Izumi: Normally in this bit, we do some humor yet foreshadowing skits at the start and end of these chapters to improve my writing. But there's something to be addressed.
Raven: Where are we going to find that scumbag reviewer?
Yang: Dude those comments weren't reviews, they were downright flames. Well good thing I learned a few words.
Freddy: Which you will refrain from repeating ever again. Got it?
Yang/Gwen: Y-Yes sir!
Izumi: Just to clear misunderstandings. The reason why I didn't update this for three months isn't due to my flame comments from Writer2018. I was busy focusing on The Last Hound and Portal Combat. It's my main story I want to work on more than DELTA.
Shiho: I can understand not many views of The Last Hound due to being a bit slow. But trust me, it gets better in Portal Combat. Think of it as the entire set up to Portal Combat.
Izumi: That's correct. While I do enjoy writing DELTA, I'm going to be focused on The Last Hound Series.
Varvula: Stay tuned to the end of the chapter for Izumi's response to Writer2018's comments.
Peace/Sanya: Let the flame war begin~!
Raven:...
Yang:...
Freddy:...I'll knock them out. [He drags Peace and Sanya off screen.]
Izumi: After that awkward note, let star the chapter.
Event before the death of Todd.
It's been a few minutes since Eguchi and Natsu were frozen by the Mose's black ice magic. After a few seconds of silence, one of the ice block started to melt at a fast rate, until a burst of white flames shattered the ice.
"GAH~!" Eguchi hollered out, looking a bit annoyed. After taking a breather, the guy pulled his legs out of what remained of the ice block. "Damn it Moses! What's the deal with freezing me too?!"
"Well fancy meeting you here," He turned around to find Kaito appearing behind him. "I was afraid you wouldn't make it for round two."
"Same to you," Eguchi replied back. He glanced at the frozen Natsu. He then placed his hand on the ice statue, emitting out some heat from the palm of his hands. "I was fighting against the boy here until Moses interfered. I don't know what his deal is."
"Moses Reynoldo: The Ultimate God Slayer. I heard his family was known to be quite famous in the North Blue," Kaito said, a bit surprised. "How did someone like him get into your ranks?"
"RRAAGH~!" Natsu comically roared in pure anger. Eguchi's flames melted enough for Natsu to break free with his own flames. "THAT RED HEADED BASTARDS GOING TO PAY~!"
"This guy is loud," Kaito commented while rubbing his ears a bit.
"Glad you're not dead," Eguchi said as he walked over to defrost Happy. "Sorry about that. That guy can get a bit moody at times."
"Hmm," The second Natsu noticed Kaito, he quickly got onto his feet. "You smell like that brown-haired girl with the red eyes."
"Oh? So you came across Maki Roll?" Kaito blinked in a bit of shock.
"Shit, Maki's here?" Eguchi cursed in disbelief, after finishing thawing out Happy. "This got a lot complicated."
"Maki Roll's her name huh?" Natsu thought a bit before snickering. "Maki Roll! That's a funny na-."
BOOM~!
Eguchi, Kaito, Happy and Natsu were startled when they noticed a pillar of black lightning shoot up to the sky in the Upper Ruins.
"W-What was that?!" Happy yelled out in shock.
"That's…one of Moses' execution techniques…" Eguchi gulped, trembling a bit for the first time. "No one has ever survived that attack…someone must've really pissed him off to do that."
"Happy~! Are you still able to fly?" Natsu turned to his blue companion.
"Y-Yes, just a bit of frostbite," Happy replied, still a bit cold, but hiding it.
"Then let's go," Natsu declared, showing off his canine teeth. Happy sprouted his white wings and grabbed Natsu's back collar. "I'm going to kick that guy's ass for freezing us!"
"Wait!" Eguchi's voice didn't reach Natsu's ears as Happy lifted Natsu into the air and the two flew towards the Upper Ruins. The phoenix slayer just sighed. "Well, he's dead…"
"Come on, don't you think that's a little harsh?" Kaito questioned.
"The boy is strong, I give him that. But Moses isn't the kind of guy to play around with his opponent," Eguchi said as he shook his head. "Me, Terra and Simon were this close to beating in a mock battle and we still lost…Not just because of his magic," He looked in the distance of the Upper Yard battles in the distance. "Once he knows your weakness, he'll exploit it without mercy."
"Well since there's no other interruptions," Kaito cracked his neck a bit, and got into a fighting stance. "Why don't we continue where we left off? Unless you want to go and get revenge on the God Slayer too."
Eguchi was quiet for a bit, until white flames erupted around him. His grin returned back to his face. "Nah, I'll wait until the pink guy softens Moses up until I pay him back. For now, I'll deal with you~!"
Chapter 51: Iron Cloud Caged Match.
Natsu's face shows signs of being very pissed off at the Ultimate God Slayer. He can tell by Terra's reaction as well as the broken hilt sword, that Todd's life was taken away by his own comrade, Moses Reynoldo. The man himself lifted himself from the rubble he landed in, looking at the Dragon Slayer, showing no signs of fear or exhaustion.
"Good you're up," Natsu's grin was more devilish than normal. Red flames erupted around him. "Now I can pay you back for freezing me you asshole~!"
'So that's how he broke free from my ice,' Moses theorized, as he braced himself while glaring at Natsu. 'If he's just like Dimanu, then I need to finish off quickly.'
The second Natsu made a dash towards him, Moses extended his right arm instantly, black static danced around his palm. "Lightning God: Pierce Cannon!" Moses chanted while firing off a black beam of pure black lighting that traveled towards the running Natsu.
"...!" Natsu quickly rolled out of the way of the beam, letting it travel behind him before it crashed into the ruins behind him. Once he was on his feet again, Natsu rushed towards Moses with the fire on his feet boosting him up and his flaming fist cocked back. "Fire Dragon: Iron Fist!"
Before he dodged Natsu's fist, Moses changed his element, causing black flames to erupt on his left hand, creating a small fireball. "Flame Gods: Explosive Flames!" Moses hurled the fireball towards Natsu, who had no way to avoid it. The second it reaches Natsu, the fire ball expands, engulfing his entire body.
"GAH~!" Natsu cried out in pain as he was blasted back by the black flames. Natsu's body tumbled across the ruin floor before he crashed into the ruins causing it to collapse on him.
Moses gaze cautiously at where Natsu landed, shifting his eyes into a multi-color of light and dark blue. "Sky and Ice: Unified!"
In mere seconds, a pillar of red flames blasted out of the rubble, followed by Natsu's roaring. Moses gazed up noticing the dragon slayer the air with a massive fireball. He then prepared his own spell as he stretched his arm out, emitting two massive magic circles, overlapping each other.
"Fire Dragon: BRILLIANT FLAMES~!" Natsu roared and hurled the massive fire ball downward.
"Ice Sky God: RAVISHING BLIZZARD~!" Combining Sky and Ice God magic, Moses unleashed a large black icy cyclone of wind.
Both of their attacks collided the second they connected, fighting for dominance for a brief moment before it canceled each other out causing a massive explosion.
"Damn it…" Moses suddenly hurled over and coughed. Some blood oozed down his nose a bit from using two elements at once. "I got too careless on using the Union spell."
The second Natsu landed on the ground, covered his body with red fire and rushed towards Moses. "Fire Dragon: Sword Horn!"
"Guh~!" Moses's mantra picked up Natsu's next attack, but had no reaction to dodge it as he felt the impact of his blazing headbutt. However due to his big structure, Moses only skidded back, but still felt the pain of Natsu's attack. "I won't be defeated by a pyro neanderthal like you…" With both of his Ice and Sky God elements combined, he grasped his hands together. He then raised them above his head, lowering them down. "Ice Sky God: Hammer!"
"GUAH~!" Natsu felt the force when Moses slammed both his elemental fists down onto his back. His face hit the ground, leaving an imprint of his body on the stone ground. The flames on his body vanished as he lay unconscious.
The God Slayer gazed at the motionless Natsu, waiting for him to move. WIth no movement, Moses held his head as another trickle of blood oozed out of his nose. "Sky and Ice: Divid." Moses' eyes returned to the normal blue color and suddenly noticed Natsu raising his head from the imprint, with a bit of blood trickling down his face. Moses snaps his fingers summoning black icicles above his body. "To think I had to waste my union spell on a brute like you."
"Why…why did you kill him?" Natsu demanded. When he gets to his knees, Moses drops one of the icicles stabbing Natsu in the leg. Natsu gritted his teeth in pain, but didn't drop down.
"That is none of your business boy," Moses replied coldly, looking down on him. "You should be more concerned about yourself and your own crewmates. Interfering with our affairs would've let you live longer."
"So what if I don't know what's going on," Natsu growled. Moses drops another icicle, but it suddenly melts along with the remaining icicles when Natsu's body temperature rises. He pushed himself up onto his feet, causing Moses to step back a bit cautiously. "All I know is that because of you, that woman lost someone very special to her. You won't get a chance to kill her or anyone else, because I'm going to kick your ass here and now."
"Utterly childish," The Godslayer clicked his teeth in annoyance. Black flames erupted into his hands. "I guess if I want to take my vengeance on that backstabber, I'll have to kill you first…I hold myself back against that Precure and the albino esper. I won't show you mercy."
"...So you were the one who beat Accelerator…" Natsu was shocked for a split second, until he gave a wide grin. Flames erupted on his hands as he got into a fighting stance. "That's perfect~! Once I kick your ass, then I can gloat to that albino prick, knocking him down a peg~!"
Simon pushed himself up and leaned on the stone wall right beside the cage. After he lost to Zoro, the swordsman left him alone to fight the other fighters in Upper Ruins. The Luminous Tail leader was still conflicted by the sudden lost voices of his own team, yet one of them made his heart skip.
"Please let them be alright," Simon whispered quietly. He slowly closed his eyes, to rest a bit, but barely got a second when he heard a familiar voice calling his name.
"SIMON~!" Happy called out from above. The man looked up to find the blue cat flying down towards him while carrying the stunned Terra.
"Happy? I'm glad to see that you're alright…!" Simon had mixed emotions. He was relieved to see the blue cat was alright, but frowned, to see the cognition of one of his comrades. Happy gently sets Terra down on the ground in front of Simon who slowly moves to check on Terra.
"She's alive…but her brother…" Happy trailed off, looking down sadly.
"T-Todd…" Simon gasped in utter horror. Even though he knew due to Terra's frozen expression, along with his mantra, it still broke his heart. "Please, don't tell me…"
"Sorry Simon," Happy's ears lowered down. "Natsu and I were frozen by that jerk…When we got there, we were too lat-."
"Damn it~!" Simon angrily punched the wall he was leaning on. Happy felt his fur tensed up by his action. "This is all my fault! Because of my earlier decisions…!"
Simon noticed Happy shivering from his outburst and calmed down a bit. "Forgive me for my outburst. I'm not angry at you. In fact, I thank for at least rescuing her." He informed him with a weak smile.
"Oh, it's no problem~!" Happy enthusiasm returned. "She wasn't that heavy. Not compared to Lucy."
"I-I see," Simon sweetdrop by Happy comment. He then cleared his throat a bit. "So where's Natsu?"
"He's staying behind to fight Moses on his own," Happy's answer caused Simon to tense up in shock.
"Natsu, facing Moses on his own~?!" He shouted. He struggled to get on his feet, but due to the wound Zoro gave him, he collapsed on his knees. "This is bad."
"Wait, what do you mean?" Happy asked, a bit confused by Simon's reaction.
"In terms of combat skills, and his magic, Moses is the strongest person in our team," Simon explained, while catching his breath. "Me, along with Terra, and Eugchi are the only ones who came closest to beating him. And not just because of his magic. He's also highly strategic, knowing the weakness of his opponent and exploits it with no mercy."
Gan Fall flew high over the Upper Ruins on Pierre. He can see Natsu fighting with Moses along with Ohms dealing with Erza. He was about to blind sided the Priests, but a blue beam shot from below towards him. Pierre quickly swerved to the side avoiding the collision.
"Stop this insanity now Wyperl~!" Gan Fall demanded to try to reason with Wyper down below, aiming his bazooka at him. "I'm not here t-."
"You're not what, old man~!" Wyper instantly cut him off. "You believe that you're not my enemy?! To the Shandians there's no difference between you and Eneru. So both of you should go and die~!"
"QUIT BEING STUBBORN AND LISTEN TO REASON~!" Gan Fall angrily snapped.
"RHAAH~!" The snake reared up from off the ground, and lunged at Gan Fall and Pierre.
"PIEE~!" Pierre swooped down at the last second, missing the large snake's strike by a mere inch. Once it missed, the snake headed beeline towards Wyper.
Wyper launched himself into the air, avoiding the snake as he slammed on the ground. Looking really pissed off, Wyper aimed his Burn Bazooka downward. "DAMN YOU~!"
Blue flames blasted at the end of the bazooka, slamming into the snake's head. The snake shot out of the smoke, looking unharmed and pissed. Wyper quickly used his skis in midair to dodge its strikes.
"My Burn Bazooka didn't even phase it?" Wyper realized while gazing at the snake's body. "What are those scales made of?"
"AHHH~!" Luffy, Misaka, Wendy and Cynthia screamed as they found themselves falling down deeper into the 'cave'.
"I'M GETTING REALLY PISSED OFF AT THIS STUPID CAVE~!" Luffy yelled out as he and the girls vanished into the dark abyss.
Erza's battle with Ohms and Holly proved to be quite difficult for the female wizard. The duo had swiftly avoided most of her sword slashes. She was able to land a cut on Holly, but the dog just shrugs it off, proven to be more durable than she expected.
"Ha~!" After avoiding Holly paws, Erza managed to get high up with her sword ready to swing downward at Ohms.
'She's going to fake out and change her armor,' Not letting her get a chance, Ohm lash his own blade which extends towards Erza, but not without being coated in a faint green glow.
"...!" Erza picked up the glow, and quickly brought her sword to take the blunt of the wavy sword. She didn't expect the sword to phase through her sword and cut her left side and through her armor. "W-What?!" She exclaimed in pain, as she landed back on the ground, ignoring the cut.
"I learned a few tricks, after losing to that woman countless times," Ohms stated while sword returned back to normal. "I would prefer not to trust this black magic, but its efficiency with dealing with most of those rebels."
'Damn it,' Erza growled, feeling the pain of the wound she received. 'This is going to be more difficult than I thought.'
"Rest assured, I'm not like the other three," Ohm predicted her thoughts. "My blade is made of Iron Clouds Just like the barb wires from earlier. The blade is actually made of the Iron Cloud that was expelled from a Dial in the sword's hilt."
"Iron Clouds as a sword?" Erza muttered in awe. She never expected some as hard as a cloud to hurt her.
"With the Iron Cloud, my blade can take any shape that I want," Ohm declared. "And fused with a bit of black magic, I can cut my prey down TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH!"
"Requip~!" Changing into her Flight Armor, Erza managed to escape Ohm's Iron sword and rushed towards Ohms and Holly. "Sonic Claw~!"
"Holly split!" Ohms ordered as he leapt up off Holly, who swiftly sidestepped out to the right side, both of them managed to evade Erza's attacks. From above the Priests lashed his sword again which managed to avoid swiftly with her armor and managed to get behind Ohms ready to strike him. Unfortunately, before Erza could land a strike, Holly leapt above Erza and swatted her down with her paw, sending her crashing into one of the old stone houses.
"I almost had him," Erza muttered to herself as she lifted her sore body out from the rubble. She glared at Ohms who landed on top of Holly after the dog landed on the ground.
"You want to fight me one on one right?" Ohm asked, knowing what Erza was thinking again. She didn't reply back and just glared at him. "Well it seems you're going to get your wish."
"What are you talking about?" Erza questioned.
"Holly, we're going to have to fight separately," Ohm suggested as he jumped off of the big dog's head and landed in front of Erza. "From the sound of things the Upper Ruins are about to be more crowded."
"BAAA~!" Four of Eneru's enforcers shot through the clouds and landed on the stone buildings. They were a bit injured but were still able to keep fighting. "The Sky Knight? I didn't expect him to be here."
"We are here to assist you, oh mighty Ohms~!" Another warrior announced as they got into their fighting stances.
Next, three Shandian warriors flew up the beanstalk and landed on the ruins on the other side of the clearing.
"Look who's here," Wyper remarked, noticing them.
"Well you know what this means," One Shandian realized.
"Yeah, it means we're the ones who made it," The second one informed.
"Ugh…" Cynthia groaned as she slowly got to her feet, and helped Wendy up. Wendy had Charla tightly close her. "I am really beginning to hate this stupid cave."
"Me too," Misaka gritted her teeth while rubbing her head. "I'm this close to railgunning us out of here."
"Please don't," Cynthia pleaded.
"Hey, wait, this should work!" Luffy called out, getting the girl's attention. He picked up a blunt stone and started scraping the side of the cave.
RRROAAR~!
The snake booming roar suddenly caught everyone off guard. The remaining Shandians and Kami warriors notice its head rearing back. "T-The giant snake~! It's…"
GWAHAHAH~! The snake suddenly erupted in loud laughter.
"It's laughing~!?" They all exclaimed in shock.
"AAAH~!" A loud scream broke out, causing almost everyone to raise their heads. Suddenly a Waver burst out of the clouds and reached the Upper Ruins. Chasing the waiver were three Kami warriors.
"Nami?!" Erza blinked in shock, when she recognized the orange hair girl's scream.
"WILL YOU STUPID GOATS LEAVE ME ALONE~!?" Nami yelled out to the Kami warriors after them.
"WHAT THE HELL IS NAMI DOING HERE!?" Zoro demanded.
"AISA, GET AWAY FROM THAT WOMEN!" Wyper ordered.
The three Kami warriors were closing in on the two girls. But before they could get to attack Nami and Aisa, three blurs flew over the girls heads. All the same time, Wyper kicked the first one with his skis, Zoro slashed the second one, and Gan Fall smashed the third. All three warriors were sent flying and crashed into the ruins. Nami skied to a stop on the Waver, finally catching her breath.
"Aisa, what are you doing here!?" Wyper shouted.
"Nami, what are you doing here!?" Zoro and Erza yelled out.
"Erza, Zoro?" Nami questioned, looking confused. "What happened to the others?"
"Wyper~!" Aisa cried out, clinging onto Nami.
"What are you planning on doing to her?" Wyper didn't hesitate to aim his bazooka towards the navigator. "Aisa, get away from that woman~!"
The Shandian leader fired off his burn bazooka towards the pirate out of rage. Luckily, Pierre swooped down with Gan Fall snatching the two along with the Waver out of the way of the blue beam.
"WYPER, YOU MONSTER~!" The small child chastised.
"That was way too close," Nami said in relief.
"What are you two doing up here in such a dangerous place?" Gan Fall asked.
"We didn't mean to…" Nami explained. "We were chased up here by that massive…SNAKE~!"
Nami screamed in utter terror, when she noticed beasts lunging at them.
CHOMP~!
And ate all four of them in one bite.
"NAMI~! GAN FALL~!" Erza yelled out in disbelief that the snake ate them.
"Y-YOU IDIOT~!" Zoro gawked in utter shock.
"A-Aisa…" Wyper muttered with his eyes widened.
"RUFF~!" Holly took the opportunity to rush forward and sucker punch the distracted Wyper and Zoro, hurling them into the ruins.
"WYPER~!" The remaining Shandians warriors cried out.
At the same time, Ohm lashed his sword at Erza. She quickly noticed and side stepped away from the path of his extended sword. But the second it passed her, a sudden cut from the side took her by surprise.
'W-What? I thought I dodge it…' Erza gape in pain and shock ,before she collapses on the ground.
"You were so distracted that you neglected to protect yourself," Ohm scolded. The sword was suddenly visible as it shrank back down to normal. "Quit worrying about other people. Just accept that you can't save them."
"Why you…" Pushing herself off the ground, Erza glared at the Priest. She winced a bit from the cut, but hid it from him.
"Quite a gathering. How many players are here in our little game?" Ohm wondered and did a quick scan of the Upper Ruins with his mantra. "Four of the Divine Squad. The two who were hit by Holly are still alive, and the wound I gave to the scarlet woman wasn't fatal, which means they're six Shandians/Luminous Tail, and three Blue Sea dwellers. Counting the Lord of the sky and Holly, that leads fourteen humans and two animals left. Very soon the number will dwindle down to Eneru's prediction."
"Eneru's prediction?" Erza seethed under her breath, getting to her knees. She was worried about the others since Ohm sensed that three of them were left in the Upper Ruins.
"How dare you do that to our leader!" The third Shandian yelled angrily at the Priest.
"You have broken the most sacred of Shandian law!" The first one declared.
"We're here to reclaim our home island and our honor~!" The second Shandian announced.
"You and you servants of the abominable Eneru we'll pay our debt," The third one claimed. Readying his bow and arrow. "With your flesh and bones."
"You are all just savages," Ohms said. "No more worthy or reparation than the weed crush beneath my feet." He hefted his sword over his shoulder. "So who wants to die first?"
"GO TO HELL DEMON~!" The third Shandian warrior immediately fired his arrow towards Ohms and Erza.
Just as he fired the arrow, the Shandian jumped out of the way of one of the goat warrior Ax Dial attacks. Erza managed to dash out of the arrows line of sight as it whizzed past Ohm's head, and exploded behind him, but wasn't phased at all.
"I'm not afraid of a mere shandian," Ohm proclaimed. "Holly, it's time for your Mad Dash!"
"RUFF~!" Holly acknowledged while bouncing on its hind legs. He then dashed across the ruins.
While reloading his arrow, the third Shandian was about to aim his arrow at goatman. Only for Holly to close the gap between him from behind. The man turned around only to be met with a paw striking his face.
"GAH~!" The arrow wielding Shandian crashed into the ground. While he landed on the ruin wall barely conscious, a plate sank beneath his weight triggering seven barbed wires shooting from the ground, cutting the weakened warrior.
"Don't stop~!" Ohm yelled. "Finish it~!"
"RUFF~!" Holly obliged and continued running across the ruins, triggering more strings of iron barbs by stepping on the ridged tiles.
"He's building some kind of fence!" The second Shandian announced.
"No it's like he's making a dome," Erza realized, noticing the barbed wires forming a cage-like dome all across the Upper Ruins.
"What's going on?!" Happy cried out when he and Simon noticed the barb cage above them.
"Ohm's Ordeal," Simon said while he was leaning on the ruins. He managed to get on his feet this time, but was still winded from the wound. "I've only him do this once against a bunch of Shandorians…none of them came back alive."
Despite losing to Cure Honey, the drained Dimanu regained consciousness and carried the unconscious girl via piggyback. He walked across the ruins searching for any of their comrades.
"Man, to think I would be taken down by a punch to the gut…" He chuckled slightly, glancing back at Yuko. Her words during their fight still echoed in his, causing a slight blush to appear on his cheeks. "Damn it, Honey. Why do you have to act so cool like that?"
"DIMMY~!" Before he could react, Sinolia tackled him in a tight hug. Touma was not too far behind them.
"OOF~!" Dimanu almost fell from the sudden embrace, but caught his footing. "That hurts, Sinolia." He scolded slightly with a wear smile.
"I'm so happy you're alive," Sinolia…smiled in the rarest of times. "I was worried she would've vaporized you."
"No, nothing like that. But I did get my ass handed to me though," The mist girl gasped at her friend's declaration. "I found her unconscious when I woke up."
"That's a relief," Touma sighed, glad that she and Dimanu were alright. Thought, he blushed a bit when she noticed Yuko had deformed only having a yellow cape.
"...Did you do it to her?" Sinolia questioned with a vicious aura. She noticed as well that Yuko was half naked.
"N-No~!" Dimanu denied instantly. "While I still have a crush on her, I wouldn't sexually harass her...All I did was pose her a bit."
"Wait, what?!" Touma blurted out in shock.
"Nothing too lewd. I assured you," Dimanu defended while ignoring Sinolia's tiny fists pounding his chest. "Just some funny poses."
"Y-Yeah," Touma sweatdrop with a blank expression. "Anyway, we need to find the others. I'm getting a bad feeling about the cage forming above the ruins."
Natsu slid back, barely able to stand. Black lighting scattered around him. Moses's injuries from fighting Terra still haven't healed, yet proved to be a strong advisory for the dragon slayer. When he looked, he noticed the barbed white wires forming around the ruins. "What the hell is going on?!"
"Ohm's Iron Ordeal has begun…" Moses unintentionally replied, glancing up. "Not many had survived being held in his iron cage. I've witnessed a pirate crew just like yours who turned on each other when they were being held."
"Well we aren't like them!" Natsu retorted. "Once I take you down, I'm gonna bust my friends out of here!"
"..." The word "friends" made the God Slayer a bit peeved, but he doesn't show it. "I won't let a naïve Neanderthal like you get the best of me."
Soon the entire Upper Ruins were covered up by a large dome shaped cage, when the Iron Cloud barbed wires met at the top.
"What kind of trick is this?!" The second Shandian demanded.
"It's no trick!" One of Eneru's enforcer chuckled evilly. "This is the deadliest part of the Ordeal of Iron; The White Cage Deathmatch~!"
"So…all he did was put up a stupid cage?" Zoro's voice caught Erza's attention. He got on his knee, still breathing heavily. "Big deal. It's not like I'm running away."
"You idiot~!" The goatman warrior chastised with a grin. "It's not simply there to just trap you all in here! There's a reason why it's called the Cage Death Ma-!"
"How about you show us instead of talking!" Before the goatman could react, a recovered Wyper appeared behind him and kicked him in the face, sending him flying into the caged wall.
"GAH~!" The goatman's agonizing scream filled the Upper Ruins as the barb wire dug into his back. He then slumped down on the ground, unconscious.
"I guess the barbs are that painful," Wyper concluded. "Thanks for the warning."
"So how do we get out of here once we've beaten all of you?" Zoro questioned, reading his swords.
"You should worry about that after you beat them," Ohm rephrased while adjusting his glasses.
"Zoro," Erza said, getting his attention. "I got my hands full with Ohm. Are you able to handle the snake?"
"I don't need you to remind me," Zoro scoffed while drawing up two swords. "I was planning on going after that bastard from the start."
'Wyper,' While Laki continued speeding along the Milky Road, getting closer to Giant Jack. 'I still remember the stories you told me when we were kids.'
Flashback.
At night, a young Wyper and Laki were sitting on a large leaf while overlooking the Shandian village.
"Our ancestors weren't born from the sky," The young Wyper informed. 'They originally were from the Blue Sea world below, in a sacred city known as Shandora. It was protected by the great warrior Calgara. Until four hundred years ago…the entire city was torn from the ground and lifted up into Skypiea by the Knock Up Stream. Our people were left stranded. It must've been hard on them, but at least they had a place they could call home."
"...That was until those Skypian bare their fangs," Wyper frowned, turning to utter fury in his eyes. "Without mercy, they invaded and seized Shandora and claimed it as sacred ground. Our ancestors drove off the land they cared for and nourished since the first sunrise."
"For four hundred years, we've suffered humiliation from being driven from our birthright!" He growled. "Never forget Laki, the Upper Yard belongs to us. We will take back everything. Our home land. Our pride!"
Once she got to Giant Jack, Laki placed her Dial-powered Skis together to make a surfboard and raced up the giant beanstalks. It only took her a few minutes to get up to the Upper Ruins.
Once she got to the top, Laki noticed the chaos happening near the Upper Ruins. She quickly spots Wyper and jumps off of the beanstalk abandoning her board. "WYPER~!"
"Huh?" Confused, Wyper turned towards her, lowering his weapon. "Laki?"
"QUICKLY THERE ISN'T MUCH TIME!" Laki cried out.
"What's wrong, why are you here?" Wyper asked.
"I've come with a warning from Kamakiri!" Laki yelled out while getting closer to the cage.
"No one…can't beat Eneru,"
"YOU HAVE TO ABANDON THIS FIGHT!" Laki hollered. "RUNAWAY QUICKLY~!"
"..." Her voice caught most of the other fighters scattered in the Upper Ruins. Erza, Ohm, and Zoro noticed the new arrival.
"Eneru…he's in the forest!" Laki revealed.
"ENOUGH~!" He shouted.
"Eneru is lighting itself," Laki continued. "He has the true powers of a God!"
Wyper drops his bazooka and rushes at the fence. He grip onto the barb wires, ignoring the pain. "STOP LEAVE AT ONCE~!"
"He cannot be bea-"
BZT~!
The terrifying crackling sound, caused the female Shandian to flinch in fear. The second she turned her head, her eyes widened in horror.
"Did you call my name?" Eneru had appeared right behind Laki, towering over her.
"Where did he…?" Erza stumbled upon her words in shock by his sudden appearance. 'He just appeared out of thin air…If what she said was true, then Eneru's just like Laxus.'
"ENERU LEAVE HER ALONE!" Wyper desperately cried out. He tried to shake the wires, but it only made his hands bleed more. "LAKI ISN'T HERE TO FIGHT! I'M THE ONE YOU WANT!"
Laki was too petrified in fear to run. The second Eneru stepped forward, she instinctively aimed her rifle at him.
"LAKI NO~!"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Everything became quiet after Laki fired three rounds on the man. Eneru just stood there, looking unphased as the bullets only left holes of static on his chest.
"HAHA~! You fool!" The Goatman mocked as he rushed towards the frozen Shandian. "I should be more worried about yourself than her! NOW DIE!"
The second the goatman got closer, he placed his Ax Dial, slashing Wyper's back. Despite some blood coming out of his mouth, Wyper was unphased by it and continued to stare at Laki and Eneru. "You damn idiot,"
Laki, shaken with fear, she turned to her former friend. "Please…survive."
ZAP~!
The bright flash of light could be seen or heard by anyone around the Upper Ruins.
Wyper drained everyone's voices as memories of his childhood friend played in his mind. He just stares blankly while watching Laki's rifle fall to the ground, followed by her charred body.
"YAHAHAHA~!" Eneru's disturbed the silence, amused by his latest victim.
"Eneru…" Wyper growled in utter anger.
"Hmm? Seems that it didn't work on him," THe goatman that attacked Wyper muttered. He then got into stance. "I'll try aga-~!"
"…" Without looking, Wyper grabbed the goatman's face and slammed him hard into the fence, knocking him out instantly. He was very pissed off, glaring at Eneru.
"You didn't think I would've spared her?" The God proclaimed. "Wyper the ruthless Shandian warrior. Surely you understand the concept of showing no mercy to your opponents. She attacked me and now she's dead. You'll be joining her soon enough."
Eneru's body began to crackle with electricity and in the blink of an eye, he vanished out of sight.
"Wyper don't mourn for her," Ohms stated. "Laki received divine judgment that all God's children yearn for. She is freed from sin."
"..." Wyper ignored him as he picked up his bazooka off the ground.
"So that's god?" Zoro questioned quietly.
"It appears so," Erza felt her hands shaking a bit. After witnessing Eneru's powers first hand, she can tell that he's going to be trouble to take, even with her Lighting Empress Armor. She noticed how shakened she was and tightened her fist on her sword. "For now we must deal with the remaining enemies."
"Yeah, you handle the bald weirdo," Zoro turned and glared at the big snake that just ate Nami, Aisa and the Sky Knight. "I'll deal with the snake!"
Zoro rushed towards the snake with Wyper beside him, getting the same idea. However the second Wyper glanced at him, he aimed bazooka at the swordsman. "Get out of my way~!"
Just as he fired, Zoro swipes his sword at the barrel, making the bazooka move to the side while it fires.
"Holly! They need a hug~!" Ohm called out.
RUFF~! Acknowledging his master, the dog dashed towards the two men and swiped both of its paws, like it's trying to give a crushing hug. Wyper and Zoro jumped into the air, managing to avoid it.
"You should be more focused on me!" Erza gained an extra sword on her left hand while dashing towards Ohms.
"Einsen Whip~!" Ohms launched his iron cloud sword that extended into a wave towards her.
Erza jumped into the air, avoiding it. But just as she was about to attack, her instincts kicked in and crossed her sword together, managing to divert an invisible strike that almost aimed at her chest. 'There it is again. What kind of spell is he using?'
While in midair, one of Eneru's enforcers flew behind him with his palm out. Wyper used his Bazooka as a shield to block the goatman's ax dial. He then used his Dial powered skates to snatch the man by his head and hurled downard sending him crashing into the ground, unconscious.
"And so the numbers dwindled," Ohm announced. "Five Shandian alliances, three Blue Sea Dwellers, one soldier, me, Holly and the snake. That makes twelve."
Deep inside the snake's belly, Nami groaned and staggered up. She looked around the dark area and spotted Pierre lying flat on his stomach with Aisa on top of him.
"That's a good sign," Nami said, relieved that the bird managed to cushion Aisa's fall."From the look of it I say she wasn't injured that badly."
Rustling metal caught Nami's attention as she noticed Gan Fall getting up. He glanced around the area looking a bit confused. "Where are we?"
"We're in the belly of the giant snake," Nami informed him. "We've got swallowed up, remember?"
"Ah yes, of course," Gan Fall replied. "It seems much bigger on the inside."
Nami noticed Aisa starting to move and went over to her. SHe cleared all the rocks out of the way of Pierre's wings. "Aisa are you okay?"
The girl groaned in response, but then gasped and shot right up with her eyes wide open. "Where are we?!"
"Like I said," Nami repeated, tiredly. "We've been eaten…by a snake."
"WAH~! A SNAKE~!?"
"Calm down, we'll survive," Nami assured her. She then glanced around in concern. "Unless we can't escape before we get digested."
"What were you two doing out there?" Gan Fall questioned. "You should've stayed on the ship."
"Well tell that to the snake and the creepy goatman that's been chasing us," Nami replied while checking on the Waver. "We had no choice but to run for our lives. "
Gan Fall glanced at the girl. "That girl…is she a Shandian?"
"Gan Fall…" The second she noticed him, Aisa quickly grabbed her small weapon and glared at him. "RAH~! I'll crush you into pieces!"
When Aisa rushes towards the old man, Nami grabs the back of her shirt and yoinks her back causing her to run in place."Will you knock it off? This really isn't the time to be fighting."
Gan Fall stared at Aisa, and gave her smile. The girl noticed and stopped running. She pouted as she plops on the ground in a sitting position. Nami sighed in relief that tension was gone for a bit.
""Hmm," Gan Fall was expecting the wall and began poking the side with his spear. "Maybe we should cut our way out."
"DON'T BE STUPID!" Nami barked with shark teeth. "IF WE DO ANYTHING TO IT, THE SNAKE WILL GO CRAZY! YOU KNOW FOR A KNIGHT YOU'RE PRETTY DENSE~!"
"I…I was kidding," Gan Fall nervously said, not wanting to anger the navigator any further.
Tmp Tmp Tmp!
Before Nami could rant loudly at the Sky Knight, they heard a set of footsteps approaching them.
"Those sounds are…" Gan Fall said cautiously. Pierre and Aisa were quivering nervously.
"Footsteps…What else is down here?" Nami asked, feeling the girl's hands clinging onto her arm.
Five figures started appearing, causing Gan Fall to get in front of the girls and raised his lance out. "Who goes there~!?"
"That voice…isn't that the weird old knight guy?" questioned one of the voices.
"Yeah, is that the sky knight?!" Exclaimed the second voice.
'Wait is that…?!' Nami blinked, recognizing the voices.
The four figures climbed over the ruins, revealing their shock and stunned faces. Nami then yelled out in shock. "Luffy?!"
"Nami~!?" Luffy exclaimed in surprise. Cynthia, Wendy Charla and Misaka were not far behind him, and were stunned to find Nami and the Sky Knight here. "Weird old guy~!"
"It's you guys," Gan Fall stated, lowering his weapon.
"Nami, Gan Fall~!" Wendy chimed happily. "We're so glad you're here!"
"Yeah we've been trying to find an exit out of this weird creepy cave," Cynthia said looking relieved.
"Weird cave?" Nami repeated a bit confused. "Never mind that, how did you get in here?"
"We have no idea," Misaka replied tiredly. "We were each fighting our opponents and then suddenly we wound up here!"
"Incredible. What are the chances of each of us getting swallowed," Nami commented in awe. "This snake is starting to be a really big problem."
"Yeah, tell me about it…" Misaka agreed with her.
…
…
…!
"...Wait…WHHHHHHAAAATTTTTT~!?" The three girls and the flying cat's voice boomed across the entire ca- I mean snake. Their expressions were frozen into comical horror upon realization.
"What are you talking about?" Luffy blinked a bit confused by their reactions.
"YOU'RE SAYING THAT WE'VE BEEN INSIDE A SNAKE'S BELLY ALL THIS TIME~!?" Cynthia yelled out while shaking Nami.
"Y-Yes! Would you quit shaking me~?!" Nami blurted, looking a bit dizzy.
"That would explain why it smells really awful in here!" Wendy grimly realized, plugging her nose a bit.
"And all the crazy movements," Misaka added a bit startled. "Still though, how big is this snake anyway? I barely saw it attack me!"
"Neither have we," Charla stated in concern. "Then again, the three of us were more focused on those two powerhouses fighting each other to notice."
"Wait, you guys were eaten too?!" Luffy exclaimed in shock, getting their attention. "By a snake?!"
"Yes," Nami blinked. "Who do you think this stomach belongs to?"
"So, if you are all eating by the snake…" Luffy said with a puzzled look. "Then how come you're talking to us…if you're eaten by the snake?"
'...You can't be serious,' Cynthia, Wendy, Charla and Misaka gave their captain a dumbfounded look.
"Like I said…" Losing her temper, Nami grabbed Luffy's nose and pulled on it, making it stretch. "BIG BLUE REPTILE WITH MILD LARGE FANGS! IT ATE US AND NOW WE'RE STUCK HERE~!"
Once she was done ranting, the navigator released his nose. His nose was stretched out. "Ow! Nami that hurts~!" He grumbled for a split second and then grins. "Hey look, I'm Usopp~!"
Nami, Gan Fall, Aisa, Misaka, and Charla were silently groaning at the impression. Wendy and Cynthia were giggling quietly, while Luffy's nose returned to normal.
"Is he a jester?" Aisa asked.
"I honestly think that's a fitting title for him," Charla agreed bitterly.
"Despite his weird and goofy attitude, he's our captain," Nami declared.
"PIIE~!" Pierre gawked in shock.
"He's your captain?" Even Gan Fall was shocked by the revelation. "My word, what's this world coming to."
"I still don't get how he's a capable captain till this day," Misaka declared with Charla nodding in agreement.
"Yeah, that's the reaction everyone has when they look at us," Nami groaned, with her hand on her head.
Aisa stared at Luffy. "You know you're calm for someone who's been eaten by a monster."
"WAH~!" Luffy screamed. "I THOUGHT YOU WERE ALL JOKING~! YOU MEAN WE'RE BEING EATEN BY THE SNAKE~!?"
"I've been trying to tell you," Nami replied. "The stomach acid is melting all of your clothes."
"Seriously?!" Misaka glanced at her torn uniform. While her outfit was ripped when she was fighting Terra, she could smell a whiff of the acid. "How did we not notice this?!"
"I guess we got so distracted on trying to find a way out that we didn't notice," Cynthia said, noticing the acid tearing a bit of her clothes along with Wendy's.
The Straw Hat boy had just noticed his vest and sandals were disappearing, and tattered. "AH~! Well what are we waiting for? Let's find the butthole right away~!"
"Butt…hole?" Wendy repeated. It took her and Cynthia a while to get it, and quickly turned red in embarrassment. Misaka and Charla gagged blushing, looking disgusted at their captain.
"H-How vulgar!" Charla chastised.
Nami slapped Luffy across the face. "NO WAY THAT'S DISGUSTING~!"
"Why?" He asked, not phased by Nami's slapping him. "Maybe we can get out when the snake goes to the bathroom."
"Nope Nope Nope~!" Cynthia shook her head frantically. "We're not going down that end! I would rather be digested~!"
"Well since we're inside a snake," Misaka suggested with a smirk. "Then why don't I just railgun a hole out of it?"
CHOP~!
"ARE YOU INSANE~!?" Nami roared, while chopping the Level 5 upside the head. "I THOUGHT YOU ESPERS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE SMARTER THAN THAT!"
"Ow~! What the hell was that for?!" Misaka winced in annoyance. She didn't expect the navigator's chop to hurt that badly.
"Use your head! We're surrounded by stomach acid! If you release your railgun here, we'll get caught in the current and likely die~!" She retorted back, causing Misaka to flinch.
"Nami is really scary," Aisa whispered.
"I see what you mean," Gan Fall agreed. "She's much meaner than the snake."
"Hardly," Nami sighed. "When the snake gets into a bad mood, it starts eating people. Speaking of which, we better think fast. Its temper is very aggressive outside."
"Tempered you say?" Connecting the dots, Charla slowly turned to the two responsible. Cynthia slowly turned her eyes away from the white cat, sweating a bit.
"So the snake was in a bad mood?" Luffy questioned.
"Yeah it was all hisses and fangs," Nami answered. "Before it attacked us it was writhing in pain."
'Writhing in pain?' Soon Misaka and Wendy copied Charla, glancing at Luffy and Cynthia.
"Weird…I wonder what was bothering it," Luffy mused, causing the four girls to turn to him with sweatdrop.
…
…
…!
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Nami, Gan Fall and Aisa had realized who or whom were responsible for the snake's behavior. "AH~!"
"What have you guys been doing all this time?" Nami questioned.
"Oh, Cynthia and I've been trying to bust out of the walls," Luffy replied honestly with a grin, causing the young dragon slayer to comically flinch. "It didn't work though."
"Ah, so this is all you're doing~!" Gan Fall realized. Wendy, Charla and Misaka quickly went away from Cynthia and Luffy.
"H-How were we supposed to know we were inside a snake!?" Cynthie defended weakly. She gulped in fright when she noticed a dark aura seeping out of Nami's body. "N-Nami…?"
"Throwing those punches burns up a lot of energy," Luffy remarked, rubbing his hat smiling. Unaware that Nami's fist was clenching and shaken in anger. "Say…do you have anything…to eat…?"
Nami raised his shaking fist at the two, snarling at them. "...How about you two…EAT MY FIST~!"
POW~! POW~!
Outside, Nami's wrath on Cynthia and Luffy had affected the snake. The beast roared out in agony as it coiled around itself. "RHHAAAAAR~!"
Inside the snake, its entire stomach lurched forwards, causing Luffy, Cynthia, (The two had two big lumps on their head.) Wendy, Charla, Misaka, Nami, Aisa, Gan Fall and Pierre to fall deeper into its stomach.
Peace: What happened…?
Varvula: You just went OOC there at the start, so Freddy bit your head to snap you out of it.
Freddy: I did no such thing! I just whacked them with my microphone arm. All it gave them were lumps, and they were knocked out in a few minutes.
Sanya: We're sorry…
Yang: Now that that's over, time for Izumi to rant~!
Izumi: I'm not going to rant…much. [He cleared his throat.] So, if you've been following this and other four stories, I lack self confidence. I accept any criticism from reviews to help me improve my writing skills. However, calling me a quote "an autistic retard," is just rude.
Shiho: Not just him we found that Writer2018 has been spreading flames on a few others like King of Stories. I found one story in which they flat out said to kill themselves.
Peace: How is their account not shut down?!
Freddy: The worst part is that you can't delete their comments. And report it doesn't do anything to help.
Izumi: I'm not going to lie and say it doesn't bother me at all. It kind of hurt a bit to be called that, but not enough to make me stop writing. I'm not a perfect writer, but that's not going to stop me from enjoying writing the stories I created.
Varvula/Raven: Yeah, screw you Writer2018~! Your harsh comments won't stop us from going forward~!
Gwen: Next Chapter: Fairy Tail Wizards!
Izumi: Also, I would like to thank King Of Writers and Himejimakinoko360 for encouraging words and support.