A/N: Hello, readers! Welcome to another chapter!
Enjoy!
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX: THE PLACE WHERE WE ARE
Explosions soon went off as Mira continued getting attacked by Kamika. "Oh, my. I guess you can't put any faith in rumors... The Demon, Mirajane. Where's this demon? I don't see any trace of one!" Kamika taunted. "But as long as we're here, I'm going to have a little more fun with you."
Mira rushed forward. "Confetti! Purple Dance!" Kamika called out as purple paper attached onto Mira. "Purple paper is the god of binding."
"This color of paper paralyzes you, right?" Mira asked.
"That's right. And the real fun will start once you stop moving." Kamika replied as the red paper turned into flames. "Confetti! Red Dance!"
"This has a fire effect!" Mira noticed.
"That expression of suffering is lovely." Kamika said. "And the miserable sight of you desparately trying to escape in pain, that gives me the chills!"
Kamika laughed as the flames dispersed around Mira. Kamika held up white paper. "But after heating you up, I'd better cool you off." She said. "Confetti! White Dance!"
White paper soon attacked Mira as she began to freeze. "White paper... That has a freezing effect!" She exclaimed.
"Nice expression. You're suffering, aren't you?" Kamika asked, raising a yellow piece of confetti. "But I'm not even close to being satisfied."
"Confetti! Yellow Dance! Yellow paper is the god of thunder."
"An electric shock effect! But compared to Laxus's power, this is nothing!" Mira claimed.
Kamika held up a piece of green paper. "Oh, how rude. Then I'll give you a taste of true agony." The green paper soon exploded into gas. "Confetti. Green Dance."
Mira covered her nose so she wouldn't breathe in the gas. "This is..."
"Well? Green paper is the god of poison." Kamika explained. "Pain the likes of which you've never experienced should be coursing through your body."
"You're definitely trying to kill me!" Mira exclaimed.
"Oh, you're just now figuring that out? That's the fate that's been handed down to all of you criminals. You look like you're in a lot of pain. And yet, you're hanging in there? Is that the S-Class quality? Maybe I'll need more poison." Kamika blew the green paper. "Paper Dance, pile it on!"
Mira held onto her throat, struggling to breathe. "Yes, that's the face! Are you about ready to die?" Kamika questioned.
"Magic isn't a power that's supposed to be used to kill people! But without great power, you can't protect the ones you love." Mira closed her eyes as she concentrated. "That's a contradiction, isn't it?"
"What are you talking about? Has the poison effect put your mind in a haze?" Kamika asked.
Natsu flew back as Kama had attacked him. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" He released his breath attack towards Kama, who sliced the flames in half.
"What?! The flames disappeared!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Indeed. My right sickle cuts off the heads of sinners. My left sickle negates the magic of sinners. No matter how much fire you cough up, it'll sputter out and become the sigh of a sinner."
"Man, you go on and on. But you can negate magic?" Flames came from Natsu's fist as he leaped into the air. "In that case, I'll hit ya first!"
Natsu charged at Kama with a flaming fist.
Lily and Ace were flying in the air after an attack from Knepper before slamming into a rock. "You're tough ones. The perfect punching bag, kitty-cats!" Knepper claimed.
"We're not kitty-cats. We're Exceeds!" Lily exclaimed.
"You lost me. But you must've been a soldier before, huh? That's the vibe I get." Knepper said.
"In that case, what are you gonna do?" Lily asked.
"Seems like you've got an obstinate streak. I'm gonna melt that resolve, too!" Knepper stated.
"Give it your best shot!" Ace challenged as him and Lily charged forward. However, the ground melted beneath them as they flew back once more.
Knepper laughed. "I didn't know cats could fly!" He taunted as Lily and Ace crashed to the ground. "Hey, what's wrong? There's nothing my magic acid can't melt!"
Lily and Ace dug their swords into the ground to support them. "Or there shouldn't be... You're getting up again! It'll totally be worth melting the both of you!" Knepper added.
"When it comes to trash talk, you're second-rate." Lily stated.
"Huh?"
"During a battle, the more someone blabs, drunk on their own power, the weaker they actually are." Ace spoke.
"You're just as long-winded as I am."
"You melt things that either have no will or are weak-willed. In other words, you can only beat things that are weaker than you. Lily and I aren't so weak that we'd lose against someone like that." Ace claimed.
"I like you! And since you put it that way, playtime is over! I'll melt you two in an instant and leave no trace behind!" Knepper said.
Water was rushing past as Happy had a worried look on his face. "Oh, no, Aquarius is here!" He exclaimed.
"'Oh, no'?" Carla quoted.
"I heard that, blue one." Aquarius turned to Happy with a scary look. "Want to be crushed?"
"I'm scared!" Happy said.
"If you're going to cry, then don't make those comments in the first place!" Carla scolded.
"This time, something with dignity has appeared-tai!" Uosuke commented.
"Aquarius, take him down!" Lucy instructed.
"Tch!" Aquarius gritted her teeth as she scoffed.
"Hey, I heard you scoffing! It's been a long time!" Lucy exclaimed in irritation.
"The thing is, I'm in a bad mood right now. I'm going home."
"Wait! Wait!" Lucy called out. "Um, has something maybe happened between you and Scorpio?"
Aquarius turned around with a scary look on her face. "What?!" She exclaimed as Lucy freaked out. Aquarius pressed her forehead against hers as she grabbed onto Lucy's shirt.
"Do you know something about it, little girl?! If you're hiding something from me, I'll make you minced meat out of these boobs!" Aquarius threatened.
"No, listen, I called Scorpio before, but he was acting a little weird. He wouldn't look me in the eye..." Lucy tried to explain.
"Did something happen between you two? Pretty gutsy of you..." Aquarius accused.
Lucy was trembling. "I don't think there's anyone who's that wreckless!" She stated.
"Hey, ignoring me in the middle of an execution... ticks me off-tai!" Uosuke thrusted his arms out as water sprouted up and striked down at Aquarius and Lucy.
However, Aquarius sucked the water in her urn. "We're having an important conversation here. Keep your pants on!" She said in annoyance.
"You absorbed the energy of my whirling tide zone-tai?!" Uosuke said in shock.
"It seems Scorpio went on a date with another woman." Aquarius explained.
"Really?!"
"There was a witness... apparently."
"Apparently?" Lucy quoted.
"A Nicola may or may not have seen him walking in the Human World with someone. And Taurus overheard Crux mumbling about it or something." Aquarius stated.
"Why don't you just ask him about it yourself?" Lucy suggested.
Aquarius glanced away sheepishly. "Y-You know that I always pretend to be innocent in front of him. I could never ask him that." She replied.
"Then I'll ask him for you." Lucy offered as Aquarius stared her down.
"Wench, this isn't a spectacle! And if you poke your nose where it doesn't belong, I'll kill you seven times over!" Aquarius threatened.
"I got it, I got it!" Lucy said.
"I guess we should stay out of it?" Carla suggested as her and Happy sweat dropped.
"Although there is a battle going on..." Happy added.
"Nothing good can come of interrupting people when passions are riding high-tai." Uosuke said to himself as he recalled what Lucy had said. "I see. So she was able to summon that fish woman because there's water-tai? Then without water, she can't use that Celestial Spirit, right-tai?"
"Lucy!" Happy called out. "Look! He's laughing with a weird expression on his face!"
"He's going to do something! Be careful!" Carla warned.
"Topography effect! Boiling water zone!" Uosuke shouted as the water began to get hot.
"What is this? It's hot!" Lucy noticed.
"It's..."
"...a hot spring!"
"Hot! Hot!" Lucy complained, leaping onto the rock.
"Tai! Tai! How's the water temperature-tai? And now, the water will disappear-tai! Prepare yourself-tai!" Uosuke said.
"I-I may be in trouble..." Lucy mumbled.
Sting and Lucas groaned as they once again got thrown to the ground. "I'm starting to get pissed." Lucas growled as he was hunched over.
"We need to come up with a plan." Sting informed. "We're getting thrown around like ragdolls."
"When you think of one, let me know." Lucas said before the two dodged another attack from Soren.
Sting tried to hit him with a fist covered in holy light as Soren knocked him back, before ducking under Lucas's fist that was covered in green energy and making him join on the ground with Sting.
"Lovely sleep! Lovely nightmare!" Cosmos sang. "Moisture is important for plants, too!"
"Is that a song?" Wendy questioned.
"Yes! I wrote the lyrics and the music..." Cosmos replied before looking at an awake Fera and Wendy, both of them having a green glow. "Wait, when did you...?"
"Anomalous Conditions, additional resistance... Re-raise." Wendy spoke as the green glow disappeared from her and Fera's bodies.
"How?!"
"Anomalous Conditions Magic doesn't work on me. It's my job to support everyone. But there are times when I have to fight." Wendy said as wind blew away the gas.
"What is this?! A wind... My flowers are scattering!" Cosmos exclaimed.
"I'm going to become a Sky Dragon!"
"No! That's not beautiful!" Cosmos stated as plants sprouted upwards and seeds were firing at Wendy and Fera. "Resisting me isn't beautiful. Fooling me isn't lovely! Deceiving me when you look like that... You're guilty as sin!"
"Lady, what are you talking about?" Fera questioned.
"I didn't do anything." Wendy said.
"I won't forgive you for this! I don't love you anymore!"
"Love?"
"Loveless criminals should have their limbs scattered in all directions! Spore Bombs, Rinka Renka!" Cosmos shouted as explosions started going off. Fera and Wendy leaped into the air.
Wendy blew wind before her and Fera were both struck by the bombs. "A cruel dance, and when it ends, not even your bones will be left behind." Cosmos said.
Natsu was still fighting with Kama. "No matter how many times you try to release it, you're powerless against me. Your magic just can't reach me." He claimed.
"Fine then! I'll just have to beat the crap outta you with my bare hands!" Natsu stated.
"If you come close to me, I'll have your head."
"When I was a kid, I always used to fight one on one without magic. It's no problem! I can't afford to lose to a loser like you before he and I have it out." Natsu said.
"A wizard from a guild? Certainly, you are strong." Kama admitted. "But only as strong as the sinners who came before you! In the end, they became nameless corpses.
"Is that right? That's music to my ears! Now I'm fired up!" Natsu claimed.
"How...? With that much poison in your body, you should just be waiting to die... You should be screaming agony with enough pain to drive you mad... How can you be standing?!" Kamika asked in confusion as Mira stopped walking.
"You made just one big mistake. In the tournament stadium or when my friends are nearby... If I think someone is watching me, I put a damper on my power." Mira explained.
Kamika stepped back. "Huh?"
Mira began transforming. "Maybe my dilemma comes from that contradiction I noted earlier. When I'm alone, I can draw on 100% of my power." She said.
"What are you...?"
Mira soon began to absorb the poison. "I don't believe it! You're sucking up the poison?!" Kamika noted in shock.
"Poison a demon?" Mira questioned as she opened her eyes. "It's my favorite."
"Take Over, huh? Appropriately sinister for a criminal." Kamika commented as she tossed some purple paper. "But it's nothing if I render you immobile!"
Mira dodged the paper and appeared behind Kamika, sending a punch as gray paper blocked it.
"Gray paper is the god of protection!"
"I don't care if you're an executioner or what. The question is, how prepared are you?
Blue paper soon made a sailboat. "Blue paper is the god of the wind!" Kamika said.
"Excuse me, does God run away from the devil? But more importantly..." Mira opened her wings.
"Y-You can fly?!" Kamika asked in shock.
"I'll ask you one more time." Mira attacked Kamika, sending her to the ground. "I want to know where my friends went."
Multiple explosions went off as Kamika coughed harshly. "Is that the attitude to take when you want something from someone?!" She questioned.
"I'm sure you're prepared, right? Then I'll fight you with everything I've got, and ask again after I've beaten you." Mira claimed.
"Are you a demon?!" Kamika threw a bunch of confetti.
"Yes, I am." Mira countered her attack, destroying the confetti in a bunch of explosions.
Mira soon got trapped in black paper. "Black paper is the god of antidotes! If my enemy is a demon, it'll destroy that darkness!" Kamika said.
Mira released herself from the ball. "It's not the kind of darkness you can eradicate." She stated, leaping up into the air.
"She disappeared..."
Mira appeared behind her and tried to kick her, but it ended up being a confetti fake and Mira was soon trapped in indigo paper.
"Indigo paper is the god of love. I call forth the trauma that's associated with love so that you can be imprisoned by it."
Mira soon saw back when her younger sister, Lisanna had died.
"Elf-nii-chan, let's go home!" Lisanna has her arms extended towards Elfman.
"Get back, Lisanna! Don't!"
Mira had tears streaming down her face as the scene changed to Lisanna's funeral.
"With this, you won't be able to escape from the trauma of love. Experience the hell of being imprisoned by the past forever!"
Mira soon broke out of that ball as well. "I overcame my trauma long ago. Maybe we were just lucky. But no matter how hurt someone is, they're meant to overcome it and try to go forward. I think magic is the power to give that supportive push." She said.
"What's this?! Are you trying to lecture me?!" Kamika questioned as Mira slammed her head into a rock.
"What is the immense power of protecting those you love? I'll show you."
Lucy and Yukino were on slabs of rock, trying to avoid the boiling water below them.
"What is this boiling water?!" Lucy exclaimed. "Aquarius can't attack with this! What should I do?!"
"Tai-tai! The fish woman is useless now, so send her home-tai! A woman who doesn't know when to quit should expect to be dumped-tai!" Uosuke insulted.
"Hey, watch it!" Lucy warned as Aquarius had a dark aura surrounding her.
"He said 'useless'!" Happy exclaimed in fright.
"It's over now, huh?" Carla asked.
"Cold water, boiling water, it makes no difference to me... I know an idiot who summoned me from a bath once." Aquarius claimed.
"I almost forgot about that..." Lucy mumbled.
"Hey! Tricking me was cowardly-tai!" Uosuke complained.
"All right! Go, Aquarius!" Lucy ordered.
"Then how about I kill him?" Aquarius questioned with irritation.
Lily and Ace dodged the purple acid coming their way. "B-B-Bye!" Knepper exclaimed. "You can't dodge this, can you? This execution technique, multi-angle acid, is invincible!"
"Oh, no! I've just about hit the limit of my battle mode. At this rate..." Lily muttered to himself.
"Hey! What are you just standin' there like a lump for?!" Knepper asked.
"Remember all the time spent training with Gajeel!" Lily thought, thinking back to the times he spent training with Gajeel.
"Iron fists... This body has taken countless blows from his fists!" Lily reminded himself. "The hardest of iron is determined by one's physical strength and force of will!"
More purple acid charged forward towards Lily and Ace. "I won't lose to anyone! Iron will!" He shouted.
Both Lily and Ace cut through the acid. "Wha...?! They cut through the acid?!"
Wendy and Fera landed on the ground. "How...?! You deflected all my Spore Bombs?!" Flowers began to sprout up. "But I still have various kinds of flowers left."
"That's right. Attacks... Right now, I can't see them perfectly. What would Natsu-san do at a time like this?" Wendy asked herself. "I see. At a time like this, Natsu-san would..."
Natsu kicked back Kama, causing him to skid on the ground. "You! You've beaten me back with your bare hands! Are you a monster?!" Kama asked.
"I ain't a monster! I'm a Dragon Slayer!" Natsu replied as him and Kama continued fighting. Natsu broke a part of his sword.
"Would you mind if I just went ahead and punched your lights out now?" Natsu questioned.
"Ridiculous! It can't be! What is this power?! No, the level of magic power is..." Kama's thoughts got interrupted when Natsu punched him.
"I thought you said you could negate magic!" Natsu said, sending Kama flying into the ceiling.
"You do this to me... Do you people intend to become enemies of the state?!" Kama asked.
"Become enemies? The question is, are you bastards prepared to become enemies of Fairy Tail?"
Natsu lit his hand on fire. "To protect our family... we'd become enemies of the state and the world! That's Fairy Tail!" He shouted, punching Kama with a flaming fist.
Soon enough, everyone had finished their battles with the executioners, knocking them out.
"Huh?"
"Natsu!" Happy shouted.
"Huh? Everyone!" Yukino exclaimed.
"What timing!" Lucy said.
Natsu laughed. "What a coincidence!"
"Right." Mira agreed.
"Indeed." Lucas added.
"Is everyone okay?" Wendy questioned.
"Well, more or less. Anyway, we'd better find our way out of here fast..." Lucy responded.
"Total defeat?!" Kama exclaimed.
"All righty, if you don't tell us where the exit is, it's execution time for you." Natsu cracked his knuckles.
"He's evil..." Lucy mumbled.
A/N: Couldn't update this story due to the fact that my internet was down for days. So my apologises.
Thanks for reading!
~ Kaleb.