"Damn it all to hell," Gajeel muttered quietly as Gildartz strode past, resplendent in his shining armour. For a moment, Gajeel had felt the exultation of being spared a quick death, but he suddenly realised how useless he'd become. Gildartz and Bluenote wore power like a cloak around them, almost visible to the naked eye.

There was a clash that he couldn't even see, waves of power forcing him to tumble backwards head over heels. He heard Fried issue an angry cry as he was similarly afflicted, but Laxus grunted as he held his ground. Stone slabs from the floor shook and rattled, threatening to go whizzing in all directions.

"Gajeel!" Gajeel turned to see Levy emerge from the stairs, clearly panic stricken.

"Fly!" There was another crash of white and black magic, almost like a nuclear explosion. Levy screamed as she was hurled into the wall, helpless as a tide of stonework was hurled at her. Instead of being greeted with blinding pain, Gajeel leapt in the way and roared as his armoured bulk intercepted the masonry.

"Gajeel!" Levy cried as he coughed blood and collapsed to the floor. She ran to him, trying to help him up. He was mumbling to himself, seeming out of a rational state of mind.

"This is…"

"What?"

"This is the power of the Seneschals. I can't even compete. Was I so vain?"

Gajeel's woes were not over as another tidal wave of magic was coming their way. In a blaze of golden lightning, Laxus pounced on them and leapt away with them to rejoin Fried as he was fleeing the tower.

"My liege!"

"Damn it, just run! We'll leave this one up to the old man!" Laxus barked, frustrated by how his life had come to this point. Fleeing from the strong and rescuing weaklings!? How had he fallen so?

===][===

"Good, Gildartz!" Bluenote crowed, spreading his arms wide. The entire tower was flung apart by the tremendous outward gravity. Gildartz didn't budge so much as an inch. "Let us have a fight where we can fly together, into a storm wracked sky!"

"Ah? This isn't what the sky looks like. It's big and blue and inviting. We sent our younglings out under that sky on an adventure, to grow and become stronger. And you Grimoire scum stepped all over that. I cannot forgive that."

"Forgive!?" Bluenote grinned and slammed his hands together as fists. Enormous quantities of purple and black hued magic began to form there. "What need have I for forgiveness? Vanish into oblivion!"

Bluenote laughed and laughed as Gildartz was engulfed in that ebon magic. With a sweep of his arm, golden runes blazing along his alabaster armour, Gildartz ended the attack.

"Wh-what!?" Bluenote cried stepping back. Gildartz raised his sword, the blade glowing with the purest of white light. He raised the blade high above his head, the shaft of light penetrating the vast cloud barrier above. A hole opened in the grey nimbus, widening and rotating around Gildartz' overwhelming might.

"Be judged by the heavens. Obliteration!" Gildartz swept the sword down, the beam of light lancing earthwards in a great arc, shearing through the clouds and the entire valley wall – and the unfortunate mage standing before it. Bluenote was bisected cleanly in two before Gildartz' magic expanded, completely obliterating him.

===][===

At the other end of the valley, the tower had essentially ceased to exist. Realising the destruction of his heart, Hades had begun to fight seriously, emanating with dark magic. Natsu and Gray stood again and again under the assault. Juvia fought as valiantly as she could, but could not match their power.

Lucy and Wendy hung back, not really able to aid in such a fight. Wendy had taken opportune moments to cast healing and reinforcement magic.

"You brats really are strong," Hades noted, dusting off his cape. "Let me make you an offer; serve me and live. I need to replace the knights that you killed, after all."

"Like there's any way we'd do that!" Gray barked.

"We are Fairy Tail! We fight for each other!" Natsu shouted.

"I see. So disappointing." Hades began to summon magic to him, his hands moving through an intricate series of gestures. "Abyss Break!"

A tide of shadow expanded outwards across the ground, covering it entirely. Blobs began to rise out of the shadow, forming the shapes of bizarre demons. As the Fairy Tail knights cut them down, more and more rose from the shadows.

"They just keep coming!" Lucy shouted, snapping her whip into one.

"How can we stop them!?" Wendy cried.

The ground began to tremble. Gray shouted in frustration. "What now!? Don't we have enough to…"

"No way…," Natsu breathed.

The ground was trembling under the weight of hundreds of hooves bearing armoured riders. The entire width of the valley was filled by the entire weight of Fairy Tail's knightly order. Max, Warren, Jet, Droy, Alzack, Elfman wielding his hammer one–handed for a man did not let injuries stop him, and two hundred others. Newly inducted female knights rode too. Evergreen, Cana, Bisca, Laki, Kinana, Lisanna. At their head rode Mira, Gerard and Erza.

Erza swept her spear downwards. "Knights of Fairy Tail! Charge!"

With an angry battle cry the knights spurred their horses on. Faster and faster they charged down the incline, gathering momentum like a runaway freight train. Runic weapons began to blaze with light. For a moment, an onlooker from above might have seen the outline of the Fairy Tail crest in those lights, but then it was gone as they formed a spear tip with Erza as the head.

The demons turned to meet them, but the moment before they clashed, Gerard drew his weapon. For the briefest instant his illusions doubled the amount of knights heading towards them. Confused, demons swatted at shadows before the light of Fairy Tail slammed through them, cutting them down mercilessly.

"No! No, stop!" Hades cried as the armoured phalanx swept towards him, unstoppable in its might. "Grimoire..."

"The strongest of the ten commandments: Ravelt!"

"The sword that scrapes the sky: Matenrou!"

"Satan Soul: Sitri!"

The trio of glowing cuts appeared on Hades' chest. A moment later he was run down under metal-shod hooves and crushed into the rocky floor of the valley.

===][===

"It does my heart good to see you all safe and sound," Makarov declared proudly. He stood from his throne, the four exam participants and their partners standing before them. Mest was not present, for obvious reasons and neither was Wendy. All were in various states of disrepair, covering in a myriad of bandages and bruises. "All of you performed valiantly and courageously against enemies of the kingdom and prevailed. You have achieved mighty deeds."

"We couldn't beat Hades!" Natsu spat, clearly enraged. "We still have so far to go!"

"It is good for you to learn that you are not all-powerful. In the whole world, only one man can claim to be strongest. All others must learn to face the reality of the situation. There is no shame in that." Makarov adjusted his crown and turned his back to them. "However, this does cause certain problems with you quest…"

"We all beat powerful knights," Gray declared. "Surely we all deserve to be Seneschals!"

"I can't promote four people at once!" Makarov declared. "Nine would be too many!"

"Nine?" Lucy pondered. "Wouldn't it be eight?"

"Ah, well… you see…"

"You elected Laxus as a Seneschal again!?" Evergreen shrieked happily.

"That asshole!?" Natsu shouted.

"Well… he is family, and he really saved you all… it only seemed right," Makarov said with shame covering his features. "And he's super strong, so…"

"Everyone deserves a second chance!" Levy chirped.

"But about the rest of you…"

"My liege," Gajeel started, and then stopped.

"Speak, my child."

Gajeel was looking at the floor, filled with shame. "I wish to withdraw myself from the exam. I… I am too weak. It was Levy who destroyed the heart with her intellect and Gildartz and Laxus who fought those I could not. I am not yet worthy."

"Raise your head, my child." Gajeel did as he was commanded. "Those words show me that you have grown more than you could ever know. Humility is a quality befitting a great knight. Take that with you and grow. I promise you that one day, you will be ready."

"This is sweet and all," Natsu sniffed, "but this means that none of us is getting promoted, right?"

"Natsu! Speak to the king more formally!" Lucy shrilled.

"Ah? Just because I gave you a ring doesn't mean you can boss me around."

"A ring!?" Levy shouted, jumping over to Lucy to examine her hand. "Oh my… Lady Lucy Dragneel!"

"We haven't got married yet!"

"No! As a man, I wanted to announce my wedding first!" Elfman bawled.

"Don't get so cocky!" Evergreen sniped. "You don't decide when we announce it!"

"M-m-marriage!? Lord Gray, we should also…"

"NO!"

"Well, since they're all distracted," Makarov said slyly, quietly taking his leave.

===][===

"Isn't it great!?" Levy asked in their bedchambers that night. "Everyone's back home, safe and sound and both Lucy and Evergreen are getting married!"

"Yeah, great." Gajeel was staring out of his balcony at the night sky.

"He was right, you know."

"Who was?"

"The king. You really are strong you know. You're the best knight in this kingdom, in my opinion."

"You only say that because I give you sex," Gajeel replied with a dirty smirk.

"Don't be so shameless!" Levy huffed, smacking his arm. "But I mean it."

Gajeel sucked in a long sigh. "I don't know how you do it, Levy. I don't know where you find the strength inside of you to do the amazing things that you do. Without you, I'd have lost to Zoldeo. Without you, we wouldn't have destroyed the heart. You may have saved hundreds of lives. And despite all that, you're this little tiny thing, like a helpless baby."

"For a moment there, I thought you were being nice. You just had to end it with an insult, didn't you?" Levy looked happy though, and snuggled against her husband, reaching up to kiss him. "All my life, the world pushed down on me. I was malnourished and beaten every day of my life almost. But that taught me to never back down. Strong, weak, those are things you can't do much about, but it's actions that speak loudly. Never give up."

"You really are…" Gajeel leaned down to kiss her. "…stronger than me."

===][===

In all of England, the Knights of Fairy Tail were know and loved and feared. They were the strongest military force in the entire country, and it seemed like they would just keep on getting stronger. The Knight of Obliteration, Gildartz Clive. Lord and Lady Fernandez, the previous Sir Mystogan and Lady Knightwalker. The Ice Knight, Sir Fullbuster and the Flame knight, Sir Dragneel.

History is a dangerous game, for things are easily overlooked. It recorded that there was a feared knight that everyone was afraid of, and another that stood as a somewhat flawed but brave and loyal knight of the realm. Not all historians realised that the Iron Knight was but one man, and none ever recorded the reason for his change in character.

The origins of the quote have been lost to the mists of time, though it is known to have arisen before the 1960s. Perhaps it could trace its history all the way back to medieval England. For, as they say, behind every great man is an even greater woman.

And, done! I wish to thank all of you who have taken the time to read this story. When I started it all those moons ago, I felt like I'd hit upon a great idea. It wasn't always great, and certainly had its ups and downs, much to my chagrin. This chapter in particular is bad, and I know it. But I loved writing it and I love you all for reading it.

But, my inspiration wanes and I don't feel that taking the story into the next arc would work very well. The characters have developed. It'd just be wasted writing. So, I bring this story to a conclusion. Fear not, for I shall keep writing. I wish to finish the Competition story in the next chapter, leaving me with Fairy High as my sole active fic.

Finishing this story will give me greater time for more projects. The first of which will be an M rated horror story, to practice my scary skills, and for some sexytimes. I hope you'll keep an eye out for it. For those who follow me on DA, I want to wrap up my current doujinshi with an epic beatdown and then move onto another one, more humour based.

I don't like to review whore as it seems pointless, but I humbly ask that if I could get more than 500 reviews (I'm at 484 at the mo) it would make me very happy indeed.