The War Room of Fairy Tail was dimly lit, the only illumination coming from the glowing tactical map spread across the central table. The air was thick with tension, smelling of old wood, stale coffee, and the nervous sweat of the few mages who had remained behind to coordinate.
At the head of the table sat Mavis Vermillion. Makarov sat to her right, sipping tea, looking every bit the retired advisor, though his eyes remained sharp.
Blake stood apart from the group, leaning against a pillar in the shadows. He wasn't looking at the map. He was looking at a small, handheld lacrima device in his palm. It hummed with a faint, rhythmic pulse.
"Master," Blake spoke, his voice cutting through the murmurs of Warren and Cana.
Mavis turned her green eyes toward him. "Report, Blake. You have that look on your face. The 'I prepared a trap' look."
Blake smirked slightly. "You know me well. Before the teams deployed, I took a precaution."
Makarov raised an eyebrow. "What precaution?"
Blake nodded. "I asked Brandish to shrink two high-frequency magical lacirma. I embedded one in Natsu's scarf and the other in the hem of Lisanna's dress."
"Without telling them?" Cana asked, shuffling her tarot cards nervously.
"Natsu is loud," Blake said calmly. "And Lisanna is brave to a fault. They are the most likely to make contact with the enemy first. If they get captured, they don't just disappear. They become beacons."
Mavis nodded, her expression calculating. "A ruthless tactic, Blake. But efficient. In war, information is life. What does the tracker say?"
"Red dot is Natsu," Blake showed the screen. "He's engaged in the eastern forest. That means he found Michello. The signal is erratic—he's fighting."
---
Deep in the woods, the hidden mansion of former Council Member Michello was already a ruin.
Jackal, the Demon Gate of Explosions, stood amidst the burning debris, laughing maniacally.
"Is that it? Is that the best a human can do?"
Natsu Dragneel lay in a crater, smoke rising from his body. He wiped ash from his mouth.
"You're annoying," Natsu growled.
"I am a curse!" Jackal shouted, preparing a massive orb of explosive energy. "I will turn this entire forest to dust!"
Natsu stood up. The tracker in his scarf pulsed invisibly.
"You like explosions?" Natsu grinned, inhaling deeply. The fire around him turned a deep, crimson red.
"Then let's see who burns hotter! Fire Dragon's... ROAR!"
The collision of curses and dragon fire lit up the forest, sending a massive magical signature flaring on Blake's radar back at the guild.
---
Meanwhile, in the western valley, the situation was far quieter and far more dangerous.
Elfman and Lisanna stood in the study of former Council member Yuri.
Standing behind him was Seilah, the Goddess of the Chill Moon. Yurin was now under her control.
"The council member has been most cooperative," Seilah said softly.
"Macro: Suicide" and Yuri kills himself.
"You monster!" Lisanna shouted, shifting into Animal Soul: Cat.
"Macro."
Seilah spoke a single word.
Lisanna's body froze mid-transformation. She crashed to the floor.
Elfman tried to move, to punch, to scream, but his body was locked.
"I have ordered your bodies to cease resistance," Seilah explained. She walked over to Lisanna, grabbing her by the hair.
"We require a hostage. A soul to experiment on."
"Lisanna!" Elfman choked out, fighting the command with every ounce of his will.
Seilah looked at Elfman. A cruel smile touched her lips.
"As for you... big brother. You will serve a different purpose."
She walked up to him, placing a glowing purple orb into his hand.
"Macro: The traitor's walk."
"Take this Etherion-pulse bomb," she whispered. "Return to your guild. And eliminate the Fairy Tactician."
"NO!" Elfman screamed internally, tears streaming down his face as his body turned around against his will. "MASTER MAVIS! LISANNA! NO!"
"Go," Seilah commanded.
Elfman smashed through the window, running into the night, a prisoner in his own flesh.
---
"The white dot," Warren shouted, pointing at the radar screen in the guild hall. "It's moving vertically! Lisanna is ascending!"
Mavis looked over the map. "Vertical movement? Is she flying?"
"No," Blake stepped forward, his eyes narrowing. "The velocity is consistent with a transport lift. She's being taken to a high-altitude structure. Usually, that means an airship. But given the enemy..."
"A floating fortress," Mavis deduced instantly. "Tartaros' base is mobile."
Suddenly, the heavy oak doors of the guild hall burst open.
"EVERYONE RUN!"
The scream tore through the room.
Elfman stood in the doorway. He was drenched in sweat, his eyes wide with terror. He was holding a pulsing purple orb.
"I CAN'T STOP!" Elfman sobbed, his legs carrying him into the center of the hall against his will. "SHE MADE ME! IT'S A BOMB!"
"Elfman?" Makarov stood up, knocking his chair over.
"GET AWAY!" Elfman roared, falling to his knees in the middle of the room. "IT'S GOING TO BLOW! SAVE THE MASTER! SAVE YOURSELVES!"
The orb in his hand began to whine, the light turning blindingly bright. The magical pressure coming off it was immense—enough to vaporize the guild and half of Magnolia.
"It's an Etherion concentration!" Warren analyzed, his face pale. "We can't shield against this! It's too dense!"
Mavis didn't flinch. She didn't panic. She was the Tactician.
"Brandish!" Mavis's voice rang out, clear and authoritative. "Neutralize it!"
Brandish $\mu$, who had been sitting by the infirmary door keeping watch over Laxus, snapped to attention. She saw the bomb.
She understood.
Blake slid on his knees, grabbing Elfman's wrist.
"Forgive me, Elfman," Blake grunted.
Brandish extended her hand from across the room. Her magic reached out, absolute and undeniable.
"Command T: Shrink."
The pulsing orb, seconds away from detonation, shrank instantly. It went from the size of a beach ball to the size of a marble.
The energy density remained, but the blast radius was now contained.
Blake snatched the marble from Elfman's hand.
Then he rushed outside and threw the marble upward. It streaked into the sky like a reverse meteor.
FLASH.
A blinding white light turned the night sky into day for a split second. The shockwave rippled through the clouds, clearing the weather for miles. But the explosion was high enough that only a dull thump reached the ground.
Blake dusted off his hands and went back to the guild hall.
Inside, Elfman was curled in a ball, sobbing into the floorboards. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry... I tried to stop it..."
Mavis placed a hand on his head.
"You did well to warn us, Elfman. You are no traitor. You are a victim of cruel magic."
She looked up at the guild. Her eyes were no longer kind. They were the eyes of a general who had just seen her family threatened.
"Blake," Mavis said, her voice cold. "Where is the fortress?"
Blake walked to the radar screen.
"The white dot—Lisanna—has stopped moving. She is stationary at 20,000 feet, directly above the Magnolias Hinterlands. The Cube is there."
Makarov gripped his cane. "They dared to use one of our own as a suicide bomber..."
"They have declared war," Mavis stated. "And we shall answer."
She turned to Blake.
"Blake Corvus. You are my vanguard. I want you to lead the assault."
Blake bowed slightly. "With pleasure, Master."
"Team Natsu is in the field," Mavis calculated rapidly. "Blake, take Erza, Mirajane, Gray, and Gajeel. Use the beacon on Lisanna to pinpoint the breach point."
Mavis then addresses the whole guild.
"Listen to me, Fairy Tail!"
The guild fell silent, looking up at their First Master.
"Tartaros believes they are the end of the age of magic. They believe they can hunt us, poison us, and break us."
She pointed at the injured Elfman, then at the infirmary where Laxus lay.
"They have woken the dragon. They have angered the demon. And now, they will face the Fairies."
She raised her hand.
"Operation: Tartaros commences now! Our objective is simple: Rescue Lisanna. Destroy the Face weapon. And reduce their Cube to rubble!"
"YEAH!" The roar of the guild shook the foundation.
Blake looked at the strike team.
"Let's go to hell," Blake said, drawing his black sword. "I hear it's nice this time of year."
---
The forest surrounding Michello's ruined estate was a smoldering graveyard of trees. The air tasted of ash and ozone, the lingering aftertaste of Jackal's explosions and Natsu's dragon fire.
Michello, the former Council member, was shaking like a leaf, clutching his suitcase of gold bars. He looked at Natsu, who was dusting soot off his vest, looking more annoyed than injured.
"Face..." Michello stammered, his eyes darting around the shadows. "You don't understand, Salamander! Tartaros isn't just killing us for sport. They want the keys to Face! If they activate it, magic across the entire continent will vanish! We will be defenseless!"
Natsu's eyes narrowed. "Magic... vanishing?"
"Yes!" Michello screamed. "And the only ones who can unlock it are the former Council members! They'll be going after Crawford Seam next! He knows the link locations! We have to find him!"
"Crawford, huh?" Natsu punched his palm, a fresh burst of flame igniting. "Then we just gotta get to him before the demons do. Come on, Luce, Wendy! We're going to—"
Natsu.
The voice didn't come from the air. It resonated directly inside his skull. It was soft, youthful, but carried the weight of a general commanding an army.
Natsu froze. "First Master?"
Lucy and Wendy looked around, confused, until they heard it too. Mavis Vermillion was projecting her thoughts to them via telepathy.
Listen to me closely, Team Natsu, Mavis's voice echoed. There has been a change in strategy.
Mavis's mental voice tinged with a cold fury. The enemy has made a move against the guild. They forced Elfman to attempt a bombing of the guild hall. We neutralized the threat, but they have captured Lisanna.
Natsu's aura exploded. The ground beneath him cracked. "THEY TOOK LISANNA?!"
Calm your fire, Natsu, Mavis ordered. Rage is useful, but only when focused. We have tracked Lisanna's location. Blake, Erza, Mirajane, and the others are en route to the Magnolias Hinterlands. The enemy base, the Cube, is hovering in the sky above that location. I am ordering you to rendezvous with the main assault team immediately. Do not engage alone.
Natsu gritted his teeth, the heat radiating from him turning the nearby grass brown. He wanted to run blindly. He wanted to burn the world down until he found her. But he heard the steel in Mavis's voice. And he knew Blake was there.
"Got it," Natsu growled. "We're on our way."
"Happy!" Natsu shouted.
"Aye sir!" The blue Exceed unfurled his wings, grabbing Natsu.
"Carla, take Wendy!"
"Grab on, Lucy!" Natsu yelled, extending a hand as Happy strained to lift the extra weight (with Virgo's help shortly after).
They launched into the sky, leaving a trembling Michello behind to be collected by the Rune Knights. They headed west, toward the gathering storm.
---
The Magnolias Hinterlands was a rocky, desolate landscape of canyons and plateaus, usually quiet. Today, however, the air pressure was suffocating. High above, hidden by a veil of optical magic and clouds, something massive was displacing the air.
Natsu and his team spotted the signal flare—a column of black smoke that Blake had likely left as a marker. They descended onto a high ridge where the rest of Fairy Tail's elite were gathered.
It was a formidable assembly.
Erza Scarlet was already in her Heart Kreuz armor, checking her swords.
Gray Fullbuster was shirtless, his expression grim as Juvia clung to his arm.
Gajeel Redfox sat on a rock, chewing on a piece of iron ore, looking ready to murder someone.
Mirajane Strauss was standing near the edge, her usual smile completely gone, replaced by the terrifying calm of the She-Devil.
And standing at the forefront, looking up at the empty sky with his arms crossed, was Blake Corvus.
"You made it," Blake said without turning around as Natsu landed.
"Where are they?" Natsu demanded, dropping to the ground. "Where's the base? Where's Lisanna?"
"Up there," Gray pointed to a patch of sky that looked slightly distorted, like a heat mirage. "Warren and Blake confirmed it. It's a floating island. They call it the Cube."
"Mavis told us about Elfman," Lucy said, breathless. "Is he..."
"He's safe," Mirajane said softly, though her voice trembled. "He's at the guild. But Lisanna is inside that thing."
"Then what are we waiting for?!" Natsu yelled. "Let's go!"
"Hold on, flame-brain," Gajeel barked. "We can't just fly up there. It's heavily fortified, and we don't know the layout. We need a plan."
"Gajeel is right," Erza stepped in, unrolling a hastily drawn map on a flat rock. "This is a mobile fortress. If we approach by air, we'll be shot down before we breach the hull. We need a distraction. Maybe if we split into two teams—one to draw fire at the bottom, and a stealth team to infiltrate from the top..."
"Stealth?" Natsu scoffed. "We don't do stealth! They messed with our family! I say we kick down the front door and burn everyone inside until they give Lisanna back!"
"Natsu!" Lucy scolded. "Think for a second! If we just attack, they might hurt the hostages! We need to be smart!"
"I agree with Erza," Gray added. "We need an entry point. We can't just smash a hole in a flying island."
"Actually," a deep voice cut through the debate.
Everyone turned to Blake.
He turned away from the sky, looking at the group. His eyes were dark, devoid of the usual patience he showed during training.
"For the first time," Blake said, walking past Erza and the map. "I agree with Natsu."
The group blinked.
"You do?" Erza asked, surprised. "Blake, that's reckless. Even for you. A frontal assault against the Nine Demon Gates without a plan?"
"Plans are for enemies you respect," Blake said coldly. "Tartaros tried to bomb our guild. They enslaved Elfman. They kidnapped a Lisanna. They don't get a plan. They get an execution."
"But Lisanna!" Wendy cried out. "If we attack the whole base, the structure might collapse! She could get hurt!"
Blake stopped. He looked at Wendy, then at Mirajane, whose eyes were filled with fear for her sister.
His expression softened just a fraction.
"Relax," Blake said. "I've been tracking her signal since she left the ground. I know exactly where she is. Structural integrity won't be an issue."
"How can you be sure?" Gray asked.
Blake smirked. It wasn't a nice smirk.
"Because I'm going to open the door for you. And I'm going to make sure the door doesn't hit her on the way out."
Blake turned back to the cliff edge. He rolled his shoulders, loosening his muscles. The air around him began to vibrate.
"Stand back," Blake commanded.
"What are you going to do?" Lucy asked, stepping behind Gajeel instinctively.
Blake didn't answer.
He bent his knees slightly.
"Geppo."
BOOM.
The rock he was standing on shattered into dust. Blake vanished.
Shockwaves appeared in the sky as he ascended, climbing thousands of feet in seconds. He moved like a blurring phantom, tearing through the cloud layer.
High above, the Cube loomed. It was massive, a floating geometric nightmare of stone and dark magic. It was currently cloaked, invisible to the naked eye, but to Blake's Observation Haki, it was as bright as a lighthouse.
Blake stopped in mid-air, hovering right in front of the massive structure. He was an ant compared to the size of the island.
Inside the Cube, alarms began to blare. The Demon Gates were sensing a massive spike in energy.
Blake closed his eyes. He reached out to the darkness of Anti Magic.
Darkness poured off his body like thick, black smoke. It swirled around his right arm, condensing, compressing, becoming solid, swallowing his blade.
"They want to bring despair?" Blake whispered to the wind. "I'll show them what the abyss looks like."
He raised his arm. The darkness expanded, shooting upward and downward, forming a blade of energy that stretched for miles. It was taller than the Cube itself.
"Dark Cloak..."
Down on the ground, Natsu, Erza, and the others watched in awe. Even from miles away, they could see a vertical line of absolute blackness appear in the sky, bisecting the clouds.
"...Dimension Slash: EQUINOX."
Blake swung his arm down.
There was no sound at first.
The black line passed through the invisible shield. It passed through the stone armor of the fortress. It passed through the laboratories, the hallways, the engine rooms. It passed through the very core of the island.
Blake sheathed the sword.
For a singular, heart-stopping second, nothing happened. The Cube hung in the sky, seemingly untouched.
Then, gravity remembered it had a job to do.
A deafening, grinding roar echoed across the Hinterlands.
The optical camouflage shattered like glass, revealing the massive stone fortress.
And then, slowly, majestically, and terrifyingly... the Cube split.
A clean, perfect vertical cut ran right down the middle. The two halves of the island groaned and separated by a few meters, held together only by the desperate, failing magical fields of the core. Sunlight streamed through the gap in the middle of the demon base.
Debris rained down—stone, metal, and dust.
Blake had not just breached the wall. He had cut the entire headquarters in half.
He exhaled, using Geppo to kick off the air again, diving back down to the ridge.
He landed softly in front of his guildmates. There was no dust on his coat.
The silence on the ridge was absolute.
Natsu's jaw was on the floor.
Gray's eyes were popping out of his head.
Even Erza, who had seen feats of immense magic, looked pale.
"You..." Gajeel pointed a trembling finger. "You just... cut the island."
"I opened the door," Blake corrected. "Like I said."
He pointed to the left half of the severed fortress.
"Lisanna is in the left hemisphere. The cut missed her cell by about fifty meters. I was careful."
"Careful?!" Lucy squeaked. "You split their base in half!"
"It sends a message," Blake shrugged. "Tartaros thinks they are untouchable gods. Now they know they are just bugs living in a breakable rock."
Blake turned to the group. His eyes swept over Natsu, Gray, Gajeel, Erza, and Mirajane.
"Listen up."
The group straightened. The awe was replaced by the sudden realization that this man was their ally, and he had just paved the road to war.
"I scanned the interior before the cut," Blake said. "There are Nine Demon Gates. High-level Etherious. They are strong. Stronger than anything you faced in the Games. Stronger than Grimoire Heart."
He pointed his thumb at the floating ruin.
"I could go up there and kill them all. It would take me about ten minutes."
Natsu clenched his fists. "But you won't."
"No," Blake said. "You all need to work some anger; this is the time to do it."
He looked at Mirajane, who was transforming into her Satan Soul, her aura spiking with a fury that matched the demons.
He looked at Natsu, whose flames were burning hotter than ever.
"I've cleared the path," Blake said. "I've broken their shield. Now, you go in there and you remind them why Fairy Tail is the strongest guild in Fiore."
Blake sat down on a rock, crossing his legs.
"There are nine of them. Pick your fights. I'm going to sit here and enjoy the show."
He looked Natsu dead in the eye.
"Don't just win, Natsu. Surpass your limits. If you don't, you'll die. And I won't save you."
Natsu grinned. It was a savage, wild grin. The fear of the massive fortress was gone, replaced by the thrill of the challenge.
"I'm all fired up!"
"Erza," Blake nodded to the Scarlet Knight. "You have command."
Erza drew her swords, pointing them at the sky.
"You heard him! We are invading Tartaros! Happy, Carla, Lily—air transport! Everyone else, prepare for combat drop!"
"AYE!"
As the Exceeds grabbed the Dragon Slayers and Erza summoned her flight armor to carry the rest, they launched toward the split fortress. They were flying into the mouth of hell, but they weren't afraid. They had a monster watching their backs.
Blake watched them go, the smoke from his cigarette curling into the air.
Brandish appeared beside him, having stayed quiet during the display.
"You're a showoff," she muttered. "I could have just shrunk the door."
"Where's the fun in that?" Blake smiled. "besides... sometimes you have to break the house to kill the rats."
---
Demon soldiers, winged creatures with spears, poured out of the fissure Blake had created, swarming like angry hornets.
"Here they come!" Happy yelled, dodging a spear.
"I got 'em!" Natsu roared. "Fire Dragon's... WING ATTACK!"
He unleashed a wave of fire that incinerated a dozen demons instantly.
"Don't stop!" Erza commanded, slashing through three gargoyles with her twin blades. "Head for the breach! We enter through the cut!"
They dove into the massive gap between the two halves of the island. It was a surreal canyon of exposed rooms and twisted metal.
"Natsu! Gray! Mirajane!" Erza shouted over the wind. "Split up! Find the Demon Gates! I'm heading for the control room!"
"I'm going for Lisanna!" Mirajane yelled, banking left toward the cell block Blake had identified.
"I'm coming with you!" Elfman yelled, carried by Lily. "I have to apologize to her!"
"I'll find the loud one!" Natsu shouted. "The bomb guy!"
"I'll take the ice guy!" Gray shouted, sensing a cold magic that felt strangely familiar—like Ur's magic, but twisted.
They landed on the exposed floors of the severed fortress. The impact of their boots signaled the start of the individual battles.
---
Natsu rolled onto a metal walkway, immediately engulfed in flames.
"JACKAL!" Natsu screamed. "GET OUT HERE!"
"You're persistent, aren't you?"
Jackal stepped out from a pile of rubble. He looked worse for wear, bandages covering his arm, but his grin was still intact.
"And your friend... he broke my house. That's cheating."
"He just opened the window," Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Now I'm gonna throw you out of it."
"You think you can beat a Demon Gate?" Jackal laughed. "We are Zeref's ultimate creations! We are immortal, We are--"
Natsu didn't let him finish. He didn't use a roar. He didn't use a spell.
He moved.
Faster than he had moved in the forest.
He slammed his forehead into Jackal's nose. A raw, brutal headbutt.
CRACK.
Jackal stumbled back, eyes watering.
"Shut up," Natsu hissed, his voice dropping an octave. "You hurt my guild. You hurt Lisanna. You tried to hurt Lucy."
Natsu's flames turned a mixture of crimson and lightning-yellow. He was tapping into the Lightning Flame Dragon mode right from the start.
"Blake told me to surpass my limits."
Natsu took a stance.
"So I'm going to turn you into ash before you can blink."
---
On the other side of the fissure, Gray landed in what looked like a frozen garden.
The temperature here was absolute zero. The air stung his lungs.
Standing amidst the frozen statues of soldiers was a tall man in armor. He had dark hair and a face that Gray had seen in old photographs.
Silver Fullbuster.
Silver turned, looking at Gray with a mix of amusement and something unreadable.
"Oh? An ice wizard? How quaint."
Gray stared, his hands shaking. Not from the cold, but from the recognition.
"You..." Gray whispered. "You look like..."
"Like who?" Silver smirked, picking up a piece of debris and freezing it instantly. "Your father? A ghost? Or just your worst nightmare?"
"Who are you?" Gray demanded, assuming his Ice-Make stance.
"I am Silver," the demon replied. "I eat demons. I eat ice. And today... I think I'll eat a fairy."
Gray's eyes narrowed. "Blake warned me about you. He said there was a cold one."
Gray clapped his hands together.
"Ice-Make: Lance!"
Silver didn't dodge. He opened his mouth and ate the lance.
Crunch.
"Delicious," Silver sighed. "But a bit weak. Is that all the power humans have?"
Gray froze. He ate the magic? Just like Natsu eats fire?
"A Slayer..." Gray realized.
"Correct," Silver grinned. "But enough talk. Show me your limit, boy. Let's see if you're worth killing."
---
Mirajane and Elfman smashed through the door of the laboratory sector.
"Lisanna!" Mirajane screamed.
The room was filled with vats of green liquid.
Standing in the center was Seilah, and beside her, another demon—Franmalth.
And in a cage suspended over a pit, was Lisanna. She was unconscious but alive.
"The siblings reunite," Seilah clapped her hands slowly. "How touching."
"You..." Mirajane's voice was a low growl. Her transformation deepened. She shifted from standard Satan Soul into something bulkier, more terrifying. Satan Soul: Sitri.
"You made my brother attack our home," Mirajane stepped forward, the floor cracking under her heels. "You kidnapped my little sister."
Seilah looked unimpressed. "And? We are demons. It is what we do."
"Then you should know," Mirajane raised her hand, dark energy gathering in a sphere of destruction. "What happens when you wake up a demon that's even worse than you."
"Elfman," Mirajane said without looking back. "Get Lisanna. I'm going to tear this lab apart."
"Right!" Elfman charged toward the cage.
Franmalth tried to intercept. "Calculations indicate—"
"SHUT UP!" Elfman punched Franmalth with Beast Soul: Weretiger, knocking the cyclops demon across the room. "I'M A MAN!"
---
Back on the ridge, Blake watched the explosions blossom across the split fortress.
He saw Natsu's lightning fire lighting up the east wing.
He saw massive ice spikes erupting from the west wing.
He saw dark purple flashes from the center where Mirajane was fighting.
He lit another cigarette.
"They've started," Blake murmured.
"Are you really just going to watch?" Brandish asked, sitting beside him.
"For now," Blake said. "They need this. They need to know they can stand against the dark without me holding their hand."
He glanced at the very top of the floating ruins, where the throne room of Mard Geer was located.
"But if the King of the Underworld decides to step in... or if the Dragon arrives..."
Blake touched the hilt of his sword.
"Then I'll cut the rest of the island."
He exhaled a cloud of smoke.
"Give them hell, Fairy Tail."