One's Road to Remembrance

by Insane Dominator

For 4 years, a lone guy has been suffering from memory-loss, and can only remember his name: Craig Crius. The 4 years have been very unfriendly, and in turn has become rather desolate. With the help of Cana Alberona and from Fairy Tail, Craig will endure horrific hardships, take on dangerous tasks, and unleash power he never knew he had in order to understand who he was. OCxCana.

33. Why Blades Cross

The streets of Lenore were on the verge of anxiety. Out of nowhere, citizens were running about, evading the skirmish that suddenly unfolded between two mages out of what seemed to be a whim. People were running off, hiding to make sure they weren't in the way of Erza and the black-haired attacker.

With a sword in hand, Erza brought her arm down and slashed, clanging against the man's arm. Upon impact, the mere hint of blood was far from evident.

Time slowed down for the redhead as he read the man's mischievous smirk. For the past few minutes now, that same confident smirk remained unchanged, and even though he's been taking hit after hit. 'Just what is he made of? My attacks should be dealing effective blows, and yet they're not even cutting him.' Backing away from her most recent failed slash maneuver, Erza gained distance to assure caution. 'Is it some form of enchantment to make damage reduced? Or is it a defensive spell? Whatever he is using, it's certainly working.'

"My, you're getting so worked up when I haven't done a thing to you." Her opponent nonchalantly said, his malicious smirking not losing any momentum. "You're making such a fuss. You know, it's wise to not go against one another out on a whim, especially in public. It seems even that sharp-fanged psycho Seiken was dealt with knew better than that."

Erza's eyes narrowed, her gripping on her sword intensifying. "Secrecy is out of the bag, wouldn't you say?"

The man raised a brow. "Perhaps…but that depends on the type of secret, now is it?"

Erza pointed her sword at him. "I know your small order is around here, hidden amongst the crowds. How many of you are there? And why are you here?"

"Isn't it supposed to be formal to ask names first before other questions come around?" He asked. "Ladies first."

Erza wasn't taking him lightly. She knew he had to be up to something, but she couldn't afford to waste much of her precious time. Still, if she was to acknowledge, she may as well be acknowledged first. "…fine, I am Erza Scarlet, S-Class Mage of Fairy Tail."

"Fairy Tail? Never heard of it. But no matter." He answered. "I am Derex. I work as one of the seven elites to the Dragon Emperor Society."

"I take it that's the cult that came and shrouded itself in the public?"

Derex's smirk never faded. "One could say that, but clandestine is more of our style to begin with-!" Before he could say more, Erza lunged ahead and closed the gap between them. With a slash of her sword, she contacted him for the umpteenth time. However, like before, her attack was only so superficial that no wound was evident. Even so, he managed to grin all the way. "Apparently someone doesn't care." Trying to shrug Erza off, he swatted his arm, sending the scarlet-haired mage back several feet. As she stopped, Derex pressed forward by a single step. "You certainly are one full of persistence. How ironic is this, you want questions yet you're busy chopping me to pieces."

Erza adjusted her stance, ready to strike. "So there are seven of you then, and a single leader. What is your goal here?" She attacked again, but before she could swipe her sword, Derex palm-struck Erza's abdominal area, sending an overwhelming shock that raced through her body like a virus. Erza screamed out as the immense pressure flowing through shot her back, making her slid against the concrete on her heels to a screeching halt.

The Requip Mage clutched her abdomen with her spare hand, trying to suppress that attack. "Such power." She cursed.

Derex narrowed his eyes. "You don't like my Pressure Magic?"

Erza slowly removed her hand from her abdominal region. "Pressure Magic?" Her eyes widened in realization. "Wait…!" Before she could reply, Derex closed the gap between them and jabbed her face. With heavy weight behind that one blow, Erza again slid back to a halt several feet away.

"That's right. I can alter the pressure around me to either high or low concentration. Your slash attacks takes high air pressure, so all I have to do is lower the pressure and it's like taking a simple stick whack. In return…I can also alter the pressure to make it so high that each blow is like being a half-ton hammer. A flick of a finger and your ribs can bruise." To demonstrate, his eyes narrowed again as Erza requipped a second sword. The Requip Mage again engaged in a parry of forearms to blades, this time, she was starting to gain ground as she constantly slashed to high degrees. Her footing mage her gain ground as Derex defended. No matter what, she couldn't cut him.

"HRAH!" Erza made one last slash diagonally downwards, but Derex jumped back and dodged.

Standing several feet away again, Derex got his smirk back. "You're ferocious, but this isn't getting us anywhere."

Erza pointed both swords at him. "Is there something you're trying to accomplish regarding that Dragon Slayer Lacrima?" She interrogated.

"You should really be more inclined to what we talked about earlier. Doesn't clandestine ring a bell?" At Derex's inquiry, Erza raised a brow. "You mentioned how we blended in the crowd before…so tell me, where is the crowd now?"

Erza's eyes widened when she heard roaring from the colosseum down the street. Her eyes wide, realization dawned upon her, leaving her startled. "Wait…"

"I said before we work shrouded in public…even in blind sight." Derex added.

"You mean…" The thought of those guys in the tournament; if any of them won, there would be no telling what would happen. The situation had gotten far more critical than she anticipated. She turned back towards Derex, but unfortunately for her, the Pressure Mage was suddenly gone. She was so focused on the colosseum that Derex cut himself away, leaving Erza alone. "Damnit! Coward!" She yelled.

---

"And just like that, in Quadrant 1, Natsu Dragneel will advance to the second round!" The announcer yelled.

The crowd roared in cheers as Natsu huffed and panted, but was otherwise standing triumphantly over a pile of warriors and contenders sprawled all over Quadrant 1. The Dragon Slayer raised his arms proudly, roaring laughter with a happy-go-lucky grin. Out of the 99 others in that quadrant, he stomped over them all with nothing more than his instinctive fighting.

"That's the way, Natsu!" Happy cheered.

"At least we don't have to worry about him for the time being." Lily commented.

Evergreen nodded in agreement. "True…but then of course there is…" The Fairy Mage trailed off, the notion drifting off towards the other quadrants. Happy and Lily didn't like where this was heading, and thus their excitement perished.

In Quadrant 2, Gray was seen jumping back, evading a long purple mass that serpentine towards him. The source of the purple mass resonated from 116, the redheaded mage who was hooded to conceal his head, but there were black tattoos evident. The Ice Mage had been evading for a couple minutes now, trying to stay out of the way of the purple mass that recoiled back slowly towards its master.

"And it looks like contestant 116 has 398 on the defensive!" Lucas announced from high above. "It looks like a neck and neck brawl folks! The final two standing in Quadrant 2!"

Gray panted as the dust cleared, his shirtless form revealing bruises and scrapes. He adjusted his posture, his glare set solemnly on the mage in front of him. "Well…you sure are a pain in the ass. I'll say that." He stated.

The mage raised a brow and grinned. "I could say the same about you. You sure are light on your feet if you can dodge my blade for so long." He commented.

Gray seemed more than flabbergasted. "Blade?" The ice conjuring in his hands began shaping into a handheld sword of its own. "Hate to break it to ya pal, but that's a snake."

The purple mass with hollow black eyes opened its mouth, hissing at Gray's commented.

The hooded mage had his grip at the serpent's tail, literally, as though handling it like the grip of a sword. "Watch what you have to say, pal. Even a giant snake can crush you and swallow you whole. You sure wouldn't want that to happen. And by the looks of it, you're just begging to get crushed." He brought his arm around, swinging like a blade. "Strike!"

The purple serpentine mass followed his swing motion, heading straight for Gray head on. A loud hiss surged through the atmosphere, the beast making great progress towards the target. Gray lunged ahead to meet the serpent blade, slashing at it with his Ice-Make: Sword, but upon impact, the head of the beast – as big as Gray's height – smashed the sword, sending Gray flying into the sky, screaming.

"GAH!" Slamming hard against the ground, Gray felt the shock through his back render him immobile momentarily. He grunted in pain as he craned his head up. "You bastard…"

Lucas went wide-eyed at the intense action spilling in the colosseum. The announcer was literally on the edge of his seat. "This is getting too good folks! It looks like everyone is pouring everything they got is they really wanted that Dragon Lacrima!" Another scene on the battlefield caught his attention. "And Number 399 is finding himself on the ropes as well!"

In Quadrant 3, Elfman was seen flying backwards, slamming into the Enchantment wall created. The bulky man slid down onto his rear, a harsh hitch in his throat escaping.

The large man in front of him was none other than number 99, the one who was absent-mindedly rude to them. He stood tall and proud, arms crossed as Elfman looked up at him with slight shock. The contestant in return didn't see Elfman's predicament as his problem.

"Are you through?" He asked tiresome.

Elfman stood back up, wiping the dirt on his lip with the back of his hand. "Yeah right." He crouched and stood a massive leap. The big guy ended up overhead, the sun behind his back making him look like a black beast. "Take-Over: Beast Soul!" The Fairy Tail Mage came down on the man, his body now that of the Beast Soul, his monstrous form larger than ever. He rammed the man down below with a direct fist to the face. The harsh impact straight to the forehead made winds surge in the quadrant, kicking up dust that reached outwards towards the water boundary.

Elfman's canines gritted against the other, his accuracy still unable to indicate why his adversary was unable to move. Even with that blow, number 99 remained unfazed, save his clothing a big wrinkly from the shockwaves. 'What is this guy? Is he made of diamond?'

"I warned you time and time again, but it seems you're nothing more than bulk." The adversary's eyes widened, his body slightly shimmering like reflective rock before a pulse ran through Elfman. It was like a sudden wave of intensity was brought back towards him, with greater force it seems. The force was great, so great that Elfman went screaming and flying off for the umpteenth time, his large form slamming on its side.

The adversary rammed his fist into his palm. "If that is all that you have, then so be it. I'll just put you down myself."

Elfman struggled to stand, his mind hazy. While he did have enough Magic Power somewhat, he was, however, feeling like the wind's been knocked out of him more ways than one. Regardless, he stood back up with extra pressure on his footing and glared at him.

In Quadrant 4, Gajeel was seen sliding off to the side, evading a thick blast of thread that crashed against the ground, a mass as heavy as a bowling ball. The ground where the thread hit caved in, showing how heavy it was.

He slid to a stop, looking up at the mage who was standing in a thin thread of web like it wasn't there. His fists clutched. "Well this is getting me nowhere…" He took a leap, advancing on the enemy overhead, his right arm morphing into a column of raw iron.

"Iron Dragon's Club!"

Gajeel extended the column towards the mage, but the mage himself shifted and dodged. From his hands put together, slowly spreading apart, in between was another ball of massive heavy thread. "Really now?" He threw the thread, firing with no slack. In midair, with Gajeel unable to move, the Dragon Slayer was struck head on, the mass so heavy and striking him across the face that he went flipping downwards, smashing into the pavement like a lead weight.

"And number 400 has dropped like a bomb! Number 90 has the whole quadrant all toed up folks, literally!" Lucas announced.

Gajeel got to a knee, managing to stand on his own and saw a bunch of threads heading his way. His eyes widened, his reflexes kicking in and jumping back, evading the threads that pierced the earth. The Iron Dragon Slayer landed, only to find more threads streaming down his way. The mage in question had all fingertips spewing threads of fine silk, ready to get at Gajeel.

Gajeel's arm morphed, becoming a jagged blade. "You punk…!" He slashed, cutting the incoming threads into small chunks, briefly eradicating them. This rendered his opponent startled, at least for the moment, to which Gajeel took full advantage of.

He brought his sword around again. "Want some more?! HYAH!" Gajeel readied to lunge, and thus he did, but before he could go any further, however, he found himself unable to move his feet. His eyes widened when he nearly fell over. "Whoa!" He caught himself, catching his breath. "What the hell?! Why can't I move my…!"

He looked down, seeing as how his feet were stuck by small threads. "When did this happen?!"

The mage above him smirked. "Did you really think I was aiming to pierce you? Come now, even patience has a good attribute."

Gajeel's eyes narrowed. "Damn you."

"We've got a bunch of clashes going on, and by god, they're all as grand as the stars shimmering in the night sky!" Lucas announced.

"But isn't it day?" Happy asked.

"Ssh!" Lily hushed.

"Come on! You boys better get your acts together!" Evergreen chided from the stands.

Back in Quadrant 2, Gray jumped, evading the long 'blade' that charged its head into the ground, causing another rupture to explode.

"Ice-Make: Hammer!"

Overhead, Gray created a massive hammer of ice, bringing it down onto the mass below. A loud rupture brought more dust and rock up into the air as the serpentine figure got crushed by the loads of ice it was dealt with.

Gray landed some feet away, watching the dust clear and witnessing that amongst the shattered ground, the pieces of the purple mass were sprawled over, clearly disconnected. "How's that? You think you're tough without that blade of yours in puddles?"

The hooded figure smirked. "You really are dumb, aren't you?"

"What'd you say-?!" Gray was gonna fire back another insult, but he was more inclined to see the purple globs all over starting the float and levitate back into place. The hooded figure chuckled as he kept his hand stretched out, the grip still stuck on the fragment of purple that acted as a homing signal. All of the disembodied parts began to flow back into place, until it started to remake its own shape. Gray stepped back, his shock still mounting on itself.

"You've gotta be kidding." He muttered.

Reformed, the purple mass had its massive serpentine around its wielder, its head and hollow eyes solemnly on Gray.

"Now I think it's time we wrap this up." He said, his red tattoos flaring. "Strike him down!" He slashed the tail tip, commanding the head and the upper body to attack. As the mouth opened up, Gray was left paralyzed.

Regardless, the Ice Mage had to make his move. In a hurry, he brought his hands together, his glare set on the wielder. "I think it's time I put you on ice! Ice-Make: Freeze!" Gray extended his arms ahead, and in an instant, everything turned a solid icy blue color. When it all faded, Gray's hands misted a bit, a proud grin on his face as he overlooked what he had done.

Lucas was gaping his mouth. "Ah…ah…Quadrant 2…is all frozen!" He announced. True to form, the serpent, ground, and its master had all been frozen in a coating of ice. Quadrant 2 was cold, icy cold. This left Gray the only one standing it seemed.

Gray put a hand onto his hip. "Well that was a workout. Guess you all aren't as cool as you thought you were."

Inside the ice, the hooded figure's black tattoos began to glisten, glowing darkly it seemed. This action caught Gray by surprise, making him frown. Inside the sheet of ice, the redhead man's eye narrowed.

"You've made things cold…I hate the cold." He muffled through the ice. "I was saving this for later, but I guess since you're being a pest, I'll have to deal with you now."

"What?" To Gray's disbelief, the head of the frozen beast began to move inside the ice block, the cracking churning against his ears until the beast finally broke out, spilling ice chunks almost everywhere. The mouth of the beast was wide open, aimed at Gray. "What is it doing?!"

"Now…ROAR!" The hooded man yelled.

At the command, the mouth opened wider, a raw concentrated orb of Magic Power forming in its center. Gray felt it, even though it didn't last very long. The sphere of Magic Power was launched at him at such a velocity that he couldn't see. In nothing shorter than a flash, the raw concentration made its mark, violently engulfing everything in ice and making the landscape shutter. The raw blast shuddered the whole colosseum audience go wide-eyed. The ice in the atmosphere shattered, shockwaves so grand that the ice around the hooded man spilled and cracked apart, leaving him to break free in a knee position.

The winds and the audience finally began to quell, their hearts racing as the mouth shut. The dust and the smoke that scourged the quadrant settled, revealing that every fragment of ice Fray created had been broken into tiny pieces, the bodies and warriors alike inside sprawled all over the face. Among them, Gray was on his back, his head craned to the side, and his body badly battered.

The hooded man frowned. "You're a chilled dude, but being cool doesn't save you." He remarked.

Lucas' mouth gaped. The audience, even Evergreen and the Exceeds, were beyond appalled with what they had just witnessed. "The…the…the winner of Quadrant 2 is…NUMBER 116! Rengi!" He yelled.

In Quadrant 3, Elfman looked over, his shock evident. "What?" Unfortunately, that left him open as the guy in front of him clutched a fist and brought it around, driving a menacing hook punch across the Strauss man's face. Elfman felt his whole world go white for that brief moment and then everything after that was a sheer blur.

The mage went flying yet again, this time crashing on his front. Upon the crash, a crater was made, caving in the ground. The impact left Elfman with little room in the lungs, his need for air outweighing anything as he had the wind knocked out of him again.

"Punch me all the times you desire, it matters not." His adversary commented. He began to advance on him, his strides so moderate and so palpitating that even as Elfman was getting up on his knees, the vibrations ran through his body. "You have the muscle, but that backfires when one is pinned against the might of he who takes no kick to his own ass. However, for your persistence and tenacity to continue enduring such a counter, I dare say you have the power to indeed take a beating; most admirable. Therefore, I shall let you live. Hope we clash again, Elfman Strauss."

Elfman grunted as he managed to get up on his feet, but before he could throw a punch or open either eye, the contestant in front kicked him from the side so hard on the side that the impact made him go wide-eyed. Elfman roared in pain as he went flying across the quadrant and smashed into the colosseum border walls, again making a crater engraved into its side. The man had his mouth gaped open as he slowly fell forward, splashing and plunging into the water.

With that, Evergreen's eyes widened. "Elfman!" She screamed out. Her shocked was so heavy that her body reacted, her feet jerking back upright to stand.

"And with that blow, Elfman has been thrown out of bounds into the water circle, meaning the last one standing is contestant number 99! Solidus!" Lucas announced.

The water in the area Elfman plunged in gurgled, until the man arose with a hefty gasp. His eyes wide, he gripped onto the side of the colosseum grounds. He maintained a stiff grip, gaining whatever air he could. He look up at Solidus, who turned around and stood mighty and proud to the audience, earning a few cheers.

"Damnit." Elfman cursed beneath his breath.

Seeing him alright, Evergreen slumped back down, her hand to her breast, calming her.

In Quadrant 4, Gajeel was still pinned down, barely holding his own ground as his adversary was opened mouthed and fired sharp spears of thread at him. Each one got him, feeling as sharp as spears themselves. The Iron Dragon Slayer could only cover up as he was unable to move.

The red tattooed man with a hood sneered before he flicked his fingers around. "How about this? Silk Twister!"

Around Gajeel, a typhoon of silk appeared miraculously out of the blue. The Iron Dragon Slayer was unable to see as he was enveloped in the cyclone of white thread that kept him immobile.

"And in Quadrant 4, Gajeel is on the defensive still! Can he make a comeback?!" Lucas exclaimed. "If not, it looks like he'll be stuck in a rut!"

Gajeel grunted as bit of thread were getting all over him from the cyclone. 'This is getting bad. This guy is getting very annoying. I'll end up in a cocoon before I make him eat fist!' Gajeel shut his eyes, trying to think. 'Come on, brain!'

Outsie if the silver twister, The hooded figure stood tall on the thread, his smirk wide. "Impatience doesn't lead to getting you where you want to go I'm afraid. There's an art that a spider must do if not the hunting type; it must make a web and wait for the unsuspecting. Then catches them and wear them down." His eyes shut. "So sorry, but you are a thorn in my-!"

"Iron Dragon's Roar!"

The sudden shout from inside the silky twister caught him by surprise. Eyes opening back up, the man sudden found himself in a whirlwind that made the silver wind turn raw dark gray. The swirling tempest of the breath rampaged, shredding and cutting up the thread all around the ground. The man was sent hurling around in the tempest, his cloak getting tarnished.

He fell to the ground as the roar ended, with Gajeel seen at the center of the dissipating iron, standing tall and grumpy looking. "hate to break it to ya, but I ain't a pushover." He pressed forward, advancing slowly with his arm morphing into another Iron Dragon's Sword. "You care to throw more web at me? Just try it, then we'll see what happens."

Despite how scratched up the man was, he stood up and grinned at Gajeel. "Well, seems we have ourselves another chance to prove the impatience against the patient!"

Gajeel lunged forward, sword raised. With a strong shout, he brought it down, only for the man to jump and dodge, the ground instead splitting into two. Overhead, the hooded figure was in a crouched position as his hands made another hefty ball of silk. He threw it down, the attack soaring fast for the umpteenth time. It crashed against Gajeel, creating a large dust cloud far below and making the landscape bellow with a roaring clash of weight against solid platform.

"And Gajeel takes another devastating blow!" Lucas announced. "Number 90 has this battle in his grasp it seems, and by threads too!"

Suspending himself by threads connecting the walls to his hands, he looked down at the dust cloud, analyzing where Gajeel might come up from. The dust settled, revealing Gajeel on a knee and battered like a tin can. The Iron Dragon Slayer, however, was seen slyly grinning while the hooded Thread Mage raised a brow.

Suddenly from straight below, a long iron sword shot up from the earth, shocking him greatly. The threads on his left side were cut as the elongated ground sword pierced its way up, leaving the hooded man with no leverage and went swinging off towards his right. How did he do that? I thought for sure he'd use that roar or a direct attack to stop me…!' Upon closer inspection as he went swinging, he noticed that Gajeel's right hand wasn't there balled in a fist, rather, it was dug into the ground. His eyes widened. 'He shot his attack underground?!'

His long sword retracting, Gajeel transformed his feet into iron columns, using them as a jump start that embarked towards the Thread Mage. The propulsion shot him closer and balled his left fist with a green Magic circle.

"How's about this! Iron Dragon's Hard Fist!"

His fist cloaked in Iron Dragon Scales, Gajeel struck a midair punch right to the victim's gut. The impact's shockwave ran through the body, the Thread Mage's eyes widening and the whole world turning off momentarily. His mouth gaped, blood spilling from the mouth. Gajeel followed through with the punch, sending him skyward into the wall, slamming hard with a loud thud.

Gajeel landed, his frown back. "You sure are an annoying one."

An eye opening, the Thread Mage kept himself suspended against the wall with his fingers and palms producing more sticky thread to keep from falling. "Alright, it seems that my patience itself has made me a hunter. Let's do this!"

"Fine by me!"

As Gajeel puffed in his cheeks, gathering large amounts if Magic Power, the Thread Mage opened his own mouth, swirling contents of silver beginning to converge into a single point, creating a sphere of silver silk.

"Iron Dragon's Roar!"

"Silver Lining!"

The metal tornado launched from Gajeel's own breath, exhaling rapidly and compressed at the mage, meanwhile, the sphere fired at Gajeel in return, following in the form of a silver beam of hefty thread that even machine guns can't break. The flowing assaults closed in on the other, and as shocking as it was, the attacks met in the middle, creating a giant maelstrom of horrendous magnitude. The swirling hurricane of iron and silver scraped apart everything in the quadrant, rendering the audience shocked at the tempest that went viral, going so far as to split the ground into chunks.

When the dust settled, Lucas leaned in, waiting to see who came out on top. Everyone remained silent as the roaring dust finally subsided after a full minute, revealing that the two were on the ground, but behind the Thread Mage, the remaining contestant that were in threads were scraped off, rendering them without restraints, but also incapacitated.

Gajeel and the Thread Mage wobbled some before both fell over, but before he could collapse, the Iron Dragon Slayer planted a fist on the ground, keeping himself stable as the mage fell over onto his face.

Panting, Gajeel stared at the defeated Thread Mage, his own body having sustained quality damage. "You bugged pal."

"The…the winner is…NUMBER 400! Give it up for Quadrant 4's winner, Gajeel Redfox!" Lucas screamed aloud into the lacrima mic. All around, the public whistled and screamed out in joy at Gajeel's surprising victory.

The Enchantment was brought down, the lettering on the floor dissipating into thin air. This left Natsu to see that Gajeel had also made it. Both Dragon Slayers looked tired – Gajeel more so – and yet both looked to find that Elfman and Gray weren't so lucky.

"What…?" Natsu went wide-eyed, seeing that Gray was unconscious. "No way!"

Rengi craned his neck around and gave Natsu a smirk. "Was he your friend? Sorry about that." He factitiously said, unfortunately Natsu wasn't having any of it.

Menawhile, Gajeel looked over to see Elfman against the water. He looked back and trailed a gaze towards Solidus, seeing his similar stature as before. The man looked over at Gajeel in return, saying nothing but give a daunting glare of his own. The two stared before Natsu and Gajeel each looked back at the other one last time.

Meanwhile, Rengi and Solidus looked at the fallen Thread Mage, seeing him unconscious and rendered unable to move. The two stared, albeit placidly and then looked back at Natsu and Gajeel with hostile glares.

"We'll give the second round a one hour wait…then it's on~!" Lucas shouted. "So don't look nor walk away, because when this is over, someone is taking home this Dragon Lacrima! Stay tuned!"

---

Inside the colosseum rooms, the various contestants were in dressing rooms, returning whatever warrior attire they may have used or borrowed while fighting. Many left grumpy and disheartened, while others were still bandaged up from fists to their jaws.

In a single fitting room, Natsu's group was there, tending to their own wounds.

"Ow! Quit it man!" Gray berated as Natsu accidentally bumped into his shoulder, making it sting. Gray winced, even with the bandages covering him, he still could feel great pain from that last blow.

"Oops, sorry about that." Natsu apologized. "Man, it's a little cramped in here." He looked over, noticing Elfman with his body coated in bandages that were no less of Gray's. "Hey Elfman, how's your wounds?"

The big guy looked up, his posture still slouched over. "I'm fine." He grumpily stated. "The only thing that I feel hurt is my manliness."

Gajeel was covered in a few bandages of his own, though he refrained from wincing. He leaned against the wall, arms crossed. "Well it looks like we know who we're up against. Those guys are more than just clowns it seems, as much as I hate to admit it."

Natsu looked over at Gajeel, the mood turning serious. "Yeah, I know." He momentarily recalled that serpent blade and the other guy who Elfman stood no chance against. "Those guys sure don't mess around. They surprised us."

"What do you mean 'us'? You got off lucky." Gray berated coldly.

"Give it a rest, would you? Anyways, Natsu is right. Those two who we fought, for some reason, their magic is uncanny. One is direct, while another is indirect." Elfman said. "We got ourselves spooked because we didn't analyze their weaknesses." He groaned. "Evergreen's gonna kill us."

"Whatever. The point being made here is that those three that we had to deal with, they all had something in common." Gajeel turned towards Natsu. "You smelled it to, didn't you Salamander?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah."

"And what's that?" Gray asked.

Gajeel looked away, looking to the air ducts nearby. "We couldn't detect earlier because of the hundreds of other smells, but after that battle, when that wall went up, I got a whiff of the other smells…and it looks like there's more to those three than I thought." The Iron Dragon Slayer took a pause. "…I think those three are joined somehow since they smell alike."

"What do you mean by that?" Gray asked. "They smell alike?"

"Is smelling another guy even manly?" Elfman asked.

Natsu crossed his arms. "Yeah. They sure smell alike, but they don't smell like brothers to me. Something's wrong here."

"Dragon Lacrima, and now enemies possibly after it." Gray's eyes narrowed. "I don't think that accusation is of, but we'll get answers in the next round."

Elfman sweat-dropped. "Actually, it's Natsu and Gajeel."

Gray looked away. "Just shut up! Anyways, you guys better be careful. Those guys don't joke around."

Natsu nodded. "Yeah, we know." He flashed a trademark smirk and rammed his own fist. "Ol' rustbucket here and I will be sure to get a hit or two in for ya. You don't go bashing a friend of Fairy Tail on our watch and walk away."

Gajeel grunted at Natsu calling him a rustbucket, but he let it slide and decided it was best to focus on the next round. Then he realized something. "Speaking of people who bash their friends, how's that sharp-toothed freak and the boozer?"

"Beats me?" The three responded.

---

District 10, Cordea, like District 2 and 6, was a port town. It was brimming with a bunch of folk due to its equally distributed fish quality and fine produce grown where the sun shines all the time from daybreak to dusk. The people were lively, but at the same time – to Craig's perspective – a bunch of happy, clueless duds. The women, while heavily endowed and retained beautiful Italian clothing, were all happy and proud.

Ace roamed about, his sharpened eyes indicating his Eye Magic. As he walked, every single cell on every fabric of skin was seen. Nothing could get away from him. He could find anyone and hunt them down. Accurate and hunts, slays with but a single strike. That's Ace Hunter.

"What is it?" Craig noticed Ace moving his head and looking in directions, which was unusual.

"There seems to be a large number of cloaked threats. Its number are quite grand. Unfortunately, it seems over a hundred, which makes him blending much easier." Ace replied. "It'll take a little longer than what I had anticipated."

Craig looked around, eyeing the public. "Them wearing long sleeves make it that much harder to discern them from the others."

Cana looked towards her left. "Look at all these people."

"I am, and it's better than looking at you any day of the week." Craig berated.

Cana grew a tick mark. "I never liked looking at your ugly face either."

"I never said I was the ugly one."

"Yeah, but you're not the attractive one either."

"Nothing about you is attractive!"

"Your roaring like a beast certainly isn't either!"

"People would clearly pick me over you!"

"Which kinds? The desperate or the insane?"

"Funny since I'm right next to an insane one!"

"You're insane with those blades you use for chopping animals like butter!"

Both growled ferally at the other, their bickering and snarking attracting some attention of the public, earning them questionable gazes. Some of the more concealed public faces looked at Craig and Cana as they bickered and growled, keeping leery gazes set solemnly on them.

Ace looked around, his sharp eyes able to contrast the interested and uninterested. 'Attention is on the rise…especially with that Elite, Seiken. He must've spread the word fairly quick.' He glanced back over his shoulder towards the arguing duo of Cranky and Brownie. 'And apparently us ascertaining attention as such would at least get a good number on our tail; that way, we can dispatch them in one swoop.'

Cana and Craig ended up looking away from the other, huffing after several straight minutes of bickering of the other being unattractive, ugly, and a bunch of stuff best left unexplained, for they made no sense.

"Well I got blades that can cut you down." The male grunted.

"How in the world did that deadly trick come into your hands even? Seriously?" Cana asked. "Were you a maniac…still?"

Suddenly Ace slowed down, his voluntary pacing catching the attention of Craig and Cana. Both turned ahead towards him, perplexed one might say. "Ironic that you bring up such a characteristic." He said.

"Come again?" Cana asked.

Ace continued walking straight forward. "If you want to know the truth, then perhaps I can be of service. I was there that very same day, the day we met, and the time the boy developed his uncanny trait."

Craig tilted his head in Cana's direction. "I guess you paid attention then."

Ace kept his eyes forward, and nowhere else. "As one could say…"

That same day, the day the two made a temporary alliance, that Craig and Ace had maneuvered and made it effective in their case. The two were working in tandem the entire time, though Craig was really just backing him up and doing his own thing. He just made sure to use his 'dumb luck' and improvising skills to get an upper hand, which succeeded.

That is, until dusk came.

The head of the pirates was no ordinary man. The man in charge of the pirate fleet was known as the Monster Pirate, a beast unlike any fathomable, at least to what rumors said. Cliché to Craig and Ace, but when they saw him annihilate an important structure that was the wooden tower that's been standing for 100 years – made of wood stronger than steel – the game just got messier.

Ace raised his blade, his most trusted sword. The sword known solemnly as Katsyu, the shimmering unsheathed blade had all of its intricate carvings and decorations among the guard and hilt, with the blade itself being large, thick, and a shimmering dark silver. It reflected only the knight stars, and Ace had it raised with an unemotional gaze set on the target in front.

With a two-handed slash downwards on the ship, the sword didn't make dire t contact, yet the entire ship all the way down below deck was vertically sliced into two. Even right through the mast. The glistening white slash spread forwards towards the deck of reinforced metal. It headed straight towards a tall and lean man. He looked to be around 60-years-old and had dark, narrow eyes. His long white moustache was curved, the left side of his cheek having a scar from one of his earlier conquests. His lean and muscular form carried with him a white beard, and leaving with him a black bandana with white slash marks. He had a black vest with no sleeves, tattered on the sides with a gray, detailed skull on the back with a red rose blooming out the left eye socket. With simple baggy white trousers and boots, that was stark contrast to the weaponry he held.

He carried what looked like a cross between a cannon and a multi-bladed claw that could fold into a single thick blade. The colors of each individual blade differentiated, glowing with a different element. The man known as the Monster Pirate Borok, responsible for pillaging 1,000 towns in the span of three countries in only a few years, and come out without anything more lethal than the scar on his cheek.

Borok jumped, dodging the shockwave sent at him. In midair, he looked over his shoulder and saw the shockwave continue its path and expand like a vertical crescent, dissipating as it passed through the next fifteen ships docked right beside the ship itself. In one go, all of the ships split apart.

"So it is true." Borok said as he landed on the next ship over. "You can cut anything, even shockwaves themselves."

Ace reappeared in front of him, Katsyu in hand. "And it is true yourself. You're the most powerful pirate there is. Now…!" He slashed Katsyu, clashing with the honed blades of Borok's weapon. All of the multi blades glowed upon impact, releasing a shimmering shockwave all around, splitting apart superficial wood on the deck, even blowing away glass windows. The sails were already tarnishes from earlier shockwaves, but this shockwave made it rip right off.

Within the shockwave, Craig, who was panting from just catching up, just made it on the deck, latching on by the side boarding. "I'm here…I'm good…" He panted. Keeping up in the fight was super hard, but he ended by going wide-eyed when he saw a rainbow wave exert his way.

"…oh, fu-!"

He went flying as the shockwave engulfed him. He screamed as he went flying off the side, zooming onto one of the docked ships that were spliced. As dumb luck would have it, he went head first into one of the cabins a few ships over, passing right through open doors until finally we splattered against a wall, thudding loudly. "UGH!" As the ship sank down from Ace's earlier assault, Craig's dizzied state found himself and the cabin slumping down. His exhausted state hit the cabin floor, rolling along until he hit the wall, the shock to his back rendering him incapacitated momentarily.

"Damnit." He cursed. "Why does everything involving me involve pain?" He tried getting up, but as the ship as sinking and sloping down, the material on the other side of the wall began to fall on towards the other side, namely Craig.

A few knives went sliding down, a couple boxes, all of which hit the wall elsewhere. However, a black chest with golden grates and lock fell off one of the stands, completely tumbling down towards Craig. The young man went wide-eyed as the chest went his way.

BAM!

Right in the face, the hefty junk hit him, leaving him momentarily shocked. His body twitching, he was distraught until he came around. Lifting himself from the chest atop of him, he angrily gritted his teeth. "You miserable piece of junk! Get the hell off!"

He used Smash, punching harshly out of rage and frustration. The chest, despite being well-preserved, broke open from that one punch.

The ship hitched, making everything jump inside, including Craig. Craig was rendered baffled as he was caught spilling inside of the chest. He thudded inside, a crowded fit as the chest closed from his momentum, making the piece of treasure jump a little more until it was above the other intricate material that were like trophies. The treasure box slid back down, toppling over another box and flipping until it broke through a large display window.

"What the heck~!" Craig yelled from inside the chest. He felt gravity taking a toll and felt like he was falling. "Why is this happening to me?!"

The chest fell and the bottom slammed into the tip of a Lacrima Cannon. The cannon set up flipped and faced another cannon lower closer towards the bow. Craig and the chest continued falling as the Lacrima Cannon accidentally fired a small ray from the unstable charge Craig gave it. Craig and the chest entered another Lacrima Cannon on the pirate ship, falling into the entrance that was stuck straight up due to a lock on the wheels. Lacrima Cannon pointed up as the ongoing ray made contact with the power source of the cannon, making an unstable charge.

At that instant, the Lacrima Cannon exploded, erupting everything in a cosmic and colorful array of colors and shockwaves that obliterated everything on the ship. Meanwhile, the explosion and the fact he was inside the cannon to start with, Craig and the chest went flying upwards. The chest tumbled through the skies with Craig screaming inside, everything about him toppling and spinning like he was in a hurricane.

Meanwhile, Ace disappeared and reappeared in front of Borok, slashing his huge sword and colliding with the master pirate. The elderly and savage man parried the blow, managing his footing as Ace swiped from the side next in less than the speed of gunfire. Again parrying, Borok's blades of many attributed colors clashed with variety of colors. Blue released cold waves; red produced searing hot winds; the green blade produces some form of liquid; the brown released hefty and heavy waves of energy; the glowing sky blue blade unleashed strong tornado-like tempest; and the purple blade was producing darkness; and the yellow one produced strong flashes with every shot.

After a series of blows and parries, Ace backed away, as did Borok. Both swordsman and pirate stood a fair amount of feet away from the other. All around them, the mast was barely in one piece, and the above-ground cabins were cut into indirectly.

"Those eyes of yours are most annoying." Borok sneered.

"How troublesome you are in return. The pot calling kettle black; for you are deplorable." Ace said. "Like before, my Eye Magic allows me to see in depth. You're slow motion to me."

Borok sneered. "That may be, but you're not even at my age. Experience and treasure hunting can lead to a world of experience."

"Like what?" Ace wondered.

"For example…" The many colorful blades that he had separated but in both hands were starting to glow. As they all glowed their respective colors, Ace noticed that with his Eye Magic, the veins around his arms began to channel and glow various colors of their own. To Ace, Borok was taking in tremendous Magic Power. The energy sensed was beginning to rattle the ship, enveloping the man in a rainbow aura.

"You're…" Ace was going slightly wide-eyed. "You're actually drawing power from the blades?"

"For 40 years, the blades of Elemen have been at my disposal. Not once have I fallen to the likes of anybody. And not even the world's greatest swordsman has the audacity to stand against each blade. Each of these individual blades has its own unique property. They consume so much Magic Power, that it would take 10 years individually to master one. But I got seven! And it hasn't taken me 10 years to get ahold of them!"

At this fact, Ace's eye fully widened. "You mean…so much Magic Power…"

"I have more than enough Magic Power condensed into me that fighting without blades makes no difference! Their properties are my magic, and that means…" He was engulfed in a rainbow pillar, the ominous magic shooting directly upwards. The skies roared as though a jet was flying across the area. The quaking of the night sky dissipated the clouds in the area, giving a clear view of dusk slowly becoming night. "I AM THE INVINCIBLE! I HAVE TAMED THE MIGHTH WAVES WITH MY HANDS REACHED OUT! ONE GLARE AND ALL FEEL THE COLD WAVES OF MY WRATH! SLIP ONCE AND YOU DIE!" His yelling palpitated, sending waves of raw burning energy past Ace, the swordsman seemingly unmoved.

'His power is great, but…' Even as the winds passed him, he could still adjust his hold on Katsyu. 'I can still cut him. Getting those blades cut is my one priority, then that leaves himself. He won't be laughing long.'

Ace gripped Katsyu with one hand, using his spare to get ahold of and clutch onto a guard, slowly unsheathing a second blade, though less thick and more like a regular sword. The blade had a shimmering silver glint to it, with the guard having a single red ruby and a golden grip.

"Using two blades makes no difference! HRAH!" Borok swiped the red blade in hand, sending a shockwave of red heat that blazed across the ship. As it traveled, the heat made it to Ace, but he remained unfazed as his Eye Magic spotted the blaze wave's weak point.

He swiped horizontally, cutting the shockwave in half, dissipating the heat that resonated from it. As the shockwave split apart, Borok appeared in the way, slashing with his brown blade. With a shout, he slashed as Ace used his Katsyu, blocking the hefty blow. Shockwaves of great magnitude traveled across the terrain, making the boarding weigh itself down.

Ace maintained a stiff hold, but as they two were in a deadlock, Borok smirked. Katsyu's blade glowed brown briefly, getting Ace's notice. His eyes narrowed. 'What?'

Ace raised his blade again to slash, but his arm was somehow lethargic in terms of strength. Regardless, he carried out the slash downwards, landing another parry against the brown blade. Again it glimmered brown, and both were again in a deadlock. The extra weight on Ace's half made the boarding beneath them crumble and crack apart again, the impact having less momentum for Ace to use.

Borok smirked. "Tch, should've figured you'd find yourself pit against something that'll weigh you down, huh?" He mocked.

"So, this is one of your powers?" Ace's eyes narrowed. "How deplorable. To think you give swordsmanship a bad name." He backed away, his sword Katsyu beginning to weigh down his left arm. "When two swords cross, they must be fair played. There is no substantial comparison in one's abilities if they choose the easy way."

Borok raised a brow. "Oh? Who said anything about fair? This is a battle to the death you moron!" His yellow sword was slashed at Ace, but Ace's reflexes kicked in, the ultimate swordsman using his smaller blade's tip to intercept the shimmering bright blade. At the point of impact, the yellow blade intensified a bright flash, the brightness being so harsh that Ace's Eye Magic shut down. Having to look away, Ace grunted. This left Borok an opening to slash his green blade in hand, the blow connecting with the smaller of Ace's two blades in hand. At the point of impact, the shockwaves produced slime that blew at Ace. The swordsman held his ground with eyes shut, but he felt something oozing as Borok leaped away and overlooked Ace, who was covered in slime.

"What…what sorcery is this?" His eyes opened, his body covered in slippery slime. He could barely maintain a firm hold on his blade, and Kastyu was too heavy to move.

Borok seemed satisfied with how he gained the advantage. "My first few blows were my power to double the weight and mass of your precious blade. My other strike was to flash and blind out. I knew Eye Magic had a weakness somewhere. Then there's that recent blow, where the winds were liquefied into produced slime, making it harder for you to even hold that dinky thing."

Ace gritted his teeth. "You damned barbarian."

Borok raised all four claw-like blades in between the fingers on the one hand. All four glistened with their own unique abilities. "Don't worry. I'll place your precious Katsyu on a nice pedestal and get a billion Jewels for it on the market."

Ace wanted to move, but he was stuck. His Katsyu was heavy, and his spare blade was covered in slime. Holding onto it was like gripping butter, which wasn't effective. He had to make a move as Borok closed in, but then he saw something fall from the sky.

Borok stepped forward, ready to slay. "Any last…" He trailed off, hearing the sound of loud screaming and something falling. He looked questionably at Ace, seeing his gaze fixated up above. "What are you looking at? Huh?"

Both looked up as the screaming reached a peak. A black and golden chest fell straight down on Borok. The ship at that moment shuddered as dust and smoke was followed by an insidious crash sound that sounded like a dynamite explosion. The winds generated from that crash left Ace momentarily shocked, but otherwise maintained a straight face.

The dust settled, revealing the treasure chest in pieces and planks. Among the various katana and sheathed equipment inside that was sprawled all over the deck, there was Craig, who was sitting up with a dazed look. "What the hell was that?" He sounded slow, groggy, and exhausted. "Everything is spinning…" He shook his head seeing and knowing his surroundings. His eyes widened. "Another ship?...damnit, why does it always come back to freakin ships?!"

"Crius?" Ace asked,

Craig raised a brow. "What now?" While he was still frustrated, he went wide eyed when the pile of planks behind him burst like a volcano eruption. His shock transcended to wonder as he could feel a very frightening power and a panting breath down his neck. It felt like a beast was against him…again, and wasn't friendly at all. Slowly – very slowly – he turned around and looked to see the demonic anger and inquiry of the supreme pirate known as Borok. "…oh."

"Eh? Who the heck are you?" He raised a brow, overlooking Craig. "Oh? Aren't you that kid who took down my two lieutenants? You must have some hefty guts if you can just go from a dumbass swordfish to beating them with just raw strength!" He looked at the carnage around created, seeing a number of staves and sheathed blades. "And it looks like someone's been snooping around in my treasure ship."

Ace's eyes went down towards the blades that were littered all around the deck. "Wait…" His eyes widened upon his umpteenth realization. "These blades…"

Borok smirked, glad to see the shocked look on his face. "Ah~, Ace Hunter, I take it you know where these came from?" He mockingly asked.

"Unfortunately…I don't know how you were able to pillage these from the property of the Pergrande Kingdom." Ace growled. "Black markets alone can never hold prices to these swords."

Borok looked around at the numerous blades with numbers of different shapes and sizes. Some were as grand and thick as Katsyu, the very same blade Ace had gotten years ago from the Pergrande Kingdom upon a visit at the age of 20. The sight of so many foraged blades in one of the most prominent places on the Eastern Hemisphere made him so…angry. Again, he didn't show it, but from the angry look he had, it was good enough to understand or at the very least read.

"Earnest rewards were never my strongest attribute, so I settled with ways of pillaging…like this!" Borok abruptly brought one of his blades down, the target being surprisingly Craig. Startled, Craig tumbled away as a cold wave slashed against the shattered boarding.

Craig rolled back to his own feet, jerking upright in time to evade another diagonal slash by another wave of cold air from Borok's blade. He dodged left, giving him room to pivot and drive a fist heading towards the man's shoulder. Borok caught his opening and spread his footing, pivoting and swiping around in a full circle with the purple blade shrouded in darkness and the sky blue blade unleashing a massive high pressure slice attack in the long arch. Craig recoiled his punch and covered up as the dark wave sent him flying and sliding on his back. As to where the wind pressure attack went right over his head, cascading all the way out at a 270 Degrees, expanding to where it sliced the mast clean off. The whole thing toppled over.

The entire ship bounced, making Craig thud on his back then rise in midair. Unfortunately, that didn't help him as another shockwave of cold air in a compressed slice went at him. Craig went flying again into the wall of the above-ground cabin, the shock to his back from that impact causing him to remain stiff. He fell forward, his chin against the ravaged boarding and against several blades around him.

"Crius! You fool!" Ace screamed.

Craig was still fairly dizzy, trying his absolute best to stand. He wobbled, groaning as his body succumbed to the various slashes and gashes his abdominal region sustained. The few parts along the neck and the chest were bleeding a bit.

He panted profusely, a shadow over his eyes. Borok sneered at Craig again, seemingly amused. "What's this? Exhausted already? To think my top lieutenants were killed by this little punk. If that isn't sad, I don't know what is. A loser like you? Defend against me of all people? And defend this excuse of a swordsman? HA! Don't make me laugh."

As the so-called master pirate berated Craig, the constant panting of the latter was the only thing that was saving him from being earshot or noting what his adversary was implying. Earlier today, Craig wasn't even willing to cooperate, but unfortunately, his mind flashed back to earlier before sundown, when a local fishermen he had befriended, along with Ace, supplied them with meals, and Craig got a refined swordfish dinner that afternoon…only afterwards, the fisherman defended the two, barely wielding a fishing rod like a katana. Despite it looking amazing, and the hook did throw several men around, the hook, line, smasher tactic was…only futile against a lieutenant. Unfortunately, the name of the fisherman Craig learned was Marc, was killed, but not before giving his regards to the distraught boy. Craig had to witness it as he ran off for cover, silently sobbing when he found cover behind an alley. It was only recently that the usage of items fit for one's use clicked, and it was because of Marc and how he used that fishing rod that he got back up. He stopped the lieutenant, and the other, by improvising with what he had…a few salmon, a swordfish, a turtle shell, squid ink…and fists. God knows how, but through whatever dumb luck perceived, Craig made it out alive.

He remained silent as he remembered the fishermen and the weapons he used. They weren't meant for combat, but he passed that down to him, and even if Craig didn't know how to use them, he pulled it off. Even now, Craig HAD to improvise again. A dark shadow over his eyes faded, revealing a serious expression.

Borok crouched and readied to strike. "Come on now? Is that all you got?!" He lunged at Craig, his dark blade shimmering misty darkness. The Magic Power flourished as he screamed out, the winds flaring.

"I may not be skilled…I may suck…I may be weaker…" Craig crouched down as his adversary was closing in. He reached for the random blade that had a blood red sheath and grip. "But what I got is something tougher than even a sword can't cut…and that…" He was up on his feet as the dark blade came crashing down. "IS MY SPIRIT!"

As shocking as it was, Ace went wide-eyed as he watched Craig block the dark force with the one blood red sheath, with his monster strength holding the grip in his left hand, clutching hard and using his muscle to intercept. The dark waves traveled through the atmosphere, clashing against Craig's improvised method.

Borok raised a brow. "Huh?"

Craig gritted his teeth, his right side leaned down against the ground. He was struggling as he was using the flat side of the sheath, and thus was rendered unable to work on a balanced level.

"Tch, that was quick thinking, but you know that thing is still sheathed, right?" The pirate mocked. "You couldn't cut me if you-!" He was cut off when Craig grabbed a second blade lying amongst the treasure sprawled, a dark red sheath. With it, he pivoted and whacked Borok's face. The sudden attack from there caught the larger man by surprise. "What the-?!" Before he could recover, Craig surprised him by smacking him with the blood red blade like a hammer on top of the head. Borok gawked and stumbled back as Craig swung the other sheathed sword like a bat and smacked the head again, making Borok fall over with a booming thud.

Ace watched with a sweatdrop. He seemed shocked, but at the same time intrigued. "What sorcery is this…?"

Craig lost footing, wobbling left and right. "Who-o-a!" He caught himself, barely holding the sheathed material. "They're heavier than I thought…" He looked up, realizing that Borok was coming at him again, this time with the blue blade and dark blade together. The pirate attacked, slamming both swords down against Craig. He intercepted the blow, using both sheathed swords as blockades. Cold air and darkness spilled everywhere, even directly in Craig's face. No matter how negative the feeling felt, or the cold, he didn't falter. Craig grunted as he was, however, unable to advance or move anywhere close towards him. His veins popped out as he was using every ounce of prowess to block.

"HEH!" Borok glared down at him, seeing Craig at a disadvantage. "Is that all? Looks to me that you're out of arms!" He pressed harder, making Craig kneel from the immense pressure given off. "You'd need a miracle, kid!"

Craig, however, knew that even now, this was the time to improvise. He had to analyze his options, and looked around, seeing nothing but swords everywhere, some not even sheathed to begin with. The problem was that they were out of reach…except for one at his feet. He glanced down, seeing how it was a golden blade, but the shocking part was that it had two blades.

Craig dared not question, instead, he went along with it. "Oh yeah? Well I got news for you…" Craig raised his foot. "I'm nothing BUT miracles!"

He stomped, the double-bladed sword turning over in midair. No time to hesitate, Craig opened his mouth, catching the blade.

The pirate's eyes widened. "What you…!"

Craig turned his head vertical, arching up so that the one end of the blade followed. The slash upwards ran up Borok's face, slicing into his nose. "GAH!" The man screamed violently as he recoiled, retracted his weaponry to grabbed his cut nose to cease the bleeding.

Craig adjusted, his neck feeling heavy. Hunched over from the weight of the swords, he lightened the load by using whatever available finger he had to get around the blood red sheath, slowly unsheathing the shimmering silver blade. "You think you're the best?" He recached over and unsheathed with what fingers he had to get the dark red sheath off. "Being number doesn't mean you can't be a loser as well…"

Ace's eyes widened, seeing Craig with all the blades unsheathed, all of the silver shimmering blades present and out. What he saw was something he never saw coming. "My word. Just what does that fool think he's doing…?"

Still clutching his nose, Borok opened his eyes to see Craig standing hunched over. He saw Craig wielding both swords in two hands, but that's not what startled him…it was his own means of improvising with the gold blade in his mouth, as though the blades were tusks.

"Well I'll tell you this…" He muffled. "This loser has some bite."

Cana raised a brow. "Ah~, so that's where you learned swordplay. In the middle of a fight." She deduced.

Craig looked away, grinning. "Yeah, well, I suffered a few cuts I gave to myself. Even so, can't say fish jumping 50 feet up isn't amazing in its own rights." An odd simile, but to Craig, it made sense.

"You are one strange guy." Cana said. "You had those things refined at another place and another time, ain't that true?"

"There's not a single syllable in that sentence that I was able to listen to." Craig mused.

Cana looked away, crossing her arms. "Then be deaf."

"Better than hearing your annoying voice."

Cana looked towards him. "My annoying voice? I have to hear your constant syllables every second that I hate!"

"Even more than you hate me? I feel insulted!"

"Good! Be insulted!"

"Then I'll insult your ugly face! Just it being there is an insult!"

"Your insult itself is an insult!"

"Your yelling is an insult!"

"Your roaring is an insult!"

"I'll roar at you until you grow deaf!"

"Good! I wouldn't have to hear your filthy insults! Or would I have to hear your mauling!"

"Then I'd go deaf from not hearing your nagging!"

"Nagging?!"

Craig and Cana shouted back and forth for the umpteenth time, again catching more attention with every step they take. Ace continued his observation, even after telling the tale. He took a sharp look back at Cana and Craig, noticing how Craig was so engrossed with yelling at Cana that the piercing gaze didn't even affect him. '…how strange. Any man would be stiff with my eyes, yet Craig here isn't even taking my presence into account. Could it be that he's grown so strong that my eyes don't see his own anymore?' It was peculiar for Ace to think of such a thing for Craig. Even all those years ago, when Craig wield those blades, Ace saw the potential in his own sword arts. As he fought, he never saw such an improvised tactic, coupled with Craig's fists, and teeth; and he's gotten far superior over the years…even in demeanor.

'Although…' Ace's eyebrows contorted. 'It could be that he is just a clueless being.' Looking at Craig and Cana ensuing themselves in a voracious shout contest, Ace began questioning his logic. He looked away, groaning. In a matter of seconds as he lethargically opened his eyes, they instantly widened, a usual thing picked up from his Eye Magic. His eyes flashed, his extreme vision picking up something that he found most interesting. 'Andrea.'

---

Angrily dashing through the streets, there were harsh presses against the ground, blitzing with a hostile fury. "Grrrr! Get back here, coward!" The culprit dashing through the streets recklessly yet boldly was Andrea. The swordswoman rushed ahead through the open streets, shoving away any citizens that were in her way. Men, women, and children alike got out of the way as she had both of her swords out, ready to attack the runaway Dragon Emperor Society Elite. Her eyes caught whim of District 11, and as she saw Seiken hidden amongst the crowd, she immediately took action and advanced.

"I said stop!" Wielding her jungle green sword, she jumped and brought it overhead. She brought it down against the ground, clanging harshly. "Dynamic Cheetah Dash!" The shockwave from her attack traveled in a compressed linear manner. The howling ground split apart as the shockwave sped along the ground heading towards the runaway.

Seiken looked over his shoulder, grinning at the incoming attack. "My, my. Someone has no concern over public safety." With a chuckle, he disappeared in a dark flash of purple, vanishing from the spot and having Andrea's attack continue on and hit a small convenience store. The assault split apart the door and windows, startling the patrons inside.

"COWARD! DIE!" Andrea spouted. Behind her, subordinates raced to stop her. They all had the black wrist bands to conceal themselves, so they merely seem like citizens stopping her. However, Andrea turned around, pivoting and catching them by surprise.

"Heh, I know you all are. You can't catch me when I do this!" With both her dark blue and jungle green swords raised into the air, she brought them around, swinging them,

"Scattering Petal Shock!"

Small slicing shockwaves raced through the air like a small tempest of cuts flaring towards the targets. The tempest of projectile shockwaves met the shocked followers, sending them flying and falling backwards in heinous shouts. They all landed with harsh thuds, their bodies littered in cuts and bruises.

With a huff, Andrea looked back ahead towards the direction she saw Seiken reappear. The mage appeared atop of a building on her right, getting her to turn upwards. Seiken smirked at her continuously. "You really are troublesome, you know that? Look at what you're doing, you're blindly attacking in public eye?"

However, Andrea swiped her dark blue sword vertically. "Crescent Moon!" She slashed and the crescent shockwave went flying towards the rooftop, but all Seiken did to counter was extend an arm out and then dark particles from his Heinous Magic flared, acting as a wall that the shockwave couldn't break through. The attack was futile, and thus the Crescent Moon dissipated, catching Andre by surprise.

She stepped back. "How did he do that?"

"Not to be rude, but weren't you supposed to be with that bickering duo and Ace Hunter?" He speculated. "Or were you just too enraptured to stop me that you went off all alone, running through the streets like a mad dog?"

Andrea raised both blades. "I assure you, I am more than capable of defeating your kind. HRAH!" Andrea spiraled in the air, twirling and flicking her blades, sending a pair of spinning shockwaves at Seiken. "Winds of War!"

The attack was again blocked when purple enveloped by Seiken's hands, manifesting claws. "You need to learn some manners!" He slashed like claws as well, the two shockwaves making contact and dissipating. Andrea was once again baffled as Seiken maniacally smirked down at her. "Come on! You should know better by now that I can use the negative particles to separate your shockwaves! You can't touch me like that!"

Andrea gritted her teeth in anger. "Damn you…! Come down and die!"

Rather than respond, Seiken extended his arm down towards her, firing a purple zappy beam of his magic towards her. The swordswoman raised her sword overhead and let out a harsh shout. She attacked with her sword, making contact with the beam. Without any trouble, she stood her ground and bisected the beam, holding her own.

Once the attack lost its momentum, Seiken stopped. "Not bad."

"As long as I have these swords in hand, I am unable to lose to the likes of you." Andrea declared.

Seiken raised a brow and brought his fingers up. "Really? Then let's see how you stand…against this!" With a snap of his fingers, the sound reverberated through the streets. The swordswoman looked around, noting how almost half of the public was beginning to run and toss people around until they began to close in on Andrea in a full circle. In all, the numbers were on the rose, many carrying out pocketknives and others pulling out handheld hammers. Some had a few lacrima in hand. Armed, the men and members alike were smirking at Andrea.

This only served to spike the swordswoman's rage. She pointed her jungle green sword at her foe above. "Coward! Relying on others!"

Seiken, seeing the look on Andrea's face, could only frown. "Someone's getting carried away with her own ego. Get her."

At his call, the men in the area had begun attacking, advancing with the weapons in hand. As the attackers closed in, Andrea took the time to assess what she was up against. With a small puff of air exerting from her lungs, she closed her eyes, feeling a swell of potential rise from all around her. She pivoted, swinging her blades close to the ground.

"Now! Full Moon – Howling Jungle!"

With a massive swing behind her, slashing with great might, the shockwaves from her attack generated a blistering twister of cuts and gashes that shot up and out. Seiken jumped away as the twister generated so much pressure that all the men surrounding her were caught up in the assault. The tornado howled like lion in the jungle. They all screamed in pain as the twister cut them, leaving Andrea smirking.

"Hmph." Andrea huffed.

However, as the twister dissipated, the guys began to fall. One in particular was cut profusely, but nonetheless was still able to press on with moving. In midair, he threw the Explosion Lacrima in hand as Andrea was walking towards Seiken. The lacrima made contact with the ground behind her, erupting and sending the young woman screaming out. Flying, Andrea lost her gripping and her swords fell out of hand and clanged against the ground somewhere else. Andrea tumbled to a stop, landing on a knee.

Her eyes widened, realizing her blades were no longer in her grasp. "My swords-!" She was cut off when a guy came from the side and slashed his sword, forcing her to act and dodge.

Seiken grinned in amusement. "What a pity." He extended his arm down at her, once again firing his Heinous Magic in a zappy beam. The assault went blitzing through the air, and Andrea turned away at the wrong place at the wrong time. The swordswoman looked back up as the beam blinded her. A wave of energy struck her, sending the woman flying. Screaming out, she tumbled painfully along the ground, her back finally striking into a wall. All of the guys that were gathering around closed in, closing her off.

Andrea opened her eyes, groaning. "W-what…?" She got to her feet. Looking around to realize her swords were still gone. "Damn you…!"

Seiken raised his head. "For someone so arrogant, you seem to have all of your power in those swords." With his magic, he yet again disappeared, only to reappear behind the group of men surrounding Andrea, more accurately in front of her swords. "You fight proudly, but you don't have the nerve to back yourself up, now do you? Tell me, what is your goal?"

Andrea clutched her fists. "Why's it matter to scum like you?" She pointed through the mob and at her foe. "I am Ace Hunter's apprentice, Andrea! I shall be his successor as the world's greatest swordswoman!"

"And how exactly do you intend on following that goal?" He asked.

Andrea narrowed her vision. "Give me a sword and I'll show you."

Seiken turned around. "I think I've seen enough to know how. However you desire it, you'll cut even the public down to achieve goals, and it looks to me that you only rely on yourself to solve problems and ambitions alone. Wouldn't you say your arrogance and selfishness is a little…deplorable?"

Andrea was losing patience. Whatever he was saying, she cared not. She only saw him as scum, scum that she needed to kill. Victory and survival, like an animal, that's what matters. Her eyes narrowed. "No matter what, I will win. I swore I'd never lose after I lost to Ace. I will fall to no one until I take his title. Anyone who has a sword, I will cut down. It's my honor and pride as a swordswoman that keeps me going. I need a sword, otherwise I am nothing."

"Exactly."

There was a silence as Andrea's eyes widened at Seiken's statement.

"That's all that you are. Nothing. You reject help, and you seize and use whatever you can to achieve the goal. In return, a bad reputation spells you, and less likely everyone will look down on you. Even if you somehow ascertain a title, there is no chance it'll give you the respect you desire."

"Just…shut up!" Andrea yelled. "Nothing comes between me and my potential!" She ran towards the crows in front of her, embarking for one of the guys who was trying to keep her back. He had a dull sword in hand, and thus slashed it at Andrea. Her combat skills evident, she attacked with a kick to the gut, knocking the guy down and getting the dull sword airborne. Though she was able to catch it, she grabbed it and looked around with both hands on it, looking very worried. Still, she persevered and went for the attack, yelling like a banshee as she slashed at several guys in front of her, her swordsmanship cutting through their weapons and knocking them down.

She turned to attack more coming at all sides, readying for more…

Suddenly, an explosion happened on one side of the large crowd, catching Seiken and Andrea's attention. With the two surprised, they were caught off guard when the other half went flying off by harsh thuds.

Seiken raised a brow. "What in the world?"

"Who's there?!" Andrea yelled.

More guys went flying as others were enveloped in an explosion. Winds scattered and dust blew about. As the dust began to settle, Andrea was met with shock as the orangette's hair shifted in the dying winds.

A frown was seen. "Looks like Ace was right."

Another frown appeared. "Looks like it. He ain't bad for a sight for sore eyes."

It was Craig and Cana, the duo with crossed arms and Cana having tarot cards in hand. Both looked around them, the men in the area, and Seiken. All of them were caught off guard with the sudden appearance of the two.

"Who the heck is that?"

"I don't know, but they don't look friendly."

"Grrr…"

Many faltered, but some were reluctant to back down. However it seemed to be, Craig and Cana weren't bothered. They glared around, their pressure flaring.

Andrea stood up, startled. "Wha-you two?!" She exasperated. "What the heck are you two doing here?!"

Craig glanced back over his shoulder. "We could be asking you the same thing. Didn't Ace tell you to stick with Red?" He asked.

Andrea looked away, irritated. "That girl? I don't know."

Craig narrowed his eyes. Clearly he wasn't buying it. "So you abandoned her and head off to kill these sickos." His looked away, staring back at the crowd.

Cana had cards in hand, twisting them back and forth. "Well you sure know how to treat others."

Andrea had a sword in hand. "I don't need your help to finish this. I can do this whole thing, all by myself."

"…you're a dumbass." Craig sneered. "Did you even pay attention to what you're carrying?"

"What did you just…" She looked over, seeing the sword she had in hand. The blade was rugged, and it wasn't at all glistening or shimmering with a healthy shine.

"That blade is dull. You couldn't land three more strikes before that thing snapped like a twig." Craig explained. "We'll talk about more reasons why you suck, but for now…" He gripped and slowly began to unsheathe his dark red sword. "We'll be putting some more bozos out of their misery."

"Damn straight." Cana agreed.

Andrea's eyes narrowed. "Craig Crius, move." She demanded.

"Stay out of my way…" Craig looked behind him, harshly glaring. "Unless you want to get stabbed."

Andrea looked into his eyes, seeing a voracious predator. By no means was she afraid, but at the same time, the monstrous glare she was being given was taunting her. As frustrating as it was, the woman backed off, at least for the moment. She turned away. "Fine, go ahead and get yourselves killed. That'll prove how useful you were."

Seiken used this opportunity to his advantage. "Mow them down! For Xenix!"

All the men ran on, advancing towards Craig and Cana. All had weapons and lacrima ready to attack. Craig spread his footing and Cana readied to swipe. Once they all got into distance, they let them have it.

"Humming Pointer!"

Craig pivoted and stabbed a guy like a skewer and a piece of meat. Following him, the shockwave traveling through the guy's body transcended backwards, making the other guys fall over.

"Icicle!"

Cana swiped her arm with cards in hand, summoning massive icicles that pierced the ground and sent guys flying, otherwise keeping them grounded.

Seiken's eyes twitched at the speed and accuracy of both. 'So many numbers down, and in just two blows…' He observed wearily as Craig turned, his dark red sword cut into a guy's gut and fell him. And Cana shot more of her cards, firing them in an explosive fashion. More and more numbers fell, and Andrea also looked rather startled. Both watched as Craig and Cana whipped up a maelstrom of flying guys that Craig deliberately cut while in midair, leaving not a single morsel of blood on himself.

In midair, Craig looked down on Seiken, the latter conspicuous. Craig tucked himself in and began to sheathe his dark red sword, leaving himself alone to roll downwards.

"Sky Sunder!"

With the momentum gained from the spinning, Craig unleashed a disastrous axe kick. The harsh screaming he emitted tightened his core, intensifying his prowess. Seiken raised his arm, unleashing his Heinous Magic in the form of a defensive negative barrier.

"That thing?!" Andrea spatted aloud. She remembered that shield was able to block her shockwave slashes. She could figure that with how she could cut apart anything – to her that is – she was sure it would work again.

Seiken smirked. "Negative particles in the atmosphere gather, so what are you going to-!" Seiken was cut off when a critical wave smashed into his head. The poor guy stood no chance as Craig's stomp landed its mark and the ground quaked, shuddering from the sheer force of Craig's momentum. A shockwave bellowed beneath the earth as Seiken smashed into the ground, creating a crater with a face plant.

Craig glared down, seemingly unfazed by what he did. "And what was that going to accomplish?"

Andrea stared at him with utter disbelief. "He…he did what…?"

Cana crossed her arms. "Cranky's kicking ass, that's what." She commented.

Andrea began to stutter. "B-but this isn't possible. That shield should've stopped him cold. How did he just break through that negative energy like it wasn't even there?!"

Cana had an idea, but she'd rather not say it aloud. She recalled from those flashbacks she saw a while back about Craig. Looking past his friends and allies dying off and leaving Craig a broken mess, she took into account the few mutations he had to endure to save lives. She remembered Craig becoming part Zeldoron and something else that one time; whatever it was, its effects made him a being of light and dark at the same time, and in that sense, that means dark influence was an asset Craig was fully immune to. Pure-minded, unable to be influenced by dark forces, some of the few components that remained in his system.

The brunette smirked. "That freakizoid's got this."

"Wha-him?!" Andrea exclaimed.

Seiken groaned as his head throbbed. He got to his knees and felt dazed. "What did…" He looked up at Craig, seeing only a fixated blur. "How did my negative energy let you pass?"

Craig glowered down at him, staring coldly. "You know that there's questions best left unanswered? Well that right there is one of them." He said. "It's a long story, but know this: You can't attack nor defend if you rely on those negative particles."

Frustrated, Seiken gritted his teeth. In a purple flash, he disappeared with his magic.

Craig maintained a frown. "I can tell where you're going." Proving his point, Craig leaned right without even a flinch. He miraculously avoided Seiken's kick, in which baffled the attacker.

Time slowed down for Seiken. 'Impossible.' Even in the midst of slow motion, Craig took full advantage of it, pivoted, and thrust his arm against him. In one fell swoop, Craig grabbed him by the throat, thrusting the gagging out of the man. Eyes wide, Seiken was still feeling slow. 'He's unaffected by the negative particles slowing him down!'

Craig continued and slammed him into the pavement, leaving a bruise on the man's neck. Seiken felt everything being a blur again, his exasperation replaced by pain and nothing else. Craig towered over his figure, looking unamused. "Is that your best?"

Seiken got up again, grunting in agony. Slowly struggling, he tried to pull himself together. "Damn you brat…!"

Behind him, Andrea went for the attack, rushing past Cana. "HRAAAH! DIE, SCUM!" She raised her dull sword overhead and went for the swing. She let out a shout and her blade met with the bewildering shock of a purple barrier that appeared in her way. Unable to stop her momentum, the dull blade met the particle barrier, snapping the blade into pieces, leaving Andrea shocked.

Seiken glanced back towards her. "You really are dumb, aren't you?"

Andrea balled her fists. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"No tricks. I assure you, it's similar to a manipulation of space. If you can't possess the same magic as I do, then I'm afraid you can't cut me. That is…unless you know how to cut space itself."

Craig narrowed his eyes, glaring coldly at him. "Speaking of cut…" He bit down on something, which to Seiken, sounded like metal. "You left yourself an opening."

Time slowed down yet again for Seiken as the mage was turning around to face Craig. Again as he made a barrier, the negative particles still let him in. He closed the gap almost instantaneously, and Craig's four blades shimmered with bloodlust, with Craig's predatory gaze adding fuel to the burning inferno. The elite shuddered out of fear.

'He…he's so fast! Where did those four blades come from?! Xixen, I'm sorry, but he's…'

"Devil's Cross!"

Slashing the dark and blood red swords horizontally, and the golden double blade vertical, the slash wave was shaped like a cross, cutting deep wounds into Seiken's arms and a hefty long cut from the chest all the way up to the chin. Blood spilled from the falling man as Craig kept his head craned upwards. With Seiken falling backwards, he thudded and his eyes were devoid of any means of pupils. His mouth was closed, but red was all over his body. Craig stood back up fully, eyes shut as he sheathed all of his blades with a loud clang.

Looking around, the guys were all cut, and some were still harmed by Cana's earlier attack. The brunette looked around, seeing as how countless people were down. "Well, looks like this district is secured." She said.

"Yeah, for now." Craig said. "But we now have ourselves in the open."

Cana casted a glance towards Andrea. "I wonder who's to blame…?"

Andrea walked past Cana and Craig, kneeling down and retrieving her two swords that were still a way's away. She picked them up, clutching them tight.

"A little thank you would be nice." Cana said.

Andrea sternly turned her head away. "I didn't need your help. I was fully capable of handling those guys all by myself." She denied. "You just happened to be in my way."

"You can go-!" Cana was about to say more, except Craig swiped and arm in front, keeping her from advancing. His glare, however, was still stuck on Andrea.

The swordswoman looked at him irritably. "Yeah, that's right. Just hold her back. Otherwise I would've had to put you and her in your place."

Craig raised a brow. He then said something that one could say would be crossing the line. "Our place? Sorry, but we can't go lower than a low-down cockroach like you."

The air became very stale, a long silence erupted in between the two-on-one discussion. It was so quiet that if one heard closely, you could hear hitched breathing and ringing ears. The period of long silence was followed by Andrea slowly going wide-eyed.

"What did you just call me?" She asked quietly.

"Don't make me repeat myself. I said it once already, and that's enough." He pointed at her accusingly. "You think it's funny to just throw stuff aside like ragdolls or dice them like fruit? What are you trying to prove by going wild on the streets like that? You left yourself vulnerable, and you put us in danger as well."

Andrea looked pissed at Craig. "Enough! May I remind you that you're nothing more than assistance! Maybe, if you had stick to that concept, then maybe you-!"

BAM!"

Andrea went flying backwards, tumbling backwards until the back of her head hit a wall. The harsh impact left her in deep and heavy shock. But not just her, but as she was momentarily in distress, Cana was wide-eyed. Andrea felt an immense pain in her cheek, as though it had become tender and bruised. The swordswoman looked up from her distraught state, staring in shock at Craig as he glared at her darkly.

"Craig…" Cana said.

Craig stepped forward, his fist still balled even after socking the woman across the face. "You stuck-up, insignificant, selfish, good-for-nothing, bitch." He berated her sourly. "You don't know the first thing about how comradery works. You don't toss useless material aside, humans and people alike are not slaves you can just pick and choose to have as assets or a handicap. I hate that concept, because everyone gets to have a choice and follow their own way. But you…you don't help anybody's cause but yourself." His predatory eyes narrowed. "You don't go and abandon friends or allies without a good reason. Splitting up is one thing, but abandonment…that's what makes you lower than scum. A piece of shit."

Andrea was staring wide-eyed at Craig, taking in every syllable. She could not believe her ears as she was berated, and that's something she had never dealt with before.

"Let me ask you this. Name one time Ace called you his apprentice." Craig asked. Andrea again was rendered silent. "You get it? Now this, why do you think Ace has been looking for me and relied on me and Brownie here to handle the problem? Because it's clear that he has far more trust in us than he does of you. If you were considerate in others and what they value, then maybe he could've had more faith in you to begin with."

At long last, Andrea snapped. "SHUT UP!" She slashed her dark blue and jungle green swords, attacking Craig, but the man was unfazed as he casually brought his dark red sword out and blocked with it only. Andrea relentlessly slashed with monstrous speed, cutting and trying to hit Craig, but no matter how hard she tried, her vicious swordplay wasn't rendering Craig from moving even a step back. "I will be the greatest swordswoman! Ace took me in! I stayed and learned to become strong! I shall be ready for the day to take his title! Nothing else matters!" And yet Craig wasn't even flinching as he used his sword to block and parry.

Another pair of footsteps came around, taking Andrea off guard. "Andrea."

Andrea momentarily stopped, seeing Ace there in the flesh, his eyes a little bloodshot. Immediately she backed off. "B-but Ace…" Her eyes widened. "What happened to your eyes?"

Ace took another few steps forward. "My Eye Magic is getting me all worn down. It's just a side effect, don't worry."

Andrea looked back at Craig, seeing the calm yet hostile look on his face. Her blood boiled as she turned to face Ace. "Tell me! Is what he saying true?" She asked. "Do you really have ore faith in him than me?"

Ace turned towards Craig, giving a sharp look. Craig, in return, narrowed his eyes, as if retorting the look itself. The two look towards Andrea, who was eyeing them back and forth. When it hit her, the swordswoman went wide-eyed, her disbelief surmounting.

"It's true…" She muttered. "Ace…how could you do this to me?"

Ace stared at her without emotion. "Andrea, this has nothing to do with you. If you recall, you lost because of your lower abilities and reckless ambition. But that was a long time ago, and since then, you've merely been walking in my shadow. That is all. I did not at all anything like a trainee."

"But…I…I asked you to train me, and you said 'Do as you like.'." Andrea reminded him.

Ace looked away. "Yes, I do recall that…but when have I ever given you tips on doing anything?" Andrea's eyes widened yet again. "You've been following me around like a lost puppy, and your bark certainly has gotten much louder. I'm sorry Andrea, but even though you do possess potential, you lack the trust that a swordsman must have with his blade. It is not an item itself, but a part of you." He looked towards Craig again, seeing as how he had the dark red sword out. "It takes experiences to make a man grow…and the ability to carry on a soul in his grasp."

Andrea stepped forward, bullets of sweat racing down her face. "S-so you're saying you-you're trusting that guy, who has no desire to become the strongest…over me?"

Ace said nothing. That was all Andrea had to hear. Silence. The grim feeling was crawling all over Andrea, as a wave of distraught pressure flourished around the orangette. Her eyes were wide, her shock momentarily leaving her to process what was happening.

Cana narrowed her vision, feeling a great pressure swelling. "Is she…?"

Craig was suddenly getting his sword up when Andrea suddenly attacked him. As her two swords met his only one out, her hostile look went through the roof. "YOU BASTARD!" She bellowed in his face. "I'm gonna kill you!" She attacked him relentlessly, slicing and slashing all the way. She dared not stop, nor did she want to. Craig even had the audacity to lean and duck to his content, all while frowning. Andrea sped up, slicing profusely that winds went wild, catching the whole area in a small gust.

Cana covered up. "What's her deal?!"

"It's all your fault! You ruined my dreams! I am gonna be the greatest, and that means I earn the attention! I worked too hard to get to where I am, so tell me, how can some punk who has no desire to become the greatest swordsman in the world be better than me?! Do you honestly believe that I could comprehend someone whose only been holding swords like an amateur for not even 4 years to be better than a lifetime of training I did? More than Ace?!" She slashed again, with Craig vertically blocking. "I CAN'T ACCEPT THAT!" She backed off, gaining some slight breath. With heavy panting, she pointed accusingly at Craig with the tip of her blade. "How can you have more potential than me?! You don't want to be the best, and you don't have any desire to fight Ace! So if you don't call yourself a swordsman, why are you using those swords?! Only swordsman rely in swords! They're our pride and honor, yet you use them as you please and don't give a damn…PEOPLE LIKE YOU WHO DISHONOR THE WAYS OF THE SWORD MUST DIE!"

Craig's eyes narrowed. "You're sloppy."

Andrea slashed her swords again, readying to swipe, but suddenly Craig passed her. He had his dark red sword in a slashed position, his body slouched forward, his lethargic demeanor contradicting his irritated expression. Andrea remained in a slashing pose and narrowed her eyes, believing she finally got a hit on the phony swordsman.

A couple seconds passed before a sudden pain went through Andrea's body. A massive cut erupted all across her abdomen and crossed onto her rib cage. Her jungle green sword that she had been carrying for so long cracked, and the tip of her blue sword was swiped off, leaving the blade rectangular.

Craig adjusted his posture and sheathed his dark red sword, just as Andrea fell to her knees. Her swords dropped to her side, her hands covering the blood wound Craig sustained onto her. The swordswoman grunted in agony from the facial wound and the abdominal wound inflicted.

"The world isn't run on ambition you know." Craig said in a low growl. "Rather than think about yourself, maybe you need to accept those who want to help you, and help them in return. If you truly care about getting stronger, then abandon that distasteful attitude and do some good with allies who will back you up. Otherwise…" He turned around, his eyes wide, revealing his sea-blue eyes, the feral slits accompanying his sharp teeth. He looked ready to rip her neck off. "You'll never survive and be happy."

Andrea looked up at Craig, her body beginning to quiver. She reached for her swords, but there was one problem. She was trembling. Hard. She was feeling something she hadn't felt in a long while: scared. "M-monster." She muttered.

Craig looked away, eyes narrowing again. "If you're only in this for yourself and not for the sake of Tahunga, then get out of here. Go run off and never look back."

Andrea's legs quivered as she tried to rise. She couldn't accept this. She had to get strong, but her vow she made after losing to Ace has been broken. Craig beat her without any means of trying. Is this what trust and potential meant? She looked back up at Ace, hoping or a saving grace, but all he did was just glower down somberly. After everything that's happened, after Seiken speaking out her flaw, and Craig telling her of, she just…couldn't take it.

She resorted to what had to be done…run. Down the street she ran, away from Craig, away from Cana, away from Ace, away from her troubles. She raced with her swords, her eyes misting hard. 'I will be the strongest! They'll see! I can handle myself! I don't need anybody! I just need myself alone!'

She ran off out of site, leaving Craig to watch her go.

"…I was like that at one point." Craig muttered. He closed his eyes, somberly drooping his head down towads the ground. He had to admit, his method was extremely harsh, and by no means was it gonna make things better, but the truth was hard-pressed. People like him; people like her, they have to learn life lessons the hard way to grow. Craig was – somewhat still is – a loner, but does he shove people away? No. He can handle problems on his own, but he always puts others and their safety and concern into account as well. Andrea running off was like him running away from his problems until he had to face them and watch more friends die. Acceptance was one of the most powerful virtues he had to embrace. He succeeded.

Cana put a hand on Craig's shoulder, frowning. "I know." She said mournfully. "But you did what had to be done. It's not your fault."

Ace turned away. "It can't be helped I'm afraid. Andrea will come to realization soon enough, otherwise if she keeps running away, she will never become strong." He began pacing away. "Come, I'm afraid we must press on."

Craig stared at Ace walking off. "…yeah."

And so, the trio went off, with Craig snarling out of the event, which lead to a gruffing huff. Ace and Cana could feel pressure from Craig's hostile growling for some time.

---

Lucas reappeared high above the colosseum, looking ecstatic. "Hello~, public!" He announced. "And now, it is time for the event you have all been waiting for, it's time to find out who comes out on top in this tournament for the Dragon Lacrima! What do you say?!"

The audience roared in ecstasy. They were beyond thrilled to have this second round get under way. The first round was startling, now the second round was sure to get good.

"Alright, the let's get our four contenders out on the floor!" Lucas announced. "Is everyone set? Then here they come!" He gestured over towards the island down below, which showed Solidus and Renji walking side by side, while Natsu and Gajeel were walking several paces behind. Solidus showed no glee, but Renji sure was. That aside, Natsu and Gajeel had their own serious faces, ready to get back at them.

Unlike before Solidus sported a new attire. He had an odd emblem on his bare shoulder that was colored white. He had a golden tunic with brown carvings on it as well. He sported brown pants, black boots, and his arms had black tattoos carved into his forearms.

Renji had on a black sleeveless shirt, revealing his mark on the left arm. His head had a red bandana covering the black tattoos he had on the forehead. Around his waist was a purple robe belt, keeping his white trousers up.

"You ready for this, Salamander?" Gajeel whispered.

"Yeah, but don't forget, this is still a battle royale. After these clowns, you're next." Natsu muttered.

Gajeel snickered. "Just try it. Remember, we just gotta get that Dragon Lacrima."

"Got it."

As they embarked their way towards the center, Evergreen, Happy, and Lily stared expectantly at the scene ready to unfold. The looks they were seeing were heavy, but at the same time, they knew this was also a way to get ready for what's to come.

"They look serious down there." Happy commented.

Lily kept arms crossed. "That just means the battle is getting started. They're both warriors, and yet they expect nothing less than a fight to the finish." He looked up at the lacrima on the pedestal. "Besides, they know what's at stake here."

"Aye."

"And plus there's the need to crush them for what they did to poor Gray and Elfman." Evergreen pointed out. "I think it's best to believe they can pull this off, not that I have any complaints with a few loose screws hammering heads is all."

Lily turned towards her. "It sounds to me you wanted to get down there for our friends." He objected.

Happy leaned into Lily. "I think it's about Elfman." He whispered.

"That explains it." He muttered.

Evergreen raised a brow. "Oh, did I happen to hear something?" By the tone of her voice, it sounded like a promise of harm. The snap of her fan was nothing short of icing on the cake of threats she was pouring down on the Exceeds.

"N-no ma'am!" The two shouted.

"Hey! Everyone!" The three in the stands turned their attention elsewhere, more specifically to where they saw a certain redhead make way through the stands and towards them, passing by people in a hurry. She hurried over.

Happy's eyes lit up. "It's Erza!"

"What is she doing here?" Lily commented.

Erza came face to face with the three, overlooking them. "I'm glad to see you three are all here." She said.

Evergreen looked away. "Oh don't be so dramatic, Titania, like we can get hurt so easily. We're no glass."

Erza looked around, noticing something off. There seemed to be a few selected individuals missing. "Where's Natsu and the other guys? This is important!"

"Natsu?" Happy repeated.

Lily cleared his throat. "I think your answer is down there." He pointed down towards the island in the center. The crowd roared as there were four contenders on four side of the isle, all glaring at one another. Erza looked closer, her eyes widening in deep shock upon seeing who was it that Lily was referring to.

"Natsu?!" Erza exclaimed. "And…Gajeel?" She turned towards the others. "What is the meaning of this? Why are they down there?"

"Well why are you here to begin with, Titania? You sound like this is life or death." Evergreen pointed out.

Erza remained silent for a brief moment as the crowd flared with excitement. Her brown eyes narrowed. "We have a problem…"

---

There was something amidst within District 12, the very north of Tahunga, and the one district known for its angular cliffs. The public didn't seem distressed, but at the same time, they've been getting a weird vibe – or to be more accurate – Magic Power. It wasn't often they sense this much, so much that it was staggering and left them uneasy. Some were already heading into their homes, making excuses like stomachaches or not feeling well, but Tahunga had a very easy population, where everybody knew somebody. Word gets around fast, and that meant when someone eels something's wrong, the whole District 12 would feel it too.

Among the cliffs, at the very base, secluded, there was a very small opening, but at the moment was covered by fallen rocks, no doubt to keep those out. Whoever went inside wanted no one to follow.

The opening lead to a tunnel that had glowing moss. The moss brightened up the cave, leaving two individuals to travel down a sloping trail. On the ceiling, there appeared to be glowworms.

An individual with a black hoodie with no sleeves and short navy blue hair had a lantern in hand, a light source that guided them down below. The footsteps pressed on, stepping in green glowing moss.

"Master Xixen, from what you said, not much father?" He asked.

Behind him was another man. He was supposedly tall and middle-aged. He had stern yet calm dark eyes, short white hair that was well kempt, and a confident and collective grin. On his forehead was the Dragon Emperor Society emblem, but his was red. He adorned a black scarf around his neck, leaving an intricate green and red mantle around the shoulders. This left his chest and arms bare. He had a brown belt that held up his white trousers, and his boots were grown as well.

The oddly-dressed man kept grinning. "Rest assured, Gengo, I know what we're doing. Why else would we come to one of the most sacred parts of the land to make the path once more. It's been buried for centuries, so lighten up." He said.

With that, the associate went back to silence and resumed walking.

"We should be getting close now. I can feel the Magic Power resonating." Xixen said. "Archeology experts theorized, but they never proved it. It's been said it should be somewhere around here, so we'll just have to wait and see…"

After several minutes of walking, the two came to the opening of a cavern. The opening led to the one thing that none should have seen coming. Xixen's eyes widened out of pure shock, disbelief surmounting. All around him, everything was sparkling.

"Gengo…"

Gengo's eyes were equally as wide, "Yes sir, you were right…"

All around them, lacrima sparkled. They were of all different variety. They were blue, red, purple, green, colors and power resonating beyond any one can comprehend. This was a treasure trove; a place that had lacrima, a place long forgotten within the earthly mounds of time.

In the center of the monstrous chamber of massive size, aside from the lacrima, there was something else, one that was beyond massive. This is what made Xixen smirk.

"So, it looks like my family's word has been revealed…"

There was an abundance of lacrima scattered on the ground, but at the same time, the lacrima were gathered in some form of nest, where there was a massive slag of bones. The bones were of gigantic proportions, proportions that were so monstrous that the whole length of the bones could be as long as Magnolia…even more.

Xixen narrowed his eyes. "So then…shall we proceed?"

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Thanks for the wait guys! As always, if you loved this chapter, throw a comment or a long review. Thanks for enjoying more of Craig's wrath and the usual banter between him and Cana. Until next time!