"Come on, hand it over." Marta extended her hand out ot the cell that contained Zelos, Utlear, and Meredy. She was speaking to Zelos.
"Hand what over? My heart? You already have it!" Despite the situation, Zelos' attitude did not change at all. It was pretty incredible how stubborn he was.
"No, you buffoon." Marta shook her head. "Your sword. Count Waltz demanded that you hand over the blade. We need the gem that's been embedded within it."
"The camera? So you can go through the footage and see what I was doing last night?" Zelos' arms rested behind his head. "Well…about that. I hate to break it to you, but I actually don't have my sword on me right now. I gave it away last night."
"You what?!" All three women just stared at Zelos in disbelief. He was unarmed this whole time?!
"You gave it away…!?" Ultear's jaw dropped. "But why…!?"
"How did you plan on rescuing us without a sword…?" Meredy pinched the bridge of her nose. Zelos really was a piece of work. "Who did you even give it away to!?"
Zelos just wore his usual smile in response to all the chaos his response created. "Someone capable is borrowing it."
Pergrande: 130
Active: Keele, Aki, Blair, Mii, Lucia, Shade, Cloud, Elly, X, Rajaron.
Alvarez: 125
Active: Brandish, Jacob, Oriana, Julius, Alice, Ken, G, Zero, Little Queen, Ragen.
Fiore: 115
Active: Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Jellal, Sting, Minerva, Kagura, Luke, Reve, Bacchus.
Seven: 105
Active: Ace, Tia, Jack, Heartless, Joker, Spade, Spark, Daigo, Strong, Diamond.
Joya: 105
Active: Allegretto, Polka, Beat, Rondo, Tuba, Jazz, Yeager, Marx, Yumia, Yukia.
Bosco: 90
Active: Gaia, Edna, Nasir, Verona, Alex, Daryan, Lore, Magnus, Hiruka, Yakuza.
Minstrel: 70
Active: Rob, Raku, Renae, Asbel, Medusa, Byrnhild, Tyson, Amadio, Felix, David.
Erza was wearing the same kimono that she wore for the X791 Grand Magic Games. It was a nostalgic outfit that signified Fairy Tail's return after their 7 year disappearance. Wearing it now gave her the feeling that Fiore would be able to triumph over the challenge that they were presented. With Blue Pegasus working to save Hisui and Emerald, that left Mii to save. The stipulation given to Fairy Tail in the beginning was first or second to save Mii. But Erza wanted more than that. Not only did she want to win, but she wanted to defeat the Wizard Hunters once and for all. She stared at her hand, a determined fire within her eyes. "We will not lose." She told herself, staring off into the distance. The first part of her plan was already in place and it was only a matter of time until she had to act on it. "I'm counting on you, Reve."
"I'm glad it didn't take very long for me to find someone." That voice belonged to Byrnhild. The S class of Harpy's Nest wasn't too far away from Erza's own starting position in the south. "Erza Scarlet."
Erza turned around to see who her first foe was. A powerful swordswoman from Minstrel. "Byrnhild. I've heard about your strength and I've seen it in that one event."
Byrnhild drew her sword, waiting for Erza do to the same. "I've heard whispers of people often comparing our abilities as swordswomen. I am here now to put those rumors to rest. Draw your blade and face me."
This wasn't entirely what Erza had in mind at first, but she was going to go with it. She drew not one, but two blades, staring down Byrnhild. "You'll have to forgive me if I make this too quick for your liking. But I have a number of reasons as to why I cannot fall here."
Byrnhild's stoic expression didn't fade. Her red eyes staring directly into Erza's own. "I was going to say the same thing."
Numerous fiery explosions lit up near Celestia Forest. Natsu and Jack were hurling fireballs towards one another, each collision ending in a gigantic blast. Jack had the aerial advantage and he was making sure to use it, staying well out of Natsu's reach. "Heh, you don't have your cat with you this time! So there's no chance of you out maneuvering me again!"
Jack had a point. Happy was the reason Natsu was able to keep up with Jack in the first place; that and they did battle in an enclosed space. Right now, Jack had all the aerial freedom in the world! But this was Natsu. If anyone thought a simple disadvantage like that was going to stop him, then you'd be dead wrong. "Oh yeah!?" Natsu simply grinned while bending his knees, watching Jack's flightpath and acting accordingly, leaping high into the air with a powerful jump to meet him head on. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Jack was admittedly surprised that Natsu could leap that high, but not surprised by the fact he actually did it. Anticipating such an action, he flipped over Natsu's incoming punch, purple flames igniting around his left leg. "Got you!" Jack swung his leg at Natsu's back, but he was shocked when Natsu flipped while in the air, his fiery leg colliding with Jack's. The impact of the two strikes caused them both to bounce back, Natsu landing on the ground in a crouched position. "What the…"
"Heh!" Natsu landed with a smug grin. "Your flames are only gonna drain me if I take a direct hit! As long as my flames are around me, I should be safe from the side effects of your attacks. Plus, you might have the advantage in the air, but I have all the room I need on the ground too. You know that long range attacks aren't gonna cut it…so no matter what you do, you're gonna have to come at me eventually. And I know I can beat you in close combat."
"…" Jack was stunned. Natsu was 100% correct; Jack could outlast him in the air, but if he wanted something decisive, he had to come in close. "You know, I always forget your brain only works during combat." And yet he was grinning; he knew a rematch with Natsu wasn't going to be easy, but this was what he wanted in the beginning. "You want me to come at you? Alright then! YOU ASKED FOR IT!" Wicked flames ignited around his fist and he dove towards the ground, slamming his fist into it! "Wicked Uprising!" The ground trembled violently for a moment before pillars of purple flame scorched the land, rising up sporadically to strike Natsu.
"That's more like it!" Natsu grinned and started sprinting ahead, bursting forward and leaping towards Jack headfirst. "Fire Dragon's Sword Horn!" He was aiming to slam his skull right into Jack's stomach, but the Dealer mage pushed himself away before that could happen! Natsu still held his grin, planting his hand on the ground to shift his momentum, and chased after Jack in the air. "I don't think so!" Spinning his body around, he slammed his foot down on Jack's chest, landing the first hit of the match by sending Jack rocketing to the ground.
"Oof!" Jack grunted as he spiraled out of control, but he was able to catch himself in the nick of time. He then looked up, spotting Natsu still coming down at him!
Natsu linked his hands together, raising them over his head. He was taking inspiration from a certain lightning dragon, flames igniting around his joined hands. "Fire Dragon's Jaw!" With all his might, he swung his hammerfist down at Jack's skull, but he missed at the last second. His impact with the ground caused a small explosion of orange flames around him.
Before Natsu could even move after that, Jack flew in, his fist slamming against Natsu's chest. "Got you." A wicked smile appeared on his lips as the follow through pushed Natsu backwards a few feet. Even if the flames themselves didn't do much damage to Natsu because of his affinity, the Wicked effect was now in place.
Natsu could feel it. But despite the magic slowly sapping out of him, he wore a smile. It was only a matter of time until this happened, but he had a plan. "I'm just warmin' up!"
Hiding behind a few trees nearby were Yumia and Yukia. They knew Dragon and Dragon Slayers were going to be an issue when it came to sneaking around, so they prepared by hiding their scent with a special coating. This way they wouldn't be detected. "Looks like we found our first two marks early…" Yumia said with a wide grin.
"Mhm. Just let me know when we strike…" The fire twin said with a menacing smile. "The others should be in position by now."
Lucy was wandering about near the eastern edge of Joya, following the river bank. "The idea to stick as a group didn't last long…but I can understand why." She was talking to herself, thinking over the strategy Fiore planned out. They had no idea what the other teams were planning so they had to stick to their guns. "It's pretty quiet…and I'm a little tired…" The blonde yawned. For some reason, she didn't get as much sleep as she would've liked. "Nerves, maybe…? Maybe I should find a safe place to rest later…" Being this tired so early was going to slow her down later. But if she were attacked, no doubt she'd find herself waking up immediately. It was silent for a few moments before…
"Found you."
That voice caused Lucy to stiffen up. Looking across the riverbank, she saw Tia leaning against a tree. "T-Tia!?"
"Yo, good morning." She waved to Lucy, giving a slight grin. "I was hoping I'd run into you first, Lucy. Looks like my prediction was spot on. I dunno what you guys are planning, but I had a feeling I'd run into you sooner over later."
"You wanted to run into me first? How nice…" Lucy was sweating. Tia was not one of the people she wanted to run into first thing in the morning, but the moment Tia spotted her, it was far too late to try and run. She was in this for the long haul now.
"I've always wondered what it would be like fighting you." Tia admitted, pushing herself forward as a golden light wrapped around her body. She was already donning her Queen's armor, signifying her motivation to fight. "I know I'll win, but I want to see how close you can make it." Without any warning, she pointed her scepter forward, unleashing a potent blast of water directly towards Lucy!
"Gah!" Lucy jumped to the side, donning her Star Dress: Aquarius! As soon as she landed on her feet, she spun her arms in a counter clockwise circle, firing off a cyclone of water directly towards Tia to strike back. "Hah!"
Tia shook her head, spinning her scepter around to take control of the cyclone Lucy fired before it could harm her. "Trying to use water against me? I know you're smarter than that!" Tia smirked before slamming the scepter down, turning the water Lucy used against her, entrapping the celestial wizard in a violent torrent.
"Ngh…!" Lucy crossed her arms as she was scooped off her feet, attempting to get her bearings straight. This was a time she really wished she had Aquarius' key right about now, it would be a huge help. But she had to do without and was eventually slammed into the river, where the stream carried her off. "Wah…!"
Tia wasn't going to let Lucy rest. She knew Lucy was the type to have some trick up her sleeve for this kind of fight. The sooner she could stop it or draw it out, the better a chance she had. Pushing off, Tia glided across the stream, where Lucy was trying to get her bearings. "You better think fast! Otherwise this won't end well for you!" She was goading her friend into the fight she knew she could put up. Pointing her scepter forward, she released several condensed bursts of scaling hot water at Lucy.
Lucy barely had time to recover. She pushed herself up by creating a platform of water under her feet, which allowed her to stay on top of the water. She found herself on the defensive, sliding back and forth to avoid the bursts of Tia's attacks. "I can't even summon a spirit! She's not giving me any time to breathe!" So she was going to have to make time. Lucy turned around and started to go along with the current and speed down ahead.
"Trying to run from me!?" Tia could obviously do the same, pursuing Lucy down the river. "You can't get too far!"
Lucy took a quick look at her surroundings. There were a few tree branches hanging just low enough for her to use. With a slight smirk to herself, she pulled her whip out, wrapping it around the tree branch. "I'm not running!" Lucy shouted as she used the whip to flip over the branch and Tia as she came nearby, swinging to kick her opponent right in the face! "I'm just gaining some ground!" After that swing, she held onto the tree branch to see how Tia would approach. That physical training with Laxus was coming in handy now.
"Oof!" Tia was staggering after that kick. It hurt a bit more than she expected, but otherwise she was fine. "I see someone's been working out." Ultimately, Tia was unfazed by the kick and simply started to glide upstream. "But if you thought that'd be enough, you got another thing coming!" Tia traded her staff for a yellow sword with ridged edges resembling a bolt of lightning. "Thunderbolt Blade!"
"EEP!" Lucy's eyes widened and she jumped off the tree immediately. Just in the nick of time as Tia chopped it down, the large oak now falling into the river and floating downstream. Lucy landed on the fallen tree and used it as ground to stand up, sweating as Tia was still planning to pursue her. "I really wish I had Aquarius right now…!"
Following along the two women fighting in the river was Yeager. Since they were so occupied with one another, it allowed him to pursue them with ease. "What an intense battle first thing in the morning, jaja. I'll bring it to a close before they know what hit them…"
Erza and Byrnhild's battle was intense, as expected of two S class mages duking it out. Erza swung her blades one after another, using the dual blade advantage to gain ground against her opponent. But Byrnhild was more skilled that that, using her swing sword to easily parry and counter Erza's attacks. Sparks were flying as their swords collided over and over, neither woman managing to gain a distinct advantage over the other. Erza pivoted on her heel, aiming a double slash at Byrnhild's side, but the woman known as The Valkyrie jumped high into the air to avoid it. "Tch."
Byrnhild muttered something under her breath, where wings then sprouted from her back. She dove down, now attacking Erza with increased ferocity. Erza found herself on the backfoot for a moment, even more so when Byrnhild's sword lit up in flames. "Flame Slash." Erza dodged to the side as Byrnhild swung, a wave of flame incinerating everything behind her in its path. "You dodged. Impressive. Most people don't survive that."
"I cannot afford to be 'most people' right now." Erza said with conviction in her voice, exchanging one of her swords for Neptune's Sword: the blade of water that would give her an edge in this scenario. She then swung the sword horizontally, shooting a crescent wave of water that was blocked by Byrnhild's sword. The collision of fire and water created steam and Erza used that opening to attack, swinging her other sword down with force, but it too collided with Byrnhild's still blazing sword. "Huh?"
"Did you really think water would be enough to snuff out the flames of Angurvadal?" Byrnhild's eyes narrowed at Erza's attempt. She then lifted her leg to slam into Erza's stomach to push her back, following up by a flying slash that cut across Erza's side, burning through her kimono and leaving a mark on her skin. First blood.
"Kch…" Erza hissed quietly in pain but shook it off. This was going to be a much more difficult battle than she anticipated. "I see the rumors weren't unfounded at all, Silver Valkryie."
"I can say the same, Titania." Byrnhild wore a hint of a smile on her lips. It had been a long time since she got to clash blades with someone for even this long. There weren't many who lasted as long as Erza had…so that excited her. Toppling such a foe would prove Minstrel's superiority despite some bad runs in the tournament thus far. "But you aren't good enough to defeat me."
"We've only just gotten started, haven't we?" Erza took another stance, changing from her kimono into her Flight Armor. "I think it's too early to begin speaking in absolutes. Fiore has a way of surprising people."
Before the two women could resume their battle, a beam of light struck between them causing them to turn in the direction it came from. "Now now, ladies. Don't tell me you're getting started without me?" That was Lucia, sauntering onto the field with Excalibur drawn, the holy sword radiating a powerful aura. "Byrnhild Renolf and Erza Scarlet…two of the strongest known swordswoman in Ishgar…although, I've already beaten one of you."
"…" Erza glared at Lucia. She had to pay this woman back for the missing guild mark on her arm.
"Lucia Silverwind, wielder of Excailbur." Byrnhild briefly turned her gaze to Lucia, but her attention was on Erza still. "I do not know how such a blade fell into the hands of a merciless cur such as yourself."
Lucia waved the insult off. "Oh, come now. There's no need for such foul language. The Wizard Hunters are a guild just like everyone else. Only we aren't shackled to the law and do what we see fit."
"And therein lies the problem." Byrnhild scoffed. But clearly her words weren't going to get through to Lucia. "But that is neither here nor there. You're here to fight us, aren't you? Very well. I will defeat the both of you and gain the needed momentum." Byrnhild was staring down two team captains; 20 points if she could manage to defeat them. If there was one advantage Minstrel had over the other teams…their team was so at odds with each other, nobody could even begin to guess who the team captain was after all this time!
"This will have to do." Erza told herself. But before the threeway could begin…
"Erza Scarlet, Byrnhild Renolf, and Lucia Silverwind! We have our first alliance battle." Count Waltz's voice echoed from a lacrima screen above them. "How will you team up? That is entirely up for you to decide, but someone must make a decision!"
Oh great. Now someone was going to be forced int scenario. Byrnhild glanced between both Lucia and Erza, weighing her options. If they decided to attack her, she was confident she would win…but it would take a massive toll on her. "…"
"It seems our decision lies with our dear Harpy." Lucia grinned. "But she's a smart one…so I know she'll make the most effective choice."
"Is that so?" Erza asked.
"She's right." Byrnhild took a few steps to…Lucia, standing by her side while pointing her blade at Erza. "She has already defeated you in single combat. Therefore, if I were to team up with you, you'd simply slow me down. And I do not wish to take the toll of fighting you both for it would exhaust me too much so early in the grand finale. This is the most effective course of action; I will defeat you, then Lucia once this is over. Giving the front runner is a small price to pay in the end."
"And so we have it! Minstrel and Pergrande vs Fiore!" Waltz commentated.
That's exactly what Erza was worried about. Her defeat in Day 1 to Lucia's hand set a bad impression that carried into the finale. This uphill battle became that much steeper now that she had two difficult opponents instead of one. But she didn't plan to back down either. With the speed of her Flight Armor, Erza dashed ahead, drawing both swords back as she lunged at her new opponents. "If that's how you feel…then I'll gladly show you why you made the wrong choice in the end!"
.
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Next Time: The Trap.
