Alright ! How are you all ?
This chapter will be a bit shorter in term of words, but I have to admit that I faced a writer block when I wrote it. I feel like this isn't my best chapter, but I'm sure I'll do better next time. Anyway, I hope you'll enjoy it either way. Have fun !
Chapter 52 : Knights and Dragons
It was now time for the battle to enter its final segment and it all began with three mages and a wizard facing off with a large mechanical dragon controlled by a mad and power hungry king. Needless to say, the king, who wasn't expecting people to try and resist him, wasn't in the best off mood.
- "You brats !" Seethed the king as he aimed the cannon in the dragon's mouth at his four opponents, who didn't backed down.
- "I'll back you up !" Shouted Wendy as she used her magic on her three friends.
FAST WINDS THAT RUN THE HEAVEN : BANIA !
Boosted by that enchantment, the three guys whose speed had been upgraded ran at Faust and dodged the energy shot before coming back at the dragon at a blinding speed.
FIRE DRAGON'S IRON FIST !
IRON DRAGON'S CLUB !
The two Dragon Slayers' attacked at the same time, punching the dragon's head, slightly damaging the armor which triggered two type of reaction.
- "Dorma Anim that doesn't let magic go through is being damaged a little ?!" Groaned the king, not believing that those brats could damage is weapon.
- "What's this hardness ?!" Complained Gajeel, impressed and annoyed by the sturdiness of that metallic beast, realizing that it's going to be pretty hard to destroy that thing.
DRILL, PLEASE !
When Natsu and Gajeel jumped to the side to avoid the dragon attack just before, Haruto had jumped above it, positioning himself just above Dorma Anim. Using his Drill Ring, he then fell on the dragon's neck, slamming it into the ground, but despite that, he didn't managed to do much damages. Apparently, Faust let Shocker work a little on Dorma Anim armor. But if they lacked power, it was soon going to change, thank to Wendy.
POWER OF THE STOUT ARMS THAT TEARS HEAVEN : ARMS !
Another enchantment was used on the three men, who could feel their strength rising suddenly.
- "It's a magic that strengthen your offensive ability !" Explained Wendy as she saw their confusion. But it was soon replaced by grins as they immediately attacked the king with their enhanced strength, Natsu landing a powerful blow to the robot head. Inside, Faust groaned at the blow before focusing his attention on the little girl he quickly analyzed as the biggest pain for him right now.
- "That brat ! Fire Ryuukidan !"
The back of the dragon opened and a complete salvo of missile came out of it, aiming for Wendy. But the girl wasn't defenseless, using Bania on herself to dodge the missile which exploded on the ground. However, they were revealed to be tracking type missile, some of them turning at the last time and get closer to her. Suddenly, Haruto appeared, sword in hand and destroyed all the missile, saving Wendy, much to Faust annoyance.
- "Here's some more !" He said as the trapdoor on his back opened once more. But…
- "As if I'll let you do that !" Shouted Gajeel, slamming said trapdoor close with his club, only to be swatted away by the metallic, letting two missile go straight at Haruto and Wendy.
- "Two of them are still coming !" Said Wendy, making Haruto get ready, only to realize those weren't strange.
- "Wait… They aren't the same !" He said, the missile exploding in midair, the large fiery explosion engulfing the two of them, but they weren't hurt at all. The reason ? Natsu who had jumped in just in time and sucked in all the fire from the explosion, much to Wendy and Haruto's joy, but also to Faust surprise.
- "What ? He ate the fire from the explosion ?!" Then, he heard a strange crunching noise coming from behind him, turning around, he saw Gajeel, who was grabbing onto the tail ever since he was swatted by it, munching onto the tail, slowly eating the metal. "He's eating the tail ?! This is bullshit ! They're the mages from Earthland !"
- "It's strong…" Said Natsu to Haruto and Wendy, joined by Gajeel. "Worthy to be called a dragon."
- "Although he is the king, he doesn't have any guard around him. He must have a lot of faith in it." Added Wendy.
- "It seems like that robot was powerful before. If Shocker upgraded it even a little, then it's no surprise he trust it that much." Said Haruto.
- "I'm getting fired up." Finished Natsu with a grin.
As for Faust, despite the situation, his grin didn't faltered.
"They're strong… However… That's why I must have them !" he activated something that slowly made the metal dragon darker, turning black. "As long as I have them, I can carry out the Anima project once again ! Capture those three for the sake of the eternal magical power… No… they're no longer humans but weapons ! It's plunder ! It can't be helped if there's damage on some parts…"
- "First of all, I'll drain all of your fighting spirits ! Using the power of the Black Heaven Dorma Anim !"
The power the four felt coming out of the dragon became suddenly even greater and sickening, realizing that their fight was going to be much more difficult from now. they already had a hard time damaging it before and if this new appearance came with an upgrade in power and resistance, they were in for a hard time.
While our little group of dragons was facing the mechanical beast, far from here, hiding behind a tree, looking at the fight stood Mystogan, alive and only slightly injured despite the blast he took dead on and the fall that followed.
- "I'm sorry Natsu." Said Mystogan to himself, feeling bad for letting Natsu and his friends fight his father, but he had other things to do.
- "Prince…" Without turning, Mystogan knew who was addressing him. It was Panther, his wounds covered in bandages, supported by an Exceed as he walked to the former prince. "What're you thinking ? You got defeated on purpose just then." The smile that Mystogan had as he turned around made Panther realize that he was indeed right.
- "There's no other way but to let Natsu and the others take care of Dorma Anim. We have some other business to take care of." Explained Mystogan, Panther looking at him with wide eyes. "It's the last job. And I need your help for that."
/- Meanwhile -/
- "We've caught up to them ! It's the army of the kingdom !" While the Slayers and Haruto fought the king and Mystogan was planning something with the large black Exceed, the rest of their friends, Riders and mages alike all aimed for the army, determined in helping and saving the Exceeds.
- "But just how many of them are there ?!" Asked Gray, seeing the ever-growing army getting closer and closer.
- "Looks like they called every single soldiers they had in store." Noticed Kouta who was following them on a Dandeliner. "And it seems like Shocker provided them with some kind of robotic army."
- "Then what're we going to do ?!" Wondered Lucy, feeling uneasy at the sight of the massive army.
- "There's no choice but to go there !" Said Erza, sword drawn and ready. "If we don't do this, the Exceeds will be wiped out !" They kept flying for a few minutes before they were interrupted by a Legion who was hovering right in front of them with a pretty familiar figure on top of it.
- "I was waiting for you, Scarlet." Said Knightwalker with a cocky smile which made the other wary as to why she was smiling.
- "You said… You were waiting for me ?" Repeated Erza. Soon after, noises began to come from under them, making them all look down only to see lights shining and growing closer to them.
- "It's an ambush !"
As soon as Sento shouted that, many energy beams touched the Legion they were on, making them all fall from it and plummet to the ground. Luckily, Sento, Emu and Gentaro helped the Exceed in catching everyone before they reached the ground by using their flying armors and devices, slowing down their fall but they soon realized that some of them were missing.
- "Where are Erza and Kouta ?" Wondered Lucy, looking all around and not finding neither the red head nor the samurai.
- "Up above !" answered Gentaro, making them all look up. And indeed, Erza had grabbed a Legion with a grappling hook and took it down in an instant, never letting her eyes off Knightwalker with Kouta following after her, slashing at all the Legion he could.
- "Shall we end this, Knightwalker ?" Asked Erza, making her way to her doppelganger who was looking at her with a deep frown.
- "Everyone go ahead and land ! I'll handle her myself !" Ordered Edo-Erza at her soldiers who obeyed and began to make their way down.
- "Even though you're Erza, you've hurt Fairy Tail too much." Said Scarlet while requipping.
- "You too, being Erza, you bared your fang on my lord." Countered Knightwalker whose spear began to shone and change shape.
- "We don't need two Erza." They said at the same time, their weapons clashing with each other. "This battle won't end unless one of us dies !"
- "I guess it was inevitable." Kouta said to himself, looking at the two redhead who were going at it no hold barred. He then looked down and saw the soldiers that were following after his friends. "Let's take care of those guys first." But as soon as he began his descent, he was suddenly shot down by something that came from one of the forest far below him. Crashing down into it, Kouta quickly recovered and came face to face with the same kind of humanoid robot that Takeru and Eiji fought before, this one possessing a cannon shaped arm that was still smoking after taking down the Rider which then changed into a copy of the Daidaimaru that seemed to be made of scrap metal. "Well, looks like the other will have to handle the situation by themselves for now." He got up, drew his Musou Saber, his opponent creating one as the Rider took his usual pose. "So it's going to be like that, huh ? Very well. This is my stage, now !"
/- Back in the forest -/
- "Is everyone alright ?" Asked Shinnosuke as he was gently put down by Gentaro who landed next to him, their eyes looking at the others who were slowly getting their mind back on track after this impromptu fall.
- "I guess." Said Gray, getting up while rubbing his head. "What do we do now ?"
- "We fight." Answered Takeru who was looking at the edge of the forest. "Looks like they won't give up anytime soon."
Indeed, all of the soldiers that were after them were now on foot, running at them, looking ready to fight, their Legion following after them. Though it seems like they were there to fight, their first offensive proved that they weren't there just to neutralized them. Using the same weapons as before, they mainly aimed for Carla and Happy, the Exceed dodging the blows while the others fought back. But it was as if they didn't exist, the soldiers really focusing on the two Exceeds despite everything.
- "Why are they only aiming for Happy and Carla ?!" Wondered Lucy aloud.
- "We've turn most Exceed that ran away into Lachryma." Revealed one of the soldiers, making everyone's eyes go wide in shock. "Those two over there are the only ones remaining ! Become our country's magical power obediently !" The rage and literal obsession the soldiers had for the Exceed made the others grit their teeth in anger.
- "For your own magical power's sake, you don't care about the Exceed at all." Seethed Gray, gathering is magic. "Is this the human way of this world !?" He then unleashed a massive wave of ice on the soldiers, sweeping out a good part of them. "I wouldn't let you touch my friends." Among the soldiers, Shocker Combatmen came out running, weapon drawn, aiming at the mages only to be stopped by the Riders who didn't looked pleased.
- "If this is the way justice work in this world, then it is my duty as a policeman to put an end to it." Said Drive, sending some soldiers flying with one swipe of his Handle-Ken.
- "Life isn't something that can be sacrificed, no matter the life nor the goal." Added Ex-Aid, his Gekitotsu Smasher coming back to him after plowing through the opponent's rank.
- "Life is something precious that should be protected, not used in any way !" Added Ghost, pushing them back with Beethoven's music.
- "If you really want to hurt my friends, then you'll have to fight us all !" Declared Fourze, a weapon on each of his member.
- "No matter the goal, one who's ready to risk anything without any compassion for others don't deserve to win." Added Build, in PandaRocket. "As such, we'll make sure that you won't !"
- "We'll protect the Exceeds, no matter what !"
/- Up in the sky -/
While down on earth, mages and Riders fought to protect the Exceed from the royal army and their Shocker reinforcement, up in the sky, on a floating island, a fight was currently in full swing, a fight to death that opposed two identical redhead, one wielding a spear and the other wearing a silver armor with blades floating all around her.
TRINITY SWORD !
GRAVITY CORE !
The two attacks clashed, gravity against metal, the confrontation ending on a draw, the two women looking at each other, determination shining in their eyes.
BLUE CRIMSON !
The Ten Commandment shone and split into two different spears, one blue, the other red, Edo-Erza swinging the two of them at Erza, fire coming our of the red one and ice from the blue, Titania expertedly dodging them by jumping above it and jumping between two pillar before coming to a stop on one of them.
REQUIP : MORNING STAR !
Changing her armor, opting for a orange, yellow and white one with two sword in her hands, she dived toward her twin, pointing the two swords at her as the blades shone brightly.
PHOTON SLICER !
Erza fired an impressive energy blast at Edo-Erza, completely engulfing her in the light, an attack that would have been devastating if it reached its target. Yes… If…
RUNE SAVE !
Knightwalker once again changed her spear's shape, giving it the power to literally slice through Erza's magic, much to the latter shock and surprise, which gave the short haired one the time to counterattack, once again transforming her spear.
SILFARION !
This spear increasing drastically her speed, Edo-Erza thrusted at Earth-Erza, the strength of the blow enough to send her crashing through many walls. Since her opponent lost her balance, Knightwalker used this opening to try and finish her off, but Erza requipped swords that she held with her feet to block the oncoming attack, taking Edo-Erza by surprise. This gave Erza the opportunity to push her back, swords and spear clashing repeatedly as the two let their rage speak for itself.
- "SCARLET !"
- "KNIGHTWALKER !"
With one last confrontation that led to an explosion that forced them both back, their breath short, they looked at each other, realizing that they were on their last strength.
- "Looks like we're even so far…" Stated Erza, looking at Knightwalker who all but smiled at her, almost amused.
- "Even ? You're wrong. You haven't seen the Ten Commandments' final form yet." As she said that, and much to Erza's surprise, the spear changed shape once more, Knightwalker holding it with pride. "The Holy Spear, Ravelt ! It's a sacred lance forge by Edolas' greatest smith. This attack carried ultimate destructive power that'll make all creation tremble."
Erza stood up straighter, looking at the spear then at her owner, her face serious as she requipped without a word into a dual toned armor, mainly pink in color with some kind of wings coming out of the knees and shoulders, holding once again two swords at a time.
- "Armadura Fairy ! The reason this armor bears the name of the guild goes without saying."
- "So you're saying this is your strongest one ? Interesting !" Said Edo-Erza with a challenging smile as she charged at her opponent, her spear emitting a purple light as she ran, quickly followed by Erza who did the same with her swords, which were covered in a green light. The two power got closer and closer and when they clashed, the power was so great that it triggered an explosion that literally blew up the floating island they were standing on, though it wasn't the only thing that was destroyed by the confrontation.
- "R….Ravelt's been…" Edo-Erza, trembling and wide eyed in shock, was holding onto her weapon, or rather what was left of it as it had been destroyed in the clash.
- "The… The armor…" Exactly the same could be said for Erza whose armor and sword got destroyed as well, proof that they had been evenly matched up to the very end. The fact that the island was falling apart and losing its buoyancy and making it her slowly fall to the ground could have been a good reason to stop, but it was far from being the end.
- "Neither of us have any magical power left." Stated Edo-Erza. "But even so ! I'm going to defeat you !" She roared as she ran at Erza, punching her, taking the mage by surprise, even though she quickly recovered and began to fight back. Despite being completely depleted of their magic, neither of them wanted to give up, their heart clashing as much as their fists.
- "For the sake of eternal magic, I cannot lose !" Stated Edo-Erza by slamming her doppelganger's head down on the ground, which didn't stopped Erza from retaliating.
- "Do you know how many have to be sacrificed in an instant this eternity you're talking about ?!" Asked Erza, flipping her opponent and slamming her on the ground. "Stealing through force, stealing through intimidation, hating and destroying others…"
- "That's what it is to be human !" Answered Knightwalker only to be punched by Scarlett.
- "Humans should love others !" Shouted Erza. "They should take a stand for that which needs to be protected and draw their swords against that which would cause tears to be shed ! Can't you hear the screams of this world, Knightwalker !?"
- "I can hear the screams of this world a hell of a lot better than you can !" Growled Edo-Erza by lifting her leg and striking her twin with her knee. "Magical power is running out… that's exactly why I…"
- "That's not it !" Interrupted Erza by throwing Knightwalker to the ground of their ring which was slowly shrinking and getting closer to the ground. "By the world, I mean 'all livings things !'"
- "This world is dying !" Stated Edo-Erza, getting up and going to threw punches after punches. "It's dying because it's magical power if running out ! You Earthlanders don't understand ! The anxiety, the fear, the despair of running out of magic ! If we don't obtain eternal magic, we can't survive !"
- "We're alive, aren't we !?" Stated Erza, grabbing her twin by the wrist. "Even though we don't have any magic left, we're alive !" This made Knightwalker stop dead in her track, looking at her double with wide eyes. "Look at us ! We ran out of magic a long time ago ! Even so, people won't just die ! Instead, they overcome all their weakness and fear ! They have strength in them ! That's what it means to be alive ! Listen, Erza ! You've got the same evil and weakness in you that I have, so you must also have the same heart which is capable of loving others ! Listen for the voices of all living things with all your heart ! THEY ARE CALLING OUT WITH THEIR TRUE VOICES !" As she listened to her twin, Edo-Erza slowly let her words dig their way through her mind and at some point, she felt tears flowing out of her eyes. "YOU ARE NOT ALONE !"
And as soon as she said that, the reached their destination, the little chunk of floating island crashing in the middle of the forest, taking every single person already inside it by surprise. The crash created a massive crater in which the two Erza's were laying down, spread eagles, looking at the sky above them.
- "I… I don't even have the strength to move anymore…" Said Edo-Erza, looking a bit disappointed.
- "But… You're alive…"
- "I'm no match for you. You win Scarlett."
- "Are there such things as winning and losing ?" Asked Scarlett with a smile. "We're both the same Erza."
- "Is that so ?" Smiled Edo-Erza, slowly sitting up with Erza, the two of them looking at each other. "Guess we'll see how the battle will end, then."
- "Speaking of that, how did you ended up working with Shocker ?" Asked Erza, wondering why an army from another world would come here. "What is it that they wanted ?"
- "They came one day and walked straight into the castle, stating they wanted to see the King. They said they knew about Anima and that they wanted to help us, which they did by providing us with more troops." Began Knightwalker. "In exchange, they asked to study the way magic worked in this world and they used it to build some strange robots that worked with magic and used their own technology. I don't like them a lot, but with their help, we'll surely win this war, in the end."
As soon as she said that, they heard the characteristic noise of metal clashing against metal as an armored being wearing an orange armor with two flags in his hands came from behind some bushes, landing near the crater. He was panting and holding the flags tightly, looking at the tree where the two Erza saw one of those robots made by Shocker, who was wielding the same kind of weapon as the orange guy.
- "Kouta ! What's going on ?!" Asked Erza to the Rider, the latter finally noticing them.
- "Oh ! So you were the one who fell from the sky ?" Realized Kouta as he attacked the robot. "Well, as you can see, I'm in a bit of a situation, right now !" He got pushed back by the robot and got back up as fast as he could. "This thing know all of my form and weapons and how to counter them. I'm in need of some help, right now !"
- "Why should I help you, though ?" Asked Edo-Erza as her twin tried to gather her strength and whatever magic she had left. "If they won, we'll win too, right ? This Shadow Moon guy told us that."
- "Shadow Moon's current situation : Shocker's HQ, Earthland." The words the robot spoke while trying to skewer Kouta with a spear that looked like Kurokage's Kagematsu. Knightwalker's eyes widen at that, Kouta explaining what really happened to her.
- "See ? They don't care about this world !" He said, dodging and slashing at the robot. "They only wanted to use your magic for their own project ! As soon as he got what he wanted, he left you without any second though, and I bet he took all of his research with him. I'd dare say he even left some robots and soldiers here just to slow us down and prevent us from going after him immediately !" With one last clash, both Gaim and his opponent jumped away from each other, the Rider landing next to the two red head. "So, what you going to do now, Knightwalker ?"
- "What I'm gonna do ?" She repeated, gritting her teeth as she stood up, glaring at the robot. "I'm going to turn that thing into scrap !"
- "Great ! I do need a hand, after all."
- "Yeah, but Ten Commandment has been destroyed. I don't have anything to fight with."
- "She's right. And I don't have any magic left. Which means no requipping for me." Added Scarlett as Kouta pulled something from his Trinkets Box on his waist.
- "Come on. You're both Erza, right ? Fighting bare handed shouldn't be a problem right ?" Mocked Kouta, which made the two girl smirk a bit. "Don't you worry. I have exactly what you need. But first…" He then pulled out a new Lockseed, oddly shaped and golden colored with many fruit on it.
FRUIT BASKET !
Many zippers suddenly opened above him as all the Arms came out, hovering in the air while Kouta plugged the Kiwami Lockseed right next to Kachidoki.
LOCK OPEN ! KIWAMI ARMS ! DAI-DAI-DAI-DAI-DAI SHOGUN !
Now clad in his silver and strongest armor, Kouta, ignoring the shocked gasps coming from the redheads, pulled two Sengoku Drivers from nowhere, handing them to the girls who looked at them with wide eyes.
- "So, still want to fight ?"
The Erzas looked at one another and nodded, grabbing the Driver they immediately put on their waist, their faces wearing helmet appearing on it, Kouta also handing them a Lockseed each, a Matsubokkuri for Knightwalker and an Ichigo to Scarlett.
ICHIGO ! LOCK ON !
MATSUBOKKURI ! LOCK ON !
- "HENSHIN !"
SOIYA ! ICHIGO ARMS ! SHUSHUTTO SPARK !
COME ON ! MATSUBOKKURI ARMS ! ICHIGEKI IN THE SHADOWS !
The two girls now wore the corresponding armor, wielding the weapon that was coming with it, but they wore exclusive Rider Wear, a scarlet and silver one for Scarlet and a red and black one for Knightwalker. Also, the weapon weren't exactly the same. The Ichigo Kunai were longer, looking more like swords than Kunais while the Kagematsu's blade looked like Ravelt's.
- "Well then, now that you are all ready, let's do this."
- "THIS IS OUR STAGE NOW !"
And they all ran at the robot, the redheads feeling better with those armors on, Kouta staying behind with a Sonic Arrow in hand, letting the girl take the fight for now. And it proved to be a good idea. Indeed, since the robot had not a single data on the Erzas, even more now that they were using Gaim's Lockseed, meaning he had no way to predict his opponents' attack like he did with Kouta and prepare counters. But the fact that the young women already fought before and were, as such, weakened, helped a lot the metallic being who was handling them without a lot of problem. But despite that, he also took a whole lot of damages, the two Erzas fighting as if they were a single person. When he was about to use an opening in the girls guard to deal what could have been a fatal blow, Kouta finally decided to enter the fight, shooting an arrow that passed underneath Scarlett's arm and hitting the robot in the chest, making him take a few steps back. Kouta then joined the girls and needless to say, things were much more different now. Kouta kept switching between weapons, not giving his opponent the time to counter them, even letting them go in mid-swing, only for them to be caught by one of the Erza who then used it to attack, taking the robot by surprise every time. After a few long minutes, they managed to bring the robot to its knees, now was the time to finish it, the girls pulling the blade of their Drivers three time while Kouta combined the Musou Saber with the DJ Gun, putting him into Taiken Mode.
ICHIGO SPARKING !
MATSUBOKKURI SPARKING !
KIWAMI AU LAIT !
A red aura surrounded Erza while a brown one surrounded Edo-Erza, the two gathering on their weapon as the same happened with Kouta whose SJ Gun in Taiken Mode got surrounded by image projections of fruits. They all slashed the robot at the same time, Erza in a X motion, Edo-Erza vertically and Kouta horizontally, sending energy projection that fused together, forming a multicolored 8 branch star that not only collided but got through the robot, also cutting down all of the trees behind it before exploding at the same time as their opponent who disappeared in an explosion that left nothing of it behind beside a small crater where it was standing a few minutes before. The three of them powered down, the girls falling to their knees due to their tiredness, Kouta still up but looking at the sky, noticing that something strange was happening, something that would change this world forever.
/- Flashback, army vs mages and Riders -/
While the Erzas and Kouta were each fighting on their own, most of their friends were currently busy defending themselves, but also Carla and Happy from the royal army who, with the help of Shocker soldiers and robots, were trying to capture the remaining Exceeds. Gray froze soldiers after soldiers, Lucy had summoned Loki to help them fight, the blonde swinging the Fleuve d'Étoile at the soldiers, Eiji was currently in Shauta Combo, slashing their opponents with electricity powered whip, Takeru was fighting with Benkei's power in Boost Damashii, Shinnosuke used Formula's speed to send them flying, Sento was using TankTank, shooting at the army in his Tank Form, Emu pushed them back with Maximum Mighty X and Gentaro was in full shooting mode, Fire State, Gatling and Launcher activated. However, despite their power, they were facing an ever-growing army that relentlessly attacked them, not leaving them a single time to breathe. At some points, they began to use magical guns to shoot at them, but one of the bullet was shot toward Happy.
- "Happy, watch out !" Shouted Carla by jumping in front of the bullet, taking the hit for the blue Exceed, much to his shock and horror.
- "Carla !" Shouted the cat as he kneeled next to the white one. "Carla, pull yourself together ! Carla !"
- "Damnit ! They're just too many of them." Stated Sento who was starting to get tired of the soldiers who came by waves, never stopping a single second. They were all starting to get tired, Lucy already falling to her knees as her strength was starting to run out. Besides, the army was far from over, mainly as they also had the Legion with them, the large dragon-like creatures ramming into them, forcing them into a more defensive position as they kept advancing, beating them all down. The Riders managed to keep fighting but they were having a hard time, the soldiers slowly but surely marching on them. They were in dire need of some help and they were about to get some.
It all began with a little plant coming out of the ground, plant the Rider noticed before it suddenly grew into a tree who grabbed into a Legion, pushing him back by taking everyone by surprise, soldiers and mages alike. Soon, many other trees came out of the ground and grabbing onto the other Legion, taking them all down and right after that, the trees were revealed to simply be branches, all connected to a massive tree that suddenly came out of the ground, separating the army from the Riders and mages, the two camp recognizing the tree.
- "D… Don't tell me… The ones that always just run away… Fairy Tail !?"
And indeed, the tree was revealed to be none other than the Edolas Fairy Tail HQ, all of their member running out with their weapons, ready for the fight, all of them immediately jumping into the fight without any second though.
- "Sorry for being late, Earth-Lucy."
- "'Edo-Lucy." Cried Lucy, tears pooling in her eyes as well as Happy's.
- "Earthland's Fairy Tail is fighting. We must fight too !" Stated Edo-Natsu, holding a sword, even if he was shaking like a leaf, not as confident as he usually was in his car, but still there nonetheless. The sudden arrival of those reinforcement made the Rider look at each other, a smirk on their lips as they all though about the same thing.
- "Can you stand, Earth-Lucy ?" Asked Edo-Lucy while helping her twin to stand up.
- "Yeah, thanks."
- "ME ?!" Shouted the two Gray, finally meeting each other. "More importantly, your clothes… Take 'em off/Put some on !"
- "Look, Carla." Said Happy after whipping the tears out of his eyes. "Fairy Tail's come to save us. Our feelings are stirring this world up."
Carla slowly opened his eyes, seeing the Edo-Fairies all fight with them, slowly pushing back the army who wasn't excepting that kind of development.
- "Wherever we may go, we sure are one noisy guild."
The battle came to slight pause when they heard something fall off the sky, crashing down onto the ground in the forest nearby, but they all quickly got back to the fight. If things got better with the arrival of Fairy Tail, it wasn't completely over. If Fairy Tail managed to push back the soldiers, they quickly founded themselves stopped by the Shockers robots who were too much to handle for them. In the middle of the fight however, they heard those robots talk, all of them saying the exact sa me thing.
- "Eternal magic… Need Eternal magic…"
- "What the hell are they mumbling about ?" Wondered Edo-Juvia.
- "They are talking like the king, with his obsession for eternal magic…" Noticed Emu, which made him remember what he learned when he was in jail. "Wait… A Cell Medal ?"
- "I think I get it." Said Eiji, grabbing his friends attention. "They probably used the King desire for eternal magic to power those robots. If the king is taken out, they should all stop immediately."
- "Well then we can only hope Haruto and the Slayers will succeed." Said Gray, panting heavily. "But we still need to get rid of them right now."
- "Don't you worry." Said Sento as he reappeared, Reinforcement Caller in hand. "I think I got exactly what we need."
As soon as he said that, a blurry wall appeared behind him and out of it appeared another wave of reinforcement in the form of many Kamen Riders. Every main Riders from Kuuga to W were here to fight, also including many secondary Rider from the Heisei Era. The first thing they did was open fire on the robotic army, pushing it back before jumping into the fight which became much more balanced now that they were all here. They could finally fight back correctly, now waiting for the Dragon Slayers and Wizard to put an end to all of this by taking down the King. But this might be a bit harder than they first though.
/- With Natsu and the others -/
To say that the Dragon Slayer were having a bad time would have been one hell of an euphemism. Ever since Dorma Anim became Black Heaven Dorma Anim, they had yet to deal real damages to the mechanical dragon, the three of them spending most of their time being sent flying and rolling to the ground. And Haruto's presence wasn't of much help in this situation. It seemed like Shocker did a few upgrades to the machine, including a better armor that could withstand Riders attack, rendering most of his attacks meaningless, the magical Rider spending most of his time on the ground with his partners. And in the meantime, Faust was cackling like a madman.
- "FUHAHAHAHA ! Black Heaven Dorma Anim is a special armor that multiplies the output of magical power up to several times greater. There's no chance of winning for you guys !"
As he said that, he made several pillars of magic rose from the ground, pummeling the four fairies even more, Natsu and Haruto being the only ones who managed to stay standing.
- "Everyone… is suffering from lack of magical power…" Began Natsu, glaring at the mechanical beast and at the king inside it. "And somehow you, the King, has such an enormous amount of it."
- "It's natural for a king to charge a national tax from people." Answered Faust, not feeling any guilt about what he did to his own citizen. "Dorma Anim is an ultimate mage weapon that keeps absorbing the magical power from the whole world ! Thus, this is forbidden ! It's my responsibility to win for activating it ! For the sake of the world !"
- "For the world ?" Repeated Wendy through clenched teeth as she slowly got up.
- "He said that when he selfishly took the magical power from others." Added a seething Gajeel glaring at the King.
- "This is not for the world. It is for his own gain that he did all of that." Completed Haruto, pulling out another ring.
- "We joined a guild to live, that's why I don't care about the world." Said Natsu, his body slowly starting to burn. "But I'll defeat you. For everyone that lives in this world."
However, it was easier said than done. They all rushed at the dragon to try and destroy it, but Dorma Anim, taking his power from the magic of everything around it, was far too powerful. Haruto ran at the dragon, sword in hand, dodging the bullets the beast shot at him but as he got close enough, not only did his sword barely grazed the metal, he was quickly swept to the side by the dragon with enough force to make a crater as he touched ground. Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy, all enchanted thanks to the Sky Dragon Slayer, also tried to reach the beast, attacking from many sides at once, hoping one of them could reach its target, but it was ineffective. The tail slammed hard into Wendy as the boys got shot down by several laser that came out of the dragon's neck, courtesy of Shocker.
- "FUHAHAHAHA ! Fall to Earth, Dragons !" Laughed the King as the three Slayers got send to the ground. "Now die !"
SET UP ! START !
He then shot massive energy blasts at each Slayers, aiming to exterminate them once and for all, but it didn't happened as he thought it would. Three colorful men came out of nowhere and pulled the three mages out of the way, the three realizing they had all been saved by an Haruto, Land for Gajeel, Hurricane for Wendy and Flame for Natsu.
- "What !?" Exclaimed the King, not expecting the Rider to split into many people. And he didn't knew it, but one of them was missing.
CHŌĪNE, BLIZZARD ! SAIKŌ !
A sudden wave of cold air came from above Dorma Anim, slowly freezing him as Water came from above, turning on himself before slamming the long tail he had on the robot's head, slamming it onto the ground and leaving a little dent on the metal who had been slightly weakened by the ice.
- "Don't you go thinking this is over. Gather more magical power ! Ye sky, ye earth ! Give your magical power to Dorma Anim !"
- "Guys ! Let's use our breath !" Proposed Gajeel. "We've been holding back since we didn't know what will happen, but we've got no choice !"
- "He's right !" Said Land. "And we're going to give you a hand !" The four clones pulled out their gun and 'shook hands' with it.
FIRE DRAGON'S…
IRON DRAGON'S…
SKY DRAGON'S…
FLAME/LAND/HURRICANE/WATER SHOOTING STRIKE !
… ROAR !
Fire, wind, iron, water and earth fused with one another, creating a massive and spiraling blast of dragon head shaped magic that was heading straight for the massive dragon who didn't moved, taking the blast full on. The explosion that ensued was so huge it literally levelled everything a good 200 meters around the impact point, stone shattering and trees burning in a matter of seconds. For a few seconds after that, the dragons and wizard clones stood there, thinking they finally got rid of him. But reality is often disappointing.
- "FUHAHAHAHA !"
Eyes widened as they all looked up, seeing an untouched Dorma Anim high above them.
- "No way… our 7-man simultaneous attack won't hit." Said Wendy, feeling defeated.
- "One more time !" Roared Natsu.
- "I will not permit it !"
DRAGON SPREAD CANNON !
The King then unleashed a barrage of explosive rounds from above, raining down on the defenseless group. When the robot landed, he saw the group on the ground, completely beaten down, which only made his smirk grow even more.
- "It appears you've run dry." He said? "Infinite mages though you may be, once you've run out of magical power, it won't return for a while. You may assume that your treatment will depend on your behavior. Now come quietly and become the source of my world's magical power. You better give up, now. You have no hope in winning."
No one could move among the dragon, most of them really feeling like they were done for. That this was the end of them. However…
- "Give up ?" Haruto was slowly getting up, struggling against his pain as his clones disappeared. "Do you really think… We'll give up ?" He was now finally standing, looking at the King who was glaring at him from the cockpit of the dragon. "There's still hope for us. A world without hope doesn't exist because as long as people keep on fighting, there will always be hope that someday, they will win."
- "So what ? You think you can defeat me all by yourself ?!" Taunted the King. "Why aren't you giving up just like they did ?!"
- "Maybe I can't beat you by myself. But I won't give up either way. If some of them have lost all hopes, then I will become their hope." Gajeel, Natsu and Wendy looked at him with wide eyes, amazed by his trust in them, seeing him pull out a ring they never saw before. "I just can't give up, as I am the ultimate hope."
INFINITY, PLEASE ! HI-SUI-FU-DO, BOU-ZABA-BYU-DOGON !
Eyes widened at the sight of Haruto in his silver and diamond robe, looking at the dragon wielding the AxCalibur as he ran at Dorma Anim. The two engaged into a fight and this time, things were much different. The AxCalibur, without cutting the metal, was doing much more damages than everything they tried until then, making the King seethe in anger as he tried to get rid of Haruto, the Slayers looking at him go with wide eyes. But it soon changed as Natsu began to get up too, gritting his teeth.
- "He's right. We can't give up." He said, slowly getting up as Wendy and Gajeel looked at him. "It's not over yet. I may have no magic left… And if that's the case, then I'll summon it ! Summon up tomorrow's share !" As he said that, his flames returned, covering his body as he jumped at the mechanical monster, landing a powerful punch to his head, making him take a few steps back. "Don't underestimate Dragon Slayers !"
- "Know your place, you little shit !" Shouted the king as he shot at Natsu with the cannon in his paws. "Who the hell do you think I am !?" The King then got readings of something approaching, turning his head just in time to see Gajeel, arm turned into metal coming for him but he didn't aimed for the head, but for his foot, not only piercing it but also immobilizing it, the metal pole extending underground.
- "I locked him ! he won't be able to escape to the air now !" Said Gajeel as Faust was trying to get him off his foot. "GO SALAMANDER !"
- "Wendy ! Send a roar at me !" Ordered Natsu who was falling toward the little girl who was wondering if she heard that right. "Get up !"
- Got it." She finally said, filling her lungs with air.
SKY DRAGON'S…
- "How impudent As if I'd let you do as you please, you brats !" Unable to move, the King opted for another way to stop them, opening his dragon's head and paws, the cannon slowly charging up with magic, aimed at the three with the clear desire to annihilate them. But in the rush, he forgot about someone who was about to throw a wrench in his plan. Or rather an axe.
HIGH TOUCH, SHINING STRIKE ! KIRAKIRA !
Without giving the King the time to understand what was happening, a gigantic and shining axe fell down on the dragon, cutting the head and arms in two in one strike, making the king's eyes widen in shock as Dorma Anim was supposed to be invincible, but also because he had now no way to protect himself from what was coming.
- "GO, WENDY !"
… ROAR !
The roar engulfed Natsu, the fire mage using the rotation of the attack to make himself spin as he mixed his fire with the wind, Gajeel grinning as he understood what Salamander was aiming for.
FIRE DRAGON'S BLADE EDGE !
"Is this… a fantasy ?" Wondered the King as he saw Natsu shooting at him like a missile, at a blinding speed. Though, that was what Faust was supposed to see. Instead, what his mind saw was a golden and silver dragon with Dorma Anim's arms and head in his maw, an iron dragon wrapped around his legs preventing him to dodge the red one who had been shot ta him like a rocket by a white and feather-covered one who stood in front of him. One second the king was inside Dorma Anim, the second he was getting pulled out of it by Natsu who had just pierced through the robotic dragon like a torpedo. Wendy, Gajeel and Haruto all sighed in relief as they saw Dorma Anim crashing down and falling to pieces in front of them, realizing what that meant. After all the struggles, they finally managed to succeed. They defeated the King.
They had won.
Okay, that's a wrap ! I hope you liked it despite the fact that it was shorter. Review, Fav and follow if you liked it. See ya !
Next time : Disappearing magic. Edo-Jellal's plan. Attack of the great demons. The truth about the 'mission'. Back from the dead… or not ?