"People of the South Wind"
Erza entered the final room from Jose. Her hair flowed smoothly in the wind. Her instincts flared as she approached the center of the room. Something was bothering her. The air had a stale quality to it. It felt trapped to her. Her proud head lowered, concealing her neck to attack, yet another habit borne of years of experience. The air remained still, yet in a sudden lunge she drew her sword and blocked to left.
An explosion shook the room.
In front of her guard was Aria, Wind mage of the element 4. It was so sudden and without warning that both were shocked at her instinct. With a shower of sparks, she slid her sword out of his grasp. Aria drew back, hands to his face in overwhelming sorrow.
"It is you… a friend of a friend. This fight burdens me. I can not resist the urge to cry from my sorrow!" Tears streamed down his cheeks
"Friend of a Friend? What do you speak of?" Her voice settled as she brought her sword to her side
"Seige. That man is one of many travels… of many stories… some joyous, others painful." Aria's choked out through sobs, something common to him
Erza's eyes hardened.
"How do you know him?" She asked
"His life is his own elegy to recite." Aria said with knitted eyebrows
Erza stored that for later but sighed. Apparently, she wasn't going to be getting any new information from him. She pointed her sword at him, tilting her head down. He responded by getting into his practiced stance, legs straight and one open palm towards the Requip mage with his other facing downwards in front of him.
"It pains me to end a friend of Seige, but it is Jose's will. Know this though, I will always shed tears at your memory Titania."
She raised her eyebrow at that.
"You won't get the chance." She stated, charging him
Loud cracks sounded throughout the room as they clashed, Erza striking while Aria blocked each strike with an area of condensed air. It frustrated her that his defenses were as good as they were, so she released her rush. SHe would have to find a weakness of his first before she could do any real damage.
Her instincts flared again since she met the man.
She ducked, switching to her Flight Armor mid-drop and fled barely out of an explosion of wind. She stopped a few feet away, straining her eyes to find the Element 4. She ducked again with a small shift in the air behind her. She hit nothing but air as the man apparently materialized in front of her. Erza switched her blade to a backhanded grip and used it to block Aria's strike, surprising him. Erza changed armors once again, this time shifting into her Giant's Armor. She hit him with the but of her spear sending him doubled over. She used two hands and with her spear, she hit Aria in the face with the body of her spear sending his head up. She wrapped the spear over his head and use it to headbutt him. The blindfold over his eyes shifted to a red color from his newly broken nose.
Purple light shone from the gap but Aria covered it quickly.
"It seems I underestimated you. How sad. If this is this fight has drawn me this far, I feel it is only to cure my sorrowed conscience that must make a deal with you."
Erza was genuinely surprised by the offer.
"What do you mean?" She asked, suspicion edging in her voice
"If you win this battle, I will answer one of your questions. To think I would do this… It saddens me…"
"I accept your wager. Now, shall we continue?"
"Yes, but I am saddened to admit… I am only at 50% power."
Erza's eyes widened. Seige never mentioned this kind of power from any of the Element 4. She changed to her flight armor as the man tossed his large green hat at her. She dodged the hat as it exploded. She turned her eyes to the man, preparing for a strike, but only found his blindfold dancing in the windswept room. She threw her head side to side in an attempt to find him, but only found the room to be empty. Slowly, as if an illusion, green flooded her view. She could see copies of the man slowly grow slightly opaque. As the ethereal visage of Aria grew more solid, she noticed his fuzzy outline. It was as if he was there but not at the same time.
"Aerospace Awakening: Vacuum Teleportation!" The air died down and all that was left was a slight buzz and the serious, tear-free face of Aria
She was shocked by the display. To think Phantom had such powerful and clever mages...
"Hey, Erza! I beat Tot… what was the rest of his name again?" Natsu spoke up from the entrance of the room
"NATSU! LEAVE AT ONCE!" Erza showed her ire towards the slayer
"What are you on abo-" He was interrupted by an explosion of air that sent him into a wall, breaking several of his ribs in the process
Erza's eyes stared at the sight in shock before her face darkened. Magical power flooded the room as Erza brought out the limits of her power. The air that exited her lungs thundered with a force that shocked the Element 4. Her armor remained but the weapon she wielded was that of fire. From Sorcerer Weekly, Aria could recognize it as the sword that normally accompanies her Flame Empress Armor. Her left gauntlet glowed and grew to be replaced by the gauntlet to the Adamantine Armor.
Aria was puzzled, to say the least.
It looked ugly at minimum and appalling if one were, to be honest. What could she possibly gain from such an action? In such a state, he was untouchable.
She charged at his form, her blade passing through the wind mage doing no damage. But it shocked him. He hadn't had time to react, not in the slightest. Fear grew in his heart, but he abstained from letting it show. He was an S-Class Phantom mage and an Element of the 4. He was the pinnacle of the potential skill in his element.
"How sad… it seems you cannot hit me." He said out of habit
The woman's face hardened as her speed began to increase, white cracks appearing in her Flight Armor. Aria grabbed the woman and ended her pitiful rush by tossing her by her hair into a wall, and while not doing much damage it showed his superiority in movement.
"Hey UGLY!" Natsu's brash voice called to the wind mage, covered in flames, "Nobody gets to beat Erza but me! Get in line!"
Aria's eyebrows knitted as his memories drew back to Gajeel.
"I cannot let you defy the fate intended by our master. It is sad that you think you could change that…" He bragged
"Yeah well, screw fate!" Natsu charged a fist full of flames of a brighter nature
Seemingly in tune with his magic, he launched a spell at the S-Class mage with a charge.
"Fire Dragon's Piercing Fist!"
This time though, surprise flashed across the faces of both of the more experienced mages. Natsu's powerful strike was blocked this time. No, the thing that shocked both mages was the fact that Aria grew solid once again. It shocked Erza until the realization dawned upon her. She stood up and looked at the slayer with genuine respect.
"Natsu, thank you for your help. I can defeat him now."
"But I was just getting started!" Natsu complained
"We need you at full strength for Jose. Leave this to me… Please?" She asked with a calm kindness that surprised the slayer
"Er… Alright… You've got to let me get the first hit on Jose though… Deal?" Natsu sighted out with a grin
"Deal." She smiled out at his positivity
With that, the Slayer casually stood off to the side, sitting down at the edge of the room. He sat, closely watching to two.
"What? I'm never gonna beat you if I never get to see you go all out!" He popped off genuinely
She chuckled at his antics.
"Alright, should we start again Aria, Wind of the Element 4?"
"If you believe your courage can triumph over my sorrow."
"I believe that it will be skill that defines this battle." Erza said charging the man
She slammed into him with her shield, not meeting resistance as she suspected. Aria stood there, ready to prepare a spell as he felt. What surprised him was the small cut to his side that formed along where a small slash of Erza's Flame Empress Blade had cleaved.
Taking advantage of Aria's shock, she hit him with the but of her sword which was covered in flames as well. This put some distance between the two which gave Aria time to recover.
"You hit me." He seemed shocked by the thought
Erza was silent in thought as she focused on one of the litany of things she kept in her Requip space. With a bright light, she emerged with a bottle of oil. She poured it onto her shield and brought her sword to it. It caught flames easily, and with a few rapid swings, she found it's properties to be suitable.
"You are quite a smart man Aria. But every mage no matter how powerful they have flaws. These flaws are what define us… and I have found yours…"
Aria smiled as he realized what she had mere minutes ago.
"How sorrowful… This battle will be decided based on who can adapt to the other's techniques the fastest. It is a fitting confrontation I believe."
Erza dashed forward at the man, slashing at the man. It hit, but he didn't flinch, instead, he grabbed her by the head setting off thousands of tiny Aerospace explosions in the contact between the two. She impaled him with her sword, finally causing enough issue to him to send him stumbling back. She smiled as she charged further bashing him with her shield, stunning the gigantic man. She used this opportunity to deal a second blow with the fiery pommel of her sword to the managed temple before a final blow across his chest with her blade. Aria teleported out of sight, becoming one with the wind but incapable of hurting her as well.
"How sorrowful, you would have made a perfect Phantom Lord mage…" He stated from every direction
Air misted up with a strange density. Erza felt as if the air had grown heavier. It didn't bother her so she continued searching.
"So you hide? How cowardly of the second strongest in Phantom Lord…" She taunted, hoping to get a rise out of him
"No… hiding would entail that I plan to escape. I am sad to end this here."
Suddenly she felt the magical power that the mage had been building moments earlier. It was colossal and focused into a ball of air that seemed a pale color in Aria's hands. Aria's hands grew wider as the ball grew in size nearly instantly. White gas leaked from his fingers and swept across the floor in a spiral.
"My most dreadful spell… one that has the power to pull the breath of life from your very lungs…"
Erza braced herself slowly and sluggish due to the fog. The fires on her shield and sword were long gone, snuffed by a lack of Oxygen. Oddly enough she could breathe in and out just fine, but it just seemed less effective. It was as if there was less air in the air… if that made any sense. She felt her breathing get heavier as she struggled to stand.
She had to do something… but she couldn't figure anything.
It was only then she saw the slayer. Her eyes widened as she saw him slowly stagger over to the wind mage. She figured his body had some resistance to the spell's effects, and she saw his arm catch fire despite the air. She could see the glazing in his eyes. He was almost as far gone as her.
Natsu slammed his fist into the sphere of air to the shock of the mage that missed this action. Erza was blinded and deafened by the ensuing explosion. In the chaos, she called to Natsu dreading what may have become of the teen.
"NATSU!" She called again, ears ringing and barely able to make out portions of the room
Once the blindness died down, she saw the flames that encompassed the room. Smoke clogged her lungs as well as the barely alive Aria. It wasn't the case for the slayer though. He emerged from an entrapment of flames devilish grin on his face, vest torn to shreds. He grabbed a piece of fire that was clinging to a piece of wood and chomped down on it. His pace faltered as he fell forward, out of any sort of magic. Erza caught him, gently lowering his unconscious body as she looked up at Aria.
His breathing was haggard, mirroring her own. He brought his hand up to launch some sort of blast, but his eyes glazed in response. He fell to one knee, gritting his teeth. His form faded slightly, becoming slightly transparent.
"Machias." Aria said breathily
Erza's senses told her that his magic power was turning on him. She could feel the conflictions in it. She could feel the pain behind the words. She could feel his struggle. Suddenly, she understood why the man was so strong. His power was constantly fighting him, testing his will. The very nature of his element was to be uncontained. As such, because of his closeness with the element. He had to fight the current just to remain physical in daily life.
"You are losing yourself in the wind." She stated factually
He smiled as his form grew weaker.
She was right.
"What is Machias and how does it relate to Seige?"
"That is for you to search…" His form disappeared leaving the woman with more questions than she'd have liked
Just what was this 'Machias' and how does it relate to their new resident member?
Erza requiped into her base set of armor to conserve energy, dragging the mumbling slayer by his ankle. She chuckled to herself as his face dug up stray stones. She honestly didn't know how Natsu seemed to come up with his ideas but the new development was much welcomed. After this, she may try teaching him again.
"Yes. That sounds quite appropriate."
Jose sighed as he sat in his chair. He was undeniably bored. Being a mage of his rank, his senses were some of the greatest known to humankind. He had immediately known what had happened to the power from his cannon. How he had no clue. Had traced the power as it traveled on or in one of the fairies. It stopped in a location not far from his throne and waited. That is what bored him.
They had the power, and obviously the means to deliver it but refrained from doing so. He briefly wondered if Seige could have been behind it, but discarded the idea. With Dragon Iron in his body, there was no possible way he could have survived.
He had to commend the man though. To stop such an attack without any physical damage to his surroundings took incredible skill or massive magical reserves. It bothered him though. As far as he knew, the bounty hunter had no magical potential. Sure, the power was there but there was no attempt to use it. Any mage he had met used magic in some way in day to day life. It was always subconscious. Seige never had any of these indicators. He could sense at least as much energy as Aria had, if not more from the man but it was separated from his will. He had seen it move within his body but it never left. It bothered him, but not enough to distract him from his boredom.
What did, however, were footsteps. It was a pair.
They belonged to The Great Titania and The Salamander. He smiled, face twisting into a sick grin. Boredom left him as if it never existed in the first place.
"Ah! So you've arrived!"
A force struck the Wizard Saint at several times the speed of sound. Jose's neck snapped back, aching pain sinking into his bones. His face burned from the scorching heat of the blast that enveloped it. It instantly vaporized his eyebrows and mustache, taking a portion of the hair on his head. It was then that his rage numbed the pain, allowing him to focus a good 40% of his power into dispelling the field of pure magic that encompassed a good portion of his head.
He panted with sudden exertion, but his reserves were plenty more than what would be required to beat the entirety of Fairy Tail's S-Class. Excluding that monster Gildarts. That man was at least as strong as the Ishgar 4. His face grew with rage when he saw Seige through the smoke of the explosion. He stood in between the legendary mages.
"Jose." He simply stated
"So you managed to survive." Jose began, shrugging off any non-magical damage from the attack with the exception of the scratches, his hair and his damaged clothes, "After that, you are going to seriously regret ever surviving that shot."
"And with a Machias? You have a cruel sense of irony!"
"That bitch was a Machias!?" Jose was shocked at the revelation
"I ripped that bitch from her core. Just like I'm going to do with you." Seige snarled, casting the weapon that had fired the lacrama to the side
"HAH! You beat some two-bit assassin and you think you can beat the 6th Wizard Saint?! That bullet must have taken more out of you than I thought!"
"I don't need magic to kick your ass!" Seige charged in only for his fist to be stopped by a single finger of Jose's
"You'll need a lot more than just power to beat a Wizard Saint."
Jose clasped his hand over Seige's, clenching his fist. A dull snapping noise filled the room followed by a breathy inhale. Seige fell to his knees, cradling his pulp of a hand. Jose deftly dodged left grabbing the arm that dared attack him. It held a sword and was linked to The Great Titania. Jose took the woman's arm, dragging her towards him, and more specifically, his fist. She was nearly knocked unconscious but managed to stay conscious. She was thrown to the immobile Natsu. His feet planted to the ground and his eyes wide with fear, he was paralyzed to the bone from the overwhelming magical power.
"Ah, so this is all you puny fairies have to offer? I honestly would have expected more." He said as he walked by Seige
He gave what looked like a casual kick, one that you'd use when kicking something on the side of the street. Seige was sent flying into a wall, crater forming in the thick stone upon impact.
"It looks like my victory is just about set…" Jose mused
"Let's finish the job." He said with a sick grin