A.N: Hey everyone, how's it going? Stupid question, I know it's not going well. Everyone's either got Corona Virus, or Cabin Fever from quarantining themselves against the Corona Virus. I fall in with the latter. I've got Cabin Fever, it's burning in my brain. I've got Cabin Fever, it's driving me insane. That's a reference to one of my all time favorite childhood movies. If you're a 90s kid, you'll love that reference.
So anyway, it's been brought to my attention that some people were a little...peeved about my comments last month about Erza's fights. So, here's the deal, as someone who has experienced Fairy Tail in its entirety, I stand by them. All of them. You can say I'm biased against Fairy Tail all you want, you can say I'm a hater. But, the things I said came from my perceptions from my experience with the series and as a huge fan of Erza as a character. I'm a guy who someone once surprised him with fanart of Erza, because he knew she was one of my favorite characters of all time. I LOVE Erza. L O V E. But yeah, I absolutely, one hundred percent stand by my comments, because they're my opinions, which were formed from how I have perceived events in Fairy Tail canon. To be a writer, you have to do awful stuff to characters you love. It's the only way you can move a story along. That's just how it is.
And let's be real here, what I did in the last chapter. Had the desired affect. 90% of the reviews for the last chapter were in utter disbelief and shock at the idea of Erza being killed off. Is it going to stick? Let's find out!
Chapter 26: Go
Jellal Fernandes' scream of grief and fury snapped everyone out of their frightened trances. They all stared down at Erza's body, and the hole in her chest. Her eyes were wide. She was visibly clinging to her life. "Erza!" Temari yelled in horror, running to her side and kneeling down next to her.
Oh God...this wound, he almost destroyed her heart completely with a single punch. Temari was horrified at the sight and came to a chilling realization. She won't...she won't last long at this rate!
"I'd worry about your own fate, my dear." Temari paled as Sagi loomed over her. "That woman will die in moments. Your torment has only just begun."
Sagi raised his metallic hand into the air. Red Reiki suddenly began spinning around it as his hand became something of a makeshift blade. "Now let's see, how should I proceed in dissecting you?" Sagi wondered out loud.
Sagi was then suddenly blasted away by a powerful beam of light. Sagi heaved a sigh as he skidded to a stop. "I didn't feel that, just so you know." He promised. "One of the benefits of using this metallic body is no pain."
"I really don't care right now." Jellal Fernandes had a look of death in his eyes as he advanced on the Faux Man. "Right now, I'm more angry than I have ever been in my life. I'm about to commit another sin. And this time...I just don't care."
Sagi chuckled. "That's some real tough talk." He taunted. "But no matter how much rage...no, I'm not going to bother explaining it. It's best to show you."
"SHUT UP ALREADY!" Jellal yelled, blasting Sagi repeatedly with beams of light from his Heavenly Body Magic. "How dare you do that to Erza you bastard! I don't care if that body is metal or not! I don't care if you can't feel any pain! I'm going to erase you into nothingness for what you've done!"
Sagi laughed. "Don't you get it? This body isn't mine! Destroying this body does nothing!" He declared. "Nothing you do to this body will accomplish anything in the long run. And nothing you do to me will change the fact that your precious Erza will soon bleed to death."
Jellal was snapped out of his rage. He looked over his shoulder at the fatally wounded Erza. That was right. No matter what he did...nothing would save her. Sagi laughed. "Your attachments will be your undoing!" He declared, leaping at the distracted Jellal raising his red Reiki blade surrounding his hand.
"Drill Dragon Nail!" Don Sai blocked Sagi's attack with his powerful kick. The force of the two attacks colliding blew out all the windows in the throne room.
Sagi scoffed at the sight of Sai trying to face off with him. "And you ignoring all of us will be your own undoing." Sai declared. "Don't think we're not ready to do our part as well, no matter how strong you are. We owe it to Erza to keep fighting!"
Sagi sighed. "Fine, then you can all die together. See what that accomplishes in the grand scheme of things, primitive trash." He said in a derisive tone of voice.
"Shadow Dragon Roar!" Sagi dodged a shadow-based roar attack, courtesy of Rogue Cheney, who was giving Sagi a death glare near Jellal's level.
"Anything you'd like to add, Shadow Dragon Slayer?" Sagi asked. "Perhaps some great wisdom, a mind as brilliant as mine missed? Impossible, by the way."
Rogue simply glared at Sagi and called out. "Temari!"
Sagi turned to see Temari unfolding her fan. "Cyclone Scythe Jutsu!" Temari yelled, sending several powerful, slashing tornados towards Sagi from her giant fan.
Temari gasped when she saw her wind bounce harmlessly off of Sagi's metallic body. "He's just shrugging everything off." Temari muttered to herself. She then looked at Sai, who was actually limping on the foot he had used to kick at Sagi earlier. She gasped when she saw his foot bleeding.
Sai had kicked him with a technique that was supposed to split a glacier in half, and he was the one who got hurt. He was the one who got hurt!
Sagi chuckled at the looks of hate directed towards him. "All this rage over a girl who's going to die in a few minutes from now. Logically speaking, it really does seem like a waste of energy, you know?"
"It's not just for Erza's sake." Temari promised. "All those Fishmen and Merfolk you dumped into that...disgusting black stuff. You've gotta pay for that as well!"
Sagi chuckled. "The hell are you laughing for?" Rogue demanded. "Do you seriously feel nothing for those people? They were civilians! You don't do that to civilians in war!"
Sagi's chuckle turned into a full belly laugh. "Well, I wish I could say that their deaths were going to help the Coalition and Rakuen win this war...though to be perfectly honest, I have no idea if His Majesty will use this project in the future. I mean, as successful as the project was in its application now...I just don't think it can be used considering how dangerous it looks. I mean, what's the point of poison if you're not going to go anywhere near it because of how dangerous it looks, hmm?"
"So why?" Temari could not believe what she was hearing.
"Because I had an idea, and I wanted to see what would happen if I tested it out." Sagi said honestly. "That's what you do in science. You have an idea for something, and you test it to see if it works. I dumbed it down for your simple minds."
The remaining Alliance soldiers all looked at Sagi in disbelief. He did all of this simply because he wanted to. Because he had an idea, and he wanted to see what would happen if he put the idea into action. What the hell was wrong with Rakuen that they had psychos like this guy in their employ?
If they knew how petty he actually was, and why the fallout between him and the Kingdom of Menou actually occurred, Sagi could very well become the most hated man in the entire Allied Forces. He was simply that awful a man now.
"You're dead." Jellal vowed. "I'll sever your limbs. Crush your skull. I'll make sure you suffer as much as possible before you're allowed to die."
"Are you not listening?" Sagi groaned. "This body is mechanical. I'm not even here. The Faux Men were designed to allow the Nine Dark Circles the opportunity to damage the Alliance as much as possible and turn the war on you."
"And as for your rather brutal description of what you're going to do to me...well, again, you clearly weren't listening." Sagi taunted. "I can't feel any pain."
Jellal narrowed his eyes. He clearly had no intention of accepting that answer. Come hell or high water, Sagi was going to pay somehow. At least that way, he could rest his soul after failing Erza as badly as he did.
"-lal! Jellal!" Jellal was snapped out of his enraged state by the voice of the Shadow Clone of Naruto Uzumaki.
Jellal looked over his shoulder. He gasped when he saw the Shadow Clone pouring red Chakra into Erza's wound. Jellal's eyes widened when he saw the wound slowly closing up. "Naruto…" he trailed off.
"No, focus on the metalhead." The clone told him. "Let me take care of Erza. I don't know if using Kurama's Chakra will help. It's closing her wound, but I honestly don't know if it will do anything else beyond that."
"Jellal, you're the leader, focus on what you can and have to do. Lead them and kick this guy's ass. Let me focus on what I can and have to do, and I'll save Erza!"
Jellal's eyes widened, realizing that Naruto had not only probably saved Erza, he had also saved him from himself. "Naruto," he muttered, "thank you. We'll give you some cover...and we'll bring him down."
"Okay, soldiers." Jellal glared at Sagi. "Let's show our walking, talking, superiority complex here, what happens when you mess with one of our own."
"Pain or not, we'll crush him regardless." Rogue vowed.
"For Erza, and everyone else on Fishman Island. We're ending this." Temari added.
"Happo Navy leaders aren't really supposed to get attached." Sai smirked, gritting his teeth as he tried to ignore the pain in his foot. "But honestly, I like you guys. And hey, I've come this far with you ra-ra folks, might as well see this through."
"Oh dear Lord, you people are exhausting to listen to." Sagi sighed. "Is there just something in the water that makes you people reckless with your own lives? You know that you stand no chance against me."
"Don't go writing us off yet." Jellal told him. "We haven't lost yet."
"No, Commander Fernandes, you have." Sagi said tiredly. "You otherworlders...you don't know what real power looks like."
"Consider this a free demonstration."
As Jellal and his soldiers prepared for their life or death struggle with Sagi, the Shadow Clone of Naruto Uzumaki looked down at Erza, who was still clinging to life. "Talk to me, Kurama. Does this have any chance of working at all?" He asked the Nine Tailed Fox within his subconscious.
"Naruto, I'm a Tailed Beast, not a doctor." Kurama reminded him. "I mean, yeah, you're closing the wound and repairing her vital organs, but you still have to consider all the bloodloss, shock, and the fact that my Chakra could very well poison her. Tailed Beast Chakra isn't exactly the safest thing to have injected into your body."
"What other option did I have, Kurama?"
"No, no, I'm not saying you did the wrong thing. Hell, you did the only thing you could've done." Kurama promised. "Naruto, if you didn't do that, she would've died for sure. That punch destroyed part of her heart and her lungs as well. We're just lucky we've got enough control over my Chakra where we can use it to regenerate organs and tissue."
The clone then heard a loud, guttural sigh from Kurama. "But I should warn you, what you're going to do to her is going to put her through excruciating pain. Like I told you, my Chakra...no, any Tailed Beast's Chakra is basically poison. Even if she survives the blood loss and the stress, her body could have an adverse reaction to the Chakra and...well...die."
The clone thought it over. Then he remembered who they were dealing with. "She'll survive." The clone said with certainty. "It's Erza, she'll survive for sure."
"...You're a better judge of that kind of stuff than me, kid." Kurama acknowledged. "I can't help but wonder what will happen to her when this is all over...if she actually survives this, that is."
"She will."
"...I really hope you're right, kid."
While the Shadow Clone performed what could best be described as emergency surgery to save Erza Scarlet's life, Jellal, Temari, Rogue and Sai stood at the ready for battle. Temari stood at the back, ready to provide support and long-ranged attacks while the three men in the bunch prepared to directly confront him.
His killing intent and massive energy had caught us off guard, but we know what to expect now, so at least we won't have to worry about being torn apart like what happened with Erza. Jellal noted. But even with that on our side...I just don't know how good our chances are at winning.
Jellal sighed. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. This one's for you, Erza.
"Meteor!" Jellal yelled, lighting his entire body up.
"Dragon Force!" Rogue seemed to have a similar idea as he immediately entered Dragon Force.
"Er...no cool transformation for me." Sai shrugged.
"Same, we don't need one." Temari grinned, trying to maintain a confident demeanor. She was terrified though. And honestly, she knew she was not the only one.
Sagi just chuckled at the sight. "Well then," he said, "this should be enlightening, actually. The only time I've had a chance to truly study the combat specs of this Faux Man is when Rin went to Reverie to scare our dear kings and queens of the world to remind them that being against us is a bad idea."
"And even then, it wasn't even really a test." Sagi admitted. "He just...wiped an entire island off the map. A show of force. But this. This is a test. A true test!"
With that, red lights appeared around Sagi's Faux Man like a pattern of veins. "Here he comes, everyone!" Jellal yelled as he and Rogue rocketed towards him.
"Shadow Dragon Slash!" Rogue threw a shadow-empowered right hook at Sagi while Jellal simply threw a Heavenly Body enhanced haymaker at the Circle.
Sagi easily blocked both punches with his bare hands. "Sai!" Jellal and Rogue yelled in unison.
"Drill Dragon Nail!" Sai yelled, leaping into the air and delivering a downwards kick aimed right at Sagi's temple.
Sagi's face then opened up as he looked up at Sai, revealing what appeared to be the barrel of a miniature cannon. "Firing." He commanded, before enveloping Sai with a beam of pure Reiki that sent the current head of the Happo Navy flying backwards.
"Sai, are you alright?" Temari asked in concern as he landed on his hands and knees.
"Gah...I got cooked a bunch but I'm fine." Sai promised.
"Now, as for you two…" Sagi said to Rogue and Jellal before casually tossing them both behind him.
Jellal and Rogue quickly recovered and countered once more. "Pleiades!" Jellal yelled, firing six consecutive beams of light at Sagi.
"Shadow Dragon Roar!" Rogue blasted at Sagi with his signature roar attack.
Sagi calmly parried all six beams of light from Jellal's Pleiades attack with his bare, metallic hand. He then blocked Rogue's Roar attack with his other arm. "Cyclone Scythe Jutsu!" Sagi sighed as he was blasted from behind by Temari's slashing winds once more.
"Do you know what the definition of insanity is, my dear?" Sagi taunted.
Temari scowled. Seriously? I've never had a problem slashing through metal before? Does Rakuen just have stronger materials to make their dumb little toys from?
Temari then looked over her shoulder to see two small objects strapped to her back. I guess there really is no avoiding it. The fan I've used for years...it's just not going to cut it anymore.
"Jiu Leixing!" Jellal fired blades of light at Sagi. If simply blasting him to pieces was not going to work, he would have to settle for stabbing him. Jellal made sure to aim for the joints of this mechanical monstrosity. This way, he would have the best chance of leaving Sagi in pieces.
Sagi caught onto Jellal's intent and easily avoided his attacks. He then noticed a shadow moving towards him. Rogue had merged with the shadows and was now trying a different approach at attacking him.
"Shadow Dragon Grip!" Shadows suddenly wrapped around Sagi's body, binding him in place.
"Hmm...there are fewer things more irritating than unresponsive equipment." Sagi said, moving his body freely in Rakuen but finding the Faux Man to be unresponsive.
"I think you need to sort out your priorities, jackass!" Sai yelled, stabbing Sagi's metallic head with the blade of his pole arm. He then infused the pole with Hasshoken, amplifying the blast.
"What part of 'feel no pain' do you neanderthals fail to understand?" Sagi asked curiously.
"We don't have to hurt you to win. Just destroy that ugly-ass robot you're hiding behind."
"Ugly?!" Sagi screamed, audibly taking offense to Sai's words.
"You heard me!" Sai yelled right back, attempting to drive the blade deeper, applying more Hasshoken to it.
Sagi snarled. "Shields up." He commanded as a red barrier surrounded his Faux Man like a second skin.
Sai yelled in surprise as he was pushed back by the force of the shields being put up. Sagi frowned slightly, when he noticed that Rogue's Shadow Dragon Grip had not dissipated from the shields. "Well, that's a bit irritating." He muttered.
"Hmm, oh well." He said. "I'll just increase the physical output of this body's energy. I designed this body to simulate muscles when under moments of stress like these."
Then, much to Rogue's horror, Sagi managed to move the Faux Man's body and ripped right through his shadows. Then, his shields vanished. "Pleiades!" Sagi barely reacted before parrying Jellal's beams of light with his bare hands once more.
Two small cannons appeared from both of Sagi's hands. "Fire." He commanded before firing lasers off to the side. Then, his upper body started spinning rapidly (a full 360 degrees), allowing the lasers to spin with his body.
Jellal briefly erected a barrier with his Heavenly Body Magic, only for the force of the blast to knock him into a wall. "Get down!" Sai yelled, pushing Temari to the ground.
Rogue, Naruto's Shadow Clone, and Erza, thankfully, were already safe from the lasers due to their heads already being lowered and out of the blast zone. Rogue gasped when he saw the lasers tearing through the walls of the room they were currently fighting in. Then, much to their horror, everything above them began to collapse all around them.
From outside, the remaining members of the 5th Fleet, who had been left behind by Jellal and the others, gasped in shock as part of Ryugu Palace suddenly collapsed. "What in the world is going on in there?" One of the soldiers said what was on everyone's minds at the moment.
"I don't know, but there is a crazy energy signature in that palace with the others." Another added.
"Damn it! Is there really nothing we can do to help?" A third soldier was visibly frustrated by this.
"Commander Fernandes has arguably some of the most destructive power in the entire Alliance. There's a reason why he tries to keep everyone out of his fights." The second soldier responded. "Combine that with Shadow Dragon Rogue, Titania Erza, Don Sai, and Temari, we'd all just be in the way."
"Damn…" The third soldier growled in frustration.
Back at the fight, the soldiers brave enough to face off against Sagi all stared in shock at the man's handiwork. "He just destroyed the throne room." Rogue muttered in shock.
"And so easily, it was like he just cut through the damn place like a hot knife through butter." Sai added. "The hell kind of frickin laser beams were those?"
"Top of the line laser beams of course. The usual elements that compose lasers, mixed in with Reiki for an even greater boost in power. Only the best from a genius such as myself." Sagi responded. "You're a fool if you really think I'd give anything less than my best as a scientist."
"We were also fools to believe you would ever shut up about yourself." Sai spat.
"You know, some theorize that when people start throwing childish, petty insults, that means they know they are losing." Sagi claimed.
"Well, they're wrong. I haven't given up yet, and I certainly don't think we've lost yet." Sai promised.
Before Sagi could respond, a light suddenly shone above his head. He looked up to see a bright, visible constellation. He then looked to see that Jellal was preparing to blast him with a particularly powerful spell. "Be judged by the seven stars." Jellal hissed in vengeful fury.
"Go ahead and judge me if you wish, but you may find yourself wanting, rather than me." Sagi promised. "But go ahead, flip that coin, Jellal Fernandes."
Jellal just glared at Sagi before firing his spell. "Grand Chariot!" Jellal yelled,
With that, the seven points of light connecting the constellation, fired downwards, enveloping Sagi's Faux Man in a brilliant, fiery light that exploded with enough force to nearly knock everyone present off their feet. "Watch out, the commander is pissed." Sai muttered.
Sagi then calmly stepped out of the light of Jellal's Grand Chariot. "I'd say I at least felt that, but that would be a lie." He admitted.
"Shadow Dragon Roar!" Sagi held out his arms and blocked Rogue's roar attack.
"But, I will admit, this isn't a total waste. I'm getting very decent data from this battle. I'm very satisfied that my Faux Man can take attacks from people who would actually be considered incredibly powerful in their worlds, and it would still continue to function as normal."
"So far, so good." Sagi chuckled. "With these machines on our side. We will turn the tide and end this war much sooner. Victory will be His Majesty's. And with that, the new world...no, the new universe, will be created from our efforts. Mostly mine."
Jellal suddenly appeared in front of Sagi and punched him in the forehead. Sagi just sighed. "Commander Fernandes, at what point do you realize that you cannot win?" He inquired. "These Faux Men are designed to allow us to utilize our massive amounts of Reiki without being present. Unfortunately, I was unable to create bodies that could allow us to draw on every ounce of our power. But, based on current assessments, it is clear that 30% is more than enough to bring you to your knees."
Sagi then backhanded Jellal, knocking him away. "And you want to know what the sad thing about all this is, you damn neanderthals?" Sagi inquired.
"I mean, you're just going to tell us anyway, so why don't you go ahead and tell us, prick?" Sai snarled.
Sagi chuckled. "I am one of two members of the Nine Dark Circles who aren't really the...combat variety. My Art is dangerous, no doubt. But, when it comes to engaging in fisticuffs, I unfortunately must admit that I am lacking compared to my more...uncivilized teammates."
"But the point still stands. You lot are getting crushed by someone who typically likes to avoid direct confrontations. Can you understand my jubilation? I've created the ultimate weapon that can even allow those who do not normally fight directly to fight in the name of their king."
"30%?" Rogue muttered in disbelief.
"And this prick's just some pansy who leaves the 'fisticuffs' to his allies?" Sai added.
"Like I said, I'm a true genius. Chitsujo never truly appreciated my genius." Sagi lamented. "Called my experiments and ideas 'dangerous.' Well, now look at me! I've created a weapon that can allow its wielders to strike down the enemy from afar! My designs are actually accomplishing something, you fool of a king! And once the Faux Men are mass-produced, we will have a line of metallic soldiers that will be so powerful that the primitive trash of the universe won't even want to leave their caves."
"It's like I said back then, Chitsujo, is it better to be feared than respected? I believe it's never too much to ask for both!"
Temari then leapt towards Sagi, much to everyone's shock. She was holding out two new battle fans. They were much smaller in size and were both emitting a green aura. It was wind Chakra. "Seriously, does anyone actually like you for anything other than that intellect you love to boast about so much?" Temari demanded as she began slashing at Sagi repeatedly.
Sagi just scowled as Temari began slashing him repeatedly. Each slash created a wind blade that carried on behind Sagi, destroying more of what was left of the walls behind them. "There's no way in hell you've got actual friends." Temari noted.
"Friends? There's no need for friends when you are me." Sagi claimed.
Temari continued slashing at Sagi. "Then you're as pitiful as you are despicable!" Temari yelled. "As long as I've got my friends with me, I can fight until the bitter end! I don't give a damn how strong you are!"
Sai grinned. "She's right."
"We're not giving up yet!" Rogue added.
Jellal nodded. "I don't know whether I should be happy I have such loyal subordinates and friends...or sad that I'm leading them to what may very well be their end." He lamented.
"Don't go counting us out yet, Commander!" Sai charged forward and stabbed the blade of his polearm into Sagi's arm as the Faux Man grabbed for Temari, stopping him from grabbing her.
"Shadow Dragon Slash!" Rogue yelled, throwing a punch at Sagi once more, actually managing to push him back this time.
"Pleiades!" This time, Jellal's six points of light hit their mark, pushing Sagi further back.
Sagi growled, now beginning to grow a bit irritated with their insistence on continuing this fight. "There is no logic in continuing this fight you idiots." He pointed out. "There's only one way this ends. A neanderthal otherworlder can never defeat one of the Nine Dark Circles, even when we are unable to fight at our best."
"How about against one of the Acts of Order?"
Everyone turned to see the Shadow Clone of Naruto Uzumaki glaring up at Sagi. His hands were slowly leaving Erza Scarlet's body. Her wound was now gone completely. Jellal gaped in amazement. Naruto...he had managed to save her.
Sagi just laughed. "You?" He chuckled. "Act of Order or not, you're nothing more than a big fish in a very small pond, Naruto Uzumaki. I believe you should be aware of what happened last time you tried to fight someone way outside of your weight class."
"That was Konton, you're just some lab geek." The Shadow Clone pointed out.
Sagi fell silent for a moment, as though he wanted to rip into this Shadow Clone for that insult alone. He kept his composure, however, and chuckled some more. "And do you honestly think he would choose just about anyone to be a part of his elite fighting force? His personal guard?"
"I mean, it doesn't look like it's that hard." The Shadow Clone shrugged. "From what I can tell, all you have to do is be as insane as he is."
Sagi fell silent once more. "You really shouldn't be talking to me like that, Naruto Uzumaki." Sagi warned him. "Either you haven't been paying attention to how easily I've been handling your pitiful friends, or you're as brain dead as Straw Hat Luffy and the Salamander."
"You're a Shadow Clone of Naruto Uzumaki, what can you possibly hope to do to me?"
The Shadow Clone just grinned. "Well, first of all," he said, "Natsu and Luffy are smart in their own way."
"Second of all, you're right, I'm not the real Naruto Uzumaki. I'm just a Shadow Clone. And sure, a Shadow Clone of Naruto Uzumaki is still pretty damn strong. But strong enough to beat you? Unfortunately, no."
"So I've got an idea, jackass." The Shadow Clone continued. "How about you get over here and kill me right now? Once a Shadow Clone is destroyed, the memories will go to the real me. That means that the real Naruto Uzumaki will know exactly what is happening in Ryugu Palace."
"So what do you say, Sagi? An Act of Order versus the Nine Dark Circle, don't you think that would make for some great data?"
Sagi scoffed at this. "Nice try, brat, but I'm not like Boryoku. You can't bait me into a fight like that."
"But you do realize you're going to have to deal with the real me eventually, right?" The Shadow Clone pointed out. "Might as well get it out of the way and call me over."
"Don't you dare treat me like a fool." Sagi growled. "I'm so damn tired of idiots like you looking down on me."
"I really can't help but wonder, Sagi. Are you just scared of fighting and realizing you're not all that, like you keep trying to claim you are?" The Shadow Clone continued to taunt Sagi, trying to get a rise out of him. "Maybe that's what it is. Maybe beneath all that bravado and arrogance, you're nothing more than a big coward who's too afraid of possibly fighting an enemy he'll lose to."
"And as a result, everyone will realize that you're not some invincible powerhouse. You're just an arrogant bastard who hasn't met his match yet. And you're so scared of running into someone who's better than you, you try to act like you can't get baited into a fight. But, Sagi, we all know deep down that you're just a coward and a fraud."
Sagi was in front of the Shadow Clone in an instant. He raised his arm over his head as red Reiki swirled over his hand. He was going to cleave this damn brat in half for all that. "Don't lecture me you damn filth!" Sagi yelled, swinging his hand downwards like an executioner's axe.
Then, mere inches from the Shadow Clone's face, Sagi stopped. Sagi then chuckled, much to everyone's surprise as they watched this tumultuous exchange. "Very clever, Naruto Uzumaki, very clever indeed. But I already told you. You can't bait me into a fight. You can come close, but in the end, you simply cannot bait me."
"A fraud though...please keep in mind that my title is: 'The Fraud.'" Sagi reminded the Shadow Clone. "A final mockery towards those who brushed off my genius like it was nothing special."
"So you see, I've embraced that title over the years." Sagi claimed. "It's my revenge against all who mocked me."
"I'll destroy you soon, after I kill your friends." Sagi promised. "Then, when the real Naruto Uzumaki shows up, he can arrive to see the sight of corpses lining this destroyed throne room."
The Shadow Clone just chuckled. "Man, for a genius, you are dumb." He said bluntly.
"What?" Sagi said flatly.
"Did you really think I hadn't planned for you not taking the bait?" The Shadow Clone asked him curiously. "I may just be a Shadow Clone, but I'm still Naruto Uzumaki."
The clone then brandished a kunai. "That means, I'm still the Number One, Hyperactive, Knuckleheaded Ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village. That means, I do stuff like this!"
And with that, the Shadow Clone stabbed himself in the stomach, making everyone present gasp. Even Sagi gasped. He had not been expecting that. "See you soon, Sagi." The Shadow Clone managed one last taunt. "Next time you see me, you're going to be dealing with the real thing! Guys, sorry, but it took most of my Chakra to save Erza's life."
"Stay alive until the real me gets here!"
And with that, the Shadow Clone popped out of existence, transferring his memories over to the real Naruto. Sagi could only sputter in disbelief. The Number One, Hyperactive, Knuckleheaded Ninja. That Number One, Hyperactive, Knuckleheaded Ninja!
He had played him for a fool! A damn fool!
"Giving me orders." Jellal muttered, shaking his head with a fond smile. "But, you know what? I think we can do that. Right everyone?"
"He better show up soon. We might take this guy down before he gets here." Sai grinned.
Sagi just heaved a frustrated sigh. "So. Damn. Irritating." He growled. "Why the hell can't you all just have even a mere fraction. A fraction of intellect, and realize that you're all doomed? What the hell is so hard about realizing and coming to terms with that revelation? That reality? Why can't you people realize how damn useless it is? Monkeys cannot beat lions!"
Jellal and company looked at each other, all of them silently agreeing that it was best they shut up and stop feeding Sagi's lunacy by answering his questions. They were going to do the only thing they could do at this point. Survive and do as much damage as they could to this psychopath as possible, and leave what was left for Naruto to finish off.
Meanwhile, destruction was all that surrounded them. Naruto Uzumaki and Ulquiorra Cifer should have been exhausted from their long battle. However, if either of them were exhausted, they refused to show it. A testament to the monstrous durability both men possessed.
Ulquiorra had a near unreadable expression on his face as usual while Naruto simply glared at his foe. I just cannot get a read on that guy. Naruto acknowledged.
And at that moment, the memories of the Shadow Clone that had gone with Jellal and the others came to him. Naruto's eyes widened in horror as he saw everything through the memories of his clone.
The confrontation with Sagi. Erza being fatally impaled through the chest by a fist. Jellal and the others trying to fight but to no avail. The Shadow Clone managing to heal Erza through the use of Kurama's Chakra. And finally, the Shadow Clone actually killing itself just to make sure the real Naruto knows what is happening.
"Naruto, don't fly off the handle." Kurama warned him. "Remember, you've still got a guy here who seriously wants to kill you. If you get yourself killed while trying to run to your friends without keeping this guy in mind, you'll accomplish nothing and then your friends will die."
"Right, don't worry, Kurama, I can do calm." Naruto promised. "I'm going to calmly end this fight. And then I'm going to calmly tear that bastard to pieces for what he did to Erza."
Naruto was normally a very empathetic person, but from the memories he received, all he saw from Sagi was a man who was evil simply because he was a petty, selfish, monster of a man. If he only knew how shockingly accurate that impression actually was.
At that moment, Ulquiorra actually managed to notice how tense his foe actually seemed. The man who had no understanding of the heart was actually able to notice the emotional distress Naruto was going through at the moment.
"You seem to be losing focus, Naruto Uzumaki." Ulquiorra bluntly noted.
Naruto was snapped out of his conversation with Kurama at Ulquiorra's assessment. "And what if I am?" He asked.
"Pay me no mind, it is merely an observation. Am I correct though?"
Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Yeah," he said, "yeah, you are correct."
"Please do not speak so freely with him, Naruto…" Kurama groaned in exasperation.
Ulquiorra studied Naruto for awhile. He frowned slightly. "Hmm...I think it wouldn't be wrong to say that you are no longer focused on this fight. There could only be one reason for that: allies of yours are in trouble."
"Eh? What makes you say that?" Naruto demanded.
"Because you and Ichigo Kurosaki are the same. It is that simple." Ulquiorra responded. "Your friends mean the world to you. And if you know that they are in trouble, you both lose the will to fight along with your ability to focus on...well, anything."
"...How many times did you fight against Ichigo?" Naruto asked. "Because that is actually pretty accurate. I mean, I usually avoided it because I was always able to look after them with my Shadow Clones…"
Ulquiorra nodded. "I figured as much." He acknowledged. "From what I can understand, much of the Coalition's forces controlling Fishman Island have fallen apart. Were it not for the fact we have Sagi commanding our forces, we would've called for a retreat long ago."
"To be honest," Ulquiorra continued, "I don't know whether Sagi will be able to win this on his own or not. There is no doubt in my mind, however, that many of you will die by his hands. That Faux Man of his is quite powerful."
"Faux Man?"
"A robotic body that Sagi pilots remotely." Ulquiorra explained. "As I'm sure you know, the Nine Dark Circles and the Seven Saint Warriors are practically monstrous forces of nature. If two of them fought each other in the flesh, to be frank, I would flee the entire country to avoid the result of their combined destructive force. Then again, I might not be safe in this entire world."
"For real?" Naruto looked at Ulquiorra like he had grown a second head. "You're not pulling my leg on how strong they are?"
Ulquiorra shook his head. "Thankfully, a Faux Man cannot fully replicate a Circle's power. At best, only 30%, from what I've heard. Apparently, the leader's power can only be replicated 10% inside a Faux Man. And Lord Konton...well, the rumor was that Sagi had attempted to pair Lord Konton with a Faux Man. But the result was a disaster. The machine could only replicate 1% of Lord Konton's power...for about thirty minutes. And then the Faux Man exploded, destroying a heavily fortified bunker where Sagi conducts his experiments, killing several of his assistants in the process."
"Why are you telling me all of this?" Naruto asked.
"No reason not to." Ulquiorra replied simply.
"So then...these Faux Men aren't as strong as the real thing?" Naruto wanted to confirm that.
Ulquiorra nodded. "Naruto…" Kurama tried to warn him against chatting so casually with Ulquiorra once more, only to groan and give up. Naruto never listened to him anyway.
Ulquiorra then turned away. "You don't have to say anything else." He said to Naruto. "Go and help your friends, Naruto Uzumaki."
"Eh?" Naruto's mouth dropped open. "Wait, you're serious? You're not just pulling my leg? You're just going to let me go help them without finishing this fight? What about the Coalition's victory? Doesn't that mean anything to you?"
"You've already forgotten, I care nothing for Lord Konton or the Coalition's plans for the universe." Ulquiorra explained. "I lived my last life acting completely faithful to the whims of a master. In this life, I wish to be a bit more selfish. And my selfish desire in this case is to learn more about the heart."
"I've learned much about the heart from our battle, Naruto Uzumaki...but it's clear to me that I cannot hope to learn anything else from fighting with you, if your focus is entirely on helping your friends."
"So, I will allow you to leave, because it is clear I've learned all I can from you...for now." Ulquiorra concluded.
"For now?" Naruto looked at Ulquiorra in confusion.
"That should be obvious. I learned much about the heart from fighting you. I will fight you again one day, and then learn more about the heart."
And with that, Ulquiorra vanished via Sonido. Naruto just scratched his head in confusion. "What the hell?" He muttered. "Seriously, what the hell? I cannot get a read on that guy, at all."
"Naruto, I know you've always put in the effort to better understand everyone, even your enemies, and I know it's worked out pretty well for you so far, but seriously, do not waste your time trying to 'get a read' on that Espada when your friendsare in danger!" Kurama reminded him.
"No need to yell in my ears...er...mind like that, Kurama." Naruto muttered before focusing himself on the task at hand. "But you're right, my friends are in trouble. The memories of that Shadow Clone told me as much."
Naruto psyched himself up, his body encased in Kurama's Chakra as he transformed into his Nine Tails Chakra Mode. "We're going to Ryugu Palace, we're going to save our friends!" Naruto declared as he sped off towards the palace's location.
All he could do now was pray that he got there in time and his friends would not die before he got there. Hang on everyone! He pleaded inwardly. Please, stay alive until I get there!
It was a race against time, one that Naruto knew he absolutely needed to win…
Meanwhile, in another part of Fishman Island, the man in the brown cloak, who had saved Kurotsuchi from Buggy the Clown, stood atop a massive mountain of coral. "That should make things a bit easier for them." He said with a relieved sigh.
The brown cloaked man then noticed a particular presence making his way to Ryugu Palace. "Oho, it looks like someone quite important and determined is making his move now." He mused with a chuckle. "No surprise there."
Behind the brown-cloaked man, a massive pile of defeated Coalition soldiers, lined the area behind him. They had originally been reinforcements, hidden under Sagi's orders. However, they had the great misfortune of running into this stranger, who had gone over literally all of Fishman Island, wiping out every single hidden patch of the Coalition army that had been meant to serve as reinforcements to attack the 5th Fleet at Ryugu Palace. Instead, they had met this man instead. It did not go well.
"Well," the stranger said, stretching his legs, "can't be helped. If it's him who's stepping into the lion's den and fighting the monster in that palace, I guess that means I can't really stand by and do nothing."
"Ah damn," he continued, "guess I should've marked the area near the palace when I had the chance. Guess that means I have to go there the old fashioned way."
"I'd say see you soon, but it's best you don't know it's me just yet." The cloaked man said before he began an impressive sprint towards Ryugu Palace.
That brings us back to the battle between Sagi and his remaining foes from the 5th Fleet. The battle had now resumed in full force. Sagi's metallic body lit up once more. None of his foes could see it, but they could tell he was glaring at them from wherever he was.
"You know, you people claim to hate me for all the 'atrocities' I've apparently committed." Sagi acknowledged. "But the truth is, I hate you all more."
"You don't know this, but your personalities, your beliefs, all of it. You would all fit right in as citizens of Menou. They have the same damn attitudes!"
"Never give up! Never surrender! Protect what is precious to you! Work hard, and you can achieve anything!" Sagi remembered it all. "And every bit of it just pisses me off! Because when you have a society that's built off of that idiotic self-righteousness instead of striving to be the best, you end up with a society that does not appreciate true talent!"
"And you buying into all that nonsense...it makes me want to kill you even more!"
Sagi sped towards his foes. "You know the drill!" Jellal yelled. "Hold out until Naruto can back us up!"
"Jiu Leixing!" Jellal yelled, firing swords of light at Sagi once more.
"Like hell that will work!" Sagi yelled, pointing five fingers outwards before firing laser beams from the tips and blasting the blades away.
Shadows suddenly wrapped around Sagi's body. Sagi growled, immediately realizing who was doing this. "Shadow Dragon Waxwing Flash!"
The shadows then unravelled, assaulting Sagi repeatedly. The metallic juggernaut was stopped in his tracks for a brief moment by the blow, only to dig his metallic feet into the ground and stop himself from being pushed backwards.
"Die!" Sagi yelled, slashing at Rogue's shadow form with a Reiki blade.
The shadow form was bifurcated, only for the shadows to move behind Sagi. Sagi looked over his shoulder to see Rogue reforming himself. Before he could turn around and attack the Dragon Slayer, Sai struck.
"Drill Dragon Nail!" Sai kicked Sagi in the head once more.
Sagi sighed, shrugging off the kick with ease because he felt no pain. "When are you going to learn that won't work?" He grabbed Sagi by the foot before blasting him with Reiki from one of his 'palm cannons'.
Temari was immediately in front of Sagi, having moved safely underneath the cannon fire. "Hiyah!" She yelled, swinging her two new battle fans upwards, creating a small tornado that lifted Sagi's metallic body off the ground.
She then crossed the fans before waving them forward, creating a powerful gust of wind that blasted Sagi further into the air. She smirked at the strength of her brand new battle fans. These things are great! She thought with glee. They allow much more freedom of mobility but I don't lose any of the power from my last battle fan.
Sagi growled and created a dangerous orb of Reiki and tossed it right at Temari. Temari's eyes widened before Rogue suddenly appeared in front of her. "Shadow Dragon Slash!" He yelled, punching the orb of Reiki.
The clash between attacks created an explosion that knocked both Rogue and Temari off of their feet. "Rogue, are you alright?" Temari asked in concern.
She gasped when she saw that Rogue's punching hand was practically eviscerated, covered in his own blood. "I'm fine." Rogue said through gritted teeth. "If one of us dies before Naruto gets here...all of our efforts were for nothing. A couple injuries mean nothing...as long as we're all alive by the time he gets here!"
Sagi landed on the ground. He gasped when he saw a constellation appear above him once more. "Grand Chariot!" Jellal yelled, blasting Sagi once more with the powerful Heavenly Body Magic.
Sagi quickly ran out of Jellal's Grand Chariot, still ready to continue the fight. He fired lasers from the tip of his metallic fingers once more and began to spin wildly, creating a deadly dance of lasers that tore across what was left of Ryugu Palace's throne room. Jellal's eyes widened when he realized that the still unconscious Erza was in danger. "Meteor!" He did not hesitate, he sped over, and scooped Erza up, holding her protectively as lasers tore across his back.
"Commander!" Temari yelled out in concern as she was also forced on the defensive by the powerful lasers.
Rogue knew he had to act fast and put a stop to Sagi's laser-beam filled rampage. He quickly transformed into shadows, ignoring the pain in his punching hand. He wrapped himself around Sagi once more, restraining him for a brief moment and then unraveling himself. "Shadow Dragon Waxwing Flash!" Rogue struck Sagi once more with shadows from his hands.
With Sagi now sailing into the air once more, he was vulnerable to Rogue's most powerful technique to date. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art!" Rogue yelled as several shadows gathered behind him. The combined shadows then rose into the air taking the shape of a black dragon. "Black Wyvern!"
With that yell, the black wyvern flew towards Sagi. Sagi could not help but gape slightly at Rogue's newest technique and the sheer power behind it. As a man of science, and a man of power, he simply could not help himself.
The black wyvern opened its mouth and chomped down on Sagi before diving bombing the ground. Everyone watched as Rogue's attack sent Sagi all the way to the basement floors of Ryugu Palace. The shadows exploded and dispersed upon impact, increasing the attack's power. "Nice one!" Sai yelled, having recovered from the cannon fire he had taken on the chin.
Rogue panted slightly. "Gonna need a big meal of shadows after that." He muttered before turning to the injured Jellal. "Sorry, Commander, I honestly can't guarantee that took him out. But I'm hoping I was at least able to damage him."
On the basement levels, Sagi hummed thoughtfully as he lied upon the ground, surveying the damage done to his Faux Man. "Scanning," he said, "hmm, well that's irritating, structural damage is at 10%. Faux Man's current power...85%. That damn Dragon Slayer actually damaged my beautiful creation."
Sagi then directed the eyes of his creation upward. "Switching visual scanners." He commanded. "X-ray with a little bit of infrared thrown into the mix. Let's see if I can pick out the Shadow Dragon Slayer from the crowd."
Sagi quickly scanned the levels above him. He chuckled darkly when he picked Rogue out. "Now then," he said, "time to return the favor."
Sagi then got to his feet. He poured Reiki into the legs of his Faux Man before rocketing upwards with a powerful jump. "Let's see how you like it, trash!" He hissed hatefully.
Rogue's nose twitched as the metallic scent invaded his nostrils once more. It was getting stronger by the second. No, by the millisecond. "Oh God…" He muttered, realizing what was going to happen.
"Everyone get back-" Rogue managed before Sagi appeared from the ground right in front of Rogue.
Much like before, it all happened in a split second. Blood flew into the air. Sagi laughed madly. Rogue's eyes widened as he gazed down at the open wound from Sagi slashing right into him. If he had not caught the metallic scent of Sagi's Faux Man, he would not have reacted to the attack at all. And he would have been cut right in half from the attack.
"D-damn, so it still wasn't enough to slow you down." Rogue muttered in defeat as he began to fall backwards. "Sorry...guys…"
Rogue hit the ground, eyes wide as blood poured out around him. "Rogue!" Temari yelled to her fallen comrade.
Sagi chuckled. "That's right, you didn't slow me down, at all." He lied through his teeth. There was no way in hell he was going to give Rogue the satisfaction of knowing that he actually did damage his Faux Man with his Dragon Slayer's Secret Art.
Jellal gingerly placed Erza down at the sight of Rogue falling in battle, ignoring the pain in his back from his own wounds. "Sorry, Erza, I'll be back soon." He promised.
Jellal rejoined Sai and Temari as they resumed their assault on Sagi to try and protect Rogue. Sagi leapt backwards. His shoulder suddenly opened up as small missiles suddenly appeared. "Firing!" He commanded as the missiles fired at his three remaining foes.
"Pleiades!" Jellal fired more beams of light to destroy the missiles.
Sagi frowned slightly as his vision was obscured by the explosion. "Switching to infrared." He quickly said, only to see Sai's heat signature leap from the smoke.
"Military Leg Spear!" Sai propelled himself forward and kicked Sagi with both feet.
Sagi grunted as the vibrations from Sai's Hasshoken pushed him backwards. Sai then moved his pole arm out in front of him. He began slashing at Sagi, trying to break his armor. He aimed at the metallic joints to try and separate Sagi's limbs. Temari had the right idea with her own battle fans. So, he was going to do the same.
Sagi scoffed and leaned in and out of Sai's slashes, avoiding each blow. Sai frowned at how fast the robot was. He then stabbed the pole arm downwards, imbuing Hasshoken into the blade and creating a small earthquake to knock Sagi off balance.
Sagi responded by rocketing into the air, much to Sai's shock. "Not this time, you fool." Sagi taunted.
Sagi fired a piercing laser beam from the palm of his hand that blasted Sai right through his right lung. Sai let out a gasp before swaying back and forth, close to falling down. Sagi laughed as he landed on the ground. "Still trying to hang on, in spite of all the pain you're in? There's nothing left you can do, idiot. Just die already."
Sai glared at Sagi and grabbed him by the shoulders. "What?" Sagi said flatly before Sai drove his knee, empowered by Haki, right into Sagi's stomach.
Sagi frowned, realizing that Sai was blasting him with every ounce of Hasshoken he had left in him. Temari and Jellal gasped in horror at what Sai was doing. He was trying to use the last of his strength to at least leave Sagi with some damage to make things easier on Temari and Jellal.
Sai's strength then left him and he began to fall over onto his side. That was every bit of strength I had left in me. Sai noted inwardly. Commander...Temari...please make it count…
"Sai…" Jellal said softly, sincerely touched by his subordinate's last ditch effort to make his attacks count for something.
"And then there were two." Once again, it seemed like Sagi was grinning. They could not see it because of his metal proxy, but they could tell. They really could tell. "Do not worry, you'll join your precious friends soon enough."
"Hey, Commander." Temari spoke up, gulping at what she was about to do. "If you've got some super strong attack, you might want to use it."
"I do," Jellal said, "but Temari…"
"No, say no more." Temari brushed him off with a smile. "Attacks that strong need prep work, right? I'll buy you the time you need...just make it count."
Jellal's eyes widened. Temari's mind was made up. "Temari!" He called out, to no avail.
Temari charged bravely towards Sagi. "Rogue Cheney and Don Sai were much stronger than you." Sagi bluntly told her. "What could you possibly hope to do against me?"
Temari responded by slashing at Sagi's joints with her wind-Chakra powered battle fans. "Plenty!" She yelled.
"I'm really getting sick of your brainless bravado, girl!" Sagi yelled, trying to grab for Temari, only to discover that his machine was actually a little disoriented.
Damn, that last Hasshoken attack must've messed with the sensors and the connection! Sagi immediately realized. Bah, no matter, it won't stop me from killing her!
"Real tough talk from a bastard who doesn't even have the balls to face us in the flesh!" Temari yelled as she continued to slash at the robot's joints. "Even if it is true that you, your Circle friends, and the Saint Warriors are a danger to entire worlds by fighting each other, if you really do give a damn about fighting and winning this war, the least you can do is show up in the flesh!"
"But showing up in your silly little robot?" Temari continued. "You don't give a damn about your boss or this war! All you care about is inflating your already massive ego by showing off your silly toys to anyone who's forced to deal with your nonsense!"
"Don't play psychoanalyst with me!" Sagi demanded.
"I don't need a degree in that to figure you out, jackass!" Temari countered. "You talk a big game, but you're just a little kid, trying to show off to all the other kids on the playground! You're nothing more than a selfish bastard trying to pass himself off as the greatest thing since sliced bread!"
"You…"
"And you want to know what the saddest thing about you is? No matter how 'superior' you actually think you are? You're never going to win it all in the end! Sure, you'll win a couple battles here and there, but you'll lose the war! Because guys like you never win!"
"There will always be good folks out there ready to stand in your way!" Temari proudly declared. "That's just how the universe works!"
Sagi smirked when he felt his connection and sensors return to a hundred percent. "You think so, huh?"
Sagi then let out a dark laugh and grabbed Temari by the throat. "Scientifically, my dear, you have no way of proving that." He told her. "'The good guys always win in the end'? That's just a sad lie that weaklings tell each other because they can't stand being beneath the strong. Good and evil are subjective for that very reason. Because in the real world, there are only strong people and weak people."
"Now listen to who's lying." Temari said defiantly.
"Am I lying? Think of it this way, my dear. Throughout history the winners of wars are labeled as the good guys. The losers are labeled as villains." Sagi noted. "Imagine what would have happened if the losing armies actually won and history was rewritten? That means they would be the good guys, and those we've known as the good guys were labeled bad."
"That is why good and evil are subjective terms. Because those terms change hands so often they lose meaning. That's why the only thing that really matters in the world is who's strong and who's weak." Sagi concluded, tightening his metallic grip around Temari's throat.
"I don't know, Temari seems pretty 'good' to me." Sagi gasped at the sound of Jellal's voice. "After all, she bought me the time I needed."
Sagi turned to see Jellal, with his hands stretched outwards and two balls of light enveloping his hands. "Now, you will release my subordinate, right now!" He demanded.
Sagi gasped at the output of power. "Oh my, such incredible power." He chuckled. "Commander Fernandes, you've been holding out on me."
"Heavenly Body Magic is the very power of the cosmos themselves, and I'm sure a man of science like yourself knows the devastating impact of the cosmos." Jellal reminded him.
Sagi fell silent at this. "You're seriously going to fire an attack like that while I'm holding a friend of yours?" He tried to reverse the situation. "That's quite ruthless of you, Commander."
Temari then smirked and waved her fans forward, blasting Sagi with enough force to free herself from his grip and push herself away from him. "Bitch!" He snarled at the girl.
"You were saying?" Jellal taunted, death in his eyes.
"What, you think I'm just going to take an attack like that head on?" Sagi yelled. "Don't take me for such a fool, Commander Fernandes!"
Jellal smirked. "True Heavenly Body Magic!" He began, putting his hands together out in front of him.
"Idiot!" Sagi yelled. "I told you, I'll dodge-"
Sagi then gasped when he suddenly found himself restrained in place. "What...what the hell?" He looked at his body and saw that shadows had wrapped around his body.
He turned to his left to see Rogue Cheney weakly reaching out, manipulating shadows to keep him held in place. No way! The damn Dragon Slayer? Sagi was actually horrified.
"Vega!" Jellal yelled, firing an extremely powerful beam of light. The power of the cosmos, in the form of destructive starlight.
Sagi yelled in frustration as he was blasted by the full force of Jellal's Vega. The Faux Man was swept off its feet and then blasted right out of the remains of Ryugu Palace's throne room. Jellal panted as he watched Sagi's Faux Man fly further and further until he disappeared from his sight.
Jellal chuckled. "Maybe Sai was right...I wonder...if we even needed Naruto's help…"
Jellal then fell to his knees. "Commander!" Temari recovered from being strangled by Sagi and ran over to Jellal.
"Don't worry about me...just a bad case of magic exhaustion." Jellal said weakly. "Sema would've had a similar effect...but I couldn't just drop a meteor on him and get you all caught in the blast as well."
"You're way too kind, Commander." Temari chuckled bitterly before remembering how horribly injured Rogue and Sai were. "We...would've been pushed to near death regardless…"
Jellal nodded. "Don't worry about me. Check Rogue and Sai." He ordered. "I want to think that Sai is in worse shape...but Rogue pushed himself even when he was out of magic. I want to be mad at him for that, but were it not for him...I wouldn't have been able to hit Sagi with Vega."
Temari nodded in understanding. She got to her feet. Sai probably was in worse shape, considering he had part of his lungs destroyed. So, she would have to check on him first. However, before she got too far, a chill ran down her spine. A red light shone in the distance. That could only mean…
No. She thought, horrified. No! No! No!
The light grew bigger...until the Faux Man landed back on the palace. Its body was still in one piece, but there were some noticeable cracks now. However, it was still clearly combat ready. "Power is at 70%." Came Sagi's voice. "Structural damage is at 30%. You actually damaged one of my masterpieces...you damn neanderthal."
"T-Temari!" Jellal yelled, trying to get to his feet, only to fall onto his stomach.
Damn it! I don't have any magic left!
"Wait your turn, Commander, I'll kill you soon enough." Sagi growled.
Sagi kept his attention squarely on Temari, who was staring at him in terror, unable to move. "You...I really shouldn't be this focused on you. You were the weakest of these four after all." He pointed out.
"However...you're the only one still standing. Pragmatically speaking, that means I need to kill you first."
I need to fight back...but my hands won't move! Temari realized. I'm...I'm terrified! I haven't been like this in the face of someone since Gaara's days where he was insane.
"Since you were out of your depth, I'll make it quick. Can't promise this won't hurt in those brief moments, however." Sagi said darkly, creating another blade of Reiki around his hand.
"Temari!" Jellal yelled out, trying to force his body to his feet to do something. Anything! Anything to protect Temari from death.
A blue sphere suddenly came flying out of nowhere, nailing Sagi in the chest and pushing him away from Temari. Wait...that attack! Temari wanted to weep. Hope had arrived once again.
"No way in hell am I going to let you die, Temari. If anything happened to you, I'd never be able to face Gaara." Naruto Uzumaki stood on a broken wall, giving his friend from the Sand Village a reassuring smile.
"Naruto…" Temari said softly.
"And I promised I'd be here in time to save you all. I don't break promises." Naruto continued Shadow Clones immediately went to work in healing their most immediate injuries with Kurama's Chakra. "But...good job in holding out until I got here."
"...Thanks for getting here in time." Jellal smiled in relief.
Sagi recovered from Naruto's attack, glaring at the Leaf Genin. "You…" he growled.
"As for you," Naruto narrowed his eyes, "you will leave my friends alone, metalhead."
"Your fight is with me, Naruto Uzumaki!"
A.N: Come on, did you honestly think I was going to kill Erza so unceremoniously? Did you really think I was going to do it? No, no, no, if I'm going to kill important/beloved characters, I'm going to do what Demon Slayer is currently doing in their final arc. Kill a bunch of characters in the final arc.
Anyway, I actually really liked how this chapter turned out. Mainly because it wasn't just 10,000 words of four people getting curbstomped. Jellal and the others gave it their best, and it shows that while 30% of a Circle still seriously outmatches the good guys, it's still only 30%, so they'd be able to put up a better fight than otherwise.
Anyway, next time is the final battle of Fishman Island. Naruto vs. Sagi...it seems like Naruto is just destined to do firsts involving the heroes and Rakuen. First hero to fight Konton. Now he's the first hero to fight a Circle. Let's see how he does!
