The skies above Fiore were dark and cloudy, signifying an incoming storm. The Client stood on the rooftops of Magnolia, a wide grin on his face. He acquired just about all the magic in Fiore and he didn't even have to lift a single finger. He just had to wait and watch as the mages took out one another in the hopes they would be the one to save the country from this tyrant who wished to wield all of Fiore's magic for himself. Jellal arrived on the rooftops, staring at The Client's back. "So, you're the last mage remaining?" The Client questioned before turning around, giving Jellal a wide grin. "What else to expect from a former Wizard Saint?"
"I'm not here for idle talk." Jellal spoke as a gentle breeze passed by. "I'm here to put an end to this charade."
"But of course…" The Client gave an understanding nod. "After all, you fought all day just to make it here to me. You know, once I obtain that Heavenly Body magic of yours…I don't think there will be a mage in the world that can stop me. And with the runes I've set in town, I don't believe anyone will be able to interfere…not that they'd be able to anyway."
"We'll see about that." Jellal said while shifting into a battle ready position. The final battle was here and it was all up to him to restore Fiore's magic. What an ironic situation…with their battle silently announced to start, Jellal quickly swiped his hand horizontally, causing the rooftops to shatter and break violent; he was attempting to bring The Client down with the last few remaining spells in his arslyenal, and he would be holding nothing back. "Abyss Break!"
"Whoa…!" The Client's eyes widened as the rooftops began to shatter, but he wasn't worried. Wings sprouted from his back and took him into the air; the Fairy Magic taken from Evergreen was coming into play. With Abyss Break completely avoided, The Client then returned fire, unleashing a multitude of bullets down at Jellal. "Come now, don't tell me that's all you've got!"
"Tch…!" The saint grit his teeth in slight annoyance. He didn't expect The Client to evade his attack, but with all the magic he had up his sleeve, it should've come as no surprise. With the bullets of Fairy Magic raining down on him, the golden aura exploded around his body and he took off to the sky to meet with The Client in the air, zig zagging along to make himself harder to hit.
"This is my domain now, don't you know?" The Client spoke with a widening grin; arms raised and quickly threw them down, releasing two whirlwinds that converged into one, now raising towards Jellal at a rapid pace. "Sky Dragon's Wing Slash!"
"Guh!?" Jellal was speeding forward too quickly to stop his momentum. As a result he was caught within the fierce gale, now being thrown back down towards the rooftops. He stood back up, but as soon as he did The Client was running forward with the strength enchanment magic Kanade had, now aiming a powerful punch at Jellal's face. Oh. He knew that punch and he didn't want to take another one of those. He quickly shifted to the side, but The Client's knuckle grazed his cheek and created a cut; the slight contact was also enough to send Jellal tumbling down the roofs onto the stone road below, wincing in pain after he landed. This situation was not boding well for him…
"Don't tell me this is all you have to offer? I must say, I'm starting to get a little disappointed…" The Client touched down on the ground; the clouds overhead began to darken and a heavy downpour ensured.
"Rain…?" Jellal mumbled before standing back up, once again swiping his hand forward to unleash arrows of Heavenly Body magic directly at The Client, all of them converging onto the villain at once for a moderately sized explosion. Jellal could only wait to see if his attack was a success.
"So close." The Client's voice came from the smoke. Suddenly, a bolt of lightning dropped down from the sky onto the sinner to smite him from above. A scream of pain escaped Jellal's throat and considering he was wet from the rain, he only took more damage from the bolt of lightning. With smoke wavering from his body, Jellal fell onto his back.
"Ngh…" The injured saint attempted to sit up, but several blades conjured from Erza's requip magic stabbed into his clothing, keeping him pinned to the ground.
"So, so close…" The Client grinned while holding a blade to Jellal's neck. "But your efforts just were not enough!"
Jellal's hair created a shade over his eyes…but that didn't hide the tiny smirk that was barely visible on his lips. "I had a feeling this may happen…but I came prepared…"
To that, The Client tilted his head curiously. "What…?"
"Takeru, now…!" Jellal exclaimed.
On that cue, Jellal's shadow moved out from under him. Takeru emerged from the darkness, pointing his arm forward with was radiating with acid and shadow magic. "This one's you, bastard! Shadow Dragon's Acidic Beam!" From Takeru's arm, a powerful beam of shadows and acid shot out, corroding the ground it traveled over as it struck The Client, sending him soaring across town with the sheer force of it. After that, Takeru fell to a knee and over from magic exhaustion.
It didn't take too long for The Client to recover after such a powerful blow. He returned, looking just as pissed off as he was hurt. Jellal was still pinned by the swords so he intended to finish this quickly. "Lightning Dragon's…" Lightning began to surge around The Client's body before…it cut out completely. The magic was gone. "W-What the…!?" The runes around town also began to disperse slowly…this was going out of The Client's control. "W-What's happening!? Where is my magic going!?"
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"Giehehe…" Gajeel withdrew his Iron Dragon's Sword after just having shattered several lacrima hidden in a forest in the south. These Lacrima contained several types of magic that belonged to many mages along the country, Laxus and Freed included. "Looks like Levy was right on the money…that magic had to go somewhere, and that amount of magic going into a body all at once without breaking it down was very suspicious…"
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"Steady…" Chelia closed one eye shut while her tongue stuck out her mouth, taking aim at several lacrima floating around in the east. She pulled the bowstring back on her magic bow and let several arrows of wind fly; each arrow shattered a lacrima and the magic returned to Raven, Sting, Lyon, Rogue, Minerva, Kagura, and Bickslow.
"I feel my strength returning…!" Lyon exclaimed with a wide grin, the cold chilling aura Ice Makers were known for radiating off his body.
"You're totally the best, Chelia!" Raven said with a firm nod and a thumbs up. "I didn't think I'd ever miss my magic this much…" He practically hugged himself now that he felt whole again.
"I was careless last time…" Sting said with a shake of his head. "But I will ensure nothing like this happens ever again…"
"I agree…" Minerva didn't speak much. She was still seething that she allowed herself to be tricked so easily, but for now, she would be content with the return of her magic.
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"That sly bastard…" Luke had to give The Client props for the hiding place of the lacrimas just higher up the mountains where White Eclipse resided. "Hiding this shit right behind our backs…!" The lacrimas were broken, so the magic returned to the White Eclipse mages. The rainbow of magic emanating from the various mages was just another show of how strong they really were.
"Not a bad place to hide…" Cygnus admitted. "But I'd rather not be losing my magic ever again."
"Don't be so careless." Heather merely shook her head.
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A small group from Fairy Tail was in the east, having just finished destroying all of the lacrima that remained. "You were right on the money, Levy!" Mirajane clasped her hands together as the lost magic returned to those who had lost it. "Incredible!"
"It was nothing…!" Levy said with a confident nod and grin. "After I figured out the flow of magic, it was only a matter of time until it all made sense!"
"I dunno exactly what she's talking about…" Natsu said while rubbing the back of his head before his flames flared around his body. "But it feels great to be all fired up again! I'm ready to kick some ass, let's go!"
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"A-All my magic…it's gone!?" The Client was beginning to panic. His carefully laid out game was crumbling and he wasn't sure how this was happening. In his confusion, Racer sped forward and slammed a fist right into The Client's Jaw, sending him spiraling into the ground due to the momentum the speed mage carried.
"Too slow." Racer quipped with a grin.
Ultear and Meredy soon appeared, quickly pulling the swords from the ground to free Jellal. "I swear, you can't do much of anything without us around, can you?" Ultear spoke while shaking her head, yet there was a smile on her lips for seeing that Jellal was okay and managed to hold out this long.
"I'm certainly glad to have your assistance…" Jellal admitted before standing back up. "But for now, I advise you clear the area. This is going to get a little messy."
"You don't have to tell us again…" Meredy nodded, quickly exiting town with Ultear and the others.
The Client slowly brought himself up; still reeling from the fact he lost all of the magic he managed to steal throughout the entire day. He was just a magicless human now in the face of a man who far exceeded him otherwise. "W-Wait…let's just try and talk about this….!"
"The time for talking is over." Jellal's tone was stern. "You will be suffering the highest sentence…and your judge will be the seven stars." Just above in the cloudy skies, there were seven glimmers of light that shone brightly. "GRAND CHARIOT!" From above, seven beams of light dropped down violent on The Client, creating a massive shockwave. The only thing that could be heard was The Client's loud scream as he was consumed by the light of the seven stars….
Afterwards, Jellal fell to a knee, groaning loudly from the injuries he sustained throughout the day. But he could rest at long last for he did what he set out to do. "I hope…I've made it one step closer…to achieving atonement…"
The Fight for Fiore was finally over…
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Marde Geer held the book of END in his hands, casually walking to what was just an open field near Onibus. It was empty, so what business did he truly have there? "Human emotion is truly a complex thing…" He was talking to himself, there wasn't a soul around that could hear him. "Quite useless as well, for Marde Geer has no need for emotion." He then knelt down before a pile of stone, giving a slight smile. "But to think, human emotion is what prevented you from emerging victorious in a fight you could've won. To save the life of a child that isn't even guaranteed to be brought into this world." He began scooping up the stones into his hand, making sure to grab even the smallest pebble. "I wonder, what possessed you to do this?" After he was finished, the demon king stood up and began to walk off. "Oh, but worry not…I understand that human emotion is the crucial flaw in those insects, the one thing that makes them weak. But worry not, young Cynthia Rose. When Marde Geer is finished with you, you will not have to worry about having those weak emotions any longer."
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Next Time: The Aftermath.