Fairy Tail: Master of Deceit

AN: We're 3 power stones away from another 100 so here's an advance bonus chapter. Share your thoughts and enjoy!

The dust began to settle, the haze clearing as debris crumbled from the destroyed wall. The figure standing amidst the rubble slowly came into focus.

It was Laxus.

His usual smirk was replaced with a scowl, electricity crackling dangerously around him. His sharp eyes zeroed in on Aurelius, narrowing with pure contempt.

"Well, look who's all out of tricks now," Laxus sneered, his voice laced with anger. "You've got a lot of nerve. Calling me a coward. Saying I'm scared of Phantom Lord." His words hung heavy in the air, sparking tension thicker than his magic.

Aurelius slowly stood, his expression unreadable.

"Minutes before Phantom Lord attacks, you decide to talk big," Laxus continued, stepping forward, his boots crunching over broken stone. "And here I am, picking up the mess you couldn't clean up." His tone dripped with venom.

Mystogan took a step closer to Aurelius, his staff lightly tapping the ground. Though his face was hidden, his unease was noticable. Even Jose, who had barely regained his focus, turned his head toward Laxus, intrigued by the sudden shift in the battlefield.

"Laxus," Mystogan finally said, his calm voice cutting through the tension. "This is not the time—"

"Shut it," Laxus barked, his anger now directed at Mystogan. "I don't need advice from some masked guy who shows up whenever it's convenient."

The static around Laxus crackled louder, the room growing charged with his fury. His eyes never left Aurelius as he took another step forward.

"So, Nyx," Laxus said, his tone colder than before. "You gonna run that mouth of yours again, or are you too tired from all the talking you've done today?"

Laxus' crackling energy filled the room, but Aurelius remained unfazed, standing still with an almost serene expression. The faintest hint of a smile curled on his lips, one that only seemed to fuel Laxus' anger further.

"What's so funny?" Laxus growled, his fists clenching as sparks danced along his knuckles. "You're acting real smug for someone who's about to get their teeth knocked in."

Aurelius finally spoke, his voice calm but tinged with an unsettling edge. "This… all of it… is part of the plan."

Laxus took a threatening step forward, his temper boiling over. "What plan? Letting Phantom Lord trash our guild? You've lost your mind—"

Before Laxus could finish, Aurelius suddenly stumbled backward, his smile fading as his body swayed unsteadily. His hand clutched at his head, and he muttered under his breath, his voice barely audible. "No… this isn't the right time…"

Mystogan stepped forward, concern flickering in his otherwise stoic posture. "Aurelius, what's happening?"

Aurelius didn't answer. His gaze darted between Laxus and Mystogan, his expression now deadly serious. "You two… will need to handle this. Jose, the Leviathan—they're your problem now."

"What are you talking about?" Mystogan asked, his staff faintly glowing as his magic stirred, ready for anything.

Aurelius took another shaky step back, his voice growing fainter. "There's… a bigger problem. I'll deal with it…" His legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to the ground, sitting heavily as though his body had been drained of every last drop of strength.

Laxus stared at him in disbelief, his scowl deepening. "You've got to be kidding me. You're just gonna sit there while we do all the work? Pathetic!"

Aurelius didn't respond. He closed both of his eyes, his face pale and drenched in sweat. Whatever strength he had left was focused inward, leaving no room for Laxus' berating words.

Laxus scoffed, his frustration erupting in the form of a sharp bolt of lightning that struck a nearby wall. "Coward! You talk big, but when it comes to the fight, you sit out? Some plan you've got."

Still, Aurelius remained silent, his breathing shallow but steady. His refusal to acknowledge Laxus only seemed to agitate him further.

"Save your energy for the real fight, Laxus," Mystogan said firmly. "Aurelius wouldn't say that if he didn't mean it."

Laxus growled, glaring at Mystogan before turning back to Aurelius, who remained unmoving. With a sharp exhale, he stepped away, lightning still crackling faintly around him.

"Fine," Laxus snapped. "But when this is over, you're answering for this, sh*thead."

Mystogan glanced down at Aurelius one last time before turning his attention to Jose and the Leviathan. The battle wasn't over, and whatever Aurelius is taking care of, it was clear they would have to face this next storm without him.

As the dust from Aurelius' collapse began to settle, the Leviathan let out a roar, its massive body surging forward. Its colossal tail swung wildly, smashing into walls and sending debris flying. The sheer force of its movements shook the ground, leaving destruction in its path.

Mystogan moved swiftly, his staff glowing. He stepped between the Leviathan and Aurelius, casting a protective barrier as the beast lunged forward, its jaws snapping. The barrier held, but the impact sent tremors through the air.

He countered the Leviathan's wild attacks with precision, each spell aimed to restrain the beast while keeping Aurelius out of harm's way.

Meanwhile, Jose smirked, his eyes flickering with malice as he surveyed the battlefield. He moved, ignoring the Leviathan's rampage. His focus was entirely on the Aurelius, who remained motionless sitting on the ground.

Jose raised his hand, summoning tendrils of shade magic that slithered across the floor toward Aurelius. "If I can't destroy you in whatever that place is, I'll finish the job here," he hissed.

However, before the shadows could reach their target, a blinding bolt of lightning struck the ground between them, dispersing the tendrils in an instant.

"I'm gonna be taking you down!" Laxus roared, stepping in front of Aurelius. His aura crackling with raw power as he stared down Jose with a look of pure fury.

Jose sneered, summoning another wave of shadows. "Protecting the weak? How noble of you, Laxus. But Fairy Tail is nothing but a joke now, and you're just as pathetic as the rest."

Laxus shot forward, faster than Jose could react, landing a devastating punch to Jose's gut. The Phantom Lord master staggered back, clutching his abdomen as he struggled to breathe.

"You're the joke," Laxus spat, his voice venomous. "You think trashing our guild makes you strong? All you've done is prove how desperate you are."

Jose gritted his teeth, his shade magic swirling around him as he retaliated with a barrage of ghostly spears. Laxus weaved through the attacks, closing the distance and landing another blow, this time to Jose's chest.

"Fairy Tail's weak?!" Laxus shouted, his fists glowing with lightning. "Then explain why you're losing to me!"

Jose growled, the pain in his abdomen intensifying. Each movement sent searing agony through his body—his neck throbbed as if it had been severed, his right arm ached as though it had been torn apart, and his abdomen burned like a blade had pierced it.

He staggered, his breaths ragged, as he clutched at his neck, trying to suppress the phantom pain. "This… this is really impossible…" Jose muttered, his voice trembling with pain.

Laxus didn't let up, his relentless assault driving Jose further back. "What's wrong? Feeling weak now? Or is it that you can't handle the fact that Fairy Tail's not the punching bag you thought it was?"

As Laxus' fists connected again and again, Jose's fury grew. The pain in his body, both physical and mental, was unbearable. He couldn't shake the vivid memory of Aurelius' illusion—the sensation of his arm being severed, his neck sliced, his life slipping away. It was all too real, and yet here he stood, tormented by a battle that had never truly happened.

The Leviathan roared again, its massive tail slamming into the ground, narrowly missing Mystogan. The mage countered with a flurry of spells, trapping the beast momentarily as he called out, "Laxus, finish him quickly! This thing won't stay down for long!"

Laxus glanced back, his scowl deepening. "Don't tell me what to do!" He turned his focus back to Jose, who was struggling to regain his footing.

"You're done, f*cker," Laxus growled, his body crackling with even greater power. "You don't mess with me and walk away."

With a final roar, Laxus charged, his body a blur of lightning as he prepared to deliver a decisive strike. The battlefield crackled with intensity as the fight raged on.

As Laxus surged forward, his lightning-charged fist ready to deliver the final blow, Jose suddenly let out an enraged roar. His expression twisted with fury, his voice dripping with venom as he berated his opponents.

"You think this is over?" Jose spat, his voice filled with disdain. "You pathetic wretches—Laxus, Mystogan, and you—" his eyes flicked toward Aurelius' still form, "don't think for a second you've won anything! This entire guild of yours is nothing but a den of fools!"

Without waiting for a response, Jose's body began to pulse with dark energy. The air around him crackled with malicious intent as he raised his arms high. "Enough of this charade!" he bellowed. Shadows stretched and twisted across the battlefield, pulling toward him like rivers flowing into the ocean.

The Leviathan, still raging and thrashing under Mystogan's spells, suddenly stopped. With a growl, it dissolved into a mass of writhing darkness, drawn back into Jose's body. The phantom shades that had been battling Fairy Tail mages throughout Magnolia also vanished in an instant, leaving their opponents stunned and disoriented. Even the clone shade fighting Natsu's group dissipated, its energy returning to its master.

Jose stood in the center of the battlefield, now radiating an overwhelming aura. His wounds seemed to mend as his ethernano reserves surged to dangerous levels. The air grew heavy with the weight of his power.

Magnolia's Battlefield

The back of the Fairy tail guild hall were in chaos, with Fairy Tail mages struggling to hold their ground. Phantom shades loomed like silent specters, their dark forms overwhelming even the most seasoned fighters. Explosions of magic lit up the cobblestones, and the cries of battle echoed.

Among the defenders, Cana stood near the backlines, her barrel of cards in her hands. She ducked behind cover, her breath coming in sharp gasps as the relentless assault continued. Despite the chaos, her thoughts wandered, swirling with worry.

"Mira and Lucy…" The image of her friends flashed in her mind. She remembered how they'd been captured earlier, snatched away by some sort of teleportation magic. Her grip tightened on her cards. "Where are they now?"

Her focus snapped back as a shade lunged toward her. Reacting quickly, she hurled a card infused with ethernano, the resulting explosion tearing through the phantom attacker. Yet even as she destroyed it, another took its place. Her heart sank.

Fairy Tail was being pushed back, corner by corner. It felt as though the enemy's numbers were endless. Cana gritted her teeth, forcing herself to remain calm. "We can't lose here. We're Fairy Tail."

But just as despair began to settle in, something unexpected happened. The shades all stopped moving. For a moment, there was an eerie stillness—then, one by one, the phantoms dissolved into wisps of black smoke, vanishing completely.

The battlefield fell silent.

Cana stood frozen, her card clutched tightly in her hand. Around her, the other mages stared in confusion, their enemies disappearing before their eyes. "What… what just happened?" someone murmured.

"Did we win?" another mage asked, his voice cautious, almost disbelieving.

Then, as if on cue, the realization struck them all at once. The tension broke, and a cheer erupted across the battlefield.

"We did it!" one mage shouted. "Jose's been taken down!"

"Yeah! That must've been Aurelius! He got him!"

Cana's chest heaved as she tried to process the sudden turn of events. Relief washed over her, but it was tinged with doubt. She stared at the fading shadows, her gut telling her this wasn't over. "Aurelius may have struck a blow, but this fight… it doesn't feel finished."

Despite her unease, she joined the others in their cheers, if only to buy herself a moment to breathe.

Natsu's Group – Phantom Lord's Fortress

The battlefield within the Phantom Lord fortress was just as chaotic as Magnolia. Natsu and Happy were locked in a brutal clash against Gajeel, their fiery assaults clashing with the relentless iron strikes of the Phantom Lord dragon slayer. Each blow sent shockwaves through the halls.

Nearby, Erza faced off against Aria, the leader of the Elemental 4. His Airspace Magic was difficult to counter, specially with Gajeel and the shade clone of Jose, interfering when she is about to finish the battle.

Meanwhile, Elfman, Gray, and Sagittarius fought the shade clone of Jose. Gray unleashed ice constructs, keeping the shade at bay, while Elfman's Partial Take Over magic delivered crushing blows. Sagittarius fired precise arrow after arrow, following Lucy's commands. All the while, Mira stood at the sidelines, her hands clasped together, visibly worried.

The air crackled with tension as the battle raged on. Each Fairy Tail mage fought with everything they had, but the oppressive presence of the shade made the fight feel never-ending.

Then, it happened.

The shade clone froze mid-attack, its ghostly form flickering erratically. In an instant, it dissolved into black mist and vanished completely.

Everyone stopped.

"What the...?" Elfman muttered, his fists still raised in preparation for another strike.

Gray narrowed his eyes at the spot where the shade had been. "Did we… win?"

Happy, perched on Natsu's shoulder, pointed toward the dissipating mist. "Look! It's gone!"

Natsu grinned wide, his flames surging brighter. "Aurelius did it! He took Jose down!"

The group broke into cheers, with Elfman pumping his fists and Lucy letting out a relieved sigh. Even Mira's tense expression softened as hope began to replace her worry.

However, not everyone was celebrating.

Gajeel froze, his iron scales gleaming in the dim light as disbelief washed over his face. "What are you talking about?" he growled. "The master can't be beaten by that trickster."

Meanwhile, Erza's voice cut through the brief celebration like a blade. "Don't lower your guard." Her crimson gaze darted to the mist left behind by the shade. "Jose won't go down that easily."

Mira nodded silently, her unease returning.

Aria, who had been dodging Erza's attacks, suddenly stopped mid-air. A sinister smile spread across his face as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, as though sensing something far away. When he opened them again, his expression turned into one of mock pity.

"How foolish," Aria said softly, his voice carrying an ominous weight. "Jose… is not defeated. In fact, you should be mourning your little illusionist. He's as good as dead."

The statement froze the Fairy Tail mages in place.

"What do you mean?!" Natsu roared, flames exploding around him.

Aria ignored him, his gaze distant as he continued. "Master Jose has recalled all of his shades… He's restored his full strength. That guy? He's finished. How sorrowful..."

The celebration quickly evaporated, replaced by cold dread.

Erza's grip on her sword tightened, her knuckles turning white. "If Jose's recalling all his shades, then—"

Gajeel didn't give her the chance to finish. With a roar, he launched himself at Natsu, his iron-coated fist smashing into the fire dragon slayer and sending him skidding across the floor.

"Enough talk!" Gajeel shouted, his eyes blazing with fury. "Let's finish this!"

At the same time, Aria surged forward toward Erza, his magic swirling ominously around him. "I warned you. Now you face oblivion!"

The battle reignited with even more ferocity, the Fairy Tail mages struggling to regain their footing as their enemies pressed the attack.

Back to the Main Chamber.

"This is when the real fight begins!" Jose declared. His eyes turned pitch black, the sclera and iris alike consumed by the abyss. The sheer force of his magical pressure caused cracks to spread across the ground beneath him.

Without warning, Jose unleashed a devastating blast of magic. The energy surged forward in a spiraling torrent of darkness, striking Laxus square in the chest before he could react. The impact sent him flying back several meters, crashing into the debris of the ruined guild hall.

"Damn it!" Laxus groaned, struggling to rise. His body sparked with lightning as he fought to steady himself, but the sheer force of the blast had left him momentarily winded.

Jose didn't stop. With a wave of his hand, another torrent of dark energy shot toward Mystogan and Aurelius. Mystogan's eyes narrowed beneath his mask, his staff glowing with brilliant light as he planted it firmly into the ground.

"Three Layered Magic Circle: Mirror Water!" Mystogan chanted, summoning three concentric circles of glowing, reflective energy before him. The incoming magic collided with the first layer, rippling across its surface like water. The second and third layers shimmered in response, amplifying the spell's deflection.

The reflected magic surged back toward Jose, but he merely raised his arm, absorbing the attack. The collision of magic sent shockwaves rippling through the battlefield, causing dust and debris to scatter.

Mystogan turned his head slightly, glancing at Aurelius, who remained seated on the ground, his eyes tightly closed. "Get up, Aurelius," he said firmly. "This isn't the time."

Aurelius didn't respond. His breathing was shallow, his focus entirely inward as though wrestling with something far beyond the current battle. 

Jose sneered, his darkened eyes narrowing as he surveyed his opponents. "You think you can stop me with tricks and toys? Let's see how long you can hold out before I bury this pathetic guild once and for all!"

With a determined glare, Mystogan summoned five glowing staves, positioning them in a tight circle around Jose.

Laxus surged forward, lightning crackling around him. "I've had enough of this!" He leaped into the circle, fists glowing with electricity, aiming for Jose.

"Laxus, get out!" Mystogan shouted, his voice commanding.

Laxus hesitated before darting back out of the circle. Mystogan's staves began to hum with energy, the air growing heavy with an unearthly force.

"I'll show you magic," Mystogan declared, his voice reverberating with power. "Magic from a world beyond your understanding."

Suddenly, Jose's surroundings changed. He was propelled high into the air, floating in the vast emptiness of space. Four glowing belts of light wrapped around him, binding him in place. Before him, a massive tear appeared in the fabric of space itself. From within the rift, a colossal demon emerged, its claws reaching out to devour him.

Jose let out a sharp laugh, his voice echoing in the surreal void. "An illusion? Is this the best you can do? Compared to that brat's illusions, this is nothing!"

With a roar, Jose shattered the illusion, the bindings dissolving as the vision of space collapsed around him.

The moment he broke free, his senses snapped back to reality—just in time to see Laxus mere inches from his face, his fist crackling with electricity, ready to strike.

Jose's heart dropped. He couldn't react in time.

But just as Laxus's attack was about to connect, everyone's eyes widened in shock.

A blur of movement.

Aurelius.

In a flash, Aurelius was beside Mystogan. Without hesitation, he swung his fist, striking Mystogan with a force that sent him crashing into the wall.

Mystogan's staves went down, the energy they had gathered dissipating into nothingness.

"What… the hell?" Laxus growled, freezing mid-strike as he turned to glare at Aurelius.

Aurelius stood still, his face unreadable as he slowly spoke. "It's been years since I've graced this world," Aurelius spoke, his voice hollow and cold, completely devoid of any emotion.

Bonus Chapter:

103 more power stones for a bonus chapter.

36: Demon's Fury

37: Shadows of the Mind(Changed it)

38: Final Judgement