"Okay…" Lucy said nervously, sweating profusely. "How about I just let you three take care of this while I stay back here and give moral support."
"Scared…?" Happy mocked.
"Shut up, yah stupid cat!" the blonde yelled.
"Hey…hold on a second." Gray interrupted. "Where's Azmuth?"
The team looked at Gray and then glanced around, finding no sign of the subconscious manifestation.
"But, he was just here…" Erza mumbled, confused.
"Ah man! Don't tell me he bailed on us again!" Natsu whined.
"Looks that way," Gray noted, annoyed.
"No matter," the scarlet-haired knight proclaimed, "we must be ready. I have a feeling this battle will be much harder than the last."
"Terrific…" Lucy grumbled.
Suddenly, the blank scene around the Ultimate Team began to contort and take shape. Within seconds, the gang was now standing in the middle of the Bancroft Academy schoolyard. The sky above was filled with onyx storm clouds and the flash of mauve lightning. All in all, the scene was quite creepy.
"What are we doing back here?" Gray wondered.
"Didn't we just see this memory?" Natsu asked, confused.
"This isn't a memory." Erza looked around, narrowing her eyes. "This is a battleground."
A loud flash of lightning caused the team, minus Erza, to jump in alarm. The booming roar of thunder soon followed. Then, the wind began to pick up violently. Lucy put her hands on her skirt to keep it from flipping up as Happy hung on to her shoulders to keep from flying away. Erza equipped another sword and resumed a fighting stance while Natsu and Gray followed her example.
"What's happening?!" Lucy cried.
"It's the Entrapment!" Erza shouted. "Just like before!"
"NO! This feels different…" Gray added.
Suddenly, five masses of dark clouds swirled above the Ultimate Team. The wizards could only look up as they were each trapped within their own respective twister. Within an instant, the gang began to cry out in agony. Each of them felt as if boiling toxins had been poured into their bodies.
Lucy fell to her hands and knees, hot tears streaming down her face as she clenched her eyes shut. She and Happy were the first to fall unconscious. Natsu fell to his knees and clutched his pink hair, the veins on his neck and temples throbbing madly. The Dragon Slayer let out a painful yell before he collapsed face first to the ground. Gray clenched his teeth tight until he finally let out a cry and fell too.
Erza dropped to a knee and gnashed her teeth as unbearable pain filled her body and mind. Her attempts to hold in her agony were proving futile. She looked around to see that she was enveloped in a dark twister.
'No…Ben…' She thought before she fell unconscious.
Meanwhile, observing the Ultimate Team fall from afar, a being of the darkness chuckled forebodingly. "It ends here." He rasped. "But first…let's have some fun."
…
Gray's eyes suddenly snapped open. He breathed deeply as he lied on the snow-covered ground for a brief moment, completely clueless. Wait…snow? The onyx-haired wizard quickly sat up, looked around, and gasped. He was in the middle of a destroyed village. The buildings all laid in ruin.
"How did I get here…?" Gray thought out loud. "Wasn't I…"
He remembered standing alongside his friends, preparing to battle another Entrapment manifestation. Then, the last thing he recalled was swirling black clouds followed by a lot of pain.
As Gray studied his surroundings, his eyes widened from a frightening realization. He knew this place. It was where…
"No…" he whispered. "It can't be."
"But it is." A feminine voice interjected.
He immediately turned around and gasped at what he saw. Standing in the snowy street of the destroyed village was his deceased master and surrogate parent, Ur. She stood tall and gazed at Gray with an expression full of contempt.
Gray's eyes bulged out and his mouth gaped a little. His body began to tremble from shock and confusion. "U-Ur…" he stuttered. "Y…Y…Y-you're alive…?"
"No. I'm not. I'm dead." She closed her eyes and lowered her head. After a tense moment, she looked back at her former student in utter disappointment. "And it's all because of you."
Gray took a step back, and at that moment, he thought he felt his heart stop. A cold sweat started to drip down his face.
"I…I…" Gray stammered, unable to articulate anything else.
"She's right." A boy's voice said.
The black-haired teen turned to his left toward the source of the voice and gasped once more. Standing there was Lyon; however, he was a young boy, the same age they both were when Ur used Iced Shell to entrap Deliora. The little, white spiked-hair boy glared at Gray with derision.
"It was your fault." He declared through clenched teeth. "You selfishly ran off thinking you could beat Deliora on your own. It was because of you that our teacher followed you! It was because of you that she had to take on Deliora! And it was because of you that she sacrificed herself!"
Gray's heartrate increased while his breathing became irregular. He lowered his head and closed his eyes, clenching his teeth. Everything that Lyon said was true. He was guilty of Ur's death. He was already aware. He knew that ultimately it was his fault, but just hearing it coming from these two especially only made it worse.
"I…I know." Gray choked out, feeling tears stream down his face. "I'm sorry."
"YOU'RE SORRY!?" Lyon exclaimed in outrage. "You killed our master and destroyed my dream of surpassing her, but you're sorry?!"
"I…" Gray couldn't say anything as he fell to his knees, sobbing. The guilt was really beginning to get to him now, more so than his experience on Galuna Island.
Suddenly, the ground began to shake, but in a pattern like footsteps. The Fairy Tail wizard lifted up his head and felt his breathing stop. His eyes widened in horror and shock. The mighty demon that was Deliora towered above him, glaring down at him with its evil red eyes.
"D-Deliora…" the ice wizard stuttered.
"It was you!" Deliora said in a deep, booming voice; which shocked Gray to no end. "You made Ur make the ultimate sacrifice to defeat me, so she could save your pathetic life."
Gray trembled in fear as he stared up at the demon in shock. He lowered his head again and stared at the ground. He remained that way for a long painful moment until he finally snapped.
"No. NO! This can't be happening!" The ice-make wizard shouted; trying to make sense of what was transpiring.
"Oh, but it is." A creepy, raspy voice called out.
Gray looked up and turned his head around, searching for the voice. However, he found nothing but the images of Ur, Lyon, and Deliora glowering deeply at him.
"Whether they are real or not is irrelevant. The guilt is very real." The voice rasped. "Your precious teacher is dead while your former friend's dream was crushed. Deliora may have been the reason why Ur had to give her own life, but it was you who caused such an event. It was you who led her to her death…like a shepherd leading the lamb to the slaughter."
Gray gnashed his teeth and clutched his head, trying to block out the raspy voice's words…even if they were true.
"No…no…make this stop…MAKE IT STOP!" He cried out desperately.
…
Lucy let out a muzzy groan. She opened her brown eyes as consciousness began to return. The Celestial mage sat up from the floor and looked around. Her breath suddenly got caught in her throat when she realized where she was: her father's office at the Heartfilia Konzern.
"W-what…?" Lucy faltered. "I'm…at my old home? But how?"
"Lucy," a voice said.
Lucy gasped as she turned forward. Standing behind a big desk and viewing out a large window was Jude Heartfilia, her father. He was a relatively tall, middle-aged man with black eyes and blond hair that was slicked back. He had a matching, extremely trim mustache, and a rather firm, square jaw. To add to his image of power, he wore a brown tailored suit that appeared to be very expensive.
"D-dad." The blonde wizard gaped.
"I see you came home." he spoke in a deep, male voice full of authority.
'What is going on? How did I get here?' Lucy yelled inwardly. 'Wasn't I just inside Ben's mind?'
The Celestial mage shook her head and proceeded to speak to her father. "Dad, I…"
"But the question is…why?" Jude continued.
Lucy blinked, a bit taken back by her father's sudden inquiry and the hint of disdain in his voice. Before she could speak, he continued, "What are you doing back here? I thought Fairy Tail was your new home."
"Listen, Dad I…"
"NO! You listen to me!" Jude interjected, looking back at her with a furious expression. "How dare you come into my home and order me around! After all the countless hours of work I did to keep you well-fed and have a roof over your head, you repay me by running away?! You ungrateful wretch!"
Lucy's eyes widened from shock at her father's outburst. She felt as if cold water had been poured into her veins. He didn't mean that, did he?
"D-Dad…" Lucy choked, her eyes brimming with tears.
"Just leave, and go back to your so-called Fairy Tail friends!" Jude yelled. "You're nothing more than a worthless, ungrateful waste of time!"
Lucy clutched the left side of her chest and stared at the man who was her father in utter shock and disbelief. Tears began to stream down her face. True, she had issues in her relationship with her father, but for him to call her that, it completely broke her heart.
"N-no…" she sobbed. "You don't mean that."
"Oh, but he does." An eerie, raspy voice sounded, causing Lucy to yelp in fear. "He blames you for your mother's death."
"N-n-no…" Lucy stammered. "He… he wouldn't."
"Why do you think he devoted all his time to work instead of you after she died? It's because it was the only way to avoid you without kicking you out. Face it Lucy Heartfilia…your father loves his money more than he ever loved you." The creepy voice taunted.
After that cruel statement, Lucy fell to her hands and knees. She hung her head and closed her teary eyes, wailing out in utter despair.
…
Natsu grunted as he slowly opened his eyes to find out that his vision was blurry. When the Dragon Slayer's eyesight refocused, he saw that he was lying in a grassy clearing surrounded by forest. Natsu quickly sat up and looked around in utter confusion.
"Huh?" He scratched his head. "How did I get here?"
The pink-haired wizard observed his surroundings for a moment before his eyes widened in incredulity. Natsu knew he wasn't in just some random clearing, he knew this place.
"This is…" He trailed off, shocked.
Suddenly, he felt the earth shake behind him while a large shadow was cast over him. Natsu gawked at the shadow's shape.
"No. It can't be…' he thought.
"Natsu," a deep, powerful voice said.
Natsu gasped from recognition. He turned around and an expression of surprise spread across his face.
"I-Igneel…" Natsu stuttered.
Indeed, standing before the pyromaniac was the Fire Dragon King, Igneel, and he had certainly earned the title. He was a gigantic dragon covered in dark, red scales while his underbelly and the inner portions of his legs and tail were beige. Black spikes went down from his back to the end of his tail. Igneel's head was triangular with horns, a large pair of round glowing yellow eyes, and very sharp canine teeth. His massive bony wings resembled a bat's with rippled tips.
Natsu began to tremble as he stared at his foster father with a mix of shock, disbelief, and happiness.
"Igneel!" Natsu exclaimed happily. "You're alive! I thought I'd never see you again!"
He got up from the ground in haste and ran toward the red dragon. Unexpectedly, Igneel held out his front left leg and flicked Natsu away with his claw. The pink-haired wizard grunted painfully when his body slammed into a tree.
Natsu pulled himself out from the shattered trunk of the tree, and looked back at the Fire Dragon in confusion and slight hurt. "Igneel…what's the big idea?"
"Don't come near me. You are not allowed to approach the one and only Igneel." The Flame Dragon King declared scornfully.
"What are you talking about? And by the way, why'd you abandon me seven years ago?!" Natsu demanded.
Igneel snorted. "Isn't it obvious, boy?"
"…No…not really…" Natsu said dumbly.
Igneel narrowed his yellow eyes at Natsu. "You never were known for your thinking abilities. Then allow me to explain the reasoning behind my leaving."
Natsu shook off the pain in his back and looked up at the Fire Dragon expectantly; however, nothing could prepare the Dragon Slayer for the three words about to come from him.
"You. Are. Weak." Igneel stated.
Immediately, Natsu's world came crashing down as disbelief and anguish grew on his visage.
"W-what…?" Natsu stammered.
"You are weak." Igneel repeated in frustration. "You are nothing more than a weakling and a disappointment. That is why I abandoned you. You are simply not worth my time…just like now."
Natsu stood in a petrified position, staring up at Igneel in painful shock. He could feel his knees quake as despair tore at his heart. The Flame Dragon King glanced at Natsu in disappointment before he turned away and flapped his mighty wings a few times, flying off into the horizon.
"No. No. NO!" Natsu cried out, falling to his knees as tears flowed down his face. "Igneel, no! Come back! Please…please…father."
The heartbroken Dragon Slayer could only watch in utter despair as his father abandoned him again.
…
In the middle of the ocean, a small blue cat was struggling to stay afloat as he was thrown up and down by the large waves. However, it was not the water that was terrifying the cat; it was the big black dorsal fin that was classically shaped like a Great White shark coming straight for him.
"HELP!" Happy cried, desperately trying to swim away from the underwater predator. "SOMEONE HELP ME!"
"There is no escape!" a raspy voice mocked. "The precious food that you love now wants to eat YOU!"
"NO!" Happy wailed. "Cats are supposed to eat fish, NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND!"
…
Slowly, Erza's eyes began to open. An inaudible groan escaped from her lips as she returned to consciousness. The first thing she could see was a bright bluish blur. However, when they refocused, nothing could prepare her for what her eyes saw then.
Titania immediately sat up and turned her head around in every direction. She shut her eyes again and reopened them to confirm if she was dreaming or not. Her breathing began to increase as the daunting realization began to sink in: she was in the Tower of Heaven once more.
"N-no…this…this can't be right." Erza murmured, shocked.
The tower itself was in its true form, comprised of pure ethernano. Erza stood up and realized she was at the top of the tower, the same place where the final battle with Jellal transpired.
"This is impossible." Erza's eyes widened. "The tower was completely destroyed!"
All of a sudden, maniacal laughter broke out behind her. Erza froze and felt her blood run cold. She knew the sound of that voice anywhere.
'No…' Erza turned around and was met with a horrifying sight.
Wally, Millianna, Sho, and Simon were all lying on the crystal floor dead, with puddles of blood beneath them. An expression of utter horror appeared instantly on the redhead's face.
"No…" Erza's legs started to wobble until they gave out, bringing her to her knees. "…no…NOOOO!" She cried out, tears beginning to cascade down her face.
"AAAAHHHHH!" A painful cry hollered out.
Erza froze once more when she recognized the sound of that yell. The Fairy Queen turned to her right and was greeted with an unbearable sight. Ben crumpled on the floor in a dead heap, blood pouring from the new wound in his chest. Jellal stood over the fallen hero with crimson liquid dripping from his right hand. He turned to Erza with an unadulterated evil smile plastered on his face.
The redhead gasped in panic and fear. No. This couldn't be real. It just couldn't!
"No…this can't be…" Erza uttered in terror.
"This is very real, Erza. Very, very real." Jellal said in a soothing yet menacing voice. A purple eye symbol flashed in his right eye as he ambled toward her.
Erza warily stepped back. Lost in her fear, the redheaded wizard was taken by surprise when a large crystal lacrima arose from the ground behind her. A Binding Snake then wrapped around her, causing her to cry out in pain. Immobilized, she was yanked into the lacrima by the Binding Snake. Erza cried out once more as her body was drawn into the crystal, feeling as if dozens of cold knives were stabbing her at once.
"The time has come, Erza." Jellal stated, a sneer adorning his face. "Tonight, you will be sacrificed to Zeref. You cannot run from your destiny any longer!"
Erza struggled to break free, but it was futile. She cried out as the crystal consumed her.
'No…no…it can't end like this…' Erza thought, trembling in trepidation.
"Oh, but it will." A bone-chilling voice hissed. "Your friends are dead, murdered by the one you once loved so dearly. You cannot hide from your past. This is your punishment for abandoning them in the tower so many years ago. This is the price you must pay for your weakness!"
Erza lowered her head in shame and closed her eyes. She sniffled as tears poured down her face. At that moment, the Fairy Queen ceased her struggles and accepted her well-deserved fate.
…
Meanwhile, in the Bancroft Academy schoolyard, the Ultimate Team was lying unconscious on the ground. Five masses of black-purplish clouds swirled around each of them. Suddenly, a bright flash filled the courtyard as Azmuth appeared.
"Ugh," the subconscious manifestation groaned, rubbing his head. "I can't believe I allowed the Entrapment to get the drop on me. Thankfully, I was able to escape its clutches."
He looked forward and gasped at the sight of the Ultimate Team being consumed by darkness. "It appears they were not so lucky."
Azmuth snapped out of his musings and rushed forward. When he came within a meter, his fears were confirmed. The Entrapment had infected the team in a similar manner of how it did Ben. It had dug into their minds, unlocked their deepest hidden fears, and devised a simulation of their worst nightmares for each of them to experience.
"I pray that it's not too late." Azmuth dreaded. "If it is, we're all doomed…"
Ben's subconscious concentrated in order to establish a mental-link with the group. Once he was confident he had a connection, he spoke, "Everyone, wake up!"
Suddenly, all the team members trapped in their respective nightmares paused as soon as they heard Azmuth's voice boom around them.
"Uh…Azmuth?" Gray muttered, glancing around him.
"Was that the small brainy guy?" Natsu wondered, confused.
"…Azmuth…" Erza gasped lightly.
"Someone help me!" Happy cried desperately, trying to avoid the shark swimming toward him. "I can't swim any longer!"
"Listen to me, all of you! The Entrapment has affected you." Azmuth explained urgently. "It's dug into your mind and created a simulation based off your worst fears. It's trying to break your spirit."
The eyes of the Ultimate Team widened in shock upon hearing this news. What they were all seeing, all these horrors that they thought were real, were fake?
"What you are all seeing IS NOT REAL! You must fight it!" Azmuth shouted.
Gray's expression hardened, his hair casting an ominous shadow over the upper half of his face. He instantly ceased his crying and stood up.
"I'll give this spell some credit. It is pretty nasty." Gray said coldly. He clenched his fists and turned to face Ur, Lyon, and Deliora with a furious expression. "I've made some mistakes in the past, but I'm not gonna let that stop me from heading to the future. And I'll be damned if I let this stop me from saving my friend!"
Suddenly, an icy blue aura appeared around Gray and began to expand. As a result, the scene around him began to contort and stretch.
The simulation of the other members was met with similar results as their determination to fight increased. A fiery orange aura cast off Natsu while Lucy's was gold, Happy's was blue, and Erza's was crimson red.
The field and forest around Natsu began to catch flame as a fiery orange aura expanded around him. "That wasn't Igneel." The Dragon Slayer hissed. "He was just a fake! And what he said-"
"-isn't true." Lucy exclaimed angrily at her 'father'. "My father may be a lot of things, but I'm not gonna let his opinion of me keep me from finding happiness in my life!" The golden light intensified around the Celestial wizard, causing the scene to bend and break apart.
The crystal that encased Erza suddenly shattered, bringing a shocked expression to Jellal's face. A shadow was cast over her right eye as she glared daggers at him. A crimson aura grew around her and caused her surroundings to crack apart.
"The blood of Simon may be on my hands, but my friends: Sho, Wally, and Millianna are out there exploring the world. None of this is real." Erza proclaimed. "What is real; however, is the fact that my dear friend Ben is laying on a bed in pain. This spell is killing him. And I won't allow my own fears to stop me from saving him!"
"Because I'm -" Gray began, his body engulfed in blue, icy energy.
"-a Fairy Tail-" Natsu said, the flames coursing around him growing hotter and hotter.
"-WIZARD!" the Ultimate Team declared simultaneously.
At that moment, the simulations the wizards and cat were trapped in shattered completely. The Entrapment spell was powerful; however, it was completely powerless against the sheer willpower of the Fairy Tail wizards.
…
Back in the Bancroft Academy schoolyard, Azmuth smiled as he watched the five dark masses around the Ultimate Team began to dissipate before completely disappearing. His words had reached them through the darkness.
'They truly are strong.' Azmuth mused. 'You couldn't have picked better friends, Ben.'
The group groaned as they awakened from their nightmare-filled slumber. They returned to their feet a bit lightheaded, but it quickly began to pass.
"Well done, all of you." Azmuth praised. "You successfully broke away from the Entrapment's clutches."
"That's a relief." Natsu commented.
"Yeah," Lucy agreed, rubbing her forehead. "That whole experience was horrible."
"No kidding," Gray folded his arms over his chest.
"Aye!" Happy piped in. "I've never been so scared in my life."
Erza turned to Azmuth, who was standing in front of the team. "Azmuth, those nightmares that we each went through, is Ben going through something similar?"
The subconscious manifestation stared at the scarlet-haired knight in silence for a brief moment. "Yes, but since the Entrapment is focusing most of its energy on Ben alone, what he is experiencing is much worse." He responded.
Alarmed and horrified expressions took hold on the Ultimate Team's faces. They each had gone through their worst nightmare just then, but that experience was only a taste of the Entrapment spell's power? What was going through was worse? This utterly terrified them, especially Erza. They knew then that they needed to hurry and rescue Ben before it was too late.
"BAAHHH! UNBELIEVABLE!" An angry, raspy voice screamed out.
The clique immediately froze upon hearing the voice; it sounded familiar to each of them.
"That voice…" Happy stuttered.
"…it's the same one…" Lucy picked up.
"…from our nightmares." Erza concluded, looking around for the source.
Natsu lit his fists in flames. "It's the same one that was mocking us! Where is it!? I'm gonna kick its butt!"
Before anyone could comment, a ghostlike being with black cracks over its body, clawed hands, and a single purple eye on its head appeared above the group. It was none other than Ben's form, Ghostfreak.
The faces of the wizards and cat paled slightly as soon as they realized what they were up against.
"Uh oh," Lucy commented.
"Not that form…" Gray added warily.
"This isn't good." Erza muttered.
Ghostfreak glowered down at the group, specifically Azmuth. "They would've all fallen if you hadn't butted in, you little pest!" he rasped.
Ben's subconscious narrowed his gaze up at the ghostlike being. "I'll admit the Entrapment did get the drop on me; however, I promise you, it won't happen again." He responded coldly.
"Yeah!" Natsu followed up. "We ain't gonna let you trick us again either! You're going down, ugly!"
The visages of the others became determined as they nodded in agreement.
Ghostfreak scoffed. "You have heart…but none of you possess the strength to stop me!"
"Wanna test that theory?" Gray challenged, an icy mist wafting off his body.
"YEAH!" Natsu exclaimed, flames coursing around him. "If you're so tough, come down here and prove it!"
"Something tells me that's not such a good idea." Lucy squeaked nervously.
The Entrapment manifestation growled. "So, you wish to battle? Very well. This futile mission of yours ends now!"
"Not a chance! You better be ready because I'm about to kick your pale butt!" Natsu punched his open right palm with a roguish grin.
"Not before I do flame-brain." Gray got in a battle stance, his ice magic flaring around him.
"I also have a score to settle with this monster." Erza added as her body was shrouded in golden light. When it dissipated, she was clad in her Heaven's Wheel Armor with twin blades in her hands.
The Fairy Tail trio swiftly leaped into action.
Golden, dragon wing-shaped flames took shape on Natsu's arms. "Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" he yelled.
"Ice Make: Arrows!" Gray summoned a crossbow in his arms, aimed it at his opponent, and fired a salvo of icy arrows.
Erza slashed her blades in a pentagram formation. "Heaven's Wheel: Pentagram Sword!" A silver-white energy blast took the form of a pentagram and shot toward Ghostfreak.
Ghostfreak wasn't the least bit intimidated by the three wizards' attacks heading straight for him. "What a pathetic show of power."
The Ectonurite simply became intangible, letting the fire, ice, and sword attacks phase through him and destroy a wall behind him. Natsu growled as streams of fire ignited from the soles of his feet, launching him straight toward Ghostfreak.
"I'll show you 'pathetic' you gutless coward!" Natsu retorted. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
Ghostfreak turned intangible and allowed Natsu's flaming fist to pass through him. He pivoted and extended a cluster of tentacles from his abdomen, wrapping them around Natsu's right ankle. The Dragon Slayer had little time to react as he was tossed violently into an unprepared Gray. The two wizards cried out as they slammed into each other hard.
"Yes, you did indeed show me what pathetic was." Ghostfreak mocked.
Erza shot toward Ghostfreak while his back was turned, preparing to get the drop on him. The ghostlike alien could sense a presence behind him and swiftly turned around, grabbing Erza's sword in mid-swing. Titania's eyes widened, how did he see her coming?
"Almost, dear. But 'almost' doesn't work in battle." The phantom taunted.
Erza cried out as she was spun around and sent crashing into the ground. Natsu and Gray steadily regained their bearings and glared at the Entrapment manifestation. Both of them widened their stances as they charged up their respective magical powers.
"Ice-Make: Lance!" an icy blue magical circle appeared in front of Gray, shooting out a bombardment of ice lances.
Natsu's cheeks puffed out far more than a normal human's should. "Fire Dragon Roar!" A powerful flaming torrent tore out of his mouth.
Ghostfreak disappeared from sight as the fire and ice attacks collided with a building, reducing it to smoldering rubble.
"Dammit!" Gray cursed.
"C'mon, you cheater!" Natsu shouted, annoyed. "Come out and fight like a man!"
Suddenly, Ghostfreak phased out of the ground beneath Natsu's feet and sucker punched him in the face. The Ectonurite flew up and delivered a powerful blow into the fire wizard's gut, sending him careening back until he smashed into the ground.
"I am no man, you fool." Ghostfreak rasped.
Gray gritted his teeth as he bent his knees and leaped into the air. "Ice-Make: Battle Axe!" A wave of ice erupted out from his magical circle.
Again, Ghostfreak's body became intangible and allowed the ice-wave to destroy a section of building. When Gray landed, he glared up at the ghostlike monster.
"I'm really getting tired of that trick." Gray grumbled.
"This battle is both pitiful and pointless." Ghostfreak rasped. "Can't you see that you're all wasting your time?"
Ghostfreak became alert when he felt a familiar presence behind him. He swiftly turned around and caught Erza's right wrist. Gray and Erza, who was re-quipped into her Flight Armor, were both shocked. How did he see her coming that fast?
"I'm afraid that trick won't work again, dear." The manifestation tossed Erza back to the ground; however, she regained control in midair and landed on her feet next to Gray.
"This isn't going well." Gray noted.
"I can see that." Erza said curtly.
Lucy ran up to the two while Happy flew next to her.
"We're going to need another plan of attack." Erza stated.
"I have a plan: ATTACK!" a loud, obnoxious voice shouted out.
Natsu propelled himself toward Ghostfreak with streams of fire shooting from his feet once more. "Fire Dragon Sword Horn!"
Ghostfreak flew up to evade Natsu's ramming attack. "Ah crap…" he complained just before crashing into the school's clock-tower.
Erza face-palmed, frustrated.
Gray scoffed and shook his head. "Brilliant plan," he praised sarcastically.
"Natsu!" Happy cried urgently as he flew toward his best friend.
"I grow weary of these games. It's time I finish this. You'll regret crossing paths with…the Entrapment!"
Suddenly, long, black talons sprouted out from Ghostfreak's hands. His white-and-black cracked body began to rip apart and revealed greyish-purple skin underneath. A horrendous clump of grey tentacles burst from his abdomen as long spikes sprung down his spine. Finally, he reached up and peeled the white skin off his head, exposing his creepy upside-down skull-head. Ghostfreak was now in his true form.
Gray and Erza shivered in disgust while Lucy squealed in fear.
"It's even more frightening the second time." Lucy shrieked.
"No kidding," Gray agreed.
"Re-quip!" Golden light enveloped Erza's body. What nobody noticed was how Ghostfreak backed away and slightly flinched from the brightness. When the light faded, the redhead was adorned in her revealing Black Wing Armor. "Defeat is not an option. We will vanquish this fiend!" she exclaimed strongly.
Erza levitated into the air and shot toward Ghostfreak in an instant. She slashed at the phantom, but he easily dodged it. The swordswoman relentlessly slashed away at her opponent with incredible speed; however, Ghostfreak simply eluded each strike. Suddenly, he completely vanished from sight.
"Where'd he go?!" Lucy yelped.
Gray looked around and paused when he noticed a dark mass materializing above Erza. "ERZA, LOOK OUT!"
Immediately, Gray summoned a large ice platform to launch him into the air. An icy mist cascaded along his forearms, and then hardened into a pair of ice blades. "Ice Blade: Seven Slice-"
Before Gray could finish his chant, Ghostfreak turned to him and fired a purplish-grey energy beam from his stomach. The ice-make wizard's eyes widened in disbelief before he was struck by the dark ray. He cried out in agony until he collided into a stone wall with a loud smash, a dust cloud blocking him from view.
"GRAY!" Lucy screamed.
Erza's eyes widened from shock and alarm before they narrowed into rage at Ghostfreak. "Why you…!"
The Fairy Queen reared back her sword and unleashed a powerful silver energy wave at her adversary. "Moon Flash!"
Ghostfreak once more phased through the blast and stared down at Erza with a creepy, smug smile. "Ha-ha-ha-ha!" he cackled madly, and then turned invisible.
Erza's body stiffened as her senses were on high alert. Without warning, Ghostfreak materialized behind her and fired his dark beam into her back.
"ERZA!" Lucy screeched, horrified.
Erza cried out as she fell and her body dug a trench into the ground from the force of the blast..
Seeing the three strongest members on their team get taken down shook Lucy to the core; however, there was no way she was going to surrender. She was a Fairy Tail wizard, after all.
"Okay, it's time I get into this battle too!" With a determined expression, Lucy pulled out one of her keys, which as shaped like a battle axe, and thrust it forward. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull: Taurus!"
With a puff of smoke, and the sound of a loud doorbell, a large, humanoid cow-man jumped out and into the fray. He was extremely buff, had white skin with black splotches, like a typical cow. He wore black briefs and a holster on his back that contained a very large battle axe.
"MooooOOOO!" Taurus exclaimed, flexing his impressive muscles.
"Alright, Taurus, time to-"
Lucy cut off as the cow-man turned to her with hearts in his eyes, and inputted, "Well, hello, Miss Lucy. Your body's looking gooood as usual."
Lucy sweat dropped, exasperated. "No time for time that, Taurus! Time to bring the pain!" She pointed to Ghostfreak.
Taurus grinned as he pulled out his battle axe and readied it. "Okay, Miss Lucy. But if I do, will you poooOOse for me and give me a great big smooOOch?" He asked perversely.
"NO, YAH BIG PERV!" Lucy shouted, frustrated. "Just attack already!"
"Listen here, you ugly goooon, I'm not gonna let you lay a finger on Miss Lucy's rockin'body!" Taurus bent his knees and jumped toward the floating, deformed phantom. He reared back his axe over his head and proceeded to bring it down on his opponent. "MoooOOOO!"
"A cow-man? What do you take me for, girl?" Ghostfreak hissed and, astonishingly, stopped Taurus's axe with one hand. Both Lucy and the Zodiac Spirit were blown away by this. Taurus was one of Lucy's strongest spirits, and this guy stopped his axe swing with one hand!
Ghostfreak yawned in boredom. "Was that supposed to be an attack, or are you just offering your weapon to me?" he taunted.
The manifestation grabbed the battle axe's shaft with his other hand, spun around, and tossed Taurus into a stone wall. He then aimed and fired another dark beam at the cow-man, effectively taking him out of the battle.
"Oh no! Taurus!" Lucy yelled, worried.
Taurus's body was buried underneath a pile of rubble, only his head was sticking out. His eyes swirled as birds and stars circled above his head. "Sorry, Miss Lucy…" he moaned, and disappeared in a flash.
Ghostfreak sneered and examined the axe in his hand before it vanished. "Though I appreciate the offer, axes aren't really my style."
A purplish-black haze formed in his hands and took the shape of a deadly-looking scythe. He laughed madly and twirled the weapon in his hand. "Now this is a weapon."
"And this is a kick to the face!" a loud voice shouted.
Ghostfreak rotated his skull backwards to see Natsu being thrown toward him by a flying blue cat. His feet were wreathed in bright flames, which made him slightly flinch in response.
"Fire Dragon Claw!" Natsu yelled.
Before the Dragon Slayer's blazing feet could strike, Ghostfreak went intangible, materialized behind him, and struck him with his scythe. Natsu cried out as he crashed into the ground in front of Lucy, who quickly rushed to his side.
Natsu groaned as he sat up. "Lucky shot…" he grumbled.
"Maybe you shouldn't have given away your position like that?" Lucy suggested.
"Aye," Happy agreed, hovering next to the duo.
The blonde wizard turned to the blue cat. "Happy, Gray got taken out of the fight. Can you go see if he's okay?" She requested, pointing to the area where the ice wizard had been blasted to.
"Aye, sir!" Happy saluted as he flew away to check on their fallen comrade.
Ghostfreak let out another round of creepy, raspy laughter. "Just give in. You don't stand even the smallest chance against me." He became invisible once more.
"Where'd he go?" Lucy stammered.
Natsu growled and returned to his feet, balling up his fists. His sense were on high alert as he glanced around, searching for even the smallest indicator of Ghostfreak's location.
"This resistance of yours is in vain. Anything that you throw at me, I can simply become intangible to avoid it. You have failed your friend, and now you too shall share his fate in oblivion." Ghostfreak's eerie voice echoed around them.
"You talk too much, ugly." Natsu retorted.
All of a sudden, Ghostfreak appeared in front of Natsu and backhanded him to the ground. "Oh, and you don't?" He held the scythe to the Dragon Slayer's throat, millimeters away from slashing it. Natsu's fingers dug into the ground and he gritted his teeth, knowing the severity of his situation. "I've had enough of your obnoxious banter!"
Lucy gasped in terror and, without hesitation, sprinted toward her friend. "Natsu!"
Sensing the weak blonde running toward him, Ghostfreak snarled and rammed the butt of his scythe into Lucy's gut. The Celestial mage bent over in an L-shape, hacking up a bit of blood. Natsu instantly froze while his eyes widened like dinner plates. Ghostfreak then smacked the scythe's shaft into Lucy's face, sending her to the ground in a painful daze.
Erza, who was just regaining consciousness through the cloud of pain in her body, gasped at the sight. "LUCY!"
"I have the taken the form and possess the strength of one of Ben Tennyson's greatest enemies. What chance did any of you lowly wizards have against me?" Ghostfreak said snidely.
Natsu snarled viciously as primal rage consumed him. "You BASTARD!" He roared. Suddenly, his entire body ignited into a large inferno. The grass in the area instantly burned away and the ground charred and became burning hot. "NOBODY HURTS MY FRIENDS!"
For the first time, Ghostfreak cried out in pain and flew back into the darkness. Erza's eyes widened from what she had seen. She had caught a quick glimpse of Ghostfreak's skin smoking when he was near Natsu's bright flames before he retreated into the shadows. She then remembered two scenes from the memory the team had witnessed, and that's when it dawned on her.
"I am such a fool!" Erza chided, regaining her footing. She turned her lethal gaze to Ghostfreak, who had reappeared further away from Natsu. "You claim to possess the strength of Ghostfreak, which means you also possess his weakness as well!"
An apprehensive expression crossed Ghostfreak's ugly mug. "What?!" he shouted.
"Re-quip!" Erza chanted, concealing her body in golden light, which Ghostfreak backed away from.
When the light died down, Erza was now donned in a plain, white one-piece suit that had a matching pair of metal arm and knee guards. She wore a pair of high-heeled armored greaves that covered her calves. Her armor was mainly composed of orange and yellow leather-like material that was sported as orange wing-shape pauldrons on her shoulders and waist. Her shoulder pauldrons had white wings protruding from the center of the shoulder guard, and the pauldrons on her waist were supported by a dark pink belt. Her crimson hair was styled in tangled buns on top of her head, and she also wore a silver choker around her neck that featured a reddish-pink gem.
"Morning Star Armor!" Erza shouted, with twin blades in her hands.
Lucy groaned as she steadily lifted herself off the grassy ground. She cringed when she felt the stinging bruise on her face. She glanced up to see Erza sporting a new suit of armor she hadn't seen before and Natsu consumed in bright, intense flames.
The Fairy Queen leapt into the air, charged up her blades with magic power, and discharged twin waves of light. Natsu shot streams of fire from his feet to launch himself at Ghostfreak, took a deep breath, and unleashed a brilliant Fire Dragon Roar at him.
The hideous phantom howled out in anguish as he swiftly flew away from the brilliant light and flames, and into the shadows.
Lucy's brown eyes widened. The memory of Ben pulling down the curtains and watching Ghostfreak burn up in the sunlight struck her like lightning.
"That's it! Light!" Lucy shook off her pain and got on her feet.
The Celestial wizard pulled out a golden Zodiac key from her belt, and thrust it forward. "Open, Gate of the Lion: Loke!"
After a flash of gold and a doorbell sound, Loke appeared in front of her. His orange hair was spiked up and he wore a white button-up shirt, black jacket and pants, red tie, and a pair of shades.
Loke turned to Lucy with a confident smirk. "Well, hey there, gorgeous. Did yah miss me?"
"Loke, we really need your help right about now." Lucy said urgently.
He looked at the unsightly phantom-like monster Erza and Natsu were battling, and slightly shivered in disgust. "Damn. The hell is that thing?"
"Long story, but your light magic is its only weakness!" Lucy inputted.
"Is that right?" Loke paused when he saw the bruise on Lucy's face. He narrowed his eyes and glared at Ghostfreak, loosening his suit's cuffs. "Well, I certainly wouldn't wanna disappoint that beautiful face."
With that, Loke rushed into the fray. Erza and Natsu landed on the ground several meters apart. They were taken by surprise when Loke jumped in the middle.
"Hey there, guys, miss me?" He greeted.
"Loke?" Erza questioned.
"Nice to see yah again, man" Natsu grinned. "Yah mind helping us take out this trash?"
Loke's expression darkened. "This thing put a bruise on my master's gorgeous face. So, Natsu," bright golden light began to generate off his body, "it'll be my genuine pleasure."
Ghostfreak backed away cautiously, unnerved by yet another opponent with light-based abilities. "You won't win! You will all fall! Nothing can stop us now!"
"You hurt our friends, you ugly bastard!" Natsu shouted, the flames around him growing hotter. "There's no way in hell we're gonna let you get away with that!"
"Agreed," Erza's visage became stone-like.
"Nobody lays a finger on my master, without facing my wrath." Loke said coldly.
"RAGGGH!" Ghostfreak fired a dark beam from his intestines, which the trio avoided by diving out of the way.
Lost in his rage, Ghostfreak was taken off guard when Erza flew up and sliced his scythe in half.
"WHAT?! BUT HOW!" He cried incredulously.
Erza swung her twin swords forward, releasing two enormous waves of yellow light. "Photon Slicer!"
Ghostfreak wailed out in pain as the light attack cut into his body, causing smoke to pour out.
"Time to end this!" Natsu leaped into the air. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art:" the fire coursing around the pink-haired wizard became extremely hot while his eyes shined bright gold. Natsu produced long torrents of fire from his arms, which moved toward Ghostfreak in a spiraling formation. "Flame Lotus, Exploding Flame Blade!"
"Now, the big finale," Loke moved his arms in a circular motion and shot out a large blast of brilliant, golden light. "Regulus Blast!"
The Regulus and enhanced-Dragon Slayer magic combined, engulfing the being of darkness in a swirling ball of brilliant light and scorching fire that resembled a miniature sun. Ghostfreak howled out in utter agony. His body became charred and quickly broke apart. The manifestation let out one last painful wail until the two magical attacks vaporized him into nothingness.
Erza and Natsu returned to the ground while Loke pushed up his shades. The trio examined the area for any trace of their foe, none were found. They had won. With that, they powered down their respective magic powers.
Loke smirked. "Well, that wasn't too hard."
Lucy rushed over and gave the orange, spiked-hair spirit a hug. "Great job, Loke!"
Erza re-quipped into her Heart Kreuz Armor. "I can't believe I forgot that his weakness was light! It was shown to us clear as day in the memory we had seen prior to this battle." She berated herself. "Please, I need someone to hit me for my folly!"
Loke glanced at the redhead and cocked a brow in confusion. "Memory?"
A groan caught the group's attention. They turned to see a banged up Gray slowly walking toward them with Happy flying next to him. His right hand was held over a nasty burn spot on his abdomen, and his body was covered in numerous cuts and bruises.
"Gray!" Lucy said, concerned. "Are you okay?"
"He certainly looks worse for wear." Natsu quipped.
"Shut it, flame-brain!" Gray snapped.
"Not now, guys!" Lucy exclaimed, not in the mood to see the idiot duo fight again.
Gray sighed and stood up. "Don't worry. My injuries aren't too bad. I just wasn't expecting that thing to fire an energy beam at me."
"None of us did." Erza conceded.
"What exactly was that thing? And what did Erza mean by seeing a memory before the fight?" Loke questioned.
"I believe I can answer that." A familiar voice called out.
The Ultimate Team and Loke turned to see Azmuth standing before them with his hands behind his back.
"Uh…what's that?" Loke asked, dumbfounded.
"Hey man, why didn't you tell us what that Ghost-dude's weakness was before you left?!" Natsu demanded.
Azmuth looked at him incredulously. "You are an utter buffoon! You just witnessed Ben using sunlight to destroy him in the previous memory. Did you all forget already?"
The group looked away sheepishly whilst Natsu blinked until it finally clicked. "Oh…heh…our bad." He rubbed the back of his head, smiling roguishly.
Azmuth groaned in exasperation.
"Can someone please tell me what's going on here?" Loke asked, annoyed.
Ben's subconscious and the team, mainly Erza and Lucy, spent three minutes bringing Loke up to speed on their situation. Needless to say, he was shocked and appalled by it. Once explanations were out of the way, Loke turned to Lucy with a determined expression.
"Well, we certainly can't let this Entrapment spell kill one of our own. You need me again, gorgeous, don't be afraid to summon me." Loke stated.
Lucy smiled. "Sure thing, Loke." The Celestial mage took his key and sent him back to the Spirit World.
"Let's go." Azmuth stepped forward and summoned another memory gateway. "We can't afford to waste any more time."
"Azmuth," Erza spoke out, "these Entrapment manifestations…they're going to keep coming, won't they?"
The subconscious was silent for a moment before he nodded.
"And each one we face will be stronger than the last, right?" Gray implied.
Azmuth nodded once more.
"How are we going to fight all of them?" Lucy wondered nervously. "Ghostfreak was strong enough, but the next one we face will be stronger?"
"Do not fret." Ben's subconscious assured, turning to face them. "If there is anyone who can face these threats, it's this destructive, rowdy group."
"Yeah!" Natsu punched his open palm. "Bring 'em all on! We'll take them all down!"
"Aye, sir!" Happy chimed.
"I love the enthusiasm, Natsu, but let us get a move on." Erza ordered, stepping into the glowing greenish-white sphere.
The rest of the Ultimate Team soon followed her into the gateway. Azmuth closed his eyes in deep thought.
"They are strong and determined." He glanced up at the dark storm clouds above. "But each villain they face is getting stronger. I surely hope they have what it takes to defeat them all."
Azmuth stepped into the sphere, heading into the next memory on their journey.
…
Meanwhile, back in the real world, Porlyusica was tending to Ben's unconscious form whilst Makarov sat at the edge of the table. He quietly observed Ben, more specifically, the Entrapment spell's magic level. The pungent feeling of its magic almost made him want to hurl, but he never allowed it to show outwardly thanks to his endurance.
What frightened him was the fact that the Entrapment's magic was going stronger by the minute. He and Porlyusica couldn't know what was happening in Ben's mind with Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Happy in there. However, what they did know was that Ben's condition was taking a steady nosedive.
"Makarov," the Fairy Tail master was broken from his train of thought and turned his attention to Porlyusica. "His breathing is becoming shallower and his blood pressure is dropping gradually. I've applied a treatment to stabilize him, but…" she trailed off.
"But?" Makarov urged her to continue.
"There is only so much medicine can do." She replied grimly. "His body is failing. If your children do not free this young man's mind from the Entrapment soon, then…I'm afraid nothing can be done to help him."
Makarov lowered his head and shut his eyes. The feeling in the room grew more tense and gloomy as time passed.
"Just let me know if the time comes and his condition becomes too critical." Makarov instructed.
Porlyusica lowered her head, dejected. "I'm sorry I can't do much more for him."
"There is no need for you to be sorry, Porlyusica." Makarov reassured. "You have done everything you can to the best of your abilities. That is all I can say, but we mustn't lose hope in Natsu's group. They have pulled off the impossible before. There's nothing that will lead me to believe they won't do it again."
The healer turned her gaze back to Ben's inert form. His chest was slowly rising up and down, his skin had turned paler since he was brought in, and droplets of sweat were streaming down his face. His condition was worsening.
Porlyusica frowned. She took a wet rag and wiped the sweat from the fallen hero's forehead. 'I surely hope you are right, Makarov.' She thought.