Even though the battles calmed down in the town of Exahelm, the damage was still done. Buildings damaged or full on destroyed, festival decorations in taters, blast marks of magic seen from every corner and many injured soldiers. After hearing the order from Hahlos to cease fire from the civilians, the soldiers that weren't knocked out made an effort to escort as many as possible to a safer location. Injured soldiers were carried away to safe locations as well.
"S-s-search ev-every corner!" A soldier with a red feather on their helmet ordered while shivering. He had just recovered from being frozen by the castle entrance. "M-make sure th-those land-w-w-walkers are f-found too!"
Despite the damage all around town, every civilian that was located had little to no injuries. One soldier took notice of this while observing several of them being escorted away to a refugee spot.
"It's a miracle that there haven't been any serious casualties so far…minus the Tenhei…" He commented. He proceeded to look down and notice that the clouds he stood on remained undamaged as he lightly stomped on it. "...Even though our crisis with Izanagi is over…we ran into an even worse one." He sighed. "What's going to happen to this country?"
"What are you so worried about?" A female angel approached with a smirk. She proceeded to point her spear towards the town entrance. "Don't forget who we still have on our side."
The male angel followed the direction of the spear and stared off in the distance. He let out a breath of relief and tipped his helmet. "Right…of course…"
"We still have Hahlos on our side."
Hahlos covered his mouth with an arm as he coughed several times. The blow he received earlier not only destroyed his teal armor, but it cut right through it and damaged his body in the process. He remained standing as he stared at his now three opponents standing several feet in front of him. He slowly glances down at his palm.
"The magic the humans use continues to grow stronger and stronger…I failed to put that into account…" Hahlos regretted while clenching his fist. "If only I was more careful…if only I had made a more thought out plan…" He grinded his teeth tightly. "Then this attack would never have happened…"
As Hahlos lifted his head back up, his eyes met with Carla's once more. He noticed the three didn't make any movements but remained on guard. "Have I actually changed?" The angel asked himself as he gripped the remaining parts of armor and proceeded to tear it off of his body. "Have I even moved on from what happened all those years ago?!" He started to speak to himself louder, which was overheard by the three in front of him.
Carla squinted her eyes as she witnessed Hahlos remove his armor, revealing chainmail underneath it. She took a deep breath, about to channel in her precognition powers once more.
Hahlos growled as his hair shadow covered both his eyes. "That doesn't matter right now…! It doesn't matter that that girl looks exactly like Carine…!" The angel began to glow in a yellow aura. "What matters now is that they're dangerous!"
Carla widened her eyes and her throat dried up. Before she could blink, Hahlos was already standing inches in front of her. The angel towered over her as his face was completely covered by the sun's shadow, only his glowing purple eyes were seen.
"Carla!" Chelia exclaimed, reaching out to her friend. Hahlos swiped his arm directly at Chelia, causing her to yelp in pain. He sent the sky god slayer girl crashing and sliding several feet away, creating a mark on the clouds.
"CHELIA!" Carla shrieked, focusing on her friend for a mere moment before looking back at Hahlos. Her eyes shrunk in fear as the angel aimed his palm at her and summoned a black magic circle.
"I can't hold back…" Hahlos declared, purple eyes glaring in anger.
"H-huh…?!" Carla shuddered.
"For the sake of world peace!" Hahlos vowed, the magic circle glowing brightly. "Black Gale!"
Carla shutted her eyes tight, before she was suddenly pulled away. The magic circle erupted in furious black winds point blank. But the attack was split apart as Erza Scarlet was blocking the attack with a large broadsword.
Erza grunted from holding the attack back as she began to slide back slightly. Carla had her eyes widened while being covered by the swordswoman. Erza lets out a battle cry and at the same time, Hahlos' eyes flash. She blows the attack away and quickly requips a second broadsword.
"Her movements…they're getting-!" Hahlos fretted. He quickly backed off right before Erza swung both her blades down vertically, creating a large gash on the cloudy surface.
Hahlos felt his eyes ache slightly as he covered one with his hand. The clouds began to repair themselves as the angel tried to regain his composure.
At the same time, Chelia was struggling to get back up. The combination of her using magic and getting attacked by Hahlos made it difficult to move at the moment.
Erza took a few steps forward, gripping both her swords tightly as she spread them out. "Carla, it's very clear that he's after you over your precognitions." She states before requiping into her Clear Heart Clothing and switching her broadswords to two katanas. "Lend me your power, we have the upper hand now." She requests.
Carla gave a deep breath as she got herself focused. "Of course!" She agrees before flying up to Erza and grabbing on to her back.
While the two were preparing to retaliate, Hahlos was still regaining his composure. But the angel didn't have much time to stand there as his eyes flashed blue. As soon as he shot his head back up, Carla flew straight at him while carrying Erza. Hahlos saw the swordswoman's eyes glow a fierce red and quickly sidestepped to avoid getting cut down.
"I can still see your next movements!" Hahlos provoked. However to his shock, Carla quickly swerved right around and rocketed towards the angel once again. Spreading his wings, the green haired angel flew up a mere millisecond before getting sliced up by Erza.
Hahlos gritted his teeth as his body began to surround itself with the yellow aura. "Grrth! Their movements are much more fluent and faster!" He fumed.
Carla's wings began to glow brightly before taking off in the air at a much higher speed. The two let out a battle cry as they continued the ruthless forward momentum at the angel. Hahlos was given no time to stop and assess the situation as he had to keep dodging every swing from Erza's katanas.
Hahlos swung his arm and pointed two fingers towards his opponents. "Air Bullet!" He summons a barrage of small faint wind based attacks at them.
Erza proceeds to slice through several of the attacks, but some manage to graze her arms and shoulders. Carla gasps in seeing the swordswoman injured and proceeds to fly at a higher altitude.
"Erza! Forgive me, I should've dodged those!" Worried Carla.
Erza wiped the small amounts of blood on her arm. "I'm fine, just some scratches." She assured before looking down at Hahlos.
Hahlos didn't give the two any much longer to rest as he swung his arm and unleashed a furious wind based attack. "Wind Turbine!"
Erza covered her body with her katanas, but the wind sent the two flying back. Hahlos saw the opening and rocketed towards the both of them. As Carla reoriented herself, Hahlos zipped right above Erza and slammed a downward kick directly at her. The two crashed back down on the clouds, creating an explosion of mist in the process.
The two coughed as they sat back up. Erza glanced behind her "Carla, are you alright?!" She asked. But she noticed the Exceed appearing slightly dizzy for a brief moment. However, the white haired girl abruptly widened her eyes and forced herself to fly back up.
Hahlos summoned a long wind rod and quickly tossed it right at the two. "Sky Javelin!" The attack landed and created a much larger misty explosion. Carla flew right out of the mist, barely avoiding the attack.
Erza and Hahlos glared at each other while Carla was running out of breath. Erza clenched her katanas tightly and got on guard. "His magic is getting much more aggressive than before…" She pointed out. "From the looks of it, he seems to be bearing some strong emotions currently. But what's causing it…?"
Carla foresees another vision and whispers to Erza. "He's going to cast those black winds again, I'm afraid I don't have much energy left…" She fretted.
"No worries." Erza swung both her blades apart from each other. "I have a plan, do you have enough energy and magic for one more maneuver?"
Hahlos felt his eyes ache as they began to get bloodshot. The damage he received earlier and overuse of his clairvoyance was taking a toll on him. "That girl…why can't I see her use clairvoyance?!" He thought. But the guardian would not waver as he began to quickly draw a magic circle. "I can see it however…she's at her limit…!"
"Let's go!" Erza called.
"Right!" Carla readied, her wings glowing brightly once more and rocketing towards Hahlos.
"Black Gale!" Hahlos unleashes several furious black wind blades flying at the two.
Carla proceeds to swerve around each blade, but still heading right towards Hahlos. Erza readied her blades, avoiding blocking the attack. Hahlos eyes flashed blue before grunting in pain and clenching his face for a mere moment. He shot daggers at the two.
"How many times do I need to remind you…" Hahlos scoffed, flying downward right before Erza could counter. "I can still see…YOUR MOVEMENTS!" He mocks, raising his palm to prepare another attack.
However, Hahlos eyes flash blue which causes him to lower his palm briefly as he grunts in pain again. Carla swerves upside down, and uses the momentum to throw Erza straight down where the angel was standing.
Hahlos eyes sank. "I can't…" He shuddered, the sun's shadow covering Erza's face except for her piercing eyes. "Avoid this!"
Erza swung both her katanas down vertically, slicing right through Hahlos' chainmail and carving an x-shaped mark on his chest. The angel growled loudly in pain, pupils dilated and grinding his teeth tightly. The force of the attack created two gash paths on the clouds behind him separate from each other.
Hahlos hacked loudly as he stumbled backwards. He remained standing as he clenched his chest tightly. Erza releases her katanas as they vanish in yellow dust while Carla lands back on the cloudy ground and collapses on her back, transforming back to her Exceed form.
"Hahlos, there's a common weakness for mages down below. They spend so much time harnessing their magic that they fail to train their own physical bodies." Erza criticized. "Most novice mages fail to take that weakness into account."
Hahlos doesn't respond as he begins to slowly fall over on his back.
"You over relied on your visions. Once you were struck by Chelia earlier, your magic couldn't keep up with your physical limits." Erza added. "You possess powerful magic, but you lack combat experience."
Hahlos stops himself from falling and forcefully pushes his body back up. His eyes return to normal as he scowls at the red haired wizard. He clenched both his fists tightly and took a shaky breath.
Erza widened her eyes and swung her arm at Carla. "Carla! Get back!"
"WIND TURBINE!" Hahlos shouted, unleashing an explosion of winds around him. The winds were as powerful as a strong hurricane as it blew Carla away and pushed Erza back several feet.
Chelia covered her face while screaming, the winds also pushing her back. Carla landed right next to the pink haired girl and coughed several times. Chelia proceeded to cover the Exceed's body with her right arm.
Erza covered her face with both arms, peeking out and noticing Hahlos glowing in the yellow aura once again. The angel spreads his wings out as they shine brightly before taking off in the air high above all of them, leaving a yellow trail behind him.
The sun shone brightly, covering the guardian in light. The angel raised both his arms and summoned a large blue magic circle. Large amounts of misty-like substance began pouring out from the top as it covered the sky.
"Are those…clouds?!" Erza gawked. "No…these look different than the usual ones…" She notices the color of the clouds being blue. "His emotions…they must be out of control…!"
As a chunk of the empty sky gets blinded, many angels in town begin to witness the blue clouds cover the area by the edge of town. Large shadows enveloped over buildings and even civilians as the sun's bright light gets casted away. However, this was a sign of hope for the people around town. As they knew full well who summoned these clouds.
Balrus was standing right outside the castle entrance staring up in the sky. His body still bore several burnt patches, but that didn't stop him from shakily saluting at what he was witnessing.
Argus was currently being carried by the two soldiers who discovered him after being knocked out. Each was holding the muscular angel up by one of his arms while being escorted to a safer location. Argus began to look up in the sky and observed the clouds forming above him. He didn't say a word but let out a chuckle with a smirk.
Torian couldn't move while he continued to lay on his back with his arms spread out. He was feeling groggy as he slowly began to wake up, his blurry vision barely noticing the blue clouds in the sky. The slender angel's eyes twitched as he whispered. "Is that…Hahlos?" He was too distracted to realize that the tower that was near him began to crack even more.
Many civilians at the park patched up an injured Arya as many of them appeared frustrated. Due to the fact that the two mages who defeated the female angel had escaped them. Arya however, didn't fully pay attention as she stood and stared off in the distance by the town entrance, she was holding a smoke pipe she created. "This feeling, I clearly remember it…Hahlos." She spoke to herself.
Stark was leaning against the cold hallway walls as he slowly tried to walk. He glanced outside the window and saw the events transpiring outside. He spat on the floor and looked down. "That damn fool, hurry up and prove to them why you're the guardian…"
Sync was still sound asleep laying by the wall. She began to murmur in her sleep as she felt a familiar presence. "Big bro…"
The soldiers and civilians who had yet to be escorted to a safe location witnessed the heavy amounts of magic power on display. They said nothing but placed their hands together and lowered their heads. Praying for their guardian to rid of these invaders.
"Th-these winds!" Carla struggled. "They're too strong! I can't move!" She and Chelia remained laid on the floor, unable to attempt to stand up.
"Both of you! Stay where you are!" Erza demanded, her back facing the two. She uncovered her face and focused on Hahlos. "I'll finish this."
Hahlos lowered his arms as he focused back on Erza. "You say I lack experience…?" He heaved. He clenched his fists tightly and scowled at the swordswoman. "My role is the guardian of this country!" The angel growled. "While you had just been born…I have been protecting this country for many years! LEARN YOUR PLACE, ERZA SCARLET!" Hahlos snapped, raising an arm. The clouds he summoned had completely covered the area, casting a large shadow.
Erza didn't flinch as she continued to stare at Hahlos with an intense expression, the furious winds blowing right past her. "Your role is irrelevant, if your drive for fighting is weak!" She argued.
Hahlos scoffed as the clouds above him began to warp into spirals, similar to that of a tornado. "I do have a drive! I fight for the future of Exahelm, do you claim that's not a strong enough drive?!" He retorted.
Erza lowers her arms to her lower left, matching a pose of gripping a blade from their sheath. "You say that you're fighting for the future…" She proceeds to summon the Demon Blade Benizakura, her magic power enhancing the sword as it glows in a red aura similar to that of flames. "Why are you so afraid…of the future?!" She challenged, drawing the blade and swinging it to the side. The force of the blade scatters the winds surrounding Titania.
Exahelm's guardian squints his eyes as Erza grips her blade with both hands. Hahlos threw his arm down as the spirals began to rain down past him. "Heaven's Prayer! Susanowo!" He shouts.
As the spirals landed right on the clouds, they formed into massive tornadoes. The harsh winds began shooting out several wind blade-like attacks as well. The hurricane only grew stronger, as it blew away any debris nearby. The clouds they stood on morphed with the blue clouds that touched them as the tornadoes formed into large cylinder ones.
Chelia and Carla covered their faces as the winds began to push them back even further. The pink haired girl was gripping the clouds tightly with her left hand while holding Carla with her right arm.
The air blades sliced through the ground which created many holes. Several aimed where Erza was standing as the impact caused the misty clouds to explode and cover the area. Hahlos remained focused as he eyed where the swordswoman was at. The angel's eyes flashed blue however, causing him to knit his brow in anger.
Erza emerged out of the mist, letting out a battle roar and clenching her blade tightly. She sliced through each wind blade that came near her.
"Give it up! Scarlet!" Hahlos chided, aiming a palm directly at her. "I can see it! Only utter failure in your attempts!" He unleashes another tornado as it swerves right past the angel.
Erza widened her eyes as the tornado engulfed the female wizard. The winds inside were unbearable as her skin began to get sliced all over, causing her to cry out in pain. The force of the attack sent her flying right back down.
As the swordswoman falls outside the tornado, she gets caught by someone as they grab her left arm. Erza opened her eyes and saw none other than Jellal looking back at her with a soft smile. The blue haired mage nodded at her, gripping her hand tightly as Erza nodded back with a smile.
"GO FOR IT, ERZA!" Jellal encourages, chucking his friend back up using his wind magic to boost her speed. Erza flies right back inside the tornado, gripping her Benizakura and aiming the blade ahead of her.
Hahlos gasps, seeing Erza emerge from the opposite side of the tornado and glaring right at him. His eyes twitch, glaring daggers back at the red haired woman. "No matter how many times you come back, it's pointless!" He swung his arm, his eyes focused. "I have the future…on my side!"
However, once the angel's eyes flashed blue. Hahlos pauses as he chokes on his breath.
~~~Flashback~~~
"There was a human that I spoke to while down there." Hahlos recalled. "She had dark red hair and an intense look in her eye…"
"That's Erza! Erza Scarlet!" Wendy chirped. "She's like a big sister to me, one of the strongest people I know!" She briefly looked away. "Although…she can be kind of scary at times…"
Hahlos held his chin in intrigue. "You seem to see a lot of your friends as older sibling figures." He commented. "You must have a deep connection to all of them."
Wendy giggled, rubbing the back of her head. "I guess you're right about that." The girl lowered her head and had a sad looking smile. "I owe so much to Erza…She's the reason I'm in Fairy Tail in the first place after all…"
Hahlos eyebrow perked up, noticing Wendy's sudden shift in emotion.
"A long time ago…my old home and family…had to leave to put it simply." Wendy says before placing her left arm over her right shoulder. "I knew they had to leave, but I was still sad…being left alone again. That was when Erza came up to me and comforted me…" The sky girl then looked back up at Hahlos with a bright smile. "She told me that I'll have people who'll bear that sadness and pain with me. I was invited to Fairy Tail shortly after, and I'll always be grateful to her for that."
Hahlos widened his eyes as he was caught off guard. As what he was told sounded very familiar to him. He slowly shut his eyes and paused, recalling his own memories to himself.
Wendy tilts her head and frowns. "Are you okay?" She wondered.
"S-sorry. I was just thinking of something…" Hahlos opens his eyes and gives a friendly smile.
~~~Flashback End~~~
Erza raises her blade high above her head and focuses directly at Hahlos. The angel paused, the sounds of the harsh winds not being heard by him as time felt like it slowed down.
"She sounds like a wonderful friend, Wendy."
Several feathers blew off Hahlos' wings. He hacks out blood as another large cut mark was shown on his chest, this time being a vertical straight line. His eyes became pupiless as he began to fall, his body upside down. The clouds he created vanished in an instant, the sun shining back down again.
Erza heaved heavily. Her vision began to get blurry as she too began to fall. The clouds below began to repair themselves during this.
Jellal gripped his stomach as he let out a breath of relief. Chelia and Carla both had wide smiles across their faces with their eyes watering up. The former covers her mouth with both hands while the latter quickly wipes her eyes and takes off in the air.
The Exceed catches Erza before she could hit the ground while Hahlos crashes down, landing on his back. Carla gently places Erza on the clouds. But instead of resting, the swordswoman stabbed her sword on the ground and forced herself to sit on her knees. She coughed out several amounts of blood as her body was aching all over.
"It's over…Hahlos."
