The Grand Magic Games. The new year kicks off with the fight to become Fiore's best! Emeraude takes charge of these games and six guilds battle it out to become the strongest!
.
.
An explosion shook the Reaper's Castle. This was due to Team Natsu and Yggdrasil facing off against each other. The leader of the angel's proved to be a very fearsome opponent, just as Pandora warned. But that didn't stop Team Natsu from giving it their all in fighting him. Natsu always led the charge, sprinting forward with flames and lightning covering his entire body. "Iron Fist of the Lightning Flame Dragon!" Leaping ahead, Natsu swung his blazing fist directly at Yggdrasil's face. Yggdrasil was able to block this attack with his forearm, scoffing in the process.
"Is that the best you can muster?" Yggdrasil spun around, slamming his foot right into Natsu's stomach. The strength Yggdrasil displayed was enough to slam Natsu into a wall.
"Ice Make: Geyser!" Gray entered his Frozen Monarch's mode, slamming his hands into the ground. A trail of ice cut across the floor before rising up in an effort to trap Yggdrasil, but he was able to avoid this by simply jumping up, standing on the tip of the glacier. "Damn, he's nimble…"
Yggdrasil's rainbow wings spread out, numerous feathers plucking off of them. "Angel Feather."
"Shit!" Gray held his arms out. "Ice Make: Shield!" A thick shield of ice appeared in front of Gray to protect him from the onslaught of feathers. Unfortunately for him, these feathers were incredibly strong and easily cut through his shield, leaving him to face a bombardment of what were essentially swords colliding against his body. "Gaaah!" And just like that, Gray was thrown to the ground, numerous cuts appearing along his body.
"Haaah!" Lucy attacked from above. She spun around, several tendrils slamming into the floor in an effort to crush Yggdrasil. He was far too fast and easily dodged this attack, but that was fine. Some of the tendrils Lucy attacked with shattered the glacier he was standing up, creating dozens of sharp shards of ice in the process. "Wendy!"
Wendy, in her Dragon Force state, had her arms spread apart, twisting her body counter clockwise. "Sky Dragon's Wing Attack!" Two twisters of wind spread from her arms, moving outwards to enclosed around Yggdrasil. These twisters captured the shards of ice, making it even more potent than before.
Yggdrasil brought his wings forward, using these to defend against both the wind and the shards of ice. There was a little kick to it, but it wasn't enough to cause him any undue stress. "That is but a paltry breeze to me!"
"Then try this on for size!" Cynthia was behind Yggdrasil, pushing the limits of her Demon Drive. She intentionally called out to him to make him turn, and when he did, her blazing foot slammed into his cheek, snapping his head to the side. "Demon's Talon!"
"Guh!" There was a burn mark on Yggdrasil's cheek from Cynthia's demonic flames. Cynthia landed next to Wendy and the two of them pounced together, moving in for a dual claw strike. Enraged, Yggdrasil had a bright white light surround his body as the two girls moved closer. "Rejection!" This light expanded outward, stopping Cynthia and Wendy in their charge. It blew them back, knocking them into Lucy, and they all completely toppled over.
"Kyah!" The three girls exclaimed when they were hit.
"Dance, my blades!" Erza was the heavy hitter, coming in last to knock the wind out of Yggdrasil. She was in her Wing Blade armor, commanding several swords to move on her command while she attacked him with her own sword.
Yggdrasil used one of his feathers as a sword. This rainbow blade was capable of keeping pace with Erza and even putting her on the back foot. All of the other swords that she summoned were easily batted away by Yggdrasil's wings. "You are all out of your league!" Yggdrasil said while blitzing Erza in that moment, forcefully moving past Erza while slashing at her, knocking her into the air and off balance.
"Kuh…!" Erza grunted as she flipped, placing a hand on her side from the injury. "He matches us in every aspect…he's just as strong as Pandora warned us about." Erza glanced behind her, where Pandora, Happy, and Carla were staying out of the battle.
"So this is where Mii gets her strength from…" Lucy said with a few heavy breaths.
"But we're not giving in!" Cynthia said.
"That's right!" Gray held his hands out, creating two swords of devil slaying ice. He then ran alongside Cynthia, preparing to strike Yggdrasil together with her.
"That child is only half me." Yggdrasil said while crouching down, slamming an open palm against the ground. "I am vastly superior to her in every day! Death Eater!" Multiple pillars of light emerged from the ground as Gray and Cynthia drew closer. The two were unable to stop their own momentum, and the beams of light were too fast and ended up knocking Gray and Cynthia away.
"So why were you so adamant on kicking Mii-san out of heaven!?" Wendy asked while speeding past Yggdrasil, kicking him in the face with enough force to make him stagger slightly. "Verona-san told us everything!" And Wendy made a return trip, kicking Yggdrasil in the other cheek. Unfortunately she wasn't able to pass him, as he grabbed her leg the second time. "Ah…!"
"Because I will do whatever it takes to defy fate." Yggdrasil told Wendy as his arm grew cold. "Absolute!" Before Wendy could respond, she was instantly frozen over by this ice spell. Yggdrasil then brought his free hand with his rainbow feather up, preparing to slice through the frozen Wendy. He was halted by Erza's own sword of flame, clashing with her yet again.
"You have been doing everything you can to ensure Mii dies before you, isn't that right?" Erza said with a fierce glare.
Erza's intervention brought Wendy enough time to break free of the ice with her Omega Flame Sky dual mode. Since she and Erza were still close to Yggdrasil, they could attack as one. "Roar!"
"Flame Slash!"
Yggdrasil jumped back, crossing his arms as a vortex of fire and wind struck his body. This did succeed in pushing him back, but it didn't do as much damage as they may have hopped. "And what's wrong with that? I am not the bad guy simply for wanting to live!" Yggdrasil lifted his hands into the air, a red magic seal manifesting on the ceiling. "EXPLOSION!" A red sphere dropped from the seal, falling onto Erza and Wendy. They avoided contact with the sphere itself, but that tiny sphere erupted in a gigantic explosion that blew the ceiling off the castle. Wendy and Erza were violently thrown off to the side in the wake of this explosion.
"Your way of living endangers the things we care about! It's selfish!" Lucy yelled while leaping into the air, flipping down to aim an axe kick at the crown of Yggdrasil's head. Yggdrasil shifted his body to the side to avoid this. Lucy sprang up immediately, thrusting her leg outward to collide against Yggdrasil's chest. "Lambda-Lucy Kick!"
Yggdrasil grunted from the kick, Lucy's power a bit more than he expected. Lucy tried to follow up with a punch, but he grabbed her arm before she could even reach him. "Indeed it is, but it is my life! Living is selfish, and I do not intend to die! Nor do I intend to resign myself to the whims of fate. I am doing everything I can to ensure this world can continue on!" Yggdrasil threw Lucy into the air, flipping to slam his foot into her chest. This impact knocked her into a wall, where he followed up by blasting her with a beam of light.
"That's bullshit!" Natsu roared while lunging at Yggdrasil. He put his everything into a punch and Yggdrasil met him halfway. Their fists collided, a shockwave booming out as they struggled, snarling in each other's faces. "If that's the way you're going to live your life, then you have to be stopped! My friends, my family, and my guild…they are not something that you get to decide to throw away! We're all going to see tomorrow, TOGETHER! AND THAT INCLUDES MII!" Natsu slammed his foot down, putting his all into overpowering Yggdrasil. "I swore I would burn away her fate, and if I have to beat you to do it, then so be it!"
For a moment, Natsu's will surprised Yggdrasil as he was feeling himself getting pushed back. But Yggdrasil merely had to put a little more effort into his attack. "I will not falter, not for a moment!" Yggdrasil yelled, slamming Natsu into the ground with a mighty cry.
"Natsu-san!" Wendy cried out.
"Clearly we'll never see eye to eye on that matter, but that's fine." Yggdrasil said while dusting himself off. So far, Team Natsu did manage to bruise him a little bit, but it was clear that Yggdrasil still vastly overpowered them. "Humans are selfish by nature. I've already decided that I would be the first angel to conquer my fate. I will do whatever it takes to ensure that today is that day!" A rainbow magic seal appeared underneath Yggdrasil, spreading outward until Team Natsu was caught in it. "SHINING BIND!" Multiple shockwaves of angelic magic rippled outward until surging upwards in the form of a gigantic pillar. There was a loud cry of pain from every member of Team Natsu that was drowned out by the vicious quaking. When the light died down, Team Natsu was all scattered across the throne room, needing time to catch their breath. They were noticeably damaged and down, but they weren't out yet.
"D-Damn…" Gray grunted, placing his hands on the ground to try and stand up even a little bit. "This guy is unlike anything we've ever fought…"
"Of course I am." Yggdrasil said while touching down on the ground, an arrogant expression on his lips. "You humans have fought demons, dragons, and vessels of 'gods'. But I am no mere angel, I am a divine being. Your slaying magic has no effect on me outside of its raw potency. My limits are without bound…meanwhile, the six of you are merely human at the end of the day."
"Don't underestimate humanity!" Erza said while stabbing a sword into the ground. "We always find ways of surpassing expectations and breaking out limits!"
"That is not a trait solely applicable to humans." Yggdrasil said while slowly walking forward. "That is something humans have convinced themselves only they are capable of, because they are not special in the slightest. Humans are frail creatures."
BANG! A gunshot rang out.
Yggdrasil tilted his head to the side, avoiding a bullet of white flames that was aimed for his skull. "Hm?" And when he turned around…he saw Beat standing at the entrance of the throne room, his arms trembling from the sheer power of what he shot at.
"Beat-san!?" Wendy gasped.
"How did he get up here…!?" Cynthia asked.
"That was a mistake…!" Pandora told Beat.
"And who might you be?" Yggdrasil turned his attention to Beat. "Was that Angel Slaying? Did you think you could finish me off in a single shot with a pea shooter like that?"
"I…I'm not…going to let you angels do whatever you want…!" Beat said. The young boy felt that this moment was his calling. He was the only one with this sort of power and he learned it precisely for something like this. He took aim at Yggdrasil again and shot several times. The bullets did land against Yggdrasil's chest, but he took them in stride, if only to proof his superiority. It worked. Beat's eyes went wide in fear as his bullets did no damage.
Yggdrasil then grabbed Beat by his neck, lifting him into the air. "How arrogant are you, child? You possess the magic, but you lack he power for any meaningful result."
"Stop it! He's just a kid!" Gray exclaimed, but his pleas fell on deaf ears. Yggdrasil wasn't giving their objections any time of day.
His grip on Beat's throat tightened, the child unable to do anything but flail about desperately. Yggdrasil brought his rainbow feather up to Beat. "The arrogance of humans starts so young. This is the perfect excuse to enact a purge…to start fresh. And when things go my way, I will not have to live under the whims of fate." Yggdrasil was prepared to strike Beat down then and there, but a boot collided against his chest at the last second. This forced Yggdrasil to let Beat go and he stumbled backwards. "What?!"
"Lay off the kid, Dad." Mii said while holding the Eternal Sword over her shoulder. "And Fairy Tail as well."
"Mii!" Team Natsu exclaimed.
"She came after all…" Carla was honestly surprised.
"I knew Em would pull it off…!" Lucy grinned.
Yggdrasil dusted himself off and glared at Mii. This was the first time they had laid eyes on each other in over 20 years. "So you have the audacity to show yourself in front of me after all this time. I can only assume it's to continue being a thorn in my side."
"Ding ding! You guessed it!" Mii said with a smile. "You've caused more than enough problems around here. You want this sword from Mii? Then you'll have to take it!"
"W-Wait, don't taunt him…!" Wendy said with a sweat drop.
Yggdrasil clenched his hand into a fist. "No matter what I do, you somehow manage to cling to life and stand in my way."
"Normally a father is happy when their daughter keeps living." Mii rolled her eyes. "But just because we're blood doesn't mean anything. I don't have any issues with what I'm about to do next. Don't worry, guys. Leave this to Mii."
"Nor do I." Yggdrasil clenched his hand into a fist before opening it. "Spark Wave!" A wave of electricity shot from his hand in a fan shape, aiming to surround Mii on all sides and take her out.
Mii laughed and flew forward, using the Eternal Sword to bat away the Spark Wave. She then jumped forward, swinging the legendary sword down, while Yggdrasil used his rainbow feather to clash with this sword. Sparks flew and there was a shockwave from the collision. They were in a deadlock, neither side prevailing over the other. "I'm not gonna give in to the likes of you!"
"How cruel it is that my fate is tied to your own. Why don't you suffer a meaningless death like you should have long ago!?" Yggdrasil and Mii jumped back. The leader of the angels raised his hand up and pulled it back, fire forming within palm in the shape of a lance. "Flame Lance!" Yggdrasil hurled this lance of fire forward, aiming to pierce Mii right through the chest.
Mii jumped forward, bringing her sword up defensively to protect herself from the attack. She was able to slice through the Flame Lance and keep moving, landing a punch against Yggdrasil's face. In turn, she was met with a kick to her chest, causing her to rocket towards the ground. Mii flipped and caught herself, rainbow wings spreading along with Yggdrasil's. "Angel Feathers!"
"Angel Feathers!" Yggdrasil mirrored Mii's actions. The result was a flurry of rainbow feathers flying over the place, cutting into both father and daughter alike. It was a storm that Team Natsu and the other bystanders were barely able to keep themselves safe from. Mii and Yggdrasil had numerous cuts along their bodies, but they kept going and flapped their wings, taking off to the sky instead. They started assaulting each other at high speeds, shockwaves violently booming out with each clash.
"Agh, I wish I could help…!" Cynthia said, bouncing up and down.
"Can't you fly?" Gray blinked.
"That's not it…!" Cynthia shook her head. "It's just…I really wanna get in there, but…I know I'd just get in Mii's way."
"…" Natsu felt the same way, as annoying as it felt. He could go up there with Happy, but Mii was confident in this and he trusted her.
"Hah!"
"Yah!"
Mii and Yggdrasil were going for each other's throats in the most metaphorical sense. Neither of their attacks were holding anything back. Yggdrasil held his arms forward, yellow, brown, blue, red, and green magic seals appearing in front of him. These seals merged together, and a large, crystal sword shot from the fused circle. "Prism Sword!" Despite its clear appearance, this was a sword infused with all five basic elements, making it very powerful.
Mii's green eyes narrowed and she flew forward at top speed, holding the Eternal Sword forward. It did take a bit of effort, but she was able to run straight through the Prism Sword and lifted her sword up over her head. "Angel's Crest!" She brought her sword down, cutting vertically from Yggdrasil's left shoulder all the way down to his lower right side.
Blood spurted from Yggdrasil's new injury and he gasped violently. His hands clenched into tight fists and he had a white aura around his body. "Retribution!" A counter spell. Yggdrasil stocked up all of the damage Mii just dealt to him and returned it several times over in the form of an expanding white sphere.
"Gaaaah!" Mii cried out while tumbling through the sky. She was able to catch herself and held a hand to the clouds. "Is that how it's gonna be!? Judgement!"
"Judgement!" Yggdrasil did the same thing. From heaven above, two gigantic pillars of holy angelic magic tore the black clouds asunder, crashing down on the angelic pair fighting it out right now. The power was so immense, two explosions merged into one, a bright white light causing the land to tremble violently. Mii and Yggdrasil fell to the ground, but the managed to land, both hunched over and panting.
"Had enough to back off yet?" Mii asked through weighted breaths.
This was exactly what Yggdrasil didn't want to happen. The fact that Mii was using the Eternal Sword against him was proof that Mii was fated to slay him. Things weren't looking well for him at the moment, but he still did have one way to turn the tide of battle in his favor. "Hardly. Is this the best you can muster?"
A taunt? "How confident of you to ask such a thing. Why don't we find out!" Mii started to rush ahead again.
Lucy noticed a glint in Yggdrasil's eyes. "Mii wait! It's a trap!"
Mii swung her sword down and Yggdrasil caught it with his palm. The sword did cut into his skin and draw blood, but that didn't seem to faze him. "What's the big idea!?"
"I prayed that I did not have to do this…but you are giving me no choice." Yggdrasil said with a sneer. "Do not forget that I was the one who forged this sword in the first place. I was the first one to establish a connection with Origin…therefore…I command Origin to overload the sword."
"To what…!?" Mii's eyes widened. There was a large surge of magic power coming from the Eternal Sword, far more than normal as Origin itself had no choice but to obey. The Eternal Sword exploded and threw Mii back, chunks of the blade scattering before vanishing into thin air. All that was left was the hilt and a little of the blade itself. "W-What did you do!?"
"He can do that?!" Erza was just as surprised as everyone else.
"Yggdrasil, what have you done…!?" Pandora asked. "That sword…!"
"If I cannot use it, then nobody else shall." Yggdrasil said plainly. "I will have to resort to a more drastic means if I am to destroy Prometheus…then so be it! I will do whatever I need to in order to survive!"
"You're insane!" Mii wasn't letting go of the sword, though. "Why are you so hellbent on this!?"
"Because my fate decreed that you would be the one to kill me." Yggdrasil admitted. "Just as your fate is to die, mine is to die at your hands. Neither of us want that, but here are, fighting for one of those fates to overtake the other."
"I'm not fighting you because it's my fate or whatever!" Mii shouted. "I'm fighting you beca…" Mii stopped. Everything stopped in that instant. Nobody knew what happened next, but there was an explosion…from Mii's left eye, the one with the lacrima. It was a condensed explosion but still powerful enough to make Mii stop moving. "…H-Huh…?" With the Eternal Sword broken, whatever protection Mii had from it was gone. At that moment, she just collapsed to the ground on her back, her hair covering the eye that blew up.
"MIIIIIIII!" Team Natsu let out a horrified scream of Mii's name.
"W-What just happened!?" Happy frantically asked.
"I-I don't know…! Don't ask me…!" Carla had her hands covering her mouth.
"MII! MII!" Lucy scrambled to her feet, shaking Mii, but she was completely unresponsive. "Get up! You have to get up!"
Wendy also scrambled forward, immediately trying to put her healing to use. "Mii-san! Please, wake up!" Mii's injury was too severe, even for Wendy. All of Mii's previous injuries piled up in that moment, making this too much of a task for even Wendy's healing magic. "N-No…my magic isn't working…! Why isn't it working!? She's not breathing…!"
"You bastard! What did you do!?" Natsu roared while swinging at Yggdrasil once again, but he was easily countered by a punch and thrown to the ground again. "Agh…!"
Yggdrasil was honestly in a state of shock. He didn't foresee this turn of events happening, but he started to laugh when it all set in. "Ahaha….ahahahaha…AHAHAHAHAHA! I've done IT! I've conquered fate! I don't know what stroke of fortune was smiling upon me on this day, but I've managed to do it!"
"This can't be…" Erza couldn't believe it. Gray, Cynthia, and Beat were just speechless.
"This is a magnificent day indeed!" Yggdrasil held his arms out in a glorious pose. "My efforts weren't in vain!"
Lucy felt the tears welling up in her eye. "N-No…please, Mii…you can't leave us, we just got you back…!"
Yggdrasil was laughing too much. "Talking to a corpse does you no good. Now then…I believe we were in the middle of something before she decided to interrupt us? Now is a good time to continue that." Yggdrasil was going to start with Wendy, but a ball of fire stopped him. It wasn't Natsu as the angle made that impossible. "What now!?"
Zelos stood on the rubble at the broken ceiling, his own sword extended. "Stay away from my cute friend."
"Zelos!?" Erza gasped. "You're out of the runes…"
"That's right, Erza-chan!" Zelos dropped down from the ceiling and landed between Team Natsu and Yggdrasil. "I've finally decided what it is I wanted to do…and that was protect the people that gave me a chance. Looks like my decision making came at the perfect time, don't you agree!? So don't worry! The handsome Zelos Wilda has arrived to ease your burden!"
"Always with a flashy entrance…" Gray said.
"Who are you?" Yggdrasil demanded to know. "Your aura feels far too familiar, yet we've never met."
"Heh…let's just say that you and I are related by blood." Zelos said with a grin.
"Blood? But I only have two children…well, none now, it seems." Yggdrasil shrugged. Even Michael was nothing more than a tool for him to extend his own life.
"Mii-chan and I are like twins! And it seems that for some reason, after the Eternal Sword was broken, the lacrima in her eye gave out…but…" Zelos said while giving the downed Mii a once over. "…that's why I can say for certain that her life hasn't gone out just yet."
"Are you sure!?" Cynthia asked.
"You can hear it, can't you? Though it's faint…her heart is still beating." Zelos said.
Lucy decided to lean her head against Mii's chest. Zelos was right, it was faint and very slow, but she could feel Mii's heart beating very faintly. "H-He's right…!"
"Is she gonna wake up!?" Natsu asked.
"…That's on her. But if she hears your voices calling out to her, maybe that'll guide her in the right direction!" Zelos said.
"As if I'll let you get the chance!" Yggdrasil took his rainbow feather and flew forward to slash, but he was intercepted by Zelos and his Last Fencer. "What is that sword…?! It feels just like the Eternal Sword…who are you?!"
"Just a wizard of Fairy Tail, and a protector of beautiful women~" Zelos hummed. He wasn't going to answer any of Yggdrasil's questions, because that truth was not meant for him. "Come on, Mii-chan…this is it…!"
.
.
Mii was floating in a sea of darkness. It was her consciousness drifting after that explosion. "Huh…I don't remember what happened, but my whole body feels light and heavy at the same time…? Did I actually die after all this time…? Wow…what a terrible time to go out…"
"To be more precise, you are dying at this very moment." Origin stated. He appeared in front of Mii. His form was that of an old man, similar in stature to the Celestial Spirit King. "I apologize…but I am no longer able to give you protection…"
"So this is the end for me, huh…? Damn it…" Mii wanted to cry. "I just made up with Em too! I still…had so much I wanted to do….I still have so much I have to do, but I'm just as useless as ever! Maybe I deserve this…"
"Are you certain?" Origin asked while raising a brow. "There are people who may disagree with you there."
"Huh…?" Mii asked.
"Don't you hear them calling out to you?" Origin asked.
"Mii! Mii! Please wake up!" Lucy begged.
"Come on, Mii!" Gray shouted.
"Don't let fate win! I know you can beat this!" Natsu yelled.
"Mii, don't give up! We're waiting for you!" Cynthia said.
"I believe in you, Mii-san! So wake up!" Wendy said.
"Please, Mii…there is a lot we have to do…" Erza said solemnly.
It wasn't just team Natsu either. Mii could hear a few more voices somehow.
"Don't you dare die on me, Koryuji…" Emeraude said under her breath.
"I hope I get to see Mii again…!" Asuka Connell said excitedly.
"You guys…" Mii frowned. "I…"
"Your life is fading, and fast…however, what you decided to do with this life is completely up to you. Will you let it flicker out….or will you put everything in one final blaze of glory? The path is yours to decide…and while I can no longer offer my aid to you, I believe that you will make the right choice. I will watch over you, no matter what Mii Yggdrasil Koryuji." Origin said while fading away.
.
.
Even Zelos was no might for Yggdrasil at full power. Zelos violently hit the ground along with the rest of Team Natsu, and Beat. They were all trying to fight Yggdrasil, but he had a second wind from overcoming his face. "Agh…why do ugly dudes always hit the hardest?!"
"Is that what you're worried about at a time like this!?" Carla shouted from the sidelines.
"This has been a wonderful time. But I don't have much time to waste with the likes of you." Yggdrasil said while pointing his hand forward, a white magic seal appearing in front of his palm. "I have to dispose of you and Prometheus posthaste, if there is any hope of purging this world. Goodbye. Yggdrasil Laser!" A gigantic beam of angel magic rocketed from the magic seal to finish his targets off. But just before it could reach, the beam was deflected off to the side, shooting off into the distance. "What!?"
"Huh…!?" The others gasped.
It was Mii, hunched over, panting heavily. She had the broken Eternal Sword in her hand, and her destroyed eye was covered by her hair. She was standing in front of them protectively, despite her condition being far worse than hers. "I…I still…got this…"
"WHAT?!" Yggdrasil's eyes went wide. "W-Why…how are you still alive!? Something like that should've killed you!? Why aren't you dead!? Why won't YOU DIE!?"
"Why won't I die…that's a good question." Mii said with a dry laugh. "I realized something just now…even if I'm an angel, that doesn't mean I'm confined by fate. I'm human too…and humans have a funny way of defying fate. I think…I think that's what Em wanted me to realize all this time…it sucks that I'm realizing it now but…if you honestly, truly want me dead, then….YOU'LL HAVE TO DO BETTER THAN THAT! BECAUSE I'M HANGING ONTO THIS LITTLE ITTY BIT OF LIFE BURNING INSIDE OF ME WITH EVERYTHING I'VE GOT!" Mii assumed a fighting stance. "That's a promise."
"…." Lucy had no words, but the conviction of Mii's voice swearing to life made her cry. That was all she ever wanted to hear from her. Based on Natsu, Zelos Erza, Gray, Happy, Wendy, Carla, and Cynthia's expressions…they felt the same way.
Yggdrasil's entire arm was trembling in rage. "COCKROACH OF A DAUGHTER!" He roared in anger, firing off numerous beams of light towards Mii and the people standing behind her to take them all out.
"COWARD OF A FATHER!" Mii shouted back, swinging the broken Eternal Sword in all directions to deflect the beams of light. Her black magic aura was flaring wildly, showing that she was truly putting everything she was capable of into this defense. But that was the problem, Mii was only capable of defending in this state and she couldn't keep it up forever. She flew into the air to draw Yggdrasil's fire since she already obtained his ire.
"Why…why is she going so far…?" Beat mumbled.
"Because she has something she believes in." Wendy said with a firm nod.
Despite Mii's best efforts, her body was slowing down and a beam struck her directly in the chest, causing her to fall to the ground. It hurt too. Her entire body was screaming in pain. She landed on her side. "Ooof….!"
"Why do you continue to resist?" Yggdrasil asked while crossing his arms. Mii was struggling to stand up. "A broken sword, a missing eye, a decaying body, and a fading life. You shouldn't be standing right now!"
"You're right." Mii said while slowly making her way to her feet, keeping a tight grip on the sword. "Everything about this wouldn't have made sense to me a few years ago. Back when I was ready to throw away everything and resign myself to fate, I met Fairy Tail. No matter how many times I was ready to let it all end, they were always there, reaching out for me even when I didn't want it…" Mii's mind flashed back to all the good and bad times she had with Fairy Tail. She was a member for a short while, and it was at that time that she felt the happiest in her life. She even remembered that unfinished painting she was making of the guild.
"So it is because of these humans that you continue to cling to life?" Yggdrasil took aim at Team Natsu once more and fired a quick beam, but Mii was fast enough to deflect this.
"That's right!" Mii said while narrowing her eyes at Yggdrasil. "They've done so much for me, and I owe it to them to make sure their efforts on me weren't wasted! Even if the entire world against me, I'm going to protect them no matter what!" Mii yelled at the top of her lungs, her magic aura expanding even further and further along with her determination. She even kicked things up a notch, activating her Angelic Transformation; she was going all in on this final attack. "I won't let you hurt them! I WON'T LET YOU HURT MY FRIEEEEEEEENDS! AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Mii raised the Eternal Sword into the sky, letting out a loud cry as her aura towered into the sky. Mii's black magic aura turned into a pure white, her magic filling in the broken Eternal Sword. A gigantic magical blade pierced all the way into the clouds above, the symbol of Fairy Tail appearing on the hilt of her sword.
Yggdrasil's eyes were wide in fear and shock. "N-No! This can't be…!"
"FAIRY CREST!" Mii coiled both hands around the Eternal Sword, swinging it down with all her might. This sword of magic cleaved through the Reaper's Castle and swept Yggdrasil its massive burst of power. A gigantic crevasse formed from the impact of Mii's attack.
"NOOOOOOoooooo…!" Yggdrasil's cry of pain was completely drowned out by the rumbling of the area. That flash and blade of light was visible to literally everyone in the fused continent. Yggdrasil felt himself falling backwards, his body starting to fade. "….So….my fate was inescapable after all…" He said staring up at the sky with a sad smile. "…A victim of fate…but what is this odd sensation I feel in my chest…?" His gaze landed on Mii once more, who remained hunched over, panting heavily with nothing but venom in those green eyes of hers. That was his daughter alright. "…Huh…pride in my child for doing what I could not…? I wonder if that's it…." Yggdrasil had very little time to ponder those thoughts. Before he could hit the ground, he faded away completely.
"S-Stay away from…my friends…" Mii started to tip over backwards. Before she hit the ground, Lucy caught her, resting her head on her lap. "Huh…?"
"We got you." Lucy said with a soft smile.
"You were kick ass out there!" Natsu said with a grin. "We knew you could do it, Mii!"
"We're very proud of you." Erza gave a nod.
"Are you okay…?" Wendy asked. But they already knew the answer to that…
"If you told me all I had to do was defeat my father in combat to get on your lap…I would've done that sooner…" Mii said with a dry laugh. But it was clear that she was fading and fast. "…I'm sorry…I don't think I have much time left in me…"
"No…!" Cynthia frowned heavily. "But…but…!"
Natsu grit his teeth. This was exactly what he was trying to prevent. "…."
"I-It's okay…" Mii said while managing a weak smile. "I…I have to thank all of you. If you weren't so stubborn and persistent, I wouldn't have realized I even had the chance to defy fate. I was always ready to resign myself to whatever was in store…but in reality…I really…I really just wanted to be with all of you."
"You went through all of that trouble to protect us, didn't you…?" Gray asked and Mii nodded.
"No matter what….I just wanted to make sure I kept something I cared about safe. Today was the first day I was able to do that…" Mii let out a cough. "And…I guess I got to fulfill part of my dream. I always wanted to have a meaningful death, ahaha…"
"How can you laugh at a time like this…!?" Carla shouted. "Y-You're dying…!"
"I am, aren't I…?" Mii's vision was already blurring. She could barely see anything. "Hey, Lucy…when you see Em again, can you tell her…that she was the best friend I could ever ask for…? And that I'm sorry I broke my promise…?"
Lucy felt herself choke up. "O-Of course…! I'll make sure she hears that!"
Mii kept silent for a moment, turning vaguely in the direction she thought Zelos was. "…Thanks."
"…Of course." Zelos nodded slowly, turning his head away. He didn't want to watch this, it hurt too much.
Mii let out a low groan, tears welling up in her one eye. "Hey, guys…can I be honest for a second…? I'm really scared. I don't want to die…it's cold…and I feel so alone…" Now this started to make everyone cry. "I never wanted to die…it was just the only thing I knew about, I didn't know what else to do…."
"You're not alone!" Natsu said, his whole body trembling. "We're right here with you! We all art, and we'll always be with you, Mii!"
"…Yeah…you're right." Mii said with another dry laugh. Her body was starting to fade away, golden sparkles floating upwards. "I can't see anything right now…but I feel very warm in my heart. It feels so full…Em…you guys…if things were different, we would've all had a happier life." Mii's body was mostly gone now. But she still had one more thing to say… "Thank you, all of you. I love you guys so much…." She raised her hand up, index finger and thumb pointed out. It was the Fairy Tail hand sign. "Thanks for having Mii…." Mii's arm then slowly dropped and her body vanished in a small flash of light. The only thing of Mii Koryuji that remained was her hat, and the broken hilt of the Eternal Sword.
"YOU'RE WELCOME, MII!" Lucy sobbed louder than everyone else. "WE LOVED HAVING YOU!" Yes, Team Natsu was aware that they weren't out of the woods just yet…but they needed to take this moment to sob and grieve over an irreplaceable friend.
.
.
Emeraude stopped in her tracks. She felt a sudden, sharp pain in her chest. "…!" She gasped, and she just…felt tears roll down her eyes. She didn't need to see what happened, but she felt in deep within her heart. "Mii…"
.
.
Pandora watched the tears of Fairy Tail fall in front of her. Even she was sad about what just happened. "Daughter of Yggdrasil…Mii Yggdrasil Koryuji. You were truly a good soul." She slowly began to approach the frozen Prometheus, her teary eyes filled with determination. "It is my job now, to make sure that your efforts were not in vain. Prometheus…this is where it ends."
Just as Pandora said that, Prometheus' lips curled up into a crooked smile. "You're absolutely right, Pandora."
.
.
Next Time: The Final Battle.