Chapter 16 - Artificial Demon

---Magic Council Headquarters, 3rd Person POV---

Leaving the room without drawing attention to himself, Togo's Assistant headed for the restricted area beneath the Magic Council Building. As far as the public was aware, the restricted area was where the Council kept criminals which should never see the light of day again. While a portion of the restricted area was like that, the majority of it was built to house Anti-Magic experiments using prisoners as test subjects.

Walking past the guards after showing them his pass, he walked through a hidden door in an empty cell to access the lab. Finding researchers busily working on various projects, the man kept walking around till he found the Lead Researcher Leslie.

"Ma'am, test subject 167 has expired. The test was a failure.", one of her subordinates said.

"Dispose of the corpse, and grab another. Notate the details before filing your findings.", Leslie told him.

"Yes ma'am.", the subordinate replied leaving the area in a hurry.

"Miss Leslie.", Togo's Assistant said, "We need you to redirect a few of test subjects to eliminate a group of people for the Chairman."

Letting out a sigh, she looked back at him in frustration.

"When are you going to let me bring them back? The Chairman has repeatedly refused my request, their harvesters need to be emptied. They are nearly full so any more killing will yield little benefit at the moment.", she argued.

"The project may lose funding if the individuals aren't killed. It's a group of people that could cause an upset in the council's power balance.", the assistant warned her, "If the mages manage to tip the scales in their favors, they will find out about this operation. What do you think they will do to all of you down here?"

Twitch with anger, she hated this man because he was a manipulative bastard.

"Fine, but they need to come in afterwards.", Leslie stated.

"That is fine, just ensure they kill everyone. Not a soul is allowed to live.", the assistant agreed.

"Give me the coordinates, and I will send them in.", she said.

---Mael POV, A Short Time Later---

Reading one of the fantasy books this world had, I was shocked to find how ironic it was. In this world, fantasy was going to a world with no special powers or magic...basically my previous life.

'I could make a fortune writing a story based on my previous life.', I thought, 'Wouldn't that be neat.'

Chuckling to myself, I noticed that outside the Guild Hall things were getting noisy. Getting up from my seat, several people burst into the Guild Hall screaming for help. Saying that Demons were attacking the city, I made my way towards the door.

"Where are you going?", Mirajane asked me in a panic.

"To take care of them?", I replied with a confused look, "I can't very well fight them in here."

"It's dangerous, we should wait for everyone to come back.", Elfman said.

"I will be okay, don't worry about me.", I chuckled with a smile, "All of you just stay in the Guild Hall, and help get people situated. Rob, can you call Makarov and company?"

"I can do that.", Rob stated with a nod.

Thanking him, I erected a powerful barrier around the Guild Hall before moving out. Ordering people to evacuate to the Guild Hall as I passed them, everyone pushed their way through the streets to get there. Seeing several children and elderly almost get trampled, I shouted at everyone to stop.

"Do not push your way through!! I won't let the Demons harm you. You are about to trample children and elderly!! Show some dignity, and help your fellow neighbors!!", I barked, "Anyone that hurts someone trying to flee will answer to me after this!"

Seeing Rhitta in my right hand, the crowd did as I said and settled down. Spotting the Demons at the edge of the city, I made my way towards them. Walking through the crowd slowly I made sure everyone was getting to the Guild Hall safely. Finding children frantically looking for their parents, I left them with city guards who were going to the Guild Hall. After a good fifteen minutes, the part of the city near the Demons was a ghost town.

"So you are the Demons I have heard so much about...", I laughed as I approached them, "I was expecting something a bit more terrifying. You look more like stuffed animals than Demons."

"Laugh all you want Mage, you life ends here.", the largest of the Demons spoke up.

'These are Zeref's Demons...none of them look anything like the members of Tartaros or the larger Demons I know.', I thought with a sigh, "It's hilarious you honestly believe that. I can assure you that you won't be laying a finger on anyone here today."

Hissing at me, the six Demons present tried to encircle me. Floating up from my shadow, hundreds of Dark Matter orbs formed a wall behind me. Cautiously observing the spheres, one of the Demons tried to use an Anti-Ethernano Spear on them thinking it was a spell. The moment the Demon touched it, the Dark Matter orb swallowed him and his weapon whole. Seeing their comrade vanish in an instant, they all took some distance from the wall. Watching hundreds of white orbs spew out of the sphere after that, my mood soured.

'Those are...', I thought turning towards, "This changes things drastically..."

---Magic Council HQ, 3rd Person POV---

"Ma'am Subject #4 is gone!!", one of the researchers shouted, "He was killed instantly!!"

"What!?", Leslie spat, "That is impossible!! The Fairy Tail Guild's strongest members are here in this building!! No one there should hold a candle to our creations!!"

Pulling up a live feed from Subject #1, they saw a giant man bathed in blue flames in front of the Demons. Seeing what appeared to be wings made of fire on his back, the researchers looked mortified.

"Is that an Angel!?", one of the more religious men shouted, "Why is an Angel there!! I knew we shouldn't have been dabbling in the Realm of the Gods!!"

"Shut up!! It must be Take Over Magic!!", Leslie refuted, "What are those black objects behind him?"

"They came from that man, one of them killed Subject #4.", the one who watched it happened said.

"This changes things drastically...", the man said to the Demons, "Harvesting the souls of your victims...that's quite a bit of a problem. Those don't belong to you, nor should you be allowed to keep them."

'How...how did he realize that so quickly!?', Leslie panicked, "Kill him!! He knows the secret!! We can't let word get out of this!! If he tells the Mages...the Chairman will have our heads!!"

Frantically working to lift the limiters they had on their creations, all of them knew the consequences of failure. While they were busy trying to save their lives, Rob was calling Gildarts.

Feeling his phone vibrate, Gildarts excused himself from the room. Thinking it was one of his flames, he answered the phone.

"Hello there my sugar-", he started to say not reading the Caller ID.

"Oh my, I am flattered Gildarts.", Rob laughed, "I am not into men though."

"Ugh!!!", Gildarts choked up, "Sorry about that Rob...something wrong?"

"You wouldn't happen to be in a meeting with the Magic Council would you?", Rob asked.

"We are...", Gildarts replied suspiciously.

"Several Demons showed up a bit ago. The boy Mael is out fighting them right now. They showed up about twenty minutes ago.", Rob informed him.

'That's not too long after the meeting began...' Gildarts thought, 'They were keeping us here to leave us exposed!'

Thanking Rob for the information, Gildarts was even more infuriated now. He was pissed off they had been so foolish as to trust the Magic Council. Kicking the door into the room in, he shouted Makarov.

"These bastards tricked us!! Magnolia is being attacked by Demons, exactly at the same time this meeting started!!", Gildarts shouted, "Mael is out fighting them alone!"

Hearing that, the Guildmasters glared at the Head of the Magic Council.

"What is the meaning of this!!", Bob shouted, "Do you take us for fools!!"

"I knew there was a reason for you to keep us here!!", Makarov howled in anger, "If a single hair on my children is harmed, I will hold all of you responsible!!"

Feinting ignorance, several of the Anti-Mage Faction acted like they knew nothing. That said...some of the members started to get nervous as the mages became riled up. Noticing that a few of them were on the verge of cracking, Chairman Togo spoke up.

"Your accusations are offensive. The Magic Council doesn't control Demons, how could we control them?", Togo stated, "We don't possess magic like you. How would we control them?"

"The timing of the attack is too close to be called a coincidence.", Gildarts shouted destroying the table with a swing of his fist.

The two sides started hurling insults at one another, and threatening violence. While they fought, Mael was making a mockery of the Demons the Anti-Mage Faction controlled.

---Mael POV---

Dancing around me in a poor attempt to disorient me, the Demons attacked what they thought were my blind spots as they moved around. Causally blocking their attacks with my pinky fingers, I shook my head in disappointment.

"You really are seriously poor excuses for Demons.", I harassing them, "I could finish you off in a single move, but this is just hilarious...how can you be this blind? If you were smart, you would have tried fleeing when you saw me...you wouldn't have gotten far though."

Getting angrier with me for mocking them, all five of them lunged at me at full speed. Jabbing their spears made of Anti-Ethernano at me, I vanished from sight when they were too committed to stop their attacks. Piercing each other instead of me, the five of them howled in pain as they impaled each other. Appearing behind them, I swung Rhitta and lopped their heads off before they could register where I was.

Watching their bodies fizzle into black smoke, hundreds of souls started floating into the air. Hearing the voices of parents frantically looking around for their children and loved ones, I felt bad for them. They had been trapped in those things for lord knows how long, and all that time they couldn't tell if the people they cared about most were still among the living.

"Soul Revival.", I whispered giving the souls spectral bodies.

Looking at each other in shock, they turned to me looking for answers.

"This spell will were off at dawn tomorrow. Use this time to make your peace with the living.", I told them with a warm smile, "Your loved ones deserve as much."

Thanking me, the people flew off in all directions homing in on the connections they had to the living. Seeing several of them flying to the Guild Hall, I hoped the children enjoyed the last day they could share with their families.

Knowing that one Demon was still hiding aways away from me, I turned to look right at it's hiding spot.

"Come now, surely you don't take me for that much of a fool.", I laughed, "I can feel your husk of a body hiding there."

Appearing out of a shadow, a skinnier Demon appeared glaring at me with rage painted on it's face.

"Sis!!!", Elfman shouted in terror, "That's him!! That's the Demon that killed Mom and Dad!!"

"What!?", Mirajane and Lisanna replied running to the window.

Seeing the Demon approach Mael, the three siblings shook in fear. The images of that night came back to them as they watched helplessly as their parents were killed in front of their very eyes. Feeling the same sensation she felt that night come over her, Mirajane transformed into her Shedevil Form and shot out the window.

"Sis wait!!", Lisanna and Elfman shouted.

Hearing the glass break behind me, I had an inkling what was going on. Hearing Mirajane roaring out in anger as she flew towards us, this Demon was the one that killed their parents.

"Give them back!!", Mirajane roared in anger, "Give me back my family!!"

Seeing Mirajane flying up behind me, the Demon's face changed to a smirk.

"Well if it isn't one of the brats that escaped from me a few weeks ago.", the Demon taunted her, "Here to kill me over your parents?"

"Why you!!", Mirajane howled diving at him.

Grabbing her by the wings, I yanked her back. Mirajane was about to yell at me when she saw something pass mere millimeters from her face. Stumbling backwards, she felt like she had been on the brink of dying.

"He is trying to get the better of you. That blow would have cut your head clean off.", I told her, "You need to think calmly when fighting an enemy like this. They are not actually that strong, their strength lies in tricking people into a false sense of security."

"That's pretty arrogant of you to say, human.", the Demon chuckled.

"I only speak the truth, I mean you are weaker than those other Demons.", I remarked with a smirk.

Dropping his smile, the Demon glared at me again.

Catching up to Mirajane, her two siblings pulled her back from me. Telling her to calm down, the two of them told her they didn't want to lose her too.

"If you are so sure of your strength, I challenge you to a test of strength!", the Demon proclaimed, "Each of us will have ten seconds to kill the others. If I can't kill you in ten seconds, you get a try on me. The catch is you can't move or try to counter me, and I you."

"Deal.", I chuckled with a nod of my head.

"Mael you can't!!", Mirajane shouted, "He has more than just that spear!!"

"Mirajane, I told Makarov that no one in Magnolia would be harmed while he is away. You should learn to trust me a bit more.", I teased her with a smile, "You just sit back and relax, this will be over soon."

Wearing a cool, collected smile on my face, I told the Demon to begin.