Still no appearance from Ayu's team yet as the war rages on. Ren and Tetsa have made some power play moves by taking out two higher tier enemies of Overhaul and Cinder. But, for Tetsa and her small squad, they now face an even greater threat. One of the demons. He'll surely be a tougher challenge than what Cinder brought to the table, that's for sure. But, before we get to all that, we've got to go back to our forces on the ground. Their battle is just as hard as the one within the castle, and no demons have appeared down there yet. What will happen when they do? Even I don't know yet. Now, sit back and enjoy!

-POV: Naofumi-

Our fight against the enemy forces was going.... well..... we were surviving. Our enemies were beginning to drive us apart and I became separated with two others far away from the rest of our group. The ones I now fought beside were both from the world Ren and Raphtalia came from. I believe the girl with the fox ears with me was named Amber, and the boy with the lizard scales on his arms was named Temair.

We were currently fighting creatures that they referred to as Grimm. They looked like a mix of bears, tigers, and even werewolves. And, we were surrounded on all sides by dozens of them.

"Naofumi, behind you!" Amber shouted as she leaped and front flipped over me, delivering an axe kick to one of the werewolf Grimm. She drove its head into the earth with one shot, showing that this small fox girl had serious physical power.

"On your left!" We heard Temair shout as he started to fire his machine gun in between us. He mowed down three bear Grimm at once before reloading his weapon again. 

"Thanks for the help you two." I said as they both gave me nods. But then, something made me curious. 

"So, uh, can either of you tell me what's up with that dragon Grimm? Why is it fighting on our side?" I asked them. 

"That's no ordinary Grimm. It's also our team leader, Drake. He has the ability to transform into a Grimm, as you can see. And, unlike normal Grimm, he has control over his emotions or senses, so long as a stronger Alpha isn't present in the area." Temair explained to me as I was thankful to hear all that. Having to fight a dragon on top of everything else that was here would've doomed us.

"Watch your back! Air Strike Shield!" I then shouted as I saw a tiger Grimm try to pounce on Temair. He ducked as I made my green floating shield fly into the Grimm to stop it in it's tracks.

"Nice save!" Temair said as he then changed the mode of his weapon so that it now had the appearance of a huge axe. I made my air strike shield disappear and, with one brutal swing, Temair chopped the Grimm in two.

"What Ayuma wouldn't give to have that axe for her weapon." I said to myself as I was suddenly tackled from behind. I turned so i'd land on my back but I was met with the face of one of those bear Grimm. It pressed down onto my shield with its claws and tried to bite at my head. I had to use all my strength to just barely keep it away from me. 

"Hold on! I've got you! Hiyah!!" I heard Amber shout as I a fist then broke through the chest of the Grimm on top of me. The Grimm stopped its assault and howled in pain as Amber pulled her fist out of the Grimm. The creature turned around to face her but was met with Amber grabbing its head and forcing it down to the ground. Amber then sat down on its neck with her knees and shoved both of her hands into its mouth. 

"Gonna.... need..... some extra..... power!!!!" She shouted as her body began to glow with a white outline. And then, with one hard push with her hands, she broke the mouth of the Grimm, jaw and all as blood spewed everywhere. I just sat there as I watched her rip off the top portion of the Grimm's head and raise it up into the air. 

"Who else wants some!? You Grimm want more!? Well this is what's in store for you all!!" Amber shouted as she showed off the head to all the surrounding Grimm. Her intimidation strategy seemed to be working though as all the Grimm began to whimper like they were afraid. And to be honest, I was a bit intimidated myself. 

"Remind me to never piss you off ever." I said to myself as the Grimm began to back away. However, something far worse appeared to face us next. Something that i'm sure would take everything we had to beat. Zeref. 

"These creatures are so uncivilized, wouldn't you agree? I mean, compared to a trained soldier or your own personal creations, they're all mindless, just like a normal wild animal. I don't understand why the demons of this world brought them here, but I couldn't care in the least." Zeref said as he approached us. 

"Why did you come here? What do you have to gain from working with these demons?" I asked him as he chuckled a bit. 

"What do I have to gain? Why, shouldn't the answer be simple?" Zeref said but none of us could give him the answer he was looking for. 

"I guess since none of you share my curse, you wouldn't understand my pain. As I told you moments before all this fighting began, I am immortal. It was a curse brought upon me after I delved in reincarnation magic. I have lived over 400 years, and, after watching so many people I care about die, whether they be loved ones or even just friends, I just want it to end. And so, as a gift, the demons will remove my curse and kill me if I help them win this war." Zeref explained as I actually felt bad for him. 

"I may not know what it's like to have a curse of immortality, but, if it means anything, my life in this world has just been as cruel since the moment I stepped into it. Betrayal, back stab, heartbreak, anything and everything that could've went wrong did. I had to suffer through it all, and the people I cared about the most, my friends had to suffer through it as well. But, how can someone like you ask for salvation from your curse when you're the one who spread a reign of terror within your own world. The demons of Tartaros, those were your creations. They were going to wipe out all magic and then slaughter thousands, maybe even millions of humans! As far as i'm concerned, you should suffer this curse of yours for all eternity!" I spoke to Zeref as he gave me a nod. 

"You're right.... I really should... But.... I simply cannot do that. This was an interesting and a truly insightful conversation for the both of us, shield hero. I hope I can give you a quick and painless death." Zeref said as he raised up his right hand and engulfed it in a negative coloured sphere.

"Death Orb." He said as he threw the sphere at us. It flew across the ground, tearing up the earth as it moved its way towards us. 

"Air Strike Shield!" I shouted as I made my green floating shield appear in front of us to guard from the attack. However, with great ease, Zeref's attack burst through my shield. 

"Second shield!" I yelled as a second air strike shield appeared. But, the same result occurred. Zeref's attack blasted through it and now,it was right on us. 

"Everybody, move!" Temair shouted as we all jumped out of the way before being struck. The attack kept on going and tore through a multitude of Grimm and enemy soldiers along the way. 

"This guys magic..... it's on a whole 'nother level!" I thought as I stood up and swapped to my soul eater shield. 

"But this shield.... it may be what we need to bring him down!" I said as I charged Zeref.

"And what good will that shield do for you, hero? Is it meant to frighten me with a face of a ghost?" Zeref questioned as I ran right up to him and opened the mouth on the soul eater shield. 

"No, it sucks away your life force!" I said as it began to do just that. Zeref's energy was being drained from his body as he ever so slowly collapsed down to his knees. 

"This.... means.... nothing.... to me! As an.... immortal.... my life force..... is infinite!!!" Zeref shouted as his hands ignited into negative coloured flames.

"Dark Blast Inferno!" He roared as he unleashed a huge burst of flames onto me at point blank range. I was able to survive by refraining from using the soul eater shield on him to guard his attack, but it was so powerful that it sent me flying high into the air. 

"Don't worry, I've got you!" Temair shouted as he suddenly leaped all the way up to me with one jump, and I was easily over 60 feet in the air. He caught me in his arms and then landed on his feet safely where he then put me down. 

"How the heck are you able to jump so high?" I asked him. 

"That's my semblance. It's called "Leap." With it, I can jump as far as 150 feet and as high as 80 feet into the air." Temair explained to me as I actually found that to be a pretty useful ability.

"A unique ability to call your own, how wonderful to see from someone who comes of another world. It does in fact make me quite happy to see such high spirited folk around me, but it also comes with great sadness when I must eventually watch them die before me." Zeref said to us as Amber now began to approach him. 

"Who said any of us would be dying to you? I for one plan to live out my life to the fullest until I die happy at a nice old age." Amber said to him as she took a battle stance and readied her fists to strike.

"It seems you have got quite a fire within your soul, little girl. Please, do show me how that has helped you grow." Zeref said as he enveloped both of his hands in white spheres now.

"Bring it, you third rate wizard." Amber said as they began to circle each other. 

"Be careful, Amber. One strike from his magic and that may be it for you." Temair said to her as she sent him a nod without looking. And then, without warning, Zeref made the first move. He rushed towards Amber and leaped for her, reeling his right fist back to attack.

"You're mine!" Amber shouted as she flipped forward and landed on her hands. With her legs, she caught Zeref's arm in between them and then forced him into the ground. She then flipped back onto her feet as she brought her hands together and held them over Zeref.

"I don't care if you can die or not! If I can at least knock you out, then that'll be it for you!" Amber shouted as her body began to glow with that white outline again. At this point, I deduced it gave her a massive buff to her physical strength. We watched as she brought her hands down to strike Zeref's face but, before she could hit him, a faint force field spell appeared and Amber's hands bounced off. 

"Foolish girl." Zeref said as he deactivated the shield spell and punched Amber in the left side of her face with one of his white spheres. He tore up the skin so much on her that you could see the bone of Amber's skull underneath now.

"No!" Temair shouted as Amber fell to her back, screaming in pain as she held her deep wound to stop the bleeding.

"Stop it!" I shouted to Zeref as he stood up and wiped off some dust from his robe.

"Why should I? After all, she challenged me, and in a war, every battle is a fight to the death. Now, if you two will be so kind, I must conclude my fight with her." Zeref said as he then created that negative coloured sphere on his left hand again.

"No, he's going to kill her!" I thought as, without even putting any thought into it, I rushed forward and sprinted past Zeref. He threw the sphere at Amber as I stopped in between them and swapped to my curse shield.

"Even if this shield isn't enough, I won't let him kill you!" I roared as Zeref's attack struck me. It wasn't breaking through my shield like before but it's power was so immense that it was pushing me back against the ground while I was still standing. 

"Oh? So, you can withstand the might of this deadly attack, but for how long I wonder?" Zeref questioned as I used every bit of my strength to push back. With one mighty roar at the top of my lungs, I planted my feet into the very earth itself and rammed my shield into the sphere once again. 

"Let's see.... what happens.... when your own spell.... is used against you!!!" I shouted as my shield redirected the attack and sent it flying back at Zeref.

"No, impossible!!" Zeref cried in utter disbelief as the sphere smashed into him. I tore through the left side of his chest and destroyed a large portion of his body. A massive chunk was now missing, from the top of his waist to the center of his torso, making it look like a shark took a bite out of him.

"Try walking away from that, immortal." I said to Zeref as he coughed up a ton of blood. However, he didn't fall over like I expected him to. In fact, he began to laugh. 

"It's true, this damage I have received has inflicted a monstrous pain upon my body. But, it simply does not matter in the end. I will never die until I complete my duty in this world." He said as he placed both of his arms in front of him and connected the bottoms of his hands. On the top hand, Zeref extended out his index and middle upward, and the hand on the bottom has his pinky and index finger pointed downward.

"We'll see about that! I've got something that may truly put you to rest like you want, but, it'll come at the cost of experiencing the most gruesome death imaginable!" I shouted to him as he gave me a curious look. 

"Really? Then let us see who triumphs in this exchange. Who's killing technique can truly kill the other?" Zeref said as his body suddenly began to resonate with a pure black aura. You could feel it coming from him, and the feeling.... it was pure evil. However, this was a battle I could not back down from. Zeref, despite not being a demon, was an enemy far greater than the rest, and our forces unfortunately don't have the firepower to take him down. The only thing that might have a chance.... is my ultimate curse spell!
 

"Now sinner, I sentence you to cast your screams unto the place where you once came! The jaws of the dragon born from my flesh shall swallow you, and you'll become an offering to the gods as you howl in pain!!!" I chanted as my dark armor appeared over my upper torso and arms. 

"Volume 6, verse 66 of the book of Zeref! I cast thee, thy ultimate death spell, Repent!!" Zeref chanted as his black aura shot up into the sky. 

"BLOOD SACRIFICE!!!!" I roared as my own blood spewed from my body. It dissolved into the earth and moments later, the giant metal chain dragon emerged beneath Zeref and clamped down on him with its jaws. But, at the same time, Zeref's attack struck me. A huge pillar of negative light came crashing down from the clouds above and engulfed me. The pain was so intense that it felt like my skin was burning, my bones were breaking, and my mind was melting.

"Tear..... him.... TO SHREDS!!!!" I bellowed as my chain dragon fully engulfed Zeref inside its huge metal jaws. I could hear him screaming in pain as his blood spewed everywhere from the sides of the dragons mouth. 

"Now..... Take him.... to hell!!!" I screamed as I dropped to my knees. I could feel the bones in my arms and legs breaking up with every second. But, I had to stay conscious until my attack was complete. The chain dragon then returned to the earth, diving into a pool of Zeref's blood as his spell dissipated, releasing me as I fully collapsed. I still was conscious somehow, but with the current condition of my body, I could barely move a finger. My whole body was covered in blood, my skin had deteriorated a bit, most of the bones in my body were broken, and I could barely think straight anymore.

"Naofumi, just hold on, we'll get some help!" Temair shouted as he and Amber ran over to me. He had managed to temporarily patch up the wound on Amber's face, so she wasn't of concern to him anymore. 

"Wendy! Or just anyone who can heal!!! We need you over here, now!!! Naofumi's gonna die!!!" Amber shouted as Wendy seemed to hear it. She had just finished healing Ren's legs and he got up to continue fighting. She then ran over to where we were so she could work on me next. I just had to hope her healing magic would be enough to reverse the effects of this spell.

"Hold on, i'm coming! How bad is-" Wendy began to shout as, suddenly, a hand broke through the earth and grabbed onto her left leg. And then, the rest of the figure broke out and revealed to us that it was Zeref, still alive somehow. 

"No, I don't think so. I'll have you refrain from healing that man. That pain he brought upon me, not even death can make it pass away! So, i'll now do everything in my power to make you suffer, shield hero! And i'll start by slaying the only one who can treat your wounds!" Zeref shouted as he simultaneously coughed up blood with every word. His body was mangled beyond repair. Pieces missing from his head, arms, body, legs, and even more holes in him than I could count. 

"No.... let her go!" I shouted to him as he ignited what was left of his right hand in negative coloured flames.

"This is the end for you, shield hero!! I shall live, and you will die!! Along with all those you cherish so dearly!!!" Zeref roared as he raised his flaming hand up to strike Wendy down. She tried to break free, but Zeref's grip was too tight on her for her to escape. And Temair and Amber were too far away to reach her. No one could stop him from killing her. 

"TODAY, A DRAGON SLAYER FALLS BY MY HA-" Zeref roared as, from out of nowhere, a flying axe appeared and severed his flaming arm from his body. Zeref screamed in absolute agony as he let go of Wendy to grasp his arm. Wendy ran over to us as I looked over to the axe that was thrown. It had a familiar looking design with a purple blade which meant....

"They're..... back....." I said as the axe was called back to its owner. We watched as it flew across the battlefield, going through a third portal which had just appeared. And, walking out of the portal was our hope. Our chance to achieve victory. 

"Did somebody order some heroes!?" Ayuma shouted with pride as she, Itsuki, king Alex, and the rest of their team emerged through their portal. They had well over 40 to their team, most looking like they were students, each wearing some unique costumes. 

"Who are they?" Amber asked as I couldn't help but smile with joy. 

"Our backup.... the rest of our forces!" I said to her as Ayuma raised her axe high into the air. 

"CHARGE!!!!!" She roared as she and her team rushed into battle. 

"Krystal! Go over to Naofumi and assist him!! We'll give you some cover!!" Itsuki shouted as he fired several arrows into creatures of Grimm. 

"We're sorry we're late! Our portal was closed when we went to return so we had to find another way to open it!" Krystal shouted to me as she ran over and crouched down next to me with Wendy. They placed their hands down onto my wounds and used their healing magic to seal up and fix my wounds. 

"As source of thy power, I order thee. Decipher the laws of nature and cure my target of all abnormal statuses and injuries. Zweit Flower Cradle." Krystal said as a bunch of pink flowers suddenly sprouted around me. I could feel their energy pooling into me and my wounds were quickly beginning to heal. 

"How did.... how did all you get back? How did you reopen your portal?" I asked her as someone new came running up behind her and crouched down next to me. 

"That would be me. Nice to meet you. I'm assuming you're this shield hero I've heard about based on the shield on your arm. You can call me Cry." The boy in the red and black combat flight suit said to me. 

"Shouldn't you be, I don't know, fighting the enemy?" Krystal said to him as he let out a quick chuckle. 

"A hero's first concern should be the safety of other around him. I noticed the shield hero was in trouble, so I came over to help him." Cry said as I looked to him and thought to myself that this kid has been through quite a lot for someone his age. A burned in hand mark on the right side of his face, a missing pinky and ring finger on his left hand, and his entire right arm being made of diamond. He could match Ayuma in terms of painful experiences. 

"If.... if you want to help..... then see if you can take care.... of him...." I said as I did my best to point at Zeref. He was still grasping his arm but he was able to control himself.

"Whether the remainder of your forces are here or not, it will not matter!!! There's just no way you can defeat me or even kill me!!! I am a god!!! I am immortal!!!" Zeref shouted as Cry stood up to square off with him. 

"I know you're not from my world, but no matter where you're from, no one's immortal. There's always a way for someone to die. You just haven't tried hard enough to find the way to do it." Cry said to him. 

"Cry, he's not lying to you. That man, Zeref, he really is immortal. Just look at him! He hit himself with an instant death spell, and Naofumi tore him apart with a curse of his, but even then, it just wasn't enough!" Amber explained to him as he looked back at us and shot us a smile. 

"Don't worry. I know how to take care of him." He said to us as Zeref created another sphere of negative light on his right hand.

"No matter what skills, no matter what abilities, no matter what magic you may possess, all will fall to me and perish within a gruesome and horrifying death!!!" Zeref roared as he launched the sphere forward right at Cry. 

"Get out of the way!!! That attack's too strong for anything to block it!! It'll rip you apart the instant it touches you!!" Temair shouted to him as Cry raised up his diamond right arm. The veins within his body began to glow purple for some reason afterward. 

"Open! Portals!" Cry shouted as two circular portals appeared, one in front of him and another to his right. Zeref's attack flew straight through the one in front of him and then came right back out of the second, going right back to where it came from. Right back at Zeref. 

"What kind of magic is this!?" Zeref questioned as he jumped out of the way of his own attack. 

"Is that.... magic?" I asked but Krystal shook her head. 

"No. Where Cry and the rest of our forces come from, they've obtained mutations. These powers they've acquired, they train at schools to hone their skills and use them to become heroes. And, Cry has one of the strongest within his entire world. The power of reality." She explained to me as I was literally awe struck by what she had just told me. 

"Damn.... and here I thought.... that I brought back the best warriors... with Damos and his wyvern magic.... or Melida and her Multi magic..." I thought as Zeref stood back up and roared at Cry with fury. 

"You insolent child!! Learn your place before the mighty black wizard or your life will end sooner than you had hoped!!" Zeref shouted to him but Cry just chuckled at his threat. 

"In my world, I've faced villains who've called themselves kings, overlords, rulers, but you take things to a whole 'nother level. Calling yourself a god and an immortal is a first for me, but it doesn't scare me in the slightest. No matter the challenge, I will not lose. Now, show me what you can do!" Cry said, taunting Zeref as he became even more enraged at the kid. 

"How dare you mock me!!! With this spell, i'll kill you within the blink of an eye!!!" Zeref roared as he went into the formation to use the same spell he used to put me into my current position. 

"VOLUME 6, VERSE 66 OF THE BOOK OF ZEREF!!! I CAST THEE, THY ULTIMATE DEATH SPELL, REPENT!!!!!!" Zeref howled as his body's dark aura rose up into the sky, darkening the clouds again. And, crashing down from them was that huge pillar of negative light, and it was aimed right at Cry. 

"So, you wield darkness. I see.... then if you wield what takes away life, i'll just wield what gives life!" Cry shouted as he raised his right diamond arm straight up into the air. In a brief moment, we watched as he created something spherical in his hand before Zeref's attack engulfed him. 

"YOU STUPID CHILD!!! LET THIS BE A LESSON TO YOU AND THE REST OF YOUR IDIOTIC WORLD THAT ONE SHOULD NEVER TRIFLE WITH THE WORKS OF GODS!!!!" Zeref wailed in victory as we all began to hear someone laughing. 

"Is that so? Honestly, with this strong of a power, I do believe that you're a god. But, even with this deathly ability, it just doesn't matter to someone like me." We heard Cry said as he blasted apart Zeref's spell, reappearing as we got a better look at what he had created in his hand. 

"Is that a.... a sun?" I questioned as he had literally made a miniature sun in his hand to guard against Zeref's attack.

"Impossible....." Zeref said as he was amazed at the sight he had witnessed. 

"Let me tell you something, Zeref. Just because you're a god, that doesn't mean you're unbeatable. In my world, even though I didn't want to be, I might as well have been treated as a god myself just because of some ability I had received. But, even with the amazing powers we may possess, there will always be someone who's stronger than us. Isn't that right?" Cry said as he looked back to see Krystal give him a nod. 

"In your world, i'm sure you're worshiped as a deity. However, we are no longer in your world. As far as i'm concerned, you're just another villain for me to beat. And right now, i'm about to show you just how much stronger I am than you." Cry said as he began to approach Zeref. 

"No, stay away from me!! You're not human!!! You're a monster!!!" Zeref shouted as he fell down and began to crawl away from Cry. 

"You say you're an immortal, and if that is indeed true, then my best guess would be that you want to die? After all, if I was immortal, that's what I would want so I wouldn't have to watch all my loved ones die in front of me." Cry said as I was shocked to hear him say that. He understood Zeref completely, despite only meeting him a few minutes ago. 

"Yes.... that's correct.... and, if I help these demons win their war..... then they'll give me my death....." Zeref said as Cry caught up to him, reached down, grabbed his robes collar and picked him up. 

"A hero must do what they must to help anyone in need. And right now, I hear your cries for help. I'll give you what you want if you'll let me." Cry said to Zeref as a tear cam down Zeref's right eye. 

"You..... you'll do that..... for me?" He asked Cry as he gave him a nod. 

"How many wrong doings have you brought onto your world?" Cry asked him. 

"Too many to count...." Zeref said as he lowered his head in shame. 

"And how many of them do you regret doing?" Cry asked. 

"All of them....." Zeref said as he began to cry. 

"As I thought. I shall give you what you deserve. Let's go." Cry said as he opened a portal to his right. 

"Thank you...." Zeref said as he gave a smile to him as they both went through the portal. They were in their for only a moment and coming back through the portal alone was Cry. He closed the portal behind him and then ran back over to us. By now, Krystal and Wendy's magic had healed most of my injuries and I had some movement in my body again. 

"What did you do to him? Where did you take Zeref? Did you really kill him?" I asked as Cry shook his head. 

"Unfortunately, you just can't kill someone who's immortal. It's not possible. So, I did all that I could..... I sent him up there...." Cry said as he pointed directly upward. 

"You sent him into the sky so he'll crash down again?" Amber said but Cry shook his head again. 

"Even further. I sent him into space. I left him to drift in its endless void. His body will freeze up there and he'll lose all his senses and even the ability to think. It's the closest thing to death someone like him can get." Cry explained as I finally found the strength to sit up. 

"There, you should be fully healed now. How do you feel?" Krystal asked me as I gave her a thumbs up. 

"Just like new. Thanks, you two." I said to her and Wendy as they gave me some smiles before we all stood up to continue the battle. 

"Alright, Krystal and Cry, here's the scoop. We've been fighting for a few hours now. The kingdom was captured several days ago and the queen and princess Melty were taken prisoner by the demons. We sent a small team into their castle above us to bust them out. But, we haven't heard from them at all yet. And, on top of it all, none of the demons have showed their faces to us yet. It's only been the ones they returned with who we've fought so far, and they're proving to be a much greater hassle than we expected." I explained to them as they nodded and understood. 

"We can say this. You all did a great job keeping everything together while we tried to get back here. And now that we're back, we have a true fighting chance to take everything back and kick these demons asses!" Cry shouted as we cheered with him. 

"Alright everyone! Let's go! TO BATTLE!!!"