Chapter 25
Candor Exposure
Part III
Alrighty ladies and gentlemen, We now arrive at the epic final battle that's sure to make everyone shake in their boots. I will be posting an epilogue after this before I return to school. Also an announcement, the next arc will be a filler to gradually bring the story into the Tower of Heaven Arc. Although Rodin's one of the main characters, the filler will focus on the surprise that I will reveal so hope you're ready. Alright, let's get on with the carnage, enjoy.
Lastly, I do not own Fairy Tail or it's characters.
Venture Town
Abandon Section
The dawn slowly found its way across half the town, signaling the start of a new day. Though the rest of the town, especially the fabled abandoned district, stayed hidden. In the area, large parts of the unfinished building projects stood hollow. Most of the framework only had large pillars standing, covered with dust. Others didn't even have foundation, leaving only large sections of land.
With the initial rise in money with the casinos, construction left the more needy areas. Now what only stood was a forgotten reminder of what could've been.
Although now, it would serve a new purpose as the area began shaking violently. Near one of the construction sites, the vibrations shook aggressively. In an instant, a massive explosion erupted, bringing down everything around it.
The dust covered the hole what seemed like ages until one figure climbed out of it. After passing through, the person was none other than Angela, who had a large amount of dust on her body. She coughed, trying to get some out of her lungs. After checking to make sure that her feline companion wasn't harmed, she turned back to the hole.
Three more figures jumped out, landing a few feet away from her as they cleaned themselves off. It showed to be Galvin along with his two companions, Adrian Clark, and the man with the wolf-mask. The trio finished dusting themselves off as Adrian, still in his disguise, walked over.
Placing his palm on the ground, it glowed brightly, causing the ground itself to move. In a matter of seconds, the giant hole was now filled and back to normal.
"I still can't believe we managed to tunnel our way out, even with all those people," she remarked. The black-haired woman couldn't help but remember how incredible the masked men were.
Flashback
Arena
"Damn it! This isn't good, not one bit!" Angela yelled out, trying her best to stay standing. She looked over her shoulder and found the feline still attached, thanking the gods.
With Duke Marsh's trigger activated, there was only a limited amount of time for them. If they didn't evacuate soon, the entire cavern would fall right onto them. Though their choices were scarce at best.
With half of the audience unconscious and the other half crowding the exits. There wasn't much she or her companions could do.
"Ha!" The wolf-mask man scoffed, making the girl turn to him and glare. He opened his cloak, reaching into one of the inner pockets. After a few seconds, he pulled what looked like a deck of cards. They showed to be blank cards with gray details on the back. "Not exactly the brightest one, are you?"
The black-haired woman tightened her first in rage. She wanted nothing more than to wipe the smirk that she knew he had under the mask. Luckily, Galvin stepped in front of her, placing his hand on the woman's shoulder.
"Ignore him, he's just a prick, but he has a plan," he remarked.
"Indeed I do," he replied before throwing the cards high in the air. They scattered and began to float, each one spinning in a different direction. "You got our escape route planned?"
The attention now went to his ally, who placed two of his fingers on the ground. Both Galvin and Angela couldn't tell what he was doing, but all they could was wait and see. After a few seconds, the masked-man stood up and walked over to a nearby wall. He placed a hand on it and looked back.
"I can make the tunnel long enough to escape the blast. Get everyone, now!" he ordered.
His companion scoffed, extended his arm and pointing out two fingers forward. When he did, the cards stopped spinning and all lined up together.
"Collect."
After speaking that single word, the cards flew outward, multiplying into even more cards. Each one landed on a single unconscious person, and then an aura enveloped them. Within seconds, the bodies disappeared instantly into the cards themselves.
The once-blank cards now carried a single person in them, either unconscious or conscious. Before long, the cards started returning, housing all audience members that attended. By the time most of them returned, the wolf-masked male had three piles in his hands.
"Alright, got them all. Now we just need-"
Before he could finish, a large rumbling shook the arena. The force of it almost caused the ceiling bombs to fall down. When it stopped, everyone turned around to find that a large cavern was now formed. Complements of Adrian, who wiped his hands on his cloak.
"Alright, let's go!" Galvin remarked, running into it with his fellow companions going after. Before Angela could say anything, the hums of the bombs started getting louder
Before she know it, the black-haired woman's feet already got her into the cave. The further in they went, the darker it started to become. Knowing that she needed a light, Angela summoned only her aura to light the way.
A booming explosion echoed in the make-shift cavern, making the woman turn her head. She soon saw the firey explosions coming.
"Move! Now!"
Her bark made the others turn and realize what was coming. They mustered the strength and poured magic into their legs. Doing this, the group almost broke the sound barrier, running with everything they had.
Adrian turned his head and saw that the explosion wasn't stopping. He knew that there was only one chance to stop it. He skid to a halt and rushed towards it. He stopped and slammed both his palms into the ground, causing a wall of stone to shoot up.
When it collided, the wall soon started cracking across it. The force behind the explosion was incredible, almost like taking a punch from a steel hand. Though despite the power, Adrian kept it together and held his construct.
After a few seconds, the blast eventually died down, making the rumbling stop along with it. The only thing that echoed was the heavy breathing most of them were doing, especially Adrian.
The man pushed off from the ground, feeling incredible pain coursing through his arms. Despite that, the dragon-masked man looked over to the others, giving them a nod.
Now that the danger was over, they had to focus on finding a way out of there and back outside.
Present
After recalling the recent events, she looked around to get her bearings of the area. Before anything, a powerful explosion echoed through the area. Black light shined upward, causing the group to turn their attention to it. In mere seconds, another pillar of fire erupted with a second explosion.
A powerful gust of wind blew by, causing them to cover their eyes for protection. When it died down, they lowered their arms and looked on. Even without being near the site, both Galvin and Angela recognized the magic energy.
"Whoa... Is that really..."Galvin asked in awe.
"I think so.." Angela replied, amazed by how much power Rodin was pouring out. It wasn't nearly as strong like when they battled, but it reached around those heights.
"...Impressive." was the only word Adrian spoke up. Secretly, he wished that his son hadn't gained that much power, especially now. Though all he could was just pray and wait.
"...Rodin...What a show..off," A voice spoke out, making them all turn towards the source. From the pouch, Trixie finally woke up, trying her best to get out of the death-trap she was in. Without hesitation, the black-haired woman untied the knot around her chest. She then knelt down, allowing the feline to slide off and land on the ground.
Though when she did, a sharp pain jabbed her entire body. It was too strong for her, causing Trixie to fall on her knees.
"Are you okay?" Angela inquired, going over to check on the feline. All she got was a wave of her hand, insinuating that everything was alright.
"It'll take more than a little pain to put me down," Trixie remarked, getting back on her feet. She attempted to prove this by walking one step.
For all the tough talk, her small body gave the lie away. Even without showing it, the feline's legs were shaking, struggling to keep herself upward. Not only that, she grit her teeth, trying her best to move forward, only to stop and catch her breath.
"Whoa, where do you think you're going?" Angela remarked with shock. The feline attempted to take another step, only to fall down on both her knees.
"Where..do you think... I'm going?" Trixie retorted, breathing heavily between words. "That idiot needs me...I have to cheer...him...on."
The black-haired woman focused and called up Shatterpoint through both her palms. She pressed them against the feline, surrounding the feline with a blue aura. When she did, Trixie started feeling the pain lessen, giving her the chance to stand up again.
"You can't go in your condition Trixie," Angela objected, seeing her ally try to get up again. Even with the healing, the feline still struggled to keep herself from falling.
"No, I have to... I don't care if every bone in my body breaks! He never left my side, I won't leave his!" She yelled out. By the third step, Trixie found herself falling flat on her face, panting from the walk.
All Angela could do was look on with surprise on her face. It was the first time she truly say anyone struggle towards another. In the time she spent with her father, nobody ever cared about her that much. Inside, the black-haired woman couldn't help but feel envious.
"You're one lucky guy Rodin, hope you realize that," she thought in her mind. Knowing that there wasn't any chance for the feline to walk all the way there, her ally decided to help.
Trixie's face kept falling back into the ground each time, making it more difficult for her to see. Before she failed yet again, the feline felt someone grab her body. A hand wiped the caked-on dirt, allowing her to see Angela, smiling.
"You're too pig-headed for your own good," she remarked with a teasing tone. Before the feline could spit out a comeback, she found herself placed into another pouch. Only now, this one only wrapped around her waist, keeping Trixie from falling off. "The least I can do is carry you, seeing as how you practically kissed the ground."
A soft chuckle escaped Trixie's lips, finding the black-haired woman funny.
"Don't get too cozy with me. I still don't like you, princess."
The two females looked back to their companions, especially Galvin, who noticed their looks.
"Go. You'd best hurry before it ends," he replied. That statement caused them to raise an eyebrow in confusion.
"You ain't coming with us?" Trixie asked, surprised by the former bodyguard's decision.
He turned back to see his allies begin their walk into the forest after letting all their captives out. Most had their wounds healed and simply laid on the ground. Many had looks of a peaceful sleep, blissfully ignorant to what was happening.
"I can't. I've gotta go..." was his answer as he then began walking towards the forest himself. Right when he reached the first tree, he turned his head and looked back to them.
"But, if you can... Tell Rodin I said, Thank you."
With that, he entered the shadow of the forest, leaving the two women to wonder what he meant by that. Though thanks to another powerful explosion, their attention now returned to finding their ally.
Angela quickly pulled on the knot and took off, running into the city. She didn't know how long it would take to get there, but all she could do was hope.
Abandon Sector
Central Area
What once had only empty houses and unfinished projects. Now, there only stood large amounts of rubble and ashes. All scattered around the sector square, with some of it starting to float away with the wind blowing by. Despite nobody living in that area, one look at it could trick someone into thinking there was a riot.
The ones responsible for so much destruction were still causing irreparable damage. With another explosion resonating in the area, two blurry figures crashed into the ground.
From the two holes, a large cloud of smoke covered them, making it hard to see who was inside. A few seconds passed before the blurs came back out, roaring at one other. The light from the sun revealed them to be Rodin and Joshi. The fighters charged at one another, drawing back their fists once again.
When they threw their punches, both collided with each other, delivering a powerful shock-wave. The force behind it was enough to send the two of them flying. Only now, they skidded to a halt when they landed on their feet.
The only sounds that echoed through the area was their panting. With each attack towards one another, it started a toll on their bodies and energy.
For Rodin, his body suffered a couple of burned areas, especially on his jacket. A few of his opponent's attacks scorched through. The fire hit his body, leaving open holes on the arms and sides. When one saw through it, they met with 2nd degree burnt skin. Due to the intensity of the flames, no wounds were open as they had been cauterized upon impact.
With Joshi, the masked-mage's wounds were much more revealing than his enemy's. Due to the sharpness of Rodin's spells, the attacks tore apart his most of his outfit. Parts of it were missing like his arms, pieces of his shirt, and one part of his leggings. Along with them, opened wounds bleed through, a few more than others, but not enough to endanger him.
In hindsight, the two of them looked like they had just fought off an army. Though even with their battered bodies, their rage for another another still burned strong.
"That you got...filth?" Joshi inquired, spitting a wad of blood from his mouth. His attempt to goad Rodin only made the Dragon-Slayer scoff, making him crack his neck.
"You call that a burn? I've heard babies talk better trash," Rodin retorted. It proved to hit the masked-mage where it hurt as he then brought his arms up.
"Burner Blade!"
Condensing the flames solely on his forearms, the black fire exploded outward. Though due to focus and condensing, they solidified more into burning swords on each of his arms. The heat was so intense, it mimicked a heat-torch when Joshi brought them to his sides.
He roared out and dashed, bellowing like a wild animal when he attempted to strike at his enemy.
Rodin's reflexes allowed him to dodge each incoming attack, moving backwards after every attempt. Though a few managed to get him, burning right through the jacket. The Dragon-Slayer didn't have time to yell out in pain, and kept his focus. He continued evading the attacks he could expect.
After the last one that thrusted forward, he managed to evade it. Seeing that his guard was down, Rodin went on the offensive.
Focusing his energy into his right arm, the fairy tail mage transformed it into rock. When it stopped glowing, his hand now had the appearance of a bladed gauntlet. Only instead of just two blades, his arm had them all over.
His arm looked normal, but from the wrist, jagged and sharp spikes had popped up. If one punch had it, the damage enough could cause heavy bleeding.
"Stone Dragon's Quill Arm!"
The Dragon-Slayer closed his hand and swung his hand diagonally. His attempt was to hit Joshi's defenseless body.
The masked-mage saw his enemy's attempt and swung his body. When he did, his leg lifted up into the air, giving him the chance to deliver a roundhouse kick, while dodging.
His foot landed a hit right on Rodin's cheek, sending him flying right into another empty house. Though unlike last time, the Dragon-Slayer got right back up and charged again. Only now, both his arms had the spell on them.
When The masked-mage got back on his feet, he focused his flames and condensed them. The heat distorted the air around him as he dashed forward towards his enemy.
The fighters now went on a full brawling spree against each other. Both sent out a flurry of attacks, each one connecting with the other and causing more damage.
One more attack from Joshi landed a closer hit on Rodin, causing the Dragon-Slayer to widen his eyes. Shaky and groaning breathing came out of his mouth as he looked down.
The scorching flame blade pierced passed his side, inflicting third degree burns on him. Before he could yell out in pain, Joshi took the chance and kept attacking. He slashed with his arms, hitting the Fairy mage again and again.
"YOU'RE SO PATHETIC!" The masked-mage raged, continuing the onslaught while talking. "YOU. SHOULD'VE. JUST. RUN. AWAY. LIKE. THE. COWARD. YOU. ARE!"
His last word followed up with a punch right at Rodin's chest, making him roar out in pain. The force behind it sent the Dragon-Slayer tumbling to the ground. He soon stopped when a pile of rubble blocked his path.
The masked-mage's hands soon turned back to normal, leaving him breathless. Though underneath his mask, a demonic grin followed when he saw his prey.
Rodin's jacket was nearing it's limit, having more holes in it than a strainer. They showed his skin having severe burns on them, leaving horrid wounds on his body. Underneath it, a large hole hit Rodin right in the chest of his shirt. It left behind a wound that would leave a scar when it healed.
The Dragon-Slayer struggled, trying to get back up, but felt his legs starting to falter. Even with his incredible durance, the mage's body just couldn't hold out forever. With just sheer will, Rodin only managed to get back on his feet, but struggled to keep himself standing.
Joshi shook his head, amused by the pathetic attempt of his enemy to keep fighting. He started walking, moving one arm up over his head. In that single arm, a black orb of energy condensed itself.
"Come on kid. Don't you think this is pointless? You can't beat me, you're barley clinging on, and all those burns on you are starting to smell."
The closer he got to the enemy, the more the masked-mage couldn't help but pity him. By the time he got right at the Dragon's Slayer, his last thought was on how the match was over for good.
"Just answer me this while you burn: What was point of it all?" was the last statement made before he brought down his arm. Time slowed down for the two. Only Joshi moving his arm downward, thrusting the spell forward.
In Rodin's mind, the images of all his allies, along with the fights they went through. Each scene ending with the face of his fallen teammate, leaving him with a feeling of sadness. For Rodin, seeing people get hurt for him, it was a pain that hurt worse than any of the burns on his body.
Though through that pain, the Dragon-Slayer remembered how much it meant at the time. It wasn't just about fighting, it was about fighting to do what was right.
"Hey flint-head! You better win every other time! Only time you'll lose is when I beat you!" The voice of Natsu echoed in his mind.
Joshi's mind race with adrenaline, thirsting for the Dragon-Slayer's screams of pain. He knew that there was no way to avoid the attack at such close range. Soon enough, he would be counting all the wonderful money he'd rip from Duke Marsh's corpse.
"Because people like you are worthless cowards. And my friends gave it their all to get me here. I won't lose to you."
The single statement caused time to return to normal. In seconds, Joshi snapped back to reality with widen eyes. He couldn't believe what was happening just now.
Right in front of him, the masked-mage's arm found itself forced back over his head. The Dragon-Slayer managed to quickly use his own arm to push his opponent's back before the spell hit. Doing so released the geyser of black flames upward, making it reach above the city itself.
All Joshi could do was look back down to his opponent, whose eyes came out of hiding with determination in them. For the first time in his life, the masked-mage hesitated.
With that single opening, the Dragon-Slayer took in a large amount of break. A few pieces of brick flew in the vacuum he was creating, restrengthening his body. In one powerful release, His Stone-Dragon's Roar blasted the masked-mage at close range.
Bellows of pain resonated through the area while the spell moved forward. It soon stopped when the attack broke three houses down, making them crumble to the ground.
The Dragon-Slayer knew that attack wouldn't keep him down for long. He knew now that there was one chance left to defeat him without relying on his Dual-Dragon Mode.
"Alright Rodin. Time to see what those intense training sessions did," he thought to himself. The Dragon-Slayer took in a deep breath, exhaling out. He then threw off his jacket, leaving on his ruined muscle shirt with burns on his arms and side.
His magic energy started channeling through both his arms and legs only, causing them to glow.
"Stone-Dragon's Scales!"
In mere seconds, both his arms were now completely covered with stone-scales. The tips of his fingers now had on sharp nails that would allow him to attack better. Though his preparation wasn't done yet.
"Stone-Dragon's Mail!"
The scale-like patterns on both arms started changing into a different appearance. His arms now looked like they had steel-mail on them. The texture was more smooth with a light-brown color, almost like a statue's hand.
On his feet, the same process happened, only for his legs, the color was darker gray with a glittery texture to it. Though due to his pants, no one could tell that the change affected them.
His changed finished right on time as a powerful burst of flames erupted from the rubble. It spread through the scattered rubble, engulfing all the wood. The source soon found itself breaking through the ashes, standing upright like a human-being. The flames soon started to shrink, dying down and drawing into the source.
When enough of the flames disappeared, the being in the flame reveled himself as Joshi. Only now, his new appearance was one that wasn't for the faint of heart.
His mask transformed itself into a skull-shape. It now had a large set of teeth that covered the mouth of the wearer. The only second change to the mask was two black lines that ran down from the top down to the sides, passing the eyes.
The outfit he wore was now infused with black flames, fixing much of it from the damage Rodin inflicted. Some of the flames also began to flower around both his wrists, making it look like he wore a band on them.
Joshi stepped down, walking forward towards his opponent, burning the ground with each step. Eventually, he stopped a few feet from Rodin, staring at him. Due to the holes not reveling his eyes. The Dragon-Slayer couldn't tell whether he was angry or thrilled.
"Blaze Body - Imperial Death." The masked-mage remarked, cracking his knuckles. "You should feel honored Boy. No one's lived to see this spell, you're the first."
"That's a spell? I just thought you burned yourself," Rodin retorted, earning a chuckle from his enemy.
"Go ahead, joke around. Soon enough, I'll tear your throat out, then see if you can laugh."
That dark statement made Rodin glare at Joshi, knowing now that things were about to get real.
Before he could do anything, the masked-mage disappeared, making the Dragon-Slayer's eyes widen. In a blur, his opponent reappeared behind him, pulling back his fist. In mere seconds, it became engulfed with another Burner-Blade spell.
He thrusted forward, attempting to deliver a deadly blow right at Rodin's spine. Though like himself, his opponent disappeared instantly as well. It was now Joshi's turn to widen his eyes with surprise.
A powerful hit landed at the side of his face, knocking him to the side, but not dropping him. The masked-mage looked over, seeing Rodin's serious face. Before he'd charge, Joshi felt a piece of his mask fall, realizing a part of his mask broke off once again.
"H-how the hell did you?!"
"Guess you didn't see the change I did, huh Joshi?" Rodin retorted, lifting his hands to show the masked-mage. "My spell let me change the type of rock my scales use. My legs now have a coating of Mica, which makes me faster. And my arms have Alabasta, which means I can punch you harder."
The Wild-Breaker mage didn't say anything after hearing his opponent's explanation. All he did was move his neck in a circular motion, causing a large cracking sound to echo. From there, it turned into him giving a hearty laugh.
Rodin raised his eyebrow in confusion, wondering what the hell was going on with him.
"Finally! Now we can finally have a real battle," was the last statement Joshi made before disappearing.
The Fairy-mage's Stone-Sensing allowed him to make-out where his opponent was going to attack. With it, he knew that there was going to be an all or nothing match. Like his opponent, Rodin disappeared in a blur.
If one was to see the battle from a distance, nobody would notice the instant blurs that popped in and out. With each one, a powerful shock-wave reverberated, shaking apart the area. The two fighters found themselves colliding with one another, landing one blow after another.
The fighting seemed to move from spot to spot, causing damages to more than just the central sector. When another shock-wave occured, one house caught on fire. Another found itself with large stone spikes pierced into it.
One blur landed a blow, sending the other into the ground tumbling, which was now revealed to be Rodin. The Dragon-Slayer felt Joshi incoming from the side. He transformed his left hand into a spiked pillar.
In seconds, the Fairy-mage turned in the direction of Joshi and pierced the ground.
"Stone-Dragon's Wave!"
He roared out as a wave of pillars erupted from the ground, causing his opponent to get hit by some of them. It caused him to get sent flying back, only to stop on the ground, skidding to a halt.
With the masked-mage's advance stopped, he focused his fire through his mask. Both eye holes flared with the fire before they blasted outward. The size of the beams were unique. Almost like living beings, they bent in different directions, easily navigating through the pillars.
Without warning, the beams found their way right to the Dragon-Slayer in seconds. Rodin attempted to block them with his other hand, but wasn't quick enough. Both landed a direct blow on his back as they bent, burning right through the shirt. A painful yell wasn't heard as he kept his focus, pulling out his buried arm.
With his right hand, the Fairy-mage extended it forward with the hand in a clawing position. The scale-mail started glowing as each claw on his finger started grew a bit bigger.
"Stone-Dragon's Talon Pierce!"
The claws soon extended forward, almost like spikes. Nothing stopped them as they pierced through the pillars like butter. The attempt to hit Joshi seemed almost impossible without sight. Though thankfully, Rodin could see more ways than one.
Though that thought soon became sour when he felt the vibrations of his enemy jumping upward.
"Too slow rookie!" Joshi yelled from above, causing Rodin to look up and see a large orb in his hands. Extending his hand forward, it sphere began to spin right in front of the masked-mage.
"Black Buster!"
The orb was then propelled forward, aiming to hit right on top of the enemy. All Joshi saw was it make contact, triggering a powerful explosion. With it, the flames blew upward like a geyser once again.
After a few seconds, it died down quickly and left a scorched ground. With his feet back on the ground from landing. The masked-mage went over to where he believed the body should've been. All that was there was a large hole made by what looked like a drill.
Realization at the deception came in the form of a sword breaking through the stone. Rodin jumped through his tunnel, causing Joshi to dodge the attack, but not evade fast enough. In mere seconds, his drill stopped spinning to reveal it was his sword. The Dragon-Slayer slashed diagonally, extending the blade and cutting the chest of his enemy.
His attack didnt stop there as the sword in his other hand changed form as well. This time, it was now a gauntlet, which allowed him to dash forward and deliver a powerful punch.
"Stone-Dragon's Hard-Fist!"
A powerful kinetic burst of energy struck the masked-mage's body, sending skidding backwards. Even with the attack, Joshi didn't stop fighting when Rodin charged at him again. He summoned up his burner blades and countered.
Both of the mages once again resorted to a stronger hand-to-hand battle. Each attack landed on the other, delivering incredible damage and pain. Though despite this, Rodin seemed to have reached a state where he couldn't feel any.
His eyes had looks of determination and focus to win at any cost, even if it meant his own life.
"I don't get it..." Joshi thought to himself, feeling each either delivered or received. When his next punch dealt a blow right to Rodin's cheek. All he could do was look in shock by the lack of falter in his enemy's eyes.
"I burn him, blister his body, and crack his bones. No other mage up against me has ever survived my onslaught. So how?" The last few punches from the Dragon-Slayer repeated the same thought in his mind. "How? How? How?!"
The final punch slammed against Joshi's mask, finally knocking him down on his knees.
"How in the hell can he still fight?!"
The bodies of the two fighters were shaking, breathing heavily from all damage done to them. Even with their magic at their fullest, neither of them was ready to drop. The masked-mage looked up, seeing the Dragon-Slayer still have his fists ready. Though despite having the advantage, he didn't attack.
"Well, whatcha waiting for? An invitation?" Joshi taunted, making Rodin scoff.
"I'm giving you one last chance: End this now and stand down," Rodin declared. Even when his enemies did horrid things. The fairy-mage would still give them one chance to redeem themselves. A few times, there were those who took the offer.
For Joshi, he'd sooner take a knife into his privates than ever surrender to anyone. The answer came in the form of an uppercut. It sent the Dragon-Slayer flying backwards, landing hard on the ground.
Right when he did that, the masked-mage focused fire through the soles of his shoes. It caused enough thrust to lift him high into the air, where he started floating.
"You can't win shit-stain! I'm ending this right now, even if I have to take everyone with me!"
The last statement showed just how deranged the mage was. He then followed it with action as he lifted both arms over his head. Once again, an orb of black fire appeared, only this time, it was growing to large heights.
The Dragon-Slayer lifted himself off the ground, rubbing his chin to make it feel better. Before long, a shadow started to cast over him, causing him to look up and realize what was happening.
Joshi's orb was now twice the size of a large house, burning with such intensity that it distorted the air. If it made contact with the ground, the impact could wipe out more than half the town.
"Say good-bye! Black Emperor Destroyer!"
What happened next gave the Dragon-Slayer even more worry than he had previously thought possible. Instead of throwing the orb, its essence started pouring into Joshi's body. In seconds, it disappeared and now, the masked-mage was the embodiment of the spell. His own body was now within a large orb, almost like a miniature sun.
In a blink of an eye, it soon pushed downward to hit the Dragon-Slayer. All Rodin could do was close his eyes, feeling the pain finally catch up to him. He felt a level of exhaustion that would drive even the strongest of wills to break.
"Damn... If I had thought things were gonna be this tough, I would've stayed in the village." The Dragon-Slayer chuckled to himself, remembering all the incredible adventures he had with Trixie. "The world's so much more interesting than I ever thought possible...Thanks old man."
That last statement made Rodin open his eyes, which were now filled with confidence. Mustering up all the power in his body left, the Dragon-Slayer summoned what magic energy he had leftover.
When he had enough, the fairy-mage slammed the palms of his hands together, causing them to glow. Before long, he thrusted them upward over his head.
"Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Giga Slave!"
The light erupted upward, glowing enough to pierce the shadows on the ground. A few seconds later, it stopped and revealed a giant axe construct he made from stone. It was bigger than some of the buildings surrounding him.
It took everything Rodin had to keep it together, waiting for the right moment to strike. His focus kept on the incoming orb, watching it before he'd send his own attack to it.
Before long, time started slowing down one again for Rodin as he kept his focus. Everything he experienced through the battles fought, centered on that one single strike.
Right when Joshi finally made it close enough, the Dragon-Slayer swung it downward.
The two powerful spells collided, creating a intense shock-wave that leveled all other construction sites. Both of them struggled to overpower the other, creating a crater right underneath them. The bladed edge of the axe started wearing down, while the integrity of the orb was starting to break apart. Soon enough, an explosion triggered, catching both mages in its path.
Only a cloud of dust covered the entire area, making it difficult for anyone to see. When it finally settled, the only house left standing had a giant crater in front of it, scorched and deep enough to make a new lake.
Silence entered the area as all anyone would hear was the echoes of yelling citizens in the distance. Without a doubt, it was one of the most incredible moments people would talk about for years to come.
Though soon enough, one large cough broke through and revealed itself as Rodin, who was struggling to get back up from the ground. The Dragon-Slayer's appearance had him nearly half-naked with his shirt burnt off and parts of his pants gone. Though the more serious injuries showed, especially a severe third degree burn on the entire left part of his body.
Breathing heavily, he got up from the crater to find himself right near the edge of the crater. Each move he made only added a horrible strike of pain that struck his body, making it harder for him not to cry out. When he finally managed to get back on his feet, Rodin couldn't help but realize that Joshi was nowhere around him.
Though another cough echoed, making him turn his attention to the location of it, which was inside the crater. The Dragon-Slayer looked down, seeing the mage's body covered in burns, which included the now-broken mask next to him. The only clothes Joshi had left was his pants, leaving him without a shirt and no shoes, but with more opened wounds than Rodin had.
The fairy-mage scoffed at his opponent, spitting on him as a final insult before he began his trudge away. Pain coursed through his body, causing him to hold his burnt arm to try and keep it from causing anymore. Though Rodin knew that his work wasn't done yet, that there was one last person he needed to talk with, and there was only one location he could be.
Looking ahead of him, the Dragon-Slayer stared at one house that wasn't destroyed or even damaged. He knew that the bastard that tricked him and his partner was there, and now, there was nothing to stop him from catching him.
Abandon House
"Come on damn you! Work! Work damn it!" Marsh yelled out, slamming his fist against the steel door in front of him. Inside the seemingly abandon house, underneath the floorboards, was an escape hatch that the Duke installed. It was stainless steel and coated with a special magic spell that only allowed him or his bodyguard to use at any given moment.
Though due to all the fighting that went on, which activated another spell that protected the house from falling apart. It went into a temporary lockdown that would keep in place for up to two hours, leaving Marsh with no exit strategy.
Sweat poured down his face, making what remained of his fancy clothing soaked in sweat. The sounds of the fights started ending, which meant that now, the winner was going to come after him, and end him for good. He attempted another hit on it, causing him to bruise his knuckles and yell out in pain, swearing in a language no one had ever heard of.
Before long, his worst fear came to realize as suddenly, there was a powerful kick at the door, causing the walls to shake. By the second or third kick, Marsh knew that the door wasn't going to hold much longer, and tried desperately to get it open.
With one last kick, his last-line of defense left him, making the man cover his neck, begging whoever it was to go away and leave him be. Before long, a hand grabbed the Duke's shirt, picking him up and throwing him hard against the floor.
"Get up you worthless bastard," the voice ordered, making Marsh turn around when he realized whose voice it was. A part of him was tremendously relieved by the fact Rodin had broken in, but now another part secretly wished it was Joshi.
"R-r-rodin, you-you made it! I-I'm so glad-" Marsh's studdering got interrupted by the Dragon-Slayer kicking a chair, causing him to roar out in pain.
"Screw you Marsh, don't pretend that you give a damn I survived," he spoke in a venomous tone, making Marsh shudder in fear. "How long were you planning this, Huh?! When did you decided to sell your soul for a few worthless pieces of paper?!"
That statement got the Duke scared, which meant that he was about to make the Dragon-Slayer even angrier.
"Oh don't act high and mighty with me, you're not some saint that people make you out to believe," he retorted before getting on his feet. "You think you're better than me?! Ha! What really drove you to come help me?! It wasn't out of the kindness of your heart or some duty to protect me! It was all about the money!"
Rodin's burnt hand tightened into a fist, causing him to have a few tears drop down his face. His rage was causing his body to tighten more with stress, which wasn't a good idea since more than half his body had major burns on it already.
"Screw you Marsh! I trusted you, believed what you said and wanted nothing more than to help someone noble! I could give a rats ass about some money, Fairy Tail doesn't care about getting paid! We have adventures for the sake of them, not because we get some kind of huge reward at the end of it!"
The former Duke started backing away, moving towards a table with a couple of bags that contained the money stolen from the casino. In his mind, he knew that the fairy-mage wouldn't back down from this, especially for someone whose ferociously loyal to a fault. When he finally reached it, the desperate man quickly opened it up and pulled out a large pile of packaged bills, holding it outward to his former employee.
"Look, see?! All this can be your's Rodin, think about it. Who else do you know has this much money, its perfect isn't it?! Let me go and I'll give you everything I stole! Just let me go!"
For the first time in his entire travel's, the Dragon-Slayer was at a loss for words by what he was looking at. No longer the man he looked up to when he first joined Fairy Tail, now there was just a desperate man who wanted to buy his way out of trouble.
By that point, he had enough and punched him with his less burnt hand, seeing blood left behind from the impact. The cash fell, slamming hard against the ground as Marsh went to it and covered it with his body. Rodin now saw what it meant to become corrupt, forcing oneself to betray those they called allies and friends all for the promise of power. He knew now that the world wasn't perfect and that not everyone deserved the same chance to redeem themselves.
"Get up... I'm not going to kill, but I'm damn sure gonna get you thrown away in a deep hole by the Rune Knights. The world doesn't need filth like you."
"Actually, it does," a voice remarked as it caused the Dragon-Slayer to turn around to see the source of the voice. His eyes widen with shock by who it was, almost like he was seeing a ghost from his past that returned.
Wow, such an intense fight and action-packed chapter, only to have another horrid cliffhanger. Thank you all for reading this chapter, I'll admit it took quite a bit for me to really get this right. Now all that's left is the epilogue for this arc which will be a long one so I hope you're all ready for it when it arrives.
References: This chapter does contain some references I used from different series, one example is Rodin's hand pushing Joshi's hand upward. That was based off of the moment between Aang and Lord Ozai from Avatar: The Last Airbender. The Giga Slayer was a spell from the series, Slayers, which was used by the main character in impossible situations. Lastly, the new mask that Joshi had was the 2nd version of the Hollow mask Ichigo wore after his fight with Ulquiorra and his Hollow Power raged. For those confused by the Mica and Alabasta, those two rocks have special characteristics. Alabasta is one of the strongest minerals around, close to diamond, making it perfect to deliver heavy damage. The Mica is a light and durable material, which meant he could run much faster than before
Anyway, I'm glad for those who have stayed with me, especially those like Pokemonking, and I hope to start writing a bit better to allow some of the more seasoned people to leave reviews on here. Thank you all once again and stayed tuned for Chapter 36: A Fairy's Home.