Chapter 33: The Finale on Who-Gets-their-Ass-Kicked
In all honesty, I died.
Correction, I should have died.
I mean...unless you were a FairyTail-Bullshit-Class mage or a lightning dragon-slayer, getting struck by lightning should have been unavoidable, most likely killing me. Not to mention, a supercharged one that could put all other lightning to shame coming from an S-Class mage with cheat-like power and with the source of unlimited power which turn her into an almost god-like being.
There's only one thing crossing my mind.
ALBUSBLOWINGTTHATDUCKMOTHERLOVINGNERVEOFFREAKINGDUMBLEDORE!
Yeah, it was so bad that I'm using a fictional name to swear for this FUBAR situation I'm in. For a moment, I could literally feel my soul coming out of my body as I watched in morbid awe while the witch (At this point, it's not an exaggeration to call her that rather than a mage) had controlled the very air she breath, the very ground she walks, and the storm she weaved.
I should have died, if not for a well-timed intervene from my Pledge Knight who covered me and use his own sword as a conductor. Going so far as to use as his counterattack against her, but Spade - not being a mage - couldn't control that amount of power and it swerved greatly from the target. His clothes a bit burned, so he wasn't 100% unaffected.
I scowled and looked back where Spade stood, sword drawn, and looking as pissed as me.
"About damn time you got here."
He raised an eyebrow, taking a step forward to stood by me, and eyeing our opponent, "You thought I'd broke her spell?"
"Since I can, why can't you?"
"Oh yeah, funny how you gave me the clue to break it. Didn't think a simple change perception was the answer."
"I have a long and multiple theories on how her magic works. The short and simple version would be is that she controls the mind instead of the body, otherwise the moment she told us to "Freeze" we wouldn't be able to even breath or even have our hearts beating. Heck, this whole time she could have told us to die, but didn't. I assume her sadistic streak was at play but clearly there's more to it than that." Probably not that different to how Ur could control everything's time but the human body. "As long as we don't take her words too literal, it'll be easy to overcome and beat her with some annoyance from her armor...or that was the plan."
"Clearly that's not going to work anymore." He pointed his sword through the ravaging land at the mercy of her words, "Do you think she could control the body as well as the mind at this point?"
"Let's not give her any ideas."
"YoU BoYS taLK Too MUch. NOW GeT CRUsH!" She crowed with a voice more demented and skewed that couldn't naturally form in contrast to the previous heavy silky tone she had.
The split rock shifted, straightening and gliding to sandwich us. Missus smirked as it fully enclosed us, but it fell when she felt the wind shifted somewhere behind her. I was too fast for her to respond as I sneaked into her defence, reaching out to touch and gave her a "Silence" rune.
Flash of white, eardrum-shattering noise, and a buzzed of pain before everything went numb.
It took only a second before I blinked out the white spots colouring my sight, realizing I was on the ground, looking up at the skyless sky, and coughing out smoke before the pain hit me like a freight train. My body convulsed into a withering heap, harsh gurgle slipped out, my hand clawing my own shirt as if they were making me suffocate over my strained muscle.
It was only then that I was horribly reminded of Heart telling me about the electrocution setting on the armour that would shock anyone touching barehanded and why I hadn't try to do that from the first try.
Oops...
Once my vision was cleared, I found myself facing a giant earth nail, most likely crushing me to pieces rather than nailing me down.
Using every ounce of my strength, I rolled over from realizing her fantasy but got the brunt of the aftershock. Forcing me to tumble away, and hitting my back with the nearest rooted tree.
I was quick to ignore the cry of my body, and my feet. Several Earth Nails, smaller but many, were aimed at me and had to avoid them all. Going so far as jumping up on the sky, twisting and turning all the while as I kept making my way higher up.
During so, I requip a few daggers on hand before throwing it at her. She only needed to use "Stop" to halt its progress inches from reaching her. She did not consider, however, the dagger to trigger a spell the moment she stopped it in motion. Hence, why she was caught off guard by the hot white flames engulfing her that her armour would barely protect her.
Heart had explained, if not made specifically, most of her works would have less affinity with fire than any other elemental affinity. Doesn't mean it'd be just as easy, the difference is still minuscule even if it exists. "You need enough heat to at least melt metal if you want to make a dent against my work" she would say.
Her challenge accepted I made this a chance to debut of the sheer beauty of my Flame Daggers. And don't underestimate those white flames, it took a month worth of constant pumping of ethernano to get to that level of heat that would melt even rocks.
It didn't help her case when not a second too late, a gust of wind - Courtesy of Spade's - had blown and fanned the flames. God-like she might be, she's not exempt from human reaction yet. Feeling the extreme heat and the burned off her skin, even I could smell her cooking. It took time for her to gain her bearing before snuffing the fire out. Yet the damaged had still done. No longer was she the deadly beauty that would make most men stopped stun at her appearance. Not when half her face and left arm up to her shoulder was covered with a nasty burn.
If looks could kill, I'd be dead by now from her pointed glare that was way beyond murderous.
"YOU'RE DEAD!" she snarled.
Spade made good of his skill, jumping over the floating rocks as foothold without it breaking his fighting stance, and making sure he has a clear shot of her. His dial turned and instead of wind this time, and shifted to ice element. Ice curled around his sword like a snake, but with a flick of his wrist managed to extend it like a whip to reach her.
Wariness struck her that she dodged away, but even with her words. She wouldn't expect that the ice would be branched out from the sides with a sharp yet long branch. Missus avoids it just as easily, but for every dodge, multiple branches of ice would come and try to strike her. Growling, she decided she had enough and destroy the ice with a swing of her axe. Shattering the branches that were caging her like a bird. Yet, that was a bad move from her.
"Hmm, AnNOying little PEsT."
The small pieces of the cold shards drop on her skin and she winced by the stinging cold that hits. It was only when the stinging pain spread and stayed did she realize the bits of her skin was gradually being covered with ice. Her eyes widen when Spade made the same stance again, lashing out the same attack.
[Guardián del Hielo!]
Electricity crackle around her that her hair stood out. She made the magic stopped its track and add that with an attack of her own. She twirled her axe around into a blur. The tip glows light blue. Throwing it like the fast wheels of an F1 race car. The crack of lightning tore through the air dangerously, and even from afar, the scorching heat hit us in waves.
[DIVINE WHEEL OF THE STORM!]
You think that sounded bad? It's nothing compared to its destruction. Spade avoided in a wide margin from it, and at the space, he occupied before had a huge split on the earth that extended all the way to the forest. The heat still emitting from its attack, a bit of fire, and even the rocks were hissing and smoking from it. Not as bad as my White Flame Dagger, but since I have limited stock and she can throw it willy-nilly, it's not a fair comparison.
The attack didn't stop there. Like a boomerang, the axe twirled sideway mid its tracks and turned back. Spade was ready to dodge again but Missus only needed one word and the world-class swordsman froze. Now he might have moved a second later, but a second was still too long for him to get himself out from getting cut in half.
Fortunately for him, he wasn't alone. He has me.
A single throw of my dagger and it was enough to throw off its course, but it did not stop it returning to Missus' hand. She glared up at me, who was floating up and examining the landscape to give proper support.
"Wind, become my arrow!"
Several winds made visible swirled surrounding her like an arrow-shaped tornado, before launching in speed no normal human could avoid or read its trajectory at the two of us. I had no problem dispersing it, but even for Spade, he had difficulty dodging them and one managed to strike him hard to the side that blood spurt out form him.
"Spade!" My worried call for him did not make Missus' attack any less relentless. She became bolder and more creative with her attack.
"Forest, be my arms!"
The whole span of the forest as far as I can see began to twist and turn unnaturally. Somehow managing to root themselves out and walked like a creepy marching tree zombies. They collided and stretched, intertwining until they shaped up into a giant pair of arms. The scale of her attacks just gets bigger and bigger.
One green arm was trying to swat me, and I teleported out of the way. Too busy with what's in front of me that I failed to note Missus presence fast enough to dodge her kick, powered by a burst of lightning.
Next thing I knew, I was coughing out blood and smoke, my body lodge on the crater she made. It took a couple of blinks before the forest arm was blocking the cloudy sky over me and was coming frighteningly closer that I had to teleport to Spade's back who wasn't faring any better.
"Any ideas Captain?"
"You tell me, Spade, I know you can do better than this? So mind sharing with the class."
That actually made him tense, and look down at me in incredulity, "How the hell do you know about that?"
I shrugged, "My very cowardly Lion-Horse told me you are at least a Level 9 threat in his category. Meaning, you have enough strength to give mother nature a middle finger if you want to."
"I could...but I honestly don't know if it'll be enough to beat her."
"So do I, but hey! We still have our Plan B. We just need to stall long enough for the girls to come," I shot a thumbs up at him.
"WhAt ArE you YOU PEst wHispErInG AbOUt?" She shot a bolt of lightning, and instead of getting hit ourselves, she set the forest arm on fire. So now we're facing a fiery pair of burning giant forest arm.
I gulped, "Anytime now Spade!"
"Fine," he huffed, "I should have charged it enough to pack this Baby up." He raised his sword perpendicular to his arm, and the round dial that acted as the hilt broke apart like a blooming metal flower. Exposing the thin tubes almost invisible to the naked eye. I watched in bewilderment as the several tubes move like snakes and began jamming itself to his arm, making we wince at the sight.
"I can't say I want to know, but I still got to ask, what's up with your sword?"
He threw me a confident smirk, "There's a famous quote that said, "If you look at the Abyss, the Abyss looks at you back." It's a saying that does not only reflect about life but this sword as well. The longer I cross any attacks with my sword, the more it absorbs ethernano for itself from its attacker and attacks itself. Storing up for its ultimate way of attack."
"...I thought for sure your sword got its name by representing the four elements that made up the magic Abyss Break."
"Well, sure I can use that, but let's keep that on the back burner unless you want me to disintegrate the half the island."
"Then putting aside that bullshit power you have alongside your bullshit logic about your sword, and that embarrassing chuunibyou-way of explaining, what is your ultimate attack?"
The tube slightly bulged and glow, and my senses indicated it was filled with elemental ethernano. My eyes widen because of the unbelievable risk he was taking.
"Christ of a Pine Staf! What the hell Spade, are you trying to kill yourself? Natural ethernano is one thing, but this?! You're putting your sword's magic inside you and you're not even a mage!"
"No strength comes without risk, you of all people should know that Captain."
I opened my mouth but shut it quickly, seeing no point in arguing what was true, and since we have no rooms to complain at the moment. Yet, couldn't help but clicked my tongue.
"What the heck, go wild then!"
A feral grin made its way to his lips, "Yes Sir!"
The burning forest arm locked their hands together, raising it, ready to squashed into dirt powder of ash. Then for a brief moment, only less than second, I saw him changed bore my eyes from the rugged handsome swordsman into something that could make him pass off as a fire spirit. His skin turned into shimmering colour between blue and transparent, his features were harder to distinguish when it looks like he was made of the ice itself.
But then the next second he was gone, and the world exploded.
Sorry, that was dramatic. I meant the moment he left my sight, the arms were shown to have numerous stabs by sharp pointed giant pillars of ice through them and stopping their track. That wasn't what was surprising, what surprising was the fact the fire began to diminish from the attack. I mean...I could understand if he encased the whole arm in ice, but to stab and have it extinguish itself is a bit-
…
No way?
Is that-
Holy, it is!
That ain't regular ol' ice.
That's a mother freaking DRY ICE?!
I turned to Missus, who had been smirking in joy, began scowling down at us as if we were insects that just wouldn't stay dead. Trust me, I know those eyes anywhere.
Missus spread her arm, "Storm, be my shield!" she shouted. I thought she was only up for summoning storm clouds in the sky, but when the rumbling dark clouds came, it was so she had it enveloped her like an eastern dragon...she even made it shape like one! As if having her own personal holy beast protecting her, which I admit is pretty damn cool.
If she's trying to intimidate and impressed, well damn she made good on that!
The body of the makeshift storm dragon throbbed dangerously. My eardrums were screaming murder from how close the rumbling thunder was.
Spade made his way next to me, the icy temperature made me wince enough that I couldn't stand next to him. Cold vapour was coming all around from him, and the ground was seeping with his ice. He was looking up dispassionately up at her.
Can...can he even control this form of his?
Before I could voice my doubt, his icy form turned to one with blinding light. I shielded my eyes with barely a glimpse of what I assumed was his lightning form before he launched himself at the Storm Dragon, roaring the rumbling sound of thunder before it lunges to meet him. I wasn't able to catch him attacking, but whenever there was a flash of light, and the storm dragon recoiled. I knew he was there, fighting an impossible battle. Not even Missus could interfere with all the rumbling thunder drowning her voice and Spade much too fast for her voice to reach him.
I wondered how he could keep himself at what basically the speed of light and still be aware of his surrounding in a fight, not even Laxus manage that much mastery of his own element.
Missus must have found her presence ignored to be annoying because she switched her gaze toward me. Eyes gleaming, and her lips quirking a smile that I could only say was sadis-oh fuck me!
Despite the impending doom, I could not help feeling a morbid curiosity of what she'd do next. She answered my unasked question when she started shouting with words I couldn't discern, but the earth followed through enough when my footing began to crack and trembled. I almost lost my balance when the ground I stood and my surrounding began to float up. Coming together from a speck of ball up in the air that I had to squint to spot, until it grew larger and larger, that I think she had shaved off some of the land of this island. It wasn't a particularly big island after all.
But all that ideas was tucked away when a shadow of doom loomed dangerously high above me. Until what was practically a fucking-meteorite fell in speed comparable to a real one. Give her a few years and she'll have enough power to replicate Uchiha Madara's Meteor Jutsu. That thought ran through my mind and was a second too late to avoid it, and I was sure I was dead meat in a pile of screws.
Various thoughts ran through my head, listing all the plans that would get out us alive no matter how unreasonable it was. Only one plan has the chance but it was going to suck. Me, particularly. I breathed in, my body poised to intercept the approaching makeshift meteor. One chance of getting out alive, yet my chance was stolen before I could take it.
I watched as the falling rock began to crack. The crack spread from the pressure before the rock split into a perfect two. Falling down in two directions, and missing me entirely.
And there flying - floating? - in the sky. Two swords on hand. Red hair flowing aside from the wind. Her stance was tall, proud, and strong when she had cut a meteor into two. I took in her familiar signature armour from a memory of Long Ago. Metal wings on the back that seemed to glitter and took away your breath, a long white skirt flowing down, metal boots and gauntlets shining darkly.
I couldn't keep down the bright grin stretched out on my face, "What took you so long?"
My ears picked up non-threatening footsteps coming closer behind me, "You try making an armour from scratch and see how you like it!" she growled, but there was a playful note in it. As if making a full-bodied armour in the span of an hour or two was expected for her. "And you were the one with the unreasonable request to fix her up some armour."
"Not too unreasonable to be impossible, yes?" I cheekily retort, making her snort. My mind flashback to the previous time where I had enacted the plan to feature the Future Queen of the Fairies.
"While Team A, consist of Zeffik, Nick, and Hope, take out their transportation, Team B, which is me and Sp-trustworthy knight of mine would be confronting directly with Missus."
"...You've gone mad," Heart bluntly told me, "You can't expect to win against that!"
"Oh, I may not be disillusioned to win in a straight fight, but I'll still be trying. At least we'll buy enough time for you Team C."
Erza and Heart made a brief glance at one another before Heart pressed further, "And what might our mission be?"
I pointed my finger at the woman blacksmith. Bubbling excitement stirred underneath me at the implication I'm aiming, "Seeing as you have made that splendid armour to the enemy, you'll be making another equally powerful armour to go against it and she…" I turned my pointed hand toward Erza, "...will wear and fight in it."
Heart, if it was possible, scowl further. "So not only are you made, but you plan to send the girl to her death?"
I arched an eyebrow to her, "You're implying that this girl could not hold her own against the Wicked Witch?"
"You know better than I that none of us has a chance against her."
"One-on-one we don't, but good thing we're not alone, but still I have to ask...Erza!" The red-haired girl, who had been uncharacteristically quiet, open her revealing one eye, if I didn't know any better, I'd say she was giving me one of her death glare. "Are you willing to take her on?"
All was silent as she waited for her response,"What do you have in mind?"
Heart threw her hands up on air, "Fine, FINE! You want an armour? I'll get your freaking armour! But let me warn you that you shouldn't expect a superior one with the leftover materials and the limited time I'm dealing."
"I only ask one thing of you Heart Kreuz," I took a step forward until there was only an inch distance between us. She held in her breath as I gave her my utmost intense stare, conveying the seriousness of what I'm about to say. "Kreuz, I ask you of one and one thing, and that is to give every sweat, blood, and tears for this one work, one art, one creation that you pour out every last ounce of strength you have as if your life depended on it - because it is - for the best armor you can make Can you do that, Heart Kreuz?"
Her usual sharp tongue didn't help her in this case, and she was forced to only nod.
"So what do you call this armour?" I asked of Heart while keeping my eyes at Erza, as she descended slowly to the ground.
Missus didn't look impressed by her appearance. She must have wanted to put a clear place for the difference in strength, and opt to showcase by jumping out her ledge and swinging her lightning axe with a loud war cry.
Erza didn't make any sign of moving away, glaring impassively up at her opponent. I would have reached out to defend her if I hadn't noticed her calm confident air surrounding her.
"I made the armour for Missus modelled after the Valkyrie. A mighty warrior from the heavens, that may choose who lives and who dies in battle," I heard Heart chimed from beside me.
The crackling axe was edging closer to split Titania's head, yet I bear witness the difference between power and skill clashing with one another when Erza had only swung her right sword. Avoiding the sharp electric metal, she redirected the axe with flowing movement until it lodges itself to the ground beside her feet. Giving Erza the perfect opening to kick the Witch in the face until she was thrown aside few feet away.
Let it not be said she couldn't kick as hard as she cuts her opponent down.
"So I asked myself what could triumph over the warrior of heavens," Heart continued her eyes turned wistful as if staring something far away or a far back memory, "Even over the pathology gods and only one thing came to mind."
Missus got up and snarled at her opponent, blood dripping from her broken nose that in any other circumstances, I would have laughed my ass off at the scene. I opt not to because I actually have some semblance of survival instinct. The Witch opened up the palm of her hand and the axe threw itself to her. She changed tactic and swung the axe down to the ground where a crack on the earth was formed, extending further toward Ezra.
[Shockquake!]
Light shone beneath the crack. Ezra wouldn't have the means to avoid it with this armour. Instead, she requiped a different weapon in her hand, a spear, and through sheer willpower and magic prowess managed to syphon the attack. And when I meant syphon, I meant cutting the attack to two.
"The power to dictate your fate, the power to ride the courses of your own choices through the wheels track set by heaven, the power to fight through impossible adversities and triumph."
Erza and Missus were glaring at another before they moved in speed that I barely caught on. Locking themselves in a melee battle. As metal clashed against metal. Sparks flying, wind blowing, all from the leftover force of their attacks.
"I called it...The Heaven's Wheel Armor," she said with a hint of pride while she witnessed the beatdown.
I stared at Heart long and hard before an awkward drawl made out from my lips, "Yeeaaaaaaah, as poetic and badass you made it sound. I could do with the technical specifics of her armour without the flowery language."
The blacksmith made a rueful sigh at my comment, "You people have no appreciation of art." She shook her head forlornly, "Compared to The Valkyrie, I admit that it loses in a contest of power. But it makes up from the strong wind affinity that helps enhance its speed and agility, the wings helps gives off a sort of shield that came out stronger the more she moves…"
"Those wings actually has some use?" I blurted out without thought and was rewarded with a hit on my head.
"Don't insult me! You think I would let my aesthetic sense hamper my credibility as a blacksmith?"
"Well, when you say it like that…" I scratched my aching head sheepishly.
Heart ignored me and quickly moved on "Now, as I was saying, what's most notable about this armour is its ability to amplify its user's latent magical ability by a hundredfold."
"Latent magic?" The unfamiliar term perked my interest.
"Magic spells if taught properly can learn just about by anyone, but no matter how many magic you know, you will always have that one magic you do better than anything else. The kind of magic that comes from your very soul and integrate itself as your identity. That is your Latent Magic."
"Then what's her latent magic then? From all the stories I heard, I would think it'd be Requip Magic, and the magic itself isn't exactly an exceptional ma-" I stopped myself when a curious thought dawn on me because my words somehow didn't click well with what I know about Erza. Like a gut feeling that I'm wrong, but wasn't sure what part I was wrong about because as far as Canon had shown, her speciality was her mastery with swords combined with her requip magic.
Heart gave me an amused hummed, "It seemed you realize there's more to her ability than what the stories tell you." Boy, did her words gave a whole new meaning if she realizes what kind of "stories" I was told, "After she reluctantly told me about how she first come about using magic, I knew there's still some hope left for us."
My eyebrows scrunched together and lip curved down to make a frown, not out of doubt but out of confusion from her words. I tried recalling Erza's first time using magic. She had raised a rebellion from the slaves, and they were all fighting for their lives. One was injured, another was...dead? Was it her friend or anyone important? Damn, my memory was blurring. I concentrate further and yes, someone died protecting her, she cried, magic circle appearing, then weapons and tools alike started floa...ting…
Wait...TELEKINESIS? That's her latent magic?! I mean...it makes a sort of sense since it was the Heaven's Wheel Armor that made her capable to requip and controls hundreds of magic swords. But if that's true, then why did her ability somehow raise Heart's confidence in her. I never saw Erza used telekinesis to the best of its ability and I have my doubt it would help in this situation, so there was something I was missing here.
I tried to dig further from my memory and spotted a glaring hole that I never questioned. While it's true Erza could manipulate hundreds of weapons or tool, but if her latent magic was Telekinesis, then controlling other things such as rocks or other objects should be a piece of cake for her. Instead, all she seemed to have a control over are...weapons…
My eyes widen in realization while running my hair back from reeling shock, "Holy Pascal's Hell, she's got Ferrokinesis!"
Heart blinked at the unfamiliar term.
"It's a word I used for someone who could manipulate metal. Though, from the scope of her ability, either she doesn't know or her ability is more focused toward weapon so...maybe a more original-type of manipulation...weapon-kinesis? I don't know the Latin for that. Anyway, if what you said is true about amplifying her latent magic a hundredfold, then requiping a hundred swords is the least of what she could do with that armour."
There was an out-of-character smug smirk Heart was making, the kind of smirk that someone was coming close to realizing how brilliant she was, "And pray tell what exactly can the armour do with her wearing it?"
As if to answer her question, Erza demonstrated the true prowess of her armour when I glanced back to her fight. She was jumping over her opponent with the grace of a bird, you would think gravity held nothing down on her. Something that was
Missus had no qualm on attacking her mid-air, aiming to detached her unprotected torso from her stomach. Yet the former slave-girl twirled her body, her boots connected to the side of her axe, using it as a stepping tool for her give Missus a knee to her face.
Despite her bloody nose, Missus did not falter in her attacks. Using one foot from drawing her back and redirected the slice of her axe. Erza would have found no way of dodging or blocking that, and I was beginning to worry.
Erza then showed her mastery for requipping was no joke, and summon a pair of floating swords blocking her opponent's own. Once Erza landed on her feet, and proceed to strike at her expose torso. Missus used her armour boot to guard herself against it as they clashed.
They broke apart, giving each other spaces. Missus pounced first, jumping up in the air, axe poised to cleave her head into two.
But then miraculously, the axe swerved aside. Not by much, but enough of a tug to put a shock look on Missus' face, and the opening for Erza to slashed down her opponent.
Her pain scream would have made anyone fleeced, but it brought great joy to me instead.
Missus wasn't an S-Class Black Mage for nothing though. She picked herself up and kept up her attacks with her. Sword against axe. Metal sliding against metal. As one trying to overwhelm another. Yet, it was clear to me as the fight dragged on, Missus was getting slower and sloppier. Getting more hit than hits. Like she was having a hard time keeping up, but her face showed she was more frustrated rather than tired, until realization hit me.
A wide grin stretched out on my face at the display, even showing my canine teeth and making me look feral, "She can make all weapons, including her enemies, bind to her will!"
It's understandable why the extent of its magic was never shown in Canon. It's not like she encounters mages with armours and weapons like hers. Even more so when her main focus of her skill was her swordsmastery rather than her Latent Magic, so I can see her using it against multiple amature people with swords on hand, rather than on swordsman of her caliber that could shrug off her magic like it was cheap trick.
Either way, whatever the reason, I can say for sure that Erza was kicking ass!
"EnOUgH," she bellowed in quick tandem with thunder, "pLayTime is OVeR. Storm, finish her!"
The neglected storm dragon came storming in the middle and looked ready to glomp Erza whole. I was ready to intervene now that Missus had given up her ego, but it proved to be unnecessary when we witness the dragon implode. The grey clouds that shape his body, burst and scatter like a smoke and into nothingness.
In the middle of it, all was Spade. His form changed once more. This time, it was like he was wearing the wind on himself. His own clothes had changed. Wearing a purple scarf, golden embroidered tunic underneath his white robe, and a green tinted goggle. Green leaves that weren't supposed to exist were dancing around him. It's the only form I manage to have a good look, and the most normal one to boot.
Missus looked more annoyed than frustrated at his dissolve her spell while looking effortlessly and being damn cool doing it. She arched her axe up, and five light orbs circled around it. The orbs flew in blinding speed until it circumferences Spade. Spinning around until it created a blurring circle of light.
[Sacred Circle of Retribution]
The blur of light crackles before lightning struck inside of its circle, but Spade had already vanished a split second before the attack hit. His body dispersed into hundreds of leaves. The leaves that were clumped together spread wide and far, and the wind that carried with it became stronger in turn.
Missus was then enveloped inside a gust of whirlwind. I stretched out my senses to discern what was going on and jaw promptly dropped at Spade managing to make her bleed, not just once but multiple times! The wind surrounding her not just caged her in, but kept pulling out streams of sharp winds leaves aimed at her. It was like a wind-slash-leaf-element-magical-sword-version of Kuchiki Byakuya's zanpakuto, Senbonzakura.
Seeing her weapon gave no effect, she was starting to spout her charm words. I would have interfered if Spade hadn't splendidly cut her off by redirecting his storm to push her back, adding an explosion effect when it hit her.
The pain must have disturbed her concentration, for she then fell helplessly to the ground, creating a crater around her. Still alive and kicking, unfortunately. I wasn't going to give her a reprieve, and it's about time I share my own action.
"Hey, Heart," I absentmindedly called her.
"What is it now?"
"Your Rave, I've only noticed it but there's no limit to how big of a weapon I can make out of it," she arched an eyebrow at where I'm going but nodded, "Then can I split part of it away and it'll regrow without wasting quality?"
"Who do you think you're talking to? Of course it does since I made it with the Seed of Ojai that has a replication property, so as long as you have it, you have an infinite use."
I grinned, a wide manic grin that would make even The Cheshire Cat jealous.
Putting my left arm upfront and right arm back, I let my Rave slither across my shoulder, reaching from one arm to back, and grew into a gun that was as large as a cannon…
"FIRE IN THE HOLE!"
BoomBoomBoomBoomBoomBoom
...and shoots like a machine gun.
Missus didn't have the luxury to order the massive fast approaching bullets to stop, not when she was too busy running, blocking, and taking cover.
For all the earth that shielded her, the wind that catches her, and her armour that protects her. They were overwhelmed by the sheer force of fast cannonballs. Earth turned to dust, winds dispersed, and she wasn't confident her armour could 100% protect her from large destructive projectiles.
But boy, if I hadn't had my runes the recoil would have broken my arms by now. Viva la Rune Magic!
Changing tactics, instead of handling the cannons, she turned her frustration toward me. Throwing her axe toward me, and I found wielding a heavy gun in my hand makes it hard for me to manoeuvre.
Erza was already there to intercept, redirecting the axe so it lodged to the ground next to her feet. Spade make use of her lack of weapon and raise a hell storm around her. Using multiples rocks and weapon among his sharp leaves to propel it toward her like small bullets with no way for her to block, and forced her to endure and dodge instead.
Finally, she had enough, and scream, actually putting effort to scream like a banshee and not shout.
"All of you, kneel!"
The four of us got to our knees. We could have easily pick ourselves up a moment later
But a moment was all she needed from us.
"Bury them!"
The earth rose and encased us to our necks before pulling us down to the ground, like quicksand but more solid so we couldn't even move our bodies.
We were looking like we're in trouble.
Spade was our saving grace since he wasn't exactly solid in his current form, but Missus had already anticipated him.
"Freeze."
Sadly, she used the wrong word to use. If she wasn't so dramatic, she could have said "Stop" and be spared the pain she inflicted on herself.
The raging wind around turned into a blizzard, hailstone rain down upon her, and the ice literally cut through her skin and giving her frostbites from the looks of things.
...as cool as he is fighting her like the Calamity he is, he seemed to be getting a little too into it.
"Uu...hello! Ignore us will you? A trio of slowly dying by mother nature here! No? Seriously?"
Erza rolled her eyes and the earth underneath her exploded. A different sword in hand, gold in colour that had curved jagged edges. I expected her to help me, grinning hopefully at her while I kept my face from being covered in dirt, but she only gave me a one raised questionable eyebrow, "Can't you teleport yourself out?"
...oh...OH! I forgot…
A second later, I was brushing the dirt and dust away from my clothes, particularly ones that slipped in my pants.
"Ugh, ThAt DoeS IT!" I heard Missus cried. The earth shook, fire flying in the air, then turned into a twister fire before it clashed with a water twister and a large volume of steam appeared everywhere. Blinding us all.
Spade began forming his solid form between Erza and me, but he looked slightly corporal as if a slight breeze might scatter him in the air and make it harder to put himself back together.
"You okay?"
Spade didn't spare a single glance of me, eyes still locked at his stirring opponent, "I'm flattered of Captain's concern on my wellbeing, but please do not insult the testament of my resolve in seeing through this battle."
"Dude, you're overreacting. I'm asking if I have to worry you keeling over during the fight because you're too stubborn to admit your magic is taxing and doom us all."
I didn't need him showing his face to know he was rolling his eyes, "I can feel your love for me, Captain."
"Can't you be serious for more than two seconds!" Erza couldn't help but growl at her, even giving me her Titania's glare. I feel so privilege right now
Apparently, she wasn't the only one irritated by my easy demeanor, "YOU! TiMe to DiE! Rise and storm my Seven Seas, drown your foe to the dark cold depth inside you!"
The sound of waves pushing and churning more audible than it should put us on guard. T8hen the black sea rise itself, forming into a kind of giant sea serpent. With fins on each side of the head, a wide mouth that showed its slithering tongues and numerous layered sharp teeth, and despite made out of the water, we could just feel it's eyeing us with a predatory gaze.
That thing is way too animal-like for me to be comfortable with.
Still, I made a loud snort to show her how unimpressed she was, "Please, with all the cosmic power of the Orb gave you, yet you're using the same old pony trick," I taunted.
In hindsight, provoking a hysteric power crazy Witch wasn't a good idea. I always forget provocation worked less on women than it does on men. The stronger they are, the worse the effect. Don't know why, but it does.
The rumbling churn of the ocean hadn't ceased, and the literal sea serpent was then accompanied by a copy of its form, then another, and another, until the whole island itself were surrounded by seven giant sea serpents.
"Uuuh, is it just me, or do they look big enough to drown the whole island together?" Spade thoughtlessly said and I slapped him upside the head despite my hand going past him.
"What did I say about giving her ideas?!" I hissed.
"Doesn't matter," Erza bellowed, summoning all swords she has on hand. Unlike Canon, she has multiple different sword and weapons floating around her. The sweat she had made it clear that requiping different weapons and controlling it took her utmost concentration since each one had a different degree of use of magic. She needed nonetheless if she were to face with such monstrosity no matter how unlikely we were to win.
The Water Serpents curled, then together they pounced. Jaw hinging monstrously wide and a loud deep hissing that rumbles the air.
Missus smiled all the while at our demise that is yet to come, but then the Serpents were feet away before it burst out into droplets of harmless water that rained down on us. Missus' expression was comical; her jaw dropped to the point it rivalled her serpents, eyes bulging out, and face white as a sheet. Heart, Spade, and Erza were equally surprised but they were mixed with elation and confusion in as well.
I was the only one with a shit-eating grin twisting my lips.
Soon after, runes after runes appeared far and wide surrounding us. All eyes were instantly on me.
[Jutsu Shiki: Full Field Control] I announced. My words seemed to echoed and reverberate the air with a tone that would put anyone wary of my command. And I couldn't blame them for feeling that way. Not when I am capable to do exactly that.
What? You think I was just gawking around while watching Spade and Erza kicking but? One universal law in all mage fight when Rune Magic gets involve, don't give a Rune Mage a chance to write. And they've given plenty of it.
"What have you done?"
Oh? I surprised Missus so much, her voice turned normal. I'm flattered, "Let's just say you're not the only that can turn nature into their personal bitch."
I've always wanted to say something badass and actually meant it. You might be wondering what I'm hinting on so here's what happens. My [Full Field Control] is essentially an upgraded version of my makeshift Rune-version of [ROOM]. That magic was good enough, but since I rarely used it, it took some time there were multiple flaws in it that made it a cheap copy of the Ope-Ope Fruit. Oh, it could still leave devastating effect to those that manage to master it, so it's been one of my greatest regrets when it was stolen.
Hence, why I didn't recreate any kind of possible powerful magic in a magic tool, and use requip when using my magic.
I can summon the array of runes using requip and adjust it accordingly, like its size and effect I made, not just the same kind of [ROOM] effect. But in turn for flexibility, I would use up time. Time that she had so kindly given me.
"I am the Rune Master, under my magic, whether it's the sky or the earth, as long as they're in my [Full Field Control] well...let's just say you're not the only god-like being in here."
"Captain, you were this strong?"
"I have to admit, I misread of your ability from being just a loudmouth."
Spade and Erza gawked in absolute hilarity for their shock, but I was a bit offended they had that lack of faith of my skill. I know I haven't been showing much overwhelming power but Christie-dammit, I'm a man that's using a magic cheat code! I learn it for the explicit purpose of handling mages that are much stronger than me. I'm not completely OP, but I have survive my way through life and death ordeals like a cockroach, I sure as hell can survive now .
"Hmm, SO you manAgED to reach a fooT of MY sKill," she admitted with a sneer. She opened her mouth, most likely ready to put me down with her words. But the moment her eyes widen, and her hand reaching her throat, the muscle straining in her as she tried to pull out her voice, but none came.
"I told you, everything here is under my domain. Including your voice," I said in triumph, "Now, either you give in or we're going to take you down the hard way." Spade and Erza both took their stance in tandem, ready to give an all-out attack at a single notice
Missus said nothing. Her entire body slumped, Her strewn hair shadowed her face, and
For a moment, just for a moment, we thought we won.
"...no…"
At first, I genuinely believe I misheard. She should have, in no way, able to use her voice when I wouldn't let it be heard from us. But then all of us heard it again, and I stared up at her, struck shock from disbelief. Until she lifted her head and I couldn't help recoil at the sight of her face; her eyes turned fully black, her veins were bulging up on the side of her face, and her skin had turned pale blue. The armour cracks and creaks like an eggshell, until it fell off, leaving the Orb sticking out at her chest. But what got our attention most of all was her closed lip mouth, even when there was a loud resounding "No" of her voice being repeated.
"That doesn't look too good."
Understatement of the century, Spade. What the everloving hell does it take to beat her without making her go Pokemon Evolution on us?!
"But...but it's fine right," Heart finally spoke up after a while, "You have your Runes around to give her a good run of her money, yeah?" she said with a shaky breath.
She needed all the reassurance she could get, so I winced when I had to shake my head, "No, not quite this instance."
I couldn't look at the despair that must have etched on their faces when Missus booming voice ordered my magic to dispel and watched as the words faint like ink washed over water.
"What is the meaning of this?" Erza's asked with shook voice, and I never imagined she could make.
"Magic comes not only from the soul but from intention. Intention comes from the mind, and as I stated before, the mind is her personal slave. That was why I had to mute her voice when I invoked this."
My mind ran a million miles per hour for any possible plan, no matter how useless, just to get an edge, a sign, to get us out of this mess ali-well, mostly alive. It doesn't matter how unlikely it is, the only way to win is to move forward. So I can't stop thinking.
You'd think all those shounen mangas MCs were full of themselves when they manage to defeat the enemies with pure will and stubbornness most of us reasoned it as Plot Armor because of how unreasonable or unrealistic it was. But having my fair share of life and death battles, you'd be surprised how critical that part of a main character is. Once your choices are stuck between winning and death, the only way you get to go through it is by stubbornly thinking "How To Win" and actually believe it. The moment you lose faith in yourself, you'll stop trying, and in the end, you'll die.
And boy, it's not easy believing in yourself when it's not even my life at stake most of the time. I had to give credit to all those Shounen characters who could still get up, stand their ground, and fight even when they were beaten and bruised in a hopeless situation. Having Lucy believing in me, in my stead, throughout my journeys had helped immensely.
But it's time I try believing in myself for once.
"Spade, get ready to use Abyss Break. Erza, un-summon most of your words and make use your five most powerful one. If not that, ones that have great combo together. Heart...after everything we've been through, I only need to ask you of one thing, and one thing only; pray."
They nodded in tandem. I extend my arm, and Rave shot out into a silver sword at the palm of my hand. Spade needed time to enact Abyss Break, and Erza is forced to engage with her so she'll need me as support.
There was a second where none of us did nothing. A second where the wind was still, and the ocean silent. A second where peace exists, and there was only the high strung tension of two parties in battle.
Then, the world roared.
No, I'm serious. There was a literal roar shaking not just the air but the earth as well, and even uprooted some of the trees too.
Clearly none of us expected the intrusion, and definitely not by the King of the Island.
Or to be precise, the God of the Island, as Heart had later revealed. The kind that makes us wannabee-gods looking like idiots while gazing up at the giant form of a...a...I can't even properly describe other than it's a pile of black mess, that couldn't seem to decide a shape for itself. Maybe a cloud would best describe, you know...the Columbus Cloud you find in a hot weather summer that seemed so massive and larger than life. But instead of white and cuddly-looking, it's dark solid, menacing, and there is something blue and shiny that acts like overbearing eyes.
If the thing wasn't scary enough, its presence would have been the cherry on top. It was oozingbout blue mist my head decided to call miasma. We witnessed as plants withered and died, the earth drying up and turned to sand, and the stinging stench of decay permeated the dry air. It's like the very life of this island was slowly being killed.
Yet, despite its abstract shaped. You could still recognize its silhouette as a lion. You probably need to squint and tilt your head to the side, but Heart obviously was convinced what it was.
"That's the God, the God of this island, Zatur," she whimpered, and I was all but ready to refute her because ignoring how unlike it was from the carved pictures we saw, that thing isn't a god, couldn't be a god. No, that size and form not only make us look like ants, it made Alecto looked like a slightly larger ant.
Missus cackled aloud. Her voice booming with her deranged hysterical laugh of hers, "Oh yes, OH YES! Behold, a power hidden in the belly of the island unleashed. This time, I shall squash like the cockroach you really are, and soon my reign and power shall spread all over Fiore!"
She continued laughing like an unhinged person, the once beautiful, charismatic, cool, yet sadistic lady had long exit the building. Leaving us dealing with the sadistic part of her, with an addition psychotic personality tagging along.
But then she cut her words with a sunken breath. Her face froze in that psycho glee she had but made no move to change expression or indicate what made her froze with no preamble.
Second ticked, and then two, but she stood unmovingly. With the oncoming trouble from behind, let's just say that the word "restless" was an understatement on us.
"Uuh...I'm not the only confuse on what's happening right?" Heart broke the unnerving silence.
"No, you're not the only one," there was a loud explosion and we were thrown off from the ground. Tumbling side to side before looking up behind where the creature was eerily closer than we were comfortable with.
"What in the world?!"
Warning bells rang at the back of my mind from Erza's bewildered exclaimed, which was uncharacteristic of her because Erza is always composed. She could face 100 monsters all alone, tortured by a demon, or face down a War God and she would glare them down with a silent challenge each and every time and came over them more triumph than before. Erza should never ever be shocked in battle.
I turned around and had to make sure jaw hasn't unhinged from all the jaw-dropping I did. Where once was Missus was replaced with a crystal statue of herself. The details of it were jagged, like something an amateur sculptor trying to shaped from an unfamiliar material.
"She turned into a statue!"
It was probably inappropriate for me to think that it wasn't turning her into a stone statue instead.
Another explosion came and knocked us over, and I was irritated since I don't know where the explosion was coming from. I looked back toward the god and it was too close, too close, too close!
"Spaaaaaaaaade!" I shouted out with a hint of desperation. He got the message quickly and he invoked the magic circle of Abyss Break. His usually gleaning white sword had turned jet black. With a loud grunt and thrust of his sword, the magic circle glowed and all I could see was white.
My sight was gone for a moment, turning everything into a blinding white as if the scenery had been wiped clean like a painting being plastered. Turning everything into nothing. I wasn't even blinded by the bright light that got me pained, the light is just is.
Which was weird, because I assumed Abyss Break was supposed to be in a form of dark light.
Then just as fast as it was gone, my sight returned. It felt disorienting looking at white light yet not needing to blink out the white spots that usually follows. It happens so fast, and silently, I wouldn't think anything had happened if not for the change of scenery that happened within a blink.
Mind you, we all never got the chance to realize the effect of the so-called devastating magic that people quiver at the name. I was finally given a reason why.
Spade wasn't kidding when he said he might wipe off the half of the island because he did exactly that. While the god killed everything within its vicinity, Abyss Break disintegrates anything on its path. Nothing. Only dried land and ashes.
And think how scary that magic really is. In a blink of an eye, everything you knew disappears on sight and replaced into a wasteland without so much as a warning. Not a sound, not a wind. Like someone had dropped a bomb within a blink of an eye and you weren't even aware of it.
I smiled, slowly evolving into a wide toothy grin, my fiat ready to shoot out in the air, and my lips slip out the barest hint of a victory shout.
That all was stopped when It was back, bigger and worse than before. Sporting out black gunks like a geyser.
Believing in myself is starting to get really difficult.
The god lifted its makeshift foot, and suddenly it dawned on me that the previous explosions that would rival a bomb were actually its stamped foot. Looking at it from below, an indescribable fear of death that was looming on us grabbed me through my chest, and it took every will that I can to choke out these last few words, "Everyone, out of the way!"
We took a running step, then two, then three, before a deafening sound caused my whole body to thrummed, followed by a wind pressure that knocked the wind out of me. The ground shattered from impact, rocks and dust were flying about, trees uprooted violently- though that's nothing new at this point - and it if I hadn't known the sky was a misty grey and the ground was a rough patch of mix colour of black and brown, I wouldn't have known what was up and down while being body thrown unbridled in mid-air before my sight was covered something brown and purple. I don't know what it was, probably a tree, but it hit my head with the full force of its weight, pulling my conscious into oblivion
. . .
I found a familiar scenery was, different but familiar.
Lush greenery island under the bright blue sky, seagulls cawing as they flew above and past under the clouds, the sea was the clearest blue I've ever seen. It was so clear that you got to see the fishes swimming between various shapes and colours of corals. It was like a scene cut out of a painting. Everything was just so bright.
I blink, and the world began to fell apart. Fire spread even above the water, there was a mountain that wasn't there before, and on top was a lion. Standing proud and tall on all fours, his roar shook the air with its gleaming golden wings unfurled.
At the foot of the mountain was a clustered of armed tribesmen. And standing at a mobile podium was the Life Priest. Her dress was a bit if a skimpy side, with too much gold adorned on her. She said no word, only a finger pointing at their supposed-god and the raise war cry of her followers as they ascend the mountain to confront it.
The scene shifted toward the god trying to claw its way out at a dark deep pit. Its wings were torn and cut. The once mighty creature was bound and chained before it was sealed into the island itself.
Over time the island erode yet became more alive in the worse way, more vicious, and more…
There was the sign of people who came, all coming from different background and walking a different path. Sailors who were lost became nothing but fodder for the island. Adventurers who seek the Truth but found no way to escape, and forced to live their days in fear of when it'd be their last days. Those who craved untold power only to succumb by its own greed, turning them to dust.
Each and one of them died. Yet, each and one of them never left this place.
Their translucent shadow was plain and clear to me. Standing in the circle while looking down at the Prison Hole. They simultaneously turned to me, and it was eerie to see them in sync with an identical blank expression on their faces.
"Release us."
"Save us."
"Mercy."
"Give us salvation."
"Take us back."
"Return us."
"Us.
"Us."
"US!"
They each said different things until they began talking in tandem. Somehow, I don't know how, but somehow I knew they were the ghosts of this island. Liberal ghost with no alternative explanation because their soul had not, could not depart from here. Not when the island itself is tying them down, and they've been begging for mercy and release ever since.
The problem was, they' weren't talking to me.
. . .
It was after I felt the shooting pain striking me on my side that I gasped awake with a loud cry, followed with garbled curses. I blinked the pain away, pretending it might help, before looking up at the strange unfamiliar sky.
As much as I want to curl up into a ball, soothing my aching pain, and maybe cry at my own lonesome time. I was more focus on getting a better grasp of where I was. Yeah, I was hit by a brief of momentary amnesia, that's how hard my head was hit. I looked up at the weird cloudy grey sky that twists and turn like a twister but without the actual twister. It wasn't long before the memory began trickling down then.
I tried getting up, but another shooting pain that would have made me cried out like a whining child if I hadn't bit my bottom lip.
'Okay, damage control, Roy. What have we got?'
I managed to lift my head despite the strain pulling at every muscle I could feel, and unashamedly gawk at the large branch of a tree that managed to skewer my side, pining me to the ground.
'Aah, well...at least I'm not dead yet.' was my detached train of thought in trying to reconcile the fact I might die in three different ways at the top of my head from the state I'm in.
I breathed in and out, trying to put aside the glaring problem I had, and kept accessing the damage. My limbs were bruised and sore, but mostly find. I had sprained muscle I decided to ignore. Something dripped down on my right eye and knew from the smell it was blood. Great, now both sides of my head are bleeding.
Next, I checked my surrounding. It took more effort than I hope with my going back and forth between conscious and la-la-land, but it took me humming Call Me Maybe to get my head straight.
Hey, don't judge! Its annoying quality helps keep my head afloat.
It was already a wasteland before, but it was a dry sandy wasteland, it was now a trashy wasteland with rocks and trees everywhere that would rival my messy room from my past life, but only in a bigger scale. Dust was still flying around in the air, creating a hard environment to see through. I reached out with my sense, the tension I didn't know was there released when I spotted all three of them through it, alive and well. But then a pure horrified scream grabbed ky heart and squeeze it with fear. My mind went through a million scenario per second, and all I could think was the same line, over and over again, demanding me to get up, get up, get up!
Thankfully, I wasn't pinned down, so much as the large piece of tree bark was heavy. I barely got on my two feet before I dropped to my knee, pulling in strength by how much oxygen I heaved in. Even then, all I manage to do was lift my head to get a heavy drop in my stomach.
Heart was hovering over Spade, crying until her face was wet from tears and snot. Holding him close with one hand around his sad state. A boulder was on top of his arm, and a nasty amount of blood flowed out from his left eye, too much blood if it wasn't ripped apart.
I turned to the opposite side and found Erza had summoned more swords to act as her makeshift shield. Half of what I saw was either chipped or broken in half, and Erza was using a long shaft as her personal crutch. Her armour was still pristine, so there's that.
'Okay, one fighter down, one injured, and one heavily injured, no casualty...good, that's good.'
I summoned my Rave into a sharp short sword, cutting the long lodging bark so I could move with it. I'm not a doctor, so I can only assume with my limited medical knowledge that I'll die either by infection or the eventual blood loss if I pull it out. Dying by infection seem to be the slow way to go.
What's worse? When the dust cleared away, I wish it hadn't, just so I get a clear view of the black god towered over us with a height that would scoff most of the skyscrapers in my memories, and make us feel like an insignificant and when faced so close. Not mentioning the level of destruction it gave with only a stumped of his foot. It managed to do more damage at us for less than a minute compared to our back to back fight with Missus for hours.
Forget believing in myself, there's no way we can win this.
Meaning the question we should be asking if we can survive this or not, and how. Ugh, this is why I had Lucy be the optimist between our partnership. I'm too much of a realist to set myself a higher expectation.
'Alright Roy, you're alive, you're still in one piece, and your head still working so suck it up and get all of us out of here.'
I channelled into the telepath connection and gave the signal to Nick and cut it off before he could even utter a single word of protest. I just hope if all else, he had the sense to go turn his back on us and warn The Surface of the impending doom from below.
...who am I kidding? He's going to join the fight if I don't find a solution at this rate.
I saw the dark blue miasma (Why is it blue? Shouldn't stereotypical death magic be black?) coming at us and would render as useful as a withered leaf.
Gulping in air, I braced myself when I stretched out my Sense toward the God, not looking forward to...yep, there goes my lunch. Not that the ethernano of the God is as bad as Demon per say, but it's like looking directly at a sun. Too much magic for me to cope is not good for my stomach.
I tried to control my Sense to prod at the miasma and not the creature making it, but frown at the revelation. Instead of killing things like I had assumed, it was instead sucking ethernano, of the life surrounding for itself. Like the God was eating it, which doesn't make sense. Gods, in this world, are supposed to be creatures with near infinite ethernano. They don't need to absorb more.
Memories of fallen people from my dream, flashes of history played behind my eyelid, clueing me there was something...something I was missing.
I know it wasn't the time here, but something is obviously wrong here. And depending on how lucky we are, this might be the key to break it or make it for us.
My thought snapped back at the miasma and decided to shield us from it first. Deciding higher ground might put us far enough apart. I teleported at four points around us, putting up Rune Daggers on it, and had the ground to "Rise" in the shape of a square as wide as the distance between the daggers allowed.
A clicking sound made me turn and sobered when looking down at the Crystal Missus...or what was left of her. Her body was left on the ground. Chipped, cracked, and was a missing two limbs and a head. Pieces of crystals were thrown about but what caught my eye was the head that lost a quarter of its head and a hand that manages to catch the problematic Orb that started all this.
I stared long and hard at the Orb, the shine of its shimmering blue was beaconing and mystifying.
I looked back at the god, then at the Orb, then back again.
You can just tell I have some crazy shit being cooked up in my head.
"Erza, can you still move?"
She took awhile to cease back her laboured breathing before she manages to answer me, "Yes," she curtly answered. She lifted one foot on the ground before managed to stand upright even when it was clear she was struggling to do just that. Giving not even a whimper or excuse for her to tone herself down.
"Good. When the cavalry arrives with the ship, make sure you get Spade and Heart back to safety."
"Wait, what would you be doing?"
"Something incredibly stupid and deadly, but there seems to be a thin line between the two." I strolled over to where the Orb was innocently laid before me. Gulping a large heave of air, I stretched out my hand but paused midway within an inch, "Tell the others...if I don't make it out, tell them…" I found that there was a lack of words I could think for my possible last words to the few friends I had the pleasure- the honour to fight alongside with, to laugh with, to be part of a makeshift family just for us. How do you say all that without making it mouthful?
"What the heck, they know me enough to know what I'd say anyway."
My Rave encased my arm upon layers and layers of metal and I grabbed hold of the Orb.
It shone brightly beneath my arms and the wind was blowing away, almost making me stumbled. Already a feeling of cold and numbness slowly crept from my hand. I tried not to panic as I was being crystallized at that very moment, which was a struggle to do.
Yet, somehow I was able to slow it down with my own magic. It was a sensitive balance between using the Heart of Sky and holding it back from overwhelming me, but it was better than nothing.
Glaring up at the husk what was once the god of this land, I jumped up and skipping through the air toward the giant beast in a mad dash.
It didn't wait for me to lay out whatever plan I had in mind before giving me a hot blast of air that had me tumbling down toward the ground. And gaining footing in midair isn't easy, let me tell you that.
I skidded to a stop and summon one of the Black Daggers, A colour marked one I used as a last resort. When used on people, you would essentially displace the space around you to lose a limb or two.
It was hard using telepathy and telekinesis on hundreds of Space Dagger but once it hit the guy, there was a large hole in the middle that would put down any other living being. Instead, it covered its own hole like nothing happened.
There was a whirring and vibrating sound from above. Grinning in glee at their arrival. But I wasn't the only one who notices. The God gazed up above with a growl and looked ready to pounce, but I make sure it kept its eye on me by caging up into a silver thorn cage, barricading and stabbing it at the same time, I mentally dubbed it as [Aurora's Cage], courtesy of Classic Disney's Maleficent for the inspiration.
Its raw strength rivalled with its magic. I felt the Rave straining with its bind, bulging from the gasp of its thorn cage. I wasn't surprised it manage to break through it but at least I've got undivided attention. Hooray!
I've already concluded fighting it to submission would either be difficult, if not impossible. So binding it was the only answer. Using the Orb as my Trump Card for my Trump Card...should I call this my Trump Trump Card then?
The god roared.
And I found myself on a crater below.
Right. Fighting a God. No time for dilly-dallying. Focus.
Though it says something about me that I'm becoming less than fazed at being thrown about and making a me-shaped crater.
On the plus side, it hasn't used any magic throughout this fight so either it couldn't be bothered to use it…
...or my theory is becoming more and more likely.
No time like the present.
I jumped. Hundreds of feet in the air and it barely grazed quarter of its height. Continuing up with a teleport above and another skip for a boost. Each time I hit a peak in the air, I would grace it with an attack using random words I thought of to attack and be given his full attention.
Finally achieving a higher eye level, I raised my Sword Rave high above my head and swung it down as a giant sword that managed to pin down even the high and crazy god.
After immobilizing it, I landed where its face might be and climbed up in a mad dash. There was the sound of a groaning war cry, I belated realize it was coming from me as I stalked up, pushing through by squeezing every last drop of my strength while I've been slowly but surely being crystallized. I felt the crystal not only enveloping me, but seeping in down into my innards.
I ran even when my left arm was numb and heavy. I ran even when the muscle of leg screamed felt like lead. I ran even when I had barely enough breath for my lungs, as it burns inside me. I ran...I ran because it was the only thing I can do, even as I trip midway and found my legs were nothing but crystal. Half of my limbs was already a burden yet I preserved. Using my own magic as a boost, lifting my way up to like a bunny rock climber from how much leaps I'm making, toward the pinpoint I sensed where all the ethernano was being absorbed in.
I stumbled and fall, and was only glad the god was lying horizontally, keeping me from falling to my death. Especially when both my legs turned useless. The god beneath me trashed around, roaring deafening sound that had my ears bleeding out. Yet, still, I preserved. Using my right hand to pull me into a crawl. I was desperate enough to put my chin to good use until it bleeds from the jagged rough surfaces, it wasn't like the god put any skin care.
I felt the strained numbness on my neck and I knew the Orb's effect had reached my neck so I couldn't even use my chin to climb. It was hard to even breath when my chest had a hard time expanding too.
However, I manage to reach my goal and all that was left was one final step. Which was shoving the pain-in-the-ass-Orb up on its literal ass! Though from the current status, I'd settle with shoving it between its eyes because the black husk it's covered in. Punching it thoroughly until it cracked, split, and uncovered a perfectly round gap underneath. I would have cried out a cheer if I could move my jaw.
All I had to do was stuck it in but then I was confronted with another problem. My hand, my left crystalized numb unmovable hand, for all intent and purpose, was dead to the world as it hung statued on my side. With goal right in front of my eyes, I felt immeasurable frustration not being able to finish it when I'm halfway dying already.
It safe to say I wasn't particularly in the right state of mind then when I come up with my solution.
With only one arm working, I thought 'Screw it!' and grabbed on to my left arm...
SNAAAAAP
...and broke my arm that held the Orb, raising it around wildly like a caveman(and doesn't that paint a great picture?) before jamming it down.
'Universe, I'll leave the rest to you!'
The Orb connected.
And then there was light (again).
AN: Heellllllllooooooo readers!
Thank you for being so loyal to my story all this time, and for so oh very patient even though I keep giving you a cliffhanger. I swear I didn't plan this! It just so happens the story keeps dragging on and I need to put a stop at some point. I didn't think the finale would take this long to write since I plan to update last week, so I could congratulate Muslim Readers a Happy Eid Mubarak.
Next is finally the last chapter of the arc, another 1-2 chapter for a brief filler before Canon finally starts!
Who here is sick of waiting? I know I am.
Also, did no one guessed I based Missus' appearance on Jessica Rabbit? Sure I tweak her character into a sadist, but really? No one?
Anyway, please R&R! Always open for suggestion.