The four mages were in the carriage heading back to Larvik, it would be a strenuous two days' journey and Gajeel was already suffering from the rattle of the road. Levy tried to comfort him, without much effect. Mira and Ryker hated each other, but reveled in the Dragon Slayer's suffering, finding a little humor in his disgrace.
With great effort, the hairy mage tried to formulate some words. "What…what…are we…getting…getting into, exactly?" Gajeel spoke as he tried to avoid vomiting.
Ryker chuckled at his problem, much to his annoyance. "We will need your help to find out who summoned Balor. While Mira and I fight him, you and Levy keep the investigations."
The Dragon Slayer didn't like being left out of battle, but he couldn't form any sentences to protest.
"Ryker, it wouldn't be better for Gajeel to help you with this monster," Levy intervened. "I mean, I can handle investigations and Gajeel would be useful in combat," Gajeel nodded in agreement.
"I understand your concern, Levy, but Mira and I can handle it. Besides, we don't know who summoned it and he or they could be dangerous. You'd be safer with him," Ryker tried to explain and make her ponder the situation.
Levy sighed, she knew he could be right, but still she insisted. "I understand Ryker. I don't think you and Mira can't handle him, but do you remember what I said he was?"
"Of course we remember," Mira said seriously. "But I think Ryker is right. You must stay together."
"Mira-san…", Levy sighed before continuing with some concern, "Balor is an underworld creature, like a dark god. He is very powerful, extremely powerful. Do you really think you two can handle him? We know what he's capable of, manipulating memories, killing with a glance, cursing and much more. He's not for everyone, maybe we'll need the whole guild or at least Natsu, Erza and Gray, maybe Laxus too," Levy said in exasperation. "We should call the guild and call them. We haven't faced anything like this since Acnologia."
Mira was annoyed by the little bluenett's attitude, but it changed when she realized she was just worried about her friends. She understood, but Ryker was calm and sure they would defeat the monster and she trusted him 100%.
She opened her mouth to say something, but Ryker was quicker. "I don't know how strong this Acnologia was or how strong Balor is, but that doesn't matter to me. Strength level is just a matter of the moment," he said calmly, much to Levy's amazement. "Besides, no one is invincible, and you said he can be banned if defeated"
She didn't understand him. How could he be so calm in a battle that had everything to be so terrible?
"Yes, but Ryker...", the Script mage tried but was interrupted.
"Levy! I've faced a lot of people stronger than me, and when I say that, I'm not being light. Victory is in strategy and not strength. She can help, but without intelligence, it's useless." Mira smiled knowingly at him, while Levy and Gajeel looked at him in astonishment.
"Ryker…" Levy said his name in a soft whisper, not knowing how to continue.
"Don't worry, Levy. You said that in our world, it has a physical body and if we destroy that body it goes back to its filthy place. And that's what we're going to do." Ryker looked at her confidently, Levy didn't know how, but she trusted him and nodded.
"I didn't say, Levy. We'll be fine and we promise to be careful." Mira put her arm around Ryker's shoulders and laid her head on his left shoulder.
"Y...you are...are...i...idiots," Gajeel raged, to the smiles of the other mages.
Levy stopped laughing and looked at Mira seriously. "Is that okay with you, Mira? I mean, this is a Class S mission and you guys took it."
Ryker looked at Mira not understanding what little bluenett was talking about. "In fact, once a job is accepted by some mage, another cannot enter. But we needed your help, so I don't see any problems," Mira reassured her.
"Is there a rule like that?" Ryker asked, as if the rule were silly.
"Yes. It's common in all guilds," Mira replied innocently.
Ryker shrugged. "This is kind of weird to me, but whatever. Anyway I think you guys deserve half the reward as you're helping us a lot," he told Levy and Gajeel.
Mira looked at him in shock, as did the little Script mage and Dragon Slayer. "Wh… what!?", bluenett said in a daze.
"Do you want to give them half the reward?" Mira asked in surprise.
"I think it's fair. If not for Levy we wouldn't have gotten anywhere. She has worked hard and will help us complete this quest. Furthermore, 7.5 million Gems will be more useful for them than for us. They're starting a family and that should help give them both peace of mind," Ryker said calmly.
Mira stopped and looked at him in awe, as did Levy, who looked at him in amazement at his attitude. The little one cannot help feeling happy, not for the reward, but for the character he displayed. Even Gajeel was surprised by him at that moment. They shared a friendly moment but never imagined he could act that way.
Mira's eyes gleamed at her, after all. She knew that if she loved him, that attitude only made her fall in love with him even more.
"It's a very noble attitude. I'm proud of you," Mirajane told him.
"She's right, Ryker. What you've done shows your character," Levy smiled.
He looked at both of them and was embarrassed, a slight pink in his cheeks. "It was not a big deal. Anyone would do the same thing," he said shyly. The two mages laughed lightly.
Mirajane approached him, wrapping his arms around his neck and whispering in his ear. "Every day I love you more", she kissed his cheek and he blushed even more.
Gajeel, in the midst of his nausea, heard all the romanticism of the couple, which only made him even more nauseated. He rolled his eyes and grunted in dismay, Levy looked at him, smiled and kissed him on the forehead affectionately, much to his despair. Deep down he was flushed and grateful for the little gem he had and that carried his legacy. He looked at her with difficulty and gave a slight smile.
The journey back to Larvik would take longer than they planned, as they would have to make more stops for Gajeel to recover. During one of those intervals, Ryker thought that some plants he knew might help the Dragon Slayer's seasickness.
He searched a series of plants in a nearby forest and found what he needed. By macerating and cooking them he formed a thick green broth, stinky and disgusting. He forced him to take that thing and Gajeel didn't know if it would make him worse or better. The fact was, he didn't get so sick for the rest of the trip. It must have worked somehow.
After two and a half days, they finally arrived at the village. They decided to stay at the same inn they were in before.
"Ryker! Mira!", Helena shouted, happy to see them again.
"Hello Helena, I see you're alright." Mira greeted her happily.
"All right, Helena?" Ryker greeted her casually.
"It's okay with me. We had a few incidents in the city, but…" she trailed off as she saw the other people accompanying them. "Who are they?" she asked.
"Hello," Levy greets her, smiling radiantly. "My name is Levy".
"Gajeel", the Dragon Slayer introduced himself dryly, and receiving an elbow from Levy, in a rebuke that frowned at him.
"Oh yes... Welcome to our humble inn. How can I help them?" Helena said cordially.
"Helena, they are our friends. They will help with our mission here," Mira told her.
"Really!?" she looked at them in awe. "If that's the case, it's all down to the house," she smiled.
"Oh no! It will not be necessary. We can…" Levy began but was interrupted.
"We accept, gihihi," Gajeel smiled, with his sharp teeth and piercing red eyes.
"Gajeel!"
"What's up!?", he shrugged.
"Anyway, we're going to need rooms and we need to talk to Luiz," Ryker warned.
"I'll arrange it, leave it", the receptionist offered. "How many rooms will it be?"
"Two," Mira said nonchalantly.
"Are you sure?" Ryker asked suspiciously.
She kissed him on the cheek and nodded in acknowledgment. After they settled into their respective rooms, they had time to rest and shower and change clothes. Giving the right time, everyone went down to the restaurant where Helena said that Luiz would meet them.
"Where is this Luiz guy? I'm getting irritated," Gajeel complained.
"Gajeel, calm down!" Levy scolded him, he turned away annoyed. "He is the mayor of this beautiful city. I'm sure he'll be here soon."
"She is right. Luiz is a different person, he cares about his people. I'm sure he had other business to finish before he came to talk to us," Mira defended him, Ryker remaining impassive.
It took a little longer until Luiz arrived and saw them sitting at a table in the inn's restaurant.
"Apologies for the delay. I was solving problems around town," he said as he reached the wizards' table.
"No problem, relax," Ryker said reassuringly.
"Tsh," Gajeel squeaked and earned a glare from Levy.
At that moment the mayor noticed the other two mages sitting at the table, along with Ryker and Mira. "Uh…hello," he greeted them. "I'm Luiz, mayor of this village", he smiled.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Levy and this frowning one is Gajeel", little bluenett introduced herself and introduced Dragon Slayer.
"The pleasure is all mine. But I thought only Ryker and Mira were on this mission," Luiz said confused.
"They were included," Mira replied. "Levy helped us discover everything behind this monster that's been plaguing you."
"Ah! I see", Luiz looked at the little magician and smiled in satisfaction. "So what did you find out?"
They said everything they had discovered to Luiz who listened in astonishment to every word they said. Luiz didn't know what to think about what he'd just heard, he was amazed at the possible implications.
"But…I don't understand", he was confused. "Why would anyone summon such a creature? What is all this about?" he sighed in exasperation.
"That's what we hope you'll answer us," Gajeel intervened seriously.
"Me? But what would I have to do with it?"
"I believe someone wants to harm you," Ryker said, catching Luiz's attention.
"Luiz, do you have any idea of anyone who wants to harm your city?", Levy asked.
Luiz thought for a while, but nothing occurred to him. "We are a peaceful city, we have no problems with anyone. I don't think anyone wants us wrong."
"Well, someone does. I think you better have some idea who it might be," Gajeel said seriously.
"I really have no idea," Luiz said with a sigh.
Gajeel glared at him. "Before all this shit happened…I don't know, did you guys fall out with anyone? Or something else?", the Dragon Slayer questioned him. "Someone from the outside, I don't know."
Luiz stopped and thought. "Now that you say... Before it all started there was a manager who came here. He was very arrogant and pretentious, but I don't know if he would do that."
"What did he want?" Mira asked.
Luiz looked nervous, his hands rubbing together, he didn't want to reveal this information, but they were from Fairy Tail, they would be trustworthy. "Gold, he wanted gold." The wizards looked at him in disbelief. "A few months ago, before this businessman arrived, some researchers came to our region. They analyzed the soil, the water, the rocks... they said that there was a lot of gold, but they said that it was purely scientific research and that it would be classified for the time being. If I'm not mistaken, they were from the Crocus Museum or something," the Fairy Tails motioned for him to continue. "Like I said, the research was supposed to be classified, but weeks after they left… Jules, I think that was his name, arrived in our town. He wanted to explore the gold. Don't think that we don't want to have our gold explored, it's just that the proposal he made to us didn't seem right. He would bring everything in from outside, buy our properties, and almost nothing would stay in town. We didn't think that would develop our region, so we refused. He didn't take it well", Luiz concluded.
"Right," Ryker said thoughtfully.
"Do you think he's behind all this, Ryker?" Mira asked him.
"Could be," he replied seriously.
"If that's it, we'll go after him, won't we, Shrimp? Gihihihi"
"Idiot!" Levy said in boredom. "This Jules guy, what was he like?" she asked Luiz.
"Middle-aged man, slightly paunchy, gray and good-looking", Luiz replied. "Look, he can be an idiot who is only interested in profit and nothing else. But would he be able to kill a person for that?"
"You would be surprised," Ryker said. "I've seen the worst of human beings and what they can be capable of in order to reach their goals. Don't doubt anything," he said seriously and grimly.
"Anything else that might help us?" Levy keeps asking.
"I believe he lives in Crocus and he always hangs around with bodyguards. I think some of them are wizards", Luiz concluded.
"Shit! We just got there," Gajeel complained.
"And if it's not him", Luiz was unsure about accusing and incriminating an innocent person.
"We will investigate and find the culprit. Jules is just our first clue," Levy said soothingly. Luiz looked at her and trusted her, nodding and smiling.
Ryker looked at Gajeel and called him aside to have a chat alone. "What do you want Ryker?" Gajeel said crossing his arms.
"You were on the Council for a while, weren't you?" he asked.
It was amazing how he knew things about the guild that no one had told him before. "How do you... ?"
"I did my homework. Now respond," Ryker said seriously.
"I went, for a year, together with Levy. But I don't know what that has to do with this mission"
"Do you still have contacts there?" Ryker asked.
"Uh…some. Why?"
"This guy was able to kill an innocent and summon a dark being. He wants to wipe out the city so he won't have anything to stop him from having the gold. This son of a bitch is no ordinary person. Use your contacts on the Council, they must have something of him. If he did it here, he must have done something like that elsewhere," Ryker explained what he was thinking.
Gajeel thought for a few seconds before answering. "If this asshole has done this before and got away with it, I'm not sure the Council is going to have anything against him."
"They must have records of strange magical occurrences, cross-reference that information with mineral-rich regions that have Jules, or his companies, as owners," Ryker pointed out the path he could follow.
"This is going to be a lot of work", the Dragon Slayer let out a sigh in defeat.
"Don't be lazy, Nailhead," Ryker said mockingly. "Besides, Jules has contacts in the government, just so he can find out about the research. They're going to need all the help they can get." Gajeel looked at him seriously and smiled.
"Gihihi. Do not worry about it. Fairy Tail has a good relationship with the princess. We can handle it," this time he surprised Ryker.
Ryker smiled out of the corner of his mouth. "OK! Be careful asshole," he clenched his fist for him to hit and Gajeel shook his fist. They smiled knowingly at each other and voted where the others were.
"What about you guys?" Luiz said to Mira and Ryker. "What do you want to do with Balor?"
"We'll lure him where we want and we'll finish him off. Mira can end this with her magic," Ryker said confidently.
Luiz looked at them in astonishment, they showed no concern. They trusted each other so much that nothing disturbed them. "Uh… I think it's okay then. When do you intend to act?".
"Soon," Mira said smiling confidently.
The wizards were heading back to the room when Gajeel pulled Ryker aside.
"What was Nailhead?" Ryker asked.
"You know, do you have any more of that green puke for seasickness?", the Dragon Slayer asked a little embarrassed.
Ryker sighed and massaged his temple. "I will see what I can do".
The next day Levy and Gajeel went to the town hall to check a copy of the contract Jules had left in town. Any information they had on this businessman would be of great help in their investigation, Levy concluded. From there Gajeel would communicate with his contacts at the Council, just as Ryker had suggested the day before.
They were to contact the Dragon Slayer as soon as they found out anything and would be on hand if he needed it, obviously he refused. Levy and Gajeel spent the entire day at City Hall, analyzing documents and looking for any clues that might link the man killed in the ritual to Jules.
Mira and Ryker headed out of town, into a secluded and secluded field. They would use a few days to train and improve their skills and chemistry, before facing the creature again. They knew she was dangerous and they would need to be prepared for anything.
The training would be intense, they would intersperse physical training, aerobics and hand-to-hand combat. He wore a beige T-shirt, camo pants and combat boots, she wore a yellow top covering her breasts, red shorts and sneakers. Mirajane and Ryker assisted each other in melee combat, serving as each other's slugs.
"Yes, Mira!" encouraged Ryker. "Stronger! Close your hand and hit him hard, girl." Mirajane punched his hands as she dodged Ryker's attacks to improve her reflexes and attack power. Even though she wasn't transformed, Ryker could tell her blows were heavy.
"Now take that knee I showed you," Mira applied the blows to his hands, while holding him by the back of his head. First with the right leg and then with the left, repeatedly. "Good girl! Now put anger on it," Ryker urged her.
The two continued training, when Mira got tired, she would help Ryker in his attacks, just like he did with her. Always encouraging him and pushing him to the hilt. She could see the precision with which he attacked, and the power of his blows.
With that, it was all morning that day, exhausted and panting, the two magicians lay on the floor, side by side, breathing heavily and completely sweating.
"Do you think two days will be enough?" Mira asked.
"It has to be," Ryker replied seriously and turned his face to see her. "We're doing great, Mira. If we keep this up, we can finish him"
The Take Over mage eyed him carefully and turned her attention to the sky. "Why are you so confident? You still haven't told me what plan you're thinking."
Ryker got up and sat down beside her, looking her in the eyes. "I think you're right. Sorry for not sharing it with you."
Mira rose to sit beside him. "It's okay, just tell me what you're thinking."
He smiled. "It's pretty simple actually. We need to bring the fight where we want it, where we would have the most advantage. Then we're going to tire him out and when he doesn't have the strength anymore, we'll finish him".
"It's pretty simple, but do you think this can work?", she asked a little incredulously. "You know, he's very powerful, it can take a long time to tire him out and we're the ones who would be exhausted," she said with some concern.
Ryker chuckled and Mira looked at him in disbelief. "Do you trust me?" he asked holding her hand.
"Of course, Love", she replied lovingly, he smiled.
"Then believe. It's going to work," he said with confidence and a warm smile, Mira nodded as her confidence returned. "I've done this before. I've already fought a lot of people stronger than me, I had to take the beatings and take the fight as far as possible, until our strengths were equal", Mira listened in astonishment.
"I didn't imagine"
"Ah, princess… there are a lot of things you don't know about me", he smiled teasingly.
Mira pouted indignantly. "You idiot", she complained and he smiled even more, this time with her cute way.
"Let's go now. The rest time is over", he said getting up and pulling his girlfriend with him, by the hand. "We still have a lot to train," the two smiled at each other.
"Kick hard, girl!" he told her to attack him, getting into position to take Mira's blows.
Mira began training in kicks and elbows, Ryker supporting her movements and correcting what he thought she needed to improve. Mira unleashed sequences of high kicks, elbows, punches and knees. He couldn't tell how proud he was of her, every minute she evolved more and more.
After hours the roles were reversed and she helped him perfect his punches, just as he had her. Despite the tension and danger that awaited them, they were both happy to enjoy this activity together. It was special to them, strengthening the already strong bond they had and bringing them even closer.
"I'm exhausted!" Mira exclaimed falling to the ground, day already fading and night beginning to arrive.
"I know, so am I," Ryker said taking a seat across from her. "You were great today."
"I don't know if I can get back to the inn like this," she said breathlessly.
"We can sleep around here, it will be like camping," he chuckled lightly.
"Really…," Mira said in disbelief.
"Oh, Mira... Like you've never slept in the open," he snapped and she shrugged. "I can build a shelter for tonight, but I still have to hunt for dinner and make a fire." Mira looked at him in amazement.
She was about to say something, but he walked away and went to get supplies for the shelter. She decided she wouldn't leave everything to him and went to get supplies for the fire. When he arrived with what he needed, the fire was ready and lit with Mira warming up next to it. She saw him and smiled in victory, Ryker smiled back, gave her a light kiss on the lips and began to prepare a simple shelter for the night, enough for the two of them to warm up. As soon as he was done, he went out again in search of something for both of them to eat.
An hour later and an ache of Mira's heart, he returned with three clean, skinned prairie dogs. His girlfriend looked at him in surprise and he smiled victoriously at her. He put his fangs on skewers and put them on the fire to cook.
"You have many skills," the Takeover mage said, sitting beside him in front of the hot fire.
"I did not say!? There are things about me that Miss Mirajane Strauss doesn't know about," he said jokingly.
Mira turned her face and pouted. "Where did you learn all this?"
Ryker smiled. "I think I just said that to Wendy. I took survival classes, when I was finishing my course in the Army, I left it to survive alone for a month in an extremely cold place".
Mira huffed angrily and sighed getting sullen and a little sad, he looked at her worriedly. "Every time I find out about their past, it makes me angrier at them."
Ryker gave her a condescending look and turned his gaze to the fire. "I don't know what to think about the past anymore," Mira looked confused. "I know I went through hell and it caused me damage that will be with me for the rest of my life. But while I'm afraid I feel angry, I'm also grateful," he gazed into the fire.
"Why Ryker? Why would you be grateful for what happened to you?" she asked, not understanding him.
He turned to her and I smiled fondly at her. "Why did all this bring me to you?" she looked at him wordlessly, her eyes wide and beginning to water.
"I…I wish I could have found you without you having to go through all that," she wiped a tear that ran down her face.
Ryker put a hand to her face and stroked it gently. "I would like to too, but that's life. I am what I am because of what I went through, I'm here for what I went through. Sometimes we just have to accept it and move on." He shifted and stood behind Mira hugging her warmly as he rested his chin on her shoulder.
Mira protested at the contact. "Ryker, don't hug me. I'm gross and so are you, let go of me," she whimpered.
"Never, never will I let you go. You'll have to put up with my scent", he chuckled seeing her reaction trying to break free from his embrace, while whimpering and yelling at him.
The second day of training soon arrived, and like the first it was intense and hard for both mages. They worked their bodies, their punches, their rapport and much more. By the end of the day the two were out of strength and exhausted, forcing them back into town and back to the inn.
"Aim! Ryker! What happened to you?", Helena asked, worried when she saw the deplorable state they were in.
"We were training, Helena. Don't worry, we're just tired," Ryker replied.
"What about Levy and Gajeel. Have you heard from them?" Mira asked the receptionist.
"They left for the capital this morning," she replied.
"Excellent. Helena, we are going to our room. We're really tired and we're staying there tonight," Ryker said.
"Oh, no problem. You guys look hungry, I'm going to ask you to take something for you."
"That would be great, thanks", Mira thanked the receptionist and the two went upstairs to rest, waiting for the next day.
The next day arrived soon and after a relaxing night, which restored their energy, the two went to talk to Luiz at the city hall and let him know their plan for the creature.
"How do you intend to act with that?", Luiz asked, worried and afraid.
"We'll lure him where we want him to," Ryker began to explain.
"We're going to fight him out of town, in an open field, so we can go all out without worrying about the people in his town," Mira continued.
"It would be great if citizens protected themselves in safe places or out of the way, anyway," Ryker warned. "We never know what can happen."
Luiz looked at them both, blinking several times, trying to understand and absorb what the wizards said. "Well, I think I can arrange that. But when are you intending to get started with your plan?" he asked.
"Today, just before nightfall. Levy said that Balor has a connection with the place where he was summoned. If we attack the cave he will come after us. He already has an interest in us anyway," Ryker explained.
"OK. I'll arrange it until this time", Luiz sighed. "I hope they manage to put an end to this. Good luck and be careful," he said with a mixture of concern, optimism and confidence.
Mirajane and Ryker smirked at him, showing confidence and confidence. "We will, don't worry Luiz", she said taking his hands in hers.
After the meeting, they left for the inn to wait for the right time for their attack. It would be long and harrowing hours. Ryker was used to waiting for long periods of time, apprehensive and tense, before a fight, which didn't always happen. It was nothing new to him, Mira, on the contrary, was more anxious and walked from one place to another. Ryker fussed with her and pulled her by the arm making her sit beside him, calming her as best he could.
The hours passed, more and more slowly, until the time finally came. Ryker and Mira got ready, he was dressed in military clothes and she was wearing a long purple mage blouse with a burgundy, high-waist pleated mini skirt that came down to mid-thigh and black suede high-top boots, that went up to above her knees.
"Good luck and be careful," Helena said apprehensively as the wizards passed the reception.
Ryker and Mirajane looked at her and smiled victoriously, coming out of the land and heading towards the mountains.
"Do you remember where the cave is?" Ryker asked Mira, who was walking with him through the city.
"I remember why?"
"As soon as we leave the city of the city, transform yourself into Stan Soul. So we fly right there and then I can do my trick", he said smiling with the corner of his mouth. Mira looked at him and didn't need anything else to understand his plan. She nodded and they continued walking.
Outside the city, Mira transformed into her Stan Soul form and carried Ryker across the mountains to where the cave was.
"Very well! Do your little show," she said when they arrived and were hovering above the mountain entrance.
"Don't push me!" he said calmly as he clung to Mira.
Mira looked at him seriously. "Then be faster", he looked at her seriously and smiled with the corner of his mouth.
"In that way you're kind of bossy and violent," Ryker focused on the cave, holding out a hand. An intense glow began to form and a bluish sphere appeared in his palm.
It fired and the sphere flew straight into the cave entrance, penetrating its interior and exploding violently. The top of the mountain came down with the force of the explosion and a column of fire and smoke poured out of the entrance that collapsed shortly thereafter.
What used to be the top of a mountain turned into a pile of rock rubble, with smoke and fire coming out of holes between the rocks.
"I think that's enough to get his attention," Ryker commented. Soon after, the two heard a loud roar, filled with hate and anger. "We can go, honey," he said, looking at Mira satisfyingly.
They left and went to an open field at the foot of the mountain, waiting for Balor, who would soon arrive, seething with pure hatred.
"Be alert, Ryker. Now it's all going to get serious," Mira said with Ryker nodding. They stood back to back, in combat stance, expecting their enemy to appear at any moment.
"We're going to attack him together, without playing the hero. Can you hear me, Mira?"
"Why, of course! And I tell you the same", they smiled at each other, preparing for the final fight.
Suddenly they heard a high-pitched sound approaching, the sound getting louder and their tension increasing by the second. A crashing noise later and a column of dust to follow... he had arrived, Balor was there.
"Mirajane…Ryker…" he said in his husky, demonic voice that could make anyone shiver beneath him.
"Balor," Mira said angrily.
The demon laughed sadistically. "Did you find out who I am? It doesn't matter, you're going to die anyway", he laughed again.
"Enough of this nonsense talk," Ryker said through gritted teeth and charged toward the monster, along with Mira.
Ryker punched him, but Balor held the attack down with one hand as he grinned. Mira came up his left side and kicked him in the ribs, Balor blocking the attack with his arm. In one quick move, she spun and elbowed his head. Ryker, seizing the moment, landed an uppercut, sending the monster staggering backwards.
Balor recovered from the attacks in seconds and looked at them with gleams in his eyes and let out a devilish laugh. Ryker and Mira ran towards him, delivering sequences of punches, kicks, elbows and knees. However, Balor blocked them all with ease. It was incredibly easy for the creature to defend itself from the two mages attacking it at the same time and in coordinated movements.
Ryker came in from the right trying to get him in the rib, Mira, from the left, tried to hit his head with a jab. Balor caught both attacks with his hands, easily. He spun around and flung the two mages away. Balor couldn't stop laughing at them both.
"Is that what you have?", the demon asked in his husky, malignant voice. "After years of war you don't show me anything, Ryker. And you, Mirajane? Someone with demonic powers should be stronger," he grinned sadistically.
Ryker and Mira were panting. "I think I better fight seriously then," Ryker smiled out of the corner of his mouth.
Mira looked at him startled. She was in Satan Soul and they were matched, and now he said he still wasn't fighting seriously? She was about to question him, when she felt a magical pressure hit her. She shivered, never felt anything like it, it was brutal, dense, heavy. Ryker's expression completely changed, he became serious, he was focused on his target. He looked a lot more like the person she knew when he first arrived in Fairy Tail, but a lot worse.
A blue aura enveloped him, scattering dust everywhere, a strong wind blowing out of him and sweeping across the combat zone. Ryker's eyes took on a bright red hue. Mira looked at him mortified, she had never seen him like this, the energy that emanated from him was enormous.
He looked at her and Mira recoiled a little at his imposingness. "Shall we?" Mira looked at him admiringly and smiled.
"Let's go," she replied. If he was going to fight seriously, she was also going to show what she was capable of.
A purple aura enveloped her, destroying the ground under her feet, she had a proud, fierce smile. An intense glow formed around her, lighting up the entire area around her, raising a curtain of dust. Ryker and Balor couldn't see anything, when the dust cleared, Mira had morphed into Halphas, tremendously increasing her power.
Ryker looked at her in wonder and tremendously proud. "You're full of surprises too", he grinned at the corner of his mouth.
Mira glanced at him sideways and smiled slightly. "Look who's Talking...".
Balor looked at the two in surprise and smiled excitedly at the battle to come. Just as he was going to prepare for the attack, he was punched hard in the face. He didn't even see where he came from, but Ryker had hit him with incredible speed. Mira hit him from behind, sending him flying and bouncing to the ground.
Before he could get up, Ryker came over with a blue sphere in his hands and threw it at the entity, which was staring at him with wide eyes. When the energy hit him it caused a gigantic explosion and shock waves swept across the entire region and earthquakes were felt everywhere.
Ryker jumped back after the explosion. "Mira!" he yelled. Mirajane positioned herself in front of the creature, she charged the energy in her hands and fired at the target, causing another massive explosion, sweeping across the field.
"We're not done yet," she said and flew towards Balor, Ryker following her.
Balor was standing in the middle of the attacks, slightly wounded and smiling, showing all his teeth. His eyes glowed an intense red. He took aim at Mirajane and fired, two beams coming towards her.
"Careful!" Ryker yelled.
Mirajane, however, redirected the attack she received, concentrating magic on her hand, which caused the creature's attack to completely miss its target. Creating explosions around.
"My girl!" Ryker whispered, smiling with pride. "Mira!" he called to her, she looked at him and got the message.
Balor glared at them and roared with rage, a wave of evil energy rippling across the field. They had to protect themselves from being hit. Ryker pointed a hand at Balor and Mira did the same. They focused their energies and fired at the demon at the same time, a massive explosion destroyed the entire fighting site, creating a huge crater.
"Do you think we got him?" Mira asked as she dropped to the ground beside Ryker.
"Not even close. Stay tuned," he replied.
"I don't feel his magic," Mira exclaimed, watching her surroundings.
"He must be hiding, pay atten..." Ryker couldn't finish the sentence when a punch hit him in the stomach. He was thrown tens of meters down and rolling across the floor.
Before they could understand what had happened, Mira was elbowed in the stomach. She was thrown away from Ryker and fell in pain, making it impossible for her to get up momentarily.
Balor laughed hysterically. "That's it? Only that! What a disappointment for Fairy Tail mages," he grinned sadly and walked towards Ryker, who was having trouble getting up.
One punch, only one punch was able to dismantle him, blood trickled from his mouth and he felt intense pain. There was nothing he could do but watch it slowly approach.
When Balor got close enough, Ryker tried to punch him, but he stopped him easily with one hand. With the other, the monster, he grabbed the mage by the neck and squeezed, choking him, to the point that he almost fainted. Even though the mage tried, he couldn't break free of the grip. Kicks, knees, seemed ineffective, that monster didn't even seem to be feeling the blows.
"His attacks are far more powerful than that woman's. But it's not a big deal, actually. It's two rubbish," Balor punched Ryker in the stomach, who vomited blood, much to the monster's delight. Repeatedly he punched him, causing him to spew gallons of blood.
"What a disappointment, what a disappointment..." Balor violently threw Ryker to the ground, creating a small crater on impact. For seconds, Ryker lost consciousness, only coming back when he felt powerful footfalls on him. Balor trampled him relentlessly.
"You know, you're not the only one who wasn't fighting seriously," Balor grinned devilishly, delighting in Ryker's suffering. "I'm going to kill you first so you don't see what I'm going to do with your little girlfriend later," he chuckled lightly. "I guess I'm not so bad after all. And then I'll destroy this rotten city." Ryker got no reaction. Balor took him by the arm and began throwing sequences of punches and kicks at him, as if he were a punching bag.
Mira was beginning to regain consciousness and saw Ryker being brutalized, he was helpless, inert, suffering the attacks of Balor. They were far away, but she felt the power of his blows. She saw the blood spurting out of Ryker with each punch, his body limp and helpless. Mira could feel the tremendous strength of that monster, it was the most powerful being since Acnologia, she was sure. She felt scared, for the first time in a while, but she had to do something, if not him…he would kill him. This thought and the sight of Ryker being destroyed filled her with rage, the impulse necessary to attack him. She wouldn't let anyone hurt him, ever.
"Look me in the eyes, Ryker," ordered Balor, Ryker not wanting to, but was forced to look and fall into the endless darkness. Deep red eyes that saw the deepest points of his soul, bringing all the pain, suffering and regrets to the surface again.
Ryker screamed in agony and despair. "You are much worse than I thought, Ryker," Balor chuckled sadistically. "If your friends find out…" he chuckled and Ryker looked at him in despair.
Just as Balor was about to kill Ryker, Mirajane appeared in Halphas and kicked him away.
She stood in front of Ryker protecting him, the deplorable state he was in further infuriated her, he couldn't even stand and was shaking with agony. "What did you do to him!?", she yelled in rage at the monster who smiled in satisfaction.
"The girlfriend came to save her man," he sneered. "If you knew what he did, you wouldn't love him..."
This infuriated Mirajane even more. "What do you know about love?" she snapped at him.
"Give me a good fight, little woman", Balor braced for her attack.
Mirajane was quick and agile, she delivered sequences of kicks and punches, interspersed elbows and knees. Balor kept up with her perfectly, blocking and dodging her attacks. Mira wrapped her hands in magic to make them more potent, just like Ryker did. She punched Balor in the ribs, who accused the blow, seeing the advantage, she continued with the attacks, twisting her body and hitting him in the back with a powerful elbow, which produced a shock wave.
Mira grabbed his head and with her feet threw him to the ground, straddling him and punching him relentlessly in the face. After an endless sequence of blows she flew at him and unleashed a powerful magic attack, causing a massive explosion. She gasped, hoping she had done some damage to the monster, but there was nothing in the hole. She looked around and there was no sign of him anywhere.
"Above…above you," Ryker managed to say with great difficulty.
Mira looked up only to be hit with both Balor's arms, knocking her violently to the ground. The creature was descending at great speed, with its knee pointed to hit the mage lying on the ground, at the last moment she managed to dodge, rising and kicking him in the face, in a swift and agile movement. Mira fired magical projectiles at him, causing explosions and destroying everything around him. Balor countered with another burst of energy. Mira flew and tried to dodge the attacks, while repelling others with her magic.
The mage Take Over, rolled across the battlefield, taking the fight away from Ryker, who was still struggling. She made evasive movements, dodging enemy attacks.
"Are you going to run away, you bitch!?" Balor laughed hysterically. "You know everyone hates you, you're like me, a monster, a devil. Your parents died because of you, don't think otherwise. You killed your parents, you caused your brothers pain and you will be Ryker's undoing," he chuckled, trying to destabilize the white-haired mage.
She knew it wasn't true, she trusted her friends and herself, she knew her parents loved her and she knew she was no monster. The guild and its brothers showed her this. And she would never let anything happen to the most important person in her life.
Mirajane noted that his attacks left the entire field covered in dust, obscuring his vision. In a quick move, she took off and flew straight for Balor, concentrating all the magic she had on unleashing a single, powerful strike straight at him. Balor didn't see her coming, when at close range Mira attacked him with the most powerful of attacks, right on his head. The resulting explosion destroyed the entire region, shock waves ranged for miles and earthquakes were felt on all sides, even chunks of mountains were torn apart by the attack.
Ryker covered himself as best he could from the aftermath of the attack, and the surrounding area was covered in smoke and debris. He couldn't see anything, and he desperately wanted to know how Mira was.
"Mira!?" he yelled over and over, but there was no response. He was getting desperate and scared. "Mira, answer!" he yelled.
Ryker tried to get up to walk and look for her, but his legs wouldn't let him, he staggered and fell, having to support himself with his hand to keep himself dignified.
"Aim! Where are you?" he yelled again. "Answer me, Mira!" he whispered desperately. "Mira! Mira! MIRA! ...", he screamed.
"Ryker!" he heard his name coming through the smoke. "Ryker, I'm here," Mira appeared through the smoke smiling slightly and tiredly, in her normal self.
Ryker sighed in relief. He looked at her and the smile he had turned into an expression of terror as he saw a diabolical figure forming behind her. Mira noticed and turned to her horror. Balor hit her in the stomach throwing her away, she howled in pain and blood ran from her mouth. Mira didn't have much energy to fight anymore and Ryker was badly wounded and helpless. The monster approached Mira on the ground, laughing sadistically at the depressing mage at her feet.
"You gave me a better fight than your worthless little boyfriend. I'd kill him first, but I'll give you that honor," he stomped on her, making the Take Over mage vomit blood.
"Stop!" Ryker yelled, seeing Balor assault Mira.
That entity, mounted on top of Mirajane and looked back seeing Ryker's despair crawling, trying to get to them. Balor smiled at his anguish and began to beat her violently, hurting her face and body. Mira was totally helpless in the face of his ferocity. It hit her and drew more and more blood.
"STOP!" Ryker yelled in despair, staring helplessly at the aggression. Balor didn't stop and continued brutalizing Mira.
"I SAID STOP! DO NOT DO THIS! LEAVE HER ALONE!" he screamed, hatred and rage boiled without his blood and all he saw was red.
Balor lifted her by the neck, smiling sadistically. Mira was extremely hurt, blood was running down her face, which was swollen and bruised, all over her body there was blood running down. "What do you taste?" the thing said and licked Mira's face, tasting her blood. "I like a worthless slut."
Mira glanced at Ryker with difficulty from a distance, and what he saw froze him. It was a goodbye look, there was a sad little smile on her lips, a smile that asked for forgiveness. Sorry for not being able to protect him, for not being with him until the end, for not completing their only mission together.
"Let her go!" Ryker ordered with cold, deadly seriousness.
"Last words?" Balor asked sadistically, but Ryker only felt hatred and a deep rage, he said nothing. "I do not think so".
Balor prepared the final blow, Mira closed her eyes before feeling the attack, which never came...
Mirajane opened her eyes, she was confused, she was sure she would receive the fatal blow, but nothing hit her. However, what she saw startled and surprised her. Ryker was holding Balor's hand, who was looking at him, startled and unresponsive. Ryker was coolly serious, but the anger that welled up in him was immeasurable. This wasn't the man Mira knew, couldn't be. He was... scared.
The pressure of his aura was immense, Mira felt that his energy had risen much higher than before. The amount of power he emanated was tremendous, she never imagined he could be so powerful, it was incredible. Not even Natsu or Gildarts were that strong, he was way beyond that. Even Balor didn't compare to Ryker now.
The problem was that he wasn't like before, his aura was heavy, dark, brimming with rage, hate, rage and everything bad, it was unpleasant to be around him. Balor could feel it too, she knew, and he seemed to be… afraid? Yes, Balor was scared of Ryker now. The coldness of his gaze, the harshness of his spirit and the murderous instinct he conveyed reeked of blood and death. Ryker wanted death now and nothing more.
"You should listen when people talk to you," Ryker said eerily coldly to Balor. The mage tightened his grip on his hand and Mira could hear the bones crunch from the pressure he was making. The creature, try as it might, could not get its hand out of the grip and howled in pain each time Ryker tightened his grip.
"W... what are you?" asked Balor.
"And you still call yourself a demon," Ryker said sarcastically. His voice wasn't the same, it was mixed with someone else's, darker and more terrifying. "Let her go, gently," he ordered.
Balor trembled in fear of the awakened being, he obeyed, letting Mira out of his grip. She put a hand to her throat checking for injuries, but she was more scared of Ryker, or whatever that was.
He looked at her and the eyes made her recoil in fear. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Can you get up?" he asked her. Mira looked terribly scared and took a few seconds to respond, she nodded that she was fine.
"Fine," he said, turning his attention back to the monster. He looked deadly serious, his anger rising and what had once been a pure blue aura was being smeared with putrid darkness. "You hurt my Mira. Now you're going to pay for it."
Ryker punched Balor so hard in the stomach that it sent a gigantic shock wave sweeping everything in its path and shattering the ground beneath his feet. The monster vomited colossal amounts of blood on impact and it flew away. As he fell he cracked the ground and bounced for meters before coming to a stop, barely conscious.
In less than a second, Ryker was on him, hatred brimming in his eyes and he was raging more and more. The mage placed a foot on the entity's chest and pressed down violently, sinking into its rib cage. Ryker stomped, repeatedly, causing the monster to vomit even more blood and scream in pain.
Mira was scared, she didn't know why he was acting like that. He looked happy torturing the enemy. She didn't want to see him that way, even against a monster like Balor. She knew he would regret it later and that he wasn't that, something had happened to him and she needed to stop him.
Ryker was on top of Balor throwing powerful punches that created shock waves that roamed for miles, destroying everything in their path. The city, which was far away, felt the effects of their attacks, with houses cracking and roofs crumbling and people frightened by what was happening.
Mirajane gathered all her remaining strength and headed toward Ryker, who brutally beat the creature. He was giving back double what they got. When she got close enough, she noticed his face transform into something that looked like pure hate, warped by rage, the face evil.
"That's enough, Ryker!" She grabbed his arm. "That's not how we're going to win. That's not how I want you to be, you know," she hugged him from behind. "If you keep this up, you'll regret it. Come back to me, come back to your Mira," she shed tears down his back.
Ryker was tense at the contact, but her voice soothed him, bringing him back to reality, and sealing off whatever had come out of his cage and taken him. He turned and faced her, her blue eyes, glistening with tears, brought him back. She felt her aura calm down and gradually return to the way it was. He cupped Mira's face in his hands and with his thumbs he brushed away the tears that ran down her cheeks. Lovingly, he ran his fingers over her face, over every bruise, over every wound that monster had inflicted on her. They would defeat him, in the right way.
"Can you?" he asked.
"Yes."
"Let's defeat him…" he began
"Together…" she finished.
"The right way", they sad together.
Ryker and Mira took up a fighting stance side by side, while Balor rose to his feet, stunned and filled with rage and ready to kill them.
"ENOUGH OF PLAY! I WILL KILL, KILL YOU ALL!" Balor screamed in pure hatred.
Mira drew energy where she didn't have it and assumed her Sitri form, surprising Ryker even more. He should stop being surprised by her. He smiled at her and she held out her hand to him, who took it. They joined their hands and pointed at Balor, still stunned.
The colossal energy of the two merged into one, creating an aura in both, with the combination of colors of both mages, blue and purple. Balor felt it, and as he looked at them, he froze with fear. Ryker and Mira were perfect together, united with radiance, desire for victory and justice.
"Attack in unison!" they shouted at the same time. A sphere of purple and bluish energy formed and they shot towards the monster, with everything they had. Balor could not move, that energy was too strong for him, he was hitting, trying to resist, but it was useless. His defense broke and the energy of the two mages hit him full on. The light that followed lit up the night that had already arrived, it was as if the day had returned for a few seconds.
Once the energy was gone, there was only a pale body standing in front of them. "Have we made it?" Ryker asked, that's when Balor began to crumble to ash and be blown away by the wind.
"We did it," Mira said, getting back to normal. She looked at him and smiled, which he gave back in the same way.
Mirajane and Ryker were terribly bruised and tired, when it was all over they fell to the ground exhausted but happy to have successfully solved their first mission. Ryker sighed and looked at Mira, who did the same, gathering the last of her strength they scrambled toward each other and hugged as tightly as they could, not wanting to come apart. They lay on the ground, holding each other, passed out.