Beta read by Shigiya and Darklord331
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-Magnolia-
(A few minutes earlier)
This damn day couldn't get any worse for Zancrow or rather, it couldn't get any better.
"Why the hell are you the one approaching the guy first!?" he snapped at Rustyrose as they left the main ship, nearing the entrance of Magnolia. "Just send me in there and let me crush the bastard to pieces! It'd be way easier to drag him back to the boss unconscious than whatever it is you're trying to do."
"I don't need your help to deal with this man," the well-dressed mage replied with a smirk. His smug tone made Zancrow's blood boil until he spat on the ground in frustration. As always, Ultear was watching with those orbs, so he couldn't do jack about it.
"Then why the hell did you call me to come with you in the first place!?" he shouted, fists clenched. This whole setup stank. Half his mind was already on knocking Rustyrose out cold and going after this 'Broly' guy himself. "If he is as powerful as that bitch and the boss keeps saying, then he is the perfect puppet to use my flame against!"
"Keep up or leave if you want, I don't care," Rustyrose said nonchalantly. "If the guy has friends, I promise you can take care of them. Honestly, I don't even need you here, but since it was the boss who gave the order… Who am I to ignore it? If you've got complaints, take it up with him. This mission was assigned to me, not you. So quit whining."
A tense silence followed. Zancrow glared daggers at his partner's back as the latter strode ahead, already focused on his hair more than the mission itself. What made the blonde mage's eyes twitch with irritation was how the person in front of him already started flirting with a girl near the entrance.
"Tch... fuck him," Zancrow muttered under his breath, veering off in another direction. "Who the hell does he think he is, hogging all the fun? The boss'll be just as happy if I bring someone in too."
The town was crawling with Fairy Tail mages. Zancrow knew he'd run into at least one sooner or later. If he recalled, Ultear mentioned reading some high level of magic around this part of town, so another Fairy Tail wizard was most likely living there. It didn't take long. After wandering through the area, he came across a clearing marked by signs of a recent battle.
"Huh?" he blinked, then noticed a figure seated at the edge of the clearing, a redhead who was calmly reading a book on a chair seemingly grown from roots. Not even acknowledging his existence after only sparing him a single glance before returning to read her book.
This woman… he redhead… that face… was this not that Titania chick? The closer he looked, the more apparent it became that this was indeed her. The grin stretched across his face as he cracked his knuckles.
Jackpot.
"Sorry, not sorry." Not even giving her a second to react, black flames surged into existence around his arm, twisting into a massive sphere of searing destruction. "Fire God's Explosive Flames!" He hurled it straight at her without hesitation.
The impact shattered trees, sent shockwaves rippling outward, and scorched the entire clearing to ash. Maniacal laughter burst from Zancrow's throat at the sight, his prior frustration about the arrangement being completely forgotten.
"HAHAHAHA! Take that, you fried fucker! Also fuck you Rusty! Treat me like I'm some damn tagalong again, I dare you! Tch, S-Class wizard my ass."
At that point, he didn't care whether she was a Fairy Tail mage or not. She was just the poor unfortunate soul who happened to be nearby when he needed to vent. It would have been better had she just resisted a bit more, and used that requip magic everyone kept talking about — honestly, you should have known the outcome to end up like this.
"Wait... Wasn't Titania supposed to be in the Guild according to Ultear?" he mused with a shrug. "Eh, probably not that important."
Just as the words left his mouth, something tapped his shoulder.
"Eh?" he muttered, pausing.
Slowly, he turned.
Cold chocolate brown eyes met his, sharp and glowing with quiet fury. It was her, the same woman he'd just attacked, standing there perfectly unharmed.
"You've got a lot of nerve attacking me out of the blue like that," she said in a voice cold enough to freeze bone.
For a second, Zancrow hesitated. That presence, something about her was wrong. But the thought passed, and confidence returned. What was there to fear? She was still just one person.
"So you survived? Good. Guess being a Fairy Tail member isn't all talk, huh?"
He barely got the words out before she flicked her finger.
An overwhelming pressure crushed down on him like a falling mountain. In the blink of an eye, his face was buried in the ground, his body pressed into a crater as if gravity itself had singled him out for punishment. His vision started to turn black, and his heart was barely able to pump enough blood to his head to keep the man conscious.
"I didn't give you permission to speak," Irene said flatly.
Another snap of her fingers, red engulfed his vision.
An eruption of fire exploded around him, utterly dwarfing his own. For a moment, Zancrow panicked, trying to consume it with his magic, but the sheer intensity of it—it was beyond him.
"Oh?" she remarked, mildly surprised. "You can devour flames... a Dragon Slayer? No, wait—black fire. A God Slayer. How rare. Dimaria would be very interested in your magic," she continued, tilting her head slightly as if pondering something. "But for now… I have some uses for you, boy."
He didn't understand what she was talking about, but the fact that she recognized his magic put him on edge.
"I'll fucking kill you!" he growled.
She only smiled.
With another wave of her hand, an invisible force slammed into him, sending his body flying across the field and dragging a deep trench into the ground as he crashed. His ribs screamed in pain.
"You're welcome to try," her voice echoed across the field.
The smirk was gone. The pain spread through his limbs.
What... the hell was this woman?
{Break}
"Hah… this day sucks…"
Back at the guild, Lucy and the rest of the crew were doing their usual thing, fresh off their chat with the Saiyan and that enigmatic woman. While everyone else seemed to have shaken it off and moved on, Lucy couldn't stop chewing on it. Something about that woman stuck in her head like a song she couldn't quite remember, familiar but just out of reach. It bugged her, like trying to recall a name she knew she should know but couldn't for the life of her.
"A jewel for your thoughts?" Cana asked, sliding into the seat beside Lucy with a massive barrel of beer already in hand. She glanced over at the blonde, who had been flipping through one quest poster after another without actually reading any of them.
Lucy sighed. "I don't know… I feel like I've seen that woman somewhere before, but I can't put my finger on it. And… don't you think she was kind of weird?"
"Thank you! Finally, someone else saw it!" Cana exclaimed, relieved. "She gives me bad vibes. I don't know what happened between the council headquarters and their return, but what I do know is I don't trust her. And why the hell did Broly bring her back with him in the first place?"
"It's Broly," the blonde answered without thinking. She blinked as the words left her mouth, realizing how quick she was to justify him, and then offered a sheepish look. "I mean, he's the kind of person who would help anyone if they just asked him or even if they didn't. But still… You saw the way they were together. That didn't look like two strangers who just happened to cross paths."
Cana nodded in agreement, her expression serious for once. "Exactly. There's more to this than we're being told. He might be insanely strong, but the guy is too trusting. He can flatten half a mountain without blinking, but that doesn't mean he can't be manipulated in my opinion, especially emotionally."
Lucy winced at the thought. "That's what I'm afraid of. Someone could totally take advantage of his kindness and his wallet while they're at it."
"Meh, she did not exactly seem like a gold digger, but you never know. We just need to find out who she really is," Cana said with surprising conviction.
The statement caught Lucy off guard. "What?"
"We're a team," Cana continued, unbothered by the reaction. "And part of being a team means watching each other's backs. I say we do a little digging."
Lucy looked uncertain. "I get what you're saying, but… what if we're wrong? What if she turns out to be totally harmless, and we just look like paranoid idiots?"
The brunette shrugged casually. "Then we apologize. No harm done."
Before Lucy could respond, the entire guild suddenly shook beneath them. The floor trembled, bottles clinked together, and dust rained down from the ceiling. Mirajane, carrying a full tray of drinks, nearly dropped everything as she tried to balance herself.
"What the hell!?" Lucy exclaimed, getting to her feet as the tremors died down. She looked around in confusion, just as several other guild members started coughing from the sudden dust storm kicked up by the shake.
"He's back! He's back!" a voice shouted across the guild hall.
It was Natsu, of course, already standing on his table with a big grin on his face, his arms raised triumphantly. Wendy sat beside him, looking just as confused as Lucy felt. "Does that mean he's done with that quest?"
"Of course he is! Don't you know there is nothing that can stand in his way? He's the strongest Fairy Tail wizard after all!"
"Oh… it's him." Lucy heard the card mage muster under her breath with a complicated expression flashing on her face before she took a big swig of the barrel. Across from them, Erza remained quiet, expression sharpening as she raised her fist and slammed it into the table. The force silenced everyone instantly, nearly reducing the piece of furniture to splinters and causing a startled yelp from Wendy.
"Quiet!" Erza ordered, her voice as firm as ever and even freighting a few people around her. "That wasn't a city-wide mechanism, we did not hear the alarm, did you all forget about that!?"
The mood shifted in an instant. Guild members exchanged uncertain glances, the excitement giving way to concern. Murmurs spread through the room.
"Aw man, I was looking forward to something exciting," one mage muttered, stretching his arms. "Though... earthquakes that strong in Magnolia aren't exactly normal."
"That wasn't a natural quake," Erza muttered under her breath. Her statement was proven correct just a second later when another tremor hit, stronger this time. People stumbled, drinks spilled, and the unease in the room exploded.
"Let's go check it out!" Natsu shouted, already charging toward the exit with Happy flying close behind. Several guild members followed suit.
Outside, the scene was pure chaos. Civilians ran in every direction, fleeing from an unseen danger. Some ducked into shops and homes, others sprinted through the streets in panic. A few headed straight for the Fairy Tail guild, waving frantically.
"What's going on out there!?" Erza asked one of the oncoming townsfolk.
"A fight! There's a mage attacking some guy on the east side of town!" one man shouted, panting hard. "Please! Someone stop them before they destroy everything, I just rebuilt my shop after that pink-haired menace wrecked it last month!"
"I told you that was an accident, you jerk! Also, it wasn't my fault, this popsicle over here is the one you should be blaming!" Natsu yelled from the side before getting punched in the face by Gray.
"Shut the hell up, flame for brains!"
"Enough!" Erza snapped, stepping forward. "We're going. Now. Mirajane, you stay behind and make sure to help people if they come here for shelter if this is something worse." She said to the white-haired woman, platter drawing her hair that had been soaked with beer from the earlier incident.
"Got it."
Without hesitation, Lucy, Cana, Wendy, Gray, and several others joined Erza as they headed down the road. The tension rose with each step they took.
"Who would start a fight in Magnolia of all places?" Lucy asked, brows furrowed. To her, starting trouble in Magnolia was perhaps one of the worst ideas any dark mages could come up with. Given every member of the Fairy Tail guild lived in the town, it was only a matter of time before they would get ganged up.
"It's suspicious," Cana agreed. "Even if it's just some hothead mage, we'll make sure they regret causing trouble here. I wouldn't mind testing some new cards myself."
"Wait a second," Lucy said suddenly, slowing her pace. "Isn't this the same road Broly took earlier… with that woman?"
Her words gave everyone pause.
"...Shit," Cana muttered under her breath.
They picked up the pace, running now, until they finally reached the area in question, only to find devastation. The street was torn apart, buildings cracked or partially destroyed, with a massive crater in the center of the road.
"What the hell…?" Natsu breathed.
"Looks like a war zone," Gray muttered, scanning the damage.
"I-I don't see anyone around," Wendy added, her voice cautious. "Did they escape already?"
"Happy!"
"Aye, sir!" the blue cat answered with a salute. Without wasting a second, he grabbed the back of Natsu's robe and soared upward, wings fluttering rapidly as he carried his partner above the crumbling rooftops.
From his elevated vantage point, Natsu scanned the surrounding area, but it was empty. No enemies, no civilians, just cracked stone and dust dancing in the air. He clicked his tongue in frustration.
Happy circled once more before descending, releasing Natsu so he could land with a small thud near the group. He shook his head at Erza.
"No one's around," Natsu reported. Then his nose twitched, once... twice. Wendy mirrored the motion beside him, also sniffing at the dusty air. The two dragon slayers stiffened at the same time.
"It's hard to tell with all the dust and lingering magic, but... Broly was here… yeah that's definitely his smell. No doubt about it." Natsu said gravely. "And he got into a fight."
"I heard dragon slayers had enhanced senses compared to regular mages, but I didn't think they were this sharp," came an amused voice from behind them.
Everyone turned in unison. Erza was the first to react, instantly summoning a blade with a flash of her Requip magic and pointing it at the new arrival with caution.
"What are you doing here... Ultear?"
Even Gray froze in place, his eyes wide with disbelief. His mouth opened, but the words came out in a whisper. "U-Ur...?" It was barely audible, but Natsu and Wendy caught it. They exchanged uncertain glances, looking between Gray and the mysterious woman.
Ultear stood calmly amidst the dust and cracked pavement, her dark hair framing a slight smirk. She didn't seem offended in the slightest by Erza's aggressive stance, going so far as even to take a seat on one of the remaining standing chairs.
"It's been a while since we last... Crossed blades, Erza Scarlet," she said smoothly. "I trust you've been well? I was pleased to hear your guild hadn't caused trouble for the council lately. That is... until your last mission."
Natsu stepped forward, voice sharp. "Oi, who the hell are you supposed to be?"
"She's a member of the Magic Council. You've seen her before," Erza answered tensely, never lowering her sword. "But why now? Why here? Are you the one behind this? Where's Broly?"
Instead of answering directly, Ultear chuckled, a low, knowing sound. "How long do you think your guild can keep him hidden from the world?"
Her smile widened.
"You know as well as I do that Broly isn't like the rest of you. He's not destined to stay tucked away, running errands, fighting a few bandits or dark mages, and taking on other miscellaneous guild missions. That's a fantasy, Erza. One you'll have to wake up from soon."
"I said, where is he!?" Erza shouted and lunged forward, her blade stopping just inches from Ultear's throat. "If you're responsible for the damage to Magnolia, I don't care if you're part of the council or not. That's enough to warrant your arrest."
Ultear remained unfazed, her voice smooth as ever. "There's someone—someone far greater than you can imagine—who is interested in Broly. Someone you couldn't hope to stop. Not with your strongest mages. Not with all of your S-Class. Not even if Gildarts himself appeared before us right now. He wouldn't win."
Her eyes narrowed.
"But my master didn't come here to start a war. He came offering what Broly truly needs."
"So you're not going to give me a straight answer?" Erza muttered, her grip tightening on the hilt.
With a swift slash, she cut through Ultear—but the blade met no resistance. The image of Ultear shimmered, glitching like a mirage, before fading into motes of light.
"What the...?"
A voice echoed from behind them again; Ultear, unharmed and standing atop a nearby rooftop. Her image was solid once more.
"You've all seen what Broly is—his nature. You witnessed it during Galuna Island, and again on your recent mission. He wasn't meant to stay confined to a small corner of the world, doing odd jobs. He has the power to reshape everything. He may fear what he is... but with my master's guidance, he could use that strength for true good. Not just to help a few villagers... but to change the world."
"What the hell is going on here!? Who are you really!?" Gray shouted. He stomped forward, slamming his hands together as magic surged through him. A ring of ice formed beneath Ultear's feet, rapidly growing into a thick, frosty cage.
But like before, the trap meant nothing.
Just as the cage closed, her form flickered out of existence and reappeared several meters away—this time holding a glowing sphere in one hand, the smirk never leaving her face.
"How is she so fast!?" Wendy gasped.
"Thought Projection magic," answered Cana, holding onto several cards.
"There's no use," Ultear said with a shrug. "I didn't come here to fight. I came to deliver a message from my master. Do not interfere. He still remembers his history with Fairy Tail... which is the only reason your guild hasn't been wiped off the map."
The air grew colder and heavier. Her eyes narrowed as the smile on her face disappeared completely, and she whispered without a trace of emotions the following words.
"But test his patience... and you'll regret it. Broly's strength won't be enough to protect you from what's coming if you continue to go against us."
With that, her body dissolved into sparks of light once more.
"She's gone!" Natsu shouted. Happy had just released him mid-air, and his flames crashed into the ground where Ultear had stood a moment before obliterating the street but missing the mark entirely.
"Damn it! That magic of hers is really starting to piss me off! I told you to drop me earlier, Happy!"
"I was flying as fast and as quietly as I could!" Happy protested.
"What the hell is happening?" Lucy asked, her voice trembling. "Did they... kidnap Broly? Is the council trying to arrest him again?"
"No," Erza said grimly. "We've been fooled. That Ultear... she's no longer a council member… most likely never was one. She's a traitor. Maybe even part of a dark guild."
"What!?" Lucy and Wendy exclaimed together.
"We need to get back to the guild. Now!" Erza ordered. "Master needs to hear this, Broly's in danger!"
The group didn't hesitate. They sprinted back through the war-torn streets of Magnolia, urgency in every step.
But as they ran, Lucy couldn't shake the heavy feeling in her chest. Something was wrong, very wrong.
She didn't believe Broly would lose control again. He'd promised her. Sworn that he'd never repeat that mistake.
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-Tartarus-
He couldn't tell where he was.
Just moments ago, Broly had been face-to-face with Rustyrose, then, in the blink of an eye, everything changed. He hadn't anticipated someone using teleportation magic from such a long distance, let alone targeting him and the unconscious mage together. Now they stood in a place completely foreign to him. Even spreading his Ki did little to help; instead, it only overwhelmed his senses due to the massive concentration of Ethernano saturating the air. One particular source of it pulsed from deep within the area, dense and ominous.
The second that wave surged again, energy coursed through the entire structure and was instantly absorbed by the man standing across from him. The sensation it gave off was eerie… like a heartbeat, yet far more unsettling. The sheer scale of it made Broly wonder; was this approaching the level of something like Uranus?
"I'm not interested," Broly said plainly to the older man standing before him. "I don't care what this 'essence of magic' is. I don't know you, and honestly, I have no desire to stay here any longer. I don't want to fight. Let me go, and I'll forget all about this—even your mage's attack." He nodded toward Rustyrose, who still lay unconscious at his feet.
The old man chuckled softly. "For someone with a reputation of monstrous strength and terrifying power, you're surprisingly composed. Ultear was right about you—you are different. An innocent soul burdened with power beyond comprehension... No wonder Fairy Tail accepted you so easily. They care for you just as deeply as you care for them. I imagine it's only a matter of time before they try to rescue you—if they can even find us."
Broly's eyes narrowed slightly at the mention of Fairy Tail. The reaction didn't go unnoticed.
"There's no need for hostility," the old man continued calmly. "As I said—I come in peace. I didn't bring you here to fight. From one soul once lost to another, I can tell… you don't want a battle either, do you?"
Broly clenched his fist tightly for a moment, but then took a deep breath and exhaled, loosening his stance. As much as he didn't trust this stranger, he wasn't wrong. Broly didn't want another fight—not if it could be avoided. But that didn't mean he was going to let his guard down.
"If that's true, then let me go," Broly said. "What do you even want from me? I don't know anything about magic or the 'essence' you're talking about. What I use isn't magic. It's called Ki—everyone has it."
"Ki, hm?" the old man repeated, stroking his beard thoughtfully. "The term is not unfamiliar to me. I've read ancient texts, scrolls long forgotten by time, speaking of inner energy. Many civilizations believed in harnessing power from within. In most cases, they were just referring to Ethernano under a different name. Just like magic in Earthland, it's accessible to anyone… But your case is different."
He stepped closer, though not threateningly.
"Your power doesn't draw from the world. It originates within you. That's what makes you so special. You don't need to manipulate external energy, you are the source. And I believe I can create what you—"
"I can handle it on my own," Broly interrupted, anticipating the pitch that was surely coming. "I'm not the same man I was just days ago. I've already made mistakes… grave ones. Mistakes I won't forgive myself for. But in that moment... I learned. I controlled that side of me, even if only briefly. With time, I'll master it completely. I don't need your help."
"You possess extraordinary power, yet you reject it," Hades replied, shaking his head. "I see no curiosity in you about its origin. No interest in why you were given such strength. No hunger to push beyond what you were born with."
"Those things don't matter to me," He said simply. "I use this power to protect them, that's all I care about. I don't need to understand why my Ki is so aggressive, or why I was born like this. As long as I can use it for good, that's enough for me."
To Broly's surprise, the old man chuckled again—low and almost eerie.
"You truly remind me of some people from my past... Little Maki must've taken quite a liking to you. That's the kind of attitude perfect for the guild. How is he by the way?"
"He yells a lot and drinks all day," Broly said with a faint smirk, "but he treats everyone in Fairy Tail like family despite all the stress we bring him from all the mess we make."
"Family, huh... That does sound like him all right. He hasn't changed, even after so many decades."
For a brief moment, Broly felt as though he might have misjudged the intentions of this man. Despite his method of bringing him here and the reasons behind it, Hades didn't seem to be that unreasonable or someone blindly trying to cause trouble.
The following words made him take back those very thoughts.
"Unfortunately, living in such a closed-up bubble is still, in the end, a fairy tale. Nothing but a weakness that hides oneself from reaching the truth."
Hades' words were cold as he walked down the stairs, stopping right in front of the Saiyan to look him in the eyes.
"What you call family, something that helps you stay grounded in the moment, is not the truth. It is but another form of weakness. Only by attaining the essence of magic, the one true magic, can one achieve anything one wants. This power you have, how much you suffer to control it, how much pain it's caused you—all of it could be resolved if you reach that goal. But family... Hoping that Fairy Tail could act as your chains is only a matter of time before they break once again. When that happens, who will be the one to stop you? Can you truly look at me in the eyes and tell me that what happened against the Oración Seis would never happen again?"
"..."
As much as he wanted to say that he was confident that he could guarantee everyone's safety and keep control of his powers forever, he knew this just wasn't true. He had no way of predicting the future, nor was he capable of convincing himself that such an incident wouldn't happen a third time.
Would he have to rely on the little woman again? How many more would need to get hurt just for him to regain consciousness or gain control of his mind once more if things went south again?
"I can't," he said with a bitter smile. "But I made a promise to Lucy, to Erza, and everyone else in the guild that I wouldn't let that happen. Even if it costs me my life in the end, I will not lose control."
Hades closed his eyes, nodding his head. "So you're willing to die to protect your family, even to the point of sacrificing the very power you were given?"
The Saiyan shrugged. "If someone manages to steal it or lock it away, I wouldn't particularly be sad or distraught over it. I already told someone that if she could find a way to copy my abilities or strip them from me so that I could become a normal Saiyan, then I would be more than happy to do so as long as she would also do something for me."
His words did not sit well as he got the person in front to scoff at it. "How ridiculous. You were given something that any respectable wizard would happily invest their entire life to attain, a small chance of gaining such power… no mage in this entire continent will find success in this endeavor. There are mountains of corpses of hundreds of thousands of people, similar to me, who tried and sacrificed everything they had to gain what you have now. Only a single man reached that point. And now that you have all the tools necessary to become like him, you show no desire to do so."
Another person? Broly had no idea who he was talking about. He had never heard of anyone like that.
"Maybe that is why fate has brought you here," Hades continued, a strange glint in his eyes. "After so many decades of research and experimenting, I reached you. Managed to talk to you, instead of anyone else. Maybe this is a sign that I'm close to the end of the tunnel. Maybe I'm finally on the verge of resurrecting Zeref and reaching the One Magic."
"Again, what I have is not magic. You already have it. It's within you," Broly said, pointing at Hades' chest. "All you have to do is harness it. Then leave me and everyone from Fairy Tail alone."
"Hahahaha… You're too honest for your own good, or perhaps too naive," the old man said, placing his hand over his heart. "I have already done everything I could with this body, pushed it beyond its limits, dissected it, altered my very heart just to get a single step closer. I know everything inside and out, and I know that even if your words are true, I would never attain the same thing as you have now."
It was a bit of a surprise to see that the other party did not refute his words as lies, but the answer he gave was still very frustrating. "Then what do you want to do?"
Hades took a few seconds to answer, his visible eye still closed. When he opened them again, a light flashed within it.
"To combine what is yours with the Devil's heart. Only through that will I break the final barrier keeping me a step away from achieving my goals. Making me reach a point where I wouldn't even need to resurrect Zeref to attain the truth of all creation."
A hint of sadness flashed across Broly's face, frustration and helplessness swirling within him as he felt all too familiar with dealing with situations like this, time and again, with so many people in different circumstances.
"You said you came in peace, that you don't want this fight. So why go this far?" Not to mention the person in front of him was plenty powerful enough from what he sensed, what point was there to grow even stronger? What point was there to go this far in order to attain this one magic that he kept talking about? All of it made no sense to him; he could not understand it nor could he agree with it.
"You are far too naive, my boy. I have abandoned my family, I have let go of my humanity. I cannot stop here; it is the very meaning of my existence," Hades replied. Immediately, Broly sensed the vast amount of magical energy around them shift, seeping within the old man's body, making his overall presence grow stronger by the second.
"I extend you an offer. The outcome will decide if we can truly end this peacefully as you wished, or take this meeting to a place you would not like. Come with me, join the Grimoire Heart, and share your power with me. If you despise it, then I will take it from you and make it mine. If you want to live a normal life, then I can make that possible for you. If you wish to return to your guild without conflict, I can make that happen with a single word."
Those words were familiar to him, where Irene had asked for something somewhat similar when they were in prison. "Sorry… you are already too late for that." He sighed, feeling utterly tired. Was this how it would always be? Would this happen again, even if he defeated this person? Of course, it would. He remembered a book Levy had read to him and Lucy, about a hydra with many heads—where, even if you cut one off, two more would instantly emerge, making the cycle grow infinitely.
"You will not win this fight," Broly told the old man firmly. "If you truly know me and saw what I can do, then you know no one here can defeat me."
He had already sensed several presents hidden within the ship. One, in particular, felt familiar—someone who had been observing him the entire time. There were others, scattered around, not yet revealed but definitely watching them. To his surprise, Hades nodded.
"Of course, it was never my intention to have them defeat you in the first place. Their only goal is to prevent Fairy Tail from disturbing us."
Then, all the presents suddenly disappeared from the ship. His eyes widened when he realized what they were trying to do.
"Tch..."
At that very moment, he tried to leave, intending to pursue them before they could do any damage to the city or his friends. But soon, his body nearly came to a standstill as several hundred orbs blocked his path. Disappointment flashed in his eyes as he realized who was behind this magic, floating above him.
"It's you again."
Ultear showed no signs of smiling, instead letting out a small sigh.
"You should have accepted my offer last time. It would have saved both of us a lot of time, and your friends would be spared a world of pain."
In an instant, the same magic from before was used. The next second, Broly found himself standing in the middle of a large clearing, looking up to see the flying spaceship. But he wasn't alone—Hades had also been teleported right in front of him.
"Think carefully, young boy. You are still young and have a world of potential before you. Do not be blinded by what you were told in Fairy Tail. For they themselves are not so pure; they hold a terrible truth as well. One that you will inevitably face, and you will regret your current decision if you go through with it."
Rather than reply verbally—knowing it would be a waste of time—Broly raised his arm, a bright Ki sphere forming in the middle of his palm. The time between its creation, condensing it into a singular point, and firing it at Hades was less than a second. The speed didn't shock the old man, who instead raised a single hand, using several gestures.
"Amaterasu Formula 16."
The space in front of him distorted as his attack reached him. The sphere entered a ripple in space before disappearing completely. This shocked Broly, who had never seen anything like it before.
"Do not underestimate me, boy. I have seen you, I have studied your power, and I know better than to brute-force something like that without any countermeasures."
The old man's words echoed as Broly wondered what had happened to his attack—it wasn't canceled out nor overwhelmed. His answer came when he felt the ground beneath his feet tremble, a shockwave occurring in the distance. It was none other than his own key signature.
"You teleported my attack." Clever way to negate his attack he had to admit, but if that was used several times, then he needed to make sure they did not end up getting sent somewhere closer to town.
"I will admit that your powers are beyond anything I have seen. It would be foolish of me to try to overwhelm something like that without preparations on my end." Hades' voice was steady as he performed another series of hand patterns. "Amaterasu Formula 100."
With a flash, Hades created three Amaterasu Magic seals on each side of Broly and two others—one above him and one below him. The resulting explosion sent a rippling shockwave powerful enough to damage several miles of land, forcing even the ship above to fly further away. As the dust particles settled, the old man hummed, squinting his eyes as he watched.
"Amaterasu Formu—!" Hades barely had time to finish his words when a shadow burst from the dust, closing the distance between them in an instant. Broly forcefully covered the old man's mouth with a large palm.
"I told you," Broly said, his voice low.
With a single thrust, Broly punched the old man in the gut with enough force to create a shockwave. Blood oozed from Hades' nose and covered his mouth, which he closed, forcing himself to swallow it back. The Saiyan then threw him onto the ground with enough strength to crumble the earth beneath him before stomping once on the old man's head. The entire exchange happened so quickly that the dust from the initial attack had barely settled.
"..."
At that moment, he felt no joy at his victory but instead a sense of urgency. He had to go back and make sure his friends were safe and sound. However, as he tried to fly away, a chain burst from the ground and wrapped around his foot, preventing him from leaving. Surprised, Broly looked down.
"He's still conscious?" He said out loud, taken aback by the sound of groaning coming from below and the figure of a man getting back up on his feet.
Even though he had held back, he had made sure to use enough strength that such an attack would have rendered even the Black Dragon or Irene stunned for a good while. Yet, this person before him, who had shown no signs of being as strong as them, somehow managed to survive.
"No, it's that pulse again."
Broly felt it, the large stream of eternano and Dark power rushing from the ship towards the old man. The power showed no signs of stopping, only growing stronger by the second.
"!?" His eyes widened as he saw Hades walk out of the dust, coughing several mouthfuls of blood and bile. He looked pretty rough but still conscious.
"Hahaha! Just with pure strength alone, you already pushed me this far... I became blinded by that power and neglected your raw strength. That mistake will not happen again. In fact, I shouldn't have waited this long to use this."
Before Broly's eyes, the man began to change. The bruises on his body disappeared instantly, and a large coat suddenly appeared around him. With a single gesture, he ripped away the eye patch covering the right side of his face, revealing a crimson eye that glared at him.
"You were ignorant about the essence of magic and what I wanted earlier, boy. Now, I will show you the true meaning of power and how to use it properly—unlike you."
The sheer amount of energy surrounding Hades continued to rise, showing no signs of stopping. It quickly surpassed anyone and everyone in Fairy Tail, including the master, by several magnitudes.
"What are you?" Broly asked, starting to realize that perhaps he didn't need to hold back so much after all. Slowly, he flew back down, looking at his opponent from above. The waves of Black Magic that surrounded him grew thicker, almost alive with voices creeping into his ears. "Are you really human?"
"Like I told you before, I have long since abandoned my humanity. Now, let us start this fight once again. I will show you the might of the Devil's heart, a realm that surpasses your very imagination!"
Even while his senses were overwhelmed by the abundant amount of magic around him, he still managed to keep track of some of the Ki signatures of those he was the most familiar with. He was not sure who or how many people were sent into town to cause trouble, but he trusted that his guildmates would be able to handle it.
"—!"
Yet at that very moment, whatever worry he had about Lucy diminished significantly when he sensed a familiar presence emerging out of the blue. So she brought out Aquarius… a smile formed on his face, at least now the girl was going to be safe.
{Break}
On the other side of the world, in the middle of nowhere, where there existed nothing but a small island holding no human life, surrounded by the endless ocean stretching for as far as the eye could see. A place where no human lived, serving as a simple nesting ground for several creatures who at that very moment, sensed something wrong and immediately ran away as a shadow started to form in the middle.
Boom!
The ground shook as a large entity suddenly dropped. A dragon, whose body was large enough to rival that of Acnologia, landed with pure white fur and traits resembling a wolf more than a dragon. Its very horns took the form of that of a crescent moon, but now half of it now missing as if it had been torn off. Its body was covered in wounds and deep gashes as it looked up at the sky above. It had used its powers to inspect the strange disturbance in space it had sensed earlier.
From the depths of the dragon, a shadowy figure tried to step out, making the Moon Dragon God feel a sense of anger and even a bit of fear.
"You shall not step into this realm…" she growled, trying to close the path, using the last remnants of her power. She watched in relief as the tear in the sky closed before the figure could cross into this world.
"Finally..." she breathed, feeling her heart pounding. She had barely managed to survive on the other side. "With a dreadful world… I should not have let my curiosity get the better of me. Monsters, all of them… should have just stayed home and drunk some sake."
She had never seen the power of such magnitude possessed by so many individuals, most of whom grew interested in her presence and gave her a sense of dread making her retreat as soon as possible. They were not gods, they were not dragons… they were not humans as far as she could tell…
Entire worlds are gone within seconds…
Yet even after being so close to death, she looked back up and felt a strange pull to that world and wanted more. A hint of curiosity, a desire to see if she could take something from there and use it to advantage here, harnessing a power that deferred so greatly from what she had seen here.
Forget about Acnologia… not even the combined might of all Dragon Gods would pose a threat to her at any point in the future. Just as she contemplated her next course of action, her ears picked up a slight, bone-chilling sound. Unfortunately, she made no progress in her initial search for that power she felt in the beginning.
Crack!
Selene's head turned upwards, her eyes immediately zeroing in on the noticeable crack that had formed right where the portal had just closed up.
"... Eh?"
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The next 5 chapters of Snafu, and my other Fate fics (Fate Coiling Sword with 3 chapters, A Fake Familiar Reborn with 3 chapters, Steel Eyed Faker soon to be 3 chapters, Hound having 3 and To love a sword having 4 chapters) are already available on my P@treon. With 4 more Broly chapters at /NimtheWriter. Also, I post commissioned arts on each story, already posted a few on an Archer's Promise, Broly and Snafu.