31

Natsu had easily reached Cait Shelter, touching down in what appeared to be the modest entrance to their Guild Hall. The door slowly opened, as an extremely short, elderly man exited.

"I was wondering when another God would finally come knocking," the old man muttered, shaking his head with a sigh. "After all these years…"

A Member Of The Nirvit Race

A Former Disciple Of Discord And Chaos

The Architect Of The Nirvana Project

A Determined Spirit

Roubaul

"So, you're actually Roubaul," Natsu asked curiously. "The same Roubaul that built Nirvana a long time ago?"

"Oh yes, I am indeed," Roubaul replied, a slight smirk on his face. "I can see the shock in both your eyes, and yes, I can see the Goddess too. Are you surprised that it is not a madman that greets you?"

"Well…"

"If you knew to come see me, then you must also know the story," Roubaul replied with a curt nod toward Nirvana. "I am no longer the madman I once was… Rather, I am now an old fool, who stands vigil over a dead city."

"How are you sane? Weren't you being aided by the Goddess of Chaos, Evernight? And, weren't you also twisted by Ravus?"

"The Discord Ravus used against me still resonates within my very soul… However, it no longer affects me. Lady Evernight, on the other hand, still finds the time to taunt me every now and again. Although, even she admits that, perhaps I have suffered enough? You know you've had it good when the Goddess of Chaos tells you that you've suffered enough, eh?"

"We've come for a way to stop Nirvana, Roubaul? You were a key player in building it, so surely you must know of a way?"

"There's actually two ways to stop it," Roubaul replied, surprising the pair. "However, I fear that the Guild Master of the Oracion Seis has already beaten you to it."

"Ah, now I understand what the Oracion Seis planned with Nirvana," Eliza answered aloud. "Natsu it's not Nirvana that they are after, but rather, it's the Essence of Ravus they need!"

"Well deduced, young Goddess. And yes, I can tell you're rather new at this. I know that you weren't a God during my time, or the several times that succeeded it. It's good to see that the Gods are finally using their intervention for noble purposes, rather than to torment."

"Listen, as much as I'd like to let you reminisce, Nirvana is inching closer and closer to this place," Natsu chimed in. "Wendy wants me to save this place, so can you hurry up and tell us how to stop the giant death city!?"

"Ah, Wendy. She's such a lovely young girl, isn't she? A shame that she'll be all alone once all this is sorted…"

"What are you talking about?"

"Once Nirvana, or the Essence of Ravus, is put to rest… I will depart from this world, taking this entire village with me. That's right, none of this is real, boy. Could I be so bold as to ask of you, a small favor?"

"Depends on what it is?"

"Could you please take care of Wendy for me? She has absolutely nothing aside from what you see before you … all of it a mere illusion."

"Of course I'll help her," Natsu replied immediately, almost offended at having to be asked. "Now, how can I stop Nirvana!?"

"I thank you. Now, as I said, there are two ways to stop Nirvana. The first, is to take the Essence of Ravus from the central core, rendering the entire city powerless. The second, is to destroy the six power conduits in each of the legs at the exact same time, which will in turn destroy the central core. Unfortunately, it seems you most likely won't get to do either of those things…"

"You think Brain wants to get his hands on Ravus' Essence, right? What could he do with it?"

"What else would he do with it, other than merge himself with it," Roubaul replied, as if it were the most obvious thing.

"Natsu, that would be really bad… If Brain manages to merge with the Essence of Ravus, he will become a God of Discord! Not only that, but he will be the first fully fledged God to walk the mortal plane in thousands of years!"

"If we don't make it in time Eliza, do you think we could match him power wise?"

"There's only one way that we could, and that would be to undo our current pact, and create a new one. We would have to create one that doesn't involve us giving up things such as the Healing Factor. Without that alone, our chances against him would be nil."

"Wow, it's that bad? I assume you'll want to be the one to fight him then?"

"Yes. As the current standing Goddess of War, I will be able to keep up with him. My only worry is what the Gods of Creation and Ruin will have to say on the matter afterward, since technically I will be breaking the Rule Of Realms myself..."

"Are they aware of the current situation?"

"Yes. I've been allowed to remain here instead of being called into the Council, so that they have a representative speaking with you all."

"What do they think of an actual God roaming around again? Surely, they won't let that happen?"

"From what I can tell, they think our plan is the most sensible. Reforge the Unison Pact, and use me as the host body. Since I won't technically be entering the plane from our realm, we won't be undoing any seals between the Higher Realms, yet we will have access to more of my power, in addition to all of yours."

"Honestly, this God stuff confuses the Hell out of me, so let's just sort it out on the way back?"

"Very well. We know that Brain is after Ravus' Essence now, so we are prepared for that. All we need to do is voluntarily undo the current pact, and create a new one."

"Okay… So, how do we undo the pact?"

"Close your eyes, and you'll see me standing next to you," Eliza replied. "I'll look a bit different than what your used to, just keep that in mind?"

Natsu closed his eyes, and was immediately greeted by the true form of Eliza.

"Well you look ….. like a true Goddess."

Eliza had long flowing white hair that went down past her waist, eyes that were red in color, a slender, yet also muscular figure, and slightly pointed ears. She stood at an almost ridiculous nineteen feet tall, although, considering that she was a God, it made some sense in Natsu's head.

What made far less sense … was the fact that she was naked?

"So, you seriously don't wear clothes," Natsu asked, as his eyes roamed across her naked form, taking note that her beautiful body was just as scarred as his own. "Some Goddess of War you are?"

"Natsu, I'm currently sitting in my home? I'm allowed to be naked at home, aren't I?"

"Are you always naked when you speak with us?"

"I'm not telling," the War Goddess smirked, before shaking her head. "Anyway, we're getting off topic. Let's deal with this Unison Pact first?"

"You're not going to appear naked when we remake this pact, are you?"

"Of course not! Like I said, right now, we're in my home! Well, you're a projection… Anyway, come and take hold of this side of the ribbon."

Natsu walked over to the only other thing in the strange space he found himself in, a wooden door, which was sealed by a large red and black ribbon. Eliza was holding the black half of the ribbon, so Natsu took the red half.

"Now all we need to do is pull this at the same time, and we should be separated back to how we were before."

"Well… here goes," Natsu sighed, as the two pulled on the ribbon together, before everything went black.

***POTD***

Elise, Erza, and Wendy, had managed to almost reach the castle at the center of Nirvana. They were currently scaling a toppled building, when Elise suddenly froze up, and looked off in the direction of the Cait Shelter Guild.

"Something strange is happening Erza…

"What is it, Elise?"

"It's Natsu and Mother… I'm not sure exactly what happened but, well, their life force split apart for just a moment," Elise replied shakily. "And then, there was a large spike in Magical Power, and now they've rejoined as one… What could that mean…?"

"I hope they aren't trying anything stupid again, because that's the last thing we need?"

"Well, as much as I want to stand around and worry about them, we don't have the time. We need to find the rest of the Oracion Seis and Kidomaru, before this thing escalates any further."

"Easier said than done, since we haven't got a clue where the hell they're hiding," Erza replied with a deep sigh. "We've searched this place high and low, and haven't found a trace of them!?"

"That's because you're all to easy to read and dance around, Titania!"

Erza and Wendy were pushed aside, as the building behind them was blasted apart. Both Erza and Wendy immediately spun around, right in time to see Elise be engulfed by a large purple colored vortex.

"Elise!"

"Hah! You see that," a familiar voice grinned, as Cobra walked through the collapsing building, right as his attack ceased, to reveal Elise's shredded form. "Guess I tagged your prey Kido, my bad!"

"Pfft. They hardly qualify as prey," Kidomaru smirked, walking out from behind Cobra, a sadistic smirk on his face. "Greetings again, Titania!"

"Damn it," Erza hissed, as Elise stumbled backward, her flesh torn up by Cobra's attack. "Elise, get behind me-!"

"No…"

Erza paused, as Elise staggered backward several more steps, before suddenly righting herself, chuckling softly, as Cobra's eyes widened in a mixture of surprise and mild amusement.

"Well now, would you look at that," Cobra smirked. "Guess she's yours after all Kido?"

Elise cracked her neck to relieve some built up pressure, as both Wendy and Erza's jaws dropped in shock. The severe damage her body had sustained had begun healing itself, her very skin knitting itself back together, as Elise looked over her shoulder, smiling at the pair.

"It looks like I've hit a new stage in my God Slayer abilities, because now I have the God Slayer's ability to Regenerate!"

"Wait, seriously," Erza replied, clearly shocked, yet also relieved that her friend wasn't just blasted half to death. "How did you…?"

"Doesn't matter how," Elise continued, as she looked back toward Kidomaru and Cobra, both Mages now fully on guard. "What matters, is we take these two down!"

"You're right," Erza nodded in agreement, as she moved to stand beside Elise. "Wendy, you said you were skilled in Support Magic, right?"

"Y-Yes, I am!"

"Good. Give us both a boost," Erza commanded firmly, as Kidomaru took several steps backward.

"I can't wait to rip you apart, Faulkner," Kidomaru cackled, his form becoming coated in a bright red light. "Bring it on!"

"Hah! That's the spirit Kido," Cobra grinned savagely, as he also began to release his Magical Power, as dark purple scales began to manifest across his body. "Let's show these punks what the Oracion Seis is all about! Toxic Drive!"

Kidomaru – 137,501 MPI

Cobra – (Toxic Drive) – 140,965 MPI

"This could get rough," Erza muttered, as she began to Requip into her Armor Of The Brilliant Flame. "But even so, we can't lose here!"

"Damn right," Elise agreed, As a full set of ebony lined Combat Armor slowly manifested itself around her form.

"And don't forget, I'll support you too," Wendy added, though somewhat shakily, as she extended both her arms out to Erza and Elise's positions. "Fast winds that run the Heavens … Sky Dragon's Enchant – Vernier!"

Erza and Elise immediately felt the effects of Wendy's Spell, both sharing a stiff nod, as they slid into offensive stances. A tense silence followed as nobody moved, the sound of wind echoing across the dead city … then … BOOM!

Elise had immediately acted, moving to slug Kidomaru across the face, but was intercepted by Cobra. The Poison Dragon Slayer grinned, even as he skidded backward after intercepting the blow with his right hand.

That was the opening shot, as Erza, Elise, Kidomaru, and Cobra, all vanished.

Wendy remained where she was, no longer able to track their movements, even whilst having buffed herself with Vernier, a Spell that actively increased the speed of both the Caster, and their intended targets.

'I'd better keep moving toward the castle,' Wendy thought, as she observed the numerous explosions going off all around her current position. 'I'm only in the way here…'

Using her enhanced speed, and the distraction Erza and Elise were unintentionally providing, Wendy bolted toward the central castle. She didn't know what to do once she got there, but at least she wouldn't be a liability to the others…

***POTD***

Elise grit her teeth as she sprinted down a ruined street, a barrage of explosions following her every move, as she looked up to where a smirking Kidomaru stood. The man was making flicking motions with his thumb and middle finger, which was then followed by the aforementioned explosions behind her.

"So slow Faulkner," Kidomaru cackled, seemingly sprinting on air as he disappeared and reappeared rapidly around the area. "I've got a lot of plans in store for you once I've subdued you! You'll pay dearly for costing me Ikaruga!"

"Ikaruga died because she was a Dark Mage who took pleasure in killing others," Elise spat back. "She met her match, that's all there is to it!"

"Just like you've met yours, Faulkner!"

Elise gasped, as something pierced through her upper thigh, tripping her up as she crashed into a nearby house. Quickly flipping to her feet as the hole in her thigh healed itself, Kidomaru appeared, followed by two more, as the Dark Mage and his clones all pointed their index fingers in her direction.

"Shit…"

The house was immediately engulfed in a fiery explosion, as the Dark Mage's psychotic laughter nearly managed to overtake the roar of the inferno before him. It was silenced abruptly, however, when one of the clones was immediately sliced in half from the head down.

"What-!?"

The second clone suddenly had an ebony javelin sticking out of its torso, right where the heart would be, as it faded away. His hand immediately reached out on instinct, catching a dagger aimed at his throat.

"Figures that the clones were pale imitations," Elise huffed, appearing right in front of Kidomaru, her body ablaze from the fires of the explosion. "War God's Infernal Ares!"

All of the fire surrounding Elise's body quickly traveled up to one sole focal point on her body … the head, which caught Kidomaru completely off guard. As Elise smashed her head directly into his own, setting off a secondary sizeable explosion from the impact point, the Dark Mage was blasted hundreds of feet away, smashing into one of the taller structures atop Nirvana.

The top half of the building almost immediately collapsed, as Elise landed atop another slightly shorter building nearby. Part of her face was bloodied, her tender flesh exposed, as the skin knitted itself back together.

Coughing up some blood, Elise quickly spat it out and grit her teeth. Slowly, the War God Slayer rose to her feet, sensing Kidomaru's Magical Power flare up once again.

Raising her right arm, she swatted aside an attack that came from the direction of the semi-collapsed building across from her, with the deflected attack flying off and detonating upon contact with a nearby building.

The explosion was smaller than the ones she'd previously dealt with from Kidomaru, but it was obvious that now that he wasn't going for large scale shots.

A gust of wind blew the smoke from the rubble away, revealing Kidomaru.

The man had suffered a deep gash in the side of his face, his masked visage now fully visible to her. The man was clearly pissed off, as he extended his left hand outward, forming a bright green Magic Circle.

"You little bitch," Kidomaru panted, clutching the damaged side of his face with his right hand. "How dare you use my own attack against me!?"

"In my defense, I half used it," Elise replied as she tapped her forehead. "Normally, I can't generate that much Fire Magic on my own, since I'm not skilled enough in it yet. But you practically handed me that shit on a silver platter, so of course I took advantage!"

"Oh yeah," Kidomaru replied, his voice sounding almost unhinged as he slowly moved the bright green Magic Circle in Elise's direction. "Well… Let's take advantage of your lack of knowledge on just who you're FUCKING DEALING WITH!?"

Kidomaru vanished, clearing the distance between them in a span of a few seconds, with an attack now fully formed in his left hand.

"Toxin Magic – Fatal Fragger!"

Kidomaru lobbed a large, green colored ball of sludge at Elise's position. Leaping off the building, she was shocked to see the attack expand to envelop the entire top portion of the building.

"What the-!?"

Landing atop another building, Elise watched as smoke and fumes began to rise from the building. A loud sizzling sound was then audible, as the attack started eating away at the roof. Quickly moving to devour the entire building.

"What the hell kind of Magic is that-?"

Elise didn't have the time to finish, reacting a second too late, as Kidomaru kicked her in the side of the head, sending her flying through several buildings, before she hit a road. Skidding through the road, she eventually managed to right herself, flipping up onto her feet, and skidding to a complete stop near what appeared to be a square of sorts.

"Shit," Elise hissed, the right side of her body having taken the brunt of the punishment from the road, blood pouring from multiple wounds that were already beginning to heal, though, at a slower than ideal rate.

Stepping backward, she avoided Kidomaru, who had attempted to run her through with a tanto. The man spun on his heel, and attempted to slash at her, but his strike was blocked by her right forearm, her ebony gauntlet clashing with his blade.

"Damn you Faulkner," Kidomaru hissed. "You killed my top assassin! You've made my Guild look like a complete joke-!"

"Because you are a joke," Elise snapped back, as Kidomaru attempted to slash at her multiple times, with Elise using her gauntlets to block, before returning fire with swift punches. "Aside from Trinity Raven and yourself, no one cares about the Death's Head Caucus!"

"Lies," Kidomaru snapped, a second blade appearing in his opposing hand, as the pair bobbed and weaved around one another.

Elise was quite surprised at the swiftness of Kidomaru's attacks. Despite her taunts, he really was a skilled assassin, showcasing as much as she was constantly blocking and dodging attacks from his tantos that were targeting vitals, narrowly avoiding being tagged constantly.

"Just DIE Faulkner," Kidomaru hissed, as he pivoted, his tantos suddenly gaining a bluish hue to them, before he continued his barrage.

This time, however, Elise had absolutely no choice but to dodge, as each individual slash attack, was backed by extremely powerful Air Magic. The Magic was so precise, in fact, that it was slicing through everything around her.

As she dodged, however, she found herself beginning to discern a pattern in Kidomaru's attacks. She quickly realized that after he would perform a series of twists and pivots to slash at her, he would always take a step backward, adjusting his grip on his tantos into a reverse grip, before beginning the same flurry again.

Stepping to the left, she avoided the initial attack from Kidomaru's right blade, slightly ducking down to avoid the slash to her neck. Rearing her head backward to avoid the stab and twisting her body to the left to avoid the under-armed jab that deployed a ranged Air Slash from Kidomaru's left tanto was next.

After that she dropped to her knees, avoiding a horizontal follow up, before pushing herself slightly into the air as he went to kick her face. After that, she then needed to spin right, avoiding another under-armed ranged attack…

"GKGH!"

In an instant, Elise changed the game.

As she spun to the right, like the last ten times, Kidomaru moved to readjust his grip on his tantos. This time, however, Elise had altered her spin trajectory ever so slightly, and let her left leg fly slightly further out than the previous ten times…

The result?

Kidomaru, not having noticed this minute change, flipped the tanto in his right hand from facing away from him, to facing toward him. In that single moment, as his blade flipped from right to left, the tip of Elise's boot kicked his clenched fist, knocking the blade leftward.

Directly… into Kidomaru's throat.

The assassin couldn't even speak, having torn part of his throat out. Unfortunately for him, he'd always started off his combo by attempting to slash at Elise's throat with his right blade, swinging outward and away from his own body. Having already been in the motion to do so as Elise kicked the blade into his throat, he couldn't even stop himself from performing the opening attack.

Elise stumbled backward, panting heavily, as blood poured from the man's slashed throat. The flesh hung open, flapping uselessly, as the red liquid spurted out onto the ruined road around them, the man desperately clutching his neck before collapsing.

As he lay dying, all Elise heard was a disturbing death rattle as his body shivered and shook. It was almost fascinating, in a morbid way, as he couldn't even vocalize his own fear…

And it made her think.

This man, this assassin, prided himself on his ability to kill someone so quickly that they wouldn't even know they were dead until the moment he struck. Ironically, he could not voice his fears through anything more than a wheezing rattle, with what little remained in his neck.

Kidomaru's form inevitably stilled, after some struggling, hands clasped firmly around his neck. Elise had remained where she had first stumbled, her eyes not having left the man's body, not even once.

She slowly lowered her gaze toward her left foot, taking note of the blood that had splattered onto it, before looking back over at Kidomaru's form once again.

"I-I did it…"

The knowledge that she had actually beaten Kidomaru finally seemed to register in her brain, still running high on adrenaline, as her legs buckled, and she fell to her knees. It seemed like something almost impossible, yet she had done it in a way that didn't even seem logical to her own mind.

This Dark Guild Master… A Triple S Ranked Dark Mage, and the right hand to the Guild Master of the Oracion Seis… SHE had bested such a foe?

"I did it," Elise repeated, this time with a little more emotion, as she shakily rose to her feet, several explosions from Erza's battle off in the distance reminding her of the current situation.

Elise decided not to dwell on the strange feeling that she had for the moment. It was highly likely that she was somewhat out of it due to blood loss, and she needed time to rest and recover…to better process what she had actually done to pull off the win.

As she slowly walked away from Kidomaru's corpse, little did she know that her eyes were faintly glazed with a Galaxy Blue coated hue…

***POTD***

"You don't look like you're doing so hot Titania," Cobra smirked, easily batting aside a flame-based projectile, before darting forward and striking Erza across the side of the face, sending her crashing through the front of a nearby house. "Its hopeless, I can hear your voice, plain as day…"

"Tch-!"

"That won't work," Cobra continued, stalking into the house and kicking aside the remains of a table as he advanced toward Erza's downed form. "You're less a Dragon than I am, and that's saying a lot!"

"Damn it," Erza hissed, as she slowly rose to her feet. "Even with Wendy's Enchantment…"

"Ah, finally starting to get it Titania? There's a bit of a skill gap between us," Cobra chuckled as he reached out suddenly, grabbing her by the neck and lifting her into the air. "That Armor is a rather nifty little invention, gotta give Dragneel credit for the idea, since its unique… But its not gonna be enough to match an actual Dragon Slayer in combat-!"

Erza lurched forward, as Cobra struck her in the gut with a brutal blow, sending her flying out the back of the house and through several others. After managing to right herself as she smashed through multiple buildings, she could only wince, whilst seeing the Poison Dragon Slayer advancing toward her menacingly.

"Honestly, this is just pathetic," Cobra sneered, as his form was coated by a maroon-colored aura. "When I got saddled with the mighty Titania, I expected more of a fight! Compared to the fight I got with Dragneel earlier, this is just fucking sad!?"

"What do you even want with this place," Erza growled back defiantly. "What's the point in trying to use this place!?"

"Heh. Nice try, but I'm not spilling that one. I'll give you a freebie though, since you're so weak and all," Cobra smirked, jumping atop one of the nearby houses and taking a seat. "See, me and Kido only have one job right now, and that's to stall you lot for time."

"Stall us? Why!?"

"So our Master can get a power that surpasses all others from this rotten scrap heap, that's why," Cobra laughed darkly. "A power so great, he says it'll even surpass his other half!"

"What are you talking about," Erza snapped, not understanding what Cobra was talking about.

"Oh yeah, that's right, you don't know about Brain's other self, do you? See, Brain has this Alter-Ego, goes by the name Zero. That version of him is a nasty piece of work, just wants to destroy until nothings left. So, we all sealed him away, using our own bodies," Cobra explained, his smirk growing crueler as he relished the next part. "So, care to take a guess what happened when you lot came in and started beating the shit out of us?"

"This … Zero, he was released, right?"

"Oh yeah, you bet he was! As soon as he came out, he went straight for the central core to this giant tin can! What he does from here, I couldn't care less," Cobra continued with a shrug. "As long as he doesn't come after my ass, he can do whatever he wants!"

"If this Zero person is truly close to achieving his objective… then I don't have any time to lose!"

"Heh. You've got all the time in the world to lose Titania, you've been losing your whole life, after all, haven't you? Couldn't be me, since I actually got out of that damn Tower and made something of myself!"

Erza's eyes widened at Cobra's statement, not fully believing it until she saw the look in his eyes.

"Y-You were there, at the Tower of Heaven!?"

"Not just me, so were the others," Cobra replied, as maroon and black colored poison began to seep from his body, leaking onto the building he was currently sat upon. "Me, Angel, Hoteye, Racer, and Midnight. All of us were there, just like you. Unlike you, we weren't content with just letting the world that forgot about us … no, abandoned us, get away with it!"

"No," Erza muttered, as Cobra slowly rose to his feet, his power exploding from his form as poison began leaking off of the building, seeping closer and closer to her position. "You're wrong! I chose to move beyond my hatred, beyond my anger … I'm proud of the path I've chosen! The path … of a Mage of Fairy Tail!"

Cobra's eyes widened in surprise, as he suddenly found himself unable to properly read Erza's thoughts. Her mind was filled with only her determination to prove his way of thinking wrong, which only further served to anger him.

"Time for you to learn the truth of the world, Titania," Cobra spat, as the poison reared up behind him. "We were tossed to the Dark, and we bent it to our will! Its our right to teach this world a lesson!"

"No, its not," Erza replied with a firm shake of her head. "I'll show you … Requip-!"

Erza was enveloped in a bright golden light, her power skyrocketing, which shocked Cobra, who hadn't expected such a thing. Once the light died down, the man took a surprised step backward, before gritting his teeth and clenching his fists.

On the surface, the Armor appeared rather basic. It appeared like a basic set of knight's Armor, minus the skirted portion, as well as the wing-like protrusions adorning the pauldrons. The Armor was mostly a simple light pink in coloration, with the wing-like protrusions and skirt being even lighter in shading. Atop her head was a tiara with the same wing-like protrusions, though they bore the plain pink coloration.

In each hand, Erza held a pair of identical swords that had an impressive design. The blades themselves hummed with power, and Cobra knew Erza had just pulled out something rather powerful, and cursed his lack of foresight.

"How did I not hear that you had this…"

"This is a rather recent addition to my collection," Erza explained, looking down at her Armor. "In fact, Natsu was kind enough to buy it for me, after I lamented not having the money to pay for it…"

Erza smiled as she recalled the memory. It was a rather sweet gesture, one that he played off like it wasn't a big deal at all. It was an interaction that lasted barely a minute, a topic they'd briefly discussed … and yet … he'd remembered.

"I dedicate this Armor to Fairy Tail, the place that pieced me back together, and forged me into the woman I am today," Erza proclaimed as both her blades became coated in a light green hue. "This … is my Armadura Fairy Armor!"

Erza Scarlett (AFA + Vernier) – 138,812 MPI

"Tch! You think a different Armor is going to save you," Cobra sneered in response. "Some cutesy looking Armor like that looks like it can't even take more than a few hits!"

"It won't need to," Erza replied, as she slowly slid into an offensive stance. "All I need … is one blow."

"You what," Cobra hissed in response, the veins on his forehead popping at Erza's bold declaration. "It seems like you've forgotten who was crushing you a few moments ago…"

Cobra launched himself from the roof, landing on the main road, as Erza fully stepped out of the building she was in, and moved to stand around thirty meters ahead of him. Green sparks exploded from her swords, as she tensed the muscles in her legs, Cobra doing the same.

"One strike to settle this fight … that's what you said, wasn't it?"

"Yeah."

"Then let's see how you handle this," Cobra snarled, the poison around him moving to envelop his form. His scales hardened, as a large, poisonous horn, slowly manifested atop his head. "On three …"

"One …"

"Two …"

"…"

"THREE," both combatants roared, as they shot forward from where they'd been standing, completely cratering their starting positions.

"Dragon Slayer's Secret Art: Noxious Omen – Lethal Injection!"

"Fairy Blade – Fantasia!"

Bringing her blades together, the green lightning within them merged together to form a blade twenty times larger than the original. Gritting her teeth, she dug her right heel in and began to swing the blade, as Cobra charged in to deliver a killer headbutt with his own attack.

Erza's attack clashed with Cobra's, halting the Dragon Slayer's advance, as they began to struggle against one another. Cobra roared as he continuously pushed against Erza's attack, shocked that he was even stalling against her.

"THIS … CAN'T BE IT," Cobra roared, the area around them being ripped apart as cracks began to appear in both attacks. "NO … I … WON'T … LOSE … HERE! THIS IS … MY … HATRED-!"

Erik!?

Cobra paused, his eyes widening as far as they could go. In that instant, he heard a voice. It was soft … gentle … loving …

"Right," Cobra sighed, as Erza's attack smashed through his own, delivering a slash across his chest, blood spraying out across the ruined road beneath him.

Dropping to his knees, Cobra looked up at the sky, his vision fading rapidly, only capable of seeing a purple splotch of color rapidly approaching his position.

"Maybe … Maybe there was hope for me … after all," Cobra muttered, as he felt himself enveloped by something scaly. "Maybe I could have had it all too … with you … Cubellios …?"

Cobra collapsed, falling unconscious, as Erza took several steps backward. Coiled around her opponent, was the same snake that had bitten her earlier. Erza had initially dismissed the thing as little more than a pet. Some sort of creature Cobra used to compliment his own abilities…

Looking at it now, however, she knew better.

The snake reared up, hissing at Erza, yet not lashing out. The message was obvious to her, as it would be to anyone else. Therefore, Erza Requiped back to her basic Armor, raising her hands slowly.

"I'm not going to attack him anymore … okay?"

The snake continued to hiss in her direction, lowering itself slightly as Erza began backing away slowly. Once she was around fifty meters away, the snake started dragging Cobra away into one of the nearby buildings.

It was a strange sight, she thought, as she watched the snake. But it was also heartwarming to see that, despite being a Dark Mage, one of the Oracion Seis no less, this man had a light in his life.

This man, who was a former slave of the Tower of Heaven, just like her, had found his shining light in the sea of darkness that was their reality. Despite being her enemy, she found herself hoping they'd meet again someday…

Erza waited until the snake, and Cobra, were out of view. Once they were gone, she turned on her heel, and began making her way toward the castle at the center of the city. Time was running short, and they needed to stop Brain, or Zero, quickly.

***POTD***

Wendy arrived at the Central Core to Nirvana, housed within the castle-like structure at the center of the dead city. Her nose had led her right to the place, having tracked the familiar scent of Jellal right to it.

Upon arrival, however, she was shocked to see Jellal on the ground, a strange looking man standing over him. He didn't look anything like Brain, instead having pale white skin, long messy white hair, and red colored eyes with green pupils.

"You … won't win," Jellal hissed, even as he slowly shuffled back from the menacing looking man. "Natsu will stop you … Zero!"

"You know, its funny," the man replied, smirking at the use of his real name. "If we were anywhere else, I'd actually be more agreeable to that statement?"

"Wh-What-!?"

"Time and again, Natsu Dragneel has defied the odds, besting the Bharam Alliance and the Wizard Saints. His track record lends credence to his overcoming the odds," Zero continued, before smirking evilly toward the downed man before him. "But in mere moments … Dragneel will be little more than a … mortal concern!"

"What do you mean by that," Jellal hissed, finally managing to rise to his feet, albeit shakily. "What are you going to do!?"

"Why, the answer is obvious," Zero smirked, turning on his heel, and walking out onto the bridge overlooking the exposed reactor core. "I'm going to ascend, Jellal!"

"Ascend? What…?"

Wendy suddenly felt a hand cover her mouth, freezing in place, as she was gently pulled back down the corridor. Once the scene with Jellal and Zero was just out of view, a feminine voice spoke to her.

"You were very brave to reach this far into Nirvana, Wendy dear… I'm afraid though, you'll need to remain behind, though?"

Wendy found herself thoroughly confused, as the feminine figure released her. Immediately spinning around, she was stunned speechless at the nineteen-foot tall, beautiful woman before her.

"I would advise you be silent dear, lest Zero hear us," the woman whispered with a gentle smile, petting her head. "I am here to put a stop to all this."

"Y-You look just like Elise-!?"

"Perhaps," the woman smirked in reply. "Or, rather, Elise looks a lot like me?"

"Wh-Who are you…?"

"I am Eliza, Elise's Mother, and a God," Eliza replied with a smirk, kneeling down before the girl. "I'm currently merged with Natsu in order to deal with the threat here once and for all."

Wendy clearly had no idea how to respond to Eliza, merely gaping at the Goddess, who found her reaction highly amusing. Petting the girl one last time, Eliza slowly rose to her full height.

"I would advise you run and find Erza or Elise? Once Zero does as he plans, I cannot guarantee the safety of anyone present."

Turning on her heel, Eliza strode confidently into the reactor room, with Zero immediately locking eyes with her, smirking.

"You're too late, Fairy scum, for I've won! You may have defeated the others, and the one Wizard Saint brat may have possessed power that potentially surpassed mine … but no longer! Once I absorb this, I'll achieve true power beyond your comprehension!"

"It seems like Jellal got beaten pretty bad," Natsu noted within their shared mind, as Eliza looked over at the man who was struggling to stand.

"Y-You… You're-!?"

"Not who you think I am," Eliza replied for him. "Elise is my chosen, and Daughter."

"Your … chosen," Jellal muttered, putting two and two together, his eyes widening to the size of dinner plates. "You mean that you're-!?"

"Indeed," Eliza smirked, before looking back toward Zero, a cold glare setting across her features. "Zero. I will give you but one warning … Step away from the reactor core, and I shall spare your life?"

"I bow to no one now," Zero cackled with glee, ripping the railing apart and tossing it aside. "Witness my ascension … TO THE REALM OF THE GODS!"

Eliza watched as Zero jumped right into the heart of the reactor core, being pushed back upward for Jellal, Wendy, and herself to see. His body became coated in a Galaxy Blue Aura, as power surged from his form, far beyond anything the mortals present had ever felt in their lives.

"Yes … YES … YEEEEEESSSS! ABSOLUTE POWER IS MINE," Zero crowed, only to gasp as his skin started to ripple. "Wait… No … What's happening-!? No-NO-!?"

Zero's rippling skin began to bubble, as the Galaxy Blue Aura started seeping in through his very pores, his flesh seemingly molting off of his body, followed by his organs, leaving only a skeleton behind.

Loud, audible cracking noises could be heard across the chamber, as the skeleton started to bend, twist and stretch … reforming itself into a newer shape. All the while, the voice of Zero could be heard echoing across the room, though the shifting body no longer appeared to be its source.

"MAKE IT STOOOOOP! I BEG OF YOU, DON'T TAKE MEEEEEEEEEE-!?"

There was a bright flash of Galaxy Blue, followed by a powerful shock-wave that knocked Jellal and Wendy all the way into the back wall of the reactor room. Once the light died down, the mortals were stunned into complete silence.

The man known as either Zero, or Brain, was no more. In his place stood a strangely menacing, yet equally bizarre looking figure.

The figure was a man, standing at nineteen feet tall, and wearing a strange business suit. The entire thing was a bizarre, almost abstract clashing of browns, lime greens, cyan, cherry red, and orange. Not a single aspect of the colour pattern was placed with any rhyme or reason, almost defying any such logic.

His eyes were equally as strange. The eye sockets weren't even the same size, with one being absurdly large, and the other of a proportional size. Both eyeballs were a sickly looking yellow, with a dark red colouration for the iris.

The man grinned, showcasing that his left canine tooth was nine times larger than his right, all of his teeth being completely perfect otherwise. His hair was likewise a similar mess, a mixture of dark brown, grey, and bright yellow.

The man clapped his hands together, giggling, before roaring with laughter, as he held out his right hand, summoning a glass of chocolate milk, consuming it through a silly straw whilst flaring his absurd level of power, smirking evilly.

A Former Cosmic Force God Of Terminus

Seventh God Of Discord

Third Patriarch Of The Eris Clan

Ravus Insanistis

"Ahh… Finally back in a body after all this time," Ravus sighed, taking another sip of his chocolate milk. "Oh!? It has been such a long time, hasn't it!? So many plans to form, so many flowers to frolic, so much mustard to musticate!"

The God yawned after finishing his chocolate milk, tossing the glass to the ground, only for it to make a squeaking sound, and bounce up to the ceiling, before shattering. His tongue fell out of his mouth, dropping several meters, and licking up some stray refuse of chocolate milk from when it hit the ground, before he realize he was being watched.

"Ah-! Hewwow!"

Eliza was entirely neutral, but Natsu was internally cringing at the bizarre, almost child-like behavior, as the God waved at them in an over-the-top way. It was so over the top, in fact, that he actually fell over from waving too hard.

"Oof! Ahahaha! Anyhowwhatwaywhywhenwho," the God grinned, his tongue retracting almost instantly as he physically snapped his jaw shut. "Who the fuck are you?"

"I am the Forty-Second God Of War," Eliza replied calmly, as the God's eyes widened to comical proportions.

"FORTY-SECOND!?"

"That's correct. I take it that you are the former God of Discord, Ravus," Eliza asked in an amused tone, as the man looked at her in confusion for a moment, before his skin turned a bright red color.

"Former God …. And just who do you think you're calling a former God?" Ravus snapped in response as he pointed at Eliza, firing a large blast of blue energy in her direction.

Eliza merely swatted it aside, blowing a massive hole in the building, eliciting a frown from the Discord God.

"How long has it been since I was confined," Ravus huffed, his form returning to what was supposedly his regular form. "As I recall, you were not the current standing God of War on the Tribunal?"

"To answer your question, it has been precisely two thousand one hundred and fifty-nine years two hundred and forty-two days and twelve hours since you were confined. However, you do not understand the situation that has unfolded since you were confined. Much has changed regarding the rules, so I must explain it to you."

"Oh goodie! I just love hearing about all the politics of Terminus," Ravus smirked, twisting on the spot before sitting down on the ground with his legs crossed, eyes literally sparkling. "Excuse me, Miss Faulkner? How is dear Evernight doing? I simply must see her!?"

"Ravus… After Evernight's supposed murder of you, the Tribunal created a rule that we as Gods must never break," Eliza replied, not addressing his question directly. "We Gods are forbidden from entering the mortal realms again. You have been revived on the mortal plane, which is a big problem-."

"Not allowed to play with the mortals!? What a farce, I shall not take heed," Ravus spat, immediately on his feet with a glare directed toward Eliza. "We are Gods, are we not!? Divine beings who reign over these lowly mortals, free to do with them as we see fit!?"

"Ravus, the Gods of Creation and Destruction are in agreement on this. You must obey the rules, or you know what happens..."

"I emerge after two thousand years to THIS!? Such disrespect! I refuse to bow down to those old fools," Ravus snarled in response. "Let them hide in the God Realms if they wish, for I'll create my own realm, right here!"

"So, you refuse to return to the God Realms? That is your answer?"

"I refuse wholeheartedly," Ravus laughed in reply, giving Eliza the middle finger.

"Very well then… The Tribunal has heard your answer, and has meted out your punishment for manipulation of the mortal realms, and declaring your intentions of conquest. Your sentence is physical death, and your God's Essence confined to the Creationist's Annals."

"You're far too young to be facing one such as me, little Godling! You may hold the post of God of War… However, you know that other posts can fare just as well as you!"

"What you believe is irrelevant, for the time for speaking between us has passed. Accept your fate."

"As if I'd accept a fate stuck in some old coot's book for the rest of existence!? I'll kill all of you, the same way Evernight tried to kill me!"

Ravus began powering up, no longer messing around, with Eliza doing the same mere moments after. The entirety of Nirvana shook, as the pair prepared to fight.

"Pay attention to this fight, Natsu, and you'll learn something," Eliza muttered softly, as her entire form was coated with a Galaxy Blue Aura, her eyes shifting the same coloration, with Ravus doing the same.

The two Gods vanished, reappearing high above Nirvana, as a resounding crack echoed across not just Nirvana, but the entire forest, as the battle between two Gods upon the mortal realms ... commenced