Here's the next chapter, guys! I hope you all enjoy it!
In the mountain ruins, Jellal and Ultear stood before the Guild Master of Silent Orochi, Vance.
"Well, if it isn't Jellal." Vance said. "Honestly, 7 years ago I didn't think we'd ever meet like this."
"You should simply give up while you can." Ultear said. "The seven other heads of Silent Orochi have been severed by the legal guilds."
"Although whether you choose to give up or not doesn't matter." Jellal said. "You'll be going to jail either way."
"Oh? Really?" Vance asked. "Fine then." He lifted up his arms. "I surrender."
*This seems way too easy.* Jellal thought.
Jellal looked to Ultear and could tell by the look in her eyes that she was thinking the exact same thing. Before either one of them could make another move, something had crashed into them at out of nowhere and knocked them both to the ground in an instant. Neither of them could see who or what was responsible for attacking them.
"Good thing I decided to keep you around… Chameleon." Vance said.
"It was my pleasure, Master Vance." A voice spoke, though the person was still nowhere to be seen.
"Where is he?" Jellal asked as he tried to stand up.
"What are you talking about?" Chameleon asked, still unable to be seen. "I'm right in front of you."
Jellal then felt something kick him in the face and knock him back a bit.
"Gyahahahaha!" Chameleon laughed. "It doesn't matter how many times I do that, it's still freaking hilarious!"
"Jellal!" Ultear shouted.
"I know." Jellal said. "He must be using Invisibility Magic to keep himself hidden. The next time he opens his mouth we'll attack."
"I'm afraid it won't be as simple as that." Vance stated as he was ready to turn around and walk away. "Chameleon is ranked as the Heart of our guild, meaning he's the strongest wizard in Silent Orochi other than me. It'll take a lot more than obvious tactics to take either one of us down. Now if you'll excuse me, I have important business to attend to."
Vance then started to walk away, leaving Chameleon to deal with Jellal and Ultear.
"Jellal, you go after Vance while I-" Ultear was about to say before getting kicked in the stomach.
"Don't think so!" Chameleon shouted as he kicked Ultear and knocked her into a tree.
Jellal tried to chase after Vance, but Chameleon moved too quickly and punched him in the face before he could start running, remaining invisible the whole time he attacked them.
"I'm not letting you get anywhere near Master Vance!" Chameleon shouted, still invisible.
Jellal tried to punch him where he heard his voice, but he hit nothing but air.
*He's clearly moving after he speaks.* Jellal thought. *Either he has to slow down or I'm going to have to speed up.* "Meteor!"
Jellal casted the Meteor spell on himself and his body was surrounded in a golden aura. His body began to move twice as fast as he sped around the battlefield.
At the top of an ancient altar in the middle of the ruins, Vance walked up to a giant, glowing, green gem right at the center of the altar.
"This should be a good spot to absorb that lacrima's power." Vance said.
The snake that had wrapped itself around Vance slithered off of him and toward the green lacrima. Once it reached the lacrima, the snake coiled itself around it and kept slithering around it repeatedly as its body absorbed the magic power from the lacrima.
"Heheh…" Vance chuckled. "Soon, your true powers will awaken… Orochi."
Back in the forest, Jason was keeping watch over Sakura with Flora sitting right next to him.
"So, how did Sakura end up like this?" Jason asked.
"Apparently, she ate some of Cobra's Poison Dragon Slayer Magic and mixed it with her own to obtain Poison Forest Dragon Slayer Magic." Flora answered. "She managed to neutralize the viruses, but using two elements at once is incredibly strenuous on a wizard's magic power."
"Wait, she actually ate an element other than her own?"
"Yes, but when a Dragon Slayer does that, they become exhausted and lethargic for a period of time."
"But… how was she able to absorb Cobra's magic and gain its power?"
"Supposedly, a Dragon Slayer can only attain another's element is if that other Dragon Slayer was implanted with a Dragon Slayer lacrima."
"Oh, so that would explain how Lionel got that White Lightning Dragon Slayer Magic. When he fought with Saber Tooth's Sting, he mixed his White Dragon Slayer powers with his own by eating his magic."
"Exactly."
"That would mean the only Dragon Slayer in our guild that hasn't done that yet is Frost… Sucks to be her right now."
Achoo!
Somewhere far away, Frost sneezed while she was walking on the road with Melody and Cole.
"Just a sneeze or are you catching something?" Melody asked.
"… I get the feeling someone's talking about me behind my back." Frost murmured.
Despite being able to move faster, Jellal still wasn't able to land a hit on Chameleon, but Chameleon was still able to get one or two hits in every now and then.
*I don't understand how he's doing that.* Jellal thought. *Even with Meteor he's still able to dodge my attacks. He's a lot quicker than I thought. I COULD use Grand Chariot to completely obliterate anything around it, but if I miss then I'll just be wasting magic energy.*
"HAHA!" Chameleon laughed as he remained invisible. "Even with your enhanced speed, you still can't land a single hit on me! What a maroo-"
Suddenly the ground around Jellal began to crumble and collapse.
"NYAAAAAAAAHHHH!" Chameleon screamed as he fell down with the rubble.
Jellal looked over to see that Ultear had used her Arc of Time to corrode the ground where Chameleon was to the point where it would collapse on itself. Jellal looked down the hole to see an imprint in the shape of a man right in the middle of the rubble.
"I got you now!" Jellal shouted. "Grand Chariot!"
Jellal jumped up in the air and placed both of his hands on top of each other, with the top hand having only the index and middle fingers spread out. Seven magic seals were then summoned in front of Jellal and connected together to make what looked like a constellation. Each magic seal then released a powerful blast of light down on where Chameleon was, forming the same constellation pattern on the ground before unleashing an explosion. The explosion created a cloud of dust and smoke in the chasm Ultear created and Jellal looked down it to see if Chameleon had received a direct hit from his spell.
"… Is he down?" Jellal wondered.
"Hyaha! Almost got me! Prepare to die!" Chameleon's voice cackled.
Before Jellal could feel Chameleon attack him again, he saw Spiral smacking something in the air with the blunt end of his backhanded sword.
*How was he able to hit him?* Jellal thought. *Wait, isn't he…*
Spiral had knocked the invisible Chameleon into the ground next to Jellal and he was finally revealed to be a man with albino skin and a green full body suit lying on the ground unconscious.
*He must be Phoenix Dawn's Spiral Yuki.* Jellal thought. *He could sense where Chameleon was by using his Sound Magic to feel for his vibrations and heartbeat.* "Thank you for taking him out." Jellal said as he approached Spiral.
"Who are you?" Spiral asked.
"My name is Jellal. My comrade over there is Ultear."
"Wait… then that means…" Spiral realized.
"Yes, we're from the independent guild Crime Sorcière." Jellal confirmed. "We came here in response to Silent Orochi's actions. But it seems you and your allies have already done most of the work. I would like to thank you again for taking out seven of Silent Orochi's heads."
"Our other comrades, Meredy and Foster, have already defeated the wizards that make up the Dark Guild's body." Ultear stated as she walked up to Jellal. "Now all that's left is the Guild Master himself. We haven't used too much magic energy during our fight with Chameleon, so you should head back to your allies while Jellal and I take care of Vance Viktor."
"… No, I'll take care of him." Spiral said before he jumped across the chasm formed in the earlier fight.
Normally, a jump like that was nearly impossible, but Spiral emitted a sonic blast from his foot to give him the extra boost needed to clear the chasm.
"This isn't about revenge anymore." Spiral said. "My friends all went out of their way to help me accomplish my goal. I have to make it up to them… by defeating Vance myself!"
As Spiral walked away, Jellal just kept staring at him.
*That boy has a fire in his heart.* Jellal thought to himself. *It almost reminds me of Natsu in a way.*
"Jellal, we have to stop him!" Ultear said.
"Let him go, Ultear." Jellal said.
"Wha-But, Jellal-!" Ultear pleaded.
"Have faith in him." Jellal simply said.
As Spiral walked, he was in a state of deep concentration.
*Time for the training to pay off.* He thought to himself.
(Begin Flashback)
Spiral and Melody were sitting at a table in the Phoenix Dawn guild hall.
"You're asking me if I know how to teach you Rhythm Magic?" Melody asked.
"Yes." Spiral nodded. "I'll do whatever it takes if it means I can attain it."
"I'm sorry, but at the level you're at now you won't be able to use it the same way I can."
"Why not?"
"Let me explain. Until you master Sound Magic, you won't be able to maintain Rhythm Magic for very long. I mastered Sound Magic years ago, so I can tell that even though you're pretty good you still have yet to master it. In fact, I doubt it's possible you'll ever master Sound Magic because you also have that Never-Melt Magic. It's like the old saying, 'a jack of all trades is a master of none'."
"So you're saying I'll never be able to use Rhythm Magic?"
"Not exactly. I said you'd never be able to maintain it. In other words, for you it'll be a temporary buff to your magical abilities."
"How is that any different from my support spells?"
"Rhythm Magic is about twice as powerful as your Sound Magic boosted with an offensive buff. On top of that, casting time and magic energy cost of your spells are halved. However, because of the level you're at you're only able to use Rhythm Mode for a small period of time and only once per day. Now that I've given you everything necessary, are you still sure you wish to learn Rhythm Magic?"
"As long as I can get stronger, I don't care what it takes." Spiral answered while tightening his fist in confidence.
(End Flashback)
*Rhythm Mode can only be achieved by completely singing the entirety of a particular song without any interruptions whatsoever.* Spiral thought. *Here it goes…*
Spiral took in a very deep breath as he prepared to sing.
A/N: I think I'll end the chapter there for now! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! And stay tuned for next time! Also, if you still wish to submit an OC, please do it over PM. I will not accept any submitted through a review. If you're a guest, that means you'll have to gain a real account in order for me to consider adding your OC into the story. With that said, I bid you farewell until the next chapter.