Several months ago, Chelia was able to get into contact with Ultear. While Crime Soricere had to remain on the move, she was willing to discuss with the young girl who inspired her a little. Chelia, Cynthia, Wendy, and Carla met with the time mage at an undisclosed location. "What is it you needed?"
"We're sorry to take your time like this…" Chelia said while staring Ultear in the eyes. "But there's something you need to see. It concerns the Third Origin thing…" It was difficult to explain with words so…Chelia held her arms out, wisps of black wind forming between her palms.
"What!?" Ultear was clearly not expecting this. After going over the risks of the Third Origin, here was Chelia using magic again, though it was slight. "You can use magic again!?"
"We said the same thing…" Wendy had a bit of a smile on her face. "It just…came back to her one day. It's still small, but…"
"Does this mean she'll go back to how she was before?" Cynthia asked hopefully.
"This is…not what was I expecting to see." Ultear placed a hand under her chin, observing as Chelia used magic. She could also see the strain it put on the god slayer, along with the steam coming from her body. "I see…"
"That steam…what does it mean?" Carla asked.
"It means that she's burning through the little magic she has at an exponential rate." Ultear explained. "My original statement about the Third Origin may have been slightly off. After some time, the erthano in her body has slowly begun to recover, but it's not quite where it used to be. In fact, I don't think you'll be as strong as you used to be. I cannot stress this enough either…but if you use more magic than your body currently allows, you would put yourself at risk and could deal permanent damage to your body…maybe even destroy it."
So there was a catch. Chelia's lips curled down a little before she actually smiled. "That's okay. I just have to avoid pushing myself, right?" She was taking this rather well. "Magic is the only thing I can do competently outside of school work. If I train, I think I'll be able to get back to where I used to be."
Carla crossed her arms, giving Ultear a glance. "This means no Black Sky, correct?"
"No Black Sky, no triple mode…nothing of the sort." Ultear said with a firm stare. "Healing and basic spells are all you seem to be capable of right now. Don't even try accessing the power of the Third Origin again. There is no doubt in my mind that accessing that level of power would nearly, if not, kill you."
Oof. So many warnings, but it was only natural. Ultear's concern was genuine and that made Chelia smile. She was glad to have someone looking out for her. "Okay, I got it."
The Sky Sisters took flight! Wendy, Carla, Cynthia, Chelia and Happy flew across the sky, rapidly approaching Orochi's fin from above. They could see the large horde of monsters marching forward to Magarett Town. "Look at all of them…" Wendy whispered as Carla carried her through the air. "All of them approaching the town. I can't believe they'd really do something like this."
Cynthia shook her head, keeping pace with the Exceeds. She had gotten really good when it came to flying on her own. "They're not even attacking just Lamia. With a force like this, they really want to wipe this town off the map. We can't let that happen!"
"We won't." Chelia was firm in this statement. "We can trust Lyon, Raven and the others for the town's defense."
"Natsu's there too." Wendy felt a lot better knowing that Natsu and Lucy were back in town. She knew they'd be able to defend it. Zelos was there too…yeah…
"We need to get to Orochi's main army and take out the monster user." Carla reiterated their plan of attack. Nobody else mattered in the end. The battle to defend Lamia and Magarett town was lost if they couldn't bring down the monster user in time.
Chelia took the time they had to speak to Happy since he was nice enough to give her a ride. "I'm sorry about this, Happy."
"It's fine, you're light." Happy said. "Lighter than Lucy, anyway…" He thought.
"No…that's not it. I just…I want to protect the guild with my power." Chelia explained, but her reasoning got looks from Cynthia and Wendy.
"Chelia, are you sure you can go through with this? This is a real battle. You're going to be in danger and hold us back if you can't keep up." Carla's harsh tone only meant that she cared. "It's only been a few months."
"I'll be okay." Chelia said with a firm nod. "That's what the bow is for. I don't need magic to use it. And you guys are here. We can do anything together."
Chelia did talk a good game…but in the end, it didn't stop her sisters from feeling concerned. But the topic wasn't going to last any longer because the enemy was right below them! "There they are!" Carla yelled. The time for talk was over and the time for fighting was now!
The members of Orochi's Fin noticed the girls approaching from above. "Wait…isn't that…?" One member began just as the three girls dropped. Wendy, Cynthia, and Chelia all slammed a kick composed of their signature elements right into three dudes, forcing them to fly backwards from the raw power. "The sky sisters?!" After the impact the three girls landed and all proceeded to inhale at once.
"Sky Dragon's…"
"Omega Fire Dragon's…"
"Sky God's…"
"ROAR!"
"BELLOW!"
The three girls lurched forward and parted their lips, their respective attacks merging together. A blast of cyan and black wind shot forward, fueling Cynthia's red flames for a crimson vortex of destructive fire and wind that plowed through a number of Orochi's Fin's members.
"You're having problems with three little girls?!" A man shouted. "Buck up!"
Carla then flipped forward, slipping past several members while her leg was reared back. "Oh…it's not just the three of them." Mid cartwheel, Carla placed her hand on the ground, swinging her leg down for a fierce axe kick that slammed him into the ground. "White Moon!"
Happy…watched all of this action with widened eyes. He didn't think he'd ever see Carla fighting like this, and his paws went to his bag to pull out a piece of fish. He was about to eat it when he had to make sure he didn't! "No, it's time…I must…show the fruits of my training…" The training of not eating as much fist as he used to. He was really struggling with this.
Carla turned, shouting at Happy. "What are you doing!? Go hide somewhere!" She demanded since Happy couldn't fight.
Hissssssss. That burning sound? That was coming from Chelia's body. That wasn't a sound her body shouldn't have been making. Just what was that sound? The sound of the magic she was using burning up. It hurt. The Etherano in Chelia's body wasn't fully restored…so when she used it, she burned it up. When it burned, she burned, thus the visible steam emanating from her body. But she pushed through the pain and kept moving. "I'll be fine…I'll take down the monster user!" The god slayer kept going, black wind swirling around her arms as she pushed her way through many people with ease.
"Wait, Chelia! You're moving way too fast…!" Wendy shouted.
"Slow down! It's not good for you!" Cynthia exclaimed. But it was no good. Chelia was being extremely reckless in this situation which wasn't good for anyone!
Wendy then felt a strange chill crawl up her spine. Past the hundreds of people and all the way in the back…there was a strangely familiar scent lingering up ahead. "What…? This smell…?"
Back in Magaret, the town defense was truly just beginning. The monsters flooded the town, facing with the first and only line of defense of Lamia Scale. "The monsters have reached the town!" Yuka yelled.
"Just how many are there?!" Toby freaked out.
"We'll protect the people." Lyon stated firmly.
"Yeah!" Lucy was right beside him.
"All these lovely ladies in the crowd? It would be a crime if we didn't!" Zelos' offhanded and somewhat selective remark wasn't appreciated…but the fact he was lending his assistance was.
Natsu, on the other hand, sat cross legged on the ground after Chelia pilfered Happy from him. But he could wait no longer. "AAAAAAAAAAAAAH! DAMN HAPPY THEIFFFFFFFF!" Suddenly, he sprang up and sprinted forward towards the horde of monsters. "YOU'RE NOT GETTING AWAY!"
"Natsu!?" Lucy couldn't even move to stop him!
Natsu began using his raw power to plow through the monster! The fire dragon punched and shoulder tackled the monsters out of his way. "MOVE IT!" Everyone could only stare in awe as Natsu cleared a path and made a beeline to Orochi's Fin itself. Lyon held a smirk while Lucy just stared with wide eyes.
"Hey, wait for me…!" Raven didn't think about it, he just followed behind Natsu. With the bowstring drawn back, a powerful arrow of wind formed and he narrowed his eyes for a moment, reading the wind. "…There!" And he fired, shooting the arrow off into the distance.
"Woah…" Yuka blinked.
"My goodness…" Sherry remarked, taken aback by Natsu's strength. Just what did he do during the last year?
"THE REAL MONSTER IS HIM!" Toby accused, and honestly he wasn't very far off the mark.
Natsu made have cleared a path but that didn't mean their monster problem was close to being solved. "Stay on guard! Here they come!" Lyon exclaimed. The real fight was only just beginning.
"Right. It's time to get started!" Lucy drew a golden key out and swiped it across the air. "Gate of the Lion, open!"
In a bright flash of light, Loke appeared at the ready. "I'm glad to be of assistance."
And just as usual, Lucy's body lit up in a golden hue. "Star Dress: Leo!" Lucy donned the black dress, Leo's sign appearing on her chest. "I'm ready to fight too!"
"Let's get to it then!" Lyon swung his arms forward and back, covering monsters in instantaneous frost. It was at this moment the defense began; Yuka, Toby, Sherri, Ooba and the rest of Lamia Scale began to fight back against the monsters.
"Regulas Impact!" Loke's fist lit up in his signature light and he took out a monster with a single blow.
"Haaaaaaa…" Lucy exhaled before light formed at her left foot. "Regulas Lucy Kick!" A swift kick was aimed at a monster, taking it out with ease. "Heh."
"Beautiful as always." Loke remarked with a twinkle at the corner of his glasses.
Zelos watched everyone do work. This was honestly a bit of a hassle, but with hunnies at stake, he had to act! The male reached for the hilt of the sword in its sheathe at his hip, pulling out a crystallized blade with a green eye between the hilt and the blade itself. "All right. It's time for Zelos-sama to get to work!"
"W-What kind of sword is that…?" Sherry asked.
"I'm glad you asked my pink haired cutie." Zelos pointed said blade forward, grinning as a shield formed in his opposite hand. "This is my beauty – the holy blade of light! The Last Fencer!"
"Last Fencer…?" Lucy was going to regret asking.
"Just watch and be baffled!" Zelos then charged towards the group of incoming monsters, lightning beginning to spark on the sword. "Lightning Blade!" The male thrusted his sword forward, stabbing a monster through the chest as a bolt of lightning dropped down from above. "Super Lightning Blade!" Zelos pushed forward, impaling even more monsters onto this sword while forcing a few monsters back. A violent discharge of lightning shocked all of the monsters and rendered them unable to move. The finishing touch was a beautiful backflip, the Last Fencer igniting with fierce flames. "Hell Pyre!" An elegant swing of the blade sent a gigantic sphere of fire down towards a small group of the monsters. The sphere exploded and the fiery blast cleared out a large number of them. Zelos landed and waved his hand through his hair before bowing. "Oh yeah. I'm so pretty."
"Whoa…." Once again, Yuka was taken aback.
"…I guess he can fight after all." Lucy owed Zelos an apology.
But there was no time for that. Even with the efforts of everyone, the monsters were slowly beginning to slip past the defenses! "Shit…! They're pushing through!" Before the monsters could get too far to the people, several transparent vectors pierced through their bodies and they were lying limp. "What the…?"
Tayakata finally decided to join the fray. The vectors at her disposal emerged from her back and tearing through the monsters viciously and with no remorse. "These are the creatures that have you sweating?"
"Wh-?!" Lucy's eyes widened. "You again!? I thought you were going to Mt. Fiore!?"
"I'm not obligated to tell you every aspect of my life." Taya scoffed at Lucy's disbelief. She had no intention of sharing everything she planned on doing with anyone. "And I'm not doing this out of the goodwill of my heart either. This is just a nuisance."
"So…are you helping or not…?" Lyon asked cautiously while sending out a frozen lion to maul a few monsters.
"Not for your sake." Taya reiterated. An obsidian magic seal formed in the sky, droplets of her own power violently raining down onto the monsters and taking out a large number of them.
"THE SCARY LADY IS HELPING?!" Toby was…needless to say, a little frightened of Taya and her power.
As the quartet pushed through Orochi's Fin's forces, Chelia's eyes wandered to the cliff side. "Monster user…monster user…there he is!" The pinkette sprang forward, not wasting a single second.
Chelia's guard seemed to be down, and that's when one of the members could see the opening to take her down. "GOT YOU…!" ….Or so he thought. The aforementioned arrow of wind pierced through his side, causing his eyes to widen for a moment before he collapsed. Chelia didn't even turn back, she kept going, but there was a hint of a grin on her face.
"Was that Raven…? All the way back there…?" Cynthia briefly glanced back at Magaret town. Raven's accuracy was incredible! "What a shot…!"
"I knew he still cared." Wendy had a brief smile on her lips.
Carla on the other hand remained silent. Raven caring wasn't exactly the issue here. But that was neither here nor there; they had a more pressing matter to deal with. "Stay sharp you three!"
Wendy noticed an incoming blast of magic coming Chelia's way. The sky dragon tackled Chelia off to the side, allowing the blast to narrowly fly over them. "Watch out, Chelia…!"
"Oof…!" Chelia turned her head to Wendy.
"Are you okay!?" Cynthia rushed over to the two of them.
"Yeah…sorry…" Chelia said. "But I can see him…!" Chelia stood up immediately, drawing the bow from her back and closed one eye, an arrow of wind forming within the bow. She had a direct shot at the monster tamer and it didn't seem like they were aware of it. Steady breathing, steady aim…
The master of Orochi's Fin stepped forward displeased that these girls were running through their main forces. "It's my turn now?"
"Not yet." The monster tamer said with a smirk. "They aren't opponents worthy of your powers…"
He said that…but the master of Orochi's Fin saw Cynthia and Wendy in the distance and his eyes widened. "…Those girls. I've seen them before." Arms dropped, a powerful aura beginning to emanate from the man that caused the ground to tremble.
"M-Master?!"
"Wonder if they can fly…" He grumbled before the ground itself started to crumble and break apart! What used to be a cliff side was reduced to nothing more than a crater by the almighty power of gravity.
"WAH!"
"What's happening!?" Carla shrieked.
"The ground!?" Happy was having a hard time.
Bluenote Stinger stood tall over the crater, staring down at the girls who dare tried to run through his forces. "…."
"B-Bluenote Stinger?!" Carla gasped, but the gravity intensified and forced her into the ground. It felt like her bones were being crushed. "Nggggh…!" This was bad. Bluenote hadn't been seen since Tartarus revived Grimoire Heart all those years ago…but even before Tartarus was defeated those of Grimoire Heart were dead or missing as of the major battle in Crocus after the Dealer incident. Nobody would have expected to see Bluenote of all people here.
"I-I can't move…." Chelia groaned.
"This gravity…" Wendy was struggling to move. She wasn't as helpless as one would think and was somewhat able to push herself up.
"We have to…move….!" Cynthia placed her hands on the ground, slowly lifting herself up. The gravity only grew heavier to force the two girls back down, but they were trying.
"There is no soul in this world that can move under my gravitiational powers." Bluenote said, proudly at that.
"Master! You're overdoing some things!" A few people shouted, because they were collateral damage.
"W-Why is he here…?" Happy asked the million dollar question…but nobody knew.
"Let's see…." Bluenote's eyes wandered to his victims. Cynthia and Wendy were forcing themselves to make progress, but they were taking too long to even move properly, Carla was of no concern…but he did see the steam on Chelia's body. What did this mean?
"I have to…move…I have to…save Lamia…" Chelia whimpered as the steam intensified.
"No! Chelia! Don't…!" Carla cried out. Was she really attempting to use the Third Origin here?!
"Let's start with that one…" The rise in Chelia's power was cause for concern. Better to nip that in the bud before it caused any problems.
Chelia's eyes widened as she felt herself lifted off the ground. "H-…!"
"CHELIA…!"
Natsu lifted Chelia by the back of her shirt, panting a little considering the mad sprint he did to catch up to them. "I finally found you!" Natsu's tunnel vision was so focused on Chelia, he legitimately had no idea about the situation around him. Chelia just blinked several times, unsure if she'd die from a heart attack or not. She was still processing this.
"Natsu!" Happy and Cynthia grinned.
"Natsu-san!" Always in the nick of time! One thing Wendy looked up to him about.
"Ah…ha…." Raven came by a few seconds later, hunched over. "G-Geez…what a sprint…" Thud. That was the sound of Raven's body collapsing into the gravity field comically. "Oof…!"
"My knight in shining armor…." Chelia would have laughed but…she was still trying to figure out if she was in trouble or not. Spoiler alert: she was.
"What the…?"
"He's moving even in the Master's gravity…" The members of Orochi's Fin mumbled about this surprising turn of events.
"How dare you steal Happy!?" Natsu really didn't get the situation. Chelia's thievery was the only thing he cared about.
"I'm sorry…" Chelia looked back at Natsu, pouting a little bit.
"Natsu! This isn't the time for that! We have trouble!" Carla chided while on the ground.
"That man is here…the one from Grimoire…!" Wendy shouted.
"Bluenote…" Happy said.
"Eh?" Natsu blinked absently while staring at Bluenote. Vague memory….vague memory…vague memory….. "I don't remember him."
"WHAT?!" Happy couldn't believe this!
Meanwhile, Bluenote stared down at Natsu. It had been quite some time since he laid eyes on the fire dragon himself. "I've seen this man before…ah, the small fry…" Back on Tenoru, he could vaguely remember Natsu struggling to escape his gravity. "But…why am I so annoyed at him!?" His mere thoughts fueled a sudden rage, the gravity increasing tenfold and left absolutely no one safe!
"E-Even someone of my caliber…can't move!?" The monster tamer gasped.
"He's dangerous…" Bluenote came to a decision while lunging at Natsu. "DIE!"
The ground Natsu stood under began to cave in immensely. Natsu's eyes widened for a moment before flames ignited around the hand not holding Chelia, which he used to propel himself into the air with a blast of flame. "LIKE HELL I WILL!"
"He rose up with flames!?
"Impossible!?
"This isn't the end for Fairy Tail!" Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs. Those words…they resonated with Cynthia and Wendy. Perhaps that was something they needed to hear after all this time…?
"Do you mind letting me go now!?" Chelia flailed about in Natsu's grip…but judging by the height, a drop from this height wasn't going to be pleasant. "Never mind…"
"That's right! It was FAIRY TAIL!" Natsu reminded Bluenote of Gildarts! THAT'S why he was so angry!
"DON'T KILL US OFF JUST LIKE THAT!" Natsu yelled at the top of his lungs.
Bleunote didn't want to hear it. He was charging full speed at the fire dragon! "I'll deal…with…TH….." Nobody even saw Natsu prepare the attack. A gigantic funnel of flame consumed Bluenoote, spanning the horizon while incinerating everything in its path. The size of it completely bewildered everyone, especially the members of Orochi's Fin. What made it more frightening is that Natsu just needed to take a small breath after unleashing something that devastating.
"…." Bluenote let out a small moan of pain, completely charred by the attack. And then he just…..collapsed.
"One…attack….?" Carla couldn't believe it.
"No way…." Cynthia stared with admiration.
"Just…just how much stronger has Natsu-san become over the last year…?" Wendy's mouth was open after witnessing such a feat.
"That's…crazy…" Raven wasn't even sure how to react…but his cheeks suddenly flushed when he saw Chelia's…predicament.
"Now then." Natsu turned to Chelia, who covered her chest because her shirt was completely melted just from being near Natsu. "A thief is someone that…"
"My clothes! You burnt them off!" The pinkette squealed while squirming about uncomfortably.
"Natsu, maybe you should look around instead of lecturing her." Happy said with a sweat drop.
Natsu dropped Chelia, and as soon as he did, Raven swooped in and took off his jacket to give to Chelia, who happily put it on to cover herself. The Salamander turned his head to face the enemy, lifting a brow in confusion. "Huh? The enemy's still here…." But they completely lost their will to fight.
The monster tamer was holding up the white flag of surrender. Behind him, the members of Orochi's Fin were sweating. Nobody wanted to mess with Lamia Scale anymore if they had forces like Natsu backing them up.
"We surrender."
.
.
Next Time: Because I Love You.