Bold Type = Twins speaking together
Chapter 6 – True Strength
"You think you can defeat C so easily Titania? Remember this is a fight between S-class mages and I am sure you can fathom C's power just by looking."
Erza's eyes widened slightly in shock as her downward slash was blocked by none other than her own sword. Steel clashed against steel and she could see that her opponent had ex-equipped both her armor and weapons; although, slightly modified to keep the outfit gender neutral, since C wore pants instead of a skirt and the chest area was decidedly smaller, it was still for all intents and purposes her own magical equipment.
Erza leapt back as soon as her feet touched the ground and narrowed her eyes at her smiling opponent. "I can see that your codename fits the description of what you can do quite accurately." She lowered her sword close to the ground and started to circle her opponent while C did the same thing back
"Indeed, I'm sure you can understand just how devastating this magic is." Erza re-equipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor which C instantly copied though of course modified to fit C's body. "The stronger you become the stronger C becomes!" Arming another sword in her free hand, Erza broke from her circling pattern to charge at her opponent who at the exact same time mirrored her actions perfectly using the exact same movements she did. Erza swung out with her right arm for a slash across the front and C did the same with thing but unlike a mirror, or a mime, C's right arm did the exact same thing as well so it was closer to copying than mirroring. Unfazed in the slightest, Erza followed up with stab with her left sword toward C's face while their other swords were occupied but that too was copied and both were forced to jerk their heads to the side to avoid their respective sword points. Erza's face was a mask of resolve but C looked to be enjoying the fight as they once again separated from each other by a few feet.
"Of course C is not limited to just copying you." This time C was the one to strike with a low swipe at Erza's legs. Erza brought one sword down to block the attack and at the same time started a summersault by pushing down on the sword blocking the attack to propel her body into the air. As she came flipped over, while she was upside-down and facing C she lashed out to try and wound C in the back. C easily turned to counter the twirling Titania and simply mirrored her attack so blade clanged against blade and a second later Erza had touched the ground and spun around to face her foe. "I can also mirror you as I see fit and at whatever time I choose."
"Of course you cannot mirror me all the time or neither of us will get anywhere. Since all we would be doing is exchanging blows or blocking everything." Erza pointed out to her adversary to which C merely laughed.
"Well C supposes so but as you could see in our last sword exchange C can turn it off and on as C sees fit in order to make sure that only you will be the one on the receiving end of your blade. It must be tough to have oneself being beaten by their own magic; in fact it is such a shame for so many of C's victims that they forgo magic altogether. C finds great enjoyment in watching them fall into despair."
"I see, so you enjoy making people suffer, you are just as terrible as the taskmasters of the Tower of Paradise. Also you dared to lay a hand on a member of Fairy Tail and that I can never forgive!" Magical power gathered around Erza and C did the same as they both started to make swords materialize in the air, each sword brought out by Erza as countered by the exact same thing from C.
"No matter how much you set against C, C will give the exact same thing right back!" Soon a dozen swords each were arrayed against each other and of course since the entire room had mirrors all around, the vast amounts of reflections made it seem like a steel storm was about to begin, which probably was not very far from the truth. As the two S-class forces stared each other down Erza cleverly materialized a saber behind C's head, making sure it was in a position that would make it hard to be seen since they were focusing their attention on each other. Suddenly the waves of swords shot out at each other and the horrific banging of magical weapons impacting upon each other created a great clamoring but of course Erza already knew none of the forward blades would do anything but the blade behind C would be the deciding factor in the upcoming attack. A split moment after the two armies of sharp edges started knocking each other down she shot the blade at the back of C's head.
That brief second seemed to last a long time and it seemed as if her opponent was unaware of the approaching blade point but then at the last moment C's head lurched to the side and the saber passed harmlessly by. "Did you think if C could not see it C would not be able to mirror it, seriously you are-" C was cut off short, forced to jerk his body to the side to avoid a thrown saber and narrowly avoided the blade but the hilt did manage to hit C's left arm. "When did you!" C cursed and held a hand on the spot when the hilt had connected.
"I see it is as I thought. I did hope that I could have ended the battle right there but then it would have been a disgrace to know that an S-class mage, even an enemy, could fall so easily. Your magic is truly formidable but as I surmised it is possible to circumvent. While your mirroring magic was being used even if you could not see it you could still mirror my moves perfectly; however, when you dodged the saber I launched at your back you had to break your concentration so while you were smugly avoiding my sneak attack I knew that there was a saber aimed at my head as well. You just let my saber fly harmlessly by but instead of just letting your weapon scratch my cheek I managed to grab it as it went past and redirected it straight toward you while you were distracted, it is after all my magic originally. Every magic has some weak point and I have discovered one of yours, it takes quite a bit of concentration to use."
"Well C supposes C should have expected no less from the famed Titania but sadly you are only-half right in your deduction. You see it doesn't take C's full concentration and C can mix things up rather easily." C lifted up a hand and pointed with the middle and index finger at a spot near Erza's feet and with an evil smile uttered, "Shatter!"
Erza followed the invisible line C's fingers made and saw a small glass orb sitting on the ground that C had managed to throw without her knowledge during their sword contest. Erza let instinct take over, her arms crossed over to cover her face and she leapt back as the small orb exploded into over a thousand shards, which pelted the surrounding area and hit Erza all over her body. Major damage was averted but there were more than a few glass pieces that had managed to stick themselves into the spots were Erza's skin was exposed. She very quickly removed the glass while she had the time so they would not get in the way as she fought.
"As you can see, C can even mix things up as we fight so you'll be the one taking more hits than C ever will!" C laughed while Erza glared back and then suddenly charged. Once again the two opponents clashed against each other and fierce fighting started to resound through the room.
A dragon's fist repelled Natsu's with exactly the same force and power. Already in fighting mode, Natsu kicked out with his right foot but I simply copied the move so both of their legs blocked the other and the force pushed them apart. "How are you using my attacks? There is absolutely no way Igneel taught someone like you!" Natsu pointed accusingly at I with a look of extreme annoyance.
I just shrugged and smiled, "Oh of course not dragon slayer, this is after all my first time meeting one of your kind. I is sure you can figure it out since I is known as one of the Mirror Twins." I explained rather sure the Salamander would understand. Natsu scrunched his eyebrows together in thought as the ember of thought tried to start a bonfire.
"Oh! Because you like to look at yourself in the mirror a lot, right?" I's mouth dropped open in utter astonishment at Natsu's deductive process.
"How the heck did you come to that conclusion? Do you think I stand in front of the mirror all day admiring myself!" I shouted out with quite a bit of anger, then took a deep breath and calmed down, though very quickly almost lost it again when Natsu responded back, "well you do seem kind of strange."
I managed to hold on by expelling a lot of hot air, "Hardly, I has the ability to completely copy your magic, down to its very basic structure. At this moment I is now a dragon slayer the same as you Natsu Dragneel!"
"Pft, as if you could control the same flames as me. There is no way to simply pick up what Igneel taught me!" Natsu took in a deep breath and released his Roar of the Fire Dragon, spewing flames toward I who mirrored the move back, the two flame waves crashed into each other and merged into a giant fireball which exploded, sending debris of fire in all directions.
"Heh, I told you already, now that I has mirrored you, I is you!"
"How the heck are you me! You don't look a thing like me! There is no way I have such a soft looking face like yours!"
"Soft looking! Why you! I means I has your dragon slayer abilities! Obviously I does not want to have such droopy eyes like yours!"
"Squinty eyes! You're sounding a little too much like a flame based Gray there and that's just firing me up!"
"Oh interesting, your emotions are actually making you stronger, well I guess I'll have to thank you for the power boost." Flames shot out from all over both their bodies as the flames grew more intense by the second until it was almost a pillar of flame surround them. Almost as quickly as it started though they both stopped which puzzled I a bit.
"By the way, who is that guy over there and why is he just casually leaning against the wall?" I looked around toward a corner of the room and saw Takeshi propped up against the wall, observing both of them. Noticing he was being looked at, Takeshi casually waved back at them.
"Don't mind me; I'm just here to watch over your fight so I can make sure we got our money's worth out of the twins here."
"Hello employer, I did not realize you would be here personally to watch I crush him. I will be sure to put on a good show."
"Your employer huh. Hey plain looking guy! I'll be sure to come after you next! Right after I smoke this guy with my flames!" Natsu flexed his fingers as he prepared to attack.
"Oh by all means Salamander please show me how you plan to beat someone who has your own powers. Come to think of it, don't you mean roast?" Takeshi looked rather bored in the corner and looked at his nails.
"Wings of the Fire Dragon!" Natsu's arms erupted with flames that flared outward to create a shape that looked very much like a pair of fiery wings as he rocketed forward toward I who instantly mirrored it. "I!" Natsu roared out I's name and when the pair were about to clash Natsu suddenly stopped and all his flame disappeared. I did not know what to expect as he had sensed nothing through his mirroring magic so he continued the attack and used the momentum to carry him over Natsu and land several feet away.
"What are you up too?" I propped his fists up, ignited with dragon slayer flames not sure why Natsu had stopped his attack. Natsu whirled around with a raging and annoyed look on his face.
"Why the heck do you have such a lame name? It sounds so stupid to yell out your name in a fight that I lost all the feelings I had behind that attack!"
"What the – how dare you make fun of my name like that! I will show you who is lame Salamander!" I rushed forward and rammed his fist into Natsu's stomach with great force, "Heh, how do you like that!"
Natsu stood there for a brief moment, taking the full force of the blow with rather wide eyes. In an instant that all changed as a rather crazy looking smile took over his face and he grabbed I's arm. "Let's see you copy me now!" I quickly realized he was in a bad position and tried to dislodge Natsu's grip with a flaming kick to the side, but Natsu's free arm easily blocked it. With I's free hand I managed to place a glass ball under Natsu's feet to roll behind him. "Fire Dragon Head Butt!" Natsu smashed his skull against I's who tottered back under the blow as Natsu let go of I.
I fell down on one knee and placed a hand on I's forehead where Natsu's thick skull bashed it. "That was just a regular head butt! Don't give fancy names to stuff like that!"
"Ha ha ha! That's what you get for having such a pathetic name!"
I's eye, that was not covered by I's hand, shot daggers at Natsu and his lips moved to utter a simple word, "Shatter!"
"Gah!" Natsu cried out as many shards of glass ripped into his back, "What kind of move was that!" Natsu reached back and pulled out a clump of glass with his hand and threw it on the ground. "That hurt dang it!" Natsu's heat intensified with anger and the rest of the glass melted away under the extreme heat and fell down into small puddles of liquid glass that steamed red hot. "Now I'm really flared up!" His arms and legs were covered in flames that could rival even Hell's fires. "I'll definitely defeat you!"
I forced the hand on the eye down to be able to effectively mirror Natsu's strikes. Fiery fists, arms, and legs smashed into each other as the fighting grew ever more intense, to the watch the fight would be akin to seeing two fireballs circle around each other while continuously striking. Natsu attempted to eat some of I's fire but instantly spit it out, "Why does your fire taste exactly the same as mine! I can't eat this!"
"Like I told you Salamander, I is you! Glass Spear!" I suddenly materialized a spear of glass during a small break in their fighting and threw it toward Natsu's chest. Natsu tried to avoid it but was too close and it pierced him through his left shoulder and then I's own Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon pegged Natsu in the head which sent him flying back. "How does I's punishment feel Salamander! I has all of your abilities, can copy your every move, and even throw in I's own for good measure! I has you completely outmatched!"
Natsu gritted his teeth from his new position on the floor and stood back up looking as if he had just had his butt handed to him in a fight with Erza, the glass spear protruding from his shoulder. With a grunt he plucked the spear out and it turned red in his hand and started to melt. Quickly he heaved it over his head and let the liquid glass fall into his mouth as he ate it, while I could only look on with mild shock. "Well since I cannot eat your flames directly I guess I'll just have to make do with this." The flames which had been steadily growing dimmer on his body once again reignited with a fierce brilliance which almost made the mirrors cry out in pain at having so much light being reflected off their surfaces. "Your magic sure isn't very tasty."
"Well congrats on your temporary recharging Salamander but remember, I can copy everything you do. I won't even have to eat anything." I's flames grew to the same brilliance as Natsu and the two fires stared each other down. "Just how much endurance does this guy have? Even stronger mages would usually already be near their last legs of strength by now." I grumbled, getting annoyed that Natsu was still ready to fight even at such a disadvantage. "Why do you not just give up Dragneel? No matter what you do you cannot defeat me with your prided dragon slayer strength since no matter how strong my opponent is I will always be equal and even a step ahead of them. If you are trying to wait for help from your friends I highly doubts that they have survived the traps I and C have planted for them, they should all be defeated by now."
"Heh, you know, I've fought a lot of high guys like you who think they know everything but in the end they could never defeat Fairy Tail! No matter powerful you get I'll still beat you down! You have no idea of how great a place Fairy Tail is and you even dared to pick a fight with us so I will never forgive you! All of Fairy Tail is my family: Master, Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Levy, Erza, they are all irreplaceable to me but you have no one like that! I'll show you the true meaning of what it means to become an enemy of Fairy Tail!" As Natsu spoke his flames continued to grow stronger and more radiant and soon even started to reach the roof as Natsu's anger continued to boil over.
"Oh please, I is not afraid of anything you can threaten me with as I'll just match you power for power dragon slayer!" I mirrored Natsu precisely and smirked as they both grew in power. Then it happened, I's flames reached their peak intensity and just stopped growing but Natsu's continued to gain in strength. The observer, Takeshi looked on with a rather plain expression but his eyes betrayed the interested spark that shone from them while Natsu's power started to dominate over I's.
"W-What is this! Why can't I's power match his? I should be able to copy anyone's magic!" I's confident smirk faded as dragon scales started to appear in a few places around Natsu's eyes and on his arms. "This is impossible! So this is…Dragon Force!" Flames angrily swirled around Natsu's body in a way that made it look way too much like it was actually alive.
"Well it would appear that you were not worth the money after all." Takeshi droned to himself as he watched Natsu leap toward his enemy with all the savage ferocity and strength of a true dragon.
"I does not lose!" I shouted in defiance toward the coming fire storm and once again mirrored Natsu's every move, this time when the two forces collided though it was quite easy to see that Natsu now had the upper hand by the way I was thrown back. I managed to land standing, though only by sliding about a meter back and started to shoot glass shards and spears at Natsu. The occasional glass shard managed to hit Natsu but most simply vaporized before contact. I could feel a cold sweat on fear start to surface, "This is insane, I is being pushed back! I-I needs C's help! Surely C has finished off the Titania by now!" I dashed for the mirrors separating the two fights from each other and started to dissolve the magical mirrors so that C could help fight the blazing dragon slayer. "C!" I shouted in a panic as Natsu prepared for the finishing blow.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Arts. Crimson Phoenix Sword!" Waves of flame washed over Natsu's powered up fist as he ran toward the panicking Mirror Twin.
Erza was a spectacular fighter who knew how to think in a fight and had been able to get a few shallow hits in through clever counterattacks but overall the fight was not in her favor. C was able to block almost all of her moves and the fact that he was able to quite easily slip in some glass magic or change up a move rather quickly on the fly, Erza had more than a few cuts in various spots on her body. Also any armor she changed into C would copy down to a T, except modified to fit C in a non-gender kind of way.
Erza equipped her Giant's Armor, yellow and with a much larger right arm she threw with all her might the spear that came with it, "Lance of Haja!" The lance sailed through the air and with a great clang, rammed into the exact same lance that was thrown by C. Sparks flew as they clashed together and fell harmlessly to the ground.
"Isn't it great Titania? C will admit you have some skill and reflexes to have been able to actually wound C in this fight but frankly C just out-classes you in every way possible. No matter what you do you will never be able to find a way to beat me! Shatter!" Once again another glass orb exploded, this time over Erza's head. Quickly she materialized a rather large sword to block a vast majority of the shards but as usual a few managed to strike her. "Oh what it must feel like to have your own magic used against you." C laughed and threw a regular spear at Erza with the Giant's Armor. Erza ducked out of the way and she could hear the sound of the spear zinging through the air past her head.
Erza could feel the fatigue in her body and the various cuts and bruises she had developed over the fight were accumulating in pain. Her forehead was perspiring and her breathing had started to get rather heavy, at the rate they were going there was no doubt who the winner would be and it would not be her. "I suppose it is about time I got truly serious and show you one of my strongest armors, Purgatory Armor!" Erza's hair turned completely wild and a devilish looking black and gray, jagged looking armor covered her body as if she was a guard of the underworld. "It is time for you to despair!"
C grinned at Erza's apparent stupidity, "Well I must thank you for taking out one of your strongest armors this will make things much easier for me!" Once again C took Erza's armor and copied it in C's unique style. Both combatants took out what looked like a giant slab of blackened steel but was really just a gigantic sword. When the two forces struck an explosion of air pressure blew throughout the room and the mirrors strained under the pressure. "Such power! C always knew your reputation Erza but this is absolutely incredible! C sure wishes C could keep this incredible armor for all time but C will have to make do with the here and now."
The two knights fought with all their ferocity, making it a wonder that the room was still holding itself together even when the force of essentially two tidal waves were smashing into each other. C attempted to pierce Erza with an icicle of glass but it merely broke on the powerful armor so C had to be content with just mirroring and throwing in the occasional twist. Erza jumped up into the air to come crashing down with the force that rivaled having a ton of steel bars deposited on someone's head. C leapt out of the way, not bothering to use the mirroring technique and the ground where Erza struck completely gave way. Blocks of floor flew in various directions, making C have to swipe some of the debris out of the way.
"You seem to be getting tired Erza! C wonders how much longer you can keep such a high grade as your equip!" C teased and then counterattacked by dashing forward and using a wide horizontal slash. Erza was forced to block it and was flung back a few feet but she managed to stay firm on her toes. Her breath was more ragged than ever and C watched her struggle with glee. "C's name will be famous after I beat you Titania!" Erza composed herself and stood up straight and looked back at her foe rather impassively then she ex-equipped her armor out for the Robe of Yuen. The beautiful kimono like cloth draped over her loosely, leaving her looking a little exposed in several places and in her hands was a Naginata, a pole weapon with a curved blade on the end. This time C did not change with her and instead kept the Purgatory Armor.
"Well looks like C was right! C can tell that clothing of yours is not even half as powerful as this Purgatory Armor. C guesses it is about time for you to feel despair." With an evil grin, C stepped toward Erza and raised the giant cleaver while Erza held the Naginata out to the side and readied for battle. Erza struck first and managed a glancing blow to the chest but the Purgatory Armor stood firm. "Time to die Erza Scarlet!" C shouted and tried to crush her with the large weapon but Erza gracefully somersaulted backward and avoided the crushing weight. Erza then started to run rather quickly sideways to try and get around C but the mirroring magic kicked in and C was running right along with Erza. "Remember I can do everything you can!" C laughed as Erza attempted to stab out at C but C stabbed out with the large sword as well causing Erza to have to move back to avoid it.
They continued their speedy run across the room as Erza attempted to swing out with her weapon as C copied the same thing as well. They seemed to be caught in an epic dance but interestingly enough even though C was mirroring everything Erza did, as well as the occasion glass magic attack which Erza managed to either block or avoid; their respective weapons never actually hit each other since Erza was always just slightly faster. Erza's eyes narrowed as her theory was proven. They suddenly both stopped their sideway run and faced each other. Erza's eyes flashed with resolve as she drove toward her foe while C did the same thing. C's eyes gleamed with victory, knowing that Erza's power would be no match when the two of them clashed. At the very last second before the tip of the Naginata met the tip of the very large blade, Erza ever so quickly jerked her weapon to the side and then press the blade tip into the flat end of C's blade, which pushed Erza to the left but kept C's weapon in the same place and as the two passed each other, the Naginata tip screeched across the blade and down to C's right hand and up to C's shoulder in one quick movement, this time the armor did not save C from being hurt.
"Gah! How did you manage to get past C's technique?" C cursed and tried to ignore the pain and the blood that ran from the gash that went all the way from C's hand to the shoulder. "C will kill you for sure Erza Scarlet!" C attempted to turn around quickly to attack Erza while she was facing away but all C managed to do was trip one leg over the other and fell heavily to the floor. "Ugh, C's body feels horrible all over! What is happening! It hurts to move!" C tried to push back up into a standing position but just fell again, tried to stay at least partially up by pushing up with C's hands but the pain in the right made C's formation collapse and C's face and body smashed into the floor. "What did you do to C!"
Erza turned her body slowly and looked down at C's pitiful form. "You brought this upon yourself." C glared back in incomprehension so Erza decided to continue. "You are right that the Purgatory Armor gives you a lot more power than my Robe of Yuen but all that extra power comes at the cost of a lot more magic and weight. I noticed when you were mirroring my movements that I was just slightly faster than you were, which meant that by trying to keep up with my speed you were putting a much greater strain on your own body since you were trying to do exactly the same that I was doing but could not quite do it. You damaged your own body with your reckless movements and now you will no longer be able to use that skill to copy me effectively. You brought your own downfall, it is your loss. I also had to learn that putting faith in only my armor was not enough, learning to put my strength into my heart was required for me to grow and it appears you never learned that lesson." Erza lowered the point of her weapon at C's head who gazed back at her with disbelief.
"No, no! C cannot lose! This is impossible how could C have, but C is not done yet! Shatter!" Wild-eyed, C detonated another glass bomb in Erza's face and used the distraction to get out of the Purgatory Armor and limped over rather rapidly to the wall the separated C from I. "I is done, right? C needs your assistance I!" C touched the wall and it started to dissolve as well. In about a second, a hole had opened up in the wall. C and I were both ragged and beaten and found themselves mirroring each other exactly and looking into each other's eyes.
In perfect synchronization they looked at each other in horror and they both saw the respective Fairy Tail mages in the background coming in for the final blow. "It can't be, we both lost!" They both turned their heads just in time to get a final glimpse of their rivals before both Natsu and Erza struck.
Natsu's fist and flames struck I in the stomach while Erza had ex-equipped back in the Giant's Armor, smashing the enhanced fist into C's stomach. The mirror twins instantly lost all their breath as they were forced into each other by the colossal power of two of the strongest mages in all of Fairy Tail. Their heads cracked into each other and they both slumped to the ground, all the while mirroring each other exactly except for the locations of their wounds.
Both Natsu and Erza were breathing heavily as they delivered their final blows. Erza returned to her normal armor while Natsu's dragon scales disappeared as the power of the Dragon Force left his body.
"Erza!"
"Natsu!" The two mages shouted each other's names once they saw each other.
"Man Erza, you look like you took a beating!" Natsu commented noting all the bruises and cuts that lined her body.
"Well you do not look so great yourself Natsu." Erza said back seeing the many cuts and other marks that covered his body as well.
"Well in any case we sure showed them what it means to mess with Fairy Tail!" Natsu gave out a sort of victory roar with flames shooting out of his mouth and into the air like a tiny flamethrower. Erza smiled at his antics, one thing about Natsu was he could always be counted on to protect Fairy Tail and he was also one of the few constants in her life. The smell of victory was short lived as they heard a voice right beside them speak up.
"Twins in the end I see, rather amusing really." Takeshi smirked at the battered bodies of the twins and kicked I over, causing C to collapse back on top of I.
"What do you think you're doing?" Natsu practically growled at the man but it was taking some time for his flames to reheat themselves so he did not strike out yet.
"It was rather fun to observe I admit, I must say I expected them to be able to at least very seriously wound you Erza Scarlet but I can see you live up to your reputation as always."
"And just who are you?" Erza pointed her sword toward Takeshi's neck who did not seem bothered in the slightest.
"Come to think of it I think I've seen you before." Natsu scrunched up his face as he tried to remember the events near the beginning of his battle with I.
"You really forget things quickly don't you." Takeshi sighed inwardly at how bad the Salamander's memory could be.
"Oh that's right! Erza! He is with the guys who paid these Mirror guys here to do their dirty work!" Takeshi was rather thankful he did not have to explain himself again.
"So you are one of the scoundrels who were behind this setup. Why did you make them target mages? Answer me!" It was easy to see that Erza's patience was wearing thin but the legendary fury of the Titania did not faze the man in the slightest, even at sword point. Right then the footsteps of the rest of the group could be heard as they made it to the chamber.
"Natsu, Erza!" Lucy called out with a wave while the other arm was busy helping to support Loretta who looked to be in almost worse shape than Erza. Then Wendy and Carla huffed up from behind them and Wendy stopped, hands on her knees to catch her breath.
"Male Cat!" Carla yelled out when she noticed Happy sprawled out against the wall, who was just starting to recover from his concussion and was attempting to crawl his way toward them. He managed a very weak, "Aye…" as he fumbled his way over.
"Everyone is so hurt, don't worry, I'll start healing right away!" Wendy went over to the closest and most hurt of the group, Loretta, and a green orb glowed in her palms showing that her healing magic was in effect.
"It is rather a pity, I expected more from them as notorious as they were." Takeshi gazed down at the twins with a disappointed look. "Do not worry; I am sure we will meet again somewhere. If you will excuse me there is business I have to attend to." Turning around, Takeshi casually started to walk off.
"Halt!" Erza commanded but the figure did not even acknowledge her presence.
"Hey plain guy! I told you that you were going to be next so prepare to get charbroiled!" Natsu's flames had recovered by now, flaring up his right fist he ran forward, punching Takeshi in the back, and rushed right through his body. "What the!" Natsu quickly turned around and tried using his fire breath on him but the man merely watched with an amused expression.
"Oh stop it already, you cannot hurt me."
"How is that possible?" Loretta questioned as she was being treated by Wendy.
"Why can't I hit you!" Natsu tried more punches and a few spinning kicks but anything that looked like it should have hit him touched only air.
"Well I suppose before I take my leave I might as well give you my name. I am Takeshi, also known as Mirage. It was a pleasure meeting with you so allow me to leave a parting gift." Takeshi took out a small throwing knife from a pants pocket, stabbed the air to the left of him and then ran away, through the mirror wall to get back to the people waiting for him.
Natsu yelled out in pain when Takeshi had stabbed the air and a knife wound appeared on Natsu's right side.
"Natsu!" Lucy cried out as she saw the wound and was about to run up to him but Erza had got there first and was already inspecting the wound.
"Natsu! Are you all right?" Erza asked while she tried to see how deep the wound was.
"Dang him! It was like he was trying to kill me!" Natsu grunted as Erza's armored glove touched his side.
"Well I think that was kind of the point Natsu." Lucy said adding her common sense in which would probably be ignored anyway.
"Erza, why didn't you go after him?" Loretta asked the famous female mage who had just finished inspecting Natsu's wound. Erza patted Natsu rather roughly seeing as he was in no real danger which caused Natsu to cringe as pain receptors send that data that something hurt very much indeed to his brain.
"I am afraid none of us are in any position to give chase and considering how Natsu was not even able to touch him I doubt we would be able to catch him anyway."
"Don't worry Natsu-san, I'll heal you next and then Erza-san." Wendy said in her small voice as she finished up with Loretta and hurried over to Natsu, starting with his newest wound.
Lucy stretched her arms and commented, "Well I guess we can call it a day then." They all looked around at the messed up mirror walls and then at the defeated Mirror Twins and nodded. It was time to drop off the trash and then go back for some well-deserved rest.
"But you know while we're all here…we should find someplace to eat!"
"I guess nothing can get you down for very long huh Natsu?" Loretta laughed along with everyone else and everything was well except for quite a few aches and pains of course.
Author's Note: Well that takes care of the first 'arc' once and for all! The mirror twins are defeated(man was it a pain to try and keep them gender neutral all the time) everyone is beat up, and the mysterious Takeshi makes his escape rather easily. Remind me to never again do a fight scene with someone who's ability is copying or in this case mirroring, it was very hard to make good fight scenes and I frankly was getting quite tired with writing and sincerely hoped to be done soon but of course that did not happen.
Well hope you enjoyed this chapter and I think I'll be taking a nice break for a while as I work on other things but I really wanted to finish this fight up so here it is! Well please review if you feel like it, feedback is always appreciated! Hope you've liked reading the story so far! Until next time!