Sup guys. So, things got a little complicated and I realised I had too much stuff to write in this chapter, therefore, I've divided it into two parts. Both this and next upload will be considered as the same chapter. I think you'd all rather have this thing cut in two, rather than have to go through a giant, 20,000 words long brick.
With that said, I hope you enjoy it. This part focuses on Laxus and Lucy, with a small dose of Erza. Enjoy!
First minutes of November 24th, Tower of Heaven, Fifth Floor
"Well then, shall we begin?"
Laxus' brow twitched in irritation. The eagerness of his opponent played on his nerves.
"You asked for it, old man." breathed the Dragon Slayer before dashing at the elder.
Laxus quickly found himself effectively closing the distance between him and Arthur, until he felt himself slowing down. Clicking his tongue in irritation, he continued to make his way through already stopped time and pulled back his arm, which now felt like it weighed a ton. The Time swiftly dodged the strike and pushed a knife from beneath his sleeve, slashing at the blonde, who leaned back just in time to avoid getting cut on his face. Before Arthur could regain his position, Laxus answered with a left hook that was blocked by the man. Arthur pushed Laxus' arm aside and answered with a kick underneath his chin, rocking his head upwards. He then jumped back just as Laxus' lowered his head. He kicked the ground much harder than before and caught the suprised Commandment with a right straight that pushed him back and knocked him off balance.
Laxus followed the man, clad in his lightning and continued his barrage with a right kick that smashed Arthur into the ground. He then tried to stomp the elder, who rolled out of the way and kicked Laxus' only leg touching the ground, tripping him in the process. Arthur gracefully stood up and jumped back, only to then start running in a circle around Laxus, who was now back on his feet. As the blonde wondered what the elder was doing, he felt his eyes widen at the sight of multiple Arthur's running circles around him, as the man multiplied. After a short moment they all stopped in their tracks and threw themselves at Laxus, who responded by jumping upwards, effectively avoiding all of them. Or so he thought, as he felt someone flying above him, only to be met with Arthur's elderly face right before his. The Time kicked Laxus in the jaw, rocking him so hard he barely stayed conscious and crashed him into the ground, where the rest of his afterimages waited for their chance to finish the Dragon Slayer. Feeling anger building up, Laxus put his hand on the ground and electrocuted it, shocking every single one of Arthur's copies. As it turned out, the original was also amongst them, as he buckled over, grunting from pain. Laxus used this moment and delivered a powerful punch to the man's stomach, lightning spreading all over his body from the struck place. Arthur was blown back and landed on his back, sliding on the ground.
After this strike, Laxus' body became lighter, with time resuming its flow. Before he could take a breath, however, Laxus picked up a familiar sound with his ears and looked up, only to see a storm of knives making their way towards him. He clenched his fist and swatted them away with a big lightning, the blades falling onto the ground. The blonde finally breathed out, his chest burning and his heart pounding like crazy. Despite being able to move within Arthur's magic thanks to the lacrima implanted into his chest, Laxus' human body still weighed him down, greatly crippling his abilities.
With Arthur still on the ground, Laxus grit his teeth and, despite the heaviness of his body, rushed at the elder. He got in position above the man and pulled back his right arm, striking with it. Arthur rolled away from the punch, which connected with the floor and put his right hand on the ground, which he used to support himself and pushed the ground, as he kicked Laxus underneath his chin once again. He then grabbed his right arm and kicked him in the chest with his other leg. He did this three times before pushing Laxus away and rolling back. As soon as he raised his head he was met with a fist coated in lightning, with a furious Laxus landing a powerful left low uppercut on the elder's quickly put up guard. Arthur felt his nose being squashed and his arms becoming numb from both the force of the strike and the lightning that spread right into his nerves. Laxus gave his strike one final push and sent Arthur flying, immediately chasing after him. Before Arthur could react, Laxus caught up to him in the air and grinded him into the ground with his fist, which was once again blocked. Arthur once again stopped time, effectively weighing Laxus down and quickly grabbed a hold of his arm, swiftly wrapping it in an armbar. He then pushed his legs and secured Laxus underneath his weight. Knowing full well he wouldn't hold the Dragon Slayer for long, Arthur released his left arm off Laxus' and pulled out another knife, before bringing it down, aiming at the blonde's unguarded heart. Laxus quickly covered his body in lightning, which blocked most of the impact, however the tip still pierced his skin. Laxus forcefully pulled his arm out and tried to strike Arthur, who quickly rolled backwards and jumped away, time resuming once again.
Laxus stood up and panted heavily, unable to cover it. He reached down and pulled the knife out of his chest, before throwing it away.
"It appears countering my magic takes a major toll on your body." noted Arthur. "Unfortunately, it seems like our battle will be a short one."
"As if you're any different." panted Laxus. Although he did a good job of hiding it, Arthur was also heaving trouble breathing. "But I gotta say, for an assassin, you're unusually eager to be out in the open." noticed Laxus. "I thought guys like you hide in shadows and never show their face around."
"Correct." replied shortly The Time. "But that is not my current occupation anymore, therefore, I can put my old rules aside. Enjoying a battle with this magic of mine is one of my old dreams, and as of now, you're fulfilling it magnificently."
"Still, seems like this magic of yours is quite dangerous."
Arthur raised an eyebrow at this statement, slightly confused.
"Other may not have picked it up, but since my ears are special, I found out your weakness." smirked Laxus and tapped his right ear with his finger. "Every time you use your magic, your heart stops. That's why you're out of breath. You don't stop time, you simply freeze everything and everyone around you at the cost of your heartbeat, creating an illusion of frozen time."
Arthur's eyes narrowed, as he sighed through his nose. For the first time since he showed himself, he looked angry. "As expected...is what I should be saying right now, but for some reason, I feel a slight sense of defeat. Nobody has ever figured out the truth behind my magic. Consider my pride hurt. I suppose taking this seriously and killing you will be a sufficient payment for this embarrassment. Now, let us continue. I believe you bought enough time to recover."
Laxus clicked his tongue. There was no way around Arthur's keen nose.
The elder tapped the floor with the tip of his right shoe and dashed at Laxus in a mad run, unusual for a man of his age. Laxus' eyes widened in suprise, before feeling his body double in weight once again. Arthur easily jumped over his overhand right and kicked Laxus in the back while in the air. This staggered the blonde, who had to awkwardly run for couple steps. He clenched his fist and threw a powerful backfist, only to hit nothing but air, as Arthur was once again above him, this time higher. Time resumed its flow, and Laxus was met with a shower of knives flying in his direction. Just when he was about to jump back, he noticed that the blades have suddenly skipped few meters while in the air and plunged themselves all over his body. Laxus loudly grunted in pain as stinging pain burned his shoulders, legs and forearms. None of the blades entered deep, but they still hurt.
Laxus jumped back and flexed his body, the blades popping out of him. Small rivers of blood streamed down his legs, arms and chest, as he wondered what the hell happened.
"It appears you're still ahead of me when it comes to the number of our weaknesses."
Laxus quickly turned around in search of Arthur, but the man was already gone. Confused, he picked up his scent right behind him. He quickly threw another backfist, only to miss again.
"Although you are practically immune to my magic, there's still a small window where you're just as affected as other people."
Laxus once again threw his neck and finally noticed Arthur, who was currently standing good 20 feet away from him.
"By my count, it lasts around one second, however, for me it's more than enough." continued Arthur, before pulling on his gloves. "It allows me to do this."
All of a sudden, Laxus felt sharp pain in his right side. Before he could react, he felt two more strikes being landed on his heart and right shoulder. Gasping from pain and shock, he noticed that Arthur was standing right in front of him, his hands behind his back. Laxus grit his teeth and pulled his right arm back, ready to strike. He felt his head being knocked back, with Arthur not moving even an inch. Two more strikes to his stomach and the Dragon Slayer found himself on his knees, his hands on the aching area.
"This is how it should be from the very beginning." whispered Arthur and put his foot on Laxus' head, earning himself a hateful look from the blonde. "Letting my personal feelings get in the way of my mission was foolish, I guess I really am getting old."
Laxus tried to catch the elder by suprise and threw a small combo of a short uppercut and long left hook, but once again, his fist met nothing. Now back on his feet, he jumped away and turned his body into lightning, searching the area with his senses, ready to counterattack. He caught a small sound behind him and threw a Heavenward Halberd, hoping to catch the Commandment by suprise. Instead, he felt his ribs bending under the weight of Arthur's kick, which knocked the wind out of him. The elder then dodged a giant lightning thrown by Laxus and kicked him in the kidneys, making him fall onto his face. He quickly got up and turned his body into lightning again, flying across the floor. Suddenly, he felt multiple knives passing right through him. Locked onto his target, he closed the distance in an instant and pulled his arm back, ready to strike. With his fist mere centimeters away from Arthur's old face, Laxus smirked in triumph, only to be kicked in the lower back, with enough force to bend him into a bow. Laxus crashed into the floor and slid on it, the pain in his back spreading throughout his legs as well.
"You may be able to turn yourself into lightning and use it to maneuver and dodge attack, but you are unable to attack in this form, thus, you are forced to resume your physical appearance for the moment of strike. Unfortunately for you, I'm not that old or slow to miss that moment. You have no chance of winning." exclaimed Arthur.
Laxus clenched his fists, both of them crackling dangerously and stood up, ready to fight again. Before he was given a chance to attack, he felt himself being blown back, blood escaping his mouth.
"Enemies of Master Silva must be eliminated." whispered The Time, before continuing his onslaught.
Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor
Lucy panted heavily as she run across the prison, her chest burning and her throat aching from panting. She was soaking wet and covered in bruises from all the impacts Juvia's water had with her body. For the past 15 minutes she did nothing but run away and call out to Juvia, hoping she finally gets through to her friend. Just when she was about to do it once again, she heard the already familiar sound and lowered her head, dodging a sharp blade made out of water flying right above her head. The attack hit the wall behind her and cut right through it, leaving a curved cut.
"Juvia, please! Come to your senses!" she cried to her friend, who was once again chasing after her in fury.
Her only response was a stream of water that hit her straight in the back and sent her flying along with the current. She rolled on the ground, her whole body sore and achy. She stood up with great difficulty and threw herself to the right to avoid yet another attack.
"Gray is alive! He's messing with your mind, please, wake up!" Lucy tried to get to Juvia one more time.
The bluenette grimaced in fury and swiped her hand to the right. Before she could react, Lucy was trapped in a ball of water.
"Don't you dare speak his name." whispered menacingly Juvia.
The sound of clapping reached Lucy's ears, with Luppi standing on the side, clearly amused by the turn of events happening before him.
"I can't believe how amusing this is." he chuckled to himself. "One fake memory and we have ourselves a true spectacle. You know, I thought she'd at least struggle and question whether her friend could really do such a thing, but instead, she went full psycho. If I were you, I'd hate the one who let her into your guild, she's clearly insane."
Lucy glared at the Commandment with pure hatred. She never despised someone as much as she hated him. She didn't keep it for long, though, as her air supply was running out, water making its way down her throat. She fought as hard as she could to reach out to her keys, but her arms were simply too heavy to do it. Just when she thought it was over, she felt air filling her nose and water escaping her mouth.
Seemingly out of nowhere, a big ball of light crashed into the water prison, breaking it in the process. Lucy fell out and coughed loudly, her throat and lungs burning, as she desperately gasped for air. She opened her teary eyes and noticed Loke standing in front of her, ready to protect her once again.
"Loke..." she breathed out weakly, a small smile forming on her face, relieved to see him.
The spirit turned around and smiled back. "Sorry for making you wait. It took me a while to get back to earth. But now that I'm here..."
He then turned around, his face twisting in an angry grimace. "It's payback time."
"Loke, don't!" cried out Lucy. "He did something to her! She's not doing it out of her free will!"
"Even if you tell me that, I can't hold back." retorted Loke. He closely watched Juvia, who was constantly trying to walk around him, trying to get to Lucy.
"Move out of the way." she growled.
"I don't think I will." replied Loke before covering his fist in light.
Juvia grunted and shot a giant stream of water in his direction. The spirit put up his hand and blocked it, the liquid breaking upon impact with his extended palm. The water splashed in all directions, successfully blocked. He then grabbed the water with his fingers and swiped his arm to the right, dispelling the attack. Juvia looked at him shocked, while his expression was rather stoic.
"You may have caught me by suprise earlier, but it won't happen again." he said quietly. "I'm ending this pointless fight, here and now."
Loke quickly dashed at Juvia and caught up to her. He clenched his fist, which was bright enough to blind everyone on the floor and struck it into her stomach, not giving her a chance to turn her body into water.
REGULUS IMPACT!
The strike doubled Juvia over, saliva escaping her mouth. She hanged on Loke's arm, motionless, a quiet, long gasp escaping her mouth. After couple seconds, her eyes closed on their own, as she fell unconscious. Loke gently wrapped his arms around her and picked her up bridal style, before carrying her over to Lucy's side. Luppi watched this scene with irritation written on his face, clearly not fond of the idea of fighting on his own once again.
Loke placed Juvia right next to Lucy and smiled reassuringly at the blonde. "Don't worry. I'll finish this." He then kicked the ground as hard as he could, breaking it into large pieces. He picked up two of them and set them up before Lucy and Juvia, almost as if shielding them. "Stay here and don't peek out. I won't let him control either of you any longer."
Just before Lucy could protest, Loke was already walking in Luppi's direction, who was also walking up to the spirit.
"Things just can't go my way, can they?" he whined, before pulling out his knife.
"Not while I'm here." retorted Loke and clenched his fists, light covering them once again. "I hope you're ready, punk."
Tower of Heaven, Sixth Floor
"What did you say?!"
Erza didn't mean to scream, but her reaction was still absolutely justified. She kept her eyes locked on Jellal's face, his words sinking deep into her soul, filling her with deep sense of terror. "There's no way something like that would ever work!"
Jellal smirked at her reaction. "I'm glad we're on the same page, Erza. I hope now you understand my wish of stopping Silva from doing something this cruel."
Erza's eyes narrowed. On one hand, she didn't trust him even one bit. On the other, his reaction seemed unusually genuine.
"Is that why you let Natsu pass right by you? So that he did the dirty work for you?" she asked, trying to pull him by his tongue.
"Even I am not powerful enough to take down Silva on my own." replied Jellal. "And with the other Commandments around, there was no way I could ever get in his way. Until you arrived with your little army, that is. Now, I am finally capable of putting a stop to Silva's madness."
"Is that why you said I was essential to your plans? You wanted to use me and my friends to make a path for your own, personal desires?" she asked.
The Commandment chuckled lightly. "Not exactly. You see, with all the Commandments and Salamander dead, I'll finally be able to fulfill what I've always been meant to do. What I was entrusted with 7 years ago, when you abandoned me to die."
Erza clenched her fists, not letting him provoke her. She knew he was trying to win her over by pulling on her weaknesses. She couldn't help but feel disgust spreading all over her chest: whoever this was, he was no longer the Jellal she knew.
Jellal spread his arms and lifted his head upwards, looking at the ceiling. He looked like a preacher, ready to share his words with his audience. "In the darkest hour, he was the one who reached out to me. He was the one who showed me the truth, he was the one who saved me from my enslavement. When all my enemies destroy each other, and Luppi does the one, only thing he's ever been useful for, I will finally bring back the true ruler of this world. Together with Zeref, I will create the perfect world we've always been meant to live in!"
If Erza was disgusted earlier, now she felt plain sick. She stared at Jellal with widened, angry eyes, unable to form proper sentences. "Have you lost your mind?"
"No. I woke up. I realised what we're living in right now, is a world of lies. I will tear it down and make a new, true world along with Zeref. To achieve that, I will sacrifice your body, Erza." he whispered. "You were the beginning of this, and you will be the end as well. With your death, the circle will be complete. Zeref will return to this world, and reclaim what is rightfully his."
Erza exhaled through her nose and spread her legs apart, getting into a fighting stance. She then Requipped into her Black Wing Armor, and pointed her blade at Jellal. "You've lost your mind. There is no other explanation for this madness."
Jellal smirked at her words. "Be it through force or your own will, you will fulfill your duty. It's your fault I'm like this, Erza. Take responsibility."
The knight's eyes narrowed sorrowly, as she repeated Natsu's words in her head like a chant. "I have no intention of taking a part in your insanity. I will put a stop to you, Jellal."
The Heavens removed his cloak, revealing a skin-tight battle outfit, dark in color on the area of his stomach, chest, and foreams, with the rest being of a slightly brighter shade of said color. Groups of three thin lines ran up his arms and legs, starting from the very end of the sleeves. He was wearing black combat boots, very similar to Natsu's, and his hands were protected by white gloves.
"You will try." he whispered menacingly, green energy glowing around his body.
Erza grit her teeth and kicked the ground, flying at her former friend. The great speed of her armor allowed her to quickly close the distance and slash at Jellal's neck. The man simply smiled, even with the knight's blade mere centimeters away from his neck.
METEOR
Erza's sword cut through the air, completely missing its target. Disorientated, she looked around in search of him, only to feel dull pain on her back, as Jellal kicked her in-between her wings. Erza took couple steps forward and slashed back at the man, once again missing him. She noticed him right by the ceiling, her eyes widening in suprise.
Jellal was moving so fast the only thing he was leaving behind was green glow. His entire body was covered in a green ball of light, that greatly increased his movements. He landed his feet on the ceiling and rushed directly at Erza, who responded with a quick horizontal slash. He quickly jumped over it and aimed yet another kick at the knight's back, which she gracefully blocked with her sword. She flexed her arms and pushed him back, knocking him out of balance for a short moment, which was long enough to let Erza send one more strike in his direction, which he ultimately ended up dodging.
"You'll have to do better than that if you wish to catch up to my speed." he mocked her, before flying towards the ceiling once again. Erza kicked the ground and followed him, flapping her wings at their highest speed. She continued to slash at Jellal, her attacks too sluggish to catch him. For each of her failed strikes, she received one in return, with Jellal openly toying with her. Feeling anger take over her mind, she threw her sword at Jellal's face, only to have him headslip to his left and let the blade pass right beside his head and plant itself in the wall. Erza summoned two axes and used them to aimlessly hack at the man, still nowhere near his speed. Jellal ducked right under her right arm and kicked her in the abdomen, making her cough up some blood. He dragged her in the air with his leg, before giving it a final push and sending her flying towards the ground, making her crash into it.
The man then hovered back onto the ground, his eyes focused on the cloud of smoke and dust. He knew it was not enough to bring Titania down. However, when after couple seconds Erza still hadn't come out of the smoke, he started to believe it was already over.
REQUIP: FLIGHT ARMOR!
Erza kicked the ground as hard as she could and dashed towards Jellal, flying out of the dust cloud. The man smirked in amusement, glad that she was still on her feet and sidestepped away from her strike. The knight circled around and followed him, repeatedly attacking him with her weapons.
The Commandment continued to dodge her strikes, his cocky smile never leaving his face. He ducked under Erza's thrust and struck her in the stomach with his fist. Erza grit her teeth in pain and slid back, with Jellal following her. She did not wait for him and stepped in as well, slashing at him vertically with her right sword, only to see him slip out of her weapon's range. She followed through by thrusting her sword into his face, but he dodged it by sidestepping to his left.
Erza did not give up and switched the position of her right arm. From beneath her still extended left hand she slashed horizontally at Jellal, nearly catching his nose with the tip of her blade. The man's smile faded away at the sight of her weapon so close to his face, his confidence beginning to take light damage. Erza then turned around to face him and threw her left sword directly at him, forcing him to move out of the way. Because of this attack, he had to take his eyes off of the knight, who used it to her advantage.
Erza quickly closed the distance between her and Jellal and slashed at him with her last remaining weapon. He dodged it yet again, however this time, Erza was ready. By predicting his movements, she quickly followed through with a right high kick, catching the man directly across his face. His head was slightly blown away to the side, his face expressing pure shock and disbelief. He turned around to look at Erza, only to see her brown, terrifying eyes in front of his. He quickly backstepped away from the knight, dodging her attack at the last second.
Erza turned her body around and threw her weapon into Jellal once again, this time more as a distraction. While he was busy dodging the sword flying right past his face, Erza ran up to him, bright light surrounding her figure.
REQUIP: PURGATORY ARMOR!
Using the element of suprise, Erza decided to go for a sure, one hit victory. She lifted her giant club above her head and brought it down onto Jellal, who flew away just in time to avoid a devastating strike that shook the entire floor. Sick and tired of Erza's persistence, he dashed towards her, ready to counter attack, only to see her back in her Flight Armor right in front of his face.
"She's switching back and forth between this and other armors?!" he thought in disbelief while dodging her sword, which left a slight cut on his cheek.
Erza once again started a barrage of thrusts in his direction, forcing him to strain himself in order to dodge them all. Feeling anger building up inside of him, he ducked right under Erza's thrust and struck her stomach with his right hand, only to feel it being blocked by the woman's left sword. Not wasting this chance, Erza headbutted him in the nose and kicked him in the stomach, before catching up to his sliding figure and slashing his chest, blood spurting out of the wound.
Jellal slid on the floor, his head leaned towards the ground. After few meters he finally stopped and sighed through his nose. He looked at his chest wound, which was much more shallow than Erza expected it to be and touched it with his fingers. He looked at the blood on his hand and smeared it in-between his fingers and then shifted his gaze at Erza.
"Perhaps I've underestimated you." he said. His voice was calm, however, it reminded Erza of a frozen lake. Under his calm tone, there was a vast amount of built up anger and fury. "But, perhaps that is just my own mistake. You're worthy of the title of a Wizard Saint, trying to preserve my magic power while fighting you was idiotic. I'll have to postpone my plans for a little longer, but I think it's the right time I took you seriously."
His feet left the ground, as he started to lift himself in the air. Erza followed him with her eyes, before feeling them widen in shock at the sight before her.
"When did you-"
"This is the difference between us, Erza." he cut her off.
Above him were seven big magic circles, all of them connected by a thick line of green energy. They were all aimed directly at Erza, immense magic power gathering inside of them.
The Heavens put his right hand over his left one, his index and middle fingers being the only ones spread out, aimed at Erza.
"Be judged by Seven Stars." he muttered.
GRAND CHARIOT!
Seven powerful beams of light were launched in Erza's direction, quickly closing in to her shocked face. An enormous explosion of light shook the entire floor, the impact cracking the floor and walls all over the floor, pieces of debris flying in all directions. Jellal softly landed on the ground, anticipating the results of his attack.
"Is this your definition of serious?"
Jellal's eyes shot wide open in shock at the sound of Erza's voice. When the dust finally settled, he was met with the sight of Erza, clad in her freshly repaired Adamantine Armor, her shields raised high above her head. They were battered in, some cracks appearing on their surface, but other than that, Erza was completely fine and unharmed.
"I suppose I was worried for no reason. You disappoint me, Jellal." said Erza, before Requipping back to her Flight Armor.
Jellal exhaled through his nose and resumed his fighting pose. It was clear she was trying to provoke him, but her words still made him feel unusual sense of irritation and hurt hurt pride, which fueled his anger even further.
"You will regret your insolence."
Tower of Heaven, Fourth Floor
Lucy continued to grip the piece of debris she was hiding behind so hard her knuckles hurt. She helplessly watched Loke being beaten by Luppi, who started to be much more vicious with his attacks. Despite not having the same biology as humans, it was clear to her that Loke was on his absolute limit.
The spirit threw a barrage of punches at the teenager, who, despite his bad condition, dodged every single one of his attacks. As soon as Loke retracted his fists to rest for a moment, he stepped in and punched him in the stomach. He then slashed at him with his knife, missing just by the skin of teeth, with Loke leaning his throat back at the last second. The Commandment clicked his tongue in annoyance and kicked the spirit in the chest, pushing him away.
"Do you have any idea how hard it is, fighting you and controlling the entire Council at the same time?" asked Luppi. "Drop dead already, will ya?"
Loke did not respond, and instead wiped his panting mouth with his sleeve. He ligt his fists once again and bent his knees, ready to attack again. Luppi simply sighed at the sight and resumed his position. "Give me a break."
Both men started to fight once again, with Loke receiving the first strike. Lucy clenched her teeth so hard they hurt and watched the fight from afar.
"There has to be something I can do." she whispered to herself, angry at her helplessness. She looked to her side, where Juvia was sleeping, as she recalled what happened to her friend. "If I go out, I'll end up like Juvia. But if I stay here, Loke will suffer."
Just when she thought there was no way out of the situation, she felt gears turn in her head the right way, an idea forming in her mind. She couldn't help but feel her lips curve in a small grin, as she stood up from the ground. "I think Erza's recklessness is rubbing off on me." she whispered.
Loke once again tried to land a hit on Luppi, who caught his arm by the wrist and pulled him towards himself, nailing the spirit with a kick to his abdomen. Loke buckled over, allowing Luppi to kick him under the chin and send him fly upwards, before landing on his back. Loke quickly tried to stand up, which came with great difficulty after the abuse he received, and put up his guard once again.
"That's enough!"
The sudden call caused Loke's eyes to shoot wide open, making him quickly turn his head in the direction of the voice. It belonged to Lucy, who was currently walking across the prison in their direction, her step quick and angry.
"What the hell are you doing here?! Step back!" he yelled out to her. Just when his mouth closed, she stopped in her place. her eyes losing their focus, as she stood still like a doll. Loke grit his teeth in anger and turned back to Luppi, who was smirking in triumph.
"I think fate is playing hard to get." he whispered.
"You bastard!" yelled Loke and threw himself at The Mind, who quickly stepped out of the way and got behind the spirit. He followed him in pursuit, before forcing himself to come to a halt, with Luppi now standing right behind Lucy. The Commandment walked up to the blonde so close he was leaning on her with his body and smelled her neck.
"I really can't figure out whether this chick is dumb as bricks, or smart. She just keeps suprising me." he laughed, as he wrapped his arms around her. "Now then, Mister Spirit. I have a deal for you."
Loke was at boiling point. No matter hos hard he tried, he couldn't come up with a way to get out of this situation. Trying to buy more time, he bit the bait. "What kind of a deal?"
"A very simple one." replied Luppi almost immediately. "Since I can't force her to close the gate, I'm pretty sure you came here on your own. I want you to disappear, and leave both of us alone. Otherwise, I'll snap her neck right here, right now."
His hands were now wrapped around Lucy's chin and top of her head, as he already started to push her head at an angle.
"If I leave, you'll kill them both." snarled furious Loke.
"Yes, but then you don't have to watch it. I say it's a good deal." hummed Luppi and bent Lucy's neck even further.
Loke lowered his head in anger and shame. His fists were clenched so hard he almost drew blood. Memories of his previous Master resurfaced in his mind, reminding him of the guilt he felt when she died. Now, she was about to relive it once again. Just when he was about to give up, he noticed someone behind Luppi and couldn't help but feel major weight being lifted off his chest. Unable to contain himself, he grinned.
Luppi blinked in confusion at the sight before him and felt Lucy begin to struggle in his arms. Now completely lost, he fought with the girl, until she bent her beck backwards at an unnatural angle, a wide grin on her face, her eyes completely rid of pupils.
"Would you mind letting go? It hurts us." she said in a dual, childish voice, scaring the Commandment.
"What the-" he exclaimed and quickly let go of her. Before he could say anything else, he felt something tightly wrapping itself on his beck. He reached out to his throat, his hands meeting a whip. He turned around and felt his eyes open in shock, with another Lucy standing behind him.
"Leave my spirits alone." she muttered quietly and pulled on the weapon, putting more pressure on Luppi's neck.
"Nice job, Lucy." smirked Loke and lit up his fist as hard as he could.
Luppi watched him approach with his fist lighting up more and more with each step. Terror filling his heart, he tried to forcefully free himself from the hold, but before he could succeed, it was already too late.
REGULUS IMPACT!
Loke drove his fist into Luppi's open abdomen, folding the teenager like a pocket knife. Blood escaped his mouth along with a loud gasp, the light spreading all over his body. Lucy let go of her whip and Loke gave it one last push, before sending the Commandment flying, as he rolled on the ground, before stopping on his stomach, lying few meters away, motionless.
Loke panted heavily, exhausted and about to disappear, but he still managed to give Lucy his trademark smile. The girl smiled back with a grin of her own, happy they finally defeated their opponent.
"I sure hope it's finally over." panted Loke. "I'm sick of this kid."
"I think we all are." answered Lucy and turned around to face her other self. She smiled kindly at her doppelganger. "We wouldn't have done it without you, Gemini. Thank you."
Smoke covered the other Lucy, revealing two little spirits, who danced in the air. "It really hurt!" they said in unison.
"I know. I'll make it up to you!" Lucy clapped her hands in front of her face, as if asking for forgiveness.
"Now, the Chairman should be free from his control." threw in Loke and walked up to Lucy. The blonde then twitched a little, but turned around and smiled at him.
"Yes." she said shortly. She then bent down and picked up Luppi's knife.
Loke looked around the floor, looking for the exit. "Now, I think it'd be for the best if you-"
His sentence was interrupted by a knife entering his throat. Loke looked to his left in shock, his eyes locking onto Lucy, who was currently holding the knife stuck in his neck. Her eyes were empty, her expression nonchalant, even bored. She swiped the knife to her right, slashing the spirit's neck, causing him to forcefully disappear from this world. Before he vanished, however, with the corner of his eye he noticed Luppi, who was currently standing up. Blood dripped from his mouth, his breath raspy, his face greener than fresh leaves. The teenager bent down and threw up from the strain caused by his magic. He wiped his mouth with his sleeve and looked over at the pair, hatred in his eyes.
"After all this, I can't even kill you. Talk about unfair." he breathed out.
Loke's eyes narrowed in defeat, as he finally went back home. Luppi then took a deep breath and gave Lucy another order. The girl grabbed Gemini's key and held it in front of her.
FORCED GATE CLOSURE: GEMINI!
The two little spirits were sent back to the Celestial Spirit World, leaving Lucy alone with The Mind. The teenager looked at the girl with fury written on his face.
"To think because of you, our 7 year long plan almost got fucked." he snarled at her. "I'll enjoy watching this."
Lucy raised the knife and aimed it at her throat. She then put it close to her exposed, stretched neck.
"Do it." he commanded her.
Lucy obediently pushed the knife down her throat, the tip gently piercing her skin. Luppi smiled wickedly at the sight, before feeling it fade away, anger once again taking over his mind. The blonde was now fighting the order, the last remaining bit of her subconsciousness trying to overpower Luppi's magic.
"I must have overused my magic. I can barely hold her in check." The Mind whispered to himself, his head clutching his aching head. "Just hurry up and stab yourself you dumb bitch!" he roared desperately.
Just when Lucy was about to push the knife down her neck, Luppi's sight was covered by a large amount of water, which swept him away from his spot and brutally crashed him into a nearby wall, knocking the wind out of him along with his control over Lucy.
The blonde then dropped to her knees and gasped loudly, the blade falling out of her hands. Despite all the fear and pain she felt, she cracked a smile at her blue-haired friend, who was currently helping her get back on her feet. "Thank you, Juvia."
The rain woman smiled back. "You're welcome." Her expression grew stern, as she shifted her gaze onto Luppi, who was already back on his feet. "Now, if you excuse me, I believe I have a score to settle."
Luppi glued his eyes onto Juvia. Despite his desire to slaughter both of these girls, he had to prioritize mission above everything else. Deciding that he was in no condition to fight anymore, he quickly turned on his feet and started to run, hoping to retreat safely back to his Master's place. Before he could get any far, however, he was met with a wall of water, which then threw itself at him, willing to trap him. Luppi jumped back to his previous spot and glared at Juvia, responsible for the attack.
"You're not getting away!" she exclaimed, before attacking him once again.
Luppi simply watched the vast amount of water make its way towards him, his expression unreadable. With the water mere few feet away from him, he closed his eyes and breathed out through his nose, before muttering three words.
"So be it."
Tower of Heaven, Fifth Floor
Laxus flew across the floor, his eyes and nose constantly searching for his opponent. He long gave up on using his ears, with Arthur's steps making absolutely no sound what so ever, a skill he learned during his time as an assassin. His body was heavy, majority of his vital points screaming out in pain from the constant abuse. Laxus decided it was better to stay on the move and avoid him for the time being, rather than taking a punishment every couple seconds.
Suddenly, his right ear twitched, which allowed him to quickly turn around and throw a lightning at a familiar sight of dozen of blades flying in his direction. He knocked them all away and quickly clenched his left fist, before throwing a blind backfist behind him, his fist flying just past the elder's face.
"Too bad." said the Commandment, before nailing Laxus with a sharp uppercut. The blonde quickly recovered and threw another barrage of punches, all of them dodged. Arthur jumped away to create some distance, but Laxus had none of that. He inhaled as much air as possible and puffed his cheeks out.
LIGHTNING DRAGON'S ROAR!
An enormous blast of lightning escaped his mouth, making its way towards Arthur. The man quickly froze the entire floor and ran up to Laxus. He then resumed it just when he got close enough and put his hand on the Dragon Slayer's lower jaw. He pushed upwards, forcefully closing his mouth and cancelling the attack and quickly followed with a sharp, compact right hook to his jaw, rocking him hard. Laxus then answered with a blast of lightning, only to hit nothing but air. Just when he retracted his fist back, Arthur appeared out of thin air before him once again, a small smirk on his face.
Liver. Chin. Heart. Bridge of his nose. Kidneys. Inner thigh. Temple. In-between his shoulder blades.
Laxus' body was tossed around like a ragdoll, with powerful hits rocking his entire figure, as all the blows to said places hit him one by one, not giving him any time to react. During this assault, Arthur continued to stand before Laxus with his hands behind his back, mockingly resuming this position after each landed strike, making it look as if Laxus was being hit by thin air. The blonde felt darkness clouding his eyes, his strength leaving his body against his will. After the last strike, he could no longer feel his legs and dropped to his knees before the elder once again, completely at his mercy.
Arthur looked at the sorry state Laxus was in and sighed. "Perhaps I overdid it. Toying with our targets is frowned upon by assassins. I suppose the freedom given to me by Master Silva got to my head over the years. Forgive me, Laxus. Then again, your superb durability granted to you by your magic is truly remarkable. Nobody has ever survived this many strikes of mine."
Laxus weakly lifted his head to look at the man. "You speak of this Silva guy...like he was some sort of a god." he breathed out, ignoring the compliment.
Arthur nodded. "That's because Master Silva is our God."
Laxus' raised eyebrow was the only answer the elder had received to this statement. Feeling the need to explain the situation, he continued.
"Years ago, I was caught during one of my missions. I was not a mage back then, you see. My skill could get me only so far against the likes of proficient mages. I was sentenced to death, and came to terms with it. That's where Master Silva'd found me. He showed me the truth of this world and shared his love with me. He gave me a new name and a new purpose in life, and it was at this moment that I decided to devote my life to his cause."
Laxus listened in silence, trying to recollect his strength back. Arthur continued his monologue in the meantime.
"All of the Commandments have been brought together by fate, and the very center of that fate is Master Silva. He took us in when the world had already given up on us, abandoned us. He gave us names and shared his wisdom with four of us, who were not gifted during birth, by giving us the very magics he had once trained very hard to master. In return for his kindness, we've been honored of naming him ourselves."
Arthur then spread his arms out. "1st Commandment: The God. That is the name we've entrusted our savior with. We live and die to serve him. His dream of resurrecting the true ruler of this world is our dream as well. And you, Laxus Dreyar." he added, before shifting his attention back to Laxus. "Are an obstacle on our way, that must be removed."
Laxus continued to look at Arthur, completely unimpressed by the speech. He sighed lightly, before speaking out. "I still don't get you people. Not that it matters, anyway. This fight is already over."
Arthur raised an eyebrow. "You are in no condition to fight. Therefore, yes, the fight is already settled."
Laxus chuckled weakly. "Old age is truly disgusting. If I had met you few years ago, I'd have probably been dead already. But now, I actually have a chance."
The Time was starting to lose his temper. Did this youngster really think he still had a way out of this situation?
"Take a good look at me, and try to figure it out before it's too late." said Laxus, smirking.
Arthur listened to his words and searched his figure with his eyes, trying to find out what sort of an insane idea he still had. He looked at his hands and that's when it clicked. His old eyes widened, fear grasping his heart, but before he could react, it was already too late.
Laxus' sinister grin was the last thing he saw before the inevitable.
LIGHTNING DRAGON'S PILLAR!
A giant pillar of yellow lightning that erupted from beneath the floor swallowed Arthur whole, devouring him. Sparks and pieces of debris flew in all directions, as Laxus continued to pump his magic power into the floor. His hands were planted up to the middle of his forearms in the ground, where he sneakily put them during Arthur's monologue.
After couple more seconds, Laxus dispelled the attack, the pillar fading away. It revealed a burned Arthur, his suit torn and scorched, his body covered in light and medium burns, his entire figure constantly twitching against his will. His limbs were numb, his heart pounding at a ridiculous rate, making him unable to put his magic to good use.
"I'll admit, you're powerful. Your speed and timing are perfect. But even you can't dodge an attack you can't see coming." growled Laxus, as he stood up from his spot. He was in no better shape than the elder, but the fight wasn't over just yet.
He kicked the ground and threw himself at the elder, who in return jumped back, just as sluggishly. His hands glowed in bright light, as he Requipped another dozen of knives and threw them at the blonde, who swatted them away with a lightning. He caught up to the elder and punched him in the gut, but not before receiving a quick hit on his chin in return. Laxus took a wobbly step back, which allowed Arthur to follow up by stabbing a blade down Laxus' shoulder. The Dragon Slayer caught him by the wrist and headbutted the elder in the nose, before lifting him off the ground and throwing him at a nearby wall. He then reached out and pulled the blade out, blood flowing down his torso.
He quickly ran after the elder, who was already back on his feet. With his heart already back to normal, he froze Laxus once again and dashed himself, ready to counter attack. However, the damage taken from Laxus' attacks was too great, which greatly slowed him down and thus allowed the Dragon Slayer to block the strike, who was now past his one second of being completely frozen. Laxus delivered a swift hook to Arthur's face and kicked him in the gut, pushing him away. Time resumed again and Laxus felt the additional weight leave his shoulders.
An exchange of strikes erupted between both men, neither giving the other a chance to prevail. Arthur tried to sneak up a knife attack in-between each punch and kick, but Laxus' was already prepared for that and successfully predicted each of his slashes. Arthur then landed a punch on Laxus' liver and froze him in place for a moment, which he used to strike his heart with his palm. Laxus felt wind leaving his lungs once again, with Arthur unloading his strikes all over his body. The Dragon Slayer could only put up his guard and block them, his arms hurting more and more with each attack.
Arthur then tripped Laxus and chopped his neck, making him drop down to the floor. He then lifted his leg as high as he could and dropped his heel down where the blonde's head was, his feet making impact with the ground, as Laxus rolled out of the way at the last moment. He then got back up and tackled the elder with his weight, pushing him back. He then dashed forward and landed a right straight on Arthur's nose, making it bleed. He followed through with a left straight, but Arthur sidestepped out of the way and grabbed a hold of Laxus' extended arm, before smashing his fist into his elbow, crippling it.
Laxus grunted out in pain, his left hand now useless and then growled at the feeling of Arthur's elbow on his nose, who smashed it into his face and pushed him back. Laxus landed on his back and noticed a knife flying in his direction. He quickly put up his broken arm and used it to block the blade, which planted itself deep into his forearm. The blonde then rolled back and jumped away, pulling the blade out in the meantime. He threw it back at its owner, who shot it down with a knife of his own and bent his right arm backwards, which caused Arthur to stop in his tracks. Lightning crackled in his right fist, his magic power rising, as he motioned a punch, aimed at his opponent..
LIGHTNING DRAGON'S BREAKDOWN FIST!
Arthur braced himself for the strike, but nothing happened. Confused, he looked over at Laxus, who was currently smirking.
"Just kidding."
He then lifted his fist up in the air and aimed it at the ceiling, before yelling out. "Resounding through the air, the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens and reap destruction!"
RAGING BOLT!
A giant lighting descended upon Arthur from above him, catching him by suprise and making him take the full effect of the attack. He yelled out from pain, numbness and impact of the strike, his body completely covered by yellow electric currents. Just when the attack finally calmed down, Arthur buckled over in his spot, unable to take a breath. Not giving the elder even a shadow of a chance to recover, Laxus quickly closed the distance, his fist pulled back, covered in lightning.
LIGHTNING DRAGON'S IRON FIST!
The Dragon Slayer drove his fist into Arthur's chest, making him yell out in pain. At the very same moment, Laxus felt stinging pain in his left side, a knife sticking out of his stomach, left by Arthur at the very moment of impact. Gritting his teeth, he flexed his shoulder one last time and blew the elder back, smoke coming out of his struck area, lightning crackling all over his body. Just like that, Arthur fell onto his back, defeated and unconscious.
Laxus breathed heavily, feeling the oxygen spread throughout his body. His entire body hurt like nothing he'd ever experienced in his life, a small pool of blood forming by his feet from all his sustained injuries. Not fighting it any longer, he let himself fall onto his back, his tense muscles relaxing for the first time in a long while.
"To think I had to resort to sneak attacks..." he wheezed out to himself. "I'm so glad I haven't met him 10 years ago."
He then looked over at the ceiling, his thought with his fellow Dragon Slayer.
"If number 2 was that much of a monster, I don't want to think what sort of a beast is at the top. Be careful, Salamander."
To be continued in Chapter 12.5: The Beast's Howling Part 2.
And that's it for now. Part 2 will be out in next couple days, so stay tuned for that. As always, I'll leave some trivia to help you understand the story better.
- The Pillar attack is actually Laxus'. He used it during his fight with Natsu, who then picked it up and used it with his own magic. One of the major points of this story, is that I try to make my characters learn from defeats, or tough situations. This attack saved Natsu's life in his fight with Grigol(well, unless he used both of his elements, then he'd have destroyed him without it)
- The reason Erza is so open about fighting Jellal is because my Erza is less trusting. Since Jellal is a Commandment, he's a part of this whole cruelty, thus making him her enemy, regardless of their previous connections. Their fight will be the main focus of the second part of this chapter, so look forward to that!
Ok, I'm off to bed. If there are any mistaked(there will be, let's be honest) I'll fix them tomorrow. It's almost 4AM here, I need my beauty sleep. As always, let me know your thoughts in reviews, I promise, I answer as many as I can. Cya in few days!