Patch Notes:
- Added and improved dialog
- Added more scenes for the meeting between the Scouts and the Fairies
- Added the meeting between the groups leaders
- Extended and improved the fight between Eren and Kinvinaris
As soon as Mikasa made the realization, she immediately got up from the table and was ready to sprint towards the door.
"Mikasa, wait." Armin called out. He was able to grab her arm before she could move too far.
"Armin, Eren is-" She tried to protest.
"I know. I'm worried too. But we can't just run off like that. We don't know where we are or the first thing about this place. We don't even know where to look. Let's come up with a plan first before we go searching for him." He responded, sternly but softly.
"Besides, Eren is tough and he has something with him. He's probably looking for us as we speak." Armin added. Mikasa looked at him for a moment. She reluctantly nodded, agreeing with his statements even if she didn't like them.
'Eren.' Mikasa thought softly.
"Is everything alright?" Mirajane asked, the barmaid concerned over what just happened.
The two stared at her, then at each other before looking back at the woman.
"Yeah, we're fine. Our friend is missing though and we have no idea where to look for him." Armin answered.
"Your friend?" The older girl asked.
"Yeah, there was another one with us. But for some reason, he's not with us even though we were transported at the same time." He answered. Now that he thought about it, why was Eren separated from them? The reason why all of them are at this bizarre location was confusing enough, but how did his best friend not appear with them at the same place? Even Annie was with them and she was nowhere near them due to being in a different regiment altogether, which just added another mess to the list of things that needed to be figured out.
The other soldiers were having various reactions to Eren's disappearance.
"No wonder that fight between Natsu and Gray seemed familiar." Sasha inquired.
"Yeah, because he and ashy over here won't stop shoving their opinions and beliefs down each other's throats." Ymir added, pointing at Jean next to her with her thumb.
"It's not my fault that suicidal blockhead can't accept other people's thoughts." Jean defended.
"You weren't really that open-minded yourself bud. Aren't you the one that called anyone who tried to join the Scouts "idiots who have a death wish", or was it "dumbasses that can't hope to change anything because they are fighting a losing battle"? Connie pondered. Jean brought his hand to his face as he sighed. Reiner, Bertolt, and Annie looked at the group before turning to each other.
"What are we going to do?" Bertolt asked.
"We proceed with the plan. We might not be able to get to Eren, but we'll just have to bid our time until we can." Reiner ordered.
"Yeah, and what about them?" Annie pointed, gesturing to the guild. "What if they start getting suspicious?"
"Then we'll have to blend in, and not give them a reason to be suspicious." Reiner urged. Bertolt and Annie glanced at each other. They turned back to Reiner, giving him looks that told him they understood. The trio were whispering, keeping their voices low and staying a distance so no one could eavesdrop on them… not like last time. The guild making a lot of noise helped camouflage their voices, so they were sure they were in the clear.
Unknown to them, a few people did hear their conversation. Gajeel looked at them strangely, questioning what they were talking about. He gazed over to Wendy and Natsu. The girl looked a bit puzzled on what the soldiers were talking about, but looked to be trying to brush it off. Something that Carla took note of. Natsu was talking with Happy and chowing down on some food, but it was unsure if he even heard it or he just didn't pay the conversation any mind.
Gajeel didn't know what the soldiers could be talking about, but he was going to keep his eye on them. Lily followed his gaze and although he wasn't sure what his partner was thinking, he might have a good idea on what it is.
As for the Levi Squad, they are also worried, but not for the reasons you might think.
"Damn it. Of course that kid had to be separated from us. Did he not know how important it was to stay close to us?!" Oruo exclaimed.
"I don't think he's the type to really wander off. And that light blinded us completely, so it's not that unreasonable that he would stray off with no way to see." Petra tried to defend him, although she was anxious over Eren and what he's doing right now."
"Still that doesn't make it any better. We are responsible for him and what he does, and that fact that he is somewhere out there in this place could only spell disaster." Eld added.
"At this point, we can only wait and hope the kid doesn't get himself into trouble. Besides, we can't explore this place without orders from the Captain or the Commander, so we have no choice but to stay here." Gunther hoped. The Levi Squad looked unsure, but knew their teammate was right.
"I'm sorry about your friend. We can help you search for him if you wish. Our friend Cana can use her Card Magic to help track him." Mirajane offered, with the aforementioned brunette replying "Yeah, yeah" in response. However, something Mira just said was caught by the two.
"Wait. Magic?" Armin thought. Mikasa was also having similar thoughts.
The rest of the soldiers also heard it and were thinking the same thing.
"Thank you. We really appreciate it." The blond boy said in gratitude. Mira smiled back at him with her eyes closed that made her appearance more stunning than before. Other than the pretty girl in front of him, Armin knew that these people's help would be useful since they know the area better and might have a method to search for Eren. He just didn't expect it to be magic of all things. It sounded crazy, but then again there are talking cats and people with weird hair colors, so it might not be all that improbable.
"We will discuss the matter of your arrival." Makarov spoke, getting everyone's attention. "In the meantime, make yourselves at home. And don't worry about your friend, I'm sure that my guild would be more than happy to help you find him." He finished, a majority of them nodding their heads in agreement while others just made reluctant grunts.
Even though they were getting assistance, Mikasa couldn't stop worrying about Eren. It's been a part of her nature ever since his family adopted her after "that". She's always been worried about his safety, much to his displeasure with the constant notions of "Stop treating me like a kid!" and "I can handle this myself, Mikasa!". She knew that his will was indomitable, but that didn't make her any less worried. However, Armin had a point and Mikasa hoped that he was alright wherever he was.
With that out of the way, Jean decided to ask a question that's been on his mind ever since they got here.
"Hey Gray." The aforementioned Ice-Make Mage turned to the ashy-brown-haired soldier.
"Yeah, what is it?"
"I was curious, why did Mira say magic when she said that that can help find our lost member?" Gray just looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"What, so you don't know magic?"
"Clearly not, otherwise we wouldn't be asking." Jean replied swiftly. Gray grunted from the smart-aleck comment
"Well, yes magic does exist here. For example, I'm an Ice Wizard, but my specialty is Ice-Make Magic. It's a variation of a magic called Molding Magic. Molding Magic allows you to create pretty much anything you want with whatever material or element you're utilizing, in my case ice." After finishing his explanation, he held out his hands together, a fist over a palm. He was gonna try to make the Fairy Tail symbol, but he decided to do something differently.
When he was finished, he lifted his hand to showcase a perfect ice replica of the Wings of Freedom, the Survey Corps insignia. Needless to say, the soldiers were awestruck.
"Amazing." Krista gasped. Gray smirked in amusement at their reactions.
"Real Magic?" Connie exclaimed.
"There's more where that came from." Erza said, walking up to the guild. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply as her body glowed. The soldiers turned away a little to ease their eyesight as the redhead shouted.
"Requip: Black Wing Armor!" The light died down and the soldiers were stunned by Erza's new look. She was wearing black-colored armor with a silver trimming. It covered a majority of her body, with the armor itself having silver crosses on the large shoulder pads, plates covering the back over her lower body in a dress-like state, a large pair of wings on her back, a neck guard with several gems, and her hair tied up in a ponytail with big bangs on the side of her face. The armor was somewhat revealing as it exposed her midriff and the top section of her cleavage, and she was wearing a black indument that could be seen from the front.
The Scouts were gobsmacked at how Erza managed to change her appearance so quickly, while some of the males were blushing heavily from how exposed she looked.
"Now check this out!" Lucy added. The Scouts turned to her as she pulled out a fancy-looking golden key with a were mark at the end.
"Open, Gate of the Lion: Leo!" Another bright flash appeared, this time revealing a well-dressed man with glasses, a black suit with a red tie, and a white collared shirt underneath. The most intriguing part of him was his spiky light-brown colored hair with ears among them.
"Need anything Lucy?" The man said in a flirty tone. Lucy huffed real quick, then composed herself. She gestured to the Scouts.
"We have some visitors, Loke. They are new to magic and we're just showing off some of them so they can get a look." Lucy explained. Loke nodded his head, then faced the soldiers.
"Well, I'm Leo of the Zodiac. But you can call me Loke if you want." He then went up to Krista and took her hand, bringing it up to his mouth.
"And I'm also available." Loke added, kissing Krista's hand. This caused her to blush and Ymir to become agitated.
"Hands off playboy!" She yelled, shoving his face back with her hand.
"Ah a feisty one. I like it." Loke cheered, getting Ymir to only scowl at him more.
"Okay, you're going back!" Lucy said, Loke disappearing soon after.
"What was that?" Bertolt asked.
"That was my Requip Magic, and Lucy's Celestial Spirit Magic. They are both Spatial Magic with different properties. My magic for example has a pocket dimension that I can use to store anything I want and call upon it at a moment's notice, including my weapons and armor." Erza elaborated. She waved her hand to Lucy.
"Lucy here is a Celestial Spirit Wizard. She can use special keys called "Celestial Spirit Keys" to call upon any celestial spirit she has, including those of the zodiac." Lucy nodded happily as she held up Loke's key so the soldiers could get a better look.
"You mean to tell me you two can control space itself?!" Connie gasped.
"Well, to some extent, but nothing too crazy." Lucy said nervously, sweatdropping a little.
"It's my turn now!" Natsu shouted. He lifted his head upwards and shot fire right out of his mouth, shocking the soldiers, even the more stoic ones.
"You can breathe fire!" Jean yelled. Natsu grinned cheekily while laughing.
"Yep, I am a Dragon Slayer, a Fire Dragon Slayer!" Natsu boasted proudly.
"A Dragon Slayer?" Reiner pointed out.
"He's not the only one." Everyone turned to see Gajeel walking up with Wendy.
"We're also Dragon Slayers like Natsu!" Wendy turned over to the black-haired mage. "Gajeel is an Iron Dragon Slayer, and I'm a Sky Dragon Slayer!" Wendy said, blowing a large gust of wind out of her mouth like the pinkette. Gajeel grunted and decided to show them something different. He held out his arm and it changed into an iron club, mesmerizing the Scouts. Gajeel enjoyed the surprised look on their faces.
"Dragon Slayers? So, you can use magic that can slay an actual dragon?" Armin breathed. The trio nodded their heads as they smiled, with the boys flashing toothy grins.
"It's a form of Lost Magic that only a few people know." Wendy explained, though this just left the visitors more confused.
"Ice-Make? Requip? Celestial Spirits? Dragon Slayer Magic?" Jean said exasperated. He held his hand to his head. "How many are there?"
"There exists tons of Magic out there Jean." Mirajane said, walking up to join the group. "Many types of Magic can exist in many different forms and variations. There are some that are even waiting to be discovered, and new ones looking to be made." The woman explained. She then thought of something.
"If you want, we can probably teach you how to use Magic." She suggested. The soldiers looked stunned at her request.
"Us? Learn real magic?" Gunther exclaimed.
.
"I don't see why not." Everyone turned to see Master Makarov coming down the stairs, along with the more experienced veterans of the Survey Corps. They looked intrigued on the showcase of Magic, some at more specific types than others, while Hange just drooled with excitement and disbelief.
"Magic is a fascinating thing and it can help you adjust to this world more easily. It comes in a variety of forms, so I know that you can find the one that suits you the best. I'm not sure if you might be able to learn it since you're not from here, but it won't hurt anyone to try." He stated.
"And we'll be happy to teach you our own if you're willing." Erza stated with a calm smile.
The Survey Corps (and Annie) looked at one another before looking back at the Fairy Tail mages.
"We'll take you up on your offer." Erwin said. Makarov looked pleased as he went up and started explaining the concept of Magic to the Scouts. The soldiers were fascinated by what they were hearing, Hange scribbling down notes like crazy to keep track of everything. The rest of the guild started showing off their branches of Magic, leaving the soldier awestruck at what they were experiencing. They were each told by the mages their specific types of magic, as well as given a brief description on the two forms of magic and a list containing all known magic variants and their respective categories, along with a quick summary of a particular magic and what it can do.
"So, have you decided yet?" Gray asked. The soldiers took a moment before they spoke up.
"I would like to master Ice-Make Magic." said Mikasa. Gray was surprised that the first response was about his magic, but gave a small smirk at the girl's interest. This didn't sit well with Juvia however.
"I'm more curious to learn about Solid-Script Magic." Armin told them. Levy beamed at the thought of someone wanting to learn her signature power.
"I still can't believe this is real, but why the hell not. I'm going with Animal Take-Over." Jean declared. Now it was Lisanna's turn to be excited.
"I think High Speed would be my strong suit." Connie said. Jet gave a small grin at his answer.
"I think I want to learn Sound Magic." Sasha told them. That might be tricky for her since no one knows about that kind of magic, but they do have resources to help her learn on her own.
"I want to learn Healing Magic and Light Magic." Krista spoke. Wendy and Lucy looked at each other and nodded, knowing that they can be good teachers for Krista on how to learn those types, although Lucy will need to wrangle in one of her spirits if he gets too "flirty" with the young girl.
"I want to try out this Wave thing." Ymir mentioned half-heartedly, not really caring that much.
"Steel Magic is my choice." Reiner announced. Gajeel gave a wicked grin at the answer along with his signature laugh.
"I- I want to learn Gravity Magic!" Bertolt said, a little too hastily.
"Well since everyone is doing it, I'm gonna pick Transformation Magic." Annie declared boredly. Mirajane gave her a smile, but Annie just stared blankly at her, causing her to sweatdrop a little bit.
"Only the strongest can have the suitable magic. I chose Dark Ericture!" Oulo announced. Freed gave a raised eyebrow at the older man. He'd be glad to teach someone else his magic, but he wasn't sure about the veterans' overconfidence.
"Did you really have to say it like that? Anyways, I wouldn't mind learning Wind Magic." Petra said, speaking the first part exasperatedly at her comrade's ego. Wendy was shocked that she might have to teach two people magic instead of one.
"I believe Sword Magic would be my best bet." Eld spoke, nodding his head at Erza who returned it with a smile.
"I want to be taught Sand Magic." Gunther stated. Now it was Max's turn to grin, glad that someone wanted to learn his style of magic.
"I'm curious about this Pict Magic." Moblit said meekly. Reedus gave him a nod, willing to teach him.
"I would like to learn about Smoke Magic." Erwin stated, causing Wakaba to grin. It may not be the most lethal or power-heavy type of magic, but the strategic value it could provide was too much for the commander to just pass by.
"I think I'll do fine with Gun Magic." Hange said. Alzack and Bisca glanced at each other somewhat nervously due to what they saw from the woman's attitude. Hange didn't engage in combat that often, but being able to use many firearms to shoot at her foes from a distance was right up her alley. The scientist wondered if she could create a firearm version of their main equipment.
"Requip." Levi stated, getting straight to the point. Erza gave him a curt nod, knowing the man wasn't the talkative type. Levi saw the usage of it when he came downstairs and Erza's explanation interested him. The ability to store anything in a pocket dimension and being able to summon it instantly intrigued Humanity's Strongest Soldier. As the most capable combatant the Scouts had to offer, he felt he needed to be ready for anything, so the many weapons, armors, and items he could store in his pocket dimension became his calling.
"Alright then. Now that everyone has picked their magic, why don't we start now. For those who chose a type that one of us already wields, we can take you somewhere to begin your training and you will be able to see more Magnolia this way. Those that picked a Magic none of us have, don't worry we'll get to you soon. Any questions?" Erza asked
Everyone shook their heads and soon, the soldiers headed out with their respective teachers to begin learning the ways of magic, while some stayed behind to figure what to do for the ones who want to learn a type that is unfamiliar to them.
While Mikasa went with Gray, she still was wondering what happened to her other childhood friend. Armin said he'd be alright, but she can't shake off the feeling that something's wrong.
"Eren, I hope you're okay."
The young soldier stared at the towering behemoth before him. The entity known as Kinvinaris was looking down upon him as if he was a mere insect, a tiny little creature that can pose no genuine threat to him and that can easily be killed by a single step. Eren gripped his handles more tightly.
He was in for a rude awakening.
Without much warning, the demon uncrossed his arms and two small bursts of blue flames appeared from the palm of his hands. Eren was mesmerized for a moment at the unexpected color of the heating plasma, but he had no time to admire it as Kinvinaris immediately shot his hands forward and the flames turned into large streams that were coming straight at him.
The new recruit had barely enough time to react, the fiery assault happening and acting much faster than he anticipated. He pulled the above triggers on both handles and two hooks appeared from the compartments located at the side of his hips. Once they connected with the wall, Eren pulled the below triggers to reel himself in, gas expelling from the main operating system of the device he was wielding.
The towering demon was curious about the equipment that the human was wearing, but thought nothing of it. There was no way any man-made machinery could kill, let alone defeat a demon, especially one of his level. Kinvinaris unsheathed his claws and with one swipe, azure demonic flames came out of them, slashing the wall from a distance. Eren was able to shoot his hooks upwards to avoid the attacks, but it was still too close of a call.
Eren knew that taking this thing down was gonna be a lot harder than taking down mankind's natural enemy, especially since he hasn't gotten proper experience in dealing with them with his gear and the last time he did, he was blindsighted, twice. He wasn't going to let that happen again, much more so since he's facing a literal demon.
The soldier shot one of his hooks at the left arm of the beast, the metal piercing through the skin effortlessly. Although there's a good chance it won't be fatal, he has to try slicing the nape off. Even if it's not the demon's weakness, cutting out a large portion of the back of the neck could be all he needs. Kinvinaris however wasn't impressed.
With a simple wave of his arm, he tilted the trajectory of the cable so much that Eren was thrown of course. Now that his adversary was off-balanced, Kinvinaris turned around and managed to smack Eren with the length of his tail, sending him flying against a wall. The soldier hit the rock surface with a hard thud, pain flooding him. He soon saw a ball of fire heading towards his location and his reaction speed kicked in, pulling the triggers and reeling himself into safety. The fireball made contact and a crater was formed, making Eren all the more glad he didn't get hit by it.
Knowing that trying to hit him while he can see where he was going wasn't going to work, Eren opted for a different approach instead. Using the momentum his gear provided, Eren ducked and weaved as much as could around the gigantic demon, doing his best to use the smoke emitted from his gear to block his vision. Kinvinaris swiped away the gas effortlessly, but that bought Eren enough time to go for his legs. With one swipe, a good chunk of flesh was carved out from the back of the devil's Achilles Heel. He grunted as he stumbled and took a knee, the injury doing more than causing him pain.
"You'll pay for that!" Kinvinaris roared.
The demon snarled as he drew in a large amount of air, even Eren feeling the pressure of the vacuum. Once he was done, Kinvinaris let out a huge beam of blue fire straight at the soldier. Eren started sprinting and once he made enough distance, jumped up and activated his gear once again, resulting in another close call.
Eren knew that he wasn't going to get anywhere by just dodging. If he was gonna win, he had to deal some blows, and some heavy ones at that. With that thought in mind, Eren activated his gear once again and flew as far as he could upwards without crashing into the ceiling so that he could get a good view of the area and plan his next move.
The young soldier scoped out the vicinity, trying to find a good angle for attack. It was difficult however, as being in a closed area didn't give him enough room to work with, which proved a hindrance to the main usage of his gear: mobility. It wasn't long before he spotted something and soon a plan formed in his mind.
He charged directly at Kinvinaris, swords at his sides ready to make a devastating slash. The demon however only grunted unamused.
"So easy."
Kinvinaris's hand bursted with flames once again, but this time he put them together and Eren could swear he was saying something, but he couldn't hear it for some reason. That didn't matter though. What he could see was that the devil-like entity was compressing and mixing the two separate flames into one orb of fire that was pulsating with power, ready to go off like a giant hand grenade. Eren knew that he couldn't afford to take any hits from this thing, but this was definitely something he did not want to be in the crossfire of.
Once he was done, Kinvinaris looked at the tiny being in front of him and growled, bare fangs and all. He launched the orb at the soldier, who didn't move out of the way immediately.
"Not yet, not yet." Eren said to himself. He needed to time this perfectly if he was going to get out of this alive, otherwise he might not get another chance.
When the massive blue fireball was just about to reach him, Eren shot both his hooks to the sides of the walls and lowered himself down forcefully. He brought himself up and detached the hooks, slingshotting his body into the air and out of harm's way. The fireball made contact with the ground and an explosion followed soon after, shaking the cavern walls.
Kinvinaris was shocked that the human was able to dodge his attack so fast. What he didn't realize however, was that his evasiveness wasn't the only thing Eren was speedy with. When the colossal demon was distracted, Eren flew through the air as quickly as he could, making his way over to where the fire demon was without him noticing. Once there, Eren shot his hook over to the other side of the wall. With a pull of the trigger and blades at the ready, Eren made a slash as strong as he could, damaging both Kinvinaris's back legs along with his tail, causing the demonic being to howl with pain.
'I may not be the strongest of my class, but I didn't work my ass off to be weak in the end!' He thought. He was thankful for the grueling training that allowed him to master the gear, even if he had trouble at the beginning.
With that part out of the way, Eren moved on to his next target. Using his gear and the momentum it provided, he angled himself so that he was under the arms of the demon. When he was in position, Eren shot upwards and cut under the armpits as quickly and as deep as he could. Kinvinaris screamed again, this time both in agony and anger as he tried to find the person responsible for all his injuries, but he still hasn't detected him. He noticed that his right arm was starting to go limp and growled, now knowing what the purpose of his recent wounds served. But if that was the case.
Eren immediately turned his attention to the other arm. He tried to get there as quickly as he could, but the fire demon was waiting for him. Kinvinaris cloaked his sliced, but not severed tail in his blue flames and before Eren knew it, he was on the receiving end of brutal slash as payback from the sharp tip of the appendage, the pain being worse by the fleshy blade being a lit, adding a suffocating searing sensation with his cut.
"Let's see how you like it." Kinvinaris mocked.
Eren growled at the taunt as he was sent crashing to the ground, the force causing him to bounce off a couple times before he finally stopped. The new recruit got up with his hand over his chest. The slash tore through his uniform and formed a mark that looked like a river of blood that was overfilled, accompanied by the burnt marks surrounding it.
'Hopefully this can heal, but in the meantime.' Eren looked up at the giant that was looking down on him. The soldier bared his teeth in frustration. 'Not this again' He said to himself quietly.
'I didn't train myself to the bone, ranked 5 in the Top Ten and finally got a step closer to my dream of being free, all for that to be taken away from this bastard!' Eren thought to himself. He glared at the demon, making sure to look him directly in the eye. Kinvinaris took notice of this.
'Intriguing. This is the first time a human has looked at me with such resolve and anger behind their eyes." He noted. "I've been asleep for too long, at the very least I hope he can entertain me before I scorch him alive.'
Using a good amount of his strength, Eren got up and began charging at the demonic enemy once again.
'What will you do now?' Kinvinaris thought. The human has proven himself not to be stupid, if a little hot-headed. The demon knows that a full charge from the front wouldn't be advantageous to his adversary.
'Well then, let's see how long you can survive.' Kinvinaris crossed his arms, his long claws covered in his demonic fire. He raised them up and with one swift swipe, brought them down. From the claws came thin, crescent-like fire projectiles and there were a lot of them. Eren widened his eyes in shock at the barrage.
Quickly, he activated his gear and shot a hook at a nearby wall. He reeled himself in, doing everything he can to maneuver around the sharp flames. He thought about trying to cut through one when it got too close to him, but Eren figured he shouldn't risk it. His blades could be burned to crisp as soon as they made contact for all he knows.
Once he was through the horde, Eren made his way over to Kinvinaris, making sure to do much more damage than last time. However, the demon had something waiting for him. As soon as Eren got through the attack, Kinvinaris immediately prepared his next one. He held both of his hands out in a mouth-like shape and from the middle came another beam of azure flames. But they were different this time.
Instead of moving straight, the flames moved in a circular, waving pattern. The movement of the attack was reminiscent of that of a snake.
Eren gasped when the next move was made against him. This new one behaved differently compared to the others shown before, it was almost like the flames had a mind of their own. With the way it moved, Eren knew that he needed to use his acrobatics and reflexes properly to get past this one.
He slowed his speed, conserving his gas until the time was right to use it again. He swung gently while the serpent-like fire was coming at him like a predator. Eren waited patiently, not moving until the attack was closeby.
Right when the flames were about to reach their target, Eren dived down just as the fire was about to collide into him upwards. When that was done, he fired his hook up and reeled him in, avoiding another section of the snake-like flames.
Eren continued to move in a zig-zag pattern, always going the opposite direction the flames were going to avoid hitting them. It wasn't long until he evaded the attack completely and used his gear and momentum to reach Kinvinaris. Eren knew he consumed a lot of gas doing that maneuver and he could tell his tanks were starting to reach the critical point. He needed to end this quickly.
'So you managed to get past that, huh?' Kinvinaris said in his mind. The human is proving to be quite interesting in his eyes, although he hasn't done anything spectacular to really impress him. Still, he to give him credit for lasting this long.
'That machine of his. It's quite fascinating even with its simplicity. It can allow the user to glide using a combination of the hook and a gas storage system that are equipped to the gear itself. It's like it was made to deal with large enemies that humans can't battle normally, so that equipment is used to give them an aerial and speed advantage to compensate for their lackluster size.' He analyzed.
The fire demon glowered in his eyes. 'Let's see how well you can use that thing.' With that thought in mind, Kinvinaris began creating another fiery attack to unleash on his foe. Eren saw this and quickly made it to where the demon was. But he was too late.
Kinvinaris shot his arms forward and from the hands came a flaming spear that was as big as its user themselves. Eren looked on in horror at the bladed arrow on the top of the fiery weapon that was coming straight at him.
He barely managed to shift his body over to the side as the attack slipped past him, but he could still feel the immense pressure and heat that came off from it during that split second. The spear pierced into the ceiling, causing many rocks and stones to fall. Luckily, they were too far from Eren's location to be a danger, but the rocks weren't the ones he had to worry about.
Eren faced forward only to have a foot slam into him, causing him to go flying, right into the stones that just fell.
Kinvinaris watched as his foot made contact when he kicked him while the soldier was distracted and was heading towards the stone pile, ready for him to crash into it. But it didn't happen.
Before Eren could take a lethal crash into the stones, he pressed the triggers on his sword handles. The metal stabbed into the sides of the demon's foot while he was unaware. He was able to stop himself just right as he was about to touch the hard pile. He also made sure to stab the swords themselves into the ground to further slow his momentum.
Eren launched himself at fast speeds. He went under the demon's legs, swinging his swords to the side quickly, resulting in three chunks of flesh being carved out. Kinvinaris grunted from having his legs being butchered like that, but the soldier wasn't done with him.
Eren went to the front and fired his left hook to the demons' right shoulder and pulled the triggers to zoom across. He stabbed into Kinvinaris's chest, resulting in a deep cut that trailed from the bottom right to the top left from a frontal view. Eren pressed the switch located on the back of his operating devices, detaching the blades and leaving them in the shoulder.
After that, Eren detached and then reattached the grappling hook at a wall over the shoulder he just carved into. He swung himself sideways to the right, then pulled the trigger to expel a short burst of gas to push himself towards the demon's face. He released his hook and with one quick turn, slashed Kinvinaris' face with his swords, leaving a nasty mark that would likely result in scars afterwards. The demon snarled as Eren landed and rolled on the ground to break his fall.
"That is IT! ENOUGH PLAYING AROUND!" Kinvinaris was going easy as he wanted to see how long Eren could do against him, but now the human has seriously pissed him off. He stomped the ground harshly, releasing a small rumble along with a tiny shockwave that pushed Eren back a bit, causing him to cross his arms to try to keep steady.
From the point of contact, a huge wave of fire began to erupt from where Kinvinaris was standing. Eren could only watch as the flames burst open from the ground and seemed to be getting a bit taller for every second that went by. He watched as the area around him started to crack, and within those cracks a faint blue glow could be seen. Eren didn't have enough time to react as the flame broke through and launched him into the air.
The soldier looked down below as the supernatural fire consumed the entire surface. It was like watching hell on earth. He looked up, only to see a large leg coming at him from the right. It kicked and sent him crashing into the wall. Eren saw something else, this time coming from the left. He cried out as Kinvinaris's tail swiped him, with the bladed end doing more damage.
Eren was sent the opposite direction until he was right in the middle of the room, where he was in perfect position for the next attack. Bringing his fist back and lighting it on fire, Kinvinaris punched Eren in full force, the poor boy being defenseless to do anything. The demon watched as his target crashed into the ground, looking in critical condition as he tried to get up albeit struggling.
"This was fun, but it's time I put you out of your misery." Kinvinaris declared. He drew in a large breath. Eren knew what was coming next, but he couldn't do anything to try to get out of the way. 'Damn it, it can't end like this.' Eren thought to himself. He still had so much to do, he can't go out dying this way!
"My gear is fried, my body is aching. I won't be able to move in time." Eren closed his eyes as he took a deep breath and opened them back up. "Guess I have no choice."
Kinvinaris unleashed a torrent of azure fire at his helpless foe. The flames consumed him and soon, a large explosion happened soon after.
"Goodbye, human." He said to himself.
Once the dust started to dim down, Kinvinaris saw something in the distance. It appeared to be a silhouette of some kind. The shadow started to move out more in the open, with the demon being able to make out more of the details. The smoke finally cleared up and the fire beast couldn't believe his eyes.
There was Eren, except he just looked like he barely escaped out of a giant furnace. His skin and clothes were completely burnt, only his trousers and large portion of his shirt was the only thing that remained. As for his gear, it was smoldering. The metal looked fried and some sections were actually melting like ice. The rest of Eren's swords turned to mush, with the clip-on parts burned off. The wires connecting his sword handles to his gear were also severed off.
The soldier was breathing heavily. The hit took a lot out of him. He was barely moving and his equipment was rendered useless by the demonic flames. If he was a normal person, he would be a goner right now, just a few minutes away from death. But as Eren discovered recently.
He doesn't know who he is.
The recruit looked up bravely and defiantly at his foe, showing he wasn't throwing in the towel despite the massive disadvantage he was facing. He bared his teeth and started to bring his hand up. The demon was curious as to what the little being could do. With one last look, Eren opened his mouth and bit into his hand hard, making sure to draw blood.
That one act caused a chain reaction. He sparked with lightning covering him, and soon a large sphere of light emerged from where he was standing and began covering the area. Kinvinaris covered his eyes with his arms as the light filled the room. It wasn't long until the sphere died down and now another fog of smoke was shrouding the cave.
"What is this?" Kinvinaris wondered.
From the smoke, the demon could hear a loud breathing sound. It was then that a giant fist came out of the fog and smashed right into Kinvinaris's face, sending the demon falling on his back. Kinvinaris looked up and what he saw shook him.
Where Eren once stood, there was a giant humanoid, near the same size as himself. The creature took on an appearance similar to a naked human, but without any of the reproductive organs. It was well-built, with noticeable muscles in the arms and legs, and a toned stomach. The most jarring feature however was the face.
The creature had long hair that reached the shoulders, but that was the least weird thing about it. It had no lips and he seemed to have a double jaw, with two extra sets of teeth located on where the cheeks should be located, the bottom lines of teeth lining up perfectly with the top row of the normal pair. There was also an elongated nose and pointy ears on it. The eyes however were green and had the embodiment of rage behind them. All in all, the being looked like a demon much like himself and a predator as well. Unfortunately, that predator was ready to tear into him.
The beast gave off a piercing shriek and he charged at the entity. He pulled his arm back and gave off another punch. Kinvinaris growled and dodged the blow, retaliating with a hard kick to the chest.
The monster grunted from the blow and skidded back, but he gave off another glare as he stood back up, regained his balance, and stopped moving. He ran again at Kinvinaris, giving off another roar. The fire demon snarled and also ran at him.
A brawl broke out between the two monsters. Each threw as many punches and kicks as they could, with Kinvinaris having the addition of tail strikes on his side. Still, neither were getting an advantage over the other. Despite being full of anger, the creature that the human transformed into wasn't stupid, as they countered, parried, blocked, and dodged everyone of Kinvinaris's strikes professionally.
After a short moment of being in a stalemate, Kinvinaris managed to land a flaming punch at the pseudo demon's face. He was forced back, with a noticed smoke cloud being emitted from where they were hit.
The creature however didn't look too phased. He raised his head and stared at his enemy. To Kinvinaris' shock, the flesh wound he just dealt soon began to heal at a rapid pace until the beast's face looked good as new.
The fire demon didn't have time to be stupefied. The human-like monster let out a short howl and raised his right knee, hitting Kinvinaris straight in the jaw. That strike was followed up with a snap kick from the same leg, then finished off with a spinning back kick to the left, sending Kinvinaris into the cavern walls.
Kinvinaris got up from the hole his body made and checked his chin to make sure it wasn't broken. When he did, he gave off a small chuckle as he stood up.
"Now this is interesting. Okay you fake demon, let's see how you handle a true representative of the species."
He drew in another big, quick breath and unleashed a beam of fire from his mouth. The creature didn't falter, he turned his body over to the side and ran ahead, kicking Kinvinaris in the stomach. The demon was ready however.
Kinvinaris grabbed the leg and lifted his foe over his shoulder, smashing him into the ground. He performed the action again, going in the opposite direction. With his opponent helpless on the floor, the fire demon ripped off his left leg without any effort.
"Let's see how well you can do with one less li- AH!" Kinvinaris didn't get a chance to finish that sentence, as the creature Eren turned into immediately kicked him in the face while he was gloating. The demon took a step back, stumbling before he got his balance
With a little trouble, Eren got up, doing everything he could to keep standing while balancing on one leg. That didn't prove to be a problem, as his left leg started to slowly regenerate, building the organic infrastructure that made up his missing limb.
"His healing ability is that powerful? In that case."
Kinvinaris stood up and lit his claws on fire. He rushed over to where the creature was and started his assault, slashing in every direction. The beast's exposed body was lathered with claw marks, the wounds deep and gory.
The fire demon was about to strike him again, but "Eren" grabbed his arms. He looked Kinvinaris dead in the eye, the demon staring at him harshly as he tried to get his arms free. The beast gave him a mean headbutt, stunning the demonic entity before grabbing his arm and throwing him over his shoulder.
"Eren" lifted his foot up and stomped the ground, releasing a small shockwave. Kivinaris rolled over beforehand, missing the attack. He counted with a sweeping kick, tripped over the beast and caused him to land on his back.
The demon lifted his own foot up to repay the favor, but the monster locked his legs over Kinvaris's and turned to the side, making him fall over. "Eren" kicked him over and got up on his feet. He stood over the demons and raised his fists.
The beast began punching the demon repeatedly, never stopping and making sure to hit as hard and as fast as possible. He got in a good amount of hits, but Kinvinaris was far from done.
He stabbed his claws into the creature's chest and shot fire from them, causing massive damage. The demonic entity lifted the demonic human up and with one swift turn, launched him into the walls of his home.
Kinvinaris made another powerful orb of fire and threw it over at where the weird creature was. It made contact, and soon another cloud of black smoke enveloped his location. It dissipated as the creature ran out from it, looking much more injured than previously, with burnt marks all over him that exposed his flesh and the holes made from Kinvinaris's claw still present. Overall, it looked like it was melting. Despite all that, "Eren" didn't seem too bothered by his wounds even with the way they were affecting his body.
Kinvinaris was impressed with the creature's perseverance, not even batting an eye at all the damage caused to him. The smaller wounds were already starting to heal while the bigger ones seem to take more time to fix. The demon flexed his claws as he swiped them in the air, releasing another barrage of blade-fire.
"Eren" lifted his arms up, taking some damage but blocking them out from hitting the most vulnerable areas. The flesh wounds that were just made were already healing. The humanoid flew at the demon, tackling him in the chest.
They wrestled on the ground until "Eren" kicked Kinvinaris away from him. He landed on his feet, with the beast already coming over to strike at him. Kinvinaris lit his fists on fire and prepared to go into another brawl.
"Eren" was overwhelmed unlike the last fight, Kinvinaris being a lot faster and hitting harder than before. The fire covering his fist and legs during his punches and kicks were also adding on the difficulty.
Soon, the creature was being outmatched. With a few quick strikes, Kinvinaris followed it up with one strong blow at the chest, punching right through the body. The demon lifted up the defeated being and began to admire the sight.
"You fought well. That was the most fun I've had in centuries. But all good things must come to an end." He told the creature, although he wasn't sure if he could hear him. It was true though, he never expected an encounter like this to happen in his life, but it did. Still though, he was glad that he won. His slumber has dulled his strength from immobility and his energy being used to preserve his body throughout the years. Any longer and he might have actually lost.
With that out of the way, Kinvinaris opened his mouth and started preparing one last breath attack to finish his opponent off for good.
He was ready to unleash his final fire beam when all of a sudden, he felt a crushing force threatening to crush his neck. He looked down and saw an arm up and a hand around his throat, not showing any signs of letting go.
The demon turned his attention over to the head and was shocked to see "Erens" head up and glaring at him.
"How, HOW CAN YOU STILL BE ALIVE?!" Kinvinaris roared in disbelief. The beast gave no response as he kneed his chin and kicked the demon away, his arm sliding out of the hole in his opponent's body.
Being freed, "Eren" rushed over to where his adversary was and grabbed his tail. He brought him over his shoulder and started to smash him into the ground just as Kinvinaris was doing to him earlier.
Once he was done, the demonic humanoid spun around and threw him against the wall, making sure to throw it with the tail pointing at the stone wall. The sharp end caused Kinvinaris to be stuck in the wall, struggling to get himself free.
"Eren" didn't waste this chance. He ran over and punched the fire demon brutally, not giving him any chance to counterattack. He threw a punch at every available section of the body, making sure each blow landed properly to deal the most damage. Kinvinaris was growing weaker and weaker as the pain got to him. His energy was reaching low levels, so his strength couldn't back him up.
With a final blow, the beast defeated his opponent.
Full of exhaustion, "Eren" stumbled as he pondered: Should he kill this guy or not?
On the one hand, he tried to kill him after all even when he tried to leave, so he is justified. On the other hand however, this thing was just sleeping and he was trespassing even though he didn't mean to.
The creature landed face first on the ground and steam started being emitted from the body. Soon, the entire giant body was gone and out came Eren in his human form, looking fresh and brand new.
He looked over at Kinvinaris, then started to walk over to where the entrance was located.
"Wait, human." Eren looked over at the towering figure.
"What is it?" He said sternly. The fire demon looked both incredibly confused and a little interested.
"Why, why didn't you kill me when you had the opportunity to do so?
The soldier paused before replying. "You're right I could've. And although I didn't appreciate it when I said I would leave you alone, this is your home and I was trespassing. Even though killing you would mean people would be kept safe from your wrath if they ever found themselves here." Eren turned over to face him, Kinvinaris kneeling down and looking him in the eye.
"However, You were just resting and protecting your home. It wouldn't be right to kill you for that. It be like me killing a bird just for protecting its nest or any animal that is protecting their territory. Not only that, I believe everyone has the right to live the life of the world they were born in. That is why I'm sparing you now."
Kinvinaris was speechless. In all his lifetime, he never encountered a human that was not only brave if foolish enough to face him head on, but offer him kindness even when he did nothing to earn it. Most people would try to shame him or say and do things in order to outcast the demon.
Granted, because of the mainly malevolent nature of demons, they were completely in the right to do so most of the time. However, he wasn't exactly like the others. Unlike most demons, he was honorable and respectful, never doing anything that would cause great harm unless it was necessary. On occasion, he would even show kindness and empathy to those that needed and deserved it. In other words, if there existed fallen angels, then he would be considered a risen demon.
However, when your kind is known for terrible misdeeds, people tend to wrap you up with the worst representatives of your species. And that's exactly what happened with Kinvinaris. He suffered scorn and pain because of humans, even though he tried to be different and show them not all demons were like that. But eventually, he gave out, and began desping the developed primates much like the rest of the demons, due to both having no choice and because of his own abuse.
But this boy. This boy that wandered in with no intention of harm, and even tried to leave to give him his peace now showing him mercy when he was in the perfect position to kill him. Kinvinaris felt guilty. It was then that the fire demon decided on something.
"Human, what is your name?" Eren was puzzled on the question, but decided to comply for better or worse.
"Eren, Eren Jaeger." Kinvinaris seemed pleased, he liked that name.
"Eren Jaeger. I have an offer to propose to you." The soldier was more confused than before.
"What is it?" He asked. It was then that Kinvinaris made his proposal.
"How would you like to learn magic?"
Eren was stunned. That fire was used in their fight. That was magic?!
"Magic?" Kinvinaris seemed amused.
"Yes and not just any magic, a special kind of magic that my kind wields and is part of the strongest types in existence: Demon Slayer Magic."
The recruit didn't know what to make of this. One minute this demon was trying to burn him alive and now he offered to teach him his magic. This seemed way too good to be true.
"Why do you want to teach me your magic? How do I know you're not going to try something on me?" He questioned. Kinvinaris chuckled.
"After our fight, you've done more than earn my respect. I will not do anything to trick or deceive you into a false sense of security. As for why, you are the most intriguing human I've ever met. Your fighting spirit and odd, but valuable traits you've shown makes you worthy of learning my power."
"And not just that. I will train you to be the strongest you can possibly be before you go out on your own. I can teach you about this world and what to expect from it. I can also help you improve on that form you've shown during our battle." Eren couldn't believe his ears. An actual demon is actually offering to help him become a stronger person. To add one last thing, Kinvinaris spoke again.
"Just so you know, most demons aren't fond of humans and they don't want anything to do with them, let alone train them in using a power that can kill them. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, so I would take it if I were you."
With that in mind, Eren thought it over. The demon made a lot of good points. Not only would he be taught in a strong new power, he would also be taught in ways that could make him stronger and possibly help him control and master his other power he recently discovered. Not to mention that it was all confirmed that he wasn't in the walls and he had no clue on where he was at, so learning about the location and history of this place could prove to be useful. With his decision made, Eren faced the demon.
"I accept your offer. But try anything." He warned. The fire demon just gave another chuckle.
"You have my word."
Author's Note:
So I managed to get Chapter 2 out soon. Hopefully, I can get Chapter 3 out around the same time.
The fight scene wasn't anything too much, but I wanted to make sure it was enjoyable and made sense. I want to improve more on them when I continue on.
Also, I hope you realize why I gave Eren Fire Demon Slayer Magic, and no, it's not really the "character is a protagonist of another media, so they should be given a power that is the same as another main protagonist" that so many crossovers do, there is a good reason for this.
Now this is where the story starts getting interesting. Till then, I'll see you later.