Titania and The Hunter
Chapter 59: Ira contra la muerte de la luz
########Hunter########
"Hahaha! You made a promise and so it's already done? My my, how noble and not at all naïve that sounds!" Brain cackled mockingly at Naruto's words.
"Naruto-San," Wendy looked up at the older Mage, "Do you need our help? Because we're ready to watch your back if you need it."
"I appreciate that Wendy, but I think it's best you and Carla get some room. If I'm gonna fight this guy, I need to give it my all and I don't want you two getting caught up in it."
"Very well." Carla dipped down before Wendy could voice her concern and grabbed the girl by the back. She looked back and tried to voice her argument but the cat beat her to the punch, "Believe me Wendy, any help we can provide him in a fight can't be done while at his side."
Wendy looked down at the strong whiskered S-Class Mage she considered her friend. She swallowed her frustration and nodded as Carla lifted them up-
"Dark Capriccio!"
A green and black spiral of magic shot up through the air at the Cait Shelter duo. But before it could reach them, Naruto jumped up between them and struck the magic with a fist covered in Armor. They struggled against each other before Brain's vile magic was knocked aside and destroying a stone home.
Wendy yelped in surprise and Carla tried to steady herself through the sudden dust and wind. And when Naruto landed and looked down at his hand, he noticed that Brain's attack had still left a mark even through his Armor. He waved his hand to the side and glared at Brain, "Attacking children when they aren't looking? I know I really shouldn't be expecting anything from Dark Mages but that's a whole new level of low."
"It's a bit foolish to be expecting mercy or restraint at this point." Brain said as he raised his skull staff, "We're on the precipice of achieving our goal, and if any one of you fools is going to stand in the way then you need to be eliminated with extreme prejudice."
"Oh boy, that callousness means I can feel even less guilt about kicking your ass." Naruto cracked his neck, "Last chance-"
Bran weaved an immense amount of flames and sent a sea of fire washing over the street. Carla and Wendy watched in horror from above as everything below them was washed away. However from the center of the flaming sea the fire started to swirl around a centralized point.
All the fire concentrated on the red sword in Naruto's hand that gathered the flames together and kept them contained. The whiskered Mage's eyes hardened like steel before he swung the blade down and sent the fire shooting back out in an intense pillar at Brain.
"Blazing Dragon Tail!"
The Dark Mage slammed his staff down and parted the flames that came rushing back towards him. They passed on either side of him before the eyeholes of the skull flashed and the magic flames were dispelled completely. The path between Brain and Naruto was made completely clear as the two men glared at each other.
A blue sword appeared in Naruto's other hand from his Requip before he turned it on Brain, "Raging Stream!" A high-pressure beam of water shot out the tip and sliced through the ground towards the older man. The Dark Mage formed a Dark Capriccio and shot it forward, his Darkness spell intercepting the beam of water and splitting it apart into several streams that lanced through their surroundings. They struggled against each other for supremacy...
Until the beam of water suddenly vanished and Brain's spell flew forward unabated. However now there was no Naruto on the other side to be hit by it after the blond disappeared.
He appeared over Brain's head, dropping down with both dragon blades raised over his head. He brought them dropping on Brain's crown before the dark-skinned man spun around and intercepted them with a dome of Darkness. The rebound was strong enough to shatter the two swords into pieces as Naruto dropped down with their hilts still in hand. Brain smirked victoriously and turned his staff on the Fairy Mage-
"Storm Fist!"
Naruto threw a punch and channeled his Wind chakra through it, sending a devastatingly fast air punch into Brain's stomach that caused the Dark Mage to double over. The speed of the attack was its greatest asset so it wasn't strong enough to defeat an enemy, but Brain was so startled by the sudden speedy attack that he was knocked several feet back. He gagged on the spit in his mouth before snarling, "You little-"
His eyes widened as Naruto collected a mass of magic in his other fist and punched forward, "Flying Gauntlet!"
Brain swiped his staff aside and diverted the flying fist of magic into a building where it caused the rocky home to crumble down.
Wendy gulped from her spot above the battlefield, "O-Oh wow."
"He's reckless but he isn't an S-Class Mage for nothing." Carla said.
Wendy looked back down and stared at Naruto as the wind around him continued to pick up. She closed her eyes and started to eat the sky around her as she got a taste of the currents around him. The young Dragon Slayer was startled by just how different and layered the sensation of his wind was. She knew immediately that it wasn't magic that he was using to control the wind but something more personal.
Like eating exotic food she could tell it wasn't like anything she had ever tasted before. But even though the source and taste of it was different, it carried with it a familiar feeling of strength and support. Not overconfidence or arrogance, but resolve not to give in when it mattered most. Wendy felt a nostalgic sense of relief in her body as she was reminded of Grandeeney of all things.
Someone she could trust and believe in to help.
Brain hissed as he patted the ache in his stomach. He glared at the whiskered Fairy across from him, "Cheeky move, brat."
"Testing the waters." Naruto responded, "Glad to see you're not as fast or tricky as Racer was. I barely handled him and I wasn't looking forward to another match like that."
"I still can't believe that one of my Pillars fell to someone like you."
"That's what you get for overestimating your guys and underestimating us. I'd warn you to know better, but that arrogant sneer on your face tells me I'd just be wasting my breath." Naruto's eyes hardened on Brain, "Why don't you tell me how to stop Nirvana now, and I promise that we can end this quick."
"No."
"Figured you'd say that."
"Dark Capriccio!"
"Rumbling Earth!"
Brain channeled a blast of his devastating Darkness magic as Naruto summoned his cleaver and slammed it into the ground. Slabs of rock jutted up between him and the Dark Mage and the spiraling beam of magic impacted into the body of the displaced rock.
Brain focused his power and applied more pressure, causing the beam's to pierce through the lump of stone completely. The Dark Capriccio came out the other side and forced Naruto to dip aside as the beam cut along his cheek. He leapt up over the stone pillars he created and dropped back down on Brain as the Dark Mage waved his hands up.
The instant Naruto landed, he started his assault with a barrage of punches that collected the wind and released it at blinding speeds. Brain finished his incantations and channeled the wind around him, diverting Naruto's punches off course so they pelted the area around them instead. With his first attack thwarted Naruto quickly changed his plan, covering his limbs in Armor to buff himself up before leaping at Brain with his dragon cleaver.
Carla shook her head as she watched Naruto destroy everything around him in an attempt to reach Brain, "Must he make a mess everywhere he goes?"
"W-Well, he is an S-Class Mage for Fairy Tail. They do have a tendency for collateral damage." Wendy tried to make the situation a little less tense as they heard the sound of battle echo out beneath them. Wendy watched the ensuing combat and clenched her fist as she took a deep breath, "If I keep regaining some of my magic and that man gets close-"
"Wendy, no."
"Carla, he's fighting for our guild! Cait Shelter is in trouble and all we're doing is watching!"
"It's frustrating but that doesn't mean we can just jump in like that!" Carla pointed a paw down at the street as the battle continued to escalate, "We need to help where we can and however we're able. We can still find ways to help, but this is not it."
Wendy was irate that she couldn't properly help her friends, but she saw Carla's point. As much as she wanted to jump down there and help Naruto, she knew she'd only burden him right now. She could jump down there and attack with a roar but if it missed then she would just be leaving herself open. She'd be getting in his way after he asked her to step aside for her own safety.
So for now, Wendy squashed the irritation and indignation down and focused on the fight. It was just in time to see a massive explosion clear the street as the two combatants separated.
Naruto had a few more bruises and scuff marks over his ragged clothes, but despite that he seemed to be taking the injuries in stride. Brain on the other hand had used more defenses and barriers to protect himself and had suffered few injuries, yet was slouched over catching his breath with sweat coming down his chin. The two Cait Mages immediately recognized who had the advantage in battle.
"Ugh," Brain groaned and lifted himself up with some difficulty, "You continue to persist with the resilience of a cockroach."
"I'm scrappy like that." Naruto stepped forward, "And I think I'm starting to get a read on your capabilities as well."
"What could you know, boy?!" Brain slammed his staff on the ground and summoned a rush of Darkness magic that surrounded Naruto from all sides.
"Shine."
Light exploded out of the gaps between the evil spell before it was blown apart completely. Naruto stood proudly in place, a white blade in hand that glowed with the power of the dragon that had enchanted it centuries ago. Brain gnashed his teeth as Naruto smirked and pointed the tip of his white blade at him, "I think I'm starting to get a handle of what you can do. You're smart and can use way more spells and magic than most people, but you have no applications for them."
A vein throbbed in Brain's head, "Excuse you?"
"You're literally the brains in your operation, not the muscle or the force of it. Your teammates handle the hard work while you rest back and do what you can from there." Naruto said, "All you've got is your expertise in magic, and nothing else."
Brain's eye twitched as his lip started to curl up, "'Just my expertise'? Hahaha, boy, I am a master of the mystic arts!" Brain yelled haughtily as he smacked his palm into his own chest, "I have witnessed and wielded more magic than your feeble little mind could begin to comprehend! I've created magic so useful that even after by supposed fall from grace the Bureau of Magical Development still uses them to this day! Not everyone can take a little orphan boy that just washes up in the world and train them into the status of Wizard Saint!"
Naruto's eyes widened hearing that before he stepped forward, "You? You're the one who taught Jellal how to use magic?"
"Indeed." Brain grinned viciously, "It was a once in a lifetime miracle coming upon a boy like that. He was rough and untrained, but he had the potential to become something remarkable. I helped him train and refine his magic. Before I knew it, he was skilled enough to apply for the Wizard Saints." Brain cackled mockingly, "Those fools so readily took in someone I trained even after they decried me for my so-called wicked deeds. I laughed but tried to make the most of the situation." Brain explained, "I had hoped to make Jellal one of my pawns but he had machinations of his own. And when I had hoped to get his help in using the Magic Council's connections to find Nirvana, instead he was defeated and rendered unresponsive. Turns out he was more trouble than he was worth."
Naruto's expression hardened with anger before he growled at the Dark Mage, "Hey, I heard from Hoteye that you took him and Angel from the Tower of Heaven."
"Why on Earthland would he tell you that?"
"Because he was affected by this magic! Don't change the subject!"
"Tower of Heaven?" Carla repeated in confusion.
"Weren't they talking about a tower earlier in the safe zone?" Wendy remarked as she thought back. She remembered the dire expression on Angel's face telling her comrade not to mention it while Naruto had been startled to hear the words out of Hoteye's mouth.
"He's been changed by Nirvana? That's unexpected." Brain muttered to himself, "Do I need to change him back to his old self? Or should I just dispose of him if he's going around telling our secrets to our enemies-"
"Hey! I asked you a question!" Naruto's patience finally reached a limit as he barked at the Dark Mage, "Did they come from the Tower of Heaven?!"
"Ugh, if you're so insistent on learning then yes, I recruited them from the Tower of Heaven." Brain plainly stated as if it was a chore to speak the words, "I had heard of a fanatical cult interested in Zeref's resurrection and creating an untested R-System off the coast of Fiore. They were collecting funds, likeminded followers, and magic in order to fuel the device. They had even been prepared to sew the seeds of their endeavors for the next generation in case they didn't make it. However they were lacking something crucial; the manpower needed to create the structure in their minds. So they had to go out to villages, settlements, towns, and anywhere else they could find people to gather up." Brain smirked, "They were capturing people to make into their slaves."
Carla gasped in shock as Wendy covered her mouth in horror, her eyes trembling at the image his words created.
"I had thought tirelessly about the idea of going to the tower in the middle of construction and looking for people to take as my apostles. Abandoned. Alone. Without connections or family to tie them down. It was perfect. And when the coup happened and some of the slaves freed themselves, I was blessed to find a boat of exactly what I needed. Five children. Lost and confused and looking for guidance. Guidance that I could offer them."
Wendy's eyes started to water, "That's...that's horrible."
"And it had all worked out so well until now. I had formed a Dark Guild. Trained five young aspiring Mages into powerhouses that could stand up to anyone. And gained so much power and influence that my little guild was able to stand on par with the strongest the underworld had to offer. But now most of them are falling like flies and I'm not sure how long I can keep trusting them. Fortunately with Nirvana," He tapped his cane to the ground, "I can change some powerful wizards around Fiore to my side and have them join our cause. But why did you wish to know so much about where they came...wait a moment..."
Naruto stood silently as something clicked in Brain's head, "It was a R-System tower made to resurrect Zeref, but the fools making it decided to name it the Tower of Heaven. I told my Pillars the proper terminology for it but they seemed unable to call if anything other than that ridiculous name. And you too...you were at that tower, weren't you? That's why you know Jellal and interfered with his plans just as they were setting off. Another one of the slaves, drawn back to the place that still plants itself in your heart." Brain chuckled condescendingly, "That's quite the surprise. It seems like everyone that comes from that place has some affinity for greatness, in their own right. Perhaps I should use Nirvana on you and make you a new Pillar? Although after all the trouble you've caused me maybe I should just torment you once I win, huh?"
Wendy lost her breath and cowered in horror when she heard Brain say that. She looked down at Naruto as his head hung forward and his hair covered his eyes. Tears started to prick the corners of her eyes as she thought about her friend in the center of that terrible place Brain spoke of. In the same hell that forged the other members of the Oración Seis into what they were today.
She tasted the wind...
There was something else in the shifting air around Naruto now. It hadn't lost the strength or resolve, but had instead taken on some other aspects. Anger. Horror. Spite. Fear.
Cold. So cold.
Naruto raised his head and stared at Brain with an unnerving gaze emanating with hateful intent. Brain smirked and aimed his staff up, "Perhaps Nirvana won't be needed to turn you into something else. Dark Capriccio!"
Brain fired another beam of Darkness magic that Naruto sliced apart with his light sword. But another, faster beam was immediately fired and hit the base of the sword so hard it shattered to pieces. Naruto snarled and tossed the broken weapon aside as it faded to particles and he rushed his enemy.
"Fool." Brain waved his staff and raised his arms, "Dark Rando!"
Dark spirits started to rise out of the ground and swirl around Brain's staff. He thrusted it forward and released the concentrated magical blast at the charging Naruto. The powerful unleashing of the Darkness spell caused an explosion of air around them that blasted through everything before the spell speared into several beams of energy with screaming faces on them. Naruto dodged the first stray beams and tried to weave through it before one impacted into his chest. He gagged in pain as the beam slammed him into the ground before he was completely overwhelmed by the Darkness spell in its entirety.
Carla and Wendy called out his name in fear as Brain laughed in delight.
Lines appeared through the ghostly, horrific forms of the Darkness spell as they were sliced apart. Everyone present watched in silence as the Dark Rando evaporated and revealed the injured man in the center of it. Naruto's eyes glinted with opportunity as he flipped the black sword around into a reverse-grip.
He rushed forward and covered the distance in an instant before slamming into Brain. The Dark Mage doubled over and spat up blood and bile as he shakily looked down. Naruto had rammed the hilt and pommel of his legendary black sword into Brain's stomach at incredible speeds to end the fight. And despite the Dark Mage's will and determination...he couldn't stop himself from toppling over in defeat.
"Naruto-San!" Wendy called out as she and Carla dropped to the street and rushed over to his side. He swung his black sword to the side and returned it to his Requip space. As the young Dragon Slayer came to his side she looked him over, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." He reassured her, "That wasn't the worst hit I've taken today and once I got Kokuryū out-"
"Its not just that." Carla noted as she floated by Wendy's shoulder and showed actual concern for the whiskered blond, "What that man said...are you okay?"
"It's...I'm fine." Naruto wiped himself off, his eyes a little lower as he looked down at Brain, "Mine and Erza's past was filled with people like this who preyed on the weak and hopeless to further their gains. Even if the Oración Seis were like us and pulled down this path..." Naruto's fist shook by his side before it stilled, "We can't falter now. No matter who are enemies are, we have to stop them. We can worry about their circumstances later. Right now," He bent down and grabbed Brain's collar before lifting the injured man up, "Tell me how to stop Nirvana."
"Yes!" Wendy nodded p by his side, "How do we stop it from attacking Cait Shelter?! Tell us! Please!"
Brain gave a ragged cough and tried to catch his breath before looking up at Naruto. After a moment of staring at him the Dark Guild master showed a brittle but mocking smile, "You can't."
Wendy's breath caught in shock as Naruto shook him roughly, "Wrong answer! Try again!"
"I said you can't stop it." Brain repeated, "You can't save the Nirvit tribe."
"So you just set this thing to move and you have no control over it now?!" Carla asked with an incredulous fury, her anger brimming over as she refused to believe they couldn't save her guild, "You can't possibly expect us to believe that!"
"Once the destination has been made, the city will not stop moving." Brain's eyes flittered open and close as he struggled to stay awake, "I can't change its course, and neither can you."
"Why?" Wendy pleaded to him with watery eyes, "Why would you do this? Why does my guild need to suffer because of what their ancestors created?"
Brain turned his head to look at her. He was still beaten and on the edge of consciousness, but the diabolical grin he showed her sent an unsettling chill down her back, "Don't you wonder how we knew who you were?"
Wendy blinked, "What?"
"A powerful healer out here in the middle of nowhere. We never would have found you...if you hadn't healed that subordinate of ours so exceptionally well."
Her eyes shuddered in shock, "N-No."
"That nameless little grunt was trampled half to death somewhere out here. He was fading quickly and would have certainly died, but you showed mercy and healed his grievous wounds back to normal. And how did he repay that kindness? By ratting you out to us." Wendy trembled and stumbled back as Brain smirked, a black line upon his face receding as he chuckled, "You wonder why we're targeting Cait Shelter, a pathetic little guild in a hole that no one even knows about? The answer is simple child - because we aren't foolish enough to let even an insignificant threat escape if it can endanger our plans. Something you and your ilk are too damn foolish to understand. Hehehehehehahahahahahaha!"
Brain mocked them with his laughter before his eyes drifted shut and he passed out. The black line finally disappeared fully and Naruto dropped him to the ground.
"N-No." Wendy covered her mouth and stumbled back in horror, dropping to her knees, "Because I saved that man?"
"Wendy! It's okay!" Carla flew up by her side, "You didn't know-"
"B-But if I didn't save that man, they never would have found me to save Jellal!" Wendy was reeling in horror at the revelation as she started hyperventilating, "I-If I just left him there - b-but if I did - all I had to do was not-"
Wendy's mind was racing and she was so horrified by the terrible results of her actions. Actions she made with the best interests in mind! She just wanted to help a dying man! Save someone in front of her that needed help! But maybe everyone wouldn't be hurt, the world wouldn't be in danger, and her guild wouldn't be threatened if she just let him-
She was enveloped in a tight, comforting hug by a much larger body.
Wendy blinked and pushed the tears down the side of her face, her breathing shaky and short as she looked up at the man hugging her, "N-Naruto-San?"
"It's okay. You didn't do anything wrong." He said in a soft, warm whisper that conflicted with the panicking, nervous thoughts rushing through her head. He squeezed a little tighter, "There was absolutely nothing wrong in trying to help someone in need in front of you. And don't think for a second that you should throw away that need and betray what your heart feels."
"B-But I lead the Oración Seis right to us." She hiccuped.
"You can't know the consequence and result for every action you take, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't do anything."
"Your kindness and your heart are your greatest strengths, Wendy." Carla said as well, floating up and hugging onto the Dragon Slayer's shoulder, "Don't forsake that good nature for anything."
"E-Even if it ends up hurting more people?"
"Save who you can if you believe it's right. And if the people you save go down the wrong path, then you just have to stop them. And if you can't stop them..." Naruto pulled away and stood up, smiling softly down at the young Mage before offering his hand, "Then we will stop them."
Wendy sniffled and wiped her tears away before taking his hand. He pulled her up to her feet before she took a breath and nodded up at him.
"C'mon, let's find a way to stop this big hulking bitch."
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"It's coming!"
"Dodge aside!"
Erza and Jellal avoided the flying snake that flew down and the cackling madman on its back that carved the ground up as he passed. The two Mages noticed the ground had corroded and started bubbling from where Cobra's Poison left a trench. They already knew the risk, but one more look clearly reminded them that taking one of his hits was not something they could let happen.
Erza summoned several blades from her Requip and sent them flying through the sky. Cobra rode the back of his serpent and deftly avoided each weapon that cut the sky to reach him. His hands blurred aside and caught two swords by their blades, his fingers tightening around the swords as each digit melted through the metal, "Gonna have to do a lot better than that!"
"Run!" Jellal yelled, firing bursts of magic at two buildings on either side of them to bring them tumbling down. In the crumbling rock and stone a giant cloud of dust was kicked up. The cloud would provide visual cover and the crashing rocks a sound blanket they could escape from Cobra with, "We have to get away!"
"Run as fast and as far as you want!" Cobra called out through the night sky as they started to retreat, "I can still hear the sound of your footsteps! Poison Dragon's Scales!"
A storm of Poison attacks rained down from above and pelted the area around them. Erza blocked the attacks by deflecting them with her blade while Jellal coated his hand in magic and swatted them away. They protected themselves but the attacks were relentless. The scales rained down like corrosive acid and melted through the ruins around them.
Cobra stopped his attack and whipped his arms aside, his sleeves burnt up to his elbows from the after-effects of running rampant with his Poison. He gently petted Cubellios and the flying serpent released a breath of poisonous vapor from its mouth. Cobra sucked it up and started recharging himself before he called out, "I'm just having a snack and getting a little energy back! You're scheduled battle and suffering will continue shortly!"
Erza and Jellal slid to a stop and hid behind a wall as they took the momentary reprieve of battle to catch their breath. The redhead S-Class Mage looked over herself and saw some singed and melted portions of her armor that had taken the brunt of his assault. She looked at Jellal beside her, "Did he get you?"
"No," Her former friend lifted up the back of his coat and spotted the missing portions in the tail of it, "Looks like we warded most of them off. If he tried that again, maybe we could weave our way through to attack? We might suffer a few hits-"
"Don't do that." Erza warned, "I've suffered at the hands of poison recently and I imagine anything he produces would just be worse." She summoned another blade to her hand and switched into her Black Wing Armor. She leaned out and peeked back through the street as she tried to spot their foe and see if he followed them.
As she did Jellal leaned back into the wall and breathed a sigh of relief that they weren't being attacked. He looked to his companion for guidance as she had a pensive, thoughtful expression on her face, "What's our next move? Should we come up with a plan?"
"That seems pointless."
"How so?"
"Because no matter what we think of, he'll know."
Erza had faced many diverse, challenging enemies before. People who were stronger than her. People with more skill than her. People with more experience than her. But despite all the people Erza faced she was able to push through with the advantages her armor gave her, the tactics she concocted to outdo her opponent, and the tenacity she had to keep pushing forward until her opponent started to crumble before her. This skillset had helped Erza face some of the worst enemies she had ever met…
And now any tactics and strategies she could come up with were rendered pointless with Cobra around.
She could not come up with a plan with Jellal out loud. She could not even risk the chance of thinking up of a plan by herself. Because the Poison Dragon Slayer's keen ears would pick up everything and anything they came up with. And if he focused on her hard enough, he would read her mind and realize everything she could imagine in a battle scenario. Did she have an armor set that blocked telepathy? No, it was not telepathy he was using but Sound magic. Was there something she could use to counteract sound or distract him? The most obvious solution would be to block his hearing or deafen him long enough to finish the attack. But then-
"Damn, it's like a mile a minute in there."
Erza and Jellal looked at the wall behind them in shock. They jumped back as an arm covered in scales smashed through with ease. The wall crumbled a moment later and Cobra burst through, a vicious grin on his face as he looked between the two Mages he designated as his prey. He turned and pounced on Erza as Cubellios spewed a cloud of poison at Jellal to keep him back.
Cobra's poison-coated hands lunged forward at rapid speeds as Erza stepped back and parried every attack he made. The Dark Mage smiled and chuckled to himself as the redhead strained to keep up with his barrage of attacks. He slammed his talons down on the steel of her blade and they struggled against each other for supremacy while Cobra sneered, "Man, you were really racking your brain trying to figure out how to counter me, weren't you? You came up with some pretty good ideas on the fly like that."
"Consider it my compliment to a powerful foe, or if you don't appreciate the pleasantries, the irritation of having to deal with a massive pain in the ass."
"Yeah, that sounds a lot better!" Cobra's other hand sprung upwards and knocked her sword out of the way as the talons were no longer blocked and could slash forward. Erza blocked his hand with the black vambrace of her armor, the dark metal over her forearm starting to corrode but being able to protect her skin from direct contact. She brought her sword back down from above, but Cobra heard her intent coming and dodged aside.
He lurched back in and started throwing fists covered with poison magic. Erza dodged and avoided each one, her eyes lingering over Cobra's burgundy hair to see Jellal was still trying to escape from the poison cloud the serpent was spewing. She started summoning a second sword to her free hand and was prepared to try and counter-
"Not gonna happen!"
Cobra's talons slipped through her guard and cut along her cheek. Erza turned with the attack and used the movement to slip away from the Dark Mage. She felt a burning sensation from the cut on her cheek and knew that she was going to be feeling the effects of his poison again soon. She turned back to Cobra and raised her blades...before looking at the Pillar curiously.
Instead of Cobra's usual mocking sneer, his face was twisted in discomfort and spite. His hand was clutched tightly to his side as he glared at her. Slowly pulling his hand away he looked down at the small but decent cut that landed on his side and drew blood.
Erza looked down and saw a slight line of blood over the blade she had just summoned.
Did she do that?
She didn't even realize.
She must have attacked while stepping back-
...
Oh!
He could hear her thoughts and predict her movements. But what if she made movements without thinking? Reflexes or involuntary actions. Falling over wasn't something she thought of doing. And her body was trained from years of battle so it could make a move without her even focusing. It was possible that this could work in her favor...
And judging by the irritated look on Cobra's face as she thought deeper on this, then this plan had some credence.
She smirked cheekily, "That's the trick, isn't it?"
"Grr," The Dragon Slayer growled, looking down at the blood on his fingers before wiping it off on his coat and staining the white even further, "Yeah, congratulations, you figured out the best way to counter someone who can hear your thoughts is to not think at all. Brilliant," He sarcastically clapped his hands, "So what's your plan now? Because if your solution is to fight without thinking then I'll warn you now that some people tried that and died horribly. You seem a lot ditzier than you make yourself out to be but even you can't be that stupid."
"Probably not." Erza looked down thoughtfully at one sword before she returned it to her personal space. She gripped her blade with both hands and raised it over her head, "I'm going to try something. Why don't you tell me how this works?"
Cobra peaked his brow in confusion before focusing on her thoughts again.
'Forward strike.'
She was just repeating the attack pattern over and over.
'Forward strike.' 'Forward strike.' 'Forward strike.' 'Forward strike.' 'Forward-'
'I should ask for the strawberry cake recipe from the sweet shop by the guild.'
"Wha-"
A silver flash dropped down and Cobra barely avoided the blade, the sword earning a shallow cut along his chest after dodging at the last possible instant. He stumbled back and looked down at the new cut in his clothes before glaring at Erza-
Her new stance, her legs low and the sword held at an angle by her waist. Her eyes narrowed and her grip tightened-
'I wonder if Elfman and Lisanna remembered to take Koyuki out to the park while we're doing this.'
As Cobra pondered about the stupidity he was hearing, Erza's blade flashed forward again and started slashing at him. The Dark Mage frantically avoided the myriad of attacks that happened so fast he was certain any one of them would put an end to him. Her swings scratched against his scales and any that slipped through his guard started to leave cuts on his body.
"PISS OFF! POISON DRAGON'S ROAR!"
Cobra forced Erza back by spewing a massive cloud of Poison. The purple cloud settled and Cobra looked up as he saw Erza floating up above the cloud of poison. She was panting softly and Cobra could hear her muscles start to spasm and twitch around the cut on her cheek. The realization that even though this crazy woman was coming up with counters to his Sound magic, she was still susceptible to his Poison, gave him a sense of relief and couldn't stop himself from grinning. If he just stretched this out a little longer and infected her some more-
Why was she panicking?
"HA!"
Cobra jumped back, so distracted by the fight with Erza that he hadn't noticed the conflict behind him. Jellal had leapt through the cloud of poison, infecting himself with whatever virus and disease he might end up with just to reach the Pillar. The disgraced Wizard Saint tackled Cobra, his skin already becoming discolored and infected by the poison her took.
Cobra growled and grabbed the blue-haired man by the neck. He easily lifted him up and started poisoning his neck as well, "Did you seriously lose all self-worth after losing your memories? Did you forget how dangerous it is to run into a cloud of poison with your dick out like that?"
Jellal gasped for air as his body started to shut down and his breathing became belabored. The blue-haired man struggled to keep his eyes open and looked down at the Dark Mage with disdain. Cobra's anger boiled over as he heard his thoughts turn to whispers...
'Is this good? Is this better? If this works, will I be able to make up for what I've done?'
"NO!"
Erza came flying down, passing through the remains of the Poison cloud to reach them. She rushed through to the other side, a scream of desperation crying out as she slashed forward. She scored a deeper, longer cut on Cobra's chest that resulted in a spray of blood as she passed by. The Dark Mage clutched his chest in pain as she tackled into Jellal and pulled him out of Cobra's grip.
"AH!" Cobra stumbled back and roared, "You bitch!"
Erza's body flashed with blinding light as she used Requip to change into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. The scarlet-haired woman summoned dozens of blades into existence around her and sent them flying at her enemy. Cobra easily dodged their path and weaved around them as they flew off into the sky behind him. If he just pushed a little further and reached them while they were on the ground-
A pair of swords clashed together behind him.
More and more started to clash against each other without pause.
They slammed into the buildings around them and sent the stone crumbling into the street.
The cacophony of noise was so loud it was impossible to think clearly. Nearly a hundred of Erza's swords were flashing around the immediate area and running into each other. Not a single second passed by without a deafening clash of metal against metal rang out.
Cubellios cowered from the terrible sound.
Erza and Jellal did their best to weather the pain.
And Cobra...
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!"
The Dark Mage's agonizing scream was drowned out by the symphony of swords around him. Each clash from every direction rang through his body like a cannon in his brain. The Dragon Slayer stumbled back with his hands clamped on his ears in a desperate attempt to block out the noise but to no avail. His eardrums felt like they were going to burst and he couldn't even hear himself cry out. In the pain he heard faint voices resonate through his head.
'Tower.'
'Sorry.'
'Erik.'
'Now!'
"Pentagram Sword!"
Erza dashed forward and attacked her distracted opponent with two swords, cutting a pentagram formation across his body. She dispelled all of her swords and cleared out the area as she stared at Cobra's motionless form. The Dragon Slayer was already unconscious, his eyes rolled back with a mixture of drool and blood going down his chin from his injuries. He slowly sloped back before falling to the ground unconscious..
Erza arms went slack with exhaustion as she could no longer fight the effects the poison was having on her. Her body glowed and her armor returned to its base form. She nearly doubled over and used her knees to keep herself standing as she caught her breath.
"Hsssssssss."
Erza froze as she heard the serpent behind her slither her way. She looked back at Cubellios as the long purple snake moved along the ground and past her completely. She watched the serpent travel up to Cobra's side and curl up to his side. It rested its head on his chest and seemed to just settle down there with no thought to the enemies it had just fought.
She looked at the Dark Mage and his snake for a moment more before turning back around. She walked up to Jellal's prone form and lowered herself to his side. Her legs gave out and she ended up lying back against a wall before pulling Jellal over to her side. Resting her friend's head in her lap as he struggled for breath because of the poison, "Just breathe. Do everything you can to just focus on breathing. I know it might hurt but you have to do it."
Jellal's inhale was shaky and labored, but he persisted in and did his best to control his breathing despite how much it hurt. He looked up at the scarlet-haired woman, "D-Did you get him?"
"He's down. I don't think he'll be getting up again soon."
"Th-That's good." Jellal gargled, "I'm glad I could help."
"We wouldn't have been able to defeat him if you hadn't drawn his attention long enough for me to attack."
"Y-You're wel-"
"But you shouldn't have done it if it risked your life like this."
Jellal looked up at Erza and noticed her stern expression despite the discoloring on her cheeks. He whispered, "Is everything he said about me in that cave true? That I hurt people? Used them? Hurt you and Naruto?"
"Yes, it is."
"Then I thought the least this terrible person could do is risk his life to stop things from getting worse."
"And that's where you are wrong." Erza firmly denied Jellal's sacrificial tone and shook her head sadly, looking down at her former friend with a pitying expression, "You aren't absolving yourself or doing us a favor by sacrificing your life to try and atone. You atone by living. By suffering. By trying to make right what you made wrong. Not by sacrificing yourself. No matter how good your intentions might be...throwing your life away isn't the answer." She leaned back and looked up at the starry sky, "Believe me...I almost didn't learn that lesson in time."
Jellal's shallow breath continued for a few seconds before he whispered, "How can you be trying to save me? After all the terrible things I did to you and your friend?"
"Because despite everything that happened, we didn't want things to end the way they did." Erza answered in a soft whisper, patting her friend's hair to ease his discomfort, "I couldn't stop thinking about how I could have helped you or what I could have done the last time we met. And Naruto...right after you had finished fighting and even when his body was bruised and broken, he struggled to try and save you." She smiled fondly and closed her eyes, "No matter how things ended between us, we were friends who all started our paths in this world together. That's...not something that can be ignored or erased so easily."
...
"I..." Jellal murmured, "I want to meet Naruto."
"And I'm sure he has a lot he wants to say to you too." Erza chuckled, ignoring the spasm of her muscles and the pain spreading out from the poisoned regions, "So that's just another reason to keep on living."
########Hunter########
"Hey big guy, if you want I can carry Natsu for you."
"No need my adorable little cat friend! The strength I receive from helping a friend in need is more than enough to push me forward!"
"Y-Yeah, but I meant it more for Natsu's sake than yours."
"Hrrrrgggghhh." Natsu's stomach gurgled and his mouth filled with vomit as the movement of Nirvana on top of Hoteye's uneven running sent his motion sickness into overdrive. The Dragon Slayer whimpered on the former Pillar's back, "P-Please, m-m-make it stop."
"Oh, it only gets more heartbreaking the longer we look at him." Lucy noted as she saw her friend suffer.
"I could understand the rapid movement of a magic vehicle or a train, but I barely even feel this city move." Gray complained with a shake of his head, "Sometimes I feel like he's just making excuses."
Lucy shrugged, "I can understand that, but then he throws up and I feel bad for him again."
"It's just an endless cycle with this guy."
Natsu gagged and dry heaved on Hoteye's back as he bounced up and down. But as they ran along the streets of the city on Nirvana's back, his nose twitched. Forcing his nausea aside, he tapped Hoteye's shoulder several times, "What is it dear friend?"
"S-Smell," Natsu grumbled as he pointed aside, "That way."
"Natsu? What are you smelling?" Lucy inquired before Hoteye followed his directions and started down a different alley. Gray, Lucy, and Happy quickly followed after him as the Celestial Spirit Mage asked, "Natsu, what are we running towards? Hey, Natsu!"
"Natsu?"
The group came to a quick stop as they nearly ran into Naruto, Wendy, and Carla. The trio stopped as they noticed them approach, "Hey, guys! You're here!"
"Naruto! Wendy! Carla!" Lucy called out to her friends as they all waved to each other. They reconvened in the street and the blonde Fairy let out a breath of relief, "We were worried when we couldn't find you! What happened after you got here?"
"We were met by that awful Brain fellow from the Oración Seis." Carla informed them, "He tried to pick a fight with us but fortunately your friend was able to beat him before things got too dire."
"Seriously, you beat the leader of the Oración Seis by yourself?" Gray whistled in surprise and smiled at his friend, "Good work."
"He wasn't that impressive. Feels more like he gave himself the title." The whiskered blond smirked, "Still, another one of the assholes down. Shit, no offense Richard."
"None taken." The large former Dark Mage chuckled as he lowered Natsu to the ground, "My actions were deplorable and heinous, even if I did do it for the purposes of reuniting with my brother. I have no compunctions about what kind of man I was."
"Natsu-San?" Wendy kneeled down by her fellow Dragon Slayer and looked him over as he gurgled on the ground, "I-I don't understand, he doesn't seemed to be too badly injured. He has bruising around his body but he seems to be suffering from some kind of ailment."
"Oh, Natsu has motion sickness. He gets sick and nearly vomits just by being on a vehicle, or I guess just about anything that rattles around too much." Lucy informed while looking at her friend pitifully.
"Motion sickness?" Wendy smiled, "Well if it's just something to do with inner ear stability than that's simple enough." Wendy closed her hands together and slowly separated them as she created a faint green orb of magic. She lowered it down and gently pressed it to Natsu's body, "Troia."
The magic faded away completely and Wendy lowered her hands. The Fairies looked down in surprise when they couldn't hear him gurgle or whine like he usually did. And they were even more surprised when Natsu immediately stood up, the clamminess of his cheeks completely vanished and color returned to his face. The Fire Dragon Slayer stood up, jumped in place as few times, and then smiled with tears in his eyes.
"I'M NOT SICK!"
"Oh my god she cured his motion sickness!"
"I-Is she a god?!"
"She's a miracle worker!"
"Praise be Wendy! The blessed healer!"
The young Mage blushed with embarrassment, "I-It's nothing special really. Just a spell to restore the sense of balance they temporarily lose while moving-"
"No, Wendy, you don't understand!" Naruto pushed forward with his amazement as he looked down at his young friend with great adoration, "We've been going on missions with Natsu for years and his motion sickness is always beating him!"
"He's such a strong and capable Mage but the moment he gets on anything moving that isn't Happy he turns into a lump of heaving meat." Lucy wiped the tears from her eyes.
"I'm so happy for you, Natsu!" Happy cheered for his best friend.
"LOOK AT ME! LOOK AT ME!" Natsu was running along the streets, doing backflips, and spinning through the air with a smile large enough to split his face, "I CAN RIDE A VEHICLE!"
"Great, you know he's just going to be even more annoying now that he can ride things like a normal person, right?" Gray complained, but still wiped a small tear from his eye as he watched his rival enjoy his freedom from his affliction, "Damn fool."
...
"Idiots. All of them." Carla grumbled, "Can we please get back on track and focus on what's important?" The Fairies all stopped fooling around and looked at the flying feline, "Right now Nirvana is on its way towards Cait Shelter in order to destroy it. Our guild is on the edge of the Woodsea so it's quite a ways away, but considering the size of this thing and how quickly it moves I doubt we have long before we reach it."
"What are our options? Can we make somebody stop it?"
"We tried to make Brain do it after he was beaten, but he just laughed in our faces and told us it was impossible."
"And you believed him?"
"We were going to investigate and see if we could do anything-"
"I think he was telling the truth." Hoteye spoke up beside them as the changed man finally stopped smiling and showed a dour expression, "Brain is many things; vindictive, sadistic, and cruel - but he wouldn't lie if he already believes he's won. If he told you all of that, I have to think it was because he was rubbing dirt into the wounds and nothing else."
Wendy's expression turned even more dire when she heard that. Carla looked at her with concern and the Fairy Mages were troubled. Until Naruto stepped forward, "Okay, we need to act fast. Natsu, you and the others have to look around the city. Find anything you can that seems like it would control this place and do what Fairy Tail does best."
"Wreck it?"
"Yep." Natsu smirked and pounded his fists together, "Wendy, you need to stick with them. I'm not sure who else is up here with us but you all need to be careful. You're the only one who can heal us completely and I'm not sure what others fights we might have ahead of us."
"Naruto-San," Hoteye spoke up, "When you last saw Brain, how many line formations did he have on his face?"
"Two. Why?"
"Each line on his face is connected to a member of the guild. I was beaten, as well as Sawyer and Sorano, and now Brain as well. Which means only Erik and Macbeth are left."
"Cobra and Midnight."
"As long as those two are still around, we are most definitely in danger."
"Then you all need to stick together and stay safe." Naruto started walking past them and looked out in the direction the giant city was moving, "And I'm going out ahead of this thing and finding Cait Shelter. If there's a chance Nirvana will reach it before we can stop it, the least I can do is warn the guild and evacuate everyone."
"Naruto, are you sure?"
"Positive." The whiskered S-Class Mage nodded, "As we are now then I might be the only one who can get there fast enough. I'll go ahead and clear out the guild, you all search the city and try to find the off switch to this thing."
"You imbecile," Carla derided as she floated in front of Naruto with a frown on her face, "If you're going to Cait Shelter than either Wendy or myself should be with you. So I'll come along as your guide to-"
Naruto conjured some Wind with his chakra and gently blew it on the cat. Carla was shaken out of the air as her wings faltered and she started to fall. The Fairy Mage caught her and placed her gently on the floor, "You're exhausted. Happy usually tires himself out after a couple of hours with his wings out and you've been flying almost the whole day."
"Yeah, I thought it was really impressive that you were keep your wings up this whole time, Carla!" Happy said with admiration as he walked over and tried to strike up a conversation with the White cat. She just huffed in annoyance and turned away petulantly.
"Truth is that even though we're all standing here willing to fight, we're running on fumes." He said, looking around and taking note of everyones' injuries and fatigue, "I'm going on ahead to Cait Shelter because even though my magic and chakra are running low, it can still push me on ahead. And you all need to be saving up your strength because I'm definitely leaving you with the most important job."
"Stop Nirvana and kick anyone's ass who gets in the way." Gray clarified, "Sounds simple enough."
"You can trust us, Naruto." Lucy firmly nodded in agreement.
"Get going man!" Natsu roared while pumped up, "We'll handle things here."
"I knew you guys would."
Naruto turned and sprinted off towards the edge of the city. The others watched him leave as Wendy looked between him and his comrades, "You all trust in each other so much."
"Of course we do." Natsu grinned, "We're a family, and you gotta trust that your family can handle what you ask them to. Plain and simple."
"Naruto-San said I should believe in him, and he promised that he would save my guild."
"Then consider it saved." Gray said with a small smile, "If there's one thing Naruto does better than anyone else, it's follow through with his promises."
Wendy felt so conflicted while looking up at the smiling group of Mages. She knew she should be terrified and anxious and afraid that her guild was on the brink of destruction. And yet when she looked at everyone here and thought about how they resolved to help her...
She couldn't imagine a way they could be wrong.
"Well you heard Naruto! Time to go looking for the switch!" Natsu started dashing in one direction before he slid to a stop. He raised his nose up and started sniffing around, "Hold on."
"Natsu?" Happy ran up to his friend's side, "What's up?"
"I smell something." He sniffed a little more deeply before opening his eyes, "Blood. Fresh too." He then looked left and right, "I smell it in two different directions."
"Blood?" Lucy gasped, "W-Why is there blood?"
"One smells like Erza! And the other is...fruity? Pleasant? Smells like perfume."
########Hunter########
"Meeeennnnnnnn~!"
Ichiya cried out as he twirled around and released a typhoon of Perfume magic into the air. The different colored gases and odors mixed together and started floating towards their enemy to overwhelm his senses.
Only for the cloud to be dissipated with a slash of air and a cut to appear over Ichiya's chest after taking the attack. The Pegasus Mage gasped in shock and fell back as the pain finally shocked his system. He knew that was going to happen. It happened every other time they attacked him, but Ichiya had hoped that he would at least be able to distract their enemy long enough to give his comrades a quick reprieve.
How foolish that notion was.
The landscape around them looked like the work of a madman that could rearrange rock and dirt with his hands. Dozens of rock pillars were raised from the ground, unbreakable spears of sturdy earth that somehow, at the last moment, twisted away unnaturally from their target. They had slammed into the surrounding buildings, the ground, and even each other, but never the man in the center of it all.
"I thought the light's most impressive warriors would be more...impressive." Midnight noted with a dull tone, "Sadly it seems this is the best you can do."
The Dark Mage stood across from them with nary a mark or scratch on his body. In contrast with all the injuries and wounds Ichiya, Jura, and Kichiyo had already suffered from a day of fighting they also had new lacerations and cuts from all the attacks they had suffered from at the Pillar's hand.
Jura panted for air, blood seeping out of the wounds he gained fighting Midnight and the wounds that still hadn't closed from his other battles. He looked over at Ichiya, the well-dressed man struggling to pick himself up after trying to distract their powerful foe. And Kichiyo, the rock golem's lower body in pieces a dozen meters away after being bisected from his torso with a wave of Midnight's hand.
It was impossible for someone to be invincible. But until they figured out his method, that was exactly what the Oración Seis member was.
Jura clapped his hands together and started controlling another wave of rock formations with his Earth magic. Spears of stone emerged from the ground and sailed through the air to crush and slam into Midnight's form. And once again, as if he was waving away a nasty smell, with a wave of his hand the study rock attacks weaved out of his path and pelted the area around him.
Midnight's hair softly rustled with the wind kicked up by their impact and the young man pulled it from his eyes with an amused smile, "If you hope throwing as much as you can at the metaphorical wall will get something to stick, I'll warn you now that it's useless." His fingers started to twist around as a shiny swirl of wind started forming in his hands, "My Reflector magic blocks every spell sent my way, protects me, and destroys my enemies."
"Yes, you've made that quite clear." Jura stomped his foot and stood up tall as he eyed the young man down, "But I'm still of the mindset that every magic has shortcomings, and anything portrayed as invincible is just trying its damnedest to hide a glaring flaw."
"That's an interesting theory." Midnight raised his hand out and aimed it Jura's way before chambering one of his fingers, "Care to test it?"
He flicked his finger out and another scythe of air reflected outwards. It sliced through everything in its path without pause as any stone pillars Jura raised in its path fell to pieces. The Wizard Saint stepped aside and avoided the deadly blade of air before sprinting towards Midnight. He weaved his hand around and started conjuring more pillars of rock to do his bidding, converging on one spot atop of Midnight.
The tendrils of stone attacked in rapid fire on Midnight from all angles. They veered off just a few feet from reaching him and started slamming into the ground around him instead. The Dark Mage stood silently without any concern or fear as Jura's attacks pulverized the ground around him instead.
The Wizard Saint's eyes were locked on the Dark Mage as he started sprinting to close the distance. While Midnight continued to divert the attacks, Jura tested his limits by creating smaller pillars by his feet to attack his blindspots. However even they were pushed off course and redirected without any effort. Jura clicked his tongue and forced more magic into his attack for more power.
"Enough."
Midnight increased the range of his Reflector and destroyed everything around him, even the ground had splintered and broken from his magic. And with that moment of reprieve from Jura's attacks he raised his hands and twisted them over each other.
"Spiral Pain!"
A vortex of spiraling wind formed around Jura and cut him to shreds. The Wizards Saint's cry of pain was drowned out by the intensity of the wind being channeled around him at impossible speeds. The vortex persisted for several more seconds before finally disappearing and revealing the broken man inside.
Jura dropped to his knees, the bald powerhouse coughing up blood as the countless cuts along his body started to seep with it. He struggled to keep himself up and craned his head back to look up at Midnight. The Dark Mage scoffed, "I'm amazed you're still breathing. Most people I use my magic on die after an attack like that. I suppose the title of Wizard Saint isn't just for show."
"You..." Jura groaned as he sat up and pushed himself up to one leg, "You wield your power - your great and magnificent power - without any care for those weaker or suffering around you. You sleep through the cries of others, and revel in their screams of pain at your hands. You are not strong. You have no concept of strength or power. You are empty...and void."
"Perhaps," Midnight casually continued, "But I don't wield my magic with any thoughts of power or strength. My magic and it's purposes are used only to further our goal; our collective dream and desire. I wield my magic for the purposes of my father...and that is enough for me."
"That only proves my point more. You are a slave to your father's whims and wishes, and nothing more."
"Enough of this." Midnight raised his hand before slicing down. Another blade of air reflected forward at blinding speeds and cut everything. Jura rolled aside and barely avoided the devastating blade of wind that would have cleaved him apart. He picked himself back up and prepared to charge in time to see Midnight raise his hands again, "Spiral-"
"LEAVE JURA ALONE!"
Kichiyo pushed himself off the ground and sent himself flying, the golem's upper body sailing through the air towards the Dark Mage. Midnight's eyes widened in surprise as he jumped aside and let the Lamia golem sail past him. Once he did he whipped his hand aside and sliced the golem in half again. The two pieces of Kichiyo slammed to the ground lifelessly as Midnight frowned in annoyance.
Jura stared at the scene in surprise. He...dodged?
"You saw it too, Jura-San?"
"Ichiya-dono?" The bald Lamia Mage looked back at the Pegasus Mage as he lifted himself up and fished out a few vials from his pocket, "So my eyes weren't just playing tricks on me then?"
"No. He's countered and avoided every magic attack from your Earth magic and my Perfume magic. And yet when Kichiyo-San, who is a physical construct of rock without magic power, attacked he desperately dodged it."
"We've been coming at this all wrong." Jura stood up tall and rolled his shoulders, "We need to beat this villain with physical power, not magical power."
"In that case I may be of assistance." Ichiya flared his nostrils and stuck two vials into his nose. Jura looked down with a grimace at the odd sight before Ichiya took in a deep breath of his magic.
An instant later, the stout elegant man changed into a giant with rippling muscles that put even Jura's physique to shame. With his shirt and suit ripped apart and in nothing but the remains of his pants, the Pegasus Mage flexed, "Power Perfume and Fleet-Foot Perfume combination. Like this, I'm more than ready to engage in combat and put that menace down."
Jura looked the man over in shock as he blinked blankly. Magic...was far greater and more vast than the Wizard Saint could ever imagine. He composed himself and nodded, "Right. Are you ready to end this, Ichiya-dono?"
"After you, Jura-San!"
The two older men charged across the street and closed the distance to Midnight as quickly as possible. The Dark Mage noticed the change in direction the battle was taking and clicked his teeth together irritably. He ran forward and slashed both hands down to created a swarm of blades to attack them. Jura and Ichiya separated and weaved through the barrage of attacks to reach their foe.
Ichiya pulled up ahead and reared his fist back, "Suffer at the hands of our handsome glory, devilish fiend - AAAHHHHH!" Right in the middle of his leap up to attack, the remains of Ichiya's pants started to twist and tighten along his legs. The Pegasus Mage fell to the ground and screamed in pain as Midnight twisted the fabric and nearly broke Ichiya's legs.
Jura stomped his foot and created another pillar of rock. This was formed by Midnight's feet and lunged up directly into his ribs. The Dark Mage couldn't react in time and gagged as he was knocked to his knees. And the moment he fell the spell affecting Ichiya stopped as well, giving the elegant man a reprieve as he dropped to the ground clutching his legs.
"Ichiya-dono! Are you okay?"
"I-I'm fine!" The Trimen's leader hissed and picked himself up, "It felt like a vice was twisting around my legs tight enough to cut them off. Thank you, Jura-San."
"I've figured out your invincible magic!" Jura announced to Midnight, the younger man coughing and gagging as he glared at the Wizard Saint with spite, "You can only use it in one area at a time! Either around yourself or to attack us! That's why when you were going to attack me, you destroyed everything around you so you could spare a moment without your defense! And you can't block physical attacks! Which means if we get in close to you, you have no hope of taking us!"
"S-Such brilliant insight." Midnight groaned through the breaking of his ribs as he stood up and smirked at his enemies, "You've been able to deduce my abilities far more accurately than any others I've fought. If you had figured it out earlier, or if we had fought at a different time of day, then perhaps you would have won."
"We're going to emerge victorious right now. The time of day has nothing to do with it."
"Oh but it does." Midnight's head rolled back and he laughed joyously as he stared up at the black sky, "For my namesake has finally arrived, and with it so too comes the peak of my abilities."
Jura and Ichiya watched in horror as the lithe young man started to expand and grow. His thin frame grew nearly a dozen times wider and started to tower over them. His handsome features were twisted into a vicious monster head and a smile with rows of jagged, sharp teeth. The two Mages looked up at the monster in abject horror as it grinned and swiped its fingers up.
Jura and Ichiya were flayed to pieces.
The two men dropped to the ground, pain and agony filling their every sense as the cuts on their bodies deepened. Midnight slowly approached their bloody forms and cackled, "Don't go dying just yet. I'm going to stay like this for quite a while. And I'm going to make sure I get the most out of this time to torment you,"
He tortured them. Made them scream and cry in pain. The monster's disgusting cackles and their bloodcurdling wails were the only thing to fill the night-
"KNOCK KNOCK!"
The monster vanished and the blood disappeared as Kichiyo punched Midnight in the back of the head. The young man stumbled forward on his feet in shock as his vision started to blur. Jura and Ichiya lurched forward in surprise, finding their skin, organs, and lifeblood all in the same place. They looked at each other and wondered what was going on.
But realized they had more pressing matters.
Jura roared and jabbed forward, creating a pillar that sprung to life under Ichiya and sent the man flying. The Pegasus Mage blurred towards Midnight, spun through the air, and raised his arm out to his side.
"HANDSOME LARIAT!"
Ichiya's massive arm caught Midnight's neck and clotheslined the Pillar into the ground. Ichiya slid to a stop and flexed his bulging muscles with pride as Jura let out a sigh of relief. He stepped over and looked down at the panting, startled Dark Mage who was only now realizing that he had been beaten, "W-What-"
"You've lost." Jura answered, "Your magic has failed against the allies of the light.
"MEEEEEEEEENNNNNNNNN~!"
"GOLEEEEEEEEMMMMMMM~!"
"We've done it you two. We've claimed victory!" Jura raised his fist in triumphant and Ichiya did the same. Kichiyo raised his fist as well, but seeing as he was only half a torso he was laid on his side with his fist raised up instead of supporting him, "Kichiyo, how did you destroy his monster form like that?"
"WHAT MONSTER FORM?" The loud golem questioned before pointing his finger at Midnight, "THE SKINNY GUY WAS JUST WEAVING HIS HANDS AROUND AND YOU TWO WERE SCREAMING SO I PUSHED MYSELF UP TO ATTACK HIM!"
"We weren't cut to pieces and being ripped up?"
"NOPE! YOU WERE ON THE GROUND SCREAMING BUT NOTHING LIKE THAT!"
Jura looked down at Midnight, "It was an illusion. He was using his Reflector to distort things around us and make us believe what he wished us to see." He dragged the other half of the golem over and placed the torso back together as it started to seal as one, "And since you don't see like we do illusions don't work on you."
"I SEE! PRETTY LUCKY TO HAVE ME AROUND, HUH?!"
Jura smiled, "Yes, I suppose I should apologize to Obaba-sama about having my reservations about adding you to our team."
"YOU HAD RESERVATIONS?!"
"Young man, you will be placed under arrest by the proper authorities once we hand you over to them." Ichiya said over Midnight's beaten form, "I hope this was all worth it because you're going away for a very long time."
"My wish," Midnight panted, "Is to close my eyes, and drift into a wonderful sleep that no one can interfere with." He sighed and started to close his eyes, "I couldn't see our dream through, Father, but perhaps...now he will."
The Mages looked down at Midnight in confusion before looking at each other with questioning glances. Who else in the Oración Seis was left?
########Hunter########
Brain felt it on his face. The last line fade away as his guild's defeat was signaled on his skin.
Cobra.
Angel.
Racer.
Hoteye.
Even Midnight.
His invincible team...all beaten. By these low-grade Mages and their silly alliance.
But Nirvana had been reached. It was in their grasp and about to find their first target. It was too cruel to reach your goal and lose grasp of it right at the end.
So even though Brain hated when it happened...even though he hated being locked away and trapped in his own mind...perhaps...
This would be the answer to claiming their victory.
He slowly closed his eyes...
...
"Master Zero? My master? Are you awake?"
Black eyes snapped open in surprise. And a maniacal grin of joy spread over his face.
Oh...what fun he would have.
########Hunter########
Done
Man, I won't lie and saying playing the Fairy Tail game didn't ignite the spark I needed to start into this again. Man, that game is fun. Like, more fun than it has any right to be. If you miss this characters, I seriously suggest giving it a chance. Maybe don't splurge on the DLC, but give the main game some love!
So, hopefully I can stay on track and update this through the rest of the year. If I'm right and focus hard, I should be able to finish before the end of the year!
Wish me luck folks! See you soon!
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Thank You and Bye