Having lost their chance at the S-Class title, Mest Gryder suggested they take a look around the island's unique ecosystem.
"We might as well learn something while we're here," Mest said, adjusting his collar.
"Okay, Mest-san," Wendy Marvell agreed, wiping sweat from her brow. She was disappointed, but her spirit wasn't broken. Carla and Panther Lily trailed behind them, the Exceeds exchanging suspicious glances at the man leading the young Dragon Slayer deeper into the woods.
By the shore, the Master's ship was preparing to ferry the failed examiners and contestants back. Gildarts, having traumatized Natsu into a better mindset, waved lazily. Freed and Bickslow, nursing bruises from their encounter with Blake, limped onto the boat.
"Next year," Freed muttered. "Next year, for sure."
A temporary base camp had been set up at the centre. Mirajane was tending to Lisanna's minor scrapes.
"You did well, Lisanna," Mira smiled gently.
"I couldn't beat Erza," Lisanna sighed. "She's amazing."
Erza sat on a log, polishing her armor. But her movements were slow, distracted. She paused, looking toward the dense canopy of the forest.
"Something is wrong," Erza murmured.
"What is it, Erza-san?" Juvia asked.
"Wendy hasn't returned to the camp," Erza stood up, re-equipping her sword. "And I have a bad feeling about this island's atmosphere. The wind... it's changing."
"Juvia will come with you!" Juvia volunteered, sensing the seriousness in the Titania's voice.
Deeper in the island, near the western cliffs, the air grew cold and deathly still.
After escaping the claws of a beast while grave-searching, Elfman and Evergreen notice someone approaching them.
They were arguing, as usual.
"You call yourself a man? You screamed at a beast!" Evergreen chided.
"I roared! It was a manly roar!" Elfman protested.
They froze. The birds had stopped singing. The insects had stopped buzzing.
A young man with black hair and dark robes wandered into the clearing. He looked lost, his eyes filled with an ancient, crushing sorrow.
"Get back!" the man whispered, clutching his head.
"It's coming... the predation..." Zeref Dragneel.
A wave of black energy, the very essence of death, pulsed outward from his body.
Stealing the lives of the flora around him.
The grass turned grey and crumbled to dust. The trees withered instantly. Elfman and Evergreen stood paralyzed, watching death incarnate rush toward them.
"Look out!"
Natsu, just in the nick of time, saves the two.
A blur of pink and white slammed into them, tackling them out of the path of the black wave. Natsu rolled, shielding the two with his own body as the death magic grazed past them, killing a swath of forest behind them.
The Black Wizard looked up. When he saw the salmon-colored hair, his eyes widened with a heartbreaking mixture of relief and hope.
"Natsu..." Zeref whispered, tears streaming down his face. "You've grown... I've wanted to see you for so long."
"Who the hell are you?!" Natsu yelled, not sensing the familial connection, only the threat to his friends. "You almost killed them!"
Natsu didn't wait for an answer. He lunged, driving a fire-wreathed fist directly into Zeref's jaw.
CRACK.
The force of the punch sent a shockwave through the clearing.
Though the Mage is left unfazed by this.
Zeref didn't even flinch. He absorbed the blow, stumbling back slightly, but he looked more disappointed than hurt.
"You're not ready..." Zeref murmured sadly. "You can't destroy me yet, Natsu."
Suddenly, Zeref feels that yet another wave is about to be unleashed.
"Run!" Zeref screamed, clutching his chest. "Run far away! I can't control it!"
As the wave is unleashed, Natsu meets it head on.
"I'm not running from you!" Natsu roared, and dove straight into the cloud of death magic to protect Elfman and Evergreen.
"NATSU!" Happy screamed.
The black magic enveloped him. It should have killed him instantly. It should have stopped his heart.
He is still alive, though for some reason, his muffler has turned black.
As the smoke cleared, Natsu stood panting. He was alive. But his white scale scarf—the one Igneel gave him—had absorbed the death curse, turning pitch black.
---
Miles away, Mest stopped walking. He sensed the signature.
"That magic power..." Mest whispered, a twisted grin forming on his generic face. "That's him. Zeref is here. If I capture him... forget a promotion, I'll run the Council."
Above the island, concealed within the clouds, a massive airship hovered ominously.
On an airship, Rina reports to Hades that they have located Zeref.
Rina, a woman of striking beauty with long dark hair and an icy demeanor, bowed before the master of Grimoire Heart. She was the leader of the Seven Kin in this timeline, having replaced Ultear Milkovich.
"Master Hades," Rina's voice was cool and precise. "My sensors have confirmed it. The Black Wizard is on the Island."
Six of the Grimoire Heart Guild's Seven Kin of Purgatory gather and prepare to attack Tenrou Island.
Master Hades, a man with a long white beard and an eyepatch, sat on his throne. A wicked grin spread across his face.
"The time has come," Hades declared. "We shall retrieve the key to the Ultimate Magic World. Descend, my children! Crush the fairies and bring me Zeref!"
Azuma, Zancrow, Rustyrose, Kain Hikaru, Margarey(Meredy replacment), and Lucien(Capricorn replacement) stood ready. The dark guild was descending.
Back on the island, the First Master's trial was reaching its climax, oblivious to the invasion from the sky.
Lucy and Cana brainstorm where the grave might be by utilizing the vague hints left by the Master.
Lucy and Cana were sitting by a stream, exhausted.
"Think, Lucy, think," Lucy muttered, holding a piece of paper with riddles. "Usually, 'grave' implies under the ground, but the Master said 'Life lies within death'..."
Cana was shaking. "I'm running out of time, Lucy. If someone else finds it..."
"Wait," Lucy looked at the island's map. "The kanji for Tenrou... if you rearrange the radical... it doesn't point down. It points up."
Until Lucy comes to a conclusion to where the grave might be.
"Cana!" Lucy grabbed her shoulders. "It's not a cave! It's the tree! The grave is inside the Great Tenrou Tree itself!"
"Let's go!" Cana grabbed Lucy's hand, sprinting toward the center of the island.
---
Levy McGarden had separated from Gajeel after an argument about him being too reckless. She was walking alone down a quiet path when shadows detached themselves from the trees.
"Gihigi," a voice chuckled.
"Kaboom," another grunted.
Two bizarre mages stood before her. Kawazu, an anthropomorphic chicken (or perhaps an egg), and Yomazu, a dog-like samurai.
"Fairy Tail?" Yomazu drew his katana. "Die."
But just as she is about to be killed.
"IRON DRAGON'S CLUB!"
A massive pillar of iron slammed into the ground between Levy and the attackers. Gajeel Redfox stood there, looking furious.
"You picked the wrong guild to mess with," Gajeel growled. "And definitely the wrong girl."
The members reveal themselves to be Kawazu and Yomazu and the battle of the two pairs begins.
"We are the vanguard of Grimoire Heart!" Yomazu shouted. "Sound Magic: GO!"
A deafening roar blasted toward them.
Kawazu launched eggs that exploded on impact. "Egg Buster!"
Levy and Gajeel are easily overpowered and outmatched by the strange, lost magics. Kawazu's eggs ignored Gajeel's iron defense, and Yomazu's sound magic pierced his eardrums.
"Gajeel!" Levy cried as he took a heavy slash to the chest.
"Shrimp!" Gajeel spat blood. "Get out of here! Warn the others!"
"I'm not leaving you!"
"GO!" Gajeel roared, his eyes glowing red. "I'll handle these freaks! Until you bring backup."
Levy wiped tears from her eyes. She knew he was right. She pointed her pen at the air.
"Solid Script: IRON!"
A massive word made of pure iron materialized in the air.
"Eat this and win, you idiot!" Levy screamed, turning and running into the forest.
With pure determination and pride, Gajeel battles the two Dark Mages despite his severe injuries in order to defend his guild.
Gajeel crunched down on the iron "I". His magic power spiked. His scales darkened.
"Alright," Gajeel wiped his mouth, his grin feral. "Now I've got a full belly. And I'm pissed off."
He didn't fight for phantom lord anymore. He didn't fight for himself. He fought for the small mage running away, and the mark on his shoulder.
"Iron Dragon's Secret Art: KARMA DEMON: IRON GOD SWORD!"
He turned his entire body into a gigantic blade, bringing it down with the force of a falling skyscraper.
Just as Gajeel defeats Kamazu and Yomazu, Levy brings back reinforcements; Juvia and Erza.
Gajeel stood over the unconscious bodies of the enemies, bleeding from a dozen wounds, barely conscious.
Erza and Juvia burst through the bushes.
"Gajeel!" Erza gasped, seeing the carnage.
"Heh," Gajeel slumped against a tree. "Took you long enough... Titania. Invaders... Grimoire Heart..."
Erza looked at the black guild mark on the defeated enemies. Her face went pale, then hardened into steel.
"This is an act of war," Erza declared. "The exam is over. We are under attack."
Erza raised her hand to fire the red flare of emergency.
But before the signal was fired.
Miles away, at the base of the Great Tree.
Cana stood before a modest tombstone. She was panting, tears streaming down her face. She had done it. She had found it.
She placed her hand on the stone. A warm light enveloped her.
"I did it..." Cana whispered. "I'm S-Class... finally."
Overcome with emotion and adrenaline, Cana pulled a card.
"Card Magic: Signal Flare!"
A brilliant, golden burst of light shot into the sky, exploding into the Fairy Tail emblem. It was the signal of a winner.BOOM.
Seconds later, a harsh, blood-red light exploded in the sky from the west.
The golden light of victory and the red light of danger hung in the sky together, a confusing, terrifying juxtaposition.
"Red?" Lucy covered her mouth. "That means... enemy attack. A serious one."
Cana's victory turned to ash in her mouth. "We have to go."
Natsu looked up. "Red?"
Gray stopped running. "That's Erza's magic. Someone attacked us."
Blake, who was meditating near the center of the island, opened his eyes. "So, they're here."
---
In the forest, Panther Lily and Carla finally caught up to Wendy.
"Wendy!" Carla shrieked. "Get away from him!"
"Carla?" Wendy blinked. "What's wrong? Mest-san is just..."
"He's not Fairy Tail!" Lily drew his giant sword. "I checked the records. There is no Mest Gryder in the history of the guild!"
"I... I was a disciple of Mystogan!" Mest lied, sweating. "I kept a low profile!"
"Mystogan had no disciples," Lily growled. "He was a loner. Who are you?"
Before Mest could answer, the ground beneath Wendy began to glow.
"Look out!"
Mest didn't think. He acted. He teleported, grabbing Wendy and shifting them ten meters to the left.
BOOM.
A massive explosion tore the earth apart where Wendy had been standing seconds ago. Trees were uprooted and incinerated.
From the bark of a burning tree, a man emerged. He was muscular, with wild brown hair and a stoic expression.
"Impressive reaction speed," Azuma rumbled. "For a rat."
Mest stood up, dusting off his suit. His demeanor changed. The bumbling contestant was gone.
"Doranbolt," he corrected. "Head of the Magic Council Intelligence Division."
Wendy gasped. "Magic Council?!"
"I came here to find dirt on your guild," Doranbolt admitted cold. "To shut you down."
"But this..." Doranbolt looked at Azuma. "Grimoire Heart. And Zeref. If I take you all down, I won't just disband a guild. I'll be a hero."
"You think you can fight us alone?" Azuma asked dryly.
"I have the Council fleet on standby," Doranbolt smirked, holding up a lacrima. "One signal, and this island is swarming with Rune Knights."
Azuma snapped his fingers.
"Tower Burst."
A massive explosion erupted on the horizon, out at sea. The Council ship, which Doranbolt had been relying on, was engulfed in a pillar of magical flame.
"My ship..." Doranbolt dropped the lacrima.
"There is no help coming," Azuma stated. "This island is a cage. And you are the prey."
"I don't care who you are," Lily expanded his muscles, entering his battle form. "You attacked a child!"
Lily lunged, his Bustermarm sword cleaving the air.
"Dammit!" Doranbolt teleported, appearing behind Azuma to strike.
"Sky Dragon's Roar!" Wendy unleashed her breath attack.
Azuma didn't move his feet. He simply raised his hands.
"Chain Burst."
Explosions chained together in mid-air, intercepting Lily.
Roots burst from the ground, swatting Doranbolt out of his teleportation path like a fly.
He walked through Wendy's roar as if it were a gentle breeze and backhanded her into a rock.
"Weak," Azuma said calmly. "Is this the best Fairy Tail has? Where are the strong ones? Where is Erza? Where is Gildarts?"
He raised a hand toward the fallen group. Energy gathered at his fingertips. A massive, condensed sphere of explosive magic formed.
"Disappear."
Miles away, Blake felt the auras of his friends dimming. His Observation Haki painted a clear picture in his mind: Wendy terrified, Lily beaten, a massive energy signature about to execute them.
His eyes snapped open. The playfulness of the trial was gone.
"Soru."
A black streak tore through the forest. Trees didn't just blur; they seemed to bend out of the way of his sheer momentum. The sonic boom shattered windows in the lighthouse on the other side of the island.
Azuma prepared to fire. The sphere of destruction left his hand.
Suddenly, the air pressure in the clearing dropped. The birds went silent.
A hand, clad in black Armament Haki, appeared out of thin air.
It didn't block the explosion. It crushed it. Blake squeezed his fist, and Azuma's magic imploded into harmless sparks.
Azuma's eyes widened. "What—"
Blake didn't stop. His momentum carried him forward. His hand, still smoking from crushing the spell, shot out and clamped onto Azuma's face. The grip was iron. Inescapable.
Blake's momentum carried them both. He didn't just push Azuma; he drove him.
"BLUE HOLE!" Blake roared.
He slammed Azuma directly into the earth. But he didn't stop at the surface. The force of the impact, combined with Blake's Haki and sheer physical strength, acted like a pile driver from the heavens.
The ground liquefied.
CRACK-BOOM.
A crater the size of a small house exploded outward. The shockwave flattened the surrounding trees for fifty meters.
Blake drove Azuma deep into the bedrock, burying the Dark Mage head-first into the island's crust.
Silence returned to the clearing, save for the settling dust and the groan of shifting earth.
Blake stood in the center of the crater, his hand released from the buried enemy. He looked back at Wendy, his eyes glowing with a terrifying protective fury.
"Sorry I'm late," Blake said, his voice low and dangerous. "But the exam is officially over."