S.R: Okay, I'll admit it. I figured out the reason why I struggled with the Gray vs. Juvia fight and did the chapter for 'The Unexpected Family' instead. The reason is because, when thinking about Gray, all I could think about was his fight with Ultear. In other words I had to get that out of the way first. So now, with that settled I can present this chapter to you all. Here you go.
"Ice Make: Sword"
Charging in for the fifth time since he'd started the fight, Gray was tense. This Juvia woman he was fighting had very scary abilities. Considering her body was made out of water, he couldn't really do damage to her. Not only could she allow his attacks to pass right through her, but because of the rain that surrounded her she was capable of regeneration. Making any attack that actually managed to cause some of the water that made up her body to disperse worthless.
"Juvia grows tired of this. Water Lock"
The blue haired woman commented with a sigh as she looked away from him after reforming her body. Because she had turned away Gray didn't notice the blush that covered her face. Not that he would have understood why she was blushing without reading her mind. Then again, as dense as he is Gray probably still wouldn't have understood her thoughts.
'He's fighting so valiantly for his friends. Plus his handsome appearance, Gray is like a prince. I must make him mine.' Is exactly what was going through Juvia's mind before she settled on using her Water Lock spell. After all if he couldn't breathe, he'd pass out and she could hid him from Jose, allowing her to keep him alive and start a relationship with him.
But Gray wasn't one to be done in so easily. The shock of not being able to breathe did remind him of one thing. Water becomes ice when it gets cold enough. Instead of casting a spell, Gray just let his magic pour out of him in waves, causing the sphere of water that he was trapped in to become completely frozen. Then because he was physically strong enough he broke out of the prison.
Ironically at the exact moment he broke free, Gray and Juvia both noticed that Phantom Lord's guild hall was slowing down even more in its attempt to cast Abyss Break. The realization that she was the last member of the Elemental Four that was standing shocked Juvia enough for Gray to have an opening to capitalize on.
'If I can freeze the water of her attacks, then I can freeze the water that makes up her body!' He thought to himself as he dashed towards the blue haired woman. But things couldn't go exactly as planned. Subconsciously warming up the water around her via magic as she noticed the chill, Juvia didn't allow Gray to freeze her.
In fact when she noticed what was going on, Juvia panicked a bit and unleashed a massive burst of water, that tossed Gray back.
"tch. I was so close."
The dark haired man muttered to himself as he regained his footing.
"If Fairy Tail will hand over Lucy Heartfillia, Juvia will talk with master Jose about allowing Fairy Tail to live."
Juvia commented, trying to get Gray to stand down. She really didn't want the fight to keep going, as she didn't want to hurt him.
"Hell no. Things have come too far to just end like that. Besides, Lucy is part of Fairy Tail, which makes her one of my friends. I don't give up on my friends."
Gray commented as he charged towards the blue haired woman once more, his magic quickly creating a hammer in his hand.
But Juvia had a nasty feeling, and read between the lines. The idea of Gray being close to someone else sent her into a rage. 'Juvia will not accept it. Juvia refuses to back down and let there be a love rival!' She thought to herself, as she decided to forcefully take Gray captive to make him hers.
"Water Slicer"
Unleashing a powerful blade of water towards Gray, she felt that her best chance of knocking him out was to rough him up a little. Realizing the deadliness of the attack however Gray ducked under it as he threw his hammer to distract her. Though he had to jump over another one almost instantly.
Turning sideways to dodge another blade of water, Gray saw the first one cutting through the stone that made up Phantom Lords headquarters. Eyes wide at the terror that her attack caused, Gray backed off a little bit, as he tried to come up with a plan to get in close and freeze Juvia as he originally intended. 'What can I do as a distraction.' He thought to himself as he took his shirt off without realizing.
Juvia however couldn't help but stare when she saw his shirt come off. Gray was well built and fairly strong, but now that she could clearly see his muscles she felt a new level of appreciation for his physical prowess. However Gray mistook her admiration for shock, though he didn't know why she'd be shocked. But rather than charge in right away he decided to make a smokescreen.
"Ice Make: Lance!"
As he created dozens of spears out of ice and launched them at the blue haired girl, he circled around them, making sure to keep his attack between the two of them as much as possible. His plan only just worked. He got close enough to place his hand on Juvia's shoulder before she countered him.
"Water Lock"
Gray just barely resisted the urge to gasp as this time the water was scalding hot. Fighting through the heated water, Gray unleashed his magic as fast as he could, once more rapidly cooling the sphere into a block of ice.
But he didn't let it stop there. Inspiration had just hit him, and he figured it was his best chance to get the win. Juvia shuddered as the temperature in the surrounding air fell. As she opened her mouth to tell Gray to quit struggling she was surprised to see her breath misting up from the cool air. Stepping closer to see if she could figure out what he was doing, Juvia unwittingly stepped into the area of effect that Gray's new spell would cover.
Suddenly his voice range out "Ice Make: Ice Geyser!"
To her complete dismay, Juvia couldn't warm up fast enough as a pillar of ice grew around her.
Meanwhile With Erza
Raising a sword to block the iron spike that was coming for her once more, Erza grunted as she was pushed back. Almost exactly as she finished Aria off, she was attacked by Gajeel. She didn't know if it was poor luck that led to it, but without a chance to catch her breath, Erza had been on the defensive since the Iron Dragon Slayer made his appearance.
"Gehehe, not bad Titania. Of course Salamander put up a better fight, but that should be expected. Only slayers can keep up with another slayer when it comes to fighting."
The dark haired dragon slayer commented as he finally gave her a chance to breathe. Despite the numerous attacks he had launched at her, the man didn't look like he'd done anything. He didn't have even the slightest bit of sweat, and his breathing was the same as it was from the moment the fight started.
Not knowing just how true Gajeel's words were, Erza just growled. She refused to believe that anyone close to her in age could be so far above her in terms of power. Of course she had a newfound appreciation for Natsu's strength, but she didn't know he still hadn't shown the guild his full power.
Thinking that she had the upper hand in speed, and knowing that a long drawn out fight was a bad idea, Erza decided to change armors. To quickly take down Aria she had used her Black Wing armor, and she was still wearing it during Gajeel's onslaught.
"Re-equip: Flight Armor."
Sticking with her standard swords for now, just as she had to defeat Aria, Erza dashed towards Gajeel, far faster than he had been expecting. But despite the fact she got the surprise attack off it didn't do much damage at all.
"Tch. Idiot thinks she can wear me down by blitzing me with speed. I've got news for ya, Titania. As the Iron Dragon Slayer, my skin is as hard as iron without putting magic into it. Unlike the other slayers who only gain dragon scales when using their magic defensively, I get the boost passively. Of course I can strengthen that boost with my Iron Dragon's Scales. But if that's the best you've got I don't need 'em."
Gajeel taunted before his hand lashed out and he caught her sword mid swing. Knowing it was a bad idea to keep metal anywhere near the man, Erza quickly pulled back, not allowing him to break her blade, or even worse, try to eat it. But rather than reply Erza opened her dimensional storage with her magic. Swapping out the basic sword she was wielding, Erza pulled out the sword that went with her Flame Empress armor set.
Adding just a bit of magic to the blade, she smirked when Gajeel looked cautiously towards the now flaming weapon in her hand.
"It's time for round 2 then."
The red head commented before charging back into combat.
Meanwhile With Natsu
"You fairy scum! I will enjoy crushing you beneath my feet!"
Jose roared at him. Snorting Natsu smoothly ducked under another blast of magic from the guild master of Phantom Lord. He had yet to get serious, mostly because Jose hadn't gotten serious either. The two had thrown a few spells back and forth, not really intending to damage each other. It was more or less probing the other's defenses and attempting to provoke the other into taking things up to the next level.
Of course Natsu had a few aces in the hole, so he was fairly confident Jose was going to lose, so he wasn't really concerned when the level of magic in the room began to rise.
"It's a shame I have to kill someone with as much potential as you. But for my ambition, you must die!"
Jose snarled as his shadow rose up from the ground to envelop him.
"Dead Wave"
This time his shadowy attack was far stronger and faster. But Natsu consciously shifted his focus to his Fire Dragon King flames and made them swirl around himself protectively. A please smirk came to his face when he heard Jose stutter in shock at seeing his attack negated and absorbed by his flames.
"My turn. Fire Dragon King's Roar!"
Because he didn't want to risk the collateral damage reaching the shore and messing with Magnolia in any way, he limited himself to his basic spells. Yet it didn't seem to matter as the room grew hot enough that the walls started to glow as the stones grew hot.
"To think that old fool had someone this capable in his guild."
Jose muttered to himself as he only just avoided the attack. With a wave of his hand he directed his magic to approach from all directions as he gave out his command. 'Shade Entangle should be enough to help negate the threat he poses' Jose thought to himself as he intended to use his magic's secondary ability of draining magic from those it touches.
"Jose, you really are a fool. You saw what my flames did to your magic before. Do you really think I can't do it again?"
Natsu taunted as he noticed what the man was trying to do. Rather than face the magic that was coming towards him, Natsu crouched and smashed a fist into the ground. The impact caused tremors to race throughout the building, but it allowed him to focus his magic into a pillar around him. Once more he was protected from Jose's magic by his own.
"Handy spell ain't it? Fire Dragon King's Imperial Pillar is one of the few spells I have that can be both Offensive and Defensive."
"Don't get Cocky brat! Dead Wave!"
This time, rather than just activating his magic once, Jose cast his spell three times in rapid succession. Natsu couldn't help but laugh at the foolhardy move. ' Does he really think he can overpower my flames?'
"Fire Dragon King's Roar!"
Launching a larger roar, Natsu hoped that as it absorbed Jose's magic and grew stronger it would catch the man off guard and be the first successful hit of the battle. But the older mage was quick to move out of the way.
"How?! How is a measly fairy like you strong enough to contend with me?!"
Jose roared in anger as he saw his attacks overpowered by one move. Deciding it was time to get serious Natsu narrowed his eyes as his magic condensed around him.
"Fire Dragon King's Blazing Aura"
With his fire wrapping itself around him as an armor of sorts, Natsu lunged towards Jose with a fist cocked back. Somehow, Jose expected Natsu's psychical ability to be weak, so as to balance out his magical prowess. So when Natsu's right fist smashed into his nose, he couldn't hide the terror from his face as he felt his nose breaking.
Capitalizing on the opening he had, Natsu forced his left fist into Jose's gut before, twisting his body sideways to rear back and lash out with his right arm once again. Not expecting to match the Dragon Slayer in a fist fight, Jose ducked under Natsu's attack and tried to retaliate with a fist completely covered in dark magic. But it did nothing. His magic canceled out by Natsu's flaming aura, and his physical strength not being enough to cause much damage. Combine that with the fact he was still harmed by the fire, and Jose quickly realized he had to push the fight back to a ranged battle if he wanted to win.
Back With Erza
Thanks to her flaming sword, the fight was a lot more even than when it had started, but it wasn't enough of a game changer to push things into Erza's favor. Since it wasn't as hot as Natsu's fire, it didn't bother Gajeel as much as she had hoped it would. Though she was able to break through his defenses a few times. As evidenced by the cuts that littered the Iron Dragon Slayer's arms.
"You've got to have something better than that Titania."
Gajeel commented as he once again unleashed his Iron Dragon's Roar. Jumping to the side to dodge, Erza was caught without a way to avoid the incoming fist. 'He tricked me into letting him get close enough to negate my speed advantage.' She thought to herself as she did her best to twist her body to weaken the hit as much as she could. But it was still strong enough to launch her into a wall. Luckily for the red headed knight, the building began to shake harshly enough that Gajeel stumbled and had to regain his footing rather than attempt to make a follow up attack.
Shakily pulling herself out of the indent her body had created in the wall Erza took a deep breath. Realizing that she had to completely overpower Gajeel's defenses with a decisive blow, she swapped out her armor, and her sword.
"Re-equip: Clear Heart Clothing"
Switching to a regular set of clothes, clothes that had no special magic properties that could be fueled by her magic, Erza took another deep breath. The sword she had brought to her side was a special one. It could only be used when her magic wasn't feeding any of her armors to allow for their special abilities. The reason? The sword in her hand was known as 'The Demon Sword, Benizakura'. It was just a regular blade, but the moment a person began to channel magic into it, the sword would absorb all of their magic, preventing them from being able to use any kind of magic at all. In exchange though, it would condense their magic along the edge of the blade. In other words, Erza had decided to forgo everything but her offensive power.
Gajeel as a dragon slayer, had sharp senses and strong instincts. So the moment he saw the blade in her hand, he knew things were about to become interesting. Grinning widely, he spread his arms out, welcoming her to attack.
"Give me your best shot Titania!"
He called, eagerly awaiting the challenge. Not holding back in the slightest Erza ran forward, taking the opportunity the Iron Dragon Slayer was giving her. Since she had brought out one of her strongest weapons, the fight would be over soon. Either she dealt enough damage to gain the upper hand, or Gajeel would overpower her. Those were the only two options left for this battle. With Benizakura drawing all of her magic, she couldn't do anything else until her magic container emptied and she could place the sword back in her dimensional storage.
But Erza was a talented swordsman, her skill allowing her to make the best of her situation. Elegantly flowing movements, would be the description Gajeel would give if he had to describe her attack. Once. Twice. Three times she slashed in the blink of an eye. Two diagonal slashes followed by a horizontal one. Blood was drawn by her attack, surprising Gajeel since he'd had his Iron Dragon Scales active, yet she had managed to break through them.
While the wounds weren't life threatening they were serious enough that the dark haired man had to grin. Erza had put up a stronger fight than he'd been expecting. Recalling Natsu's advice to escape so that they could meet up later so he could get some answers, the Iron Dragon Slayer backed up.
If he really wanted to he could easily keep going. But Erza had proven herself in his eyes, and from what he knew of the Fire Dragon Slayer, the fight above would be ending soon, and it would be in Fairy Tail's favor.
"Gehehehehe, you did pretty good Titania. I don't have any more time to play though, so I'll give ya this round. Next time I won't be so nice."
Carefully jumping threw the nearby window, Gajeel left the battle. Erza let out a breath in relief as she fell to the ground.
"I got lucky..."
She whispered to herself, a bit upset at the fact she had failed to get the win properly. Though some of the frustration she felt was because a part of her wanted to have enough energy left to join Natsu. Even though the guild master had forbade her from fight Jose, she couldn't help but want to help shoulder the burden of the fight. After all like master Makarov, Jose was a member of the Wizard Saints. So it would be no easy fight even if all of Fairy Tail's S-class teamed up.
Still resting on the ground was how Fairy Tail's guild master had found her.
"You did well Erza. Rest, you more than earned it."
He commanded, as he brought the tired knight back towards the ground. Even though she was expecting it, Erza couldn't help but go wide eyed when she saw Ruin Knights pitching in to help defend Magnolia from Jose's rampaging shadow army.
"Natsu's the only one over there still fighting."
She heard Gray say as Makarov set her down gently to be looked over.
A couple high ranking Ruin Knights were glancing towards Phantom Lord's guild hall with grimaces. They had clearly heard Gray's words, and based on the magic they could all feel flowing from the building, Erza could tell they were in disbelief. Natsu was holding his own while fighting a Wizard Saint.
"While I know he could handle it, I think it's time I get over there and finished this. Guild master to guild master."
Makarov commented as he left Erza sitting there, with Cana and a few others giving her a check up to see how injured she was.
With Natsu
Panting lightly, Natsu bit back a groan as he felt his Fire Dragon Kings Blazing Aura fade out. Jose was fairly roughed up, but from what he could tell, the Wizard Saint could still fight.
"Damn. I didn't expect you to have this kind of stamina."
"Running out of steam? I'll admit you put up a good fight. But in the end, a mere fairy like you couldn't stand against a Wizard Saint."
Jose Taunted before unleashing a powerful burst of magic. His attack was a new one, and Natsu was unable to avoid being hit by it.
"How do you like my Dark Pulse. It's one of my most powerful techniques."
Spitting, Natsu couldn't help the grin that came to his face. He knew it wasn't the best idea, but taunting the older wizard was so much fun.
"Could be stronger. After all, you still haven't hit me hard enough to draw blood."
Going red in anger, Jose gathered his magic.
"Let's see if you can still talk after this. Death Knell!"
Unleashing his absolute strongest attack, Jose was certain the fight was about to be over. Even if the pesky dragon slayer survived it, he'd be too weak to continue fighting. But his plan went awry. A gentle and calming light descended into the room.
"About time gramps."
Natsu called. While the old man could hear the tiredness in his voice, he knew Natsu was partially faking it. After all the pink haired man was easily strong enough to fight Jose still. While he had used up a fair bit of magic, that was mostly because the Fire Dragon Slayer had no intention of actually winning the fight.
From the very beginning Natsu had set out to drag things out so that Makarov could convince the council to step in. After all, they didn't want the Magic Council to think Natsu was capable of being a Wizard Saint just yet. He was Fairy Tails trump card, and allowing the Magic Council to have access to him as a Wizard Saint would make it hard to hid his full power for much longer.
"Ah shut up and let me finish this, brat."
Makarov commented as he came to stand between Natsu and Jose. The leader of Phantom Lord could do nothing but glare. His fight had taken far more out of him than he would have liked, and even when he was at full power he couldn't match up to Makarov. That's why he was so frustrated when his original plan to take the foolish old man out of the picture failed.
"Jose! By order of the Magic Council you are stripped of your rank as Wizard Saint. Ruin Knights are already in position to take you into custody. Surrender now."
Despite it all, Phantom Lord's guild master refused to back down.
"I'd rather die you foolish old man!"
With a heavy sigh Makarov unleashed all of his magic. Thanks to Natsu weakening Jose so severely, the pressure was enough to push the already weakened man to the ground.
"Heavenly Restraint: Seal of Light!"
Light pooled around Jose, before dimming down, to a dull white glowing band of magic that snaked it's way around the mans body, effectively tying him up and sealing off his magic. Even though he was sure Jose was too weak to use his counter to Fairy Law should he have one as Mavis had predicted, Makarov decided to do things the normal way. Even though he had the Magic Council on Fairy Tail's side this time, one wrong move would have them coming down harshly on Fairy Tail as well. So he chose to play safe rather than sorry.
"Let's go Natsu. It's time to declare the war between Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord has ended."
Natsu smacked himself a few times before he moved to follow his guild master. The reason was to make himself appear far more roughed up than he was. They really wanted the council to think he had gotten lucky, and that Jose hadn't taken him seriously, so it was all to trick the Ruin Knights into reporting that Natsu was only just able to hold Jose back.
When they returned to the guild, it was only Cana's quick thinking and timely use of her Card Dimension spell that prevented everyone from swarming Natsu. Even though she knew it was an act, the brunette felt that her boyfriend deserved a break before everyone could rush him.
"Thanks Cana. What do you say we get a drink and kick back?"
Smiling, Cana couldn't wait to drag Natsu off for some alone time, just the two of them.
S.R: Okay, there we go. The Phantom Lord arc is over. Anyway, with everything going on I've got a lot more free time to write, and as such I'm placing this story on Hiatus. The reason? I've got a few other stories that have been kicking around in my head that I'm going to work on. Wither or not they get posted on here is a different story though. Basically I'm taking this as some 'me time'. Anyway, I'll see you guys with the next updated.
