Junko's Last Act of Despair

Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Tenrou Island.

December 14, x787.

"Alfonzo and Lici are back!" Natsu shouted as he pointed to the sky while the group of S-Class wizards sat around a camp fire.

However, Natsu's prompt was completely unnecessary for most of the wizards on the island. Since they could use [Magic Power Detection], and had been doing so ever since they left Magnolia, they already knew that Alfonzo and Elicia were approaching. But it did come in handy for the only other wizard incapable of using [Magic Power Detection], Gildarts.

A few moments later, Alfonzo, with Elicia clinging to his back, landed near the camp fire. Then, just as Elicia hopped off Alfonzo's back, Cana, Ultear, Erza, Mirajane, Marin, and Sun surrounded them.

"So, how is Mar'e?" Marin asked excitedly. "Ooh, I wanna hug him right now."

"He's good." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "Lici made him cry, though."

"Fonzie~~!" Elicia shouted in protest.

At the same time, not only the ladies surrounding Alfonzo and Elicia, but every wizard present glared at Elicia. Their glares making it clear that if she did not have a good explanation, she would have to deal with all of them.

Meanwhile, Elicia looked around at all the unfriendly gazes with a dumbfounded expression on her face. In all her years as a member of Fairy Tail, she had never been looked at like this… Not by so many people, at least.

"Why are you all looking at me like that?" Elicia asked in a confused tone.

"Elicia, what did you do to Amar'e?" Evergreen asked in a stern, threatening tone.

"Yeah, what did you do to make my Amar'e cry?" Ultear asked angrily.

In response, Elicia stared blankly at Evergreen. Then, she frowned as she turned her gaze to Ultear.

"First of all, he's my Amar'e." Elicia said, responding to Ultear's question. "And I really didn't do anything."

"Then why did Alfonzo say you made Amar'e cry?" Levy asked with a frown.

"You , too, Levy?" Elicia asked in dumbfounded amazement. Then, she shook her head before glaring at Alfonzo, who was doing all he could to hold back laughter. "Stupid Fonzie!"

As she shouted at Alfonzo, Elicia kicked him in the shin. However…

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Elicia cried as she hopped away from Alfonzo and grabbed her foot. "That really hurts.

"That's what happens when you kick someone who's been strengthening their body with Techno Organic Metal for the last six years." Alfonzo said with a chuckle.

"Don't try to change the subject, Lici." Cana said sternly. She then continued, punctuating every word. "Tell. us. what. you . did. To. Amar'e. Right. now!"

"*Sigh* I'm not trying to change the subject." Elicia said as she let go of her foot. Though, it was clear to see that she was still in pain.

After that, Elicia told the group about how she made clones so that she could play with Amar'e and get some work done at the same time. And how Amar'e cried because he wanted to play with more than one of his mommy.

In response, everyone was completely dumbfounded by what they heard.

"That kid is just built different." Laxus muttered. "If I saw more than one of my mom when I was a baby, that probably would have made me cry. Not when they went away."

"You make it sound like that kid could be anything other than abnormal." Bickslow replied. "I mean, seriously… Look at his parents. They're both freaks."

At first, everyone started to nod in agreement with Bickslow. However, when they felt the dark auras Alfonzo and Elicia were releasing in response to Bickslow's comment, they chose to simply look away.

"Bickslow, would you mind repeating that?" Alfonzo asked while cracking his knuckles as he stepped towards Bickslow.

"Yeah, I must have heard you wrong." Elicia added while smiling brightly as she, too, stepped towards Bickslow. "Because I know you didn't just insinuate that my baby was a freak, right?"

Hearing Alfonzo and Elicia's tones, feeling the aura they released, and seeing the expressions on their faces, Bickslow subconsciously took a step back. Then, he let his gaze roam over the other S-Class wizards. And every time he made eye contact with one of them, they looked away, unwilling to maintain eye contact.

"come on, guys!" Bickslow shouted in a frightened, yet annoyed, tone. "Are you all really gonna leave me out to dry like this?"

Instead of just looking away, the others completely turned away from Bickslow, giving their answer in a very definite way.

"Come on, Alfonzo, Lici, you know that's not what I meant." Bickslow said as he slowly backed away from Alfonzo and Elicia after he realized he would not receive any help from his other guild mates. "I love Amar'e just as much as everyone else. Besides, being abnormal isn't that bad, right? I mean, normal is boring, you know.'

"That's a real interesting take on things, Bickslow." Alfonzo said as he continued to walk forward, his pace at least three times as fast as Bickslow's. Then, when he finally caught up to the frightened Bickslow, he slung as arm over his shoulder as he continued. "So, why don't we go somewhere nice and quiet to talk about your theory."

With that, Alfonzo dragged Bickslow away from the camp with Elicia following them and smiling brightly. Though, that smile did not reach her eyes.

"*Sigh* Will he ever learn when it's okay to speak?" Fried asked while shaking his head, almost feeling sorry for his friend's fate.

"Don't act like it's that bad." Laxus said as he sat down near the camp fire. "It's not like they'll hurt him too bad."

"Ahh~~~~~~~~~~! I'm sorry! Please, forgive me~~~~~~~~!"

Almost as soon as Laxus' words finished, Bickslow's scream could be heard from the distance. The scream was so loud that many birds, who had settled down for the evening, flew away in fear.

"You sure about that?" Gildarts asked.

"Not at all." Laxus replied with a shrug. "But I'm sure they won't cripple him at the very least."

Bickslow's screams and pleas for mercy went on for nearly half an hour. Then, about a minute after they stopped, Alfonzo, Elicia, and Bickslow returned to the camp. And while Alfonzo and Elicia wore refreshed expressions, with Elicia skipping happily, Bickslow looked as if his soul had left his body and came back only a few moments ago.

"Anyway, I'm tired from flying to and from Magnolia twice in less than twenty four hours." Alfonzo said with a smile. "So, I'm gonna get some sleep. I'll see you guys in the morning."

"Yeah, I'm gonna go to sleep, too." Elicia added as she hugged Alfonzo's arm. "See you in the morning, everyone."

With that, Alfonzo and Elicia headed to their tent. At the same time, Cana, Ultear, Erza, Mirajane, Marin, and Sun exchanged glances. Then, they stood up before following Alfonzo and Elicia into the tent.

Meanwhile, everyone else looked at Bickslow with pity in their gazes.

"Don't look at me like that!" Bickslow shouted in an aggrieved tone. "None of you bastards even came to help me."

"You brought it on yourself." Levy said with a shrug. "I mean, what were you thinking talking about Amar'e like that in front of them?"

"I'm sure he wasn't." Evergreen said nonchalantly. "Why do you think I've had to beat him up so many times over the years."

"yeah, a real man doesn't talk about people's kids like that." Elfman added.

"*Sigh* Even a broken clock is right two times a day." Gray said while molding a piece of ice in his hands. "it's always amazing when I don't feel like punching you when you spout that real man crap."

"You're just lucky they did not break your head for what you said." Laki chimed in.

Bickslow did not know what to say in response to all the words lacking sympathy for what he just experienced. So, instead of trying to defend himself, he just sat down to the side and pouted as visibly as possible.

Meanwhile, Alfonzo and Elicia were telling the other girls in the tent about their run in with Junko, Himiko, and Mokuro.

"So, you're telling me that crazy bitch had a twin sister?" Cana asked with a frown on her face. "And when she saw the look on her sister's face after Fonzie fatally injured her, she looked like she was gonna have an orgasm?"

"Yeah, pretty much." Elicia replied with a disgusted expression on her face. "I seriously don't know how anyone could be so obsessed with despair. She even looked orgasmic when I started slowly choking her to death."

"Yeah, that chick was off her rocker." Marin said in a dumbfounded tone.

"I'm glad you didn't bring me with you." Sun said with a queasy look on her face. "Just hearing about how she acted in that situation is making me feel a bit sick."

In response to Sun's words, Alfonzo pulled her close to him. Then, he laid her head on his lap and began combing his fingers through her hair.

"Yeah, dealing with someone like that isn't for everyone." Alfonzo said in a soothing tone. "but you don't need to think about it anymore. She's never gonna bother any of us again."

"Still, I wonder how she ever got to be one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory in Grimoire Heart." Ultear muttered.

"Indeed." Erza added. "For someone so lacking in fighting skills, that title seems… How do I put it?"

"I know what you mean. It's probably because of the high amount of magic power she had." Mirajane surmised. "I mean, she could probably just overpower everyone with raw power. So, she never had to really fight with anyone."

"Mira's probably right." Elicia said with a nod. "I mean, when I fought her three years ago, she was harder to deal with. And that's probably just because we were closer in how much magic power we had. But since then, I doubt she's trained at all, only relying on her natural talent. Meanwhile, like all of you, I've been pushing myself to my limits almost every day. So, I was able to steamroll her this time"

Hearing that, everyone nodded their heads in agreement.

"Anyway, I really am tired" Alfonzo said with a smile while continuing to comb his fingers through Sun's hair. "So, I'm gonna get some sleep. I gotta wake up early to go get Ur and the others, you know."

With that, Alfonzo unleashed a huge yawn, putting an end to the conversation. Then, he and the ladies laid down for bed, sleeping until just before sunrise.

December 15, x787.

When Alfonzo eventually woke up, he carefully climbed out of the tent, making sure not to wake anyone up. Then, he intended to make his way to a nearby stream to wash up. However, when he saw Gildarts sitting by the camp fire and drinking from a bottle of liquor, he made a quick detour.

"Oh, hey, Kid." Gildarts said after noticing Alfonzo. "So, how did everything go the other night?"

"Everything was fine." Alfonzo replied. "And since you'll probably hear about it shortly after we get back to the mainland, I'll tell you what we went to do."

"It's about damn time." Gildarts said with a snort.

"We went to take out Junko Enoshima." Alfonzo continued. "She was a blight on this world. So, we ended her… permanently."

"Good job, Kid." Gildarts said, raising his bottle in a toast. "From what Ur told me, she was the cause of that zombie outbreak in Takanosu, too. Getting rid of her was the right idea. There's no telling what she would have done next."

'Oh, I can guess what she was going to do next.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'There was probably gonna be a string of kidnappings for her little Killing Game over the next few years. The real question is, what did she do while we couldn't find her?'

"Anyway, I'm gonna get washed up." Alfonzo said as he started moving towards the water source. "Then, I'll head back to Hargeon to pick up the S-Class candidates and Ur."

"Alright." Gildarts replied while waving his bottle at Alfonzo. "I'll see you later."

After that, Gildarts took a swig from his bottle while Alfonzo disappeared into the forest.

Earth Land, Ishgar, Floating Cube Island.

Sitting in his throne room, Mard Geer Tartaros was lost in his thoughts. However, the sound of footsteps quickly broke him out of whatever it was he was thinking about. So, he looked up towards the entrance to his throne room with an intrigued expression on his face.

"Hmm? Kyôka seems to be in a hurry." Mard Geer muttered to himself with a grin on his face. "I wonder what could have her so excited."

A moment later, Kyôka entered the throne room. Then, after approaching the throne, she stopped at a respectful distance and bowed politely.

"What's the matter, Kyôka?' Mard Geer asked while still grinning.

"I have two pieces of news to report, Lord Mard Geer.' Kyôka replied.

"Well then, let me hear it." Mard Geer said as he leaned his right elbow on the armrest of his throne and sported the side of his head with his knuckles.

"Yes. I've received a report from our spy among the Magic Council." Kyôka said. "According to them, Junko Enoshima was killed early this morning."

"Hmm?" Mard Geer hummed in thought while drumming the fingers of his left hand against the armrest. "Junko… That sounds familiar. Oh, it's so hard to remember such inferior creatures as humans. Who was that again?"

Like that, Mard Geer continued to contemplate the name Junko. Then, a few moments later, he slapped his left hand on his arm rest as he wore a smile.

"She's the one who was supposed to tell us how to find Face and activate it, correct?" Mard Geer asked, looking rather proud of himself for remembering such a lowly being.

"that's correct." Kyôka replied.

In the next instant, Mard Geer's aura exploded outward, causing the entire Cube to shake.

"And now without her, we have lost access to that information!" Mard Geer shouted angrily.

"All is not lost, Lord Mard Geer." Kyôka, who was struggling to remain standing under Mard Geer's pressure, said in a shaky tone. "though the human is now dead, we still received the information we seek."

Hearing that, Mard Geer reeled in his pressure. Then, the smile on his face made its reappearance.

"Well, why didn't you say that first?" Mard Geer asked in a feigned tone of friendliness. "I almost ripped you apart because of that, you know? So, where is Face and how do we activate it?""

"Face's location is written here." Kyôka replied while holding a piece of paper with coordinates to Face's main body, Alta Face. "However, all she could find out was that there was a seal put in place with [Organic Link Magic]. So, it can't be activated until we are able to kill the members of the Magic Council it is linked to. Unfortunately, only that fool Crawford Seam knew to whom it was linked."

"And he is dead." Mard Geer said with his smile quickly turning into a frown. "But that means that the new Magic Council does not know who the seal is linked to either, correct."

"That is correct." Kyôka said with a nod. "but from what that Junko gathered, it is linked to three members of the former Magic Council. And since most of them are imprisoned, it should not be an issue killing them."

"Ah… That human… What was her name again?" Mard Geer asked before shrugging his shoulders. "Never mind, I can't be bothered. But she has done wonderful work."

"Yes, it's a shame she died." Kyôka said in agreement. "I would have loved to torture her before turning her into a demon. Then, we would have had quite the useful slave."

"Indeed." Mard Geer agreed. "Anyway, make sure all the preparations are complete. Then, once they are, kill all those Magic Council meat bags."

"Understood." Kyôka replied. "After we've investigated the coordinates, found the main control for Face, and figured out its mechanisms, I'll send Jackal to kill them. I believe everything will be accomplished by the end of x791 at the latest."

"Very good." Mard Geer said. "Now, you may leave. I have much to think about."

With that, Kyôka turned around and left without another word. Meanwhile, Mard Geer turned back to his own thoughts as he picked up a book from the small table next to his throne titled E.N.D. and started flipping through its pages.

"Just wait, Lord Zeref." Mard Geer said in a solemn tone. "I will revive E.N.D. Then, once our strongest brother his among us once again, your greatest desire will be fulfilled."