in the time pockets that are my crystal balls. And all these, are alternate realities where I did the same." Ultear referred to all the thousands of crystal balls around Azuma and Zancrow. "Azuma's Tower Burst, and Zancrow's Flame God's Bellow. I am about to throw those attacks back at you times a thousand~" Ultear gave a menacing smirk that made her look wicked and evil. In the eyes of her former subordinates, she appeared just like she was when she was the leader of the Seven Kin.

"Like hell I will lose to you!" Zancrow snarled, attempting to burn through the ice restraints with his black fire. But his senses and flames were disrupted, as stabbing into him and Azuma were Meredy's blades. "I-I can't focus!" Zancrow's flames were snuffed out with the wind, rendered immobile and unable to access his magic.

"Well played~" Azuma however, praised his two former teammates and accepted his fate.

"GOD DAMMIT!" Zancrow roared as the crystal balls unleashed what seemed like an endless barrage of explosive fire, and an endless spray of black fire. Zancrow rendered unable to eat the fire as it was his own, a weakness for all Slayer magic types.

"Checkmate." Ultear and Meredy landed back on solid ground, and with their backs turned, walked away as the explosion eradicated Azuma and Zancrow.

The explosion was visible from afar, as watching from a hill was Madara. He looked astonished at the sight of those ice rose thorns, so similar to Ur's Rose Garden spell. He watched with great interest even as the ice roses and thorns all were taken down by a massive explosion. "How nostalgic~" Madara hummed with a light chuckle. Without a doubt, it was the work of Ur's child. His child. "Hn?" Madara's senses peaked, as he sensed someone approaching. He smirked as he turned to face the incoming presence. "Irene~"

Coming flying in, sending all the snow in the area blasting into the heavens above. The snow melting at this presence as it was emitting strong heat. Stepping out from the settling dust, was the second highest ranked amongst the Spriggan 12, Irene. The scarlet haired witch smirking at the sight of Madara. For each step she took, grass and flowers sprouted from the ground as if it was spring. "Madara~" And along with Irene, were her two second in commands Heine and Juliet.

"What is it? Did Zeref send you here to fight me?" Madara in responds flashed his aura, burning bright blue as it caused the whole area to tremble. The sides of Ishgar and Alvarez not even noticing as the battlefield was riddled with explosions.

"No, far from it." Irene despite Madara's aura remained calm and unfaced. She acted like she was in complete control over the situation. "I merely wanted to ask, why you have yet to join the battle?"

"… Are you that eager to lose your army?" Madara shot back with a snarky smirk as he crossed his arms.

"Not in particular. Just curious." Irene didn't lose face, and remained calm. She knew Madara belonged on the battlefield, she needed to try and get him to join the battle quickly. She had a second guest arriving shortly that needed to be dealt with. And if Madara could shorten the number of Ishgar troops it would be something. "Curious as to why the legendary Madara Uchiha shies away from the battlefield~" Irene's statement was like a mighty strike at Madara's pride.

It became clear to Madara what Irene was doing, she was trying to rile him up. To join the battle and take down these people from Ishgar. From what Madara sensed, none of the 12 were down there on the battlefield, only normal soldiers from the Imperial Navy. Bloodman was somewhere nearby, but would probably stray away the moment Madara entered. If Madara went down there, he would eliminate both sides, and only Ishgar would suffer from the loss. Not to mention, the third party that was Acnologia approaching their location. Oh yes, it all became very clear. "Heh, you cunning witch~" Madara snickered thinking Irene was taking him for a fool. Irene however remained composed and calm.

"Ara, did you find me out?" Irene smiled. The fact that she didn't flinch in Madara's presence, had earned the scarlet haired witch Madara's respect.

"Amongst the twelve you might be like raging storm of fire. Yet before my power, you are but a mere flicker." At this comment, Irene seemed a bit insulted as a red scarlet aura exploded from all around her. Her red aura clashing with Madara's blue aura. "And the flicker became a flame~" Madara chuckled as he got under Irene's skin. "Heh, fine witch, I will play your game. And in doing so, I will show you all, why my name is to be feared."

Down on the battlefield, Minerva and Rogue of Sabertooth took a giant leap back. As they avoided the massive hulking fist of their guilds former master, and also Minerva's father, Jiemma. "Minerva! Rogue!" The hulking master snarled, this was sort of the second time he had been resurrected in the face of his traitorous guild members. Yet, there was only one thing on Jiemma's mind. "Where is that Demon E?! And that blasted shark?!" The memory of his humiliating defeat at the hands of Kisame, as well as how he was easily killed by E, all still fresh in his reanimated mind. "With my new power! I will crush them! Those insignificant fools! Shall know the terror of Jiemma! And then! I will go after this trash who thinks he can control me!"

Neinhart very much welcomed Jiemma's anger, it made him all the more an asset to the battlefield. The former demon turned human, unleashed a mighty roar as his power flared. "As always your arrogance knows no bounds." Rogue snarled at the sight of his former master. "Milady, let's take down this fool once and for all." Rogue flares his shadowy aura in responds, surprising Jiemma as he was actually pushed back a step.

Minerva trembled at the sight of her father, she felt like a child again at the mercy of her father's abuse. Even though Jiemma's power didn't eclipse the likes of Rogue and Sting, Minerva couldn't help but tremble at seeing the source of her trauma. Jiemma merely laughed at the sorry sight of his daughter. "The two of you defeat me? Have you gone mad, Rogue? She is so weak she can hardly speak! Makes me sick that she carries my blood! I should erase her on the spot if it weren't for the fact, she still serves a purpose!"

"A purpose?" Rogue flinched in disgust. What kind of father talked about his own daughter like that?

"Yes, to breed with the strongest man she can find, and present me the proper heir! Someone worthy to carry on my bloodline!" At this, Rogue jumped at Jiemma and elbowed him straight in his nose. The shock of the impact sent Jiemma skidding back quite the distance. If he were alive, his nose would be broken right now. Jiemma snarled in anger as he glared at Rogue.

Rogue looked to be seething with anger, rage bubbling up within him. "I will destroy you, and forever free her from you!" With Sting now being the master of Sabertooth, it had only been Rogue, Frosch and Minerva that had gone on jobs together. The two suddenly found themselves bonding.

"Rogue…" Minerva had a lump in her throat, hardly able to speak. Yet she looked in admiration as Rogue stood firm. His Dragon Force aura flaring up, and black scales growing around his body.

"You? Destroy me? You who is lesser to Sting?" Jiemma's body began glowing in a menacing purple aura, pure bloodlust leaking from his very being as he glared at Rogue. "You dare insult me like that?!" Jiemma quickly fired off a magic blast at Rogue.

The sheer size of the blast eclipsed Rogue, and was all he could see in his field of vision. Yet Rogue did not despair, and quickly slipped into his own shadow as the blast flew over him. Jiemma too blinded by his own arrogance and rage, remained unaware as Rogue jumped out from Jiemma's own shadow and body slammed him in the back with a shadow dragon claw.

Jiemma tumbled forward, his back looking like it had been sliced by an actual dragon. This insult to his pride would not stand, Jiemma would not stand for someone like Rogue to cause damage to him. "You keep boasting about strength, how you are the strongest. Yet you have been easily defeated by so many. Sting, Kisame, and even a mindless monster like E who only flicked you and you died. You aren't even a threat worth mentioning to us anymore. In fact, I'm starting to think you never were." Rogue's words cut deep, deep into Jiemma's pride. The hulking reanimated former master of Sabertooth, trembled with anger. His aura exploding, causing rubble to fly around him and mild tremors.

"You should know better, Rogue! This bravado of yours will be your doom!" Jiemma snarled, and yet Rogue only smirked.

"Big talk coming from someone who hasn't learnt that his own arrogance ended up being his doom." Rogue playfully flicked the air, aiming for Jiemma's chest. Jiemma's eyes twitched, his memory playing back to his death.

Flashback

"I am the strongest!" Jiemma jumped at the newly awakened E. And the demon didn't even acknowledge him with a glance. Merely stretching his dominant arm out towards the incoming Jiemma. Placing his index claw over his thumb. Then in the blink of an eye, followed by what sounded like a gunshot, E had flicked Jiemma in the chest and left a large gaping hole in him. And then, for Jiemma everything turned black.

Flashback end

Jiemma's eyes were vibrating with anger, his body twitching. And Rogue only smirked at him, flashing his own aura back at Jiemma. "It's been more than a year since that day. And right now, you are nothing but a relic of the past. Someone who the history books won't even bother remembering." Jiemma looked like he just needed one more push to lose his cool. "Jiemma, you are weak. I can't even believe our enemy decided to resurrect you." And then he snapped.

"SHUT YOUR FILTHY MOUTH, YOU INSIGNIFICANT TRASH!" Jiemma roared and jumped at Rogue, charging up a massive source of magic power. Jiemma threw all the energy with a single punch at Rogue. The punch created such a destructive pillar of magical energy, creating a crater where Rogue was standing, the attack roared like a tiger to the heavens. Shockwaves blew around that knocked several onlookers onto their asses, even Minerva.

"Rogue!" Minerva screamed, in her mind her father's power was still something to be feared. All that childhood abuse, and torture Jiemma would call training had drilled that mindset into her.

The pillar then vanished, and when the dust settled Minerva first saw the snarling face of her father. Pebbles raining down around the towering monster that was Jiemma. Minerva found herself gasping in shock, as the settling dust revealed a second silhouette. Rogue was standing firm, holding onto Jiemma's fist firm in place with his arm only lightly shaking under the pressure.

Rogue glared at the snarling Jiemma, looking like a wild ferocious tiger glaring at his prey. Rogue stared him down, looking like a dragon. "My turn." Rogue slammed a shadow cloaked fist in an upper cut to Jiemma's torso. The sheer blow, caused half of Jiemma's torso to explode.

This time, it was Jiemma who gasped in shock. Had it not been for his reanimated body, he would be dead right now. Rogue would have actually killed him right there. "This can't be happening!" Jiemma snarled, his body regenerating. And Jiemma quickly returned to throwing a series of blows at Rogue. Yet, all of Jiemma's punches faced through Rogue, who materialized himself into a shadow.

Meanwhile, Neinhart watching the scene himself was seething with anger. Almost all of his reanimated warrior had proven to be worthless. Hades and Yuri at least held their own against Makarov, Laxus and Warrod before Mavis showed up. Fugaku, Mikoto and Izumi were laying waste to several armies in the north, same with the ice witch Ur. And his prized warrior Obito even managed to hold his own against Itachi until that Mystogan had to ruin everything. "Dammit… Looks like I need to beg Lady Irene for more power if I want to throw in my best player. No, even that wouldn't be enough to control him." Neinhart grew more and more frustrated by the minuet, resulting in biting his own fingernails.

"Caster! Give me more power! I demand more power!" Jiemma's screeching voice echoed in Neinhart's head, further annoying the self-proclaimed master of death.

"Shut up, trash." Neinhart growled back. "Waste of my goddamn time!"

Jiemma still unable to even touch Rogue, found himself backed into a corner. There was nothing he could think of, other than to use his infinite supply of magic power to continuously bombard Rogue with attacks in hopes of outlasting him.

"This is just sad." Rogue sighed, and with a single blow obliterated both of Jiemma's arms.

Jiemma's eyes widened like saucers, seeing Rogue's cheek puff as he was preparing for a breath attack. This was it. Rogue was really going to destroy him. Jiemma's eyes then landed on the only person he thought could help him now. "Minerva!" Jiemma cried out. "Prove that you are useful! And kill this fool!"

Minerva stood there in silence. She had heard her father's plea. And just like that, the terrifying image she had of her father shattered. Rogue was right, he was weak. Minerva then began moving her hands in a circular motion, whilst chanting. "Niel Wileg Mion Terse Elcantaeus…" The air around them all shifted, as the sky darkened with a magic circle glowing bright bellow Jiemma, Rogue and Minerva herself.

"This spell?! Don't you dare!" Jiemma roared, although his intimidation did nothing as Minerva just gave him an ice-cold glare. "Use it to kill this bastard Rogue!"

Minerva gave a harsh glare at Jiemma. "Don't call my boyfriend a bastard." Minerva snarled, causing Jiemma's eyes to widen, but before her father could comment on this revelation, whilst Rogue just blushed a bit and vanished in his own shadow. "Yagdo Rigora!" Minerva summoned in the sky, a large statue of one of the 18 Battle Gods. The statue of the God, then unleashed a wide scale blast upon the gasping Jiemma.

"Mi-Minerva!" Jiemma managed to gasp out, as his own daughter annihilated his reanimated body. With nothing to cling onto, Jiemma's soul returned to the afterlife.

Rogue appeared out from Minerva's shadow, smiling at Minerva for having gathered the courage to overcome her fear of Jiemma. Minerva looked at Rogue for a few seconds, both blushing a bit as Minerva remembered calling Rogue her boyfriend. It became even more awkward as members of their guild began whispering amongst themselves. "Rogue!" Frosch, the frog dressed Exceed came flying down, eagerly hugging his best friend.

"Frosch, you shouldn't be this close to the battlefield." Rogue looked concerned, Frosch was so fragile after all.

"If he gets in trouble, I will just teleport him away…" Minerva mumbled.

"Fro agrees with lady Minerva!" Frosch seemed to like that idea.

"Anyway, what are you all standing around for?!" Minerva quickly shouted at the still gossiping guild members, who all flinched at seeing the angered face of their lady. "The enemy is still attacking! Get to it and fight!"

"Y-Yes ma'am!" Everyone quickly went away from gossiping to fighting the Alvarez Empire.

Minerva gasped as she suddenly felt the warm comforting hand of Rogue grabbing onto her. "Let's go and win this war." Rogue spoke with such confidence that Minerva actually felt like they could make it through this. She gave a nod as they rushed to join Sting in battle.

Following the fall of Historia Tensei Jiemma, Zancrow and Azuma. There was nothing holding Sting's squad up in the north from marching forward. Standing firmly and strong on top of a rock, Sting pointed forward where a battalion of Alvarez troops were advancing in magic mobile tanks. "Charge!" Sting along with his squad, let out a battle cry as they ran straight forward into battle. Responding in kind, the Alvarez soldiers also let out a battle cry, confident in their superior numbers heavily outnumbering Ishgar's Northern Attack Squadron.

However, both sides came to a halt as someone crash landed like a meteorite in-between them. A third party had arrived on the scene. The crash caused the snow around this figure to fly into the air like an explosion. Everyone awaited in anticipation on who this figure was. The snow falling, revealing a shadowy silhouette of one man.

Sting, Rogue and Minerva both looked tensed up as they backed away slightly, and the rest of the squadron followed. They were not the only ones, the Alvarez knights backed away in terror. "What is this… this pressure?" Sting with his dragon hearing, could hear the sounds of his squad trembling in pure utter terror. The level of pressure from this one man's power was unbelievable. Was this even a man?

The snow cleared, and rising from it a man with long black hair, clad in red armor. His eyes burning with an intense thirst for battle and blood. His red chilling eyes, scanning both armies. It was Madara Uchiha, in all his glory. The Ghost of the Uchiha clan, looked at both armies. He looked unimpressed at the sorry sight of grown men, soldiers trembling in sheer terror. "Now… who wants to be my first dance partner?" Madara looked around for any volunteers, but most just backed away in fright from his gaze. All but one.

Sting stepped forward, giving the Ghost of the Uchiha a snarl. "Come on then freak…!" Sting still trembled, but he still stepped up to the fight.

Madara however stopped the young man right there, giving a light chuckle Madara only shook his head at Sting. "Oh, no, no, no, my dear boy, you misunderstand. What I meant was, which army will be my first dance partner? The Alvarez Empire's army, or the forces of Ishgar? The choice is yours."

That's the end for now!

Now, it's been a few months since the last update I know. But right now, I have started working to get my bachelor's degree. And these last few months, I have been working on an exam and essays and such. So, I have been rather busy. I will still write, but I have to put my education first before anything else. I hope you all can understand.

Also, a small shoutout to Fairydragon2099 for helping me in creating Blitzkrieg, the second in command for Wall Eehto of the Spriggan 12. Also, for helping in creating the second in commands for Invel, Bloodman, Larcade, and Jacob who will appear in future chapters.

Anyway, hope everyone had a happy Holidays. And because you all had to wait so long for this chapter, I decided to make it longer than usual. I will continue to write, and I hope to update this story again and Itachi Sitri soon.

With Hargeon lost, and the arrival of the Edolas reinforcements, I have made a list on who is where in which squad for Ishgar. And who is dead.

Attack Squad 1 (North of Ishgar): Sting (squad captain), Minerva, Rogue, Yukino, Rufus, Gray, Lyon, Juvia, Ultear, Meredy, Sasori, Sorano, Gajeel, Levy, Pantherlily, Jenny, Edolas Levy, Edolas Lucy, Edolas Natsu, Edolas Gray, Edolas Juvia, Lector, Frosch.

Attack Squad 2 (Southern isles of Ishgar): Jellal (squad captain), Erza, Itachi, Mest, Hibiki, Eve, Max, Nab, Laki, Bacchus, Rocker, Warcry, Jager, Nobarly, Semmes, Mystogan, Erza Knightwalker, Edolas Mirajane, War World Itachi.

Defense Squad (Magnolia, merged with Hargeon squad): Laxus (squad captain), Kagura, Makarov, Mavis, Beatrice, Cana, Warren, Warrod, Kinana, Lisanna, Elfman, Mirajane, Alzack, Bisca, Macao, Wakaba, Romeo, Macbeth, Erik, Kisame, Kakuzu, Lucy, Natsu, Happy, Porlyusica, Freed, Bickslow, Evergreen, Reedus, Vijeeter, Ichiya, Millianna, Wendy, Sherria, Carla, Sawyer, Richard, Toby, Yuka, Sherry, Ren, Risley, Arania, Beth, Wally, Sho, Jet, Droy, Edolas Wendy, Edolas Alzack, Edolas Bisca, Edolas Cana, Edolas Macao, Edolas Wakaba, Edolas Reedus, Edolas Nab.

Elite squad (reinforcements): Hyberion, Wolfheim, Jura, Noel, Mitsurugi, Fiona.

Deceased: Master Goldmine, Master Bob, Edolas Jet, Edolas Droy, Edolas Elfman.

Anyway, leave a review!

-Later!

(Responds to reviews):

Shadow Joestar: Thanks, Brandish is going to have quite the conflicting journey.

OMG fanfic: Thanks! There will be more of Mavis to come.

keybladelight: The reunion of Itachi and his family will most likely come sooner than Madara meeting his wife and daughter. And even if Hashirama were to be summoned, Madara would be way stronger than him by now. I will try to get over the writer's block. But even now with my studies I will be quite busy.

Shunshin no Keiji: You are welcome, sorry for taking so long to update again.

Mr. Haziq: That is very true, he could do it, but it would still be an emotional task for him.

Guest: Thanks! Although I got to say, I don't think I will give Asura's Wrath a try.

altajir95: Thanks! You and everyone else also make sure to stay safe and healthy.

andresskorskiruiz: Thanks! Yeah, it would be interesting.

DaBabySwayZ: Well, even if it didn't make sense, I have already decided on the name for Itachi and Mirajane's kid.

MorriganAensland: A sympathetic villain is good every now and then, but to be fair we haven't seen the whole story of Dimaria yet. She might have a sympathetic background, she may not. You all will just have to wait and see.

Mr. N. Boss: Well, the difference is that there is no limit to what Mavis can dish out. Where as for the reanimated warriors they never run out, but they have limits to what they can dish out.

wyattbillings63: Yes, I have planned for a sequel.

Stealth9604: Thanks! Can't guarantee anything, although I will admit they would be amazing fights.

Dabi0154: Thanks! And yes, Kisame, Sasori and Kakuzu have joined as you should know if you have reached this point.

Shadow Sorceress: Yes, I agree with a lot of what you are saying. Which is why I am planning on re-writing a lot of the earlier chapters. I myself am not satisfied with how the early chapters turned out. And thanks for your input and constructive criticism, it is always appreciated.

Guest: Sorry for the long wait.

happypoopy12: Yes, there is Acnologia, but honestly Fairy Tail characters have their strengths but they don't compare to the strongest of the Naruto characters. And for my plans, I require them.

DMockingBird: Thanks! Glad you liked it.

Varium: Thanks! I will try and update more often. I just need to schedule my time in-between my studies.

Dasgun: .-.

Eight-heart: Yes, I can see why you found Hades turn forced. But if you look at it from this perspective, Mavis "dying" was one of the main reasons for Precht's turn to the dark side. So, her presence and reminiscing of their good times would bring him back more than most would.

Sento Ryusei: No promises, but I will continue it, one day.

velniar341: I can say I wouldn't waste an opportunity like that, so yes, they will reunite.

: Thanks!

Misfiredmayhem: Thanks!