So apparently, you guys are loving this arc. That's great to know! I hope you guys stick around until the end, because it only goes up from here!
Nashi was exhausted, and she was quite pleased to report the same for Katsuchi. Their fiery battle had incinerated the area around them, wherever they might have been, and both of them had done equal amounts of the damage. Nashi wasn't sure if she was just that good or Katsuchi was just that worn down, but it really didn't matter either way. Katsuchi cracked his back and laughed.
"I don't think I've ever had so much fun fighting with someone in a long time." he told her, smiling toothily. "Even if your fire is weaker than mine, you're more than a handful in combat." Nashi chuckled. It sounded like a genuine compliment, even from her enemy.
"I'd be more flattered if you weren't trying to kill me." Nashi said, and he laughed. "But given the circumstances, I don't think I should be at all."
"You really got to loosen up a bit." Katsuchi told her. "I know this is a deadly fight and everything, but smile every once and a while. I'm sure such a pretty young girl has a nice smile."
"Now your plan is to hit on me?" Nashi gave him the smile he asked for, and continued. "Although I do appreciate the comment about how pretty I am."
"Most girls do." he said, crossing his arms. "I just hope you aren't creepy if you have a crush on somebody."
"Like anyone you know?" Nashi asked devilishly, and Katsuchi choked. "I'll take that as a yes."
"Maya is weird as fuck, alright?" Katsuchi said angrily, "I've found her in my closet more than once, and believe me, more than once is far too many times."
"I have no idea what that feels like." Nashi said, giving him a sympathetic look. "Although I've heard more than my fair share of stories about it." Katsuchi grumbled something incoherent, before he sighed.
"Enough about me and my problems and let's just finish this." he said, and Nashi grinned.
"So you can get back to your precious Maya?" Nashi asked innocently, and Katsuchi growled.
"And you wonder why I'm trying to kill you." he said, before boosting forward with his fire and slamming into Nashi, sending her backwards through the burned forestry. Nashi recovered and swung the burned trees at him, most of which he toasted before they touched him. Kicking him in the stomach as he got close to her, Nashi tackled him into the ground and waited as he recovered, slamming into her. They went straight up as they slammed into each other, each attack propelling them higher and higher. They reached rather high before Katsuchi slammed a black fireball right into her face, and she fell a few feet, before Katsuchi pushed her even farther down.
"Fire Dragon Roar!" Nashi shouted, creating space between her and the God Slayer. Katsuchi soared through the flames and slammed his fist into her face, sending her back to the earth. Nashi recovered just into time to block an oncoming fireball, and threw a few of her own as Katsuchi descended. he landed opposite her, and raided both hands.
"Fire God's Death Scythe!" the black blade appeared in his hands again, and Nashi just barely avoided it as he swung it around. Jumping over the blade, Nashi ran along it to Katsuchi, punching him in the midsection and kicking him in the face. As he flew backwards, Nashi boosted forward, slamming her head into his stomach. Landing on top of each other in a heap, Nashi rolled off of him and stood, as did he.
"Mavis above." Nashi said, panting. "You're no joke, huh?"
"Neither are you, apparently." he said. "This has gotten the adrenaline pumping. I hope you know, this is personal now."
"Personal?" Nashi asked curiously. "Why?" Katsuchi laughed at her question.
"Because I've never lost to anyone." he replied. "And I certainly don't intend my first loss to be to a girl Dragon Slayer from Fairy Tail, of all things." Nashi grinned as his body erupted in black flames.
"Then looks like we both have a vendetta." Nashi said, her own body lighting up. "Because I've never lost either." Katsuchi grinned at her response as they stepped closer, butting heads as they did.
"Well well, Nashi from Fairy Tail." he said. "Are you prepared to lose?" Nashi chuckled as they got even closer, now nose to nose.
"Are you, Katsuchi of Devil Advocate?"
Elise dodged another swing from Tetsu's katana and leaped in between the trees he hadn't yet knocked over, looking for any kind of opening she could find. With Tetsu' amazing range with that blade and the impossible to crack armor, Elise was quite certain this was a fight she wasn't winning. No matter how hard she hit him, his armor just blew her back is if her best wasn't good enough, and at this rate, nothing was good enough. She landed back in the clearing to find Tetsu cleaning off his armor.
"Oh, you're back." he said absentmindedly like her presence didn't effect him whatsoever. That only pissed Elise off even more, and she watched as he took a more offensive stance. "Can it be you've finally found my nonexistent weak spot?"
"Gimme a minute" Elise replied, and Tetsu nodded. Elise regained her breath as she observed the black armor, and it reflected the afternoon sun in her face. There had to be something Elise hadn't tried yet, but it was a repeat of the Dorma Anim. She was going to need a huge power up to dent his armor, let alone crack it enough to do any real damage. Elise's eyes fell to his lower half, and a light bulb went off in her head. "Alright, can I try something?" Tetsu grinned and held his arms out wide.
"Give it a shot." He replied cheekily. Elise walked up right in front of him, and smiled at him. She got a smile back, and that was when she decided to drive her foot into his nuts. Tetsu flinched and made a pained face as Elise retracted her foot.
"Nothing?" Elise asked sweetly, watching him shiver.
"I'm...I got...I got it..." Tetsu couldn't keep up the facade any longer, and he dropped to his knees in pain, squealing like a little girl. Elise watched in amusement as he looked up through the pain. "Why would you do that?" he asked weakly, his voice an octave higher than before. Elise giggled and shrugged.
"You said you had no weak spot, it should've been a walk in the park for you."
"I wasn't expecting a nut shot, you crazy bitch..." he hissed, massaging his man parts. Elise watched with very little pity as he managed to stand, the armor all but gone. "Now, can we keep going?"
"Are you good?" Elise asked curiously.
"I may never have kids, but otherwise I'm recovering." Elise nodded and drove another foot into his nuts, and she couldn't even hear his voice anymore as she screamed in pain. "Why...why..." Elise was too busy smiling down at him to notice his hand materialize into a club, slamming her right in the face and throwing her back with such force she flew several acres before colliding with something.
"Ow, what the fuck..."
"...Elise?" Elise knew that voice, and she looked around curiously.
"Who said that?" She demanded.
"Down here..." Elise looked down to see who she had collided with, and paled.
"H-hey, Nashi...what's up with you?"
Drake was doing his best to run through the forest when a very high pitched scream deafened him.
"Mavis above!" he hissed as the screaming continued. "What poor sap just got a nut shot from Elise?" Drake had his fair share of scars from her, he knew all to well how hard she could punt. "I'm going to go deaf, I swear to Mavis..."
"I found you, Drake-sama!" Drake had just enough time to run away from the tree he was leaned up against to dodge the fist that went through it a moment later. "Where are you running, Drake-sama? You're love...gah! I meant your opponent! Your opponent it over here!" Drake rolled his eyes as Azzie rambled on about whatever it was she rambled about, quite honestly he wasn't listening. Even in his weakened state, he managed to dodge more attacks from behind, finally trapped up against a tree. Azzie smirked at him as she approached him. "What's the matter, Drake-sama?" She purred, and Drake backed up against the tree as she approached.
"I'm wounded bad in a forest with some crazy bitch who wants me dead." Drake hissed. "Do me a favor and tell me what's wrong." Drake watched in bewilderment as Azzie clutched her chest, staring at him in shock. "What now?"
"I...you..." Azzie dropped to her knees, staring at the ground. "You think I'm a crazy bitch?" Drake was now completely unaware of what to do, and he didn't like how crushed she looked. "I cannot believe the righteous Drake-sama thinks so lowly of me..."
"Hey." Drake called out. "I'm sure you're a nice person and all, but you're trying to kill me, remember? Anyone who tries to kill me is immediately a crazy bitch, no matter what way I try and look at it." Drake felt bad he'd crushed her so, and he watched in bounce up happily.
"Thank goodness!" Azzie exclaimed. "For a second there I thought you hated me." Drake sweat dropped as she blushed at him.
"Have you ever been tested for mental disabilities?" Drake asked. "genuinely curious." Azzie giggled.
"You're so funny, Drake-sama." She said, and Drake face palmed. "No, I am in perfect health." Drake could sense she was doing her best to avoid looking at him, and he watched her fidget under his gaze.
"Hey," he called out, getting an idea. "Look at me." Azzie did as she was told, and Drake moved quickly. He swiftly grabbed her wrists and reversed their positions, Azzie now pinned up against the tree and Drake holding her there. She blushed furiously at the contact and did her best to avoid being in his face.
"W-w-what are you d-d-doing, Drake-sama?" She asked weakly, and Drake listened as hard as he could. Ever since the fight had begun, Drake had been hearing her regret in attacking him, how she doubted every blow she went for. Drake was far to curious about it now, he had to know why.
"I can hear you." he told her, and she squealed, face as red as Erza's hair. "Everything, I can hear it all..." Drake rolled through all of the fangirling bullshit and finally found what he was looking for, grinning as he listened to it. All of Azzie's doubts rolled over him like a wave, and he found himself living the doubt, seeing exactly why she doubted herself.
"Useless Bitch!" Drake watched as a white haired man threw a young Azzie around like it was nothing, tossing the young purple haired girl this way and that. She was bleeding from her upper lip and nose, and had bruises all over her face.
"I-I'm s-s-sorry, Master K-K-Kronos-sama..." She whispered, and her master glowered at her.
"Sorry isn't good enough." he replied, twisting her arm in a painful manner. "You must learn, Azzie. Without learning, you are a worthless child abandoned by her mother."
"I-I'm s-sorry..."
"I don't want to hear it!" Another slap, and Drake watched in astonishment. "Now, go to the dorms. If I hear another peep out of you, I will kill you." Drake watched Azzie limp from the room, and he followed her as she limped down the hallway, before two voices came closer.
"And then I..." the young blonde boy paused as he saw Azzie and his eyes widened. "Azzie?! What happened to you?!"
"I-I-I'm sorry..." Azzie mumbled. "I-I-I failed Master Kronos-sama..."
"Did he do this to you?" The black haired boy asked, and Azzie nodded. "Bastard!"
"Calm down Tetsu" The blonde boy said, and his friend stared at him in shock. "Master Kronos will kill you."
"He can't just..."
"P-P-please don't t-t-talk like that, Tetsu-sama." Azzie whispered. "I-I-I'm f-f-fine, really." Azzie pushed past both of them without another word, and Drake heard her final words. "I will kill Master Kronos by myself, I don't want either of you to get hurt..."
"Whatever is the matter, Azzie dear?" Master Kronos asked as Azzie sobbed into the armrest of the chair in his office.
"My...my boyfriend broke up with me!" Azzie wailed, and Drake watched Kronos stare at her.
"And?" he asked, causing both Azzie to stop crying and Drake to clench his fists. This guys was supposed to be Azzie's master. "What does this have to do with me?"
"I..." Azzie began. "I thought...maybe you'd help me through it..."
"Why should I care?" Kronos asked. "What man would ever want a disgraceful failure like yourself?" Drake growled as he watched Azzie's eyes well up with tears.
"But you're supposed to care..." Kronos sighed and turned his chair to face the window behind him.
"Maybe the beatings you received as a child didn't get it through to you, so allow me to jog your memory." Drake watched as Kronos faced Azzie. "I do not care about you, or your pathetic teenage problems. All I care about are results, do you understand me?" Drake was prepared to throttle Kronos until he remembered he wasn't actually in the room. Azzie sniffled and stood, her purple bangs obscuring her eyes.
"Yes, Master Kronos-sama..." Azzie walked weakly to the exit, and Drake heard her sigh as she opened it. "You'll get yours some day, Kronos. Just you wait until then..."
Drake was brought back to reality as Azzie began to squirm in his grasp, and he watched her with new found respect, and almost to the point of trust.
"Woah.." he whispered, silencing Azzie. "That's a lot of shit I just heard.." Azzie began to wail in desperation.
"I'm sorry!" She wailed. "I really don't want to do that to you, I was just..."
"What?" Drake asked, temporarily confused. "Oh for fuck...not that! I heard your memories, why you don't trust your guild.
"Huh?" Azzie asked weakly, before her eyes widened. "oh my go...you heard that?" She whispered, and Drake nodded. "No one was ever supposed to know...I wouldn't tell a soul, I swore..."
"Azzie." Drake spoke softly. "You don't want to do this, I heard it all. You're just listening to him so that..."
"Stop!" Azzie screamed, her eyes full of rage. "I will not betray Master Kronos-sama! He gave me everything I have!" Azzie kicked Drake off of her, and Drake growled.
"He gave you it all alright! he shouted. "He beat you! He told you you were worthless! You've been plotting to kill him since..."
"ENOUGH!" Azzie screamed, her body beginning to glow with white light. She had both hands over her ears as she shouted at him. Shut up shut up shut up shut up! I will not! I WILL NOT!" Azzie launched herself at Drake and punched him right in the face, and her glowing hand made the punch hurt even more.
"Fuck!" Drake yelled in pain as he flew back onto his ass. "What the hell was that?!"
"my dispelling magic can manifest in a physical form." Azzie replied darkly, her eyes obscured by her bangs. "Meaning that wherever my magic touches you, the magic in your body in instantly dispelled from that area, causing you a great deal of pain!"
"...S-seriously?" Drake demanded. Azzie nodded and gave him one of the most menacing looks Drake had ever received from under her bangs.
"Are you prepared to die, Fairy Tail mage?"
Poor Azzie, huh? Anyway, I hope you enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!