Writing while preparing to change apartment sure ain't easy. I have to find the time needed to write and while I have the same time as before during the week, it's a lot more complicated during the week-end. It might happen again in the future until I'm finally settle in the new apartment so I'm sorry if I have some delay on my future updates, I hope you can understand that.
Anyway, let's go !
Chapter 29 : Dragon Rider and the legendary swordsman
/- Era, magic council -/
Last time we checked on them, the council was close to implode. After Sieglein had suggested to use the Satellite Square Etherion to take care of the last of the R System, an uproar had followed, his fellow council members not liking the idea of using such a weapon. But as time passed, minds changed and now, calm had settle down once again as the vote for the firing had finally ended.
- "On the matter of the firing upon the Tower of Paradise with Etherion… There are four vote for, versus five against. The result of the voting : Etherion will not be fired."
- "Wait ! Do you all truly understand the situation in which we currently stand ?!" Sieglein, the one who first proposed the use of Etherion, introducing the idea as the only way to take care of the situation, was of course not pleased with the result but his colleagues weren't listening.
- "Stop this now, Sieg… The debate has gone on long enough." Said his main opponent on the Etherion matter. "There are peaceful ways to approach this matter, as well."
- "Peace ?!" shouted Sieg, outraged by the word. "While we're standing here wasting time debating petty moral victories… History is about to be altered forever ! Jellal is trying to resurrect the dead, for crying out loud !"
- "You say that, but we still have no way of knowing whether the R-System is even functional at the present time." Said another councilman. "It is too early to resort to offense."
- "… Can't any of you feel it …?" Sieglein said, teeth grinding at his colleagues blindness. "The dark magic welling up as we speak… the sheer horror of the man he's trying to resurrect…" Those words apparently worked on the other mages who frown and began to sweat, fearing that he was thinking about the man they were thinking of. And alas, he confirmed it. "Black Mage Zeref."
Everyone around the table, with the exception of Ultear who, as Sieglein friend, already knew about the danger, get struck by fear, eyes wide and jaws dropping. If what he said was the truth, the threat was indeed far greater than they originally though.
- "Y…You… What did you just… ?!" Stuttered one of them, the shock too much to talk normally.
- "Sieg, how could you possibly know a thing like that ?!" asked another one, curious to know how their young colleague could know of such a thing. The youth the hung his head, slightly in shame as he proceed to explain.
- "I didn't want to cast any unnecessary suspicions upon myself, so I didn't mention it before, but…" He stop a little, to make sure everyone was listening. "I know that man; the one known as Jellal. And I know what he means to do."
This shocked the council men to know that one of them knew about such a thing but decided to cast their doubt aside, instead asking for something more important for now.
- "Sieg… Tell us everything."
/- Back at the tower -/
TIRE KOUKAN : MIDNIGHT SHADOW !
While the council listened to Sieglein's story, the fight continued in the tower. Natsu and Shinnosuke were currently facing Fukurou whose ability to fly was more problematic than they first though. The owl man just dived at Natsu, throwing a kick the Dragon Slayer who blocked it with his forearm, being sent stumbling despite that, Natsu putting a hand on the ground, turning toward the owl.
FIRE DRAGON'S CLAW !
Natsu's kick landed, hitting the man in the face, stunning him slightly. However, he wasn't stunned enough, his reflexes and senses allowing him to dodge the purple shuriken thrown by Drive, the owl jumping away from the two Fairies. The Rider was starting to get annoyed by that bird man, his ability to fly clearly annoying. And that when an idea came to him.
DRIVE : TYPE WILD ! TIRE KOUKAN : HOOKING WRECKER !
- "Who-Whoo… A change of color and a hook won't help you escape the hero of Justice." Said Fukurou, igniting his rockets as he began to flew around but, much to his surprise, he got caught by something that wrapped around his foot. Looking down, he saw a brownish hook connected by a metal wire to the green tire on the black clad Rider shoulder.
- "It can't help to escape justice, but it does help to catch it. Natsu !" As soon as he shouted his friend name, Shinnosuke began to drag the owl to him, the Capture Hook reeling stronger than his rockets as he got closer and closer to the rider who brandished his Handle-Ken, steering then pressing the horn, triggering the sword Finisher as Natsu, getting the message, ran to him, a smirk on his face as his fist got covered in flame.
DRIFT KAITEN !
FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST !
Both attack struck the owl man who let out a pained cry as he was sent stumbling to the ground behind his opponents due to the pull from Hooking Wrecker. However, he quickly got to his feet, pissed but otherwise pretty much okay. As for Natsu and Shinnosuke, they were now feeling a bit more confident.
- "I don't think you can be much of a threat if you're stuck to the ground." Said the Rider.
- "Yeah, I'm gonna roast that chicken !" said Nastu, grinning like a child as he turned to look at Shinnosuke. "We work well together, Shinnosu…Urg…"
- "I AIN'T A VEHICLE, FOR FUCK SAKE !" Snapped Shinnosuke, who was getting really annoyed by Natsu's motion sickness who was way out of control.
- "Well, you do look like one in a way." Admitted Belt-san, earning a glare from his Rider. "But this doesn't justify the fact that just seeing something that even resemble a car can make him sick."
On the side of the battlefield, Simon and Ankh were looking at the scene, Simon feeling weirded out and even a tad bit worried by their behavior while Ankh rolled his eyes.
- "This world is just too much. I hope the guild will be finished when we're done here because if I stay any longer I'll become crazy." He said, rubbing his temple before looking back at the fight, Natsu and Fukurou exchanging blows while Shinnosuke, Rumble Dump drill in hand, tried to skewer the owl who managed to dodge all the blows. "On a side note, that owl guy is really good to hold his own against a Rider and a mage."
- "I think it's time I brought the hammer of justice swinging square down upon the both of you." Said Fukurou, crouching slightly as his rockets turned on once again.
MISSILE HO-HO-HOU !
This time, the rockets flew toward the mages but without Fukurou, the two missiles flying alone to the two partners who either crouch or dive to the side to avoid the two rockets. But this wasn't as easy as it sounded. The two rockets, apparently obeying Fukurou's command, turned and flew around Natsu, harassing the pinkette who kept dodging when two metallic claws appeared from inside the rocket, grabbing Natsu by his shoulder and taking him with them as they began to fly around in circle at high speed. Shinnosuke didn't exactly knew what Fukurou wanted to do but he knew he had to get Natsu out of it.
DRIVE : TYPE TECHNIC !
Grabbing the Door-Ju, he aimed and shot at the rocket but alas, they moved so fast and swiftly that not a single shot landed. On the side, Simon and Anhk were looking, the mage not understanding what was currently going on.
- "It's a crazy sort of technique, but certainly nasty…" said Simon, looking at Natsu who was turning greened by the minute, much to Ankh annoyance.
- "Shit. Natsu's metabolism consider that thing like a vehicle. Which means…"
- "Natsu won't be able to get out of it by himself because of his nausea." Finished Shinnosuke, gritting his teeth as Simon gasped at what that implied.
- "I am well aware of your weakness, Salamander." Said Fukurou, confirming their fear as Natsu was now limp in the claw of the rockets. "And now that my prey is weak, I can move in for the kill ! This is the essence of hunting !"
- "As if !" shouted Shinnosuke, instantly aiming at the owl without even turning thanks to Technic ability and opened fire, the owl jumping out of the way and straight at Natsu who was falling to the ground after being dropped by the rocket.
CAPTURE HO-HO-HOU !
Much to everyone surprise, Fukurou opened his mouth wide, in fact wide enough to fit a human body, and caught Natsu inside it before swallowing the fire mage who, still dazed due to his nausea, couldn't do anything to defend himself.
- "WHAT THE HELL !?" Was everyone's reaction at that, no one expecting such a turn of event. Shinnosuke however was the first to move, not thinking too much as he switched from gun to sword and rushed at the owl. "You better spat him out immediately !"
FIRE HO-HO-HOU !
As Fukurou turned to look at the incoming Rider, something else unexpected happened. Fukurou's fist got covered in flames and struck Shinnosuke with it, sending him back, the flames engulfing him but luckily not dealing that much damages.
- "Don't be too sure of yourself. I can digest the magic of those I've eaten." Explained Fukurou, fire seeping out of his body, a tuft of pink hair on his head as he glared at his opponent.
- "Digest the magic ? Does that mean…"
- "He actually absorbed Salamander's abilities ?!" finished Simon, looking wide eyed at the owl, fear washing over him as he realized what that implied. "This is the sheer level of an assassin's guild…"
- "In a way, I could be proud of the fact that an owl is so powerful." Began Ankh, looking slightly uneasy. "But I feel that if that guy keep on going, there won't be much left to praise." His comment was barely heard,
/- At Era -/
- "Eight in favor, one against. That will be all. The firing of Etherion upon the Tower of Paradise is hereby approved."
As the fights kept on in the Tower, no one among those current occupants knew that the council just did what Jellal was suspecting. After listening to Sieglein who told them about how he knew that Jellal and what he was planning to do, every single council member had finally agreed on using the Etherion in the Tower of Paradise to get rid of it for good. Only one man had voted against it and it was Yajima, a small old man who was also a great old friend of Makarov and the only one beside Ultear who said almost nothing during the whole meeting. As the council men exited the room to go prepare the Satellite Square, Yajima stood behind, looking at them go while shaking his head in disappointment, thing Sieglein didn't failed to notice.
- "Yajima-san… You may find this difficult to accept…" said Sieglein, staring down at the old man. "But you can at least see that we must not allow Zeref's revival, tight ?"
- "It is no longer my place to resist…" said Yajima, turning away from Jellal and taking a few step. "But I hope you are ready to take responsibility for the consequences, yes ?"
- "Of course… I will take full responsibility…" If Sieg was expecting a reaction, this wasn't the one he got from Yajima who turned toward him, his face painted by fury.
- "I am talking about people's lives here, Sieg !" He said through clenched teeth. "All the lives that are about to be lost will be upon your hands !"
- "You'll have your answer soon enough…" Said Sieg, his stone cold demeanor a little too much for someone who was about to kill dozen of people. But what was to be remembered was that the council was ready to activate Etherion and everyone in that tower had now one hour to finish their mission and get out.
And with how things were, this was almost mission impossible. With Natsu in Fukurou's stomach being digested, the dragon chess piece had fallen down, leaving a tire alone to fight a owl. But luckily for him, the ice was on its way.
- "Shit ! Where the hell did he go !?" Gray was running in a hallway, looking for Shô and Erza. He had ran after them but couldn't reached them and was now alone, wandering in the tower. "When I found that Shô, I'm gonna smash his face in !"
He kept running until he finally reached a huge room that looked like a cathedral in term of form and size where shouts and cries could be heard. He entered the room, only to stand awestruck at what he had in front of him. Simon and Happy/Ankh were looking at a man with an owl head with familiar looking pink hair on it, facing Kamen Rider Drive in his Speed Type, Massive Monster and his jaws in hands as he stood at the ready. After some moments, Simon finally noticed Gray, just like the others persons already in the room.
- "Gray ?!"
- "The hell are you doing ?!" shouted the ice mage, looking at the turban wearing mage, clearly pissed off. "Weren't you meant to be going after Shô !? And you !" he then pointed at the Rider. "I thought you were with ash for brain ?!"
- "Well, as you can see, we got a little held up…" answered the Rider, feeling slightly annoyed by Gray's anger he felt was unjustified.
- "We need to find Erza as soon as possible, don't we !?" reminded Gray, not caring if he was getting on peoples nerves. "Jellal said something about wanting to use her as a sacrifice ! I can't imagine her loosing if she goes all-out… But stuck in that card, she's practically defenseless !"
- "And you think we don't know that ?!" shouted Ankh who had enough of this stupid rant, Gray taken aback at seeing Happy shout at him like that. This wasn't really the Exceed, but Ankh was inside him so... "You think we are here because we want to ?! We'd like to go after that reckless idiot of a card mage, but we have another problem on our hands right now !"
- "What kind of problem ?! And where is that stupid fire freak ?!"
- "That's precisely the problem." Revealed Belt-san. "He got eaten by that bird man and he's now using his magic." Eyes wide as saucers, Gray looked at the owl, now realizing why those pink hair looked familiar.
- "What the hell foes he think he's playing at ?! Stupid flaming idiot !" Gray growled, punching the wall in frustration.
- "Will you calm down ?! We are all worried for Erza, why are you reacting like that ?!" asked Shinnosuke, Gray's fury way too much to be simple worry.
- "Erza… When she first came to the guild, she was always alone in a corner of the building, talking to no one. She was a cold hearted girl who never let anyone near her." Revealed Gray through clenched teeth, the others listening to his story. "Wearing an armor in a mage guild, I thought she didn't had her place among us at first. But the truth is that when she was alone, she spent her time crying. She's wearing those armor to protect herself from the outside world and from being hurt. Now that I know what she really is about, I'm going to bring her back."
- "You sure love to talk." Said Fukurou in half-mockery, rubbing his belly. "The digestion process has begun. In approximatively 10 minutes, Salamander's body will be reduced to nothing. And when that happens, his magic will truly belong to me."
- "We have no time for that ! I'll sort out this punk !" shouted Gray, magic gathering around him as he got into position.
ICE MAKE : LANCE !
FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR !
As the ice arrows flew toward the owl, the latter opened his mouth to launch his own version of the infamous roar, the fire melting the ice spikes effortlessly as it kept going, engulfing Gray in the flames, much to everyone's shock, the ice mage disappearing in the fire.
- "Who-Whoo… Ice is useless in front of fire !" stated Fukurou, fire still coming out of his mouth. "Useless ! If you are one of Salamander's nakama, you should know the sheer potency of these flames !"
*KRINK* In an instant, Gray reappeared as the flames around literally froze, now transformed in an ice sculpture, shocking Simon and Fukurou. But not the others who smirked at the show.
- "Hah, you call these Natsu's flames ? Don't make me laugh." Said Gray, his body covered in slight burns, a grin on his face as he stood in the middle of the frozen fire.
- "A copy will never be as good as the original, no matter how much they look alike." Said Shinnosuke, remembering the time he fought a fake Drive with his High Speed Type.
- "Who-Whoo ! Such splendid magical ability ! I think I shall capture you, as well !" Stated Fukurou as he ran at Gray who seemed surprise and failed to move as Fukurou opened his mouth wide.
CAPTURE HO-HO-HOU !
- "Not on my watch !"
MON-MON-MONSTER ! HISSATSU ! FULL THROTTLE : MASSIVE MONSTER !
The purple tongue came out of the tire around Drive and wrapped around the owl head, obstructing his mouth and stopping him as he was slowly dragged to the back, straight into Shinnosuke monstrous embrace, the Rider slamming the two Monster Jaws together, energy construction of said jaws slamming 3 times in a row on the owl guy, the last creating an explosion that made him fall to the ground. He was getting up quite quickly, but the attack had taken its toll on him. Shinnosuke used the time to join Gray who was starting to feel like they had already lost too much time.
- "We don't have time to be messing around here !" he said, his magic gathering once again as Shinnosuke grabbed another Shift Car.
- "I have to agree. Let's get this done." He said, inserting the Shift Car, which was Burning Solar, in his Handle-Ken, looking at the owl who was rushing at them. Gray also ran at him, blades of ice on his left elbow and right hand
HISSATSU : SOLAR ! FULL THROTTLE !
HYOJIN NANARENBU !
Shinnosuke began to move toward the owl while drifting on the ground, sending many blades made of solar energy at the owl, continuing as he kept got closer to the dark mage who gray was already attacking, delivering a flurry of blows with his ice blades, pummeling his opponent at the same time as Shinnosuke's light blade, the Rider delivering one last strike directly with his sword as he skidded and stopped in front of him, using the momentum from the drift for added power as Gray delivered his last blow. The combination was so powerful it knocked their opponent out, the owl send flying as he spat Natsu out, the Slayer still in one piece.
- "Erza has to be with us… With Fairy Tail. So she doesn't have to cry." Said Gray as Simon looked, awestruck while Ankh smirked, Natsu already getting back to his senses. Everything seemed fine when Gray noticed something coming out of Fukurou's pocket. "What the hell is that ? It looks like a Shift Car…"
Shinnosuke, who was about to undo his transformation, froze like the fire from before turning his head so fast to the knocked down mage that it almost gave him whiplash. Just like Gray said, a small grey Shift Car was on the mage torso, headlight pointing at them and shining dangerously, Belt-san frowning in his screen as he instantly recognized it.
- "A Roidmude Viral Core !" Shouted the belt, he and his Rider on their guards, until they saw the Core dive into the mage, something they hadn't expected to happen. They could only look as Fukurou got transformed into a larger and Roidmude version of himself. The feathers on his head and arms were now made of metal, looking like some sort of brown armor that also covered his upper body, his skin now black under the armor. Out were the rockets, now replaced by jet wings with a reactor on each one of them. His eyes were bigger and red, his beak shaped like a pyramid, his feet changed into talons. Those changes raised the prospect that things were about to take a turn for the worst and what followed proved it.
*Dooooow* In an instant, the newly formed Roidmude unleashed the Donyori, which made everyone except Shinnosuke go heavy, their movement slowed down by the sudden heaviness they were all experimenting. Natsu had an idea of what was happening since he had already fallen victim of it when they fought Phantom Lord. The newly improved Fukurou then ran, or rather flew, at the Rider, his rocket much more powerful than before as he reached the Rider in a blink of an eye, taking the Rider by surprise, not expecting such speed on his behalf. But that only meant that he had to be faster.
DRIVE : TYPE DEAD HEAT !
Fukurou had to take a few step back, interrupting his assault as Dead Heat appeared, the heat around it taking him by surprise. Soon, both fighters began to assault each other, the mechanical owl armor proving to be sturdier than Drive expected but he was at least faster than the monster. However, before he could find a way to compensate this lack of strength, something else happened. As he fought Fukurou, the owl suddenly ignited one of his rocket, allowing him to deliver a quick and powerful low kick that send the Rider to the ground, the monster lifting his talon immediately after, aiming to crush the Rider under it when…
FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST !
Out of nowhere, Natsu had came and struck the owl square in the jaw with a powerful flaming fist that sent the owl man flying away, his rockets allowing him to recover pretty quickly as he landed on the ground, looking in surprise at the Dragon Slayer who was standing, and moving, normally despite the Donyori.
- "I'll teach you to swallow me, you overgrown bird brain !" Seethed Natsu, cracking his knuckles.
- "Natsu ?! But how can you move ? I thought the Donyori was still active." Asked Shinnosuke, standing beside the dragon who looked at him with a slightly annoyed look in his eyes.
- "I think it's thanks to that thing." He said, motioning to his scarf where they could see the characteristic fiery orange of Max Flare. "He's starting to get annoying to follow me everywhere like that, for real."
Shinnosuke had opened his mouth to say something when he spotted a light coming from the owl. Looking at him, he saw that he had opened his beak and that the light came from inside it.
- "Watch out !" He dived at Natsu, pushing him away as a beam shot out of the beak, missing the Rider and mage, but the beam kept going until it came in contact with Gray who was still locked by the slowness and coincidently couldn't move out of the way, his eyes slowly widening as he still realized what was happening. However, the beam didn't hurt him like they first thought. It was worse. Gray's body began to dissolve into some sort of shining dust which was then sucked inside the beak like it was some sort of vacuum cleaner who just ate their friend. As soon as Gray had disappeared, a crystal like sphere in the middle of his torso lit up in whitish blue.
- "Did that thing just ate Ice Prick ?!" Wondered Natsu, eyes wide as he looked at the owl whose brown part were slowly becoming a blueish white.
- "Assimilation complete. Beginning absorption." Said Fukurou, his robotic voice adding to his already mechanical look.
- "I'm afraid that it might happened the same thing to him than what almost happened to you." Said Shinnosuke, looking at the owl who got slowly covered in mist. "We have to defeat that guy, and quickly."
As soon as he said that, a new wave of Donyori got emitted by the owl, but this time, it also came with a wave of cold air due to the ice magic he got from Gray and this newly added cold had a pretty nasty effect on Shinnosuke. The cold air had began to freeze his equipment and even his armor, thus affecting his ability to move. And Fukurou used this to attack once again, his ice covered fist striking the Rider hard, Shinnosuke unable to move correctly because of his this cold aura who was slowly freezing his joints, the Rider suffering a lot from the blows. But luckily, Natsu was still here, not bothered by this cold aura as he moved freely, managing to grab Fukurou's attention, the owl now aiming for the Slayer who was using his instinct to fight the owl, but the lack of speed was too much. Shinnosuke knew that he couldn't win as things were right now.
"Natsu's fire is protecting him from the cold wave and with Max Flare in his scarf, he's protected from the Donyori." Listed Shinnosuke, looking at the Slayer who was gritting his teeth, annoyed by his opponent speed. "If only he could be faster, he… Wait… Faster ? I know !"
- "NATSU ! You have to use Max Flare !" Natsu glanced at Shinnosuke in confusion, not understanding what he meant. "Put your magic in him and transform, just like Kouta did when Phantom attacked !"
- "What ?! You want to … With…" Natsu stuttered, holding the Shift Car in a hand, looking at it a few seconds before turning his head to the side, holding back a barf. "I… I can't… do that…"
- "For fuck's sake, Natsu !" This time, Shinnosuke had enough ! It was time for Natsu to learn how to control himself. "I can't fight that guy alone, we need a Hybrid and you're the only one here who can become one ! If you can't overcome your stupid nausea, at least just this one time, we'll die here and Erza will be sacrificed by Jellal ! Is that what you want ?!" Shinnosuke could see that he was starting to reach Natsu as his face looked slightly less green. "Prove to me and to everyone you can beat your sickness, phobia, I don't care how you call it, when your friends are in need of help ! Stop thinking about it, Natsu ! It's time to shift into Top Gear !"
Natsu now looked at the Shift Car in his hands with a newfound determination. His nausea was still there, but it was becoming less intense as he let his magic run through the car who, after a little bit of relooking, now looked more like a dragon than a car. A dragon head on the hood, the claws surrounding the wheels, wings on either side acting like doors and the tail trailing behind it. Natsu was amazed, but more by the kind of dragon it was as it looked a lot like Igneel, with the red scales and a whitish underbelly. As his own red and black version of the Shift Brace, Natsu knew what he had to do, even if he had a slight fear about what that implied. He placed the dragonified car in the brace and pulled it.
SALAMANDER : TYPE DRAGON FLARE !
Just like Drive, the armor appeared around him and build itself on him. It was almost the exact same one as Shinnosuke, minus the helmet, but when the tire came and placed itself around the Slayer, things began to look different. Max Flare, now Dragon Flare, looked like a dragon that was now wrapped around Natsu, head resting on his torso. The tire also emitted fire that slowly covered and changed the armor, going from a car theme to a dragon one, still conserving the mechanic aspect, a darker shade of red with a whitish color on the front. On his head, Natsu was wearing a helmet with 4 reddish horns that had black squares on it.
- "That does feel nice." Admitted Natsu, looking at his armor before reporting his attention on the owl man. "Now, let's roast that chicken."
Fukurou had enough waiting and dived right after Natsu but this time, speed wasn't on his side anymore as Natsu now matched his. Not bothered by the icy air that came from the owl man, he was starting to get the upper hand on his opponent who kept fighting, holding his own against the armored fire mage even though he was starting to get dominated. Feeling that he was about to lose, the owl man used the one thing he knew his opponent couldn't stop, and that was flying. As he took off, he immediately ended up in a place where Natsu couldn't follow him and even if Natsu's flames were faster thanks to his armor, it wasn't enough to make it unavoidable for someone who flew as easily as Fukurou. This was starting to get annoying for Natsu as he jumped around, dodging the ice attacks send by the robotic owl, either huge block of ice or a flurry of spears, either dodged or destroyed by the Dragon Slayer, but it was getting annoying for the mage who knew he had a limited time before Gray was completely assimilated.
- "You can't save your friend." Said Fukurou, looking down at the Dragon Rider. "I can't be matched when I'm in the air."
- "This just mean we'll have to bring you back down to earth."
DRIVE : TYPE FORMULA !
As soon as Shinnosuke, that both fighters had forgotten, said that, wind began to blow, forming some kind of tornado that swept the owl monster away as the Formula Rider stood at the ready, joining Natsu.
- "I guess if you said that, that you have a plan to take care of his flying."
- "I do. Just be ready and don't forget…" he said, pointing at his brace after grabbing Mantarn. "Three times."
TIRE KOUKAN : FORMULA 01 !
Using the boost provided by Mantarn, Shinnosuke began to run along the wall, circling the owl as his speed began to build a column of air, creating a tornado of some sort that made the owl lose all control over his own flight. Back on the ground, Natsu decided to add his own touch to the attack, sending flames at the tornado creating a column of fire that weakened the ice of the already tormented owl. As for Shinnosuke, he finally got his opponent where he wanted him and decided that it was time to finish him off.
- "Natsu ! Get ready !"
- "Always am !"
TIRE KOUKAN : FORMULA 02 ! ZE-ZE-ZERO TWO ! HISSATSU ! FULL THROTTLE !
Jumping so he was just above Fukurou, Shinnosuke attacked with the extending floor jack to attack, the owl struck on his back as he was then sent to the ground by the tire attack, heading straight at Natsu who was slightly on the side, ready to attack.
DRA-DRA-DRAGON FLARE ! HISSATSU ! FULL THROTTLE !
Wide wings appeared on Natsu's back as he used them to flew toward the point where the Roidmude was about to land, one of his feet aflame.
MECHA FIRE DRAGON'S OVERDIVE KICK !
Flipping so his feet were pointed forward, he welcomed the plummeting Roidmude with a powerful flaming kick to the ribcage, shattering the sphere on it, which made Gray reappeared as he rolled on the ground while Natsu's attack kept going, piercing the owl as he exploded, stuck in between the kick and Jacky. Once the explosion subsided, Natsu and Shinnosuke were side by side, helping Gray as he was laying on the ground in pain, forgetting Fukurou, back to its former shape, out cold on the ground. And with the Roidmude gone, so was the Donyori, meaning Simon and Ankh were back to normal.
- "Wow, that was weird." Was all Ankh, not commenting what the fight he had just witnessed, fight that seemed unreal to Simon who was looking at the Fairies awestruck but also smiling. The extends they were ready to achieve just for a friend was overwhelming and he couldn't help but feel happy for Erza to have found such great friends.
- "He's badly hurt." Shinnosuke said, looking at Gray as Natsu stood by his side, back to normal. "He need attention."
- "I guess, but we can't just let Erza alone with that asshole looking for her." Said Natsu, who wasn't bothered by the car like appearance Shinnosuke had when transformed, or at least, not as much annoyed as before.
- "I'm gonna stay here to take care of him. You go with Simon. We have to stop Shô before he does something really stupid. If it's not already the case."
/- Era -/
While Natsu and his group was deciding on what to do and how, The council was currently preparing to shoot with Etherion. In a heavily protected room, a huge gathering of magic, either in pure form or as magic circles in many layers was currently being operated by many mages, the councilmen all overlooking at the preparation and needless to say, they weren't really happy about that.
- "To think that we would be driven to a decision of this nature at a time like this, with the council president in such bad health…." Said Org, one of the councilman, the one who at first was completely opposed to the use of Etherion.
- "There was no choice." Confirmed Michello who stood next to him. "Whilst the resident is absent, full responsibility for maintaining order in the magical world falls to the remaining nine councilors. You shouldn't worry so, Org. This may be an unannounced attack upon a foreign nation, but situations such as this are provided for in article 27, clause 4 of the national security act."
- "This is not about the petty legal implications…" Countered Org, shaking and sweating bullets. "We're talking about deploying Etherion !"
- "That Zeref is the devil incarnate." Added Michello. "We can but pray that this Etherion is enough to destroy him."
Meanwhile, in another side of the room, Sieglein stood, hands behind his back, looking at Etherion without a word, Ultear standing behind him, a small smile on her face.
- "The time is almost upon us… Sieg-sama." She began, looking pretty satisfied with the situation. "The feelings you have concealed for these eight years are finally going to be realized."
- "Are you not afraid, Ultear ?" asked Sieg without turning, eyes glued to the preparation.
- "Not even a little." She said confidently. "After all, I always trust in you completely, Sieg-sama."
- "Yes, I see… It's not your life that's in danger here." Confirmed Sieg, earning a small giggle from Ultear. "Personally, I find myself trembling a little. If this fails… Then I die."
He aimed those words at Ultear, but she wasn't the only one who heard him. Yajima, the only councilors who voted against Etherion was using magic to hide himself in a column near them, listening to their conversation.
"If we fail… He dies ? What is he talking about ?"
- "But this is worth putting my life on the line for." He said, a sinister smile making its way on his face. "After all… This is my dream."
Yajima took all of his words in, wondering what he meant by that while, back at the tower, Jellal knocked down the owl chess piece, a small smile on his face.
- "Twenty-five minutes left… I guess I'll be saying goodbye to you, too… Sieglein."
/- With Shô -/
- "Jellal… Shit… How dare he deceive us like this ?! Even hurting nee-san…"
The young card mage was still running along the hallway, heading straight to the top floor since he knew this place perfectly. He was out for blood, his mind set on making Jellal pay for everything he did, and even Erza's words, coming from the card he trapped her in to protect her wasn't enough to make him stop.
- "Shô ! Shô, you have to calm down ! Let me out of here !" Begged Erza, hoping that she could make the young mage stop whatever he was trying to do, but to no avail.
- "Don't worry, nee-san… I'll protect you, no matter what."
Despite Erza's pleas, he kept running until he reached a large hallway where he came to a stop, taken aback by cherry petals falling down around them as a pink haired girl with a long sword on her back appeared in the middle of it, her platforms sandals clapping on the ground with each steps she took until she stopped in the middle of the hall, a good 6 meters away from Shô.
- "I am called Ikaruga." She said, introducing herself. "Greetings."
- "Move it." Shô said, having no time to fool around. "Who the hell are you, anyway ?"
- "Oh, my… such a boorish young man." Snickered the girl behind her hand, amused by his behavior and that clearly didn't please Shô.
- "I ain't wasting my time on trash like you !" roared the young man as he threw cards at her like shuriken. However, Ikaruga wasn't fazed, her eyes squinting slightly as she unsheathed her katana, repelling every single card. Not only that, but the cards also got cut in half, back and front now separated from each other, much to Shô's shock. "No way…"
- "There exists nothing under the sun that I cannot slice." Said Ikaruga as two cross shaped cuts appeared on Shô, opening his vest in four as he stumbled to the ground while spatting blood. In his fall, the card containing Erza flew out, Ikaruga noticing her. "Oh, my… You were hiding in a place like that ?"
- "Shô ! You have to let me out of here right away ! She's not an opponent you can beat !" shouted Erza, slamming her fist on the card from the inside, but Shô wasn't having any of it.
- "Don't worry… That card has protection on it…" he explained, Erza's safety being the only thing that mattered to him. "Nobody on the outside should be able to hurt you at all…"
- "Let me out, Shô ! That woman's sword… It isn't normal !"
As soon as she said that, Ikaruga swung her blade at the card, trying to slice it, but as Shô said, nothing happened to the card. However, inside the card, it was another story. Shô's eyes widened as he realized that Erza had pulled one of her sword out to deflect a cut that managed to entered the card.
- "WHAT !? She cut inside the card !? But it's a completely separate dimension !" he shouted in disbelief, looking as Ikaruga kept attacking inside the card, Erza deflecting all the blows until she, shockingly, managed to exit the card by herself, reappearing by Shô's side, looking straight at her opponent.
- "Thanks to you, there was a distortion in the fabric of space." She said, explaining how she managed to exit. "I sliced through that to make my escape." As she said that, Shô looked at her with tears I hs eyes, at a loss for words at what she managed to do. "I have no business with you. Leave."
- "Hoho…" was all Ikaruga said as crack began to appear on Erza's armor and sword who then shattered like glass out of nowhere, much to the redhead and her old friend shock who had seen nothing else happened. "That was by way of a greeting. Oh ? Don't tell me… You didn't see me move ?"
Indeed, Erza didn't saw her move at all and that was the problem. She had absolutely no idea how that Ikaruga managed to cut her and that made her turn really serious as she frowned at the pink haired woman, Shô cowering on the floor, now realizing that they were both on a whole different level than him.
- "As I stood and stared, through the shadows of the mist, stood a specter there…" sand Ikaruga, looking at Erza with a smile. "While you were busy worrying about finding Jellal-han… You failed to notice the flurry of slices surrounding you where you stood. I am by no mean a mere passerby on the road." By the time she finished, Erza's glare had set on her, her seriousness back on business as she could only agree to her statement.
- "So it would seem."
REQUIP : HEAVEN WHEEL ARMOR !
- "You're an enemy." She concluded, now clad in one of her more iconic armor, swords in hands, ready for the fight. And so was Ikaruga who, with a simple 'Here I come', rushed at Erza who met her halfway, both swordswoman slashing at each other, the flurry of cut flying around as they both parry every single blow their opponent was sending at them. After a counter, Erza jumped above Ikaruga, her swords gathering in a circle.
CIRCLE SWORD !
The spinning blades came at the pink woman, a deadly sawblade that didn't made her flinch at all as she merely smirked, brandishing her sword.
MUGETSU-RYU : YASHA SENKUU !
In an instant, Ikaruga had swung her blade around her, attacking the sword so quickly that it looked like she didn't even touched them but despite that, all the swords shattered in an instant, taking Erza and Shô aback, shock that got even greater when she slashed at Erza from her spot a few meters away, yet destroying the Heaven Wheel Armor who shattered like glass, a cut also appearing on Erza's shoulder. But even after that, Ikaruga wasn't done.
MUGETSU-RYU : KAKURA-EN !
This time', she swung her sword once, a large fire slash coming out of the blade and going straight at Erza who acted immediately after that.
REQUIP : FLAME EMPEROR ARMOR !
She got once again covered in armor as the flame magic came in contact with her and if the flame didn't seemed to destroy the armor at first, the blast was still strong enough to send her flying backward, straight into a wall who got crushed under the strength of the blow.
- "A form of flame-resistant armor ? Impressive that you managed to requip it quickly enough to defend yourself." Praised Ikaruga as Erza walked out the rubbles, panting slightly just before her armor shattered too, leaving her in nothing but the clothes she had under it. "But don't you think it is a little unseemly to expose yourself so in male company ?" The mockery was too much for Erza who was starting to feel her anger boil inside her soul. "Come, now. I suggest you use the strongest armor you have."
REQUIP : PURGATORY ARMOR !
Answering Ikaruga's provocation, Erza was now wearing an impressive black armor, adorned with demon looking spikes on the whole armor, giving her a demonic look that got accentuated with her hair who now looked like a lion mane, waving dangerously around her head, her only visible eye shining red. Her power was heavy, suffocating Shô while Ikaruga seemed pretty much amused.
- "None have seen this armor and lived to tell the tale." She said, her voice as heavy and threatening as her armor. "Witness it and despair !"
*CRACK* As soon as she ended her sentence, Erza saw a few cherry blossom petals falling in front of her eyes as Ikaruga passed by her in a blink of an eye, delivering one strike to her armor who shattered just as easily as the others, another cut adding to the one Erza already had as she could only look wide eyes as her body fell backward, her unprotected body laying on the ground as Shô look at the scene, despair showing on his face as he saw her nee-san be defeated so easily.
- "So that was your strongest armor ?" Mocked Ikaruga as Erza panted on the ground, the pink haired woman sheathing her sword. "You understand now, yes ? No matter what armor you might wear, it cannot stand up to my blade. Surrender."
Erza gritted her teeth. She was not the kind to go and give up but at the same time, she had a hard time finding a solution to her problem. She was in a pinch and one she had never been in before. She needed help, or at least some time.
- "This would be much more simple if you'd just give up. That way, I'll happily bring you to Jellal. After all, it's not like you can count on anyone here. Now, as I said, surren…"
DAI KAIGAN ! ROBIN OMEGA STRIKE !
- "GAAAH !" Before she could end her sentence, Ikaruga got struck by a green energy made arrow that exploded upon contact, sending her a few steps back. "Who is it ? Who are you ?"
- "Me ?" Said the shooter as he came into light, walking slowly toward them. A green hooded parka with yellow outline and a sort of feather on the hood, covering a black face with a green bow and arrow pointing down on it. A large bow in his hands still pointed at the swordswoman as he came to a stop next to Erza. "Someone she can count on."
- "Takeru !" shouted the red haired mage as she looked up to the Rider. "Why are you here ?"
- "I ran after Shô to stop him before he did something stupid. But this place is pretty huge and I got lost. Sorry." Explained Ghost as he kept his eyes on his opponent who, her confusion passed, was back to grinning like she did before.
- "Oh, so you're one of those Kamen Rider I've heard about ? I must say, I'm a little disappointed. I was expecting a great fighter, not some kid wearing costume."
- "Those aren't costumes. They are Damashii." Said Takeru as he grabbed another Eyecon. "Let me show you the difference."
KAIGAN : NEWTON ! RINGO GA RAKKA, HIKIYOSE MAKKA !
- "I'm going to buy you some time, Erza. Don't worry." He said as he ran toward Ikaruga who had drawn her sword, lifting it to go for the kill but Takeru stopped her. Using his repelling power on the sword, he pushed it away and prevented Ikaruga from slashing him, much to her shock as she could only look at him coming for her, punching her in the stomach with his other glove. Taken aback, Ikaruga quickly got over it and slashed at Takeru who jumped out of the way. But Ikaruga was fats and she followed his movement, attempting to get the ghost, which she did, Takeru finding himself falling to the ground as she landed many slashes on him. But he wasn't done as he pointed his left hand at Ikaruga, a hand that shone with a blue aura that did nothing to Ikaruga.
- "Well ? Is your toy broken ?" She mocked, seeing that his power did nothing. But Takeru wasn't annoyed by that.
- "You sure ?"
Erza, who was slowly getting to her feet, noticed that the rubbles from the wall she broke before were now floating above the ground, surrounded by the same blue aura than the one on Takeru's hand. When Ikaruga felt that something was happening, she turned around, only to see a wave of stone rushing at her, stone she destroyed easily but by turning her back to Takeru, she made a mistake, one the Rider used immediately.
DAI KAIGAN ! NEWTON OMEGA DRIVE !
Takeru diverted the attraction power from the stone to Ikaruga who got immobilized by the power of the gravity and, unable to move, she couldn't escape the next attack, coming from Takeru's right fist who gathered as much power as it could and unleashing it one the swordswoman in one powerful punch that send her flying through the room and away from the group. Takeru got back to his feet as Ikaruga was already getting back up, her yukata out of place, blood coming out of her nose who probably got broken from the blow.
- "Hum, you're not half bad, kid." Said Ikaruga, a smirk on her lips as she looked at the Rider who stood a few feet away.
- "Thanks. I have to say you're more resistant than I first though." Admitted Takeru, grabbing another Eyecon. "I think I'll have to be going at you harder then."
- "Don't Takeru." Erza's voice grabbed the two fighters attention as Ikaruga looked above her shoulder and Takeru past her to see the redhead on her feet, though shaking due to the damages she received before. She was bleeding from the cuts on her body, had scratches everywhere, but her determination hadn't wavered.
REQUIP : CLEAR HEART CLOTHING !
Erza requipped once again, but this time, she had no armor, much to everyone surprise. Her new attire consisted in a red pant with flames on the bottom, bandages wrapped around her chest, her hair in a high ponytail and a katana in each hand. Also, she had no shoes as she stood barefoot, glaring at Ikaruga who, just like the two men presents, was staring disbelievingly at her.
- "What is the meaning of this ?" asked Ikaruga, intrigued by Erza's clothes. "I feel no magic whatsoever from that outfit. It's just plain fabric, that's all." A tick mark appeared on her face as she half-grinned, annoyance filling her face. "And after I went to such pains to show you the extent of my skill… It seems I am being underestimated."
- "Nee-san ! What's wrong with you ?!" Cried Shô, not liking seeing Erza like this at all. "You have tons of strong armor left, don't you !? You're stronger than this, aren't you ?!"
- "I don't think this had anything to do with her being strong." Muttered Takeru, looking straight at Erza's eyes, seeing them filled with a newfound calmness that seemed rather out of place. "Not wearing any armor… This has another deeper meaning…"
- "I am not strong." Began Erza, taking Shô aback and grabbing Ikaruga and Takeru's attention as in her head, images from the past came back. A young Gray asking her why she cried alone, the old man who saved her life, younger version of her friends from her time as slave. "I'm not… So many of my nakama died right before my eyes… I failed to protect the people I cared about… And… I was always crying. I locked my own heart up in a suit of armor…" As she talked, she had taken a stance, both sword held on each side of her. "It is because I am weak that I always hide behind a suit of armor. I could never take that armor off."
- "Even if my opponent is naked… I will still slice her." Said Ikaruga as Erza paused in her monologue, not impressed as she put a hand on her sword scabbard and pommel.
- "I always believed that the armor would keep me safe…" continued the redhead. "But that wasn't right. That chink between people's hearts that allow them to connect… I was just blocking that up. But Fairy Tail taught me the truth. That it's so much better to be close to people, to feel their warmth. I no longer have doubts ! I will change my very being to strength… And defeat you !" She had claimed that with an absolute conviction, also triggering Ikaruga in going forth.
- "Prepare yourself !" shouted the pink haired swordswoman as she rushed at Erza, sword drawn and ready to attack. "This is the end !"
Both women rushed at each other and delivered one blow as they passed by each other, the contact creating a shockwave that made the wall shake slightly as they both came to a stop. For a few seconds, nothing happened, the two spectators holding their breath, wondering who won and who lost. Suddenly, a deep cut appeared on Erza's shoulder, blood spurting out of it, Ikaruga smirking as she looked at the mage.
- "And thus, you lose." Or so she thought. Because as soon as she said that, blood exploded out of her by a deep cut that covered her whole torso, blood also coming out of her mouth as she fell backward, genuinely shocked by what was happening. "Im…Impossible…"
- "All right ! Nee-san, you're incredible !" Cheered Shô, relieved that her 'sister' managed to beat that powerful assassin as Takeru walked up to them.
- "That was impressive for sure." He said, smiling under his helmet while Ikaruga, despite being defeated, still had things to say.
- "I have… Never once…. Been defeated… Not once…Until this day…" she said between breath, her life slowly seeping out of her. "However… Both you and Jellal are destined for defeat…" This sentence grabbed the onlookers attention. "Fifteen minutes… See it plummet down… Shining light of justice bright… Bringing death to all… A beastly poem…" With those last poetic words, Ikaruga closed her eyes and as Takeru could feel, for the last time. He did a quiet prayer for her, honoring the dead. However, as he got closer to the mage who laid on the ground, he felt something weird and saw something that made him gasped. An eye just appeared on her chest.
- "What the…"
An explosion coming out of the corpse send him flying back, landing next to Erza and Shô as dark energy enveloped Ikaruga like a cocoon. A few seconds later, the darkness disappeared and instead of Ikaruga, they found a black monster with blue eyes who was wearing a worn out version of Ikaruga's yukata. It also had a large mane of pink hair and was carrying a long katana with a blood red jagged blade. Without any warning, the newly formed Gamma swung its blade at the three mages and Rider, sending a large slash of red energy at them, slash that exploded on contact, sending the three of them flying and rolling on the ground.
- "This body is a little weak since it's dead, but it still hold a great amount of power." Said the Gamma, looking at his own body. "I might have hit the jackpot."
- "Taking over a dead person ? How dare you !?" shouted Takeru, feeling his anger boiling at what he had done. "I won't let you get away with this !"
KAIGAN : BENKEI ! ANIKI ! MUKIMUKI ! NIODACHI !
Grabbing his Gan Gan Saber who was now in Hammer Mode, Takeru ran at the Gamma, the two opponents exchanging blows and parries at a quick pace, but while the Gamma dealt full damages,, which were quite high by the way, Takeru was doing much less due to the difference in nature between the Hybrid and the Rider. With a elbow to the head, the Gamma threw Takeru off balance and, spinning on his heels, he used the momentum to deal a powerful slash at the rider, the red blade cutting the Rider hard as he was sent flying backward, toward Erza and Shô who were still on the side, the first still hurt by her previous fight and the latter already knowing he wouldn't be of much help. Takeru stumbled on the ground a little bit more until he stopped, right beside his two comrades who rushed by his sides as the Gamma was slowly walking toward them, the long katana racking on the ground.
- "Takeru ! Are you alright ?" asked Erza, wincing slightly as her movement hurt because of her wounds.
- "Yeah. But that creature is strong." Admitted Takeru as Shô began panicking.
- "She was already strong before, but now she looks even stronger." He said, looking warily at the monster who was slowly approaching them.
- "We need to make one of us into a Hybrid." Said Erza, knowing what to do since she already did it before. "Do you have anything we can use ?"
- "I'm not sure." Grimaced Takeru, not feeling sure about that idea. "I know about the Hybrid, but the Eyecon contains Damashii, the soul of living being. I don't know if…"
Before he could explain why this might not work, a light, coming from his device box on his belt, began to glow stronger and stronger as it slowly engulfed Takeru and Erza who had no choice but to cover their eyes. When they opened them again, they were no longer in the hallway with the Gamma and Shô, but in a completely different place, one Takeru knew fairly well. An old Japanese styled room with a man sitting cross-legged on a small pillow, clad in a red vest with red eyes, only feature on his otherwise blank face.
- "Who's that ?" Asked Erza, impressed by the cheer strength that this man gave off as he looked up to them.
- "I am Miyamoto Musashi. Legendary swordsman, founder of the Niten Ichi-ryu." Said the Parka Ghost, his deep voice echoing in the small room. "It is a pleasure to meet such a skilled young swordswoman."
- "Musashi, why are we here ?" Asked Takeru, grabbing the swordsman attention.
- "I brought you there to have a small talk about those Hybrids." Explained the ghost. "It is true that as Damashii, you can't use us like you use others trinkets to create Hybrids. But it is still possible. For that, you'll need the Parka Ghost you want to use to agree in sharing his power. You need to make sure a ghost want to help you to succeed, to make sure that you are, for him, worthy of being granted a power similar to his own. For example…" Musashi got up, standing arms crossed in front of Erza who felt almost intimidated. Knowing that Eyecon contains soul of great historical figures from the Rider world, she felt some sort of pressure. It was like she was standing in front of a legend from her own world. "… After witnessing such skill and determination, adding with your story, I can't help but be impressed. I'm find you to be worthy of borrowing my strength and as such, I'll offer you my Eyecon to give your power the boost it need to slay evil down." He then hold a hand toward Erza in a welcoming gesture. "Will you accept my help, Miss Scarlett ?"
Erza stood there, looking alternatively between the hand and the Parka Ghost, giving her some time to think about it before smirking, shaking hands with the legend.
- "It would be my pleasure."
Musashi nodded and the same light came back, engulfing the two humans as they got back in the tower, in the exact same situation as before, as if time had stopped while they were with Musashi. Seeing that the Gamma was about to reach them, Takeru reacted on instinct, putting the eye on his weapon in front of the one on his Driver.
DAI KAIGAN ! GAN GAN MINNA ! OMEGA BOMBER !
A wall of energy made weapon appeared in front of the group, stopping the Gamma as the weapon, one by one, flew out of the ground and toward the monster, bombarding it and forcing him backward. While this happened, Takeru, Erza and Shô could focus on something that appeared in Erza's hand. It was an Eyecon, the red part now silver and the white part red. The face on top showed a fairy with a sword behind, the number being quite strange : M-01. If they had some doubt about what it meant, it quickly disappeared as a red and silver Ghost Driver appeared around Erza's waist.
- "Seems like Musashi will help you." Said Takeru, looking up to met Erza's determined eyes. "You ready for this ?"
- "More than ready." She said, getting up with Takeru who had another Eyecon in his hand. They both pressed the button on their Eyecon and inserted them inside the Driver, a Silver and scarlet version of Musashi flying out of Erza's, next to a purple one and gold one.
EYE ! BATCHIRIMINA ! BATCHIRIMINA ! (x2)
- "HENSHIN !"
KAIGAN : NOBUNAGA ! WARE NO IKIZAMA ! OKEHAZAMA !
KAIGAN : SCARLETT ! YOSEI NO SENSHI ! YOROI NO KENSHI !
As Takeru was now wearing the Nobunaga Parka with the Gan Gun Hand in Gun Mode In hand, Erza was standing by his side, wearing her own new set of armor and parka. She had no helmet, only the hood with her hair flowing out in a ponytail out of hole in the top of it. The parka was mainly scarlet red with silver lining, color that were also present on the two swords she had in her hands. The clothes she wore from her Clear Heart Clothing were also present but in an armor fashion. The bandages on her chest had become some kind of chest plate while her pants were now some sort of armor, red in color with black flames and yellow lining.
- "So what if you got a new set of clothes ? Those won't help you. You both shall get destroyed !" roared the Gamma as he ran at the both of them, Takeru holding his gun as he opened fire on him, most of his bullets ending up being deflected by the Gamma's sword as Erza ran at the creature, both of them soon beginning their duel, swords clashing against one another, metal clanging and sparks flying. However, though Erza's swordsmanship was better, the Gamma had a sword whose blade emitted an energy that kept sending energy cuts at Erza even when his swords was blocked, which was putting Erza in a tight spot, even if she also did landed a few hits on her own, each one of them dealing a fair amount of damages. However, the Fairy got the fight back in control when Takeru jumped in, slamming his weapon down on the Gamma's arm, preventing him from slashing once again at Erza and allowing the red hair to deal a powerful strike to the Gamma and thus beginning the Fairies counter-attack. Both fighters began to advance, forcing their enemy back, enemy who had a hard time dodging and blocking the onslaught, thus suffering heavy damages. After some blows, Takeru ceased his assault, leaving Erza alone as he took a few step back, putting the Gan Gun Hand in front of his Driver.
DAI KAIGAN ! GAN GAN MIRO ! GAN GAN MIRO !
- "Erza ! Move !" Shouted Takeru over the driver stand by announcement as two rows of copy of his gun appeared behind him, all pointed at the Gamma Erza was fighting. As soon as Erza dived aside after seeing what he was aiming for, Ghost pressed the trigger.
NOBUNAGA ! OMEGA SPARK !
Each one of the gun around him fired one shot, the barrage of shots raining on the Gamma who couldn't blocked them all, suffering heavy damages followed by an explosion that sent him rolling on the ground and as he struggled to get up, Erza had prepared her own finisher.
DAI KAIGAN ! GAN GAN MINA ! SCARLETT ! OMEGA ASSAULT !
Erza's swords got covered in a red aura as the same energy seeped out of her body, creating copy of the many weapons she had, from the Heaven's Wheel swords to the De-Malevo-Lance, spears, swords, hammer, mace, etc. and even the one without weapon like the Adamantine Armor, all materialized and wielded or wore by ghostly version of herself. The army of ghosts then rushed at the Gamma who was struggling to stay standing, each ghost dealing one blow with their weapon or armor as the aura around the real Erza's swords kept growing. As the last ghost attacked, she followed suite, swinging her swords sideways at the Gamma in one deadly slash that dealt a lot of damages to the Gamma as well as exorcise him from Ikaruga's body, the Gamma and his Eyecon exploding as Ikaruga's body fell to the ground. Soon after, Erza powered down, the Eyecon in her hand back to its original shape of Musashi, Takeru walking up to her.
- "That was awesome !" he said, showing her his hand in which she put the Eyecon. "And now, I know what to do to have some Eyecon Hybrids."
- "Yes, but we have more pressing matters." Said Erza, her face serious as she looked at Ikaruga. "She said fifteen minutes, she probably was talking about Etherion… Shô, are you alright ?" Asked Erza suddenly, turning to look at the card mage who was standing close by.
- "Yeah… Somehow…"
- "You have to take Simon and the rest, as well as my Nakama, and get away from this tower." At that, Takeru was frowning at her as Shô looked ready to object when she looked at him with a gentle smile. "You'll do it for me, won't you. Shô."
- "…Yeah…" he finally said, looking down, not liking the idea but agreeing nonetheless. "But what about you ?"
- "I'm going… To finish this… "
She then ran away, heading to where Jellal was ,not noticing that Takeru was following her like a shadow. HE felt that something was off and he won't leave her alone here as long as he won't shed some light on the matter.
/- Meanwhile -/
While Erza and Takeru were closing on Jellal, Natsu and Simon were also running, but to try and find Erza. They had left Shinnosuke who said he would take care of Gray's wounds before heading back to find the rest. As they were running, Natsu was thinking about his transformation thanks to one of Shinnosuke's Shift Car. He didn't know if this was because the car looked like a dragon after being infused with his magic or something else, but he couldn't forget that, despite it being themed after a car, his new transformation hadn't made him sick. His thought were soon put to a stop when he felt Simon, who was running by his side, stopped and clench his head, a knee on the ground.
- "Oi ! What's happening to you ?" he asked, slightly worried about his 'comrade'.
- "It's nothing… Don't worry. I just received a transmission from Wally and Millianna. They've found Lucy and Juvia collapsed on the ground along with one of the Trinity Raven. Thay don't what's going on so they weren't sure about what to do, so I asked them to get them both out of the tower. And according from a transmission from Shô, all of the Trinity Raven got defeated."
- "That's good then." Said Natsu, smirking. "This means that there's only that Jellal guy left."
- "Yeah, and Erza, followed by Takeru, are heading his way as we speak. She intends to deal with him alone." Simon then looked down slightly as Natsu glared at him. "The two of them shared a bond of resentment for eight years now. It may well be that their clash is a fated inevitability. But Jellal is just too powerful." He then look up, fixing his eyes on Natsu's. "Please, you must save Erza."
- "Don't wanna." Was not the answer Simon was hoping and it shocked him greatly as his mouth hung open in disbelief. "He's Erza enemy, so I say Erza should defeat him. This isn't something I should go barging in on."
- "Erza has no hope of defeating Jellal !" shouted Simon, which unnerved Natsu.
- "Don't you dare insult her like that, you ass !"
- "It's not a matter of strength, here !" Shouted Simon as he got up and grabbed Natsu by his scarf, successfully shutting him up. "Erza…. She's still hoping that she can save Jellal, somehow ! I know it, she just doesn't have it in her to actually hate Jellal !" This took Natsu by surprise, who could see the information fall together to form a coherent image, one he feared. "Jellal is cunning. He will make use of Erza's lingering feelings for him. But it gets even worse than that." Added Simon who finally let go of Natsu who was standing here, not moving an inch. "You know that the council is planning on firing the Etherion down upon this place, yes ? And of course, if that does happen, then everyone inside this tower will die for certain. And we only have, like, ten minutes left, now."
- "WHAT !?" Natsu knew for Etherion, but he had no idea it would come that fast.
- "Erza went off while telling Shô to get everyone out of the tower." Continued Simon. "You know Erza well enough do you not ? Though it pains me to say it… She may well be planning on using the Etherion to die, taking Jellal along with her."
- "Why didn't you say that in the first place … ?" Growled Natsu, grinding his teeth as realization dawned upon him. "WHERE THE HELL DID ERZA GO !?"
And that's it. I hope you liked this chapter. I'm pretty proud of it and I'd like to know what you thought of it. As I said at the beginning of this chapter, due to me moving out, I'll probably have a little delay on my updates, I hope you won't be bothered by them. I'll still try to update this story at least once a week.
Don't forget to review and comment, I'll read them all to upgrade my story and make it as great as possible. See ya !
Next time : A fated showdown. The true shape of the R-System. A boost in death. Shattered tower and sacrifice.
