After Erza stepped inside Tartaros, she walked through a long corridor and continued forward.
"Do demons know how to enjoy themselves this much?"
She didn't expect the atmosphere here to be gloomy; instead, it was very bright and luxurious, as if she had entered a palace.
Soon, she sensed Natsu's presence. She followed it to a vast hall, only to see Natsu sitting on a throne like a Great Demon King, an evil smile on his face.
Erza was a bit dazed. "Natsu? What are you doing?"
Wearing a villainous black robe, Natsu laughed arrogantly. "I am E.N.D., the Guild Master of Tartaros! Fairy Tail, you've finally come to challenge me!"
He had been watching everyone fight and was dying of impatience.
Erza's expression darkened. "Do you know what you're saying?"
Her fists were already clenched. If he didn't give her a reasonable explanation, she would beat this bastard to death on the spot.
Natsu shivered inwardly; he feared Erza's anger the most. However, he suppressed his fear and snorted coldly, "I'll tell you once you defeat me!"
"It's only been a few days, and you've grown quite capable!"
Erza sneered. She could see that Natsu wasn't being controlled, but since this guy wanted to play, she would play along!
"Requip: Flame Empress Armor!"
Erza swapped into her fire-red armor and charged out instantly, her terrifying magic surging.
"Here I come!"
Excitement showed on Natsu's face as his entire body erupted in scorching flames. He threw a punch with all his might, clashing with the Flame Empress Sword!
Rumble!
A sea of fire instantly engulfed the entire hall. The floor and walls melted, and the decorations turned to ash.
Erza laughed, full of fighting spirit. "I won't go easy on you."
Although she had just spent a lot of magic power, she was still completely confident in handling Natsu.
Natsu said confidently, "Neither will I!"
"Fire Dragon's Roar!!"
Flames filled the air and pierced through the walls, but Erza was agile. She sidestepped and kicked Natsu in the waist, nearly crippling him on the spot.
"Damn it!"
Natsu clutched his side, grimacing in pain. That was too brutal. Did Erza really think he was an enemy?
He didn't know that if Erza truly considered him an enemy, she would have run her sword through his waist.
Just then, Laxus, Gajeel, Cana, Lucy... all their Fairy Tail comrades rushed in at once, nearly bursting the hall.
Natsu was shocked. They had defeated all the demons so quickly?
As expected of his guild, they were truly impressive!
A smile appeared on his face, and he was about to explain when he heard Erza shout.
"Everyone, be careful! Natsu is being controlled by a demon! Let's beat him back to his senses together!"
"No, no, no! I actually..."
Natsu was panicked. Just as he was about to explain, Erza kicked him in the face, and Laxus followed up with a lightning-fast punch that left him dizzy.
"Go! Everyone, together!"
"This guy is being controlled by the demon E.N.D.! Don't hold back!"
"Watch this! Iron Dragon's Roar!"
Then everyone started shouting and swarmed him, giving Natsu a thorough beating.
After a full ten minutes, everyone finally stopped, satisfied. Natsu lay on the ground, his clothes in tatters, covered in footprints, and his face bruised and swollen.
Erza pretended to be worried as she helped Natsu up, asking caringly, "How are you? Are you feeling better?"
Natsu looked resentful. "You guys..."
He was halfway through his sentence when he saw everyone's dark expressions as they cracked their knuckles. He quickly changed his tune: "Thank you, everyone! I'm completely awake now!"
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Hahaha, Natsu is finally back!"
Gajeel said smugly, "Looks like my Roar was useful after all!"
Hearing this, Natsu was furious. This bastard had hit him the hardest. If he had known, he would have let the Underworld King deal with him.
Wendy hurriedly squatted down and used Sky Magic to heal Natsu, quickly restoring him to his original state.
At that moment, Plue Mard Geer walked over, slightly surprised. "You've defeated all the demons so quickly?"
Natsu felt mostly recovered and said with a wide smile, "Our Fairy Tail is the strongest."
Erza's face turned cold. "Are you a demon too?"
Everyone stood ready. The feeling this person gave off was terrifying, on a completely different level from the demons they had encountered before.
Plue Mard Geer smiled slightly and said, "I am not your enemy."
Seeing that his comrades didn't believe him, Natsu hurriedly explained the situation. Perhaps due to his poor communication skills, it took him a full thirty minutes to clarify everything.
However, after explaining, he was beaten up again. This guy had made them worry so much while he was here enjoying food and drinks as a boss; it was too much.
Even the good-tempered Wendy turned her head away huffily and refused to heal him.
Laxus grabbed Natsu by the collar and lifted him up, saying coldly, "You actually arranged trials for us? I think you're the one who needs a trial the most!"
Natsu said quickly, "That was Acnologia's idea! Go fight him if you're so brave."
Gajeel said flatly, "Even if it was Acnologia's idea, you're the one who arranged the battles!"
Everyone agreed; it was all Natsu's fault.
The more they thought about it, the angrier they got. Led by Gajeel, they beat Natsu up once more.
After ten minutes of being kicked and punched, Natsu lay on the ground, resigned. He realized these bastards were just bullies who picked on him because he was an easy target.
Soon, all the demons of Tartaros were resurrected. The two sides didn't fight again, and even Gray didn't make a move, because Zeref had arrived.
Everyone looked at the legendary Black Wizard with great caution. However, humans are visual creatures after all; seeing his gentle, youthful appearance made them feel much less hostility.
All the demons knelt on the ground and said in low voices, "My Lord, we have failed."
Zeref nodded slightly. "I expected as much. After hundreds of years, your potential has finally reached its limit."
This was why demons were all flawed products; they couldn't grow like humans. From their birth until now, their growth had been very limited.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Natsu pleaded, "Brother, don't blame them. Our Fairy Tail is the strongest guild in Fiore."
After spending time together, he had accepted Zeref, so calling him 'Brother' came without any psychological pressure.
Zeref smiled and said, "I don't blame them. However, since you were the one leading Tartaros to failure, my bet with the Underworld King is no longer valid."
Everyone was slightly surprised. "A bet? What bet?"
Zeref explained, "I bet that you would win, while the Underworld King bet that you would lose. The penalty was to serve Fairy Tail for a week."
"However, they are demons after all. If they really went to your guild, it would certainly be quite troublesome."
Knowing that the destruction of the Magic Council last time was done by Tartaros, if they were discovered, the Council would definitely not let it slide.
Everyone was originally a bit intrigued; the idea of having demons serve them felt quite nice.
But thinking about those white-robed people from the Magic Council, they all hurriedly waved their hands in refusal. Better forget it.
Zeref looked at Gray and said, "I have resurrected your family. They have already gone to Magnolia Town. You can see them when you return."
Gray was instantly shocked and grabbed his shoulders. "You're not lying to me, are you?"
Zeref smiled and said, "What benefit would there be in lying to you?"
Gray was so excited he became incoherent. "Thank you! Thank you!"
Zeref shook his head. "No need for thanks. It was the fault of the demons I created; I bear responsibility as well."
Seeing that Gray couldn't wait any longer, everyone said their goodbyes and prepared to leave.
Natsu also followed along, waving as he said, "Goodbye, Mard Geer, Esel, Torafuzar, Kyoka, Sera, Franmarth, Keith, Tempesta, and Jackal!"
The Underworld King and the Nine Demon Gates knelt respectfully. "Goodbye, Guild Master!"
Although their time together was short, Natsu had a certain infectious energy, and they had a very happy time together.
Erza looked at Kyoka and Jackal and waved with a smile. "Goodbye. You're very strong; you have my respect."
Seilah Marge smiled. "Titania, I'll remember that."
It was a case of 'no discord, no concord.' After bidding each other farewell, the members of Fairy Tail left amidst laughter and joy. Thus, the journey to Tartaros came to an E.N.D.!
------------------------
There are already 70+ chapters available on my Patreon!
The story will continue to update 1 chapter per day on Webnovel,
while early access chapters are posted on Patreon.
Maybe it's not worth it today but it could be later
[email protected]/Kazenova223
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"