Wind scraped across the broken courtyard, rattling loose frost like beads. Sigils guttered and flared on shattered stone, red against pale ice.
Near the steps, Lucy and Carla worked over Wendy—pulse found, breath thin—while Ryuji slumped beside her, spent to the bone.
Across from them, Darius Crimson cradled his ruined stump, crimson glyphs pulsing up his shoulder like coals. He bared his teeth.
Darius (hoarse, vicious):
"Come then, Fairy Tail. Show me why this guild won't break."
A staff struck stone.
Makarov (voice carrying, father-strong):
"For our children—charge!"
Boots pounded forward.
Darius — Blood Sigil: Sovereign Seal!
A crushing ring of glyphs surged up from the ground, lines snapping closed like jaws.
Gray slid in, palms down.
Gray — Ice-Make: Rampart!
A braced wall locked against the inward pressure.
Erza flashed in front of Gray, steel singing.
Requip: Heaven's Wheel—Circle Sword!
Discs of steel spun out, carving through the outer lines; the seal faltered.
Natsu burst the gap.
Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!
His flaming punch hammered Darius's guard, forcing him back with a dull thud.
Darius (smiling through pain):
"Good. Bleed for them."
Darius — Blood Sigil: Thirst!
A lash of blood-light snapped Natsu's forearm—his flames sputtered, magic tugged hard.
Lucy raised a key, breath steady despite the sting of smoke.
Open, Gate of the Lion—Loke!
Loke (glinting in with a suave nod):
"Sun's out—so am I. Regulus—Impact!"
A blinding flash and body blow cracked across Darius's jaw. He reeled; the draining lash broke.
Gajeel shouldered through the steam.
Iron Dragon's Club!
Metal met sigil with a clang, driving Darius into a cracked pillar.
Darius (laughing):
"More!"
He slammed his palm to the ground.
Darius — Blood Sigil: Crown Spear!
A single, searing lance of glyphs thrust straight for Gray.
Gray — Ice-Make: Shield!
The spear punched the ice; fractures spidered, but held. Gray's teeth set. "Not today."
Erza shifted, jet-black wings snapping wide.
Requip: Black Wing Armor—Moon Flash!
A sweeping arc of power sent Darius skidding, glyphs sputtering.
Darius planted, eyes bright with fanatic light.
"You won't stop a tide with swords and smiles—"
"—Watch us," Erza answered, calm as a drawn blade.
He flung his one good hand up; glyphs convulsed, building for a blast—
Makarov grew in an instant, shadow draping the ruin.
Giant!
A vast hand slammed down, pinning the forming sigils flat with a grinding crack.
Natsu charged the opening.
Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!
Twin sweeps of flame battered Darius across the pinned circle.
Gajeel crossed him midair.
Iron Dragon's Sword!
A brutal cleave tore through the crimson lines, scattering fragments.
Darius staggered—still standing—sigils flaring wild.
Darius — Blood Sigil: Sovereign Seal (Overcast)!
The circle tried to reform under their feet, lines scrambling to lock.
Lucy swapped keys in one breath, sweat at her brow.
Return, Loke—Open, Gate of the Maiden—Virgo!
Virgo (popping up, deadpan):
"Princess. Punishment pit?"
"Trench—now!"
Virgo dove; the stone heaved. A trench split the circle, ruin-to-ruin—Darius's overcast failed with a sputter.
Gray thrust both hands forward.
Ice-Make: Prison!
Pillars of ice snapped up around Darius, locking his legs and waist.
Erza shot past, blades a white blur.
Heaven's Wheel—Trinity Swords!
Three high-speed strikes smashed the sigils clinging to his chest.
Natsu drew a breath that shook the hot air.
Fire Dragon's Roar!
The pillar of flame hit full-on—Darius howled as crimson light blew away from him in tatters.
He swayed. The courtyard held still for half a heartbeat.
Darius (spitting defiance):
"I am the crest of the Veil—your little victories mean—"
Gajeel cut him off, stepping in with iron-wrapped knuckles.
"Shut it."
Iron Dragon's Club!
The blow cratered the stone and dropped him to a knee.
Makarov shrank back to his usual size, staff bright.
"Now, boys and girls."
Erza pointed forward once, crisp and certain.
"Finish it."
Team Finish (clean, relentless):
Gray's Ice-Make: Prison tightened—Erza's Moon Flash carved the last defense—Gajeel's Sword hammered him open—Natsu's Iron Fist drove him into the ground with a final, ringing boom.
The glyphs guttered out.
Darius slumped in the ice, eyes wide, breath ragged—beaten.
He tried to shape a last sigil with trembling fingers.
Lucy stepped in, key raised—not calling another spirit, only speaking, steady and kind:
"It ends here."
Makarov leveled his staff; warm, sealing light banded over the ice like gold thread.
"Restraint magic—bind."
The crimson lines died. The courtyard went very quiet—just wind, and the faint quiver of cooling steel.
Makarov looked to his children—Natsu breathing hard, Gray braced on a knee, Erza lowering her blades, Gajeel rolling a sore shoulder, Lucy exhaling, Virgo saluting once before slipping into earth. Beyond them, Mira and Carla worked; Wendy's lashes flickered; Ryuji stayed beside her, spent but alive.
Makarov (soft, proud):
"It's over. The Council will take what remains of this man and his crimes."
He turned toward the fallen pair.
"And we go home."
Snow-fine ice dust drifted in the morning light as Fairy Tail gathered their own and began the walk back.
Fairy Tail belongs to Hiro Mashima/Kodansha. I only own Ryuji Kazuma and this fan story. Non-commercial fan work.