Aisha's POV:
It had taken a full night until the storm cleared up, but in the morning we were on the march again. We were far behind schedule, we needed to get to the battlefield and support Sabertooth and Blue Pegasus. They had been fighting most of the time and I hope they're ok, if someone like Irene is here then I'm going to need some support from a dragonslayer or two.
The Fairy Tail Squadron, my personal squad and I had left the cave and were marching North. The snow beneath us had gotten harder and our feet weren't sinking into it as bad, the snow was still falling but it was light enough to the point where it wasn't as bad. This climate wasn't ideal for me, but it would do.
As we approached what looked like a hill, we heard thunderous footsteps from the other side. We trekked up the hill, and when we got over the top we saw a vast tide of soldiers from the Empire. I looked at them closer and it was clear a large portion of them are from the Tribes like the patrol from earlier, this would be a nice fight to clear my mind. I noticed that they were marching in our direction and they were carrying something, I couldn't quite work out what it was. This would be my first battle in over a year where I could use my full unadulterated power. During the Grand Magic Games I had my magic limited by August so I wouldn't be too obvious, it almost cost me my life not having my full power. Now though, I have all of my power. I will show everyone here why I was chosen to be part of the Twelve.
"It can't be…" I heard Lisanna say, I looked over in her direction and she had a hand over her mouth.
I turned away from her and looked at them and I finally realised what they were carrying. They were carrying large crosses and on the crosses, they carried members of the Blue Pegasus and Sabertooth guilds. They had crucified them, and in an alien sort of mercy for them they had left them alive. Maybe they crucified them so they can watch on as they crush Ishgar, unfortunately for them they have run into me. I have killed thousands of Tribesmen before and it looks like I'll have to do it again, not that I'll mind. These bastards killed enough people in Hijaara, if they conquer Ishgar they'll thoroughly loot and rape this continent. I will not allow for that to happen.
"Aisha squad, prepare to use the sand artillery behind the crosses. We will separate them from the main force and swoop in and save the wizards. Afterwards we will have free reign to do as we please against them. I cannot sense any of the Twelve with this force so it'll be easy pickings for us." I stood up calmly, turning around to look over the Fairy Tail mages who are clearly in shock at seeing this blatant act of cruelty. I'd have acted the same if I hadn't seen them do the same thing in Hijaara, it's just their tactics.
My squad nodded in unison and began to summon the artillery pieces, this plan should be quite easy. I will not be taking prisoners here, I will ruthlessly take my vengeance on them.
"I can't believe they crucified them, how could they?" I looked over at Mira who was clearly angry and upset, I walked over to her and put a hand on her shoulder. At first she recoiled from the touch but eventually let me keep my hand on her.
"Because this is what they do, this is what they did in Hijaara and now they're doing it here. Unless we stop them now this will happen to thousands, they will torture, murder and rape their way through the continent. I won't allow the same crimes they did in Hijaara to happen here, I will kill them all." Mira looked up at me worried with what I've said, I love you Mira but you do not understand war. It's us or them, if we do not kill them, they will kill us.
"Princess, we are ready to fire on your command." I smiled ready to do battle, I said a silent prayer and turned to the force as they still hadn't found us.
"Thank you, as soon as I raise my hand rain hell on them. Now everyone else, on me. We have some people to rescue." I cracked my knuckles and prepared to fight, I will pull the veil down and fight the Empire properly. I raised my hand and on command the artillery started firing, the explosions happened just behind the crosses. Perfectly accurate and creating space between the force, they were in chaos trying to figure out where the firing was coming from.
I used my sand cloak to fly down to the battle, I appeared just before the force and pulled my mask down. I raised my hands in the air and smiled as I looked at them, they looked back at me in sheer terror. They knew who I was and what I was going to do to them.
"The shadow of death once again appears for the tribes! This is for Hijaara, this is for my parents and this is for Saadiya!" I used my sand to create two giant sand waves to clear the sides of any additional Tribal soldiers. A few of them ran towards me with their weapons raised and I created a sand scythe to take their heads off, blood splattering everywhere soaking the white snow beneath us with a deep crimson coat. I used my sand cloak to go forward and forced another soldier up into the air before smashing him into the ground, breaking every single bone in his body.
I used my sand to take the crosses from the people carrying them and pulling them towards me, the Fairy Tail mages took the crosses from the sand and ran back to the hill. Desperately trying to untie our allies from them. Since they were now dealt with it was time for me to cause complete chaos.
"Aisha squad! Support the Fairy Tail mages. I will deal with this personally!" I summoned a great sand golem which stood giant above the battlefield, letting me view the battlefield from an aerial angle. I cracked my hands and like a conductor conducting an orchestra I raised my hands. Beneath the sand beast I watched as two massive sand tsunamis formed beneath the snow and rose up to be well over 30 metres tall, I began to send them towards each other. Hundreds upon hundreds of men and women were caught up in the sand and they struggled aimlessly against the sand, they wouldn't be able to escape and their magic power crept back through to me as a result of my vampiric power. The screams of anguish were a delight to hear, this was payback for every man, woman and child they killed in Hijaara.
The waves crashed into each other and as the sand began to dissipate it left a bloody mess on the floor with mangled bodies smashed into each other, before the sand completely dissipated I decided to force a sinkhole open beneath the survivors. They fell down the chasm and into nothingness, being buried beneath tonnes of sand. Every soul that died in that made me stronger, if I keep doing this then I might have enough power to challenge Irene. Thousands more will need to die for that to happen, but their sacrifice is one I am willing to make.
I watched as hundreds more fell into the expanding hole, slipping down the crevice to be buried alive. "Let this be a lesson to the Tribes, Aisha Alyamani does not forget or forgive. I am death incarnate for you, this is for the invasion you launched against Hijaara!" I forced the sand golem forward and it brought down its fist on groups of soldiers. Whilst we were moving forward I made sand harpies to swoop down and attack them.
The harpies flew down incredibly fast, picking up soldiers from beneath before flying up into the air and dropping them onto the ground. Whilst my creations were doing their best to crush this army as quickly as possible I looked back towards Mira and her group and they had gotten everyone off the crosses and were getting them to a safe place. Good, leave this to me and I will crush this army beneath my Hijaaran boot.
I looked up into the sky and saw storm clouds appear above me, before I noticed them open up. It couldn't be, surely. I watched for a few moments and saw a flash, I used my sand cloak then went straight down through the golem and onto the ground below.
As soon as I hit the ground we watched as lightning struck the golem and turned it into a giant pile of sand. I looked straight ahead and prepared for battle, I know who this was but that couldn't be possible. I felt his presence and it sent a shiver through my body. I looked forward and saw a figure shrouded in darkness appear from the army. They cheered and chanted in unison.
"Ailenor! Ailenor! Ailenor!" I gritted my teeth as my squad fell into formation next to me.
As the figure appeared fully in front of us, I looked over at him.
"Aisha Alyamani, you fucking bitch! I will fucking gut you! I will paint the ground with your insides! You killed me! With poison! How dare you?! I am Ailenor Stormsinger!" He smashed the bottom of his axe into the ground and I felt the ground shake. Ailenor had been one of the strongest mages the Tribes had, he was the first person that I had ever killed.
He was a giant man who was the same size as Elfman, he wore a great big white beard. His face was scarred from decades of senseless conflicts, his chest covered in hair. His dark green eyes flared up in anger, he was determined to kill me. The amount of pride he lost after being killed by a fifteen year old girl must've been bad. I used my magic to sense him and I could tell he wasn't a historia, he was brought back from the grave using the dark arts.
"Ailenor it's a pleasure, I was just your slave cupbearer. I had absolutely nothing to do with your tragic passing, have you ever considered it was natural causes?" I smirked at him, I knew that would send him into a rage. I murdered him by posing as a captured slave and slipped some poison into his ale, he died a writhing mess in front of me.
"Aisha! I will send you to the same place that your parents are!" He ran towards me using his lightning to charge his axe and swung it at my head and I used my sand to let it pass through me. Lightning users are weak against me, he may have destroyed my golem but he can't defeat me.
He threw his right fist into my face and it passed through me, I used my sand cloak to appear from behind him and created a blade in my hand trying to drive it through the back of his head but he used his magic to try and electrocute me. I forced myself back and went almost all the way back to the crowd, before they could attack me from behind I created a sand wall to make a barrier between us.
Ailenor used his lightning to enhance his speed and charged straight for me, trying to crush me against my own wall. I simply side stepped him as he crashed into the wall and straight through some of his own men. I flew up into the air and sent a sand bullet straight through his leg wounding him. When the bullet hit him it passed straight through his knee shattering it, I smirked and stayed in the air with my sand form.
"Ailenor, the world has passed you by. You are a relic from the past, you died and the Tribes lost the war. Ajeel and I went north and we destroyed your cities, armies and people. You are from a frozen shithole and you're going to die again in another frozen shithole. Now make this easy for me, stand there like a good little boy and let me turn you into paste." I smirked and watched him writhe in agony, struggling to stand up.
"You Hijaarans have always been so high and mighty, I know things you don't know. I died years ago but I know what happened at Osiris and I know who betrayed the city to us." I clenched my fist preparing to crush him.
"How would you know that? You're a sad old dead man."
"Because the person who raised me from the dead was the person who betrayed Osiris, she is here too. You know her name." Ailenor smiled up at me, and summoned a lightning strike at me. I just managed to dodge it at the last possible moment by using my sand cloak to move away, I lunged straight for him. Crashing into him and forcing him on his back then using my sand to crush his other leg.
He cried out in anguish, losing his grip on his axe as he stayed on his back unable to move. He still had that smile on his face, I began to prepare to crush him beneath the sane but he spluttered blood and looked into my eyes.
"Your lover did it, she betrayed Osiris and you. Saadiya…." Before he could finish I used my sand to crush him, his body exploding under the pressure. I felt the tears welling up in my eyes, I knew what he was saying was true. Saadiya had betrayed Osiris, how could I have never known.
I brought down all of my sand creations as the Alvarez soldiers stood in absolute fear of me, I had already killed their commander again and had killed thousands of their countrymen again.
"Where the fuck is Saadiya al-Hain?! Come to me now!"
A figure appeared from the crowd as the soldiers stepped through to make a path, she walked towards me.
"I am here, Aisha."