Hello guys! I hope my disappearance for the last three months hasn't worried you, though I doubt it did. Granted, I do actually have a reason this time.
Right before Christmas, I fell down a flight of stairs at my home and badly bruised my tailbone. Anyone who may have had a similar injury will tell you it's PAINFUL. I haven't been able to sit for the last three months, not without pain that forces me up within minutes. Given that, this chapter was delayed a lot. A Crew for A King was also delayed, but that chapter was mostly finished so I was able to finish it up.
Another reason for the wait was that, like I said, these fights will be one Demon Lord a chapter. Give that, I want these fights to be my best. Nothing else will suffice. That being said, I've finally gotten to a point that I'm satisfied with, so let's not waste any more time.
Enjoy!
"It's begun," Hades said. "The battle to decide the fate of this world."
"Damien," Xisplate said, "we have to fight him together. We will not best him without the others help."
"You will not best me at all," Hades replied. "Have you forgotten who I am? Me, in possession of Zomrus' Staff? Me, who was the strongest of The Olympians before the fall? No,you stand no chance Damien Dreyar. It is why I offered you a way out." Damien grimaced at this. He could feel walls closing in all around him. Hades and The Children had ensnared them. There was, indeed, only one way out of this.
"I have a way out," he replied, trying to sound strong. "My friends and I will kick the shit out of you and The Children, then we'll get out of here."
"Oh? And then what?" Hades asked, "do you plan to then continue fighting the Demon Lords? You realise stopping myself and my allies will not end your plight, right?" Damien knew that. He took a deep breath, balling his fists.
"Once I'm done with you, Xisplate and I will take Nashi away and judge her," he said. "I will allow her to pass on, and lull Zomrus back to sleep."
Damien almost didn't believe the words even as he said them. He was saying he would kill his friend. One he'd had forever. But this had gone on long enough. He and his family had gone too far, he saw that now. They were dooming billions for one girl. Not just her, but people he knew.
He saw Gin in his mind, finally smiling happily after years of hopelessness.
He saw Bella, smiling as brightly as the sun as she took his hand and let him along.
They too would die if they fought for Nashi, as would he. It was too much. He couldn't allow it.
"Damien," Xisplate said warily, "are you certain?"
"I am," he confirmed. "I can't just put off the consequences anymore or act like we can just beat Zomrus if he wakes up. That's a fantasy." Hades almost looked surprised that he'd said this, raising an eyebrow.
"Interesting," he said. "You would really do this? Even if Anhkseram were to help you fight Zomrus?"
"Would it matter?" Damien asked, "myself and several of my friends would be dead. Not just that, but who knows how many more would perish. It's time to stop being childish." Hades regarded him quietly for a moment, eyebrow raised. After a few seconds. he snickered. After a few seconds, it turned into a full blown belly laugh.
"Fascinating!" Hades shouted, slamming the butt of the staff into the ground. "A member of Fairy Tail, turning their back on a friend? I almost can't believe it!"
"Damien," Xisplate asked, "are you absolutely certain of this?"
"Weren't you just trying to convince me of this?" He demanded, turning to look at the Demon Lord. "You told me as much; if my friends and I win this battle, it won't end. The Laws being broken means, eventually, Zomrus will wake up no matter what."
"And what of the blessing Anhkseram gave you?" He asked. Damien frowned and looked down at his arm, clenching his fist. The tattoos were not present, but he could still feel their power reverberating through his body.
"I don't know what Anhkseram intends," he said, "But I know that it won't save the world."
"How rich," Hades said, "you intend to turn your back on the God Life to save lives. Perhaps you and I are not so different after all, Damien."
"Don't you dare compare me to you," Damien spat. "You'd rip away the free will of humans for some ancient deity. Not because you believe in it, but because you were promised you'd be able to keep your freedom."
Hades' expression darkened.
"Don't presume on my motivation," he snarled. "Free will has cost billions of innocent lives. Free will allowed The Olympians to play with you all as they did. Free will nearly killed your sister, killed your friends. It must be checked."
"Have you forgotten you played party to that?" Damien asked, "Sure seems like you've abused your own free will as well."
"He who is without sin is like a dream of the highest desire," Hades recited. "It is a fabrication in a world that does not exist in reality."
"Did you come up with that. or did Zomrus whisper it in your ear?"
"Do you accost me because the truth makes you uncomfortable?"
An uneasy silence fell upon the 12th Circle. Damien did not shy away from Hades. He wouldn't let the man do or say as he pleased any longer. After a few more uneasy seconds, Hades' smirk returned.
"There is no use or value in the quarrelling of stubborn enemies," he said. "Let us get down to business, Damien." Hades raised his staff, and the figurehead began to glow.
"Damien!" Xisplate shouted, "Takeover into my form, NOW!" Damien didn't need to be told twice. He reached over and grabbed the Demon Lord's hand, darkness erupting from between them. He felt Xisplate's power pour into him, a feeling he had not felt for a long time. Dark armour formed over his body, and jet-black wings sprouted from his back. Xisplate disappeared from beside him, and a lizard-like tail slapped against the ground.
Hades just laughed.
"Do you think your Takeover will save you?" He demanded, "My power is simply grades above yours! What is a splinter compared to the tree?!"
Damien, look away!
"God Takeover: Zomrus!"
"Ice Devil's Rose Blade's!"
"Time Warp."
Ultear's blades disappeared the second they jumped free from the ground, returning into the ether in the air. Even though the Demon Lord could not touch her directly, she could still hit her magic. It was taking a constant stream of power to keep her armour active, lest it be destroyed by Mezevera. As for the Demon Lord herself, she looked unaffected by Ultear's offence. As if it simply annoyed her.
"You realise," Mezevera said, "that my knowledge of Time will prevent you from hitting me, yes?"
"You can't see absolutes, right?" Ultear shot back her voice muffled by her armour. "So who knows? All I need is one lucky strike."
"Yes, there are a few timelines where this happens," Mezevera replied, "but the odds are not in your favour."
"Have they ever been?" Mezevera gave no reply, so Ultear decided to attack. She opened her fist, aiming her palm at the ground beneath her. Spears erupted from the ground beneath the Demon and raced towards her, who simply raised her own hand back to age the attack. Ultear took this moment to skate forward and create a ramp upwards, flying off it towards Mezevera. She formed a sword in her hand and swung, but the Demon Lord parried her and she fell backwards. A sheet of ice, caught her and let her fly down it to circle her opponent, looking up at her as she swirled. Mezevera looked annoyed now, and she hoped that was because of her.
"Of course he is the one who invaded my Circle," she said. "This may be annoying." Ultear made a face at this, unsure as to what that meant. Was someone else here? That wasn't a bad thing for her, it just meant Mezevera had to divert her attention. All that concerned her was who exactly was doing the invading.
I really hope it's somehow the guild She thought to herself. Raising her ramp as she went, Ultear flew back upwards and flung more weapons at the Demon Lord, who reverted them all to nothing as she did. Raising her hand, Ultear formed a pair of icy hammers, raised and ready to crush Mezevera's head between them. They were reverted, of course, But Ultear used this to her advantage, and flew towards Mezevera from behind. A small cannon formed in her hands, and she fired it off once she was close. She hoped that she'd been close enough to make Mezevera mistime her reversion, but sadly it didn't work. She watched the cannonball dissipate into the air, going to nothingness.
Until it suddenly reformed, continued to fly and slammed into the Demon Lord. Ultear's eyes widened, watching Mezevera fly forwards, her expression never changed from indifference.
"That's unfortunate," she noted. Before Ultear could ask what she meant, a pair of footsteps began to echo nearby, growing closer by the second. Soon enough, a form came through the mist of the battlefield, revealing the aforementioned intruder. It was a man wearing a simple black robe, contrasting darkly with the whiter background of the Circle. His hands were in their sleeves, connecting at his midsection. A hood hid his head from them, but judging from the chin she could see, the man looked old. That unnerved her. She'd assumed it would be a Child of Nyx, but this person was old.
"Hello, Ultear Fullbuster," he said, voice old and hollow. He sounded as though a strong gust of wind would knock him down. "I see we have all gathered here."
"Who are you and how do you know my name?" Ultear demanded.
"I am assuming you do not recognise me, as we have not met." He said. "I am Geras, a Child of Nyx. I am the Spirit of Aging." So she had been right. If he was the spirit of aging, it made sense why he looked as old as sin.
"You must be here to stop us from sealing the Demon Lords power," she said.
"Yes, and no," Geras said. "You must realise, without assistance you won't defeat Mezevera. I can offer that assistance, as long as you agree to allow me to finish her off." Ultear scoffed at this.
"Do you take me for a fool?" She asked, "I know damn well I can't allow that. I'd rather die than to do that."
"That's precisely what will happens if you do not fight alongside me," he replied. For an old guy, he was capable of sounding pretty threatening.
Ultear worried, in the bottom of her heart, that Geras was correct. That she was fighting a losing battle. Mezevera was a Minor God, after all. She was a twelfth of Zomrus' power. That was an untold amount of strength. She also knew, no matter how much she wanted to deny it, that Mezevera was not even trying yet. She had yet to throw an attack, just deflect all of hers. Could she even defend against a God's power?
"No," Ultear reaffirmed. "I know what happens when a Demon Lord dies, we were told. It loosens the chains on Zomrus. I won't allow it."
"I find it cute that you think you are in a position to bargain," Geras said. "If you do not accept my help, Mezevera will kill you. She'll revert you to nothing, or age you to dust. With my assistance, you stand a chance."
"So you can kill her instead?" Ultear demanded. She cast her gaze towards Mezevera, who was already looking at her. "And what do you say, huh? Got an offer for me?"
"The future shows you have chosen many compromises here," Mezevera replied. The hair on Ultear's neck stood up straight when she realised the Demon's fractured eyes were glowing in different parts, as if each represented a different future she saw. "Make your choice."
"As if there's a choice!" Ultear replied. "I can't let him kill you! I'll just have to deal with him before I deal with you."
"Past and future splinters show this is unwise," Mezevera said.
"Whose side are you on?!" Ultear demanded.
"Neither." Choosing not to respond to this, Ultear weighed her options. What exactly could she do here? Sure, she could accept Geras' help and then betray him at the last second, which was the wise thing to do, but that would leave Mezevera an opening to recover. Not to mention she had no idea how this whole sealing thing worked, or how long it would take. Then again, did she really stand a chance at succeeding if she didn't take the help.
Growling under her mask, she came to a decision.
"Fine," she said to Geras, "I'll accept your help."
"I assume you won't let me kill the Demon Lord?" He asked.
"Of course not," Ultear replied, "but I doubt you want to side with Mezevera against me, do you? And you'd stand the same chance against her solo as I would."
"There are, of course, no lies in your words." Geras replied. "I suppose we must cross that bridge when we get to it."
"I guess we do," Ultear said. She turned back to Mezevera, who met her gaze. "What's the future say about all this?"
"Nothing concrete," she replied stoically. "I'll give you one more chance to surrender and give me Nashi Dragneel. We can stop this."
"Over my dead body," Ultear replied.
"Do not use words that you will regret."
Before Ultear could reply, Mezevera was in front of her in the blink on an eye. She tried to move, but her body was slow to respond to her brain's command. She felt like her muscles had frozen over. This only lasted a second, however, as she was soon launched back by her body coming to terms with her ask.
"Be wary," Geras called, his hands still clasped together in his sleeves. "She's annoyed now."
"Oh, you can tell huh?"
"Yes; she slowed time around you. I had to accelerate the area's age to free you." Ultear gathered herself, watching as Mezevera circled her quietly.
"Shall I take out the support first?" She asked. In another blink she was before Geras, who hadn't even removed his hood. Her fist flew towards him, but it stopped right before his face. A shockwave blew his hood off, revealing a ragged, aged face. Only his eyes looked young, a bright white that glowed in his sunken sockets. Mezevera regarded him quietly.
"Aged my muscles to dust so my fist stopped," she noted, "your's is an annoying magic." She waved a hand over her arm, and flexed in freely. Geras flew backwards into the mist, disappearing as he did.
"Give your all to your cause, Ultear Fullbuster. I will assist you," his voice echoed. Ultear steeled herself as Mezevera turned back around, a fire in her eyes that had been absent before.
"Enough of this," she said. "The world hangs in the balance. I cannot allow you all to go free."
Mezevera blinked towards her again, and Ultear felt the same lag as before. Geras freed her in an instant, allowing her to raise an arm in defence as Mezevera raked her claws across her forearm. Her icy armour rattled as she did so, leaving a deep gash in it that Ultear rushed to fix. Rushing away to make space, Ultear created endless weapons from the sheet of ice beneath them, but they all turned to dust before the Demon Lord. Geras reverted some to weapons, but all that did were flung away. Creating a sword in her hands, Ultear flew back at Mezevera and raised it. Her arm slowed, only to re-accelerate, then slow again. It was an odd sensation, but Geras fended off the attacks well enough. Her strike narrowly missed Mezevera, who disappeared in a flash and reappeared behind her. Ultear was prepared for this, though. It was only a matter of time before the Demon went for behind.
A crest of spikes erupted from the back of her armour, aiming to impale her. The spikes were destroyed, but thankfully they gave her enough time to get out of Mezevera's range.
"I'm waiting for an actually threatening attack," Mezevera noted.
"So am I," Ultear shot back as she raided her blade again. "Why don't you just age me to dust?"
"Your Ice Devil Slayer Armour is preventing me from effecting you directly," Mezevera replied. "Lest you would be dust already."
"She wouldn't," Geras called from the mist. "I would simply age her back into existence."
"You cannot fool me, Child," Mezevera called. "Time Magic is forbidden to all but deities for a reason. It exacts a heavy toll. I imagine your own magic is eating away at your life as we speak, is it not?"
"A small price to pay," Geras said. "I will simply make myself young again, until Lord Zomrus rises. Once that happens, I won't have to worry anymore."
"Yeah, cause you'd be dead," Ultear grumbled.
"Let us stop fooling ourselves," Mezevera continued. "There is no victory to be found here. Neither of you possess the power to defeat me." Ultear pressed her mouth into a thin line. She knew the Demon Lord was probably right.
At this point in time anyway.
Shaking away thoughts of her last resort, Ultear steeled herself again and managed a scoff.
"I've heard it all before," she said. "Don't keep saying the same thing everyone has said before."
"How many Gods have you fought before? Do not forget, mortal. I am not the same as the other enemies you've fought. I am far above them."
What happened next made Ultear's train of thought freeze.
Mezevera did not move a muscle, but Geras appeared in her hand regardless. She had her hand around his throat, applying pressure to him. Ultear felt no sympathy for him, but he was her backup after all.
Before she could even shout out in surprise, Mezevera had grabbed her too. Her helmet of ice shattered, a hand wrapped around her neck. In a single nanosecond, thousands of strikes rebounded against her armour, shattering all of it into dust. Her arm snapped backwards, her leg did as well. Ultear nearly blacked out as pain assaulted her nerves, barely able to keep conscious. She had no clue what had happened to Geras, but she could tell from the moans he was hurt too.
"Didn't even sense me, did you?" Mezevera asked. "As I said, I am above both of you. There is no hope of victory. Submit, and I will ensure you survive."
Ultear could barely hear the Demon Lord over the screaming of her broken bones. As she tried to gather herself. Hopelessness assaulted her. It had taken less than five total seconds for her and Geras both to be subdued and broken. What had she come all this far for? What had she learned Ice Devil Slayer Magic for?
"Because you have to keep finding things to fight for. You need to stop looking at what you've lost, and look for what to protect."
Simon's words from Arkney came back to her. The words that had gotten her out of bed and back in the fight. What was an arm or a leg if it meant she could save the people she cared about? What was her life, even? Her magic?
Ultear knew what she had to do. She feared it, but it didn't matter. All she needed was a single second. She'd practised, even though she feared it. Just a single second.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She gurgled against the hand on her throat, making Mezevera raise an eyebrow.
"What are you trying to say?" She asked, "Are you submitting?" Ultear vaguely saw a fragment of her eye light up, making her eyes widen. She'd probably seen what was coming, but was too late to stop it. Ultear had already moved her free hand to her stomach, using her index finger to draw a simple circle.
"Arc of Time!" She cried, "Third Origin!"
The wind of Mt. Hakobe assaulted the tent around her, but Ultear was focused intently on the book she was reading. She wanted to learn everything she could about Arc of Time prior to the Grand Magic Games, and she was almost done. There was only a few pages left. Most of the spells she was reading were big and powerful ones, which would take too much setup to complete on the fly.
"I hope some of these come in handy," she muttered, biting her lip as she flipped the page, "otherwise a lot of these will be a waste." Her eyes drifted up to the top of the page, reading the title of the next spell.
Third Origin.
For some reason, as the words registered in her mind, a chill went down her spine. It wasn't because of the wind. All of a sudden her mouth felt dry, but she felt compelled to continue reading.
Third Origin is truly the ultimate offensive spell available to Arc of Time. Manipulating the time of your own magic power, you accelerate it far, far into the future, allowing you to obtain all the power you will have ever held in your life. This will increase your strength more than a thousandfold, but you must pay the ultimate price.
Once Third Origin wears off, time will take back what you received from it back, with tax. You will lose all of your magic, and return to a time when you couldn't even preform a simple spell. There is no going back once you do this. Once you activate Third Origin, you will lose all the power you gained.
I pray, namesake, you will never have to use it. And yet, you and I both know you will.
Ultear stared at the words on the page in silence, the wind whipping around her. She didn't even realise she was holding her breath until her body begged her to inhale.
"Why would I need to use this?" She asked herself quietly.
The wind howled.
"...Why do I know you're right, Ultear Milkovich?"
The power that had surged within the First Circle of Judgement did not belong to the Demon Lord who inhabited it. Nor did it come from the Child of Nyx, who had come to kill the Lord.
No, it came from Ultear Fullbuster.
The ether in the air swirled around and into her body, forming into a container with which there was no bottom. A bright blue sheen of magic coated her entire body and clung to her, forming a new suit of armour made of pure magic energy. Black tattoos swirled up and down her limbs and body, a stark contrast to the bright blue magic covering her. The amount of magic rolling off of her made her hair float in the air like she was submerged in water, even with two feet planted firmly on the ground.
Lifting her head, one could see that Ultear's right eye had fractured like Mezevera's, her iris shattered like shards of glass around her pupil. Her left eye, meanwhile, had gone dark with a red iris highlighting it. Mist rolled off of her body, lowering the temperature of the area around her significantly.
"Third Origin," Mezevera said, floating a distance away from her. "You're sacrificing your magic power from the future to use it now. You must have faith in your future self."
Ultear did not reply right away, she was too busy trying to come to terms with the sheer strength boiling within her. Was she truly capable of magic like this? She felt impossibly powerful.
I was always afraid I was holding the others back...But if I'm capable of magic like this...
Looking up, Ultear saw Geras was laying on the ground nearby, ageing his own wounds to heal them. She vaguely recalled her own broken arm and leg, and looked back down to investigate them. Arc of Time could normally not affect living matter, so she could still sense her bones were broken. However, neither limb seemed too affected by it, moving perfectly fine. She quickly realised ether had seeped into the cracks between the bones and torn ligaments, allowing her to move them freely.
If I'm capable of magic like this...I can save them.
"Geras," she spoke, her voice echoing even though there were no walls for it to rebound off of. "Can you still support me?"
"Do you even need it?" He asked, "but yes, I can."
"Good. I'm putting an end to this." Ultear did not even spare a thought to wonder how she would stop Geras from killing Mezevera. How could he compare to her as she was now? She felt unstoppable!
Mezevera still looked unmoved, but Ultear could tell from her stance she was more cautious now.
"Fine," she said, raising a hand, "Let us find out just how close a human can get to a God."
For a brief second, there was silence between the three time wizards.
And in the next nanosecond, a million blows traded places between them.
Mezevera blinked within striking distance of Ultear and threw out a few hundred thousands punches and blasts of magic, all of which Ultear froze or moved into a different timeline with Arc of Time. Once she had defended herself, she raised her own hand. Thousands upon thousands of ice weapons infused with Devil Slayer Magic formed in the air, and rocketed straight at Mezevera. They formed beside, above and below her, all aimed squarely at her vitals.
All of them were destroyed, but Geras reformed them. Mezevera broke them again, and flew out of striking distance in a fraction of a millisecond. The weapons redirected and flew after her, giving chase through the mist of the Circle. Raising a hand, Ultear released the dark magic Mezevera had shot at her back using Arc of Time, the magic also travelling after the Demon like a rocket.
In a blink of an eye, Ultear shot in front of Mezevera's flight path, blocking her retreat from the weapons attacking her. Mezevera raised a fist aimed at her chest, but Ultear let it hit. The second it did, her body turned to water and Mezevera sank inside, becoming stuck when Ultear froze the water into ice and trapping her. Turning her head around, Mezevera used her legs to destroy all of the weapons in what appeared to be an instant, but in an instant she had needed to speed herself up a thousand times. Turning back, Mezevera's trapped hand glowed black, and Ultear body erupted from the blast. She had already turned her body back into water, which allowed her to reform from the millions of pieces she'd been blown into .
Backing up, Mezevera raised a hand above her head, a clock hand appearing there.
"Age of Destruction," she chanted.
Explosions formed all around Ultear, racking her body with millions of blasts rivalling that of Natsu's power itself. However, she herself was immune to it. The blasts aged and dissipated before they reached her, thanks to Geras. Ultear closed the distance instantly, a sword in hand.
"Ice Devil's Demon Destroyer Sword," she said. The blade itself was jagged like shark's teeth, and Ultear raised it to swing it down on Mezevera. Mezevera formed her own sword of white light and parried it, the two exchanging thousands of parries between them in only a nanosecond. The Demon Lord's sword constantly kept freezing or decaying, which meant she had to divert focus to keeping it active. This let Ultear land a few good slashes, causing golden blood to leak from the cuts. It was the first strikes she'd landed, but it wouldn't be the last.
After another thousand exchanges, Mezevera landed a kick to Ultear's gut that sent her flying backwards. In that time, she raised her hand.
"Freeze," she called. Ultear could tell that time around them had frozen, but she herself was protected thanks to her own Arc of Time working in overdrive. That probably meant that Geras was stuck though.
"Scared of the two on one?" Ultear asked haughtily.
"Focus on the battle in front of you," Mezevera replied. The two rushed at each other again, Ultear raising her sword to slash her down. Mezevera blinked behind her, but Ultear was ready and swung the blade to meet her. The blade connected with Mezevera's forearm's, clanging in an exchange a hundred times before the two separated again. Mezevera raised her hand again, another clock hand appearing.
"Age of Darkness," she said. In an instant, the little light Ultear could use to see disappeared. She couldn't even see a foot in front of her, only given a brief glow from her magic power.
"What the hell is this?" She demanded.
"I control time, remember?" Mezevera asked from the darkness. "I can see a time where there was no light to illuminate the earth. A time when the volcanoes of the world erupt and destroy everything. A time when water flooded all land. There is no age that I cannot transfer destruction from." Ultear gritted her teeth.
"So you just steal power from other ages instead of using your own power?" She taunted.
"Yes, just as you stole power from your future self to use for your present gain. Manipulation of time is powerful, is it not? But for you, not powerful enough." An elbow connected with Ultear's back, sending her into the ground. She sprang back up, only to be held down by a hand over her throat. She could just barely see Mezevera, her body glowing in the little light her magic afforded her.
"You plan on stealing the future's of thousands, if not millions of people for you own selfish desires," Mezevera spat, golden blood still dripping from her cuts. "You'd even condemn your own friends for it. Do you not realise this? Damien, Bella, Gin...Their lives will end if this is allowed to continue. Do you even care?"
"...Of course I care!" Ultear spat, struggling to breath past the hand on her throat, "but we all knew the risks! we didn't come here if we weren't prepared to die!"
"Then you are even dumber than I imagined," Mezevera replied. She raised her free hand, aiming it directly at her face. "Age of Apocalypse." The dark red light that emanated from Mezevera's hand made a chill go down Ultear's spine, nearly making her freeze.
...No. Not yet. Not yet!
"Parallel Worlds!" She cried. As soon as the explosive spell left Mezevera's hand, it disappeared into the void.
But then it reappeared, countless times, all around the pair. All aimed directly at the Demon Lord. Mezevera was forced away, freeing Ultear. "Freeze!" She cried, stopping the spells from going off on only herself. She stumbled back to her feet. Growling she raised both arms. "Reverse!"
The light came back.
Reversing the effect of Age of Darkness, Ultear returned the light to the Circle. This let her see Mezevera standing opposite her, so she spat at her.
"You said something before about humans being able to chance the flow of time," she said, "so we should get to live without interference from you Gods! What good have you ever done anyway?!"
"Besides literally giving you life?" Mezevera demanded, "creating the air you breathe, the meat and plants you eat? How arrogant of you to think your lot would have ever came out of the swamp of pre-creation without us."
"Well thanks for getting us this far," Ultear spat. "But I think we can take care of ourselves now!"
There was a silence between the two, staring each other down angrily.
Then they both moved at the same time, flying straight at each other. As Mezevera prepared an attack in her right hand, Ultear prepared Reverse in her left. Whatever attack was coming, she planned to rebound it onto the Demon Lord.
Right as both of them were about to connect, Ultear saw something move out of the corner of her eye. It was Geras, aiming a open palm at Mezevera. He must have been freed from Freeze when she'd reversed the active spells effects earlier. With the two of them attacking, Mezevera was in trouble.
Her attack and Mezevera's attack connected, forming a sphere in between them that began bubbling violently. Ultear poured all the strength she could into the attack, refusing to give up. She could feel Mezevera's strength overpowering her, but she refused to give up. Not now, now after all of this. She opened her mouth to roar in effort, Mezevera visibly struggling against her.
Then, everything stopped.
The connected spells cracked like ice, and shattered. Ultear began to fly back, but was stopped, floating in the air. She looked around in confusion, trying to figure out what had happened. Looking over at Geras, she saw he was frozen, his hand outstretched. Time had stopped again, but this was different. The spells she and Mezevera had thrown at each other were frozen as well, shattered into millions of pieces that were frozen in the air. But why was she unaffected.
"What the hell happened?" She asked aloud.
"You broke time," Mezevera's voice said. Ultear looked over to see the Demon Lord was also unaffected. "Our spells rebounded and shattered the flow of time. We're stuck in a disruption now."
"My fault," Ultear echoed in annoyance. "Sure, only me. What can we do to fix this?"
"I don't know," Mezevera replied. "I've never had this happen outside my own volition. This is new to me."
"Great," Ultear replied. "Now what?"
As if to answer her problem, the Circle itself began to shudder and moan, as it to fall apart around them. Before either of them could say anything, the mist began to fade away, leaving them empty in the dark.
Before this, too, fell away, the Circle of Judgement shattering like glass.
Ultear needed a moment to adjust, but when she did her mind braked to a halt. She was no longer in the Circle of Judgement, but floating high in the air above a battlefield. At first she didn't recognise it, but then she saw a familiar tower.
"Is this... Crocus?" She asked weakly. She knew the outer look of the capital of Fiore. The tower of the main castle was still standing, though it was smoking and burning. The walls outside the city were also burning, but they looked black, different from the white they usually were.
"What is this?" Mezevera asked, "are we being shown something?"
A roar sounded around them, making Ultear wince and cover her ears in surprise. Following the noise, she saw something she never would have imagined.
There, flying around the city in groups, were dragons. dozens, if not hundreds of them. A myriad of different colours glowed from their scales, coinciding with the different magic than bellowed from their own maws. What the hell was happening? Where had they come from?!
"Keep fighting!" A voice she did not recognise bellowed. Turning, she saw a golden dragon hovering nearby, his massive wings creating a gale around him. "We will keep those forces at bay no matter what happens! Do not give in!"
Ultear was at a complete loss. She looked over at Mezevera for answers, but the Demon Lord looked just as lost as she did.
"What is this?" She asked anyway, surprised she could hear her own voice over the chaos below them.
"We're being shown a future," Mezevera answered, "but why, I don't know-"
Mezevera was interrupted by another voice, but this one did not belong to a dragon. It spoke directly into Ultear's head, over the chaos around them.
"When hope has faded and the darkness reigns,
Only together can you all hope to return."
The scene shifted, giving Ultear vertigo as she was ripped from the skies above Crocus to a different location. Now she was above a different city, but this one was fighting an onslaught from a different army. She could see no specifics, but the voice continued.
"You will seek out the one who carries my name,
and gather your allies before the world itself burns."
Again the scene shifted, revealing A pristine island. dragons flew all around the skies,but this was a much more peaceful scene.
"From those long thought dead,
To those you have fought before,
You'll need to settle debts unsaid
If you hope to win this war."
Again, Ultear was transported somewhere new. Now, instead of floating above a location, she and Mezevera were inside a large chamber. She didn't recognise it, but she could see words written all over the walls in a language she did not know.
"Too start this rebellion and gain allies one after another,
You must travel North and find Mother."
Before she could even say anything, Ultear's brain burned with intensity, as if the words were being seared into her mind. The sound of glass shattered nearly deafened her, and then she felt her back hit the ground. When she opened her eyes, she was back in rhe Circle of Judgement, having been flung back by the reounded spells.
"Wha-?" She asked weakly, looking around. "What just happened?" After looking around more, Ultear saw Mezevera on her hands and knees in front of her, gasping for air.
"...Chronos?" The Demon Lord asked weakly, "was that you, my lord...? What do your words mean...Is this truly what must be done?"
"What was that?" Ultear managed to ask as she sat up. She could feel Third Origin waning, but she needed answers. "Mezevera! What just happened?!" The Demon Lord ignored her, staring down at her own hands.
"If that is the way..." She said weakly, "If there truly is no way other than this..." Mezevera looked up and met Ultear's eyes, making her confused. The Demon Lord looked confused as well, but her expression had softened.
"What are you talking about?" She asked, "what has to be done?" Without saying a word, Mezevera raised a hand and aimed it at Ultear. She was too confused to defend herself, and took the brunt of the attack head on. Her right eyes exploded in pain, causing her to fall back and shriek in surprise. It felt like her eyes was boiling, but just as soon as it started it faded. Gasping for air from the attack, Ultear rolled over weakly and stared at Mezevera.
"What the hell was that?" She demanded.
"What needed to be done," she replied quietly. "Ultear, you remember those words? The ones spoken to you in the disruption?"
"...I do. Why?"
"Keep them in mind at all costs. It is your way of winning."
Ultear didn't get to ask what she meant by that, because a dark, black blade erupted out of Mezevera's chest from behind. Ultear's stomach dropped, realising she lost track of Geras. The Child of Nyx twisted the blade in the Lord's chest, causing the sword to glow bright red. Ultear watched, stunned, as power drained from Mezevera's form towards the sword. Her limbs began to crumble to dust, the problem travelling inwards.
"Mezevera!" She shouted in alarm, stumbling to her feet and running for the two of them. Ultear had no idea how Geras had landed that blow, or why Mezevera was dying so quickly, but it wasn't good. Raising her arm, Ultear saw the tattoos given to her by Anhkseram glow.
"Stop," Mezevera said, making her freeze. "This is the only way. You saw it too, didn't you?"
"...Saw what?" Ultear asked weakly. Mezevera just shook her head as she continued to crumble.
"Unite the others," she said as her legs crumbled completely to nothing. "You heard the new prophecy. Find Mother."
"Mezevera!"
They did not get to continue their conversation. Mezevera faded to nothing, leaving nothing but the bright red blade in Geras' hands. Ultear could not believe what had just happened.
"What have you done?" She asked in shock. Geras sighed as he leaned back, examining the blade.
"I've used the power of the one bred to kill immortals to kill A Demon Lord," he replied. He examined the blade proudly.
"One Down."
Far away from the battle taking place in the Circles of Judgement, cries of surprise echoed out. Had anyone from the battle been around to hear, they'd had heard and watched as Pythia, the takeover wizard for Mezevera, also known as The Oracle, dropped dead without warning. No one could have prepared for it. No one could have been ready for the Demon Lord of Time to accept her own death.
Another lock had been undone.
The end of the current age had already begun.
Believe it or not this chapter has been shaved down. The fight was initially longer, but it amounted to pointless extension, so I dropped it. Not worth it. I hope you all enjoyed, leave a review! Let's try and get five!