Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.
Hey everyone! This was supposed to be up days ago, but I kept getting this weird error message every time I tried to upload. But thank goodness it's all fixed now! Until next time! Enjoy!
WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! Read at your own risk. There's still original stuff in here, but if you haven't gotten to this point in the anime/manga, then some things may be ruined for you. I advise catching up to the anime/manga if you haven't already (for more reasons than just reading my story)! Thank you and enjoy!
Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon
Chapter 94
"Cardinal Lapointe?" Gran Doma asked, shocked. "You're saying he broke out Oración Séis?"
Lahar was bowed low as he delivered his report via lacrima. While he wasn't present in the meeting chamber, the magic tool allowed him to appear as a hologram. "Yes, sir. We have irrefutable evidence showing him to be the culprit. Please allow me to investigate."
Gran Doma shook his head. "No. The time is not right."
Lahar looked up towards the Magic Council Chairman. "Why not, sir?"
"You fail to see how large Zentopia is," Gran Doma replied.
The magic deactivated and Lahar could no longer see or speak with the Magic Council heads. He didn't even have time to question the Chairman's reasoning. He sighed heavily and turned towards his friend and partner. "Sorry, Doranbolt, but it looks like…"
"They don't want to act, right?" Doarnbolt interrupted.
Lahar chuckled. "You could guess?"
Doranbolt shrugged and walked towards Lahar. "Seems like something they would say."
Lahar hung his head and smiled sadly. "Honestly, I'm disgusted with myself. There's no point in leading the Enforcement and Detention Corps if I can't take action during a crisis. Perhaps if I had the authority to act more freely like Caro…"
"Don't compare yourself to that pompous ass." Doranbolt stopped his friend's negative thoughts with a supportive clap on the shoulder. "Don't give up just yet. As long as we do everything we can, there's nothing to be ashamed of."
"Doranbolt…thank you."
Doranbolt nodded. "So then what's the plan now?"
Lahar adjusted his glasses. "We keep pressing forward."
Outside of Zentopia Cathedral, panic had settled in. The followers of the Zentopian faith screamed to the sky for guidance, terrified of the massive brass object that now hovered above them.
A magic screen suddenly appeared in the dark sky. Projected on it was the face of the Archbishop wearing his robes and mitre. The followers cried out his name, desperate to understand why Time's Chaos, the Infinity Clock, had appeared.
The Archbishop lifted his hand, signaling for silence. The followers dutifully obeyed, waiting anxiously for him to speak. He lowered his hand to his side. "There is nothing to worry about." The Archbishop's voice echoed for all to hear. "This is Zentopia's way of putting the world in order. Once this purge is complete, the world will be reborn and we will begin to walk upon a new path." The magic screen disappeared from the sky. The followers continued to talk in hushed, panicked voices amongst themselves.
Byro was also watching the sky intently from within the courtyard of the Cathedral. 'Putting the world in order,' he pondered, replaying the Archbishop's message in his mind. 'Using the new Oración Séis to destroy churches, disrupting Celestial Wizards' biological links, and throwing time into chaos; is that really going to put the world in order? And without offering any explanation, Lucy Heartfilia is being sacrificed and my duty to protect the Infinity Clock is…'
Byro, a man loyal to the Archbishop, a true believer in the Zentopian faith, was feeling doubt.
The Infinity Clock continued to ring, sending out loud sound waves.
The Christina continued to fly towards the underbelly of the large Infinity Clock. They were still a couple miles away, but they had finally reached the necessary altitude. Once they had leveled out, Ichiya had set the airship on auto-pilot using magic and made his way atop the figurehead at the front of the ship. Everyone else stood at the ready on the deck.
"Men!" Ichiya cried. "We shall save Natsu and Lucy!"
"And for the sake of my sister, too, who willingly took on Racer so that we could keep going!" Elfman roared.
Gracie pumped her fist. "Hang tight, guys."
"We're on our way," Erza said.
"I hope they're still okay," Wendy said worriedly.
Happy raised a paw. "Oh, I'm sure they're fine!"
"How can you be so sure?" Panther Lily asked.
"I have faith! Besides, there's no way Natsu would let anything happen to Lucy!"
Gray smiled. "I have to agree with Happy."
"Mira's going to be fine, too," Warren said. "She's tough!"
"Having faith is so manly!" Elfman cried.
"You guys are all super positive, aint'cha?" Gajeel asked.
Nikolias said nothing as he stared straight ahead at the Infinity Clock. The closer they got to the massive object, the more his skin crawled. 'This place…it's giving me a real bad feeling.'
Ichiya changed poses. "The redesigned Christina, magic bomber and treasure of Blue Pegasus, the pride of the continent, draws near Zentopia Cathedral! Men!"
Nearby, the gathered Fairy Tail members could see a small group of Rune Knights preparing to launch an attack on the Infinity Clock with a cannon. The captain was barking orders and the men were preparing the first fire.
The Infinity Clock rang out. And that's when it happened.
The captain of the Rune Knights suddenly shrank. There seemed to be panic for a moment, but the captain continued shouting orders in spite of his inexplicable change in stature.
The cannon fired a powerful blast of concentrated magic. However, before it could hit its mark, a magic circle appeared in front of the Infinity Clock. The magic blast froze for a moment before flying directly back at the Rune Knights. The men cried in panic, running for cover from the countered attack as it crashed into the cannon.
Ichiya hummed. "The army is in disorder. Men."
Erza eyed the hill where the soldiers had taken up position. "The captain shrunk once the Infinity Clock rang. Could that be an effect of Real Nightmare?"
"Don't give me that crap!" an old, raspy voice shouted. "This ain't nothin'!"
Erza turned at the unfamiliar voice and was shocked by what she saw.
The voice belonged to Gajeel. He had suddenly aged more than 70 years. His body was thin and lacked any muscle tone. His usual jet black hair was gray and thinned. His face was wrinkled and several teeth were missing. He had summoned his Iron Dragon Club, but the iron bar was bent and deformed as if it had been melted and cooled without being shaped. His whole body shook violently as he stood hunched.
Gajeel had changed. Was this also the Infinity Clock's doing? Erza was sure of it. It was too much of a coincidence. She turned to each of her friends to see if the Infinity Clock had affected them as well. And sure enough, it had.
Ichiya had become tall and thin.
Warren had buffed up significantly to the point that his clothes were tearing at the seams. "This is no time to be clowning around!" he bellowed.
Gray had shrunk, looking much like he had when he was a child. "Look who's talking!"
Elfman had become 2-dimensional as if he were flattened by a building. "You call yourself a man?" Even his voice had become emotionless.
Wendy had become a young adult, growing taller and more woman-like. "What's happening?" she asked as she looked herself over.
Carla had gone from an Exceed to a brown and white raccoon. "Wendy, you're an adult!" she gasped.
Happy had become a small blue dog. "And you're a raccoon, Carla!"
Panther Lily had become a black rabbit with long, floppy ears. "This is most bizarre."
Gracie had grown up into a middle aged adult. She was taller, her chest was larger, her body was shapelier, and her blonde hair flowed like water down her back. She looked herself over. "It's definitely bizarre," she said with a smooth, seductive voice, "but damn, I'm hot!"
Erza gulped. "This isn't good. Everyone's fallen under the influence of Real Nightmare." She then noticed that someone was missing. "Nikolias?" She looked around, but couldn't see the Half-Dragon anywhere. "Nikolias! Where are you?"
"Over here."
Erza turned around. Flying alongside the ship was Nikolias in his full dragon form. "Nikolias? What happened?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. For whatever reason I was forced to take this form. I don't know what it means, but I'm glad I felt it coming and was able to jump ship in time. Otherwise I would have crushed the Christina."
"I see." Erza looked down at her hands. "So everyone, even you, was affected. But why wasn't I?"
"Erza," Gracie spoke up. "Don't you think that hammer thingy you got from the Actually Man might have something to do with it? He did say it kept evil at bay."
Erza's eyes widened. "Of course! REQUIP!" In a flash of light, the large hammer appeared in the air. She grabbed it firmly with both hands. "I'll use this ancient weapon to cut through the Real Nightmare vibrations!"
Gracie crossed her arms over her now incredible bust. "Okay, but how? Smashing vibrations sounds tricky, ya know?"
"Like so!" Erza bellowed. She leapt forward and swung the hammer as hard as she could—
—at her friends' heads. She even went overboard to make sure she got Nikolias.
Everyone yelped in pain from being struck, but ultimately returned to normal in a puff of smoke.
Gray rubbed his head. "I'm glad to be back, but I'm still pissed at how it happened."
Nikolias landed on the deck of the ship, now in his human form. "Don't sweat the small stuff. We're back to normal and that's what matters."
Gracie sighed. "Yeah, I'm glad and whatever, but I kinda miss my super sexy form." She pranced over to Nikolias. "What didja think, Niky? Wasn't I super hot? Like irresistibly hot?"
Nikolias huffed. "Sure, Gracie."
She puffed out her cheeks and leapt at him. "Why are you a jerk? I was damn hot and you know it! Admit it!"
Nikolias tried to pry her off. "Would you knock it off already? There's still work to be done. Can you be strange when we're not trying to save our friends?"
Gracie gave him a hmph before letting go. "Such a pain. But you're right." She turned back towards the Infinity Clock. "There's still a fight to be had. Let's make sure to be on our guard."
Deep inside the interior of Zentopia Cathedral, under the cover of Maker Magic, Gildarts and Laki snuck up a long, winding wooden staircase towards a lone doorway.
The Archbishop's bedchamber.
Once inside, Gildarts and Laki climbed up the wall to remain hidden. As soon as they reached a good height, they poked their heads out from cover.
Gildarts looked around. "Huh. I would've thought that the Archbishop's room would be more heavily guarded…or guarded at all. And what the hell is with all of the candles?"
"It is odd how easily we snuck inside," Laki noted. She looked out among the sea of candles that covered a vast majority of the Archbishop's bedchamber floor. Her eyes fell on the large bed in the center and saw a small figure sitting on top of the sheets. "Gildarts, look! It's the Archbishop! Make sure you keep your voice down."
Gildarts groaned loudly. "This is such a pain in the ass. Let's quit hiding already." Before Laki could stop him, Gildarts leapt from cover and landed in front of the Archbishop. He walked up to the small man. "You're the Archbishop, right?"
Laki leapt down beside him. "What are you doing?" she hissed. "Have you lost your mind?"
"There is nothing to worry about," the Archbishop muttered softly.
Gildarts raised an eyebrow. "What?"
The Archbishop continued. "This is Zentopia's way of putting the world in order."
Gildarts looked at Laki. The girl shrugged her shoulders. She couldn't figure out the Archbishop's odd behavior, either. Gildarts turned back to the Archbishop. "There's something I want to ask you. Would you give me an honest answer?"
"There is nothing to worry about. This is Zentopia's way of putting the world in order."
"Hey, are you listening to me?" Gildarts barked.
"There is nothing to worry about. This is Zentopia's way of putting the world in order."
"What the hell is wrong with him?" Gildarts asked, annoyed.
"He's repeating the same lines over and over and he's not responding or reacting to anything we say or even our presence," Laki observed. "Could it be that someone is using magic to control the Archbishop?"
A loud clap echoed in the chamber, drawing Laki and Gildarts' attention to a corner of the room. There was a carved statue of a cougar's head high up on the wall. Standing on top of it with a scowl on his face was Cardinal Lapointe.
"I believe you're Gildarts from Fairy Tail, correct?" Lapointe asked, eyes fixed on Gildarts.
"I guess my reputation precedes me," Gildarts replied. "I never figured that a cardinal of Zentopia would know anything about me. But sorry, I can't take autographs at the moment. I'm just too busy I'm afraid."
Lapointe ignored the comment. "I give you two credit for making it this far. But I'm afraid you won't be leaving here alive."
Gildarts grinned. "Sounds like fun. Show me what you've got!"
Natsu and Coco ran through the halls of Zentopia Cathedral as quickly as they could. The halls were like stone bridges; floating, thin paths suspended in the air by thick steel chains. Natsu led the way as if he knew his bearings better than the young girl by his side.
This surprised Coco. "Do you know where they're keeping Lucy?" she inquired.
"Not a damn clue," Natsu replied without looking back.
"Then where do you intend to go?"
"Where the Archbishop is."
"The Archbishop? What are you going to do there?"
"To pay him back of course," he said as if it were obvious. "If he's the one who used Michelle like that and hurt Lucy, I'm gonna kick his ass!"
"You're going to fight His Grace? But what about Lucy? I thought you were going to save her."
"Of course I'm gonna save Lucy, but unless I know where she is I can't really do much. I can't pick up on her scent at all, so I can't track her. I'm gonna need information." Natsu grinned. "And who better to tell us where Lucy is than the guy who's pulling the strings?"
"What's this?"
Natsu froze in his tracks as a sudden voice echoed in his head. He looked around, but saw no one. However, a powerful presence was fast approaching. He leapt back reflexively, as did Coco, just as a large green creature crashed into the stone path. "What the hell is this thing?"
"The Cleaner, Gatman," Coco replied. She gulped. She knew he was trouble.
"Gatman?" Natsu asked quizzically.
Gatman lifted his large square green head and stared blankly at Natsu and Coco. He rubbed his rectangular arms together greedily. "Hoo! It seems like you've got quite a lot of magic power in you."
"Please be careful, Natsu," Coco warned. "He is an extremely dangerous opponent."
Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Really? That's perfect. I'm getting fired up!"
Gatman turned to look at Coco. "And you…Zentopia's doctrine demands absolute loyalty. Never doubt it. Traitors will scatter!" A green magic circle appeared by Natsu's side.
"What the hell is this?" Natsu asked.
"Magic that makes you explode. It's Gatman's Rupture Magic!" Coco cried.
Natsu's body became enveloped in a green light. "What does that mean?"
"I expand the magic inside of your body in the blink of an eye and make it go BOOM!"
An explosion sounded. Natsu cried in pain as he felt his body being torn apart from the inside. He fell to the ground with a thud.
Coco ran to his side. "Pull yourself together, Natsu!"
"I don't care who it is that defies Zentopia's doctrine," Gatman said threateningly. "I will clean all of them up!"
Natsu coughed. "Making a fool of me, huh?"
Gatman chuckled. "I like your spirit!" He raised his arm in the air and summoned a green magic circle. Green magic circles appeared on both sides of and behind Natsu. He became enveloped in green light as Gatman lifted his body high into the air with magic. "Let's see if your spirit can hold up."
Coco charged Gatman. "You can't!"
Gatman raised his other arm and summoned another green magic circle. Just like with Natsu, green magic circles surrounded Coco. Her body glowed green as she flew high into the air as well. "You can dance with him." Gatman narrowed his eyes in a smile. "Ah, what a wonderful rapture!"
He activated his magic. Both Natsu and Coco's bodies were assaulted from the inside by Gatman's Rupture Magic.
"You'll keep dancing until there is no more magic left in your bodies!"
The green light faded and the explosions stopped. Natsu and Coco's smoldering bodies plummeted to the stone path.
Slowly, Natsu pushed himself to his hands and knees. "I don't have time for this crap," he growled.
Gatman stared at him. "Then you can have your last dance first, Natsu." He moved his body to summon another magic circle, but suddenly found his body locking up. "What? I…I can't move!"
Natsu and Coco looked on in wonder. "He stopped moving?" Natsu asked.
"Yeah, I made it that way."
Natsu and Coco both turned towards the voice. Gatman would have turned, but he couldn't move his head.
Natsu's eyes widened. "It's you."
Coco's eyes shone. "Hughes!"
Across the way on a parallel running path was Mary Hughes, her hand-shaped wand raised and glowing. She grinned confidently as she held Gatman in place with her Command Magic.
"What are you doing?" Gatman growled.
Hughes narrowed her eyes. "I thought that anyone who opposed His Grace must be a bad guy, but between you and the new Oración Séis, I've lost the ability to tell who the true bad guys are!" She lowered her gaze. "I don't know what to do anymore."
"Hughes," Coco said softly. She sympathized with her partner and friend. She was feeling conflicted as well.
Suddenly, a green magic circle appeared over Hughes's right shoulder. Her body glowed green and she was lifted into the air. The girl was completely caught off guard by the sudden appearance of Gatman's Rupture Magic. "What the hell?"
"Foolish traitor. I don't need to move my body in order to use Rupture Magic," Gatman laughed as he activated his spell. Hughes shrieked in pain from the resulting explosion, but he wouldn't give her time to rest. Before her body even fell, he swiftly summoned three more magic circles to surround Hughes's still hovering body.
"Hughes!" Coco cried.
Gatman's magic activated. Hughes cried out as her magic was forcibly ignited to explode inside of her. She crashed into the path, falling right on the edge. Her arm and head dangled over, allowing her to see into the darkness below. "It's not like…making someone freeze…is all I can do!" she rasped. She leapt to her feet and held her wand up high. The outstretched index finger of her wand glowed brightly. Using her magic, Hughes lifted Gatman into the air and began spinning him around and around. With her eyes fixed on Gatman, she called out, "You two! Now's your chance! Get out of here!"
"Hughes, I can't leave you!" Coco refused.
Hughes smiled. "Coco, even if I can't, I want you to at least confirm with your own eyes what's right. Now hurry up and go!"
Coco paused for a moment, but ultimately nodded. "Okay."
Natsu scooped Coco into his arms. "Let's get going!" He leapt off of the path and broke through the nearby wall. In a cloud of dust he shot forward, landing on a winding wooden staircase leading towards a lone doorway. Natsu sniffed the air and blinked. "This smell…"
Moving at speeds that broke the sound barrier, Mira continued to keep Racer at bay. The frustrated speed demon of Oración Séis tried again and again to sneak by the Demon of Fairy Tail, but whenever he thought he found an opening, there was Mira, striking at him with her sharp claws or strong tail. He would manage to dodge because of his speed, but Mira was always right beside him, matching his pace.
Racer landed on the ground and pushed off just as Mira's powerful kick struck the ground. The earth shattered into chunks beneath her foot before she vanished. "I'm fast," he growled. "No one can catch up with me."
Suddenly, he felt something close behind him—too close. He turned his head and his eyes widened. Mira was right there, closer than she had ever been before, her clawed right hand reaching out for him. Visions of a painful past—a past where he was always running, always trying to escape slavery—suddenly began flashing through his mind and distracted him.
Mira capitalized on the opportunity, launching her knee into Racer's stomach.
Racer flinched as his focus returned. He sped away, disappearing instantaneously, staying low to the ground as he ran. Looking over his shoulder again, he could see Mira gaining on him once again, reaching for him once more.
The visions flashed through his head again.
He inhaled sharply. "Stay away!" he cried in a panic as he pushed off of the ground.
But Mira was already behind him. She lashed out with her foot, planting a sharp kick into Racer's stomach. Racer plummeted back down to the ground and crashed into the rocky terrain. He hit the ground so hard that his thin body bounced and his head was thrown back.
And there was Mira, standing over him with a stern glare. "Give it up already," Mira said. "This battle is over."
Racer managed to flip his body and push off to give himself some distance. He couldn't shake this girl. She was matching him. He was fast, but she caught him easily time and time again. His body trembled. "Faster…be…faster!" He crouched low and the red lines on his body suit began to pulsate and glow. Steam hissed from his mouth as he growled at Mira like a rabid dog.
"What did you do?" Mira asked.
But there was no answer.
As if by instant teleportation, Racer was suddenly behind Mira, landing both feet to Mira's spine.
Mira's breath was gone for a moment, pain shooting up and down her body. She glanced over her shoulder. "Your speed…increased even more?" She spun around for a counterattack, but Racer was gone before she could blink and was high in the air behind her. He swung down with his fists, smashing into the back of her head. Mira fell to the ground hard. Racer laughed maniacally and vanished again. However, this time he used his speed to create afterimages that encircled Mira.
Mira grit her teeth and pushed herself to her feet. She looked around at the dozen or so clones of Racer. Before she could formulate a plan, invisible attacks lashed out, striking her body all over from every angle, from every direction, almost at the same time. She couldn't see it. She couldn't defend against it. She couldn't counter it. She was helpless. 'So fast! It's similar to Nikolias's Shadow Dragon Assault.' Evil laughter echoed all around her.
Her eyes darkened as if undeterred by all the blows her body had just gone through. "You're certainly fast. However, it's still not enough!" Mira suddenly vanished just before several of the clones leapt at the spot where she was standing, piling on top of each other. They turned to see Mira dashing away with her incredible speed. They pursued her with wide smirks splitting their faces. Each time one made a move, Mira easily dodged it and kept running.
But Mira wasn't just running. She was listening. She was watching. And when she found what she was looking for, she fell back. This caught the Racers off guard as they tried to stop as well. However, Mira had already gotten her prize.
She had located the original. She had found Racer. She had gotten behind him, for his guard was down thinking he was safe amongst his perfect afterimages. She put him in a headlock, stopping all of his movements completely. He struggled against his captor, thrashing wildly in her grip, but to no avail. With the original captured, the afterimages vanished.
Mira held firm and sped towards the ground like a meteorite. She threw Racer's body just before impact, sparing herself from anymore damage while Racer took the full brunt of the attack. A massive cloud of dust arose from the crater that had now formed in the ground. Mira gently flew down, landing on the crater's edge, watching as Racer struggled to rise to a kneeling position.
Racer glared up at Mira. One half of his visor had shattered, revealing one trembling eye. "How?" he rasped. "How can you… be faster…than me?"
Mira's harsh glare softened. She entered the crater, walking slowly down towards Racer. "Because you're only running away. I'm moving forward. It's that simple."
Racer could only stare at her. What was she saying?
Mira stopped before him. "In a fight, the person who wants to help their friends is stronger than the person who tries to flee. So tell me; what are you running away from?"
Mira's words struck a chord with Racer. 'Running away? Was I…running away? What was I running away from? That's right…I was always running away.'
"You were running away from yourself, weren't you?"
"From…myself?"
"That's right. From your past. Pain, failure, fear. A painful past that made you want to escape." Mira's gaze was sad. "I was the same way once. And so was the love of my life. We both kept running from our bitter pasts because of all the pain they held. And that's why I can understand the pain in your heart."
Racer slowly rose to his feet. Swaying slightly, he turned around and began walking away from Mira. He stumbled with every step, weak from fighting and pushing himself beyond his limits.
"No one's going to chase you anymore."
Mira's voice calling out to him made Racer freeze. He looked over his shoulder with disbelief.
Mira had left her Satan Soul: Halphas and was back to her normal self. While her body was covered in cuts and bruises, she smiled gently at the lost man before her. "You don't have to run away anymore."
Racer couldn't take it anymore. The weight of her words was too great. He closed his eyes and fell to his knees. His shoulders trembled as he fought back tears of a relief he didn't realize he was seeking.
Mira watched him for a while. Once she was satisfied that he had given up his pursuit of her friends, she turned and began walking away from the battlefield.
Inside the Infinity Clock, standing at its very core, Midnight sighed. "Racer failed. I suppose it can't be helped." He looked at his subordinates in front of him. "Cobra, Angel, go stop them."
Cobra was staring at the ceiling as if he were trying to see the sky through the thick walls. He could hear a voice that he could swear he recognized. But who was it? He shook his head of the thought. He didn't say a word as he walked off to fulfill the order issued by Brain II.
Angel giggled as she followed Cobra. "This will be fun. I hope they can give me a challenge."
Along the perimeter of Zentopia Cathedral, Zentopian guards took their positions in an organized formation. Each man was armed with a spear with a head shaped like the Zentopian symbol. They lined the high walls in rows and all eyes were on one lone airship sailing towards them.
"It's Fairy Tail!" the captain of the guards shouted to his men. "Don't let them near the cathedral!"
The men silently obeyed their orders and lowered their spears. The heads glowed yellow and summoned green magic circles. A barrage of golden magic bolts shot towards the Christina.
Ichiya chuckled from his place on the figurehead as the Christina deftly evaded all of the attacks. "You underestimate the redesigned Christina! Men!" He snapped his fingers. The Christina's cannons hummed to life and shot large balls of blue magic power back at the soldiers. Each attack hit its mark, breaking apart the stones in the wall and sending all of the guards flying.
"Wow!" Happy cried. "That was awesome! You blew them all away!" Ichiya chuckled proudly.
From down below the Cathedral, Byro stood watching the Christina fly closer. His eyes narrowed. "Fairy Tail; you may have shaken my faith in Zentopia, but I will not let you do as you please! Go, Kanaloa!" From behind Byro, Kanaloa's large body sprung off the ground and flew towards the Christina.
"Shit, it's that damn octopus again!" Gracie cried as she saw the creature get closer.
In the blink of an eye, Nikolias leapt from the ship and angled his body to descend towards Kanaloa. His fist became shrouded in shadows as he drew back. "I don't think so! SHADOW DRAGON FIST!" he roared as he unleashed his attack. His fist connected with the head of Kanaloa and shadows erupted from the strike, but the elasticity of Kanaloa's body absorbed most of the damage. Kanaloa retaliated with a swift tentacle strike that caught the free-falling Nikolias square in the chest. The Half-Dragon shot into the air like a missile.
"Niky!" Gracie cried.
Suddenly, the whole ship shook as Kanaloa's tentacles wrapped around it tightly. The wood moaned and threatened to crack. From Kanaloa's mouth, acid sprayed out, melting the deck and tearing the mast. Without anything to keep it afloat, the Christina began sinking.
Erza drew a sword and swung it at one of Kanaloa's tentacles. "Quick! We need to knock it off of the ship!"
"And watch for the acid!" Gracie added as she drove her summoned halberd deep into another tentacle. "No way it'll feel good to get soaked by that stuff!"
The Fairy Tail members all went about trying to remove the large octopus from the ship, but to no avail. None of their attacks, no matter the type, seemed to have any effect whatsoever.
"This isn't working!" Gray shouted.
From down below, Byro silently turned and headed back towards the Cathedral. "I leave the rest to you, Kanaloa. Meanwhile, I'm going to His Grace to ask him directly."
Ichiya gritted his teeth. "No! We can't afford to be hindered here!"
"I'M NOT FINISHED WITH YOU!"
A loud roar tore through the air. Everyone looked up to see Nikolias racing toward the ship as a full dragon.
"Nikolias!" Wendy cheered.
Nikolias roared again, claws at the ready. "You overgrown octopus! Get off that ship!" He landed on top of Kanaloa, digging his claws deep into its flesh. Pink ooze poured out of its new injuries as it shrieked. Once he was sure that he had a good grip, Nikolias spread his wings and gave a mighty flap. Gale winds shook the Christina every which way and Nikolias roared as he pulled with all of his might. However, Kanaloa's grip was too strong. It wasn't budging. No matter how much he pulled or how hard he flapped his wings, Kanaloa didn't move an inch. "Damn it, I said let go!"
"Worry not, Nikolias. I'll take it from here," Ichiya said. He raised his arm. "Fire spiral anchors! Men!"
Magic circles appeared around the ship, opening up holes that released thick chains. The cold metal snaked out and quickly went to work binding Kanaloa to the ship. While Kanaloa's elasticity kept it from feeling pain from being bound so tightly, it did allow for a more secure hold.
Nikolias had released Kanaloa as soon as he heard the chains begin to move. He now hovered in the air. "How is this taking care of it? It's now more stuck to the ship than before!"
Ichiya stood tall as he faced the Fairy Tail members. "Please allow the Christina and me to take care of this octopus by ourselves. Everyone, please take this opportunity to abandon ship and stop Oración Séis's nefarious plot!"
Wendy clasped her hands together. "But Ichiya, you'll—!"
"Never mind me," Ichiya interrupted. "Just go now!"
Everyone stood completely still. They didn't know what to do. Did they abandon their comrade to his fate? Or did they stay and aid him on a sinking ship, risking everything?
It was Nikolias who quickly acted. Swooping down towards the ship, he used both of his clawed hands to grab hold of everyone on the deck. He turned to Ichiya. "Just jump on my head, Ichiya. You can survive as well!"
"I appreciate the sentiment, friend," Ichiya said while turning forward, "but I will not leave my Christina to fall alone. As her Captain, I will see this through. Please understand. Men."
Nikolias paused, but ultimately nodded. "Alright. The choice is yours, I guess." He angled his body and flew towards the Cathedral just as the Christina's left wing clipped a pillar in the foundation. Its descent increased rapidly.
"Good luck my friends," Ichiya said to the wind.
Gracie pounded softly on Nikolias's large, scaly hand. "Niky, what the hell?! You could have easily grabbed Ichiya, too! Why'd you let him go?!"
"If I took him without his consent, he'd just squirm about. He'd probably end up getting himself killed."
Moments later, a loud crash sounded below. A pillar of smoke rose into the sky.
"Ichiya," Wendy breathed.
"That bastard," Gray hissed, trying to hold back his frustrations. "Why'd he have to try to act cool?"
"He was a true man among men!" Elfman sobbed.
"It's alright," Erza said. "No matter what the circumstances may be or how dangerous they are, Ichiya will always find a way to survive. Right now, we have to hurry and rescue Natsu and Lucy. Go, Nikolias!"
Nikolias nodded as he continued to climb through the sky until he was level with the Cathedral. With a couple powerful flaps to slow himself down, he lowered his hands and let everyone gently land on the ground before landing himself. Shadows surrounded him as he returned to his human form.
"Alright!" Gracie cheered, raising a fist into the air. "I'll choose to believe that Ichiya is okay. Now, time to storm the castle!"
Everyone nodded their agreement and made their move towards the Cathedral.
Imitatia spun on her heel. She could feel several familiar presences entering the Cathedral. "They're coming."
Lucy slowly opened her eyes and lifted her heavy head. She had been drifting in and out of consciousness ever since the Infinity Clock had activated. "What?"
"Your dear comrades are coming for you, big sister."
"My…comrades are…" Her eyes widened as her cloudy mind grasped the information. "Fairy Tail?"
Imitatia nodded. "Yes. It's a shame, though, that they will all lose their lives."
"What do you mean? Why will they lose their lives?"
"Because of you. It's all your fault, big sister. They all adore you so much, they'll die."
"Michelle, you can't!"
"I won't let anyone else have you, big sister." She turned to face Lucy. "I won't let Fairy Tail have you. I won't let Natsu have you. You are mine."
"Michelle…" Tears stung the corners of her eyes. 'Will they die? Because of me? Everyone…Natsu…I don't want to lose anybody!'
"There is nothing to worry about. This is Zentopia's way of putting the world in order. There is nothing to worry about…"
As the Archbishop continued to absentmindedly chant the same lines over and over, Gildarts and Lapointe squared off. Their respective magic powers flowed out of their bodies, waiting for the other to make a move first.
"Gildarts!"
Gildarts and Lapointe both froze at the sudden appearance of a third party that now stood between the two.
"Natsu?" Gildarts said with confusion.
Lapointe narrowed his eyes at the girl by Natsu's side. "Oh? So you escaped as well, Coco?"
"Your Holiness," Coco said timidly.
Lapointe ignored her. "Natsu. I know about you."
"You know about me?" Natsu asked.
"Natsu Dragneel, a Fire Dragon Slayer."
Natsu narrowed his eyes. He had never met this man before. Maybe it was his reputation that the Cardinal had actually known? He was going to press for more information when a certain scent tickled his nose. He sniffed a couple of times and his eyes widened. "Your smell…I know it. It's the same smell as Master Zero, the old leader of Oración Séis that we beat back during the whole Nirvana thing."
"Master Zero?" Laki exclaimed. "That can't be possible!"
"Why do you smell like him?" Natsu demanded.
Lapointe laughed heartily, but did not reply.
Gildarts smirked. "I don't know if he's actually Master Zero or not, but this is definitely the bastard who's mind controlling the Archbishop."
Warren held up a hand to his head, signaling everyone else to stop with his other hand.
"What's wrong, Warren?" Erza inquired.
"Just now…I picked up on Gildarts's voice," Warren said.
"He must be close by. That may be a good sign for us that we're going in the right direction," Gracie said. "What's he saying?"
Warren gulped as he relayed what he had just heard. "Apparently, the Archbishop is actually being mind-controlled by Cardinal Lapointe!"
"What?" Erza gasped.
Around a nearby wall, Byro froze. He had been tailing the Fairy Tail members that had evaded Kanaloa and was preparing to stop them by force, but the words he just heard rendered his mind and body useless. His wide, shocked eyes gazed out towards nothing. 'Cardinal Lapointe…is controlling His Grace?' His shock vanished, only to be replaced by disgust and frustration. 'Then that means he was only borrowing His Grace's authority so that he could use me like a puppet?' His face twisted in rage. 'You will pay for this, Lapointe!'
"Is that right?" Natsu said. "Alright then. Since you're the asshole who's controlling the Archbishop, then you're the one I'm looking for."
"Oh?" Lapointe chirped, amused.
"You're the one who used Michelle to trick us?" Natsu asked.
"And what if I am?" Lapointe teased.
"That should be obvious," Natsu said darkly as flames danced around his fists. "I'll kick your ass! You hurt Lucy! And that brings me to my second question; you know where Lucy is, don't you? Tell me where she is so I can go save her after kicking your ass!"
"Easy now, Natsu," Gildarts said, putting a hand on his arm. "Do you think you have time to fight him when Lucy's still in danger?"
Natsu blinked. "Well, no, but he—!"
"Priorities, Natsu," Gildarts said with a smile as he stared down Lapointe. "You need to go save your girl. Go save Lucy. I'll wipe the floor with this guy for you both."
Lapointe laughed as he fussed with his glasses. "Two hotheads…you should cool down."
Suddenly, a magic circle appeared underneath Laki. A green and black stream of magic snaked around her body, wrapping around her and binding her tightly. She cried out but quickly silenced herself as the tip of the magic binding her took the shape of a scythe, stopping just before it pierced her throat.
"Laki!" Gildarts shouted.
"If you both want to fight, why not fight each other?" Lapointe offered.
"Bastard," Natsu growled. Even if he knew Gildarts was right, even if he knew that Lucy should be his number one priority, how could he leave a friend in danger? He had to stop Lapointe.
"I'd suggest listening to me," Lapointe laughed. "If you don't, her life is forfeit."
"This isn't funny, you son of a bitch!" Gildarts barked. "Now let her go!"
Lapointe smiled and was about to reply when he felt a sudden change within himself. It felt like his magic was being torn away from him. He staggered forward slightly and his magic that bound Laki vanished. "What?" He turned around and was shocked to see Byro standing there, hands glowing white and pointed at him. "You!"
"Byro?" Natsu cried in surprise.
Byro glared at Lapointe. "How dare you fool me, Lapointe!"
Gildarts didn't waste the opportunity presented to him. He activated his magic, dashed forward with incredible speed, planted himself just in front of Lapointe, and before Lapointe could turn fully back around he launched a fist that caught him square beneath his jaw. It all happened within the span of a second. The sheer force of the blow coupled with the magic power shrouding Gildarts was enough to send Lapointe flying high into the ceiling of the Archbishop's bed chamber. The whole chamber rocked as Gildarts's magic power sent waves across the floor. Natsu, Laki, and Coco could only gape at the impressive display.
Gildarts held his head high, jaw clenched in anger. "That was just the beginning, you bastard!"
