Yo, how's it going my dudes and dudettes? The 3rd dragneel, finally returning with another chapter of War Beyond Worlds. I hope all of you are doing well, especially with the crappy year we've been having. I understand why people are freaking out about the coronavirus, but buying all the toilet paper and milk everyone has is just ridiculous. Hopefully, this all blows over soon and we can get back to a semi normal society.
But let's not get into that, ONTO THE REVIEWS!
DB-20: I love those girls.
Guest: Who said I'm adding Aqua? Though… I never said I WOULDN'T add her.
The Butcher: Well I still think the characters that have yet to appear will make you even more invested, but I'm glad we can both agree on Maki being the best girl.
To recap: Things with Maki and Natsu took a drastic turn as a man by the name of Joker arrived and intimidated the Fire Soldier, prompting them to fight. Meanwhile, the rest of their group attempted to catch up with them, though Yusei and Happy were the first ones to leave via the former's Duel Runner. As the fight in the train continued, Joker, realizing his time was short, blew up the cabin, though Natsu and Maki were able to survive and eventually regroup with the others. Finally reaching Oniba Station, they were greeted by a crowd of civilians, who were told to stay away from the station as it was under the control of Eisenwald. The group then infiltrated the station and came face to face with the Eisenwald Guild, led by Erigor the reaper, who then disappeared.
Will our heroes be enough to stop him from using Lullaby? Let's find out...
"Alright, I'm all fired up!" Natsu shouted with an excited grin while pounding his fists together. Two Eisenwald mages ran forward, weapons in hand. Seeing this, the Fire Dragon Slayer leaped forward and smashed his fists against their faces, sending them crashing to the ground. He then slammed his feet on the ground before opening his mouth. "Fire Dragon Roar!" Natsu unleashed a breath attack, sending several more Eisenwald mages flying.
"Ice Make Lance!" Cupping his hands together, Gray summoned a magic circle before launching several ice lances forward, taking down more dark wizards.
"Get that stripper!" One of the mages pointed out as he and the others rushed towards Gray, only for a bright light to appear in front of them.
"Go, Max Warrior!" Yusei called out while raising one of his cards in the air. Emerging on the field was none other than one of Yusei's top fighters: the Max Warrior.
"Wait, what the hell is that thing?!" Surprised by the sudden appearance, the mages stopped in their tracks, looking at the duel monster with wide eyes.
"No one shall harm Yusei or his allies." Max Warrior said in a stoic tone, holding his staff tightly. "NOW FALL!" Before they could react, the duel monster thrusted his staff as fast as a machine gun, knocking all of them back.
"What the hell are you all doing?! Stop screwing around!" The man known as Kageyama shouted in irritation.
"That's enough!" Erza declared while opening her right hand, summoning a red magic circle. In the blink of an eye, a long silver sword with wing ornaments on the guard appeared, much to Lucy and even Maki's shock.
"She summoned a sword out of thin air." Maki said in awe. Sure Arthur was able to make a plasma cutter with Excalibur, but this was magic. And Maki LOVED magic.
"A magic sword?!" Lucy added with a gasp.
"Pay attention, sweetheart!" Out of nowhere, two Eisenwald mages leaped in the air, heading straight towards their target: Lucy and Maki.
However, Maki noticed this and turned around, her eyes glowing yet again. "Sputter! Flare!" Opening her palms, the second generation fire soldier summoned two fireballs.
"Sprutter, sputter."
"Flare! Flare! Flare!"
Unlike more fireballs, however, these two had faces: Sputter have a rather innocent expression while Flare looked much more aggressive. With a flick of her wrists, Maki shot both fireballs at the mages at high speed, striking them in the chest before engulfing them in an explosion.
"Woah, that was hot!" Happy shouted, mildly joking as he saw the two mages fall unconsciously to the ground, covered in ash.
"Natsu, Gray, Yusei! I need you three to look for Erigor." Erza commanded, much to the former two's shock.
"Like hell I'd go with him!" Natsu complained towards Gray, who glared back at him.
"What he said." Gray retorted back as they growled at one another. Before Erza could say anything, Max Warrior picked both Fairy Tail wizards up in his big arms. "HEY!"
"You sure you'll be alright?" Yusei asked the redhead with a hint of concern. He knew finding Erigor was top priority, but he didn't want to leave his friends unless he absolutely needed too. Titania merely gave him a small smirk while looking at the rest of the Eisenwald Guild.
"We will be fine. Go." Erza practically commanded, getting a nod from Yusei as he and Max Warrior(who was still carrying the two rivals) ran to find Erigor.
"Like hell we'd let them find Erigor!" One mage dressed in egyptian like clothes by the name of Rayule said as he launched several black bandages to the second floor, pulling himself up while smirking. "I, the great Rayule, will take them down!"
"I'm coming with you. No one will stand in the way of our goal." Kageyama said while putting a hand on the ground, covering himself in shadows before he sank down. The only ones remaining in the main room were Erza, Maki, Lucy, Happy and the rest of the Eisenwald Guild.
"Hmm, looks like the plot thickens." Joker commented to his ally while watching everything with a hint of interest. "Maybe I should go and stall them for a while."
"You've already revealed yourself to two of them. Don't be reckless." His cloaked ally scolded with a serious tone before they took out a pocket watch, staring at the time. "I must return to the council meeting."
"Have fun." Joker said mildly before he turned around to walk away. However, he saw his ally raising a hand, offering what was in his palm to the third generation pyrokinetic.
"In case Erigor or Lullaby falls." Joker raised a mild brow before he grabbed the object, lifting it up to see it more clearly.
It was a small beaker with dark purple liquid inside.
"So what, do I sprinkle it on them?" Joker asked as he turned to his ally… and found that they were gone. "Hmmm, so that's how that feels like." With a shrug, Joker disappeared into the shadows.
"We'll catch up with them once we're finished with the rest of the men here, okay?" Erza said to Maki and Lucy, with the former giving a serious nod while the latter being taken back.
"Wait, the three of us are gonna take on an entire guild?" Lucy questioned nervously, looking back at the Eisenwald Guild. Many of them got into battle positions while the rest had perverted expressions.
"Mama always told me not to hurt girls, but I guess I can make an exception."
"Sorry ladies, but you aren't gonna be as cute when we're done."
"Maybe if you ask nicely, we'll play with ya."
And as expected, many of them made catcalls and other innuendos that disgusted Erza and Maki.
"But without my stunning beauty, I'll be totally helpless." Lucy said while putting a hand on her cheek, putting on a rather seductive pose.
"It's no time to daydream, Lucy!" Happy called out, getting a sweatdrop from Maki.
"She really should focus more on the battle.' Maki thought with a sigh before steeling herself. "Ready?" She asked Erza, who smirked a bit.
"Let's go!" And with that, both warrior women charged ahead.
"Just cause you have fire and sword magic doesn't mean you'll beat us!" Arrogant about their sheer numbers, some of the close range fighters charged as well, weapons in hand.
*SLASH*SLASH*
*POW*POW*
However, they failed to take into account one simple thing.
Their opponents were anything BUT weak.
Faster than the eye could see, Erza slashed all of them, breaking not only their swords, but most likely their spirits too. With a battle cry, Erza leaped in the air and landed in between another group of Eisenwald members, cutting them down.
As for Maki, she was utilizing her CQC training from the military, taking down mage after mage as effectively as she could. One magic tried cutting her down with an axe, only for her to sidestep and grab his wrist. Before he had time to react, she headbutted him hand on the face, breaking his nose before she spun around and kicked him in the chest. Another fired a magic blast at point blank, though Maki was able to dodge before grabbing his arm, jabbing his chest a few times, snapping his elbow and throwing him over her shoulder into another mage.
"You bitches! Take this!" Angered by the Fairy Tail wizards, some of the Eisenwald mages fired magic blasts towards them, seemingly hitting them in full force. However, Erza jumped up before her sword disappeared between two magic circles, replacing it with a long spear.
"Now it's a spear?!" Lucy asked in shock.
"Sputter Barrage!" Opening both hands, Maki unleashed multiple fireballs, striking down more of the mages while Erza smacked a few with her new weapon. Yet again, Erza's weapon began to glow and change shape until they became two short blades, allowing her to hit targets much quicker.
"Now they're twin swords?"
"I've never seen that kind of Requip before."
"Whatever. Just keep fighting!"
"He said Requip. What's that?" Lucy questioned out loud.
"I can answer that." Happy chimed in with a paw raised. "Magic weaponry isn't that different from your Celestial magic. The user can summon different weapons they store in another dimension and when they switch between weapons, it's called Requipping."
"That sounds amazing." Lucy muttered in awe, though Happy chuckled in amusement. "What?"
"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. Erza's just getting warmed up." Happy said with a creepy expression, much to Lucy's confusion.
"Not that different from mine…" Lucy watched as Erza and Maki fought valiantly against Eisenwald, not showing any signs of slowing down. Just watching the two women fight made Lucy's smile confidently. "I think it's time I lend a hand."
"Seriously? Why'd you have to go and steal the spotlight? Maki's already helping Erza out, so you don't need to join in." Happy said blankly, though this didn't stop Lucy from taking out her gold key with the number 69 on it.
"Open, gate of the Giant Crab. Cancer!" A golden light emerged from the key before shooting up in the air, revealing a pair of scissors. A lone figure reached out and grabbed them, humming a small tune to himself before he turned around. The spirit dresses in a way reminiscent of a hairdresser, His hair is black and braided in red cornrows that end in a shape that resembles crab's pincers. He has thick lips. He wears a blue striped shirt and dark trousers with two aquamarine stripes each side, also wearing boots in his feet. In his pants are a ring chain in the right pocket and a hairdresser tools' bag in the left side of his belt. He wears a golden necklace and two other scissors. He also wears sunglasses with green lens and has six crab legs that appear from his back.
"Wait, what?" Maki questioned as she and Erza momentarily turned back to see Lucy's spirit in action.
"You need me to fight these dudes, baby?" Cancer asked Lucy with a curious tone.
"Yeah, take them out with style!" Lucy declared with a twinkle in her eyes.
"Who the hell's the weirdo with the stupid haircut?"
"Who cares! He's in the way!"
"Die, freak!"
"Woah, now." Cancer said with a small tick mark before he rushed past them, snipping his scissors on everything that moved. Once he was through them… all hell broke loose.
Each and every one of their weapons began to fall apart and even their hair was cut to the point they were left with bald spots.
"W-What happened to our weapons?!"
"My hair!"
"He cut it all off!"
"Now how are we going to find chicks?!" Though they weren't hurt physically, the Eisenwald members all fell to their knees, mourning the loss of their hair.
"Like your new style, baby? Don't ever diss the do." Cancer said smoothly, getting a sweatdrop from his master.
"That was impressive." Erza admitted with a small smile.
"She's right. You were amazing." Maki said with a soft smile.
"O-Oh, it's no problem." Lucy answered, taken back by the compliments she was getting. 'I can't believe I scored points with Erza and Maki! This is my best day ever!'
'Wow, she is desperate.' Happy thought with a disappointed head shake.
"However." Erza spoke up with a stern tone, breaking Lucy and Maki out of their trances. "This crab spirit of yours calls you baby and I find that rather insulting."
"Ouch. Points, undone." Lucy deflated as Cancer looked down a bit.
"S-Sorry ba-ma'am." Cancer muttered in embarrassment, getting a pat on the back from Maki.
"Don't think we're done with you!" The group were taken out of their conversation as the last of the Eisenwald guild surrounded them, eyes filled with vengeance for their fallen comrades.
"There's still more of them." Erza said with a glare. "Annoying, but I'll wipe them out." With that, Erza summoned yet another magic circle. However, instead of appearing in front of her hand, the circle appeared from underneath Erza herself, causing her armor to glow and vanish.
"Woah! Her armor came off!" The Eisenwald members temporarily ceased with their assault as they looked at Erza with heart shaped eyes.
"What is she doing?" Maki couldn't helped but ask as she and Lucy stared at their teammate while trying not to be blinded by the light.
"That is Erza's true power." Happy spoke up with a big smile. "Most magic swordsmen only have the ability to swap their weapons. But Erza's able to swap out her whole armor for different ones, each using different types of magic that enhance her abilities. It's a talent only she can use, which is why she's so special." His smile grew even more as he saw bits of silver appearing on Erza's body. "A technique called the Knight." Soon, the light around Erza's body disappeared and what she wore caused everyone else to gasp in awe.
Almost every part of this armor is seemingly made of silver metal. The upper part of this armor only consists of a small, revealing breastplate that extends along her hips, composed of feather-shaped plates pointing upwards with a large metal flower on the front, leaving the tops of her breasts exposed, as well as her stomach. Her biceps are covered by metal straps and her very large plated gauntlets sport feather-shaped plates at the edges
Her waist is circled by large, decorated plates reminiscent of feathers that lie on a long skirt. She wears a pair of plated boots which is partially hidden under her skirt, each sporting metal ornaments shaped like wings. Erza also wears a neck guard made of feather-like plates and a tiara with prominent metal wings The armor also sports two pairs of large metal wings which adorn Erza's back, composed of metal feathers which get longer and larger at the edges.
"Oh wow!" Lucy said with a blush and smile on her face, along with the rest of the Eisenwald Guild. She didn't swing that way, but she had to admit Erza was drop dead gorgous.
"Amazing." Maki added with stars in her eyes. Not only did the armor make Erza's beauty increase tenfold, but she also looked like a princess from a fairy tale(haha)! She shook her head as a thought occurred. "If Erza wants to finish this, then I should help." She then reached into her right pocket, looking for the artifact the Overseer in their first meeting.
'Flashback, a few days ago'
"I'm glad to see that you accepted my offer, though it shouldn't be a surprise considering the type of person you are." Ariel said with a smile on her face. She had just informed Maki of the details of her visit and she was delighted to see that despite all the craziness, the fire soldier still agreed to help without hesitation.
"There are a few things I will need to learn about Earthland, but I think I can learn on the road." Maki said while standing up from the table Ariel summoned.
"Oh! Before you go." Ariel spoke up, suddenly remembering something. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a small object, offering it to Maki.
It was a small grey talisman with the symbol of a flame on it.
"This is a special talisman just for Champions like you." Ariel said, much to Maki's confusion.
"Okay, but what is it for?" Maki asked in clear confusion, making the Overseer smile.
"You see, some Champions have weapons in their world that they can't necessarily carry around freely, so that's where the talisman was made." Ariel said in a sagely tone. "By concentrating your magic into it, you will be able to temporarily summon a weapon from your world. But I warn you: using too much magic into it will cause the talisman to shatter." The member of Company 8 looked at the talisman, then at Ariel before taking it.
'Flashback end'
"Here we go." Maki said before taking out the same talisman entrusted to her. Holding it tightly in her hand, the fire soldier closed her eyes, concentrating a small amount of magic into it, something that caught Lucy and Happy's attention.
"Maki?" Lucy spoke up… before two orange lights appeared on both her sides, surprising them.
"Hey, what's that witch doing?" One of the Eisenwald members asked, getting everyone else's attention. They were enjoying the eye candy show that Erza was giving and now this other light was getting in the way of that.
*HISS*
Everyone was caught off guard by the sound of an engine roaring in front of Maki, steam surrounding her.
"What was that?!" Lucy questioned out loud before she and Happy gasped in shock at what appeared in front of Maki.
What stood in front of the fire soldier were what could only be described as massive hammers. They were long, with a pure black design in the shape of armor greaves. And the strange part was that they had the numbers 08 painted in white on the outside.
"Engage. Hover at 90 degrees." Maki started with a serious glare. A red light turned on inside both of the weapons. "Pressure circuits ready. Release power units." Small jet propeller ejected slightly out of the weapons. "Pilots, to their stations!" Sputter and Flare then floated inside the small holes on the weapons, causing them to hover up on Maki's sides. "Twin Hover Units Tekkyo at the ready." The Twin Hover Units then flew towards each, smacking against the other hard and creating a loud echo through the station.
"Wait, Twin Hover what?" One of the Eisenwald members asked dumbly… before the unit with Sputter suddenly shot towards him at impressive speed.
*BOOM*
"GUAH!" Before the mage or his friend could do anything, Tekkyo smashed right into his solar plexus, not only sending his friends flying, but also causing him to crash right into a pillar, shattering a large part of it. Tekkyo then hovered back, allowing its victim to slouch onto the floor with soulless eyes.
"Oh my god, she killed Kenny!"
"You bitch!" Filled with even more anger, the last of the Eisenwald Guild charged ahead.
"You shall not pass!" Erza called out as a blue circle appeared around her. Everyone gasped in shock as Erza summoned a large ring, full of several different swords.
"W-Wait, I know her!" A fat Eisenwald member by the name of Karacka said with fear in his voice.
"Circle Sword!" With a mighty swing, Erza launched her ring of swords down, knocking back almost all of the Eisenwald members.
"W-Woah, she took most of them down with a single swipe." Lucy stuttered in amazement and slight fear, though most wouldn't blame her.
"Alright, you're dealing with me now!" One of the last few members shouted in anger while his fists began to glow.
"Biyard, no! You don't know who that is!" Karacka called out, but it was too late.
"Go!" Maki ordered before the right Tekkyo flew forward and hit Biyard's stomach, causing him to throw up saliva while flipping in the air. However, as he looked up, his eyes widened in horror as the left Tekkyo hammer flew over him before rocketing down, sending him crashing into the ground.
"The queen of the fairies, Titania Erza!" Karacka said in fear before he glanced back at Maki, who retracted her weapons. "And that other woman… s-she's a witch or something. There's no way any of us could've beaten them." Seeing as all of their enemies were all but defeated, Erza's body began to glow before she changed into her heart kreuz armor.
"That should be all of them… expect him." Maki said before she turned towards Karacka with a serious glare, making him freeze in place.
"WAIT, I'M-"
*BOOM*
Unfortunately, he wasn't given any chance to reply as both Tekkyo units flew towards him and smashed his face on both sides, knocking him out cold and with some teeth missing.
"Wow! I think I'm in love!" Lucy squealed with hearts in her eyes. Never in her life did she think she would meet people as amazing as Erza and Maki.
"That was quite impressive, Maki. These hammers were very powerful." Erza complimented with a small smile.
"Thank you, but I love your knight armor even more. To not only fly, but to also summon swords… it's like I was watching a fairy tale in real life." Maki said with a dreamy sigh. Oh how she wished she could pull off something so amazing.
"Aye! You were so cool, Maki!" Happy cheered with a big smile. However, he soon realized his mistake as the fire soldier picked him up, cuddling him against her cheek.
"Awww, thank you, cutie! You're so sweet!" Maki cooed with a goofy smile, much to Happy's chagrin,
"Erza… Lucy… help." Happy begged, though both women watched on with amused expressions.
"Maki, I've been meaning to ask: what ARE these things?" Lucy couldn't help but ask, snapping Maki out of her gaga phase and she smiled at Tekkyo.
"These are some weapons a good friend of mine made called Tekkyo. They work like flying hammers and are piloted by Sputter and Flare." Maki said almost cheerful, much to their curiosity.
"Who?" Erza asked with a raised brow. Maki's smile grew as she wagged her finger up, allowing both of Tekkyo's pilots to fly up.
"OH MY GOSH! THEY'RE SO CUTE!" Lucy squealed while cupping her cheeks, looking at the two sentient fireballs float around like balloons, all while repeating their names.
"I know, right?!" Maki asked, finally glad someone else besides Iris can appreciate her abilities and without being scolded by the lieutenant.
'So… Cute…' Erza thought while looking at Sputter and Flare, her heart beating rapidly. Not everyone knew this, but Erza Scarlet was definitely a sucker for cute things and seeing such cute fireballs was making her wish she could act girly as well. However, a wave of fatigue washed over her body, causing her to fall to one knee.
"Erza!" Maki released Happy(who sprouted his wings to get away from Maki) and wrapped one of Erza's arms around her neck.
"Are you okay?" Lucy asked with heavy concern.
"Gray was right. I overdid it on the magic mobile." Erza admitted with a slightly frustrated tone before she smiled at Maki. "Thank you."
"You should rest for now. We can go find the boys and stop Erigor." Maki said with a calm tone before she looked at Lucy and Happy. "Can you two find Yusei and the others? We need to regroup."
"Oh, sure." Lucy agreed, not seeing any illogic from the request. "Let's go, Happy."
"Aye!" With that, the two ran off.
"This whole situation… there's something suspicious about it." Erza spoke up, getting a nod from Maki.
"You're right. Let's just hope we can figure it out before it's too late."
'With Yusei and the guys'
"Would you mind putting us down?!"
"Yeah! We aren't kids!" Yusei continued to ignore the cries of protest from Natsu and Gray as he and Max Warrior continued to run through the halls of the train station. Soon, they came face to face with a fork in the road.
"That's good enough. Thanks Max Warrior." Yusei said to his monster while stopping. The warrior type simply nodded before his body began to shine, causing him to revert back to card form… and cause Natsu and Gray to fall face first on the ground.
"Owww…" Gray and Natsu let out groans of pain before they looked up and glared at the Head Signer's back, standing up. "What's your deal, man? Why carry us around like luggage?!"
"We need to stop Erigor." Yusei spoke up, causing them to calm down and look at him curiously. "I get that you two don't want to work together, but saving lives is more important." He then turned around, giving them a serious gaze that actually made them flinch. "I need your help because I can't do this alone and I'm sure the others feel the same way. So let's focus on the mission before innocent people die." As much as they hated to admit it, Yusei was right. The only way they can win is by working together, not apart. The two rivals looked at each other with glares before straightening up and walking past Yusei. "Thank you."
"Yusei, Natsu." Gray spoke up, getting their attention. "We're up against an evil freak who's getting ready to unleash a deadly spell." The ice make wizard then turned back and gave them a smirk. "If either of you find him, give him a thrashing."
"No need to tell me twice. I owe that guy for trash talking Fairy Tail." Natsu spoke back with his own smirk. Both rivals, realizing what they were doing, turned away with scoffs in order to perserve their pride, making Yusei shake his head in amusement.
"Don't die." Gray whispered, though this was unheard by Natsu.
"Huh?" Natsu questioned, only for Gray to start running towards the left.
"Nothing. Later loser, Yusei." And with that, the ice make wizard ran off, leaving a confused Natsu and a smiling Yusei behind.
"What was that about?" Natsu asked Yusei, who continued to smile at him. "What?"
"Nothing. You two just remind me of my friends back home." Yusei answered before patting Natsu's shoulder. "Come on, let's go."
"Right!" With a toothy grin, Natsu and Yusei began running through the halls of the train station, fully intent on stopping the use of Lullaby. "Say, how is he gonna use Lullaby anyway? Don't flutes only play when you're close or something?"
"He's right, Yusei. There must be some way Erigor plans on playing Lullaby that can reach long areas." Stardust commented before Yusei came to a halt.
"What's up?" Natsu asked curiously as he saw Yusei look up, prompting him to do the same. What Yusei was staring at was a lone speaker, which slightly confused the Dragon Slayer.
"Natsu, remember when Erigor asked what train stations have?" Yusei questioned, to which Natsu nodded. "I think if we find the broadcast station, we'll be able to stop him from playing it. At least then, he wouldn't be able to kill everyone in town."
"Smart. Okay, where do you-"
*Hiss*
Natsu's ears suddenly picked up a hissing sound, causing him to tense up. He didn't know why, but he felt like he heard this sound somewhere. Yeah, it was on the train ride here, with Maki and that guy Joker… wait…
"What's that?" Yusei questioned as he saw what looked like ashes floating in the air, coming closer and closer towards him.
"MOVE!" Realizing what this meant, Natsu grabbed Yusei and shoved him towards the nearest door, shattering it and sending the Signer tumbling to the ground.
*BOOM*
Just as Yusei stopped rolling, a large explosion erupted from the hallway, engulfing Natsu in a blaze of fire. "NATSU!" Yusei called out in shock and horror, heavily concerned about his friend. However, just as he got up… the flames began to change shape, forming what looked like cell bars that blocked his only exit.
"It's a trap." Stardust said with a growl. Yusei should have known Erigor would set up something so obvious, and now he and Natsu were separated.
'Perfect. He doesn't even know I'm here.' Kageyama thought with a smirk on his phase, slowly phasing out of the ceiling. 'Now it's time to show those files how unmatched they truly are.' With that, he opened his right hand, enveloping it in dark magic.
'With Natsu'
"Damn, that was close." Natsu muttered to himself while lowering his arms, the smoke surrounding the hallway slowly disappearing. Parts of the hall were destroyed due to the explosion and some of the walls were turned to dust. "I know you're out that, Joker! I can smell your cheap cigarettes!"
"How rude." A small chuckle echoed through the hall, making Natsu tense up while igniting his fists. Unbeknownst to him, the shadows behind him were beginning to change shape, with a large purple eye and a crazy grin on it. "These are the best quality cigarettes in Japan, though I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand. Shame you won't live long enough to take a puff." Slowly, the shadow took the form of Joker, who helped a card-shaped flame between his fingers before slashed it towards Natsu's neck.
*SMACK*
Only for the son of Igneel to counter with his fist, creating a stalemate. "Ahhh, you have some sharp senses, don't ya?" Joker questioned with a smirk, which annoyed Natsu.
"I got a score to settle with you, and after that, I'll go after Erigor." Natsu declared with a determined tone, getting a chuckle from Joker.
"I like that fire in your eyes… LET'S SEE MORE!" Joker kicked Natsu back, causing the Dragon Slayer to skid on the floor. Summoning five more cards, Joker then threw them towards Natsu, who grinned at this.
'He doesn't remember I can eat fire. His loss.' Natsu thought he caught two cards with his hands and one in his mouth, dodging the last two. "Thanks for the snack." However, as Natsu was chewing on the flames, he noticed Joker taking out another vial of ashes with a grin.
"Got ya." Joker said colly before opening it and releasing the ashes. Once they reached the fire cards, they ignited.
*BOOM*
And just like before, they engulfed Natsu in an explosion, this time sending him flying all the way to the end of the hall. "Sheesh, how many times are you gonna do that?!" Natsu yelled through the smoke before Joker leaped through it, sending a kick. Natsu quickly raised an arm and block it, only for Joker to twist around slam his knee onto the Dragon Slayer's head, sending him crashing face first to the ground.
"Come on! Fight back a little!" Joker shouted before creating a deck full of fire cards, through them all on Natsu.
"Fire Dragon Talon!" Igniting his feet, Natsu began to spin around, kicking away all the cards and forcing Joker to jump away. Standing back up, Natsu began to ignite the bottom of his feet before rocketing towards Joker, engulfing his body on fire. "Fire Dragon Sword Horn!"
'This kid won't quit. I like him.' Joker thought, his grin growing even more before he intercepted Natsu's attack with his feet. Looking down, he noticed his shoes beginning to bubble up, yet this didn't affect him at all. 'Hell, maybe he has an even stronger fire than Kusekabe.' After a moment of a stalemate, both fire users jumped back, landing on their feet. Not giving his opponent a moment to rest, Natsu rushed towards Joker, throwing fist after fist as fast as he could, though Joker simply dodge each and every one with ease. With a roar, Natsu threw a flame-coated fist towards Joker's face, only for him to catch it. "You're not bad."
"Thanks. You aren't either." Natsu admitted with a grin. He hated to admit it, but this guy was a lot tougher than he was on the train and his fire power was so much different.
"But you tend to focus more on overpowering your opponent than actual combat." Joker commented, much to Natsu's confusion. "I admit you have some skill when it comes to hand to hand combat, but it's obvious you haven't had proper training like Oze."
"How the hell do you even know Maki?" Natsu questioned with a glare, getting Joker's grin to grow.
"I don't know her personally, but I have read about her files… from our world." Joker admitted, causing Natsu to widen his eyes. "Starting to put it all together, aren't we? Good, because as much as I enjoy playing games, I also like getting straight to the point." He then grabbed Natsu's bandaged fist. "You're probably wondering why I can't feel any pain from the flames. I assure you that I do feel them, but as a pyrokinetic, more specifically a third generation pyrokinetic, I have some immunity towards fire. And that makes me MUCH more dangerous." With that, he squeezed Natsu's hand with surprising strength.
"AHHHHHH!" Natsu let out a scream of hand as he felt his stab wound being crushed, causing some blood to spill onto the bandage. For a tall guy, Joker was monstrously strong, it felt like Erza was squeezing his hand. He opened one eye and stared directly at Joker's eye with anger. "You… bastard…"
"That's it, get angry. I've seen the fires of the devil, now I wanna see the flames of a dragon." Joker said with a dark chuckle. He then crushed Natsu's hand even tighter, making him fall on one knee. "Hmmm, it seems you aren't as strong as I realized if you won't fight back." Opening his other hand, Joker summoned another card, looking down at Natsu in disappointment. "Guess I'll kill you and focus on mister Fudo."
*BOOM*
Joker's eye widened a bit as Natsu's whole body caught on fire. "NNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Out of pure anger, Natsu pulled Joker close, landing a successful headbutt on his head, causing the pyrokinetic to release him.
"Ooooo, that actually hurt." Joker said with a laugh as he tapped on his forehead, feeling a small trickle of blood coming down.
"You wanna try to kill me? Fine." Natsu said in a serious tone before he raised his head, his onyx eyes turning green with reptilian slits on them. "But if you try to hurt any of my friends, I'll burn you to a crisp!" Rather than shaking in fear, Joker spit out his current cigarette, taking out a carton of them before putting a new one in his mouth, lighting it. Taking a deep breath, Joker let out a puff of smoke, which soon took the shape of a dragon head.
"Impressive. So the angrier you get, the stronger your flames become. I like it. Fitting for a dragon like you." Joker said with clear admiration, though Natsu still glared at him. "Here's a little reward for ya, kid… Erigor is already gone."
"What?" Natsu asked, his anger turning into confusion. What the hell did this asshole mean by that?
"Glad to see I got your attention." Joker said jokingly before he continued. "Ya see, for a bunch of idiots, Eisenwald planned this through rather well. Even I'm somewhat impressed by it. You see, this town has no worth for something as powerful as Lullaby. At most, it would get them some attention, but not a whole."
"What's your point?!" Natsu shouted, his patience growing even thinner.
"My point…" Joker took another puff of smoke from his cigarette before grinning. "Is that they wanna hit something big, and what's bigger… than killing a bunch of Guildmasters?"
'Guildmasters… Guildmasters… Guildmasters…' Joker's words rang through Natsu's head as his eyes slowly widened in realization. "Gramps."
"Oh, so you know one of them? I hope you said your goodbyes today, kid." Joker said with a mild shrug, infuriating Natsu even more. "By now, Erigor's probably long gone."
"SHUT UP!" Now filled with pure rage, Natsu launched himself towards Joker like a rocket, leaving scorch marks in his path. Joker raised his arms, taking the full force of Natsu's kick. However, even Joker was pushed back a bit by the sheer force of Natsu's attack. "Fire Dragon Claw!" Opening his hand, Natsu swung at Joker's face, who did a small spin in the air to dodge… only for part of his eye patch to fall off.
"Woah, easy there, Dragon. Don't wanna rush anything." Joker said with an amused tone, only fueling the fire in Natsu's body.
"You're gonna pay for keeping us here, Joker!" Natsu growled in anger. However, before he could continue his assault…
"Natsu!" Behind Joker, both Lucy and Happy appeared from one of the doors, noticing their friend.
"Hey, who's that?" Happy asked, realizing the unfamiliar man fighting his best friend.
"Lucy! Happy! Get out of here!" Natsu shouted out, not noticing the frown on Joker's face.
"Great, we have an audience." Joker said with a disappointed sigh before he summoned two fire cards… and threw them towards the duo. Both Lucy and Happy gasped in horror before they dodged, though Lucy was hit on the left shoulder.
"Ahh!" The blonde mage yelped in pain as she fell on her knee, holding her slightly burned shoulder.
"LUCY!" Natsu and Happy shouted, with the former glaring at Joker and the latter checking on her to see if she was okay.
"Ah, ah, ah, Dragon. I wouldn't take another step if I were you." Joker said in a teasing tone, taking out yet another vial of ashes. "I doubt you'd be able to save your friends all the way from there, so here's a little proposal: let me leave or have them die. Your choice."
"Natsu, what's he talking about?" Happy asked, getting his friend look at him for a moment.
'I know Happy can take Lucy out of here, but I still don't want them to get caught in it.' Natsu thought in frustration before he relaxed, though not without glaring at Joker. "Fine."
"Shame. I thought you'd actually risk it." Joker said before grinning a bit. "Still, I look forward to our next little dance, and I'll make sure we're not interrupted. Ciao." With that, Joker's whole body began to turn dark before disappearing.
"He's gone." Lucy muttered in shock, unable to comprehend what just happened. She then flinched at the pain on her shoulder.
"You okay?" Natsu asked while running up and kneeling in front of her. The celestial wizard merely nodded in response.
"Was that Joker? He's creepy." Happy commented while shuttering a bit. Never did he think someone like the third generation pyrokinetic actually existed and now that he saw him, he wished they would never meet again.
"Yeah." Was all Natsu said with an angry tone as he looked at his bloody hand. He was a Dragon Slayer for crying out loud, and yet that guy was giving him hell, not to mention the fact he was threatening Yusei.
Wait… YUSEI!
"Natsu, where's Yusei?" Lucy asked as if being able to read his mind. Last she checked, both Gray and Yusei were with him, which meant they must have split up.
*BOOM*
"AHHHH!" The three were surprised when Rayule crashed through the wall, hitting the ground hard and losing consciousness. Gray walked out of the hall with a mist surrounding him.
"Gray?" Said person turned his head, mildly surprised by the sight of his friends.
"There you are." Gray said with a serious expression as he rushed towards his group, taking a moment to look at their condition. "What the hell happened to you?"
"Long story. But we got bigger problems." Natsu spoke up while standing up. "I know what Erigor's doing."
'With Erza and Maki'
As for the two beautiful warriors, they were currently making their way outside, with Maki helping Erza walk. "You don't need to carry me. I can walk on my own." Erza told Maki, who shook her head.
"I know when someone's exhausted." Maki said in a knowing tone, getting a small scowl from Erza. "You're strong Erza, but you shouldn't push yourself." She then gave her a smile. "Besides, it's okay to lean on others for help." The Titania of Fairy Tail stayed quiet for a moment, taking in Maki's words. Helping each other was the way Fairy Tail functioned and it was the reason why she asked Natsu and Gray to come in the first place.
"You're right. I apologize." Erza admitted while giving her a bow. "You may strike me if you wish."
"Hehehe, no thanks." Maki said with a small giggle, though she knew Erza was being completely serious. It was actually one of the things that she admired about the woman… and what slightly terrified her.
*WOOSH*
However, the moment the two reached the exit, instead of seeing a large crowd of people waiting for them… a massive tornado appeared, covering the entire building! "W-WHAT?!"
"Is this Erigor's doing?!" Erza asked in shock and anger. To think a spell like this was activated under their noses… it infuriated her. "But wait, why would he make it around the station alone?"
"Because… this wasn't his target." Maki slowly realized with a gasp, getting Erza's attention. "In the military, to cripple an enemy, you have to strike them in their most critical area." Soon, Erza's eyes widened in shock at what she meant.
"The Guildmasters!" Erza shouted before she pushed herself off Maki, making her way towards the tornado, ignoring Maki's protests. She stuck an arm inside of it, only to pull it out in pain. "AHH!"
"Why would you do that?!" Maki questioned as she examined Erza's arm, only for the knight to glare at her.
"I'm fine!" Erza yelled rather harshly, much to Maki's surprise. She realized what she said and gave an apologetic tone. "I'm sorry. But I needed to see if there was a way to bypass this spell, but I can't find a way."
"So he has us trapped." Maki said while biting her lower lip. "And he still has Lullaby. Who knows how far away he is. What do we do?"
'On the way to Clover'
"Hehehehe…" Erigor let out yet another amused laugh as he continued to fly over the train tracks beneath him, moving closer to a large canyon in front of him. His plan was going off exactly the way he thought and he couldn't be any happier. "I'll have to thank Joker for his help… with a little tune." He said rather arrogantly as Lullaby's eyes began to glow.
Soon, he would have his vengeance on the Magic Council and all those who looked down on him.
Huh, what a way to end the chapter, am I right? Well, not everything can be sunshine and rainbows.
Anyways, I hope all of you enjoyed this chapter from the comfort of your homes since this whole epidemic is forcing everyone, especially people in California(me), to stay home. Honestly, I'm not THAT angry since that means I can do school at home and write more stories… if not for the fact I CAN'T EVEN GO THE FREAKING GYM OR DO ANYTHING FUN!
Sorry, sorry. Lost my cool for a sec.
Anyways, as you can see, this chapter had a lot more action, especially with my favorite girls Erza and Maki working together, as well as Natsu fighting Joker. Look, I know people will be angry at me for having Natsu getting his ass handed a bit, but if you've see Fire Force, you know that Joker is a lot stronger than he appears, even without his pyrokinetic powers. As you can see, I'm having a lot of different things happening from Canon, like Yusei fighting Kageyama in the next chapter. Believe me, everything will head to an epic final fight and soon, we will see the next Champion.
Thanks to my beta reader, Earth Dragon Arnighte.
Next time: Unleash the Dragon.