Chapter 31 – Boss Battles
Zollzero Mansion, Autumn Time,
Year X792
General Perspective
Final Match-up; Haruki and Kenji Himura vs. Hugo
Looking around at the other match-ups, Hugo, the Blade Troupe leader, gave a wicked smirk.
"Tch… You seem to have made some interesting tactical choices, Thomas" he mumbled to himself, before eyeing up the last pair to fight; Kenji and Haruki Himura. "And I suppose I should've expect you two to face me. Appropriate, if nothing else" the sabre-wielding swordsman commented, as Kenji and Haruki stood before him, the preparedness clear on their expressions.
"Well, who else'll manage to pull off something like taking you on except us?" Haruki questioned rhetorically. Kenji gave a vague smile of satisfaction.
"It will be much more interesting to face you one-on-one, Hugo. Your teamwork was as splendid as always, however… how about your solo skills?" the old sword master gave a wry smirk as he locked eyes with the black-haired male. Hugo railed at being reminded of his past tutelage under the older man.
"You should already know how good I am, or is it that in your old age you've forgotten some things, old man?" Hugo replied in a venomous tongue.
Kenji shrugged, before holding up his last remaining katana blade; the eerie purple Kitsune Blade hummed with a soft light, interpreting its user's readiness for battle. "Hmmm… let's see just how much I remember of your fighting style, by resuming our duel from before" the older sword master stated. Hugo's face cracked into a vicious smile upon hearing this, the elegant sabre blade instantly being raised as he assumed his usual fighting stance.
"Alright. I assume that as per usual, the boy will not interfere?" Hugo gave a fleeting glance to Haruki as he said this.
Haruki smiled. "Only if I deem it necessary" he assured the other man.
Hugo scowled, however he nodded din understanding. "That would be very… tactful" he agreed. "So, on the count of three?" he said to Kenji.
The old man just laughed. "This is a bit too serious for that, how about just start?" he replied. Hugo laughed, before instantly going into motion, not giving a second more to the conversation.
"Very well" he stated, as he was already within striking distance of the katana-wielder.
Kenji moved like a coiled viper, springing out in a blur of motion that forced the charging Hugo to a standstill instantaneously. The clash of steel-on-steel was all that could be heard as the two men opposed each other. In order to avoid another locked-blade battle, Hugo swerved with his sabre, and attempted a sequence of different stabs and slashes that monopolised on his blades light-weight, thin nature. Kenji, however, was too quick in his newly revitalised body to be struck with the attacks, and he deftly avoided each of them before delivering his own counterattack.
Haruki, from a safe position a few steps away, analysed Hugo's every move. His marksmanship-honed eyes watched for any attack that could deal a deadly blow to his grandfather, and with his muscles coiled, he was ready to act at a moment's notice.
For the most part the two swordsmen appeared evenly matched; with Kenji having, and utilising, the advantage of increased skill and wisdom and Hugo, in contrast to this, using his more youthful nature and exceptional dexterity to attempt to locate and exploit any weakness in his opponent's defences. Had things not been the way they were, Haruki would've been impressed, however… things were what they were, and the teen knew that it would be only a matter of time before he was needed. One way or another.
"Hah… you're just as slippery as you always were" Kenji puffed, as the two sought a momentary respite in their exchange of blows.
Hugo shrugged. "And you seem to really have been rejuvenated by that wooden sword of yours" he replied, a little more breathless than the older male. Kenji cracked a small smile.
"Like I told you, the best weapons are saved for when you really need them" he stated. Hugo gave an annoyed smile.
"True. And the best stratagems are saved for the most opportune moments" he replied, earning a chuckle from the sword master.
"So, you do remember you're training, though you protest because of our history" Kenji stated amusedly, but with a wariness to his tone as he mentioned the history. Hugo smiled.
"Yes, I remember our training with you… and your son. How is he doing by the way?" Hugo's voice took on a surprisingly vicious undertone as he said this. Kenji narrowed his eyes.
"He's a failure and he's dead, as you rightly know" the old man stated with a little more bitterness to his voice. Hugo smiled wider as he heard this.
"Oh right… yes, of course" the black-haired man tried to sound apologetic and remorseful, however it came out as a wicked and hollow voice that poked fun at the old man's displeasure. "He died because the Patriarch couldn't tolerate another of his failures. First, he failed to stop us leaving… then he failed to capture and bring us back" Hugo took great amusement stating these facts, revelling in the painful memories they conjured up in the older man's mind. Kenji scowled.
"That's all history, what matters now is that it's me, and not him, who is facing you" Kenji muttered, before raising his katana once more. Hugo chuckled, resuming his battle-ready stance.
"Of course… although technically it is you, and little Haruki over there, who are facing me" the black-haired man corrected. Kenji shrugged.
"Perhaps… although for the moment, this remains a duel between just us" Kenji stated, as he began moving forward, quickly reaching his minimum striking distance, before delivering a powerful slash that Hugo ducked under. From his new position the sabre-wielder struck out at his opponent, only hitting thin air as Kenji hastily put some distance between himself and Hugo. Hugo continued putting his foe on the defensive, following up his failed attack with two consecutive blows that Kenji firstly avoided, before parrying and delivering a low cutting arc, aimed towards Hugo's knee. The black-haired man deftly jumped up and over the blade, however before he could deliver another strike, Kenji turned his katana mid-air in an incredible feat of dexterity and skill, and brought it around for another attack. "Damn…" Hugo cursed, as the deadly magical sword cut into the flesh of his thigh with ease. In order to avoid too deep a wound, the male threw himself to the side, ignoring the crippling waves of pain that resulted from him landing in a low crouching position. Warmth seeped down Hugo's leg as blood soaked through the black fabric of his trousers. "That blade is just as sharp as it appears… had… had I not moved, would you really have removed my entire leg?" the swordsman gritted his teeth as he shifted his weight to his other good leg.
Kenji smirked at his handiwork. "Of course, I would have. It's easier to deal with a leg that has been completely severed rather than a leg that has been mostly severed" he mused. Hugo narrowed his gaze, and began using the mental meditative techniques he had mastered years ago in order to block off the pain.
"Well then… it seems you failed to sever it regardless… however, I am now at a disadvantage" the black-haired male managed to maintain his composure despite the wound, his dark eyes surveying the scene before him to see if there was any chance of escape. There was none; two of the Troupe had already been defeated, and from what he could see, Caspian and Andor would not last much longer in their respective fights. "Tch… looks like I am going to have to do something very un-gentlemanly" Hugo mumbled to himself. Kenji narrowed his eyes as he observed his ex-pupils surveying stare.
"What are you going to do? Flee? Surrender?" Kenji's voice carried all the weight of a sledgehammer as he laid out the only two obvious answers. Hugo smirked a little, before he tensed his body. "Fight?" Kenji added a third option. The black-haired male nodded.
"Yes, I would rather fight until the end" he stated, before leaping from his one good leg, using the momentum to drive Kenji back a few steps. Once Hugo made blade-to-blade contact, he performed a sequence of deceptively clumsy and uncoordinated strikes that forced his opponent into a defensive position, all the while carefully plotting out in his head their exact positions. Kenji gritted his teeth at the wild, forceful blows of his opponent.
"Your attacks have lost all focus and sense of balance, Hugo" the old man commented. Hugo smiled.
"Perhaps" he stated, as he continued to deliver a number of additional attacks. Just a bit more and… now… he thought, smirking wickedly. "However, they've driven you back enough to allow me to do this!" Hugo smirked wickedly. Kenji went wide eyed, as the black-haired sabre wielder delivered one last off-balanced blow, before he changed direction and with all the strength he could muster, and with great resistance from his wound, sprinted towards Haruki.
The Bullet Mage was just as surprised as his grandfather, when the swordsman came running directly at him, and was not prepared to face such an attack, as in his arrogance he had expected the injured Hugo incapable of such a manoeuvre. "I've got you now brat!" Hugo spat as he closed the distance in record time, blade primed and ready to stab Haruki's shoulder the moment he got within reach. "Once I've… got you under my spell, you will… defeat your grandfather for me" he added, as he reached within striking distance, his blade meeting flesh with ease. Haruki tried to raise his arms in defence, however it was no used. It also, was not required.
Before Hugo managed to reach the boy, another, more muscular shield, stood in the path of his blade. "I will not… let you take another of my family!" Kenji snarled, as he caught the sabre in his sword-arm. Hugo was momentarily surprised at his failure to secure his target; this quickly passed, as pure glee overtook his features, even momentarily silencing the pain in his leg.
Haruki looked on in horror as the black-haired man, with a twisted grin of pleasure and immense satisfaction, drove his blade right through Kenji's bicep until it burst out of his shoulder. "I've done it… I've… got you!" Hugo giggled ecstatically, "Now I can finally use my curse to… make you serve me… make you… let's see…" Hugo fumbled about for an idea, before the most devious plan he could have devised came to mind. "I'm going to make you fight your own grandchild… then, after you have killed him… you will have nothing left, and your hollow form will serve the true Zollzero masters until the day you die" Hugo cackled near-maniacally as he made his plans known. Kenji, however, just smiled, his rock-hard gaze never wavering from his opponent for a moment. The intense stare of the older sword master angered Hugo greatly, however it had only a minute effect compared to the words Kenji spoke that moment.
"Only if I defeat Haruki" he stated boldly.
/
Haruki froze in horror as he watched his grandfather become wounded, trying to defend him. Although the teen had known it was likely he would have to cope with seeing his grandfather get injured on this mission, he had not expected it to go like this. For the barest of moments, the world seemed to go quiet, and the events of his father's death filled Haruki's mind. The teen didn't even hear Hugo's maniacal laughter, or the plan he spewed forth in wicked glee; all Haruki could think about was his father's death, and his grandfather before him.
It was only when Kenji spoke, that the silence around the teen stopped. "Only if I defeat Haruki" he said, in a tone as cold, hard and level as the steel of his blades. Haruki regained his composure as he heard those words. Without further hesitation the faux-blonde teen leapt back away from where his grandfather was still standing, and trained his fingers onto the pair.
Hugo registered the teen's actions, but did nothing to stop him. "What are you going to do, shoot me? You know that your dearest grandfather will get hit as well" the black-haired man smirked as he met Haruki's determined gaze. "Can you really cope with losing another of your family members?" Hugo then questioned, eyes not straying from Haruki.
The teen wizard allowed himself to wave for only a second, before he trained his 'finger guns' onto the pair, aim perfect. "I don't think that gramps or my old man would let me sleep at night, if something like them dying was enough to stop me from doing what was necessary" he stated boldly. Hugo shrugged.
"Well then, fire away if you so wish, however in order to hit me you will have to shoot your grandfather down first" Hugo readied himself for the younger boy's attack. Smirking Haruki fired, two bolts of purplish light flying through the air towards the pair.
"You missed!" Hugo laughed as neither shot managed to strike him. Haruki ruffled his brow.
"Did I?" he asked in a mocking tone, earning a confused expression from the sabre-wielder. "Only, I'm pretty sure both shots hit gramps, like I intended" he added after a moment.
This information only heightened Hugo's obvious confusion. "You… intended to hit him?" he asked suspiciously.
Haruki nodded, a smile playing with his lips. "Of course, I did, I mean… it will only knock him unconscious, however that's all I really need to do if I wanna stop you controlling him, right?" the teen couldn't help the slight chuckle that emitted from his throat.
Hugo scowled instantly as he heard Haruki explain his attack, before he looked back toward Kenji, removing his blade from the old man's body whilst he was at it. Sure enough, without the extra support, Kenji took one step back, Kitsune Blade fading back into light which returned to his body, before collapsing. Laying there on the ground the old man had a confident smile as he passed out; this infuriated Hugo. "Damn that… damn you all!" Hugo roared as his gaze flicked from the rage-inducing expression on his old master's face, to the cocky, confident grin on his new opponent's leering countenance.
"It takes you and Caspian to control a person who's not awake, and from the looks of it he's out the picture. In fact, if you bother to look around, Hugo, it looks like you are the only one still in the picture now anyways" Haruki laughed, as he made a grandiose gesture around the plateau, where Argent, Andor, Caspian were all tied up, and where Vance was still frozen. The black-haired man growled lowly at the revelation of his comrade's joint defeats.
"Tch… useless lot" he grumbled under his breath, before his eyes locked on to Haruki once more. "Even if they are all defeated, it doesn't look like your allies made it out much better than us, what with two injured, not including the old fool right here" Hugo commented aloud. Haruki shrugged.
"Yeah, but we've got a healer. You guys have got nothing but misguided faith. I'd suggest you should give up now, however… it's unlikely that you're going to do that, right?" Haruki smiled knowingly at Hugo.
The Blade Troupe leader smiled back, recognition shared between two opponents. "Of course, so now that only leaves one thing…" he replied. Haruki nodded.
"Yup" he agreed, not needing to finish the sentence, since both knew what was coming.
The two waited a moment, barely more than a heartbeat. Then they each set into motion. Hugo was slower with his injured leg; however, he was making gains on the teen, who tried to put as much distance between them as possible. "You're a marksman, Haruki, not a swordsman. You're fighting style is completely incompatible for this type of combat" Hugo stated, as he manoeuvred with a surprising amount of grace, dodging the few pot-shots Haruki sent his way.
"This coming from the one-legged warrior" Haruki replied, before turning around. "Fine then, have it your way" he added, before training both of his finger-guns onto the oncoming swordsman, a hail of magical bullets issuing forth. Hugo cursed as he had to throw himself to one side, the injury from his leg leaving him unable to dodge the more numerous attacks as he had before. "Hah, like that" Haruki cheered, as he saw his attack managed to stop the swordsman, "Now for my next trick…" the teen changed from firing projectiles from his fingers and instead closed his hand into a fist, training the whole arm onto Hugo's new position. The swordsman could sense danger in this next attack, and immediately began to charge forward, hoping to cover the remaining distance and strike the teen down.
Unfortunately, he barely managed to cover half the distance, with his leg groaning more and more in protest as the fight wore on. "Stupid… weak…" he cursed at himself, as Haruki's spell was finished.
"Heh, now… as I was saying, for my next trick… my most powerful attack… Flare Shot. Kaboom!" Haruki laughed as a massive sphere of energy shot out of his fist, and arced through the air towards Hugo. The swordsman realised he had no chance to stop the teen now, so instead, in an act of desperation, he sliced at the projectile, hoping to cut it into pieces and prevent his injury.
As soon as the orb made contact with the blade, it exploded with resounding force, hurling Hugo back across the plateau. Haruki had to shield himself from the light of the blast, however as it subsided, he took great pleasure in watching the black-haired swordsman attempt to stand. Hugo was barely a shadow of his initial glory, with his blade cracked all the way along from the attack, and his clothes torn and ripped. His injured leg was shaking dangerously, with deep dark patch where the blood hand been absorbed. "I… will not… go down… so… eas-easily" he chattered, as his eyes locked onto Haruki with a look of defiance.
The teen shook his head, and began walking up to the male. "No, you wouldn't, would you?" he replied rhetorically, "However, my grandfather has been injured, Arthur, Edric and Medea are busy fighting elsewhere, and your group has been defeated. You have no reason to continue, and we cannot afford to keep fighting. That is why I am going to end this, here, and now" Haruki spoke with a determination that completely eclipsed Hugo's defiant glare.
The black-haired man smiled. "So, you are going to kill me" he stated, in tone that made it sound more like a taunt. Haruki said nothing in defence, he simply raised his finger gun, so that it was trained onto the sabre-wielder's head.
Then he fired.
Hugo didn't make a noise as the attack hit him, he simply fell to the ground with an ungraceful thud. Once the male was unconscious, Haruki spoke. "Like I would ever do that, you still need to pay for what you've done. Just sleep for now, whilst we deal with your mess" he stated.
/
Zollzero Mansion, Autumn Time,
Year X792
Natsu Dragneel
I didn't let go of Sting's hand as we re-joined the others waiting for us in a quieter area on the plateau. "You two took your time" Gray commented, as he saw us coming over. I smiled.
"Maybe our guy was tougher than yours" I replied cockily. Gray frowned, before glancing back, to where I noticed Rogue was laying down, a wound hastily patched around his stomach. Sting followed my gaze.
"Rogue!" the blond cried out in surprise as he rushed over to his friend, almost dragging me along, until I let go of his hand. "What happened?" the blond seemed to direct this to both the Shadow Dragon Slayer as well as his secret Ice Mage lover beside him.
Rogue frowned. "I got stabbed" he replied dryly, "It's kind of expected when you're fighting a swordsman" he added with a tired voice.
Sting frowned at hearing this. "I could've guessed that, I mean… how did this happen, like… er…" the blond fumbled for the words he was looking for.
"How'd you let yourself get hit?" I asked for him, gauging roughly what he wanted to say. Rogue shrugged from his position on the ground.
"He was faster than expected, he managed to get me before I could become a shadow again" he responded. I looked over to where Vance was now frozen solid, before I looked over to Gray.
"And I guess that after that, Gray went crazy and threw loads of spells at him until he went down?" I mused. Gray smirked.
"Yeah, something like that… anyways, what happened with your guy?" he asked me. I shrugged.
"He tried to trick us with illusions, so instead of trying to hit him, we just fired all our magic over the whole area" I explained in brief the events of mine and Sting's little duel. Gray chuckled.
"You know we were supposed to save our magic power, right?" he laughed. Sting and I both rubbed the back of our heads.
"Well… maybe" I stated unsurely. Gray continued chuckling as his eyes strayed over to where Haruki and Kenji were fighting hard. "They're still going at it" he commented. I nodded.
"Yeah… only, wait… Kenji's been stabbed!" I barked as I observed Hugo standing close to his opponent. They were too far away to be heard properly, however I caught small traces of their conversation, as the others all gathered around me to observe.
"H-how… did he manage to get him?" Lucy asked tentatively. I shrugged.
"I wasn't watching… damn, I'm gonna go help him" I stated, before Erza reached an arm out in front of me to block my path.
"Wait Natsu, Haruki looks like he's about to do something" I scowled, however I did as I was asked. Sure enough, as the red-head had said, the teen Bullet Mage began to move into action, first by shooting two attacks at Kenji.
"Did he just shoot his own grandfather?" Sting asked with a tone of surprise and horror. I shook my head.
"No, he's just stunned him to knock him out. Like what he did against Gray in their duel" I commented, jabbing a thumb in the rough direction of my rival. The Ice Mage pouted at me bringing up the subject of his past loss, however he made no comment as our eyes were glued to the fight now erupting before us.
Haruki dodged and dived, whilst running and putting some distance between himself and the sabre-wielding man. "Is Hugo slower or is it just me?" Lucy observed. Erza narrowed her eyes.
"Looks like he's injured. Maybe Kenji managed to get him before he was stabbed?" the red head suggested.
"Well whatever it is, it's letting Haruki get a decent distance away, however just running and firing won't be enough to stop him… probably" Sting noted. I nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, Hugo's really strong" I stated, "However, so is Haruki" I added after a moment.
Sting chuckled. "I thought you always said you hated Haruki" he chuckled, before nudging me with his arm.
I shrugged in response to this. "He was always really annoying, however annoying people can still be strong" I commented, before grinning, "Just like Gray" I added mockingly. The Ice Mage snapped his head around after I said this.
"Are you lookin' for a fight, pinky?" he barked. I just laughed.
"Maybe" I stated, before I noticed Erza glancing over at me, "B-but… how about after all this is over?" I added after re-thinking my options.
We continued watching for a few more minutes, then, without much warning, the fight was all over. In one explosion of magical force, Haruki beat Hugo down, before finally finishing him with a single shot to the head. "Is that it… did he kill him?" Sting asked in a hushed voice, as he, like everyone else was drawn into the dramatic silence of the end of the fight.
I pouted. "I thought we weren't supposed to kill them?" I voiced in reply. Erza nodded.
"Yes, we weren't. For Haruki, however… maybe he has other orders?" the red-head commented, just as Haruki, with his unconscious grandfather slung over his shoulder, and with Hugo dragging along behind him, walked over to us, a stern and serious expression on his youthful features. He placed Hugo down ungracefully beside his other Troupe Member's, before moving on to where Juvia and Rogue lay resting, placing his grandfather more carefully on the ground near them. No one said a word as the teen did this, not even Haruki himself.
It was only after his two unconscious passengers had been unloaded that he finally turned around to speak. "Well… that took longer than expected" Haruki stated, a slight smile playing with his features. "How did everyone else do?"
/
"Ah, so other than Juvia and Rogue no one else was injured?" Haruki asked us for confirmation. We all nodded. "That's good. I think for now, though, we will need to wait for Virgo to return with Wendy and then we can move on. We should also make sure this lot is secure too" Haruki stated, taking a role as proxy-leader in the absence of Arthur, Kenji or even Thomas.
I frowned impatiently. "Why don't Sting and I go on ahead, we can come back and tell you where Arthur and the others are?" I suggested, not being able to quite contain the eagerness for action in my voice. Haruki shook his head.
"No, it's likely they've already engaged their cousins, and who knows what other traps Hugo may have left in the mansion. Although he is confident in his abilities, he isn't stupid enough to not at least have seven other back-up plans in case the Troupe failed to prevent us from continuing on" Haruki replied.
"Yes, it would be wise to wait, and decide our next move" Erza concurred. I pouted.
"But, what is-" before I could begin to counter-argue, a huge shockwave resounded across the plateau. "What the hell is that?!" I barked in surprise, as I crouched low to avoid tumbling over in the face of the resounding explosion of light that emanated forth from the mansion, quickly followed by an earth-shaking grumble. Haruki looked over to where a thin column of lightning arced into the sky from the ground, a loud crash of thunder quickly following it, before a much larger explosion of light burst forth from the heavens.
"That confirms that Arthur and the others are battling out somewhere inside. Perhaps even in the centre garden… damn, it's too hard to tell from that one explosion" Haruki mumbled, in a voice just loud enough that I could hear over the continued rumbles.
Not a moment later, one of Thomas' Archive screens popped up in front of us all, displaying what looked to be a layout of the building before us. "Not a bad guess Haruki" Thomas' voice played out telepathically for us, in a louder-than-usual volume, "It seems that the centre of that massive attack is somewhere in, or near to, the central garden" the boy continued.
"How's Edric?" Haruki's voice was full of concern for his friend/boyfriend.
Thomas didn't reply for a moment. "His signature is still readable; however, it is fainter than before. It would seem that attack has significantly weakened both him and Medea. Arthur is the only one going strong now" Thomas relayed. Haruki muttered a curse.
"What's the projected chances of Arthur holding out, and how long?" Haruki wasted no time in continuing his line of questioning.
Thomas made a mumbled calculation over the telepathic communication. "It looks as though Arthur may last another few minutes, but no more than that. Edric and Medea less than that" Thomas stated flatly, in a voice, surprisingly, lacking in emotion. Haruki nodded in understanding.
"Alright" he stated, before turning around to look at our group. "We don't have time to waste, it seems. Lucy, do you think you can remain here to look after the others, whilst we go and find Arthur to assist him" Haruki asked the blond with eyes afire.
Lucy smiled and nodded. "Sure" she stated, "Virgo shouldn't be much longer, and if anyone else comes, or if these guy's try to act up, I'll use my keys" she added. Haruki nodded in understanding.
"Okay. The rest of you, come with me" he stated. Erza frowned.
"Why do we need so many of us?" the red-head asked. Haruki looked over to where Thomas' screen still floated.
"Thomas, how many additional signatures are there in the mansion?" he asked. The blond boy gave a moment to respond.
"Fourty-five. From my analysis of some of the more recognisable signatures, it would seem they are old enemies of our family" Thomas stated.
Haruki smiled as he looked back towards Erza. "That's why; on top of the Blade Troupe, there were another fifty or so people guarding the twins. It would also seem that they have been hired by Hugo from groups known to oppose the family. They will not be an easy fight" Haruki explained. Erza nodded.
"Okay, so the plan is for us to break through them quicker with greater numbers" she stated in confirmation. Haruki nodded, before looking to Gray, then finally to Sting and I.
"Is everybody ready?" he asked. We all nodded.
"Hell yeah" I replied in a fiery tone. Sting smirked.
"Yes, now let's go beat up these guys and finish this whole thing!" the White Dragon added on, in a tone to match my own enthusiasm.
Haruki nodded, before motioning for us all to follow him. "Very well, follow me" he said, in a commanding tone that surprised everyone, including himself.
/
Upon entering the mansion, it did not take us long to find the 'fifty or so' other enemies, however almost immediately upon finding them, Haruki changed plans. Tackling them head on seemed impossible, given how they were all in one room, however we had very few other options.
Observing the large number of opponents from the secrecy of the doorway, the Bullet Mage named a few in a low, muttered tone, before looking to our assemblage. "These guys are no joke. They will kill you as quickly as possible, and they will not follow the whole 'warrior credo' thing that the Troupe did. I think this may be where we have to decide how to proceed" the teenager stated as we all crouched as near to the room with all the enemies as we dared.
Gray frowned upon hearing this, as did I. "What do you mean?" the Ice Mage asked, keeping his voice low.
Haruki maintained his stoic expression. He's acting a lot more like Kenji now, than when he was at the guild… or even when we started this whole mission I thought to myself. "I don't think we can take these guys on like this and go and save Arthur at the same time. We need to decide who stays and fights, and who goes to find Arthur" Haruki explained, answering Gray's inquiry. The Ice Mage pouted.
"Wouldn't it just be quicker if we all stayed and fought, then we could move on really fast to help Arthur?" he questioned. Haruki shook his head.
"It could be too late then. I'm pretty confident in a straight up fight, it'll only take three of us to hold these guys off, however we need to choose who will go on to find Arthur" the teen stated, before pointing to himself, "I'm staying behind anyways. As much as it pains me to say it, I'll have more of an edge taking these guys on, than even trying to help Edric and the others. I'll put my faith in you guys to save 'em" Haruki added, eyes showing both worry and confidence in equal measure. Erza smiled in recognition of the teens resolve.
"Alright then, I'll stay and fight too; taking on this many opponents with you should prove nothing more than an interesting challenge" the red-head replied. Haruki nodded.
"Alright, so who else, we only need one more" he stated, eyeing me, Sting and Gray up individually. I shrugged.
"I get to fight either way, I can stay or-"
"I'll stay" Gray interjected bluntly.
Both Sting and I looked to the Ice Mage with surprise. "You'll stay?" we said in unison. Gray nodded.
"Yeah, remember what Thomas said back when we were planning this whole thing; my Ice Devil Slaying spells will not be as effective against their cousins, since they also practice their own Devil Slayer magics. Plus, they are a lot better trained to use 'em than I am with mine" Gray relayed. Sting looked to me after Gray said this.
"I guess we would fight together better than with anyone else here, right Natsu?" the blond shot me a confident look.
I smiled briefly, before nodding. "Alright, looks like we'll leave this up to you guys" I agreed.
Haruki smiled, before reloading his guns, and nodding to us. "Okay, we'll go in and give these guys a shout, then you two sneak passed whilst they're distracted. Try to avoid getting caught on the way to the inner garden" Haruki stated. We both nodded, before making a move to leave. "Wait… do you two need directions to get there?" Haruki added hurriedly.
I looked back towards the teen, before smiling. "Don't worry, I can smell them already. You three just do your job, and we'll do ours" I responded cockily.
Haruki chuckled. "I should've known you'd say that" he replied, just as Sting and I both began to move again, getting into a position further along the corridor where we could move way unnoticed. Taking a deep breath, Haruki whispered something, before kicking the door to the room full of enemies wide. "Alright you lowlifes, time to taste a bit of revenge, Zollzero… or rather, Himura-style" Haruki grinned. As Erza and Gray followed the blond teen into the fight, Sting and I got away unnoticed.
It was only when we were down the corridor that the White Dragon Slayer looked to me. "Did you hear what Haruki said to himself?" he asked. I shook my head.
"No, what?" I replied in question.
Sting smirked. "He said 'good luck' followed by an even quieter 'good luck Edric'" Sting said.
I smiled upon hearing that information, before taking on a more fiery-eyed look. "You know what, Haruki may be annoying still, but I think he'd be a pretty good member of Fairy Tail. He's already got the right kind of heart for it" I commented. Sting nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, he'd be fun to have around Sabertooth too" Sting agreed, before edging further down the corridor. "Anyways, since they're doing their best, let's do ours. Now… which way is Arthur?" he looked to me. I rolled my eyes.
"You really need to practice using your nose… come on, follow me. He's this way" I stated, before bounding down towards the inner garden area, and towards the final fight of that evening.
/
Zollzero Mansion Inner Garden, Autumn Time,
Year X792
General Perspective
"Ha ha ha ha, you'll have to be faster than that" Tenchi laughed, as he moved around the garden at high speed, lightning crackling all over his person.
"Tch…" Edric groaned, as he grasped at his side, where a particularly well-aimed lightning bolt had just struck him. "Lucky shot" he replied, trying to maintain his cool, calm and collected appearance.
"Little brat" Medea snarled, her body already injured, but steadily maintaining the form of a large, dark-furred wolf.
Tenchi eyed the wolf-woman haughtily. "Be quiet, you just sit there like a good dog and keep up that appearance. It suits you to both look and act like a bitch" he snapped. Medea scowled at the other teen (in her mind at least).
"Hmph… well, let's just see how much this bitch can hurt you then" she replied, before beginning a rapid run up to strike the lightning-engulfed teen. Before she even got half of the distance, however, large stone walls erupted out of the ground around her.
"You aren't gonna get near my bro" Daichi called out, the other twin standing some distance from Tenchi, upon a stone pillar where upon he could overlook the battlefield before him.
"You think so" Medea replied, as she leapt out from a red shimmering portal directly behind Tenchi.
The blond teenager cried out in surprise, being pushed down by the wolf, before he zipped away, propelled by lightning at speeds no ordinary human could reach. "Nice try" he mused, before eyeing up Arthur. "Annoying, those portals of yours. How many times have you had to use 'em to save your dear siblings so far? Seven, maybe eight times?" Tenchi snorted. "Pathetic!".
Arthur narrowed his eyes. "And how many times has your dear brother had to stop us from attacking you, because he knows how easy it'll be to defeat you when we catch you" Arthur snapped back venomously.
Tenchi smirked. "If you catch me, don't get ahead of yourself. Artie" he corrected in a cocky tone, before using the lightning to once more dash about the area, coming in close to Edric.
"No, you don't" Arthur called out, instantly teleporting Edric to his side, and away from their cousin. Likewise, he also teleported Medea to him as well, the young woman returning to her usual form as she was moved about the garden by Arthur's Magic. The blond-haired Devil Slayer frowned.
"Hmph… look at you three, all stood together, so proud, so noble"
"So annoying" Daichi finished what his brother began saying. "However, soon you will be dead, right, Ten?" he added, looking to his brother.
Tenchi nodded. "Yup, I mean, they all already look half-dead now anyways. How about we help them on the rest of the way, Dai?" he replied. Daichi frowned.
"We're doing that?" he asked. Tenchi nodded, before leaping up and joining Daichi on his pillar.
Arthur watched the pair closely, however Edric frowned. "What are you going to do? Both go for range?" Edric quizzed the pair.
Tenchi smiled, although he said nothing as he and Daichi stood shoulder-to-shoulder, the lightning-wielder with his arms up above his head, and the earth-manipulator with his hands outstretched, palms facing the ground. "By heaven," Tenchi began chanting.
"And by earth" Daichi chimed in.
"We consecrate this land, to destroy the evil, and cleanse corruption…"
Arthur's eyes went side as the pair began chanting a longer incantation. "You two, get behind me" he said hurriedly. Edric and Medea did as they were asked, although both looked to their brother with questioning glances.
"What is it Arthur?" Medea asked. Arthur kept quiet, focusing intently upon their pair of teenage Devil Slayers before him.
"Very… bad… I'll teleport us away at the last minute to avoid behind struck" Arthur stated after a short delay. Medea and Edric nodded, each prepared to be suddenly moved.
"…By our power; Smite!" the twins finished their chanting, as golden light enveloped their hands. Daichi went first, slamming his hands into the earthen pillar upon which he stood. Immediately the light sunk into the ground, before the whole garden's earth began to shake and rumble. Great spikes of earth erupted forth in all directions. The Patriarch, still sitting in his cage, dodged a few stray attacks that penetrated the bars of the cage, not enough you let him escape, unfortunately, but certainly deadly enough if he was stabbed by one. Arthur reached out with his Territory, and used it to teleport himself, Edric and Medea up into the air above the garden, intent on being well out of reach of the spell.
That was when Tenchi made his move. With arms still reaching upwards, the Lightning Devil Slayer sent his golden light up into the air, forming a thin, but bright, stream that touched the clouds. Almost instantaneously after that, the clouds roared, a great explosion of light and electricity burst forth, screaming down from the sky to where Arthur and the others were free falling. With wide eyes, Arthur held out his hand, conjuring forth another Territory bubble to take him and his siblings back down to the safety of the ground, out of the way of this follow up attack. Sadly, he was too slow, and a portion of the attack arced through the trio as they laded back upon the ground with a soft thud. "Damn it…" Arthur groaned, as he fell to one knee, the exertion from having to so quickly teleport three people, and the continued fighting beforehand, weakening him.
"Hmph… that… hurt…" Edric wheezed, sitting upon the ground, "Hey Medea… you… okay?" he asked, looking over to his older sister.
Medea was unconscious. "Medea?" Arthur looked over to where she lay on the ground. "Medea!" she gave off a gurgled mutter. "Oh… at least… thank goodness, she's alive" Arthur stated upon hearing the noise.
Edric frowned. "Yeah, but… Arthur, what are we gonna do now? We didn't factor in these two being this strong into our original plan" Edric's voice was filled with worry.
Arthur looked over to where a large hole was now gaping through to the corridor the three had entered the garden from. "It shouldn't be long now…" he mumbled. Edric looked to his brother for a moment, before looking over to where their cousins stood smirking wickedly.
"You look a little lost there, Edric" Tenchi commented. The Dice Mage furrowed his brow.
"Really, because from what I can tell I'm still standing in the Zollzero Mansion, our mansion" he replied, still with a bite to his tone. Tenchi shrugged.
"Well, you're not quite standing" he responded.
Arthur looked over to his cousins before, making a move to stand. "He may not be, but I am still standing" he declared, putting on as brave a face as he could. Gotta buy a bit more time… Thomas'll finish everything off, and then we'll win he thought to himself. Tenchi clicked his tongue.
"You could've just lay down there and admitted defeat, for the show you've given us we would've let you crawl off alive, Artie" Tenchi stated in a mocking tone. Arthur shook his head.
"No, you wouldn't, you said it yourself; we're here to settle once and for all which side of our family is rightfully the group suited most to rule" Arthur replied, before he smirked, "So that means one side's gonna die, right?" he added.
Tenchi shrugged, before looking over to his brother. "Well, Dai, it looks like he wants to continue, shall we finish this now?" he asked. Daichi smiled wickedly, before pointing to Arthur.
"I think I'll be going in this time, Ten, you can cover me" he stated. Tenchi nodded in understanding.
"Alright, you can go. Just… don't kill him too quick and-" Tenchi stopped mid-sentence, as his eyes locked onto a completely different target to the ones he had just been fighting. "No…" he muttered in surprise. Arthur followed the surprised glare of the Devil Slayer, and looked over to the hole in the wall.
"Ahh… the cavalry's arrived" Arthur commented amusedly, before smiling. Edric laughed.
"Yo!" Natsu grinned, as he and Sting stood looking at the trio of Zollzero Mages.
"Thomas said you guys needed some help" Sting continued, before looking over to where Edric and Medea lay. "And it looks like he wasn't kidding" he added observationally.
The pair of Devil Slayer's didn't even know what to begin to say; all they could do was curse Hugo for his failure, not that it would do any good.
Once more, everything was going according to plan. Or at least, Arthur thought it was.
End of Chapter 31
Chapter Hint; The Devil Inside