Chapter 17 - The Puppet

The moment after I said that, the Demon went all out. Blasting me with a cloud of Anti-Ethernano and Dimeritium, he viciously started stabbing his spear into the cloud. After a few moments he let the spear go, and extended his claws.

"DIE!!!", he howled swinging his claws around like a blender.

Standing there watching blood go flying, the siblings watched in horror as they thought Mael was going to die. Starting to cry as the Demon looked at them, they thought they were next. Taking a step towards them, the Demon stopped when he started to hear me chuckle. Blowing the wind away with my left hand, he saw the same smile on my face.

"...no...you...you aren't even scratched!!", the Demon screamed in horror.

"I thought you were trying to give me a haircut.", I laughed, "Your hands look terrible."

Looking at his own hands, he realized the blood he saw was his own. His hands had completely burned off throughout his attack. Shaking in fear, his gut instinct told him to flee the area. Taking two steps backwards from me, I started to chuckle at him even more.

"Your fifteen seconds are up I believe, it's my turn now.", I said picking up Rhitta.

Swinging the axe slowly back, he watched a fireball ten times his size form. Staring at Mael as he turned paled, he realized just how badly he messed up. The man before him was no mage, this man was terrifying monster in human form. Being in front of him made the Demon feel like a tick standing before a Dragon.

Before I could hit him with the Cruel Sun, the Demon bolted trying to flee for his life.

'Such a pity...', I thought, "You should know that you can't break a deal with me."

Taking not even three steps from me, the Demon started to turn to stone. Screaming out in fear as he was helpless to stop the process he looked back at me, and saw the Truth Commandment symbol on my forehead. Walking over to him, I leaned over to whisper something in his ear.

"Never break a deal with the Demon King...it's not good for your health.", I whispered with an evil smirk, "People like you aren't need in this world."

Once he was completely turned to stone, I smashed his head allowing the souls trapped within to leave. Watching dozens of souls pop out of the corpse, I again used Soul Revival to give them a chance to make their peace with their loved ones as well.

Seeing their parents appear in an ethereal form, the siblings were dumbstruck as to what was happening. Looking into the eyes of their parents though, they knew this wasn't a sick joke or dream. Starting to cry the three of them leapt into their parents arms, and bawled their eyes out. Watching the three of them...a part of me wished I could have used this on my grandparents after they died. The night they died...I got into a terrible argument with my grandfather, and told him I hated him.

'I hope he knew it wasn't true...', I thought, 'I was angry that I couldn't go on a class trip. Jane needed the money for her trip, and I knew that but I...I was being selfish. Had I known I wouldn't have seen them the next day, I...I would have told him that I loved him.'

Putting the guilt I felt in my heart aside, I had a more pressing matter to attend too.

"Mirajane, Elfman, and Lisanna...head back to the Guild and stay there till I return with Makarov.", I told them.

"Where are you going?", Lisanna hiccupped as she tried to stop crying.

"The Demon attacks were no accident, the Magic Council was involved in the attacks. I am going to make sure something like this doesn't happen again.", I replied before shooting off into the air.

Heading towards the Magic Council building in a hurry, the structure came into view moments later.

---Magic Council Building Underground, 3rd Person POV---

"...we are dead...", Leslie muttered falling into her seat.

Having seen exactly what the Demons saw, she knew they had awoken a terrifying monster. No one had warned them that Fairy Tail was hiding a beast like that, and they had just royally pissed him off. While she had resigned herself to dying, many of the other researchers hadn't. Running for the exit, the researchers all wanted to escape before he arrived.

Hearing the commotion in the hallway, Bob and Goldmine got up to take a look. Seeing dozens of people running up from the basement, at first they thought a prisoner escaped because they were screaming that someone was going to kill them. Before they could ask for clarification though, a huge ball of fire came flying through the front doors. The fleeing men didn't even have time to react as the heat incinerated them feet away from the actually fireball. Jumping away from the door, they watched the fireball explode and send what remained of the ruined doors flying across the room.

Moments after that, the roof of the building exploded into a ball of brilliant blue flames. Seeing a massive man with blue flamed wings floating above them, the Anti-Magic Faction froze in fear.

"Do you know who we-", one of them shouted as a Dark Matter sphere engulfed him in a split second.

"I do, and frankly I could careless about it.", the man said touching down on the table.

---Mael POV---

"Mael, what are you doing here?! The Demons are-", Makarov started to say before I cut him off.

"All seven of them are dead, I dealt with them accordingly. No one was injured, the populace is in the Guild Hall behind one of my barriers. That barrier won't give unless I die, and no one here is strong enough to pull that off.", I said staring at the Chairman, "I was going to use my magic to torment you in your sleep and ruin your love lives, but...collecting souls of the dead using your experimental weapons is disgusting. Now tell me who you really are."

"I am Chairman Togo of the-", he started to say.

"Don't lie to me, I want to know who the person is using you puppet. You have no soul, you aren't a real living person.", I cut him off.

"What do you mean!?", Yajima gasped, "Are you saying that man isn't human?!"

"He isn't even alive, he's a puppet being controlled by someone else. As soon as I saw him, I noticed he doesn't have a soul attached to his body.", I replied.

Clicking his tongue in anger, the Chairman rose from his seat. Moving faster than his colleagues though possible, he brought a dagger out and went to stab me in the neck. Before the blade reached me, it melted away as did his arm. Seeing the metal bones beneath what they thought was flesh, everyone backed away from him in disbelief.

"We have been fooled!!", several of the Anti-Magic Faction shouted, "You are a Mage!!"

"A Mage?", the Chairman laughed, "You all are a bunch of fools!! I am no Mage, I am a God!! How dare you even-"

Grabbing him by the throat, I stared at him with interest. Since he didn't have a soul I wouldn't be able to check memories to find his identity. I wasn't sure if he was an Avatar for a God of this world, a God from another world, or was a Dark Mage using a fake body to control the Anti-Magic Faction. Either way I looked at it though, this puppet show was over and there would be no encore.

Snapping his neck, I incinerated the Chairman since there was nothing more I could do with him. Torturing a puppet that couldn't feel anything would have been a waste of time. The person who had been controlling the puppet left no traces follow so this case would go unsolved for now. That said...his pawns were very much alive and could be interrogated for more information though I doubted anyone knew the truth.

Turning my attention to them, the men and women tried to scurry away like rats. Watching them try to run for an exit, all the doorways became blocked by Dark Matter. Changing into my Demonic Form, I carefully manipulated several feathers and used them to dispatch a few of them.

"Please!! Have mercy on us!!", the remaining members screamed.

"Mercy...do you even know what that word means?", I asked in an uncaring tone, "How many men, women, and children pleaded for their lives to you? Those Demons that have been slaughtering people came about because of you!! How dare you demand that I give you mercy!! All of you deserve to have your souls burn in Hell for all the pain and suffering you have caused!!"

"Mael, wait a moment!", Makarov shouted, "As much as I agree with you, the circumstances have changed. We need them alive to answer questions about the Demons, the illegal mining operations, and who the Chairman really was."

Seeing their opportunity, the Anti-Mage Faction threw themselves at the feet of their Mage colleagues. Swearing to give them all the information they wanted, all they wanted was for the Mages to save them from me. While the Council Members were busy pleading for their lives, Gildarts and Makarov looked at me with concern. Giving them a wink, the two of them let out a sigh of frustration.

"For a second there I thought you were going to kill all of them.", Gildarts stated with a smirk.

"If they hadn't used that chance, I would have.", I chuckled, "All those kids back at the Guild, they sent the Demons to kill them and everyone else at the Guild."

"I assumed as much.", Makarov groaned, "I thank you for stopping anyone from being harmed."

"The souls I freed are making their peace with their loved ones. You may see some spirits around the Guild, but they will ascend in the morning.", I said.

Wrapping his arm around my neck, Gildarts said that I was actually a big softy under that bloodthirsty attitude. In all reality, I was only bloodthirsty with the people that deserved it. When it came to innocent people I treated them with respect, unless they showed me none. Walking over to the Council Members who were doing all they could to save themselves, I made a deal with them. In exchange for giving the Mages all the information and materials they were asked for, I would spare them from my wrath. Of course all of them agreed to it, and immediately two turned to stone.

"If you lie to me or try to back out on our agreement...you will become a statue.", I chuckled with a wicked smile, "Make sure you do your best."

Shivering with fear, that was all it took for them to commit themselves to fixing things.