Here is the thirty-third chapter in this story released as soon as it was ready due to how long it's been since I last updated this story. The opening salvo of the Battle Royale has happened and several combatants have been eliminated but the three top contending Guilds haven't lost anyone. Now though it looks like that will change as lightning clashes and the fairies finally attack setting up the first series of major confrontations that will dictate the rest of the Battle Royale. Anyway, I'm sorry for how long it's taken to update this story, it's been a busy time period right now but that has finally lessoned and with my longest active story about to go on a forced hiatus in a week's time things should return to a bi-monthly upload schedule at the very least for the next few months. If y'all would rather the upload schedule be as soon as all three of my Black Trio stories are ready (so it could be shorter than ever 2 weeks or longer depending on IRL and other factors) do let me know but other than this chapter which is different due to how long it's been since I last uploaded I will still be sticking to a mass upload of all three at the same time once they're ready as that ensures that I keep all of them up to date and progressing nicely. That is all that I have for the administrative stuff I have for y'all and while there are no questions that need answers (or can be answered without revealing spoilers) there are two guest reviews that need a response, so I will do that now. Do keep them coming as your support is the best motivation for me to keep producing chapters at this kind of rate. That is it for this pre-chapter note so it is time to sit back and enjoy the thirty-third chapter in Black Bull Banishment.
To KGBeastboy (guest), thank you for your review and suggestions/questions. To the first, perhaps though in the Fairy Tail canon she doesn't really lose it (which kinda negated the sacrifice) but if she does there is a potential though I doubt I'll have the time or place to address it given all that is going on during the Alvarez war. As for some of Fairy Tail working for the Black Bulls during the disbandment, that's an interesting idea. I already have one arc planned for a member of Fairy Tail to go and train with the Black Bulls during that time but as simple employees who are making a living while waiting for Fairy Tail to reform, that's something I didn't think about so I will consider it though Nero is often on missions, hers are just more intel gathering not combat based. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
To Brayden (guest), thank you for your review. You will have to wait and see how that battle goes, it's coming up in a few chapters' time though if Asta was to drop a sword at any point be it in the Battle Royal or otherwise, for that affect to happen it could only be the Demon Dweller Sword as that is the only one canonically proven to drain magic and if there is no canon proof for the others I'm going to stick with what is canon. Do keep reading and enjoying my work.
Disclaimer: I own nothing related to these two great animes.
Chapter 33: Attack of the Fairies
"Well, it looks like Fairy Tail has finally sprung into action." Yami mused as the five members of Fairy Tail's team opened their eyes and suddenly moved forward before they instantly split up as the Black Bulls not participating in the Battle Royale watched from their box. "Might want to keep an eye on this, I've got a feeling something good is about to happen."
Yami was right, this was going to be good. The Black Bulls prepared for the Battle Royale as best they could and as such they'd factored in Fairy Tail as their main opponents so keeping an eye on them was paramount. In their planning they'd anticipated how some of them would act and who would be best to face the members of Fairy Tail but there was only so much they could do to prepare.
One thing they'd really not expected was a substitution with Juvia replacing Natsu, especially after what he did against the Twin Dragons of Sabertooth, but that was actually easier on them as they had a better matchup against Fairy Tail's Water Wizard than their Fire Dragon Slayer. Still, this opening move by Fairy Tail would be critical.
"They're all heading in different directions." Finral said as the commentators noted the sudden actions of Fairy Tail and how they might struggle to get points this late in the Battle Royale. "I wonder what they're up to and why they waited so long to act."
"Probably a strategy to draw out others for more advantageous matchups and possible psych some of the other Guilds out as not moving for a bit is a bit of a power move." Yami said. "Well, that and to see where that Sabertooth guy with the stupid hat is."
"You mean Rufus sir." Finral said as Fairy Tail moved along different routes with such determination that it was clear that this was they'd planed their opening moves ahead of time. "He would do that but is that…never mind he's doing just that."
The other Black Bulls nodded at that as 5 blasts of yellow light shot out from a rooftop somewhere in Crocus and towards the running members of Fairy Tail. No doubt Rufus had used the time Fairy Tail was idle to get a good read on them, well the three he didn't fully know as he'd faced Gray and Juvia in hidden, so that he could attack the moment that they moved.
It was a decent enough strategy, a spell that could take all 5 members of Fairy Tail out in a single blow, gaining 9 points for Sabertooth in the process and completely eliminate one of the two contenders in a single fell swoop was a really good spell to use. If it worked then it would boost Sabertooth's point total to 44 while locking Fairy Tail's total in at 45. That would only leave the Black Bulls, who currently sat on 50 after Magna's wins over Ren and Eve, as an obstacle to their victory with several other points available from the few that were still standing including all remaining team leaders.
Of course this would be a good plan if it actually worked but this was a trick that Fairy Tail, and the other Guilds for that matter, had seen before when Rufus used it in Hidden so they had prepared for it and the Black Bulls watched as four of the members of Fairy Tail all timed their moves perfectly to leap out of the way of Rufus's attack right as it was overhead so that it missed them. The exception was Laxus who just stood there and raised his right arm to block the move, taking it on his arm before his whole body glowed yellow though he was clearly suffering no ill effects.
"Huh, that was dumb on Sabertooth's part, I for one didn't expect a Guild like Fairy Tail to fall for the same trick twice, that was an easy attack to plan for." Yami noted as a lacrima camera thing showed Rufus looking shocked and confused by his failure. "What I am surprised at is what Makarov's grandson did. Why'd he block it without taking any damage while the others had to dodge? Those who got hit by it on the first day clearly got hurt by it."
"If I had to guess, and this is purely based on what I'm seeing right now and how it worked in Hidden, that spell may be created using Memory Magic but the actual attribute of the spell is Lightning Magic or just lightning in general." Gordon said having watched it closely. "It would explain a lot for sure and Laxus just taking the hit without suffering any damage confirms it."
"It would?" Finral asked.
"Yes my friend, it would." Gordon said with a nod happy to explain it to his best friend Finral. "Juvia was affected by it during Hidden and from what Nero reported she can turn her whole body into water so only an attribute that can directly affect water, like lightning, or something that neutralizes magic entirely like Asta's Anti-Magic, can hit her. That was my first point of notice but what confirms it is that block of Laxus's. From Nero's reports he's an artificial, second generation Lightning Dragon Slayer so he is immune to his element with the exception of God Slayer Magic as far as we know so it wouldn't have an effect on him if it was a lightning based spell."
"Huh that does make sense." Finral said before it hit him. "Wait! Doesn't that mean that Luck won't be able to hurt him?"
"Possibly but we don't know how our magic would interact with the immunity of Dragon Slayers as there's not been a chance to battle one until today." Gordon said as the rest of Fairy Tail continued moving as they moved towards their next opponents that Mavis had deduced they'd face. "It's actually going to be a good test to see if our magic is or is not effective on an Earth Land Dragon Slayer as I expect Laxus to go for Olga who is currently facing Luck. Even if Laxus is immune though, there are other ways for Luck to battle him and my best friend Luck is very resourceful in battle."
"Whatever the case I expect Luck to push past his limits in any battle he has." Yami said with a grin as one of the screens showed that Luck's battle with Olga was about to start. "Same with Magna for that matter. Two slayers are nothing for us."
"That may be but one thing is clear." Vanessa mused as they watched the screens to see Fairy Tail move and noted that two of them were on track to intercept opponents either very soon or in the near future while the others were a ways away but clearly heading towards battles of their own. "They've got a skilled tactician in Fairy Tail, one who's got serious experience and the ability to predict things, maybe even foresight to some extent, as it's clear that Fairy Tail has planned this out to maximize their routes. That's something that we don't have."
"No but we're still going to win this." Yami said with a grin as he noticed one of the screens showing Gray Fullbuster walking into the building that Rufus had fled into after recovering from the failure of his opening attack on Fairy Tail. "But for now let's enjoy the show, there's a good battle about to happen and Luck's one isn't it. Let's see if the kitty or the fairy loses and takes one of the stronger ones off the board for us."
The others nodded as they watched Gray walked into a circular chamber filled with books around the lower and upper levels revealing that it was a library that Rufus Lore of Sabertooth had taken refuge in. This was clearly a grudge match on Gray's front as Rufus lounged in a chair reading a book but it was still going to be good and would really show the Black Bulls the kind of grit that Fairy Tail had.
In the Fairy Tail box, Mavis was expertly describing the strategy that she'd come up with for Fairy Tail though she was lamenting the fact that they'd not gained any points just yet. Some of her scenarios had them getting points early on to take the lead but they'd been based on the Black Bulls losing and the chances of that were low so instead all she'd been able to do was set up so that they avoided Rufus's attack and moved into position for some good points early on.
They needed to be in position for the big battles to come and Mavis was certain that Fairy Tail needed to be present and win them if they wanted to win the Grand Magic Games. Those big battles were the ones with the strongest combatants not in Fairy Tail, mainly Minerva, Rufus, Jura, and Asta, and they were coming up with the first, the battle with Rufus, almost upon them. Fairy Tail had prepared for them so they were more than ready to remind Fiore why they were once the number one Guild in the nation.
Vanessa had been right, Fairy Tail did have an expert strategist on their team only it was one that no one else could see. Mavis had expertly planned her Guilds strategy from the silent start through the opening attack from Fairy Tail and beyond. Now they were on the brink of at least 6 points, which with how the Black Bulls were either currently not in combat or in some sparking dance that wasn't going to culminate anytime soon, would boost Fairy Tail to the lead.
It was during this chat, which was confusing as she couldn't see who Fairy Tail were talking to as they seemed to be chatting to an empty spot on the rampart thing at the edge of their box, that Nero flew down and into their box and landed on Makarov's shoulder as he was gaping at the First Master's plan. She really didn't have time to deal with whatever this was so she bit his ear for attention as he listened to Mavis discuss the problems with Jura and how it was a tossup for the match between Rufus and Gray but that Gray had volunteered for this and was going to fight with emotion rather than strategy to win it.
"Ow, what the…" Makarov began.
"Shut it old man." Nero whispered in his ear and instantly he did realizing what was going on and glad that the Black Bulls had agreed to send their bird to observe the mission to rescue Lucy. "I've got the report you wanted."
"Right." Makarov said softly glad that the rest of the Guild was distracted so no one would notice that he was talking to a bird though at least the Guild knew that there was a talking bird in the Domus Flau Colosseum as it had spoken with both of their teams during Laxus's battle with Raven Tail. "What is it? Is Lucy safe?"
"No, it was a trap." Nero said. "The floor of the prison area opened under them and all of them, including the three exceeds, fell into what some woman who claimed to be the Princess of Fiore spoke to them through some magical means that was loud enough to carry to my position above the hole. They are in a place called the Palace of Perdition, the city of death. Apparently it's the last taste of freedom for criminals from which no inmate has escaped."
"That doesn't sound good." Makarov said the worry in his voice. "I've never heard of this place before but there are many secrets in this nation that even someone like me is unaware of."
"If this is the Guild that the Wizard King was part of then I know that they will be fine." Nero said. "Have faith in your members, they were competent enough to make it all the way to your wrongfully imprisoned member and her friend and almost succeed. If they are smart, determined, and resourceful they should be able to get out of this before the end of the Battle Royale."
"I do have faith in my children to do just that, thank you for this news." Makarov said. "All I can do now is wait for them to succeed."
Nero just bobbed her head from next to him before she took off and flew up and out of the stadium to take a circuitous route back to the Black Bulls' box as Gray and Rufus exchanged words, a recording lacrima in the library ready to show the big battle to come. She wanted to get back to her own Squad while this was going on so that she could be there with them when the Black Bulls won the Battle Royale and thus won the Grand Magic Games.
As for Makarov, he now had a look of worry on his face as he watched the upcoming battle but he had faith. Not just in Gray's battle with Rufus but in Natsu and the others to pull it off and win their respective battles and overcome any challenges that they may face along the way and unbeknownst to Makarov, Natsu and the others in the Palace of Perdition would face many challenges on their way to escaping and learning the truth about what was going on behind the scenes during the Grand Magic Games.
"So, how will this go?" Yami asked his Squad as Gray and Rufus finished talking and their battle was clearly about to begin. "Any thoughts you lot?"
"It's hard to say." Gordon said. "Memory Magic in this world is different to what we know and Rufus uses Memory Make Magic which is even more of an enigma to us. Maker Magic is basically creation magic only with more fluidity, we'll see that with Gray as he's an expert in Ice Make Magic, but this Memory Make Magic is on a whole other level from what I can tell. After we saw it on the first day I did some research into it and it's an Ancient Spell magic so there really isn't much on it. I don't even know how Rufus was able to master such an art."
"So the stupid hat guy is at an advantage." Yami said as he sensed Nero's ki approaching but didn't look over to note that she'd walked into the box and joined the others in watching the screen which meant that either something bad or good had happened to Fairy Tail's rescue team however that was for neither here nor there right now. "But I have a feeling that we can't count out Fairy Tail. This is a Guild that the Wizard King joined and he may be a magic loving nerd and a total weirdo but he wouldn't join it unless he saw something there."
"Well it's time to find out." Vanessa said as Gray made some kind of gesture with his hands that before sending out several spikes of ice right at Rufus. "This has just started and it…huh that was almost effortless."
The others nodded at that as they watched Rufus easily flip away the attack that destroyed the chair that he had been sitting in and cracked the ground but that was it. Rufus repeated the dodge when Gray created and used some kind of ice drill, his hand to his temple just like before. It was almost like he was toying with Gray and as he faced the Fairy Tail wizard.
That seemed to be confirmed as he finally attacked, his hand in the air and a flash of yellow appearing before suddenly a line of jagged ice with black lightning sparking around it shot at Gray forcing him to jump back from it to avoid being it by what, to the Black Bulls at least, looked like some kind of Union Magic. Rufus wasn't done though as he followed it up with a series of tornados in the room that he sent at Gray who made a shield of ice to block it.
At least that was what it looked like until the ice shield just disappeared as if Rufus had canceled the spell and Gray was hit by the tornado and tossed in the air before he landed on his back battered but still in it. It was a swift series of attacks but it made it very clear who was the stronger mage after the opening exchange.
"Er, what just happened?" Yami asked. "I saw three different attributes there. I know they can use more than one here but that was on a different level."
"It's sorta like what Captain Rill can do with his paintings only more direct, if I had to make a comparison as we all saw how strong Rill was in the Royal Knights Selection Exam." Gordon said recalling the painting Rill had made that used two other magical attributes to win one of the matches, attributes that the opposing team was weak to. "Rufus seems to be able to memorize others' magic and then create spells with it. Truly a powerful ability that is only possible because he knows Memory Magic."
"Yeah good thing Mushroom Head can't do that with his magic though he can make you forget things with one of his spells." Yami noted. "But why did the shield vanish? That was what Asta does, did he memorize Asta's Anti-Magic back when they briefly met in Hidden?"
"I doubt he could." Zora said. "If what I've seen is anything to go on, this memory dude's magic works kinda like Copy Magic in a way only that copy guy had to touch a grimoire while fancy hat here needs to see the spell itself to memorize it. I know that Anti-Magic can't be copied so I doubt it can be memorized either."
"Anti-Magic is the antithesis of magic." Nero said alerting the others to her presence but the battle was about to get really intense so no one bothered to ask about her mission just yet though they were listening closely to her analysis. "So it can't be copied in our world and that will likely hold true here as well. That was different, simpler."
"Actually I think the Captain inadvertently answered it when he compared fancy hat to mushroom head as if I had to guess he made the Fairy Tail wizard forget that ice shield spell." Gauche said simply. "If that fancy hat dude can memorize spells then he can make spells be forgotten. I looked into Memory Magic as well, naturally to see if it could be used to tell Marie tales of this place, and saw that it can work like that but you have to be highly skilled to master it. That guy is easily Captain level."
"This isn't looking good for Fairy Tail." Finral said as they watched Gray slowly get to his knees as Rufus walked towards him before stopping and making the books that had been around him before he placed his hand to his head and suddenly the books fell to the ground showing that Rufus had done something to them. "Er, did, did he just memorize them or something."
"I believe so." Gordon said. "I can see why this man is one of Sabertooth's best. The versatility that his magic has is one of the highest I've ever seen."
"And yet Gray is back on his feet." Finral said. "Looks kinda like how Asta would and we know not to count Asta out."
The others nodded at that and waited to see what would happen. It was clear that the advantage was with Sabertooth but there was just something about Fairy Tail that meant that they wouldn't go down without one hell of a fight. They'd clawed back from a terrible first day to end up in second going into the Battle Royal, they'd looked out too many times to count but were still in this and even as sideways helix of golden light sprung to life around Gray and Rufus as they faced off they knew that this was just the start of the first true battle of the Battle Royale from which only one would remain standing at the end.
"It looks like he's creating new versions of those spells." Nero said as the helixes turned into plumes of magic and there was a clear note of distress from the Fairy Tail box at the battle that was currently going on. "I think this is big."
"In Earth Land it likely is." Gordon mused as a series of floating ice creations armed with shields and lances of ice appeared between Rufus and Gray and the direction showed that it was Rufus not Gray who'd created them. "It's quite fascinating what he can do."
"Makes the matchup hard for Fairy Tail." Nero said as the ice soldier things were sent at Gray and he tried to intercept them with his own ice but only managed to destroy a few before they got past and hit him sending him crashing to his knees but the blows didn't take Gray down as he toughed it out in a very Asta-like way. "If he loses this is a matchup best suited for Asta, the range and flexibility Rufus has is something we really don't see often but as Asta showed in Hidden, Rufus can't counter Anti-Magic."
"Some of the royals, Nozel in particular, use more free flowing magic without spells unless they absolutely have to but for us spells enhance our magic." Yami said as the ice soldiers vanished and suddenly there was an explosion of yellow light a massive, buff, man holding a blade crackling with lightning appeared between Gray and Rufus ready to strike though instead of legs the creation had ice as its base. "Well that's interesting. Can't say we have anyone who knows that, maybe King Clover's magic if I've heard correctly but that's it. That and the King's magic is apparently really slow despite being Light Magic."
"This just goes to show how different our world is to theirs." Gordon said as the lightning ice giant creature brought its sword down and flattened Gray. "This is something we couldn't do there and I'm not sure we can learn it either."
"There are things we can learn though." Zora said as it looked like Gray was down for the count. "Those magic circles for example, they're similar to what I do only more complex so we should be able to master them over the next few years here. That said, what this fancy guy does is truly unlike anything we know. My traps might work on him but only if I put them out in advance and lured him into them, I'm not sure about the other magics in the Squad though."
"All this does is show how much stronger we all have to get so keep pushing past your limits." Yami said as Gray showed he wasn't out by getting to his hands and knees. "That kid is doing just that; I expect all of you to do so as well should you face such an opponent."
"Yes sir." The Black Bulls said in unison as Rufus seemed to learn more spells which caused Gray to get angry and create a wall of ice around them blocking the books off from Rufus.
"Adapting on the fly, he's more than I realized." Yami mused as he watched. "The kid's stopped stupid hat man from using his memory to learn more magic, at least for now so…wait never mind."
As Yami spoke there was a flash of what looked like fire combined with lightning that blasted out from Rufus and hit Gray before blasting backwards, destroying his ice in the process and causing Gray to crash into a wall of books along the curved wall of the room. When the dust cleared he was seated on the floor slumped against the books as Rufus stood over him still seeming to almost toy with him.
"That looked a lot like how Luck and Magna can combine their magic only he did it on his own." Gordon said. "I saw Captain Rill use something like that via his pictures but this is different. Out of everything we've seen I'd say this match has really driven home how different magic is compared to back home."
"Same with Dorothy and how she can use various attributes but only when she's in her Glamor World." Vanessa said as the camera zoomed in on Gray's face as he grit his teeth and looked up at Rufus and the commentators talked about the situation and how it wasn't looking good for Gray. "He's still in this but the commentators are right, this is looking like it's one sided. How will he win?"
"It's not easy when your foe can use any attribute that he's memorized, can memorize an attack he sees or even erase it." Gordon said. "It does look like he'll lose this battle."
"Nah, all he's got to do is push past his limits." Yami said. "This Rufus character is a lot like the fancy nobles and uptight royals, he's overconfident and arrogant because of his skills and I'm sure his ki would say as much if I could read it. All it takes is some determination and he'll crack like glass for the arrogant will crack when they face the determined."
The Black Bulls weren't sure what to say to their Captain's words so they just nodded and continued to watch. It was clear that Gray was still in it, which was impressive given how outmatched he seemed to be, but none of them knew exactly what he could do against someone like Rufus.
They didn't know Gray at all, the few interactions had been Nero briefly dancing with him at that magical ball, Asta hitting him with a sword in Hidden and the aftermath of the Naval Battle but they did like Makarov and Fairy Tail had accepted the Wizard King when he was here so they did want him to win. Plus, if any team was going to beat Fairy Tail it would be theirs, not Sabertooth, so they had to root for Fairy Tail in this matchup.
Unfortunately that didn't seem to be the case as they continued to watch the battle and it got even more hopeless for Gray. Every time he got up he was just knocked back down again by one of Rufus's many spells. The only thing that was going for him was that he was at least resilient but how much could one person take as the hits just kept coming as Rufus treated Gray like a punching bag.
"This is brutal." Finral said after a hit that caused an explosion and sent Gray rolling over the floor while Rufus sat on a banister around the level above Gray in the library laughing at him and seeming to taunt him. "Why isn't he just finishing Gray off? This is just cruel, like a cat playing with its prey before killing it."
"Likely he believes he'll win and is practicing for the others he's likely to face today." Nero said as Rufus created a glowing rune of sorts right over Gray that seemed to increase the gravity and drive him further into the ground that cracked beneath the Ice Wizard. "Gray's talented but if I was to rank Fairy Tail's current team I'd put him 4th on it, maybe 5th but his ice is probably a strong matchup for Juvia's water, and there's still the likes of Jura, Laxus, and Erza out there. Rufus is no doubt honing his skills and learning all he can for when he as to face. Asta's different and my money is on him avoiding Asta unless he absolutely has to face him."
"Asta did show that he was better than Rufus in Hidden." Finral noted as Rufus kept up the pressure that was pinning Gray to the ground. "This isn't close, Gray's gotta…wait what! How on earth is he doing that?"
"Well that was unexpected." Nero said a little surprise creeping into her voice as Gray slowly raised himself up onto all fours as he pushed through the gravity and continued until he stood despite the pressure and countered by creating jagged mounts of ice that forced Rufus to end his spell and leap off the balcony railing that he was sitting to face Gray head on. "That was pretty Asta-like right there."
"He's pushing past his limits." Yami said. "Looks like this is getting good. Pay close attention, this is how you win against a stronger opponent."
The Black Bulls just nodded at that as the ice vanished as Rufus and Gray exchanged more words before Gray suddenly ripped his tunic thing off much to the Chapati's joy, mixed reactions of the crowd, and confusion from the Black Bulls. This was indeed very much like what Asta would do in a battle, though they didn't realized that the stripping was actually a habit of Gray's that just happened. It still didn't mean that he wasn't serious as he patted the Fairy Tail Guild Mark on his chest before he used his Ice Make Magic once more and for the second time all battle Rufus looked surprised.
That was because rather than attack Gray created a whirlwind of ice with swords in it in a free flowing move that he then froze into a swirling vortex of ice and weapons that created a tunnel between him and Rufus. The Black Bulls couldn't comment on it, it was just a massive amount of raw power creating more than one thing which would be hard for anyone's memory to track.
In was in that moment that the Black Bulls realized what Gray was doing. He was overwhelming Rufus's ability to memorize things by making complex, multifaceted, ice creation and thus making it impossible for Rufus to keep up and giving Gray an opening to send a stream of ice weapons at Rufus.
The result was a massive flash of ice that obscured the screens for a moment until it ended and revealed that there was a large, crystalline structure of ice in front of Gray with Rufus frozen within it. That may have been enough to beat a weaker opponent but Rufus wasn't going to go down that easily and they could see that while he was in the ice he could still move before suddenly a ball of fire appeared around him that melted the ice, freed Rufus who fell to one knee on the ground, and the formed a dome of fire around Gray.
It was a good strategy but clearly Gray was used to fire, he was in a Guild with Natsu after all and while the Black Bulls didn't know it just yet he was Natsu's rival so this fire was nothing to him. In fact it was probably the worst thing Rufus could have done as Gray burst from the fire seemingly unharmed and rushed Rufus using the shock to his advantage as he created a pair of ice swords that he held crossed at his sides before he suddenly slashed across Rufus's chest and gut as he passed him.
The result was Rufus being tossed into the air and then briefly frozen there as ice shot out around him before it vanished and he fell down and crashed to the floor on his back, hat flying off and floating down as the Memory Wizard lay there mouth open and eyes white clearly unconscious. It was only one hit but as Yami had said, the arrogant break when they face the determined and that was clearly what had happened here as Gray put on the hat as a trophy and Chapati confirmed it.
"And that is it!" Chapati said to the cheering crowd. "Gray Fullbuster has defeated Rufus Lore, the officials have confirmed it, so he wins the match and a point for Fairy Tail bringing them up to 46 and removing one of Sabertooth's top members from the Battle Royal while taking a trophy in the process. This is really shaping up to be a great day."
"See that." Yami said with a grin. "That's pushing past your limits. Still nothing on what our team can do but a good win for Fairy Tail and the less of those Sabertooth people in the battle the better, well so long as we're the ones who defeat their leader that is. Now watch closely, things are only going to get better from now."
The Black Bulls again nodded as they paid close attention to the screen that showed Gray's face before it switched now that the match was over. The first true matchup had ended with a victory for Fairy Tail but it was still early and the Black Bulls held the lead at 50 points, for now at least.
"He's such a fiery, icy, hunk! Oh my darling Gray I knew that you could do it!" Juvia said as she watched the screen over Crocus from her current position hearts in her eyes and shimmying her body as Gray's victory was confirmed. "Way to go my love! We're going to win this!"
As with the other members of Fairy Tail, Juvia had run off in her set, predetermined direction that Mavis had told her to go in should the Black Bulls not use Finral Roulacase in the Battle Royale. They'd planned for both his presence and his substitution and as it was the latter Juvia was on that path right now.
Had it been the former she would have been tasked with going to his location and taking him out using her feminine wiles to distract him, which felt like cheating on her beloved Gray but she'd do it for the sake of Fairy Tail's victory, as she was the best to do so. It would have been critical to do so as while Finral didn't have offensive magic, his magic was excellent for support and he had a strong understanding of how to best use his portals so he was a priority amongst the Black Bulls.
However, the moment Fairy Tail saw that he wasn't there Juvia's plan changed. She wasn't to engage the Black Bulls at all as four of them were terrible matchups for her. She's already lost to Asta's nullification magic which they still didn't have a proper counter for other than Erza's physical arms, Noelle was immune to her Water Magic, and Luck and Charmy both used magic strong against Water Magic. Only Magna and his Fire Magic was a good matchup but rather than set her on a path for him, Mavis had instead left Magna to another as Magna would likely be with Luck and instead sent Juvia off in Magna's wake.
The reason was simple, based on Mavis's predictions the Black Bulls would split up into three teams regardless of who their 5th was and of those teams one, the team of Magna and Luck, would encounter at least two, if not three, opponents and take two of them out regardless of how many they faced. Juvia was to follow and see if a teammate of theirs showed up because based on what Mavis was expecting that teammate was likely the team's leader and one she could beat easily.
Of course, during her movement through the city Gray would be fighting with Rufus and Mavis had factored in Juvia's love for Gray and the distractions that she'd encounter because of it into her plans. Mavis had been right of course; Juvia had stopped a few times to watch her beloved but she'd always pushed through it and continued her mission to find her opponent and get points for Fairy Tail as she trusted Gray to handle Rufus in the end.
Well, she had until Gray showed his emotions and she couldn't help but watch from that moment on as Gray's win over Rufus became inevitable, and naturally fawn over it. Yet again, this was within Mavis's plans and as Juvia was seemingly lost in the moment her opponent creeped up behind her.
"I must burst your bubble dear Juvia but it is us who will win though your parfum is as intoxicating as ever." Ichiya said from behind her as he closed in ready to use a new parfum he'd created that would allow him to strike Juvia's Water Body. "So…"
"Get away you creep! Can't you see I'm cheering on my love!" Juvia said angrily jumping at the sound of the little troll as she turned and blasted water instinctively at him. "Begone you…oh now I see what the First Master was getting at."
The blast hit Ichiya full in the face as Juvia was shouting and sent him flying back and into a building while Juvia recovered and realized that this was who she was to face. Mavis has strategized to set it up and as Blue Pegasus only had one member left, and none of the other defeats had let to an announced that their leader had fallen, that meant that he was their leader and worth 5 points. Juvia smiled as she walked forward while a groaning Ichiya fell from the wall he had hit and crashed to the pavement; the First Master really had shown her skills with this.
Mavis hadn't been sure that it would be Ichiya who Juvia would run into but she was sure that there'd be an opponent for Juvia and that was what had happened. Ichiya had been in the area following the losses of Jenny and the Trimens trying to avenge them and avoiding Jura and Asta in the process but he'd been unable to do so and as such he'd begun looking around for points.
That was when he'd gotten distracted by Gray's fight and stuck around only for Juvia to run into the area and pause to watch Rufus's defeat without noticing that Ichiya was here. It was perfect and the chance to take out a Fairy Tail member was too good to pass up but alas his very nature had been his undoing and now he was at Juvia's mercy as she reached him.
"Water Lock." Juvia said as she reached Ichiya and held out her hand as he tried to get up.
Before the little gremlin could rise a ball of water formed around him and lifted him into the air as he struggled inside it. Unlike some of Juvia's other spells, however, there was no oxygen in this ball of water as this was a spell for incapacitation that Juvia had used back in her Phantom Lord days and would do perfectly here as she held the Blue Pegasus leader in the water and off the ground while he struggled within it. That only lasted a few moments before Ichiya passed out from lack of oxygen and the moment he did Juvia ended it so that water and a gasping, unconscious, Ichiya splattered on the ground.
"And just like that Juvia Lockser of Fairy Tail has defeated Ichiya Vandalay Kotobuki, Blue Pegasus's leader!" Chapati's voice rang out through the city. "That's 5 points for Fairy Tail putting them on 51 and taking the lead! I don't believe it, they started late but they are right back in it after just two victories. Also with that Blue Pegasus are officially out of the Battle Royale and locked in at 27 points which means that they will come 6th this year in the Grand Magic Games."
"I hope you saw that my love, or at least heard it." Juvia said with a smile as she turned and began to walk off. "We're leading now so…"
"Not so fast!" A new voice called out and before Juvia could do more than turn a small figure with pink hair leapt down at her from atop a nearby building and she was put on the defensive as Sheila joined the fight. "I've been looking for you Juvia! You'll pay for taking so much of Lyon's attention."
"I told you I don't like Lyon!" Juvia complained as they began to tussle in a strange, non-magical, spat that took them down a side street in Crocus as they exchanged almost comical strikes on each other. "I love Gray!"
This too was part of Mavis's plan as she'd expected Sheila to come after Juvia the moment she could so she'd position Juvia in such a way to get points and then engage Sheila. This wasn't a normal fight though as one on one Juvia wasn't a great matchup for Sheila.
No, this was more to keep Sheila off the table until Gray could reach Juvia following his win over Rufus. Then they could work together to take out Sheila, and probably Lyon as he'd no doubt come to help Sheila and face Gray, and thus remove two more strong pieces from the Battle Royale all while keeping Sheila occupied until then which would prevent one of Lamia Scale's top members from getting any points for her Guild.
Overall it was a good plan but as the girls tussled and moved along the street one of the few things that Mavis couldn't factor in came to pass as they passed a cotton sheep sentry and burst into an area of Crocus where a small woman feasting at a table in it. A table that just so happened to be directly in the tussling girls' path and which neither of them realized was there as they argued and fought each other.
They'd run into Charmy Pappitson of the Black Bulls and Mavis hadn't anticipated this nor did she or anyone know what Charmy could truly do. Well, soon they'd find out as Juvia and Sheila tussled on a crash course for Charmy's table while Charmy was paying attention to Luck's battle with Olga on the screen in the air equally oblivious to what was about to happen.
As all this was going on, the other big battle had also started as Luck and Olga faced off with blue and black lightning crackling around them. This wasn't going to be like the one between Rufus and Gray and there was a chance that it could be interrupted as the two Lightning Mages squared off so a lot of the focus had shifted to Fairy Tail after they finally made their move and set up a battle with Rufus.
"Fairy Tail's gotten involved at last." Olga said following Chapati's announcement. "So let's do this up, I have the Lightning Dragon Slayer waiting for me so long as Rufus doesn't take him out first, which I doubt he will given the nature of that spell."
"And you're the Lightning God Slayer." Luck said causing a flash of surprise in Olga's eyes. "Yeah I know nothing about that kinda stuff but some of my Squad researched it, your black lightning is what gives you away. I don't really care for that stuff but it means you're strong and I like fight strong opponents."
"You have some smart people in your Guild who understand the importance of information so I guess I have no reason to hold back." Olga said as he inhaled deeply and started the battle with Luck. "Lightning God's Bellow!"
"Powerful." Luck said his grin broadening as a torrent of black lightning crackled out of Olga's mouth and at Luck in a storm. "But not fast enough."
At that Luck used the enhanced speed he had when he had his Holy Lightning Boots on to dash to the side and leap into the air right before the black lightning would have hit him and missed before it slammed into the wall of one of the buildings there blowing a hole in it and kicking up debris but no where near enough to be an issue to Luck. He was already well clear and had his hands up and ready as he moved, pivoting in the air to focus them on Olga as his grimoire flipped to the right page.
"Lightning Magic: Thunderbolt Destruction!" Luck shouted as he focused his Lightning Magic on the tips of his fingers and then unleashed them as concentrated orbs of lightning as he moved and making sure to keep the spell up the entire time.
Luck could make one or multiple of these orbs and had opted for multiple in this instance sending them at Olga in a chain as he used his speed to get around him. The Sabertooth mage was much bigger and had greater raw power than Luck but Luck had speed on his side. His greatest assets in combat were his speed, his skills in equip based Lightning Magic, and his enhanced mana sense and he used all three to great effect as Olga turned following his miss, black lightning crackling in his hands and ready to attack Luck again.
He didn't have time to get a spell off, however, as the first three lightning orbs collided with his chest before he could finish his spell exploding upon contact and staggering him back as his body was shocked and burned from the lightning. That had really surprised Olga but he quickly recovered and avoided several of the other orbs that then slammed into the ground around him exploding and kicking up a lot dust. Well, he avoided almost all of them but he caught the last one in his right hand before it could hit him full in the face as Luck landed behind him and slid over the ground, arms up and grinning.
The smoke cleared to show Olga still standing there with three circular char marks on his powerful chest and a series of small, still smoking, craters around him. Luck's grin got wider; his opponent was indeed strong so this was going to be a really good fight he felt.
"Your lightning is different to any I've seen." Olga said as he held up the concentrated ball of lightning he'd caught at the end and then moved it to his mouth were he took a bite out of it as if it was an apple and swallowed the new Lightning Magic that he was facing. "Tastes different too and not in a bad way. Never seen blue lightning and this stuff hurts to be hit with. I'm not immune like a Dragon Slayer is, though my lightning will harm Laxus when he shows and it's naturally stronger, but yours isn't normal."
"Not sure what I can say to that." Luck admitted as his grimoire flipped to a new page. "Where we come from we're born with a singular magical attribute, that's just how it is on our continent. Never encountered Dragon or God Slayers before coming to Fiore, but gotta admit your lightning is strong. I like it, makes this a whole of a lot more fun."
"I see, I bet that book you have has something to do with it." Olga said finishing the ball of lightning and while it wasn't enough to fully recover it helped mitigate some of the damage that he'd taken. "But that's the kinda thing that Rufus would enjoy. I'm just going to out muscle you."
"Come at me then, I could use a good fight and all this chatter is delaying that." Luck said grinning as the black lightning crackled off Olga. "Lightning Magic: Lightning Fiend!"
At that the lightning around Luck's hands and feet glowed brighter and he shot forward at Olga at a higher rate of speed than before. By this point Olga was certain that Luck's Lightning Magic was as unique as his or Laxus's was because of that book he used so that that meant that three unique kinds of Lightning Magic were at play. It also meant that he'd have to be careful so rather than attack, Olga instead blasted out a lot of black lightning around him, the air crackling as it did and the black tendrils shooting into the sky and blocking Luck's path to him.
Well that was the plan at least but Luck had other ideas. Lightning Fiend increased his speed and was used as a blitz attack but it also allowed him to ricochet around an area at high speed and that's just what Luck did, kick off the ground and sideways as soon as he path to Olga was blocked and avoiding the black lightning around his opponent.
He then used the structure in the middle of the plaza that they were fighting in to ricochet back of it, twisting and spinning in the air to evade the black lightning and then slashing with his clawed right glove as he passed Olga. It was just a glancing blow but it showed that Luck could manage it and he laughed as he bounced off the ground and into the building opposite which he also bounced off and continued his fast ricochet around the area including going high above it.
The entire time he was nothing short of a crackling blue blur that shot past Olga before Olga could react. He felt it though and the Sabertooth man staggered with a grunt as he recoiled from the hit though he kept his lightning up around him and raised his hand to his cheek which came away slick with blood from the cut Luck had inflicted on him. It was damned impressive and before Olga could do more than blink Luck shot past him again this time scoring a hit along his ribs.
With the lightning around Olga, Luck couldn't get a clean hit in but he was going to get as many as he could until that opening came, cackling the entire time at the fun of the battle and challenge as he bounced around the area getting faster and faster. The only things keeping him ahead of the crackling black lightning was his enhanced mana sense and natural battle instinct which just made the whole thing even more fun for Luck.
It took two more hits, one to the chest that he just managed to lean back from so that it only left three claw marks on it that drew blood and one to the back that felt like a kick though Olga rolled with it, before he realized what was up. His lightning was such that it forced Luck to use more ricochets and wear him down to create an opening for a devastating hit that could take Olga out given the speed at which Luck was traveling. Well Olga wasn't going to let that happen.
"Try this on for size!" Olga roared as Luck bounced off a building and got high into the air before arching down towards Olga. "See how you handle my raw power!"
At that Olga just unleased a massive amount of black lightning all around him with the densest part between him and Luck and he just kept pouring more and more power into his lightning. The crackling was cacophonous and the air smelled of burning ozone as Olga let out his raw power, the gaps far too tight for Luck to spin ground and evade as he careened towards Olga. It was just what Olga needed to go as his lightning finally intercepted Luck and fried him in midair, the smaller mage's body sparking as the black lightning coursed through it unable to resist the Lightning God Slayer Magic that Olga was using.
"That's it now it's over." Olga said as he held up his arms horizontally, palms open and away from his body but slightly facing each other as a ball of black lightning began to form there. "120mm Black Lightning Cannon!"
As he bellowed his attack the raw lightning ended and focused his lightning there in a growing ball before it blasted out a black projectile with a yellow streak in it that shot straight for Luck as he began to fall to the ground his body smoking but his armor still intact despite being hit by Olga's lightning. Still, Luck wasn't done yet and he sensed the attack the moment it started so while he couldn't dodge it he had enough time to get his arms up and cross them over his chest to take the hit on his Holy Lightning Gloves and thus use his own lightning to mitigate Olga's.
The result was an explosion that rocked the area and created a cloud of dust that had sparks of blue and black lightning coursing through it. As it did, Luck's gloves were destroyed by the power of Olga's attack and he was blasted back into a building behind him but thanks to the curve of it he lodged into it, grabbing the sides as his gloves reforming as he did.
"Now that was fun." Luck cackled as the rubble fell down from him and he looked out to the dust cloud, blood running down his face and sensed where Olga was via his mana, well Ethernano but same thing really as neither combatant could see each other with the dust cloud still between them. "Let's keep going, this is just what I was hoping for in this Battle Royale."
With that Luck shot out of the wall and into the dust cloud, his lightning armor at its fullest which included the horns that were on his head as he lowered it. Olga didn't stand a chance as he was looking at the cloud wondering if he'd won, there was no announcement which had him worried and as he was waiting the announcement of Rufus's defeat to Gray had come in which wasn't good at all as they'd not seen that coming.
As such he wasn't prepared when a bloody and cackling Luck Voltia shot out of the dust cloud and rammed his head into Olga's gut at a speed only a bit slower then when he'd started his Lightning Fiend out earlier. Adding to it were the crackling horns of lightning on Luck's head that imparted into Olga along with the physical force of the blond boy's momentum.
The blow caused Olga to gasp and exhale harshly as the oxygen was driven from his lungs and he doubled over, his feet skidding along the ground for several feet. However, he wasn't blasted back as he had a huge weight advantage on Luck and Luck wasn't going fast enough to overcome that so he was able to come to a stop in a few moments and steady himself despite the blow.
That didn't stop Luck though as he flipped forward ready to plant his booted feet on Olga's arms and then grab the bigger man's head in his gloved and clawed hands and unleash his own raw Lightning Magic directly into him until he fell down from it. It was a good plan but Olga was just about able to recover enough to get his arms up and catch Luck's feet on his forearms before Luck could use them to his advantage. The moment that Olga knew that he had the upper hand he pushed them apart and tossed Luck back with his raw strength.
As he did Olga saw an opening and rose, the pain in his gut still there but he ignored it as he got to his full height and suddenly two lines of black lightning erupted out of the ground and tore into the air as they branched out so that they cracked and flashed above the buildings and created a corridor that Luck was in and couldn't get out of without getting fried. With Luck in the air it was the perfect opening and Olga brought his arms up and together only this time he was going for a much stronger spell.
"You're strong I'll give it to you but this ends now." Olga said as black lightning engulfed his forearms. "Lightning God's Charged…"
Just then and before Olga could finish his spell a ball of fire shot out of nowhere and slammed into the side of Olga's face breaking his concentration and ending his spell so that the black lightning on his arms and in the column flickering for a moment before it died as he staggered more in shock than actual pain while Luck landed harmlessly on the ground. With a grunt he turned to see the newcomer grinning as he entered the circular plaza place the Lightning Wizards were dueling in.
"Made it." Magna said with a pant as his grimoire floated up by his side. "You've lost now that there are two of us and it's time I got my revenge for that defeat you handed me on the first day."
As Luck and Olga's match was going on and Rufus was losing to Gray, Magna was running as fast as he could towards the flashes of lightning in the air. The best thing about Luck's battle was that it could be seen with ease as flashes of blue and black lightning were periodically sent into the air so it gave Magna a clear location of the battle. As such he was able to run towards it with ease following his victories over Ren and Eve. The only annoying thing was that Luck had already started the fight but he was going to get there and help his buddy out, and get some revenge in the process.
It was going to take a few moments though but Magna ran as hard as he could not even paying attention to Gray's battle with, and subsequent victory over, Rufus. That wasn't relevant to Magna, all that was was getting to where Luck was and aiding him the moment he could.
In that vein Magna created a fireball as he ran and rounded a corner into the road that led to area where Luck was fighting and picked up the pace but didn't use Risky Stolen Base as he didn't want to use up more mana than he needed to just yet. Instead, and as Luck was forced back and through a corridor of black lightning that gave Olga the time to prepare a stronger spell which Luck would have a hard time dodging, Magna burst into the battle with a yell that couldn't be heard.
What was noticeable was the fireball the threw as he came to a stop as it slammed right into the side of Olga's head staggering him. It wasn't an especially powerful fireball but that wasn't the point of it, the point of it was to distract Olga and prevent his attack thus giving Luck the time he needed to recover.
"Made it." Magna said panting as he caught his breath while his grimoire floated up by his side. "You've lost now that there are two of us and it's time I got my revenge for that defeat you handed me on the first day."
As all this was going on, Laxus, Gajeel, and Erza were heading to their own matches. Given the current situation between Luck and Olga, Laxus was the one who had to put peddle to the metal and hurry to join that fight. He'd been boosted by his block of Rufus's attack and had faith in Gray to beat Rufus so now it was his turn. Gajeel and Erza had their targets but they'd reach them after Laxus did, his match came first.
It helped that he was fast when he wanted to be thanks to his magic so in short order Laxus was able to get to the crackling confrontation that was Luck and Olga and join to see who was the strongest Lightning Wizard in Fiore. However, just as he slowed and began to walk in from a different angle, Olga had one of his spells ready to go as he honed in on Luck who was airborne and in a corridor of black lighting so Laxus would wait to see what it was for that to announce his presence, a fireball hit the Sabertooth man in the side of the head disrupting his spell and staggered him revealing another arrival.
"Made it." The new arrival said clearly out of breath and Laxus easily identified him by the black robe as one of the Black Bulls and as it had been a fireball it was Magna Swing here to fight with his Guildmate Luck just as Mavis had predicted. "You've lost now that there are two of us and it's time I got my revenge for that defeat you handed me on the first day."
"Looks like this is turning into a real brawl." Laxus said announcing his own arrival and they all turned to see him approaching recognition clear on their faces. "I was coming for the Lightning Magic match but there's some fire as well, you've got nothing on Natsu but more wins the better for Fairy Tail and it's just not right without a little fire I feel."
Laxus had arrived and it was now a real party. It was time to really start this but just as he was about to say something about the other two types of Lightning Magic on display because he was sure that Luck's magic was different to normal Lightning Magic thanks to that grimoire as his grandfather called it, there was the clopping of wooden shoes on pavement and they all turned to the main entrance to the area they were in just as Chapati's voice rang out. They didn't need to hear his words though as they saw the third new arrival and fifth to the party that had formed where Olga had set up.
"What is going on!" Chapati's voice said over the speakers as the final arrival, a tall, tanned, bald, man with a long, crooked beard and wearing white and black robes and light brown pants his arms folded in his sleeves came to a stop in the area so that all 5 combatants were in a loose ring looking at each other as lightning and fire crackled. "What was a one on one match between two of the three Lightning Wizards in the Battle Royal has exploded into a full on 5 man slugfest between four Guilds, three Lightning Wizards, and a Wizard Saint! That's right folks the Wizard Saint Jura Nekis has complete the set for this unbelievable brawl that is about to kick off!"
"One thing's for sure." Mato's voice called out. "This is going to be a real doozy with a lot of destruction and several points at play!"
"I only participated in the Games because the old hag told me to but I'll admit I'm having fun so I hope you don't mind me interrupting your fight as well." Jura said ignoring the commentary as he came to a stop a smile on his lips. "With all this strength and power, well it's simply too enticing a battle to pass up."
"So, the monster shows himself, the great Wizard Saint in the competition." Laxus said as he looked at one of the toughest opponents on the battlefield and one of two that Mavis was truly worried about. "Looks like I'm the one who gets to deal with you. You're one of the big hitters we've got to taken down in order to win this."
"I'm honored to be considered." Jura said. "And you're the Fairy Tail member I was hoping to face, Laxus. Now, a shame that the Black Bull with Requip Magic isn't here, now that would really make this."
"Ha, you want Asta you're going to have to go through me." Luck said licking his lips at the power he was feeling as the blood continued to run down his face, which the fact that he wasn't paying attention really creeped out the non-Black Bulls present, and his lightning boots and gloves crackled. "And boy will this be fun, so many strong opponents, this is just what I love."
"Our ace has a different target to take down right now." Magna said with a grin a he pulled his flaming bat from his grimoire and hefted it onto his shoulder. "If you get through everyone here then maybe you'll get to see him once he's done beating one of the people we're most worried about."
"So, it's as we expected." Laxus said understanding right away. "Your swordsman is going for our swordswoman."
"Who else would we choose for that honor." Magna said. "That's a fight that the crowd will love but I think this one might top it."
"Probably given all the power gathered here." Laxus said looking around. "Well then, shall we all do this boys?"
Luck laughed, Magna grinned, Jura smirked and Olga looked serious as the 5 men stood the anticipation building in the already damaged area. It was clear that all of them were serious and just as a massive explosion rocked the city elsewhere, the moment was shattered and all hell broke lose as the next stage of the Battle Royale kicked off in earnest.
I think that's a good place to leave it off, a little cliffhanger for one of the two largest battles still to come. There it is, the initial attack of the fairies which isn't as strong as it was in the anime thanks to the Black Bulls but with the win over Ichiya they really boosted their points (one of the many butterfly effect changes caused by the Black Bulls) and are now in the lead. There was a request for a scoreboard or summary during the Battle Royale and while I'll try to do one as we go along I can't promise it so if I fail, like in this chapter, I'll just give the points for Fairy Tail and the Black Bulls as they're the top two (at least right now) and they are 51 and 50 respectively so currently Fairy Tail is in the lead and Blue Pegasus is locked into last with 27 points. That of course can change at any time as we continue with the next few chapters. Lastly, I know that this may be a bit hard to follow, and the whole mass lightning battle is being stretched out over at least three chapters with the set up last chapter, the initial confrontation here, and the rest taking up the bulk of the next one, but bear with me as this was one of the hardest arcs to adapt given all that is going on so I'm doing my best to cover it as clearly as possible with various focuses per chapter. Once we are through the initial stuff, which is all happening pretty much simultaneously from this point on (that is to say the three current confrontations of which y'all have only seen the lightning one) it should be clearer but the early battles are tougher to manage as there is more going on. Anyway, that is all that I have for you so I will leave this chapter off here. If you liked this please favorite, follow, leave a review, or let me know in a PM and I will try to answer any questions posed in reviews and PMs as best I can. Until next time.
Stringdog
