Okay, chapter 12. The battle picks up as Phantom Lord and Fairy Tail clash in their own war. And the latter has an advantage in the form of the demon hunter, Nero.
Just a quick heads up, I have taken a look at the poll and many people believe that Nero would win.
The current results are
Nero: 12
Erza: 1
Draw: 1
Things are heavily in favor of Nero. And while I do feel obligated to adhere to the people and their decision, a part of me wants to know how and why. I know a good amount of Erza's feats, thanks to Screwattack's Death Battle, but I don't know a ton about Nero's feats as in strength and speed. I've seen every cutscene in the DMC4 game, but they're not the best to get accurate measurements. So, to get good answers, feel free to send me a private message with an explanation on how and why Nero or Erza would win in a fight. I don't want to be a stereotypical author and have the main protagonist win just because, I want it to be a close fight.
Also, if you have any ideas on future chapters, or ideas on what Lesser demons should appear, regardless of which game they are from, don't hesitate to leave an idea.
On another note, I skipped some parts of the Phantom Lord Arc for this chapter because I'm lazy and figured they didn't hold enough significance to the story, or at least enough for me to write about. So while it may look like I'm just copying Ultimate10's work, I am not. I'm just lazy and figured I'd cut out parts I think are not important.
Disclaimer: I do not own Devil May Cry or Fairy Tail.
Devil Tail
Chapter 12: Phantom Lord Part 3
Battles are sometimes won with careful planning, a steady hand, and strategic positioning. It can be a game, as simple but worthy of great minds like chess, precise moves, a careful eye, being ten steps ahead of your opponent, and keeping your goal in mind. However, sometimes a battle is won with a cruder and rather blunter weapon.
And Natsu Dragneel was taking the blunter and simpler route to achieve victory by destroying Phantom Lord's Jupiter Cannon, starting at the barrel. Having punched the steel construct for about ten minutes, the Dragon Slayer wasn't making any progress. He even tried continuing the damage down by Yamato, attempting to spread the cracks and further weaken the cannon.
He made no difference in it.
"Crap!" snapped Natsu in anger, seeing that his work was fruitless, "I'm barely scratching the surface!"
"I guess we're just gonna have to destroy it from the inside, huh?" Happy suggested.
Natsu ceased his hitting as his face brightened in realization. He looked back at Happy and smiled, "Good idea, Happy!"
The Dragon Slayer and flying cat approached the end of the cannon and swung themselves over into the barrel.
"Alright, let's do this!" Natsu said.
"Aye," Happy agreed.
The duo ran down the dark, grooved tunnel toward the bright light at the end. When they reached the other end, they were in a massive room. In the center was a huge, glass sphere with a grayish tint. Circled around it on the walls were four smaller red, blue, yellow, and green spheres. Situated on the ceiling was a big clock with Roman numeral numbers.
The minute hand on the clock moved, then a voice rang out, 'Eleven minutes until Jupiter fires,' Announced the synthesized female voice said over the PA.
"They must be using that magic lacrima to collect magical energy," Happy realized.
"Yeah," Natsu said, "but why do they need one as big as that?"
"Cause Magical Focusing Cannons don't fire regular ammunition," the cat answered, "instead they fire concentrated magical power."
"I didn't get most of that," The pink haired mage confessed, "But all we have to do is destroy that thing, don't we?"
"I can't allow that," A voice replied, interjecting on the Drago Slayer's and cat's conversation.
The two looked around before they looked down to see a young man with his black and white hair stylized in a Japanese-styled top knot. He wore a reddish-orange coat with red fur around his collar, black pants, and black boots. Strapped to the black belt on his waist was a katana. This was Totomaru, one of the Element 4.
"Is he a guard?" Happy inquired.
"Doesn't matter!" yelled Natsu as he leaped at Totomaru, his fists covered in flames, "Anyone who gets in my way is going down!"
However, the man remained unfazed by the Dragon Slayer's advanced, holding his superior smile, "I don't think so," was all he said.
"I don't care what you think!" shouted Natsu, his anger rising, "Get out of my way!"
Halfway between the two, something completely unexpected happened. Caught off guard, Natsu was struck by a fiery fist. But here's the catch: the fist that hit him was his fist.
"Natsu! Why'd you hit yourself?" admonished Happy, but was still very confused. Was Natsu seriously getting into a fight with himself?
"I didn't! My fist just went crazy!" he replied, still taken by surprise as confusion filled his words.
Gaining control over himself, whilst still in the air, Natsu landed back down onto his feet, completely unharmed, excluding the punch he inflicted on himself. As the Dragon Slayer righted himself, he leveled an angered glare at the ninja-like man.
"It seems to me that you are getting in your own way," taunted Totomaru, knowing exactly what was happening. He wasn't about to let the Dragon Slayer know what that is, at least, not right now.
Natsu just continued to stare at Totomaru, if he was analyzing him or just glaring at him for the taunting, it wasn't clear. But what was, was the clock's arm shifting again, catching the Fire Dragon Slayer's attention.
'Ten minutes until Jupiter fires,' announced the feminie voice over the P.A. system.
Natsu narrowed his eyes as he gritted his teeth. He was running out time, and it looked like this guy was just stalling him. Turning back to Totomaru, he glared at the man, "Move it buddy!" he demanded, "I gotta cannon to demolish!"
"All you have to do is shatter the giant lacrima and it won't be able to fire anymore," supplied Happy, giving Natsu a target to break.
"You can certainly try," Totomaru said, expression unchanged from when he ran into the Dragon Slayer, but his tone held a serious underlay, "But I won't let you."
Natsu's fists were shrouded by fire, his ferocity growing stronger.
"I'm running out of time!" snapped the Fire Mage, now fed up with this guy, "Shut up and let me do my thing!" Natsu crouched low and jumped into the air, his flaming left fist cocked back.
Totomaru, just smirked maliciously when he saw the flames. The Dragon Slayer was as dense as he was weak. As Natsu charged towards him, Fire Mage suddenly punched himself again with his own blazing fist, this time, the blow sent him flying back to the side of the chamber. Seeing his friend go down, Happy flew over to him in concern.
"You okay?" asked the feline.
"Yeah...I did it again," answered Natsu as he rose to his feet, but held the spot where he punched himself, "What was that?"
"We don't have time! Forget about this guy!" Happy exclaimed, waving his paws around frantically, "It's the cannon! We have to break it right now!"
However, the flying cat's pleas fell on deaf ears, or Natsu just seemed to ignore him as he held his glare right at Totomaru, "I'll show you!" growled the Dragon Slayer as he charged right towards the Phantom Lord Mage.
"Hey!" shouted Happy, indignantly, "Did you hear what I just said?!"
While the blue cat went on ignored as Natsu charged right towards Totomaru, the Mage only stood still as the pink haired wizard closed the gap between them. But suddenly, between the two, a reddish-orange magical circle appeared directly in front of Natsu. Resulting in the flames around Natsu's hands beginning to make him spin around. The spinning motion caused him to be thrown off course and into a wall.
"I am Totomaru," stated the Phantom Mage, feeling it was now time to let the Dragon Slayer in on his secret, "and I have complete control over the element of fire."
"Wait," Natsu growled as he picked himself back up, looking right at the aforementioned wizard, "I bet you're one of those whatcha'ma call it five guys, right?"
"Geez, Natsu! They're called the Element 4," reprimanded Happy, looking indignantly at the Dragon Slayer, "How could you not even get the number part right?"
"Yes," confirmed Totomaru, acknowledging the cat and mage, "and any form of fire is my plaything to do with as I please."
"Yo gotta be kidding me," muttered Natsu. This put him at a pretty big disadvantage, seeing that all of his magic was centered around fire. Essentially, his biggest tool was turned around on him.
"It doesn't matter if it is natural or magical," continued the Phantom Lord Mage, as he held out his hands in a mocking manner, "all fire will bend to my will alone."
"Hate to break it yah," interjected Natsu, leveling a glare at Motomaru, "but you're not controlling mine!"
Totomaru smirked. "This isn't going to go well for you my dear fire wizard."
All of a sudden, the colored lacrima balls on the walls began to illuminate brightly as magic power collected inside of them. Then, magical energy flowed out from the smaller spheres and into the much larger one in the center of the room.
Natsu gasped while Totomaru only chuckled.
"Oh no! It's starting to activate again!" Happy cried, actually afraid now, they had less time and Natsu was too busy with trying to prove that he was better than Motomaru.
'Five minutes until Jupiter fires,' announced the PA system in a monotone voice.
"Hurry Natsu!" the flying cat shouted. "The Jupiter Cannon is almost ready to fire again!"
"Yeah, I know," Natsu replied, cracking his fists.
"It's too late," Totomaru said. Then, another reddish-orange magic circle appeared in front of him, "Blue Fire!"
A blast of blue flames discharged from Totomaru's magic circle straight toward Natsu. The Dragon Slayer wasn't worried in the slightest. He opened his mouth and breathed in deeply. The azure flames from the Phantom mage's attack were sucked up into Natsu's mouth.
"Whoa! That was cold going down. I've never tasted fire like that before." The pink haired wizard noted.
"So it's you," Totomaru crossed his arms over his chest, "Fairy Tail's Dragon Slayer. This isn't going to work out well for either of us, is it?"
Natsu cocked a brow in confusion, "Huh?"
"Because we're both impervious to fire attacks," explained Totomaru.
"I haven't even hit you yet! How do you know my fire won't hurt yah?" Natsu yelled in ire.
"Go ahead and give it your best shot, but you won't be able to hit me," he stated.
In response, Natsu slammed his fists together and summoned a fiery magic circle, "We'll see about that! Fire Dragon…"
Totomaru immediately brought up a magic circle to defend himself, "I already told you I can control the element of fire!"
However, it was he who got surprised when Natsu finished his proclamation.
"…Spit!"
Without warning, Salamander launched a stream of spit at Totomaru. The Phantom wizard groaned in annoyance as Natsu's spit raced down his face.
"Ha! Ha! Ha!" Natsu cackled mischievously, "I got you good!"
'Two minutes until Jupiter fires.' announced the PA system, reminding Natsu and Happy what they were supposed to be doing.
"Natsu, you gotta hurry! We're running out of time!" Happy shouted as he flew around Natsu frantically, trying to get the Dragon Slayer to take out the crystal.
"That was a really stupid move," Totomaru remarked angrily, "You think that this is a game?!" He summoned another magic circle, "Orange Fire!"
An inferno of orange colored flames blasted out from Totomaru's magic circle and headed straight for Natsu. But like before, the Dragon Slayer stood tall with a toothy smirk on his face, "You call that an attack? Well, I call it dinner!"
Again, Natsu inhaled the fire; however, unlike before, this fire tasted very gross, "UGH…nasty!" Salamander cried out as he rolled across the floor, rubbing his tongue to get the taste of that horrendous fire out of his mouth.
Totomaru, in response, laughed in amusement, "Tastes like a rag soaked in spoiled milk, doesn't it?" he taunted.
Natsu stood up and got face-to-face with Totomaru, his eyes burning with indignation, "That was a dirty trick!" he growled.
"And a face full of spit isn't?" Totomaru retorted.
'One minute until Jupiter fires,' spoke the automated voice, easily catching of Happy who began panicking even more.
"C'mon, Natsu!" cried Happy as the cat grabbed the side of Natsu's face and tried pulling him to the crystal, "You gotta hurry!"
"Let go!" Natsu shouted as he charged at Totomaru again. He threw a right hook and a powerful kick at his opponent, but Totomaru was quick to dodge each attack.
"So you wanna fight without using magic?" The fire-controlling mage leaped back and landed on top of a huge apparatus of cogs on that side of the room, "Well that's fine by me! My katana is ready!"
In a blur, he appeared right in front of Natsu and slashed his blade at him. The Dragon Slayer was quick to jump back and dodge the attack. Totomaru appeared in front of him again and swiped the blade at him, but Natsu leaped into the air to perform a backflip.
Totomaru was wise to this as he crouched low and jumped up at Natsu, his blade reared back for an attack. However, he was unprepared when Natsu kicked his sword out of his hand. The katana went flying upward and struck the main lacrima ball, cracks forming around the blade as it embedded itself into the sphere.
Natsu smirked whilst Totomaru only frowned.
"You think you're so smooth. A little ding like that won't destroy a giant lacrima," Totomaru pointed out.
"Maybe not but now that you're sword-less, which means I got the upper hand!" Natsu countered. He ignited his fists with fire and charged at his enemy. He launched a right and left hook but Totomaru dodged or sidestepped each attack.
Totomaru vanished and appeared behind Natsu, "How many times do I have to tell you that won't work?" he said in annoyance, holding up his middle and index finger. As a result, Natsu punched himself in the face with his flaming fist.
Natsu growled, and then exhaled a torrent of fire at Totomaru, which shocked him. The fire-controlling mage stepped back with a few minor burns, 'How did he do that?' He thought. 'He expanded the range of his fire powers so that it would hit me.'
Fairy Tail Guild, Courtyard
If Natsu thought he was having a hard time, well, he was because, within the courtyard of Fairy Tail, its wizards were drawing out their onslaught against the phantom soldiers that were created by Jose. Easy to destroy, but if they came into direct contact with you, for even a second, the soldier could weaken your life force.
However, a large majority of Fairy Tail had been rendered unable to fight because of a few phantom soldiers getting a hold of them. Even then, there was still a decent faction left behind, which wouldn't be around if it wasn't for Erza leading them. The Fairy Queen had made things far easier for those that still fought.
In her Heaven's Wheel armor, Erza used her Re-Quip magic to summon this powerful armor. Sporting silver chest plate armor, a metal flower placed in the center, a skirt that billowed fully that came with metal plating around her hips, and large metal wings that looked to be made of individual blades.
Erza flew into the air and summoned multiple blades around her, "Dance, my blades!" She yelled. Suddenly, the swords began to spin around her at rapid speeds, "Circle Sword!"
The blades formed a disc formation and launched forward, slicing many phantoms at once as they dissipated into nothingness. Erza descended and gently landed back on the ground.
"Nice job, Erza," Macao commented, his hands covered in bluish-purple fire.
Before she could respond though, her attention was then grabbed by the priming of the Jupiter Cannon. Bluish-black energy was already beginning to coalesce around the end of the barrel.
"This isn't looking good," Loke noted.
"Why's he taking so long?!" Wakaba shouted.
'C'mon boys,' Erza thought, 'you must hurry. Don't let me down.'
Phantom Lord Guild HQ, Jupiter Cannon combustion chamber
"OH NO!" screamed Happy in terror, "We're dead meat! It's gonna fire again!"
Natsu growled, the anger within him coursing to the boiling level. He let out a yell as the fire in his hands grew bigger and more intense.
Totomaru only sneered, "Think you're gonna blast me again? Not gonna happen!" He got in a stance and summoned a magic circle, "I'll keep my distance and control your fire from here!"
Natsu yelled louder as he held up his arms in a power-up fashion. His flames were becoming hotter and more powerful, swirling above him like a hurricane.
"What the?" Totomaru remarked, his eyes furrowing from confusion, "I can't get it to move. It won't even budge."
Suddenly, the fire surrounding Natsu became so bright that Totomaru was forced to back up and look away. The Phantom mage looked on in disbelief, shocked that Natsu had somehow blocked his control.
"This is my fire!" Natsu bellowed, "And I won't let you mess with it!"
The Dragon Slayer shot his gathered flames forward. Totomaru leaped to the side to avoid the tendril of flames.
He grinned, "Ha! Your attack is no good if you can't hit your target."
The fire tendril morphed into a flaming fist, which caused Totomaru's jaw to drop. "OH CRAP!"
"Whoever said you were my target?" Natsu retorted.
The fiery fist slammed into the handle of the katana stuck in the lacrima. The strength behind the blow buried it deeper. As a result, a volley of cracks manifested from the blade and grew around the lacrima ball, causing the collective energy inside to become unstable.
Fairy Tail Guild Courtyard
Back at the courtyard, the wizards of Fairy Tail were busy holding off the endless wave of phantom soldiers, but when a massive explosion broke through the sounds of battle, they all turned to the source. The Jupiter Cannon had ignited in a black-blue fireball, obliterating the cannon barrel as fire and debris went flying. Seeing the weapon destroyed, the collected wizards began to cheer from the sight of the super weapon's destruction.
"Hey!" Bisca said, "Check it out! They blew it up!"
"Yeah they did," Alzack commented, "The Jupiter Cannon's been destroyed just in time."
Erza smiled proudly, 'Great work, boys.'
But as soon as the feeling of pride came, it vanished in a split second as Erza gasped when a cold chill raced down her spine. She didn't know what the cause was, but she had a feeling that something bad was going to happen.
Phantom Lord Guild HQ, Jupiter Cannon combustion chamber ruins
Back in the combustion chamber, or whatever was left of it, smoke was pouring out through the cracks and holes in the wall. The floor had trails of smoke coming from it, thanks to the fireball, and hundreds of pieces of debris littered the floor. Natsu and Happy were on the floor, looking up at Totomaru, the latter standing on top of a cog that was likely used to deploy the cannon, or aim it.
"Hey, buddy!" Natsu called out, "Someone told me something about Fire Magic that you should know. You can never control fire if your heart isn't in it."
'I get it,' Happy thought. 'He had to have the time to figure out Totomaru's fire control or he wouldn't have been able to destroy the cannon. Now I kinda feel bad for rushing him like that.'
Natsu ignited his fists on fire once more, "I've had enough of you messing with my magic. Play with my fire and you're bound to get burned! You got me?!"
Totomaru clenched his fists and scowled at the Dragon Slayer. Before he could remark, however, he lost his balance as the building shook violently. All of a sudden, Phantom's Headquarters began to break apart and reassemble. In the room with Natsu, Happy, and Totomaru, the floor was tilting at a steep angle.
"Hey now, what the heck is going on?!" Natsu shouted.
"The whole building is tilting!" added Happy.
"He's awakening it right now?!" Totomaru said incredulously, "But there's no horizontal stabilization in here!"
Natsu blinked, "Stabilia-what?"
The building shook again, throwing the trio off balance and onto the floor. Totomaru quickly stood up though and grinned wickedly at Natsu.
"You Fairy Tail-ers are through!" He proclaimed, "Phantom's Giant will slaughter you!"
Phantom Lord Guild, fourth-floor balcony
Gray and Elfman's cries could be heard as they crash-landed on the balcony. The former crashing into the wall while the latter collided with the railing, just managing to grab hold in order to avoid falling off. A second later, Nero landed comfortably on his feet, Red Queen unsheathed, but the hunter let it rest on his shoulder. The trio was a little late getting to the attacking guild's HQ, due to landing short because of Nero not throwing them far enough and a platoon of phantom soldiers that attacked them.
After dealing with the soldiers, Nero threw the two the rest of the way to the guild, breaking through the defensive circle of soldiers around Phantom Lord. Safe to say, that both wizards didn't exactly like the hunter that much when he threw them without any warning.
"You could have warned us!" snapped Gray, pulling himself over the railing and glared at the demon hunter in annoyance.
"Quit complaining, we're here," retorted Nero, "besides, the cannon's down."
That was something they were all grateful for. Natsu had managed to take out the Jupiter cannon.
'Just barely,' thought Nero in amusement.
However, the hunter and wizards were taken by surprise when the guild HQ began to shake violently. Elfman and Gray stumbled as they tried to regain their balance while Nero didn't stumble at all. Looking around, the hunter went over to the railing to see a part of the massive castle break off and moved to another part.
"What the hell is going on?" demanded Nero, looking around.
"No way," Elfman breathed, "they're awakening the Giant."
"Not good," Gray added uneasily.
"You guys care to fill me in?" asked Nero incredulously, getting the attention of the two, "what the hell is 'the giant'?"
"It's Phantom's ultimate weapon. They're transforming their headquarters into a giant warrior," Elfman responded, his tone was dire.
"Great, another Savior," muttered Nero, coming up with a quick comparison. The idea of dealing with another giant warrior didn't sound all to fun, he suspected that the Giant wasn't as powerful as the savior, "well, standing around here isn't accomplishing anything, so let's find Natsu. The cannon's chamber should be that way, assuming it's still in one piece."
Both Gray and Elfman nodded, however, they made the mental note to ask what 'Savior Nero was talking about. The trio made their way deeper into HQ, passing through a door and down a hallway.
Fairy Tail Guild, Courtyard
In the courtyard of the Fairy Tail Guild Hall, the wizards all looked up in shock and horror. If they were stupefied when Nero revealed that not only was he a demon, he had a weapon that could overpower the Jupiter, they were now blown away as the structure of Phantom Lord HQ shifted into an enormous, stone robot with broad spiked shoulders and a horned head. Countless numbers of phantom troops flew around the giant rocky robot in a ring formation.
This was Phantom Lord's ultimate weapon, the Super Mage Giant Phantom MK II.
"No way," Cana said weakly, "you've got to be kidding me."
"The Giant," Erza said stoically; however, deep down she was far from fearless, she was terrified over this development, "Phantom's most powerful weapon,"
Titania was wondering if this was the cause of the chill she felt earlier.
"Kneel before me you brats!" Jose demanded over the PA system, "Or you will fall victim to my wrath. Savor your last moments because I will soon end your pathetic lives,"
Erza glared at the giant stone warrior. A moment later, the ring of phantom soldiers all changed course and turned their targets to the Fairy Tail mages. As the black ghost-like beings swarmed toward Fairy Tail, the Giant Phantom began to slowly step closer toward the Guild Hall.
"A Giant and ghosts," Bisca said disbelievingly, "How are we supposed to handle this?"
Erza, who was still in her Heaven's Wheel armor, held up both swords in her hands and prepared for another fight, "Just focus on these phantoms for now! We'll let Natsu, Nero, Gray, and Elfman handle the Giant!"
"Sure," Wakaba replied, "the last three can handle it. But what about Natsu's…"
"Motion sickness," Macao finished.
After that statement, everyone groaned in exasperation as their faces paled considerably.
Phantom Lord Guild, Jupiter Cannon combustion chamber
In the wreckage of the cannon room, Natsu was lying on his stomach, dizzy and motion-sick. He looked ready to vomit any second. Happy was by his side, nudging him to get up.
"C'mon Natsu!" Happy yelled, "You gotta get up!"
Totomaru quickly appeared above a pile of rocks a few meters away from the duo, "What's the matter?" he joked, "You get motion sickness? Looks like you can't eat fire now, can you?"
Totomaru then held out his middle and index fingers and crossed his arms in front of him, "Well then, time for me to finish you off!" He yelled just as a rust colored magic circle appeared in front of him.
Happy gasped in fear, "Natsu!"
"Prepare to die, Dragon Slayer!" Totomaru bellowed; however before he could fire his attack, ice crystals began to form around his hands and arms, jutting out in every direction, "What?! NO! What's happening to me?"
"You're not a man!" Elfman stated. He then swiftly charged forward and punched Totomaru with his beast arm, which sent him straight through a hole in the roof, "You're a backward shooting snowflake!"
"That makes no sense!" Totomaru remarked as he disappeared out of sight.
Nero sliced through a wall with Red Queen at the same time Elfman had finished his sentence, and could only look at the man in amusement, and a little confusion, "Remind me not to get into a name-calling match with you," remarked the demon hunter jokingly as he sheathed Red Queen and went over to Natsu. Holding out his left hand, he helped the Dragon Slayer to his feet.
"Thanks you guys," thanked Natsu, looking at his friends.
"What's your deal, Natsu?" Gray inquired, crossing his arms over his chest, "That was just sad."
"If you were a real man you'd make the Giant motion-sick of you," Elfman declared.
"Lay off," interjected Nero, cocking an eyebrow as he looked at both Fairy Tail mages, "guy just demolished Phantom's cannon, and your busting his ass over motion sickness?"
Gray shrugged in response. "So," the ice mage said, "is this all that's left of the Jupiter Cannon?"
"Aye," Happy replied.
"Hmph, then you did good," Gray conceded.
"Brought it down to the wire though," reminded Nero, recalling just how close the cannon was to firing.
"Hmm, it must've stopped moving because I feel better now," realized Natsu, feeling his motion sickness leave all of a sudden.
"I'll fly outside and see what's happening," Happy offered.
Fairy Tail Guild, Courtyard
As Erza and her felGuildmatesates battled against the hordes of shades, they noticed that one of the arms of the Giant Phantom was moving in a pattern.
"Hey look," Alzack pointed out, "what's that?"
"It's…drawing something," Bisca answered.
"A magic circle!" a purple haired girl named Laki, exclaimed.
Erza, still in her Heaven Wheel's armor, was flying in the air and slashed her blades against a couple of phantoms that tried to attack her, defeating them easily. She then turned to the Giant Phantom etching a magical circle into the air. Her brown eyes widened in horror as sweat dripped down her face. She recognized that spell.
"That's Abyss Break," She muttered apprehensively, "one of the forbidden spells. From the size of that magical circle, it could wipe out the entire city."
'If I had to guess, I would say we have ten minutes until the spell is completed,' Erza thought.
Suddenly, she felt a colder chill race up her spine. Erza was now beginning to inwardly debate whether she should assist the boys or not.
Phantom Lord, The Giant
In the meantime, Happy had flown back to Nero, Natsu, Elfman, and Gray and informed them of Phantom preparing to cast Abyss Break and explained what it was. They were shocked by this, but Nero, Elfman, and Gray managed to stay calm; Natsu, however, not so much.
"What do we do?!" Natsu yelled, "We gotta stop them!"
"And we'll do just that," spoke up Nero, a look of stoic determination on his face, "all magic has a power source; we find it, and destroy it. Splitting up will help us cover more ground and find it faster."
"Man," Elfman exasperated, "will we ever catch a break?"
"Wouldn't be as fun if we did," joked Nero, however, the attempt at making light of their situation vanished from his face, "but in all seriousness, no."
Determination formed over Natsu's face as he announced, "Come on guys! Let's do this!"
"Yeah," they said simultaneously.
"Let's go to work," added Nero, a savage grin on his face.
1 minute later...
A minute later, gray storm clouds were forming over the Giant Phantom. Thunder rumbled through the air as it began to rain. Gray climbed through a broken window to get outside, hoping that it would make it easier to find the Abyss Break's power source.
When he felt the rain hit his body, he glanced up at the sky in confusion, "That's weird," He noted, "When did it start raining?"
"Drip, drip, drop," a monotonous feminine voice called.
Gray turned around to see a young woman with a curvaceous figure, blue hair that was curled at the base, dark blue eyes, and pale skin. She wore a navy blue coat, a fur shawl, and a hat that Nero would later find similar to that of a Russian Cossack. She was holding a pink umbrella with a white frilly trim at the base over her head as she walked toward Gray.
"Hello," she said, "My name is Juvia, and I am the Rain Woman of the Element 4. Drip, drip, drop."
Gray climbed out of the window and stood tall, glaring hard at the Phantom mage. "So you're one of them too, huh? Well then, bring it on."
"I must say, I'm quite impressed that your Guild was able to smack down two of the Elements," Juvia confessed stoically, "However, you must not underestimate the remaining two."
"Listen lady, if you're looking for a fight I'll give you one," Gray said in a deadly serious tone, "But let's get something straight. I'm not gonna hold back just because you're a chick."
A moment of silence passed while Gray and Juvia stared at each other. The tension could be cut with a knife. Unexpectedly, a hearty blush appeared on Juvia's pale face.
"Well then," She turned around and began to slowly walk away, "I give up. You win. Goodbye."
"HEY!" Gray shouted. His eyes were bulging out from shock and confusion, "Where are you going? Get back here and fight me!"
Juvia ignored him as she continued forward. Her hand was placed over her chest. Her breathing was becoming deeper and the blush on her face remained.
"There must be something wrong with me." Juvia said. "Why is my heart beating so fast?"
"Could you at least tell me how to stop the Giant?" Gray yelled as he ran toward her.
Juvia stopped in her tracks. Her dark blue eyes were twinkling with an emotion she had never felt before, "I can't explain why, but I have this strong urge to make him mine. I just can't help myself anymore," She held out her hand and chanted, "Water Lock!"
Without warning, Gray was instantly trapped inside a big ball of water. The onyx haired teen groaned in pain, an injury he had sustained in the fight with Phantom had been strained enough to remind him of its existence.
"Oh no!" Juvia cried in panic, "He's injured! I had no idea he was hurt! I don't know what to do! I guess I should probably release him."
Suddenly, Juvia was snapped out of her ranting as the ball of water she had trapped Gray in froze and then shattered into tiny, crystalline pieces. Gray landed on his feet, but he lowered himself to a knee to hold his aching side.
"He must be an ice wizard," Juvia realized, "He froze my Water Lock and broke free."
'I've never witnessed the power of ice magic, it's beautiful!' Juvia thought. Then, the water mage began to have dreamy visions of her and Gray together as lovers, 'I am water and he is ice. We must be bound by fate. I can't believe I've finally found my handsome prince.'
Gray groaned as held his injured, bandaged torso, "You almost got me with that sneak attack you pulled," He admitted, "You're playing dirty."
Juvia held her beating heart and wailed happily, a perverted thought flowing into her mind.
Gray stripped off his white buttoned shirt, much to the embarrassment, shock, and pleasure of Juvia.
'He's taking off his clothes!' She cried inwardly, 'But I'm not ready for this, we just met! Wait, can't we take things slowly!?'
Gray threw his shirt to the ground and stood defiantly, "I don't want to have to fight a girl, but I will if I have to," He stated, "So you better surrender; otherwise, I'll be forced to hurt yah!"
He put his right fist in his open left palm and held out his arms, which summoned a white magic circle in front of him, "Ice Make: Lance!"
A barrage of icy lances fired out from the magic circle straight toward Juvia. The rain woman, however, didn't attempt to dodge the projectiles at all; instead, they went straight through her! Instead of blood pouring out, her injured areas took the form of water and merged with the rest of her body and returned to normal.
Gray lightly gasped and stared at Juvia in bewilderment.
"My body is made entirely of water," the blue haired mage explained, "Surprise, drip, drip, drop."
His eyes widened further from shock.
"Yes," she mumbled in disappointment, "my love is also my enemy. We are on opposite sides of this war. I have no choice but to attack. It seems that this is farewell, my prince."
She held out her hand and summoned a blue magical circle, "Water Slicer!"
Three water whips shot out from her magic circle. But instead of striking Gray, they hit the top of a steel pillar. The top half was swiftly cut into tiny fragments, much to Gray's surprise.
"You see, given the right amount of force, water is strong enough to slice through steel." Juvia enlightened. "Underestimate its powers, and you'll find yourself in a world of pain."
In response, Gray growled in vexation, and then he chanted, "Ice Make: Battle Axe!"
Suddenly, a wave of ice erupted from Gray's magic circle and sliced Juvia in half. However, the water that comprised her body quickly connected back together.
"Can't you see that you're wasting your time?" Juvia said nonchalantly, "Your attacks have no effect on my body made of water. Drip, drip, drop."
Gray snarled, "Now what do I do?"
"It doesn't matter what you do, you cannot beat me," stated Juvia, "But there is one way you and your Guild may be spared. All we ask is that you hand over Miss Lucy Heartfilia. Do that and I'll ask our master to call off his attack on Fairy Tail."
"Ah c'mon, don't give me that crap!" the ice mage yelled, "You and I both know we're past the point of no return. Besides, Lucy is one of us. I'd rather give my life than hand her over to you."
At that statement, Juvia dropped her umbrella. One of her eyes was now twitching, 'He'd rather give his life, give his life, give his life?! Lucy is my rival! Lucy is my rival! He loves her!'
All of a sudden, Juvia screamed loudly as she covered her face, "Oh the pain!" she sobbed miserably, "How can fate be so cruel? My heart feels like it's been torn to bits! It hurts, oh it hurts!"
"What's wrong?" Gray asked worriedly, "You feeling sick or something?"
Juvia ceased her crying. The sadness in her eyes was now replaced by rage and heartbreak. "She's not worthy of my prince," She muttered. Then, she roared out, "Lucy Heartfilia cannot be allowed to live!"
Gray only watched with a dumbfounded expression, a sweat drop falling down his face.
Without warning, Juvia shot out a blast of water at Gray. As he skidded back a few meters, he quickly took note that the water was hot.
"It burns?" Gray questioned. He turned his hard glare at the blue haired young woman, "What's your deal? What's your problem with Lucy?"
Juvia did not answer. She only fired another raging torrent of water at Gray. He swiftly leaped in the air to avoid the blow, but he was surprised by the speed in Juvia's attack.
"So fast," he murmured, "I don't know if my Maker-Magic can keep up."
The water torrent that Gray dodged came back and circled around Juvia before being blasted back at Gray again. The black haired mage leaped to the side; however, his shoes lost traction on the wet ground and caused him to slip toward the edge. Luckily, Gray was able to catch his balance just before he would've plummeted over.
"Whew, man that was close." He sighed in relief.
"Ever since the day I was born I've been followed by the rain." Juvia said. "It gives me strength. It makes me invincible."
She stopped and held up her arm, convening a magic circle above her. "Prepare to be scolded by my jealous rage!"
She fired a few streams of boiling water at Gray, but the ice mage skillfully jumped back to narrowly avoid the attacks.
"What are you jealous of?" He yelled in confusion.
He spread his legs to make a wide base before intonating, "Ice Make: Shield!"
A shield of ice instantly appeared in front of Gray, blocking Juvia's blow. However, the ice mage wasn't certain that the shield would hold up. The water in Juvia's attack was hotter than ever.
"Man, this water is boiling hot," Gray said, "I can't keep this up for long."
"Like I told you," Juvia responded angrily, "I am at my most powerful in the rain. You will never be able to defeat me."
Juvia continued shooting her hot water surge until steam shrouded Gray's form. When she heard a crash, she immediately stopped. The mist faded, Gray was gone. She sauntered toward the broken window upon which he had been previously standing.
"He used the steam as a smokescreen," She realized, "He's not just handsome, he's smart too."
A warm smile appeared on her face as she gazed into the broken glass, "I really am in love," She whispered.
Meanwhile, Gray was running down a hallway that had windows on both sides of the walls and even on the ceiling too.
"I can't waste any more time on this crazy water chick!" Gray shouted, "I gotta figure out how to stop the Giant."
All of a sudden, an inundation of hot water broke through a window on the ceiling, carrying Gray away.
"It's burning my skin!" he yelled when his head broke the water's surface for a moment.
The water gush blasted through a window in front of Juvia and threw Gray into the air.
"It's all over now!" she cried, shooting another water torrent at him.
Anger and determination crossed Gray's face as he turned around in midair, holding out his palms, "OH YEAH!" When his hands first made contact with the scolding water, it instantly began to freeze into a large rod of ice, "FREEZE UP!"
"No," Juvia said in disbelief, "it can't be!"
Suddenly, Juvia's body and the water around her immediately hardened into a large, spiked iceberg. Gray was about to smirk in victory until he noticed something. His left lower arm was trapped in the ice as well, and his hand had ended up grasping Juvia's left breast. This made him freak out.
"AHHH!" he screamed frantically, "It's not what it looks like! I didn't mean to!"
Gray pulled out his hand, which caused the ice entrapping Juvia to disappear, "SORRY!"
The young woman fell to her hands and knees. She looked up and gaze at Gray warmly. 'Even though I'm his enemy, he released me. He's such a nice guy!' she thought.
"Let's just start over, okay?" Gray offered, nervous sweat drops falling from his face.
Juvia stood up and replied, "Let's not. Honestly, I don't wanna hurt you so there's no point in us fighting anymore."
"Huh?" Gray said puzzlingly, "Is this your weird way of admitting that you can't beat me or something?"
"You know I'm much stronger than Lucy, if you let me, I would be happy to protect you," Juvia responded.
"Protect me?" he repeated, "From what?"
As they talked, the rain around them fell harder and in more volume, "Well, I…" she stumbled, "I think you're…uh…so…"
"Is it just me or is this rain getting worse?" Gray interrupted, glancing irately at the sky.
"Oh, this is so frustrating!" Juvia shouted.
However, her ranting went ignored by Gray as he continued to comment on the rain, "Man, it won't let up. This rain is so gloomy."
Juvia instantly froze, the word 'gloomy' echoing in her mind. She felt to her hands and knees, her fists clenched tightly. Gray looked back in concern.
"Uh…is something wrong?" he asked.
"I thought he was different, but he's just like all the rest," Juvia mumbled in ire and misery.
Suddenly, she stood right back up, water shrouding her enraged form, "HOW COULD YOU BE SO CRUEL?!"She bellowed.
"What's with you?" demanded Gray.
'I won't let my feelings be persuaded any longer!' the rain woman shouted inwardly.
Before Gray could react, a blast of hot water slammed into him. He was carried back a few meters before he found some footing and managed to stand against the raging water. The ice mage held out his hands, trying to freeze it again.
'I can't freeze it. It's even hotter than before!' Gray thought.
"I'M THROUGH WITH LOVE!" Juvia roared, "AND I'M THROUGH WITH YOU!"
The power behind the torrent lifted Gray off his feet and sent flying back.
"I've lived my entire life as a gloomy rain woman," Juvia cried, "but Phantom Lord looked past that! They welcomed me with open arms! I am one of the Element 4, a proud Phantom Lord wizard!"
Juvia's body changed into a surge of water as she shot at Gray. The ice mage caught his footing and summoned an ice shield to block her attack.
"How could you be proud to be with them?" he demanded, "You and your Guild are going down!"
With a mighty yell, Gray punched the water torrent, which made it turn to ice instantly. As Juvia descended to the ground, she noticed that the rain droplets around her had been frozen into hail.
"He even turned the rain into ice! He's amazing!" She said.
"Ice Make: Geyser!" Gray incanted as he slammed his fist into the floor.
All of a sudden, a giant geyser of ice sprouted out from the ground above Juvia and trapped her in midair. She screamed in pain from the freezing temperature. Seconds later, the ice shattered into tiny pieces.
As she plummeted off the roof, she thought, 'I lost. It's all over now. I'm going to fall to the ground and splatter…just like a raindrop. I suppose it's a fitting end to a rain woman. Farewell, gloomy Juvia.'
Juvia was snapped out of her thoughts as she felt a strong hand grab her wrist. She looked up to see Gray on the edge of the roof, holding on to her tightly.
"Just hold on, okay!" He assured, "I promise I won't let you fall!"
The rain woman gazed up at Gray, deeply moved by his selfless heroism.
Gray used his strength to pull her back onto the roof. He gently laid her on her back while he kneeled in front of her.
"Why did you save me?" she asked.
"Just 'cause," he replied, "Now get some rest."
'He saved my life,' she said in her mind.
Gray turned back with a smile on his face. "You good? You starting to cool down a bit?"
Juvia did not answer. She stared longingly at Gray, tears beginning to leak from her dark blue eyes. Suddenly, she had to close her eyes as a bright, warm light struck her face. As her vision adjusted, she looked up in shock.
The rain clouds that always followed her before, they were retreating. In its place were a beautiful blue sky and the yellow sun beaming brightly.
"The rain?" she gasped. "It stopped?"
"Hey look," Gray said, "the sun is coming out."
"The blue sky, I've never…seen it before." She mumbled with wide eyes.
Gray looked back with a cocked brow. "Seriously? Uh…well there you go. It's pretty don't yah think?"
Juvia was silent for a moment as she admired the blue sky. "It is…truly beautiful." She replied in genuine honesty.
"So," Gray looked back at her with a toothy grin, "you wanna go at it?"
He was obviously referring to another fight, but Juvia thought he meant something entirely different. In response, she howled girlishly with hearts in her eyes. She then passed out, a happy smile on her pale face.
"Hey!" Gray shouted in worry. "Is something wrong? Talk to me, Juvia! You alright!?"
Meanwhile, down in the Fairy Tail courtyard, Erza had re-equipped into her normal Heart Kreuz armor. The number of phantom soldiers attacking the Guild was growing smaller so she didn't need to summon any of her more powerful armors. As she and the others engaged the small groups of phantoms, they began to notice that the Giant was drawing the magic circle very slowly now.
'I'm confused. That thing should've cast the spell by now,' Erza thought, 'Why is it taking so long?'
"That thing still hasn't cast the spell." Wakaba voiced.
"This stress is bad for my heart." Macao commented. "We have got to put an end to this."
"Hey, doesn't it seem like the Giant is being turtle-ish right now?" asked Laki.
"Huh?" Wakaba said, looking back at her in confusion, "say what about turtles?"
"She's trying to say the Giant's moving slowly." Macao explained. He then glanced back at Laki and said, "Try thinking before you speak Laki."
"It made perfect sense to me! You guys are just dense!" She countered.
Erza slashed through the last phantom trooper in the courtyard. She walked toward the group and explained, "Natsu, Nero, and the others are in there doing their best to stop that thing, and now…we're going to lend them a hand."
The Queen of the Fairies turned her attention to another wave of phantoms swarming toward them.
"The last thing they need is these things distracting them! We must wipe them out!" She exclaimed.
"It's time to take care of business, kids!" Macao added. "Now let's do this!"
At that, the group of wizards charged forward at the next phantom wave.
"GRAY!" Elfman and Mirajane shouted.
Gray turned his attention away from a passed out Juvia to the duo.
"What's Mirajane doing here?" he wondered.
What Gray didn't know was that Mirajane had transformed her body to match Lucy's and came forward to Phantom. She tried to give herself up in hopes of buying more time. But her plan to bait Phantom Lord didn't work, as Master Jose easily saw through her disguise. For punishment, he entrapped her in-between the large fingers of the Giant, threatening to crush her.
Erza, who had seen what Jose was doing, tried to rescue Mira, but was too late to stop him. In a hope to rescue Mira, the Fairy Queen tried going into rescue her friend, but she was intercepted by a multitude of phantoms that drove her back to the courtyard. However, Elfman had come to the rescue. Surprisingly, thanks to the mocking of Sol, a member of the Element 4 and Mirajane's crying, Elfman's anger grew so much that he finally succeeded in a full body Take-Over.
He easily defeated Sol and was able to save Mirajane. In addition, he had retained control of himself while performing a full body Take-Over.
As the brother and sister ran up to Gray, the former said, "I see you defeated a member of the Element 4," He paused when he noticed the look on Juvia's face, "Why does she have that creepy grin on her face?"
Gray thought about it for a moment. Though he was dense when it came to romance, he'd overheard most of what Juvia had articulated during their battle. The ice mage knew that this rain woman had somehow developed an attraction toward him. However, there was no way in hell that Gray was going to let anyone know that.
He shrugged and replied, "I don't know. Must be having a good dream or something,"
"There's only one left," Mirajane said, snapping them both back to the situation, "If we can stop them, I think that'll stop the Abyss Break."
"Mira just figured it out," Elfman explained, "The energy of the Element 4 is powering the Giant."
"We can do this, right guys?" Mira said.
They both nodded in agreement.
"So," Gray rubbed his chin in contemplation, "we defeated three. So that means there's only one left. Natsu and Nero are still searching the building. One of them has to run into that last guy."
"Yeah, question is which one?" Elfman inquired. While the wizards wondered which member would find the power source, Nero was about to have a rather unpleasant meeting.
With Nero...
He knew he didn't have much time, and he knew that a lot of lives were on the line, but he also knew that rushing into things, usually gets him into trouble.
Nero was currently walking down a corridor with a high ceiling, Roman-like pillars lining the way with demon statues placed on the top of them. In his hand was Blue Rose, should he need it, and in all likelyhood, he would. About ten minutes ago, he went off on his own, having split up with Natsu, Gray, and Elfman in hopes of covering more ground to find Abyss Break's power source. As he walked through The Giant, occasional vibrations drew his attention, along with the sound of monstrous roars.
"Minus the Angelos and the damn puzzle, feels like the Savior all over again," muttered Nero to himself as he continued down the corridor.
In all honesty, everything had reminded him of his home: the giant, the phantoms, the crazy leader, and the girl. He wouldn't forget that day, when he was entrusted to protect Yamato by Dante. How he revealed himself to be a demon to...
Nero caught himself, he couldn't go down that road. Not now, not with his friends' lives at stake.
However, it seemed like he was in luck because he hadn't run into any Phantoms yet. Soldiers or mages alike.
"These people are sloppy," muttered Nero, his holy knight training still in him and was showing itself for the first time in years, "practically begging someone to break in. Guards should be patrolling the hallways. But it makes my life easier."
Nero made his way through the end of the corridor, into a large room that had a red carpet stretching down the center of the room and up a grand staircase at the other end. Running along the carpet were brown pillars with light-emitting lacrimas on top.
"Huh," he said to himself, taking a second to observe his surrounding, "only way to go now is up."
However, Nero suddenly felt his gut telling him he was in danger. The Demon Hunter dashed to the side, using his Table Hopper technique to avoid a gust of wind.
Spinning around, Nero aimed Blue Rose at the culprit and fired, only the sound of the bullets striking the stone wall let him know that he missed his target.
"How sad," a voice commented.
Looking in a different direction, the hunter found a swirling twister of air a few meters in front of him. The twister vanished and in its place was a big man wearing a long green coat, a yellow shirt, loose paints, and a green top hat.
"I have seen your power, quite impressive; nonetheless, no matter what form you take, I shall blow you away with my might," The man stated.
"Pretty bold statement," Stated Nero, keeping Devil Bringer out of sight, as a way to surprise the man when he attacks, "and let me guess: you're one of the elemental four?"
The man lifted up his head, revealing to Nero that his eyes were covered by a blindfold. However, the hunter shifted his stance slightly when he saw the stream of tears coming out from behind the blindfold.
"Indeed. My name is Aria," he replied, "I am the strongest of the Element 4. I've come in hopes of slaying a demon-man."
Nero narrowed his eyes into deadly slits, 'Demon-man?' Thought the hunter in confusion. There was no way he knew that he was part demon.
"Well, sorry to disappoint you, but I don't have time to play. I came here to do a job, and that job is to shut the Abyss spell's power source down, one way or another," Replied Nero evenly, taking out Red Queen afte holstering Blue Rose and planting the tip into the floor, "and don't think for a second that I won't take you down to get to it."
He then revved the throttle on the sword, flames shot out of the exhaust, "Let's rock!"
With that, Nero dashed towards Aria, Red Queen humming as the hunter closed in on the Mage.
Aria, taken off guard by the speed of which the hunter could move, just barely managed to duck under the wide slash of Nero's Streak. Spinning around, the hunter swung his sword several times at the mage, each time, Aria just managing to dodge the attacks. After one swing, Nero suddenly kicked out his right leg, his boot slammed into his enemy's stomach, causing the mage to stumble back. The hunter then leaped into the air and brought down Red Queen in a move he called Split.
However, Aria dodged the attack by rolling backwards, leaving the sword to strike the ground with a shower of sparks.
"Hmph," Aria huffed, "your fighting prowess is impressive. But a mere sword alone will not grant you victory."
"Are you gonna keeping talking down to me?" Demanded Nero, resting Red Queen on his shoulder, "or are you just a punk that's full of hot gas and cries like a brat when he doesn't get his way?"
Aria sniffled in response, more tears flowing from under his bandages. Nero sweat dropped, but held his neutral expression, "Common man, don't do that, have a little dignity," ordered the hunter, feeling a little uncomfortable by the crying.
"I will make you pay for mocking me!" Aria sobbed. The air mage held out both hands, his thumbs cocked in toward his palms, "Try a taste of my Airspace magic!"
Nero narrowed his eyes and got ready for anything to come. Usually when a wizard cast a spell, a magic circle would appear in front of them. At least, that's what he noticed so far in his time in this crazy magic universe. However, no magical circle appeared.
When you see the attack coming, know how and when to get out of the way, so the hunter had no ability to know when to get out of the way. In short, Nero was suddenly blasted back by a blast of air that collided with his chest. The wall of air caused him to tumble slightly, but the hunter was able to right himself just in the nick of time. Landing on his feet, he rolled back in order to stabilize himself before using Devil Bringer's claws to dig into the floor and slow him down. He felt the impact of the attack; nevertheless, his natural durability prevented Nero from experiencing any real pain.
The air wizard looked at Nero peculiarly, though the hunter couldn't tell because of the bandages covering his eyes. He was intrigued that this Demon-Slayer mage was able to get up so easily after that attack. Granted he was holding back his full strength, but still.
"Well, Airspace, Huh?" Recalled Nero as he glared at Aria, "Guess I was wrong; you're not full of hot gas, you're just a blowhard," as he said that, the hunter rose to his feet, "if that's the case, then I better knock you down a couple notches."
Leaping into the air suddenly, Nero had an overhead view of the mage. Whilst still in the air, Nero swung out Devil Bringer, and from his arm, four Summoned Swords appeared. The blades twirled around Nero for a second before each one fired off one at a time.
Aria was unprepared for the ethereal blades to appear suddenly. Only just managing to get out of the way. The sharp blades hitting where he previous been. After being forced to dodge, Aria was unprepared for when Nero closed the distance between them in a second by using Devil Bringer again, this time, Spectral Bringer grabbing the mage by the face and Nero pulled himself towards his opponent.
Once he was in close, Nero went on the offensive, swinging Red Queen with brutal attacks. Bringing down the sword in a left diagonal slash, following with a right slash, a quick upward cut, before bring the sword down, the blade glowing a light blue hue the entire time. Each strike hit Aria, the last sent the air mage flying back off his feet and collided with the staircase.
"Guess he was just hot air," said Nero with a smirk. It was a little to himself, but also for Aria to hear that he wasn't taking the air mage seriously.
However, Nero lost his sense of humor when he saw the aforementioned mage rise up. He was hit with a light barrage, so the Demon Hunter expected him to get back up.
Aria of the Heavens sniffled, more tears falling from beneath his bandages.
"Amateur!" he yelled, with a hint of sobbing, "Your powers are nothing against mine!"
He held out one hand, this time, a purple magical seal appeared, "Airspace: Zetsu!"
Suddenly, a bombardment of invisible, hard air bubbles fired out from Aria's seal and struck Nero at multiple points on his body. As a result, the demon hunter was blown back several yards, before he managed to right himself and slide across the floor on his feet.
'Okay, So this guy isn't just all talk,' Thought Nero as he steadied himself. When he was first hit, it didn't feel anymore painful than a mosquito bite. But being hit from several different angles all at the same time, that hurt.
Through his own musing, he heard Aria chuckling, "Perhaps I have overestimated you, dear demon-man," taunted the air mage.
Nero didn't respond and only growled as his right hand immediately went for Blue Rose and drew the firearm. Taking aim, the hunter fired at the man. However, Aria's body became hazy until he vanished out of sight while the bullet struck one of the steps on the staircase. Out of nowhere, Aria appeared behind Nero, and tried to blast him with an airspace attack. However, Nero rolled out of the way just in time to dodge the attack.
Spinning around, he took aim at Aria and tried shooting him again, but met the same result as the mage vanished.
"Teleportation," muttered Nero, quickly realizing what trick Aria was using. However, was caught off guard when he was blasted from the side by another airspace blast. The demon hunter was sent stumbling back as he backpedaled to steady himself before coming to a halt. Platinum bangs hung over Nero's eyes as he steadied himself with his right hand to keep from falling onto his stomach
"Hmm…," Aria hummed, watching as Nero stood back up, "you still stand after an attack like that?"
"Gonna take a lot more than a little wind to knock me down," Stated Nero, glaring at the wizard.
"Nonetheless, your sword, gun, and power is nowhere close to challenging my Airspace Magic," He noted.
He was right, Nero knew he couldn't keep this up if he didn't go all out. With the way he was fighting, he couldn't beat Aria. The guy had wind magic, something he's never had to deal with, and while he did have his own tricks up his sleeve, he was fighting a completely new enemy.
"You know what, you're right," Stated Nero as he holstered Blue Rose, but kept a strong grip on Red Queen.
"I am, so glad you-," started Aria, thinking that the demon hunter was surrendering, however, Nero was just getting started.
"I haven't been taking you seriously and that's my fault," continued the demon hybrid, his bangs covering his eyes, "but with everything on the line, my friends and family, I can't afford not to go all out."
This definitely caught Aria's attention. This entire time, this Slayer hadn't been taking him, Aria of the Heavens, member of the Elemental Four, seriously?!
"So let me ask you something, Aria," as Nero spoke, his voice became distorted, inhumanly so as the hunter slouched in front of the man, keeping his eyes hidden, even as blue energy flickered across his body. Aria took a tentative step back, his eyes widening behind his blindfold. A feeling of dread fell across the room he was in with this... thing. What the hell was going on? "You ever duel with a Demon?"
"W-What are you saying?" Stammered the air mage in fear, and when he did, he wished he hadn't as the Demon Hunter suddenly raised his right hand, letting Aria see Devil Bringer. The mage had the grace to gawk at what he saw. It was a demonic limb, or at least, an arm that belonged on a demon.
"If you haven't, Well," Stated the Demon Hunter, his voice returning to normal, but still completely unnerved Aria to no end, "then I guess I better give you a fair warning that this Demon is fresh out of mercy!"
As Nero said that, he thrusted out Devil Bringer, Spectral Bringer shot right at the mage. When the claws and palm slammed into him, Aria was grabbed by his face and yanked right towards the Demon Hybrid. Once he was in close, Nero began his assault.
The Hunter started by viciously bringing down Red Queen, slashing harshly and mercilessly. Pressing his attack, the demon hunter, forced Aria back, with several more brutal slashes, allowing Nero to strike twice with every swing.
The air mage was knocked back with each hit, and he would've been knocked back further if Nero hadn't suddenly grabbed him with a sudden upward swing of Devil Bringer, the Spectral Bringer grabbing hold of Aria by his chest. Once he had him, Nero smashed him into the floor, cracking, before smashing him again, this time causing the mage to bounce and let Nero basically punt him across the room like a football.
Aria was back to his feet quickly, but he was still shocked by what he had just seen.
He had never seen any kind of Demon-Slayer magic like that before. It seemed this mage had the ability to summon an ethereal appendage, but his own abilities as well were staggering. The strength was incredible. How was that possible? Something like that would require a lot of magical energy.
The mage was brought out of his musing pretty quickly when he saw Nero throw out Devil Bringer again, Spectral Bringer appearing in tandem. With his strength, the hunter punched the floor in front of him, resulting in a shockwave that traveled through the stone floor. Aria didn't react in time as the shockwave threw him off his feet and into a wall, landing on his chest in a comical fashion.
The green coat wizard got up and glared at the Demon Hybrid, "Impressive, I've never seen magic like that," Aria remarked, he then sneered, "It'll be a pleasure defeating you."
"The beating I just gave you says otherwise," Stated Nero, returning the glare with equal intensity.
Aria held out his hands, a purple magic seal appearing in front of him, "Airspace: Zetsu!"
When the attack ceased, Aria was surprised to see his opponent still standing. But what really shocked him was that he hardly looked fazed or even injured.
"If that's your best, then you better take you own advice and run," taunted Nero, as he flipped Red Queen around. While it may have looked like he was taunting Aria, he was actually secretly revving up the Exceed. He figured he'd put the air mage through the paces of the Exceed System. After reving Red Queen a few more times, Nero suddenly leaped into the air. While in the air, the hunter flipped himself around so that the tip of his sword would come right down onto Aria. This was a trick he called Double Down.
The blazing sword and hunter sped right down towards Aria, only for his attack to be blocked midair by an airspace shield. A conflagration of flames erupted as the kinetic energy sent the flames right down across the shield. Nevertheless, Nero noticed that the blow did make Aria slide back a bit when he, himself, regained his footing.
Seeing this, Nero sheathed Red Queen and drew Blue Rose. Aiming it at the mage, Nero began to fire with no intention of stopping. Each shot was accompanied by a Summoned Sword, which shattered on impact with the shield, but pushed Aria back each time.
The air mage growled, annoyed that his airspace attacks weren't really going to be able to cause any real harm to his enemy. But then, another idea popped in his mind, causing Aria of the Heavens to smirk.
"It's no use, dear demon-man," Aria commented, "You cannot defeat me."
"Famous last words, buddy," Snapped Nero, his temper getting the better of him. He lunged at the airspace shield and smashed Spectral Bringer into the side, causing a resounding bang when the dust collided with it, "I'm just getting warmed up!"
Aria grinned wickedly, "Then allow me to relieve you of that heat."
The man in the long green coat shot out a huge airspace, which smacked into Nero, sending him flying back where he landed against wall on his feet before pushing off so that he landed in the middle of the room. His vision went right back to where he last Aria, but found that he was gone. Keeping his guard up, Nero looked around, knowing that he had to finish this quickly, he didn't know how long he had before the Abyss Spell was ready.
"Where'd you run," muttered Nero to himself, looking around the room.
All of a sudden, Aria appeared behind the demon hunter, "You think I ran away?"
Whirling around, Nero did so just in time to see two magic circles appear on both sides of him.
"Airspace: Drain!" Aria chanted loudly.
Suddenly, golden light illuminated underneath the Demon Hunter, starting at his feet and was cast all over his form. Nero looked at the source of the light, not certain what to expect Aria was trying to accomplish, that was until Nero felt himself grow weaker. Gritting his teeth, Nero fell to one knee, but refused to go down. He could feel some power being siphoned from him. The hunter groaned, but his eyes flashed, he wouldn't lose to this overconfident jackass. Forcing himself back to his feet, despite losing some power, he still had plenty in the tank.
Aria's confident expression quickly turned into shock and disbelief. How could this be? His Metsu could drain any wizard of their magical energy. How could this mage still be standing?!
When the golden light faded, Aria stood petrified, his jaw close to falling off his face. "H-h-how is this possible?!" he stuttered apprehensively, "T-t-that spell should've drained every ounce of magical power inside you!"
"Really?" Drawled Nero, as he grabbed Aria by his chest and lifted him up with Spectral Bringer, "well then you would be glad to know now that magic isn't an effective weapon against demons."
Using Spectral Bringer, Nero smashed him into the ground hard enough that Aria bounced off it. Pulling his fist back, the Spectral began to increase in size, but only slightly as it grew to be twice its size. Nero let out a powerful yell as he sent the giant fist right at the air mage with enough force to smash him through a wall.
Then something clicked in Nero's mind, something that he said. The spell that Aria had tried to cast on him. He said that this 'Airspace: Drain' could suck the magic out of any wizard. Did that mean that Aria was responsible for Master Makarov almost getting killed? The dots began to connect in his mind; he glowered when he came to an easy conclusion.
The pile of crumbled stone shifted as Aria stood back up, a few cuts and bruises on his face. The powerful air wizard scowled at Nero, "Incredible," he admitted, "I've never had that happen before."
"YOU!" Roared Nero in fury, ignoring what Aria just said, "YOU WERE THE ONE THAT DRAINED MAKAROV OF HIS MAGIC!"
"Indeed I did," the blindfolded man smirked smugly, tears still trailing down his face, "I'm anxious to see what you plan to do about it."
"Trust me when I say, no," Snarled Nero as he flipped Red Queen around before taking it in his right hand. His left went into his caot and took out Blue Rose. The demon's eyes flickered blood red as he glowered at Aria, "You don't want to know."
As he said that, Nero lunged at Aria, firing Blue Rose, the powerful handgun cracking as the shots were fired. The air mage just managed to dodge the attack and watched as the bullets collided with the wall. The result was a large hole formed when the bullets exploded.
Behind his bandages, Aria's eyes widened again in astonishment. Such power. How did he possess such power? He was somehow charging his weapon with his own power. How was this possible? And is this the full extent of it? After a short moment, Aria's shocked expression turned into a confident smile.
"Since I am now in the presence of a worthy opponent," said a calm Aria, "I believe it is necessary for me to step up my game."
He reached up and pulled off his bandages, revealing his eyes. His eyes were white with small pink pupils. Suddenly, his pupils grew larger as a white 'X' appeared in the pupils.
Nero only snorted, having seen much worse as a demon hunter. However, he would admit, it was weird seeing that. But he couldn't think about that right now, he had to bear him. He had to protect his friends. He had to this, so he wouldn't lose anyone else.
He needed more power...
To be continued...