Battle was Mirajane's ultimate contradiction. She hated the idea of fighting but understood the necessity of it. It's also what she's really good at.
Wearing Halphas, Mirajane rushed forth. This battle has gone long enough.
One moment, she stood a few meters away from Selene, the next she stood so close to her. It happened in a flash, almost unseen to most of the spectators but they all agreed on one thing: Mirajane was fast.
Selene was caught off-guard, making her jump back. Mid-jump, a portal appeared, sending her a few meters away from Mirajane.
"So, you show your–"
Mirajane didn't want to give Selene her moment. She vanished and appeared again in front of her.
The sorceress jumped back again, another portal appeared, and again there was distance between them.
For a few moments, this was their game. A game of cat-and-mouse. A predator and her prey. But unlike earlier, when Selene established herself as the one on the offensive, this time she was the one running away.
For those who could keep up: it's not that Selene did not attack, it's the fact that there was no opportunity for her to. Selene was good at giving distance between them but Mirajane was even better at closing that distance.
She's toying with me, thought Selene when she noticed that while Mirajane closed the distance between them, Mirajane didn't lift a single finger.
"You will not make a mockery of me!" Selene yelled, preparing a spell. Her hands glowed pink, power swirling around her. She brought her hands down, and the effect was instantaneous: an explosion rocked the whole area. Debris spread, chucks of it hitting all around. Dust picked up, and those without special senses couldn't see the fight continue.
To those who could still follow the battle, they saw Mirajane slice the air with her arm, creating a powerful gust of wind blowing away the floating dirt.
Sight was an important aspect in battle. To see one's opponent was a boon no one should take for granted. Selene had used that moment of confusion to give herself a few seconds to compose herself when she was unseen.
With Mirajane's actions, Selene was left unprepared, or so the platinum blonde thought.
Selene grinned a predator's grin before a glowing pink hand darted towards Mirajane.
Mirajane's speed was incredible, so it was child's play for her to stop Selene's touch.
"It's ove–hngg!"
The moment of triumph shifted immediately to Selene. "You actually fell for it!"
Mirajane's allies, who were earlier fighting their respective foes to keep them from getting to Mirajane, ran to her aid. But this time, their foes stopped them.
"I never thought you would fall for such a simple trick as a glowing hand! A person like you should know that magic doesn't work like that!" The observers noticed the two women began to glow: pink for Selene, teal for Mirajane but Mirajane's glow started to dim.
"Now, I shall feast on your life force!" Selene's face was brimming with glee. "Provide me with unrestrained sustenance!"
Mirajane's initial shock and discomfort vanished. "Ho~" She now wore a condescending smirk.
That did not sit well with her foe: "Let's see if you can keep that face up when I'm through with you!"
Mirajane looked over to the crowd and yelled, "Danny! Have you found it yet?"
From the ground there was a short scuffle before the crowd parted showing the Iron Fist with a subdued woman. She had purple hair in a single braid, what appears to be facial tattoos, and pointed ears. "I have! Sorry for taking so long."
Selene saw who was subdued and gasped. It was one of her people.
Mirajane's smirk turned dark. Now that the getaway driver's been caught, Mirajane didn't need to hold back. She pulled Selene's hand, dragging her towards Mirajane before placing her free hand to Selene's face.
Another explosion followed, sending Selene careening backwards. While midair, Mirajane appeared above Selene, both hands raised high, clenched together.
Onlookers didn't see it clearly: one moment, Selene was sent flying in the air, the next thing she's smashed into the ground, cracks appearing on the hotel's floor.
Selene received a pretty strong blow, but she was durable. She was in pain but her body's not broken. "B-but how? I was draining –cough- your power?"
Magic was a self-generating energy present everywhere; at least that's how it went in Earth Land. It was generated by every living being, and was generated by the very world itself. Magic was an indicator of life.
Sure, Magic worked differently here, but Mirajane could feel it in her that what Selene got was her reserves.
"You assumed that my powers were weak, that's why," said Mirajane as she walked towards the defeated woman. Mirajane's just about at her limit, but she didn't want to give this woman the satisfaction of seeing her weakened. Normally, Mirajane wouldn't have the energy to stand, especially since she was providing power to three demons, but ever since her [Second Origin] has been opened, things were bearable.
[Second Origin] is a container in the human body that keep living beings from being affected by external magic. It's why people can still remain durable when they're unconscious or asleep. It was like a spare battery, or another tank of fuel for a vehicle known as a [Living Being].
Without using a specific type of magic to harness this power, there was no readily available technique or method to open this container at will. One has to force it open. That's where Seilah came in. With her [Macro], a [Curse] that gives [Orders], it was certainly within possibility to [Order] Mirajane's body to open that container. Sort of like how Seilah could use [Macro] to herself to release her limiter. That said, it was still extremely risky but, fast-forward to the present, Mirajane's might have had her reserves siphoned, she could still stand and use her powers sparingly.
Selene stood up, looked around, before sighing. "Well, two can play that game." She coughed out some blood before standing up. Then, with a cry, summoned her magic.
"My-my," Mirajane said as she looked at the magic that was so potent, it was showing itself as a pink aura surrounding the woman.
"Yes!" Selene's voice sounded different with magic singing in her veins. "Even with a little bit of your power, I am able to have this much magic!"
Magic swirled into Selene's hand, an undecipherable aria erupting from her lips.
Mirajane sighed, annoyed. "I should finish this."
"Tough talk for a woman about to die!" The spell was almost done and Selene just needed a few seconds before it was ready. "With this, I will be able to–"
The hotel lobby was now silent. Devoid of Selene and Mirajane.
The spell of Selene was problematic. It was a bombardment-type that could not just harm others but also wreck the establishment. The two of them have already done enough damage to the floor of the hotel; Mirajane didn't want to also be responsible for totaling her new home.
So before Selene could complete her spell, Mirajane used her incredible speed to rush to her foe and grab her by her collar.
Selene couldn't comprehend how it happened. One moment, she was finishing casting her magic and the next, she's outside the building and roughly thrown into the air. The speed of which she was sent flying was so much that there was no way for Selene to control her fall.
There's also her spell that's just about finished. It'll be a waste if this attack wouldn't connect. That's a waste of–
"[Soul Extinction]!" The voice came from below.
"Breaking news! Today, in uptown Manhattan, an explosion of unknown origin happened somewhere on the 57th Street. Reports say that a platinum blonde woman in an odd costume appeared out of nowhere; throwing what appears to be another woman into the air. The platinum blonde woman then shot out a beam of purple light into the airborne woman before the explosion happened.
Fortunately, there were no known casualties and very minimal damages to property. Also, wait–"
Billy Kaplan tuned out the TV when his phone started to blow up.
Apparently, Kesler's awake now.
Megan was about to have an early lunch inside the kitchen when she started to convulse again. Only students were there with her, so, with panicked expressions, they could only stand in shock as she convulsed.
When it was over, one of the teachers are there again with her, this time escorting her to the Mansion's medical bay.
Jean Grey, meanwhile, wondered why something within her felt unsettled, like an upset animal.
Magic reacted. Selene's unfinished spell getting hit with Mirajane's blast was a volatile mix. Fortunately, the magical reaction happened hundreds of meters above the ground, granted a few buildings' glass windows got totaled but at least no one got seriously hurt.
When Selene landed, she landed in an earthy floor, surrounded by trees, Mirajane nowhere in sight.
Danny subduing the woman, ended up closing the portal inside Seilah's trap. With no more threat of a backlash of leaving a portal to space open, Seilah destroyed the paper-thin barrier.
"Enough!" [Macro] reached all the assailants, even the one Danny caught. They stopped in their tracks, making it easy for the others to subdue them.
When all were rounded up, Bob got nervous, "What's happened to our king?"
Most of the audiences' attention was outside, still on Mirajane after she unleashed her magic. It was potent, shocking most of the people even if they were aware of how powerful Mirajane was.
"She's fine," the feline demon said as he sat on the ground, "Halphas is with her."
"What do we do with them, then?" Baekho asked, eyeing the heap of downed foes.
Seilah dusted her tamoto, "We make them talk."
One of the subdued growled, "Never! We would never betray our–"
"I free you from your curse." Seilah didn't wait for anyone's orders so it shocked everyone when the heap of enemies started to dissolve into ashes.
"What's happening?" Bob saw that the enemies didn't scream in pain, but it was eerie seeing them reduced into ashes.
"So this is what happens when you break a [Lesser Vampire] from their curse, how interesting," said Sitri walking towards the mound. "Oh, there's someone who's still alive."
From the heap, a body stirred. It was the girl that Danny subdued earlier, the girl with pointy ears.
A second later, Mirajane was back, out of breath but otherwise okay.
Her name was Clarice Ferguson, a mutant enslaved by Selene. She was part of Selene's [Inner Circle], a group dedicated to aiding Selene attain godhood. The [Inner Circle] also aided Selene in asserting her dominance over at the [Hellfire Club].
When Mirajane asked what happened to her allies, Clarice told her that she was sitting on them, pointing to the pile of dust under her.
When Mirajane frowned, Seilah told her that she did not expect that these thralls were to turn to ashes when she removed the [Vampire's Imprint].
"But they were all dead to begin with," Clarice told them, "Selene recruited deceased mutants by resurrecting them as her thralls."
A few of the people nearby murmured their indignation. In a way, this polarized Mirajane's audience because on one hand, the desecration of the dead was a taboo even to magical standards, but to some groups, especially to the creatures of the dark, this was something they grew desensitized about.
"How… unrefined." Sitri's voice was filled with disdain. "In any case, our master's taken care of her. With the beating we've done to her, she'll think twice about returning here if she wants to save face."
"Uh-huh." Clarice stood up and dusted her pants, "thank you for breaking me free from her control. I should go too."
Mirajane smiled and waved at her.
The mutant then opened a portal and stepped into it.
With the situation deescalated, Mirajane returned her gazes to the audience, who at this point were now looking at her expectantly.
"So, does anyone else want to have a go at me?" Mirajane taunted, placing a hand over her hip.
When no one answered, she unequipped Halphas. "As I was saying: I am not here to police how you do your businesses. But if you go against the safety of my people and the people of this city, whether they are magical or mundane, you will go up against me. I could say that we should all work together in keeping the peace in the city, but Selene has already proven that we all have goals that at one point might be clashing with each other, so I'm going to say this:
New York is now my responsibility. At first, I only wanted to do the bare minimum and only prevent invaders from subjugating the city, but after what's happened, I will now take it upon myself to actually keep the peace around here. So if any of your activities would disrupt the peace in the city, I swear that you will have a taste of my wrath. Am I clear?"
When no one answered, she repeated herself. "Am I clear?"
"Yes, my king." The audience answered in chorus.
"You should visit our area sometime, my king." The dryad, named Verna, told her after she curtsied. She was the representative of all the magical folk that lived in Central Park. The other dryads with her seemed to refer to Verna as some sort of leader, so Mirajane also treated her as such.
She had recalled Seilah and Sitri but left Halphas out as a show of power. "Well, since we live nearby I guess we could visit sometime."
Verna nodded before one of the dryads whispered to her. Verna nodded at the woman before turning to her, "The other trees have reported that Selene was seen in Central Park earlier. After a thorough search, however, she is no longer in our premises."
"Leave her. At the very least she'll think twice about fighting me now."
"They're the two most prominent werewolf packs in New York, I hear." Baekho whispered softly when two individuals stepped forward.
"The name's Martin, from the [Crimson Bane]." His stance was wide, loud and obnoxious but at least earnest and genuine. "It's nice to see that the new ruler of New York is strong. Now, I don't have to be embarrassed when I tell the other packs where I'm from."
He was blond, swarthy, and had ocean-colored eyes. His build was strong but–
"Ignore the pup. He's an idiot who doesn't know what he's talking about." This was the leader of [Silver Fang], the undisputed top dog in the city. "I'm Colton. It's a pleasure working with–"
"Old people should be in nursing homes." Martin quipped, staring a hole into Colton.
"What, where are you? I can't see where you are!" there was a vein that popped on Colton's forehead when he smirked.
"I'm not short! My height is average!" Martin said, puffing out his chest.
Their bickering completely destroyed Mirajane's first impression that they were no-nonsense people. They were like cute puppies that needed attention.
"My name's Amithelia." This woman looked similar to the dryad girls from earlier but unlike dryads who had a green tint in their skin, these women had bluish tones. "I lead the nymphs around these parts." Still beautiful though.
"It's a pleasure." Mirajane said with a polite nod and smile. Sure, a few of the female with her smelled odd but Mirajane didn't like how they were being treated, like pariahs.
"I hope you're genuine, Miss Strauss because as you can see, we're not really well-received in the community."
"It's good to see you again, Miss Strauss." The woman before her looked familiar–
"Miss Frost? What a surprise." The woman was one of the last few people who entered the building, arriving just after things have died down. Accompanying her were suited men almost as imposing as Ted. Odd though were their uniforms: they were pristine white suits.
"You're not the only one." Emma Frost shrugged of her coat and handed it to an attendant behind her. "I receive a call that the most powerful people in the city's gathering and I'm not invited?"
"Well, if it helps, I didn't know they were visiting too. It's all pretty much unplanned on my part."
Interesting. These people must really consider her a key player in the city to have a gathering of this size. Though I don't recognize half of the people here. Of the people that she does, it's alarming: Daniel Rand, [Crimson Bane]'s Martin, [Silver Fang]'s Colton, and even Jeong Baekho. What's most interesting was how a guy like Jeong Baekho easily treated Mirajane as his superior. Emma Frost smiled politely, "I must say, good job with Selene. She's been a thorn in my side."
"Huh?"
"She's…" Emma looked pensive, "…on the opposing side in my little club."
Emma turned around and headed for the exit. "I only came here to see what all the commotion was all about. Though, I must say, Miss Strauss, do be careful. Selene is a very vengeful woman."
"Boss?" Mirajane saw the redhead who tried (and failed) to camouflage herself using only a shawl and a pair of sunglasses.
The redhead stopped like a child caught red-handed before taking off her shawl and glasses. "I'm not your boss anymore, Mirajane."
"What are you doing here?"
Satana was about to say something when a man ran towards them. The redhead's eyes widened when the man neared. "What are you doing here?" They said at the same time.
"Me?" Satana crossed her arms, "I came here under dad's orders."
"You still follow that guy? After all he's done?" Mirajane studied the man. Tall, confident but not obnoxious, his blonde hair and smirk reminded him of a leaner Laxus. There was a long object wrapped in some cloth that hangs behind the man, making his striking figure even more imposing.
"Yes, because he's teaching me how to get me my own horde." Her look of triumph made the man frown.
"Really? You still fall for his tricks?"
Satana shook her head. "Not this time, look!" With a raise of her hand and a burst of her magic, a small bat-like eyeball the size of a fist appeared before them. "See! This is my first peon."
Mirajane felt like she was intruding, "I guess I'll leave you alone." But they both didn't hear her.
"I did not expect all this, Mirajane. It's not even noon yet." Daniel Rand told her. The rabble was starting to leave, once they've introduced themselves to their king. Some opted to stay behind and eat at the hotel's restaurant. Those that were left were Bob, Ted, Baekho, Danny and the still bickering Satana and that blond guy.
"I didn't expect this too."
Danny let out a sigh, "Okay, yeah. I actually believe you. In fact, I'm only here because my masters told me too."
"Why?"
"Because I'm the Iron Fist." Danny's voice sounded tired.
"Now that you mentioned it, I noticed that people were looking at you like some special person."
"Well, being the Iron Fist is kind of a big deal."
"Why is that?"
"Really? You don't know?"
"I'm not from around here. Are you like that Sorceress Supreme person?"
"Close but–okay, in the simplest terms, yes. Kinda. I have my responsibilities too."
Their conversation was cut short when Baekho cleared his throat. "Mirajane, you have an appointment at 11. We're visiting the bank, remember?"
"Oh yeah." Mirajane snapped her fingers.
"Not yet, we're not ready yet." Frigga was looking at her assembled troops. It was an impressive sight, yes, but they were up against a strong opponent. Numbers wouldn't decide this battle, experience will.
"We're ready to go my queen."
"No," Frigga said. "Not yet. We need to train first."