Awesome / Fairy May Cry: Devil's Retribution

Fairy May Cry: Devil's Retribution

Seven Year Gap

• Ch 1: The Empty Seven Years
  • Dante shutting up two obnoxious girls who were complaining about their fathers right after Lucy learned Jude had died with a shot from Ivory and Death Glare.
  • Makarov brings Mirajane, Erza, Lady and Trish with him to see Twilight Ogre, the Loan Shark who were harassing Fairy Tail over the years. Rather than simply beat them up like in canon, the group took the time to research their records to find several inconsistencies, and make the logical argument they could have gotten more money from Fairy Tail if they had simply waited for them to recover. They even manage to turn it around, pointing out all the damage done to the guild hall as well as the physical and emotional abuse they subjected its members to means Twilight Ogre actually owes them money. While they could bring the Rune Knights to deal with this, they simply state 'that's not how we roll' before delivering an offscreen beatdown to the whole guild.
• Ch 2: A Girl Named Patty
  • The chapter opens with Dante and Lucy effortlessly dispatching a group of demons in a bar. The latter even notes how weak they were compared to the likes of Devil Hand and Grimoire Heart, showing that while she is Overshadowed by Awesome in Fairy Tail she is still very much a force to be reckoned with.
  • We get to see an assembly of the ten Wizard Saints, giving us a preview of their magic much earlier than canon. Among them is Kurenai, guild master of Mermaid Heel who not only is strong enough to outrank God Serena, she can even get him to shut up with a few words.
    • The meeting reveals that Crime Sorciére has been quite active, hunting down scores of dark guilds in the absence of the Baram Alliance (the Oración Seis and Grimoire Heart were defeated while Tartaros went into hiding) while simultaneously evading the Rune Knights. They even have two extra members this time, Wendy's friend Sheree and Sorano, whose Heel–Face Turn seems to have stuck.
    • Word of God posted the official rankings for the Wizard Saints as of the chapter, and despite being gone for seven years Makarov still ranks third! The only ones above him are God Serena and Kurenai, indicating that even with seven years to grow none of the others were able to surpass him.
  • Dante and Lucy acting as a badass devil hunting duo, anticipating each move their opponent and the other will make. Throughout the chapter it's clear that both are in complete control of the situation.
    • Dante shows off his typical combat prowess, only needing Ebony and Ivory to deal with all the demons encountered, only using Rebellion at the end to vent some anger. He also gets a chance to show off his experience at the more cerebral parts of being a demon slaying mercenary, quickly detecting the presence of any hidden enemies and successfully deducing and dealing with each deception encountered.
    • For her part, Lucy shows she can keep up with her cousin in terms of guile, despite lacking his experience, clearly keeping pace with his deductions and easily coordinating her tactics with his.
    • The two chewing out the actual Patty Lowell for putting a child at risk for the sake of some money. The woman decides to provide Patty (the child) a regular allowance in remorse.
  • When Sid holds Lucy at gunpoint, she shows no fear, instead calmly talking about the power of her spirits and how how they can summon themselves to fight, causing Sid to back down. Later she easily drives him off when he threatens Patty.
• Ch 3: Not Love
  • After Trish criticizes the ineffectiveness of Lucy's current whip, Capricorn comes with an upgrade in the form of the Morningstar, an anti-demon chain-whip forged by Sparda himself and passed down through the Heartfilia family. Against non-demonic targets it is strong enough to destroy a tree-stump with a single swing, while demons freaking explode when hit by it. Lucy finally has a hard-hitting offensive option outside of her spirits.
  • Throughout the chapter Romeo shows how far he came in the past seven years, sparring evenly with Wendy while showing the impressive variety of his flame magic, including green flames that can create solid constructs. Not only is he confident enough in his skills to join a group of Fairy Tail's most badass members on a job, but he manages to contribute just as much as the others in each of the fights, showing his confidence is well-founded.
  • Natsu's nose is sensitive enough that he can tell that several demons were at each of the crime scenes despite some of them being from days ago, and that while Brad is a demon, his scent is not among those at the crime scenes.
  • Brad mentions that even in the Underworld, Acnologia's name is known and feared. Fairy Tail surviving an encounter with him is a feat in itself.
  • Brad was willing to turn against his master Belphegor to save Angelina even before Fairy Tail offer to help, despite only having healing powers. Everyone, especially Elfman, praises him for this.
  • The fight against Belphegor, with everyone getting good hits in. When it looks like the demons Healing Factor will prolong the fight Modeus suggests they attack him from the inside. While several of the others manage to hold to higher-level demon in place Dante and Lucy deal the final blow to the demons core with Rebellion and the Morningstar respectively.
    Dante: I'm sure it must have been a long journey.
    Lucy: Too bad Earthland is off-limits to the likes of you! So we'll have to ask you to leave!
  • Minor, but Angelina standing up to her controlling father, telling him she's leaving to be with Brad whether he likes it or not.
• Ch 4: Be Careful What you Wish For
  • Dante and Erza deliberately get arrested to get inside Devil's Prison and talk to Kerry. Despite the guards confiscating their weapons and sealing Erza's magic, the two still effortlessly dispatch the demon guards during the game of 'Tag', even being disappointed at how easy it was.
    • They then proceed to trick the guards into releasing the prisoners before revealing they called the Rune Knights to shut them down.
  • The other members of the Strongest Team manage to deduce how the masked demon works after a brief encounter with it and its Jackass Genie act. They later exploit its tendency to grant the 'wish' for others to die (unintentionally) to get it to reveal itself in the middle of a bar while in the presence of the others, confirming its existence (clearing Kerry's name) and setting up an ambush at the same time.
• Ch 5: The Poker King and The Rock Queen
  • Kings MO is equal parts clever and horrifying, giving several gamblers luck boosting trinkets that lets it absorb their souls whenever they lose, giving it a low-risk method of gathering power. It even manages set up Fairy Tail, sending the wife of one of its victims to hire them and enclosing one of said cursed items, and makes sure they emit his power all throughout the fight, preventing Natsu or Wendy from pinpointing it by scent. Said curse even manages to affect Dante forcing Erza to kill him and trigger the curse and giving King the opportunity to absorb his soul.
    • ...which Fairy Tail were counting on. Turns out they discovered the effects of the item before they arrived on the boat, and had Dante deliberately use it before Erza would 'kill' him. In reality she just impaled him (which he can easily survive) and broke the cursed item, preventing it from taking effect, all to lure in King and ambush him with all their current team.
  • The other team have to deal with a Siren (a sound-based demon) that has possessed a singer named Elena. After learning her origins they quickly set up an ambush and restrain it long enough for Mira to exorcise the demon from Elena's body, leaving the others free to deal with the demon without worrying about the victim.
    • Levy and Lady really shine here, the former countering the sirens scream with a 'Silence' spell and the latter dealing the finishing blow with a Steel Devil Blade to the throat.
    • Minor, but after hearing one of Elena's songs once Gajeel is able to perfectly replicate the sound on a guitar, to the point where the Siren-possessed Elena mistakes the song as being from one of her albums. Mans is a surprisingly talented musician.
  • Overlaps with funny, but at the end of the chapter Natsu reveals that after having the rules of poker explained to him, he was able to figure out most of the tricks used by the high level players based solely on his hearing. That's right, Natsu essentially became a master poker player after observing a single game, to everyone's shock.

Order of the Sword

• Ch 6: Father's Memento
  • Nero's Establishing Character Moment, easily dispatching a group of demons using hand-to-hand, the environment and the demons themselves as weapons, even ripping off the blade on one of their arms. What's more, he did all this without a weapon on him and one arm in a cast, just so he could keep his promise to his girlfriend. Man is a grade-A badass!
  • Dante being Genre Savvy enough to be suspicious enough of Michelle's sudden appearance, asking Macao and Morrison to do a background check to be safe. To his credit, Macao was already planning to do so, showing he's learned to be cautious over the years. While Michelle ends up being on the level, it was smart of them all to preemptively check a potential problem.
  • When Fairy Tail is called in to deal with bandits, they quickly set up a solid plan for an ambush. Even after the distraction fails, they still manage to deal with the bandits with ease, with everyone treating them as more of a nuisance than a threat. Even Michelle gets a moment to shine, using the cart to try and run over the bandit leader.
    Dante: So much for exercise.
• Ch 7: Turbulent Showdown! Dante vs Laxus!
  • Lady getting to officially break in her Steel Devil Slayer Magic on a mission, facing off against the Vanish brothers (non-magical mercenaries previously fought by Natsu) who had seven years to hone their skills. While she has some initial difficulty with their frying pan and teamwork, she quickly turns the tables with her new abilities, eating part of said Attack Reflector, tanking their punches with steel skin (which was hard enough to break their bones,) and finishing them off with her Steel Devil Void Blade.
  • Then comes the titular battle and it does not disappoint! Seeing two of Fairy Tails strongest members (former and present) is awe-inspiring, with the two showing impressive skills both in melee and with their respective magical and demonic powers.
    • On Laxus' end, the man shows impressive speed, power, and skill with lightning, which Trish admits is superior to hers. After an initial exchange with Dante, he reveals he planted a trap that immobilizes and shocks the devil hunter, leaving him open for two powerful attacks, showing he's just as smart as he is strong. He also makes excellent use of his Ride the Lightning as a form of Flash Step, letting him match Dante's speed with Beowulf equipped. Hell, Dante even compares his prowess to Vergil, high praise given brothers power.
    • Of course, Dante is no slouch either, managing to take the lightning trap and the following hits without injury and pulling off a Punch Catch with a nonchalant 'huh, tickled'. He then uses Quicksilver and Beowulf to get an edge. When using just the latter the two fighters become little more than a series of blurs and shockwaves to everyone watching. When Laxus launches a bolt of lightning at him, Dante uses Nevan to pull off a Catch and Return, exploiting the fact that Dragon Slayers can't eat the element their attacks produce while giving it a boost for extra damage. Laxus is impressed.
    • Laxus decides to kick things up a notch, revealing he can access a proper Dragon Force at will (complete with yellow scales), especially impressive considering he did so as an artificial Dragon Slayer when not even Natsu can activate his on command yet. For his part, Dante is matches him by breaking out his Devil Trigger. The two charge up their attacks before lunging at one another, eager to take the fight to the next level.
  • Makarov intervenes before the fight can go any further, halting the two powerful warriors in their tracks without visible strain, being more annoyed at the two than anything. That's right, Makarov stepped between two of Fairy Tails most powerful members (literally stepped between) in their respective Super Mode's as they were in full charge and stopped them both in their tracks! The mans ranked third amongst the Wizard Saints for a damn good reason.
• Ch 8: The Order of the Sword
  • Fairy Tail's initial skirmish with the Order of the Sword is a far cry from the humiliating Curb-Stomp Battle they suffered from the Legion Platoon in canon. While initially caught off guard and having some members incapacitated, they quickly turn the tables to the point that only Nero is in fighting shape, and Mary Hughes is desperate enough to try to take Patty hostage. Special mention to Lucy for escaping and fighting off Mary Hughes on her own, only needing a momentary distraction.
  • While reckless and poorly though out, Michelle's plan to take the clock piece to lure away the Order of the Sword members was gutsy, which Lucy and Trish commend her for, though they still advise her to think things through in future.
  • Despite his ridiculous appearance and his Hound Dogs disgusting appearance}}, Sugarboy proves to be a formidable opponent, managing to fend off Natsu, Levy, and Trish at once. His 'Hound Dogs' can absorb the magical power of his opponents, protecting him from their attacks and quickly incapacitating anyone the slime catches, even the likes of Elfman and Mira. With some backup later he even holds his own against Natsu, Modeus, Gray, and Juvia.
  • Trish has improved her Ride the Lightning powers to the point where she can bring passengers, even if it is somewhat more taxing.
  • Wendy and Romeo showing impressive teamwork while fighting Coco. While the latter initially runs rings around them, Wendy's uses her magic to boost their speed enough to match hers, allowing the two to land several hits with impressive coordination. The final hit has Romeo use blue flames to trip up the speedster, letting Wendy launch her away with a Sky Dragon Roar.
  • While brief, Byro's fight with Gilarts is one for both of them. Byro's Anti-Magic lets him nullify even Gilarts magic, forcing the latter to stick to hand-to-hand. And the fact that Gildarts could match Byro, even though the latter is stated to 'have trained in every form of mortal combat'.
  • Credo makes his debut by challenging Erza to a fight and putting her on the defensive despite having no magic or demonic power. Erza herself even calls his swordsmanship perfect, high praise given she's fought the like of Dante and Vergil. Credo then reveals his sword, Durandal can shift between flame, ice, and wind modes, letting him match the versatility of her armors, which Erza even compares to Erza Knightwalkers weapon. The man is very much an Adaptational Badass.
  • Mary Hughes displays impressive evasive skills, managing to last a while against Trish, Capricorn and Lucy despite losing her wand, with the three being unable to land a solid hit throughout the encounter. And while it was a low blow her use of Michelle as a human shield against Trish lets her quickly gain control of the She-Devil and impale Capricorn.
    • Who then gets his own moment when he grabs one of Trish's pistols and uses it to shoot Mary Hughes in the arm, forcing her to drop the wand and free Trish. He did all this right after being impaled, in the short window before being sent back to the Celestial Spirit realm and even made time to reassure Trish. The goat is a legend.
    • Fed up with Mary Hughes' attitude Trish wastes no time flash stepping right next to her and shocking her unconscious. After spending a whole chapter being a colossal Jerkass, it was cathartic to see the woman get her just deserts so soon.
  • Throughout the chapter, Nero manages to clash fairly evenly with Dante, with the two trading blows with swords, guns and hand-to-hand. As they shoot at one another they both avoid damage by dodging the bullets, slicing them with their sword, and shooting them down with more bullets. Then Nero starts using his Devil Bringer, managing to score several good hits in on Dante, though to the mans credit, he adapts quickly.
    • The fight actually ends in a victory for Nero, who after getting fed up with the whole situation proceeds to grab Dante with his Devil Bringer and slam him headfirst into the ground, before pummeling him multiple times before slamming a boulder on top of him. He then proceeds to find beat Trish unconscious, tangles Lucy in the Morningstar, and takes the clock piece before signaling the others that the mission was accomplished.
    • For his part, Dante seems none the worse for wear after the above beatdown, being more concerned for Lucy's safety. It's likely that Nero's victory was mainly because he managed to get away long enough to finish his mission.
• Ch 9: Key of the Starry Heaven
  • Villainous example. The hooded figure destroying churches is revealed to be Gilver, who somehow survived his fight with Dante, and announces his presence by cutting the church in half. He then proceeds to deliver a Curb-Stomp Battle to the nearby Rune Knights, showcasing his katana has various elemental powers.
  • The entire fight with Dante, Natsu and Erza against Nero, Samuel and Dan, with both sides displaying good teamwork, covering their allies and switching opponents on the fly.
    • Despite his silly attitude Dan proves to be a very effective fighter. Throughout the fight he displays clever use of his shield and lance (which lets him alter the size of objects he hits) to hold his own against Dante and even manages to incapacitate Erza.
    • For his part, Dante manages to quickly get around Dan's shield with a well timed use of Doppelgänger, something the latter complements him on. He then opts to disengage to get the book rather than continue the fight.
    • Natsu manages to punch clash with Nero's Devil Bringer and the two break even, both being sent flying.
  • Another title for the chapter could be 'Samuel being a badass'. The Exceed managed to to correctly predict every move the heroes made, setting up ambushes with the Angelo's and intercepting them himself each time.
    • He manages to catch the Devil Sword Sparda when Trish takes a swing at him. He then proceeds to go toe-to-toe with Lady, and quickly deduces her status as an Empowered Badass Normal, before exploiting her inexperience to get a few good hits in.
    • After getting his hands on 'The Key of the Starry Heavens', he quickly starts to read it, not even flinching when Fairy Tail try to attack him, confident his allies will protect them. After a minute he simply tosses the book over to the members of Fairy Tail, stating he's already memorized it.
  • The simple fact that Lady can now form an anti-demon rocket launcher from her hands. Shame it didn't help much against Samuel.
  • While the villains got away, Gray shows impressive foresight and manages to freeze one of the Angelo soldiers in place in all the confusion, giving the heroes a source of information. This manages to tip them (and the watching Nero) off to the fact that the Order is up to something sinister with demonic energy.
• Ch 10: Journey for the Clock
  • Played for Laughs but it took a dedicated team of archaeologists to determine the locations of one or two locations from 'The Key of the Starry Heavens', while Lucy mentioned she figured out all of them as a child.
    • Could also count as one for Samuel, who was able to do the same despite having read the book once less than a day prior.
  • Panther-Lily, Modeus and team Shadow Gear go to find Gajeel to help out with the current crisis. It turns out he was training under a waterfall on a mountain to let lightning strike him just to boost his resistance to it. Modeus and Panther-Lily are impressed.
  • Lyon gets one for being the first person to break free of Sugarboy's Hound Dogs. He does this by overfilling them with his magic, freezing them solid. Mans has not been idle the past seven years.
  • Juvia really shines throughout the chapter, quickly deducing the weakness of the guardian as well as the solutions to each of the puzzles at the ruins. She also has the distinction of being the first to realize the Angelo's Achilles' Heel, which she relays to the others, turning the tide of the battle. Special mention for how she deals with the one attacking her, simply letting its lance pass through her, before using her water body to enter its armor and making it burst from the inside. The girl is not to be messed with.
• Ch 11: Fairies Demons and Angels
  • While Dante and Natsu engage Nero and Dan, the rest of their team fend off Coco and the Angelo soldiers. Romeo really shines in the fight, exploiting the Angelo soldiers use of their wings as shields to ground one when it blocks his blue flames and making clever use of the environment to finish off two. The lad really knows how to use his arsenal.
  • When an Alto Angelo attacks her and Coco, Lucy proves capable of dispatching it within seconds with the Morningstar. No allies or spirits required, she was able to pull this off all on her own. She really has grown into her family's legacy.
  • Natsu's fight with Dan is one for both sides.
    • While thrown off by Dans combination of abilities, Natsu quickly adapts, maneuvering around the shifting battlefield and aiming at Dans surroundings to open up his defenses without leaving himself open to his Attack Reflector. He even manages to bypass the mans defenses and land a solid hit early on!
    • Meanwhile, Dan makes good use of his shield and lance to match Natsu, preventing the Dragon-Slayer from landing any more solid hits, and managing to shrug off the one he did land. In the end, Natsu and Lisanna resort to exploiting his personality flaws to net a win, showing how formidable he actually is in a fight.
  • Credo and Erza's second fight, during which the former breaks out his Angelo form. He then proceeds to overwhelm the mighty Titania, outmatching (and in some cases breaking) each and every weapon and armor she uses in their fight. By the end, she can barely stand, while he isn't even out of breath. The man is the Supreme General of the Order of the Sword for a damn good reason.
    • Despite this, Erza does not stay down, discarding her armor and using her Spectral Sword: Crimson Blossom for one last exchange with Credo. The two flash past one another, slashing with their swords and Erza falls to her knees... right before Credo collapses, losing his Angelo form with a slash wound on his chest. Despite having taken much more damage over the course of their battle, Erza still managed to pull off a win!
    • Related to the above, but when Erza admits Credo was right when he said many others might have surpassed her in the seven years she was gone, Milliana says she still can't see herself beating her old friend. Even seven years isn't enough time to surpass the mighty Titania.
  • Dante's rematch with Nero has him make much greater use of his arsenal, and he clearly holds the upper hand throughout the entire fight, overwhelming the younger devil hunter. Even after being surprised by his Energy Absorption, he quickly adapts, dodging the attack and sticking to melee for the rest of the fight. At one point he manages to catch a punch from Nero's Devil Bringer, before saying while he was caught off guard last time, now he knows what Nero is. Upon Nero asking what that is he responds 'Inexperienced' before knocking back with Rebellion and finishing him off with a Million Stab.
    • That's not to say Nero was a chump during the fight either. Despite having it for a short time, he makes good use of his Devil Bringer for both offense and maneuverability, managing to last longer than most against the son of Sparda. He also discovers his Devil Bringer can absorb demonic energy against Agni and Rudra, negating the damage and giving a boost to his spectral arms next attack, catching Dante off guard.
• Ch 12: Calculations and Faith
  • Dante mentions that after reaching a certain level, warriors are capable of reading opponents intentions merely from clashing with one another, something he's been able to do for a while. Nero is surprised someone else can do that, showing how proficient he is despite his own relative inexperience.
  • Kyrie shows off her resourcefulness, having managed to gather several maps of Fortuna and quickly determined a solid plan to investigate the Orders plans in the few hours since Nero saw her. She even manages to locate one of the Hellgates, deduces Credo's involvement from Berials remark. Nero's praise of her intelligence and resourcefulness is clearly well founded.
  • While Shadow Gear and Gajeel look for the clock piece and Panther-Lily faces off against Samuel, Modeus deals with five Angelos by himself, and only has moderate difficulty dealing with them. Usually it took a group of mages to deal with them, but the apprentice of Sparda merely remarked that since they're not alive, he has no reason to hold back.
  • Team Shadow Gear quickly solve the required puzzle, and when the guardian (a giant statue of Sparda) shows up they waste no time combating it, showing impressive teamwork, despite not having fought together in years. While their efforts are unsuccessful, credit to Droy at least for his plants managing to hold the thing in place for the rest of the fight.
  • Samuel continues to be a formidable adversary, successfully anticipating every move Panther-Lily makes, putting the more experienced Exceed on the defensive. Even when Modeus joins in he manages to hold his own against the two master swordsmen, simultaneously managing to herd them away from their friends while doing so.
  • Modeus and Gajeel dealing with guardian using their strongest attacks. Modeus' Lunar Goddess of the Hunt: Artemis breaks straight through its sword and chest, right before Gajeel uses Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Demon Iron God Sword (making a blade half as tall as the statue) to obliterate its head.
  • The above causes Samuel have the start of a breakdown over his calculations being incorrect, and Panther-Lily is able to easily overwhelm him. To add insult to injury, he makes sure to put away his sword, only needing his fists for the subsequent thrashing.
  • The security for the clock piece Freed's group found is simple, but impressive, being underneath a heavy cap at the bottom of a lake, meaning whoever was after it would need to hold their breath while lifting said, even before taking into account the pressure from the water. And Freed manages to bypass it with a clever application of his Jutsu-Shiki, making the whole thing look easy.
  • When Mary Hughes and her Angelo soldiers attack the group at the lake, they manage to deal with both with little trouble. Special credit to Bickslow, who uses his Magical Eye to possess one of the Angelos, and points out he can use multiple puppets to Mary's one, right before getting his 'babies' to blast her.
  • While the whole scene was horrifying, credit to Mary for managing to turn the tables on Fairy Tail by 'exorcising' Mira's Satan Soul (essentially turning it into her puppet) and using it deliver a Curb-Stomp Battle on the members of Fairy Tail present. Could also count as one for Mira, given her power alone was enough to overwhelm most of her teammates.
    • With the exception of Freed, who actually manages to hold his own against the power of one of Fairy Tails S-Class mages, matching Satan Souls mobility and power with clever use of his Jutsu-Shiki. Even Mary complements him, comparing him to Credo, which, as we saw from the last chapter, is high praise indeed.
  • After Mary starts to gloat about having forced Freed to act as a human shield, Mira is livid, and decides to break out her Satan Soul: Halphas. After casually deflecting Puppet!Satan Souls attack she proceeds to give Mary a scathing "The Reason You Suck" Speech, calling her out on how she is a cruel, petty Jerkass who insults Sparda by claiming to fight in his name. What follows is one of the most one-sided beatdowns in the story, with Mary desperately using her Conducting Art: Third Movement to absorb Satan Soul into herself in an attempt to even the odds. While the two become little more than blurs to everyone else, Mira is still very much on top of the fight.
    Mira(about Third Movement): So this is what you call a "sin"?
    • She then proceeds to blast her out of Satan Soul, before declaring her Not Worth Killing, saying instead she will have to live with the weight of her sins. After spending the entire arc as a smug, cowardly bitch, it was incredibly satisfying to see Mary receive such a thorough verbal and physical beatdown.
    • All of the above shows just why Mira was considered Erza's rival. The woman is scary when she's pissed.
• Ch 13: The Holy War Begins
  • Far from being a pet, Kanaloa (Byro's octopus) proves to be a capable combatant, displaying expert use of his tentacles and ink as a high pressure attack, the latter of which proves capable of stalemating Aquarius. Throughout the encounter, he puts the alliance of Fairy Tail and Order of the Sword members on the back foot, requiring teamwork and strategy to take down.
    • As a nice Call-Back, and a sign of her Character Development, Lucy cuts her own palm to use her blood as a medium to summon Aquarius, not even flinching when doing so. What's more, the formerly abrasive spirit obeys her suggestions with minimal backtalk, showing that her respect for her companion has stuck.
    • The actual plan to take down Kanaloa deserves mention. While Aquarius keeps him occupied with a water vs ink clash Lucy and Romeo bind his tentacles (showing impressive strength doing so) and Happy and Coco hit his eyes. This leaves him open for Dante to unleash a full-powered strike from Beowolf, sending the beast through several buildings. Even Byro is impressed.
  • Byro in general, proving capable of fending off Fairy Tail and the Order of the Sword members simultaneously with little difficulty. While the others deal with Kanaloa, he effortlessly fends of the combined attacks of Natsu, Dan, and Nero, showing precise control of his Anti-Magic to nullify their attacks, and masterful use of his staff and hand-to-hand to trounce them in melee, taking exactly one hit when surprised by Nero's Devil Bringer. Dan even mentions that he previously rejected an offer to become a Wizard Saint, which the others note would put him in the same league as Makarov. Even when everyone gangs up on him, he continues to fend them off without losing his composure, noting he's fought larger groups before and that this barely counts as a warmup.
  • The above prompts Dante to request the others let him handle this, and actually matches the man blow-for-blow, even with all his demonic abilities nullified. He even manages to bring Byro to his knees, to the Order members shock.
    • What's more, when Byro rants at the 'guild rats' for interfering in the Orders 'holy mission', as well as declaring them unfit to save the world on account of primarily working for money, the son of Sparda wastes no time ripping into him for his Knight Templar attitude, pointing out how his willingness to sacrifice himself and others is both short-sighted and little better than murder.. Even better, the rest of Fairy Tail join in in refuting his claims, each one getting a great verbal shot in, with special mention to Lisanna.
      Lisanna: This is righteous?! I've heard that whole excuse before too! For two whole years in Edolas, I've seen it myself! Those in power making the weak suffer in the name of some fake righteousness! Any path that takes innocent lives will never lead to the greater good! It creates nothing but a cycle of pain, suffering, and hate. And if you're willing to go along with that cycle, what does that say about you?! Every living thing; human, demon, dragon, Exceed, even animals are all born to follow any path they want! It's the same for us so-called 'guild rats'! We decided to use our power to help people! Yes, it may be our job and we do get paid for it, but we don't do it for the money! We do it to bring happiness! That's how we got to where we are, that's how Fairy Tail's been since our founding! Fairy Tail has fought monster who have tried to hurt and take away yjay happiness and freedom before, and we've never backed down! We'll never lose to someone like you! Not now! Not ever!
  • Byro decides to kick things up a notch, revealing that he too has undergone the Ascension ceremony and now has an Angelo form, with gold and white armor and three pairs of white wings and capped off with a Badass Boast.
    Byro: What you see before you is the power bestowed upon me by the Order of the Sword. With this power, I have ascended past the limitations of my humanity and have become a true agent of divine justice. I have become an angel!
    • Unfazed, Dante enters his Devil Trigger, with the two exchanging some Badass Boast's before engaging in an aerial duel.
      Byro: I have become an Angel to fulfill my holy mission, and now a Devil stands in my way. I suppose this must be fate.
      Dante: I don't believe in fate. I believe in carving my own path. So how about I carve it right through you?
    • The two then engage in an epic duel, appearing as little more than blurs to those watching and and generating shockwaves from each clash. Dante quickly deduces that Byro cannot use his Anti-Magic in this form without nullifying it as well, and in a role reversal of his first Devil Trigger fight with Vergil points out that his opponent has never used it in a fight before, stating he's been slowing down since they started. He then proves this by dancing through his opponents Divine Arrows, before closing in with Quicksilver to deal the finishing blow, knocking Byro straight out of his Angelo form, clearly in control of the fight the whole time.
• Ch 14: The Neo Oración Seis
  • The debut of the titular dark guild has them show up to claim the reassembled Infinity Clock, before going to town on everyone present, clearly having not been idle the past seven years. Even their newer members each prove to be a One-Man Army in their own right.
    • Midnight (now going by Brain II) displays that he now has the original Brains Darkness magic in addition to his vastly improved Reflector magic, which can even manipulate Byro's Anti-Magic field, to everyones shock. He then easily defeats the likes of Erza and Lady and their allies, using his two magics in-conjunction to trap opponents in a reflecting sphere along with a bolt of Darkness magic.
    • Despite seemingly having regressed to an animal mentally, Racer proves to be a terrifying foe, having traded in his ability to slow down others for proper Super-Speed. This proves capable of completely overwhelming Gray, Lyon, Juvia, Sho and Wally, woth none of group coming close to hitting him. He also displays impressive strength as well, shattering the ice pillar Lyon made to lift the whole group.
    • Cobra has developed a form of Sound magic that lets him convert any sound his enemies make into sonic blasts, which prove powerful enough to blow back Natsu's flames and send him flying. He shows that his hearing is even sharper then before, still capable of reading minds and making him almost impossible to catch off guard. He spends the entire fight avoiding each attack the group throws at him before trouncing them all in melee, not even using his Dragon Slayer magic, and only using sound blasts to fend off Natsu.
    • While Erigor is now an Empty Shell, his power is no joke, having expanded his Wind magic to include lightning and Razor Wind's. Hell, even wind-based tornado proves capable of overpowering Gajeel's Iron-Dragon Roar. In the ensuing fight he briefly exchanges blows with Panther-Lily with scythe and overpowers the group attack from the team with the pair with a powerful storm that cuts, shocks and sends them all flying.
    • Newcomer Gloria proves to be a dangerous adversary, displaying deadly skill with her knives and lightning powers. Like Trish she can Ride the Lightning, and uses it to flash past people while barraging them with electrified strikes from her knives, a tactic that proves capable of taking down the likes of Elfman, Freed and Mira in rapid succession. Trish directly compares her lightning to that of Laxus, and is defeated in a sword clash, despite wielding the Devil Sword Sparda against Gloria's simple knives. The latter also manages to grab said sword in the exchange, showing impressive skill and dedication to the villains goals.
    • Gilver engages Dante directly, having stated he's grown stronger since the latter 'killed' him. Throughout the fight he makes sure to keep his opponent off-balance by taunting him over killing Nell, and displays a counter for each of Dante's abilities with his katanas various elemental modes, boasting that he was recruited specifically to be the 'Anti-Dante'. Even Nero and Coco attempting to help does little, with Dante being forced to save the former and tells them to stay out of it. Despite this, Dante is put on the losing end of a fight for the first time since the sequel began, culminating in Gilver skewering him and unleashing a whirlwind on his internal organs!
    • The encounter goes so poorly that Dante decides that they're not going to win this, and opts to disengage, activate his Devil Trigger and try to destroy the Infinity Clock with a full powered blow. The Clock remains undamaged, even after he continues to attack, with an amused Gilver pointing out that if Sparda couldn't destroy it, what chance does Dante have? The Neo Oración Seis then deliver a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on the son of Sparda so severe, he takes the longest of his companions to wake up despite his miraculous Healing Factor.
  • Despite all of the above, Midnight admits that had Dante been a member of Fairy Tail when the group fought the original Oración Seis he could have defeated half their members on his own, impressive given that each of them was a One-Man Army in their own right. He even says himself and Brain working together likely wouldn't have been enough to net themselves a win, despite just how powerful and versatile their respective magics were.
  • Kyrie manages to stick around Sanctus and Agnus long enough to not only see Credo arrive, but the Neo Oración Seis as well, before sneaking away, with only Cobra realizing anyone was there. Girl is very resourceful and stealthy when she needs to be.
  • Despite the event in question happening less than a day ago, Lahar and the Rune Knights have already managed to confirm the presence of the Neo Oración Seis at the last battle, as well as the fact that it was Fairy Tail who fought them. They have a damn good intelligence network.
  • Amidst the recording of Sparda tale of the Infinity Clock, we get more details of the original Order of the Sword, which was apparently composed of many mages, warriors and others who wished to follow his example, and was founded by himself and his apprentices Anna Heartfilia and Zeref. His narration indicates that the group was active for a long time, and stopped multiple world ending threats just like Fairy Tail do now.
    • Apparently, he and the rest of the original Order were Crazy-Prepared enough to place another failsafe in the event that the Infinity Clock was ever reassembled, telling whoever is listening that they still have time to deal with the device before it is fully reactivated.
• Ch 15: Divide and Conquer
  • Despite being gone for less than a day, the Thunder Legion managed to uncover relevant information on the Neo Oración Seis, correctly deducing that they have been the ones behind the recent attacks on the Zentopia churches. Those three work fast.
  • Fairy Tail quickly deduce that the Order of the Sword (or the higher-ups at least) are working with the Neo Oración Seis, despite minimal evidence.
  • Kyrie not only managed to confirm that the Order has been up to something sinister with the Neo Oración Seis, she also found the time to locate all five Hellgates on Fortuna and make a map of the tunnels connecting all the relevant locations. The girl is very resourceful.
    • From the same scene, Samuel uses the new information to devise a viable plan with their small numbers, having each of them go to a location where he has deduced the Neo Oración Seis will strike next, anticipating that they will meet several members of Fairy Tail en-route. Even leaving out that he somehow managed to predict where the villains and Fairy Tail will be without solid evidence, he apparently worked all this out while they were discussing it.
  • Cana uses her skills at fortune telling to not only predict where the Neo Oración Seis' next targets will be, but also determine the best teams for each location. Shows just how versatile her repertoire of magic really is.
• Ch. 16 A New Devil Awakens
  • Lahar considers Doranbolt (now known as Mest) good enough at infiltration to send him to Fortuna, where the Order of the Sword is based. Props to him for being proactive in response to the current threat, as well as having the insight to know where to look.
  • Villainous example, but Gilver continues to prove his claims of being 'the anti-Dante' are well-founded countering every move the devil hunter makes. His katana is revealed to have a lacrima from every known element and the ability to change into a whip, letting him match Dante's versatility, and mocks him about Nell's death to keep him off-balance. He even manages to lock Dante down by freezing his feet before impaling him and using lightning mode for extra damage.
  • In the same scene, the others deal with the Angelo armors in impressive ways, quickly dispatching them to rush to Dante's aid. After they stop Gilver by unleashing a slew of their stronger attacks, the latter merely says to Bring It, showing no fear at being outnumbered.
  • Wendy, Trish and Bickslow face off against Erigor, with Trish starting it off beautifully.
    Trish: You know, I'm glad you showed up! I've got all this pent up anger, and I need someone to take it out on!
    • On the heroes side, Wendy really shines her, reminding everyone that she is a sky dragon slayer, letting her No-Sell Erigors initial attacks, before using her support magic to give all three of them a boost. This lets the get a few good hits in.
    • For his part, Erigor is mostly unfazed, only growing enraged as Wendy reminds him of his encounter with Natsu. What's more, he reveals that he doesn't simply have wind magic, he now has full blown Weather Manipulation.
  • Nero, Coco and Kyrie confront Agnus and his creations. Highlights include:
    • Coco shows off impressive speed and footwork, fending off some of the initial assault by standing on her hands and unleashing a flurry of kicks in multiple directions. She later outmaneuvers the flying demons via speed and wall-running.
    • Kyrie reveals that there is more to her magic than just healing, casting Sanctuary to form a barrier that stops to Gladii and protects her for the rest of the fight. Agnus later reveals that the magic in question is called Arc of Seraph, a type of lost magic (one of the first ever used by humans) that was used by angels. It seems Kyrie has very much benefitted from Adaptational Badass here.
    • While he does just fine with his sword skills, after accidentally revealing his Devil Bringer, Nero uses it to grab and punt a Gladii at Agnus, smashing the barrier the Mad Scientist used to protect himself.
    • While initially shocked, Agnus quickly becomes fascinated by Nero's arm, and remains unfazed by the young mans threats. What's more he willingly divulges information about his research and Nero's origins, both to buy time and shock Nero long enough for more Gladii to ambush the trio. The Mad Scientist very nearly won the while encounter then and there.
    • While horrifying, one can't deny Agnus' research has yielded impressive results, having managed to create a duplicate of Yamato (though its unclear how it compares to the genuine article) as well as creating another son of Sparda with the engineering of Nero's birth.
    • Then, the highlight of the chapter, the debut of Nero's Devil Trigger in a scene that somehow manages to top the original. Seeing Coco and Kyrie in danger and well as Agnus about to kill him, Nero absorbs the katana Agnus made before activating his Devil Trigger, an ethereal blue warrior that appears above him. The mere activation is enough to defeat the Angelo's, and he then swings Masayoshi (his new katana), which blows a hole in the ceiling. Keep in mind they were in an underground lab. Right after he triggers it he gives a different speech from the games (implied to be from Sparda):
      Nero(Devil Trigger): From that day forth... my arm changed... A voice echoed... 'you have power... use it... to protect those... who can't protect... themselves. Whatever you may be... demon or man... or both... you must protect them'.
  • Sanctus shows some impressive skill at manipulation and improvisation, telling Mary Hughes and Credo that Nero has been possessed by a demon that is influencing Coco and Kyrie. This both explains Nero's increase in power to someone Locked Out of the Loop regarding the Orders true goals and ensures she won't listen to anything he says. Man may be an Manipulative Bastard, but he is good at it.
  • When Gildarts, Laki and Morrison are ambushed by Angelo armors, the former simply states he doesn't have to worry about holding back against empty armors, being unconcerned about the threat. For his part, Morrison breaks out a shotgun, showing he's willing and able to fight if needed.
• Ch. 17 The Black Wings of the Caduto
  • Gloria easily deals with Grey, Lisanna and Freed, making good use of her Shock and Awe alongside Ride the Lightning powers to overpower and outmaneuver their attacks, with only Freed lasting slightly longer thanks to experience with Laxus. The three are only saved by the intervention of Dan Straight and his shield.
  • Cobra defeated Max and Evergreen offscreen and holds the upper hand against Erza and Modeus at once. He reveals he improved his hearing to predict the movements of non-living objects, anticipating Modeus's flurry of ranged attacks. In addition he has mastered a form of sound magic, letting him weaponize his opponents voices to create powerful sonic blasts
  • Wendy, Trish and Bickslow continue to fight against Erigor, who in a clever move, mixes a blast of wind with lightning so Wendy can't eat it. He then decides to break out his secret weapon, unveiling a Super Mode in the same vein as Credo's Angelo, that he has dubbed 'Reaper Caduto', the latter meaning fallen in a reference to fallen angels. The boost in power (as well as the form restoring his mind) lets him sweep the group within seconds.
    • Trish decides to up the ante by breaking out her Devil Trigger for the first time since Tenrou Island to save Wendy. The two then clash in a series of exchanges described 'as if two thunderstorms were waging war'. Note that the she-devil is the first to clash evenly with a member of the Neo Oración Seis (in his Super Mode to boot!), only being pushed back because she lacked her usual weapon.
    • Wendy forms a plan with Bickslow, using the latter's magic along with Erigor's soulless state to paralyze him while she casts support magic on Trish to increase her speed and power. The two girls manage to pull off a Unison Raid between Wendy's sky dragon roar and Trish's lightning fueled charge, piercing through the Reaper Caduto and killing one of the seemingly invincible Neo Oración Seis.
      Wendy/Trish: Devil Dragon: Thunder Sky Bolt
  • Racers fight with Mest, Panther-Lily and Samuel has some for both sides.
    • While initially overwhelmed by his speed, Samuel quickly deduces Racers movements are animalistic and predictable. By connecting himself, Panther-Lily and Mest together, they use the latter's Teleport Spam to stay ahead of the speedster. Meanwhile, Samuel anticipates and calls out where Racer will attack from, letting the group land counterattacks each time the man comes near them.
    • When he realizes what they're doing, Racer stops and praises them for keeping up with him, before saying he's only been in first gear this whole time. He then unleashes a Super Mode he dubs 'Hermes Caduto' and begins to Speed Blitz the trio faster than they can see. What follows is a Curb-Stomp Battle in the fallen angels favor.
  • Nero and Credos fight, with the former making good use of his gun, sword and Devil Bringer to match the latter in his Angelo form. While Credo holds the upper hand initially, when Masayoshi emerges the youngest son of Sparda quickly takes the initiative, Dual Wielding it and Red Queen. He then unleashes a blistering flurry of blows on the Orders supreme general and manages to knock him out of his Angelo form. That's right, Nero effectively beat a guy who gave Erza a run for her money without even using his own Devil Trigger.
  • Villainous example for Midnight, who shows up and dominates all present members of the Order of the Sword, no-selling attacks from Nero and Credo, before casually shattering Kyrie's Sanctuary spell. He then reveals that he was the third member of the Neo Oración Seis to undergo the Ascension ceremony, giving him a green skinned form he dubs 'Zero Caduto', whose mere activation knocks Kyrie unconscious.
  • Gildarts, Laki and Morrison easily handle the Angelo's sent to ambush them. The latter gets special mention for doing so without any powers, instead using a shotgun on the skull of one after dodging past it, remarking you prepare for these situations as an information broker for devil hunters.
• Ch. 18 Despair of the Savior
  • The chapter has a long string of ones for the villains.
    • Cobra easily holding his own against the current members of Fairy Tail, holding off Erza, Modeus and a recovered Max simultaneously. Even when Sugarboy enters the fray he hardly bats an eye before sending the Order of the Sword members attack back at him. And while horrifying, the second he remembers his actual mission, he manages to disengage and kill both the Celestial Spirit mage and most of the royal guards sent to protect them before Erza and Modeus can catch up to him.
    • Gloria easily dancing around the attacks of Grey, Freed, Lisanna and Dan, with the group being unable to land a solid hit. She is also the only Neo Oración Seis member to remain focused on her objective, locating the Celestial Spirit mage and killing him before the heroes can stop her, before easily making her escape, and injuring Grey when he tries to stop her.
    • Gilver managed to knock Elfman unconscious and injures Dante enough that the latter is barely able to contribute. Even when Byro enters the fray he doesn't miss a beat adjusting to the mans anti-magic field and wastes no time dispatching him, with the man only surviving because Sanctus and Midnight still have use for him (though Byro himself was still shaken and not fighting at full capacity). He then proceeds to handle Natsu, Aquarius and Lucy, making skillful use of his katana's many features to counter each attack the trio throw at him, and even mocks Lucy for her inexperience with the Morningstar.
    • While horrifying, the fact that the Order of the Swords Ascension ceremony essentially allowed them to revive Gilver is an impressive feat.
    • Agnus treats the entire confrontation with Alzack and Bisca as a field test for his Gladii, with only four of the artificial demons managing to hold off the two experienced mages.
    • Mixed with Tearjerker, but The Reveal that 'Michelle' is actually a member of the Neo Oración Seis called Imitatia catches Dante, Lucy and Natsu off guard, and manages to swiftly dispatch all three, albeit after they were worn down from their fight with Gilver. Her presence also signifies how thoroughly Midnight and Sanctus planned this whole series of events, triggering Fairy Tails hunt for the Infinity Clock and all the events that followed.
    • The fact that the Infinity Clock is to be used as a power source for the Savior, and merely installing it causes storm clouds to form all over Fiore. The Orders secret weapon is very much an Adaptational Badass, with Word of God even calling it a 'walking apocalypse'. Fairy Tail are going to have a very hard time dealing with this.
  • That said the heroes get plenty of moments as well.
    • During his fight with Cobra, Modeus manages to catch the mind-reader off guard with a slash that detonates the air a few seconds after he swung, which Cobra is impressed by. When the latter attempts an Armor-Piercing Question regarding whether Modeus continues to good because of Sparda's teachings or to atone for killing his brother, an unfazed Modeus replies that he's long since made peace with Bauls death, choosing to honor his memory by living a happy life. This actually rattles Cobra, who can't even claim Modeus is lying since he can hear the man's thoughts, and conflicts with his inability to move on from losing Cubellios.
    • Dan actually coming up with a plan to box in Gloria, getting the others to knock down some stalactites and using his lance to make them big enough to block her path. Even she admits it was clever, though it doesn't hold her for long.
    • Lady, Gajeel and Juvia continue their fight with Guttman, the former two distracting him while Juvia traps him in a water sphere. When a unfazed Guttman uses his Rupture to make Juvia's magic explode and escape, it detonates the water sphere he was in, since that is part of Juvia's body, which they were counting on. Gajeel and Lady then proceeds to (non-lethally) finish him off with his Dragon Slayer Secret Art and her Steel Devil Bazooka.
      Lady: Hasta La Vista blockhead. Steel Devil Bazoka!
    • While Gilver holds the upper hand for most of their fight, Natsu, Lucy, Dante (who's on his last legs) and Aquarius display impressive teamwork, managing to repeatedly land solid blows. One case involved Lucy successfully herding him between a pincer attack from Natsu and Aquarius, which he barely avoids, and commends them for.
    • Despite being on his last legs, when it looks like Gilver is about to kill Lucy, Dante leaps to intercept and in the process unlocks a new form of Devil Trigger he dubs Dreadnaught, which is clearly inspired by his Royalguard Style from the games. After daring the bastard to hit him he proceeds to No-Sell every attack the increasingly frantic Gilver throws at him, before countering with his own merciless assault, and reducing the smug sadist to desperately saying 'not again'. After a barrage of attacks, the final blow from Rebellion cleaves through Gilver, and destroys the katana he tried to block with.
      Gilver: You… Just who do you think you are to do this to me…?!
      Dante: Your worst nightmare.
• Ch. 19 Chaos Unleashed
  • Within seconds of waking up, Dante and Natsu both manage to escape from and dispatch the Angelos transporting them.
  • One for the villains, they reveal that Imitatia has the power to influence the minds of those around her, which they used to interfere with Cana's predictions and ensure that the least effective teams would be sent against each member of the Neo Oración Seis, not to mention all the other times they could have used this to hinder the heroes. Its impressive how thoroughly they set up the whole situation to ensure their success.
    • The above gives a retroactive one for the groups that fought Erigor and Guttman, who managed to defeat their opponents despite being set up with the worst team possible for their respective opponents. The villains really Didn't See That Coming.
  • Overlaps with Nightmare Fuel, but the Saviors power is awe-inspiring, causing apocalyptic events all over Fiore and turning the skies red just by existing. The thing certainly lives up to the term 'walking apocalypse'
  • Upon hearing what the Order has been doing to his fathers corpse, Dante turns away from Coco, and the anger from him is so palpable that despite not being the target or seeing his face, the girl begins to sweat with fear. His next few words show he barely has a lid on his seething rage, and is now out for the villains blood.
    Dante: Who. Do. I. Kill?
  • After Natsu No-Sell's Berials initial attack, he and Nero face off against the flame demon together, and despite never having fought together before, display impressive coordination, each attacking Berial just as he is distracted by the other. The demon in question even calls their teamwork perfect, mentally comparing it to that displayed by Sparda and Igneel and finding himself on the back foor throughout the fight.
    • Despite it being a recent addition to his arsenal, Nero makes good use of Masayoshi, launching several Razor Wind's for heavy damage, while cycling between his Red Queen, Blue Rose and Devil Bringer. After the fight, in a change from canon, he actually receives the Devil Arm Lucifer, and proceeds to use its supply of blades to demolish the Hellgate in a display of skill (and style!) that would make Dante proud. Word of God has even confirmed that this will not be the extent of Nero's arsenal either, opening up all sorts of possibilities for the youngest son of Sparda.
    • It should be noted that throughout the fight it's Natsu who's taking charge, deciding on their plan of attack and dealing most of the major hits to the flame demon. The guy may be outshined by Dante most of the time, but he is no slouch in the badassery department. After Berial attempts his Desperation Attack, Natsu intercepts with a punch to the skull, shattering it and killing the powerful demon. He doesn't even seem winded at the end, simply saying they need to go rescue Lucy.
  • Dante's whole fight with the Stygian Worm is really just him venting stress at recent events rather than a fight for his life. While annoyed at the worms habit of submerging itself and attacking from below, he still does plenty of damage with Beowulf and Quicksilver before locking it in place with Cerberus to let him unload more of his arsenal down its throat. Even when the worm swallows him and submerges again, a few seconds pass before he emerges from the ground in a fountain of blood, having simply killed it from the inside.
    • After killing the worm he gets a completely original Devil Arm, Anubis, an Egyptian palm axe that produces shadow blades each time he swings it, and can split into two ends connected by a shadow chain. He then proceeds to use it to slice the Hellgate to pieces with his signature level of style, to Coco's awe.
  • As Fairy Tail and the allied members of the Order of the Sword depart aboard the Christina Advanced, Racer appears to intercept them, creating holes in the ship with each one of his blows. When Mira and the Thunder Legion engage him, he initially runs circles around them, before Mira breaks out Satan Soul: Halphas and actually keeps up with the speed mage.
• Ch 20 Storming the Hellgates
  • During his talk with Gran Doma, Lahar makes it clear that saving the citizens of Fortuna will be a priority regardless of their connection to the Order, and refuses to back down at the Council heads disapproval. A watching Doranbolt is impressed.
  • Mirajane and the Thunder Legions fight against Racer, with the Fairy Tail members displaying impressive teamwork. Throughout the fight, Mirajane's Halphas form proves capable of keeping of keeping pace with Racers speed, while Evergreen and Bickslow use well timed blasts to damage and corral the Neo Oración Seis, not giving him a chance to breathe.
    • In response, Racer goes into Hermes Caduto, destroying every one of Bickslows dolls in the area, before unleashing a brutal Speed Blitz on the girls. He then goes to leave except...
    • He runs headfirst into a barrier which Freed had spent the fight setting up, keeping him trapped with them. What's more, after easily avoiding Racers attack, Freed reveals the barrier also makes the speed of everyone inside match that of the fastest person, nullifying his greatest advantage and turning the ensuing fight into a Curb-Stomp Battle in the Fairy Tail mages favor.
  • Pretty much all of the fights with the demons guarding the Hellgates. To elaborate.
    • Team A, consisting of Gray, Trish, Lisanna, Samuel and Happy, fight the twin toads Bael and Dagon, whose presence covers the battlefield in snow and ice. While the mages struggle to damage them for most of the fight, Bael makes the mistake of swallowing Lisanna, who proceeds to burn him from the inside! Following her lead, Trish and Gray leap straight into Dagon's mouth after Samuel creates an opening, unloading enough slashes, bullets and lightning blasts to kill him. One down.
    • Team B, consisting of Panther-Lily, Gajeel, Romeo, Sugarboy and Dan, face off against Echidna, a snake/plant hybrid that can fly and launch her 'children' as projectiles. The group displays surprisingly good teamwork, with Romeo and Sugarboy pulling off a clever Combination Attack, and Dan stopping the worst of Echidna's attacks from getting through. Special mention to how they finished her off, with Panther-Lily impaling her on the Hellgate, letting Gajeel destroy her and the Hellgate with his Karma Demon Iron Spiral.
      Echidna: I... I won't die... like this...!
      Gajeel: That's to damn bad! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Karma Demon Iron Spiral!
    • Team C, consisting of Erza, Lady, Wendy and Modeus, encounter Lord Kraken, a demon with power over storms (read, water, wind and lightning) of such power the area surrounding him is covered in one and his reputation is enough that Modeus is wary. Throughout the fight, he consistently shrugs off attacks from some of Fairy Tails most powerful members, proving he lives up to the hype.
    • Wendy really shines here, making good use of her support magic to help everyone and matching him in melee. She is also the one to come up with a plan to beat him. More specifically, Modeus nails him with his Lunar Goddess of the Hunt: Artemis, breaking through the storm barrier he kept. When Kraken boasts that his attack failed, Modeus simply steps to the side, revealing Wendy charging up her own Finishing Move, Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Shattering Light: Sky Drill!, a whole arc earlier than she learned it in canon. It blasts straight through the Drowned King's body, killing him. Everyone is suitably impressed.

      Kraken: Insolent little... you dare to strike a king!? Even when trained by Sparda himself you fall short of his expectations!
      Modeus: That attack was not meant to slay you.
      Wendy: This one is! Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Shattering Light: Sky Drill!

    • At the Hellgate, it is Erza who receives a Devil Arm, which manifests as a full set of armor and a spear (something Modeus notes is quite rare). Her first act with it is to plunge said spear straight into the Hellgate, breaking it into pieces, before disposing of those pieces in a display of skill and style that would make Dante proud.
  • Minor, but Kraken mentions that the storms Grandeeney created surpassed his own despite using only one element to his three.
  • Guttman Kubrick proves to be a formidable opponent, with his Rupture proving capable of keeping the likes of Dante, Natsu and Nero at bay at the same time. This also segues into one for Mary Hughes, using her magic to hold him in place and cementing her Heel–Face Turn by telling the others to go ahead to stop Sanctus. Despite her injuries, she shows she's ready to match blows with the formidable demon.
    Guttman: You've really made it onto the naughty list with me missy!
    Mary: I don't mind being a bad girl, but how do you like being a dead demon!
  • Byro taking Dante's advice to heart and goes to confront Sanctus for answers, attacking him when he discovers the truth.. He also has the distinction of being the first person to stagger the Savior thus far, whereas it managed to take everything else without flinching.
  • Villainous example, but despite being incomplete the Savior manages to No-Sell everything the heroes throw at it, up to Gildarts and Byro, even managing to overpower the former. It's Reality Warper powers also prove capable of incapacitating Dante and co long enough for it to grab Nero.
  • The moments a Tearjerker for sure, but one can't deny the efficiency with which Sanctus wields Masayoshi, quickly killing Credo with it. He then proceeds to fend off furious attacks from Sugarboy, Samuel and Dan, even cutting through the latter's Attack Reflector, showing just how potent the blade is.
  • Minor, but as Nero is absorbed into the Savior, Erza has the idea to toss him the other Devil Arms they collected (Gilgamesh and Pandora) to give him a better fighting chance. Guys getting a much bigger arsenal then 4.
• Ch 21 The Battle of Fortuna
  • Despite the might of the Savior, Credo manages to give the heroes a viable plan with his dying breaths: turns out, the Infinity Clock (which is powering it) is linked to himself, Agnus, Sanctus and the Neo Oración Seis, allowing them control. But if those links should be severed, then control would default to descendants of its original owners, i.e., Dante and Lucy, letting them turn the tide.
  • Hearing about Kyrie's Arc of Seraph Magic, Modeus expresses surprise that someone has it. When describing it to the others, he calls it 'divine magic in its purest form', capable of surpassing demonic power. Even Sparda was in awe of its capabilities!
  • In an Offscreen Moment of Awesome, Mary managed to defeat a tricky opponent like Guttman, despite her own injuries.
  • Wendy's proficiency with healing magic has grown to the point that she can heal two people simultaneously.
  • After the true Hellgate is unleashed, scores of demons are unleashed and the Battle of Fortuna truly begins. Highlights include:
    • In the short time they've arrived, the Rune Knights have erected several shelters for the civilians and continue to evacuate even as the demons are bearing down on them. Doranbolt really shines, using Teleport Spam and hand-to-hand to dispatch any demon that gets too close.
    • The Order of the Sword members, along with Panther-Lily and Gildarts, decide to provide backup. They make their entrance aboard Kanaloa and mow down the demons with impressive efficiency.
    • Erza and Modeus begin their rematch with Cobra, who decides to beak out his Poison Dragon Slayer Magic in a rapid back and forth exchange of blows.
    • Meanwhile, Trish and Lady face off against Gloria, and despite their foe previously being untouchable, fare quite well. When the latter boastfully reveals her nature as an 'improved' clone of Trish, the two are unfazed, simply telling her to Bring It.
      Lady: You're not the first 'improved' clone demon we've fought. You'll die just like him.
    • Makarov faces the completed Savior directly, shifting to Titan size and fighting it with good ol' melee combat. Meanwhile, the Savior makes good use of its Reality Warper powers, holding the upper hand and the fight ends with the third ranked Wizard Saint lying beaten on the ground. Despite this, Sanctus sincerely praises him for lasting so long and even landing a few good hits, and even on his deathbed, Makarov confidently states Fairy Tail ''will stop him.
    • Laxus, Mirajane and the Thunder Legions Big Damn Heroes moment, punctuated by a bolt of lightning striking the Savior (and managing to stagger it) just before it could finish Makarov off. They all go to engage the monstrosity, with Natsu joining in as well. The latter point leads to him entering the Saviors body, something everyone thought only Dante (as a descendant of one of the Infinity Clocks original owners) could do and throwing a wrench into Sanctus' plan.
    • Dante sensing and intercepting Midnights ambush attempt. Once Natsu enters the Savior, he confidently tells the others to leave the leader of the Neo Oración Seis to him, countering Midnights Badass Boast with a confident Bring It.
• Ch 22 Between Heaven and Hell: Pretty much every moment in it.
  • Laxus, Mirajane and the Thunder Legion continue to hold their own against the Savior. Sure, they're not doing any damage, but they at least manage to knock it off balance a few times, avoid the worst of its attacks, and Mirajane manages to hold back its fist, something not even Gildarts managed!
  • While Klodoa and Imitatia are completely shocked that Natsu somehow managed to enter the Savior despite not being connected to it through Body-Link or supposedly being a descendant of an original owner, Sanctus is the first to realize the possibility that Natsu is somehow related to Zeref, as their research showed the Salamander having no blood ties to Sparda or the Heartfilia Konzern.
  • Gray and Gajeel commence their fight with Agnus and his Gladii, and the Mad Scientist makes good use of his artificial demons for weapons and backup. However the two Fairy Tail members waste little time tearing into him and his creations physically and verbally, with Gray freezing them solid and giving the below "The Reason You Suck" Speech and Gajeel proving capable of destroying the one Agnus tried to block his Iron Dragon Roar with and ate the blade of another, helping turn the tables. The two finish him off with Ice Blade: Seven Strike Dance and Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Karma Demon: Iron God Sword respectively.
    Gray: That's exactly why you lost. Just because you had a taste of Sparda's power doesn't mean you can even hold a candle to him! Instead of babbling on about his strength and power, you should focus on what he did with it! He defeated Mundus to protect humanity because he wanted to, not to be worshipped as a god or even a legend! He even chose to settle down and have a family! That was his choice, and he chose to live his life to the fullest, just like we do in Fairy Tail! No matter how hard things got for us, we never gave up! We all laugh, yell, or cry as hard as we can! You go on and on about this world being rotten and humanity being weak but you can't be any more wrong! All you're seeing is weakness and filth, you're not even trying to look for what made Sparda want to protect this world!
  • Trish and Lady continue to trade blows with Gloria, matching the Neo Oración Seis member and even proving capable of putting her on the back foot, nailing her with several hits and anticipating her own. Gloria then reveals her nature as an 'improved' clone of Trish, boasting that unlike her she is content to serve her purpose as a puppet, causing misery and chaos for its own sake. In response Trish laughs in her face, giving an epic Shut Up, Hannibal! speech about how glad she is she left Mundus, and having found a family in the process. To drive it home, she enters her Devil Trigger to the shock of Gloria, who thought that was impossible.
    Gloria: Wha... what is... that?!
    Trish: This is the power I've awakened. The power gained from my desire to protect everything I have. This is my power, not that granted to me by my former master. But you wouldn't know, because you're content remaining as you are, with no desire to become stronger. And that is exactly why you're going to die here.
    • What follows is a complete Curb-Stomp Battle in Trish's favor, overwhelming Gloria with speed, backhanding away a sphere of lightning, casually pulling Catch and Return on her lightning blast, all while taunting her and throwing her previous 'superior' remarks back in her face. After so long as an untouchable villain, it is incredibly satisfying to see the smug bitch enter a Villainous Breakdown, even attempting a Desperation Attack...
    • Which is intercepted by Lady, using her Steel Devil Void Blade as a lightning rod (i.e., through her own body) and channeling the power into her Steel Devil Bazooka right back at a shocked Gloria. This lets Trish land the finishing blow, slicing her in half down the middle.
      Lady: Say ah, bitch.
    • In the aftermath, the lightning released from Gloria is absorbed by Trish, who remarks it seems to have given her own a boost. She also takes her counterparts knives, hinting that Nero isn't the only one getting an expanded arsenal.
  • Erza and Modeus' rematch for Cobra is this for both sides. While the latter's mind-reading lets him dodge their attacks with his usual grace, the two still find ways to land some good hits with clever teamwork and tactics. One standout example is Erza lining him up for Modeus' Lunar Goddess of the Hunt: Artemis, and when that fails, attacks him in midair, noting he cannot dodge there. Everyone decides to kick things up a notch, with Cobra unleashing Dragon Force, while Modeus and Erza break out Devil Trigger and her new Armadura Diabla Devil Arm respectively.
    • In the renewed fight, Cobra's Dragon force proves capable of matching Modeus' Devil Trigger in terms of raw power. But the highlight has to be the unveiling of Armadura Diabla's element: destruction itself, with the spear annihilating Cobra's wave of poison with a single thrust! What's more, the armor instantly destroys his Poison Dragon Roar on contact, not even needing to block! Erza's remarks that her armor and spear can destroy anything with a single touch drive home just how broken it really is, rendering her a mini-Gildarts.
  • The combined forces of Fairy Tail. the Order of the Sword and the Rune Knights continue to hold off the demons from the true Hellgate despite the overwhelming numbers. Then the Archbishop of Zentopia makes his return, rallying everyone present and organizing their efforts, having melee oriented mages on the front lines while those with raged magics hanging in the back. Between his wisdom and charisma, it's clear why Byro respected his judgement so much.
    • After Gray and Gajeel manage to close the Hellgate, Gildarts and Byro waste no time demolishing the monolith, the former sending a shockwave through the ground, and the latter with a Divine Arrow. Hell, those two fighting in general is a constant source of awesome.
  • Dante deduces that Masayoshi is bonded to Nero the same way his Devil Arms are to him. So Gray forms an ice bow and arrow containing the sword and fires it into the Saviors core with a 'Jackpot'. Midnight intercepts with Reflector and impales Dante when he tries to attack him from behind... which turns out to be a Doppelgänger with the real Dante ensuring it still goes in. When it doesn't manage to pierce through he simply hammers it in by repeatedly shooting the pommel, showing off his absurd accuracy. This plus the encouragement Natsu was shouting at him lets Nero break free of the core, immediately ready to join the Dragon Slayer against Sanctus and Imitatia.
  • Throughout the chapter, Dante clashes evenly with Midnight, the leader of the Neo Oración Seis, even while strategizing with the others and giving Nero a telepathic peptalk. He even manages to emerge from his opponents Reflector dome+dark magic Combination Attack unscathed (a move that was a One-Hit KO for everyone thus far), and a thrust with Rebellion, not missing a beat. From this he is also able to deduce Midnights Reflector Magic can't affect Devil Arms.
    • For the rest of the fight, Dante deserves credit for how fluidly he counters every tactic Midnight throws at him, never missing a beat and making excellent use of his arsenal. Quicksilver to close the distance, Anubis to maneuver closer to Midnight after his platform was destroyed and bypass his shield of Darkness Magic, especially impressive given he's had the weapon for less than a day. He also takes immense satisfaction in wiping the smug look off of Midnights face.
      Dante Hey, where'd that cocky grin go? Come on, you and your pals made this whole thing personal for me. So, I'm gonna make sure this hurts.
    • The above moment with Masayoshi outright make Midnight lose his composure for the first time, breaking out his Reflector dome+dark magic combo with even more powerful spells for the latter. In response Dante breaks out using his new Dreadnaught form, unscathed by the attack, prompting Midnight to enter his Caduto form, kicking the fight up a notch.
      Midnight: To think I get a chance to actually kill a Son of Sparda. I'll make certain your death is a glorious one, Dante.
      Dante: Let's see you put those words into action asshole.
  • Sanctus merging his power with that of the Sparda-Sword, gaining a new form with red eyes. black sclera, horns and a halo. He and Imitatia face off against Natsu and Nero, both sides ready for a final, epic clash.
• Ch 23 The True Saviors
  • Throughout the chapter, the Savior proves to be Nigh-Invulnerable even with Nero removed from the core, managing to No-Sell a concentrated Fairy Law from Laxus in his Super Mode. The combined forces of Fairy Tail, Rune Knights and Order of the Sword do little more than keep it off-balance, with it sustaining no actual damage.
    • The Fairy Law attempt still deserves mention for being visible all across the battlefield, with Dante and Midnight taking a moment to be awestruck, and bring the previously unstoppable Savior to it's knees! It also manages to buy them time for everyone else to arrive.
  • While horrifying in nature, Erza's Devil Arm sending her into a berserk frenzy turns the fight against Cobra into a complete Curb-Stomp Battle, with Armadura Diabla proving capable of shrugging off his poison even in Dragon Force and her mindless state depriving him of the ability to read her moves as effectively as before. After managing to regain her senses from a brief encouragement from Modeus, the two counter Cobra's attempt at a Finishing Move with their own, taking down another member of the dreaded Neo Oración Seis.
  • The fight between Nero and Natsu against Sanctus and Imitatia, with both sides showing off great skills. When the villains attempt to lecture the two on the hypocrisies and horrible nature of the current world, the two are having none of it, giving epic counters verbally and physically. They then decide to swap opponents with Nero making good use of Lucifer and Natsu breaking through Sanctus' shield, before responding to his boast of facing the power of Sparda with a nonchalant 'not the first time'.
    Sanctus: Oh, naive little Dragon Slayer. Surely someone who works so closely with a child of Sparda can see the follies of this world; the corruption, the hypocrisy and follies that lie within human nature; and even then there is still the threat of the Underworld constantly looming over. Don't you understand?
    Natsu: No, and I don't want to! This world is fine by me, people like you are what's wrong with it! And I'm gonna solve it by beating them and you to a pulp!
    Nero: Got that right.
  • After Sanctus performs possibly his biggest Kick the Dog moment yet by casually revealing his involvement in Jude's death and putting the blame on a heartbroken Michelle before turning her back into a doll, Natsu and Nero completely snap and attack Sanctus with full force, the latter breaking out his Devil Trigger, and the former finally unlocking Lightning Flame Dragon Mode again.
    Natsu: You like messing with people, huh?! You like screwing around with their heads and hearts?! Well how about we screw around with your insides?!
    Nero: Let's kill this bastard.
    • The resulting fight is a Curb-Stomp Battle with the two wrecking Sanctus completely, ending with Natsu engulfing him with Flame Lotus Exploding Lightning Blade, and Nero ending Sanctus' life for good by slicing him in half with Masayoshi. After seeing just how vile and how low Sanctus was willing to go throughout the entire arc, it is immensely satisfying to see Natsu and Nero kick the stuffing out of the wicked priest.
  • Dante in Dreadnaught facing off against Midnight in Zero Caduto consists of the two pulling off one No-Sell after another against each others attacks while rapidly moving across the battlefield. In a villainous moment, Midnight keeps his cool throughout, even taunting Dante about using a form he has less experience with (and one without the required Flight to level their mobility), pointing out that his stamina will give out first. When his prediction comes true, he wastes no time finishing him off with Genesis Zero, dragging the half-demon into the void. To reiterate, Midnight essentially just beat Dante!
    • The next scene has an understated awesome moment for Michelle/Imitatita, who right after being zapped by Sanctus managed to maintain just enough magic to telepathically reach out to Dante, Lucy and Kyrie, giving her full story. This gives Dante the resolve to keep fighting, giving a Pre-Asskicking One-Liner as Rebellions eyes start to glow red, absorbing the surrounding void in the process.
      Dante: Michelle... I promise you... your sacrifice won't be in vain. I know Natsu and Nero are going to get Lucy and Kyrie out and beat the shit out of the old bastard who set this damn thing up. As for me... I'm gonna break out of this shithole and bust some heads!
    • Cut to Midnights massive Oh, Crap! as the void shatters in a burst of red energy, revealing Dante in an upgraded Devil Trigger (based on his one from 4), implied to be from absorbing the power of the attack Midnight tried to finish him off with. He then shows off what he can do, blitzing Midnight faster than he can react, slicing through both his Darkness and Reflector Magic, with even his ranged moves bypassing the latter. When Midnight unleashes a point blank Darkness blast, he simply reaches out and grabs his forearm, completely unaffected, with it all punctuated by a satisfying "The Reason You Suck" Speech! The Son of Sparda has taken one of his biggest leaps in badass and it is glorious, with special mention to finishing Midnight off as a red meteorite by slamming him into the ground!
  • With everyone else linked to it defeated, Lucy and Kyrie take control of the Clock's Reality Warper powers, using them on the Clock itself to make it too brittle to handle its own power and dispersing it across the globe so no-one can use it again. This is made all the more epic by the glowing eyes (with the Order of the Sword emblem in them) and their respective auras, with golden planets and starts orbiting Lucy, while Kyrie gains a white aura and four angelic wings. The two just did what the combined forces of Sparda, Zeref and Anna (the greatest Celestial Wizard of her time) could not, and destroyed the Infinity Clock!
    Lucy: Now, finally, the nightmare can end! For Michelle... For Dad... For Natsu... For all my friends in Fairy Tail...
    Kyrie: For Credo... For Nero... For Coco... For all the people I love in Fortuna, and for everyone else who suffered and died by this horrible device...!
    Lucy/Kyrie: LET IT ALL END NOW!
  • At the end of the chapter, Klodoa attempts to sneak off, planning to form a new Oración Seis and try again, only to be intercepted by Zeref, who is aware of his crimes. When the villain desperately pleads to make some sort of deal the enraged Black Wizard reduces the living staff to dust, in a chilling display of power.
    Zeref: The same. It's always the same. Madmen with delusions of grandeur, who would spill oceans of blood to satisfy their petty desires! Not only did you go to such horrific lengths to uncover what my dearest friends worked so hard to seal away, but you even desecrated Sparda's own body! That alone is beyond forgiveness!
• Ch 24 Toward the Future
  • The Reveal that Madame Kurenai is a demon, and not just any demon, but one who defected alongside Sparda himself, even mentioning that the two were sworn siblings. This implies her power is on the same level as Sparda himself, making it no wonder she is the Number One Wizard Saint.
  • Trish being confident in her newly enhanced lightning to challenge Laxus to a fight.
  • In an Offscreen Moment of Awesome, many guilds and the Rune Knights were apparently able to handle the clean-up and the ensuing uprising from criminals and Dark Guilds from the aftermath of the Saviors rampage that Lahar mentions they're more-or-less finished just a week later. Likewise, it seems a lot of the damages have been repaired as well, painting a good picture of the organization's efficiency.
  • We get the second reveal of the chapter; turns out, Vergil actually infiltrated Sabertooth on behalf of the Magic Council, who he joined over the timeskip. The Council also consider him a reasonable counter to the likes of Zeref and Acnologia (as does the Royal family), hinting how powerful he's become. Despite this, Org says he's still impossible to get a readon, implying he still has his own agenda.
  • We get our first onscreen glimpse of Sabertooth, and they do not disappoint, Sting and Rogue having delivered an offscreen Curb-Stomp Battle to an entire Dark Guild. The final member decides to sacrifice himself to bring forth a lightning-Cerberus to kill them. While Sting is eager to go, Vergil calmly steps forward, noting he and Rogue already had their turn with the Dark Guild, and gives the following Pre-Asskicking One-Liner.
    Vergil: I will give you one chance to surrender, and your death will be painless.
    • Cue Curb-Stomp Battle, with Vergil even forgoing the use of Yamato in favor of Alistor, using the demons own element against it, pulling off a Catch and Return with it's own lightning, and slicing it to ribbons. Seconds elapsed: five. Sweats broken: zero. Safe to say, Vergil has not been idle these past seven years.
    • He then merges Alastor with the remains of the Cerberus (revealing that Devil Arms can evolve by absorbing demons of a similar element), forming a black dual-bladed spear he dubs 'Zeus'. For a quick demonstration he launches a single indigo bolt into the sky, which obliterates all nearby clouds!

Grand Magic Games

• Ch 25 The Grand Magic Games
  • Mostly a funny moment, but after being accidentally punched in the face by Nero during a brawl, Erza is able to easily intimidate the newest member of Fairy Tail with a Death Glare before pounding him in the ground. Lucy and Happy say it best to Kyrie.
    Lucy: Never make Erza mad.
    Happy: Aye, it may be the last thing you do.
  • It's brief, but Max manages to hold his own quite well against Natsu, even managing to No-Sell his friends initial efforts. It's only when Natsu breaks out Lightning-Flame mode that he decides to give up.
  • Despite their fame, Sabertooth manage to keep information on the members close to the chest, to the point Morrison is unable to dig up anything besides the presence of two Dragon Slayers.
  • When the members of Fairy Tail are discussing any possible relation between Porlyusica and Grandeeney, Lisanna is the first to realize that the medic is the Sky Dragon's Edolas counterpart when Dante says the two are total opposites in personality, and Natsu remembers that everyone in Edolas smelled the same as their Earthland counterparts.
• Ch 26 Grinding Down, Leveling Up
  • Natsu performs his Fire Dragon Roar underwater, evaporating much of the water around him.
  • The brief glimpses of several sparring matches such as Laxus and Mira, and Gajeel, Nero, and Lily.
  • When the main team breaks off into pairs for sparring matches, Juvia surprises everyone when she asks to fight Natsu, instead of Gray, which most of the team was expecting. When Natsu asks why she wants to fight him, Juvia explains that facing Natsu, whose flames have proven strong enough to overcome water, would help her with making her magic grow, and in addition help Natsu if they prove to be a match. The second reason she gives is it will help them get the feeling of facing opponents they're unfamiliar with, since they don't know what they'll be facing in the Games.
  • Gray and Lisanna face each other, with Lisanna noting that it can help with their respective magics; Gray making ice weapons at a fast pace, and Lisanna with rapid transformations.
  • Trish and Lady train Lucy in hand-to-hand combat to help her not become so reliant on her whips and keys as a Devil Hunter.
  • Dante and Erza sparring in the water, with the force of their blows enough to knock back the water around them. Erza even impresses Dante by wielding two swords with her feet.
• Ch 27 Old Friends
  • Crime Sorciére are apparently more effective at dealing with Dark Guilds and demons than the Magic Council, despite having only five members.
  • As a testament to how tough she is, Ultear is confident Wendy is capable of going through the Second Origin treatment despite her young age, when the similarly young Romeo is unfit for it.
  • Unlocking the Second Origin is painful enough that it leaves Natsu writhing in pain, and knocks him unconscious afterwards. Despite this, when the others are subjected to it Dante, Erza and Modeus all manage to sit up straight and bear it with little more than a grimace, the former two even exchanging banter over it.
  • When talking with Sorano about Vergil, Dante discovers that Crime Sorciére had a run-in with him over the timeskip, and he managed to match al five of them at once! Sorano explicitly mentions they made use of teamwork as well, and it was still a winnable (if uphill) battle for the lot of them... until he broke out his Devil Trigger, after which the fight became so one-sided they were forced to flee! So Vergil managed to take on a group whose members had Time Master and Power Copying powers (two of the most broken powersets in fiction) on top of a former Wizard Saint, and send them packing. While fans did not expect him to be idle, this blew any expectations of his strength out of the water. Little winder Sorano stresses that Dante needs that Second Origin power-up to have a chance at winning.
• Ch 28 Labryinth Above the Blooming Capital
  • Unlike in canon, the Grand Magic Games have six-man teams, with Dante being on Team Fairy Tail with Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Wendy. Dante even notes that there was no doubt of him being on the team.
  • Dante’s arsenal grows bigger when Morrison gives him the Coyote-A, a custom-built sawed off shotgun with two barrels. Dante tests out his new weapon on a big rock nearby, completely obliterating it in one shot.
  • Dante, Natsu, Lady, Lisanna, and Lucy meeting Vergil again, along with Sting and Rogue, has a few moments.
    • When Dante asks his brother if he could take Acnologia in a fight, Vergil surprises everybody when he says that as powerful as he’s grown, he would currently have no chance against the Dragon Butcher. Key word being “currently”, as he states his intentions of growing stronger to do so.
    • After Sting spends most of his time acting condescending and arrogant towards Fairy Tail, despite Vergil warning him not to do so, Natsu finally has enough and punches him into a wall after the White Dragon Slayer insults Igneel. Vergil even says that Sting deserved it for provoking Natsu.
    • Throughout the confrontation it’s made clear that as arrogant as Sting and Rogue are, they know better than to argue with Vergil, having little to no retort when the Devil Prince tells them that they’re not strong enough to fight Acnologia, and sending them back to the hotel with a cold glare. Even Sting admits to himself that he knows better than to question Vergil.
  • During the Sky Maze preliminary round, Team Fairy Tail runs into Thibault and Twilight Ogre again, with the former taking down the latter in less than a second.
  • As the maze rearranges itself at one point, Natsu and Lucy fall of a platform, but Dante is fast to save them, using Quicksilver to slow time down and catch them, before using a new technique called Trickster, which allows him to leap from different angles and even in mid-air, to land on a stable platform.
  • Sid actually manages to get the drop on Wendy and knock her out when she’s preoccupied with Raven Tail’s Obra, as his demonic energy is low enough to not be picked up by her senses.
• Ch 29 Let The Games Begin
  • At the start, Porlyusica reveals that Wendy, Romeo, and Patty are all suffering from Magic Deficiency Syndrome, hinting that the latter has some latent power.
  • A flashback reveals that the reason Sid intervened was because Wendy nearly foiled Obra's ambush, forcing him to take action. Could also count as villainous one for the demon for getting the drop on a Dragon Slayer despite his lack of power.
  • Apparently Raven Tail was able to enter the games by registering as a legal guild right before they began. Ivan timed things well.
  • Lucia talks to Dante, and mentions her demonic kill count has surpassed his in the past seven years. Impressive given his own prolific career.
  • Overlaps with heartwarming, but when Elfman and Mirajane confront Vergil over exploiting Adrian he accepts responsibiilty for what happened with little argument, even allowing Elfman to punch hijm as payback. A watching Sparda and Lucy impressed by his maturity. He also deserves props for taking a punch from Elfman straight to the face, and not even appearing hurt.
    • From the same scene, Vergil mentions that Yamato may have actually been capable of severing Adrian from the Wendigo, but such a thing was beyond him at the time. He specifically notes that Sparda was likely capable of pulling it off, reminding us that despite his proficieny with his signature weapon, he has yet to achieve the level of skill his father had with it, showing just how far above his sons Sparda actually is to this day.
  • The first day begins with a game titled 'Hidden', which involves the creation of an entire miniature town in the arena for the contestants. Even the likes of Makarov and Modeus are shocked at the amount of power this would take from the transformation, let alone maintaining the landscape. The actual game has quite a few moments.
    • Nullpudding proves perceptive enough that he can consistently pick out the real Gray amidst the doppelganger, something that the likes of Erza doubts she can pull off. And while it was cruel and underhanded, his insults about Ur lets him nullify Grays attempts to play defensively.
    • After the above, Wally manages to get the drop Nullpudding with his magic, angry on his friends behalf.
    • Eve shows off some clever thinking, using his Snow Magic to blanket the area, with the ground and resulting chill making it easier to pick out the other combatants amidst all the illusionary doppelgangers. Everyone watching praises the move, with the game picking up much more steam after that.
    • The crowning moment goes to Rufus however, who spend most of the game in hiding, only emerging at the end in full view of everyone, apparently having picked all the individual mages out amidst the crowds of illusions. He then reveals his 'Memory Maker' Magic, unleashing an attack that hits all the other contestants simultaneously, and easily dispatches Nullpudding when he attempts to attack, putting himself in the lead in one fell swoop. Not only does his magic make him formiddable, Modeus notes his excellent tactical sense in waiting for the last moment, ensuring no one would have time to usurp his lead. It's clear that it wasn't just Vergil and the Dragon Slayers that earned Sabertooth their spot as the number one guild.
• Ch 30 The Dance of Fairies, Ravens, and Devils
  • Lucy begins her fight with Flare by summoning two spirits at once, and having them use a Combination Attack... as a distraction while she gets up close and decimates her with a mix of hand-to-hand and both of her whips, to the shock of everyone watching, especially Raven Tail. Those three months of training with Devil Hunters payed off, and she manages to maintain the upper hand throughout the entire fight, only using her spirits to lock down Flares Prehensile Hair and continue her assault, even Dual Wielding her whips. After her opponent tried to take Asuka hostage, the 'fight' quickly turns into a No-Holds-Barred Beatdown, punctuated with Lucy naming everything Raven Tail has done to them so far, with Flare being unable to fight back and is quickly convinced to surrender. The only reason Lucy 'lost' is because Obra canceled her magic power, going from in control, to coughing blood. Throughout it all, even Vergil is impressed, having a small smile at how much his cousin has improved.
    • On the topic of Asuka, unlike canon where Flare taking her hostage gave her some time to wail on Lucy, here Modeus detects her attempt almost immmediately, promptly dealing with it and joining in on the collective Death Glare Fairy Tail gives Flare. All proceeded with the line below dripping with barely concealed rage.
      Modeus: I've had enough of Raven Tail endangering children.
    • Even more impressive? It is confirmed both in and out of universe that Lucy still learned how to use Urano Meteria at will, on top of another trump card, but opted not to use them, both to keep them in reserve (displaying good tactical sense) and because she didn't need them. Ladies and gentlemen, Ms Heartfilia has officially entered the ranks of the devil hunters in all their badassery and it. Is. Glorious!
  • Orga managing to defeat Warcry withing seconds using a single attack.
  • The fight between Nero and Jura is the most intense of the first day, and has a great showing for both sides.
    • Nero starts out strong, going on the offensive with top notch agility against Juras attacks, hardly missing a beat even as the ground beneath him attacks and makes excellent use of his expanded arsenal. Gilgamesh lets him demolish any attacks and defenses between him and the Wizard Saint (with Gajeel commenting it proved capable of breaking through his scales in one hit), as well as send him flying, Pandora breaks through Jura attempt to entomb him in stone and its Argument form creates a shockwave just from the impact of the rockets. When it looks like he might be beat, he breaks out his Devil Bringer, crushing Juras rock fists and sending him flying, before gearing up for a final exchange. While disappointed it ended in a draw, everyone is amazed a newcomer performed so well against a Wizard Saint.
    • On his end, Jura shows his title of Wizard Saint is well-earned, displaying impressive power and control all throughout the fight, disrupting the ground beneath his opponent, barraging him with rocks, and maintaining impressive defense all throughout. While Nero gets plenty of good hits in, the man quickly adapts to each new Devil Arm, and surprises his opponent in the final bout by engaging in close combat (Neros specialty) and winning, showing that he has no real weaknesses to exploit. When the timer rings, Nero falls to his knees, while Jura remains standing, showing who came out ahead.
  • Despite having known of his existence for less than a day, and never directly interacting with him, Vergil has already deduced that Nero shares some kind of connection to Sparda.
• Ch 31 Origins
  • Natsu's brief fight with Sapphire unveils her magic: a Second Generation Azure Dragon Slayer, which lets her produce blue flames so cold, they burn, as well as consume flames just like Natsu. She even boasts that they're colder than Grays ice, an assessment Natsu agrees with. The fight itself has her catch him off guard, and clash fairly evenly, only backing down at 'Ivan's' request, and after several other Fairy Tail members and Bruni get ready to intervene. Looks like Natsu's got more to watch out for than the Dragon Slayers from Sabertooth.
  • The Reveal that the 'Ivan' at the Games is really Sid in disguise, leaving the real Ivan free to enter as 'Alexi', letting their Information Broker keep his ear to the ground in plain view of everyone. Underhanded, but clever, as are the other preparations Ivan has made to counter Fairy Tail's team, since in addition to Sapphire countering Natsu, Obra apparently has abilities made to counter freakin' Dante.
    • Likewise, Makarovs account of the events of Ivans exposure display his horrible nature, but at the same time how scarily competent he is as a Chessmaster, having managed to expose a criminal organization posing as a mages guild, and 'eliminated' Fairy Tails weakest members in one fell swoop. Guy hasn't stuck around this long by being an idiot.
  • Despite seeing him from a distance once, and meeting him face-to-face for the first time, Natsu is able to quickly deduce that not only is Bruni from Edolas, but that he's Igneels counterpart, to the shock of everyone present. Goes to show the guy can be very perceptive when he needs to be.
  • Bruni himself could be considered a walking moment of awesome, on account of becoming a Wizard Saint despite lacking any innate magic. Rather, he was a Master Swordsman in Edolas, and makes masterful use of Prometheus, a blade that produces infinite flames and can assume almost any form he can think of, including swords, hammers, spears, nunchucks, armour, wings and even animals, as seen in his confrontation with Sapphire where he made a flaming tiger. The end of the chapter even reveals the updated Wizard Saint rankings, and he is placed sixth, ranking higher than Makarov, and just below Jura.
    • Said ranking also gives Nero a retroactive moment, for managing to go toe-to-toe with a guy ranked higher than Makarov, however briefly.
  • After Dante asks about the Rebellions powers, Sparda reveals that while Yamato can separate and cut, Dante's sword binds things together, and that it was responsible for awakening Dante's Devil Trigger when Vregil impaled him with it, and allowed it to evolve thanks to absorbing Midnights Genesis Zero from the trace amounts of his own power. He further remarks that Yamato and Rebellion are now entuned to his sons, and while at present weaker than when he wielded them, will grow in power as his sons do, potentially achieving things even he was never capable of. Paints an epic picture of what the Sons of Sparda will be capable of in the future.
    • This also gives many retroactive moments for Dante, as Sparda mentions that his first confrontation with Vergil in the story was what awakened his latent demonic power. Meaning that everything Dante accomplished before joining Fairy Tail was without a massive chunk of his innate abilities, including his forays into the Underworld, and his encounter with Mundus where he met Trish.
  • Villainous example. Sparda reveals that Mundus was once a god named Pluto, who was stripped of his divine powers and cast down the the Underworld after brainwashing an empire of mortals to Take Over the World. Despite being powerless, he swore vengeance, vowing to become the supreme being, and proved cunning and resourceful enough to not only survive, but eventually create a Qlipoth seed. This could produce a fruit that would grant whoever ate it near unlimited power, albeit, it required absurdly immense amounts of blood to reach that stage. His solution? Plant it directly in Tathamet himself (one of the first two beings to ever exist, and the demonic counterpart to Anu) by exploiting his own weakened state to do so without the god noticing. By the time he realized, he was on his last legs, and Mundus was able to finish him off shortly after consuming the fruit, before usurping his throne. As vile and vicious as he is, one can't deny Demon Emperor earned his position, and that his power is far from his deadliest asset.
  • Zerefs backstory had him meet the Dark Knight at the Mildian Magic Academy, where despite being a child, he already displayed both magical ability and intelligence to impress Sparda. And while it was a sign of his inability to let go of his dead brother, one can't deny how incredible many of the creations he made in pursuit of bringing him back, albeit with some knowledge from Mundus. Especially since the timeframe indicates that he created all of them in under a decade.
    • Sparda gets a queit one for not only managing to pull Zeref out of his deal with Mundus, but successfully convincing him to move on from the death of his family. This, plus the fact that he was an instructor at the Academy Zeref attended, shows his skills extend far beyond combat.
  • Sparda mentions that he was immune to Zerefs curse, and admits that he probably could have killed him if he wanted to. He refused because after Temen-ni-gru he swore never to harm an innocent again. As a compromise, before he began searching for a cure, he helped Zeref create the Etherious using his own power to ensure that they were capable of killing him should he ever go off the deep end. They also used Body Link Magic to ensure that only Sparda could release them, showing how thoroughly the two planned the whole thing out.
  • Erza and Gray show impressive maturity, as in spite of all the pain his creations have caused them, promise they will not hold Zeref responsible for it, recognizing that he was merely a victim of Mundus, who deserves all the blame.
  • Mixed with heartwarming, Vergil tells King Toma that Lucy and Gray's combat prowess is comparable to Dragon Slayers. Given his matter of fact nature about peoples strength, that's high praise coming from him, and speaks volumes about their ability.
  • Bacchus, The Ace of Quattro Cerberus, makes his debut in a drinking contest with Dante and Cana, managing to outdrink the latter, and match the son of Sparda, in spite of his Healing Factor mitigating the effects. He is later unphased by Trish's attempt to shock him, and Erza admits that whenever the two of them fought, there was never a conclusive winner. Beware the Silly Ones indeed.
• Ch 32 The Will of a Man
  • The 'Chariots' race has a few.
    • Amongst those up front, everyone makes some impressive moves to try and gain a leg up, but the crowner goes to Bacchus deciding to try, and promptly splits a whole cart in half with a single kick, with the resulting shockwave knocking around the ones in front of him. He then proceeds to leap from fifth place to second with nothing but physical prowess... only for Lucia to one-up him by casually pulling off a Punch Catch, unaffected by the same power that split the cart, before tossing him aside and claiming first place for Mermaid Heel in the event.
      Bacchus: You're crazy string lady. What's your secret? You lift weights in your spare time or something?
      Lucia: No. I'm just stronger than you. Nothing more.
    • At the back, the Dragon Slayers are all suffering from their motion sickness. Despite this, Natsu and Gajeel manage to power through what is normally an instant knockout for them and reach the finish line, the former being the first to earn points for his team, as opposed to Sting, who decided to forfeit. Between this display of determination, and Natsu's heartwarming speech, the audience is actually impressed with Fairy Tail, starting to openly cheer for them again. Even Vergil admits Natsu's determination alone is worthy of admiration.
  • Kurohebi's fight against Toby reveals that the Raven Tail member uses Mimic Magic, and makes skillful use of Max's Sand Magic, Wakaba's Super Smoke, and Macao's Purple Flames to outmaneuver and overwhelm his opponent. Fairy Tail Team A note Raven Tail clearly didn't get this far just by playing dirty.
    • The discussion on Kurohebi's Mimic Magic states he can only use one at a time (compared to Sheeree, who can use several at once), but should the casters magic exceed that of other users, the copied magic can become stronger than the original wielder. Ivan's thoughts reveal that Kurohebi explicitly trained to achieve such a level, and has copied the magic of every non-Tenrou Island Fairy Tail member, giving him a vast and powerful arsenal of abilities such that Ivan considers him a credible 'anti-Erza'.
    • Ivan gets a small moment for avoiding the pitfall of underestimating Fairy Tail, noting that Lucy's improvement means his countermeasures for their members may not be sufficient on their own, particularly against the likes of Erza.
  • The second match of the day pits Bacchus, the most powerful member of Quatro Cerberus, against Elfman. Despite everyone expecting the fight to be a one-sided slaughter, there are moments on both sides.
    • The first half has Elfman unveil two new Take Overs; Hawk-Man for Flight, increased speed, and ranged attacks, and Werebear, which increases his already impressive strength. Only for Bacchus to easily deal with each of them, casually dodging Hawk-Man's flurry of blows, then leaping high in the air to hit him with enough force to knock him out of the form and dislocate his shoulder, and taking Werebear's charge head on with little difficulty. What's more, Erza notes that Bacchus' real strength comes into play when he gets himself drunk, making his attacks more erratic and harder to predict, but he's done all of the above without taking a single drop from his bottle.
    • Elfman gets a small moment for popping his dislocated shoulder back into place then and there, despite the pain. After the above he has a "Eureka!" Moment, recalling his training with Laxus, and throwing down the gauntlet against Bacchus before activating a new Take Over, Lizardman. Bacchus, who unleashed a flurry of blows right after downing his entire bottle, is shocked to find Elfman took little damage, while his own hands are visibly injured. Turns out, Elfman knows he can't beat Bacchus conventionally, so his new forms tough scales and spikes act to not only protect him, but hurt Bacchus every time he attacks. The fight then becomes one of endurance, to see if Bacchus will succumb to the backlash on his arms from hitting Lizardmans spiked skin first, or if the accumulated damage Elfman endures does him in instead. Neither fighters back down even as they're both bloodied, and by the end, the two can barely stand, falling to their knees in exhaustion. Bacchus just barely manages to stand and congratulate Elfman for doing so well... right before collapsing, giving Fairy Tail Team A their first decisive victory.
    • Elfman deserves massive praise for how well he performed, being stuck against a fighter who outclassed him in speed, power, and skill, and who even Erza was never able to score a win against. Despite the fact that everyone (including his teammates) expected him to lose, he found a way to turn it all around not through a new power-up or Deus ex Machina, but through clever thinking and sheer determination, managing to defeat his opponent despite being unable to land a single blow! What's more, he managed to beat Bacchus in a battle of attrition despite taking a heavy beating beforehand, making his showing even more impressive. Pure badassery right there.
  • Natsu and Gajeel detect the kidnappers immediately after waking up in the infirmary, and manage to intercept them with little difficulty. They were also helped by Modeus, who was somehow able to sense that something was going wrong, and arrived just in time to cut off the kidnappers escape.
    • Related to the above, Modeus and Gajeel quickly deduce that the kidnappers were not hired by Raven Tail, noting the attempt was much more hamfisted than their usual actions, especially given how easily the kidnappers gave up their name.
• Ch 33 Battle of the Femme Fatales
  • Played for Laughs, but Dante's Healing Factor is potent enough that he can chose to shoot himself in the head without any worry, and manages to awaken les than a minute later, apparently none the worse for wear.
  • Mirajane gains a massive advantage against Jenny by turning their 'fight' back into a proper battle after agreeing to her opponents bet, not giving her opponent a chance to react after choosing a Take Over for appearance rather than combat capabilities. Mirajane herself immediately breaks out her strongest Take Over, Sitri Soul (which was previously implied to be a Dangerous Forbidden Technique, showing the results of her training), which manifests Black Hell Flames for her attacks and ends the fight in two hits, not even giving her opponent a chance to react. Laxus reminds a shocked Nero that despite her cheerful demeanor, Mirajane earned her title as the 'She-Devil', and warns him never to get on her bad side.
  • The final match of the game has Yukino of Sabertooth against Kagura of Mermaid Heel, representatives of Fiore's two top guilds.
    • For her part, Yukino is willing to wager her own life in the match (as a life debt to avoid breaking the rules of the Games), saying that Sabertooth members put their lives on the line during jobs all the time, so this should be no different. Not the best move to make, but damn if it's not hardcore. Her performance during the fight itself is nothing to sneeze at either, revealing herself to be a Celestial Wizard wielding Golden Zodiac Keys, first unleashing Pisces to relentlessly attack Kagura. When that proves to be insufficient she proffers another Zodiac Key and summons Libra to immobilise her opponent. A watching Lucy and Sorano (both experienced Celestial Wizards themselves) are greatly impressed by the display, especially since the former has only been able to summon two Zodiac Spirits at once after her recent training arc. When even they prove insufficient, she dismisses them before revealing her trump card, a thirteenth Zodiac Key that summons Ophiuchus, a massive purple snake wielding both magical and demonic energy and whose mere presence elicits an Oh, Crap! reaction from the watching Sparda and Kurenai.
    • On the other side, Kagura shows her status as The Ace among the number two guild in Fiore is well earned, with her teammates treating her victory as a sure thing from the start. There is not a moment in the fight where she isn't calm and composed, easily dodging the Pisces relentless barrage with speed and agility such that Wendy remarks that she'd need to use support magic to match her performance, and easily breaks free of Libra's Gravity Magic, before turning the tables by not not only nullifying her subsequent attempt, but showing her own use of Gravity Magic is superior to even that of a Celestial Spirit (to everyone's shock), displaying enough power to pin both Libra and Pisces to the ground, and precision to ensure they are the only ones affected by it. This forces Yukino to recall both of them and break out Ophiuchus in an impressive display of might, which still doesn't phase Kagura, who proceeds to slice it into four pieces in an instant, not even needing to draw her Archenemy blade from its sheath. In addition to this awe inspiring display of superiority from Mermaid Heel, Sparda and Dante both comment that her blade is a Devil Arm, signifying that it's hiding some impressive power, and Kagura herself possesses considerable mental fortitude to wield it so consistently.
  • Related to the above, but the members of Mermaid Heel assert that Kagura is their second strongest member after Lucia, inferring that the Devil Hunter is comfortably ahead of her rival in terms of combat power. Looks like Dante has made a very impressive rival indeed.
  • Despite minimal evidence, Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere are able to deduce that whoever is behind the strange magic they're been sensing is likely after Celestial Wizards, giving them something to go off of in their investigations.
  • Vergil standing up for Yukino against Jiemma's cruel punishment, and after the two stare one another down, the master of Sabertooth backs down, simply telling Yukino to leave. Seems even he knows better than to push Vergil too far, with the other members commenting that he openly challenges him on a semi-regular basis.
• Ch 34 Crimson Wrath
  • Kyrie reveals that she learned the basics of her Arc of Seraph magic just from reading books available in Fortuna's library. It wasn't until much later that she found out about her magics significance.
  • Gajeel meeting up with Ivan and using his status as a a triple agent to discretely get information out of him, showing sufficient acting skills to fool the guilds resident Chessmaster. Not only does he confirm that Ivan is not the one going after the Celestial Wizards, but picks up on Sid's presence and manages to get a warning about the mans next move, all without arousing suspicion. Goes to show the guy can be very crafty when needed.
  • Erza and Sparda's discussions with Milliana and Kurenai respectively continue to paint Kagura in a very impressive light. Turns out, Archenemy is both empowered by the rage of the user, and can absorb opponents attacks for an even greater boost, giving it more powers than in canon. Furthermore, both Milliana and Kurenai are completely confident in Kagura's ability to resist the negative effects of wielding a Devil Arm, calling her one of the most strong willed individuals they know, the latter having been the one to give her the blade, which speaks volumes about her faith in her adoptive daughters abilities. Her praise of Kagura in general, and the fact that the girl was raised and trained by a warrior said to be on par with Sparda paints a very impressive picture of The Ace of Mermaid Heel.
    • This also gives a greater impression of Lucia's strength, since despite all of the above, the members of Mermaid Heel treat her as the superior between her and Kagura.
  • While it overlaps with Nightmare Fuel, Yukino's description of Ophiuchus's power and malevolence makes it clear that summoning her is not something to be done lightly. Despite the spirits Blood Lust, her words indicate that she has always been able to at least prevent it from outright killing her opponents. It also gives a retroactive moment to Kagura for pushing her opponent to use such a Wild Card in the first place, not to mention outright defeating it.
  • After hearing what Sabertooth did to her sister, Sorano is ready to storm the building and "obliterate that pathetic excuse of a guild", despite needing to lie low and the presence of Vergil, whom she's aware of just how dangerous he is. She relents when Dante decides to go in her stead, with Natsu not joining in solely to help escort Yukino.
  • Dante's rampage against Sabertooth has him storm the Inn they're staying at, knocking aside any members who try to get in his way and arriving at the lobby not so much as short of breath, clearly enraged on Yukino's behalf. This anger grows during his confrontation with Jiemma, particularly after the man admits the main reason he didn't rape her was because he considered her "too weak to bear his children". Just after the words left Jiemmma's mouth, Dante responds with a shotgun blast that annihilates half the massive tree behind the Sabertooth master, before furiously calling him out on his philosophy and challenging him to a fight. In a surprised twist, when Jiemma deigns it beneath him and tries to pass it off to another member, Vergil stops him, and vocally agrees with Dante's assertion that the master of Sabertooth should put his money where his mouth his, refusing to let anyone else interfere. He even throws the mans own words back in his face, saying that should he lose, he'd have proven himself a disgrace to Sabertooths name.
    • Brief as it was, the fight between Dante and Jiemma has a great glimpse of both their current capabilities. Jiemma proves that his position as guild master of Sabertooth is not just for show, displaying powerful magic blasts and notable proficiency in hand-to-hand. However, Dante shows his confidence was well founded, showing little difficulty blocking or dodging everything his opponent throws at him, and putting him on the defensive through a combination of power, and skillful use of a small fraction of his arsenal, Dual Wielding Rebellion and Coyote-A before switching out with Beowulf. Too bad Minerva interrupts.
    • Minerva's interruption has her use her canon trick of holding Happy hostage, to which Dante whips out and presses Ivory to her forehead in a fraction of a second, before giving the below order accompanied by a chilling Death Glare, too furious to bother snarking. Vergil even warns her his brother is not one for idle threats.
      Dante: Let. Him. Go. Now.
    • While Dante relents and decides to leave, he still gets the last word in, responding to Minerva's smug boast that when they face off in the Games Sabertooth will "show no mercy", by chuckling and saying they've taken down much worse than Sabertooth and always come out on top. And just to add one final taunt, before leaving he fires Ivory upwards, causing the chandelier to fall in a blatant mark of disrespect. The entire incident notably shakes up Sting, who is visibly unnerved to realize Dante might be on the same level as Vergil.
      Dante: If I had a penny for every time I heard the whole 'show no mercy' shtick... Come at us with everything you got, it'll make it all the sweeter when we kick all your asses. Fairy Tail's gone up against worse odds, we can handle some wannabe dark guild like you chumps.
    • Even after Dante leaves, Vergil continues the verbal bitchslapping of Minerva, deriding her for taking Happy hostage. This notably causes her to lose her smirk for the first time.
      Vergil: Those who use the weak as shields, are on those weaker than they are. And you, Minerva, have proven just how weak you truly are.
  • The event of the third day is 'Pandemonium', a game where each participant enters a fortress filled with a number of monsters of their choice of one hundred. The caveat being there is a mix of monsters from D-rank to S-rank, the levels of those summoned are randomized, and combatants only get one point for monster defeated. Everyone notes that despite the simple premise, there is a lot of strategy and luck involved, combatants needing to juggle accumulating points, saving stamina, and anticipating the numbers chosen by the combatants after them. After obtaining the first slot in the game Erza declares she needn't worry about any of that... since she decides to TAKE ON ALL ONE HUNDRED!
• Ch 35 There's No Stopping Us
  • Erza reminds everyone that she is one of Fairy Tails best by managing to defeat all one hundred monsters including the S class by herself. She also shows a new skill being able to combine different armor and weapons from her various Equips. This further increases her already impressive versatility, and throughout the event she makes full use of it, swapping armors and weapons to best fit each situation and even turning the stronger monsters attacks against them, dominating through not just incredible power, but skill and tactical ability. Her feats earn her praise and acknowledgment from not only Vergil but also Bruni and Kurenai, the latter of whom notes that Erza has the makings of a Wizard Saint.
  • The second part of the third day event consists of casting a spell on a Magic Power Finder which measures the spells magical power with the one with the highest score winning. Milliana beats out the contestants from Quatro Puppy, Blue Pegasus and even Raven Tail (albeit Obra threw the contest) which is pretty impressive considering she doesn't specialize in raw power. Unfortunately for her Orga shows that in terms of raw power in Sabertooth only Vergil has him beat by getting a score that it actually more then ten times her's which a shocked Lahar states that he's never seen such a high score. Then Jura once again demonstrates why he's a wizard saint by getting a score that more then double that.
    • As a side not while everyone is praising Jura Bruni notes that Kurenai would have no trouble getting a much higher score something she doesn't deny showing that as powerful as Jura is The Mother of the Ocean is on a completely different level.
  • Cana steals the show however by showing that she's mastered Fairy Glitter which she uses to completely destroy the Magic Power Finder and beat Jura's score earning Fairy Tail another victory. The fact that she can use it at will now instantly rockets up her threat level to anyone dumb enough to pick a fight with Fairy Tail.
    • Side note, Vergil is impressed by the power she brings to bear, and he calls it one of Fairy Tails 'three big spells', indicating he's aware of all of them despite them being closely held guild secrets.
  • Wally and Risley's fight has an impressive showing of both sides. Erza and Milliana's old friend proves hard for his opponent to pin down, and quickly manages to unleash an omnidirectional attack on his opponent, showing how far he's come in seven years. Not to be outdone, Risley's Gravity Magic not only lends her impressive power and mobility, she also reveals she can absorb the impact of attacks to boost her own power, using this to quickly turn the table and win the fight.
  • While he went completely overboard and brutally injured his opponent, one can't deny Rufus' battle with Eve was a great display of his Memory Make's power and versatility. Not only can he create realistic illusions to fool his opponent, but he makes use of various elements to both bind and finish off Eve, attacking with both an eruption from the ground and a lance of light.
  • Apparently Sid managed to get information about the days matchups ahead of time, visibly impressing even Ivan. Guys lacking in power, but he does his job as an informant very well.
• Ch 36 Thunder and Sky
  • Gajeel managing to deduce the nature of Ivan's plan, and makes sure to cut off Sid before he has a chance to escape, avoiding any loose ends where Raven Tail is concerned.
  • While a sign of what a scumbag he is, there's something to be said about Ivan's intelligence in forming the beginnings of a plan to leverage Cana against Gildarts within moments of confirming the man became the newest guildmaster and likely has information on Lumen Histoire.
  • It turns out that Sapphire is a spy for Mermaid Heel. The fact that she was able to infiltrate Raven Tail for months without Ivan or any other member of the Guild suspecting anything speaks very highly of her acting ability. She then proceeds to trap Obra in her fire before crushing Nullpuding and teaming up with Laxus to take down Ivan.
    • It's highlighted here just how much of an Adaptational Badass Mermaid Heel has become in the story. They have 3 S-Class wizards in their ranks: Lucia (a Devil Hunter), Kagura (a Master Swordswoman), and now Sapphire (a Dragon Slayer), in addition to their Guild Master being the First Ranked Wizard Saint. By the end of the chapter they have taken the lead in the Grand Magic Games over both Saber Tooth and the two Fairy Tail Teams.
  • Laxus demonstrates that he is easily one of Fairy Tails greatest badasses by inflicting a Curb-Stomp Battle on both Kurohebi and a joint one on Ivan alongside Sapphire, all without taking any real damage. For extra style, he finishes off his not so dear old dad with a new move, Lightning Dragon Mjolnir.
  • Obra gets a villainous moment for managing to slip away in the confusion, which Sid considers enough for Raven Tails plans to still have a chance. Further reinforcing his apparent power is the fact that Sapphire, an S-Class Dragon Slayer who could fight Natsu and infiltrated a dark guild run by a ruthless Chessmaster for months, practically has a Freak Out upon realizing he escaped.
  • Wendy shows just how far she has come from the scared little girl she started off as. During her fight with Sherria she shows herself to be a very competent close combat fighter, while in the past she relied exclusively on long rage attacks. Wendy not only shows massively improved power and senses, but she has also learned from the enemies she has faced in the past, including both Erigor and Vergil. Modeus reveals that he also taught her one of Sparda's moves. That's right, Wendy used a technique from Sparda.
  • Its revealed that Wendy has learned how to use her Sky Dragon Magic to listen to her opponents' breathing, enhancing her senses beyond even those of her fellow Dragon Slayers. Using this skill, she realizes the weakness to Sherria's God Slayer Magic is that it tires her out quickly. At one point Wendy even goes so far as to encourage Sherria to use her most powerful spells. As Sherria prepares the spell, Wendy used Arms on her to increase the power of her spell, making it difficult for Sherria to control and missing her as a result. She follows up by increasing her speed with Vernier and using the dust from Sherria's attack as cover, she delivers a quick punch to Sherria's throat (preventing her from consuming air and recovering), before hitting her an augmented Shattering Light Sky Drill, winning the match for Fairy Tail A. By the end of the fight, Wendy has earned praise not only from her guildmates, but also from Jura, who's a Wizard Saint. Even Vergil, the man who once swatted her aside like a bug, acknowledges how much stronger Wendy has become.
    • For extra catharsis, a watching Sting is unsettled and reminded of Dante's intimidating expression from the night before, made all the better by him dismissing her as a threat before the fight began.
  • Credit to Sherria, however, who put up an excellent fight and deserves praise of her own. Despite her young age she is noted to be more powerful a God Slayer than Zancrow ever was and pushes Wendy very hard throughout the match. And despite losing, Ooba decides not to spin her out of recognition for her efforts. She's also an excellent sport taking her defeat in stride and even becomes friends with Wendy by the end, showing a lot of maturity.
• Ch 37 Fangs Bared
  • Sparda's recounting of the origins of God Slayer Magic reveals that Mundus created it to empower his followers after learning about Dragon Slayer Magic, which gave him yet another way to wreak havoc on the world without even being there. Sparda himself proved resourceful in mitigating the damage, having managed to gain an audience with the gods (including Anu) to get them to remove the side effects by imposing a Level Cap on anyone who learned them, and personally sought out each user to warn them of the risks. And while he considers it a failure on his part, the fact that he treats killing the worst of them as a failure implies that hunting down and killing God Slayers before they were nerfed was something he was capable of with only moderate difficulty.
  • Kurenai gets one for managing to more or less talk down Sho, Wally and Milliana from wanting vengeance against Jellal, convincing them to let go of their grudge by invoking both their memory of Simon and pointing out how it would make Erza suffer if they got hurt. Goes to show she has plenty of skills outside of fighting.
    • To their credit, both them and Kagura accept the need for secrecy regarding Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere's mission, and agree to accommodate them despite their personal feelings. Shows impressive maturity and self control on their part.
  • The Naval Battle has plenty for several of the participants.
    • Jenny displays some of her Machina Souls capabilities, demonstrating an armor perfectly suited to underwater combat, complete with turbines and torpedoes that put the others on the defensive.
    • Risley is as skillful as ever, avoiding attacks from both Sherria and Jenny through a combination of agility and her ability to shift between chubby and skinny forms, and even takes the opportunity to boost her power with the latter's torpedoes.
    • From the start, Juvia and Lucy dominate the battle with their water magic and Aquarius respectively, with the other participants electing to simply stay out of their way to avoid a ring out. Lucy displays solid tactics by summoning Aries to cover them while Aquarius engages Juvia, and her wool nets her the first ring out against Rocker, and keeps her safe.
    • Juvia gets one for being evenly matched with Aquarius, one of Lucy's strongest Spirits, even before she decides to turn it up a notch, eliminating everyone bar Lucy and Minerva in one big attack.
    • Minerva proves that her arrogance is warranted, spending the entire event easily blocking any attacks sent her way with her Space Master magic and knocks Juvia out before she realizes it. She also manages to defeat Aquarius and Aries within seconds, and proves pragmatic enough to use her magic to deprive Lucy of her Keys and whips. The rest of the 'fight' lasts as long as it does so she can indulge in her grudge against Dante, and it's made clear that despite her recent training, Minerva is still the superior combatant between the two of them.
    • Despite the above, Lucy proves to be just as determined as many of her guildmates, delivering a verbal bitchslapping on par with her cousins that gets under the Sabertooth wizards skin, and retains enough presence of mind to snag her whip back despite the onslaught of explosions Minerva subjects her to. This lets her tie the two of them up (preventing her opponent from attacking without hurting herself) and she summons Aquarius to knock them both out, forcing a tie against an opponent who had every advantage she could ask for.
  • When Minerva goes ballistic on Lucy for managing to force a draw, Dante is quick to stop her beatdown before it can get going, and Natsu unleashes a blistering barrage of blows on the smug Sabertooth wizard, absolutely livid. When Orga, Rufus, and Sting try to attack him, Trish, Lady and Lisanna intercept the trio and and more or less tell them to Bring It.
    • It's only the intervention of the Rune Knights that prevent things from escalating further, and they still make it clear Sabertooth are suffering consequences for Minerva's overreaction, dropping their earned points from nine to five, and make it clear they are now on thin ice.
    • When Minerva tries to get a cheap shot in at Natsu as he walks away, it is intercepted by Vergil, who intimidates her with one hell of a Death Glare before slamming her face on the ground and promising Lahar that there will be no more violations from his teammates. Man has clearly had enough of his guilds nonsense.
  • The fact that merging the Fairy Tail teams has no effect, since they have the same point total that put them both in first place. A massive turnaround from the first day and shows just how formidable they are.
  • The Fairy Tail team selected goin forward has members of both Teams A and B, all of them ready to unleash everything they have against Sabertooth, especially after the prior declaration of war.
• Ch 38 Dogs and Pegasi-Lamia and Mermaids
  • The match between Quattro Puppy and Lamia Scale pits Bacchus, Rocker and Yager against Ichiya, Jenny, and the third member who is revealed to be none other than Nichiya! All three Blue Pegasus members show that despite their quirks and focus on beauty, they are indeed a force to be reckoned with.
    • Nichiya shows that he is just as quirky and competent as his Earthland counterpart, shocking everyone when he manages to slice all three Quattro Puppy members in the blink of an eye, a display of speed that catches even Bacchus off guard. Turns out, Nichiya is in fact a Master Swordsman that regularly sparred with Panther-Lily, and always gave the guy a tough fight, even if he never managed to win. That, combined with his speed makes him a nightmare to fight, only being knocked out when caught off guard.
    • Jenny's Take Over: Machina Soul demonstrates two new forms, Flash Piston and Steel Buzzsaw Armour. The former gives her wheels on her feet that let her run rings around Rocker, and the latter allows her to quickly overpower both of her remaining opponents at the same time, before finishing them off with a missile barrage. Dante and Erza note her Machina Soul gives her a level of versatility on par with the latter, a very impressive comparison that emphasizes how much of a threat Blue Pegasus' S-Class really is.
    • Finally, Ichiya's fight against Bacchus has him boost his muscle mass with Power Parfum, with the man downing his entire gourd right off the bat. Despite being unable to land a solid hit, Ichiya actually manages to match his opponent in a Punch Parry and weathers the onslaught long enough to find an opening and grab Bacchus in a bearhug. For his next move he proceeds to piledrive his opponent into the ground, knocking him out and securing the win against an opponent Erza admits to having struggled with. This earns him plenty of well-deserved praise from the other members of Fairy Tail, and a great reminder of just why he's considered Blue Pegasus' number-one wizard.
  • Sho, Yuka, and Lyon vs Lucia, Kagura, and Sapphire. At first, this fight looks like it will be an easy victory for Mermaid Heel but Lamia Scale show that they are no pushovers and through clever use of both Yuka's Wave Magic and Sho's Card Magic not only hold their own but even gain the upper hand via removing the other teams' powers and manage to trap Kagura in one of Sho's cards.
  • Mermaid Heel however once again demonstrates why they are one of Fiore's strongest guilds. Lucia and Sapphire despite losing their powers show impressive skill and teamwork managing to get around Lyon and Sho to knock Yuka out. Once that happens the match turns decisively in their favor as Kagura manages to break out of Sho's card with her gravity magic before one shotting him. Not only that it's revealed that Sapphire thanks to her element being Azure Fire can eat both Fire and Ice giving her basically two elements. In addition, Kagura shows that she can control who and what is affected by her gravity magic allowing her to use it freely with her guildmates nearby.
    • Lyon following his guildmates defeat is up against Mermaid Heels 3 S class wizards each of whom outmatches him and one of them can eat his magic. Despite that he still goes out swinging tanking hits from both Kagura and Lucia and managing to land a blow on Sapphire before Lucia finishes him with one of her Devil Arms. Despite losing Lyon earns well-deserved praise from several onlookers.
• Chapter 39, Devils and Dragons, finally has the three-on-three match of Fairy Tail’s Dante, Natsu, and Gajeel vs Sabertooth's Vergil, Sting, and Rogue, and it is pure epicness from beginning to end.
  • The fight starts off with a huge bang as Dante and Vergil clash swords with each other, and Natsu and Gajeel rush at Sting and Rogue with a flurry of punches. Most notably during the first moments of his duel with Dante, Vergil doesn’t pull out the Yamato from its sheath, and when he attempts to do so, Dante slams it back in with Rebellion before delivering a headbutt. Then when Sting delivers a White Dragon Roar that nearly hits Natsu and Gajeel, Dante is able to stop the attack with a shot from Coyote-A, all while fighting his brother with one hand! He then follows this up by pushing the Yamato upwards with another gunshot, allowing him to stab Vergil in the chest much to Sabertooth’s shock and Fairy Tail’s pleasure.
  • But that’s not enough yet to finish off the Devil Prince and the Dragon Twins, with the latter two entering White Drive and Shadow Drive, which boosts their power. The fight turns in Sabertooth’s favor as Sting begins pounding Natsu and Rogue engages Gajeel. The two even show off some teamwork on a few occasions, performing crisscross attacks with their spells on the Fairy Tail wizards.
    • As he fights Natsu, Sting reveals that his Dragon Slayer Magic is infused with Holy Magic, allowing him to paralyze anyone branded with its stigmata, enabling him to leave Natsu defenseless for a flurry of punches and kicks. But Natsu catches him off-guard when he ducks under a punch, revealing that he managed to burn off the stigmata.
    • For Rogue, not only can he keep himself from being touched in shadow form, but also combining his magic with his katana to create his own technique: Shadow Dragon Sword Style. One move, Shadow Cutter, delivers a flurry of rapid slashes across Gajeel’s body before he can even move. Unfortunately for him, Gajeel figures out that his shadow form works similarly to Juvia’s water body: In order to strike his enemies, he has to solidify his body, or at least the part he’s using to attack, which leaves it vulnerable to attack. Sure enough, Gajeel manages to eventually catch Rogue’s blade before sending him flying with an Iron Dragon Roar.
  • Back to Dante and Vergil, the sons of Sparda begin using Devil Arms, with Vergil breaking out new ones that he acquired. First, he reveals Ifrit, a set of flaming gauntlets that can break through Cerberus’ ice and even create waves of fire. Dante’s response is to break out Beowolf, which gives him an advantage in speed. Realizing that Dante may be able to get a hit in, Vergil brings out Arbiter, an axe made out of stone that can create tremors capable of shaking the arena with one strike, and even send stones flying at Dante, who’s sent airborne by the initial strike. Deciding to fight axe with axe, Dante breaks out Anubis, using the shadow chains to wrap around Arbiter’s handle and bringing Vergil up into the air. Once Vergil is airborne, Dante uses Trickster to strike him repeatedly, keeping him from using Arbiter in the air.
    • But Vergil is not done just yet, as he puts away Arbiter and brings out Zeus, which unleashes a massive surge of lightning that strikes Dante and lights up the sky.
  • When Vergil uses Zeus to deliver another strike to Dante, Gajeel uses himself as a conductor, absorbing the lightning into his body and performing a new move called Iron Dragon Lightning Cannon, where he turns his arms into a cannon and fires all the lightning in one blast at Vergil!! But the Devil Prince acts fast, using Darkslayer to slice through the attack, causing the two halves to miss him completely...
    • ...Only for Gajeel to reveal that Vergil was never his intended target. The sound of loud slurping and electrical charges then catches the attention of everybody in the arena, causing them to see Natsu eating the lightning before entering Lightning Flame Dragon Mode, shocking everybody except Fairy Tail, with Sting letting out a Big "WHAT?!" and actually surprising Vergil.
  • The fight then turns to Natsu and Gajeel vs Vergil, and Dante vs Sting and Rogue.
    • Dante manages to push Sting and Rogue back with Rebellion, making it clear to the former that he’s going to make him hurt for laughing at Minerva torturing Lucy earlier. He makes good on that promise by using Quicksilver to get in close and send Sting flying with a slice of Rebellion, before blocking Rogue’s attack and knocking him down with a kick to the head. Then he turns his attention to Sting again, stopping a White Dragon Roar with Ebony and Ivory and dodging his White Dragon Iron Fist. He then follows this up by slamming Sting face-first into the wall, and using Quicksilver, drags him across the arena. By the time Quicksilver wears off, they’re halfway across the arena, and Dante throws Sting down before pelting him with shots from Ebony and Ivory. Then when Rogue sends him into the air with Shadow Dragon Waxing Slash, Dante manages to block his sword strikes before sending him into Sting with the Million Stab Technique.
    • Dante then goes from physically tearing into the Twin Dragons to verbally tearing into them, calling them third-rate Dragon Slayers whose powers wouldn’t scratch Acnologia despite their boasts of killing dragons before, asking if they did something underhanded to kill Weisslogia and Skiadrum, or if they were just “weak-ass dragons”. He even turns Sabertooth’s Social Darwinist philosophy against Sting, asking why he hasn’t just killed Lector if being weak means they deserve to get beaten up, a statement that really pisses off the White Dragon Slayer.
    • Having enough of Dante trashing them in every possible way, Sting and Rogue prepare their most powerful strikes, Holy Nova and Black Ragnarok, which Rogue states has slain even the mightiest of demons, and deliver two powerful punches to Dante that engulf him in an explosion of light and dark shadows. But when the smoke clears, it shows that not only did Dante not even budge from the attacks, but he even caught their fists in his bare hands without needing Rebellion!!! Taking advantage of their shock, Dante slams them into each other before surrounding them with Doppelganger and having the copies equip Agni and Rudra, trapping them in a vortex of fire and wind. Then the finishing touch comes with an electric strike from Nevan, sending the two down in an explosion of fire and lightning.
    • Taking advantage of Vergil’s surprise, Natsu delivers a series of rapid punches before sending the Devil Prince flying into the air with a Firing Hammer. Gajeel then strikes with Iron Dragon Bladed Spiral, where he spins rapidly while holding his Iron Dragon Swords outward, putting Vergil on the defensive and giving Natsu time to perform Lightning Flame Dragon Brilliant Flame, which Vergil manages to cut through, though the attack is shown to have charred him slightly.
    • Despite being caught off-guard by Natsu’s new power-up, Vergil is still able to hold his own against Fairy Tail’s Dragon Slayers, delivering multiple slashes with Yamato that Natsu has trouble dodging even with the extra speed provided by the lightning. Gajeel manages to take the slices himself by forming his Iron Dragon Scales, before engaging Vergil in a sword fight.
    • At one point in the clash, Vergil attempts to strike Gajeel in the neck, only for the Yamato to actually bounce off the scales. After knocking Vergil down, Gajeel reveals that whenever his current set of scales break off, newer and stronger ones grow in their place. Turns out when he was training, he had Nero continuously break off his scales with Gilgamesh and Masayoshi, ensuring that he had the best defense.
    • Modeus notes that despite Natsu and Gajeel not being accustomed to working together, it actually makes it harder for Vergil to predict and counter their next moves, which is why he’s been ending up on the ropes. But as Mavis points out, Vergil is still quite intelligent and will eventually find a way to counter them.
    • Sure enough, Vergil begins countering the two Dragon Slayers with the revelation of Mirage Edge, a transparent Devil Arm made entirely out of his own demonic power and taking the form of Force Edge, the sword Sparda wielded before it became the Devil Sword Sparda. As Vergil himself explains, Devil Arms are often made from the souls of powerful demons, meaning Mirage Edge has the same power as him. The Devil Prince then demonstrates this power with Summon Swords: Harmonious Embrace, which creates hundreds of transparent copies of the Yamato that surround Natsu and Gajeel like a dome. The copies begin raining down on Gajeel and actually start breaking through his scales, each copy reappearing in the air the second they land on the ground. The display of power is enough to make Natsu freeze up in fear again.
    • As Natsu is left paralyzed with fear by how stronger Vergil has become, he then remembers Gildarts’s words to him on Tenrou Island about how it’s all right to be afraid, and the strongest people are those who accept their fears so they can overcome them. Reinvigorated, Natsu finally moves in and stops Vergil just as he’s ready to finish off Gajeel, and sends him flying with his strongest Dual Element attack yet after giving off this declaration.

      Natsu: I’m afraid. I admit it…I’m afraid of you. You’re probably the first opponent I was actually afraid of. And I’ve been afraid for a long time. But you know something I’m even more scared of? Not being strong enough to protect those close to me. So I’m going to get stronger. And if that means fighting you, then I’ll do just that! I refuse to live in fear any longer! I’ll burn my fears into ashes! Starting with you, Vergil! Advance Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Flame Lotus Exploding Lightning Blade!

    • Once Vergil lands on the ground from Natsu’s attack, Dante is quick to strike at his brother with Rebellion and Coyote-A, followed by Gajeel hitting him in the gut with a pillar.
  • Despite the harsh beatings, Vergil, Sting and Rogue are still willing to fight, with the latter two revealing that they can enter Dragon Force at will, with Gildarts and Makarov noting that it’s a possible benefit from having lacrimas, similar to Laxus and Cobra. The Twin Dragons then begin fighting the Fairy Tail trio themselves while Vergil steps back, with Sting fighting Dante and Rogue fighting Gajeel and Natsu.
    • Rogue shows in his fight with Natsu and Gajeel that he doesn’t need to use his katana when in Dragon Force, using his shadow form to move quick and dodge attacks, and even block and parry punches from both of his opponents. Likewise for Sting, he manages to hold his own against Dante, matching Ebony and Ivory’s gunshots with white light bolts and meeting the Million Stab Technique with a blast of light. The two then unleash their Dragon Roar attacks, which are strong enough to rock the entire arena, and even tear up the ground, causing the Fairy Tail trio to fall into a deep mine with the Dragon Twins jumping in after them.
    • Despite falling, the Fairy Tail trio still manage to put up a fight, with Dante meeting Sting in midair with Trickster and Beowolf, and Natsu pushing himself off debris to hit Rogue with flaming headbutt, followed by Gajeel hitting him with an Iron Dragon Roar. When Rogue lands, he shows that the attack didn’t phase him. And when Sting and Dante land, the former hits the latter with Holy Ray, which strikes Dante with multiple bolts of white light. Rogue then follows up by hitting Natsu and Rogue with Black Abyss, a series of shadow spikes that pierce them. In the end, Dante, Natsu and Gajeel are out cold, and Sting and Rogue appear to be victorious...
    • ...only for Dante to reveal that they were faking being unconscious the whole time, catching Sting and Rogue off-guard. Vergil however is not phased at all, having expected this from his younger brother.
    • When Sting and Rogue express disbelief in the three managing to overcome their Dragon Force power, Natsu reveals that he figured out that the Twin Dragons have made Dragon Force into a crutch, relying more on overwhelming power to win their battles. Vergil even says that Natsu is right, stating that Sting and Rogue have allowed their power to stagnant by becoming too dependent on Dragon Force, hitting a ceiling that they don’t intend to break.
  • Just when the three-on-three action is about to start again, Natsu suddenly pushes Gajeel into a minecart and sends him down a track, declaring that he’ll face Sting and Rogue by himself, emphasizing it by forming ‘COME ON’ in fiery letters. As this happens, Dante and Vergil enter their Devil Triggers and fly out of the hole, engaging in an aerial duel.
    • In the sky, Dante goads Vergil in getting the first strike. Just as Vergil prepares to strike, Dante equips Dreadnaught and lets the Yamato hit him. He reveals that Dreadnaught lets him take in damage his opponent hits him with, allowing him to add it to his own power. After training for three months, Dante can now regulate its power, and by equipping it with his Devil Trigger, he ends up creating a new form called the Inferno Trigger. When Vergil attempts to strike Dante again, he blocks the Yamato with his arm and absorbs the damage from the strike before running him through with Rebellion, blasting him back with energy from the sword.
    • Later on in the duel, Vergil realizes that Dante is saving up as much energy as he can for a final blow after wearing him down enough. He even realizes that this is the first time Dante is using the Inferno Trigger move, and eventually manages to cut through the Dreadnaught with the Yamato, leaving a cut on Dante’s chest.
    • As Natsu prepares to fight Sting and Rogue in the mines, Rogue realizes that Natsu hasn’t used his lightning ever since the twins entered Dragon Force. Natsu reveals that while he can use Lightning Flame mode at will now, he was mostly saving it for Vergil, and he wanted to test Sting and Rogue with just his fire, expressing confidence that he can defeat both of them in Dragon Force without needing to break out his lightning again. The Son of Igneel proves to be a challenge for both of them, to the point that Rogue has to use his katana, something he previously said wasn’t necessary for Dragon Force.
    • As the rest of Fairy Tail watches the fight, Erza notes how Natsu and Dante have their own ways of fighting. For Natsu, he has high endurance and can easily adapt to a battle after seeing and experiencing enough of his enemies’ power. And Dante shows that his best strength is his creativity, using whatever Devil Arms he has to cover any weaknesses he finds with any power or weapon, creating combinations that even the Queen of Fairies herself is left baffled by.
  • Eventually, the final moments of the battle come as Dante and Vergil prepare their final blows, pouring all of their power into the Rebellion and Yamato, which takes the form massive transparent versions of their titular swords. At the same time, Sting and Rogue combine their remaining power into a Unison Raid dubbed Holy Shadow Dragon Flash Fang, which Natsu meets head on with Flame Lotus Exploding Flame Blade, an attack that takes the form of a flaming dragon. The two attacks collide just as Vergil and Dante deliver the final blow, creating two simultaneous explosions that shake up all of Domus Flau, blowing a chunk out of the mountain and even blowing away all the clouds in the sky!! The explosions end up knocking out the lacrima projections, and Dante and Vergil fall back into the mines. And when the smoke clears and the projections start working again…
    • All five combatants are shown to be heavily beaten, with Dante and Vergil looking the worse of the bunch. Moments later, Rogue and Sting collapse in complete shock and awe over Natsu’s power. Vergil is soon left standing for Sabertooth…until the Yamato falls out of his hand, and he drops to his knees in defeat, silently congratulating Dante on his victory. After so long, Dante has finally beaten Vergil, one-on-one. And with that, Sabertooth ends up receiving the humbling of a lifetime.
    • And with that victory, Fairy Tail is now in first place with 51 points. And the other guilds are ready to come after them for the top spot, with Team Fairy Tail ready to take on all comers.
    • As Natsu and Dante prepare to leave, the Fire Dragon Slayer tells Vergil that he’ll be getting the next shot at the Devil Prince, refusing to be afraid anymore. Despite his injuries, Vergil can’t help but smile, looking forward to facing Natsu again.
• Ch 40 The Eclipse Project
  • Overlaps with Tearjerker, but Future Lucy's nightmare shows Natsu and Dante were able to take down several dragons the last time she saw them, the two staying behind to Hold the Line while she, Lisanna, and Levy fled. They clearly knew they weren't going to make it out of that one, but they took down plenty of dragons (some of the most powerful creatures to walk Ishgar) with them.
  • Rogue gets an understated one for flatly informing Jiemma that he quits, cutting the mans attempts to humiliate and expel himself, Sting, and Vergil from Sabertooth out from under him, and standing his ground even as the guildmaster turns violent. The fact that he extends the offer of joining him to Sting and Vergil right in front of his unstable master (who clearly does not encourage independent thought amongst people in Sabertooth) is an impressive display of courage.
  • From the same scene, despite his fear, Lector stands up for his friend, and makes a reasonable suggestion that Sting and Rogue can temporarily leave the guild and return after having grown stronger, a solution that meshes well with Sabertooth's stated philosophy. It doesn't work given he's talking to Jiemma, but props to the little guy for trying.
  • Having enough of Jiemma's nonsense, Vergil decapitates the bastard as he's fighting Sting, unafraid of the consequences. And to her credit, Minerva adapts seamlessly to the new development, keeping her canon plan of holding Lector hostage to ensure Stings motivation, instating Vergil as their new guildmaster so they can still compete (as well as removing a teammate who would interfere in her sadism in the final fight), and comes up with a plausible lie that Jiemma's rage caused him health problems. And while Vergil sees through it, and notes he has several options she's unaware of, her intention to reveal him as Jiemma's killer after the Games and have him arrested is a clever way to remove probably the biggest obstacle to her control over Sabertooth. Scumbag she may be, the woman is no slouch in terms of smarts.
  • Sparda, Kurenai, and Modeus' account of the dragon civil war paints a brutal picture, especially once the Three Demon Kings got involved and made things even messier, with all sides being locked in a brutal, bloody stalemate. Then came the creation of Dragon Slayer magic, which was such a game changer, it turned the whole thing into a resounding victory for the first faction. Made all the better by the fact that it came from the humans, the beings that many dragons and demons looked down upon, with the feat even earning the respect of the neutral faction and caused many dragons to swap sides.
  • More light is shed on Acnologia's origins, who like Natsu, consumed an extra element... and according to Modeus kept going for more and more, eventually causing his powers to evolve to the point he consumed Ethernano itself! After his transformation into a dragon, his accumulated power was such that he was able to match Sparda, who needed help from Kurenai, Igneel and several dragons to defeat him in a battle that came to be known as The Dragon King Festival. Even then, the battle itself was such that they altered the landscape in the process, and despite retreating, Acnologia still managed to kill all the dragons and Dragon Slayers the group found in the graveyard on top of surviving a battle with Sparda and several of the allies comparable to him.
    • Overlaps with Tearkerker, but Sparda finally confirms one of the biggest mysteries of the story by admitting it was Acnolgia who killed him! The battle itself apparently lasted several days and levelled a mountain range, yet the Dragon Butcher had somehow gotten more powerful than the last time the two clashed, enough to take down what was probably the greatest warrior on Earthland.
  • We get out first look at Kurenai's power when she sends one hundred royal soldiers flying moving so fast that not even Dante could see her. She tells Minister Darton that the reason she is named Kurenai is because it means crimson, a reference to the oceans of blood she leaves behind whenever she takes on entire armies of humans, demons or even dragons. Everyone, including the members of Fairy Tail who she is defending, is terrified of her, with the woman giving a Death Glare that puts Erza to shame. What's more during this entire encounter her demonic power is sealed away this was only her physical abilities, and even then she remarks that her trident Poseidon can shatter mountaintops with sufficient force behind it. Just what exactly is she capable of when she does have access to her full power?
    • To Dalton and the soldiers credit, when faced with the most powerful woman in all of Ishgar and who has fought and survived in battles against Acnolgia and Mundus, they don't make a run for it and stand their ground despite being terrified.
  • Lucy willingly going with Darton and the soldiers in order to get them to leave her friends in peace and give them more time to plan with their allies. She even manages to negotiate the possibility of a lighter sentence for Yukino in the process, and during their imprisonment, acts completely nonchalant about the whole thing.
    • In turn, this gives Fairy Tail and their allies time to compare notes with Jellal and their other allies and come up with a plan of action. Lisanna also stands out for realising Arcadios must have another ally given he used the royal seal to recruit Yukino, further justifying their rescue attempt.
• Ch 41 Fairy Tactician
  • As expected of a battle royale, many of the participants get a chance to show what they're made of.
    • Jura No Selling Jagers ambush, and defeats him with a single palm strike, no magic required.
    • Bacchus and Ichiya have a rematch, which has an impressive showing for both of them as they wreck the street in the midst of their brawl. The former shows he's got brains to back up his brawn, exploiting Ichiya's Top-Heavy Guy status by attacking his legs, while Ichiya deserves praise for managing to consistently hit a master of an evasive and confusing fighting style.
    • The above leads to one for Sting, who attacks the two S-Class Wizards after they've worn each other down along with tagging them with his Stigmata to ensure they can't move. He then dispatches both enemy team leaders with a powerful assault, bringing his team just short of the lead. Brutal as it was, it was a cunning strategy for the typically hot-headed Dragon Slayer.
    • Kagura encounters Yuka and Toby, and dispatches them with one attack each.
    • The three way battle between Wally, Sho, and Nichiya has an impressive showing from the less prominent members of their respective teams. Sho deserves credit for managing to bypass the Exceeds speed with a well placed trap, continuing to show his craftiness, even if Wally is the one to score the point.
    • Despite being the last member of his guild standing and knowing he can't win this, Rocker still resolves to earn as many points for Quattro Puppy as he can, even gearing up to fight Milliana and Dobengal as the chapter ends, who are members of the two top ranked guilds in Fiore.
  • Mavis truly gets to shine this chapter as she has shown to have a incredible strategic mind, flawlessly predicting the actions Fairy Tails opponents would take (even giving exact percentages) and directs the Fairy Tail team on how to best counter them and secure victory. The end result is that Fairy Tail quickly regains the lead despite their late start.
    • Sparda reveals that he taught Mavis everything she knows about strategy, reminding us that not only was he a legendary warrior but a brilliant commander as well.
    • Among her predictions, her breakdown of Rufus' "Night of Shooting Stars" and their own skills let all of Fairy Tail easily evade/negate the attack the won him the event on the first day. Gray even boasts that he shouldn't expect the same trick to work twice.
    • The various Fairy Tail members delivering a Curb-Stomp Battle on their respective opponents, with the highlight being Erza versus Jenny. The latter finds out the hard way she's outmatched in power and her opponents new tactics give her much greater versatility to boot, with even her last stand with her strongest defensive Take Over doing little more than buying her a few seconds. Erza's complete trouncing of her opponent shows she's on another level even compared to other S-Class mages, complete with a nonchalant boast.
      Erza: Not bad. Perhaps with some training, you would make a decent sparring partner.
  • Sheeree's proficiency with Magic Drain has improved to the point that after a quick demonstration from Mirajane and Lisanna, she was able to cast a Transformation spell that makes the entire group look like soldiers
  • One for Princess Hisui, who anticipated Fairy Tail breaking out Lucy and Yukino and laid a trap that teleports them to the Palace of Perdition, getting the biggest obstacle to her plans out of the way, however briefly.
  • Dante is having none of the princesses justifications or threats, matter-of-factly informing her that she can give up her plan to use the Eclipse Gate and surrender, or they will break out and kick her ass anyway. When she starts ranting about the necessity of her actions he nonchalantly shoots her magical projection and grumbles about her giving such long winded "no", clearly unphased by the entire setup.
• Ch 42 Creative Battle
  • The titular battle between Gray and Rufus is the highlight of the chapter, with impressive showings from both sides.
    • On Rufus' end, the chapter goes to show how overpowered his Memory Make Magic is, letting him mimic any magic he sees, mix and match spells in his arsenal, and make his opponent 'Forget' any spell he sees them use, depriving them of their own arsenal as they face his ever expanding one. What's more, it's revealed Rufus himself has near perfect memory (and is a speed reader to boot), with his decision to retreat to a library being a tactical one that allows him to expand his already absurd arsenal even as he's trouncing Gray! Little wonder he was dominating the early fight...
    • Of course, Gray proves why he's one of Fairy Tails best, using several clever workarounds and exploits his opponents weaknesses relentlessly. While he only gets one use out of each spell, he manages to work around that by simply flexing his magical power (which his opponent can't negate) and freezing the area, simultaneously giving him the home field advantage and providing him a way to locate Rufus even with his afterimages. This and a well timed ice clone lets him close the distance and turn the tables on his opponent in melee combat, where Rufus is significantly lacking. His constant insults exploit his opponents short temper and ensures he can't bring the full potential of his Memory Make to bare, and he spends the rest of the fight holding the advantage.
    • By the end, Rufus opts to simply spam magic power everywhere, and for a final exchange furiously unleashes an attack comprised of every magic he can think of. By contrast, Gray keeps his cool and unleashes "Ice-Make Unlimited: Devil's Dance", a spiral containing a detailed replica of every weapon he can think of (including all the Devil Arms he has seen) that manages to easily overpower his opponents desperate attack. And for the coup de grace, he uses none other than a "Cold Yamato", complete with a Bond One-Liner. It's clear that the superior Maker Wizard won the day.
      Gray: The name's Gray Fullbuster by the way. Memorize that.
    • The above victory was made all the more profound by the fact that Gray insisted in fighting Rufus against Mavis' advice, and even refused getting a foolproof strategy from her, his only aid being a piece of advice from Sparda. In spite of facing an opponent whose magic outclassed his own in almost every regard, he persevered, kept his cool, and managed to both brilliantly exploit his opponents weaknesses and utilise his own strengths. Hell, his performance earned him great praise from Sparda, and sincere respect from Vergil.
  • Dobengal shows that even the lesser members of Sabertooth are not to be underestimated, managing to knock Rocker out with a well timed distraction even in the midst of the three way battle with the Quattro Puppy member and Milliana. He manages to overwhelm the Mermaid Heel member with a group of Ninja Clones and a blistering assault of both ranged and melee attacks, complete with a Badass Boast.
    Dobengal: Strong as you are, you are but a tiny kitten. And I am a tiger! And I am ready for a feast!
  • The above leads to one for Milliana, who weathers the assault and manages deduce the real Dobengal isn't among his clones as well as his actual location, managing to close the distance fast enough to surprise the ninja. This moment of surprise is all she needs to grab him and quickly secure her win, showing that despite lacking in power compared to some of her guildmates, she more than makes up for it in skill.
  • The Wolf Knights are regarded as executioners that inspire dread in the worst of the criminal underworld of Fiore, but even they decide that taking on Fairy Tail and Dante is beyond them, choosing to release Moloch to fight the Son of Sparda. That's right, Dante's mere presence is enough to warrant some of the deadliest knights in the kingdom deciding to cross the Godzilla Threshold!
    • Their level of caution is validated, as the Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere members easily sense and deflect their ambush, and are mostly unphased even after being separated. Dante in particular wastes no time smack talking Moloch for his ego, treating the whole thing like another day at the office.
• Ch 43 True Justice
  • Throughout the chapter, the Wolf Knights show that their reputation is well earned.
    • Despite initially appearing to be at a disadvantage in terms of numbers, it's revealed that each of them can use Pandemonium to manifest the demons like in the Games event, letting individual members fend off several members of Fairy Tail and Crime Sorciere at once. The fact that Moloch created such a spell
    • Kama proves to be a deadly opponent, Dual Wielding two Anti-Magic scythes with such skill that Jellal admits Erza might have difficulty facing him, and summons the S-Class monster to even the odds against his opponents. The fact that it takes the combined efforts of a Wizard Saint class mage and an apprentice of Sparda to put him on the losing side of a fight speaks volumes of his capabilities.
    • Despite his silly demeanour, Uosuke proves to be the deadliest of his comrades, taking on four opponents at the same time, and only using D-Class Pandemonium demons to draw them out. His Terrain Magic lets him manifest a variety of effects, from increasing and decreasing the gravity on his opponents, several weather effects, lava and even a Storm of Blades, nearly overwhelming his opponents in the opening minute of the fight. It says something about his power and versatility that it required six Celestial Spirits being summoned to counter his abilities, and additional help from the other wizards present.
  • Jellal managing to No-Sell Kama's attempt to weaponise his own sins against him, refusing to wallow in his guilt before he has made amends.
  • Modeus really shines in this chapter, managing to dispatch the S-Class monster that gave Erza difficulty in short order and assisting Jellal in keeping the pressure against Kama to prevent him from summoning it again. The following fight has him disarm his opponent of one of his magic nullifying scythes after baiting his response, and in victory shoots down his opponents attempts to condemn him for defying the kingdom.
    Kama: By not only attacking me, but by also siding with the most wanted man in the country... you have truly made an enemy of the kingdom!
    Modeus: I'm not particularly worried. We've made worse enemies. Now as for you, not only have you and your comrades attacked my friends and I, threatening our lives, your master is in possession of a dangerous weapon that could potentially destroy our whole world and has refused to negotiate or even find a way to end this peacefully. We had no choice but to resort to this. And because of that, it is you who has made an enemy of Fairy Tail.
  • Happy, Natsu, Sheeree and Wendy against Cosmos has the first joint battle between the impromptu siblings and they do not disappoint, displaying solid teamwork and awareness of one another's strengths. The highlight of which is Sheeree combining Jellal's Grand Chariot and Natsu's Fire Dragon Magic to simultaneously wipe out their enemies and give her brother a boost, which he takes advantage of to wipe out Cosmos's plants and allow Wendy to deal the finishing blow.
    • The fight is another showcase of how far Wendy has come, managing to easily hold her own against Cosmos, only needing her mouth free to break free of her constraints and spending the rest of their fight countering everything the woman throws at her.
    • Likewise, Sheeree's use of Magic Drain has become more tactical, mitigating the stamina issues that hampered her in her debut arc. This lets her mix and match what abilities she uses for the situation, determine her proximity to allies based on access to their magic, and combined several types of magic a la Rufus, which she uses to devastating effect as mentioned above.
  • Mirajane, Trish, and Cana's fight with Kamika has the former two take on the various Pandemonium monsters with ease, the She-Devil in particular showing off additions to her arsenal like Gloria's offensive lightning Flash Step, and wielding Erigor's scythe as a wind based pseudo-Devil Arm. Meanwhile, Cana has a Mirror Match with Kamika, both sides showing the versatility that comes with their cards and talismans respectively, summoning a plethora of elemental and status effects. The highlight comes from Cana breaking free of her opponent trapping her in an illusion of her worst memories (including Tenrou Island) (unphased by burning herself with the card used in the process) and smacking around the executioner in hand to hand. Rather than go for a prolonged fight, she opts to knock out her opponent with a Sleep card.
  • Lady, Panther-Lily and Kyrie's battle with Neppa and his minions shows off the results of the girls training, showing the ability to fire energy blasts and summon an energy shark for offense, made more effective by tips from Panther-Lily. Meanwhile Lady engages the Acid Magic user, and is utterly relentless in her assault, charging straight through his acid to get in close. She proceeds to clobber him in melee, complete with manifested gauntlets she calls Nemean Cestus, and despite the damage his Desperation Attack does even to her metal skin, she stands tall and finished him off with a Badass Boast.
    Lady: I've been beaten down more times than I can count, facing death each and every time. I even had my own heart ripped out and kicked around for somebody else's sick amusement. But I never gave in. Every time I was knocked down, I got back up, and each time I did, I got stronger. My body and will are stronger than steel and not even your fancy acid can melt that away!
  • The girls fight with Uosuke has some from everyone present. These include:
    • Angel unveiling her new magic for the first time, creating Summons out of her own magic power, one of which can outright eat Uosuke's Storm of Blades.
    • Arcadios managing to push Lucy and Yukino out of lava while still standing in it despite his prior injuries.
    • Lucy's Spirits summoning themselves in a nick of time, and returning both her and Yukino's keys to them. This leads to her unveiling the second trump card Trish mentioned back in the first day; by summoning Gemini and having her mimic Lucy's abilities, she effective has a second Celestial Wizard who can summon two additional Spirits for the price of one, on top of having a partner with all her new combat skills!
    • The joint effort to overwhelm Uosuke, each Spirit and Wizard countering whatever new Terrain he unveils in rapid succession, which ends with him pinned to a wall thanks to Libra's Gravity Magic, and the others ready to unleash their ranged attacks on him.
  • As all of the above is going on, Dante does battle with Moloch and spends a good chunk of it mocking the powerful demon, treating the Wolf Knight's Godzilla Threshold more like an inconvenience than a serious threat. When Moloch has the wise idea to reveal how he attacked and tortured Mavis to rile up his opponent, he succeeds... and finds himself on the wrong end of a brutal beatdown, courtesy of Dante breaking out Dreadnaught to No-Sell his direct attack and too furious to do anything more than systematically destroy him. All preceded by the below exchange, chillingly delivered.
    Dante: (after being hit full force with Moloch's sword) Not. Impressed. Beowulf!
    
    (after breaking his sword and kicking it back to Moloch)
    Dante: Pick it up. Pick. It. Up.
    Moloch: Now what?
    Dante: Now? Now, get ready for a world of pain.
    • Even in the midst of his rage, Dante still had the presence of mind to realise Sparda letting Moloch live was a form of Cruel Mercy, and elects to do the same, breaking his other horn before channeling the energy his Dreadnaught form stored up through Beowulf to collapse the floor beneath the demon and bury him alive..
  • When everyone is getting ready to interrogate Kama to find a way out, Lucy bypasses the need entirely by having Gemini transform into him and accessing his memory of the exit.
• Ch 44 Past and Future Revelations
  • Hisui reveals the scope of her plans to Darton, and it turns out that things are going just as she expected. Not only does she have a plan in place to evacuate the city should the warnings of the person from the future come to pass, but her dropping Fairy Tail into the Palace of Perdition had the dual purpose of letting them rescue Arcadios and ensuring Moloch would be released and dealt with by Dante, removing the supposed mastermind of the upcoming invasion from the board. All this on top of having used the Keys to prep the Eclipse Gate, in an impressive display of strategic ability.
  • Based off Future Lucy's account of the dragon invasion, Dante and the others manage to deduce the presence of another faction behind the Eclipse Project in an impressive display of insight.
  • Sherria is considered such a dangerous opponent that even with her water body, Juvia and Mavis both conclude the Water Mage's best option is to flee. Even as Mato questions why she continues to do so despite having the Sky God Slayer trapped in a water sphere, Sherria barely needs a moment (and a small breaths worth of air) to break free, showing just why she is not to be taken lightly.
  • When Erza and Nero's attempt to ambush Minerva is derailed by Lucia and Kagura showing up, both sides exchange an impressive series of blow before being interrupted by Minerva making her entrance. After a brief standoff (during which the combatants flex their respective Battle Aura's to shake the arena), what follows is a chaotic three-way battle with a constant exchange of attacks, defenses, and opponent swaps.
  • After confirming Nero has a connection to Sparda, Minerva quickly locks down everyone with her Territory Magic and summons two Battle Gods back to back, one to deal with the Devil Hunter, and the other the rest of the combatants. Turns out, she and Jiemma are descended from the Yakuma Clan, whose members can summon Eighteen Battle Gods using a sacrifice. Perhaps more impressively, she managed to bypass the sacrifice requirement through creative use of her spatial magic, letting her unleash three blows from gods per day. Scumbag she may be, one can't deny her pride in her power is well founded.
  • While the two regard it as a very unfortunate necessity, the fact that Sparda and Kurenai proved capable of slaughtering an entire clan of wizards capable of summoning gods deserves a mention, the sole survivor being down to mercy on their part.
  • When Minerva reveals she has Milliana hostage, the resulting aura of rage from Kurenai is enough to terrify almost everyone else in the stadium, even her fellow Wizard Saints.
  • Throughout the chapter, Nero gets a chance to show how much he's improved since joining Fairy Tail.
    • When Lucia unveils Aquila (a water based Devil Arm shuriken) against him, he manages to dodge and shoot down the barrage of smaller ones she throws his way, before catching the much bigger one and sending it right back at her. Turns out, his Devil Bringer can toss back any demonic attacks sent his way, and even add in some of his own power for extra damage.
    • Despite being pinned by Kagura's Gravity Magic, Nero stands his ground and breaks even with her absurd striking power with Gilgamesh, the clash sending them both flying, cracking the previously immaculate sheathe the Mermaid Heel member uses and earning a look of shock from the perpetually composed woman. A watching Kurenai notes the power required for such a feat couldn't come from just the Devil Arm, and that at his current rate of growth he may well reach Dante and Vergil's level.
    • For bonus points, the brief exchange is all he needs to work out the mechanics of Kagura's fighting style, showing a level of insight similar to his brothers.
    • Managing to not only survive a direct attack from a bona fide War God, but swoops in just in time to derail Minerva's attempt to use Milliana as a hostage, slicing through her Territory with Masayoshi and rescuing the Mermaid Heel member.
      Nero: I thought I told ya... (blood covering the right side of his face and dripping off his body, as he gives a grin reminiscent of Dante) ...don't underestimate me.
  • We get to see why Lucia is considered the strongest member of the Mermaid Heel team.
    • Throughout the chapter, she takes multiple hits from both Nero and Minerva, including being blasted by her own returning Devil Arm (with extra power courtesy of Nero) and later taking head-on hits from 2 of Minerva's Battle Gods, and she doesn't seem to be particularly affected by any of these blows, indicating she's as durable as she is fast and strong.
    • Even in her basic form, Lucia can also keep up with Erza when she is in her Flight Armor and wielding her Lightning Spear, a combination that, according to Erza, Dante needed his Quicksilver to counter.
    • However the biggest reveal is that Lucia has her own Devil Trigger, meaning she is either a demon or part demon. Using that form, her speed, strength and durability skyrocket to the point she can take a direct hit from one of Minerva's Battle Gods without any injuries, before proceeding to inflict a brutal No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on the Sabertooth wizard. By the end of it, Minerva is a broken wreck on the ground, pathetically begging Lucia to spare her. Lucia does so, but only because killing her would lead to a disqualification. She makes it clear to Minerva that if she threatens any of her guild sisters ever again, she will end her life. It ends when Lucia kicks Minerva into a pile of ruins, using the same insult Minerva used earlier on Millianna.
      Lucia:' Trash deserves to be tossed, correct?
  • Despite being trapped in Minerva's Territory (which the Sabertooth member says constantly drains her magic while causing immense pain), Milliana managed to notice and comfort Lector, as well as indirectly rescuing him thanks to Nero's efforts to save her.
• Ch 45 Love That Transcends Time
  • Another title for this chapter could be "why Kagura is a badass". To wit:
    • After unleashing Archenemy, the resulting striking power is enough that Erza is visibly injured even in her Armadura Diabla! The ensuing fight has the mighty Titania on the losing end, The Ace of Mermaid Heel making skillful use of her Gravity Magic to boost her speed and striking power to such levels it makes Erza look like a Mighty Glacier by comparison. Erza herself admits she has maybe one combination that could match her opponents speed, though without the defense of her Armadura Diabla she would have been taken down much earlier. Given that the armour negates everything but physical force, this speaks volumes of Kagura's sheer offensive power.
    • Adding to this, she proves to have solid analytical skills (early on at least), quickly noting that her opponents armour can't negate physical attacks''. Even in the midst of her Sanity Slippage she maintains sufficient skill with her Gravity Magic to continue boosting her own speed and power, as well as the tactical sense to pin down her opponent before unleashing the finishing blow.
    • Despite apparently being on the brink of succumbing to Archenemy's corruption, hearing Kurenai's old lullaby for her proves enough for her will to reassert itself. With Heroic Willpower like that, it's little wonder Kurenai trusted her with the Devil Arm.
  • Erza herself deserves credit for managing to get several good hits in despite the speed gap, and ultimately to turns things around by sacrificing the use of her left arm to score a critical blow. When Kagura gets up after that thanks to Archenemy's corruptive influence, she still manages to hold down her feral opponent long enough to sing Kurenai's lullaby. She may take hits, be outmatched, and even get knocked down, but Titania is renowned for a damn good reason.
  • Relating to both of the above, but the clash between Erza and Kagura was so intense that every other combatant could feel the demonic power it emanated all across the stadium.
  • Gajeel easily sensing Rogue's presence despite the latter literally hiding in the shadows.
  • Sherria continues to be a formidable opponent, cutting off Juvia's avenue of escape, manages to (however briefly) trap her opponent midair and finally land clean hits. Despite getting backup from Gray, even Juvia seriously doubts their chances of winning once Lyon shows up.
  • Despite the consequences, the fact that Future Lucy used her own life force to open the Eclipse Gate in place of the two Zodiac Keys she was missing shows some serious Determinator qualities on her part.
  • The end of the chapter has Nero and Lucia decide to forgo the kid gloves, both unleashing their respective Devil Triggers right off the bat. The clash of their Battle Auras alone causes the ground itself to tremble, setting the stage for a fight as epic as the last Mermaid Fairy clash.
• Ch 46 The Demon Within
  • The mysterious mastermind throws a wrench in Fairy Tail's efforts to stop the Eclipse Gate, having managed to free and heal Moloch, putting the powerful demon and the monsters from his Pandemonium spell in their way.
  • The highlight of the chapter is the Devil Trigger versus Devil Trigger showdown between Lucia and Nero, the commentators barely able to follow the two exchanging blows, and every attack the two unleash wrecking the area around them. As the fight continues, Yajima directly compares it to Dante and Vergil's clash.
    • Lucia's status as the strongest member of Mermaid Heel is on full display, showing a level of speed and technique that Nero is barely able to react to. Combined with her Flight, masterful sword skills and light projectiles, the entire first section of the fight consists of her slicing him to ribbons, landing blows by the dozen as he struggles to return so much as one. Even after he manages to level the playing field, Nero admits that this is the furthest his endurance has ever been pushed in a fight.
    • Nero gets one for his sheer endurance, taking everything the more experienced Devil Hunter throws at him and just. Keeps. Going! This eventually lets him turn things around, revealing that enduring said beatdown let him analyze the timing of Lucia's attacks and anticipate the precise moment an opening appears, which he demonstrates by managing to impaling her with Masayoshi, before unleashing a Razor Wind from inside her body. Despite having much less practice with his Devil Trigger, and landing much fewer blows than his opponent, by the end he's done enough damage that both of them are equally injured. He may be outmatched in terms of speed, but Nero can compete with the best of them in terms of power.
    • The two decide to finish things, charging their remaining power into their respective swords for one final exchange. Said clash is powerful enough to shake the entire arena, the explosion creating a perfectly straight gap a half mile long above the sewers they were fighting in! After a few moments of both stoically standing... Lucia keels over, Nero barely stopping himself from doing the same. Against an opponent who outclassed him in speed, mobility and experience, the youngest Son of Sparda overcame it all through solid tactics, and sheer grit worthy of his brothers, earning the respect of everyone watching, including Vergil, who gives him a nod of respect. And even after all that, barely able to stand without Masayoshi as a crutch, the kid still takes a moment to raise his Devil Bringer and roar in triumph.
  • Gajeel utterly schooling Rogue in their 'fight', barely missing a beat catching him after he uses his shadow walking, and casually blocking every attack sent his way, right up to shrugging off a Shadow Dragon Roar to the face, simply from the passive defense his scales give him.
    • Legion's debut is as impressive as it is awe inspiring, the accumulated demonic energy Rogue absorbed over the years developing it's own personality, and displaying an even greater level of power and versatility with shadows than him. Said enhanced power not only lets it actually damage Gajeel's scales, but create full on shadow constructs, giving it significantly more options in combat.
    • Despite being caught off guard by Legion, Gajeel never seems so much as worried, even when completely bound by shadow tendrils. He decides to take a page out of Natsu's book and eat the shadows, giving him his own extra element, before resuming cleaning his opponent's clock. Despite just gaining them, he makes excellent use of his new abilities, managing to keep pace with his opponent in shadow form and physically dragging him out into the open. Each of his attacks easily overwhelms his opponent, and caps it off with his first Iron Shadow Dragon Roar, netting him the win.
  • Frosch's response to seeing his best friend suffering from a Demonic Possession? Use Aera and fly straight down to the arena to try and help him. When he arrives to find Gajeel standing over a beaten Rogue, the little Exceed steps between the two, asking the Dragon Slayer not to kill him even as he's shaking in fear. It was unneeded, but more than shows the guts the little guy has when it comes to his friend.
  • Despite his exhaustion, Gray contributes greatly to helping Juvia take down Sherria and Lyon.
    • Against Sherria, after separating her from Lyon, he locks the two of them in an ice dome before using his Freezing spell to freeze the air, depriving her of her power source and letting her pass out before she gets a chance to use her impressive power, all the while enduring the same thing himself. Also counts as one for Juvia, given she came up with the idea.
    • The fact that he managed stay standing even after Lyon's barrage of animal Ice Make's, forming a Unison Raid with Juvia to finish the fight. Said attack takes his formation of Devil Arms like in his fight with Rufus, and combines it with Juvia's boiling water for boiling ice, dubbed Frozen Devil's Tsunami. Said attack utterly overpowers Lyon's Ice-Make: Hydra, netting the Fairy Tail members the win.
    • An understated one for Juvia, who handily adapted to everything Lyon threw at her, and ends the fight hardly any the worse for wear in terms of stamina. Something several of her guildmates were unable to manage after their own fights.
  • Jura's entrance is enough to elicit Oh, Crap! reactions from S-Class wizards (and prominent Blood Knights) Laxus and Sapphire.
• Ch 47 Tournament's End - Strength vs. Power
  • The members of Crime Sorciere fending off the Wolf Knights and the guards accompanying them with only moderate difficulty despite actively trying not to kill any of them. Some standout moments include:
    • Meredy using her magic to turn her opponents own attacks against them.
    • Ultear aging away the guards weapons and Cosmos plants, before unleashing a more powerful version of the Ice-Make she used against Gray all those years ago. Turns out she has been practicing.
    • Sheeree dancing around Nebra's attacks, and finishes him off with a combination of Jellal and Gray's magics.
    • Sorano matching Uosuke's absurd versatility, demonstrating the versatility of her Angel summons in the process. Notable given that doing so before took many wizards.
  • Likewise, in the fight against Moloch and his Pandemonium demons, the members of Fairy Tail are more concerned at being prevented from reaching the Eclipse Gate before the deadline rather than seriously threatened by the small army he conjured. Highlights include:
    • Natsu knocking the S-Class monster flat on it's back in one hit.
    • Lisanna shows off her new Animal Soul form: Tigress, evolved form of her She-Cat.
    • Trish, Lady, and Wendy wiping out a small horde of demons with a combined attack.
  • Throughout the battle at the Games, Jura continues to show that his reputation as a Wizard Saint and Ooba's confidence in his victory is very well founded, having no issues keeping up with two S-Rank wizards even after they break out Dragon Force. The opening move of the battle has him catching Sapphire's blow in said Super Mode with his bare hand, and simultaneously countering with a palm thrust that sends her flying. It's only partway through that he resorts to his Iron Rock Armor that lets him shrug off their strongest attacks as he engages two Dragon Slayers in melee combat, and visibly holds the upper hand throughout, displaying even greater technique than the two Kung-Fu Wizard's.
  • As underhanded as it was, one can't deny Orga's plan to sneak attack Jura after all three fighters wore each other out was effective, letting him take out the biggest threat with minimal difficulty, and leaving him with two relatively easy opponents to deal with. One of whom shares an element with him, and is at a massive disadvantage. The raw power he brings to bear in the ensuing fight is also quite impressive, bringing both S-Class opponents to their knees.
  • Laxus gets one for being the first to put Jura on something resembling the back foot, and throughout the fight against the Wizard Saint and Sapphire makes great use of his lightning for offense and mobility. While he didn't get a chance to properly fight Orga, he gets props for getting up after an assault from a God Slayer of the same element (arguably his worst matchup) and his prior bout against Jura and Sapphire. He even manages to clinch the win for his team against Sapphire after a drawn out slugfest, overpowering her final attack with his own.
  • The entire chaotic free for all serves as a wonderful demonstration for why Sapphire is considered among Mermaid Heels best, displaying the same sort of grit and determination as her idol Natsu and powering through obstacle after obstacle. Even after a grueling match with fellow S-Class Dragon Slayer Laxus and the absolute monster that is Jura, she manages to withstand Orga's slew of God Slayer spells and land a decisive attack when he thought she was down for the count. This lets her win out in a final clash, but not before continuing the beautiful trend of verbally ripping Sabertooth a new one, complete with a Badass Boast.
    Sapphire: Sure, you pack a bit of a punch, but compared to Lucia and Kagura... (smirk grows) You got nothing on them, and I spar with them all the time. I even spar against Mom too.
    • Despite her determination being her most obviously impressive trait, Sapphire displays impressive creativity and tactics during each of her battles. She bears the distinction of being the first to break through Jura's Iron Rock Armor (which was considered to be near-indestructible by Makarov) by improvising what Kurenai indicates is typically an area of effect into a focused blast, inflicting meaningful damage on the Wizard Saint. And against Orga she uses his shock at seeing her still standing after his onslaught to render one of his arms unusable, limiting the power he can bring to bear and letting her win the final clash.
    • And even after all of that, Sapphire still has enough energy to go for a drawn out slugfest with the less injured Laxus, neither side letting up. While she loses the final clash, it's only barely, and she even manages to make sure to give a thumbs up before collapsing. Ladies and gentlemen, we have Mermaid Heel's answer to Natsu, and she fills his shoes magnificently!
    • The fact that Sapphire routinely challenges Madame Kurenai, the undisputed most powerful Wizard in Ishgar, and has never stopped trying deserves praise for the sheer determination required. Just for the cherry on the top of the girls Determinator resume.
  • In a similar vein to Orga, Sting's strategy is as effective as it is underhanded: wait in an isolated location while Fairy Tail has their climactic fights, and then announce his presence when there's no one else left. They show up dead on their feet while he's fresh as a daisy.
  • Juvia challenges Sting to a one-on-one and he accepts, expecting a Curb-Stomp Battle to follow. One does... in Juvia's favor, the water wizard easily avoiding and parrying every attack the Dragon Slayer throws her way (after he enters White Drive to boot), showing excellent tactics in using her water body for defense and sneak attacks. Throughout the fight, she demonstrates the skills training with Natsu taught her, having developed hand to hand skills superior to those of her opponent, skillfully supplementing them with her magic for offense and mobility, as well as the ability to turn herself into steam for greater versatility.
    • Even Sting breaking out Dragon Force hardly phases her, only needing a moment's reprieve to bring out her own long forgotten Sierra, which greatly boosts her magic and speed. She even notes the lack of speed advantage is more than enough to let her overcome Sting, criticizing his lack of tactics as she does so. The final exchange has his Dragon Slayer Secret Art against her Roar of the Sea Dragon, which ends decisively in the Fairy Tail wizards victory.
    • The entire battle counts for being the deathblow to Sabertooth's philosophy, and Sting's faith in it especially. Their insistence that Might Makes Right and those with the more 'special' powers are innately superior to those without is undone by the fact that Juvia, someone who wields the relatively simple and commonplace Water Magic was able to utterly trounce Sting, a wielder of Lost Magic learned directly from a legendary creature. Hard Work Hardly Works is completely averted, and the entire thing was as glorious as it was cathartic.
  • Juvia proving perceptive enough to see through Sting's boasts about killing Weisslogia and recognizes that doing so actually caused him significant turmoil.
• Ch 48 Mastermind
  • Crime Sorciere managing to nonlethally dispatch the Wolf Knights, and are barely winded in the aftermath.
  • Moloch shows off how formidable he can be with Pandemonium, easily replenishing his Mooks numbers whenever any are destroyed and locking down a team of Fairy Tail's heavy hitters, even as he personally engages Dante.
  • Lisanna shows off more of her improved capabilities, her Mermaid Soul having gained Making a Splash powers during her three months of training. Mirajane even mentions that now all of her Animal Souls have additional powers, not just her Dragon Soul.
  • Refusing to leave the others behind, Lucy quickly comes up with a plan to defeat Moloch, having Kyrie and Trish defend her and Gemini as they prepare Urano Metria. When Moloch sics his entire hoard on the girls, Kyrie's Holy Beast of Jonah proves enough to destroy or knock back all of them leaving Lucy and Gemini with a clear shot. And unlike the usual all encompassing attack, Lucy managed to modify it so all the planetoid projectiles are concentrated on the demons chest, leaving his body a mangled mess, even as his Pandemonium monsters fade. Little wonder Yukino considers her the ideal Celestial Wizard.
    • Related, but part of said plan was having Loke supply her and Gemini with additional magic, ensuring she still had enough left to close the Eclipse Gate.
  • Future Rogue making his first onscreen appearance by brutally killing Moloch, ripping the powerful demon apart from inside his shadow.
  • The Reveal that Vergil is working with Future Rogue as The Chessmaster behind the Eclipse Project, having orchestrated the whole thing without anyone in or out of universe suspecting him. Even Fairy Tail, full of intelligent members and being continuously wary of him, Didn't See That Coming.
    • Minor, but during his recruitment offer to Fairy Tail, Vergil mentions Acnologia having killed Sparda, suggesting he figured that secret out on his own.

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