"'Order' spells, huh? A magic that can command others… truly dangerous," Mirajane said coldly. "But too bad for you. I can receive demon magic. Your orders don't work on me."
"What—?! The ability to absorb demon powers?!" Seilah's eyes widened in horror. "So that's why my spell failed… You absorbed Ezel-sama too, didn't you?! How can such a human exist?!"
For demons, the ability to consume their magic was nothing short of a natural enemy.
Mira smirked. "The world's full of strange people. Even among demons, you're unusual. I already tried to secretly use Take Over on you… but it seems you're not so easy to catch."
"Return Ezel-sama and the others at once, you thief!!" Seilah roared, lunging forward.
Mirajane's body shifted, transforming instantly into her Satan Soul form. The two clashed with a thunderous impact—demon against demon.
Meanwhile, outside—
After Juvia's warning, the Fairy Tail mages scattered across the battlefield, searching frantically for the necromancer.
Soon, Lucy and Wendy spotted him—former Council Speaker Crawford, standing before a glowing panel of intricate spell circles, manipulating its runes with trembling hands.
"Found him!!" Lucy cried.
"It's the former Speaker!" Wendy gasped.
But before they could act, a tall, skeletal figure appeared, gripping a staff like a black bishop. His voice was a hymn of malice:
"The prayers of fallen girls are the bells of hell. Their magic, the morning star that renews this cursed earth. O goblins who have strayed into the underworld… turn to corpses and wander purgatory."
Lucy and Wendy froze, terror coursing through them.
"That skeleton…!"
"The Nine Demon Gates… Black Archbishop Keyes!!"
Carla shouted, "He's controlling Crawford to activate Face! Stop him quickly!!"
Lucy raised her keys. "Open! Gate of Taurus! Gate of Aries! Come forth, Taurus! Aries!"
"Alriiiight!! It's time for me to shine!!" bellowed Taurus.
"I-I'll do my best… so sorry…" Aries whispered.
"Soft Wool—100%!!" Aries released a thick field of wool, cushioning the battlefield.
"Wooooo!! Wool Typhoon!!" Taurus swung his great axe, wrapped in wool, spinning violently as he struck at Keyes.
Clang!!
But Keyes' body dissolved into black mist, reforming unharmed.
"This guy—he's not solid?!" Lucy gasped.
Deep inside the halls of Tartaros, the true master smiled from his throne.
Mard Geer, King of the Underworld.
"So… humans have actually defeated demons born of Zeref's books," he murmured, lips curling into a cruel smile. "Has the era shifted so far… that humans dare to rival demons?"
Footsteps echoed.
"Looks like you're the boss of Tartaros."
Su Yan stepped into the hall, eyes blazing. His Haki had already scanned the entire island—he knew Mard Geer was far beyond the other demons.
"A human… daring to tread into the depths of the underworld," Mard sneered. "No one who has ever reached here has left alive."
"Then I'll be the first. And the last," Su Yan replied coldly. "Because from now on… this place will cease to exist."
Whooooom!!!
Su Yan raised his hand, fusing both Conqueror's and Armament Haki into a colossal blade of energy, and swung.
"Domineering Sword!!"
BOOOOOOM!!!
The hall shook as the slash tore through the walls of Underworld Island.
Mard Geer leapt back, dodging with ease. "You dare defile the sacred grounds of Zeref's demons?! Then witness the true form of despair!!"
All around them, the island itself began to change.
"Wha—what's happening?!"
"The ground's… moving?!"
With a grotesque roar, the entire island transformed into a massive, tentacled beast—the living form of the Underworld itself.
From its body, pink, sticky fluid erupted, spreading like a tide. It clung to all it touched—Fairy Tail and Tartaros alike—pulling them down.
"Wha—what is this?!"
"It's sucking us in!!"
"Help—!"
Seilah, watching from afar, sneered at Mira. "It's over. Lord Mard Geer has acted. Human, you're finished."
The pink substance coiled around Mira, binding her tight. She struggled but did not waver. "Humans will not fall here. You have no idea what you've provoked."
Elsewhere, Erza too was ensnared, immobilized.
Kyôka stood before her. "Erza… you were a worthy opponent. But with Lord Mard Geer's hand, our fight ends here."
Erza glared back, unyielding even in defeat. "No. It's not over. We will fight again. Don't die until then."
For a fleeting moment, Kyôka's chest tightened at Erza's words. That unwavering gaze, so certain of escape, shook her.
In the deepest chamber, the pink sludge rose from beneath Su Yan's feet, walls closing in to engulf him.
Mard Geer's smile widened. "Erosion. Sacrifice. Death and rebirth. Despair and false hope. You may be strong, human, but in the end—you are still only human. This island is a living prison… and its beast is called Hades. You will die in despair."
But Su Yan's eyes sharpened. "Despair? You think this is mine? …No. The one who should despair—"
His body sank into the tide of corruption.
"—is you."
Above the Underworld Beast, the skies cracked with fury.
KRAKOOOOOM!!!
A blinding bolt of lightning struck down, blasting a crater into the beast's body.
And deep within, Su Yan's own body began to change. His eyes slit into vertical pupils, glowing with an inhuman light. Cold. Ruthless. Something beyond human.