Chapter 169

Tainted Fury

Everything was quiet, the only sound being Brain's labored breathing, as he struggled to do so.

Brain slowly looked down at the blade, and then looked behind him, and when he saw that Willy was his attacker, shock filled his eyes. "The boy?! Wh-What is the meaning of this?!" he managed to choke out. "H-How are you already awake?!"

Willy responded with a low growl, as he pushed the blade into the man even deeper causing more blood to drip out from the wound and some to dribble out of Brain's mouth. Then, while using the sword to lift Brain off of the ground, he let out a scream as he swung Brain around and brought it forward, sending Brain flying across the ground until he slammed into the rocky wall.

"Master Brain!" cried Klodoa with horror.

The talking skull tried to rush over to Brain to try and help his master, but before he could get close, Willy sharply turned around and, with a mighty swing of his fist, punched him, shattering him into pieces.

"N-No way," stuttered Happy in fright. "He sent him flying like it was nothing. And he smashed that stick thing too."

Natsu and the others couldn't speak. As the dust cleared, Brain was leaning in a crater from the impact, holding his chest in agony as he struggled to breathe.

"Th-This can't be!" Brain coughed, while spitting out some blood. "I-I'm your master! How... dare you arrack me?!"

"Oh, but he didn't," said a voice. "Well, at least not his true master."

Then, Silver Beard came walking out from seemingly out of nowhere, as cool and calm as a cucumber.

"S-Satoshi!" Brain rasped. "What... is the meaning of this?"

Silver Beard pushed up his glasses, making the lenses gleam. "Isn't it obvious, Brain? You've, shall we say, been backstabbed. Quite literally, I might add."

Shock crossed Brain's face before being replaced by anger. "So, this was your game this whole time!" he snarled. "For what reason would you do this?! Do you intend to take the power of the Infinity Clock all for yourself?"

Silver Beard then chuckled. "Don't be so absurd. Unlike you, I could care less about this worthless artifact. The only reason why I went along with this facade for so long was for my own personal gain, and... to settle some unfinished business."

He walked over to Brain until he was only a few steps away from him, his smirk changing into a neutral line, while Brain struggled as he stood up, leaning against the wall for support.

"Back in the past, I followed you, Brain, believing that you would be able to bring my dreams to fruition," he went on. "But then... you betrayed me, and took what was mine. Ever since that fateful day, I've bided my time, waiting for the perfect chance to take back what was mine, year after year up until our paths crossed again, nothing keeping me going but my desire and thirst for this moment, and now, my waiting has paid off."

He paused impressively.

"I no longer have any use of you," he said. "You've served me well, so at least I should thank you for providing me with your resources, but I can't allow anyone else to know about my plans. Therefore, I must bid you goodbye."

Brain's eyes went wide, and before he could speak, Silver Beard swung with two fingers pointed and struck Brain right into his left pectoral hard. Brain spat out a glob of spit and blood, and with one more weak and feeble gasp, his eyes rolled back, and his body went limp. At the same time, Imitatia's body also started glowing as it slowly began to shrink.

"M-Michelle! What's happening to you?!" Lucy wondered as she held the girl in her arms.

But the girl didn't respond as she continued to shrink, until her true form was revealed. A doll now lay in front of Lucy, bearing a bit of resemblance to the girl it once was, wearing a small blue dress with a red rose in the middle. As Lucy stared at the doll, trying to process what had happened, memories began to surface in her mind. She had seen this doll once before, and she knew where she did, and why Imitatia did what she did, as she remembered a recent memory.

Inside the attic, Lucy and Michelle were searching around, trying to find some clues. Then, Lucy removed a sheet covering up an old painting with several tears on it, but it could still be seeable. It was of herself as a little girl sitting in a chair, holding a small doll in her arms, while her mother, and her father, Jude, stood on either side of her.

"When was this taken?" asked Michelle.

"A little bit before Mom passed away," said Lucy, smiling nostalgically. "All I can remember was being told sit just like this. I had a heck of a time staying still because all I wanted to do was play. It was pretty hard on me when I lost her, so much that I took it out on everyone around me. I was such a little terror back then, making things harder, and worrying everyone."

"I see," said Michelle. "I'm sorry to hear that."

But Lucy was upbeat. "Someday, I'm going to make enough money to buy this place back," she said with confidence. "And when I do, I'll put everything back to how it used to be. Or as close as I can at least."

Michelle's eyes went wide with amazement and surprise. "Really? Do you mean that?" she asked hopefully.

"Of course," replied Lucy with a grin.

A big smile spread across Michelle's cheeks, as her eyes filled with tears.

Lucy was surprised. "I-Is something wrong, Michelle?" she asked worriedly.

"No. Nothing's wrong," said Michelle. "I just think that it's a wonderful idea. I think it would make Uncle Jude very happy."

Lucy then picked up the doll as hugged it close to her chest, tears now falling from her cheeks. "Yes. I remember now," Lucy thought to herself. "That's why she wanted things to back the way they were before. She wasn't lying to me. She truly believed it. And at one point, I did too. She was my little sister."

"Hold on, Michelle was a doll this whole time?" puzzled Happy. "But, how is that possible?"

Silver Beward turned around as he straightened up. "Personification Magic," he said. "It was a magic that Brain used to bring that doll to life of whom you knew as Imitatia. The moment I killed him, the magic was dispelled, and it reverted to how it was before."

"But... I thought you and him were allies!" Natsu spoke, visibly disturbed. "How could you do that to him?! Not to mention because of you, Michelle's gone!"

"Easy. I hit his pressure point and most likely destroyed his heart," he said aloof. "Besides, he tried to kill me, so an eye for an eye as things go. Besides, he was your enemy as much as mine, and the thing was dead when Brain pierced her, so why should it even matter, Salamander? If anything, you should all be thanking me."

"Thanking you?!" Natsu exclaimed, now disgusted. "We never asked for your help, and we certainly didn't ask for you to murder people!"

"What does it matter? All of the seals from the Neo Oracion Seis have been removed, and the Infinity Clock is now yours to stop," said Silver Beard. "Then again, I'd expect you lot to be saying such pointless drabble." He walked away from Brain and stood before Natsu. "However, I do believe you and your friends owe me for handling such an ordeal." He stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Now, how should I go about this?"

He paced around thinking for a few seconds, before coming up with an idea.

"Oh, yes. To make things even between us, you shall help me with a new experiment," Silver Beard said with a grin. "I've been looking for new subjects to test out my latest work, and you'd all be perfect for it."

"Like we would ever help you!" snapped Lisanna. "Not after what you've done!"

"Yeah! I don't know what your deal is, but there's no way we're going to be your lab rats!" Elfman also snarled. "So, if you're looking for a fight, then bring it on!"

"I'm afraid you misunderstand. I wasn't making a request," said Silver Beard. "And whoever said that you would be fighting me?"

Willy, now stood next to Silver Beard, his eyes gleaming green, as he growled while barring his teeth, his hands balled up into fists.

"Willy, what do you think you're doing?!" demanded Coco. "I thought Silver Beard was your enemy! Why are you siding with him?!"

"No, Coco. Something's wrong," said Lisanna. "The look in Willy's eyes is different than before. They don't look right!"

"Oh, no. Don't tell me..." Lucy spoke with unease. "Not again!"

"That's right," said Silver Beard. "After finally perfecting my Control spell, my subject is where he belongs. However, I tweaked him a bit to my liking."

Willy's fists began to ooze with a black substance, it enveloping them as he continued to growl and glare, like a wolf ready to pounce.

"Willy! What are you doing?!" yelled out Elfman. "We're your friends! Don't let this guy control you! You gotta snap out of it!"

"I'm afraid he can't respond, let alone hear you," said Silver Beard. "Unlike when Brain was using the spell before, I've made sure that the spell was stronger, so you'll have a tough time breaking it. But if you insist on prattling, by all means, go ahead. Either way, it suits me fine. This is all a part of my experiment."

"Damn you!" Natsu snarled. "Undo what you did to Willy right now, or I'll burn that beard right off your face!"

"And why would I want to do that?" Silver Beard said with a dark smile. "You should feel honored. You're all are going to be a part of my latest and greatest experiment that will supersede anything I've accomplished before. Think of this as gratitude for taking such good care of my little subject, and if you die then... well, I'll leave it up to your imaginations."

He paused as he took a few steps back, while Willy seemed to growl even more than before, grounding his teeth as he did.

"Now, my subject, this is your chance to show off the fruits of my labor! Your targets are those that are standing before you! Crush them without mercy, and show them the full extent of your powers! NOW, GO! ! !"

Willy let out a roar as he charged towards Natsu and the others, swing a fist. Natsu, reacting quickly, ignited his fist with flames and countered with a punch of his own. Their fists collided with an immense amount of force, creating a powerful gust from the shockwave.

"N-Natsu!" cried Lucy.

"Stay back, Lucy!" Natsu ordered. "You and the others leave this to me!"

"But Natsu!" protested Lisanna.

"I mean it," Natsu ordered again. "This is going to get nasty."

As the two recoiled back from the collision, Willy shot forward towards Natsu and attacked with multiple punches and swings, while Natsu dodged and parried in defense. Then, as Willy swung again, Natsu grabbed him by the arm and swung him around while throwing him towards the rocky wall. Willy quickly righted himself, planting his feet on the wall, and Natsu pounced with a Fire Dragon Talon, only for Willy to block the attack by crossing his arms. The rocky wall crumbled and crack from the force as their power flared, but didn't break. Willy threw Natsu away, while conjuring up a pair of large stars with the black substance and threw them. Natsu quickly bent backward, narrowly dodging them as they shot by. But as he did, Willy suddenly dashed forward in gave Natsu a sharp kick to his stomach, the force sending him skidding back, forcing him to flip and claw the ground to stop himself.

Elfman then ran up between. "Willy! Listen to me! You have to snap out of it!" he yelled. "You're being controlled, and we don't want to fight you!"

Willy snarled upon seeing Elfman and shot straight towards him in response, swinging his leg in a kick. Elfman quickly defended himself by using his Take Over Magic to change his arm into his Black Bull and blocked the incoming attack with his forearm. Willy didn't let up as he continued to punch at him until he swept Elfman's legs, tripping him up making him fall flat on his back. He then jumped up while raising his fists as he came down, and swung them down hard, intending to break him in half.

"Elfman, watch out!" Lisanna yelled.

Hearing the warning, Elfman quickly rolled out of the way just as Willy's fists slammed into the ground where he lay. The impact of his fists alone made the ground tremble and shake as they created a small crater. Not wanting to let his prey slip away, Willy was on the attack again, attempting to get Elfman while he was down, but then Natsu rejoined the fight by unleashing his breath attack. Sensing the incoming attack, Willy jumped back out of the way, while flipping twice until he came to a stop, and then shot towards Natsu and Elfman again, the substance in his hands morphing into long blades. With another yell, Willy shot towards them, swinging both of his blades, while Natsu and Elfman jumped out of the way. Once again, the ground trembled slightly as Willy's blade hit the ground, tearing and crumbling apart as a concussive blast of wind whipped about.

"This isn't anything like when Willy was fighting Natsu before!" cried Lucy. "His attacks are way stronger now, and faster, too!"

"And that black stuff on his hands!" pointed out Happy. "My cat senses are telling me that it isn't a new mode like Willy was saying before! Not to mention he looks kinda scary!"

"How right you are," said Silver Beard. "You are witnessing the power of my latest and greatest work. As you're well aware, my toxin has the power to enhance a wizard's capabilities as well as their magic, but it's not just my latest concoction that's doing its job. The Control spell I've used on him also plays a key part in my subject's new strength. When Brain used it, he made sure to suppress all of his emotions because he believed they would get in the way. But after some research and testing, I've discovered that there's one emotion that he overlooked, and has the potential to bring out unlimited potential and power."

He paused as the others looked at him.

"Anger. As the saying goes, Magic is all about emotion, and when those emotions run wild, the wizard's magic increases in strength," he continued. "So, instead of suppressing all of my subject's emotions, I left his feelings of anger unchecked. The angrier he gets, the stronger he becomes, and if you add the toxin to the mix, you got the greatest and most lethal killing machine."

Lisanna glared in anger. "How could do that to him?!" she spoke crossly. "Getting angry isn't how you gain strength!"

"Oh, no? If I recall correctly, Salamander has quite the temper himself, doesn't he?" said Silver Beard. "Whenever he gets angry, the flames of his Dragon Slayer Magic become that much hotter, so are how not the same?"

"They're completely different!" Lucy snapped. "Unlike him, he can feel as angry as he wants to, and not be controlled! There are other ways of getting stronger than just through anger!"

"I'm afraid that's where you're wrong, Ms. Heartfilia," said Silver Beard. "But rather than waste my time telling how much, why don't you and the rest of your friends watch the show? I promise it will be quite entertaining. Well, for me at least."

"Turn Willy back to normal right now!" said Coco. "Or we'll knock that smug attitude right out of you!"

"Don't even bother to waste my time," scoffed Silver Beard. "The experiment is underway, and I'm not going to waste my time fighting women and children."

"What did you say?!" demanded Happy. "Them's fighting words, you old fart!"

Lisanna, Lucy, and Coco were angry and raring to fight, but suddenly, Elfman came sailing past, falling and tumbling to the ground. The girls then heard Natsu.

"Lucy! Get out of the way!"

The girls and Happy looked up in time to see Willy heading straight towards them, his glaring green eyes fixed solely on them, and his blades poised to strike. Immediately, Happy grabbed hold of Lucy and flew her to safety, while Lisanna and Coco dodged as Willy slammed his blade into the ground.

"Oh, man! That was too close!" squeaked Happy. "He's really trying to hurt us!"

"If we're not careful, Willy's going to do a lot more than just hurt!" said Lucy.

As Happy made sure to hang on to Lucy using his Aera Wings, they heard a voice via telepathy.

"Hey, you guys! How's everything going? Did you beat the Neo Oracion Seis?"

It was Warren.

"Warren, we've got a problem!" said Lucy. "A problem that might be worse than the Neo Oracion Seis!"

"What are you talking about, Lucy?" asked Warren. "What's happening over there now?"

"It's Willy! He's being controlled again!" cried Happy. "That Silver Beard guy's got a spell on, and he's-!"

Then, Coco's voice shouted. "Happy! Lucy! Look out! He's coming straight towards you!"

At that moment, a leg came down swinging, hitting Lucy on the back hard, sending her and Happy plummeting towards the ground. Natsu immediately rushed into their path and caught Lucy and Happy just before they hit the ground.

"Are you guys okay?!" Natsu asked worriedly.

"I-I think so," Lucy winced.

Natsu then looked back at Willy, who was still glaring and growling, his eyes glaring daggers. "Damn it! Come on, Willy! You gotta wake up, man!" he yelled. "Can't you see you're hurting your friends! This isn't you!"

Willy responded with another scream as he shot straight towards them, but then Lisanna stepped in the way and used her Take Over Magic to turn herself into a giant, colorful bird. She flapped her large wings, creating a huge gust of wind that blew Willy back, forcing him back.

"We're not getting anywhere like this!" Coco cried. "We have to do something now. Otherwise, Willy's really going to hurt us!"

"But we can't just hurt him either!" pointed out Lisanna. "What are we supposed to do?!"

No one really knew. Willy then got back up o/n his feet and let out another yell, his eyes gleaming with anger. Then, Elfman spoke up.

"Guys, listen. If we're going to survive this, we have to take this a bit more seriously," he said. "We going to have to fight back with everything we've got."

"But Elfman, we can't!" protested Lisanna. "Willy's one of our friends, so we can't just hurt him!"

"Lisanna, I get it. I don't want to hurt Willy anymore than you do, but we've got no choice in the matter," said Elfman grimly. "Like Coco said, we have to defend ourselves, or Willy's going to end up killing us."

"Even if you say that, there's no way I could ever hurt him!" insisted Lisanna. "After everything we went through together, there's no way I could hurt him!

Then Natsu had an idea as he looked across to Silver Beard. "In that case, then what do you say we try something?" he said. "That old guy over there's the one controlling him, right? So that means if he goes down, the spell on Willy will go, too!"

"That's... a good idea, Natsu," said Happy. "I'm actually surprised you came up with a plan like that."

"Yeah, it's a good plan," said Coco. "If you want to be a puppet, you got to cut it from the strings of its puppeteer."

"In that case, let's do it!" said Lucy as she took out a key. "OPEN! GATE OF THE GOLDEN BULL! TAURUS!"

At her command, Taurus appeared from existence, letting out a fierce bellowing moo as he did.

"Listen up, Taurus. I need you to attack that old guy over there," ordered Lucy. "Make sure that he gets put to the dirt!"

"You got it, Ms. Lucy!" the humanoid bull spirit acknowledged as he brandished his ax. "But if I do this, I'm expecting a smooooch!"

"Coco, you, Elfman, and Lisanna keep Willy distracted!" said Natsu. "Me, Lucy, and the bull guy are gonna take out Silver Beard!"

"Right!" acknowledged Coco, Lisanna, and Elfman.

"Don't forget about me!" said Happy. "I want in on this, too!"

"You sure up for this, Lucy?" asked Natsu. "You got banged up pretty hard."

"Don't worry, I've been through worse, so I'll be fine," said Lucy. "Compared with everything else I've been through in our adventures, that was just a love tap."

"That's what I want to hear," Natsu smirked. "Now, let's go!"

"Aye, sir!" said Happy.

The group then split up, one group going for Willy, and the other going for Silver Beard.

While standing where he was, Silver Beard didn't move as Coco, Elfman, and Lisanna surrounded him.

"TAKE OVER BEAST SOUL!"

"ANIMAL SOUL: RABBIT!"

"FREE RUN UNLOCK!"

Both Elfman and Lisanna used their respective magics as they charged, while Coco used her Magic Sandals to increase her speed. But Silver Beard raised a hand, putting his middle finger and thumb together, and snapped them. Immediately, Willy shot forward, appearing to attack Natsu and the others, and took a huge jump, going straight over their heads, and landed right in front of Silver Beard, cutting off Elfman, Lisanna, and Coco. Before the three could react, he clotheslined Coco smack on the neck, making her flip and slam flat on the ground. He shot towards Lisanna and gave her a series of rapid punches to her underbelly before finishing with an uppercut, knocking her flat on her back with a thud. Elfman let out a roar, and he wrapped his arms around Willy, trapping him in a bear hug.

"Come on, Willy!" Elfman growled. "Don't make me do this!"

Willy responded by headbutting Elfman smack on the head as he thrashed around, breaking free, and jumped into the air. He clenched his fists, making them gush with back substance, and came down like a meteor.

"Elfman! Get out of there!" yelled Natsu.

Elfman leaped out of the way in time for Willy to slam his fists into the ground, and a massive black geyser of liquid erupted from where he stood. The shockwave alone could be felt throughout the area as black rain rained down.

"D-Damn it all," cursed Elfman.

"Taurus! Get in there and help them!" Lucy ordered.

Taurus charged in with a bellowing and angry moo, his labrys ax at the ready. "Hurting a couple of women like that is a despicable mooooove!" he snarled. "I'm gonna make you pay for that, buddy!"

The giant humanoid bull swung his weapon and struck the ground creating a tremendous shockwave that split the ground and blasted rocks straight toward Willy. Upon sensing the attack, the substance on Willy's hands morphed into large fists, and he crossed them, shielding himself and Silver Beard as the shockwave blasted at them. Willy then dashed straight towards Taurus, his fists morphing into a pair of twin blades. Taurus gripped his ax as got ready to swing as Willy closed in, but then Lucy shouted.

"Taurus! Wait! Don't hurt him!"

This made Taurus hesitate for a brief second as he swung, and that hesitation would cost him as Willy avoided the attack. He attacked with a powerful slash of his blades as he zipped past the spirit, while stopping just behind him. Then, Taurus's chest exploded with a large x-like gash on his chest as his body began to deteriorate and fade away.

"No! Taurus!" cried Lucy.

"Oh, man! I didn't even see him move!" cried Happy.

"S-Sorry, Ms. Lucy..." Taurus spoke weakly. "It looks like I'm mincemeat. I'm heading back to the pasture... S-Smooooches."

And Taurus disappeared into the Spirit World.

"You got to be kidding me!" Happy cried. "Lisanna and Coco are down for the count, and Willy took out Taurus like it was nothing!"

"It seems that my subject's response to my commands seems to be working perfectly," said Silver Beard. "I'll admit that what you attempted was a sound tactic, but it was a predictable one. As long as my subject is under my control, I don't even have to lift a finger. This is precious data, but I do believe I can obtain more. Let's see if we can do some more testing."

Silver Beard then looked across to Lisanna and Coco, who were lying on the ground in agony. When he saw them, a throaty chuckle escaped his lips as he smiled.

"Let's try this then," he said. "My subject, why don't you go ahead and dispose of those girls over there, seeing as they're broken and of no use? Starting with the girl with silver hair."

Natsu and Lucy's eyes went wide with horror as Willy turned towards Lisanna, and shot straight towards her.

"Leave her alone!" yelled Lucy.

"Willy, don't do it!" Natsu shouted.

But before Willy could make his attack, Elfman stepped in the way and swung a fist, and nailed him right smack on the stomach. The blow sent Willy tumbling on the ground before he managed to stop himself. However, that made Willy even angrier as his eyes glowed.

"Sorry, Willy, but I'm not gonna let you hurt my sister any more than you already have!" Elfman growled.

Willy responded with a roar of anger as his fists exploded with ooze as he shot straight towards Elfman with a vengeance, while the latter charged back. Elfman swung and punched with his fists while Willy blocked and avoiding them, while punching back. While the two slugged it out, Natsu dashed forward while going for Silver Beard, taking advantage of Willy being distracted.

"Now I got you!" Natsu yelled as he jumped up, conjuring a ball of fire in his hands. "FIRE DRAGON: BRILLIANT FLAME!"

As he launched the fireball, Willy dodged another punch from Elfman and gave him a powerful kick to his abs, knocking the wind out of him. He then shot straight towards Natsu's Brilliant Flame while cloaking his right leg with ooze, and before it could reach Silver Beard, he gave it a mighty kick, diverting it away, and redirecting it towards Elfman. The fireball shot straight into the beast, creating a mighty explosion; while blowing him back before hitting the ground, his body singed with burns.

"Elfman!" cried Lucy.

"He was able to redirect Natsu's attack with a single kick!" gasped Happy.

As Natsu and Willy landed back on the ground, Natsu took in a large amount of air, and then unleashed his breath attack.

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR! ! !"

As a huge stream of fire erupted from his mouth, Willy jumped to his right, avoiding the attack. Then, while cloaking his hand with ooze, changing into a tendril, and made it shoot out, extending it until it reached Natsu, wrapping around him and binding his arms. With a mighty tug and swing, Willy pulled Natsu straight towards him and swung and slammed him straight into the ground. Natsu screamed in pain as he was slammed, but Willy didn't let up as he continued, relentlessly slamming him multiple times while alternating each side, until he threw him straight into the rocky wall. Battered, bruised, and slightly bloody, Natsu slumped against the wall, wincing in agony.

Willy then turned his attention towards Lucy and Happy, seeing that they were the only two left standing.

"Lucy! You got to summon another spirit, right now!" cried Happy. "Hurry!"

But Lucy was frozen, her feet staying rooted to the spot, as she trembled like a leaf out of fear. She couldn't even speak.

"What do I do?!" Lucy thought. "I'm so terrified that I can't move!"

Willy cracked his fingers as he let out a low growl, as he coiled his legs ready to pounce.

"Come on, Lucy! You gotta snap out it!" cried Happy as he pulled on her skirt. "He's coming!"

But Lucy remained trembling and frozen, unable to respond or move. Willy launched himself towards Lucy and Happy, intent on destroying them like his other victims, swinging a fist with the intent to knock her head off. Happy quickly spread his Aero Wings and flew just in front of Lucy, intent on protecting her.

At that moment, a hand reached out and stopped Willy's fist a few inches away from Happy's nose. Happy and Lucy looked up as did Willy, and saw that the hand belonged to someone who was now in her Satan Soul form. Lucy and Happy were surprised and grateful to see her. They knew who it was.

"M-Mira!" the two of them spoke happily.

Things are heating up now!

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Until then, Dragomaster, signing off!