Chapter 25 – Leadership and Challenges
Fairy Tail Guild, Autumn Time,
Year X792
General Perspective
The splintered remains of the doors of the guild hall lay discarded about the place, quickly forgotten in the face of a new, and unexpected occurrence. Natsu stood up at the bar, his muscles tense, his body ready to react should any need arise in the face of this new interloper, along with the familiar figures of Arthur, Thomas, Edric and Medea Zollzero, as well as both Kenji and Haruki Himura. The echo of Arthurs last barked commanded still echoed about the large hall. "Everybody get down and get out!" he had called only moments before a new figure arrived, standing in the looming archway that remained after the destructive explosion against the doors.
"It's too late, children!" the man had said, his voice cold and calculating, but with a hint of arrogant superiority. "For I am here now, and here I'm going to stay!" he added smugly.
"What is going on in here?!" the familiar bark of Makarov, Master of Fairy Tail, broke the momentary silence that settled in the wake of these sudden events.
Sting and the shorter elderly man both came out of the same side passage, having only just begun their discussion a few minutes ago. Sting hovered nearer the back, alongside Natsu, whilst Makarov boldly stepped forward before the man. "Who are you, what do you want?" Makarov snapped demands as he crossed the distance to come stand beside Arthur and the others.
"Master Makarov, I wouldn't go any nearer that man… it could be bad for your health" Arthur warned as the tiny man passed him by. Makarov raised an eyebrow questioningly.
"Why is that, who is he?" Makarov questioned the blond Spatial Mage. Arthur, however, just looked towards the individual, standing with a stoic expression on his face. All of the siblings seemed to wear the same flat, almost emotionless expression when facing this person.
"I…" the man declared, "am the Patriarch of the Zollzero Family, and thereby head of the Zollzero group, as well as the Zero Star guild. Your debtor"
Everyone stood silent as the declaration hit each and every person in the room. Arthur sneered viciously at the statement. "Father…" he muttered annoyedly. Makarov noted the dejected, hateful tone the younger wizard used with interest.
Although the title was well known to the Mages of Fairy Tail by this point in their months of debt, having heard it referenced enough by both Kenji and Haruki, as well as the Zollzero siblings on their infrequent visits to the guild, the man before them did not seem to fit with anyone's mental images of the oh-so-terrifying man that the 'Patriarch' was supposed to be. Whilst most pictured a muscular, imposing giant that could strike fear into anyone with just a glance, they were instead being faced down by an extremely slight man in a suit, with only a few traces of musculature beneath the impeccably neat, and obviously expensive fabric being visible. In fact, the only particularly frightening thing about the Patriarch, was the coldness of both his glare and his voice, coupled with his almost militaristic neatness, from his neatly cropped blond hair, to his well-maintained, pointed moustache.
"Arthur, you disappoint me so, not that I should expect anything less" the Patriarch continued, deciding that it seemed unlikely that anyone was going to speak against him at that moment in time. "You dared to hide this… embarrassment of a deal from me. How dare you even think to act on your own against my express will, and give mercy to these foolish guild wizards. That debt represented the integrity of the whole Zollzero family, and you just went and ran all that noble honour of generations through the mud by allowing these wizards to subvert the debt and even worse pay it off over time" the Patriarch's tone moved from scolding to almost venomous as he belittled the eldest Zollzero Mage, and the guild, at the same time.
"But Father…" Arthur tried to interject, although he was stopped instantly; the Patriarch would have none of it.
"Silence!" he demanded, his mouth twisting into a cruel smirk, "I was not finished speaking".
"I think you are" Makarov finally decided to step in to this seemingly family-based affair. The Patriarch's green-blue eyes locked onto the smaller Master.
"Who are you to talk like that to me?" the Patriarch retorted, with a snide, vicious tone of voice.
At that tone, Makarov's whole body reeled, however he did not lose momentum. Instead the smaller Master began to grow, his body reaching heights well beyond that of the Patriarch. Looming above the man now, Makarov continued. "I am the Master of this guild, you will listen to me when you stand within these walls, and you will not ever silence me!" Makarov bellowed with all the fierceness and anger that he could muster. The Patriarch did not even flinch.
"I am well aware of who you are, Master Makarov Dreyar, however you seem to be ignoring the debt that hangs over your guild; a debt that binds you to us, the Zollzero Family. With that in mind, you will be silent!" the Patriarch met Makarov's tone like-for-like, equally as vicious and angry as the not-so-tiny man, but with a calm demeanour that left even the hardiest Mages a little unnerved.
Makarov gave a momentary look of annoyance. "This is still my guild. If you wish to speak do so in a less aggressive, more friendly manner. There is no need for either of us, or for your children, to become hostile to one another" Makarov stated, deflating his form in order to emphasize his point.
The Patriarch smirked, before Arthur spoke up. "Point well made, Master Makarov" the blond Spatial Mage commented, before narrowing his eyes towards the moustachioed Patriarch, "However, so long as he is here, hostilities will always be necessary" he added firmly. Makarov gave a surprised looked towards Arthur, once again noting the hateful tone he directed towards his own father. There is definitely something going on between them. Arthur especially seems to despise his father Makarov thought carefully, pondering on how to deal with precarious situation. After all, if that man asks for the remainder of the debt we still owe, the guild finances will struggle to cover it… if we can at all…
"Hmph" the Patriarch gave a bored sigh as he met Arthur's frosty gaze. "You have still so much to learn about the delicacy of diplomacy my son" he commented in a plain tone of voice, although that arrogant undertone was still present.
Makarov frowned. "If there is something going on within your family it does not concern our guild, so please do not use this place to take out your frustrations" the tiny man tried to keep command of the situation, despite it seemingly following a more private dialogue between the Patriarch and Arthur.
"I suppose you are correct" the Patriarch remarked, before smiling wickedly, "If you are so willing to return to the matter at hand, however, then I would request you hand over all the money you still owe us, including that amount my son foolishly decided to remove from the total at that backwater Sabertooth guild" the Patriarch's tone wavered between being calmly level, and threateningly angry.
"But Father, that was because of the assistance these guilds gave us in combating, our other problem" Edric intervened on behalf of the guilds. The patriarch swivelled his head to glare at his other son, his cold blue-green eyes staring to the very core of Edric's being.
"Assistance?" he muttered, "There is no assistance these pathetic guild mages could give to us; certainly none that could merit such mercy, or leniency. Are you suggesting that we sacrifice our family pride, just because someone participated in a plan of Zollzero design?" the question hung in the air, rhetorical, yet still seemingly seeking an answer.
"W-well… they di-d…" Edric stammered to answer in the face of his father's growing anger.
"SILENCE!" the Patriarch snapped. "I'm sick of your, or anyone else's excuse. You, Arthur, have clearly been influencing your siblings too much, giving them these pathetic ideals. I will have my money now, or perhaps I should take something of equal pride to this guild, to compensate for the familial pride you, my failure offspring, sacrificed in this foolish endeavour" by the end of his speech the Patriarch wore a vicious grin on his face that left no one, especially not his children, with any doubt about his intentions.
It was also the point at which Arthur drew his own proverbial line. "Enough!" the blond Spatial Mage demanded, almost surprising his father, not that it would show on the man's face.
"Are you saying you would defy me, child?" the Patriarch's tone became eerily level in the face of Arthur's defiance.
Arthur just smiled. "I think… yeah, maybe I am" he stated confidently. The Patriarch just shook his head.
"Well then… I think it's about time I taught you a lesson, I don't think I've had a sparring match with you in quiet some time, Arthur" the Patriarch raise his hands in a mock fighting stance. Arthur just smiled, before shrugging off the deep blue suit jack he wore, folding it, and handing it to Medea, who took it a little unwillingly.
"Are you sure about this Arthur?" Medea asked her brother, just as he placed the jacket over her awaiting arm. Arthur smiled between his siblings, before nodding.
"Yes. If things go as we planned I will be fine… you do all remember the plan?" he winked at them. Edric and Medea smirked with mock confidence to confirm that they remember, whilst Thomas just gave a muttered 'yes', his faraway gaze already showing he was calculating Arthur' chances of survival in this show-down.
Arthur smiled and nodded towards them one last time, before turning back to his father. "Right, let's get this show on the road, Father. Kenji, if you would be so kind as to count us it, just for formalities sake?" Arthur and his Father both looked to the elderly sword-user.
Kenji nodded, before jumping up and onto a nearby table to 'oversee' this match. "Very well, on the count of three. One… two… three…" and like that the 'sparring match' that would decide the fate of the guilds began.
And somehow, neither of the two Guildmasters present had to step in, not that either of them wanted to.
/
The Patriarch continued to show a cocky smile as Arthur leapt the distance between them in moments, his Territory Magic allowing him to appear wherever he willed around his opponent. "You're going to deliver the first blow? You've always tried that same tactic ever since you were little, training against me" the older man stated amusedly.
Arthur scowled as his first three punches were blocked with ease by his father, the man delivering two jabs of his own in counter attack. "Hm… so far you haven't even tried to use your magic, father, are you unwilling to go all out versus your own son?" Arthur retorted smugly.
"You really think I even need to use my magic against an opponent such as you?" the Patriarch commented with a growing laugh, "Do you forget that your power is identical to my own father, your grandfather? And you know what happened to him" he added amusedly, before jumping up and doing a backflip to avoid a blast of Territory Magic from the frustrated Arthur.
Arthur growled, before using his explosive power twice more, each attack being easily avoided by his skilled father. "You only defeated grandfather because you tricked him. Although I suppose I should expect that from an assassin like you" Arthur muttered angrily, before teleporting behind his father in a futile attempt to score at least one hit; this was just met with a quick swipe of the Patriarch's leg to knock him off balance, the blow ultimately falling short of its target.
"An assassin?" the Patriarch remarked in semi-believable surprise as he slashed his hand in a chop that had Arthur retreating to avoid it. "I believe I am more than just a simple assassin, I am the greatest assassin in Fiore, if not the world" the Patriarch corrected Arthur with a voice brimming with pride at his self-declared title. Arthur snorted before grinning.
"You know that isn't true" he stated, before shrugging, "Because you couldn't beat grandfather by yourself, and he was the greatest assassin in the world" the Patriarch gave reviled look at this comment.
"Stupid brat, I killed my father so I am the greatest assassin, the tools I used make no difference to this fact" he barked angrily, "And you could perhaps have been an equally as great assassin as I, had you heeded my training properly and shed those pathetic morals you so desperately cling onto. You and all your siblings" the Patriarch gave a momentary glance over to the area where Edric, Medea, and Thomas all stood, watching the small battle with deep interest; their very futures, alongside the futures of Sabertooth and Fairy Tail, were all invested in this fight.
"Hmph, you talk about training, yet you leave yourself open; I always remember you telling me never to look away from an opponent" Arthur muttered amusedly, earning a wicked grin from his father.
"Yes, and I also told you to make use of such opportunities, yet you haven't, such a shame too" the Patriarch stated despairingly. This made Arthur laugh loudly.
"You may want to revise that statement" Arthur commented back, before pointing downward. It was then that the Patriarch noticed the glowing red area beneath his feet. With sudden realisation as to what Arthur was planning the man growled, then Arthur opened up another portal above his head. "Have a nice fall, father" Arthur smirked confidently, just as his father began falling down into the red portal beneath his feet. With the portals bellow and above connected, the Patriarch could do little but glare angrily as he was caught in an infinite loop of falling from portal to portal.
Arthur used the brief opportunity his infinite-loop trick to prepare the next part of his plan. With Edric and Medea moving up beside him, the pair each took out a deck of playing cards, their magic funnelling into the objects. "You two ready?" Arthur asked his two siblings as they stood beside him, each facing the portal and watching with vague amusement as their father continued to fall through the space, over and over again. Every so often the man would bark out a profanity, or attempt to grab something and pull himself out, however the effects of gravity ensured his actions were futile; he was moving too fast to hope to pull himself out from trap.
"Yes, we're ready. We've ben ready for about five years" Edric stated sarcastically, as he threw up his cards into the air. With a snap of his fingers, the cards all transformed into weapons, fifty-two of them. Medea did the same, and with a short nod towards Edric the two began to move the floating weapons, a vicious-looking collection of swords, daggers, spears and maces, around the space where their father was still falling. "Alright, that's one hundred or so weapons primed, you can release him now, sweetie" Medea chirped up, in a sickly-sweet tone that only barely covered the violence promised in her words.
Arthur nodded in understanding. "Alright… now" he deactivated the floor portal first just before his father fell through it for yet another time. The man hit the ground with a hard-sounding thud. As Arthur closed the above portal, the Patriarch stood up, dusting himself off. "Well that was an annoying trick, but was your grand plan really just to make me fall for all eternity? Or did you think I'd get motion sick and surrender?" he said in a dry tone as he eyed up Arthur with an angry glare. The Territory Mage just laughed.
"That was just an exercise in time-wasting" Arthur smirked, before gesturing at each of his siblings, who stood to either side of him. "What you should really be focusing on right now, is the torrent of blades all ready to skewer you in a thousand different ways" Arthur commented cockily. The Patriarch raised an eyebrow amusedly, before giving a sweeping gaze toward the blades in each and every direction. "Hmm… that would only be one hundred and four different ways Arthur, don't exaggerate" the man commented vaguely, before his cold gaze settled back onto the three of his children that dared to stand against them.
Arthur gave a dismissive shrug. "I was just making an observation, however you've assumed that each weapon would only skewer you once" he mused, before laughing, "But regardless, I think this is the end, father, and so I'll give you this one and only chance; surrender and give up your control over both the Zollzero Family, and the Zero Star guild" Arthur's amused tone switched to one of seriousness as he gave his ultimatum. The Patriarch just smiled.
"You know what, no. I'm not going to surrender anything, bring on your murder storm, show me your resolve to kill me" the Patriarch declared. Arthur smiled, before looking between Edric and Medea.
"Well, you heard him" he stated. Edric nodded, before smiling.
"Alright, come on sis, let's do this" he stated.
Then they flung all the weapons toward their father, volley after volley of deadly blades that should be guaranteed to kill anyone, even someone as skilled as the Patriarch.
/
The Patriarch just smirked as the wave of sharp and pointy things drew closer. "You've underestimated me" he mumbled to himself, before raising an eyebrow. But I suppose you have managed to make me use my magic, how annoying he added mentally, just as the first swords and spears reached the range the older man had been waiting for. With a final laugh, the Patriarch called on his magic, then in a blur of deft dodges, well-timed flips, kicks and other movements began dodging or redirecting the weapons, avoiding even his clothes getting the smallest cuts.
"Hmph… faster Edric, Medea, or else the sly bastard might just dodge them all" Arthur warned, his tone flat but edged with annoyance. Edric gritted his teeth.
"He's not just dodging, he's redirecting any close-calls to avoid taking a hit… fuck, couldn't he even pretend to be a little disorientated after that little loop-trick of yours, Artie" Edric cursed as he focused more of his power into controlling all fifty-two of the weapons to turn around and begin another round of volleys. Medea worn a mask of indifference, although her eyes burned angrily.
"I think it's time for plan B" she muttered, earning a nod of agreement from Arthur.
"Plan B?" Edric questioned. Medea smiled.
"Sorry love, just me" she stated, before clicking her fingers. Four weapons within the mess of blades turned back into cards and flew towards her await, upturned palm. "Alright, let's go boys, hurry up and get to it" she then stated in an impatient tone of voice. The cards seemed to shudder at the tone, before they vanished in a puff of magical smoke, three men and one woman standing around Medea in an instant. "My Lady called for us, all of us, is there some major disaster I was not aware of?" the golem of the Ace of Spades commented. Another golem smiled.
"Hmm… indeed. It seems to be that dull little guild I had to fight against a little while ago" the Jack of Hearts smirked, before sweeping his gaze around the building. "Although I fought outside last time" he added in a jovial tone.
Medea frowned at the two males. "Can't you two read a situation, useless" she snapped, the strain of having to maintain four golems, along with the other forty-eight card weapons, making her easily irritable.
"There is no need to take such a tone with us, Lady Medea" the golem that represented the Queen of Diamonds snapped back, her quite pretty features turning immediately into a snide frown. "That is if you want our help" she added with a wicked tone. Medea sighed.
"Just hurry up and do it, you all know exactly why I picked you, so get to it. I can't maintain this for ever" she stated in a slightly more smiled tone. The King of Clubs golem nodded, before looking into the heart of the maelstrom of weapons, where the Patriarch still ducked, dodged and otherwise moved evasively.
"Okay, Lady Medea. We are all aware we are your elite unit, specially selected to vanquished that most heinous man, your Father. Enough chatter, let's fight!" he declared. Medea smiled at the King, before looking around the group who all rallied alongside the royal golem.
Moments later, Edric let out a heavy sigh. "Medea, if you're gonna do something, do it. I'm not gonna hold out much longer" the younger blond boy commented.
Medea smiled. "It's alright, recall your cards. We might need to use your power again if this fails" she stated.
Edric nodded, before counting down. "Okay, in three… two… one…" he then deactivated his magic and recalled the deck back to his hands. Now with only forty-eight weapons remaining floating static in the air, and four golems, Medea stood against her father.
Arthur smiled, before quickly opening up portals and depositing the four golems onto the four sides of their Father. "Now!" he called.
The golems nodded in unison, before beginning their assault.
The Ace was first to make a move, as he was the fastest of the group. Using his Speed Magic-like powers, he crossed the distance between himself and his quarry in moments, brandishing two spears in each hand, one of black energy and one of white light. "Hah, ha!" he barked, before sending the deadly tips careening towards the Patriarch, who just tutted.
"You disappoint me, Medea" he said, before using his own Speed Magic to deftly dodge to the side of the Ace, before delivering a chop to the back of his head that made him choke, then fall down unconscious. "That wasn't even that hard" he mused, before dodging two swords that were flung at him from the floating horde.
"Hmph… you've got to be tiring by now Father" Arthur commented, before using his own Territory to send a few blasts in a futile attempt to knock the Patriarch off balance. The King and Jack both took the opportunity to launch their own attacks in this window, too, however the heavy mace that the King launched was too slow to even come close to hitting the skilful Patriarch. "Too slow!" he chuckled, just before launching a kick towards the Jack of Hearts, before he could successfully bring up his dagger or short-blade to attack.
"Urk!" the Jack breathed heavily as the Patriarch's kick sent him sprawling to the floor, although he was quick to recover.
"Hm…" the Queen of Diamonds commented frostily, before she looked over to Medea. "This is unlikely to go well" she stated in a flat tone. Medea nodded.
"I know just… do something" she pleaded. The Queen smirked.
"Alright, how about this; Deep Freeze!" the Queen called out, before summoning forth a beautiful red, white and gold staff engraved with all manner of diamond-like designs. Pointing the diamond-shaped tip of the staff towards the Queen gave a wicked smile, before hundreds of (unsurprisingly) icy diamonds erupted forth, quickly covering the whole field between her and the Patriarch in frosty crystals. The Patriarch just smirked, before outstretching his hand; the crystals then were entirely redirected around his person to instead freeze the five other weapons that Medea had attempted to send into his blind spot. "Not good enough, although a magic-using golem capable of independent thought is quite impressive" he commented cockily. The Queen of Diamonds gave a frustrated looked.
"You-" she didn't get to finish her cursing as the Patriarch, with speed enhanced, covered the distance in an instant and deliver a similar strike to the one he had given to the supposed 'Ace' earlier.
"Be quiet!" he barked as left the female golem to fall to the ground.
The King of Clubs and Jack of Hearts both looked towards the second fallen golem with dismay, before their faces turned to masks of anger. "The Queen!" the said in unison, before charging towards the Patriarch.
"Wait!" Medea called out suddenly as the golems made their reckless charge. Unfortunately, her words fell on deaf ears as the Patriarch appeared quite suddenly in-between the last two summoned beings, before delivering a vicious combo of kicks and punches to each of them. With surprised gasps the final two golems fell to the floor defeated.
Now, left without anything more than the final few weapons that still stood, poised in the air around her, Medea gritted her teeth. "My… golems…" she breathed, her words coming out hollow.
The Patriarch smirked at his daughter. "They're just as weak as I remember, just like the first time you showed me your oh-so-impressive ability" he commented coldly, his eyes narrowing on Medea.
Medea stared back for a moment, before she gave an angered expression. Then, with one final curse she pointed directly at her father. "I will not be looked down on by you for one more second!" she barked. The Patriarch smirked as his taunt proved successful, beginning to slowly pick his way forward as the waves of remaining spears, blades and maces all came hurtling towards him from all directions. Standing only a few feet away from Medea, he grinner, before holding up his hands; at this distance it was practically impossible for even him to dodge all of the weapons. Instead, he stopped them with his other magic power.
"What?!" Medea gasped as she felt the resistance against her will over the blades cause them all to stop dead in mid-air, some barely a few centimetres from their target.
"This attack never would've worked, not with my Telekinetic abilities" the Patriarch commented, before smirking, "Although I'll admit it was a good work-out for my reflexes, I don't think I've had to dodge so many weapons since that time I assassinated that noble in Bosco, and had to flee all those soldiers that came after me" he added in a more wicked tone. Medea stood dumbstruck as her attack proved useless; with the last of her power, she tried to break the man's control, however she was too weakened by the prior effort, and ended up gasping, before falling to her knees in defeat. The weapons all turned back into their cards instantaneously as she did this.
With a satisfied nod, the Patriarch looked down towards her daughter, before beginning to make his way over, hand outstretched as if to pat her head. Arthur's eyes widened at the gesture, and in an instant, he used his Territory to switch the positions of himself and his father. The Patriarch gave a surprised looked as he quickly assessed what had happened. "You still don't want me to even touch her, my own daughter?" he asked his eldest child in a quizzical tone.
Arthur narrowed his gaze. "We both know if you had laid one hand on her, then at least something in her body, weather it be a bone or a lung, would have been broken" he responded dryly.
The Patriarch continued to give his surprised look for a moment, before shaking his head and shrugging. "I suppose I should at least praise you for your assessment skills, however… I'm not going to let you escape punishment Medea, nor you Arthur, or you Edric. Not for your betrayal in this manner" the Patriarch commented sternly, before smirking.
Arthur was too slow to understand what the man's intentions were, as the Patriarch utilised his Speed Magic to come up beside the still seated Medea. The young woman didn't have enough time nor energy to even call out; however, she didn't need to, as not even a second later her father was propelled back by a blast of lightning.
"Two, One. Lightning Ray" Edric smirked as he strode over to Medea, hand outstretched to help her up whilst he held his dice in his other hand. "Need a hand" he grinned as he helped his sister up.
"Edric, you just managed to push him back…" Medea's tone was soft, full of surprise as Edric managed to land the first successful hit since he and Medea had joined in the small-scale fight.
Edric shrugged. "Just a lucky shot, he was distracted after all" he commented, before narrowing his gaze; their father got back up immediately, dusting himself off as if the lightning attack had no effect on him whatsoever.
"Indeed, just a lucky shot Edric, you damned opportunist" the Patriarch reiterated with a harsh tone. Edric grinned.
"Well, that is how you taught us to fight; take each and every opportunity your opponent presents, right?" Edric smirked.
The Patriarch smiled. "Yes, I see you actually did heed some of my lessons, when you weren't off on your various errands with Haruki over there. And don't think for one seconds I have not known about all that, you cannot hold any secrets from me" the Patriarch commented, before giving a slight glance over towards the Bullet Mage, who stood well out of harms way, beside his grandfather.
Edric's smile dropped as Haruki was mentioned. The Patriarch took this momentary lapse to his full advantage, and with one more speedy boost he propelled himself towards Edric and Medea at full force, intending to deliver a kick, however something stopped him, or rather someone. Arthur appeared instantly in the space between his siblings and their father, grabbing the man's leg before the blow could connect. "Enough. The fight was originally between me and you, leave them out of it" he hurled his demand, and his father, away.
The Patriarch kicked himself out of the hurled spin and landed perfectly, standing once more, with his back to the guild. "So, it's okay for you all to gang up on me, but not for me to fight you" he commented amusedly, before shrugging.
"Still… actually, I will not leave them out of this. In fact, I'm starting to grow tired of this whole affair. How about I just end this all in one go?" the Patriarch rose a daring eyebrow, stroking his moustache with his index finger as if he was only just now considering his options.
Arthur smiled at his father's actions. "Even you cannot stop me in just one blow" he stated confidently. The older man smiled.
"Are you sure about that?" he replied rhetorically, before assuming a more battle-ready stance. Arthur nodded.
"I think I am" he confirmed. The Patriarch shrugged.
"Very well… here is the one and only attack I need to win. Just know that you brought this one both yourselves, and everyone here in this guild" the Patriarch stated, before holding his hands up in the air as if he were praying to some heavenly deity.
Then the whole guildhall began to shake.
/
Fairy Tail Guild, Autumn Time,
Year X792
Sting Eucliffe
From my position amongst the crowd of silent spectators, I watched as Arthur, and then Medea and Edric, stood up against the Patriarch of the Zollzero family. After a few quite impressive displays of magical power, I was surprised that the older man was still standing, seemingly unaffected by the numerous spells that had been thrown at him.
In a particularly heated few comments between Arthur and his father, however, I noticed that things began to change. Instead of the scent of somewhat dampened magic, the Patriarch suddenly became wreathed in energy, so much so that my nose wrinkled in irritation. I noticed that Natsu beside me also became aware of the sudden change; his nose was more powerful than my own after all. Unlike me, however, Natsu went tense, like he was about to spring towards the Patriarch at any moment.
Attuned to the more impulsive nature of my boyfriend, I reached out a hand and lightly brushed my fingers against the knuckles of his closed fist. "Don't do anything too… stupid" I whispered to him.
Natsu shot me a warning glare. "But…" he quieted down immediately as I smiled at him.
"This is Arthur and the others helping us, don't jump in or else that guy might just turn his power on the guild; and I know that you know he's powerful" I replied calmly, in a voice that I hoped was both soothing and discrete at the same time.
Natsu seemed to quiet down upon hearing this and we both returned our attention toward the Patriarch.
"Still… actually, I will not leave them out of this. In fact, I'm starting to grow tired of this whole affair. How about I just end this all in one go?" the man said in a wickedly venomous tone, stroking his thumb and index fingers over his moustache as he said this.
Arthur smirked back. Although the blond-haired Territory Mage had not seemed to have landed even one blow I could still feel some confidence radiate from his person, albeit dampened by the scent of fear and anger that pervaded the air around him; it was strong enough that Natsu and I could both smell it even across this distance. "Even you cannot stop me in just one blow" he stated with a confidence that I knew must be covering his own internal panic.
"Are you sure about that?" the Patriarch replied in a tone that belied his own overconfidence. I noticed Natsu tense once more at the man's words, his body forming almost a perfect copy of the battle stance that I noted the Patriarch had also taken.
"I think I am" Arthur confirmed, before raising his hands, spheres of Territory Magic forming around each fist, much in the same way I had seen them form on Minerva's hands many times. He's gonna use some powerful spell, one stronger than the others he's used so far… I noted mentally.
The Patriarch did not seem perturbed by the confidence showing on his son's face. "Very well" he said, before giving a wicked smirk "Here is the one and only attack I need to win. Just know that you brought this one both yourselves, and everyone here in this guild" the Patriarch then held his hands up above his head, palms up like he was about to start praying.
What's he…
My train of thought stopped as I noticed the first few tremors rise up from the soles of my feet. Natsu seemed to notice too, as he immediately began staring at the ground. "Sting… what's going on?" he asked me in a mildly concerned tone. I frowned.
"I don't… know" I replied, "But I think it's that guys-" I was cut off as a particularly large tremor shook the ground beneath me, and sent me, Natsu, and many of the other Fairy Tail wizards tumbling to the floor. Only Arthur and the Patriarch still stood, and Kenji I noticed in my peripheral vision.
"Father…" Thomas' voice resounded from the side-lines. The Patriarch did not even glance in his youngest child's direction.
"Father, you wouldn't" Arthur reiterated the same warning in a much sterner tone. The Patriarch smirked at this.
"I will, unless two things happen" he commented, "One; I want you and your dear brothers and sister to apologise, then… Two; I want you to personally take the remainder of the debt owned by these sorry guild wizards and give it to me" the man left no room for negotiation in his tone. I noticed Makarov begin to stand up, his face telling me he was about to argue back. With a slight smile to myself, I began to stand up too. I suppose I should also say something as Sabertooth's Master I reasoned internally.
Before I could even be fully upright though, two sounds rang out. The first was a heavy, wooden groan, and the second was a barrage of attacks coming from the space all around the Patriarch. My mind reeling, I barely had time to shield my eyes as a large eruption of light came from the Patriarch's position. That's the… same attack Arthur used… on Erza I thought, my mind dredging up the memories of our first meeting with the Zollzero's, and the subsequent four one-on-one fights that had occurred that day.
After the light settled I looked over, before coming to stand over by Makarov. "Did Arthur get him?" I asked the old man, who had been closer to the site of the attack.
Makarov grumbled something, before looking to me. "Yes, but… I don't think it's enough" he commented.
Looking back over I muttered my own curse. This was quickly met by laughter, as from the centre of the explosion, the Patriarch stood defiant, Arthur already down on one knee, obviously exhausted from the effort of using such an attack. "That won't work, Arthur" the Patriarch commented.
Arthur glared at the man. "You bastard…" he cursed.
The Patriarch grinned. "Now it's about time I brought this whole damned building down on your head as punishment from your insolence" he stated. Makarov and I both went wide-eyed hearing this, the old man immediately making a move to intervene in this dire situation.
"You can't do that…" the old Master began, before being glared at by the Patriarch.
"I can, and will. Master of Fairy Tail, your guild has refused to pay the debt imposed to you by we, the Zollzero family. In response I, the Patriarch, have decided that there is no more fitting punishment for the destruction you caused to our establishments, than to bring this whole place crashing down upon your head" the Patriarch stated, before smiling. "Accept this justice, and if you survive, your debt will be wiped" the Patriarch added.
I stepped forward. "Refused to pay? We have been paying!" I barked. The Patriarch glared.
"I will also be paying a visit to Sabertooth too, Master Eucliffe. I suggest you leave now and prepare your guild building for an equal destruction" the Patriarch retorted flatly.
I frowned angrily at the man. "You can't just go and destroy something like this. I… that is our guilds will not allow you, right Makarov?" I turned my head toward the little man.
He nodded. "Correct" he stated, before beginning to grow, "I will not allow anyone to harm this family!" he added boldly.
The Patriarch smirked momentarily, before giving a wicked expression, one hand going from it's upturned position to instead point directly at us. "Then your family will die here" he stated, before clicking his fingers. At that action I felt a great weight slam into me, forcing me back. I held my ground, although it was difficult; Makarov, in his giant form, did the same.
Realising that this must be the Telekinesis power I heard Arthur mention only moments earlier, I activated my White Drive, glowing scales forming on my body helping me to resist its effects, whilst bolstering my own strength and speed; at this point I had full intention of tackling this man myself.
Before I could take more than three steps forwards, however, the Patriarhc stopped his power, the trembling and groaning of the building subsiding immediately after, as the blond-haired man clutched at his arm. I could not see why he had stopped initially, however after a sweeping gaze around the room, I noticed Haruki Himura standing next to Kenji, fingers in an L-shape showing he had used his Bullet Magic. "Stop!" he declared.
The Patriarch snapped his head up to stare daggers at the teenage boy. "How dare you shoot at me, you imbecile!" the Patriarch roared. Kenji stepped in.
"I told him to, Lord Zollzero" the older Sword master stated, earning a more confused expression from the man.
"You did, Kenji?" he questioned. The grey-haired man nodded.
"Yes. In that action, and in my capacity as judge over yours and Master Arthur's duel, I have decided that you are endangering those outside of Zollzero matters, and as such I could allow this to continue. Thusly, I had Haruki stop the match in the most effective way possible" Kenji stated in his usual flat, unobtrusive voice.
The Patriarch glared at the sword-wielder for a moment, before grinning. "Kenji, you seem to forget to whom you are loyal. You do not act against me in such a way, not so long as I am the Patriarch of the Zollzero Family" the Patriarch stated, before righting himself, his words dripped with venom.
Haruki seemed to get a little angered, I noticed, as their supposed 'boss' talked to his grandfather in such a manner. Kenji on the other hand did not seem effected at all. "I served under both you and your Father sir, and I am loyal to neither. My loyalty lies with the Zollzero household, and that means I must sometimes act against a Patriarch's orders if they are going to besmirch the honour of the great Zollzero Code of Honour" Kenji retorted.
The Patriarch completely lost his calm demeanour upon hearing this comment. "You dare to speak to me in such a way, and to lecture me in our family's honour no less… I will not stand for this Kenji, by my right as Patriarch I will deal with this situation as I see fit" the Patriarch stated, before raising the same hand he had pointed to me and Makarov only moments ago, and instead directed it at the older man.
Kenji's face did not even twitch at the action, despite him obviously knowing what the Patriarch intended to do. "I have certain responsibilities as well, Lord Zollzero, as Guild Master of Zero Star, and the number one ranked wizard in said guild. I have made an oath to such an effect" he stated, unflinchingly, before drawing a blade from the two at either side of his person. The Katana blade immolated as soon as it was released from its sheath. "If I must stop you in person, so be it" he added calmly.
The Patriarch frowned angrily at the man, before giving a sweeping gaze around the room, I followed where he looked; first toward Edric and Medea, who both stood to one side, glaring angrily at their father, then to Thomas who had remained seated at a table on that had remained unscathed from the explosion that had sent both of the guild hall doors crashing to the ground upon the Patriarch's entrance. Then he looked towards Kenji and Haruki, who stood poised to fight should they need to. Then he looked towards me, and Makarov, and the rest of the guild behind us, who all would be prepared to fight should they need to, to defend their guild hall. With an angry sigh, the Patriarch finally looked to Arthur, who still stood ready to strike with his magic at any moment. "I cannot win" he stated emotionlessly, "Not against so many, although I could definitely bring this place crashing down before you, or someone else would kill me" he added, in a tone that suggested that he was already considering going down and taking all of us with him.
Arthur frowned. "You can always walk away Father, and leave this guild to us. They will pay what remains of their debt in time, and the Zollzero name will not be dragged through any mud" he said in a more rational tone to the many he had used previously in this encounter.
The Patriarch frowned. "You choose to side with these people instead of your birth rights namesake?" the question almost sounded genuine, before the man smirked. "Ridiculous, I will not allow for any more shame to be brought upon our family name. This is my last warning" suddenly the Patriarch resumed his 'praying' stance, the guild timbers groaning out in protest almost immediately. Arthur swore and called up a white portal, ready to fire its deadly ray at his own father; this proved to be an empty act, however, as Kenji was there instantly.
The Sword Master, with flame-engulfed blade in hand, plunged the katana precisely into the Patriarch's abdomen, blade being sheathed before it had barely even tasted any blood. "I have struck nowhere vital, and the wound was partially cauterised by the flames. You will not die, but as judge over this matter, I have prevented you from being able to continue" Kenji stated, looking down as the Patriarch doubled over into a little ball of anger, hate and malice.
I watched the moment with surprise; even with my White Drive and all my energy there was no way I could have covered that same distance so quickly, or delivered such a precise strike. I've never see him fight but… Kenji must really be dangerous I thought.
As I thought this the Patriarch looked up. "Damn you… damn it all" he sputtered, a little blood becoming obvious as a growing red stain soaked through his once immaculate shirt.
"You did this to yourself, Father" Arthur commented. The Patriarch continued glaring, before slowly getting up from his knees.
"You have not heard the last of this, I will deal with this trivial wound and then… I will deal with this god damned guild, and finally… I will deal with you, you traitor. No, worse… instead I will banish you, Kenji, Arthur… ergh… Medea… Edric, Thomas and… and that brat Haruki" the Patriarch swayed on his feet for a moment. Arthur's gaze hardened as the Patriarch continued his damning speech.
"Father" Arthur began, before being silenced by one last glare from the Patriarch.
"Be silent!" the man barked, "I will… not have anything more said by you, I don't… wish to ever hear your voice again. I will leave… but I will return, and then you will regret it. And through banishment, perhaps you will learn to value… what it means to be a true member of the great Zollzero family" the Patriarch finished his speech then began to move to leave. Before he could exit the guild entirely, however, Arthur appeared before him one last time.
"Father" he said again, before leaning in close. I could not make out what he whispered, however it did not seem to move the Patriarch's position.
Then with that, Arthur created a red portal, through which his father stepped through. As it closed, he began to stride back inside, coming to stand before Makarov and me.
"I apologise for what has happened to your guild… however…" Arthur did not finish his sentence as he trailed off.
Makarov shrank back to his normal size, before he gave a grave smile. "I understand… perhaps… you and your siblings should come and rest in our infirmary, we may disucss the details of all this later, once you have rested" Makarov stated.
Arthur nodded in agreement, before bowing. "I… thank you Master Makarov. And you too Master Eucliffe. I will get the others and do just that" he stated.
As I watched Arthur move over to his siblings I looked toward Makarov. "It seems like my visit is going to be a lot more interesting again… maybe I should stop coming here, that way this stuff shouldn't happen" I commented with a vaguely amused tone. Makarov chuckled.
"Well, it's not like this is your fault" he replied, before looking around at the semi-ruined state of his guild. "Although… any help you could offer us in helping us to clean up would be greatly appreciated" he added more realistically.
I chuckled. "I can always help out" I agreed, before I noticed Natsu come up to us.
He wore a serious expression. "Are you okay? Sting? Gramps?" he asked. I smiled.
"Yeah, don't worry. It was just a little bit of psychic power, nothing to worry about" I stated reassuringly, before looking to Makarov. The old man smiled.
"I'm fine too" he agreed. I smiled, before looking back to Natsu. Although I don't know if I'd have been okay if Kenji hadn't stopped that guy from tearing down this whole building… and I don't even want to think about what Natsu'd have done if I had been injured… or worse, what I'd have done if it was the other way around…
The pinkette seemed to sense my thoughts, as he immediately smiled. "I'm fine too" he whispered, as Makarov moved out of earshot to go and direct guild members to help tidy up the place.
I nodded. "That's good" I stated, before gesturing toward the nearest pile of tables and chairs that had been knocked over. "Now come on, let's go and tidy up. I need a drink after all that crazy stuff… why is it your guild is always the place where all the crazy stuff happens?" I asked Natsu rhetorically.
The pinkette just smiled. "Because we're fun" he stated.
I shrugged. "Well… I guess that's one way to look at it" I commented, before noticing Arthur, Edric and Medea, all clearly exhausted, moving over toward the corridor that led to the infirmary. I don't think they'd call it 'fun' though… especially since their dad's just kicked them out…
End of Chapter 25
Chapter Hint; Banished