Oracion Seis Arc

The Oracion Seis Arc is the 9th primary arc in **Ultimate Fairy**. Ben is aiding the Strauss siblings until he received an urgent message from the guild coalition in dire need of his help to stop the Oracion Seis.

## Plot

While Ben is training Elfman to better control his powers, Master Makarov returns from his guild conference to inform the guild that the Oracion Seis's recent activity can no longer be ignored and that they must be stopped. However, with Ben not present, the Ultimate Team must journey to the rendezvous location for the Allied Forces without him. However, the coalition is off to a poor start and badly beaten. Ben must take action to save his friends and help put an end to this six-headed menace.

## Synopsis

### **Becoming a Real Man**

In an alpine valley close to Mt. Hakobe, Elfman was seen training with Bloxx. Bloxx prepares a course made from his body that surrounds Elfman into random obstacles for him to get through. Once set, Elfman braced himself as his left arm transformed into Beast Arm: Iron Bull and begins the course. He charges straight through the obstacles at first, which wasn't what Ben had in mind. Elfman continues his way as he gets cornered quickly with block cannons. He manages to subdue them, but was blindsided when another block attack from behind struck him, making his right fist tighten. He resumes running and dodging the obstacles until he had reached the end. Figuring he completed it, he looks at his hand, revealing shattered remains of a blue crystal he was tasked with holding. With it shattered, Elfman is frustrated from failing the exercise for the eleventh straight time.

Ben tutors Elfman to be aware of his surroundings. He understands, but finds it unfair otherwise. Ben retorts saying bad guys don't play fair, to a point that Elfman can't disagree with the logic. He shifts the argument towards the reason of the crystal, revealed the sole reason for doing so was to help him control his physical strength if he insists on taking over Ben's aliens. Ben continues the assurance by stating while Elfman is able and capable of doing so, he is still lacking control, a restrain that is unchecked by Makarov and Fairy Tail. Elfman considers this and recalls how Lisanna died when he lost control of his Beast Soul; because he had no control over what he was doing. Fully understanding his earlier failures, Elfman understands the terms and is ready to resume training until Mirajane called them over for a lunch break.

At the camp grounds in the woods, the men eat a wild stew Mirajane prepared, a dish that Ben was used to thanks to Grandpa Max's cooking. The men give the chef her compliments. Mirajane is pleased, and admits she doesn't mind being away from the guild since she volunteered to aid in Ben training with Beelzebash with her Satan Soul as an aid.

As they reminisce, Ben recalls the reason Gajeel was now his roommate - since Mirajane felt at fault for not warning him. Ben recites the incident after arriving home, where Gajeel had iron and metal scraps everywhere. Ben explains to Gajeel he was expecting a roommate, but of all people didn't know it was him. Sounding like Ben didn't want his company, Gajeel suspects he has a problem with him, and gets ready to leave. Unsure of what to do, Ben asks where Gajeel could stay, but he is unsure; explains of bushes and possibilities of the East Forest.

Finally coming to his senses, Ben allows Gajeel to stay, much to his shock. Ben allows him to stay under several conditions: To keep his messes in his own room, Ben is the boss, and while staying he must try to work better on his attitude. Gajeel reluctantly accepted, but asks how to pay rent. Ben isn't sure, but decides to leave it to debate. Shocked that he might be living for free, despite his own regards, he decides to cut Ben a deal. In exchange for rent, the payments will be guitar lessons, something Ben has been wanting to try out. The two make the agreement, and Gajeel proceeded cleaning up. Ben craved a smoothie, however, he was devastated when the smoothie maker was destroyed. Gajeel explained he wanted an iron smoothie, but the machine couldn't handle it. In a show of rage, Ben eerily glares Gajeel, transforming into Rath to exact physical punishment.

Please while telling the tale, Ben states that he wears the pants in the house. Elfman and Mirajane are amazed, but Ben makes it work - thinking how he had to handle with Kevin three years prior (since they shared the same attitude). They wonder what was going on at Master Makarov's conference, with the subject of Dark Guilds more active than before.

### **Targeting Oracion Seis**

After the Ultimate Team returns from a mission from 8-Island, they see a light pen diagram created by Levy and Reedus that connects all the Dark Guilds to one another. Analyzing the graph, Erza worries due to the numbers being far greater than before. Lucy questions why this matters, and Levy explained that Vanessa told them of last week's visit. To counter the numbers, Erza explains they must become more affiliated with the other light guilds to strengthen their power. They looked at the center, which explains the Balam Alliance, three Dark Guilds that control sub-division Dark Guilds: Oracion Seis, Grimoire Heart, and Tartaros. Their attention is then drawn to the Rabid Weasels, a guild that was operated by Joe Magtartus for the Empowerment Charm. Like Raven Tail, they were also an independent Dark Guild.

The chart continues being examined, with Lucy seeing Eisenwald, a guild ran by Erigor that operated under Oracion Seis' command. Wakaba and Macao rebuff it's not a big deal since Oracion Seis operates with only six members. However, Lucy is quick to retort that during their time fighting Entrapment avatars in Ben's mind, there were occasions they were outnumbered yet managed to win. Gray then adds that they were also nearly beaten by one opponent in Vilgax and Aggregor - enemies not even Natsu nor Erza had hopes of defeating.

Master Makarov soon returns, telling everyone about the Oracion Seis and how it was a focus at the meeting. They decided that the Dark Guild must be defeated for good before their actions get too far. The Master announces they must align themselves with other guilds in a coalition to defeat this menace. The guilds comprised of Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Cait Shelter would be joining them to form the Allied Forces. Natsu insists otherwise, saying he can handle it all by himself. Erza rebuffs, saying the long-term consequences have to be considered. With Ben gone with Elfman and Mirajane, the Ultimate Team was told to go without him due to the time crunch they are facing. Though disgruntled, they comply and set out to destroy the Oracion Seis.

Meanwhile, at the top of a peak overlooking a forest, the Oracion Seis are gathered, readying their next move as they can hear light crashing down.

### **Allied Forces Assemble**

On the carriage ride to the rendezvous point, Erza tries communicating with Ben via lacrima, however, she is unable to get a response. They deduce he must have left it at the campsite while he is out training. Lucy worries that Ben, Elfman, and Mira were attacked by Vulcans in Mt. Hakobe - remembering the time she and Natsu rescued Macao. The others counter, stating those three are too strong to be beaten by Vulcans and that it's not a big deal. Lucy, however, resumes her worries, questioning why she's even here when Gajeel and Juvia were better choices. Happy explains that they're away on different jobs, so they were the only ones available. Erza tells them they should consider it an honor to align with the other guilds and learn from them.

Upon arriving to Blue Pegasus' mansion, they recall the establishment belongs to Master Bob, Blue Pegasus' guild master, earning the other odd remarks about his behavior. Questioning where the other members were supposed to be, they are met with the Trimens, composed of Hibiki, Eve, and Ren. All three womanizers greet the Fairy Tail Mages - specifically Lucy and Erza. They instantly start their flirting on them, offering luxuries such as soft couches and meals to them; which happens to have the opposite effect and irritates them. Meanwhile, the men are ignored, leaving them disgruntled (Natsu's case still recovering from motion sickness).

A silky tone enters the room, immediately making Erza feel the shivers. They all turn towards the stairway, greeted by Blue Pegasus' top mage: Ichiya. The Trimens follow his lead and praise him. Erza is left in complete horror and disgust, disapproving of Ichiya on his claims as his girlfriend since she already is dating Ben. The Trimens disown Natsu and Gray, only interested in the women. They begin an argument, which soon breaks into a soon-to-be scuffle when Erza punches Ichiya away into Lyon, who arrives to freeze his head. Arriving with Lyon was Sherry, who used her magic to attack Lucy. With the arrival of the other guild, the tensions in the air grow increasingly with all their personalities about to clash. At the last minute, Jura, a member of Lamia Scale and one of the Ten Wizard Saints, orders everyone to calm down and focus on the directive. With his arrival, they all focus and count the numbers of their group. With the members of Blue Pegasus, Fairy Tail, and Lamia Scale present, all that remains was Cait Shelter.

Impatient, they ask when they'll be coming, in which Ichiya explains they'll be sending one member. At the doorway, they hear a cry and turn towards the direction, seeing a blue-haired girl trip and tried getting up. Everyone is startled to learn she was Wendy, the only able mage of Cait Shelter. Accompanying her was her own cat, Carla, who Happy immediately fell for (and wondered if Lucy can call her he isn't neutered). Everyone is wary and unsure of this, however, the Ultimate Team isn't affected by this. They think back to Ben, who started his hero career at the age of 10, a little younger than Wendy. Erza calms and assures Wendy, getting her moral support. Wendy asks about Ben and why he wasn't with them at the moment, making Erza reply it's because he had prior commitments.

After the Trimens womanizers were making Wendy and Carla feel welcome - again making her nervous and uncomfortable - Ichiya snaps them back to their senses, prompting them now was the time to get serious. They get lights for effect and Ichiya begins the meeting. however, he goes to relieve himself, much to everyone's chagrin. Upon his return, he begins by explaining in the depths of the Worth Woodsea, there lies an ancient and very powerful magic, called Nirvana. Unsure of what that means, they further explain that it is a deadly magic that the Oracion Seis desire to gain for themselves. Hibiki uses his Archive Magic, to which Lucy realized was like a computer (something she learned from the Entrapment experience). Once they have learned everything about the Oracion Seis and its members, they announce the plan to use the Magic Bomber: Christina to find their base and blow them up from inside.

Once the plan is set, Natsu eagerly rushes to find them without thinking, breaking down the doors himself with everyone else following. The members of Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale tail behind, leaving Ichiya and Jura alone. Ichiya questioned about Wizard Saints and their power, and Jura humbly admits compared to Makarov, he isn't as strong. The news provided a fallback, as Ichiya suddenly uses a vial and releases deadly parfum to taint Jura. He falters, asking what's going on. Ichiya reveals himself to be two little dolls that work for Angel of the Oracion Seis. She is revealed to have knocked out Ichiya in the restroom, thus counting two of the ten members out of commission.

### **Emergency Call**

Ben was revealed to have transformed into Bloxx, resuming his training with Elfman. This time in his Beast Soul at full power, he charges through Ben's obstacles, which had randomized compared to before. With increased speed and agility, Elfman makes it through the drills, impressing Ben. When he checks on the crystal, he was revealed to have it still intact, showing he was controlling his physical strength. He earns congratulations from Ben, to which he pats Ben on the back for his gratitude - which was soft rather than how Ben imagined it being strong.

Elfman suddenly sniffs the air, making him wonder if someone was around. It was revealed that Evergreen was positioned far, but observant of their training the entire time. Though she found it hopeless for Elfman at first, she was astounded how much stronger and focused he's gotten - much to her own embarrassment.

Mirajane suddenly comes to them with a distress call from the lacrima Vanessa supplied them. Ben picks it up, revealing Gray on the other end. He asks what's wrong and the wizard announces they're in dire trouble. Dark Guilds and rock monsters surround them. Gray also points out Erza has been poisoned by Cubellios, Cobra's pet snake. Ben immediately stops training and readies to leave for the Worth Woodsea. Elfman and Mirajane wish him luck as he transforms into Jetray and flies off in the direction of the emergency.

### **What Lead to Here**

Minutes before Ben received the call from Gray, the Allied Forces were all revealed to have been defeated by the Oracion Seis without much trouble. As Brain was about to finish them all off, he notices Wendy, who was hiding away due to not having much offensive spells on hand. The Oracion Seis question the meaning behind Brain calling Wendy *"The Sky Maiden"*. Without a second to waste, he uses his magic to capture Wendy, while unintentionally dragging Happy along. As Wendy vanishes in front of everyone's eyes, the Oracion Seis depart, with Brain executing his attack to finish them off by casting a strange unidentifiable spell.

Before the attack could make contact, Jura arrives and uses Iron Rock Fist to attack the Oracion Seis, but they disappear before his spell could connect. Upon clearing away, everyone realized the Oracion Seis had gotten away from them with two of their members. Ichiya begins healing the members with his Pain Relieving Perfume back to physical condition. They all were relieved no one was lost in the crossfire, but Natsu was aggravated with Happy taken, attempting to race off on his own to go find him. Carla manages to bring him back to his sense before he got too far, relaying to everyone that Erza was poisoned by Cobra's pet snake, Cubellios.

Everyone gathered around the wounded Erza the venom caused her agony. Ichiya attempted at using his medicine once more to expel the toxins from her body, but to no avail. With no other option, Erza removes the belt from Lucy's waist, wrapped it around her poisoned arm, and insisted somebody cut off the appendage before the poison spreads. With all morally shocked, the members of her guild outlandishly denied the request. Erza declines saying there's no other way out and they can't get help right now. Gray, having enough and realizing they were over their heads, informs them they have to contact Ben as soon as possible. Lyon decided to intervene, getting out Erza's sword to do the deed since the others refused. Gray told him to stop before going too far, drawing his own ice sword to threaten the fellow pupil. Both Lyon and Gray get indulged in a serious talk of the options pit on them; Gray insisted they get Ben, while Lyon remarked that they can't rely on someone who wasn't there. Their different viewpoints causes the others to fret and worry for Erza, but they were unsure of whom to agree on. Gray goes on to say she could get infected if her stump wasn't tended. Lyon rebuffed otherwise with Ichiya's remedies and Natsu's magic to cauterize Erza's wounds (much to Natsu's dismay).

Before the situation dragged on any further, Carla came between them just as Erza passed out. She informed everyone about Wendy's healing powers, and her powers of a Sky Dragon Slayer. With this information, the group all agree to hurry and go find Wendy and Happy. However, they were too late to act when the Naked Mummy Dark Guild ambushes them, along with golem monsters that attack the Allied Forces.

With Erza incapacitated, Gray and Lucy volunteered to guard her while the others handled the assault. Natsu went on the attack almost immediately, destroying one golem, but another arose to strike back in its place. Ichiya used his perfume to cause searing pain around the Naked Mummy members, but that had no effect on the stone creature that struck him down. The Trimens, Ren and Eve, attack with their Air Magic and Snow Magic, but their efforts were also thwarted by the golems.

Surveying the area, Hibiki saw that everyone, minus Jura, Sherry, and Lyon, were handling themselves well. He realized they needed help and recalled what Gray said about Ben. Using his telepathy, he reached Gary on the other end of the battlefield, who was currently handling golems with Lucy and Taurus. He insisted Gray contacted Ben as soon as possible. Gray momentarily ceased his attacks and had Lucy and Taurus cover for him while he gets Erza to wake up. Barely hearing him, Erza manages to regain conscience and asked what he needed. Gray asked where the Communication Lacrima was, but Erza requipped it away. Using what was left of her power, she riled in agony as her magic spread the poison further up her arm as she manifested the lacrima, knocking her out immediately after. Gray quickly activated it to contact Ben.

As Ben was sailing through the clouds several minutes later as Jetray, he was hurrying over to where the Allied Forces were supposed to be held back. Scouting for any sign of them, he saw a huge smoke stack coming from the forest, followed by a boisterous yell that came from a familiar someone. Ben hurried over, staying out of range for himself to be spotted. He overlooked the battlefield and saw the Allied Forces being manhandled by familiar stone monsters that he seemingly recognized, much to his horror. Getting himself together, he heard a loud shout that came from close by. Lucy, Gray, and the others turned to find Erza being held by her hair as hostage by Erigor.

Natsu demanded that he let her go, marching up to strike her down. But Erigor brought his scythe up to her neck, bringing everyone's movements to a halt. Natsu threatened Erigor back, yet with Erigor's scythe slowly cutting along the skin - trickling blood - the man mocked he should stop while he can. With the hostage, the coalition members were forced to stand their ground as the Naked Mummy members and golems surrounded them with weapons. Unknowingly above, Ben was barely keeping himself together as he saw everyone in a hopeless situation, not to mention Erza being in no condition to fight back. As Erza's poisoned arm was being stomped on, Ben nearly snapped, but held back as Erigor jeered on about the mighty Titania's snakebite as irony. Natsu demanded Erigor should be a man and fight him head on, yet Erigor digressed (unintentionally bringing his scythe away from Erza's neck in the progress), and berated that this wasn't about revenge, but about the wrong don on him as a whole. This was when Ben saw the opening and swooped in, fiercely bringing down Erigor with several neuro blasts that slammed him into a tree.

As the Allied Forces were left perplexed, they didn't realize Jetray transforming into Diamondhead and dropping down onto the scene, much to Gray's relief. Diamondhead began going on a vast and aggravated assault on the Naked Mummy members present. He zoomed by Lyon and Sherry, not even giving them a chance to attack the golems and members in place through his rage. Jura was about to assist, but Diamondhead was far too swift and more precise than what he predicted.

With the golems defeated, Diamondhead didn't waste a second before he incapacitated the Naked Mummy guild when they had a chance to talk, but were too busy saying repeated sentences and berating one another. With Ben - ruthlessly - taking down all the enemies by himself, this left everyone to question who he really was. Gray responded that it was Ben, their friend that they mentioned earlier. Ichiya, in flamboyant fashion, found this completely outlandish. Lucy was relieved as well, but she was startled by Ben's painful actions, reminding her of him as Ghostfreak with his hostility. Even Taurus showed a serious and cautious note (something that even scared Lucy).

### **Coalition Martial Law**

Upon seeing Erza, Ben uses his powers as Diamondhead to lift the diamond barrier he made around her previously and walked over to her. Seeing her condition and the venom, he knew he had to act quick. Transforming to Clockwork, he used his time-reversal powers to expel and regenerate the snake venom and the wounds on her body to a previous state. This caused the Allied Forces to stare in awe and disbelief over his so-called Take-Over power; Carla being as speechless since Wendy had healing powers.

With Erza's life no longer in danger, Ben reverted back to himself and caught up with everyone. A worried Lucy asked if she'll be okay, to which Ben replied she's out of danger, but Clockwork's powers have left her stamina depleted. Ichiya immediately cut Ben off from any relief, demanding to know what he did to win Erza over. Confused by this, Ben asked who he was, much to Ichiya and the Trimens' disbelief. Upon recognizing Lyon and Sherry from Galuna Island, he asked why they were here as well. Lyon answered, stating he, Sherry, and Jura were sent by Lamia Scale as representatives for the joint operation. Ben turned towards Gray for an explanation, which turned to a brief summary of what transpired while Ben was away.

After the debriefing, Ben realized this entire situation was a result of these wizards having no experience working with each other. His suspicions arising, Ben turned to Jura for inclination of his position. The Wizard Saint replied, stating he was separated from everybody else earlier after Natsu had taken a strong lead towards the Oracion Seis all by himself. This caused Ben's emotions to stir, and he went over towards Natsu, who was still oblivious to his actions that caused so much trouble. Without warning, Ben whacked Natsu in the nose, alarming everyone there.

Natsu (having a bleeding nose), was dumbfounded with what Ben had done. He asked what the problem was, but Ben went off on Natsu for his recklessness causing so much problems that it almost got everybody else killed in the process. He went on further at how Natsu always went with action before thinking, bringing up past villains that they've confronted, including Vilgax and Aggregor (the last two anybody but Fairy Tail was wondrous of). He continued on with the lack of responsibility that Natsu has that he fails to uphold, reminding him of the mission with the Olga Worm and how he failed his nightwatch duties. Natsu didn't see the point, but Ben goes off saying he doesn't take things seriously and treats it all like a game. Gray attempted to defend Natsu, but Ben countered him, making everyone backed down. He spread his lack of empathy onto the others at how they acted out of heart and it's what lead to Erza almost losing her life because of their carelessness. With ire, he stated clearly he cannot trust Natsu, nor anyone for that matter because of this realization. He told Natsu he won't be training him, much to the Dragon Slayers shock and disbelief. He answered it was because he wouldn't take the power seriously and brought up how Elfman killed Lisanna because of a familiar reason. This realization sunk into Natsu, leaving him dumbfounded and in a contemplative state of his own person.

With his fuming on Natsu summarized, he turned towards Jura, and went off how as a position of his to be so high, he should've had a better leash on them. Jura in response, apologized and realized the faults he's created. Though Lyon went to say Jura was the "leader", the truth was they didn't have any significant leader to look towards. Jura decided that the mantle should be put on Ben, considering the efforts and his experience with handling these situations. Ben immediately takes charge, and told everyone that whatever he says, goes, regardless of anyone's opinion on him. He will have no qualms in dealing with them himself. Hibiki expresses his pity, in which Ben pulls him out of the operation to watch Erza. Lucy is told to stay behind to watch him so he doesn't touch Erza. With everyone getting organized on the situation, Ben responds that they need to find Wendy, Happy, and the Oracion Seis' hideout. Looking over at Erigor, whom Ben incapacitated previously, they go to him for any liable answers.

Meanwhile, at the Oracion Seis' hideout in a cavern, Wendy and Happy have set foot. Happy attempted at defending Wendy when Brain was being rough, but he grabbed his face. He let go only when Wendy pleaded him to. Turning towards the rest of the Oracion Seis as they were conversing, they all questioned why they needed Wendy here when they can handle the operation themselves. Brain responded with her powers of healing; something essential that could further the progress of finding Nirvana. He asks Racer to retrieve something, to which he said he'll take an hour to get there and back. Meanwhile, Angel, Hoteye, and Cobra would be looking for Niravana, and Brain and Midnight would remain on guard until Racer comes back with the parcel. When Wendy asked what this Niravana was, she and Happy git the answer Brain had: The power to control both sides of light and darkness.

Back with the coalition, Erigor is brashly awoken by Natsu. When he came to, he found himself shackles by Seal Stone shackles that restrained his movements. When Natsu demanded to know what happened and where the Oracion Seis took Wendy and Happy, he blatantly refuses out of arrogance. Though Natsu resorted to brutality and beating him in a somewhat comedic fashion, there were fruitless results, much to Gray and Ben's chagrin. Seeing as how Natsu wouldn't be getting results, Gray was going to step in. Before he got too far, Ben opted to do the interrogation, claiming everyone is "too green".

Ben violently struck Erigor, much more so than Natsu that it rattled the others. Erigor still refused his compliance, making Ben break one of his ribs with a harsh kick. Eve went to impede, but was ignored by Ben. Erigor, fearing that Brain would do more harm than what Ben could do, still boasts his lack of cooperation. His patience at an end, Ben transforms into AmpFibian and threatens to electrocute Erigor into submission. Though heavily threatened by this Erigor still refuses to comply; that is, until Ben let's him in on one of AmpFibian's powers to read human minds via electrical pulses, with the risk of the victim getting drain dead.

Everyone started fearing and worrying for Ben's actions so much that Jura attempted to stop him by summoning a rock wall between him and Erigor. However, they were astonished at him passing through and getting closer to Erigor to administrate the torture.

Erigor finally relents to what Ben demands to know, starting with the location of the Oracion Seis hideout. He thus started listing the various kinds of magic of the known Oracion Seis members, via Angel, Hoteye, Cobra, and Racer. Upon learning of Angel's Celestial Spirit Magic, and the fact she has Zodiac Keys related to Aires - a spirit whom belonged to Karen - Lucy and Hibiki showed shock. Once the information was all gathered, Ben went on to ask about non-members like Hex and Charmcaster, much to everyone's confusion. Erigor promptly defended, stating that the golems came with Brain and him alone. This brought up inquiries to Ben, but he pressed another matter towards Nirvana and their overall goal to use its powers to bend light and darkness at their will - while noting the actual Nirvana band itself.

With having the information out of Erigor, Ben settles with breaking his one arm, again scaring his comrades while Erigor screamed and was knocked out by being kicked in the face. Ben turned away and began assessing the situation and how to think properly about how to tackle the Oracion Seis and get Wendy. The party members, however, showed genuine distaste and concern to where they had to yell to get Ben's attention. Angrily turning back towards them, Ben gets rebuffed by everyone stating what he did was out of line, but were all promptly countered by quick-witted, truthful backlashes of their own hypocrisy. Lyon and Sherry's retorts were countered by Ben bringing up their misdeeds of Galuna Island. He goes on with how and why they should show mercy, when the villains never fight fair or respect them in return. To ease the discomfort around them, Ben explained that he hated killing and wasn't going to actually fry Erigor's brain. It was merely a ruse to get him to talk.

This did level with them, but not enough to where the Coalition is empathetic with his experience. Continuing on with getting the layout, Ben asks about directions and the layout of the terrain. Using his Archive Magic, Hibiki downloaded information to everyone's brains via magic. The layout, statistics, and the information that Erigor and what they discussed at the rendezvous point was all in them, all but Ben. Hibiki explained that his magic links to another person via their magic. Ben, not wanting to disclose his alien origins, explains that he's different. While uncertain by this, Hibiki makes a note of this.

Having an understanding, Ben began to undergo the strengths and possible weaknesses o dealing with these members. He goes to explains that while facing Brain or Midnight alone is suicide, he opts more teamwork oriented methods to stop the individual members. Members like Angel are best handled against her physically, using Lucy as a reference (much to her chagrin). They all come together and use group order, with Hibiki and Lucy hanging back to watch over Erza's recovery. Together they all follow Ben's lead and begin tracking down the Oracion Seis.

### **Hunting Down the Enemy**

Later on, Ben, as Swampfire, guides everyone through the woodlands, much to their dismay about the awful smell the alien gave off. Natsu asked Carla what Wendy, being a Sky Dragon, east, which is responded by her saying it's air. Though it digresses further, Carla revealed the reason why Wendy joined the coalition was to meet Natsu specifically, because she lost Grandeeney the same time as Natsu and Gajeel lost Igneel and Metalicana.

Eve and Ren discuss with Gray about Ben's demeanor being less than satiable. He agrees, but defends saying he's not usually like this. He goes on to say that Ben was in the right after looking back at it. All the points he made were correct, and that was the "cold truth" to get them in the right direction.

Up ahead, Swampfire stopped to get everyone's attention. Up ahead, they all saw the forest life being drained away from the earth, leaving a black, misty terrain, similar to a bog. Being wise, they chose to not go near it. But this left them open to be assaulted by the Black Unicorn and Red Hood Dark Guilds. Everyone prepares for battle against all of them. The Red Hood members immediately pin them down with large cannons created via Pict Magic, refraining their attacks. Jura summons up a large wall to defend and bide time for them to come up with a plan to counter the enemy. Ben manages to use Swampfire's nature manipulation powers and created vines beneath the cannons to make them turn around and blast the enemies instead, reducing numbers gradually. Gray and Lyon proceeded to freezing the cannons and giving Blue Pegasus to take out Black Unicorn members. The Red Hood guild members were taken down from the trees via Sherry's Doll Play Magic, to make the trees drop them all for them to be open for an attack.

At the Oracion Seis hideout, Wendy and Happy are unable to do anything as Racer returns to the base with a demonic coffin. When Brain congratulates him and opens the coffin, Happy and Wendy are left mortally speechless at whom was inside - Jellal. However, his body had several burns that were still fresh from the Nuclear Winner he suffered back in the Tower of Heaven from Atomix. Brain demands for Wendy to heal him, for that was the sole reason he apprehended her. Happy attempted to defend, but he was shocked at how Wendy knew about Jellal. She told she knew everything about the incident, but tearfully disowned it all, much to Happy's dismay. She tells Brain to give her time, in which he allows only 5 minutes.

It was revealed that while the coalition group battled the Red Hood and Black Unicorn guilds, Ben went ahead as Astrodactyl, begrudgingly bringing along a motion sick Natsu. The members that were behind were able to successfully defeat the Dark Guild members, but were about to face the Oracion Seis members closing in. Eve, Ren, Gray, and Lyon escape, leaving Jura and Ichiya to take on whomever was coming their way.

Upon arriving to the hideout's location, Ben sat Natsu down and assessed they had the element of surprise. Recovered, Natsu yells out for his comrades, immediately alerting Brain and Racer of their location. Racer is sent almost instantly, making Natsu and Ben lose the element of surprise. They prepare for battle, but Natsu is insistent that he can hold off Racer by himself, pointing out Ben's much faster and can get to Wendy and Happy quicker than him. Finding no room to argue, he complies and transforms into Fasttrack, running off. Racer attempts to intercept, but Natsu's flames interceded him in time.

Running into lair, Ben is left stunned when he comes face to face with Jellal, who was revealed to be restored and alive by Wendy. Seeing Wendy completely helpless, Ben was left wondrous and unable to process anything until Jellal started remembering the Omnitrix symbol and acts distressed. When Ben is momentarily distracted by Wendy passing out from exhaustion, Jellal blasts him into the cavern wall and then promptly attacks Brain as well. Brain, Ben, Happy, and Wendy are incapacitated long enough for Jellal to wander out to the open to escape. Tempted to follow him, Ben, remembering his priorities, chooses to let Jellal go for the time being and get Wendy and Happy to safety. Meanwhile, Brain misunderstands Jellal's independence as him wanting Nirvana all for himself. Calling out to Cobra, he orders for Jellal to be stopped.

### **Natsu VS Racer**

Returning to the battle, Fasttrack rushes over to Natsu and Racer's stalemate. The latter is completely surprised that Brain let them escape. Ben opted to help Natsu with the battle, but, again pointing out the speed difference, Natsu tells Ben to take Happy and Wendy back to the others. Ben's attempts at a rebuttal are limited when he had no other choice. As Racer intercepts, Natsu manages to stop him with a wall of flames, managing to singe him. Looking back at Natsu out of concern and lack of faith, Ben tells him he'll be back, and, more importantly, to think on his feet. Natsu complies, allowing him to continue his fight alone against Racer.

Meanwhile, back at the Oracion Seis base, Brain undertakes precautions, and against better judgement, wakes up Midnight and sends him after the alliance.

Natsu and Racer scoffed at each other before they engage in their battle, immediately putting Natsu on the defensive due to Racer's superior speed. When Natsu used his Fire Dragon's Roar, Racer landed a solid blow on Natsu's chest, grounding him. Natsu was quick to give up, but recalling his motion sickness, Racer used Dead Grand Prix, and placed Natsu on a magic motorcycle. He and Racer begin racing through the woods, with Natsu unable to fight back while on the motorcycle.

In another part of the Worth Woodsea, Ichiya and Jura begin their battle against Hoteye. When Hoteye initiated the battle by liquifying the ground, Jura immediately solidified it, giving Ichiya the chance to use his Thunder Perfume (though he ended up hurting himself in the process). Jura followed it up with his Rock Avalanche, burying Hoteye almost instantly. As they recuperated, the rock instantly liquified, making Hoteye go unscathed. Jura and Ichiya are forced to brace themselves as Hoteye begins his counterattack.

Gray's group manage to arrive at a clearing, where they are able to rest for a moment to catch their breaths after their previous scuffles. Carla tries to dismiss their fatigue for Wendy's sake, but Gray countered, saying that Ben might have gotten her already and his heading back to base camp already. On the mention of him, Lyon's pondering about him lead to him and Ren engaging in a skeptical conversation about their doubts and concerns about this guy. They were brought out of it when they heard Sherry scream at the top of her lungs when a large golem grabbed her. The group realized they were surrounded in an ambush set by the Oracion Seis using the golems, forcing them to get on guard. After Lyon used his Ice-Make: Eagle to free Sherry from the golem, the alliance members go on the offensive and attack. Gray, Lyon, and Sherry were holding themselves in contradiction to Ren and Eve, whose magic barely slowed down the golems. Midnight thus makes his appearance known, causing the golems to stand down while he decided to take them on himself. When Gray recalled what Ben said about having to run away in the events of encountering an Oracion Seis member, he was hesitant to attack in comparison to the others. As they all actively attack him, their attacks are refracted around Midnight. Lyon attempted to follow-up with another Ice-Make: Eagle, but the attack was redirected and end up harming Gray, resulting in him taking a hit in his ankle. With the allied forces on the defensive and Midnight starting to gain the advantage, everyone started to lose ground against the golems and the Oracion Seis member. As a last-ditch save, Gray used Ice-Make: Rampart to create a barricade, allowing them to escape. However, the ensuing chaos caused the team to split, leaving Eve and Ren to be separated rom the team.

As they were running, Lyon commented at Gray's actions, pointing out retreating wasn't his style, to which Gray promptly replied that he's grown up since that accusation. When Gray brought up the topic of Ben's plan, Lyon started showing his doubts and questioned who Ben really was. When Gray refused to answer on behalf of Ben's personal life, Lyon turned away to abort the mission, much to Gray and Sherry's shock. Even though Gray reasoned that they needed to stay together, the fellow Ice Wizard refused to trust him if he couldn't give allies important information that would save them trouble in the future. Though Gray understood, he knew to keep it brief. He eventually complied, telling them only about Ben's past where he lost someone he loved. And because of the experience, he would not risk losing anyone on his watch again.

Before they could press the matter any further, they were intercepted by Racer and Natsu in the middle of their battle. With Natsu's motion sickness, Gray knew he was at a poor disadvantage. Lyon opted to go in his stead, going to help Natsu while Gray and Sherry make it back to their base. Though reluctant, they complied, leaving Lyon to use his Ice-Make: Snow Tiger to rush to Natsu's aid.

### **Fire and Ice**

Meanwhile, Racer continued the course while dragging Natsu. He was tossed to the ground by the motorcycle and quickly surrounded by multiple sets that Racer controlled. He attacked using his High Speed Rush after dodging flames, flooring Natsu harshly. With his opponent on the defensive, Racer mocked him for his earlier remark, and proceeded to unleash a barrage of magic blasters from his Magic-Cycles, unable to give Natsu any means to defend himself.

Before the final blow could strike, an Ice-Make: Rampart appeared, which Racer crashed into. Coming to Natsu's aid, Lyon appeared, with his Snow Tiger disarming the Magic-Cycles. Natsu was able to get back up, but upon recognizing Lyon, he dismissed him for wanting to handle Racer alone. They were both distracted by the Oracion Seis wizard and shot more fire and ice at him, only for both the miss. Racer served to belittle their efforts even more, provoking Natsu even more. Lyon insisted they should cooperate, however, Natsu was too stubborn to allow that. Lyon continued to persuade and reason using Ben's words and past judgement as a motivator, to which managed to make Natsu finally see to cooperating with Lyon, but only if he can keep up. He responded promptly with taking off his shirt, much to Natsu's chagrin.

The two come up with a strategy, where Lyon would freeze the ground to stop Racer's traction, while Natsu goes in for the attack. Natsu attacks with a Fire Dragon's Roar, but Racer evaded. This gave Lyon the opportunity to use Ice-Make: Floor and freeze the ground around Racer, making him lose his traction. Lyon used his Snow Ape to then grab and launch Natsu towards Racer, making a combination of Fire Dragon Wing Attack and Fire Dragon Talon to severely damage him into the ice. While very effective, Natsu ultimately slipped, but was able to regroup. On the defense, Racer used his Gear Change: Red Zone to further amplify his speed.

His barrage of attacks continued, putting Natsu and Lyon on the defensive. Even with Lyon's Ice-Make; Snow Dragon, none of their attacks were hitting Racer. As they were taking damage, Natsu was starting to realize something off about his surroundings, that everything else was moving fast. That's when he came up with an idea, one that Lyon - while very hesitant - came to understand. With this, they put it into action.

Using Racer's arrogance against him, Natsu struck the terrain at the same instance as Lyon, causing them to fake an argument that put Racer on hold. Their bantering continued, while keeping their enemy's guard down. Once an opening was clear enough, Natsu attacked Racer at close-range, but almost immediately was swept up by him and unleashed a Fire Dragon Whirlwind, in conjunction with a brand new spell: Fire Dragon Tail Flame. He unleashed a fireball at Racer, but ultimately missed as the speedster closed in on his mark. That's when Natsu detailed the effects of Racer's magic: He doesn't get faster, he slows down everything else. Though he did acknowledge this, Racer was about to finish Natsu off, when the fireball suddenly picked up speed and came back for Racer. Lyon was far enough from the area to allow the fireball to grow fast and large enough that Racer was unable to escape it. With the attack heading his way, Racer silently thought about his prayer from the past before the attack engulfed him, defeating one member of the Oracion Seis.

Natsu and Lyon reconvened with each other, congratulating the other and commending themselves on the victory and Natsu's quick thinking strategy. But their victory was short-lived when Racer gradually stood back up with a bomb strapped to his chest, Before Natsu could react in time, Lyon pushed himself and Racer over the edge of the cliff. The bomb exploded, making an explosion that seemingly swallowed up both wizards and the surroundings beneath them. In complete disbelief over what he saw, Natsu was left dumbfounded and deeply horrified with the sudden sacrifice that Lyon had made.

### **One-Man Army**

As he was walking through the forest, unaware of everything else transpiring around him, Jellal ascertained a new attire to better clothe himself. Though said clothes gave him epiphanies that befuddled him, amongst being the colored green. However, he didn't know why.

Meanwhile, returning to the base camp, Ben continued his path while carrying Happy and Wendy, until he reached a point to stop and rest. With no general direction, Happy suggested they should fly, to which Ben agreed. However, the opportunity was swept away once the Omnitrix timed out, forcing Ben to return to himself and remain put until the universal device recharged.

With time on their hands, Happy worried about the resurrection of Jellal, something that Ben thought about, too. But remembering his priorities, Ben alleviated himself from stressing about it by focusing on the mission first. His thoughts pressed deeper into the inadequate actions that the coalition and the Magic Council had taken. He found nothing but faults in all of their logics up until now. When he worried about Natsu, Happy insisted they should go back for him, otherwise he would believe in him. Ben didn't agree to this, but kept his thoughts of common sense and strategy to himself, instead saying that he only hopes he's right about what Happy says.

However, before anymore actions were taken, they heard engines and motorcycles closing in. Ben and Happy got on guard and were met with the Harpuia guild, a guild fastened under Racer's command. With the Omnitrix still charging, that left Ben to use the one thing he had useful on hand - his head. He resorted to using everyone else's logic to gaud the dark guild wizards into lowering their guard, and retort on their shabby apparels and attires. This, in conjunction with their egos, left them to attack Ben head-on. Though Happy worried incredibly, the feline was completely in shock when he saw Ben manhandle all of them, taking their weapons, and dodging with ease, while others ended up hitting each other. Ben resorted to such tactics that ended up putting the terrain to use, such as pulling back tree branches and jumping over terrain to trip up members that were otherwise clumsy.

The tactic went well, leaving over half of the Harpuia guild left. However, before anymore could make haste to get back at Ben, two golems sprouted from underneath, startling Ben and incapacitating him. The guild backed off to allow the golems to attack Ben. As one golem held Ben close, the other closed in for the kill. Just before the first punch could be delivered, however, the Omnitrix's timer fully recharged. With haste, Ben surprised everyone by transforming into Kickin Hawk, completely stopping the attack with his bare talons. He proceeded to using his combative techniques and defeat the two golems. The rest of the Harpuia Guild, with their backup disarmed, decided to attack Ben once more. With excellent reflexes and usage of Kickin Hawk's physique and past memories of a certain biker group, Ben was able to defeat the Harpuia guild.

With enemy defeat, Happy praised Ben, much to his chagrin at how it was worded with "So cool!". Once he transformed into himself, Ben asked Happy about his wings. Much to his surprise, they were back. However, the problem they were still met with was there was no general direction. A voice then resonated with Happy's mind, confusing him with thinking the trees were speaking to him. The confusion was lifted when it was revealed that it was Hibiki communicating via his Telepathy. However, because Ben had no magic, he was unable to be connected to on a telepathic level. To alleviate this drawback, Ben transformed into an alien that has magic: Beelzebash. With magic now accessible, Ben's signature was posted for Hibiki to talk to on the telepathic network. He informed him of their whereabouts and uploaded maps into their heads to enable them to see where they were. Ben then took Wendy, and with Happy, flew off towards the campgrounds.

### **Enemy of my Enemy**

At the base camp, Hibiki continued looking at the icons of Ben and Happy moving across the monitor. Behind him, Lucy continued tending to Erza, who was still unconscious from stamina depletion. Hibiki thought of the scenarios in which why his Archive Magic hasn't been able to lock onto everyone else, either because of the surrounding forest's magic, or by the enemy. Lucy worried if they were listening in on them. However, before a likely answer came to mind, a sudden rupture got them on guard. They worried about what it was, in which Hibiki deduced that it was the work of Nirvana, though there was no definitive proof on such a case. As Erza remained unconscious, Hibiki worried about her condition. Lucy insisted that she would be fine, saying she trusts ben. However, much to her confusion and shock, Hibiki disagreed, stating he does not feel the same trust with Ben like she did. Knowing they wouldn't be around for a while, Hibiki aired out his grievances, starting with the inquiry of how he could trust someone who is so unknown. Lucy understood, but reaffirmed him that what they saw wasn't Ben's real character; a kind, very astute, and noble person who sticks his neck out for others. Again, Hibiki didn't buy into what she said. This caused Lucy to think back to harsh battles and the threats Ben's universe had dealt with that were far more drastic than their own, such situations leaving her to believe that Ben's actions were because of such dangerous enemies and refusing to allow his guard down. She finally answered his rebuttal with another question: If they denied everything that he said, wouldn't that prove his points about us? While that point seemed to have some merit , Hibiki referred to Erigor being treated badly, despite all of them being Light Guild members that try to be nice to others. Lucy noted that Ben's experience was different from all of theirs, and that he was a leader when everyone else considered only themselves. Hibiki insisted that she should elaborate more on what she meant, leaving Lucy to say that Ben's power was "unique".

As Hibiki pondered about Ben's power through observation, Carla finally arrived at the campsite, much to Lucy and Hibiki's surprise. It turned out, much to a troubled error, Carla wasn't included into the archives, thus she wasn't elaborated through telepathic connections. Just after, Beelzebash arrived, with Happy and Wendy in tow. Carla immediately rushed to scold Ben and Happy for holding onto Wendy, much to both of their offended chagrin, though Carla was more concerned with Wendy's unconscious condition. Ben explained she exhausted too much Healing Magic. Ben transformed back into himself as his magical signature lifted from Hibiki's archives, much to the latter's surprise. Carl proceeded to tell them all of the attack that happened regarding Midnight's ambush on her group. Just as she was explaining their current whereabouts, Gray and Sherry arrived. After exchanging some banters between the white feline and the latest arrivals, Hibiki asked for all the details revolving around the incident. They complied, explaining everything they went through in detail, with Gray's sprained ankle as proof. Ben concerned himself with the fact that Brain sent Midnight early when they had Charmcaster's rock golems at their disposal. With everyone's absence accounted for, Ben realized Lyon was missing. Gray and Sherry explained that he went to help Natsu when he passed by with Racer.

Just then, an explosion alarmed them of the situation. They all figured that it was none other than Natsu, much to their chagrin. Happy, on the other hand, grew intensely worried. Wendy gradually came around, her conscience alarming everyone, especially Carla. She soon realized that she helped resurrect Jellal, making her succumb to guilt. Without warning, Hibiki attacked Wendy, knocking her out once again, much to the group's horror and distaste. He explained the effects of Nirvana and how it makes those who are wavering from light and darkness to switch sides. Just then, a second explosion was heard in the distance, startling them. Ben instructs everyone to follow the light of Nirvana and go find Erza while he goes to check on Natsu and Lyon, transforming into Wildmutt in the process.

Meanwhile, Jura and Ichiya continued their battle against Hoteye, with the latter subduing Ichiya with his magic. With Nirvana's effects also inflicting his mind, Hoteye chose to dismiss the fight, instead choosing to align himself alongside Jura and embracing, much to his disbelief.

Natsu hurried down towards the crash site where he tried to call out Lyon's name, but with little to no results. In a panic, he tried to sniff and hear him out, but was unable to due to the smoke in the area. Unable to accept the realization, he tried to rationalize what went wrong - why he couldn't just face Racer alone so Lyon wouldn't have to sacrifice himself. He soon came to a conclusion - Ben! Having realized that a lot of this could have been different without Ben's influence, Natsu wouldn't have to feel so weak and reliant. Wildmutt arrived at that moment, realizing partially melted ice covered the area. He transformed back into Ben and went to check on Natsu, but got no response. Ben attempted to check on him, but Natsu suddenly lashed out at him with flames, startling him with deep aggression in his eyes from the effects of Nirvana turning him on Ben.

Meanwhile, Erza was continuing her path towards Jellal. As she drew closer, she thought about all the things he's done, and worried that she should have brought Ben along. However, after thinking of the Entrapment Spell and what it had done to almost kill him, Erza decided against it and declared she will be the one to end him this time.

The rest of the group pursued Erza's trail, with Hibiki lagging behind while carrying Wendy, much to his chagrin. With Nirvana being unearthed, Gray assured them once they catch up with Erza, they'll know the truth. Lucy, however, was contemplating Natsu's current situation. Happy reassured her that even if he was affected by Nirvana. not much would be different about him, much to everyone's amusement.

Though ironically enough, Natsu immediately attacked Ben, who transformed into Goop to avoid any serious damage. Natsu recognized his alien transformation from Galuna Island. Ben responded that if he didn't turn into Goop, Natsu would have killed him, earning confirmation from the latter that was the intention; much to Ben's horror. Natsu immediately continued the assault and attacked Ben, but thanks to his physiology, Goop was able to mold and bend between the attacks. Natsu eventually resorted to a Fire Dragon's Roar, burning away the alien, only for him to reassemble above the flames. Ben decided to help Natsu, but knew he had to restrain him. He used his bodily frame and made tentacles to restrain Natsu; though they were successful at first, the effort was fruitless when Natsu's stubbornness and anger made him expel fire that blew Goop's body apart once more. Realizing he needed the gravity disk to reassemble his body, Natsu attempted to destroy it. Ben, using his quick thinking, splashed a little bit of himself into Natsu's face to buy him time to reassemble and transform into Eye Guy. Once again, Ben made an attempt to reason with him, but was unable to breach through to Natsu, instead insinuating that something happened to Lyon. However, before Ben could press the matter, Natsu attacked with another Fire Dragon's Roar. With his superb 360 Degrees vision, Eye Guy was able to avoid the attack as well as blast Natsu with beams from his forearms. After a failed attack by his Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow, Natsu grew even more frustrated at Ben's unwillingness to fight head-on. He attacked the Opticoid once more, but was outmaneuvered and struck down once again.

With Natsu's condition, Ben recalled the traumatic experience of when Kevin went mad and how he had to put his personal feelings aside in an attempt to put him down. Though unwilling, he wondered if Nirvana was irreversible and he would have to do something he might regret. Once Natsu was out once more, Ben pleaded for him to stop before he would do something he would regret. Natsu refused to listen, instead utilizing his Fire Dragon's Roar and Fire Dragon's Wing Attack to attack his surroundings and create fire all around. Eye Guy was surprised at first, but realized shortly the smoke created by the fire made it harder for him to see. With Natsu's perceptive smell and senses, he was able to outmaneuver Eye Guy and score a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist in the chest, dealing damage.

Using the debris and smoke as cover, Ben transformed into Gravattack, to which Natsu disregarded until his gravity made him airborne above the ground. Gravattack used his powers and Natsu's motion sickness weakness, spinning him in multiple loops until he was subdued long enough for him to be incapacitated. Knowing that Natsu would immediately go on the attack as soon as the motion sickness effect wears off, Ben opted to look into his psyche and figure out what became of him. As soon as Natsu was slammed into the earth, he transformed into Pesky Dust and infiltrated his mind.

Inside his psyche, Ben saw the past events that transpired through Natsu's perspective at those times. He witnessed Natsu's dream of Igneel disowning him in the Entrapment, followed by the harsh reprimanding he did in front of all his peers to seeing the fate of Lyon that Natsu witnessed. After uncovering the evidence and realizing his own wrongs, Ben admitted aloud how poor of a hero he was at not supporting his friends when they needed him most. That was when he spotted the mental imagery of Natsu, who was still unable to break free from Nirvana's control, blasting Ben out of his mind with fire.

In the real world, Pesky Dust returned to being Ben. Natsu emerged from his earth prison and prepared to fight an unarmed Ben, until a voice called out to them. When both turned towards the voice, Ben and Natsu were stunned upon seeing Lyon alive, along with an unconscious Racer. Realizing that he hadn't been killed by the explosion and was merely unconscious, Natsu finally snapped out of the effects of Nirvana and collapsed. Ben raced over to check his pulse to find that he was alive.

### **Nirvana Arise**

Meanwhile, in another location, Hibiki and Lucy were separated from Gray and Sherry by more rock golems. In the midst of the fighting, Gray suddenly appeared to check on them. However, much to Lucy's shock, Hibiki punched him. His defense being that he wasn't the real Gray, and that he could tell by the brainwaves when the connection for Telepathy was made. His cover blown, Gray revealed himself as Gemini, the spirit owned by Angel. She made her appearance and mocked Lucy to hand over her keys.

Lucy engaged against Angel in a battle with their Celestial Spirits, with Lucy constantly on the defensive. Only after Gemini withdraw from battle did the real Gray appear, along with Sherry, and disarmed Angel of her Celestial Spirit Keys. With her opponent incapacitated, Hibiki aided Lucy in teaching her hyperlink magic and learn Urano Metria, defeating Angel.

Meanwhile, Ben caught Lyon up to speed regarding his absence and Nirvana's influence on Natsu. When Ben asked how Natsu was unable to sniff him out, he responded that he woke up in a mud pit after barely escaping the bomb's explosion, a tactic Ben recognized that would disorient any wild animal's scent of their prey. Not long after, Natsu finally came around, though was unclear of what happened. After a moment of recollecting everything, and knowing that what happened was anything but a dream, Natsu berated himself for trying to hurt his teammate and friend. Seeing his friend in turmoil, Ben slapped him back to his senses, and continued to say that they will work out their issues and differences at a later date and had to focus on stopping Nirvana's awakening. Ben then turned to Lyon to see if he will also compromise, knowing that he doesn't fully trust Ben after everything he said and did prior to the present, but was thankful when Lyon agreed.

Deeper in the depths of the forest, Erza finally found her way to Jellal. When he turned to face her, he uttered her name, but looked confused. When Erza asked him how he came back, Jellal admitted that he did not know, and had no recollection of what happened previously, much to Erza and Cobra's shock. Erza began to recount the misdeeds Jellal had done back in the Tower of Heaven, and nearly killing Ben with the Entrapment Spell. Realizing that what he had done before was cruel, Jellal began to break down, though the sentiment didn't last when Cobra emerged from hiding to ask Jellal how he knew of Nirvana when he had no memory. He answered by saying that while unconscious, he heard 'I must have Nirvana', but rather than allow that, he thought it would be best to destroy it. Readying to sacrifice himself, Jellal prepares his farewell and apologizes to Erza for all the wrong he had done. Realizing that her old friend and past lover was truly back, Erza rushed to stop and urge Jellal from choosing this manner to repent for what he had done. Cobra only watched as he was left stunned and lacked the knowledge to disrupt Jellal's self-destruction circle.

Before the spell could proceed, Erza was suddenly pinned by two golems that emerged from the ground. Having finally caught up, Brain made himself present and learned that Jellal was planning on taking the disarm codes with him to the graves. Though rather than be shocked, he was actually amused; being his teacher, he had created hundreds of spells and taught Jellal the self-destruction circle. Upon realizing this revelation, Erza thought that he was the one responsible for teaching Jellal the Entrapment Spell as well. Cobra's hearing made his curiosity vocal, and asked Brain of such a spell, to which he confirmed. Cobra then confirmed that it was Ben who survived the Entrapment, a statement that while mildly surprised Brain, did not deter him from choosing to disarm Jellal's spell. Once Brain dispelled the magic circle and ushered control over Nirvana, Erza pried herself free of the golems' grasps by requipping her Giant Armor and fired the spear at Brain. However, using Cubellios' tail, Cobra intervened and enabled Brain to commence Nirvana's ascension.

At the same time, Ben, as Blitzwolfer, rushed through the forest with Lyon and Natsu on his back. Though Natsu gurgled an alternative like Laserscale, Ben opted against it on accounts of already barely having anyone's loyalty at the moment. They quickly reconvene with Lucy's team as they were recovering from the battle against Angel, who was being restrained by branches and had her keys in Lucy's possession. They explained how their respective ends defeated two of the Oracion Seis members - having Ben, Lyon, and Natsu's team agreeing ahead of time to exclude the near-death experience and Natsu's turmoil - and Ben reverted back to himself in the process. With everyone caught up, they all decided to proceed ahead without the remainder of the party. However, Lyon and Sherry decided to stay behind to watch over Hibiki. As Ben and the rest of the coalition were readying their next move, they noticed that the light had vanished, and in place was a massive magnitude that gradually brought out massive tubes all across the forest. One tube broke open the ground beneath the party and made Ben and everyone airbirne, being dragged into the air as the massive structure that was known as Nirvana surfaced.

As Hex and Cobra reveled in their triumph in bringing back Nirvana's mobile form, Erza was barely clinging on as she was trying to keep Jellal from falling to his death. With all her strength, she pulled him up and urged him that despite his failures, there is always hope. When he was confused by the testimony, she gestured to the sight of her guildmates and active coalition members climbing to the top of Nirvana. With them moving forward despite the dangers ahead, Erza reassured Jellal that there is always hope despite the troubles that will lie ahead. Ben's group continued their climb; however, during the ascension, Ben, as Spidermonkey, found himself falling due to a motion sick Natsu. It was thanks to Happy's intervention that Natsu was saved and carried to the top, with Ben begrudgingly dragged behind. ONce everyone was able to reach the top of the leg, the party diverged once again with Gray and Lucy going through Nirvana at ground level, while Ben and Natsu fly in from above to observe what's happening. As soon as Happy took off recklessly once again, Ben, despite his best warnings, was also dragged along. The three flew overhead and scoped out the city's topography; noticing its age and wildlife, they saw a massive pillar in the center. Natsu smelled out Brain and Cobra atop and the three usher towards the center of the city.

### **Ben VS Cobra**

With Nirvana's arrival, Cobra marveled at the success of their mission with Cubellios. As Brain activates the controls of Nirvana to target a 'certain guild hall', they were interceded by a fireball that destroyed the console, as well as damage the ground, much to Brain and Cobra's shock. They look up to find Natsu, Happy, and Spidermonkey having arrived. Just as Natsu was ready to engage, Spidermonkey urged him not to, and instead wait until they get information out of them. Much to his chagrin, Natsu complies and the two descend. Spidermonkey transforms back into Ben, formally greeting Brain. Cobra, having recalled Ben through Erza's thoughts, recalled he was the one who broke free of the Entrapment Spell. When Ben asked Brain where Jellal and Erza were, he got no response; instead, Natsu smelled the area and was unable to find them, to which Cobra confirmed their whereabouts being unknown to them as well. Brain asked a question in kind, asking how it was that Ben had survived the Entrapment Spell. Ben answered, stating that it was thanks to his friends, much to the former's dissatisfaction. Their patience at an end, Natsu and Cobra were ready to engage. It was only thanks to Ben shouting Hex's name that Brain casted a barrier between the two to keep them from engaging. At full attention of the name, Ben asks Brain how he knows Hex. Brain answered the question, stating that he was Hex's pupil, and learned plenty of spells from him. He went on praising how his magic was unlike any other, and that he was a powerful and wise man. However, when Ben grinned and started chuckling, Cobra again read his thought, and was apprehensive about telling Brain what he heard. Ben answered Brain's question, stating that he beat Hex numerous times in the past. Brain, in sheer disbelief, asked Cobra if all of this was true, to which he confirmed.

Finally having lost his patience and purely outraged, Brain orders Cobra to kill Ben, instigating the confrontation. Cubellios lunged at Ben, but was intercepted by Natsu's flames. This gave Ben time to transform into Wildmutt. With his echolocation skills and biology, he was able to evade Cubellios' follow-up attack. With his thought also being incomprehensible, Cobra had found himself unable to make out his movements, much to his chagrin. Ben growled out to Natsu and Happy to attack, to which they understood, again baffling Cobra. Reading their thoughts, he was barely distracted when Wildmutt slashed at him. Cubellios slammed him with her tail, sending the Vulpimancer over the edge of the tower towards the city below. Cobra mounted Cubellios as she spread out bat-like wings, much to Natsu and Happy's shock. As Cobra flies down to battle Ben, Natsu and Happy are left above to battle Brain.

In freefall, Ben used his claws and reduced traction against the side of the tower until he reached the ground unscathed. Evading Cubellios once more, Cobra engaged with Wildmutt at close-range with his Poison Dragon Slayer Magic. Though Ben was able to dodge another assault, he was struck by a Poison Dragon's Spiral Jaw. Recoiling, Cobra used this to his advantage and had Cubellios coil around the Vulpimancer. Though it seemed successful at first, Cubellios backed off in pain as the quills on Wildmutt's back dug into her skin - a trait that adult Vulpimancers have that Ben has still yet to fully adapt to. Though Ben had realized that Cobra was a Dragon Slayer, the revelation was short-lived when the latter fired a Poison Dragon's Roar. The attack met its mark, however, to Cobra's complete shock, he found Wildmutt unharmed by the toxic attack - this being due to Wildmut's species having thrived on a toxic planet. The two engaged in physical combat, trading blows and trying to outmaneuver one another. Eventually, Wildmutt was able to get the upper hand and pushed Cobra to a corner. With himself cornered, Cobra relied on Cubellios to pin Wildmutt with her fangs to his hindleg, successfully keeping him still for Cobra to land more venomous assaults. Having been cornered himself and remembering Cobra saying to kick it up a notch, Ben followed through and turned into Ultimate Wildmutt.

With the sudden change and being able to vocalize himself, Cobra was shocked long enough that Ben struck him. He then turned to Cubellios, using the newly grown stinger on his tail to sting the snake and inject a paralysis toxin. With her down, Cobra rushed to her aid and sucked the venom out to find that it wasn't lethal, but nevertheless still made Cubellios crippled enough to where she was numb for a while. Irate, Cobra remarked he won't let Ben get away with that, to which he responded the same sentiment after what they did to Erza. Though immobile, Cubellios unleashed a toxic cloud that Cobra ate for fuel. The two engaged once more in close quarters, but even though Ultimate Wildmutt was tougher, with his ability to vocalize, Cobra was able to read him and intercept his attacks more easily than before. One opening enabled him to unleash a Poison Dragon's Scales that scored a hit, followed by another Poison Dragon's Roar. Ultimate Wildmutt was able to survive both assaults. Cobra announced that he was a Second Generation Dragon Slayer - Dragon Slayers who ascertained their magic through lacrima, similar to Laxus. Taken back by how Ben was familiar with how he thought, Cobra confirmed that he was able to hear his thoughts now. Cobra attempted to taunt Ben into charging at him, but Ben was not fooled by the play and tried thinking again.

With Cobra's hypersonic hearing being his biggest advantage, Ben transformed back into Wildmutt to shut off that hearing. With his thoughts to himself, Ben chose to defeat Cobra through sound by transforming into Echo Echo. Ben quickly duplicated himself and used his vast numbers to disorient Cobra. With Cobra distracted by their thoughts and their numbers, he was outwitted and too late when he found himself surrounded by a vast number of them. Cursing aloud, all the Echo Echo unleashed a Wall of Sound that reverberated through Cobra's body. Unable to escape, Cobra screamed in pain as he silently said his prayer - to hear his one true friend's voice - before falling unconscious.

With Cobra having been defeated, Ben transformed back into himself. Cubellios regained her mobility, but rather than attack Ben, she slithered over to comfort Cobra. The Omnitrix then sensed genetic data that needed repair from Cubellios. Ben was left with a decision; either go and help Natsu, or wait and help Cubellios repair herself to human. After thinking back to his past mistakes and his guilty conscience, he chose the latter and had the Omnitrix activate the genetic repair. The process put Ben and Cubellios in limbo for a few moments, but both snapped out of it and Ben found the Omnitrix's power depleted for a short while. Meanwhile, Cubellios was transformed into a young woman - who lagged clothing. Ben offered his jacket as clothing to the sleeping woman before taking off to help Natsu. Meanwhile, Cobra woke up for a brief moment, seeing Cubellios being human and able to hear her voice at long last in her sound dreams. Realizing Ben made his prayer come true, he cried tears of joy as he waned back into unconsciousness.

## Major Events

* Ben helps Elfman to control his physical strength.
* The Ultimate Team sets out to stop the Oracion Seis without Ben.
* The Ultimate Team meets Wendy and Carla.
* Ben joins the Allied Forces later to becomes its leader after their defeat by the Oracion Seis.
* Unlike the canon version, many fights were altered, with different pairings and additional characters to certain fights.
* Natsu and Lyon defeated Racer.
* Natsu fell victim to Nirvana's effects and attacked Ben.
* Ben realized how ill-considerate he was with everyone after attempting to break Natsu free from Nirvana's effects.
* Lucy defeated Angel, with help from Gray and Sherry.
* Jellal is revealed to have returned, but with radiation burns from his battle against Atomix and amnesia.
* Brain is revealed to be a disciple of Hex.
* Ben defeats Cobra.
* Natsu battled against Brain, revealing that he had succumbed to Nirvana and attempted to sway him over, but Natsu resisted and reactivated his Atomic Flame Dragon Mode.
* Klodoa attacks the Allied Forces bit fails.
* Zero appears for the first time and defeats the Allied Forces.
* Ben awakens his anodite powers.
* It is revealed that Addwaitya has been in Earthland for over 400 years and how evil he became.
* Ben reunites with a old member of the Tennyson Family; Though it was through the mana field .
* Ben unlocks a new ultimate form with Verdona's help and defeats Zero.
* The Oracion Seis are arrested.
* Wendy and Carla become official members of Fairy Tail.

## Alien Appearances

#### Oracion Seis Pt 1

* Bloxx
* Beelzebash (offscreen)
* Rath (flashback)
* Jetray

#### Oracion Seis Pt 2

* Jetray
* Diamondhead
* Clockwork

**Oracion Seis Pt 3**

* AmpFibian
* Swampfire
* Astrodactyl
* Fasttrack

#### Oracion Seis Pt 5

* Fasttrack
* Kickin Hawk
* Wildmutt

#### Oracion Seis Pt 6

* Goop
* Gravattack
* Eye Guy
* Pesky Dust
* Swampfire (offscreen)

#### Oracion Seis Pt 7

* Blitzwolfer
* Spidermonkey
* Wildmutt (Ultimate Wildmutt)
* Echo Echo

## Trivia

* Ben makes a reference to the rock band *"Nirvana"* and the Free Bird trope when the Coalition is discussing Nirvana.
* Ben threatening to break Erigor's other arm if he lied then preceding to break his right arm is taken from the early part of the video game *Batman: Arkham Knight* when Batman does the same to an Arkham Knight militia soldier to interrogate him for Scarecrow's location before doing the same thing. Erigor even replied the same way as one of Penguin's goon Ricky "Loose Lips" LeBlanc yelled at Batman after he dropped him onto a Christmas Tree from the roof of The Gotham Merchant's Bank in the prequel game *Batman: Arkham Origins.*
* The way Ben defeats Zero is very similar to how Natsu defeated him in canon.