AN: I would just like to say here, if I wasn't trying to keep the ACDC theme going with these chapter names, I totally would have called this chapter THIS IS HALLOWEEN.
THE RED KEY PART 4…TNT
Baba had felt Flute cross over into the mortal world but she had shrugged it off. That tiny blip hadn't been large enough for any of the more serious threats to get through. At least, that was what she had thought right up until the moment when one of the largest breaches in the history of the Dead Zone had been torn straight into one of the worlds she liked to visit.
When she had found out the cause of the rip…if she could still age it might have scared a decade off of her life. She had gone down to chew the red-haired idiot's ear off for making such a stupid mistake, and instead found that she had already gotten herself possessed. Luckily, Gohan's kid had apparently spared himself from that fate. So now she could ask…
"Just how the hell did you brats manage to bring about the demon apocalypse with a skeleton key?"
"Skeleton Key? But you said that you didn't know what it was!"
"Of course I did! I was trying to be mysterious! I'm an old witch; it's practically in the job description! I was expecting you to just shove it into every last lock you came across! Then you were supposed to get all excited figuring out that it opened every lock you put it in, and things were supposed to be all cute! What did you think it was?"
"Erza thought it was some sort of Celestial Key." Goku said in confusion. Baba's face shifted into something stuck halfway between reprehensible contempt and utter bewilderment.
"A Celestial Key? Wha…how would you even think that? Didn't you ever test it? Any experience Celestial Mage should be able to tell her that she was wrong in half a minute!"
"I think Erza said she didn't want to use any sort of magical item without knowing what it is, so she gave it to our guild's Celestial Mage. I guess she was too inexperienced then?"
"You were not supposed to mix skeleton key magic with Celestial gate powers!" She screeched, nearly pulling her hair out in frustration. "You ripped open a gateways to another dimension! If we don't close that portal…" Baba shuddered and bit down on her lip, trying to keep her emotions under control.
"Three years ago, a Demon King escaped from his prison and attacked my home world. He hunted down and killed everyone that was strong enough to fight back, and he took over everything. My brother tried to fight." The old witch turned away to hide the tears pooling around the sides of her eyes. "He left me his house and his turtle. I didn't even get a chance to say goodbye. Things finally got so bad that the guardian of the planet had to get involved. He sacrificed himself to seal away the demon and every last one of his followers, hundreds of them."
Baba floated around right up in front of Goku's face, her face wrought with worry.
"Tell me, right now. This demon that took over this city, the one that started everything. What was its name?"
"Flute." Baba's eyes slowly closed.
"If that's true…damn it all. She's going to try and free her grandfather."
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"Has everyone completed their failsafe?" Flute asked her charges.
"Yes mum!" Erza's body said cheerfully, echoed by the rest of Fairy Tail.
"Good, good. Now that that's done, you can all go play a game! A few nasty mages escaped here earlier and are hiding out somewhere outside the city! Whoever can find them and bring them back first, wins!" The demoness smiled indulgently as her children all began to cheer.
"Now, I have to stay here to set up the beacon for grandpa, so you all go out and have fun okay?" They dashed out the door in a giant mob and began rushing through the city, no doubt picking through their host's minds to try and find any hint of where the missing mages might be hiding out. Flute shook her head in amusement at the suddenly empty building. If they didn't make such useful assistants, she likely would have just abandoned them like any other sensible demon. Even her grandfather just sent away any of his kids that annoyed him. Only those who could make themselves useful were worth his time. Flute smirked, her eyes glittering like drops of venom as she contemplated the future.
She would prove herself to be the best of them all. She would free him from his prison, release him back into the mortal world, and secure her place at his side for centuries to come.
With those centuries would come rebellions, and with those rebellions…test subjects.
Flute began to hum to herself as she slowly created her next seal.
She could hardly wait.
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"If you've dealt with this kind of demon before, then you must have some way to beat them." Laxus had returned to his feet and stood side by side with Goku. Baba shook her head.
"It depends. If a demon thinks it's going to die it might flee the host body. They make the people they possess stronger and more durable, but they still feel everything you do to the body. Certain types of light magic or special techniques work too. My brother knew a move that could suck a demon right out of its host, seal them away in a little bottle…he tried to use it on the demon king. It would have worked too, if he had hadn't gotten blindsided by one of the bastard's kids from behind. I saw the entire thing three days afterwards on my crystal ball. Old bastard had a big old blade in his gut and what does he do? He turns around and pops the thing over his head with his cane and then Kamehameha's the whole lot of them." The old witch chuckled ruefully. "He always was too stubborn to know when to go down."
"Wait…he knew the Kamehameha too?" Goku asked. Baba's eyes narrowed at the teen.
"He was the one who invented it…but you know it too don't you? How did you come to learn that move boy? Gohan said he never taught you that move!"
"I…saw it in a dream. I've been having them for years, I see a bunch of strangers using all sorts of awesome techniques and then I just figure them out after I've watched them a few times."
"Hmm." Baba floated down to the ground and climbed off of her crystal ball. She sent it hovering around Goku, observing him from every possible angle. Goku stood perfectly still, watching it's movements with a combination of curiosity and trepidation. Finally it halted its rotations and returned so that the old woman could peer inside.
"Ah. That explains it. You are not from this world. You are from mine."
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Gajeel grabbed a woman by the throat and smashed her headfirst into a shopkeeper that was charging at him with a broom. He then spun her around so her legs caught a trio of kids across the face before he finally threw her through a window. The best part? She was a Rune Knight.
"Best. Day. EVER!" The dragon slayer cheered. He'd left well over four dozen battered and broken civilians in his wake. They were stronger than normal, they were faster than normal, and they could take a hit far better, but not a single one of them had what it would take to punch through his armor. Yet they kept trying anyways.
Gajeel casually caught a Molotov cocktail that had been thrown at his head, pulled out the flaming rag and downed the alcohol all in one go. He gave a loud belch as he slammed the bottle over its original owners head and continued running down the street. As fun as things were, it was only a matter of time before his old pals caught up with him, and if the civilians had been amped up he wasn't very interested in seeing what happened to other mages.
The dragon slayer was charging straight through the street towards the city's main road up through the mountains. Once he got into the open there was no way that a single one of these freaks would be able to match his speed. He'd miles away by the time they cleared the first hill.
Then a weed jumped up and tripped him.
Literally.
The plant ripped itself, roots and all, straight out of the sidewalk and tied itself up around Gajeel's ankles, sending him crashing to the ground. In a move he rolled back up to his feet and cut himself loose before settling into a fighting stance. Then he saw his opponents. The pair glared down the street at him and the dragon slayer stared back. A soft snort escaped his jaw.
Then a chortle.
Then he bent over in full blown laughter.
"Aw man! How desperate do you nuts have to be to stop me if this is the best they could send out?" He sniggered.
Jet and Droy's identical smiles slowly became strained. Jet rocketed forwards, kicked Gajeel in the crotch, slammed his head into the ground and then pinned it there. Then, holding the iron-sheathed face against the ground, he began to run.
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If there was one thing that Baba loved, it was revealing ground shattering truths that turned people's world on its head.
So when Goku merely tilted his head and asked "So?" She couldn't help but feel a little bit cheated.
Baba let out a weary sigh. These kids, she swore to Kami…
"From what I can tell, you were supposed to spend your life in my own home dimension, not here. Those flashes you get, those dreams? They are glimpses of the life you were supposed to have lead over there. You are still tied to that place, even if you are stuck here."
"Huh." Goku said. "Neat." Baba's vein twitched.
"That's all you have to say?" She growled out.
"Well, I don't really see how that's very useful right now. It won't help us fix the demon problem, right?" Goku replied. Baba clearly wanted to say more but she could only nod in response.
"Fine then. But after everything is said and done here, we have much to discuss." Baba said. Slowly her crystal ball began to rise up through the air. "For now, it seems critical that we expand our numbers. I'm sure you and your shirtless friend remember my crew of monsters? They liked my brother. He let them borrow his magazines. I'm sure they would be more to help out with a bit of payback now." The woman vanished in a flash of white light.
"So we're just stuck waiting again?" Natsu groaned. "Come on already, I just want to get down there and hit something! I can't be the only one going crazy right?" Elfman nodded enthusiastically and Gray had opened his mouth to respond when Laxus and Goku's heads both suddenly snapped towards the road. Goku launched a spherical Ki blast down the hill and Laxus' lightning enveloped it like a cloak as it soared downwards. A moment later Jet ran around the bend, hunched over as he continued to drag Gajeel's face across the mountain. The speedster took the attack straight in the chest and went flying backwards back down the path. Gajeel bounced along the ground with his leftover momentum and came to a stop at the lightning mage's feet.
The teen hopped back up to his feet and spat out a mouthful of dirt directly onto Laxus's shoes. Laxus stared at the teen for a long moment.
"The only reason I haven't punched you right now is because I don't think you're possessed." He said drily. Gajeel smirked.
"So some of you Fairy folks managed to get out of there after all huh? That's cool, I thought I might have to take out the entire city by myself."
"If you were having trouble with Jet I kind of doubt that." Laxus snorted. Gajeel's smile slipped down into a frown.
"Please. The guy couldn't even hurt me, it was more annoying than anything." Gajeel snarled, inches away from Laxus' face. The leader of the Thunder Tribe merely smiled back.
"Prove it." Laxus said, gesturing toward Jet as he climbed back up to his feet.
"If you want me to kick the shit out of your friends, I'm not going to say no." Gajeel said. Goku coughed suddenly and pointed a bit further down the road. A huge plant creature was waddling up the path, carrying Droy on its head.
"Huh. Well that's new." Laxus noted. "He asked Goku. The fighter's eyes widened slightly in disbelief.
"Wait, what?"
"My philosophy, remember? The strongest should lead. So until I get the chance to bash your face in once this is all said and done, you're in charge. So, what do we do?" Goku blinked and looked back down the hill. Jet and Droy were now side by side and walking slowly forwards as vines began to crawl up along the sides of the path towards the Fairy survivors. He didn't hesitate, only nodded once and quickly surveyed his surroundings.
Speedster.
Plant matter.
Downward slope.
Narrow pathway.
Obvious answer.
"Gray. Floor." Goku ordered.
The ice mage smirked.
"Can do!" He slammed his hands onto the ground and a wave of white light blazed down the hill, coating everything it touched under an inch of ice. Traction suddenly turned to zero and Jet started to slip. Before he could steady himself the ice began to climb up his legs, crawling up higher and higher until only his head was free. Droy's plant monster faired far better. The vines and foliage suddenly began to break away and collapse to the ground, making way for new growth. Evergreen trees and bushes sprouted up into a new creature. As the ice tried to climb up it's leg the roots shot deep into the ground and began to dig everything up, shattering the frozen film along the path and knocking Jet to the ground. The speedster began to vibrate at super speed and the ice slowly started to weaken.
"Gray, focus on Jet. Natsu, you're up." The dragon slayer's entire body started to smolder.
"Finally!" Like a damn breaking; fire erupted from his body, filling the air with steam as the ice vaporized. Soon, all Droy could see of his opponent was a pair of glowing red eyes. And then they moved.
The creature's right leg was obliterated in an explosion of fire and Droy was forced to abandon his mount, diving out of its body as it fell to the cracking hellfire below. As he scrambled back up to his feet he found himself face to face with a smirking dragon. Then there was nothing but fire.
Moments later, Natsu carried a battered plant mage back onto the road and dropped him off next to Jet so that Gray could freeze them together. With a wave of his hand both of the unconscious teens were locked together in tiny little igloo. Natsu snorted and held out his fist. With a smirk, Gray bumped it. Then in unison, the two turned back to the rest of the group and took a bow.
Gajeel started snickering to himself when Laxus groaned. Goku looked down at the two restrained teens and suddenly had a thought.
"How come Levy wasn't here with these guys?
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Levy came to a stop in the middle of the city and stomped her foot down in frustration.
"Where the hell did those two dumbasses go?!"
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"Who cares?" Laxus shrugged. "It's not like she could take any of us out by herself. Besides, Freed'll eat her word magic for breakfast." he jabbed a thumb at his disciple. "We can worry about her when we take out everybody else. Right now, we need to make sure that that bitch can't turn any more of us. Freed, anything we can do about that?" The green haired man gave an easy smile and began to dig around inside of his satchel.
"Natsu was protected by his dragon slayer magic, so that likely means that means that you will be protected as well Laxus. As for the three of us," he gestured to Bickslow and Evergreen. "I do believe I have formed a solution." I actually whipped something up while you were talking with the witch. He took three small silver circlets.
"We were gifted these from that minor Lord to the far south a few months prior. I believe they were under the impression that we would be using them as gifts for any companions we may have. But I discovered that they made fair mediums to conduct my magic. I took a few minutes to add some wards to them, if their descriptions of her control abilities are accurate, this should be more than enough to protect us." He slipped the first piece onto his own head and smirked in self-satisfaction when it released a faint purple glow. Bickslow jumped forwards and jammed his own straight onto his head over his helmet, his tongue wagging the whole way. Evergreen stared at the proffered piece of jewelry before snapping her fan shut and letting out a derisive sniff. "And what makes you think that I would willingly allow you to besmirch my face like that?"
"Nothing." Freed replied simply. "I just thought that your preserved individuality might be more important to you than your fashion sense, but I can just hang onto it if you want." Freed said. Evergreen snarled as she jammed the piece of metal down on her head before whipping out a compact to examine her appearance.
"I just thing that she's jealous that we're rocking them better than she could!" Bickslow cackled, pulling out a compact of his own and peaking under his mask. "I like it!"
"Like it! Like it!" his babies chanted, bouncing up and down around Evergreen. The mage snarled, swatting at the dolls and stomping over to the other side of the group. Elfman saw the look on her face and decided to try and repair her ego.
"As a man, I can say that you wear that very well." He declared, laying a hand on her shoulder. Evergreen's eyes turned upon him with a look so baleful, Elfman unconsciously let go, broke into a cold sweat, and moved until Goku was between him and the woman.
There was a small pop, and Baba reappeared.
"I see you guys have had a bit of excitement. Glad I missed it. Anyways, you remember this lot right? Fang, See-Through, and Bandages." Fang wiped the drool from his jaw and waved while Bandages nodded in their direction. There was a pause for a moment before Bandages nudged the air next to him.
"You know they can't see you right? Speak up already!"
See-Through grunted something that vaguely sounded like the word hi. Goku frowned.
"Where's Spike?"
"Big Blue tried to use his Devilmite Beam on the big green bastard. But the freak just grew his heart right back and snapped Spike's neck. Never stood a chance." Bandages said sullenly.
"Sorry for your loss." Goku said.
"Yeah well, at least now we got a shot at a bit of payback. Those freaks will never know what hit them. I'll rip their limbs from their torsos and feed them their own fingers and toes."
"No killing." Baba said blandly. "We don't kill the possessed people. If you can get any of the demons out of their bodies then that's fair game, otherwise we go to incapacitate." Bandages frowned but nodded grudgingly. Suddenly Baba's crystal ball began to glow. On the hill there was a burst of light and another figure stepped out.
"Ah good, the next one's here. Ladies and gentlemen, meet our resident Frankenstein." The light faded, revealing a large, bulky man with a black jacket and blue undershirt. A massive line of stiches stretched out over half of his massive forehead. He looked over the group sullenly before a tiny smile graced his lips.
"Hello. I am designated as Android 8." Goku stepped forward and held out his hand. The giant looked down at it in confusion for a moment before slowly holding out his own right next to Goku's. The teen grabbed the android's hand and gave it a firm shake.
"Android 8 huh? That's a bit of a mouthful isn't it? I think I'm going to call you Eighter instead." The smile on the Android's face grew significantly wider.
"Hello. I am Eighter." He waved at the group once more. Elfman stalked up to the android and held up his arm. Eighter mimicked the action and Elfman frowned slightly as he noticed that his own biceps were slightly smaller.
"Hmm. It appears I need to increase my regiment in order to compete with your manliness. Tell me, what work have you done to get your muscles this size?" Eighter's face scrunched up in confusion.
"Work? I thought I just came this way?" He said, looking down at his hands. Baba chuckled a bit.
"Nice guy isn't he? A bit slow, but more than strong enough to make up for it. If he's here now, that means the rest should be here any second."
Laxus raised his brow "The rest? How many more fighters do you have?" As he spoke, Baba's crystal began to pulse, glowing brighter and brighter with each passing second. The light cast a dark shadow across the woman's face as her lips curled upwards. Laxus took one look at the sight and shuddered. He knew that look. It was the black look of dark hatred on a darkened night.
"Oh…enough."
Then the hillside erupted with in explosions of light.
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Erza had been circling the city in her Blackwing armor, searching for any sign as to where the few stragglers might have fled too. Since they had escaped by air, she vaguely hoped that her chances might increase by doing the same. Instead it seemed that she was just wasting her energy as she completed her eighth circuit around Magnolia. She was just about to land when a bright light suddenly filled half her field of vision. The girl spun around, her weapons raised, only for her jaw to drop in disbelief at the sight that greeted her. An instant later she bolted back towards the ground screaming at the top of her lungs.
"ARM YOURSELVES! PREPARE FOR BATTLE! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!"
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The entire hillside was lined with monsters. Dozens upon dozens of creatures were lined up behind Baba, glaring down at the city with visible venom. Each and every one of them was loyal to Baba, so each one felt the pain of her loss. Now, they had the chance to avenge it.
A pack of werewolves howled into the air.
A lanky succubus draped itself over Fang's arms as it adjusted its kickboxer stance.
A small wyvern flapped it's wings in agitation as it prepared for battle.
A giant spider stood motionless, the ground around it clear as the other monsters gave it a wide birth.
A massive snake coiled up, its tail rattling as it's fangs dripped with venom.
A group of Anubites snarled as the scent of demons assaulted their noses.
A massive three headed dog that towered over almost all of the rest leapt over the group and barked happily as it sniffed Elfman and grabbed the teen up in it's jaw before depositing him on it's back.
"Oh look at that, Lucky likes you!" Baba cackled. Elfman blanched slightly but didn't dismount.
All and all, over two hundred beasts had covered the road behind the Fairy Tail survivors.
"It appears that the numbers are no longer quite so badly against us." Kagura noted.
"Looks that way kid." Laxus said before he turned to Goku. "Alright fearless leader, do you have a plan for this too?" Goku hummed in thought and looked around. Eventually his gaze fell upon Elfman and his demon dog.
"Elfman! You're going to lead the monster to charge straight down the middle!" He ordered.
"Hell yeah! This is definitely the work of a man!"
"That won't work." Baba cut in. "If they start losing they might decide to scatter and then we'll end up having to hunt them down across the entire continent to make sure they don't set up anywhere else."
"Oh that? Leave that to me." Laxus said, his hands crackling with power. "THUNDER PALACE!" Hundreds of spheres erupted from the ground all around the city, taking their place in the sky and lightning up the sky in a yellow glow. Sparks bounced back and forth between the anchors, vaporizing a flock of seagulls and letting the demons know that there was no escaping this battle.
Within the city, Flute glanced out the window and smirked to herself. It was always nice when the opposition did half the work for you.
"Well now. I think this just might work after all." Baba said. "What's the rest of the plan?" Goku turned towards the Thunder Tribe.
"Evergreen, how many people can you keep turned to stone at once?"
"Depends on how long I need to hold it. Less than a dozen I can hold pretty much indefinitely. The more after that though, the harder it gets."
"How long for thirty or so people?"
"Thirty people? Maybe an hour. I take it that I'm going after the other Fairies then?"
"Yeah. Bickslow too. You guys both go with Elfman and help him out." The two nodded in agreement. Freed raised his eyebrow expectantly.
"You're good with the word traps like Levy right?" The green haired man snorted.
"While my magic might not be as dynamic as hers, her skills with traps and tricks pales in comparison with my own."
"Great! Then you can help round up all the civilians. The less damage that we do to them the better, right?"
"What about me?" Natsu said excitedly. "Want me to help you take down Flute? Do I get to storm the guild hall? Do you need me to blow something up?"
"The last one." Stars danced in Natsu's eyes while Gray's eyes slowly widened in horror.
"Seriously? You're letting him loose on the city by himself?"
"No, you two are going together."
"The hell I'm going with him!" Two voices simultaneously shouted.
"Yeah? So you think you can take on Erza one-on-one then?" Goku mused. There was a pause.
"Erza." Gray said.
"Yep." Was Goku's reply.
"We actually get to fight Erza." Natsu asked.
"Right." Goku said. "Right now, Juvia and Erza are probably going to be the two biggest threats when we're going after Flute. If all three of them are together things are going to get dicey, so I want you guys to try and take her down."
"HELL YES! A real, full power battle with Erza! I'll finally get to show my full power!"
"Oi dumbass, in case you've forgotten, she's kicked our asses literally every single time we've ever faced her! Do you really think we can beat her now?"
"Have you ever both gone at her together? Like, actually together and not just trying to see who could take her down first?" Goku asked. The two teens looked at each other for a long moment.
"Come on Popsicle, don't tell me you froze your balls off!" Natsu goaded.
"Hell, we're probably going to die anyways. Might as well try and get a cool story out of it." Gray said. The two fist bumped and started to laugh. Gray wrapped his white scarf tighter around his neck and Gray tossed his jeans into a heap by on the roadside. The pair were ready.
Just two left.
"Hey Laxus, did you know that I can fly now?" Laxus raised an eyebrow
"Of course you can." Laxus said, his tone neutral and dry as a bone.
"Yep! So, I was thinking that while everybody else distracts the guild, I can just fly you right over their heads and pound on that Flute girl for a bit until she leaves Lucy's body and then we blow up whatever comes out. Cool? Cool."
Laxus could feel the vein in his forehead throbbing. Never in his life had Laxus regret losing a battle so badly.
"You are planning on carrying me over an active battlefield! Why the hell would I let you do that?"
"Cause she stole your guild and if you have to walk there I might be done before you can get a crack at her?"
"…Fine. But just so you are aware, I hate you. I hate you and you are going to pay." Goku shrugged before turning to the last of his companions.
"So, what is my assignment then?" Kagura asked.
"Well, that depends. If you want, you can go back to your brother and keep an eye on things over there to make sure that he gets out of this okay. If things get bad you could get him out of here, make sure he stays safe." Kagura's gaze wavered back towards the direction of the healers hut. She bit her lip and released a long shaky breath. Then she asked him once more.
"What is my assignment?"
Goku gave her a small smile.
"You're going to be flying with Laxus and I, trying to find Juvia. In case you don't know who that is, look for the tidal wave with blue hair. I figured you would probably be best to take her out since Gray's going to be busy with Erza. Plus, water has to follow gravity right? I bet you can pin her down no problem!" The girl nodded in agreement.
"What was your plan if I had taken up your offer to go to my brother?" She asked curiously.
"Eh, I'd probably have just dropped Laxus on her or something." The lightning mage in question twitched.
"There are no words…" He muttered darkly under his breath.
"Question!" Natsu suddenly spoke up. "How are we going to find Erza in the middle of the huge battle?"
"Well, I figured that if there is even a shred of Erza's personality left in there, she's going to run straight towards the first sign of danger. The Council representative building should still be empty right?" Goku asked, pointing towards a small office building in the middle of the city.
"I believe so. As of yet, there is no reason for the Council to be manning it." Freed said. "Why do you ask?"
"I was just looking for a good location to set the trap." He said as he walked over to Natsu and put his hand on the dragon slayer's shoulder. "Ready Natsu?"
"Ready for what?"
"Fire Dragon, Flame Throw!"
Goku used Fling.
A half dozen jaws dropped as a failing, flaming teenager went hurtling over a quarter mile away straight through the window of the building. Almost immediately, wisps of smoke began to curl out through the shattered glass. Gray felt the Reaper breathing down his next as Goku's hand landed on his shoulder.
Goku used Fling.
It was Super Effective.
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Erza broke off from her attempts at rallying the defenders the instant she saw the building catch fire. With the Flame Empress Armor she leapt straight up to the top floor and through the shattered window. She had half a seconds notice before a barrage of ice and fire blasted her straight back out and sent her hurtling down to the street below. Natsu and Gray exchanged looks.
"So how badly do you think she's going to end up hurting us for that?" Gray wondered.
"I don't know, I'm thinking… three broken ribs?"
"I was thinking more like she'd try and snap our arms and legs."
"Death of 100 cuts?"
"Death of 1000 cuts?"
The two were still debating when the massive yellow gauntlets of the giant armor punched through the floor and dragged them down below.
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He was so fuckin' manly.
Elfman was in his Beast Form, riding a three headed hellhound with an army of monsters at his back as they invaded a city full of demons that were trying to unleash a Super Demon in order to take over the world. It was, without a doubt, the single manliest thing that he had ever done in his entire life. His heart was pounding like a kick drum in his chest. His blood was boiling hot with adrenalin and his animal instincts were screaming for him to howl into the clouds.
At the bottom of the hill, the possessed citizens and mages were lining up at his sister's back. Thousands of her troops lined the edge of the city, covering the roofs and filling the streets. Every last mage of Fairy was there with the exception of the two S-class, and behind them stood practically the entire population of the town. Elfman's eyes locked with Mirajane's as his mount rushed down the hill.
Bellowing a war cry, he rushed his elder sister dead on and the battle began.
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Goku adjusted Laxus' weight on his back and began to hover off of the ground just as the two sides slammed together far below. Kagura floated on the Flying Nimbus besides them, fingering her sword worriedly.
"Alright…it feels like Erza's over with the guys. I can't sense Juvia at all, so keep on guard."
"We have two sensors, a gravity manipulator, and we're flying half a mile up in the air without a single rain cloud in sight. I think we'll be fine." Laxus grunted. "Personally, I'm a heck of a lot more worried that you're just going to throw me at her the second you catch sight of the bitch."
"I already said, that's what Kagura's for. I'm going to air drop you on Flute instead."
"Air drop?!"
"Nobody ever looks up. She'll never see it coming."
"There'll be a roof in the way."
"I think we've punched enough holes in it that you'll be fine."
The trio was just about to reach the building when a titanic wave of water surged upwards from the sea into the form of a giant fly swatter. Before Kagura even had a chance to use her magic a jet of water with five times the strength of a firehose blasted her from the side and sent her hurtling towards the streets. Goku was left with no room to maneuver as the shaped water closed in and with the weight of approximately a million tons of water pressing down upon him, he and Laxus were swept out of the sky and sent down towards the forest. More and more sea water poured down onto the tree line, salting the earth and leaving the two mages trapped beneath a lake of drowning foliage.
Sitting calmly on the beach, Juvia smiled to herself. Just like Mother had said, the mages had tried to use their flying trick to invade behind their lines. It was too bad that they failed to take into account a simple rule.
A devil never falls for the same trick twice.
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DRAGON BALL Z EPIC ANNOUNCER MAN VOICE MAN: THE WAR FOR MAGNOLIA HAS BEGUN. IN THE NEXT FEW HOURS, THE FATE OF THE WORLD WILL BE DECIDED. WHETHER IT LIVES OR DIES, REST IN THE HANDS OF A HANDFUL OF WARRIORS AND THEIR MONSTER ARMY. BUT WILL IT BE ENOUGH? CAN THEY OVERCOME THE STRENGTH OF THEIR FALLEN FRIENDS? FIND OUT…
NEXT TIME ON ESCALATION! THE RED KEY PART 5: IF YOU WANT BLOOD (YOU GOT IT!)