Natsu watched as Zancrow was leaning down a paved path, caused by the impact he made from taking his joint attack. Makarov was lying down, his hand doing better now that it wasn't being burned by Zancrow's Magic. Mikasa and Armin stood by, breathing heavily from their recent attacks as they watched the scene in front of them unfold. Everyone turned their attention to the defeated God Slayer, waking up from his temporary comatose state as he was shaking from his recent wounds, including a large gash across his chest that he was holding to try and prevent any more blood from spilling out.
The dark mage was not only reeling from the battle, but from the shock he just experienced. The fact that Natsu, a Dragon Slayer, was able to defeat him, a God Slayer.
"Impossible… I was beaten… by a dragon hunter." He groaned. Natsu looked at him calmly as Makarov watched.
The guild master smirked. Although he would have to scold him for being so reckless, Makarov had to hand it to Natsu for coming up with a bold, insane move that actually paid off greatly. Not to mention that he's never seen someone wield two different types of Slayer magic before. His boy really had grown in leaps and bounds.
He turned over to Armin and Mikasa. Makarov felt guilty that they had to get themselves wrapped in this mess when they were their guests. They shouldn't have to deal with this, not after all the horror's they had to put up daily back in their world. The 3rd Guild Master of Fairy Tail hoped that they would be able to make it back home. But until then, it was his job to make sure they were safe and sound.
"Gramps." Everyone looked up when Natsu spoke.
"I learned a very valuable lesson today. Sometimes you need to know your limits and back down from a fight." Natsu glowered down at his defeated opponent as he continued.
"But we can't run from this. These guys hurt our guildmates, they hurt the Scouts. We have to make a stand and fight." He stated. The pinkette raised his fist in the air as everyone stared.
"Isn't that right, Gramps?" He said, just before he hit the ground.
"Natsu!" Everyone shouted. Mikasa and Armin used their remaining strength to get to him, checking to see if he was okay.
"He's fine, but he's out of it. That fight really took a toll on him." Armin explained. Mikasa nodded, before she also collapsed.
"Mikasa!" Armin shouted. He felt drowsy afterwards as he also hit the ground. Makarov looked at the three in concern until he fell into unconsciousness himself. Zancrow met the same fate. Soon everyone was knocked out, exposed and vulnerable.
Elfman and Evergreen saw the flare and wondered what the danger could be when they saw the color. Elfman asked what's going to happen to the S-Class Trials, to which Evergreen responded they would have to be put on hold for now. It wasn't long until they found themselves surrounded by Grimoire Heart soldiers. Elfman challenged them to an arm wrestle, causing his partner to comment on how she doesn't know if him or the "goon squad" was more annoying.
They defeated the soldiers effortlessly and began moving to reunite with the others.
"How many do you think they're on the island?" Elfman asked, referring to the soldiers.
"Don't know, but judging from those weird, orange bubbles we saw, I would guess definitely over a hundred." Evergreen mentioned, remembering that odd-looking man with the jet pack.
"I wonder what's going to happen with Commander Erwin and the Scouts." Her partner replied.
"From what we experienced so far with the Commander for the past month, I wouldn't doubt that he's already aware of the situation and deployed them to come and help." Ever stated. Both of them were worried about their new friends. Despite being trained soldiers, they are still novices compared to them when it comes to Magic. They didn't know how strong the enemy was, so they weren't sure if they could take them. They had to have faith they would pull through however.
The duo stopped when they saw a strange gray-haired man with glasses and a fur-trimmed coat looking at a rose while giving off strange sparkles.
"Is that a bad guy or a flower arrangement?"
"Whatever it is, it took a bath in cologne." Elfman and Ever said respectively. The man sighed as he put the orange rose down and took a dramatic pose.
"In a desolate forest on a lonely island, the devils and fairies danced a tango of death." The Shakespearean wording confused the two.
"I ain't dancing." Elfman mentioned.
"May these stones and moss serve as a ballroom for our soiree." Rusty smirked, doing another pose.
"Can I punch him now?" Elfman asked.
"If it'll shut him up, be my guess." Evergreen responded, agreeing with him for once.
The two attacked the dark mage, which proved to be no simple task. Rustyrose summoned a monster named Belcusas the Thunderclap, a giant crimson humanoid-like monster with a metal oni-like face with armor plating around the lower regions of the body that had the same color that is considered a Guardian Saint Beast. The beast proved to be much more challenging than any of the native creatures Tenrou housed.
Evergreen attacked with one of her signature spells of her "Fairy Magic: Fairy Machine Gun: Leprechaun", but the attack did nothing to faze the creature. Elfman went into his standard form for "Take Over: Beast Soul"; "Beast Soul: King Beast," but it wasn't powerful enough to outmatch Belcusas.
They were quickly getting overwhelmed, not knowing how to properly defeat the creature or his master.
"Why can you turn him into stone already?" Elfman shouted. Evergreen scoffed at his question.
"Because, Elf-for-brains, my Stone Eyes won't work on it!" She shot back.
"Not the monster you idiot, the pretty boy! Do you even understand?"
"It won't work on him because he's wearing glasses!"
"What kind of lame excuse is that?!"
"I should use it on you so you would shut up!"
"Oh, such passion that erupts into flames between those in love." Rusty spoke.
"We're not in love okay!" The duo shouted immediately. Belcusas punched forward, forcing Elfman to grab his arms and force him into a stalemate. Evergreen charged ahead, intending to take down the dark mage head on.
"What are you doing?!" Elfman questioned.
"From the looks of it, he appears to be a summoning wizard. If there is one thing that they all have in common is that they are weak personally!" Evergreen stated, unknowingly causing another member of their guild to sneeze.
The light brunette swerved down to attack him. Only for Rustyrose to prove her wrong as his arm transformed into a black claw-like blade that could extend, which he named "Jet Black Sword" and attacked Evergreen, knocking her to the ground.
"Evergreen!" Elfman shouted. He was soon outmatched and punched to the floor by the Guardian Saint Beast.
"What kind of magic does this guy wield?" Elfman said. He and Ever were lying down on the ground, aching from the recent blows they've endured.
"I suppose I could tell you the nature of my magic. But for scum like you, it would be far too difficult to understand."
"Say what?"
"It's spring very close to the darkest depths of magic, and as a result the side effects it burns me with are extremely heavy and powerful." Rustyrose explained. "Oh, I walk the path of light laid in the wait of tragedy."
Elfman's eyes were shadowed as he was stupefied by the man's dramatic dialect. Rusty suddenly showed an image of a black-haired man. A man that the pair was familiar with.
He started explaining how they tracked the Black Wizard Zeref to Tenrou and the shock that came upon the mages when they realized who it was they encountered earlier. Rustyrose then started explaining the "Grand Magic World". A world ruled by fear and darkness, a "wizard's province".
Then he revealed the true nature of this plan: Every person that can't use magic will be wiped out from existence. Rustyrose rambled, saying how great it would be now that only wizards and witches will be allowed to live, to revel in the dark arts. They need Zeref as their ruler to help guide them.
"We shall inherit this magical utopia. I've waited so long for this glorious day, and at last it's dawn is soon to break!" The dark mage boasted. The Fairy Tail wizards could only stare at him in shock.
"No way." Elfman gasped.
"I don't believe it. What he's saying, it's pure madness!" Evergreen exclaimed.
Rusty commanded his beast to attack them again. Elfman grunted as he picked himself up and grabbed Evergreen, hoisting her over his shoulder as they ran. Belcusas chased after them, only to corner them into the edge of a cliffside.
They were running low on magic power and they were in serious danger if Belcusas caused enough destruction. They had nowhere to run.
"Elfman! Evergreen!" The duo lifted their heads in confusion and turned to the direction of the noise, as did Rustyrose. They looked up to see the top-ranked trio heading towards their way with their gear.
"Reiner? Bertolt?" Elfman said.
"Annie as well." Evergreen added.
The three landed in front of them safely as Reiner walked over to Elfman.
"We thought you could use a hand, or six." The blonde joked.
"What are you guys doing here?" Elfman asked.
"We saw the smoke flare and we split up to warn you about the attack from Grimoire Heart." Bertolt added.
"Guess we're too late on that." Annie commented, taking note of the giant monster.
"Yeah, and this guy does not go down easily." Evergreen said. Reiner gained his serious expression again as he turned to the furry coat wielder and his giant beast.
"Let us handle things from here. You two are injured and need a moment to regain their strength." He stated. The duo was apprehensive, especially Elfman, but he made a point and they backed off a little.
"Come on, let's go." On Reiner's order, the trio pressed the triggers on their operating devices and shot their hooks. They flew up into the air and swarmed Rustyrose's beast. Using their speed, they were able to evade the monster's attacks and fly around. Ever and Elfman were in awe at the use of the gear and how graceful the Scouts (and Annie) were. Even Rustyrose seemed intrigued by it.
The soldiers surrounded Thunderclap. Due to them being near a cliffside, they needed to be careful and watch their every move. The monster swung his metal arms over them like a person trying to swat a fly, and just like hitting a fly, it was having trouble catching any of the soldiers.
Elfman and Evergreen stared a little bit in wonder at the agility of the soldiers with their gears. Rustyrose's monster tried to punch one of them head on, only for them to immediately move out of the way and swirled around his arm.
"Now! Go for the vital points!" Reiner shouted. The Scouts (and Annie) shot their hooks downward with their swords to the sides, preparing for one big swing of their blades all at once.
The soldier slashed their blades downwards, only for the metal to shatter like glass, the shards flying all over the place. The soldiers gasped when their coordinated attack failed.
"What?" Reiner breathed.
"It didn't work?" Bertolt asked.
Annie grunted as the monster swung his arms to the side, the gusts forming from the attack blowing the soldiers away. They had to use their hooks and swords to pierce into the ground to prevent them from taking off. They stared at the behemoth before they turned to see Elfman running towards it.
"That was a good attempt guys, now it's time for a real man to handle things!" He shouted.
Elfman transformed into his standard Take Over: Beast Soul form as he charged towards the Seven Kin member. He threw a few punches, managing to get some good hits onto Rusty's monster, ducking under the monster's own hits before falling prey to a swing of the right arm that knocked him to the side.
Elfman didn't let that bother him though, as he got back up and smirked.
"Come on ugly, I know you have more power than that. Show me what you can do!" He taunted. Belcusas punched towards where Elfman was located. However, the beast put too much power into the strike and the cliff broke apart, taking him down with it.
Elfman was hanging on the edge when he looked up and saw Reiner with his hand reaching for him. Elfman smirked as he took it and was pulled to his feet.
"Nice diversion tactic."
"Well, I figured I had to take the opportunity while you guys kept him busy." Elfman said.
"Are guys done chatting over there?" Annie questioned.
"We still have the monster's owner to deal with." Evergreen stated.
"You poor fools." The five turned over to see Rustyrose walking towards them.
"Calling me its owner would be quite shallow, would it not? I prefer the term: Master, and Belcusas is my humble assistant." Reiner hardened his gaze as the man.
"So, this guy was the one responsible for that thing running around?" He asked.
"Yeah, he's one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory." Elfman answered.
"I'm guessing that's the guild's main attack force?" Annie said rhetorically.
"Right on the ball." Evergreen confirmed.
"If he's here, then where are the others?" Bertolt mentioned. The dark mage smirked.
"My comrades are looking for the Legendary Black Wizard, Zeref. I have faith that at least one of them will be able to track him down. As for you three." Rusty glowered his eyes as he landed them on the soldiers.
"We weren't expecting Fairy Tail to be a charity organization and adopt another group under their small, feeble wings. We had sources confirmed of your affiliation with the Fairies, and what you've been doing for the last month. You call yourselves soldiers, correct? Well to me, you're nothing more than a perfect example of the things that this world can do without!" He shouted, his words seemingly taking them aback.
"You're kind shouldn't be allowed to walk on this earth. You will be discriminated against and eliminated into the holes of the underworld where you belong!" Rusty didn't seem aware of it, but his words were impacting the trio more than they realized, although Annie was doing a good job at keeping her reactions in check
The three had faced that kind of prejudice all their lives. They remember it from their childhoods. How they and their families, and as well as many people that were like them, were considered "demons" or had "devil's blood running in their veins". The three have been subjugated to that kind of abuse for so long…
"Enough!" The group and Evergreen gasped at Elfman's sudden shouting.
"I won't stand here and let you talk to them like that! Who cares if they had Magic or not? The fact that they decided to learn it doesn't make their worth any less valuable than the rest of us!" He defended. Rustyrose tilted his head.
"And why is that? The Grand Magic World is supposed to be a paradise for all chosen wizards that agree to live in it. People like them, like "you" can be allowed to live."
"Don't you get it?!" Elfman interrupted, causing Rusty to gasp as well. "Most people don't have Magic Power. You're going to put them through hell and wipe them out for your freedom? That's a coward's way, a real man wouldn't need to wipe out the world just to be comfortable in it. I'm not gonna let you do that bub."
"And you think they're required for the world to function. A person without magic is no more helpful than a candle that isn't lit. If they can't do the basics, they should be discarded."
"All life has meaning!" Evergreen noticed the bruise on Elfman's arm, realizing that Belcusas harmed him more than they thought. Her teammate didn't seem to notice however.
"Why do you care? Afraid to lose your cash crop? That's a fine example of hypocrisy: You call me a coward, but in the end you're afraid of being left with nothing." The soldiers stood still, taking every word Rustyrose said.
"You're wrong. We work together to make sure everyone has an easier life. In exchange for our services, they give us compensation. That relationship and trust, built the world we live in and gave birth to the guilds." The white haired man made his way over and stomped the ground, causing his foe to smirk.
"I won't let you mock what we made together. This world belongs to everyone and I'll be damned if I let you take it down!" The male Strauss declared. Reiner gasped as those words struck a chord within him. It reminded him of what he wanted to do, what he wanted to achieve.
Why he wanted to be known as a hero that slayed the devils.
Rusty pushed his glasses up as he gave another smirk. "How sad. You haven't even realized you lost the war. You strayed too far from the abyss of sorcery, the infinite void in which true power flows and remains eternally. Zeref's power alludes your feeble minds now, but soon you will learn that lesson as will all wizards, and the only options left are servitude or the grave." He lowered his head down while giving his speech, ending it off with a sinister grin.
"If that's what you think, you've got a world of disappointment ahead! If Fairy Tail and the Survey Corps are heading to the grave, we're taking Grimoire Heart with us!" Elfman exclaimed, charging at the spectacle-wearing man.
"Starting with you!" Elfman jumped up and prepared to strike Rustyrose. He pushed his spectacles up as he retaliated with his "Jet Black Sword" again.
"My, what elegant language. But at least you've made your position clear! Very well, if you wish to act like garbage, then you'll be disposed of accordingly!"
"Leave him alone!" Evergreen pleaded. Elfman grunted in pain as he eyed his opponent.
"You can call me garbage if you want. But you sure as hell won't get away with trash talking my friends! As a real man, I won't let you!" Evergreen blushed at the declaration, while the others gasped, even Annie. Reiner lowered his, his eyes shadowed.
"You're damn right, Elfman." He muttered.
He lifted his head up and turned to his teammates. "Come on, let's back him up." He ordered. Bertolt and Annie looked at each other before gazing back at their leader and nodded. They charged forward, right behind the Beast Soul user.
"Oh? Is that so?" Rusty charged with his sword again when suddenly, his whole body began levitating. Elfman gasped too, when he turned around to see Bertold holding his sword out.
"Float." He said calmly. Elfman muttered Bertolt's name when he heard Reiner call his.
"Would a real man reject help?" He grinned. Elfman stared at him in shock before returning it with his own.
"No, he wouldn't."
"Glad to hear it." Reiner started running towards him when Annie sprinted ahead much to this shock.
"Blades." Annie transformed her arms into razor sharp swords, having more cutting power than the ODM gears blades, which she sheathed beforehand.
Rustyrose gasped as the girl came at him with a cold gaze. He quickly brought his hand out.
"In my hand is a kite shield in which no attack will pass through." From his hand, a golden, kite-shaped shield that blocked the blades. Annie glared as she swung her blades rapidly, forcing the dark mage to move his shield accordingly to properly defend against the assault.
"Hey." Rustyrose looked up to see Reiner with his arm cocked back.
"Coating." His arm turned into steel, which he used to punch Rusty in his chest and sent him into the ground.
"Nice punch Reiner." Elfman shouted as he ran forward. Rusty grunted as he attacked him with his clawed sword again, but the white-haired mage reacted in time and grabbed in and used his Take Over Magic to absorb the matter and formed his own. He struck his enemy and broke the glasses.
"Now Ever!" Evergreen took off her glasses as her eyes glowed.
"I don't let many people call me by that nickname, save Laxus and the Thunder Legion. But I'm in a good mood, so I guess I can make an exception this once. Turning this drama club reject into a pigeon perch will be the highlight of my day, no one trash talks Fairy Tail and our allies, and lives.
Rustyrose groaned as Evergreen's Eye Magic was going into his own eye sockets. He shouted dramatically as he covered his face with hand. It seemed to work.
However, it wasn't enough. Rustyrose managed to cover his eyes with another pair of glasses that he conjured up in his hand. When asked how he was able to do that, Rustyrose revealed the true nature of his magic: Arc of Embodiment, which allowed him to create virtually anything he imagined with this Magic.
The five were shocked that the man wielded such power, not even the soldiers were able to hide their surprise. They couldn't stay shocked for long as Rustyrose activated his Magic and a giant purple circle appeared under the group's legs.
The quintet screamed as a large tower suddenly materialized around them and shot them up into the sky. The burly blonde watched with wide eyes and gritted teeth as he saw himself going further and further away from the ground.
"Bertolt! Annie!" The soldier looked over to his comrades, only to gasp when he saw them. Bertolt was flailing all around, his legs trapped in the tower. Annie wasn't doing any better as her neck was deep in the pillar's structure, with her head and the rest of her body hanging out. Reiner himself had half of his left body completely assimilated with the pillar. Not only that, but their ODM gear was also in the same state, sticking out all over the place within the pillar, but still looking to be intact and working again.
'Damn it! We're stuck!' Reiner shouted. He looked over and saw Evergreen with her lower body completely embedded in the side of the tower, with Elfman near her with his right arm trapped and other parts of his body stuck in the tower.
"I can't.. move..!" Bertolt muttered.
"Damn it. My neck is stuck!" Annie gasped out.
'This guy. Rustyrose. If his magic can create anything limited only by his imagination, then we're screwed. He can come up with anything to counter what we throw at him.' Reiner's eyes glowered.
'So this is the power of Lost Magic. Of what the Seven Kin can do.'
"Reiner!" The Scout turned to his side to see Bertolt facing him.
"I can't get out! My Magic, it's not strong enough to break us out of here!" He shouted. "We might have to use.. That." Reiner gasped.
"Are you sure about this Bertolt?" He asked. The slender soldier nodded.
'Damn. Can we really pull that out?' Reiner looked over to the Fairy Tail pair. 'Can we really do it with them being so close. It could put them in danger, and if they see us.' Reiner gasped as he remembered screaming. Someone screaming for help, for someone to stop what they were doing.
For them to try and talk it out.
"Hey!" The boy looked over to their female companion, who was looking at them with a slight disapproving look.
"I don't know about you boys, but I'm not done with my Magic Power yet." Annie's body glowed and suddenly, she was a serpent, dawning her blonde hair as she slithered her way out of the prison and went towards them.
Turning the edge of her tail into a hammer, Annie charged with her magic and smashed the pillar, freeing the soldiers from their confines.
"Thanks." Reiner stated.
"Yeah, thanks a lot Annie." Bertolt stumbled.
"Don't mention it." Annie responded. "Now come on. Let's go free Elfman and Evergreen." The two nodded, getting their gear ready as they activated the operating mechanism and shot out their hooks, Annie joining them as she also got her gear ready. They got over to where the duo was located and they gasped as they saw them.
"Reiner! Bertolt!" Elfman shouted.
"Annie!" Evergreen added. Reiner smirked a little.
"Did someone call the calvary?" He lifted his arm and covered it in steel. He aimed it towards the spot that Elfman was trapped in and it shattered, breaking him free as he pulled him out.
"Hold still Ever." Bertolt said, Evergreen scoffing a little from the forbidden nickname. Bertolt focused his magic, increasing the pressure as the gravity went down. Evergreen grunted, but she saw the cracks forming until the parts of the tower trapping her broke into pieces.
"Come on!" Reiner shouted. He grabbed Elfman and threw him over his shoulder, his body and strength able to support someone of Elfman's stature. Meanwhile, Annie did the same with Evergreen while Bertolt stayed near them to make sure they were alright. The Scouts helped their fairy companions as Rustyrose saw everything from where he was standing.
"Ah, so the fairie's mechanical guardian angels have come to their rescue. I would be moved by this if they didn't get in the way of our goals. No matter, I have plenty of ways to deal with them." Rustyrose commented, smirking as he pushed his glasses up. He was not done showing the beauties of darkness with his magic just yet.
"We can't let him follow after us." Bertolt stated, Reiner nodding in agreement. He was wondering what they could do to slow him down. The blonde then saw the trees nearby.
"Bertolt." Reiner said. His friend looked up to wonder why he said his name, until he saw the forest as well. He turned over to Reiner and nodded.
He flew over to the forest and activated his Gravity Magic, increasing it to the point where the trees started breaking. It wasn't long until the group of trees started falling over. Rustyrose noticed them, but it was too late as the logs collapsed on top of him.
"That should buy us some time, let's go!' Bertolt declared. Annie and Reiner flew behind him as they went over to find the Fairy Tail camp and get help.
Despite the trees doing damage and serving the purpose, it did little to stop the dark mage. Rustyrose used his magic to form a perfectly cut circle in the middle of the broken trees. He laughed to himself as he pushed his shades up.
"Well. I can see that Fairy Tail's new helpers are certainly more than meets the eye. What was their name? The Scouts? I look forward to playing with them more until we ultimately have to discard them all for the creation of our perfect world."
With that said, Rustyrose took his leave as he walked down the cliffside with two objectives: To eliminate any Fairy Tail and Scout members that cross his path and locate the Black Wizard Zeref, who is still alive and on the island.
The four fairy tail mages stood in shock as the goat man told them the shocking truth of Grimoire Heart's true objective. Capricorn told them about the "Grand Magic World" and what it would mean for wizards and non-wizards alike.
"That's insane!" Gray shouted.
"What you're doing is genocide!" Loke scolded.
"Only 10% of the population will be allowed to live?" Cana muttered.
"You honestly think that would work? People will fight to the end, til' there's no world left." Lucy argued.
"Perhaps, then again Hades has yet to reveal the full extent of his plan. He dreams of a heaven for those attuned with the abyss of sorcery. The Blllack Wizard will be ours, and once he is the world you know will bbbanish. Once all the fire and dust have settled, it will be reborn." Capricorn stated. Gray punched the palm of his hand.
"You talk too much. All I care about is making you pay dearly for coming into our house and acting like you own the place!"
"My comrrrrades and I have two missions: The first is to seize Zeref and deliver him safely to master Hades, and the second one is to wipe out Fairy Tail from existence." Capricorn said, taking a battle stance.
Unbeknownst to them, Jean, Sasha, and Connie heard the whole conversation. Sasha heard the thing thanks to her natural enhanced hearing and her Sound Magic, relaying everything back to her teammates. Needless to say, the topic unnerved the trio.
The Scouts were unsure about the whole situation. They still had a lot to learn about the world, but what shocked them the most was when they found out that wizards and witches were actually the minority in this world despite how integrated with life and society magic seemed to be. The Dark Guild's plan of eradicating every non-magic user just for the sake of the magic user's survival: It was barbaric. Grimoire Heart's plan is just plain narcissism. Sacrificing everyone else just to keep the "special ones" alive.
'If it was a worldwide witch hunt, I would understand why they would want to get rid of them. But killing all those people. I hope we never find ourselves in that situation back where we're from… Right?' Jean thought, the whole dilemma dancing around in his head.
The group managed to locate where the Fairy Tail was thanks to Sasha's power.
"You think you can wipe us out? Let's put that theory to the test?" Gray challenged.
"You won't be alone." The five turned to see the three Scouts flying in with their gear.
"Jean!" Gray exclaimed.
"Connie, Sasha!" Cana added.
"Sup." Connie greeted casually.
"We came here to help." Sasha explained. Hearing this cause Lucy and the other smile.
"Thanks for the aid. Now let's show this guy we mean business." Gray said. The trio turned to see Capricorn and was surprised by his appearance.
"A goat man?" Connie exclaimed.
"You six need to get out of here." Loke stated suddenly, making everyone gasp as they turned to him.
"Are you insane dude?! The four of us together couldn't beat him and you want to take on him alone?" Gray argued.
"That's because his magic only affects humans, it saps their strength. It's ancient and powerful stuff." Loke said.
"His Magic is known as "Human Subordination Magic" or if you want to put it grimly "Human Enslavement Magic". Loke elaborated. Everyone gasped at the name.
"Human… Enslavement Magic?" Cana said.
"It's also known as "Ruler Magic". It temporarily reduces the combat abilities and magic power of any human it affects." The Lion explained, transforming into his Celestial Spirit form. His hair was spiky, and his basic summer clothes turned into a black suit with a red tie. Only his glasses remained. "Celestial Spirits are immune to it so we can fight evenly."
"You may have already figured this out. But he's also a Celestial Spirit: Capricorn, the Sea Goat."
"That's crazy!" Gray shouted.
"Seriously." Cana exclaimed.
Lucy was shocked at the notion of Celestial Spirits having to fight together again. It brought up some bad memories when she and Loke were in the same predicament during their fight against the first of the Balam Alliance: The Dark Guild, Oracion Seis. She couldn't let that happen again, not ever!
"We're staying with you, and help." Lucy stated, getting back up.
"I don't think so." Lucy gasped at Loke's refusal.
"How about the Sea Goat going toe-to-toe with a superior fighter? Let's go." Loke challenged, pointing his finger as his fellow spirit.
"I accept your challenge. To be honest Leo, I was beginning to remember that you were a Celestial Spirit." Capricorn accepted.
Loke told the others to go, but Lucy wasn't having it. Cana and Gray pointed out that Loke had a point; they were in no condition to fight with their low Magic Power and Capricorn being able to take that power away. That was until Jean made a surprising request.
"Let us handle things here Lucy." Every turned to the ashy-brown teen in confusion.
"I think you missed the part where I said Capricorn's magic can drain human strength Horseface." Loke said. Jean was a little miffed at the comment but ignored it.
"Look I know we're just runts compared to you guys when it comes to magic, but we're soldiers! We are not helpless civilians that you decided to just take in. We can help you take down goat man over there. Besides, none of us have fought yet, so our Magic Power should be at 100% capacity, and we can use our ODM gear if need be. Please Loke! Let us help you!" Jean pleaded.
The group was silent, the Fairy Tail members and the other two soldiers staring at Jean with open mouths. Loke looked down, his glasses tinted. With a hefty sigh, he looked back up and smirked.
"All right, you can help." The Scouts gasped in excitement and relief.
"Just don't go and piss yourselfs when the big bad goat is too much for you to handle." Loke teased, leaving the soldier gobsmacked.
"Watch who you're talking to, you feline pretty boy!" Jean shouted comedically. Everyone laughed to themselves before Loke turned to his guildmates.
"We'll be fine, you three need to go and reunite with the others, and track down the remaining six of the Seven Kin." Loke ordered. Lucy was still unsure about leaving the spirits to fight on their own, but knowing Loke had back-up made a little better. The blonde had faith in him. She turned to Gray and nodded. They began running away, until Lucy turned around to say one last thing.
"Loke." The lion spirit turned to her. "I want you to promise me something: Promise that you will come back to me." She stated.
"You three too, please don't die." Lucy pleaded. The Scouts were taken aback by the request, but they gave the girl a small smile and nodded.
"Don't worry beautiful, we'll be fine." Loke reassured, not passing the chance to flirt with her. Lucy nodded her head back before she faced the other way and ran with the others, Gray calling her name to make sure she was coming. Capricorn saw and heard the whole thing.
"You four won't win, even with your numerical advantage." The Sea-Goat stated.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that old friend. You're fighting me and my compatriots here, and there is no way in ice, cold hell we'll let you win" Loke stated, his body radiating in light.
"Yeah, you decided to attack us and think you can get away with it. Sorry to say, you'll be severely disappointed." Jean added, getting his swords ready while keeping his magic on standby, ready to transform at the moment.
"You may be a humanoid spirit, but you're still an animal. I would turn back from a hunter if I were you." Sasha warned, clenching the operating devices on her gear.
"You want this family? You'll have to go through us first." Connie declared, his feet positioned so that he was in a good position to sprint at a moment's notice.
Capricorn sneered at the opponents that blocked his way. No matter, he would deal with them swiftly. One thing was for sure, he could not allow that blonde girl to leave the island alive.
Loke charged forward and punched Capricorn with a light-powered fist, knocking up in the air with a mean uppercut. The Sea-Goat gritted his teeth as he kicked the Lion in the chest, sending back a considerable distance.
"Loke!" Jean shouted as their spiritual teammate flew past him. The trio turned back to the goat spirit and charged forward, blades at the ready.
Jean took the first swing, aiming to cut Capricorn straight down the middle. Capricorn saw the technique as easily sidestepped to the right. Jean gasped at the goat humanoid's speed and grunted in pain as his enemy chopped him in the back, sending him to the ground.
Connie and Sasha stared in shock at how easily Jean was taken down. They followed up his attack with their own.
Connie activated his High Speed, and increased his physical speed and agility by tenfold. Hoping to counter Capricorn's speed with his own, Connie prepared his right sword by positioning it behind his back, aiming to cut down the Sea-Goat diagonally.
The Celestial Spirit "hmmm" as Connie struck him, the spirit dodging his attack just as with Jean.
"What the, how is he still fas-" Connie couldn't finish his sentence as his arm was grabbed by Capricorn. The spirit lifted his arm and with two fingers, struck Connie in the side of his stomach, causing more damage than one would think as he screamed and was shoved into the nearby columns as he held his side.
"That blow. Is this his Human Enslavement Magic?" Connie groaned. Not only was the blow painful, but he could feel some of his strength being slowly sapped away.
'This must be what Loke was talking about. If that's the case, then we'll have to keep our distance as much as possible if we want to win' The soldier thought.
Sasha stared at the goat humanoid fiercely, a bead of sweat dripping from her head. The Celestial Spirit gazed back at her, waiting for the soldier to make her move.
'I can't mess this up again.' Sasha said to herself, remembering her blunder that almost cost her her life when the Scouts left the gates at the start of the 57th Expedition. The huntress gazed up at the ceiling of the wall.
Turning her hips to the front, Sasha fired a hook from her gear. Although she didn't have enough room to work with, Sasha swung towards her foe, using the gas to increase her speed. Capricorn sighed as he prepared another defense.
Sasha swung her blade near the goat's head, which he effortlessly blocked with his arm. The sword didn't even seem to make a simple cut. However, Sasha decided to add more than just force to the swing.
"Sound Blade!"
From the blade, a large blast of sound reverberated off the metal. Capricorn grunted as the soundwaves blew him back, forcing him to plant his feet in the ground to prevent himself from falling over.
Sasha's teammates got up, still nursing the parts they were hit in as they walked up to her.
"Nice one Sasha." Connie praised.
"Yeah. Looks like your Sound Magic training paid off." Jean added.
"Thanks guys." Sasha said. The three turned their attention to their enemy when he started walking forward. As he was, Loke also walked up to reunite with the others.
"You holding up Loke?"
"I'll be fine, Connie." Loke answered. "But we still have a fight to do." The Scouts turned their heads to the hostile Celestial Spirit.
"Just how long has it been since you left the Celestial Spirit World?" Loke questioned.
"17 years." Capricorn blankly stated.
"There's no way you can survive that long on your own power. Tell me, who are you contracted to?"
"No human controls me, but I have plenty of servants of my own." Capricorn swiped his fingers as they were bask in a purple glow, a trailing aura of similar color.
"Come forth, Might Hero of Rubengard: San Jiao Shin!"
From it, a samurai emerged from it. Loke gasped as he recognized the figure, although he was completely foreign to his military allies.
"What the?" Connie said.
Without warning, the samurai swung his large nodachi, creating a massive shockwave that the four barely dodged but blew them away.
Due to Loke's confusion since he wasn't a Celestial Spirit, Capricorn explained. San Jiao Shin was a general that led anti-government forces in the Rubengard Civil War back in X779. He's been in Capricorn's custody since then, shocking everyone.
"A legendary general?" Sasha muttered.
"And he's under his beck and call, chooses when he dies?" Connie said in shock.
"You've gone over the edge! Keeping humans as puppets is barbaric!" Loke exclaimed.
"And being a slave to your owner is somehow noble?" Capricorn mentioned.
The Sea-Goat asked Loke that he never wanted to challenge him to fight, it was a diversion to get Lucy away from him. However, when he talked about her, the words she said resonated something within him. A long forgotten memory.
"That girl. There's no doubt about it. The resemblance is uncanny. She's Layla Heartfilia's daughter!'"Capricorn gritted his teeth in anger. The four in front of him took their stances, being on guard as they noticed his behavior, Loke cringing that he figured out his identity.
'Here it goes, time to bring out the big guns!'
"That girl. I can't let her escape. She must die!" The goat man rumbled. At that sentence, Jean snapped out of it and gritted his teeth.
"No ones dying again, not on my watch! Jean ran forward as his whole body changed
"Take Over: Animal Soul: Horse!" Jean transformed into a handsome, green stallion with blond hair as he charged forward. Capricorn was caught off guard by the change and was rammed into by Jean, crashing into the wall.
"Guess he really does live up to his nickname, huh?" Connie asked, not expecting an answer.
"Jean." Sasha muttered, worried for him.
Jean remembered the past memories where his fellow classmates were killed on his orders when they had to get to a supply station to stock up on gas and escape to the walls. He did not want to go through that again, not with his new friends in this world.
He transformed back and watched with shock as Capricorn summoned Jiao Shin again and attacked them, leaving behind a powerful force with the strike of his weapon.
The soldiers screamed as they were blown back by the warrior's attacks. They flew out of the temple side, gathering their operating devices and using their hooks to latch onto the nearby structures, angling themselves and pressing their triggers to reel themselves towards the buildings, safely landing on them with their feet.
As for Loke, the Lion Spirit was thrown back by the force, but simply positioned himself and descended to the ground. Bending his legs, Loke landed safely, skidding due to the momentum he was still feeling, but it wasn't long until he stopped to a halt. The four looked up at their anthropomorphic enemy as he looked down with a simple smile.
"My magic can summon warriors from different eras, completely bending them to my every command." Capricorn boasted. The four glared up at him as he summoned another human being, this time an archer with winter clothing.
"Behold, Hunter of Belperaso!"
Loke gasped as he recognized the archer as a very famous and skilled archer that has never missed a shot. He told the other this and they grimaced at the info. Capricorn ordered his archer to go track down and kill Lucy, but the four won't let that happen.
The archer took aim and shot his arrows, but Loke quickly intercepted and broke the arrows effortlessly. More arrows were shot, leaving the lion barely enough time to get to them all, but he was not alone.
Jean used his gear to fly up and deal with the arrows, while Connie got to the ones that were the most out of reach.
"Super Sonic Slicer!" Connie used his High Speed to increase the speed of his swings, taking out multiple arrows with his swords.
Capricorn's huntsman grunted as he went into a different position and took another shot. Loke and the boys were about to deal with them again, when suddenly the arrows changed direction and went over him.
"What the? a homing shot?!" He gasped. Capricorn smirked.
"He is an expert hunter. Nothing escapes his sight." Loke was about to run up to the arrows again. However, not only did they seem to shatter out of nowhere, the archer was stunned as he felt a powerful pressure blow in his face as his right cheek was cut. He turned around to see a couple of arrows embedded deep in the stone behind him.
"What?"
"You're not the only hunter on this island. That was a taste of my "Sound Piercing Arrow"!" The archer looked down to see Sasha with her own bow and arrow, ready to shoot again.
'She used her Sound Magic to help increase the power of her shot?' Loke thought. He was impressed with the girl's aim.
"Hey Sasha, we're glad you were able to stop the arrows, but can you please tone it down?" Jean said, covering his ears.
"Yeah, we're fighting a goat person that can tamper with our magic and an archer that can control his arrows on the fly. We don't need a freaking deaf handicap when our enemy is already playing unfairly!" Connie added. Sasha chuckled sheepishly.
"Sorry about that, still working on it." Loke smirked at the banter between the three.
"Thanks for the backup, beautiful." Loke flirted. Sasha blushed as she sheepishly rubbed the back of her head.
"Oh, it was n-no p-p-problem." Sasha stuttered. The other two boys just stared blankly at the two's interaction. Capricorn however, was not the least bit amused.
"You won't have plenty of time to master that skill if you're not alive to do so. Not after my own soldiers are through with you." The goat man snapped his fingers, the dark symbols appearing again.
More humans was summoned with his magic, different warriors from different eras, but all were powerful. The group was dumbfounded at how many there were, but they quickly snapped out of their stupor when Loke raised his fist and light emitted from it. The shine blinded most of the soldiers while taking out some of them. The soldiers shook their heads as they readied themselves again.
"Take Over: Animal Soul: Wolf!" Jean transformed into a large, gray wolf with purple fur. He howled as he charged at the warriors, slicing and biting them with his claws and fangs respectively.
Connie used his speed to deal with the rest, which proved to be simple as he was too fast for them to catch while Sasha took care of the stranglers with her sound powers. Soon Capricorn's army was dealt with completely just like that.
After the army was dealt with, Jean, Loke, and Connie engaged Capricorn directly. Jean shifted his limbs and body into different animals in his collection that he gained from his training with Lisanna, Loke casted multiple "Regulus" spells to overwhelm his fellow, yet enemy spirit, while Connie made sure to use his speed in different ways to outmaneuver and strike the goat humanoid when he was opened.
Capricorn was overwhelmed with the barrage of spells and attacks that was coming at him from different angles. Even with his own physical capabilities and his magic temporarily disabling the Scouts, it wasn't enough as their combined teamwork and Sasha's support from the sidelines was too much for him and soon, he was barely standing.
"That's enough. Now it's time for you to tell us who you really are and what you've done to Capricorn!" Loke declared. Throughout the fight, Capricorn has been bragging about the concept of Magic taboos, forbidden rules that people should not break when it comes to Magic otherwise they suffer dire consequences, and the comparison between Celestial Spirit Magic and Human Enslavement Magic, and which is more ethical than the other.
It was from that and Capricorn's history with Lucy's mother that Loke figured something was up, as if the reason Capricorn was behaving this way and being affiliated with a Dark Guild wasn't already telling enough.
The Sea-Goat stood there for a second, unmoving. The four looked at him, waiting to see what he would try next. They were surprised when the goat man released a sudden, but chilly cackle. What happened next was something they didn't prepare for.
Capricorn moaned as a weird man emerged from him. The man's clothing wasn't too peculiar, but the most damning feature was the stitches on his mouth. He looked unhinged and before Loke knew it, he ran straight at him and went into his body.
Loke spasmed, the foreign substance having weird effects all over his body when that man possessed him. It wasn't long until the spirit stopped moving and stood still, standing up straight. His skin turned a deep shade of blue. He looked at his friends and opened his eyes, but they were glowing. The others could tell that Loke was not himself and that that weird man was in control.
The man laughed evilly as he looked at his new body with glee.
"Feel's good to be a human again." He looked over to Capricorn's body, which was now slumped over like a lifeless doll.
"I definitely won't be missing your body agggaaain, goat man. Although I should thank you for all your help for getting me this far." The possessed Leo squandered.
"Holy crap. Capricorn was possessed?!" Connie shouted.
"What gave it away?" Jean asked rhetorically.
"Don't give me that smartass comment, Jean!" The soldier shot back. While the two were having their spat, Sasha noticed something about Capricorn's body. It was… moving?
"Guys." Sasha stated. The two boys stopped what they were doing and turned to their female teammate. They were confused as to what she was talking about until they saw the shifting. Something that the possessed-Loke didn't seem to notice.
"What's the matter? Afraid that the strongest of the Celestial Spirits is now your enemy?" He mocked. The three looked to each other, keeping their heads facing the goat.
"No, not really." Jean simply stated. Loke tilted his head in confusion at the statement, not noticing the spirit he just left behind coming back on his feet right behind him. "Loke" didn't see it coming as the goat spirit struck him in the back.
"What?" "Loke" gasped as he turned around to see Capricorn alive and well. The Sea-Goat looked up to him with a calm, but piercing stare.
"It appears that you aren't through with me yet." Capricorn stated calmly, but the soldiers could tell that it was different. They figured that Capricorn was back to his normal self now that he was free.
"Wait, no!" The malevolent entity that was taking control of Loke's body was pushed out, taking the form of a purple aura before showing his true self.
The man laughed as fell on his feet. Capricorn held up his leader over his shoulder as he fell on him, returning to his normal self.
"Apologizes, my lord." Capricorn stated.
"It's fine." Loke reassured.
"You were able to get me out in due time. Guess you still had some fire left in you, don't you Capricorn?" The man countered. "However, even outside of a body, one that I took over from that taboo, I'm still more than a match for all of you." The Scouts went into battle stances, ready to fight again. They were caught off guard when Capricorn smirked.
"Oh I wouldn't be too sure of that. Right, Zoldeo?" As soon as the words left the Sea-Goat's mouth, the man went into an intense panic.
"Wait! Don't say that NAMMEEEE!"
Loke was held up by his goat ally as everyone present saw the withering spirit of the man now known as Zoldeo fading away as he screamed for help.
"Pardon me my lord, but I have to ask." Loke turned over to Capricorn as he spoke.
"Big, bad goat man?" The Celestial Spirit questioned. Loke smirked a little.
"Don't worry about it man." He reassured. Capricorn looked at him before nodding, deciding to accept his answer. The Sea-Goat spirit looked over to the three scouts. He stood up with proper posture and bowed.
"My apologies. I am terribly sorry for any pain I have caused you. As you know, my name is Capricorn, the Sea-Goat, and one of the members of the Twelve Zodiacs." Capricorn introduced. The soldiers looked a little uneasy, but they could tell that this was in fact the real Capricorn and not the possessed version they just battled.
"It's fine. We're just glad you're back on our side." Connie cheered.
"It's really nice to meet you Capricorn." Sasha introduced herself politely, Caprico nodding in return.
"Yeah. I'd never thought I would be talking with a goat man, but if my first meeting with a talking blue cat that can fly was anything, is that nothing in this world is impossible." Jean commented. Once introductions were done, the Sea-Goat turned over to the Lion to discuss something with him.
"So, are you back to being contracted with Lucy now that you're your old self again?" Leo asked.
"I'm sorry my lord, but I'm afraid I can't be of assistance at this moment." Capricorn responded with a straight face. Leo gasped at his statement, before his fellow spirit smirked in response and he held up a finger.
"Because she already has my power." Lucy was walking with her guildmates, stopping when she noticed a glow coming from her pouch where she keeps her Celestial Spirit Keys. Gray and Cana also stopped to check on her.
"Everything alright Lucy?" Gray asked.
"Yeah, Loke just contacted me." She responded.
"Really? Is he alright?" Cana asked.
"Yep. He actually came to say that he and the Scouts won. And that Capricorn is fighting for us now." Lucy elaborated. "He also said that he was going to go back to the Celestial Spirit world to rest up now."
"That makes sense. He had to use a lot of magic power just to stay in the human world." Cana stated, understanding the Lion Spirit's circumstance. Gray on the other hand, wasn't exactly happy with the news.
"But that ain't fair at all! He'd promised he'd be my partner, now he's backing out on me?!" He shouted, bringing his hands up as he screamed in anger.
"He said he'd make it up to you later." Lucy smiled nervously, trying to cheer up her comrade.
"Who needs him? I can do this on my own anyway." Gray scoffed.
"Well we need to deal with Grimoire Heart before we deal with the games again." Cana said, crossing her arms in exasperation. She looked over to her partner to see Lucy taking out a new Golden Key.
Lucy looked down at Capricorn's key and smiled.
"It's like I have a piece of my mother again."
"Glad to hear it." The trio turned around to see the other trio walking with them, Connie using his High Speed Magic to catch up to them.
"You guys doing okay?" Cana asked.
"Yeah, it's nothing too serious. But never thought I would fight against a goat man."
"Oh, you'll get used to that kind of thing around here." Lucy said nervously, knowing of the crazy antics Fairy Tail gets themselves into.
The soldiers smiled, but Jean was still apprehensive about the situation. This is the first time he's felt like this since the attack on Trost, when all his classmates that just graduated with him were dying left and right, then all of a sudden he was put in charge of the other soldiers to get to base and restock on their gas supply so they could escape to the walls. While he did better, it was still weighing on him. Not to mention what happened afterwards.
Jean shook his head. He knew Marco didn't want him to be like this. The soldier turned to his friends, and gave a lopsided smile. While he still wasn't sure about this whole thing, at least he had comfort that he wasn't going into this thing alone. He had both his comrades and his new Fairy friends to back him up should things get out of hand.
With their new friend and ally by their side, the group feels a bit more hopeful that they can win this fight now with one of the Seven Kin out of the picture, let alone becoming a permanent ally, which Lucy is especially glad to have. The revelations she's learned about her mother shocked her, but she can't focus on that right now. She has to help both her Fairy Tail family and her Survey Corp friends win this.
The battle is just starting and they can't afford to be complacent. Not now, not ever.
Magic:
Reiner;
Steel Magic;
Coating; The user covers a part or their full body in steel, giving them more strength, durability and endurance. The user can manipulate how dense the steel is and can add attachments so the coating such as spikes, blades, and shields. The user can also transfer the coating to other surfaces.
Bertolt;
Gravity Magic;
Floating; The user lowers the gravity in the surrounding area, causing everything in the vicinity to slowly float into the air. Depending on the user, the things in the area of effect can float immediately or slowly, and they can manipulate the thing in question with their hands. The user can increase the range of the spell through training.
Annie;
Transformation Magic;
Blades; The user can transform their limbs into blades. They can affect the general qualities of the blades, ranging in sharpness, size, length, and what type of blade it is from curved to straight, etc. The user can increase the characteristics of the blades with more training.
Snake; The user transforms themselves into a snake. When in this form, the user gains all the perks of the reptiles, including their forked tongue used to sense beings and the pit organ that generates their thermal vision. Depending on the species, the user will also gain added benefits such as poison from a King Cobra or the strength and size of an Anaconda. They can also transform into prehistoric and mythical snakes as well, like the Titanoboa" and the "Yamata no Orochi" respectively
Jean;
Take Over: Animal Soul;
Animal Soul: Horse; The user can transform into a horse. Depending on the breed, the quirks can range from bulkier legs for more powerful kicks and to a leaner body for faster movement. The user can also morph parts of their body into different sections of an equine anatomy.
Animal Soul: Wolf; The user can transform into a wolf. When in this state, the user has increased senses of hearing and sight, sharp claws and teeth, and a strong bite force. Depending on the breed, the user can gain additional perks. The user can also transform sections of their body into that of a wolf's.
Connie;
High Speed;
Super Sonic Slicer; The user increases the speed of their body, allowing for more powerful swings. The user can increase the range and power of the strike through training, allowing soundwaves and wind to be created. The user can also increase the speed of their arms individually, allowing them to strike faster without needing to move their entire body.
Sasha;
Sound Magic;
Sound Blade: The user can add soundwaves to their blades. Should they be touched, soundwaves can be emitted from them. The user can also produce the sound waves by making energy slashes made out of sound with each swing or producing sound constantly whenever the blade clashes with an object.
Sound Piercing Arrow; The user uses their soundwaves to increase the force of their arrow shots. With enough power, the user can shoot their arrows at a rate faster than bullets, equivalent to someone pulling a trigger on a gun, but more powerful and can break multiple sound barriers.
Author's Note:
Hey everybody. Yesterday was my last day of the winter term for my college, so I figured I'd celebrate by posting a new chapter!
So we see the Top graduating members of the 104th Training Corps show off their magic and help Elfman and Evergreen deal with Rustyrose. But despite all that power, they are still outmatched. Like I said, I don't want the addition of the Attack on Titan characters to make the fights an extremely easy win for the Fairy Tail members. They will play a role in making the defeats quicker, but the soldiers still need to improve themselves to contend with Earthland and its inhabitants.
We also got a taste on the Warrior's Magic, which is a taste of what to come.
Over on the other side, we have Jean, Sasha, and Connie help out Lucy, Cana, Gray, and Loke take down Capricorn, and Lucy gains another Celestial Spirit of the Twelve Zodiacs on her side.
I intend to expand more on the Magic's of Fairy Tail, mainly what they can do and how they work, and Celestial Spirit Magic is certainly no exception. Look forward to more additions to Lucy's arsenal, especially since I'm a big fan of the Zodiac Signs and their many incarnations.
It was also really fun expanding Take Over: Animal Soul, High Speed, and Sound Magic, especially the latter two since they don't make much of an appearance due to their respective users not getting much screen time. Expect to see more of that in the future, and by that I mean more usages of Magic that didn't get enough time to appear. Not to mention giving more screen time to Ice-Make Magic and more importantly, Cana's Magic Cards and Loke's Light Magic.
This chapter was definitely tricky due to writing two separate fights in one page. But I hope I managed to compile them cleanly.
Next chapter, we'll see more of Eren and what he's been doing since all of this happened. Until then, I'll see you later