This chapter has been rewritten as of 5/6/19.

Chapter 7

I stepped into the guildhall, honestly not knowing what to expect. With how different Nab had been and the minor fact that the Gildarts of this world was dead, never mind that Fairy Tail was an illegal guild, what kind of community were we walking into? Would we even be welcome?

All sound in the hall ceased when we walked through the door. Conversations halted, laughter died, and all eyes fell on us. There were at least twenty people inside; fewer than I'd expected, honestly.

"Who the hell are you people?" the nearest woman asked, pushing off the table she'd been leaning against. It was Lucy—or, rather, some punk version of the Lucy I knew. She wore all black, with a skull pin in her hair and a tattoo of the same motif.

"Is that…me?" Lucy asked, her voice going high with shock.

For her part, the Edolas Lucy looked equally surprised—but then she saw Natsu, and her shock turned to irritation.

"Hey, what the hell are you thinking?" she demanded. "You drive off like that and them roll back in here with five total strangers? Have you lost it? We're hiding, remember?"

"She clearly has some familiarity with the Natsu of this world."

"No, really?"

Mutters spread throughout the guild hall. People were pointing at Gildarts, at Gajeel, at everyone except me. Happy and Carla were just outside; I didn't want to know how these people would've reacted to them.

And then the world froze—or, at least, Natsu did. He wasn't looking at the Edolas Lucy anymore. Instead, his gaze had fixed on a white-haired woman holding a tray of drinks across the hall. Clad in a pastel purple dress and sporting the guild mark on her outer thigh, she looked like any other guild member. But the way Natsu looked at her…there was a history there that I didn't know.

"Lisanna?" Natsu whispered. Next to me, Gildarts caught his breath. I glanced at him.

"Who is she?" I asked quietly.

"She and Natsu were close," he replied, still staring at Lisanna. "The two kids were never far apart. I…she died while I was gone."

"So that's the Edolas version of her?"

"I guess. If I'm dead here, then Lisanna being alive isn't impossible."

I returned my gaze to Lisanna. She looked shocked for just a second before her expression smoothed into polite confusion. "Natsu?" she said. "Is something wrong?"

Edolas Lucy slammed her fist down onto a nearby table, drawing everyone's attention.

"All right, you'd better have a good explanation for this, Natsu!" she snapped. "Who the hell are these guys, and why'd you bring them here?"

Natsu blinked, still caught halfway between Lisanna and reality. "Uh."

Probably seeing Edolas Lucy's rising ire, Gajeel stepped forward. "All right, lady, calm down. We're—"

"I didn't ask you, reporter," Edolas Lucy snarled. "I asked Natsu. Well? Spit it out!"

Gajeel gaped. "Reporter?"

Lisanna had disappeared in the confusion. Natsu looked around in vain for her, but Edolas Lucy caught his attention by hitting the table again. "Natsu! I won't ask again!"

The whole atmosphere felt ready to erupt. We had seconds; time slowed as the Old Man spoke in my mind.

"You may have to step in here."

I scowled. I don't want to draw attention to myself. I've only been with this guild for a few days. I don't think I'm the ideal negotiator right now. I barely know these people.

"And your guildmates barely know their Edolas counterparts. It balances, does it not?"

"I say let 'em fight."

"I do not believe the properties of Shinigami combat carry here. Reading emotions through a sword—"

"Who the fuck said anything about that? Get 'em tired and they'll have no choice but to listen."

I heard the Old Man sigh. "In any case," he said, "you are the only one here who likely does not have a twin in this world. If you speak, they will have no preconceptions of who you are. That gives you a far better chance of being understood."

He had a point, of course. Fine.

I stepped in front of our whole group, raising my hands. "Look, I think there's a bit of a misunderstanding going on here."

"And who are you supposed to be?" Edolas Lucy asked. "I'm getting pretty sick of asking."

"Won't be long before she breaks out the moves," someone whispered.

"Pretty brutal to use on a stranger, though," someone else replied.

"I'm Ichigo," I said, trying to make eye contact with as many people as I could. Conflict resolution wasn't really my thing, but it was worth a shot. "My friends here aren't the people you think they are."

"You kiddin' me?" Edolas Lucy said. "You think I wouldn't recognize Natsu? Give me a break."

"That is Natsu," I acknowledged, "but he's not your Natsu. He's not from Edolas. None of us are."

More muttering spread throughout the guild hall. Edolas Lucy crossed her arms. "What, exactly, is that supposed to mean?"

"As Ichigo said, we're not from around here," Gildarts said, stepping up next to me. "We're from a place called Earthland. Our friends got pulled into a portal in the sky. When we followed, we ended up here."

"Gildarts?" Edolas Lucy said. "You're supposed to be dead."

He offered a good-natured smile. "Not the first time I've heard that today. I'll admit I was surprised to find out that the me of this world had passed away. I was hoping to meet him, especially after the way all of you reacted to Natsu over here. So, let me say it again: we're not from your world. We're not the people you know, but we need your help."

Edolas Lucy blinked, then peered at Lucy. "Wait. You're serious? That's me from another world?"

"Um, yeah," Lucy said, visibly uncomfortable. "I'm a little surprised here too, honestly."

Edolas Lucy laughed. "You've got to be kidding. I can't believe I look so soft!"

Lucy went red. "Hey!"

"You look softer, that's for sure," said a man I didn't recognize, "but that Gajeel over there looks way tougher than the reporter that comes poking around here so much."

"Damn right I do," Gajeel growled. "What's he look like, anyway?"

Everyone ignored him. Edolas Lucy cleared her throat. "All right, enough gawking. Everyone get back to business. You six, come over here." Once we were all seated at the table, Edolas Lucy stared us down. "Okay, you said you wanted something. What's the story?"

"Your crazy king kidnapped our friends," Natsu said instantly.

"We came here to rescue them," Wendy added. Edolas Lucy raised an eyebrow at her, which I interpreted as surprise at Wendy's age. "Otherwise, they'll be lost forever!"

"Right," Edolas Lucy drawled. "Well, that 'crazy king' is way too powerful for you lot to take on alone. You might as well give it up."

"What?" Natsu asked, pressing his palms into the table. Edolas Lucy glanced at him, unfazed.

"I mean it. He's got an army, not to mention those captains. Each one of them can take on an army all on their own. The six of you won't stand a chance. It's a suicide mission. Why do you think we built this whole place as one giant teleporter? We've only stayed alive this long because they can't catch us, not because we stay and fight. We'd get wiped out."

I snuck another glance around the guild hall. People were obviously eavesdropping, and I caught pain sliding across their expressions as Edolas Lucy spoke. The jovial atmosphere we'd walked in on now seemed hollow in retrospect. These people were running on fumes. Their morale was one mistake away from breaking. And the way Edolas Lucy talked…their fighting spirit had already been broken.

If this was a war, it was one well on its way to ending.

"You're talking like you've already lost," Lucy said. Her Edolas counterpart shot her a look.

"Watch it. Just because you share my face doesn't mean you get to talk like that."

For all her fire, she wasn't disputing it. I shifted in my seat. "Who are your strongest members?" I asked. "You've got to have someone who can put up a fight."

Edolas Lucy looked away. "We lost the master and most of our strongest in the first purge of the magical guilds. Right now…probably Jet and Droy."

"Those two?" Natsu said. "Really?"

There was no real ill will in Natsu's words; from what I could tell, he was genuinely surprised.

"We're not what we used to be," Edolas Lucy said bluntly.

For a few seconds, no one spoke.

"Um," Wendy said, "could I just ask…what's your last name? It's a little confusing to think of both of you as Lucy in my head."

The two Lucys exchanged a look.

"I'm Lucy Heartfilia," Lucy said.

"Lucy Ashley," Edolas Lucy said. "Guess we don't have everything in common."

"You don't say," Gajeel muttered. "So, you're sayin' that this king is untouchable to you guys." Lucy Ashley nodded. "Right, well, I'm pretty sure I could take out your entire guild without breakin' a sweat, so I ain't about to take your word that this whole trip is pointless."

Lucy Ashley scowled. "What was that?"

"What he means," Gildarts said, "is that we have magic that, as far as we can tell, is unheard of in your world. Everyone in Earthland has an internal source of magic that can replenish itself. If you have to rely on items and the like, we have the advantage."

"An internal magic source?"

Natsu grinned and raised a hand. Fire flickered around his fist, bathing his face in a warm glow. Lucy Ashley stared, truly shocked.

"God," she breathed. She leaned forward, scrutinizing Natsu's hand. "There really isn't a lacrima. How are you doing that?"

He shrugged, putting out the flames. "I just do."

Lucy Ashley looked at the rest of us. "Can all of you do that?"

"Well, we all practice different kinds of magic," Lucy said. "I'm a celestial spirit wizard, so I summon spirits from another dimension to fight with me."

"Oh." Lucy Ashley's disappointment was plain to see. "Should've figured you'd have something lame like that. What about the rest of you?"

"Crush magic," Gildarts said.

"Sword magic," I said.

"Iron dragon magic."

"Sky dragon magic."

"Wait, wait, wait." Lucy Ashley peered at Wendy and Gajeel. "You two are dragon slayers?"

Gajeel jerked a thumb at Natsu. "So's he. Why?"

"I just…dragons?"

"We haven't actually killed any dragons," Wendy said awkwardly. "It's just the name of the magic we practice."

"And what about you?" Lucy Ashley asked, turning to Gildarts. "Crush magic? What do you do, smash cans?"

"I can do that," Gildarts acknowledged. "Among other things."

She looked to me. I shrugged. "I just have swords."

"And apparently only one set of clothes."

"It's been a rough day."

Lucy Ashley shook her head and then continued. "Look, I get that you want to save your friends, but we can't go picking a fight against the royal army. It's suicidal."

Gajeel scoffed and stood. "Saw that one comin'. This guild's a buncha cowards."

Nearby, Jet scowled. "You wanna say that again, asshole?"

"I can't ask you to fight a battle you've been running from for years," I said, leaning forward while Gajeel took his argument with Jet elsewhere, "but we could use a guide. We've been in this world for only a couple hours and already got attacked by a giant fish monster. We also have no idea where the Royal City is from here."

Lucy Ashley rested her elbows on the table. "You're gonna have a tough time finding anyone around here willing to do that. We've all got our own responsibilities here."

"What about you? You seem like the leader around here. You can make your own decisions."

A bitter smile pulled at her lips. "Bet it seems like that, huh? We lost our leaders so fast that we stopped actually choosing them. I've got my own problems."

"We're the same person," Lucy said, catching Lucy Ashley's eye. "I know what Fairy Tail must mean to you. I feel the same about my own guild. My friends are all trapped, and if we don't act, they could all die. If it means putting my life on the line, I'll do it. I know it's selfish to ask one of you to do the same for us, but we don't have anywhere else to go. Fairy Tail is our home."

Kisuke would approve of her emotional play, though I was pretty sure Lucy was being completely genuine. Her Edolas counterpart sighed.

"I'm not gonna change my mind, all right? I'll admit, I'm not a fan of leaving you guys in the wind, but you just said it—what you're asking is selfish. And I'm a selfish person too. I'm putting my guild fir—"

There was a crash, the sound of flesh hitting flesh, and then the Edolas Droy went flying across the room—right into the machine that the Edolas Levy had been working on for our entire conversation.

With an explosion of sparks and smoke, the machine ground to a stop with a weak series of beeps. Droy rolled off of it, groaning, leaving a Droy-shaped dent in the metal.

"And that's what ya get," Gajeel growled, shaking out his fist from the opposite side of the guildhall.

"My machine!" Levy cried. Ignoring the smoke staining her clothes from the explosion that had thrown her off her feet, she crawled back up to the device. She began pulling the surviving levers, trying to get something out of the destroyed mechanism. All that emerged was a pathetic grinding noise.

"No way," someone said. "Is the teleportation circle broken?"

"Oh man, what're we gonna do when the Fairy Hunter shows up?"

"Calm down. Levy will figure something out."

"It's no good," Levy said, banging a fist on the machine. "It's totally smashed!"

My gaze landed square on Gajeel. He caught the look. "The guy wouldn't take 'no' for an answer," he said. "I don't let shit like that slide."

I sighed. In the Earthland Fairy Tail, conflicts like this were common enough that it wasn't a big deal. Here, though, it seemed that the fight—if one punch could even be called that much—had done some significant damage. Whatever that machine was, it was important.

Before I could say anything, though, a member of the guild burst through the doors. I recognized him immediately: Nab, the guy we'd run into in the forest.

"The Fairy Hunter!" he yelled, his voice quaking with fear. "She's here!"

His panic rapidly spread to the rest of the guild. Mugs fell to the floor; drinks splashed all over; chairs tipped back and crashed down. Lucy Ashley stepped onto the table to try to control the chaos, but it was futile.

"Who the hell is the Fairy Hunter?" I called over the din.

"One of the captains of the Magic War Divisions," Lucy Ashley replied between shouts for order. "She's been hunting us forever. We used that teleportation machine to get away from her, but now that your idiot friend broke it, we're stuck."

In Gajeel's defense, from what glimpses I'd caught of the argument, Jet and Droy really hadn't been giving him any space. Still, this meant a fight was inevitable.

"How strong is she?" I asked. Lucy Ashley looked at me askance.

"Unbelievably. She's one of the captains. What, you can't seriously be thinking you're gonna fight her, are you?"

"Seems like we don't have a choice." I stood, and everyone else followed suit. Gajeel fought his way through the crowd to get back over to us.

"You're insane," Lucy Ashley said. "She's incredibly strong and she's always got a massive deployment of soldiers following her. You can't take them all on!"

I surveyed the available mages. If we were up against a far weaker but numerically superior force…

"Wendy, Gildarts, Lucy, you three stay here," I said. "Gajeel, Natsu, and I are going to head out there and try to divert some of their numbers. We won't get them all, so you'll defend the guild hall."

"S-some?" Wendy asked. "How many are there?"

Natsu patted her shoulder. "You'll be great. These chumps aren't gonna be anything like the Oracion Séis."

Wendy didn't seem all that comforted by that.

"We'll be fine," Gildarts said. "I'll keep an eye on you, kid. I don't fight well in forests. My magic makes things tricky."

What he didn't say: the potential for friendly fire, especially when the trees got in the way of his line of sight, was far too high for him.

Lucy, when I glanced at her, nodded.

"Natsu, Gajeel," I said. "Ready?"

"You're serious," Lucy Ashley said. "You're actually gonna try to fight them."

"We're gonna do more than try, Scary Lucy," Natsu said with a grin. "Wait here. We'll send 'em packing."

We headed out before Lucy Ashley recovered her wits. I led the way, pushing through the streams of panicking guild members. Natsu and Wendy lagged behind, having to weave through as well.

When I slammed open the doors, Happy and Carla, who had been watching the whole thing from a window, nearly fell from their perch.

"Ichigo?" Happy said. "What's going on? We saw that guy run in. Why is everyone so scared?"

"We're about to come under attack," I replied, scanning the sky. "Get inside."

"But the guild members will see us," Carla said.

"I know. It can't be helped. Have someone in there explain the situation. Gajeel, Natsu, and I are going to try to intercept whoever's coming."

Paling, Happy stood his ground. "I'm not leaving Natsu."

On cue, Nastu and Gajeel came out next to me, looking a little worse for wear.

"Happy's my friend," Natsu said, straightening. "We always fight together. I'm not leavin' him behind."

Seeing their resolve, I nodded. "Fine by me. Carla, Wendy is inside." She nodded and headed in. I turned to Natsu and Gajeel. "Can either of you sense where they're coming from?"

Gajeel sniffed the air. "Think they're downwind of us. I can't smell anything."

Natsu pointed north. "Don't need my nose to see that."

He was right. In the distance, black specks spotted the sky. The closer they got, the more they resolved themselves into actual shapes. I narrowed my eyes, picking out what looked like dragon creatures. Larger than most of the hollows I'd dealt with over the years, the creatures' wingspans were easily forty feet, if not more.

"What are those things?" Happy asked.

"Whatever they are, they're gonna get roasted," Natsu said, slamming his fist into his palm. "No one threatens the Fairy Tail guild, not in our world or in this one."

"They ain't messing around," Gajeel said. "That's a lotta soldiers."

"We'll be fine," I said. "Gildarts, Lucy, and Wendy will take care of anyone who gets past us. We only need to divert as many as we can. Just stay together and watch each other's backs."

"Heh. You act like you've done this before," Natsu said.

"My hometown wasn't exactly a peaceful one."

"What exactly do you even do with those swords?" Gajeel asked. "Only thing I've seen you do is pick a fight with me."

"I'll be fine," I said, unsheathing Zangetsu's larger blade and catching Natsu's eye. "No mortal wounds this time."

He nodded. I was a little surprised at his faith in me; maybe my mission with him had given away more than I'd thought—or maybe Natsu was just that trusting. Either way, the result was the same.

"Us against the horde. This is finally lookin' like a good time!"

What, didn't like the research?

"That whole fuckin' library can kiss my ass."

Thought as much.

"We need to get their attention," I said. The army was much closer now; I could see riders on the backs of the flying creatures. "Either of you got a spell for that?"

Natsu and Gajeel exchanged a look. As one, they took deep breaths, chests bulging with air. The air prickled with magic as the dragon slayers leaned forward, magic circles bursting to life in front of their mouths. Where Natsu's was red and orange, Gajeel's was metallic gray.

"Fire dragon—"

"Iron dragon—"

"ROAR!"

Twin streams of fire and iron roared through the air, eventually combining into a swirling vortex of power that slammed into the front lines of the force before anyone could fly out of the way.

"I believe that will be enough."

"Your stupid attack got in the way of mine," Natsu said as the magic cleared. Gajeel scoffed.

"You kiddin' me? Yours screwed mine up. Aim over there next time."

"I can't do that."

"Why, 'cause ya can't aim?"

"No, because they're all coming at us now. I'd be attacking empty air like an idiot."

All?

Gajeel scoffed, shifting his footing to face the attackers. "Not like you don't look like an idiot already."

I swept my gaze over the approaching force. Sure enough, all of them had locked onto us. They were too close now to waste any more time on banter, and Natsu knew it.

"I'll take the right," he said.

"I got left," Gajeel said.

"Then I'll get the middle," I said—but Natsu and Gajeel were already gone, Gajeel firing something into the ground to launch himself into the air and Natsu getting pulled up by Happy.

I spun Zangetsu and let the familiar grip resettle on my palm. "All right," I muttered. "Let's go."

Kicking off the ground, I formed reishi platforms under my feet, hitting them like stepping-stones while I flash-stepped to the closest rider. Up close, the creatures were even more intimidating, with massive jaws and armor-like skin. They would be harder to kill. The riders, less so.

The soldier—clad in medieval-type armor with a full face helmet that only exposed his eyes—yelped in surprise when I appeared next to him. Not giving him any time to recover, I kicked him hard in the chest, launching him out of the saddle and sending him hurtling to the ground below. I then took the reins of the beast—how hard can it be?—and yanked them up and to the right. The thing rumbled in displeasure but obligingly turned to face the next-closest gathering of soldiers.

Something blue and hot hissed through the air a couple feet from my head. Magic projectiles? Definitely not normal bullets. More projectiles followed, getting closer with each passing second. I ducked low over the beast. I didn't need it—I could've flash-stepped over to the soldiers the same way I'd gotten up here to begin with—but I had a cover to maintain. Once was a fluke. Twice was a pattern.

One magic bullet burned right through the creature's wing, searing through the delicate membrane in a second. More followed as the soldiers realized the best way to take me out would be to take out the thing keeping me up.

"Sorry," I said to the beast under me as I clambered over it, bracing myself for the jump. "Little longer, yeah?"

It let out a keening wail that caused the other beasts nearby to shiver. It flapped once more, twice more, before the pain and damage became too much to bear.

I launched myself off it as it fell, using the gathering of soldiers and mounts as cover for another discreet reishi platform. Grabbing a nearby wing with my free hand, I let the beast's own power carry me up to eye-level with the soldier riding it.

I grinned at him. "Hey."

The bala slammed into his chest before he could so much as blink. He fell screaming, and the air around me was suddenly filled with a barrage of projectiles. I danced through them, leaping from creature to creature in a bizarre game of Frogger. The soldiers now realized what I was trying to do to each of them and ordered their mounts to spread out and descend, firing at me all the while.

Deflecting a bullet with the flat of Zangetsu's blade, I jumped off the latest beast. Wind whistling past my ears, I felt my stomach head towards my throat until I slammed into the next-highest creature and rider pair. My landing jerked the beast to one side, throwing off the soldier's aim and causing his shot to miss, hitting one of the beasts I'd already de-ridered instead.

That creature swooped low in retaliation, slamming the edge of its wing into the soldier and throwing him to the ground thirty feet below. He didn't get up.

I jumped down. It seemed like most of the cavalry had switched to ground combat; I could see fire and iron shooting over the trees to my right and left.

One of the falling creatures had hit the ground hard enough to topple trees for thirty feet in every direction, stripping the leaves and loose branches off many more. I stopped next to it, checking that it was really dead, before I faced the tree line. Soldiers emerged from the shadows, beam-spears levelled at my chest. I unsheathed Zangetsu's second blade, knowing I would want the extra defense. A stray energy bolt had hit me while I was going from creature to creature, searing straight through my Hierro. Their magic wasn't as plentiful here, but it was potent, and I really couldn't afford to have any more of my clothing burned away.

There were at least thirty soldiers shifting around the clearing, circling me.

"Which one of you is going first?" I asked, scanning the line. No one looked eager, but no one looked afraid, either. They were wary. They hadn't seen me wreak any large-scale havoc like Gajeel or Natsu, but I was fast and obviously armed.

No one moved. I shifted my feet. "I don't have all—"

A flare of magic made me bite my tongue. In the distance, an explosion shot into the sky. The shockwave hit a second later, making me stagger and knocking down a few soldiers who hadn't seen it coming.

Natsu.

"That was the captain," a soldier said.

"Who is she fighting?" another asked.

"The fire warrior?" a third whispered in fear.

"Cowards," Zangetsu muttered. "One thing goes wrong and their spines vanish. Pathetic."

Energy built around Zangetsu's blades, twining around the black metal in gentle spirals. I brought the larger one up so the back of the blade nearly rested on my right shoulder. The smaller blade went across my body, extending past my right hip.

"Getsuga…"

I spun, releasing the built-up energy in a ring.

"Tenshō!"

The soldiers never stood a chance. The wave of energy struck them harder than any shockwave, leaving burns and broken bones in its wake. I'd toned it down—no need to make this the scene of a slaughter—but none of them would be getting up to fight again anytime soon. Sheathing Zangetsu's blades for ease of movement, I shot into the trees.

Weaving between twisted trunks and unfamiliar underbrush, I kept my senses open for more flares of reiatsu. I hadn't recognized the signature; someone from Edolas? Whoever this captain was, they were powerful. I had no doubt that their attack had been the one to create that explosion, not Natsu's. The magic had been off, somehow.

The closer I got, the more damaged the trees were. Branches scattered across the forest floor, the smell of smoke, burn marks. I passed tens of soldiers scattered, some of them groaning, some of them silent. None of them reacted when I went by.

More shockwaves, much weaker than the first, rustled what few leaves remained so close to the battle. Distant booms bounced around blasted trunks.

I exited the trees just in time to see a massive wave of fire rushing towards me. Reacting instantly, I leaped into the air, arcing over the wave and feeling the heat searing across my skin. A Bakudō barrier shimmered to life between me and the fire, holding back the heat until the wave passed. I reached up mid-flip, unsheathing Zangetsu and charging the cleaver with power.

"Getsuga Tenshō!"

The energy crescent shot out from the blade the instant I slammed into the ground, tearing through the dirt like a shark's fin. It missed Natsu by mere feet, careening past his left shoulder and slamming head-on into the woman rushing him with a glowing red spear. The ensuing explosion was a lot larger than what my attack should have produced, but it gave me enough time to reach Natsu's side.

"You all right?" I asked. He grunted and got to his feet, wiping some blood away from his mouth.

"Edolas Erza's tough," he said. "But I had her until those jerks started interfering in our fight."

He tipped his chin at some soldiers taking cover behind fallen trees. I glanced back at where the woman had been. The area was still too smoky to make out any details, but Natsu had said 'Edolas Erza.' She really was an enemy here. Was that a reflection of Earthland Erza, or was it unrelated?

"If I take them out," I said, refocusing on Natsu, "can you handle her?"

He had lacerations all over his arms and numerous burn scars. He looked at the clearing smoke with a frown. "That spear she's got keeps cutting through my magic," he said.

"Tag me in, then," I said.

"What?"

"I'll fight her," I said. "You get rid of the soldiers. I've got weapons too; I'll have an easier time countering her than you will."

He didn't look pleased at the idea. There was a rivalry there—I could see it in his eyes—but he'd been losing the fight and he knew it. His injuries wouldn't disappear if he re-engaged. After a beat, he nodded.

"All right, but you'd better not tell the real Erza about this."

"I won't. Where's Happy?"

Natsu pointed. The cat was in the trees, alternately hiding from soldiers and harassing them from above. "She kept going after him so I told him to hang back."

"Help him out. I'll handle this."

A woman shot out of the smoke, lightning crackling around her spear's point. Natsu had his back turned. I slid between them, bracing Zangetsu to take the hit. The woman's eyes went wide when he spear hit my sword and stopped. The shockwave blew a layer of dirt off the already-battered ground, but neither of us moved.

"You must be the Erza Knightwalker," I said. "Don't think the one that I met first is a fan of armor that revealing."

She scowled, jumping back. Her spear glowed and reset to a four-pronged tip without the lightning. "And who are you supposed to be? Another Earthlander?"

"Something like that."

She scoffed. "You lot are annoyingly stubborn."

"That kind of thing happens when you steal people's homes. I'm giving you one chance: put down the weapon and surrender. This isn't a fight you can win."

"There has never been I fight I cannot win!"

She charged forward. Her spear changed again, now glowing red again. "Explosion!"

I raised Zangetsu in a block. The instant our weapons made contact, an explosion detonated between us. Hierro took the worst of the blast's heat, but I was still knocked back several yards.

Requip?

"Not exactly."

Finding my feet again, I scowled at the Edolas Erza. My shirt had fallen apart completely, the sections that weren't trapped under my sheaths drifting to the ground in sad, smoking scraps. The burns on my front healed a second later. Natsu was behind me, dealing with the soldiers, so I didn't worry about him seeing. Edolas Erza, meanwhile, stared.

"What kind of magic is that?" she said.

"The kind that can't repair clothes," I replied. "I'd ask to trade shirts, but, well."

She scowled. "Is this a game to you?"

"No. But what you don't understand is that the longer you're tied up with me, the more of your men fall. You're exponentially stronger than all your soldiers. They're cannon fodder without you to lead them."

Edolas Erza hesitated for a second. I gestured to the sky with my free hand. "All your dragons have been grounded. Natsu is taking care of any soldiers unlucky enough to follow you this far. Gajeel is tearing through the ones over there, and any of them who made it through us are going to have a much worse time farther in. You've lost."

On cue, Natsu blasted out from the trees, carrying three soldiers on a wave of fire. He rolled when he hit the ground, coming up fists blazing, only to see that there was no one left to fight except Erza.

"Hey, Ichigo, what happened to your clothes?" he asked. I didn't take my eyes off the captain.

"Wear and tear," I said. "The soldiers?"

"Toast. I think Gajeel's heading over here too."

I stared Edolas Erza down. "You hear that? Your little strike force is done for. Surrender."

I knew even as I said it that she wasn't going to give up. Her body language and expression spoke far more of frustration and fury than they did resignation. Her black gauntlets creaked as she gripped the spear.

"I am Erza Knightwalker," she growled, "captain of the kingdom's second magic warfare unit, Fairy Hunter, and wielder of the Ten Commandments. I have never lost a battle, and I would never bring my kingdom such dishonor by surrendering to invaders like you. Saint Spear: Revelt."

Her spear glowed and shifted again, solidifying into a single-pronged, ornate tip with a prominent red jewel mounted in the center. The thing radiated magic like a miniature sun.

"If I fall," Knightwalker said, spinning the weapon, "then I take all of you with me!"

The spear glowed with a rainbow of magic power. I could feel it in the air, in the way the ground began to shake. This wasn't going to end well. No Kidō barrier would hold up against that, and I didn't have a cover story that could survive another instant restoration.

Knightwalker brought the spear head down, about to slam it into the ground and release the tremendous magic energy contained within. I disappeared with shunpo, crossing the distance between us in less than a heartbeat. Zangetsu's gleaming edge dug into the shaft of the Ten Commandments, just below the reinforced section under the head.

One instant—that was all it took. The spear came apart, the magic destabilized, and everything went white.

When my vision cleared, I was on my back. My body pulsed with pain: broken bones, bruises, internal bleeding. I groaned and let instant regeneration do its work. Leveraging myself up with one arm, I took stock of the clearing. The magic blast had cratered the ground and then glassed it. I was on one edge of the crater, Knightwalker the other. Natsu had been thrown back to the edge of the clearing and appeared to be stirring. It looked as though Gajeel had gotten to us just in time to be hit with the shockwave, but I could see him pulling himself out of the trees.

No one had been in any position to see me heal. Good.

I dragged myself to my feet, called Zangetsu back to my hand, and picked my way over to Erza Knightwalker. She was still unconscious, but it seemed like the worst of the blast had been directed straight at me. Aside from a few minor burns and bruises, she was unharmed. Next to her, deceptively innocuous, rested the pieces of the Ten Commandments. Empty of magic, they were unimpressive: a single four-pronged spear head and an unadorned shaft. The explosion had reverted it back to its default state.

Kicking the head of the spear away, I knelt down and removed Knightwalker's scarf to bind her hands. That done, I awkwardly hauled her up to solid ground. Natsu met me up there, Gajeel catching up a second later.

"The hell was that explosion?" Gajeel asked.

"I cut her spear," I said. "Apparently, it wasn't all that stable. Is anyone hurt?" They shook their heads. "Good. Let's take her back to the guild hall."

"What about him?" Gajeel asked, nodding towards the trees.

"Who?"

"The creep that's been watching us from the trees the whole time."

I hadn't sensed him at all. I frowned. "We'll let him go. He's probably another soldier."

"They'll know we're here."

"They would've found out sooner or later," I said. "We can't take all the soldiers here hostage. It's pretty clear that they can't put up much of a fight, anyway."

"I guess," Gajeel muttered, looking around. His eyes landed on the spear and he wordlessly went to retrieve it.

We trekked back to the guild hall, me with Knightwalker in a sack carry over my shoulder, Gajeel with the pieces of the Ten Commandments, and Natsu watching out for any remaining soldiers. There were none.

Gildarts, Wendy, and Lucy were loitering around the clearing among some thirty soldiers, none of whom were going to be fighting again anytime soon. Lucy had one arm around Wendy's shoulders and an expression approaching pride on her face, while Gildarts was tossing aside the last soldier who made it through. He glanced up when we emerged from the forest path.

"Ah, Natsu, Ichigo, and Gajeel. Are you finished already?"

"You beat all of them?" Wendy asked.

"The ones that didn't run," Gajeel said. "Looks like you took care of the ones that got through. Not bad, pipsqueak."

Wendy reddened. "W-well, Lucy and Gildarts helped a lot."

"Anyway, who's that over your shoulder?" Gildarts asked.

"The Edolas version of Erza," I answered, setting her down. She was still unconscious, but was beginning to stir. "Erza Knightwalker. She's one of the captains in the king's army. Definitely not an ally, just like Mystogan said."

"Huh." Gildarts looked down at her. "Yeah, she's the spitting image of the Erza I know. I'm a little weirded out, honestly."

The guild hall doors creaked open and Lucy Ashley emerged. I caught a glimpse of the other Edolas Fairy Tail members crowded in the back of the hall. Lucy Ashley's gaze immediately went to Erza Knightwalker and her eyes went wide.

"No way," she breathed, emerging fully and walking over. The Edolas Erza, now awake, tested her restraints to no avail.

Lucy Ashley stared down at Knightwalker. The defeated knight glared up at her, but there was no denying that she'd been beaten. After a short pause, Lucy Ashley nodded once and faced Gildarts.

"We'll help you," she said.

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