A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the lateness of this chapter. I intended to get it out sooner, but life got hectic and there were some things I wanted to get ironed out going forward before releasing it.

Before I continue, I wanted to apologize for some issues that were pointed out in my last chapter. I'm not talking about Ben's criticism of Natsu. There is a justifiable reason for that. No, I'm talking about some of the unnecessary descriptions, rushed scenes, and lack of overall plot development. I'll admit Chapter 43 was very hard for me to write. I took some time off from writing to rest and overcome a writer's block and it certainly showed in my final product.

I'll try and do better going forward. Keep in mind, I am working on introducing more original elements into the story rather than just sticking to plain ole canon material, so it's only natural there will be some iffy things that happen from time-to-time.

Anyways, thanks for the support and feedback so far. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

...

Ultimate Fairy

Chapter 44: Oracion Seis

Part III

...

Last time on Ultimate Fairy...

"First thing's first, we have to find out where the Oracion Seis's base is, or at least a general idea of its location." An idea then occurred to Ben over how he could acquire that information.

He turned around to see Erigor still lying against the base of a tree, unconscious. "Lucky for us, we have a source right there."

...

"Wake up, loser!"

"Ugh..." Stirred from unconsciousness, Erigor was unable to suppress a painful moan. He could also feel a stinging numbness in his torso and hips. It made him inwardly curse the loud voice that had brought him out of his blissful unconscious state.

SLAP!

His eyes popped open as a sharp pain suddenly flared across his face.

"W-what?!" Erigor cried out.

His eyes darted in every direction as it took him a few seconds to register that he was lying against a tree trunk with the Coalition in his view. Standing above him was none other than Salamander glaring down at him.

Natsu pulled back the hand he used to slap Erigor awake with. "Bout time you woke up, yah windbag!"

Erigor pulled up his arms to attack but discovered that they were shackled in a pair of Sealing Stone cuffs – cutting him off from his magic. He then painfully cried out from the sudden burning pain in his torso and hip area. He glanced down to his stomach area and, to his horror, spotted seared and burnt flesh.

"My stomach! What happened?!"

"You got your butt kicked. That's what happened!" Natsu loudly replied. "Now start talking, breezy! Tell me where your hideout is!"

Closing his eyes, Erigor ground his teeth from the volume in Natsu's voice. "Your mouth is as loud as I remembered, brat!"

Natsu growled and leaned down to grab Erigor by the shirt, lifting him slightly off the ground. "Listen, pal! You're gonna tell me everything I wanna know!"

"Piss off, fly!" Erigor barked. "I'll never say anything to you."

Without warning, Natsu grabbed him by the shoulders and started to comically slam the assassin into the tree repeatedly. "Alright, you big blowhard! You better start telling me where your creepy friends took Wendy and Happy! Pronto!"

"Oh, geez," Gray sweat-dropped.

"I don't think interrogation is Natsu's forte," Lucy commented.

"Yah think?" Ben deadpanned, watching the scene with his arms crossed and a neutral expression.

After reluctantly but wisely using Clockwork to heal Natsu's broken nose, the Dragon Slayer had been insistent on getting the information out of the 'blowhard windbag', as he had called him, on his own. Ben had come to find out from Lucy that his name was, Erigor, the ex-leader of Eisenwald - the dark guild that the group had fought during the Lullaby incident several months ago before his arrival.

The teen hero rolled his eyes and decided to give into Natsu's request, thinking there was an off-chance he'd surprise him. Needless to say, he didn't.

"You're doing it all wrong," Hibiki spoke up. "All that banging could cause head trauma."

"And he's definitely not gonna talk if that happens," Eve added.

"He's gonna get a lot more if he doesn't start talking now!" Natsu stubbornly responded.

The Dragon Slayer stopped shaking Erigor and proceeded to punch him across the face in a goofy manner. Ben could tell at a glance that Natsu was holding back significantly.

"Start talking, jerk! Tell us where Wendy and Happy are!" Natsu shouted, annoyed.

"I already told you I'm not talking, pest!" Erigor shouted, his cheeks swelling up from the blows.

"Give it a rest, Natsu," Gray stepped forward. "Let me try. Maybe he'll respond more to cold rather than fire."

Ben groaned in exasperation. He didn't have time for everyone in the group to try their hand at 'interrogating' their prisoner. He had seen enough. Time was of the essence and they needed to rescue Wendy and Happy as soon as possible.

"Guys, just stop," Ben ordered, making the ice and fire wizard pause. He pushed past Lyon and walked toward the tree Erigor was leaning against. Natsu and Gray moved out of his way; Ben's serious visage making them uneasy. "You guys are so green at this."

Without wasting a moment, Ben leaned down and punched Erigor's left side hard. An audible crack was heard from the blow. The so-called Reaper let out an anguished cry. His body had already been hurting badly from the third-degree burns on his torso. Now, even more pain flooded into his nervous system.

"You ready to talk now?" Ben asked.

"Go to hell... you damn fly," he muttered.

Ben responded via kicking the right side of the wind wizard's ribcage. Another snap was heard as Ben had broken another rib bone. Erigor yelled in agony once more.

The Coalition was aghast at what Ben was doing, especially his guildmates.

"By my count, you've got twenty-two more ribs I can break," Ben said apathetically.

Not wanting to stand by and watch this scene play out, Eve took a few steps forward. "Just wait a second. You can't -" Whatever the snow wizard was going to say was caught in his throat when the stern cold eyes of Fairy Tail's enigmatic Take-Over wizard bore down on him.

"I can't what?" Ben's plain tone demanded rather than questioned.

Eve immediately lost all confidence and backed away. "Nothing," he meekly replied.

Ben ignored the pretty boy and returned his attention to the criminal scum below him. This guy had vital information that would help put an end to this ordeal.

"I suggest you start giving me what I want. You're starting to test my patience."

As soon as Erigor was strong enough to ignore the excruciating pain, he said acerbically, "You... think that'll make me talk? A few broken ribs are a treat compared to what Brain would do to me if I talked."

Seeing that pain alone would not get the assassin to talk, Ben decided it was time to bring the intimidation. He tapped the Omnitrix dial, confusing everyone in the Coalition except for those who knew his secret and quickly selected the transformation he wanted.

In a brilliant emerald flash, Ben was replaced by a large floating blue and white jellyfish-like creature. Like before, Ben did not shout his alien name, making his friends more confused and worried about him. He always shouted his transformation's names, no matter what situation he was in.

While most of the other wizards were surprised and intrigued by the unusual transformation, the Fairy Tail guild wondered why Ben would choose that form.

AmpFibian floated in place for a moment, raising one of his tentacles in clear view for Erigor before it sizzled with blue electricity. Ben got in Erigor's face and narrowed his eyes.

"What the hell kind of freak are you?!" Erigor shouted in shock.

"I'm your worst nightmare, punk." He spoke in an even raspier voice than normally. "This Take-Over has an advance mastery of electricity that is beyond your feeble diseased mind. Ever wondered what it would feel like to have your heartbeat at two-hundred beats per minute?"

If AmpFibian had a visible mouth, he'd be sneering down at the former Eisenwald master.

Erigor, while frightened, didn't believe his interrogator would do such a thing. He was from a Light Guild and Light Guilds didn't have the guts to do that kind of work.

"You're bluffing! A Light Guild wizard would never do something like that." Erigor spoke with as much confidence as he could, however little he had. Ben, however, picked up the slight crack in the potential informant. Now was the time to press the attack.

"I'm tired of listening to that nasally whining voice of yours. I'll just extract the information from your head."

Everyone's eyes widen at that proclamation.

"Wait a minute! You mean you can read minds?" Sherry inquired.

Ben didn't bother looking back as he kept his attention focused on the weasel of a man in front of him. "I can with this transformation. The thing is, it's very subtle and meticulous work for a beginner. I've never had a real chance to practice it on someone. One wrong move and I could make whoever's mind I'm trying to read braindead. Their minds are completely wiped clean and are left drooling and staring off into space."

Once again, shock filled everyone present. No one was prepared for that kind of information.

"A mind is a terrible thing to waste, scumbag. So, unless you quit wasting my time, I'm going to waste your mind. Now talk!" AmpFibian threatened.

Erigor shook in fear, not believing what he was hearing. "Y-y-y-you're b-bluffing. No one would waste their own informant. If you fry my mind, you lose your lead."

Erigor was losing confidence, but he knew that the Fairy Tail wizard wouldn't dare waste their only lead to the Oracion Seis. It was the worst bluff he had ever heard.

"Except you're not the only informant I have." Using one of his other tentacles, AmpFibian pointed to defeated Naked Mummy members in the background.

The assassin's eyes widened when he realized that the threat didn't seem as much of a bluff as before.

"Yo-You can't! They aren't high enough on the ladder. They don't have that kind of privileged information."

It was a desperate plea on Erigor's part as his words held no truth. Some of the members of Naked Mummy did have useful information, including of course Zato and Gato. But if this freak of nature tried to read his mind, he might lose it permanently.

"Well we don't know that, do we? I can't exactly take you for your word," the electric being spoke indifferently.

As AmpFibian got closer, the others began to panic.

"Jura! This has gone on long enough!" Lyon spoke sternly.

The Earth Mage nodded in agreement and went to put a stop to this. "Iron Rock Fist!"

A large arm made of stone sprung from the ground and extended towards AmpFibian to stop him. However, when the attack came to stop the teen hero, it went right through him as if he were mist. For the countless time today, everyone present was shocked at what Ben Tennyson could do.

"What?! How the heck did that not hit him?" Ren yelled.

'It's just like Big Chill. He has intangibility,' Gray thought.

As Jura tried to come to grips with how his attack did nothing to stop Ben, the otherworldly being looked at Jura with a side glance. "Stay out of my way, Jura. I told you all that we are doing things my way. You can leave if you want to." AmpFibian's voice was so cold and filled with disdain that Lucy and the others couldn't believe this was their friend.

"BEN! Please stop this!" Lucy cried in tears. She didn't want to see her friend do something that he would regret for the rest of his life.

Erigor, meanwhile, was having a panic attack. 'Who the hell is this freak? He's insane!'

"You can't do this! You're from a Light Guild! Light Wizards don't do this!" Erigor tried to crawl away, but his bindings made it difficult.

As the semi-transparent form of AmpFibian drew closer, the electric alien spoke succinctly, "I've got news for you, freak. I'm not a normal wizard."

Growing closer, AmpFibian gave the man another chance to talk. "Talk now or you are going to be my first practice dummy."

The glowing tentacle drew closer and closer and no one could stop AmpFibian while he was intangible. Finally, the tentacle reached Erigor's temple and he felt a small shock.

"AAAAHHHHHH! Please, no, no, no, no! Don't do it! I'll talk dammit! I'LL TAAAAAAAAAAALK!" Erigor cried out desperately.

AmpFibian stopped pouring out electricity and slapped his Omnitrix symbol to turn back to human.

Ben still wore a stern face as he waited for his captive to speak. "Start talking, scumbag. I want to know everything you know about the Oracion Seis. Where their base is. What are their powers? How many of their underlings are here? Why do they want Wendy? Everything you know. NOW!"

Erigor was panting hard, trying to get his heart rate back to normal. The others were in a similar state as they watched on with bated breath at what had transpired. It was too much for them. They never seen anyone from a Light Guild do what Ben had done.

As Ben's face inched closer to Erigor, the sadistic man began to scoot away closer to the base of the tree, cowering in fear of the young man. Him, Erigor the Reaper, was afraid of a Light Guild wizard. He tried to look away from him, but Ben wouldn't give him that mercy as he looked straight him in the eye.

"Alright, alright already! The Oracion Seis are holed up in a cavern. It's in s-s-some deserted village to the west of here, in a basin surrounded by a bunch of waterfalls. The village is about seven or eight miles from here. You can't miss it!"

"Keep talking," Ben sternly spoke.

"We've got about over six dozen members from the smaller dark guilds here and they're scattered all over the Worth Woodsea. I-I don't know much about the Oracion Seis' powers."

Ben didn't believe him for a second. In one swift movement, he grabbed his right, cuffed arm and applied pressure to the elbow joint. Erigor screamed out in pain.

"Wrong answer. Try again!" Ben exclaimed.

"The hell kind of pyscho are you? You're killing my arm!" Erigor cried.

Ben's eyes flared at that remark. "Call this karma for what you did to Erza!" He applied even more pressure causing the assassin more pain.

When the others heard Ben say that, it finally dawned on them that he had witnessed Erigor torture Erza! Only Lucy had figured out prior that the aggression and brutality Ben had been displaying so far must have been due to Ben seeing Erza put through so much pain. But it still begged the question if there was more to it than that.

"I don't know all of their powers!"

As Ben was about to apply more pressure, Erigor spoke quickly to stop any more misery being inflicted on him.

"Wait, wait, wait. I know some of them. Some! Angel…she's like the blonde chick over there. She's got Celestial magic. Three gold keys. Aires, Scorpio, and Gemini. Gemini is how she makes copies of people!"

The revelation of one of the Oracion Seis was surprising to the Coalition, but none more so than for Lucy and Hibiki.

'Aires? She's has Karen's spirit? Why didn't Loke ever say anything?' Lucy thought.

"A Celestial wizard is part of the Oracion Seis?" Jura questioned.

"Aires? But that was Ka-" Eve never got to finish his statement as Ren elbowed him slightly. The short wizard looked at his darker-skinned friend. Ren gestured to Hibiki and Eve quickly understood the gesture.

'My Karen's Celestial Spirit? That woman has Aires…but how?' The playboy wizard thought in distress.

"Who else?" Ben growled out.

"Hoteye. He's mainly an earth wizard just like Jura over there. He can manipulate the ground and liquefy it. He uses it with his Eye Magic, which lets him see through solid objects and over long distances. Then, there's Racer and Cobra. The only thing I know about them is that Racer uses some kind of Speed Magic and Cobra specializes in Poison Magic."

"What about the others?"

"I-I-I-I have no idea. I don't know what the hell kind of freaky magic Midnight uses. All I know is that no magic ever hits the guy. As for Brain, he's got way too many magic powers." Erigor explained anxiously. "I've seen him use telepathy, Darkness Magic, and some kind of Destruction Magic. All I know for sure is that he's got a lot more than that. He was supposedly some kind of big shot at the Bureau of Magical Development. He must have all kinds of magic spells I've never seen."

That bit of news surprised the Coalition. A former member of one of the government's sanctioned research institutes? But for Ben, that explanation wasn't good enough as he pressed harder on Erigor's elbow joint – nearly to the point where it would dislocate.

"I want FACTS, not speculation!" He snapped. "What about the others?"

"Wh-what others?" Erigor was genuinely confused as were the rest of the Allied Forces.

There were only six members of the Oracion Seis. What other members was he talking about?

Ben snarled, growing weary of these games. "DON'T you dare play dumb with me! You know who I'm talking about. What about the others? There should be one or two other people apart from that group."

Erigor was becoming frantic as he honestly didn't know what he was talking about. "There are only six members in their guild. That's why it's called the Oracion Seis. Six demons, six wizards."

'Okay, if those two aren't members strictly speaking, then perhaps they're just working with them.' Ben inwardly deduced.

"What about non-members? A man dressed in red robes, gold eyes, a face that looks like a skull. He carries a freaky staff with a carved bird head on it. A girl with silver hair, purple eyes, carries a creepy looking bag on her hip and typically dresses in the same color. Ringing any bells now?"

The Coalition was confused about where these questions were coming from. They were way too specific to be seemingly random people. Who were they? For Natsu, Lucy, and Gray the description of the man sounded somewhat vaguely familiar. Where did they hear about such a person?

Shaking his head in denial of ever seeing or hearing anyone like that before. "I don't know who you're talking about. I never met anyone like that."

Ben kicked Erigor's right kidney, causing him to scream again in anguish. This caused the others to wince in fright from Ben's brutal response. "Do not…Lie…To me."

"I'm n-n-not. I swear it!"

"I know you're lying to me. Those golems are proof enough. Only they could have summoned them here, so one of them has to be here. Now, where are Hex and Charmcaster?!"

'Hex...?' That name stuck in Lucy's mind. 'Why does that name sound familiar?'

"I don't know who you're talking about! Those golems were summoned by Brain!"

Ben's eyes widened from that proclamation as he almost lost his grip on Erigor's elbow. Just when he thought he was about to get a reprieve from the torture, Ben gripped Erigor's arm tighter than before.

"That's impossible! No one else should know that incantation."

This raised so many questions in everyone else's minds. Whoever these people Ben was talking about, must be very secretive and dangerous to have a spell capable of summoning rock golems that even Sherry's magic couldn't control.

"Sir Ben, I believe there is truth to his words," Jura spoke up. "Before the Oracion Seis retreated, Brain cast an unusual spell into the ground that had a pink tint to it. I had never seen or felt anything like it. Perhaps that is the spell you are thinking about?"

Ben pondered this revelation. So, it was true. Brain was somehow capable of using...

"Yes! I'm telling the truth!" Erigor exclaimed. "Brain s-said he would have an army of rock golems waiting to back up Naked Mummy. He ordered us to take out your group's weakest link and to bring the Coalition's corpses back to be used as a warning to the other Light Guilds! I never met anyone else!"

Everyone was repulsed and frightened that Brain would use their dead bodies as a deterrent to the Light Guilds of Fiore. The answer only served to make Ben even angrier than before. Clenching his teeth at the thought of anyone of these people having their dead bodies paraded around, Ben slammed Erigor's head into the tree behind him.

"I'm going to see to it personally that you stay locked up in a cage for the rest of your miserable life! What about Wendy? What does Brain need her for?" Ben angrily demanded.

"How the hell should I know?"

Ben applied more pressure to Erigor's elbow for a few moments before he questioned him again. "Remember anything ELSE!?"

"I DON'T KNOW!"

"What do you know!"

"NOTHING! I-I-I SWEAR!" the wind assassin yelled desperately.

The Omnitrix bearer decided that this psychopath didn't have any more useful information. Time to put this to rest. "Alright, fine. But if you're lying to me, I'll break the other one!"

"The hell are you tal-" Erigor never finished his question as Ben had finally dislocated Erigor's arm at the elbow joint. Screaming in pain, Erigor rolled around in pain as the others looked on, not believing what Ben had done.

"Y-You're crazy. YOU'RE FREAKING CRAZY!"

Having had enough listening to the would-be killer, Ben kicked Erigor right in the face. Erigor's rants had been silenced as he slipped into an unconscious bliss.

Ben sighed deeply. He didn't enjoy having to interrogate someone in this matter. Not one bit. Nevertheless, time was of the essence here and they needed the information. Besides, he honestly wasn't going to lose any sleep over injuring the scumbag who had mercilessly tormented Erza.

Meanwhile, none of the Coalition members said anything as they were too shocked and mortified at what they had just witnessed. The Plumber agent, meanwhile, was contemplating everything he had learned from his informant.

'We're going to need a map of the area. See if we can't plan out a surprise attack of our own. We need to consider where all those goons will be hiding. We also need to come up with a battle plan to deal with the people we do know about.' Ben held his chin in thought.

While Ben busy thinking, the others were anything but silent.

"Are you OUT of your MIND?" Hibiki's question resonated with the rest of the group, including Ben's friends.

Ben hadn't bother saying anything, but the others did not wait for a response.

"Sir Ben, that went too far!" Jura strongly insisted. "You maliciously tortured a prisoner, nearly destroyed their mind, and then broke the man's arm. I understand that you must be angry for what that dastardly man did to Lady Erza, but that went well over the line!"

Ben said nothing in response, seemingly paying no mind to what the Earth Wizard was saying.

Lyon, meanwhile, was becoming angrier by the minute. First, Ben belittled Jura's command, steals the position of leadership from him, tells him to leave, and now he refused to acknowledge him! Ben Tennyson was not his leader and he could not understand the faith Gray had in this untrustworthy man.

"Ben…c'mon. That was wrong." Gray admonished. "Do you really think Erza would want this? How can you lead us if you're acting like our enemies? Everyone is questioning you right now. How are you supposed to lead like that?"

Gray's plea was meant with silence. Ben seemed to be lost in his thoughts, not hearing anybody's words.

'We still have too many unanswered questions. Nothing about this guy Midnight can be said definitively. Is he just immune to magic like that eyebrow guy that worked for Lyon? Or is there more to it than that? How do we handle him?'

The Fairy Tail wizards were becoming more and more stressed at Ben's lack of acknowledgment and his increasingly erratic behavior. This wasn't like him at all!

"This was clearly a mistake. This man is as deranged as the Oracion Seis. We can't let this continue," came the snooty response of the white cat.

'And that still leaves the issue of how this Brain guy would know that incantation to summon those rock golems. Could it be that Hex worked with this guy before? But when and why? Makarov never said anything about Hex working with anyone when he attacked Fiore all those years ago…so…what does that leave us with? Has Hex returned without anyone's knowledge?' Ben continued, trying to unravel the mystery that he had stumbled upon.

Lucy was upset as tears were visible in her eyes. 'What is wrong with him?! He's acting so cold and distant. This…is just wrong.'

"BEN! Pl-lease, talk to US!" Lucy sobbed out.

'What could Hex get from working with Brain? Is it this destructive magic that Gray mentioned? If it was, why bother working with him? I may not be a magic-user like Gwen, but this just doesn't feel right.' Ben continued to ponder. 'If it took a bunch of S-Class wizards from all over Fiore to stop him last time, chances are that he could have just gone after it himself and not share with anyone. Jura and Erza are the only ones here that fit the S-Class requirement. I don't want to belittle their abilities, but two S-Class wizards shouldn't have been enough to stop him. Besides, those golems were almost enough to stop the Coalition while they were weakened...and that was a relatively weak spell! So, what's the angle he-'

"BEN!" Everyone shouted.

It was finally enough to garner his attention at last.

"WHAT IS IT?! I'm trying to think here!" Ben shouted, irritated.

Most jumped back from the volume in the teen hero's voice.

"We've been trying to get your attention for the last two minutes!" Gray shouted.

"We need to talk about what you did to Erigor, Sir Ben," Jura stated firmly.

"What's there to talk about? We got the information we needed. We have more important things to worry about than things that don't matter." There was no sympathy in Ben's voice.

"Ben, you broke his ribs... you broke his arm! You could have crippled the guy for life!" Gray screamed his last concern.

"He'll live," Ben replied coolly.

Everyone was left stunned and wide-eyed. How could he just say that?

"What's wrong with you? Why are you acting so vicious?" Lucy demanded.

Ben could not understand what they were so worried about. It wasn't like he killed Erigor and these were extenuating circumstances. A group of wizards was after some kind of destructive force, which means this situation needed to be treated as a terrorist threat. What was so difficult to understand?

"What exactly is your problem here, Lucy? I've seen Erza and the others do much worse to our enemies than just a few broken ribs and an arm. What the hell do you think happens to any of our enemies when we fight?" Ben stated rather than asked. "You should have seen what happened to Jellal. And as I recall neither Erza or Natsu said anything when we beat him."

Ben wanted to do anything but discuss something that was ridiculously pointless. They had a kidnapping and a terrorist threat to deal with. Not to mention a larger mystery that needed to be solved.

Natsu, despite the verbal thrashing he got earlier, decided to speak up on behalf of the others. "We've never done that to a prisoner, Ben. What you did just went too far."

Ben, still being angry with the pyromaniac, turned to the buffoon with a heated glare. "We also happen to be dealing with terrorists here, Natsu." He said his name with a little more aggression than he should have - causing the Dragon Slayer to flinch a little.

"Maybe all of you haven't realized this yet, but we are dealing with people who are after destructive magic. Do you know what that means? It means they are not going to be playing around. They're going to want to use it, and that only means a lot of people are going to get hurt or killed. We don't have the luxury of going easy on them." Ben firmly asserted.

"Be that as it may that's still no excuse for what you almost did to that man." Carla reproached.

Gray, wanting to play peacekeeper, tried addressing the issue more to the point. "Ben…We understand what's at stake here, but-"

"No! I don't think any of you know what's really at stake here." Ben harshly countered. "If you did, you wouldn't have all been trying to do your own thing earlier. You told me yourself, Gray. None of you were exactly keen on working together and chances are you guys probably fought with one another when you met up. Tell me if I'm wrong."

Gray fell silent as what Ben said was indeed true. They did fight with one another, letting their egos clash. However, the bigger issue was Ben's cold attitude. It was just... so unlike him.

"Ben. Me, Lucy, and Natsu are the only ones here who know you and are willing to back you up. But... we're starting to think you've lost your mind."

"I'm not. I'm sure the psycho's lost his mind," Sherry muttered.

Ben glared at the pink-haired girl, who in turn became nervous and hid behind Lyon and Jura.

"Ben…For Mavis's sake, you almost wiped out Erigor's mind! How can you possibly justify that?" Gray sternly questioned.

"Yes, that is a rather despicable move. How can you possibly defend such a heinous act?" Lyon added.

Ben slowly turned towards both Lyon and Sherry. His eyes held disbelief for the tiniest moment before they were quickly replaced with fury and exasperation. "You have no room to talk, Lyon! As I recall, you were going to have an entire village killed for no reason whatsoever. Your only line of reason was that they were against you even if it wasn't deliberate. That's pretty psychotic thinking!"

Those who were not familiar with the Galuna Island specifics were certainly cut off guard by the revelation. Only those directly involved in the incident and Jura, who Lyon confided to, knew of Lyon's past transgressions. Some didn't know how to react to such news, while others were more conflicted about how to feel. Upset and sad at Lyon for doing it, or furious at Ben for dredging it up.

"Wait just a moment. You can't just throw that back in Lyon's face like that. What about forgiveness and love?" Sherry insisted.

"Oh, the crazy groupie wants to talk above love. Who could have seen that coming?" Ben snidely remarked.

Sherry, in turn, had her mouth drop open in an astonishing mien at the remark. She, nor anyone else, didn't get to say much as Ben continued with his defense against the less than reputable people of the group.

"Okay, let's talk about love, shall we? How lovely was it when you were going to have that giant ugly rat of yours dump a whole vat of acid on the village of Galuna? Everyone would just slowly be dissolved into a puddle of goo. I can tell you were just giving out all kinds of love for those innocent people. And best of all you did it all for the love of Lyon, right?" He spat out to Sherry, his voice dripping with venom and sarcasm at her psychotic point-of-view from when they first met.

Sherry's lips quivered and her eyes started to mist up at being reminded of what she had tried to do and for the hurtful way it had been said. Lyon himself was astonished and a little angry. He couldn't believe what was being said to Sherry.

Ben, however, was not done with either of these two.

"I don't know how either of you can sleep at night. All I know is you had better count your lucky stars that we," he motioned to the Ultimate Team, "were there to stop you guys. Otherwise, you wouldn't have gotten a second chance at life!"

Ben moved in closer to Lyon until he was only a few inches from his face, bearing down with a hardened look. "Because having your families killed by a demon is a pretty poor defense for trying to kill a bunch of people who had absolutely NOTHING to do with your families' deaths. So, DON'T talk to me about what is right or wrong."

Lyon felt small right now. Any anger he had at Ben had been turned into reflection and guilt for what he had done.

Ben turned to the rest of the group. They were even quieter now than they had been when Ben verbally thrashed Natsu. He decided that if they were going to question his morality then he was going to point out their hypocrisy.

"And let's not forget that all of you were going to bomb the Oracion Seis like it was no big deal. Did no one object to this?" He demanded.

Nobody spoke up.

Some were looking anywhere but at the Omnitrix bearer while others felt a little smaller. Ben couldn't believe that no one - not even his friends from Fairy Tail - had spoken out against this plan. They were okay with just bombing the Oracion Seis, yet criticized him for torturing a prisoner?

"Well? Anyone? Speak up. Now!"

When no one did, Ben decided that it was time that this so-called team understood where his principles lied.

"Yah see, that's the difference between everyone here and me. I... Don't... Like... To... Kill. I hate it!" Ben emphasized. "For me, that is an absolute last resort. And it's going to take a lot more than some gutter trash torturing my girlfriend for me to break that code!"

Everyone looked around a little confused when Ben made that last statement.

"Yeah," he breathed out. "I wasn't going to wipe out his mind. It was a lie."

The look of realization dawned on the wizards' faces.

"You mean you lied about being able to read minds?" Jura questioned.

"No. That was all true. AmpFibian can read minds and could've easily erased Erigor's. But I told him all that to make him panic. I intentionally zapped him to get him to break. All of you panicking and trying to stop me just sold the deception that I had no rules."

To say Jura was stunned would have been an understatement. Every single one of the wizards couldn't believe the trick that Ben had played on Erigor. It was so real that they had actually believed he had lost his mind.

Ben looked at his friends who, while relieved, couldn't believe they would think he'd go so far. "I would think that after what we've been through... you guys would have a little more faith in me."

Natsu, Gray, and Lucy frowned and lowered their heads in shame. After seeing key events from Ben's past, the Fairy Tail members should've known that he wouldn't cross the line with Erigor. After all, he had the power to completely alter his entire universe at one point and stayed true to himself by giving up the power.

However, his sudden cold and uncaring attitude was throwing them for a loop.

Why he was acting this way? Knowing he had witnessed Erigor mercilessly torment Erza, they could understand his anger toward the assassin. Plus, they could certainly understand his points of the Coalition being disorganized and needing strong leadership. But lashing out at Natsu, harshly interrogating Erigor, and now berating Lyon and Sherry... this was so uncharacteristic of him.

"Ben..." Gray tried to speak but was promptly cut off as Ben held out his hand.

"Forget about it. We've wasted enough time talking about this." The brunet directed his gaze to the other wizards. "Does anyone have a map of the area or at least a compass?"

Hibiki nodded and activated his magic. A yellow holographic screen and keyboard appeared. Displayed on the screen was a map of the Worth Woodsea with a compass arrow in the right corner, and a blinking blue dot and a solid red dot to the left of it.

"Here is our current position." Hibiki pointed to the blue dot and then pointed to the red one. "And if what Erigor said is true, this should be where the Oracion Seis's base is located."

Ben blinked in mild surprise of Hibiki's magic. "Huh... what magic is that?"

"It's called Archive," The playboy explained. "In short, it allows me to store and transfer information with ease. Like adding all the information Erigor just provided to us."

"So, basically a computer. That's pretty handy." Ben commented.

"Okay, I give. What's a computer?" Hibiki asked, recalling Lucy's similar comment earlier.

"A device back in my – uh, where I'm from that basically does the same thing. Anyways, what else can you do with this? Can you keep track of our positions and communicate with each of us?" Ben asked with a hopeful tone.

It may be wishful thinking to expect Hibiki's magic was capable of doing everything a computer could back on Earth. But as the leader, he needed to cover his bases and have a basic idea of what his teammates were capable of and what resources were at their disposal.

To Ben's surprise, Hibiki nodded. "Yeah, that shouldn't be a problem. Also..."

On the screen, chibi-styled photos of Hibiki and the other Coalition members appeared with an arrow pointing from the former to the latter. Without warning, a blue, loading bar-like construct appeared over everyone's head (except for Ben), downloading miscellaneous data regarding everyone's magical abilities and a map of the area into their minds. Within seconds, the download was complete as the bars disappeared.

'Were those buffering bars?' Ben blinked in confusion.

"Whoa, what the heck was that?" Natsu asked, surprised. "I know everyone's magic... and the whole area now!"

"Information Transfer," the Sorcerer Weekly playboy responded. "I can transfer information into other people's minds. Really useful in missions like these. Just now I transferred information regarding everyone's magical abilities and a map of the area. I also possess Telepathy, so I can stay in contact with you guys and relay information back-and-forth."

"That's amazing," Lucy breathed.

'All of that will certainly be useful,' Ben thought.

"Hold on a sec..." Hibiki looked at his screen in bewilderment noticing a red X next to Ben's chibi. "The transfer didn't work on you."

"Any reason why?" Ben asked; despite his question, he had already deduced a possible reason. 'I'm betting it's because I don't have magic, so his spell couldn't connect to me.'

"Well, Transfer only works on people who have an sufficient amount of magic. It doesn't work on people who aren't wizards. You have any response to that?" Hibiki skeptically inquired.

'Figured that was the case.'

Natsu, Gray, and Lucy tensed up a bit, fearing the secret to Ben's power may be revealed to everyone present.

Ben, however, shrugged nonchalantly. "Let's just say I'm a little different from your average citizen of Fiore and we leave it at that."

"Fine," Hibiki relented.

Unbeknownst to everyone else, the Archive mage made a mental note to create a new entry for Ben in his database later. Aside from his attitude, there was definitely something off about this Take-Over wizard. For starters, he couldn't sense any magical power coming from him; in addition, there weren't any magical circles present when he transformed. He had noticed that Ben tapped that hourglass symbol on his body to transform.

Could that symbol be related to his power?

Hibiki shook his head. He would ponder on the matter later.

"Now," Ben focused his attention on the group to lay out his plan, "considering how the Oracion Seis retreated the way they did, they're confident that their underlings can finish you guys off while they focus on finding this destructive magic and whatever plans they have involving Wendy. They think you're a disorganized and battered mess, and that plays into our hands. At this point, they expect all of us to be still fighting those bozos," Ben pointed a thumb at the defeated Naked Mummy members off to the side, "or to already be dead. That gives us the element of surprise."

Ben pointed to the red dot on the screen. "Hibiki will stay here with Lucy to coordinate our movements and keep tabs on us. The rest of us are going to storm the Oracion Seis hideout. Remember that rescuing Wendy and Happy is our top priority. If we can defeat some of the Oracion Seis and their underlings along the way, great. But saving those two comes first. After they're safe, we'll regroup and strategize on how to takedown the group as a whole. Make sense so far?"

Most of the Coalition nodded in understanding. Lyon and Sherry kept silent, still reeling from Ben's earlier lashing, but agreed with his plan nonetheless.

"What about the other dark guilds that Erigor mentioned? Surely they'll notice that Naked Mummy and Erigor failed to defeat us soon and come after us." Jura pointed out.

"Right. I suspect those dark guilds are stationed between us and their hideout to act as an early warning system." He pointed to the area in-between the blue and red dots. "To get to the hideout, we'll have to fight them off and, unfortunately, some of us may need to stay behind to take them down while the rest of us move on to rescue Wendy and Happy."

"Is that really a wise idea?" Ren questioned. "I mean, if we get to their hideout, shouldn't all of us be there to have any realistic shot of defeating them?"

"Yeah," Eve agreed. "We got our butts kicked while fighting all of them together. If we split up, they'll definitely take us out."

Ben shook his head. "They're out here looking for Destruction Magic, right? I imagine that this Brain guy will send out some of his members to search for it while he stays at the base with Wendy and Happy, if he hasn't already. We may have to fight one or two of their members along the way, but I doubt we'll be facing their entire unit again."

"Hmm... yeah, that makes sense," Ren admitted.

"I concur," Jura nodded.

"For the record, the name of the magic they're looking for is called Nirvana," Eve pointed out.

"Nirvana, huh?" Ben lowered his head in contemplation. "Where I'm from Nirvana refers to one of two things. Nirvana is a concept in a religion where one has reached the final state of being where you're free from the cycle of death and rebirth."

"And the other?" Lyon asked.

"The other I highly doubt has anything to do with this," Ben replied, thinking of the rock band Kevin would sometimes listen to. "The other is the name of a rock band. So unless this destruction magic is like Lullaby, I doubt anyone is going to die while requesting Free Bird."

'Free Bird? What's he talking about?' the Coalition thought simultaneously.

"Getting back on topic, what if you're wrong about the Oracion Seis splitting up?" Carla spoke out. "If we do have to face their entire group, how will this time be any different from before?"

"Well, for starters, Ms. Prissy, you'll have me and Jura this time around," Ben replied matter-of-factly.

"Don't refer to me by such a crude nickname!" Carla exclaimed angrily.

Ben ignored Carla, and continued, "You guys weren't fighting them together before. You were just doing your own thing, and that's why you were nearly beaten. If you can reign in your egos and depend on each other like a true team, you'll stand a far better chance at defeating the Oracion Seis and their allies."

Excluding the Fairy Tail members, the Allied Forces were mildly surprised by the level of confidence and command that Ben displayed. He may be unorthodox and seemingly harsh... but maybe there was something to him.

"We have no real way of knowing who we'll run into. But we can at least have a sound strategy. Use your opponent's strengths against them. Take Hoteye, for example. If anyone should run into him, try to get him to use his Eye Magic."

"Why do that?" Lyon interrupted.

"My guess is that with his Eye Magic active his heightened eyesight would make them sensitive to light and foreign particles. If someone like Natsu ran into him, for example, he could blind him with a very bright flame."

The others were astounded with that line of logic. None of them had considered something like that, but Ben had already come up with a strategy to use Hoteye's powers against him.

"With that being said though," Ben looked at the robust Earth Wizard. "Jura, if we do come across Hoteye, it's clear you'd be the best one to take him on. You'll be tasked with fighting him if you're not already preoccupied."

Jura nodded. "I understand."

"Racer uses some kind of Speed Magic. Should he show up, you can make it harder on him by messing up the terrain around you. It should slow him down enough to where you have a better chance of landing a hit at least. Gray and Lyon, for example, could freeze the ground and limit his traction."

Gray and Lyon both nodded in understanding.

"As for Cobra... that giant snake of his and the Poison Magic he uses makes it hard to strategize against him. If you don't have any protection or resistance against poison just run away; otherwise, try and limit his movements until you can discern his weakness." Ben explained.

The group nodded in acknowledgment.

"Angel, on the other hand, should be among the weakest if her magic is just Celestial magic," Ben commented.

Lucy didn't appreciate that comment. "What's that supposed to mean?!"

Ben glared at her, causing her to flinch. "It means she'll rely on someone else to fight for her. But if someone were to keep her from using her keys, then she's more vulnerable. Attack her from a distance and keep her off balance so she never gets a chance to even touch her keys as you make your way towards her. Once you've gotten close enough, take her keys away and you'll have won. That's the weakness of a Celestial wizard."

Lucy felt down at hearing how easily Ben developed a strategy for taking down a wizard who used the same magic as her. It caused her insecurities as a competent wizard to surface.

"Even if she does manage to summon a Spirit," the brunet continued, "don't focus your attacks on them. Instead, focus on her. If she's taken down, then her Spirits will disappear. I doubt any of Angel's spirits are dedicated to her like Lucy's Spirits are. If our opponents are anything like your typical bad guy organization, and judging by their actions and overall attitude so far, they are overconfident in themselves and each of them is likely not to have considered their weaknesses. Look towards Lucy as your inspiration here, people."

That remark caused Lucy's head to lift so fast you would have thought she gave herself whiplash. "Huh?!"

"She recognizes her magic's weakness and so she fights alongside her Spirits. She knows what she can and can't do. She doesn't pretend that she's invulnerable and thinks to overcome her shortcomings." Ben explained.

That last part cheered Lucy up quite considerably.

"If any of you should run into Midnight or Brain, run away," Ben sternly warned. "Don't try to take either of them alone in a straight-up fight. Once we've cut down their forces, we can converge on the two of them as a group. If the opportunity should present itself, try to learn more about both our mystery opponents."

The Allied Forces nodded in understanding.

Ben then turned his gaze to Ichiya, Ren, and Eve. "Jura, Gray, Lyon, Natsu; I want one of you to be the muscle for Moe, Larry, and Curly over there." He pointed to the Blue Pegasus members respectively.

Everyone was confused at the names Ben had used to refer to them by.

"Maaan... I believe you're mistaken. Those are not our names. Secondly, we do not need any muscle – we already have it here." Ichiya posed while pointing to his biceps. "Maaan!"

"Right. Like I said... be their muscle."

Jura, Gray, Lyon, and Natsu nodded in understanding. As a result, Ichiya, Ren, and Eve turned completely white from being dissed.

"And whichever one of you is working with Natsu, you're going to be in charge of him," Ben ordered. "Keep him from running off on his own."

"Now, wait just a minute! I don't need to have someone babysit me!" Natsu protested heatedly.

"You don't get an opinion after the stunt you just pulled!" Ben fiercely yelled, frightening the pink-haired wizard as he quieted down.

Ben calmed down as he looked around the group. "Does anyone have anything they want to add?"

"I do." Carla raised her paw. "You were wondering what the Oracion Seis may want with Wendy, yes? Well, since you weren't here earlier, I should point out that she is the Sky Dragon Slayer, and part of her magic is the ability to heal people."

Ben's eyes slightly widened. "Sky Dragon Slayer?" He furrowed his brows in thought. 'What's with all these Dragon Slayers popping up out of nowhere. Iron, Lightning, and now Sky? What's next? Hold on, if she has Healing Magic, could that mean the Seis wants her to heal someone? But who? All six of their members were present in the last battle. Could it be one of their allies?'

Ben shook his head. There was no time to ponder on that subject. They had a mission to accomplish, after all.

"Thanks for pointing that out," Ben said appreciatively. "That's good information."

Carla huffed and looked away.

Ben returned his gaze to the rest of the Coalition. "Anyone else?"

The Coalition shook their heads or remained silent. They were willing to go along with Ben's plan for the time being, despite the distrust some of them had in him.

The Omnitrix bearer continued with a serious expression. "Alright then. Let's get one thing clear, whatever all of us were before... today we're a team. We look out for each other. Always be smart. Don't turn every battle into a dick-measuring contest. Recognize not just the strengths of yourself and your opponent's, but also the weaknesses you both have. Learn from them.

"Rescuing Wendy and Happy is our number one mission right now. After they're safe, we'll focus our full attention on stopping the Oracion Seis from using Nirvana. Everyone clear on that?"

"Yes!"

The awkward and uncomfortable atmosphere from the interrogation and Ben's berating was momentarily lifted and replaced with a renewed sense of determined confidence. Not only did they have a plan, but they had the powerhouses, Jura and Ben, fighting alongside them now. Surely this would help turn the tide in this war.

Ben extended his left arm out. "Then let's go save Wendy and Happy... and take down the Oracion Seis!"

Momentarily putting aside their egos and feelings, the entire group formed a circle and extended their arms forward as a sign of unity.

"YEAH!"

...

Later, the Allied Forces pressed forward through the forest as a single unit. The group had left Hibiki and Lucy behind to watch the unconscious Erza over fifteen minutes ago. They had covered a fair distance but were still several miles from where Erigor said the village would be located.

In the lead was Ben who had transformed into Swampfire with the others trailing behind him. Ichiya brought up the rear, not faring well with all the running. He did possess parfumes that could improve his stamina, but he preferred not to waste them with the upcoming battles looming.

Ben decided on Swampfire since he was the best form to use in the woody environment; plus, he had always been a dependable alien to use. However, the methane gas Swampfire produced was very potent and forced the others to keep a fair distance behind him. Especially Natsu – who was forced to cover his nose with his scarf to keep himself from gagging.

Ben figured that he could've raced ahead to the Oracion Seis base as XLR8 or Fasttrack, but knew he needed to stay back with the group to lead them properly. Plus, that would completely contradict the speech he had given the team earlier regarding teamwork. Ben knew to be a great leader, he needed to lead by example.

So far, the only opposition the group had faced was a gang of delinquents dressed like typical street thugs. They were seemingly targeting Ichiya, for some odd reason, but Swampfire was able to spot them first. The rest of the team had no opportunity to fight them as the Methanosian had swiftly entrapped them within vines and tree branches while knocking them out with sleeping gas.

The non-Fairy Tail wizards had been impressed by the Take-Over wizard's effectiveness and wide range of abilities. After messaging Hibiki to mark the location of the delinquents to arrest them later, the group pressed on.

Several more minutes passed and no other Dark Guild had tried to attack them yet, giving the Allied Forces an opportunity to converse with each other.

"So, if Wendy's a Sky Dragon Slayer, what does she eat for power?" Natsu asked Carla, who was flying next to him.

"Air, of course," Carla replied as if the answer were obvious.

"Does it taste any good?" Natsu dumbly asked.

"How would I know?" She sweat-dropped.

"I don't see how that's any different from breathing," Gray remarked under his breath.

"You know the only reason she accepted this mission was to get the chance to meet you," Carla turned to Natsu.

"Why would she want to meet flame-brain?" Gray raised a brow in confusion.

"Because he's a fellow Dragon Slayer." She glanced back. "She wanted to ask Salamander a question that has been bothering her since the moment she found out about him."

"Really? Did she tell you?" Natsu asked curiously.

"Yes. The Dragon that had taught her Dragon Slayer magic mysteriously disappeared seven years ago. She was hoping that you could possibly tell her its whereabouts." Carla answered.

'Seven years ago? Wait, isn't that the same time when Natsu's Dragon disappeared?' Gray pondered.

"I need more info. What was the Dragon's name?" the pink-haired wizard inquired.

"Wendy called her the Great Sky Dragon, Grandeeney," the flying cat replied.

"Grandeeney... seven years ago... WAIT!" Natsu's eyes shot open from a sudden thought. "Maybe Laxus knows!"

"Why would he know anything?" the ice wizard asked skeptically. "Gramps said he's not a real Dragon Slayer, remember?"

"I know, but – ACK!" Natsu's distraction caused him to slam headfirst into a tree limb stretching out across the trail, causing him to fall on his back.

Gray merely groaned in exasperation. "Seriously, man."

"You alright there?" Eve ran up behind Natsu followed up by Ren and Ichiya. "You hit that branch hard."

"Did you mean to do that on purpose or what?" Ren casually jeered.

"Maaan..." Ichiya panted heavily.

"You should watch where you're going." Carla chided with her paws on her hips.

"HEY!" A loud nasally voice shouted from the front. Swampfire stopped to look back at the group with annoyance. "Are you guys coming or what?! We don't have time to lollygag. And Natsu... watch where you're going!"

"R-right..." Natsu jumped back to his feet and rushed forward.

With that, the Coalition continued to rush down the makeshift trail in awkward silence.

"No offense, but your friend's kind of an ass," Ren said to Gray, careful to keep his voice down.

"Kind of?" Eve cocked a brow. "Plus... what's up with the rotten smell he's giving off? It's as unpleasant as Sir Ichiya's Armpit Parfume."

"Yeah, that's just what that form smells like. He can't help it." Gray then looked forward away from the playboys. "As for the attitude, Ben's usually not like this."

"So, this is all new behavior for him?" the snow mage questioned.

Gray nodded. "Never seen him like this before... but right now that doesn't matter."

"What do you mean?" Eve asked.

Lyon looked back at Gray, coolly inquiring, "Are you saying you're not concerned for your ally, Gray?"

"Not saying that at all. But lemme ask you guys something... was anything Ben said earlier a lie?"

"Well... no," Ren responded.

"As much as I hate to admit it," Eve added begrudgingly.

"Maybe that's what all of us needed to get our heads out of our asses... the cold truth," Gray suggested.

The wizards meditated on the ice wizard's words for a short moment.

"So," Ren turned to look at Lyon from the corner of his eye, "all that stuff about you almost murdering a village was true then?"

The ex-Cold Emperor looked away with an expression mixed with anger and shame. "I don't want to talk about it..."

"Look," Gray spoke up, wanting to steer the conversation away from that subject, "I can't say I understand or fully agree with Ben's methods right now. But he's been in many situations like this before. He knows what he's doing. You all saw that firsthand with how he made up a battle strategy for us on the spot. None of us could've done that."

"Fair enough," Ren relented.

"I'll go along with this for now... but I'm still not sure I can fully trust him yet," Eve stated.

As Swampfire continued to lead the charge, he spotted something ahead that immediately alarmed him. Coming to a stop, he held out his right arm. "HOLD IT!"

The rest of the group stopped on his command and looked ahead in shocked disbelief. The woods in front of them were completely black. Even a dark and ominous mist drifted throughout the blackened area. The entire scene practically screamed death.

Even Swampfire couldn't help but feel a little anxious from the scene.

"W-what happened here?" Carla stammered fearfully.

"The forest... it's all dead..." Ren said, dumbfounded.

"Not yet," Swampfire corrected, "but whatever's happening, it's literally sucking the life out of the plants."

"Hmm," Jura stepped forward, eying the scene closely, "this must be Nirvana's doing."

Swampfire looked to the ground, murmuring, "Could they have found it already?"

Natsu's nose flared up as multiple scents filled his nostrils. He turned around with a glare. "We got company!"

On cue, the sounds of rustling immediately caught the group's attention. Turning around, they saw several dozen dark wizards begin to surround them – pinning them back against the black woods.

"Oh no! This is bad." Carla worried. "They've got us completely surrounded."

The Coalition stepped back and huddled closer together.

Studying the force of enemies closely, there appeared to be at least two different guilds; one guild was on the ground while the other was in the trees. The ground group had ridiculously long points in their hair and dressed as if they came from a private school – adorning maroon pants, white shirts and ties, and black suits. Each of them was armed with various weapons, such as katanas, staves, and axes.

The group in the trees wore red hoods and cloaks that obscured their faces. Instead of weaponry, they carried only sketchbooks – making Swampfire pause momentarily.

'What's with all the notebooks...?' the Methanosian wondered.

"Judging by their hair, the ones on the ground are all from the Black Unicorn guild." Ren pointed out.

"The ones above are part of the Red Hood dark guild," Jura narrowed his eyes at the enemy force.

"Were we being followed this whole time?" Lyon sounded annoyed.

"Hey! Isn't that Jura down there?" one Red Hood member called out.

"If we can defeat him, we'll be famous for sure!" another arrogantly added.

Swampfire narrowed his eyes. 'There are at least four dozen dark wizards... maybe more... and they've got us pinned up against the dead zone. Looks like we've got only one choice.'

"Alright, people!" Swampfire called out. "We have no choice but to fight. Let's take these creeps down quickly. We don't have time to waste!"

"Right!" the Coalition responded, except for one particular feline.

"Fight?!" Carla shouted incredulously. "They have us outnumbered six-to-one!"

"That shouldn't be an issue," Swampfire replied nonchalantly. "You may wanna stay back though."

"Did that plant-guy just diss us?!" a Red Hood member yelled.

"We'll show 'em how dangerous we are!" another added.

With that, the Red Hood guild proceeded to sketch on their notepads.

"Dangerous? By drawing a picture?" Sherry remarked, unimpressed.

"It's Picto Magic," Jura clarified.

'Picto? The same magic that Reedus uses,' Ben realized.

Within seconds, they stopped drawing and simultaneously chanted, "Unison Picto: Cannons!"

Light green magical circles momentarily appeared in front of each Red Hood member. Six large Basilisk-like cannons propped up on wheels then popped into existence next to the Black Unicorn members.

"Say your prayers, you nosy do-gooders!" a smug Black Unicorn wizard exclaimed.

"Jura! Wall!" Swampfire shouted urgently.

The earth mage nodded in understanding. "Iron Rock Wall!"

With thunderous booms, the cannons simultaneously fired. At the same time, several large rocky columns burst from the ground and surrounded the Coalition - promptly blocked the incoming projectiles. It didn't stop there as the cannons continuously fired every few seconds, cracking off pieces of the wall with every impact.

"Keep it up! That wall can't stay up for long!"

"Once it falls, we charge in and take them out!"

"Draw up some more cannons!" A Black Unicorn wizard shouted to the Red Hood guild.

"On it!" Within seconds, four more cannons popped into existence and started firing all across the wall.

On the other side, the Coalition watched as the wall shook violently with every hit, cracks spreading and pieces falling off. Thankfully, the columns were high enough that cannon fire couldn't reach over and rain down on them.

"What're we doin' just hiding!?" Natsu shouted angrily.

"If you wanna take on a bunch of cannon fire head-on then be our guest, flame-brain!" Gray snapped.

"Maaan... such attacks bring great risk to harming my handsome face," Ichiya commented, continuing to pose dramatically.

"Sir Ichiya is correct. Those cannons are dangerous," Jura stated. "We can't engage without taking them out."

Swampfire paused to analyze their situation before quickly formulating a plan of attack.

"Okay, I have an idea! Everyone, listen up!" He announced.

A few moments passed as the cannons continued their bombardment. The dark wizards were pleased with how much of the wall had broken apart. It wouldn't be long now.

A mage paused when he noticed green vines start to grow underneath one of the cannons. He glanced at the other cannons and noticed more vines beginning to sprout quickly.

"Hey! What's up with those-" His warning was too late as the vines suddenly sprouted to enormous lengths and wrapped around all ten cannons, pointing them away from the wall and back towards the Black Unicorn guild.

The dark wizards cried out in shock as the ground exploded around them. Many were blown away from the shockwaves while others were caught in the crossfire.

"What the heck just happened!?" a mage shouted as chunks of earth and dust flew everywhere.

The rock wall suddenly reverted into the ground and the Coalition charged forward like a raging stampede.

"Lyon! Gray!" Jura yelled. "Freeze those cannons!"

"Right!" Gray placed both hands on the ground while Lyon swiped his arms forward, resulting in the cannons being trapped in towers of crystalline ice. While the bombardment had ceased, the battle was only just beginning.

"They took out the cannons!"

"Who cares?! CHARGE!"

With a great cry, the uninjured faction of the Black Unicorn guild fearlessly charged forward.

"Everyone knows their assignment!" Jura shouted authoritatively. "Take them down swiftly!"

"Air Magic: Aerial!" Ren yelled as a hazy black dome suddenly entrapped a group of Black Unicorn wizards in front of him, causing them to fall to their knees and cover their ears in pain. "Inside that dome, the air has less oxygen – which means none of you'll be able to stand either."

Eve, meanwhile, found himself surrounded by at least a dozen dark wizards – who were all sneering at the blonde boy, believing he wasn't a threat.

"Does that pretty boy really think he stands a chance against us?" a mage scoffed.

"Let's make him ugly!" another, who sounded female, added.

Eve smirked darkly. "Oh, I can make things really ugly."

"RRAGGH!" Without hesitation, the group jumped into the air – intending to come down on the blonde boy and overwhelm him. It would've worked had Eve been an average person, however...

Eve extended his right arm as a light blue magical circle appeared. Following immediately after was a miniature blizzard enveloping the area around him. "Snow Magic: Total Whiteout! You'll be snow blind and frozen in your tracks!"

The dark wizards cried out in shocked pain as they were instantly overpowered by a swirling maelstrom of snow and ice. As the snow particles settled, Eve looked around to see the group trapped in banks of snow in awkward positions – shivering from the intense cold.

"You think this is pretty?" Eve asked.

"S-s-sorry..." a mage stammered. "Forgive us..."

Ichiya stood calmly as several wizards surrounded and sneered down at him.

"What the heck is that thing supposed to be?" A mage asked.

"I dunno, but let's put it out of its misery." Another suggested.

Ichiya flipped his hair back, unfazed by the insults. "Maaan... clearly you heathens do not know beauty when it is staring you in the face. For that," he pulled out a vial and popped off the cork, releasing a plume of green gas, "you shall be punished! Maaan..."

As soon as the gas entered the dark mages' nostrils, they immediately fell to the ground screaming in agony.

"AHH! WHAT'S GOING ON!?"

"MY BODY'S IN TOTAL PAIN!"

"Pain Parfume!" Ichiya chanted. "This will cause my opponents' extreme pain and lose their will to fight."

Red sparks of magical energy emanated from the wizards' bodies before they passed out.

"Maaan..." Ichiya posed while making the 'V' with both hands. "All in a day's work."

Jura wasn't breaking a sweat as he manipulated the earth beneath his opponents' feet and smashed boulders into them. He made sure to moderate his power output as he didn't want to accidentally kill any of the dark wizards.

"You've made a big mistake in challenging us." Jura declared.

"Foolish light guild wizards!" a Red Hood mage exclaimed angrily.

Seeing how quickly their forces were falling, the Red Hood mages proceeded to draw on their sketchbooks to create something that would hopefully turn the tide.

"We'll show you what real magic lo – WHOA!" The branches they were standing on all of a sudden started to move and wrap the red-hooded mages up. Some, however, managed to jump to the ground below before they could be ensnared by the woody tendrils.

"W-what the heck just happened?!" A frightened mage yelled.

"Does that tree seriously have a face?!" another pointed at the tree in front of him.

Sure enough, the tree that had trapped the majority of the Red Hood members had a wide jagged mouth with two empty soulless eyes. Sitting comfortably on one of the branches was Sherry with a proud smirk.

"You guys aren't skilled in battle, right? That's why you stay up here in the trees." Sherry mocked. "Sorry, but you can't let your buddies down there do your dirty work anymore."

"What the hell's going on?!" a dark mage shouted, dumbfounded. "We were told that they were a disorganized mess, but they're kicking our butts effortlessly!"

"Hold on..." another stammered. "Weren't there two other wizards earlier?"

As the battle continued to play out, there were indeed two missing Coalition members.

...

The dark cavern was quiet, very quiet. With his fellow Oracion Seis out looking for the legendary Nirvana, that left Brain to hold down the fort, while holding onto his so-called captives. The blue cat was a bonus, but he cared not. Still, he'd rather keep an eye on them rather than let one or the other slip away to alert the enemy of their base's location.

Wendy and Happy were very quiet, unable to do anything at the risk of setting off the enemy leader. Happy would've shouted but when he looked over at the deep hole in the wall, he thought otherwise. Brain had blasted the hole in that spot when he was mouthing off too much, now hopefully he knew better.

Sensing a magical power, Brain turned his attention towards the cavern entrance. A blur rushed in, rushing towards the base of the cave. "On time." He mused. "How is it?"

Racer set down the enormous, man-sized coffin. It was nearly double his height, if not greater, it was a bright shade of purple, with lacerated chains around the crown and keeping the coffin shut. Around it was several golden accents with red emblems. One could say it was a coffin where a demon would be put to rest.

"Sorry it took so long." Racer apologized, his tone in a humbled apology. "I thought it'd get here sooner, but it was so heavy that I couldn't build up much speed. I thought I was fast before…" He shot a look along with a furrowed brow at the coffin as if showing disdain.

Brain smirked. "Don't be so modest with yourself, Racer. I assure you; your speed is unlike any other. You did well."

"What…is that?" Wendy looked up at the seal of the coffin. Just looking at it alone was enough to make her get goosebumps all over her arms.

"It's a coffin." Happy swallowed a lump, his tail standing on end.

"How observant of you." Brain digressed from Happy towards Wendy. He stepped towards the coffin's braces and smirked maliciously. "Now then, are you ready? This is precisely why you're here. Your healing powers will bring this man back to us."

Wendy shivered fearfully, but she still couldn't relent. "No! I can't! You can't make me!"

Brain's brow raised. "So you say…" He directed a glance towards the hole in the wall on the other side of the cavern, silencing any further protests from Wendy. "Now then, let's get on with this." He turned towards the coffin and slammed the end of his staff down on the ground.

The red knob on the center of the coffin shone with a bright red glow. Upon that reaction, the tight chains around the coffin started loosening up and fell loosely towards the ground around it. Their clatter made their sensitive ears tremble. The front of the coffin shined bright blue, dissipating itself like a sheet to allow a large billow of steam to settle into the cave.

Wendy and Happy winced from the steam. It was surprisingly hot. Once it dissipated, both their faces were painted with priceless looks of shock upon seeing the inside of the coffin. The goosebumps and hairs on them stiffened so much it hurt.

"Wait, is that…?"

"No…"

The inside of the coffin was magenta cushioned, with web-like networks that were on the person's face and arms inside. The man himself had eyes shut as his body was held in a crucified position. Aside from being a man with a fair-toned physique, there was no doubt a familiarity to Happy and Wendy, and it had to do with two factors.

To start off, the man inside had azure hair. And secondly, there was an eccentric red tattoo across the right side of his face. Red stain-like scars seemingly poured across the man's body – giving it a frightening and sickening appearance.

Wendy's breathing had stopped. The look of the person alone was something that caused a breathless gasp to leave her petrified in utter shock. Unlike Happy, she was stupefied and gazed with dilated eyes.

Brain musingly scoffed at the reaction. "Please, allow me to introduce you to Jellal. A once brilliant wizard who was able to infiltrate and destroy the Magic Council from within. The same one, whom you may as well know now, don't you?"

Her throat went dry. If she were a Water Dragon Slayer, she'd never know the feeling of a dry throat. She didn't know what to say but only stare in utter shock.

Happy's shock was no less surprising. 'Jellal…' He had a flash to the Tower of Heaven, along with that green explosion. 'But I thought Ben defeated him back then. How is he…?' He clutched his fists and shook his head back to reality.

"No! That can't be the same guy! Ben took care of him!"

Wendy gasped again.

Brain raised his head mockingly. "I assure you, this here is the same Jellal. He's salient to this cause. Once he is revived, his whereabouts of Nirvana will bring about ruin."

"No… you're insane! Revive him?!"

Wendy's lips quivered in disbelief. "It can't be…it's him…?"

Happy turned towards the Dragon Slayer in shock. She stood up, blankly watching Jellal's stasis like a mind-controlled minion. "Wait, you're saying you know him?"

Wendy didn't answer. Brain, instead, took the initiative to explain as he paced back and forth in front of the coffin. "It was a rare find. His body was still intact, but he suffered overexposure to Ethernano in addition to severe burns and injuries from presumably his last battle. All of which left him in a catatonic state. He would've perished if not for the Ethernano overload stabilizing the burnt cells. But that's nothing you can't fix now, can you?"

"Jellal…?" Wendy muttered. "I…don't understand."

Happy stepped to her side. "Stay back! This is bad news, Wendy!"

Wendy looked at him in worry. "You know him?"

Happy's eyes shot a glance at the burnt and unconscious state of Jellal. "Yeah. We're not friends, I can start with that." His tail curled and stiffened. "He's the one who tried to kill all of us back when he kidnapped Erza and me. What's worse…" He remembered the experience of the past enemies that they had to fight in Ben's mind as he laid dying. "He put a spell on Ben that almost killed him. He's the worst of them all!"

The cat's words were clear to Wendy that something was drastically different. There was a lot of spite in them, like venom. She took one look at Jellal, but compared to him, she didn't see the same light.

She shook her head. "No…I heard about it, but I can't…this has to be a mistake."

"It's no mistake. Every word he spoke of is true. Jellal IS, in fact, the culprit behind this whole madness." Brain frowned at the severe burns and molten skin across Jellal's body, unaware that it was a result of Atomix's nuclear rays. "His delusions and ideals were the roots that sowed him to his fate. But humanity has given him another chance."

Happy stood up to him. "You're out of your mind! Wendy would never revive someone like him!"

Brain scoffed. "Oh really?" He reached out a knife, holding it up to the crook in Jellal's raw neck. "Perhaps you would say that, but what about her?"

Happy turned towards Wendy, seeing her frightened expression. She was on the verge of leaping ahead to stop Brain from laying a finger on him. Her hands were balled tight and misty eyes were on the verge of tearing up. Happy's advances completely dwindled upon seeing this pitiful look.

"Please…don't hurt him." She mumbled softly.

Brain gestured his staff to Jellal's body "Then revive him."

Wendy hesitated. Just as she was about to move, Happy stood in front of her in an attempt to stop her. "Don't listen to him, Wendy! This isn't right! If you do, then we'll all be in even bigger trouble!"

"I have to repay him…"

Happy heard her low but audible whimper. He saw the tears that were starting to trail down her face. The blue cat's ears drooped and his tail's fur simmered as Wendy seemed to be struggling.

"He saved me once…and he helped me…he wouldn't do these things. I can't…" Her mind flashed images of what looked like a younger version of Jellal, who held her hand as she stumbled upon a trail. "He helped me. It can't…I need to do something…"

"But Wendy, he-!"

"It can't be true!"

Wendy's quick and defending tone made Happy flinch. He looked at her in deep remorse. "…but he did…"

Wendy lowered her head, trying to hold back her tears. She was so torn up about this that she didn't know what to think anymore. "Please, just give me a little time to think."

Brain's half-grin turned to a dutiful frown. He needed Jellal to awaken from his state, even if his body was still hampered somewhat beyond repair. But he couldn't force his hand when he didn't have the power yet. He chose to play it safe.

"…very well. Five minutes." He spoke calmly. "That's all you get."

As he stepped away, Happy watched as Wendy fell to her knees, her body a shuddering mess as she couldn't bear to look at Jellal's body.

...

Meanwhile, the Coalition had finished defeating the last of the Black Unicorn and Red Hood dark guilds. The delinquents of Black Unicorn were quickly taken down while the Red Hood members not captured by Sherry's Tree Doll proved to be a bit more tedious.

They had drawn up a swarm of cute, pink-furred beaver-like creatures they called Goblins; however, they could hardly be called that. They were not strong or vicious in any way but were simply a distraction for the Picto mages to pool the last of their magical energy into drawing a great dragon-like beast called a Wyvern.

The Wyvern was certainly dangerous, but with the combined might of the Coalition, the giant dragon-like beast was quickly defeated. Jura, specifically, had delivered the final blow by impaling the fake-creature with multiple rock spires.

With the dark wizards defeated, Jura proceeded to retrain the unconscious mages with rock bindings.

"That took... a lot longer than necessary..." Lyon panted lightly.

"All those stupid drawings really slowed us down... I can see now why Ben told us to take them out first." Gray commented.

...

Several Minutes Earlier...

...

"Okay, I have an idea! Everyone, listen up!"

The group immediately turned their gaze to the Methanosian.

"I need you to stay here and distract these guys while I run ahead and grab Wendy and Happy," Swampfire proclaimed.

"So, what? You're abandoning us just like that?" Lyon remarked coldly.

Swampfire glared at the white-haired man, making him slightly flinch. "No, but we can't all waste our time fighting these losers while Brain does God-knows-what to Wendy. One of us needs to go ahead."

Gray nodded in understanding. "Yeah, you're right."

"Maaan... I concur." Ichiya agreed. "Time is of the essence. We can't afford to waste even a single moment."

"Hold on!" Natsu interrupted. "I can't just stay here while my little buddy is held hostage! I gotta save him!"

"Natsu, I'm not going to hear it!" Swampfire sternly replied. "Stay here with the others, or-"

"Ben, wait!" Gray held out his hand. "I think you should take Natsu with you."

"Huh?" Natsu paused and blinked, confused as to why Gray was sticking up for him.

"And why's that?" Swampfire arched a brow.

"You can't go into the Oracion Seis's base all alone. You're gonna need backup in case they have more members there then you can handle." Gray countered. "Remember, you said we shouldn't face anyone alone if we could help it."

Swampfire groaned in frustration. He had to admit that Gray was right. Even if his prediction of Brain and Midnight being the only Seis members present at the hideout was correct, it wouldn't be wise to get in a face-off with both of them; especially in a hostage situation. Plus, Hibiki couldn't establish a telepathic link with his mind; he'd need to bring somebody with him to keep the line of communication up with everyone else.

"Okay, fine," Swampfire begrudgingly relented before he turned to Natsu with a glare. "But you had better follow my lead!"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah...okay."

"Jura, I'm leaving you in charge. Can I trust you to handle things from here?"

Jura nodded in determination. "Yes, Sir Ben! I will not fail this time!"

"I should come along too." Carla stepped forward. "I can't be of much use here."

Swampfire shook his head, and bluntly replied, "No. You'll only get in the way."

"How rude!"

"We can't risk Brain taking you as a hostage too." The Methanosian added. "Just stay away from the fighting, and only help in case you need to rescue someone. Wendy's gonna need you after we save her."

Carla sighed in frustration, but she understood. "Very well."

"All of you keep Hibiki up-to-date on your status. If things go south, have him contact Natsu to reach me."

'Why would he need Hibiki to reach Natsu?' Ren wondered. 'Why not just communicate telepathically to Hibiki directly?'

"Before we go, I'll give you guys a little help." Swampfire grabbed some seeds from his left shoulder and tossed them to the ground, which suddenly dug themselves into the dirt.

"What're those things going to do?" Sherry asked.

Swampfire smirked. "You'll see. As soon as the bombardment stops, Jura, bring down the wall and all of you take them down while they're in disarray. Those guys in the red hoods are using their Picto Magic to provide support to the creeps on the ground. Focus on taking them down first and everyone else will quickly follow."

"Right," the group responded in unison.

"Alright! Let's go Natsu." Swampfire slapped the Omnitrix dial and, in a brilliant flash, transformed into...

"Astrodactyl! BRAWH!"

There were mixed expressions of shock amongst the non-Fairy Tail members upon seeing Ben's new transformation. Gray was feeling relieved to hear Ben announce his transformations' names again. It just didn't feel right with him not doing it.

Lyon blinked a couple of times before his eyes widened in recognition. He remembered seeing this Take-Over during his battle with Natsu and Ben on Galuna Island.

"Wait..." Natsu backed up with nervous sweat racing down his head. "Do we have to fly? Can't we just run or somethin'?"

"NOPE!" Without wasting a moment, Astrodactyl scooped Natsu into his arms and blasted off. The Dragon Slayer immediately went limp from motion-sickness as they blasted off with a light-green afterburn in their wake.

Jura turned his stoic gaze on the group. "Alright, you know your roles. As soon as the cannon fire stops, I'll lower the wall and we attack!"

"Right!"

...

Present time...

...

Jura looked away from the defeated dark mages and faced the group. "Now that we've finished here, we should head back to Hibiki and Lucy's position. Sir Ben and Natsu are sure to rendezvous with us after they rescue Wendy and Happy."

"Shouldn't we follow them so we can back them up?" Eve suggested.

Jura shook his head. "We must be at full strength to face foes such as the Oracion Seis. And after our recent battle, some of us have exhausted our magical power to an extent." He stopped to turn in the direction of the Oracion Seis hideout. "Besides, I trust that Sir Ben and Natsu will be successful."

The others nodded in understanding.

Ren pressed his right index and middle fingers to his forehead. "Hey, Hibiki. We finished taking down the Black Unicorn and Red Hood guilds. We're about to head back to your position. Any update from Ben and Natsu?"

"That's good to hear! Glad you guys are okay." Hibiki's voice echoed through everyone's minds. "Right now, they're heading west. I tried contacting Ben but I can't seem to establish a connection with him. And Natsu sounds like he's motion sick or something if his groans were anything to go by."

Ren arched a brow in suspicion. 'Why couldn't Hibiki communicate with him? Ben told us to have Hibiki communicate through Natsu to reach him. That can't be a coincidence...'

"Why would he be motion sick of all things?" Carla asked, confused.

Gray sighed in exasperation. "That's Natsu for yah. He always falls apart on moving vehicles and, for some reason, with Ben's forms too."

"That's a rather peculiar condition to have..." the white cat noted.

Suddenly, startled gasps escaped everyone's throats as they sensed a great spike in magical energy nearby. The group turned to the forest in the direction of the magical power.

"Did anyone else feel that?" Ren asked, his tone slightly nervous.

"Yeah..." Eve said anxiously.

"As clear as ice," Gray noted.

"A magical force that powerful... it must be one of the Oracion Seis," Lyon stated.

'That is most certainly one of the Seis... and they are approaching fast.' Jura hummed in contemplation. 'If all of us were to fight, it could draw unwanted attention from any other Dark Guilds roaming the forest, or worse other members of the Oracion Seis.'

Jura momentarily paused to consider his options before adopting a resolute expression. "I want all of you to fallback to Hibiki and Lucy's location now. Sir Ichiya, will you stay with me as a backup?"

"Maaan... of course, Jura," Ichiya posed dramatically. "I shall help in any way I can."

"And what will you do?" Lyon asked.

"I shall remain here and engage them." Jura firmly replied.

"You sure?" Gray questioned. "I mean, I know you're one of the Ten Wizard Saints and all... but still-"

The ice-wizard when Jura glanced at him with a stone-faced expression. "I can handle things here. Head back and recover your strength. That's an order."

Gray nodded. "Right. Good luck then."

"He won't need it," Lyon added. "Jura's got this."

With that, the group of five ran down the trail where they had come earlier until they were out of sight. Jura and Ichiya kept their attention focused squarely on the tree-line, the intense magical energy growing stronger by the second.

...

Astrodactyl zoomed through the sky to the western part of Worth Woodsea while holding Natsu under his shoulders. The Dragon Slayer moaned in discomfort from vertigo as he struggled to hold down his stomach contents.

"Oh, man... I'm... gonna hurl..." Natsu's cheeks puffed out.

Astrodactyl sweat-dropped in exasperation. "Why did I let Gray convince me to bring you along. BRAWH!"

Up ahead, the pterodactyl-like alien spotted a large opening with multiple waterfalls pouring into it. Remembering Erigor's description, he deduced that the Oracion Seis's base must be there.

Astrodactyl promptly decreased his speed and came to a smooth stop near the edge of the basin. Letting Natsu fall to the ground in a limp heap, Ben turned back to human. Stepping around the nauseous mage, Ben carefully approached the cliff and took a knee at the ledge.

Upon spotting the abandoned village on a small island, he nodded in satisfaction. "Looks like that wannabe assassin told the truth after all."

"Ugh..." Natsu moaned as he stood up, slowly regaining his bearings. He trudged over to Ben's left. "Is this it?"

Ben nodded. "Yeah. This is the place. Alright, here's what we'll do. I'll change into Big Chill and go intang-"

"Happy! Wendy!" Natsu shouted out, completely ignoring what Ben was saying.

Ben turned to Natsu in shock. He instantly stood up and grabbed him by the vest with both hands, visibly shaking in fury.

"Are you insane?!" Ben snapped. "Our enemies are down there! And you just alerted them that we're here!"

Inside the cave, Wendy and Happy stood in front of the coffin housing Jellal's damaged inert body. Brain had given her five minutes to decide if she would revive the azure-haired man or not, and that time was just about up.

Then, without warning, a new voice echoed through the cavern.

"Happy... Wendy..."

"Natsu!" Happy exclaimed hopefully.

"Racer, intercept them." Brain ordered.

"With pleasure, boss," Racer replied before disappearing in a blur.

Brain narrowed his eyes in annoyance. "Miserable fools..."

Back outside, Ben and Natsu were suddenly blindsided by a white blur zooming between them – knocking them both to the side. Ben grunted from the impact as well as hitting the ground hard.

He looked back up to see a tall man with a blonde mohawk, a red-and-white leather jacket, and white pants. Considering his appearance and the fact that he had just moved at incredible speeds, Ben immediately realized who the man was.

"Racer..."

"What's this guy doing here?" Natsu asked, confused.

"What else?" Ben and Natsu looked up to see Racer standing on a tree branch with his hands in his pockets, looking down at them smugly. "I'm here to run you jokers over."

"So much for the element of surprise..." Ben stood back up and prepared to fight.

Natsu looked up to Racer with gritted teeth. "Now, I remember. This is the guy who was running around so fast we couldn't see his attacks."

"Looks like you punks apparently didn't get enough. I'll be sure to put you down for good this time around. Wait a second..." the speed mage paused when he noticed Ben. "I don't remember seeing you before."

"Ben," Natsu turned to him with a serious look, "you need to get down there and help Wendy and Happy. I'll handle this guy."

"How're you gonna deal with someone who's ridiculously faster than you?" Ben cocked a brow, unconvinced.

Natsu turned to Ben with a determined expression. "I CAN handle him, alright?! I'm counting on you to save my best bud and Wendy! So, please... count on me to hold this dude back!"

The brunet stared at Natsu shortly before he relented. "Fine. We don't have time to argue anyway. Just hold him off as long as you can!" With that, Ben promptly turned and started running toward the cliff.

"I will..." Natsu nodded.

Racer grinned before running down the tree trunk. "You'll stay right here!"

Without warning, a wall of flames suddenly appeared in front of Racer. The intense heat forced the speed demon to come to a halt and jump back a safe distance.

"AGH... what the-?!"

Racer looked ahead to see Natsu step through the flames with a determined expression plastered on his face. "Sorry, pal. You're not going anywhere."

The speed demon narrowed his eyes behind his goggles. "You got some nerve, punk. Nobody puts the brakes on me."

"What's the matter? Can't handle the heat?" Natsu grinned roguishly.

Racer snarled.

Meanwhile, Ben jumped off the ledge toward the small lake below. In midair, he slapped down the Omnitrix dial and, in a flash of emerald, he was replaced by a blue-skinned humanoid with feline features.

"Fasttrack," He adjusted his fall to where he could run along the basin walls. The feline-alien looked across the basin and spotted a cave on the other side.

'That must be it!' In less than two seconds, Fasttrack horizontally raced along the cliff walls. He jumped to the ground, coming to an immediate stop just outside the cavern's entrance.

Inside the cave, Ben could see four individuals. He immediately noticed Happy lying on his stomach, exhausted. The next figure was a little girl with long blue hair and wearing a blue-and-yellow dress. That had to be Wendy. To the left was a tall older man with long white hair, dark skin with angular black tattoos, and wearing a thick white coat. In his hand was a staff with a skull with Native American-like headwear. There was no mistaking it... that guy had to be Brain.

The last person in the center...

Fasttrack's eyes shot open; his breath getting caught in his throat.

"No... it can't be..."

Standing in front of an altar lit with candles, the fourth individual was a well-defined young man. His clothing consisted of tattered blue pants with a sleeveless, dark purple shirt – revealing splotches of pink, marred skin across his body. What caught Ben's attention, however, was the unkempt blue hair.

"Ben...?" Happy spoke weakly, spotting Fasttrack at the entrance.

Brain looked back to the entrance and arched a brow in confusion. Who or what was that creature? The moment he noticed the Fairy Tail guild mark on his left shoulder, he smirked in victory. It didn't matter if their base was discovered. With Jellal revived, Nirvana would soon be their's and the Light Guilds would fall!

"I'm so sorry!" Wendy sobbed while on her hands and knees. She lowered her head with tears pouring down her face. "Forgive me!"

Fasttrack couldn't even acknowledge the girl as his attention was focused squarely on the blue-haired man. His green eyes widened further when the man turned around to reveal his face, which donned a red tattoo on his right side and scarred skin on his left.

"Jellal..." Fasttrack uttered in shocked anger.

Time seemed to stop at that moment for the teen hero. Mixed feelings of rage and confusion stirred inside of him. This wasn't like with Mystogan. No... this was the real deal. Jellal was actually alive. But how? How could he have survived Atomix's attacks and the Tower of Heaven's explosion? All of that should've killed him!

"Sorry! Sorry! Sorry!" Wendy wiped her eyes and stood up. "But... I had to. I... I owe him."

Jellal ignored Wendy as he kept his seemingly blank gaze on Fasttrack. However, the moment he noticed the Omnitrix dial on his chest on Fasttrack's chest, his eyes slightly widened as a sudden influx of images suddenly popped into his head.

A room made of shining blue crystals.

A giant metal-man of white armor.

Finally, a brilliant flash of green light full of heat and agonizing pain.

Jellal's emotionless gaze was replaced with apprehension as beads of sweat formed across his face. He winced and struggled to contain a grunt as the scars across his body suddenly flared up.

"I'm...s-sorry..." Wendy then dropped to the ground, drained and exhausted.

Fasttrack briefly turned away from Jellal and looked at the girl in concern. That moment of distraction was all Jellal needed as he extended his arm and unleashed a blast of yellow energy at the blue alien. The blast enveloped Fasttrack and sent him crashing into the cavern wall, the impact causing the rock to break apart and partially bury him.

"BEN!" Happy shouted, alarmed.

Brain stepped up behind Jellal. "Thankfully your condition hasn't diminished your power."

Jellal snapped his head back to Brain and swiped his arm in an arc. Brain yelped as the yellow light exploded under him, causing the ground to collapse into a deep pit.

"BEN! Are you okay?!" Happy ran over to the rock pile that the teen hero was buried under.

Jellal's expression settled back into indifference as he turned to the cavern entrance and started walking towards it. Happy could only watch in puzzlement as the blue-haired man disappeared into the bright daylight without uttering a single word.

'That's weird. Why would he just leave like that?' Happy wondered.

The sounds of shifting rocks snapped Happy out of his musings. Fasttrack pushed the debris off of him and stood up, looking around the cave frantically. He was confused when he saw how both Brain and Jellal were nowhere to be seen.

"Where'd they go?!"

"Jellal just left... and he attacked Brain for some reason. He fell into that pit," Happy pointed to the hole.

Fasttrack growled while clenching his teeth in anger. He was tempted to race after Jellal until his gaze fell on the unconscious Wendy, his anger immediately replaced with concern. He raced over to her side to check her pulse, sighing in relief when he felt it. She must've just collapsed from exhaustion.

'Carla said that Wendy had Healing Magic. Brain must've forced her to use it to heal Jellal. But what was that about owing him?' Ben shook his head from his thoughts. 'No. No time for any of that. I gotta get them out of here before any more Oracion Seis members show up.'

He gently picked up Wendy in both arms and looked at Happy. "Happy, grab onto me." He said sternly.

"Okay." He activated his wings and flew over to grab onto Fasttrack's shoulder. "But I'm confused. What are you doing here? I thought you were training with Mira and Elfman."

"No time to explain," Fasttrack hastily replied.

The trio then disappeared in a blue blur. All the while, Midnight leaned against the wall in a dark corner asleep, oblivious to what had happened.

The dust in the air settled and revealed Brain standing in the hole, unharmed. He blinked in confusion. "That was unexpected, but perhaps I removed his shackles too prematurely. On that note, his sudden hostility towards me is a recent development. Was he aware all this time? Did he overhear us discuss our plans for Nirvana?"

Brain gasped as he came to a startling conclusion. "NO, it can't be! Does he intend to take Nirvana for himself?! IT CAN'T HAPPEN! IT BELONGS TO ALL OF US! Cobra, do you hear me? Jellal has escaped to claim Nirvana! Stop him at once!"

...

Deep within the Worth Woodsea, Cobra heard Brain from afar. "I hear you loud and clear, boss man. As loud as I hear that coward's footsteps." He grinned and Cubellios hissed.

...

In the forest outside the Oracion Seis hideout, the fight between Natsu and Racer continued; however, it wasn't going as the former had imagined.

After receiving a direct blow, Natsu slammed into the base of a tree and grunted painfully. Racer appeared and disappeared while hastily closing in on his foe. Natsu pushed himself to the side before Racer's foot struck where he was, causing the tree to shake from the force.

Natsu looked back up with clenched teeth as Racer suddenly appeared on a tree branch high above.

"I knew this guy was fast... but this is crazy," Natsu commented.

"As a matter of fact, I'm the fastest man alive, pyro." Racer smugly proclaimed. "You'll never beat me 'cause you'll never catch me. That's why I'm called Racer!"

All of a sudden, a blue blur raced into view and stopped – revealing Fasttrack carrying Wendy in both arms and Happy holding onto his shoulder.

"Ben!?" Natsu then smiled. "Alright, you found them! Happy, you okay?!"

Happy smiled back. "Yeah, I'm fine, Natsu!"

"What?!" Racer exclaimed in shock. 'Where did that thing come from? He just appeared out of nowhere!'

"But how?! Brain would never let them slip away like that. How'd you get past him!?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," Fasttrack remarked before turning to a certain Dragon Slayer. "Natsu, get Wendy and Happy out of here. I can take things from here."

"NO!" Natsu shouted and clenched his fists determinedly. "I told you that I can handle this guy!"

"We don't have time to-"

Natsu interrupted him "LOOK! You're faster than me or Happy in that form. You can get Wendy to safety much faster than we could. That is the mission, right?!"

Fasttrack was about to retort until he looked down at Wendy's helpless state. Natsu did raise a good point. The Coalition's mission right now was rescuing Wendy and Happy and he was the only one who could get them to safety immediately.

Still, while the teen hero didn't understand why Natsu seemed so determined to face Racer alone, he hoped it had nothing to do with his pride or anything foolish like that. Regardless, he didn't have time to ponder on it – not when he had a helpless little girl with him.

With limited options, Ben made his choice and gave Natsu a serious look. "Alright! He's yours."

"I don't know what any of you are talking about, but it doesn't matter!" Racer bent his knees and raced down the tree in a blur. "None of you are getting outta here alive!"

Just as Racer came within yards of Fasttrack, the feline disappeared. Racer lightly gasped as his eyes widened behind his goggles. "What the?! How'd he-"

While he was distracted, Natsu slammed his hands on the ground. As a result, a great wall of fire – much bigger and hotter than the first one – burst out of the ground behind him. Racer was forced to stop immediately, but his body still partially collided with the flaming barrier.

"AHHH!" Racer shouted as he jumped back, kneeling to clutch his right arm.

Fasttrack appeared on the other side of the wall and glanced back. He could see a dark outline of the pyromaniac through the flames. "You got him?"

"Yeah!" Natsu nodded. "Get outta here while you still can!"

"Hold on, maybe I should stay here with Natsu to back him up?" Happy suggested, sounding worried.

"No can do, Happy!" Natsu called out. "This guy's too fast. He'd knock you out of the sky before you knew it. You'll be safer with them."

"But I can't just leave you!" Happy protested.

"Don't worry, bud. I'll be fine!" Natsu assured.

Fasttrack narrowed his eyes. "I hope you know what you're doing, Natsu. This isn't a fight you can win with brute strength and power alone, yah know. You're going to have to use your wits."

Ben couldn't see, but Natsu's visage scrunched up into a glower directed at Racer kneeling ten yards away. "Yeah... I understand perfectly."

"Okay. But as soon as I drop off Wendy and Happy, I'm coming back for you!"

Fasttrack turned and raced through the forest at breakneck speeds.

"Yeah. I know you will, but you won't need to." Natsu grinned confidently. "'Cause I'll win... and I'll meet up with you."

Racer, meanwhile, cringed from a burn he had received on his right arm. His jacket sleeve had burned through, revealing red throbbing skin.

He raised his head and shot the Fire Dragon Slayer a heated glare. "I hate to admit it, but I'm impressed. This is the second time you stopped me."

Natsu smirked. "And it won't be the last, pal. Judging by that burn on you, you're not immune to fire. Am I right?"

Racer scowled in response.

Natsu's smirk widened, revealing his teeth. The flaming wall he had erected caused the nearby trees to catch fire. Dark smoke billowed into the air as the heat bore down on the two wizards with only one of them feeling it.

Holding up his flaming right hand, Natsu boldly declared, "I don't care how fast you are... I'll melt you in your tracks! You won't escape my heat!"

...

A/N: Sorry that I have to end it here, folks! There are still some things I want to iron out in the next upcoming fights before continuing. For now, I figured I'd give all of you what I have so far since it's already been over 3 months since my last update. Apologies! I do hope this chapter was entertaining though. The next few are sure to be even more thrilling.

For the record, if any of you would like a reference to Ben's recent attitude, check out an episode from the original Ben 10 series called "The Ultimate Weapon". Watch how Max acts toward Ben and Gwen in that episode. In addition, take note of how Ben acted in the Ultimate Alien two-part episode, "Absolute Power".

I would like to give shout outs to Insane Dominator and Jumpin' Jack Flash 7 for their contributions to this chapter. I greatly appreciate it!

Next chapter: Oracion Seis, Part IV – With Wendy and Happy rescued, the Coalition focus their attention on stopping the Oracion Seis. Natsu has his hands full with the Oracion Seis's speed demon. Something unexpected happens during Hoteye and Jura and Ichiya's battle. Finally, Nirvana's seal has been released.

Thank you, fine readers, again for your support and encouragement! We're in uncharted territory nowadays with the spread of COVID-19. I pray and hope all of you will stay safe and healthy. Don't be hoarders and be mindful of others.

Please leave any comments, critiques, or suggestions. Until next time...