Chapter 28
Surpassing the Limits
"Oh no," Hacker One moaned in a rueful tone. "We were supposed to edit the live feed."
"The thread's unravelling; now there's no way to fix this," Hacker Two agreed fearfully. "Sasori-dono will bury us alive."
"Bixlow, I thought you said you knew which one was which!" Evergreen berated.
She was met by a pregnant pause from the Seith mage before he grinned, his tongue sticking out. "If I told you the truth, this prank would have lost its joke!"
"Joke! Joke!" his babies squealed. Evergreen and Freed fell down comically.
Elfman laughed halfheartedly, as if he were told a bad punchline. "Where's the manliness in this joke?"
Sasori watched Glacia approach Rogue from above. "So tell me," he said in a low voice laced with venom. "Who was the one—when I asked for the best Illusionists—that suggested two grunts fresh from Illusion 101?"
The remainder of the Imperial Guardians flinched at Sasori's inflection with the exception of Jigumo, who grew up with his older, more sadistic twin—although his older sibling by eight minutes wasn't as openly sadistic as himself. But Jigumo would grudgingly admit that when Sasori showed his volatile side, the latter made him look like a minuscule spider; he just wouldn't say it out loud.
"Um...didn't they volunteer themselves?" Avian reminded, his voice quivered as the growing magical aura he sensed around Sasori chilled the air.
"'Didn't they?'" Sasori repeated with a mocking undertone.
Glacia dragged her feet against the ground as she slid downhill, never breaking her eye contact with Rogue. But the rain poured so heavily, it obscured her vision. She reached into the right hand pocket of Niebel's coat and removed one of the few items she kept when they made the switch: her sunglasses. It was silly, but the ocular wear kept the rain out of her only functioning eye.
"I must admit, you're the least convincing copy as of now. Is your caster running low on magic?" Rogue taunted, his scale-like designs fluttered across his skin.
"Damn, what did you guys do?" Jigumo whistled in an impressed manner.
"Rogue." Glacia reached into the pack she "borrowed". "Whatever Mizuno and Avian did to you, I understand how you came to that conclusion. But it would be a lie to say that's the reason you're like this, isn't it? I can eliminate your darkness. I just need to know—" Her eye met Rogue's impatient ones, which was an emotion she had never seen them. "Are you in there?"
A sinister smile lined the Shadow Dragon Slayer's mouth. He tapped the side of his head. "I'm afraid 'Rogue' is unable to join us. Mind if I relay a response on our behalf?"
"Man, he's lost it," Jigumo noted as his finger twirled next to his ear.
"No need!" With that, Glacia charged into battle with only a bag of weapons. Niebel stood at the top of the hill as he witnessed the former Dragon Slayer and a current Dragon Slayer lunge for each other, his eyes wide with fear for his mentor and surrogate sister.
"Shadow Dragon's—" Before the possessed saber could finish his spell, Glacia whipped out a clear orb and smashed it against the ground near Rogue's foot. A blinding light burst from the remains and engulfed the area.
"A Flash Lacrima!" Avian exclaimed.
"Argh!" Rogue shielded his eyes with his arm so he could block the light. This gave Glacia a chance to attempt to tackle him. But the second he felt her, he blindly swatted her away from him like a fly.
"Sissy!" Niebel yelled as Rogue flung her towards a large boulder.
Glacia managed to re-position herself in midair so she could place her left foot against the rock. Her right foot kicked against the boulder so that Glacia ran at Rogue again. This time, she equipped her left hand with a smoke bomb. It never remained in her hand for five seconds as she set it off, enveloping her and Rogue in smoke.
Rogue covered his mouth, coughing. "This again? I can smell you out, remember?" The sole of a boot brushed against his chin—no doubt its owner couldn't reach her foot very far—which prompted Rogue to clamp his hand around an ankle. But another foot pressed against his chest as a glowing object scratched his nose. The same foot kicked against his hand, which made Rogue release the ankle he grabbed before.
The smoke dissipated and revealed the two contenders: Glacia, who held her left ankle; and Rogue, who cupped his face before he turned around, a small, bleeding scratch across the bridge of his nose. "You really don't know when to quit, do you?" he growled.
"I don't believe it," Mizuno said in awe as he covered his mouth with his hand. "She actually scratched him."
Sasori smiled amusingly, a break from his hidden sadistic nature. "Even without magic, you can put up a fight. But I wonder how long you'll last, Glacia. Who knows? I might just have to step in soon."
Avian tilted his head in confusion at Sasori's monologue. "Sasori?"
A light spray of blood appeared, only to mix into the rain that continued to fall. Dirt clouds and debris cleared away, revealing Erza, who blocked Archenemy's arc. "But this will not be my grave," she said, her right shoulder sporting a bleeding cut.
The parts of the crater's walls that were destroyed from the unsheathing of Archenemy barely held on to the walls, thanks to underground root growth. Fairy Tail sighed in relief at the sight of Erza, who stood on her feet. "Simon gave me this life—" Her last memory of her adversary's brother played in her mind. "—as did Uncle Rob—" She began to requip as she remembered that the elder's last action was to defend her. "And my nakama." Gone was her tattered outfit; bandages bound her breasts while a flaming kimono bottom covered her legs. A sword appeared in her hand, which pointed towards Kagura. "To relinquish my life so easily would be a slap in the face to all of them."
A crazed look plastered itself on Kagura's face. "You...and Jellal...can die together then!" she yelled as she ran forward.
"If that rage is the source of your power, so be it," Erza said as she wielded her blade with both hands to block a swing that would have taken her head. "I won't trample on those feelings. But I will never acquiesce to them either," she finished.
Erza delivered a blow that sent Kagura airborne. Alzack whooped while Mermaid Heel stared in disbelief.
"No way," Vóreia breathed in a flabbergasted tone. "She beat Kagura."
"That's Erza for you!" Fairy Tail yelled.
"What an amazing spirit! Titania pulled that off, even with her tattered body!" Chapati divulged in amazement.
Yajima nodded with smug pride, as if he knew of Erza's comeback. "As expected."
Ooba sighed. "I'll admit that Makarov has some promising wizards—but that's all you'll ever be able to get out of me, you old coot!"
Makarov's head comically enlarged until it appeared as though he were literally butting heads with the aged woman. "Try and say that to my face, will you?"
Arania tried to keep her tears in at the sight of her defeated comrade. "Even with Archenemy unsheathed...Erza beat Kagura..."
"She lost?" Beth sniffled sadly.
"No." Risley pointed a slim digit at the Lacrima Vision. "Never underestimate Kagura."
Erza, who panted heavily, looked back and received a shock. Kagura struggled to her feet and succeeded.
"Kagura's still standing! It's not over yet for us!" Arania whooped.
The S-Class wizard of Mermaid Heel swayed on her feet as she panted. "I...I'm..."
Whatever the female swordsman was going to say was unknown to everyone. Unable to hold the dirt any longer, the roots broke; a colossal mudslide rumbled down into the crater, joined by heavy boulders from the surface.
"Watch out!" Kagura looked behind herself at Erza's warning, a frightened expression on her face at the sight of the earthfall.
Hands shoved Kagura out of the way. The landslide did little to lag Erza, but a small pebble that flew towards the female knight jabbed her in the back of her shoulder. A larger rock collided with Erza's right foot, making her cry out in pain as she fell.
Kagura sat on the wet ground, dumbstruck at Erza's action. Erza tried not to move, as the boulder had pulverized her right foot. "Why...?" she asked, speechless. "Why would you—?"
"Because...I remember who you are," Erza breathed in pain. Kagura stared at her in shock. "What I mean is..." Erza continued when she saw Kagura's expression, "I have...recollections...of you, but I...couldn't put a name to your face. I could only... recall you as Simon's sister...that was it."
Kagura shook from Erza's words, unable to believe what the scarlet-haired mage was saying.
Erza smiled kindly, but painfully. "It...is. I'm from Rosemary Village, too. Just like...you...and Simon."
The villagers ran as fast as they could away from their burning homes. Screams echoed through the night as many witnessed neighbors killed before their eyes by the invaders. Pleas for help were answered by the swing of a sword; by blood that stained the earth; by screams of pain; and by maniacal laughter.
"Enslave the kids!" A follower of Zeref commanded his fellow devotees. "The adults? Who cares! Murder them! Slay them all!"
The child hunt began. Parents fought to the death to keep their children away from these fanatics. Many died in vain as the sight of their children being hauled away became their last sight of life.
A young Kagura wandered around, crying as she called into the night of darkness, death, and flames, searching for Simon. "Brother...Where are you?"
A hand clasped her wrist. Kagura almost screamed, thinking it was one of the Zeref fanatics. But the hand's owner—a scarlet-haired girl—dragged her along as she ran. "You'll get caught if you stay out here in the open! We need to hide!" the redheaded girl said.
"But...my big brother," Kagura tried to protest. They took a sharp turn around the corner of a house, where a crate stood by the residence. Erza opened the crate quietly. "There's only room for one," she said in a deflated tone.
"A kid's voice!" A follower's voice yelled around the corner. Both girls jolted at how close the voice was to them. "It came from over there!"
"Quick, get in!" Erza quietly hissed, though she helped Kagura into the crate herself.
"But what about you?" Kagura asked tearfully.
Erza stopped her hand form closing the lid at the girl's question. But she couldn't talk for long; the fanatics were closing in. "I'll find some other place hide, so don't worry. Live on," Erza said, closing the lid with her final words. As she turned to run, the devotees of Zeref rounded the corner, their eyes displayed relish at the sight of the young girl.
"I found one!"
"Grab her!"
Kagura sobbed silently as she listened to everything that ensued outside her safe box. She heard the sound of feet pounding against the ground; the scream of a young girl told Kagura that her savior had failed to get herself to safety.
Kagura covered her mouth with her hands, tears falling as her entire body shook from the emotional flood. "You're the...from that time," she sobbed.
"Simon chewed my ear off telling me stories about you...It always weighed heavily on me, not knowing whether you managed to escape or not." Through fatigue and pain, Erza still managed to give Kagura a kind smile, like she had so many years ago. The S-Class wizard of Mermaid Heel lowered her hands as tears continued to pour down her face. "Even to this day," the redhead finished.
Kagura hugged herself, remembering the contempt she showed to her childhood savior, crying harder than ever. Finally wiping her tears away, Kagura got up and lifted the boulder off of Erza's bleeding right foot and pushed it away. "I...I need time to process all of this information."
"I understand," Erza said, nodding her head as she got up, supporting herself on her hands while keeping weight off of her right side.
"But I freely admit," Kagura said as she looked up, the final traces of tears still visible. "This is my lo—" A long blade pierced through her lower right abdomen, though it missed every vital spot. Kagura choked on her blood after she saw the blade—which was her own sword. Her eyes dared to glance behind herself, where the snide sneer of Minerva greeted her.
Everyone watched on in horror and shock as Kagura began to fall—only to pound her right foot against the ground, the only thing she could do to maintain a half-standing position.
"Erza is the victor," Minerva simpered, pulling Kagura's own weapon out of her, "but the points go to me." She looked down at them with a monstrous look. "Now you see firsthand...how a real king fights. Only the most delectable morsels will appease our appetites. The head of a mermaid, for instance—"
"You...really need to shut up," Kagura stated defiantly, pulling her body back up to full height.
Minerva's eyes narrowed in contempt. "What did you just say?"
"Unbelievable! Even now, Kagura stands proudly!" Chapati exclaimed.
"Kagura..." Beth said with eyes filled with tears.
"Don't ever look down on Kagura," Risley sniffled.
"But...she'll fall any minute like this," Arania protested weakly.
Kagura dragged her feet towards Erza, who sat in confusion at her actions. "Erza..." Her body slowly began to fall, but not before she said to the Fairy Tail wizard, not Minerva, "I give up." With her surrender to Fairy Tail, Kagura collapsed on the ground.
"I can't believe it," Lector said in a hushed voice. "She pushed her body to her limits...just so she could surrender to Fairy Tail?"
"Fro thinks it's crazy," Frosch agreed in shock.
"It's better them than her," Vóreia spat. "She did all that just so Minerva wouldn't—"
Fairy Tail 49P
"—win?" the twin-tailed Exceed finished, dumbstruck at Fairy Tail's new score.
"No way," Ren breathed.
"Was Kagura worth—?"
"One point?" Arania asked.
Beth rubbed her eyes, thinking she had misread the score. "Kagura was only worth—"
"One measly point?" Minerva hissed as her body shook in disgust.
"What's going on? Kagura, the S-Class wizard of Mermaid Heel, was worth just one point!"
"They must have made someone else the leader," Yajima noticed.
"But who?" Ooba questioned.
Risley smiled to herself mentally.
"Ice-Make: Water Serpent!" An enormous serpentine ice golem struck Gray, who grunted in pain.
"Ready to give up, Gray?" Lyon challenged.
In retaliation, Gray threw off his shirt. "In your dreams, Lyon! Ice-Make: Starfall!" Star-shaped pieces of ice flew towards Lamia Scale's resident ice wizard, slicing his skin and clothes.
Sting slammed his palm against Natsu's chest, making him choke as air rushed out of his lungs.
"You've...you've gotten better," Natsu admitted.
"And you've gotten worse," Sting shot back. He cracked his knuckles. "Ever since last year, we, Sabertooth, upped our training regimen. All so we wouldn't lose to pathetic fairies like you!"
He threw a punch at Natsu's face, but the Fire Dragon Slayer caught Sting's fist. "What...did you say? I could have sworn you called us pathetic."
"You're as deaf as you are an idiot," Sting cackled. "I'll say it again: you're weak. Fairy Tail is weak. You guys only had the unofficial title of number one because the games were cancelled last year."
Niebel fidgeted as the battle continued. Rogue was the obvious winner, but Glacia held her ground against the Shadow Dragon Slayer.
Glacia ducked quickly to avoid a kick. Recognizing an opportunity when she saw one, Glacia swiped Rogue's leg. As he fell, Rogue put a hand on the ground to stop himself. But he forgot that Glacia was still on the ground, which he was reminded of when she managed to tackle him to the ground. Snarling in rage, Rogue struggled against Glacia, which wasn't very hard to do. He backhanded her, which made Glacia fall sideways as she grit her teeth. But midway, her teeth bit down on flesh—the skin on Rogue's right arm.
Everyone widened their eyes in disbelief as Glacia clamped her teeth down on Rogue's forearm. "Let go of me!" Rogue yelled, thrashing against Glacia's hold on him. Niebel took in a sharp breath the minute he saw Rogue pull his fist back.
"Sissy!" Niebel screamed in a panicked voice. He began to run to the next hill, where the two struggled.
Jigumo gulped, sweat ran down his face in small rivers. "That's suicide."
"..." Sasori remained silent as he watched Rogue attempt to dislodge Glacia by striking her. But to his amazement, the girl never budged.
Glacia opened her eye, staring directly at Rogue. She looked behind him and narrowed her eye in concentration. She had only one chance; using whatever strength she could muster, Glacia kicked her feet against the ground so that they moved off the top of the hill. For a moment, they were suspended in midair; as gravity kicked in, Glacia positioned her left knee against Rogue's gut. He hit the ground first, which allowed Glacia's knee to ram against his stomach.
"I said, get off me!" he roared as he finally managed to throw Glacia off. The former Dragon Slayer hit the muddy ground face first.
"Sissy!" Niebel cried, running over to Glacia.
"...Move in," Sasori said finally.
Avian looked at him in surprise. "What?"
Sasori sighed. "Must I repeat myself? Move in now!"
Rogue raised himself on all fours as he vomited, a mixture of bile and blood. He wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Unseen by him, part of his shadow slithered away. "Ugh...what...what happened? Why did I nearly throw up my liver?"
Glacia's eye widened in shock as she raised herself up to her knees. Rogue held his head as he looked up, locking eyes with her. "Wh—?"
"You heard the boss! Up and at 'em, boys! One, two, THREE!" Jigumo's voice thundered above.
Niebel was barely ten meters away when a pincer that burrowed up from underneath grabbed his right ankle and hoisted him up. Serket the scorpion held Niebel upside down above the ground. Sticky thread wrapped around Rogue's wrists and his ankles; before he knew it, he stood spread-eagle, restrained by spider thread. Jigumo swung down from a tree branch and landed in front of his old comrade. He whistled. "Damn, I was right. That is one bloody lip!"
"Jigumo," Dobengal groaned in pain as he tried to shift away.
Footsteps sounded behind Glacia. "Now aren't you going to thank us for saving your life, Princess Glaciana?"
Glacia looked behind herself; Sasori stood five meters away from her.
I just really wish my teachers would lay off the homework.
I have the next chapter planned out. Right now, as I write it, I can already imagine the reviews that will follow after that chapter is posted.