"GOOOOO!"
Those were the last words that rang in Rycu and Natsu's heads before they simultaneously plummeted forth into the fray of battle, seemingly ready for anything their way. They knew well what had to be done, and they seemed to waste no time before acting. No strategy, no preparation, just pure adrenaline fuelling their actions.
"Oi! Natsu! Bet you I'll beat you to ten knock-outs!" Rycu teased.
Natsu suddenly went more alight as he ploughed towards the nearest small congregation of poor souls, "OH YEAH?! YOU'RE ON!"
The faces of every innocent soul blended into sheer terror, shaking them so much that they refused to move it seemed.
"HEY ISN'T IT THAT DRAGON SLAYER DUDE?!" One of the congregations panicked.
Natsu began spiralling downwards with both hands outstretched with flames as he raged at the top of his lungs, "IT'S. NATSU. DRAGNEEL!" He immediately then pierced into the ground around them, creating an abrupt explosion of flames. The wails of the victims could be heard as they all flew apart, being immediately rendered immobile with hardly any movement being detected other than an odd twitch or two.
Rycu blazed past Natsu, picking up one of the motionless bodies by the tattered shirt as he spun himself in a single full rotation, "That's more like it!" He already had his eyes on his targets with a fierce gaze as they knew what was coming next.
"W-what the hell's he doing carrying a body!?" One feminine mage exclaimed in astonishment as the others stepped back nervously.
"Is he insane!?" Another called.
A logical thought finally stuck across the idlers though, "SPREAD APART QUICK!" They did as told and the group of six mages immediately was migrated apart with different levels between them so there was hardly a clear line you could draw across them all.
"Pft, don't laugh and think just spreading apart will spare yourselves!" Rycu exclaimed as he flung the body he wielded off to the side, tilting himself slightly as he missed every single mage. In that very instant though, Rycu also disappeared from sight as a wave of utter confusion washed over the group.
"What the-?"
"WHERE THE HELL DID HE GO?!"
Panic soon consumed them, but it was soon overruled as they realised their error, seeing Rycu suddenly appear in line with them all and catching the body. He lined his shot quickly and accurately as he flung the body at last at them, connecting with every single one and clustering them together.
"This is finished!" Rycu proclaimed as he was suddenly surrounded by a light red aura. Within an instant, he vanished and reappeared again in the same sport, but creating a wall of flame around the innocents that quickly began to rise upwards. The fear on their faces was as bright as the sun's gaze as they all clambered around with the little time they had left.
Rycu kept himself stern and held no remorse as he held his right arm upwards and just out of line with his head as he clenched his fist, turning the wall into a sudden column of flame, utterly demolishing the mages all at once. Their screams echoed in his mind, but he tried to block them out as he closed his eyes and let the sound of the flames overtake them instead.
"That's six for me, let's keep racking these up now, alright, Natsu?" Rycu sighed as he trod forth, waiting for the response...but it never came. "Natsu?" He asked again as he let his eyes open, realising the sounds of the crinkling flames echoed away too.
The sights he saw were all too familiar now, everything was lapsed with a dead, grey colour and a similar nauseous feeling overcame him too that had only overcame him once before, a few weeks back. All sound was dead, like the life and environment he was surrounded by. No screams of agony, no footsteps, no cheers or jeers...just nothing. It was enough to drive a person insane with the echoes of their own heartbeat.
"This...this I remember," Rycu stumbled back slightly as he became wrapped as a cocoon in anxiety, "the last time things felt like this, Ze-!"
Rycu was suddenly cut off as he felt a bare hand wrap around his mouth and an armoured one grip his too arms tightly together. The immediate helpless feeling triggered fear and further anxiety, immediately trying to break free of the grasp without using his head properly for a methodical escape. The chilling feeling of his captor made him uneasy beyond belief, unable to settle with the dread surrounding him. It was not all though, the breath on his neck alone drove him into a craze, feeling the chilliness that made the hairs on his neck rise too. Despite his violent resistance though, he wasn't moving an inch from where he was held, he was stuck with glue, he was so still in reality other than his twisting waist and head.
"My, my, who thought such a stern warrior could become so sporadic," A feminine voice chuckled into his ear, "does being around me just make you that crazy?" She stuck her tongue out lightly and licked along his left ear only for a slight millisecond before it was violently shaken away again.
"Hm? Is someone a bit sensitive?" She began to tease as she moved her body closer to him slightly and gently had her head close to his. "Such a bravado is shattered already from being restrained a bit for a single minute, I guess someone wouldn't have much fun through my style of enjoyment, though, I suppose that'd benefit me in the end." She let her gauntleted hand off of Rycu's arms, leaving them suddenly held together by bright rounds of rope, seemingly sparking with some energy as she leaned further forwards and wrapped her free arm gently around his neck.
"Time stoppage, this great power, this domineering nature...it has to be Dimaria..." Rycu anxiously thought as he managed to quell himself a tad bit, but all deductions he was trying to put together in his head kept crumbling as he failed to gain the full picture of his situation.
Dimaria grew more comfortable in her position as she gently wrapped each leg around Rycu's, forcing him down to the ground softly as he surrendered any feeble resistance.
"Aw looks like you're already understanding! For such a stern figure, you are awfully obedient, especially with your back against a wall. Either this is just in your blood or your dealt with my type before."
Rycu rolled his eyes as he gently shook his head with a slight murmur.
"No need to be so glum you know, I won't kill you like I said I would if you behave yourself like a good boy. In every cluster of garbage, there's usually something worthwhile, and out of your hell of a guild it's probably you, isn't it? I'm sure this isn't the first time you've made heads turn your way," Dimaria gently released her hand as she instead began to gently caress his cheek.
Rycu tried moving slightly but felt no progress again as he diverted back his attention to his enemy, "Generally, with the fights I've gotten into, I'm used to your kind."
Dimaria moved around slightly to face Rycu eye-to-eye as she gave him a deathly look, "Oh trust me, you've never dealt with people truly like me. You may have crawled your way out the grasps of Medusa..." Dimaria drew herself even closer, "but my grasp is one you'll never escape. No matter how far you run, I'll ALWAYS be able to track you down. There's not a single fibre of being that can hide from me. With my power, I can put rooks like you to bed, down like a toddler without a sweat, no matter how hard you train."
Rycu gave a confused look, "And why's that?"
"Because no matter how much magic you gather over any stretch of years, you'll never be able to overpower time. Time is limitless to me, while I can only hit at a certain strength, you'd never be able to break through time. Whenever you'll hit, whenever you'll guard, I can always act before. I'm one step ahead you see, that's what separates a true mage from gravel, and is why you'll never win this war."
Rycu observed very vaguely around himself briefly, "That reminds me, where is your 'emperor'?"
Dimaria gently lifter herself up as she sighed, "Sheesh you talk about lame things sometimes, who cares about the emperor when we can be having fun in-between the fabrics of time! Emperor always told me you could be grumpy but I never thought you could be boring!"
"I'm not boring," Rycu embarrassingly frowned.
"Hm but I suppose you could show your worth better in other ways. The only other Dragon Slayer we have is God Serena but he's nowhere near as interesting, he's over-zealous too. Eileen was the closest I supposed but your bitch of a mother of course betrayed us now."
Rycu suddenly went furious as he tried all he could to force himself upwards, but he was easily tamed as Dimaria held a hand against his head with a sinister gaze to keep him bowed on his knees. No matter how hard he tried it felt like he was completely unable to move his legs or let magic flow through them, they were just not gathering any strength in them. It felt similar to the paralysis he felt last time he encountered her too.
"There, there now, don't struggle. I don't want to have to put down such a darling of a pet so soon," Dimaria softly pat his head with a crazed, constant grin.
Rycu's eyes pierced into hers as he tightly grit his teeth, "She's trying to rile me and make me vulnerable. There's nothing I can do though, I just have to try and absorb all she says but her words keep getting to my head. I mustn't be the first she's tried to manipulate." "I'm...no...pet..." he thundered more aloud as he began to try and give his all into breaking free.
"You're so helpless you may as well be though. Relying on others, having to be constantly monitored and maintained, sometimes the biggest hassle. You carry a lot of the qualities, and a lot that I can manipulate into my desires. You're under my thumb now, I've seen your potential and your worth, all that I need to see to make you mine, and I will. The goals of the Spriggans are to obtain Fairy Heart and to use it to kill Acnologia, there's nothing saying that we have to kill people. Some are psychos, but I try and ground myself to reality more. I only want to utilise what is fit and dispose of what is useless. Why kill your enemies anyway when you can make them your allies, or better, make their life a misery for the rest of their life?"
Rycu grit his teeth and he began to break a sweat from his efforts, "You only wish you were sane, no real human would exploit humans like they're just cattle, to make them their slave."
"I don't want you as my slave," Dimaria rolled her eyes, "I'll give you the choice to be my pet and stand alongside me of your own will, or by force. I have plenty of alternatives to letting you use the last usher of your free will, after then, its my will over yours, you'll be mine to command."
Rycu shook his head and leaned back slightly to part himself from her, "There's no choice in that, just blackmail. Besides, why would you want me with you when you wanted to obliterate me weeks back?"
Dimaria moved her hands to her hips and sighed, "Such a thin mind. I use a small quantity of my time paralysis to immobilize you slightly yet you speak like we're level." She swiftly kicked him with some force in the face as he was knocked to his back, feeling her foot suddenly press down on his chest, "You're beneath me, that's why I can control you. All those with less power are undermined and are slaves to those with more. You don't work with the council, you're just a pawn to them, admittedly a useful one, but one that can be easily replaced. Zeref doesn't want you to die really, or at least he doesn't want anybody to kill you besides him. If I can't kill you, I may as well make you mine since I've taken a liking. You're gifted with power like the Spriggans, you have the attitude and dominance of them too, at least for the most part. I can mould you into something much greater than what you are, you'll always fall short being around these fairies."
Rycu grit his teeth as he tried to muster enough strength to push his chest against her foot, but it was hardly any use, "Don't compare me to you scum! I'm nothing alike, I fight for the good, not your twisted aims. My entire existence is to deny the likes of you from getting everything your way! I've already cut through all challenges that have come my way, and you'll be no different..."
"Look where you are! You're helpless can't you see? Like the weakling you are! You don't truly understand me, so I'll have to maybe knock some sense into you my way!" Dimaria sadistically licked her lips as she applied more pressure against him, "let me open your eyes to your reality."
The ground suddenly shattered beneath Rycu as he blasted upwards, flinging high into the sky past Dimaria who only stumbled back a step or too, "I'M DONE PLAYING THINGS YOUR WAY!"
"Oh ho! It appears I've riled him enough! Maybe I can offer a slight bit of time to play with my pet...properly." Dimaria raised her gauntleted fist as she clenched it tight. The binds that held Rycu were suddenly shattered and the life in his legs returned yet again as he began to plummet downwards, head-first.
"She's taking me seriously! There's no room for holding back against her, she'll flatter me before I get the chance to go full-power against her if I hold back at all. I'll be sabotaging myself for the magic games qualifiers I suppose, but I can't let myself fall to her with the way she's been going. There's not a doubt in my mind she wants to capture me now," Rycu began to charge up an iron fist that was coated in some black, wavering aura and cracks in the iron, "but it doesn't make sense she'd unrestrain me when it would let her defeat me in seconds, is she just that confident, or just arrogant?"
Dimaria steadied her feet, "Let's see how much my pet's grown since the last time we met!"
Rycu flung his fist strait down against her guard in full rage as he released a second blast of energy upon impact, "I'M NOT YOURS!" The collision created a huge explosion between them as Rycu was immediately repelled away and left to steady himself on his feet. All he could hear though, was the crooked laugh of a maniac.
Dimaria swiftly swept the mounds of smoke away as she stood there unscathed but instead wielding a cheeky look, "I could just imagine you at the great table alongside Brandish, sitting there with your newfound darkness and being so smug, you're just destined for the darkness!"
Rycu briefly thought on his Lucifer counterpart as he hesitated his next movement slightly, "I don't care what you think I'm destined for, I'm making my own path through this world! No abundance of evil will prevent me from dashing all the darkness in this world!" He held his right arm forwards as he twisted his body slightly. A long, red beam of energy shot out of it in an instance as his arm suddenly recoiled the impact and forced him to readjust his feet as the beam just as quickly vanished.
"You just don't get it do you?" Dimaria swiftly turned to her side as the beam scraped past her but let her unscathed, "you don't have a destiny other than with the darkness. Each path you take will end with darkness, but the path with me will be a much less gruelling one. It's pointless for you to go on, because no matter how hard you try, you'll never be able to rid the world of all the darkness, there's always going to be a spec you cannot reach!"
"She's effortlessly avoiding these attacks, she doesn't even have her sword wielded!" Rycu's right eye twitched slightly as he held his two hands to the floor and dug his nails into it, "If I give up on my dreams, then of course I'll never reach them. No matter what, I'm going to keep pushing forever, past all of you. If I eventually die, so what? As long as I live, I'll do my fullest to stop you, and I'll ensure you'll never ever get me on your side."
Dimaria let out a deep sigh as she felt the rising energy around her before flames suddenly withered out of the ground, surrounding her tightly and closing in as their intensity increased just as Rycu began charging forwards with two flaming arms. "I guess it's hard to break reality into a mage stuck in his own fantasy land. I suppose you just don't realise how reality works. Maybe I'll just have to deconstruct you and break the reality into your mind!"
Upon Rycu's approach, Dimaria didn't falter as she leaped over Rycu in a front-flip, landing a foot on his head and forcing him into the ground. He quickly recovered though and boosted himself back into her with yet another swing of flames at the ready which was quickly met by Dimaria's bare fist which effortlessly overpowered his and forced him back away.
"An unpowered fist can repel me so easily? She's not even time-jumping but she's as immovable as Zamzu. Hell, she's possibly even on-par with him instead. I don't even know how I'd be able to counter her magic, never mind damage her as is. All she has is basic armour, so maybe there's something else that's making her so resistant?" Rycu sighed to himself and shook his head, "No...there's nothing special, she's just this durable at her base, I can't sense an inch of magic in her muscles."
"Done with your tantrum attacks now? Good. Now I'll demonstrate to you how it's done!" Dimaria lunged forwards at close range and immediately swung a clean punch into Rycu's face and followed through to smash him against the ground. She felt his resistance and immediately leapt back as a column of flame suddenly struck down where he laid, "Hm, such an interesting abundance of uses with your abilities, I suppose it makes you fairly versatile."
Rycu blasted straight to her again though as he held a hand downwards and created a sudden round sphere of flame which dashed directly towards Dimaria. He boosted himself sightly into the air too as he began to descend on her from above.
Dimaria swiftly dispelled the flame with the swipe of her right arm, and blocked Rycu from above with her other arm, a small magic seal forming between the contact of their fists, "But the variation of ways you can attack me means nothing if you can't use them to their fullest, and add any meaningful power into them. You see the piece to the strength you're missing now? I can provide you with that."
"N-never! I told you...I'll carve my path!" Rycu grunted as he struggled against his relaxed opposition.
"You forget the purpose of mentors. You can never fully carve a path on your own, you limit yourself based on your own intellect. The strength you have now was not influenced by yourself alone, so how do you expect to go so much further with no aid? You're denying reality."
"I have the mentors I need already!"
"Yet here you are," Dimaria sighed as the magic seal began to glow bright, "TIME CRUNCH!" A blue, fist-shaped bust of energy suddenly shot out of the seal as Rycu was effortlessly blown away and left dazed by the raw power of the attack. "You just can't dream to compare, the first whiff of a magical attack and you're already blown beyond comprehension. Surrender yourself already, before this has to get bloody."
Rycu hardly managed to land on his heels as he steadied his body from the shock of the blow, "I felt only a slight bit of raw magic in that, yet my bones are beginning to be static, they can't handle the shocks of her blows. How am I supposed to survive when I can hardly move against an opponent that utilises all the space they have." He shuddered slightly as he remained on his guard, "I'll have to hope my senses can benefit me, but she's not at all readable, especially when I don't know the extend of her abilities."
"Still hell-bent on finding a way through me? Oh well, guess I'll just have to take much more care of you when you're weeping for me eventually," Dimaria teased as she raised and stomped a foot against the floor, quickly shattering a huge portion before a line of spikes began to arise in huge proportions in quick succession which lead towards Rycu. He scarcely managed to react in time to leap above to towering, radiant hazards as they arose along with himself. The evasion didn't aid much though as he was quickly hit by an oncoming kick to the face, spiralling him to the floor as he saw the row of spikes quickly progress towards him still.
Yet again, by the skin of his teeth, Rycu blasted a small charge of energy from the sole of his right foot to evade to the side of the spikes, still grazing his cheek and cutting it open as the first drop of blood began to meander. He felt the warm red slither down and drip to his arm as he grit his teeth in frustration.
"What's wrong?! Someone need some caring for!?" Dimaria yelled as she approached for another attack, opting for a strike from above with her foot. The attack was counted by Rycu sweeping his own leg in, forcing ever so slightly against her and forcing her back to her feet as she immediately went to continue her assault.
Rycu created a thick barrier, mixed with all elements as it immediately managed to repel Dimaria for a moment. The shield was as tall as them both and emit a strong aura that would intimidate most mages. Dimaria was not one though. She soon blasted and dispelled the shield with the single swipe of her hand as she took advantage of the moment.
Upon shattering the shield, it caused a small explosion, stunning Rycu briefly as he stumbled back in anxiousness, "She shouldn't have been able to so easily cut threw that!" All progression of Rycu growing into the fight was soon dashed too as he was struck by yet another quick follow-up attack into the gut, blasting him uncontrollably backwards. Dimaria then held her hand forth as a small magic seal formed behind her target, rapidly becoming brighter and more blinding as her other hand began to light up too.
"Shit!" Rycu managed to get a look on the seal behind him as he faintly managed to gain some control, blasting flames out his feet in order to flip over the attack as a beam shot out the seal. As he did, he got a look towards the floor as well, spotting a second seal that had been created and ready to attack. He managed to twist his ankle to the side slightly and shot yet another blast of flames to roll away from the attack. His dodging days quickly ran out though as he failed to spot his incoming opposition, swiftly being smashed over the head by two fist slammed together.
Again though, he was given hardly a second to collect himself, the only information he managed to gage of his current state even was of the hot stream of blood slithering down from where he was smashed. Through the gaps in the dust clouds, he could see the now descending Dimaria as he coated his arms in black iron and crossed his arms over one another in an 'X' shape.
Within the moment he raised his guard, the two collided again, with the attacker opting to use her right fist again, charged with some magic seal around her wrist. For once, Rycu's guard managed to hold up decently, but all the effort he was putting in was expressed through his face as he clamped his teeth so tightly together they would seemingly shatter. "I'M...TURNING THIS...AROUND!" Rycu raged as as a beam of energy shot out from between his arms at point-blank range. It was still countered though as Dimaria shot out a beam from her wrist at the same time, but with it being vastly inferior, she was repelled back and forced to land a fair distance away, letting Rycu recover slightly at last.
"Hm, that was the most cleaver thing you've done this entire encounter, and it had a decent amount of energy for once, you must be learning!" Dimaria continued to tease as her aura seemingly became more intense, "I suppose I'll award you by using a decent amount of my energy, though I'll try not to go overboard," she pulled her most cynical smile yet, "I might just end up killing you accidentally, and neither of us want that."
Rycu increased his energy levels too in response as his whole body tensed, "I can't let myself result to Dragon Force, it'll be too costly on my body. I still can't control the amount of energy I can output at once to my demand, so I'll just end up wiping out all my energy and being left vulnerable without even defeating her. I have to just try keeping my energy scaled with hers, there's no risks I can take."
"I still don't quite get you," Rycu grunted, "a few weeks ago you'd happily kill me, and yet now, you'd do everything in your power to make me yours."
"I'm only doing this because I can't kill you. You're a great source of power but Brandish is all I need, along with the other ten Spriggans. Frankly, if I was allowed I'd have killed you by now, but until Zeref gives the order for that, I'll just find a use of you instead," Brandish shrugged, "if you wanna blame someone for what I'll do to you, blame your old pal Zeref!"
Rycu shook his head, "No, all you people have a functional mind, this is all just of your free will. You could really kill me if you wanted, you're just letting yourself be controlled. That just shows how weak you are at spirit. No real mage would let themselves fall under the rule of such a maniac. In reality, maybe you're just scared..."
"Strong words for someone who's defenceless to become controlled themselves. But let me set you right, you dirt, I joined Zeref of my own will, I follow each order like my life depends on it. He gave us all a life you could never comprehend. It's true I could kill you now, but I don't out of respect for the emperor. You should be humbled he's being so kind as to save your life!"
"If his idea of saving my life is letting me become your slave," Rycu's eyes began to glow as he was surrounded in a strong rainbow aura, "then frankly, I never want to be in a world envisioned by him!"
Dimaria lost some of her control slightly, "How dare you! I'll have to punish you for disrespecting the emperor so gravely despite his generosity!"
The two began to charge at one another with a charging fist as Rycu thought through quickly, "If I can't win the physical battle, then I'll have to win the mental one! It's obvious she has a few straws loose, so it's not implausible for me to bait her into using an excess amount of power to decline her energy levels faster! If I can outlast that, I may be able to gain the high ground and finish her with the last of my power!"
All his planning went out the window as Dimaria suddenly leaped ahead from where she was in an instant, like she had vanished and disappeared again. With the leap, she managed to throw Rycu off and appear in front of him in and instant as she hit him straight in the face and caused him to spiral out.
As he spiralled he lit a single foot with flames and spun around more rapidly before controlling himself and striking forth with a dazzling kick. Instead of feeling the impact hitting her though, he felt the opposite, getting blasted with an energy beam of sorts from behind, sending him far into the floor. After a short few seconds though, he managed to recover again, dispelling the energy beam.
"What the hell?" Rycu puffed, "is she teleporting? I saw it right before my eyes, her appearing closer to me in a single instant!" He shook the rubble out of his hair as he surrounded himself with shadow and light energy at the same time, "Looks like I'll have to adopt a different strategy!" He merged with the floor immediately with his shadow as he began to slither through the floor.
"Well, the emperor did say that he had an abundance of tricks up his sleeves. I don't want to sit through them all though, so I'm ending this now!" Dimaria proclaimed as she swiped her hand downwards, creating a magic seal from above which shot a beam of energy against the floor, utterly shattering it.
Rycu felt as he was suddenly flung from his shadow and back to the surface. He tried to still follow through as he set a ranged attack on Dimaria, but was suddenly uppercut by her as she entered his vision from a different space. It was quickly followed by smashing him downwards with a strong overhead swing as he was left dazed against the floor as Dimaria was left charging a powerful attack above.
"Sorry pet, but I have to finish you off now so everything else is easier!" She held both arms above her head as she quickly charged up a sphere of energy, bursting with life as it constantly churned like a hungry stomach.
Rycu could hardly even move himself as he panicked, "She charged that in an instant! I can't do anything!"
Dimaria gave one last faint smile as she held her arms down, creating a huge magic seal beneath her, "TIME RAIN!" Out of the magic seal, shot an infinite amount of short, rapid beams at a constant rate. It covered the entire vicinity as each beam rained down against Rycu, a single one blasting an area at least a few square meters.
Rycu let out a constant cry of pain as he was constantly battered, his skin bruising and bleeding as a huge crater was created in the area, constantly wading deeper. He couldn't even resist, every time he tried to raise his back slightly, he was shot down again, collapsing under the pressure. Each single beam felt like a new knife, stabbing deeper than the last; each second, it felt worse, the pain became immeasurable.
"Whoops, maybe I went a bit overboard," Dimaria chuckled to herself as she held her fist tight, swiftly cutting off the attack as she dropped down below. She got the clearest view of her work, a giant crater in a ground that had waded itself meters deep into the floor. In the centre of it all of course though, was Rycu. His body was ragged and bloody as he struggled immensely just to flip himself around slightly.
"Sh-she's...insane!" Rycu thought to himself, "how can we ever, s-stack up to them? She's just...too strong..." He barely managed to lean himself up sightly before being pinned down by Dimaria, her right hand gently against his neck and her left arm pinning down his right arm.
"You give in yet? We both know you can't go on," Dimaria sighed.
Rycu struggled slightly as his blood trickled onto her hand, "F-f-fuck...you!"
Dimaria began to compress his neck more tightly, "Now, now, that's not very nice, is it? Apologise to me you dirt."
Rycu struggled to breathe a lot more as he felt his legs become immobile too, pinned down by hers, "N-n-nev...er!" He tried to lift himself again, but he found himself only deeper against the floor.
"My, you are quite rude, aren't you?" Dimaria began to shoot a sharp beam into Rycu's pinned arm as she began to look more sadistic, "maybe I'll have to up the severity of your punishment!"
Rycu tried his best to move around, but it was useless, every bone in his body just didn't have enough energy. It felt just like the last times, weather that was Mira, Sky or Medusa, they all had this same domineering aura over him, it was sickening. One was a constant nightmare in his dreams, one was a manipulated child and the other corrupted with the darkness of the future. What Dimaria boasted in comparison though was just pure evil, all she wanted was complete control.
Rycu had saliva drooling over his lip as he struggled further, "Y-you're...just...like...the rest...of them!"
Dimaria looked in slight confused as she loosened her grip slightly, "Hm?"
"You're no different to Medusa, all you want is control to try and give yourself the illusion that you have power. In reality, you're nothing, especially to Zeref!"
Dimaria smiled as she strangled Rycu with as much force as she could at the moment, "You still dare to compare me? Besides, I do have an abundance of power, especially under the emperor, and a lot more than you ever will. Each one of us create Zeref's plan, without us, things would be nearly impossible! None of us are creating an illusion, none of us are blind, we have power, just like how I have power over you now, pet."
Rycu rolled his eyes, "I'm...not-!"
Dimaria pressed down as hard as she possibly could as her maniacal smile extended, "Oh yes you are! Whether you like it or not, you're too vulnerable now! The stage is set for things to go my way now, just as I told you it would!" She was looking more insane with each passing second, "All you have to do is obey me now!"
Genuine worry and fear began to build in Rycu as he succumbed to the realisation of how helpless he was, "She's completely lost it! What the hell is she gonna really do to me? At this rate, there's no way out for me..." Despite all the pressure, Rycu never let his words be denied, "N-n-nev...er!"
"Oh ho but you will! Otherwise it won't just be you that's in dire need of help!" Dimaria pressed Rycu further into the ground as he nails began to slightly dig in.
Rycu grunted and let out winces of pain as he failed to provide much resistance, "D-don't...you...dare!"
"What's that? I don't think that's how you talk to your superiors!" Dimaria managed to pull an even more crazed look than the others, "I think the words you're looking for, are, 'Please spare them mistress!'"
Rycu gave a deathly stare, his mind linking back to the last time Mira had done something so similar with him. He'd never thought to be left in the same situation so soon, except, this time nobody seemed to be able to help him, "Y-you...bitch!"
"I'll pretend I didn't here that bitch, now repeat what I said, that's of course if you really care about your friends and family..." There was a long silence in between as Rycu continued his futile struggle, and Dimaria grew more crazed with each second, "What's wrong pet? Are you at a loss for words? Or just too busy being entranced by my beauty?" She licked her lips, "Maybe my pet is a bit of a pervert too, that's definitely punishable."
"This is ridiculous, what the hell can I do!? I can't let myself fall to her side, but I can't let them all die! No matter what, they're hell-bent for Fairy Heart, if I don't fight and end up on their side, all I'll watch is the destruction of my friends, hell, I'll probably come to the darkness too and really end up as her pet," Rycu rolled his eyes as he began to push again though, managing to lift himself against her a tad moment before being pushed down again, "I said it myself though, I'll carve my own path. If there's no clear option in sight, I'll just make one myself!"
"It's over for you, your will is mine!" Dimaria laughed as she felt her energy overwhelming Rycu.
Just in that moment where the darkness felt like it was taking over though…
'BANG!'
Rycu felt all pressure release from him at once as he felt free again and able to breath. Though there was no fresh air to be had, he felt as clear as day with everything reaching his lungs and circulating his body as it should, "What the hell?" He scarcely managed to lift himself from the floor as he saw Dimaria was gone from where she was. When he glanced off to his left, then he saw her against the floor and slightly dazed but with some weird energy staining her.
"Oh dearie me, what have we here?" A voice sighed as they approached.
"Zeref?" Rycu guessed, seeming a bit lost at his sudden appearance.
"E-emperor?" Dimaria stuttered in slightly more worry.
Rycu stomped a foot forth, rather wearily, as Zeref got a clear view of him, "Now you're here? When does this madness end? Can't even go a month without you maniacs turning up and trying your cynical plans."
"I'm not here because I wanted to chat, I came here to save you from her," Zeref shook his head, "never would I expect you to clash with one of my own so soon. Though I hope the result shows to you how our war will go if you don't surrender Fairy Heart."
"But emperor! He can be a great asset to us!" Dimaria exclaimed.
"I have no need to play God now, there's no need for you to strip a man of his will when we can talk things out. Your will is limited by mine anyway, is it not?"
"You know the answer to the question already, there's no point just sitting here when we can so easily take this by force and gain great assets!"
"Is your only intentions to twist my demands to fulfil your own desires Dimaria? I will not let you make my old friend your slave, not at least till the war is waged. He can only be your prisoner then."
Dimaria pulled a grumpy and blushed look as she tightly crossed her arms, "Fine, just don't allow them a second chance, first answer will always be the final."
"What's with the mercy?" Rycu questioned, "why the hell do you think you can just go around, trying to make us be grateful to a cynical mage? You think it'll win us over or something?"
"No, but mercy is sometimes the least you can show, before you destroy your opponent. Once upon a time though, you used to be a good friend of mine too though, so I suppose that's why I may have a certain soft spot. I know you better than yourself after all."
Rycu shook it all off, "Like hell I'd ever. There's no reason to adore a cold-blooded killer like yourself."
Dimaria suddenly warped far ahead to just behind Rycu, "What did you just call my emperor?"
Rycu coldly glanced back to her, "You heard me, a cold-blooded killer."
"It's fine," Zeref sighed as he gave a fierce look behind his shoulder, "Dimaria, restrain him."
Dimaria's face lit up as she quickly acted before Rycu knew what hit him, wrapping her legs around his and restraining both arms together with her gauntleted hand while she covered his mouth tightly with her bare one, "Guess I get a bit more time to play."
"You fail to understand what's within you. While I don't want to force you to join and be a prisoner, I want to give you the choice. I want you to have the choice to abandon the false reality you live in and take your rightful place in the Alvarez Empire along with me, and the rest of my allies. You don't belong there in Fairy Tail," Zeref turned away, seeing Rycu's unimpressed look already. Dimaria only tightened her grasp on her captive.
"You don't know this, but the dark power you have, was not just inherited off of your Lucifer counterpart. You just use that as an excuse to doubt the darkness, the darkness you always had and which you inherited off of your mother."
Rycu tried to edge forth as his anger began to grow, but he was still easily kept back by Dimaria, "Stay still! Behave yourself like a good pet!"
Zeref sighed again at her actions as he shook it off his mind, "I'm sure you won't believe me, but your mother was born with one of the highest concentrations of dark magic ever conceived by mankind. It was impossible to believe of course due to her very innocent and pure life for her younger years. Once she was betrayed though, it all became apparent. Your father was no pushover, he had an immense amount of power himself deep down, but even he stood no chance. You were her second child, so even though you never inherited the biggest dose of her darkness, you took the second most with Erza taking hardly a drop, which is why it never really resonates with her. Eileen's raw darkness alone, plagued you and your elder sister to cope with it. Since your eldest sister received the biggest portion, and since she was born multiple years before you, she succumbed to the darkness much faster. She tried to fight it of course but utterly failed, her resistance made it stronger."
Rycu was completely static, even Dimaria could feel it, "E-elder sister? I know Eileen confirmed it, but deep down, I've always been hoping it was a lie. Now I know though...and now I know her fate..." He smacked himself back out of his deluded thoughts, "No...he's lying to keep me on his side! If Eileen managed to revert to the light, then so could she!"
"Do you still doubt the emperor? He speaks the truth… Having the only son of the creator of Dragon Slayer magic in my hands is so exhilarating!" Dimaria loosened slightly to give Rycu more room to breathe as he looked to struggle more from his attempts to escape.
"I have no reason to lie to you. I've seen your eldest in flesh and blood, she was always an intriguing character you know. She denied to join the Spriggans, but still, she's of course alive and causing havoc maybe in some distant country...or maybe much closer..." Zeref teased as Rycu's eyes rolled again, "my point through this, is that all you are doing is denying fate. Just like your sister did. No matter what, you will one day be one with the darkness, so why not skip all the rubbish and join me now? While you still have good memories of your friends."
Rycu's head tilted slightly as he thought again, "While I still have good memories? That would mean he believes those will change to bad memories." Rycu shook his head slightly again, "No, don't let him get into my head, he's just trying to manipulate me. All I need to do is resist."
Dimaria removed her hand from his mouth and instead grabbed a bundle of hair to hold his head still, "You're still quite resistant? How admirable."
"So what will it be? Enter reality and be valued, with all your potential released, or stay weak and fragile in your fantasy world?" Zeref looked down upon Rycu.
"The only false reality is yours. As I am, I couldn't crave much more, and what I crave, your soulless heart could never provide. All you are is a monster, and I'll cut you down one day, just like the rest. I forged a path through Valus, Medusa and Mira, I'll do the same to you," Rycu grit his teeth.
Zeref turned away once again, unimpressed, "Just because you broke through a few walls, doesn't mean you can break your way through them all. With such an attitude, I'm surprised you're not dead yet. I think you need to realise that one day you'll reach an immovable wall, and when that day comes, you'll find yourself lost, and not long after, dead. Release him Dimaria, and heal the wounds you caused."
Dimaria begrudgingly let him go, "Pfft, I think he looks better all beaten, but as you say emperor, it'll be the only time I heal an enemy." She held her wrist into the air as she began away, a small magic seal appearing around her wrist as Rycu was surrounded in a light blue aura, feeling all his wounds seal up and scars fade in a near instant. "She can use her time magic for healing too? It's as affective as Wendy's even!"
Zeref muttered under his breath as he and his troop began away, "Don't worry, the next time you can heal him, he'll be under your rule. I think I know his answers, but I'll still give him the chance before we attack. He's in your hands."
Dimaria licked her lips with a zealous look, "Thank you emperor! I won't disappoint."
"Every single time," Rycu clenched his fist tightly as reality began to resume around him and the qualifying round presumed, "I'm just too weak..."
A few minutes had passed and the leaderboards were evening out with the most obvious, expected winners. With the timer striking upon the fifteen minute mark, Sabertooth sat in a comfortable first, followed by Fairy Tail in second. Behind them were the other suspected winners, with Mermaid Heel in third; Lamia Scale in fourth, Quatro Cerberus in fifth, Blue Pegasus in sixth and Featherstone occupying the last position.
"We're looking solid, but don't give up! Lets aim for the top!" Erza encouraged as her group blazed through all opposition with ease.
"Hey! Is it just me, or are we getting a random amount of points with each KO?" Gajeel questioned in confusion.
Gray retracted his ice blades, "Yeah, it's like there's no set number to them."
All of a sudden, Mato reappeared as a giant hologram once again, displacing the board which had been there. He looked rushed in the moment as he wasted no time with introduction again, "A little notice I forgot to mention! When you are KO'd, all your points aren't lost to nothingness, but are given to the person who knocked you out! If you take out the people with the most Kos, you could find yourself leapfrogging hundreds in an instant! Keep your eyes peeled for the major guilds! Bye!" And within the few seconds he appeared, he disappeared again.
All the high ranking guild members felt the same amount of dread, or at least most of them. They were practically spotlights now and the highest on most of the priority lists.
"That means all the big ones are gonna be on us any time soon! We gotta group up to avoid any knockouts!" Mira urged.
"All the other boys are out on their own, I'm sure they should be able to cope, but we can't take risks!" Erza turned to the rest of her party, "let's move and aim to reunite!" They all swiftly agreed and quickly began away, not wasting a single second of their time.
"Hey, Sting! One on your right!" Rogue called as he swiftly knocked away another mage with a blast of spherical energy.
Sting's eyes darted to his right, spotting the rushing enemy instantly as he swiped his arm diagonally, slashing a ray of light that instantly overcame the helpless enemy. "Ugh," He moaned, "even with the stakes boosted, nobody's giving a challenge at all! Why can't we just go fight Fairy Tail instead!?"
"You've got enough cells in that head of yours to know it's not worth the risk. You're gotten drastically more powerful, but I'm afraid we still don't know how that scales to them, they'll have trained just as hard you know. We can leave facing them till we have to, besides, you'd probably be ending up on the receiving end with how fast Rycu adapts on the battlefield, never mind if you showed him all your tricks so soon, he'd have you read so well you'd just be fodder," Minerva shrugged.
"Good thing we have you here," Ruffus lightly laughed, "God knows what would happen without your guidance."
Orga slammed his fists against the floor, creating a huge wave of lightning that completely took out all in front of him as he let out a deep sigh, "Having a more tactical mind always a great strength in teams, never mind that person also having the power of a goddess it feels."
"Oh there's no need to flatter me," Minerva chuckled with a huge grin, "I'm just trying a bit more than I usually do."
Dobengal joined along with Sting in his groaning, "I agree with Sting, all these are even a cakewalk for me!"
"Considering the last time you met a Fairy Tail member you were defeated in a single hit with no sweat, you're best off against the fodder," Minerva teased. The group all laughed together corresponding to that, all except Dobengal himself.
"Anyway, what now? This area seems flushed out now, we have to find more hoards before they catch up with us," Rogue sighed.
"All we need to do is scavenge for them, many will be looking for us anyway given that we're primary targets now," Minerva placed her hands on her hips, "I think it's time to move."
"That won't be necessary," A foreboding voice said as the giant steps of some monster could be heard drawing closer. The building closest to the voice suddenly came crashing down, as an oversized, behemoth of a man came crashing through. He was fairly exposed, with his humongous, muscular arms dropping all his weight to the floor as the rest of him was protected in a simple vest and cargo trousers. Only his face was invisible for the eye, as all that could be seen in its place was a mask like that of plague doctor's, with a large beak outstretched a good thirty centimetres that curved down in a long 'U' shape.
Orga's attention was drawn as he instinctively surrounded himself with lightning, "Someone really wanted to make an entrance, didn't they?"
Sting went on the forefront instantly, being stood furthest ahead of the pack with Rogue just behind him, "Five minutes in and finally someone who booms in with some confidence, I hope you hold up a few seconds more than the rest have so far."
"It will be you who's knocked out in that time. You overconfident junks will be easily disposed of. With so many vital points on the line, I won't fall until I claim them off of you," The behemoth beckoned."
"Too scared to tackle Fairy Tail then?" Ruffus teased.
Rogue nodded to agree, "Maybe he's a bit too scared to handle Rycu since he knows he'd be annihilated, same with Natsu."
"You think those scum would intimidate me as much as you do? Are modern day mages so ignorant?"
"Not as much as you are. And I'd mind your mouth when you talk about my friends if I were you, I don't really like it when others badmouth them, never mind behind their back," Sting rolled his eyes more in fury as a small ball of light appeared in the palm of both of his hands.
Rogue surrounded himself in a black aura as he began to charge his energy too, "I think it's safe to say we should dispose of this scum promptly before he mumbles another bad word. Anyway, what is your name you beast of a man?"
"I'm Vallok," he said as he stomped a single foot forwards, shattering the ground around them in an instant, "the sole strongest mage of my guild, Hammerlock."
Sting's interest peaked, "Strongest eh? Then you should give me at least some test I suppose. But even for someone of your confidence, it's odd for you to act alone don't you think? I doubt you came here thinking you could defeat us all."
"That's why I didn't!"
Minerva's keen eyes immediately pinpointed the enemy as she spotted the slender figure positioned so high on the nearby clock-tower. "Sting, on your ten o'clock! Atop the tower!"
"Cheers!" Sting grinned as he swiped his left arm to the side, suddenly deflecting some magic shot that nobody had even seen approaching. It was immediately redirected into a nearby building, instantly shattering the whole thing to pieces as Sting held his arm out in the direction of the blast, firing out a precise beam of energy which shattered the upper-half of the tower to pieces.
"ALLIES, ATTACK!" Vallok beaconed as his allies quickly came mounting over the nearby buildings, all equipped with the same peculiar mask. There wasn't even enough time to analyse their peculiar features before it all began south for them.
Without even needing to communicate, they all separated to take an enemy on their own other than Dobengal who teamed with Ruffus as the tower enemy had already been vanquished. Sting was the only one who didn't move, staying head-on with Vallok.
"Shadow dragon's roar!" Rogue screamed as a black twisted of energy propelled forth towards his target, who stood atop the roof.
"Not so easy!" The masked enemy roared back as he held his hand forth, completely parting the attack, "controlling energy like yours is a piece of cake!"
Rogue rolled his eyes as he stomped one foot down against the floor before suddenly propelling towards his target. The target itself avoided backwards as he was joined on the roof. "Don't expect mercy," Rogue sighed as within the blink of an eye, he vanished. Just a moment later, he appeared behind his opposition and swiftly knocked them down with an unpowered, overhead swing. "Weak."
"Gales of a thousand winds!" One feminine enemy raged as she launched forth, creating relentless winds which endeavoured to disrupt Orga and co. Fortunately for them, even the thousand winds weren't enough to misplace them.
Orga gave a confused look as he charged a giant bolt above his head, "You call that a wind attack!? Get out of here with weak attacks! I'll show you what one should look like!" He flung the bolt overhead as he raged, "Hammerhead Shock!" A giant, black bolt of lightning burst forth from the palm of his hands, utterly ploughing through the wind as if it weren't there, and connecting with the target, blasting her with a deadly shock and out of commission.
"Two dragon slayers, one god slayer, the threat level is quite high, maybe we are out of our depth master," One robotic-like mage analysed as he watched his companions be effortlessly dealt with. He was perched on the building closest to the humongous Vallok but was coated in camouflage, being practically invisible to the human eye.
"What is their accumulative threat level, from zero to one hundred?" Vallok fiercely questioned as he surrounded himself in a stronger aura.
The mage looked uneasy as its ears pricked upwards slightly, "Accounting everybody, their threat level is dragged down slightly by that man with the unicorn horn to 84.72, but without him, them five alone are worth 95.12 precisely. Father, each individual gages to the level that rivals yours at their current state, proceeding is suicide to our cause, we will be de-"
"SILENCE! I needn't any more of your analysis, I'll flatten these scum just like how I'd flatten any bug like you, you weakling. Besides, we still have the trump card, don't we? I deny the outcome you presume to be, let those numbers be fully realised in your head, and let me show you that my power is worth more than you believe you foresee."
The mage looked down glumly, "Of course."
Sting twitched slightly, quickly realising the attitude of Vallok, but he let it aside for now as he targeted his attention to defeating them all. "Trump card eh? What could they be planning?" Sting attentively looked around as he tried to notice anything suspicious, most of the threat had already been dealt with. As he obtained a general idea of where the son of Vallok was waiting, and with Vallok straight ahead, it only left one threat to mind out for. But through all his quick analysis, there's a most obvious thing he neglected to realise.
"Sting! Rogue! Orga! Everyone!" A voice shouted from above. What had slipped his mind, was the brains of their power, Minerva, she was missing from the floor, but instead was found trapped at the top instead, restrained by another of the goons that had slipped through their fingers until now.
Ruffus was the first to react, "Drat! I didn't even sense that troublemaker! Where on earth did he come from!?"
"Nobody's naturally that fluid at sneaking around, right?" Dobengal questioned in confusion.
Orga groaned in annoyance, "What a pain! He must have some magic that let him be silent and fluid, like an assassin I guess. Here I thought that we could just batter then for fun! Nobody said anything about hostage taking!"
"Minerva!" Rogue called out as he surrounded himself in a dark aura, preparing himself to act on instinct.
"Now then, let us talk, if you move then we'll eliminate her mercilessly, and painfully," Vallok boomed.
Sting grit his teeth and clenched his fists, "You lot really don't have any class do ya? Well fine, if you wanna talk, go ahead, don't promise I'll listen though!"
"Such cheek for someone who's friend is in grave danger."
"Oh, you think any one of us is truly threatened by you? No matter what you try to do, to try and blackmail and threaten us, we always stand together, the scum of the earth like you can't get so far under our skin," Sting grinned as he raised his right arm into the air, pointing towards Minerva and sparking with a ferocious amount of energy, "if you want, I'll do the job for you myself even! I'm not scared of your threats!"
"What foolish mage would eliminate their ally so heartlessly, how can your cold interior throw away such logic?"
Sting's grin extended immensely wide as the distance between planets as his attack charged to its maximum, "A fool who's thinking outside of his small box! MINERVA, NOW!" He shot his beam instantly after, the attack blasting at full force in the singular direction. In that same moment too, Minerva pulled a huge grin as she suddenly vanished, where she was, was suddenly displaced by another mage, the same one who had been analysing their strengths.
"H-how!?" The mage asked in astonishment as he felt all his body shatter at once, losing all fight it had at all, though that being very little in the first place.
"Just because you were camouflaged, doesn't make you invisible, you're still as bad at attacking as you are at hiding your energy levels," Minerva sighed as she gently landed amongst the rubble of the ground. "Five down, Sting, finish this mess yourself, everyone else refrain for now."
Sting was surrounded by a strong aura of energy himself as he maintained his grin and ploughed forwards, "Gladly! Prepare yourself Vallok!"
"How pathetic, all have fallen so easily, I must not hold back now, come at me, you monster!"
"Have you not seen yourself!? My complexion is beautiful today I thought! Far superior to yours, especially with that mask on, why not show that ugly face!" Sting teased as he leapt high above and began to charge a single fist, Vallok however remained unmoved, his aura simply still growing as he seemed careless of what was next.
Sting blasted out a ray from his free hand to plummet himself downwards as he struck his fully charged fist against the head of the beast, a mild explosion causing between them as Sting was propelled back to land on his feet.
"WEAK!" Vallok boomed as he stomped forwards at last, looking unscathed completely. "HOW DO YOU EXPECT TO WIN ON SUCH MINIMAL POWER!?"
"I don't!" Sting yelled back as he charged forwards again, seeming slightly more changed this time around. Vallok stuck first this time, smashing his right fist into the ground, creating a giant crater in an instant as a purple energy flowed from his fist, which Sting cautiously avoided as he leapt off the ground, the last contact with it he planned to make at that time. "But that's why I'm gonna step it up a notch!"
The purple energy flowing around only became more intense as beams of energy began to cut through the surroundings aimlessly, but with Sting effortlessly evading them with small blasts to alter his directions. With Vallok still with his fist in the ground, Sting swung his foot towards the beast's face, completely loose yet full with complete momentum as he stuck with as much force as he limited himself to. Yet again though, hardly a scratch was left as he let out a sigh.
Minerva rolled her eyes in mild frustration, "End this now Sting, stop being a buffoon and wasting time!"
"All right, all right!" Sting groaned as the aura around him became dozens of times for tense, "I'll end this in a single blow!"
Vallok had raised himself once again as he observed his opponent, "Pitifully weak! And you claim yourself to be on par with the very best!?"
Sting looked completely tranquil and confident as the air around him became far more aggressive, his hair dancing to the winds as his energy levels sky-rocketed, "I'm human, I ground myself to what I know I can and cannot do. I know I'm no where near among the strongest of them all, there's many I fall short to and many that I'm neons away from. But, I am enough, enough to take you down, and for now, enough to rival the best for this competition I believe. I may not be enough to protect all from harm, but that's why I'll grow stronger, until I am unstoppable by any evil, I'll only aim to grow!"
"The aura of this guy is totally different now! What the hell is this sudden explosion of power?!" Vallok thought to himself.
"But this is goodbye for now Vallok!" Sting has fully charged at last as he prepared to blast forward, "cheers for the brawl, but you have a long way to go too!"
"What the hell is he going on about!? He can't-!" Before Vallok could even finish his last thought, it was all over. Within the instant it took Vallok to think of the continuation of his thoughts, Sting blasted forth, faster than lightning, and knocked him far beyond, all the way through any land, and out to the barrier, defeating him in a single instant. It wasn't a simple move either such as forcing him off through his guard, Sting had landed the cleanest of clean blows against the mammoth of a man, and had launched him to far beyond sight. Either way, he had won.
"Ah! That was nice and easy!" Sting stretched as he began to cool down his power, decreasing the intensity of his aura slowly but surely, "he was built like a tank, but no where as immovable as he believed.
Minerva clapped softly, "Better, you haven't had such a clean blow on clear opposition for a while!"
"Here's to hoping you can land such a blow on one of the fairies!" Orga lightly chuckled.
Sting shook his head, "Knowing them, I'll have to result to much stronger, there's no way a blow like that would be enough, assuming I'd ever land a hit like that again, he was a massive target after all!"
"He seemed to contain many points, this should solidify our position for the meanwhile, let's not get the breaks on though," Rogue sighed slightly.
Ruffus raised a brow, "Are you sure you don't just want the chance to shine too?"
Rogue shook his head defiantly, "I don't fight for the chance to shine like that, I fight for the achievement of victory in battle, not to go all flashy with my moves."
"Either way, good victory for us, now we better find a new opponent to keep the momentum!" Sting exclaimed zealously.
"You mustn't move far then if you'd like a challenge," A voice proclaimed from above. The groups attention was immediately drawn to a scarlet-haired figure on the roof, but not the one they were more familiar with. "Isn't a reunion fun, I haven't seen any faces like yours for years!"
"Flare!" Sting exclaimed in awe, "I thought you were banned from these games!"
Flare softly smiled as she shrugged, "I worked my way back in eventually, I was never absolutely expelled from competing in the first place, added with my good behaviour and for joining a well-behaved guild, I got back in sound enough!"
"Well it's nice to see some old faces I suppose," Rogue glumly sighed as he seemed rather disinterested, "more importantly so though, we aren't here just to chat."
"Ah yes! It did slip my mind, I just love reuniting with the old again!" Flare pulled a slightly more sadistic expression, "but we are here to fight I suppose, why don't I show you how far I've come?"
Sting pulled a confident look, "You're on! Give it your all, Flare!"
Flare held her hands to her hips and expressed a confident grin, "Time to see how this power stacks now!"
Thanks for reading! :D
NEXT CHAPTER: The Renewed Power