The Black Moon

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...

[X784, Fairy Tail Guild Hall]

— Erza Scarlet —

There was a lot of buzz in the Guild Hall as everyone prepared for the inevitable conflict with Phantom Lord. After the failed attack on Fairy Hills, Erza had happily done her duty to interrogate Totomaru. It was a rare chance for her to bring out her newly bought dominatrix armor.

Credit where it's due, Totomaru lasted a lot longer than expected, but it didn't take long for her to extract all the information she needed.

Erza leaned against the wooden table in the Master's office, listening intently as the highest-ranking members of Fairy Tail discussed their next move. Around her stood Master Mavis, Master Makarov, and Mystogan. It was a war council in everything but name.

"It's certainly troubling news." Master Mavis spoke first. "So Jose's main instigator for this entire thing is Lucy. While her being the heiress to the entire Heartfilia fortune is certainly surprising, the Lucy we know barely makes ends meet on a daily basis. It's obvious that she has no access to whatever wealth her family possesses. Jose's riding the entire thing on a mistake. How foolish."

Makarov grunted in agreement. "I have already tried warning the Rune Knights and the Council but it seems this is where Fairy Tail's less than stellar reputation came back to bite us. The Council is hard pressed to believe anything we say, and most of the attacks occur in the middle of the night where there are no witnesses."

"What about the destruction?" Mystogan questioned. "Black Steel did quite a number on the streets of Magnolia, and Fairy Hills took a bit of a beating during the attack."

Makarov sighed. "Unfortunately, our own tendency to destroy the Guild Hall on a near-daily basis means that no one sees the damage as proof of outside interference."

A brief silence fell over them before Mavis spoke again. "With the failed attack, Jose must be growing desperate. We need all hands on deck. Do we have news of the other S-Class mages locations?"

"Cana had already informed Dannis and Mira." Erza answered. "They're on their way here."*-

"Laxus won't be joining us," Mavis continued. "Makarov has him on a personal assignment that cannot be interrupted. With Gildarts also occupied in Alvarez, that leaves us with four S-Class mages, plus a Wizard Saint in Makarov."

"With Totomaru out of commission, Phantom Lord has the remaining three of the Elemental Four members, Black Steel Gajeel, and a Wizard Saint in Jose." Mystogan added.

"So we're relatively on equal terms, except that Phantom Lord has numbers much larger than ours." Erza commented. "I have confidence I can take down the water mage, Juvia. She has no counter to my Sea Empress Armor. Natsu is more than a match for Black Steel; Gray, Elfman, Levy, and Cana are around his power level as well. The only problem is Aria."

"They call him the Great Sky, the strongest of the four. With his airspace magic, rumors say he could drain the magic of a wizard entirely." Mystogan added. "Dannis shares a similar ability, but we still don't know when he'll arrive. Until then, I'm the best matchup for him since I don't possess magic of my own."

Erza's brow furrowed at that. Mystogan doesn't have magic? That didn't make sense, she'd seen herself how capable he was with his magical staves. 

It made her realize that she truly didn't know much about her fellow S-Class mage. Mystogan was rarely ever in the guild, and the only reason he's here right now was due to Master Mavis' rule of needing two S-Class mages in the guild at all times.

The only people she'd seen him socialize with were Dannis and the Strauss Siblings, with Lisanna being the more frequent of the three.

'I don't think I've even seen him with his mask off.'

But before she could ponder further, the ground trembled beneath them. A low, distant rumbling shook the guild, rattling the glass windows and causing several objects on Makarov's shelves to fall.

"What in Mavis' name is that?" Makarov asked, eyes narrowing.

The entire room fell silent for a heartbeat before another quake hit—this time stronger.

Shouts of confusion echoed from the main hall. Erza and the others rushed outside, following the guild members pouring into the streets. As soon as she stepped outside, she felt the blood drain from her face.

A colossal structure was moving towards Magnolia.

"What the hell is that?!" Max shouted in surprise.

"It's a building…that's walking…" Wakaba muttered, completely dumbfounded.

"Is that Phantom?" Macao breathed.

Erza's heart pounded in her chest as she took in the sight before her. A massive castle-like structure, larger than Fairy Tail's own guild hall, stood atop six mechanical legs. It waded through the lake bordering Magnolia, each step sending tremors through the ground.

"You've got to be kidding me…" Alzack stared at the approaching guild in stunned disbelief.

"Never thought we'd be fighting a building of all things." Gray's eyes were wide as the tremors got stronger the closer the building approached. "That thing's even bigger than Deliora."

At the center tower of the mobile fortress, the flag of Phantom Lord flapped in the wind. A cold, sinking feeling settled in Erza's stomach.

'Totomaru never mentioned this…'

The approaching building came to a stop. Erza's hands clenched into fists as she watched Phantom Lord's colossal guild fortress settle above the lake. All six mechanical legs lowered the building until it sat above the churning water. Steam hissed out of vents on each leg as six sharp thuds followed after, the swaying guild building above it stilling as a result.

Erza barely had time to process before something else emerged.

A cannon extended from the fortress's front, aimed directly at Fairy Tail.

"Oh no…" Bisca whispered.

Magic surged around the barrel. It began charging at a rapid rate, the tip began to glow brighter and brighter, to the point that everyone could feel the magic getting coalesced. Enough magic was condensed that a single blast would be enough to flatten the guild along with the city behind it. 

A sinister aura suddenly appeared as the previously blue magical energy turned a dark purple. The already dangerous cannon was enhanced by Jose pumping in his own magic into the cannon, turning it even more lethal than it already was. 

"What's going on?"

"Hmm, is that Phantom Lord? What are they doing here?"

It was at this point that townspeople from Magnolia started gathering to see what the fuss was about. All of the members of Fairy Tail turned to look at the townspeople, whose numbers were quickly growing by the second.

"No!" Natsu screamed. "Get out of here!"

"This place isn't safe!" Bisca yelled, rushing to wave away all the citizens.

That's when all the townsfolk noticed the still building energy from the cannon and started to panic. Screams emanated from them as they all stared at their impending doom. 

"Is that Phantom Lord?!"

"Someone call the Rune Knights!"

That is until a flash of white caught their attention.

Makarov appeared at the front of the guild as he spread his arms protectively, his white Wizard Saint's cloak on his back that billowed in the wind. Every single person who watched the Master's tiny back immediately felt an immeasurable amount of safety as the man they all look up to as a Grandfather stood between the danger and them.

"Jose, you fool! Is this truly what you want?!"

Erza's breath hitched.

"Master, no!" Erza screamed as golden light engulfed her, showing her in her adamantine armour. "Let me be the shield–!"

But Makarov ignored her. His tiny body suddenly expanded, his form growing at an incredible rate until he towered over the battlefield.

"The master doesn't intend to block it with his body, is he?" Loke gasped.

"Let me go, Gray!" Natsu screamed to the Ice Mage, who was actively holding him back from rushing ahead.

"Damn it Natsu, stop moving! Have faith in the Master!"

"I won't let you touch my kids!" Makarov declared firmly as he crossed his arms in front of him.

"Makarov, wait!" Mavis screamed frantically as her fingers folded like a prayer. "Everyone please, hold hands and—!"

A massive boom shook the town as the roar of the cannon drowned out all their screams. All the nearby windows of the town shattered at as a titanic beam of pure Magic tore through the water and the air as it raced towards the defiant Makarov, who didn't blink in the face of what could be his death, for he knew the magic that Jose had put in was enough to flatten mountains if need be. 

Mystogan appeared in front of Makarov and slammed the butt of the staff to the ground, "Six Layered Magic Circle: Gates of Rashomon!"

Six immense magic circles covered in runes appeared in succession between Makarov and the quickly approaching beam of magic. They were set in a straight row, shaped like gates and set as the first line of defense.

The blast of magical energy quickly obliterated the first five barriers, lowering in intensity each time. However, much to Mystogan's dismay, the beam pierced through the last magic circle as they continued towards the Guild Building. 

Erza and the rest of Fairy Tail, who were originally heartened by Mystogan's interference, regained the feeling of gloom as they watched the blast of condensed magical energy get closer and closer to the Master. 

Then a miracle happened. It felt as if time had stopped as a familiar voice permeated through the air. One that made Makarov crack a large grin, Mavis' heart to soar in happiness, and Mystogan to let out a relieved huff.

"Darkness Magic: Black Moon!"

The world darkened unnaturally as a hole as dark as the void opened high above the sky. The moment it manifested, everything felt heavier—gravity itself bending toward the dark vortex as a huge suction force emanated from the magical phenomenon.

The beam of magical energy veered sharply. The deadly blast curved mid-air, spiraling upward as though caught in the pull of an inescapable force, just barely missing Makarov who had to lean back to avoid it. The black hole consumed it, swallowing the annihilating energy into its depths before vanishing without a trace.

Silence.

For one breathless moment, the entire battlefield froze.

And then, Fairy Tail roared.

"YEAHHHH!!!"

"IT'S DANNIS! HE'S BACK!"

"WE'RE SAVED!"

Loud shouts and cheers erupted as everyone celebrated the success in surviving that blast. Throughout the crowd, everyone could only gawk at the power of Dannis Martell, the Dark Swordsman, S-Class mage of Fairy Tail. 

Erza's eyes darted skyward as she let out a small laugh of relief. 

Two figures descended from the sky. A black haired man with dark wings stretching out behind him, dissolving into curling tendrils of darkness as he slowly lowered himself to the ground. 

Mirajane landed beside him, already in her Satan Soul form. They both landed in front of the guild members with their backs facing them. The man receded his wings as the darkness wafted into the air like smoke.

…

AN: Aura farming at its finest. Did I intentionally put Dannis and Mira on a vacation just so he could arrive fashionably late and save the day? Yes. Yes, I did.

We should reach the peak of the Phantom Lord arc next. Hope you get ready.

Cheers lads.