Got to love the Fairy Tail colour spreads, I know I do (cleaned by Ulquiorra90)
So Kyouka really was captured, I was half-expecting Minerva and Jackal to show up and take on Erza and Natsu respectively, buying time for Kyouka to escape and devise a plan B for the current situation i.e. disengaging the gravity on the undercube. Well that didn’t happen but it was amusing seeing Erza payback Kyouka’s earlier hospitality. I enjoyed seeing Erza’s new requip armor and weapon, though I hope this battle with Kyouka isn’t over yet. Kyouka has been portrayed as an important antagonist this arc, seemingly the head of the Kyuukimon (Nine Demon Gates), so it does seem likely that she will not be defeated just yet. Well now that there is a breach in the undercube, it is time for Fairy Tail to push forward their counter attack and hopefully avoid whatever terrors Zeref, who encounters Natsu, has in store for them inside.
Seeing Kyouka revealing so much information to Erza while held captive was a bit suspicious, but finding out that it was in order to buy time for herself to escape the shackles binding her made sense of that suspicion. Kyouka revealed the location of Mira to separate Natsu and Lisanna from Erza and by revealing part of the objective of Tartarus, which other Fairy Tail members had already known, Kyouka bought herself enough time to escape her bindings.
It is impressive the things Zeref can do with magic, what exactly are his limits?
It is interesting to learn that Zeref can manifest demons from the books her writes (well we already knew this), does this mean that he may have other books/demons prepared? And given how when writing, the state of mind of the writer plays an integral part in how ideas are communicated through the words, Zeref’s changing state of mind through his time alive could be seen through the characteristics of the Kyuukimon members. It would make sense, as seeing how Zeref was remorseful at one point, certain of the Kyuukimon (Sayla) may have inherited some of those characteristics/emotions.
The Kyuukimon are very individualistic but they merely see themselves as extended limbs of their creator Zeref, to follow through with his wishes and to accomplish them. Erza appears to have understood the essence of the demons manifesting from the books of Zeref and in reply is trying to get Kyouka to break free from her dependence on Zeref and notice the freedom she has available to her now that she is “alive”. Will the “ripples” caused by Erza’s words create big “waves” in Kyouka further into the story of this arc? Will Zeref’s hold over his demons not be as ironclad as he believes? This one-sided beating Kyouka is getting may have further repercussions on the way Kyouka actually perceives the world =/.
I have to say, I love this armor design and the fact that Erza is wielding a badass knight lance!
Anyway Makarov wanted a breach and Erza gave him one! Badass how she sent Kyouka flying straight through the land of Cube. It is interesting to note that Erza who seemed to have sent Kyouka flying through the wall in one of the rooms had actually pierced the floor of Cube. The gravity of Cube is an unusual and interesting development, relative to your own perceptions, you may appear to be standing on the ground but from the perspective of outside Cube, the gravity within could very well mean the person is standing on one of the walls =/. I guess “right side up” really is relative to the gravity.
Ouch, I love how badass Erza is but hopefully Kyouka gets a chance to shine as well!
Kyouka didn’t look pierced, just winded, so my money is on her getting back up and either taking on Erza again or escaping. We have yet to see her Sin power highlighted adequately, so Kyouka’s role is far from over this arc.
Zeref is on Cube? What a surprise, I was not expecting that and in addition for Zeref to search after Natsu. I really wonder what the exact relationship between Zeref and Natsu really is. Also what magic is Zeref using to freeze the time of others exact Natsu and himself? Will be interesting to see what Zeref has to chat about. Looking forward to the next chapter.
12Dimension 
July 22, 2017 at 5:55 am
Um, quick question: Why didn’t Erza torture Kyouka back!? For example, when Kyouka said “I don’t know who Elfman is,” why didn’t Erza say, “I don’t believe you,” whip out her Lightning Empress spear, and zap her with a whopping amount of high voltage that would put Yakidorga’s electric shocks to shame? Or better yet, gouged Kyouka’s eyes out with a knife? Or chopped her limbs off? Or cut her stomach open and ripped out a few of her organs? Or stabbed her with so many of her swords, turning her into a human pincushion? Yes, Kyouka’s a demon, but she’s very human-like in appearance. And yes, I know Kyouka ends up getting tortured anyway, but not by Erza. Considering that Chapter 372 started with Erza saying that she was going to make Kyouka pay for what she did to her in Chapters 365 and 368, directly to her face, I might add, it seemed as if she really were going to torture Kyouka, which she should have. She had every right to. So why didn’t she!?!?
Thankfully, I wrote a fanfiction where she did.
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10791036/1/What-Chapter-372-of-Fairy-Tail-should-have-been
August 1, 2017 at 7:02 am
My understanding of Erza is that she is deeply understanding of a person’s pain as a result of experiencing so much of it herself. Her very character, personality and pride most likely won’t allow her to perceive reaching a right through two wrongs. Mashima-sensei has continually portrayed Erza as Jellal’s “light” and by having Erza sink to the same level as Kyouka, I believe such an act would have undermined Erza’s whole character and role within the story.
Interesting fanfic though, thanks for sharing =).
August 3, 2017 at 11:07 am
So you’re saying that Erza has an understanding of Kyouka’s pain, right? Well, I think Erza should have just wanted to cause Kyouka to be *IN* pain. To an unfathomable degree. Erza should have simply not cared about about any suffering Kyouka may have gone through and instead wanted to cause said suffering herself. Which is why I wrote the fanfic in the first place. And I’m glad you liked it.
If Erza wasn’t going to torture Kyouka, how was she going to get her so-called “revenge”?
March 3, 2021 at 8:18 am
So, what do you think of this fanfiction I wrote here:
https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10791036/1/What-Chapter-372-of-Fairy-Tail-should-have-been
March 3, 2021 at 2:36 pm
Kyoka did in part deserve retribution for her actions but that was quite a spicy take on the Erza and Kyoka encounter in the dungeon.
I did actually really like Kyoka’s character and wouldn’t have minded her coming to realise the actual form of individuality and breaking free from her dependence on Zeref. Ultimately though, the Demons were created by Zeref and it is in their nature to dance to the tune Zeref had whimsically laid out for them in their books.
Still, even though Kyoka did sacrifice herself to detonate FACE, there was a point during the arc where she wavered between her demon and “other” self.
I’d like to think that if Kyoka wasn’t bound her demon nature and the instinctive pull to follow “Zeref”, she would have been swayed by Erza and potentially befriended her down the line. For me, I really do love stories where it is possible for antagonist to be redeemed.
March 3, 2021 at 10:25 pm
But I don’t *want* Kyoka to be redeemed. I want her to be tortured, mutilated, and vivicected. That is why I wrote that fanfiction in the first place. Kyoka’s demon nature and dependence on Zeref mean nothing to me. All that matters is that she’s been bad, and she must be punished, and that Erza was an idiot for letting her perfect opportunity to torture her right back go to waste. Also, I was disappointed that you said too little about the fanfic itself. Please say more about it.
March 4, 2021 at 10:38 am
The fanfic was quite graphic in its content as Kyoka was torn down piece by piece by piece. It was successful in conveying the stark image of “revenge”. Kyoka did deserve punishment. But my constitution isn’t as hardened to not be affected by it. It is also why during horror settings or zombie apocalypse stories where a character is being devoured or eviscerated, I reactionary cover half my view with my hand as to obscure the full effect of the happening.
Different people. Different stripes. When it comes to myself, I prefer a more hopeful take on darkness. No matter the evil one has done, salvation still exist. That is naive of me, yes, but I prefer to perceive life in a promising light even if it may be to my detriment.
May 8, 2021 at 1:07 pm
Then you’re a fool. There IS a matter the evil one has done, and it’s possible that one person can do so much evil that no redemption could possibly make up for it. Yes, it is naive of you to think that redemption can happen to even the most vile of scum and if Kyouka were to have redeemed herself, I would have smashed every porcelan plate in my house. MY way of dealing with Kyouka, the eye for an eye approach, is far superior.