A/N Alright, just a heads up that there will not be a chapter posted next week due to my having exams. There will be on two Fridays from now. That's all I needed to say!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or Fairy Tail, or any of their characters, and I make no money off of this.

Chapter 50

Nirvana: Northern Section…

"W-What the hell is that thing?!" Natsu exclaimed.

At current, the esteemed Fire Dragon Slayer found himself holding on for dear life on one of the legs of the gargantuan relic. That hadn't been a problem, at first, but it was starting to become one.

His initial shock was now ebbing, and, as a result, a certain characteristic sickness of his began to sink in.

"Dammit, now of all times?! How the hell does this even count as transportation?!" Natsu exclaimed.

That was really all he got a chance to say before he felt the contents of his stomach begin to move in a direction they shouldn't have been.

His grip loosened and he began to fall, though Happy would clearly not have allowed him to hit the ground in a million years. In fact, Natsu didn't even make it five feet before the blue-furred Exceed grabbed ahold of him.

"I gotcha, Natsu!" Happy stated.

"Thanks, little buddy!" Natsu cheerfully replied. His motion sickness, thankfully, dissipated in a split second.

Happy then began to fly upwards, taking both he and Natsu up to a position that they could observe what was currently going on. All they could really see, however, was the massive city tearing its way through the forest towards an unknown location.

Despite the fact that they didn't know where it was headed, it was still quite clear that it wasn't going off to promote peace and prosperity, to say the very least.

"What do we do…?" Happy uttered fearfully.

"Tch… only thing we can do. We gotta head into the city and kick some ass." Natsu replied.

Happy was about to fly forth in compliance with the dragon slayer's pseudo-request, though he stopped upon hearing a very familiar buzzing sound echo off from his left.

The two partners turned to see Ichigo take his place at their side, standing in the skies over plates of solidified spiritual energy as he was shown to be capable of doing.

"Where the hell have ya been?! Ya had me worried!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Sorry if I'm a bit late, but I sort of got delayed… Still, we need to take care of this before I explain what happened." Ichigo stated.

"I got it, I got it… All we gotta do is blow it up, right?" Natsu reasoned.

"Leaving aside how almost-impossible that is… we couldn't do that since our friends and teammates are also somewhere inside the city." Ichigo replied.

"Geez, Natsu…" Happy sighed out disapprovingly.

"I didn't do nothin'!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Regardless, our best course of action is to take Nirvana out of commission without destroying it… and I think I know just how to do it." Ichigo replied.

"Huh?" Natsu uttered confusedly.

"What d'ya mean, Ichigo?" Happy inquired.

"This city does have a unique feel to it… but I can also sense an underlying power that I recognize. Taking that into account, it confirms what I initially thought. The city isn't something that can move on its own. It responds to whoever links themselves to it, which means…"

"Which means that we only need to take out the guy that's controlling it!" Natsu reasoned.

"Exactly… Now, let's get going. We're probably the only two at the moment that can head off to take out Brain." Ichigo said.

"Right." Natsu replied.

"Aye sir!"

Nirvana: Western Section of the City…

"Is everyone alright?" Jura questioned, looking back at those of his comrades that were still in fighting condition.

At current, his group consisted of Lucy and Gray. They did technically have a third member to their party, but he was quite a bit ahead of them in terms of distance.

"I'm good… I think." Lucy replied nervously.

"Ditto." Gray said.

"Excellent. Now, if that's the case, we should get moving. If we're to reach the source of the Body Link magic that I'm sensing, we will need to…" Jura began.

He was cut off by the sound of a body shooting through several of the nearby buildings. They all turned and gazed at the form of Hoteye, who was now lying on his back and releasing several strained gasps.

Dust and rubble surrounded the area he shot out of, but it was clear that there had been a fight, and it was clear that he had lost.

"W-What the hell…?" Gray uttered confusedly.

"Isn't that one of them?" Lucy wondered aloud.

"No… I was given to understand that he has become our ally in this situation… Since that is the case, whoever did this to him is no friend of ours. Stay on guard." Jura said commandingly.

"Seriously?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Nah, I can vouch for that… After Lyon and I fought Racer, we ran into that guy. Jura's right when he says he was supposed to be our ally…" Gray replied.

"B-But if he's injured like that, then the other guy has to be at least a little bit softened up, right?" Lucy reasoned.

"Probably…" Gray replied.

"Probably?!"

"Silence. Our opponent is making himself known…" Jura stated, glaring deeply at the sound of footsteps approaching from within the holes created in the nearby buildings.

A mirthful chuckle echoed from the hole in the structure nearest to the Wizard Saint and company, which made each and every one of them scowl and ready themselves for a fight.

When the saw the form of their opponent however, they briefly lost their bearings and were overcome with an immense amount of shock. Before them now stood Midnight, though not as they pictured him to be.

First and foremost, he wasn't asleep, which already contradicted his image as it was. Secondly, and the more glaring of the two, was the fact that he was completely unscathed.

It was clear that he was the one to finish off Hoteye, but looking at him now it looked like that was a very unlikely sequence of events. The angular man had nearly erased the existence of a majority of their team, and yet he was lying on the ground unconscious in the wake of his evident battle with the gothic mage.

"Looks like I found worthy prey…" Midnight mused, smirking sinisterly at the prospect of more combat.

"This guy… d-did he really beat that earth wizard without even getting hurt?" Lucy whispered worriedly.

"It looks like it, but I don't believe it…" Gray replied.

"He will be a difficult opponent… though I will advise that you each rest for the time being. You are both injured, no?" Jura asked.

"Y-Yes, but…"

Before the blonde finished her sentence, the muscular Wizard Saint stepped forward, his body radiating golden-yellow magician energy as he did so.

He quickly made it known that he wished to be Midnight's opponent, and the latter, in turn, smirked heavily and adopted an amused look in his eyes.

"The both of you stand back… I will take care of this." Jura stated.

"Oh, is that so?" Midnight asked tauntingly.

"W-Wait, could this guy be crazy powerful?" Lucy inquired, clearly referring to the member of their own technical team.

"He's one of the Ten Wizard Saints, remember?" Gray replied.

"T-Then shouldn't we take a step back?!" Lucy exclaimed worriedly.

"We sure as hell should…" Gray stated.

Nirvana: Beneath the Apex of the City…

"Dammit…!" Erza spat venomously.

She glared off at the apex of the massive mobile fortress, growling all the while. She had been so close to ending this conflict before it even started, and, as much as she hated to admit it, had Mira not been delayed, they would have easily been able to take Brain out.

"However… now that Nirvana has been awakened, things have gotten more complicated. Moreover…"

Erza shifted her vision to the currently unconscious form of Jellal, involuntarily scowling as she did so. Memory loss or not, she still had a deep-seeded resentment towards him. She'd even go so far as to call it a grudge, and she had a myriad of reasons for holding one.

"So you've lost your memories, huh…?" Erza mumbled.

Even taking that into account, or even despite doing so, Erza couldn't bring herself to feel relieved. On the one hand, he wouldn't be their enemy in this circumstance. On the other, the fact that he was still alive may very well have been so discomforting that it was unbearable.

For the time being however, Erza had more important things to deal with, and she happened to be standing on the very thing that required her attention.

The ancient dark relic was currently moving towards an unknown location, and there were still lingering elements of the Oracion Seis within the city that needed to be dealt with.

"C-Carla, slow down!" Wendy's voice shouted from nearby.

"You'll be fine, Wendy. Just bear with it until we land!" Carla replied.

The scarlet-haired beauty turned to look at the approaching dragon slayer and her companion. The two landed directly in front of her, which prompted the esteemed knight to adopt a slightly confused expression.

Before she said anything though, Wendy turned and grimaced at the unconscious form of Jellal. She then appeared as if she were about to speak, but Erza beat her to the punch.

"He's alive, Wendy… and he appears to have lost his memories. Needless to say, he's not a threat to us, nor is he someone we can allow to roam freely. As a result of the former, I will not harm him. However, as a result of the latter, I will not abide your healing him again." Erza said convincingly.

"I-I… I wasn't going to!" Wendy exclaimed. She felt guilty enough about doing it the first time, after all.

"Regardless… why are you here? Were you not supposed to see to Ichigo's recovery?" Erza inquired, her tone being more aggressive than prior.

"Don't lash out at Wendy due to your own worry…!" Carla said derisively.

"…my apologies. However, my question still stands."

"W-Well… Ichigo headed off towards Nirvana, probably to stop Brain and the rest of them from doing whatever it is that they intended to do with it. He told me to come here as well, and that I should also search for anyone I could on my way here." Wendy replied.

"And?"

"I couldn't find anyone… but that's because those that seem to be still in fighting condition are also here. I saw Ichigo appear next to Natsu, and they are headed off towards the high point of the city. I know Ichigo wouldn't want me trying to fight Brain… s-so I came down when I saw you." Wendy explained.

"I see… and Ichigo is okay, correct? He isn't injured?" Erza asked evenly, though it was clear she was restraining a great deal of worry.

"Yes, he said he was fine. I tried to heal him, but he wouldn't let me." Wendy replied, sounding slightly guilty that this was the case.

At this, the redheaded teen released a heavy sigh of relief and even allowed a small smile to take its place on her lips. The fact that he was up and running was more than enough proof that he was fine, and she desperately needed to know he would be.

"It isn't your fault, child. Ichigo told you that he was fine, and he doesn't strike me as the type to lie about such things."

"I-I know!" Wendy exclaimed.

'Sadly, that's not entirely correct. True, Ichigo isn't the type to ever tell a lie… though, if he were ever to do so, I'd imagine it'd be for the purpose of taking a burden onto himself and off of another.' Erza thought amusedly.

She wouldn't say that out loud though, especially since it'd likely make Wendy worry about the substitute's physical health.

"It's good that Ichigo seems to be back in action, however it still remains the case that Nirvana isn't the only enemy we must defeat. I can sense our comrades nearby… and they will likely need some form of assistance. We can leave Brain to Ichigo while we go over to lend whatever help we are able." Erza stated.

"R-Right!" Wendy said in agreement.

Nirvana: Skies in front of the Apex…

"Are we there yet?!" Natsu whined.

"Will you shut up?! It's right there; you can clearly see it, you moron!" Ichigo exclaimed in an annoyed tone.

"H-How was I supposed to know?!"

"Because I told you that two minutes ago!"

"W-Well, you know I have a crappy short-term memory!"

"Aye!" Happy chirped.

The duo suddenly stopped in place when a very familiar serpent lunged directly at Ichigo in an attempt to bite him in the neck. At the same time, Cobra shot down at Natsu with his fists at the ready as if he were a viper latching onto its pray.

Ichigo simply brought up his left hand and batted the snake away without giving it a second thought, effectively preventing the attack from landing.

Natsu had met Cobra's fists with his own, thought hat exchange ended just as quickly as it began.

The Poison Dragon Slayer began to fall to the grounds of the city, at which point Cubelios caught him on her back before carrying him back up to the level of his opponents.

"Nice of you two to show up…" Cobra commented from his position across the skies.

"I woulda been here sooner, but you pansies kept playing dirty tricks…!" Natsu said in a cocky tone.

"Heh… if ya can't take little stuff like that, then ya can't expect me to even spit in your direction." Cobra scoffed, sporting a superior smirk as he did so.

"Why you…!" Natsu growled out.

"Snake boy, you mind if I ask you to shut the hell up?" Ichigo asked emotionlessly, somewhat to the surprise of everyone else present.

"Oh? You got somethin' to say to me, Kurosaki?" Cobra inquired.

"Yeah… let me pass." Ichigo simple said.

"Hah! You're a funny guy, ya know that? What, you thought I was just gonna stand here and let you past me?" Cobra asked through a series of chuckles.

"No, that's why I have this."

In a split second, Ichigo took Zangetsu off of his back and held it off to his side, the blunt side of the blade facing his opponent. His glare was fixed directly on Cobra all the while, which actually made the maroon-haired teen cease his speech, if only momentarily.

"That supposed to scare me, Kurosaki?" Cobra questioned.

"Again, no…" Ichigo trailed off.

His zanpakuto began to erupt with a torrent of light blue spiritual energy, which shot back into the sky and towards the right side of his body where the sword was extended like a massive storm.

Happy took Natsu a small distance away, doing so instinctively at the sudden outburst of energy so close by. Natsu, on the other hand, could only marvel at seeing the attack so close. The energy was beautifully destructive, if he were ever to describe it.

Without warning, Ichigo swung his blade, launching his trademark energy-based attack across the skies of the city in a massive area. His entire front was practically eclipsed by the energy, creating a beautiful spectacle that likely anyone in the entire city could see.

A large explosion ensued, the result of which was for fire and smoke to coat the area in front of the trio. Large numbers of the surrounding buildings were ablaze, and Cobra was nowhere to be seen. At this, Ichigo allowed Zangetsu to rest at his side, though his expression was unchanged.

"…that was supposed to scare you." Ichigo finished.

"Awesome!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Aye!"

"He's not finished just yet, Natsu…" Ichigo stated matter-of-factly.

"What?! But your attack hit him dead on, how could he…"

"I'm assuming he knew my attack was coming and that he decided to be smart and dodge it as opposed to taking it head on. He's just waiting for a good time to strike, but I don't have time to waste on him. Natsu, can I leave this guy to you?" Ichigo said, turning to his comrade for confirmation.

At the sight of the toothy grin the dragon slayer flashed him, he was assured that he had left his opponent in good hands.

"You even need to ask?" Natsu asked rhetorically.

"That's what I thought… but I'll still warn you to be careful. This guy can sense moves coming a mile away, and someone like that isn't gonna be easy to fight."

"That's the fun part." Natsu said excitedly.

"Got it…"

It was then that the orange-haired teen flashed away, leaving Natsu alone in the skies to deal with the snake wizard. That was exactly what the dragon slayer wanted, however.

'After all that crap that happened in the forests… at least now I finally get a real fight!' Natsu thought.

"Natsu… what's our plan here?" Happy inquired.

"He's just waiting… so we need to flush him out!" Natsu stated cheerfully.

Happy nodded and began to move closer to the mass of fire and smoke, but before they could get even ten feet closer, their opponent made his move.

Cubelios shot out of the smoke across the skies and beneath them, Cobra on her back and her fangs brought to bear.

The blue-furred Exceed shot backwards as quickly as he could, effectively dodging the snakes bite and preventing their confrontation to begin on poor terms for he and Natsu.

'What the hell? Ichigo was right when he said he wasn't finished, but he really managed to dodge? How'd he even do that when the attack hit that big of an area?' Natsu wondered.

He then began to glare heavily at Cobra, who in turn only smirked cockily as if he knew full well what the dragon slayer was thinking.

"Your friend got past me, but leaving you here all alone was a big mistake." Cobra stated.

"Tch… I can handle you easy, pal." Natsu replied.

"That so?"

"It is so."

Cobra chuckled at the words of his opponent, shortly after which a silence coated the skies that would become their battlefield. Neither of them were making a move, but both knew full well that their fight was only just about to begin.

"Bring it on." Cobra simply said.

Nirvana: Western Portion of the City…

'This guy's a hell of a lot stronger than I thought he'd be…' Midnight thought out of annoyance.

A series of boulders once again began to shoot towards him, forcing him to dodge and bend the attacks in a manner that would prevent a direct hit. His magic was powerful, yes, but with so many things coming at him at once, he was at a disadvantage.

He could very well have stood still and used his Bending Magic, but doing so against an opponent as skilled as Jura showed his hand more than was needed.

Moreover, his opponent showed no signs of tiring in the slightest. Evidently the title of Wizard Saint wasn't just for show.

'At this rate, I'll need to use my illusions to crush his willpower before I can kill him. Still, I'd rather not use it when there are still enemies nearby that are unaccounted for.' Midnight thought.

"How long is it that you will continue to dodge my attacks?" Jura said evenly, clearly not even trying to taunt his opponent.

"Tch… be careful what you wish for, baldy." Midnight sneered. Needless to say, the esteemed wizard was not too pleased by the insult.

"Hmph… very well, if you will not reveal your magic, then I will simply crush you where you stand." Jura said.

Abruptly, a series of seven rock pillars shot out from the ground from all directions around Midnight, all the while a massive series of boulders and rocks rose from the ground, each also being in every directly.

Thus far, nothing was moving, but it was clear that the massive pillars and the earth debris were able to fire off at any point in time.

"Be buried in rock, scoundrel…" Jura said emotionlessly.

Abruptly, a shot of pain resonated from his left shoulder, at which point he turned to see that a shadowed dagger was currently lodged within it. The cut was moderately deep, but the more pressing concern was the fact that there was several more coming.

Without giving it a second of hesitation, Jura released the rocks he kept at his front and willed a series of earthen pillars to rise from the ground in their place in order to prevent the mysterious assault on his person.

"W-What just happened?" Lucy uttered confusedly, seeing blood pour from the wound in the Wizard Sain't shoulder.

"No idea, but whatever it is, it can't be good." Gray commented.

The sound of the large masses of rock being pierced could be heard, but he remained standing with only the initial injury. When the dagger lodged within his shoulder dissipated, he assumed the attack was over. He willed the pillars to recede, at which point he began to scan the nearby area for his evidently new opponent.

"Such a sorry state to find you in…" A jovial voice commented from his front.

To his surprise, the man that had clearly attacked him was standing directly at his front, his back facing him and his front facing Midnight. Needless to say, Jura, alongside everyone else, was highly confused.

"Who is that? Is he a member of the Oracion Seis?" Lucy whispered, not really knowing what else to think.

"Not that I know of…"

"This is getting weird again, Gray. I've got a really bad feeling about this…" Lucy stated worriedly.

"Yeah, so do I. Since this guy's decided to show up though, we need to be ready to hop in."

"Right…!" Lucy replied, grabbing ahold of her Celestial Spirit Keyes as she spoke.

"Who the hell are you?" Midnight inquired, scowling at the new arrival in an annoyed fashion.

"The name's Knight, and all you need to know is that I'm here to give you a bit of a hand. Also, is that really how you speak to someone that just bailed you out?"

"You didn't do anything whatsoever. I could've easily handled it; in fact I can easily handle it. So if you don't mind, just leave." Midnight sneered.

"You're such an impudent child…" Knight commented.

"You really must want me to kill you." Midnight thought aloud.

"Really? Well, if you were to try… for argument's sake, how do you think it would end? Do you think you would win, or perhaps you think you'd easily defeat me? In any case, you shouldn't be able to tell since you've never met me, nor have you ever seen me fight."

"What difference does that make? If you fight with magic, then you can't beat me." Midnight stated blandly.

"That so?" Knight asked with an amused smirk.

"The both of you are to be my opponents then?" Jura abruptly cut in.

"No, he's just an anno…" Midnight began.

The sound of flat-out laughter, courtesy of the teal-haired man, cut off Midnight and prompted him to scowl as if he couldn't have possibly been more annoyed.

"You know, I'm getting quite bored of all of this sitting around and waiting. Moreover, I've got a job to do, and I'd rather you not take this kid down. So, as a special treat, I guess I'll flash a bit of my power…" Knight mused.

"I told you to…" Midnight began in an aggravated tone.

He took a single step towards the man, mentally debating whether or not he wanted to send him off into a nightmare simply for being as much of a nuisance as he was. However, he found himself unable to move a second later, as a massive spike of outlandish and darkly powerful energy abruptly flashed into existence.

Knight extended his right hand towards the bald Wizard Saint and those behind him, at which point he smirked cockily and called forth a small sphere of dark purple energy. Said sphere began to grow in size, spiraling to life and giving off such a powerful presence that the wind around the nearby area began to rage while the light of the attack itself reflected across most every surface present.

'W-What kind of power is this?!' Midnight wondered, actually feeling several beads of sweat drip down his cheeks.

"I advise you put everything into protecting yourself. If you don't, then all three of you will die in an instant!" Knight said, grinning as the ball of energy continued to pulse with dark energy.

"Gray, what the hell is this?!" Lucy exclaimed, shielding her eyes with her forearms in order to prevent debris and wind from smashing into them.

"I've got no idea, but I know it ain't good for our life expectancy!" Gray shouted over the raging winds.

"This is now time for talking! The both of you get behind me, right now!" Jura shouted urgently.

The two moved behind the Wizard Saint as they were told, at which point Jura began to call forth as much of his magical energy as he was able. If he was correct, then he'd need to follow his opponent's advice and put everything into defense, which, fortunately, he was more than capable of doing.

"Iron Rock Wall!" Jura exclaimed.

He outstretched both of his hands, his body coated in an aura of golden-yellow magical power as he did so. A large number of pillars shot out of the ground, surrounding his front at all sides. The pillars continued to shoot forwards, at this point even approaching the source of the attack that was to be presumably fired off.

"Cero." Knight uttered.

A massive torrent of purple energy shot forth, the sound of which echoed throughout the entirety of the city. The rocks instantly shattered upon contact with the blast, which then continuously moved forth and unrelentingly.

An explosion soon ensued, which caused a vast majority of the wide-open area to be engulfed in a wave of smoke, fire, and ash. With that done, Knight allowed his hand to rest at his side.

"Hmph…" Knight scoffed.

"That attack just now… what the hell was it?" Midnight asked, his tone much less dismissive than prior.

"That, my momentary comrade, is something you don't need to know." Knight replied.

At this, the raven-haired gothic teen went silent. He inwardly scoffed due to the lack of information, but it was understandable. To be able to dish out that much power, at the very least, caused him to gain a modicum of respect for the teal-haired man.

"Oh, what's this?" Knight wondered aloud.

When the smoke finally cleared, Jura was still standing, his forearms crossed over his face and his posture being incredibly defensive. It was almost as if he was an iron rock himself, but the burn marks and myriad of injuries cast such a comparison to the side.

Behind him, both Lucy and Gray were lying on the ground, light wounds coating their bodies but not burn marks or missing limbs showing.

"I must say that I'm incredibly impressed. I put in a massive amount of energy into that attack, you know?" Knight said, his voice losing its joking touch for the time being.

"H-Hey, you alight…?" Gray uttered weakly.

"I have… done what… I… c-could…" Jura replied.

In the next instant, the muscular man fainted, which was met by the loud cries of the two Fairy Tail wizards. They each went up to his body in order to rouse him from his unconscious state, though they were unsuccessful.

"That man was stronger than I gave him credit for. Not only did he severely reduce the power of my attack, he also allowed what was left of the damage to be inflicted on him rather than on those he was shielding. Even if he couldn't absorb everything, they're at least conscious and still capable of moving. Truly a powerful opponent…" Knight thought aloud.

"Doesn't matter much now, does it?" Midnight mused.

"I guess not…" Knight replied.

"And what will you do about those two?"

"Am I supposed to do something about them?" Knight inquired.

"They're gnats, and one's you didn't wipe out like you intended to. I won't waste my time, so feel free to finish them off." Midnight replied.

"Heh, that's very gracious of you." Knight said facetiously.

He then turned to look at the Fairy Tail wizards, at which point he raised his left hand and aimed his palm directly at them.

"Sorry, but I can't promise this won't hurt. Do me a favor and just stay down." Knight said.

A large number of purple spheres of energy began to form in the air directly overtop his body, the feel of which were completely different than his previous attack. It felt like actual magical energy at this point as opposed to whatever type of power acted as the source of his previous offensive.

"Dark Storm." Knight uttered.

The large spheres of magical power shot forth, their targets clearly being both Lucy and Gray. The two clenched their fists, shut their eyes, and braced for impact, knowing that, even if this attack didn't have the dark and deadly feel of the previous, it would hurt a great deal.

A large explosion sounded off, at which point Knight simply scowled. A could of smoke once again shielded the forms of the Fairy Tail wizards from sight, but he didn't need to see them to know that they were perfectly fine.

"Well, this is unexpected…" Knight thought aloud.

As the cloud obstructing his vision vanished, the form of Erza Scarlet within her Adamantine Armor could be seen. The power of her shield and completely negated Knight's attack, thereby allowing Gray and Lucy to remain conscious for the time being.

"E-Erza!" Lucy exclaimed in a tone of clear relief.

"T-Thanks for that…" Gray said.

"The both of you can save your thanks and relief for later. For now, I need you to stay out of this fight since you're both in no condition to help me." Erza stated.

Out of seemingly nowhere, Wendy ran into the clearing, Carla in tow. She immediately began to help Lucy and Gray get on their feet, a worried expression plastered onto her features all the while.

"A-Are you two okay?!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Wendy, you can see to their injuries, however I'll ask that you do it further away from here. I need the three of you to go… now." Erza said in a serious tone.

"You heard her, Wendy. Hurry up and let's get moving!" Carla exclaimed.

"R-Right!" Wendy replied.

The scarlet-haired beauty kept up her defensive posture, clearly implying she was doing so exclusively so her comrades could make their getaway. Lucy and Gray took advantage of that and, albeit with a sense of hesitation, began to take their leave with the Sky Dragon Slayer and her companion lending all the support that they could.

They began to head off into a nearby street of the massive ancient city, Lucy supporting Gray's form due to herself being the least injured between the two of them.

"It's rather brave of you to send them away. Do you think you actually stand a chance against me?" Midnight inquired.

"Even if it's two of you against just me, you shouldn't expect to defeat me." Erza scoffed.

"I'm actually just going to watch this time around. I have a feeling that the temperamental brat would dislike it if I got in the way of his fun."

"Insulting me is a bold move, Knight… but yes, you're right. It's better if you don't interfere." Midnight stated.

"As I thought."

It was then that the teal-haired wizard jumped up atop a nearby building and sat on the roof, his legs hanging over the edge carelessly as if he were truly nothing more than a passive spectator.

Midnight didn't really care where he was, just as long as he didn't step in. With that in mind, he readied himself. After all, against just a single opponent, he didn't have to have any worries about his powers being figured out.

Nirvana: Apex…

Brain stood at the high-point of the ancient city, overlooking the outlying area with a smirk plastered on his face. With each passing second, they were reaching their goal, thereby making him incapable of forming any other facial expression.

'Just a short time from now… and the first of those who wield the light will be destroyed by the darkness that I now control.' He thought.

His mood was so high at current that he didn't even care that an unwanted guest had just arrived. It was predictable since he saw Cobra was currently preoccupied by Fairy Tail's Salamander, but it didn't matter for the time being.

"A lovely view… isn't it?" Brain asked conversationally, turning back to face his 'guest'.

Ichigo just released a huff of annoyance, a scowl crossing his lips in the aftermath. He then took Zangetsu off of his shoulders and aimed the tip of the blade directly at the dark-skinned man.

"I didn't come here for the view." Ichigo stated pointedly.

"You came here for me, didn't you? I assume that you wish to stop Nirvana?" Brain inquired.

"Both are stupid questions to ask, so I hope you were being rhetorical." Ichigo replied, his eyes narrowing.

"Hmph… I see. Regardless, I won't allow you to stand in my way." Brain said.

He brought his skull-cane to bear and aimed it directly at Ichigo, a cocky look about his features all the while. That, at the very least, came as a great source of surprise to the latter of the two.

'He seems confident… meaning that he probably has something up his sleeve. However, if I take him down before he can use whatever spell he did before… then this fight is over. It's clearly his only chance at beating me, so I just need to make sure he doesn't get to use it.' Ichigo thought. Moreover, he knew just how to accomplish that much.

"Bankai." Ichigo uttered.

A torrent of black spiritual energy erupted from his form and erupted atop the platform overlooking the vastness of the ancient city. The amount of energy and the feel of it were so intense that Brain, despite trying to keep up a confident façade, couldn't help but lose a bit of his composure.

'W-What power is this? I had heard rumors that he was capable of increasing his powers, but to this degree is… is simply ludicrous!' Brain thought fearfully.

"Now then…" Ichigo began, swatting his blade off to the side and clearing the light remnants of his black red-laced spiritual energy.

"I'll give you one last chance to give yourself up. You do that, and I promise I'll beat you within two inches of your life instead of one."

The leader of the Oracion Seis staggered backwards briefly, feeling a cold child go up his back and sweat drip down his brow. Still, he wasn't going down without a fight; that much was clear.

"Dark R…"

Brain hadn't even finished uttering the name of the spell he intended to cast before Ichigo was directly at his front. His eyes instinctively traveled to those of his opponent's, but he couldn't even manage to see them as he was sent flying into a nearby pillar by way of Ichigo's fist before he could.

He quickly fell out of the debris, at which point he picked himself up and readied his cane in order to cast a spell, if only to buy some form of time.

"Guh…" Brain gasped, feeling a hard punch hit his stomach.

He flew across the platform at high speeds, though his opponent was by no means done with him. Ichigo began to pummel the dark wizard without relent, sending him across the platform as if he were a ping-pong ball in a ten-way match.

For the finisher, Ichigo simply kicked him up into the skies and, when he reached the high-point of his journey, he appeared directly behind Brain's back and swatted him down to the grounds of the incredibly tall building's roof. This time however, he didn't bother to stop his flight path.

"I did warn you…" Ichigo said to himself.

A large amount of dust and debris surrounded Brain's body, and it appeared that he wasn't even capable of movement for the time being. The bruises on his person were proof enough that he had taken, for lack of a better phrase, a severe beating.

'H-How is that even possible? For him to be capable of such speed… i-it is unthinkable.' Brain thought.

He mustered all of his strength and managed to flip himself on his back, at which point he found himself facing into the skies above. The silver lining may very well have been that Ichigo Kurosaki hadn't decided to kill him just yet.

'Damn… I thought I could have bought slightly more time than that. Now I must rely on a gamble… and one that still leaves him with a great deal of resentment towards me. Either way, the risk to my own life exists…' Brain thought.

Before he even blinked, Ichigo was directly overtop his body, the tip of Tensa Zangetsu holding directly above his neck. This, naturally, made Brain's start to sweat bullets, yet still he was not dead.

"This is your last chance. Give up now, or I'll keep my word." Ichigo said sternly.

"Heh… so this is within two inches of my life, huh?" Brain asked jokingly.

"You'll have to forgive me if I'm not in a joking mood. I'll say it again, give up." Ichigo pressed.

"What would you have me do? Would you have me relinquish my control on Nirvana?" Brain inquired.

"What a coincidence, that's exactly what I'm going to make you do." Ichigo replied.

"I see… however, I must warn you that my giving up control will simply pass it on to the most powerful of my subordinates."

"And he'll be beaten just the same. Now, I'll ask again, give up control." Ichigo stated, strengthening his grip on the obsidian blade within his hand in order to add extra emphasis to his demand.

"V-Very well…"

Quite literally nothing happened save for the dark-skinned man closing his eyes for a brief second. He then opened them and gave Ichigo an amused expression, which in turn made him agitated.

"I don't believe for a second that you just gave up control." Ichigo barked.

"Nor should you… But, you see, I am incapable of relinquishing my control. If I should lose consciousness, it simply passes to another." Brain replied.

"Knocking you out suits me just fine. After all, if you could give up control, then I'd have to babysit you until every single one of your little friends got taken down." Ichigo said.

It was then that he retracted the tip of his Bankai, at which point he brought back his foot and aimed it clearly at the side of his former opponent's head.

"Y-You can't be serious!" Brain exclaimed.

"No, I'm dead serious. Don't worry, it won't kill you, I'm have more control than that." Ichigo said.

"B-But, should I lose consciousness, then you will lose out on the opportunity to gain information from me." Brain stated matter-of-factly.

At this, the orange-haired teen quirked a curious brow and allowed his foot to return to the ground. He seemed to think on his next course of action for a brief moment, after which he placed the tip of his blade closely to Brain's neck once more.

"And what information, exactly, can you give me? Do you know something that I need to know?" Ichigo asked blankly.

"Indeed I do…" Brain replied, smirking cockily as he did so. Evidently he was quite confident that his words held truth.

"If it's about that spell you hit me with, I don't give a damn. I can deal with that on my own time, so if you…"

"You're mistaken, young one. I have no information to give you about the spell I used… but I do have information on the past of someone I've been told is a personal acquaintance of yours." Brain stated.

At this, the substitute was completely lost. If Brain had information on someone he knew, it didn't really matter, that much was presumable since he could find out anything he wanted to from anyone he knew. However, the way Brain was acting implied that this was absolutely something that he would want to hear about.

"Explain." Ichigo simply commanded.

"It is someone you're currently searching for… someone that is enigmatic to you, despite what you would believe."

"Before you start speaking in riddles, I'll just remind you that it will take no effort at all to simply drop my blade right on your neck." Ichigo said in an agitated manner. Needless to say, the person who would instantly die if he were to do so decided to take his 'advice' to heart.

"Are you not one of those interested in finding Ultear Milkovitch?" Brain inquired.

At this, an expression of clear-cut surprise spread across the substitute's features. He tightened his grip on Tensa Zangetsu, doing so solely to keep Brain rattled.

"What are you talking about? How do you know about her?" Ichigo inquired.

"I see… so I was right to assume that you desire to find her." Brain mused.

"Do I need to remind you again…?" Ichigo trailed off, assuming the dark-skinned man knew very much so what he had been referring to.

"T-There is no need for that… But, if you must know, I could tell you everything you want to know about her past and her present. I am not able to tell you specifically where she is, but I am able to tell you who she serves, as well as where it is that she comes from." Brain stated matter-of-factly.

"…fine." Ichigo replied.

"Then I take it you are interested in what I can tell you?"

"Let's just say that you'll remain conscious if you tell me what you've said you can."

"May I ask why you desire to know such things? I'm simply curious…" Brain said.

"You don't need to know why I want to know, just that I want to know." Ichigo replied.

"How philosophical of you…"

"I should also add that you'll get a beating worse than I just gave you if you lie to me." Ichigo stated.

"…wouldn't dream of it." Brain replied, smirking all the while.

Nirvana: Western Portion of the City…

"Bind!" Midnight exclaimed.

Erza's Flight Armor began to twist around her body, restricting her movements and also forcing her swords to fall to the ground.

Realizing that she was at a disadvantage, yet again, she used Requip to don her Heaven's Wheel Armor, calling forth a dozen or so swords around her body with the intent of launching them at her opponent.

"Dance, my swords!" Erza exclaimed.

The blades flew across the battlefield, clearly aiming directly towards her opponent. However, by the time each of the blades came near Midnight's torso, they veered off to the side and completely missed their target.

'Damn…' Erza muttered in thought.

Midnight once again extended his hand and willed Erza's armor to construct her being, effectively caused her entire being to ache with pain.

Once more, Erza used her Requip Magic, this time taking on her Black Wing Armor before she shot across the battlefield directly at her opponent.

Midnight extended his hand and forced the armor to constrict her being, though Erza was ready for it. This time she flung her crimson blade across the battlefield, aiming it directly

"Hmph…" Midnight sneered, simply dodging the blade by tilting his head off to the side.

Erza's body was engulfed by a flash of light, after which she was shown to sport her standard Heart Kreuz armor. She had no blade in her hand, but she appeared as if she had more confidence for some reason.

"I get it… you use Reflector Magic." Erza stated.

A clear expression of surprise graced Midnight's features, though that quickly dissipated in favor of his traditional cocky façade.

"Heh, I'm surprised that you can tell that much. Still, knowing that doesn't help you. In addition to being a perfect defense, my magic allows me to bend all things, even light itself. You're helpless against me, Erza Scarlet." Midnight stated tauntingly.

"Tch… every opponent has their weaknesses, and you are no different! I will be your end, one way or another!" Erza exclaimed.

"Bring it on, redhead!" Midnight challenged.

Clearly taking her opponent's words to heart, Erza requiped into her Flight Armor, at which point she used all of her speed to bring herself directly in front of her opponent.

Without relent she started to stab and slash at the raven-haired wizard, though each of her attacks would, without fail, miss, despite the fact that the latter didn't move a muscle.

Realizing that her current attack pattern wasn't working, Erza leaped backwards across the clearing in the city, glaring observationally at Midnight in the wake of their fight's momentary standstill.

"You're wasting your time…" Midnight chided.

He brought his hand across the air directly in front of him, effectively forcing Erza's Flight Armor to constrict around her body.

The redheaded warrior felt the constrictions begin and, with the speed of her flight armor, she threw the blades as if they were daggers and aimed directly for her opponent's torso.

Midnight once again dodged lazily, but it was then that Erza smirked contentedly. Feeling that the bindings of her armor was becoming far too much to handle, she used her Requip magic yet again, only this time her choice of armor was no longer for the purpose of testing the waters.

Erza now sported a beautiful, though revealing, purple kimono. It consisted of a sleeveless tunic, a large, dark obi with a thin red rope tied behind it, which sported a wide red ribbon on the back. Her appearance was completed by a large polearm-like weapon that she carried within her right hand.

"You just going to keep trying different armors until you realize none of them will work?" Midnight asked amusedly.

"No… in fact I think this fight is over. I've discovered your weakness… or, should I say, weaknesses." Erza stated, smirking confidently.

"Heh, nice joke!" Midnight angrily scoffed.

In a split-second, Erza's entire body was constricted by her own clothing, which caused her weapon to drop to her side. This time she didn't even so much as release a pained grunt, in fact it looked as if she wasn't in any pain whatsoever.

"You were saying?" Midnight asked arrogantly.

"I was saying that you have two weaknesses." Erza replied, a smirk still shining across her lips.

"Pretty funny of someone who can't do anything to say something like that."

"Is it? Very well, then laugh at this…" Erza said.

A large number of swords began to appear a relatively large distance above Midnight's head. The raven-haired wizard looked up to see the practical storm of blades lying in wait, ready to rain down on him whenever his opponent gave the command.

"My, my… now this is interesting." Knight commented jovially from atop the building on which he sat.

The dozens of swords shot down towards the ground, causing Midnight to run about in an attempt to dodge them. Several pierced his skin and, despite his own abilities and his vast magic energy, several decently-sized cuts marked his body.

"Ghhh…" Midnight growled out.

"As I said, you have two weaknesses. The first is that you can't control more than one area with your magic at a time. That's why you were dodging my swords earlier while when I attacked you directly you didn't even move. The second is this…" Erza trialed off.

Without warning, her attire became unwrapped, allowing her to grab her weapon once more. She used all her speed to appear directly in front of her opponent's torso, at which point she opened the palm of her free left hand and slammed it directly into his chest.

Midnight released a pained gasp, after which he slammed into a nearby building and made a gothic-teen-shaped imprint in the wall. He slid down the surface, releasing strained breaths all the while.

"You are unable to bend the body of a human being. Therefore, physical attacks still work on you. I guess you could also say that this armor is a third weakness of yours. It's by far the most elastic in my collection, thereby rendering your Reflector Magic useless on my clothing." Erza stated confidently.

"T-That's not possible… y-you couldn't have realized all that in such a short period of time…!" Midnight uttered in a tone of disbelief.

"And yet clearly I have. So, I will ask you… surrender yourself now, scoundrel." Erza demanded.

From atop a nearby building, Knight couldn't help but gaze in amazement at what had played out before his very eyes.

'Interesting…she was able to see the flaws in his magic and react accordingly after such a short amount of time. Moreover, she discovered a total of three weaknesses, while I only thought of two in the same amount of time… truly a frightening woman.'Knight thought.

In all honesty, it was almost unbelievable. The ability to turn the tables on an opponent like Midnight, who was far from a pushover, said a great deal about Erza Scarlet's ability.

'It's no wonder Seiken was pushed back, especially if he isn't allowed to use the full extent of his abilities.'

"I won't ask again, Midnight. Surrender yourself now!" Erza shouted commandingly.

For a few short seconds, there was silence. However, the slight chuckles of the raven-haired wizard broke it. That amused chuckle turned into full-out laughter shortly thereafter, at which point Midnight shot up off the ground with a face of sheer amusement spread across his features.

"Funny, really funny, Erza Scarlet! Here, since you're so funny, I'll show you something really good!" Midnight stated.

The scarlet-haired beauty readied her weapon, though she quickly brought up her arms and saw that no such thing currently existed in her hand. She released s chocked gasp and began to look at her opponent, though he was not what she expected to see either.

Midnight started to chuckle sinisterly, if not evilly, as he started to change shape. He grew into a giant, coated in the darkest shadows and with eyes as red as blood. His laughter became warped and sadistic, yet still Erza did not falter in the slightest.

"It's been quite a while since I've had to use this. How do you feel, Erza Scarlet? Are you terrified yet, or do I get the pleasure of making you suffer?!" The creature roared darkly.

The shaded giant that sprouted from Midnight's formerly human body began to laugh once more, filling the air with its raspy and sickening voice. Abruptly however, the chuckling stopped.

It was then that Erza's eyes shot wide open, and the very first thing that her eyes were greeted with was the sight of a large portion of earth shooting up from the ground where she had thought Midnight to be standing.

"Gah!" Midnight grunted, his back slamming into yet another building.

The scarlet-haired knight was beyond confused, though she quickly gathered from context that she had been very briefly under some sort of an illusion. While it wouldn't have worked after a short while longer due to her artificial eye, she wasn't going to complain about being out sooner.

'Still, who was it that…' Erza wondered.

She didn't even get a chance to finish her mental sentence before Mira landed directly at her side, Satan Soul and all.

"Looks like I made it in time." Mira mused, smirking cheekily at her comrade as if to emphasize who had saved who.

"For the record, illusion magic doesn't work on me. I would have broken out of it in a short time." Erza stated.

"Would it kill you to say thanks?" Mira asked in an annoyed tone.

"At this point in time, it's very possible." Erza replied sneakily.

"So bitter…" Mira mumbled underneath her breath.

"I am not!"

"Are too."

"Will you just shut up and focus on the fight?!" Erza exclaimed.

"I don't know, I hit him pretty hard with my Evil Explosion. He might be down for the count." Mira reasoned.

"Heh… as if!" Midnight scoffed.

Whether it was an act of defiance or because he truly had the ability to do so, the raven-haired dark wizard got up from the ground and faced his opponents, though his confident smirk was not present any longer.

"My, my, aren't you a little trooper…" Knight commented.

Mira looked up confusedly at a nearby rooftop, though the man who acted as the source of the voice had already taken the liberty of jumping down into the battlefield directly at Midnight's side.

"Still, you don't have to push yourself so hard. Remember, it'd be a problem for me if you went and lost just now." Knight stated.

"Erza… who the hell is that?" Mira inquired.

"Someone who calls himself 'Knight'. While I don't know much about him directly, I do know that he is responsible for the interruption that barred our way when we were trying to reach the resting place of Nirvana." Erza replied.

"I don't like him already…" Mira remarked pointedly.

"Now that's not very nice. What'd I ever do to… oh, never mind." Knight said amusedly.

"He seems a bit too carefree to be a threat…" Mira commented, sweatdropping.

"Don't let his appearance fool you. He managed to take down Jura, Lucy, and Gray with a single attack. Had I not arrived, he would have undoubtedly rendered them unconscious or worse."

"This guy's really that powerful then?" Mira inquired in a tone of disbelief.

"You flatter me too much, my dear. I wouldn't call myself weak by any measure of the word, but I'm far from unstoppable. However, I don't need to be unstoppable to put up a fight, now do I?" Knight said.

He drew his katana-like blade from its sheath, aiming its tip directly at his opponents. Midnight dusted himself off and regained his composure as well, signaling that, at the very least, he intended to fight as well.

"Mira, am I to assume you saw the conclusion of my battle with Midnight?" Erza inquired.

"Before I came to your rescue? Yeah…" Mira replied.

"That is not how it… Never mind. Just stay on guard."

"Got it."

A/N Once again, the next chapter will be posted two Fridays from now.