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A Holy War

~Shall I Kill Her?~


Hello, dear readers. I am beginning to see that many of you are hungry to see a moment between Jellal and Erza. It will come soon... in like eight more chapters, lol. Well, it's kind of similar to the original plot anyway. That's the only hint I'll give. :P Special thanks to Soveriegn64 and Helekiller2, also to babylovee and Guest! :) Special, special thanks of the day goes to DieByMyFangs for faving the story!


The moment he materialized before Ultear and the others, the dungeon guards immediately rearranged themselves so that they knelt before him instead of before Ultear. A small, demonic grin appeared at his lips as his crimson eyes drank in the sight of his subordinates' violent trembles and downcast eyes. It was good that his influence had not diminished even after he had been absent for months. While some of his underlings seemed as though they barely dared to breathe or catch his maliciously red eyes, he did not so much as cast them a glance. Instead, he focused on the the young, confused village girl and the mutinous deputy herself.

The frozen terror on the Ultear's face clearly expressed her sudden fear of whether he had heard her most recent words, which were pretty much slanderous lies to his name. Iridescent droplets of sweat were beginning to taint her forehead as her round, reddish brown eyes locked onto him. It was as though her survival depended on how submissive she behaved before him. It may as well be.

With a circuitous glance, Jellal found that the young girl, who was a few feet behind his deputy, was silently observing Ultear's drastic change in both visage and behavior. She wasn't the least bit dull and had noticed that the atmosphere of the room changed rapidly into hopelessness and terror upon his presence. Now her cautious brown eyes turned to him, as he seemed to be answer to this mystery.

Turning from the girl, Jellal glared venomously down at Ultear's wide, frightened eyes. Both dread and surprise danced within those widened orbs, and he revealed a smirk fit for a demon. She must have never expected him to appear out of the blue, and obviously certain of what she had been up even during his absence.

He narrowed his crimson eyes, and slowly sauntered over to her. Even the way his boots were clattering against gray stones of the temple ground seemed to instill a soundless horror in the others that surrounded him. Except for the girl and Ultear, who seem immobilized as he neared, everyone else took care in avoiding his blazing, murderous orbs.

But suddenly, for an ephemeral moment, she thawed out of her freezing fear and immediately fell to her knees with her head as low to the ground as possible. Expressionlessly, he gazed down at her trembling body as she fearfully murmured a greeting. "W-welcome back, Jellal-sama."

A mocking grin appeared at his lips. "So you do still remember who I am, dear Ultear. I thought you've long forgotten my existence and taken this place over."

If ever possible, her trembling exacerbated. "I...I would never, never dare do something like that, Jellal-sama..."

"Oh, really?"

"Y-yes sir."

"Heh, very well then. If you say so."

He turned away from the renegade for a moment to acknowledge the piercing stare of the young girl next to Ultear. Unlike everyone else in the dungeon, the young village girl, whom he came to know as Wendy Marvell, bravely reciprocated his glare. It was as though she was observing his every move to try to interpret what is it about him that instilled so much fear and terror in everyone else in the room.

As he watched the young girl's brown eyes grow red and moist, Jellal couldn't help but notice the sudden enmity exploding from her aura. It seemed as if she had connected the dots and deduced that he was the true and rightful Master of Sacred Akuma. At this point, it was apparent that the girl hated him...and for whatever reason, he was saddened by the mere thought of it.

Isn't this freaking beautiful...she hates me for something Ultear did.

His enraged scarlet eyes returned to the cowering figure by his boots, and suddenly he was void of what little sympathy he once reserved for this traitor's Fate. After all, he did care for the feelings of this villager, even though he had no idea why. But given the hatred that escaped from the girl's aura when she glowered at him...whatever possibility of making her like him is gone.

To him...Ultear has more than enough reasons to die. Immediately.

"You certainly speak of one thing and do another, Ultear."Although his heart was still frozen, curiosity also urged him to seek the truth. So with a soft voice that belied his violent thoughts, he asked for an explanation. An explanation that might save her Fate from cruelty. "Why there's a twelve year old girl here? Care to explain?"

"Y-yes, Jellal-sama." At his boots, the fearful deputy muttered only in a low whisper as though any louder sound would endanger her life. "You see, this girl here...is the only one who knows where Lost Magic is..."

His anger was forgotten for a few minutes as his red gaze flashed over to those audacious orbs of the girl. But then his eyes were immediately drawn to the many purple bruises and bloody cuts that marred nearly every inch of her otherwise perfect skin. She was clearly tortured and starved since she had been abducted to Sacred Akuma. And once again, it pained him greatly to see this young girl suffer for some unknown reasons.

His eyes narrowed as a strange resolve suddenly overwhelmed his mind. I'll make sure this will never happen again.

But even after what she had gone through, there was no trace of fear within her brown eyes as she bravely glared into his bloody red orbs. It was truly admirable and just made him want to protect her all the more...

Wait, what the Hell is wrong with me? When have I ever wanted to protect anyone? Especially a mere girl I've just met... Damn, I must be getting soft.

He broke their eye contact and gave a slight shake of his head to help him refocus. It must have worked, for when his scarlet eyes returned to the young girl, he found the devil in the detail. The child was glaring at his tattoo with such perplexity that he immediately understood the significance within: She recognized his tattoo.

She does know where the Lost Magic is after all.

To the many who had never seen the Gods and Goddesses of Heaven, the tattoo at his right eye might appear as a mere fashionable taste. But to the few who had seen the deities, they would recognize the tattoo as an emblem of the holy Gods. If what Ultear said was true, that this young girl did indeed know where Lost Magic is, then she indisputably had met with the Gods herself. That was the only possible explanation why the girl might find his tattoo familiar.

But he also knew that she was also skeptical whether he truly bore the symbol of the Gods or it was just a coincidental fashion tattoo. After all, he was a world-famous criminal, but he turned out to have the mark only deities have. Her confusion was understandable.

But he was also confused.

If she knows the secret, then the Gods must have informed her themselves. But what for? This is but a twelve year old girl...

Glittering, furious tears suddenly erupted from the girl's bright, infuriated eyes and immediately broke through his trance. He gazed at her expressionlessly, but he didn't know why his heart suddenly felt a little sad as she growled. "So you were the one who ordered my family to be killed and my village to be burned?"

Irritated, the young man shot a furtive but lethal glance at the trembling woman near his boots; she had yet summoned enough courage to look up.

"I did not. I will give no such orders." His voice was quiet- way too quite for someone who would soon brutally snuff out another life.

The girl's large, brown eyes grew wide with confusion upon hearing his soft words. Jellal then glowered down at the trembling, craven woman, who was drowned within his shadows. The lack of light in the room turned his red eyes truly nightmarish frightening.

With a smirk, Jellal narrowed his glowing red eyes. "Had I such desires for your village to be wiped off from the face of the Earth Land, I'd have gone myself for the entertainment. It was this woman, Ultear Milkovich, who ordered your village to be scorched and your people to be slaughtered. Now isn't that right, Ultear?"

If ever possible, the deputy's trembling increased. Jellal's crimson eyes grew slender as a frown contorted his shadowed face. His right-hand-woman was afraid to tell the truth, which will enrage the girl behind her without a doubt. But if she dare attempt another lie and continue to malign his name, he will not hesitate to kill her.

After a moment of silence, he released another growl. "Isn't it, Ur?"

Shrinking back, the fearful young woman managed a nod as the villager's chocolate eyes grew wide with rage and disbelief. His deputy then shakily lifted her head and then locked her pleading brown eyes to his emotionless red orbs. "Please...Master Jellal. I beg you, please...forgive me. Spare my...humble life, please."

He narrowed his red eyes threateningly and she cringed from his cruel gaze. Did she really think he would forgive her for crossing the line to such an extreme?

She had not only took usurped his authority within Sacred Akuma, but also purposely ignored his previous orders of a two-day report for over a week. At some point, Meredy must also have gotten involved with this collusion, but he will condone her mistakes given that she had come clean. This renegade, however, had not. And he had just witnessed her slandering his reputation with her sins to appeal to a twelve year old village girl.

The urge to kill was great. But Jellal suddenly thought of an even more twisted amusingly way to enjoy the situation.

"What do you think, Wendy?" He smirked demonically before turning to the chained girl, who blinked in surprise. It was obvious that she had not expected him, an infamous criminal, to know the name of a teenage villager. "Shall I kill her?"

As he read her aura, Jellal was amused as he spectated the many thoughts that suddenly exploded from the turmoil of her mind. Wendy was torn between both her blinding hatred to altruistic self righteousness. From her sad, vacillating brown eyes to the way she bit her lips, he could tell that she must have really wanted to avenge her family and friends. But then, the young girl also held onto the last threads of a child's kindness and mercy...she wanted to choose the right choice and spare even the devilish woman who burned her village, tainted her carefree innocence, and killed her family.

A small sadistic smile crossed Jellal's lips as he watched Wendy's hesitant brown eyes met Ultear's desperate ones. The frightful young woman's reddish brown eyes were one tearfully passionate mix of dread and hope as she silently pleaded for forgiveness and mercy. As if overwhelmed by Ultear's emotional, tearstained eyes, the young girl lowered her ambivalent eyes to the stone ground as a tremble shook her body.

After another moment, Jellal's bloody red eyes reopened under the soft candlelight as an anticipating growl escaped his lips. "Well, Wendy... Please, let us hear your verdict. Shall I kill her?"

A large breath escaped from the teary girl as she surrendered her thoughts to a single judgement. Her agonized eyes snapped shut as she turned away, but not before he caught her feeble whisper.

"Yes…Please!"


Thanks for the reading, see you next chapter! Leave a review on your way out, please?

Uploaded: Unkown.

Revised: September 5, 2015.

Revised for tenses: October 24, 2015