Zeref let out a pained scream as Su Yan's punch sent him flying.
Boom, boom, boom—!!
His body crashed through over a dozen large trees and finally slammed into a mountainside, opening a massive crater. There, Zeref lay unconscious.
"S-Su Yan…did you kill Zeref?!" Evergreen asked, stunned.
"No. He doesn't die that easily." Su Yan understood well why Zeref seemed so fragile. Zeref's magic depended heavily on his state of mind; when he was emotionally shaken, his immense power would all but vanish.
Elfman gritted his teeth. "Then what are we gonna do with him?"
"I'll take him to see the old man," Su Yan said, referring to Master Makarov. Zeref was too big a threat to leave wandering around, especially if he might eventually bring an entire Dark Guild down on Fairy Tail.
High above the clouds, the flying flagship of Grimoire Heart hovered.
"Finally, we've found him," Ultear murmured, a crystal orb spinning on her arm. "But he's still…'sleeping.' The time is now, Master Hades."
Hades gave a small smile. "Set our course for the Fairies' island."
The craft accelerated toward Tenrou Island.
"At long last," Hades said with anticipation, "we shall seize the legendary Black Mage Zeref. Once in our hands, we'll awaken his true might."
Ultear's voice held a note of caution. "We have one issue. Fairy Tail, currently Fiore's strongest official guild, is on Tenrou Island for their exam. They already destroyed Oración Seis, one of the Balam Alliance. Many of their top wizards are there."
"Hah! I'll burn them all to ash!" declared Zancrow, one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, black flames licking across his body.
Standing, Hades spread his hands grandly. "Good. Let them learn what true darkness is—the absolute dark that lurks in the abyss. Tonight, demons and fairies shall slaughter each other. Whether they achieve glory or meet their end, we shall see. Let's go… Fairy Tail awaits."
On Tenrou Island
Lucy sat on a large rock, lost in thought. "Any ideas, Cana?"
Cana sighed. "None. We have to find the first master's grave, but there isn't a single hint."
"That's exactly what bothers me," Lucy replied. "All Fairy Tail's previous exams had some hidden clue or puzzle. There must be a hint hidden somewhere, or it wouldn't be fair."
Cana's eyes lit. "I've taken this test four times, and it's always tough but not impossible. The clue has to be around."
Lucy nodded, eyes bright. "Maybe it's in Master's words. Sometimes, you can interpret them differently—like if he said something about 'the grave' or turning into a star after death…?"
Cana made a face. "That's dark. But also kinda Lucy-ish. People do say you become a star when you die, right?"
Lucy jerked upright. "Yes! That might be it—I might know where the grave is!"
"What?!" Cana scrambled up as Lucy dashed off.
Nearby, Gray and Loke spied on them from behind thick foliage. "As expected of Lucy," Loke remarked.
Gray smirked. "The second round is testing intelligence. Let's tail them."
They followed stealthily.
Meanwhile,
Gajeel was bloodied and reeling, forcing himself up. "Levy—get out of here. Go warn the others. I'll hold them off!"
Torn by guilt and fear, Levy hesitated. Then she turned and fled, tears streaming. "Gajeel, don't you dare die!!"
Gajeel weakly devoured a piece of iron Levy conjured for him, rallying for one last stand. His foes smirked at his futile courage.
Levy sprinted through the forest, heart pounding. "Somebody… help! Gajeel—he's—someone help!"
Suddenly, her foot caught on a protruding root. She fell forward—only for a strong arm to catch her.
"You all right, Levy?" came a familiar voice.
Blinking back tears, she realized it was Su Yan. "Brother Su Yan—thank goodness!"
"What happened?"
"Grimoire Heart! They've invaded! They're going to kill Gajeel if we don't stop them!" Levy sobbed.
"Grimoire Heart?" Su Yan narrowed his eyes. "All right. Where is he?"
She pointed frantically. Su Yan scooped Levy up and dashed through the woods toward Gajeel.
At that moment, Gajeel was enduring a relentless onslaught. "Iron Dragon's Roar!" he cried, spewing a torrent of metal shards at Yomazu.
"Defense!" Yomazu's sword manifested the word "DEFENSE," nullifying Gajeel's breath attack.
Behind him, Kawazu launched more egg-bullets from above, pummeling Gajeel's wounded body.
"Ugh…!" Gajeel staggered, blood dripping from a dozen cuts. Usually, his Iron Scales could shrug off blades, but Yomazu's runic slashes found their mark again and again.
"Damn it…my iron can't lose to your flimsy sword!" Gajeel roared. "Iron Dragon Sword!" His arm morphed into a massive blade and swept around—but Yomazu met it with another slash, cutting deep into Gajeel's arm.
Slammed to his knees, Gajeel's vision swam, yet he refused to give in. "S-stupid… Do you have any idea…what kind of guild Fairy Tail is?"
"You haven't met the rest of Grimoire Heart," Yomazu sneered. "We'll crush you all—and soon, the main force will arrive."
Grinding his teeth, Gajeel recalled how Makarov had saved him from a lonely ruin after Phantom Lord was dissolved. Fairy Tail had become his true home. He would not let these enemies defile it.
"Don't worry," Yomazu said, raising his sword for a final blow. "Your friends won't be far behind. We'll carve them up, too."
Grunting in pain, Gajeel hauled himself upright once more. "I won't lose…I'm a Fairy Tail wizard, damn it!"
A fierce slash cut through the air— "Diiie—!!"
But just then, someone stepped in front of Gajeel, placing a steady hand on his shoulder. A single casual swipe shattered Yomazu's raging slash.
Crash—!!
"Huh?!" Yomazu's eyes went wide in alarm as the slash disintegrated.
Standing there was Su Yan.