Chapter 18: Gray/Erza/Mira vs The Thunder Legion
Natsu wasted no time igniting his fists, he made a beeline towards Laxus, who stayed still like a statue. Gajeel ran towards him at the same time as Natsu, he turned both his arms into sharp blades, the two of them attacked Laxus simultaneously.
"Predictable…" He muttered exasperated. Natsu threw a strong punch aimed at Laxus' face, while Gajeel slashed at his chest. Laxus closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh. Right before the two attacks made contact, two bolts of lighting came down upon his two attackers. The two fell to the ground writhing in pain, as electricity danced around them. Laxus kicked Natsu on the ground, causing him to slide across the floor. He turned to Gajeel, and raised his leg above Gajeel's head. Stomping down he grinned slightly and Gajeel's cry out of pain. Natsu watched on as Laxus brutalized Gajeel, stomping down on him repeatedly. Struggling to get up, he groaned out in pain, as Gajeel's cries filled the empty cathedral. From his kneeling position Natsu puffed his chest inhaling, feeling the familiar warmth flood his body he let the flames that built up in his chest out through his mouth, in a controlled flamethrower attack heading in Laxus' direction. Laxus saw the attack coming from the corner of his eye, and easily sidestepped it. Without even looking at Natsu he motioned his arm at him and a bolt of lightning shot out from it, with unbelievable quickness, that Natsu didn't even get time to register the yellow bolt heading toward him until he was struck by it. He screamed out as he got electrocuted, he fell to the ground once more. Laxus slowly crept over to Natsu who was writhing on the ground in agony.
"You're the very reason I am doing this….You represent everything wrong with Fairy Tail, pathetic...weak…." He was going to continue on, but Gajeel had snuck up behind him, and delivered a blow to the back of Laxus' head. Laxus stumbled forward, this gave Natsu a small opportunity. He jumped back up to his feet, igniting his fist he gave a strong punch to Laxus's jaw. He backed up glaring at his two enemies. Natsu, and Gajeel once more punched in unison.
"Gajeel give me a boost!" Natsu yelled at Gajeel, before leaping into the air.
"Don't tell me what to do!" Gajeel snapped back, but still complied. Transforming his arm into a pillar and swung it forward just as Natsu placed his feet on it, shooting Natsu through the air like a torpedo. Controlling his flames to swell all around his body he soon was heading toward Laxus' direction in the form of a flaming missile. Laxus recovered from Natsu, and Gajeel's attacks, just in time to see Natsu flying at him. He clenched his fist causing it to spark and he waited until Natsu was in striking distance and swung. Natsu noticed this, and at the last second flipped in the air, the flames around him dying down, all except for around his feet. As Laxus attempted a punch, Natsu performed a flaming bicycle kick. Laxus blocked his forearm however, Natsu's eyes widened as Laxus grabbed his leg, and smashed him into the ground. Gajeel transformed his arm into a flail, he spun the spikey ball attached to a chain around before hopping off his feet he attempted to bring it down onto Laxus, who saw it coming, he evaded it by hopping backwards. Gajeel and Natsu gulped simultaneously.
"Shit…." Natsu muttered, and managed to roll out of the way of Gajeel's weapon at the last second. The tile on the ground shattered on impact. Natsu looked at the flail that left an indent in the ground, and followed the chain up to Gajeel's elbow. They soon made eye contact, blinked a few times, and then shot up to their feet and got into the other's faces.
"WATCH WHERE YOU ARE SWINGING THAT THING! YOU COULD HAVE TAKEN ME OUT!"
"IT'S NOT MY FAULT HE MOVED OUT OF THE WAY!"
"SO WHAT! YOU SUCH AT THIS TEAMWORK THING!"
"OH THAT'S RICH COMING FROM YOU! I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOU TO BUTT IN! I COULD'VE HANDLED THIS ON MY OWN!"
Laxus watched on with his arms crossed as the two teens bickered back and forth. He rolled his eyes.
"Sheesh, this is boring….and here I thought I'd get some sort of challenge to entertain myself until the Thunder Legion finished setting up the bombs….Speaking of them, I wonder what's making them take so long…" Laxus yawned into his palm. While the arguing from Natsu and Gajeel continued to echo throughout the cathedral.
"You know what….I got an idea!" Natsu smirked, Gajeel raised an annoyed eyebrow at him.
"This better be good…"
"Trust me it will be! Remember when we were fighting, and we did that thing with our mouths?"
"...What on earth are you talking about?!"
"Ya know! The thing we did where I blew out a vortex of fire, and you did the same thing, but with iron?"
"...I still have no idea what you are talking about."
"In my defense there is no easy way to describe it...The thing we did where we attacked each other, and they connected, and created the explosion?"
"Oh you mean my Iron Dragon"s Roar?" Gajeel asked, seemingly finally understanding what Natsu was insinuating.
"You gave it a name?...Nevermind….Yeah that, let's blow that smug grin off of his face."
"It's worth a shot…Bastard hasn't even broken into a sweat, and we are over here looking like we went through a wood chipper." Gajeel muttered as he glanced at Laxus who was yawning. Natsu looked down at his arms that were covered in small black scorch marks from Laxus's lightning. On top of his, and Gajeel injuries before the start of this fight the only way they were going to win was together. No matter how much they couldn't stand that.
Mirajane had finally met up with the other two members of Fairy Tail left unaffected Gray, and Erza. The three met up just outside the Lacrima Television building.
"So how do we go bout this?" Gray asked looking up at the tall building.
"I say we bust in, find the Thunder Legion, and get them to turn everyone back to normal, through whatever means necessary." Erza held out her swords, and began charging towards the door.
"Wait Erza…." Mira tried to reason with the redhead, but she had already stormed through the doors.
"Guess we are using Erza's plan…..no point in staying out here. C'mon Mira!" Gray ran after Erza, Mira just sighed, and followed suit. The three were soon standing in an empty lobby area. Erza was standing by a map of the building on the wall.
"Any idea where they could be?" Gray asked her as Mira glanced nervously around the room. Shouldn't there be people here? It was really quiet….too quiet if you will.
"I'm guessing they are in one of the broadcasting sets, the problem is I don't know which one." A beeping sound caught their attention. They all turned to face the elevator, it was on it's way down to them. Sending each other glances they quickly dove behind the front counter to hide themselves. Gray peeked his head up as the doors of the elevator slid open, he saw seven security guards come out of the elevator all with their guns drawn, but that's not what caught Gray's attention, it was their glowing green eyes. Mira, and Erza had also peeked to see what was going on.
"They're under Bickslow's control…" Mira stated bluntly recognizing the glowing green eyes.
"That's messed up. How can he even do that?" Gray whispered back.
"It's a trait all three members of the Thunder Legion share...they all possess some sort of eye power…."
"What?" Gray asked bluntly.
"Basically all three of them can do things with their eyes. Evergreen can turn people to stone, Bickslow can control living souls…I'm not sure what Freed's does, I have never seen it in action."
"The intruders are in here somewhere, spread out and find them!" One of the security guards commanded.
"What are we going to do?...We can't hurt them, they are innocent people." Mira stated. Gray, and Erza agreed, but the only way up was the elevators, there weren't any stairs that they could see.
"I got an idea…." Gray stated, smacking his fist against his palm the air in the room turned cold, he paced his hands onto the ground. A layer of ice began to coat the floor beneath them. The guards remained oblivious to this as they searched around the large room. The ice soon covered the entire floor, leading to the guards to slip and slide. Seizing their chance the three made a break for the elevator.
"THERE THEY ARE!" One of the guards shouted, recovering from the slippery floor, he held out his pistol and fired off several shots, a blinding light shined around Erza as she swapped armor. In an instant she was in her adamantine armor holding the large shields out, the bullets from the guards bouncing right off. Mira hurried to hit the top floor's glowing number on the panel, and close the elevator doors. They soon shut, but the sound of the bullets bouncing off the door could still be heard. Seconds later the three powerful inhumans were being pulled upwards, the sounds of gunfire were soon replaced by a catchy jingle coming through the elevator's speakers as it continued to pull them higher and higher through the building. Erza reverted back into her normal armor, while the other two leaned against the wall taking shaky breaths from their close encounter. Soon however the elevator came to a screeching halt, it had stopped moving so abruptly that the three passengers inside lost their balance, and toppled over.
"What's going on?" Erza asked, as they regained their balance.
"I don't know...We aren't even halfway up yet…" Gray noted after taking a glance at the LED screen that showed their current floor number.
"Someone must've stopped it…." Mira pieced together, and sure enough they could hear voices coming from the other side of the door.
"Hurry up, and force those doors open! The intruders are inside of it!"
"Aye sir!" Erza, Mira, and Gray all looked at each other as the doors were being slowly forced open by the guards on the other side.
"Shit...Gray create an ice wall to keep them from getting in!" Erza commanded, taking charge as she was known to do in high stress environments. Gray followed her orders, and with a quick slap of his fist he created a thick wall of ice. Erza looked around the box compartment for a hatch that they could slip through, and sure enough found it.
"Mira I'll give you a boost...come open the emergency hatch." She explained dropping to a knee, and cupping her hands together. Mira nodded, and placed her foot into Erza's hands, lifted her up enough for her to reach the square hatch door she swung it open, and climbed through the hole. Reaching her hand down she helped pull Erza up, and then Gray afterwards.
"Now what?" Gray looked at Erza who was staring up the elevator shaft. She pulled out her sword, and with her free hand grabbed onto one of the cables connected to the box.
"Grab on….I'm going to cut the other cable, and drop the box...theoretically it will give us up to the top."
"Umm, Erza I don't think that's the best plan." Mira deadpanned in her sweetest voice possible. Gray's face contorted into a grimace.
"I second that." Erza rolled her eyes at them.
"Perhaps you're right….I just have always wanted to try that…..Very well then, Gray can you create a ladder? Or something for us to scale up?" Gray looked at her like she was insane for a split second before doing what she requested. A very tall icy ladder soon came into existence, and leaned itself against the wall.
"Watch your step, it is ice after all so it's going to be slippery." He told the two girls as they began climbing up it at a slow, and steady pace, as to not fall. Gray began to follow them up it, but the guards had finally broken through the doors, and made quick work of his ice wall.
"Hurry up you two! We are going to have company shortly!" He yelled up the ladder, before jumping off it. He landed on the roof of the cable box, and shut the emergency hatch. Freezing it over for good measure, it wasn't going to stay shut forever though, so he needed to book it. He sprinted up the ladder, as did the other two. Luckily the elevator had taken them up nearly halfway so they didn't need to spend that much time climbing at the pace they were going.
Erza who was ahead of the other two on the ladder was nearing the end of it. She steadied herself once she was on the top, and grabbed her sword, sticking it into the crease between the sliding doors she attempted to pry the doors apart. Sure enough she was able to, the doors opened up into a dark hallway she climbed off the ladder, and into the hallway holding the doors open while awaiting the other two. They soon joined her, Gray made the ice ladder disappear just as the guards had managed to climb out through their hatch. Thinking on his feet, He froze the mechanism at the top of the shaft that pulled the box up to prevent them from following them.
"Good thinking." Mira exclaimed as Erza stepped away from the doors allowing them to shut once more, but this left them in the pitch black hallway, with no source of lighting.
"Thanks...Now let's figure out where we need to go next." Gray fished out his cellphone, and turned on his flashlight illuminating the hallway they were in. Erza, and Mira did the same.
"At the very least we could try to find the lightswitch." Erza stated as they began creeping through the halls. They could hear noise up ahead so that's the direction they went. Turning a corner they could see lights that weren't coming from their phones so after pocketing them they walked towards the light. It was coming from a room with a sign on the door stating that it was a broadcasting room. They all walked in at the same time finding themselves face to faces with a bunch of people all wearing badges that let them into the building, each and every one of them with glowing green eyes. They didn't even seem to notice the three intruders as they stayed at their stations, clicking away at keyboards, or speaking into their headsets.
"Well that explains how they were able to broadcast that video all over Magnolia…" Gray noted, Mira shivered.
"It feels like we are in some kind of horror movie…"
"Agreed, but let's focus on getting them to stop broadcasting. After that we need to take out Evergreen, and the others maybe then everyone will revert to normal." Erza walked forward, and waved her hand in front of a random person. Their gaze stayed transfixed on the screen in front of them not paying her any attention.
"Freaky." Gray spoke as he did the same as Erza. Mira looked around the room, something seemed off. Those guards knew they were here somehow, and they also knew they were in the elevator to stop it seconds after they got in. It was almost as if they were being watched.
"That's it….Guys I know where Bickslow is! We need to find the security room!" Mira explained, the other two looked at her, and nodded. It was as good a guess as any. They turned and exited the room still not being noticed by the workers inside of it.
"Any clue where the room could be?" Mira questioned the others. Gray shrugged, and turned to face Erza who was straining her brain to remember the layout of the building.
"If memory serves me correctly it should be just below us."
"Perfect...Let's find the stairs this time, I don't trust the elevator." Gray muttered. Earning two nods in agreement. They walked around the hallways once more after turning their flashlights back on. Soon they came to the set of stairs they seeked. Walking down it they opened the door on the floor that was directly under the previous one. Luckily this one was illuminated, a reassuring sign that they would find Bickslow. The second they walked through the door however they were greeted by the sounds of cocking guns aimed at them.
"RUN!" Gray shouted at them, and they took off in the opposite direction of the six guards that were waiting by the door. Gray hung back, and quickly forged a wall of ice, as they began firing. The bullets were going slowly chipping away at the ice, but he didn't have time to worry about that, he took off running after Erza, and Mira. His loud footsteps echoing throughout the hall. He slid as he rounded a sharp corner, but soon came to a stop. Erza, and Mira were standing completely still as if they were frozen, glowing purple ancient text swarmed around them.
"GUYS? What happened?" He asked them while he rushed over to them. They seemed to be enclosed in a square of the purple text.
"Freed set a trap...And we sprung it." Erza explained, slightly ashamed that she let herself get imprisoned.
"They must've known that they weren't going to transform everyone, and that people would come to stop them." Mira added, Gray growled.
"Okay. I'll get you guys free…Somehow." Gray stated, just then five wooden dolls flew in their direction, and began spinning in a circle.
"This can't be good…." Erza spoke, since she was unable to move she couldn't switch into her adamantine armor to protect them. Gray, and Mira watched on as the dolls spun faster, and began to glow. Suddenly a green beam shot from the center of them, heading directly for Mira, and Erza. Gray reacted quickly, as the two motionless heroines were helpless to get out of the way. Slapping his hands on the ground a thick ice rampart appeared to block them from the blast. However, it was still strong enough to break right through it, and hit the three of them, luckily the rampart did cushion the blow a little so the blast didn't hit them with the full force it would've without Gray reacting. The three of them were flung backwards, all of them getting a couple of fresh bruises from it. Struggling up to their feet they heard footsteps coming from both directions. Turning their heads down the hallway that the stairway connected to, the six guards were running towards them, meanwhile straight ahead there was only one person.
"Well. Well. Well. Looks like Ever missed a few of you punks huh? Oh I'll be sure to never let her live this failure down!" He laughed, sticking his tongue out showing off his Fairy Tail emblem. The five dolls from before began swarming around him.
"Bickslow….Release these innocent people from your possession! Or you will face my wrath." Erza stood up now free from Freed's trap, she requipped into her Heaven's Wheel armor. Bickslow seemed unfazed.
"I don't think so Erza...Ya see Laxus wants his plan to succeed, and I don't wanna be the one to disappoint him, but I'll tell ya what...if ya leave now….I just might let you live." His voice turned strangely sinister, for the final part of his sentence before he began laughing again.
"What is Laxus's plan? We are all Fairy Tail….why would you want to kill us?" Mira asked softly. Bickslow looked in her direction, and grinned.
"Laxus wants to weed out the weaklings...that's all. Don't worry though it's not just people in Fairy Tail that are going to perish…..Why Laxus likes to think big." Once more a wicked laugh came from Bickslow's mouth, Erza clutched her sword tighter.
"What does that mean?" Bickslow didn't respond, instead he just kept laughing.
"ANSWER ME!" She bellowed. Bickslow stopped laughing at once, his mouth turned into a frown. They couldn't see his expression thanks to the helmet, but it almost seemed like he was sad about something.
"It means…..By sunrise...Magnolia will be taken off the map completely. Up in smoke…..nothing left but piles of ash." He spoke softly.
"A restart….Laxus recognizes that we are the superior race. Why should we be forced to hide our powers to fit in with society….Laxus wishes to eradicate Magnolia, and all those that inhabit it, Fairy Tail included so that he can rebuild it, rebuild Fairy Tail….He has a vision of a future where we aren't shunned for being different….but revered! As we speak Freed, and Ever are setting up the fireworks all over the city!" Mira, Gray, and Erza stood there mortified as Bickslow returned to his insane laughter. Gray clenched his fist. Sure his whole family had powers, his Aunt Ur, his two cousins Lyon, and Ultear...sure they all had ice powers, and his girlfriend had powers as well, but he was still friends with so many people at Magnolia High. Normal people, who had normal families. Without a second thought he rushed at Bickslow. Bickslow wasn't ready for this, and Gray punched him right in the face sending him backwards. Erza, and Mira stood shellshocked, as Bickslow landed on his back. The guards' eyes returned to normal, as they looked around confused.
"Get out of here! Go find the other two! I can handle him!" Gray yelled back at Mira, and Erza.
"You sure?" Mira asked, Gray didn't respond as he got into a fighting stance while Bickslow stood back up.
"He'll be fine, besides he's right we need to go find Freed, and Evergreen. You all should get out of here as well!" Erza grabbed Mira's arm, and tugged her towards the stairs, the guards following behind them now out of their trance throwing their weapons on the ground in the process. This left Gray, and Bickslow alone in the hall. Bickslow laughed as he wiped blood off his chin.
"You gotta mean left hook there slugger." Bickslow laughed. Gray shrugged.
"Yeah well ya know I play hockey, have to know how to throw a good punch…" Gray dryly stated, although it was a joke there was no humor behind it, he was deadly serious. He wasn't going to allow Laxus to go through with this plan. Bickslow chuckled at it however.
"Fair enough...Now babies….get him!" He pointed his index finger at Gray, and his dolls flew at him. Gray ducked them as they flew over his head.
"Good! Now VICTORY FORMATION!" He shouted. Gray whipped his head around to face the dolls, and quickly froze them. They fell to the ground frozen solid, and Gray slapped the wall. Ice blocks came flying from the wall aimed at Bickslow. He threw his arms up to block them, but there were so many that it still knocked him back.
"LINE FORMATION!" He grunted out. The dolls behind Gray broke free of their frozen state, and stacked up onto each other. Gray turned around in time to be hit by a vertical crescent shaped beam. This knocked Gray down onto his back, but he quickly flipped back onto his feet. A large ice hammer formed in Gray's hands, Bickslow reacted by once again shouting a command to his dolls.
"X-FORMATION!" He crossed his arms, and at once the dolls formed a 'X' above him just as Gray brought the hammer down onto him leaving him unaffected by Gray's attack. Bickslow smirked, and opened up the faceplate of his mask, his eyes glowed green. Gray saw what Bickslow was controlling, the pistols that the guards left behind.
"Crap. Not good!" He explained quickly creating a wall once again to protect himself from the bullets. While he was focused on the guns however Bickslow's dolls had once more formed a circle, and were beginning to spin, and glow. The green blast shot towards him, and he shut his eyes tight awaiting the impact.
Chapter 19: The Three Dragons
A/N: Soooooooo…...Admittedly I was unable to update this because I contracted Covid. I wear my mask, and socially distance unfortunately my job forces me to deal with clients who don't, I'm okay now. It did suck though I took a month off work, and was pretty sick for a good two weeks, since then I have been trying to make up stuff at work. Luckily I am all caught up now and can return to this! Sorry for the wait! I'll have the next chapter up soon! Stay safe!