Tartaros arc

The Tartarus arc is the fifteenth story arc of the Fairy Tail series.

The Dark Guild known as Tartarus makes their move on the Magical World. Beginning with an attack on the Magic Council Headquarters, the Nine Demon Gates quickly begin the execution of their plans, starting with the elimination of almost the entire council. In the aftermath, news of the event is quick to reach the ears of Fairy Tail. Soon after over one hundred victims are killed by Tempesta's Magical Barrier Particles and Tartarus' targets are known include former council members, Natsu declares war against the Dark Guild.

The Prologue: Tartarus Makes Their Move
In the Magic Council Headquarters, the members of the council discuss the recent victory of Fairy Tail in the Grand Magic Games. As the conversation begins to drift, Chairman Gran Doma reminds everyone that the topic of discussion is Tartarus and reveals that recently, the guilds associated with them have been wiped out. While some believe an independent guild to have been behind it, when Fairy Tail is brought up, Org instead suggests that Tartarus themselves are to blame. Though the others do not believe such is possible, Gran Doma states that it is within the realm of possibility and proclaims that now is the time to take up arms and make their stand. Suddenly, a messenger runs in and reveals the presence of an imminent threat, followed by an explosion which wrecks the council building. Doranbolt looks nearby, only to find Lahar and the council members lying lifeless. Searching around, Doranbolt finds Org but before he can get to him, another person gets to him first and pins him down. Revealing himself as Jackal of the Nine Demon Gates, the Dark Mage prepares to kill Org with an explosion. As he is about to die, Org tells Doranbolt to escape, which he reluctantly does just as the elderly council member dies in an explosion.

Over at the Fairy Tail Guild, business continues as usual. Makarov is surprised to hear from Erza that Minerva has joined a Dark Guild and suggests informing the council of it. Meanwhile, Juvia bakes bread buns with her and Gray's faces on them in an attempt to get him to eat them, though her plans to not work out as intended. Simultaneously, other Mages take a look into a book about Zeref and learn that E.N.D. is his strongest demon. As Pantherlily wonders what Zeref's Demons are, Carla explains that they are his creations and can be summoned via his books. Natsu, knowing Tartarus likely has the book with E.N.D. in it, suggests attacking them, something Gajeel agrees with. Though Lucy berates the idea, Natsu claims that since Igneel attempted to destroy E.N.D., he might find a clue, with Wendy and Gajeel suggesting connections with their own Dragons. Suddenly, Jet and Droy return to the guild in a panic, announcing that something terrible has happened.

At the ruins of the council headquarters, medics arrive to tend the wounded and the soldiers securing the perimeter while Doranbolt visits Cobra in his prison cell and asks for his knowledge on Tartarus. Cobra demands the release of his comrades but Doranbolt, in no position or mood to grant his wish, threatens him, yet Cobra stands his ground and decides to reveal only one fact. At the same time, Kyouka meets with Silver and the rest of Nine Demon Gates barring Jackal and Tempesta. Going forth, the seven Dark Mages prepare to bring about hell upon humanity while back in his cell, Cobra reveals to Doranbolt that all the members of Tartarus are Demons from the Book of Zeref and that their master is E.N.D., the most powerful of Zeref's creations. During their meeting, each of the Nine Demon Gates express their opinions on their current work, noting it is for Zeref they intend to eliminate mankind.

At 8-Island Restaurant, Freed, Bickslow and Yajima read the newspaper and learn about the attack on the Magic Council and the arising death toll. As the Fairy Tail Mages work alongside Evergreen, they wonder where Laxus is, having gone out on an errand. Suddenly, a hooded figure appears in the door and, in an instant, destroys the establishment. As he turns himself into a tornado and attempts to attack Yajima, Freed and Bickslow intercept but are quickly tagged and knocked away. Evergreen's attempts to fight are similarly useless as the mysterious Mage deals with her easily before going after Yajima once again. Before he is able to kill the former councilor however, Laxus intervenes and takes over the fight. Shedding his disguise, the Dark Mage reveals himself as Tempesta, one of the Nine Demon Gates. However, despite his attempts, Laxus is ultimately able to overpower and defeat him. Forced into a corner, Tempesta sacrifices one of his lives and unleashes Magical Barrier Particles, particles which create Magic deficiency, illness and can spread quickly. As Yajima, Evergreen and Bickslow collapse from this powerful poison, Laxus begins inhaling the particles, able to do so due to his Dragon Slayer lungs. Though Freed tells him to stop, Laxus is determined not to let anyone die as he tells Freed to get everyone home. In the guild, the affected Mages are treated by Porlyusica, who reiterates their highly serious condition. Freed tells Makarov that Laxus is responsible for saving the town, but Makarov recalls that the particles still spread and resulted in both a quarantine and over one hundred deaths. Not knowing this, Freed asks if the town is alright, to which Makarov answers in the affirmative, relieving him. As the other Mages in the guild are saddened by these recent events, Natsu is furious and angrily declares that now is the time to go to war.

Fairy Tail Enters the Fray
Meanwhile, at Tartarus Headquarters, Tempesta is slowly reforming, and apologizes to Kyouka for the trouble. When inquiring about how long it will take to recover, Kyouka states it will take longer than usual, since there is another who is undergoing "treatment". The other person turns out to be Minerva, who has survived the "reinforcements" and is currently being altered into a demon. At this point Franmalth intrudes into the conversation, saying that he hopes Minerva turns out to be better than Doriate, while also blaming Tempesta for using Magical Barrier Particles on a whim. Tempesta states that it is because of Fairy Tail, which causes Minerva, who is still unconscious, to react angrily. As they notice this, Kyouka wonders out loud whether the guild that destroyed Oración Seis and Grimoire Heart would attempt to stand against them as well.

Back at Fairy Tail, Natsu is throwing a violent tantrum, wishing to wage war against Tartarus, but without any clear direction of where to start. Both Makarov and Erza concur, both of them realizing that they don't have enough information to take the war to the Dark Guild. The Guild members conclude that their only course of action is that they need to stake out the former Magic Council members who are currently being targeted, though since their locations are currently kept secret, they still have no idea where to go. At this point Loke appears and reveals he knows where some of the retired Council members are currently staying, having obtained the information by seducing women. With the location of four ex-Council members, Fairy Tail starts splitting into groups and heading to their locations, in order to both protect them, as well as find out more information on both Tartarus and the other retired members. After Porlyusica requests that, if possible, they can get a sample of Tempesta's blood, and Elfman and Mirajane Strauss say goodbye to Evergreen and Laxus respectively, Makarov gives a rousing speech before the teams split up to guard the ex-Council members.

As it so happens, Natsu, Lucy, Wendy Happy and Carla are sent to guard Michello who is less than enthusiastic about having the Fairy Tail members guard him, even after the situation is explained. However, once Michelia, his granddaughter, talks to him, he reluctantly accepts their help and tries to think of a reason for both the present and former Council members to be targeted. However, just as he thinks of a possible reason, Natsu smells something and pushes everyone down, just before an explosion destroys Michello's home. Fortunately, Natsu's manages to consume most of the explosion before it could cause any casualties. Just then, Jackal appears above them, curious as to why no one was dead.

As Michello lies on the ground, he complains about the destruction of his house whilst Natsu and Jackal intensely glare at one another. Similarly, Happy exclaims that he must be from Tartarus as Carla ponders if he is the one responsible for the attack on the Magic Council. Lucy looks at Michello and reminds him that he's the one they're after, quickly advising him to leave the vicinity. As he gets up and begins to run away, Wendy states that they will protect him while Natsu handles Jackal. However, before he can take another step, Jackal swings his body around and creates a massive explosion around the town, ultimately wreaking havoc. Meanwhile, the people in the town question the sudden explosions, frantically running out of their homes.

Enraged, Natsu rushes at the Demon, but is met by an explosion to his face in midair, worrying Michello, who is reassured by Happy that heat-based Magic has no effect on Natsu. Sequentially, Natsu absorbs the explosion and punches Jackal with his fire-enveloped fist; sending him crashing down into the ground. Natsu lunges at Jackal, using his knee to ambush him as the latter observes his tactics. Jackal tells Natsu that he finds him interesting, but reveals to him that he has to tell him something. However, Natsu pushes forward and sends him flying back with a flaming punch; continuously attacking with his bare fist after Jackal is suppressed on the ground. Michello is amazed by Natsu's power, as well as Lucy recalling Jackal's attempt to reveal something to Natsu. Stopping his attacks, Natsu remembers his true objective: getting the location of Tartarus' hideout and learn their motives for targeting the Council. Michello, who wonders if Tartarus' real objective is "Faith," claims that a catastrophe awaits humanity. He continues to ponder, and even questions Tartarus' knowledge on said information. Suddenly, he tells the Fairy Tail Mages that he will leave Jackal to them so he can make sure the former councilors are fine. Natsu however, stops him, advising him to reveal all he knows; Michello refuses. Seeing the Dark Mage get up, Michello orders Natsu to defeat him, but Jackal reveals that his "curse" is that whatever touches his body turns into a bomb. As patterns appear around Natsu's body, he tells everyone to get away from him, his body exploding shortly afterwards. With Natsu out of commission, Lucy stares at Jackal as Michello states that it's the end of the line for him as Jackal threatens to kill his granddaughter alone if he reveals what he knows, promising to spare him.

As Michello attempts to escape, Wendy and Lucy attempt to stop the pursuing Jackal but find their attempts futile as the Demon reveals that he and the members of Tartarus do not use Magic, but rather, Curses, which stand above Magic. Defeating the two of them swiftly, Jackal leaves to chase Michello while Wendy and Lucy recover soon after, with the latter going after him as the former stays to take care of Natsu. In town, Michello attempts to get someone to hide him but fails as nobody does so just as Jackal appears. A pursuing Lucy is caught in Jackal's landmine curse, one which will explode should she move. Noticing the crowd, Jackal takes this to his advantage as he encases Michello and a woman in two bomb orbs which are set to explode and asks Lucy which one should survive. Michello argues adamantly for her to save him while the lady claims to be pregnant, making the choice hard for Lucy. However, before having to choose, Lucy is freed from the obligation as Natsu arrives and elbows Jackal, freeing the captives. Knocking out Michello, Natsu eats the curse laid upon his body prior to it exploding, shocking Jackal.

Natsu quickly delivers a beat down upon Jackal and though this brings the touch curse upon him, Natsu is able to eat it, preventing it from knocking him out. Jackal sees this and begins to feel fear, igniting his transformation into a more feral body, causing great destruction to the town as he and Natsu fight. As he states that humans cannot compare to Demons and should die, Natsu replies that they are humans who fight for their friends and will fight anyone for their sake. Activating his Lightning Flame Dragon Mode, Natsu attacks Jackal with his Lightning Flame Dragon's Firing Hammer, knocking Jackal away and causing him to revert to normal before collapsing himself.

As the Exceed return after evacuating everybody, the girls joke about Natsu's victory until Carla points out that they need to get information out of Jackal. However, the Tartarus member laughs and, noting that he has been defeated, apologizes to Kyouka and decides to take the town down with him, transforming himself into a bomb. Noting that the bomb will go off even if he were to die, Jackal begins laughing as the Mages can do nothing to stop him. However, Happy lifts Jackal into the sky, taking him away from the town, not willing to let him harm anyone. Up in the sky, the enormous explosion occurs while the Mages watch from below. Shocked, everyone stares in anticipation until the sky clears and Happy is revealed to be injured but very much alive, much to their relief.

Chasing the Ex-Council Members: Success, Failure and Betrayal
Back at the Fairy Tail Guild, Makarov starts receiving bad news as the teams sent to guard the former Council members start reporting in. Gray and Juvia are first to report that the member they were sent to protect was already dead, and the one who killed them destroyed a lot more than just the target. Next, Gajeel report in along with team Shadow Gear, stating that Belno seems to have been killed without a struggle, much to the Dragon Slayer's frustration.

Meanwhile at the house of ex-Council member Yuri, Elfman and Lisanna find the occupant already deceased, without even a mark on him. Just as Lisanna was setting up the communication Lacrima to report in to the guild, the corpse suddenly opens his eyes and destroys the crystal before the siblings can do anything about it. The body then collapses and as the two questions just what happened, a voice responds from the adjoining library. As Sayla casually finishes the book she was reading, the siblings get ready to engage her in battle, only to find the elder brother suddenly choking his younger sister. Horrified and knowing that the Demon is behind this, Elfman demands that she stops this at once, to which Sayla simply responds that, in a "Demons story", there is no such thing as mercy.

Back at the guild, Lucy manages to make contact and reports what has occurred. Makarov inquires if they learnt anything from Michello, they show that the ex-Council member was completely distraught, murmuring something about the Magic Council's weapon, Face. Michello goes on to explain about how the Council operates, and requirements to use certain weapons that the Magic Council possesses like Etherion. This leads some of the Fairy Tail members to believe that the Tartarus attacks were to neutralize said weapons being used against them. However, at Makarov's persistent inquiry about Face, Michello reluctantly reveals that it is a pulse bomb that will nullify Magic across the continent, much to the horror of everyone listening in. Upon realizing that if Face were set of, it would neutralize all Mages across the continent, and furthermore, the Demons would be unaffected since they use Curses instead of Magic. Natsu demands to know where the bomb is so that they can destroy it before it could be used, however Michello honestly didn't know. The ex-Council member states that the bomb was sealed via Organic Link Magic to three other former Council members, and the only one who knew the location of either the bomb or the Mages linked to it is the former Magic Council chairman.

At this revelation, they realize that Tartarus is probably assassinating the current and former Council members because they already know the location of Face, but are unaware of who is linked to the bomb. Afraid to leave Tartarus with both the bomb as well as the ones who seal it, Makarov believes that their best course of action is to find the former Magic Council chairman and get the information directly from him. Having successfully received the location of the 16 remaining Council members, with the help from other guilds, Fairy Tail sends Erza and Mirajane to the chairman directly.

Soon, the two girls arrive and meet ex-chairman Crawford Seam, who offers them his brewed tea and speaks to them. Asked about Face, the old man reveals that he does not know where it is, nor even which ex-councilors are linked to it, knowing only that they themselves are unaware of their link. The girls are shocked to hear this but the topic suddenly changes as they detect people approaching the house. As the invaders break in, Erza and Mirajane begin fighting, determined to work together and protect Crawford.

Meanwhile, as Elfman begs Sayla to stop making him hurt his sister, Sayla asks if his request to her means that he will sell his soul to her.

At the ruins of the council headquarters, Doranbolt recalls how Cobra told him that Tartarus was after Face and solemnly affirms to destroy the Dark Guild. Elsewhere, Cobra has successfully earned the release of Oración Seis, all of whom are happy to be out of prison. Brain commends Cobra for his actions, but is struck down quickly as he is about to proclaim his guild's return. Cobra reveals that Brain only thought of them as pawns and, earning the approval of Midnight, leaves him as is. As they then question what they should do, Cobra reveals that their first job has arrived, as Jellal and Meredy approach them. Elsewhere, it is revealed that Doranbolt is leaving Jellal in charge of dealing with Oración Seis, who states that he will take care of business.

Elsewhere, Natsu suddenly has a revelation and flies away from his group with Happy, determined to find the ex-chairman. As Happy asks him what he is thinking, Natsu explains that since Tartarus obtained secretive information about the councilors somehow, it can only mean someone ranked highly in the council had to have leaked it to them. Theorizing that Erza and Mirajane are in trouble due to who they were sent to meet, Natsu pushes Happy to rush. Meanwhile, Erza and Mirajane defeat the invading forces. As they wonder why simply fodder was sent after the ex-chairman, both of them suddenly fall into a deep sleep and are found by Crawford. Contacting Kyouka, Crawford reveals that he has obtained his subjects and is told to return to Tartarus' headquarters.

The Third Seal
Shortly afterward, Natsu arrives at Crawford's residence with Happy, seeking Erza and Mirajane. He looks around the house for them, but they were not there. He discovers sleep-inducing herbs in what happens to be a teacup, and realizes in a fit of rage that Crawford is working with Tartarus. In his fury, he destroys the rest of the ex-chairman's house, and starts tracking Erza and Mirajane with his nose.

Meanwhile, Erza awakens to find herself naked and held captive by Kyouka. She asks for Mirajane and Crawford, and is stunned when she is told about Crawford's treachery. Kyouka observes Erza's shaking body and tells her that her bonds prevent the use of magic, so any thought of escape would be futile. She further states that she is remodeling Mirajane's body to make her a servant of Tartarus. Amidst Erza's pleas for Mirajane's safety, Kyouka interjects by grabbing her chin and demanding the location of Jellal.

Somewhere else in Fiore, Jellal and Meredy, the remaining members of Crime Sorciere, faces off with the Oración Seis. Jellal, telling Meredy to get to safety, prepares to take on the guild alone. Racer and Cobra scoffs at Jellal's confidence, and Midnight inquires into his reasons for the attack, asking whether he intended to take them back to prison. Jellal replies by reminding them that he himself is a prison escapee. Besides Hoteye, the Oración Seis refuses to work with Jellal and one by one, Racer, Cobra and Angel attack Jellal, though he is easily able to fend them off, enticing Midnight.

While torturing Erza for information, Kyouka reveals that Jellal is the final councilor linked to Face and if he dies, the seal will be broken. Despite the offer of having Mirajane freed, Erza continues to state that she does not know where Jellal is. Meanwhile, Crawford and Franmalth discuss their plans, where the former hopes that nobody will find out and interrupt them, something the latter tells him won't happen. However, Natsu suddenly busts into the headquarters at that moment, alerting everyone to his presence. Having broken into Tartarus' headquarters, Natsu angrily yells at Franmalth, wanting Erza and Mirajane back. Doing this, he manages to gain the attention of several of Tartarus' members. Upon seeing Natsu, Franmalth is astonished that he found their base. Meanwhile, before leaving to check out the disturbance, Kyouka orders Yakdoriga to look after Erza but not to touch her. Hearing that Natsu is after the girls, Franmalth reasons that he is from Fairy Tail and begins questioning him before being knocked away.

Elsewhere, Gray and Juvia ride back to the guild, with the former stating that Tartarus may have found new addresses in the meantime. As Juvia expresses her apprehension about the situation, Gray tells her that given the opponent they may be facing, one who damaged a town, her fear is reasonable but Juvia states that it doesn't have to do with that. Taking her hand, Gray tells her that he's with her and that they will win.

Back at Tartarus' headquarters, Franmalth shakes off Natsu's attack as if nothing but gets angry as he breaks his armor. Telling Natsu that his "sin" will cost 1000 souls, Franmalth's arm is extended and latches on to Natsu, draining the Dragon Slayer of his Magic Power. Happy intervenes by biting the Dark Mage but is decked. Natsu charges in, avoiding Franmalth's punches and gets a hold of him, allowing him to use Fire Dragon's Grip Strike. As Franmalth recovers, he angrily tells Natsu that his sin's cost has now gone up to 2000 souls but the two are then interrupted by Silver's arrival. Franmalth is shocked to see the Ice Devil Slayer, who gives an order to take away the unconscious ex-chairman. Nervous, Franmalth complies as he drags away Crawford and states that preparations need to begin soon, before being told to keep quiet. As Natsu notices a drop in the temperature, he is asked if he unfroze the Sun Village, to which he replies with a question as to whether or not Silver is the one who froze it in the first place. Hearing this question, Silver suddenly starts laughing, telling Natsu that it was a mistake to have done so and that he did it due to a misunderstanding. As Natsu picks up his scent, he comments on its similarity to Gray. In the blink of an eye, Natsu is frozen solid by Silver, who tells him not to use that name as he finds it disgusting.

Stripped naked and thrown into a prison cell, Natsu demands the prison guards give his scarf back, before he hears a voice and realizes he is not alone. Startled, the Dragon Slayer turns to see Lisanna in the cell with him, also stripped and tied up. Slightly embarrassed by their lack of clothes, the two sit back-to-back, Lisanna sadly admitting that she doesn't remember how she was captured. Conveying that Erza and Mirajane are also trapped within Tartarus, Lisanna is further saddened, stating that she has no idea what has become of Elfman. When she states that she feels Fairy Tail has been severely beaten, Natsu tells her not to give up, consoling her and convincing her that they will definitely be okay, and must figure out how to escape. Encouraged, Lisanna begins to try and squirm out of her cuffs, but notes that due to them the two have no Magic.

Elsewhere in the Tartarus headquarters, Sayla asks Kyouka the other Demons if they have found those linked to Face which she confirms, stating that they have already killed two of the three and only Jellal is left to find. Sayla asks if they will find the ex-councilman soon, Kyouka remarks that Erza will spill his location soon, and that they must ensure no more Fairy Tail members arrive to mess with their plans. Smiling, Sayla states that she shall see to the issue of Fairy Tail, as she is preparing a story fitting of their last days. Meanwhile, Jellal struggles in his fight against Angel, Racer and Cobra. As the group continues their assault, Midnight explains that they will not be defeated as they are finally obtaining true freedom after being freed from the Tower of Heaven, Brain's control, and finally prison. Surging forward to punch Racer in the face, Jellal states that he shall be their window to freedom, as the freedom the group thinks they have is but a lie. With the Oración Seis shocked into stillness, Jellal uses the opportunity to strike at Cobra. Meanwhile, Brain opens his eyes, awakening as Zero.

Back at the Fairy Tail Guild, Carla, Wendy and Lucy apologize to the guild, stating that after Natsu ran off they followed him to the Chairman's house, but found nobody there. Saddened to hear that Natsu is missing, the members state that they need to find Tartarus' headquarters. As the guild members ponder what to do, a tired and battered Happy flies through the window, screaming that Natsu, Erza and Mirajane got captured, and that the chairman is an ally of Tartarus. Calming down, Happy details to everyone what has happened, which at first shocks everyone at the guild, but also makes them glad that they now have Tartarus' location. Revealing that the headquarters is on a floating island, and therefore constantly moves around, Levy promises to pinpoint its location for everyone. As the others plan to invade Tartarus, they are interrupted by Elfman, who stumbles into the guild with clouded eyes as he mumbles that the guild needs to be broken from the inside out while from her bed at the Tartarus headquarters, a gleeful Sayla smiles.

Meanwhile, back at the guild, Elfman tells everyone that Lisanna has been captured and that Yuri is dead; the former statement earns him a reprimanding at the hands of Cana, due to him just leaving his sister, though Gray jumps to his defense. Walking down to the basement, Elfman recalls the mission given to him by Sayla and her Macro: destroy Fairy Tail and he shall be given Lisanna. With the explosive Lacrima gifted unto him in hand, Elfman states that for his sister's return, he will obliterate Fairy Tail. Concurrently, at Tartarus headquarters, Lisanna and Natsu struggle to get free; Silver arrives and throws Lisanna a blanket, remarking that he can't let them escape, but that he similarly can't let a girl stay in a state such as Lisanna's. With Lisanna thanking Silver, Natsu calls out to him and asks who he is before telling Lisanna that he smells just like Gray. As he walks away, Silver questions if the person they've captured is truly Natsu.

Elsewhere in the headquarters, Franmalth and Crawford search for Jellal via the Chairman's Real Time Link as Erza continues to be tortured by Kyouka and Yakdoriga. At the same time, Jellal pants as Midnight questions his method to freeing them; Jellal states that he'll defeat them and motions to cast a spell, however at that moment, Zero rises and pierces Jellal with his Magic, shocking everyone except Midnight. Now lying on the ground mortally wounded, Jellal tries to make Meredy retreat, but she refuses to do so. Before he can utter his last words to her, Zero pounces upon Jellal and crushes his throat with a swift punch, maliciously laughing that his strike marks the man's end, all as Crawford tells Franmalth that he's done more than simply find Jellal with his Super Archive.

With everyone staring in awe at Zero's total decimation of the former Councilor, in a shattering of light, Jellal reappears, revealing everything that transpired since Zero's "awakening" was merely an illusion; the man blinded himself to free both him and Meredy from Midnight's nightmare. Jellal then goes on to immediately cast Grand Chariot, severely wounding his four combatants. Before they even have a chance to recover, Jellal casts the mighty Sema, summoning a giant meteor that rains down on the group and defeats them, leaving them incapacitated in its crater. With a wounded Midnight asking him to kill them and a similar stated asking if he'll return them to jail, Jellal answers them that he intends do neither and instead asks the remnants of the Dark Guild to join his own guild, Crime Sorcière, leaving them all in shock as he tells them that with him, their prayers will be heard. Hearing this, Midnight asks Jellal for what sake should they fight; Jellal grabs the man and yells at him, saying that their goal is to defeat Zeref. Meanwhile, at Tartarus headquarters, Crawford reveals to Franmalth that he found a way to transfer Jellal's key to Face to himself via his Super Archive, piquing Franmalth's interest. At that moment, however, Kyouka arrives and stabs Crawford with her claws, thereby killing him and unsealing Face. Concurrently, the Lacrima in Elfman's possession prepares for detonation as the man cries, stating that he loves Lisanna.

With the third seal broken, Face begins to unseal itself; Cube reacts to such a thing rather violently. As the shaking progresses, Lisanna points Natsu in the direction of a sword that can free them from their cell. In the control room, Kyouka asks Franmalth for Face's coordinates, with him replying that they're rather far from where they expected it to surface. As she continues by asking him to activate, Franmalth states that Crawford was the only one who could and that they'll have to do it manually, causing Kyouka to regret her hastiness. Just then, Sayla enters to control room and tells her two fellow Demon Gates that Fairy Tail's time is almost at an end.

At the same time, Lamy enters the room where the Demon conversion is being done and announces that "they" have been reborn; Tempesta, in a new body, emerges and finds himself unable to remember anything about himself or his comrades. Jackal emerges as well and remarks that Tempesta getting all the attention isn't fair, as well as that Lamy's fondling of him is disgusting. As he announces that he's going to kill Natsu and Happy the next time he sees them, Minerva emerges as well, her demonic transformation complete. Lamy then goes to Mirajane's tank and expresses her disgust for the woman's beauty, stating that she'll modify her so that he's as ugly as possible.

Meanwhile, in Fairy Tail's basement, Cana stumbles upon Elfman and the Lacrima, causing the man to pounce on her and tells her and Fairy Tail to perish; Cana realizes that he's being controlled. As everyone upstairs prepares to attack Tartarus, as Levy has found out that they're directly above them, the Lacrime goes off, completely eradicating the guild building, leaving Sayla in a state of triumph.

Counterattack: Fairy Tail vs. Tartarus
With the explosion shaking the citizens of Magnolia, Kyouka congratulates Sayla on her act and remarks that their need to bring Cube to Magnolia was pointless. As Kyouka turns around and announces that they'll activate Face and bring about the world Zeref wanted; Franmalth detects a large number of magical entities approaching Cube, warranting Kyouka's attention. A soldier then comes in and tells the three Demon Gates that three shadows are coming towards them, but Franmalth says that he detects many more. To end their confusion, Sayla displays Undercube and sees Fairy Tail's Exceeds flying right towards them carrying cards.

It is revealed that mere minutes earlier, Cana saved the entire guild by trapping them in her Magic Cards and having Happy, Carla and Pantherlily fly them all to Cube. As Franmalth realizes the gravity of their situation, Sayla similarly realizes that their predicament is her fault, causing her to go into shock; Kyouka immediately takes control of the situation and orders the gravitational field at Undercube be activated and their first battalion be scrambled to Front, Rear and Sidecube so as to prevent them from reaching Topcube. With the field now activated, the Exceeds are sucked into Undercube as the enemy approaches them; Cana releases everyone from her cards and they begin their counterattack. At the same time, she tells a now-free Elfman that he needs to stand up and help them so they can get Mirajane and Lisanna back. Meanwhile, in the conversion room, Mirajane awakens, frightening Lamy, and tells her that she already has the Demon Factor and that all the young Demon has done is make her stronger, frightening her. At that exact moment, Kyouka travels to the dungeons to check on Erza, but finds a hole in the wall upon opening the door. She is then immediately grabbed by Natsu and Lisanna, who escaped their cells thanks to the Heat Blade they found. As Kyouka asks where Erza is, the woman emerges with Yakdoriga's body draped across her shoulders and tells the Demon that she intends to repay her acts to her in kind.

With the situation now reversed, Kyouka finds herself suspended by the Magic-nullifying cuffs with her former prisoners interrogating her. After easily offering information on Mirajane's location, though truthfully denying any knowledge of Elfman, Natsu and Lisanna run off to save their fellow captured friend. After they leave, Erza inquires about the vibrations that were felt earlier, to which the Demon states that it was due to the unsealing of Face, which instantly causes her to worry for Jellal's life. However Kyouka quickly alleviates Erza's worries, stating that they managed to unseal it using a different method, which prompts Erza to question Tartarus' motives, to which the Demon responds that everything they're doing is Zeref's will. Kyouka quickly breaks free of her chains, as they affect users of Magic and not Curses. Motioning to attack Erza, Kyouka is quickly kicked away and tells Erza that their belief in Zeref is only natural as they were spawned from his books. However, as all her attacks are parried, Kyouka is quickly speared into the floor of the dungeon by Erza, who requips into a new armor.

Meanwhile, at Undercube, the healthy members of Fairy Tail continue to battle Tartarus' minions, while at the same time protecting their injured, whom Cana was forced to bring along due to the imminent explosion; their progress is hindered by the overwhelming numbers of their enemy. As they try to figure out how to get to the castle, without much success, the ground starts to shake; Erza pierces through Undercube, having driven Kyouka straight through the floating island. This provides Fairy Tail the breach they needed to get inside the Dark Guild's fortress. Concurrently, inside Tartarus Headquarters, Natsu and Lisanna run into several of the Dark Guild's minions, who Natsu decides to fight away, offering Lisanna the chance to mind Mirajane. After a brief skirmish, Natsu notices that time has stopped, and expresses his shock when he sees Zeref himself appear behind him, both praising him and welcoming Natsu to his bookshelf, the place where all his creations live: Tartarus.

Ignoring Natsu's surprise, Zeref informs him that the guild is near-entirely composes of Demons he has created and that collectively they are known as Tartarus, but that the guild itself was created by E.N.D.; Natsu recognizes the name and states that that's the one that Igneel wanted to kill, however Zeref corrects him by saying that he couldn't kill E.N.D. Shouting that he'll carry on Igneel's will, Natsu attacks Zeref with the Heat Blade but the weapon is disintegrated before it can make contact. Zeref smiles and tells Natsu that he might be able to defeat E.N.D., but tells him to remember that Igneel couldn't kill him and that he too will be faced with the decision to either let him live or to kill him. Zeref then goes to leave, but Natsu calls out to him that he doesn't understand his words; Zeref replies that Tartarus is trying very hard to reach him and that his visits aren't fair to their efforts. Before disappearing completely and unfreezing time, Zeref wonders aloud whether it will be Natsu or E.N.D. that reaches him first, which only makes Natsu more confused.

Meanwhile, outside, Erza succumbs to the gravity of Undercube and asks them what's going on; Gray tells her that there's no time and that they must enter the fortress. With Elfman leading the front, Fairy Tail begins their true counterattack, however before she can join in, Erza is caught by Kyouka, who insists on continuing their battle, though she tells Lucy that Face's seal has been undone and that they need to deactivate it. Concurrently, Lisanna makes her way to the underground labs where she finally reunites with her sister and informs her that she, Natsu, Erza and Elfman were all captured. However, at that moment, Sayla appears and tells them that Elfman was not captured; Lisanna warns Mirajane of her ability to control people. Sayla continues on by saying that Elfman did as ordered and blew up the Fairy Tail Guild, but that not one person was killed and that she was shamed in front of Kyouka. Angered, Sayla tells Mirajane that she'll be taking her life as payment for her embarrassment, which prompts Mirajane to smile crazily in return. At the same time, in the control room, Franmalth goes over the large error in their calculations, but hides when he notices Wendy, Lucy, Happy and Carla enter; the four soon find out that Face has to be manually activated and express their shock when all of a sudden, courtesy of Ezel, it does, giving them a mere forty-one minutes left until Magic is wiped out across the continent. However, before they can leave to deactivate it, Keith arrives, sending the group into an even larger panic.

Now faced with Keith, Lucy spots the timer and notices that one minute has already passed, concluding that they need to distract him and just move on. As the Exceeds note the possible danger of the situation, Franmalth comes out of hiding and tells them that it's already dangerous, which prompts Lucy to summon Taurus and Aries, who both proceed to attack the two Nine Demon Gates, which allows Lucy, Wendy and the Exceeds to get away. Their triumph, however, is short-lived as Keith quickly materializes in front of them; Gray appears and punches Keith, which turns his body into numerous particles. Taking notice of Lucy and Wendy flying towards him, they tell him they're in a rush and fly past, which causes Gray to wonder what their hurry is. As Keith re-materializes, however, he makes note of Gray being something of Silver's, which leads Gray to wondering what he means.

Continuing down the corridor, Lucy spots a window but is blocked by the appearance of Aries' wool, which confuses her. As she and Happy are revealed to have been captured by Franmalth, Lucy tells Wendy to continue on to Face without her; Franmalth makes a grab for Wendy, but he is stopped by the appearance of Natsu. As he wonders where Wendy is going, Lucy tells him that Face has been activated and that she's going to deactivate it manually, however, Franmalth regains their attention by performing Revolution, taking on the appearance of Taurus, whose soul he absorbed alongside Aries' own. After a brief bickering session with Natsu, Franmalth refuses to return Taurus and Aries as they are valuable parts of his collection; Natsu goes to attack Franmalth, but he adopts the face of Aries, which stops him and allows Franmalth to counterattack. As he does the same thing again, except with Taurus' face, Natsu hits Franmalth regardless, as he has no problem hitting Taurus. Now fed up with Natsu and his antics, Franmalth performs Revolution once more and draws out the power of his strongest soul, whose appearance shocks Natsu, Lucy and Happy; meanwhile, only thirty-four minutes remain until Face activates.

As Wendy and Carla rush towards Face, Franmalth reveals his strongest soul to be Hades, which he explains he obtained by following Zeref seven years ago and happening across his body. However, Natsu tells Franmalth that he defeated Hades and punches the Demon Gate away; Franmalth asks if Natsu did it by himself and retaliates, telling him that aside from the appearance, the Magic Power of the one who gazed into the abyss is real. Pressuring Natsu, Franmalth eventually grabs hold of the Dragon Slayer and tries to absorb his soul, however before he can, Natsu kicks his arm away and enters Lightning Flame Dragon Mode. Attacking Franmalth with his Lightning Flame Dragon's Roar, Franmalth revels in the power of the magic he's looking at and absorbs the soul of the spell, thereby giving him access to Natsu's Dragon Mode. Franmalth then recognizes Natsu as the one who defeated Jackal, but tells him not to take the Nine Demon Gates lightly, as one of them alone is enough to topple a country. Concurrently, Mirajane struggles in her battle with Sayla, as does Erza with Kyouka; Wendy reaches the location of Face and lands, going down an offshoot passage in search of the magical device, completely unaware that Ezel is lurking directly above her.

Countdown to Face's Activation: The Two Little Heroines
Back at Tartarus Headquarters, Franmalth tells Natsu that he doesn't believe that Magic can defeat their Curses as well as that Face will activate in ten minutes, meaning that the era of Mages will end. Realizing that losing their Magic in the middle of their crucial battles would be horrendous, Lucy prays that Wendy stops Face. Meanwhile, as she explores the cavern in which Face resides, Wendy is attacked by Ezel, who curses Kyouka for giving him nothing of a challenge. With her attempts at running from Ezel failing, Wendy resolves to fight the Nine Demon Gate and casts a series of enchantments that boost her defenses and fighting abilities before ultimately casting Sky Dragon's Roar, which Ezel cuts right through. As even her follow-up attack is useless, Ezel readies his Tenga Goken and attacks her with the destructive Onimaru, which Wendy barely dodges. Ezel then continues his furious assault, slicing the ground around her and attacking her with his tentacles. As he catches her off-guard with his Juzumaru, Wendy's resistance enchantments fail and she is thrown backward, gravely wounded; she is pinned to the ground by Ezel, who directs her to look overhead at Face, which only as five minutes left until activation. With Ezel cursing the smell of the Eternano radiating off of Face, Carla attacks Ezel in an effort to get him off of Wendy, which fails. With Ezel motioning to eat Carla, Wendy begins to eat the Eternano-rich air and enters Dragon Force, pushing Ezel back and allowing her to counterattack.

As Ezel wonders what's happening to Wendy, Wendy pushes him back with her now extreme control over the air, quickly overwhelming the Demon with her enhanced physical attributes, which both angers and intrigues Ezel. Carla then makes note of the time left until Face activates (just over four minutes), which prompts Wendy to surround Ezel with wind and cast Shattering Light: Sky Drill, however, with his Mikazuki he gleefully slices through the wind and renders her spell useless; Ezel enters his Slash Attack Mode, which gives him more cutting power and strength. In response, Wendy tries to surround Ezel with wind yet again, though he once again slices through it until, that is, she increases the volume and sends Ezel crashing through Face, trapped in a tornado, which destroys the gargantuan bomb. However, even with Ezel defeated and the monolith destroyed, the countdown doesn't stop, which sends Wendy and Carla into a panic. Now having exited Dragon Force, Wendy loses all her strength and collapses, unable to move as Face finally nears activation.

Back at Tartarus Headquarters, Natsu and the others fighting Franmalth feel Face's activation tremors as Gray and Mirajane curse their inability to harm Keith and Sayla, respectively; Lamy latches onto Lisanna, starting their own conflict amidst everyone else's, and Kyouka takes note of Face's impending activation. Meanwhile, back at Face's location, Wendy apologizes for her inability to stop the bomb, however Carla, thanks to her premonition ability, tells Wendy that if they convert the Eternano around Face into something else, they can cause it to self-destruct. Following what her future self did, Carla pulls up the self-destruct character for Face and tells Wendy that if they press it, they will be killed in the explosion. In response to Carla's request to get away, Wendy tells her she doesn't have the strength to and that, even if she could, she won't leave the Exceed behind. Crawling up to her friend and hugging her, Wendy thanks Carla for all the fun times they had and, as they both remember their adventures up until this point, press the character together, which sets off an extremely large explosion that eradicates the canyon they're in. However, as the dust from the blast settles, Doranbolt appears with Wendy and Carla in his arms, revealing to have saved them from the blast just in time. Looking at the wreckage of Face, Doranbolt smiles and expresses his surprise at the two girls' heroics.

Meanwhile, Franmalth begins expressing mass amounts of joy at Face's "activation", however Natsu notes that his Magic hasn't disappeared, which causes Franmalth to realize that their plan failed. Descending into a panic, Franmalth quickly enters a blind rage and attacks Natsu, screeching for him to hand over his soul countless times before attacking them with Hades' Magic, creating a large explosion. Concurrently, as Kyouka fights Erza, she realizes that Face's activation failed and runs off, leaving Minerva, who now refers to herself as Neo Minerva, to deal with the Fairy Tail Mage. As she hurries off, Kyouka wonders what could have possibly happened to derail their plans and opts to forcefully awaken E.N.D. Back at the sight of their battle, Franmalth latches onto the bodies of the three extremely injured Fairy Tail Mages and begins to absorb their souls; Natsu rebels against Franmalth's absorption and tries to convince Lucy and Happy to not give up. Becoming more and more angered by the second, Natsu tells Franmalth that his soul is his and that until he meets Igneel again he's never giving it up. With all three of them thinking of what means the most to them, Lucy calls out to Taurus and Aries and closes their gates. Franmalth, realizing he may be drawn into the Celestial Spirit World if he keeps their souls, quickly ejects them both from his body.

Using her wit, Lucy shouts that she's closing Natsu's gate, which causes Franmalth to let go of him as he believes that he's a Celestial Spirit. Realizing that he's been tricked, Franmalth can do nothing as Natsu motions to attack him. Mocking Natsu for his Magic's inability to harm him, Franmalth stares on in disbelief as Natsu picks up a boulder and starts to beat him with it, as a rock has no soul for him to absorb. With Franmalth now defeated, all the souls that he absorbed begin to exit his body and fly away, save for one: the soul of Hades. The soul takes on the deceased man's shape for an instant and tells the group that their fight isn't over, as well as that Tartarus' true objective wasn't Face. Before he disappears, Hades tells the group to make Makarov release the light, which leaves the three Fairy Tail Mages rather perturbed.

After Hades disappears, the group wanders what the deceased Guild Master was referring to, before Happy flies of to find Makarov. As the other two leave to find Mirajane, Franmalth gleefully states how Demons were virtually immortal as long as their lab is intact, which allows them to be endlessly reborn, before he too disappears. Meanwhile at the lab, as Lisanna attempts to get Lamy off her, Mirajane is struggling against Sayla, who is in turn confused about the elder Mage, wondering why her Macro is ineffective against her. Sayla then reveals that any who she had cursed in the past, are still under the effect of Macro, and can be remotely reactivated no matter where they are. Realizing that Sayla was threatening Elfman, Mirajane demands her to stop, just as Ezel appears in a nearby glass tube.

Ezel demands to be revived quickly despite seeing that Sayla is in a battle. Seeing that the Mages were both surprised and confused, Lamy explains that they are currently at Hell's Core, where those who made a contract with the "Demon King" can be reborn, if they are defeated. Understanding that it would be troublesome if this place were left alone, Mirajane releases her Take Over so as to destroy the lab. When Sayla asked if she were capable, Mira replied that it would be "a piece of cake" before promptly starting to destroy all the glass tubes, without even casting a spell. Amongst the destruction, Ezel and Franmalth are also victims, being blown up before they could regenerate. When a shocked Sayla asks how the Mage is doing this, Mira simply states that she used Take Over to control the tentacles around the lab to make them destroy everything. Seeing that since both their abilities control others, they are immune to each others Magic and Curses. Preparing for a physical fight Mirajane transforms into Sitri, however Sayla releases her limiter by using Macro on herself causing the Demon to transform. Shocked Mirajane was unable to defend herself before the Demon attacked and sent flying into Lisanna and Lamy. Sayla follows up with an immensely powerful attack that greatly injures all three.

Elsewhere in Cube, the Demon King, Mard Geer, states how the Etherious, the man-made Demons created from the Books of Zeref seem to be no match for 'them', and that darkness shall snuff out the world's light.

Enter the Demon King! Fairies Trapped!
At Hell's Core, Sayla tackles Mirajane at full power, and though the Mage tries to Take Over the Etherious, the Demon deems it useless, having ordered herself to rip apart her opponent. Lisanna tries to help Mirajane, but is restrained by Lamy. As Mirajane is being knocked around, she recalls her past. Remembering how she and her siblings were ostracized in their home town because Mirajane had "exorcised" a Demon and gained a demonic arm, they were exiled as the superstitious villagers believed her to be possessed. The Strauss siblings traveled far until they came across the Fairy Tail Guild where Makarov explained that Mirajane wasn't possessed, but had used Take Over to take a Demon's power. Mirajane was still unhappy about the revelation and though she and her siblings decided to stay with the guild, Mirajane refused to socialize like her younger brother and sister were. Disgusted at both Magic and herself, Mirajane planned to leave her younger siblings in the guild's hands, while she quietly ran away by herself. Just as she was about to depart, Elfman and Lisanna found her and performed Beast Soul: Bear (though only his right arm) and Animal Soul: Cat respectively, surprising their elder sister. Seeing that their sister was lonely, Elfman and Lisanna decided to learn the same Magic as Mirajane so that they could always be together, the sentiment causing Mirajane to cry. All of a sudden the two younger Strauss siblings lost control of their Magic and accidentally transformed into something else. This elicit a small giggle from Mirajane who questioned whether they were ready to do guild work with that level of Magic, with Elfman responding that it's now their turn to protect her.

Determined to protect her siblings, Mirajane uses all her concentration to utilize Take Over on Sayla but upon seemingly being successful, is kicked away by the surprised Demon. Preparing to annihilate her, Sayla slows in her tracks as Mirajane reiterates the powers of Macro and reveals that she used it to give Elfman an order. At her call, Elfman drops from the ceiling above and delivers a blow to Sayla, knocking her out and saving his sisters.

The news of Sayla's defeat spreads to Mard Geer, who reveals it to Kyouka as the latter is breaking the news of Ezel and Franmalth's defeats. Shocked, she asks about releasing E.N.D to help them but is told that it is impossible due to overwhelming Magical Power. As Kyouka states that Face was supposed to be their ace in the hole, Mard simply believes the failure to be a small setback and irrelevant in the long run. Asked what he means, Mard forces Kyouka to reiterate Tartarus' nature, goals and beliefs, following which he binds her with rose vines. Asked what he is doing, Mard states that Kyouka played with humans and though she claims she was trying to get information, he is convinced that she is too fond of them and as such, is punishing her because he is disgusted with what she did. As Kyouka accepts his punishment, Mard expresses his dislike of the present humans in Cube and contemplates using Alegria.

Meanwhile, as Lucy and Natsu are searching for their allies, they are contacted by Warren, who states that Mirajane is safe and sound with them. Wanting to talk to everyone, Lucy asks to be connected and upon hearing that she is, reveals that Wendy and Carla took out Face, eliciting cheers from everyone. Finding out that Makarov is listening, Happy adds his voice, stating that they met the soul of Hades, who told them that Makarov has to release the light. Hearing this, Makarov wonders if he is referring to Lumen Histoire. Suddenly, Warren screams as his telepathic communications are hijacked by Mard Geer, who introduces himself to everyone. However, he tells them they don't need to remember it as they have no tomorrow. Casting Alegria, Mard begins changing the shape of Cube. The Fairy Tail Mages and many of Tartarus' own forces are frozen in a mysterious substance as it takes over the area and separates everybody. Soon, Cube turns into a monster called Plutogrim as Mard refers to humans as foolish, claiming none could escape Alegria. However, the Tartarus members soon detect that there is one survivor. All alone, Lucy has somehow escaped the effects of Alegria causing Mard to wonder about her luck, as though she escaped, she is now all alone.

As Lucy wonders what has happened, upon looking outside a window she witnesses Plutogrim causing massive damage to Magnolia with its roars. Closing up her ears to block the racket, the Celestial Spirit Mage then receives a telepathic message from Mard Geer, who was broadcasting to everyone the annihilation of Fairy Tail, as well as putting a bounty on Lucy. As the soldiers cheer at the thought of ascending to the position of Nine Demon Gates, Lucy is swept away, as the corridor she is in is suddenly filled with water. Coming across some of the minions, the lone Mage easily defeats them using Fleuve d'étoiles. When another trio appears casting long ranged attacks, Lucy quickly summons Sagittarius and defeats them.

They then sees Lamy sliding towards them, and though Sagittarius shoots at the Etherious, the arrows simply slips past her. Lamy then spins at the archer, stating that projectiles are worthless against her Sliding Curse, which causes Lucy to swap him with Virgo. Just as soon as the "maiden" was summoned, Torafusa suddenly attacks from above, which the Mage counters by summoning Loke. Both spirits see that Lucy was quickly getting fatigued from the dual summoning, and resolve to end their battles quickly. Unfortunately, Jackal then appears, and though Lucy knows that she has little chance of defeating the Etherious that even Natsu had a hard time defeating, she still initiates an attack with Fleuve d'étoiles. However, the Demon reminds the Mage the effects of his Bomb Curse by releasing an explosion down the Magical whip. Lucy questions them about what happened to her friends, and though Jackal taunts her by claiming they're dead, the Celestial Spirit Mage believes otherwise, being still able to feel their Magic. Jackal releases his frustration of not being able to kill Natsu or Happy on Lucy, by toying with her with his explosions. Determined to save her friends after all the times they rescued her, and despite warnings from her other two Spirits, Lucy summons a third one. As the Mage collapses from overexertion, she begs Aquarius to help, as the mermaid responds by calling her master an idiot.