And we are back in action. As I have said in a bunch of my previous chapters I have a poll so go and vote. I know in the last chapter I severely underpowered Naruto, so I will go back and edit the last chapter for you guys.
Location: Magic Council-Era
Siegrain, Ultear, Org, and Yajima stood beside each other on the edge of a balcony as they overlooked the process of activation. Dozens of talented and gifted Mages gathered together and started chanting incantations to stockpile magic power. There were more chants and elements being thrown around at once than any of them had seen before. All in preparation for one thing... the Etherion cannon. The ultimate weapon that could destroy anything it touched. Org looked over the side to see the magical circles stacked over each other from the bottom of the room to the very top. He never believed in his time as a figure in the Magical Council that he would be forced to use such a weapon.
It had gone many years without being used... dormant... untouched. But what mattered right now was they were using it here. To save the world. Hopefully the future generations will remember their reason for doing it and not just that they resorted to the final measure. "It's actually quite beautiful to look at, don't you think?" They looked at Ultear as the gorgeous woman silently stared up at the aura of magics dancing around in front of them. Her eyes were solely focused on the lights in front of her as she noted "You'd never believe something so beautiful could cause such a utterly devastating catastrophe in the wrong hands." she said.
"Yes. And we're being forced to use it." The old wizard gave his grievance on the matter as he rubbed his forehead. "I'd never thought I'd see it being prepared in my life. And yet now we are left with no choice." Org said reluctantly.
"But you have made the right choice Org." Siegrain attempted to alleviate some of the doubt in the older Councilman's mind. "It is for the good of the people and even though we might destroy the lives of the innocent many more shall be spared." he said.
"Yes, well, we'll see what the people have to say after tonight. We may have just put our careers to the gallows by doing this." The elderly man moaned before sighing and stepping away from the railing. "We need to make a statement for the public in case they start asking any questions. And we'll need to prepare an explanation for the king as to why we didn't report this to him before we decided." he told the younger man.
"That's sounds wonderful." Ultear stopped watching the weapon being prepared and stepped away from the railing. "I suppose I'll come help you with that. We have some time before the weapon discharges so we might as well use it productively." she told Org with a smile. The raven-haired beauty stepped up to Org before they both looked back to see Siegrain and Yajima still staring at the Etherion process. She asked coyly "Siegrain-sama, do you wish to help us with the paperwork? I doubt it will be as mesmerizing as watching Etherion charging up but it is work that needs to be done." she said.
The young Wizard Saint didn't look away from the majesty in front of him "I'll be with you all in a moment. I wish to watch this a little bit longer." he said quietly.
"Very well." Org's eyes then shifted to the short man beside the blue-haired youngster and they appeared to softened with some shame. He and Ultear begun to walk away "I'll leave you both here then." he said quietly and left.
The young and old Council members stood beside each other in silence while elements flickered in front of them at rapid speeds. Siegrain settled back in his posture and crossed his arms "I understand your hesitation with following through with this action, Yajima-San. But you have to remember it is for the greater good. No matter what happens-" he started to say but the older wizard interrupted him.
"Your brother." Yajima interrupted and Siegrain looked down at the wizened old man who gripped his hands behind his back so tight his knuckles showed white "You once spoke to us about how tragic it was to lose your brother and be separated from him. Now you find him again and you still resort to the idea of using this weapon against him. Why, Siegrain-kun? At least tell me why you are willing to sacrifice your brother to do this?" he asked the younger man.
The blue-haired man looked away from the old man and up at the ceiling again as Etherion's magic process continued to work away in front of him. He blinked a few times before answering in a flat voice "I realized long ago that the man I once called my brother is no longer the same man I once knew. The person I once saw brimming with hope and strength has now been twisted with pain and suffering. And I know that despite any effort I could try to make, he has been so twisted that he could never turn away from it. He is willing to let the world suffer because that's just what he has come to accept. And it hurts me to see that." he answered.
"A sacrifice is needed to save this world. And I'm willing to make that sacrifice even if that means I must say goodbye to my brother." the blue haired Wizard Saint admitted.
Yajima lowered his head sadly before turning around and walking away "I hope your conscience will be strong enough to bear this weight. Lord knows most men couldn't." the old man said quietly.
Siegrain watched the old Mage leave before turning back to watch as the magic gathering process initiated. It was so powerful... so overwhelming... such staggering magic. A devious smile started to creep over his face before he quickly slapped his hand over it. No. Not yet. It had been so long he couldn't risk it this close a little bit more... And it will be perfect.
Erza stood in the hallway in silence as Jellal's ominous announcement hung in the air. There was a moment of complete silence between all of them as they awaited a follow up that would indicate that Jellal was still addressing them. But it never came as apparently the moment he began this little Paradise Match of his, he stopped interfering. Lucy paled a little at the dark tone the voice used and gulped loudly "P-Paradise Match, huh? What are the chances that's not as bad as he makes it sound?" she asked.
"Pretty low I'm guessing'." Gray said as he looked around at the walls surrounding them, angry that they were being watched at this very moment. His face twisted in disgust "This guy just keeps getting creepier and creepier." he said to nobody in particular. Simon had begun to expect that Jellal was keeping an eye on them even when they were in the Tower. But if that was true then Jellal had suspected him and knew about his disloyalty from God knows when but he didn't do anything. Does that mean he didn't see him as a threat?
Did the idea of Erza and Naruto being here and capable of fighting him not scare him in the least? The former Phantom Mage looked over to the Ice-Make Mage and asked curiously "The gifted individuals he mentioned a moment ago. Is there a chance they are associates of the man Naruto-sama saved us from earlier?" to Gray.
Gray's eyes closed in apprehension as he shook his head "A team of ninja chasing us with a ticking clock and certain death overhead? This day just gets better and better." he groaned
"You said Naruto was holding off an assassin of some sort in the basement." Erza looked back at Gray and asked him with a serious tone in her voice "Do you think Naruto can take care of that man himself?" she asked.
Gray didn't hesitate at all before nodding, "Absolutely. He said he had it. So that means he has it." he said.
The redhead let out a relieved sigh before nodding "Good." she said.
She looked between all of her friends "We need to regroup with our comrades and prepare to evacuate before Etherion hits. Where's Natsu?" she asked.
Gray shrugged his shoulder uncertainly, "Don't know. Cyclone and that moron ran off before we knew it. They're off somewhere looking for Happy." he replied.
Simon added "Which means that he's looking for Milliana." quietly.
Erza thought for a moment before pointing at Gray, "Gray, you need to go look for Natsu. Calm him down and tell him what we are planning to do. Knowing him he's probably thinking about breaking this whole place down after he finds Happy." Gray nodded and the redhead turned to Simon "Can I get you to convince Milliana and Wally to leave this place?" she asked.
The tall man nodded "It shouldn't be that difficult to convince them now that Jellal made that announcement." he answered.
"Juvia and I can help you." Lucy offered.
Simon gave a positive him before looking to Gray "I can show you around. Follow me." he told the demon slayer. The group of four started jogging down the hallway as they followed the scarred Darkness user. Erza knew what her mission was.
Face Jellal. Whatever happened after that was something she needed to prepare for. "Nee-San." a voice called out to her. Erza looked back at Shō as the blond had a very vacant and lifeless look in his eyes. Having everything he's known for nearly a decade turn out to be fake would brutally shock just about anyone. The dark-skinned blond seemed to struggle with composing himself before he looked up at her, "I know a way to sneak into the room Jellal is watching from. A way to sneak up on him. You'd have a better chance facing him if he wasn't in complete control of the situation."
Erza thought for a moment before asking critically "Does Jellal know you found a passage into his chamber room?" while Shō was silent before shaking his head in defeat. "I don't know. I'm not sure about anything anymore." he said honestly.
Erza saw the pure devastation across the younger man's face and felt a pain in her heart. She reached up to gently grab his shoulder and reassured him, "Thank you Shō." she told the man. He only gave a small nod before he started leading them in a different direction to sneak into Jellal's chamber.
Natsu, Cyclone, and Happy were making their way through the hallway down from Milliana's room. After that weird announcement that sounded like it was coming straight out of the walls, the pink-haired man started searching around to find the man that so smugly talked down to all of them. The Dragon Slayer kept punching down the walls and doors of each room he passed after leaving the cat-girl's turf once he saved Happy.
The flying cat's watched skeptically before cutting into his destructive path "Natsu, I really don't think that guy is actually watching us in the walls. Punching the doors and wrecking the hallway isn't gonna stop him." Happy said.
"Yeah this is a waste of time and energy. We should find the others." Cyclone agreed.
"It might slow him down." Natsu proudly exclaimed "If his eyes are the walls then if we take them out, he probably won't know we're coming."
Happy shook his head, "I really don't think it's as easy as you think." The blue cat then seemed very distressed as he remembered what the announcement said near the end.
"Plus there's that Etherion thing he said the Council was gonna fire at us! And what about Erza?" Cyclone said.
"Didn't you hear what that Jellal guy said?" Natsu said rhetorically before he cracked his knuckles.
"He was talking to Erza and the others that whole time. They freed her already so she's okay. And that jerk is holding a game with all of us in it and he won't let us leave until one side is down for the count anyways." The Fairy Mage smirked again before his knuckles released a quick burst of flame, "Which means if I take out the top asshole then no one can get in our way anymore and we can leave. Plus after what he planned to do to Erza and trying to hurt us, I really wanna kick his ass." he said heatedly for what he heard.
Happy floated there for a moment before seeming hesitant with the idea "B-But Natsu, isn't that Jellal guy super strong?" he asked his friend.
"Doesn't matter." Natsu said as he gave a big, confident smile to encourage his best friend. "He messed with us, which means he needs to get his ass whooped by us. So I'm voting for myself to deliver a Fairy Tail Ass Kicking to teach that prick a lesson. And that's a promise." he said.
The two cat's waited for a moment before a smile came over his and Cyclone's face, "You sure?" Happy asked.
"Totally! I got this buddy! Now let's go kick his ass!" Natsu said eagerly.
"Aye sir!" Happy said while Cyclone once again brandished his knife, "I guess I can use a little workout." the black cat admitted.
"Sweet!" Natsu turned on his feet and threw his fist up. "Then let's head straight to the top and..." The pink-haired brawler stopped when he finally noticed the two figures standing far enough away down the hallway that he couldn't discern who they were.
But the tense atmosphere and the cold intent being aimed toward him meant it wasn't anyone he knew. He furrowed his eyes and looked at them "Who are you guys?" he asked them.
"Jet Ho Ho Hoo!" one said to him. He immediately got an answer as the larger figure let an immense pair of explosions blow out behind him before he launched himself forward at staggering speeds.
Natsu didn't get a chance to react before the figure barreled into his stomach and carried him down the hallway until everything around him was a blur, "Natsu!" Happy exclaimed.
Natsu gasped in pain as the massive, muscular man knocked the air out of his lungs as they sped down the hallway like a rocket. The Dragon Slayer looked at the huge jetpack that was propelling them forward and the Fairy Mage started slamming his fist down on the man's shoulder in an attempt to separate from him. But as they rocketed down the hall Natsu looked back just in time to see the wall they were approaching, "OH SHI-" Natsu began to yell but then-
*BAM*
They broke through the rock wall and flew outside before the Fairy Mage and his attacker finally separated. Natsu groaned in discomfort before looking up at the rocket-propelled man that flew out over the ocean before turning back to him, giving Natsu a clear view of him in the moon light. His attacker had massive muscles and wore no shirt, appearing like a body builder that never skipped a day to exercise with a massive jetpack secured behind him. But the most striking feature was the fact that he had an owl's head that stared at him with piercing black eyes. He proclaimed while speeding toward Natsu, "Hoo hoo! The Hero of Justice, Fukuro of Trinity Raven, has come to slay the allies of evil!"
Natsu blanked, "An owl!" he said in a deadpan voice.
"Natsu!" Happy said. The Dragon Slayer looked up to see his feline companion flying out of the hole they just made with his friend and making their way to help him. He reached up, "Happy-" he started to say, but was interrupted by the owl-man.
"Hoo hoo-no you don't! Jet Ho Ho Hoo!" the man called out once again. The owl-man came flying down and slammed into Natsu's chest again, flying directly into the Tower again and breaking through the wall. Natsu was carried through another hallway at blistering speeds as he tried to escape the incredible lock the owl had him in.
Lucy cupped her hands over her mouth, "Natsu!"Lucy called out.
Juvia joined in, "Natsu-San!" the water mage cried out.
Gray yelled, "Hey, Hothead! We need to get going and we can't waste time looking for you so you better come out and-" he yelled, but the sound of a familiar voice yelling caught his attention. "AHHHHHHHHHHH!" A pink and beige blur passed by them before continuing down the hallway with a trail of smoke directly behind them.
The group of Mages violently coughed in the smoke cloud before Lucy asked with teary eyes, "W-was that-" she started to ask before another blur passed.
"NATSU!" A blue blur followed a moment later as he screamed, chasing his friend and the attacker that was grappling him.
Cyclone flew up to them slowly and sighed "And this is what a third wheel fells like... man I need better friends..." the black cat said with a sigh
. "Happy?!" Lucy cried out.
"Oh fuck." Gray cursed before he started sprinting down the hallway to help his friends, "Natsu! Happy!" he called out to the two of them.
Simon followed after, "Wait! You can't fight him!" he tried to tell them.
Cyclone noticed they ignored him and sighed once more "They didn't even notice me... I hate this so much." Cyclone sighed. Lucy and Juvia tried to run after them before they heard a deafening rip of an electric guitar. The two girls shook from the horrific cacophony that assaulted their ears as they turned around to see a thin, sickly pale man stroll forward with a wide gait as his hands shredded down a guitar.
Once he stood in sight they finally noticed that his skin wasn't pale, but his whole body was covered in white body paint. He had paint on his face and silky, long black hair that he whirled around like a vortex behind him before he ripped one last cord and let his long tongue fall out of his mouth, "YOOOOOOO! HOW'S IT GOIN' YOU SEXY LADIES! YOUR GOD, TRINITY RAVEN'S VIDALDUS TAKA, HAS DESCENDED TO RIP SOME ROCK'N' NOTES AND MOISTEN THE FINGERHUTS! LINE UP IN ORDER AND WE CAN GET STARTED!" the man yelled. Juvia furrowed her eyes at the strange, offensive stranger that stood in front of them as Lucy was disgusted by his attitude.
"Well he certainly is unique..." Cyclone muttered before he decided to leave and find his friend.
"GRRRRRR!" Natsu had to grit his teeth as his back broke through stone walls over and over while being tackled by the strange owl. The furious Fire Mage yelled in anger before his body burst with flames, "I'M SO SICK OF THIS SHIT!" the dragon slayer roared out. The owl flinched and finally released him when they were in a much larger room. Natsu spun through the air and puffed up his chest before roaring out, "Karyū no Hoko (Fire Dragon's Roar)" Natsu yelled out.
The owl deactivated his jetpack and fell back to the ground just as the flames engulfed the area he was standing in a moment ago. The massive assassin landed on the ground across from Natsu and looked up just in time to see the Dragon Slayer charge at him before he threw a hook kick, "Karyū no Kagizume (Fire Dragon's Talons)" Natsu called out The owl man leaned back unnaturally to dodge the kick before flipping over and landing a kick on the Fairy Mage in the process.
Natsu blocked with his forearm and skidded across the floor before the muscular owl exclaimed loudly, "I am a mercenary from Death Head Caucus, Trinity Raven's Fukuro, the ultimate assassin of Justice! And as Jellal-sama stated, you need to play the Paradise Match in order to survive! Jumping to the top is cheating!" he told the pinkette.
Natsu felt a tick form in his eye and yelled at the odd looking mercenary "You can't be an assassin of Justice! Assassins aren't righteous or whatever! You're just a killer!" Natsu retorted.
"I am a slayer of evil! No matter how powerful they may appear, all evil doers fall before my fist!" he said as he got into a fighting stance and prepared to beat his opponent dead. "So when you stand in the way of our master's desire, that means you're evil!" Fukuro told Natsu.
Natsu growled and cracked his neck before raising his fists up as well, "Well I can slay dragons. And I'm gonna kick your employer's ass into next week. So let's see, evil or dragons, who's the better slayer." Natsu commented.
It was tense between the two men before Natsu sprinted forward and let his fist go aflame. He leapt up and launched a punch, Karyū no Tekken (Fire Dragon's Iron Fist)" Natsu called out. Fukuro blocked the fist with the back of his arm as a blast of fire engulfed him entirely. He then pushed and spread his arms out wide, pushing the dragon slayer back before following after him. The mercenary and Natsu started to exchange blows and kicks that they blocked before any lasting damage could remain. Natsu grit his teeth as he blocked a punch, ducked beneath a swipe to his eyes, and threw an kick up to the owl-man's chin.
But Fukuro leaned away to avoid the kick and spun on his feet to strike Natsu's lobe with a back fist. However the Fairy Mage raised his arm at the moment before contact and grunted from the force that nearly pushed him back as the owl man followed up and tried to rip out his heart. "WRAHHHH!" Natsu screamed at the top of his lungs and released a column of fire at the mercenary that forced him to dodge and jump back.
The two fighters separated and made some distance between each other to prepare for the next attack. The owl guy was quick and precise with his attacks but Natsu could see each move and knew he could land some serious damage if his strikes would land directly. He slammed his fists together, creating a giant fire around his body and yelled "MY NEXT HIT IS SENDING YOU FLYING!" to the man.
"Natsu!" a familiar voice called out. The Dragon Slayer stopped in his mad dash to attack the owl and looked over to see Happy flying towards them as quickly as he could. He had a very panicked look trying to chase after him after he had been attacked and cried out, "Natsu! Are you okay?" Happy asked his lifelong friend.
"Happy! Get out of here! Go find Cyclone and run while you can." he called out to the cat in dread that his little friend had entered the battlefield. The moment he turned to address the feline, he saw his enemy take the chance and dash at him from the corner of his eye.
He reacted but was barely able to block the heavy cross that dug into his forearm and lifted him off his feet, "URRR!" Natsu groaned loudly.
"NATSU!" Happy yelled out. Before Happy could register who had attacked his partner, a large shadow descended over him. The cat nearly froze in fear and looked up to see two piercing black eyes gaze down at him with pure focus. The blue cat could do nothing before a large fist was raised above him, "Bad kitty." the man said before-
*POW*
Happy was punched and crashed right into the floor as he gave a loud yelp of pain, "AHHH!" Happy cried out in pain.
"HAPPY!" Natsu cried out as he landed on his feet and leaped forward, flames pouring off him in livid rage as he punched at the owl man's back, "I'LL KILL YOU, BASTARD!" Natsu roared in rage. The mercenary's head turned around until it was almost completely backward as he caught sight of Natsu's attack before it could land.
He turned his body at the last moment and tried to land a kick on the Dragon Slayer who turned and matched his strike with a kick of his own. The two fighters were blown away from each other and skidded against the ground before the Trinity Raven member extended his fist out in a pose towards the sharp-eyed boy, "Hoo hoo, I told you! All evil falls before my fist!" Fukuro told Natsu.
"Happy!" Natsu immediately scampered to his feet and ran before sliding to his knees. He gently picked up his injured friend and cradled him carefully, "C'mon Happy, speak to me! Say something man!" he told the exceed.
The blue cat struggled and groaned in pain before opening one of his eyes. He murmured, "N-Natsu?" causing Natsu to smile.
"Happy! You okay man?" he asked his friend.
"It really hurts Natsu." The cat gasped when he tried to move and he felt Natsu's hands hold him a little closer. The little cat looked over at the owl man that attacked him and muttered weakly, "W-who is this guy?" Happy cried.
Natsu answered with a dark glare that slowly turned up to focus on the owl-faced killer that had attacked them. He growled threateningly, "He's finished. That's all that matters." he told Happy.
"Hey Natsu! Happy!" a new, but familiar voice called out to the two of them. They looked over to see Gray coming up to the room they were fighting in with a strange large man following close behind.
The half-naked Fairy Mage called out to them "What the hell was that about? You came flying past us like a bat outta hell! And..." They stopped just on the edge of the room and stared at the strange-looking individual with a jetpack and owl head that blinked at them curiously. Gray had a bemused glare, "W-what the hell is that thing?" he cried out in shock.
Simon's eye shook in horror when he saw the man they had engaged in battle, "Oh no." Simon said quietly.
"Hoo hoo! Splendid! More evil doers to be slain by my hands!" Fukuro said as he gripped his fists tightly as if challenging the newcomers to try their hand at facing him. "Come at me! I shall christen this righteous place in your blood to celebrate the new world!" the man yelled out.
"Is this guy crazy or something?" Gray questioned before shaking his head.
"Just to let you know Cyclone is gone... probably to find Naruto you might want to go too." Gray said to Happy. "Now I believe we have a fight to get started... You know what, doesn't matter." he said as he started cracking his knuckles.
"If he's holding us back then he's a part of Jellal plan. If he wants a fight-" Gray started to say before he was quickly stopped.
"No! We can't fight him!" Simon said as he grabbed Gray's shoulder before he could go any further and pulled him back with a jerk. The ice demon slayer stumbled back as Simon placed the middle and index finger from both hands on his temples as they glowed black. He extended his hands out and unleashed a technique, "Dark Moment" Simon yelled out. The entire room lost all of its light in an instant and it was pitch black around them.
They were all made blind as a startled Natsu looked around in panic, "W-what the hell! It's all dark like in the casino again!" Natsu said fearfully. Simon, being able to see through the dark because of his magic made a straight beeline for Natsu and Happy as they looked around, baffled by the sudden shroud of shadow. He grit his teeth as he sprinted past the mercenary to retrieve the man and his cat before it was too late, 'I didn't think Trinity Raven and Death's Head Cuacus' master would act so quickly. If they're already in play then we can't risk a fight against them! If I can grab them then we can escape-' Simon thought before a voice stopped his thoughts in their tracks.
"Good effort to run, deviant!" Fukuro told Simon. Simon's eyes widened when the Trinity Raven member dashed towards him with the complete eclipse of light not bothering him in the least "But my vision can pierce even the darkness!" Fukuro said. He turned around and let a massive burst of flames engulf the Tower dweller, "Judgement Hou!" the man called out his attack.
"AHHH!" Simon was sent flying from the explosion and slammed into the wall with a loud crack as a web pattern spread out behind him.
The Darkness faded away and Natsu looked over to see the downed Darkness user moaning on the floor, "Woah! Hey man you okay?! What were you doing trying to fight that guy?!" he said confused.
"Hoo hoo!" the mercenary called out. Natsu reacted to the yell of the mercenary and jumped over the fist that almost hit him and imbedded itself in the wall. He landed and cradled the cat closely to his chest before sprinting across the room and toward his guildmate. He stopped right in front of the shirtless man, "Gray! I need you to take Happy!" he said trying to hand Gray Happy.
"What?!" Gray exclaimed as he was handed the injured cat and he saw the bruises over his face before asking, "You know we're on a clock, right?!" he said with a raised eyebrow.
"And you know these guys are gonna try to kill us if we can't stop them first, right?!" Natsu countered.
"If these guys get Erza back to that Jellal guy and that blast hits then it's over! So if I can stop at least one of these assholes before that and beat Jellal, then we'll be good! Erza's safe, this place is destroyed, and we'll be out! And this all starts after I'm done kicking this guy's ass!" Natsu said.
Gray sighed exasperatedly, "How much do think you can do in under an hour?" he asked his friend.
"More than enough." Natsu said with a gleam in his eye's. Fukuro clenched his fists again and prepared to march over and attack- "Dark Burst!" Simon's voice called out. A wave of Darkness magic came flying into Fukuro's side and exploded violently, creating a cloud of smoke that obscured him from his enemies' view.
Natsu and Gray looked over and saw Simon lying on his knees and panting heavily after his surprise attack. His breathing was haggard as he called out to the Fairies, "Y-you have to run! This man is an assassin from a mercenary guild! He's too strong! You can't beat him!" he said between gasps of breath.
"Huh?" Natsu asked baffled by this stranger's warning before looking towards the Ice Make Mage for clarification.
Gray saw the confusion on his face "That guy is Erza's friends. He's on our side and he's trying to help us out." Gray explained to the Fire Dragon Slayer.
"Ooohhhh." Natsu said as he nodded his head.
Simon yelled out desperately "Please! Just go! I'll hold him off-" he tried to say but Fukuro's voice called out.
"Hoo hoo-led me off?" Fukuro asked him. Simon's eye widened as the mercenary walked out of the smoke cloud with just a few bruises and scorch marks on his body.
The man turned to him as his owl-like head tilted almost at a complete right angle as he asked "Was that your best effort at holding me off, evil doer? Because if it was then I am greatly offended that you believe that is enough to deter the great Fukuro!" Fukuro yelled out.
Simon looked up at the hired mercenary and saw his attack did nearly nothing to hurt him. He gasped and muttered in shock, "N-no way." he gasped out shocked his attack didn't work.
"Hoo hoo. However, it seems like if I wish to stop these two great sources of villainy, I will need some help." He looked over and realized he was the object of condemnation for the two Fairy Mage at the side. He turned back to the injured Tower dweller and stepped forward to grab his shoulders, "Rejoice! I shall be using your powers for the greater good!" Fukuro said as he grabbed the large man.
"W-what?" Simone gasped out.
"Hey! What are you doing over there?!" Natsu yelled at the man.
Happy turned his head a little, "W-what's going on?" he asked quietly.
Gray muttered with narrowed eyes, "Something bad." he replied to him. F
ukuro stood back up and brought Simon with him, causing the injured dark magic user to moan in pain before he looked into the owl man's lifeless black eyes. They stayed staring directly at each other in silence as Simon's mind became racked with fear and anxiety. Was he going to crush him? Break his neck? Pop his eye- he didn't finish his thought as he was pulled out of them by the owl like man.
"Capture." Fukuro said as his mouth grew several times larger and his jaw dropped until it reached the middle of his chest.
Simon was taken out of his stupor and just stared on in shock, "E-eh-AHHH!" he yelled out. Fukuro lifted him up and threw Simon into his mouth, engulfing the large man completely with his jaws before swallowing him whole with a very loud gulp. In an instant, the bulge formed in his mouth from eating Simon traveled down to his stomach and disappearing like nothing ever happened. A strange dark aura started to cover Fukuro's body as he wiped his mouth, "Thank you for your help." he said to his belly.
The Fairy Tail Mages just looked on in shock and horror after seeing someone eaten alive and swallowed like he was a snack... it was both gross and... cool.
Natsu: "What-"
Happy: "-the-"
Gray: "-fuck?"
The three said in perfect order as they just watched as the dark aura finally evaporated and the owl mercenary turned towards his enemies. He had shut his left eye and a small tuft of black hair was growing out at the peak of his head. The Dragon Slayer and Ice-Make Mage just stared at him in confusion before he suddenly blurted out, "Dark Ho Ho Hou" Fukuro called out loudly. Then a large wave of Darkness magic came flying towards them and Natsu looked on in shock before he reacted. He jumped in front of the blast and struggled against it with his block.
His arms suddenly became shrouded in flames and he destroyed the attack before it could go any further, "WRAH!" he yelled out as his attack disappeared and Natsu leveled a furious glare at the owl man, "That attack was the same one that other guy just used." he said looking at his enemy.
Gray narrowed his eyes at Fukuro, "He... used Simon's magic." he said with narrow eyes... this couldn't be good... not good at all.
"That's right!" Fukuro proudly proclaimed as he patted his stomach with one hand and fiddled with his new black hair with the other, "I used my Absorption magic to capture that evil doer and assimilate his magic into mine." he said as he patted his stomach again. "Once he's done digesting, I'll have his magic for my own. And then I shall eat you two as well and become the greatest hero of Justice in the world!" he exclaimed.
Gray gagged in disgust at what he had heard "He eats people and takes their magic? How messed up do you have to be to choose that magic?" he asked Natsu.
"He said digesting." Natsu noted dryly before sending Gray a quick glance, "That means he's still alive inside him, right?" he asked as a bit of fire and lightning formed around his body.
Gray shrugged, "I don't know. But it makes sense that if he swallowed him whole, then he's probably still in his belly." he replied to the pink haired teen as he sent his magic into his forearm causing a black tattoo to appear.
"All right." Natsu said as he stepped forward and pounded his fists together with a toothy grin, "That just means that I just gotta hit this guy hard enough until he throws up. Piece of cake." he said with a laugh.
"That's...so gross." Happy moaned in disgust.
"You ready you owl-headed bastard?" Natsu mocked before charging forward and yelling, "Because I'm gonna kick your ass!" he roared out.
Fukuro stood back in a fighting stance as Natsu came charging at full speed. They were about to clash-Fukuro crouched down and placed his hands firmly on the ground before his jetpack flew off his back like a missile "Missile Ho Ho Hou!" the owl-man called out.
The jetpack went flying directly at Natsu and the pink-haired man stopped in place "W-what the-" he said before the jetpack slammed into his chest and carried him around as it suddenly started flying around in a sporadic and uncontrollable course, "AAAAAAHHHHHH!" the pink haired dragon slayer yelled out.
"Natsu!"Happy yelled up at his friend.
"Hoo hoo! I know about your weakness, 'Salamander' Natsu Dragneel! Jellal-sama informed me." he said as he pointed up at the man he had just condemned to his personal nightmare.
"My jetpack will carry you round and round this room faster than you can imagine! And since it will be carrying you-" he didn't finish as Natsu couldn't talk back at th moment before- "U-UGGHHHH! BLARGHHH!" was heard from the dragon slayer. Natsu's pained moans echoed through the whole room as his motion sickness started acting up being carried by the jetpack. Gray looked up blankly at the pink and silver streak that swirled around the ceiling in blur before he just sighed. He shook his head disappointedly and turned around.
"Damn idiot. We can't waste time playing with your stupid affliction. We're gonna die waiting here on your dumbass." he yelled at Natsu. Gray bent down and gently placed Happy against the wall. The blue cat looked up at his friend as he asked "Happy, I know you're hurt but can you wait a sec? I need to deal with this guy before we head out." he said to him. Happy asked "Can you do it yourself?" he asked.
"Totally." Happy said as Gray stood up and walked back into the room until he stood across from his opponent. The shirtless man craned his head back to look up at the taller, owl-headed assassin as they just stared at each other. "Well it's a good thing Cyclone went to search for Naruto... otherwise he'd probably be in the same boat I am..." Happy said.
"Yeah... that's probably true. Now get some rest while I handle this guy." he told Happy. Happy nodded his head at the man.
Fukuro tilted his head "Handle me? Hoo hoo! You must think very highly of yourself-" he started to say but Gray stopped him.
"HA!" Gray yelled as he jumped, kicking his foot out as quick and hard as he could to strike the owl's head as his foot pressed into the larger man's forearm. Gray's foot hooked and attempted to press further in but couldn't get any advantage like this.
Fukuro chuckled at this "Hoo hoo! Just like an evil doer to attack while someone is talking." he said.
Gray furrowed his eyes with a smirk, "That's rich, coming from an assassin." he responded to the man.
"Not just any assassin!" the Trinity Raven member said as he threw up his arms and sent Gray flying from the force, "I am Fukuro, the hero of Justice!" he yelled at Gray.
"I don't give a damn what you are you hear! You're done!" Gray slammed his hands together and released a dozen spears of grey ice that shot down at his enemy, "Ice Demon's Zeroth Hell-bringer Lance!" he called out.
Fukuro weaved through the rain of ice weapons that littered the ground around him as he dashed towards where Gray would land. He swiped his hand up and released a wave of Darkness to hit him in his prone state, "Dark Ho Ho Hou" he called out.
"Ice Make: Shield" Gray said as he created a shield between him and the magic attack that canceled each other out. The raven-haired man fell through the particles of ice and dark before he placed a foot on Fukuro's shoulder and vaulted off to get behind him.
The mercenary looked back in time to see the Fairy Mage land behind him and slam his hands down on the floor "Ice Demon's Prison" he called out. Suddenly a cage of ice popped out of the ground and locked Fukuro in before the mercenary swung his arms out in a clothesline and broke through the bars although it was with some extra effort. Gray clicked his teeth in annoyance before he had to leap back as the owl man started chasing after him and throwing a series of punches to cripple him.
"Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo! Hoo!" Fukuro yelled at Gray. Gray quickly ducked and backed up as he felt the air pressure from each punch nearly connect with his face and break his skull. The Absorption Mage threw his kick out like an ax and attempted to shatter Gray's chin but the Ice-Make mage flipped back before diving forward to kick back at the assassin. Fukuro slid and avoided the kick, swiping his elbow out to break Gray's rib but was blocked by his hands.
Gray gripped the elbow tightly and channeled his magic Ice Demon's Flash Freeze" he yelled out. Purple ice spontaneously surrounded the joint and Fukuro released a quick scream of pain before knocking his opponent away and cradling his arm. He looked down at the sudden sheet of ice that locked his forearm to his bicep and sent a deep chill down to his bone.
He stumbled a little and tried to hold his arm as his fingers started to curl from the icy sensation, "M-my arm. Y-you've frozen my arm." he stuttered out.
"A little flash freeze never hurt anybody." Gray said with a smirk as he stood up and pointed out to the mercenary "Glad I'm getting a chance to knock you down a few pegs, Hero of Justice... what a joke. Doesn't matter what magic you use or how evil you think we are. Stand in our way..." he gripped his fist and aimed it out to the owl, "And we'll knock you down." he said as Fukuro hunched over and held his arm gently as his body started to shiver from the chill.
His beak slowly opened up and he yelled, "D-Dark Moment" he called.
The room was suddenly devoid of all light and Gray was left standing in a black space without being able to even see his hand in front of him. "Gray! W-what happened?!" Happy exclaimed.
"Happy! He took out the light! I can't see!" Gray said.
"Natsu! Make a flame! Gray needs your help!" Happy yelled to his friend and partner.
"UGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH-URRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGG!" was their response causing the two to groan in annoyance.
Gray was annoyed by the groans and hurls of his Dragon Slayer companion before he felt a strong first strike him across the face. He stumbled back and felt blood cover his lips, "W-what the-" he said. *THWACK*THWACK* the fists of his enemy impacted against his face again. Gray staggered as several heavy punches, crosses, and jabs riddled his body in a matter of moments. The ice mage could barely let out a groan before he was socked in the jaw, punched beneath his rib, and hit in the knee hard enough that they buckled.
"Hoo hoo!" The owl's laughter permeated through the sheer darkness as the attacks continued to blindside him. "Can you sense me?! Can you see me villain?! Do you see how in merely a moment I destroy your arrogance and topple your defenses! In the dark, where the light of my eyes illuminates my path to victory, I shall end your reign of terror!" Fukuro said arrogantly. Despite his words, Gray detected hints of crazed ramblings and boasting in his voice while the attacks continued. The half naked mage felt a cold and brutal strike slam against his forehead and split his eyebrow open, causing a sudden but heavy stream of blood to drip down his face and blind his right eye.
Not that it affected his vision considering he still couldn't see in the dark but it still stung like hell! A sudden light bulb went off in his head and he slammed his hands together before touching the ground, "Ice Make: Floor" he called out. A sheet of ice covered the floor around him and the attacks stopped for a moment before the owl laughed again in the dark "Hoo hoo hoo! A valiant effort cutting off my attacks but only for a moment! You can't see me so unless you wish to attack blindly in the dark then just resign yourself to your fate!" Fukuro told Gray.
He knew he would just be wasting his efforts to attack his enemy like that. But that wasn't what he was doing. He could feel his ice stretch out and cover the floor before one section of it finally stopped. There it was... a wall. Gray turned and dashed along the ice without any fault, cradling his aching ribs and ignoring the pain that shot through his whole body as he ran towards the place he knew the closest wall was. Fukuro saw him running and chased after him carefully over the ice, "Hoo hoo-oh no you don't!" Fukuro said to him.
The shirtless Fairy Mage could feel his enemy approaching and slammed his fist down before aiming at the wall, "Ice Make: Hammer" he yelled out. He created the hammer and it succeeded in its job as it broke off a portion of the wall and revealed a small source of natural light against the unnatural darkness. Gray yelled and jumped out of the hole into the open air, squinting as his eyes readjusted to the light as he went into freefall. His eyes focused back into the black hole he just escaped from and caught sight of the owl's face in the darkness before creating a massive cannon on his shoulder and aiming up "Ice Make: Cannon" he called out.
A massive cannonball of ice shot through the hole in the wall and Fukuro had to lean back to dodge before he heard the projectile explode somewhere high above him. Gray shot his hands out and created a line of stairs between him and the gap that stopped his descent. He desperately held on to keep himself from falling as Fukuro chuckled derisively "If you really thought you could hit me by luring me to the edge, you underestimate me fool." Fukuro told Gray with a sneer.
Gray panted, his ribs causing his lungs to burn and sweat to drop down his face, before looking up and smirking, "Wasn't aiming at you, dumbass." he told the assassin. "Karyū no- Natsu's voice called out loudly almost like a yell. Fukuro realized too late that a bright light had illuminated the darkness he created and looked up to see Natsu falling at him wreathed in flames. The jetpack that had captured him reduced to pieces from Gray's strike as the Dragon Slayer threw his hands out at the owl man and released a mighty explosion, "-Kōen (Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame)" Natsu yelled out his attack.
"HOOOOO HOOOOOO!" Natsu's flames blew the owl man across the room and destroyed the unnatural darkness that covered the room in less than a second.
Natsu landed on the floor and wiped his vest of the metaphorical dust as Gray finally climbed back up to their floor. The ice demon slayer groaned and shook his head,"I have got to stop falling off all these tall places. It's fraying my nerves." he groaned out before he chuckled at the thought.
"Did you have to shoot me asshole?" Natsu grumbled as he looked over the bruises he got from the cannonball as his stomach finally settled down from all the movement. How Naruto could handle movement he would never know.
Gray scoffed and growled through his teeth "I didn't really have a choice. You shouldn't have gotten yourself caught like that in the first place." he retorted to the fire mage.
Natsu seethed and was ready to argue back before he finally noticed the bruises, cuts, and blood that covered Gray's body from the ambush in the dark. The pink-haired man let his comment die on his tongue before turning back to see the owl man struggling back to his feet, "You gonna be okay?" he asked Gray.
"I'll be fine." Gray said as he forced himself up to his feet and slammed his fist into his palm. He swiped his hands down as a long blade of ice formed over his right hand and left elbow before he stepped forward. He looked forward and glared, "I'll open him up. You think you can stay on your feet long enough to finish it up?" he asked.
"I'm not the one having trouble standing, idiot." he retorted.
"I'll take that as a yes, fire prick." he said while they both grinned. Gray dashed forward, covering the space between him and Fukuro in a matter of moments before appearing right in front of him. The owl's eyes widened in horror as Gray spun around, "Ice Demon's Horror Blade: Seven Sword Dance" he yelled out. Gray turned into a blur as he struck the massive man's body at rapid speeds, leaving five long slashes over his body that drew blood before swing him up with both blades and leaving an X on his chest.
"GAAAAAHHHH!" Fukuro yelled in pain. Fukuro was left flying in the air before he opened his eyes again and saw the ball of flames heading straight for him.
"Karyū no Kenkaku (Fire Dragon's Sword Horn)" Natsu yelled out. Natsu tackled directly into the Trinity Raven member's stomach and released a powerful burst of scorching hot flames before Fukuro's eyes rolled back from pain. His cheeks puffed up before his neck grew wider and Simon's head peeked out from his beak, "BLARGHHHHHHHH!" he puked up the large man.
Simon was released and fell harshly on the ground as his eye opened up in surprise. He caught sight of Natsu blasting the owl mercenary across the room until he slammed into the wall hard enough to crater it. He lifted himself up on his hands and looked around in confusion, "W-what? What happened?" he asked trying to make sense as to why he was still alive.
"You got eaten by that owl guy and he took your magic." Happy said as Simon looked to the side to see the little blue cat fly up beside him with a few bruises on his body but otherwise he was alive and well.
Happy gave a big grin of pride as he answered the question Simon wanted to ask "Don't worry. Natsu and Gray took him out and made him throw you up." he said to the dark magic user.
"T-they beat him?" Simon said as he looked back over to see the Dragon Slayer strolling over and standing over the demon slayer sprawled out on the ground.
"Hey." Natsu not so gently nudged Gray's body. Natsu asked with barely any actual interest, "Are you dead?" he asked with a tilted head.
The eye not covered in blood slid open and Gray droned out with a cough, "I'm resting. In case you didn't notice I was busy handling your fight and had to pick up your slack dumbass." he told Natsu.
Natsu kneeled down and slung Gray's arm over his shoulder before gently lifting him up beneath the armpit "Sorry for the wait pal. I guess I'll just have to pick up the slack for you from here on out." he said with a grin on his face.
"Whatever." Gray grumbled.
Simon blinked in surprise before muttering in surprise, "They...they were strong enough to win." he said stunned before his expression turned to a small grin.
"YYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" the eccentric musician yelled out horribly. Lucy had to cover her ears as the eardrum-splitting note echoed throughout the entire hall and she swore she felt it reverberate through her torso.
She was barely able to open one eye against the horrendous sound and yelled, "I-it's so loud! And so bad!" she screamed in pain.
"Juvia actually finds this music quite intriguing... it reminds me of Gajeel-san playing his music." Juvia quietly mentioned as her body shook and jiggled as she switched between physical and liquid against the sound waves. She nodded, "Yes... Gajeel-kun liked to blast this kind of music back when we were in Phantom Lord. Juvia is accustomed to these sick chords." she said nodding her head.
"There is something wrong with your tastes in music!" Lucy said. Juvia only shrugged her shoulders. The prolonged note finally ended and Lucy removed her hands from her ears to see the strange man in white body paint and leather clothes run a hand through his long hair.
He opened his eyes again and let his long tongue hang from his mouth before shrieking in excitement "WELL?! WHAT'D YOU LADIES THINK?! I'M PRETTY ROCKIN, AIN'T I! BE HONEST!" he yelled out.
"Be honest?" Lucy droned as she tried to get the ringing sound out of her eardrums. She looked at him with more than repulsion disgust "You are way too loud. And way too gross." Lucy said honestly.
"Juvia has to agree." The blue-haired woman nodded, "However she did enjoy the music." she told the man.
"OOOOOOOOOOOO! SCATHING! YOU GIRLS GOT CLAWS!" he said as he gave an over dramatic yell and bent back as if he were in pain before shooting back up on his knees and letting his tongue hang out, "I LOVE IT! YOU GIRLS ARE RAW AND TELL IT LIKE IT IS! AND I GOTTA APPRECIATE THE FANS WHO CAN TELL ME THE TRUTH!" he yelled out.
Lucy's shoulders slumped and her eyes wandered to the side, "How do I keep getting stuck with the weirdoes? Is it a condition I somehow contracted? Do I have a magnet that says "HERE BE WEIRDO'S" or something?" she asked herself.
Juvia stepped forward with a baleful glance, "Raw or not-" the blue haired woman said.
Lucy shivered "Please don't agree with him like that!" she asked the water mage.
Juvia ignored her and continued speaking to the rocker "-if you plan to impede our efforts to leave this place then Juvia will have to defeat you." Juvia said.
"WOOAHHHHH! FEISTY!" Vidaldus motioned for the girl to try and hit him, "FIRST HIT IS FREE LADIES! COME AND-BLURPARGH!" Vidaldus yelled before he himself suddenly trapped by liquid and drowning inside a concentrated bubble of water. Vidaldus struggled and thrashed around in the bubble of water for some traction to escape but found none. Juvia lowered her hand after capturing the strange rocker in her Water Lock and spoke in a quiet voice "No one can escape my prison once they are fully captured. Except Naruto-sama but..." A pink hue covered her cheeks and she gently placed her hand on her cheek in fond memory of him. "No one is as fabulous as Naruto-sama." she said.
"Way to go Juvia!" Lucy cheered with joy that they had stopped the freaky man without any strenuous effort. And the best part was he couldn't talk in there either! She gave the girl a big thumbs-up and praised her more, "You're the best partner ever!" she said in excitement.
Juvia looked aside in disappointment, "Juvia wishes it was anyone other than you praising her right now." she said honestly causing her to start sulking at her words that pierced her chest.
Before Lucy could comment about the ex-Phantom Mage's reluctance to address or even converse with her, they heard a strange whirring occur in the liquid prison. They looked over to see the rocker spinning his head around as his long flowing black locks followed behind at a slower pace. They thought he was just trying one last time to escape before they noticed the water inside the magic prison start to follow the path of his hair. The rim of the water prison slowly started to enclose to the center more and more as his hair became shinier with each and every spin of his head.
He whipped his hair around one last time and absorbed the rest of the Water Lock like it was nothing. His hair had a sheen of water over it for a moment before it returned to normal and cascaded down his back. He ran his hand through it once before giving a prideful grin and wink to the two of them "THANKS BABY! I COULD ALWAYS USE A LITTLE WASH TO MAKE SURE THESE LOCKS ARE AS SHINY AS EVER! JUST FOR THAT I'LL LET YA BE MY NEW GROUPIE!" he yelled out in that oh so annoying voice of his.
"No thank you." Juvia responded flatly as her hand morphed into liquid and she waved it in front of her and released a sharp blade of water "Water Slicer" she called out
The blades of water went flying at the Trinity Raven member and he smirked and yelled triumphantly as he waved his hair and absorbed the blades of water easily. He smiled again and mocked the Water Mage for her efforts "WHAT'D I TELL YA BABY! WATER AIN'T GONNA WORK ON ME! JUST GONNA MAKE MY HAIR SILKIER AND SHINIER!" he roared.
"Just testing something." The water woman answered as her hand morphed into a liquid state and started getting longer. She lifted her arm up and created a whip that obliterated the columns and ceiling above the dark mage "Water Cane" she yelled out.
If her water abilities weren't going to do anything against him, then let's see how he fairs against rock. "THAT'S WHAT I CALL ROCKIN!" he screamed as he whipped his head around and his hair traveled with such ferocity that it shattered through the stone and rock like it was made from tinfoil. The rubble fell around him harmlessly and he stuck his tongue out and let it wiggle "GOTTA BE QUICKER THAN THAT, BABY!" he yelled out to them.
Juvia furrowed her eyes in irritation, "This is becoming tiresome." Juvia groaned in annoyance.
"Then let me try!" Lucy offered as she stepped up to her side and pulled out a golden key to show her "If this guy can negate your attacks, let's see how he handles mine." Lucy said as she held the shiny key out, there was a resounding click through the air, and she called out, "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull, Taurus" she said as she called upon the spirit.
A golden light appeared in the form of a humanoid man before it disappeared and it revealed a massive cow man carrying a golden ax. He exclaimed, "Mooooooooo, I'm here to protect Lucy-san and her friend's sexy bodies!" he declared.
Juvia blinked in surprise at seeing the same cow that reduced her to a puddle a few weeks earlier, "That's quite strange." she said.
Lucy groaned, "It's a double-edged sword using him." she said, but Lucy immediately perked up and motioned towards the annoying assassin "Taurus, show this guy who he's messing with!" she ordered the spirit.
"Moooooooo! You got it Lucy-san!" Taurus rushed forward and swung his ax out at Vidaldus as the rocker panicked and jumped back to avoid getting hit. Taurus reared his weapon back and grinned, "You aren't getting away from me that easily!" Taurus declared.
"WOOOOAH!" The Trinity Raven member gasped in surprise as the massive ax swung around him in an attempt to slash him. He stuck out his tongue, "YOU'RE CRAZY MAN! I BET YOU'D MAKE SOME AWESOME FURNITURE WITH ALL THAT LEATHER!" he yelled loudly.
A vein started to pulse in anger on Taurus' head and he yelled furiously, "MOOOOOOOOO! I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU WALK AWAY FOR THAT ONE, ASSHOLE!" he yelled at him.
Juvia watched in slight amazement at the strange hulking figure that attacked their enemy with such ferocity. She spoke lightly while watching the fight, "Your friend is surprisingly monstrous." she said.
Lucy gave a small, solemn nod as she tried not to smirk "At least it's working to stop that guy." she said.
"HEY! HOW'S THIS FAIR?! THREE ON ONE IS JUST TOO MUCH!" The panic and worry in his voice was very obvious now before it was suddenly replaced by a very cocky assurance. "GUESS I'M JUST GONNA NEED A LITTLE SLAVE OF MY OWN!" he yelled out. Before they could do anything else, Vidaldus started strumming his guitar with a wild flick of his hair before finally landing on the last note, "YEEEEAAAAHHHH! ROCK OF SUCCUBUS!" he yelled out. The note was so loud and powerful that it echoed through every brick and rock down the hallway. Lucy had to cover her ears because she thought she'd go deaf otherwise. The music finally died down and she lowered her hands to see that nothing had happened or occurred after he had yelled.
Taurus was looking around in confusion as Lucy asked, "Huh? Did-did he do something? I can't see. Juvia, did you see something?" she asked her partner.
"..." she didn't get a reply.
Lucy looked over and saw Juvia with her head hung down enough to shadow her eyes from view. In fact, her entire outfit had changed from what she was wearing just a moment ago. What had once been a coat that covered her body almost entirely had become an outfit revealing her midriff and cleavage for all to see. Lucy blinked in bewilderment and asked, "Juvia-" she said in confusion.
"Hehe!" Juvia giggled menacingly before sprinting forward and letting her arms turn into streams of water. Taurus heard the rushing footsteps behind him and looked back just in time to get dual-whipped across his chest, "WATER CANE" the blue haired woman yelled out.
"A-AGHHH!" he screamed in pain.
"Taurus!" Lucy screamed in worry to the brash but very powerful spirit. The Celestial Spirit's body glowed yellow and disappeared in a cloud of light before he even hit the ground.
Lucy stared in horror after watching her spirit return through his gate to heal before looking past the light and at her partner. Her posture was more relaxed, her hair was unraveled and wavy, and her skin was paler than it was before. Juvia stood in front of Vidaldus like some sick mirror image and cackled, "HAHAHAHA! WHAT'S UP YOU SLUT! JUVIA LOCKSER, THE NUMBER ONE BITCH OF THE GREAT VIDALDUS TAKA, HAS COME TO SPILL SOME BLOOD! HAHAHA!" he laughed in glee.
Lucy shivered in fright seeing the girl change so drastically in the blink of an eye and shook her head. Her confusion suddenly turned to anger as she looked over and glared at the man that just laughed and played his guitar, "This is your fault, you sicko! What did you do to her?!"
"IT'S MY ROCK OF SUCCUBUS!" Vidaldus answered before whipping his hair around wildly, "I PLAY A LITTLE SONG AND I CAN FORCE ANY LADY OF MY CHOICE TO BE MY NEW CONCUBINE! AND SEEING AS THAT WATER GIRL LOOKED SO INNOCENT AND LONGING, I JUST HAD TO HAVE HER BE MINE! SO I DID!" He smiled and turned to his new groupie to look her over objectively, lingering on her curves and body figure before matching the creepy grin on her face with his own, "AND WE ARE GONNA ROCK THIS WORLD!"
Lucy shook with unrestrained anger for the psychopath that had manipulated her teammate and growled out, "You're a freak. And the worst kind of scum in the world!" she yelled at the assassin.
"WOAH BABY, HOLD ON! DON'T GET ME ALL HOT IN THE CROTCH WITH YOUR WORDS! I HAVE A GIRL OF MY OWN NOW, YOU KNOW!" he said. He gave her a evil smirk before turning his back on her and playing his guitar, "AND SHE IS A JEALOUS LITTLE BITCH!" he yelled.
Juvia cackled and sprinted forward at Lucy who couldn't back away in time before the possessed Water Mage got within a foot of her. Lucy could only gasp before Juvia laughed and struck her stomach with a whip of water. Lucy doubled over and cried in pain, "AHHHHHH!" she yelled in pain.
"HOHOHO HAHAHA!" Juvia's chortle barely drowned out Lucy's scream before the succubus continued. "THAT'S RIGHT! KEEP SCREAMING BABY!" she yelled. She swung her arm down again and struck Lucy's arms and legs until parts of them went red "THE BOSS GETS HIS MUSING FROM THE SCREAMS OF LITTLE WHINERS LIKE YOU!" she yelled out.
Lucy could barely move as a stinging sensation went up her arms and legs from the whipping. She felt tears start filling in the corners of her eyes as the blue-haired woman continued to laugh and strike her. Lucy desperately covered herself to avoid more injury before making a move and reaching for her keys- "NOPE NOT HAPPENING SWEETHEART!" Juvia yelled as she slammed her foot into the blonde's stomach and sent her sliding across the floor. Lucy gasped in pain and tried to catch her breath. Her vision tunneled a bit and she saw her keys had slipped off her belt and laid on the ground a foot behind her enslaved attacker. The Celestial Mage tried to lift herself up but was immediately slapped across the face by the possessed girl "CAN'T LET YOU GO UNTIL THE BOSS HAS HIS INSPIRATION!" she yelled in Lucy's face grinning all the while at her immense pain.
Lucy struggled on the ground and tried to steady herself up to her knees. She gasped for air, feeling like her lungs were still on fire, and mumbled under her breath, "J-Juvia, y-you have to fight this guy's control. You can't-" she started to say, but Juvia interrupted her. "CAN'T HEAR YOU!" she roared. The Water girl slammed her water whip down on Lucy's back and made her topple to the ground. Lucy kept her scream muffled through her teeth, knowing that if she let it out it would just stir the psycho on to force Juvia to attack her more.
Lucy writhed on the ground and tried to look up, "Please Juvia. I-I know you aren't doing this of your own w-will, b-but please try-" she begged her partner.
"YOU CAN KEEP TRYING BUT IT'LL AMOUNT TO TOTAL SHIT IN THE END!" Vidaldus said as he danced mockingly a few feet behind them while he laughed. "I'M IN HER HEAD! MAKING HER DANCE AND SUCCUMB TO HER MOST SALACIOUS AND DARKEST THOUGHTS! SHE'S A BAD GIRL! AND SHE LIKES DOING BAD THINGS! RIGHT BABY!" he roared excitedly.
"RIGHT!" Juvia responded eagerly as she reached down and grabbed Lucy by the top of her hair, eliciting a yelp of pain as Lucy was forced onto her knees by the harsh pull on her hair.
The blond moaned in pain before looking up at the girl that kept a hold on her. She gave a small shake of her head, "N-no. I don't know a lot about you Juvia, but I know you aren't a cruel person. Y-you wouldn't do this just for fun." Lucy carefully reached up and held the hand that grabbed her hair but merely gave a comforting squeeze. "He's making you do this Juvia. You tried to help us. You came here to help us save Erza because you knew it was right. And I know it's just this guy making you do these things." she said. Lucy squeezed the hand holding her hair and felt her voice hitch, "I'm...I'm sorry I'm not strong enough to save you from this, Juvia. I'm so sorry." she told the blue haired woman.
"PFFT!" Vidaldus scoffed and ridiculed the blonde for her words and pointed at the back of his wench "IF YOU'RE TRYIN' TO APPEAL TO HER 'Humanity', THEN YOU OUGHTA KNOW I DROWNED THAT SHIT WAY DOWN IN HER SUBCONSCIOUSNESS! SHE DOES WHAT SHE WANTS, WHEN SHE WANTS, TO WHOEVER AND WHATEVER SHE WANTS NOW! RIGHT BABY?!" he yelled out.
Vidaldus waited for an answer but didn't get one as he raised an eyebrow in confusion. Lucy looked up at the girl that held her captive and was startled to see that despite the vicious grin on her face, there were tears filling Juvia's eyes and spilling down her cheeks. Lucy looked up in defeat, knowing she couldn't do anything to help her new friend like this and felt tears fill her eyes as well, "I'm sorry Juvia." she said looking down.
Vidaldus clicked his tongue in annoyance before laughing, "WHATEVER! LET'S GET BACK TO THE SHOW! JUVIA BABY, BEAT THAT BITCH UNTIL-" but then-
*Bang* "-AHH!" The Trinity Raven member stumbled forward and yelled in pain as a horrible sting and burning sensation ran through his shoulder. His right arm went lax and he looked down to see a bloody exit wound form on his shirt. He looked in complete bewilderment at the injury and stuttered, "W-what the-" he said in bewilderment.
"Well hot damn. I guess I got hit harder than I thought I did." a familiar voice said catching their attention.
They looked back to see the block-shaped man in the snappy suit with his revolver out and a smoking barrel. His clothes were disheveled, he had dry blood down his chin, and his glasses were missing from his face as he spun the gun over his finger, "I usually hit my targets way better than that when I try." Wally said.
Vidaldus turned around while clutching the wound on his shoulder and muttered weakly, "Y-you! You're one of Jellal-sama's dogs! W-what are you doing?! AREN'T YOU WORKING WITH JELLAL TOWARDS THE SAME GOAL?!" he yelled at the block man.
Wally gave a conflicted expression before holstering his gun and tipping his hat to the rocker "I'm not quite sure what Jellal is aiming for anymore. And I'm not sure we're aiming for the same thing. But I do know one thing..." he said as he glared at the sadistic rocker with pure disdain "I, as a humble and respectful guy, can't stand idly by and watch a creep enslave one girl to beat her friend. Just ain't our style." he told him.
"Multi-grab" another familiar voice called out. Suddenly both Vidaldus and Juvia were captuered by two Nekōsoku Tubes that restricted their moves. Juvia couldn't escape with her Water Body and Vidaldus couldn't channel his magic to his hair to protect himself. Panic started to fill his eyes as he looked over and saw the young cat-girl walk out from behind a pillar to stand by Wally's side.
The Trinity Raven member realized he was in a bind as Wally asked "Now...what should we do with you?" with a small smirk on his face.
"I know what to do." Lucy said as she stood. Vidaldus shivered and turned around to see Lucy force herself up to her feet and grab her keys. He sweated in fear and tried to free himself but felt the rubber tube around him tighten until he couldn't move. Lucy carefully picked up her Golden Keys, ignoring the pain in her limbs, and held out one key, "Open, Gate of the Crab, Cancer" she called out.
Another bright light filled their eyes before a tanned man in a buttoned shirt with crab legs on his back and a crab hair style appeared. A pair of scissors spun in the air before he grabbed them and spoke in a silky voice, "What can I be doing for you today Lucy, shrimp?" he asked his master and what he considered friend.
"Cancer, I need you to cut the strings of his guitar." Lucy said and then met Vidaldus' frightful eyes with a rather stoic gaze. The blonde smirked and shrugged her shoulders "And give him a nice shave too while you're at it. He needs one." she said pointing to the man's hair.
"N-no, not my do! NOT MY-" the assassin cried out.
"Got it, shrimp." Cancer said and got to work. *Sching*Sching* The strings on the guitars gave one last dying tone before they were cut in half. The Trinity Raven member didn't even get a chance to scream before all of his luscious hair was cut and removed from his head in an instant after. He stood there with his jaw agape as his newly bald head shined in the light.
Lucy pointed to the girl beside her, "Cancer, can you cut her loose please." she told the spirit.
"You got it. shrimp" he responded.
The Celestial Spirit dashed forward and cut the magical restraining tubes to shreds before they fell to the ground. The moment they fell, Lucy could clearly see that Juvia's clothes and skin color had returned to normal. The Water Mage blinked in surprise and looked down at her hands before looking up at Lucy. The Fairy newbie gave her a quick nod, "I thought you'd like to do the honors." she told the blue haired girl.
Juvia immediately turned around and sent a spiteful glare at the man that had controlled her like a puppet. Vidaldus cowered under the girl's angered gaze and couldn't retreat back as the tube tightened around him dangerously causing him to grunt in pain. The ex-Phantom wizard stood up and slowly stalked her way towards him as he pleaded "C'mon baby, d-don't look at me like that. W-we had fun, right? It must've felt so liberating to be bad like that, right? You can't say you didn't-" he begged her, but she wouldn't give him the luxury of winning her over... not this time.
"Shut. Up." she growled Juvia's hands liquified.
"Uh oh." he said.
"WATER SLICER" Juvia called out. Several new blades of water went flying at the loud assassin and sliced the tube and his chest up rapidly. He let out a quick scream of pain before passing out and falling harshly on his back. The remaining people looked at the assassin with contempt before letting him rot there on the ground.
"Ah!" Cancer returned through his gate and Lucy fell to her knees as the pain she had ignored had come rushing back.
"Lucy-san!" Juvia exclaimed as she quickly came running to her side and kneeled down to check on her. She looked her over in worry that she had been grievously injured. "A-are you okay? Did Juvia break anything? Can you still move?" she asked the blond.
"Y-yeah, I'll be okay." Lucy said as she tried to give a confident smile but to no avail as she flinched from the aching in her lungs. She took a moment to breathe slowly and regain the feeling in her chest after the beating she had taken.
Juvia was horrified at the injuries she had made and the pain she had caused the blonde spirit user. Even if she wasn't in control of her actions-even if she was screaming in the back of her head to stop-this was her doing. She was responsible for Lucy's suffering right now. She lowered her head in shame and apologized, "L-Lucy-San, Juvia is sorry." Juvia said quietly.
Lucy looked up at her, "Juvia, it's okay. This wasn't your fault." Lucy told her.
"But Juvia still did this. She hurt you and laughed over your cries of pain." Juvia's shoulders slumped and her voice became quiet. "This is the same thing that happened during the Guild War. Juvia thought she...she thought she had moved past this. She didn't want to hurt people anymore for no reason. She didn't want to be a part of so much pain like that ever again. J-Juvia thought if she could help herse-prove herself to all of you-then maybe you would let her join your guild. But...but that was just foolish. It was a stupid dream Juvia is forcing on all of you. She was-" she started to cry.
"Juvia." The blue-haired woman looked up from her depression and saw a sweet and kind smile on Lucy's face, "You are our friend. And I forgive you for everything that happened in the war." She tilted her head and grinned, "I know you'll have a lot of fun at Fairy Tail. So smile. Please." she asked the woman.
Juvia swallowed the lump in her throat as tears filled her eyes. Her shoulders shook and her breathing started to shudder before she gave a small nod. She lowered her head in gratitude and mumbled out between her sobs, "T-thank you." she said quietly.
Lucy smiled and nodded before she heard footsteps over the sound of Juvia's hiccuping. She looked up to see Erza's friends walking down the hallway. She perked up and yelled to them, "H-hey wait! Don't go, please!" she exclaimed.
Wally and Milliana stopped and looked between each other before turning back to them, "What is it?" Wally asked her.
"Thank you for helping us. But why?" she asked him.
Wally turned away from them, "I already said. I can't just watch two ladies hurt each other like that. It's just not my way." he said tipping his hat at her.
Milliana seemed a lot more reserved and muttered quietly "I hurt you guys because I thought I was helping my friends by doing so. I guess...I guess that isn't true anymore." she said quietly before Wally patted her shoulder and the two friends turned back and walked further down the hallway.
Juvia called out, "Where are you going?" she asked them.
"To get a boat. Get off this island. Or just wait for the light to shine down and make everything go black. We don't know yet." he said shrugging.
Juvia and Lucy looked between each other and the blonde thought intensely before asking, "Can you help me up?" she asked.
Juvia nodded, "What do you want to do?" Juvia responded.
"We can trust Gray to help Natsu. And Naruto will definitely win. Erza is handling Jellal. So I guess...we need to help her friends." Lucy said. Juvia just nodded her head and they started to make their ways to their objective.
And that is an officail wrap... Anyways leave a review and I will see you all on the flipside peace out.