Chapter 10:
(Unknown Location - Skies of Fiore)
Hades, the Master of the Dark Guild Grimoire Heart, sat in a throne-like chair, stroking his long beard as he looked at the communication lacrima in his hand.
Hades was a tall, elderly man with long, slicked back white hair, revealing his forehead. He had a moustache, and a similarly long yet mildly thin beard, reaching down to his lower chest in many curves. He has some wrinkles on his face, as evident of his extremely advanced age. Nonetheless, despite this very age, his figure is muscular and well defined. His right eye was covered by a simple patch, and he wore a dark shirt paired with armoured shoulder pads and shiny gauntlets, as well as chain-mail covering the parts of his arms remaining exposed.
Over this outfit, he wore a large, dark cape, bearing Grimoire Heart's symbol on the back and sporting a mantle with a high collar. On top of his head, he wore a helmet matching his armour, with a prominent metal plate protecting his forehead, with two lines of studs on the front, siding his face and jutting out in a protrusion on each side, and a darker rear part, adorned by a crest.
Right now, Hades was seen talking to a familiar purple-haired woman on his lacrima. "Master Hades," Ultear greeted, bowing slightly. The master of Grimoire Heart copied her action.
"Speak my child," he said. Ultear cleared her throat before speaking.
"Master, the Magic Council has begun to make its move. They are sending in dozens of Rune Knights to apprehend the Blood-dimmed King, who appears to be in Lupinus. Should we continue with the original plan and send myself, Rustyrose and Zancrow or allow the Magic Council to move and wait for another chance to strike?" Hades stroked his beard as he contemplated the situation. He remained silent for a few moments, Ultear waiting patiently for his response.
Hades turned back to Ultear and replied, "Continue with the original plan and hope you get there before the Council does. You, Zancrow and Rustyrose will go to Lupinus Town and retrieve him. Once the Blood-dimmed King joins our ranks, Grimoire Heart will be unstoppable."
Ultear nodded as she bowed once more. "Understood, Master."
XXX
(Lupinus Town)
Shura growled as he used his Blood Magic to kill dozens upon dozens of Rune Knights. "I didn't really expect my welcoming committee to be a bunch of pissants," he said to himself, clenching his fist and watching dozens of Rune Knights explode in a shower of gore. He sighed. "Blood-Make: Blood Shield." A large barrier of blood started to form beside him, blocking magical beams from them.
"Blood-Make: Blood Maw," he responded, the blood forming a row of massive, sharp teeth. Opening widely, the maw chomped down on the Rune Knights, the added blood collecting in itself and making it stronger. The bloody maw continued its carnage, chomping down and devouring many Rune Knights who appeared before him. They tried to attack it, but their efforts were futile.
Pretty soon, the area before him was cleared of any traces of Rune Knights. Shura nodded in satisfaction, looking at a copy of Sorcerer Weekly that he held in his hand.
It had been four months since Shura had arrived from Skyrim, though this was in Earthland time. In Skyrim, he had spent four years there. The time difference resulted in Shura physically looking twenty, rather than the sixteen he had been. He had hoped that the difference in age would allow others to leave him alone, but yet, they still came after him. Rune Knights and Dark Guild members. Apparently, his infamy hadn't died down since he'd been gone.
"In Skyrim, I had to deal with dragons, bandits and Daedric Princes," Shura remarked, disappointed. "Now, I'm dealing with pathetic weaklings from the Magic Council, and - at best - B-Rank Mages." He scowled. "I want to go back."
Another issue he was dealing with was Nifrit. Once he had arrived, she had greeted him via dreams and decided to torture him for his insubordination, using mental images of Lucy and Layla and having them be brutally killed in a manner of ways. Each one etched into his mind. Their horrified faces, the blood split, the hopelessness that scarred his mind. And his reaction?
He laughed.
Shura had laughed so hard, that tears had formed in his eyes. This had shocked Nifrit so much that she temporarily dismissed the illusions, Shura destroying them with his own powers and pushing the goddess out of his mind. Even while gone, he had still laughed and laughed until he physically couldn't anymore.
What the hell is wrong with me?
He just felt so... desensitised to everything in Earthland. He didn't know why, but the fact that Nifrit tried torturing him, bringing him pain and suffering, was just laughable to him now. He didn't know why the images of Lucy and Layla dying had so little effect on him, when before the very sight would cause him to cry.
Maybe it was because of the fact that he had no goddess in his mind for four years, and had enjoyed the freedom given to him. Nifrit just seemed so... pathetic. Paltry. Her goals and drive all worthless in his eyes.
He didn't care about the pain and torture. He didn't care about her trying to torture him. He didn't know if he still cared for the two blondes, but he did know one thing: he hadn't forgotten. He hadn't forgotten his purpose. It was like a burning inferno inside of him, pushing him forward whenever he was sluggish, making him stand upright when fighting.
He could even feel the Etherious standing before him, at the edge of his visions. He could feel their fake glares, their cruel laughter, the pain, the shortness of breath... his death. Nifrit's laughter joined in, ringing through his ears as he tried desperately to drown it all out.
The God Slayer rubbed his eyes, groaning. "I'm going insane. I'm going insane and I'm going to kill myself with my own insanity, before any other mage, demon or god could. Just great."
Sighing, Shura walked onwards, about to depart, when he paused. His hand twitched. Snarling, he whipped his hand towards a particular group of trees, a blade of blood bursting forwards and slashing through the trees. His eyes narrowed upon seeing an unknown woman standing there.
"You were able to sense my presence. As expected of the Blood-dimmed King," she mused, smiling mischievously. She walked up to him, putting a sway in her hips as she did so which caused his eyes to involuntarily stare as she moved.
She was very voluptuous, wearing a very revealing white dress which was patterned with black tiger stripes. There was a slit along the length of the dress from her thigh down which revealed much of her right leg. The dress revealed much of her impressive cleavage. She also wore a pair of black boots and her dark purple hair was tied into lengthy ponytail. Looking into her eyes he could see mischief in them and an exceptionally high level of magic power that caught his attention.
"And you are?" Shura questioned, body tensed.
"My, so rude," the woman pouted. "Don't you know that you should be polite when addressing such a delicate woman?"
"When I see such a woman, I'll let you know," he responded, already moving past her. The woman's arm shot out, grabbing his arm. "Wait, I-"
She was interrupted as Shura narrowed his eyes at her, the crimson glow haunting her. Her body suddenly froze up, seized by an unknown force.
"Don't. Touch. Me," he growled out, eyes narrowing into slits. "I'm not interested in whatever offer you have for me. Now, leave me alone." He released his hold on her, going off to walk away.
The woman - Ultear - panted in shock and a little fear. She had no way to counter his sudden possession of her, and she didn't like it. She narrowed her eyes. He is a dangerous mage indeed...
"Now, now. Hold on," Ultear purred, appearing before him and pressing her body against him. Shura could feel her large breasts against his chest. He hid a smirk. She was good, but he wasn't going to be tempted.
"I realised that we had gotten off on the wrong foot," she continued, trailing a finger across his cloak-covered chest. "I didn't mean to be so... forceful with you. Maybe if you hear my proposition, you may be interested."
Shura raised an eyebrow, deciding to humour her. "Go on."
Ultear smirked, thinking she had caught his interest. "My master is the leader of Grimoire Heart. He has kept a close eye on you, ever since your deeds in Truffle Town. He thinks you are strong enough to help him with his plans."
"And what exactly are those plans?" Shura asked, going along with it.
"My master plans to obtain the hidden keys and use them to bring about the resurrection of a great and powerful mage. The great Zeref-sama."
Shura's eyes widened as his heart nearly skipped a beat at hearing that name. Zeref... He knew that name. How could he not? It was the name of the creator of those monsters.
"Tell me..." Ultear paused, noticing the change in Shura's tone. It was... dark. Cold. "If you know of Zeref, and are willing to revive him, does that mean that you know of... Tartaros?"
"Yes," she answered, a smile on her face. "It is part of the Balam Alliance, something that Grimoire Heart is a part of."
"Then... that means that you know of it. More importantly, where it is." A hand grasped her throat, making her choke suddenly as Shura lifted her up in the air, his face obscured by both his cloak and darkness. His crimson eyes glared at her. "The fact that you're in league with them makes me want to butcher you on pure principle, but for now, I need you. Where. Is. Tartaros?"
"I s-see that you're... not going to be convinced by w-wo- Ugh!" Ultear started to say, but gasped as Shura choked her harder.
"I said I needed you. I never said I needed you either alive or whole," Shura uttered, snarling. She started to kick at his chest, making him grunt. When she continued to do so, Shura snarled, slamming her into the ground and making her cough out spit.
Raising his hand, Shura fist was coated in darkness and was ready to pummel her, but Ultear placed a teal sphere in front of him. She chanted, "Arc of Time: Infinite Sphere!"
Shura couldn't dodge in time, the sphere hitting him in the face and sending him flying. He grounded his feet against the ground, snarling. The sphere appeared again, slamming into his back, sternum, and knees simultaneously. Just as it was about to hit him again, Shura caught the sphere in his hands. He snarled, shattering it.
"Arc of Time: Restore!" she shouted, the teal sphere restoring itself into her hands. "Arc of Time: Flash Forward!" Just then, numerous spheres appeared, all over the place. All around Shura's form. Suddenly, each of them launched themselves at him.
Scoffing, Shura allowed them to draw near, hitting his blood dome that he had instantly created. The blood shield held strong, halting all of the spheres and swallowing them.
He turned towards Ultear, who smiled. "Time, huh?" he commented, looking at the now restored sphere in her hands. "If that's the case, why haven't you slowed me down, or sped yourself up using time? Or better yet, aged me or something?" Seeing her smile thin, Shura realised something. "You can't, can you?"
"Pretty perceptive of you, Blood-dimmed King," she chuckled. She clicked her fingers. "Though you will join Grimoire Heart, even if I have to use force." Suddenly, two figures jumped out from behind Shura, one with a black flaming fist. Before any of them could attack, Shura struck out, fists colliding with the guts of the two and sending them flying off.
The two landed on the ground, giving Shura a clear visage of the two.
The one with the flaming fist had long and spiky blond hair that reached down to his lower back. He had a psychotic grin on his face as he bared his teeth. He had red pupils with several concentric circles, which further enhanced his crazed appearance. He wore a yellow and dark blue skirt-like armour with a red waist ribbon that exposes the right side of his chest as well as his right shoulder, where his guild mark tattoo is located.
His partner was a tall and lanky young man. He had silver-colored hair in a pompadour style, with silver designer glasses and a dark purple jacket with a flipped-up collar, completed with a fur trimming. He had a greyish shirt underneath the jacket that has a belt over it that wraps around his waist. He wore long black pants and blue shoes. Finally, he sported a pair of white designer gloves, and his Grimoire Heart member stamp was located on a band around his left arm sleeve.
"Ooh, the punt king has some bite to him!" the blonde laughed psychotically, fist alight with black flames. Shura's eyes widened upon seeing and feeling the familiar magic.
"You... you're a God Slayer, aren't you?" Shura asked, knowing the answer. He... didn't know how to feel about that. He had thought that he was the only type of God Slayer, but it looked like he was wrong. And judging by his element, he was a Fire God Slayer.
"Oh? How'd ya know?" he questioned, head tilted to the side in confusion.
"It seems he's is very knowledgeable, Zancrow," the silverette mused, before he grinned. "But, he's nothing against my Arc of Embodiment magic!" He struck a pose, sparkles seemingly falling from his eyes as he winked.
"..." Shura just stared at him. He then moved to Ultear. "Are you that weak that you'd send pawns after me?"
"Don't ignore me, you bastard!" the silverette yelled, annoyed at being ignored.
"Till we meet again," Ultear waved, before a purple magic seal appearing under her feet, before she disappeared.
He then looked at the two. He scowled. "Get out of my way."
"No chance, puny king!" Zancrow cackled, cocking his fist back. "Flame God's Explosive Flame!" he shouted, a massive stream of flames launching from his fist and heading towards Shura. The Chaos God Slayer smirked, his nose catching the scent of cake. Sweet, delectable cake. Insanity.
Opening his mouth, Shura devoured the flames, his taste buds overflowing with the juicy, pleasurable taste of Zancrow's insanity-tinged magic.
"Oi, oi! How the fuck did you eat my flames, fucker!" Zancrow yelled, shocked at seeing someone apart from him eat fire.
"Hmm. Could he also be a God Slayer as well?!" the silverette questioned.
Shura finished eating the flames, grinning and showcasing his fangs. He knew now that he had to use his God Slayer magic primarily. He could take this Zancrow out easily, as he was simply a buffet of emotions for him to devour. Blood Magic didn't do well with fire or lightning magic, as it would coagulate. Soul Magic was another option, but he'd need the targets to actually stand still.
"Doesn't matter! Behold, Rustyrose's Arc of Embodiment!" Rustyrose shouted, cannons appearing out of thin air and cocked at him. They fired, cannonballs flying towards him.
Eyes raised, Shura dashed forward, bobbing and weaving past the cannons and heading towards the duo. "Flame God's Bellow!" Zancrow roared, jet-black flames erupting from his mouth and heading towards Shura, who opened his mouth and gorged on the flames. As he sped towards the two, his right hand lit up with light.
"Divine Radiance!" he shouted, light shining and blinding the two, the pain searing into their eyes.
"Argh!" Rustyrose and Zancrow yelled, hands flying to their eyes. Immediately, Shura kicked Zancrow in the sternum, while he swung his arm at Rustyrose, darkness spilling from his hands.
"Dark Explosion!" Shura muttered, darkness exploding as his fist hit the silverette. Rustyrose cried out in pain as he was launched away, skidding on the ground a good distance away.
"Flame God's Volcanic Strike!" Zancrow roared, charging at Shura, who leaned back to avoid the flame-fisted attack to pass, allowing the embers to trail behind his arm However, Shura immediately rolled away to avoid the strike and looked in mild surprise as the attack exploded, pushing Shura back as he consumed more of the flames flickering on his cloak.
That heat is intense... Shura thought to himself, before dodging more cannonballs being fired at him from Rustyrose. While distracted, Zancrow yelled out, "Flame God's Supper!" Clapping his hands, he launched a mouth-shaped attack of black flames towards Shura, ready to capture him.
"Fus - Ro - Dah!" Shura Shouted, the Unrelenting Force Shout blasting away the flames and some stray cannonballs. "Wuld - Na - Kest!" he Shouted again, disappearing and reappearing behind Zancrow. "Chaos God's Maelstorm!" he roared, the chaotic currents slamming into the Flame God Slayer and sending him flying with a yell.
Just as Shura was about to advance, he used his Violent Fierce God Slicer to slice a massive oncoming cannonball in half, glaring at Rustyrose. He commanded the blood in his gourds to strike out, sailing towards him. "Blood-Make: Blood Arrows!" he yelled, the blood turning to arrows and making Rustyrose yell in shock and dodge quickly, jumping away.
Taking this chance, Shura yelled, "Shadow Bind!" Shadows rose from Rustyrose's shadow, binding him.
"Urgh!" he yelled in shock, futilely trying to struggle. Shura was about to crush him, when he was forced to dodge a Flame God's Fireworks from Zancrow, black fireballs raining down on him. Luckily, he managed to put the bound Rustyrose in the line of fire as he dodged and ran.
Leaping up, he saw Zancrow use flames upon the soles of his feet to stay afloat. The Flame God Slayer grinned madly. "You're good, puny god. But I'm better! Flame God's Scythe!" A massive scythe was formed on his right arm, the black flames flickering.
"Who are you calling 'puny'?" Shura growled, his Violent Fierce God Slicer erupting in a burst of chaos energy. The two weapons collided, flames and chaos flying everywhere. As they collided, Zancrow's Scythe seemed to be losing in the clash.
"What?!" he yelled, shocked. "How the fuck is this happen- Urgh!" Shura kneed him in the gut, making Zancrow fall down slightly. Shura took that opportunity to grab his left leg and fling him down to the ground, slamming into Rustyrose. It seemed that the silverette was wearing what looked to be a flame-retardant suit, making Shura click his teeth.
It seems like that little shit can create anything, apparently... he thought to himself. "Chaos God's Violent Wrath!" he yelled, swinging his arm and creating a whirlwind of energy that blanketed the two as they screamed in pain.
The ground was torn apart as the chaotic hurricane continued, slashing and buffeting the two. "F-Flame God's Kagutsuchi!" Zancrow managed to yell, a massive ball of flames appearing from his palms and fighting against the chaos winds. Rustyrose panted and sweated, the heat and harsh winds getting at him without his currently destroyed suit.
"Enough of this!" he yelled, a cannon appearing out of thin air into his hands. Though, this one seemed different from the rest. The opening started to glow, gathering energy. "Take this!" he yelled to Shura, who was now on the ground. A powerful laser appeared out of the cannon, heading towards the shocked Shura and punching through the hurricane.
The Chaos God Slayer quickly dodged, hissing at the heat from the close contact with the laser. How the hell did he get a fucking laser?! Who even has that?!
The laser continued in a straight direction, pummelling through trees, foliage and seemed to be heading for Lupinus Town nearby. "Shit!" Shura hissed, knowing that if that laser hit the town, there'd be people coming to investigate. Meaning more people. Meaning more deaths. Meaning more Rune Knights.
There was a loud explosion, the shockwave and heat bombarding the trio. Both God Slayers looked at Rustyrose, who seemed to be a little bit sheepish.
"Oi! When the fuck were you going to tell me that you had a fucking laser?!" Zancrow yelled in anger, just as shocked as his opponent. Rustyrose was about to answer, but was able to conjure a shield to block a beam of light that Shura fired at the two. He was about to say something, when Shura burst from the shadows behind the two, shocking them.
He swung his chaotic sword through Rustyrose, smirking. "Game over." He was then shocked, however, when Rustyrose's body shattered upon impact, cracking and falling into hundreds of different pieces of earth. He was so shocked, that he was left open to Zancrow's shout of "Flame God's Bellow!" The massive amount of flames blasted into the Chaos God Slayer, pushing him back until he started to devour the flames.
He panted, glad he had worn the ebony armour. He looked down, seeing his cloak alight with flames. He stripped off his cloak, throwing it away.
"The fuck was that?" Shura questioned, looking at the remains of Rustyrose. Zancrow grinned madly.
"Hahaha! You're about to get fucked up by pretty boy's magic, that's what!" he cackled.
"Not exactly how I'd put it, but accurate."
Before Shura could react, he was struck by something big and powerful, making him grunt. He rolled onto the ground, picking himself up and glaring at the sight of an uninjured, and clapping Rustyrose. There was no sight of damage on him at all, something that annoyed him.
"You truly are quite skilled, Blood-dimmed King," Rustyrose praised, smiling. "You've earned some of my respect."
Shura frowned. "Illusions?" He then shook his head. "No, I could tell that my attacks made contact."
"Correct," Rustyrose nodded, smiling as he pushed up his glasses. "However, you didn't hit me. You've hit this." Snapping his fingers, something started to grow out of the ground right beside him. Shura's eyes narrowed, now seeing another clone of Rustyrose standing beside the original.
"This fight was over before it even begun," the clone mocked, sneering at him.
"While facing Zancrow or me is practically suicide, facing the both of us together..." The original chuckled. "You should've given up and come with us to Grimoire Heart. For now, you've signed your death sentence."
Just as he said that, a giant monster started to materialize behind him out of thin air. Its fangs were exposed as he snarled at him.
"Meet Guardian Saint Beast, Belcusas the Thunderclap," Rustyrose announced, pointing at Shura. "Go forth, Belcusas."
The beast roared as it raised its right arm, about to strike at Shura, who smirked. "Greater Body Possession," he muttered, slamming the beast's soul out of its body, and possessing it for himself.
"Belcusas?" Rustyrose questioned, confused and annoyed. "What are you doing?! Attack him now!"
"Belcusas," Shura spoke, smiling. "Kill him."
Rustyrose scoffed, adjusting his glasses. "Please. Like he'd ever take orders from yo-" A giant fist slammed into Rustyrose's side, sending him flying off somewhere. The Guardian Saint Beast roared, following its new master's commands.
"Now, to deal with you," Shura snarled, looking at Zancrow, who cackled and licked his lips.
"You really are strong! This is going to be fun!" he laughed. Shura smirked. "Indeed."
The two charged at each other, throwing punches and kicks coated in their respective elements. Gripping each other's hands, they tried to physically overpower each other, snarling. Smirking suddenly, Shura used Telekinesis to physically snap Zancrow's right arm, making him howl in pain.
"Fus - Ro - Dah!" Shura Shouted, blasting Zancrow away with a yell. He then caught him in a shroud of darkness. Grinning, Shura gripped his hands, crushing Zancrow in a vice-like grip.
"Argh!" he shouted, struggling to break free. "Fuck you, you pathetic god!" He growled, his body superheating with heat and flames. "Y-You think you can trap me?! ME?! I'll prove you fucking wrong! Flame God's Volcanic Eruption!"
As he yelled that, the ground exploded, a fiery pillar of black flames erupting from the ground, enshrouding Zancrow and destroying his prison. The flames made their way towards Shura, only to get devoured as he moaned at the taste, now tinged with the spicy hot curry that was anger. He kept on devouring and devouring the flames, until Zancrow was now visible. The Flame God Slayer looked at him in shock.
"H-How?" he questioned, shocked. "How can you eat my flames, dammit?! I'm the only one who can do that! You ain't supposed to do tha-" Shura grabbed his face, running across the destroyed field and dragging Zancrow's face through the dirt. Shura stopped, stomping his foot onto Zancrow's head, burrowing him deeper into the ground.
"Simple," Shura answered, reaching down to pick up the blonde by his hair. He looked the scared God Slayer deep into the eyes. "I'm better than you, puny god." Punching him with a Malevolent Fist, Shura launched Zancrow backwards as he continued pummelling him.
"Chaos God's Severe Tremor!" he yelled, fist cocked and slamming into Zancrow from an angle, exploding in a mass of chaos energy. Shura then kept continuing to deliver devastating blows on him. Blood flew in the air as Zancrow cried out in pain, slamming into the ground, blood pooling from his body.
He panted and looked up at the approaching Shura, who had a predatory gleam in his eyes. Snarling, Zancrow stood up, black flames surrounding his body. "Flame God's-"
He was interrupted by Shura putting his hand in a knife-hand strike, pushing through the wreathing flames and stabbing Zancrow through the chest. The blonde's words died on his throat, blood falling from it and the wound in his chest. The hand appeared out of the other end of the Flame God Slayer, blood spurting from both ends. Growling, Shura ripped his hand out of Zancrow's chest, carrying his beating heart along the exit.
His arm was protected by the ebony armour, the heart still beating and pouring out blood. Zancrow's body fell back, a pool of blood forming already and coating his body. Shura absorbed Zancrow's soul as it exited his body, crushing the heart and watching the blood fly.
"Interesting," Shura muttered, digesting the memories gained by the Flame God Slayer. "So, he learned his magic from Kagutsuchi(1). Meaning that there are more gods. Great." He then dodged instantly, avoiding a familiar blast of laser that just passed him. He turned around to see Rustyrose, panting.
His flamboyant appearance was now dishevelled, wounds littering his body as he glared at Shura, glasses broken. "I'll make you pay for what you did to him," he growled, no longer holding his arrogant tone. He charged up the laser again, making the beam shoot out again. Shura kept on dodging, moving quickly and avoiding the laser fire. As Rustyrose kept on firing at him, Shura growled. If this continues, more attention is going to be drawn to this place, he thought.
"Enough of this farce!" the silverette yelled, dismissing his laser and pointing his right arm towards the sky, snapping his fingers. "I am ending this farce of a battle! You have wasted enough of my energy and breath as it is."
Frowning, Shura looked up at the sky, only to hum. "So, you can do that too."
What was falling down from the sky was a meteor the size of a carriage. Maybe bigger. It was steadily heading towards him, speed increasing.
Smirking, Shura chuckled. "My, such an impressive form of magic. Only..." He used Telekinesis to halt the falling meteor, its descent slowing. Shura strained his face, knowing that falling objects were much harder to hold than stationary objects. In the end, though, he managed to stop it once it came two hundred metres away from him.
"W-What?!" Rustyrose exclaimed, shocked. "H-How?! How did you stop my meteor?!"
Shura ignored him, raising the meteor high into the air. He sighed. "I guess trying to be stealthy isn't going to work. By now, there'd be hundred of Rune Knights coming to investigate what's going on near here. Meaning that I don't have to hold back." Shura smirked. "Mahfil - Mah - Strun!" he Shouted, throwing down Rustyrose's meteor in conjunction with his own flaming ones.
Rustyrose's eyes widened as he dropped to his knees, shocked. "I-Impossible..." he breathed out, shaking in fear. "T-This is impossible."
"No, not really," Shura responded, turning around to leave. "Oh, and when you get to hell, say that you need to make some room for a few more residents." With that, he bursted into shadows, leaving Rustyrose to die a fiery and painful death via flaming meteors. The surroundings blew away from the shockwaves, trees uprooting, ground cratering, and a few dozen buildings in Lupinus Town being destroyed from the pure force and fire produced. Several waves of gravel, dirt and force joined in on the destruction, burying some of the town.
XXX
Shura reappeared a safe distance away, mulling over the information gathered in his head from Zancrow. Ignoring the obvious insanity and arsonist tendencies, he was able to locate Grimoire Heart's position.
"A flying ship, huh?" Shura chuckled. "That's both simple and ingenious at the same time." He kept on diving into the well of information. "This Hades... from Zancrow's memories, he seems strong. Very strong. He might be a problem. Kain, Meredy, Ultear I can handle. Azuma may be troublesome. Bluenote..." Shura laughed again. "He's another monster to take down." He closed his eyes.
"Well, I have just the thing." Shura's eyes opened, now in the form of slits. "Take-Over: Dragon Soul. Alduin."
XXX
(Aboard Grimoire Heart)
Hades sat in his throne and looked to see his second in command, Ultear Milkovich, appear beside him, right next to the throne. "Master Hades," she greeted, bowing.
"Speak, my child," he answered in response.
"Master... it seems the Blood-dimmed King is more powerful than we thought," she responded, frowning. "I would suggest drawing Zancrow and Rustyrose back for an immediate retreat."
Hades' eye narrowed. "What has brought you to such a conclusion?"
"I felt his magic, Master. It was... monstrously large. Larger than any I have ever felt." The 'larger than even yours' wasn't said, but Hades had gotten the message. "And it was dark. Chaotic. I-It felt like death."
Hades hummed, stroking his beard. "Very well. I will trust your judgement. Prepare the Transportation Runes and-" He paused, feeling a sense of danger in the air.
"Master?" Ultear frowned. "What's wro-"
"Yol-"
There was a sudden heat that had Ultear break out into a sudden sweat. She felt fear as power literally saturated the air around her. Hades grunted, alarmed.
"Ultear, prepare the ship! Rally the troops! Something is-"
"Tor-"
Sweat clung to Hades' form as the overbearing heat bore down onto him as well. He looked to Ultear. "RU-"
"Shul!"
All they could see were flames.
XXX
*Play: Fairy Tail - OST - Dragon King*
Shura in his Alduin form approached the flying ship, his draconic eyes picking up the outline. His initial Dragon Shout had set the ship ablaze. Now, time to continue with his slaughter.
The reason he was attacking the ship was simple: he didn't want anymore people running into him and trying to control him. He had already dealt with Raven Tail and now Grimoire Heart. Taking out the guild should allow him more breathing room. Plus, better to kill those who could be trying to kill him now than later.
Shura's dragon form was quite a sight for the members of Grimoire Heart watching. Smirking, he punched the ship, shattering it into tiny pieces. Flaming debris flew everywhere as everyone inside lost balance. Some even fell out of the holes in the armour. Shura made to hit it again, but it seemed that it had managed to move even further away.
Suddenly, a cannon slid out of the roof of the ship, now aimed at Shura. The beam fired, a magic laser being produced. Grunting, Shura Shouted, "Fus - Ro - Dah!" The Unrelenting Force Shout blasted the laser back, making it scatter into particles as it faded away. Opening his maw, he Shouted, "Fus!" The pure Force slammed into the cannon, shattering it in the process.
"Ven - Mul - Riik!" he Shouted again in response, Alduin's famous Soul Fog appearing before the damaged ship, draining away at the Dark Guild's stamina and power.
"Arc of Time: Restore!" Shura's dragon ears caught, coming from the ship. The ship had started to put itself back together, regaining its original shape in mere seconds. Shura's awe was being replaced by annoyance. "Mahfil - Mah - Strun!" he Shouted again, the sky darkening and spitting out flaming meteors. "Tiid - Klo - Ul!" came the following Shout, time slowing down to a standstill as it stopped. His meteors, however, didn't. They collided with the ship, bombarding it as the pieces stayed motionless in the air, bodies freezing in place. Shura kept the attack going for several moments, making sure that the ship was completely destroyed.
Dismissing the Shout, he saw that the ship was fully destroyed, falling down to the ground in a flaming heap. He flew after it, clawing at it and destroying the remains.
"Tower Burst!" a voice shouted, Shura immediately knowing that it was Azuma's. A massive tower of explosive flames burst forwards, directly at Shura. Not bothered by the heat or flames, Shura responded with a very powerful, "FUS - RO - DAH!"
The pure power of the Unrelenting Force Shout not only blasted the flames away, but also crushed the ship into smaller pieces as it collided with the ground with a powerful BOOM. Shockwaves could be seen for miles, flattening ground, buildings, settlements and many more. Flames could be seen from everywhere as they flickered and flew in the air, burning settlements and buildings and even catching unaware people that weren't already killed by the ensuing explosion.
Shura quickly dropped out of his dragon form, saving both magic and stamina as he landed on the ground, observing the wreckage before him. He didn't want to get caught off guard. Suddenly, a stray teal sphere headed straight towards him, making him grunt as he caught it effortlessly in his hands. He saw a livid Ultear charging at him, rage written across her face.
"You-" "Gol - Hav - Dov!" Shura Shouted, the Bend Will Shout taking effect and making Ultear stop, anger removed from her features.
"Come," Shura commanded, crooking a finger at her. Unsurprisingly, she walked towards him in a similar fashion to a robot. He grinned. "I'll get my vengeance on you later. For now, stand aside." She did so, stepping up beside him. "I have some mages to kill."
Immediately, Shura's danger senses kicked in as he jumped away, the ground he was standing on not even a second ago turning to dust as it crumbled, a massive amount of pressure being placed onto it. He looked through the oncoming smoke, seeing a figure step forward.
"Ohoho. So, you dodged that," a voice called out, the figure revealing itself to be Bluenote. He grinned. "Good. Let's see if you can fly well, Blood-dimmed King."
Bluenote was a tall, muscular middle-aged man with extremely long dark hair gathered on the back of his head, leaving his forehead exposed. He also had a large, mildly hooked nose, and prominent bags under his eyes, very thin eyebrows, as well as an upper lip, and possesses bushy triangular sideburns angled upwards, and some stubble around his chin and lower face. On the back of his left wrist is a dark tattoo with an open rhomboidal shape, resembling a large arrow bent in two angles to point towards its back.
For clothing, he wore a light-coloured, sleeveless cloth, reaching down to his knees both on the front and, larger, on the back, which is open on the sides, but held closed around the waist by a light sash. On the front, the part of the cloth covering Bluenote's legs is adorned by a large, stylized dark-coloured sun. He adorned a dark-coloured shirt with a high, round collar adorned on the front by a small metal plate, with its shape resembling a rounded, capsized pyramid, and sleeves reaching down below his elbows. His legs are covered by a pair of dark baggy pants, with a light stripe going down each leg's side, which are tucked inside a pair of bright-colored boots. Over his entire outfit, Bluenote wore a large, bright-coloured overcoat draped over his shoulders like a cape, with his arms out of its sleeves. The coat had a high collar and edges sided by a line of small, dark triangles pointing sideways.
Shura grimaced, seeing the Deputy Commander before him. He hid his grimace with a smirk. "Not going to say anything about your destroyed guild?"
"Oh, Master Hades will take care of that, no problem," Bluenote waved away, grinning. "He's just having a little nap." Shura frowned at the word 'nap'. Did his initial attack do that much damage to Hades? No. If Bluenote was still standing, then no doubt the Master would be doing so as well. He grit his teeth. Whatever the case, he had to take care of Bluenote now before Hades could recover.
"Take-Over: Dragon Soul! Motherglare!" Shura yelled, magic covering him and letting him dawn the features of the mastodonic white dragon. He was in the humanoid form, saving his magic for later use.
"Oh? A dragon." Bluenote cracked his fists. "Never fought a dragon before. Let's see if I can gain the title of Dragon Slayer as well." He pointed his fingers at Shura's feet, before snapping two of his fingers upwards. The ground beneath Shura's feet was ripped out of the soil, along with him, levitating upwards.
Snarling, Shura dashed forward, moving too fast for Bluenote to counter. He dug his fist into the man's gut, making him go wide eyed as he coughed up blood. Shura kept on delivering devastating blows. Bluenote managed to respond to a few of them, shockwaves being produced. Bluenote backed away, flicking his fingers at Shura. The pieces of rubble from before launched themselves towards him, only for him to scoff and use one of his wings to slap them away.
He then charged forward at the elder man. Bluenote shot forward an invisible ball of gravity. Propelling himself upwards with his wings, he shot downwards at Bluenote, a kick meeting a forearm that shattered upon impact. Bluenote didn't get time to respond to the pain as Shura jumped above him, kicking him in the lower back. He was about to continue, when the gravity in the entire area started to increase, weighing him down.
Shura grunted, doing his best to push himself upwards. "Gravity Magic, huh?" he bit out, snarling. He kept on walking forward, feet pushing itself into the ground as he kept on moving. Gravity around him started to increase, making him almost fall to his knees.
Shura's eyes narrowed into even sharper slits as he snarled. His draconic wrath refused to allow him to be brought down in such a demeaning way. He roared, the ground cratering massively into the ground as he lunged forward, punching Bluenote in the face with a powerful shockwave. There was a massive crack as parts of his skull shattered upon impact.
Shura snarled, about to continue pummelling him, when Bluenote managed to shout out one last attack. "Gravity Surge!" A purple ball was formed in his hands, flying up into the air and starting to attract all of the rocks and debris in the nearby area. Shura saw Ultear being attracted to it, and quickly caught her limp form. He placed held onto her, looking up at what was occurring, only to gape slightly in shock.
Above him was a massive ball of rocks, trees, and other stuff ripped straight from the ground. "F-Fall," Bluenote muttered, finger falling limp as he rasped out his dying breath.
His creation fell, ready to slam into the ground. Snarling, Shura opened his maw and started to gather magic energy. He fired off a Dragon Roar, the beam of pure white energy heading towards the ball and smashing into it. The two attacks seemed to battle for a bit, before Shura's Dragon Roar started to burrow into it, bit by bit. It kept on digging deeper and deeper, until...
BOOM! The Roar burrowed through, the ball collapsing within itself due to it being destroyed. The Roar carried on for a good while, lighting up the sky. It died down quickly, fading away once the sphere collapsed and was destroyed.
Snarling, Shura dashed forward, claws out and ripping through Bluenote's head in a bloody shower of gore and broken bone. Shura absorbed his soul, dismissing his Take-Over magic as he panted, dropping to one knee.
Quickly taking out several Stamina potions from his Re-quip portal, sighing in relief that he had recovered. "Now, time to- Urgh!" He suddenly choked, feeling a magical chain catch him in the neck, making him fall to one knee and drop Ultear.
*Interlude Song: Play: Fairy Tail - Makarov vs Hades OST Extended*
"My, my. It seems that you have trashed my guild," Hades spoke, stepping forward. The magical chain holding Shura seemed to come from his palm. "So, you are the famous Blood-dimmed King." With a yank, Shura was launched towards Hades' feet. He grunted as a foot was pressed against his feet, digging it deeper into the ground.
"I was hoping that the next time we'd meet, you'd be under my rule," Hades said, a hum in his tone. "But it seems like I'll have to settle with you under my foot." Shura yelled in pain as his face was grinded further in the ground.
"All this needless destruction, and for what?" Hades questioned. "Was it fame? Fame from slaying my guild? Or perhaps vengeance for attacking you with my own guild members." Shura's growl was his answer. He sighed. "Well, no matter. Whatever decision you stuck with, will no doubt be pathetic, under the weight of the mistake you have committed, in attacking my gui- Urgh!" A tendril of darkness grabbed Hades from behind, throwing him to the side and getting him off Shura.
Snarling, Shura grabbed the chain and started to chomp down on it, tasting Hades' dark emotions and anger. He kept on eating at it until it was completely consumed. He slowly stood up, chaos energy swirling around his form.
The surroundings grew black as gravity was raised immediately. Hades had recovered, his magic released. Reality began to distort itself as Shura's magic took affect. Pieces of earth and rock started to be ripped out of the floor and slowly rise into the air, continuing to be crushed in the air until dust only remained.
The two powerful mages stared at each other, neither one breaking composure. Hades' calm eye gazed onto Shura's furious ones. "Well?" Hades uttered, crossing his arms. "Are you not going to attack?"
Shura smiled. "How generous of you, old man." Shura leapt forward, chaos energy swirling around him. Just as he was about to hit Hades, he struck the ground hard, smoke and debris flying up and obscuring Hades' view of Shura. The Guild Master of Grimoire Heart was silent for a moment, before jumping away as Shura erupted from the ground, chaos energy swirling around him and shattering the debris around him.
"Chaos God's Blades of Fury!" he shouted, red-and-black blades firing at him. Hades held his hand out, a giant purple ball flying from his hand and intercepting the blades, making them disintegrate. He held his hand out, gravity starting to increase around the God Slayer. Just as it was fully about to take effect, Shura disappeared in a burst of speed.
Shura appeared above Hades, yelling "Chaos God's Severe Tremor!" An oversized fist of chaotic energy slammed into Hades' outstretched palm, causing an explosion to occur. The smoke cleared, allowing Shura to see that his attack had merely pushed Hades back a little. Hades was about to crush his fist, when Shura's form turned into pure darkness, allowing his intangibility to save his hand from being crushed.
Darkness pooled from his body, spreading across the ground and surrounding everything. Hades smirked, holding up his hands and fingers in a bullet-like fashion. Several bullets of magic shot from his fingertips, hitting Shura's intangible form.
"W-What?!" Hades uttered, shocked.
The half-Etherious smirked. By now, the darkness had covered practically everything. Ultear's body sank inside, stored away in a safe place. "Black Hole," Shura uttered, palm slapping against the pitch-black ground. Gravity seemed to increase as everything around was being sucked into the darkness. Even the remains of Hades' ship and the bodies sank inside, not able to withstand the massive amounts of gravity.
Hades grunted, brought to his knees in slight pain. "T-This darkness. What is this?"
A darkness-coated fist punched Hades in the gut as Shura charged forward, grinning madly. He kept on pounding his opponent, the gravity doing its job of keeping him grounded. Grunting, Hades unleashed a wave of magic, powerful enough to disperse some of the darkness on the ground. With a grunt, Hades summoned several more chains from his palms, headed straight towards Shura.
Shura used his darkness form to slip around the chains smoothly, appearing in front of Hades. The elder engaged him in melee combat, the two fighting fiercely. Surprised at how well Shura was holding himself against him, Hades increased his speed and started to push him back, before finally gaining the upper hand. He blew Shura's head back with a powerful uppercut, and pushed him back with a kick to the gut.
Without any warning, Hades' fingers moved in an odd, yet precise manner. Suddenly, large purple magic circles appeared all around Shura's slowing form. His eyes widened at feeling the amount of magic present. "What the-"
"Amaterasu Formula 100!" Hades intoned, shockwaves rippling from his palm. A powerful explosion of purple magic occurred as the Formula detonated into a gigantic sphere that rocked the very land and earth that they stood on. Hades stood his ground, the shockwaves stripping the very land of its properties. The attack rose up in a massive pillar of energy as it was quickly being dispersed.
"Perish, fool," Hades muttered, panting slightly. "And remember that when dragged to the depths of hell, know that I, Hades, was the one who placed you there."
Suddenly, a swallowing sound was heard as Hades stared in shock. "What?!"
Most of the purple energy was focused on a single point; Shura's mouth. He kept on devouring it, chomping down on the magic as it refilled his reserves. He panted, bruises and blood covering his beaten and battered body. He fell to one knee, panting harshly.
"I see," Hades muttered, intrigued. "You minimised the damage by consuming the magic of Amaterasu Formula. Impressive, however, the drawback is that you were still dealt with enough force to put you down. While still impressive, a foolish endeavour." Hands raised, Hades gathered another sphere of purple energy. "Now, perish into the aby-"
"Gravity Runes: Release!" Shura yelled, the runes covering his body glowing for a bit, before disappearing. He smirked.
"What did you- Urgh!" Hades coughed out saliva as Shura instantly appeared before him, fist coated in chaos energy deep in his gut.
"Chaos God's Evil Grenade!" Shura yelled, a small ball of chaos energy held towards the elder. A devastating explosion occurred, launching Hades back. His clothes were torn, revealing his bleeding skin and wounds. Disappearing again in a burst of speed, Shura appeared in the air, launching himself downwards and slamming a knee into Hades' sternum, cracking it as the ground below him was destroyed instantly.
"Chaos God's Severe Tremor!" A massive chaotic fist was launched towards Hades face as he yelled in pain, digging himself deeper into the ground. Shura grabbed Hades' hair, picking him up and slamming him into the ground again and again. Having enough of being treated like a rag doll, Hades twisted himself out of Shura's grip and kicked the God Slayer away.
Hades snarled, Re-quipping his cloak back onto himself. "I will not be defeated by a brat like you!" He reached to his eyepatch, pulling it open to reveal his closed right eye. "Devil's Eye... open!" A glowing, menacing red eye was revealed.
Dark magic swirled around Hades' form, giving him a demonic look. "Drown in the abyss of sorcery, Blood-dimmed King!" Numerous demons were spawned from the ground, dark magic from his Devil's Eye warping and shaping into their given forms. "Feast upon my minions, and perish from this life!"
Shura wasn't paying attention to Hades' words. He was only tasting the amazing taste of Hades' dark magic. So many emotions! So many negativity! So much to EAT! Mouth raised, Shura continued to devour all of the dark magic, including the magic coming from his demons and Hades himself.
"Impossible!" Hades yelled in shock, seeing all of his minions diminish in both size and strength.
Shura chuckled, throwing his head back and giving a laugh. A mad cackle that unnerved Hades. It was the laugh of someone who had gone over the edge. Of someone who was depraved, insane, and evil all at the same time. The God Slayer looked at him, a mad grin on his face.
"Your 'abyss of sorcery' tastes so sweet," Shura chuckled, continuing to swallow up the surrounding dark magic. "So tasty. Do you have any more treats? Any more tricks? Come on, I'm hungry! Give me more!" Shura placed his hands to the side in a welcoming gesture. "Come on! Give me more food! GIVE ME MORE TO DEVOUR!"
"W-What are you?!" Hades stuttered, falling onto his ass. "What in the hell are you?!"
"A true abyss," Shura chuckled, amused. "It seems that you're not going to give me more food. Oh well." Palms placed together, Shura poured his magic into them, condensing into one giant sphere. "As a thanks for the buffet, I'll give you one last gift of mine. Enjoy it, as this is a special one."
The orb left his palms and moved towards closer to Hades, who scrambled away in fear, trying to escape. "S-Stay away from me! Stay away!"
"God Slayer Secret Art: Cataclysm," Shura casted, a grin on his face. The orb reached its completion, and simply exploded. A powerful explosion occurred, devastating the surrounding area, with the sphere at the epicentre. The earth shook, chaos energy forming into a tornado of pure destruction. The chaos energy in the attack even interfered with nature itself, causing thunder to boom in the sky, and lightning to flash across the sky. It was destruction incarnate.
Hades yelled in absolute agony as he was at the epicentre of it all. He yelled, screeching in unyielding pain as his form faded away, obscured by all the blinding light of crimson/obsidian energy. Everything turned to white.
The attack reached its climax, exploding outwards again as shockwaves upon shockwaves were produced, a vast mushroom cloud rising up in the air, clear for all to see for their very own eyes. The Cataclysm went on for a good while, before being dismissed just as quickly as it had formed.
In the centre, Shura stood there, laughing maniacally to himself as the very ground itself was scarred, barren and mostly stripped bare from the abomination of an attack that devastated everything. Including Hades.
*End Music*
Wowza. Damn, that was something. Hope y'all liked the chapter.
Now, I know y'all have questions as to what the future is going to hold now that Shura decimated Grimoire Heart, especially for the Tenrou Island Arc. And I will simply say; don't worry. I know full well how important Grimoire Heart is, and I already have a plan for that. What plan? You'll have to wait and see.
Now, before some people complain (because of course they do) Shura won the fight against Hades partially due to the fact that he could consume remnants of Hades' Devil's Eye. Everything else is as it is.
Though, while Shura accomplished his goals, more attention is going to be drawn to him. Oh, boy.
Only one or two more chapters until we get to 'canon'. And boy is that going to be something awesome to write!
Stay cool. And thanks to all those who f,f,r and r the story.
Read and Review!