Chapter 105: The Fledgling. The Sin
"It's White Eclipse B's Ramman, versus Fairy Tail's Laxus Dreyar!" Chapati's shouts rung throughout the arena as the crowd cheered and chanted along, expecting a great match against the two highest profiled guilds in this tournament. "Though one is a rookie, and the other a well endowed S class of their guild, this should be a great match either way!"
"A great match? Against Laxus? Ha!" Tiny belched. "With a reputation like Thunder Boy's over here, do we really expect the new guy to match up against him? This is an easy bet, one hundred to one, Laxus."
"This looks bad." Kuro noted just by staring at the matchup. "Does it?" Reve replied smugly, arms folded over his chest as he could only grin at the painted picture before him. Kuro was now curious. "What does that mean?"
"Just look." Reve replied, diverting Kuro's attention back to the arena. "That kid's eyes tells me everything I need to know. It seems that Reiss and the others have found a gem. I don't know his story, but it holds a lot of weight it seems. He has not yet once backed down from Laxus, not even an inch, and even if Laxus outright destroys him, the fact that he refuses to allow the narrative to call Laxus the dominate mage here is enough for me. It's contagious too. Look..."
He he nodded over to the rookie team, causing Kuro's eyes to trail until they spotted them. Reiss, Ilaria, Tyson and the others all stood side by side, watching closely with determined visages. "Ramman, huh?" Reve continued. "He may have been a random selection by our impudent brats, but that kid...is someone I'd recruit without hesitation."
"Hm." Takeru turned his attention back to Ramman, lowering his gaze. "He's definitely got the eyes of someone who's been through a lot, but that doesn't mean much here. This isn't life or death. We're playing for points, pride and momentum. Show us what you got, Ramman."
The instant the bell rung, Ramman was off in a flash, appearing before Laxus as the two bulky Dragon Slayers clashed with opposing forearms laced with their respective lightning. Laxus showed a grin as Ramman bared his teeth, purple and yellow lightning sparking in every direction from the clash until finally, Ramman pulled back, but only to attack again. This time, he leads with a straight right hand aimed For his opponent's torso, but again that was easily dismissed as Laxus smacked his fist away.
"There's a lot of aggression in those punches of yours, kiddo!" Laxus stated, pushing away another one so effortlessly.
"Don't mock me!" Ramman fired back. "I'll tear your body apart! Lightning Dragon's Claw!" As Ramman swung his hand, not only was it filled with lightning, but something else caught Laxus's eye; almost catching him off guard. Covering Ramman's arm, was a purple electric aura of what looked like the foreleg of a dragon, leading with an actual claw of a foot. Laxus leaned away, just avoiding the incoming blow, but the raised brow on his features was apparent — yet it wasn't good enough for the hungry White Eclipse Mage. He wanted to win, and nothing else!
"What was that!?" Reiss shouted as Ilaria cheered with waving hands. "That looked like..." Tyson began, unable to finish his own sentence. "A dragon." Micaiah took the honors in finishing Tyson's words. "Woo! I sure know how to pick em!" Ilaria shouted, continuously rooting for Ramman as the two clashed within the arena. "I didn't know second generation could do that..." Lluvi admitted, still wide eyed at the attack. Reiss then added. "I mean...Laxus is a second generation, and he can't? At least?, we've never seen him do that, right? How far does it go?"
"That's a very good question and only one way to find out!" Lance shouted, then cupping his hands around his mouth. "Stop holding back Ramman! Go all out!"
"Tch! I didn't need permission from an idiot!" Ramman shouted, but after hearing Lance's words, he grinned towards Laxus as purple lighting began charging in his right arm. That charging was coupled by a rumbling that shook the immediate area. Laxus stayed grounded, unfazed by the theatrics as Ramman slowly crouched into a readied stance. That's when Fairy Tail's own showed his own smirk. "You're a special one, aren't ya? A Second Generation Dragon Slayer, yet we're nothing alike."
"Don't analyze me!" Ramman shouted, launching his arm forward to release a powerful blast of purple lightning that seemingly connected against his target. A grin remained on his features as smoke clouded the area, but once Laxus's silhouette showed a standing figure through that aftermath, Ramman's facial expression went from a grin, to full on surprise.
"You're tapping into a power I didn't know existed within us. Maybe it doesn't, and only you have it. Maybe your lacrima is working differently than mine. I don't know the science behind it all, and you have a lot of potential, Ramman. But...I have a guild to represent. So I'll be ending this now. Don't let this defeat ruin your path. I'd love to see you again once you've matured."
That was grinding Ramman's gears, and as he grit his teeth roughly, his entire body tended up at Laxus's words. Clenching his fists so tightly that his forearms and even biceps began to bulge, the purple lightning he owned began to viciously surge once again. Bared teeth and an angered visage glued to his opponent Laxus, Ramman was building up all of his magic power while simultaneously throwing a tantrum. "You're talking down to me!? Don't speak to me..." As he spoke, an aura began to manifest in more than just a Dragon's arm. A tail made of purple lightning grew, then a pair of lightning-esque wings. All of this caught everyone's eyes. "...like I'm your child! I'll crush you! Lightning Dragon's..."
Before he could even finish his incantation right the attack, Ramman darted towards Laxus who remained rock steady, waiting for his approach. Suddenly, before anyone could blink, a powerful collision was made with shockwaves silencing the spectators.
"Hm..." Reve looked on at the end results. "Dragon Slayers are quite the enigma, you know? To this day I still don't even understand ours. But with Dragon Force, and dual wielding, I guess it's safe to say that once you master those abilities, you've become a full grown dragon in a way. Or, at least, that's how I see it. So I guess that would make Ramman a fledgling? The way he demonstrated a power we've never seen before was amazing, and that's coming from me. I knew it wasn't going to happen, and I knew the outcome of this match, but like I said earlier... If I would have bumped into Ramman myself, I definitely would have recruited him."
"Ladies and Gentlemen!" Chapati shouted. "The winner of this match, is Laxus Dreyar!"
Cheers erupted as the smoke finally cleared with Laxus holding his bulky right fist over an unconscious Ramman. "Good on ya, kid. I almost broke a sweat. Like I said, keep training, and I'll see you around again when you've matured."
"He did it! He did it with ease!" Gray exclaimed with a grin. "Was there any doubt?" A confident Freed asked, crossing his arms over his chest with a single head nod. "Laxus didn't waste a single day once the guild disbanded. We all prepared for this day. Not the Grand Magic Games, but the day we would be a family again."
As he walked over towards his team for the first time, he was met by white hair and a smile. Looking down, the two exchanged nods and smiles of their own. "Nice job out there, Laxus." The barmaid stated, and he returned the gesture with his own, mirroring hers with his own style of positivity. "Same to you, Mira. It seems we've done our part on this day. Is the old man not here?"
Laxus's question came with his own scanning, looking for the guild master in question. That caused Mirajane to shake her head reluctantly. "No...not yet. We haven't heard from Master since the disbandment. I was just about to ask you actually, but that answers that."
"I'm sure he's fine, wherever he is." The blonde gave another small smirk before the next combatants.
"Ladies and Gentlemen! Up next, it's Black Phoenix's very own S-class wonder, Esmerelda Higa, versus, Empyrean Dawn's Marshall Izumi!"
It was becoming a campfire scene the way everyone would turn to Lucius Kaiser once an Empyrean Dawn member made his or her debut, and for Marshall that attention grabbing scene was no different. But...something definitely was different once Kaiser and Marshall exchanged looks. That's when Tiny cleared his throat. "Ahem. Kaiser? The world is waiting on you. Enlighten us on your criminal combatant."
With a grin he responded. "Don't mind if I do. But I must say this, before you ring the bell. I didn't expect Marshall to be fighting today, so if you would please grab whatever armed forces you have playing the role of security, and tell them to move to the front row, I feel that would be a bit more suffice. Just in case he goes off the deep end. Like usual."
His ominous words caused Tiny to not only raise a brow, but to do as he was asked, snapping his fingers to call forth soldiers of the magic knight brigade to the sidelines. That didn't sit well with anyone however. "So now you know the people demand an explanation, correct?" Tiny announced as everyone else remained deathly quiet. As Marshall stepped into the arena without a sound save for a few murmurs, Kaiser turned back to him with the slightest of smirk's. "So you all have witnessed his sister Misaki Izumi in action, but these set of twins are definitely different, unlike the Roulette sisters. While Misaki is known for her darkness... Marshall Izumi is known for his ever changing nature, as you could say."
"Enough with the riddles." Tiny snapped back. "Just tell us what he's capable of."
"Why...maybe one of your own could tell you instead, Mr. Tiny. Since you're in such a rush to know. Right, Miss Vivi?"
Tiny turned to who Kaiser was speaking too, and the council captain held a stoic look upon her face. "...Yeah, I know the psycho path. When we captured him, it was obvious that he wasn't bright enough to be working on his own, so it was my job to tortur— interrogate him. I've never seen a person go through so many emotions in one sitting."
"Oh, those aren't emotions, Miss Vivi." Kaiser corrected with an ominous grin. "Those are sins."
Now things were getting darker, causing a chill to go down Vivi's spine as she locked eyes with Marshall. That's when the Wizard Saint continued.
"You see, Marshall Izumi's magic... is a lost magic known as the Seven Deadly Sins. This magic has a mind of its own; seven of them to be exact, giving Marshall eight personas, including his own. But these personas aren't just personality switches, no. Each one has their own mind, heart, and everything in between. Each is literally their own person, dwelling in Marshall's body until it's their turn to surface. Each sin is deadly in its own way, which is why I've called for precaution myself. You just never know what you're going to get with him I'm afraid. But let's not take away the spotlight from Black Phoenix's knight, Esmerelda! I'm sure she'll put up on hell of a fight. Won't you, Esme?"
An unsheathed blade pointed in Kaiser's direction, and the brunette (with tealish tips) spoke aloud. "I need no introduction from you, ominous one. I don't trust you at all, and as a former council member myself, taking down a criminal will just be another simple duty of mine. Lets make haste and get this battle commenced."
"You know...she seems really familiar." Gray pointed out, and he, and the others immediately caught on. "The skirt with the chest armor..." Lucy stated. "The sword..." Wendy added.
"I've never seen her before, but I like her attitude!" Erza said with sparkles in her eyes, causing everyone to look her way. "You're kidding..."
"Mages ready!? Begin!"
On cue Esmerelda charged forth with a battle cry, reaching melee range in an instant. As she swung her blade in a horizontal manner however. She hit nothing but air. What looked like a direct strike turned to be a whiff, and as she blinked, she looked down to see a resting Marshall — propping his head on his right hand, scratching his back in the process as he laid on the ground. "Wha...what...are you doing...?" Esmerelda asked, demanding an answer.
"Hm?" Marshall turned his head around to see her. His light blue eyes lazily looking her way, he then turned back around with a shrug. "I'm taking a break. What does it look like?"
Misaki face-palmed. "Out of all the ones to start with, even after Kaiser gave him the grand opening introduction he begged for, we get this!"
"What is this!?" Esmerelda shouted the sister's way. "Why does he have the audacity to lounge about in the midst of battle!?"
Misaki raised a brow, then turned back to some of her comrades. "She's not raising her voice at me like that. This I know." That's when she turned back to Esme herself. "Just attack him until he snaps out of it. Don't yell at me like I control him!"
"That was my plan anyways." The knight murmured, lifting up her blade only to swing it down again. As she aimed for the body, at the very last second, Esmerelda once again found herself empty handed, with her blade struck into the ground and Marshall not even inches away. It looked as if she purposely missed, but the frustration on her face told otherwise, and as Marshall yawned boisterously, Esme's face only grew more and more frustrated.
"Oh, he yawned already! That's a good sign!" Nina noted.
"And what does this mean!?" Esme shouted again. Nina gave her a look, mixed with confusion and disgust. "That woman sure is a hot head. I want to punch her so bad. Hey! Crazy knight woman! Weren't you listening to anything Kaiser said!?"
Esme arched a brow, but that's when Tristan Gareth, the Ace of Black Phoenix, shouted her way. "Esme! You're fighting against the Seven Sins, remember?! I don't know much about it either, but if he's just lying about right now, it must mean he's Sloth right now! Take your time and think!"
"He's right." She admitted, slowly catching her breath as she calmed into a deep exhale. Breathing in once more, Esme reopened her green eyes, and as her blade began glowing a greenish aura, the knight raised her sword to her right shoulder before swinging it downward in a diagonal motion. Aimed for Marshall himself, a wave of green magic overtook then immediate area, causing a small rift in the ground...but no Marshall. Just as fast as the attack happened, the targeted Empyrean avoided it without notice from a single soul. But that was just the beginning of Esme's problem. As the Black Phoenix knight looked around for her opponent, Marshall yawned again, this time slowly standing up with a noticeable change. His light blue eyes were no longer of that color, except now they were light green.
"Alright...that was a good nap. Now I'm hungry."
"Oh? Well I have something you can eat right here!" Esme yelled, turning around completely to swing her blade towards Marshall. What happened next took her and everyone else by surprise. For a brief second, Marshall's jaw unhinged to a comically large size, and in that instance, he bit down onto Esmerelda's blade, shattering it whilst keeping a good chunk in his mouth.
"What the hell!?" Asuka shouted, gripping the rail to the arena wall as she looked on with shock along with everyone else. "Did he just...eat her sword?"
"Gluttony." Kaiser replied calmly. "The glutton can consume anything...and I certainly mean anything. When he does consume something, it heals his body, which is why it's a surprise to me that Gluttony is before you all when the body has yet to sustain any damage. But, I'm intrigued to see how Esmerelda will handle this."
"Calm down, Esme." She spoke to herself, breathing calmly. "He changed from Sloth to Gluttony, if I don't throw anything at him until he changes again— Wha!?"
Before she could finish her thought, Marshall lunged towards her, attempting to literally bite her head off. She was able to lean away, swinging a powerful boot to his jaw in retaliation for a first strike. "That connected!" Asuka shouted as the rest of Black Phoenix gained hope once more.
"So behind the theatrics, you're easy prey." The knight boasted as her entire body illuminated. "Requip!" As a flash of light overtook her, Esme reappeared with another blade in hand, jagged. On the top of her head, were two bunny ears, and she was dressed down in an armored one piece that accentuated her chest and bare shoulders.
"It's the bunny!" Asuka shouted, causing the others to give her a look. "Rabbit's Armor." Diamond corrected. "Heightens her speed and agility as well as her jumping ability."
"So she requips as well.." Lucy stated as everyone in Fairy Tail turned to a star gazing Erza. "What decent magic! I'm a big fan of hers."
"There's no way you're blind to this, Erza."
Back to the action, Esme crouched low to the ground before leaping into the air. Marshall immediately followed, mouth open before trying to snap Esme in half with his teeth once more. What seemed like a dire situation quickly turned tables as the knight flipped upside down, kicking off of absolutely nothing — the air itself as if it was a surface to plummet back to the ground. Landing, she wasted no time to spring upwards again, leaping past, and swinging her blade right into Marshall's chest. She left a gash, causing him to hiss in pain, and with no time to react, the now ever confident Esmerelda kicked off the air once more to plummet yet again, this time to land a kick to the back of Marshall's head, sending him to the ground before he crash landed head first into the arena floor.
"I felt that one..." Luke admitted, rubbing the top of his head. "He might be more than out."
As Esme landed on her feet, holding her blade by her side, she remained confident that the fight was over, walking away from Marshall. "As I figured. Theatrics."
"I wouldn't walk away from Gluttony like that." Misaki advised her, causing the knight to look her way. As she did, she then heard a strange noise resonating behind her. "What...?" She asked, turning about to see Marshall with his head still underground. "What's he doing? Is he..."
"He's eating, stupid. He's a Glutton. For now that is." Misaki taunted Esme as Marshall continued to literally chomp down on the earth his head was buried in. Soon, he popped his head out of the ground, swallowing what he had left in his mouth before releasing a loud belch. That's when his eyes shifted again just as the cut on his chest instantly vanished.
"His gash..." Ethan looked on in shock. "It's gone!"
"Don't you idiots listen?" Misaki Izumi asked them, genuinely wanting to know. "Kaiser up there just explained it to you. He eats, he heals. He repeats. But now..." She turned back to her brother who now heralded purple eyes and a sultry look upon his face. "Now...things are going to get interesting."
"What are we looking at right now, Vivi?" Xavi asked her. Vivi shrugged. "Sorry, but when I was torturing him, I had a much scarier Marshall. I may have had the other sins, but the one I remember clearly, were red eyes. When tied to that chair, I've never seen a criminal so hungry for blood. I knew right there, that if he somehow got free, I would die."
"Intriguing. So what are we looking at right now? Kaiser?"
As Kaiser smiled, Marshall's muscles bulged just slightly — just noticeably. He smiled so wicked and sensually towards Esme as a purple aura covered around him completely. Slowly, he reached for his own sword, the one he kept sheathed against his back. Once the blade was drawn, it shined on its own in the light before he pointed it her way. "Now that I'm awake, I'll be your opponent."
"You've been my opponent, you psycho." Esme retaliated, pointing her blade back at him.
"Have I? Hmmm..." The sensual moan caused a chill to go down Esme's spine, making her completely uncomfortable. "Who did you meet so far? Greed? Gluttony?"
"...They really are different people in one body.." She realized, blinking a few times before regaining herself. "So who am I standing before now?"
Instead of answering, Marshall kept grinning her way in a lustful manner. "Please, Esmerelda-swan. Show me what you're capable of."
"Kaiser!?" Tiny called to him, still waiting for an answer from before. That's when the smiling Lucius Kaiser finally spoke as he sat up in his seat. "You might want to have the guards ready."
Finally, he grew tired of waiting. Marshall took off in a flash, meeting Esmerelda with the clanging of blades. The impact caused the knight to slide back on her heels for a couple of meters, her heels digging into the ground until she finally came to a stop. Regaining herself, she now had the uncomfortable pleasure of staring into the purple eyes of the lust filled Marshall from not even an inch away. She tried to push him away, but the instant she gained any space, Marshall returned with a knee to her abdomen.
"Gah!" She coughed out a spook of saliva from the punishing blow, and Marshall followed up with a spinning backhanded horizontal slice of his sword, barely allowing Esme enough time to avoid it. She ducked, but Marshall met her down low with a leg sweep, causing Esmerelda to awkwardly fall flat on her face. It didn't end there however, as she suddenly found herself screaming out in pain as Marshall stomped directly on her spine.
"Esme!" Chiara shouted in concern. The knight scrambled to her feet and this time, Marshall didn't pursue so fast. "What's happened, sweetheart? You've overcome the others. I thought this would be more satisfying than what you've given me."
Esme attempted to catch her breath from the high speed rush she just experienced. Panting heavily, she decided to stick with her Rabbit Armor just because of Marshall's new found speed.
"He's even faster than the bunny..?" Asuka questioned, quickly growing weary.
"Don't worry...I'm just getting started!" She yelled, but as she leapt, Marshall did too except exponentially faster, appearing before her with a vicious head butt to the bridge of Esme's nose.
"Oh man...!" Waiston cringed, just as literally everyone else did. "I think she's...yeah! She's out on her feet!"
And that Esmerelda was, teetering backwards for her pride kept her on her feet, but everything was blurry and as she finally fell backwards, Marshall caught her by the brim of her armor. "I guess not. It's a shame." He cooed in her ear, letting out a single exhale as his grip tightened on her armor. "Each time one of us four appear, our opponent loses all of their confidence. I'm so, so, so hurt, my little Esmerelda-swan. And because you've taken so much time from me..."
He then pulled her in close, but his time, his blade went right into her side, causing Esmerelda's eyes to widen in pain, but she couldn't speak. That's when he whispered in her ear. "I'll be taking collateral."
"Esme!" All of Black Phoenix shouted.
At the end of his sentence, he pulled her back, and a ripping sound was heard. With one pill, Esme was relieved of her armor, leaving the brunette (with teal gradient at the ends) in just her underwear.
Tossing her ruined armor in the air, it vanished, leaving Esmerelda exposed as she fell to the ground. That's when Marshall took a step forward, slowly crouching down until finally...
A plethora of steel weapons appeared from behind, threatening Marshall. From sides, Asuka and Ethan both stood ready to attack as Diamond held frozen hands at his neck. Chiara and the rest of Black Phoenix watched, keeping an eye on Empyrean Dawn who were also at the ready, albeit a bit calmer than the Phoenixes.
"Take another step, and I'll kill you." Tristan didn't hold his tongue at the matter. "You didn't think we'd let you do this, did you?" Asuka added. Marshall simply smiled that same creepily sensual smile as he slowly raised his hands. "Now now. I'm attracted to such strong warriors, but this orgy just isn't fair. I can't take all of you at once now."
"But..." Tiny interjected, allowing Chapati to reluctantly finish. "Since there was interference in the match, Marshall is the clear winner. That's ten points for Empyrean Dawn."
"He was about to—"
"Whatever he was about to do, he didn't perform. So therefore your interruption is just that. An interference. Can everyone please return to their seats so we may continue?"
Tristan wrapped his cloak around Esme's body to shield her from anymore wandering eyes. As they walked off, so did Marshall, but not before calling out to the ace himself.
"On my. All of that anger you have, Tristan-kun. I hope you display it again if we can meet."
Tristan didn't say a word, and as Marshall turned back to his team, a powerful smack to the back of his head from his sister caused his eyes to shift back to their "normal" yellow hue.
"Stupid. The boss said to control yourself. That's the best you can do?" She asked.
"I'm shocked that's all we got from him." Said Hubert, adjusting his glasses.
Finally, as everything cleared, in an attempt to keep spirits high, Chapati announced the next round of competitors. "Don't worry everyone! It's time for more high paced action, and hopefully a little less...yeah! Up next, it's Sabertooth's Rogue Cheney, versus the Council's very own captain, Crisdelin Shepard!"
"Oh? The captain is taking stage already?" Xavi asked as Crisdelin walked by. "You know me. I can't sit idly by for so long. Watch and learn, boys." As she walked away, Xavi gave a low whistle as he eyes remained glued to her. "We'll be watching alright, Captain."
As the two met in the middle of the ring, they both bowed. "I've heard different things about the council, but let's make this one a fair, and respectable fight. Do you accept?"
Crisdelin chuckled at Rogue's words, fixing her gloves to loosen up. "Sure. Why not. I'll show you that the Council's reputation is purely based on the criminals we apprehend. We're actually a decent bunch of dogs."
Rogue remained weary, but since he initiated the agreement, he had to give it a shot. That's when Mako's voice rung from his pumpkin head.
"Mages ready?"
"Begin!"
