Laxus's POV

The world had seemed to come to a screeching stop when Phaedra, with her unnatural pink eyes, stood over Wendy's small frame while aiming a beam of light for her heart. Even the mage with decay magic that Erza, Mirajane, Gray and I were fighting went still; her attention was riveted completely on Phaedra with a complicated expression on her face. When Phaedra's arm stopped and began quivering slightly, suspending her death beam above Wendy's chest just before it would have ended her life I could see from the corner of my eye the mage who had come so close to destroying Erza drop open her mouth in a look of complete disbelief.

A strange urgency lit inside me and I found myself sprinting away from my friends and the unknown mage and towards Phaedra. I watched as Mest teleported to Wendy, enclosing her in his arms before disappearing with both of them a split second later. Phaedra's arm jerked down, plunging her beam of light into the cobblestone below and burning a perfect hole in the ground where Wendy had just been.

She turned, her face expressionless as she looked towards me, but her pink irises didn't quite meet my own gaze. I swore under my breath as her body blinked out of view, transforming into a ray of light. On instinct, I also triggered my own shift into lightning. As I streaked towards where I had last seen Phaedra's physical form, a wave of magical power zipped past me so fast I almost missed it. Reaching out, I somehow connected my lightning arm to Phaedra's light form and I yelped in shock when an unfamiliar magic seemed to shoot through my soul.

I lost control of my magic for an instant, materializing back into my normal form and dropped from the air, landing heavily on my back and knocking the wind out of me. A high pitched grunt of pain followed the sound of a body hitting the ground. I forced myself into a sitting position to see that Phaedra had also lost control of her light form and fallen to the ground several feet away from me.

Interesting. I thought, not sure exactly what had just happened. But Phaedra was already propelling herself to her feet so I shook off the strange pain that her magic had caused when we had connected and pushed myself up.

Before either of us had moved, a solid cage of ice suddenly materialized around Phaedra's body, and I glanced to the side where Gray was in that stance he always used when he triggered his make magic. Without hesitation, Phaedra created two long beams of light, gripping them in her palms, and spun them around herself, slicing through Gray's ice as easily as if it had been paper. The cage crumbled around her and one of the light beams winked out so that she could lift her arm and create one of her light barriers to protect her from the large chunks of ice falling.

Fear lanced through me as I saw Phaedra advancing swiftly towards Gray, her light beam outstretched. Seeming on autopilot, Gray created an ice shield and only narrowly managed to tilt his head out of the way as Phaedra's light beam sliced neatly through his shield, cutting off the top portion without any trouble. Not wanting to hurt Phaedra, but also knowing that she was being used as a puppet by King Hizeah, I launched myself forward. Gray was obviously having the same dilemma as I was since he never fired one of his attacks directly at Phaedra. Instead, he created wall after wall of thick ice that Phaedra would then slice through. Her slicing was quicker than his ice creation though, and I grit my teeth when the very edge of her light beam cut through Gray's latest wall and then grazed his shoulder.

Gray clenched his teeth and let out a groan of pain and I wrinkled my nose at the faint smell of burned flesh from the already cauterized wound Phaedra had created. Just as she pulled back to land a more deadly blow, seeming to have forgotten about me, I reached her. Wrapping my arms around her waist, I pulled her tightly against me and let loose a wave of electricity into her body. Phaedra's body went taut from the electric pulse going through her and her light beams instantly disappeared as the shocks caused her body to momentarily lose control of itself.

"Gray! Get the king!" I yelled out. Gray's eyes had been fixed on Phaedra, who was jerking in my grip from the electric wave, but he met my gaze and nodded in understanding. He then turned and ran towards King Hizeah, who was still standing on the stage watching with a frown on his face.

Fearing that I might damage Phaedra's brain if I kept up the electric pulse, I stopped the attack and felt Phaedra's body slump from the sudden absence of electricity. She didn't move for several seconds and I thought I may have knocked her out, which might have been for the best, but then I thought I heard a muffled sound coming from her slumped form. An explosion of power crashed to my left but I trusted in my guildmates to handle the Decay witch together.

"..ain..."

Flinching slightly, keeping an eye out for Phaedra's death beams, I wrapped one arm around her scarred shoulders and turned her to face me. I blinked in surprise when I saw that one of Phaedra's eyes was back to its normal icy blue while the other one was swirling crazily between blue and pink.

"Do that... again..." Phaedra panted, her words coming out strangled as if it was costing her all of her energy to spit them out.

"It's going to hurt," I said gruffly, trying to make sure that this was Phaedra talking and not the King using me to torture the poor girl. Her one swirling eye was slowly becoming completely pink once again and an eerie look of panic flashed in her blue eye but not in the pink one.

"Quick! He's... coming..." Phaedra spluttered as if she were being choked and that was all I needed.

I laid her on the ground swiftly, placing one hand over the awful scar that said "You are Mine" and I sent another mild electric shock through her entire body. I watched in guilty fascination as her pink eye began to swirl once again with blue as her body spasmed from the shock I was sending through her. Feeling a sense of urgency, I poured just a little more power into the electric shocks, causing her limbs to spasm even more, but now the pink in her eyes was almost gone. When the last tendril of pink disappeared I immediately removed my hand, cutting off the electric surge, and Phaedra's eyelids fell closed and her entire body went absolutely still.

"Phaedra! Wake up. Dang it, wake up!" An unusual sense of panic coursed through me as I looked at Phaedra's unresponsive, limp body. Unsure of what to do, I gently grabbed her shoulders and shook her, trying to keep from banging her head against the ground. The sounds of battle coming from beside me and Mirajane's frustrated yells washed through the air but all I could focus on was the woman that I may have just killed. Moving one hand from Phaedra's surprisingly toned shoulders, I pressed my fingers against the side of her neck, trying to feel for a pulse.

Suddenly she let out a cough and a low moan of pain. My pent up breath escaped in a whoosh and I felt my muscles go slightly weak from relief. Phaedra blinked open her crystal blue eyes and for some weird reason, I was expecting my name to be the first thing from her lips. But she turned away from me, looking towards the stage.

"Gray... danger..."

Gray's POV

Seeing Phaedra convulsing from Laxus's electric shocks made me want to deck him, but as soon as he reminded me of the real villain I immediately turned away. My magic was next to useless against Phaedra and her light beams, so the best thing I could do to help Phaedra and end this fight was to go to its source. The King's face was screwed up in a look of pure rage, both his hands were clenched into fists and his eyes were tightly closed; as if he were concentrating on something.

I felt no guilt in taking advantage of his distraction and leaped up onto the stage slamming my fist into the guy's gut. I was shocked at how solid his stomach was and I thought I actually heard a pop accompanied by a stabbing pain coming from one of my knuckles. The King's eyes flew open as he stumbled a step back from my unexpected punch and he glared down at me with pure hatred in his green eyes.

Ignoring the pain in my knuckle, I smacked my fist into my open palm and sent an icy lance straight towards his heart. Hizeah threw himself to the side, rolling in a somersault and then popping up back onto his feet, glaring daggers at me. He held out a hand towards me and a strange itching sensation began to travel under my skin and through all of my muscles. I growled angrily as I tried to send another attack towards the devil, but I was shocked when my limbs didn't respond at all.

"You thought I would be an eazy target now that you've taken out my prinzezzez?" King Hizeah growled with a crazed arrogance shining in his eyes. Suddenly my knees slammed down to the stage and my arms shot out so that I was in a prostrating bow in front of the King. A heavy foot slammed onto my spine and I groaned in pain, desperately trying to make my body move.

"Juzt becauze I can't control you az completely az my guardianz, doezn't mean I cannot control your limbs. I am the King of Prekt. EVERYONE obeyz me," King Hizeah laughed out, grinding his boot heel into my spine painfully.

The itchiness in my muscles was terrible as the King continued to taunt me. From what I could tell I still had access to my magic, unlike when that creepy princess had blocked it before. He also wasn't making me use it to make me hurt myself or anyone like Phaedra, so I assumed that this must be the effect of his magic on someone close up that he hadn't put a tattoo on like all the princesses sported. That still left me useless, but I desperately tried to think of a way to get my body back under my control as Hizeah switched from grinding my spine to kicking my ribs fiercely.

"GET OFF HIM!" A wave of heat washed over me and I heard the sound of a hard fist connecting with the King over top of me. He growled in anger, stumbling over my frozen body and tripping, crashing onto the stage floor next to me.

"What are you doing, Ice Princess?" Natsu asked and I had never been more grateful to have the idiot come to my rescue. The itchiness subsided and as Natsu gripped me under the armpits I was able to propel myself up under my own volition, even though my ribs were sending screaming pain signals up to my brain.

"Careful, Natsu, he..."

Before I could finish my warning, King Hizeah rocked back onto his shoulders and, using his hands as leverage, flung himself up into a standing position. Now he looked livid and I was only halfway through an attack stance before my muscles seemed to burn from the itchiness of his magic. Both Natsu and I fell to our knees in front of the King, although he didn't make us kiss the ground this time.

"Oy oy! What the heck is going on! I can't move!" Natsu growled out in shock. I thought it was ironic that he still retained his ability to run his mouth even with his body under the King's control, but I quickly refocused on the enemy at hand.

"I'll admit, your band of mizfitz haz given me more trouble than I waz expecting," King Hizeah growled, wiping the blood trickling from the corner of his mouth after Natsu's punch. "But thiz iz the end of the road for you."

The King drew a large sword at his hip, revealing the cold, shiny metal from out of its elaborate scabbard. I swallowed quickly, urging my body to move even as he lifted the blade up past his shoulder, seeming to be preparing to behead both Natsu and me with one blow.

"Roar of the... erk!" Natsu's mouth suddenly clamped shut tightly, causing smoke to pour out of his nose from the attack that the King had just cut off.

"Don't worry. I will take good care of your kingdom," King Hizeah said with a cruel smile. Suddenly he swung the blade down.

You know that saying, "Seeing your life flash before your eyes?" That didn't happen to me. Instead, my vision honed in on that shimmering metal blade whisking through the air as I was helpless to stop it. I watched as the light shimmered down the cold steel in a hauntingly beautiful way. But as the blade came closer, the light became bright. So bright that I had to squint my eyes, and then, in an instant, Phaedra seemed to melt from that light along the blade, two light beams held in her hands and crossed in front of her. I watched in awe as the beams of light sliced cleanly through my impending execution weapon, sending the shrapnels of the blade spinning harmlessly to either side of us.

Before I could blink, her light beams shot out towards King Hizeah, who had stumbled from the unexpected destruction of his heavy sword, and for a second I thought that it was over. That Phaedra would kill him and we could all leave this horrible place. But just as she had pressed her light beams within inches of the King's throat, her arms came to a halt and her light beams began to flicker. A strange green light caught my eye, and shifting my gaze to King Hizeah's clenched fist, I saw that the ring on his finger was glowing brightly, just like when he had broken apart the magic sealing stone Phaedra had burned into her skin.

"Zo impatient, Luzera," Hizeah panted, looking like it was taking a lot out of him to keep her under his control. "Your time to kill me haz not come yet."

The itchiness in my muscles began to subside and I threw myself forward, managing to move clumsily into position to send several ice arrows towards the King. My body froze mid spell though and I crashed to the ground without being able to aim my ice arrows, so they sailed harmlessly past Hizeah's body. Natsu was grumbling like crazy, obviously trying to make his mouth move again, and flames were licking along his entire body, but he could move to unleash them.

A strange whirring sound caught my attention as the light beams that had been spluttering in Phaedra's hands came back in full force and within inches of King Hizeah's throat. Hizeah growled, clenching his fist and causing the ring to glow even brighter.

"I'm not-t the little g-girl you enslaved a-all those years ago," Phaedra said, her words coming out with a slight stutter as if she had caught a cold and her teeth were chattering. "You c-can't control me and these b-boys at the s-same time."

Hizeah growled from his chest, sounding like an angry bear, and Phaedra's light beams disappeared, snuffed out like a candle. But I realized that as soon as they had disappeared, my muscles were partially under my own control again. Natsu flopped onto his back, kicking out one leg and sending a weak stream of fire towards Phaedra and Hizeah, which was blocked by a small light screen that Phaedra created, her eyes once again a neon pink.

Hizeah stood up, standing a full head taller than Phaedra. As he glared over the top of her, his angry eyes glared down at Natsu and me, freezing our muscles once again with his strange magical control. As I met his glare, I was surprised when a look of surprise and borderline relief caused his face to relax back into his normal, infuriatingly handsome state.

"Jennizah," he breathed out, nodding in silent contentment. Phaedra's inexpressive face briefly morphed into a look of panic and her eyes swirled with color before her face was once again was wiped clean of emotion and her eyes returned to being pink.

"I admit, I am having trouble controlling both you and your heightened reziztanze againzt my magic, but onze Jenizzah gets here and dizpozez of theze diztractionz," Hizeah said with an imperious sniff over at me and Natsu who were both flopping around like fish out of water as portions of our bodies went in and out of our control every few seconds, "I can focuz all of my attention on you, mi prezioza."

A crackling sound pulled my attention from Hizeah and Phaedra threw up a protective light screen seconds before a huge bolt of lightning shot straight towards the King. Laxus landed firmly on the stage next to me and I rolled over as my right side came back under my control. Laxus's lightning shot off in all directions as it came into contact with the light shield, dispersing through the sky without inflicting any damage. Before he could do anything else though, his body suddenly stiffened. I groaned when the itchiness in my muscles intensified as Laxus fell to his knees, his teeth clenched and his neck muscles went taut as he obviously attempted to fight off the King's control.

Phaedra's protective shield disappeared and I saw her lash out a clumsy kick behind her. But she missed the King and her body jerked awkwardly just like mine had been and I knew that she was trying to fight against the King's control.

"Come now, Luzera. Ztruggling iz pointlezz. There are zo many more dizobedient and evil people I need you to kill for me," King Hizeah said, his voice sounding cajoling as if he were scolding a stubborn kitten that was baring its little teeth at him. "And onze I am old and have taken over the world, then I will free you and you can finally take my life. Juzt az you have alwayz wanted."

Phaedra paused her awkward jerking but I didn't feel any of my limbs coming back under my control so I could do nothing but watch uselessly.

"You... WANT me... to..."

I could feel an angry growl roll around in my chest as Hizeah reached out and stroked Phaedra's cheek with a look filled with false sympathy.

"That'z right, Luzera. Your lazt mishion in thiz world will be to end my life before I become old and decrepit. The world will remember me az a ztrong and undefeated conqueror forev... ERK!"

The itchiness in my limbs vanished and I jumped to my feet looking around confusedly and trying to figure out what had just happened. My eyes widened in shock as I saw a thin blade handle sticking out of the King's abdomen where a stain of blood was beginning to bloom from.

Phaedra fell backward and I rushed over to her, gathering her into my arms protectively without thinking. She didn't seem to even notice me as her gaze moved from the bleeding king over to the center of the square. I followed her gaze to see that the creepy mage with the bone arm had turned away from her opponents and she slowly straightened as she glared angrily at her bleeding King.

"Fe...lina..." King Hizeah spluttered, blood beginning to trickle once more from the corner of his mouth.

"NNOOOOOO!"

I jerked as a screeching wail pierced the air and turned to see the beautiful mage that had been fighting Natsu earlier. Her clothes were peppered with scratches and burns and she looked like she could barely keep herself upright, but I had never seen the level of shock and horror in anyone's expression before. She hobbled as quickly as she could to the stage and scrambled on her hands and knees over to the king.

"Hizeah! Hizeah, you can't leave me! Zaida? Where is Zaida?! She'll heal you. Just wait a moment, my love, you'll be fine."

I watched as the lady laid the King's head in her lap as she sobbed and pressed her hand against the wound, apparently trying to stem the bleeding. Phaedra didn't move from the circle of my arms, but she stiffened as the mage with the bone arm began to walk purposefully towards the stage. We all watched, and I could see that Mirajane and the others who had been fighting her were watching warily, but Felina ignored them completely and walked up onto the stage to stand above Jenizzah and the profusely bleeding king.

"Feli...na. What have you... done?" King Hizeah groaned, blood bubbling around his teeth as he spoke. Felina looked down at her King with nothing but reproach in her expression and I felt distinctly grateful for a second that I had never had the opportunity to get her angry at me.

After a second of silence, she slowly removed an identical dagger to the one buried in the king's belly and began to slice at her dress. The cloth fell away and I had to fight back the urge to throw up as she exposed that not only her arm was bone, but half of her chest and neck were also completely made of bone.

"I have zerved you all theze yearz becauze I thought there waz no ezcape," Felina spat out, glaring with open hatred down at her king. "I have deztroyed my body for you, done everything you have azked, becauze I thought I waz too weak to fight your control."

Felina turned around and her piercing gaze fell onto Phaedra. I moved to stand in front of her protectively but I flinched when Phaedra gripped my upper arm, prompting me to stay back as she met the eyes of the skeletal woman.

"Zeeing you break free of hiz hold... after being hiz zlave for zo long... It made me dezide that I have had enough," Felina stated with a small sigh as her expression softened into one of regret.

"Felina, you traitor! You zwore to protect Hizeah! He iz our King!" Jenizzah shrieked, still cradling the King's head in her arms as she sobbed. Felina nodded quietly to Phaedra once before turning and facing Jenizzah and the King. With a small swishing sound of her skirt against the wood of the stage, she moved over and knelt down next to the King and Jenizzah.

"Your obzeshion haz gone far enough, Jeny," Felina said, sounding almost tired. I gulped as sludgy black magic began to pool around both her bone hand and her flesh covered one. The two balls of magic traveled along her body and then she reached out, touching the King and Jenizzah's shoulder.

"No! No, don't!" Jenizzah cried out, bending over as if she could shield the king from the slowly spreading black sludge. I grimaced as the black magic began to dissolve all three of them and a sickening smell of sweet rot began to float towards me. The magic spread quickly, dissolving first their skin and then slowly their bones one by one.

Jenizzah continued to sob over the King even as their bodies disintegrated, and Felina turned to look over her shoulder. I flinched as I saw that half of her face was now only bone and her tongue flopped around creepily in the exposed side. As she looked at Phaedra and the half of her lips that were still there turned up in a sad half-smile.

"Take care of Prekt for uz. Lo ziento."

With that, Felina tilted her head up to the sky, closing her only eye left and her decay magic burst intensely, consuming the three of them until only black flecks were left behind that slowly faded into nothing.

A moment of shocked silence went by as I looked at the spot the three mages had been only moments before when suddenly Phaedra's back arched and she gasped. I hovered over her confusedly as the green tattoo under her collar bone glowed brightly and then began to flake off of her skin. Wispy green smoke poured out of her open mouth, nostrils, and even came out of her ears as the tattoo flaked away piece by piece. The green smoke dissipated and once the last speck of tattoo had disappeared, Phaedra fell back into my waiting arms and she closed her eyes in a dead faint.

A/N Hmmm. I feel like that dragged out and ended way too abruptly all at the same time. Honestly, though I'm not sure how else I could write it, so I hope you enjoyed the end of the villainous King. The story is winding down now, hopefully you can stick with me and my slow updates until the very end :) <3