The entire carriage beyond their compartment was packed with black-robed figures, the sheer number of them creating an oppressive sight.
At the front stood the blond, curly-haired man who had unleashed the corrosive sword slash earlier. He wore a mocking smile as he looked into Team Natsu's compartment.
"Fairy Tail. So you really were on this train."
Beside him stood a dark-skinned woman with white hair, dressed in an extremely revealing outfit.
Her cold eyes swept across the group as she snorted.
"How fortunate. Some of the most famous mages from the legal guilds practically delivered themselves to us."
"What an arrogant bunch."
Gray flicked the lingering frost from his hand and gave them a disdainful look.
"You brought this few people and already think you've won?"
"Jerome of the 'Dark Sword'… and Briar."
Lucy quickly recognized the two criminals from Fiore's wanted posters and quietly drew several Celestial Spirit Keys.
Ankh rolled his wrist and glanced over the murderous crowd filling the next carriage.
"Well, I suppose we can get a little warm-up in before reaching Stella."
He had already started raising one hand, apparently preparing to introduce the entire cult to the educational benefits of having a meteor dropped on their heads, when Erza suddenly extended an arm across his path.
"Hm?"
Ankh looked at her in surprise.
Erza kept her eyes on the enemy and smiled.
"It's been half a year. You should at least let us show you what we accomplished during all that training."
"Exactly!"
Natsu slammed one fist into his palm as flames erupted around him.
"Leave small fry like these to us."
"What a big words…"
A cocky voice came from behind Jerome and Briar.
Natsu paused.
That voice sounded strangely familiar.
A blond young man pushed between the two cultists and stepped into view.
Natsu's eyes widened immediately.
"You're… Zambiro?!"
"My name is ZANCROW, you bastard!"
The former member of Grimoire Heart's Seven Kin of Purgatory glared at him furiously.
Zancrow.
The Fire God Slayer.
The mage whose black flames had once given Natsu one of the toughest fights of his life was now standing among the Black Magic Cult.
"Surprised?"
Jerome grinned smugly at Natsu's expression.
"Lord Zancrow is now one of the Black Magic Cult's high-ranking officers."
A savage smile spread across Zancrow's face.
He stared directly at Natsu.
"Remember how terrifying the flames of a god were, Fire Dragon?"
Ankh sighed.
"So the First still wasn't very good at finishing people off back then…"
After the Seven Kin of Purgatory had been defeated, Ultear and Meredy changed sides, while Zoldeo and Azuma had been killed outright by Loke and Laxus.
As for the remaining three, Ankh remembered Mavis telling him they had been tied to rocks and dumped into the sea.
Apparently that still hadn't been enough.
Zancrow's expression darkened with hatred.
"You damn fairies nearly left us to die at the bottom of the ocean. Fortunately, Zeref's followers dragged us back out."
Briar planted her hands proudly on her hips.
"Thanks to you, the Black Magic Cult gained some extremely powerful new members!"
The former members of Grimoire Heart had already worshiped Zeref to an obsessive degree.
Joining a cult dedicated to him after losing their original home was hardly surprising.
Natsu completely ignored their boasting.
He lunged forward and drove a fist straight toward Zancrow's face.
"Who cares?! I beat you once, and I'll beat you again!"
"You arrogant brat!"
Zancrow exploded with rage.
As far as he was concerned, Natsu's previous victory had been nothing more than luck and cheap tricks.
If Zancrow hadn't stubbornly tried to overpower him directly back then, he was convinced Natsu would have burned to death.
Black flames and crimson fire collided.
BOOM—!
The resulting explosion shook the entire carriage.
Smoke and fire blasted both mages through the roof, sending them onto the top of the speeding train.
The rematch between God Slayer flames and Dragon Slayer fire had begun.
At the same time, the rest of the Black Magic Cult finally stopped talking.
With furious shouts, the black-robed cultists surged forward.
"My sword corrodes anything it touches!"
Jerome charged straight toward Erza with his enormous black blade raised overhead.
"Die, Titania!"
Erza calmly slipped aside from the descending sword and closed the distance between them.
"Requip!"
Golden light flashed around her body.
"Netherveil Armor!"
An elegant white battle dress replaced her previous armor.
A red-and-gold sash wrapped around her waist, while the upper portion combined white and crimson in a sleeveless design.
A rose ornament decorated the back of her left hand, and red-and-gold high-heeled boots reached nearly to her knees.
Most striking of all were the eight identical crimson blades floating behind her.
They spread outward like a pair of metallic wings.
Erza swept one hand forward.
The eight blades immediately separated and shot toward Jerome from different directions.
"New armor?"
Ankh's eyes brightened.
Before he could watch more closely, Briar suddenly rushed toward him.
Apparently, she had decided that taking out the most dangerous opponent first was the safest choice.
Unfortunately for her, everyone else had already decided they wanted to show Ankh what six months of training had accomplished.
A blackened arm abruptly appeared in Briar's path.
Her vision went dark.
BOOM!
A brutally powerful fist smashed her into the floor.
Briar wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and stared in disbelief at the frightening man standing before her.
Gray's normally messy bangs had swept themselves back.
The demonic black markings created by his Ice Devil Slayer Magic were no longer confined to one arm.
Half of his entire body had transformed, taking on an unmistakably demonic appearance as bone-chilling cold rolled from him in waves.
Gray's sinister-looking face broke into a grin.
He crooked one finger toward her.
"Come on."
"Show me what you've got."
Anger flashed through Briar's eyes.
She immediately activated her magic.
Her body split apart in an instant.
Four different Briars appeared around Gray, each representing a different emotion, surrounding him from every direction.
Gray merely folded his arms, completely unbothered.
Watching him handle Briar with such confidence, Ankh nodded approvingly.
Then he turned toward Lucy and Wendy.
"What about you two? Need any help?"
"Of course not!"
Both girls answered at once.
Magic flared around them.
When the light faded, both had transformed.
Wendy's hair turned pink as pure white dragon feathers emerged around her wrists, ankles, and back.
[Dragon Force.]
She immediately launched herself into the mass of Black Magic Cult members.
Lucy summoned Taurus while changing into a Western-inspired Star Dress of her own.
[Taurus Star Dress.]
With the enormous strength granted by Taurus, she swung the Fleuve d'Étoiles through the crowded carriage with terrifying force.
Everywhere the whip landed, cultists went flying with torn clothes and bloody wounds.
Between Wendy and Lucy, the enemy's numerical advantage quickly became meaningless.
And they weren't the only ones tearing through the crowd.
Another small, agile figure darted between the cultists.
A white-haired girl with cat ears slipped through their attacks with remarkable grace, knocking one opponent after another unconscious with a series of crisp, practiced kicks.
Ankh stared.
"Carla can use Transformation Magic now?"
"Aye!"
Happy immediately raised one paw with obvious pride.
"And Carla specifically learned martial arts from Mirajane too!"
Ankh slowly turned toward him.
"What exactly are you so proud of?"
Happy blinked.
Ankh continued mercilessly.
"Aren't you the only Exceed left who still can't transform?"
"…"
Happy froze.
His eyes widened in horror.
Ankh stared at him in disbelief.
"…You only just realized that?"