Part 20
Hecate and Bifrost were standing in the center of the arena. Looking at each other. Hecate had a nonchalant look on her face and Bifrost… well no one could tell. But his body wasn't tense but he wasn't relaxed either. He was obviously trying to read the woman in front of him. Every wizard in the arena could feel the power rolling off of her. Immense dark power. Around her waist she today wore a belt. Yukino and Lucy gasped when the lacrima zoomed in to show what it was. It was keys! Was she a celestial wizard?! If that was the case then she clearly didn't own any of the Zodiac keys. So what chance did she have against someone like Bifrost? Chapati was looking at the members of the Rune Mage Council.
"He is a Rune Mage", Lotus answered the unasked question. "But we know not who he is and the runes he uses are not known by any on our council. He is powerful. More powerful than the council together. The speed he has when writing his runes is out of this world. Mistress Athena herself couldn't do it. We are not sure if it really is Rune magic though. This is something else."
Chapati and Yajima shuddered at that. If Bifrost used runes but was as powerful as Lotus said… then what was he really? Hecate didn't seem to care about what the judges were saying. She raised her small key bag and showed it to Bifrost.
"These are not any of those weak Celestial Spirit keys", she said and Lucy and Yukino felt enraged. Natsu was enraged and started yelling at her, not that she cared. "These are the seven keys of Hell."
"You say it as if that should scare me", Bifrost replied calmly. "I'll even let you call your first one to see what I am up against."
"Well aren't you the gentleman", Hecate said with a small laugh and pulled out the first black key and held it aimed towards the ground. "From the first level I call the motorcyclist whose violent nature turned him into a demon. His anger at himself and the world causes him to lash out, so that everyone else will suffer as well. Come through the gate of dignity, Hell Biker!"
A dark magic seal appeared on the ground and out of it came a motorcycle and on top of it sat a man dressed in leather but his head was not that of a man. It was a skull. Makarov felt his eyes widen. Never in his life did he believe he'd see one of the Fiends of Hell! Never did he believe that a girl would own the whole set of keys. This could get really dangerous. Hopefully she'd defeat Bifrost quickly and would not have to call stronger demons.
Hell Biker looked around, as if he was searching for something. He was. He was looking for the power the missing power that would release the true power of Hell and Chaos. The key of Sovereignty was his target. But that key was missing and would forever stay missing, hopefully. Hell Biker looked around.
"I can feel immense power", he said and his eyes landed on Bifrost. "It's you isn't it? You know where it is? Be a good boy and tell me and then I'll take you to a world without limits." He steered his bike towards Bifrost but Bifrost didn't move a muscle. Hell Biker laughed.
"Hell Spin", he yelled and turned the bike around and flames came towards Bifrost. Bifrost raised his hand and a rune shield appeared. Nothing came through it.
"You're the first to keep up with me", Hell Biker said. "But can you handle this?" Hell Biker gathered dark energy around himself.
"Are you quite finished?" Bifrost asked. "I don't have time to play with you?" he raised his hand at Hell Biker and runes appeared all around the demon. "These runes are banning the existence of cocky biker demons on this plain."
With a furious roar Hell Biker's gate was forced close and he vanished. The audience cheered. Makarov and the other masters were all stunned. Hecate looked stunned as well. She hadn't expected him to beat her demon that fast! She growled and put the key away and pulled out four almost identical keys.
"I hope you are ready for this", she said. "I shall unleash the four riders of Apocalypse onto you!"
"Can you be more dramatic?" Bifrost asked. Hecate gritted her teeth and kneeled on the ground.
"From the second level I call one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. He rides on a white horse and carries a bow. He was given a crown and is bent on conquest. Come through the gate of Compassion, White Rider! From the third level I call one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. He rides on a red horse and holds a great sword. He has the power to take peace from the earth and make men to kill each other. Come through the gate of Insight, Red Rider! From the fourth level I call upon one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. He rides on a black horse and holds a scale in his hands. He causes famine, starving people to death, but leaves the luxuries intact. Come through the gate of Wisdom, Black Rider! And finally I call from the fifth level one of the four horsemen of the apocalypse. He rides on a pale horse, and Hades follows behind it. In his hand he holds the scythe of Death. Come through the gate of Majesty, Pale Rider!"
Bifrost took a step back when four horses with four riders appeared in front of him. Many in the audience screamed in fear but the demons only had their eyes on Bifrost. White Rider sat on a white horse. The horse's body covered with eyes. White Rider held a bow in his hand. He too had a skull instead of an ordinary head and his fingers were those of a skeleton. He was dressed in a black hooded robe and on top of that robe was a golden crown.
"Well met", he spoke. "You who once was human. The moment you were born fate started to spin."
The second rider rode a blood red horse. He was dressed in a black robe and held a sword in his right hand. He as well had the body of a skeleton.
"Time is a loop that repeats itself", he said. "But we serve the fallen angel in order to rise above that fate. You wish for the same thing, do you not?"
"Not really no", Bifrost replied, sounding a little scared.
The next rider sat atop a black horse and he held scales in his hand. His skeleton body was dressed in a black robe.
"We know that thou art on a quest", he said. "Given to you by one so powerful we dare not face alone. We the four knights of death, have not what thy seekest. Thine soul shall be ours, if thou canst triumph over us."
The fourth rider held a large scythe in his hand and sat atop a pale horse. The air around him was darker than the other three combined. Dressed in the same type of robes he hid most of his skeleton body within.
"Enemy of our caller", he said. "You have conquered a number of battles to reach here. Do you have the resolve to face us in battle?"
Bifrost looked up at his guild, then at the sky and then back at the four riders.
"I do", he said and raised his hands.
"Even if it may cost you what is left of your humanity?" this Pale Rider aimed at Hecate and she looked confused.
"I'm not doing battle with you, you idiot", she yelled. "He is! Attack him!"
The four riders looked between them and all charged. Pale Rider and Black Rider charged at Hecate while the other two charged at Bifrost. Bifrost looked shocked for a moment but then all of a sudden Pale Rider and Black Rider decided to listen to a yelling Hecate. They charged as well. Bifrost dodged and put up barriers around himself. The four riders couldn't break through them. He looked up and Hecate could feel the anger aimed at her from the all the way across the arena.
"You are playing a dangerous game little girl", Bifrost growled and glowing runes appeared in two lines and he gripped them like swords. "I will stop this madness… now." With that he left his barriers and started walking towards her. White Rider fired an arrow at him but he used his "rune swords" to slash it aside. Then he jumped up and cleaved the demon in two. It screamed and disappeared back to the place it came from. Bifrost landed in a crouch but slowly got up when the other demons came towards him.
"I'm so tired of people thinking I only do support magic and barriers", Bifrost growled and met the strike from both Pale Rider and Red Rider. He glared at the two demons and a fierce fencing battle broke out.
"Whoa he could rival you Erza", Gajeel said and stared in awe at the whirlwind of swords down in the arena.
"Wind Cutter", Red Rider called and a powerful wind followed his sword's slash. But Bifrost made a strange type of vault in the air that had Alzack shot out of his seat and grip a hold of the wall in front of him tightly.
"He sliced through my wind magic", he whispered at the same time that Red Rider roared the same thing. Alzack's hand went to rub at his throat.
"What's going on", Red Rider yelled after gripping his own throat tightly. "Can't breathe! This is impossible, what kind of magic is this!?" He and his horse collapsed onto the ground. Bifrost turned and looked at them.
"Those that uses magic within this barrier will be robbed of oxygen", he said. "I created my swords outside of the barrier so I am safe. You on the other hand used your magic within them."
"Of course if you had bothered to read the enchantment you would've known that", Alzack said at the same time as Bifrost. Bifrost sighed heavily.
"How do they expect to defeat me when I'm the one who writes the rules?" he asked and turned to the other demons. "Now only two remain in this battle, such a pitiful display."
With those words said he stroke down Black Rider without difficulty and Pale Rider not long after that. Everyone was staring in awe at the man from Winter Solstice. Everyone had thought he was a cheater and a coward. But now he showed proof of real power and intelligence. Bisca and a few others were looking at her husband.
"Alzack", Max said. "How did you know what they were about to say?"
But Alzack didn't get a chance to answer as the entire stadium started screaming in panic. Hecate in a rage had pulled out her most powerful key. A key of a demon it was clear she couldn't control since it had already tried to kill her but Bifrost saved her at the last second. The judges stopped the match then. But Hecate refused to call back her demon.
"I'm going to destroy you!" She screamed at Bifrost and pushed him aside.
"That thing is gonna take us both with it!" Bifrost yelled furiously and created another enchantment to protect them. That he could create them in the blink of an eye impressed the Rune Mage Council as well as everyone else. It had taken Freed hours to write the enchantments that appeared during the battle of Fairy Tail. But this was something different. Bifrost jumped back when the giant demon crushed his enchantment shield with its staff. This demon was from level 9 and was the closest to Satan himself as you could get. He was the lord of the flies and he looked the part. He was about five meters tall and with a fly's body. His tongue was long and hung out of his mouth. His eyes were blood red. He had six legs, like a regular fly, and wings on his back. His body was blue and he had some protective armor atop his head and shoulders. He walked towards Bifrost in a high speed. Bifrost got up and then he was hit in the stomach by that staff and sent flying. He crashed into a statue and was unmoving.
"BIFROST!" his guild mates screamed. But Hecate started laughing hysterically because she noticed what had happened when Bifrost was knocked out cold. His face was visible. As well as the faces of the Winter Solstice. The lacrima working as a camera had been destroyed, Bifrost had crashed into it so no one else could see their faces. But Hecate had seen Bifrost's and now she was laughing like a maniac.
"I see you!" She screamed. "I see you!"
But her demon didn't go back to hell. Instead it started attacking the audience. Jura who was sitting at that section managed to protect them all with his rock shields. The judges were frantically trying to get Hecate to stop what she was doing. They had stopped the match ages ago, it felt like that anyway. But Hecate wasn't listening. She wasn't in control. She had lost her mind to the demon.
"Go Beelzebub", she laughed hysterically. "Go destroy them all!"
Beelzebub swung his staff towards the stands again. This time at the Fairy Tail stands. Everyone screamed and jumped out of the way. But Beelzebub hit Wendy and Carla.
"Carla!" Happy screamed.
"Wendy!" Lucy screamed. Wendy screamed as Beelzebub swung at the two of them again, fire coming out from his staff. She prepared to meet the pain and hugged Carla close to herself to protect her. But then she felt two arms around her.
"I got you!" a voice shouted over the roar in her ears and she felt how she was moved around at a high speed. She looked up but saw nothing but shadow underneath a hood. She saw that the one carrying her wore a jacket so she knew who it was. She looked around her and saw that she was across from where Beelzebub had attacked her. She was held bridal style by Booré and she could feel that he was pissed. He set her upright and turned to look over his shoulder.
"Snap out of it!" an annoyed voice shouted and Wendy moved around him to look. She saw Tundra shaking Bifrost. "This is no time to take a nap!" The trio of awake wizards looked up when Beelzebub was suddenly above them.
"Shit", Booré swore and gripped Wendy and Carla, jumping. Tundra slung Bifrost over his shoulder and jumped as well. Wendy gasped when she realized how high and far the two of them jumped. They landed where Fairy Tail had been standing just before.
"Okay now it's personal!" Tundra yelled. "Whoa!" The last he exclaimed when a massive power surge went through all three of them. Wendy felt lighter than air and Carla stirred in her arms. They were being healed! She turned her head and noticed that Bifrost was awake. He was glowing purple.
"Now I'm mad", he growled and stepped in front of Wendy and Carla. Bifrost and Booré was on either side of him. Carla looked up and gasped. She realized her vision was about to come true. The big demon in the center roared.
"Stay back", Booré said. "Let us handle this." His hand started glowing and a huge ice sword appeared there, it had a pink-purple hue. Bifrost used his runes to create a long spear and Tundra made and ice sword as well. Wendy watched them in awe as the three of them charged the giant demon. Suddenly her guild was all around her, asking her questions about her health and other things. But she wasn't really listening. Her eyes never left Winter Solstice. She had been wondering about the three before because their scents had been familiar. But now she was certain of it. She knew the three of them. Soon though other wizards joined into the fight but nothing seemed to work on the demon. Except from whenever Booré hit it with his ice sword.
"I've had enough of you", the demon yelled and swung his hand around widely, hitting a few wizards. Lucy, Evergreen and Natsu were three of them. Carla was shaking because her vision was coming true. Winter Solstice jumped and caught all three of them. Well… Bore caught Natsu by the hair and slammed him onto the ground. Tundra grabbed Lucy by her skirt and managed to tear it to pieces when he stopped her from hitting a wall. Bifrost had caught Evergreen carefully and made sure she was unharmed. He jumped aside with her but Beelzebub hit him and he rolled over the ground, protecting Evergreen with his own body. Tundra, Bickslow, Booré, Laxus, Gajeel and Jura got their fair share of the demon's wrath as well. But Winter Solstice got it worst. He was targeting them more than anything else. But the trio was fast and agile.
Bifrost jumped high into the air and landed in the stands. He carefully handed Evergreen off to Elfman and Mira. Then purple runes appeared in his hands. They looked as a staff and he used that to catapult himself at the giant demon. His feet hit it full force in one of the huge fly-eyes. The demon screamed and backed away from Erza and Wendy.
"I've had it with this pest!" Gajeel yelled and along with Laxus and Wendy he unleashed dragon's roars. But it had no effect. Beelzebub swung at them again. Laxus and Gajeel could jump aside but Wendy had injured her ankle in the battle. She screamed in fright but Carla came to her rescue. The two tumbled over the ground and when the big demon went for them again he hit a giant wall of ice and runes. Carla looked up and her eyes widened. Her vision was coming true. Winter Solstice were standing in front of her in trashed clothing and a few wizards were laying unconscious on the ground.
"I've had enough of this", Tundra growled. "He wants Hell on Earth? Let's give him Hell on Earth."
The three members of Winter Solstice nodded and held out one hand each, placing their hands on top of each other. They started glowing. Booré glowed with a light blue light, Tundra in a mint green hue and Bifrost in that dark purple light from before. Carla knew what was going on. It was a Unison Raid. The trio raised their hands and all of a sudden runes appeared all around Beelzebub and he tried to destroy them but it didn't happen. The runes started spinning around the demon and started freezing it. Beelzebub screamed in rage but was soon completely incased in ice.
"Okay… now what?" Sting asked as the mages from Sabertooth and Fairy Tail gathered at the huge iceberg's foot. Winter Solstice looked up at it.
"We need to reopen the hell gate", Bifrost said. There was an angry screech and all eyes turned to Hecate.
"You'll pay for that!" she screamed and pulled yet another key from her belt. But she never got to use it as Mars appeared behind her… and hit her in the head with the sword handle. Knocking her out. But the iceberg was still there. Mars bent down and took all the keys, then she flew over to her guild mates. She held them out to Bifrost and he looked at them.
"Think you can do it?" Booré asked.
"Maybe", Bifrost said and took them. "But since I'm not a demon summoner I need it to be… smaller."
"Some ice cubes coming right up", Tundra said and then turned around. "Laxus, Orga… a hand please?"
Laxus smirked and electricity sparkled all around him. Orga grinned widely. Booré and Bifrost backed up. Booré created a massive ice shield to cover all of them and Bifrost put up some runes. Levy hurriedly helped when she realized this would get messy. Orga, Laxus and Tundra smirked and raised their hands.
"Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist", Laxus yelled
"Lightning God's Charged Particle Cannon!" Orga yelled.
Tundra said nothing just extended his hand. Three lightning bolts hit the iceberg. Three different colored lightning bolts. One was yellow. One was black. One was mint green. The iceberg blasted into a lot of smaller pieces, some of them hitting the shield they were hiding behind. Booré looked at Bifrost and nodded. Bifrost took Beelzebub's key.
"I call upon the forces of darkness", he said. "Your servant has been led astray by the whims of a mortal. Bring him back to hell where he belongs. Open the gate of Godliness!"
Everyone around him saw a dark purple seal appear in front of them, outside of the ice shield. Everyone still left in the arena could feel the pure evil coming from the opened gate. Two massive hands stretched out and grabbed all the pieces of ice, slowly pulling them towards the opening. A third hand came out and reached for Hecate.
"No", Bifrost said. "She was led astray by power. You shall not take her." His body wavered and all of a sudden Bickslow sprung forward and gripped the key as well.
"You have no place here!" he yelled and the hand stopped moving but soon came closer again. Bifrost and Bickslow both growled darkly and put more of their energy into it. Bifrost glowed in dark purple while Bickslow glowed in dark green. They managed to slow the hand down but they couldn't stop it. Mira ran forward and grabbed the key as well. She glowed pink. The trio of dark mages tried to force the gate closed but even the three of them together couldn't close the gate. Instead darkness started to surround them.
"Mira!" Lisanna screamed in fright.
Then Eris was there. She took the key from the trio and raised it high.
"I the goddess of darkness and chaos on Earth command thee to let my servant be", she said. "You are the fallen angel. You have no place here. The gods have decided so. The laws and rules of the universe forbids thee from taking the living to where the dead sinners must dwell. Be gone and take all your satanic powers and demons with you." There was a black cloud engulfing everything and when it was clear… the sun shone again and the sky was blue.
There was no traces of ice or any other demons. Pluto was carrying Hecate in his arms and the rest of team Shadow Fang stood around them. Eris looked around.
"Shadow Fang is pulling out of the competition", she said and Natsu started screaming about it not being fair.
"Why", Makarov asked. She smiled.
"Your 'brats' are important to you", she said and walked over and caressed Hecate's cheek. "My children are important to me. I will do what I can to help her recover and to keep the council from executing her or whatever punishment they have in mind. She is young and was too eager to prove her worth." She then turned to Bickslow, Mira and Bifrost. "You are strong in dark arts. Should your hearts ever desire for it… you will have place amongst us."
"Thanks but no thanks", Bickslow said and pulled Bifrost and Mira close. "My babies, Mira, Frosty here and I are happy to be where we are. Right buddy?" he looked at Bifrost.
"Yes", Bifrost said. "Very much so." Bickslow grinned while Mira giggled and nodded.
"Well the offer still stands", Eris said and clapped her hands together. Darkness encircled her and her guild. The next second they were gone. Tundra, Bifrost and Booré all gathered around Mars.
"Nice working with you", Tundra said and looked at the sky. The next thing everyone knew was a flash and then Winter Solstice were gone as well. The other guilds started to leave as well. Leaving the cleaning up to the palace guards. Chapati was the only judge left and he decided to deliver the rankings after today. They were as follows:
1st: Winter Solstice 60 points
2nd: Sabertooth 32 points
3rd: Fairy Tail 28 points
4th: Lamia Scale 28 points
5th: Quatro Cerberus 20 points
6th: Blue Pegasus 7 points
7th: Mermaid Heel 3 points
TBC Bonus points to those who knows where I got Hell Biker and Company from :D I don't own them or made them up ;)