Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter for this story. I'm glad to see that you all seemed to enjoy the last chapter and Wendy becoming a Poison Sky Dragon Slayer. This chapter will pick up where the previous one left off and will continue the Oración Seis arc, which should actually be wrapping up in the next few chapters. Well, I don't have much else to say, so let's get the fic!

"Speech"

"Thoughts"

Magic

"Thought Projection"

"Klodoa"

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.


"Oi, flamebrain..." Gray said as he got the pink-haired dragon slayer's attention, gesturing to the room around them. "We have no way to stop this thing, there's nothing here that will help us."

"But Hot...I mean Richard said that this is where Nirvana is controlled." Jura muttered, stroking his chin. "Could he have been mistaken? I doubt he would have lied."

"Before we waste any more time trying to stop this thing..." Carla said as she flew into the center of the room. "I'm sure you've all noticed something quite strange. There is no pilot's seat...no one in King's Hall...and Brain has been defeated...but even so, this thing is still moving."

"That can only mean one thing..." Gray said, his eyes widening as he came to a grim conclusion. "Nirvana is on autopilot and is set to fire."

"Our...guild..." Wendy said quietly as she cupped a hand over her mouth, tears forming in her eyes. "Everyone will be..."

"Don't worry, Wendy. Your guild will be fine!" Natsu said in a determined tone, placing his hand on top of Wendy's head, doing his best to comfort her. "I will stop this damn thing!"

"How are we going to stop it though?" Happy asked as he hovered above Natsu, staring down at the pink-haired dragon slayer.

"Do what I do best!" Natsu said with a toothy grin, punching a flaming fist into his palm. "I can smash this place to pieces!"

"That seriously can't be your solution to everything." Lucy said with a light sigh as she pulled on Natsu's ear, causing him to yelp in pain. After a few moments, Lucy released Natsu and rested her hands on her hips. "Please try to think of something else."

"S-Sorry Luce..." Natsu mumbled, rubbing his throbbing ear. "We can figure out another way to stop this thing."

"I still think we should try and get information out of Brain." Jura said as his brows furrowed slightly. "He will likely know how to stop Nirvana."

"I doubt he'll tell us anything..." Carla shot the idea down, before crossing her arms over her chest. "I just can't imagine why they'd target our guild."

"Maybe Jellal could..." Wendy muttered quietly as she stared down at her feet, thinking of any possible solutions. Suddenly, Wendy's eyes widened when a plan popped into her head. "You guys stay here, I have an idea!" Without warning, the blue-haired dragon slayer took off running towards the room's entrance. "Once I check it out I'll be right back!"

"That girl, I told her not to run off without telling me!" Carla said in an annoyed tone, quickly flying after the teenage girl.

"You aren't worried about her, Natsu?" Lucy asked as she turned towards her pink-haired mate. "What if she gets into trouble?"

"She'll be fine." Natsu said with a grin, remembering their recent fight with Cobra and the new powers Wendy possessed. Normally he would be worried about her running off like that, but he knew that she was now more confident in her own abilities. "She can handle herself now."

"What the hell happened with Wendy?" Gray asked as he walked over towards Natsu and Lucy. "She doesn't seem like the scared little girl we met earlier. Did something-" Before Gray could say anymore, he was cut off when a familiar voice suddenly projected into everyone's minds.

"Everyone, can you hear me? It is I, Hot Eye."

"Richard, is that you?" Jura asked, his eyes widening in surprise. "Are you alright?"

"I must regretfully inform you that I am NOT alright. As I feared, I was unable to defeat Midnight."

"Wait..." Jura thought as his eyes narrowed, an uneasy feeling creeping up his spine. "Richard said that all members of Oración Seis were equal in power...why would he fight Midnight alone if he knew he would likely lose? Something isn't right."

"Please, you must all combine your strength and defeat Midnight. If he is defeated, the supply of magical energy to Nirvana will be cut off...and the city will be stopped."

"So this place is powered by organic link magic?" Gray pondered, starting to piece things together. "That would make sense."

"Midnight is now directly beneath King's Hall. But be warned...he is very powerful! You must stop Nirvana!"

"So he's beneath us right now?" Lucy asked in a skeptical tone as she pointed towards the floor. "But I don't sense any powerful magical presence."

"Maybe his magic is being suppressed somehow." Gray suggested, before crouching down and pressing his hand against the stone floor. "But that doesn't matter right now, we have a clear target we need to take down!"

"Heh, I'm always up for a fight against a strong opponent!" Natsu said with a toothy grin as his hands began to crackle with electricity. "I'm all fired up!"


(Same Time: Just Outside King's Hall)

"Those complete fools..." Brain thought with a twisted smirk, ending his telepathic transmission. "I can't believe they fell for that so easily...If I go down, I won't go down alone! I'm going to take you all with me!"


(Same Time: Back with Natsu)

"There's the door!" Natsu exclaimed as he raced down the stairs, leading the group of light guild mages. "Now let's get this bastard!" Leaping down the last few steps, Natsu rushed towards the door and began to yank it open. "Come on out, you sleeping piece of shit!"

"That uneasy feeling I had earlier..." Jura thought, his eyes suddenly widening when he realized what they were walking into. His suspicions were confirmed when a bright light suddenly began to filter through the cracked open doorway. Without thinking, Jura rushed forward and shoved Natsu away from the doorway. "Everyone get back, it's a trap!"

Quickly clasping his hands together, Jura encased the four Fairy Tail members in a dome of earth and stone. Just as the dome closed, a deafening explosion went off, with Jura taking the full brunt of it. The Lamia Scale mage was engulfed in a scorching fireball and hit by a powerful shockwave. But despite all this, he kept his hands clasped together in order to maintain the dome shielding his comrades. When the explosion died down and the dust began to settle, Jura unclasped his hands and collapsed onto his knees.

"What the hell was that!?" Natsu exclaimed as he burst out of the dome ready to fight. However, the pink-haired dragon slayer's eyes widened in surprise when he saw the devastation surrounding him. Slowly turning around, Natsu gasped when he saw Jura's battered and bloodied form kneeling only a few feet away. "Jura...you saved me..."

"Natsu what..." Lucy stopped mid-sentence when she spotted Jura, tears forming in her eyes as she choked back a sob. After sniffling several times, Lucy hugged Natsu's arm and buried her face into his shoulder to hide the tears streaming down her face. "Oh god...he protected all of us..."

"Old man..." Gray said through grit teeth as he tightly balled his fists. "We shouldn't have rushed down here...we should have expected a trap..."

"Please...don't say that..." Jura said in a weak voice, a smile spreading across his face as he turned to face the Fairy Tail mages. "We all wanted to end this...as quickly as possible...I'm just glad...you're all okay..." A few moments later, Jura swayed several times before he collapsed to the ground with a loud thud.

"JURA!" Natsu yelled as he rushed over to the Wizard Saint's side. "HANG IN THERE!"


(Same Time: With Erza)

"Was that an explosion?" Erza asked, turning towards where the sound had come from. An uneasy feeling overcame the scarlet-haired knight as she clasped a hand over her heart. "Natsu...Lucy...everyone...I hope you're all okay..."

"That seems to have come from the direction of King's Hall..." Jellal pointed out as he balled his fists. "What on earth could be happening?"

"It seems my Father can be a bad man too." A new voice spoke up, causing Erza and Jellal to whip around, both of them surprised to see Midnight smirking at them. "It looks like he's trying to steal some of my fun. You two are the final prey I need to hunt down, hopefully, you can entertain me...if only for a little while."

"Stay behind me, Erza." Jellal said as he held out his arm, stepping in front of the scarlet-haired knight. "This guy is very powerful."

"Jellal?" Erza muttered in a slightly surprised tone, quirking an eyebrow. "We really should fight this guy toge-"

"No, I'll do it myself." Jellal said as he started to advanced towards Midnight, his eyes full of determination. "I have to-"

Jellal was cut off when Midnight suddenly dashed forward, in the blink of an eye appearing behind the blue-haired mage. Jellal simply stood wide-eyed for several moments, before coughing up a mouthful blood and collapsing to the ground.

"What a weak clown." Midnight spat, not even glancing back at Jellal as he continued to advance towards Erza. "It seems that he's lost most of his magic power along with his memories."

"Even so, I can't believe he defeated Jellal easily...it must be because he used most of his magic reserves with that Square of Self-Destruction he placed on himself..." Erza thought as she tensed slightly, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "Looks like I'll have to take this guy on myself."

"Damn...it..." Jellal grunted, trying to get back onto his feet. But he didn't even make it onto his knees before he fell back down. "I can...still..."

"Oh, so you still have some fight in you..." Midnight said in an amused tone as he turned to face Jellal. "You know...I'd like to see your face really twisted in terror...that'd be quite interesting to see."

"Heh, you think you can scare me..." Jellal said with a weak chuckle, vague images of a dragon clad in brilliant flames and lightning flashing through his mind. "I've seen something far scarier than you..."

"Is that so?" Midnight asked as an evil smile spread across his face. "Then I guess I'll have to-" The last standing member of Oración Seis stopped mid-sentence when he heard someone sprinting towards him. Whipping around, Midnight's eyes widened when he saw that Erza was only a few feet away, her sword ready to cut him down. Raising her arm, Erza swung her blade at Midnight but was stunned when her attack suddenly veered to the right and missed him completely. "I've heard some amazing things about you, Erza Scarlet...Titania of Fairy Tail...looks like it's time for the main event to start."

"What the hell was that?" Erza thought, staring down at her sword in confusion. "My sword suddenly veered out of his way. It was almost like..."

"Erza! You need to get away from him!" Jellal yelled as he clutched his stomach, another pang of pain reverberating through his body. "He's dangerous!"

"Just shut up and let me fight!" Erza exclaimed, materializing a second sword into her free hand swinging it at Midnight. However, just like before, Erza's sword suddenly turned wildly and missed her target, as if it were being pushed by an invisible force. "Damn it, again! This bastard is definitely up to something!"

"What's wrong Titania? Looks like you're having some trouble hitting me." Midnight said in a taunting tone as a smirk spread across his face. He then raised his arm towards Erza and clenched his fist. Out of nowhere an unseen force sent the scarlet-haired knight skidding backward, gritting her teeth as she dug her heels into the ground.

"What is going-" Erza was silenced when her own armor began to twist and warp around her. The scarlet-haired knight gasped and grunted in pain as the metal armor snaked around her neck, growing tighter with every passing second. Letting out a throaty growl, Erza's entire body was suddenly engulfed in bright white light, the armor strangling her exploding off her body. Taking a deep breath, Erza used her Re-equip magic to don her Heaven's Wheel armor. "I get it now...I see what your magic really is..."

"Ah, I knew I couldn't keep it a secret forever..." Midnight said with a smile, shrugging his shoulders. "My reflector magic can bend, twist, and mutilate anything...I can take magic and turn it back on its caster. I even have a neat little trick where I can bend light to create mirages."

"Now that I know what your magic truly is, it doesn't scare me anymore..." Erza said before she charged towards Midnight, blades in both her hands. "I'm all fired up, so let's do this!"

"Oh, but you should be afraid." Midnight said, standing his ground and not moving out of Erza's path. "You must not have heard me...magic has no effect on me."


(Back with Natsu)

"What'll we do now..." Lucy pondered in a worried tone after kneeling down next to Jura. "He's injured really bad...and we don't have Wendy here to heal him."

"You can't die on us, old man!" Gray exclaimed as he gently shook Jura's shoulder in a vain attempt to rouse him. "You're too badass to die like this!"

"I know he said not to blame ourselves..." Natsu growled, tightly balling his fists as he glared at the hole blown clean through the wall. "We really should have expected some type of trap..."

"You have to be kidding me...that dunce Brain used up the last of his magical power...and all he could do was take down one of you insects..." A unfamiliar and menacing voice suddenly spoke up behind the Fairy Tail mages, causing all of them to whip around. However, none of them were prepared for what they saw. Hovering only a few feet away appeared to be the staff Brain had been holding. "How pathetic can you get!? He's spitting in the face of Oración Seis!"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Natsu said in disbelief as he stared wide-eyed at the levitating staff. Turning towards his fellow guild members, Natsu pointed towards the staff. "Am I going crazy, or is that stick really talking?"

"I am not a 'stick' you insolent little shit! I am Klodoa and I should just destroy all you weakling myself!"

"Ah, shut the hell up!" Natsu exclaimed, before grabbing the staff and slamming it onto the ground several times. "For a stick, you're way too loud!" After alighting his free hand in bright blue flames, Natsu inched it closer to the sentient cane. "Now you're going to tell us how to stop this stupid city or else I'll turn you to ashes!"

"Natsu wait, we don't know what that thing really is!" Lucy yelled as she rushed over to Natsu's side and tried to reason with him. "It may look like just a staff, but it could actually be really dangerous!"

"The blonde bimbo gets it! I am the seventh member of Oración Seis! I have been awakened to kill you worms!"

"Bimbo?" Lucy parroted in barely contained anger, a vein visibly bulging on her forehead. The blonde celestial spirit mage snatched the staff from Natsu's hands and repeatedly began to slam it into the ground. "Who the hell are you calling a bimbo, you glorified twig!?"

"You insolent children are far too violent!" Without warning, the staff swiftly flew out of Lucy grasp, now keeping its distance from the Fairy Tail mages. The staff then spun around to face a large hole in the wall. "That guild should soon be in sight. For matters like this, it's best to start by tossing out the trash."

"You bastard, you're talking about Cait Shelter." Lucy said as her eyes narrowed slightly, clenching her fists.

"Exactly! Those creeps hold the power to stop us! So, we can't really get this party started until that place is wiped out!"


(Back with Erza)

"Dance, my blades!" Erza exclaimed thrusting her arm forward and launching a volley of razor-sharp blades at Midnight.

"You really don't learn..." Midnight said in an amused tone as every sword veered and swerved away from. "Trying to overwhelm me with numbers won't work." Suddenly all the swords reversed their direction and started to fly towards Erza. "I've told you what will happen, I'll just send your attacks right back at you."

"And I'll just block the attacks you send back!" Erza said, blocking and deflecting every single sword that was reflected back at her. The sounds of metal clashing against metal filled the air, as the scarlet-haired knight rapidly cut down her blades. After several moments the flying blades stopped, all of them scattered on the ground around Erza. "You're not the only one who can deflect attacks."

"That's true..." Midnight said with a smirk as he clenched his fist, causing Erza's armor to once again start to tightly wrap around her. The scarlet-haired knight gasped in pain as the metal dug into her flesh. "But I don't need to deflect attacks to defeat you." Midnight's smirk widened as he relished Erza's pained screams. "More...I want to hear you scream more...cry more...suffer more!"

"You sick bastard!" Erza roared, before managing to free one of her arms and throwing one of her swords at Midnight.

"Hmm, not a bad attempt, but I saw it coming." Midnight said as he simply moved his head and dodged the sword, instead of reflecting it. "Now, I'm about finished with our little fight." Midnight made a sweeping motion with his arm, causing all the swords and debris around Erza to begin to rapidly swirl around her. "Spiral Pain." The scarlet-haired knight screamed out in pain as she was buffeted by countless razor-sharp objects. When the swirling blades and debris stopped, Erza collapsed to the ground, her body covered in blood and dozens of cuts. "Done already? I expected more from the mighty Titania."

"No..." Jellal said, clenching his fists in the dirt. "He's too strong..."

"Oh come now, you can't die yet, Erza..." Midnight said as he slowly walked towards the scarlet-haired knight, a twisted smile on his face. "I wanted to keep playing with you, at least until we reached Cait Shelter."

"Cait...Shelter..." Jellal repeated, managing to raise himself up onto his elbows. "Why...are you targeting them?"

"That's our first goal..." Midnight explained as he stopped and picked up one of Erza's swords, examining the intricately designed blade. After a few moments, Midnight shrugged his shoulders and tossed the sword onto the ground. "In the past, there was a clan who created Nirvana to end wars. They were called the Nirvit. But they underestimated its power and Nirvana ended up being even more dangerous then they expected. So, they sealed away the very magic they created. They feared Nirvana could be used for evil purposes, so they kept watch over the seal for hundreds of years. Eventually, they even formed a magical guild that only members of the Nirvit could join...and that's Cait Shelter." Suddenly, Midnight began to chuckle darkly. "Why would they seal away such a wonder magic...it's just not right! It's a power that can lead the world down the path to chaos! We'll use Nirvana to plunge ever member of Cait Shelter into darkness and have them slaughter each other! I get the chills just thinking about it!"

"You're disgusting..." Jellal spat, glaring daggers at Midnight.

"Quite pretending to be so righteous, Jellal." Midnight said with a smirk as he walked towards the blue-haired mage. "Your soul is drowned in more darkness than mine! You're a dirty, evil man!"

"N-No...I'm..." Jellal muttered, gritting his teeth as he tried to find a way to rebuke Midnight. "That's not..."

"Don't try to deny it!" Midnight exclaimed before he let out a hearty laugh. "You took children and put them into forced labor! You killed your friends in cold-blood...and even attempted to murder Erza! Can you even fathom how many human lives you've driven to despair!? How many people have you shocked, frightened...driven to cry endlessly!?" Crouching down, Midnight extended his hand towards Jellal. "Come to us, Jellal! You're the perfect member for a new Oración Seis!"

"You...get the hell away from him..." Erza spoke up, slowly getting back onto his feet, light shimmering off her body. "Everything you've said about Jellal is true...but there's still some good in him...I can see he wants to try and atone for his sins...Robe of Yūen!" When the light died down, Erza stood in a new set of armor. This armor was purple in color, with a revealing kimono. It consisted of a short sleeveless tunic decorated by many flower motifs, with exposed cleavage and revealing openings on the sides, exposing much of her chest. It was held closed by both a large, dark obi, which had a thin red rope tied around it and sported a wide closing ribbon on the back, and by a lighter, smaller white belt, with both wrapped around a pink, flower-patterned cloth circling Erza's waist on the back and the sides. Instead of her usual swords, Erza wielded a large naginata. "And until then, I will not allow him to fall back into darkness!"

"Oho, you still have the strength to stand?" Midnight asked as an amused smirk spread across his face. "I guess you will live up to my expectations, Titania. You're worth all the effort it will take to destroy you! Then once I'm done with you, Cait Shelter will be wiped off the map!"

"I will put an end to your pathetic plans and save Wendy's guild!" Erza growled, intense anger suddenly welling up inside her as she glared fiercely at Midnight. Neither of them seemed to notice that Erza's mate mark was now faintly glowing. "Count on it!"

"Is that so?" Midnight said with an amused chuckle as he beckoned for Erza to attack him. "Then come at me Erza. I want to see what happens when you get serious. But I doubt it will amount to much, you'll still never hit-" Midnight was cut off when Erza suddenly dashed forward, closing the distance between them in an instant. "Move as fast as you like, you can't beat my reflector magic." Without saying a word, Erza thrust her naginata at Midnight. But like before, her attack veered to the side and missed completely. "See?"

"Wipe the damn smug look off your face!" Erza roared, her fist launching forward and striking Midnight in the face. The final member of Oración Seis was sent flying back, slamming into a nearby wall. Midnight was stunned silent by the sudden hit, his eyes wide in disbelief. Reaching up, Midnight placed a hand to his cheek, hissing at the burning and tingling sensation. Looking at the scarlet-haired knight, Midnight was stunned to see her fist was now coated in flames and electricity. "I can't stand over-confident assholes like you!"

"S-Since when could you use fire and lightning magic!?" Midnight exclaimed as he subtly tried to back away from Erza, a chill running down his spine. "And the power behind that punch...it was incredible!"

"This one is quite impressive."

"She figured out how to use our power without any assistance."

"We were correct in choosing her as one of our mates."

"Mira isn't the only one who can dig up information about dragon slayers." Erza explained, before slowly advancing towards Midnight, her naginata becoming imbued with fire and lightning magic. "Apparently once they're marked, mates of dragon slayers can tap into the magic of the dragon slayer they mated with, but it's only temporary. The magic is stored within a mate mark and can be replenished if it's all been used. A dragon slayer's mates can only use this magic when they feel very strong emotions or if they're in extreme danger." Erza stopped a few feet away from Midnight, pointing her flaming and electrified naginata at him. "And after you threatened Jellal, Wendy, her guild, and all my other loved ones...you really...really pissed me off."

"E-Even with this new power, I-I can still reflect your attacks!" Midnight pointed as he mustered up some confidence and slowly got back onto his feet. "I'll even take your precious armor and use it against you!"

"Wrong!" Erza exclaimed, lunging forward to strike Midnight again with her flaming fist. However, Midnight reflected Erza's attack, using her armor to pull her in the opposite direction. But the scarlet-haired knight was ready for this, using the momentum from being reflected, Erza spun around and hit Midnight with a devastating slash from her naginata. Midnight fell onto his knees, clutching his chest as blood began to pour out of a large wound. His hair and clothes had also been charred by the intense flames coating the naginata.

"H-Holy shit..." Jellal thought as he stared at the scarlet-haired knight in utter disbelief. "Erza is amazing..."

"Your magic has two major weaknesses." Erza said, slamming the bottom of her naginata onto the ground and glaring at Midnight. "The first is while you can turn back magical attacks, you can't do the same for a human body. That's why you pulled away my attack using my armor, instead of my actual arm. Also, earlier in the fight you could have simply twisted my body, but you tried to strangle me with my own armor."

"And I'll do it again!" Midnight screamed as he raised his arm towards Erza and clenched his fist. Instantly, Erza's kimono began to wrap around and try to strangle her. "This time I will kill you!"

"The second weakness is..." Erza said, before slipping one of her arms free and hurling her flaming naginata at Midnight. Still recovering from the previous attack, Midnight couldn't effectively dodge, so he was knicked by Erza's weapon. He hissed in pain as the blade grazed his side, the flames and electricity sending waves of pain throughout his entire body. "You can only twist or reflect one spot at a time. Since you're trying to twist my armor, you can't reflect any of my attacks."

"You...bitch..." Midnight grunted as he pressed a hand to his side, trying to slow the bleeding a bit. "Just keep talking...I'll still kill you..."

"Hmm, I suppose I've actually found a third weakness..." Erza said with a smirk, her previously twisted and warped kimono returning to its original form. "My Robe of Yūen is made of an extremely elastic material that is able to stretch very easily, so your magic won't be effective. So, this battle is over."

"Damn it..." Midnight muttered through grit teeth as he tightly balled his fists. However, Erza quirked an eyebrow when she saw a smirk suddenly spread across Midnight's face. "Had you died just a little sooner...you wouldn't have to see the horror."

"W-What the hell..." Jellal thought as he watched Midnight slowly get back onto his feet, a black hazy aura bubbling off the member of Oración Seis. Soon Midnight's entire body seemed to become encased in flowing darkness. "What's happening to him!?"

"In the dead of night, my magic reaches its maximum power!" Midnight roared in an almost demonic tone, his body growing and shifting, transforming him into some type of monster. Once Midnight finished his transformation, he towered over Erza, a dark laughing rumbling in his throat. "HA HA HA HA! Now you're dead!" Rushing towards the scarlet-haired knight, dark magic crackled off Midnight's fist. "You're finished Titania!"

"Look out Erza!" Jellal exclaimed as he watched the scarlet-haired knight defiantly stand her ground, despite the immense danger she was in.

Jellal wanted to look away, he didn't want to see Erza hurt any further, but he couldn't tear his eyes away. Even with Midnight's monstrous form barreling down on her, Jellal couldn't understand why Erza didn't try to dodge the attack. To Jellal's utter shock, Erza rushed towards Midnight, seemingly unafraid of the danger she was in. But what shocked Jellal, even more, was when Erza ran clean through Midnight, as if he were made of thin air. Jellal momentarily lost sight of Erza, then a pained scream suddenly rang out and the monstrous Midnight vanished. Jellal's eyes widened when he saw that Erza was now standing behind Midnight, who appeared to be in his normal form.

"H-How...the hell...did you see...through my illusion..." Midnight asked, before coughing up a mouthful of blood, his entire body trembling as he stared at the new, searing, slash across his chest. "No one...has ever...done that before..."

"That's too bad for you..." Erza said as she turned to face Midnight, only her fake eye open. "Optical magic doesn't work on me."

"This...can't be happening..." Midnight gasped, collapsing to the ground and landing on his back. Tears fell from his eyes as he stared at his blood-stained hands. "I am the strongest...member of Oración Seis...even better than...Father...the best wizard that...can never be beaten..."

"You laughed and mocked the pain of others..." Erza said as the flames and lightning encasing her naginata dissipated and fizzled away. "So you still have a long way to go before you can become a great wizard."

"Damn it..." Midnight thought, clenching his fists as he stared up at the night sky overhead. "My prayer was so simple...I just...wanted to sleep...in a peaceful, quiet place..."

"You can't move forward without realizing your own weaknesses..." Erza said as she stared down at Midnight, a sympathetic look in her eyes. "Do that and you will surely...become a better person..." Releasing a heavy sigh, the scarlet-haired knight suddenly collapsed down onto one knee. She was panting heavily, with sweat dripping off her brow, the faint glow of her mate mark slowly fading. "Damn it...my body isn't used to using Natsu's magic...it really drained me..."


(Same Time: With Natsu)

"Woah, I feel like Erza did something really badass..." Natsu muttered, before being slugged in the face by Klodoa. Stumbling slightly, Natsu recovered and glared at the levitating staff. "Oi! Don't just hit me like that ya bastard!"

"Natsu, are you okay?!" Lucy exclaimed as she rushed over to her mate's side. "What are we going to do-" Lucy stopped mid-sentence when she felt something lift up the back of her skirt. The blonde celestial spirit mage's head instantly whipped around, her eyes widening in shock when she saw Klodoa staring at her panties. With her face blushing near neon red, Lucy swatted the staff away and pulled her skirt back down. "KYAAAA! You fucking pervert!"

"Don't stare at Luce's panties you freak!" Natsu roared, hurling a ball of fire at Klodoa, but it easily managed to dodge it. "You stay the hell away from her!"

"You weakling are so fun to mess with!" Klodoa laughed, before it suddenly stopped as if something had spooked it. "Hmm, it can't be...Oración Seis has been...defeated!?" The Fairy Tail mages were all surprised when Klodoa visibly began to panic, its jaw falling open and the gem within it dropping out. "Oh, no! This is very bad! He...he is coming! No! No! No! No!"

"What the hell is it freaking out about?" Gray asked as he scratched the back of his head, quirking an eyebrow. "Something seriously has it spooked."

"You fools! Brain has another separate personality that has been dormant inside him! The persona he adopts in public has been codenamed 'Brain' and he craves knowledge. But his secondary personality named 'Zero' only loves destruction!"

"For real?" Lucy muttered, cupping a hand over her mouth as a chill ran down her spine. "He seemed pretty strong before, but his other personality is even more dangerous?"

"Zero was so ferocious and controlled so much magical power that Brain himself used six keys to seal him away."

"And those keys were the members of Oración Seis!?" Gray gasped as his eyes widened in shock. "Son of a bitch, we unleashed this guy without even knowing!"

"Once the organic link to Oración Seis has been destroyed...then Zero will be revived!" As if on cue an ominous presence began to approach from the doorway that had been blown open. All the Fairy Tail mages simultaneously felt chills run down their spines, as an immense dark magical power grew ever closer. Klodoa was shaking uncontrollably as it bowed its head on the ground. "W-Welcome back, master Zero!"

"It seems that things aren't going as planned, Klodoa." Zero said in a voice that was much darker and deeper than Brain's, approaching the groveling staff with his hands clasped behind his back. Klodoa appeared to be telling the truth, because Brain's personality shift appeared to be quite drastic, even sporting a new appearance. His hair had become wavier and his eyes had turned blood red. While his skin was now very pale in color, and his clothes had changed into something similar to a military officer's outfit. "I take it even Midnight was defeated?"

"I-It would seem that way! I'm so very sorry to report this sir!"

"Don't fret, it's fine...I haven't felt like this in quite a long time... " Zero muttered as a smirk spread across his face, dark magical energy swirling around his clenched fist. "This body...this voice... this magic power...it reminds of the old days!"

"Luce, get behind me..." Natsu said, standing protectively in front of his blonde-haired mate as orange lightning began to crackle off his arms. Lucy did as she was told, standing behind Natsu and tightly clutching her gate keys. The dark magic Zero was giving off frightened her, but she felt much safer with Natsu by her side. "This guy...he's serious trouble."

"I will handle things from here." Zero said as he turned his attention to the Fairy Tail mages and tossing off his cloak. "You should stand back, Klodoa." Cracking his knuckles, Zero glared at Natsu specifically. "You little brats...you've all wrecked havoc on my guild...especially you, you pink-haired vermin...and as the master, I'll have to teach you all a lesson!"

"Does this get you fired up, Natsu?" Gray asked in a shaky voice, tightly balling his fists in an attempt to stop his hands from trembling.

"This is the first time I've felt such evil and gross magic." Natsu growled as he bared his fangs, lightning sparking off his hands. "It's fucking disgusting!"

"Hmm, I suppose I can deal with you brats later..." Zero said with a twisted smile, turning his head to gaze towards Jura's unmoving form. "First, I should deal with the bald bastard who hurt Brain's body. I'll kill him first!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Gray exclaimed as he slammed his fist into his palm, ice magic swirling around his hands. "You're seriously going to attack an enemy who can't fight back!?"

"I don't particularly care whether my enemies can fight or not." Zero said in an amused tone, dark magic gathering in his outstretched hand. With a twisted smile, Zero unleashed a massive stream of magic at the Fairy Tail mages. "As long as it's alive, I love destroying it!"

"Ice Shield!" Gray exclaimed as he slammed his palms onto the ground, creating a large wall of solid ice. However, his eyes widened in shock when cracks quickly began to form in his shield. "He's breaking...my shield...so easily..."

Moments later, Zero's spell broke through Gray's ice wall and hit him, sending him flying backward. Zero chuckled darkly as he watched Gray crash into the ground, eventually coming to a skidding stop. In the few moments Zero was distracted, Natsu rushed forward with his fists sparking with orange electricity. The pink-haired dragon slayer hit Zero with several electrified punches, causing him to grunt in pain. Zero quickly recovered and tried to backhand Natsu, but the dual dragon slayer ducked underneath it and hit him with a powerful uppercut.

Stumbling backward, Zero roared in anger and fired off a blast of dark magic at the pink-haired dragon slayer. Thinking on his feet, Natsu dashed forward and slid underneath Zero's attack. After closing the distance, Natsu lunged forward and kicked out Zero's legs, causing him to crash to the ground. With a throaty growl, Natsu raised both his lightning coated fists into the air and slammed them down onto Zero's stomach. All the air was forced out of Zero's lungs as he curled into a ball, struggling to catch his breath. Natsu prepared to hit Zero with another attack, but a sudden wave of dark magic forced him to back off.

"GAH! You little bastard!" Zero roared, getting back onto his feet and glaring fiercely at Natsu, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth. "You really are a true pain in my ass!" Zero prepared to launch another attack at Natsu, but he stopped when something else caught his eye. Standing off to the side, he spotted Lucy by herself, still trembling and clutching her celestial gate keys. An evil smirk spread across Zero's face as he turned his attention towards Lucy. "You were awfully protective of this girl earlier, maybe I should kill her first! I need to pay you back for laying your filthy hands on me!" Zero aimed his arm towards Lucy, his hand swirling with dark magic. "I hope you're ready girl, this is going to hurt...a lot!" Then Zero fired a massive beam of dark magic at Lucy. "Now die!"

"LUCE!" Natsu roared in panic as he rushed towards his blonde-haired mate. Seeing Zero's attack getting closer and closer, time seemed to slow down for Natsu. Doing the only thing he could think of, Natsu leaped forward and wrapped his arms around his mate, using his own body as a shield. A split-second later, the attack hit Natsu's back, creating a large explosion of dark magic. The entire room quaked from the explosion, causing some debris to fall down and seal away the Fairy Tail mages.

"That's our master Zero! Excellently done! You wiped the floor with those brats!"

"No..." Zero said in a menacing tone, wiping the blood from his lips. "That pink-haired little shit is a major problem to our plans...and those little worms aren't dead yet!" Growling slightly, Zero glared at the pile of rubble hiding the Fairy Tail mages. "Isn't that right you vermin!? I didn't see your body turn to pieces!" Releasing a heavy sigh, Zero turned away from the mound of stone and earth. "But I cannot waste any more magic power, I'll have to come back and kill these pests later after Cait Shelter has been destroyed."


(Five Minutes Later: Top of King's Hall)

"Master Zero...we've arrived at Cait Shelter!"

"Hmmm..." Zero muttered as he clasped his hands behind his back, gazing out at the sprawling landscape in front of him.

"That's the guild that's hiding the clan that can seal away Nirvana. All we have to do is destroy them, then no one can seal it away ever again!"

"Pathetic..." Zero said quietly, tightly balling his fists.

"Huh?"

"I said it's fucking pathetic!" Zero yelled as he suddenly reached out and snapped Klodoa's staff in half.

"W-What did I-I do Master Zero?!"

"Shut the hell up!" Zero roared, slamming his foot down and smashing Klodoa completely, a twisted laugh rumbling in his throat. "I just want to destroy! Destroy anything and everything! And this will be the first shot! I don't need any reasons! It's something in my path and I can see it! That's why I want to destroy it!" With an evil smile, Zero pointed towards Cait Shelter. "Now Nirvana, fire!"


(Same Time: Back with Erza)

"Are you okay, Erza?" Jellal asked as he walked over towards the scarlet-haired knight. "You look exhausted."

"Yeah...I just need a minute to catch my breath..." Erza breathed out, leaning against a wall and sliding down it. Sighing lightly, Erza rubbed her mate mark, taking comfort in the warmth emanating off it. "I'll be good to go soon."

"What was that magic power, Erza?" Jellal asked as he leaned against the wall next to her. "It was incredible."

"It wasn't mine..." Erza said with a small smile, staring up at the sky overhead. "It was Natsu's..."

"I know you mentioned something about a mate mark...but what-"

"JELLAL!" The mage in question was cut off when someone called out his name. Turning his head, he was surprised to see a blue-haired teenager and a white cat running towards him and Erza. "You're that girl from earlier...who are you exactly?"

"Wendy! I'm so glad you're safe." Erza said, her smile widening before she breathed a sigh of relief. Slowly the scarlet-haired knight got back onto her feet. "What are you doing here?"

"He really doesn't remember me..." Wendy thought as she momentarily deflated, looking down at her feet. "Something doesn't seem right..."

"I know you must be disappointed, Wendy." Erza said with a sympathetic look, patting Wendy on the head. "Jellal doesn't remember me either...his memories are jumbled right now...but he doesn't remember you other reasons..." Wendy raised her head and stared at Erza in intrigue when she heard this. "But I think Natsu should be the one to tell you about that."

"Okay..." Wendy said in a disappointed tone but didn't press the issue any further.

"Please tell me you didn't forget how to stop Nirvana!" Carla exclaimed as she shook her fist Jellal.

"My Squares of Self-Destruction didn't work..." Jellal explained, hanging his head in defeat. "And I don't know any other ways to stop this thing...please forgive me..."

"You kidding...I...I thought..." Wendy breathed out as she collapsed onto the ground, tears forming in her eyes. "What are we going to do now?"

"We're almost at our guild! We need to do-" Carla was stopped when a low rumbling sound echoed out and the ground began to quake.

"What's going on?" Erza asked, feeling a large amount of magical energy being gathered. "It can't be...is Nirvana going to fire?!"

"Please no!" Wendy screamed as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Standing outside their guildhall, all of Cait Shelters members, minus their guild master, watched in horror as Nirvana's main weapon powered up. An ominous glow began to shine from the center of the moving city. Moments later, a massive beam of magical energy fired from Nirvana and raced towards Cait Shelter. The guild's members embraced each other and braced themselves for the attack to hit. However, they were all stunned when the attack never came, instead, it veered off to the side and grazed their guildhall. Following this, several explosion rocked Nirvana's support legs, shaking the entire city and causing it to tilt. Reacting quickly, Erza grabbed Wendy and Jellal, stopping them from rolling away. More explosions hit Nirvana and the massive structure began to creak and lurch.

"Something's attacking Nirvana!" Erza yelled over the shaking city and booming explosions. Scanning for what could be happening, the scarlet-haired knight's eyes widened in shock when she spotted something flying in the distance. "That's...the mage battleship, Christina!"

"Can anyone hear me!? Please, someone, respond! If you're fine, please reply!"

"Hibiki!? Is that you!?" Erza exclaimed in a surprised tone, setting Jellal and Wendy down. "I'm glad to hear your voice!"

"Erza-san!? And Wendy-chan too! You're both okay, right?!"

"I'm all right too...more or less...meeen..." Ichiya's voice echoed out through the telepathic link.

"Senpai! Thank goodness you're okay too! The wings were damaged, but with Lyon-kun's magic and Sherry-san's doll attack magic, and Ren's air magic, we managed to get the ship afloat!"

"I've never tried to control something...this large..." Sherry said in an exhausted tone, using all her focus to keep Christina from falling apart.

"I-It's not like...this thing...is heavy...or anything..." Ren said as he began to pant slightly, doing his best to keep up his tsundere persona.

"We used Eve's snow magic just now to attack Nirvana."

"I managed to combine all of Christina's cannons into one attack..." Eve explained, checking on some wiring within the ship. "But...even with all that...we only managed to take out one leg. I'm sorry everyone...but I've used up all my magic..."

"Thank you...all of you..." Wendy said as she tried to wipe away her tears, sniffling several times. "Even if it's just a little...you bought my guild some more time."

"As you heard from Eve...we're at the limits of our magical energy...we cannot launch any more attacks from here." Just then a small explosion rang out and Christina began to lurch and slowly descend out of the sky.

"Please forgive me..." Sherry said in an exhausted tone as she fell onto her knees. "I can't... anymore...I just can't..."

"Don't push yourself too hard!" Ren said, crouching down next to Sherry, causing a light blush to spread across her face. "I'm worried about your safety too!"

"Hibiki!? Are you all okay up there?!" Erza exclaimed in a worried tone, watching as the large ship began to fall towards the ground.

"Don't worry about us right now! But there is something I have to tell you all before we crash! It took a damn long time to locate, but I finally found it with my archive! The way to finally stop Nirvana!" Everyone who could hear the transmission was stunned by this new revelation. "Nirvana has six legs, but those legs are actually pipes that suck magical power from the earth itself! There are lacrima crystals near the base of each leg that store the extracted power! A simultaneous attack that destroys all of them at once should stop Nirvana! But it has to be at the same time! It will repair any damage if it's not simultaneous destruction!"

"How are we supposed to coordinate something like that?!" Erza said biting her thumb as she started to feel a creeping sense of hopelessness.

"I would love to guide you all...but I don't think I'll last much longer..." Just then Christina slammed into the ground and Hibiki's telepathic link was briefly cut off. "I'll have to upload the timing into your heads...I know you'll be able to do it! I believe in you all!"

"What is this?" Erza muttered, a small display popping up in front of her eyes. "We have twenty minutes?"

"I see that too." Wendy said as a similar screen appeared in front of her. "That's not much time."

"You're wasting your time." A new menacing voice echoed out, hijacking Hibiki's telepathic link. "For those of you who don't know, I am Zero, Oración Seis' master! Before I say any more, I must applaud whoever among you has archive magic that rivals even Brain's own. But I digress, mages of light, listen closely! From this moment forward, I will destroy everything in existence! I've already destroyed three of your friends...the pink-haired one proved to be a particular thorn in my side!"

"Natsu!" Wendy breathed out as tears began to pour from her eyes once again. "It can't be true...Natsu can't be...he just can't..."

"He's not dead." Erza said, before tightly balling her fists, her voice laced with barely contained rage. "I can still sense Natsu and Lucy through their mate marks...but the sensation I'm feeling...it's not very strong...especially for Natsu..." A few drops of blood feel from Erza's palms as her nails pierced the skin. "I'll make that bastard pay for hurting them...we'll grind this place into dust!"

"Erza..." Wendy muttered as she stared at the scarlet-haired knight, surprised by the anger and determination in her eyes. "So this is the bond shared between a dragon slayer and their mates...it's amazing...I hope I can experience that one day..."

"You mentioned something about destroying lacrima in a simultaneous attack? Well, I am currently standing in front of one of those lacrima! HAHAHAHAHA! And as long as I stand, you will never be able to destroy them all at once! So, how about we play a little game?! Whoever finds me first, gets to die first, sounds like fun!" With that final menacing message, Zero cut off his telepathic link.

"You guys have a one-in-six chance of running into Zero...and I hate to say it...but Erza and Natsu are the only matches for him."

"Wait a minute! We don't have six people to take out the lacrima!" Carla exclaimed in a panic, her eyes widening in fear. "And Wendy can't-"

"No, Carla..." Wendy said as she slowly stood back up, wind swirling around her arms. "I can fight! I'll help take out one of the lacrima!"

"Wendy..." Carla breathed out, staring at Wendy as if she was an entirely different person. "You've grown up so much in such a short time..."

"That's three of us..." Erza said as she glanced between Jellal and Wendy. "Is there anyone else who can help us?!"

"I will be of assistance." Ichiya's voice rang out through the telepathic link. "As soon as I untie myself."

"This isn't good...my telepathy...and my magic...are about to..."

"We need at least two more! Some else please respond!" Erza exclaimed as she felt a sudden pulse from her mate mark. "Natsu...Lucy...Gray...please answer us..."

"Gray..." Lyon said in a pained tone, his voice weak over the telepathic link. "Get up right now...you have to uphold your honor of being Ur's disciple! That means you can't be beaten so easily!"

"I really hate Lucy..." Sherry's voice sounded off this time. "She's really cute but lets it go to her head...she stupid and clumsy...and can be really weak sometimes...but...she always gives everything her all..."

"Natsu..." Wendy said as she fought back tears, clasping her hands together. "Please...we need your help..."

"You can do it Natsu..." Erza said, rubbing her mate mark once again. "I believe in you..."

"Natsu-kun...please...hear our...call..."


(Same Time: With Natsu)

"Yeah, we hear yeah!" Natsu boomed over the telepathic link as he slammed his fist into the ground, veins bulging on his arm. Flanking Natsu were Gray and Lucy, both mages looking battered and beaten. Lucy looked the most unscathed, with Natsu having blocked most of the damage she would have taken. Natsu on the other looked the worst off, his body covered in blood and lacerations. With a throaty growl, the pink-haired dragon slayer stood up on shaky legs and tore off his tattered shirt, revealing the large burn-like injury covering his back. Coating his hands in brilliant blue flames, Natsu slammed his fists together. "We're gonna burn this fucking place to the ground!"


And done! I felt like this would be the perfect place to end this chapter. The next chapter will start to wrap up this arc, with likely only two left. Unfortunately, I'll be working on my Batman story next, so you'll have to wait a bit for the next chapter to come out. But just be patient and it will be here eventually. Remember to follow/favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW (I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK!), check out my profile and other stories if you haven't already, and PM me if you have any ideas or questions. So until next time, I'm outta here!