Yang: You know what? I'm going to break Titania's winning streak.

Shiho: She's going to mutilate you so easily.

Raven: I have to agree with Shiho, she has so many kinds of armor and fighting skills with the sword and fists.

Yang: Well, so do I~! May I remind you that I fought huge monsters, strong villains, and defeated the Nightmaster~!

Freddy: Which I recalled watching, you revived the second Nightmaster Eradicus.

Gwen: And an alternate reality, your bad mood turned Ulti-moose, a pathetic dumb villian, into the Nightmaster.

Varvula: And almost half of the villains hate you a lot more than they hate Yin.

Yang: Your point?

Varvula: Erza's going to cream you. She has Plot Armor for crying out loud~!

Yang: Just because she's a Fairy Tail wizard doesn't make her invincible. And if I take her down, then the other mages will leave us alone!

Raven: Uh, you do realize that if you beat one of their mages, they'll come after us like dogs.

Freddy: And there are some who are much more powerful than Erza, like Gildarts.

Yang:...Oh the Crasher Guy…Well…I'll go play some video games for a bit.

Shiho: He let go of that idea quickly.

Peace: S-Should I start the chapter?

Varvula: Who don't need to ask us. Just star-.


At the Shandian's home base outside the Upper Yard, the warriors were assembling their equipment preparing to invade the Island. Laki, who just got out her rifle, was about to head towards the group until she noticed a bag of Vearth she filed for Asia was being poured out on the cloud ground by their leader.

"Wyper!" Laki shouted angrily as she ran towards her leader. "I told you that's Aisa Treas-"

"Enough," Braham announced, stepping in front of them.

"We can't assume we'll get another chance like this," Wyper scolded her. He then announced the others. "With Luminous Tail's aid, I won't let this opportunity pass us by! If you don't think you're up to it, then stay behind! I won't hold it against you!"

"But here this," Wyper continued glaring at Laki a bit. "We won't stop for the injured. If you can step over the bodies of our dying comrades and keep fighting then follow me. Now I swear, Eneru's head is mine!"

Every Shandian Warrior minus Laki roared with enthusiasm at their leaders' encouraging words. Right behind the Shandian warriors, Dimanu, Moses, Terra, and Todd who were tasked to aid them.

"Man, they're really riled up," Dimanu commented with his hands behind his head and a straight expression. "And they don't even care if their dead comrades anymore…savages!"

"Wyper has found a hole in their strategies which delay their main objective…" Moses scoffed quietly. "They're worried about their comrades who get injured in battle and can't continue. He considers it a hassle in their goal…"

Todd turned to Terra who glanced at Moses with a concerned look. "…You okay big sis?"

Terra was a bit startled by her brother's voice, but calmed down a bit and wrote. 'I'm okay, just deep into thought…'


Chapter 33: The Ultimate Assassin


The first brawl in the Upper Yard took a crucial turn for Natsu and Happy as they got a taste of Maki's power. For the first time in a while, the Fire Dragon Slayer sensed his skin turning pale, trembling in fear by the woman's icy cold yet blazing hot eyes gazing towards him.

'W-What's…with this girl?' Natsu questioned in his head. 'I can't sense any magic around her…S-So why am I scared so s-stiff?'

After a brief period of stillness, Maki closed her eyes with a scowl on her face. "This is stupid…"

"...What?" Natsu blinked.

"...I take your silence as an acknowledgement that you want to live," She turned her back on Natsu and Happy and was about to walk away.

"…H-HOLD IT!"

He still shuddered at her glare, but he stood up regardless, staring right back at her. "I don't know who the hell you are. But, I'm not letting you off the hook just like that."

"N-Natsu~!" Happy called out.

"…Are you some kind of masochist?" Maki questioned.

"Hell yeah~!" Natsu proclaimed immediately, prompting Happy to gawk comically.

Maki glimpsed at him with a deadpan expression. "…Do you even know what being a masochist is?"

"If it means being manly and taking you down, then hell yeah I am!" He declared proudly.

"N-Natsu, that's not what a masochist means," Happy mumbled with a sweatdropped.

"…You're an utter idiot," Maki dubbed with no emotion in her voice. "I don't have time to deal with a petty tantrum brat. But knowing fools like you, you won't stop until you're content with my defeat."

"Happy stay back," Natsu ordered. Happy nodded and quickly flew to a secure distance while Natsu assumed a fighting stance.

"This is your final chance," Maki declared with no emotion in her voice. "Leave me to my business, and go deal with the other losers here. If you don't, I will eliminate you."

"Go ahead and try~!" Natsu proclaimed. He puffs his cheeks, "Fire Dragon Roar~!"

"Slow..." Maki mumbled before she vanished right after Natsu unleashed a torrent of flames out of his mouth. The roar struck the trees, creating a massive explosion.

Natsu noticed Maki was gone. "Did I get her…!"

Instinctively, the dragon slayer leapt forward when avoiding Maki's fist from behind him. The boy somersault, enlightening his feet into a stream of flames. "Fire Dragon Claw~!"

By smoothly avoiding the pair of streaming flames, Maki closed the distance between herself and Natsu. She swung her leg into his stomach, blasting him into the trunk of a tree.

"Gah~!" Natsu cried out. He holds his stomach, yet he grins. "I admit you're tough, but I'm just getting started!"


"RUN FOR IT!" Luffy screamed looking enthusiastic. "IT'S A GIANT SNAKE!"

"AHH~!" Princess and Chopper panicked. Luffy's Team were running from the king-size green serpent pursuing them.

"Out of all animals, why a snake~!?" Kirika cried out, as she caught up with Shirabe who was skating.

Fed up with running, Zoro stopped and turned towards it, unsheathing his swords. "Okay you stupid catfish, time for you to get filleted!"

The snake responded by lunging towards him, causing the swordsman to leap out of the way in time. Luffy, Chopper, and Princess were in the range of its opened jaws.

"GAH!" Princess and Chopper stumbled to the side while Luffy jumped over the snake's massive mouth.

While it was occupied with the three, Shirabe fired out two large buzzsaws while Kirika flung two scythes towards the snake's vulnerable body. While both of the projectiles landed, it only agitated the beast as it turned its head towards the two.

"Eto," Kirika nervously gulped.

"I think we just made it angry," Shirabe said nervously.

Before it could lunge at the two girls, Flamingo, Papaya and Coral attack with a unison punch into the left side of its cheeks. The snake looked affected from the trio punch for a brief second, before it shoved the three Pretty Cures off with ease.

The snake's next target was Robin and Motaharu who were able to move out of the way, with the help of Robin sprouting a chain of legs to climb up the tree with Tsuchimikado following behind her. The snake sank its entire mouth on the big tree trunk below them.

"How can something so large move so quickly?" Shirabe asked, stunned. She caught a glimpse of some purple steam emitting out of the snake's mouth. When the snake pulled its fang out of the tree, she could see the destruction of its venom as it withered the tree so easily. "...T-That's just wrong…"

"D-DEATH~!" Kirika gape in horror.

"AH~!" Chopper gawked comically.

"T-That's going to do more than get us sick if that venom reaches us," Princess shivered.

"I think this is a time for a strategic retreat," Papaya suggested.

"I agree," Robin nodded.

"S-Scary~!" Luffy exclaimed with a grin on his face.

"HISSS!" The snake lunged at the closet target, which were the three Pretty cures that attacked it. Papaya, Flamingo and Coral all jumped out of the branches which the snake tore with it's fangs and brute strength.

"HEY SNAKE OVER HERE!" Luffy taunted the viper, by hanging on one of the branches. "COME GET YOUR DINNER!"

On one of the branches, the viper gazes at Robin. She jumps out of the way, creating an arm of vines that allows her to swing to the opposite side. "Nice try, better luck next time."

"AH~!" Chopper comedically ran away in his walking point. The tree that the viper bit slowly plummeted, scattering everyone.


"Well this is a predicament," Robin sighed as she and Tsuchimikado were alone in the forest. "We're on the right trail, but where is everyone else?"

"They all must have scattered after the snake attacked," Tsuchimikado replied. "It's best if we continue on the path and hope the others make it."

"You're right," Robin nodded.


"AHH!" Chopper exclaimed looking around frantically. "Where is everyone~!?"

"Chopper~!" Coral called out from behind a tree.

"Coral~!" Chopper ran up to her with comical tears. "Thank goodness I'm not alone!"

"I'm glad to see you too," Coral replied with a genuine smile. "Have you seen the others?"

"N-No, it was so chaotic that I can't tell where everyone is right now," He answered frightened.


"Looks like I'm alone for now," Papaya said to herself. She looked around for the others, but there were no signs of them. "I guess I can meet up at the rendezvous point."


"Well, it figured," Zoro grunted as he and Cure Princess were alone. "I turn my back for one second and everybody just wanders around."

"Uh, should we go and find them?!" Princess asked, not bothering to correct his ego.

"I'm sure they can take care of themselves," Zoro responded. "Besides I got the map memorized, and we're supposed to be heading...right."

Princess gawked as the swordsman wandered in the opposite direction. "You're going left, you idiot!"


"Where did everyone go?" Luffy asked Flamingo while looking around.

"They must've gotten lost during the snake attack," Flamingo commented.

"Well not much we can do," Luffy stated.

"What do you mean?" Flamingo questioned.

"We'll catch up with them back to the ruin," Luffy replied without looking at Flamingo. "I know they can handle what they come across. We should focus on getting there first."

"I guess you're right," Flamingo replied. "So we're supposed to be going South right?"

"It gets warmer when you go South," Luffy answered. "So...we should go this way!"

Cure Flamingo just shrugged and accompanied his captain. Little did they realize that the two were going the wrong way.


The large serpent decided to chase after Kirika and Shirabe. It lasted about a few minutes until they finally lost the monster, giving them the chance to catch their breath.

"...That was…too close," Kirika exhaled while leaning against the tree.

"Yeah," Shirabe was on her knees breathing heavily. "Looks like...we've separated from the others."

"Eh?!" Kirika glanced around stunned. "You're right...Well in that case, let's go find the gold ourselves!"

"…" Shirabe was about to agree with her friend's idea, but stopped herself. There was something that Shirabe noticed about a certain nervous boy last night.


Shirabe slowly woke up and found herself laying down inside a tent Sanji setup for some of the girls. Kirika lay sprawled beside her, snoring loudly.

"Kiri, you snore too loudly," Shirabe mumbled but smiled. She sat up and stretched her arms a bit. She was about to lay back down but stopped when she caught a glimpse of a shadow wandering past the tent.

Curiously, the twin tailed girl went out of the tent and quietly slipped past some of her colleagues sprawled out on the ground.

"Sanji~!" Shirabe flinched when she heard the straw hat captain's voice. "Meat~!"

"Shut up Luffy," Sanji answered drowsily.

'Even when they're sleeping, they argue,' Shirabe thought with a sweatdrop. She ignored them and continued past until she was at the edge of the altar.

"You sense her presence on the island?"

"Yes, she along with two other Ultimate Elites,"

Hearing two unfamiliar voices, Shirabe froze and hid behind the tree. She slowly peeked her head to only discover Shervan alone. No one else was there, but it sounded like there was.

"Dang, who would've thought those Crimson Goonies would send three of their elites just to capture one slayer! Anyway, it will be wonderful to give my big sis a good reunion!"

"Reunion? What is this...Reunion?"

"Honestly, it's annoying that I have to explain everything to you. Well, it can't be helped, you're just a computer that'll follow anyone."

"Shervan" stretched his arms, yawning. "We better get some Zs. It will be one hell of a battle tomorrow, and Shervan will need all the stamina and strength to endure this war. And once we get Maki's head, then Crimson Blood, marines, and pirates, will see us as the monsters they paint us to be!"


Shirabe had mixed feelings about what she heard last night. The voices didn't sound like the Shervan he knew. One sounded emotionless and cold, and the other sounded proud and creepy.

'Dimanu was pushing Shervan into revealing his true nature yesterday,' Shirabe thought nervously. 'If that's the case, then that would add up to the incident back at the resort, and our encounter with Shoujou…Maybe his sincerity and personality is simply an act?...!'

Upon hearing her own words, Shirabe raised both of her hands and smacked herself hard on the cheeks, startling Kirika gave her a concerned look. 'What am I saying!?'

"Shirabe? What's wrong?" Kirika asked, interrupting her friend's thoughts.

"Sorry Kirika, I just need to get my head straight," Shirabe gave her a small smile. She stood up from where she was, determined. "There's somewhere else we need to go to before we can reunite with everyone."

"Where to desu?" Kirika asked, confused.

"Luminous Tail's Headquarters," She replied before skating ahead.

"W-Wait for me Shirabe~!" Kirika called out running to catch up to her.

'I shouldn't draw any conclusions until I see for myself,' Shirabe declared to herself, with confidence. 'Shervan has been alone for so long, and he has no one to trust. Even though he's slowly getting out of his comfort zone, he's still afraid of everyone else. I won't let whatever secret he has break that trust no matter what.'


"Things are escalating greatly," Eneru stated while observing the Upper Yard using his mantra. He was casually relaxing on his throne sideways. "It looks like our Shandian and Luminous Tail friends are already moving forward with their plan, and the blue sea dwellers have split up into smaller groups."

He chuckled. "Today is certainly shaping to be a lively day. I wonder how many of our players live to its end then, Let the survival game begin!"


Once he got the signal from Moses that the clones had been released into the Upper Yard, Wyper led the Shandian warriors along the Milky Road.

"The objective man is God's shrine!" Wyper announced. "Don't let anything get in our way, Our goal is to bring back Eneru's head!"

"YEAH!" Roared the Shandian warriors as they charged towards the Upper Yard.


"Wandering around on my own~!" Hibiki sang casually. She was walking through the forest in what she thought was the right direction.

Suddenly, Kamakiri emerges from behind a tree, attempting to thrust his spear at her abdomen from behind. On instinct, Hibiki shifted her body to the right side avoiding the end of the spear and countered it with a haymaker directly into the Shandian's face. Once his body hits the ground, it bursts into puffs of smoke.

"What the… a clone?" Hibiki blurted in shock. Before she could react, a cannonball flew towards her and exploded on her back once contact. The Gungir user screamed in agony while being propelled a few feet where she was landing hard on her stomach.

Hibiki quickly got to her feet, staggering a bit from the surprise attack. When she turned she witnessed a clone of Genbo pointing his cannon at her. While it still wounded Hibiki, if it weren't for her armor the cannonball would've severely damaged her or worse.


Elsewhere in a different section of the Upper Yard, a ton of clones of Shandians were blasted back the moment they made contact with Accelerator.

"Tsk, whoever is creating these clones are doing a terrible job," Accelerator said, rubbing his neck. Before he could react, a huge figure suddenly appeared behind Accelerator. The albino boy turned to confront the intruder...

…only to be greeted by a fist connecting a solid punch in his cheeks.

…and send the invincible level 5 flying until he landed on his back.

"Sorry for the intrusion," The culprit was none other than Simon. "But I couldn't let you destroy all the clones."


"Lovely Beam!" While flying, Cure Lovely fired a powerful pink beam from her eyes. The beam travels across the crowd of Shandian clones, totally obliterating the group.

"Dance my Swords~!" Erza yelled out in her Heaven's Wheel Armor. Summoning thousands of swords from above to rain down at the clones, eradicating them with ease. The two girls landed back to back to one another, as more clones of the Shandians emerged. "There's no end to them…"

"Well, at least they go down in one hit," Lovely stated confidently.


"Why do I get a strange feeling that I'm being followed?" Cynthia asked herself in a deep whisper. Despite the mist finally clearing, the young dragon slayer was unable to spot or smell anyone familiar, but she sensed something was following her for some time.

BOOM~!

"AH~!" Cynthia jumped startled by the explosions. She regained her composure but still felt a bit shaky. "T-Things are already starting to escalate quickly on this island~! This is turning into a war-zone! I just hope I can run into someone soo-"

A foul stench suddenly filled Cynthia's nose, causing her to stop walking. She followed the unpleasant scent towards the left side of the path. It didn't take long for her to spot the source of the stench.

'Oh, my go- I mean gosh!' Cynthia gasped in horror, witnessing a horrific scene in front of her.

Cue Music: Despair Pollution Noise Music Danganronpa.

The priest Luffy had difficulty beating; Satori, leaned motionless on a tree. His once broad body is now shriveled and rotten like a raisin. A skeleton-like skull and bones covered his limbs and face, and flies were already gathering around his head as if it was about to be eaten instantly.

Cynthia's gaze became wide, and her hands covered her mouth as she took a step back. "Who would do such a thing?"

She wanted to turn her eyes away from the body, and be as far away from it as possible…

So why was she taking a step forward?

Quiet and cautiously, Cynthia found herself creeping closer towards the corpse. Her entire body was moving on its own. 'W-What's going on? Why am I moving towards the body?! I can't even close my eyes or turn away!'

The moment she made one more step towards it, Cynthia felt a jolt of pain traveling across her body from above, freezing into place.

"…What…?" Cynthia found herself breathing harder. "…Why…can't I…move…?"

"LOOK OUT~!"

When she heard the shout, Cynthia felt a bit of her upper body moving and attempted to turn her head to eye the person.

POW!

"PFTT~!" Cynthia felt something hard plowed into her abdomens, causing her to cough up a ton of saliva. She felt herself tumbling across the ground before landing hard on her stomach. A few minutes before blacking out, she heard a soft voice groaning.

"…I keep forgetting that headbutts go both ways,"


"When we first met, I was hired as a soldier to defend the Blue Sea Dwellers like you. Because you Blue Sea Dwellers are unfamiliar with the ways of Sky Warfare," Gan Fall reminded the Going Merry group.

"Sky Warfare?" Usopp repeated. "What do you mean?"

"Perhaps if you move that barrel over here, I can demonstrate," He suggested.

While Sanji goes for a barrel. Shervan, Lucy, Index, Honey, and Awatsuki joined the group, with Awatsuki looking a bit weary from training her devil fruit.

"So how is the Devil Fruit training coming along?" Nami asked Awatsuki.

"It's a bit exhausting, but otherwise it's going great," Awatsuki answered smiling. "Thanks to Shervan I'm able to turn various sections of my body into the moonlight."

Shervan looked down, blushing. "I-It was nothing really...It was just a tip...m-my mentor provided me."

Sanji came back with a barrel and placed a small Dial on top of it. Meanwhile Manatsu was casually carrying a comically sized hammer that said 10 tons on the side.

"H-How are you capable of lifting that massive thing!?" Lucy exclaimed.

"It's rather easy to lift around," Manatsu responded as she lifted above her head. "See? Light as a feather."

"That's my latest invention," Usopp boasted. "I can gladly describe the qualities of it, but not when God is listening."

"Can someone explain to me why we're doing this?" Kuroko asked.

"All will be clear," Gan Fall assured her. He then turned to Sanji. "Now strike down that Dial young one."

"Take it easy Sanji," Usopp warned him. "If you put a hole in my deck, I'll put enough holes into you like swiss cheese."

"Hit it with all the strength you've got," Gan Fall instructed.

"HAVE A LITTLE MORE RESPECT FOR OTHER PEOPLE'S PROPERTY OLD MAN!" Usopp comically barked at him.

"Well it's your show, old-timer," Sanji nodded as he prepared for Gan Fall's demonstration. He raised the mallet over his head and wound up for a strike. Sanji then grunted as he viciously brought down the hammer at the Dial.

BOING!

The group minus Gan Fall was caught off guard when the barrel and the dial stayed intact.

"Huh?" Sanji goggled.

"Whoa," Usopp said disappointed. "That's just sad. I know I said take it easy, but you didn't have to be that pathetic."

"I have to agree with Usopp, Sanji," Lucy added. "You didn't even put a dent on the barrel."

"No, I gave that swing everything I had," Sanji defended, staring oddly at the Dial. He hoisted the hammer back on his shoulder. "Like I was really trying to put a hole in the deck."

"Hey now!" Usopp snapped.

"The Dial," Kuroko interfered. "It looked like the shell on top of the barrel absorbed all the force of the impact."

"Huh?" Nami, Usopp, and Lucy questioned.

"Now if you would be so good as to turn the shell holes towards the barrel and lightly press the tip," Gan Fall instructed next. "You are familiar with operating a Dial, yes?"

Sanji picked up the dial and flipped it over so the holes were across the top. Sanji pressed the dial against the side of the barrel. "Right her-"

KA-BOOM!

Sanji was blown back by the impact of the Dial, the moment he pressed the appendix. The force of the hammer quickly obliterated the barrel.

"AHH~!" Usopp and Lucy screamed as the two and the others ran for cover to avoid the flying debris. Out of fear, Awatsuki quickly triggers her devil fruit around her upper body letting the splinters phase through her body, while Shervan does the same with his devil fruit. Once the smoke died down, everyone peaked out to find the Dial on the deck where the barrel was.

"W-What the hell was that…?" Lucy questioned, looking frightened.

"That my friend is an Impact Dial," He answered. "It absorbs any impact it receives and then releases the energy when it's pressed. It is frequently affixed to the palm with a glove or bandage. A direct hit from one of these has more than enough power to kill a normal person easily."

Sanji, Usopp, and Kuroko thought back to their battle against Satori who used that Dial against them.

"That's a very dangerous Dial," Lucy shivered.

"A-According to what you guys dealt with...the Dial has enough power to even hurt Luffy despite being made of rubber," Shervan pondered out loud while gazing down.

"Why didn't you warn us!?" Sanji complained while lightly chopped Gan Fall on the head. "That scared the hell out of me old man!"

"I have heard that in ancient times on other Sky Islands there exist Dials even more powerful than this one," Gan Fall continued. "The Reject Dial is said to be capable of magnifying the energy it absorbs and releases it ten-times more than that of an Impact Dial. The backlash however is severe to the point the attacker might die upon using it."

"THOSE SHELLS ARE THAT DANGEROUS?!" Lucy exclaimed, comically shivering.

"If an Impact Dial can do so much damage, then I don't want to become the receiver end of the Reject one," Kuroko said looking surprised.

"But aren't the Dials supposed to be common everyday objects?" Cure Honey asked.

"So they are," Gan Fall Confirmed. "But it seems that humans have a talent for finding deadly uses for beneficial discoveries. No matter how ordinary they may seem to be, It all depends on the user of the dials. When used in battle their powers for destruction could escalate. An example of the Heat Dial which is used for cooking can be placed inside a lance to generate thermal energy creating a deadly weapon."

"That's what the weird guy had," Index chimed.

"So that's Sky Warfare?" Nami asked.

"It is," Gan Fall confirmed. "Blue Sea Dwellers who know nothing of Dials have no way of seeing or countering these tricks. The same holds true for our many types of artificial clouds."

"You mean the clouds can be weapons too?" Lucy asked.

"I think that's how Satori was able to insert anything inside those ball clouds," Kuroko responded.

"Wait a second," Sanji said, realizing. "Then is there any truth to that mantra-thing that tubby was talking about?"

"Yes mantra," Gan Fall acknowledged. "Sadly, I'm afraid that I am unable to use it so it is rather difficult to explain. Mantra is described as the ability to hear. The idea is that as long as a person lives, he or she emits a voice."

"A voice huh?" Lucy reminded her of Cobra's enchanted hearing.

"By listening to the voice you're supposed to be able to figure out your opponent's next move," Gan Fall continued. "By practice and training, you can hear these voices over a very large area. Luminous Tail's leader as well as the Priests can hear over all the Upper Yard. Eneru's powers extend across this entire land. The exact nature of those powers remains a mystery but because of them the people of this land can never know a moment's peace."


"I wonder if they've made it down yet," Eneru wondered while relaxing on his throne. Around him were three busy bearded men called God's advisor.

"They're lying in wait as we speak," One man reported. "The three priests have placed their Ordeals and Yama has taken 60 of our warriors with him along with Shizuka and her pet. It looks as though this will become an all-out war. Is it really necessary to go full extremes? The Shandians and Blue Sea people hardly seem worth it."

"YAHAHAHA~!" Eneru laughed. "Come now, the more players there are, the more fun the game. You, my friend, have underestimated the power of Sky Warfare."

"Sky Warfare God?" The first adviser asked.

"You'll see soon enough, Yahahaha!" Eneru assured. Once he stopped laughing he turned to a servant girl standing near the table. "Peel that for me."

While the girl obeyed his command, Eneru continued. "Let's see now. There's Yama, Shizuka, Kouta, and the sixty warriors plus the three Priests and including me that makes sixty-seven. There's Wyper and the Shandians who formed an alliance with Luminous Tail which adds up to thirty, and forty-six Blue Sea Dwellers split up into four groups which scatter into smaller groups."

"Let's not forget, there are five uninvited guests not belonging to any of the groups. Normally I would get rid of these pests, but they have an interesting appeal. Yahahaha~! Shall we guess how many will remain after three hours?"

"Pardon, my lord," The 2nd adviser spoke up. "You chose to make a game out of death?"

"Oh, why don't you lighten up," Eneru chided his advisor. He then glanced at the servant girl who handed him the peeled banana. "You take a guess."

"Um…me, my lord?" The girl stammered nervously. "But I don't know anything about it, I'm just a servant girl."

"Oh come on, what's wrong with you people," Eneru complained. "It will be fun, just take a guess."

He points to the third advisor with his big toe. "You, go ahead and guess."

"Well…um," The third advisor thought for a second before speaking. "Our warriors are extremely powerful and I doubt many of them will be defeated. But our enemies have shown that their powers will rival the priest. So I guess that forty will fall. Leaving only…ninety-five."

"YAHAHAH~!" Eneru laughed. "ninety-five eh? That's your best guess? Don't you think you're being too optimistic or are you just squeamish? I think you're underestimating the outcome of this battle."

"…Then what do you think, my lord?" The third advisor asked. "If I may ask."

"Well, it's obvious if only you give it a little thought," Eneru answered. "In three hours, the one hundred and forty-seven fighters…all that will be left are…"

Sixteen…"


With their dial-powered skis and boards, Wyper and his twenty Shandian Warriors sped across the trees of the Upper Yard. They were on high alert since their enemies, whether be Blue Sea Dweller, Priests, or Eneru, were around the area.

The warriors were suddenly caught off guard when they found themselves slowing down constantly. It continued until they were completely stopped in midair.

"What's going on?" Kamakiri questioned, looking puzzled. "Why can't I move?!"

"Greetings my Shandorian friends," Shura announced. He and the Fuza have perched on a large rock ahead of them. "You're looking well. I'm glad you could come to my party."

"CRAWW~!" Fuza crowed while spitting out a stream of flames.

"SHURA!" The Shandians shouted.

"Now, now, I appreciate our enthusiasm but I know my own name," Shura taunted while laughing a bit. "I'm afraid I have some bad news. There have been some changes here in the Upper Yard since yesterday. You've wandered right into my new territory. Can't move, can you? Too bad, you fools played right through my Ordeal of Strings. You have about a 3% chance of survival."


Happy felt the duel was one-sided. Natsu was having trouble against his opponent. Maki had either dodged or countered his attacks, showing no signs of slowing down. Natsu slowly stood up after receiving a kick in the stomach, breathing heavily. Despite the bruises he received from her, he was still not backing down.

"So tell me, are you part of Eneru's warriors?" Natsu asked in between breaths.

"Do I look like a religious creep?" Maki questioned. "I have my own reason for being at Skypiea. and it doesn't concern you at all."

"Why you," Natsu growled at her. A surge of flames and lightning engulfed his body as he channeled his Flame-Lighting Mode. Without delay, he leaps in the air with lightning generated on his left hand and flames on his right.

"Lighting Fire Dragon Brilliant Flames!" He then hurled them both towards Maki, sparking an explosion that engulfed the woman and the forest floor.

"D-Did Natsu get her?!" Happy asked himself.

Once he landed on the ground, Natsu looked a bit content with his attack connecting. Until two vicious glowing red eyes gazed towards him in the dust cloud, like a vicious predator hunting his prey.

"... If you're going to kill me..." The moment the dust cleared, they were surprised to find Maki still standing. With no evidence judging by her expression, of being injured or wincing in pain. "...Then you need to do better than that."

"She's still standing?!" Happy shouted in disbelief.

Not wanting to give the woman any chance to escape, Natsu boosted towards the brunette and swung his lightning and fire-infused fist straight towards her temple. The intensity of the lightning and flames spread throughout the forest floor making it futile for her to escape.

Once the dust cleared up, it was clear that the pink hair dragon slayer felt his fist connected to her forehead. However, her body didn't even lean back by the force and she still was left unscathed.

"W-What?!" Natsu's jaw gape opened in shock. He wasn't holding back on his power, yet she was able to shrug it off.

Maki tightly squeezed Natsu's fist before he could make his next move, which made him grit his teeth in pain. Then she jabbed her elbow into Natsu's guts, forcing the dragon slayer to cough up saliva. Maki then followed up with a knee strike to his chin, causing him to somersault in the air, fortunately landing on his feet with his hands grasping the ground as if in a rubber band. "Dam-"

Maki swiftly appeared in front of the Dragon Slayer, gazing down on him. "You're not a pushover when it comes to physical combat. However, if that's all you're capable of, then you're not worth my time."

Natsu retaliates by swinging a right hook at Maki's head. She closed her eyes and tilted her head up to avoid his fist, and then stepped back to avoid a follow-up roundhouse kick aimed at her head.

The pink-haired boy resumed his aggressive assault without resorting to magic. Natsu was no slouch in close combat but Maki could outmatch him by anticipating his every maneuver. After ducking from a winded kick, Maki executed a swift leg sweep toppling Natsu over, and followed it with a palm thrust into his abdomen, rocketing him across the forest floor.

Natsu was able to land on his feet, sliding a bit. He engulfed his body with flames and lightning and then propelled himself forward. "Lightning Fire Dragon Sword Horn!"

'5%,' She dashed towards him without any fear, a faint black mist encircling her right arm and crimson veins bulging out of her body. Her right hand quickly turned into a menacing claw.

In an instant, Maki appeared right behind Natsu, arms fully extended while leaving a faint trail of flame and lightning. While she looks unphased or not hurt by the attack, Natsu's body seems to have fallen back and had faint blood streaks across his chest. The dragon slayer's flames and lighting were snuffed out completely. His eyes were pure white and his mouth opened screaming in pain as his motionless body collapsed on the ground.

"N-NATSU!" Happy cried out in shock.

Before he could move, Maki grabbed the KO'd Natsu by the neck and hoisted him up off the ground with no problem."L-LET HIM G-."

"As I told him, he should've stood down," Maki harshly said to the blue cat. He raised her right arm. "It's his fault for interfering with my mission."

"W-WAIT PLEA-,"

SHANK!

Happy paused when Maki's hand pierced through Natsu's neck. The little cat felt terrified seeing this and cried out. "N-NATSU!"

From Maki's perspective, she was a bit startled when her hand went straight through a black portal appearing on his neck. Her instincts suddenly kicked in, as she jumped back just in time as a portal submerged under her. She was forced to release Natsu, causing his limp body to collapse on the ground.

"Wait those are…" Happy eyes widen in shock.

"Just in time…" Hearing the voice, Happy looked up to find George standing on a branch with his arms out.

"George!" Happy called out in relief.

The man leapt down on the ground. He stared down at Maki. "...Maki…"

"..." The girl just stared down at him, like a vicious animal.

"Wait, you know this woman?!" Happy exclaimed.

"She's the best of Crimson Blood's Ultimate Elites and a dangerous adversary," George shot back while glaring at her. "Maki Harukawa: The Ultimate Assassin."

"...An assassin?!" Happy stuttered, horrified.

"...George Sihara," Maki said, getting their attention. "Shuichi's Grandfather, and the former Ultimate Hitman of Crimson Blood."

"Hitman…" Happy slowly turned to George with a mix of shock and fear. "You actually killed people?"

"...Correct," He said, his fist tightening. "I was once the Ultimate Hitman. With my Devil Fruit and magic, I have the power to end the lives of anyone without any complications...This is why I quit becoming an Ultimate Elite and aid with the others to escape the organization."

"George…" Happy said, looking concerned.

"Happy. Take Natsu and fly back to the Going Merry," George ordered sharply without leaving his eye off of Maki.

"W-Wait what?!" Happy asked, a bit startled.

"This woman isn't an enemy Dragneel can defeat," George clarified while not leaving his eye off of Maki. "Besides, this is something between the instructor and his pupil."

Happy slowly nodded and ran towards the unconscious Natsu. "Don't worry Natsu, we'll get you out of here."

George watches the blue cat and his companion vanish into the thick forest. Once he was sure the two were far enough, he laid his eyes on his opponent. "...It's been quite some time, isn't it Harukawa?"

"..." Maki glared back at George with no response.

"I've heard you've been relatively busy with assignments as an assassin," George conversed. "Mainly disposing of former Elites, right?"

"Correct…" Maki responded slowly. "The higher-ups are paranoid of former Ultimates turning against them. If I find any during my mission, I will eliminate them."

"I see," George mumbled, with a small smile on his face. "Well then, I guess karma has finally caught up to me. As your former teacher, I advise you not to hold back."


Yang: Now things are starting to get interesting! So many fights happening, and Natsu getting his butt kicked for the third time in the row!

Gwen: Third time?

Yang: Accelerator, George, and now Maki.

Freddy: Technically, Accelerator vs Natsu was more comedic.

Raven: What's with that woman by the way?

Freddy: According to Izumi, he wanted to introduce Crimson Bloods Ultimate Elites; they'll be fighting throughout the story. Maki Harukawa is one of the top five ranking Ultimates. Nevertheless, her skills have something to do wi-

Raven: I meant her personality, and don't spoil the rest!

Freddy: Oh, my bad.

Peace: N-Next Chapter: The Former Reunion. Teacher vs Student.

Shiho: So when will the next chapter be posted?

Yang: Till the fat lady sings...Or when we can figure out why Leone demolished the computer again.

Sanya:...ZZZ~!

Varvula: You don't need a line just for sleeping.