XxChapter 8: The Curtain Falls IxX
"Hahahahahaha! Take this you worms! Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!"
Cries of pain resounded throughout the area as the magical dust bullets of Evergreen found their targets. The sole female member of Laxus' former bodyguard team was proving to be a difficult opponent for the shinobi, since no matter how high they could jump, they couldn't fly. Unfortunately, their opponent could, and Evergreen was using this advantage for all it was worth. While continuously staying out of reach for the warriors of Konoha, she rained down her projectile magic on them mercilessly, thoroughly enjoying herself in the process.
"This is too easy." She muttered to herself, while aiming her dust projectiles at yet another flak jacket wearing warrior. "I bet Laxus could have taken down all these guys by himself."
The brunette's thoughts came to a halt when she noticed that a shadow had fallen over her. At first, she ignored it, but then she noticed something strange about the shadow.
"Wait, I'm flying in the sky, and there are no clouds today. Where's this shadow coming from?"
Unfortunately, Evergreen noticed this little fact a split-second too late. The moment the thought had crossed her mind, the bespectacled mage found herself assaulted by countless projectiles. Due to her attacker using the sun as cover, she couldn't get a clear view of who was attacking her, and only narrowly avoided being cut into pieces. However, more than one of the projectiles hit its mark, and sliced into the fairy's flesh, almost causing Evergreen to lose control over her wing magic and falling to her demise. Still, she couldn't stay in the air any longer, she had to escape this assault and find a way to face her attacker.
With a scowl, and slightly wincing due to her wounds, the brown haired mage landed on a nearby building where the sun would no longer blind her completely.
"Who's there?" She shouted, anger and tension evident in her voice. It irked her, who was not far from becoming an S-Class Mage that someone had snuck up on her so easily.
Evergreen heard a rustle. It almost sounded like… wings…
When the blonde saw her opponent approach she couldn't help but to feel awed. Her assailant was a blue haired beauty with a white rose in her hair. A dark blue battle kimono covered her – Evergreen couldn't deny it – gorgeous body.
And she had wings. Large, white wings, just like an angel. Her entire appearance was so overwhelming, that Evergreen didn't even notice that the wings were made from paper at first. The Fairy Tail mage's moment of surprise was short, but the long haired woman was angry at herself nonetheless. How could she have been awed by the person before her so easily, especially in the midst of battle!?
"Who are you?" Evergreen asked, her hands ready to throw her explosive dust at the winged woman that landed gracefully a few yards away from her.
The woman responded with a cool voice that betrayed none of her emotions. "My name is something only my comrades may know. To someone like you, who disrupts the peace of this village, I shall become a heavenly messenger that dispenses justice."
"Cocky, aren't we? Just because you put some paper together for wings doesn't make you an angel, you know." Despite her brave words, sweat was running down the side of Evergreen's face. She hated to admit it, but the woman before her unnerved her. She could feel that the blue haired mage was strong, as her mere presence demanded a respect Evergreen had rarely felt from anyone. Standing before her felt almost like facing Erza in battle.
She had to take her by surprise, and finish the battle before it actually started, if she wanted to win.
"Fairy Gun: Gremlin!"
Dust flew towards Konan and surrounded her, before exploding with an impressive force, but the former Akatsuki member had reacted in time by swinging her wings and flying back into the air again. At the same time, a hail of paper shuriken was released from her wings, which now raced at the still unmoving Evergreen.
As someone who used wings to fight as well, however, Evergreen had expected an attack like that. She dodged the shuriken with an impressive jump, and instinctively aimed at the spot where Konan's flight would take the blue haired woman.
"Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun!"
The shot of magic dust raced towards Konan, yet the former Amegakure Shinobi didn't even bat an eye.
Then, the projectiles hit their target.
At first, Evergreen was a little surprised that her attack had hit her opponent so easily, but then she allowed herself some measure of satisfaction. Apparently her opponent had been all bark and no bite. That would teach her to… dissolve into paper?
Evergreen's eyes widened when she saw the body of the blue-haired woman break down into countless sheets of paper that immediately rushed at her. The glasses wearing mage tried to distance herself from the incoming attack, but it was already too late; the paper reached her, and immediately began to wrap around her entire body, trapping her completely.
"N-no! I have to do something!"
Evergreen struggled valiantly, but whatever magic her opponent used, it was perfect for restraining a person. By now, the paper had even reached her head, and as it began to cover Evergreen's mouth and nose, the blonde mage realized that she might not make it out of this one alive.
"Laxus, Freed, Bixlow…" Evergreen thought, as the lack of air made her world go dark. "I'm sorry…"
XxBreakxX
Thunder echoed through the empty area.
At least that was what it sounded like. The truth was, the punches of Gai and Gildarts collided with such speed and force that the noise created when fist met fist was akin to a force of nature. This was also why the area near them was deserted; no one wanted to be close to the clash of those two monsters.
"You're not bad." Gildarts said as he and his opponent separated after yet another clash. His breathing was a little faster than normal, but other than that there was no evidence of the high-speed battle he had fought so far. "I must admit, it has been a while since I had the honor of facing such a worthy opponent in battle. Shame you're the enemy."
A few yards away from the strongest mage of Fairy Tail, Gai was a little worse off than his opponent.
"Indeed," the self-proclaimed Green Beast agreed. "The Flames of Youth burn still brightly inside you, and your control over this destructive magic is just as amazing. I can't help but to admire your strength."
"However…"
The normally friendly face of Maito Gai morphed into the visage of the fierce warrior he truly was.
"No matter how much I respect your strength, I cannot allow you to threaten my home any longer."
The air around the green-clad jonin seemed to grow heavy, and Gildarts immediately strengthened his guard. His opponent was up to something… and he definitely didn't want to risk taking a blow due to surprise. One hit might be enough to tip the scales of their battle.
Gai himself took a deep breath and concentrated. He hated resorting to this technique so early in a battle, but he had to finish this quickly. Not only was the man before him extremely dangerous, Konoha itself was still in danger.
And he would not allow it to be destroyed again.
"Gate of Opening… Released."
Gildarts's eyes narrowed when his opponent continued to stand still. What was he doing?
"Gate of Healing… Released."
A gust of wind seemed to pick up around the "Green Beast", and Gildarts was shocked to see that the minor wounds his adversary had been sporting were closing up before him.
"Gate of Life… Released!"
Gai's voice reached Gildarts's ears. Not a second later, the mage was already in motion, rushing his opponent at a speed that belied his tall frame. Gildarts jumped, channeled his "Crash" magic into his right arm, and sent it flying at the black haired man.
However, while the two warriors had been evenly matched in speed before, this was no longer true now. Gai all but VANISHED from Gildarts' sight, only to reappear behind him.
"Gate of Pain…"
A vicious right punch sent Gildarts flying. The mage had only barely managed to block the attack with his prosthetic left arm, the prosthetic limb straining under the ferocity of the attack and only barely holding up.
"Released!"
While he was still flying through the air, Gildarts used his magic on the ground, sending large chunks of earth at the shinobi, who was slightly overextended from his attack and not quite able to move again just yet.
"Got you now!" Gildarts thought.
The rocks approached Gai at an incredible speed, but in his state they might as well have been motionless. Fists blurred, and soon afterwards rock crumbled. Unfortunately, Gildarts had used Gai's distraction to approach the man again, immediately dashing at the man after recovering from the previous attack. There was no time to dodge this time, as a magic powered fist plowed straight into Gai's stomach. The jonin's mouth opened forcefully as the air was pushed out of his lungs from the magic powered punch. It felt as if his insides were being ruptured, and not because he was using four gates already.
Gai was sent flying from the punch, and only barely managed to recover himself while in mid-air. However, he did not have time to recover. Gildarts was already on him again, easily keeping up with Gai despite the man's empowered state and his own fake limbs.
"This man is incredibly strong." Gai thought while exchanging blows with Gildarts. "Truly, to think that there were men like him in these lands… It makes me both glad and wary. I don't think there are many mages stronger than him here, but that makes stopping him all the more important. I cannot let this man destroy more of Konoha!"
"Gate of Limit! Released! Gate of View! Released!" With determination and another surge of chakra once again filling his body and spirit, Gai's fists slowly started to overtake the exchange with Gildarts, who was taken aback by his opponent's increasing strength. While he was busy keeping up with the renewed onslaught, Gildarts absentmindedly noticed how his opponent's skin had turned red.
"It's as if the guy's a bottomless pit of energy… how much more strength is he gonna pull out? Still, I don't think he can use much more of that magic of his, it seems to take quite a toll on his body."
Gildarts' analysis was cut short when the mage found himself incapable of keeping up with the man's punches anymore. Gai broke through the mage's guard and landed two solid strikes to his opponent's abdomen, returning the favor from before with interest.
But Gildarts wasn't an S-Class Mage for nothing. Before the force of the blow could send him flying away like it had done with Gai, Gildarts latched onto his opponent's arms with his prosthetic hand. Gritting his teeth the mage and forced himself back onto the ground. He saw the surprised look on his opponent's face when he channeled his magic power in his right hand. With no possibility to escape, Gai immediately raised his left hand to guard against Gildarts' next strike. But it was to no avail. The blow connected and only now did Gildarts release Gai's arm from his hold.
"Haja Kensho: Itten! (Crushing Evil and Spreading Truth: Empyrean)"
The mighty blow went straight through Gai's guard and connected with his chin. The green-clad man felt his brain rattling from the impact, before the sheer force of the punch sent him spiraling upwards.
"Damn, I'm… losing consciousness… no, I have to…"
Gai's mind went blank as he reached the peak of his flight before he fell down again several feet away from a heavily panting Gildarts.
The strongest mage of Fairy Tail was greatly relieved that he had finally managed to take his opponent down. With a sigh he spoke to himself.
"Man, that guy was the real deal… I hope Konoha doesn't have more of beasts like him around, he drained me quite a bit."
The red haired man turned around, trying to discover the locations of the still ongoing battles by the most obvious signs.
"I guess the old man found the leader of Konoha. I almost pity the guy… Well, I better get moving, some people might need help."
Gidarts started moving in the direction opposite of his fallen opponent, but after taking a few steps, he froze when he felt an incredible amount of fighting spirit being directed at him from behind. The eyes of Gildarts widened as he spun around quickly. There was no way that…
But it was true. Maito Gai was standing once more, his eyes shadowed as his head was held low. The jonin's clothes were tattered and torn, and more than one wound was visible on his body. When the man raised his head and looked at Gildarts, the mage noticed something unsettling about him.
"His eyes weren't focused for a moment. Are you telling me he forced himself to stand up while being unconscious? That level of determination is getting ridiculous!"
Gai didn't say anything as he regarded his opponent with a cool gaze. He hated to admit it, but for a few moments he had lost consciousness. In most cases, that would have been his defeat, but in this situation, he couldn't afford to lose due to something like this, not while his body had not yet burned out.
"Gildarts Clive." Gai said with a calm, solemn voice that was quite rare to be heard from the taijutsu master. "You are truly an admirable opponent. I shall remember your name as long as I live."
The Green Beast of Konoha then proceeded to cross his arms in front of his chest. His muscles were bulging as if under a huge strain, which was true to an extent.
"I shall face you with all my power. Prepare yourself, Gildarts Clive of Fairy Tail! This is the strength I acquired through my training! This power shall protect Konoha!"
"Gate of Wonder! Released!"
A surge of power coursed through Gai's battered body as the seventh of the eight Celestial Gates was released. To onlookers it appeared as if Gai was covered in a green aura that caused the gravel on the ground to be blown away.
Gildarts was taken aback a little by the shinobi's determination. For a member of a dark guild to hold such feelings for his guild… were they truly that different? Gildarts immediately banished these thoughts. He couldn't afford to get distracted now. His opponent seemed to be planning something, and the best thing would be to stop his plan from even coming to fruition.
As Gildarts was about to attack Gai, intent on finishing him off, the jonin's mind was going over his course of action.
"I don't have much strength left. Even with the 7th Gate, I can't move as fast as before, my muscles are barely holding up as it is. I'll have to finish this with the next attack."
Gai raised his right arm into the air, his hand taking the form of a knifehand. The green aura around Gai seemed to swirl before settling down and focusing on the jonin's right arm, blazing strongly.
Gildarts suspected that his opponent was concentrating his power for a devastating close range attack, as his opponent so far had never demonstrated a single ranged attack. He was most likely to prepare his strike and then charge at him to finish him off with one swift strike. Like he was going to let that happen.
"CRASH!"
With a shout, Gildarts launched a wave of his magic at Gai. A pure wave of magic flew at Gai, ripping the earth asunder as it approached its target. Whoever was caught in this blast was guaranteed not to walk away unharmed.
But just before the wave of magic reached Gai, the Green Beast of Konoha swung down his right arm with all his might, a green aura following the strike.
"GOZENRYU! (Midnight Dragon)"
XxBreakxX
At another location in the village, Tsunade's eyes snapped towards the huge surge of chakra she had just felt. She had an idea who had caused it, and her eyes narrowed at the thought.
"So one of these guys managed to push Gai that far? That's not good, even if he wins now, the damage he;ll suffer once his energy runs out will be tremendous, not to mention that there are hardly any healers to take care of him."
Tsunade's thoughts were interrupted when a figure dashed at her with raised fists.
"You really shouldn't space out like that!"
With a graceful jump, the former Hokage dodged Mirajane's attack, causing the younger woman to scowl. Her opponent was good, even without her strength and speed she moved with a fluidity that only veterans possessed.
"How the hell is that possible, she doesn't look much older than me! Is she one of those monsters like Gildarts?"
That thought sent a shiver down Mirajane's spine. While she had unlocked her Take Over magic again, she was not yet on the level again she had once possessed. She was wasting too much time with one opponent.
However, the same was true for Tsunade. Even though she had recovered from her coma not long after Kakashi had been made Hokage, the wounds she had suffered in the battle against Pain had never completely healed. She could no longer fight on the level that had once made her be feared as a member of the legendary Sannin of Konoha. If the battle continued to be dragged out like this, there was a good chance she would simply lose due to her failing stamina. Luckily for her, her opponent didn't know that and as long as she kept the façade up that she wasn't operating on a short time frame, she could exert pressure on the mage girl.
The two fighters observed each other carefully. Strength-wise, they were about the same, but Tsunade was faster and could heal herself. However, unlike her opponent she couldn't fly or shoot energy projectiles. Both sides knew that they were almost evenly matched and neither of them liked the thought.
For the two women, it seemed as if a strange silence settled over their battlefield, despite the sounds of fighting filling the air around them. Neither of them even dared to blink. A moment of carelessness could spell the end for them. Then, as if reacting to a start signal only the two had been able to perceive, the two rushed at each other.
Just as their fists were about to connect, a white light filled their battlefield.
XxBreakxX
Gildarts blinked.
What had happened? Where was he? And why was his entire body hurting?
Slowly, the memories began to come back. He had been fighting this strange green-clad man. The battle had been almost finished, he had sent a wave of his unrestrained Crash magic at him and then…
"I see you are still conscious. You truly are a powerful warrior."
Gildarts slowly raised his head from the ground to look at the source of the voice he had just heard.
Before him stood Maito Guy, the green aura he had summoned still blazing strongly around him.
"To think that there was one who could withstand my Gozenryu to such an extent… I didn't think I'd ever meet a man like you in these lands."
"What did you hit me with?" Gildarts managed to say. His entire body was hurting and he noticed that his artificial left arm was broken. "My Crash magic should have broken down whatever attack you could have used."
Gai shook his head. "There was nothing to break down. Gozenryu is a strike so fast, it creates a vacuum wave that can crush pretty much anything. There was no magic or chakra involved. It was simply the fastest strike I could muster."
Gildarts gave a slight chuckle, which was accompanied by a little blood that came up with a cough. "You are really one strange beast…"
With these words Gildarts Clive, the strongest mage of Fairy Tail, finally fell unconscious, his energy spent.
Maito Gai regarded his fallen opponent for a moment before moving towards him. However, before he could reach the unconscious man, cards were launched at his feet like Shuriken. The Jonin jumped backwards a little and evaded the attack relatively easily. His searching eyes soon found the source of the attack.
A young brown-haired woman, obviously drained from fighting, had thrown the cards from between two buildings that were still standing. Gai could see that the girl was far from her top condition, but her eyes were burning with anger and determination to protect the man that was lying on the ground.
The female mage quickly crossed the distance between them and positioned herself between Gai and Gildarts, clearly protecting her fellow mage.
"I won't let you hurt him anymore!"
"…" Gai was silent, his white eyes staring intently at the girl before him. Somehow he got the feeling that this was more than a comrade protecting another. No, the ferociousness this girl displayed to protect the man behind her reminded Gai of a lioness protecting her children. In this case the lioness was already badly hurt and about to face an elephant though. And yet her eyes showed no hesitation.
"… Take this man and go. I have no intention of killing a defeated man or harming an injured woman."
With a mighty leap Gai left the battle field. Sparing them might prove to be a mistake. The mages of Fiore and Konoha were at war after all, and there was no guarantee the man wouldn't come back and hurt Gai's comrades then. And yet… Gai still held unto his morals. When men crossed fists they were sometimes able to understand each other, and Gai had crossed fists with many people, so was it any surprise he would be able to see that his opponent was a good man?
It might have been the wrong choice, but Gai would see it through to the end. His thoughts were cut short when suddenly a blinding white light entered his vision.
XxBreakxX
While all across the village the battles were reaching their climaxes, Makarov and Kakashi were both caught up in their own deadly dance. The area before the Hokage Tower was devastated by now and nothing but a wasteland of craters and debris. Magic and Chakra clashed, but the fighters remained mostly untouched. This was how Makarov realized just how dangerous his enemy was.
"When two fighters of the same level clash it will be over in but an instant." The third Master of Fairy Tail thought as he dodged another barrage of multiplying knives. "For someone so young to reach this level of skill, it reminds me a lot of Gildarts, and this is exactly why…"
With a roar Makarov jumped over the knives, magical runes flaring to life around him as he prepared his counter attack. "I CANNOT LOSE HERE!"
Several beams of light shot at Kakashi, their speed and angle making it harder and harder to dodge. When one of the beams hit Kakashi square in the chest Makarov was a little surprised that his opponent had suddenly been hit so easily. His surprise disappeared when he saw the image of the Hokage turn into partially scorched log.
"I don't even want to know where that came from." Makarov thought as he searched for his opponent, expecting some kind of retaliation attack. However, to his surprise his opponent only stood a few yards away on Makarov's right side.
"You're strong, Master Makarov. If our battle continues this way, I'll lose. So I'll have to stop holding back."
With these words, Kakashi pulled up his headband and revealed his scar covered left eye. However, that wasn't all too it. The guild master couldn't see it clearly, but some kind of symbol had been painted across the eye-lid. Makarov immediately tensed at the sight. He had seen more than one mage with eye-magic, and if his opponent possessed one that apparently had to be sealed in some kind of manner it certainly spelled trouble.
Makarov's worries were soon proven to be correct when his opponent quietly muttered the word "Release". The pressure he had felt from the man easily doubled, and had Makarov not been prepared for something like this, he might even have been stunned.
When the Hokage opened his left eye, the old wizard found himself staring at a blood-red eye with a black pinwheel like pattern, and the next thing Makarov knew was that his world seemed to shift in an unnatural way.
"Ugh…!"
It was only thanks to his experience and knowledge of Mystogan's illusion magic that Makarov realized what was happening to him quickly enough to break his opponent's attack and dodge the swipe of a knife by a hair's breadth.
"So your eye can cast illusions… While troublesome, it can easily be countered by not looking in your eyes." Makarov stated after regaining his stance. His eyes narrowed as he regarded the man in front of him. "This has gone on long enough."
The moment Makarov had spoken these words, a massive amount of energy began to gather between the old master's hands. Kakashi was a little shocked at this. He had known the man was powerful, but this much energy was on a level far above what Kakashi himself was capable of.
"You have to the count of three to surrender. If your guild does not cease fighting, I will end this war myself. One." Makarov's voice was calm and yet spoke of the fury that was kept at bay.
Kakashi's eyes narrowed at the man. "An attack of that magnitude would annihilate not only a large part of Konoha but of your own mages as well. Are you telling me you will fire an attack that would hurt both sides?"
Makarov's reply sent a chill down Kakashi's spine. "Two. And how come you think my magic will hurt anyone I consider a friend?"
The voice Makarov had used to speak set off all figurative alarm bells Kakashi possessed. This wasn't a bluff, Makarov's magic would definitely not harm any of the mages fighting against Konoha.
"I have to stop the attack!"
But whatever action Kakashi wanted to take was cut short when Makarov's voice rang across the battlefield with the utmost finality.
"Three. Fairy Law."
And the world was bathed in white.
XxChapter EndxX
XxOmake: An Alternate FinishxX
Gai and Gildarts stared each other off. Neither was giving and inch, and both were tiring out. Guy would have to open the Eight Gates if he wanted to defeat this opponent, but no… This was a challenge of the highest level, and he would treat it as such!
With a quick dash, Guy tackled Gildarts, taking his feet out from right under him, causing him to land on his back with a slight "oomph". As Gildarts started to get up, he saw one of the most disturbing things ever.
Head raised high, Guy's teeth sparkled as a goofy grin spread across his face.
"If I can't do 100 pushups in 5 seconds, its Cossack Dance Time!" He exclaimed before slamming his head right into Gildarts' chest.
0.00: 1
Like a blur, Guy began rapidly slamming his face into Gildarts' chest while the rest of his body moved as if performing a standard pushup.
2.50: 12
Guy flipped his hair back, sweat glistening across his grinning face. He quickly resumed his challenge. As each successful pushup landed, a crater started forming under Gildarts, getting bigger with each collision.
3.80: 23
Taking another break, Guy's eyes sparkled as he made a declaration. "Don't lose to yourself!"
5.00: 100!
Guy jumped in the air and raised his arms. "VICTORY!" He exclaimed before picking up Gildarts' limp body and tossing it into the air.
"Leaf Style: Youth Exercise!" He cried as he began spinning like a top, going so fast that his figure blurred. Dragging his foot across the ground during, a fire lit and spread around his being. Eventually, Guy stopped and sent his blazing foot into Gildarts' falling body, colliding with such force that the man flew out of the village, becoming nothing but a sparkle in the sky.
"YOSH!" Guy yelled, pointing a thumbs up to the sky. He had won, no Cossack Dance Time necessary.
XxOmake EndxX
REPOST FROM SIR GODOT (EXCEPT OMAKE)
