Chapter Thirty-Four
Quick Recap
After much running, Erza finally found herself at the final room before Jellal. Waiting for her was the pink-haired swordmaster Ikaruga, Trinity Raven's leader. Before the two could exchange blows, however, Link appeared with a barrage of arrows that were easily deflected by Ikaruga. After a short argument, Link gave Erza an opening to proceed and confront Jellal alone by trapping Ikaruga in Nayru's Embrace. As the blonde moved forward to put up a more permanent version of the spell with some of his crystals, the prison suddenly shattered. The two sword masters crossed blades shortly after, resulting in Link's Biggoron Sword losing most of its blade to the deadly edge of Ikaruga's Mugetsu-Ryu. After an intense battle, Link eventually proved victorious, but at a heavy cost in both blood and magic. Left with little choice, he utilized a potion to heal his injuries and recover his magic given to him by Porlyusica, one she had warned that contained ill side-effects that could eventually cause a person's body to start to break down over time.
Meanwhile, the Magic Council continued its preparations to fire Etherion. Yajima reprimanded Siegrain on his choice, stating that choosing to kill his twin would have dire consequences on his character. The younger Council Member hesitated and seemed to wage an internal battle before firming his resolve and looking back at Yajima in determination, stating that Jellal was no longer his brother.
When Erza arrived in Jellal's throne room, she was forced to overcome her initial hesitation at seeing him before she attacked. Jellal trapped her in a spell he had placed for her, but she easily destroyed it and an instant later she had him pinned with a sword at his throat. She then demanded to know what his plan was, stating that for all his planning he lacked the magical power to actually activate the R-System. After a moment, he admitted the truth, stating that all those years ago he had been possessed by Zeref and unable to stop even when he knew it was impossible. He requested Erza kill him and set him free, to which she agreed before she Ex-Equipped the sword at Jellal's throat.
Link arrived later to see them both sitting, waiting for the final blast from Etherion. After a short conversation in which Link had finally snapped angrily at Erza, he demanded to know why she had attempted to leave everyone behind and face Jellal alone. She admitted tearfully that she wanted to atone for her previous failure and set Jellal free of Zeref by perishing with him. Link, however, told her that letting herself die was not atonement, and that everything she had wanted to do had indeed been accomplished. Her childhood nakama were freed from Jellal's influence, everyone else tricked by Jellal was now free, and he may be able to free Jellal from Zeref's influence. As Erza stared at him in shock, Link extended his hand out to her and asked her to come back.
Before she could answer, though, Etherion finished charging and the Magic Council activated it. With no other choice, Link prepared to pit himself against the magical superweapon with something he had not used since before he arrived in Earthland; the Triforce of Courage.
Lucy, Happy, Juvia, Wally, Milliana, and Sho all watched as the massive, pure white blast of Etherion slammed down into Nayru's Commandment, the large blue crystal shield summoned by Link, with a mixture of fear and hope in their eyes. The moment it hit, their eyes went wide as the crystal immediately started to splinter under the blast with the sound of cracking glass. An instant later, though, a golden light shone from the cracks, fighting against the white light and preventing the shield from splintering further.
Jellal's Throne Room
Erza and Jellal looked on in stunned disbelief as Link stood unyielding against the incredible power of Etherion. The moment Etherion had hit Nayru's Commandment Link had almost been driven to his knees in an instant, fresh blood staining his tunic from the mostly healed but now reopened injuries. His body screamed in protest from the impact against the crystal, but he was only aware of it peripherally, as if noting it from a secondhand source, and the fire in his eyes never wavered. An instant later, his legs firmed, his face tightened, and his teeth grit with the force of his will, with the strength of his courage. The Triforce of Courage took that determination and transformed it, as it had before, into a strength that fed on him and in turn enhanced him. A strength that poured into Nayru's Commandment, pitting his unbreakable will against enough power to destroy a nation.
Link could not keep this up indefinitely, lacking the strength to continuously channel this divine force without his body eventually breaking apart. However, he didn't need to. All he needed was to last long enough, and with Erza beside him in the same danger, with the knowledge that his nakama might not have made it out in time, he would not fail. He would hold back this danger, he would see everyone safe. Only then would he allow himself to collapse with the knowledge that he had protected everyone. Only then would he allow himself a real chance to recover.
"I-impossible…" Jellal stammered in disbelief as he continued to stare at Link in shock before his eyes narrowed in sudden anger.
Era - Etherion Firing Chamber
Siegrain grit his teeth, his face tightening in rage, before he grabbed the railing of his balcony so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the pressure. "Increase Etherion to full power!" He ordered the magical technicians, who, like everyone else in the room, looked at the scene before them in utter shock. When the one at the firing console blinked and looked up at him in confusion a second later, Siegrain pointed at the image. "Jellal must be using power from the R-System to utilize that! Even if it actually manages to keep the Tower standing, he won't have the power needed to activate the R-System afterwards!" He shouted as Ultear took two steps back with her eyes closed, murmuring something to herself. The technician's eyes went wide before he quickly turned to follow the Council Member's order, moving the power output lever all the way to the top in one quick motion.
Yajima stepped forward and opened his mouth in protest. Even though his mouth moved to indicate speech, though, no words came forth and his face froze in surprise. Ultear casually, gracefully, brought her right hand down, and in it was a second green lacrima orb that quickly shot out to slam into Yajima's stomach. The elderly Council Member slammed into the wall with enough force to crack it and coughed up blood, all of it soundlessly. The orb suddenly vanished, letting him drop to the ground, and he shakily brought his head up. His eyes popped open in shock to see Ultear glancing back at him with a cold, malicious smirk for a second before she returned her gaze forward in time to see a line of more intense power pulse down through Etherion. That was the last thing Yajima saw as darkness gathered at the edges of his sight and overcame him.
Jellal's Throne Room
"Kah!" Link coughed out blood as he felt the sudden increase of power slam against Nayru's Commandment, his golden earring and green cap shifting with the movement. The force of it slammed him down to his right knee hard enough to crack the stone floor, and Erza's eyes went wide in panicked concern. Even as she started to step forward, though, she found herself frozen as the inferno in his eyes returned full force an instant later. His body shook in exhaustion and agonizing pain, but none of it could find purchase in his mind as he ignored everything but that one, burning need. I won't fail! He ordered himself even as he felt Nayru's Commandment once again start to break apart. Even alone, I can hold this back long enough! He mentally howled in defiance, refusing to give in.
"You're not alone, my champion." A soft, lilting, refined voice suddenly sounded in his mind and his eyes started to widen in surprise before narrowing in concentration again. On his hand, the lower left triangle began to glow.
Erza and Jellal looked on in continued shock as the golden light grew more intense, quickly followed by additional lights from his torso. Yellow, green, red, blue, purple, and tan all radiated from six points on his torso in a hexagonal pattern and intermingled to enshroud him in a rainbow of color. "The Sages stand ready to support you, Hero of Time!" The voice, her voice, told him firmly, and for a second he could see the outline of a slim, white-gloved hand superimposed over his own as the Triforce of Wisdom glowed with the same intensity as the Triforce of Courage.
New strength flooded through Link, strength he had not felt in over eight years, strength that even surpassed it, and he found the press against him no longer so overpowering. "HAAAAAAA!" The Hero of Time roared as he pushed himself to his feet, his green cap now fluttering about wildly, and the force of it had Erza and Jellal unconsciously step back.
Tower of Heaven Ship
Six pairs of eyes went wide as the crystal shield, which had been so full of cracks that it seemed a miracle it hadn't shattered already, suddenly shone and reformed into a solid, rainbow-colored crystal. "Wh… what is that?" Lucy asked in quiet awe as she saw the crystal retain its solid structure against the power of Etherion.
"He-he actually managed to-" Sho started to say before his eyes, everyone's eyes, went wide in shock and horror as Nayru's Commandment suddenly shattered with one last sound of breaking glass.
"NO!" Lucy screamed in denial as Etherion slammed down to consume the Tower of Heaven.
Jellal's Throne Room
Erza moved forward in a blur as she rushed to reach Link as he flew back, smoke rising from his body, with panicked concern in her eyes. Time seemed to crawl for Erza as she grabbed hold of Link and pulled him in close. She dropped to her knees, her body bending over his unconscious, bloodied form as if it could protect him from the power that tore into the Tower of Heaven and cast everything in a blinding glare. The entire time Jellal just stood still, his right hand still extended from when he hit Link with a blast of magic and a demonic smile of triumph on his face.
Era – Etherion Firing Chamber
Complete pandemonium ruled the firing chamber as magical technicians rushed about to compare readings. "Has the Tower been destroyed!?" Org demanded angrily, his nerves almost shot after the display he had just witnessed. If not for Siegrain's quick thinking, that shield might have actually held back Etherion! He realized in shock, though luckily the shield had finally shattered and allowed the blast to hit its target.
Still, the static-filled image before him would not let him relax until the complete destruction of that structure was confirmed. "Sir, we're getting weird readings from the area!" A technician suddenly yelled out and all eyes went to him.
"What are you talking about!?" Another technician yelled out in disbelief as she rushed over. What she saw had her eyes go wide in shock, a motion not missed by the Council Members as almost all of them looked on anxiously.
"Well!?" Michello demanded irritably and the woman looked up at him, her face pale, before she swallowed nervously.
"We're still reading Etherion active in the area." She reported and most eyes in the room went wide in shock. "It appears to be focused on the Tower, but the readings are shifting around unusually. It's like the magical power is being converted into something else." She continued with an uncertain shake of her head. "Current reading is 2.6 billion edeas of power focused in that structure and gaining."
Org froze at her phrasing, something clicking in his mind. "Did you say… current reading?" He asked and the technician hesitated before she nodded her head. "What was it reading before we fired Etherion?" The one-eyed elder asked and got confused looks from every direction. "Well!?" He demanded and the technicians jerked before exploding into action. At the same time Org turned and pointed his staff at the wall separating the observation balcony where he and most of the Council Members stood from Siegrain's and Ultear's. A blast of blue magical energy shot from its tip and demolished the wall as his eye burned in fury.
"Sir, there was no magical power recorded from the structure, just several individual ones from different mages!" A technician reported while the dust settled.
All the Council Members walked to the hole with their eyes narrowed in fury and preparation to unleash their considerable magic but froze when they saw Ultear standing alone. Not quite alone, they realized a second later, seeing an unconscious Yajima lying with blood coming from his mouth by the doorway into the balcony. "Ultear… what is the meaning of this?" Org asked as his eye narrowed dangerously while he regarded the calm smile of the other Council Member. "Where is Siegrain?" He demanded a few seconds later, but this time received a giggle of amusement that surprised him and the others behind him.
Jellal's Throne Room
Erza continued to hunch over Link protectively for several seconds, her eyes closed, before she realized that she was still alive. What? She wondered, confused as she slowly straightened and opened her eyes to look down at Link. The blonde lay unresponsive but breathing in her arms, his face a little pale and drawn but seemed to be more exhausted than in critical condition. Relief shone in her eyes as she realized he appeared he would be okay before she looked down and saw the blood-stained white undershirt and pants under his tunic. "No…" She said softly before her eyes hardened as she reached for his belt to check on his injuries. Damnit Link… why couldn't you have just stayed back like I wanted? She asked herself, fearful of what kind of wounds he had sustained before trying to stop Etherion.
"Hehehehehe…" A low chuckle from behind her made her lock up as she remembered Jellal, as she remembered the magical blast he had attacked Link with, and she grit her teeth. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!" Jellal leaned back slightly with the force of his laughter as he brought his right hand up to his forehead. "What a rush! I can't believe he was going to pull that off!" He declared as he stood straight again and looked down at Link with an exhilarated expression on his face. "I knew he would be a challenge, but even I never expected something like this!" He continued excitedly and Erza's body shook as his words hit hard.
Erza turned her body slightly to the right to glare at him, her mouth open to demand an answer, before she froze in surprise. There, standing not fifteen feet away from Jellal, was Siegrain. "W-What?" She stammered out, not understanding, as she looked between the twin brothers. "What are you doing here?" She demanded a few seconds later as she regained her composure and got identical chuckles from the two.
"My job on the Magic Council is done." Siegrain said in amusement as he looked around the room with his hands clasped behind his back. "I see that everything has changed wonderfully, despite the hiccup." He said with an approving nod before he looked at Jellal.
Erza looked at him in confusion before it hit her. The previously dark, stone floored and dark-green walled room had changed into a brightly lit, blue lacrima room with large openings that allowed her to see the night sky. "Indeed, thanks for your quick action." Jellal agreed with a return nod. "I'm embarrassed to admit that I hesitated. If you hadn't given me that extra time everything could have been ruined." He said with a sigh that ended in a dark chuckle that Siegrain echoed.
"What's going on here?" Erza demanded even as she started to undo Link's belt and take off his tunic. "You told me before how you wanted to save Jellal, was that a lie?" She demanded angrily, an anger that heightened as she was forced to tear apart the blood-soaked, shredded undershirt to see four long but shallow gashes amongst the blood, one on each arm and on each side of his chest.
"Not at all, all of my efforts to this day have been to save him." Siegrain retorted in mock indignation as he placed his right hand on his chest, getting another chuckle from Jellal. "The fact that my intention to save and deliver him to true freedom was misunderstood by you is your fault, not mine." He finished and Erza's body started to shake in rage before she took a breath to focus. "Well, it was fun while it lasted." He said as he looked down at his right hand and Erza looked back at him questioningly as she reached for Link's pouch. "Existing, I mean." He clarified with a smirk as his body started to turn transparent.
Erza's eyes went wide in shock and then understanding as she turned her gaze to Jellal, who smirked in reply. "You never once suspected the truth of my 'twin', did you?" He asked with a chuckle before he closed his eyes as Siegrain disappeared. The air turned heavy for several seconds as Jellal's magical power skyrocketed before he opened his eyes to look down at himself. "'Siegrain' was nothing more than a mental projection, albeit one I had to give half my power to in order to sell properly." He said as he clenched and unclenched his fists. "I'd almost forgotten what being at full power was like." He mused before unleashing a dark chuckle. "What I'd give to see the looks on the Council's faces when they realize the truth." Jellal said and then shook his head. "Ah well, perhaps if any survive their headquarters being destroyed I'll ask them." He said with a shrug and the redhead looked at him in confusion before realization hit.
"Ultear…" Erza murmured as she recalled Siegrain's black-haired shadow and got a confirming smirk from Jellal.
Era – Etherion Firing Chamber
"Get everyone out of here!" Org ordered as he sent another blast of blue energy at Ultear, who stood calmly as she held up her green lacrima orb to the sky. When it got within five feet it swiftly started to shrink before disappearing completely, making him grit his teeth in frustration. Damn her magic! He thought before he pointed his staff at the still unconscious Yajima.
Everywhere around him the building crumbled to nothingness as Ultear used the same magic that had nullified every spell brought to bear against her, the Lost Magic Arc of Time. With it she was accelerating the sturdy building to a point of time in the future where it lost its strength and fell apart. Anyone still caught inside would be in trouble, including herself. "Ultear, stop this now or you'll end up killing yourself as well!" Org tried to reason as Yajima flew to him, where he easily caught the smaller elder. Forgive me, Yajima. He thought as he glanced down before he returned his attention to the black-haired young woman.
Ultear only gave a content smile as she continued to look up at her orb. "If it's for the sake of Jellal-sama, then my death is of no concern." She said serenely and Org's eye went wide before he grunted and turned around to escape. As he turned, he watched as a massive chunk of rock fell down from the ceiling and slammed on top of her. For a second he froze, wondering if her spell would expire with her, before realizing that the building continued to fall apart even with Ultear's death.
Damn you, Sie- no, Jellal! Org raged as he hurried to get himself and Yajima to safety.
Jellal's Throne Room
"I was honestly surprised when Ultear told me she would gladly die in order to usher in a world of true freedom." Jellal admitted with a rueful grin. "Truly I'm fortunate to find such foolish, easily manipulated women." He said with a dark laugh and Erza grit her teeth in frustration. "If only you had shared your research into the R-System with Link, the two of you might have caught on to my true plan." Jellal mocked and Erza's eyes flashed with guilt as she looked down at Link. "Instead all he could do was blindly chase after you and try to turn you from your suicidal mission." He continued mercilessly and Erza's eyes closed as tears formed in her left eye. "And then to try and stop the raw power of Etherion and leave himself wide open to attack…" He said with a sigh and shake of his head. "I never thought the renowned Maharathi would be such a blind fool." He finished and then froze, his eyes widening in shock, as the air grew heavy with an intense magical power. W-what the!? Jellal wondered before he looked up to see Erza's hair flying about wildly, her body now tense and shaking slightly.
"What… did you call him?" Erza asked dangerously as she stood up and turned to face him. Jellal found himself swallowing nervously at the focused rage in her eyes, no sign of any hint of her previous hesitation and concern present. "What did you dare call him!?" She demanded angrily as she held out her right hand and Requipped a katana. Once again, the cat ear decorations on her head brought to his mind a great predator. Only this time, he knew for certain that there would be no stopping her before the blow landed.
Jellal suddenly smirked as he brought his right hand up. "Something he has in common with you, a blind fool." He said and snapped his fingers.
Erza's eyes went wide as she her body locked up, her right hand opening to drop her katana, and her magical power was sealed. "W-what?" She asked; her confusion obvious as she looked down at herself. "AAAHHHHH!" She suddenly screamed as black, broken-fang patterned marks extended out from her back to encompass her neck, arms, and torso. Her forearms jerked back to lock behind her back, right over her left, and she fell to her knees as her legs lost their strength. "Sh-shibaru Hebi?" She grit out once the blinding pain had passed, instantly identifying what the marks were.
"Indeed." Jellal confirmed with a smile and a nod. "For someone as fiery as you can be, a spell to restrict movement and seal magic is a necessity to minimize the damage in order to subdue you." He said then before sighing in resignation. "Sadly I couldn't find one effective enough that didn't also include such pain, but one does what one must." He continued before he paused at Erza's glare. "Ah, you must be wondering when I placed that on you." He said as he walked towards her.
"When Link was blocking Etherion." Erza said and he paused to look at her in surprise. "Your hand was on my back as he prepared Nayru's Commandment… I just didn't think anything of it." She admitted bitterly as she continued to glare at him.
Jellal continued to look at her for a few more seconds before he offered a smirk and resumed walking towards her. "Well then, perhaps it's time I move on to the next part." He said and Erza's glare turned questioning. "What was it you said before? Something about not being able to gather 2.7 billion edeas of magical power, even if I gathered every mage on the continent?" He asked and Erza's glare melted to shock as she realized what he had done. "With the unmatched power of Etherion, I'd say I might have at least managed the bare minimum, wouldn't you agree?" He asked with a self-satisfied laugh. Once he reached where Erza knelt he crouched down to look her in the eyes, a dark flame radiating in his own. "So as I said before, the only thing missing…" He trailed off before he brought one hand to gently cup her cheek and watch as realization appeared in her eyes. "Tell me, Erza, are you ready to usher in the return of Zeref?" The blue-haired mage asked again softly.
"What you remember about Jellal is nothing compared to what that bastard is now capable of, the extremes he'll go to in order to achieve his goals!" Simon's words echoed through Erza's mind as she stared at Jellal. She had said that she had known, but this… this was beyond any shred of humanity.
"No!" Erza suddenly screamed as she tried to get away from his touch, to bite at his hand, anything to deny him.
Jellal offered a smirk at her feeble attempts to escape the Shibaru Hebi spell before he stood up. "Well then, let's go." He said as he grabbed a fistful of her scarlet hair and dragged her behind him, ignoring her continuing screams. "It will hurt, as your body is fused with the contained magic and then broken down by the R-System." He explained clinically, almost regretfully, as he walked up to a large, smooth lacrima cluster, the R-System Altar. "But from your sacrifice, Zeref will be reborn and make sense of this insane world." He continued, his voice now excited as he came to a stop before the formation. "In a way, I envy you." Jellal admitted as he released her hair to pull her up by the arms and placed her against the lacrima, ignoring the impotent rage in her eyes. "Don't worry though, for you won't be alone for long." He said and her rage melted into confusion at his words. "You didn't think I'd allow such a danger as Link to run free, did you?" The blue-haired mage asked with a shake of his head. "Oh no, Zeref's first action in his new body shall be the utter obliteration of that fool." He said with a dark chuckle.
Horror rose in Erza's eyes as her gaze immediately went to the unconscious Link as he continued to lie in a small puddle of his own blood. "No…" She said softly as tears welled in her eye. "NO!" The word exploded from her, ignoring the pain as she was slowly absorbed into the lacrima. "LINK! GET UP!" She screamed but got no reaction beyond a brief twitch of his ears. "Link…" Erza sobbed as her tears fell to the ground. "Please…" This time the fingers on his left hand twitched momentarily before going still again, the action unnoticed by Erza and Jellal. "LINK!"
Jellal ignored her as he turned around to walk to the center of the room. "Zeref!" He called out joyously as he raised his hands to the sky. "Accept this sacrifice, and with it return back to guide the world to a land of true peace and freedom!" He implored before he paused as he heard movement behind him. He couldn't have- Jellal thought in shock as he quickly turned before freezing.
"I've got you!" Natsu said as he pulled Erza free from the lacrima altar. The broken fang markings were gone, having dissipated when she had been almost completely absorbed, and Erza looked up at him in surprise. "Gray, how's Link?" He called out and Erza blinked before she tried to break free from Natsu's grasp. "Hey, easy there!" Natsu complained, internally surprised that he was able to keep hold of her.
"It looks worse than it actually is!" Gray called out before he shook his head. "Damnit, I thought he had already taken care of himself. I didn't see any blood when we went up the stairs." He said and Erza froze at his words before she looked down in shame. "Okay, now how the hell does this pouch work?" Gray asked as he looked up at Erza and hesitated at the look on her face.
"Visualize a vial full of a pink liquid, his ointment container, and a roll of bandages as you reach in." Erza said softly and Gray nodded before reaching for the pouch. "After you dress his wounds, you both need to get Link out of here." She said and Natsu blinked in surprise while Gray momentarily paused before pulling out the items Erza mentioned. "He's too much… Jellal's too much…" She said softly before her body started to tremble. "I don't want any of you to die up here!" She suddenly exclaimed and Natsu's eyes widened at the panic in her eyes. "Please, he's already said that he'll kill Link, and after that- guh!" Erza suddenly cut off with a coughing gasp before she slumped, out cold, in Natsu's arms, his right fist still planted firmly in her stomach.
"Well now, don't you think that's a bit harsh?" Jellal asked with a small, amused grin from the exchange. "After all, the poor thing was-"
"Shut up." Natsu growled out as he carried Erza over towards Gray and Link.
"Natsu… good job." Gray said as he finished putting the now empty vial back in the pouch, along with the unused ointment jar and bandages. Sorry, Link, I'll have to finish up after this. He thought as he placed the green tunic over Link like a blanket.
"I don't know what you did… but this wasn't Erza." Natsu said as he carefully placed her a foot away from Link. "Erza is scary… and strong… and ferocious…" He said and then grit his teeth as he turned to fix Jellal with a hot glare. "Gray, remember what Link said once?" Natsu asked as they both stood up.
Gray nodded his head as he glared coldly at Jellal, who cocked his head in mild curiosity. "It honestly made me sick to my stomach… the idea of having to fight with you for just one person…" He said and got an agreeing nod from Natsu.
"But you know, I think there's something else that's worse than that to me." Natsu growled out as he crouched down and this time Gray nodded in agreement as he squared his stance and brought his right fist over his left palm.
"Oh?" Jellal asked as his grin became a smirk and then brought his hands out in a sweeping gesture. "The two of you are already weakened from your previous fight, but you think you can take me on?" He asked with a dark chuckle as he allowed his magical power to shake the room.
"Ice Make: Lance!" Gray replied and four icy blasts shot out at the same time Natsu rushed forward, flames surrounding his hands. The four ice lances flew in at an amused Jellal when he was suddenly surrounded by a golden aura.
Jellal flew forward in a golden blur, easily avoiding the lances, and put his right hand on Natsu's surprised face. "Too slow." He said with a smirk and then the pink-haired mage was sent flying back from a blast of magic.
"Gah!" Natsu yelled out before he spun in the air and landed on his feet to rush back in and jumped up high.
Gray was already at Jellal, unleashing a flurry of punches. The blue-haired mage easily shifted around and between his attacks, never losing his amused expression. Damnit! Gray thought in frustration before he jumped back as Natsu plunged down from the air with a fiery punch. Jellal started to move back to avoid it before he suddenly hesitated and reached up to catch the blow with his right palm. His left hand came up an instant later to grab Natsu's wrist and with a quick twist sent him flying to slam into Gray.
Both grunted at the impact as Gray stumbled back. He planted his right foot and spun, letting Natsu fly past him, as he brought his right fist over his left palm. "Ice Make: Lance!" He yelled as he completed the spin and sent two ice lances flying at Jellal while Natsu spun in the air.
Jellal sighed as he negligently flung his right hand out and unleashed two blasts of golden energy to demolish the ice lances. "Karyu no…" He heard and this time showed idle curiosity as Gray jumped to the side to show Natsu as he finished taking in a deep breath. "HOKO!" The Fire Dragon Slayer roared as he fired off a blast of fire from his mouth at Jellal, whose eyes widened slightly in surprise. A large explosion went off as Jellal got hit while both Gray and Natsu narrowed their eyes against it as they waited for the smoke to clear.
"Such a shame." Jellal's voice suddenly cut through the smoke, and both Natsu and Gray were surprised by his unconcerned tone. "Is that really all the destructive power that a Dragon Slayer has to offer?" He asked as the smoke cleared to show Jellal standing there without a mark on him, though parts of his coat were smoldering, and his golden aura gone. "I suppose the stories of what Fairy Tail is capable of were exaggerated." He said with a chuckle that had Gray and Natsu narrowing their eyes angrily. "Ah well, I suppose I should end this now." Jellal said as he removed his smoldering coat and white shirt to reveal a dark purple, sleeveless tank top. "After all, Zeref won't-" The sound of stone shattering cut Jellal off and had him looking at Natsu in shock.
The Fire Dragon Slayer was on his right knee with his fist buried halfway into the now cracked lacrima floor, and looked up at Jellal with a smirk. "Wh-why you…" Jellal grit out as hatred contorted his face.
"What?" Natsu asked as Gray looked between the two with a look of confusion. "Don't you want to see what a Dragon Slayer can destroy?" He taunted and Gray's eyes cleared with understanding as the hatred in Jellal's eyes grew.
"Do you have any idea… what you're doing?" Jellal got out as his hands tightened into fists, a dark fire growing in his eyes.
"He's probably still feeling frustrated from our last job." Gray smirked as he looked over at Natsu. That hothead must have noticed how Jellal decided to block that punch to keep him from hitting the lacrima. He thought with grudging respect. "What do you say, Natsu? Feel like going on a real rampage this time?" He asked and Jellal's eyes widened.
"Hehehe…" Natsu chuckled with an evil grin as he stood up. "Always." He said as he slammed his right fist into his left palm.
"You would dare…" Jellal glared at their confident expressions before he offered them a short nod. "Very well, you fools, prepare to fall to my Heavenly Body Magic." He said as his golden aura returned, the enhancement spell Meteor. With it he could increase his speed even beyond what he had shown them, and he would make them pay for daring to threaten the R-System.
To Natsu and Gray it was as if Jellal disappeared and then reappeared in front of them. He threw himself into an airborne spin kick that knocked the two Fairy Tail Mages flying back with small cries of pain. "Kah!" Gray added a second later as Jellal crashed into him from above in a double stomp that slammed him into the floor.
"Gah!" Natsu put in shortly after as Jellal appeared underneath the still airborne Dragon Slayer and delivered a knee to his back that launched him even higher. Almost as soon as he was done, Jellal appeared before him to deliver a punishing, blinding barrage of punches that rocked Natsu, ending with a kick that sent him flying further back just as Gray's limbs finished settling on the ground.
Too fast! Both Gray and Natsu thought in shock before their eyes narrowed in renewed determination. Gray quickly rolled to his hands and knees while Natsu once again spun in the air to land on his feet, sliding back a few more feet upon landing.
"Oh, you're both getting up?" Jellal asked as he flew around them in a golden blur. "Let's try something else." He said with a dark chuckle before he zoomed in at Natsu.
Too fast, can't use my eyes. Natsu thought while Jellal was still flying around, his dark eyes shifting around quickly. Well, if my eyes are no good… He realized as he closed his eyes and relaxed his body. Just like Link told me once… my ears… my nose… feel my environment… predict my opponent's movements… Jellal's scent grew closer, the sound of the wind as he sped in sounded in Natsu's ears. Now! He thought and opened his eyes to launch a punch.
Right before the punch landed, Jellal once again seemed to disappear in a golden blur. "Wha- Gah!" Natsu coughed out with some blood as Jellal landed a roundhouse kick into his stomach. The Dragon Slayer started to collapse when Jellal reached out and held him up by his hair.
"Good idea, too bad it's pointless against me." Jellal said smugly before he turned to throw him at an incoming Gray.
Gray ducked under Natsu as he put his right fist over his left palm. "Ice Make!" He yelled as he rushed in as he formed a blade of ice around his right arm and left elbow. "Ice Blade: Seven Slice Dance!" The Ice-Make Mage finished as he launched himself at Jellal and went into a spin.
Jellal smirked before he flew forward to meet the attack. "Pointless!" He laughed out manically as he blew past Gray, avoiding his screw-pattern slashes, and stopped to hover a few inches above the ground. The two ice blades shattered while Gray was still in the air and he coughed up blood at the same time before he slammed into the ground and rolled across the floor. "Neither of you can hope to lay a finger on me!" Jellal declared before he gave a small wince and looked at his arm.
"You sure… about that?" Gray asked as he struggled to get to his feet. Jellal's eyes went wide as he looked at the small cut on his right forearm. "We Fairy Tail Mages are pretty good at pulling out all the stops in moments like this." He finished with a smirk and Jellal looked back at him with hatred burning in his dark green eyes.
"Karyu no…" Bright red filled the room and both combatants looked over to see Natsu standing with a massive orb of fire held over his head. "Koen!" He roared as he thrust his hands forward and shot the orb towards his blue-haired opponent. "Now take this one!" Natsu roared and Jellal's eyes narrowed before he easily flew over the fireball.
"Too slow, you-" Jellal cut himself off when he saw the fierce smirk on the Dragon Slayer's face before his eyes flashed in recognition. "No!" He yelled out as he turned in time to see the massive fireball slam into the wall, blowing out a large portion of the lacrima and making the room shake.
"Whoops, looks like you dodged it after all." Natsu laughed and Jellal looked back, his entire body now shaking with the force of his rage. "We may be low on magic, but it seems like you have your own handicap in this fight." He said and got a chuckle from Gray as the dark-haired mage finished getting to his shaky feet.
"You know, your friend here gave me a good idea on how to kill you." Jellal grit out before taking off towards Natsu.
"Graaagh!" Natsu yelled out as Jellal literally flew circles around him, pummeling him with a barrage of punches that targeted nerve clusters around his body, his kidneys, and the sternum; all of the blows were designed to deliver overwhelming agony to the Dragon Slayer. After several seconds of attacking, Jellal flew higher into the air above Natsu even as Gray rushed in.
Jellal extended both hands before him, his left hand, with all fingers extended, cupped under his right, which only had his pointer and middle fingers extended. "Be judged under the seven stars." He chanted as Natsu slowly collapsed to his knees. "Seven Star Blades: Grand Chariot!" Seven golden lights formed before Jellal in the form of the Big Dipper constellation as he finished his chant and his eyes gleamed.
Right as the lights shot out, Gray delivered a kick to Natsu's chest to send him flying back and spun as his right fist came over his left palm. "Ice Ma-AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Gray yelled as the Seven Star Blades crashed down on top of him before he could finish his spell, kicking up light blue dust, steam, and shards of lacrima from the impact.
"Gr… Gray…" Natsu got out as he slowly forced himself up on shaking arms and legs. As the dust and steam cleared, Natsu's eyes widened in relief when he saw Gray lying unconscious in a small crater in one piece and still breathing.
Jellal slowly clapped as he lazily floated back to the ground, making Natsu tense up. "That spell hits with the force of a small meteor… I'm truly impressed that he's still in one piece." He said with a smirk as he touched down on the floor. Still… I should refrain from doing any more damage to the R-System. He thought as he looked around carefully and noted the steam rising up. The magic is starting to leak out… I better finish this fast. Jellal determined before he looked over at Natsu.
For his part, Natsu suddenly started to sniff the air carefully. That smell… Fire Magic? He thought, catching a faint whiff of it in the steam that rose into the air. His contemplations came to an end as he jumped up from his hands and knees to avoid a golden blast. The Dragon Slayer stumbled slightly as he landed on his feet before rushing back in at Jellal with a determined yell.
Erza groaned softly as her eyes twitched while she slowly regained consciousness. What… happened? She wondered before the sound of an explosion had her eyes snap open. She quickly sat up and looked to the side to see Link, still unconscious and his tunic over him like a blanket, and relief shone in her eyes when she saw he was still breathing.
"Try taking this, you fool!" Jellal yelled and Erza tensed up before looking around the room. Her eyes went wide when she saw Gray unmoving on the ground and quickly looked in time to see Natsu block a massive blast of golden energy.
Natsu growled as he was pushed back rapidly by the blast, growling in defiance. "GRAAAAGGGHH!" He roared as he planted his feet firmly and pushed back, finally destroying the blast. Jellal and Erza looked at him in surprise as he stood there, panting heavily for several seconds, before he looked up with a grin. "Is that… all you've got?" He asked as he brought his right hand up to flick this thumb across his chin. "It'll take more than that… to make my stubborn ass stay down." He offered a weak chuckle as his legs shook under him.
Natsu… Erza thought as she looked at him. You can barely stand… but you-
"Hey Natsu…" Gray suddenly said weakly, making everyone look at him in surprise, as he slowly brought himself up to his elbows and knees. "Next time we fight… let's make sure Erza's not around…" He groaned and everyone blinked as they looked at him in confusion. "Damn, she really doesn't hold back…" He groaned out as he slowly brought one hand to rub the back of his head.
When Gray looked up, he froze when he saw Jellal, Natsu, and a reawakened Erza looking at him. "Oh… right…" He said with a small chuckle as he slowly forced himself up to one knee. "Guess I mistook that last hit for one of Erza's punches." He said and Natsu let out a bark of laughter as Jellal's eyes tightened in angry disbelief.
"Well it did leave you in a crater, so maybe it was almost as strong!" Natsu said with another laugh and Gray offered a chuckle before wincing in pain. Erza looked at the two in disbelief as Jellal gritted his teeth at their inability to comprehend their own inevitable defeat.
"Fine, you're obviously not going anywhere for a bit. Just wait while I finish off this pink-haired nuisance real quick." Jellal said darkly as he turned towards Natsu and crossed both arms up over his head. "I'm done playing with you!" He yelled as a massive, swirling darkness formed above him.
Erza's eyes widened in alarm when she saw the nearby shadows on the ground stretch to Jellal's spell, a reaction imitated by Gray and Natsu. "No!" She screamed as she forced herself up and ran towards Natsu. Link's left hand twitched at the scream for a second before clenching into a fist.
"Get out of there you idiot!" Gray yelled as he struggled to get to his feet, his body screaming in protest every inch of the way.
"Jellal!" Erza yelled as she placed herself fifteen feet in front of the barely standing Natsu, her arms extended out to her sides. Jellal, Natsu, and Gray all froze as they stared at her, but her glare was for Jellal alone. "Are you going to kill me as well?" She asked and Jellal's eyes widened slightly as the swirling darkness slowly dissipated. "I'm supposed to be your sacrifice, right?" She demanded as off by the stairs, Simon slowly made his way up.
The Darkness Mage froze at the scene before him before his eye narrowed in determination. A soft scuffling sound from the side made him look over and his eye widened in surprise.
"It's true… one of the prerequisites to bring Zeref back is a body that rivals that of a Ten Wizard Saint." Jellal confirmed with a small nod of his head. A sudden smirk made everyone tense up, for he obviously had something else up his sleeve. "However, I think we all know there's someone else here who fits that description." He said with a dark chuckle.
Erza's eyes went wide as she instinctively looked to the side before she froze, shock showing clearly in her eyes. "Link…" She said softly as her arms slowly lowered and Jellal blinked in surprise before he, Natsu, and Gray quickly looked over.
"No… no way…" Jellal said in shock as he took a step back when he saw Link, his blood-streaked torso still bare, on one knee and panting heavily. The Hylian had a vial with a light blue liquid inside held in his left hand that he tipped up and started to drink. "How… what the hell is he?" He asked as Link finished the tonic and tossed the vial to the side.
Link glared at Jellal with blazing eyes, his face tight. He placed his left hand on his green tunic and Ex-Equipped it before he reached out to grab Erza's dropped katana with the same hand. "Din… Goddess of Power." He intoned and a red aura flared around him, cracking the ground under him, and Natsu and Gray couldn't help but grin as Simon just stared at Link in astonishment. Thank you, my friends. He thought with a quick glance at his glowing left hand, his green cap flapping wildly and his golden earring shaking erratically.
No! Jellal yelled internally as he shook off his shock. That attack demolished Phantom Lord's Guild House! If he uses it here the R-System will be annihilated!
"Beacon of hope… flame of destruction." Link continued as his fiery, blue-eyed gaze returned to Jellal. Because of you, my body can handle one more spell.
Wait… he can't use that… not with others here at ground zero. Jellal reasoned with a quick glance at Erza, Natsu, and Gray before noticing Simon over by the stairs. It has to be more focused… a smaller radius. He thought as he looked back at Link. A smirk came to him as he took in the blonde's condition and dark flames rose in his dark green eyes.
"Grant to me now… thine heavenly flames." Link said as he slowly rose to his feet, his legs shaking momentarily before firming. The spell I need to protect my nakama!
"Very well, Link! Let's see if your gamble will change the outcome or be futile!" Jellal shouted as he became surrounded by his golden Meteor aura.
"And humble the arrogant with true might!" Link yelled and the red aura erupted into golden flames.
Everyone looked between the two, fiery determination reflected in both their eyes. In a moment of dissonance, they couldn't help but notice the similarity as Link and Jellal glared at each other. Their intense power shook the room as their calculating eyes showed no hint of doubt or surrender. The only difference was the bright flame of the righteous in Link's and the dark flame of the zealot in Jellal's. That was the only difference, and yet at the same time it was all that mattered.
Link's right foot shifted and then both mages disappeared in a golden blur. An instant later Link looked into the dark eyes of his target, eyes that slowly widened in surprise, with the flames now only around the blade in his hands. "Din's Eruption!" He yelled as he threw himself into a spin; towering, golden inferno erupted upwards that slammed through the lacrima ceiling. Everyone looked over in shock as Link stumbled with the spin, more blood spraying from his gashes, and the katana went flying from his weakened grasp before he collapsed to the ground with a gasp as foot-sized holes appeared in the ground leading up to the swirling tower of flames.
Dark green eyes looked down at Link in surprise before they shifted to the golden tower of flames. "Hehehehe…" Jellal chuckled as he looked at the inferno from high in the air, his Meteor spell still active. "You fool… not only did you miss…" He trailed off before he put his right hand to his forehead in disbelief. "But you even managed to take down another fool for me!" He yelled with a bout of loud laughter.
"Heh… you're the fool, you know that?" Gray asked and Jellal snapped a glare over at him. "Link didn't miss." He said and the Heavenly Body Mage looked at him in confusion before the sound of a long inhalation made him freeze. "He hit exactly who he wanted to." Gray finished as Natsu continued to inhale the golden flames and absorb their power.
Jellal couldn't believe it, he never would have thought that Link would have used the last of his power like that. "How could he do something as stupid as put his strength in that fool's hands?" He wondered out loud as the last of the flames disappeared into Natsu's mouth.
The Fire Dragon Slayer kept his eyes closed for a few seconds, trying to comprehend the incredible power now flowing through him. "Link…" He said, his voice now a growl, while scale-like patterns started to appear all over his body. He opened his eyes to look over at the downed blonde, ignoring the looks from Erza, Simon, Gray, and Jellal as golden flames radiated from his body. "Why?" He asked as Link looked at him with only his left eye open, panting deeply.
"Beacon… of hope…" Link panted out and Natsu blinked in confusion at the phrase. "Flame… of destruction…" He continued, his eye holding Natsu fast. "Which… are you?" He asked and Natsu's eyes widened before he looked down at his hands.
The power flowing through him was incredible. Enough power to destroy this Tower, a sufficient amount to even bring down Jellal. With it he could go on a rampage that would tear everything apart as if it were nothing.
"It's a dragon; it only will bring destruction and death." Link's words from long ago suddenly echoed through his mind, making Natsu look up at him sharply.
Is this what he meant? What he feared Happy would have been if he had hatched as a dragon? Natsu wondered, for his desire to destroy was indeed enhanced by the strength flowing through him.
"Igneel was a dragon, don't you dare say that!" His own hot retort echoed next and Natsu swallowed.
Is this what it was like for Igneel? All that power he had… his temper that I got from him… Natsu thought before his onyx eyes softened as he remembered his father. The fiery temper yes, but the love and concern that was always present as well. Not just that, but his insistence on Natsu learning. Not just magic, but how to read, write, do math, and other things. He remembered one time when an ape-like Vulcan had attacked him, and Igneel's wrath was something that had been as awe-inspiring as it had been frightening.
"For my enemies… a flame of destruction." Natsu growled as he glared at Jellal, whose shock gave way to a smirk as he slowly came down to land on the floor. "For my nakama…" He continued as he looked back at Link, who offered a small grin and a nod. "A beacon of hope." He finished as he clenched his hands and closed his eyes.
"And what kind of hope can you-"
"RRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!" Natsu roared, cutting Jellal off, and the golden flames shot out in a violent eruption in the form of a dragon. The force of his magical power made everyone wince from the heat, and Link had to grab the lacrima floor as tight as he could as he felt himself get pushed back. Erza and Jellal both had to bring their arms up and brace themselves as they felt themselves get pushed back as well. Gray and Simon, further back and thus less affected, just looked at Natsu in wide-eyed astonishment. The flames suddenly rushed back in to surround Natsu in a tight shroud, and Natsu's eyes opened to fix Jellal with a glare.
This… Jellal thought as sweat formed on his face. This is the pinnacle of Dragon Slayer Magic. He realized as his right hand shook slightly. Dragon Force! Jellal swallowed at the power and killing intent radiating from the Fire Dragon Slayer.
Natsu let out a growl as he crouched forward in preparation.
Into the Past: Triple S – Part 1
The Fairy Tail Guild Hall was as lively as ever as sixteen year old Link and Erza both sat at a table. The green-clad Hylian was in the middle of eating a shrimp shish-kabob, the small shellfish spaced out between green peppers and mushrooms. Erza was enjoying a juicy cheeseburger, stopping every few bites to use a napkin to wipe her mouth.
Link was dressed in his usual green attire with a white undershirt and pants, leather gloves on his hands, brown boots on his feet, and his golden earring shifted with each bite of his kabob. Erza's armor had slightly changed, going for full-length arm greaves and her usual leggings removed to reveal her bare legs under her blue skirt. In addition, her shoes had also been replaced with black boots, though she still wore the silver, diamond-shaped earrings she had received from the cat princess.
Erza's long, scarlet hair had also changed, no longer in a ponytail. Instead, she had decided a few days ago to just let it flow unhindered down her back. "What type of job should we do next?" She asked Link after another wipe with a napkin. "I was thinking perhaps another investigation; there must be one on the S-Class Board." She continued and Link thought about it as he chewed on another bite of shrimp.
"Looking for another S-Class job, are we?" Mirajane asked as she stepped up next to their table with a sheet of paper in her left hand. The Take-Over Mage was dressed in her usual, straining black halter top, dark purple short shorts, thigh-high black boots, and a purple bow that put her white hair into a ponytail. Link and Erza both looked over at her, Link swallowing his food and then breaking into a small grin while Erza frowned slightly. "Erza." She offered coolly a second later as she moved to sit next to Link.
"Mira." Erza offered back just as enthusiastically and Link held in a sigh.
This is probably as civil as it's going to get. Link thought before he took another bite of his food. All things considered, though, it was a vast improvement. During the last year as he and Mirajane slowly started to get along, she and Erza had lessened their fight-on-sight count; at least when Mirajane had something she wanted to talk to him about. There had been some teasing, but Mirajane's efficient yet almost bored way of taking whichever person down unnerved the others more than Erza's impassioned actions had, and they had dwindled to nothing after a few weeks.
"Hey Link, when are you gonna add a third girl to- gah!" One poor soul yelled out in pain as he was hit by an orb of dark magic in the face, sending him to the ground. Well, almost nothing, anyways.
"Hmph." Mirajane offered in a bored tone as her clawed hand changed back to normal before she flipped her hair over her right ear.
"Nice shot." Erza said with a small grin as she looked at the now unconscious mage. There wasn't much that they could agree on, but crushing the attempts of insinuating that Link was gathering a harem with them was one such matter.
Link couldn't understand such teasing, especially with so many painful repercussions that had occurred over the years. Erza was his partner, someone he would protect and would protect him from all kinds of harm. Without even knowing it, she had helped him overcome the darkness that had clouded him after he first arrived. She had understood that he wasn't ready to speak about some things, and he knew it was because of her own pain regarding the past.
Shortly before he had been chosen for the S-Class Promotion Trial he had tried to broach the subject with her, a small question about how she was almost always in armor, to try and see if she was ready to start sharing their experiences. Her cold tone, how she had locked up, had surprised him but he had chosen not to push. Her past had probably been even more painful than his, and he had no doubt she would bring it up when she was ready. After all, assertiveness was hardly something Erza had ever lacked.
As for Mirajane, she had become a great nakama over the last year. It had been rocky, or rather murderous, after his rather embarrassing discovery of how bad of a drunk he was on his thirteenth birthday. Apparently in the ensuing brawl he had not held back like he usually would, but rather had relived one of his fights against the bipedal, lizard-like Lizalfos. She had not taken the realization just how strong he was well, and for a few days he had had no peace in the Guild Hall before she suddenly stopped attacking him one day. He never found out why, but was glad, if still nervous, that she had instead decided to angrily demand he man up for his actions. It took two years, but he thought he would be off the hook after challenging both her and Erza to a fight so they could showcase their own abilities against an S-Class Mage.
They had been chosen for the S-Class Promotion Trial, but Erza had been the one to come out on top. A later conversation prodded on by Lisanna had Mirajane informing him that he still owed her a one-on-one fight. It had also made him realize that the reason she had kept challenging him was not due to anger at his ability, but rather because she had wanted to gain in strength herself. Why she couldn't have just said that or asked him to train with her had been beyond him, but in looking back he had been the same way in always challenging Mido in Kokiri Village. The end result of that conversation had changed something, and Mirajane had slowly started talking more and more with him. Whenever she and Erza were together there was usually an argument not long afterwards, but things had been improving. The table was still in one piece after a few seconds, anyways, and there had even been a compliment thrown out.
Progress. Link thought with an internal grin as the Take-Over Mage nodded at Erza with a smirk.
"Anyways, I have a proposition for you, Link." Mirajane continued as she looked back at him. The blonde returned the look curiously as he swallowed, his head tilting to the right. "I want you to do an S-Class job with me." She said and he blinked in surprise, a reaction shared by Erza.
"I thought that Elfman wanted you to take him out on one." Link said and Mirajane sighed.
"Yeah, and we both know how ready he is for one of those." She said and Link nodded after a few seconds. "I told him to give me a couple of months to help him get ready, or at least wait until he turns sixteen as well." Mirajane went on as she flipped her right hand back and forth dismissively.
"Oh? Is the rookie S-Class not feeling up for this one?" Erza suddenly asked with a smirk and Link froze as Mirajane shot her a glare. "You did come back from your first solo one a little banged up." She continued and Link sighed as he dropped his face into his hands.
"Listen here, you." Mirajane said angrily as she thrust her right pointer finger at the smug Erza. "Just because you got lucky last year doesn't mean-"
"What's the job?" Link cut in quickly as he looked down at his food. He still had two kabobs left and they were truly good. That and for some reason whenever those two broke something around him Makarov ended up making him pay for it.
Mirajane and Erza both looked at Link in surprise before they noticed how he had his face buried in his hands. The two looked back at each other and Erza sighed as she took another bite of her burger and Mirajane offered a quick grin at that before looking back at Link. "It seems some people from a mountain village found some old ruins a few days ago." Mirajane said and Link blinked before he looked back at her seriously.
It was almost an old story at this point, but whenever someone found old ruins they either found valuable treasure, an ancient threat, or both; usually both. Mirajane offered a nod as she handed him the job paper. "It's what you think; it seems a pair of demons had been sealed inside of it and now they're loose." She said and Erza's eyes narrowed as Link read the job. "They seem to be sticking to the ruins though, so after they attacked the village in retribution they've only attacked anyone getting close to the ruins again." Link blinked and his ears twitched in surprise at that, but he wouldn't want to bet on that staying the case.
"It sounds like they may just be trying to regain their strength." Erza put in and Mirajane hesitated before she grudgingly nodded in agreement. "So it's as I suspected, the rookie-"
"I'm doing this to actually see what this guy's capable of on a job!" Mirajane snapped angrily as she jerked her thumb at Link. Link paused in his reading as he joined Erza in looking at Mirajane in surprise. "So, Link, what do you say?" She asked as she looked over at him challengingly. "I'll call you even on that fight." She added to sweeten the deal and Link blinked.
Link looked back at the job for a few seconds and then back up at Mirajane. "We're in." Erza said and Link and Mirajane looked over at her. "Link, I know you will not turn away from such a job." She said before she took another bite of her burger. After she chewed and swallowed, she brought her napkin up to wipe her mouth. "Thus, I shall be going as well." She finished and Mirajane's right eye twitched.
Link looked between the two nervously before he took another bite of his food. "Fine, the more the merrier." Mirajane grit out and Erza smirked. "But since I chose the job, I'm calling the shots." She added and Erza's smirk turned to a glare.
At that, Link quietly stood up with his plate and started to walk away, the job still in his hand. "Link!" Both Erza and Mirajane snapped causing him to freeze mid-step, his ears drooping, the shout getting attention from others in the Guild Hall. He slowly put his foot down and turned around to look at the demanding glares from both young women before he swallowed his food.
"Use Farore's Wind and you will regret it." Erza informed him and Link found himself swallowing again. "Who do you think should be in charge?" She demanded and he looked around nervously.
Macao and Wakabe both smirked at his predicament before going back to their drinks. "And I thought he was in trouble with just Erza." Macao chuckled and got an agreeing chuckle from Wakabe.
Everywhere else he looked garnered similar support, or lack thereof. "Well, Link? I did choose this job after all." Mirajane said and sweat started to form on his forehead. "And if you're thinking of using any version of Nayru right now, just remember I know how to break through it." She reminded him and more sweat appeared.
At this point Link was considering using Din's Fire as a distraction and making a break for it. They hadn't said anything about that one yet.
"Don't you two think you're being unfair to Link?" Lisanna suddenly asked as she walked up to them. The youngest Strauss wore a simple red dress that went down to her ankles with a pink, collared undershirt and a white ribbon tied in the front. She had pink, sleeve-like attachments on each arm, topped with golden-colored bands that showed off her red Fairy Tail mark on her left shoulder and a pair of red slipper-like shoes. She still kept her white hair short, but had it more angled inward with just a bit more length the further it went before stopping at her shoulders at a rounded point in the middle, rather than the even length of her childhood.
The beautiful young woman stepped up to the table and looked down at Erza and Mirajane with a mild look of reproval, making them both look to the side in mild discomfort. "Mira-nee, do you think putting Link on the spot like this is fair?" She asked and Mirajane crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly. "What about you, Erza? You should know better than anyone how much trouble Link would have in actually choosing something like this." She continued and a small blush of embarrassment came to Erza's cheeks. "If you both can't decide, maybe Link should be in charge." Lisanna said with a bright smile.
Mirajane and Erza both looked at each other speculatively for a couple of seconds before they looked back at Link. The blonde looked between the two and offered a sigh as he shrugged.
"A good choice." Erza said with a nod of her head.
"Hmph. Better him than Erza." Mirajane agreed with her own nod.
Link offered a final nod before he put the plate on the table and walked over to where Makarov sat on the bar counter.
The Fairy Tail Guild Master looked at Link as he stopped in front of him and offered an amused grin. "So what was that about?" He asked as Link held up the job. "Hmm…" He hummed thoughtfully as he took the paper from Link and read the paper. "So, one demon for you and one for Erza." Makarov said with a nod and Link sighed before he shook his head. "Oh, you're taking this alone?" He asked as he grabbed the mug of beer next to him. Link grabbed his arm, making him look at the blonde curiously.
"Oi, Link!" Mirajane called out as she and Erza waited at the door. "Hurry it up so we can get ready for the job!" She said and Makarov locked up in shock.
Link sighed in relief, knowing that if Makarov had been drinking it would have been sprayed all over him. "You… you three are doing a job together?" Makarov asked incredulously and Link nodded in confirmation though his eyes showed his doubts. "Mirajane and Erza actually doing a job together…" The Fairy Tail Guild Master said with a shake of his head before he paused. "Hmmm… this might actually be a good story for Weekly Sorcerer." He said speculatively as he stroked his chin with a gleam in his eyes and Link looked at him nervously. "Demon Mirajane, Erza the Titania, and the newly named Maharathi Link working together to defeat an ancient evil and protect a remote village…" He mused and Link sighed as he closed his eyes. "I can't think of better publicity for Fairy Tail!" Makarov declared with a laugh and reached down to put a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "You make sure those two get along." He said with a grin and Link's ears drooped as he looked up at him in disbelief.
"Link, let's go." Erza said and Link buried his face in his hands for a second to take a breath.
Once he was done, Link took the job sheet back from a still grinning Makarov and put it in his pouch. With that finished, he went back to pick up his two remaining kabobs from his plate and walked out with both in his right hand. I'm doomed. He thought as he nodded at the two rivals to indicate he was ready to leave.
Natsu looked at Lisanna curiously over his flaming-hot, literally, pasta as she sat down across from him and next to Happy. The young man was dressed in his recent style of a black, sleeveless vest kept open to reveal his toned torso, white pants that stopped at his shins, and wooden sandals on his feet. The only thing that remained the same was his white, scale-pattern scarf he was never seen without. "Hey, how come you stepped in back there?" Natsu asked then gave an amused chuckle. "It's not often I get to see Link sweat like that." He added before he took a bite of his fiery meal.
"Aye." Happy said with a nod of his blue-furred head.
"Well, maybe because I finally saw a way to pay him back for saving our child." Lisanna said with a smile as she petted Happy on the head. Natsu jerked in surprise and started to choke on his food.
"Lisanna, what are you talking about?" Happy asked as he closed his eyes and smiled at the feel of her hand on his head while Natsu pounded his right fist on his chest.
"Oh, nothing to worry about." Lisanna replied with a final pet and smile down at him. By this point Natsu managed to get his food down to his stomach instead of its attempted trip to his lungs and looked at her with a wide-eyed blush.
"I can't believe… you're still bringing… that up." Natsu said between gasps of breath after almost choking to death and Lisanna offered a giggle at the look on his face.
Fiore Countryside
Link sighed as he walked through the woods, looking for some firewood as the sun started to set. One more day and we reach Smokesen Village. He thought and he was ready to get there to obtain more information on the ruins. The past three days had been long for the Hylian despite the surprisingly small amount of heated arguments between Erza and Mirajane. Rather, it was the way they would suddenly stop mid-argument and just glare that was wearing him down. It was almost like sitting next to a bomb with the fuse lit and waiting to see how long it would take to explode, but not quite as peaceful.
Another thing he was looking forward to was the hot spring they had made camp close to. A nice relaxing soak sounded good, and hopefully might calm down Erza and Mirajane as well.
An hour later, Erza and Mirajane were walking through the moonlit woods. Both were barefoot with towels wrapped around them and a bag holding a change of clothes over their shoulders. Erza had originally intended to make the walk to the hot spring in her armor, but a quick taunt from Mirajane had her Requipping to a blue towel. It's not like they didn't magically prepare for battle anyways; Mirajane would change her form that had its own attire and Erza would Requip to the proper armor for the situation. It had taken Mirajane a little longer to shift to her purple towel, but it wasn't long after that for them to start their short walk. Link had taken off shortly before that after setting a proper campfire in what appeared to be another firewood gathering walk, which is what prompted Mirajane to have the two young women take their soak now.
"I can't believe you actually haul that much luggage with you on jobs." Mirajane said with an irritated glare at the redhead. Back at their camp was a large wagon filled to the brim with massive suitcases that held extra armors and equipment for Erza.
"It pays to be prepared." Erza said stiffly in response, still uncomfortable with walking around out of her armor. The two of them continued to glare at each other for a few seconds before Mirajane suddenly sighed.
"Hey, is Link always this tense on a job?" The Take-Over Mage suddenly asked uncertainly as she looked down at the ground. "I thought he would be more…" Mirajane trailed off uncertainly before giving a small shrug. "Link." She decided on after a few seconds with a small wave of her left hand.
Erza brought her right hand up to chuckle softly at the appropriate description. Serious but relaxed, calm but intense, the contradictions could only really be summarized with her partner's name. "No, he's actually more curious and attentive to what's around him, especially when we go to a place we haven't seen before." She said with a small smile. "He's almost like a little kid when it comes to exploring somewhere new, even now." The redhead went on before she looked to the side with a guilty expression.
"It's because of us, isn't it?" Mirajane asked even as Erza opened her mouth to continue, making the redhead pause before she looked at Mirajane in surprise. "I thought that trying not to argue in front of him would put him at ease, but instead it looks like it's just making him more nervous." She continued with a shake of her head.
Erza slowly nodded her head in agreement. "That's how it appears to me as well." She said as she brushed her hair behind her right ear uncertainly. "I thought that our usual arguments on a job would have made him nervous, but it didn't occur to me how the opposite might be worse on him." She admitted before she looked over at Mirajane. "Perhaps we should try acting… friendly… to each other?" Erza had trouble suggesting that, but forced it out for Link's sake.
Mirajane stopped to look over at Erza incredulously, unable to believe what she was hearing. Even as she opened her mouth to shoot down Erza's idea, though, she paused and looked down uncertainly. If this kept up, Link would probably too wound up to fight properly, and with two ancient demons as enemies that could lead to his death. Not only that but she was genuinely concerned that what she had intended to be a way to really see him in action was putting this much stress on him, just because of her rivalry with Erza. Maybe pretending to be friendly with Erza could… Mirajane's thoughts trailed off as something occurred to her.
Erza blinked in surprise as Mirajane brought her left hand to her mouth to smother a sudden bout of giggles, her right hand coming up to make sure the towel didn't fall from her shaking body. "What?" Erza asked as her surprise shifted to ire.
"It's… it's just…" Mirajane stopped to take a breath and got her laughter under control. "If someone had told me a year ago I would seriously consider that out of concern for Link I would have laughed at them." She said with a shake of her head and Erza's ire vanished into confusion. A second later, though, Erza's eyes widened as the full meaning of Mirajane's statement hit her. "What?" The Take-Over Mage asked with narrowed eyes when she saw the surprise on Erza's face.
"You're… actually worried about Link?" Erza asked uncertainly and Mirajane's eyes narrowed further for a second at her surprise. "You've hardly been one to worry about his wellbeing before." She went on with less uncertainty but still some confusion in explanation of her question.
Mirajane's anger dissipated in understanding at Erza's point before she looked to the side. "Hmph. Well, he's a good nakama now, so I think I'm allowed to be a little worried about him." She said, her tone a little gruff as she blushed slightly in embarrassment.
Erza looked at Mirajane in further surprise before she brought her right hand up to stifle a laugh. She then quickly brought up her left hand to still Mirajane's next, no doubt heated, comment, as she looked back at her. "If I may ask, what did bring about this change of opinion on Link?" Erza asked curiously, her head tilting to the side. "I noticed it shortly after my first S-Class job, but could never understand it. All Link would say was that you two talked."
Mirajane looked at her for a few seconds before she nodded towards the hot spring. "After I… failed to make S-Class last year, I stepped up my training." She said once they started walking again and Erza nodded at the sensible response. "Apparently so much so that Lisanna was concerned and sent Link to talk to me when I wouldn't listen to her." Erza looked at her in confusion at Lisanna's choice to send Link, to which Mirajane just shrugged. "After a short spar to test a new spell, he ignored my demand for him to leave and we eventually talked… after I waited seven minutes for him to start the conversation back up." She growled out that last part as she looked to the side.
"Fufufufu…" Erza laughed softly into her right hand.
Mirajane sighed in agreement with her assessment with a shake of her head before continuing. "While we talked, he… he homed in on my doubts right away…" She said and Erza looked over at her in surprise before giving a small smile and nod of her head. "Not only that, but then he told me something. 'Real strength does not come from winning. When you go through hardships and choose not to surrender… that is strength.'" She said and stopped walking as she looked down, Erza stopping with her. "When he said that, his eyes… they had this-"
"Fire." Erza cut in and Mirajane blinked before looking at her. "Ever since he arrived, Link always had that fire, that light, in his eyes." She said with a small nod and Mirajane looked at her in surprise. "Whenever he feels strongly about something, or is fighting to protect someone, it's like looking into an inferno… is that what you saw?" She asked and Mirajane slowly nodded her head. "Of course, he usually ends up doing something reckless at moments like that…" Erza continued with a sigh as she brought her left hand to her forehead.
"Well now, I've heard you complain about it a lot but never could really believe it like everyone else could." Mirajane said with a smirk and Erza looked at her crossly. "Come on, how reckless could that guy possibly be?" She asked and Erza gave another long-suffering sigh.
"Considering what we're fighting tomorrow, I've no doubt you'll find out." Erza mumbled with a shake of her head before resuming their walk to the hot spring.
Mirajane and Erza walked into a small clearing a couple of minutes later and both grinned as they saw the steam rising up around a large rock that signified the hot spring. "See, we both managed to get here safely." Mirajane teased with a smirk and Erza sighed in annoyance but otherwise ignored her. "Now then, let's enjoy our soak so LINK!" She screamed in shock as they walked around the boulder to see Link already in the hot spring, his upper torso bare and eyes closed in relaxation, and clutched the front of her towel.
Link's ears twitched with a wince before he yawned and opened his eyes. He tilted his head as he looked at Mirajane's shocked expression, wondering what had surprised her.
"Wh-what are you doing here?" Mirajane asked with a small blush forming and Link blinked as he looked at her curiously. "So help me if you say…" She started to say through clenched teeth before trailing off as something occurred to her. "Hold on, why aren't you embarrassed?" She asked and Link's face screwed up in confusion. "We're only wearing towels, and you're naked." She said flatly and his expression became questioning.
"To be fair, Mira, the towel is actually covering more than your usual attire." Erza remarked as she placed her towel and bag on the ground and slowly walked into the hot spring with a sigh.
Mirajane let out a small grunt of acknowledgement before she froze as she realized Erza had just unclothed herself in front of Link without a care. What was more shocking was that once again the blonde barely seemed to notice that the redhead was naked as she slowly sank into the hot spring with another sigh until the water reached her shoulders. "Hold on, what's going on here?" Mirajane demanded as she looked between the two, flustered.
"We're soaking in the hot spring, what is the problem?" Erza asked as she looked over her shoulder and the Take-Over Mage's jaw dropped.
"I… you… when the hell did you two get comfortable with seeing each other naked?" Mirajane demanded as she continued to look between the blonde and redhead. Are they actually a couple after all?
"It would be hard to wash each other's back while clothed, Mira." Erza said with a sigh before she looked forward again and leaned her head back to enjoy the heated water. "It's a great way for nakama to become closer." She added lazily and Mirajane's blush increased with anger as she glared at Link.
The Hylian blinked in confusion at her anger even as he backed further into the side of the hot spring. "I never thought you could be so-"
"Why are you so angry with Link?" Erza interrupted firmly, anger sparking in her eyes, as she stood and turned to face Mirajane, water sluicing down her chest like a small waterfall back into the spring. "I read about this shortly after Link arrived years ago, and it's worked just fine." She said as she glared at the white-haired mage.
Mirajane looked at Erza, dumbfounded, as she processed what Erza had said. "H-hold on… you mean you both…" She trailed off before she suddenly sighed and brought her right hand to her forehead as she closed her eyes. I can't believe these two both made S-Class before me. She thought before she shook her head. "Fine, whatever, but I'm not taking a soak with Link in the hot spring." The sound of water splashing had her opening her eyes curiously.
The sight of Link standing up, as naked as Erza, made her lock up in shock as she took in the sight of the water trailing down his toned body. Her face went red as she looked down too far and her blue eyes went wide before she quickly turned around with a squeak of surprise. "S-s-s-sit back down!" She stammered out angrily and after a few seconds Link sighed in confusion before he sat back down. How the hell is this even possible!? She internally screamed, trying to connect the blushing, embarrassed Link from a year ago to this casual disregard for nudity.
"Mira, what is the problem?" Erza asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. "There's no need to get flustered by soaking in a hot spring together." She said with a sigh.
No need to- Mirajane started to scream internally before she suddenly blinked as something occurred to her. She glanced over her shoulder to see Link back down in the water, leaning back with his eyes closed, and sighed in relief as she got her blush under control and turned away again. Okay then, Link, if that's nothing to get flustered about, try this. She thought with an evil smirk as Erza shook her head in exasperation and sat back down.
"Oh, Link~" Mirajane said in a low, sultry voice and Link's eyes popped open in surprise as Erza looked back questioningly. Link gulped and his face went bright red as Mirajane stood there, leaning forward with one arm under her chest and pushing it up enticingly as she looked at him with a seductive pout. "Is there really no reason to get flustered?" She purred with a wink as she toyed with the top of her towel. The Hylian's ears started to rise up before he quickly looked away and swallowed nervously. "Hahaha!" She broke out in laughter as she dropped her pose and held her towel to keep it on her shaking frame.
"Mira!" Erza snapped angrily but Mirajane just kept snickering for a couple more minutes before finally subsiding.
"Okay, now I get it." Mirajane said with a final shake of her head. It's not the body he gets affected by; it's the attitude when using it. She thought in amusement before shifting her gaze to Erza as the redhead continued to glare at her. "Oh, fine." She said with a sigh. With one last moment of hesitation she removed her towel and put it and her bag on the ground before walking into the hot spring. "Happy?" She asked as she sank down to her shoulders before giving a satisfied sigh as the warm water went to work.
"Ecstatic." Erza grit out before she closed her eyes as she sat back down. "So much for trying to get Link to stop being so tense." She said with a sigh and Mirajane froze while Link blinked and looked over questioningly, his blush having started to recede. Erza froze as she realized what she had just said out loud.
"Good job, you idiot." Mirajane snapped as she glared at Erza and received an equally intense glare back.
Link cleared his throat to get their attention and both young women froze again before they sighed and turned to look at the still confused young man. With another glance between the two, Mirajane nodded at Erza.
The Requip Mage nodded back before turning her attention to her partner. "Link, Mira and I both noticed you've been unusually tense on this job." Erza said and Link blinked before his eyes cleared in realization. "We each thought that since our usual arguments seem to make you nervous, we should try and not do so while on this job together." She paused after that and sighed.
"But if anything you're worse off now than anything I've certainly seen back at Fairy Tail." Mirajane cut in then sighed as she saw Erza giving her a look. "Yeah, yeah, not counting when I would attack you, blah, blah, blah." She said with a dismissive wave of her hand and Erza's eyes narrowed.
Link suddenly chuckled softly into his left hand and both of them quickly looked back at him in surprise. "Better." He said with a grin and they blinked in unison at his comment. "You're being you, not bottling it in." Link explained and their eyes widened slightly in realization.
"So hold up," Mirajane began as their eyes started to narrow, "if we had actually argued like normal you would have been just fine?" She demanded and Link paused as he considered her statement.
"I'm used to it." Link decided on and Mirajane's right eye twitched in aggravation. "You two wanting to argue but stopping before it finished and bottling it up… that's what was making me so nervous." He said and Mirajane crossed her arms over her chest and leaned back, her expression hardly showing she believed him.
Erza also crossed her arms over her chest, but sat up straight, bringing her chest slightly out of the water. "Then explain your nervousness in the Guild Hall." She said crossly, starting to get annoyed that all her effort to not argue with Mirajane seemed to have been pointless.
Link blinked at their growing ire and swallowed before he looked to the side and scratched his cheek. "It became hard to finish my meals... you both usually ended up destroying the tables." He admitted and they both looked at him in stunned disbelief.
"And you couldn't have just said something?" Mirajane demanded as now both of her eyes started to twitch.
Link offered a nervous grin and shrugged his shoulders.
Mirajane just sighed as she brought her right hand to her forehead. "You know what? I just realized what I asked." She said and let her body just relax again in the hot water. "I guess it's a good thing we didn't get very far with your idea." She remarked idly to Erza, who had also lounged back to relax. "If just us not arguing was this bad, imagine how bad he would have taken us actually being friendly to each other." She said and Link made a strangled noise of surprise.
"About that well." Erza agreed with a soft laugh as she started to lazily kick the water. "I suppose what we should agree on is working together against those demons." She said and her white-haired rival smirked.
"I think I can deal with that one." Mirajane said and Link grinned at them before he leaned back to relax as well.
Progress.
Shibaru Hebi – Bind Snake
Karyu no Hoko – Fire Dragon's Roar
Karyu no Koen – Fire Dragon's Brilliant Flame
Okay, that was another fun one to type. By the way, I assume if you're down here you've already read the chapter.
Link vs Etherion was definitely a blast to put down, especially with his boost after Etherion's increase to full power. As for the interruption, I couldn't see Jellal just letting that happen without doing something about it and still being a brilliant mastermind obsessed with bringing back Zeref.
Natsu and Gray teaming up against Jellal was something I had actually hoped for in the original manga. Both injured and low on magic, forced to put aside their rivalry in order to save Erza before some kind of deus ex machina would of course kick in so Natsu could shine… that was the fight I had been hoping for. So now it's Jellal vs a Din's Heavenly Flame empowered Natsu. And people were feeling bad about Laxus vs drunken Link…
For the Into the Past, hopefully the Part 1 was noted. There is a second part coming with the next chapter. Honestly it was just going to be one thing but then I started having more and more fun with it while more and more ideas occurred to me. As a buddy pointed out to me beforehand, there was no way in hell something like that was going to be a one chapter thing.
By the way, I finally went back and did those corrections for names people had pointed out before; only took me… far too long. Gotta love those manga translations, but that's how I knew Laxus (Luxus), Mystogan (Mist Gun), etc. for the longest time. If you see one I missed shoot me a PM.
Hope everyone enjoyed the chapter and let me know what you think.
Thanks to vandbenz for being my beta reader.
Till next time.
