Chapter 161

No Need to Run

NO POV

The assault team was soon made, the crew was well on their way towards Zentopia. The assault team comprised the Strauss siblings, the Exceed Squad, Warren, Gray, Wendy, and Erza, with Ichiya acting as captain. The other Fairy Tail members stayed behind per Cana's instructions if needed on the ground. The Christina Advance was flying smoothly as it made its way towards the giant fish-like structure, but then came trouble. The ship was suddenly struck by an unknown attack, causing the entire ship to tremble from the impact, slowly losing attitude.

"What's going on here?!" demanded Elfman. "I thought you knew how to fly this thing!"

"Is there something wrong, Ichiya?" wondered Erza.

"We've taken damage to the hull!" Ichiya cried as he fought for control. "Oh, man!"

"I'll go see what the problem is!" Mira offered. "You guys stay here!"

"We'll go with you, Mira!" said Lisanna.

The Strauss Siblings then rushed outside to the deck, and inspected the damage, seeing that a sizable hole was seen in the back of the ship.

"So, what do you think happened here?" wondered Elfman. "It's completely busted."

Mira then looked at the deck and saw that there was also some damage to the deck, leading her to realize that this wasn't a coincidence. "No, someone did this," she said with a frown. "Which means..."

"It was most likely sabotage from an intruder," finished Lisanna. "But who could have done this?"

Her answer came in a blinding flash of light, followed by a zooming sound. As everyone looked up, trying to ascertain where the sound was coming from, something hit Mira hard on the chin sending her slamming into the ship's wall.

"Mira!" Lisanna cried.

"Come out, you coward!" roared Elfman. "Fight us like a real man!"

Lisanna and Elfman then looked behind them and saw the perpetrator, which turned out to be a familiar enemy who appeared at a blinding speed.

"It's Racer of the Oracion Seis!" gasped Mira as she got back to her feet.

"I got to admit, you've got a lot of nerve sneaking onboard," growled Elfman. "But you're going to regret it!"

"You will fall, Big Man," Racer purred as he crouched on his fours. "I'll knock you and your friends right out of the sky."

Racer then disappeared using his incredible speed, and attacked the deck again, laughing mockingly. Immediately, Elfman and Lisanna went on the attack, Elfman using his Beast Arm: Iron Bull, and Lisanna using her Animal Soul: Cat. However, Racer was far too fast, as he shot around like a pinball while hitting the siblings with a series of quick and powerful blows, knocking them to the floor, dazed and stunned.

"Too slow," Racer chuckled. "Way too slow."

Mira then squared off against Racer, now angry. "You just made a big mistake!" she said. "You'll be fighting me now!"

Racer leered with interest. "Are you as fast as I am?" he taunted.

Mira switched into her Satan Soul form in response. "Why don't I show you?" she growled.

The eldest Strauss sibling then shot forward and tackled Racer, taking herself along with him off of the Christina Advance and towards the ground below. Elfman and Lisanna saw this and rushed over to the edge of the deck.

"Big Sis Mira!" Elfman and Lisanna cried.

"Keep going without me!" Mira shouted. "I can handle Racer on my own, I promise! Just make sure you rescue Willy and the others!"

All Lisanna and Elfman could do, was watch as Mira and Racer slowly shrunk out of sight.

Back inside the ship, everyone else was waiting for the Strauss siblings to report back, when they saw Mira and Racer fall past the window.

"Did you guys see that?!" exclaimed Wendy.

"That was Racer!" Erza gasped.

"And Mira, too!" Gray cried. He then looked towards Ichiya. "Hey! We have to go back! Turn this ship around!"

"I'm sorry, but we can't!" Ichiya squeaked. "If we do, I'm not so sure how much longer the Christina can hold on!"

Elfman and Lisanna then came back into the main room, having to have overheard everything.

"Let our sister handle that guy!" said Elfman firmly. "She'll be fine!"

"But, are you sure?" Wendy asked worriedly.

"Yeah, we've got to keep going!" said Lisanna bitterly. "We don't like this any more than you do, but we've got to! We can't afford to waste time! So, please, keep going! Hurry!"

Everyone could see that Elfman and Lisanna were just as worried as they were, but they knew that the two were right.

"Very well, then," said Ichiya. "But first, we have to make some repairs to the ship! If we don't hurry, there might be more where that came from! Everyone, lend a hand!

As everyone scrambled to help, Erza gave one last look at the window towards the ground below. "Please, be careful, Mira," she whispered. "We're counting on you."

Mira spread out her bat-like wings as they continued to fall towards the ground, turning her descent into a glide while Racer continued to plummet until he hit the ground. However, Racer used his speed, appeared on top of a small rock formation, and attempted to attack the Christina Advance again, but Mira was quick to bar his way, intercepting him with a punch and a kick. Racer blocked the punch, and then used his speed to attack the She-Devil at her blind spot, but Mira was quick to block, but unable to counter as Racer appeared on another rock behind her.

"Stop getting in my way," growled Racer in annoyance.

In a blinding flash of speed, Racer zigged and zagged around one formation after another, building momentum, and dropkicked Mira right in the stomach, knocking the wind out of her and sending her crashing into the rocks. Thinking that he had defeated his opponent, Racer turned his attention to the Christina Advance, seeing that it was getting further away from him. However, just as he was about to go after it again, the rock formation he sent Mira into exploded. The She-Devil then emerged from the scattering rocks, having to have changed into her Halphas Form.

"Didn't you hear me the first time?!" Mira roared with fury. "I told you you're not going anywhere!"

Sensing the intense intent emanating from Mira as she shot towards him, Racer immediately took off, hoping to use his speed to outpace her, as Mira followed in hot pursuit.

The sound of battle cries could be heard throughout the Zentopian courtyard. Soldiers from all over the place were firing magic attacks using their spears as Willy Falconer dashed about, avoiding and deflecting the blasts. The boy took a breath and unleashed a powerful breath attack, taking out the soldiers, only for more to appear in their place. Willy jumped into the air, making long tongues of water gush from his hands, and hurled them created a massive shockwave, taking out another squad of soldiers.

A soldier then came from Willy's right side and swung, but he could dodge by moving to the side and gave him a swift kick to his jaw. Willy conjured a pair of twin stars made of water and then threw them straight towards some more soldiers, the stars curving and cutting the tops of their spears. Now being disarmed, Willy cloaked his fists with water, and with a yell, attacked the defenseless men, punching and knocking them all out in a matter of seconds.

As the fighting continued, Midnight, along with Cobra, and Angel, were on top of one of the buildings, spectating the battle from afar.

Imitatia then walked up to them. "Master Midnight, the plan is proceeding as you requested," she said. "Real Nightmare is now in effect, and Racer, Hoteye, and the Legion Platoon have been deployed in preparation for battle, while Brain is staying with the Infinity Clock."

"What about Satoshi?" asked Midnight. "Is he finished as well?"

"He's almost finished," said Imitatia. "He told me that he should be ready in a matter of minutes, and when he's finished, your victory, as well as our revenge, shall be assured."

"Very good, Imitatia," said Midnight.

Imitatia looked towards the battlefield and saw Willy fighting the soldiers. "I must admit, the boy has quite the bravery," she commented. "Not everyone has the guts to go up against Zentopia's army with overwhelming numbers."

"I still don't get why we're even doing this," said Cobra impatiently. "We shouldn't take any chances with him. I say we finish him off now and quickly before Fairy Tail gets here!"

"Calm yourself, Cobra," said Angel. "You know that's not part of the plan. I understand your eagerness, but we must wait per Brain's instructions. Besides, you wouldn't want to miss such an entertaining show, do you?"

Midnight chuckled. "It won't be long now," he thought to himself. "Soon, your time will come Fairy Tail, and especially yours, Willy Falconer."

In the cells, Natsu was now trying his best break out of his and Lucy's while the blonde sat on the floor, not doing anything. But however much he fought, Natsu couldn't break the bars, much less open them.

"Damn it!" Natsu cursed. "I can't get through!"

"Calm down, Natsu," chided Lucy. "There's nothing you can do. You won't be able to break those bars."

"But we can't just sit here, Lucy!" Natsu barked. "There's got to be a way out!"

"I know, and I want to get out of here as much as you, but there's nothing we can do!" Lucy snapped. "We can't even use our magic to get out, so we're stuck unless someone comes to rescue us."

"But we have to save Willy!" growled Natsu. "We got to save him no matter what it takes, or they'll kill him!"

At that moment, they heard the sound of footsteps, and when they looked up, they saw someone that they least expected to see. It was none other than Coco.

"Coco, it's you," gasped Lucy. "What are you doing here?"

The puppy-faced girl then looked around, making sure that no one was around, and whispered. "I came to talk to you," she whispered. "When I heard that you guys were down here, I came as soon as I could."

"And why should we listen to anything you have to say after everything that's happened?" demanded Natsu. "You and the rest of your friends lied and betrayed us, and now, no thanks to you guys, the Oracion Seis has activated the Infinity Clock, and now the entire world's in danger!"

Coco faltered a bit from Lucy's words, but she continued. "I know it looks bad, but we have a good reason for doing what we did! Just hear me out for a minute, please!"

"And what reason would that be?" asked Natsu.

"Well, you see, it's like this," said Coco. "We had no choice, but to work with the Oracion Seis because they're holding the Archbishop hostage."

Now, Natsu and Lucy were surprised. "The Archbishop?" the two repeated.

"Yes. You see, a while back before we met you, we were getting ready for the annual ritual," said Coco. "But then, we heard that a Cardinal named Lapointe had been making regular visits to the Oracion Seis in Era as of late. At first, we didn't think anything by them, but then the Archbishop started acting strangely, having reoccurring nightmares. Since then, Lapointe appointed himself the sole caretaker, spent time with him a lot, and wouldn't let anyone else see him. Then, we decided to investigate, wanting to know what was going on. Then, we found Lapointe talking to the Oracion Seis, and using a mind-control spell on the Archbishop to make me insane. But unfortunately, Lapointe caught onto us, and forced us to keep quiet, threatening if we ever wanted to see the Archbishop alive, we'd do whatever they asked. That is why we were forced to work with them and work with you to find the clock pieces. We didn't know what else to do! Even Byro couldn't do anything to stop them!"

Coco then waved her hand, twisting it, and the bars to Natsu and Lucy's cell bent and opened.

"I'm sorry about everything that's happened, and I don't expect you to believe me or trust me, but I need your help," Coco went on pleading. "Please, I'm begging you. If you don't, then the Archbishop will die, and we can't bear that. Help me save him!"

Natsu and Lucy stared at Coco, not saying a word for a few seconds of silence. Then, a squad of the guards had appeared, and when they saw Coco standing in front of the open cell, they immediately aimed their spears at her.

"Coco! What are you doing?!" demanded a soldier. "Don't you know that those two are enemies of Zentopia?!"

"If you're aiding them to escape, that alone is treason!" barked a second soldier. "Cardinal Lapointe will have your head for this!"

Coco was just about to defend herself, but then Natsu bolted out of his cell and unleashed a powerful Fire Dragon Roar blowing them all away with a torrent of flame.

Then Natsu looked at Coco, wearing a look of determination on his face. "We'll help you, Coco," he said.

Coco's eyes widened in surprise. "Y-You will?" she gasped.

"Of course, we will. I had a feeling that there was some good in you, and you had some reason for doing what you did," said Lucy. "So, we'll help find the Archbishop and rescue him along with Willy. Sound good with you?"

Tears began to fill Coco's eyes as she smiled gratefully. "Yes. Thank you both," she said happily.

"All right then! Let's go find this guy A.S.A.P!" said Natsu. "And while we're at it, we'll get to kick some butt, too!"

The three then set off on their mission, running down the corridor as fast as their legs could carry them.

WILLY'S POV

I've lost count of how many soldiers I've taken out thus far. I stopped right around one hundred. They seemed to keep coming no matter how many I take out. And to make things worse, this was draining quite a bit of magic. At the rate I was going, I wouldn't be at my full strength if I ever had to face my enemy. Not to mention that these soldiers were following orders, so I had to hold back a bit. I used my swords to parry two soldiers as they swung their spears, cut the heads of their weapons off, and then swung my leg in a kick knocking them out.

Then I heard someone shout out from above.

"Soldiers, aim! And fire!"

I looked up in time to see a shower of magic blasts come raining down towards me. Using my swords, I cut and sliced through a few of them, but one managed to graze my right shoulder, another one my left leg, and a third just a few inches away from my face. Knowing that there were too many to deflect, I flipped and then jumped up, bringing my hands above my head while clenching my hands. Then, I slammed my fists into the ground, making a huge geyser erupt from in front of me, shielding me from the incoming attacks. As the geyser died down, I happened to take a look towards the rooftops where the attacks came from, and I saw something that made me do a double-take. Standing on top of one of a roof on the northwest building, I saw Midnight, Imitatia, and the other two members of the Oracion Seis, the man with the scar his eye, and the woman with white hair.

Immediately, I spread my wings of water and flew straight towards them, dead set on taking my revenge, when another shower of magic bullets came shooting in my direction, cutting me off, forcing me back onto the ground. Those attacks came from another wave of soldiers, which came swarming from seemingly out of nowhere.

"Stop hiding from behind your pawns, Midnight!" I yelled out. "Get down here and face me, you coward!"

"As much as I want nothing more than to crush you myself, I'm afraid that I must decline, Willy Falconer," Midnight scoffed. "You are beneath me."

"So he knows who I am, huh? It doesn't matter anyway because he's still going on along with the others. But these pesky soldiers aren't just going to stand by and let me do that. If I keep fighting these jokers, I'm going to end up losing a lot of magic. I have to end these guys quickly, and the only way to do that is to take this a bit more seriously."

I clenched my fists, making them explode with water, generating a great deal of magic, and shot towards the soldiers, preparing to go on the attack again. But then, a magic circle appeared at the bottom of my feet, stopping me dead in my tracks. In an instant, I felt a shock run through my body, making me instinctively cry out in pain as my body went rigid as a rod. As I opened one eye as I winced in pain, I saw that some of the soldiers had magic circles on the ends of their spears.

"D-Damn it! This must be binding magic! I can't move!"

"That's the way, men!" I heard one soldier say. "We've got him now!"

"It's no use, resisting!" another soldier said. "Those who are caught in our binding spell will be unable to move no matter how much they struggle! So surrender now!"

I tried to move, my arms shaking from the force, but then other soldiers came and aimed their spears at me, strengthening the binding spell, and making stiffen even more. I couldn't breathe, my breath catching in my throat, and it felt like my body was being squeezed from all sides, along with being shocked. To make things worse, more magic soldiers activated their spears, which strengthened the binding spell further. I see my vision beginning to waver as I felt more suffocated than ever as I started to blank out.

Was this it? Was this how things were going to play out? Me being knocked out by these soldiers and not being able to accomplish my goal?

No! Not like this! I can't pass out now! If I do, everything I've done to get to this point would be a complete waste! There was no way in hell I'm going to pass out here!

I grit my teeth clenched my fists tightly as I remembered when the girl in my head told me that I was holding back. She said that I should get a bit more forceful in battles, right? It was time to take her words to heart.

I let my emotions surge through my body as I summoned my willpower, while clenching my teeth, seething with fury. Adrenaline surged through my body as I forced my arms to move, making them shake from the effort as I started to move them.

"Crap! He's starting to fight back!" cried one of the soldiers. "Hurry up and add the power!"

Other soldiers then came and started pitching in to strengthen the binding spell. I could feel more resistance as I continued to fight, but I didn't give up. These guys were standing in the way of my goal of destroying the Oracion Seis and Silver Beard, and I wasn't about to let them interfere any more! The thought alone made me even angrier and more determined as my blood began to boil. Before I knew it, the adrenaline took over my body as I let out an inhuman bellow.

My body no longer felt restricted as I finally managed to spread my limbs out wide, feeling the binding spell shatter, setting me free, and releasing a concussive blast of force. As soon as my feet touched the ground, and glared menacingly at the soldiers, all of which were staring at me with wide eyes of pure disbelief and terror.

"No way! He broke through the binding spell!" gasped a soldier.

"No one's been able to do that before!" cried out another. "Just what the hell is he?!"

I then clenched my fists, making water gush forth from them, morphing them into large claws, as power coursed through my veins. Then with a roar, I brandished them, and shot towards them, ready to unleash all of my anger upon them.

NO POV

Mira and Racer were dashing across the rocky landscape, trying to get the upper hand on each other. Mira would come close to hitting Racer, but he'd dodge out of the way using his speed. But Mira wouldn't give up, as she continued to pursue Racer using her own speed.

Racer started to grow cocky. "I'm way too fast for you," he taunted. "You can't keep up with me. No one can."

Then he sensed Mira, who appeared just behind him, about to attack, but Racer using his speed, shot forward, going a great distance away from the She-Devil cackling smugly. But as he turned around, he was shocked to see that Mira was right behind him, reaching out to grab him. At that moment, Racer suddenly had a flashback, remembering back to when he was at the Tower of Heaven, seeing Mira as one of the guards bringing him back to his cell when he tried to escape. This made fear run through Racer's mind leaving him open, allowing Mira to knee him hard in the gut, finally landing a blow. Now starting to grow fearful, Racer recovered and dashed away in a blur of speed, while Mira pursued him.

"Stay away!" barked Racer. "Stay away!"

But Mira managed to catch up with Racer again, and before he could try to dodge, she gave him a sharp kick to his stomach, sending him straight to the ground back first. As Racer recoiled from blow, he could see that Mira was now in front of him, glaring menacingly.

"Just give up the fight," Mira told him firmly. "There's no way you can beat me."

Racer bounced back up, landing back on his feet, standing his ground. He then took out a small vial filled with black ooze, much to Mira's surprise.

"Faster! Make me faster!" roared Racer, as he held the vial high. "Make me the fastest being alive!"

He then stabbed the vial into his side, emptying all of its contents into his bloodstream. His bodysuit colors changed from red to green, and his blue eyes became demonic and slit, also changing to green. His canine teeth grew longer and pointy as he let out a cloud of adrenaline, growling like an animal, and a mysterious ooze-like substance began to secrete from his hands.

"What did you just do?!" demanded Mira.

Racer then disappeared in a flash of green light, and before Mira could react, he appeared behind her and landed a strong standing dropkick straight to her back, knocking the wind out of her. Mira tried to retaliate, swinging with a punch, but Racer using his new speed, disappeared and reappeared behind her again, knocking her to the ground with a double ax handle. As Mira got back up to her feet, she was shocked to see that there were multiple afterimages of Racer all around her, cackling, waiting to strike. She also noticed that the substance on Racer's hands now stuck to her body.

Then, the She-Devil felt multiple blows rain all over her body as she cried out in pain, bringing her to her knees. Mira tried to get up, but once again, multiple blows rained on her body, making it seem like she was a possessed doll being whiplashed around by a child, while Racer cackled madly with glee, enjoying the pain he was inflicting on her.

"He's increased his speed somehow, and that substance is messing with my senses!" gasped Mira. "It must have been that ooze he injected into himself!"

But not ready to give up, Mira using her own speed, took to the sky before the afterimages of Racer could get to her again. Thinking that he had her on the run, Racer shot after her, wanting to knock her out of the sky. Mira dodged Racer's relentless attacks, seeming to predict them, until she finally disappeared in a blue blur. At that moment, Mira caught hold of one of the Racers in a full nelson, making the others vanish in seconds, revealing himself to be the real one. The crazed Racer struggled, trying to break

free, but like a wolf catching its prey, Mira's grip was like iron, refusing to let go.

"I'll admit that you're fast, one of the fastest opponents I've ever faced," grunted Mira. "However...!"

The She-Devil shot downwards towards the ground like a comet falling from the sky, and before she hit the ground, gave Racer a mighty throw sending him hurtling to the ground with an earth-shaking boom. Not wanting to give Racer a chance to recover, Mira concentrated a great deal of magic into her hands, making them spark and glow.

"HALPHAS BLAST!"

The She-Devil then unleased a devasting blast of indigo dark magic at her target, the same move that she used to take out Amina. A brilliant and huge explosion shook the landscape as rubble flew, the ground shook from the impact, and the terrain was ripped apart. When the dust cleared, Racer lay on the ground, bruised, burned, his suit torn to shreds, the colors back to being red, and his visor shattered, revealing his amber-colored eyes underneath. As Mira landed back on the ground, the substance that stuck to her body dissipated. Racer struggled as he sat up, his sense of reason returning to him.

"I-I don't understand? How?" mumbled Racer in confusion. "How can you be faster than me?"

Mira looked down at Racer, her scowl changing into one of pity as she walked up to him. "It's not that I'm fast or anything. It's that I'm not running away," she said. "Unlike you, I keep moving forward, having a purpose. The desire to save and protect my friends pushes me to fight harder and faster than running away. You, on the other hand, seem to be running away from something. If I may ask, what are you trying to run away from?"

Racer flinched from Mira's question, as flashbacks of his time at the Tower of Heaven went through his mind once again. "I-I don't know," he responded quietly. "I've been running away for so long that I've forgotten. It's all I've ever known. I've always been running away."

Mira then understood. "I think I know what it is," she said solemnly. "You've been running away from yourself."

Racer looked up. "From myself?" he repeated.

"Yes. You're fleeing from your past," Mira continued. "All of the pain, the sorrow, and especially, the fear. I know what it's like to try and escape it. I used to do the same thing myself."

As she spoke, Mira remembered back to Lisanna's supposed death when Elfman went berserk, and when Willy was in the hospital after saying her final goodbyes to him before he disappeared.

"I've tried to run, but in the end, it never helped," Mira resumed. "Believe me; I understand your heartache."

Racer then got up and gave Mira a blank look, surprised that she could read him so clearly. Then, he instinctively turned on his heel and slowly started to limp away.

Mira then changed back to her normal state. "Where are you going? No one's chasing you," she called out. "There's no need for you to run anymore."

Those words made Racer stop dead in his tracks. He remained frozen for a few seconds, until finally, the floodgates in his mind had opened as he sank to his knees, beginning to weep.

Back at the church courtyard, Midnight, Imitatia, Cobra, and Angel were still watching Willy dispatch all of the soldiers. It was then that Midnight sensed that something was amiss, and he knew what it was.

"It would seem that Racer has fallen," Midnight said aloud.

"What a shame," said Angel. "Even though he had the toxin that Silver Beard provided for him? He must have had quite the opponent."

"Speaking of which, that kid seems to be tiring out," said Cobra. "I'm amazed that he was able to fend off our pawns for this long."

Cobra was correct. At this point, Willy was growing tired from the onslaught of soldiers, his movements a bit sluggish, and his magic attacks having less of an effect than before. However, he had just about a few dozen or so to go before he wiped them out completely.

"Midnight, should we finish the job, now?" asked Imitatia. "I can make quick work of him."

"Not just yet, Imitatia," said Midnight. "I want to watch him suffer for just a while longer."

Willy parried two of the soldier's spears using his claws, swatted them away like flies. Another one came swinging only for Willy to deck him in the face knocking him out. Five more began firing magic bullets at him, forcing him to go on the defensive, but Willy immediately countered by unleashing a breath attack taking out the five with it. However, he didn't let up on his assault while he turned, making his breath attack take out even more soldiers by sweeping it around.

Now, no soldiers were remaining, but Willy had grown very weary and had barely any magic power left. However, defiant and stubborn, he turned towards Midnight and his group, bravely standing his ground, ready to keep fighting.

Midnight then smirked. "Now, you may finish him off," he ordered the others.

Cobra, Angel, and Imitatia then jumped off the building and gunned straight for Willy. Not backing down, Willy jumped up and then unleashed a wing attack at the three causing them to scatter into different directions. Imitatia threw her shield, her blades spinning rapidly, and nailed Willy right in the middle of his sternum, knocking the wind out of him. Cobra leaped into the fray, hitting Willy with a barrage of kicks and punches, and flinched with a downwards kick sending him to the ground hard. As Willy hit the dirt, Angel was waiting on the ground along with a large and strange being by her side. It was large, skinny, pupilless, and had three faces along with misshapen arms. At her command, the being fired a beam that blasted Willy, incinerating the top half of his clothes and sending him rolling along the ground until he stopped facedown.

The three members of the Seis, all circled Willy, believing that he was down for the count, but the brave boy shot up, while doing a handstand spun in a whirlwind kick. With a scream, he gunned straight at Cobra, clenching his fist for a punch. Cobra using his Listening Magic, prepared to predict his move, but then Willy disappeared and reappeared behind Cobra, and before he could react, swung his leg and kicked him square in the jaw.

"Wh-What the hell?!" Cobra exclaimed. "How was he able to hit me?!"

Then, Cobra saw Willy's eyes. They were unfocused, the light about to fade away, yet they had a fiery will, showing that he wasn't going to fall. Willy hit Cobra again with a punch square in the gut knocking the wind out of him, and then finished with an uppercut sending Cobra flying. Imitatia attacked next, throwing her yo-yo-like shield. Willy moved to the side and then grabbed the rope connecting shield giving a whip, causing it to wrap around Imitatia's body. Then with a mighty yank, he pulled Imitatia towards him, and when she was close enough, he gave her a powerful punch to the gut, almost folding her, and with a mighty whirl, sent her straight to the ground.

Angel, now feeling nervous, turned to her minion. "Attack, Barkiel! Hurry!"

Barkiel began charging power, and fired its beam again, but Willy let out a yell and jumped into the air flipping rapidly. He stuck his leg out, and before Angel or Barkiel could react, Willy landed a devastating downwards kick right on top of it, creating a massive indent as it hit the ground. Willy then pounced on Angel and gave her a strong kick straight to her jaw, knocking her to the ground before she had a chance to scream.

It seemed that Willy was standing tall, but that momentum would soon be short-lived, as Midnight appeared right behind him. Willy turned around in time for Midnight to swipe his arm with his index finger pointed.

"SPIRAL PAIN."

A vortex of distorted air whipped around Willy, striking and shocking him with a great amount of force, making him cry out in agony, while being sent to the air. As the vortex dissipated, and Willy began to fall to the ground, Midnight then pointed two fingers, and when Willy fell just in front of him, he touched his stomach while unleashing another spell.

"And DARK CAPRICCIO."

A powerful drill-like beam erupted from his fingers, piercing directly through into Willy's stomach as the boy let out an agonizing and shrill scream of pain. As the beam faded away, Willy fell to the ground, finally unconscious and seemingly lifeless.

As Midnight stared down at Willy's body, Cobra, Angel, and Imitatia all got back up and walked over to Midnight, a bit bruised, but still alive.

"Damn it all," Cobra complained. "He caught me by surprise because I couldn't hear his thoughts. He's just like that Salamander bastard."

"His willpower is astounding," said Imitatia. "Even when he was tired and running low on magic, he still fought, not that it made any difference."

"Damn that bastard," Angel growled as she gave the unconscious Willy a sharp kick to the gut. "He dares to lay a hand on an angel like me?!"

"Calm yourself, Angel," said Midnight. "We've accomplished what we intended, and now we can proceed." He turned to Imittatia. "Take him to Satoshi. Tell him to prepare for the operation."

"As you wish," acknowledged Michelle.

The woman then picked up Willy, and went on her way, taking her with him.

"Cobra. Angel. Prepare yourselves," said Midnight. "Fairy Tail will be here soon, and we have to make sure to give them a proper welcome. They're out guests of honor, after all."

"So it's finally time," said Cobra. "Perfect, because being thrashed around like that has put me in a bad mood. Might as well take it out on Fairy Tail."

"I agree," said Angel. "The time for our revenge against Fairy Tail is nigh."

"Yes. The time has come for our plan for revenge to reach its final stage," said Midnight. "And it all begins now."

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