Fairy Tail was on the offensive.

Ur made an ice bridge leading up to the bridge of the vessel.

"Hold on," Acnologia warned them telepathically.

"What?" Laxus asked.

"Gray, Lyon, and Ur, you have to destroy the Heart of Hades if you want to defeat the mage himself, take the exceeds with you," Acnologia ordered.

"You wouldn't happen to know where that is right?" Gray asked.

"I have a good feeling," Acnologia smiled from his confinements. He instructed the ice mages and they followed his orders.

"Can we go yet, Uncle?" Natsu asked impatiently. It had begun to rain and thunder, Laxus was happy at least. Pantherlily, was not.

Acnologia waited a few seconds, then he sensed what he wanted, the longer the fairy tail mages were together the stronger they became. The magic power around them fluctuated as they all prepared for their battle, "Go," Acnologia ordered.

"Are you ready 3rd generation Fairy Tail!?" Someone called, it was Hades.

Everyone tensed.

"Come if you dare brood of Makarov," Hades cackled.

"He's the one who hurt master," Erza said.

"Let's teach him a lesson then," Laxus smiled.

"Here we go!" Sting cried running up the stairs.

"I call first punch!" Natsu yelled running ahead of him.

"Remember, this guy beat Master and imprisoned Uncle, We need to give it our all from the start, no games," Erza reminded them.

"Yes, mam!" Kinana yelled.

"I'll give it my all!" Wendy called.

"He's going to feel the wrath of dragons," Sting began.

"And fairies," Rogue finished.

"We don't have any time to think about what's going to happen after this battle, so just fight!" Lucy cried.

"I get to finally punch this guy!" Natsu cried, "I'm all fired up!"

"HADES!" both Sting and Natsu yelled as they emerged from the staircase.

"It's time for you to taste the power of Fairy Tail!" Sting cried.

"FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!" Natsu cried attacking Hades.

"White Dragon TALON!" Sting cried.

Hades was able to dodge their attacks.

Laxus emerged and used Lightning body to strike Hades.

"Poison Dragon twin fang!" Erik yelled.

Hades dodged again.

"Sathersa! Come to me!" Kinana cried. The same snake as before emerged and tried to attack Hades.

"Open, Gate of the Scorpion; Scorpio!" Lucy cried.

"Wicked!" Scorpio chuckled.

"Sky Dragon ROAR!"

"Sand attack!" Scorpio called. The two formed a unison raid.

"Black wing: Moon Gleam!" Erza cried reequipping.

"Iron Dragon: Demon Logs!" Gajeel yelled.

Smoke filled the area, Hades emerged unscathed.

"Is that the best you can do?" Hades chuckled, with that his head was slammed into the floor by... Rogue. He had been hiding in Hades's own shadow, he had emerged and body-slammed Hades.

"You dare touch me!" Hades cried throwing Rogue into a wall.

"Hands off my brother! Sting cried "Holy Ray!" His light formed a sphere that then separated into multiple white rays, all aimed at Hades.

Hades simply raised his hands and absorbed the magic blasts transforming them into dark magic. Then Sathersa slammed into him.

"I say, you are a peculiar one, I've never encountered your magic," Hades said standing up and looking at Kinana.

"I say, you're a dead man walking!" Erik cried hitting Hades in the back with a poison dragon fist.

"Lightning Fire dragon ROAR!" Natsu yelled unleashing his dual elements.

"Requip!" Erza yelled reequipping into a different armor, "Flame Empress Armor!" she jumped into Natsu's flames and ran inside them, concealing herself from any attacks. Hades was hit by the roar and then Erza attacked him again.

"Lightning dragon Jaw!" Laxus cried bringing his hands down of Hades.

Everyone caught their breath, Hades wasn't moving.

"So, this is the power of Makarov's Fairy Tail," Hades nodded getting to his feet.

"When will this guy die," Sting sighed.

"Before I kill you all, I think I'll be a bit merciful," Hades smiled.

"Wendy LOOK OUT!" Erik cried hearing Hades's thoughts.

"Katsu," Hades whispered.

Just like that Wendy disappeared.

"WENDY!" all six dragon slayer cried.

"DIE!" Laxus cried using a dragon slayer iron fist.

Then Erik began laughing.

"Oh no, Erik had snapped," Rogue said horrified.

"Wendy..." Sting choked.

"She's okay guys," Erik laughed relieved.

"I'm okay!" Horologium's voice sounded out. "I'm in here."

"You okay Wendy?" Gajeel asked looking up at Horologium.

"Yeah, he saved me just in time," Horologium answered.

"Umm, why didn't Wendy's clothes go with her?" Kinana asked.

"AHHH, she screams embarrassed," Horologium answered.

"How did you save her?" Lucy asked.

"I sensed danger and summoned myself to save little Wendy," Horologium answered.

"... I think your danger sensor is a little delayed," Lucy said not amused thinking back to all her near-death experiences.

"Just get her back down here safe," Laxus ordered.

Horologium disappeared and Wendy came back down, now with new celestial clothing.

"Let's go!" Wendy cried, with that, she enchanted her comrades.

"Get him!" Natsu cried.

So it began again, they all would land a hit, but Hades was too strong, with one spell he had knocked both Sting and Rogue aside.

"Sting?" Rogue asked brushing the rubble off him. Sting didn't respond, "STING!" Rogue asked panicked. Sting was unconscious.

"Sting!" Wendy cried running towards Sting.

A piercing bullet hit her and she was thrown to the side.

"Wendy!" Rogue cried.

"Shadow dragon roar!" He yelled aiming the attack towards Hades. Hades was unaffected by the spell, he shot a chain towards Rogue; Rogue was caught around the neck. Hade's swung Rogue around the room, narrowly missing Erza.

"I've got you, Rogue!" Gajeel cried using Iron dragon sword on the chain, it broke and Rogue was free.

"I'm gonna kill him," Rogue snarled.

"Not if I get there first," Erik yelled.

"No SATHERSA!" Kinana yelled as her snake was destroyed.

"I've grown tired of you, little one," Hades snarled and with that, he used Explosion Bullet. Kinana was hit and the explosion knocked her backward.

"I've grown tired of all of you," Hades said more angrily. He took his eyepatch off, "demons eye," he smiled, his right eye slowly opening.

"What is he doing?" Natsu asked

"With this, I can perform the dark magic written only in the books of Zeref, Prepare to see the abyss of magic!" Hades cackled "NEMESIS!"

The rocks and rubble around him began to form into terrifying creatures. Everyone was horrified.

"His magic power is increasing," Erza gasped.

"How... how can we beat him?" Gajeel asked.

"I... I don't know," Laxus stuttered.

"... I ... I feel fear," Erik mumbled.

"G-Guys I th-think H-Hades b-broke Erik," Rogue stuttered.

"Prepare to die!" Hades cried.

"NEVER!" Natsu screamed in defiance

"Don't you give up now; don't let anyone give up now. Our comrades are counting on us; everyone back home is relying on us to come home safely... We can't let them down!" Laxus gritted.

"LET'S DO THIS!" Natsu cried standing up.

"I know we don't have a contract yet, but I could really use your help. Open, Gate of the Sea-Goat, Capricorn!" just like that Capricorn appeared next to Lucy.

"It would be my honor to serve you, Miss Lucy," Capricorn smiled.

"Sky Dragon WING ATTACK!" Wendy yelled.

"Lightning Dragon ROAR!" Laxus yelled.

"Shadow Dragon Roar!" Rogue yelled

The three formed a unison raid, still, Hades emerged unscathed.

"ENOUGH!" Hades yelled.

The creatures descended on them. Rogue and Wendy tried to protect the unconscious body of Sting while Erik protected a weakened Kinana; everyone else was fending for themselves.

"What could be taking that ice freak so long?!" Natsu gritted as he burned a creature to ash.

"What is taking us so freakin long!?" Gray cried as the trio of ice mages along with the exceeds hid behind cover.

They were hiding behind a wall from the attacks that the dark wizards were hurling at them.

"Okay, there's the Devil's Heart, just like Acnologia told us. Now, Gray you use Ice-Make Lance, Lyon you use Ice-Make Eagles, and I'll shield us okay?" Ur instructed.

"EXCEEDS UNITE!" Happy cried flying into the crowd with a metal pipe in his paws.

"Take that!" Lector yelled hitting a guard with a shovel he had found.

"Get the frog!" a guard yelled running towards Frosch.

"Frog, WHERE!" Frosch asked excitedly running through the guard's legs, the two guards running after him collided and collapsed.

"Take this you brutes!" Charle announced dropping a rock on a guard's head.

Panther Lily was knocking guards aside right and left in his humanoid form.

"One..." Ur instructed. "Two..."

Lyon and Gray tensed.

"THREE!"

Nearly everyone was too tired to carry on. Erik and Gajeel were fighting side by side.

"So... I was thinking... when we get out of this... I'm gonna fit Wendy's dresser with a metal mirror," Gajeel breathed.

Erik knew he was just talking to reassure himself, things were rather grim.

"Yeah? With nice little dragon designs?" Erik laughed.

"Yeah, you know just to help her make her little girly place," Gajeel chuckled.

"She'll like that, I was thinking about making her a stuffed animal," Erik laughed.

"With what skill?" Gajeel smiled.

"I'll have time to learn after this," Erik chuckled weakly.

"FIRE DRAGON SECRET ART: CRIMSON LOTUS EXPLODING LIGHTNING BLADE!" Natsu yelled Hades was thrown back, but that Natsu's limit, he collapsed exhausted.

"Hold on Salamander!" Gajeel choked.

Then the monsters melted away, Hades tensed sensing his magic was depleting.

"Yeah, Gray Lyon and Ur did it!" Lucy smiled weakly.

Hades shakily got to his feet.

"No... no," Wendy cried.

That had been their last hope, but Hades was still up and almost everyone was down.

"I'm... afraid," Erik said.

"Yeah?" Gajeel scoffed.

"Piercing bullet," Hades said and he began firing thousands of purple beams out of his fingers. Everyone was hit, except Erik. He avoided everyone calmly and slowly began walking towards Hades.

"I'm afraid," Erik smiled.

"I'm telling you he snapped," Rogue hissed to Gajeel. Then he too was hit and flew backward.

"Aren't you a defiant one," Hades chuckled he fired more bullets, but none of them hit Erik, he was able to dodge, hearing Hades's thoughts and listening to the wind. Hades took a step back.

"I can hear it... your fear," Erik smiled.

"He snapped, I'm telling you, Erik finally snapped!" Rogue cried.

"It's my favorite song you know, fear, especially when it's the song that my enemies sing," Erik chuckled.

"Exploding bullets!" Hades yelled, now his bullets exploded when they hit something. Still, Erik dodged them, he drew even closer.

"Erik, you okay?" Laxus asked trying to stand up, another bullet hit him and he hit the dirt again.

"My dear boy, it is you who should fear me," Hades cackled.

"I used to be scared all the time," Erik smiled, nothing Hade's threw at him hit him, "But then I realized... if you're scarier than your fears, what is there to fear," Erik jumped into the air, "POISON DRAGON SHARP HORN!" Erik cried

Hades dodged, Erik panted from all of the efforts but he continued going.

Gajeel had a wild idea suddenly, "Erik, eat this!" Gajeel cried summoning what remaining magic energy he had left.

"Gajeel, what are you doing?" Rogue asked.

"Iron Dragon ROAR!" Gajeel yelled. Erik was engulfed with iron shards.

"You'd attack your own?" Hades smiled.

Gajeel crumpled; he was completely out of magic power.

Hades turned and looked in shock as the metal continued swirling. It formed a sphere around the poison dragon slayer; Hades saw Erik's one eye glowing, then he heard a crunching sound as Erik began to eat the metal.

"Thanks," Erik smiled as the metal died down. Maroon metal scales covered his body; his purple guild mark was clearly marked on his shoulder. His hands were replaced with claws and his breath was poison.

"NO! This cannot be!" Hades stumbled backward.

"Now witness the power of the Poison Iron Dragon," Erik smiled cruelly.

"Amaterasu, Formula 100!" Hades cried interrupting Erik. Magic circles surrounded Erik, but he didn't move.

"Watch out!" Laxus cried.

There was an explosion and the shock waves pushed the fairy tail members back. When the smoke cleared Erik was still there.

"What... how," Hades stuttered.

"Is that the best you have?" Erik cackled cruelly.

"No," Hades said taking a step back.

"Iron Poison Dragon Slayer Secret Art," Erik smiled, "Death's Song!" Erik cried, he brought his arms up in an x position and brought them down. Thousands of poison colored metal bits swirled around him before coming to a dead stop in the air. Then suddenly they rushed forward faster than the eye could catch. They enveloped Hades in a cloud of metal.

Erik held his hands in place as long as he could, but finally, he collapsed. The metal cloud fell away revealing Hades; he was covered in cuts, and each cut was full of poison. Hades fell to his knees, mirroring Erik before falling on his face.

"You did it!" everyone cried.

Erik fell on his face.

"And... he's out," Laxus chuckled.

"How did he get through that spell?" Kinana asked.

"He became one with that metal pole there," Gajeel smiled pointing to the metal beam under Erik's feet, "He evaded the spell."

Natsu tried to get up, but he was too exhausted so he simply fell back, "I think I'm gonna stay here a bit longer," Natsu smiled.

Erik's scales melted back into his skin and he exhaled and smiled as if in a pleasant dream.

"Good job bro," Laxus smiled.

"We're here," Gray shouted.

"What did we miss?" Lyon asked.

"Woah," Lector said voicing everyone's thoughts. The entire upper levels of the airship were gone. Rubble was everywhere and so were the bodies of the fairy tail members.

The ice mages helped everyone down to the beach.

"We did it!" Natsu smiled.

"Yeah," Lucy smiled.

"Insolent Brats!" Hades yelled.

"Oh come on," Kinana cried weakly.

A shriveled and defeated Hades limped to the balcony, "I'll make you all pay!"

"I think you've done enough damage today," a calm voice echoed from behind the fairy tail members.

Acnologia struggled in his cage, he had to find a way to get out, there was no way that this ended well.

"Zeref," Hades said in awe as the dark mage emerged from the forest.

"You've hurt so many trying to awaken me... and you thought that you could force me to do anything?" Zeref smiled. He began walking up the same ice staircase that the Fairy Tail members had used.

"Allow me to bring the keys, you will be awakened Lord Zeref," Hades shook.

"There is no need for those keys," Zeref said, he opened his eyes revealing that they were red, "for as you can seem, I am wide awake."

"What," Hades questioned.

"I ask you, how many atrocities did you commit to obtain those keys?" Zeref asked his voice low. "Did you ever count the lives you took and destroyed, the widows you made, the children you ensured would never grow up? Every one of them was a meaningless loss, they were victims of a lie that and old fool put trust in."

At this Hades gaped, "But that's impossible!"

"The keys were just stories concocted by a few desperate fanatics," Zeref frowned, "Mere cultists who longed for my resurrection, and you took their fiction as gospel." Now he was on the same level as Hades. Hades was beginning to take slow steps back. "What a sad a horrific legacy to leave behind... You see, I was never asleep so there was no need for those keys!"

Hades fell backward and tried to scramble away, Zeref continued his steady and meaning pace.

"The man who stands before you is the true black wizard Zeref," Zeref snarled.

"What do you mean you were never asleep!?" Hades gaped, "You were so weak when Ultear caught a glimpse of you... you couldn't be!"

"I'll explain it simply, at the time that was my full power, but no longer." With that, a dark aura radiated around Zeref. "Long ago, four hundred years to be exact, I witnessed thousands of human conflicts and the devastation they wrought. But then, one day as if by a miracle, I learned the true value and glory of life. I gained peace and serenity, however, since that fateful day, the more I valued life, the more this cursed body of mine would steal the souls of those around me. If I'm to stop taking people's souls I must forget to appreciate the sanctity of human life. This burden is a wretched one indeed."

"So you've been waiting for something, or rather someone to force you to lose the value of life!?" Hades cried.

"Yes, I was weak because I was bound to my wretched sense of morality," Zeref cursed himself. "But your horrid intentions have rid me of such shackles. Now you must be punished for all the suffering you've caused!"

"Maybe that is true, but I can't die here. Forgive me master Zeref, but I must harm you and destroy the brats, I cast Grimoire Law!" Hades cried.

"I punish you for the greatest sin, Hades; it was you alone who forced me to forget the importance of life!" Zeref cried.

Acnologia knew what was to happen, Zeref's spell would kill everyone and if not then Hade's spell would finish the job. If he broke the cage, the island should self-destruct in 10 seconds. He made his decision. The cage shattered as he transformed.

10-

He leaped and scooped up the injured members along with Cana and her father in his claws.

9-

He soared towards the other Fairy Tail members.

8-

The Fairy Tail members scrambled to Acnologia.

7-

He lay on his side and stretched a wing out, everyone understood and crawled onto the large black wing.

6-

Still crawling - WHY do humans take forever to crawl onto a dragon!? WHY!?

5-

He curled in a ball protecting the members from the waves of darkness now hitting the beach.

4-

Grimoire law came into effect, Acnologia winced in his dragon form due to the amount of magic energy, but inside his wings the fairy tail members were unscathed.

3-

The fairy tail members grabbed each other's hands for comfort.

2-

Acnologia spotted the spirit of Mavis out of the corner of his eye, she smiled and he cursed because he knew what was about to happen.

1-

Fairy Sphere was cast a split millisecond before the island exploded. Acnologia processed Hades's death but then everything faded into darkness.

"I'm sorry Mavis, but... it's time that I right my wrongs," Zeref whispered as he left on the airship.

Mavis smiled as she left the destroyed Tenrou, walking atop the water towards the mainland.

Seven years ago everyone on Tenrou disappeared. The magic counsel found what remained of Tenrou; a branch of the once-great Tenrou tree. The bodies of the Fairy Tail members were never found.