Chapter 34
'Thinking' – thoughts
"Speaking" – speech
'Thinking' – Dragon/God/Beast thinking
"Speaking" - Dragon/God/Beast speaking
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters they are the property of Hiro Masima.
NinjaFang1331: Thank you
Thicc-Chungs: I really like your idea, thank you. And sorry for the wait on this chapter, hope you enjoy.
Guest: Jura acted based on the information he had from the Council, and it didn't paint the best picture of Natsu.
Ushindi: Cobra and Haru's fight isn't done yet. 1. No I do not plan to make him a Dual Dragon Slayer. 2. I don't know, probably not since quite ofter I forget to insert him but I'll see how things are down the line.
-The decaying Worth Wood Sea-
"Do you feel that, the ancient magic consuming the modern air?" Brain asked as he basked in the decaying forest that was caused by Nirvana's influence while following Jellal. He didn't expect a reply since Jellal was still in the final stage of the possession, but as soon as it completes, the dark mind that once infiltrated the Magic Council and brought it down from within.
"Ah Midnight, I trust you have disposed of those light wizards," Brain said as he noticed the man return.
"They were pathetically weak Father. Hoteye also turned on us, the coward thought he could beat me. All he managed was to entertain me for a bit," Midnight said initially with disgust before having a slight grin at the end.
"I would have never thought that one of ours would fall to Nirvana's influence. An unfortunate event but one we can soon rectify once Nirvana is under our control," Brain replied with a slight frown but quickly dismissed it as he focused on their goal.
"Nirvana is just up ahead," Jellal said in a monotone voice.
"Perfect. Midnight, I want you and Jellal to ensure I am not interrupted when I start the awakening process for Nirvana. Eliminate anyone that comes near," Brain ordered as he saw the source of the beam that is polluting the skyline. Breaking through the next tree line they saw it. Threatening to break through the surface to once more roam the modern world, Nirvana's power raged.
"This is the dusk of the era of light, tomorrow's dawn will be the first of the era of darkness and chaos," Brain shouted as he threw his hands in the air while the sun started to kiss the horizon, casting long, dark shadows across the decaying landscape. Could this be an ominous omen of what is to come?
-With Haru and Cobra-
A vortex of fire clashed with a wave of poison as the two Dragon Slayers released their respective roar attacks at one another. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist" Haru's shout come out of the vortex of fire and parted the poisonous attack to form a clear and unexpected path to the Poison Dragon Slayer.
Haru wasn't expecting his opponent to have his hand raised, nor the condescending grin he had plastered on his face. The plan he had to catch Cobra off guard with his unusual combination was somehow ineffective as his fist got caught in the Poison Dragon Slayer's scaled grasp.
"You sure do have a few surprised in your mind, but I already told you I can hear everything," Cobra taunted with a grin as he started to pull Haru past him, though when Haru was halfway through the trajectory, Cobra quickly raised his magic covered foot and buried it in his gut while calling out "Poison Dragon Talon".
Haru coughed as he was launched into the air before Happy realigned him and they descended back down with impressive speed. "Fire Dragon Sword Horn" Haru shouted as he surrounded himself in flames as he approached Cobra.
With ease, Cobra twisted out of the way as late as possible and called out "Poison Dragon Twin Wings" swiping his and down as Haru missed his mark. Poisonous whips expanded from his fingertips and propelled Haru into the ground, causing a large crater to form. Haru rocketed from the crated with an enraged expression, his hands covered in flames.
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist" Haru shouted as he began to deliver a barrage of flaming punches at Cobra.
"You will never hit me, I can hear your thoughts, your every move is open for me to hear," Cobra said as he bobbed and weaved around the blows. Jumping in the air, Cobra dodged a surprise leg sweep from Haru.
"Next you'll attempt an uppercut, followed by a left elbow, then you'll deliver a headbutt and finish it off with an axe kick to my head," Cobra predicted as he dodged each attack while he called them out. Finally, after dodging the last kick, he called out, "Poison Dragon Roar", landing a close-ranged roar on the unprepared Haru, sending him and Happy flying.
Suddenly the beam of Nirvana's energy that was shooting into the sky expanded before condensing and shrinking until only an eerie glow illuminated the forest.
"Brain must be awakening Nirvana," Cobra smirked before hearing movement behind him and looking to see Haru stumbling towards him. "F-Fire Dragon R-Roar" Haru said in a weakened voice as he spewed a considerable amount of fire but it was horribly off-target.
"What is going on, why is everything so blurry?" Haru asked as he tried to focus on Cobra. Happy was barely able to cling to Haru's back, his wings already having disappeared due to his low reserves alongside the poison that was ailing him, but luckily he didn't take the brunt of the poison, thanks to his partner having been in between Cobra and the flying blue cat when the attack hit them.
"Enjoy your suffering, my poison has already infected your every limb and organ, and soon you will wither away. It's unfortunate, but you will not see the age of darkness that will rise from your defeat," Cobra said as he let out a laugh while turning away and leaving Haru who fell to his knees to succumb to the poison in his system.
"H-Haru?" Happy's shaky voice asked.
"The poison is everywhere, I need to get it out," Haru said to himself as he fell to his hands and knees, his face contorted in pain. Happy watched in concern before he felt a burning sensation on his paws that were still clinging to Haru.
-With Natsu, Erza and Wendy-
The trio of mages from different backgrounds rushed to a beam of power that acted as their guide to their adversaries. Suddenly the beam expanded before disappearing and being replaced by an eerie glow.
"Nirvana's awakening is close," Natsu quickly answered the unasked question of the two light mages before they could ask it, there was no time to waste on unnecessary questions.
"We need to speed up," Erza said as she started to pull ahead of the other two. Natsu saw that Wendy was already having some trouble keeping up and quickly scooped her onto his back which got a yelp in surprise followed by a shy word of thanks.
It didn't take them long before they could even see the eerie glow through the decayed trees. Sensing a large amount of magical power above them, both Erza and Natsu skidded to a halt and barely dodged the green and golden beams that destroyed the ground between them and their destination.
"Of course, it wouldn't be that easy," Erza said dejectedly while summoning a sword to her hand and scanning the area for their foes. Natsu let Wendy down giving her a serious look. The shy girl replied with a nod and determined eyes.
"More prey stumbles into my grasp," Midnight said as he strolled into view closely followed by Jellal who now sported a scowl in place of his previous stoic expression.
"Light pollutes this world, darkness will consume all," Jellal said as his fingertip flashed with green and golden magic.
"Oh, Jellal, will you ever have your mind free of darkness?" Erza asked, more to herself as she saw her childhood friend once again not in a sound state of mind.
"I will save you, you are not dead," Wendy said as she looked at Jellal, the man she kept from dying according to Natsu.
"I'm sorry to say, but he can't quite answer you yet. Not that it would matter once you are quivering in fear and begging for your lives," Midnight said with a grin before his eyes slightly widened and his grin almost faltered when he spotted the cloaked man.
"Nirvana is not a weapon to be released, the deaths it has already caused still stain this land and I will not allow any more to fall by its hand," Natsu said as his body became covered in a grey and purple aura as he started to release his magic.
"Dark Pleiades" Jellal said as he formed five rays of green and gold lights at his fingertips before raising his and releasing them on the mages. Being the first to react Natsu countered with a call of "Death Dragon Claw", countering the beam with the new purple and grey magical claws on his hands.
"Re-quip: Lightning Empress Armour" Erza called out, donning her light-blue armour with gold trimmings along with its long spear with a small shield just below the blade. "Lightning Beam" Erza called out, thrusting her spear towards Jellal and Midnight and sending a beam of lightning their way. Much to her surprise when the beam neared her opponents, it veered off course and harmlessly smashed into the ground.
"I don't know a lot of offensive spells but I can still help," Wendy said before casting her fist spell of the battle. "Fast wind that run the heaven… Vernier. Power of the stout arms that tears heaven… Arms. Guard that protects heaven Armour" Wendy chanted as a blue aura surrounded Erza.
"Thanks, Wendy," Erza thanked the Sky Dragon Slayer when she felt the enchantments being cast on her. "Re-quip: Black Wing Armour" Erza called out, her light-blue and golden armour switching out for a pure black set of armour with bat-like wings. 'The bonus attack power my armour grants me combined with the enchantments from Wendy should be enough to demolish whatever that shield is,' Erza confidently thought.
"Your attacks are pointless," Midnight said with a smirk as Erza dashed towards them.
"Dark Pleiades" Jellal said again, once more firing off five rays of green and gold light just as Erza swung her multi-coloured blade at the duo. Unexpectedly, the rays from Jellal all scattered in different directions as Erza's sword seemingly phased through Midnight, hitting nothing.
Natsu slipped from behind Erza, having used her advance as cover, now being right in front of Jellal and Midnight, he released the spell he had been powering up. "Death Dragon Wing Attack" Natsu called out as he brought the purple and grey whips together, one from each side. One of the whips made contact with Jellal while the other seemingly phased through Midnight, however with Jellal's trajectory, the dark mage was flung to the side due to Jellal hitting him from the side.
"Get off me. Go and deal with that man and let me deal with those women. And whatever you do, don't get in my way," Midnight growled as he shoved Jellal whose eyes seemed more alive compared to how they were at the start of the fight.
"Dark Meteor" Jellal said, not giving any sign of acknowledging Midnight, but still going on the offensive against Natsu. Jellal vanished as his entire body was encased in a green and golden light before appearing in front of Natsu in a burst of speed and delivering a devastating barrage of punches.
Natsu barely had time to raise a guard, but successfully defended against the surprise attack with his arms crossed in front of his chest. Natsu skidded backwards but held eye contact with Jellal as the corners of the man's lips started to twitch upwards in a smirk. Jellal disappeared again in a blur of green and gold.
This time Natsu was prepared to counter and called out "Death Dragon Devastating Fist". Natsu's purple and grey covered first made contact with Jellal's green and gold-covered fist, sending shock waves out from the point of contact. The ground quickly shattered and the decaying trees uprooted or leaned away due to the forces extruding from the collision of fists.
While Natsu and Jellal engaged in a brutal melee, Erza and Wendy faced off against Midnight.
"Now that the distractions are gone, we can have some fun," Midnight said as he cracked his neck and confidently eyed the two women.
"Be careful Wendy, his magic is Reflector Magic, that is how he has been dodging my attacks," Erza quickly explained as she took a stance in front of her.
"I'm surprised you figured that out so quickly. No matter, you will never be able to hit me," Midnight boasted as he gestured for Erza to attack him with a hand gesture.
"Your confidence will be your downfall," Erza stated. "Re-quip: Heaven's Wheel Armour" Erza called out as she changed her armour for a silver set with large metallic feathered wings.
"Now face the barrage of my arsenal. Let's see if you can prevent being overwhelmed," Erza said as she pointed one of the twin swords in her hands towards Midnight before calling out "Blumenblatt". A mass of different swords appeared around her before they charged at Midnight who smirked as the swords started to bend around him.
"I am a master of my craft, you will never be able to pierce my impenetrable defences. Now let's see how you will fair against your own attacks," Midnight said before his eyes widened as the swords exploded from him and returned to their owner.
Erza started to deflect her blades with a look of focus. "Sky Dragon Roar" Wendy called out from behind Erza. A twister of air blew past Erza and into the oncoming onslaught of steel as Wendy appeared in the sky above Erza with two white wings belonging to Carla coming from her back. Erza gained a smile as Wendy's attack effectively countered Midnight's, with her only requiring to deflect a fraction of the number of weapons she released in her original attack.
"Maybe with the Sky Maiden you will be able to survive a few extra minutes, at least I will be entertained while Father completes the awakening," Midnight sighed.
"Sky Dragon Wing Attack" Wendy called out as she jumped out from behind Erza and released two twisters of air. Midnight calmly raised his hand towards Wendy and bent the trajectory of the air back to Wendy. He suddenly swiped his hand down as the sky magic hit Wendy from above and slammed her into the ground.
"No Wendy, you fiend," Erza shouted as she charged up for another attack. Erza raised both the swords she had in her hands above her head, but before she launch a spell, her armour started to morph. The solid armour started to snake around her body and quickly restricted her movement.
"Scream as the armour that is meant to protect you wrings the life from your body," Midnight laughed as Erza let out a pained scream. Grinding her teeth and focusing her magic on her twisting and squeezing armour. With a yell in defiance, Erza broke free as she sent her armour back to her pocket dimension.
"Oh that's no fun," Midnight taunted as he watched in glee as Erza hunched over as she caught her breath.
"I told you, your overconfidence will be your downfall," Erza said in a quiet tone before rushing in again. At the last moment, she called out "Re-quip: De-Malevo-Lance". A large gold and red spear with two red ribbon-like decorations on either side of the tip appeared in her hand. The two ribbons acted like boosters that aided Erza in thrusting the weapon forward with considerable speed.
"You thought a surprise attack will allow you to slip through my defences? Sorry to say, but you will never be able to land a hit," Midnight laughed as he stepped out of Erza's way and look on in amusement as she crashed into a nearby rock.
"Re-quip: Flight Armour" Erza called upon her armoury again, this time donning a less armoured set to prevent Midnight from constricting her with his magic.
"Using less armour won't help, Your entire arsenal is magical in nature," Midnight said as he once again used her armour to constrict her, this time though it caused her less pain due to the softer and more flexible material, although her movements were still very limited.
"Spiral Pain" Midnight said once he saw Erza wasn't visibly in pain. Swiping his hand from one side to the other with his finger pointing at Erza, the air around her started to distort. The distortion quickly enveloped Erza and bombarded her, inflicting heavy damage.
"Child, you need to get up. Erza needs your help," Carla urged Wendy as Erza's screams rang across the forest. A smile graced Carla's concerned face as Wendy let out a groan but slowly pushed herself to her feet.
"I made a decision to help, I won't go back on my word," Wendy said as she stood up.
-Flashback-
"This is your journey, your life, Wendy. You are the only one to decide where your life will head, and wherever that might be, know I will always be there for you when I can," Natsu said as he knelt on a knee in front of her and rested a hand on her head.
Wendy felt a weight of expectation on her shoulders. She knew that Natsu, the man who quickly became a big brother to her wouldn't think less of her if she chose to remain sheltered, but deep within her mind, she knew that it would unintentionally push them further from one another, seeing as they would be living in to separate worlds.
"You can't..." Carla started to say though Wendy was so deep in thought that she didn't hear her close friend. Natsu though, who did hear the start gave the white cat a deathly glare.
"This is her decision, you can not interfere," Natsu softly said as Carla took a careful step back with a shocked expression. She was always suspicious of the man, not because she feared for Wendy's safety, she knew he would never bring harm to her, no this was more with the feeling she got whenever he was near. The death that stained his being always put her on edge, so much so that her usual calm demeanour dissolved into a quiet and careful persona.
While this interaction happened, Wendy was still deep in thought. 'I want to be useful to Natsu, I want to be able to go on his missions with him but I don't know how to become stronger. Carla always says I need more experience and with Natsu and Fairy Tail's Erza Scarlet. I don't know if there will be another opportunity like this,' Wendy thought.
'He truly cares for her. Even under his cold exterior, he has a caring heart,' Erza thought as she watched Natsu interact with Wendy, having missed the interaction between Natsu and Carla as her mind went back to the talk he had with her on Akane Beach.
'I don't want to force this decision on you, but your life will soon change with everything you knew being shaken to its core,' Natsu sadly thought while his expression remain caring as he patiently looked at Wendy, waiting for her to come to a decision.
"Natsu, I want to join you. I know that I won't be able to contribute much to the fights, but I do know some support magic. I want to stand by your side, I don't want to be left behind," Wendy said with a determined look and clenched fists.
-End of Flashback-
"Can you get me close without him noticing?" Wendy asked Carla.
"Just be careful," Carla answered before grabbing Wendy and speeding her way to the distracted dark mage. They went unnoticed until they were on him, when Wendy yelled out, "Sky Dragon Roar".
The blast of air magic surprisingly made contact with Midnight as he lost concentration on his spell and freed Erza from its grasp. Midnight quickly managed to recover from the surprise attack and spun around to face Wendy.
"You little brat. Oh, how I will enjoy making you suffer," Midnight roared in anger before releasing a wave of his Reflector Magic at Wendy. Erza appeared between the two moments before the attack was released and called out "Re-quip: Adamantine Armour". Slamming the two half-shield together Erza formed a protective barrier.
The Reflector Magic warped the barrier and shields while slicing the trees all around them, though Erza's defence held firm.
"Thank you, Wendy, you just exposed his weakness," Erza smiled proudly at Wendy as she opened her mangled half-shields.
While Erza and Wendy faced Midnight, Natsu and Jellal's melee evolved into a continuous exchange of spells, each attempting to overpower the other but neither making any leeway in terms of revealing a victor in the skirmish, though some other developments occurred during the exchange of blows.
"Why won't you join me, you have such an evil aura. Everyone fears death, as it seems like it follows you wherever you go. Wouldn't it be easier to accept what the world already perceives you as, even the Magic Council and Wizard Saints are out for your blood?" Jellal asked before throwing a green and golden fist towards Natsu's temple. Jellal had regained more of the dark personality he only revealed when he didn't have an audience during his time infiltrating the Magic Council as the magic Brain had cast on him reached its final stage. His recently regained personality and manipulative nature quickly jumped to the forefront of his persona.
"The perception of the world doesn't matter, for I know who I am and what I need to do. The question is do you truly know who you are?" Natsu replied before asking his question while performing a leg sweep, forcing Jellal to jump to dodge before being submitted to another round of close combat blows being traded.
"Oh, the ever-noble Death Walker, a man who murders who he deems unworthy of life. A mage who forced the Council to advise even the Wizard Saints to be cautious when encountering and avoid contact if possible. But you see, I have some additional information that those old fools never had, I know what magic you have, Death Dragon Slayer," Jellal taunted, a smirk forming on his lips as he revealed the magic of the ever-elusive Death Walker.
"Knowing your opponent's magic is always an advantage, though if you don't have knowledge about what that magic entails, the name is merely that, a name. Allow me to show you how little you know," Natsu said. "Death Dragon Decaying Fang" Natsu called out. A purple and grey dragon head formed out of the energy surrounding him with its fangs bared, the dragon head then rushed Jellal who quickly called out "Dark Angel's Heaven Guard" causing a green and gold silhouette of an angel with a large shield to form between him and Natsu's attack.
"Your attacks are useless against me, watch in awe as my Heaven Guard absorbs your spell with ease," Jellal boasted as the dragon head made contact with the angel. His smirk grew as the dragon's head vanished while the angel still stood strong but before he could continue his boasting the angel started to fall apart as purple and grey light started to break through the cracks that appeared on the angel.
"Death comes for all, and none can escape it," Natsu's voice sounded from behind Jellal. The sock he experienced when he saw his defensive spell failing was enough for Natsu to get behind him unnoticed. "Death Dragon Roar" Natsu called out from behind Jellal and landed the devastating cortex of purple and grey.
"Unexpected, but not enough," Jellal grunted before he once again covered himself in a green and gold light while saying "Dark Meteor". Jellal quickly began to dash around Natsu and took to the sky while firing beams of magic energy at Natsu who easily dodged them.
Jellal finished his barrage of beams by appearing in front of Natsu and throwing out a punch that sent him skidding back. A smirk appeared on his face as he placed his left hand with his index and middle fingers spread out on his right hand which had all its fingers spread.
"Feel the power of ruin," Jellal said before calling out "Ruinous Chariot". Seven dark magic circles appeared in the sky that connected in the form of a constellation of sorts, that started to release a chaotic barrage of dark energy that ripped up the landscape. Jellal watched in glee as Natsu was bombarded by the spell, with his grin only growing when he saw the battered and bruised but far from defeated.
"I am truly pleased to see you are still standing. I have wanted to release the power I possess but there's no fun in it if your opponent can't handle it," Jellal said as he started to release his magic. Natsu quickly mimicked the release of power and once again the two were locked in a battle, this time more magically inclined compared to the previous exchange of fists.
'They are preoccupied with dealing with Midnight, the safest option to deal with Jellal quickly would be to create more distance between us and them,' Natsu observed as Erza and Wendy turned their full focus on Midnight.
Cutting off the magic he was letting out, Natsu took the initiative and with a burst of speed rushed Jellal. "Death Dragon Talon" Natsu called out as he performed a back flip in front of Jellal and forced him to block the kick that sent him into the air before he quickly followed up with a "Death Dragon Elbow". Jellal was sent flying back but unharmed as he successfully brought up a guard.
"Death Dragon Devastating Fist" Natsu called out as he appeared at Jellal's location and decimated the untouched ground.
"Is this far away from your comrades for you or are you truly this weak?" Jellal asked with a smirk and a slightly disappointed tone at the end as he easily dodged the attack.
"Our respective magic each has great potential for collateral damage, and with my particular magic, there are other factors at play that you don't need to know of. But be prepared for I will now come at you with the might of Death itself," Natsu said as he placed his right fist into his left palm in front of his chest.
"Come at me with whatever you want, I will soon return you to the hole you crawled out of," Jellal replied as he crossed his arms above his head. Slowly the shadows in the area began to draw towards Jellal while the colour of the surrounding area drained, with the grey expanse of deathly grey originating from where Natsu stood.
"Face the darkness from the abyss," Jellal shouted as he released the massive ball of black energy he accumulated with a call of "Abyss Altairis". "Death Dragon Secret Art: Decaying Grasp: Death Dragon's Oblivion Blade" Natsu softly said as he pulled his right hand away from his left palm, a grey blade with a purple aura now in his right hand.
The orb of darkness approached Natsu as he held the blade in a quick draw stance. "Death Dragon Double Edge Sweep" Natsu said as he disappeared and reappeared in front of Jellal. The orb of darkness split in four, and two diagonal slashes appeared on it and disintegrated the destructive magic.
"Jiu Leixing" Jellal quickly called out as he saw Natsu in front of him, ready to strike again. Nine lightning swords appeared behind him that he quickly redirected towards Natsu. Natsu easily sliced through each of the blades and destroyed them, but the momentary distraction allowed Jellal to create some space between them and recompose himself from his powerful attack suddenly disappearing without a trace.
"The foolish righteously tries to undermine the mighty wicked, a tale told time and again about how the light overcomes the dark, good triumphs over evil, a children's story. The difference between those tales and reality is that I will emerge victorious while the light wilts away at the overpowering forces of darkness," Jellal said. As his monologue finished a vast amount of lightning blades appeared all around the area as he called out "Da Leixing".
"The delusions of this world," Natsu said softly with a sigh before allowing his blade to de-materialise. Jellal could instantly feel something change in his magic but he had no idea what it was, never the less he was sure not to allow his opponent to do whatever they please, that would be counterintuitive to defeating them after all.
Bringing his hand in front of him with his fingers spread out, a green aura surrounded his hand. "An Xiaohao" Jellal called out as he closed his and into a fist. As one, the lightning blades converged on Natsu's location as a green aura surrounded them.
"Face the terrors of reality" Jellal screamed just before the blades impaled Natsu.
"Weak attacks will not work, irrespective of how many you throw around," Natsu said as tendrils of grey energy shot from the ground and halted the lightning blades. "Death Dragon Death Blast" Natsu called out as he took the chance to retaliate with an attack. The ball of purple and grey magic launched at Jellal.
"That is true, weak attacks won't work, but they do provide some distraction," Jellal said with a smirk as the thick aura of green and gold that was around him thinned into a powerful layer of magic around him as he called out "Dark Heavenly Body: Aspect of the Void".
Jellal vanished into a swirl of dark green, instantly putting Natsu on guard, however, he wasn't prepared for the powerful kick Jellal delivered from out of nowhere to the back of his head that caused him to tumble over. Natsu, using the momentum of the blow and ignoring the damage, rolled and repositioned just in time to block the follow-up punch from Jellal, however before he had a chance to retaliate Jellal vanished into another swirl of dark green.
Jellal kept on appearing around Natsu and delivering powerful blows before having on blocked and restarting the little game of cat and mouse he had going. While Jellal released his relentless assault Natsu had trouble blocking or resisting the heavy blows that were wearing him down a lot more than they should.
"Come now, where is that defiance you showed?" Jellal started to taunt as he landed a devastating blow to Natsu as he appeared once more from the void he seemed to be able to enter and launched him across the landscape they had destroyed. Before Natsu could regain his footing Jellal appeared below him and sent him flying high with a kick to the gut.
"What happened to the power of Death itself you boasted on? Don't tell me this is all it takes to conquer Death?" Jellal taunted as he slammed both fists down on the airborne Natsu, sending him plummeting to the earth.
"The fabled power of the Dragons seems pathetic if this was all it took to take you down, but then again if the Void can consume Death itself, besting a Dragon isn't really a feat to mention," Jellal smirked.
-With Erza and Wendy-
"Re-quip: Robes of Yūen" Erza called out as the heavy Adamantine armour flashed away and was replaced by revealing purple kimono, consisting of a purple tunic, a pink belt and a purple cloth rimmed with yellow around her side and around the back with another long piece of cloth in front.
"Re-quip: Bo of Okinawa" Erza called out as she started her advance on Midnight.
"You can come at me again and again, the results will remain the same," Midnight said, once again focusing on Erza as she was the only real threat to him. Erza swing the large staff with surprising speed and power, however, the staff merely phased through Midnight, only laying waste to the surrounding area.
"See it's utterly useless," Midnight laughed, enjoying the feeble attempts at taking him out.
Erza went in for another attack. Dropping her grip on her staff to almost the bottom, Erza began to swing the weapon across her field of vision. Midnight smirked as it harmlessly passed through him and Erza continued her momentum, foolishly exposing herself to an attack.
Or so Midnight thought.
He wasn't prepared when a heavy blow racked his side. He caught a glimpse of Erza, having lowered herself while twisting her body to now have it at a ninety-degree angle with his, her arm bent and her palm open, making contact with his ribs. The next moment Midnight crashed into the cliffside with an audible grunt.
"H-How, how di-did you hit m-me?" Midnight asked, pain in his tone and while clutching his side that definitely had a broken rib or two.
"There are two innate weaknesses to your so-called impenetrable defence. Even though you can bend any form of magic, you hold no power over living beings, you were unable to make Jellal phase through you when he was thrown into you and you stepped out of my trajectory last time," Erza explained as she stood up straight, her hand still extended but with only two fingers raised.
"How annoying, but that won't help you if you can't reach me. I will use your pretty little collection of armours to squeeze the life out of you as slowly and painfully as I want," Midnight said as he twisted his hand and activated his magic. The robe that Erza had on once again started to bend and constrict around her just like her previous armours, though instead of the pained screams, Erza had a calm and focused look.
"That is one weakness, as for the second," Erza started as multiple weapons appeared above Midnight.
"She's just feeding him weapons to attack us with, what is she thinking?" Carla questioned, though Wendy was paying too much attention to Erza to hear her as she wanted to know what Erza discovered. Erza released her telekinetic hold on the mass of weapons that were floating above Midnight, causing them to fall to the ground, racing to be the first to impale the Oracion Seis member.
"You are only able to use your magic in one area, either attacking someone or defending yourself. This was made clear when Wendy landed her attack when you were attacking me," Erza continued from her previous statement.
'She saw and analysed all of that in no time while she was being attacked, she really is amazing," Wendy thought with admiration in her eyes and amazement at the forefront of her mind.
"I will not be beaten. Suffer as your body is squashed to mush," Midnight yelled, his calm demeanour being forsaken due to the shocking revelations Erza slammed against his once confident mind. Midnight increased the amount of magic power in his constricting attack on Erza, but she didn't show any signs of pain, and neither did the armour constrict her more than it previously had regardless of how much he twisted the magical armour.
"The Robes of Yūen armour is by far the most elastic in my collection. You can call this a third weakness of your magic," Erza said as she dropped her stance and tensed her leg muscles as she prepared for her next attack, her grip on her bo staff back in the middle.
"You think you have it all figured out, don't you. Well, let me tell you that you are sorely mistaken and I will crush you like all those who stood against us before," Midnight yelled furiously. "Spiral Pain" Midnight called out once more and launched the same attack that previously dealt serious damage against Erza in all directions, though this time she was prepared. Quickly slamming her bo staff into the ground, she propelled herself upwards, leaving the staff the only object in the area of effect of the attack.
Wendy was unprepared for the wild attack and only managed to avoid the pain that was soon to follow when Carla quickly shoved her out of the way. Unfortunately, this left her unable to completely avoid the attack and she was flung against the cliff side, rendered unconscious.
"Carla," Wendy called out in concern, but before she could move to her friend, she saw Erza going for the last blow while Midnight prepared to counter.
Erza propelled herself over the attack before changing her trajectory and directing herself towards Midnight.
"Phantom Nail" Midnight called out as he extended his arm forward while twisting the air into dangerously sharp nails that found themselves directly in the path of Erza. Before Erza had a chance to counter the expected attack since she was airborne and likely unable to dodge a shout of "Sky Dragon Roar" followed by a directed twister of wind blasted the nails away and formed a sort of twirling barrier between Erza and Midnight.
Erza expertly used the twirling air to her advantage and glided around the air wave, increasing her speed before she appeared in front of an unprepared Midnight and slammed an open palm into his chest, slamming him back into the cliffside and causing a large spider web crack to run across the hard rock due to the impact.
Midnight coughed up a glob of blood as he fell over in defeat by the last powerful blow. Erza turned her attention to the tired but standing Wendy and offered her a proud smile.
"Take pride in this victory Wendy, you were an integral part in defeating Midnight," Erza praised the girl as she gave her a proud pat on the head.
"I really didn't do that much. You figured out how to defeat him and actually took him down," Wendy tried to deny her involvement in Midnight's downfall.
"Don't undervalue your contributions, Wendy, first your enchantments helped to withstand his attacks, it was your attack that truly exposed his weakness, and it was your last attack that gave me a clear path to victory. This win is as much yours as it is mine," Erza earnestly praised as she laid her hand on Wendy's shoulder who was blushing up a storm due to the compliments.
"Carla," Wendy remembered her friend and quickly rushed over to her. Relief flooded over her when she realised that she was just unconscious due to the impact, but still activating her magic to start healing her.
"You have such a kind heart, never let that wither away even when faced with the darkness our world hides away," Erza said as she smiled down at Wendy, now standing next to her.
The toll of a bell cut through the sincere moment between the two mages, with Wendy being confused while Erza was instantly on edge. Their attention was simultaneously drawn to the laughter that echoed from the seemingly defeated Midnight.
"You almost had me, but with the toll of the midnight bell, true nightmares rise from the depths of your fears. You have lost the slimmer of hope you had, and now you will know. TRUE. TERROR," Midnight laughed as the midnight bell continued to toll. Before Wendy and Erza had a chance to act, the dark forest gave way to a hellish landscape of a destroyed city bathed in red light emanating from the full, blood moon that held solidarity in the maroon sky.
Where Midnight once lay, thought to be defeated, stood a hulking demonic behemoth with terrifying nails and a gaping maw filled with razor-sharp teeth, bulking muscles hiding tremendous physical strength, and demonic red eyes that peered deep into your psyche, salivating at the terrors they wish to extract and lay bare to your unwilling eyes.
"Feel the terror as the truth you hide away seeps into reality," the demonic Midnight said in a distorted voice as he towered over Erza and Wendy.
"What is this, where are we?" Wendy asked, her voice shaking as she grabbed onto Erza's clothes.
"I don't know, but it seems like Midnight wasn't completely defeated. We will just have to work together and take him down for good," Erza said as she initially tried to find out what was going on, but the moment Wendy grabbed her, she protectively laid her hand on the opposite shoulder of Wendy, pulling her closer for comfort before trying to inspire her for the foe before them.
"How sweet, Erza Scarlet feeding more false hope to young children. Are you also going to abandon her like you did to everyone at the Tower of Heaven?", Midnight asked as he started to charge an attack.
"H-How do you know about that? Wait, back then Cobra mentioned something about being there... you, you can't mean that you were all at the Tower of Heaven?" Erza exclaimed with surprise written all over her face.
"That we were Titania and you abandoned everyone there for Jellal to toy with," Midnight continued before releasing the orb of power he gathered. With the surprising reveal for Erza, she didn't make a move to try and avoid or block the approaching attack.
A reminder of her decision and answer to Natsu's question flashed in Wendy's mind as the powerful attack approached. Determined not to shy away from the future Wendy moved from the sheltered spot next to Erza and summoned her magic. "Sky Dragon Wing Attack" Wendy called out in an attempt to defend herself and Erza.
The difference in power and combat experience between Midnight and Wendy quickly became clear when Midnight's attack broke through the wind that tried to stand up against it. The orb detonated at their feet and flung them in opposite directions since they were slightly separated when Wendy cast her spell.
"Still letting children suffer for you Titania. Initially, I thought that Jellal was to blame for the hardships we endured even after we put an end to the Cult that took us, nothing improved. But now I see why, you only used us for your own purposes, just like you are using the Sky Maiden," Midnight continued to scrutinise her.
"I never abandoned anyone, I needed to get stronger to stand up against Jellal," Erza rebutted, regaining a semblance of her composure just in time to block a massive demonic fist from crushing her with her bo staff.
"Try telling it to everyone you left behind," Midnight said as grey forms began to fill the hellish landscape, most of them appearing to be the size of children with no identifiable features except for an elderly man that stood at the forefront.
"Grandpa Rob," Erza said in a shaky and grief-stricken voice as her eyes fell on the man that sacrificed himself to defend her.
"Stop hurting Erza you monster," Wendy shouted as she managed to gather herself and released an attack with the shout of "Sky Dragon Roar". The blast of air simply phased through the demonic form of Midnight, however, his attention now shifted away from Erza and dialled in on Wendy.
"I will torment you later Sky Maiden, so why don't you take a little break," Midnight stated, his voice raising at the end as he landed a backhanded swipe on Wendy, sending her flying. His attention was quickly returned to Erza as a blade cleaved through his left arm with an enraged Titania at the other end. However, instead of the pained scream Erza expected, Midnight only laughed as veins shot out from his dismembered arm and remaining stump and quickly stitched the arm back again.
"It's useless Erza, just succumb to your terror," Midnight hollered as he brought down his fist. Erza instantly raised her guard, but out of nowhere another arm appeared behind her and landed a powerful blow to her back.
"I will not fail, I will bring you down and you know nothing about my past, even if you were another prisoner in the Tower of Heaven," Erza declared. "Re-quip: Clear heart Clothing" Erza called out as she changed into a simple red hakama with a gold flame-like pattern and a white sarashi around her chest, in her hand rested a seemingly ordinary katana, though this was her Demon Blade Benizakura.
"Feel the power of the bonds I formed as I cleave you in two," Erza declared as she charged at Midnight. Bringing her blade down with as much force as she can muster to fell the vile demon, Erza saw the grey form of Grandpa Rob appearing in front of her just as the swing was completed before he slowly fell apart, a perfect split down the middle.
"Oh no, look at what you have done, you killed them yet again. Once simply wasn't enough for you now was it?" Midnight mocked, initially in mock sorrow, though a devious and coaxing tone invaded his voice as he continued to play on Erza's fears and tormented her past.
"No, this is all your doing," Erza denied, but when she heard her own voice sounding young and childish she looked down at her hands and saw the constricting cuffs that were a constant reminder in her youth that she was a mere slave to a cult. Her eyes soon also noticed the rags that cemented her as nothing more than a source of labour. She was once again a child, shackled by the cult to work until she died.
"Bad children need to be punished," Midnight said, using words the cultist often said when they found someone not meeting their unreasonable expectations while charging another attack, glee filling his expression as he did so.
Wendy regained her barrings after the brutal hit, but when she looked down she saw two slash marks, something that didn't make sense since she was hit with the back of Midnight's hand. 'This should be a bruised area, not a cut,' Wendy reasoned, the knowledge that Grandeeney bestowed upon her drawing her to the conclusion that all was not as it seemed.
Wanting to raise her suspicion with Erza, remembering how she manage to discern Midnight's magic and its weaknesses with minimal clues, to see if there was any actual truth to what she was thinking. Wendy began to look around for Erza when she saw her walking towards her.
"Erza, I wanted to ask..." Wendy started only to be interrupted.
"If only you weren't so useless we could have defeated Midnight and be done with this, but you are just holding me back since I am stuck babysitting you," Erza's voice assaulted Wendy's sensitive ears.
"Wh-What?" Wendy fearfully asked as Erza stood before her.
"We should have just left you with Brain and not wasted our time searching for you, we could have already been done here," Erza continued as she stood in front of Wendy with an expressionless face.
'No, no, this can't be true. What is happening? Please don't let this be real,' Wendy tried to deny what she was hearing from the woman she had come to admire as tears started to form in her eyes.
"Go back to where you came from and be someone else's problem," Erza said as she started to turn around to walk away.
"No, please, I promise I will do better," Wendy pleaded, reaching out as tears fell from her eyes but gaining no reaction from Erza. Just as Erza fully turned around her form changed, now being that of a cloaked male figure, his back turned to her.
"I should have never associated with you," a distorted male voice said that sounded similar to Natsu's, instantly catching the pleas from Wendy in her throat.
'This isn't real, he would never say that. That isn't him. That isn't him,' Wendy thought, initially shocked and frightened before quickly gaining confidence in her thoughts before she started to add a voice to her thoughts.
"That isn't him, this isn't real," Wendy shouted with all her might as the winds responded to her defiance of the reality she found herself in, shredding the area around her and rushing over the hellish landscape and banishing the false being that tried to shatter her world.
Wendy's words of denial reached Erza's ears as she jumped from another attack that shattered the land where it hit. Concerned Erza almost forgot about the hulking demonic Midnight and instantly searched for where Wendy was. That was when she saw the hellish landscape shimmering due to the powerful gales that wreaked havoc on the area.
Seeing the rippling Erza felt something in her hand that she could not see and sensed her surroundings that didn't align with what she saw.
"Once again you are the light that reveals the path to victory Wendy," Erza said to herself as she shattered her child-like appearance and raised her blade above her left shoulder, her right biceps covering her right eye. The false reality started to waiver against Erza's artificial eye before she released her attack.
The massive illusion was shattered as the blade slashed through it all, revealing the forest where their battle began and a terrified Midnight locked eyes with Erza's determined gaze. His mind, frozen in fear as his final illusion was decimated, he was unable to do anything as the vicious gales delivered the final blow. Already weakened from Erza's previous blow along with him not being able to raise any defence, he was slammed against the hard ground.
"I've failed, my only wish for a peaceful slumber, will it ever come true? Father, I am sorry," Midnight breathed out as consciousness finally left him.
Hi everyone, I do hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for taking so long on this chapter, was out of commission for a week and the last battle took me quite a while to get right. I really wanted to give Wendy a more impactful role in the arc and the battles, I hope I accomplished this so far. So going forward so much will change compared to cannon and how the arc played out in the anime. Some twists and unexpected reveals will come in the following chapters, but first Jellal and Natsu will have to conclude their battle. And what will Cobra do once he returns to Brain and will Nirvana be awakened? Let me know what your thoughts are with a comment and look forward to the next chapter of this tale.