A/N: ModernRogue11 here and I'll be answering some questions that were raised after posting the previous chapter as well as giving comments of my own.
TheJSmooth: I'm laying some subtle groundwork for that but I think you already know who. Still, I'm doing this the best I can so that it won't feel forced.
yiggdrasill: Thank you for that. A lot of people forget that Ichigo is a diligent student. Not once did we see him in the anime suffer academically while doing Soul Reaper activities. He is also a fast learner, meaning that he can grasp concepts quickly because of his mixed heritage.
For the suggestion regarding the Kido spells, I decided to use the Japanese translations for the names but I left the incantations in English. I do hope this does not cause any complaints since I'm after the authenticity and exclusivity of Kido to Soul Reapers.
With all that, let's proceed to the chapter.
Chapter 11: Ultimatum
Ichigo woke up to a bright blue sky with no clouds in sight. It was complemented by a cool gentle breeze that brought him a refreshing feeling as he soaked in the sunlight. The reaper looked to the sky and reached out a hand to grab what would be the Sun if it were present.
It had been a while since he was here. The world still held that same visage since he first entered this domain. Buildings could be seen even at the distant horizon. The glass windows reflected the heavens regardless of what they held. The strange thing about this place though was the skyscrapers themselves. Instead of the usual tall standing statures, it is associated with, here they are lying horizontally, serving as the platform Ichigo could stand on.
This was his inner world.
"Well, look who decided to visit."
The carrot-top turned around to see two figures looking back at him. The first was a tall middle-aged man with pale skin, high cheekbones, and long ragged black hair with brown highlights. The man's attire consisted of a tattered white dress shirt with black pants, low-heeled boots, and a long, high-collared amorphous black coat that flares to a tattered end. Finishing this get-up are transparent, brown-tinted sunglasses.
The next person Ichigo saw could be considered an exact copy of him. He had his face, his shihakushō, and even his hairstyle. The only difference was that he was all white, from his skin to his clothes, and his hair. The only distinguishing features about this individual were his golden-yellow pupils on pitch-black scleras and the maniacal grin present on his face. Those characteristics gave him a hollow-like appearance.
"Hello, Ichigo," the older man greeted. "It has been a while since your last visit."
"I'll say," his body double interjected. "It was getting kind of boring around here."
Ichigo knew who these people were. They were the inhabitants of this world he visited. They are the sources of his power and the manifestations of his soul. One represented his Soul Reaper powers while the other represented his Quincy heritage. They may be different from each other but to him, they will always bear the same name.
"Zangetsu."
"Which one are you referring to, him or me?" asked the hollow-like spirit.
"Doesn't matter," Ichigo replied waving off the rhetorical question. "To me, the two of you will always be Zangetsu."
"So, what do we owe the visit?" the old man questioned.
"I'm just here to visit. As you said, it has been a while."
"So, how's the guild treating you?"
"It's fun," Ichigo replied to his hollow doppelganger. "Although, recent events have made things a bit hectic."
"Hah! I like what you did some nights ago in Sabretooth's lodge. You scared the shit out of them."
"…And I'm willing to do it again if they attempt to harm anyone from the guild."
The scowl on Ichigo's face didn't go unnoticed by his Quincy side. Being part of his being and serving as the manifestation of his inherited powers, the old man could understand how protective of the guild Ichigo is since they joined. It served as the home the Kurosaki head sought in this foreign world. The bonds he formed began to mend the pain of loss the reaper had for losing everyone he cared save for his wife and sisters.
"I see you've grown to like this guild," Old Man Zangetsu remarked.
"I do," Ichigo replied truthfully. "We can never replace the memories we had with the ones we lost in our original world but my family and I can make new ones with Fairy Tail. I owe them enough for accepting us despite our origins so I'll do my part as a guild member in keeping the guild safe."
"Always the protector," Hollow Zangetsu remarked in an attempt to rile up his master.
Ichigo just smirked at his hollow counterpart and cheekily replied, "You should know. You are me, after all."
Caught off guard, the white Zangetsu couldn't help but chuckle at the witty response. "You've changed a lot since coming here, King. Although you still have that annoying soft side, I wish you get rid of, you've become a lot more decisive in terms of fighting. Heck, you don't even hesitate to use the mask to frighten the living fuck out of anyone who crosses you and your family. This is no doubt an improvement if I do say so myself!"
"Glad I could please you," Ichigo replied in annoyance at his Soul Reaper power's manifestation.
"It's good to know you're making bonds and not isolating yourself like before," the older-looking Zangetsu remarked.
"It was a long-time coming to be honest," Ichigo answered back. "Orihime, Karin, Yuzu, and I. All of us lost loved ones during the Blood Wars but somehow, they managed to get past all that pain while I still couldn't move on. It was only when I saved Wendy and her team that we decided to connect with the world. Finally, it was thanks to my son who insisted that we join Fairy Tail. If it weren't for him, we'd still be living in that cottage in the middle of the forest and never moving on to make the best of what this world has to offer."
"Indeed," the old Quincy spirit agreed. "This guild has done much more for you as it has given not just yourself but your family as a whole the chance to connect and form bonds. You even adopted that girl into your care. Though I think your reason for taking her in wasn't just because of sympathy, is it?"
"You're right," Ichigo admitted.
"She reminds you of yourself when you and the girls first got here, right?" the hollow-like sword spirit inquired.
"Yeah," the Kurosaki replied. "We understood her situation because we were no different when we came here to Earthland fifteen years ago. She was alone. She had nothing and got kicked out of the guild she called home. It's not right to leave someone like that to suffer so we took her in, hoping that she won't have to go through what we had."
"You're such a softie," the white Zangetsu teased.
"Oh, shut up!" spat.
"Hey, King!"
"What!?"
"It's about that energy you were searching in the capital…"
Ichigo's expression turned serious. "What about it?"
"Something big is coming," the psychotic spirit declared, a wide deranged grin could be seen on his face. "I can feel my instincts screaming at me like a fight is closing in. It's making my blood rush in excitement for the kind of battle we'll face."
Ichigo knew not to disregard Zangetsu's gut feeling. The spirit is pretty much his instincts given physical form. If the deranged manifestation said that a massive fight is coming, it's more or less guaranteed to happen.
"I agree with him, Ichigo," the calm spirit agreed. "The amount of spiritual energy this device you speculate to exist is collecting is unprecedented. If this is merely a side effect of its actual function of gathering magical energy, then we should be vigilant. By the end of the Grand Magic Games, I have no doubt a catastrophe will occur if this is not dealt with."
"I know," the master of the inner world replied. "I've been communicating with Jellal and getting updates on the whole thing. Still, it would be better if the place where this device isn't a restricted area."
"I suppose we can only prepare for the worst," the old Quincy spirit concluded. "If the worst did come, what will you do Ichigo?"
Both spirits looked to their master to hear his response. They saw Ichigo gain a determined look. The two knew what it meant and were pleased to hear what he said.
"I'll do what's necessary," Ichigo replied, his voice taking on a hollow-like sound to emphasize his answer.
The Quincy spirit nodded while the hollow/zanpakūto manifestation grinned with satisfaction.
"Well, I better get going now."
"Very well. It was nice seeing you after a long time."
"Mind changing up this place soon?" the white spirit questioned. "I'd like it if there was something to kill the boredom here."
"I'd like some greenery if you would," the old man requested.
Starting to get annoyed, Ichigo began walking off. "I'll do it soon, I promise."
With that, the Soul Reaper left his inner world to join the rest of his guild.
The Kurosaki head woke up to the curious stares of his teammates. Laxus, Gajeel, Cana, Jellal, and Juvia have been looking at him for almost an hour. The orange-haired man was sitting in a mediative position with his twin swords on his lap not moving an inch for the whole duration. It got the rest of his teammates worried a bit since the next set of events for the tournament are about to begin.
"What were you doing?" Juvia asked.
The Soul Reaper stood up, picking his two swords and strapping them on his person. "I was meditating," he replied finally upright. "…And by extension, soul searching. Literally."
"Uhhh…sure," the members of Team B replied, still a little unsure of his reply.
As the team went to the stadium, Ichigo approached the disguised Jellal and inquired about his investigation.
"Find anything useful?"
"I did," the former criminal nodded. "I sensed that energy yesterday but for some reason, it didn't feel as abundant as it used to compared to the previous years."
"I see."
"Not only that, but the energy source also seemed to be moving."
Ichigo looked to the mage beside him in slight surprise. "Come again?"
"It was moving. I tried to trace the source but unfortunately, I hit a slight problem."
"And what would that be?"
"Doranbolt of the Rune Knights was following me."
The Soul Reaper grew concerned about this development. "Did he catch you?"
Jellal sighed. "He did. Not just him but also his partner Lahar. They managed to remove my mask."
Ichigo's eyes shot to the Heavenly Body mage in surprise and worry. "What!? I thought you promised not to draw in suspicion."
"It was a mistake on my part for being careless," Jellal admitted. "I was so focused on finding that source of magic that I never noticed the authorities were already doubting me."
"Well, something must've happened in your favor if you're walking free right now."
"Yes. Mister Yajima intervened just in time before I was apprehended."
"Isn't that guy one of the announcers?"
"Yes. He was a former member of Fairy Tail before he joined the Magic Council years ago."
"I see. You were lucky he showed up and bailed you out."
The blue-haired mage nodded. "Indeed. If it weren't for him, I would've been arrested. He did give me a stern warning not to repeat that mistake."
"Then considering heeding it," Ichigo advised. He then remembered something about the intel Jellal revealed. "You said that strange magic was moving, right?" That inquiry elicited him a nod. "Then that could only mean two things."
"Which are…?"
"It could either be that the device in question was being carried around by the perpetrator or this person has been exposed to the device for a long period, absorbing some of its residues."
"That is plausible. I think we should inform Erza about this development," the mage suggested.
"Oh," Ichigo exclaimed in mild surprise before his face formed a cheeky grin. "Will you inform her or is it just an excuse to ask her out? Go on, don't be shy."
"I…uhhh…" Jellal stuttered, unable to respond to the teasing.
The Soul Reaper gave out a chuckle before swinging an arm around the embarrassed wizard. "Look, I understand that as of right now, things aren't exactly in your favor. Still, you can't just wait around until this whole thing blows over. What if after this problem, another one pops up that's even more of a headache? Stop delaying and make a move. At least unlike me, you're aware that Erza has feelings for you and vice versa. It took me two wars and the total annihilation of our home to finally notice Orihime, so you have no excuse to ditch every chance you get for later." That's when his eyes became warm and caring. "If this is about your past sins, I've told you before that it wasn't your fault. You were a pawn in various schemes that you didn't get a say in anything. Erza understood this and has forgiven you. I'll even wager that she'll accept you with open arms. Tell her and be happy. You deserve it for all the shit you went through."
Jellal did take into consideration Ichigo's advice from before but decided instead to pursue Erza once this problem gets resolved. He didn't take into account the possibility of another catastrophe to occur and hinder his chance for a relationship with the maiden knight. He pondered about it and tensed at the thought of one day facing a crisis wherein both of them will have lost the chance to be together.
"Thank you for the advice, Ichigo," Jellal thanked the reaper sincerely.
"Hey, it's the least I could do for helping us out in this tournament."
The disguised fugitive deadpanned. "I'm not sure if I've been much help at all."
"Nah…" Ichigo waved off that little comment. "You've been giving us intel on this strange energy since we came here. Heck, you almost got arrested when you tried to chase the supposed perpetrator. If you don't call that help then I don't know what is."
"Thank you for the vote of confidence."
"You're going to need it if you'll man up and ask Erza out."
Bright red underneath the layer of garment that serves as his disguise, Jellal stayed silent after Ichigo's man-to-man talk as they headed towards the arena.
"IT'S A SUNNY DAY FOR MAGIC AND MAYHEM!"
Chapati Lola yelled to get the crowd excited for the fourth day of the Grand Magic Games.
"We're ready to kick off Day 4's segment with a BANG! Today's game is called Naval Battle! That's right folks, strap yourselves right in for an exciting skirmish in the sea!"
Today's special event is called the "Naval Battle." The contestants will be fighting in a large ball of water in the middle of the arena. The goal is to eliminate the enemy contestant by pushing them off the playing field. Once only two participants are remaining, a special rule will be implemented. This is called the "5-Minute Rule." This rule states that if one of the two remaining competitors gets ejected from the battleground during the first five minutes of the showdown, that person will get the last place.
The contestants for the day's events were Chelia from Lamia Scale, Risley Law of Mermaid Heel, Jenny Realight from Blue Pegasus, Minerva Orland from Sabretooth, Rocker of Quatro Puppy, and finally Lucy and Juvia from Fairy Tail Teams A and B respectively. Once the signal to begin rang, Lucy quickly summoned Aquarius, kickstarting the day's event.
"Go, Lucy! You can do it!"
"Wash them away, Juvia!"
The members of Fairy Tail cheered their competing members. Each one was so lively that their voices can drown out the entirety of Domus Flau. Among these cheerful mages was Lisanna eagerly anticipating the outcome of the day's matches. Last night was a difficult time for her; questioning her place in the guild since she felt that everyone has left her behind, especially a certain dragon slayer. Luckily for her, Yukino came in and comforted her and promising to help her catch up with the rest of Fairy Tail. From that point on, the two mages formed a strong friendship. Even when some of the sadness from last night still lingered, the young Strauss was confident that she can get through it all.
…And to her joy, the person she now considers her best friend came.
"Yukino!"
Lisanna quickly stood up and gave the Celestial mage a friendly embrace which was returned in kind. Trailing behind Yukino were the rest of the Kurosaki family. The other members were a little surprised and curious as to why a member of Sabretooth is on their balcony.
"How are you?" Lisanna asked in excitement.
"I'm fine," Yukino replied with a smile. "In fact, I'm more than fine. I'm very happy!"
"That's good to hear." The Take-Over mage pulled the spirit mage's arm and dragged her to her fellow guildmates. "Come. Let me introduce you to everyone!"
"I'm not sure that's necessary…"
Lisanna either didn't hear it or didn't listen since she continued to drag the girl in front of Makarov and her sister. "Master Makarov. Big sister. I'd like you to meet Yukino. You remember her, right?"
"Indeed, we do," the diminutive master replied for both him and Mira. "Hello, young one. I'm Makarov Dreyar, guildmaster of Fairy Tail."
Yukino bowed, showing respect to the elder wizard. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Master Makarov."
"Likewise."
"Hi there, Yukino," Mira greeted the silver-haired mage. "I'm Mirajane, Lisanna's older sister."
"Hello."
Makarov didn't mind having the former Sabretooth mage in their balcony, but he was still a bit lost as to why she isn't with her guild. He didn't know that Yukino was kicked out of her guild so he decided to question Yukino. "Forgive me if I sound rude, Yukino, but why is it that you are not with your guild?"
Everyone noticed the girl's expression become somber. Only Lisanna, the Exceeds, Lucy, Wendy, and the Kurosaki family knew the reason behind her saddened expression.
"Did I say something wrong, my dear?"
Makarov was concerned that he may have said something insulting to the girl. Even if he didn't, he would still offer some help to alleviate whatever it is Yukino was feeling.
"Are you alright, Yukino?" Makarov inquired.
"I am, Master Makarov and you didn't say anything wrong," the silver-haired mage replied. "…And to answer your question, I can't."
Makarov raised an eyebrow. "You can't?"
"I can't because I was kicked out of Sabretooth…"
The Fairy Tail members who didn't know let out a surprised gasp. After that, Yukino revealed the circumstances of her expulsion. Suffice to say, Makarov was abhorred at Sabretooth's methods. Not only did they expel her from the place she considered as her home, but the guildmaster Jiemma also humiliated the poor girl in the most obscene and degrading way possible. Such action was too much and this sentiment was shared by all members of the guild. Even the reason behind the punishment was ridiculous.
Sympathy for the former Sabretooth mage was shared among all members of the guild, none more so than Makarov. Like the caring man, he is, the old guildmaster said, "I'm sorry for the unfortunate circumstances the befell you in your previous guild. Although I cannot give you back your old home, I can offer you a place in Fairy Tail if you wish. It might be different from Sabretooth, but every one of my children will welcome you with open arms."
"You don't need to offer her a home, old man since she already has one," Karin interrupted the two mages and ruffled Yukino's hair.
"What do you mean, Karin?" Makarov inquired.
"This little cinnamon roll right here was adopted last night by Ichigo and Orihime."
That revelation caused another wave of surprise among the members of Fairy Tail. Yukino blushed because she was not used to all this attention.
"That's right. Yukino is now part of our family, making her Ichigo and Orihime's daughter. This also makes her my and Yuzu's niece!"
"That's good to hear," Makarov expressed. "Still, the offer for her to join the guild still stands." He then turned to the Celestial mage and said, "If you need time to think about it, then take as long as you need. We will not hurry you."
Before she went to sleep last night, Yukino thought about joining Fairy Tail. The former Sabretooth wizard was thinking that it might be necessary to join said guild now that she was adopted into the Kurosaki family. Seeing that the wizened mage was offering her a place and her letting take all the time she needed to make a choice, it was clear to Yukino that she didn't need to second-guess. The decision was clear and that no time is necessary to give Makarov an answer.
"Thank you for the offer, master," Yukino courteously replied. A serene smile made its way into her face. "You don't need to wait long for my answer, Master Makarov, because I happily accept."
A gleeful grin formed on the third master's face. "Welcome to the family, Yukino Agria."
No sooner after Makarov said that Yukino was swarmed by all members of Fairy Tail who were present, showering her with congratulations for being adopted into a loving family and welcome acceptance into the guild. Although a bit flustered at all the attention, the girl was happy all the same knowing that she was given a chance to start over.
Mira then came with an idea and quickly took the new guild member and her sister and made them stand side by side. She examined the two girls and saw an eerie similarity between them. "If anyone were none the wiser, you two could pass off as twins."
The two girls mentioned looked at each other then back at the gentle Take-Over wizard. The other guild members observed the two mages and concluded the same thing. Yukino and Lisanna did look like twins.
While this was happening, Makarov approached the family responsible for giving Yukino a place to belong during the time she needed it the most. The old Wizard Saint stood beside Orihime as they watched the rest of the guild welcome a new member to the family.
"It was very compassionate of you to do that for Yukino," Makarov told the Fullbringer.
"It was Ichigo's idea to adopt her," Orihime explained. "He saw in Yukino what we were when we first came here in Earthland. Losing a home is hard and my husband understood that the most. He asked us if we could adopt her and at first, it surprised us. Even so, we accepted his idea because all of us want to help her. We all promised that as long as Yukino is with us, she won't have to go through the pain we experienced fifteen years ago."
Makarov can't help but let out a contented smile. "You people truly are amazing."
"We only did what any good person would do. We help and protect," Orihime declared.
Ichigo watched as his new daughter get the love and acceptance she was deprived of while still in Sabretooth. It was fulfilling if he were being honest. It's been a long time since he genuinely helped someone in their time of need. Now that Yukino is in his care, he'll do everything in his power to protect her. That's what he does. That's what his name means. And he'll do whatever it takes to shield everyone he cares about from harm and Yukino has just been added to that long list of important people.
Suddenly, the hybrid reaper felt a massive surge of spiritual energy originating in the palace. He wasn't the only one though. Orihime, Yuzu, Karin, and Kazui all felt that spike in power and became worried. Ichigo had a suspicion that the device they were searching was just used, and this could spell trouble if left unattended. He looked to his family except for his daughter and saw that they shared the same expression.
"Jellal," Ichigo called the cloaked man after approaching him.
"What is it?"
"Something happened and I need to tell the rest of your guildmates about it."
"From the sound of your voice, it must be very distressing."
"It is," the carrot-top admitted. "Can you tell me where they are?"
Jellal didn't say a word and simply pointed to the top of a massive statue near the edge of the coliseum.
Not wasting any time, Ichigo quickly grabbed the disguised convict by the arm and disappeared via Flash Step. The four remaining members of their team were left staring at the space the two used to occupy before vanishing.
"What the heck just happened?" Gajeel asked no one in particular.
Meredy and Ultear jumped in fright when Ichigo appeared with a nauseous Jellal in tow. They were told to meet the disguised mage on top of the statue they usually perch overviewing the whole coliseum sometime later. They didn't expect, however, to see the adult reaper along with their fellow guild member.
"Would you please don't do that next time?" Meredy asked still a little bit shaken from the sudden appearance.
"I would've preferred the void portal that instantaneous travel," Jellal remarked while trying to gain composure.
"Opening a Garganta would be a bad idea," replied the Soul Reaper. "Can you imagine the reaction of someone seeing the fabric of reality tearing opening like a mouth or an eyelid?"
The blue-haired mage tried to refute but found no words. "Point taken."
"So, mister Ichigo, what brings you here?" Ultear inquired.
The carrot-top groaned. "These guys should stop treating me like an old man," he grumbled. He then proceeded to focus on his objective. "I can inform Erza about this development later on but you three need to hear this first."
Sensing that this might be urgent, the members of Crime Sorciére gave their attention to the reaper.
"I'm sure you heard from Jellal that it's a device that's gathering this dark magic and it is also inadvertently absorbing considerable amounts of spiritual energy," Ichigo surmised, earning nods from the two female rogue wizards. "Just now, I sensed a massive spike in spiritual energy which is something that shouldn't be possible in this world."
"What do you mean not possible?" Ultear asked suspiciously.
"Mages can't use spiritual energy since the soul focuses on gathering ethernano instead. Even then, only spiritual awareness would be the ability that would manifest if one were to have a sufficiently strong soul."
"Okay, I get you. But what does this spiritual energy have to do with the device gathering the dark magic we've been tracking?"
"Everything," Ichigo answered seriously. "Spiritual energy, which makes up the soul, pulls ethernano from the atmosphere into the body. If we use this same principle, then the spike of spiritual energy will also lead to an unprecedented amount of magical power to be absorbed by this device."
Realization kicked in as the three rogue mages were wide-eyed at the implications of this discovery.
"How can you be sure that it is massive?" Meredy questioned.
"I have the worst spiritual sense among my family," Ichigo admitted. "If I can feel it, then there's no doubt the others did too."
"I see," Jellal managed to get his bearings and understood this new dilemma. "How powerful do you think this spike is?"
"I were being honest; I would rank it as low to mid-level captain-class in terms of potency."
"I'm not sure we understand what that meant," Meredy remarked.
"Remember my little display on the first day?" The two Grimoire Heart mages and the former councilman remembered. "It was double that."
"DOUBLE THAT!?" the Maguilty mage did a double-take. "But that column of black energy was already so much. You're saying the spiritual energy absorbed is twice as much?"
"Yes," Ichigo with finality.
The members of Grimoire Heart were silent as they try to comprehend the gravity of the situation. If what Ichigo said was true, which probably is, then this entire mission is direr than it lets on.
"C-Can…the device be…destroyed?" the pink-haired mage asked, worry etched in her voice.
"It can," Ichigo assured Meredy and the rest of her guildmates.
"Really? How?"
"We need a power source that has enough or more of the amount required."
Ultear raised a question. "But if that's the case, then we don't have anything or anyone that could match that power. So, how do we destroy it then?"
Ichigo chuckled at the time wizard's question, leading to her and the rest of Crime Sorciére's confusion.
"What's so funny?" Meredy asked.
"Did you all assume the power I showed in the opening of the tournament was my fullest?" Ichigo questioned with some confidence.
"You're not serious, are you?" It was Ultear this time who was left dumbfounded.
"I am." Ichigo then began to explain, "My swords' size reflects my power. Right now, I'm restricting a great portion of it with what little control I have. If I unleashed all of it in one go then I'd be swinging swords with blades the size of skyscrapers. Mind you, my zanpakūto can store ridiculous amounts of energy at any given time, especially the larger one."
The three mages were flabbergasted at the Soul Reaper's claim. They've seen his power firsthand during the opening of the games and suffice to say, they were left speechless. To simply find out that that display was just a fraction of Ichigo's full power was just hard to believe.
"Just how powerful are you, Ichigo?" Meredy asked the Soul Reaper. With this revelation, the Maguilty mage can't help but feel hesitant to be near the orange-haired man.
"I don't know," Ichigo replied honestly. "All I know is that I don't want the time for me to use all of my power to come."
"Why?" was the shared question of the three wizards.
"Because it means I'm fighting an opponent not even the Four Gods of Ishgar can defeat."
The mages of Crime Sorciére were left wondering about the possibility of someone like that existing. There was one being who came into mind.
Acnologia.
The "Dragon of Apocalypse." It was no question that the black dragon was the most powerful being in Earthland right now. There was also Zeref, but the dark wizard was a recluse. Still, they can't deny the power of history's most infamous mage.
However, the existence of Ichigo Kurosaki just changed the balance of power of the world. Where did someone so powerful come from and how was he able to elude detection from not only the Magic Council but also from various dark guilds? Surely someone with that much power would quickly gain the attention of everyone. Jellal, Meredy, and Ultear were already speechless of the Soul Reaper's power but finding out that it was far from his true capabilities scares them.
Their thoughts were interrupted by the commentator's desperate cry.
Minerva was enjoying herself.
It wasn't long ago when Sabretooth was attacked by Natsu Dragneel of Fairy Tail and challenged her father to a fight. She didn't need to intervene knowing Jiemma could handle the rampaging fire mage. Still, she needed to remind the dragon slayer that messing with Sabretooth was a mistake, hence using Happy as a hostage. It would've worked, if not for the appearance of Ichigo Kurosaki.
The man was an enigma in a guild full of open books. Minerva and the rest of her guild never knew of the Soul Reaper's existence and his capabilities. When he appeared in front of them and made them suffer under his immense power, for the first time in a very long while, the Sabretooth mistress felt helpless. Even from his father, she has not experienced a force so godlike that it would make his guildmates convulse and spasm. It was what Ichigo said though that stuck with her.
The promise of annihilation.
The way the reaper said it. He meant it. His demonic voice, the infernal helm that was forming on his head, and finally the yellow eyes wreathed in blackness drove the point home that this man had no qualms exacting retribution and spilling blood.
Minerva and her guild valued power over everything else and yet, what would that mean in the face of absolute power?
This infuriated the woman. The feeling of helplessness wasn't new to her but experiencing it again isn't something she wanted. Minerva doesn't like others having more power than her. She doesn't like being at the receiving end of such power. And the way Ichigo casually threatened her and her guild was the last straw.
The Sabretooth mistress would do anything to get back at the man who belittled her. She will make any member of Fairy Tail suffer for such defiance.
…And sadly, Lucy was at her mercy.
"Have you learned your lesson, or should I keep beating it in? I'm fine with that," Minerva asked with malicious glee as she continued to torture Lucy in the remaining five minutes of the event. "Remember this the next time you think of defying me!"
One of the Royal Knights shouted to the officials to call off the match and the presiding referee, Mato, quickly did. The gong rang signaling the end of the Naval Battle but Minerva still had one last insult for Fairy Tail. Gripping Lucy's face, the sadistic Sabretooth mage lifted the unconscious blonde, dangling her in the air before lazily dropping her to the ground.
Natsu and Gray quickly rushed to catch the falling Lucy but were surprised to see her vanish and reappear on the ground. To their relief, Karin and Yuzu were able to catch the unconscious wizard before she hit the ground. The two, spirit warriors placed the injured Celestial wizard gently on the arena floor as the rest of Team A rushed to her side.
"Lucy, hang in there!" Gray shouted as he reached the fallen wizard. "Say something!"
"What in the hell is your problem!?" Natsu yelled at Minerva. "You've gone way too far!"
Minerva simply smirked as she look at the distressed Fairy Tail mages condescendingly.
The officials quickly requested the paramedics to take Lucy to the infirmary. Wendy and a volunteering Chelia came in and administered immediate treatment before Lucy was taken for better treatment. As the two young healers applied their magic onto the injured Celestial mage, they quickly realized that the damage done to Lucy was severe both externally and internally.
Erza, who had just arrived, was now glaring at the Sabretooth contestant who was descending from the sphere of water with satisfied smug on her face. Minerva liked the irritated look she was seeing on the redhead knight and decided to push her buttons.
"What a scornful expression," Minerva taunted. "You can glare at me all you want if it makes you feel better but remember that I acted in full compliance with the rules of the competition."
"That may be true but you went way outside the bounds of basic human decency," Erza refuted.
Minerva chuckled at her words before responding, "I was simply trying to entertain the crowd, that's all."
"No."
The two opposing mages looked to the source of the voice to see Yuzu with an uncharacteristic glare pointed at Minerva. "That wasn't entertainment," the Quincy stated. "What you did was sadistic and malicious. It was torture, plain and simple."
"It may look like that to you but in the eyes of the officials, I didn't do anything wrong," the Sabretooth mistress coolly replied. "To be honest, you should be thanking me. She wouldn't have gotten second place without my help."
"If this is how you low lives behave then we're glad Yukino is no longer with you."
Minerva's attention was caught by Karin standing beside her twin. Like her Quincy sibling, she was furious at the unnecessary brutality. So much so that her left hand was on her waist clutching her zanpakūto.
"If you're referring to that weakling then she didn't deserve to be in our guild. I don't care if you take in a piece of trash such as her."
A scowl both formed on Yuzu and Karin's face. This woman just insulted their niece.
"Her injuries are still severe," Wendy cried catching the attention of everyone. "Chelia and I were able to heal her wounds but not her internal injuries." Her words were compounded by the blonde wizard's heavy labored breathing.
"Sōten Kisshun!"
Two familiar fairies appeared before the sky maidens, catching them by surprise. The fairies formed the signature golden dome and covered the injured Lucy, basking her in its ethereal glow.
"I reject."
Just as expected, all of Lucy's injuries, both internal and external, were quickly disappearing. The gashes caused by Minerva's savagery were fading and her breathing began stabilizing. Within seconds, Lucy was completely healed. It wasn't long after that Orihime appeared beside the two healers.
"All of her injuries are now healed," the white-clad woman assured. "She should be fine now. Shun'ō. Ayame. Return." The two fairy spirits glowed brightly before converging into Orihime's hairpins thereby completing the powerful artifact.
Even if they saw it before, Chelia and Wendy were still baffled at how effective Orihime's healing was. However, they didn't get the chance to ask her about her skills since the Fullbringer joined her sisters-in-law in glaring at Minerva.
"Yukino is anything but trash," Orihime said. Her face may be calm but inside she was fuming at the insult to her adoptive daughter.
"You can think what you want but, in the end, she lost." Minerva's tone was full of arrogance and disdain. "If she was strong then she would've won her match. However, she lost spectacularly and that is proof of her weakness. In my eyes, if you are weak then you are nothing more than trash."
That was the last straw for Karin. Yukino already had enough shit in her life and this egotistical woman was calling her trash? Having had enough, the Soul Reaper gripped the hilt of her sword and slightly pulled the blade out of its sheathe.
"You want a show of power?" Karin threatened. Her spiritual energy was spiking high that the contestants were on edge. The rest of Sabretooth's mages all stood in between the irate reaper and their mistress. "I'll show you power." Water was starting to emerge around her feet, forming a circle of raging torrent around her.
The other members of Fairy Tail don't know what was happening to the Soul Reaper but her relatives do. Karin was about to unleash her shikāi.
"First, you tortured my friend. Then, you go and call my niece trash? You asked for this. Submerge, Suishi-…"
The older twin's release command was suddenly cut off when a hand was placed on her weapon. The surprised sibling turned to look at the hand's owner to find Ichigo standing beside her.
"Karin," the carrot-top gently called. "You don't have to release your shikāi in front of everyone. Save it for when you need to."
"She tortured Lucy and insulted my niece," Karin revealed. "She insulted Yukino, your daughter, and mercilessly beat Lucy to an inch of her life."
"I know," Ichigo admitted. "I saw and heard everything."
"Then why are you stopping me?"
"Because if you interfered, then we might get disqualified," the older reaper reasoned. There was truth behind his words. "Do you want the efforts of Lucy and Juvia to get wasted just because you can't control yourself?"
Karin thought about it. She wanted to teach Minerva a lesson and wipe that smug look on her face. But if she did that, Fairy Tail would face a strict penalty for such action. All the efforts of her guildmates thus far would've been for nothing.
The reaper twin sighed, admitting defeat. "You're right," Karin replied. She then sheathed her sword and the waters raging around her began to recede until it finally disappeared.
"Thank you, Karin. Just because I stopped you, doesn't mean they won't suffer any repercussions for hurting anyone in the guild." After saying that, Ichigo turned around to face the five Sabretooth contestants. "Didn't I warn you not to harm anyone from Fairy Tail?"
"You think we'd listen to the likes of you?" Minerva taunted. "That little warning you did nights ago may be impressive, but it'll take more than that to scare us."
"Be that as it may, it still doesn't give you the right to inflict that much pain onto Lucy. Not only that, but you also insulted my daughter by calling her trash."
"Daughter?" Minerva asked in confusion. The other members of Sabretooth were also perplexed.
"Yukino," Ichigo finally answered. "Orihime and I adopted her just after you kicked her out of your guild."
Minerva was speechless for a moment before bursting into a fit of laughter. "You adopted that worthless mage?" Ichigo didn't answer. "I don't know what's more amusing, the fact that you adopted that pathetic weakling or the measly attempt of defiance by that other weak Celestial wizard."
In the stands, Yukino was visibly hurt by Minerva's words. It wasn't like she didn't do her best. It was just that Kagura was the stronger wizard. She's still young. She still has room to grow as a wizard. A single defeat doesn't label her as something worthless. It only means that she still has more to improve.
"We are Sabretooth," Minerva proclaimed. "We are the strongest guild in all of Fiore and anyone who will defy us will suffer the consequences. The weak have no place in our guild and anyone who tarnishes the name of Sabretooth will be severely punished."
Every word that was uttered by Minerva was abhorrent to the mages of Fairy Tail. Their idea of a guild revolves around power, not bonds and camaraderie. The only thing they deem important is strength and anyone who they deem to be weak will be ostracized and excommunicated.
"Is that so?" Ichigo asked the prideful woman. "It seems that you people only answer to power and force. Based on my experience, your kind won't stop until everyone is at the heel of your feet. So, I'll play by your rules." With a fierce gaze, the hybrid Soul Reaper told Minerva and the rest of Sabretooth the most unexpected thing. "Forfeit the competition."
Surprised, Minerva could only say, "I'm sorry, what!?"
"I said you should quit while you're ahead," Ichigo clarified. His tone was serious and the way he said it sounded like a command.
"You have a lot of nerve demanding us to quit!" Orga growled at the reaper.
"Please tell me why we should forfeit this competition when we're mere inches away from victory?" Minerva cockily asked.
"To spare yourselves from humiliation and defeat."
Minerva's smile disappeared. "Is that a threat?"
"No," Ichigo calmly answered. "This is an ultimatum. Quit now and you will still have your pride…or you can continue with this pointless charade of dominance and ultimately suffer the most disgraceful defeat you will ever experience."
"You think you can threaten us!?" Sting yelled at the Soul Reaper. He may be afraid but he'll be damned if he let this man make such demands from his guild.
"This isn't a threat," the hybrid clarified. "This is a promise. Come the fifth day of this tournament, Sabretooth will be completely annihilated."
With that declaration, Ichigo turned around to tend to his comrades. This left the Sabretooth mistress completely silent, her anger boiling inside.
"Who does this man think he is!?" Minerva raged in her thoughts. Nobody threatens Sabretooth and gets away with it. Seething beyond recognition, the Territory mage finally snapped. "You think you can just walk away like that!?"
Orga, Sting, Rogue, and Rufus were surprised at their mistress' behavior. None of them have ever seen Minerva so angry before.
Ichigo stopped just before he left to consult Makarov regarding Lucy's condition. He didn't bother to look at the mages behind him when he replied. "I can. That's because after all of this is over, your guild will be nothing more than an afterthought."
Team A was silently watching Lucy as she recovered from the beating, she suffered. Thanks to Orihime's healing, she wasn't in any danger. Still, Porlyusica advised everyone that she stay and rest just to make sure.
"She's going to be okay, isn't she?" Happy asked.
No one answered since all their attention was focused on the resting Celestial mage. What caught their attention though, was the sudden opening of the infirmary door. It revealed the members of Team B, all of whom were worried about their fellow guildmate.
"Any word on Lucy's condition?" Juvia asked right after opening the door.
"You guys came," Erza said a little surprised.
"We may be on different teams but we're still from the same guild," Cana explained.
"So, how is she?" Gajeel asked just as Laxus and Ichigo entered.
"Thanks to Orihime, Wendy, and that girl from Lamia Scale, she's no longer in critical condition," Porlyusica answered to the relief of the visiting mages. "That said, I recommend she rest for a day or two for her to recover her strength."
Although their worries were gone, the participating Fairy Tail members still held the urge to get back at Sabretooth for what they've done. Ichigo already beat them to the punch when he promised the antagonistic guild retribution but it doesn't mean they don't want a piece of the action.
"They're going to pay," Natsu muttered.
Laxus heard his fellow dragon slayer and agreed. "You sure as hell bet that one."
"Ichigo, how's Yukino?" Erza asked the Soul Reaper who remained silent. "I overheard your conversation with Minerva that you adopted her."
"I did," the hybrid reaper replied. "Orihime is comforting her now."
"That was very surprising," Gray commented. "I never realized you took her in after she got kicked out."
"I just wanted to give her a home. She reminded me of what it was like arriving here fifteen years ago. It was hard and I don't want her to go through that," Ichigo reasoned.
"You're too kind, you know that?" Cana remarked, earning a hidden smile from the carrot-top.
"And you can be so damn ruthless once pissed," Gajeel added, remembering the expeditious beating he gave Ivan and Raven Tail.
All their attention was diverted to Happy who said Lucy was waking up. When they looked at the blonde, sure enough, they saw her regaining her consciousness. The Celestial mage squinted her eyes before opening them. Her vision was fuzzy but she could make out the faces of everyone in the room. Both teams were here including Porlyusica.
"You guys," Lucy muttered, "I'm sorry."
It was barely audible but they could hear the regret and sadness in her voice.
"Why are you apologizing?" Natsu asked.
Lucy felt embarrassed so she hid under the blanket. "Because I screwed up again."
"Are you kidding? Second place isn't something to be sorry about," Gray said trying to cheer his teammate.
"Yeah," Wendy agreed with the ice wizard. "We got eight points in that round."
"Yes. Good job," Erza praised.
Even though they were cheering her for her effort, Lucy still felt ashamed of her performance.
"You did your best, Lucy," Ichigo said gaining the attention of the bedridden blonde. "None of us expected for this to happen. However, you never surrendered. Even when the odds were stacked against you, you continued to fight regardless. Because of that, you managed to secure eight points for Fairy Tail. It may not look like it, but our guild is at a better standing than we first started because you never gave up. Take pride in the fact that you're one of the people who led us this far."
Touched by his wise words, Lucy can't help but be grateful to the Soul Reaper. "Thank you, Ichigo. Thank you, everyone."
Happy the gave Lucy her Celestial keys back. The blonde happily accepted and help her most prized possession by her heart.
"She's going to be okay," Wendy remarked after seeing Lucy's content expression.
"But we still can't let those jerks get away with what they did," Cana exclaimed.
"I feel the same way," Gray said.
"They're nothing but a bunch of scumbags," Gajeel added.
The door opened again to reveal Makarov with a troubled expression.
"Master," Erza called.
"I know these unfortunate circumstances," the old mage began, "…but I'm glad both teams are here. I have something to tell you." From how he said it, everyone in the room knew it would be something important. "I've been approached by the game's organizers. I'm not sure if this will be a hindrance or not but we've been asked to consolidate our two teams."
Needless to say, all parties present, were surprised.
"What!?" Natsu yelled.
"So, we have to be like everybody else now," Laxus said calmly.
"Why are they doing that?" Juvia asked the old master.
"It's because of Raven Tail's disqualification, isn't it?" Ichigo questioned.
Makarov nodded in agreement before continuing, "You're correct, Ichigo. With Raven Tail's disqualification, that leaves an odd number of teams which makes it difficult to create matchups for the battles. So, we've been ordered to do away with the A and B teams and form a single five-person team for the rest of the games."
"So, we're losing five members," Erza commented.
Carla realized an important detail in this development. "But how would this affect our score."
Makarov quickly answered, "We're only allowed to keep the lower one and that would be the 35 points from Team A."
"That's unfair!" Happy complained.
"Fair or not, that decision's been made so we better accept it," Erza stated.
"I just wish they informed us sooner," Gray told Erza. "We only have the two-man battles left now."
"You're wrong," Porlyusica interrupted. "Traditionally there is a mandatory day off followed by a battle involving all members. You should choose wisely."
"Look on the bright side," Cana told everyone. "This just means we get to make an even more kickass team." Her eyes then pointed towards the only Soul Reaper in the room. "And I'm pretty sure who will be involved in the line-up."
"I know what you're thinking, Cana," Ichigo said to the now sober Card mage. "I think it'd be best if I am put on the reserve spot for now."
"Huh!?" was the unified reaction of everyone.
"Why Ichigo?" Natsu asked after snapping out of his earlier confusion. "With you on the starting roster, we'd be unbeatable."
"So, you're saying you and everyone else are not good enough," the reaper asked.
"No! That's not what I meant!" the fire mage denied.
"It sure sounded like it." That reply irritated Natsu. Ichigo sighed as he began to explain. "Look, I want to be in the reserve team because I have full confidence that any one of you here can win this for us."
"Oh," Natsu uttered, finally realizing the reason.
This revelation gave every mage in the room a boost of confidence. It was nice to know that someone was willing to put their faith in them.
Ichigo remembered the recent spike in spiritual energy from the palace. He approached Erza to tell her of this development.
"What is it Ichigo?" the redhead asked while the rest of her guildmates were busy with themselves.
"It's about the mysterious energy we've been searching."
The knight's expression grew serious. "What is it?"
Ichigo began explaining the recent spike in power and the effect it could bring upon once it is used by the culprits. He also told her what happened when he met with Crime Sorciére. Suffice to say, Erza was distressed.
"That is concerning," the knight said.
"Concerning doesn't even begin to describe it," the reaper remarked.
"What do we do know?"
"For now, we continue with the matches but we keep our guard up," Ichigo answered. "Whoever is behind this is preparing to use that device soon. I think it's best if we let the rest of the guild in on this. This will give our guildmates the preparation needed once everything goes sideways."
"I see. I'll talk to the master about this and in turn, he will relay this to everyone else in Fairy Tail."
Although precautions were taken, Ichigo can feel like something else is at work here. A nagging feeling born from years of fighting that helped him survive throughout his life. His instincts were telling him to prepare himself for a fight and he'll do just that.
What transpired in his world won't happen again.
Orihime, Kazui, Karin, Yuzu, and Yukino.
Wendy and the rest of Fairy Tail.
Never again will he lose his loved ones.
Ichigo will do everything in his power to protect them…
…Even if it means unleashing the hollow within.
A/N: ModernRogue11 with some thoughts about this chapter.
Honestly, I had a different outcome of the confrontation between Sabretooth and Fairy Tail. At first, I was planning for Ichigo to just straight up threaten Minerva and her guild with a Cero pointed at them. When I thought about it again, I realized that it might be out of character for Ichigo to do that. So instead, I had Karin be the one to nearly engage Sabretooth by nearly releasing her sword. That change brought up the opportunity to show a bit about Karin's shikāi. All in all, I feel content with this chapter.
I hope you readers enjoy this added content and leave your thoughts in the comment section. It always helps to know what your opinions are so I could improve the story as a whole. Just, flames, please. If you have issues and concerns, please respectably state them.
Until next time.