(Edited 19/08/18)
(Edited 30/12/20)
(Edited 10/06/22)
I do not own Fairy Tail Hiro Mashima does.
Storming Castle Valtheim
/Outskirts of Castle Valthiem/
Natsu, Erza and Elise were camped out along a ridgeline overlooking the castle. The three had arrived as the sun was beginning to set and they had decided to wait where they could see the front entrance of the castle.
"Five more minutes," muttered Elise under her breath as Natsu cracked his neck to release tension and Erza scanned the area.
"So Elise, what's your magic," asked Natsu as he tried to take his mind off the fight a little.
"Well my magic is a Lost Magic similar to yours called God Slayer Magic," she replied with a small smile.
"God Slayer Magic? I've never heard of it before," said Erza with an eyebrow raised.
"That doesn't surprise me, with my type of magic it's on the same rarity level as Dragon Slayer Magic due to the variant of the magic. For example, you Natsu are a Fire Dragon Slayer whilst someone else might be a Water Dragon Slayer and so on," Elise explained as Natsu nodded.
"So what's your element of God Slayer Magic then," Erza asked curiously.
"Well, that's the thing, my specific God Slayer Magic doesn't have an element," she replied. "You see I am the War God Slayer."
"Whoa, that sounds pretty cool," Natsu replied, clearly intrigued at the uniqueness of her power. As Elise nodded in thanks, Natsu turned his eyes back towards the castle. "Maybe one day we could go a few rounds and see who's better, a God or a Dragon."
"I think I'd like that," she replied as the three stood up and began walking towards the front gate.
/Castle Valthiem/
"Alright you two stand back and cover me," Natsu said sharply as the two nodded and took up defensive positions next to Natsu.
"Oi, what have we got here boys!? A couple of new recruits," one of the Dark Mages on the castle wall shouted as they began laughing. "Get lost you trash before we come out there and show ya how a Dark Guild plays mage."
"Natsu, we're ready," said Erza as Elise nodded.
"Fire Dragon Kings-," Natsu said as he began to channel an enormous amount of magic into his fist, the flames expanding into a massive fist larger than his entire body.
"Requip – Adamantine Armor," Erza shouted as she placed a barrier up to protect Natsu and Elise from any debris.
"Oi, looks like they're gonna fight! Let's get em," one of the Dark Mages shouted in response as a bunch of spells began to be flung towards them only for them to hit the Adamantine Barrier deployed by Erza and fade away.
"Guess it's my turn," Elise said as she began to release her own magic. "War God's Feudal Lances!"
A magic circle appeared beneath Elise as she began to float off the ground, a lance of each element materialising around her before moving to rotate at high speeds. The lances quickly became hard to track with the naked eye due to the speed they were moving as Elise prepared to attack.
"Go Elise, I have Natsu covered," yelled Erza as Natsu simply nodded.
"War God's Rallying Watchword," Elise cried as a light appeared underneath Natsu which then increased the speed that he was able to channel his Crash Magic into his Fire Magic.
"Alright you guys I'm good to go," said Natsu after several moments as the two shut off their respective spells as Elise began using her lances to block, absorb and redirect enemy spells.
"Here we go, Fire Dragon King's Quaking Demolition Fist!"
Charging forward, Natsu threw the powerful punch directly at the side of the castle wall, blasting right through it with little difficulty and killing many of the Dark Mages on the wall in the process.
As the attack continued, Erza expanded the area of effect from her Adamantine Shield to block the debris blasted back by Natsu's attack. Looking over to Elise she noticed that the God Slayer had easily shredded any debris coming her way using her lances and sighed in relief.
"Well, that was pretty cool," Elise said with a grin, the smoke dying down to reveal the entire section of the wall now being virtually non-existent. "Now here's where we split up. Remember, our targets are the most important thing to go after, anything else is secondary."
"Right," Natsu and Erza said in unison.
"Requip – Blackwing Armor," Erza shouted as she appeared in one of her many more aerial oriented armors and flew through the now missing front section of the castle.
"Guess I'd better get a move on too," Natsu sighed before vanishing on the spot with speed that inwardly surprised Elise.
"Those two are so cool …"
/Castle Valthiem – East Wing/
Erza moved swiftly through the hallways, easily dispatching anyone who got in her way with a few quick motions. The people who she had faced so far may have called themselves mages but as far as she was concerned they were nothing.
"Where is Falk Transil," Erza shouted to the fleeing mages. "I won't ask politely as second time."
The mages couldn't believe what they were seeing. There were at least a hundred of them and yet they were powerless before a single mage. "C'mon lady, we don't have a clue so just leave us alone," One mage screamed before Erza swiftly appeared behind him and slammed his head into the ground.
'These ones are useless, guess I'll try upstairs,' Erza sighed inwardly as she swiftly flew up the stairs with ease before coming face to face with her mark.
"Well well if it isn't the great Titania," said a bearded man who looked to be in his mid fifties.
"Falk," growled Erza as she Requiped into her Heaven's Wheel armour.
"Should I feel honoured to face such an opponent, or pissed of that you and your friends are destroying our Guild Hall? I'm not sure which to feel," Falk continued as he drew a katana.
"Destroying this building is nothing compared to the lives you have destroyed leading the Dark Guild's slave trade," yelled Erza as she pointed her sword at Falk. "For the sake of all the slaves whose lives you have ruined, I'm going to beat you."
"Big words Titania, but can you back them up," Falk replied with a smirk as the two cleared the distance in the room and clashed causing a huge dust cloud to appear.
/Castle Valthiem – Courtyard/
Elise was having the time of her life. Battle thrilled her to no end and there was no shortage of opponents on this mission. However, she knew that the real fight was coming, she could taste it as her grin widened, her blade easily dispatching an entire room of Dark Mages in a single strike.
An important thing to note about the young War God Slayer was her powers. The thrill of battle drives the War God ever forward, seeking larger and greater battles. To Elise, missions like these suited her fine. Though not allowed to kill her primary targets she could still satisfy her lust for battle by attacking the fodder head on.
Elise was busy dismantling the reinforcements in the courtyard when she sensed a magical power higher than any of the fools she currently faced. With a swift motion the field lay barren as Elise looked towards the rooftops and saw her target.
"Markus Twinshadow," Elise said with a smirk as the man looked down on her with a smile.
"Welcome to Castle Valthiem my dear, I do hope that our men were able to keep you entertained until my arrival. And please don't worry, once I've killed you, your body will be returned to the Council I assure you," he said with a sneer as his shadow began to move.
"Is that so? Well last I checked there's a cell in the Council dungeons that I had organised just for you," she replied with a grin.
"As much as I would love to see it I'm afraid that I must decline for you see I have more pressing matters to attend to," Markus replied as he jumped from the roof and slowly descended to the courtyard.
The moment Markus's feet touched the ground hundreds of shadows began to emerge from the ground which spurred Elise into action.
"Well, someone's eager," said Elise as she readied herself for the oncoming attack. "War God's Bladestorm!"
Twelve swords began to materialize from thin air, circling her form protectively. As the shadows moved to strike, the swords would move to intercept which kept her safe for the moment.
"You think that you can beat an army my dear," asked Markus with a laugh.
"It's not about will I be able to you fool," Elise replied as her hair dropped to cover her eyes before she leant back and they became a faint Galaxy Blue colour. "It's about when will war cease!?"
Elise began to laugh manically as she charged the Markus shadows head on, savouring every swing, every clash every breath she took.
For Elise the march of war had begun.
/Castle Valthiem – Throne Room/
A lone figure sat on the throne with a neutral expression. He appeared indifferent to all the fighting occurring throughout the castle as he sat on his throne, never taking his eyes off the door.
"You have finally arrived," the man said as Natsu strolled into the room.
"Yeah well thanks for not running I guess," replied Natsu with an equally neutral expression.
"It's so very rare that incidents like this occur don't you think? The Magic Council in fear of a Dark Guild so they send a few guild mages to deal with it. But let me ask you this young mage," the man said as he rose from his throne. "What do you do when the ones giving the orders are the ones in charge of the bigger picture?"
Natsu pondered the man's words for a moment. While it could easily be claimed by anyone that members of the Magic Council could be corrupt. A man who essentially holds together the biggest chain of Dark Guilds ever seen claiming such a thing warrants at least a small amount of consideration.
"I shall give you a clear example young man, proof that what I speak of is no mere bluff. I was once a part of the Magic Council. My name was Hogg once, though it means nothing to me anymore for you see I was the victim of what you would call a political power play. If you survive our fight, and ever deal with the Magic Council, do not trust a word a man named Seigrain speaks," the old man sighed as he took his cloak off discarding it to the side.
"Let me guess, this Seigrain guy is more dangerous than you," asked Natsu with an eyebrow raised.
"That man is most definitely not what he appears, that is all I will say. Although I am glad that you at least heard me out before the fight," Hogg said as he began to release his magical power.
"I'll give you one chance to surrender Hogg or I'll have to use force," Natsu said firmly whilst readying his fighting stance.
"You and I both know that surrender was never an option," Hogg replied with a frown as he faced Natsu. "But since you were so kind as to listen to me I will endeavour to give you a quick and painless death."
"Not gonna happen pal, I've got too much to live for."
"Well then, enough talk then," Hogg sighed as the two warped in front of each other and began exchanging fierce blows.
"Fire Dragon's Talon," Natsu snapped as he attempted to kick Hogg in the head, only for it to be blocked.
"Such power at such a young age, what a waste," Hogg sighed as he raised his hands above his head. "Dread Wave!"
A giant black wave of souls and spirits flooded towards Natsu however he wasn't fazed, the Dark Spell being a rather common go to for Dark Mages even back in Scarlione.
"Fire Dragon's Vortex," Natsu shouted in response as a vortex of fire surrounded him, the flames being used to propel himself into the air as his body became coated in the same flames. "Fire Dragon's Flame Elbow!"
Attempting to hit Hogg in the back of the head, the Dark Guild Master blocked the attack and countered with a well-timed punch aimed directly at his gut. Natsu, having predicted Hogg's own attack, also countered it with the two exchanging several more blows that resulted in the pair skidding away from each other.
Coming to a stop, both combatants simply stared each other down. Neither were panting yet and it was clear neither mage was truly trying yet however Hogg couldn't help but smile as he analysed his opponent.
"You fight well young one, I can feel it. Countless battles fought over span of many years for a purpose I cannot foresee nor do I wish too. You fight well, and that's more than enough for me," Hogg said softly with Natsu doing little in response aside from adjusting his stance slightly.
"What happened to enough talk?"
"True," the Guild Master countered as the pair vanished and clashed once again, cracking the ground within the throne room.
/Castle Valthiem – East Wing/
"Well well, it seems your quite capable Scarlett," Falk said with a grin as he dodged a strike from Erza.
"Your words mean nothing to me," Erza shot back venomously with a hint of annoyance in her voice.
"Well I suppose now that the warm up is over I should start to get serious, don't you agree?"
An aura began to surround Falk as he placed his right hand over his sheathed sword. Erza was surprised to feel such malice and bloodlust coming from a sword however she wouldn't let it faze her.
"Come Titania; show me that your title isn't merely just for show," Falk barked as Erza began releasing more power to match the man.
Summoning a multitude of swords around her as she took to the skies, Erza didn't once dare take her eyes off of the blade down below. 'I'm not sure what it is but that power I can sense around him is dangerous …'
"That's quite a lot of swords you have there Titania," Falk noted coolly as his grip tightened on his sheathed katana. "But I wonder if they'll be enough?"
"Blumenblatt," was the only response Falk received as the swords Erza had summoned began to rain down onto him, the Dark Mage dodging them them with relative ease.
"Come on Titania is that all you-!?"
Falk was cut off as Erza had closed the distance between the two in mere moments, her blade poised to strike. Erza had assumed she'd successfully caught the man off guard however a slight smirk had all but proven her wrong.
"Nice try, but that trick won't work on me!"
Erza's eyes widened as she realised her mistake too late. The moment she had entered the aura surrounding Falk he had already drawn his katana and struck with such speed it didn't even look like he'd drawn the blade.
"Sansri Sekken!" Within moments Erza's armor was shattered and she was sent flying back through several walls from the force of the strike.
"Dammit, that was reckless," growled Erza as she clutched her ribs. "Such force from one strike alone, guess I should make sure that doesn't happen again. I don't know how many more of those I could take …"
"Where is the famous swordplay from the mighty Titania," Falk asked mockingly as he emerged through the dust. "From what I just saw you're no more than a novice!"
Erza could only grit her teeth in annoyance at the subtle jab at her skill level, knowing full well that he had the high ground to make it. She had made a rookie mistake and the only thing she could do was suck it up and strike back swiftly.
"Anyway, I'm getting pretty bored so I think I'll wrap this up now," said Falk as he readied his stance again.
"Requip – Purgatory Armor," Erza shouted as her body was enveloped in a bright light before emerging clad in a black armor covered in spikes.
"Oho, finally getting serious huh," Falk jeered as he adjusted his grip on his sword.
"Laugh all you want now, no one who has seen this armor has ever lived to speak of it," Erza shot back as she readied herself in a battle stance.
The two stared each other down before clearing the length of the room in seconds and clashing which caused shockwaves to fly in all directions.
"Yes YES THIS IS WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR," Falk yelled over the screeching sound of metal upon metal, a large grin on his face. "COME AND SHOW ME A GOOD TIME!"
Erza was annoyed by the way the man was treating the battle however she pushed those concerns to the back of her mind as she considered the current state of things.
'I have to admit he is skilled, but I can't lose!'
Despite the clubs size, Erza was able to manoeuvre it to counter Falk with ease. The two were exchanging blows so fast that the weapons couldn't be seen by the untrained eye as the area around them was ripped apart.
Despite being able to match the man blow for blow, she was frustrated that she couldn't gain an edge against him. Her matching blows could only last for so long and she knew that sooner or later he would whittle down her club's durability.
'I can't stay on defence most of the time but he barely leaves any openings,' Erza hissed inwardly as she narrowly dodged a downward strike.
The battle between Falk and Erza had begun to shift away from the East Wing as the walls were now mere rubble from all of the compressed slashes that had torn them to pieces. As Erza was pushed through a window and out onto the castle ramparts, Falk appeared on the ledge of the window and grinned.
"You're good Titania, one of the best I've ever fought! Let's see how long we can keep this going huh!?"
"I will never fall, not until I have beaten you for all the terrible things you've done," Erza replied with a determined expression as the two began exchanging even fiercer blows, both determined to gain the upper hand on the other.
/Castle Valthiem – Courtyard/
"What on Earthland are you," Markus cried as Elise tore through the hundreds of shadows he was producing in an attempt to overwhelm her.
"I thought I told you, I'm the War God Slayer," Elise replied with a menacing grin on her face.
'S-such power,' thought Markus as he sent an onslaught of shadows against Elise only to see them torn to shreds in mere moments.
"Hey Markus guess what," Elise asked tauntingly prompting the man to simply scowl in her direction. "It'll be your turn soon!"
'I have to do something soon or I'm finished. I never thought I'd have to use this but I guess I have no choice,' he thought as he placed his hands out in front of him, Elise's laughter only further serving to strengthen his resolve for the attack he was about to perform.
"Shadow's Covenant – Shadow Prison!"
Elise was too caught up in her frenzied state to realise the changes beginning to take place in the environment. The sky had all but disappeared, the courtyard walls were being enveloped by absolute darkness and it began rapidly spreading to the floor.
Elise realised too late what had occurred. Markus had trapped her within a void of shadows.
"Good, you've been caught in my Shadow Prison," Markus sighed in relief, appearing within the void of nothingness. "In this space I am God, you should prepare for an infi-."
"Did you say that you were God here," asked Elise with an innocent look on her face.
"Yes I did," snapped Markus, annoyed that he was interrupted. "What of it!?"
"Well, that's a relief then," Elise replied with a smile that had Markus genuinely gobsmacked.
"Have you lost your mind girl, how can you think that this is a relief," he asked in disbelief.
"Well it's quite simple really," she said as her voice began to darken in tone. She looked up to face Markus as his face quickly changed to that of horror.
Elise's eyes were a Galaxy Blue colour, a grin plastered on her face. Her armor began to fade away and be replaced by a revealing new one.
The armor was elegant in design. The upper body covered her chest while leaving her stomach exposed. There was a gap between the shoulder blades and the gauntlets which was held together by two straps on each side. Her lower body consisted of a skirt with an unknown insignia on it, and a variety of knives and daggers strapped to a belt. Her leggings went just past her knees before being replaced by her armoured boots.
But what frightened Markus the most was what was on the armor. Blood was constantly streaming down the armor as Elise could only giggle.
"You made a big mistake trying to trap me," she said as she stared at Markus, her eyes unwavering. "When she feels I am threatened she must take control …"
"Wh-who t-t-takes control," Markus asked shakily with an audible gulp.
"My Mother, the one who trained me of course," she replied with a smile. "You humans might know her by many names, some of which may be correct."
Markus was utterly horrified. He could feel his death approaching fast as the monster before him began to slowly pace towards him.
"She is the Mistress of Conflict, Master Tactician and the Ultimate Warlord. The one true Goddes of War, Eliza," she concluded with a large grin as a black sword appeared in her right hand as she aimed it at Markus's throat.
One Of The Cosmic Force Gods Of Terminus
Current Standing God Of War
Eliza
Unable to comprehend what was happening Markus could only beg for his life, an act which seemed to only piss off the deity before him as she inched the blade closer to his neck.
"Release the Shadow Prison, now," ordered Eliza as Markus instantly cancelled out the spell.
"P-please spare me," pleaded Markus as he grovelled before the Goddesses' feet, the pressure of the Godlike entity before him all but crushing his will to fight.
"Release a foolish mortal who thinks he is a God, I think not," she replied casually before decapitating him with the flick of her wrist.
Markus didn't even have the time to cry out before he was executed as his body went limp, his head rolling off to the side as the Goddess wiped her blade clean on his coat.
'Such a pathetic mortal,' thought Eliza as she stared at the former dark mage.
"You didn't have to kill him, Mother," a voice in her head sighed.
"Elise my dear I wouldn't have needed to if you hadn't toyed with him for so long," replied Eliza with a small smirk.
"True, but you know you enjoyed the show. Besides what am I meant to tell the Council now," Elise asked tiredly upon realising that she had just failed her objective.
"A simple accident unfortunately, he refused to surrender after all," she replied uncaringly. "Now, I simply must meet your two new friends Elise."
"You won't try to kill them will you,"
"Of course not my dear, I actually quite like them myself and besides the pink haired one would be quite the hassle to take down," Eliza replied with a small frown.'Quite the hassle indeed that one …'
"I knew he was strong but surely he's not that strong, right?"
"There are factors you are currently unaware of," she replied as she looked in the direction of the throne room. "Ah, it appears that he is currently fighting as we speak."
"Any idea who is winning?"
"From the amount of total magic power being used by the two I'd say the pink haired one will win. He isn't really trying from what I can tell while the guild master is at around forty percent total power output. In other words my dear the fight hasn't really begun yet."
"That's where Erza was meant to be fighting," Elise pointed out as an explosion went off across the castle."Can you tell if she's winning?"
"Hmm, this one is a much closer matchup. Whilst the Scarlet haired one has the means to win she does not use it … How curious?"
"Why not?"
"Let's go have a look and find out, shall we Daughter dearest?"
"Yes Mother. But once you've met them can I have control back?"
"Of course dear, I still have my own duties to do but it's nice to get out once in a while," she replied with a smile as the two warped over to the East Wing.
/Castle Valthiem – East Wing/
The sounds of clashing steel could be heard all over the East Wing as two figures flew down the halls exchanging fierce blows all the while.
Erza was beginning to feel the toll of using her Purgatory Armor for a long period of time, all the while Falk only having received a few scratches at the most. She could feel the strain on her magic and knew there wasn't much time left however she wouldn't back down, not again someone like Falk.
'Damn this guy … I haven't had a single chance to do any kind of counterattack!'
"Better hurry up Titania, I can feel your defence getting sloppy," jeered Falk as he continued to hack and slash at Erza fiercely. "I thought you were gonna avenge all the slaves!?"
Erza could only grunt in response as the two tore their way outside and into a garden, ripping up an entire section of bushes and shrubs before coming to stop in a small courtyard area.
"Just give up Titania, I promise your death will be quick, Falk said firmly as he began to take a few steps back.
"I already told you I refuse to surrender," Erza snapped in response prompting the Dark Mage to sigh, shaking his head.
"Look Titania, you did well alright. No one's ever lasted this long against me but the fact is you're getting tired. I can still keep this up for hours, just surrender," Falk said in a much calmer tone despite a frown of annoyance marring his features.
"I refuse Falk!"
"Then I guess I have no choice then," Falk sighed as he readied his battle stance again.
'Here we go,' thought Erza before a voice began to speak to her through her mind.
"Erza, Erza," a faint voice called out, gradually growing louder prompting her to narrow her eyes suspiciously.
'What is this,' she thought as she tried to maintain her focus on Falk.
"Erza don't worry, it's me, Elise," the voice said in a calming manner as Erza raised an eyebrow.
'Elise how are you-,' Erza was cut off by Elise however as she began to speak quickly.
"My mother wishes to speak with you Erza, please listen to what she has to say. It'll help you beat Falk," she said determinedly only for the voice to disappear, replaced by a slightly deeper, sultrier one.
'You must be Elise's mother then,' thought Erza as the woman laughed.
"Yes dear I am, and I felt the need to speak with you about your fight," she replied cheerfully.
'Yeah Elise said that you had something to tell me about that.'
"Indeed, I noticed that you aren't using your strongest armor dear why is that?"
'What do you mean the Purgatory Armor is my strongest armor I have currently?"
"No dear, I can sense another armor at your disposal, one that could change the tide in your favour. It must be relatively new if you can't remember you have it," she replied softly as Erza's eyes shot open.
'The Armor of the Brilliant Flame,' thought Erza as an image of the armor flashed through her mind. 'But I can't use it; I haven't had time to practice with it yet.'
"Nonsense dear, I can see the soul of a fearsome warrior in you. If you allow that to guide you then you will always find a way to press forward," she said in a motherly tone that sent an oddly warm feeling through her, one she couldn't quite describe.
'How do you know all of this anyway,' asked Erza curiously, not entirely sure of the trustworthiness of Elise's Mother.
"Speak to Elise after the battle she can tell you, but for now focus on your task," she replied softly before her voice left Erza's mind.
'Let my soul guide me huh, well it's worth a shot,' thought Erza as she stared down Falk who seemed to sense a shift within her.
"A second wind Erza, seriously," the man asked in disbelief as Erza rose back up to her full height. "You barely have enough magical power left to sustain yourself, let alone your armors!"
"You know nothing of me, Falk Transil, and you shall be brought to justice for your crimes," Erza replied sharply as her entire body was enveloped in a bright glow. "Requip – Armor of the Brilliant Flame!"
Erza's armor was replaced with her Brilliant Flame armor and her club was replaced with the Sword of the Brilliant Flame, a powerful magical pressure slamming down onto the battlefield with the temperature rising rapidly around them. The garden was set alight prompting Falk to leap away in order to avoid being caught up in what quickly became a small inferno below.
"Another armor Titania, you'll never learn when to quit, will you!? All it will take is one last strike to end it!"
"You're wrong Falk, this time I will beat you," Erza replied firmly as she stood tall with the armor and sword Natsu gifted to her. 'Thank you Natsu for creating such an amazing armor set … now watch as I christen it with an amazing first battle!'
Erza jumped into the air as fire began to sprout from the back of the armor until it formed fiery wings, an action that even surprised herself until she remembered his exact words regarding how it would basically use his own power.
'Wow, Natsu really went all out,' Erza thought as she began to dash towards Falk.
"Really Titania, didn't learn that rushing me is foolish," Falk growled as he prepared his strike. "Sansri Sekken!"
Instead of the sound of shattering armor however all that could be heard was a loud screeching noise as the blade made contact with the armor, not her blade.
"What in the world," Falk cried out in shock as he broke off his attack. "What the hell is that armor made out of!?"
'Of course,' Erza thought to herself. 'The armor is made from the scales and hides of Drakes, there's no way any kind of regular sword would work on something so durable!'
"Curse you Titania, now I'm pissed," Falk growled as he rushed Erza, blade now carrying much more force behind it than before.
'Well time to see what this sword can do,' thought Erza as she began to dodge Falk with ease.
"Curse you, stay still!"
"Get ready Falk, my counterattack starts right now," roared Erza as she took to the skies and stared down at Falk. "You're finished.
"Don't get so cocky just because you suddenly dodged a few lousy strikes," Falk snapped back as he prepared his stance again. "One strike to end it all!"
Erza began to fly down at Falk at high speed, using the flames to increase her descent.
"Draconian Knight's Scorching Strike!"
"Sansri Sekken!"
The moment the two clashed there was a large explosion followed by Falk flying out of it and into a nearby wall, knocking the man unconscious. The dust took a few moments to clear from the area as Erza came back into view. Aside from a cut to her left cheek she suffered relatively no damage from Falk's attack thanks to her armor.
'Well that was quite an attack,' Erza thought as she looked at the crater she left behind from where she had impacted the ground.
Erza sighed as she Requiped back into her Heart Kreuz armor. Despite the amount of time Erza had spent fighting Falk, Natsu still hadn't beaten the Guild Master.
"Erza, hey," a voice called out from behind her.
"Elise, how are you," sighed Erza as she was still catching her breath.
"I saw you beat Falk that was amazing I knew you could do it!"
"Yeah, we need to put a set of Magical Suppressor Cuffs on him and tie him up before he regains consciousness," Erza replied with a small smile as the two made their way to Falk. "So how'd your fight with Markus go?"
"Yeah about that, he's kinda dead …"
Erza could only sigh. "Well I guess that's to be expected when fighting Dark Mages, huh."
"Yeah he trapped me in this spell called Shadow Prison and the only way I could free myself was with my Mother's help," she replied quietly.
"That reminds me, your Mother, where is she? She said to ask you about it," Erza asked whilst putting the cuffs on Falk.
"Erza, before I reveal my Mother to you I need to ask you to promise me something," she replied as she turned to face Erza. "You must not speak of my Mother to the Magic Council."
Erza stared into Elise's eyes. "I'm sure you have your reasons Elise, of course I won't."
"Thanks," she replied with a small smile. "Ok I'll show you her now."
Elise's armor began to shift and change into her more revealing one and her eyes changed from a sky blue to a base Crimson Red.
Erza stared at the woman; her eyes wide at the shocking similarities yet differences between her appearance and Elise's own.
"I assume you have many questions dear," the Goddess said with a small smirk which shook Erza out of her stupor.
"Y-yes," Erza nodded slowly, still somewhat getting over her shock.
"My name is Eliza, God of War. I have to say that display with that armor was quite impressive."
"Th-thank you maam," Erza replied shakily as she began to fully realise who she was dealing with.
"Please, just call me Eliza dear. God of War I may be but you seem to be getting along with my Daughter so a friend of hers is a friend of mine. Now, I wanted to meet you and the pink haired man," she said as she motioned to the castle throne room.
"Natsu," Erza replied confusedly only to suddenly look over where the Goddess was gesturing, intense magical pressure radiating from the throne room. "Yes he's currently fighting the enemy Master."
"Yes I can sense that dear, his magical power is quite impressive for a mortal. I have to say these events have been quite fun but how about we watch the fight between those two?"
"Watch? Shouldn't we help him?"
"Come now dear, surely you can feel his power? He doesn't need our power to beat this man," she replied simply prompting Erza to nod her head slowly.
"I suppose he is monstrously strong." Erza agreed as she focused on Natsu's power. "I do want to speak to you Eliza but we need to get to Natsu."
"Of course dear, let us go at once," she said as the two began to run towards the throne room.
/Castle Valthiem – Throne Room/
Explosions rocked the throne room as large balls of fire were being hurled at Hogg, the older man using his Dark Magic to deflect the fireballs in any direction he could. Due to the speed Natsu was hurling said fireballs, Hogg had no time to accurately redirect them which led to the entire area becoming engulfed in crimson flame.
After hurling his latest volley, Natsu vanished and appeared across the other side of the room to create a fireball twice the size of any of the previous ones, a sadistic smirk on his face which had the Guild Master sweating.
Hogg had little time to react, cycling through any spells he knew to counter or redirect the attack but finding himself coming up short. He was about to flee however the attack was suddenly fired, the sheer size of it making escape borderline impossible.
Cloaking himself in Dark Magic, Hogg tanked the hit. The sheer density of the flames left burns across the man's arms as he was sent flying backward to hit the solid stone throne, shattering it as he fell to the floor in a crumpled heap.
Gritting his teeth, the Dark Guild Master rose to his feet and was about to unleash another attack when suddenly, out of seemingly nowhere, Natsu appeared behind him and landed a brutal kick to his temple.
Hogg could only cry out in pain as he was sent flying through the window above the throne and onto one of the castle's rooftops with Natsu quickly emerging through the large hole in the window, still cloaked in fire and wasted no time in attacking the man.
Hogg jumped back a few metres as he prepared to strike back. His hands began to glow purple two blades made out of pure darkness formed from his wrists, enveloping his hands and extending for another few inches. "Dread and Despair!"
Natsu continued to home in on Hogg as the man rushed forward, beginning to slash at Natsu with his dual blades. Natsu barely got out of the way in time when Hogg swung his left blade which sent a compressed slash of darkness directly at him.
'Well wasn't really expecting that, guess I've gotta step it up a notch,' he thought to himself as he began to channel magic power to his fists as Hogg wasted no time in going on the counter offensive. Hacking and slashing at Natsu while he dodged and attempted a counter only to be met with a kick to the chest.
Natsu was sent back several metres as he flipped and regained his footing before letting a sly grin loose and charging the man. Natsu's fist began to glow yellow as he aimed the strike at Hogg's face.
Hogg placed his darkness blades in an X formation to shield his face as Natsu's strike made impact.
"Fire Dragon's Crashing Iron Fist," he yelled as the strike cracked, then shattered the blades using his Crash Magic infused attack.
Hogg could only stare in shock as Natsu disappeared and appeared under him before kicking the man in the chin, sending him flying into the air. He then disappeared again before reappearing above him as he prepared another kick.
"Fire Dragon's Talon," he shouted, the kick making direct contact with the man's head, sending him flying downwards at high speeds. Hogg smashed through the roof of the building the two were fighting on and through several floors before reaching the ground floor and leaving a crater.
'Ah crap I think I overdid it,' thought Natsu as he landed next to the crater and looked within the dust cloud to find Hogg already rising to his feet once more. "Not done yet old timer?"
Hogg could only scowl. Such a young mage being this powerful was an insult to all his years of hard work and training. "Well then you leave me no choice boy, I don't really use this technique often but I suppose this qualifies as a reason to bring it out."
"Aww great just when I thought this crap was over," Natsu sighed as he readied himself.
"Absolute Darkness Final Technique – Beyond All Limits!"
An enormous pillar of darkness erupted around Hogg as he disappeared from view, the sheer pressure of magic enough to blast Natsu backward as he skidded out toward the front entrance of the castle.
"Shit I think this was what Elise said not to let him do," Natsu said as he grit his teeth. "But even still, this isn't enough to stop me from taking him down!"
"POWERS OF DARKNESS, GRANT ME THE STRENGTH TO EXCEED MY LIMITS AND CRUSH ALL IN YOUR NAME," Hogg's voice boomed as the pillar began to slowly be absorbed into the Dark Mage.
The pillar of darkness slowly vanished and in its place was Hogg. His appearance had changed drastically. He was covered in a purple and black mist that was focused towards his chest. His eyes were pure black and his body and expanded giving him increased muscle mass.
"Behold boy, this is what it is to exceed one's absolute limit," Hogg cackled as he faced Natsu, hoping to find a look of despair upon the boy's face.
"Listen pal I came here to do a job, so don't expect me to run just because you gave yourself a little boost," Natsu replied defiantly as Hogg's face turned into a scowl.
"You …"
Hogg clenched his fists as magical power exploded from his form, the pressure from the Dark Magic Pillar from earlier back in full force. This time however, Natsu stood his ground, not being moved so much as in inch as fire exploded outward from his form to engulf his half of the entrance.
"Guess you are the real deal, a proper Dark Wizard," Natsu shouted over the roar of their magics. "But even so … I've faced worse!"
Both mages charged toward one another, a scowl on the face of the Dark Guild Master as they both cocked back their fists in preparation to strike.
The fight to defeat Valthiems Razor had truly begun….
(Edited 19/08/18)
(Edited 30/12/20)
(Edited 10/06/22)