dragonfighter11: Their magic quality is the same. The regular Rasengan is weaker than Chidori due to the fact that Naruto's Energy-Make cannot stand up to Sasuke's own Lightning God Slayer Magic.
marquis: I'm gonna break this down quickly and easily. 1) First off Kushina said to find a woman like her when she died. 2) Erza gives Naruto a feeling of home he never got in his past life. And also, typically in relationships men look for people similar to women they idolize, like their mothers. It's not an incestuous feeling like you're implying whatsoever. It's simply a matter of wanting someone that supportive and loving in your life. 3) Sasuke and Mira are very similar. Both lost family members and both of them were far to weak to stop it. Sasuke helps Mira in the sense that he tried to grow stronger while she shut herself off. She's already gained back her power, but she was still defeated. Right now she isn't walking down a happy go-lucky path if that wasn't obvious.
Guest: Because Naruto isn't at fully power right now.
Responsibility
Makarov knew this moment would come. The responsibility that he would have to face due to Fairy Tail's actions, but he didn't hesitate. He knew that they were not in the wrong. The Magic Council, even with the circumstances, would be hard pressed to incriminate and jail three members of the Wizard Saints. They would be furious, but they wouldn't do it, especially when news got out that they were just defending their guild.
Jose was a different matter entirely. Makarov knew that he would likely be stripped of his title and imprisoned immediately; and when news of his behavior got out there would be no going back for him. He'd never be seen again, and if he was it would be in a jail cell by a visitor. Jose had broken the law, and he had broken one of the most sacred. He had committed an outright guild war, and both sides were likely to be punished, no matter the circumstances. Makarov just hoped the fact that he had defended his guild would be enough to guide them out of this mess.
Speaking of defending the guild the next time Makarov saw him he would have to thank Mystogan. That man was truly a lifesaver. He had been capable of finding his Magic and helping Porlyusica restore it. That was something few others could do. It took a lot of skill to be capable of such an extraordinary feat.
Makarov sighed, his mind drifting back to the battle that had ended not too long ago. He looked at his worn out mages. Natsu was unconscious and an ugly scar ran up his right arm. Makarov had no idea how it had gotten there, considering Natsu was supposed to be impervious to flames yet it was obvious it was a burn scar. The sheer possibility that Natsu could be burned, likely by his own flames, was something he had never expected. Makarov then turned to Elfman, a somewhat proud look on his face. No one accurately knew what had happened in the man's fight, but it was obvious he had won. He seemed to be more muscular, and that was why Makarov felt the most concern for him. He was a complete unknown. Lastly, Makarov turned to Naruto and a look of failure stretched across his face. This was perhaps his greatest failure of the entire battle. Naruto had fought valiantly against Jose, and had pushed him in ways that Makarov never would have believed possible. If Naruto was just a little bit stronger he likely would have been capable of winning, however the regenerative power that Shade Magic possessed plus Jose's equal, if not surpassing, skill level and Naruto was bound to lose. He had lost the power that had made him a true force to be feared. Makarov shuddered. He knew Naruto was still powerful but, if a man like Jose managed to defeat him he wondered what would happen if Mito came for them all. He doubted they would be capable of withstanding her furious assault.
Makarov then turned, a visibly shaking Erza sitting in the corner as the Magic Council arrived, beginning the series of arrests. Some Fairy Tail members seemed annoyed, but they didn't fight back. Makarov's words stuck with them. They were not to fight back. It would only make things more difficult for them. Going peacefully may grant them some leniency.
Makarov looked around, searching for the man in charge. He found him in the grown man that walked by, a bored look on his face. Makarov remembered this man. He was a true monster in combat, close to some of the Wizard Saints in power. Makarov frowned when he saw him however. This man was the most powerful man the Magic Council had at their disposal, besides the members of the Four Wizard Saints - who were not really under their control and the seven Generals. He was known as 'The Superhuman Who Transcends Superhumans', Barakiel Katakana.
Makarov walked up to the man, causing Barakiel's eyes to widen. The entire series of events seemed to pause as the duo's eyes met. One was short, old, and dressed like a clown. The complete package of someone who was not to be feared and was a nice old man, at least that was what he looked like. The other was massive, a man even taller than Jura Neekis, who was extremely muscular. An inspiring outfit of white pants with Rune Knight coat draped over his shoulders revealing the deep scares that covered his body. Old, dull, white hair contrasted plainly with lustrous long blue hair that flowed to his ankles.
The two were complete opposites.
Yet Barakiel smiled when he saw Makarov.
"It's nice to see you again...Makarov."
Makarov nodded, "You too Barakiel. I just wish it was on better terms." Barakiel nodded "Yes that would have been preferable, but you know the Council. Always so eager to display some form of force." Makarov narrowed his eyes. "Clearly, they're sending you to take care of regular old mages." Barakiel laughed, his voice resonating throughout the area with how deep it was. "Regular? Fairy Tail and Phantom Lord are the most powerful guilds in all of Fiore. In total there are four Wizard Saints here also. You can't blame the Council. What if you all joined together to rebel?"
"We both know that wouldn't happen."
"But the Council doesn't."
Makarov consented to that, glancing at the duo's surroundings. "So what's going to happen?" Barakiel sighed. "Well people, mostly Phantom Lord mages, will be imprisoned and likely forced to do some form of service depending on the severity of their actions. Jose will obviously be stripped of his title and placed in solitary confinement. The problem is you Makarov."
"Me?"
Barakiel nodded. "Yes, you. The Council is annoyed with the constant buzz around Fairy Tail being destructive-"
"This wasn't our fault and you know it Barakiel!"
"I know Makarov. But, the Council doesn't care. They desire a show of force. I fear they will do something they will end up regretting. I fear they might strip you of your title or force you to step down as the Guild Master." Makarov blinked. "That's all?" Barakiel looked at Makarov oddly. "Yes? Isn't that a problem? Fairy Tail would lose face." Makarov laughed, slapping Barakiel on his knee. He couldn't reach any higher. "I don't give a rats ass about any of that. I think I have a successor who with some grooming could be good one of these days. Besides, being a Wizard Saint is a lot of work. I would prefer to not have to deal with it."
Barakiel shrugged. "I suppose you make a point. Anyway, that's the problem with what they have in mind. The public eye might not be happy about them removing such a well-liked man from power such as yourself. Troubled times are ahead."
Makarov smirked. "We've handled far worse." Barakiel nodded, "I suppose." Makarov then raised his hands, and Barakiel simply waved his hands, cuffs appearing on Makarov's hands. "I am truly sorry Makarov."
"Don't be."
XxX
Makarov stared at the men before him, noticing that they were eerily missing a member. Oh yes, that was right, Shukaku had attacked Era and reduced it to rubble. That would explain why they were currently in Crocus and the King and Princess were currently sitting in on Magic Council business. Era would have to built up once again, and with much better defenses than beforehand.
"Makarov Dreyar, do you have anything to say for yourself in regards to the most recent incident," asked the Chairman. The man was rather tall and plump, however he was not imposing. From the positioning of his body and how he sneered down at Makarov it was easy to tell that he clearly wanted to be recognized as superior to the Guild Master, yet despite Makarov's short stature and scrawny appearance he held much more respect in the room than the chairman ever could, despite controlling the situation.
Makarov simply looked at the Chairman. He didn't respect the tall man in the slightest. Something about him was just off, yet he couldn't say what. But after 88 years of life Makarov simply learned how to read people, and something about the Chairman was just...off.
Of course Makarov still played the game as well as any 88 year old could. By not caring whatsoever. They couldn't disband Fairy Tail, so what was the worst they could do? Jail him? Revoke his title as a member of the Ten Wizard Saints? What did he care? He was an 88 year old man, he would rather appreciate the lack of responsibility. He could get back to his real goal in life.
Getting laid one more time.
"Of course. Fairy Tail was attacked by Jose Porla and his guild Phantom Lord and so we defended ourselves." It was as simple as that, nothing more nothing less. Makarov didn't even bother going into further detail. It wasn't necessary. Barakiel had already sent out a full report and more than that the evidence was in Fairy Tail's favor.
You simply need to look at Gajeel's actions to prove that. Makarov wanted to shake his head. Jose had gotten overconfident, and with overconfidence there came cockiness. At least, when you were unprepared. For someone like Makarov overconfidence was something that had been beaten out of him by Precht. That man was a dangerous man indeed. He had never gotten overconfident; and he had trained Makarov to be the same way.
That in itself was a form of overconfidence wasn't it?
"Attacked," the Chairman stated, sarcasm dripping from his voice. His eyes locked onto Makarov's annoyance shining in his eyes. Makarov simply looked impassively back at the man, not really worried about the possible punishments that could happen. Barakiel had assured nothing what happen to the Fairy Tail guild in its entirety, and therefore he wasn't really worried about any punishment. The Chairman snorted at Makarov's presumed arrogance, attempting to strike fear into his heart. "I could shut down Fairy Tail over this? What do you have to say for yourself?"
Makarov blinked as if he was talking to an idiot before reiterating what he said before...very slowly. "We...were...attacked." Makarov was careful to enunciate every syllable, just in case the Chairman missed it. Makarov wanted to assert the fact that he did not care. He was sick of the Magic Council attempting to save face in front of the populace while actually doing nothing. At times he wondered what they actually did, they barely, if ever, regulated the use of magic. They were supposedly some acting government...but they never stopped any problem. Their "military" was for the most part vastly ineffective, with only Generals and Vice Generals such as Barakiel actually being above the level of your average mage. They were essentially a scientific development group when it came to the fields of magic, and Makarov didn't understand how a group like that could have so much power. They weren't the Zentopia Church for crying out loud. They were an actually powerful group. They were almost as weak as the actual Fiore army.
"...do you understand?" Makarov blinked, realizing that he had completely ignored all of what the Chairman had stated while he was lost in his thoughts. "I'm sorry could you repeat that please?" The Chairman growled, irritated, but he repeated nonetheless. "I stated that something like this will never happen again or I will be disbanding Fairy Tail regardless of who started the incident. You should have differed judgement to us, but you immediately took the matter into your own hands inciting a Guild War, which is clearly forbidden. More so, if this happens again both you and the two other Wizard Saints under your control shall be thrown in jail, are we clear?"
Makarov blinked. "Yeah, sure."
The Chairman, clearly irritated by Makarov's lack of a response simply growled before he nodded and dismissed Makarov. Makarov turned walking away. As he opened the door he saw a chained up Jose walking in, a defeated look on his face. He was to powerless to even look Makarov in the eye. Makarov simply watched him disappear into the chamber, the doors closing behind him. Makarov glanced around briefly, his eyes landing on Gajeel. The Dragonslayer looked up at him, anger on his face.
"What do you want?"
Makarov frowned. "You know that you'll be heading to jail right? You committed worse damage to another guild than your master did, whether or not it was under his orders is irrelevant. You don't have much going for you at this moment." Gajeel growled, his eyes burning with rage at Makarov's assessment. Yet just as he was about to lash Makarov continued speaking. "But I have a use for you. If you'll take me up on it."
Gajeel blinked. "An offer?" Makarov smiled, nodded. "What? Did you think even Fairy Tail didn't have a use for dark mages?"
XxX
Natsu slowly woke up, his eyes blurry and clenched, irritated by the bright light in the room as his enhanced eyes tried to adjust. He tiredly shifted, turning to look at the blonde sitting next to him. "Lucy," he wearily asked, his voice raspy.
"Natsu!" The blonde called, her voices filled with happiness. "I was worried there, you were completely out of it for such a long time. I thought that for a second...for a second that your fight with Gajeel may have put you out of commission permanently." Natsu laughed, slowly sitting up. Lucy tried to force him back down but he waved her off. "You think I would loose in a fight with that metal jackass. Not in a thousand years."
Lucy frowned. "Natsu...do you remember what happened at the end of your fight?" Natsu cocked his head sideways, confused. "Not particularly...why?" Lucy pointed to his right arm, causing Natsu's eyes to widen. The scar was ugly, looking as if his entire right arm had seared itself opened and then he manually closed it with fire, and it was a violent red.
Oh, that and it felt like it was a raging inferno. Natsu clenched his teeth in pain, groaning. Lucy blinked. "Natsu what's wrong? Are you okay?" Natsu almost cried out in pain. "I've never felt a burn like this...not since Igneel trained me. My body is naturally resistance to burns yet I feel all the pain of my arm being on fire." Lucy attempted to reach out to Natsu but he pushed her away gently. "I don't think my body can handle another sensation right now. I might faint again." Lucy's eyes widened. "Does it really hurt that bad? I should go get a doctor!" Natsu shook his head vehemently as she began to stand up. "No! That's the last thing that I want you to do. Doctors don't know how to deal with forms of Lost Magic, much less a form so intense that it burnt up my natural resistance to fire." Lucy frowned, "Natsu are you sure that it burnt up your resistance to fire? Would that really make such an ugly scar? Are you sure it didn't just bypass it completely? Or were the flames simply so intense that your body couldn't handle it?"
Natsu shook his head. "My body was built to have a limiter for how intense the flames I could use. That's how the combination of Naruto's and Igneel's training was. If the flames are too intense my body naturally should shut it down. The only way I could have possibly overpowered that natural barrier without slowly working through it would be if I entered Dragon Force, but I would have felt that slight shift in magic that accompanies a form like that. I don't know what this is...but it's different than my normal flames. More vicious, more concentrated, and much, much more deadly. I need to control it before it controls me."
Natsu then looked up, staring at the nervous Lucy. He had just been droning on, completely forgetting that Lucy was in the room. He had likely worried her, something that was not his desire.
"Sorry Lucy I didn't mean to worry you. I'm sure it's fine. They're just flames right? I'll handle them no problem. My limiter problem just released itself due to how intense the battle with Gajeel was is all. Don't worry, I'm fine." Lucy frowned. She wanted to believe him but the doctor spoke differently. She remembered it clear as day.
(-Flashback-)
"Will he be okay," Lucy asked, desperately looking at the doctor who walked out of the emergency room. The doctor sighed, looking at the teenage girl before nodding. "He'll be fine...but he isn't healthy." Lucy frowned, confused.
"What do you mean," Makarov asked, a dark look on his face. He remembered feeling this sense of worry when Natsu had initially joined the guild. He had a dark power floating about him, and it seemed that the power was returning. He had always thought that Natsu had somehow managed to seal it away or it had just disappeared, a form of conscience magic that found someone else to torment. Clearly he was mistaken.
The doctor sighed. "He shouldn't be capable of using magic for a little while. How he finished the fight with that Gajeel person from Phantom Lord took its toll on his body. It can't heal properly, as you can see by the scar on his right arm. But it's more than that, some form of magical barrier seemed to have been present in his system, one that was restricting his power, at least there are traces of one. Yet from what I can tell that barrier is much weaker, as if a power leaked out of it. I can't definitively say how damaging this could be to him, however whatever it was it formed some form of a tumor in his body. The tumor is slowly decreasing in size, seemingly slowly being burned away by his magic actively fighting against it and that's the inherent problem. His magic is fighting against itself. If he uses his magic again he may be incapable of using his magic ever again. He should be prohibited from using his magic until the problem has gone away."
The news resonated within both Makarov and Lucy. This was much more serious than either could have expected. "His magic is fighting against itself," Lucy muttered. "But if Natsu can't use magic it'll kill him! There has to be something you can do!" The doctor shrugged, he was at an impasse. This particular situation exceeded his expertise. "I can't do much else for him but make him comfortable. If he uses his magic it'll kill him. You can have him come in for regular check-ups, but I can't do much else other than that."
(-Flashback End-)
Lucy looked at Natsu, but held her mouth. She didn't want to be the one to beak the news to him, no, she couldn't be. It would kill her, but more importantly it could kill him. She knew how Natsu was. If he was told he couldn't do something, no matter how grave, it merely made him want to do it more. He was an idiot that way.
That was a risk that she couldn't afford to take.
XxX
Igneel snarled at the creature that slowly tried to bubble it's way into existence through the flames and lava in his domain, insulted at its presence. "I sealed you demon. Go back to hell!"
Igneel's wings slashed open, shattering the volcanoes that housed his massive body. He roared, towers of white and blue flames soaring into the smoke-burned sky. The volcanoes around him erupted, drenching the ground in a sea of bubbling lava. Flames steamed off of Igneel's body, making 'The Fire Dragon King' look twice his actual size. However, the figure rising out of the lava and flames merely laughed, clearly amused by the sight.
"Yes, you sealed me...because you were incapable of defeating me isn't that right?"
Igneel roared, the lava swishing and swirling, become a whirlpool of flame. The figure laughed, the lava beginning to slow. Igneel's eyes widened. "No! You shouldn't have this much power yet!"
The figure laughed as he slowly tried to overpower the dragon. "You aren't needed anymore Igneel. All Natsu needs is me, after all...I'm him." Igneel shook his head defiantly. "I raised that boy. Natsu is nothing like you. You corrupted him!" Lava slowly began to latch itself to the figure, slowly forcing him downwards to where he was previously sealed. The figure merely laughed. "You can't stop me from resurfacing. Natsu will need more than just your power. You aren't strong enough to do what we were created to do. I am however...let me free Igneel and I can end his strife."
Igneel roared, the lava straining before it shoved the figure down underneath the lake of molten rock. Igneel snorted. "Never. Natsu doesn't need you, he doesn't need you ever again. I will never again let you rise. I alone am capable of protecting him..."
With that the mighty dragon known as Igneel slept, and once again continued the transfer of his power into his vessel.
XxX
Daphne looked at the world around her, a frown on her face as she tried to use her magic. "I can't use magic in this dimension. That is quite the setback." Daphne frowned, looking at Isobu. "You will have to train me in using this spear of Erza Knightwalker. I'll have to be at least as strong as she was." Isobu raised his hand, a sphere of water forming before it formed into a spear. Daphne smirked, waving him off. "Calm down Isobu. You're very aggressive. We don't need to train now. For now we have to get that resource you were talking about. That legendary armor...off we are to the castle are we not?"
Isobu merely nodded, his speech restricted due to the armor he was forced to wear. Daphne simply smiled, before she frowned at the area they were in. They were currently on a floating island suspended in the air. She glanced at Isobu. "I suppose you wouldn't have a way to get us out of this predicament would you?"
Isobu was silent.
Daphne sighed. "I expected as much. Dominance Armor still has a lot of kinks that need to be worked out." Daphne then pointed to the island across from them that got closer to the mainland that she could see far away. "Isobu, let's get going." Isobu picked Daphne up, before it launched into the air easily crossing the gap between the islands. Daphne smiled as he landed before shooting off again towards the mainland.
'Soon...oh so soon will I be able to create my own dragon! Edolas has brought me a new hope!'
XxX
Midnight glared at Mard Geer, clearly still annoyed with his training. "You want me to fight Cobra?" Mard Geer nodded, "Yes. Cobra fought Uzumaki Naruto admirably, and if you can beat him you may be the next one we send to test the young child's strength." Midnight frowned. "That seems to easy. Cobra is nowhere near as strong as I am." Cobra snarled at Midnight, poison flaking off of his body. "You care to test that Midnight? I feared you once...but I don't any longer. I've become much stronger through the demons." Midnight didn't even bother responding, merely yawning. "I want to sleep."
Mard Geer watched the two combatants as they began to engage, obviously enjoying the fight. 'Midnight is undoubtedly stronger than Cobra. Cobra doesn't have an Etherious Form yet Midnight does, a true boon to the young man. I wonder why Tartarus believes he will be so useful? Maybe it's because of that Personification Magic that he learned from his 'father'. Still, it should be an interesting fight. Cobra truly is strong...for a mongrel.'
Cobra raised his hand, poison leaking off of it before he set it on the ground. "Poison Dragon's Wave!" The poison suddenly expanded, forming a large wave that rushed towards Midnight. Midnight yawned, merely stepping backwards, yet from the poison exploded Cobra, his hand cloaked in poison. "Poison Dragon's Sharp Horn!"
Midnight merely looked up at Cobra before he smirked as Cobra launched his punch. Then, right before the punch hit Midnight his punched stopped as if halted by some invisible force. Then Midnight cracked before the entire side of his battlefield shattered entirely. Cobra's eyes widened as he landed, yet he didn't panic, instead his eyes turning to his left to see Midnight standing there, a smile on his face.
"You saw through that faster than most do," Midnight commented, praising Cobra. "Let's see if you can get by this." Midnight then raised his right hand in front of him, the glow on his gauntlets brightening. Suddenly a wave of Darkness Magic shot from his hand, surging forwards. Cobra raised an eyebrow at the eerily similar green and white magic, raising his hands as poison leaked off of it before he forcibly twisted his arms, shattering the wave.
"That looked very similar to Brain-sama's magic..." Midnight smirked, his eyes glowing with an ebony magic energy. "Similar? Why that's because it's the very same. These gauntlets...I can absorb a certain quality of people's souls into them thanks to some enchantments on them courtesy of Mard Geer. The quality of my father that I choose to absorb to continue his legacy was perhaps his most powerful, Darkness Magic!" Cobra frowned at Midnight's confidence in his fathers abilities. 'At least he doesn't know why Brain put that seal on each of the members of Oracion Seis. The Council will want to know of this.'
"Well then I've always wanted to face Brain in battle, if this is as good as I'm going to get then so be it!"
Midnight smiled, waving his hand, however no Darkness Magic sprung from his hands. However, Cobra jumped, dodging the energy that made a gash in the ground where he was previously standing. Midnight raised his eyebrows, surprised at the evasion of his attack. "How," Midnight asked, waving his arm faster and faster with every failed attempt. Cobra simply wouldn't stay still, easily avoiding his attacks.
"How, how, how, how how, HOW!"
Cobra glanced at Midnight, briefly pausing his evasion from Midnight's invisible attack. He raised an eyebrow. 'He doesn't really expect me to answer that does he? He was asleep all the damn time, and I don't want one of my trump cards to go away so easily to someone as deranged as him.'
Midnight waved his hands upwards before bringing them down, his attack whipping downwards. Cobra smirked as he heard the wind whistle, dodging the attacks before he disappeared in a burst of speed, appearing next to Midnight at the next moment. Midnight's eyes widened, the movement slipping through his guard.
"I can hear it all," Cobra muttered, launching a punch that slammed into Midnight's cheek, sending him stumbling backwards. Midnight's eyes widened at the contact before he jumped backwards, his wings exploding outwards so that he floated. 'He didn't cloak his hand in poison like I expected...and Reflector doesn't allow me to distort human body parts...damn. But how did he know to do that? I know his fighting style...he'd use poison in that strike. That also doesn't explain why he can dodge invisible attacks like Invisible Scythe. He shouldn't be able to even sense them. Cobra's always been good at dodging but this is insane!'
Cobra looked up at Midnight, a frown on his face as he was reminded of another enemy that could fly that defeated him recently. He truly believed that if those two had fought on the ground he could have won. He was much faster on the ground than he was in the air.
Cobra smirked, "Orchestra!"
Cobra's yell rushed towards Midnight, yet Midnight just smirked, the entire coliseum suddenly becoming eerily quiet. Cobra's eyes widened, tensing his legs as he prepared to move. Midnight then released a shout, the noise emitting across the entire chamber before the ground exploded, shredding as if a vortex was shredding the ground. Cobra frowned, shooting upwards into the sky only for his eyes to widen as the ground suddenly became still. Cobra frowned, forming poison that coated his hands. "Poison Dragon's Shield!" The poison around Cobra's hands grew and coagulated, forming a shield in front of him. The invisible vortex then slammed into the shield, shattering it yet it stopped the attack. As the vortex dispelled an intense sound of Cobra's yelling rocked throughout the entire chamber. Cobra frowned at the sound, glaring at Midnight. 'He's capable of manipulating physical and nonphysical attacks like poison and sound. I can only keep up with him because I can hear his thoughts...damn! He's strong. We're effectively at a standstill here.'
Cobra glared at Midnight, his purple scaly arms bulging. Cobra formed a claw shape with both hands, the claws on his hands only enhancing the lethality of the form. "You know Midnight...the thing about being a Second-Generation Dragonslayer like myself is the fact that I am always in Dragon Force whenever I use my Dragonslayer Magic. That already enhances my magical power...my durability...my natural abilities. What this means is that you're essentially fighting me at my best right now and I respect the fact that we're at a standstill."
Midnight snorted, waving his hands once more. The air suddenly refracted intensely, forming a dragon of air that whipped about around him. "Dragon of Air!" Cobra heard a roar before he jumped, dodging the invisible dragon, frowning as he saw fang marks on the ground. He noticed as the ground shifted slightly, raising his hand. "Orchestrator!" Green energy slowly flowed around Cobra before it lashed out, a mixture of sounds that filled the chamber flowing behind it. The two attacks collided, cancelling one another out, however Midnight followed up immediately, refracting the area around Cobra. Yet Cobra countered just as instantly, forming poison around his feet to blast forwards and out of the pocket Midnight created, quickly avoiding suffocation due to Midnight forcing the air from the area. Midnight frowned, trying a similar tactic, however instead of moving the air away from Cobra he forced it inwards, trying to bisect the man with air blades. Cobra jumped, avoiding the blades before he spun, slowly flipping upside-down.
"Poison Dragon's Spiral Jaw!"
Cobra flipped towards Midnight, poison coating his feet before he lashed out with a kick towards Midnight's head. Yet suddenly the poison reacted violently, grabbing Cobra's leg and attempting to fling him away from Midnight, yet Cobra reached out at the last second, grabbing Midnight and bringing the young man on with him, both of them smashing into a wall.
Mard Geer clapped, eager to see the battle continue. "Good good," Mard Geer stated, happy with the battle. "This is about what Mard Geer expected. Two young youths with bright promise battling it out. Of course Mard Geer could take you on by himself by that is beyond the point." Mard Geer blinked as his arrogance went ignored by both Cobra and Midnight, the duo continuing their intense battle, both trying to figure out a way to land a solid blow on the other.
Cobra's eyes widened before he jumped upwards, dodging Midnight's Spiral Pain attack, the vortex of distorted air merely shredding the ground to pieces before sending it flying towards Cobra. Cobra easily caught some of the pieces, sending them flying towards Midnight with powerful kicks. Midnight rolled his eyes, stretching his hands out and jumping forwards, bisecting the rock down the middle before he grabbed each of the sides and flung them to behind them, whistling in the process. An intense bullet of distorted sound rushed toward Cobra, yet he merely raised his hand. "Sound Wall."
The bullet impacted off of the wall, smashing into it, the two negating each other. Midnight frowned, raising his gauntlets once again. "Dark Delete!"
From Midnight's gauntlets sprang an endless barrage of spheres comprised of Darkness Magic, each rotating wildly. Cobra rolled his eyes, quick jabs coated in poison dispelling each attack. Midnight growled, swinging his hands rapidly, more spheres of Darkness Magic shooting wildly from them. Cobra's eyes widened as the attacks picked up their pace and had less and less thought behind each attack. It was becoming harder for him to defend without the guidance of Midnight's thoughts to tell him the precise plans he was trying to lay out.
Plans that Cobra knew he had to keep negating.
XxX
Ullr nodded at Gray, clearly pleased with his progress. "You've improved, I won't deny you that. You're making some serious progress. You're actually using one spell the way it's supposed to be used." Gray's eyebrow twitched. Ullr had been training him for a while now, and he'd learned quite the number of spells. Even without his Ice-Make Magic he still had an entire arsenal of new magic at his disposal. He found the fact that he was only using one spell correctly quite annoying.
Ullr noticed Gray's annoyance but rolled his eyes. "I don't care about your meager desires to prove me wrong. You haven't progressed as much as you like to believe you have. Ur however, she was true specimen. Someone truly capable of making a change. Shame she died to Deliora. That bitch always was a handful." Gray paused, looking at Ullr, his magic leaking off of him despite his attempts to hold it in. Ullr merely met Gray's eyes, slightly unnerved. It was an...exhilarating feeling. Gray had never been capable of making him actually fear, and yet with this one comment on his old teacher and the demon that took her away he had his full attention, and he was quite the scary young man.
He truly did represent the tundra quite well.
"What do you mean? You knew Deliora?" Ullr nodded. "Gray this entire area you're in right now is my domain. Of course I knew Deliora. I battled with the Demon King's slut several times. She's quite the formidable opponent." Gray snarled at Ullr, clearly irritated with the Gods words. "Then why didn't you STOP him!"
"Her," Ullr clarified. "And because, as much as it angers me to admit it, Deliora is beyond me. That demon is very powerful, likely one of the most powerful demons Zeref has ever created. She proved that when she forced my strongest student to seal her instead of killing her." Gray snarled, magic leaking off of his body. He quickly formed a blade with his Ice-Make Magic holding it up to Ullr's throat in an easy movement. Ullr raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't you stop Ur from fighting Deliora?"
Ullr snorted. "You expected me to stop her? Ignoring the fact that Gods have laws that forbid us from interfering with our Apostle's affairs there is also the fact that it wouldn't have mattered. Deliora has more control over ice than even I do. She is a formidable foe. Ur and I together likely would have been incapable of defeating her. Ur defeated her with a spell that I cannot use due to not having a replacement for my position yet."
Gray looked at Ullr, the rage in his body not being stemmed from the Gods words. "You're telling me that you didn't fight with your disciple because you were afraid!" Ullr shook his head. "I did not fight with Ur because it wouldn't have mattered. It would have been a grievous loss of life for everyone. Ur was one of the strongest mages in Fiore at the time anyways, easily on par with a Wizard Saint and even she fell to Deliora's power. The Demons from the Book of Zeref are not to be trifled with. Only the Gods have any chance of stopping their power."
Gray snarled, white ice swirling around the duo. Ullr frowned at the display of power. It wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't what he needed. He couldn't craft Gray into an Apostle, his Apostle, with power such as that. It would take much more power, much more finesse for the child to ever stand a chance of weakening the monstrosity that was Deliora. She was one of the Four Realms for a reason after all. "You mentioned Apostle's," Gray muttered. "I assume that means that you are the student of a God." Ullr raised an eyebrow.
"Yes that is true, what does it matter?"
"Turn me into one."
Ullr blinked, before he laughed out loud. Gray was falling for his plans better than he ever expected. The child was simply so volatile, so easy to manipulate. The darkness inside of him was such a powerful thing that it controlled his emotions, and Gray's emotions were king over him. It was likely due to the creative nature of Ice-Make Magic because it required him to be creative, and creativity stemmed partially from emotion. Ullr almost shook his head. He would get bored if it was this easy. Gray would be so easy to dispose of once his job was over.
"I have already explained to you that you lack the capability to become one. You simply aren't made of what Ur was."
Gray snarled, stabbing his sword into the ground as his magic flared, forming a powerful aura around him that formed into a knight, the body whiter than snow and its weapons a deep ice blue that was more true than the arctic. He glared at Ullr, the aura slowly shifting as the weapon raised its blade. Ullr smirked at the display of power. If this was Gray's true capabilities he had improved more than he had given him credit for. To be able to form his own aura, and use it to such a level subconsciously was a fear of its own.
"I can try I suppose," Ullr stated. Gray's aura calmed itself slowly shrinking back into the boys body. Ullr then gave Gray a serious look. He wasn't being manipulative now. He was being honest. "I will not lie to you though. The training will likely be the most painful thing that you have ever experienced. Are you sure that you are ready to deal with the consequences of this? You will not walk out the same way that you entered."
Gray's eyes resonated the confidence that he felt. He was determined to live up to his masters memory and vanquish Deliora once and for all. He couldn't believe that the beast was dead. It didn't feel right in his gut. He wouldn't believe it until he saw the beasts life snuffed out right before his eyes.
"I knew the consequences when I began. I don't give a damn about that. Just give me the power to make it end. Give me the power to kill Deliora."
XxX
The Chairman stared down at Jose, a frown on his face. "We had high hopes for you Jose, you know this," the Chairman stated as Jose finished explaining his side of the story. It completely contradicted the story told by Makarov, yet due to Makarov's much higher prestige and reputation for honesty, plus all of the testimonies he had read over, he didn't really have much of a choice but to believe the short, elderly wizard. "That was the only reason you were let out of jail in the first place. Because Yajima here believed you could change." The shortest member of the Magic Council snapped upwards at that, finally paying attention to the Chairman. He hadn't actually been paying attention because this didn't involve him. The Council had met together and established their verdicts already, they were simply going through formalities, and as such the majority of them weren't actively paying attention, simply listening to the Chairman speak as background noise. However, upon realizing that the conversation had only referenced him he quickly lost interest. He didn't care about what happened to Jose. They had already he would be going to jail, permanently.
Jose opened his mouth but the Chairman raised his hand, effectively shutting Jose up. "I don't want to hear it Jose. I merely want a single answer, did you really think that you would get away with it?" Jose didn't get a chance to answer, the Chairman motioning to Barakiel. The large man walked over, easily hefting Jose onto his shoulders, smirking at the rage in the mans eyes. He glanced at the mans shackles, noticing how they glowed. He laughed.
"You're trying to use magic when you know that it won't work. That is quite the funny thing there my friend. How interesting you are."
Barakiel then looked at the Chairman who sighed. "Transfer Jose to The Compound. He is never to see the light of day again." Barakiel nodded, turning on his heel and walking away from the Chairman opening the door. As the man strutted out of the door he glanced at Gajeel, questioning the pensive look on the teenagers face. The teen was looking at a note in his hands, one that was not there when Barakiel left. Barakiel merely raised an eyebrow, questioning how the teen had achieved a note when they were in a restricted area of the castle, at least as it was not.
'It must have been someone already in the area. Maybe a Council member had a message personally delivered to him? I wonder what that's about.'
"You're up kid. Go inside." Gajeel nodded, standing, his hands bound my magic sealing stones as he walked inside the room. Barakiel snapped his fingers, using his rather bad Telekinesis to close the doors. When they were sealed he nodded, walking towards the door, keeping Jose on his shoulder all the while. He wasn't allowed to show favorites during times such as these, at least not through his words. However, actions were a very different manner, and if demeaning Jose like this was something he was allowed to do then he would savor it.
XxX
Gajeel glanced at the Council, his eyes carefully watching the Council members heatedly discuss what they were going to do with him. From how quick Jose's session was it seemed like they had already come to a decision about his old master, however they had not come to one about him clearly. He likely wouldn't get as harsh of a punishment due to him acting under orders, but it would likely be severe. That was where Makarov came into play.
As the Chairman argued with Jellal, clear annoyance in his eyes at the young mans persistence to see Gajeel placed under something called Project D2 Gajeel cleared his throat, gaining the attention of everyone in the room. The Chairman's hard eyes looked at Gajeel, clearly annoyed with the mages interruption. The King merely eyed Gajeel, a bored interest sparking in his eyes.
"Do you have something to say Gajeel Redfox," the Chairman stated. "I believe we have grasped enough of the situation from your old master if that is what you are attempting to defend. There is no reason for you to defend his lies. They are hollow and pointless." Gajeel snorted. He had no such intention. He knew that Jose would be thrown in jail. It was the only possible solution that would occur. No, he didn't care about that. He wouldn't have defended the man even if he wasn't going to be thrown in jail because it would have been fruitless to do so. No, instead he would fight for his own freedom, with a deal that a fairy had given him.
"I was not going to talk about Master Jose," Gajeel stated, gaining the attention of the room. The Chairman raised an eyebrow. "Then what is it you were going to say, I hope it is of some importance rather than wasting our time to see if you'll get a lighter sentence just to get you out of this room."
"It is not that I assure you Chairman. No, Makarov Dreyar wrote me a letter when he left this chamber. He said I should give it to you directly."
The Chairman raised an eyebrow but nodded, waving his hand. The letter floated out of Gajeel's hand before it gently flew over to the Chairman's, the plump man holding the letter before he carefully read it. His face twisted several times as his emotions raged, however eventually it settled onto one of pure outrage.
"That man oversteps his boundaries, even for a Wizard Saint," the Chairman commented. "He dares ask this of me, despite the fact that I have already gifted him his guild, his title, his reputation, and most importantly no punishment? He truly does not know limits. I should reject this merely because of that fact alone." Gajeel paled, fearing for his own freedom in that moment. Makarov had bought him a way out of whatever misfortune the Magic Council would have placed upon him, and to see it slip away due to the Chairman's anger was frightening. From the way the conversation had been going before, the young, blue haired man seemed to be gaining headway on convincing the Chairman to transfer him to whatever this Project D2 was.
"However," the Chairman stated, raising Gajeel's hopes. "I can see the benefit of this. However, instead of merely reporting to him you are to report to me, monthly, am I understood? And whatever I say overrules what he says, am I clear?" Gajeel nodded his head, his eyes at the ground. It was quite the exaggeration of his gratefulness but he didn't want to take any chances.
The Chairman sighed and waved the Dragonslayer along. "Go now Dragonslayer. Go find me a raven."
Gajeel nodded and rushed off, eager to leave the room before the Chairman changed his mind. The Chairman looked back at the letter, annoyed at the power Makarov had used to force his hand.
"That old man," he muttered, rage barely contained in his voice. "This meeting is adjourned! Return to your dwellings!"
XxX
Mirajane sat next to Elfman, her eyes filled with worry as she held his hand. The white haired teen was still unconscious due to the strain on his system that using a Full-Body Takeover had forced him to endure. Mira could only frown, the tears in her eyes slowly falling onto Elfman's hand.
"I'm so sorry Elfman," the girl whispered, her lip quivering. She shook her head before looking at the ground. "This is my fault. If I had just been more capable than I could have defeated Jose and helped you. If I had been a better sister than I could have helped you use a Full-Body Takeover successfully."
Mirajane shook her head, her tears shattering once they hit the floor. She could only shake her head, disappointed in herself as she closed her eyes. A hand gently rested on her shoulder, giving her a comforting squeeze. Her eyes opened as she looked upwards. Her vision was blurry but she would recognize that body shape anywhere.
"Sasuke."
Sasuke looked at the white haired beauty, his face accurately finding her location despite his blindness. He merely said nothing, sitting down next to her and letting her cry into his shoulder. He merely rubbed her shoulder as she wept, confiding her problems in him. Sasuke kissed the top of her head, his fully hugging her as she cried.
"He'll be fine Mira...he'll be fine. Elfman is strong. You can make it better when he wakes up."
Mirajane just continued to cry. Sasuke looked at her, the darkness in his vision sending a surge of anger up his being as he realized that he couldn't see her beautiful face, that he couldn't truly see her in her time of weakness. He couldn't make it better. Sasuke closed his eyes, taking a small comfort in his natural blindness. He could only pray that he would eventually gain his eyesight back somehow with the help of magic.
In that room were three people, one destined to be a warring animal, one destined to live the duality of angel and demon, and the last a broken shell of a man, destined to die protecting those that he loved.
XxX
Tartarus glanced at Deliora, an amused look on his face. "You're going already?" Deliora nodded, stroking the demons face. "I don't want to my love...but I must cleanse the perversion I feel. Ullr has stepped beyond his bounds. He can be revived that much I can allow, but I refuse to allow him to train a student to kill me." Tartarus merely raised an eyebrow. "Ur was perhaps the strongest opponent you have ever faced in a serious fight. Do you really think he old student can kill you?" Deliora snorted.
"Kill me? No, you misunderstand. I'm not going there to kill someone who will soon be a threat. I going there for revenge."
Tartarus looked at his lover, a confused look on his face however he nodded nonetheless. "I see. Just remember that Ullr was a God of Hunting for a reason. He will know when you arrive long before you realize where he is. He is a powerful False God. Do not toy with him. Remember, despite your power you are not a God." Deliora smirked at her lover.
"God? No, I am not. I'm something far more terrifying," Deliora commented.
"I am the 'Warden of the North,'" Deliora whispered, her voice chillingly low. Tartarus smirked. "Go my warden. Show them that you rule the domain of ice." Deliora smiled before he body broke down into shards of ice that were carried away by the wind. Tartarus laughed as she went away. "Warden you are," he stated, before his magical power erupted like a volcano, turning the surrounding area into a molten swampland. Tartarus walked on his black lava, smiling as the the entire world around him combusted into a raging, black inferno.
"You are still nothing to a Primordial."
Tartarus then turned, eager to face his opponent.
XxX
Barakiel walked, cracking his neck as he continued his slow march towards The Compound, Jose silently walking in front of him, the now-bald man's form drained and weakened. Barakiel sighed, raising his hand. The Rune Knights around the man stopped, which made Jose pause. A Rune Knight looked at Barakiel, confusion written all over his face.
"Why are we stopping sir?" Barakiel frowned, closing his eyes. "Lahar, continue the march. I will deal with our uninvited guest." Lahar raised an eyebrow. "Uninvited guest? Sir I'm afraid I don't know what you're talking about." Barakiel flashed Lahar a grim smile.
"You shouldn't. Now keep moving, that is a direct order understood? And send a message to the Chairman while you're at it. Tell him to send at least two Generals to The Compound, debatably three. We can't have the most powerful threats the Council has ever seen all managing to get loose in one fell swoop can we?"
Lahar nodded, although he was still confused as he ordered the Rune Knights to march, taking Jose with them. Lahar glanced back at Barakiel. "Sir if I may ask, what requires the presence of two of the seven Generals? You are the strongest mage the Magic Council has at its disposal, the General Etherion. What could possibly cause you to be so worried?"
Barakiel merely smiled, but he said nothing, merely waving Lahar off. Lahar moved. Barakiel stood still for several minutes, waiting until the two were out of sight, Lahar wisely using several mages Teleportation Magic to increase the distance between the group and Barakiel quickly.
"Thank you for not slaughtering my men."
A man walked out from the trees, a smile on his face. "I am not so cruel as to murder woman and children." Barakiel raised an eyebrow. "Woman and children? And what does that make me?" The man laughed. "You? Why you are a significantly large insect that guards my way to one who may grow to be powerful. I need him back."
Barakiel laughed, his magic power shining around him, barely controlled. "Allow this bug to show you how large it is then." The man smiled. "Then let us begin shall we? Oh, but you should know, my name...is Tartarus. I am the dungeon of torment and suffering for the wicked."
Barakiel cracked his knuckles. "Good. I always like to know the name of those I'm about to kill." Tartarus raised an eyebrow. "Shall you not introduce yourself Barakiel? Or should I say the 'Angel of Lightning'?"
Barakiel laughed, amusement in his voice. "If you only know me for my lightning," the man said, his muscles surging as one could see the faded marks of a surgical implantation on his chest. "Then you are going to die a slow and painful death." Tartarus laughed, waving his hand. A storm of black fire flew forwards causing Barakiel's eyes to widen. He quickly doused his hands in powerful blue lightning, carving straight through the fire, not letting it touch him. His body suddenly shifted into a spear of blue lightning that flew towards Tartarus, yet the man simply jumped away, landing where Barakiel had previously been standing. Barakiel stood, looking at Tartarus.
The two had essentially switched places.
'He's dangerous,' Barakiel thought. 'I hadn't felt the build up of magical power for that strike of his. It was so powerful to, easy comparable to some of my high-tier Lightning Spells. What's more I can't tell how much magic he has. I can barely even sense it yet it's so immense. I might have to use the blessings granted to me by Project D2 to even come close to stopping this man.'
Tartarus raised his hand. "World of Ash."
A literal whirlwind of flaming fury five stories high rushed towards Barakiel, spitting large fireballs in every direction. Barakiel frowned, before he simply breathed deeply. Then he opened his eyes, his face void of any emotion whatsoever. Tartarus' eyes widened, and he immediately sheathed himself in a cloak of black fire, just in time as a powerful storm of blue lightning struck him from behind. Tartarus glared, a storm of fire racing towards that spot, however he heard nothing. Growling the man turned away, trying to pinpoint where Barakiel would strike next.
Stealth was truly an insufferable magic. A magic capable of completely concealing the users presence, effectively negating all the senses of a mage. They could not be seen, heard, smelled, or even sensed. It was as if they never existed to begin with.
Tartarus smirked however. He could deal with this development. An explosion of bright flames seared high into the sky, sending light in every direction before Tartarus sent it out in an omni-direction wave. Barakiel's eyes widened at the sheer power, however his eyes widened even further as Tartarus appeared in front of him, fist cocked back.
"Boo," the man said, lashing out with a punch that landed squarely on Barakiel's jaw, nearly breaking it under the force before it sent Barakiel flying through dozens of trees. Barakiel flipped midair as he smashed through his latest tree, ricocheting off of a tree as he shot towards Tartarus like a bullet. Tartarus raised a hand, a smirk on his face, yet Barakiel waved his hand, causing Tartarus' eyes to widen as blood shot from his mouth, splattering against the ground.
"What?" Tartarus managed to cough out before Barakiel's fist slammed into his face, sending Tartarus flying himself. However, unlike Tartarus, Barakiel was not overconfident and quickly followed up, not risking the man living after that attack.
"Sea King Dragon's Roar!"
A colossal vortex sprang from Barakiel's mouth, the vortex dwarfing all of the attacks used by the two combatants thus far and submerging the entire area as the high-pressure water shredded everything to paste. By the time the attack came to an end it looked like a natural disaster had taken place there. Barakiel surveyed the entire area, looking for Tartarus. When he failed to find him he quickly built up magic, his eyes lighting up with magic before storm clouds gathered over head.
"Wrath of God!"
Several massive thunderbolts shot down from the heavens, repeatedly striking the water. As the water evaporated from the immense heat Barakiel looked for Tartarus through the steam, yet he failed to find him once more. Barakiel nodded to himself, assuming that he had merely shredded the man to pieces before he shot off, quickly moving to find Lahar.
As Barakiel got out of sight Tartarus emerged, glowering at the itch he felt on his side.
"That bastard actually caught me unawares," Tartarus muttered. "No matter. I am stronger than him. That was his strongest combination likely...and I took it head on. The Magic Council has quite a few dirty tricks, to train a mage with Black Magic at their disposal, however it matters not. I am the apex of Master Zeref's creations. I can handle him and anything else the Council tries to throw my way."
Tartarus smiled as he felt the ping on Barakiel's energy. "Thank you for pinging him Kyoka. We will deal with him later. In the meantime, we have a Chairman to visit do we not?" Kyoka looked at her master, bowing low. "It was my pleasure." Tartarus smiled, lightly touching the female demons shoulder before they disappeared in a plume of flame.
XxX
The man glanced up into the sky frowning as the relatively large rift grew even larger. He glared, immediately moving as the storm overhead grew due to the rift. The man could see the magic in the sky slowly being drained into the portal. The man growled, glancing at the rubble around the area. Slamming one of his five staves into the ground. The staff immediately started firing a beam of magic into the sky. The rift in space-time immediately slowed, albeit barely. The trail of magic became slightly slower. The man immediately kept moving, refusing to get fascinated in the rain that had picked up its pace despite his efforts. The man prepared to slam another staff down before he glanced to his side, immediately pointing the staff in that direction. The mage quickly whispered an incantation, sending a blast of Sleep Magic in the direction of the person. He didn't mean to be so aggressive in his actions, however he couldn't afford to wait with the rift beginning to fight off the effects of his first staff. Clearly his father was more determined to draw more magic power into the area.
The man slammed his staff into the ground, preparing to move, however he quickly had to raise his staff, blocking a punch that sent him skidding backwards.
"You're in my way," the man said. Akira blinked. "I didn't think I'd find you so easily. Mito-sama had suggested that you'd be hard to find. I came back here on the odd whim that a rift might have appeared her due to Daphne being transported to Edolas from here, and it looks like my whim was correct."
The man frowned. "Mito...you are with Mito Uzumaki then. That makes you my enemy." Akira raised an eyebrow. "You know Mito-sama? No, that doesn't make sense. She doesn't know you. You must know the Uzumaki or the Uchiha." The man was silent, drawing another staff from his holder. Holding his two staves the man quickly weaved through seals midair. Akira's eyes widened before he shot forwards, yet he was to slow. The man had practiced these movements for many years trying to get to the level of an S-class mage so he could travel without supervision.
"Two-Layered Magic Circle: White Lightning!"
Two magic formulas appeared before the man, one purple, the other yellow before a powerful bolt of lightning tore through both of them. Akira's eyes widened, quickly spinning on his heel before he cocked his arm back. "Pressure Shot!"
Akira launched his fist forwards, a blast of pressure shooting forwards and slamming into the lightning. The blast seemed to overpower the lightning, forcing the man to jump away in fear of getting struck by the powerful attack. The man landed behind Akira, yet the teen turned, electricity coursing through his body as he shot off, fist cocked back. As Akira launched his punch the man grabbed his other staff, easily swatting Akira's punch to the side before he spun his staff, clacking it against Akira's temple painfully.
Akira groaned as he stumbled backwards, his vision swimming from the powerful hit, however the man didn't give him any respite, his five staves floating in front of him as he weaved through handseals midair, slowly forming magic formulas around Akira. Akira's eyes widened. "Five-Layered Magic Circle: Sacred Song!" The multiple magic formulas shot a beam of concentrated magic power downwards, yet Akira raised his hand upwards. "Pressure Pulse!"
The second the beam touched Akira's hand a wave of pressure shot into the beam, destablizing it and causing it to prematurely explode. The explosion hurt Akira, yet it was much less than the actual attack would have done so. The man growled, jumping backwards, barely avoiding a kick that shattered the ground. "You're going to be annoying," the man said. Akira raised an eyebrow. "I just remembered. I don't know your name."
"My name is irrelevant." Akira frowned, looking at the cloth covering the mans face. "Maybe if I knock that mask off your face I'll know your name...wanna give it a try?"
"One-Layered Magic Circle: Emerald Spark!"
The man twirled one of his staves before pointing it directly at Akira. From the staff a bolt of emerald lightning shot off. Akira snorted at the pathetic attack, preparing to swat it away. The man smirked, slamming his a different staff onto the ground. "Two-Layered Magic Circle: Imprisoning Shine!"
Akira's eyes widened as the emerald bolt of lightning fractured into several smaller ones. Akira's eyes widened as he shot away, avoiding one of the emerald spears of lightning. However another arrow whizzed by his head, nearly striking him. Akira's eyes widened as he shot to the side, barely dodging three more of the spears before he cocked an arm back, preparing to shatter the bolts. Yet before he could an emerald bolt wrapped around his body. The jolt it sent into his body was minimal, for he was used to more powerful voltage when he was training, however the emerald bolt quickly moved, wrapping around his entire body. Akira groaned as the bindings tightened, all of the emeralds spears either piercing through him or wrapping around him tightly.
"An effective countermeasure to your speed," the man stated before he smirked. "I'm afraid this fight is over. Five-Layered Magic Circle: Bolt Hammer!" Five magic seals appeared throughout the area, all directed at an angle that pointed them at Akira. The storm above the due immediately gave way under the influence of the magic, the magic being drawn from the rift, redirected downwards due to its new purpose. Small trickles of lightning flowed forwards, rushing through the magic formulas before they joined together, forming a massive bolt of lightning that roared to life. The massive bolt of lightning shattered downwards, evaporating rain on its way down. Akira could only watch as the bolt struck true, charging him full of electricity, however instead of screaming in pain like the man expected Akira merely closed his eyes.
"What is he doing," the man pondered, confused. As the bolt faded away Akira merely shrugged off his bindings as if they were nothing, getting the man's eyes to widen. "How are you doing that? You couldn't break them a second ago."
Akira cracked his neck, opening his eyes as he glared at the man, his eyes glowing with barely restrained, blue magical power. "Thunder King's Storm!" The man's eyes widened as Akira disappeared, a fierce blue flash being the only thing that remained of his position. The man narrowed his eyes, attempting to block out as much of the intense light as possible before his mouth opened in intense pain. He tried to scream but found he couldn't, the intense spasming of his body not allowing him to do so. Blood shot from his mouth, straining the inside of his mask, before it was snapped shut by a fist coated in roaring blue lightning. Akira cocked his leg back before he spun, launching his kick forwards.
"Rapid King!"
Akira's kick struck true, however before the man's body was sent flying Akira managed to land seven more kicks, kicking the mans chest and face each time before he shot off from the combined force behind the attack, smashing into a tree. Akira stood, looking at the man with disappointment.
"You were challenging for a moment, but it seems even you fell before me. Now, how do I unlock that rift?"
Akira walked forwards, however the man rose, steadying himself on one of his staves. Akira raised an eyebrow. "You're still able to stand? Impressive. That usually puts out most enemies. You truly are powerful. But you still can't beat me." The man glared at Akira, his five staves slowly beginning to float around him. "Let's see about that," the man muttered, magic flowing from each of his staves before he waved his hands.
"Five-Layered Magic Seal: Natures Rampage!"
XxX
Naruto groaned, faintly hearing his name being called as he woke up. He slowly opened his eyes, a mop of red and brown covering his vision as his name resonated through his entire body. He slowly realized who he was.
"..to! Naruto!"
"You don't have to yell Erza," he whispered out, his voice hoarse. Erza frowned at him, her head directly above his. The light shone down on her, giving her hair a beautiful glow that seemed to illuminate not only it but also her skin. "I was worried about you, you idiot," Erza muttered. Naruto smiled, slowly raising a hand to touch her cheek. "Hey, there's no reason for that. I'm invincible remember?" Erza pouted childishly. "Invincible my ass. You lost to Jose."
Naruto rolled his eyes, Erza sitting back down once again. She grabbed a glass of water, handing it to Naruto who was slowly sitting up. He took it from her, nodding his head in thanks. He slowly drank, his eyes never once leaving Erza's as she looked at him. He carefully set the glass down before he sighed.
"I thought you were mad at me."
"I was."
Naruto blinked. "So you're here because..." Erza sighed at the blonde before she looked at him as one would look at a child. "Oh I don't know, maybe because you're my boyfriend or something. Maybe because I care about you. Maybe because you got into a deadly fight, that you lost."
Naruto frowned. "But I also ended up blinding Sasuke."
"And you've also saved pretty much everyone in the guilds life by distracting Jose long enough to allow Master to arrive. You definitely saved Mira's life. You've done all you could to protect the guild. There is nothing that could make me angry enough to forget all of that."
Naruto smiled softly. "I suppose I do do some pretty awesome stuff on a daily basis."
"More like you attract problems that the rest of us have to clean up."
Naruto gave off a light chuckle before he looked at the redhead seriously. "How are you holding up though? You took a strong attack." Erza frowned, memories of the Jupiter Cannon and...other events flooding through her mind as she remembered the Phantom Lord incident. She had tried to forget the incident with Aria but...she just couldn't. It was...to much for her to deal with. She knew she had to confide in someone, and Naruto was likely the person he knew how to best deal with her situation but she was just...she was so sick of having to rely on other people. She couldn't burden him any longer.
So she plastered on the fake smile that she had grown accustomed to wearing in the Tower and nodded. "I'm fine. The attack was rough but I just needed some rest before I was back on my feet ya know?"
Naruto frowned, noticing the fake smile instantly. He used to be a shinobi, and certain skills just didn't go away no matter how much you wanted them too. Being a liar detector against bad liars was one of those things, yet he didn't pry. It wasn't his place. He knew Erza. She was strong and could deal with her own problems. If she really needed his help she would come to him. It was just how she was.
"Erza," Naruto muttered, looking at her in the eye. The redheads eyes perked up, real emotions filling them once more, the thoughts of Aria suppressed once again for the time being. The whispers of a murderer disappearing. "I want you to remember that I love you alright." Erza smiled at the thought, warm emotions flooding her. "I know you idiot, you don't have to tell me that." Naruto frowned, reaching over and grabbing Erza's hand, squeezing it tightly.
Sympathetically.
"No Erza I mean it. I love you, and that comes with all the problems and benefits of that." Erza smiled, lowering her head. Naruto leaned forwards, lifting her chin gently before he kissed her lightly. Then he rested his forehead against yours.
"I will never let you go through anything alone. No matter what happens, I'm here for you. You can trust me with anything."
Erza smiled, lightly whispering. "I know." Naurto smiled, simply enjoying the intimacy between the two. Slowly, time passed between the two of them, yet they didn't feel awkward whatsoever. They simply enjoyed the others presence. Then, Erza broke it.
"Hey Naruto?"
"Yeah?"
"I love you too."
XxX
Crawford Seam was a tired man, one who did not appreciate surprises. That was why he was not happy in the slightest with a man exploding in a plume of black flames into his room, a woman by his side.
"Who are you," the Chairman asked aloud, fear rushing into his eyes. "Guards!" Tartarus laughed. "Don't bother calling those buffoons, I've already had them handled." Crawford stepped away from the man in the shadows, a primal fear telling him to run away from this monster coursing through his veins. Tartarus stepped towards Crawford. "Do you know how powerful the Magic Council is," Tartarus asked, a smile on his face. Crawford blinked, confused. "What are you talking about? I'm the Chairman of the Magic Council." Tartarus smiled as Kyoka walked around Crawford, sensually sliding her hands across his back as she did so.
"Yes exactly," Tartarus stated. "You're the Chairman of the Magic Council and therefore all decisions are made by you. You can be advised, by ultimately you make the decision. You hold the most political power." Crawford frowned, already understanding where the man was headed. He refused to betray the sanctity of the Magic Council however, he wouldn't dare betray the King and Fiore.
Tartarus smiled. "I know what you're thinking. You won't betray Fiore, but the thing is...the second you let me in this room. You already had." Crawford tried to retort before his body was wracked with a horrible pain. He tried to scream, but found he couldn't. He looked behind him, pain thundering through his entire body with every movement. Kyoka smiled, a finger up to her lips. "We can't have you making any noise now can we," she whispered.
Tartarus smiled. "Deal with him Kyoka. I have a king and princess to visit."
I hope you guys are happy with this chapter. Originally it was supposed to be a lot longer. Levy and Cana were gonna be explored, along with Akira reaching Edolas and what Daphne's most exact plans were, but I realized the chapter was getting really goddamn long so I decided to just cut it off here, so if it sounds a bit off it's because of that. Now, also I hope you all were paying attention to that scene with Crawford. It had always pissed me off how in the manga he was just supposed to be hella loyal to Tartarus for absolutely fuck-all reason. Mind-control and greed was really the only reason I could come up with, and in my opinion, unless written really well that's a really lame way to manipulate someone who should be good into doing bad shit. So I had him threatened by Tartarus himself. More on the topic of Tartarus you are all likely wondering who Barakiel (who by the way is stronger than Makarov, but is not God Serena level) is able to match someone like Tartarus. Let me be very clear, Barakiel knows Black Magic. The Magic Council's darker side will be coming more into play now, but I'll just simply state that Barakiel knows Dark Magic and is a member of Project D2 and he took Tartarus by surprise. Tartarus fled because he wanted to plan properly and Kyoka had pinged Barakiel, because they don't know where The Compound actually is. Trust me, when the assault on The Compound comes, you'll finally get the scale for Tartarus' true strength, along with Erebus. Onto the Mystogan fight, let me be very clear. Akira got a hell of a lot stronger by training under Mito, and that's why he's capable of fighting on S-class level. He will be fighting Natsu/Gray again (not sure who yet) so be prepared for that. On the topic of Gray, I hope I got you guys hype with that foreshadowing. That will be an epic fight with Deliora. And lastly, Natsu. I have a more complex plot of his relationship with E.N.D., Igneel, and himself in this story, and I borrowing ideas from pretty much all over the place and manipulating them to make it work. So I hope that you all enjoy the ride with him.
