Back with the continuation
"speaking"
""thinking""
On with the story
Mavis, robbed of mind and body laid on a table in the guild as Irene began to extract Fairy Heart from her. All Mavis could do was moan and groan since Invel's Ice Lock robbed her of rational thought.
"Poor thing…" Irene mused while standing over Mavis. "To think, having it stolen from right under your nose. Your ever so precious imaginative ability. Invel's Ice Lock causes one to lose their very sense of self. If I were feeling poetic, I would liken it to encasing one's heart itself in ice."
Zeref watched from not too far away. Watching Mavis suffer like this, it was very difficult for him to watch. "Will the separation enchantment take much longer?"
"I believe you are aware of just how special the magic in her body really is." Irene's replied.
"Uugh…." Mavis was squirming about. All movement was useless.
"…I have no desire to watch her suffer." Zeref admitted.
"Oh? It is not often His Majesty wears his emotions on his sleeve. But, rude as it may be, I fear I must speak my mind here." The Scarlet Despair turned to Zeref, practically scowling at him. "If you do not rid yourself of that naiveté, you will never defeat Acnologia. He is the apotheosis of darkness itself, truly, the lord of all dragons."
"I suppose you correct," Zeref said as he turns around and started walking away "I'll withdraw"
Zeref looks at Mavis one last time before walking away and leaves Irene to do the rest
As Zeref left the premises, Neinhart approached in
"Irene-sama," Neinhart called out to them
"what is it, Neinhart? I'm a bit occupied at the moment" Irene replied to the man
"we've located Erza-sama" Neinhart replied as Irene looks at her hand
"as I suspected" Irene muttered out "so she is alive"
"what are your orders? Erza-sama is our enemy now, but she's also…" "kill her" Neinhart said before Irene cuts him off
"huh?" Neinhart thought he was hearing things
"must I repeat myself?" Irene asked
"no, but…my Historias don't seem to be able to attack Erza-sama…" Neinhart explained
"then I suppose you shall have to fight her yourself," Irene said as Neinhart's eyes turned black while his pupils turned white "what are you truly made of, Neinhart?"
Erza was cutting down all who stood in her path. In the midst of switching armor, she kicked one troop into a group of them before entering her Purgatory Armor, creating another path for everyone to follow. "FOLLOW ME!"
"Such bravery…!" Yukino stared.
"It's like a bladed flower that blooms in the fields of battle…" Lector said
"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch said as per usual.
Gildarts jumped up as he slammed his fist to the ground and shatters the land
"you want us to be caught in that too, damn old man!" Cana shouted at her father
Everyone was fighting their fight as they give it their all to defeat them
Natsu and the others were on their way towards the guild as they charged towards the enemy soldiers
"did any of you saw Ultear?" Ur asked Natsu and the others as she joined them while Aya stayed behind with Makarov and the others
"no" Gray replied to his master "that light must've separated you guys with her, right?"
"I'm worried for her! First Meredy now Ultear, what is going on!?" Ur exclaimed before enemy soldiers came attacking in
"Karyu no Hoko!" Natsu breathes out his roar but it was frozen in ice
"ice?!" Lucy exclaimed as the temperature suddenly went bellow
"this chill…." Gray looks around as Natsu turns his head to the side and saw Invel standing on top of a stone podium
"Invel…." Natsu looks at the man as he jumps off the podium and stands in front of them
"it amazed me that you would still be alive, Demon King" Invel said as Natsu clenched his fists and went into a battle stance with the others following by
"this guy's magic…" Ur said "it's unbelievable"
"as much as I'd love to chat with you" Invel said before he swiped his hand to the side as Natsu, Lucy, Juvia were frozen in ice leaving only Ur and Gray "none of you shall be going pass me"
"Natsu! Lucy!" Gray looks to the two
"Even Juvia too!" Ur looks to the frozen rain mage before looking to Invel
"it would seem that the both of you have some resistance to cold" Invel noted before Gray went onto the attack
"you jerk!" Gray went onto the attack only to get a blast of ice to his side
"Gray!" Ur shouted as Gray was sent crashing to a stone wall and then to the ground
Invel made several gestures before ice spikes came hailing at Gray
"Gaaaah!" Gray shouted in pain as the ice blast started freezing his skin
"what kind of ice magic is this?!" Ur looks at Invel who folded his hands behind his back
"my name is Invel Yura, I bring winter to all I see"
Gray was actually shivering from this cold. "This feeling…me, of all people. He's actually making me shiver from the cold. My body is…freezing solid…"
"you little!" Ur did her ice Make pose as she unleashed an eruption of ice from bellow
"futile" Invel said as Ur's ice attack was frozen in ice
"he froze…my ice?!" Ur exclaimed in shock
"Gray Fullbuster and Ur Milkovich" Invel stated. "your Ice Molding magic barely holds a candle to my magic as I am a pure ice wizard" Invel then swiped his hand forward once more, causing another blast of ice to shoot towards Gray.
"Shield!" Gray immediately forged a shield of ice to protect himself from Invel's attack.
"Ice Make: Ice Impact!" Swinging his arms down, a gigantic mallet of ice dropped down on Invel, but the Spriggan ceased its crushing movement with the palm of his hand. "What the!?"
The frozen hammer above him started to crack before it ultimately shattered.
"I freeze everything than simply make things out of ice" Invel stated
Gray held his arm out, the Devil Slaying markings beginning to cover his body. "What about this stuff then? I inherited this power from my teacher. The power to slay demons. The power to defeat END itself."
This made Invel's eyes widened. "Devil slaying…?"
Gray slammed his fist into his palm; sliding past Invel in the same instant he crafted the blade of purple ice.
"Hyoma! Zero no Tachi!"
"Wh-!?" Invel was genuinely taken off guard. Before he realized what happened, there was a fierce gash along his chest. "GAH!"
"he got him!" Ur exclaimed proudly to her student
"This power…demon slayer magic!?…" Invel stated as he looks at the magic power, Gray had unleashed "but those who use that power loses their minds…..I find that fascinating" Invel thought with a smile
"You done thinking to yourself, asshole!?" Gray yelled while swinging that same sword once again, only this time Invel caught it, much to his surprise! Invel released his own magic, causing an explosion of ice to ensure, resulting in a blizzard that covered a large section of the battlefield.
Everyone was surprised in the sudden change of the weather as the cold blizzard made everyone shiver in cold
Zeref was gazing out from the nearby window. There was only one person he knew capable of such a thing. "Invel…"
"It's cold! Cold enough to freeze! But…" Gray thought as the cold was unbearable even for him
"You have what it takes to stand alongside me as a comrade." Invel commented "I fear you yourself have been unaware of it all this time, but your heart has slowly been tainted by darkness."
"…What're you blathering on about?" Gray said
"The powers of darkness are the seeds of black magic itself. Proof of reality of the powers of the Emperor himself." Invel explained.
"What the? So you're basically telling me you know that you're the bad guys?" Gray questioned.
"Darkness is neither good nor evil. Darkness is a fearsome power that resides in the hearts of all. Your darkness is on the brink of releasing itself into the world. It seems you've managed to keep it in check all these years…but it would only take the slightest push to unleash its fury." Invel said.
Gray clenched his hand into a fist. He was starting to get sick of Invel's voice. "You're starting to make my ears bleed. I ain't trying to play Mr. Superhero over here either, you know. If it's my family on the line, I'll be as dark and black a villain I need to in order to protect 'em!"
"you said it" Natsu voice spoke out as the frozen fire dragon was freed from his ice shell by melting it away with his flames
"The Ice melted away!" Ur stated out
"Gray-sama, are you unharmed!" Juvia asked.
"Guys…" Gray felt a weight off his shoulders as he has his friends backing him up
"He melted my ice. As expected of the demon king. He truly is…" Invel thought with an amused smile
"The tables have turned, Mister! If we all gang up on y-" Lucy exclaimed out loud before a giant hand grabbed her while another grabbed Natsu and Ur
It was Brandish, and she was towering over everyone with her magic. "I shall be taking these three."
"Ur! Natsu! Lucy!" Gray yelled in surprise.
"Brandish…!?" Lucy gasped..
"What's the big idea!? Let go of me!" Ur growled out
"Brandish, stop this! We…!"
Lucy tried to interject, but Brandish increased her grip on her. "Silence." Without another word she started to walk off.
"Hold it right there!" Gray yelled at Brandish, but she ignored him.
"Gray-sama!" Juvia turned to Gray, and in that short window, Invel put his plan into action. With a swipe of his hand, Ice Lock activated. Two collars appeared on the necks of Gray and Juvia, connected together by a thick chain. "Gray-sama!?"
"Juvia!?" Gray felt his head beginning to turn numb. It didn't make sense. "What the…? My head's starting to go dark…?"
Juvia gripped the collar on her neck, shifting her legs a bit. "My body…it won't do what I tell it…!"
"Ice Lock." Invel explained. "A magic that seals a person's heart and makes them my willing puppets. You two will fight to the death. You have zero say in the matter."
"WHAT'D YOU JUST SAY!?" Gray roared. There was no way in he'd fight Juvia to the death!
"This cannot be removed until one of you lies lifeless." Invel said.
"There's no way this crap could ever…!" Gray began to object but his head started to turn foggy. The thoughts in his head weren't his own "Guh…my head…"
Invel turned his back, took a few steps away for ample distance, and turned back around to get a view of the show before him. "As I see it, Gray will come out victorious. The moment he kills his friend and ally, his darkness will fully awaken. The one meant to defeat END is not His Majesty…it is you, Gray."
"Juvia…"
"Gray…." Juvia clenched her hand into a fist. "Not gonna happen…! If it means harming a single hair on Gray-sama…Juvia would much rather take her own life while she still has her wits about her!"
"Now then, whenever you're ready. You may not rest until one of you lays dead!" Those were Invel's commands. Commands that they had to follow no matter what.
"My consciousness…is fading…" Gray couldn't focus on anything else. Nothing but taking Juvia's life.
"…I refuse to harm Gray-sama! Anything but that…!" But despite her internal objections, her body was moving on its own, water already beginning to form around her hand. "I could never bring myself to harm a single hair on his body, and yet…!"
"It's no use, I can't even think of any other thing!" Ice formed along Gray's hand. He and Juvia fired at the same time, their respective elements exploding in the other's face. Unfortunately for them, they were on a tight leash, so they couldn't even be pushed too far away from one another. Gray immediately swung his fist at Juvia's cheek, forcing her head to snap in that direction. Juvia returned fire with a kick, but Gray blocked it and slammed the water mage onto the ground by her leg. "KYAAAH!"
Gray didn't stopped as he continued to assault Juvia with a flurry of blows, none of which she could defend herself against.
"Indeed. It is just as I calculated. Gray will emerge victorious." It didn't take a genius to know that Gray was stronger than Juvia. "The unbearable sin of taking the life of a dear comrade with your own hands! It shall dye your heart in pitch black darkness, and give birth to the ultimate warrior to defeat END!"
"His Majesty shall be the one to defeat Acnologia and grasp the world his noble hands! All that stands in the way of his great ambition is that accursed Demon King, END!"
Gray and Juvia were panting heavily. Though this fight was pretty one sided, Juvia did manage to get her fair share of blows. But this wasn't what she wanted "Why is Juvia bringing harm to Gray-sama!? It cannot be! These actions are unforgivable! The very thought of Juvia hurting Gray-sama…Juvia would rather simply meet her end at Gray-sama's hands…BUT THAT TOO IS UNNACCEPTABLE! Because Gray-sama would surely blame himself! If that's the case, then the choice is obvious. Yes, Juvia shall end her own life here and now! Before my consciousness fades away completely…Juvia will…" Juvia brought her hand up, a sharp blade of water shooting out into the sky. "You have nothing to fear. Muster your courage and fortitude, Juvia!"
From Invel's perspective, all he could see was Juvia's futile attempt to severe the chain with the last remaining bit of conscious action she had left. "Any and all resistance is utterly futile. Ice Lock is a magic which completely imprisons one's heart. The two of you have long lost your ability to reason, and until one of you drops dead, the chain cannot be severed!"
How dare this man tell her what she could and couldn't do! Imprisoning her heart when it came to the most precious person in the world to her!? That…was Invel's first mistake. Because Juvia would never allow her feelings to be trapped within her body. The blade of water jutted violently from her and the magic power released from it was extremely lethal. "JUVIA'S BODY IS FAR TOO SMALL FOR THESE OVERFLOWING FEELINGS TO BE IMPRISONED WITHIN IT!" The water bearer screamed with all her might, her voice carrying out through the raging snowstorm.
Juvia gave Gray one final smile, her gaze softening as she stared at the love of her life. All of their time together…was the most precious thing in the world to her. "Words cannot express the joy Juvia has felt getting to know you, Gray-sama." With those words, she plunged the blade of water into her own chest, blood gushing out the instant she did so.
"suicide!? She killed herself!?" Invel exclaimed in shock as he thought that Gray would be the one to do suicide other than her
Invel looks at Juvia before looking at Gray as his eyes widen in surprise
"why? Why did you do that too?" Gray said as blood was dripping on the frozen ground
An ice blade was imbedded in Gray's chest as the man had did suicide to himself as well
""simultaneous suicide!?"" Invel looks in shock as the two were losing blood at a very fast rate
"Gray-sama, no!" Juvia cried in tears as their swords disappeared
"i…don't want to hurt…a friend….i don't want to hurt you!" Gray said as he coughed up blood
"Gray-sama…." Juvia reached out her hand towards Gray as the man did the same
"I wanted….to protect you" Gray voice out as their hands didn't reach other as they fell to the ground with their hands a mere centimeter away
""I can't believe this….i was certain that Gray would be the one to do suicide"" Invel looks at the two as his Ice Lock disappeared with the two's death
The blizzard slowly disappeared as Invel started to walk away
"now that is has come to this, I must make sure that END meets his defeat" Invel said as he disappeared from the sight
As Invel left the scene, Gray's body twitches as his heart was beating again
""this feeling…I thought for sure….""
Gray slowly got up as the man felt his heart pumping blood again
""this feeling….is this Juvia's blood in me!?""
Gray looks down to his left hand as a water like tube was pumping blood from Juvia's
""Water Make: Blood. Juvia took precautions in case anything happened to you, Gray-sama""
Gray looks at Juvia as his eyes quiver with tears forming
""this is a blood transfusion magic Juvia learned in secret""
Gray's hands reached towards Juvia as the ice make wizard holds her in his arms
""Juvia lives on within your body, Gray-sama. so there is no need to grieve""
"wait….please…..no….Juvia" Gray cried out as tears fell down his eyes and onto Juvia's cheeks
""Juvia's life is yours, Gray-sama""
Gray cried out as his tears stream endlessly
"Juvia….please! please! Don't leave me! Please wake up!" Gray cried out as his memories with the rain woman came flooding in his minds
"please…I'll take you more seriously…so please…..wake up"
The Winter General was walking the path that he suspected where Brandish was heading at
"she must be heading in this direction" Invel thought out loud before his body tensed up when he sensed an immense bloodlust coming from behind him
He slowly turns around as he sees Gray approaching him with rage oozing out of his aura
"h-how can you be alive!?" Invel said in shock as Gray glares at him with a murderous intended glare
"but with that wound, you cannot hope to fight in!"
Gray dashed towards Invel as he sends a right hook straight at the man's face and broke his glasses
"Gah!" Invel was punched to the ground as Gray kicks him before delivering a punch straight as Invel's chin
Invel was sent flying to wall as the wall was destroyed in the attack
He skidded on the ground before looking a Gray
""looks like I have no choice!""
Invel thought as ice slowly encased his body and forms a layer of ice upon him
"Shinto Kamui!"
Invel was now donning an armor made out of ice as Gray dashed towards him and sends a punch that got blocked
"futile, this demonic ice freezes all it touches" Invel told Gray as the man continued pouring every single ounce of energy, he has into his attack "even with your resistance to cold…this armor will freeze you solid!"
Gray's hand slowly started freezing as ice was encasing it
"I will shatter you in that frozen shell!" Invel shouted before the ice surrounding his right arm was shattered
"what!?" Invel exclaimed as he sees that the same ice as his armor was encasing Gray's hands
""that's not possible! He imitated the ice that makes up my armor with his Ice Make Magic!?""
"you stole Juvia's future! You stole it from her!"
Gray sends a fury of punches upon Invel as the fists were like a blizzard of fury
"Hyoma! Zero no Haken!"
"Gah!" Invel was sent crashing to the ground as Gray looks at him with tears dripping down his eyes
The rain woman was laying down on the ground, motionless before Wendy and Charla came to the rescue
"Wen…dy?" Juvia voice out as her eyes opened and sees the young Dragon Slayer
"goodness grace, we're lucky that we managed to find you in the nick of time" Charla told the rain woman
Juvia looks to her bloodied abdomen as her wounds was sealed up thanks to Wendy's healing magic
"Juvia is eternally grateful to you! Wendy! Charla!" Juvia bowed to Wendy and Charla as she was grateful for the ones who saved her life
"no, you don't! this is how I contribute to the guild!" Wendy told the rain woman "I've got to work twice as hard now! For Cheria! I'll protect you all!"
Juvia smiled back before she realized something
"where is Gray-sama!?" Juvia exclaimed as she looks all over the place for the Ice Make Wizard
Gray stood over the beaten up Invel as the man had bruises all over his face
"I could keep punching you all I want but that won't bring Juvia back, it won't ever bring her back" Gray said as he clenched his fists
"just like your father…and….your mother…." Invel said with a smirk "it is your fate, this fate that will curse your life for all eternity"
Invel looks at Gray as the man was smiling while chuckling
"let me tell you something, Gray Fullbuster" Invel said as Gray looks at the man "END is merely an initial for a member of the 12…or rather a former member"
"Etherious Natsu Dragist… that is END…" Invel states out as Gray's eyes were shadowed by Invel's words "your friend….your guildmate…..your family member…. The Demon who took everything away from you"
Gray looks at Invel before his Devil Slayer markings slowly disappeared
"which choice shall you choose? Kill your friend to avenge your family? Or let him live so that you can continue
to suffer?"
Invel stated with a smirk as Gray looks at him
That's a wrap!
Bye bye