Hyde's Stage! The assistance of Aiden emerges from the shadows, kidnapping Wendy to lure Team Natsu onto the big stage. His production will not go as he wishes!
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Tenorujima Island was under attack by Count Waltz, Tuba, and Rondo. While this was the worst time to attempt such a thing with the battle between demons and angels raging all around, this did not deter Waltz from trying to enact his plan against Fiore and Fairy Tail. Ruler of Joya, disguised as a Commandant of Pergrande was a man of action and planned to cut down the tree that was a source of power for the wizards of Fairy Tail. His efforts were impeded by the arrival of Gajeel and Cobra, who fought Tuba and Rondo, and Laxus planned on dealing with the Count himself.
Waltz wasn't leaving without cutting down that tree, and as the acting guild master of Fairy Tail, Laxus had no intentions of letting any harm befall anything Fairy Tail. He never did anyway, but with the title of Master now attached to him, it went double. "I gave you your chance." Laxus said as lightning sparked around his body. In the next instant, he activated Lightning Body, speeding forward to strike Waltz. "Lightning Dragon's Iron Fist!" Laxus swung his large fist at Waltz, but to his surprise, Waltz's natural speed allowed him to easily sidestep the attack.
A swing and a miss. Waltz jumped to the side, sucking his teeth at Laxus' audacity. "Do you really think I would take orders from someone like you? I am a King and you will respect me!"
"I don't respect anyone who thinks they can hurt my family." Laxus said, unfazed by Waltz's speed. If anything this just meant he had a competent opponent, but that didn't matter in the long run. Laxus rushed at Waltz again, while Waltz used his speed to clash with Laxus. The two were bouncing all over the place, Waltz' sword clashing with Laxus' electric fists. Numerous electric shockwaves boomed out from the collision of powers, the two of them eventually meeting in the middle with a stalemate.
Waltz was holding his sword with one hand, keeping his ground against someone like Laxus with no problems. But Waltz was counting the number of times he and Laxus swung at each other. It was easy to forget, but mages of Joya had the special Echo Chamber ability: The more attacks they landed in a sequence, the stronger subsequent attacks became. He then brought up his free hand and snapped it. "Harsh Torment!" With all of the Echoes built up from their clash, this snap turned into an extremely powerful burst of purple sound that surprised Laxus by throwing him into a nearby cliff side. "That should teach you not to meddle with me."
Laxus slowly emerged from the cliff side, bruised from the impact, but it wasn't something he was unable to handle. He just cracked his neck and played it off. "That the best you can do?"
"How dare you mock me?!" Waltz grit his teeth, drawing a magic circle with his sword. "Aure Dominium!" Before he could actually finish using the attack, Laxus used Lightning Body to appear by Waltz's side, kicking him in the stomach with all his might. "Guh-!" Waltz coughed, eyes widening as his body was flung across the rocky terrain until he came to a halt on a knee. "Damn…!"
Laxus wasn't letting up. The moment Waltz stopped, Laxus appeared in the air, his hands linked together over his head. "Lightning Dragon's Jaw!" The lightning dragon came down, slamming his joined hands together down on Waltz's crown, causing an explosion of lightning as he put Waltz into the dirt. He then stood a few feet away, arms held at his sides. "Had enough yet?"
Waltz was down, but not out. He was able to recover from such a heavy attack rather quickly, standing up on both feet with some bruises on his body. "Insolent wizard. Did you think that would be enough to put me down?"
"That should've taken you out." Laxus said, unimpressed at his own efforts. "That just means I'm not hitting you hard enough." His arms then raised over his head, lightning manifesting into the shape of a Halberd. "Heavenward Halberd!" And Laxus chucked the weaponized lightning at Waltz with all his might.
Waltz scoffed at this attack and decided to give Laxus a bit of payback. Just as Laxus hurled the Halberd in his direction, Waltz was already upon him. He sliced through the Halberd and began a series of swift slashes with his blade, all of his attacks landing true against Laxus' body. "Volcano Cuncussio!" Each slash drew blood from Laxus, leaving him with multiple wounds across his body. Waltz slid behind Laxus, swiftly whipping his blade to the side to clean it of the blood.
Laxus grit his teeth in pain. Waltz clearly was no joke and proved it at that moment, but it would take far more than this to make Laxus quit. He simply turned around, rearing an arm back as lightning gathered around it, a yellow magic circle appearing in front of him. "Lightning Dragon's Breakdown Fist!" He punched the magic circle, where a large fist composed of lightning shattered the seal, flying towards Waltz.
"You understand nothing!" Waltz slashed his sword horizontally, deflecting the Breakdown fist into the ground somewhere else. He then jumped into the air, raising his sword high above his head. Volcano Cunscussio was not a spell, but simply a sword technique. The clean hits against Laxus built up a number of Echoes for him, and he was about to unleash it all for a devastating attack. "Bow before the sword of a king! Apocalypse Fall!" Waltz swung his sword downward, the mere motion of this prompting large, sharp crystals to suddenly erupt from the ground. Laxus did attempt to dodge this attack by soaring into the sky, but the size and speed of the crystal spikes caught him in a few places.
"GAH…!" Laxus ended up shouting in pain, collapsing to the ground as the crystals faded.
Waltz landed on both feet, dusting himself off with a pitiful scoff. "Look at you. You were acting so high and mighty mere moments ago. You have only bruised me, while I have drawn blood from you. Can you see the difference between us now? It is far too vast for you to hope to overcome."
Laxus was on a knee, panting heavily as blood leaked from numerous wounds. But he wasn't concerned. He placed a hand on his chest, staining that hand with crimson. "Yeah, I see the difference." He replied calmly, standing up on both feet despite his injuries. "Someone like you could never beat me."
"What!?" Waltz scowled at Laxus' words.
Laxus just held a grin. The yellow lightning around his body started to mix with his blood, turning a dark crimson as a result. "This battle was decided the moment you trespassed onto Fairy Tail land."
Waltz stared at the crimson lightning around Laxus' body. Such a change was unheard of. "W-What is that…? What became of that lightning?"
"Oh, this?" Laxus said while smirking. "The more I bleed, the stronger this lightning becomes. This is Red Lightning, and it's going to be reason you'll never think about bothering Fairy Tail ever again."
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Cumore found the small base of operations that housed numerous innocents, only guarded by a handful of Ishgar mages. With a small army of angelic soldiers at his command, he pointed his hand forward and ordered them to descend and destroy the humans. "Go now, and destroy those foul humans!"
"YES, CAPTAIN CUMORE SIR!" The angelic soldiers exclaimed all at once, before diving down towards the small settlement.
"That's a lot of dudes…" Bacchus said with a grin. A chance for a challenge? Now this wasn't something he was going to turn down.
"We cannot allow them to get any closer!" Hisui exclaimed. "These people are non-combatants and cannot defend themselves! It falls upon us to hold the front line and not allow a single angel through!"
"You heard the lady!" Ace said while donning his basic Acid Armor. "We have to hold the line! Anyone who wants all the action, join me up front!" As he said this, he launched over the base walls and flew to the front of the field, planning to capture the attention of as many angels as possible. "Yo! You guys want a piece of this? Then come and get some! Mad Vulcan!" His arm turned into a rapid fire machine gun, shooting wildly in the air with reckless abandon. The aim didn't matter, because there were so many angels, he was just bound to shoot a few down and he did.
"How dare you!?" An angel grunted, flying down to attack Ace, but was quickly intercepted by large rocks courtesy of Reiss and his native spirit, Taru. "Gah…!?"
"Don't think you'll be getting past the front line while White Eclipse is here!" Reiss said confidently.
"That's right!" Micaiah was up next, swiping her hands forward to create a white magic seal in front of her. "Light Spear Cannon!" Numerous spears of light shot into the skies, forcing the airborne angels to dive down to avoid them. This was of course a clever set up, because the moment they touched down on the ground, there were plenty of eager faces ready to meet them.
"Long time no see, angels!" Daryan said while rearing a several foot long bone in his hands.
"And goodbye!" Alex grinned while swinging her gigantic, armored fist forward. The two S-classes of Cosmic Star attacked together, the sheer force of their joint efforts creating a gigantic shockwave that blew away a large number of angels. The two of them were assaulted, but they were able to shrug off the attacks. "Talk about quantity over quality…!"
"Yeah, but quality will always shine through in the end!" Arana said while leaping forward, spreading her hands outward. With her web magic, she was able to capture a large number of angelic solders. "And now you've been caught in the spider's web."
Yakuza stepped on the ground, causing multiple things to freeze over all at once. "Now chill out for a while, k?"
Magnus looked around. As much as he would've enjoyed participating in the fighting, his telepathy and foresight abilities were needed to keep the tide of battle in their favor. "From above, a big one is coming!"
"Whoa…!" Romeo had to jump back, as a large, muscular angel dropped down from above. Not just one, but several of them. Those muscles weren't just for show either. It was like Alvarez all over again for Romeo, he was scared, but…he yelled and purple fire appeared on his fist. "Take this!" He punched at the chest of a large angel, but his attack didn't even faze it. "Ah…!" And he was backhanded with extreme force, tumbling along the ground. "Agh…"
"Romeo!" Macao hurried over to his son. "Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine, dad…" Romeo grunted, trying to shake off the impact. "Those angels are strong…"
Kanade grinned at the sight of such muscular foes. "You guys look pretty tough! But I think I can beat you in an arm wrestling contest!" She said this as a blue aura flared around her body. She wanted to test her theory and she swung at a muscular angel, her fists clashing. It was a worthy stalemate, one that made Kanade grin widely. "This is a good workout!"
"Damn, how can they be like this, even when things are so tense!?" Jet grit his teeth. He was using his speed to plow through as many smaller angels as he could, but he was knocked by one of the titans. "Agh!"
"Jet!" Droy's eyes widened. He threw a few plant seeds into the ground to try and buy Jet some time, but they were easily torn through and Droy was knocked back as well.
"Uh-oh…!" Max swallowed a lump in his throat. He watched as the titan angels were trying to fly over them into the settlement. "There's too many of them! They're trying to fly over us!"
"Not on my watch!" Blues appeared in a mad dash, entering his Dragon Force state while lifting his hands into the air. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Primordial Sea!" A blue magic circle appeared in the skies, releasing a torrential downpour of water that crashed down onto the flying angels, forcing them towards the ground.
"I've got them!" Milliana placed her hands down on the ground, numerous tubes rising up to bind the angels in place once they were forced downward.
"And I'll finish them!" Bacchus jumped high into the air, landing with both feet on the ground. This impact caused a powerful shockwave to erupt outwards, reaching out high into the sky to swallow a few angels in its wake as well. But even with all they've done, there were still plenty of angels assaulting them.
"Man, just how many of these assholes are there!?" Jack Corvus asked while flying around.
"Too many to count." Tia grunted, swinging her scepter and shooting blasts of water wherever she could. "But I can tell we're the stronger group. We just have to hold them off until they run out!"
Jack Royal was stomping on the ground, using his earth magic to send chunks of earth flying towards angelic enemies. The damage was slowly racking up on the Ishgar Mage's side, but this wasn't stopping them from defending everything.
Even Hisui was getting into the fray. She was a magic with some sword training thanks to Tristan. "I won't stand idly by as people of this continent are in danger!" Hisui was able to hold her own in battle. One angelic solider was the most she could handle at a time, but she didn't want to just stand around and bark orders. A true ruler fought with their people to keep them safe.
"Even the Queen is getting involved…" Laki said with wide eyes.
"But we have to do something fast, otherwise we'll just burn ourselves out…" Tyson Byrant said. He placed his hands on the ground, creating a mudpit for any titan angel that attempted to charge him. Once they were sufficiently stuck, Reiss used large boulders Taru created to crush them overhead.
Ace glanced up into the skies, where Cumore was watching the battle unfold from his lofty view. "It's their leader. I'd say we're all a pretty capable group, but any leader that is capable of rallying a number of soldiers to fight a battle like this, especially a losing one is a good leader. They'll fight for him until the very end."
"So it's a matter of resolve?" El Rayo asked.
"That's right. I'm pretty sure I can take that guy out, but losing firepower in the front lines is…" Ace grumbled.
"If you're worried, just leave it to White Eclipse." Reiss said firmly. "We'll just have to work harder."
"Hah." Ace laughed. "I like your attitude, kid. Alright then, leave the boss to me!" Ace then flew up into the skies, preparing to clash with Cumore to put an end ot this battle.
"Damn it…" Max kicked a rock. Watching everyone fight and give it their all… "I've never felt more inadequate…!" It was bad in Alvarez, but it was worse here. Max barely contributed anything in the grand scheme of things. All the major players in every major event were taking care of business.
"This is our fight too, but damn we can't do much…" Wakaba said while taking a depressed huff of his cigar. "We're too old to be useful…" He couldn't even remember the last time he was able to contribute something to a cause, especially when Fairy Tail's main force was frozen in time for seven years.
"Are we just in the way, after all this time?" Laki sighed.
"If you're just going to complain about the battle, then get out of the way." Reiss said, glaring at the Fairy Tail wizards.
"What?!" Romeo glared. "We're trying our best here! But…we're just not as strong as Natsu-nii, or even someone like Erza or Laxus…"
"And?" Reiss quirked a brow. "Is that really what your problem is!? Damn, I can't stand you background Fairy Tail wizards…"
"Is now really the time for this?!" Levy asked, panicking due to the ongoing battle.
"I don't like your tone, kid." Macao said while glaring at Reiss. "You sound just like that gunslinger from your guild. What's your problem with us? With Fairy Tail! You are the rookies of your guild, aren't you? We haven't even done anything."
"That's the problem with all of you!" Reiss exclaimed. "I hate looking at you group of wizards who do nothing and sit in the background but cheer as your heavy hitters do all the work. I hate looking at you all because of the standard Fairy Tail has set. The strongest guild in Fiore due to winning the Grand Magic Games, yet that may as well only apply to the handful of you that actually fight! Do you know why the roster of White Eclipse is always changing with new people? Because those who leave aren't fit for the White Eclipse lifestyle. Sure, I'm no Reve, Luke, or Cygnus…but that doesn't mean I'm not gonna try and fight to be as strong as them. Unlike you guys, I'm not gonna quit and leave everything to the famous mages. Because I want to be one of those guys too…and so what if you get your ass kicked?! I got mine handed to me in the war with Alvarez, but I've been devoting myself to not let it happen again! That infuriation has stuck with me ever since and that's why I won't quit. Because I want to prove to myself I'm better than that…and because I have a group of rookies to lead."
"You're not the leader!" Tyson quickly exclaimed.
"Says you!" Reiss shouted back. They were really doing this right now.
Jack Royal just grinned at Reiss' words. "Spoken like a true White Eclipse mage." He turned to Macao, raising a brow. Jack was the only White Eclipse veteran present at this location, so he was eager to hear how an old Fairy Tail wizard was going to respond to a rookie's words. "So, what's it gonna be?"
Macao was silent for a moment. When he took a look around at the people fighting against the angels to protect the people…when he took in Reiss' words, he let out a scoff. "Kids really say the damnedest things these days."
"Huh?" Reiss blinked.
"Do you really think I'm gonna sit here and get lectured by some punk Eclipse kid who's barely started his mage career? My career as a wizard is longer than your lifespan!" Macao looked to Romeo and the two nodded at each other.
"Let's do this, Dad!" Romeo nodded.
"Yeah, let's go! We're still Fairy Tail wizards!" Max was the first one to leap forward, placing his hands apart before swinging them forward. "Sand Rush!" A torrent of sand surprised the angels, sweeping them away. "I may not be as strong as that Ajeel guy was…but that doesn't mean I wasn't taking notes!" He then focused his magic, sand manifesting into the shape of a scythe. "Ramal Syfe!" This scythe of stand pierced a titan's chest, causing it to growl.
"You insolent…!" The titan snarled and moved to attack Max, but he used Sand Wall to block the attack. A second hit was enough to shatter that barrier of sand, but then…
"Wood Make: Pillar!" Laki attacked, numerous pillars of wood shooting up sporadically, wildly, taking numerous angels by surprise and piercing them. "We're not going down without a fight!"
"Seems like you motivated them." Micaiah nudged Reiss with her elbow.
"Well…that wasn't exactly my goal." Reiss huffed. "I was just trying to tell them to put up or shut up…but this is fine. This means we don't have to pick up their slack now."
"We also can't be outdone by them either!" Micaiah said with a grin. "It may not be anything as flashy as taking down an enemy commander…"
"But making sure a single life isn't lost is just as important at the end of the day." Kanade said while punching an open fist. "And no one's getting through these fists of mine!"
"That's the spirit!" Jack Royal said with a wide grin, downing some alcohol in his flask. "You've all grown up so well, I'm sure Reve and the others would be proud! Now how about we finish up this job up and go home, yeah!?"
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"Tch…" Cumore was surprised at how the battle down below was nothing but a stalemate. "We have the numbers, yet those humans are surprisingly capable. I see I have no choice but to involve myself in those affairs to expedite the process." Just as Cumore was about to descend himself, he sensed a presence nearby. "Huh?"
"Coming through!" Ace said while aiming his Thunderbolt Blade at Cumore's body from above. He swung horizontally once, his speed almost enough to catch Cumore by surprise. The angelic commander was able to avoid this, but barely. Ace wasn't done, pursuing Cumore with another slash. "Thunderbolt Blade!"
Cumore used his wing to defend against the attack, scowling and gritting his teeth at this filthy armored human who dared to approach him. "I am one of the highest ranking angels. Who do you think you are, approaching me with your brutish, filthy sword!?"
"Me?" Ace said with a widening grin. "Acid Ace: Ace of Dealer. It's my mission to make sure everyone gets home safe and sound, and the only way to do that…is to take you down. I'll have you know, I've never failed a mission either."
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There was a cliff with a view of the entire battle. There were still plenty of Gusios roaming around, along with angelic and demonic entities commanding the battlefield. Gildarts Clive stepped forward, letting out a low whistle. But he wasn't alone. There were two more people with him. "Whew…this sure looks like a mess this time, huh?"
Sidney Castle didn't say anything. He just crossed his arms, overlooking the state of the battle. "…."
"So are we just gonna stand here?" The third person with Gildarts and Sidney was Evanee Carlisle. "This looks like a mess, and I'd like to get it cleaned up as fast as possible."
"Ahaha, so serious, all the time!" Gildarts laughed. "We should really get together more after this. I missed this dynamic!"
"Can you take this seriously?" Sidney had to resist the urge to roll his eyes. There was something different about him. His scarf was gone…and his mouth was normal. He was already more talkative than he was in the past.
"Okay, okay." Gildarts cracked his neck. "Those kids down there are in danger, and there's no way I'm leaving my daughter and my guild in such a dangerous situation. SO! Trio of Aces, let's move out!"
Evanee just pinched the bridge of her nose. "I thought I told you to stop trying to name us."
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Next Time: Trio of Aces.