Demon's Descend! Zeref declares war on humanity. Tartarus attacks Crocus, along with the introduction of Prometheus and Pandora. As the two forces combat each other, King lurks in the shadows, while the chaos draws Acnologia in…
.
.
Ashnard stood in front of Emeraude and Lucy with a single blade drawn. He had no intention of allowing them to interact with Mii before he could. This was fine by Emeraude, as she wanted to defeat Ashnard in combat either. "Just so you have no excuse later…you are up against a man who is a contender for the strongest in the world." Ashnard stated cockily towards Emeraude and Lucy. "Although the word 'contender' hardly does me justice."
"You tried to hurt Mii the other day. If you think that's enough to scare me off, you got another thing coming!" Lucy said while pointing her finger towards Ashnard. While his mere presence was suffocating and overwhelming, Lucy's drive to protect Mii could help her.
"So when I beat you, I'll be among the world's strongest?" Emeraude laughed. "I quite like that title." She had her chainwhip sword at the ready and lunged towards Ashnard.
"I'm right behind you!" Lucy went to move, but her body was stuck. "H-Huh?"
"You stay right there. This doesn't concern you." Ashnard told Lucy. He was using his Tyrant's Will to impose a will on Lucy, one that she couldn't disobey despite her actively attempting to. "This is between Emeraude and I." Emeraude jumped to attack him, but he was easily able to block this without moving.
"That's fine with me. I don't need her help in taking you down!" Emeraude put pressure against Ashnard's sword, but he was easily capable of pushing her back. Emeraude staggered for a moment before landing on her feet, sending several chains towards Ashnard. Ashnard didn't even move, yet the chains shattered before they could even reach him. "Tsk…!"
"Come now, is that the best you can do?" Ashnard said with a smirk, raising his sword slightly while gesturing Emeraude to come at him. "You're half me…but you clearly aren't the half that's capable of ruling a kingdom."
"You shut your mouth!" Emeraude yellow eyes burned with fury. "You abandoned my mother and left us to rot in the slums. You haven't the slightest idea of what I've had to do to even get this far!" Darkness swirled around her free hand and she thrust it towards Ashnard's chest. "Frenzy Blast!"
Ashnard stopped Emeraude's hand with his own. The darkness she gathered within her palm was immediately dispersed, and then he gripped her hand harshly. "Don't you understand the meaning of my Tyrant's Will, you foolish child? It means I have absolute dominion in any battle. Any magic that is weaker than I am will never touch me!" He then brought his elbow against Emeraude's temple, sending her tumbling across the ground. "Your Queenly Majesty is a poor imitation of that….you only ignore some magic. That is the proof of our shared blood."
"Emeraude!" Lucy cried out in worry. She was struggling to move, but Ashnard's magic was too strong. "Come on, move…move…!"
Emeraude shook her head, quickly picking herself up. While she was on the ground, she slammed her palm down, sending a shockwave of Crash magic to rupture pretty much everything in the surrounding area. Surprisingly, she was mindful of Lucy's location and made sure she wasn't caught in the blast. "Mighty Crash!"
Ashnard stood in the middle of the explosion of Crash magic, completely unfazed by the destruction as none of it came close to him. Emeraude used this as cover to strike from above with her sword, but Ashnard block this with his own. "Do you understand what it means to be strong? Of course you don't."
Emeraude grit her teeth, leaping backwards while imbuing her chainwhip sword with Crash magic. Once her feet touched the ground, she whipped her blade forward, watching as it tore through the ground, destroying anything and everything in the process. "Ruptured Heaven!"
Ashnard grinned at this incoming attack, swinging his sword, the Materia Blade, a single time. Just as Emeraude's sword came in, he deflected it with ease. Anyone could see the massive amount of power Emeraude was putting into her attacks, yet Ashnard had an answer to everything she was throwing at him. "Do you want a taste of true power?" Ashnard said while sheathing his sword. Nothing happened at first, but then an invisible dome appeared around Emeraude. "Judgement Cut."
"…!?" Emeraude sensed that she was surrounded, but there was hardly a thing she could do about it. Numerous slashes within the dome were aimed at her all at once. It was a feat in and of itself that she was able to defend herself at all, but she was still mostly overwhelmed and numerous cuts and bruises appeared on her body. She ended up destroying the dome with a burst of Crash magic, panting heavily after an attack like that. "Do you call that power? I…barely felt a thing."
"I…I can't believe this. She's getting completely overpowered. I knew she was strong, but…how strong is Ashnard really…!?" Lucy thought to herself. This was even more reason for her to try and help Emeraude somehow, even if she couldn't move.
"Now it's my turn!" Emeruade spread her arms out, multiple magic seals appearing in front of her. "Decisive Saber!" From those seals, black bolts of darkness violently shot forward towards Ashnard. There were also seals in the sky as well, raining down destruction upon the King of Pergrande.
"Hah." Ashnard just laughed. With a simple swing of his sword, several dimensional rifts opened up, swallowing the Decisive Saber whole and locking it into a different plane of existence. "I can see hints of my strength within you, but as I said…you are only half me. I cannot think of a single wizard that would remain standing after Judgement Cut."
Emeraude snarled. "Your empty platitudes mean nothing to me!"
"Why don't you have a taste of your own power?" Ashnard swung his sword again, causing another dimensional rift to open up in front of him. This sent the Decisive Saber back at Emeraude, numerous bolts of darkness shooting back at her!
"Stop mocking me!" Emeraude screamed, able to evade her own attack. But she heard Lucy scream. Turning her head, she saw that Lucy was in the crossfire and couldn't move. So Emeraude quickly released a chain from her hand to wrap around Lucy's body, violently tugging her down to the ground to avoid the attack. It was the best thing she could do on such short notice.
"L-Look out!" Lucy shouted.
"Huh-?" Emeraude turned and Ashnard finally moved, only to attack her. His free hand grabbed her face and he drug her along the dirt violently. This continued for a few seconds before Ashnard spun around, hurling Emeraude through a ruined building and her back slammed into a nearby wall. "Agh…" Emeraude fell to the ground, but her legs quivered as she refused to fall to her knees. "I-I'm…not finished yet…" She said this, yet despite all her efforts, physical and tactical…Ashnard had not a single scratch on him.
"Still standing? You appear more durable than I initially thought. So, let's see how you handle this." Ashnard raised his sword up. There was a pulse of magic that emanated from the sword. "Imperial Ascent." He then swung his blade down.
"…!" Emeraude could see it. A gigantic, invisible shockwave coming to crash down on her. She extended her hand to use Crash magic and disperse it. This was a successful endeavor, completely destroying the attack to show that she wasn't completely helpless against Ashnard's offense.
"I…I didn't even see anything…" Lucy said, still struggling to move.
Ashnard swung his sword upwards this time. Since Emeraude displayed some level of competence, he rewarded her efforts with another attack. This time, the ground underneath her was uprooted by a sudden explosion. Emeraude let out a cry of pain as she was completely engulfed in the explosion. As that smoke died down, Emeraude was still standing, but very shakily. She brought a hand to her side, one eye clenched shut as she was bruised and damaged all over. "I…I'm not…" She took a step forward, but collapsed onto her hands and knees. This was the worst thing ever to her, despite how her body felt. "Ngh…"
"Emeraude…!" Lucy's eyes went wide.
Ashnard slowly approached Emeraude, picking her up by the next and slamming her into a wall. His grip on her throat was harsh. "Do you see the difference between the two of us now? This is never something you can be, or will be ready for. I am too strong for you."
Emeraude still had fight in her eyes, but she wasn't able to say anything. "…"
"Haven't you ever wondered about your place in this world? Why you try so hard, yet fail at the things you accomplish? It so simple." Ashnard said with a widening grin. "It's because you have no place in this world. You were nothing more than a mistake born of my weakness. You were never supposed to be born."
"W-what….?" Emeraude's eyes widened.
"I can tell that your mother never told you." Ashnard was relishing in that shocked expression on Emeraude's face. "It is the truth. In order to understand, allow me to go back to my childhood. Did you know that Pergrande had three Princes at one point? Myself, my brother Duke, and Cyrus?" As he spoke, a project appeared behind him for Emeraude and Lucy to witness, conveying the story as Ashnard went on. "Pergrande Tradition is simple: The strongest born son must compete and kill his brothers for the throne. My brother Duke was the favorite pick, everyone assumed he would be the winner, and for the most part, they were right. He was the strongest of us three and had everything anyone could have wanted…Nercon."
"The Queen…?" Nothing about this stopped Lucy from trying to move, even if it seemed futile.
"That's right." Ashnard said. The projection changed to a younger Ashnard and Nercon sitting on a field together, gazing up at the night sky far away from Pergrande's castle. "Nercon was to be Duke's wife once he won the competition, but she and I were in love. Truthfully, I had no faith in myself at the time to win…but when she told me how she felt, I knew what I had to do. Unfortunately, Duke caught wind of our relationship and did everything he could to stop it. He sent a woman onto me…and that woman just happened to be your mother, Emeraude. I didn't know her name at the time, but I hated what happened. I was too weak at the time to stop it…but as it turns out, perhaps that was the push I needed. Because I abandoned all weakness and sought absolute strength. You were born from my weakness and are the embodiment of that dark time…I've moved on since then, but your existence is nothing more than my first and last failure."
"…" Lucy looked away. This more or less lined up with the story that Emerald told her last year.
"…I see." The news was a shock at first. Emeraude never knew the reason her mother and Ashnard got together in the first place. "The world has no place for me? That's just fine. Because I've been able to make my own place despite that. Thank for telling me that story…because I know now that you're not infallible!" Emeraude took this chance to slip her sword through an opening in Ashnard's chest armor, stabbing him directly in the chest. She was biding her time, waiting for a moment like this where she could strike!
"Ah..!" Lucy grinned. "She got him…!"
Emeraude had a victorious grin. She firmly believed she got Ashnard, her blade was soaked with his blood. And yet…and yet…Ashnard laughed, using his free hand to grab her sword. He was completely unfazed from that attack. "W-What…?"
"Your blade." Ashnard said while easily pulling the sword from his chest. There was a wound, yes…but it was all intentional. Ashnard allowed Emeraude to think there was an opening, just so he could further display how futile her efforts truly were in the end. "It did not cut deep enough, and it never will." He then brought his fist forward to slam into Emeraude's gut, completely knocking the wind out of her. Ashnard spun around, hurling Emeraude through a mostly collapsed wall.
"EMERAUDE!" Lucy screamed in worry. "I have to move…! He's gonna kill her!" Lucy was frantically shrugging, but Ashnard's power was just too much. "COME ON…MOVE…!"
"Ngh…." Emeraude was on her side after that impact, wincing as she slowly looked up. As much as she would've liked to move, she couldn't after a throw like that. "It…won't end like this…"
Ashnard slowly raised his sword. "Dying upon a battlefield. At least that's a somewhat noble death…" Ashnard said while approaching Emeraude. He was no longer grinning, his expression very serious.
"No…! NO NO NO…!" Lucy felt tears welling up in her eyes. She couldn't be this powerless! Not now…! "I have to do something…!"
"I can help you…trust me…"
That was Lambda's voice. Lucy did accept Lambda into her, and right now, there were no other options left. She couldn't sit there and watch Emeraude die. If there was a way to prevent it, she absolutely would. "Do it! Help me, Lambda…! I don't want to lose anyone ever again!" As soon as Lucy said this, a golden aura appeared around her, faint hints of red and black mixing in with it.
Ashnard brought his sword down, but just before he could, Lucy blocked his strike. Her appearance changed as well. In accordance with working with Lambda, half of her body was covered in those blackish-red lines from before, and one of her eyes was red. Her attire changed; black shorts and a red heart shaped top replaced her outfit. This was Star Dress: Lambda. With tendrils appearing from her back, she primarily used these to defend against Ashnard. "I won't let you hurt her…!"
"Lucy…!?" Emeraude was stunned at what she was witnessing. Lambda and Lucy were actually working as one…!? To protect her.
"And what do you think you're doing?" Ashnard said while applying al little more pressure. Even though Lucy was able to move against his Tyrant's Will, Ashnard's pure strength completely eclipsed Lucy. The difference was worlds, but Lucy tried to hold on. "Why are you putting your life on the line for a woman that's done nothing but terrorize you?"
It was true. Up until a year ago, the mere thought of Emeraude made Lucy freeze in fear. But since then, Lucy realized and she and Emeraude weren't all that different. Their paths in life differed, but their ideologies were the same in some places. "Because there are people waiting for her…! She has a daughter, comrades, and her mother are all waiting to see her come back! Mii is waiting for her and Sophie too!" Lucy was still losing ground. "And despite everything…she's my…friend!"
"Are you joking?!" Lucy's friend, after all that?! Emeraude couldn't believe that and refused to.
Ashnard only sighed. With brute force, he knocked Lucy away. But Lucy was able to grab Emeraude and they rolled along the ground. "I don't have time for this farce." Ashnard shook his head while raising his hand. "I'll put an end to this here." He was about to bring his arm down, but then…
"RAAAAAAAH!" Natsu barreled in over Lucy and Emeraude. He put every ounce of his power into a roaring punch at Ashnard's face. The suddenness of it did surprise Ashnard, but he was easily able to block Natsu's attack. Natsu jumped back, standing in front of Lucy and Emeraude. "I don't think so."
"Natsu!" Lucy's eyes lit up.
"Trying to hurt one of our own? That's not gonna fly." Gray walked up next to Natsu, cracking his knuckles. "You okay, Lucy?"
"Just fine now…" Lucy said with a grin, before looking at Emeraude. "Are you…?"
"…" Emeraude didn't say a word, but she was okay. Being protected like this, even if it wasn't intentional, just made her feel sour and weak.
"HAAAH!" Wendy and Cynthia dove down from above, attempting to use their speed to slam their legs down on Ashnard's skull. Ashnard didn't even move, as his Tyrant's Will repelled the two of them before they could even get close. "Wahhh!"
But Erza caught the two of them and gently set them down. "No harm will befall my comrades while I still draw breath." Team Natsu, reunited against King Ashnard! "You will leave my family alone, Ashnard. Or you will face my blade." Erza didn't care how strong Ashnard was, he would pay for endangering anyone from Fairy Tail.
"Your sense of family is truly touching." Ashnard said while staring at Team Natsu. "It's very noble of you to think that together, you can stand against anything. But I think there is something you are all forgetting as you stand defiantly before me." Ashnard's Tyrant's Will expanded greatly, pushing Team Natsu backwards a great deal, even damaging them as a result. "Do not let titles and rumors fool you. I am the man who knows nothing but absolute power. I am the strongest Wizard in this world."
"Then you'll be the perfect message to show everyone why not to mess with Fairy Tail!" Natsu said with an angered smirk. He was tired of Ashnard stomping over him and his guild.
"You simply do not learn. So I will have to teach you in a way you will never forget." Ashnard slashed his sword once. This caused a gigantic rift to open up behind Team Natsu and Emeraude, rapidly dragging them into it. "This is but a fraction of my strength, yet I can seal you away in a separate plane of existence if I so wished."
"Holy…!" Gray's eyes went wide. "Ice Make: Rampart!" He created a thick wall of ice behind everyone to prevent the rift from dragging them in. That didn't last long as the ice shattered and everyone was being pulled in regardless.
"You just had to leap in…!" Emeraude cursed.
"And let you die?!" Lucy shot back.
"I didn't ask for this much help!" Emeraude replied.
"Maaaybe we should've thought about this one more…!" Cynthia yelped. They had no means of stopping that rift and they were dangerously close to being pulled. Their saving grace was outside interference. The portal was broken apart and everyone turned around to see what happened.
It was Gildarts. His hand was extended and he slowly approached Ashnard. "Ashy, long time no see." Despite the friendly greeting, Gildarts had a vein visible on his forehead from anger. "Just what do you think you're doing to my guild mates?"
"Gildarts…!"
"Great, another one…" Emeraude groaned.
"Step aside, Clive." Ashnard said with a shrug. "We both know this is a battle you cannot win. I was engaged in battle with Alvarez's Empress, and they decided to get involved. It's not my fault if they're collateral. They stepped to the king after all."
Gildarts didn't waste any time. He threw a punch at Ashnard, but to Fairy Tail's surprise, Ashnard caught it. Still, the impact alone caused a gigantic shockwave to emanate outwards. "…Don't mess with my family." Before this altercation could actually heat up anymore, the sky itself began to tremble. Everyone's attention was off the confrontation and they turned their attention to the dark clouds above. Those cloud swirled violently and a gigantic pair of feet could be seen descending from above.
"…What is that…?" Erza asked, as if anyone had an answer.
"Ah…so that's the ace up Yggdrasil's leave." Ashnard said while releasing Gildarts' hand.
"You know what it is!?" Cynthia asked Ashnard.
"Anyone in Pergrande should know." Emeraude said quietly. The figure descended fully from the clouds – an angel whose skin was coated in gold, yellow wings expanded outwards, and his hair blew in the gaze that he created. His size was comparable to that of Acnologia.
Ashnard started laughing. The angel's desperation drove them to release such a monster upon the world. Once he calmed down, he explained it. "That is Metatron. The Angel of Genesis. Yggdrasil's final trick."
.
.
Next Time: Metatron's Advent.