Fairy Tail - Twilight Empire

Chapter 84 - The Queen's Gambit

Magnolia stood like a wasteland in the near distance. What'd once been a beautifully vibrant piece of the Fiore kingdom was hardly rubble. It was dirt buried beneath misbegotten hopes, dreams, and memories. It could have come back as a reasonable research or experimental facility for the Twilight Empire, but the one to spearhead that was dead, and nobody, not even the demons of Tartaros, wished to bring her back as one of their own.

At the edge of the Cube were six demons, six Etherious, six creations of Zeref, the great Emperor of a new world order. Wind swept all around them, beckoning them away from the coming conflict they were sure to win. Tartaros had seen entire countries stand up before them; the full might of a kingdom bore down on them and broke easier than water against stone.

Behind them were hundreds of soldiers. Among them were other resurrected, demonized wizards; tallest, proudest, and most powerful of all was former Guild Master Jiemma, whose raw power had finally been focused, harnessed. He was a force of destruction all unto himself. Yet, quietly, there was also Kip, the Cavern Dragon Slayer, reborn as a demon with the rage and hatred necessary to tear through any opponent.

A few little rebels awaited them. More would surely flock to the fight. Maybe all of them.

It didn't matter. They would find, torture, and eliminate Hisui E. Fiore, former queen. And it would finally bring an end to any squabbling.

And then, it was onto the rest of Ishgar and the world.

Kyoka, the Goddess of the Slave Planet, raised her arm.

"Now, my kin," she said, and her voice echoed across the vile Cube. "Begin!"

***

Lucy stood at the top of what'd once been her old apartment building opposite Yukino, who watched with bated breath the same as Lucy, as the Cube emerged from the dark clouds. The base of Tartaros, Yukino called it. A mobilized hell.

She reached behind her back and held tight to two keys as the Cube continued its slow march toward them.

"Hey."

Lucy almost jumped out of her skin as someone clapped her shoulder. It wasn't any of the rebels the was already with.

"What are you doing here, Loke?" Lucy asked.

The Celestial Spirit pushed up his glasses with a grin. "Once I realized what you guys were up to, I got permission from the old man to head onto this side of things. You think I was gonna let you fight for our home by yourself? Not a chance, princess. We're with you. All of us."

Loke gestured, and there, indeed, were most of her Celestial Spirits. Virgo, Taurus, Scorpio, Aries, Capricorn, Cancer, Sagittarius, and even Gemini, though they stood there as a young Lucy, the one they knew who'd lived in the old apartment building.

Lucy blinked her tears away.

"Aquarius was still taking a bath," Loke admitted. "And didn't feel like getting messed up. But with all of us here? I don't know if we'll need her."

"Thank you," Lucy said. She opened her arms to everyone. "Thank you all. I'm sorry, I feel like I haven't been good to you all lately. I—there's been so much going on."

"It is okay," Sagittarius said with a salute.

"We're with you to the end, princess," Virgo said. She folded a hand over her chest and bowed.

"Time to fight, time to fight!" Gemini exclaimed.

Capricorn stepped level to Lucy. "I came to learn much about Tartaros in my time with Grimoire Heart. Beyond their level of power, it is their invincibility that makes them creatures of legend."