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.

57. Larcade Dragneel!

Chapter 56: Larcade Dragneel!

Taking a seat on top of a rock, Itachi entered a meditative position. Calming himself, he started collecting the surrounding nature energy needed to access Sage Mode. While Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Juvia and even little Happy stood guard in front of him. Gray in particular looking cautious of the presence of Spriggan Twelve members Brandish, and the shrunken Dimaria tucked between Brandish' boobs like a little doll.

"You can ease up Gray. Brandish won't hurt us." Lucy tried to talk Gray down, but after having heard the news of Makarov Dreyar's death. Gray wasn't taking any chances.

"With the old man now dead… There is no way I'm lowering my guard against any of these imperial Zeref cultists. Especially with Itachi in such a vulnerable position." Gray spat out with venom, all he needed to do was move a single finger and he would freeze both Brandish and Dimaria to death.

"We're not cultists." Brandish pointed out.

"Exactly… his majesty is a powerful entity. But no God. We're soldiers striving to achieve his goal." Dimaria spat back, although with her shrunken form her voice was a little squeaky.

"And I'm not exactly that vulnerable here either, Gray. I have my eyes on them." Itachi despite his eyes being closed, sounded so confident that he actually had Gray ease up. "Now, if what Lucy said is true… And you have no intention of hurting us. Why exactly are you so cooperative? Is it because you know you can't defeat us in combat? Or is it something else?"

"Not speaking for Randi… but I don't exactly have a choice here. I can't use my ability like this." Dimaria says, faintly blushing as she pushes her hands against the soft mounds that was Brandish's chest.

Brandish lightly moaned, and flicked the top of Dimaria's head. "Careful where you are touching…" Brandish's moan had the Fairy Tail wizards all collectively sweat drop, even more so as Brandish acted like nothing happened and looked at Itachi with a serious expression. "… Lucy is my friend. It is her I do not wish to harm. I wouldn't hesitate fighting against the rest of you however. But… you are right. I am not enough to fight you, a creation of his majesty. And if what the dark-haired boy here said is true, that he defeated Invel… I know I can't beat him either. But make no mistake, I won't help you against the Empire. So, I guess, that for now we will remain neutral. With Mari and Invel also incapacitated… and God Serena and Jacob both dead. That only leaves three other remaining members of the Twelve in action."

"I want intel on them… Gray, feel free to freeze them if they refuse to give any." Itachi instructed, showing his seriousness in all this. This was a war, and they required intel on their enemy.

"…" Brandish remained reluctant, but Dimaria yawned looking bored and suddenly started to speak. "Fine, won't matter anyway. The three you are left with, are the toughest and strongest members of the Twelve. The strongest, and our leader is General August. He is the only man in the entire empire, that can rival his majesty in terms of pure power. And thus, makes him his majesty's favorite enforcer. If his majesty wants a job done, he sends August. The second one, is the strongest woman in the empire. The Scarlet Despair, Irene Belserion. She comes off as initially playful and friendly… but underneath it all, is a real monster. She alone, has been responsible for subjugating more than half of the continents currently serving under the Empire. The last one, is known as the White Dragneel… Larcade Dragneel."

At hearing this, Natsu recoils back in shock while the rest look mildly shocked or gasp. Wondering just who this Larcade Dragneel is. The third strongest member of the Spriggan Twelve, currently was seated atop a hill of stone. The sun shining on his back, making him appear as a divine entity with the floating cross behind him. he smiled sinisterly as he gazed down upon Minerva, Yukino and Sorano. His second in command, Samuel standing at the bottom of the hill holding his sawed-off shotgun with a look of glee on his face.

"Erasing the three of you, should be no challenge at all. But I do hope… you all can warm me up for the rest of your army." Larcade declared as he slowly circled his arms around like a clock. "For I shall return the favor of our lost forces tenfold." Larcade's eyes glowed as he fired off three rays of energy.

'Fast?!' Minerva was barely able to react to them, forming up a spatial barrier. Although only in time to save herself, in panic she looked at Yukino and Sorano, the two sisters not even noticing the rays coming towards them.

But the sudden clanking sound of metal echoed, as a giant wave of pressure pushed the land beneath them into a crater. Minerva gasped, as in front of them she saw Mermaid Heel's ace, Kagura Mikazuchi standing tall with her blade drawn having deflected the three energy rays. "Kagura?" Yukino gasped at the arrival of who was once her opponent in the Grand Magic Games.

"Yukino's life… belongs to me." Kagura declared, recalling the bet the two had made during their last match.

"What was that?!" Sorano not having heard of such a bet freaked out, and began lashing out in anger. "No one is taking my Yukino's life bitch!"

"No! Nee-san! Kagura-chan didn't mean it like that!" Yukino frantically tried to calm her sister down.

"Ho? And who are you?" Larcade casually greeted the Mermaid swordswoman. Kagura steeled her gaze, her icy eyes glaring at Larcade as she sprang into action. Moving like a blur, Kagura appeared right in front of Larcade who's eyes followed her every movement. Samuel himself gasped as Kagura had moved too fast for him to keep up with.

Kagura slashed her blade aimed at Larcade's neck, but before she could even reach her mark, Larcade had blocked off her blade with a single finger. "Ho? That stance… Reminds me of that tall woman with the spirit of Athena. Her strike was stronger… but not as fast as yours." Larcade remarked, causing Kagura to snarl as this man was making light of her and her master Beatrice.

"My master Beatrice! You were the one the others told me about?!" Kagura's body exploded with an intense aura, merging her Ethernano with her blade causing it to sharpen. Larcade lightly flinched as the blade slowly started to make a mark on his finger.

"Ho? So, you are from her guild? Are you perhaps… the one student she mentioned who lost to Dimaria?" At the mentioning of the time freezing Spriggan woman, Kagura flinched, still bitter over her loss. "Too bad for you… I'm much stronger than Dimaria." Larcade widened his eyes just a little, and with it his aura blew Kagura away. The swordswoman backflipping midair as she was blown back down to her allies in an instant. "But do not fret… Dimaria seems to have been defeated herself. She does not appear to be dead however, just out of commission. You lot have some capable mages on your side as well it would seem. This is the first, the Twelve has been reduced to just me, Irene and August."

Kagura didn't react to Larcade's words, which seemed to slightly annoy the Spriggan who had hoped for a reaction. Kagura didn't really care if Dimaria was dead or not, nor did she care who defeated her. She was just thankful someone managed. Kagura steadied her breathing, about to go in for a second attack. But suddenly a giant wave of light appeared before her. Acting quickly, Kagura slashed her blade down onto the wave in an attempt to keep it at bay.

But the pressure was too much for Kagura, she felt her Arch Enemy was about to snap in half. When suddenly Kagura was pulled in through a dimensional rift behind her, Minerva having narrowly saved her life. "Thanks…" Kagura briefly offered her thanks, as she readied herself for battle once more.

"Don't mention it… although. I hate to say it, but even with the four of us, I don't think we can win." Minerva declared with a cold sweat running down her forehead.

"I won't give up just yet." Kagura declared; she was feeling the same level of power from Larcade that Minerva was. Yet she was far more resilient, and willing to fight her way through the impossible obstacle that was Larcade Dragneel.

"Easier said than done…" Minerva mumbled, as she simultaneously kept her eye on Samuel. His smirking face gave off such a creepy vibe, that it sent chills down Minerva's back. What is more, his gaze was fixated onto her. No, it wasn't Minerva he was looking at. Minerva felt something, or rather someone shake uncontrollably next to her. Looking to her side, she saw Yukino shaking with rage as she glared at Samuel. 'I see… so he's the one… who killed Rufus.' Minerva's glare sharpened as she unleashed a dark purple aura to match the intensity of Kagura's bright white aura.

"Whoa, scary~" Samuel taunted as he tapped his index finger against the trigger of his sawed-off shotgun.

"Such valiant fighting spirits." Larcade clapped his hands together like he was about to do a prayer, gathering an intense amount of light around him. "I shall do you the favor of responding in kind." Thrusting his dominant palm forward, Larcade unleashed a blast wave of white light.

Kagura and Minerva both gasped, this time the light wave moved at least twice as fast. They couldn't even react to it in time. Luckily, they didn't have to. The light wave came to a halt, as it was all suddenly sucked in towards a singular point. At this Larcade himself flinched a little, his white light attack vanished into the mouth of Sabertooth's master, Sting, the White Dragon Slayer. "That was a hefty meal…" Sting burped as he downed Larcade's attack.

"Huh?" Larcade flinched as he felt a presence behind him, quickly thrusting his arm behind him, he clashed with a blade cloaked in shadow. As the Shadow Dragon Slayer of Sabertooth, Rogue appeared out from Larcade's own shadow. The pressure of Rogue's attack had the entire hill Larcade sat on collapse in on itself. "A nice sneak attack, too bad I felt it coming." Larcade thrusted his hand forward at Rogue like a blade, but before he could pierce Rogue's flesh, Rogue vanished into his own shadow and moved towards Sting. Emerging out from his friend's shadow and standing together to face Larcade.

"He's fast…" Rogue noted as even though he had avoided getting pierced by Larcade's hand, his cloak had been torn to shreds. Almost like an actual sword had thrusted into it.

"He can slip in and out of shadows… Heh, he is quite fast. Next time I will get him quicker." Larcade smiled as he leapt down to stand in front of Samuel, facing the Twin Dragon Slayers of Sabertooth.

"So… this is one of the Twelve, huh?" Sting rotated his shoulders, already sweating just from being in Larcade's presence. 'Well, lucky me it seems his attacks are mostly based around White magic. But I can tell… by his muscle density and overall speed. He is stronger than me. But… his scent…'

"You smell it too, right Sting?" Rogue asked, as he shakingly held onto his katana.

"Yeah… this guy smells like Natsu." Sting clenched his fists, standing on guard should Larcade make a move. "Who the hell are you?" Sting snarled.

"Me?" Larcade cheekily smiled. "I'm Larcade Dragneel…"

"Dragneel?!" Rogue gasped at the fact that this Spriggan shared Natsu's last name.

"This guy is related to Natsu?" Sting looked just as shocked as Rogue.

"Well, Natsu Dragneel would be my uncle I suppose." Larcade cheekily replied, making them look even more confused as Larcade looked the same age as Natsu. "I am the son of his majesty Zeref Dragneel. And Natsu is his majesty's younger brother, thus my uncle." Larcade clapped his hands together, generating an intense amount of light. "Now, all of your souls will be purified in white, and ascend to heaven."

Back with Itachi and the rest, Dimaria continued to give intel on Larcade to Itachi and the rest. "Ever since I've known that arrogant self-entitled bastard. He has proclaimed himself as the emperor's son." Dimaria said as she scoffed in disgust. "He has always been one of the most hated members of the Twelve… but his power can't be questioned.

At this revelation, Natsu is further shocked as that meant this Larcade was his nephew or something. Itachi on the other hand, didn't seem so convinced of the claim. "What are your opinions on this? Do you think it is true that this Larcade is Zeref's son?"

Brandish scoffs in responds and said this. "Personally, I don't believe it for a second. But anyone who ever questioned Larcade on being his majesty's son, usually ended up dead. Found either twisted and mangled."

Dimaria groaned, seeming a bit blue in the face at remembering seeing Larcade rampage like that. "Honestly, I don't care if Larcade is his majesty's son… But I do doubt it, as it is impossible for anyone to get intimate with his majesty without dying."

The Fairy Tail members got quiet, as they remembered the history Zeref and Mavis shared. And they were all pretty much thinking the same thing. Had Mavis ended up carrying Zeref's child? Brandish then added a final thing to this discussion. "Grandpa August has mentioned that his majesty does have a child… But he hasn't explicitly said it was Larcade before."

Itachi silently hummed to himself as he reflected on Brandish's words. "In other words, Zeref does have a child. But whether it is this Larcade or not, is questionable. It doesn't matter anyway; it doesn't change the fact we have a job to do." Having finished up gathering the needed Nature Energy, Itachi entered Sage Mode and his Rinnegan gained six tomoes turning into the RinneSharingan. With a single hand sign, Itachi created three Wood Style Clones all with Sage Mode. "We are needed on the battlefield. I will teleport each of you to a different battalion."

"Itachi, hold up." Gray stepped up. "I need you to teleport me over to Lyon's squad. Last I heard they were still in the northern sector of Ishgar fighting what remains of the Imperial army by now. If I'm there, we can end that battle quick and move towards the others. Besides, you said you teleported Madara up somewhere North of Ishgar, right?"

"… Gray, in that case it would be better if I go with you. You might be stronger now, but Madara is still too powerful." Itachi could tell Gray was eager to bring down the man who had killed Makarov, and he understood Gray's desire more than anyone else.

"It's not about that, Itachi. I just don't want Lyon to run into that bastard to end up slaughtered. And you can sense who else is near Lyon, right?" Gray added, Itachi with his Sage Mode could sense the location of everyone on the entire planet after all. And it didn't take long for Itachi to catch onto Gray's meaning.

Itachi however also sensed that currently the two giant beacons of powers that were Mavis and Zeref fighting in the Fairy Tail guildhall. And the closing in August, as well as a nearby Irene Belserion. Itachi could tell he was needed at the main battlefield more, so he would have to send a clone with Gray. "Alright… My clone will take you to Lyon's people. End the fight quick, and then make sure to take her far away from there. You said you can teleport too, correct?"

"Yeah, wherever there is snow I can teleport to. Guess it is an effect of Ice Devil Force. But because of the long distance it probably would consume a lot of magic power. Other than that, I can mainly teleport to things within my line of sight." Gray explained the workings of his new ability, as Gray while in Devil Force could sense cold locations around the world, feeling his power pull him towards cold areas. Anywhere where snow rained down or covered the landscape, Gray could sense it.

"Good, then you guys have an alternate escape route." Itachi had his clone grab onto Gray's shoulder, and Juvia just as quickly grabbed ahold of Gray.

"Juvia will go wherever Gray-sama goes!" Juvia said with great enthusiasm, no matter the danger she would follow her beloved. Usually, Gray would look annoyed or worried, but now instead he smiled and gave an approving nod. With that, in a flash Itachi's clone teleported away with Gray and Juvia.

In a flash, Itachi's clone arrived with Juvia and Gray in the snowy northern regions of Ishgar. "Gray?! Juvia?! And Itachi?!" They were instantly met with the shocked, tired looking Lyon. Who with a battalion of mages from Lamia Scale, and Rune Knights were fighting off the remaining Imperial Knights trying to make their way towards where the rest of their army were headed, the Fairy Tail guildhall.

"What are you guys doing here?" The voice of Ultear came from behind them, the main reason why Itachi had decided to bring Gray and Juvia here. Her red bright Sharingan eyes serving as a reminder as to why. They needed to get Ultear out of here, as Madara was somewhere in the northern regions.

"We're here to bring you guys to the main battlefield. But first…" Gray entered his Devil Force state, Ultear and Lyon both gasping in shock as they saw a third eye open on Gray's forehead. "Devil Slayer Secret Art: Devil King's Wrath." Gray slammed his palm onto the snowy ground, as trails of ice spread all around them, going past all of their allies and friends, and straight for their enemy.

The Imperial Knights all collectively froze still, gasping for air as if they were choking. When suddenly spikes of eyes erupted out from their gaping mouths and helmets. And all their vehicles blew up and got frozen in pillars of ice. Gray had just finished off what remained of the Imperial Knights. Leaving the only soldiers left of the Alvarez Empire to be Samuel of Beta Squadron. The last reanimated Historia Tensei warrior Ur. Larcade, Irene and August of the Spriggan Twelve. And then there was Zeref himself. And also, the two additional threats that were Madara and Acnologia. This war, was reaching its end.

"Incredible…" Lyon was left awestruck, his younger fellow disciple of Ur, had just finished off an army of over a hundred Imperial soldiers in one swift move. Gray had ascended to a level higher than Lyon could ever even begin to imagine. Before another word could be said, a piercing white light from the far distance blew over them like a storm.

"Ugh!" Several mages and soldiers fell to their knees in the presence of this white light. "Ah… Ah… What is… happening...?" A few of them moaned out.

"Itachi… what was that?" As Gray looked towards Itachi's clone, he could only gasp as he saw the clone before him wither away into rotten wood. Whatever that light was, had affected Itachi as well.

Back over with Itachi, before he could have a chance to teleport Natsu, Lucy and Happy to the main battlefield and send his third clone to Erza. The clones had all fallen apart and Itachi was on his knees as his Sage Mode began to fade. "Wh-What is this?" Itachi was breathing heavily, his face a little flushed and feeling warm as he clutched his hand over his chest.

"Dammit it all…" Brandish groaned, as she was also under the effects of this light. Breathing heavily, her chest heaving up and down, same with the shrunken Dimaria tucked away. Dimaria lost her strength and slipped into Brandish' cleavage "It's one of Larcade's abilities…" Brandish groaned as her legs felt like jelly, causing her to lose her footing and collapse onto her knees.

"What? What kind of ability is this?" Lucy asked, as she Natsu and Happy were completely unaffected by whatever was going on. "And why is it only affecting the three of you?" Natsu added with a follow up question as he tried to help Itachi stand back up.

"Larcade… has abilities… based around, stimulating human senses and feelings… One of them… Kya!" Brandish suddenly let out an obscene moan, as she grabbed onto her chest, squeezing them tightly together. "M-Mari… please don't breathe so heavily into… Mm!" Brandish trembled.

"D-Dying…" Dimaria mumbled from within Brandish's chest, trying to get some air.

Brandish looked to the perplexed looking Natsu and Lucy, and continued on with her explanation. "Anyway… one of his abilities… only affects those that have experienced the pleasure of sex…" As Brandish mumbled that, Lucy, Natsu and Happy all looked dumbfounded. And all three looked at Itachi, who glanced up with an annoyed look in his eye while blushing.

"Oh great…" In this state, Itachi wouldn't be able to stabilize and gather Nature Energy.

Brandish continued to moan, and between heavy breaths she looked at Lucy. "How… come… someone with such a lewd erotic body… is still a virgin?" Despite her current state, Brandish had the strength to give snarky remarks at Lucy.

"Sh-Shut up!" Lucy blushed at the remark, causing Brandish to smirk as she thoroughly enjoyed teasing her.

Across the continent, many others were falling victim to Larcade's ability. In a similar situation to her husband, Mirajane collapsed onto her knees. Her face flushed pink, and her big chest heaving up and down with her heavy breaths. "Ah… ah… feels so good… wh-what is happening? I'm losing my strength to even stand."

"Mira!" Cana rushed to her friend's side, trying to help Mirajane stand up straight. "The hell is going on here?" Looking around Cana noticed even Laxus struggling to stand up straight, steam emitting from his body as he grunted in annoyance.

"Dammit all!" Laxus grunted as he fell onto one knee, almost dropping his grandfather's corpse. Seeing his dead grandfather however, helped Laxus fight back whatever this phenomenon was that was affecting a lot of their troops.

Even the mighty Gildarts collapsed to his knees, as did the giant Amazonian-like Saint Beatrice. "G-Gildarts…." Through heavy breaths, Beatrice put her arms around Gildarts.

"Don't… Feels like I'm losing control here!" Gildarts grunted unable to even gather the tiniest bit of Ethernano to his fists.

Elsewhere, Irene Belserion nearly fell out from the heavens, barely able to withstand the effects of Larcade's spell. "That rotten little brat!" Irene hissed as unpleasant memories of her past resurfaced. A moment of pleasure, leading to a life-time of agony.

Even the mighty August was left trembling slightly from the effects of Larcade's spell. "That damned Larcade… Such a spell makes for a dull battle…" August groaned, as several of the mages before him were also collapsing to their knees from this spell. Macao and Wakaba both collapsed, the elderly men unable to hold their cries of pleasure. "Snap out of it! Dad!" Romeo slapped his father in an attempt to break him free from this spell. Even Jellal fell out from the skies, groaning with a hint of pleasure as he was reminded of a steamy night, he and Erza shared in his tent during their journey this past year.

Erza much like Mirajane had, lost her strength to stand, barely able to support herself up with the use of her sword as a cane, and Wendy trying to use enhancement magic to support her. "Erza-san! I don't know what is going on! But I will heal you!"

"Don't waste your power, Wendy!" Erza spoke through gritted teeth, as an obscene moan escaped her lips that had Wendy and Carla sweat drop. The mighty Titania Erza was reduced to this. "This is the work of the enemy! It's like… one of the Tartaros demons' curses!"

The former Akatsuki members themselves, were affected as well from this curse. Kisame shaking and groaning while resting underneath a tree. "Fuck… this feels unbelievably good! But damn… at this rate, even an ordinary blade could injure me!"

Kakuzu was on the ground, twitching and turning around in agony, black tentacles emerging from every stitch on his body. "This is the work… of a demon curse, it must be!"

The effects of the spell were worse, the closer one was to Larcade. And the Puppeteer master, Sasori was nearby enough to be struck by this sudden curse. "Dammit! The hell is this?! Sorano… Need Sorano to… calm me down!" Sasori groaned, but quickly shook the thought out from his head. 'The hell?! This must be the work of the enemy! Stimulating the human senses! It must be from that light… it's close by. It's spreading far… that must mean it is affecting our army across the continent? I'm the only one… who can stop it!' Sasori groaned as his human flesh was replaced with wood, his bones replaced with hidden mechanics, wheels, wires and metallic cylinders. And his vibrant human eyes, turned stiff and dead like the glass eyes of a doll.

The bright light emitting from Larcade, had three out of the six wizards before him collapse. "Ah! Ah! Sasori-kyun! Sasori-kyun!" Sorano found herself on the ground twitching and moaning, as her underwear was already getting soaked.

"Big sis!" Yukino was baffled, unaffected by Larcade's spell unlike her sister. "Lady Minerva, what is-" Yukino flinched as she saw an expression she had never seen on the esteemed lady of Sabertooth. Minerva was cupping her hands around her breasts, while struggling to hold back her moans.

"I-It's no use… I feel too good… Rogue…" Shakingly, and quietly Minerva moaned and reached out to Rouge. The Shadow Dragon Slayer unable to stand as his pants were getting tight.

"Lady Minerva… My Minny…" Rogue groaned, breathing heavily as he reached out to hold Minerva.

"The hell is wrong with you man?!" Sting on the other hand was unaffected by the spell, and knocked Rogue upside the head hard enough to send him face first to the ground.

"My, my, three out of six. A fifty-fifty effect it would seem, master Larcade." Samuel cheerfully called out to his master.

"Indeed, I shall cleanse their souls pure white and let them ascend into heaven." Larcade's eyes flashed in a beastly yellow color.

"You fiend!" Kagura roared out and went in for the attack, her Arch Enemy raised over her head whilst vibrating at a powerful frequency that caused intense earth-shaking shockwaves. Larcade's carefree smile grew into a more twisted grin, catching Arch Enemy between two of his fingers. And his sheer strength keeping Kagura from even moving her blade. "Cleansed in pure white? You say such words, yet your eyes hide great evil! There is nothing but darkness in your heart! Fiendish demon!"

"Huh? What gave me away?" Larcade lightly flinched at Kagura's comment. Sting rushed in at Larcade from the side with his fist coated in the vibrant glowing white light. Larcade without batting an eye, caught Sting's fist with ease. "Oh, quite the weight behind your punch there~" Larcade taunted the already infuriated looking Sting. Larcade's body continued to unleash the light from his curse, and the sound of moans turned into agony as he was breaking their minds through pleasure.

Even the two mighty cursed immortal beings could not escape this curse. Mavis let out moans as she collapsed onto her knees before Zeref. "My body feel hot… I can't resist it!" The sound of Mavis' moans had Zeref groaning to himself, able to remain standing while reaching his dominant hand up to his temple. "Larcade…!" Zeref snarled in anger, and across the entire continent his servant heard his call.

Larcade flinched at the sound of anger within his master's voice. "Seize this at once! Your spell is affecting our side too!" Zeref's usual black eyes turned red with malice as he held his hand out as if he was squeezing something.

Larcade flinched, feeling his throat tighten, unable to breathe Larcade collapsed to his knees. As Sting and Kagura tried to take advantage of the situation by attacking Larcade while he was down, they were both blown back from the sheer aura unleashed from Larcade. "Yes… Forgive me for my impetuous actions sir." Larcade gasped for air, as Zeref on the other side of the continent lowered his hand. The light died down, and the curse was cancelled out. "Father can be a strict parent at times." Larcade got back up to his feet, a cold sweat running down his forehead as he brushed his hand across his neck.

Back with Zeref, now that the effects of Larcade's curse began to fade, he reached his hand down to Mavis. "Are you okay? Mavis?" Zeref brushed his hand against her blond hair, but Mavis smacked his hand away. With a groan she swung her hand up, unleashing a wave of light that shaved away half of Zeref's face.

"Ah… And here I was trying to show you my affection~" Zeref gleamed with a twisted smirk, as half of his skull was showing. Mavis had felt it, as Zeref reached out to her, he was preparing to take Fairy Heart away. Zeref's cleaved face healed in an instant, cracking his neck as this battle of lovers continued.

Larcade having recollected himself, and assumed his graceful divine stance. "Now then… I suppose instead of using previously explored sensations of pleasure. I shall instead inflict it upon you all instead~" Tendrils of light appeared out from his aura, and like tentacles shot towards Sting, Kagura, Minerva, Yukino and Sorano.

Kagura steeled her gaze, dragging her heel far back, then she sprang forward in a giant leap tearing up the rocky surface of the ground with her step. Kagura parried her blades against the light tentacles, slashing them apart with her Arch Enemy. But soon, Kagura found herself getting overwhelmed by the ever-growing number of light tentacles. That is when Sting jumped in, and inhaled his breath sucking up the white light-based tentacles, filling his belly with magic power that he unleashed in a ferocious roar. "White Dragon: Roar!" Sting unleashed a white laser beam from his mouth straight towards Larcade.

"Please…" Larcade scoffed and thrusted his palm forward into the beam, causing it to divide as Larcade's palm cleaved it in half. "As fun as it would be to play around with you all. I cannot disappoint father by stalling. So, instead I shall kill you all here." Larcade's eyes gleamed with malicious intent.

"Zeref's son you say? And you claim Natsu Dragneel to be your uncle? What senseless drivel." Kagura rushed in at Larcade, moving at light speed as she slashed her blade at his neck.

"Oh? You mean none in Ishgar are aware? Natsu Dragneel is indeed the younger brother of Zeref. Or, I suppose he is Zeref's creation. The Natsu you all know, is a demon made from the dead corpse of Zeref's younger brother. But personally, I don't care if it is E.N.D that is his true consciousness, or the consciousness of Natsu Dragneel. I think, once I am finished up here, I will try and find Natsu Dragneel. And kill him." Larcade's body oozed of with pure hatred and killing intent, but none were directed at the ones before him. It all stemmed from his personal hatred of Natsu Dragneel.

"Kill Natsu? Well in that case…! I will just rip you apart right here and now!" Sting enraged at the comment against his childhood hero, jumped at Larcade with waves of light dancing around his body. "Dragon Force!" White Scales growing around his face and wrists, Sting jumped down to deal a flurry of blows at Larcade.

But the Spriggan casually blocked off all of Sting's punches with the use of two fingers. Even with Sting's power doubled, he was still unable to even face Larcade with his power. "It is only natural that I would want to kill Natsu Dragneel. After all, he is the only creation his majesty holds dear to his heart. How can I, as his majesty's son not take offence to that? So, for this unforgivable sin, Natsu Dragneel shall die by my hand!"

"I told you enough senseless drivel!" Kagura swung her blade with great force, both Sting and Larcade jumped up to dodge the slash wave that sliced down three entire mountains in its path. "You will not even see Natsu's face! Because you will fall here!" Kagura declared as she gripped tightly onto her katana, as she raised it up high. "Ethernano Blade! Archenemy Final Stage: Mountain Splitter!" Using her strongest attack she had attempted to defeat Dimaria with, Kagura swung her blade down with great precision and force. Unleashing a giant pillar shockwave that carved itself through the ground as it soared towards Larcade.

Larcade faced the incoming pillar of destruction with a calm smirk. "Holy Blade." Coating his own dominant hand in a golden light that took the shape of a blade, Larcade slashed Kagura's attack into oblivion. The slashed pillar of destruction, exploded and unleashed a giant shockwave that tore apart the terrain.

"Dangerous~" Samuel laughed as he casually shielded himself with ice statues that took on the blunt force of the blast.

Kagura gasped as she found her legs bound in place, as out from the ground shot out the light tendrils from earlier. Unable to escape as they ensnared themselves around her body like snakes, Kagura began letting out moans of pleasure as the light tendrils emitted a strange steam from them that heated up her sensitive areas. "That's right, be introduced to the sweet nectars of pleasure. No human could possibly resist their basic instincts."

Larcade's taunting chuckle came to halt, as Kagura broke free and slashed apart the tendrils. Blood leaking out from the corner of her mouth. "What a vulgar magic you have!" Kagura spat out a splatter of blood.

'She… bit her own tongue? She broke free by inflicting great pain onto herself?' Larcade was amazed, Kagura was but an ordinary human. And although the instinct of pleasure was within her, the instinct of a warrior triumphed over any other instinct she had. "Heh, I must admit, you are quite an interesting human. I can see why Dimaria wanted you as her pet. Yes, you would be a fine replacement for Linda~"

"Eh, don't say such cruel things Larcade-sama~" Samuel sounded like he was pouting, but instead he had his usual casual smile on his face.

"Pardon me, Samuel." Larcade humored his second in command, and resumed to focus on his opponents. With a wave of his arm, Larcade unleashed a thousand of light blades.

'Fast!' Kagura began doing her best to deflect each of the light blades, but quickly found herself overwhelmed. Luckily, she wasn't alone. Rifts in space appeared around her, and absorbed several of the light blades. And a blade of shadow and darkness moved in and out from shadows as Rogue joined Kagura in deflecting them. Sting swung his fist creating waves of light that tanked several of the light blades. And flying furballs went in like shields to protect them.

"Well… at least you all come together to die." Larcade chuckled as he saw the entire group standing together. Kagura, Sting, Rogue, Minerva, Sorano and Yukino. Although Yukino had changed her outfit.

"Star Dress: Libra!" Unleashing a giant wave of pressure, Yukino changed the gravity around Larcade increasing it up to fifty times of the Earth's normal gravity. Kagura joined in, adding a solid hundred times more gravitational power.

Larcade looked slightly baffled, as the ground sank beneath him, yet his knees didn't bend to this increased gravitational force. While Kagura shot towards Larcade within this restricted gravitational field, Kagura herself soared through it unaffected. Larcade eyed the Archenemy in Kagura's hand, the light of the sun reflecting from the blade. 'I see, it creates an anti-gravity bubble around its user. Making her able to move freely within this gravity.' Larcade noted and the moment Kagura entered his range, his hand shot out and grabbed her by the throat.

Kagura gasped at the sudden force around her throat, and before she could swing her sword, Larcade's other hand grabbed onto her wrist. "It would appear you lot have made a grave miscalculation in your side's defeat of several of the Twelve. August, Irene and I… are a rather special exceptions to the rest. Throughout the years, we have witnessed more than ten generations of the Spriggan Twelve. But the three of us, have always remained on top. We are the three founding members after all."

Kagura and the others widened their eyes in absolute shock and terror, as a chilling sweat ran down their spines. "Such a delightful expression. The expression of one who knows, they cannot win. I should also inform you… as much as it pains me to admit. August and Irene are stronger than I am." Larcade declared as with a wave of his hand, he had slashed Kagura's side. Whilst also removing the Archenemy from her hand.

"Kagura!" Yukino called out in despair. Was she to witness another friend die?

"Fear not. Your pain will soon be replaced by pleasure. A short while ago, you described my power as vulgar. While you might be right in a sense. I like to view it as "love". I shall give you a peaceful death. One without even any hint of anguish. Let her pure white soul ascend to the free heavens." Larcade dropped Kagura to the floor, whilst holding her own blade pointed over her.

"Lady Kagura! No!" Yukino cancelled her gravity magic, and tried to rush in to help her.

"This is… madness." Rogue was trembling, he couldn't stop this.

"Rogue…" Minerva shakingly called out behind him. Rogue looked to his terrified looking girlfriend, who was near tears. "I'm scared…" Minerva trembled, sounding so small as she mumbled her words out.

Larcade smiled at this. "How wonderful. I will dye your very despair with pure pleasure." Larcade's light tendrils emerged out from the ground, and grabbed a hold of Minerva, Yukino, Sorano, Rogue and Sting.

"Bastard!" Sting cried out, as he couldn't even focus on eating Larcade's attack in this state.

Malice flashed in Larcade's eyes as he smirked. "Now rise to the heavens… and to your deaths." His smile looking wicked as he swung his arm generating several light blades soaring towards Sting and the rest, while he thrusted the Archenemy down onto Kagura.

Clang!

The echoing sound of clanking metal was heard instead of the tearing of flesh and bone. Larcade looked baffled, as a swirl of iron sand appeared between the blade and Kagura. And also, between Larcade's hundreds of light blades, swirls of iron sand moved in to intercept those attacks too. "What is this?" Larcade looked baffled, as the iron sand then shot towards his face like a bullet. Larcade gasped as his cheek was actually graced by it, and his blood flowed down.

Slowly reaching his hand to his cheek, Larcade shakingly felt the sensation of his own wet blood. "I was injured? And is this… poison?" Larcade sounded confused.

"Tch, so it has no effect on you, huh?" The disgruntled voice of a new player came from behind him. Larcade turned to face this new foe, and came face to face with Sasori. Standing balanced on a wire that was lodged into the ground, that was coming spinning out from his stomach. "Very well, I will just kill you in the old-fashioned way." Sasori declared as wings made of blades spread out from his back like an Angel.

"Sasori-kyun…" Sorano sounded near tears as she eyed her savior.

Larcade drops his smile, as he eyed this new interesting opponent before him. "My, what a strange sensation. It's been a long time since anyone has ever hurt me like that." Larcade smiled, as he wiped his thumb across the graced cut on his cheek, which vanished as his thumb swiped past it. "I would call you a misguided fool to dare stand against me… But I must say, I didn't expect to face someone like you this soon."

"Someone like me?" Sasori questioned Larcade's statement, it sounded like it held a deeper meaning than Sasori realized. Black demonic markings started spreading around Sasori's puppet body, and his ice-cold killer glare fell onto Larcade. "I am the one who is going to kill you."

"Heh, perhaps you are a fool after all." Larcade scoffed at Sasori's statement, as with a twitch of his finger, tendrils of light shot out from the ground beneath Sasori and ensnared themselves around him. "Now, drown in pleasure-" Larcade gasped as Sasori easily broke free, and soared towards him landing a punch straight into Larcade's face.

"Sorry, but I am a puppet. I can't feel pain, I can't feel anything. But if you want me to feel pleasure, I will take pleasure in killing you." A small barrel emerged out from Sasori's palm, as he fired off a blazing wave of fire at point blank range into Larcade's face.

"Urgh!" Larcade exerted himself with a push of his aura to blow away the flames. Looking mildly irritated, Larcade asked. "Who are you?"

"Sasori… of the Red Sand. And you've just volunteered to be a part of my glorious puppet show." Sasori's declaration is met with a smirk from Larcade.

"Is that so?" Pointing his finger at Sasori, Larcade fired off a beam of pure energy. Sasori gasped as the beam moved at such speed it pierced through his body before he could even react. "For one of my own brethren, you sure fail to realize who is superior."

"Sasori!" Sorano freezes up for a bit.

But suddenly, Sasori's body explodes and out comes a thousand puppet hands moving down like a wave crashing down onto Larcade. Larcade grunts, as the puppet hands grab onto him all over. Looking around, Larcade notices burning tags on all of the puppet arms, as a series of high-powered explosives erupt all at once.

Sorano gasps, as she notices a series of blue chakra strings coming from the fake Sasori and leading into a series of trees. "A true puppet master stays in the shadows." Sasori smirks, although it quickly fades as Larcade slashes apart the thousands of puppet arms.

Larcade's clothing is stained in smoldering ash, and his face looks enraged. With a heavy swing of his arm, Larcade clears out the entire terrain of vegetation. Sasori leaps out from hiding, as Larcade cleared several miles of trees and mountains in one sweep. "No more hiding." Larcade grunts at Sasori.

Samuel stands there looking genuinely amazed for the first time. "Samuel!" Larcade's voice rang out like a demonic shrill. "If you are done standing around, do you think you could maybe help me kill some of these fools?!" The sudden instruction from his commanding officer had Samuel shook.

"R-Right. Coming sir." Sasori's arrival had forced Larcade to take this a little more seriously. Samuel quickly turned to face the rest, and immediately Yukino stepped up glaring daggers at Samuel. "Ho, the young miss wishes to fight me for the sake of her friends? My, such a noble young lady."

"Back off creep." Sorano stepped up next to her sister, followed up with Minerva. The three women collectively glaring daggers at the last remaining member of Beta Squadron.

While Larcade found himself surrounded by Sasori, Sting, Rogue and a recovered Kagura. Having tied her obi belt tight around her waist to stop the bleeding. "You bunch of fools actually still think you have a chance?"

"Of course, after all. You were just pushed into calling your henchmen for help." Kagura confidently declared, as with Sasori here they might be able to defeat Larcade after all.

"… Oh? You think I was backed into a corner there? Really? No, let me fill you in on something. I only called in for Samuel's help, to make sure none of you try to escape while I fight with Sasori. Nothing more." Larcade stretched his arms out to the side, as he unleashed the full blunt force of his aura.

Larcade's aura caused entire earthquakes, the very ground and terrain in fact were changing. As giant stone pillars rose up from the ground from the sheer magnitude of Larcade's aura. The skies blackened and unleashed raining thunder bolts crashing around the Spriggan. "That despair you all felt earlier… I shall increase it by tenfold this time before I kill you."

A chill blew in the air, as Samuel had created three giant ice statues that unleashed a chilling breath that froze anything alive from within. It froze several small feathered ball shaped monsters with sharp rows of teeth, as Sorano's familiars fell one after the other. "My, quite the gnarly creatures for such a beauty~" Samuel looked relaxed as he shot one of them out from the sky with his sawed-off shotgun.

"They are my cute pets! Don't you dare make fun of them!" Sorano stomped her heel down, generating an intense amount of light that summoned forth a giant Angelic like avatar with wings wielding a spear. The giant Angelic guardian pierced its spear through one of the giant ice statues, unleashing a destructive wave of light that tore the ice statues to shreds.

"My, oh my." Samuel looked carefree, as he created several ice clones of himself. "You young ladies are going to be quite the handful. I feel bad for you ladies however, truly I do…" Samuel shakingly reached his hand towards his temple. Yukino, Sorano and Minerva just collectively growled at him. "For you see, I am quite the unfortunate soul. I have been cursed by a demon… And you see, that demon really enjoys killing poor innocent people. Especially women." Samuel looked with a wicked looking grin, as he reached into his pocket for an iron cross. "I have tried to fight this demon… Through my worship of my divine Angelic lord Larcade-sama, and his God Zeref." Samuel's ice clones unleashed a raining hail storm of ice shards that cut into Sorano's body. The sounds of her cries had Samuel's smile brighten.

"Onee-sama!" Yukino rushed to shield her sister, but Sorano stopped her. She was the older one, she was meant to shield Yukino. Sorano unleashed a series of Angels that blocked off the ice storm.

"Zeref a God? You are just another twisted groupie cultist, aren't you?!" Sorano snarled at Samuel. Her whole life had been dictated by men who worshipped the Black Wizard like a deity. From the tower, all the way to the Oracion Seis.

"Yeah, I'm with her. You are just another twisted individual that has led himself to believe to be cursed." Minerva accused as with a twist of her wrist. She used her Territory to create rifts in space that tore apart his ice clones.

"No, it is true." Samuel argued as with a wave of his hand he unleashed a frost cloud of ice that threatened to freeze the very blood in their veins. Minerva quickly acted and formed a spatial wall before them and the frost cloud. "After all, it robbed me of my mind and emotions. To the point, where I as a priest… drowned a poor baby during its baptism. And then slaughtered everyone in the church. What else could it be if not a curse? And thanks to Larcade-sama, my feelings have started to return to me. And I was able to make many wonderful bonds of friendship."

"Friends?" Yukino flinched, trembling with anger as she remembered the cruel heartless act of Samuel executing Rufus of Sabertooth and so many others of her guildmates. "You killed my friends without hesitation! Don't go and make excuses for yourself!"

Samuel pouted. "Young lady, this is a war. I'm merely doing my duty to my God. It is a pity for you to have lost your friends." Tears swelled in Samuel's eyes as he shed tears for Yukino. "I truly feel for you. I do. After all, I myself understand the feeling. During this war, I lost all those friends I have made after all." Samuel declared. His sudden crying had caught Yukino off guard.

"Yes, my beloved comrades of Beta Squadron. They all have perished in this war." Samuel sobbed into the sleeve of his shirt. "Kareem and Bakel, two so vast different people yet they shared such comradery towards each other, they were two admirable people. Marin, I found his interest in women relatable, and he was so invested in them I couldn't help but cheer him on in his love life. Grim, his cannibalism was quite fascinating. I even deeply envied him, for having a good friend that would offer up his body as sustenance so Grim could live. Heine and Juliet were such a cute young duo, the way they followed Irene-sama around like she was their mother was so heartwarming. Blitzkrieg was always so fond of his little "toys" that he used as weapons, he was real creative for a machine. Old Arthur, he was an admirable leader who I aspired to be like. And then… there is, or was my best buddy Lugh and his darling little sister Linda. I'm really going to miss them, and their sibling bond. How I envied that bond." Samuel continued to sob into his sleeve, while Yukino looked at him creeped out, sharing her look of disgust was Sorano and Minerva. All three could tell something was wrong.

"You can cut the crap…" Yukino called out, which had Samuel flinch in shock.

"Hmm, what was that?" Samuel looks up from his sleeve with teary eyes, but his lips were still twisted up into a smile.

"You are sad your friends are dead? Don't give me that crap!" Yukino grinds her teeth as genuine rage boiled within her from remembering the loss of Rufus and their battalion, and all the rest of their friends that have died in this war. "Your body language is way too casual. And your eyes… I can tell it is all bullshit. They meant nothing to you. Everything you just said, was a bold-faced lie."

Samuel still smiling, wipes the tears from his eyes. "How rude, young lady. I have half a mind to wash that potty mouth of yours out with a bar of soap." Yukino seeing Samuel's casual expression, and relaxed shoulders really told her all she needed to know. Samuel wasn't sad, or even angry at the death of his so-called "friends" it was all a façade. But not a façade meant for Yukino.

"It is sad really. Kind of pathetic." Yukino said with such a stoic and cold tone, that even her sister Sorano and guildmate Minerva looked shocked that Yukino could sound like that. "You don't feel anything do you?" Yukino glared coldly at Samuel and thus, his smile began dropping and his eyes widening. "You try your best to mimic emotions and facial expressions, based off what your victims have shown as you killed them, right?"

At this, Samuel shakingly gripped hard onto the handle of his sawed-off shotgun, but remained in silence as Yukino continued examining his character. "Well, your acting is even worse than Lady Erza's. And since you suck at reading emotions, let me help you out. I hate you! You hurt my sister! You killed my friends! All this talk about a curse, yeah, I don't buy it. Not even for a second. It is just an excuse. You are one pathetic excuse of a human being. One might even ask, why were you even born?" Yukino looked with a menacing glare that had Samuel's heart stop for a moment.

Samuel raised his sawed-off shotgun, and fired off two collective shots aimed at Yukino. But Sorano's Angels quickly moved in to take the bullets. "You, young lady, are a bully. In my whole life, I have never met a bigger bully than you. I will discipline you." Samuel unleashed a chilling cold aura.

"Bring it you rotten bastard!" Yukino's body unleashed a bright golden Celestial glow as she adored a new Star Dress. "Star Dress Mix: Libra x Pisces!" Yukino was dressed in the outfit of a belly dancer like Libra, with a fish scaled seashell brassier, with fins protruding from her hips and arms. Carrying a headpiece carrying the Pisces emblem, and a belt adored with the Libra emblem. "This is for Rufus!" Yukino unleashed a series of giant water currents spinning towards Samuel.

"Frozen Lotus." With a swing of his hand, Samuel countered all of Yukino's water currents, and even froze them into ice. Creating sharp giant ice lotuses that sliced towards Yukino. Yukino slammed her fist down, unleashing a giant gravitational field that crushed the ice lotuses smacking to the floor. "Crushing Fang!" Yukino's gravity field struck Samuel atop his head knocking him face first to the floor.

"Gakh!" Samuel groaned the force of the gravity smacking his face to the ground, creating a dent in the earth. Despite the increased gravity, Samuel picked himself up and rushed out from the enhanced gravitational field. "Die." With a stone-cold stoic expression, Samuel formed dancing circle blades of ice decorated with ice roses.

Yukino backflipped, as one of the ice blades cut her face. Suffering a single scratch, Yukino gasped a chilling breath as suddenly ice expanded out from the cut. "My ice ability, is quite unique. Not as powerful as the likes of Invel-sama, but still… One cut from my ice blades reduces the body temperature of the cut area to zero. In other words, I freeze your body to ice from within."

"Territory: Nihility!" Minerva appeared out of thin air; her hands cloaked in space-wave matter. Swinging her hand across Samuel's side, cutting him open to the point where his guts fell out. Minerva followed up with a second upper cut strike, the space-matter around her hand shaved off layers of Samuel's face. Minerva then dealt a heavy double fist strike to Samuel's chest, blowing up his chest and exposing his ribcage.

Samuel was sent flying backwards, blood dripping down from his wounded body. "Not to mention… my most treasured ability of all." Samuel looked up, revealing him to be unharmed. As all injuries dealt to his body healed at a rapid rate. "Instant regenerative healing. An ability that Larcade-sama blessed me with. So long as I will it, I can heal from any injury."

"Yukino!" Sorano's terrified screams distracted Minerva from the fight, who turned around to see Yukino already out of breath. A chilling ice breathe emerging from her now blue lips.

"Seems that bully of a girl is pretty much finished~" Samuel with little care clapped his hands cheerfully. "Her body temperature is falling rapidly, and soon she will die~"

Trembling, Minerva turned around and glared in Samuel's direction, who couldn't seem to care less about this fight as if victory was guaranteed. No, in fact, Samuel simply lacked the will to put in any effort into the fight. "Bastard!" Minerva taking notice, feeling underestimated she had the whole space around them tremble. "Territory Explosion!" The fabric of space twisted around Samuel, and blew up in his face.

"Ara?" Samuel gasped as his body was riddled with a series of holes from the explosion. "So aggressive~ I prefer my women to be more lady-like~" Samuel smiled as his body healed, wanting to experience more of their emotions in this battle.

Larcade watching the battle, as he casually blocked off punches from Sting and Rogue with one hand. "Heh, Samuel seems to be having fun. That gibbering fool can't help himself, but to bring about the worst emotions in his enemies." Larcade chuckled, as he casually flicked both Sting and Rogue in the forehead, sending them crashing to the earth, dragging up the ground with them as they flew backwards.

'But as usual, that fool is too weak willed. Can't even muster up the will to put in actual effort into his fight. If he could, he would have grown stronger than that Arthur who commanded Beta Squadron. His natural talent is the only reason Samuel is as strong as he is. Heh, of course his lack of effort to grow in strength made him hated amongst the rest of Beta Squadron. Particularly Jacob's second-in-command. What was his name again? Ah Lugh, yes.' Larcade thought to himself as he blocked off a series of strikes from Kagura' sword with his fingers. 'As always, Samuel ends up relying on his healing factor I blessed him with. Not like I had a choice. Without it he would have been a useless foot soldier. His lack of self-preservation leads him to get injured a lot.'

Larcade's opinion on his own second-in-command clearly wasn't that high, and he was proven right as Samuel didn't even bother to dodge Minerva's attacks. Her space warping slicing off his limbs, and tearing a gaping hole into his chest. Samuel with his high pain tolerance, brushed it off and healed himself near instantaneous.

"Ah, you three are such unfortunate souls." Samuel taunted as he created a giant serpent dragon out of ice. The ice dragon bound itself around Minerva, squeezing her hard enough to grind bones into dust.

Minerva groaned as her body was squeezed by the serpent Dragon, blood beginning to leak from her lips. "Territory: Explosion!" Unleashing a giant explosion around herself, Minerva broke free from the ice dragon as it was blown to pieces.

"My, oh my." Samuel gasped in shock, as Minerva was riddled in wounds and her clothes covered tears and black sot from the explosion. "You are quite durable, aren't you~?" Samuel attempted to sound genuinely impressed, but Minerva could tell he was taunting her. "Now then-" Samuel seized from speaking, as golden spears of light stabbed through his body from above.

Three muscular giant winged Angels with three heads, wielding spears made of light appeared out of thin air over Samuel. Sorano while shedding tears as she held onto her cold sister, Yukino, snarled at Samuel in anger. "Shut the hell up! Creep!" Sorano tossed golden rings up into the air, as she summoned a single giant Angelic figure. "Raguel!" A white Angel that possesses two giant wings, four large arms and seven heads, each holding a horn.

The Angel, Raguel blew its horns, unleashing loud soundwaves that rattled Samuel's bones making them feel like they were made of jelly. "Oh…" Samuel gasped as he started bleeding from his nose, eyes and ears. "Frozen Lotus Vines!" With a wave of his hand, Samuel formed giant ice Lotus vines that grew to resemble a dense forest. The vines reaching out and piercing through the Angel figures above him, pushing them out of the way and the light spears out from Samuel's body.

"Angel's Messengers!" Hundreds of tiny balls of feathers flew out from Raguel's giant wings, and latched themselves onto Samuel's body with their sharps rows of teeth biting into him.

"Nee-san…" Yukino mumbled, seeing Sorano already out of breath. All these Angels were consuming her magic power and stamina, and soon, would feast from her very life force.

"Hold on Yukino… I will protect you!" Sorano held her cold sister's body tight, trying to warm Yukino up as much as she could.

"My~" Samuel smiled with ecstasy at seeing their close sisterly bond. "You two, remind me so much of Lugh and Linda~ Yes, you two display so many emotions on your faces. Do me a favor, show me more of your feelings to help me regain my own from this curse."

"Go to hell!" Sorano spat in Samuel's direction, as she summoned forth another Angel with a series of golden rings. "Barakiel!" A giant Angel with two wings, and two big muscular arms came down from the heavens. And from its eyes, it shot out beams of light directly onto Samuel.

"Ahaha~" Samuel laughed it off as the light burnt off his hair and skin, popping his eyeballs into mush. Samuel was left standing as a skinless human-like entity with empty eye sockets. "Your crude tongue… reminds me so much of Lugh~" Samuel chuckled as his skin regrow, and so did his eyeballs and hair. "I truly do miss him, my best buddy~" Seeing how protective Sorano was of Yukino, made him even more ecstatic. "And you are the older sibling as well? Just like Lugh was to Linda. I always wanted to see what kind of face Lugh would make, if I ended up killing Linda. Do me a favor, and show me as she dies in your arms, kay?"

Sorano hissed at Samuel, who was blown backwards by a spatial rift as Minerva emerged out from it dealing a high kick to Samuel's face. Samuel skidded backwards, and flipped out his double-barrel shotgun. Taking aim, Samuel fired off two shots at Minerva who casually blocked them with a spatial wall.

Ice exploded out from Samuel's body, and split themselves from him taking shape into ice statues of Samuel. "Ice Clones." In total Samuel created ten ice clones, all surrounding Minerva, Yukino and Sorano. "Heh, good, all targets in one spot~" Dragging his arms as far back as he could, Samuel swung them forward whilst unleashing a chilling ice aura that formed a giant frost cloud. With all ten of his clones mimicking his movements creating frost clouds of their own. "Freezing Clouds!" The clouds of ice blew into Minerva, Sorano and Yukino.

All three suddenly started to gasp, as the ice particles within the frost clouds entered their bodies quickly. "D-Dammit!" Minerva fell to her knees, as her face started turning blue.

"T-This is bad…" Sorano shivered, as her tear ducts were frozen shut. Her Angel messengers fell out from the sky one by one. And Barakiel even started to grow sluggish in its movements.

They couldn't even think straight, and it was made worse as they heard Samuel's taunting voice calling out to them. "Look at me ladies. I want to see what kind of faces you each will make as you die~"

"Not dying…" Yukino pushed herself out from Sorano's arms. Dragging her hands through the dirt, Yukino forced herself to stand up. Reaching to her belt, Yukino shakingly pulled out a golden key decorated with a black snake.

"Huh? What's this?" Samuel was honestly astonished Yukino could stand, her inner organs should be frozen right about now.

"Open… Gate of the Snake Charmer: Ophiuchus!" A giant black mist exploded out from around Yukino, covering the entire battlefield and blowing away Samuel's frost clouds, and something long and hard appeared smashing into Samuel's ice clones reducing them to ice shards.

Samuel stood wide eyed in shock before two giant glowing red orbs, with a sound of hissing emerging out from the black mist. The red orbs rose high into the air, revealing to be the eyes of a giant black snake. The thirteenth, and hidden Zodiac spirit of the Celestial realm. The immortal black serpent, Ophiuchus. Its giant tail shielded Yukino, Sorano and Minerva as it stared down Samuel. "You seem to be in quite the predicament, dear." The snake spoke in a feminine voice as it looked at is contractor.

"Hehe, yeah… sorry. I know our contract only allows me to summon you once a year. But I am going to have to cash it in early this year." Yukino sounded out of breath, her lungs nearly frozen. She even fell out from her Star Dress form.

Ophiuchus remained silent for a brief moment, sensing and smelling her surroundings as she looked around on the battlefield, counting two hostiles. "I hope you did not summon me to fight that one." Ophiuchus looked at Larcade who was fighting off Sasori, Kagura, Sting and Rogue. Then the snake looked to Samuel. "This one however, I can handle."

"That will do fine…" Yukino smiled at the giant spirit. Suddenly the black mist began enveloping Yukino's body, causing her to glow. "Star Dress: Ophiuchus!" Yukino's appearance changed, her head adorned with a black tiara decorated with three red gems. Her chest covered in a brassier that looked to be made of black snake scales. The same black scales covered her forearms and lower body like an armor. And finally, Yukino gained a large black high collared cape bearing the mark of Ophiuchus on its back.

"The pressure from this form… feels stronger than when she mixed the power of her other two spirits." Samuel looked completely caught off guard, as the thirteenth spirit outclassed two other Zodiacs in power.

"Naturally, only the Celestial Spirit King surpasses my power. And only Leo the Lion could rival it." Ophiuchus boasted, as it attacked with its gaping mouth open.

"Whoa!" Samuel leapt backwards to avoid the initial clash, but he could not avoid the spray of venom released from the snake's fangs. The poison hit Samuel in the face, causing it to melt. "What the?" Samuel looked in shock, as his hand carrying the sawed-off shotgun melted clean off. "Ara?" Samuel looked baffled, as Yukino rushed at him like a slithering serpent, and dealt a heavy punch to his chest.

"Ugh!" Samuel grunted in pain, as he was launched backwards. Yukino's strength had grown exponentially from her Star Dress form. "How is this possible… how can you move so quickly? Your insides should be frozen by now."

Yukino kicked Samuel square in his jaw, causing his body to fly a few feet into the air. "Ophiuchus is known as the immortal serpent! Although this Star Dress form doesn't grant me immortality, it gives me a powerful healing factor instead! And on top of it, immense strength and speed boosts!" Throwing a spin kick, Yukino nearly cut Samuel in half. "Snake Tail Strike!" Samuel was launched flying through a series of trees like a cannonball.

Samuel was then smacked down by a tail swing from Ophiuchus, sending him crashing hard to the ground. Samuel shakingly picked himself up, his healing factor was slowing down, his jaw having come loose and the poison from Ophiuchus still hadn't left his system.

Yukino flew down onto Samuel, and proceeded to beat him down. Each hit generated a powerful shockwave, as she beat his face all bloodied, knocking out teeth. "This is for Rufus!" Yukino smashed her fist straight into Samuel's face, flattening his nose as she did.

"Hehe, my, that is quite the lovely expression…" Samuel chuckled, as vines of ice emerged out from his own body and pierced into Yukino.

Yukino cringed as the vines pierced through her, and hoisted her high up into the air. Ophiuchus came to her master's rescue, as with a tail swing she shattered the ice vines giving Yukino time to heal. The healing factor brought on by her Star Dress form, had Yukino's wounds close up. "Careful dear, if you exert yourself too much you will lose your current form and I will be forced back into the spirit realm." Yukino panted, as the biggest downside to this Star Dress, was that Yukino didn't have the stamina needed to sustain it for too long.

"It's okay… as long as I can buy them time to recover…!" Yukino grunted, feeling her muscles ache as she looked to the direction of Minerva and her older sister Sorano. Both had managed to recover a little from Samuel's previous attack, but needed a few more moments to get back into the fight. Yukino knew, even if she had the edge over Samuel now, that it wouldn't last long. Which is why, she knew she could never beat him on her own.

"Well, now. I wonder…" Every bone in his body broken, Samuel laid there as the sound of his bones snapping back into place gave a sickening echo. "Was that the extent of your feelings for this Rufus friend of yours?" Samuel lifted his head up, a sickening smirk spread across his face.

Yukino flinched at this comment, and turned around to glare at the healed Samuel. Samuel chuckled at seeing her glare. "My, how interesting seems you still have more intense emotions to throw my way." Standing up, Samuel raised his arms as he shot out waves of ice. The ice gathered together and continued to grow and expand at a rapid rate.

In a matter of seconds, Samuel had created two giant ice golems that were bigger than Ophiuchus. "Go on and show me~" Samuel instigated, as his ice golems went in for the attack.

Ophiuchus slithered across the battlefield, and went in for the attack, wrapping her giant snake body around one of the golems. But it turned out to be a mistake. The ice golems looked at the snake, and out from their mouths they blew out giant clouds and winds of frost. "Ugh!" Ophiuchus flinched as the frost clouds turned into a giant blizzard storm.

The second ice golem went for Yukino, snatching her up in an instant. Yukino's muscles already burning, could hardly move as she screamed in pain from the ice golem squeezing her. The ice golem blew the same ice blizzard wind onto Yukino, freezing her body in a near instant. But the healing powers of Ophiuchus kept her from freezing to death.

"Yukino!" Sorano jumped in with her Angel Barakiel, the giant Angel fired off beams of light onto the golem holding Yukino. Its warm light, warming up Yukino's body and simultaneously melting the ice golem.

"Whoa there." Samuel chuckled as he added more ice to the golem causing it to grow bigger and bulkier to resist the light. The golem turned its head away from Yukino, and began blowing the chilling wind blizzard onto Sorano's Angel.

Minerva appeared behind Samuel, and attempt to slash his head off with a spatial wave. But instead faced an ice clone, as several ice clones grew out from Samuel's back. "I don't think I have ever fought this hard before~" Samuel clapped his hands as if to praise these young ladies. "Let's wrap this up, shall we?"

"Y-Yukino… I can't… anymore…" Ophiuchus being cold blooded, had slowed down and grown weaker from this blizzard. And was forced to retire back to the Celestial Spirit realm, simultaneously stripping Yukino of her Star Dress and into her standard clothing.

The ice clones of Samuel kicked Sorano and Minerva both into each other. The two women fell in a pile before Samuel, who wanted to savor this moment of witnessing the emotions on their faces as they died. "Goodbye~" Samuel's clones all converted into frost clouds, as Samuel blew them towards Sorano and Minerva.

Sorano has Barakiel try and destroy the golem holding Yukino, but is prevented from doing so as the second golem that previously had been restrained by Ophiuchus, punched the Angel across the face. And the two ice golems together freeze the Angel with their icy breath.

"Nee-san… Lady Minerva…" Yukino groaned, reaching her one free arm out towards her friends. She wanted to help them, but barely had any magic power left. Looking around for help, Yukino found none, as Sasori, Sting, Rogue and Kagura barely managed against Larcade. But then, a reflection of hope hit her eye.

Looking down, Yukino noticed Samuel's sawed-off shotgun laying just beneath her and the ice golems. Reaching her hand towards it, Yukino summons what is left of her magic power. "Star Dress: Pisces…"

Samuel stares at Minerva and Sorano, watching as they cough while on their knees. Their insides slowly turning to ice, purposely to torture them in their final moments. "Yes, splendid… It's curious. Humans all show different types of expressions upon facing death. Some look with terror, others disbelief, confusion, courage and a last act of defiance to their fates. Makes me wonder…. What face would I make? I can just picture it through what expressions you two will show me. Now, goodbye."

BLAM! A shot rang out, and Samuel gasped, his eyes shaking as suddenly he was spinning forward looking at the ground. But as he made a whole round around, he saw his own body collapsing to its knees, headless. "Eh?" Samuel gurgled out a puddle of blood, as blood ran down from his severed neck. 'Wh-What happened?' Looking for answers, Samuel's eyes landed on the stuck Yukino. Still trapped in the hand of his ice golem. Yukino groaned with blood running down her lips from spittle. The ice golem had nearly crushed her in its grip, but still her right arm was free. And in her arm, she held Samuel's own sawed-off shotgun. Smoke still coming out from the barrel, as Yukino had shot Samuel in the back of the neck making his entire head pop off. "How did she get that?" Samuel asked, and then he noticed a small water geyser next to Yukino.

Yukino had used the power of Pisces to create a water geyser beneath Samuel's sawed-off shotgun, sending it flying up into the air for her to grab. Samuel was in disbelief; he had been so close to eliminating Minerva and Sorano. From his neck, he was beginning to wither away like a burning piece of paper. 'No wait… I can probably use Larcade-sama's gifted ability to regenerate… Yes, I just need to muster up my will and…' Samuel suddenly stopped in his thoughts.

"You don't feel anything do you?" The cold harsh words from Yukino echoed in Samuel's mind, and his eyes lazily looked on forward. 'Ah… never mind. I don't care anyway.' Samuel couldn't even gather up enough feelings to care about saving his own life. He couldn't muster up the willpower to regenerate, because he lacked the feeling of motivation to do so. That was his weakness.

Noticing his subordinate failing to regenerate, Larcade looks with a raised brow and instead of helping Samuel, he sighs and turns away. "Well darn, looks like Samuel is done for. Oh well." Larcade smirks carefree of the situation.

"That guy was your comrade, wasn't he?!" Sting questions with righteous fury burning in his heart, from where he stood, he mirrored his mentor Natsu in spirit. "He even looked up to you like some damn Guardian Angel! Do you even care?!"

Larcade responded to Sting's rant with a humorous chuckle. "Why would I care about him? I will admit he was a faithful servant, and I found it quite comical that he thought he actually was cursed by a demon. When in reality, Samuel was nothing more than a mentally ill deluded individual. The only reason I even brought him in, was because I took a shine to him for being a holy man doing such unspeakable things. It was quite amusing. He was useful I will admit… but if he can't manage to regenerate anymore, then what is the point of keeping him around?" Larcade coldheartedly shunned and turned his back on his loyal worshipper and second in command.

Samuel, still with the top half of his head left heard everything. His eyes looking uncaring at Larcade revealing that he had been little more than a tool to him. Samuel internally sighed, as no matter what Larcade said he didn't feel angry, he didn't feel betrayed or even hurt in the slightest. Heck, he didn't even care about dying. Instead, Samuel gazed at the form of Yukino, as his ice golem collapsed upon his defeat and she gracefully fell down.

Sorano moved one of her familiars in to catch Yukino, a white feathered furball caught her from behind, spreading its mighty white feathered wings to gently lower her down. And just like that, Samuel's eyes widened upon the sight of an angelic winged Yukino. 'What's this? I'm dying, yet my heart feels like its beating like crazy. Hey, on closer look… Yukino is hella cute. Ah… I'm… actually feeling something. A real Angel has broken my curse… so, this is what having feelings are like? I think I'm in love~' Samuel's final thoughts escaped his mind, as his body fully burnt away as Minerva dealt a final blow to his body catching it in ablaze. And with that, Samuel the last member of Beta Squadron was dead.

"Yukino! Lady Minerva!" Sting called out to his guildmates who were all out of breath, with Minerva and Sorano trembling from the cold as their body temperature was slowly returning to normal.

"They will be fine. Focus." Sasori instructed as he continued to eye Larcade, the real danger was far from over. Sasori was feeling the pressure, if he wasn't in his puppet body form, he would actually sweat. 'He's just standing there… waiting for one of us to make a move. What an aura…. Feels like I am going to get cut down if I as much take a step forward.' Sasori cracked a smile, as the metal wire coming from his stomach shot out forward and towards Larcade.

"Hn." Larcade smirked and slapped the incoming wire down, stabbing it into the ground before him. "Too slow-" Larcade gasped as suddenly Sasori used his momentum to launch himself forward like a slingshot, flying towards Larcade with his bladed wings spinning around at a rapid rate. Larcade stretched his hands out to the side, and grabbed onto the spinning blades halting them mid spin. "What?!" Larcade was once again surprised, as the spinning blades slashed his hands into ribbons. Trails of black iron sand emerging from the blades, the sharp edges of the blades coated in the black iron sand. 'He used the sand to strengthen his blades?!'

Sasori smirked as it seemed Larcade had fallen for it, as Sasori reeled his dominant arm back. A rocket booster blasting out from his elbow as Sasori shot his fist forward at intense speed and force nailing Larcade right in the face with a solid hit. "Now!" Sasori called out, as Sting, Rogue and Kagura all jumped into action.

Sting and Rogue collectively generated an intense swirling force of white and dark energies respectively. "White!" "Shadow!" "Dragon: IRON FIST!" While Kagura unleashed a burst of dark energy coating her blade. "Dark Burst! Ethernano Blade!" Larcade grunted, and flung the floating cross behind him to swing around and block their attacks. The top half of the floating cross parrying against Kagura's downward swing, and blocking off Sting and Rogue's hits. "Vermin." Larcade snarled and unleashed a burst of white aura.

Sasori, Rogue and Kagura were instantly blown back by the burst of power from Larcade. But Sting on the other hand, began devouring the attack. Larcade stared down the master of Sabertooth, him swallowing up his divine explosion like lunch. "You say you are Natsu's nephew… And even if that is true. It doesn't explain why you smell exactly like him. If you smelled more like Zeref, then it would make sense. People's smells are different, even between brothers, and parents and their children. Yet you smell exactly like Natsu."

"Didn't you hear me earlier?" Larcade smirked at seeing Sting trying to wrap his brain around this. "That is because Natsu in a sense, is also Zeref's child." Sasori at hearing this seemed to understand, but quietly thought it to himself.

Sting cupped his hands together, generating an intense amount of white energy between them as he thrusted his arms forward. "HOLY RAY!" The wave split itself off into several smaller rays of energy, that all flew towards Larcade. Larcade thrusted his palm forward, creating a white barrier of energy to hold off the explosion. But as he did, Sting rushed at him and tore down the shield with his teeth as he devoured it. "HOLY NOVA!" Sting rammed his fist into Larcade's gut, and the Spriggan actually groaned in pain as they soared across the battlefield like ray of light.

'He grew in strength from eating my attacks?!' Larcade groaned and swiftly dealt a heavy elbow blow to Sting's back knocking him to the floor. But Larcade still flew crashing into a massive boulder that was reduced to rubble. "You are troublesome, I will give you that. But don't think even for a second, that you have nullified even a quarter of my arsenal." Larcade grew a malicious smirk on his face, as with a snap of his fingers he unleashed a giant magic circle encasing the ground. "Famished Soul."

Sting suddenly flinched, as his stomach began growling loudly. "Ahh… Ah… I can't move a muscle…" Clutching his arms over his stomach, Sting nearly lost his footing and collapsed onto his knees. Larcade took advantage of this opportunity, and sent his floating cross spinning crashing into Sting. "Gah!" Sting was launched flying through a series of rocks.

"Sting!" Rogue called out to his friend, although suddenly collapsed to his knees as an intense sensation of hunger overtook him. "I… I can't move…" Rogue's words were drowned out by a series of growling hungry bellies.

"I feel… so hungry…" Kagura groaned, trying her best to keep her composure. This was unlike Larcade's pleasure ability, she found it way more difficult to ignore this sensation.

"L-Lady Minerva…" Yukino feeling hungry herself, reached out towards Minerva who was also under the effects of this spell, as was Sorano. Yukino grabbed onto Minerva's ankle, drool started dripping from her mouth as her hunger began taking over. And she began nibbling on Minerva's calf.

"Ah!" Minerva moaned a little from the sudden bite. But it was made even worse, as Sorano began nibbling on her shoulder. "S-Snap out of it you two!" Minerva groaned, hunger taking over her as well. As she suddenly bit into Yukino's shoulder.

"Enough." All three girls were suddenly wacked in the back of their heads, and were knocked out as Sasori hit them upside the head.

Larcade noticed this, and sighed. "Of course, with that Dragon Slayer immune to my… white magic attacks. And you immune to my sensation curse ability. Heh, as it stands, you two actually do nullify over a quarter of my abilities. Congratulations on that accomplishment." Larcade slow clapped to taunt Sasori, who with his puppet body was the only one unaffected by this hunger curse.

"I knew it… You are not Zeref's son, you lowlife. You are an Etherious Demon." Sasori glared at Larcade who seemed slightly annoyed at that remark.

"Still, that does make me Zeref's child. I am his creation, just like you." Larcade tauntingly added, and Sasori despite his puppet body, had his eyes ooze of hatred towards Larcade.

Sasori clenched his wooden fists, as a brief flashing image of his parents flashed before his eyes. "That immortal prick… is not my parent. And especially not my creator." His voice sounding gravely, as he got angrier and grinded his teeth as demonic darkness exploded from his body. "All Zeref ever did for me, was give me new abilities. Nothing more." Darkness swirled around Sasori, cloaking his body in black flame-like patterns. Two extra set of arms growing out from his torso, a pair of black demonic horns growing out from his forehead, and a big black scorpion tail growing out from his lower back.

"I will not tolerate, any disrespect towards father!" Larcade snarled in anger, as his body oozed off a strong white aura that flared with dark electricity.

"An Etherious demon huh?" Sting crawled out from the rubble he was buried under, and Rogue emerged out from the shadows. Both dragon slayers feeling the increasing sensation of hunger. "Then Natsu really is a…" Sting mumbled as it meant Natsu really was also an Etherious Demon.

"That does not matter… Natsu is still on our side." Kagura walked in, cutting her own arm in an attempt to overcome the hunger with pain and adrenaline.

"Yeah, besides… we have bigger problems right now!" Rogue groaned, barely able to stand in his state. "At this rate, we're no help against this guy. Unless..." Rogue looked to Sting, and a flashing image of Natsu using two elements at once in his Lightning Flame Dragon Mode, and the image of Rogue's future self-using a mix of white and shadow he got from devouring his Sting's power. "Sting…! Here!" Rogue shot out waves of shadows towards a shocked Sting.

Sting felt so hungry, he suddenly found himself munching on the waves of shadows. Getting the idea, Sting returned the favor and shot out white rays of light towards Rogue, who like Sting began munching on them. "What the hell?" Sasori was just as baffled as Larcade was from seeing this.

"We're fired up now…!" Sting mimicked the catchphrase of his childhood hero, Natsu. As suddenly both him and Rogue emitted an aura of white and dark. Sting's blond hair gained black highlights, while Rogue's bangs had turned white. Sting had half his body covered in black dragon scales, and Rogue had half his body covered in white dragon scales.

Kagura seeing this, cracked a smirk. "Heh, now that… is what I would call the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth."

"White Shadow Dragon Mode!" Both Sting and Rogue mumbled at once, as they had discovered a newfound power and satisfied their hunger. "Let's go, Rogue." Sting cracked his knuckles, with newfound confidence from their power up.

"Yeah, Sting." Both fighters suddenly vanished into each other's shadow, leaving Larcade a little stunned as they both emerged out from his own shadow. Rogue armed with his sword, coated in shadow and rays of light. "White Shadow Dragon's Blade!" While Sting held his dominant arm out, with rays of shadow and light extending from his fingertips in the shape of claws. "White Shadow Dragon's Claw!" Larcade grunted as he reached both his arms out, grabbing Sting by his wrist and catching Rogue's blade between his fingers. But then, Rogue's blade suddenly sliced through Larcade's palm and into his wrist. While Sting's attack shredded away Larcade's skin to his elbow. Sting and Rogue had grown strong enough to injure Larcade.

Then Kagura rushed in from the front with her blade held ready pointed at Larcade's chest. "Gravity Impact!" Thrusting her blade forward, Kagura unleashed a powerful shockwave that buried itself into Larcade's chest making him grunt in slight discomfort. "Foolish mortal." Larcade smirked, as Kagura's blade couldn't even pierce his skin. Larcade's floating cross came spinning in from the side, and knocked Kagura's Archenemy out from her hand.

Larcade smirked for a brief moment, but his smirk dropped as he heard the sound of crumbling sand. Looking around black iron sand was falling down around him, as Sasori had created several miniature pyramids of black iron sand. With a flick of his fingers, Sasori shot the pyramid iron sand projectiles like bullets towards Larcade.

Rogue and Sting both smirked, as they left Larcade's side by slipping into the Spriggan's shadow. Larcade gasped as suddenly the iron sand pyramids exploded into a series of spikes creating a giant web of iron sand. A large dust cloud gathered around Larcade, caused by the shockwave left by Sasori's attack.

Kagura panted, feeling out of breath and frustrated that she couldn't even injure Larcade. She stood up next to Sasori who clearly saw her frustration. "Take it easy. Try and not overthink it. That fucker will just use your frustrations against you." Sasori impacted a few words of wisdom, as a senior Shinobi Sasori knew how to not show feelings during a battle or let it impact his judgment.

Sting and Rogue climbed out from Sasori and Kagura's shadows, looking refreshed as their bodies unleashed a powerful mixture of shadows and light. "Man, this power… feels amazing." Sting smirked as he felt invincible.

"It's just like when we perform a unison raid." Rogue added, feeling incredible power building up within him. The power of White Shadow Dragon Mode, added with Dragon Force made Sting and Rogue equal to some members of the Twelve.

"Focus." Sasori instructed as he glared at the form of Larcade coming into view. The Spriggan had been pierced from various directions, groaning as blades of iron sand had stabbed into his limbs and torso. "… Didn't do anything huh?" Sasori clicked his teeth in frustration, earning a collected set of gasps from Sting, Rogue and Kagura.

They then watched as Larcade walked through the web of iron sand, tearing his flesh and bones as he did. It looked extremely painful as Larcade's body looked like a piece of Swiss cheese. "As I thought… you are the most troublesome of the bunch." Larcade acknowledged Sasori as the biggest present threat in this fight to him. Sasori narrowed his glare at the Spriggan, as Larcade's body healed near instantaneously. Waves of darkness overtaking Larcade's usual white aura, his pupils burning blood red as his eyeball flickered between white and black.

"Shit, just how much damage can this guy regenerate from?" Sting and Rogue assumed a battle stance.

"… Well, going by average Etherious healing factors. Larcade's level of healing speed outclasses most. Even my own." Sasori admitted as even he would have trouble healing from such injuries that quickly. "His healing factor might be as strong as Madara and Itachi's from the looks of it."

"Well, how do we beat him?" Rogue asked, as if Larcade really was that durable, then how were they supposed to kill him?

"… Given enough trauma, his body should give in. Maybe if we cut off his head or destroy his heart at the very least. That or worst case, we need to gather enough firepower to vaporize his body completely without a trace. Of course, if we had his book this would have been much easier, but we don't have such a luxury." Sasori calmly analyzed their situation, and truly it seemed like they were in an unwinnable fight.

"Well, in that case… then I am really no help here, am I?" Kagura hung her head down, clutching her hands onto the handle of her Archenemy. Kagura was brought out from her despair, as a sudden wave of iron sand came flying towards her. Kagura gasped as she saw the iron sand clad itself onto her blade. Looking to the side, Kagura glanced at Sasori who held his dominant hand out towards her, whilst still keeping his eyes on the enemy.

Kagura gasped as the iron sand began heating up, as it welded itself into the metal of her blade. Kagura was shocked, as her blade felt lighter, Sasori's magnetism making it easier to move whilst adding more power to it. "No whining. Just focus on fighting." Sasori didn't accept any word of thanks, instead he glared at Larcade wondering why he wasn't attacking.

Larcade in truth, was just as weary as Sasori, Larcade didn't doubt that he heavily outclassed each of them in terms of strength and power. But Sasori was such a wildcard to Larcade, that he wasn't sure what was a trap laid out by the puppeteer master. This kept him on edge, and made Larcade careful in his plan of attack. "Heh, you brutish fiendish mortals aren't worth the effort." Larcade clapped his hands together. "I shall stand by, and wait for you to approach and attack me."

"Arrogant bastard!" Sting and Rogue collectively snarled at how easily they were underestimated by the Spriggan. "Whoa!" Sting and Rogue wobbled in their steps, as they suddenly found themselves running towards Larcade. "Wait… What the fuck?!" Looking back Sting saw Sasori having placed chakra threads on their bodies.

"Shut up and fight." Sasori harshly told them off, the Twin Dragon Slayers were stun locked. They were supposed to be on the same side here!

"Crap! Guess we have no choice!" Leaping up into the air, the Twin Dragon slayers floated over on each side above Larcade. Lines of shadow and light stretching from their fingertips like silk. "White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!" Several thin beams of shadow and light slashed like thousands of blades at Larcade.

"Hmph." Larcade smirked and stomped his foot forward, forming a giant magic circle beneath him as he held his palm out forward. "Disaster!" Pulling his arms back, the aura around Larcade encased him at a powerful vibrating frequency, distorting his image and giving his mouth a giant slit mouthed grin. Waves of energy exploded out from Larcade, plowing through the beams of shadow and light from Sting and Rogue. "Now die." Larcade pulled his dominant arm back, and aimed to thrust it like a blade through Sting's chest.

SLASH!

Larcade gasped, as suddenly his entire forearm had been sliced clean off. Kagura having leapt down at the last second, with her newly enhanced blade. "Dark Burst. Ethernano Blade!" Continuing her assault, Kagura dealt a series of slashes at Larcade's body. Cutting up his torso, and splitting apart his right shoulder.

Larcade grunted as he skidded backwards, with waves of darkness emerging from his wounds and healing him. Waves of darkness came out from Larcade's stump of a right arm, and latched itself onto his severed right forearm, reattaching itself to his body in an instant. Larcade clenched and unclenched his right fist, and despite having suffered a few wounds earlier, he chuckled.

Even in the face of this intense new aura from Sting and Rogue, the sharpness of Kagura's blade, and Sasori's tricky attacks and hidden weapons. Larcade carefreely smiled. "Foolish mortals. Your world is filled with nothing but wants and desires. Three in particular… pleasure, hunger and sleep. Now perish, as I introduce you to my third curse, the eternal sleep. R.I.P." Larcade's declaration was once again met by a glare from Sasori.

This time reflecting of Sasori's younger self. 'Desires… wants…' Images flashing of his grandmother Chiyo, his parents, him making puppets mirrored after his parents. The puppets embracing him in the place of his dead parents, and holding him as he slept in bed as a child. "… You fucking piss me off." Sasori clenched his fists as images of him modifying his own body into that of a puppet. His fight against Chiyo. Him trying to kill his own grandmother. All to escape the pain he felt in his heart, he needed to numb himself to basic human needs and desires. To become the perfect artwork, the perfect shinobi. "You remind me so much of my old self, that you piss me off!" Sasori held his arm out, a barrel emerging out from his palm, only this time instead of fire it shot out a massive powerful wave of darkness.

Larcade gasped as the wave of destructive darkness soared towards him. Larcade slammed his hands together, coating them in darkness as he thrusted them forward to grab onto the blast wave. Larcade groaned as he held the blast back, but suddenly found himself getting pushed back, his heels slowly digging themselves through the dirt. "Try and weaponize and use others feelings against them… All while ignoring your own obvious ones." Sasori's wrist started to rotate clockwise, and the wave split apart slashing apart the battlefield creating heaps of rubble that rolled down around them. The wave thinned into a small beam that pierced directly through Larcade's chest.

"Argh!" Larcade's face twisted in pain as the beam pierced his chest, only for Sasori's wrist to rotate now counter clockwise and the beam expanded back into a wave. "Enough!" Larcade roared and broke through the wave, negating it entirely through the force of his aura. His injuries already healed as well.

"… My feelings and wants for just one day. No, even for a single second. Meeting my mother and father again. To hear their voices… to feel their touch and embrace. A want I had… to the point where I even let my guard down and died once." Sasori mumbled as the image of his defeat to Chiyo and Sakura flashed through his mind, his mother and father puppet stabbing him through his core as they embraced him. "And your desires to be viewed by Zeref as his son. Heh, well, if anything Zeref probably views you as nothing but a failure."

At hearing this, Larcade grew visibly angry. "Shut up!" He hissed, as his body began to slightly swell in muscle mass.

"I mean, he made you for the sole purpose of wanting you to kill him. But instead, you idolized him as a father and failed him." Sasori continued and this time smirked as he tauntingly glared at Larcade who was beginning to flip. "Kind of a sad and pathetic existence you have, honestly. And that is why… your ability is based on sensations and feelings, isn't it? Because you want everyone else, to feel as shitty as you do from knowing papa Zeref will never care about you."

"SHUT UP!" Larcade sounded demonic, as he let out a beastly growl and thrusted his arm forward to unleash a giant shockwave that blasted Sasori backwards. But Sasori managed to halt himself with the wire he had wrapped around in his stomach stabbed into the ground.

"Get him!" Sting and Rogue unleashed a wave each mixed with white and shadows, the two waves eclipsed Larcade's entire view of the battlefield. It was all so blinding, and yet cooling. Larcade found himself pushed back, into an epicenter of rubble Sasori had made from his darkness attack earlier.

Seeing this chance, Sasori smirked as he flashed a hand seal, as suddenly the surrounding rubble around Larcade all puffed into smoke, and transformed into an army of puppets. The rubble he had created as he had attacked Larcade earlier, had been his hidden puppet army this whole time. Hidden by a transformation jutsu. A true puppet master, is an expert at setting traps.

"What?!" Larcade looked in shock, as he had been too late to notice this landmine trap. Whilst holding back Sting and Rogue's attacks, Sasori's puppet army unleashed a hellish rain of attacks onto Larcade from the back. Giant blades and squares of iron sand formed out from the puppet bodies, and exploded into a giant web of iron spikes that was falling towards Larcade.

The Spriggan was trapped, no way out. And just as Sting, Rogue, Kagura and Sasori all looked hopeful, it happened. Larcade unleashed a loud demonic sounding scream, as his aura exploded out. Once a holy divine like aura, now turned dark and demonic.

All gasped, as their attacks were blown away from the sheer pressure of Larcade's aura. It was as if his scream alone annihilated their attacks. The entire ground beneath Larcade, began to sink down at a rapid rate and spreading. The crater sunk deeper and deeper, as a pillar of darkness erupted from it.

"He transformed?!" Kagura gasped as she managed to catch a glimpse of Larcade's body. "What?!" Sasori groaned in shock, as this was without a doubt Larcade's Etherious form.

Larcade had grown in muscle mass, he had demonic darkness flame-like patterns spread across his body. But most of all, he had grown grey Angelic-like feathered wings. And horns grew out from the top of his head, along with a third demonic eye on his forehead, which was encircled by black demonic markings. Larcade's pupils weren't even visible, as he screamed to the heavens at the top of his lungs. Sounding more like a feral demonic beast than a human. "HUAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Larcade's screams vibrated throughout the entire continent in the form of an earthquake.

Meanwhile, an entire battlefield was left devastated with one man left standing. August stood tall before hundreds of defeated mages, with the valiant Jellal Fernandes on his knees before him. Jellal was shakingly trying to regain his breath, this was absolute madness. "Do you mean to tell me… that we, Crime Sorciere have been absolutely annihilated…" Jellal groaned as he shakingly pushed himself back up, only to be stomped in the back of the head by August and pushed face first into the dirt. "This man…!"

"Enlighten me, Jellal Fernandes. You were once a devoted follower of his majesty, were you not? Then why were you so foolish as to choose a path that clashes with his majesty?" August added pressure onto Jellal, threatening to crush his skull beneath his boot.

"Jellal!" Sawyer rushed in at super speed to intercept, only to be swiftly dealt with by a mere glance from August. Unleashing a wave of pressure through the sheer motion of glaring at Sawyer, launching him flying backwards into a mountain.

The very ground bended itself around August, as did the fabric of space surrounding him. As both Macbeth and Richard tried to combo attack him. But it was utterly futile, by merely flexing his muscles August negated their combined attack and the two former Oracion Seis members were blown down.

"J-Jellal…" Meredy wheezed. Her throat nearly crushed yet she had the strength to stand. Summoning forth a series of energy blades, she launched them at August. August held out his staff and began spinning it around at rapid speed, deflecting all the energy blades.

"Well, Jellal?" August ignored all their combined efforts, and focused only on Jellal.

A reflecting image of Erza had Jellal gather his strength, his body illuminating in a bright glow. "The light… Like the radiating scarlet glow of a sunrise, she cleansed away my darkness and led me into the light. Despite all of that which I did, to try and extinguish that light! She never gave up on me!" Jellal grabbed onto August's foot, and slowly began pushing him back. Lifting his head up from the dirt, Jellal glared at August. "To repay her for all of that! I will repent! And kill Zeref once and for all!" Jellal shot up to the sky like a rocket, a golden shooting star rising to the heavens.

"And that light is your justice, and all darkness is evil? How shallow. His majesty in his immortal life, reared a single son. A child born with an abnormal power of light at his disposal. However, the child never knew what it was like to be loved by anyone. Before long, he began to waver around between the space of light and dark. And then, reached a state of mind devoid of anything. Good and evil does not exist within light and darkness. If there is true justice in this world, it might reside within love and naught else." August's eyes loomed over the distant form of Macao and Romeo, the father shielding his son from any collapsing debris.

"You might be right… But August, my justice isn't the path of the light alone! My justice resides in the one who illuminated that path before me! She is the light, and I am the darkness, I have long since accepted that! My justice, exists in a comingling of both forces!" Jellal spread his arms out, generating thousands of golden magic circles in the sky, glistening like bright stars. "That combined force, is my feelings of love. That is my justice! And I shall rain it down upon you! In a hellish blaze of righteous fury!" The clouds darkened, and roared with thunder, as they cleared away revealing giant meteorites of light energy coming raining down.

"Clear everyone away!" Jellal called down, as Richard quickly acted by using his earth manipulating magic to push everyone except for August out of the way. "True Heavenly Body of Darkness! Black Sun!" All light energy meteorites gathered into a singular point, creating one giant wave of energy that crashed down onto August like a freight train.

"Splendid magic, Jellal Fernandes." August's voice came from underneath the intense blast wave of energy. Holding it back with a giant spectral hand of energy, August forcibly pushed it up. "With this level of power… My, you are even stronger than God Serena. Heh, that blabbering fool was right in his rants. The magic council seemed only to value blind loyalty over power." August clenched his dominant fist, and as such the giant spectral hand holding onto Jellal's attack did the same.

Jellal could only gasp in disbelief as his attack imploded in the wake of August's might. August glanced up at the shaken up Jellal, seeing the young man steel himself and still willing to fight. "Such fighting spirit." As he was about to lift his dominant arm up to counter attack, August was left baffled as he felt a pull. "Hm?"

"Purple Flame!" The Fourth master of Fairy Tail, Macao Conbolt had created hands of purple fire. The flames having latched onto August's limbs like glue in an attempt to keep him restrained. Although the weakest master in Fairy Tail's history, Macao was still quite the experienced mage.

"Dad?!" Even Romeo was shocked at his father's attempt to attack August.

"Don't look down on us! We're all Fairy Tail wizards! Wizards from the guild founded by Mavis Vermillion!" At the mentioning of that name, August visibly flinched. But now, his attention was on Macao. "As a father! And as a wizard! I am not about to let some youngsters show me up!"

"You said it!" Macao's best friend Wakaba leapt into the fray, blowing a cloud of smoke that took the shape of giant smoke fists raining down onto the restrained August. "Oi! Jellal! If you don't want us to tell Erza how shit you were in this fight! Now's the time to attack!" Wakaba called out to the stunned and baffled Jellal.

"R-Right! I thank you!" Getting into a stance, Jellal used his classic Heavenly Body spell. "Grand Chariot!" Seven rays of light rained down onto the restrained August, erupting into a series of powerful explosions.

The explosions had created a giant smoke screen, leaving everyone on edge as they awaited to see if August emerged from the smoke. "Valiant effort." A thin ray of energy soared out from the smoke, and pierced directly through Wakaba's chest. The senior Fairy Tail wizard groaning as the ray punctured through his heart. "But realistically, pointless." August stood there with his finger pointed towards Wakaba. "I had aimed for the father and son duo. But seems I missed." Throwing his staff like a spear, it soared like a bullet at several hundred miles per hour.

"Romeo!" Macao cried out seeing the staff was aimed in the direction of his son, as such Macao quickly pushed Romeo out of the way, only for the staff to pierce through his shoulder.

"Dad!" Romeo cried out in shock, not even having seen the attack coming.

"Yes, I see…" Romeo froze petrified in fear, as August loomed above them. "Of all fathers I have come across on the battlefield. They always jump in to protect their children. Tell me, young wizard. Do you feel loved by your father?" August glared down as he summoned his staff out from Macao's shoulder and back into his hand.

Romeo, too petrified by fear to answer. Was instead distracted by his father grabbing onto his scarf. "R-Romeo… it's going to be okay… You hear me? Everything, is going to be… okay…" His torso split in two from his shoulder to his chest, Macao spent his final moments to assure his son.

"Stay away from them!" Jellal flew in like a bullet, coated in gold as he shoulder-charged into August's back. Jellal in anger began unloading a series of light speed punches to August. "Healer! We need a healer!" Jellal called out as he continued to attack August, with Macao and Wakaba's life force fading fast. "Crime Sorciere! Stand up and fight!"

Macbeth, Erik, Sawyer, Richard and Meredy collectively jumped up to join their master in attacking the Magic King and Spriggan General. Yet it was all for naught. "Enough!" August groaned, having taken some damage from Jellal's relentless attacks, August unleashed an explosive shockwave of energy that blew everyone near him away.

"Dad…" Romeo carefully called out, as the healer desperately tried to repair the damage dealt to Macao and Wakaba. But to no avail, Macao was already gone. And Wakaba was about to follow his best friend into the grave.

"Romeo…" Wakaba called out between coughs. "Listen up… first things first, tell my wife and daughter I am sorry. Make sure they are looked after. And secondly… your fool of an old man… make sure, to become an even greater wizard than he ever was. That is… what he wanted from you. Heh, and lastly…" Wakaba broke out into a coughing fit before he could finish, blood erupting from his lips.

"Sir! Don't speak any further! You're making more tears at your heart by moving too much!" The healer advised, but Wakaba blew smoke into his face.

"Shut up… I need Romeo to know this…" With Macao now gone, Wakaba who knew him the best, needed to make sure Romeo knew one thing about his father before that secret died with him. "Romeo… your old man, he was incredibly proud of you… he never stopped yapping about you. He had always hoped… or wondered… if you were proud to be his son."

Romeo was shaking, tears forming in his eyes as he held onto his father's body. "My dad… was a Fairy Tail wizard. He might have been overbearing, and embarrassing at times. He was man, strong enough to fight and defeat 19 Vulcans on his own. And the Fourth Master of Fairy Tail. You are damn right I was proud to be his son!" Romeo spoke through gritted teeth.

Wakaba at hearing this smiled. "That so… I will pass on that message to him for you." Wakaba let out his dying breath, and collapsed with the cigarette in his mouth falling out.

Romeo let go of his father's body, and stood up on his two feet and roared to the heavens in a mighty war cry for his young body. "I will burn you alive!" Romeo roared and rushed in towards August, throwing a series of fire blasts of various color and power.

August walked through the series of fire blasts without any resistance. Before Romeo knew it, the Magic King stood looming over him. "… I see. You are a child who knew a parent's love. How envious." As August raised his staff, he flinched as suddenly a series of magic cards rained down towards him. August took a giant leap backwards to avoid the magic cards. "What now?" Looking to the source, August noticed the teary-eyed Cana Alberona.

"You are going to pay!" Cana declared.

"Really? And how do you plan to make me?" August challenged, sensing that Cana was nowhere near as powerful as Jellal. What hope did she have against him?

Cana took in a deep breath, and then screamed out. "DAD!"

August flinched as the sound of something breaking through the sound barrier echoed over him. "Huh?" Looking up, August came face to face with the angry face of Gildarts Clive. Holding up his staff, August blocked the mighty destructive fist of Gildarts. And the entire terrain was torn apart and reduced to a giant crater riddled in cube shaped rubble.

"You've bullied Fairy Tail long enough! I will not allow it any further!" Gildarts added to the pressure, yet August didn't buckle.

"What destructive magic power." August complimented and easily pushed Gildarts off with mild effort. Gildarts began unloading a series of heavy hits at August, who blocked them all off by spinning his magic staff around. But then, a second overwhelming pressure came at him from behind.

August held his left hand out, to catch the swinging blade of the Amazonian master of Mermaid Heel, Beatrice, the last standing Wizard Saint. "Careful Gildarts! This one is way stronger than God Serena!"

"Yeah, no kidding!" Gildarts smirked, and unleashed the full blunt force of his aura along with Beatrice. "Seriously, this guy is bad news!"

August holding both titans back, flinched as rays of light rained down from above. By widening his eyes alone, August formed a barrier above himself to block of Jellal's attacks. "Lady Beatrice! Sir Gildarts! I humbly request your aid in this battle!" Jellal's radiant golden aura equally matched that of Gildarts and Beatrice.

"Fool after fool I see." August flexed his muscles, and his sheer magical aura drowned out the power of Jellal, Gildarts and Beatrice. "You two were the ones who defeated God Serena then? And now you think yourselves ready to take me on in battle? Fools, you never had a chance in this war. His majesty is indestructible. And his son, has a magical power that surpasses his majesty. None of you have any hope to win this war." August's power had the sky turn purple from his aura alone, and the entire continent trembled before him.

"… Although." August mumbled, as he himself even began sounding doubtful. "I suppose, the only one who could stop his majesty's child… would be his mother." As we switch over to the bright radiant Mavis, who with a mighty war cry unleashed a wave of light that blew away a storm of darkness surrounding Zeref. The Fairy Tail guildhall itself, was repairing itself from any damage it sustained from their battle.

"Heh, I see your consciousness won't allow the destruction of this tiny building." Zeref taunted as he swung his arm to the side, tearing down an entire wall. Although, like the two immortals' regenerative prowess, the guildhall restored itself from the damage. Mavis' infinite Fairy Heart magic, making her unconsciously constantly rebuild and fix any damage done to her guildhall.

"Me and Fairy Tail will stop you! Just watch!" Mavis declared as she unloaded a wave of pure magic power at Zeref. The wave blasted through the wall of the guildhall, and soared across the continent. Once it cleared, it revealed the burning charcoal skeleton of Zeref standing before the giant hole left in the guildhall.

The hole, much like Zeref regenerated and healed. Zeref first healing his eyes and tongue to look at and taunt Mavis. "My darkness will devour you, and your puny guild." Zeref had a crazed grin on his face, the curse of contradiction letting out the vilest side of him.

While back with Sasori, Sting, Rogue, Kagura and the others, were dealing with a similar vile display of power. Larcade roared to the heavens, unleashing his terrifying demonic aura that shook the heavens. Larcade's screams died down, but his power continued to burn in a strong dark fiery aura. A twisted smirk spread across his lips, as with a sadistic gleam he glanced up at his terrified victims.

"Bang." Larcade smirked as the third demonic eye on his forehead widened, unleashing a shockwave of energy that hit Sasori straight into his core. Sasori's face twisted into one of agony, despite his puppet form he felt pain from that blow. Sting and Rogue followed next, having the air knocked out of them as they too were hit by this shockwave bullet.

Kagura jumped at Larcade, her blade coated in the black iron sand, she swung it with all her might at Larcade's neck. But instead, was left screaming in agony as her legs ended up twisted and mangled. "Argh!" Kagura collapsed, lodged into her legs were feathers shot out from Larcade's wings.

Kagura winched in pain, as through some unseen force, the feathers continued to dig into her legs and tear at her flesh. They were harder than steel, and sharper than any blade. "All your efforts have been valiant, to push me into this form is no small feat. Take pride in it, as you succumb to your eternal slumber." Larcade chuckled, even as Sasori entered his Etherious form, launching his demonic scorpion tail flying at Larcade.

"Hn." Larcade smirked as his floating cross came to his aid, blocking off Sasori's attack. "Tell me, are you starting to feel desperate? Despair even? Knowing there is no hope for you in this battle-" Larcade was left flabbergasted, as his cross suddenly snapped in half as Sasori's scorpion tail pierced through it and stabbed itself into Larcade's gut.

"Not quite yet." Sasori stoically responded back, as he flashed a single hand seal making his puppet army come to life. "Performance of a Thousand Puppets." The army rained down, armed to the teeth as they surrounded Larcade and went in for the attack.

Larcade seeing himself surrounded, spread his angelic wings as they blocked off a series of sword slashes and kunai laced with paper bomb tags. "This pathetic attempt at a distraction is futile." With a wave of his arm, Larcade unleashed a series of dark and light-based blade attacks slashing through waves upon waves of Sasori's army. "Huh?" Gasping, Larcade noticed several of his attacks ending up devoured, as both Sting and Rogue with their White Shadow Dragon Modes, were able to eat both variants of Larcade's attacks.

"Dragon Silk Slash!" Both Twin Dragon Slayers howled, as they swung their dominant arms forward launching a series of slashing attacks at Larcade.

Meanwhile, having regained their consciousness from feeling Larcade's ungodly energy, Minerva, Yukino and Sorano had slipped in to retrieve Kagura. "Hold on Kagura, I will remove these." Yukino pulled on the feathers lodged into Kagura's legs. However, the unseen force pushing them kept Yukino from effectively pulling them out, at first that is. Using the gravity powers of Libra, Yukino reversed the gravitational pull of the feathers and like a magnet pulled them out with ease. "I owe you my thanks… Yukino." Kagura hissed in pain, hardly able to move as the three women proceeded to pull her away from Larcade and towards Sasori.

In truth, Sasori had used his Puppet army as a distraction for the girls to retrieve Kagura. Sasori steeled his gaze at Larcade, and his scorpion tail continued to expand and further push Larcade back. But even so, Sasori couldn't pierce through the Spriggan's body with the demonic scorpion tail. And his puppet army wasn't able to even leave a scratch on him. Sting and Rogue continued to advance on Larcade in an attempt to help Sasori push him back. "Need another approach." Sasori's four extra demonic arms stretched out to the side, and from their fingertips shot out black chakra threads into the ground itself. "Cursed Possession."

The ground rumbled, and turned the rubble gathered itself into the bodies of four giant rock golems. The rock golems due to his Demonic curse power, were more effective in a fight as they carried more destructive power. But due to his use of the golems and his thousand puppet army, Sasori's focus was stretched thin. Still, he was able to put on a magnificent display.

Kagura, Minerva, Sorano and Yukino collectively watched in awe, as they witnessed the flexibility, and the speed of the puppet's movements. As the army didn't leave any breathing room for Larcade with their relentless attacks. Had his opponent been someone else, Sasori would have won by now. But Larcade was far too durable. "Sasori-kyun, always puts on such a magnificent show!" Sorano shed tears, as she watched Sasori perform his art.

"Quit yapping." Sasori scolded, as even receiving compliments dampened his concentration. The golems then made their move, as one swung its giant fist onto Larcade's head. The Spriggan barely managed to react in time, as Larcade grabbed ahold of the rocky fist, and held it back with one hand whilst using his other to try and pull-out Sasori's scorpion tail still stabbed into his stomach. All whilst his wings defended him from Sasori's puppet army, and his third eye unleashed shockwave blasts into Sting and Rogue.

With a mere flap of his wings, Larcade blew back almost all of Sasori's puppets in one go. Some even torn apart by the wind, and was made even worse as the wind carried the sideways hail storm of steel feathers. The feathers tore through Sasori's puppets with ease, reducing his army of a thousand puppets, to a mere hundred. "Can't you create more?!" Minerva asked out of desperation, as she erected a barrier around them to block off the steel feathers coming their way.

"… I don't have any more left." Sasori replied with a stern voice, but his undertone carried a hint of stress and concern as he watched his creations get slaughtered. Taking notice of this, was Sorano. As she threw a series of magical rings into the air, bringing forth several giant angelic like warrior figures.

"Sasori-kyun! Use mine!" Sorano declared, having summoned forth ten giant Angelic like warriors. Their white sashes and coats, and weapons, had Sasori's mind flash to an image of his grandmother during their battle, and her collection of Chikamatsu Ten Puppets. Seeing as his last hundred puppets were torn to shreds by Larcade's angelic like feathers. And his rock golems were even being torn apart by shockwave blasts, he didn't have much of a choice.

"Heh, thank you…. Sorano." Sasori cracked a small smirk as from his dominant hands, he launched chakra threads into Sorano's Angelic warriors, one for each finger. "Art of Chikamatsu's Ten Puppets!" With his new puppets, Sasori had them rush in at Larcade.

Larcade having finished off the one thousand puppet army, now yanked out Sasori's demonic scorpion tail from his stomach. It was laced with poison, but its affects were nullified immediately. Larcade broke off the scorpion tail, and put his focus on Sting and Rogue. At blinding speed, Larcade blitzed the two Dragon Slayers and grabbed them by the face. "Say your prayers." Larcade body slammed both of them to the ground. Laughing as he watched them struggle underneath his grip. "Hm?" Sensing danger, Larcade turned around as an Angelic spear was thrusted down upon him.

Larcade backed away, but not fast enough as the spear skewered right through both his arms, with Sting and Rogue holding him in place to prevent him from moving. "Ugh! Bastards!" Larcade hissed, as specks of darkness shot out from his stomp and reattached themselves to his severed arms. Looking up, Larcade saw the ten large Angelic warriors come flying down onto him, armed with holy weaponry. "Pesky little!" His wings grew tenfold in size, as he moved them forward to block off the ten Angelic puppets weapons.

Larcade grunted, actually struggling as the weight of the Angelic puppets' weaponry was intensified by black iron sand. "Huh?" Larcade gasped as the black iron sand leaked pouring in through the gaps of his wings. "What is this?" Larcade shakingly tried to step backwards, but found himself feeling too heavy. Upon closer inspection, Larcade saw his ash grey Angel wings were coated in the iron sand. With the force of the Angelic puppets weapons pushing downwards, and the added iron sand on the ground. Larcade's wings were pushed down like a magnet.

"Magnetism. It is the most known type of ninjutsu from my birth village, other than the Puppet technique of course." Sasori's body began shifting and turning its gears, revealing more hidden weapons. Barrels of cannons emerging out from his body, fueled with the power of his Demonic darkness from his Etherious form. "Can't have you dodge the grand finale." Sasori tauntingly smirked, as he began charging up the power of his cannons. 'My most destructive technique… I bet Deidara would approve of it. Or maybe even be jealous that it outclasses that suicide bomber jutsu of his. The only downside, is that it is going to take five minutes to charge it fully up. I just hope the iron sand and Sorano's Angel puppets are enough to keep him down until then.'

"So, he is stuck… works for us!" Sting and Rogue seeming to have gotten the memo, went in for the attack. Much to Larcade's annoyance, the Spriggan groaning in discomfort over having a limited room to move, but still he welcomed the challenge.

"Come on then, Dragon brats." Larcade smirked as his third demonic eye glowed with a tint of purple. "Flashing Strike." A beam of light shot out from the third eye, and moved at the speed of light over to Sting and Rogue. Both Dragon Slayers split up and jumped to the side. But as they did, the beam divided itself and clashed directly into both of them.

Unable to convert themselves into their shadows in time, both Sting and Rogue winched in pain as the beams shot through their chest. Both took a flip, and landed firmly onto the ground where they skidded backwards. "White Shadow Dragon: ROAR!" Both puffed their cheeks, and unleashed a massive breath attack each of light and shadow.

Larcade even though he was unable to move much, smirked with confidence as he barehanded held back both blast attacks. "Blackout." Larcade's eyes glowed with darkness, as his palms unleashed a surge of demonic darkness that swallowed up the two breath attacks in absolute darkness. "Deflect." Pushing his palms out to the side, the attacks rebounded and flew back in the direction of Sting and Rogue.

"Shit! Get ready!" Sting called out to his partner, as they prepared to devour the rebound attack. Both holding the powers of the Shadow dragon could devour any darkness. But no, both blast waves took a sharp turn going around Sting and Rogue. "What the?!" Rogue gasped as he and Sting turned around to see the attacks were heading towards Sasori.

'Don't think I didn't notice you still charging up that blast attack of yours.' Larcade smirked as he glanced across the battlefield at Sasori.

"Shit!" Sasori cursed as he was left defenseless, that is he was unable to defend himself. The very space around Sasori bended itself into forming a magical barrier, as Minerva stepped up in front of Sasori to block off the attacks.

"Ugh!" Minerva grunted as the force of the blast attacks were strong, too strong for her to hold back completely. "Dammit! Can't… hold it….!" Minerva grunted, digging her heels into the ground as she was pushed backwards.

Minerva and Sasori were both saved at the very last minute, as both blast attacks were slashed clean through by Kagura's Archenemy. The Mermaid Heel swordswoman, despite her injured and near mangled legs had gotten up to fight. "My, what a stubborn young lady." Larcade cheekily commented with a taunting chuckle, seeing blood squirting out from the injures on Kagura's legs.

Kagura panted, sweat pouring down her face from the intense stress put on her body. Her leg muscles were crying in pain, and she had forced the bleeding to come to a sudden halt by flexing the muscles of her legs. "Not yet…" Kagura mumbled, as she got into a stance with her blade held high. "I'm not going to fall just yet!"

Sharing in Kagura's resilience were Sting and Rogue, both Dragon Slayers still going strong with a lot of attack power left to dish out. Minerva still shielding Sasori as he charged his finisher. Yukino and Sorano looking defiant of their fates as they stayed behind Sasori ready to support him at any time. And Sasori, despite his stoic puppet face, had eyes burning with a great intense desire to win. But this, had Larcade smirk.

"So, you do experience desires and wants after all in that state?" Larcade chuckled to himself, as through seeing the determination in Sasori's eyes, had shown Larcade that victory for him was certain. "Of course you do. After all, even in that state, you need a human part to stay alive, correct? Not like dear Wall Eehto and his kind, no. That is too bad. For now, my curse ability's third and final desire, shall bring about your end."

Steam emitted itself around Larcade like that of a thick fog, his vibrant aura shining like a dim lit lantern in the epicenter of it. Sasori catching on, had his Angelic Puppets lift their weapons off from Larcade's wings, and moved them in to attack Larcade's main body. "My, no need to make it easier for me." Larcade taunted, as his aura exploded out in a brilliant fashion which blew the giant Angelic puppets back. "The Eternal Sleep of Death: R.I.P!" The most dangerous ability in Larcade's arsenal, the third ability of his curse power, R.I.P.

"Kuh…" Sting and Rogue being the nearest to Larcade were the first ones to feel it. Their vision grew hazy, and their movements grew sluggish. Their eyelids growing heavier by the second.

Next was Kagura, who collapsed onto one knee. Then Minerva, which also took down her barrier, followed by Yukino and Sorano. Leaving Sasori, the last one standing. "Shit…" Sasori cursed, as he even felt his own power wavering. He wasn't as affected by it as the rest, but due to having a living core, his chakra, ether and curse power were affected by Larcade's ability.

"You might not fall into eternal slumber like the rest. But, either way, in the end you will be left all alone." Larcade tauntingly smirked knowingly. And Sasori knew it as well, that if he fought Larcade alone he would not survive.

Larcade proceeded to gloat, holding his arms up and stretched out to the side with his wings mimicking his movements. His demonic eyes tauntingly gazed upon his victims. "The moment you all close your eyes, will be your very last. No mortal can resist their desires. Not even Acnologia can. That is why, I, am his majesty's greatest asset in this war. The moment you all fall asleep, your bodies will shut down, leading to death. That is the nature of my third curse ability. I think once I am done here, I will rest up a bit. Gather enough power, and cast my R.I.P ability on such a grand scale, that I will eliminate anyone in Ishgar. Outside of his majesty and Mavis of course. This war is over."

"Not yet…" Sasori hissed under his breath, as compartments opened on his wrists. The compartments contained syringes, six of them, three on each wrist. First thing Sasori did, was that he shot two of the syringes into Sting and Rogue's necks. Then one into Kagura and Minerva, and the final two into Yukino and Sorano.

All six of them groaned out in pain, as they huddled over, their eyes shotting up wide awake as they were injected with some kind of liquid. "What's this?" Larcade looked slightly baffled. 'Did he just inject them all with poison? No, that's not it…'

"Adrenaline shots. They may only last a few moments, so use what time you have and attack!" Sasori instructed, as like two feral beasts, Sting and Rogue jumped in headfirst, their bodies coated in light and shadow. "White Shadow Dragon: Sword Horn!" The two rammed into Larcade, and proceeded to lash out a series of full powered hits.

"Persistent bunch!" Larcade groaned in annoyance as he blocked off most of their attacks, he then proceeded to smash Sting in the face shattering his nose. But the adrenaline had Sting push through the pain, and merely roar in Larcade's face as he continued to push on. Larcade then coated his dominant arm in a blade of energy, and aimed to thrust it through Rogue's heart. But the sheer adrenaline running through Rogue's body, had given him the strength to grab onto Larcade's wrist and hold his attack back. 'He stopped it?!' Larcade sounded baffled.

A freight train of gravity then hit Larcade from above, nearly pushing him to his knees. Shakingly looking up, Larcade saw both Kagura and Yukino using their gravity powers at him. 'This blasted sand!' Larcade groaned as the iron sand was still stuck to his wings, and with Sasori's magnetism it added to the weight pushing him down.

Beams shot out from Larcade's third demonic eye, soaring towards Kagura and Yukino. But they never reached as a tear in space made by Minerva sucked in the beams. Minerva acted fast, and opened another tear in space behind Larcade causing his own beams to hit Larcade in the back as they shot out from the rift.

The ten Angelic puppets then reemerged, ready to fight as they all moved with great flexibility and agility thanks to Sasori's instructions. And relentlessly attacked with their holy weaponry. "I've had ENOUGH!" Larcade's voice for a brief moment turned into a demonic snarl, as they had pushed near the limits of his patience. "Light Explosion!" Larcade pulled his wings around his body, the ashy grey wings glowed gold, and suddenly violently spread out as Larcade created a pulse bomb of energy.

"Shit! Everyone, get down!" Sting and Rogue moved into their respective shadows, as they moved quickly to pull down Kagura, Yukino, Sorano, Minerva and Sasori into the shadow world. The blast of Larcade's pulse bomb flashed before Sasori's eyes, and then darkness as he had been pulled into the world of shadows as Rogue and Sting called it.

"That was a close call…" Rogue mumbled, gazing up as it was like a one-way mirror. They saw the outside world above them, and saw that the ten Angelic puppet warriors, and the mountain of corpses from Sasori's thousand puppet army were reduced to ash before Larcade's blast attack.

"Shit, that guy is really annoying." Sting hissed as he looked up at Larcade. "No matter what we do, it only seems to annoy him!"

Kagura clenched her hands onto her Archenemy, still maintaining her look of determination. "We must collectively attack him at once if we should have any hope of killing him. Sasori, how much longer until your attack is ready?" Kagura took the chance to ask, as Sasori's cannons were still charging.

"Not long. But we-" Before Sasori can finish, the shadow world is slashed through by an invisible sword leaving them all flabbergasted.

"Ah, ah, ah, no hiding away now." Larcade floated in from above, having slashed a hole into the shadow world.

"H-How?" Rogue was absolutely stun-locked. Never before had anyone cut through his shadow world like this. Light flooded in from the sun in the outside world, and blew away the surrounding shadows. Forcing everyone out into the light in the outside world.

"This guy is just… too much." Minerva was just as shaken up as Rogue, Larcade had casually slashed into a different dimension to get to them.

And with the destruction of the shadow world, Larcade brought with him the effects of his R.I.P curse. "That adrenaline… must be wearing off by now~" Larcade tauntingly chuckled at seeing the looks on their faces, but Larcade's gaze was focused solely on Sasori at this point. "Is that it then, Sasori? Is that the end to your pathetic weak abilities? No more puppets? No hidden traps? Ah, wait… you still have that demonic blast attack charging up, right? Still not done? My, it must be quite the destructive attack for it to take this long. But there is just one thing I really want to know right now… Are you feeling that sense of despair right about now?" Larcade grinned from ear to ear, his three eyes gleaming over their suffering.

Sasori shakingly clenched his six fists, shaking with anger. Larcade seeing this continued to laugh at him. "I mean, surely by now, you must have realized that up till this point I have only been toying with all of you." That was it, Sasori was beyond pissed off at this point.

"… You dare? Look down upon centuries worth of craftsmanship?" Sasori fell to his knees, dragging his hand through the reddened ashes of his puppet army. "You dare, look down upon the abilities of the Hidden Sand's greatest Puppet master? You dare, insult my art?"

"Art? Heh, is that what you call that gruesome hobby of yours? I am well aware of your sins, Sasori… I am aware, that you used to make puppets out of the bodies of your victims. To call such things art… shows why humanity is nothing more than slaves to their desires." Larcade continued to mock.

"…" Sasori gained a few disturbed looks from his teammates at hearing of his sins, except from Sorano who knew all about it. But he didn't care, that was in the past and behind him. What he cared about, was how Larcade insulted his jutsu, his art. "This blast… will be my last demonic attack. But this…. This will be my last jutsu!" Letting his chakra flow through the ashy remains of his thousand puppet army, Sasori simultaneously unleashed a wave of iron sand washing itself over the ashes.

The ground began shaking, as Sasori's magnetism moved the iron sand through the red ashy remains of the puppet army. Coating the iron sand in red, its color turning blood red. The sand was denser, but at the same time lighter. The now red sand, swirled itself around Sasori. Larcade for a moment, felt his wings getting pulled towards the red sand. The magnetism of the sand stuck to his wings pulling him towards it. "What's this now? A last-ditch pathetic effort?"

"I was known as Sasori of the Red Sand. And now… that name shall have a different meaning than bloodshed. It will be a name, tributing to my everlasting art." Sasori stood tall, as the red sand shot out like swirling waves at Larcade.

"Heh, still blabbing about art?" Larcade taunted as he shot out several of his feathers like flying blades towards Sasori and co. But as they got too close, a wall of red sand blocked off Larcade's assault. "What?" Larcade flinched as not only was his attack blocked off, but the feathers that were as hard as steel, began to rust and decay.

"My everlasting art… will not only outlast your attacks, but also you." Sasori smacked his arms downwards, as the red sand like a tsunami wave fell onto Larcade.

"Ugh!" Larcade groaned as the red sand washed over his body. Larcade widened his eyes, as he saw his skin was peeling off, decaying in the face of Sasori's red sand. Larcade looked to his wings, seeing them falling apart. "Nice try." Larcade snarled and attempted to blow away the sand with his wings, but suddenly several giant balls of fur latch onto the wings. With their razor-sharp teeth chewing at Larcade's wings. "What?!" Larcade gasped, and was once again pushed down by an intense force of gravity. Sorano having launched her remaining Angels to feast at Larcade's wings, while Yukino teamed up with Kagura to use their gravity powers to help Sasori restrain Larcade.

"We only got one shot at this!" Sting took the lead and Rogue followed shortly after. Both jumped at Larcade whilst their fingertips illuminated with rays of white and dark. "White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk!" The twin Dragon Slayers slashed diagonally down from each side at Larcade's torso, leaving nasty scratch marks.

"Tch!" Larcade hissed in slight pain, and then began his healing process. But the force of Sasori's Red Sand made his regeneration powers slower than before.

"Now!" Getting a boost from Sasori, Kagura was thrown forward with the magnetism of the black sand coated on her blade. Larcade grunted in annoyance and shot a beam from his third demonic eye towards Kagura. However, Larcade's counterattack was countered by Minerva, who created a space bubble around Kagura to block off the attack.

Larcade's eyes widened slightly, as Kagura was right in front of him, she thrusted her Archenemy forward with such force it created a sonic boom. "Mountain Cannon!" Going off like a gunshot, Kagura unleashed a shockwave that pushed into the scratched torso of Larcade.

"Gah!" Larcade's face twisted in pain, as his flesh was pushed inwards from the shockwave nearly tearing through. Kagura then vanished as Minerva teleported her away with her spatial magic.

Looking up, Larcade's face looked alarmed as Sasori's cannons were done charging up. "N-No!" Mild panic in his voice, Larcade couldn't utter another word, as Sasori's cannons formed a giant black sphere of vibrant demonic energy.

"Darkness Cannonball!" Sasori fired off his final attack, the entire sky turned into a shade of dark purple as Sasori unleashed a giant beam attack. The beam soared flying into Larcade's torso, blowing clean through.

Larcade gasped in horror, as his entire torso was obliterated in an instant from Sasori's attack. The beam continued to fly through Larcade, and clashed into a chain of islands in the far distance, wiping them off the map completely as a giant burning purple mushroom cloud exploded in the distance.

And just like that, it was over. Larcade, the third strongest member of the Spriggan Twelve had fallen. Sasori smirked as the red sand collapsed around him, his body emitting steam as he exited his Demon form, and his puppet form back to his human form. Sting and Rogue laid in a heap to the side of Larcade, Kagura appeared out from a spatial rift from where she had originally disappeared from, and landed before Larcade with a triumphant smile on her face. Minerva collapsed in the background, and so did Yukino and Sorano having exhausted themselves.

Larcade's body had its entire torso obliterated, all his internal organs obliterated into atoms. His body falling backwards, when suddenly the sound of dragging feet echoed, causing everyone to gasp as they stared in disbelief as Larcade's falling body comes to a sudden halt.

Larcade threw his body forward, standing tall as his ash grey Angelic wings spread out like a majestic eagle. His pupils no longer visible, Larcade opened his mouth showing some fangs as he let out a demonic howl. "HUAAAAAAH!" Larcade was very much still alive despite missing his entire torso. Black tentacles shot out from around the hole where his torso used to be, and began merging themselves together.

"N-No… that's impossible." Sasori was left beyond shocked, even Sasori himself was certain he could not heal from something like this even with his Demonic darkness.

"M-Monster…" Sting growled, he and Rogue unable to even stand up properly.

Larcade acts like a rampaging cornered monster. Stray rays of white light shooting out from his eyes and mouth like violent laser beams going left and right. Larcade regrew his torso into a black mass of Demonic darkness, and his heart was beating once more. "HUAAAAAAAH! DIE! ALL OF YOU! DIE!" Foam came out from the corners of Larcade's mouth. Black tentacles shooting out from his newly formed torso, coming crashing down onto all of them like a sea monster.

"Ugh!" Sasori was in his human form now, and hurled up puddles of blood as the tentacles smashed hard into him.

"ARGH!" Kagura screamed in pain as the tentacles wrapped around her broken body, squeezing her until bones popped or cracked.

"HRGH!" Larcade groaned as he had the tentacles pick up Sting and Rogue, and even Yukino, Sorano and Minerva. "YOU DARE REDUCE ME TO THIS?! ME?! LARCADE DRAGNEEL?! I AM THE SON OF ZEREF! I WILL KILL YOU ALL!" As unhinged as Larcade looked now, there was truly no doubt he was a Demon from the Book of Zeref. His Angelic like wings grey feathers turn black, and his horns grow further upwards. Larcade easily had them all pinned down, there was nothing they truly could do to break free.

"Ugh! You are just a demon who adopted Zeref's last name! You are a toy to him!" Sasori entered his puppet form, and then into his scorpion demon form. His demonic scorpion tail stretching out, and shooting towards Larcade piercing him in the neck.

"HUAAAAH!" Larcade continued to let out his demonic roars, not listening to a single word Sasori said. Larcade's very presence was causing natural disasters. Tornado storms, severe floods, raging thunder storms, volcano eruptions. Larcade's power had the whole world trembling.

But that didn't stop two other valiant Akatsuki members from interfering. Arriving fashionably late to the party, Kisame and Kakuzu jumped to attack Larcade. "Quit your damn howling!" Kakuzu swung a gold dust made Morningstar at Larcade's head from the left.

"You can continue howling in hell!" Kisame swung his Samehada at Larcade's head from the right, and their combined attack squashed Larcade's head like a piece of rotten fruit. Kisame in his shark demonic form, smelled the scent of blood, but also the ever-racing blood cells regrowing from within Larcade. "Who the hell is this guy?!"

Suddenly out from Larcade's neck hole, grew out a spinal cord and quickly reformed a head skull. The skull grew some veins of flesh, and one bulging black eye with a glowing yellow iris. "He can regrow his severed head?!" Kakuzu was baffled, and quickly got the first taste of Larcade's power. As the Demon drove his fist through Kakuzu's torso tearing out three hearts all at once. Larcade's head then turned 360 degrees to face Kisame, and unleashed a screeching howl of soundwaves that blew out Kisame's eardrums and had him go flying.

"I AM HIS MAJESTIES CHILD! I WILL NOT FAIL FATHER!" Larcade unleashes a beastly roar, as the crater expands beneath them and tears apart several parts of the surrounding continents, and destroying entire chains of islands with ease. His eyeballs regrown, but missing his eyelids and skin made Larcade look like some revolting horror creature, as his bugeyes glared daggers at the three former Akatsuki members.

Suddenly, a tear rippling through space echoed from above, and the fourth former Akatsuki member Itachi appeared in Sage Mode. No, it wasn't actually Itachi, it was a Wood Clone with roughly 60% of Itachi's full power. Itachi needed to meditate to gather enough Nature Energy, but a threat like Larcade could not be ignored. Wasting no time, Itachi's clone created a giant Perfect Susano'o, with its blade already drawn the giant spectral warrior slashed down onto Larcade splitting him in half at the torso, which effectively freed those ensnared in the black tentacles.

Sasori looked at Larcade, seeing he had already started to try and heal. "Leave no trace of him! Obliterate him completely!" With all else having failed, Sasori shouts out their only course of action.

Sting and Rogue entered their White Shadow Dragon Modes, and gathered their dominant hands together creating a spinning sphere of dark and light energy. "Unison Raid: Holy Shadow Dragon's Flash Fang!" The Twin Dragon Slayers of Sabertooth, thrusted their arms forward unleashing what power they had left in a mighty display of power in the form of an energy beam.

Minerva lifted her arms, generating her mightiest spell as she created a magic circle beneath Larcade's feet. "Yagudo Rigora!" Raising her arms up, she unleashed a giant pillar of destructive energy upon Larcade. While Sorano created her strongest Angel. "Barakiel!" Creating a giant manly armored Angel, it drove its mighty blade onto the raging Demon that was Larcade unleashing a second pillar of destructive energy. While Yukino used the combined force of her Mixed Spirit Dresses, to unleash a giant crushing water pillar with an increased force of gravity to push Larcade down.

Kisame thrusted his arms forward unleashing his strongest attack. "Water Style: Demonic Shark!" Unleashing a giant dark watery shark with musky black water, roaring onto Larcade adding to the pressure and crushing his bones whilst absorbing his energy.

Kakuzu swirled out his remaining hearts into a cannon of black tentacles. One mask forming a sphere of fire, one of wind and one of lightning. "Hell Hound!" Kakuzu unleashed a giant destructive cannon of fire powered up with the force of wind and lightning.

"Mountain Cannon!" With the last of her strength, Kagura thrusted a powerful air cannon from her sword and into Larcade once again blowing apart his torso.

Itachi's clone's Perfect Susano'o raised its arms and formed two belts of spinning spectral beads. "Yasaka Magatama!" The beads were pulled in towards the intense gravitational force, and clashed violently into Larcade creating a giant explosion that forced everyone to flee away. Sasori helped out Kagura, Yukino, Sorano and Minerva by yanking them backwards with his chakra threads.

Sasori watching from the distance, saw Larcade was nothing more now than a burning walking skeleton slowly withering away. But there was still something keeping him locked to this world. "Hidden Red Sand Technique: Timeless Art." Using his remaining strength, Sasori unleashed a storm of red sand flying towards Larcade amidst the raging storm of destructive power. The red sand latched itself onto the burning bones that was Larcade.

Larcade slammed his hands together in a desperate attempt for one last attack, but unaware that the red sand Sasori had latched onto his body, had his very bones beginning to decay to ash. Unable to even speak, yet his regenerative powers were still going strong.

"Got you. Amaterasu!" Itachi's clone jumped into the burning storm of destruction and grabbed onto Larcade's burning body. And also unleashing the black divine flames of Amaterasu to burn away the boney remains and any ash that remained of Larcade. "A threat like you… must be eliminated!" Itachi's clone's body began glowing brightly, and suddenly self-destructed into a nuclear sized explosion that merged with a giant pillar of black fire. And with that, Larcade's body began disintegrating into nothingness.

'N-No… I have to heal… father… father…' Larcade cried out as he realized the end was near. He had fought so hard, struggled so much, surely Zeref would acknowledge him. Surely Zeref would save his creation. Larcade was nothing more than a singular burning eyeball, that withered away as Sasori's red sand aged it to the point it turned into ash, and Itachi's Amaterasu burnt away its ashes.

The dust settled, and as everyone had managed to escape the mile endless long explosion. They all gazed down into the crater, looking for any sign of life. "Is he… is he dead this time?" Sting panted, out of breath and unable to fight anymore without resting.

"… Yeah, I can't even sense any trace of demonic energy down there. Neither from Itachi's clone, or that Spriggan." Kisame noted, as through his fins and gills, he smelled for anything chakra related, ether or demonic.

"Good…" Sasori mumbled as he collapsed onto his back. Kagura joined him, taking ease in the fact they had eliminated such a strong enemy. The rest just sat by the edge looking over the crater, as a giant smoke cloud with smoldering black fire filled the scenery before them like a painting. "Heh, Deidara would have been proud." Sasori smiles as he watches the burning cloud.

With Zeref, the Black Wizard flinched, as suddenly the book of Etherious Larcade appeared before his eyes and burnt away signifying that Larcade was truly dead. "So, another pawn bites the dust… Oh well, no matter. As long as I get Fairy Heart, I will no longer any need for the Spriggan Twelve… or the Empire." Zeref heartlessly declared. Sadly, for Larcade, Zeref did not mourn his passing. And merely continued his battle with Mavis, unleashing a wave of darkness to clash with her light.

Meanwhile, Erza was moving together with Wendy and Carla. Having taken a moment to recover after the spectacle of Larcade's curse ability. "We must hurry, the others are already ahead of us." Carla said with great urgency.

"Right!" Wendy nodded with determination, running as fast as her little legs could carry. When suddenly, a ripple tearing through space zoomed before them and out appeared Itachi.

"Onii-san?!" Erza came to an abrupt halt, as did Wendy and Carla. But Erza quickly took notice of a difference in the Itachi before her. "No, you are just a clone, right? Where is the original?"

"The original is still recovering. Trying to meditate and gather as much power as possible. We had to deal with one of the Twelve earlier, a really strong one in fact." Itachi's Wood Clone spoke.

"Well, that is good. You'll need to be at full strength for this final push." Erza smiled with great confidence, as victory seemed to be in sight. Suddenly however, a dreadful sensation overtook them. "Get down!" Erza called out as she pushed Wendy and Carla down, while Itachi's clone jumped down as well to avoid a wave of crimson power that erased hundreds of mages and rune knights.

Screams of terror all around them echoed, and young Wendy cried out at hearing their agony. "Oh no! They are all-"

"Gone." Erza gritted her teeth in rage, looking up as a woman floated down before them. Dressed like a witch, and adored with a witch's hat over her long flowing Scarlet red hair. Slamming her magical staff to the ground blowing away any smoke from the blast.

"It's been far, far too long, Erza." Irene Belserion, the second strongest member of the Twelve stood before them.

"You know her?" Itachi asked, although he had to admit the first thought that crossed his mind, was that this woman was related to Erza, as she resembled her greatly.

"No clue." Erza replied as she summoned dual katanas to her hands. "Who are you?!" Erza demanded to know the identity of the woman who had just erased a hundred of their troops.

'She kinda resembles Erza…." Wendy couldn't help but think, and also, her scent was so familiar.

Irene gleamed with a menacing smirk as she said. "I am you. And you are me."

Erza frowned at those words. "I have no clue what you are talking about."

"Erza, careful. She's stronger than you." Itachi warned.

"That remains to be seen." Erza confidently declared as she rushed in at Irene. "Now, tell me the meaning of those words?!" Erza demanded as she slashed her blade towards Irene.

"Such an unruly child." With a finger, Irene unleashed a terrifying blast of great magnitude. Although before the blast could hit Erza, a giant tree erupted between them to catch it. "Ho? For a clone, you certainly carry a lot of power. By your words earlier, I assume Larcade was the one who was defeated?" Irene began to chuckle. "A pity I wasn't there to see it. Oh well, I am sure August is even more upset about it than me. After all, he hated Larcade more than anyone."

'This woman… without a doubt is a relative of Erza somehow.' Itachi thought as he looked to his adoptive little sister. He had little idea of what Erza's life was like before the tower. Only knowing bits and pieces Erza had told him of Rosemary village where she was raised. Abandoned, an orphan. 'This woman… she is Erza's mother, no doubt.' Itachi thought to himself, and began gathering more power. The original supplied this particular clone with at least 70% of his full power. Feeling they would need it.

Wendy then stepped in, using her enchantment skills she boosted up both Itachi and Erza's power. "I will provide you with support!" Wendy declared confidently as she would fulfil her role as the guild's healer.

"A fellow enchanter? My, what a talented young lady." Irene giggled at this display before her. Her eyes focused solely on the valiant knight that was Erza. "I look forward to seeing how much you have grown, my dear Erza." Irene smiled as her scarlet aura glowed in a warm vibrant color.

And even further up north, Gray, Lyon, Juvia and Ultear marched through the snow with their troops towards Magnolia. With Itachi's clone suddenly disappearing on them due to Larcade's ability, they had to result to walking. At least until Itachi could maybe come and get them. But right now, Itachi was too focused on meditating and giving his clone with Erza as much power as possible to fight Irene.

Gray was on guard, looking or rather sensing around them for any approaching threat. "Gray, that form earlier… What was that?" Ultear inquired as to Gray's Devil Force form.

"That was just my Devil Force. Like Dragon Force, only it increases my power by nearly ten times, instead of double. I used it to defeat Invel of the Twelve." Gray briefly informed while carefully still keeping watch to their surroundings.

"Heh, as usual you just have to outshine me all the time, Gray." Lyon gave a light chuckle, as he himself had only managed to beat one of the second in commands of the Twelve, Grim. Whereas Gray actually beat one of the Twelve.

"Don't like it? Get stronger dumbass." Gray playfully punched his brother-in-training's shoulder.

"More importantly, Gray-sama and Juvia have officially become a couple! So, bleh! All you love rivals lost to Juvia in the end!" Juvia held onto Gray tightly, while specifically eying Ultear who was shocked at the news, while Lyon was absolutely flabbergasted.

"Is that so? I am so happy for you two, Gray, Juvia." Ultear kindly smiled, viewing Gray like Lyon as her younger brother.

"W-Well done Gray. You scored a beauty like Juvia… I'm beyond shocked." Lyon lowered his head in defeat, as not only had Gray become so much stronger than him, but he also beat him in romance.

"Yeah… thanks I guess." Gray shyly blushed, as he didn't deny Juvia holding onto his arm so tightly. Gray then looked serious for a moment. "By the way, what was causing you to stay up here anyway?" Gray questioned as to why Lyon hadn't moved his troops towards Magnolia like the rest.

"We heard from a few survivors, that their entire battalion was wiped out by a Wizard Saint level threat ice wizard. As ice wizards, me and Ultear were sent to counterattack this enemy." Lyon replied, unknowing that this threat was his and Gray's reanimated former master, and Ultear's own mother.

"An ice wizard? And a Wizard Saint level threat? Must be one of those second in commands from Beta Squadron. Not sure how many of them there are left." Gray thought onto the possible identity of this enemy.

"The last reports we got, suggested there was only one left." Lyon replied, unaware that the last one of the Beta Squadron, Samuel, was already dead.

"Whatever, this war will be over soon anyway." Ultear replied confidently, when suddenly she felt something grab onto her. Gray looking in a fright, had rushed up and grabbed onto Ultear's wrist, already in his Devil Force form. Gray and Ultear both vanished in a flash at Gray had sensed the approaching presence of Madara.

Ultear and Gray appeared a few miles away from Lyon and the rest. Gray let go of the confused Ultear, and gave her one last piece of advice. "Run." Gray warned, and quickly teleported back for at least Juvia and Lyon.

"Quick! Juvia! Lyon! We have to…" Gray's words were caught in his throat, as he, Lyon and Juvia all looked up a nearby snowy hill. The rest of the soldiers in their battalion were frozen in fear from this intense pressure.

Standing there at the top, was Madara Uchiha with his arms crossed. Taking a giant leap, Madara landed like a meteorite at the center of their troops. Blowing all the mages and knights away with the mere shockwave of his landing, leaving only Gray, Juvia and Lyon standing. "Everyone, run!" Gray told the knights and other Lamia Scale mages. Who didn't waste any time and bolted away towards Magnolia.

Madara couldn't care less about chasing them, and let them go without making a fuss. His Sharingan eyes were solely focused onto Gray and Lyon, an image flashing in his mind of the two boys in the photograph with Ur he had found in the remains of their home. Cracking a smile, Madara looked at the two boys. "Luck really is on my side today." While Gray met Madara's smile with a snarling face of anger, here was the man who killed Makarov. The murderer of Fairy Tail's father figure. Gray unleashed the full blunt force of his Devil Force aura. Causing even Madara to shiver from the cold. "My, a worthy dance partner." Madara smirked unleashing his own aura.

That's the end for now!

Sorry for the long wait, I've recently been very busy at work. I hope this extra-long chapter can make up for it.

List of deceased:

Ishgar: Master Goldmine (killed by Jacob), Master Bob (killed by Bloodman), Edolas Jet and Droy (killed by Blitzkrieg), Edolas Elfman (killed by Historia Tensei Rustyrose), Edolas Levy (killed by Bloodman), Sherry Blendy (killed by Dimaria), Ren Akatsuki (killed by Dimaria), Wolfheim (killed by God Serena), Fiona (killed by God Serena), Mitsurugi (killed by God Serena), Noel (killed by God Serena), Hyberion (killed by God Serena), Warrod (killed by August), Jura (killed by August), Rufus (killed by Samuel), Loke (killed by Dimaria), Porlyusica (killed by Madara), Makarov Dreyar (killed by Madara and Acnologia), Macao and Wakaba (killed by August).

Alvarez Empire: Ajeel (killed by Kisame), Bakel and Kareem (killed by Laxus and Mirajane), Linda (killed by Beatrice), Marin (killed by Brandish), Grim (killed by Lyon), Bloodman (killed by Gajeel), Heine and Juliet (killed by Mirajane), Blitzkrieg (killed by Elfman and Edolas Mirajane), Wall Eehto (killed by Laxus), 4 unnamed knights (Neinhart's officers, killed by Erza Knightwalker), Neinhart (killed by Madara), Arthur (killed by Juvia and Gray), God Serena (killed by Beatrice), Lugh (killed by Bacchus), Jacob (killed by Kakuzu), Samuel (killed by Yukino), Larcade (killed by Sasori and Itachi).

Anyway, leave a review with your thoughts on the chapter.

-Later!

(Responds to reviews):

Kurama: Yes, don't worry I plan on finishing this story.

Shadow Joestar: Thanks! The war is reaching its end, with a light at the end of the tunnel. But now only the strongest of the enemy remain.

velniar341: Yeah, kind of like that, another description I would use for it would be like Goku's Instant Transmission. But Itachi's teleportation ability works best with Sage Mode, as it is through that he can sense everyone across the world. Without it, he is limited to where he can teleport.

GuesT: No, the Five Guiltina will not make an appearance. And seeing how stubborn Madara is, I doubt anyone could really convince him to stop. Also thank you, I am really having fun writing the RDR2 Walking Dead crossover. Anyway, back onto this story. Leo and Aquarius will not be able to return as they were, reincarnation is likely but they won't be the same people. Laxus with the boost he got in his fight with Wall Eehto, made him stronger than Gildarts in this story I would say. It wasn't just Red lightning though, he got Dragon Force and mixed it with Red lightning which made Red Lightning King Dragon Mode. And I wouldn't say Natsu has gotten a big power boost yet, his rampaging partially transformed E.N.D state was more just a taste of what he can accomplish, he can't enter that form whenever he wants. So, Gray has so far had the biggest power boost.

DarkReaderSeiin: Thank you, I felt it was the perfect use for Tsukuyomi and for Itachi to become stronger. I will say if Itachi hadn't arrived, Gray might have been forced to kill Natsu. Because honestly, Gray was holding back in that fight. I will try and not be so late with my updates, but I can't of course promise anything. But I still thank you, and all my other readers for your support.

keybladelight: There will be a next generation, don't worry not everyone is going to die. I plan on continuing with the 100 Year Quest, but I must stress when I say this, the plot of my 100 Year Quest is going to be totally different from the canon. All I'm going to say, is the time of Dragons is going to be long over.

Lil Author Vert: I thank you for all the, correcting should I say. And I always welcome any form of criticisms. Personally, I agree with you on some points made in your last review. I know I could have done better, but honestly at the time I was still a novice. In some ways I still am. But I will say, if you ever make it to this point, I would say the story has diverged from canon quite a bit.

Guest: I am not going to confirm who the rest of the casualties are, but seeing as I am planning sequels for the story the odds of it being some of the main cast are highly unlikely.

Athallah: I don't think your idea is stupid, but as you said I already have an idea on where this story is going to go. But I do agree with you, that your idea is a possibility. I always welcome my readers to share their thoughts and ideas, and I think I am honored to hear that I have inspired you in some way. Although I will continue with my idea going forward, I want you to know, that your ideas are good and could work in a different setting than what I have planned. I can say this much, the story will have a happy ending, or a bittersweet one anyway. Depending on the perspective of the individual reader I suppose.

Writing Your Wrongs: Not really stupid if you have reached this arc, which judging by your review is highly unlikely. But Zeref reincarnated Itachi using his old body, so his sickness won't just have gone away. Anyway, the sickness got resolved all the way back in the Edolas arc.

shu: Only way that happens, is if it is Madara doing it. Because no matter what whoever casts Rinne Rebirth ends up dying as a result. And the only two with Rinnegan are Madara and Itachi.

Oscar Jacquot: First of, thank you for the praise and thinking my story would be good to share with The Amagi team. But honestly, I don't have that much confidence in my writing to think they would like it. But thank you for the praise anyway, and I might think about it. And secondly, yes, the story has gotten darker in this arc, because well, war is meant to be like hell. And although I don't disagree that reviving the dead would end the story on a light note, at the same time I feel that makes some of the character arcs feel cheap. Plus, I feel many of the characters that died, had concluded their roles in the story.

Aqua302: I will make a story sequel about the 100 Year Quest, but it is going to be completely different from canon.

Guest: That is fine if you disagree, if you have reached this point of the story my opinion from back then might seem to have changed a little. And I do agree with some of your points, especially the Cana one. The Laxus overpowering Itachi one physically is a big maybe, since Itachi gets a big physical strength boost from chakra.