Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon
Chapter 22
Nikolias dabbed his forehead with his shirt as he walked back towards the guild. He had been training for about an hour and worked up quite a sweat. Normally, he wouldn't put so much energy into his training, but there was a war coming up and he needed to make sure that he was at his best. Besides, he wasn't too thrilled at his energy level after the mission with Lisanna. He needed to be sure that his wound had truly healed up and after his training, he felt confident that he was at 100% for sure.
He threw his shirt over his shoulder and opened the doors to the guild. Inside, he saw the usual; people eating, people talking, people laughing. Nothing out of the ordinary—until Gracie ran up to him.
"Niky!" she shouted as she nearly tackled him to the ground. Fortunately, he reacted fast enough to avoid being knocked over. "Eww, you're all sweaty."
"I was training. What's with all the peppiness, anyway?" he asked.
Gracie removed herself from him and looked at herself in disgust. "I'm all stinky and gross now. Thanks."
"No one asked you to attack me."
"You never sweat this much when training."
"I needed to push myself a bit. Now are you gonna answer my question?" he asked, annoyed.
"What question?"
"Why are you so peppy?"
"Oh, that wasn't rhetorical?"
He sighed. "No, it wasn't rhetorical."
"Got it! Well, the reason I'm so peppy is that I heard some big news a little while ago!" she exclaimed while clapping her hands together.
He raised an eyebrow. "Oh? What would that be?"
She leaned in close with a big smile on her face. "Natsu and Lucy are a couple!"
At hearing this, Nikolias couldn't help but smile. "No kidding? Wow, that's great! I guess he listened to me after all. I wonder why he didn't tell me earlier?"
"Who knows and who cares!"
He laughed. "Guess you're right. Well, I'm gonna go shower."
"Good idea," she said while pinching her nose. "You're starting to offend."
"Shut up," he huffed as he walked past her and up to the showers.
20 minutes later, Nikolias turned off the water and sighed. It felt good to be clean after such a great workout. He also now had a plan going forward.
As soon as he got dressed, he would find Mira and ask her out again. Then, he would tell her exactly how he felt and hope that she would return his feelings. How he was going to tell her was still a mystery to him, but he was sure that when the moment was right, he would be able to find the right words.
He stepped out of the shower and put on his underwear and pants. However, he needed a new shirt to wear since his other one was soaking wet and reeked of sweat. He was about to head for the door when he heard it open. He turned his head and saw Cana standing in the doorway with a seductive smile.
"Hey there, stud," Cana cooed.
"Cana? What the hell are you doing here? This is the guys' shower room."
She began walking slowly over to him. "You know, you and I have barely spoken to each other at all since you got here."
"Okay, I'm sorry about that, but now is really not the time for it," he said as he subconsciously backed away.
"Oh, but now is the time. You're gonna have to pay for practically ignoring me for the past month."
"Pay?" he gulped.
"Yes, pay. You're gonna show me exactly how you drive women crazy," she said with a mischievous grin.
"I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh, c'mon. Do I really have to spell it out for you?"
"That'd be apprecieated." Suddenly, his back hit the wall of the shower.
Cana quickly closed the gap, pressing her body against his. "You're gonna fuck me. Right here. Right now."
'Oh, you've gotta be fucking KIDDING ME!' Nikolias shouted in his head. "Look Cana, I'm sorry if you feel like I've been ignoring you, but I'm not gonna fuck you. I'll just try harder to talk to you and everyone else."
She pretended to think about it. "Mmmm…no. I wanna feel you inside me. That's the only thing I'll accept."
"Sorry, but I'm going to have to decline."
She laughed. "You make it sound like you have a say in the matter."
"I think I have all the say in the matter!"
"That's cute." She reached down and grabbed his penis through his pants. "My, you're certainly packing."
'Why do all of the girls suddenly want to rape me?' he thought to himself as he pushed Cana's hand away. "Cana seriously. Back off."
"I can't do that," she said while shaking her head. "See, the girls and I have a little 'competition' to see who will win you."
'My God, they've all lost their minds!'
"Mira may have the lead, but Lisanna, Laki, and I aren't gonna back down without a fight. It's not the Fairy Tail way."
'Why do I get the bad feeling that Laki's attempt is right around the corner?'
"So now, I'm looking to take the lead and the prize in one fell swoop."
"Cana, I'm flattered. Really I am. But I'm not going to do this, so please just knock it off."
"Again, it's happening whether you want it to or not."
Nikolias felt trapped. If Cana was an enemy, she'd be dead right now. But she was a friend and ally. How was he going to get out of this without physically harming her?
And then he heard something that he never thought he would hear—snoring.
He looked down at Cana and, sure enough, she had fallen asleep. He looked at her more closely and noticed the flush in her cheeks. And then he couldn't help but laugh. "Thank God, she was just really, really drunk," he said as he picked her up to bring her out of the shower. "She was gonna be a lot harder to convince than Lisanna." He walked out of the bathroom and over to the infirmary where Cana could sleep it off. He placed her on the bed and sighed before turning and leaving to go to his room. "This really does have to stop. I can't keep it up. It's not good for my health."
Nikolias found a black shirt with gold, jagged patterns that he had bought when shopping a while back and pulled it on. Now fully dressed and drunk girl-free, he decided to go find Mira.
He walked into the Main Hall and searched for Mira. He couldn't see her anywhere, so he assumed she was back in the kitchen. He was about to head over there when he noticed Natsu and Lucy sitting together, talking to a few people. He smiled as he walked over.
Natsu noticed him walking over and shot him a smile. "Hey Nikolias!"
Nikolias stopped beside them. "Well Natsu, you didn't tell me that you and Lucy were together."
Natsu chuckled as he scratched the back of his head. "Well, we were practicing fighting and it just didn't really come up."
Nikolias laughed. "Don't worry, it's fine. I'm happy for you two."
"Thanks Nikolias, but I really should have told you," Natsu confessed. "After all, if it weren't for you, who knows when I would have realized how I felt and acted on it? Lucy could've ended up with another guy."
"Oh don't thank me. This is all you, Natsu. The words I spoke to you only would have affected you if it were truly how you felt. If anything, I slapped you awake."
"Well I'm glad you did," Lucy said as she leaned on Natsu's arm.
"I just wanted to personally offer my congratulations to you two. I'll talk to you later," he said as he walked away with a wave.
Natsu nodded. "You got it and thanks again!"
Nikolias headed over to the kitchen and peered inside. There he saw Mira hard at work, cooking food for the guild. He smiled as he knocked on the door frame. "Can I come in?"
Mira turned and smiled when she saw Nikolias. "Hello Nikolias. Do you need something?"
He took a few steps inside. "I was wondering if you'd like to go out tonight. If you're free, that is."
Mira nodded. "I'd love to. What time?"
"I'll pick you up at 7?"
"Sounds like a plan."
"Great. Well I'll let you cook in peace," he said as he turned to leave.
"You can help if you want," Mira called out.
He stopped in his tracks. The last time he tried to actually cook food he nearly blew up the campsite he and Gracie were staying at. He wasn't sure how he did it, but he found a way. He turned to face her. "I'll help as best I can, but I shouldn't do any cooking."
"Why not?"
"I may kill everyone."
Mira giggled. "Okay then, you'll be my assistant!"
"Alright then. What should I do first?"
"Hand me the sugar?"
"Sure." He walked over to where the sugar sat and handed it to her. "What are you making anyway?"
"A cake for Natsu and Lucy," she replied as she poured some sugar into the mixing bowl in front of her.
"Man you guys really do celebrate everything, don't you?"
"This was big news. Everyone always thought that they'd end up together. And besides, I like to bake and I want to do something nice for them."
"You certainly are thoughtful."
Mira blushed. "I'm glad you think so. Hand me the flour, please?" Nikolias reached up to grab the flour and Mira couldn't help but ogle his body while he stretched. The black shirt he was wearing was a very tight fit and his muscles were pushing against the fabric. She could make out every rippling muscle and she could feel herself getting very hot.
"Mira?"
She snapped out of her daze to find Nikolias handing her the flour. "Oh, thank you," she said, taking the flour.
"You alright?"
"I'm fine," she said, trying desperately to hide her blush. She started to stir the ingredients, but her hands were shaking.
"You're shaking."
"I'm okay."
"Are you sure?" he asked, concern clear in his voice.
"I'm sure," she said—right as her shaky hand slipped. The batter in the bowl flew out and landed all over Nikolias. She put a hand to her mouth. "I'm so sorry!"
He chuckled. "Don't worry about it." He put a finger in his mouth. "Damn, that was gonna be a good cake."
Mira picked up a rag. "Here let me clean you off."
"Thanks. How ironic is it that I literally just washed up? Some luck."
Mira was barely listening. She was too focused on her task. She had an excuse to run her hands all over Nikolias' solid body and she planned on absorbing every second of it. She started with his abs, slowly wiping away the batter that clung to his shirt, before moving up to his chest. Once that was done, she paused and blushed. "You should…probably take that off so I can wash it. I wouldn't want it to get stained."
Nikolias looked at his shirt. "I don't think it will stain. It is black, after all."
She cursed in her mind at failing to get his shirt off, but she sighed instead. "If you're sure." She then moved up to his face. There wasn't a lot of batter there, but she intended to spend the most time there. Using a clean portion of the rag, she began slowly and carefully wiping away the batter on his right cheek. She leaned in closely, gently pressing her body against his. She felt him tense up slightly from the contact, but soon felt him relax again. Once his right cheek was clear, she moved to his left cheek. In this position, her face was very close to Nikolias'. She could feel his eyes on her, watching her every move carefully. She stole a glance at him and their eyes met.
"I think my cheek is clean," Nikolias said in an oddly wavering voice.
She nodded and carefully examined the rest of his face. She then noticed a very small bit of batter on his bottom lip. She leaned in closer still and began to dab away the batter.
"Mira," he said softly.
She looked up at him, their faces so close that Mira felt excitement and anticipation run through her entire body. "Yes?" she asked as she slowly leaned in closer. To her surprise, Nikolias seemed to be leaning in closer as well. Their lips were so close now and Mira was holding her breath, excited for what was about to happen.
"I want to tell you that I…," Nikolias began, but was interrupted by a blaring sound that filled the entire guild. "What the hell is that?"
Mira's eyes widened. "That's the alarm that was set to sound when Freed and Levy's runes were triggered."
Nikolias narrowed his eyes. "So they're here."
"We should find out. It could just be a traveling wizard."
He nodded. "Let's go then." The two then ran out of the kitchen to join up with everyone else. Once in the Main Hall, they stood with everyone around Makarov.
Makarov stood on the bar counter. "Alright everyone, according to the runes, the group that has crossed the border is very large, so we can only assume that the Bloody Moon guild is approaching. We need to move fast so that we can face them outside of the town. We'll discuss along the way. Everyone grab what you need quickly." Everyone hastened to get their things that were strewn about the guild hall.
"Master Makarov," Nikolias called out. "How fast do you want to get there?"
"As fast as we can. Why?" Makarov asked, curious as to why Nikolias was asking such a question.
Nikolias smiled. "I can give us a lift."
Makarov thought it over. "You think you can carry everyone?"
"It may be a little packed, but Gracie will probably sit on my head, so there should be plenty of room."
"Hey!" Gracie exclaimed, pissed off at the unintentional insult.
"Well we can try it. Anything to get us there quickly. I'll join Gracie on your head so that I can easily tell you where to land."
Nikolias nodded and headed out of the guild.
Makarov jumped off of the counter. "Let's go everyone. The battle begins now."
Everyone walked out of the guild, supplies in hand, and saw Nikolias on all fours and surrounded by shadows. He disappeared and a few seconds later, he reappeared as a massive black dragon. He roared as he flapped his wings before lying down to let everyone climb aboard. One by one, the Fairy Tail guild climbed onto Nikolias' back. If they weren't about to fly off to war, they would have all been incredibly excited. Instead, the mood was somber.
Once everyone was on board, Makarov sat beside Gracie on top of Nikolias' skull. Gracie saw that he was situated and gave Nikolias a quick rap on the head. "We're all set, Niky. Take off."
Nikolias rose to his feet. "Tell everyone to hold on tight. The liftoff may be tricky with so many people."
Gracie turned around. "Everyone hold on as we prepare for takeoff!" Everyone did as they were told. "Good to go."
Nikolias nodded his understanding. He pushed off of the ground with great force and began forcefully flapping his wings to gain altitude. He climbed higher and higher and soon began flying off at high speed.
"It's that way, my boy!" Makarov called out over the wind while pointing in the direction of the alert. Nikolias turned his head around to see where he was pointing. Once he understood the desired bearing, he nodded and adjusted his direction.
"How far out is it, Master?" Gracie asked.
Makarov thought. "We set the runes a few miles out as you know. The only question is how fast they are approaching and how much ground they covered while we were preparing to leave. We'll set down on a plain just a mile out of town. It's the perfect place for this battle. There are rocks that can be used for cover, but it's wide open enough to give us clear views of them."
Gracie nodded. "Makes sense."
"Tell me, Gracie. What will you and Nikolias be doing?"
"I'll be on the ground obviously. Niky will either be on the ground with us or in the air as a partial dragon providing coverage. To avoid hurting any allies, we'll avoid full-on dragon mode."
"Fine, but if the need arises, Nikolias," he said while raising his voice once more, "do not be afraid to send them all straight to hell with your dragon form."
Nikolias nodded. "Tell him I understand."
"He's got it," Gracie relayed.
Makarov peered ahead. He couldn't believe how much ground they were covering. He could already see the plain. He tapped Nikolias' head. "Down there, Nikolias. That plain there."
Nikolias began his descent. As he got closer, he could feel restless souls on his back itching to dismount and fight. "Gracie, tell those guys back there to settle down. Landing is going to be delicate with so many people."
Gracie turned her head. "Hey guys, cool it. We're gonna land soon, so just be patient."
Nikolias angled his wings to slow his descent and gave two mighty flaps before settling as gently as he could on the ground. He lowered his belly to the dirt and waited for everyone to hop off.
Gracie watched everyone jump off of Nikolias' back and, once it was clear, she gave him a pat.
Shadows began dancing around Nikolias, completely covering him for a few seconds before vanishing, revealing Nikolias in his human form.
"We gotta do that again sometime," Romeo commented.
"Maybe when it's not wartime," Laxus offered. "For now, we focus."
"Right. Now listen up everyone," Makarov called out. "Any minute now, the Bloody Moon guild will appear and this long awaited confrontation will begin. I want you all to listen carefully. To avoid confusion, miscommunication, or anything of the sort, I will break you all up into groups. Said groups will be as follows. Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and Gray will be one group. Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen are another group. The third group will be Mira, Lisanna, and Elfman. Juvia, Gajeel, Levy, Jet, and Droy are the next group. Gildarts, Laki, Kinana, Cana, and Max are another group. The final group will be Alzack, Bisca, myself, Macao, Wakaba, and Romeo. Nikolias and Gracie, you two will do your thing as a duo. Wendy, hang back as much as possible and heal anyone who needs it. Does everyone understand? Stay in these groups and watch each others' backs."
Everyone nodded and began breaking off into their respective groups. The talk was minimal, for everyone was just waiting for it all to begin.
And about five minutes later, they came.
"Master, we have arrived," said a Bloody Moon mage to Severo.
Severo and the Grand Lord had been carried by Juggernaut in a protective portable shrine. Severo nodded. "Understood. Have the troops get into position."
The mage bowed low. "As you wish," he replied before vanishing to fulfill Severo's order.
Severo rose from his seat. "You should be able to watch comfortably from here, Grand Lord. I hope the bloodshed will please you." With incredible speed, the Grand Lord reached out and gripped Severo's arm tightly, causing him to wince in pain. "Grand Lord?"
"Let me say it one more time, Severo," he said slowly. "No one is to kill the dragon but me. The consequences for disobeying will be severe. Is that understood?"
"Y…Yes, Grand Lord," Severo stuttered before being released.
"Good. I look forward to joining the battle later. I need to see some death to put me in the right mood," the Grand Lord said with an evil grin.
Severo returned the grin. "Understood. You will see plenty of death, Grand Lord. Take it all in and if the mood suits you, we would be honored to fight by your side."
The Grand Lord waved his hand. "Dismissed."
Severo bowed and exited the shrine. Apparently, there was a fairly steep incline at the end of the plain and that was where Juggernaut set them down. Severo thought it was a brilliant location. This way, he and the Grand Lord could actually look down on the pathetic fairies. He looked around to see his troops in formation and ready to strike. And on the far side of the plain, he could see the Fairy Tail guild prepared for battle as well. He grinned. "I've been waiting for this day for too long." He turned his head slightly to the side. "Juggernaut. Stryke. Vanish. Stealth. You four stay with me. We don't need to get involved here. It would be over too quickly and we cannot disappoint the Grand Lord."
Stryke snorted. "C'mon Master, let me get in there. I've been itching to cut somethin' up."
"Yes, I would very much like to pound those particular five fairies who ran away from me before," Juggernaut added.
"My order is absolute," Severo said. "You should watch your tongues, you two." He then glared at the two of them. "You never know when you could be parted from them."
The two paled slightly and nodded their understanding.
"Master Severo, the troops appear to be ready," Stealth said.
Severo lifted his arm and silently dropped it down. The Bloody Moon guild gave a mighty battle cry before storming down the hill. Severo laughed wickedly. "And so it begins!"
"Here they come!" Erza called out while preparing herself. "Remember your groups! Look out for each other!"
"They outnumber us, but that doesn't matter," Laxus bellowed. "Show them the Fairy Tail way!"
Everyone cheered and charged forward.
The Grand Lord looked out through the window of the shrine, an evil grin on his face and his eyes fixed on his prey. "Just a little bit longer."
Natsu rushed ahead of his group, hands ablaze. "Let's do this, guys!"
"Natsu, be careful!" Lucy warned. "Don't try to take on too much too soon."
"Got it!" he called back before leaping towards one of the Bloody Moon mages. "FIRE DRAGON WING ATTACK!" Upon command, streams of fire poured from his hands and he swung them at his target. The Bloody Moon mage was completely caught off guard and was sent flying into some of his allies.
Lucy sweat-dropped. "Well he sort of listened."
"We should join in!" Gray shouted as he, too, leapt forward. "ICE MAKE: HAMMER!" A massive hammer if ice appeared in the air. Gray grabbed the shaft and swung the hammer down with incredible force, knocking several mages away.
"Yeah, you're right!" Lucy exclaimed while whipping out her keys. "OPEN GATE OF THE BULL! TAURUS!" In a flash of light, Taurus appeared on the battlefield, his massive ax resting on his shoulders. He turned to Lucy and blushed. "Luuuucy! Your body still drives me crazy!"
"Watch it, Taurus. I'm spoken for now. Just beat the crap out of those Bloody Moon freaks!" Lucy demanded.
Taurus swung his ax around, batting away a few enemy mages. "As you wish!"
Erza had requipped into her Robe of Yuen armor. This armor was a fairly simple and revealing purple sleeveless tunic that was held closed by a large dark obi with a thin red rope tied around it and a wide closing ribbon on the back. A lighter, smaller, white belt also held it closed. A pink, flower-patterned cloth circled Erza's waist on the back and sides and was held in place by the obi and belt. Two long cloths hung underneath the pink cloth; one covering her groin and the other covering her backside, almost reaching the back of her knees and sporting jagged edges. She wore pink stockings that went up her thighs and simple sandals on her feet. In her hand, she wielded a bisento, which she swung at her enemies, knocking them all several feet away. "Fight hard, everyone!"
The four continued to plow through the Bloody Moon forces without much trouble.
"Something is weird," Natsu said as he used a Fire Dragon Claw to kick away a small group of mages.
"What is it, Natsu?" Lucy asked.
"These guys feel so…weak."
Gray put his right fist into his left palm and used his Ice Make: Arrow technique to shoot down a few mages. "You know, you're right. These guys are nothing compared to that Critik guy. This will be a piece of cake."
Erza swung her bisento around in a crescent shape, knocking away a few Bloody Moon mages who were attempting to get close. "Keep your guard up. There's too much we don't know. At any point in time, they could unleash a secret weapon that we haven't seen."
"Right!" the three Fairy Tail mages cried as they continued their assault.
Severo growled at the sight before him. "Damn those fairies. They're running right through our troops."
"Well, those are ground troops, Master," Stryke pointed out. "They aren't strong. Plus, none of us can use long range magic, so we have to use close combat. They can take us down before we are able to get close enough to fight back. Come to think of it, the only one of us who used long range magic was Critik."
"I don't need your negativity, Stryke," Severo hissed.
"My apologies, Master," Stryke said with a bow. "If you wish, I will join the fighting."
"No, I have a better idea," Severo said with a grin while turning his head. "You there! Come here!"
The mage he pointed to walked over. "Yes Master?"
"Go hook yourself up to the Main Cannon. We're going to fire a shot that not only will take down at least one fairy, but it will surely lower their morale."
"The Main Cannon, Master?" Stryke asked. "That's a bit drastic, don't you think?"
Severo glared at him. "Watch yourself, Stryke. You are taking too many liberties." He returned his attention to the mage before him. "Do you understand?"
"Yes Master," the mage replied before running over to the Main Cannon, which was at least twice the size of the cannons surrounding the now former Bloody Moon guild hall. He hooked himself to the cannon and it began to gently hum. Blood began flowing through the connector tubes and into the cannon. "Connection successful. Approximately 3 minutes to charge for a shot." The Main Cannon was a lot stronger, but it couldn't fire multiple shots quickly. Each shot had to be charged up and called for significant blood prices per shot as well.
Severo nodded. "Good. When you can fire, aim away from the dragon. Understood?"
"Understood. Where should I aim then?"
"As far away as possible. I don't care where as long as it stays away from him."
"Yes Master."
Severo returned to watch the pathetic battle. "Don't worry, Grand Lord. You will see fairy blood shortly. I will make sure of it."
"Niky!" Gracie called out while running to him. Without needing another word, Nikolias turned towards her just as she made a small leap. He caught her feet and flipped her, allowing her to dodge an incoming Bloody Moon attack. She landed behind her attacker and swiftly cut through his back with her katana. "On your six!"
Nikolias, whose black blades were extending from his forearms, immediately ducked down and avoided a punch. He spun on the ground so that he was facing his target and made a quick uppercut swipe. The Bloody Moon mage's eyes were frozen in pain and fear as he split in two.
Nikolias and Gracie were determined to do things their way since they got permission from Master Makarov. And doing things their way meant no survivors. Unlike everyone else in the guild, the ground around these two was littered with corpses from the countless fools who tried to take them on. Their teamwork was as sound as ever.
"Niky, large group incoming!" Gracie called as she stutter stepped around an attack and cleaved off the attacker's arm before swiftly spinning and plunging one of her katanas in the man's back.
Nikolias immediately gathered shadows into his right hand as an orb. "SHADOW DRAGON PULSE!" Nikolias fired the orb of shadow into the fast approaching mass of mages. It collided with the first mage with incredible force, blowing him to pieces and sending out a blast of shadows that knocked everyone else away with such power that several breaking bones could be heard. After firing the orb, Nikolias quickly spun around, slashing through multiple Bloody Moon mages with his black blades. "Gracie, impale at three!"
Gracie spun her right katana in her hand so that the blade was pointing towards her. She then swiftly lifted her arm and thrust her arm to the right, impaling a Bloody Moon mage in the neck just as he was about to strike her with an ax. He spit out blood before going limp. Gracie quickly drew out her blade, letting the man fall to the ground, and went back to striking down the other attackers. "This is a cake walk."
Nikolias sent a devastating Shadow Dragon Fierce Kick at a Bloody Moon mage, cracking all of his ribs and killing him instantly. "It does seem like these guys can't fight well. It's odd that they would even be used. What could the higher ups possibly want to accomplish here?"
"I don't know," Gracie answered while jumping back a bit and then lunging forward, plunging her katanas into the torso of her target. She pulled out the blades in a horizontal manner, slicing him open and allowing his blood and some organs to spill out. "Maybe they want to give us a warm-up?"
Nikolias chuckled. "Wow, this really isn't a challenge for you if you're making jokes during a fight."
Gracie giggled. "What can I say? I enjoy challenges."
"Don't we all." Suddenly, a bright red light caught Nikolias' attention. "What the hell is that?"
Gracie sliced through her nearest attacker. "What is what?"
"Do you see that red light over there?" he asked while plunging his black blade into the heart of an attacking mage without looking.
Gracie looked where he was looking, but only for a split second until she had to dodge an attack. "I think I see it. It's really far away. My eyes aren't as good as yours you know."
"It looks like one of those cannons from before but larger," he said.
"They brought one of those cannons here? That's not good," she said.
Nikolias stared at the light intensely while continuously slashing through anyone who attacked. He studied it for a while before his eyes widened. "Based on where it's pointing…," he began while his eyes followed the predicted trajectory, "…no." And then he took off running towards the other side of the plain.
"Niky!" Gracie called while plunging a katana into two different attackers. "Where are you going?"
He didn't answer, however. He was in too much of a hurry, for the sound of a low hum had reached his ears. There was no time to waste.
"Look out, Lisanna!" Elfman called out.
Lisanna, who was in her Animal Soul: Cat form, turned to see a Bloody Moon mage attempting to stab her with a sword. She ducked low just in time to dodge the attack. Elfman then swung his Beast Arm: Black Bull at the attacker and hit him into a few of his allies. "Thanks, brother," Lisanna said while staying on guard.
"Of course! Helping one's sister is what it means to be a man!" Elfman exclaimed.
Mira, who was in her Satan Soul form, swooped down from the sky, landing on two Bloody Moon mages and knocking them unconscious. She then began charging a sphere of dark energy between her hands. "DEMON BLAST!" From her hands, Mira fired a concentrated beam of darkness outwards, knocking away and seriously injuring several Bloody Moon mages. She released the Demon Blast and began to pant.
"Sister, are you alright?" Elfman asked Mira while sending a powerful punch towards an attacker.
"I'm starting to tire," Mira said while still panting. "I think I have one more attack in me before I'm drained."
"Mira, you should fall back while you still have energy to spare," Lisanna said. "It's too dangerous for you here if you're out of power."
Mira shook her head. "I'll help you all fight for as long as I can. I'll just have to make it one hell of an attack." Mira once again charged a sphere of darkness in her hand. "EVIL EXPLOSION!" The sphere turned into a vortex in Mira's hands before firing outwards as a powerful beam, completely destroying the ground beneath a large group of Bloody Moon mages. Though the destruction was impressive, it was taxing enough to force Mira out of her Satan Soul. "I really need to work on stamina."
"Mira, you need to fall back!" Lisanna called out while slashing at some enemies with her claws.
"She's right, sister! Being a man is knowing when to fall back!" Elfman bellowed.
"I want to help fight!" Mira exclaimed. "Just let me rest for a second and I'll be as good as new!"
Suddenly, a low hum could be heard.
"What is that?" Lisanna asked.
"I don't know," Mira replied.
Then the sound of cannon fire was heard.
"Was that a cannon?" Elfman asked.
"They have cannons somewhere?" Lisanna asked. And then Lisanna spotted something; a massive red blast flying right towards them. "Mira, look out!"
Mira turned to see the red blast flying right towards her. Without her magic, she couldn't block it or fly away. She didn't have time to move, for it was moving far too fast. All she could do was watch in fear.
Until she felt a shove that pushed her far to the right.
Mira fell to the ground just as the blast passed by, missing her completely. She turned her head and looked up to see what had just happened and her eyes widened while her mouth hung open.
There, standing where she had just been standing not a second ago, was Nikolias, a massive hole through his chest from where the blast hit him. He stood there, motionless, a look of shock on his face while blood ran from his mouth and poured from his chest and back.
"NIKOLIAS!"
