Sting Eucliffe

Sting Eucliffe (スティング・ユークリフ Sutingu Yūkurifu) is the current Guild Master of the Sabertooth Guild, wherein he is a part of Twin Dragons of Sabertooth. Originally a Dragon Slayer from four hundred years past, Sting was sent to the future to assist in the destruction of Acnologia. Fairy Tail Manga: Chapter 465, Pages 11-14

Appearance
Sting is a slim, yet muscular, toned young man of average height with spiky blond hair, which is kept in strands jutting outwards in every direction, and a smaller, frontal cowlick (or tuft) of hair partially hanging over his forehead. He has slanted, slit pupiled, dark blue eyes; above the right one is a thin, diagonal scar. Sting's left ear is adorned with an earring which, in itself, is attached to by a prominent metal pendant that is crystalline in shape. His white Sabertooth mark is located on his left shoulder. As a Dragon Slayer, Sting possesses distinctively sharp canine teeth.

Sting dons a blue vest with golden outer edges and inner edges covered by a prominent trimming of gray fur that appears similar to a feather boa over a short, cream top, leaving his muscular upper abdominals exposed. His arms are covered by dark blue gloves reaching up to his mid-bicep, with their upper edges being adorned by light gray bands hanging down several centimeters. He wears loose, cream-colored pants, similar to Natsu's, but held up by suspenders, which are attached to the pants' loops by square-shaped rings that are gold in color. Over them, he dons distinctive dark blue galosh-esque footwear that reaches up to his thighs and attach to the upper edge of his pants. The prominent soles of the "boots" are distinctive in their own right; it has rectangular protrusions pointing upwards on their front portion, reminiscent of square fangs.

During the last day of the Grand Magic Games, Sting wore a dark blue, gold trimmed jacket, as well as a black, high-collared piece of what appears to be armor underneath, exposing, yet again, his abdominals. With this, Sting wore light-gray colored pants with fang-like designs on the side; he accessorized his outfit with two different belts: one around his waist and one below that that holds a feather boa. His pants are tucked inside boots that are extremely reminiscent of his original pair.

After the events of Tartaros unfold, Sting appears sporting an outfit similar to his usual attire, albeit with minor modifications. He now wears a light-colored jacket with dark-colored clothing protruding from the inside, with the collar pointed upwards; his new jacket still retains the feather boa. Sting retains his old gloves that cover the majority of his arms and also wears a striped belt and dark pants, which are tucked inside his dark-colored boots.

Personality
Sting is a rather calm individual and is usually seen smiling; he rarely ever loses his temper. Sting believes that people who abandon their comrades are scum and does not hesitate to punish them for their acts. Curiously, however, he was angered when Natsu Dragneel said that fighting for his comrades was his reason for entering the Grand Magic Games. Sting seems to have no qualms about having killed his own foster father, thinking that it is natural for a Dragon Slayer to kill a Dragon. This is later shown to be untrue, as both he and Rogue express regret when the Dragons attack Crocus. As such, Sting thinks that Dragon Slayers who are defeated by a Dragon are nothing but a disgrace. Also, as a Dragon Slayer, Sting stereotypically, yet comically, suffers from motion sickness, describing the phenomenon as one befitting of a "real" Dragon Slayer.

Sting enjoys watching fights, as he was excited to see Orga and Warcry fight, however, he was disappointed that Orga finished his fight rather quickly. He also desires to fight strong opponents, as after Natsu showcased his strength against Jiemma and much of the Sabertooth Guild, Sting became very excited, relishing in the fact that Natsu was much stronger than he had previously thought. He has also shown good sportsmanship and prefers not to mock others, even after defeating them. After Natsu and Gajeel were seemingly defeated by his Dragon Force, he looked down at them and commended them for putting up a good fight, even though they appeared to be lying down on the ground in defeat.

Sting is also quite arrogant as well, often boasting about his superiority as a Dragon Slayer. After Yukino was excommunicated from Sabertooth for her failure, Sting was not the least bit troubled, rather, he stated that as the strongest guild, they had no need for weaklings. In regards to the matter, Sting only expressed joy at the fact that Sabertooth's five strongest Mages would be reassembled for the Grand Magic Games, as the fifth member was on her way. He also has a sadistic side, going as far as to laugh at Minerva's torture of Lucy. However, he cares a great deal for his fellow guildmates and his Exceed companion, Lector. He demonstrates extreme loyalty towards his friends and is not quick to break any promises that he makes, especially to Lector. Sting is willing to go as far as using Dragon Force in order to win battles for Lector's sake. He and many of his fellow guildmates were horrified when Jiemma had apparently killed Lector, showing that Sting possesses some degree of morals. He also has a vengeful side, shown when he attacked Jiemma in a grief induced rage for "killing" Lector. Upon reuniting with Lector, Sting cried tears of joy.

After Lector's capture by Minerva, Sting's personality changed considerably; being much more serious and solemn. This is exemplified by his attack on Bacchus: Rather than attacking Bacchus with his usual gusto, Sting attacked him quickly and quietly, completely devoid of emotion.

However, as the current Guild Master of Sabertooth, he seems much more cheerful. He has developed a much happier demeanor and is now more easy-going with others. Sting is excited to improve the guild and work together with his teammates to get the job done, demonstrating his cooperative and social side. He also has no qualms with the members continuing to refer to him as Sting, as shown when Lector accidentally called his name instead of using his title.

History
Originally born four hundred years ago, Sting, an orphan, was raised by the Dragon Weisslogia, who taught him Light Dragon Slayer Magic in an effort to "groom" him; Sting subsequently became a host for his foster father's weakened soul, which allowed his Dragonification process to be halted due to the presence of new antibodies in his body. To ensure that Sting did not remember any of what had happened, Weisslogia implanted the memory that Sting had been forced to kill him and the results he would have actually achieved had such a thing been done. After the deed was finished, Sting and four other young Dragon Slayers were sent four hundred years into the future via the Eclipse Gate, arriving on July 7, X777, so as to allow Weisslogia time to recover in the Ethernano-dense world in the hopes that he, and the other damaged Dragons, could heal enough to stop Acnologia.

Some unspecified amount of time later, Sting was approached by the Exceed Lector, who saw Sting's strength and wanted to learn how to become stronger, begging to become his disciple. Surprised that Lector wasn't afraid of him, Sting agreed to allow the young Exceed to follow him. Some while after this, Lector once bragged to people that Sting killed his own parent (a Dragon), but was bullied for it, causing him to cry. Not wanting him to cry anymore, Sting promised Lector that he would challenge a man known as the Salamander, whom he was a fan of at the time, and defeat him; that way, Lector's words would not be taken as lies.

At some point in his life, Sting also implanted Dragon Lacrima into his body, thereby making him a Third Generation Dragon Slayer.

Grand Magic Games arc
After wiping out an army of Dark Mages, Sting mentions to Rogue Cheney that the Fairy Tail members that disappeared seven years ago have returned, including Natsu Dragneel; Rogue states that he is uninterested. Sting, however, claims otherwise and reminds Rogue exactly how much he admired Natsu seven years ago. As their conversation shifts to Rogue's apprenticeship to Gajeel Redfox, an archer from the Dark Guild they defeated appears and shoots an arrow at them. After intercepting the arrow meant for his partner and eating it, Sting then proceeds to attack the Mage with his Dragon's Roar, barely missing the Dark Mage as he does so. As he calls the Mage scum for abandoning his comrades, Lector and Frosch appear, praising the two Dragon Slayers. As they all walk away, Sting asks Rogue if he wants to fight Natsu, but Rogue expresses his lack of interest once more.

Five days before the beginning of the Grand Magic Games, Frosch and Lector inform Sting and Rogue that Natsu and his guild have decided to participate. Although Rogue remains indifferent towards the matter, Sting exuberantly expresses his joy over the fact.

In the city of Crocus, Sting and Rogue defeat several Mages, after which they run into Natsu. The Twin Dragon Slayers proceed to deride Natsu for being a Dragon Slayer who could not defeat a Dragon. They then announce that they are Third Generation Dragon Slayers and Rogue explains that to become "true Dragon Slayers", they killed the Dragons that taught them Dragon Slayer Magic. While Rogue states he's grown weary of talking, asking to leave, Sting turns around and warns Natsu that if they meet in battle, he'll show him the power of a "true" Dragon Slayer.

As the teams who passed the preliminaries of the Grand Magic Games are revealed, Sting walks out with Rogue and his team and meets Natsu along the way, telling him to enjoy the Games. Sting cheers for both Rufus Lore and Orga Nanagear from the sidelines, as together, they end the first day of the Grand Magic Games by gathering Sabertooth 20 points, putting them in the lead.

Sting later participates in the Second Day's event: Chariot. However, as he is a Dragon Slayer, Sting succumbs to motion sickness, considerably slowing down him and his fellow Dragon Slayer participants, Natsu and Gajeel; the three are completely left behind by the other participants. As Gajeel complains about his motion sickness, Sting mockingly congratulates the Iron Dragon Slayer on becoming a "true" Dragon Slayer. Though he himself gives up, Sting notices that both Natsu and Gajeel wish to continue. Sting remarks that even though he is letting them have the points, in the end, it's pointless, subtly implying that he believes his guild will win regardless. Gajeel warns Sting that his "benevolence" may come back to haunt him in the future.

Seeing his fellow Dragon Slayers attempting to finish the race in earnest, he asks them why they even entered the Grand Magic Games, saying that the Fairy Tail he remembers never cared about worldly things such as rank, or even rules in general. Natsu responds that it's for their comrades who endured through the pain of weakness, and to remind the world of Fairy Tail's undying will, leaving Sting speechless. As Natsu and Gajeel finish, gaining points for their teams, Sting leaves the event in a rage, completely disgusted by Natsu's reason for participation.

Sting then proceeds to watch the matchups for the Second Day with his teammates. As Yukino's match against Team Mermaid Heel's Kagura Mikazuchi is announced, Orga chastises Sting for not scoring any points in Chariot, though Yukino defends him, saying that if he had prior knowledge of the event, he wouldn't have participated, calling him unlucky. Telling her to pay the event no mind, Sting reminds Yukino that as a Mage of Sabertooth, she must win at any and all costs, to which Yukino agrees. Sting is then shocked to see Yukino be easily defeated by Kagura, despite the former using her strongest Celestial Spirit: Ophiuchus. With Sting visibly shaken, the day ends with Team Sabertooth scoring 0 points.

Later that night, Sting and his guildmates are summoned before their Guild Master, Jiemma, and are spoken to about Sabertooth's strength, and what it means to be a member of their guild. After his speech, Jiemma firmly tells Sting that he has but one more chance, to which Sting replies that he won't fail again. Sting then watches stoically as, after being forced to strip naked, Yukino is excommunicated from Sabertooth. After the meeting, Sting light-heartedly says that their Master has a habit of taking things too far. Following Rogue expressing his doubts regarding the way Jiemma handled Yukino's failure, assertively stating that she was their comrade, Sting simply brushes off Rogue's comment, saying that Fiore's strongest guild has no use for weak Mages.

Later on, as the Sabertooth lodgings are attacked by an intruder, Sting and Lector are awakened by the noise as Rogue and Frosch inform them of the situation. Sting and Rogue run down the hallway, searching for the intruder, only to witness a livid Natsu Dragneel attacking several of their guildmates, leaving the Twin Dragons speechless. As their Guild Master appears, Sting witnesses Natsu challenge Jiemma to a fight with excommunication from his own guild being anted. Realizing that Natsu came to exact vengeance on Jiemma for Yukino's excommunication, Sting silently wonders why Natsu would bother himself with such a thing, noting that it's none of his business. After seeing Dobengal's easy defeat, Sting asks his Master to let him battle Natsu, but Jiemma declines his offer. Sting then watches, awestruck, as Natsu repeatedly assaults their Master. As Minerva appears, blocking a large attack meant for Jiemma, Sting is left mildly shocked at the resulting scenario. Sting then glares at Natsu when he proclaims that Fairy Tail won't lose to Sabertooth. Whilst Natsu leaves the lodgings, Sting, in a state of total euphoria, chuckles to himself, wondering if Natsu always had the strength he just displayed.

As the Third Day of the Grand Magic Games begins, Orga proclaims that he will participate in the event portion; Sting, to himself, decides that if Natsu isn't participating then he has absolutely no interest in the competition. Sting then watches, in disbelief, as Erza defeats all 100 monsters in Pandemonium. During the substitute event, MPF, Sting is left dumbfounded as Cana Alberona breaks the device, maxing out with a score of 9999. Later, Sting proudly looks on as Rufus defeats Team Blue Pegasus' Eve Tearm.

At night, after the events of the Third Day, Lector approaches Sting as he stares at the night sky, asking if he cannot sleep. Sting responds that he feels that tomorrow, after seven years, he will finally be able to fight Natsu. A little while later, Sting and Lector witness the destruction of Ryuzetsu Land from afar, wondering what the just-prior explosion was.

The next day, during the Naval Battle event, Sting watches as Minerva brutalizes Lucy Heartfilia, laughing gleefully at the latter's helplessness.

When Team Fairy Tail A comes down from the stands to exact vengeance on Minerva, Sting, alongside the rest of his team (sans Rogue), comes between them. As Erza Scarlet tells Team Sabertooth that done wrong to the most temperamental guild, Sting smugly smiles. Later on, when the new Team Fairy Tail is formed, Sting and his teammates eye the new team as they enter the Domus Flau.

As the Fourth Day's tag battles are announced, Sting enters the arena of the Domus Flau, partnered with Rogue, preparing to fight Team Fairy Tail's Iron Dragon Slayer, Gajeel Redfox, and Fire Dragon Slayer, Natsu Dragneel. Sting looks at Natsu and tells him that the day he has been yearning for has finally arrived. Anxiously waiting for the match to start, Sting silently remembers exactly how much he desired to fight Natsu. As Mato gives the signal for the match to start, Sting and Rogue rush towards Natsu and Gajeel, but are instead intercepted by the latter two.

After being furiously assaulted by Natsu, Sting recovers from the blows, firing, and barely missing with his White Dragon's Roar. In order to give Rogue an opening in his fight with Gajeel, he changes his Roar's trajectory. The effort, however, is nonetheless futile, as Natsu, after grabbing Rogue and violently dragging him towards Sting, uses his Fire Dragon's Wing Attack on the Twin Dragon Slayers. Sting states that he always knew that Natsu would be a tough opponent and activates White Drive. He runs towards Natsu and attacks him, dealing significant damage to the Fire Dragon Slayer. As Sting repeatedly assaults Natsu with his attacks, he tells him that he has always looked up to him, and aims to surpass him; he sends a beam of light towards Natsu, which lands on his stomach, creating a Stigma and restricting the latter's movement.

As he gets ready to land the finishing blow, affirming that with his upcoming attack, he will surely surpass him, Natsu evades it and punches Sting. Surprised and excited, Sting gathers a large quantity light into his hand and uses his Dragon Slayer's Secret Art, Holy Nova, but is easily stopped by Natsu, much to his shock and fear. After being repeatedly struck by Natsu, Sting falls to ground, alongside Rogue. With Mato questioning the outcome of the match, Sting, promising to win for Lector's sake, rises once more and enters Dragon Force, alongside Rogue.

Sting tells Rogue that he will fight the two Dragon Slayers alone, to which Rogue complies. He quickly lunges at Natsu and Gajeel, using a wide range of melee attacks, catching both of them off-guard with his enhanced strength. Sting follows up his barrage of hits with his White Dragon's Holy Breath, destroying the arena of the Domus Flau and sending the opposing Dragon Slayers underground. Sting follows up with his Holy Ray, continuing his brutal assault against Natsu and Gajeel. As he fights, Sting wonders if Lector is watching, thinking back to the promise they made several years ago. With his onslaught apparently over, Sting stands victorious over his opponents and exits Dragon Force, complimenting Natsu and Gajeel on their strength. However, to his shock and amazement, the two of them rise from the rubble, seemingly unfazed by his previous attacks. Sting wonders aloud how this is possible, as he used Dragon Force. Sting then confusedly watches Natsu push Gajeel into a mining cart, sending the Iron Dragon Slayer away; Natsu turns around and states that he alone is enough for the Twin Dragon Slayers.

Enraged, Sting re-enters Dragon Force, screaming that he has the power of a Dragon, reminding Natsu that he killed Weisslogia with this very same power; Natsu replies that if Sting used his power to kill, then he'll use his power to fight for the friends Sting mocked, punching the White Dragon Slayer away. Sting and Rogue then repetitively attack Natsu only for him to block their attacks, pushing them back. As the two are continuously overwhelmed by Natsu, Sting shouts that the battle has yet to end, performing a Unison Raid with Rogue. Natsu counters with his Dragon Slayer's Secret Art, creating a huge explosion within the Domus Flau. While the smoke clears, Sting apologizes to Lector, stating that Natsu was simply too strong. He then falls to the ground, knocked out. Sting is then left incapacitated, alongside Rogue.

Sting and Rogue are later given medical care and brought to the Sabertooth lodgings. Sting remains completely silent while in Jiemma's presence. Jiemma, in a fervor, attacks the Twin Dragon Slayers, particularly kicking away Sting. Lector, trying to reason with his Master, walks up to him and says that Sting learned more in defeat than in victory, awing Sting. To his horror, he then witnesses his Exceed companion vanish in a flash of light, having been seemingly killed by Jiemma. Infuriated and heartbroken, Sting emotionally collapses, screaming with tears running down his face. Jiemma comments that Sting should feel nothing, as Lector was simply a cat, which pushes the White Dragon Slayer over the edge. In his blind rage, Sting viciously attacks Jiemma, blasting a massive hole through the latter's body.

As Sting further despairs over Lector, Minerva tells him that because of his victory, he is now a candidate to be their next Guild Master. Sting is told the difference between him and Natsu, and, shockingly, that Lector is alive, causing him to hysterically thank Minerva. She, however, warns Sting that if he fails to bring Sabertooth to victory on the last day, then he will never see Lector again.

During the last day of the Grand Magic Games, Sting enters the arena alongside his teammates. Evidently sad at Lector's missing presence, Sting promises that this time he will not lose. Sting then notices that Juvia Lockser has replaced Natsu in the Fairy Tail line-up and tells Rogue that they should consider themselves lucky.

Sting sits on a box as the commentators state the rules of the event, and launches into action as soon as the bell rings. Soon after, Sting ambushes and defeats Team Quatro Puppy's leader, Bacchus, earning his team five points. Before he is able to attack Yuka Suzuki and Toby Horhorta, who are directly in front of him, he sees Kagura Mikazuchi defeat them with a single blow, forcing him to flee before she can attack him.

While in hiding, Sting thinks back to Minerva's words following his assault on Jiemma, vowing not to lose. Deep in thought, Sting sits about in silence for a while longer. Seemingly knowing about Minerva's dirty tactic in her battle against Kagura and Erza, Sting comments on the poor play, but then follows up by saying that he doesn't care what the others do. Smiling darkly, Sting states that he has come up with a strategy that will grant Sabertooth the ultimate victory, asking Lector to watch him shine. With an undaunted expression, Sting maintains his position in Crocus, unknown to the competing Mages and the spectators.

Shortly after, Sting hears that Minerva has fallen in her battle against Erza, leaving him as Fairy Tail's final obstacle. Finally deciding that it is time for him to participate, Sting stands and creates his Guild's Mark in the sky, calling out to the five Fairy Tail Mages. Standing in an open garden of Crocus, Sting watches as the five seriously injured and battle-worn Mages find and converge upon his location. As they stand bruised and bloodied before him, Sting comments on the spectacle of their performance, though is quickly berated by Gajeel, who tells him to just get on with whatever he wants to do. Sting comments that he will battle and defeat them all at once, something which is noted to grant Sabertooth 9 points and victory in the Grand Magic Games. Vowing to win for Lector's sake, Sting activates White Drive and approaches the five Mages. However, he is shocked to see all five Team Fairy Tail members stand tall and proud, stoically glaring him down. Watching them wide-eyed, Sting mentally remarks on how easy it would be to take them all down, and how doing so would allow him to meet Lector again. Clenching his fists, Sting tries to convince himself that he is strong and that he will get to see Lector again if he defeats them, though with his next step he falls to his knees, openly stating that he isn't, and that he surrenders. As Sting remains shocked at his action, Fairy Tail is declared the victor of the Grand Magic Games.

As the crowd cheers and screams, Sting is approached by Erza, who questions why he decided to give in rather than harm them. Sting replies that he wanted to defeat them so that he could face Lector, but also comments that he half believed that no matter what he chose to do he would never meet the Exceed again. He states it is something that he, himself, doesn't really understand either. Smiling, Erza claims to disagree, revealing Millianna, who approaches the scene with Lector in her arms. Seeing his beloved friend alive and well, Sting surges towards him, crying Lector's name; Lector awakens and, also in tears, jumps out of Millianna's arms and towards Sting. The two friends then embrace, together again at last.

Sting and Lector continue to sobbingly embrace as the audience cheers for Fairy Tail's victory. When Sting asks Erza and the other Fairy Tail Mages why Natsu chose to not participate, he is met with no response. Afterwards, Sting and his guildmates are present at Crocus Central Square, where the King has gathered all of the Mages in Fiore to deliver a shocking revelation. Once there, Sting listens as Toma begins to tell the crowd of Mages of the incoming attack led by a flight of 10,000 Dragons, shocking many of the Mages present. The King then proceeds to unveil the Eclipse Plan, which will require the utilization of the Eclipse Gate's second manner of usage — cannon form — which will, supposedly, eliminate the majority of the flight in one fell swoop. However, he admits that, knowing the power that Dragons hold, many will survive the blast.

As the King lowers his head and pleads for the guilds' help in this endeavor, Sting stands in front of his Guild as they accept the King's request with cheers. As everyone prepares for the battle against their incoming foes, Sting and Rogue converse amongst themselves and reach the conclusion that, with their opponents being Dragons, their turn to fight has finally come. Taking note of everyone's determination to protect Fiore, the King begins to sob and thanks the Mages, ending his sentence with "Pum", which captures Sting's attention, leaving him comically stunned.

Later, upon seeing large shock-waves tear the land apart around them, Sting gazes upon the damage dealt, and correctly deduces that the Dragons have arrived. Faced with a Dragon which is in the process of destroying nearby structures, Sting motions to battle the ferocious beast with his guildmates, leading the charge of Sabertooth Mages in an assault against the massive creature. As they try to land blows, Rufus suddenly smiles, stating that he remembers that Sting and Rogue once killed Dragons when they were very young. Becoming uncomfortable, Sting admits that what he said was a half truth, and remembers the day that Weisslogia confronted him and demanded that Sting slay him, stating that by doing so, Sting would become covered in the blood of a Dragon, thus becoming stronger. As he tries to attack, Sting comments that he never expected a Dragon to be so strong. Shortly thereafter, Sting hears Natsu as the Fire Dragon Slayer flies over Crocus and demands that the seven Dragon Slayers present use their full force to take down the seven Dragons in the city, smiling as the others all agree to help.

A new drive found within him, Sting powers up an attack and strikes the Dragon head-on, yelling for Rogue to circle around and help out one of the Dragon Slayer-less guilds. As he continues to fight, Sting notes that Natsu's words did not give him the courage to continue fighting, but, rather, gave him the courage to protect his friends. Wounded in the fight against the Dragon sporting pincers from its jaw and forehead, Sting now struggles for victory. Visibly injured and worn out, Sting continues fighting the Dragon standing before him.

Some time later, Sting runs towards a grounded Rogue, questioning his bewildered state. Shocked to see his teammate, Rogue quickly asks him if he has defeated his Dragon, to which he gives a negative response, revealing that he brought it with him; behind Sting, Scissor Runner comes crashing in, destroying several structures in the vicinity. Sting begins to laugh as Rogue complains about Sting's lack of seriousness, only to be told that as a team they can fight both Dragons together. As Levia and Scissor Runner talk amongst themselves, Sting and Rogue ready for battle, claiming that they will show them the power of the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth. Sting and Rogue then charge at Scissor Runner and Levia, prepared for battle.

Following the destruction of the Eclipse Gate, Scissor Runner and Levia returned to their respective time periods. Downtrodden, Sting and Rogue sit on the ground, with Sting in particular remarking on their pathetic show against the Dragons; Rogue states that he now doubts his worth as a Dragon Slayer, to which Sting comments that their power was unreal, and that despite that, none of them were relatively near Acnologia's level. Rogue, however, tells Sting that they shouldn't sulk over such a fact, to which Sting agrees and says that the battles is over and they've come out victorious. Rogue then looks over at his partner and corrects him, stating that they've protected their comrades; the Twin Dragons then smile at each other in earnest.

In the aftermath of the Dragon War, Sting and his comrades from Sabertooth are invited to a celebratory banquet in Mercurius. Whilst there, a very gleeful and slightly tipsy Sting tries to search for Natsu, planning on celebrating with the Fire Dragon Slayer. However, he hears from Gajeel that Natsu is nowhere to be found, and becomes disappointed, only to then decide that he will merely settle for Gajeel instead, the two sharing a toast. As they talk, Sting spots Yukino nearby, and, just as she moves to leave to avoid speaking with him, halts her to speak to her about Sabertooth. Commenting that both Minerva and Jiemma have left the guild and gone into hiding, Sting remarks that he and the other members plan to start over afresh and remake the guild into one that values its members. When Yukino asks what he means by telling her this, Sting asks if she would perhaps consider rejoining, only to be interrupted by a drunken Kagura, who barges into the conversation demanding that Yukino keep her prior bet of her life and join Mermaid Heel. As the other guilds present all begin to squabble over their want for Yukino to join their own guild, Sting gets dragged into the fight, the brawl only ceasing when Natsu waltzes in dressed in King Toma's robes and crown, something that both shocks and amuses all those present.

Tartaros arc
After the Dark Guild Tartaros summons multiple Magic Weapons to rid Earth Land of its Magic, Sting and Rogue arrive to the guild's current whereabouts, where Fairy Tail is facing off against the Demons. Shortly after Erza and Minerva conclude their confrontation and are attacked by Demon King Mard Geer, the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth come to Minerva's rescue, prompting Sting to assure Minerva that they have returned, whilst holding her in his arms.

As Sting carefully sets Minerva to the side, he notifies Erza that they are thankful for the letter she sent them regarding Minerva's activities. Quickly returning his gaze towards Minerva, he announces that they will return to the guild together. Mard, however, reveals that Earth Land's Magic will soon disappear, only to be contradicted by Erza, who is in turn informed by Sting that numerous Faces have appeared around the land. Minerva steps in, reminding Mard that in order to activate Face within an hour the Ex-Chairman's Magic is needed. Albeit, the Demon contradicts her claim, stating that someone within their guild has the power to control corpses. Sting subsequently tells Erza to cease the progression of Face's activation, as he and Rogue shall deal with Mard. Erza grabs Minerva and, along with Lector and Frosch, heads elsewhere. The battle is quick to commence; Sting and Rogue are easily overpowered by the enemy. Sting releases his roar, but Mard swiftly changes its course. Mard consequently unleashes his Curse, but the two manage to arise unharmed, declaring that they will avenge their harmed comrades.

Sting continues his assault on Mard shortly thereafter, though his efforts yield no results. Seeing that Mard still has yet to truly make an attempt at fighting them, Sting demands that Mard stop playing around and come at them with his true strength. Sting struggles against Mard, yet strengthens his resolve to bring Minerva back to Sabertooth. As Sting's fight against Mard continues, he wonders what is making that sound when he hears an eerie voice in the distance. The noise turns out to be the Dragon Acnologia, who swiftly approaches the Tartaros headquarters. His arrival sends both Sting and Rogue to their knees, the two Dragon Slayers clutching their chests in pain. Eventually the pain stops, albeit the two slayers question Mard's sudden disappearance. Sting and Rogue chase after Mard, ultimately locating him and aiding Natsu as the Dark Mage overpowers his opponent. Initially Natsu refuses any help from the two Dragon Slayers, leading Sting to trick him into accepting their help. The fight continues; Sting and the others using their abilities to counter Mard's Curse.

Sting carefully watches as Mard manages to compose himself, and warns the others when the latter makes a move. Mard Geer suddenly creates an enormous spell, which Natsu tries to overcome and attack Mard Geer himself. Sting worries about him when his effort proves fruitless, but soon he gets injured by the Demon as well. In his next assault, Natsu calls for Sting and Rogue to assist him, which surprises Sting, as he and Rogue fire a combined spell toward the Demon. Mard Geer, however, simply absorbs the spell, and after shrugging off their attacks, he simply sits on his throne, provoking Sting and the others.

Sting questions Mard Geer about his intentions after he erases all Magic from the continent, and the Demon replies that what the Demons want is to use all that power to break the seal and resurrect E.N.D., Tartaros' Master. Sting is then shocked to find out that the Demons are in fact programmed to kill Zeref, as he thought of himself to be a cursed existence. Sting then tells Mard that humanity is not at fault to be caught up in his plan, and gets assaulted, along with Rogue. As Mard Geer is about to finish the three Dragon Slayers off, Gray Fullbuster appears and freezes the Demon's spell, much to Sting's relief and joy. Sting is amazed at the revelation of Gray being a Devil Slayer, and doesn't hide his admiration when he manages to freeze Mard Geer's powerful spell. As Gray is about to finish the Demon off, someone intervenes and, much to Sting's shock, it is his former Guild Master, Jiemma, who voluntarily became a Demon for Tartaros. As Jiemma rushes towards Sting and Rogue, Sting hesitates to fight at first, but when Natsu yells at them that they have no reason to be scared of him, Sting decides to fight him and attacks, along with Rogue. Although their first attempt fails, they counter attack, and Sting promises Natsu that they will take care of Jiemma.

The two begin their assault on Jiemma, angered over the fact that Jiemma dragged Minerva into Tartaros' affairs and disgusted at the Demon's blatant insulting of their guildmate. Exchanging blows against the duo, Jiemma laughs at them for their apparent weakening of Sabertooth, and declares that true strength cannot be found in teams, rather in individuals. Sting and Rogue scream in reply that they have become strong after realizing that strength does lie in the ties between people, and together the two Dragon Slayers cast White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk, piercing Jiemma's body through with a myriad of needles. As Jiemma falls, so too do Sting and Rogue, the two quietly spurring Gray and Natsu on in their fight against Mard Geer. Sting eventually loses consciousness alongside Rogue and Jiemma.

Later, as Face finally begins to take an effect, Sting and Rogue, still on the ground, feel the disappearance of Magic. However, the two can soon sense the presence of Weisslogia and Skiadrum and they smile at each other just as the Dragons proceed destroying the Face devices. Sting is later reassured by Igneel that Weisslogia is indeed alive, with all the Dragons being sealed into their respective Dragon Slayers until this battle. After Igneel and Acnologia ascend to continue their battle, Sting watches the short quarrel between Natsu and Gray over the book of E.N.D., until Zeref appears to claim its ownership, much to everyone's shock.

Sting witnesses Zeref turn Mard Geer into a book, then burn it, saying that he no longer needs the Demon. He then watches as the man walks away.

With the threat of Tartaros and Face now gone, Sting, the other Dragon Slayers (sans Natsu) and Fairy Tail greet the Dragons; Sting reunites with Weisslogia as Rogue does with Skiadrum, where the two learn that their Dragons Memory Control manipulated their memories into thinking they had killed them. Everyone then learns from the Dragons that they are dead and had their souls taken by Acnologia, which led them to hiding inside their childrens' bodies and creating antibodies to stop them from turning into Dragons. Sting then watches as the Dragons begin to disappear for good and after they promise to obey the Magna Carta between their two races and watch over humanity, he thanks Weisslogia for everything he has done before he vanishes completely.

One week later, Sting returns to the guild with Rogue, Frosch, Lector and Minerva, and smiles when everyone happily greets the young woman.

Avatar arc
A year after those events, Sting, who has gotten plump to the point of being unrecognizable, approaches and greets Natsu, Lucy, and Happy, who came to visit Sabertooth. He tells Natsu that he hasn't changed and Natsu returns the remark, much to Lucy's confusion. However, he gets upset when Natsu shakes Lector in panic in his attempt to learn the whereabouts of Frosch. He then wonders what got into Natsu, with his appearance having changed back to normal, thanks to Yukino summoning Libra and using the Spirit's Magic. Minerva later mentions that the reason Sting's appearance changed so much is because as part of a festival, Sabertooth got into an eating contest which Sting took part in, but lost to her.

Sting, who decided to follow and aid Natsu's group along with Rogue, Lector and Frosch, is displeased to see that they dealt with the massive army themselves, but then he is delighted, thinking that they are unstoppable. He is later shocked to realize that Frosch has disappeared, but when he sees it found the Fairy Tail Mages, he urges Rogue to go with him and greet their old friends.

Alvarez Empire arc
After the Alvarez Empire invades Magnolia, Sting stands with his guildmates, prepared to enter battle after hearing Ichiya's call to arms. He later mobilizes and heads north to deal with the incoming Alvarez fleet of over three hundred, alongside his guildmates and those of Blue Pegasus.

Magic and Abilities
Light Dragon Slayer Magic (光の滅竜魔法 Hikari no Metsuryū Mahō): A form of Dragon Slayer Magic which allows Sting to transform the physiology of his body into that of the White Dragon, allowing him to generate and manipulate light to his every whim. The White Dragon Slayer's element has been described as being holy, with Sting remarking that his opponents suffer the "judgement of the holy white". While Dragon Slayers have the ability to consume their Magic's element to replenish their strength; for unknown reasons, Sting was able to eat a metal arrow, despite his Magic's element being light. As a Third Generation Dragon Slayer, Sting derives his Magic from two sources: the teachings of the Dragon named Weisslogia and from the Dragon Lacrima implanted in his body.


 * White Dragon's Roar (白竜の咆哮 Hakuryū no Hōkō): Sting's signature Dragon's Roar takes the form of a, comparatively, small laser with effects not unlike it; it slices the ground it strikes, creating a linear explosion in its wake. After, through unknown means, devouring a metal arrow that was fired at him, Sting was shown using a different Dragon's Roar, this one consisting of a powerful, larger whirlwind which pierced through several buildings with ease, leaving a clean, round hole in each of them.


 * White Dragon's Holy Breath (白竜のホーリーブレス Hakuryū no Hōrī Buresu): A seemingly stronger, more potent version of his White Dragon's Roar, Sting jumps over his target and releases a large, extremely powerful burst of light from his mouth; such a spell was shown capable of easily reducing the Domus Flau's arena to rubble, creating a large, almost cavernous hole in the ground in the process.


 * White Drive (ホワイト・ドライブ Howaito Doraibu): A technique which, according to Mavis Vermilion, amplifies Sting's Magic abilities, completely cloaking his body with an aura of bright light, allowing him to better employ his Dragon Slayer Magic whilst at the same time seemingly enhancing his physical prowess to a degree, particularly his speed. According to Sting himself, White Drive harnesses "the power that kills Dragons", and it indeed allowed the White Dragon Slayer to momentarily overwhelm Natsu Dragneel, who had him completely outmatched beforehand. This state either grants Sting the ability to perform new spells or makes them stronger, as the Sabertooth Mage has been shown employing several skills only while in said Drive. This technique is very similar to that used by Sting's fellow Dragon Slayer and partner Rogue Cheney's similarly named Shadow Drive.


 * White Dragon's Claw (白竜の爪 Hakuryū no Tsume): A close range spell which is described as being a "holy attack", Sting performs White Dragon's Claw by generating a sphere of light around one of his hands and then firing it at the target. If said blast connects with the body of the target, it tears through clothing and blackens the struck area, leaving a light, complex marking on it (a so-called "Stigma") which, according to Sting, takes away the body's movement, thereby leaving the foe open to the White Dragon Slayer's subsequent attack. It is currently unknown how much said spell limits the target's freedom, as Natsu Dragneel was able to burn the symbol away with his own Fire Dragon Slayer Magic, exploiting one of its seeming weaknesses: fire. A stigma is a supernatural mark of faith found in Christianity, living up to the holy theme of Light Dragon Slayer Magic.


 * Holy Ray (ホーリーレイ Hōrī Rei): Sting first joins the open palms of his hands together, with all the fingers on one hand in contact with the corresponding ones on the other hand, and then separates his palms while keeping the fingers in contact through their tips. Light is generated in the hollow part between his hands, expanding from the holes between Sting's fingers. At this point, the White Dragon Slayer completely separates his hands, extending them horizontally at his body's sides as the light he generated takes the form of a large sphere, from which a number of white rays are fired towards the target(s), leaving their starting point in a curved trajectory to strike them. Foes are thus bombarded by a barrage of beams which inflict heavy damage, striking them in rapid succession. Sting was shown using this spell on Natsu Dragneel and Gajeel Redfox while the latter two were in midair.


 * Dragon Slayer's Secret Art (滅竜奥義 Metsuryū Ōgi):


 * Holy Nova (ホーリーノヴァ Hōrī Nova): A spell which Sting described as "the best of [his] best", and which he initiates by bending his right arm backwards, the fist clenched, and extending frontwards a mildly bent left arm with tiny streaks of light gathering before the outstretched fingers from the surrounding area. He then rushes towards the target and punches them with his right hand, which is now covered in a very massive, horizontal column of light. This spell creates a large, impressive explosion on contact, which leaves Sting unharmed, but is seemingly lethal to the target. The true power of the White Dragon Slayer's most powerful spell, however, remains unknown, as Natsu Dragneel stopped it with a single hand and emerged unscathed from its blast. However, Orga Nanagear and Rufus Lore's shock at such a feat hints at the highly destructive capabilities Holy Nova possesses.


 * White Shadow Dragon's Rough Silk (白影竜の絁 Hakueiryū no Ashiginu): Together with Rogue, the two Dragon Slayers release thin beams of respective light and shadow from their fingertips, which pierce through their target and heavily damages them.

Dragon Force (ドラゴンフォース Doragon Fōsu): Being a product of the Third Generation of Dragon Slayers, Sting is capable of entering the most advanced state a Dragon Slayer can achieve at his will, without the need to consume strong, external sources of Magic. Such a feat greatly surprised several individuals who have intimate knowledge of Dragon Slayer Magic. Upon entering this state, Sting's body becomes much more akin to an actual White Dragon's, with his whole body becoming cloaked in an aura of light even more brilliant than that generated by White Drive, and with pure white scales appearing to cover the outer edges of his face and extending down from the side of his neck to the rest of his body. These are shown to be more and more uniform as they get farther from the central portion of his body, which instead bear several scattered, distinct scales, elongated and placed diagonally.

Unison Raid (合体魔法, ユニゾンレイド, Yunizon Reido): An ability which allows two Mages to unite their Magic into a single, combined, stronger attack. Sting has shown himself to be able to combine his Magic with Rogue's to create powerful spells.


 * Holy Shadow Dragon's Flash Fang (聖影竜閃牙 Seieiryū Senga): Sting and Rogue combined their respective Dragon Slayer Magics together for a more powerful and destructive attack. By releasing a large amount of shadows and white light from their fists, the Twin Dragon Slayers merge their Magic and release it as a combined burst of the aforementioned light and shadows.

Expert Hand-to-Hand Combatant: Sting is shown to actively engage his opponents in melee combat, using the light generated by his Dragon Slayer Magic to enhance the power of his melee blows. When punching under the effects of White Drive, the White Dragon Slayer is capable of literally bombarding his foes with a barrage of shining blasts at close range, leaving even a seasoned martial artist like Natsu Dragneel open to attacks, despite him eventually overwhelming Sting.

Enhanced Endurance: Sting has been shown to possess a high level of physical endurance, being able to simultaneously confront two fellow Dragon Slayers with his partner Rogue, being struck by powerful melee blows from Natsu Dragneel, all the while showing moderate signs of weariness and still having the strength to use several of his strongest spells afterward. Additionally, near the end of his battle with Natsu and Gajeel, Sting was still capable of performing a powerful Unison Raid with Rogue; he finally collapsed afterward, but only due to having been struck by Natsu's own Dragon Slayer's Secret Art.

Enhanced Speed: Sting can move at a considerably high speed, having been capable of grabbing an arrow which was flying towards Rogue in midair even while seated, something which greatly surprised the archer who shot it. He could also reach the center of the Domus Flau from his team's stands in a matter of seconds.

Enhanced Strength: As a trained Dragon Slayer, Sting's physical prowess is remarkably high; enough for him to smash Bacchus into one of Crocus' streets with enough force to break both the stones composing it and a nearby barrel. It is worth noting, however, that the Sabertooth Mage also took advantage of the momentum gained from an extremely high jump to carry out such a feat.

Welcome Back, Frosch
Sitting in their guild as the new Master, Sting orders Yukino to remove her clothes, as they've built a new pool; splashing her, Sting wonders who would've thought to build a pool inside their guild. He then goes on to splash Rogue and is berated for it, but when Lector runs into the guild calling Sting "Master", he tells his Exceed companion to drop the formalities and tell him what's wrong. The whole guild then learns that Frosch got lost while they were returning from a shopping trip, shocking them all. When Rogue immediately pins the blame on Lector, Sting jumps to his defense, asking him how it's Lector's fault that Frosch got lost. As the two bicker, Yukino puts their fighting to rest; Sting, Rogue, Yukino and Lector then travel to Magnolia, where Lector affirms to Sting that this is where he lost Frosch. The group then notices Gajeel and Panther Lily, and when the latter points them in Frosch's direction, Sting tells him that they're in his debt as they all run off.

Continuing their search, the four quickly run into Wendy and Carla, which Sting expresses his delight over. However, as soon as he sees Rogue violently question Wendy as to Frosch's whereabouts, Sting quickly hits his friend and yells at him. When Carla points them in the right direction, they quickly find Frosch; Sting and Yukino motion to go get him, but Rogue stops them by putting his arm in the way, which results in him grabbing Yukino's breast, a happening which angers Sting. Sting then listens as Rogue explains that Frosch is trying to go back to the guild by itself, but when he finishes, he questions the chances of that happening. He then watches as Frosch comes into contact with Gray and Juvia (an encounter which causes Rogue to become smug, which by extension angers Sting), and then eventually Erza, but is stopped from doing anything on both occasions by Rogue. As night falls, Sting takes note of the fact that Frosch is sleepwalking; the Exceed eventually does make it back to a guild, but it is the wrong one.

The Exciting Ryuzetsu Land
At the terrace of his guild, Sting, together with Lector, wonders about the explosion he saw from afar.

Trivia

 * In Volume 32's extra content, Mashima provided the battle statistics for 31 of the 40 X791 Grand Magic Games contestants. The stats were, however, not provided from Mashima's point-of-view as the author, but from the viewpoint of Sorcerer Magazine reporter Jason, which explains why some stats are missing and why others may be inaccurate. According to Jason, during his participation in the Grand Magic Games of X791, Sting's stats are:

Quotes

 * (To the member of a Dark Guild) "Are you going to just abandon your comrades? You really are scum."
 * (To himself about Natsu Dragneel) "For the sake of your comrades? That's just trash."
 * (To himself about the Grand Magic Games) "Victory shall be mine... At any and all costs."
 * (To Rogue Cheney) "Natsu's voice gave me courage. Not the courage to fight. The courage to protect my friends."
 * (To Jiemma) "True... We were weak. But that weakness was not the sort of which you speak. The weakness that prevented us from seeing our allies as such. We've had enough of a weak guild like that ."