Lucy opened her eyes as she stared at the ship, her dark chocolate brown eyes reflecting a determination that no one had seen before.
"Lucifer, it's time," she pointed her umbrella at it. "I'll stop your plan."
Lucy and Sting charged at the undead and the mass of the impurity, destroying it and tearing it away piece by piece. Their rukh fluttered around them in an excited frenzy as Hades, Zeref, Mavis, and the others soon followed. Fairy Tail seemed to stay back a bit as they processed everything that was happening but no one bothered with them.
"These things just keep on rising, don't they?" Orga cursed.
"Indeed. It's getting a bit tiring," Rufus agreed.
"Our main focus is to exhaust itself of its magoi," Irene said, blasting a whole row away. "Once it's out of magoi, we can focus on the main problem."
"From my estimations, it'll only be several more minutes until it exhausts itself. Considering the pace that those people are going at," Invel looked to where Lucy, Sting, Kyubey, Hades, Zeref, and Mavis were.
Seeing them battle, the others were left in a state of awe and shock at just how well they fought. They understood that Hades, Zeref, and Mavis were strong by themselves and were capable of standing up to these entities since they had the strongest magic but seeing Lucy and Kyubey fight together as a team was a whole another level. With each attack that Lucy made, Kyubey backed her up by protecting her from the other attacks. Each time the two went to attack, Lucy's qipao flowed alongside her, swinging her umbrella along with her, as Kyubey's rings shone a brilliant gold. The two were fast and overwhelming. They completely dominated the battlefield.
However, what surprised them the most was how Sting was keeping up with all of them. Even Hades, Zeref, and Mavis were at a disbelief as they saw how swiftly he moved and how much magoi he had within him.
"White Dragon's Holy Breath!" he yelled before following it up with a punch, his fists engulfed with his magic, eliminating an entire area of the undead.
Just how strong is he? Hades widened his eyes.
That's no way the level of a human, Zeref gritted her teeth, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face. That guy...he's no human.
That man...to possess this much power for a dragon slayer, Mavis jumped back from her enemy and looked at him. "Could he possibly have gained full control of his dragon counterpart? Impossible..."
But, that was the only possible explanation. As he cleared the entire area, more of the undead started to rise and though he continued fighting on, he missed the attack from the other side. Getting hit head-on with the undead's attack, it caused him to be smashed to the ground, creating a crater. However, as the smoke cleared, he stood up - swaying a little - and his sapphire blue eyes seemed to gleam. White dragon scales covered his body as he gritted his teeth, going back into fighting with more strength than ever.
"He's strong..." Rogue stared at him, at a loss for words.
"Sting-sama seems completely different from before," Yukino agreed but soon smiled. "But, compared to Lucy-sama, it seems like nothing."
"Rise from the ashes, Phoenix," Lucy opened her paper red umbrella, fire arising from it as it took on the form of a large blazing bird. It swept across the area and within a split second, the area was littered with flames. Resting her umbrella on her shoulder, she looked ahead. "I don't have time to deal with you guys so don't get in my way."
"Cerberus!" Hades commanded and the hellhound immediately went forward, destroying anything that laid in its way. "Binding thorns, entwine those that stand before me," Hades chanted. "Spiniensis!"
"Death Predation," Zeref murmured, a large sphere of blackness beginning to consume everything around him.
Gildarts hurried to Mavis and picked her up. "Watch out, First Master."
"Gildarts!" Mavis looked at him.
"Don't be too distracted by your surroundings," he remarked. "And it's about time I let go," he set her down and laughed, pointing in Zeref's direction. "That guy over there seems to want to kill me, after all."
Mavis chuckled and said a quick, "Thank you," and Gildarts returned to fighting.
Opening her blank emerald eyes, a radiant light surrounded Mavis as she raised both of her hands up to the sky. "Tenko!" she cried
A large white fox appeared and the chimes of bells could be heard in the distance. It opened its beaded golden eyes and overlooked the many enemies before it. Shaking itself and fanning its nine tails with a majestic manner, it turned its head towards the sky and opened its mouth, letting out a loud roar. It tore at its enemies without mercy and soon enough, they dispersed back into black dust. Its magoi was now at its last bit.
"Go back to where you came from, undead!" Sting roared.
With the final blow being inflicted, the undead dispersed and the black rukh fluttered away and disappeared. Panting and relieving a sigh of relief, Sting straightened himself and wiped the debris off his face. Lucy stood atop the stone mounts, having already taken care of the enemies that she was in charge of. Sting joined her and the others soon rejoined as well.
"Judging from the looks of it, it's not going to be over yet, is it?" Sting commented.
"Yeah," Lucy answered and opened her mouth, speaking loudly and clearly. "Lucifer! Mind showing yourself now?! There's nothing you can do now!"
Silence was all that answered her back as an eerie and cold wind blew. However, a chuckle was soon heard in the distance before it burst into a loud and sinister laugh. Lucifer's voice was projected through the air as he replied back from inside his ship.
"Who said that there's nothing I can do now, Lucy?" Lucifer grinned. "Don't underestimate my ten years of effort. Though you may have destroyed the impurity and returned the undead to where they had come from, it's not enough to hinder my plans."
"Without rukh, there's nothing you can do," Lucy narrowed her eyes.
"Did you already forget, Lucy?" he laughed at how blind she was in this case. "When you were on this ship, I had already absorbed much of your magoi and rukh. With that amount, obtaining what I want is possible."
Lucy stared up at him, her hands balled into a fist. "You won't have your way, Lucifer. You may have the rukh in your hands but I am the one that ultimately controls them."
At that, Lucifer laughed.
"What's so funny?" Lucy asked with a fierce tone.
"I'm Lucifer, Lucy Heartfilia's one, and only disciple," he reminded her. "If you're able to control the rukh freely, then it obviously makes sense that I can do so as well. I am an embodiment of both black and white so controlling them is but a piece of cake. Lucy, this will be your loss."
Lucy widened her eyes. "Lucifer, you-!"
"I've long abandoned my human side but even so, that white rukh is still in me," Lucifer smirked. "As a half, there's nothing I can't do!"
Lucy gritted her teeth and glared up at him. "Even so, we're still going to stop you."
"I wonder about that," he said. "Final Judgement."
Gaping her mouth wide open, she stared at him, a horrified look on her face. "No...you don't possibly plan to..."
"Though you may have escaped and the lower level of the ship has been destroyed, the vessel of that spell is still protected," he said, enjoying the terror and fear in her voice. "I've already absorbed enough rukh and magoi from you and with that amount, casting this ancient spell will finally achieve what I have always wanted."
"Lucifer!" she began charging at his ship.
"It's already too late!" he stood up, throwing back his cape. "The spell's already beginning to activate itself. It'll only be several more minutes before it's finally complete!"
"Are you really planning to use that spell?! Are you really planning to abandon your physical form?!" she yelled, umbrella in hand.
"I will do anything for the sake of letting this world fall into ruin," his eyes bloodshot. "Anything for you, Lucy."
"You're crazy," she mumbled under her breath. "Blossom! Lotus of Eternal Life! Engulf thy enemy and burn it to but a crisp!"
"It's useless!"
The ship repelled the attack instantly, nullifying her flames. Lucy was shot back and before she landed on the ground, Sting ran and caught her. Even though it was just one attack, she was all battered up. Sting glared at Lucifer but before he could do anything, he heard a rumble in the sky. The ground was trembling beneath them and the sky seemed to be on the verge of crashing down upon them.
"What's happening?" Minerva stood her ground.
"He's already activated it," Lucy's eyes were wide with horror. "If he completes the spell, Final Judgement will really be brought down onto this world."
"Final Judgement?!" Hades widened his eyes. "You mean that ancient spell?!"
Lucy gulped, a beat of sweat rolling down her face as she nodded her head. "Final Judgement. An ancient spell that had been lost through the changing eras. It's an old but powerful spell rumored that it is the very spell that brought about the existence of the world itself. However, a new world will only be created once this world is brought to ruin. In other words, until this world is completely destroyed, nothing will cease to exist."
"Can he really do that?" Mavis looked at the ship.
"He has enough magoi to do that now," Lucy answered. "But," she stood up. "I won't let him do what he wants."
"Is there a way to stop it?" Sting asked.
She looked at him and nodded her head. "We have to destroy the vessel."
"The vessel?"
"Previously, the vessel was the canopy bed that I had laid on but I'm sure that the real vessel whatever was underneath it," she said. "If the spell is already activated, then that means that he's already merged with the vessel. The new vessel would be his heart."
"That man's insane," Sting murmured.
"I couldn't agree more," Lucy scoffed. "Once you merge with the vessel, you lose your physical form and the chance of your soul still retaining its form is down to almost zero percent. Your existence really doesn't exist anymore."
"But the main problem right now is how to destroy the vessel, right?" Hades said.
Lucy nodded her head. She looked around at everyone and studied them closely. She closed her eyes and opened them again. She decided.
"With the magoi and current state that everyone is in right now, it's possible to break the vessel and destroy it," Lucy said.
"And how do you plan on destroying it?" Laxus came up to her.
Lucy looked at him and saw the rest of Fairy Tail having finally sobered up. They had cleared their minds after finding out Lisanna's true image but even so, they still disliked her. It was etched deep into their hearts and after three years, the feeling of hate couldn't be easily erased. Moreover, Lisanna had been with them since childhood. It more or less made sense for them to still like her and stand by her side.
Lucy looked at Kyubey and it looked back at her. She smiled softly and patted its head, stroking its fur.
"Kyubey, do you think you can do it?" she asked.
"Myuu~!" it replied. It knew what she wanted it to do and her request was simple.
"I'm counting on you, Kyubey," she stood up and turned to look at the others. "Kyubey is able to consume magic and reflect it back with up to five times the original power. I want you guys to direct your magic at its mouth. All of the magic that you can muster."
"Will it work?" Invel asked.
Lucy grinned. "Trust me on this."
Laxus looked at the others and reluctantly agreed. "We'll trust you on this, Heartfilia."
She smiled at them and for a moment, they froze up. How long had it been since they had last seen such a warm and pleasant expression from her? Seeing it again, they felt as if they had returned back to the times when she was still in the guild. When she was still considered a family member to them.
"Is everyone ready?!" she yelled.
"Yes!" they all answered, preparing their magic.
Kyubey stood in front of them, its rings and eyes glowing a bright golden color as it opened its wings. Opening its mouth, a black vortex could be seen and to them, it seemed like a whole other galaxy in there.
"Fire it!" she yelled.
In that instant, all their magic was directed at Kyubey and it eagerly consumed it. The rukh fluttered excitedly around them in large waves and it was a neverending sight. Huge quantities of magoi were being poured out and the force applied whipped their hair and clothes back but they stood their ground. Directing every ounce of their magoi to it, they finally collapsed onto the ground with just enough energy to move about.
"Is that enough?" Zeref asked, panting.
"That was every last bit of magoi that we had," Mavis said.
"I don't think I can offer any more," Hades sat there, calming himself. But, from the looks of it, he seemed drained.
"It's tiring but I can still be able to stand," Sting said.
How?! they all looked at him as if he was some weird entity. They couldn't believe it. Even after all that, for him to still have the ability to walk with ease was beyond shocking. His magoi was low like theirs but even so, there was something odd about him. As if something wasn't yet used up.
Mavis let out a soft chuckle. He really did control his dragon half unconsciously.
Once a dragon slayer was able to completely dominate his other dragon half, he became what people would define as "unbeatable". However, in Mavis's eyes, she knew that he had only controlled it unconsciously with the reason most likely being Lucy. He loved her and his love was a form of magic in itself. It transformed itself and was able to allow him to subdue his dragon half unconsciously which explained why he hadn't used his emergency fuel.
If he had conquered it with his knowledge, he would've used his remaining magoi for sure, she thought.
"Kyubey!" Lucy yelled.
"Myuuuuuu!" it puffed its cheeks wide as rings of magic circles appeared at its mouth.
Opening it, it sent forward a blast of magic and they knew just by looking at it that it had enough force to destroy a quarter of the world with ease. They watched as it shot straight towards the ship and much to Lucifer's surprise, it broke right through the barrier and shot right through him.
"Impossible!" he cried out loud.
The ship was beginning to fall apart and hearing Lucifer's scream, she knew that they had hit the vessel right at its core. Lucy and the others watched as blasts of wind came at them as they watched the ship slowly deteriorate, its parts falling into the ocean beneath it. Sting shielded Lucy from the impact and looked at the sight before him.
"Is it over?" he asked.
"It has to be," Hades said. "That was the last of our magic."
"No," Lucy said. "It's not over yet. Not yet."
Black and white rukh began concentrating once again on the core and everyone gasped in horror. However, they were all too tired to even say anything and though Fairy Tail wanted to all come at Lucy, they didn't have the energy to.
"Sting, help me," Lucy looked at him, tightening her hand on his.
"Lucy?" he looked at her.
"Destroy the vessel," she requested.
He widened his eyes. "Me?"
She nodded her head.
"Lucy, if there's anyone that could destroy it, it would be you," he said. "You possess a greater magic than me and that I know for sure. Moreover, you're his master," he said. "Shouldn't you be the one to destroy him?"
Lucy shook her head sadly. "That's the very reason why I can't."
He raised an eyebrow.
"You and I are the only two people that still have magoi left in us. However, it's because of the very fact that I'm his master that I can't approach him. Everything in this world is tied together by a red thread and it is that thread that forms the basis of relations. He and I are tied together which means my attacks would only be a futile attempt against him."
He looked at her and nodded his head in understanding.
"Sting, you're the only one that's capable of destroying the vessel now."
He looked into her eyes and seeing the desperate look, he took her hand and grinned. "Understood. I'll beat the crap out of him. After all, it'd be a problem if the world came to an end. Since I wouldn't be able to touch you like this again if it did."
Lucy looked at him as tears started filling her eyes but she quickly blinked it away. "Thank you, Sting."
He caressed her and embraced her. "You should know that I would've agreed to what you've said from the very beginning. Lucy, I value you more than anything and no matter what you say, I would always follow."
"Sting..." she said, her voice but a low whisper.
"So Lucy," he released himself from her and smiled. "Tell me what I have to do."
She stared at him and nodded her head. "Getting there by yourself is an impossible task which is why I'll be lending you my power. The magoi I have on me and the magoi you have on yourself is enough to destroy that vessel once and for all."
"And once I get there, I destroy it with all our remaining magoi, right?" he said, preparing himself.
"That's right," she gave him a reassuring smile. "Trust me."
"I already do," he laughed.
She chuckled and looked at the shape of his back. It was broad and large and more than anything, she wanted to rely on it. Her eyes softened as she closed her eyes, preparing the spell. Kneeling down, a large magic circle opened beneath her. Sting looked forward as the magic circle stretched to where he was as well.
Beloved rukh which controls the universe,
I offer all of thyself to thee.
At those two lines, Hades widened his eyes as he was about to shout but with one look from Lucy, he found himself unable to. He dropped to his knees as he watched her continue to cast the magic, her body now radiating a golden light.
Gather and stem,
Blossom and bloom,
Bear the fruits which give life to all.
I share this fruit with my Beloved,
Grant him the power to defeat thy enemy.
The power to defeat he who taints the rukh.
I render thyself defenseless,
Withdrawing everything to my Dearest.
Her hair flowed softly upwards and the rukh fluttered around her, wrapped in a soft light. Sting felt a surge of power in him and fastened himself to the ground, concentrating all of his magoi at his feet and hand. However, his attention was soon broken as he heard a chipping sound behind him.
"Lucy...?" he turned back, his eyes wide.
Her face had a small crack on it as her face slowly started chipping away, a piece of golden shard falling before disappearing. She met his eyes and grinned, no sense of hesitation whatsoever as she reassured him of his worries.
"Don't worry. It's just an effect of this spell," she explained. "I'm transferring my magoi to you so this thing is common. Now come on, concentrate the magoi and defeat Lucifer and destroy the vessel. This is our final chance."
He stared at her and nodded his head, following her. Turning back to the ship before him, he narrowed his eyes and felt the magoi in him pulsating in his veins. Lucy's magoi was entering him and within a few seconds, he felt as if he was another being. He felt for once just how strong Lucy actually was and as he manifested it all in his desired body, he took a step forward. A blast of golden light rose up from around him as the rukh fluttered.
"Go," Lucy said.
With that, he sped forward and shot himself towards the ship at an incredible speed, leaving a trail of white light behind. Feeling the power surge in him and seeing the nearing ship, he gritted his teeth and concentrated all the remaining magoi into his fist. Lucy saw him rise into the sky and seeing his undaunted self, she smiled softly, her arms and legs now beginning to chip away and falling down like golden crystals, a golden light wrapped softly around her.
Forgive me, Sting, for this little lie, she closed her eyes, a tear rolling down her face..
Reaching the ship, he sprang up before Lucifer, causing him to widen his eyes in disbelief, and engulfed his fist with his magic. Still recovering from the shock of the previous blow, Lucifer was too slow to react.
"No...stop!" he yelled.
"This is the final blow, Luuucccifffeeeeeerrrr!!!" he yelled, raising his fist.
"No! Judgment will definitely befall! It has to!" Lucifer cried.
"The only judgment that this world will be getting is from me!" Sting said. "And I've judged that you're better off erased from this world!"
Sting's fist made contact with the vessel and with a loud roaring scream, he put all of his weight into the attack. The vessel - shaped as a glass crystal - cracked and began cracking along and throughout the surface. A bright beam of light unleashing itself from it as it shattered into pieces. Lucifer's eyes went wide as he let out a scream of agony as the light engulfed the entirety of the ship, shooting a beaming light into the sky, clearing the skies overhead. In place of the dark clouds, thousands of petals fell from the sky.
"This is...!" Mavis looked around her in shock.
Zeref, Mavis, and the others widened their eyes as they looked around them, the barren ground of Caracole Island now slowly blossoming with thousands of luminating white flowers. The ship that had loomed over the sky was now crumbling, sinking into the deepest depths of the ocean. Lector hurriedly went to catch Sting before he fell along with the ship and the two overlooked the land where the battlefield had stood.
Lucy looked up and smiled brightly up at Sting. It was over. It was finally over.