Ch. 17- The Crimson Beast Rises Again
Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima
OCs are mine
Chaos. That was the only word that Haru could think of that could describe the situation right now: complete and utter chaos. Just when everyone thought that everything was over, Edo-Erza soon appeared with a whole army behind her and began attacking the Exceed, turning them all into Lacrima with a special cannon that was made from Natsu and Wendy's extracted Dragon Slayer Magic.
Faust decided that if the Exceed could not be destroyed, then he use them as the new source of magic, instead. As if things weren't bad enough, he deployed the Dorma Anim, a gigantic mechanical dragon that the king himself was piloting made with special Anti-Magic metal. He had also disowned Mystogan, who was revealed as the Edolas counterpart of Jellal, as his son, claiming that he was a traitor to his kingdom.
Faust was determined to have magic rain down eternally on Edolas, and he would strike down on any opposition in his way.
Despite his efforts, Mystogan was still struck down by the Dorma Anim, and Faust made it clear that once he took care of Natsu and the others, he would once again extract magic from Earthland without any opposition.
Knowing that both Fairy Tail and the Exceed were in danger, Natsu, Wendy, and Gajeel sprung into action, taking it upon themselves to stop Faust while the others were left to try and protect the Exceed. While they were busy with that, the two Erzas were locked in a duel to the death, and meanwhile, the rest of the Earthland wizards, with help from Coco, were down in the forest below, trying to protect the Exceed from the Royal Army.
Gray was shooting off his Ice-Make spells left and right, freezing as many soldiers and Legions as he could, but there were so many, he could barely keep up. Plus, the fact that he had gotten through fighting earlier, as well as having to push back the giant Lacrima from before had left him drained. Lucy and Loke also tried to fight, but they were powerless against the magic bullets from the soldiers' guns. Lisanna also attempted to join in the effort, shifting between her Animal Soul forms as she went, but even she could not prevail over such great numbers, especially as exhaustion took hold of her.
Haru and Blue Fang tried to fight back, as well, performing another Soul Link in order to enhance their strength as they battled against the soldiers… but even she was starting to feel the fatigue on her body. Her movements became slower and more uncoordinated, but she fought off her exhaustion as best she could. Still, it wasn't enough for Haru, who was soon struck in the back by one of the soldier's spears, causing her to scream in pain as she fell to the ground.
As for Blue Fang, he had attempted to fight off a single Legion, biting viciously into its eye as he tried to hang on for dear life. However, the beast easily threw the silver wolf off of its head, and then with a roar, it struck him with one of its horns, causing him to yowl in agony.
"BLUE FANG!" Haru screamed as she saw her best friend fall to the forest floor with a large gash on his side. She attempted to rush in and help, only to get pinned down by several more royal soldiers. Their numbers were just too overwhelming, and Haru could hear their mocking laughter as she looked around, seeing her friends and allies get taken down one by one. She also spotted Happy nearby, trying to awaken a downed Carla. She growled as she struggled to get her foes off of her but to no avail.
As if things weren't bad enough, she could hear the roars of many Legions getting closer and closer from up above.
"You're finished!" Haru heard one of the soldiers proclaim in triumph. "Soon, magic will flow through Edolas for eternity!"
Haru seethed, feeling tears of frustration well up in her eyes as she struggled to get free.
'It's no use… there's just too many!' she thought. 'Is this really how it's gonna end for us?!'
Suddenly… she felt it. That familiar feeling of burning fury from deep within her very being. It was as if someone had lit a fire in her blood, so hot that a blazing red aura suddenly appeared on Haru's body, causing the soldiers to gasp as they backed away. Then, slowly, she rose to her feet, her green hair changing into a fiery crimson. She growled as she curled her lips back, revealing a mouthful of sharp fangs, and she unclenched her fists to reveal that her nails had sharpened into long claws, once again. That's when she opened her eyes, revealing them to be a glowing golden yellow.
"W-what's happening?!" asked one of the soldiers.
"I don't know!" cried another in fright. "Is this some kind of Earthland magic?!"
Nearby, Gray, Lucy, Lisanna, Loke, Blue Fang, Happy, Carla, and Coco also gaped at what they were witnessing.
"Haru…?" Lisanna whispered.
"What's happening to her?!" asked Lucy. "Is she going into Beast Mode, again?!"
"I don't know!" Gray answered. "I've never seen her go Beast Mode like that, before!"
Haru growled… a deep, guttural sound that reverberated from her. A feral, beastly sound that didn't even sound close to human rumbled from her very being, and as she opened her mouth, she unleashed a powerful roar, forcing the soldiers and even her friends to cover their ears from the sheer volume of it. Even Blue Fang was covering his ears as he watched, remembering the last time Haru turned into this form back at the Elise Kingdom. It was then that the wolf knew what happened to his partner.
The Beast of Fairy Tail's fury had reached its limit.
Haru charged, swiping her claws at her nearest target, and the soldiers screamed as large gashes appeared through their armor.
"HOT! IT'S HOT!" cried one of them.
"RAAAARGH!" Haru roared as she swung her leg in a half-circle, kicking another soldier in the face, then she turned and punched another in his stomach. The others watched, gaping in awe at what they were seeing. Even Blue Fang, once again unaffected by the transformation, was gaping at what he was seeing.
"I don't believe it!" Lucy exclaimed. "This is even faster than her regular Soul Link!"
"Yeah, but… how come Blue Fang's not turning red?" asked Happy.
"I don't know," Gray replied. "All I know is that those guys are getting their asses kicked! Come on, Haru!"
"Yeah! Go Haru!" Lisanna cheered.
"Get her, men!" shouted one of the soldiers as he, as well as several others, came rushing in. However, Haru saw them coming before she jumped up high into the air, dodging their spears and swords. As she opened her mouth, she let out another powerful roar, causing the ground to crack as the soldiers were sent flying from the tremendous soundwave.
"Haru!" Lucy called. "Watch out!"
"Huh?" Haru muttered as she glanced back and saw at least three Legions swooping toward her, but then, with a glint in her eye and a grin akin to her adoptive older brother, Haru jumped up onto one of the beasts and grabbed onto one of its horns. Then, with a heave, she hefted the monster over her head and threw it toward the other two Legions, causing them to crash into each other before they were soon sent to the ground.
"Whoa! She's so strong!" Coco exclaimed.
"Yeah… but how long can she keep this up?" Lucy asked.
Apparently, not very long. As Haru continued to fight, Lucy noticed something happening to her body: her veins were not only visible beneath her skin, but they were glowing a hot yellow color. Not long after, she could see drops of blood beginning to seep through her clenched teeth. It was then that Haru seized up and clutched at her chest.
"Rrrgh… AAGH!" she cried as she doubled over. "IT… IT HURTS!"
"Oh, crap!" Gray cursed. "Haru! Stop! Whatever kind of mode that is, you can't handle it!"
"I… I can't stop it!" Haru cried as tears of agony formed in her eyes, which quickly evaporated due to the heat, which was growing more and more intense, so much so, that it looked like her skin was beginning to burn from her flesh. "It… it's burning! My body's burning up! It hurts so much! HELP MEEEEEE!"
Gray wasted no time, rushing to Haru's aid with Blue Fang following after him. At first, the Ice Wizard couldn't get much closer due to the heat, but he grunted as he forced himself through the powerful aura, creating an icy mist in his palms before he threw his arms around the Beast Wizard.
'So… hot…!' Gray thought as he forced himself to hold on tightly to Haru. 'What is happening to her?!'
Haru screamed as she felt the intense heat grow inside of her, forcing Gray to tighten his hold on her while also conjuring more of his ice.
"It's okay, Haru!" Gray called out. "It's okay! You're gonna be okay!"
The others watched worriedly, fearing that it would be too much for both Gray and Haru and wondering if they should jump in… when all of a sudden, the blazing crimson aura began to diminish. Haru groaned as she felt the chill of the ice finally beginning to cool her body down. Soon, her fangs and claws disappeared, her hair went from red to green, and as she opened her eyes, they had gone back to their regular dark brown color. She sniffed, feeling her tears return as she collapsed in Gray's arms.
"Thank you, Gray…!" Haru whispered with a sob.
"It's okay… it's over," Gray said.
"Oh, no, it's not!" Lisanna called out. "Look!"
"Now's our chance! While that girl is weakened, take them and capture the Exceeds!" shouted one of the soldiers, and with that, they began to charge in, and the Legions that were still able to fly joined them!
"This isn't good!" Lucy cried. "We're in no condition to keep fighting!"
"What are we gonna do?!" Happy asked.
"We need a freakin' miracle to get outta this one!" Gray shouted while he held Haru.
Little did he realize that a miracle was just about to appear. Just as the soldiers and Legions were closing in, a tiny sapling suddenly appeared from the ground, and then, it grew into a gigantic tree, knocking over the soldiers and entangling the Legions in their branches. It was at that moment that everyone got a look at what the tree really was: the Edolas Fairy Tail Guildhall!
"No way…!" Lucy whispered in amazement, just as Edo-Lucy, as well as the rest of Edolas Fairy Tail!
"You better believe it, Earth-Lucy!" Edo-Lucy exclaimed.
"Are we late to the party?" asked Edo-Haru as she sat on Edo-Blue Fang's back.
"You guys… you're here," Haru said with a tired but relieved smile.
"We decided to finally get our priorities straight!" Edo-Haru said with a grin. "We're through running away!"
"Yeah… I mean… I'm still kinda scared," Edo-Natsu said as he trembled, "but… if you guys are gonna fight, then we might as well, too!"
"Well, what are we waiting for?!" asked Edo-Levy. "Let's go kick some Royal Army ass!"
"You heard the lady!" shouted Edo-Jet. "CHARGE!"
With that, the group of rebels charged right into the fray!
"EAT THIS, YOU BASTARDS!" Edo-Haru shouted as she struck down several soldiers with her pipe, and Edo-Blue Fang growled as he barreled through them, using his head as a battering ram. Edo-Juvia had one guard locked in a chokehold, to the admiration of Edo-Gray… who also got into it with regular Gray, for some reason.
"Will you go put on some clothes?!" Edo-Gray shouted.
"Well, why don't you take off all those coats?!" Gray spat.
"You two had better get more glory than Lucy, you hear me?!" Edo-Levy shouted at Edo-Jet and Edo-Droy.
"You got it, Levy!" Edo-Jet exclaimed. "We're the best there is!"
"Yeah! We're Team Shadow Gear!" Edo-Droy declared
"Come on, Natsu! You can do this!" Lisanna cheered as she put her hand on Edo-Natsu's shoulder.
"Th-thanks, Lisanna!" Edo-Natsu replied before he soon ran in to join the fight.
"Come on, Earth-me!" Edo-Lucy said as she helped Lucy to her feet. "You're not dead, yet!"
"Thanks," Lucy replied… and meanwhile, Loke was gawking with comical hearts in his eyes.
"Carla… are you seeing this?" asked Happy with tears of joy in his eyes. "Our feelings… were able to change this world after all!"
"Hmph… my goodness," Carla said as tears welled up in her eyes, as well. "No matter which world it is… this guild always seems so boisterous, doesn't it?"
"Yeah… it sure does," Haru replied with a feeling of pride in her voice as she clung to Blue Fang's collar… but then, her vision suddenly grew blurry, and the sounds around her started to fade in and out. The voices she heard were becoming fainter and fainter as the world began to dim around her.
The last thing she heard before she blacked out was the sound of her friends calling her name.
XXX
The first thing Haru heard was the sound of tweeting birds and the feeling of the cool breeze. As she opened her eyes, she found herself lying down in a lush, green garden, filled with all sorts of flowers: lilies, daffodils, yellow chrysanthemums, heathers, and in a nearby pond, a small pool full of lotus blossoms. Slowly, Haru sat up and carefully stood up on her feet before she looked around, confused and a bit disoriented.
"Where… am I?" she asked.
"So… it seems it's finally happened."
"Huh?" Haru muttered as she looked across the garden and found a figure sitting at a wooden garden table with curved, metal legs. Haru couldn't quite make out who it was, even as she squinted. The figure was hidden in the shade… sitting beneath branches that were lined with blooming dicentra flowers.
Haru could make out one thing, though: sitting by her side was a large feline creature with fur as red as fire. It had pointed ears and these beautiful golden yellow eyes that gleamed in the shadows. It opened its jaws as it let out a long, lazy yawn, stretching out its paws to reveal its sharp black claws and showing its long, saber-like fangs before it laid its head down between its front paws. Haru could see that the beast had several scars on its snout, its back, and over its right eye.
"Uh… excuse me," Haru said as she attempted to get closer. "But… where is this place-" She then gasped as she felt her foot slip, and as she looked down, she saw that she had nearly stepped into a stream.
"I'm sure you have many questions," the figure answered, "and I would love nothing more than to give you answers… but I'm afraid I can't do that, right now."
"Well… why am I here?" Haru asked. "One minute, I was fighting alongside my friends, and then… I'm here?"
"You passed out, I'm afraid," the figure replied. "You see… you pushed your body beyond its limits. The Crimson Beast had indeed made you stronger… but you could not control it. Not yet."
"Crimson… Beast?" Haru repeated. "Wait… is that what happened to me?"
"Your body was starting to melt down from the inside," said the figure. "If it weren't for that friend of yours with his Ice Magic, you would not have survived for much longer."
"…That's right… Gray saved me," Haru said, "and then Edolas Fairy Tail showed up…" She then gasped silently before she looked at the shadowy figure. "Wait! I still don't understand! Who are you?!"
"In time, you will learn," the figure answered before she, the cat, and the garden began to fade away. "In time… you will…"
"Wait! Don't go, yet!" Haru called out. "Who are you?! WHO ARE YOU?!"
It was too late. The mysterious woman was gone… and before long, Haru faded away from the garden, as well.
XXX
Haru groaned as her eyes slowly fluttered open with blurred vision, but as she blinked them, the world soon came into focus. She felt that she was lying on something soft, and as she looked at her hands, she found that they had been bandaged all the way up to her biceps. Her legs and torso were also bandaged, and she could even feel some around her head.
"Are you awake, yet?"
Haru gasped as she looked up to see Edo-Haru sitting beside her. She looked like she had been in quite the scrape, herself, but she didn't nearly as bad as Haru did. Edo-Blue Fang sat beside her, as well, whimpering with worry. As for the Earthland version, he couldn't be happier as he began to lick Haru's face, causing her to laugh before she hugged the silver wolf.
"W-where are we, anyway?" asked Haru as she looked at her Edolas counterpart.
"We're still in the forest," said Edo-Haru as she looked up to the sky… and that's when Haru saw it: a gigantic vortex, swirling up into the sky.
"What… what is that?" asked Haru. "What's happening?"
"…Magic is leaving the world," Edo-Haru answered. "It's over."
"What…?!" Haru whispered in disbelief.
I can't believe I'm almost done with this arc. This one was a hard one to get through.
Review, please!
