Chapter 116.5: Wild Man's Resolve.

"Well then!? I'm tired of waiting! Lets GOOO!"

They answered his beckoning, Nina and Julia darting right towards him as Hubert sighed from his seated perch in the back. "You're awesome, Bacchus! Make this the best fight..." Julia started as Nina leapt into the air with powerful gauntlets magically appearing around her fists and wrists. She then ended Julia's opening statement while swinging forward. "We've ever had!"

Nina and Bacchus clashed; fist to palm. It was shockwave inducing, causing the immediate area around them to tremor, but Bacchus didn't have time to hold the stalemate as Julia was coming in hard from his peripheral. She had her Lightning Gloved equipped, both girls blessed to combat Bacchus in close range like they wanted thanks to the good graces of their Random Select Magic. As Julia swung her left fist forward, Bacchus was able to evade it by contorting his body away from it; something he really excelled at. Like a loaded spring he launched his frame back towards Julia with his own left palm, but missed as Julia's entire body became intangible lightning, dancing around Bacchus's frame before finally reappearing overheard.

Instinctively his eyes followed, allowing the right gauntlet of Nina's to slam directly into his abdomen and hunching him over from the powerful blow. His eyes widened from the force, and as Bacchus folded, Julia slammed a powerful, lightning infused hammer fist to the back of the Ace's head, sending him hard into the ground with a display of electricity.

The look of content on Hubert's face as he watched vanished just as fast as it appeared as a powerful palm strike slammed directly beneath Julia's chin through the smoke created from the impact to the ground prior. She would have went flying, but the drunkard grabbed her by the right leg and immediately slung her back to the ground. As he raised his right foot, Julia was stunned from the sudden impact, giving Bacchus ample time to land a demanding stomp to her abdomen — if it wasn't for Nina sliding in and taking the brunt of the multi-ton force with her gauntlets. Bacchus's strength was proven at this moment, for even though Nina acted as a shield by placing her arms over her own frame in an X formation, the power behind Bacchus's stomp still did heavy damage as Nina's was now pressed violently against her sister — and Julia's spine against the unforgiving ground they laid upon. A crater beneath them multiplied in size thanks to that force, and as Bacchus laughed while he raised his leg to go for a much more powerful repeat, Nina and Julia were just able to scramble away from the point of the attack. That didn't save them from being launched away however, and only Julia was able to catch herself as Nina tumbled through the dirt before ending up next to her sister.

"...Whew!" Nina said from the ground, raising up to dust herself off.

"Yeah, he's definitely not all talk, but I could sense that from him from the beginning." Julia added.

"That's good. I wouldn't have accepted this if he was bluffing. But this guy really likes to get down. I want more!" Nina's excitement caused their opponent to grin. "Oh? So far, for a pair of dames that love to fight, you're not putting up nearly as much of a fight as ya did against your opponents before me. I'm kinda annoyed by that. Don't tell me you've reached your limits

Their smell of excitement remained, but now they both held smirks of annoyance, a mixture of emotions capitalized by the feeling of being looked down on. Both of them turned to Bacchus as their current equip disappeared from their arms. Now in Julia's possession, was what was known as Centurion. A large curved axe blade weighs tons, but makes up for this disadvantage by granting the user the incredible strength needed to wield it. Nina on the other hand spun two pistols in her hands like a showman, posing with them both by her side and with a cocky grin on her features.

"Luck of the draw?" Hubert said to himself, that content visage returning. Without saying a word, the Roulette sisters were on the attack once more. It started with Julia launching her giant axe forward. A vertical spin, but Bacchus planted his feet, accepting the challenge like the mad man he was. "Bring it!" He shouted, causing Julia to smirk. He caught Centurion with perfect timing, hands clasped to the handle of the axe... but that didn't favor him any as the weight of the giant weapon caused its velocity to carry forth, pushing Bacchus backwards as the heels of his feet continuously skidded into the ground. "Gck! This thing weighs a ton...!" He griped, trying his hardest to stabilize. "It weighs a lot more than that." Julia responded, appearing behind the Ace of Quatro Cerberus. A quick realization of where she was caused him to release the axe and allow her to deal with it, but that plan quickly backfired. As Bacchus slid out the way just in time, Julia caught her own weapon with ease, swinging it once more quickly to hit Bacchus with the dull side of it directly to his lower back. It bent him backwards, nearly folding him in half as he cried out in pain. The impact sent Bacchus flying, and as he pressed both hands and feet to the ground in order to stop his unwanted momentum, his peripherals caught Julia rushing in once more for another swing. This time it was lead by the sharp blade of the axe itself.

He was poised and ready, or so he thought, but suddenly a small blast caught him in his spine once more. It was Nina with her stun guns, causing Bacchus to cry out in pain once more as he was now unable to move for an unknown period of time. "What the hell!?" He shouted, only to see Nina out the corner of his eyes, twirling her gun and blowing the smoke from its nozzle.

That's when Julia took to the air, axe high above her head with a malicious grin. "This is the end!" She shouted.

"Don't kill him!" Hubert shouted from his location, causing Julia to change her grip on the axe. She sighed, but still took great pleasure in her downward swing that then sunk deep into Bacchus left shoulder. Down to his pectoral, the axe was sunken heavily into his body, and the noise that came from Bacchus after feeling such immense pain so suddenly shook Crocus entirely.

Even Hubert cringed at the sight, and as Bacchus teetered backwards, Nina and Julia looked on as...The Drunken Falcon caught himself from falling with his back foot. His right arm dangled, but with a purpose as he kept himself from dropping to the ground despite the heavy axe lodged into his shoulder. From that dangling arm, Bacchus found himself picking up his famous gourd filled with alcohol by the finger tips as he chuckled aloud. "Oi….now this….I haven't felt this much excitement and uncertainty since…"

His mind wandered to his encounter with its the demon generals so long ago, and how he was tasked with the mission to take on Danjal; how his hand was cut off and he was stabbed through his shoulder. That fight played through his mind so fast, every action that finally led to his victory, and even then how he barely survived the explosion the demon general tried to take him out with at the end. That memory caused him to smile brightly as the Roulette sisters looked on.

"I can't tell if he's truly such a warrior, or if it's just the adrenaline miraculously coursing through him." Nina inquired. Julia only nodded as she watched her axe fail to do its job — its weight a non-factor for some reason at this moment.

As Bacchus raised the gourd, he downed the contents inside. Hubert then raised a brow. "So we're going to see the true ability of the Drunken Falcon? You two should be on guard, but even at his full potential, his current state is no match for you both."

Nina cracked a grin. "Stop talking like you're our coach and just watch us! If we're getting the Drunken Falcon, then that's even better for us! I don't care about the points, we've already won this thing! I'm here for the thrill of the fight! Right, Bacchus!?"

At that moment he finished his drink, and as he tossed the gourd behind him, he simultaneously pulled off the band that held up his hair, allowing his hair to dangle down past his shoulder — strings draping over his eyes as well. "Now that's a wild explanation. I like you two. This has been such a wild ride, so let's bring it home yeah? Also, I wouldn't count your victory so early. I've seen bigger miracles from certain guilds participating in these games. Don't be surprised if the outcome changes because of them. Or us.."

Those words caused Hubert to raise another brow, becoming weary as Nina and Julia charged forward. As they approached, Bacchus yanked Julia's axe from his shoulder, tossing it to the side as Nina aimed her stun guns his way. She was only able to fire off three rounds before Bacchus appeared before her instantly with an elbow to the bridge of her nose. All she had time for was a shocked expression before her head snapped back. Grimacing in pain, but the second the blonde regained herself to look at her opponent before her, he was gone. "Nina!" Julia shouted, but before she could turn around, Bacchus slammed open palms into her spine, sending her flying into the closest structure. Julia looked on in surprised, unarmed as Bacchus then turned his attention to her. As he walked towards her, he began swaying just as a drunkard would before leaning his head back to exhale and then laugh into the air.

"I was saving this state for Erza! I wanted to show her that I was back to where I was with her! That we could be rivals again! But you two ain't a faulty second place. But…second place you definitely are, because I know Titania would still give me a run in this state of mine!"

Julia grit her teeth. "Talking shit to us? I'll pummel you to death." She boldly declared, and Bacchus welcomed the gesture with a beckoning wave. As the axe that belonged to Julia disappeared, another weapon replaced its existence. Her Lightning Gloves made another appearance, sparking as she slammed them together. From there, Julia would take a lunging step forward, only for a blinding speed Bacchus to intervene with her momentum in the midst of that step. "Huh…?" She questioned, only to find herself upside down and in pain from a powerful palm strike to the back of her head that sent her spinning before she even knew it. Hubert widened his eyes, keeping his mouth closed as he watched on with astonishment. "What does alcohol do to this man? He's a fiend now. It surpasses calculation. If this keeps up.."

And it was keeping up as Bacchus grabbed Julia's incoming punch, completely ignoring the lightning surging as if he was immune before launching her towards Nina. Her sister forcibly caught her, the two slamming into the building Nina just came from as they groaned in pain. As they struggled to regain their footing, Bacchus was seen across the way, preparing to finish them off with a threatening aura that shook the area to the core.

"What's this!?" Nina coughed out. Her and Julia could barely stand, and their will to finish a fight would be their undoing as Bacchus began glowing a clear aura. "It's your reckoning! Never sleep on the dogs of Quatro Cerberus! So take this ultimate technique of mine! Drunken Falcon: Overhanging — GAH!"

"!?" Nina looked on as Bacchus now suddenly had a hole through the right side of his chest about as big as a child's fist. His eyes were wide and fading as he teetered, and as Nina looked up, she could see Hubert holding his patented gun in his right hand. "Scarlet Salvo." The one with glasses announced before retracting it.

"Hey! This was our fight!" Nina shouted. "Yeah…" Julia struggled. "What the hell, Hubert?"

"You're welcome. Your chances of winning hit zero the second he decided to get serious. If you're feeling unsatisfied, then we'll find you another opponent. Though it looks like you're on your last legs anyways, Roulette sisters. For now, we'll take our ten points, making it impossible for anyone to catch up."

That was the plan, but as soon as Bacchus started to tilt over, two sheets of metal shot from the ground, wrapping tightly around Bacchus to keep him standing. At the same time, Hubert caught two funnels of water coming towards him out the corner of his eyes. He was able to jump away, sucking his teeth as he turned to see Blues and Kuro. "Bacchus!" They both shouted.

"This will prove to be annoying." Hubert admitted, planning to land on the smallest building structure next to the one he leapt from, but then something happened. The target building moved. "Hm!? Who has the strength to do that? No…. That building…" He began, landing on the ground instead. "It was never part of Crocus's structure. I let my guard down!"

As he came to this correct deduction, the culprit behind his investigation appeared. Right hand in his jacket pocket, his left fixing his glasses, Zalen Castle appeared, standing next to the just barely conscious Bacchus Groh.

"I was going to join the fight, but I admire Bacchus and his spirit, so I sad back and watched."

"And I didn't sense him?" Hubert asked himself.

"Bacchus. You're an amazing mage. I'm sorry to be the vulture to end your amazing showcase, but White Eclipse has a mission to uphold."

"No you don't!" Blues shouted as he and Kuro darted his way. Unsuccessful as Zalen created a giant wall before them. They both knew water wasn't going to break through the iron wall in time, so they had no choice but to go around — desperately sprinting around in order to make it to Zalen and Bacchus in time.

Zalen turned back to the Roulette Sisters with a smile. "You two. You also put on an amazing performance, but this is where it ends, criminals."

"Huh!? I'll kill you!" Julia and Nina shouted, but before they could reach Zalen, they found themselves trapped in a large sphere made of cobblestone. Suddenly, they were launched high into the air, and the crashed violently back to the ground. As the stones broke apart and dispersed, Nina and Julia were found laid out unconscious.

{Chapati: We have our first KO! Both Nina and Julia are unable to continue! Two points for White Eclipse A!}

With them out the picture, Zalen turned back to Bacchus as he raised his right hand. That hand then became covered with iron, and then brick as Kuro and Blues finally made their way around the wall. From the wall, Hubert broke through with the power of his gun, but all three of them looked on in surprise as Zalen released the iron that held the content, smiling Bacchus up. "You're truly wild, Bacchus!"

"Bacchus!" Kuro Chi shouted, reaching out to him in vain as Zalen slammed his fist directly into the Drunken Falcon's temple to send him to the ground in an instant KO.

{Make that three knockouts for one Zalen Castle, and a ten pointer for White Eclipse! (62) Amazing! Right place at the right time!}

"Sixty two points. Forty four behind, and my next ten is right across from me." Zalen said, looking over towards Hubert who stood across from him visibly upset. The standoff between the two would last for what felt like an eternity until finally, two powerful blasts of water came from both directions, causing Zalen and Hubert both to shield themselves with their own respective techniques. Blues now faced Hubert while Kuro Chi faced Zalen. The anger that resonated within both of them was enough to garner everyone's attention. "You're not…." Blues started.

"Getting away with that." Kuro finished. The Water Dragon and God Slayer duo was now prepared to fight for their leader's pride and ambition. As Zalen and Hubert both prepared for battle, the four of them had but one thing on their minds at this moment.

"Move forward!"