A/N: Another chapter down, damn I'm good XD! Anyways future chapters will be focusing on how each team in Scarlet Nova will be undertaking missions to stop Black Citadel. What are these missions? Read more to find out. Also, I recommend taking a look at Hell's Prayer, an SYOC story by KingKatsu. Though short, it has potential

KingKatsu: Glad I managed to get Zion's character out good. I figure he would be like Natsu, willing to defend his guildmates to the end

Arclin: Hahaha, glad you liked it. I had a lot of fun writing Shinji's fight. And crazies will be crazies, too bad they won't clash directly next time around :P Don't worry about Cora though, she'll get her big showdown with a familiar face XD

Origm2012: Thanks for the feedback as usual. Shinji is clever daredevil bastard at the least ahaha, glad he managed to pull through. Well demons being demons have to put up a decent fight at the least, although the mages would probably wipe the floor with them if they were at full power XD. Since Vale was just introduced, I thought it would be a good way to showcase his magic right off the bat, to show why he deserves a position amongst Orochi. Hope you will enjoy this chapter as well

OleanderBleedingHeart: Hope you enjoyed the chapter XD

W. : Yup! Ape is now officially Kozmotis's middle name

Novachrono: Hope you enjoyed the chapter XD

Ishiguro: Yea, where's the fun in that XD

Reven228: YES! POWER LEVELS XD #excited

Xy-Guy: #turntoash

IdentityCrisis03: Nice to see you back after a while Hope you will continue to enjoy future chapters XD

Credits

Athena Summers – klbubblepop786

Zora and Mara Eline – Origm2012

Please refer to chapter 1 for Disclaimers

Enjoy!

S-class office

For the first time in a long while, Glaive felt fear in his heart. It wasn't that he was afraid of the enemy but rather for the safety of his mages. When Hikari and Scar's group came back, they were all beat up real badly and some of there were barely hanging on to life by a thread. When he had asked for the details, they were reluctant and he had sensed a tinge of fear in their voices. For something to scare them that badly was not natural at all.

Then came the news of the massacre in Sand Dune City. After Kaguro's exit, the mages had rushed to the city, desperate to find any survivors only to realize that there were none. The city was completely razed to the ground, wiping its existence and anyone in it off the map. While Hikari went with Coraline and Blitz to check the individual houses, Scar had gone to the magic vault located in the royal palace. There she found the ruler of Sand Dune City, lying face down in front of the open vault. His body was covered in multiple stab wounds and his face permanently etched in agony, indicating that his final hour was nothing but a swift death. The vault itself was intact with gold and jewels but the pedestal that stood in the middle of the room was empty, a rectangular layer of dust indicative that something stood there before.

While Glaive was thankful that none of the mages lost their lives in the incident, he was troubled by the loss of the Maelstrom and the unidentified mage that had ambushed Zion's group. He had never met or fought a mage named Kaguro before and that unsettled him, considering how that man knew about his guild and him. According to Scar's recount, he was more than capable of killing everyone of their group with ease but instead chose not to. He let them live, to deliver the message and spread fear amongst them. As much as Glaive would like to deny it, this was an enemy that Scarlet Nova was unprepared for.

Under normal circumstances, Glaive would have told his mages to stop all activities and remain in the guildhall at all times but the item that was stolen from Sand Dune City confirmed his worse fears. Unknown to all except the Wizard Saints and Magic Council, the Maelstrom was one of six parts to unlocking an ancient weapon. The weapon was so powerful that the magic council had tried to destroy it on multiple occasions but to no avail. As a result they chose the next best alternative: dismantling it. The six parts of the weapon were broken down and dispersed to various parts of the country. Some were relocated into magic vaults such as the one in Sand Dune City whereas the rest were permanently sealed away in magic barriers or ruins, never to be seen for all eternity. That was over 20 years ago when the disassembly happened and only the few present then knew exactly where the pieces were now.

Although Glaive was one of them, he still felt reluctance to share this information with the guild. He could not risk the lives of his family anymore but yet again if he did not, the country, no the entire world, as time knew it would be in jeopardy. With a heavy heart, Glaive weighed the choices he had on hand, trying hard to find another way around things as they were. If he told them about this, they would no doubt do everything in their power to stop it, even at the cost of their lives. If he kept mum about it, he could not guarantee their safety either. It pained him to make a choice with the given options but when push came to shove, he finally decided on one. With that thought in mind, Glaive got off his seat in the office and walked out of it, ready to address the guild.

Scarlet Nova Guild Hall

Despite the number of mages in the guild hall, there was a deathly silence as they all waited for Glaive to address them. Upon his return to the guild, Glaive had announced the cancellation of all requests and jobs that the mages had on hand and for them to return to the guild within the next two days. While some of them grumbled about losing their commission and other about the last minute arrangements, none of them questioned Glaive's orders. By midday, they had all returned to the guild, just in time to watch Scar's group return as well. Despair and fear was clearly written all over their faces as they entered the guild, causing a commotion among the other mages. For both S-class mages to wear such expressions, something bad must have happened.

There was the soft creaking off the wooden boards from the second floor, attracting the attention of every mage present. As they turned their heads, they watched as Glaive slowly approached the overhang, about to make his announcement. A brief silence hung over the guild hall as Glaive collected his thoughts, having finally made his decision. With a deep breath, he finally spoke.

"Mages of Scarlet Nova," he started. "Yesterday a group of ours was attacked by a Dark Guild on the outskirts of Sand Dune City. They call themselves Black Citadel and they are unlike any Dark Guild we have faced thus far. According to the data provided by Scar and Hikari, they were only ambushed by a team of five people but amongst them were four demons from the Book of Zeref." That caused a loud murmuring to spread across the room, only silenced when Glaive raised his hand.

"Despite this," he continued. "Our mages managed to fight tooth and nail, finally defeating them. However, this came at a heavy price. The city was completely destroyed by another group from Black Citadel, all hands lost."

"Black Citadel is a powerful enemy, with mages capable of destroying armies and guilds with ease. It is of no coincidence that they came after us, being the only mages guild that was in the region. They were testing us, understanding our strengths and weakness and unfortunately for us, we passed the test. The raid on Sand Dune City was not coincidental either. They were after a certain artifact that was sealed away there: The Maelstrom. It was one of six artifacts used as a key to unlocking an ancient weapon, the sword Nulgath."

"But Master," Asuna spoke up. "It's just a sword."

"Yea," Judar chimed in as well. "One weapon does not change anything. What could it possibly do to us?"

"Time distortion."Came Glaive's simple reply, causing the Sand Dragon Slayer's eyes to widen in shock. "Nulgath is a weapon that allows its user to control the time of anything he chooses. While we do not know the objective of Black Citadel in obtaining such a weapon, we cannot let it happen right before our eyes. A weapon like that in the hands of a Dark Guild could cause catastrophic results. It would mean the end of the world and time as we know it." At this point, Glaive paused. His heart ached with the burden of what he was going to say next, something that he would regret for the rest of his life.

"As such, we have to reclaim the rest of the artifacts before Black Citadel gets to them. I will need volunteers to search for and recover the artifacts. I am not going to lie, not all of you may make it back from this. I know some of you are scared so I am not making this compulsory. Anyone that wants to leave, I will not stop nor hold any hard feelings against you." Glaive finally finished, his eyes closed as he prepared for the worst.

When he opened his eyes, he was in for a surprise.

A pleasant one.

None of the mages in the guild hall had left, all of them with determined looks on their faces.

"Nobody's going anywhere Master," Aly said with a smile on her face.

"Yea, this is our family that they are waging war on. So I say we let them have it!" Otis declared with a confident smirk on his face.

"Well I just joined the guild, so I ain't gonna let it fall just yet." Nerys replied. "I still have memories to make with this place."

"If it's a Dark Guild you need taken down, you've definitely asked the right people Master." Aiden said, bashing his knuckles against each other.

One by one, all the mages chimed in. A moment ago, they had fear and despair written on their faces but that was gone in a flash, replaced with determination and confidence as they set their minds and souls to defend their home.

"Thank you, all of you." Glaive said quietly as he fell to his knees. This time, tears fell from his eyes as he watched his guild unite together.

Never had he ever felt so proud of them before, making him not regret his decision to tell them what he knew.

When he stood once more, his eyes flashed with determination as well. It was time for war and he would make sure that Scarlet Nova would come out on top.

"All S-Class mages ready your teams to go at a notice. Meanwhile, meet me in the meeting room. I will give each of you a map as to where the artifacts are located. Your objective is simple: stop Black Citadel from obtaining any of the artifacts and defeat them if you have to. Remember, we are from Scarlet Nova. Since Black Citadel has chosen to fight with a star, we shall burn away the darkness that is them and triumph once more. WE will overcome this trial and we will win!"

"YEAH!" came the collected voices of every mage in the room, their fists raised high in the air.

And so the hunt was on.

Evening, en route to Ion

Ion was a fairly remote location in Fiore. There were no towns there due to its landlocked position so no trade would occur. The last city that stood in Ion had long been evacuated and eventually forgotten, now nothing more than a ghost town. The few houses that chose to remain there belonged to old couples who were feeling sentimental about the place. They knew each other very well and have not seen a single stranger for almost a decade.

So imagine their surprise when they saw not one, not two but four mages riding horses past their houses.

"Come on," Vali said as he whipped the reins of his horse, causing it to run faster. Behind him was seated Ryuga and on the other horse were Liliana and Zephyr. While Zephyr could easily outrun the horses, Ryuga had ordered him to take the ride with them. He needed to save his energy in case Black Citadel showed up.

That afternoon, as soon as Master Glaive had distributed the map pieces to them, Ryuga's one lit up almost immediately to reveal the location of the next piece of artifact. The ethereal directions on the map had directed them to a certain ruin in Ion and Ryuga wasted no time in rushing there, wanting to get there ahead of Black Citadel. However that was only half of the reason why.

As they sped along the dirt path to the ruin, Ryuga removed the chain in his pocket to reveal a small pendent. He clicked it open, gazing at the aged picture inside it. It was a memoir from his old days at Phantom and despite his past with the guild, he still found it hard to throw the pendent away due to its sentimental value. The picture showed a younger Ryuga scowling and next to him was Neo, a trademark grin on his face. Behind them was a tanned woman, her arms around both of them and smiling brightly.

"Remember Ryuga, we're always family no matter what happens. Got that?" he recalled her saying. Every time he heard that he would always scowl and walk away, earning himself a bonk on the head by her and laughter from Neo. A small smile escaped his lips as he replayed the scene over in his mind, reminiscing the old days he had experienced.

"So what exactly are we looking for again?" Zephyr asked. "I know it's an artifact and all but I need to be sure what it looks like before I can grab it."

Although Zephyr's question was directed to Ryuga, it was evident that the S-class mage was not listening, lost in his own world. Vali, sensing that Ryuga was not going to respond, spoke up instead.

"It's a sheath Zephyr." He replied. "We're looking for Nulgath's sheath. It's supposed to be black with a red outline and a hole in the centre of it."

"I see," Zephyr said as he immediately started to imagine out what the artifact looked like. So immersed in his thoughts was he that he almost fell off the wolf when their ride came to an abrupt stop.

"Dammit Liliana. What's wrong?" Zephyr muttered as he repositioned himself. Liliana said nothing, just merely pointing straight ahead.

In front of the team was a forest. Vast sprawling trees spanned the entire dirt path, indicating that there was no way around it. The treetops were so high up that the team could not even see them, casting a large shadow over. The foliage was so closely packed that the wolves were too big to enter, having only enough space for a single person to enter.

"This isn't on the map." Vali protested as he took out the map Master Glaive had handed to them. On it indicated the small landmarks that the team was supposed to pass en route to Ion and there was no mention about a giant forest along the way.

"Maybe it grew here. It's been two decades after all." Zephyr suggested.

"Not possible," Ryuga replied as he got off the wolf's back. "Given the size of this forest, it would take at least a hundred years for it to grow to this size." He placed his hand on one of the trees, feeling for any residue of magic. The trees were real alright and they were grown naturally as well which was something that Ryuga could not explain. There was no way a forest of this magnitude could pop out of nowhere in less than half a century.

"So we walk?" Zephyr got off the wolves back as well, stretching his calves. His ass was aching from travelling on it for hours and he could not wait to start running on his own two feet.

"Hang on," Vali said as he equipped his staff and slammed it into the ground, a small ripple of energy sweeping through the forest. According to Zion, Black Citadel was adept in employing traps where people least expect them. So he decided to play it safe and scan the forest while he was at it.

"How it?" Liliana asked as she watched her partner remove his staff.

"All clean."

"Alright then. Let's go guys." Ryuga declared and walked into the forest, his three team mates following suit.

Unknown to them though, the moment all four of them entered the forest, a large tree instantly sprouted from the path they entered, effectively cutting them off from the outside world and trapping the mages inside.

Location Unknown

"Neo, they are here." A seductive voice purred through the telepathic link they shared. The owner of the voice was a woman with dark green hair that cascaded down her back in a long French-braid style ponytail. She had dark green eyes and stood at 5'9. Her voluptuous figure with nice round hips and well endowed breasts caught the attention of most men but Neo was interested in her at the slightest. Her black v-necked dress went well with her figure as it showed off her assets well, accompanied by black boots and a black beret on her head. A serpent shaped in the number six was imprinted on her right breast while the mark of Black Citadel sported on her left.

"Can I kill them please? I promise that I'll leave some for you?" she half begged and moaned, desperate to see blood spilt already.

"No you won't Athena." Neo replied swiftly, her voice irritating his ears. "You will do as I tell you to. Kaguro will not be pleased if we mess this up."

"Aww come on," she whined. "At least have the little girl remove the wire around my neck. It's hard to breathe like this."

Almost invisible to the naked eye, there was single wire wrapped around Athena's neck. Despite its size, it was sharp enough to cut the woman's neck, preventing any random movements from Athena. The wire traced back to a metallic finger of a glove, the owner of whom was seated next to Athena.

"Rin, do not release it no matter what." Came Neo's response to which the girl nodded her head in silence. In Rin's hands was a black and gold sniper rifle that had silver streaks lining its body. Strangely though, the weapon was missing its ammo clip and scope but despite this, Rin had her eyes lined up where the scope usually was, her finger on the trigger.

"You're both no fun," Athena pouted. She really wanted to cut loose, especially when there were unsuspecting fools in her domain. Too bad she was paired up with Neo.

"Alright you two. You know the drill, distract him long enough for Neo to finish the rest." Athena beckoned the two figures behind her with her hand as she gave instructions.

The two figures nodded their heads and took off into the darkness, leaving Athena and Rin alone.

"Come on Rin. Do me a favor please, us being women and all." Athena asked again, a deceptively sweet smile on her face.

"No," Rin replied monotonously, her pinkie finger flexing ever so slightly.

"Tch!" Athena scowled as she felt the wire tighten by a bit more.

Realizing that this wasn't going to go anywhere, she sat quietly next to Rin, biding her time for the inevitable to happen.

Middle of Forest

"Damn this place is confusing," remarked Vali as he surveyed his surroundings. They had been walking in the forest for almost an hour already with no end in sight. The trees all looked the same from where he stood and the tall canopy was also blocking out the moonlight, preventing him from estimating their current position.

"Let's just admit it," Zephyr started. "We're lost."

Beside him, Liliana stifled a yawn as she nodded her head in agreement. She was getting bored and when she was bored, she would start to fall asleep. They haven't even heard a peep in the forest thus far, let alone seen any sight of Black Citadel. "We should make camp," she suggested, her boredom getting the better of her.

"I guess so then," Vali replied. Walking aimlessly in the darkness was not a good idea. It would be best if they waited for dawn to break. At least there would be sunlight to guide them.

"Not yet," Ryuga said as he signaled for the team to stop. "Take a look."

Before them, the path had split into two different roads which lead into yawning darkness. One of them led to the west and the other to the east and the mages were standing right at the crossroads.

"Ooookkkkk…" Zephyr drawled. "Eenie Meenie Minie Moe. Catch a wizard by his toe…"

"So where now," Liliana asked, cutting Zephyr off mid speech. The map said nothing about a crossroad and their current orientation gave them no indication as to which way the ruin was.

"I guess we're splitting up." Ryuga announced. "Vali, you take charge and bring Liliana and Zephyr on the east path. I'll go on the west."

"You sure Boss man?" Zephyr asked a tinge of worry in his voice. While he was confident of Ryuga's power, he wasn't so sure about leaving him alone. Especially since they were up against opponents who could level entire cities.

"Trust me, I'll be fine." Ryuga replied with a reassuring smile as he began to walk off.

Only to realize he could not go back any more.

Large trees sprouted instantly the moment he stepped down the path, their thick trunks barricading the crossroads. Vali and company instinctively leapt back, narrowly avoiding the trees that sprouted near their feet. Cursing, Ryuga dodged and ran as more trees sprouted, chasing him further down the west path. When they finally stopped, Ryuga had lost track of how far he had travelled. Similarly, Vali, Liliana and Zephyr had ran down the eastern path to avoid the rapidly expanding shrubbery, such that when they stopped they were far away from Ryuga.

"GUYS!" Ryuga called out from his position, hoping that his team was alright. When no response returned, he scowled slightly, annoyed by the fact that he had fallen for the enemy's trap. The forest was clear of traps because the forest itself was a trap. Whatever their aim was, they had succeeded in cutting him off from his team. It was such a simple ploy that Ryuga failed to notice it, causing him to punch the nearest tree in frustration.

"Look Zora," a voice called out from the darkness, snapping Ryuga out of his thoughts. "We got the handsome one."

"I know Mara," another voice responded. "We hit the jackpot this time."

"Show yourselves," Ryuga demanded. "Stop cowering in the shadows." He preferred looking at his enemies straight in the eye when he fought them instead of having to guess where they were.

"Oh well, here we come." The first voice replied. With that, two figures in hoods descended from the top of a tree, landing meters in front of Ryuga. Both of them then removed their cloaks at the same time, revealing their appearances. Both of them had long red hair and green eyes, though one was kept in a ponytail and the other a twin tail. They were both fair skinned, skinny and around 5 and half feet tall. Both wore a black form fitting t-shirt with a singular blue and green stripe respectively across the midsection and a pair of black shorts with matching sneakers. They instantly struck Ryuga as twins, given their similarity in appearance and clothing.

"She's Zora," the ponytailed girl started.

"She's Mara," the twin tailed girl continued.

"And we're here to defeat you." They chorused together, ending in giggles.

Ryuga just sighed as he face palmed.

Why did he always have to get this type of opponents?

With Vali, Liliana and Zephyr

"RYUGA!" Zephyr called out, hoping that the S-class mage could hear him but to no avail.

"What should we do?" Liliana asked, turning to Vali for advice.

"I don't know," Vali replied, at a loss as well. This was the first time their team was separated and he was considering all the options on hand. He initially thought of destroying the trees with magic but given the thickness of their trunk, it could take a long while before they could reach Ryuga. By then they would run out of magic and be defenseless if anyone attacked. Then came the option of climbing the trees but he instantly erased that idea when he realized the trees were way too steep to climb.

"Oh come on," a voice grumbled from beyond the yawning darkness, causing Vali and company to stiffen instantly. "I was pretty sure I told her to leave me alone with him. She just had to mess that up now did she."

The trudging of boots against the dirt grew louder by the second, eventually allowing The Scarlet Nova mages to get a closer look at the voice's owner.

"Shit! It's Neo Hiruko!" Zephyr exclaimed while Vali and Liliana tensed their bodies, preparing for battle. Before they left on the mission, Master Glaive had briefly told them about the mage and his abilities. If they were to put him in normal guild rankings, he would be at least S-class if not higher, making him the worst opponent that they could face currently with Ryuga not around.

"Well it seems I'm fairly famous," Neo replied with a grin on his face. Despite facing three other mages, he seemed very relaxed, lowering his guard completely before them. "I was hoping to fight Ryuga but I guess I'll have to settle with you guys for now."

"Don't make light of us!" growled Vali as he readied his staff, Liliana and Zephyr both nodding their heads with serious expressions on their faces. While they were not S-class, he wasn't going to let an enemy of the guild go just because of a difference in power level. If he did so, he could no longer hold his head high before Master Glaive or Ryuga.

"Well come on, I'm waiting." taunted Neo as he baited the mages, waving his finger to mock them.

"Speed Magic: Gear Shift!" Zephyr called out as he got into a hunter's crouch. The silver magic circle beneath his feet instantly changed color to yellow, and with a burst of sonic, Zephyr was gone.

Neo' eyes widened slightly as he felt Zephyr's presence behind him, unexpecting the boy to get there so quickly. Zephyr scowled as he pumped magic into his legs, executing his next spell at close range.

"Axial Crash!" he cried as he slammed his right leg into Neo's neck via a roundhouse kick. Neo grunted in pain as he felt something snap before he was sent flying. Halfway midflight, Zephyr reappeared before him once more, this time delivering an uppercut towards Neo's chin and sending him spiraling upwards. This continued for a while, with Zephyr disappearing in burst of static and delivering quick blows to Neo's body. From a far it looked like a game of pachinko and Neo was the ball. Sensing the right time, Vali shot forward, leaping as he raise his staff above his head.

"Deflection: Fortification" Liliana called out as she fortified Vali's staff and arms. The staff was now coated in a carbon like material that resembled diamond and Vali's arms had miniature thrusters at the end of his elbows.

"Take this!" Vali yelled as he brought his weapon down on Neo's chest, the thrusters blowing out flames as they increased his momentum. With a savage smash, Vali caused Neo to hit the ground hard, creating a miniature crater upon impact.

"Graggh!" Neo exclaimed as he coughed out copious amounts of blood, several of his bones and organs rupturing with the last attack.

Meanwhile Vali and Zephyr had returned to their comrade's side, not letting their guard down. While they had just dealt a serious beating to the Blood Mage, something was not right. Neo barely even bothered trying to defend himself, allowing himself to get hit by their attacks. It was as though he was judging their abilities, observing intently before making a move.

"Well, he's not so tough." Zephyr grinned. "We should be able to deal with him before Ryuga gets here."

"I beg to differ," came Neo's voice from the crater, causing all three pairs of eyes to widen as they watched Neo step out of it. It was not that they were shocked at his durability but rather the lack of wounds on his body where their attacks had just connected.

"That hurt man," Neo complained as he stretched his body, spitting out a mouthful of blood on the ground next to him. "But thanks for the work out."

"You bastard," Vali hissed when he realize that they were being mocked, causing Neo to raise his hands in defense.

'You guys pass alright." He said with a smile on his face. "Though I would have expected out more from his disciples. Come at me again and don't hold back this time."

'You asshole, you're going to regret you asked." Exclaimed Zephyr as he crouched once more, the yellow magic circle becoming red.

"Speed Magic: Gear Shift" Zephyr hissed as he felt his legs pump full of magic. This was his fastest speed and he was gonna make sure he caught the bastard off guard. Faster than Neo could blink, Zephyr was gone, reappearing instantly above Neo. He had his leg raised, steaks of silver running along it as he prepared to dropkick Neo.

"Burying Drop!" he uttered as he brought his leg down.

But something was faster than him.

"Blood Lance," smirked Neo a thin lance of blood shot out from the spittle of blood he just spat out, piercing Zephyr's leg and through his chest.

Zephyr winced as he bit his tongue to prevent himself from crying out in pain. He vanished once more, reappearing beside Vali as he nursed the wound of his leg and chest. It was a shallow cut, completely missing his organs and muscles and while Zephyr was grateful for that, he was also terrified internally. That meant that Neo could have killed him then if he wanted to.

"Is that your best shot boy?" Neo taunted again.

"Like hell it is!" Zephyr snarled, standing back up again. Just as he was about to rush Neo, Vali held his hand up in front of him, signaling for him to stop.

"Don't be reckless Zephyr." Vali scolded, causing the speed mage to bow his head in shame. "He's just baiting you to get closer to him."

"Well, either way you're going to have to attack," Neo shrugged. "Because if you don't, I will." As if on cue, a projectile whizzed past Neo's head, heading straight for Vali.

"Shit!" exclaimed Vali as he watched the bullet near him. It had come from where he had least expected it to and that meant two things. One, Neo had backup and two, the person was a good shot.

"Deflection: Exosuit" Liliana called out as she put herself between Neo and the bullet, her armor taking the brunt of the shot. Even with the added protection, Liliana could still feel a sting as the bullet hit her body.

"What power," she thought to herself as she deflected the round to the ground. Unlike most projectiles, this one did not explode, but rather just dropping softly to the ground and disintegrating. When Liliana examined the fragmented bullet, she was surprised.

"Wires?" she thought out aloud as she examined the purple material that made up the bullet. Although soft to the touch, when they were condensed tightly enough, their power rivaled that of real bullets. The real question was why not choosing proper firearms instead?

Location Unknown

Rin's eyes narrowed slightly as she watched the female mage catch her shot. For her rounds to fail to penetrate, she must be wielding some powerful defensive magic.

"Not that it matters," she thought to herself. "Try stopping this instead."

Her eyes never leaving Liliana, she began wielding her next shot. As mentioned earlier, the sniper rifle was missing a scope but even so Rin had no problem viewing Liliana from her current position. Her eyes were now a deep violet, a stark contrast to their original amethyst shade. Such was the power of her mystic eyes, Hawkeye, which allowed the user to see up to a mile away. In such a context, the scope was effectively useless.

With her free left hand, Rin flexed her fingers, forcing more violet wires to extend out of her fingertips. This time instead of having them coil into bullets, Rin fed them into the ammo box of the rifle directly.

"Wire Magic: Parasite" she uttered as the threads glowed slightly. She then proceeded to cock the rifle, taking aim at all three Scarlet Nova mages.

With her targets in sight, she pulled the trigger.

With Vali and company

"Incoming!" yelled Zephyr as he heard a sharp whizzing sound through the air.

Without looking up, both Liliana and Vali leapt out of the way, just in time as another projectile embedded itself in the ground where they stood earlier.

"Damn it!" Vali cursed, spinning his staff to deflect more of the incoming shots. Liliana had activated her Exosuit as well, placing her arms in front of her chest to guard against the hail of wire bullets. Zephyr took cover behind the two of them, unable to do anything at the moment.

Meanwhile, Neo sat cross legged in front of them, watching with a bored expression on his face.

"You have got to be kidding me," He sighed. "You're having trouble with an attack like this? I think I really overestimated you guys."

That did it for Zephyr. He had taken too much of this guy's crap for the day and now he was freaking pissed. "I'M GOING TO SMITE YOU!" Zephyr howled as he ran out from behind Vali and Liliana, darting towards Neo.

"NO! YOU IDIOT!" Vali yelled, watching as the younger mage ran for Neo. Neo's expression immediately changed to a smile, albeit a creepy one as he waited for the inevitable to happen.

"YOU'RE DEAD!" Zephyr howled as he closed the gap between him and Neo, his fists raised and poised to strike. He was so blinded by his rage that he failed to notice a stray wire bullet coming in from the side, not until it was inches from his head.

"Shit!" cursed Zephyr internally as he watched the bullet near his head. Unable to do anything, he closed his eyes and waited for it to kill him.

Only to feel his body being hurled to a side.

"Ack!" Zephyr coughed as he tumbled end over end. When he finally stopped, he opened his eyes once more, widening in shock as he registered what had just happened. Liliana had her hand over her mouth, her eyes too widening in horror as she witnessed everything from afar.

Where Zephyr once stood was now Vali, a small puddle of blood forming at his feet. At the last minute, he had thrown Zephyr out of the way, allowing the bullet to pierce him in the chest. Currently he stood there motionlessly, his expression unreadable as the blood continued to flow out of the gaping wound.

"VALI!" Zephyr cried out as he ran to his comrade. As he neared Vali, a hand suddenly shot out and grabbed him by the neck. Zephyr cursed slightly, thinking it was Neo but as he gazed at the clothing, he was in for a rude shock.

"Vali, what are you doing?" he wheezed only for the mage to tighten his grip even more, causing Zephyr to cough in pain.

All the while, Neo still sat there with a maniacal grin on his face. Things were going to be very interesting from here out.

With Ryuga

Not knowing that his team was currently facing off with Neo, Ryuga was currently engaged in his own battle. If he had known about it, he would have dropped everything to save them but such was the bliss of ignorance.

Unlike his team, Ryuga was rather relaxed in his fight. Although it was understandable that he was stronger than his opponents, there was another factor that was in play as well. His opponents' attacks lacked the intent to kill, being executed in a manner that resembled a spar between two mages instead of a death match. That had a calming effect on Ryuga but it also kind of surprised him, given how he was told that they were up against a group of evil mages.

And yet these two seemed to be having fun.

"Lightning Cartridge" Mara cheered as she inserted a yellow clip into a solid black magnum, firing off a streak of yellow lightning towards Ryuga. While powerful, the attack was too direct, allowing Ryuga to dodge it with a sidestep. At the same time, Zora came running up to him, inserting a lacrima into her padded black gloves.

"Steel Cartridge" she cried out playfully as her gloves hardened with steel, swinging wide arching blows towards Ryuga. Ryuga darted nimbly as her punches neared, evading them with only slight body movements.

"Aren't you guys taking this too easily?" he asked in between dodging Zora's punches. "You guys are here to defeat me aren't you?"

"Yea," Zora replied with a smile. "But that doesn't mean we can't have fun while we're at it."

That actually made Ryuga laugh. Despite them being in the enemy guild, he found himself being able to relate to what she said. She was just like Zephyr. Like her, Zephyr always tried to make sparring fun, preferring to take things nice and easy while enjoying it.

"They aren't so bad," Ryuga thought to himself as he avoided another lightning blast from Mara. They were too playful to be evil and that piqued his curiosity.

"So why join Black Citadel?" he asked, leaping onto a tree branch using Zora's shoulder as a launch pad. "You guys don't strike me as sinister people."

"Nobody wanted us," Mara replied with a sad smile. "We were abandoned because of our magic and so we accepted Black Citadel's offer when they promised to give us a home." With that she loaded another clip into her magnum.

"Gale Cartridge!" she called out as she fired a blast of wind at Ryuga who leapt out of the way, shattering the ranch he stood on.

"I see," Ryuga said softly as he descended. "So we're the same." As he landed, Zora came running to him, another lacrima loaded into her gloves.

"Frost Cartridge," she called out as her gloves coated in ice, hurling ice punches at Ryuga. "We really don't want to fight you, but we have no choice. We were sworn into loyalty to the guild in exchange for a home. You have to understand." She pleaded with a sad smile.

"I understand," Ryuga replied, a sad smile on his face as well. That caused the eyes of both twins to widen, not expecting him to respond that way.

"I know what it's like to be abandoned. Everything that you once stood for going against you." He started, gazing at the two girls who had stopped their attacks and were listening intently. "I also know what it feels like to be given a second chance. Having fallen into despair, anyone would want to grab onto the hand that is offered to them."

"Like you two, I too have sworn loyalty to the guild that gave me my home, a second chance at life. For that I sympathize with your situation. If only you had chosen to join us instead." He said, the last part much quieter such that the girls could not hear him. They would have made great companions in Scarlet Nova, especially with Vento and Zephyr. It was a shame that he had to defeat them here.

"I'll make this quick and painless, for both of our sakes." Ryuga sighed, his heart aching slightly as it pained him to do so.

In a blink of an eye, Ryuga vanished before the eyes of both girls, causing them to glance around in surprise. The next moment, Ryuga had reappeared behind Mara, delivering a swift neck chop. Mara's eyes darkened upon impact, swiftly falling unconscious.

"Mara!" Zora exclaimed as she watched her sister fall, but not for long as Ryuga punched her in the gut, causing her to lose consciousness as well.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as she fell over his shoulder unharmed. Ryuga then proceeded to carry the both of them and laid them to rest under a tree side by side. Both girls had peaceful expressions on their faces, letting Ryuga breathe a sigh of relief, glad that they weren't hurt too badly.

With that he took off in the opposite direction, hoping he could make it in time to find his team.

With Vali and company

"Vali, what are you doing?" Zephyr wheezed as he struggled in Vali's vice-grip. Vali hand was currently around his neck and was squeezing hard, causing the speed mage to have problems speaking and breathing.

"Vali let him go!" Liliana called out but the celestial mage did not respond. That was when Liliana got a closer look at him.

Vali's eyes were currently glazed and blurry, a dazed expression chiseled onto his face. It was as though he was under some kind of mind control and had did not know what he was doing. When she squinted her eyes, she could make out the faint lines of violet wires. They were protruding out of his entire body, as though he was like puppet on strings.

"He can't hear you," Neo chuckled as he watched Liliana's expression. "Rin's Parasite Wires take control of the host they have been injected into. His mind and body are now hers to control."

"YOU FIEND!" Liliana exploded with rage, "RELEASE HIM!"

"No can do," Neo replied in a sing song voice. "Not with an interesting show coming right up." With that, Vali hurled Zephyr headlong into Liliana, causing both mages to tumble into the dirt and crash into a tree.

"Damn!" Zephyr snarled as he took in large gasps of air, having finally been released from Vali's hand. What's he going to do now?

They watched as Vali unlimbered his staff, holding it out with both hands. Without warning, two orbs glowed on the end of the staff as Vali slammed it into the ground, a large violet magic circle appearing below him.

"He can use his magic too?!" Liliana wondered aloud in shock. This was going to be a major problem.

"Gate of the Ifrit, I open thee: Ignatius. Gate of the Fuzor, I open thee: Synchro." Vali said out monotonously, the expression on his face not changing even once. Beside him, the two celestial spirits appeared. While Liliana and Zephyr both recognized the lava golem, they had not seen the other spirit before. It was a spherical drone that has four halo rings surrounding it and a hollow green core.

Ignatius looked slightly confused, growling softly as it recognized Liliana and Zephyr. It was summoned under orders to eliminate them but they were Vali's friends weren't they, so why did Vali request for them to be destroyed?

Before Ignatius could think any further, Vali gave his next command.

"Soul Resonance," he uttered to which another magic circle formed beneath his feet, large enough to envelop both spirits as well.

Synchro beeped in response, all four halo rings glowing brightly as it aligned itself along Vali's chest. Ignatius bellowed as it felt its consciousness slipping, gradually surrendering all of its powers to Vali.

"Limiter Removal all green. Target acquired and acknowledged by both souls. Initiating fusion in 3, 2, 1." Vali continued and when he finished, he was enveloped in a bright violet light.

Liliana and Zephyr shielded their eyes from the bright light, watching with bated breath as it died down. Before them stood Vali but in a form that they did not recognize. Vali now had a large jaw guard that was coated in molten lava and his arms resembled solidified magma, jagged and ending in three claws for each hand. His staff now dripped magma as well, pooling onto the ground as he held it. On his chest there was a silver plate with a green screen, bound there by ethereal chains that wrapped around his entire chest. The screen flashed numbers, indicating 3 minutes with the counter decreasing with each passing second.

"What is that?" Zephyr breathed in shock and awe. Liliana shook her head, having no answer to that as well. In all the years they had trained as a team, never once had Vali shown this form. The amount of power radiating form it was unreal, causing her to ponder as to why Vali had kept it a secret.

Her thoughts were broken when she felt three claws wrap around her head, plummeting her into the ground. Liliana cursed slightly as she felt the impact, quickly activating her Exosuit and not a moment too soon. Vali's claws heated up instantly, unleashing a torrent of lava onto her face.

"Vali, stop this!" Zephyr called out, hoping he could wake the other mage to his senses. When Vali did not respond, Zephyr cursed internally, watching as Liliana began to submerge in a pool of lava.

"Forgive me for this!" he yelled as he charged at Vali, delivering and axe kick towards Vali's forearms. But instead of impacting like they should, his leg swept right through Vali's arm.

"What?" Zephyr thought out aloud. He had the ability to make his body intangible like Otis. As Zephyr's leg passed through mid sweep, Vali hardened his arm once more, causing Zephyr's leg to get stuck. Zephyr tried to shake himself free from the awkward position but to no avail. As a final resort, he aimed a punch at Vali's head, hoping that the impact would make him loosen up.

Only to be met by a blast of flames at point blank range from Vali's mouth. Zephyr cried out in pain as he felt the immense inferno wash over him, unable to do anything to stop it. Within seconds, third degree burns covered almost every inch of inch of his body. Zephyr moaned slightly as he felt his consciousness slip, his body going numb after the attack. Without warning, his eyes rolled to the back of his head, no longer being able to withstand the pain.

Only then did Vali release him, gazing as he burnt body hit the ground with a thud.

"ZEPHYR!" Liliana screamed as she watched her comrade went down, his body barely recognizable now. Every inch of her body wanted to rush towards him and get him out of here but she was in deep shit as well. Though the Exosuit had strong defensive capabilities, being exposed to the magma for long periods of time was starting to weaken it. She already felt parts of the suit melt away and when they were all gone, she would soon follow suit.

"Please Vali! Wake up!" she pleaded, tears flowing freely from her eyes. At this rate, he was going to end up killing her as well.

By some miracle of chance, Vali did stop, the magma flow ceasing completely. Liliana gazed up at her fellow mage, hope filling her eyes as she thought he had been released from the spell. But that hope instantly died when she heard the beeping of the timer on his chest. She was saved due to the time limit, not by Vali reawakening

The counter had finally reached zero and with a bright light, the changes on Vali became undone, disappearing into golden dust. Vali's eyes started to close, his body falling to a side as it radiated heat and steam. Before long, the celestial mage fell into unconsciousness, completely drained of his magic.

"Awww, what a letdown!" Neo whined as he watched Vali collapse next to Liliana. "Guess some things are better down yourself." With that he walked over to Vali's body and with a flick of his leg, grabbed Vali's staff that was lying on the ground.

Without warning, he stabbed Liliana through the gut with Vali's staff, piercing through her weakened Exosuit.

"Arrggghhh!" Liliana screamed in pain as blood erupted from the wound, staining Neo's body and clothes as well as the ground all around her. She tried to move her body but the hardened magma from Vali's attack held her fast in place, helpless as she watched what Neo was about to do.

"Do you know what happens if we reverse the flow of blood in a human body?" he asked, a curious expression on his face.

"You go boom!" he sniggered, a maniacal grin spreading far across his face. "Shall we try that?"

As he spoke, his finger neared her open wound, causing Liliana to widen her eyes in fear. She was going to die here, surrounded by the bodies of her friends.

"I'm sorry guys," she wept internally as tears streaked uncontrollably down her face, watching as Neo's finger was just an inch away from her.

Then, a resounding boom came from behind them, causing Neo to stop what he was planning to do. Thick tree trunks and splinters of wood flew all over the place, showering the both of them and kicking up a storm of dust.

Despite the excruciating pain, Liliana was able to make out a figure through the cloud.

A figure that she recognized.

A figure that she knew was here to save them.

"Ryuga…"she muttered weakly, the darkness soon claiming her consciousness.

Meanwhile, Neo stood up from his position, the blood from Liliana still streaked all over his face. On it he wore a warm smile, something that he had not done for over a decade.

Something that he only showed his family.

"Hello Brother."

A/N: Well that's it for this chapter. Hope you guys enjoyed it. Stay tuned for the next one and remember to review and favorite.

Death Obelisk signing off.