Natsu laid there unfeeling, completely wiped out from the recent endeavors he took part in. Beside him was his guild master Makarov, and the otherworldly companions Mikasa and Armin, both in the same predicament as him. Sitting above him was the younger and only female dragons slayer of the guild, trying desperately to heal him. With her, the three anthropomorphic cats looked on in concern as the fiery young man wasn't showing any signs of getting better, no matter how hard Wendy tried to heal him.
"I don't get it. Why isn't my Magic working?" Wendy whimpered, shocked, confused, and scared that Natsu wasn't recovering despite pouring a lot of the healing properties of her magic in him.
"I wonder if something is blocking the connection between your magic and his body." Carla muttered, looking just as concerned for her guildmate, guild master, and their unlikely allies. She might not think highly of the guild and many of the members attitudes and behaviors, which in her opinion left much to be desired. But they were still a guild in the end, they were still family. That means she doesn't want to see any of them hurt.
"Poor guy." Happy gasped out softly, his eyes watery for his best friend's poor condition. Lily turns over to glance at Makarov and the soldiers.
"That Zancrow guy. It looks like they were able to defeat him, but they didn't come out unscathed." He observed. Wendy continued trying to heal Natsu until the group heard aching groans that caught their attention.
They looked over and saw that the Master was waking up.
"Master!" Wendy gasped excitedly. Makarov opened his eyes and looked over to the young girl.
"Wendy. Are you alright, my child?" He asked. Wendy nodded, tears of joy beginning to form in her eyes.
"Wendy, Natsu. You have to heal him. He's the guild's future." Makarov lightly ordered. Wendy gasped again, knowing of the implications of that statement.
"But Master, I can't leave you here! My Magic isn't even working, and I don't know why!" Wendy responded.
"The scarf." Everyone stopped when he spoke. "His scarf has been tainted by darkness, you'll need to remove it." Wendy looked at the black scarf and immediately began removing the harmful stain.
"Do you know what caused his scarf to turn out like that?" Carla asked.
"We ran into this creepy guy that wouldn't stop crying. His magic was out of control and Natsu caught some of it in his scarf." Happy responded. Lily pondered about this new info and what they've learned so far about their enemy's objective.
"This crying man you encountered. Do you think he could be the Black Wizard Zeref?" He questioned out loud.
Happy pondered about this. It would explain what they encountered back there. Before he could think about it any longer, Natsu started to stir and soon, he began to wake up too. Everyone sighed in relief at seeing him alright. The older dragon slayer looked around.
"Where's gramps?" He asked. The exceeds filled him in on Makarov's condition, and the state of the soldiers.
"Armin and Mikasa aren't too bad, but they still haven't woken up." Carla let him know, the young cadets still out of it from their recent battle with the God Slayer. Lily took the time to admire the ODM gear located near them.
"I have to say that gear is very useful. Three Dimensional Movement, being able to move in that plane. I like to give it a shot myself at some point when we're out of this mess." Lily admitted.
"I don't see a point considering we can fly." Carla pointed out. Lily tilted his head in acknowledgement.
"Good point, but being able to use that thing efficiently can serve as a good back-up in case we run out of power. Besides, I can use its blades effectively to have another means of combat." The panther-like exceed argued. Carla nodded her head, conceding in Lily's points before turning back towards her conscious guildmate.
Natsu looked down at his scarf. It was back to normal.
"Wendy used her Sky Magic to get the bad gunk out. She also flipped your clothes while you were cat-napping." Happy explained to him.
"I owe you one, thanks" Natsu told the young Dragon Slayer.
"No prob." Wendy smiled at him. She flinched when Natsu suddenly shifted and got closer to her. Natsu's nostrils flared, with a goofy but focused expression on his face.
"Uh, hello?" Wendy murmured. Carla shouted at Natsu to get away from her, when he suddenly jumped up. Natsu continued sniffing the air. He recognized the smell. It was the same one from a previous island on another adventure.
Natsu took off, not intending on losing the owner of the scent. Happy flew after him, leaving the others to watch over the wounded. While the others contemplated why Natsu took off like that, besides that being his usual nature, Armin's eyes began twitching.
Natsu kept running, not stopping until he reached his destination. Happy caught up to him and tried to get him to explain why he took up like that. Natsu quickly explained that the scent he picked up was one that he encountered before, way back on another, much smaller island. It looked like history repeated itself.
The pinkette kept sprinting, until he slipped and found himself sliding down a hill on a giant leaf, his motion sickness kicking in since he was technically riding a vehicle. It wasn't long until he slid off and fell between the leaves of a thick forest. He landed on the ground with a hard thud and rubbed the spot where it ached.
"Natsu, watch out! The ground!" Happy called out. Natsu looked at his partner before looking at the ground. It began cracking until suddenly a fully grown tree sprouted from the ground. It carried Natsu up the top, and then he fell on the ground as before.
"There was a sprout embedded way below the earth." The Dragon Slayer looked up to see a woman hanging on one of the branches of a nearby tree. "It was brought into its future, guided by the "Arc of Time," where it became a magnificent tree."
The Fairy kept his eye on the female as his olfactory senses kicked in. "Where do you think your future will guide you? Well, Natsu Dragneel?"
"So you're the creep from before. *Sniff* "Yep, no doubt about it. I'd never forget the smell." Natsu confirmed. Happy perked up when he realized what his best friend was talking about.
"The guy who used Lyon's group on Galuna Island?"
"Since when did you start dressing like a girl?!" Natsu shouted, pointing at the Machiavellian woman.
"Woah! You're a crossdresser?!" Happy exclaimed.
"No, actually this is my real form." Ultear clarified, sweatdropping. "I'm part of the Grimoire Heart guild, and leader of the Seven Kin."
"You may call me "Ultear Milkovich"." The lady said. Natsu however, didn't seem to get the idea.
"Ultimate Milk, Sandwich?" Natsu said in confusion, not being able to say the complicated name (to him at least).
"Nope, not even close." Happy corrected. Natsu shook off the confusion and continued to stare up at the purple-haired lady, who was still looking down at him with a condescending, yet teasing smirk.
She accused them for going after the Black Wizard Zeref, much to the two's shock, especially Natsu when he realized that the man he encountered before was the very same man. When he refuted Ultear's claims about him or his guild wanting the evil individual, saying the only thing wants is revenge for what the dark guild did to his friends. Ultear responded in kind, preparing another time orb in her hand and drew it back, meaning business this time.
She launched the orb at the Dragon Slayer, who tried to block it by shooting fire at it, but was shocked when the fire seemed to dissipate upon contact. Natsu and Happy dodged out of the way and another tree spawned where they were located.
Natsu got angry and started attacking Ultear relentlessly, but it ended up with the same result: His fire fading away into nothingness as if it was never there in the first place. The Dragon Slayer gritted his teeth in frustration as Ultear gave a haughty chuckle.
"Let's see what your future is about." Ultear teased, holding another time orb as more appeared around her. She gazed into the sphere like a crystal ball, her eyes holding a cruel, mischievous glint before they shot open. Ultear gasped when she looked at what was in the orb, her expression shifting into one alike to when she first encountered Lord Zeref.
'My word. What is this?! Is this really what happens? Does he really-' Ultear didn't get a chance to finish that thought when a stream of fire came her way. She grunted and put her hand up to reverse the fire so that it wasn't casted yet, but it made her jump a bit and she was pushed back a little, her arm getting slight burns. Ultear fell down to the tree and landed on her feet.
"Yes, finally! I got her!" Natsu cheered, a relieved grin and frown on his face.
"It didn't do much though." Happy pointed out.
Natsu gritted his teeth. He watched Ultear compose herself, standing up straight with a graceful posture as she sent a confident smirk at Natsu.
"Nice aim, but you won't be getting another cheap shot at me again." She said condescendingly. Ultear brushed off what she saw in her time orbs, she had to focus on the objective at hand. Natsu didn't waste any time as he prepared another spell.
"Whatever, you're not any tougher than when you were back at Galuna Island." Natsu mocked.
"Keep talking little man. It'll make it all the more satisfying when I shut you up for good!" Ultear shot back. Natsu grinned, running forward for another attack. He lifted his knee and lunged at the time wizard.
Everyone watched as Lucy came out of nowhere, being followed by a tubby, but somehow a very graceful pale-skinned man was on her tail. He ended up getting in the way of Natsu's kneeing, sending him crashing to the ground. He crashed into a nearby tree, ending up being side by side with the time witch.
"Lucy?" Natsu gasped, not expecting to see her. The blonde got up and reconvened next to him. "What are you doing here? I don't need any help!" He misunderstood.
"I wasn't offering, but thanks for getting the marshmallow off my back." Lucy thanked him.
"I was being chased by him." She answered. Natsu and Happy looked at her in shock before turning their heads back to the time mage and one of her fellow Kin.
"You seem busy, Kain. Having trouble with your prey?" Ultear lightly mocked. Her guildmate groaned as he got up.
"I was on the verge of crushing her head before she got away. I chased her down here. The girl even took Mr. Cursey from me." Ultear didn't turn to him.
"I see."
Lucy kept her eyes on the woman, while Natsu did the same.
"Looks like you've been having trouble too." She commented.
"I saw her first! She's mine!" Natsu possessively replied.
"You have fun with that." Lucy shot back, exasperated at her guildmates battle-hungry tendencies. Happy told Lucy how Natsu couldn't get any hits on her, except for one, but even then she was distracted. Natsu argued that he was just biding his time, making his best friend dare him to take on both dark mages.
"Well I could, but since Lucy is here, I'll throw her a bone." He said, getting her to look at him slightly stunned.
"We're still rivals in the S-Class Trials, but I wouldn't mind calling a truce." Natsu gave a sly grin, which Lucy returned with a sly smile.
"Natsu, Happy, Lucy!" Everyone looked up, seeing the owner of the voice along with one of his best friends. The Fairy Tail members smiled in joy.
"Armin!" Natsu called out.
"Mikasa!" Happy added.
"I'm glad to see you two." Lucy finished. The scouts landed next to their comrades, taking positions next to them.
"How'd you find us?" Happy asked. The two looked at each other.
A Few Minutes ago
Mikasa's eyes shot open, a gasp of air leaving her mouth. Her sudden awakening caught the others off guard, but they were happy that she was finally up.
"Mikasa!" Wendy squealed. The girl got up and looked around, seeing all of her compatriots from Fairy Tail.
"Wendy." Mikasa said to the girl. She smiled and nodded. Mikasa looked over to the exceeds, who nodded as well.
The soldier glanced at Armin who was still asleep. Mikasa looked at him in worry, until she remembered something else. She turned her head and saw Makarov, who was worse for wear.
"Who's Master Makarov?" Mikasa asked. Wendy and the exceeds look down.
"He was awake earlier, but he is still recovering from his wounds." Carla debriefed. Mikasa looked down.
"I see." She muttered. The cadet glanced around, noting something missing.
"Where's Natsu, and Happy for that matter?" She asked. Lily decided to take over.
"Natsu caught a whiff of something and took off. Happy went after him to make sure he was okay." He elaborated. Mikasa narrowed her eyes, but before she could say anything, the group heard moaning and turned to the source.
Armin was up, holding his head.
"Armin!" Wendy cheered happily. The blonde boy glanced at the young Dragon Slayer.
"Wendy?" The bluenette confirmed it with a cheerful "mm-hm".
"Is everyone else alright?" Armin addressed the group. Everyone reassured him, filling him in on what occurred.
"Do you know where Natsu and Happy went?" Carla pointed in the direction the duo headed towards. Mikasa grunted and immediately put her gear back on, making sure everything was ready before heading out.
"Mikasa! Wait!" Armin called out, but it was no use. She was already gone. Carla sighed.
"She may be stoic and not that expressive, but that doesn't necessarily make her all the more impulsive or emotionally-driven." Lily stated.
"You can say that again." Carla added, exasperated. Armin looked down, contemplating everything. He made up his mind and equipped his gear as well.
"Wendy, Carla, Lily." He said, getting the other's attention. "Are you three going to be alright looking after Master Makarov by yourselves?" He questioned.
"We'll be fine Armin. If something happens, we can take the master out." Lily answered, the girls agreeing with him.
"What about you? You and Mikasa just woke up. You shouldn't be rushing into battle so soon." Carla argued.
"It's alright. We weren't that injured from our last fight and that moment's rest is all that we need to get back on our feet." He walked over to the direction Mikasa sprinted in and looked backed.
"We'll be back soon. If anything happens." Armin gave them a signal flare and a flare gun. "Fire that off, and we'll be back as soon as possible." Wendy looked at the gun and took it, nodding her head in agreement. With that settled, Armin followed his comrades into the forest.
Present Time
With that explained, they united groups looked at their enemies.
"Who's the girl, and the tubby with her?" Mikasa questioned.
"Their members of the Seven Kin." Lucy answered swiftly, shocking the soldiers.
'Just like Zancrow. If that's the case, what kind of Lost Magic do they wield?' Armin thought. His experience in the recent battle with the Dark Guild's God Slayer left him on edge. If he was that tough, he didn't even want to imagine what these two were capable of.
"Guess we're going with two-on-one each." Natsu stated.
"Looks like it." Lucy said.
"As I was saying." Natsu coughed. "Ready for that truce?" Natsu asked, already having a feeling on what his partner's answer would be.
"Man, teaming up with you guys brings back memories." Lucy tied her hair up in a little bun to the side.
"Reminds me of our first adventure back in Hargeon." Happy fixed his backpack and threw it over his back again.
*Laugh* "I'm all fired up now!" Natsu put his hair up, steaming coming out.
Natsu and Lucy high-fived, Happy jumping behind them in excitement.
"Are you ready, Lucy?"
"You know it, Natsu."
"Don't forget about me!"
Armin and Mikasa looked at the trio and looked down. While they were happy the three were together, it just reminded them of a simpler time. Where it was just them and someone else. Someone that they missed dearly.
'No, we can't think about that now. If we want a chance at winning, we have to take down the Seven Kin of Purgatory, even if it has to be one by one. One of them is already out of the picture. If we can beat this guy, only five will remain.' Armin monologue in his head.
"I have Lord Zeref with me. I will take him to Master Hades so we can continue our plans. I'll leave this quintet to you. Destroy them." Ultear announced, getting Kain to gasp out in shock.
"Really? That's great news! I didn't know you had him!" He got out. Ultear turned to him and nodded. She began walking away until Natsu spoke up again.
"Oh no, we can't let her get away with him. If she does, then we're screwed. They want to bring about some "Grand Magic World" and kill all non-wizards." Lucy explained. Natsu wasn't having it.
"That sorry sack of tears still has to pay for what he did to my scarf! No way am I letting him leave!" Natsu charged forward, only to be pushed back by a hard palm strike from Kain.
"No, Natsu!" Happy shouted.
"Kill them quickly. We have no time to waste. Show them the full fury of the Seven Kin. Head back to the ship after you decorated the forest with their entrails." Ultear ordered as she sprinted.
"No way! I have an empty stomach to fill. The main course has just been served with a and there won't be any leftovers to decorate with." Kain threatened, taking a sumo like position.
*Heh* "Bring it on!" Natsu grinned, seeing Kain loom upon him, ready to crush him. The Dragon Slayer dodged it effortlessly.
"I got the porker with Armin and Happy Lucy!" Natsu called out.
"Guess that means we're going after her. Let's go Mikasa." Lucy said, the oriental girl nodding, using her ODM gear to chase down Ultear. She stopped when Lucy was frozen solid.
"Lucy?"
"Hey, what are you doing?! She's going to get away!" Natsu called out.
"I'm trying to move, but I can't seem to budge!" Lucy shouted back.
Kain gained a smug look as he brought up what looked to be a voodoo doll of some kind… with a piece of blonde hair attached to the top.
"I snagged one of your bristles while I was chasing you earlier." Lucy gasped in shock.
"How did you-?"
"Now that you and Mr. Cursey are connected, it's time to serve your just desserts." Kain said darkly. Lucy gulped as Kain began manipulating the doll's position, which in turn made Lucy copy the exact same movements. Bad things were, they were really painful positions that her body should not be in.
"What's going on? Why is Lucy copying that doll?" Armin muttered.
"Whenever Diaper Man does something with that doll it happens to Lucy too!" Happy pointed out.
"Wow, that's cool." Natsu said, fascinated by the power despite being used by the enemy.
Armin took a better look at the doll, who was named Mr. Cursey. He gasped when he realized what that doll was and what kind of Magic that was.
"Death Curse Magic." Armin whispered. Natsu heard him and wondered what he said.
"Armin?"
"Death Curse Magic." Armin said again, speaking a lot louder this time. "I read about this when I was training with Levy. This is a sub-variant of Curse Magic called "Witching Hour Curse Magic." That doll is very dangerous, and very powerful. It gives someone complete control over another person if that doll has traces of the victim's DNA on it, like their hair. It's only known to affect one individual, but in the right hands, that kind of Magic can change the entire world!" Armin explained hastily, shocking everyone.
"Did you hear that? We're totally screwed." Happy exclaimed, now knowing the danger they were in.
"That's not cool!" Natsu said.
Kain continued messing around, this time making Lucy hop around with her hands on her head to imitate a bunny. Natsu got excited and distracted and wanted to see Lucy tickle herself silly, making her ask him if he wants to die from the ridiculous and inappropriate comment he just made, considering that her body was being used like a life-sized toy with flesh, blood, and feelings.
"I think that's exactly what he should do!" Kain said manically. He lifted Mr. Cursey into the air, Lucy having no choice but to follow its movements. But before he could do so, Mikasa lunged at him, blades drawn at the ready.
"Let her go!" Mikasa shouted. Kain noticed her and jumped out of the way, dodging the blade swings, and taking Lucy with him as she was still connected to Mr. Cursey, screaming her lungs out when she did. Kain retaliated, kicking Mikasa in the side with his giant foot, knocking her to the side.
"Why you!" Natsu growled. Kain looked at him and launched Lucy straight at him, the girl skidding around the ground, only balancing on her heels. Natsu jumped over her and tried to attack the dark mage as well. Unfortunately, Kain was able to manipulate Mr. Cursey in a way that Lucy was forced to counter against him effortlessly before he could do so.
"Are you copping a feel?" Lucy asked, feeling Natsu touching her behind. She kicked him in the face, courtesy of Kain's actions.
"You deserved that one." Lucy admitted.
'I don't think that was intentional, Lucy.' Armin thought, knowing that it was just a coincidence that Natsu's hand landed… there. Happy was surprised at how easily Lucy was handling Natsu, reminding him of another woman very similar to her, but with a different personality.
"What the heck are you doing, Lucy?!" Natsu shouted. Lucy looked embarrassed as she tried to explain.
"It's not me! It's some creepy doll!" Immediately after she said that, she was forced to punch Natsu straight in the face, much to her shock.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" She said repeatedly, having no control over her body as she continued to punch her teammate.
"Okay, this isn't as fun as it looked." Natsu said annoyed, feeling the blows, but was not more irritated than hurt by them. Having enough, he restrained Lucy to prevent her from moving.
"Would you stay still already?!" He exclaimed. "Jeez, when did you get so strong? Either you've been doing extra push-ups or that doll is giving you a major boost!"
"Don't you two have any decency?! Quit being cuddly and cute in the middle of a fight!" Kain shouted, misinterpreting the scene.
"We're not doing anything, you perv!" Both Fairy Tail mages shouted. Happy thought otherwise.
'Whatever, they're totally in love." He teased. Kain didn't like how the scene in front of him looked, despite the two fairies making it clear that it wasn't what it looked like. So he decided to twist the misunderstanding into a more violent and warped version of a couple sharing their love, quite literally.
The scouts watched at the serious, yet somehow funny display of Kain controlling Lucy's body, making her twist Natsu into a human pretzel of various shapes.
"They do realize we're in the middle of a fight, right?" Armin asked Mikasa. She shrugged, before both went back to watching the ridiculous scene. The strategist continued watching the scene, taking in the absolute absurdity of it. Armin shook his head. He needed to concentrate, and while the enemy was distracted…
"Solid Script: Chains!"
The word appeared in mid-air, being made completely out of solid, metal chains. The word unformed and wrapped around Kain's body, making sure to restrain him and anchor his arms and legs to the ground separately and as a whole.
"What the! Where did these come from?!" He cried out. Everyone else looked to Armin, who had a tense, but focused expression.
"Happy! Now!" Armin called out. The blue cat wondered what he met, but it only took a second to realize what he was talking about.
"On it!" He called back. The feline activated his Aera Magic, summoning his wings and flew over the dark mage, grabbing the doll out of his hands.
"Mr. Cursey! Why does everything I love always run away?!" Kain whined.
"I got the doll, what do you want me to do with it?" Happy asked.
"Keep that doll out of his hands and away from him at all times! We can't let him control Lucy or any of us. Remove Lucy's strand so she's no longer tied to the doll!" Armin ordered.
"Got it." Happy complied, taking the strand out of Mr. Cursey, freeing Lucy from its control. Lucy sighed in relief.
"Glad that's over." She said, happy that her body can't be used like a human rag doll anymore.
Kain groaned loudly, using his unnatural strength to break through the chains like paper.
"You think you got what it takes to go toe-to-toe with me and my guild. I'll eat you up and spit you back out!" He threatened, getting everyone to be on their guard, narrowing their eyes on him.
Ultear strolled by, carrying the prized possession that her guild had been after. While she did this, she couldn't shake the image that appeared in one of her time orbs.
'My magic can see infinite possibilities for practically anything. Multiple futures that spring from a single source. But what was that?' Ultear thought to herself. That particular orb left an impression on her that she couldn't easily shake no matter how much she wanted. It gave off a different feeling than the other possible timelines.
'Whatever that was, I'm sure it won't come to pass. After all, once Lord Zeref will be under our control, the Grand Magic World will soon become a reality and I can finally get what I've been desiring for so long. And that future, will not take effect.'
The time mage shook her head. Any issues she had about what the time orb contained can be worried about later. Right now, she needs to make sure that their savior and future leader of the Grand Magic World gets back to her guild's airship where he will be safe and sound.
Ultear continued dragging the Black Wizard along, unaware that someone was tracking her every move.
Kain stared at the five before him. He figured that the two with the green cloaks are the Scouts that Fairy Tail took in a month ago. It didn't matter to him. He would crush them all like insects all the same. Lucy glared intensely at the man, remembering that trouble he gave her ever since he tried to crush her head while she was asleep.
"I tried to hold him off, but he took out every one of my spirits like they were nothing." Lucy confessed. This surprised the others.
'Not even the Celestial Spirits could put a dent in this guy?' Armin thought. This was becoming like the Zancrow fight all over again. The boy gritted his teeth. He would not make that same mistake again.
"Lucy." He said, getting the girl's attention. "Do you have any Magic Power left?" He asked the other blonde.
"Just a small amount." She replied. Armin took this information in and sorted it out in his head. "Lucy, at the right moment, I want you to summon any spirits you haven't yet. We'll give you cover, but you need to make that last bit of Magic Power count. We'll handle this guy and try to wear him down. When we do, hit him with everything you got." He instructed. Lucy was stunned by Armin's tactical prowess, but nodded with a serious expression. She took out another Golden Key, this one with the teeth being reminiscent of a fancy spade.
"Mikasa, Natsu. You two take him head-on, I'll provide support from the sidelines. Keep your distance and don't get yourself in a position where he can grab a strand of your hair." Armin ordered. The two combatants agreed in understanding.
"Right." Mikasa affirmed. Natsu gritted his teeth and cracked his knuckles.
"Let's rumble." He said in glee. Kain narrowed his eyes.
"You wizards and your blue dog won't be able to do a thing to me!" All of sudden, he launched forward at a surprising speed, not unlike a rocket. This caught everyone off guard, forcing them to dodge lest they be squashed by the big man. Kain landed on his feet and faced the group again, taking another battle stance.
"Even without Mr. Cursey by my side, I'm still a force to be reckoned with!" Natsu took that as a challenge.
"Oh yeah bub, then bring it!" Natsu ran forward, intending to lay the smack down to the tubby. But he was caught off guard by the speed of his opponent who was right in front of him in what seemed to be in a second, headbutting the Dragon Slayer in the process.
Natsu grunted in pain, looking to see that Kain was already preparing another attack.
"You think some wimpy guild and their wimpy soldier friends can go toe-to-toe with the likes of us!" Kain shouted, striking Natsu with another one of his powerful palm strikes.
"I don't get it! How is he so fast?!" Natsu exclaimed, not expecting his opponent's weight to betray what people might initially think of his speed. He crashed into a tree and jumped back onto his feet.
Mikasa flew into the air using her gear, then descended down, intending to perform a deep, and clean cut. Kain noticed her from the corner of his eyes, and managed to bend his body at an angle that allowed the blades to swiftly miss him. Mikasa gasped at her evaded attack, only to get struck with a heavy blow, knocking her back into another tree.
The girl got up, her back aching. Thankfully her gear was still intact, but another blow like that and it had the chance to be dismantled. She gritted her teeth at the toughness of her opponent.
"Not this again." Mikasa cursed. She was still reeling from her loss against Grimoire Heart's God Slayer, she was not going to lose to another member of the Kin, no matter how strong they were. She held her blades to the side and stared murderously at the one of the Kin of Purgatory.
"My specialty is cutting meat. If you would like a proper demonstration of my talents, why don't you step right up? What do you say, tubby?" Mikasa said menacingly. Her words and the murderous expression was scary enough to frighten Kain, even her teammates.
"Terrifying." Lucy murmured, the look on the black-haired girl's face making her shiver a little.
"Mikasa is possessed!" Happy shouted, comedically flying around with an equally comedic horrified facial expression, something that his best friend shared.
Armin saw his best friend and grew worried for her.
"Mikasa". He said softly. Her words and posture were almost an exact replica of her actions for when Eren's power was discovered and everyone was threatening to kill him, her default protective nature over him reaching its extreme to the point she was willing to turn her own blades on her people and fellow soldiers if it meant keeping him safe.
"Who the hell are you calling "tubby" you insane swordswoman?!" Kain screamed, pointing dramatically.
"That's it. You're getting it now." With that threat, Kain sprinted forward. Mikasa glared at him intently, keeping her eyes on him while standing still. She didn't move until he was in close range.
When Kain came close, Mikasa jumped up in the air and struck him with her blades, leaving behind two deep gashes on his back. Kain cried out in pain, looking over his shoulder at the perpetrator of his recent injuries.
"Why you!" Kain gritted his teeth, intending to pay back the Scout and pay her back hard. Mikasa just kept her eyes on him, not giving him any chance to catch her off guard.
Kain was about to move again, when he felt something coming from his side.
"Solid Script: Ice!"
Kain screamed in pain again, feeling an intense, freezing sensation on the side of his hip. He felt that side of his body, feeling something hard and smooth. He looked down and saw that entire section of his body was covered in ice. He looked up and saw Armin, holding out a Magic Pen.
Kain gritted his teeth even more, so much so that they were on the verge of breaking. He was not going to be beat by some magic wannabe newbies that have no comprehension of the power they were given.
His brief distraction left him wide-open. Seeing her chance, Mikasa clasped her hands together and transferred her magic to her swords. She stabbed them into the ground, creating an icy aura that traveled from the blades to the rocky surface.
"Ice-Make: Trailblade!"
A line made out of the solid element emerged from where the swords were stabbed, heading towards its target. Kain watched as the trail sped towards him, his recent wounds slowing down his general speed, including his reaction speed.
When the trail made contact with its target, a burst of solid, ice blades protruded from the ground, knocking Kain in the air and leaving behind many puncture wounds in their wake.
"Burn him, Natsu!" Mikasa shouted. Natsu grinned.
"I'm on it!" He responded, jumping in the air. He lit both fists on fire and chanted.
"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" Fiery whips emerged from his hands, acting as an extension of his appendages. He collided them with the big member of the Kin, knocking him back considerably while leaving behind burnt marks on his body, also melting the ice from earlier which did more damage when it melted, resulting in a scalding wound on Kain's hip.
The dark mage crashed into another tree, his huge weight and mach-like speed enough for it to break near the stump, looking like it was just struck by a rogue lightning bolt. The sumo wrestler got back up, holding his hands over the new wounds.
"You fairies and scouts are really going to get it now!" He shouted, reaching under his cloak. Everyone tensed, waiting to see what he was getting before making their move.
"Ta-da!" Everyone blinked when he revealed another Mr. Cursey, only this one has a "2" on his forehead.
"He has another one!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Yep, I call him "Mr Cursey the Second!" Kain replied happily.
"The second?" Armin pondered.
"Exactly! I always keep a spare on me for occasions just like this!" The dark mage added. His expression then turned dark.
"Now that my prized possession is back in my hands, you will get what's coming to you for all that you've done to me." Mikasa glared back at him.
"You brought this on yourself when you decided to attack us and our allies. You and your guild have no one to blame but yourselves." Mikasa argued, not like the lack of personal responsibility the dark mage had. Kain ignored her, but turned to the woman with a piercing gaze in his eyes.
"Since you were the one that wanted to cut me up in pieces badly, you'll be the first one to go." Kain lunged at the soldier, positioning his body to propel himself forward like a rocket. Mikasa tried to activate her gear again, but Kain predicted the movement and aimed for the cable line, grabbing it in his big hands before it could connect with something.
Mikasa gasped, then felt her body move on its own. She was flung to the other side of the clearing, hitting some trees on the arc, then crashing into the ground.
"Mikasa!" Armin, Lucy, and Happy shouted. Natsu gritted his teeth, seething in anger when he glanced at the intruder.
"Mikasa!" Armin shouted again. The girl heard his voice, looking over towards him. "Get out of there, and keep your hood up! We can't give him a chance to get any of our hair!" He ordered urgently, pulling up his own hood. Mikasa nodded and did the same.
Kain was still closing in on her location, and he was too close for her to try and get out of there. Mikasa gritted her teeth, readying her blades and ice magic. Kain was right on top of her, but he didn't get a chance to do anymore than that.
"Fire Dragon Roar!" The mage was knocked to the side by a beam of fire. Mikasa looked over and saw embers faintly smoldering inside of Natsu's mouth. He gave her a grin and thumbs-up, telling her that he's got her back. Mikasa nodded and used her gear to reunite with the others.
"Lucy, is your Magic Power still there?" Armin asked. Lucy nodded.
"Yeah. It's waning a bit, but I still have enough to cast a single spell left." She confirmed. Armin nodded back, looking back at their opponent.
'He's injured, but that body of his is durable. Still, he's taken substantial damage. If we can just land a few more attacks on him, maybe even force him to defend himself or dodge to drain his energy.' Armin said internally.
Kain got back up, still standing even with the damage he's taken. He dusted himself up, then held the second Mr. Cursey doll in his hand, having all the intent to use it.
"Natsu, Mikasa. Keep hitting him hard. If we can stack up the damage just a little more, we can take him down." Armin ordered, the two understanding what needed to be done.
"Got it. Let's go Mikasa!" Natsu said, the girl tilting her head in understanding.
The duo swarmed the Grimoire Heart member. Kain kept his eyes on his enemies, not letting them leave his line of sight as he prepared his counterattack.
"You think you can beat me just because you've taken me down a notch?" Kain said. Natsu and Mikasa didn't respond, only focusing on taking down the Kin of Purgatory. Mikasa took the first move, shooting an anchor at Kain while his back was turned. Kain flinched as he felt his body being tugged, the cable tightening up into a taut. Mikasa angled herself and pressed the second trigger, moving the cables inside her gear to reel herself in towards her target.
Mikasa held her blades at her side, waiting for them to cut up Kain into pieces. She expelled more gas from the main body of the ODM gear to increase her speed, not wanting Kain to get the jump on her and have a chance to detach the cable again.
"I don't think so!" Kain screamed. Mikasa gritted her teeth when she felt her cable being moved. She was flung back again, but she wasn't going to go down that easily.
"Ice-Make:" Mikasa clasped her hands again, utilizing her new magic that she gained from this new world. The soldier held her hands out, from which a single tower of icy spike emerged, catching Kain off guard. He jumped up to avoid getting stabbed by the pointy tips again, but still had no intention of letting Mikasa go.
He swung the wiring to the side, making Mikasa crash into Natsu just as he was about to go on the offensive. Both flew back, but they separated and landed on their feet, or in Natsu's case, landing on all fours. They got up and stared down at Kain.
"Mikasa, go up close and cut him up. I got him from a range." Natsu suggested.
"Don't have to tell me twice." Mikasa responded. She went into the trees to catch Kain off guard while Natsu made sure to keep his eyes on him at all times. Kain responded to the intense look in his adversary's eyes with his own deep gaze.
"Where's your friend?" He asked mockingly. Natsu didn't answer right away, looking through the treetops for his comrade. The corners of his mouth went up when he saw a shadow moving as a blur through the leaves.
"I wouldn't worry about that. I'm your opponent, bub! So I'm coming at you!" Natsu crossed his arms, gathering in a huge breath of air before letting it out.
"Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu emitted another beam of fire from his jaw, racing towards its target. Kain noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Knowing what was up, he got ready.
Mikasa had him and was about to strike Kain down using her ice-covered blades. Right when she was about to slash at him, he phased out.
"What the!" Mikasa muttered. What was more surprising was that Natsu suddenly appeared in his place.
"What, hey!" Natsu said. Mikasa couldn't stop her blade swings in time, so Natsu had to catch her arms before she would unintentionally hurt one of her teammates. They landed on the ground harshly, landing on their feet so hard they felt the energy transfer through their legs, causing pain in the process.
"What just happened?" Mikasa asked, speaking for everyone, including those that were watching on the sidelines.
"Hahaha!" The group heard laughter, moving their heads at the source. They were shocked to see Kain not that far from them. The bizarre thing however, was that he was in the same exact position that Natsu was just in.
"It's another power that wields! By putting two hairs on him from different people, I'm allowed to switch places with them at any point in time!" Kain explained gleefully. This surprised everyone.
"It had that ability?!' Lucy exclaimed.
"To think that "Mr. Cursey" doll had that much power. I'm starting to think that magic really is one that can change the course of the world." Armin monlogued. He sweatdropped, thinking of what kind of havoc that type of Magic could wield if it was taken to its absolute extreme limits.
"Now that we are linked, you can't hurt me without risking hurting your friend!" Kain challenged. He squeezed Mr. Cursey the Second, activating the connection between it and Natsu as well as himself, causing them both an incredible amount of pain, although Kain was able to endure it much more strongly. Natsu on the other hand was acting like he just got caught in between the collision of two sliding walls.
"Natsu!" Mikasa shouted.
The Dragon Slayer couldn't move his body on his own due to the overwhelming crushing sensation. The soldier snarled as she glared heavily at the fat mage. Kain only grinned sadistically, crushing Mr. Cursey the Second even further, which was felt by Natsu. He lifted the doll, making Natsu float in the air, before launching him into the cliffside. The cliff broke into many small fragments and soon was buried underneath a pile of rubble. Everyone looked in horror at how easily Natsu was dealt with.
"And now for the finishing touch." Kain concluded, putting his index finger and thumb on both sides of the voodoo doll's head. Everybody's eyes widened.
"No, don't do it!" Lucy cried out.
"Stop, don't!" Armin screamed out.
Kain grinned as he was about to finish off Natsu for good. Until he realized that the doll was missing, only seeing an outline of where it was.
"I got it!" Happy cheered. The others cheered alongside him.
"Nice one, Happy!" Armin shouted.
"Well done." Mikasa added. Lucy and Natsu also cheered for their teammate. He was about to fly over to hand the doll to his teammates, only to be blown away by a crushing voice.
"Give me back, Mr. Cursey!" Kain shrilled. The blue cat cartwheeled comedically, screaming at the top of his lungs. The doll flew through the air, landing beside the rubble.
Lucy saw the doll and was about to go for it. However, she also noticed its owner trying to get his large paw on it as well.
"I'm not going to let that happen." Lucy took out her whip and used it to strike Kain, inflicting pain and causing him to stumble back.
"I don't think so!" Lucy added. She followed up her initial attack with more literal whiplashes, striking the Kin from all angles. Once that was done, Lucy used her weapon to wrap around Kain's neck, tightening it around his windpipe.
"Oh, this sucks." Kain said, still trying to move and breath even with the lethal piece of leather still trying to stop him. Lucy tried to hold her ground, but the dark mage was simply too big and she felt herself getting pulled along with him. Eventually, he broke free and Lucy tripped on the ground. She lifted her head and saw Kain moving again.
"Freeze, tubby!" She screamed. The Celestial Spirit mage used her whip to wrap around one of Kain's legs and pulled on it hard, causing him to trip as well and fall face first into the dirt.
"Nice one, Lucy!" Natsu cheered.
"Alright, way to go!" Happy said happily alongside him. Armin and Mikasa smiled, glad that their friend was able to get in a few moves of her own and managed to immobilize him.
Lucy smirked, cracking her whip. "Just doing my thing."
She walked over to where the doll was and was about to retrieve it until she got knocked back the same way as her feline companion.
"Lucy!" Everyone shouted. The blonde was dealt a large blow, the pain taking its toll on her body and making it hard for her to get up. What's worse was that the perpetrator behind that attack was standing right above her. Kain grabbed her head and smashed her into the ground.
Mikasa rushed to try and free her, but Kain just held the Celestial Spirit Mage up, making her stop in her tracks.
"Not another move, otherwise I'm going to pop her pretty little head just like a balloon." The dark mage threatened. Mikasa gritted her teeth, giving the overweight a murderous glare.
"It doesn't matter, it's not like I wasn't already going to do that. And after I'm done with her, the rest of you will be next. You'll all be humps of blood and gore by the time I'm done here." Kain hushed, his goofy and dumb demeanor all but gone.
Everyone stood still, not wanting to make this worse for their captured comrade. Natsu flailed like a beached whale, not making any progress in freeing himself from his pebble prison. "Lucy, you gotta get out of here! Run!"
"NO! I refuse!" Lucy shouted back, getting everyone's attention.
"I wouldn't rather be anywhere else. I would rather be sitting here, with you." Lucy lifted her head, giving a genuine, but pained smile with her eyes closed. that she used her remaining strength to muster, despite the physical limitations that her body was being pushed too.
Everyone gasped at the declaration. Natsu's eyes softened, while Mikasa's eyes widened. Those words struck her more than she could realize.
'Lucy.'
The Dragon Slayer then noticed something on the ground next to him, or to be more accurate: Two things in particular.
The young Heartfilia thought this was the end for her…. until she felt her body move on its own. Without warning, Lucy turned her body and kicked Kain square in the jaw, sending the tubby flying and far away from her.
"What the-" Armin stopped when he saw Mr. Cursey, in Natsu's hands.
"Armin! Mikasa! On my move!" Natsu called out. The soldiers tilted their heads and rushed at the dark mage.
"Don't you mean "my" move?" Lucy corrected, since it was her body doing the heavy lifting. Literally.
"Good point." Natsu admitted, using the cursed doll to control Lucy again, this time to fight back and finish this thing. After noticing the second Mr. Cursey Doll next to him, he put two-and-two together and removed the hairs on it, replacing it with a strand of Lucy's. Thanks to his experience in combat, Natsu was able to use Lucy's body to aim, duck, and strike at the perfect time, allowing her to easily overwhelm Kain.
"Hey, quit it!" Kain complained, not being used to this type of beatdown before. During all of this, Mikasa managed to sneak past him, and obtained what she needed.
"I'll take this." Mikasa stated, taking the doll from Natsu's hand much to his displeasure. The soldier took out Lucy's hair, and replaced it with a strand of Kain's.
"Let's see how you like being used as a toy." The raven-haired girl said. Kain started sweating nervously, looking fearful. Mikasa didn't hesitate, bending Mr. Cursey in half behind his back, forcing its owner to do that same position that didn't do his physical anatomy any favors.
"OOAAHAHA.' Kain moaned. Mikasa wasn't done with him. She took Mr. Cursey's right arm and put it behind back, making sure to put a lot of pressure, pressure that Kain Hikau felt.
"Ow! Give me back Mr. Cursey you witch!" He shouted, his temper increasing. He sprinted towards the cadet and was about to strike her with another one of his powerful palm attacks. Until she stared at him with a blank face.
"You want it." She threw the doll in the air as hard as she could, taking the mage with it.
"Go get it."
Kain did many backflips in midair, only stopping after he collided face-first into the side of a sturdy tree. Armin caught the doll and squeezed it in his hand to prevent Kain from making a move.
"Open! Gate of the Maiden: Virgo!" Lucy shouted, holding out her key. A bright light appeared from the mystical object. In its place, a young maiden with pink hair and blue eyes appeared, ready to serve her mistress.
"At your service, Princess. What assistance do you need?" Virgo asked.
"Take him down, Virgo. Hit him with everything you have!" Lucy ordered. Virgo faced the person in question, readying herself for battle.
"Your wish is my command, Princess." The maid complied. Virgo immediately got to work, rushing at Kain with a graceful speed. Kain could only watch as the pinkette charged at him.
"I'm gonna get beaten by a girl again?! What is this?!" Kain didn't have time to ponder when the Celestial Spirit kicked him straight in the face, knocking him back a considerable distance.
"Diver!" Virgo went underground, swimming through the surface. She shot up, kicking the dark mage in the chin.
"Spica Lock!" Virgo put her hands on the ground, summoning rocks to trap the Kin of Purgatory in a sphere. She jumped up and continued her assault.
"Spica Hole!" The maid put her hands together above her head and slammed them down on the sphere, shoving Kain through the sphere and into the ground in the spot below. Making a pit below on impact.
"And for the finishing touches. Spica Swirl!" The pit suddenly began turning into itself, creating a quicksand-like vortex that had Kain in its grasp. He was soon flung out of it and into the air, spinning like a cartwheel while screaming at the top of his lungs.
"Now Armin!" Mikasa shouted.
"On it!" Armin replied. He took out his Magic Pen, and wrote another magic word.
"Solid Script: Ice!" He shouted, the word turning into its element and blasting at the dark mage. Mikasa got up close, making contact with the ice using her hands.
"Ice-Make: Chakrams!" Using the ice from Armin's Letter Magic, she created the two thin, but big and sharp rings, sliced and diced with them, leaving behind many cuts on Kain's body.
Kain screamed from the recent attacks. He never expected the little scouts to be able to do this much damage to him, but they proved to be a lot tougher than he gave them credit for. He didn't have time to worry about that though. Kain saw a massive fireball heading his way, a fireball that was letting out a very loud wail.
Lucy let out a loud screech, kicking Kain square in the face with both legs at top speed with the fire giving her a massive boost in strength. The man is sent flying to the ground before he finally stops, lying down for good.
Everyone stood there, breathing heavily. They looked at the grievously injured body of Kain and were glad that he was out for the count. Lucy and Happy got on their knees while Armin hunched over, still taking deep breaths. Mikasa kept her posture, but was just as exhausted as the others.
Happy stopped when he felt a malicious presence. He looked up and saw Mikasa giving him a murderous glare that made him flinch, reminding of the ones that Lucy or Erza would throw at him.
"Playtime's over, Happy." Mikasa spoke. "Hand over the doll." Happy gave off a soft-pitched screech.
"Yes, ma'am." He said defeatedly. Lucy was relieved that she wasn't pushing yoga to the limits.
"Thanks Mikasa." She said in gratitude, in which the silent girl nodded.
"Don't mention it." She replied.
Once Mikasa had Mr. Cursey, she looked over to see Natsu trapped under the rubble. They were about to pull him out, until Armin spoke up.
"Hey, can't you burn away the rock with your fire, Natsu?" Natsu blinked and gave off an "oh yeah!", making everyone groan at his short-sightedness. Virgo was still around however.
"Wait, let me help." The maiden said. Using her prowess with Earth Magic, she was able to dig a hole from underneath the rubble and set Natsu free.
"Thanks Virgo." The Dragon Slayer said. The maid bowed.
"It was my pleasure."
Once that was done, the quintet tried to reconvene and plan out their next move. They headed back to the tree where the Black Wizard was at, only to find him missing.
"He's gone?" Armin inquired. Natsu sniffed the air and assumed that they were at the location, but couldn't be able to track them, figuring that they were masking the scent somehow. Lucy brought up the fact that Cana was missing, but despite that, they had to deal with Zeref and his overzealous followers first.
She explained that Grimoire Heart's plan revolving around their perfect "Grand Magic World" hinges completely on Zeref himself. Natsu complained about the tediousness and difficulty in trying to take over the world, but vowed to find them so that they can deal some serious payback for what they did to Fairy Tail's master and invading their sacred ground. Lucy questioned how the Dark Guild got here, but they realized that they had to have their own airship, where the dark-haired woman was possibly taking Zeref. She asked Happy if he could fly to scout over the region, but unfortunately the cat was out of Magic Power. Natsu suggested that they go back and see how Makarov was doing, saying that Carla and Lily could take care of it.
Before they left, Mikasa walked beside Natsu and had a word with him.
"Natsu, the others told me you ran off again." Mikasa stated. Natsu turned to her, puzzled on why she was bringing it up.
"Yeah. Why?" He asked. Mikasa suddenly put her hand on his shoulder, getting him to stop.
"Please, don't do that again. Not if you can help it." She said seriously, getting Natsu to gasp. "We can't afford to lose you, so please, don't go sprinting in at the first sight of danger. Got it?" Mikasa ended sharply.
Natsu stared at her, taken aback. He didn't know what to think of this.
Natsu was aware that he is incredibly reckless, always charging without a second thought. It was just part of his nature. It seemed to be the more simple and better solution to him, straightforward, to the point, and it gets him in on the action. Although, it did get him into trouble plenty of times. But at the same time, that recklessness or need to take action immediately was necessary. There just isn't always going to be the time to wait around and plan things out, and while going in without knowing what to do is bad, standing or sitting around trying to come up with a solution and not doing anything at all can be just as bad, even worse. It's not a clear case of one being better than the other.
But this. He didn't know what to think of this. Mikasa was asking him to be more careful, getting on him like a scolding mother would. While he would usually be carefree about this, the way Mikasa asked him left the Dragon Slayer feeling confused, more so than normal.
"Got it." Natsu replied softly. Mikasa stared at him for a moment, then backed off, seemingly satisfied with his answer for now. Natsu stared back at her, still contemplating on what he was just told. He shook his head. He needed to focus on defeating Grimoire Heart and their master first.
The five headed back to base, feeling exhausted but refreshed that they were able to defeat another one of the Seven despite how hard it was. Lucy and Virgo were chatting amongst themselves, with the latter suggesting that the former get a new change of clothes for the time being since they were all torn from the fighting that's been going on recently. And for the soldiers, they felt comforted by the fact that they were able to redeem themselves and grow stronger with this new experience. They still have four left and the guild master to take out, but they were able to finally see that silver lining that was invisible to them before.
They won't fail.
Magic:
Armin;
Solid Script;
Solid Script: Chains: The user writes the word "chain", creates a bundle of chains that can be used for various purposes. The more the user trains, the more chains that can be summoned in various lengths and the stronger they will be
Solid Script: Ice: The user writes the word "ice", allowing the user to freeze an object or opponent, or hit them with a large block of ice. The more the user trains, the stronger the freezing capabilities will be, the more the range the ice and cover, and the stronger and more durable the ice itself will be
Mikasa;
Ice-Make;
Ice-Make: Trailblade: The user stabs either their hands, or a weapon into the ground, forming a continuous line of ice that when it connects with a target, will result in a small ice explosion and a big clump of ice blades protruding from the ground
Virgo;
Earth Magic;
Spica Swirl: The user manipulates the surface of the earth, contorting it to create an underground whirlwind whose top has reached the surface. It behaves similarly to quicksand, immobilizing the target while also pulling them in deeper. Can be used with an existing pit in the ground or the user can generate one on their own
Author's Note:
Hey yah. It's been a while. I left you hanging, didn't I?
I'll get to the point. I didn't work on any of the chapters during January. Why? Two reasons.
One, I wanted to take a break and not worry myself with trying to get a new chapter out, because that would lead to a poorly-written, rushed chapter that wouldn't satisfy anyone.
And Two, I wanted to wait until more people saw the story before releasing new chapters. Have you ever heard about how people's enjoyment is diluted when they binge-watch shows? Well that can be applied to fanfiction as well and although I'm obviously not releasing chapters daily or a lot all at once, I was wondering if that played a part in why people weren't interested in reading my story. When I released Chapters 8-10, I wasn't getting any new readers. No reviews, no favorites, no follows, nothing. So I stopped for a while to let people discover my story on their own. At the very least, I'm glad I waited as more people did notice A Happy Ending even for a little bit if the slight increase in follows, favorites, and reviews are of any indication.
I did try to work on this during February, but because of college and some other factors, I wasn't able to release any chapters, so I apologize for that. Really, my biggest problem is me actually sitting still and trying to write the whole thing out even if I have it clearly in my head. I usually like to imagine things rather than actually doing them, so there's that too.
Besides that, I hoped you enjoyed the chapter and what I introduced into the story. I tried to alter the Kain fight to not only allow a chance for Mikasa and Armin to redeem themselves from their fight with Zancrow, but to also show more of what they can do with their magic. I also wanted to give Lucy a chance in the spotlight and have her, and by extension Virgo, get their shot at defeating a powerful opponent. Virgo was also meant to be summoned in canon as Lucy's last Zodiac spirit, but she wasn't able to due to the lack of Magic Power. Thankfully, she still had some left this time to help defeat a member of the Seven Kin, while we see insight on her Spirit's abilities. It may not be much now, but things will get better down the road. We'll be heading near the midpoint of the Tenrou Island arc, so look forward to the battles to come.
Also, since a guest reviewer asked something, I'll do my best to answer.
First off, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but no Erza will not be getting "giant" powers and she will not replace the Colossal Titan. I said in previous chapters that I intend to give more depth to the Nine Titans and all aspects surrounding them and the Titans in general, and the Colossal is no exception. It would also feel wrong to remove it as Bertolt's Colossal Titan is one of the most iconic figures in Attack on Titan, maybe being beaten by Eren's Attack Titan.
I also mentioned that I would expand more on Fairy Tail's Magic, including Erza's Requip. So I will not only be improving and expanding more on her current armor and weapons, but also give her new ones that will appear later in the story. So there is a good chance you might see her with similar "powers" to the Colossal, but she will not replace it.
If I had to answer the second question, I can think of two scenarios depending on how Erza's giant size is depicted.
- When it comes to giant characters (and big creatures in general), the rule of thumb is that they trade off their giant size with their speed. There are some exceptions to this of course, the Titans for example being a good case, not counting the very large ones like the Colossal itself. If Erza was under this restriction, she would be a sitting duck. As powerful as her armors are, you'll notice that a lot of them leave her exposed. Now this isn't because Erza's stupid, it's for fanservice, but since we're talking about Attack on Titan here, stuff like that's going to be played straight. The only armors that the Survey Corps wouldn't be able to get through would be her Adamantine Armor, Giant Armor, Farewell Fairy Tail Armor, and the armor she used against Kyoka when she escaped, known as the Piercing Armor in the wiki. The others either have very vulnerable areas that can be easy to attack, mainly the legs and chest, with the belly and arms also being exposed depending on the armor, or the armor itself being made out of clothes, which the Scout's blades can easily cut through
There is no way the Scouts wouldn't take advantage of their superior speed and relentlessly attack the exposed sections since Erza wouldn't be able to keep up with them. This is something they actually did when fighting against the Armored Titan in the Clash of the Titan's arc when Reiner had to break the sections behind the knees to increase his speed, and the Colossal was too big to actually land a hit on the them, being forced to use it's steam emission ability to protect itself. Another thing to take note of here is that with a few exceptions, Titans, including Titan Shifters in their Titan bodies, can't feel pain. Erza, for all the mass amount of durability and endurance she has, doesn't have that perk, and the pain would quickly pile up, especially if large sections of her body are carved out. Also, Levi and Mikasa are with the Scouts, which is self-explanatory.
- If her size doesn't affect her speed, then it's an easy win for her as the Scouts would not be able to outmaneuver or outmatch her.
This isn't me taking sides, I'm just trying to reach a plausible conclusion as best as I can when evaluating all the factors from both parties.
Also, I'm sorry if this sounds harsh and this probably wasn't your intention, but I feel that it would just be a cheap and stupid way of making Erza overpowered for no good reason. She is strong, yes, but she would be ridiculously powerful when she shouldn't be.
There's also that fact that other than Natsu and some other moments in the show, Erza is known to have scenes where she was stupidly OP and won a fight she shouldn't win, and depending on who you're asking, if they have all the facts, and if bias plays a part, it can be argued that her moments of "asspulls" or "deus ex machina" are even worse than Natsu's or someone else's. One of those examples being right here in this story arc and being one of the infamous ones.
I like Erza, but there is no way I've giving her something that broken because it just leads to her becoming a Mary Sue and her having a power just because the "story said so", which is a big problem and trend I've noticed when it comes to crossovers, especially if it entails a single character going into another universe and especially if that universe is at it's beginning and the character is at their prime, or if the character all of sudden has powers (sometimes even automatically) from that universe because of "plot". I have no intention of letting that happen to any of the characters in this story. If they do get a power, a reasonable explanation will be given, and if can't right away because of the circumstances, it either be told later or hinted at to leave it to the reader so they can figure it out on their own.
With that said, I'm getting back into the game. I hope this chapter was alright, even if it wasn't much. I'm hoping to really improve once I get more out there and I figure out my craft. The next chapters that will be released in April won't take too long, so be on the lookout for that. Until then, thank you so much to all that have read this story and I'll see you later.