714 favorites, 854 follows, 444 reviews, 156,873 views, 28 chapters and 29 updates. Those are the numbers we've managed to hit during the past year.
Today marks the first anniversary of "Of Inner Demons." Never in my life had I expected that I would manage to keep writing this story for so long, and never in my life did I expect such reception. Ever since Chapter 1, I was being overwhelmed by how much you guys liked it. Just...thanks.
I know the story has had its ups and downs, especially in this arc, but I hope we continue to get better together, and you guys read my stuff for the time to come. I've got plans up until Alvarez, so...I guess we should get there :D
Once again, thank you, and enjoy the chapter.
PS: Next chapter will not come out until second half of June. I am flying to my wonderful girlfriend this Friday, and will be unable to write. 3 chapters in 6 days should keep you guys happy, for now :D
Erza kicked the ground and dashed upwards, flying towards Azuma like a bullet. She changed her swords into axes and hacked at the man, who evaded by jumping in the air. He attacked his feet to a branch and hanged from it upside down, while gesturing with his hands. Two hands grew out of the tree Erza was standing on and attempted to trap her, but she had none of that. She slashed them both in half, killing their momentum.
The knight followed her opponent once again, who released his feet from the wood and fell down, dodging the strikes one more time. Azuma landed on the branch Erza was standing on a second ago and raised his right hand, willing to counter attack. This plan was, however, stopped, with Erza throwing her left axe directly at the man's head. Azuma quickly slipped to the right, with Erza following through with her remaining weapon. She swung at the man, who stopped it with one of his creations, locking Erza in a stalemate.
This magic of his...he appears to have free control over trees. In this terrain, I'm at a heavy disadvantage. If only I could take this somewhere else… wondered the knight in her thoughts.
Both mages stared at one another, before Azuma motioned his fingers and grew out vines from beneath Erza, that struck her in the abdomen and launched her in the air. The redhead gasped from pain, but regained control quickly, and Requipped into Flame Empress Armor, which she used to burn the vines that followed her. With that taken care of, she dashed at Azuma and successfully slipped under the branches he created to attack her.
Erza obtained Azuma's back and gripped her sword tighter, willing to strike, The man simply aimed at her with his left hand, unimpressed by the feat.
BLEVE
Erza has been blown away by a point-blank explosion that forced her to drop off Azuma's footing and secure herself on a lower branch, her armor cracked and steaming. Thanks to her armor's enchantments, she avoided major injuries.
"Is this the extent of your abilities?" asked Azuma, disappointment creeping in his voice. "I expected more from you."
"So did I." replied the knight, much to his surprise. Suddenly, he felt stinging, painful sensation on his back, as one of Erza's remote control fireballs found its way to his back, one she launched while being hit by the explosion.
Azuma grunted in pain, but grinned through the pain and looked at the knight with enjoyment. Erza's eyes narrowed. He was clearly enjoying this situation. The thrill of death must have excited him. Unfortunately for him, she was different.
"You should be careful where you put your feet." said the Kin and pointed at Erza's legs.
The knight blinked and looked down, only to notice multiple scorching marks, all of them glowing more and more with each second. Realisation hit her like a brick, and she used all of the strength she had in her legs to jump away from the mines.
Azuma snapped his fingers and blew them up, the explosion partially taking Erza in as well. She cried out in pain, the armor on her legs breaking from the impact. Her back planted itself against a tree, as she slid down along its trunk, before falling onto her knees.
Erza assessed her damage and realised it was nowhere near as serious as she expected, but her armor was damaged beyond further use. Scoffing, she stood up and Requipped out of it, this time dosing Heaven's Wheel Armor.
Now that she got to taste his power, Erza found it very likely that Mira could fall by his hand. However, that also made the other part of Azuma's boasting a reality, and cast a shadow over her mind, dulling her senses in the process.
Natsu…
Gildarts continued to stomp on Bluenote's head, his pressure increasing with each second.
"This exam was supposed to test the will and passion of these kids. It was their ticket into adulthood of the magic world. And you stepped all over it, and turned it into dust." said quietly Gildarts, anger dancing on his tongue. "For that, I will do the same to you."
Bluenote looked up from the ground and smirked angrily. "Aren't you getting too emotional, Gildarts?" he asked. "How long as you going to keep your foot on my head, bastard?" he growled and grabbed Gildarts' leg with his hand. Before he knew it, Gildarts lost contact with the ground, courtesy of Bluenote's magic. The merc used this chance to plant his fist deep into Gildarts' stomach, causing him to groan in pain.
"All of you getting in my way...I will get this spell, even if I have to drag that bitch's corpse back with me." threatened Bluenote and threw another punch aimed at Gildarts' face, however before he could land his strike, Gildarts landed his, right on Bluenote's jaw.
"You'll have to go over my dead body, first." he said.
Bluenote spat some blood out. "That's the plan." he said, before both men clashed their right fists into one another, ground beneath their feet cracking from the combined force. "That kid from earlier was fun, but with you, it looks like I'll be able to fly with no limitations."
"Trust me, you're going to fly in more ways than just one." growled Gildarts and went for a headbutt, with Bluenote doing the same.
"I look forward to it." grinned the merc and increased the gravity to its limits. Gildarts groaned from the strain, but did not falter. He could still fight just fine.
He followed with a punch to the jaw the landed right on Bluenote's chin, rocking him. Seeing that it was effective, Gildarts moved in for one more, only to be stopped by Bluenote, who ripped pieces of debris out of the ground and threw them at the Crush mage, trapping him. Gildarts simply growled and used his magic to turn the rocks into tiny stones, much to the merc's surprise.
He was even more surprised to be hit right on his left temple and thrown into the ground face first, with Gildarts putting his foot on his head once again.
"So, back to it." said Gildarts and grinned.
Bluenote was livid.
Zancrow lit his hands ablaze, his eyes glaring at Laxus. "You sure talk a lot of shit for someone from such a puny guild." he hissed.
Laxus cracked his other fist and replied. "It looks like we both really think alike."
Zancrow roared and unleashed his flames at Laxus, surprising him Black flames? This guy is not normal.
The Dragon Slayer guarded himself with his left forearm and focused his magic in his hand, blocking the flames. Despite his best effort, they still burned, further confirming his suspicions.
In the meantime, Zancrow dashed forward and used his fire as cover to sneak up on Laxus, much to his surprise. The God Slayer planted his fist deep into Laxus' stomach, making him grunt in pain, which was then followed by a punch to the jaw. He then blasted Laxus with his flames once again, pushing him back and finishing his rush.
"Laxus!" called to him Juvia, worried.
Laxus slid on the balls of his feet, but not far. Although burned, the damage was low. "Stop panicking." he told her.
Zancrow smirked. "Not so tough anymore, huh? I've already taken care of one Dragon Hunter, I can make it two. You're all trash compared to me."
Suddenly, Laxus vanished, only to reappear right in front of Zancrow. "Be my guest." he said, before punching the God Slayer in the gut in revenge. Zancrow coughed up blood, left without air. Laxus grabbed him by the hair as a followup and delivered a devastating knee to his nose, followed by a right overhand to the temple, that smashed him into the ground. Laxus kicked Zancrow in the ribs and made him fly upwards, before grabbing him by the ankle and throwing him over his head like a doll. He smashed Zancrow into the ground, and then repeated the motion to the other side. After that, he threw the God Slayer into the tree he crawled out of not so long ago.
"You...bastard..." he groaned, and slowly stood up.
"I already know who fought you before me, and I think I figured out why you're the one who came out on top." deduced calmly Laxus. "This ugly mug of yours told me everything I needed to know."
Zancrow scowled. Although it's been a while since his last fight, the damage he received had only gotten worse. Bruises dosed his face, ones that popped out long after the fight. Not to mention the light, but noticeable burns he has on his body.
"However, unlike him..." continued Laxus after crossing his arms on his chest. "I don't use fire."
"Doesn't make a difference." snarled Zancrow hatefully.
Laxus' eyes narrowed. He softly shifted his right leg under the water and used his lightning, electrocuting the area. Zancrow howled out in pain, lightning frying him up. After couple seconds, Laxus stopped his attack and allowed Zancrow to fall to his knees, as he panted heavily.
"I use lightning. We are currently knee-deep in water, with rain falling onto as without stopping." pointed out Laxus in a sarcastic voice. "Do you get where I'm going with this?"
Zancrow scowled and stood up, before using his magic. The water around him started to turn into steam, its level slowly, but surely getting lower.
"Clever boy." smirked mockingly Laxus.
The God Slayer roared in anger and charged at Laxus, who dodged his punch and nailed him with one of his own, knocking him back to his place. Zancrow shook his head and puffed his cheeks out, with Laxus doing the same.
FIRE GOD'S BELLOW!
LIGHTNING DRAGON'S ROAR!
Flames and lightning collided in one spot, expanding and heating up the area unbearably. With neither men willing to stand down, they continued to breathe their magic out until their attacks nullified one another, the struggle ending in a tie.
Laxus clicked his tongue in irritation. So his type of magic puts us on even ground. How annoying…
Zancrow set his right hand on fire and shaped them into a blade. He then dashed forward and slashed at Laxus, who simply turned his body into an electric current and dodged out of the way. He then materialised behind the God Slayer and kicked him in the back of the head, crashing him into little of what remained of the pond they were fighting in. With Zancrow in the water, Laxus electrocuted it once again, causing him to snap out of the water and cry out in pain.
"You better vaporize it all soon enough, or I'll keep doing it." taunted Laxus. This only enraged Zancrow even further, who threw himself forward and bombarded the Dragon Slayer with a rain of punches and kicks.
Although Laxus blocked or dodged them all, Zancrow's flames still did their thing, stinging upon each contact. Fed up with this feeling, Laxus threw a right hook, which was dodged. Zancrow ducked underneath the arm and caught Laxus on the ribs, who grunted in pain. With anger building up, he quickly retaliated with a left hook of his own and caught Zancrow straight on the jaw, drawing blood in the process. He then followed up with a right uppercut to the chin and finished with a kick to the stomach. Zancrow fell to the ground and coughed up in pain.
Laxus stared down at his opponent and tried to use his magic on the water for the third time. This, however, caused him to drop his guard, which was used against him. Zancrow opened his eyes and quickly jumped to Laxus, before putting his hands on his chest and grinning wickedly.
FIRE GOD'S PURGATORY!
Laxus was swallowed by purging black flames, their heat causing the remaining water to rapidly turn into steam, which greatly reduced the visibility. Zancrow continued to pour his flames out, willing to turn Laxus into a piece of charcoal.
Juvia wanted to call out to him, but the steam was so hot it'd burn her throat if she had opened her mouth. Instead, she focused her senses and tried to feel his magic, praying in thoughts for his safety.
After couple more seconds, Zancrow stopped the spell and panted heavily, a tired smile glued to his face. "This is the spell I used to kill Salamander. Let's see how you handle-"
His sentence was cut off by a powerful right hook to the temple, that almost rendered him unconscious. It was followed by a hand being put on his sternum, before he was blasted back by a stream of lighting. Zancrow crashed into the tree one more time, shocked and unable to comprehend the situation.
"Don't flatter yourself, punk." growled a voice, which belonged to Laxus. His coat was ruined, and his body was covered in burns all over the torso, especially his arms and chest, but none of them was serious. The damage he received was lower than anticipated. "You didn't kill anyone, and you will not kill anyone."
Zancrow was starting to feel fear. Was he really going to lose? To Fairy Tail?!
The sensation of incoming defeat motivated him like never before. He let his emotions control his actions, and raised his magic to its absolute limits, before charging at Laxus in a mad fury. The man simply dodged the incoming punch and answered with one of his own, then another, and then the third. Before Zancrow knew it, he was caught in a barrage of punches being laid down all over his body, hitting hard and with no mercy.
Laxus kicked Zancrow in the stomach and blew him back, before clenching his fist and bringing it down with his arm, which caused a lightning to fall onto Zancrow from the sky. The God Slayer cried out in pain and fell to his knees, strength leaving his body, fast.
"I think it's the right time we finished this." noted Laxus and lit up his right fist.
Zancrow scowled at him and slowly stood up to his feet. "Yeah, I agree." he muttered, before unleashing his flames with their full power. He raised his hands above his head and started to form them into an enormous ball.
Laxus narrowed his eyes, and covered his face from the heat. "So that's how it is." he scoffed.
Zancrow continued to build up his magic, putting everything he had into the attack. "Let's try seeing you make your way out of this one!" he laughed maniacally, and threw the ball.
SECRET DRAGON GOD'S ARTS: FLAME GOD'S WRATH!
Laxus was swallowed by the flames, which disintegrated everything on their path. The ball blew up, fire quickly spreading everywhere, turning the area into a literal hellzone. Zancrow continued to laugh loudly, convinced of his victory. "Another one bites the dust! That's what you get, you inferior scum!"
"You just don't learn, don't you?"
Zancrows laughter was interrupted by a powerful blow to his kidneys, that made him squeak out in pain. Laxus grabbed him by the shoulder and turned him around, before starting to repeatedly beat him, forcefully keeping the God Slayer on his feet. Laxus finished his onslaught with a punch to the gut, that almost robbed Zancrow of his consciousness.
"I can turn into lightning. I slipped out of that little attack of yours before you even cast it." whispered Laxus into his ear. "If you wanted to make sure you hit me with it, you should have done it like this..."
Laxus opened the fist he was using to keep Zancrow steady and blasted him point-blank with a torrent of lightning that blew the Kin away like a doll, and made him crash into a nearby tree, where he remained immobile, defeated.
The Dragon Slayer straightened himself up and sighed, massaging his sore neck. He then turned over to Juvia, who was hiding a good distance away. "You good?" he called out to her. She simply nodded in response.
Laxus gave her a nod of his own and looked in the camp's direction, his thoughts with the rest of the guild.
"I sure hope they're doing as good I am..."
Erza flew towards Azuma and summoned several dozens of blades, which she used to throw at him. The man manipulated the tree beneath his feet and used it to wrap himself in a defensive cocoon, which blocked all of the blades. Erza clicked her tongue in annoyance and slashed it with the blades she had in her hands, only to realise she was unable to cut through, both of her swords stuck.
Seeing that she had no means of getting through this way, she abandoned her blades and summoned new ones, plunging them into Azuma's defenses one after another. She ran, jumped, and charged all around it, leaving her blades all over the cocoon, not even close to getting through.
"Naive." muttered Azuma and snapped his fingers, which made a fist grow out from beneath Erza and push her into a branch above them. The knight wheezed out in pain and started to fall, before quickly regaining her senses and flying out of the way of the vines that followed after her. Seeing that, Azuma changed his strategy. He snapped his fingers and created vines, that pulled out blades from his previous defense. He grabbed them by the hilt and started to throw them at Erza, one by one, their number increasing with each throw.
Erza sucked her breath in and started to knock her own blades down, successfully dealing with them all. Azuma then hardened nearby leaves, sharpening them in the process and threw them all at Erza.
RAMUS SICA!
Erza grit her teeth and started to rapidly knock down all of the leaves, best to her ability, which came with greater difficulty than her swords. Some of them passed by her defenses and took pieces of her armor with them, cutting her in the process. With a furry of her blades, Erza managed to knock down all of them, finally getting enough room to make a move of her own.
Azuma merely scoffed and waved his fingers and before she knew it, she was struck by a giant fist made out of wood that pushed her through several branches, causing her to cry out in pain. The hand then opened and grabbed her, before throwing her aside, making her crash through yet another branch, making her roll and bounce on the branch beneath the one she fell through like a ball, before she managed to stab her sword into the wood and stop her momentum, pieces of her broken armor flying all over the area.
Erza Requipped out of the remains of Heaven's Wheel Armor and looked at Azuma hatefully, before growling and dashing forward, changing armors once again. Now in her Armadura Fairy, Erza dashed forward, her speed greatly increased. This, however, was not enough to surprise Azuma, who carefully observed her movements, before using his magic at the right time.
The man watched Erza's legs, and picked the exact moment both of her legs were off the ground, giving him a chance. He used her footing against her and trapped her right leg by wrapping wood around it, killing her charge. Erza looked down in surprise, only to realise she was being wrapped all over her body, her legs by the footing, and her arms by vines that creeped up on her from behind.
Erza managed to cut down some of the vines with her right sword, but her left hand was immobilized in the process. Considering it a good enough outcome, Azuma smirked and snapped his fingers.
CHAIN BURST!
Explosions started to make their way along the vines, before getting to Erza, swallowing her in a massive explosion that shook the area. Azuma was forced to cover his eyes from sharp pieces of wood and dust, the wind pressure getting to him. However, against his calculations, this was not the only thing to come his way, as soon he felt his right shoulder opening in a cut, with Erza dashing through him.
Azuma turned around to spot her. Although injured, her armor remained in one piece, cracked, but still perfectly fine to use. The knight threw her left sword at Azuma, who dodged it without using his magic and focused it on Erza, hitting her with yet another fist of wood. Erza caught it with her body and struggled to push it back, but to no avail. Figuring out it was pointless, she slid off of it and stabbed its core with her sword, before flipping in the air and getting on top of it. She then started to run on top of it, before kicking it and dashing at Azuma like a bullet.
The man was forced to throw himself to the side to avoid being impaled, and jumped down. Erza flipped in the air and landed horizontally against the tree trunk, bending her knees to follow him. However, before she did that, she looked below her feet and stopped the familiar marks that belonged to his mines. Clicking her tongue, she jumped off the tree, the explosion pushing her further away. She landed several meters away and searched the area, Azuma nowhere to be found.
"I'm disappointed." declared a voice behind her, and before she could react, Erza was kicked in the neck and thrown off the branch. Her back connected with the wood beneath Azuma, a grunt escaping her mouth. The knight slowly stood up and glared at Azuma, her breathing heavy.
"This is not the Titania I dreamed of facing." said Azuma. "You constantly drop your guard, your movements are sloppy...perhaps your emotions are the cause of this?"
Erza's eyes narrowed. "None of your business." she said dangerously. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?"
"Of course I do." admitted the man. "I seek strength to test myself and face strong opponents. We're the same, Erza."
The redhead closed her eyes and slowly shook her head, much to Azuma's surprise. "You're wrong. Competing with others is not my reason to obtain strength."
"Then what is it?"
"I seek strength to keep those dear to me safe. I want to be strong to make sure they do not suffer. As long as I can guarantee that, I'm satisfied."
Azuma's eyes narrowed. "I see. Then this is the perfect opportunity, considering lives of your friends are on line here. I think it'd be for the best if you'd gotten serious by now, and showed me this strength of yours." said the Kin.
"What are you trying to say?" asked the redhead, dread creeping in her chest.
"Perhaps all you need is some motivation..."
"What have you done?" she questioned, letting Azuma get to her.
Azuma's eyes turned into a piercing glare, as he raised his hands. "I'm saying time's up." he said, before clapping them in front of his chest, causing the island to shake.
Bluenote landed in rocks once again, courtesy of Gildarts' punch. The merc wiped his bloodied lips and scowled. Despite being under constant influence of his gravity, Gildarts has yet to show any openings. Feeling humiliated that someone could endure his magic to this extent, Bluenote ripped the piece of earth Gildarts was standing on and flipped it along with the man, much to his mild surprise.
Bluenote then motioned with his fingers and crashed the rock into the ground, shattering it in the process. After that, he spread his hands to the sides and brought them together, all of the pieces of debris in the area being pulled towards Gildarts. With each rock making contact, the dust cloud was becoming bigger and bigger, making it difficult to see the results. Once Bluenote used everything he could, he canceled his magic and stared at the cloud in anticipation.
To his shock Gildarts walked out unharmed, his clothes dusted. Nearly popping a vein, Bluenote ripped out a big chunk of the ground and threw it at his opponent. Just when it was about to make contact it shattered into thousands of small stones, Gildarts not moving even an inch to do so.
"You done?" he asked, irritated and dashed at Bluenote, before kicking him in the stomach and sending him fly backwards. The merc landed on his back and slid on the ground. "Looks like the kids have beaten the shit out of you. Your magic is dropping quite fast." noted Gildarts and started to walk towards Bluenote.
Suddenly, Gildarts grimaced and grabbed his chest, before dropping to his knee. What the hell is going on? My magic...
Seeing this, Bluenote frowned and looked at the fallen Tenrou Tree. "That damn geezer...you've given Azuma some messed up orders, haven't you?" he asked, before standing up and walking up to Gildarts, staring him down.
The Crush mage looked up, only to have his head stomped on and grinded into the ground, as magic continued to leave his body.
"My turn." declared Bluenote, before putting as much gravity on Gildarts as he could, pushing the man deep into the ground, making him groan out in pain.
"Answer me!" roared Erza and readied herself, about to charge.
"My magic is Grand Tree Arc. I control the trees and the energy within them." explained Azuma. "I am also the one who blew up Tenrou Tree. I had only one job – to rob mages of Fairy Tail of their divine protection and to take control over the magic of the island."
Erza's eyes widened. "So, you're telling me that..."
"I am currently in complete control of Tenrou Island's magic." finished her thought Azuma. "It took some time, but it is finally done. Of course, this also means that I have robbed every mage bearing Fairy Tail's mark of their magic. Right now, your friends are at my guild's mercy."
Erza started to panic. I can't sense anyone, he's not bluffing. No, I couldn't sense anyone before either, Wait a second…
"If that's the case, why is my magic intact?" she asked him, suspicious.
"I have left your magic as it is, because I want to challenge you when you're at your best." he answered. "Right now you are the only mage of Fairy Tail capable to use magic. Their fate lies in your hand."
Erza gripped her sword so her the hilt almost cracked. "How awfully kind of you." she snarled sarcastically.
"It is not the way I'd like to do things, either." he said grimly, visible upset about his actions. "Those are Master Hades' orders."
"In that case, as soon as you fall by my blade, you will restore everyone's magic!" she demanded and pointed her blade at him.
"I swear on my life." he nodded. "If you defeat me, that is."
Not wasting even a second, Erza kicked the wood and dashed upwards, Requipping into her Black Wing Armor once again. She slashed at Azuma horizontally, which he jumped over. Erza regained her position and followed him, slashing at him one more time. This time, however, he used his magic to block the strike with a wooden pillar and blew it up in Erza's face.
The knight was blown back by the explosion, but she remained uninjured, having put up her guard just in time to catch the explosion on her sword and gauntlets. She spread her wings and followed after Azuma, who was now jumping upwards to make some distance. Surprised to see her recover this quickly, he extended the surrounding branches and had them attack Erza, only for her to dodge them all mid-air.
The Kin spun around a branch and landed on it, before raising his right arm above his head, with roots forming into a ball above his figure. Once satisfied with its size, Azuma threw the ball at Erza, who readied her sword to cut it in half.
Before she did that, however, her instincts cried out and forced her body to avoid contact at any cost, throwing her body to the side. Erza watched the ball crash into the tree behind her and blow up, the explosion splitting the tree in half, its upper half slowly starting to fall down.
Erza stared at this devastating damage, cold sweat running down her face. The firepower of her opponent was something to be feared, and the fact she was about to face this devastation firsthand did not make it easier.
"Do you have the luxury to look away?" asked a voice behind her. Just when she turned around, she noticed Azuma right in her face. The man grabbed her right wrist with his left hand, preventing her from using her blade, and punched her with his right. Erza answered by grabbed him by his shirt and headbutting him in the nose, much to his shock. The then followed with a nasty left elbow across his face and kicked him away, breaking the contact.
Erza followed him and threw her sword at his head, which he caught with his roots. Remembering how dangerous it was to leave her weapons in his hands, Erza Requipped back to her Heart Kreuz Armor, with her Black Wing blade vanishing as well. She threw a powerful right punch to his face, which he caught with his forearms crossed over his face. Soon after both mages engaged in a wild exchange of blows, both of them momentarily stopping using their magic.
Erza swiftly dodged Azuma's punch and stepped in, delivering a devastating right uppercut to the stomach in the meantime. The Kin was suspended in time for a second, which Erza used to headbutt him one more time. Azuma staggered back and braced himself for Erza's followup, which came in a form of a kick to the stomach. The Kin grabbed her leg after receiving the blow and pulled it forward, at the same time slipping his body to the side, making her pass by him. While she did so, he caught her with his right elbow, smacking her across the face. Erza recovered quickly and turned around, throwing a punch with her left hand, while Azuma did so with his right. Their fists crossed and both mages struck one another, blowing themselves back simultaneously.
Both mages landed several meters back, with Erza Requipping into her Flight Armor. She bent her knees and started to bounce off the trees like a ball, her figure leaving blur, rendering her movements nearly impossible to follow with human eye.
Azuma breathed out slowly and followed Erza's movements best to his ability, anticipating an opportunity to strike. He found one with Erza breaking her movement pattern and dashing at him at an angle. Azuma slipped to the side to avoid her blade and delivered a powerful palm strike to her stomach, stopping her in her tracks. Erza gasped from pain, her momentum killed.
"No matter how great your speed is, if your movements are predictable, it does not matter." told her Azuma and nailed her with a left hook that threw her to the ground. He then grew out a palm from the wood beneath his feet, which he used to strike Erza, pushing her back. The knight crashed into the nearby tree and fell onto her face, her entire body aching. Azuma waved his fingers and created a wooden fist, which he used to attack her from above. The redhead clumsily rolled out of the way and fell down, landing on a branch beneath. She then resumed to bounce off the trees, trying to buy time to think of her next move.
His magic power has increased. The only area I had the upper hand in was our hand-to-hand exchange, but he's taken a notice of that. He won't go for another one again. She thought after kicking herself off the trunk. He was right, her moves were sloppy and unorganized. Her brain was focused entirely on her friends and their well-being. She knew she was on a race against time, but she could not stop overthinking the situation, and how things may have been going elsewhere. The pressure was stronger than anything she's ever come to face in her life. And the news of Natsu's possible death.
Natsu…
Erza lost focus once again and soon found herself surrounded by dozens of vines, that started to slowly close her in. Knowing full well what was going to follow, she clenched her teeth, fed up with this magic.
Outside of the trap, Azuma motioned his hands according to the vines' movements, before clapping them and securing Erza in his trap.
"It's over." he announced, about to detonate the bomb. To his shock, Erza cut her way out of the trap, clad in her Purgatory Armor, and swung at Azuma, cutting the branch he's been standing on in half. Horrified by the armor's power, Azuma tried to stop her and make some more distance, only to see his roots and branches being cut down like twigs.
"So this is the Purgatory Armor? The one that continues to boost its user's magic, and make them more aggressive as a result?" he questioned. "How unexpected, to see someone like you dose such a savage attire."
His only reply was a growl, as she slashed horizontally at him, cutting the tree behind him in half. Seeing that he had no means of regrouping, Azuma braced himself and borrowed magic from the island, growing out an incredibly thick branch. Erza's club slashed through it, but got stuck two-thirds of the way in, not budging an inch.
"I can't cut through even with the power of Purgatory Armor?!" she wondered out loud. In the meantime, Azuma traveled through the branch they were fighting on and secured Erza's legs from beneath. "You're wide open!" he told her.
TOWER BURST!
Erza was taken in by a pillar of heat and flames, as she cried out in agony. An enormous explosion shook the entire forest, obliterating everything above and below Erza and Azuma.
After couple more moments, the magic dispelled, with Erza falling down. Her immobile figure crashed into the wood, pieces of her armor scattering over the area. Azuma remained on the high ground and stared her down, curious of her next move.
Erza threw the remains of her club aside and dosed her Black Wing Armor once again, her arsenal slowly becoming drained. She clutched her blade and charged, much to Azuma's disappointment.
"This again?" he frowned and sharpened another set of leaves, sending her in her way. Much to his surprise, the leaves were burned, with Erza switching to her Lightning Empress Armor mid-flight. She spun her spear above her head and created a ball of lightning, which she threw at the Kin. He jumped out of its way and then felt itching pain in his side, courtesy of Erza, who dashed right through him with her Flight Armor. She once again started to bounce off the trees, only this time in a less repetitive fashion.
The knight slashed Azuma across his right shoulder blade, throwing him off balance. Catching her movements with the corner of his eye, he commanded his vines to strike her down, which they did. Erza got knocked down and later on smashed by a giant wooden fist, only for said fist to break into pieces, as she emerged unharmed in her Giant Armor.
Erza threw her lance at Azuma, which he caught with his magic. Erza used this opportunity to literally run through them and grab him by the leg, before smashing him through the branch he was standing on, causing him to cough up blood. He landed on a branch underneath and quickly grew out wooden spears, which connected into a giant one. He launched it at Erza, who Requipped into Adamantine Armor and blocked it with her shields, but was still pushed back. Her back planted itself against a tree, but she managed to withstand being impaled. To her horror, however, she heard a familiar hissing, with the tree she was pressed against blowing up, breaking her armor in the process.
Erza cried out in pain and started to fall, her armor being de-Requipped against her will, leaving her in her Heart Kreuz one. Before she had a chance to recollect herself, she was struck by a massive wooden fist that followed her from above, and pushed her down, before crashing her into the very ground at the feet of the forest.
The redhead coughed up blood, her eyes becoming misty. Consciousness was slowly leaving her. Way up above, Azuma retracted his magic and left Erza's battered figure in her crater, alone to herself. Silence fell in the forest, the only sounds she could pick up being the thunder in the sky, and rain gently hitting her breastplate. She stared into the dark sky, slowly falling asleep against her will.
He's...too strong. Despite all the odds, I am unable to push through to that one solution that could grant me victory...I can't do it… she thought to herself, before her eyes closed on her on her own.
"What's wrong, had enough?"
Erza fell down on her back from a punch, her blade falling out of her grip. She panted heavily, the scorching sun above her head not pitying her in the slightest, the light breeze coming from the nearby forest being too weak to fight it.
She was currently in her Flame Empress Armor, which was quite seriously cracked and dented all of her body, along with minor burns and her cut lower lip. She stared at the sky with squinted eyes, her breathing hard.
"As much as I don't want to admit it...yes, I do have enough." she smirked and Requipped out of her armor, now dosing a red t-shirt and white shorts.
Natsu smirked and wiped the sweat off his forehead, also a little banged up, though not as much as Erza. The pair was in the middle of their usual sparring sessions they've started 2 weeks ago. Natsu wanted to learn how to restrain his magic and go easy on his torn up magic container, and Erza to grow stronger, and thus the partnership came to be.
"You know, you're slowly starting to get close." praised her Natsu and sat down on the grass next to her. "Your moves are more compact and unpredictable. It almost looks like you're picking up my habits. My habit of hitting people with my head, at least." he added, massaging his sore forehead. "Also, that trick you did with your armor and weapon was well thought, too. Caught me completely off guard."
She pouted in response.
"No, I'm not getting close." she shot him down shortly, dismissing his later praise. "I've never been this outmatched in terms of hand-to-hand combat. Without my sword, I wouldn't last a minute. I've never felt so inexperienced in my life." said Erza. She then turned her head to look at him and raised her eyebrows curiously. "Where did you learn all that anyway? It's hard to believe you are self-taught."
Natsu blinked in surprise and scratched his chin. "I picked up a lot from people fighting in pubs and taverns. I've always been a creative kid, so I gave it all a twist or two, and...that's it, I guess. I also bring out the best of my magic and I use my senses a lot. That's the last lesson Igneel taught me before bailing out." he explained. "Also, don't forget you kicked my ass without your weapon." he said and kicked her in the thigh playfully.
Erza's expression grew slightly grim. "I...wouldn't say that was me." she said quietly.
Picking up the change in her tone, Natsu decided to mention a topic he'd meant to talk about for weeks now.
"Say...do you remember the speech you gave me when you talked me out of killing Silva?" he asked her. "Back in the Tower?"
Erza blinked and looked at him, surprised. She then looked back to her memory, finding it a while later. "Yes, I do. Why?"
"You've compared us to two sides of the same coin. You know about me and my past but...I know nothing about yours. Only about the Tower." he said, careful with his words.
The redhead stared at him for a bit, before sighing tiredly. It was not something she liked to talk about, but Makarov made her realise, that opening up to others was a way to fight it on its own. Besides, after everything she'd learned about him, it felt only natural to fill him in.
"I...would like to avoid giving too many details, if that's okay." she said, receiving an understanding nod from Natsu. She then took a deep breath and continued. "After I escaped from the tower and found myself in Fairy Tail, I could pick myself up for a very long time. At first I thought it would pass, so I focused on polishing my magic and trying to open up to other people. But I couldn't. I was scared of everyone and refused to be close to anyone other than myself. I even attacked Master once, when he shook me because I was not responding to him." she chuckled lightly, now considering this memory a fun one.
Natsu listened silently, paying back the favor she did to him in the past. Erza got up to a sitting position and brought her knees up, hugging them.
"As I got older, I started to realise I'd never be able to go back to my normal life. Life without fear, nightmares. I pushed away everyone who tried to get close to me and threw myself into work. For 2 years I continued to overload myself with work, no matter how dirty or dangerous. The longer and more dangerous, the better. In result, I grew cold. Too cold, to the point where I would drop all of my past rules and violated them on daily basis." continued Erza, and dug her nails into her skin.
"I started to take illegal jobs, ones that could throw the entire guild into jail if someone found out about them. So, to avoid that happening, I took my exam for S-Class. I passed, and got myself some sort of immunity from the Council, in case I was caught. I went back to work, and started causing trouble for the guild. I started to take lives of those I deemed unworthy of living. I did have some common sense to confirm my suspicions first, but still...those people did not deserve it. It took me months to realise that."
Erza dug her nails so deep she almost drew blood, which caused her to relax her body and take a deep breath to calm down.
"I refused to sleep and stay in one place for too long. This routine was starting to make me mad. I would show up in the guild once a month to let them know I was alive, and then I'd vanish again. People started to turn away from me, seeing me as a nuisance. But, one day I stayed in the guild for too long. I was called in by Master and had him open my eyes." she smiled at the memory. "That was the moment I had decided to give life a chance and...it paid off. I managed to bounce back, scarred, but not broken."
Natsu's eyes narrowed as he looked at her. Truth to be told, that was how it went down for him, too. Both Makarov and Erza dragged him away from going too far.
"Now that I think about it..." added Erza with squinted eyes. "All of those things, all of those years, they felt like-"
"They were lived by someone else, and not me." he finished for her, earning himself a surprised look from the redhead. "I feel the same. And I think I've figured out why."
Erza blinked in confusion, while Natsu pulled out couple of blades of grass. "The way I see it, we both have our demons." he said and showed her a single blade of grass. "They're hidden inside of us, and come out only when we are in danger, or when we find ourselves in a tough spot." he continued and moved his thumb, revealing a second, hidden blade of grass. He held them together, side by side, trying to get his point across with their help.
"That...does make sense." said Erza after a long thought.
"I think they are both connected to our past...or are them, personally." continued Natsu. "Whenever I'd snap, it'd always be caused by something that was imprinted on my memory, like being restrained, or overpowered. I got my other name for those rampages, truth to be told."
Once again, he hit the mark. Erza would always snap whenever her past was brought up in one way or another. Her entire battle with Jellal felt like standing up to years of torture she'd suffered.
"When people refer to us by our nicknames, they don't mean us. They mean the deeds we did that had earned us those names. And I think those names themselves are our demons." deduced Natsu and released the grass from his hand, letting it fly with the wind. "They represent who we were in the past, and what we'd done."
Natsu looked at Erza and smiled gently, a sight she'd come to see only twice by now. "We're both scared of them. Of Salamander and Titania – our inner demons. And for a good reason."
"Master told me to put up a wall from my past and start anew." muttered Erza.
"He told me that as well." nodded Natsu. "But I think he's wrong."
Erza looked at him, surprised. "Why?"
Natsu looked into the sky and reached out to his memories. "There have been countless of incidents in which I would have died if it wasn't for my more aggressive nature. True, life would definitely be easier without him, but I've come to realise that parting our ways is just not possible. I think instead of trying to kill, or subdue them, we should learn to live with them. Live with our past. I know it's easier said than done, but I think they could come in handy in certain situation. Situations in which us, Natsu and Erza, are powerless. That's when we would reach out to them, to give us that one final push. The world is not kind, and there's always someone trying to get to us. We need them for those very people. Consequences can come later."
Erza's eyes narrowed. She couldn't find it in herself to agree with this point. She tried doing it, and she managed to pull it off only once, and even then she almost went too far.
"As I said, easier said than done..." said Natsu and stood up with a groan "...but I think if given a special situation, we could pull it off one day." he finished and reached out to Erza. The girl blinked and took his hand, letting him pull her back to her feet.
"I...I can't wrap my head around this." she admitted with a sad smile. Natsu merely snorted.
"Trust me, I don't really understand what I just said either. But I think it's better than running away from it for the rest of our lives." he said, before yawning. "Let's get back to the guild, I'm starving."
As he walked towards the town, she couldn't get rid of this weird feeling in her chest.
"Make sure not to overpay this time!" she called to him playfully, earning herself a middle finger in response.
Erza's eyes snapped open. She slowly looked around, taking in the surrounding trees and roots, realising that she must have lost consciousness for a moment. She was dreaming, or rather reliving a memory.
Her eyes slowly shifted at Azuma, who stood high above her, staring her down in anticipation, his arms crossed on his chest. Slowly, but surely, the gravity of the situation has started to fall onto her, making her remember all important details. Her friends were in grave danger and she was their only hope. Why was she down?
Is this one of those situations you spoke of, Natsu? She asked him in her thoughts and stared at Azuma, her gaze slowly turning into a glare. Feelings she's been trying to keep shut and under lock started to resurface, but unlike in the past, she was willing to let them out.
Erza imagined herself standing before transparent door, through which she could see a rougher looking version of herself, who was staring at her in anticipation. Erza's heart was pounding from fear and anxiety, but she had it under control. She took a deep breath and raised her arm, putting her shaking hand on the door handle. After one final breath she opened the door, letting her other self to immediately pounce her. However, before she let herself be devoured, Erza grabbed Titania by the throat and stared into her eyes, almost matching her piercing glare.
Erza stood up from the ground and Requipped out of her armor, much to Azuma's relief. The man got back into his fighting position, waiting for Erza's next move. He was tired of waiting.
Erza was now wearing her red pants, with bandages wrapped around her torso. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, focusing her magic in her right hand, summoning Benizakura.
That's right...This is not just my life being on the line here. If I am to save them all and make sure we all see tomorrow…
Benizakura appeared in Erza's hands, making her ready to begin her counter attack.
...Then I must be prepared to kill this man. Honor and rules no longer apply here. She snapped her eyes open and glared at Azuma, piercing him with the same fear he felt when they met.
The Kin realised that the woman standing before him was someone completely else, and sharpened his senses to eleven. The true battle was just about to begin.
Erza dashed upwards and ran along the nearest tree trunk, before jumping off of it to another one. She made sure to stay on the move and not be on one tree for too long. Seeing that he had no way to catch her legs, Azuma abandoned this idea and attacked her by sending his sharpened wooden spear her way. The knight simply sidestepped out of their way and cut them all in half, before jumping on top of the highest placed one and running on top of it, straight at Azuma. She kicked the spear as hard as she could and slashed at Azuma, who had to drop onto his rear to avoid losing his head.
Erza shifted on her feet and readied her blade by her right hip, before slashing horizontally, cutting through Azuma's wooden fist he created to punch her. The man was forced to jump backwards, but to his horror, Erza was right by his face, closing the distance faster than he could anticipate. Although too close to use her blade, the knight smashed the holt of Benizakura into his left temple, rocking him hard. She then kicked him in the ribs with her right leg and threw him off, jumping down after him immediately.
Azuma recovered and used the trees surrounding them to his advantage, creating a net of branches that were meant to act as a shield. Erza merely scowled and cut her way right through it. In the meantime, Azuma was back on his feet, with Erza flying towards him like a bullet. He jumped to the side, but not without setting up a trap for the knight, who'd seen right through it.
The redhead Requipped one of her old, battered shields and used it as a footing, jumping over the spears that grew out of the branch, meaning to impale her. She flipped in the air and as soon as her feet touched the ground, she dashed forward, giving Azuma barely any time to respond. He summoned a thick branch that stopped Benizakura, with the blade stopping just mere centimeters away from his throat.
This sight made one thing certain in the Kin's mind – Erza's attacks were now meant to kill, and when compared to her previous ones, the difference was like between the earth and the sky. Her moves...They no longer hold any hesitation, or doubt. It's almost as if she'd become a different person.
Erza pulled her blade out of the wood and spun around, before kicking Azuma, who guarded it with his arms. The knight regained her footing and charged forward, stabbing at Azuma. The man was forced to use his arms and stop the blade, which pierced right through both of his forearms and stopped just before his hart.
Erza quickly pulled the blade out and threw a compact left uppercut to the man's liver under his put up guard, before kicking him away with a right high kick.
"That's right...that's how it should have been from the beginning!" smirked Azuma through the pain. "How scary, how utterly terrifying...You're beautiful, Titania!" he called out to her and started to raise his magic.
Erza stopped in her tracks and anticipated the man's next move, her eyes still glaring at him dangerously. However, nothing came. Azuma started to absorb even more of the island's magic for himself, making his already possessed power increase.
Not willing to let him powerup further, Erza charged forward and jumped over the giant spear he sent her way. She flipped in the air and swung her blade vertically from above, which he caught to a wooden hand that grew out from behind him. Erza put her feet on the wood and jumped over it, flipping again. Mid-flip she cut off the spears be sent her way and landed behind him, before turning on her heels and dashing once more.
Erza tried to stab Azuma in the lower back, which almost came to reality. The Kin grabbed her blade with a vine and slowly started to wrap Erza's body with his magic.
The knight struggled to get free but was powerless against their strength. The magic of Tenrou Island made them even more powerful than they were.
"Let's see how you handle this!" proclaimed Azuma. The area started to shake, with light-green aura slowly emitting from beneath Erza. "This is the combined magic of the Tenrou Island, aimed directly at you! Try to survive and save your friends, Titania!" roared Azuma and clapped his hands.
TERRA CLAMARE!
Erza yelled out in agony, as the light started to slowly swallow her in, a giant explosion spreading throughout the forest, obliterating everything on its path. The trees have started to split from the impact, some of them falling to the ground. Azuma continued to pump the magic into the spell as hard as he could, before his vision became a blur. Despite the island's aid, the spell was heavily draining, the strain almost impossible to withstand without support.
Azuma canceled the spell, a giant cloud of dust spreading where Erza used to be. Azuma panted heavily and after couple seconds of silence, smirked in triumph, proud of defeating such a strong foe.
Suddenly, much to his shock, something moved within the cloud. Erza jumped out of the dust, battered, broken shields of her Adamantine Armor held before her body. They broke off into pieces and revealed her figure, clad in the remains of her Flame Empress Armor, that was now destroyed beyond repair, as it exposed her naked skin for Azuma to see. She was heavily injured, however the combined power of her armor's attributes managed to cancel out enough damage to let her stay in the fight.
Azuma didn't get to look for too long, however, as the knight quickly summoned her red pants and Benizakura, and landed on the biggest piece of wood on her path, which she used as a launchpad.
Azuma quickly created two thick branches in fear, willing to protect himself. But it wasn't enough.
Like a bullet, Erza cut through both the wood and Azuma, slashing him across his torso from waist up to the left shoulder. The man stared ahead blindly, before coughing up a vast amount of blood.
Erza flipped in the air and landed on her feet, before slowly turning back to Azuma, her eyes still burning fiercely.
"Admirable..." whispered the impressed and satisfied Kin, before slowly falling backwards, as he made his way towards the ground. Erza followed his flight with her eyes, witnessing his crash. She stared at his immobile figure for couple seconds longer, before blinking and releasing a deep breath, letting the fatigue finally take over her body. She lost balance and was forced to plunge her sword into her footing to avoid falling herself. Taking deep breaths one after another, Erza slowly calmed down, her sensation of dread and anxiety slowly giving in to pride and happiness. She did it, she managed to control her past. But most importantly…
She had won.
End of Chapter 28. To be continued in Chapter 29: Hades.
Changes made from canon:
- Laxus defeats Zancrow, instead of Zeref killing him. I wanted Laxus to have someone to abuse before his turn against Hades, and he was available. Btw, in case you haven't realised, this is what would have happened if Natsu's element was something else than fire. Zancrow's magic literally saved him from an asswhooping, which he got anyway. Twice.
- Gildarts was slightly less forgiving for Bluenote, who had been weakened due to the damage sustained from Cana and Natsu
- Erza did not pull a victory out of her ass and used her own skills and wits to pull through(with the power of flashbacks)
Speaking of flashbacks, the sequence was meant to show you just how strong Natsu and Erza's bond is, as well as to directly reference the title of the story. "Of Inner Demons" reaches out to personas Natsu and Erza had to develop to survive their hardships - Salamander and Titania. They themselves are "Inner Demons".
I hope you liked this chapter. Personally, I am dranied. Nearly 30,000 words in a week...I need to rest :D Review, ask me in pm's - I read them all!
Cya!