Chapter 20: Enemy from the Gates
A familiar feeling suddenly caught Ichigo's attention. Out of reflex, he turned his head to the direction of that sensation, specifically Mercurius Palace.
"Ichigo?"
The patriarch quickly turned to the source of the voice. It was his wife. "What is it, Orihime?"
"It's Kazui," the woman answered. "He let his hollow instincts take over again."
A sigh escaping him, Ichigo understood his wife's concern for their son. "I know you're worried, honey. I am too." He reached out and held his wife's hand in his own, giving it a gentle squeeze to reassure her. "Besides, I think he's fighting the mastermind behind this conspiracy. If there's a time to let his inner hollow take some control, it'd be now."
"Do you think he'll be okay?"
The former substitute answered with a smirk before saying, "He's our son. I doubt anyone can beat him."
Orihime's answer was a bright smile. Ichigo loved seeing that smile since it was one of the things that got him through his grief. He looked towards the clock again. The time was two hours before midnight. With how things were going, the team sent to stop the activation of Eclipse won't make it in time while the fighting downstairs won't be ending anytime soon. Hence, the husband and wife need to unlock their family's limiters.
"Come on, Orihime," Ichigo said. "Let's get our limiters released. It will take us an hour since we're not experts in Kidō."
"Sure thing, Ichigo."
"Damn, that kid."
Launching a shot of black energy, the future Rogue weaved through a series of sword slashes coming from a grinning Kazui Kurosaki. After dodging a strike and finding an opening, the malevolent time traveler tried to counter with a shadowy fist. To his surprise, though, the intended recipient suddenly disappeared and materialized a few meters away. The dragon slayer ducked down to avoid a savage kick from the demoness, Mirajane. He retaliated by swinging his arm and unleashing his magic upon the mage. Mira defended by crossing her arms to block the attack before floating above to assess her next move.
"I don't like this," Rogue thought. "Though I am confident I can beat Mirajane, I must admit that I'm having some difficulty. However…" his eyes darted towards the masked boy in black, "That kid is the real problem." Indeed he was. Mirajane was an enemy he knew of in terms of skill, magic power, and combat ability. She was strong, but the future version of Rogue was confident he could beat her, albeit with some challenges.
However, the actual threat here was the boy. There was something within that boy that even made his draconic side weary. There weren't many things that could make him cautious, but the grin and aura Kazui was giving off was just wrong. At first, he thought it was a demon. In reality, it was much worse. He could see the white substance form into a broken skull-like mask with thick red lines racing over the eye holes.
"What are you looking at?"
Even the voice of the boy was unnerving. It was decided then. The boy had to go first.
Future Rogue's shadow darkened as he submerged himself into it. The black patch on the ground sped through the battleground towards Kazui, clearly marking him as the more significant threat. The boy knew the intent and decided to play along and jumped before a black spear emerged from where he once stood. Rogue shot out from his shadowy confines to pursue the young reaper with a shadow spear in hand. Kazui stopped mid-air and propelled himself towards his attacker. He readied his black blade and swung hard, clashing with the spear and causing sparks to fly.
Both fighters landed on the ground and prepared for another engagement. Kazui pounced on the time traveler and did a flurry of slashes that Rogue found hard to dodge. Suddenly, the boy overextended one of his swings, giving the shadow mage an opening to capitalize.
"YOU'RE DEAD!" Rogue yelled in triumph as he attacked with a shadow spear.
CLANG!
To the shadow wizard's surprise, the attack didn't do anything. His black spear simply bounced off like it hit metal. He noticed glowing blue lines on the boy's arms and neck. Confused, Rogue glanced at the boy's half-covered face to see that grin getting more expansive.
"Surprised?" Kazui said. "It's called Blut Vene and Hierro."
Kazui then grabbed the stunned man's arm and threw him across the area with strength no twelve-year-old should have. Rogue composed himself while landing, only to see a charging Kazui with a cocked fist covered in red lines this time. The dragon slayer quickly leaped to the side and avoided the punch. He turned his head to see the damage and, to his surprise, there was an indentation around ten feet wide and one meter deep.
Bewildered by the child's abilities, Rogue saw Kazui plunge his sword to the ground and stretch his hand. Two petals from his sword's guard detached and levitated in front of him. He grabbed it, and flecks of strange energy converged into the two pieces, forming a golden bow laced in red and black power.
"Just how powerful is this kid!?" Rogue shouted in his mind and quickly got an answer when the child in question pulled the bow's string and fired a volley of energy arrows. He raced around, dodging the salvo of projectiles from Kazui while firing his shadow magic at those that came too close. "Goddamn it! Just who the heck is this kid!?"
While this was going on, Mirajane could only gape in surprise at Kazui. He demonstrated skill and power that could rival an S-class wizard. If she were to compare herself to him at that age, it's clear she's outclassed. Heck, Kazui could give Erza a run for her money in sword skill.
"Just what kind of training did Ichigo put this boy through?"
That was the million-dollar question. Mirajane had seen Karin and Yuzu fight, and the level of skill they demonstrated was nothing short of ferocious. Seeing Kazui fight the same way made her realize that all questions lead to one man…
Ichigo Kurosaki.
The eldest Strauss remembered that Lisanna told her about that spar with the Kurosaki patriarch. Ichigo instilled in her younger sister a vital lesson she carries after that day. "I might need to take some lessons from him in the future," Mira casually thought while looking at Kazui firing another hail of arrows at their enemy.
As for the boy in question, Kazui deactivated his bow and took his zanpakūto for a more up-close and personal fight. Coincidentally, the two other petals in his blade dislodged themselves. Now, all four were hovering above the masked boy poised to strike.
There was a static buzz that could be heard behind Rogue. The wizard quickly knew what to expect and blocked a mighty slash from Kazui from behind by coating his right arm in shadow magic. He didn't expect to see the petals charge at him furiously and evaded one petal but was struck and wounded by a second one. The other two floating artifacts hummed and proceeded to attack the dragon slayer. It didn't help Rogue's predicament when Kazui lunged at him and pressed his advantage.
Not wanting to be left out of the action, Mirajane dove head-first into the enemy mage and grabbed him by the shoulder.
"What the…!?" was all Rogue could say before being thrown by the demoness with such force he shot through several walls of the palace.
"Nice throw," Kazui commented as Mirajane gently landed beside him.
"Heh, thanks," the white-haired Take-Over mage replied. "Although, I'm not about to let some kid have all the fun."
Kazui chuckled. "The more, the merrier then."
Suddenly, a spike of magical power alerted the two Fairy Tail members. The four petal-like objects converged through a mental command in front of Kazui and Mirajane. It then spread out and created a barrier just in time to block what looked like strings made of white light. The streaks of light hit the shield and bounced off in multiple directions, puncturing the surroundings.
"What was that?" Mira questioned the boy. "It didn't look like anything Rogue can do."
"It looked like strings," Kazui replied. "That said, instead of shadows, they were made of light."
"That's right…."
The two fighters looked to the voice's origin. They found a furious-looking Rogue who was emanating white and black energies.
"I can't believe you managed to force me to use this," said the time traveler as he stepped out of the hole he was shot through. "I was saving this for the man with the twin swords. However, I just realized that the kid with the orange hair must be his son, right?" The sound of silence was all the answer he needed. "In that case, I should stop messing around!"
The winds picked up, and the two energies within the dragon slayer burst forth. The raging forces circled its owner as the air became saturated with light and shadow magic energy. The ground Rogue stood buckled as small pieces of earth lifted into the air.
Shock could be seen on Mirajane's face. It was uncommon for dragon slayers to possess two elements. They'd have to acquire it by consuming other power sources or have it embedded in them through a lacrima. Both of which are fatal if they don't have the resilience to endure the changes it brings.
As for Kazui, he held his guard up, knowing that the danger had just risen. Though not as dangerous as his father, the boy knew not to underestimate any opponent.
Fully stepping out, Rogue unveiled himself. His clothes were slightly worn, with cuts and gashes, but otherwise, he was fine. However, what made him different was the darkened, almost black half of him radiating a shadowy aura while the other was emitting light.
"The boy is already S-class material," Rogue remarked. "Dare I say, he might even surpass you already, Mirajane Strauss. So, with two powerful mages present, I will have to reveal my trump card earlier than expected." With that declaration, he vanished into a streak of light.
Kazui's senses quickly went into overdrive. "MIRA, LOOK OUT!" he yelled, hastily performing a combined quick movement of Flash Step and Sonido. The reaper pushed the demoness to the side and held his blade on guard while activating his Blut Vene and Hierro.
Before Kazui set up his barrier, a shadow-coated hand emerged from the light trail and tried to claw at him. The boy noted that this attack was far more potent than the shadow spear from earlier. Suppose it wasn't for his absurd natural defenses. In that case, he might've been in a pickle and would've relied on his instant regeneration. However, that didn't stop the attack from shooting him into a stone pillar.
"Kazui!" Mira's cries for concern were replaced with weariness when the threat suddenly found himself upon her.
The demoness crossed her arms and prepared for the inevitable strike. It hit her, and it hurt like Hell. The punch sent her into a wall, creating an indentation in the marble structure. Mira quickly got out of the wall and avoided another attack. Flying a reasonable distance away, she gathered her magic power into a dark sphere, raising it above her head.
"Evil Shower!"
Magic bullets began indiscriminately pelting the surroundings. Rogue quickly submerged into his shadow and zipped across the grass and stony ground, avoiding the rain of Mira's attack. Once the shower of black energy ceased, he emerged from his shadow and summoned multiple threads of light, all aimed at the Take-Over mage overhead.
Mira saw the incoming attack and flew away to dodge it. It didn't stop, though. More kept coming from the dragon slayer. Some beams she managed to evade; others were able to nick her. Eventually, the demoness was led into a trap as the rays surrounded her and began converging on her location. She held her arms up, ready to take on the magic attack. However, it didn't come. Instead, four rapidly moving petals revolved around her, deflecting the multiple threads of white magic coming her way.
"Getsuga Tenshō!"
An arc of condensed golden spiritual energy barreled through the fighting ground. Without a moment's hesitation, Rogue immediately got out of his shadow and leaped to safety. He barely managed to avoid getting hit by the golden blast, and when he looked to see the damage, his hair nearly stood up. The arc continued to carve an indentation ten feet deep for another thirty meters before shooting up to the sky and exploding in a dazzling display of yellow and red. However, that foreboding sensation didn't stop there as an absurd amount of energy started to concentrate somewhere. Rogue turned to the sight where the powers were clustered and found the boy from earlier with his palm outstretched as gold and orange energies gathered.
"EAT THIS! CORTE LIGERO CERO!"
A beam of concentrated reishi shot forth, lighting the night in an intense gold hue. The blast looked like it was spinning, rapidly penetrating the air as it traveled unimpeded while creating a trail of carved earth on the ground.
Mira watched from above as the vibrant spiritual energy shot blazed towards its target. She could feel the same energy from this one as what Ichigo used against Jura. While not as potent as the adult reaper's Cero Gigantes, Kazui's Corte Ligero Cero was as destructive as the former.
For Rogue, one look is all it takes to accept that it would leave him heavily injured even if he could tank this blast. "FUCK!" he internally exclaimed. "I need to dodge this!" Instead of using his shadows to move, he turned into light and hastily evaded the incoming doom blast. The dragon slayer examined the damage the hollow flash caused, and it left him speechless.
Wendy, Lucy, Yukino, and the Exceeds were racing through the palace's corridors. It had been a good thirty minutes since they left Mirajane and Kazui alone to fight the mastermind behind this conspiracy. They dealt with more guards trying to stop them from going further along the way.
"You think they'd be alright?" Yukino asked, worried for the safety of her new brother.
"This is Mira and Kazui we're talking about," Lucy replied. "It will take more than just some intimidation to Mira down. As for Kazui…."
"He'll be fine," Wendy suddenly interjected.
"You seem awfully sure," Carla remarked. "Mind enlightening us?"
"Kazui was already powerful when he fought that hollow in Aldebaran," the girl answered. "You felt that sudden flare of power, right? That was him releasing his zanpakūto."
"I knew it!" Lucy exclaimed. "Although, how were you certain that Kazui did release his zanpakūto and not just some power-up?"
"Believe it or not, I can detect spiritual energy now."
This answer surprised them.
Noting their shocked faces, Wendy then explained, "When I used the power from Kazui's mask, traces of it remained in me. Before, I could only see spiritual energy when Ichigo and the rest of his family unleashed it willingly. Now, I can discern the kind of spiritual energy they possess. Usually, I can see these flakes of energy flowing out of them. Orihime, Yuzu, and Karin have a calm, tranquil feeling, while Kazui is like an unstable current."
"And Ichigo?" Panther Lily questioned.
It was right after she healed from her injuries during the battle with Chelia. Wendy kept it to herself, but she knew that she could see spiritual energy. When she saw Ichigo's power, she paused in awe.
"It was like a storm," she said after recalling that memory. "A storm that would threaten to consume everything in its path."
After the blue-haired healer said that, a beam of potent reishi blasted through the upper walls and passed over their heads. The flash was so bright that it forced the mages to shield their eyes from the intensity.
"What the heck is that!?" Lucy yelled.
"I don't know!" Happy answered.
"I do," Wendy stated, gaining everyone's attention. "It's Kazui's Cero, the one he used against that hollow months ago." She remembered the name of that particular attack. "Corte Ligero Cero."
Their eyes gradually adjusted to the light; they all stared in awe at the hollow blast. The powerful energies spiraled, and the colors danced in a rhythm that blended gold and orange.
"Be safe, Kazui," Wendy muttered under her breath. "Come back safe. Come back to me."
The long-running melee between the mages of Fairy Tail and the royal guard suddenly stopped. What caught their attention was a golden beam blasting through the walls of the king's palace.
"What in the world!?"
"The castle!"
"The enemy managed to infiltrate the palace!"
Those were the various reactions from the contingent of soldiers sent to apprehend the mages. However, no response was more stupendous than Karin's.
"Holy crap!" the raven-haired Kurosaki shouted. "Kazui's running amok!"
"The hell is that!?" Gray asked right after trapping a knight in a block of ice.
"That's Kazui's Cero," answered Yuzu. Even she was mesmerized by her nephew's astonishing growth. "Just like big brother Ichi." Unfortunately, that short span of inattentiveness was all it took for an opportunistic soldier to sneak up on her.
"YUZU, LOOK OUT!"
Too late. The sword was swung down, and the feel of metal separating flesh could be heard as Yuzu's right arm was cut.
"GAAARGH!" Out of instinct, the Quincy created a small bow with her left arm and fired an arrow, hitting her assailant in the chest, dead center. The unfortunate soldier dropped lifeless, blood pouring onto the streets and claiming its first mortality.
"Oh god!" Lisanna cried in horror. The blood gushing from the severed arm churned her stomach. "Are you alright? Does it hurt?"
"I think a missing arm is far from alright," Yuzu joked.
"You shouldn't be joking like that!" came Juvia, who looked as worried as the others.
"I wouldn't worry if I were you," Karin said as she approached her sister. "Because right now, Yuzu's extremely pissed at the soldiers."
"How is that supposed to help!?" questioned Cana.
"Watch."
All eyes fell onto the Quincy as she focused her energy on her missing arm. Flecks of black-outlined-in-blue spiritual power converged on the bleeding appendage. Yuzu could feel the muscles contract and the nerves slowly return their lost sensations until a new arm sprouted from the stump. The sight left the mages flummoxed, bewildered, flabbergasted, and to some degree, disgusted at the same time. Even the guards who thought they had just gained an advantage stood still in surprise.
"Holy shit!" Gray exclaimed in surprise. "You just grew an arm! How the fuck did you do that!?"
The question was shared by all mages who witnessed the regeneration. Karin gladly answered for them. "Ichigo, Kazui, Yuzu, and I are hybrids, meaning we have Soul Reaper, Hollow, Quincy, and human reishi. That reishi gives us different abilities, but unlike our older brother and nephew, who has all traits from all races, my twin and I only expressed some while the others were dormant."
After testing out her newly regenerated arm, Yuzu stood up, a furious scowl on her face, and disappeared via Hirenkyaku. The Fairy Tail mages looked around for their formerly injured comrade. They saw Karin pointing upward, and when they looked up, they saw Yuzu standing in thin air and looking down on the contingent of knights and army wizards.
Suddenly, spiritual energy became visible and converged into the youngest Kurosaki sibling. These energies come from almost everywhere; from inanimate objects, plant life, and unsuspecting people. The amount absorbed was so staggering that these blue clumps of power filled the air around they looked. Yuzu was forcefully ripping a piece of everyone and everything's soul and enslaving it.
"Oh shit," Karin cursed mentally. She knew exactly what her sister was doing. "It's Sklaverei!" she shouted. "Everybody book it, NOW!"
Knowing what these sisters were capable of, the Fairy Tail mages decided it was best not to find out what Yuzu had in store and hastily vacated the area, leaving only the stunned soldiers wondering what was going on.
After gathering all the reishi she needed, Yuzu summoned a multitude of spirit longbows, all ready to fire their payload. "You guys pissed me the fuck off," she snarled, cursing uncharacteristically before unleashing Hell upon the unsuspecting army. "HEILIG REGEN!"
Regen means "rain" in German and boy, did it rain. Hundreds of spirit arrows rained down, pun intended, upon the hapless soldiers. The mages could only wince at the sounds of pained screams and groans as the knights received the hail of spiritual ammunition.
The dust settled down, revealing the majority of royal knights battered, bruised, but alive. The others who managed to avoid the barrage stood in place with mouths agape and trying to make sense of what happened.
Eventually calming down, Yuzu's image fractured and reconstituted beside her sister. "If you're thinking that I used lethal force," she began, gaining the attention of her guildmates, "I didn't. They're all alive, just neutralized."
The various wizards involved in the battle turned their eyes to the now placid Quincy. From her regeneration powers to the enslavement of raw spiritual energy, they were wondering what else these spirit warriors kept.
Gajeel went to Levy and bent down to whisper in her ear. "Remind me not to piss her off. She could totally kick my ass."
"Duly noted," replied the Script mage.
Seeing the tide turn in their favor, Mavis shouted to advance. "Press forward! We have the advantage!"
And the mages attacked, pushing the soldiers back now that their numbers were severely reduced thanks to Yuzu's outburst.
Karin stood beside her sister as they watched the wizards fight. She glanced at Yuzu, specifically on a medallion that served as the buckle of her belt. "I was afraid you were going to go biblical on them."
The Quincy stared at the reaper and then back at the fighting. "As much as I wanted to, releasing my Vollständing would be overkill and a poor judgment on my part. Besides, I reserved that trump card for more…extreme scenarios."
Karin simply shrugged, agreeing with her twin's logic. "Whatever you say, sis."
Yuzu's demeanor changed when she glanced at the soldier she had accidentally killed. It was an accident, done out of reflex. Still, it could've been avoided if she was mindful of her surroundings. Now, a soldier's soul was annihilated and can no longer be reborn into the cycle.
Standing near the corpse, she knelt and clasped her hands in prayer.
"Forgive me."
Looking up at the majestic structure, Princess Hisui can't help but think of the warning the man from the future told her. Seven years of preparations all boil down to this moment. Still, the jade-haired royal felt anything but fulfillment. Doubt, hesitation, and most of all, fear. Of what, you may ask?
Fear of being wrong.
What if she made a mistake? That all this time, she was being led on by that man. However, she cannot turn back the pendulum. What's done is done. All she can do now is move forward and bear the consequences of her decisions.
"Princess?"
Hisui saw Arcadios, clad in his regal armor, approach her with his contingent of knights.
"All passages leading to this very court have been secured," the commander reported. "Also, the evacuation is proceeding smoothly. There may have been some questions from the populace, but they have been cooperative thus far."
"Thank you, colonel," the royal said. There was a pause for a moment before Hisui spoke up again. "And what of my father."
"King Toma has called for the gathering of all participating wizards into the heart of the city. There, he will make his request for their assistance."
"I see."
Both father and daughter were aware of the looming threat and had taken precautions to prevent it. The enlisting of mages in the imminent threat of the dragon hoard was a last resort in the event the Eclipse Cannon fails. Though this tactic will fail, it will give the citizens enough time to escape the disaster.
"How about Fairy Tail?" Darton interjected. "Will their help be acquired if we fail on our end?"
Hisui clenched his fists. "I doubt they will," she answered regretfully. "What I've done to them will not go unpunished. My decision to send those soldiers to weaken their forces and apprehend them was made in desperation. Moreover, the real reason why they won't lend their assistance is due to the arrest of Lucy Heartfilia and Yukino Agria."
"I apologize for that, your highness," Darton solemnly apologized, bowing his head in shame. "Had I known just how dire my choice to arrest them, then I may never have done it."
"The Kurosaki family," Hisui muttered. "Such powerful individuals wielding magics unseen in all of Fiore, maybe even in Earthland."
Arcadios recalled an encounter with the white-robed woman and what she had done. "Your highness," the high-ranking knight called, "I remembered in my previous encounter with one of the Kurosaki members mentioning something called reishi."
That piqued the interest of the royal and minister.
"Reishi?" Hisui asked curiously. "What is that?"
"Pure spiritual particles," Arcadios answered, surprising Hisui.
"Spiritual…energy?" The shock was written all over the princess' face. "As in…energy of the spirits?"
"I don't know," the colonel answered truthfully. "I have no idea if that energy pertains to the Celestial Spirit World or something else. All I know is that the woman in white, the one called the Last True Quincy, can absorb said energy. She was able to draw spiritual energy from the Gate itself."
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Princess Hisui took a long glance at the device of their supposed salvation. The Eclipse Gate was absorbing spiritual energy too!?
Suddenly, a massive beam of gold shot through the palace walls. All who were near the structure watched in fascination at the golden blast of power. Hisui was a wizard and one glance at the bright power made her aware that it was not magic. It was thicker, heavier, and overwhelming.
"Is this spiritual energy?" questioned the princess. She was in awe of the great power lighting the night sky. Then it hit her. The women in black and white, as well as their brother, can harness this otherworldly power. "Could it be that the Kurosaki family are not mages but something else? Something…godlike?"
Mirajane landed abruptly on the pavement, leaving a crater where she stood. Sensing incoming danger, she quickly evaded a volley of black and white beams of magic.
"Darkness Stream!"
A pillar of dark magic rose under Rogue. Caught in the blast, he was able to resist its effects and managed to escape the torrent.
"Demon Blast!"
Mira fired another beam of dark magic at the evil wizard. Said malevolent mage sunk into his shadow and raced away from the deadly blast. Mirajane didn't let up and kept the beam going while guiding it to the escaping shadow user. The oldest Strauss stopped her attack and flew to the moving blackness. She gathered her energy into her clawed hand and readied for the devastating punch.
"Explosion Punch!"
Rogue emerged from his shadow and answered with his attack; a right fist coated in white and black magic. The two attacks collided and an explosion followed together with a shockwave. The shadow mage grabbed the demoness' arm and kicked her in the gut, causing the eldest Strauss to wince. Future Rogue was about to follow through when a pair of feet planted on his face. It sent him skidding on the rubble before recovering.
After sending the dark mage away with a dropkick, Kazui lunged at the man with his sword raised. His image fractured and reappeared on top of Rogue via Sonido. Bringing his sword down, the swing made a large gash on the ground. It would've been a bloody predicament for the time traveler if he didn't escape. That said, Rogue wasn't safe yet as the boy swung his right arm which was glowing with red lines.
Like a freight train at full speed, Rogue took the full extent of the attack and compared it to Mirajane's punch from earlier. It was roughly the same in force. When the reaper boy tried another attack, the shadow mage blasted him with his magic. Kazui flew twenty feet into the air but flipped, grabbed the air, and righted himself. An open palm facing the dark wizard, the son of Ichigo gathered red spiritual energy, swirling furiously at his hand before firing.
"Cero!"
Not one to back down, the future Rogue breathed in magical energy and released it in retaliation to the hollow flash. "White Shadow Dragon Roar!"
When the two blasts collided, there was a power struggle. The two forces pushed at each other, trying to overwhelm one another as they melded at the center. The magic and reishi finally became unstable from battling for dominance, thus resulting in a giant explosion that leveled the battlefield.
The dust from the battle gradually settled, revealing three fighters panting. Mirajane had a few cuts and bruises throughout her body but otherwise, she was fine. Future Rogue was also starting to suffer fatigue until he consumed the shadows in his immediate vicinity. The act gave him another boost in power as well as alleviated the tired feeling his body was experiencing. Kazui exercised his Quincy powers and began absorbing reishi from the area, thereby restoring his power.
Seeing as Mira is the only one with no way of replenishing her reserves, Kazui decided that she needed to follow the others instead.
"Mira," said Kazui. "I want you to go after the others."
"Huh!? Why?"
"You need to recover if they fail to stop the opening of Eclipse. Seeing as I'm the only one between the two of us who can replenish energy, it'd be better if you catch up to big sister Yukino and the others."
While confident of his abilities, Mira was still concerned for the boy. "Are you sure you can take him on?"
Kazui answered with a grin before saying, "I haven't even used Mangetsu's abilities yet. I want to play with him for a while."
There was something…or someone inside the boy's head. "Kazui," Mirajane spoke softly. "I've never seen you like this."
"Don't worry," Kazui said. "This is just the hollow within me wanting release."
That's when Mira remembered that the boy was an amalgamation of multiple spiritual races just like his father. If Ichigo had hollow powers, it was safe to assume that Kazui would, too.
"Alright, Kazui," the demoness agreed. "I'm going to back up Lucy and the others. Just do one thing for me…"
"What is it?"
Now, a smirk appeared on the oldest Strauss sibling. "Beat that son of a bitch!"
His mask now covering one half of his face, a bull-like horn protruded from the mask's temple. It made Kazui more intimidating than before. "Hell yeah!"
With that, Mirajane deactivated her Satan Soul and ran after her friends.
"Now that we're alone, I'd like to ask you something," said Kazui to the time traveler. "How did you manage to attain White Dragon Slayer magic? As far as I'm concerned, only your partner, Sting, had that kind of magic."
Future Rogue didn't say anything at first. He kept silent until a low grumble could be heard from him. It slowly morphed into a sinister chuckle until blowing to a sadistic cackle. "My, my, boy," he snickered. "I don't know who you are but you are perceptive." He raised his hands and two distinct powers came to life. On his right was darkness while on the left was light. "This is my White Shadow Dragon Mode. I only attained this power by consuming Sting's power when I killed him."
"What!?"
It was Kazui's turn to be surprised and Rogue liked that. "And with this power, I will kill Acnologia and become the new Dragon King!"
"I get it," Kazui scowled, realizing the mage's true intentions. "Those dragons you wish to bring here will be used to kill the Dragon of the Apocalypse while you take his place and rule with an iron fist!"
"Again, very perceptive," Rogue praised mockingly. "Too bad, I have to kill you now."
The young reaper readied his blade. His reiatsu flared while Mangetsu hummed in fury. "I'd like to see you try."
"We've been fighting for more than an hour in this damn castle!"
Lucy's frustration was shared by her companions. Right after they left Kazui and Mirajane to fend off the evil Rogue, more guards appeared to halt their progress. Without their keys, it was up to Wendy to fight the incoming soldiers. The two Celestial mages fought with only their fists and it proved to be more of a detriment than helpful.
"I know…" Wendy said with a huff. The toll of fighting in something this prolonged was starting to affect her.
"Child, please take it easy," Carla advised worriedly.
"I'm fine, Carla," the girl replied holding a hand up.
"Wendy, you should rest," said a concerned Happy while floating above.
"He's right," Panther Lily agreed. "You've been exerting too much for the past hour."
"Wendy." Yukino approached the young Sky Maiden. "You've done enough for us. Take a breather. Let me and Lucy handle the fighting for now."
"But…"
"No buts." The stern reply from the Kazui's adoptive sister shot down Wendy's protests.
Showing nothing but a cute pout, Wendy finally conceded. She did agree that she could use some rest.
"EEP!" the daughter of Grandeeney when she realized she was being carried on Lucy's back. "Umm…Lucy?"
"I'm not much of a fighter compared to Yukino. So, I'd carry you while we get to the Gate."
"You don't have to do this," Wendy retorted.
"But I do," Lucy sincerely answered. "You've done so much for us already. You and Kazui. Two of the youngest members of the guild are fighting so hard for me and Yukino. This is the least we could do."
Knowing that Lucy can be stubborn if she wanted to, Wendy conceded and let the blonde Celestial mage carry her. "Alright, Lucy. But when we reach the courtyard where Eclipse is, I'm going to fight!"
Yukino chuckled. "No arguments there," the silver-haired mage answered. "We will need all the help we can get."
With that settled, they continued onwards.
Walking along the corridors, Happy gazed at the moon through the glass windows. It shone so brightly when they were minutes away from calamity.
"Hey," the blue cat called. "How much time do we have left?"
"I don't know." It was Panther Lily who answered. "By my estimates, we have at least an hour left."
"Then we need to make haste!" stated Carla. "I just hope no more guards appear." As if to mock her, a small group of soldiers made themselves known. "I just had to jinx it," the white cat groaned.
Running at the living obstacles, Yukino grabbed the closest one's weapon and palmed the poor fellow's chin upward. Disoriented, the newly adopted girl took that opportunity and kicked the dizzy guard in the liver, knocking him out cold.
The others charged. Happy dive-bombed one with enough force into unconsciousness. Providing a distraction, Carla swooped down on another guard before Panther Lily transformed into his larger form and kneed the guy. The soldier lurched forward, clutching his abdomen before falling to the ground.
Sliding into two other guards, Yukino managed to avoid a wild sword swing and grabbed the feet of one unfortunate soldier. Her momentum carried the hapless knight when she grabbed him, causing the officer to fall over. Quickly getting back up, the mage sprinted towards the other soldier. Jumping, Yukino latched her legs onto the befuddled knight's throat like a pair of scissors. She then maneuvered her body and flipped her victim, crashing the knight into the ground.
"Damn," Lucy expressed. Her eyes did not leave Yukino. "I need to get some fighting skills when this whole thing is over."
"I remember Kazui telling me that Orihime has great combat skills," Wendy recalled. "Maybe she'd be willing to teach you."
"I think I'll ask her when we get back to Magnolia."
Back with Yukino, the girl saw the knight she just tripped getting back up. Without hesitation, she delivered a hard kick to the guard's head, knocking him out cold. Focusing her attention again on the other knight she flipped, the sister of Kazui elbowed the downed knight right in the diaphragm, literally knocking the air out of the guy.
With the last soldier out cold, the mages plus Exceeds proceeded to the courtyard. They could finally see an opening.
"At last!" Lucy cried in excitement, only for said excitement to plummet when they saw more soldiers between them and the device. "OH, COME ON!"
"You will go no further!"
Arcadios emerged through his throng of loyal knights with a sword pointed at the intruders.
"Take one more step and my knights will use lethal force!"
"Your knights already tried to kill us!" Carla yelled at the commander. "I think we're passed the point of warning."
"Please," Lucy pleaded. "Don't open the Eclipse Gate! You don't know what forces you're about to unleash."
"I don't want to hear any of it!" Arcadios said. "This device is the only salvation we have against the looming threat and you want us to not use it?"
"You don't understand!" it was Wendy this time who voiced her worry. "You're being deceived."
"As I said, your words mean nothing." Arcadios gestured to his knights to prepare. "Men, arrest these intruders!"
Before the soldiers made their move, they could hear the sounds of gears moving and locks unlatching themselves. From across the courtyard, the Fairy Tail mages could see the twelve bindings disengage. Although the mechanism was slow, it didn't lessen the urgency they were feeling.
"It seems the princess has activated the locking mechanisms of the gate," Arcadios remarked while witnessing the device at work.
"Why are they activating it this early!?" Happy questioned.
"It doesn't matter to you, Fairy Tail mage," Arcadios answered. "Guards, do as you're ordered."
Answering with a "Yes, sir!" in unison, the knights under the colonel's regiment approached Wendy, Lucy, Yukino, Lily, Happy, and Carla.
Tired, frustrated, and with every bit of hope fading away, the wizards were on their last legs. Admittedly, they're not even sure if they can continue with this. So close to stopping the gate from opening yet so far from reaching it.
"How much time do we have left?" Yukino asked her guildmates, panting while having her guard up.
Lucy looked up to the sky. She could see the moon slowly take on a reddish hue. "I don't know anymore."
"Don't give up!"
Hearing the familiar voice, the wizards looked behind to see Mirajane in her Satan Soul firing a blast of magic at the soldier.
"MIRA!" they rejoiced.
"It's not over yet!" the demoness declared. "If we can't stop the gate from opening, then we have no choice but to destroy it! I'll clear a path for you!"
The eldest Strauss then fired a Demon Blast at the opposing army. Those who got caught in the magical attack were blown away while the others did the sensible thing at stayed away from the furious torrent of power. Once the beam subsided, a clear path between the contingent of knights. Taking the opportunity provided, the Fairy Tail mages save for Mira quickly proceeded to the gate.
Once they reached the device, they were e\met by more soldiers, the diminutive minister, and to their surprise, Princess Hisui herself. However, instead of a triumphant expression of someone whose plans would come to fruition, what they saw was a face full of doubt.
"Princess Hisui!"
The princess turned around and saw the mages running towards her. The guards stationed around Hisui quickly got in between their liege and the approaching intruders.
"Stand down," Hisui ordered.
"But princess…" one of the guards protested.
"There's no need to be hostile. Nobody can stop the Eclipse now that it is activated. Besides, I want to hear what they have to say."
The soldiers took a glance at each other and nodded, signifying their obedience to the royal.
Finally reaching the princess, the mages from Fairy Tail quickly voiced their distress.
"You need to stop the Eclipse!" Wendy cried. "You're making a big mistake!"
"And pray to tell what may that mistake be?"
"The dragons…" the Sky Maiden panted. "They didn't invade from some faraway land, they came from the other side of the gate itself!"
There was a slight twitch in Hisui's eyes; a mark of surprise. However, none noticed this small reaction from the princess which the royal quickly hides.
"Oh?" Hisui sounded curious. "Then where did you get this information? Who was the source?"
Yukino answered for her guildmates. "Knowing about the dragons coming from beyond Eclipse was something we concluded ourselves. However, we learned about the dragons from someone from the future."
That got the princess' attention. "A person from the future, you say? Well then, who might this time traveler be?"
"We can't disclose that information but we are willing to reveal something about that individual." Yukino was careful in her reply to make sure Madeline's identity wouldn't be divulged. She then continued, "That person is a girl no older than Wendy here."
Hisui's eyes widened. "A child?" she internally questioned. "But I thought the one from the future was a man? Could this mean that there are two, time travelers in this era?"
"Could this be the same person from the future who warned you, princess?" Darton asked the royal after listening intently to the conversation.
"No," Hisui answered with certainty. "It's impossible. If what you're saying is true, then there are two, time travelers currently in our timeline."
"We know," Lucy replied. "We met the other one earlier today when we were trying to escape the catacombs. He tried to kill the kid but luckily, Karin and Yuzu were suspicious of him and managed to prevent that."
"But then…"
The royal didn't get to finish when a powerful explosion blew up a small section of the palace. Two figures emerged from the dust cloud it gathered, revealing the future Rogue and Kazui Kurosaki grappling with each other. They both landed in front of the princess and the wizards before scrambling off of each other to gain some distance.
Future Rogue looked worse for wear. His clothes were tattered, his skin had bruises, he was panting, and there was a trickle of blood on his forehead. Despite this though, he quickly sucked up the darkness present and regained a bit of his power.
The greatest change, however, came from Kazui. What was once a partial mask on his head was now a full-fledged helm with two bull-like horns protruding from his temples. His fingers were now clawed and there were red tufts of fur on his wrists. Blue markings were visible on his limbs.
Everyone present could feel the tension between the two combatants. While one was a mage with draconic powers, the other looked like a feral beast out for blood. The two didn't move, preferring to gaze at their adversary. A good minute passed by when the two fighters charged at each other. They jumped and struck each other; a shadowy fist meeting cold hard steel, causing sparks to fly. Kazui and Rogue lunged at each other once more, exchanging blows with such force that mini shockwaves could be felt
Trying to surprise the boy, Rogue tried to swipe Kazui with a Shadow Dragon Claw only for it to be caught mid-swing. The hollowfied boy roared at the dragon slayer but he wasn't intimidated. Instead, he retaliated with a vicious kick, sending Kazui crashing and skidding on the ground.
"Kazui!" Wendy cried in worry. She was about to jump in before a firm hand stopped her. It was Yukino's.
The Sky Maiden was about to protest when a gust of wind leveled chunks of cobblestone and earth from the courtyard. When they gazed at the cause, they saw Kazui hissing like an animal ready to pounce on its prey.
The boy did pounce on Rogue. Luckily, the shadow mage leaped into the air, barely avoiding the young reaper. Suddenly, he heard a static buzz behind him. Rogue turned around and saw the orange-haired reaper prepped for a double-handed swing. In a panic, the dragon slayer crossed his arms over his head and coated them with a thick layer of his magic. When the swing hit, it hurt like HELL! The power behind the strike was so strong that his fall lasted less than five seconds. The impact caused a shockwave and his fall created a dent on the ground twenty feet wide.
Kazui landed not far from his opponent. The ground he stood buckled under his heavy descent. Future Rogue groaned as he stood up. His eyes darted towards the cause of his physical pain who hissed ferally at him. Angry beyond recognition, the adult time traveler breathed in and gathered his power.
"Damn you, brat! SHADOW DRAGON ROAR!"
Kazui retaliated with an attack of his own. Palm out, his reishi roared to life as it gathered into a sphere of condensed power. Once he had the desired spiritual energy, the boy fired it at his enemy.
"Cero!"
The dragon's roar and hollow flash met and struggled against each other. The two energies became unstable and imploded on themselves, releasing a blast that swept everyone in the area regardless of who they were.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
Mages and soldiers alike were flung from their spots and kissed the dirt after falling. Even the princess didn't escape this. When they all managed to gather themselves, they all stared at the two combating individuals. Both the reaper and the slayer were poised for another session of battle when the final lock of the Eclipse Gate disengaged.
Smirking deviously, Rogue couldn't help but chuckle until falling into a fit of sadistic laughter. "It's finally time!"
"It can't be," Lucy muttered. Her eyes were wide and her body was trembling. "We failed."
Suddenly, a blast of dark energy woke them out of their daze. They looked for the source and found Mirajane growling in frustration. Her attack didn't do squat. Eclipse was still standing and its gateway was widening.
"Damn it all!" the demoness cursed.
Smoke billowed out of the massive structure. Once the doors were fully open, a giant clawed hand emerged. The limb was covered in diamond-like scales with spiral patterns. The knights gawked at the titanic creature when it fully exited the doors.
It was a diamond dragon.
The beast roared, sending fear and desperation into the hearts of all those present save for three individuals. For Rogue, this was a seven-year plan coming to fruition. Cackling like a madman, he jumped onto the head of the creature and yelled, "THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF A NEW WORLD!"
For Kazui, he gripped his zanpakūto and prepared for a much more difficult battle ahead. He only hoped that his Mom and Dad were done with the preparations. "Mom, Dad, I hope everything is ready."
Finally, Princess Hisui stood there motionless while her gaze was transfixed on the great beast. Her mind was in shambles. All that preparation to prevent the Apocalypse was nothing more than an elaborate lie to bring humanity to its knees. She had a suspicion but everything that had happened went according to her informant. She was such a fool.
There was no fear in the princess but despair. In her attempt to save her people, she had unwittingly fed them to the jaws of oblivion. Tears began streaming down her cheeks. The weight of this failure finally broke her. Her knees gave in as she let gravity drag her down. Letting despair overwhelm her, she began to sob heavily. From her despair came regret.
…Regret being so naïve.
From that regret were the words…
"What have I done?"
A/N: ModernRogue11 here and there are some things that I will address in the comments.
Ultimate Warrior of Zera: While it's true that Rogue has Sting's powers, the mechanics around Kazui's light-based zanpakūto is different compared to White Dragon Slayer Magic. Mostly, Sting, and to an extent, Future Rogue, uses this type of magic is more on the offensive. Blasts, power-ups, and light threads are just examples of White Dragon Slayer magic abilities. On the other hand, Kazui's light powers are more fundamental. They focus more on Diffraction, Reflection, and Refraction which I will use in the next chapter.
Also, the Hogyoku will be a major plot device in the Tartaros Arc.
Mark1: Well, this is Fairy Tail, after all. They prefer the path with the least amount of bloodshed, preferably no bloodshed at all. As for the knights, they were only following orders. The ones responsible are Arcadios, Hisui, and Darton. Still, that doesn't exempt the soldiers from a serious beating...just not killing.
As always, feel free to leave a comment if you like the story or you have suggestions. Constructive criticism is always welcome.
See you then!