Erza, Mike and Moblit were breathing heavily. They were standing on the thick branches that the trees of Tenrou were capable of. The exhaustion and their recent wounds were beginning to take their effect on their bodies, and the culprit for those recent physical drawbacks wasn't standing that far from them. The man in question was looking quite literally down on them due to his position on a higher tree branch, scrutinizing them with his gaze. The trio's attacks were doing very little against him, and that even if they could land a hit. The Plant user Azuma proved to be an extremely taxing opponent to face, seemingly one of the stronger members of the Seven Kin and no doubt one of Grimoire's strongest fighting forces.
As for Azuma himself, he contemplated the situation at hand. He longed to battle with Titania, Queen of the Fairies. One of Fairy Tail's most powerful wizards the guild has to offer besides the demon Mirajane, Fairy Tail's ace Gildart Clives, and finally the guild master himself Makarov Dreyar. It seemed he would finally get that wish, but instead he got something a little more. His guild was aware of the new allies that Fairy Tail had made around a month ago. A small group of soldiers belonging to a military regiment unheard of known as the Survey Corp, or one of the names the regiment holds, bringing with them a strange equipment that allowed the user to use hooks and a gas container to let them move in a 3-Dimensional Space.
Azuma was about to attack them again until everyone heard more wires. They turned to the direction the sound was coming from.
"Captain Mike!"
They were surprised to see the Special Operation Squad near the tree branches.
"The Levi Squad?" Moblit pondered. The non-soldier mages looked at the squad curiously, although Azuma was a lot more intrigued on their arrival.
'Interesting. I didn't expect to see them again so soon.' Oruo took notice of Azuma and his face morphed into a vengeful scowl.
"You! You'll pay you tree bark bastard!" Oruo threatened, pointing his sword at him to emphasize his threat. Azuma didn't flinch from the remark. He just crossed his arms and looked at them.
"You all seem in good condition. But you all still look worse for wear. Do you really think you still have a chance to defeat me?" The team didn't answer, only scowling at him while giving off hateful glares, not unlike the ones they gave to someone else who they thought might be a threat.
Erza noticed that Azuma talked to the group like there was familiarity among them. "Do you all know this man, Eld?" She addressed her student. Eld nodded.
"Yeah, we ran into him when we were looking for all of you to warn you guys that Grimoire Heart was on their way. We noticed Mirajane and Lisanna at the camp, and tried to warn them. But that's when this guy showed up." Eld explained, gesturing over to the dark mage that was quietly listening to all of this.
Flashback
Mirajane and Lisanna were at the campsite when they saw the smoke flare going off. Immediately after, Mira sensed something in the area.
"Who's there?! Show yourself!" She demanded.
"Unbelievable." The sisters heard a voice and turned around to see a face emerging from the trees. The face then became a whole body as a person protruded from the tree side. Shocked, Mira got in front of her sister.
"First a kid and some cats, now a couple of ladies?" The figure revealed more of his body and the tree-like skin vanished to show his true form.
"Lisanna, stay behind me. This guy is trouble." Mira ordered.
"Come on Sis, I can help you." Lisanna argued.
The figure showed himself, fully separated from the tree he was inhabiting. Before one could say anything, they heard voices calling out to them.
"Lisanna! Mirajane!"
The girls looked over to see some of the Survey Corps soldiers heading towards them from the treetops.
"Eld! Oruo!" Lisanna called out to them.
"Gunther! Petra!" Mira exclaimed, doing the same thing.
The squad landed near them, sheathing their swords in their metal box-like sheaths and walking up to them.
"Are you two, alright?" Petra asked.
"We're fine, but we got company here." Mira turned her gaze back to the intruder, the others following her lead.
"Whose this guy?" Oruo questioned, giving off a confused but somewhat mocking expression.
"I don't know." Lisanna admitted. "He just showed up soon after the smoke flare was fired."
"He has to be with Grimoire Heart. We came to warn you they were attacking, though it looks like you already got the message." Gunter elaborated.
Azuma looked at the group, studying them. He came to this island as the first of his guild to take the island's power, allowing for them to easily destroy Fairy Tail. He has heard of the brigade of soldiers that the guild helped out known as the "Survey Corps", but didn't think too much of them at first.
He glanced down to the equipment that the squad in front of him had. From what he could see, they each had two swords on their person. However on closer inspection, he could see that they had three more in each of their weird, metal boxes that took the place of normal sheaths. They looked broken however and their sides ended with weird, plug-like prongs. He could also see gas tanks that were wielded to the top of the boxes. From there, he could see wires that attached from the boxes to something on the back of their waists, and that the handles also had wires attached to the bottom that connected to hooks positioned on either side of their hips, which were connected to the boxes as well.
Azuma was curious about what the gear could do. This could be a perfect opportunity to test it out.
The Special Ops Squad faced the Kin, assisting the Strauss sisters with trying to defeat the powerful dark mage.
Eld and Gunther went above him, while Oruo and Petra went to the sides. Azuma saw their movement and was impressed with how their gear works. Petra began attacking him with wind while Gunther did the same with sand. Azuma dodged the attacks and soon, Oruo and Eld were on him.
With their swords glowing, Eld and Oruo rushed at the man with their Sword and Dark Ecriture Magic respectively.
But even with their newfound proficiency in their respective magics and all the combat experience and skill they've gained with their repeated battle against the Titans, it wasn't enough.
Azuma easily caught the blades in his hands. With hard kicks and punches to their stomach, he decapitated them, sending them to the ground with aching pain.
"Eld! Oruo!" Petra screamed. Azuma noticed her and sent a barrage of twigs coming her way. Petra could do nothing but cross her arms and defend herself. But the barrage was too much and once it was over, she collapsed all the same.
"Petra!" Gunther shouted, Azuma summoned a large branch and it captured him in its grasp. Flinging his arm, he smashed Gunther into the ground with one blow, injuring him greatly.
The Strauss sisters were horror struck at how effortlessly he dealt with the Levi Squad. Seeing no other choice, Lisanna chained a series of Animal Takeover transformations to try and defeat Azuma herself, impressing Mira since chaining transformations was a high-level technique for a Takeover mage.
But her sister was dealt with in the same way as the squad. Azuma attacked with a bomb and Lisanna was caught up in a bomb with a countdown of three minutes afterwards. The bomb wouldn't go off only if Mira was able to defeat him before the timer ran out. He also made the condition that she had to defeat him in her iconic "Satan Soul" form. Gritting her teeth, she changed into her Demon Takeover Magic, knowing the risks of not being able to use it for long. But she didn't have a choice. She lost her sister once, she wasn't going to lose her a second time! Charging in, she gave him a hard kick in the stomach, but this only seemed to please him as now he can enjoy the feeling of being in battle to the fullest.
She engaged the Plant mage in combat, throwing punches and kicks in rapid succession. Azuma dodged and blocked every blow that came his way, his demeanor not changing for a second while Mira's was one of anger and desperation.
113 seconds
Azuma used his branches to trap Mira, restraining her arms, and legs. Each of the branches were decorated with very strange fruit. However, it wasn't potentially poisoning that Mira had to worry about.
"Chain Burst!"
The fruit went off like delicious, deadly IEDs, going off in a chain like the name suggests that was leading straight to ending on Mira in the middle.
"Mira!" Eld screamed, rushing in to sever the branches before the bomb fruit could reach the demoness. Mira had everything in control though. Using her Magic, she was able to summon demonic bat-like wings on her back, allowing her to fly out of the way right when the last fruit bombs went off.
"I got this Eld. Don't worry." She reassured with a gentle look, hardening it when shifting her perspective back to the man that caused this whole mess.
The two were locked in hand-to-hand combat, Mira demanding Azuma to release her sister while the man ignored her because of his thrill increasing from the battle.
62 seconds
Mira saw the countdown getting closer and closer, panicking for her sister's safety. Azuma was agitated from her lack of focus on the battle at hand. Using a root uprooted from the ground, he swept her off her feet and flung up in the air, then attacked her with blade-like beams that swarmed Mira like moths, each creating an explosion upon touching her.
"Burst Claw!"
Mirajane screamed in pain from the resulting explosions. The Scouts grimace at seeing the S-Class devil being overwhelmed so effortlessly, not to mention the countdown getting shorter very quickly than expected.
"Mira!" Lisanna wailed.
"Damn it! What can we do?!" Gunther shouted. The situation was getting more hopeless with every passing second.
Azuma was goading Mira into enjoying their fight more, but there was no way for Mira to concentrate on anything with her sister's life on the line. With only 24 seconds remaining, there wasn't any way for her to finish the fight in time! She was going to lose her sister once again because of her weakness!
She was about to rush towards the bomb to try and free Lisanna in one last attempt to rescue her younger sibling. Azuma noticed this and tried to stop her from fleeing from their battle. But to their shock, the vines constricting the younger Takeover Mage was shredded to bits in an instant.
"What?" Azuma grunted. The Strauss sisters were as stunned as the dark mage, but that didn't matter to Mira. She was happy to see her sister safe and sound.
"Lisanna!"
"Mira!"
The whitenettes rushed over and hugged each other, the older one between the two shedding tears of joy and relief. The captor stood there stunned by what folded before his eyes. The bomb was nearly indestructible.
"How can this be? What caused her to escape?" He asked himself. The man looked over to the group of fallen soldiers and noticed two of them looked even more exhausted than usual.
'Those two. Why do they look so tired compared to the other half? Wait a minute.' Azuma remembered that one of the soldiers wielded Wind Magic that was able to cut through his branches almost effortlessly. Another had Sand Magic that had the same effect, but also had the quirk of drying up the plant life that he used at his disposal.
"No way. Did they use their magic to slowly chip away at my Tree Bomb while I was occupied with fighting Fairy Tail's devil. The smirk Petra and Gunther gave him confirmed all he needed to know.
Azuma looked back at the sisters, then at the squad and realized that there was nothing for him else to do. He could take them out since they were in no position to defend themselves, but he was disappointed to the point that he didn't really care anymore. But it wasn't a total loss. He was glad that he got a fight out of them. Even if one of them didn't end as he expected, he was satisfied.
Azuma used his Lost Magic to severely overwhelm the squad, being impressed with their highly coordinated teamwork and their ability in using both the ODM gear, their Magic, and both at the same time.
The Kin left the area, continuing on the mission his master gave him.
Present Time
"We checked on the sisters to make sure they would be okay before he took off." Petra explained.
"We searched all over the place until we saw the fighting going on around here, knowing that it had to be Azuma's doing." Gunther reasoned.
"Now it's time we pay him back. For attacking the lovely ladies and for making us look like fools!" Oruo declared
"Please, sir. The others might be in trouble. With the five of us, we can beat this guy and survive!" Eld pleaded. Mike pondered for a moment, turning to Moblit and Erza, who nodded in agreement with the younger blonde. Mike sighed and turned to the younger scouts.
"Alright. Don't die on us, you here?"
"Yes sir!" The soldiers responded. Mike nodded and turned to Moblit. "Come on Moblit. Let's go check on the others."
"Right away sir." The light brunette responded. Using their gear, they left the area, leaving the Special Ops Squad, Erza, and Azuma.
"For so long, I waited for a fight with Titania. I won't allow any interference." Azuma stated. "But if you can prove to me that you are skilled warriors, I will allow you to join in on the fighting." The squad scowled, preparing their swords for battle.
Azuma attacked them with branches coming at them. The squad immediately withdrew from their location and began their assault. The Tree Wizard merged with trees, disappearing out of sight for a moment.
'Hiding inside the trees isn't going to save you!' Eld gestured to his squad, and they got the message.
Using what they've learned from the previous fight, the Special Ops Squads were able to predict where Azuma was in the trees, and used their magic accordingly to stop him and his tracks, and force him out of the bark, or damage him within. At one point, Azuma separated from the tree and out in the open, where the scruffy blonde engaged him.
Eld lunged at Azuma with his blades over his shoulders that were ready for a double, downward swing. Azuma looked unimpressed and held his arm out, summoning a large branch to attack the scout.
Eld saw this coming and immediately retreated, shooting both his hooks in a straight line away from him, bringing himself back just before the branch could reach him. The soldier emitted more gas from his main compartment of the ODM gear to cloud the area in the smoke. Azuma's eyes widened at the sudden maneuver, but that wasn't the last of it.
With the Tree wizard momentarily distracted, Oruo and Petra moved in. They shot their hooks on the side of the branch Azuma was standing on. They pressed their triggers and reeled themselves in. The Grimoire Heart mage watched as they sped towards him. When their swords collided with his body, they were rotating in a spinning maneuver, increasing the damage and pain he felt with the constant motion of the swords. This left thin, but deep cuts on the section of the arms he used to block their blades but they weren't done. Still spinning the younger veterans of the squad moved downward, cutting the branch with the sharp piece of ultrahard steel. To the Plant user's shock, the duo were able to cut the branch completely in half, causing it to fall to the ground.
"What?!" Azuma exclaimed in shock.
"Amazing." Erza breathed, not expecting the soldiers to cut a thick branch like that. Azuma jumped out of the way.
"What are you playing at?" Azuma questioned. He held his hand out and a barrage of small and deadly twigs at the duo. Petra and Oruo stood in place, not bothering to move. Erza was afraid that they were going to seriously hurt, but her worries were eased when she saw a large gust of sand in front of the two, blocking the twigs and destroying them in the process.
Gunter covered the two while they moved out of the way. He was residing on another branch out of sight, waiting for the right time to act. And that time was now. After covering his squadmates, he commanded his new Sand Magic that Max taught him to head over to Azuma, intending to grind him into dust with it.
Azuma saw the sand coming and merged with the wooden plant, evading the earth-like element before it could get to him. Eld saw this and gritted his teeth. He wasn't going to let him get away with abusing that trick again! He gave a signal to his squad, pointing under his armpits. The other three got the message. They nodded and went straight to work.
The group split into two teams, each needed to cover a specific region of the forest. Oruo and Petra took care of one section near the left and bottom regions while Gunther and Eld handled the right and top portions.
They scoped out the area, searching for any traces of the Wood Wizard before he could get the jump on them. Oruo noticed something trailing along the roots near the bottom. He narrowed his eyes, making sure to do his best to keep his eyes on the trail and not lose it.
'You're not going to lose me, bastard.'
Oruo went towards and quickly wrote some runes near the ground where the roots were engraved. The purple lettering of the magic appeared, then just as quickly disappeared. Oruo looked back to the trail he sensed earlier and saw it coming straight to the spot where he placed the runes.
"Dark Ericture: Ejection." He whispered.
Petra noticed him and went over to investigate what was going on. Oruo turned to her and gave the signal to stay silent. He pointed over to a certain tree and his comrade understood what he was referring to. She stood nearby and waited for the right time to wait with her teammate.
When the trail reached the rune's location, it stopped dead in its tracks. Not only that, the force when it was stopped was felt and the duo saw a massive lump in the branch extending out.
"Tunneling Wind!"
Without hesitation, Petra controlled the wind surrounding them, increasing their speed and having them gather around her swords. Swinging her swords, she unleashed many harsh winds from her blades that instantly tore up the parts of the area that it came into contact with. Oruo on the other hand, used the runes that Freed is known to use often to create explosions around the area the trail stopped at.
They heard a grunt of pain and saw a shape flew out of the smoke from the resulting clash of their attacks. Azuma had blast marks on his body, accompanied by tiny little cuts with larger ones covering his skin. The Tree Wizard was stunned by the power of the soldier's attacks and their lethality.
"They've gotten a lot better than last time. I'm impressed." Azuma muttered to himself, a smile forming on his face. He didn't hold that smile however. He looked up and saw Titania along with the other two soldiers coming at him from above.
Erza equipped her Heaven's Wheel Armor, planning to use her multiple blades alongside the scout's swords to slice through the branches to then cut towards Azuma himself.
Eld gathered his magic into his box-cutter blades to ready himself to use his magic, while Gunther was seconds away from activating his sand when necessary.
Erza took the lead and lunged ahead of the Scouts to have Azuma to herself for a moment. Azuma grunted and held his head out, summoning a large branch from the side. Erza saw the attack coming and mimicking the maneuver she's seen in this battle and during her teaching, used her swords in a spinning motion and circled around the branch, resembling a saw blade. That wasn't all, as she commanded her swords to follow the same motion.
The soldiers were in awe seeing how Erza recreated the signature move their captain utilized, but regained their focus and directed it at the man behind the branch. Who looked to be just as stunned at the move as they were.
"Incredible. Their teamwork is nearly flawless." Erza breathed.
Eld charged up his blades, the metal giving off a shining, white glow. He positioned them appropriately, placing one over his shoulder while placing the other underneath his other shoulder and wielded it back hand.
"Cross Sword!" He rushed at Azuma, slashing him with both swords with one going downward, the other going upward. He repeated the motion, the blades going the opposite direction they went initially. For the final maneuver, he slashed his swords together horizontally, then repeated the motion outwards.
Azuma blocked the strikes with his arms, though still felt the power nonetheless. Eld tried to follow that up with a quick thrust to his face. Azuma titled his head to the side to evade and then kicked him hard in the stomach, pushing him back and leaving him open for another attack.
"Tree Fist!"
A large fist made out of branches extended from one of the trees, punching Eld to the side with great force. Eld grunted at the blow, but was luckily able to recover and use his ODM gear to hoist himself up to safety.
Eld prepared his blades again but he saw a moth fly by him. What followed after was an entire swarm that honed in on Azuma's location and covered him head-to-toe. He swung his arms to try and shake them off, but that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.
"Sand Moths!"
The moths began exploding, blinding and hurting the tree wizard at the same time. Petra saw the opportunity and followed up her comrades' magic with her own.
"Current Waves!" Manipulating the air itself, Petra forced Azuma into the position she needed him to be at by acting as if the wind and air were water themselves.
"Desert Chains!" Gunther shouted. Sand chained constricted Azuma, cutting his skin and making him feel a burning sensation from how hot the sand itself was.
"Deep Cutting!" Eld yelled. He lunged forward and with one lethal slash, attacked Azuma with black energy radiating off his blades, cutting deep and far into not only his skin, but his blood and bones.
From the sidelines, Erza assisted the soldiers. Changing into her many armors and weapons to overwhelm the dark mage, ending with her shedding all her armor in order to use her Demon Blade Benizakura.
Azuma had to admit: The soldiers have vastly improved from their last fight. Their coordination was also very impeccable, timing their attacks with such accuracy and precision it was startling. He was dodging their attacks just as precisely, but it was clear that they were making him work for it, showing that they meant business and weren't messing around.
Erza was astonished by the Special Ops Squads' work. Their teamwork and skill were amazing. It was like they all had one mind and knew what the others were thinking without having to say a word.
Azuma saw Eld coming towards him and dodged his horizontal swing with both blades. He retaliated by kicking him in the side of his chest. Eld let out a painful gasp of air. He readjusted himself in the nick of time to slash his right sword in that direction, leaving behind a medium-sized gash on Azuma's arm.
Azuma hissed as he held the fresh wound. He looked up and saw the other scouts descending upon him, blades drawn at the ready and carve flesh. His flesh.
The tree mage summoned more branches to his side and had them go after the soldiers. He was stunned when they were moving around the branches with grace and flexibility that wasn't in their previous fight. They even started to chop, hack, and spin a little around the branches that they couldn't evade in time.
'Looks like they really learned from their battle against me before.' Azuma thought, keeping his eye on the Scouts as they swiftly evaded his branches.
'The same tricks won't work against them anymore. I'll have to try something new.' With a new plan in mind, Azuma jumped up high in the air and casted another "Chain Burst", the explosive fruit popping all over the place. The scouts had to fall back to avoid getting caught in the crossfire, leaving the dark mage a chance to once again head back into the trees.
The group regrouped with Erza and turned back to the mass forest they were in. Oruo scowled at seeing Azuma gone and had a feeling on where he headed.
"Does anyone see him?" Petra asked.
"No sign of him here." Gunther confirmed.
"Ugh. Where the hell is he?!" Oruo shouted.
While the group was focused above, they didn't spot what was going on below. Azuma snuck out below near the roots of the very tree he inhabited. He concentrated on his power and soon gathered immense energy that was stored in the earth and its trees.
"Bleve!"
The group felt the ground shake and looked down. They were shocked to see a large explosion growing right beneath them and was getting larger every second that passed.
"Everyone move!" Eld ordered. He and his squad used their ODM gear to reel themselves out of the way, and Erza equipped into her Black Wing Armor to fly from the danger zone.
"Bastard's bringing out the big guns!" Eld shouted.
"He was hiding this power the whole time?!" Oruo added.
"What are we going to do?!" Petra asked.
"We need to spread out. Huddled together, we're an easy target to be taken out all at once." Gunther suggested.
"Move out, now!" Erza finished.
Everyone spread out among the trees while Erza stayed in the middle. The explosion wringed out, destroying a big portion of the landscape with it. The quintet stared in awe and fear at how huge the blast was.
They couldn't rest though. All of sudden a barrage of twigs and leaves overwhelmed them, cutting their clothes, skin and gear bit by bit. When the dust settled, they saw Azuma, barely without a scratch.
'How can we beat this guy?' Eld thought, racking his brain for a solution.
Erwin and Levi were flying through the tree, doing what they do and scouting out the area, looking for any of the Fairy Tail members to aid and warn. They didn't see anything at first, but were caught off guard when it rained all of sudden (much to Levi's annoyance).
"I'm going up ahead." Levi said, but was silently asking his superior for permission.
"Very well." Erwin responded, giving him the go-ahead. "Be careful, Levi."
The short, but strong soldier nodded his head and went further. He noticed something in the distance, but couldn't make out what it was. Levi relayed the information back to Erwin and the two headed towards the cliffside.
Erwin and Levi made it to the sight and saw Gildarts being mercilessly stomped on the head by a strange man with whiskers and a green, thin ponytail protruding out from the back of his head. Levi hardened his gaze, moving his hand to the handle of his sword. Erwin didn't show any emotion from all the years he had as being a commander and just a simple soldier beforehand. But while his face might not have shown anything, Erwin was already thinking of something to do about the situation. Both vets could sense the Magic Power the man was giving off and it was enormous. Rivaling the strength of Gildarts himself.
The veterans jumped down, using their gear to slow their descent and break their fall to make the landing much more safe. They walked towards the two men and Erwin spoke up.
"Who are you?"
Bluenote turned his face to the newcomers, while Gildarts did the same. They had two different responses, one was filled with curiosity and irritation at being interrupted from his fun, while the other was plain shock at the two's arrival.
"Commander Erwin! And Captain Pipsqueak!" Levi gritted his teeth at the insufferable man and the damn nickname he gave him ever since meeting the oaf.
"Hello Gildarts. I can see you and your new friend are having a lot of fun playing in the dirt, what with all the craters you left behind. Why is your drunk ass face first in the concrete?" He retaliated. Gildarts grunted as he tried to lift his head up, but couldn't do so.
"I don't know." He gasped, confusing the two. "My magic power just vanished from my body. I don't have the strength to defend myself, much less win." This surprised the two.
"Do you think it had something to do with that big ass tree in the middle?" Levi whispered to his commander.
"I believe so. If what I think it's true, that tree is connected to the power source of every single Fairy Tail member that bears the mark. With that tree down, they all have lost their magic and are in no condition to battle." Erwin told him back.
"What are you two muttering about?" Bluenote demanded, his tone clear that he was not in the mood for any games. The two turned back to the odd man, whose patience looked like it was wearing thin with every minute that passed.
"I ask again? Who are you?" Erwin replied, answering his question with another question. Bluenote grunted at his answer not being given to him, but crossed his arms and stared intensely at the experienced Scouts.
"I am Bluenote Stinger. I came here for the powerful arcane magic known as "Fairy Glitter", one of the Three Grand Fairy Spells on par with "Fairy Law". It was right in my hands, in the possession of some runts that I was about to take for myself until this pest got in my way." Bluenote concluded, pushing his foot down harder on Gildarts head, making him groan in pain as his face was crushing further in the ground. This got the two to step back, keeping their eyes on the clear threat.
If this guy could equal Gildarts in strength, then they were in big trouble.
"Is this guy telling the truth, Gildarts?" The commander asked the man.
"It's true. When I got here, he was on the verge of crushing Cana to death. Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Carla, and a couple of your recruits, Armin and Mikasa, were also down from his magic." This shocked the two.
"What happened to them?" Levi asked, concerned about the fates of the recruits and the members that had a run-in with the dangerous individual.
"Don't worry, they're fine. I told them to get out of here and they did. But if they're like me, then the kids in the guild aren't doing so hot right now, and Mikasa and Armin don't know what to do to help them." Gildarts elaborated.
"That's because they can't." Everyone turned to the hostile newcomer.
"Whether you have your Magic Power at full strength or not, it will not matter in the end. Because all of you, much like this island, won't live to see tomorrow." Stinger threatened.
Erwin stood still, processing everything he could at the moment. If what Gildart says is true, then every member of the Fairy Tail guild is in a critical state and completely defenseless. They are easy prey for any member of Grimoire Heart that happens to come across them. Erwin wouldn't even be surprised if some of the Fairies were already knocked out of the fight before they all lost their magic, but that doesn't change the fact they are all in a dire circumstance. Only he and the Scouts, as well as Annie Leonhart, remain.
With his decision reached, Erwin raised his arm and fired off a smoke flare. Only this color wasn't like the rest.
It was golden.
"Soldiers!" Erwin screamed, using his telepathy to communicate to his fellow soldiers who all heard his voice. It wasn't just them, even the Grimoire Heart members heard his cry.
"Protect Fairy Tail! Their magic has been stolen away! Don't let the dark guild touch them at all costs! They are our only chance to make it back home. It's time that we pay them back for all they've done for us. We aren't affected by what's befallen them! Keep the Fairies safe no matter what! Don't let the enemy get away, and show them what the Scouts represent! Divide, conquer, and take down the remaining Kin of Purgatory! They are our only obstacles! Once they've been dealt with, we'll take the fight to their guild master who made the foolish decision of coming to this island and wrecking havoc, expecting to get away with it. Hunt them down, don't let them escape, and pierce the heart of Grimoire!" Erwin bellowed at the top of his lungs.
His words reached his soldiers and soon their demeanor changed. Although they were still fearful and anxious of their current situation, every single Scout (and Annie) gained battle-hardened glares, showing that they meant business and will not hesitate to strike down anyone that gets in their way.
Azuma and Ultear were shocked by the passion of the Commander, while Rustyrose and Bluenote had slightly different responses to the declaration.
"Your commander sure has a way with words. The right to say to get someone on their feet and ready to fight." Azuma commented.
"Erwin Smith." Ultear muttered, impressed with the Commander's charisma and motivation.
Bluenote didn't say anything, only grunting as he took in what Erwin just said.
Rustyrose scoffed, giving off a small chuckle as he pushed his shades up.
"The leader of the mechanical angels finally sang the battle symphony that springs them into action. His words are like lyrics to a song that hits you in your heart and makes you forget all doubt and fear you had before. I have to say I admire his speech deliveries." Rusty admitted.
Bluenote stared at the Commander, glaring at him with a piercing gaze. Erwin wasn't the least affected, returning the stare with one of his own.
"You and the Fairies won't win this fight, "Commander"." Bluenote mocked. Erwin continued to stare at him until he finally spoke.'
"I beg to differ." Erwin answered. Bluenote stepped back in shock when smoke appeared behind the leader of the Scouts, slowly enveloping the Commander who didn't take his eyes off of the powerful dark mage. Soon the Scout's leader was gone in the fog and Bluenote found himself looking around all over the place trying to search for him among the smoke.
Bluenote was suddenly attacked by deep, graphic laceration that appeared on his right arm near the shoulder.
Levi engaged Bluenote in combat. He used the various armors and weapons available to him that he obtained from his training with Erza and the month he spent in Earthland along with the other Scouts.
"Requip: Flame Emperor Armor!" Levi's clothes changed from his normal uniform to a masculine version of Erza's "Flame Empress Armor", designed to match his normal Scout uniform and accommodate his ODM gear.
Using his speed, he sliced the mage many times, each slash leaving behind a trail of flames that left a burning sensation on his body. Gritting his teeth, Bluenote tried to punch Levi, but he easily ducked and attempted to sever that arm off. Stinger wasn't slow however, using his gravity to repel him back before he could do so.
"Requip! Black Wing Armor!"
Baring his teeth, Levi's body glowed, and his clothing and gear changed. He was wielding thin armor that resembled a bat. His ODM gear turned black with accompanying bat wing-like protrusions coming off of him. The blades took on a similar style to the sword Erza wielded in this form and finally his clothes were black with silver lining.
He shot a hook to his side, flying by at an alarming speed. Bluenote grunted, lifting a huge piece of rock and sending it at the soldier.
"Come back here, you pipsqueak!" Levi remained calm, shooting another hook into the rock itself and reeling his body in. Effortlessly maneuvering around, he lunged at the Gravity mage and thrust both swords into his abdomen.
"Arrrggghhh!" Blue groaned, feeling the pain in his stomach. Detaching the blades, Levi jumped up and changed again. This time, his clothes being a light blue with yellow accents, his blades the same color with sparks coming off them and his ODM gear bearing lighting bolts as part of his design with the same colors.
"Lightning Emperor Armor!"
The soldier swirled down in a circular motion, leaving his trails of electricity. Levi slashed through the mage, stunning him with lightning. Stinger tried to retaliate, but more smoke filled his vision and he even held his ears in pain when a loud sound rang out. Levi took this moment to slice more at the mage.
Bluenote growled and forced him into the ground with "Fall", stopping him in his place. He then reversed the gravity to fling Levi back in the air and then blew him back. Levi had a similar scowl and used his hooks to stop himself from going any further. He flung himself back and was ready to slice and dice.
The fight became a constant tug-of-war between the two fighters. Levi getting the upper hand in one instance by being too fast for Bluenote to keep up with, to Bluenote getting the upper hand by manipulating the area's gravity to his liking.
Levi wielded his armor and weapon sets flawlessly, using all of their quirks and benefits to their fullest. With the ODM gear being utilized on the side, Humanity's Strongest was able to use the strengths of both together in a new and effective way that dealt very devastating damage to the more experienced Gravity Mage.
But it wasn't an easy fight. As strong as Levi was, the thing that made him so powerful in the first place was his incredible speed. He could use the Omni-Directional Mobility Gear much faster and more efficiently than any other known user, with very few rivals and even then they didn't come close to his level.
With that speed, Levi was able to also use his superhuman strength to easily slice the napes off of any Titan that was stupid enough to cross his path. They simply couldn't catch him.
But when something like gravity is taken into account, it becomes a different story.
Levi was proving to be a good match for Bluenote, but the nature of his Magic was really making things much more difficult than he was used to. The sudden changes of gravity was seriously messing with the flow of his ODM gear. Lower gravity would force him to the ground, slowing him down and making him an easier target to hit. Higher gravity would force him up in the air more, which would mess up his momentum and throw him off-balance.
As strong as he was and after becoming more powerful after being taught Requip by the guild's resident Titania, this was proving to be quite the challenge. One that he hasn't faced at all in a long time.
Erwin made sure to keep by Gildarts side until the Fairies ace was battle fit. He couldn't stand as he is, so Bluenote will surely go after him. He also provided support for Levi from the sidelines. The blonde leader could see that Levi was struggling with Stinger, the first he's ever seen Levi struggling against any opponent in his life.
Using the Smoke Magic Wakaba taught him, Erwin used the smoke to try and conceal Levi's position as best as possible. The smoke itself also had different attributes that helped put the fight in their favor. Such as the smoke itself being able to change its state of matter and becoming solid enough to land blunt force trauma on its target.
Erwin also had a couple of acoustic rounds to disrupt Bluenote's focus, allowing Levi a chance to attack him without interruptions, provide that he also was in the range of the sound blast. Together they were able to keep Bluenote on his toes, using every opportunity they could grab to claim victory and survive this fight.
Bluenote was getting agitated with every blow that the midget got on him. He was a powerful opponent despite what his size might entail, but he was stronger. He didn't come to the island to lose after all.
Using a massive chunk of his magic power, he released it throughout the gravity of the entire area. The gravitational pull affected the environment destructively, pulling trees down so hard they either began sinking into the ground against their will, or would just straight up break apart and fall down like the gravity itself were an ax.
The ground started to break, not unlike when an earthquake was occurring which technically it was. Erwin and Levi were stunned by the surprise display of power, the aura they felt actually being enough to break their usually calm and stoic demeanor.
Erwin fell to his knees, before falling flat on his body. Levi was hit harder as he was still gliding in the air when the strong pull in gravity happened, forcing his hook and wire to detach and sent him crashing into the ground. He tried to use his spare gas to slow down his fall, but the gravity was too powerful and too fast for him to do anything about it.
He soon found himself hitting the ground with a tremendous force, the gas barely helping in easing his descent. A large crack was made where he landed, his bones on the verge of performing the same action.
"Levi!" Erwin called out. He tried to get his body to move, but just the young ones who encountered Stinger earlier, he was stuck in place completely. Gildarts too was feeling the pressure, not feeling it the same way he saw the younglings suffer when he arrived on the scene. He felt it throughout their fight, but he always broke it apart with his Crush Magic before it got the chance to really affect him.
Now he was feeling the full force of the rogue mage Bluenote Stinger.
All of them were.
The Special Ops Squad and Erza heard the call that Erwin transferred to his subordinates, and their allies. The squad gained hardened glares, reminding everyone present that they were soldiers and they won't hesitate to follow their superiors orders if it means victory will be achieved.
"You heard the Commander. Cut down the bastard. Don't let him or Grimoire Heart escape with their lives." Eld ordered. Oruo, Gunther, and Petra nodded in full agreement, their gaze eyeing the Arc of Trees user like he was a deer out in the open.
In full view and vulnerable.
The Tree Wizard was intrigued from the soldier's piercing gaze. He was intimidated. On the contrary, he was excited to see them more fired up than ever before.
'Now this will be fun.'
Erza on the other hand was taken aback by the Scout's sudden change in demeanor. When she first met them, they gave off the impression that they were friendly people. Friendly people that knew how to fight, but still friendly people nonetheless.
She's seen their combat prowess, especially the veterans since she's had two of them as her students and one of them is considered "Humanity's Strongest Soldier". But that time Erza spent in peace and fun might've made her lose sight of what their profession was.
The Levi Squad got fresh blades out, attaching them to their operating devices and unsheathing them, making that familiar "screeching" sound that they've become familiar with. With their swords equipped again, they were ready to go.
"Guys wait." The group turned to Eld. "Let's come up with something. If we want to get Fairy Tail's magic back. We're going to have to end this as quickly as possible."
"Do you have something in mind, Eld?" Erza asked her student. He nodded in response.
"If he has control of all of Fairy Tail's Magic, what if we can use that against him." Eld pondered. The others looked at him both shocked and slightly hopeful.
"Do you think that's possible? All of the guild's Magic is under his control and we saw ourselves that his talk about his magic allowing him to be "one with the earth" isn't just for show." Gunther reasoned. He liked the idea of using all that power against him to take him out with one blow without wasting more fuel and Magic Power, but it seemed highly improbable.
"That might be the case." Eld admitted. "But you have to remember that all that Magic Power belonged to every single member of the guild that's present on this island. Magic is fickle, so it can easily be manipulated if you know what you're doing. Every Mage has control over their Magic on some subconscious level. And if there is one thing I learned from all my time here in Earthland." Eld looked over to his scarlet teacher.
"Is that Fairy Tail always looks out for one of their own." Erza gave a small smile, which Eld returned. That smile quickly turned into a frown however.
'I wish I… we held ourselves to the same standard." Eld shook his head. He'll have to worry about that later. They still have a job to do.
"Here's the plan: We get him to that explosion spell. That seems to be where all the raw magic is coming from. Erza. You're the only Fairy Tail member present at the moment, so you're crucial to this. You can reach out to the stolen magic from your friends and from there, the magic should respond and answer your call. We'll give you cover and force his hand. You have the strongest offensive power out of all of us right now, so you have to be the one to deal the finishing blow." Erza nodded, her hands on her blade.
"Understood." Eld turned over to his squadmates and started giving them their orders.
"Oruo. Use your runes to try and wear him out. Petra, Gunther, you two combine your Magic into one force to put the pressure on the bark bastard. I'll take head on and move him right where we need him to be. Once that spell has been casted, that's your time to strike Erza." The vet elaborated. Everyone understood their role.
Oruo took the lead and flew up to where the Grimoire member was located. Azuma noticed that he was on his own with no sign of his teammates.
'What are you up to?'
Azuma figured that they might be hiding in the treetops. It wasn't a bad tactic, but a rather foolish one in this scenario. He was a skilled enough warrior that he could sense when someone was coming at him and they weren't in his line of sight.
"If they want to try and defeat me. They'll have to be more creative than that." He told himself, slightly displeased with their novice strategy. He looked down and saw Oruo coming closer towards him.
"So old man, ready to fight some more?" Oruo scowled at that line.
"I'm a lot younger than I look, I have at least 56 more good years in me!" Oruo the young old man shouted.
"Could've fooled me. But I'm not one to judge a person's fighting skills based on their age. After all, Makarov and Master Hades are prime examples of forces to be reckoned with despite being in their elderly years. The young dragon slayer I encountered also showed promise, reminds me of our own Meldy."
Oruo wasn't listening that much. His focus was just on slowing him down and wearing him out.
"You want a fight so badly you sadistic, power-hungry whore? I'll give it to you!" Oruo started writing runes like a madman.
Azuma saw the runes coming and commanded the branch beneath his feet to produce some roots from below, circling him and protecting him from the dark magic. He counterattacked right away.
"Ramus Sica!"
The twigs conversed on the soldier's location. Oruo didn't let the tiny wooden projectiles deter him. He slashed in different directions, cutting the wood with ultrahard steel with speed and precision. Some of the twigs cut through his clothes, slicing his skin open and making dents in the metal boxes, showcasing their power that betrays their normal frail nature and appearance.
Oruo pushed forward and reeled himself toward the mage. He positioned the both swords behind him in the traditional striking pose when facing the Titans. He sliced through, Azuma dodging by jumping up and making the soldier only attack the air.
"Folium Sica!" Azuma summoned his leaves, intending to swarm Oruo again.
"That won't work this time!" Oruo exclaimed. Using his swords, he quickly wrote some runes and they began taking effect.
"Dark Ericture: Armor!" The lettered flashed over his body, protecting him just in time for the leaves to hit, and harmlessly bounce off him. Azuma grunted at his attack failing
Eld saw the battle from up above.
"Come on Oruo. Just a little more." The soldier and the mage stared each other down.
"You've gotten better in just a short time. But I have to ask: Were you planning on ambushing me from the shadows?" Oruo tensed when he was answered that question. "I commend you for trying different tactics, but ultimately it was disappointing. My magic makes me one with the earth itself. There's nowhere to hide." The tanned man stated. Oruo frowned, then smiled a little when he noticed a figure appearing behind them.
"I wouldn't be so sure." Azuma raised his eyebrow. He then felt something and his body stiffen, turning around to see Petra holding out her hand.
'How did I not notice her?'
"Gust Rush!" From her palm, a large blast of wind enlarged from her hand, blowing Azuma back with a strong force.
"Eld!" The scruffy blonde didn't need any more encouragement. He lunged from above, his swords glowing a bright purple.
"Throwable Severing!" He slashed his swords in many different directions in the air, the purple energy flying off the blades. Azuma noticed and summoned branches to protect himself, but they sliced through the flora without any trouble. He crossed his arms to defend himself, but the attacks were strong enough to send him back considerably.
Out from underneath, Gunther prepared his own magic.
"Sandstone!"
Hardening his sand considerably, Gunther made many large, intimidating spires made out of the substance, and heightened them so that Azuma would make contact. The dark mage grunted, knowing he wouldn't be able to dodge in time. Crashing into the spire, immense pain filled his core as he gasped for air.
"Haha! How do you like that?! We knew you would be able to sense us with that green thumb of yours, so I used "Dark Ericture: Hidden" to hide out magic power from your eyes!" Oruo mocked." Azuma was seething in anger. Before he was thrilled about fighting five strong opponents. Now.
Now he was furious.
"Terra Clamare!" He shouted, being pushed to his edge and letting out one of his most powerful spells in his arsenal. More than what his opponents were expecting.
Too bad that's what everyone wanted.
The orange, golden explosion expanded, covering all that it could consume. Erza was one of them. She leapt forward and rushed in the magic, shocking all present, including Azuma.
"Erza, wait!" Eld called out to no use.
Once inside, Erza felt the burning sensation of the spell all around her. But that didn't stop her.
"Everyone please! If you're in here, listen to me. Your magic might be separated from you, but it's still your magic. It's all our magic. Only we are in control of it! No one else! Please, give me your strength and we can get our magic back!" Erza called out in the bright void.
No answer.
She looked around. Nothing happened. Nothing went according to plan. The scarlet-haired woman looked down, believing that it was no use.
"All you had to do was ask." Erza perked up, recognizing that voice.
"Natsu?"
She turned to the side and saw Salamander's face. It wasn't just him though. One by one, the faces of each of her family appeared, cheerful and supportive. Erza's eyes softened.
"Even after all this time. I wasn't the one protecting all of you." Erza got her katana ready.
"You were all protecting me."
The knight charged out of the orb, surprising the Special Ops Squad and Azuma once again. The latter especially.
"How! All of Tenrou's magic should be under my control!" Azuma shouted. He then noticed how the magic seemed to switch from damaging Erza to giving her power. What shocked him the most was that he could see the faces of every member of Fairy Tail, illuminating from the blast.
"Is that what she meant when she said their power comes from their bonds?" Azuma wondered. The squad was flabbergasted, not expecting their plan to go like this. But they were happy nonetheless.
"Now, Erza!" Eld screamed.
"Use that power and finish this!" Gunther shouted.
"We're right with you all the way!" Petra cried.
"Defeat this bark bastard once and for all!" Oruo bellowed.
The Fairy Queen let out a cry as all of Fairy Tail's magic power soared behind her. Azuma saw the warrior coming at him as he kept falling through the air. He was absolutely blown away by what he was seeing.
'I see now. It's not the individual member that makes up the power.' Azuma thought. 'It the sum of their parts.' Erza raised her sword over her head and let out a resounding battle cry.
'What an amazing guild.' He looked over to the scouts that were suspended in the air with their gear. 'And what an amazing group of soldiers.' He smiled. Erza swung her sword down with all her might, cutting down Azuma. Ending him for good.
His blood rained down as his body descended, crashing into the ground. Erza was on her knees, burnt out from the battle at hand. The Special Ops Squad flew down and joined her, Petra checking on her state.
"Hey, what's happening over there?" They all looked up at Oruo's question and were shocked to see Azuma's body turning into plants, assimilating with the rest of nature around him. Azuma smirked, saying that this was the consequence of overusing his magic. The changes looked like when he body started to merge with the trees.
Except this time: It was permanent.
Keeping his word he returned the stolen magic back to their rightful owners. As he was fading away, Erza started asking him questions about Jellal and what their plan was when they acquired Zeref. Azuma answered as best as he could, saying Jellal was good before he got possessed, but that he was ultimately another pawn in Ultear's hand that was used for her and Grimoire Heart's benefit. The dark guild wanted Zeref so that they could get to the "Grand Magic World" and when they did, they'd be a step closer to the primordial magic from legends. With his last breath. His body turned into trees and he was gone.
Petra looked over at Erza. "Are you doing okay?" Erza smiled warmly at the other redhead and nodded.
"Yes, I am." Petra smiled back, turning her gaze back at the fallen mage.
Azuma was defeated at last, and with his defeat came the reward of the stolen magic power returning to their rightful owners. Everyone was so relieved to finally have their magic back.
And they intend on using it very well.
"You two ready to rumble again?" Reiner asked. He saw Freed and Bickslow getting back up, assuming that they got their magic power back finally. The cadets wondered if they were going to have to face the spectaled freak on their own. Thankfully, that wasn't the case.
"You know it."
"Let's end this." Rusty was taken aback. He expected that Azuma took care of everything, leaving his foes, in his words as "being reduced to dead leaves being blown in the wind". He wasn't going to let them get the upper hand again.
"Come forth, Dark Tower of Dingir! Turn on your sorrows to the foolish fairies and return them to the refuge from whence they came!"
He summoned his dark tower, trapping the Fairy Tail members in its grasp.
"What is this spell?!" Freed exclaimed.
"Man, I can't move." Bickslow added.
"We all got trapped in this thing!" Lily said, Levy struggling to break free next to him.
"This sacred ground which you all hold dear will serve as your graves!" Rusty mocked. He started to laugh maniacally.
"Hey." Rusty turned around, meeting a steel fist to his cheek.
"Did you forget about us?" Reiner asked. He and the other cadets saw the tower coming and evaded accordingly.
"That trick worked on us before." Annie stated, her eyes hardening into a cold glare. "But it won't work again." She lunged forward and kicked Rusty right in the face. This caused the tower to dissipate.
"Float!" Bertolt commanded the gravity to lighten, making Rusty rise up into the air, and right into the line of sight of Freed and Lisanna.
"Are you ready, Freed?" Lisanna asked. Freed nodded and using her Animal Takeover, transformed her arms into wings and kicked his feet, sending Freed towards their enemy, sword at the ready.
"Dark Ericture: Death!" Unsheathing his sword, Free sliced at Rustyrose with dark energy finishing off for good.
Elfman looked on at the corner of his eyes, smirking at his guild's success and the soldiers' help.
"Now that's manly." He muttered, before going back to sleep.
"So, you were given the title of Humanity's Strongest? If this is how "strong" you are, your pitiful excuses for soldiers won't stand a chance."
Levi was feeling the intense weight of gravity on him. He was gritting his teeth, trying to break free, but to no avail.
"Time to fly runt!"
Just as he was about to finish the scout off, but instead felt something punching him to the side.
"I came here to show the young ones how to hone their skills. How can they listen to my authority if I get taken down by dark guild scum like you?!" Gildarts was back on his feet at last. Levi and Erwin gasped in shock. Bluenote was in the same boat.
"Looks like this old drunk saved your puny ass, huh Levi?" Levi scoffed, but was glad he was alright, and that he didn't feel like he was about to be crushed into a pulp.
Bluenote looked surprised, and that surprise quickly turned into excitement.
"This is what I've been wanting. The chance for us to fight with all our power." Bluenote had a maniacal grin plastered on his face. He put his fists together, summoning a purplish, black orb in the middle of the air. The orb started to suck everything in its vicinity to its core.
"What the hell?!" Levi gasped. Bluenote laughed as he explained the nature of his "Black Hole" spell. It can vacuum up any object and its creature inside, with little hopes of escape.
"TIME TO FLY!" Bluenote shouted. Gildarts was about to crush the black hole into little pieces. But someone else beat him to the punch, or in this case the cutting.
The orb was sliced into pieces. The two behemoths stared in shock as Levi was shown cutting up the orb with his magical blades.
"I don't give a damn about your fights. But if you want to fly, be my guest. I assure you though, it's not as fun as you might make it out to be!" Levi looked at Gildarts, who got the message and grinned.
"If you really want to fly…" Gildarts clenched his fist.
"I can help you out"
With one mighty punch, Gildart hit Stinger right under the chin, sending him skyrocketing into the air. Erwin looked in awe at the two strongest members of their respective groups coming together to defeat a powerful opponent.
"The strongest aces." Erwin breathed. The Commander was flabbergasted at the display of power between the two individuals. They've definitely earned their place as the strongest. Gildarts collapsed from the immense exhaustion he felt.
"Damn. I can't get up anymore." Levi went over and picked him up, putting his arm over his shoulder.
"Come on you big oaf. We aren't done yet.' Gildart smirked at the man.
"So Erwin, what's your call?" The blonde closed his eyes for a moment. He looked up to the sky and saw the thunder clashing into the dark clouds.
"We return to base, and plan our next move from there." He looked over to his Section Commander. "Can you carry him or do you need assistance?" Levi looked over to the big man.
"He's heavy, but I'll manage." Gildarts pouted. Erwin nodded. "I see." The two started walking over to the camp.
Everyone cheered at the return of their magic and for the victors, the fight against more of Grimoire's fighting force that resulted in their defeat. Soon, everyone gathered their bearings and headed back to camp to prepare for their final stand.
All except one… and a few others.
Everyone was recovering from the recent battle, Reiner and Bertolt helped carry Elfman over to the tent where the others were, Lisanna right behind them to check up on her brother.
The group looked and saw Natsu waving at them. They saw him carrying Master Makarov, who looked to be in just as bad shape as the others. Lucy, Wendy, the Exceeds were accompanying him, the Celestial Spirit Mage carrying Cana to her side with her arm over the blonde's shoulder, who was knocked out as well. Mikasa and Armin were with him as well, much to the pleasure of the soldiers at the camp.
"Armin, Mikasa! Glad to see you're alright!" Reiner exclaimed. Armin smiled back at his buff friend.
"Same here Reiner." The blonde took notice of the other blonde's condition. He looked over to Bertolt, Annie, his bluenette teacher, and the Thunder Legion, glad to see they were alright. But the same couldn't be said for the ones comatose right now. Armin and Mikasa were stunned at the condition of the wounded, just as the guild members with them were. Wendy offered to help heal them, but Lisanna and Carla dissuaded her, saying she won't be able to help them in this state and she already used too much magic power during all the fighting.
"What happened here, tell me." Natsu pleaded.
"Yes, what happened to you guys." Armin asked. Reiner sighed and gave him the rundown of what happened while they were stagnated in the forest, Lisanna picking up to explain the fight against Rustyrose and what a close call it was. Armin was shocked that one of the Kin made their attack on the camp.
"Are you doing okay, Armin? You seem as beaten up as the rest of us." Lisanna asked. Armin looked down and saw how bruised he was.
"Yeah, I'm doing fine. I just need a minute and I'll be fine." He replied.
"I'll take a look at you in a minute after I've finished up here, okay?" Lisanna told him. Armin thanked the whitenette.
Mikasa checked with the other Fairy Tail members while Natsu and others went to do their own thing in the meantime.
"Have you seen the others yet?" Mikasa asked the intellectuals.
"Not yet I'm afraid. The only soldiers here are you, Armin, Reiner, Bertolt and Annie. Ymir and Krista are here, but Ymir's knocked out and Krista went out to search for the others. We heard Commander Erwin earlier, but we haven't seen him lately." Levy relayed.
"Captain Levi is also missing. There's also the Levi Squad, Section Commander Mike and Hange, and Moblit." Freed added. Mikasa looked around and saw that some of her fellow graduates were also absent.
Bickslow and Annie soon returned, surprised to see the others, but pleased. They went over to the tent and checked on the others. They were going to discuss what their next move would be until they heard rustling. Everyone tense up and got themselves ready in case it was another attack.
"Hold it you brats. It's just us." Turns out it was a false alarm.
Erwin and Levi came through the bushes, carrying Gildarts because the mage couldn't walk anymore.
"Gildarts!" Natsu cried out.
"Hey kid. Glad to see you and the others made it out safely." The Crush mage said, smiling but clearly in pain. Natsu was happy to see them, and worried when he saw the poor shape he was in.
"He'll be alright, Natsu. He just needs his rest like all the others." Erwin reassured calmly.
"We're all going to need one after the mess we got ourselves into." Levi pointed out. The two carried him over to where the others were and laid him down besides them. Once that was done, Erwin went over to talk to Freed.
"Did you notice anyone else coming along through here?" He asked the greenette. Freed shook his head.
"I'm afraid not, Commander. Other than everyone present here, we haven't seen anyone from our guild or the Survey Corp come up yet." He explained. Erwin gained a thoughtful look in his eyes.
"I see." He noticed the writing on the ground and assumed they were to protect the campsite. "Are you almost done with setting up those runes yet?
"Just about, Commander Erwin." Levy answered. She drew the last runes needed to protect the camp, finishing the defenses.
"Good, we'll need all the protection we can get." Erwin responded back. He looked down and saw the black exceed walking up to him. "Is something the matter Lily?"
"No. But there is something you are aware of, Commander Erwin. Grimoire Heart's ship is located on the shore. I propose we do this strategy." Lily explained what his plan was and Erwin was on board with it.
"Excellent work, Lily." He went over to the camp and spoke up, getting everyone's attention.
"Everyone listen up!" All the people present paid attention almost immediately. "We've made progress in defeating all that Grimoire Heart has thrown at us! But we can't fully let our guard down yet! Our next objective is to take the fight to the Dark Guild's master and defeat him! We do that, and the others will flee!" Erwin began.
"Right now most of our forces are knocked out and unable to fight alongside us! And all of us have greatly used up our strength and resources dealing with the Seven Kin of Purgatory and the soldiers the guild has thrown at us! We need to pull what we have and split into two teams! One will stay behind to defend the camp from any future attacks! The others will be the leading attack force defeating Master Hades!"
"What about the others?" Bertolt asked.
"We'll have to wait for them to find their way to the camp. We can't spare too many people going out when we are running low on resources and don't have many people to cover everything. We have to strengthen our defense and offense teams to the best we can." The Command explained.
"And you're going to need all the help you need." Everybody turned around to see Mike and Moblit arriving at the campsite.
"Good to see you, Mike." Erwin addressed.
"Where were you two?" Lucy asked.
"We were on our way to the camp. We heard Commander Erwin's message through telepathy and we rushed here as fast as we could." Moblit explained.
"Do you know where my squad is at?" Levi asked. Mike looked at him and grimaced a little. "They told us to go on ahead. They were facing one of the Kin, the one that was responsible for all of you losing your magic power." This got everyone's attention.
"What do you mean?" Lisanna wondered. Mike told them about Azuma and the nature of his magic. How he was able to uproot the Tenrou Tree and steal all of Fairy Tail's magic power. Erza and them faced against the dark mage, but he was powerful. The Levi Squad showed up and told him they could take over and help Erza.
"They must've defeated him, which is why all of your magic is back where it belongs." Mike explained.
"Well I guess that explains it." Wendy said.
"To think it was that ruffian that was responsible for our magic going away." Carla stated.
"If the Levi Squad defeated this Azuma fellow. Do you think they are on their way now?"
"Say no more Bickslow." They all turned their heads to the aforementioned squad approaching.
"Eld, Gunther!" Lucy cheered.
"Petra, Oruo! You're okay." Wendy exclaimed happily.
"Of course we're okay. Why wouldn't we be." Oruo said slightly cocky, petting the bluenette on the head. Despite his tone, they were glad that he and his squad were okay.
"Is everyone here okay?" Gunther asked, eyeing the people lying down. "Well, everyone is not unconscious right now." He sighed.
"We're fine, Gunther." Natsu reassured.
"Did you hear what I said earlier?" Erwin asked. His soldiers nodded.
"All of it, Commander." Eld confirmed. Erwin smiled and nodded.
"Good, then we can get to work."
"Wait, what happened to Erza? Wasn't she with you guys?" Levy asked.
"She stayed behind to search for anyone that hadn't made it to the camp yet." Petra answered. "We'll meet up with her and the others later."
"In that case, let's discuss who will be on which team."
Although everyone was preparing themselves for the final battle, one soldier in particular wasn't doing anything. At least not yet. Her mind was on other things, and she wanted time alone to process it and get her head straight before she was thrown back into battle.
Petra was still reeling over their victory against Azuma, feeling extremely excited that they both redeemed themselves from their loss earlier, and defeated a powerful opponent in the process, gaining more combat experience and being stronger than ever. But that wasn't what she was thinking about.
Petra looked over at the Fairy Tail guild. The same kooky people that took them in in their hour of need and helped them learn about this strange but amazing world they found themselves in. Ever since learning Wind Magic and seeing what Fairy Tail's customs are, Petra admitted that she found herself enthralled with the wizard guild's ideals of always being there for their friends and family, never abandoning them and always trusting that they will have your back.
The guild's bonds were stronger than any blood, and they always do their best to live up to that ideology.
"Bonds, huh?" Petra muttered to herself. She looked down at her hand, her right hand and saw the dotted outlines of a circle just below where the thumb was located. The remains of a bite mark.
The soldier rubbed the bite mark, feeling down and remorseful. She looked over to her squadmates, who all shared the exact same mark on their hands in the same location. Petra remembered why they had those marks in the first place. It was because they reacted harshly towards a person that didn't know any better. Whose situation was completely out of his control and who was separated from his friends and comrades in the graduating Cadet Corp of that year, only to be put in their squad against his will where they were allowed to kill him on sight should he lose control.
Petra remembered that incident vividly. Once they found out that Eren didn't mean to transform and it was because of an unknown factor they weren't aware of at the time, the squad bit their hands in the same way Eren did to trigger his transformation, as an apology for making a understandable, but incorrect judgment call that almost got a teen killed. Petra also remembered telling Eren how scared they were, as part of their explanation for reacting the way they did. It wasn't really an excuse, and she understood if Eren held it against them. But even then, she tried to tell him how important trust was. No one can truly do anything on their own, and they have to trust others to help support them otherwise they all crumble and fall apart.
Petra pleaded for Eren to trust them. But looking back, as much as she knew teaching the young recruit about trust was important, she wasn't exactly following her own words. She wanted Eren to trust in her and the rest of the Special Operations Squad, but she knew that even with the leaps and bounds her and her squad made with Eren, she knew they didn't fully trust in him, or his ability to control his titan shifting powers. Petra knew how strong they were, they weren't considered the best titan slayers of the regiment for nothing, otherwise neither of them would be able to meet the criteria of being on Captain Levi's personal squad, one that was meant to take on any dangerous mission how that no single scout or normal squad would be able to handle. But ever since coming to Earthland, meeting Fairy Tail, learning Magic, and being thrown into battle not against giant, man-hunting humanoids, but rather humans whose powers exceed far beyond their imaginations.
They were strong, but they were far from being invincible. Petra wanted Eren to trust them, valuing him and his opinions on them, their abilities, and their teamwork highly, much more than what their last conversation entailed when she was the only one of her squad other than Oruo (who did a very poor job) to actually take the time and talk to him after seeing him discouraged and nervous about his current situation. But if they encountered a threat that they thought they could handle with their current abilities only to find out too late that they weren't fully prepared, then they would have been…
Petra shook her head. She didn't want to think about what could've been. She needed to stay focused on the current objective. Their battle against Grimoire Heart isn't over yet and they can't truly rest until they are completely dealt with for good. The soldier looked up at the raining sky, watching the gray clouds that covered the view, having a feeling that they wouldn't be gone until their battle was over, only then would the light shine down upon them. The young veteran could only watch. While her comrades were preparing themselves for the final battle, her mind was on something else, someone who should've been with them, but was split apart from the regiment seemingly out of nowhere.
"Eren… Please be alright, wherever you are."
The sound of reeling cable wire could be heard. Their user fleeing with his very life.
They were bringing him towards an abandoned minecart rail, just hanging in the air, connected to two different caverns.
He landed on one of the planks, jumping off as quickly as he landed on it, resulting in the plank breaking off and falling into the deep abyss.
From the shadows, the sound of something scurrying at lightning speed could be heard, the silhouette of their owners flashing by for a split second. It wasn't just one though. Whoever.. or whatever was making these sounds…
There were many of them.
The young man shot another one his hooks, desperately trying to get away from… something. Soon, the man landed on his feet, finding himself in the middle of a section of his location where many abandoned rails and minecarts, with just as many empty caverns accompanying them.
The soldier gritted his teeth, not sure about what his next move should be. The sound of many legs running got his attention, turning back to see what was causing them. But soon he was swarmed, more of them appearing one-by-one. They weren't friendly, they weren't welcoming, and most of all:
They were hungry.
"SHREEEEEEEKKKKKKK!"
Magic:
Eld;
Sword Magic;
Cross Sword; The user charges up energy, the sword glowing with white magic power. The user slices at the target in the shape of a crucifix, the energy increasing the edge and blunt power of the blade being utilized. If the user wields a single sword, the user can either use this spell one-handed or two-handed. If the user wields two or more swords (if able), the user can angle the swords to form the basis of a cross simultaneously
Deep Cutting; The user emits black energy from their magic power. The energy greatly increases the sharpness of the blade being used, allowing the sword to cut through materials and objects they couldn't before, and makes materials and objects they could cut much easier and less of a hassle
Throwable Severing; The user gathers magic power into their swords, letting out a purple light. The user can slice the air in many directions, throwing the energy as projectiles. The energy takes on the properties the sword they were detached from, including the ability to cut through any object they come into contact with
Gunther;
Sand Magic;
Sand Swarm; The user gathers sand in and shoots it at the target. The sand transforms into tiny moths that travel around the target. The sand moths attack the target, biting them with their pincers and slashing them with their wings at a fast pace. The sand moths can also explode, damaging and blinding the target. The more experienced and powerful the user, the more lethal and speedy the sand moths are in their abilities
Desert Chains; The user transforms their sand into hardened chains that are difficult to escape from. The chains act similar to sandpaper, cutting the target if rubbed against them. The user also has the ability to control the temperature of the sand itself, increasing it to burn the target and decreasing it to freeze them. The more experienced the user, the more effect the aspects of the chains will be
Sandstone; The user hardens their sand, transforming it into sandstone. The user can manipulate the sandstone for a variety of purposes similar to Earth Magic, from bludgeoning the target to using the sandstone to heal a wound
Oruo;
Dark Ecriture;
Dark Ecriture: Ejection; The user writes runes that force an object to eject from something. This can be something as simple as ejecting a stain from a wall, or separating a virus from an organism. This spell can also be used as a means of offense and defense, whether ejecting projectiles from their source or bouncing back attacks from their intended target
Dark Ecriture: Armor; The user writes runes that create a protective coating around the intended target. With more runes written, the user can enhanced the armor's strength and give it different attributes, such as manipulating the weight or having it resist against different elements
Dark Ecriture: Hidden; The user writes runes that help cloak an individual or object. This can range from invisibility to hiding someone's heat signature. More runes can be added to increase the stealth of the spell and add different attributes, like hiding someone from magical detection
Petra;
Wind Magic;
Tunneling Winds; The user clenches their hand into a fist, manipulating the current wind patterns speed. They can either speed up the wind to blow objects away, cut them into pieces, or increase their speed, or slow them down to effectively freeze the target in place, only being capable of very limited to no movement. They can also change the wind current to whatever direction they wish. The more experienced the user, the more currents they can manipulate and the more extreme they can control them
Current Wave; The user musters up wind that behaves similar to liquid waves found in oceans, pushing and rushing against the target and sweeping them up in its grasp. The user can also manipulate how the wind waves behave and manipulate existing wind to act like waves. The more experienced the user, the more waves they can produce/manipulate and the more precise the wave patterns will be
Gust Rush; The user conjures up wind and uses their blunt force to blast anything in their path. The more experienced the user, the greater the impact and the wider the range of the spell. Is also an Air Magic Spell
Author's Note:
This was one of the longest chapters I had to make in a while. I hope you enjoyed it and all the new spells introduced. I also hope you like the changes I made regarding the plot and how things were handled in canon. We are reaching the midpoint of the Tenrou Island arc and Eren's story. Look forward to when Chapter 15 comes out. Until then.