A/N: Alright, time for a new chapter! To be honest, I had this chapter more or less ready for a while but some stuff in my life kept making me put off posting it. This will likely continue for some time for both this and my other story, but I still have every intention of finishing them no matter how long it takes me. With that, I hope you all enjoy what I had cooked up for all of you.

Review Responses

Zoofan: Glad you like my story. I have every intention of writing more of this and no intentions about stopping.

pokeheroaadyn: I hope not to disappoint… Well, at least not too much. As for Simon, we'll see. I'm now considering whether it should be Erza or Mira and am trying to finalize my decision on it. That said, should not change what I have in mind for the story in general so let's just see how things go for now. Hope you enjoy this.

"Blocky!"

"Keep it down!" Lucy whisper-yelled at him, trying to get him to watch his tone to keep from attracting attention.

"No point in sneaking around now after all that ruckus we caused down there." Gray reminded, a piece of meat still in his mouth as he and the other 3 humans ate from a table filled with food.

"What are you eating?!" Lucy demanded, trying to figure out how they went from looking for Erza and Happy, to eating a small feast of food.

Virgo then slid in and gestured to the table while addressing Lucy. "This appears to be a dining hall. You should eat too, Princess."

"Ah, man…" Lucy said in defeat.

Sora took a bite out of some bread before looking at her. "If it helps, I made sure nothing was poisoned or anything. It's all perfectly good."

"That doesn't make me feel better!" Lucy yelled.

Sora shrugged, while Juvia then looked back the way they came. "That door earlier was operated remotely with magic. It seems they're completely aware of our presence."

Lucy looked at her in worry. "Then, why would they…?"

"Are they trying to provoke us?" Gray wondered.

"Provoke us?"

"Incidentally, Princess," Lucy looked back at Virgo. "I believe it's inappropriate to dress that way in the dining area."

"Inappropriate?!" Lucy then covered herself in shock at the way Virgo said it, before Virgo raised her arms and gleamed at her.

"Let's change your clothes…" Virgo then began to rapidly approach her.

"What?! Right here?!" Before Lucy could say anything else, a wall of crystal formed around her and her spirit. "HUH?!"

"Sorry Lucy," Sora said as he turned back to the food. "But I'd rather not have Virgo threaten us in the middle of eating, and that should at least make you feel better."

Gray let out a sigh before looking back at the food as well. "Thanks Sora. That would have been hard not to look at." Gray didn't notice that Juvia had let out a grateful sigh, Sora stifling a chuckle as he thought about what she was thinking.

After some ruckus, Virgo announced that they were done and Sora dismissed the wall so they could see Lucy again. She now wore a dress with a primarily green motif, with a number of lighter colored designs on the bottom and a green clothe wrapped around the top of her head and trailing behind her. "This attire is from the Celestial Spirit World." Virgo explained.

Lucy giggled and posed as everyone gathered around to see. "What do you think? Yes, I know, it looks good on me!"

Sora raised a brow and smirked. "Humble, aren't we?" He then shrugged. "Still, it does look good."

"Wow, that's pretty cute!" Gray said in appreciation.

Juvia held her hands to her face in distraught that Gray complimented Lucy. "Juvia is mortified!"

"You're in loooooove!" Virgo said in her usual monotone, mimicking what Happy would usually say and getting Lucy, Gray, and Juvia to pale.

"Don't talk like that!" Lucy demanded.

"Where did you learn to imitate Happy like that?" Natsu asked the spirit, who promptly ignored him and addressed Lucy again.

"Princess, I pray for your success." She then bowed to her.

"Thank you, Virgo!" The spirit then flashed back to the Spirit world, and Lucy looked back at the others. "Honestly, I don't know how you guys can stand wearing wet cloths."

"This dries them quick." Gray said as he had a leg lifted in the air and pulling on the pant leg, Natsu standing by as fire whirled around him.

"A HUMAN DRYING MACHINE?!" Lucy shouted in shock.

Sora shrugged as he ran a red gauntlet across his clothes, the gauntlet releasing a gentle heat that quickly dried him. "The idea isn't wrong. And Juvia is fine cause, well, she is water." Juvia stood proudly at that, sneering a little at Lucy as she once again one-upped her… at least in her mind.

"There they are!" "The intruders!" A new batch of soldiers then ran into the room, Natsu, Juvia, and Sora each turning their gaze towards the others and preparing to attack them.

Only for a few sword slashes to send them flying, and Erza to be kneeling where they were once gathered, swords spread out before them and wearing her usual armor.

"Erza!" Natsu and Gray said in relief, while Lucy looked overjoyed at seeing her.

"You're alright!"

"S-So cool…" Juvia said in awe while Sora chuckled at her reaction.

"Yeah, she seems to have that effect."

Erza then looked at them in shock, finally realizing they were in the room. "Wh-Why are you here?!"

"What do you mean "why" …?" Lucy had a look of confusion on her face.

Juvia began to fidget slightly. "Umm, Juvia is, uh…"

"Leave!" Erza shouted to them, Juvia stepping back nervously as Lucy looked shocked. "You don't belong in this place!"

A fist then ran into an open palm, flames spilling forth as Natsu looked at her angrily. "Don't give us that crap, Erza! Running away after being ridiculed will only tarnish Fairy Tail's name! That Blockhead has to pay!"

"I'm telling you to leave." Erza said, quietly this time.

"But…" Lucy looked at her worriedly at this point.

"They took Happy!" Natsu shouted again. "We can't just leave now!"

"They have Happy?" Erza said in surprise. "Don't tell me it was Milliana…"

"Where is this person?!"

"I-I'm not sure."

"Alright! I got it!"

"Got what?" Gray asked apprehensively.

Like that, Natsu was running. "The fact that Happy is waiting for me!"

"H-Hey! Natsu…" Erza stared after the dust trail left behind by his run, already too late to stop him.

"That moron!" Gray spouted in annoyance.

"You expected anything less?" Sora said, a smirk on his face.

"Natsu…" Juvia looked like she was worried for him, while Lucy put on a look of determination.

"Let's go too!"

"No!" Erza barred their way, lifting her sword and keeping it ready, frightening the rest. She then spoke a bit more calmly. "Milliana is an incomparable cat lover. I can't imagine her harming Happy. I'll take responsibility for bringing them back. The rest of you need to get away from here at once." As she spoke, she had lowered her sword and turned to the door Natsu ran through.

"No."

Erza turned her stern gaze at Sora, a look of defiance on his face. "What was that?"

The others looked at Sora worriedly, whom only waited a moment before walking towards Erza, her sword going back up and held horizontally. Sora however paid it no mind, and everyone looked at him in shock when he finally stopped. Erza especially so, because he stopped only when the edge of her blade was touching his neck, a small amount of pressure all that that was needed to drawing blood. "No." He repeated. "We are not leaving without you as well."

Erza blinked, too shocked to even move her blade. "… Why…?"

Sora looked her right in the eye. "I was powerless before to help my family, and I vowed never to let something like that happen again. And according to Master Makarov, the guild is my family now. So tell me Erza; What the hell is going on, that you won't let your family help you?!"

Erza gulped, not moving or saying anything for a few seconds, before she lowered her sword and looked down at the ground. "This is my problem. It has nothing to do with any of you. And I don't want you all to be dragged into problems from my past."

"I'd say it's a bit late for that." Gray spoke up, the rest of them calming down from the little confrontation that just happened. "You saw Natsu just now, and I think Sora summed things up pretty well for us."

"Erza," Lucy started, stepping towards her friend. "What is this tower? Who's Jellal?!" When she didn't respond immediately, Lucy brought her arms behind her back and looked down as well. "If you don't want to tell us, that's fine. They said they were your old friends, right? But we're your friends now."

Sora noticed Erza's lips quivering, as if she were trying not to say something and he motioned for Lucy to keep going. Seeing this, she got more confident and brought her fist up in enthusiasm, Gray mirroring her look. "We'll always have your back, no matter what!"

"There you have it." Gray said, while Juvia looked both embarrassed and impressed at Lucy's words.

"And there's no changing it." Sora said, not having moved from his spot, now seeing Erza shaking slightly.

There was silence for several minutes, before Erza spoke up, a hint of fear in her voice as she turned her back to them. "Leave…"

"Erza!" Lucy protested.

"This ain't like you, Erza." Gray said offhandedly. "Just tell us to shut up and come with you, like you always do. We'll lend you our strength!"

Sora placed a hand on her shoulder, getting her to freeze. "There's no shame in admitting your fears. Everyone feels it, no matter how hard they try to hide it. Even someone as strong as you. But!" Sora then wheeled her around, letting everyone see the tears coming from one of her eyes, shocking the others while Sora didn't even seem to acknowledge it. "Those fears don't need to stop you from leaning on others in times of need. You may be one of the strongest mages of Fairy Tail, but even you can't shoulder everything alone. You have people who are willing and able to share your burden. So let them."

Erza was silent for a few moments, before she reached a hand to her eye and wiped away her tears. "I'm sorry…" When she finished that, she looked off to the side. "I'm going to vanish from this world, whether I win or lose this battle…"

Sora's eyes hardened at this, as Lucy and Gray looked at her in disbelief.

"Huh?!" "What do you mean?!"

Erza had her armored hands held up in front of her chest. "This is a future I can't fight… As such…" She then looked to them with a sad smile. "As such, I will tell you everything while I still exist…"

Everyone looked at her silently, as she began to tell what she knew. "This is the tower of Heaven, also known as the R-System. It happened over 10 years ago… A black magic cult began constructing it in order to cast a forbidden spell that can bring the dead back to life. It required many human sacrifices, who they also used as slave labor to amplify the amount of magic energy. I was one of the sacrifices here when I was little."

Everyone looked at her in shock of what she said, while she continued. "One by one, people who tried to escape or resist disappeared. I never felt at ease. I was always afraid. Even so, I made friends I could trust… Even if it was for but a brief time. It was around then that I met Jellal."

She then told them of all she went through, all the hardships, and eventually got to the day that she lost her right eye, and Jellal came to her rescue, taking her place. When she was returned to her cell with her friends, she made the decision to fight back, leading the other slaves in a revolt against the cult in the place of the one that gave her hope.

"We stood up for our freedom… To save Jellal… Back then, Jellal was our leader… He had a strong sense of justice… I looked up to him. However," She then looked at them, sorrow in her eyes. "At some point, it was as if Jellal had become another person entirely… If you could call a person truly "evil" … then that is what I would call Jellal."

She told them how hard they fought, and how she discovered her magic after losing Grandpa Rob, and old member of Fairy Tail, and how she heard about the guild in the first place. And when she finally found Jellal again, he had been changed for the worst. Right when they had finally become able to leave the island, Jellal told her that he would have them finish the tower for him, give them purpose even. All in the name of his new god, Zeref. But he wouldn't let her stay, and demanded she leave and never tell anyone of any of it, or ever come back on her own, else he would start killing her old friends.

Everyone watched her, speechless at the story she was telling them. She shook slightly as she stood with her back turned to them, crying from her left eye only. "I… will fight Jellal."

"Hold on, Erza!" Gray spoke up. "That Zeref guy you mentioned…!"

Erza had wiped away her tears by then. "Yes. I'm sure you've heard of him."

"Th-That monster that came out from Lullaby…" Lucy said in recognition. "They called it one of Zeref's demons!"

"That's not all." Erza confirmed. "Deliora was most likely a demon from the Book of Zeref as well."

Sora turned to Gray at that. "The demon that killed your family and that your master beat by sacrificing herself?" Gray nodded at that, having told the story to him before, but still looking at Erza in shock.

"Are you saying Jellal is trying to revive that same Zeref?" Juvia asked in worry.

Erza turned to them then. "I don't understand his motive, but according to Sho, a former friend of mine, they're supposed to become rulers in heaven once Zeref is revived…"

Lucy held a hand to her chin in thought. "This "former friend" stuff just doesn't make any sense to me… Wasn't Jellal the traitor, not you?"

"He must have fed them false information while I was gone." She then looked down in shame. "But I did leave them here for eight whole years… That still makes me a traitor."

"That's bull!" Sora said sharply. "You were gone all this time, unable to help them, because of Jellal threatening the lives of your friends! No one could have done any better in your shoes!"

"That's right!" Lucy affirmed. "You did all that for their sake! And yet-!"

"It doesn't matter now, Sora, Lucy." Lucy looked to the side in sorrow while an angry look entered Sora's eyes. Erza then looked them in the eyes as she continued. "If I defeat Jellal, it will all be over."

Gray and Sora shared a look, not really believing that and remembered Erza saying she would disappear regardless of who won.

But before they could bring it up, a quiet voice cut in. "Wh-What's with that story, Nee-san?" They all looked to the back of the room, and saw Sho with a confused look on his face.

"Sho…" Erza looked at him with sorrow, as he started to look scared and angry.

"Are you trying to get your friends' sympathy with that nonsense?! It's a load of crap! The truth was nothing like that! You blew up our boats and escaped on your own! We all would have ended up on the bottom of the sea had Jellal not caught wind of your betrayal! Jellal said that was the fate of those who don't learn to use magic in the proper way! He said you got drunk with the power of magic and trying to cast off everything in your past, us inclu-!"

Sho was cut off, not by Erza, but by an impact that sent him to the ground before he could react. Holding his face, he couldn't stop Sora from using the hand he punched him with to hoist him up by the collar, looking him in the eye with fury. "You idiot!"

Erza looked at him in shock. "Sora! Put him down!"

"Sorry Erza, but you can beat me up later. He needs to hear this himself." He then redirected all his attention to Sho. "I want you to think VERY carefully about everything you know about Erza. Every encounter. Every word ever spoken. Every emotion she has ever showed. Does she strike you as the type of person who would ever be blinded by anything other than loyalty?!" Sho's eyes widened as he thought about it, and it was hammered home by Gray and Lucy.

"Jellal was the one who told you all that?"

"Would the Erza you knew really have done something like that?"

Sho hung there, taking in those words, and thinking about everything he knew, struggling to figure out which was truth and which was lie. "W-What would you know?! You don't know anything about us!"

Sora then brought him close to his face. "And what do you know of what Erza has been through? What do you know of the people she's met, of the things she's seen? How can you claim to know Erza so well, when you let the words of others tell you the kind of person she is?"

Sho's eyes became saucers at that, and Sora felt the fight leave him. He then softened the look on his face as he gently lowered Sho to the floor, letting him stand on his own and steadying him when he wobbled slightly, his mind starting to break as tears flowed freely. "Jellal's words… Jellal's words were my only salvation... That's why I spent eight long years finishing this tower! For Jellal's sake…" Sho began to shake from the emotions running through his head, and Sora wrapped an arm around him as he struggled to think. "You're saying… it was all a lie…? That you're right… and Jellal is wrong?!"

"That's right." Another new voice cut in, shocking Sho out of his crying as shadows gathered in one part of the room, before revealing Simon, Gray recognizing him instantly as the guy who nearly killed him.

"You!" He then took a step to confront him, but Juvia surprisingly stopped him.

"Please wait, Gray-sama. This gentleman knew he was attacking your double back then."

"What…?!"

"As a dark spell-castor, he surely saw everything clearly. Ascertaining that truth was another reason Juvia came here."

Simon looked right at her. "I'd expect no less from one of the Phantom's renowned Element 4."

"What does this mean?" Sho said, getting Simon's attention.

"Sho. I did it to bring everyone to this tower without arousing your suspicions."

"Wh-Why? Why would you…?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Sho looked back at Sora, who was still by his side and keeping him steady. "Unlike you, he believed in Erza from the start."

Sho then closed his eyes and lowered his head, as Simon walked over to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Sho… Jellal has everyone fooled. I decided to play along until the time was right."

"Simon…" Erza looked at him in shock. "You were…!"

He then turned to his old friend, a kind look in his eye. "Erza. As your friend has said, I have always believed in you. For eight years straight." When Erza looked at him, she could only see the boy she knew all those years ago, and it brought tears back to her eye, this time from joy. He then reached out, and she quickly put her hand in his own. "I'm happy to see you again, Erza. From the bottom of my heart."

"Simon…" They then embraced, Erza happy to finally reunite, truly, with one of her friends, each of her new friends watching the exchange happily, Lucy wiping a few tears from her own eye.

"How…?" The nearly desperate question from Sho got the two to separate, and look at him as he began to cry. "How can everyone have so much faith in you? Why…? Why couldn't I believe in you, Nee-san…?" He then bent over and slammed his fist against the ground. "DAMNIT!" As he began to cry out all of his self-loathing and doubt, Erza could only watch him sadly. "What's real?! What should I believe in?!"

After a few more moments, Erza walked up to and kneeled in front of him, speaking through his sobs. "I realize it's difficult to accept everything all at once. But I will say this… Over the past eight years, I never once forgot about any of you." His sobs then stopped, and Erza pulled him up and into a hug. "I'm sorry I was so helpless… I'm sorry I was so weak…"

"But now you can do something." Simon stated. "Isn't that right?" Erza simply nodded as she continued to hug her little brother. Simon turned to the rest of them. "I have been waiting a long time for this moment. For mighty wizards to gather here…"

"Mighty wizards?" Lucy asked.

Simon nodded. "We're going to fight Jellal… all working together." Everyone nodded at that, while Erza finally stood up, Sho on his arms and beginning to pull himself together, a new fire beginning to burn within him. Simon then looked at them all. "First, we must prevent Salamander and the others from clashing."

"Good luck with that." Sora said. "That guy's mind is a steel trap when fighting is even mentioned. He isn't gonna stop unless he either takes down Wally-aka Blockhead to him-or we manage to convince him completely that he wasn't at fault."

"Then we'd better hurry. This way!" Simon then led them through a passage.

After a few minutes, they were outside the structure on a path of stairs leading around and up the structure. Sora looked down as he ran with the others, whistling at the sight. "Man, this place is tall. If it weren't so creepy and, well, evil, I would definitely be able to enjoy the view of the open ocean from up here."

"Less talking, more running." Gray said, completely focused on finding Natsu, and then fighting Jellal.

"Hey, I can multi-task." Sora smirked, running a little faster and ahead of Gray to prove his point.

Before Gray could remark, Simon started talking as he had two fingers at his temple. "Damn! Both Wally and Milliana have shut off communication! I have no way of telling where they are now!"

"Communication?" Lucy wondered, Juvia explaining to her.

"Telepathic communication magic, no doubt."

Erza stopped to look back at Sho, who still wore a dejected look on his face as he stopped by her side. "Are you alright, Sho?"

"Yeah…" Sho closed his eyes as he lowered his head, before looking at her with a hopeful look in his eyes. "Because you're here, Nee-san." That got a soft smile from Erza, happy to be with the friend she knew again, before the both of them worked to catch up to the others.

As they ran, Gray spoke softly to Juvia. "Hey, can we really trust this guy? I accept he didn't try to kill us and all, but still..."

"I don't intend to make excuses" Simon interrupted.

Gray then put his full attention on the man. "So you heard, huh?"

"A wizard that could be killed that easily would never stand a chance against Jellal. I had also noticed from the start when Sora here created a copy of himself, so I was confident that he would be able to help Lucy." Sora looked a little grumpy at being caught, while Lucy sent him a comforting look. "Plus, I was certain that Natsu wouldn't die."

Sora raised a brow at that. "What made you so certain? The guy is practically a monster, but he isn't invincible."

"None of you realize Natsu's true strength. Once the true strength of a dragon settles inside Natsu, evil will fall!"

Sora looked at Simon critically, trying to ascertain how Simon knows such a thing as certainty, before focusing on the ascent. "Hmm. He's strong, I'll give you that. He probably does have the ability to do so. The key will be in how long it takes him to pull it out, and whether or not he needs any backup."

"A fair point. After all, Jellal's twin is on the Magic Council." Simon said casually.

This statement however, got 4 of the seven currently climbing the stairs to look at him in shock. "What?!" Lucy said for them. "His twin is on the council?!"

"Not only that," Sora and the rest turned to Erza as Simon continued to lead the way. "but Siegrain is a member of the 10 Wizard Saints, a mage with power comparable to the Master. And Jellal is likely to be just as powerful."

Sora blinked at her in shock, before he turned his head forward again and face-palmed. "Of course he would be. Because he wasn't intimidating enough already, he just so happens to be related to one of the most powerful mages in the country. Our luck just isn't cooperating today, isn't it?"

A little while later, they had entered a dark hallway, the walls and ceiling having numerous depictions of demons and creatures on them. After a while of running through them, the eyes of every figure in the hallway glowed red, and a voice echoed throughout the chamber.

"Welcome, one and all, to the Tower of Heaven."

When they heard that, everyone stopped, with Simon, Erza and Sho having faces of recognition.

"I am Jellal, the ruler of this tower. Both sides have arranged their playing pieces."

"What the…?!" Gray wondered, trying to discern where the voice was coming from.

"It's Jellal." Simon clarified. "He's talking so the whole tower can hear him."

Sora scowled as he heard the voice. 'I gotta say, the bastard definitely seems like someone I want to punch in the face. And this is just from hearing his voice.' He looked over to see how Erza and Sho were doing. Erza seemed as ready for everything as usual, with a hint of anger. Sho however, looked like he was about to freak out.

"So, shall we begin… "Heaven's Game"?"

Sora looked back at one of the eyes at that. "Game? The hell does he think this is?!"

"The rules are simple. I wish to use Erza as a living sacrifice in a ceremony to revive Zeref." Everyone's looks hardened at hearing it straight from him, Sho cursing his name as he continued. "In other words, once the door to heaven opens, I win. But, if you are able to prevent that, then you win. However, that by itself wouldn't make for a very fun game. So I have brought three warriors here."

"Three warriors?!" Simon said in surprise. "Who are they?!"

"The only way to reach me is through them. In other words, this is a 3 vs 9 battle royale. One final note… There is a chance that the council will attack this location from the Satellite Square…" Sora's eyes widened from realization and shock, as everyone recognized what he was talking about. "… using Etherion, the ultimate, all-destroying magic."

"You gotta be kidding me…" Sora said quietly. "That thing is capable of destroying a country… If they turned it here, then…"

"It's unclear how much time we have left. However, should the Etherion hit, it will mean destruction… "game over" without any winners."

"What are they thinking…?!" Lucy said in shock.

Erza tried to understand how he could be so calm about this. "Etherion, you say?! The council would do that…? It's not possible!"

Sora then turned to Simon. "Oi, how does Jellal sound so certain of this?! Does he have a spy on the council, or is this brother of his trying to kill him?!"

Before Simon could try and reply, a flash of light shone nearby, and when everyone looked, they saw Erza inside of one of Sho's cards!

"Erza!" "Sho! What are you doing?!" Gray looked at his friend in shock while Simon confronted Sho.

"Now, then. Let us play." As Jellal's voice faded away, every eye dimmed and lost its glow.

Sho held the card with Erza in it shakily, as the mage in question looked at him from inside the card. "I won't let anyone touch Nee-san!"

"Oi! Sho!" He looked at Erza inside his card, before looking at them with a furious face, mixed with desperation.

"I'll defeat Jellal myself!" He then turned and ran down the hall away from them.

"Stop! You can't do it alone!" Simon chased after him, Sora not waiting long to follow him.

"Seriously, will this guy just stop and THINK for a second?!"

As they left the others behind to chase after Sho, they eventually reached a section where the path split. Simon looked at Sora questioningly. "Can you tell which way he went?"

Sora tried to used his eye to narrow it down, but a light shown that blinded it again and he recoiled. "Argh! Son of a… what just happened?!" He looked at Simon. "Something's wrong, I think Jellal did something to keep me from using my vision abilities!"

"Damn!" Simon looked at the numerous passages, then at Sora. "We'll have to split up to try and catch up to him!" Sora nodded, before they each went down a different passage.

Later, as he rounded a corner, he quickly ducked back as he saw what was in the next room. Cherry blossoms on either side of the chamber scattered their petals across the room, the only other door being accessed by a wooden path with Torii gates placed all along it. The floor of the chamber had a calm pond beneath the bridge, with rocks along the base of the walls, giving the chamber a peaceful appearance.

But what he truly took note of was Sho, standing in front of a woman dressed as a shrine priestess with long pink hair, and a dangerous looking sword in a red and yellow sheathe, the hilt being of a similar shade. 'Okay, good news; I went the right way. Bad news; someone beat me here.' She appeared to be in the middle of introducing herself.

"I am called Ikaruga." She then raised her head from its lowered position and opened her eyes, revealing a calm yet predatory look. "Pleased to meet you."

"Get out of my way!" Sho declared, his cards ready in his hand. "Who is this idiot?!" Sora meanwhile tried to stay out of sight, trying to gauge the kind of person that seems to be one of Jellal's "warriors".

"My, such an uncouth man you are." Ikaruga spoke, a tone of condescension in her voice that pushed Sho just enough.

"I got no business with you!" He then threw the cards in his hand, using his magic to turn them into projectiles with high power and increasing their numbers.

Ikaruga however merely looked at them, and reached for her sword. After a few motions that were too fast for Sho to see, she sheathed her sword and each card was split in half along its edge and flew uselessly. Sho and Sora watched the effect with eyes wide from shock. "Impossible…!" Sora hung back as Sho spoke for them both, keeping quiet as he tried to think of a plan.

"There is nothing I cannot cut." Ikaruga stated calmly.

"What are you, a cheap street performer?!" Sho declared angrily, moving to attack again. All of a sudden, the clothes he wore had an X cut into them, the floor receiving a similar mark as blood shot out from the wound that his body just realized it had, Sho falling down as the pain hit him.

"Striking down my opponents faster than they can even process the attack." Ikaruga spoke. "Such is the power of my Mugetsu Style." She then looked in light surprise as a card flew down after falling out of Sho's pocket.

"Sho!" Erza called out as her card slowly fell.

"Nee-san…"

"Oh, my. There you are, Erza!" Ikaruga looked at the card like a hungry predator, as Erza pleaded with Sho.

"Let me out this instant! You don't stand a chance against her!" Sora meanwhile focused on manipulating his magic without giving himself away, hoping that he was right in what he had in mind and that it wouldn't backfire too badly.

"Don't worry…" Sho told her. "I've added shielding to your card… There's absolutely no way she can hurt you from the outside…!"

"Oh?" Ikaruga looked at the card as her stance shifted, accepting the challenge and beginning to draw her sword back from its sheathe. "That's very interesting…"

"Sho! Let me out!" Erza began to pound away at the inside of the card. "That's no ordinary sword she has!"

"It's okay… Trust me…" Ikaruga then quickly drew and sheathed her blade, a flash of light ran across the card, but otherwise remained unharmed as it flashed with Sho's magic. "See?" His eye then widened in shock as he processed Erza blocking a slash with her own sword. "Wha…?! She cut through the spatial dimension?!"

Ikaruga shifted her stance again, causing Sho to look at her in fear and frustration, Erza with determination, and Sora with calm patience, knowing that his time to interfere was near.

The swordswoman then unleashed a flurry of slashes that tore apart the bridge and sent Sho off to the side in pain, Erza blocking every slash that invaded her prison as best she could. Once the assault had stopped, a light shown from Erza's card, fading away to reveal her free, kneeling with her eyes closed and sword in hand.

"You were kind enough to strain the fabric of space in there." She then opened her eyes and looked at her opponent. "So I took the liberty of cutting it wide open."

Sho looked at her in awe. 'The sword transcending space was amazing enough, but using that instance to her advantage… The Titania is truly powerful…!'

"About time you got out of there." All three turned back to the way Sho had come, Sora finally walking out from where he had hidden with a crystal blade in his hand. "Honestly, I don't think this is the kind of opponent I could beat on my own, or even with Sho's help."

"Sora!"

As Erza looked at him in surprise, Ikaruga merely raised an eyebrow. "So, you finally stepped out from where you watched?"

Sora smirked nervously at her as he stood a little behind Erza. "Of course you noticed me…" He then bowed a little. "Hello. My name is Sora. Nice to meet you."

Ikaruga smiled softly at that. "My, so polite."

Sora straightened up at that. "Well, you didn't seem to like when Sho was "uncouth", as you say. Thought I might last a little longer if I was more polite. So, where did Jellal find you?"

Her smile stretched a bit more as everyone looked at her. "I hail from the Death's Head Order. I am Captain Ikaruga, of the Trinity Raven." She then bowed slightly. "Nice to meet you."

Sora gulped, now knowing exactly who they were dealing with, having kept track of Dark Guilds so he didn't step on any toes while he was wandering and thieving. Death's Head Order was a Dark Guild, a very specific type of Dark Guild that only takes assassination jobs. And the Trinity Raven were the three most dangerous members. Even as a wandering craftsman, he heard enough to know he didn't EVER want to run into them. He was suddenly very glad he didn't rush right into things. "N-Nice to meet you."

"Ikaruga, is it?" Erza interrupted. "We have no business with you. Begone."

Ikaruga straightened up, looking straight at Erza, the predator once again present in her eyes. "Is that how you say hello?"

Erza then looked at her in shock, as her armor then shattered and crumbled away, kneeling as the attack that caused it finally made itself known and leaving her in her normal clothes with some cuts along her body. Sho and Sora looked at her in concern, Sho not believing what he saw. "That can't be…!"

"My, don't tell me you didn't you see it?" Now her face was that of a true killer. As Erza stood back up, Ikaruga chuckled a little, before singing softly, her voice echoing across the chamber. "Is what you gaze at… the evil apparition… far beyond the mist?"

She then addressed her directly. "You were so focused on finding Jellal that you didn't notice the sword flash that surrounded you." When Erza was fully standing, she looked at Ikaruga with a look of pure fury, something Sora had only seen a couple of times and that each time made him worried. For the other person.

Ikaruga however, merely seemed satisfied. "Yes, yes, that's the look." Sho looked at her nervously as he saw "the look", realizing that Erza was completely serious now. "I'm not your ordinary passerby, you know."

"No, it would seem not." Erza agreed.

"Yeah, just one with a really fast sword that will cut through anything…" Sora had a slightly nervous look on his face as he kept slightly back, figuring out his means of attack while Erza summoned her Heaven's Wheel armor, a sword in each hand.

"And one who is our enemy."

"Come." Ikaruga shifted to a battle stance at that, goading Erza on. A moment later, Erza charged forward, Ikaruga narrowing her eyes as she looked on. With a calm grace, she blocked every blow from Erza's swords, her back to Erza as she took to the air with her armor's magic, summoning a couple dozen blades around her.

"Heaven's Wheel: Circle Sword!" She then sent her blades as they spun in a circle, like a razor-sharp disk.

Ikaruga looked at them calmly as she drew her sword again. "Mugetsu Style…" With a few slashes that were faster than they could see, every blade was shattered and destroyed, hitting the bridge around her without so much as a scratch on her. "… Yasha-senku!"

"All the swords…!" Sho watched in disbelief as Erza came down for a landing, Ikaruga drawing and sheathing her blade in a flash, causing Erza's Heaven's wheel armor to shatter too, drawing some blood as well.

While Erza recoiled from the attack, Ikaruga shifted again. "Mugetsu Style…" Her magic then flared, a bright glow shining from underneath as Erza squinted from the light, Sho calling out to her in worry. Ikaruga then drew her sword and quickly ran it against the ground, above her head, and aimed at Erza, the sword trailing flames as it did. "… Karuda-en!"

As the destructive blast was carried down the bridge, the smoke eventually cleared to see Erza being pushed back in her Flame Empress Armor.

"Flame Empress Armor…" Ikaruga noted. "Highly resistant to fire. I'm impressed that you were able to requip during that instant." That was the moment that Erza's armor shattered again, Erza barely able to keep standing from the damage.

While the swordswoman faced Erza, Sora leapt up from the side of the bridge behind her, his usual crystal equipment now in place and having silently made his way to flank her from underneath and swung his blade down, only for Ikaruga to vanish from sight just before he hit. Landing, he then turned in shock, Ikaruga standing about 5 feet behind him and with her back to him.

Her sword being sheathed slowly…

"Jellal wants Erza alive, but he never said anything about you. Mugetsu Style…" Her sword was then placed firmly in its sheath, the sound echoing in the stillness within the room. "… Shunpo!"

Sora's eyes widened, and Erza and Sho watched in shock as several slashes then flashed through Sora's chest.

A/N: So this looks like a nice place to stop for now. Haha, please don't hate me too much, but I could not resist ending a chapter like that. As for what happens next, I refuse to give anything away and will just make you all wait until the next update to see how this goes. I would like note now that the story will incorporate elements from both the manga and the anime, seeing as the anime was toned down on the blood to make it more kid friendly.

Also, to pokeheroaadyn, sorry about the appearance of the butchered haikus but I had already planned this chapter out a while ago and I could not find it in me to go without them. Yes, they suck, but I don't think Sora would be confidant enough after what he saw to try and keep her from saying it.

Anyway, I hope you all look forward to what I had cooked up for the next chapter, and please feel free to tell me your thoughts on my story in any way you feel like, and be sure to leave a fav or follow if you haven't already. See you all next time.