Shogunate Pride

by Bluestar076

In the region of Caelum, miles away from the guild of Fairy Tail, there's a special guild made of samurais that is always ready to dive into new adventures to save their region from supernatural threats by clashing their weapons. This is their story, as a girl that controls both light and darkness joins them (SYOC Closed.)

10. Swords that aim at their Main Hunt

Shogunate Pride Chapter 8: Swords that aim at their Main Hunt

By Bluestar076

Hello everyone! Bluestar here with a new chapter! We continue with the battles of the Chimera Tribe Arc, as today, more particular battles await us! Much like I said in the previous chapter, I want to go as wide as possible with battle ideas and matchups, and there will also be a surprise in this chapter! I'm sure you're curious to know what I'm talking about, so without further ado, let's start the chapter! As always, I hope you enjoy it!

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail. All rights and characters belong to Hiro Mashima, A-1 Pictures, and CloverWorks.

Chapter 8: Swords that aim at their Main Hunt

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Caelum – Great Akihabara Market

WOOOOOOSH!

A being of high speed could be seen in the skies of the Great Akihabara Market. The man maintained his wings steady while moving forward, to make sure that the airflow would help him to increase his speed. Below him, explosions were bursting, and petals of roses were scattered through the air. Mass havoc was taking place in the market, but he didn't care. He stood firm on the principles of the animal he had on his guild mark: a lion with the body of a goat, the tail of a scorpion, and the wings of a Pegasus…a chimera.

He went straight towards the central tower. He wanted his treasure.

"Finally! I'm getting closer!" Apostatìs exclaimed, as soon as he was almost there. Once the distance was minimal, he turned his body up, so that he could land with both his fists and feet and could hold himself in the tower. And with an ulterior, push, he released a large impact, and his body finally landed on his main target. He then raised his head, with a large and devious grin. "I'm heeeeeeeere!" He spoke. "It took longer than I expected, but I reached the tower in the end! Now…all I have to do is to reach the globe…by destroying this large piece of junk!" He then closed his hand to a fist, aiming to create a hole in the tower to get inside, but right at that moment, he felt a blast attacking him on the back. "Hm!?" As he turned around, he could see some imperial guards from below, aiming at him with their spears.

"Keep on attacking him! Those of Shogunate Pride are doing their best to defend the market! Let's help them by preventing this messed up mage from getting to the tower!" One of the guards exclaimed.

"YES! FIRE!" Answering the call, the rest of the soldiers started to attack repeatedly Apostatìs by shooting magic of several elements in an attempt to overwhelm him.

The Master of Chimera Tribe had to put his arms in a defensive stance to cover his eyes, but apart from that, the magic didn't seem to sort any effect on him, as he wiped them all out with just a movement of his limbs. He then looked at the guards with a smirk. "Is that all?" He asked.

"He's unharmed!?" One of the guards exclaimed.

"Is he even human!?" Another exclaimed. "AAAH!" And then, all of them were horrified to see that Apostatìs decided to land near them to deal with the problem.

"The guards of Caelum are more stubborn than I thought. Even in clear defeat, they stubbornly continue the fight. It would be a waste to use energy against you…" He commented before opening his eyes that became slit. "But I don't have time to waste!"

The soldiers trembled a bit due to his presence, but they tried to maintain their composure and ran against him. "CHAAAARGE!"

Apostatìs wasn't intimidated by this and concentrated white magical energy in his arms which he then released in the form of magical punches that pierced through the armors of his enemies. "FALL!"

"A-AGH!" The soldiers could only witness in horror as those attacks disintegrated their shells and blasted them away, reducing them to just a bunch of colanders. One of them looked up as Apostatìs simply turned around and focused back on the tower. "H-He's not like any other mages! P-Please, Shogunate Pride…hurry!"

"Once Chimera Tribe sets its eyes on a treasure, nothing can prevent it from taking it, even if they were to face another guild. THIS WILL BE A CLEAR EXAMPLE OF THAT!" He shouted as he started to deliver punches of the same power as before to the base of the tower, aiming to form a hole in it. The fists released large impacts that could be heard from miles away, forming cracks even on a metal surface like that. "WE ARE FOLLOWING THE RULES OF NATURE IN OUR WAY! AHAHAHAHAHAAAH!" He continued going faster and stronger. For him, that tower was just a child construction to destroy with pleasure until he would have reached the globe.

A few meters away from it, the mayor of the market could see in horror as the tower was surrounded by the first smoke. "OH CRAP! THEY'VE REACHED THE TOWER!" He shouted.

"Mayor, please calm down! Not everything is lost! We have received news that the attack is getting weaker. This is probably thanks to those mages!" One of the guards near him said.

The mayor looked at him and nodded, even if he was in a clear state of anxiety. As much as he liked to, he couldn't do much. He simply looked from the window with trembling fists. "If I were skilled with magic just like them or my daughter…I wouldn't hesitate to throw myself into the midst of the battle. We cannot let them deprive the mind of the great scientist who saved the market…please, prevent that outcome, Shogunate Pride…and Merida!" He spoke to himself.

Even the mages of Shogunate Pride could hear the various rumblings that made them raise their heads and see the smoke coming out from the main tower. Naturally, they didn't have the best of reactions.

"Dammit! They've already got there!" Yori, who was running around helping where he could after leaving Henry, exclaimed.

Revany and Dohko looked at the scene in silence from their position before moving fast.

Cal kept running around, getting rid of roses and bandits until he noticed the blows. "Oh no!"

"Considering the impact, there's the risk that the tower won't resist at all…" Ren commented as she kept on running.

"OH NO! THEY'RE ALREADY THERE!" Rere shouted out after seeing the impact.

"They're that fast!? Dammit! At this point, they'll get the globe!" Tsukuyomi added, starting to get agitated.

"What do we do?" The other girl asked. Tsukuyomi tried to think of a possible answer while keeping the Master's words in mind. "As far as it's not our job, we can try to come closer and give some aid. An extra help could slow them down." She proposed before turning on Rere. "Do you think you can still handle this?" She then asked.

"Of course!" Rere answered, showing her tanto blades. "As long as I use my magic moderately without relying on the Devil's energy, I should be okay…well, for my limits."

Upon hearing that answer, Tsukuyomi made a gentle smile and then turned around. "Very well, then! Let's get moving!" With that, the two girls started to run while doing their job.

But much like their colleagues, even they were observed.

On a tall rock, two silhouettes could be seen, observing the two girls' movements. One of them seemed pretty annoyed.

"Nghhhh! Did you hear that bitch's wail? It was so loud and irritating! It just PISSES ME OFF!" He spoke.

"In case, I'm sure you'll be more than pleased that they'll be our main target! I surely don't want Apostatìs to be pissed off at me for letting them smash our men!" The other figure said.

"Always finding the easiest way, eh? I LIKE IT! LET'S FOLLOW THEM!" The first shadow said. With that, the two of them jumped down, aiming to chase the two girls.

"Let's see how I can play with their minds…" The second figure commented as he went down.

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Great Akihabara Market – Eastern Section

Even if from afar, Fern could hear the rumbling and see the explosions as well, and a drop of sweat already went down from his hand from the pressure.

"Shit…those of Chimera Tribe have already reached the central tower…and judging by the noise of the damages, they're probably going full power! We already had a preview of what they could have done when they destroyed the southern wall…but now that they have reached the tower, things can only get worse! Dammit…I can only hope that Iori and Rokumon make it in time…" He commented.

Just as he stood there, looking at the tower, five figures jumped out of various spots and started to surround them.

Fern simply stood still and looked at the sudden bandits by simply moving his eyes. "You must have sensed my movements and heard what I said. I suppose that there isn't much to say, right?" He spoke.

"Guess that you mages are more clever than we thought for at least realize that. Now stand still and die!" One of the bandits exclaimed before all of them threw themselves against him.

Fern snorted since he got used to that situation. Without saying anything, he started to quickly rotate his flail. Dust came out from the ground, as the flail started to look more like a whip that could have been barely seen.

The bandits widened their eyes as they saw this. "H-How can he be so far- GAH!" They didn't get the time to ask questions that one of them had already full hit by the flail and was sent to fly away by a few meters.

"BOB!" Another one shouted. "AAAUCH!" And after him, it was his turn. The remaining three were astonished before turning around at Fern, who looked at them with a neutral stare.

"I think you've got an idea of what can I do, sirs. I can give you the typical 10 seconds to escape." He told them.

Even if frightened, the bandits found that answer mocking, and as an answer, they started to generate magical circles that they used to shoot three golden blasts at him. "SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Fern looked at the upcoming attacks with a skeptical stare. "Ok, this is just rude." As he said this, he started to move forward with heavy steps towards the blasts. Even if an attack was aimed at him, his breathing and his heartbeat were calm and balanced, and as soon as he got close, he was able to quickly move his body to the right and jump at the appropriate time to dodge all three attacks and get in front of the three bandits in a matter of seconds.

"WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" The three simple mages of Chimera Tribe yelled out loud with mucus that came out of their noses.

"HOW THE FUCK DID HE DO SO!?" One of them shouted.

"THIS IS GETTING RIDI- GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Another one was about to complain, but once again, their words were cut off by Fern's flail suddenly getting in their faces, sending them several meters away with a crash.

"See? This is why villainous plots such as this usually fail. You can't aim to do something big without a good army." Fern commented as soon as he saw the large pile of dust coming up from the point where the bandits ended up.

"Take a little guess!" A voice exclaimed from behind, forcing the man to turn around and see ten more mages, ready to shoot at him. "True, you may be strong with that weapon you swing around, but what are you going to do when the number will continue to rise!?" They exclaimed.

Fern was ready to make more acrobatic moves to reach them, but then something unexpected came out.

"GAAH!" Suddenly, several spears and magic blasts started to attack the criminals before Fern could do anything.

"Uh?" When he looked down, he could see some of the imperial soldiers attacking the enemy mages, seemingly brave enough to do so. "You?"

"You are throwing yourself to protect this Great Market, so let us help you in battle!" One of the soldiers replied.

"Disgusting bastards! Don't get in our way!" The criminal mages replied, starting to fire back. Fern couldn't stand there to watch and he quickly ran to help the soldiers. In a matter of seconds, He was already spinning his flail, which added to the attacks of the soldiers, and took down the enemies in no time. "GAAAAH!"

As soon as the threat was gone, Fern looked up at the soldiers with a satisfied smile. "Great spirit of devotion, guys. If you want to help us, please try to scatter around and help the others that are throughout the market." He spoke.

"YES SIR!" The soldiers replied. And so they did. While a small portion of the soldiers decided to remain with Fern, most of that group started to walk away and split up, hoping to reach out to the other mages.

The S-class mage walked around followed by a few soldiers, keeping on controlling the section he was assigned with.

"As far as we're pushing them back, the tides are still in a neutral position. And the fact that their higher-ups have reached the central tower is worrying. We all need to get faster…" He commented.

"After they destroyed the southern wall, they've ended up pretty much everywhere, so we don't know where they could appear…" One of the soldiers said.

"In case, keep your eyes open…" Fern told them before his attention got caught by something. "…Hm?"

Suddenly, he started to feel a strange noise. It was still far, but loud enough to be heard. It almost sounded like…a buzz.

"What's that?" He wondered. Even the soldiers started to look around, hearing the noise as well. It was bizarre, yet suspicious, therefore they all increased their caution. But they would have never expected what would have happened next.

Suddenly…Fern started to feel what seemed to be a strange tingling in his arm. "What the?" It was a strange situation, considering that his arm couldn't have fallen asleep in his actual position. As soon as he watched his arm, Fern had a horrified expression on his face. "AH!"

Several ants were on his arm, starting to bite it and slowly eat it, making it bleed badly without stopping. "AAH! WHAT IS THIS!?" He shouted while starting to violently take off the insects from the arm. But then he found out that he wasn't the only one in that situation. Even the remaining soldiers were in similar situations, with insects such as cockroaches, locusts, and grasshoppers that were on their bodies, with them trying to get rid of them.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!"

"GET AWAY!"

"THEY'RE EATING ME!"

Fern was just bewildered at this sight. "W-What the hell is going on!?" He asked. But he didn't have the time to think about it the buzzing from before became even more stronger…and at that moment, he could see it. "Ah-!?"

A large flock of hornets dived directly into the small group attacking all of them with no mercy. "GAAAH!" Fern was taken aback by the sudden attack and was forced to cover himself to lighten the damage. Then, he would take the flail and start to swing it around in an attempt to take down the insect, a move that worked, even if the bugs were simply too many. But the soldiers weren't that lucky.

While they tried to defend themselves, the soldiers didn't have the same reflexes as Fern and started to run away in panic with the bugs still chasing them.

"I-I CAN'T! THEY'RE TOO MANY- GAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" One of them got the whole body covered in insects and ended up falling to the ground in agonizing pain. Once the insects got out of him, all that was left was his skeleton, a vision that horrified Fern with wide eyes.

"T-This is absurd! What's with these insects!?" He exclaimed.

"Scared and helpless, aren't you?" Suddenly a voice echoed around, making the mage widen his eyes and look around with the flail at the ready.

"Who goes there!? Show yourself!" Fern exclaimed. As soon as he said it, all the insects in the area started to move in one direction, where they started to clump together, almost looking like they were starting to shape a body. "W-What am I watching!?" The mage wondered.

It was a person, but his appearance was unrecognizable, as the insects were all over his body, as if they were his body, giving him a creepy and monstrous red body, similar to a blob with the dimensions of a person with yellow glowing eyes. As soon as the mass was complete, the figure started to stand up and stare directly at Fern. "These little pets of mine are the operators of my magic, with them, I stay firm to the lifestyle of a chimera: going forward and eating everything alive!"

Mandible – Member of Chimera Tribe

At this sight, Fern glared back, ready to use the weapon.

"I am Mandible! I'm the punisher who drains life away from anyone who dares to stand in the way of Chimera Tribe! Those simple soldiers were just an appetizer. The main dish for my insects is the mages that are currently facing us, just like you!" The other mage then continued.

"You knew of us?" Fern asked.

"My insects are everywhere, they are part of my magic, so whatever they see, I see it as well. And once you've started to attack us around, it was only fair to keep track of your movements. Our Master Apostatìs is quite busy at the moment, and we've already met enough nuisance on the road here, and we can't just stand to have another one while we're this close at this market's treasure! It's only natural that I do my part and hunt you down!" Mandible explained before making a creepy laugh. "And at last, I've got into one of you."

"Judging by your way of talking and how you attacked us in such a brutal way, I can already sense that you are a disgusting being, therefore I don't think I'll feel any regret in dealing with you, sir!" Fern retorted.

"Disgusting? Do you find me repulsing? As far as they are an offense, I can't help but feel pleased with this, mage!" The other mage replied before starting to move his arms. "Therefore, I'll find huge joy in making my insect take off that flesh in your body! Get ready…because you are going to feel a pain like you never did before!"

"What is he doing!?" Fern thought.

"Get ready, little ones! It's lunchtime! LOCUST NEBULA!" As soon as Mandible declared the attack's name, a large number of locusts started to fly around his body in the form of a spiral, which then threw itself at Fern, looking and attacking like a terrible storm.

"NGHHH!" Fern tried to stay still and started to make his flail rotate to kill as many locusts as possible, but this time, he could feel that it wasn't as easy as before. The locusts didn't stop, keeping on aiming to drag him away, and several dots of blood started to come out from his body, especially from his arms. "Dammit! These aren't regular insects! Much like he said, this must be his magic in action! If I just keep on using brawl attacks these creeps will devour me in a matter of minutes! I never thought I would have been forced to do this, but I have no choice…time to answer!" He thought. "Ooooooh…" As soon as he started to concentrate his energies, Mandible could see what seemed to be black marks on his arms.

"Hm?"

The marks were starting to fill his limbs, but in a way that didn't seem manipulating. Even Fern's hair started to move, and as soon as he opened his eyes…he was ready to unleash his attack. He opened his mouth and released a rain of bullets that started to contrast the spiral of locusts in a fast way. "War Devil's Roar!" The bullets clashed with the locusts, generating small explosions until the storm faded away. "Anf…anf…" Fern could take some breaths while glaring at his enemy.

"Aaaaah! A Devil Slayer! That's just great, my pleasure to take you down is just getting bigger!" Mandible commented.

"If I were you, I wouldn't be so pleased! Since you're starting to piss me off, you'll get a lesson from an S-Class mage, sir!" Fern retorted.

"Well, that's just better! It means that I'll simply have to directly blow you up!" Mandible then pointed two fingers at Fern, almost as if he was aiming at him. "FLY TRIGGER!" At that moment, he started to shoot several flies that flew fast as bullets at the mage, leaving a clear blue trail of energy.

As soon as he saw the attack, Fern started to run around while using his magic to equip another weapon. "War Devil's Summoning!" By using his magic, a weapon made out of ethernano appeared in his other hand: a large axe that he started to use to chop down the fly bullets that were aimed at him at high speed. Once the bugs were cut off, they faded in explosions, so Fern had to jump in time before the explosions took him, and he was able to do so. The mage of Shogunate Pride found himself agile enough to block the attacks and not get hurt, but at one moment, he took his guard down by cutting a fly bullet he didn't notice that another one was already close to him, getting him on the chest and release a large explosion. "GAH!"

KABOOM!

Mandible looked at the explosion in silence, curious to see what happened. To his surprise, Fern came out of the smoke with his body injured, but still ready to fight.

"HAAA!" As soon as he was close to him, Fern tried to use the axe to attack Mandible directly, but the mage of Chimera Tribe started to jump fast from one spot to another, forcing Fern to chase him down. "Shit! He even has the abilities of a cricket!" He thought.

Mandible jumped on a slightly taller rock and looked at the opponent from above. "Surprised, S-Class mage? People tend to underestimate insects because of their dimensions, but I can assure you that even if they're small, they can be the greatest killers of the world!" He said before putting his hands on the ground. From them, an entire ant hill started to walk fast towards Fern. "Ant Nightmare…"

"Shit!" Fern started to attack the ants with the two weapons he had in his hands, making large holes in the ant hill, but even with his efforts, the insects were able to climb up on his body and start to bite him. "GAH!"

"Let's see how you handle the same treatment I deserved to those soldiers from before!" Mandible exclaimed with a delighted tone.

"Gh…" Fern could feel small pieces of his skin getting torn apart, but even with that, he could glare at his enemy with glare. "I suggest to not underestimate me. JUST WATCH!" After saying those words, the mage started to spin his whole body, which started to get surrounded by magical energy, and from his body, several spikes came out, like the flail he had as a weapon, wiping away all of the ants and setting him free. He was bleeding from all over his body and his clothes were ruined, but he could still fight.

"What!? How did you do that!?" Mandible exclaimed.

"It seems that you don't know enough about what we Devil Slayers can do. Have at you!" Fern exclaimed before using his magic to make the axe disappear and switch the weapon. "War Devil's Summoning!" This time, he summoned a revolver that he used to shoot four bullets made out of ethernano magic that all aimed at Mandible.

"Ah!" The mage of Chimera Tribe tried to defend himself, but due to them being made out of magic, the bullets easily pierced through his body, making four holes at the right shoulder, near his chest, at his left leg, and his basin. "AGH! Bastard!" He shouted out.

"Uh?" It was at that moment that Fern could notice something. In the spots where he hit Mandible, he could see what seemed to be small holes that showed pieces of a normal body. He could see them for just a few seconds before the bugs covered the holes again, but he could understand something from that. "Those seemed like parts of a normal body…so he's human. Could it be that the insect magic is also protecting him like armor?" He thought.

Mandible on the other hand grunted and aimed at Fern a second time. "FLY TRIGGER!" In a matter of seconds, more fly bullets were shot at Fern, who used the same strategy as before, but this time with his flail.

This time, he constantly kept his eyes open and made sure that no bullets could have reached him. One of them exploded right in front of his eyes even if he didn't get it. But to his shock, Mandible appeared through the smoke with what seemed to be a horn that charged at him. Due to the sudden moment, Fern couldn't defend himself and got stabbed in the belly, making him spit blood. "BLARGH!"

"Charge of the Beetle! Even if you managed to hit me, don't think that the result will change!" Mandible exclaimed.

Fern did his best to push himself out of the enemy's horn and succeeded. But Mandible didn't want to let him go and immediately started to attack several times with the horn, which was made out of several Hercules beetles all aligned together. To defend himself, Fern used the flail, and the two weapons clashed several times, releasing even some sparks.

"WREAH!" At one point, Mandible was able to catch Fern off guard and was able to give him a large cut through the shoulders.

"GH!" The mage of Shogunate Pride gritted his teeth for the pain but stood still to answer. By using the summoning, he switched the revolver with a katana and was able to quickly slash him twice.

"GAH!" Mandible recoiled a bit at the damage, but Fern didn't stop there and shot him with a storm of bullets from his mouth.

"War Devil's Roar!"

"GHHHHHH!" Mandible was sent away by a few meters due to the attack, and Fern could once again see several parts of his true body before getting covered again. "Grrr…how is it possible that you can use so many weapons?" Mandible then asked.

"This is what the War Devil Slayer can do. These are all weapons that I've had to face and use in the past. Throughout time I was able to memorize them all, and now I can use them whenever I need them. Luckily I just bought some of them a few moments ago! It's only fair since you seem to be skilled with various species of insects." Fern answered.

Mandible looked down. "True…they are the thing that makes me strong. But people never addressed that and always called me a disgusting being even after I showed what I could do by killing anyone who made me angry! Apostatìs is the only one who saw through my capacities and accepted me into the group…I guess you know where this brings up, right?"

Fern looked at him with a bit of pity. "Is that so? But tell me…if you say that they discarded you after showing all the people you have murdered with your insects, is it really because of your magic that everyone called you disgusting? Or is it perhaps because of your actions? Have you considered that, sir?" He asked.

"I don't plan to get a lecture from someone who follows the law like a good puppy!" Mandible retorted before raising his elbows. "I can see now why you've got the title of S-Class mage. Your magic is indeed terrifying and I'm now feeling a fucking pain right now in my body. So I think it's only right if I give you back ALL OF IT! WITH THE DEADLIEST BUGS OF THEM ALL!" With those words, Mandible opened his hands and released his next attack.

"HORNET BLADE!" From the palm of his hands, several hornets were released and started to fly at high speed towards Fern, leaving a red trail.

"Those are the same as before!" The other mage exclaimed, remembering what they had done to the soldiers. He then tried to push them away with the flail, but to his surprise, they were fast enough for being simple hornets. Soon, they all threw themselves at Fern, pricking him in several parts of his body. "GAH!" As soon as the hornets stuck to him, the Devil Slayer could feel his senses getting dizzier, and several buboes started to come out from his body. "W-What is happening to me!?"

"Eheheh…much like the rest of my insects, these are created out of pure magic, but the specialty of these is that whenever they attack the enemy, they put a substance that destroys the senses in the victim, leaving him helpless, and leaving him vulnerable for the rest of the insects' dish!" Mandible explained while Fern tried to struggle. "You know, there is a reason why at least 20 people die from the sting of a hornet every year. Once you fall in their hand, there's nothing you can do to escape, and even a Devil Slayer like you could survive that easily! Now the best thing you can do is to lie down and be the first victim of my massacre! LOCUST NEBULA!" As soon as he saw that Fern couldn't move much, he used the spiral of locusts of before to finish off the enemy, reducing him to a mere skeleton.

The locusts attacked Fern with no mercy, forcing him to fall to the ground. The insects quickly started to eat his flesh alongside the Hornet, which didn't get out of his body.

"Can you feel it? This is the true pain! The true massacre of a chimera!" Mandible exclaimed while raising his arms and moving them like he was directing an orchestra.

Fern in the meantime, could feel as if everything started to black out, even if he didn't lose his will to fight. He tried as best as he could to stand up…but to no avail. Probably the hornets' substance already reached his nervous system, and the locusts were digging more into his flesh.

"N-No…I won't lose to the likes of a psychopath like him! We're already in a dangerous situation…if I leave him to move around and reach the others, it might be fatal! We cannot…let him win! GH!" Fern raised his stare. "I-I'm starting to pass out…I…I need to maintain consciousness…but these bugs are messing with me! Come on Fern, stand up! You surely don't want to let history say that the War Devil Slayer got defeated by a bunch of bugs! You…you know what to do…" His hands clenched to a fist. "I know the way to get it all together…and I don't have to be afraid of using it anymore. There's a reason why I trained with her for so many years." At that moment, he remembered well the words of her.

"There's a reason why, through time, every Devil Slayer manages to control their power, even if it's a magic that is supposed to consume your soul. Because even if they take the powers from demons…they're still humans."

"Alburna…once again…I'll show the truth of your words!" With that thought in mind, Fern started to accumulate energy before he could pass out…and his body slowly started to glow with a violet energy.

Mandible in the meantime, stared at the mass of insects that were around the enemy. "At this point, the substance should have reached his brain and killed him. Once the insects come out, all that will be left will be his bones, and the first one of the nuisances will be gone! I can't believe I was able to kill an S-Class mage! I'm impressed with myself!" He commented. But right at that moment, he could see something weird. "Eh?"

Strange violet filaments came out from the insect mass, starting to get brighter. "WHAT THE-!?" He didn't have the time to finish the line he had to cover his eyes, as a small magic explosion occurred. Once he opened his eyes, he was astonished by what he was seeing. "YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!"

Fern was standing still with his senses clean. His body was surrounded by a small violet aura and the marks in his arms completely enveloped his arms. The top knot was loosened and his hair was waving, similar to the mane of a lion. And his eyes were thinner. All the bugs that were consuming him were

"HOW!? AT THIS POINT THE HORNET SHOULD HAVE KILLED YOU!" Mandible protested.

"I only needed to increase my senses thanks to my magic, that's all. It seems that you don't know that Devil Slayers aren't that harmless against poisons and similar stuff. Now…" Fern answered before making his flail rotate. "How about we finish this battle?"

Mandible gritted his teeth. "Arrogant bastard, don't think you can win because of your magic…if that substance wasn't enough to kill you, I'll be more than glad to give you more! HERE'S A SECOND COURSE! HORNET BLADE!" Without hesitating, he threw more hornets that aimed at Fern like rockets.

This time the mage was ready and he used his summoning to contrast the attack. "War Devil's summoning!" On his left hand, he materialized a boomerang blade which he threw. The weapon quickly reached out to the hornets, cutting them in half before reaching back its owner. Once that was done, Fern started to run towards his enemy.

"I WON'T ACCEPT IT! STAY STILL AND DIE!" Mandible didn't stop and threw more hornets, but Fern used the same strategy as before to contrast them.

"These bugs are surely dangerous, but everything becomes a lot easier once you take them down before they can get you!" Fern commented.

"SHUT UP! FLY TRIGGER!" Getting more frustrated, Mandible released three fly triggers that quickly reached Fern, who put his arms in front of himself in defense.

The explosion got him, but to Mandible's horror, Fern came out from the smoke and dived against him. "HAAAAA!"

But the mage of Chimera Tribe didn't want to let him win, and in that moment, several mantids climbed up to his arms and formed two scythes that he used to clash with Fern's weapon.

"Hm!?" The mage of Shogunate Pride was surprised before he was forced to jump back.

"Ever since I've joined Chimera Tribe, none of my victims has ever escaped from me! And you won't make any exceptions! WE'RE THE ONES TO WIN! MANTIS BEHEADING!" With those words, Mandible dashed forward Fern with his scythe arms, aiming to finish him.

Fern took up the challenge and used the summoning to replace the boomerang blade with a scimitar. He then dashed and the two of them started to clash several times, releasing large shockwaves to the surrounding environment.

"I STILL HAVEN'T SHOWN YOU ALL THE PAIN I CAN DELIVER! I WON'T ACCEPT ANY TYPE OF DEFEAT! YOU'LL THE ONE GOING DOWN, NOT ME!" Mandible protested as he kept on attacking, managing to push back Fern and cut him in the pectoral.

"Ngh!" Fern felt that attack, but he pushed forward and attacked with the scimitar as well, managing to attack him several times, including a long cut from near the neck to the basin. Once again, on that occasion, Fern could see a human body. With that in mind, the mage ran again towards the enemy, who answered. A third clash occurred, but this time, Mandible extended his arm to throw several ants at his face.

"Ant's Nightmare!"

"Agh!" Fern was forced to step back as he got blurred by the sudden insect attack. But much like he did earlier, before the ants could kill him, he spun to get rid of them. Once he opened his eyes, he could see that Mandible was already jumping against him, aiming to stab his throat with one of the scythes.

"IT'S OVER!"

"HMM!" But Fern promptly answered and pushed him away with his flail.

"GAH!" Mandible crashed to the ground, and as soon as he stood up, he could see something strange. "Huh!? W-What are those!?"

Several golden circles started to appear behind Fern, who glared at his enemy. "These are the ends of the fight. Ever since I was a kid, I've learned to respect every type of person, but you are surely an exception. Someone who brutally kills other living beings in the most infamous ways only for personal satisfaction isn't something I can't let walk freely! You should have learned your lesson a long time ago. Now face the wheel of karma on your skin!" He spoke.

"Shut up, SHUT UP! YOU STILL DIDN'T SEE NOTHING! IT IS YOU WHO WILL FACE KARMA! LOCUST HUNT!" In one desperate attempt, Mandible released a storm of locusts right at his enemy, but Fern already knew how to answer.

The mage of Shogunate Pride crossed his arms. "You were right before. There's a reason why I'm an S-Class mage. And it's this one!" As soon as he said it, several weapons started to come out of the golden portals.

"War Devil – Secret Technique – RAIN OF A THOUSAND BLADES!"

From the portals, a myriad of weapons started to fall on the ground, destroying the storm of locusts and directly reaching Mandible, who looked at the scene with wide eyes.

"WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-" In a matter of seconds, Mandible got blown up by the rain of weapons that fell on him, converging in a small explosion that made the earth rumble.

A few minutes of silence followed that moment. Then...Fern could see a small bug walking out from the smoke and stomped it before the smoke faded away. He came closer to having confirmation of his victory.

As soon as he was closer, he could see him. his enemy was lying on the ground, unconscious, even If his eyes were still open, and the insects that were surrounding him were also gone, so Fern could finally see the true body of his enemy: A man with long and wavy yellow hair and purple eyes, wearing a white robe with long purple sleeves, purple pants, and black shoes. On his face, there were several bite signs and scars, presumably the signs of the insects that were on his body.

"Hmmm…he seems a good-looking person. So why did he hide behind his insects?" Fern wondered before making a deep sigh. "Either way…I can see why he tried to attack from the distance until he freaked out. These insects were also his shell. So when those got out, it doesn't surprise me that he was knocked out with a direct attack. His insects were always trying to cover his body for that reason." He added, trying to give himself an explanation.

He then turned around and gave a look, noticing how the explosions in the distance were continuing. "I took down a strong member, but the battle is far from over I'm afraid…" He then looked at himself. "Bah…this guy ruined my 200,000 Jewels clothing…but I think I can still fight. An aid for me will surely help the others…too bad the soldiers from before got away." With that in mind, he started to run.

His thought was right. After seeing that impact at the central tower, he needed to hurry. The battle was still going on…the attack wasn't slowing down…

And Ecclesias's petals…were still flying in the air.

---

Great Akihabara Market – Near the Central Tower

The loud noise of the impact and the sight of the smoke coming out from the central tower put the two mages that were heading there on extreme alert, and as such, they accelerated their steps, with Merida trying her best to stay behind them.

Both Rokumon and Iori were running fast with their blades in hand and Ronin flew above them. "Dammit! This is the last thing we wanted! I've never expected them to be this fast!" The older mage commented.

"How long do you think will it take for them to reach the globe?" Iori asked Merida, who was behind them.

"Even if they reached the tower, the route is intricate and big. So even if they got there, we can still reach them before they arrive at the globe room!" Merida replied, although her thought was something else at the moment. "Dear lord, how fast are these samurais!? I can't keep up…"

"Hmmm…it's already something, even if the risk is still too big," Rokumon commented. "In that case, we can only hope to get fast enough…"

"This isn't something we should get worried about. Moving fast is one of our main traits. It's something the Master told me often." Iori comforted him. "Therefore, the distance from that tower should only be a walk to the park for us!"

Rokumon looked at him surprised and then made a smirk with his eyes closed. "It surprises me how you can be this mature despite your age."

"You had any doubt, Rokumon?" Ronin jokingly asked with his usual smirk.

"I guess I took it from the best examples around. Come on, let's keep moving!" Iori replied, making the other mage nod.

"Heh…at least you're optimistic…come on, then! If we keep up we should reach the tower in no time!" Merida added.

"Right!" Both the two samurais answered, willing to move faster. But right at that moment…they started to feel something in their senses. "GH-" They stopped their ran and their body started to tremble.

"Uh!? What's wrong?" Merida asked, but in a matter of seconds, she started to feel the same effects. "AGH! W-What is this…feeling!?"

Ronin seemed to resist more and started to look around. There, he could see the reason why they were starting to get sick, and his eyes widened. "AH! It's them!" He exclaimed, pointing at it. When the three humans looked up, they could see them as well.

Petals were raining down around them, releasing an aroma that temporarily paralyzed them.

"Are those…petals!?" Iori exclaimed.

"N-Now I get it…they must be some sort of magic to prevent us from moving…they surely come from some of our enemies…these guys don't want us to get involved…" Rokumon added.

"Are you serious!? What are we gonna do!?" Merida asked, starting to get worried. But right at that moment, Iori raised his two swords and started to accumulate energy.

"No need to worry about that. I can dispatch them easily."

Rokumon saw him and in a moment, he felt more secure. "Right…"

"Your magic is the appropriate one for this problem! Get them Iori!" Ronin added.

"Here I come!" As soon as he got the right energy, Iori was about to deliver an attack that could have wiped out the petals. But…

The ground around them started to get surrounded by a strange purple energy that glowed further and further.

"What!?" Iori exclaimed.

"What is this!?" Merida asked.

"I don't know, but I'm sure it's nothing good! Get ready!" Rokumon warned while holding his Odachi sword. The others did the same, expecting some attack that would be aimed at them.

Instead…the purple energy converted to a purple pillar that destroyed and split up the ground they were standing in, attacking all of them.

"GAAAAAH!" In particular, Iori, Ronin, and Merida got involved enough to fly a few meters away, while Rokumon crashed on the ground.

"Gh! T-That energy was terrible! What type of magic was that…?" Rokumon wondered, as he slowly stood up. And just as he did so, he noticed something that alarmed him. "Uh!?"

The others were missing. He was alone.

"Where is everyone!? IORI! RONIN! MERIDA!" He tried to call them out but to no avail. "Dammit! That attack split us up! And the worst part is that I can't even waste time to follow them…I can only hope they're ok…" He commented.

Meanwhile, Iori, his exceed and the girl ended up a few meters away from the point they were before, and slowly regained consciousness, finding themselves in a rocky field with a few fir trees around them.

"Gh…" Iori opened his eyes and looked around, alarmed. "Where are we!? Oh no…"

Ronin regained consciousness as well and flew near his friend. "That attack separated us from Rokumon! Dear lord, this is the absolute worst! First the roses and now this!? Can't they just leave us in peace!?"

"W-Well…they're trying to take the globe, it's only natural…" Iori replied with a drop of sweat near his head. Then, they heard some grunting from behind that made them turn around.

Merida woke up as well. "Dammit…as if things weren't already bad enough…at this point they'll get the globe in a lesser time! And my father entrusted me to guide you to the tower." She said, a bit demoralized.

Iori looked at her in silence for a few seconds before lending a hand to help her get up. Merida looked as well and took it. "I know that you are feeling worried for your home after what you are seeing. And I'm not someone who can advise on how to stay better. All I can say is…we samurai usually remind ourselves that a clean mind can help to take every problem away and act more efficiently. Maybe you should do it as well." He said before turning around. "We're still in time. And we'll stop this guild."

Merida kept on looking at him in silence for some seconds, getting surprised by his behavior. "He… seems collected…almost as if he didn't have nothing on his mind." She thought.

"Plus, you can stay well assured! Even if he doesn't have a guide, Rokumon can move around pretty well! As long as someone doesn't tell him any fib…" Ronin added.

"For now, let's focus on reaching him back, okay?" Iori then asked.

Merida wasn't still sure what to say to him, but she was glad that, at least, he tried to stay optimistic despite the attacks. That was enough to make her nod and smile. "Ok…I trust you."

"I'm afraid that won't happen!" A voice suddenly exclaimed, making everyone get cautious.

"Hm!?" Iori started to look in one direction with both his katanas in his hands.

"What was that!?" Merida asked, looking as well.

Ronin stood up with his wings exposed and the same expression as his human friend. "An enemy! Are you ready Iori?" He then asked.

"Always has been." The mage replied, not taking his eyes away from the spot where the voice came from.

The person didn't waste any time and started to approach the three youngsters. At first, only his silhouette could be seen.

"I'll admit it, Ecclesias's attack ended up being more useful than expected. At least I'll take the pleasure to get rid of some of these pesky mages. I've grown tired of people that want to get in my way! Well…It won't be a problem…" He spoke up before getting out from the trees, revealing his appearance.

Iori kept on glaring at him. "So you're the one who attacked us…"

The person revealed to be an old tall man around his seventies with long straight, grey hair that he kept in a high ponytail, a long sharp face, vaguely pointed ears prominent eyelashes, and dark-colored lips. He was wearing a long grayish coat closed on the right side of his chest, with a belt circling his waist, and another one going over his right shoulder with golden stripes. He had loose pants and black boots. His wrinkles showed his advanced age, but in spirit, he still seemed quite spry, as he looked at the three of them with a malicious grin.

"That was just a preview, kid! A mage of my caliber won't take long to pulverize all of you!" The man exclaimed, spreading his arms.

Jose Porla – Member of Chimera Tribe

"An old man? You're telling me that you were the one who made that dark magic?" Ronin asked.

"He seems creepy enough…" Merida added.

"Not any regular old man, little one! I'm Jose Porla, a glory of the past that has found its new way! Even though I would have preferred to be the one commanding the others, I can still do my part in the plan of getting the globe! I'm sure that you were terrified as I attacked you before!" Jose replied.

"Well, not really. If anything I was more caught by surprise." Iori replied without changing his expression.

"WHA-!?" Josè was stunned but he cleared his throat, not wanting to lose his patience. "Anyways! Now that I have separated you from your big friend, there's nothing that can't prevent Apostatìs from taking the globe! You should consider more carefully the opponents you decide to mess with, samurais. We of Chimera Tribe don't go easy on our tasks, especially considering that they have someone like me!" He then started to charge his magical energy, which came out in the form of a purple aura.

Iori got ready for it. "Merida, step away. I'll handle him." He spoke.

"O-Ok…" The girl replied, as he started to make a few steps away, while Ronin remained close.

"Guess we're handling a big fish over here! If we win, this could help the others!" The exceed said.

Iori nodded and glared at the enemy. "If you're that strong, I still need to verify it. Just so you know, I don't intend to mess around, not even if you're an old man. If you are among those who wanted to attack the village, I can't help but answer." At that moment, his expression became colder and more ferocious. "Just so you know, I despise people who attack cities."

A vein could be seen from Jose's front, as he got more frustrated. That comment he made wasn't something he could accept. "Oh, you say that I may not be enough? Grrr…WE'LL SEE ABOUT THAT, ONCE I HAVE ERASED THAT ANNOYING LOOK ON YOUR FACE!" As soon as he said it, six spheres of darkness appeared around him. "TAKE THIS!" Without hesitating, he ordered them to attack Iori, starting the battle.

Iori extended his foot before dashing at high speed against the attack. Merida was astonished to see the incredible speed that the boy was showing, almost as if he were an air jet. As soon as he was close to the spheres, the boy didn't hesitate and started to attack them, cutting them in half, until he was able to reach Jose, who slightly widened his eyes at that sight. One of Iori's swords started to get surrounded by cloudy energy and then fell on Jose, who defended himself by engulfing his arms with dark energy. This caused an impact that moved the surrounding trees.

"Ah!" Merida held herself to a rock to not fall. "T-That's a lot of power!" She commented.

"This magic seems familiar…what's his deal?" Jose thought as he pushed with his arms against Iori. At that moment, he could see him straight in the eyes and could notice that his stare remained the same. "Those eyes are starting to annoy me! Don't get too pumped up, brat!" He exclaimed, pushing through and forcing Iori to jump away. He then started to charge magical energy until he got enough to aim at Iori. "Let's see how you deal with the power of terror directly at your skin! SHADE!" He released the magic in the form of various ghostly hooded figures that all flew against Iori.

"Ghosts!?" Iori exclaimed.

"AAAH! WHAT ARE THOSE THINGS!?" Ronin added.

But Iori didn't seem to be terrified by that sight and instead prepared his attack as well. He put one of the two katanas at the ready, which was engulfed with the cloudy energy as before. Once the charge was ready, he threw his attack. "Gale Dragon…Shard." In a matter of seconds, he started to throw several shards of sharp and electrified air, which cut in half the ghosts, one after the other.

"HUH!?" Both Merida and Jose were astonished by that, but the latter gritted, not wanting to leave him unscarred. Therefore, he clapped his hands to make sure that the remaining ghosts all assembled up to turn into a large jellyfish made out of energy that roared up.

Iori slightly widened his eyes at that sight, but he knew how to answer. "Ronin!" He called out for his exceed friend, who promptly flew towards him.

"Coming right up!" With his wings exposed, Ronin grabbed his friend by the back and started to fly up with him, while the jellyfish moved its tentacles in an attempt to crush the both of them down. Ronin turned out to be fast, making Iori able to cut through the tentacles, until both of them reached up the sky, above the Jellyfish, which tried to grab them.

"Now! Leave me!" Iori said. Ronin nodded and left him, making the mage dive against the jellyfish with his swords charged with energy. What followed was a large explosion, with both Merida and Jose wanting to know what happened.

After some moments, a small ball of smoke came out, and once it faded away, it revealed Iori with a few burns, but mostly intact. "That attack wasn't bad. But I can deal with it if that's your magic." He commented.

"So, that's his magic…I've heard of those who use it…I remember seeing a lot of them in the Grand Magic Games of two years ago…those who have inherited their techniques directly from the dragons…the Dragon Slayers! So he's one of them?" Merida thought.

Jose, on the other hand, was gritting his teeth hard. "That magic…I could see it everywhere! He's a Dragon Slayer! Just like…" At that moment, he could see Iori's stare better, which made him reminded of someone he already knew.

Another boy with pink hair and a white scaled scarf around his neck. Their expression seemed identical.

"They were in that guild as well! I can't stand it!" He thought. "Unacceptable, unacceptable, unacceptable, unacceptable, UNACCEPTABLEEEEEEEEE!" He then shouted before realizing more energy.

"Hm?" Iori asked, noticing his alteration.

"YOU GUYS ARE MAKING ME REMEMBER TOO MUCH OF THOSE INSIGNIFICANT INSECTS! STORY WON'T REPEAT! I WON'T GET FOOLED A SECOND TIME!" Jose continued, charging purple energy from one of his arms. At that moment, his eyes turned black and his pupils yellow.

"Watch out, Iori!" Ronin warned.

"Let's see how you handle this! DARK WAVE!" He released the energy in the form of a destructive way that aimed at high speed towards the samurai.

A stormy energy started to gather around Iori's body, and in answer to the attack, he started to move around, with his speed boosted up by the air that was surrounding his body, it was almost like seeing a hidden figure moving in a wall of mist. Thanks to this, Iori was fast enough to get away from the beam, but to his surprise, the beam chased him with incredible spirit. "It's heat-seeking!?" He thought.

"Are you surprised? There's no limit to such magic! Now become dust!" Jose exclaimed while moving the beam.

At one point the blow was able to reach out to Iori and directly hit him. "GH!" The impact caused a small explosion that made Ronin and Merida worried.

"Iori!"

"AHAHAH! Have at you, brat!" Jose exclaimed. But to his shock, Even If he got hit by the dark wave, Iori was able to appear in front of him in a matter of seconds. "WHAT!?"

Iori's sword started to get surrounded by grey air. "Gale Dragon Air Blast Blade!" In the blink of an eye, Iori started to move fast to the point that his arms seemed to disappear, and Jose's body got full of cuts that released some air.

"GAAAH! H-He's fast!" He exclaimed. He could then see Iori trying to deliver another cut, but this time, the mage of Chimera Tribe surrounded his whole body with shadow energy and started to move away from the trajectory.

"Hm?" Iori noticed it and immediately started to chase him by keeping on attacking with the swords, with Jose who slowly turned away from him. "He's slowly getting ground…" He thought.

"How do you like it? Speechless, right?" Jose said with a boastful tone.

"Well, for someone of your age is impressive, but it's not the first time I faced someone fast," Iori commented.

An angry sign appeared near Jose's head, as he got angrier. "WILL YOU STOP MAKING THOSE COMMENTS!? SHADE ENTANGLE!" He shouted before opening a hand and surrounding Iori with dark magic.

"Uh!?" Suddenly, the samurai mage found himself trapped in a spiral of purple skulls that kept him blocked. "GAH!"

"Let's see if you keep acting arrogant and run around after that!" Jose exclaimed before closing his hands, making the spiral converge into an explosion that fully hit Iori, making him fall, though he was able to land on his feet.

"Anf…anf…" Iori started to breathe heavily as he kept on looking at the opponent.

"Even if he has the advantage of his speed, whenever he gets hit by his attacks, he ends up getting big damages! That geezer is strong!" Merida exclaimed.

"No need to agitate! I know Iori, of all people, wouldn't afford to make himself get defeated by someone like him!" Ronin said, trying to remain confident.

Merida looked at him and then looked at her hand. On her palm, she had what seemed to be a circular sign. Seeing Iori's efforts, she thought that maybe…she could have done something as well.

"It seems that you are starting to feel fatigued! Even if you're a Dragon Slayer, it's clear that I'm still on a higher level, just as expected!" Jose commented.

"Even so, I'm still standing. Don't you find it strange?" Iori asked. In a second, he already dashed forward with the clouds, going against the enemy.

Jose saw it coming and already prepared another blast of purple energy in his hands, expecting him to use a direct attack, but to his surprise, Iori opened his mouth. "Eh!? What is he-"

"Gale Dragon Air Bullet!" Iori charged enough energy to shoot a barrage of bullets made out of air that relentlessly attacked Jose.

"NGAAAAH!" Jose was forced to put his arms in a defensive mode, as the bullets attacked him.

Iori took the chance to come closer and throw him away with one of the katanas.

"AGH!"

The mage from Shogunate Pride didn't waste any time and jumped to reach him. "Gale Dragon Sonic Spin!" He thrust one of the two swords to send a rain of air blasts that all went down to Jose, making him crash to the ground with a large thud.

A small crater formed around the mage, who grunted for the pain. "Ngh…UH!?" As soon as he opened his eyes, he could see Iori dive against him fast, but this time, Jose got ready and used purple energy to contrast his one.

"HMMM!" Iori tried to push further, but suddenly, his enemy disappeared. "Uh!? Where did he-"

"UP HERE!" Jose reappeared above Iori, diving against him with purple energy, looking like a meteor that caused a strong impact. The other mage couldn't see it coming and got fully hit.

"Ngh!" Due to the blow, Merida and Ronin were forced to cover their eyes, while Iori lay on the ground after the attack.

"AHAHAHA! I finally got you! What are you going to do now!?" Jose exclaimed, delighted at the sight before pushing away Iori with a kick. "Now I can enjoy as I torture you until death!" He then summoned three ghostly figures. "Choke him!" He threw them back, but then…

Iori turned his head and started to gather air. "Gale Dragon's Air Counter!" Suddenly, he blew a jet of air strong enough to paralyze the ghosts and send them back to the sender.

"What!? ACK!" Not expecting this, Jose got attacked by his magic, and when he opened his eyes, he could see that Iori was already in front of him once more. "J-JUST WHAT IS THAT AIR!?"

"This is the gift left me by my teacher. You may be as strong as you want, but I won't let you disrespect it." Iori replied. With those words, he released a slash made out of storm energy that attacked Jose in the belly and released a wind that made him fly away and crash against a tree.

"GAAAAAH!" Jose fell with his butt and had to hold his belly for the attack.

"He got him!" Merida said happy.

"Ahaha! What did I tell you?" Ronin added, while Iori simply looked at the enemy.

"GH…" Jose slowly stood up and glared at his enemy.

"You're still moving?" Iori asked.

"Eheh…what, are you surprised? True, you may have done a number on me…you cursed Dragon Slayers don't stop to be annoying…but even with that, don't think I can fall that easily! A glory like me can't crumble like a statue!" The mage of Chimera Tribe answered.

"You seem to brag a lot about your skills. I wouldn't be so confident about that. You saw it for yourself." Iori replied.

"SHUT UP! How can you possibly know!? I can do that! Or at least…I could! But even if they took away my name, I can still make sure that my legacy can be revived!" Jose protested, getting everyone's attention.

"Legacy? What do you mean?" Iori asked.

"Heh. Of course, you couldn't know. You were probably little pipsqueaks. But you have to know that a long time ago, I was a renowned and feared legend in the world of magic!" Jose exclaimed.

"Legend?" Iori, Ronin, and Merida all said together.

"I was once known as the powerful Guild Master of the strongest guild in all of the region of Fiore, Phantom Lord! A guild where the power made might and that didn't miss any type of mission! My power spread around enough to even guarantee me a seat in the Ten Wizard Saints!" Jose started, surprising everyone.

"What!? The Ten Wizard Saints!?" Merida exclaimed.

"The ten mages that have been said to be the strongest one in all of Earth Land…strong enough to be directly guided by the Magic Council…" Iori added.

"So that's why he's so proud! What, did something happen and now you have mange?" Ronin asked, annoying the mage.

"DON'T YOU DARE SAY IT AS A JOKE! It was all perfect! Until ten years ago…when for a mission, I had to kidnap the girl from our hated rival, Fairy Tail! For years, that guild interfered with our path of glory, and I thought that with that, it was finally time to get rid of those annoying, chaotic, and horrendous brats! But everything went wrong, all my mages got defeated, my fortress was destroyed and worst of all, I got humiliated like nothing by that small dwarf that was their Master! Not only that, He made sure that the Magic Council erased everything that I had! My guild was disbanded and I was deprived of my title as a mage! I LOST ANYTHING! For years I had to walk through the world like a cockroach, conserving all my grudge against those idiots! Then last year, I encountered Apostatìs, who proposed to me a place here in Chimera Tribe. I wasn't that happy about it, but it was the only choice I had left. Soon after, they and they started to savage every place we could explore. Slowly, my fear started to rise again up to this very day! You could say it's the beginning of my grand revenge! Once I have made the guild powerful enough, I'll use it to overwhelm that idiotic council that dared to take everything away from me and destroy both yours and that cursed guild that is still cheering all happy! Soon, I'll finally be feared again, and everything will be as once it was!" Jose continued.

After hearing him, Iori's stare became colder. "Is that so? Normally, I would feel bad for your story, but judging your way of speaking and the fact that you are trying to destroy a market right now makes me think that you used to do things out of pure malice. I'm not surprised if they took everything away, you're the complete opposite of what a mage should be. That's sick." He replied.

More veins started to come out from Jose's front, as his anger reached its limit. "A little brat like you couldn't ever understand how it feels to be deprived of your own identity! But I'm not asking for you to understand…after all, you and that other girl are simply another obstacle in front of me!" He exclaimed while a dark aura surrounded his body again. "It always has been this way, except from that time when Fairy Tail defeated me. I'm the epitome of magic! Whoever decides to oppose me will end up canceled! BEHOLD! THE PHANTOM IS REBORN TO A CHIMERA THAT DESTROYS ITS ENEMIES! SHADE STORM!" With those words, Jose charged a globe of energy from his hands that unleashed itself in a tornado full of wailing ghosts. Thousands of yellow glowing eyes could be seen from it, as they threw themselves at Iori.

"Ngh!" Iori tried to stay ready, but to an attack of such dimensions, it would have been hard to get out from it, and as such, he got swallowed.

"IORI!" Merida shouted.

"I've never seen an attack like that!" Ronin added.

Iori was in the middle of the tornado, as his body started to get clawed by the various specters and his hearing got damaged by the continuous screams of the ghosts that were haunting him. "NGHHH! T-They're trying to devour me alive! I-I can't let it happen!" He said to himself while holding his swords tightly. While trying to endure the pain, he slowly raised the two katanas and then made a double vertical cut with them. "Gale Dragon Air Slash!" By doing so, he generated two long swipes of stormy wind that dissipated the tornado. Once he could see again, he locked his eyes on Jose and dived against him. "HAAAH!"

Just as he got closer to the enemy, this one started to get surrounded by a strange energy and started to change form. By doing this, as soon as Iori's sword reached him, it passed through his body, as if it was immaterial. "W-What!?" Iori looked up and could see that Jose seemed to have assumed the form of an empty hooded figure.

"I can see the surprise now! Did you think I wasn't going to be serious in this fight!? While I started to work in Chimera Tribe, I started to add some tricks on my sleeve, and here I am with my Shade Form! Your Dragon Slayer tricks won't work now!" Josè explained as he charged a purple sphere at a close distance that forced the samurai to recoil.

"Ngh!" Iori defended himself with his sword and then noticed that Jose was already floating around him, aiming to attack him several times with spectral claws. The mage of Shogunate Pride did his best to defend himself, and while he was able to block some of the attacks, his ones ended up in failure, since Jose became an effective phantom, as a result, his body started to show the first bleeding signs of claws. "GAH!"

"Hang on, Iori! I'm coming!" Not wanting to witness that scene anymore, Ronin started to run and jumped against Jose, aiming to attack him with his head. "Ronin's Headbutt!" Naturally, he went through Jose and fell. "AAH!"

"Uh?" Jose turned around as he saw the attack and this caused a distraction for the samurai, who stood up. "Ngh…Gale Dragon's Air Slash!" By surrounding his blade with violent air, Iori attacked Jose with a direct attack, which converted into a violent blast of air.

"Ah!" Jose had to cover himself, and in that fragment, Iori noticed something. Some of the phantom forms faded away due to the wind, and a bit of Jose's real body could be seen. That was when he realized it.

"So his real look is still in there! Then this is not a form, but rather some sort of armor…which means that if I destroy it with the magic, I can attack him! Then…All I have to do is-" With the reasoning in mind, Iori tried to deliver a second blast, but right at that moment, he could see that Jose was already preparing a blast of his own. "AH!"

The other mage was moving his hand in an arc. "You have to understand the time when you have to stop! Let me show you! DARK PULSE!" Soon enough, the arc engulfed the area they were fighting and converted into a large dark explosion.

"AAAAAAAAH!" Ronin ended up flying away before he got grabbed by Merida, who looked at the scene.

"IORI!"

Once the explosion was done, Jose looked down to see Iori lying on the ground, full of burns and cuts, even if he was still holding his blades.

"AHAHAHAH! See? This was the price for your sarcasm and arrogance! I can still show the greatness of my power! And you're only a small step. Once I'm strong enough, everyone else will be next!" Jose said, full of joy.

"Iori! Come on, pal, we both know that this guy cannot finish you! Stand up!" Ronin exclaimed. Merida in the meantime was starting to tremble. Apart from the terrible situation they were in, the sight of one of the people that were helping them was simply unacceptable. That would have meant allowing the invaders to win and leave someone willing to help her die. She was afraid to do something…but she then remembered what Iori told him.

"I know that you are feeling worried for your home after what you are seeing. And I'm not someone who can advise on how to stay better. All I can say is…we samurai usually remind ourselves that a clean mind can help to take every problem away and act more efficiently. Maybe you should do it as well."

"A clean mind…" Suddenly, everything was clearer. Her insecurity was gone for a moment. She was weak…but she could do something.

Meanwhile, Jose put his hand in cut mode and tried to go for the coup the grace. "Are you read? THIS IS REALLY YOUR END!" He made the hand fall, aiming to stab Iori's back, but before he could reach it…

"AAAAAH!" His body suddenly got surrounded by a clear blue light that prevented him from moving. "W-What is this!? I can't move!" He tried to struggle, but his body seemed completely paralyzed. The least he could do was to turn his head and see the cause for himself.

Merida had a hand open, pointing at him while her body gloved of the same light, her hair started to wave and her eyes were glowing. "Anf…anf…"

"Are you kidding me!? It was you!?" Jose exclaimed.

"U-Uh?" Iori could raise his head and see what happened as well.

"Merida! You…use magic?" Ronin asked while he was still in her arms.

"A bit, yes…I had this psychokinesis magic for a bit, but I never used it…now I have a reason to do it." Merida replied before looking at Jose with a furious glare. "I don't care if you were some big shot years ago and I don't care if you are strong. These guys are trying their best to save this market, my own home! And I don't intend to let my father get worried further without doing anything! YOU'RE DEALING WITH ME TOO NOW!" With those words, she used psychokinesis to throw Jose away.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The mage of Chimera Tribe didn't crash anywhere due to his phantom form, but he surely got pushed away by a few meters. Once the attack ended, he furiously flew back towards Merida, attempting to stab her. "YOU UTTER BITCH!" But just before she could reach both her and Ronin, a large swipe of air attacked him from behind, removing a good piece of that ghostly spell he equipped. "GH!" He quickly turned around. "YOU'RE STILL STANDING!?"

Iori was standing up again, slowly raising his head. He was full of wounds, but he could still fight. "Merida…please forgive me. Eheh…maybe I didn't do a good job if I forced you to take part in this as well." He spoke.

"Iori!" Ronin exclaimed with shiny eyes while Merida was surprised to see him up once again. But this surely made her happy. "Hey, no big deal. Considering that this is my home, I should do something as well right? How about I lend a hand?"

Iori was surprised by this proposal and nodded, before looking back at Jose with a colder stare. "Now…how about you stop bragging for a moment?" He asked.

Jose just couldn't believe it. Even if his face couldn't be seen due to the form, his fury was clear. "WON'T YOU LAY DOWN FOR ONE SECOND!? It's already the second time I have heard about stupid sentimentalisms! I HAVE BEEN SO TIRED OF THIS! IF I HEAR ANOTHER WORD ABOUT DUTY I'M GONNA PUKE! PUT IT IN YOUR HEAD! I WON'T LOSE A SECOND TIME! ESPECIALLY AGAINST SOME MINORS! SHADE STORM!" Shouting out loud, Jose used the tornado of ghosts to directly attack Iori.

[Nanatsu no Taizai OST – Perfect Time]

This time, the young samurai didn't falter and instead, he started to accumulate as much air as possible in his mouth and then blow it to push back the attack. "Gale Dragon Air Counter!" The air he released turned out to be bigger than before and as a result, he was able to contrast the tornado of ghosts and slowly melt it, to the point that all the ghosts split up.

"GRRRR! GET HIM! TEAR HIM TO PIECES!" Jose ordered the ghosts to chase down the mage of Shogunate Pride, but at that moment, they got taken by a clear blue light.

Merida didn't waste time and used her psychokinesis to throw the ghosts back at Jose, managing to hit him. "HOW ABOUT THIS!?"

Jose had to cover himself due to the various impacts that pushed him back. "NGH! THIS IS GETTING MORE ANNOYING THAN THAT TIME WITH MAKAROV!" He shouted.

"Ronin!" While this happened Iori started to run toward his enemy while calling for his exceed friend, who didn't hesitate and started to fly.

"Right back at ya, buddy!" Ronin answered before grabbing Iori from behind, allowing him to move faster and reach Jose in a matter of seconds.

"GRRR!" Jose saw it coming and the two started to clash several times, Iori with his two katanas and Jose with the phantom claws, releasing several impacts.

"How about we make the spin?" Iori then suggested to Ronin, who made a delighted face.

"Uhuhuhuhuh! I love when you think that way!" With those words, Ronin started to spin alongside Iori and the two of them then threw themselves against Jose who tried to defend himself, but Iori used storm energy to power up the attack, and the mage of Chimera Tribe started to have difficulties. In the end, the two members of Shogunate Pride were able to pierce through and attack him.

"GAAAH!" Seeing a piece of his defense fade away, Jose started to panic, and as such, he released a Dead Wave from a close distance that pushed the mage and the exceed away. He then threw himself against Iori, who answered by attacking with one of the two katanas.

Merida in the meantime, started to accumulate energy with psychokinesis until it got the form of a clear blue globe she then shot in the form of a beam against Jose, attacking him at the back.

Getting hit again made Jose more furious. He decided to ignore Iori and directly aim at the girl, who used the psychokinesis to fly around and dodge his attacks.

"STAY STILL!"

"HOW ABOUT NO!?" Merida shouted back before grabbing Jose with her magic and throwing him away.

"Ronin!" Iori called out for the exceed, who made him go up again, joining Merida. The two youngsters then started to attack Jose directly, starting a series of clashes, before the two of them were able to push him away again.

"GAAAH!"

"How about we finish this?" Iori asked the girl.

"Right! His shouts were giving me a headache." Merida replied.

"YOU WON'T FINISH A DAMM THIIIING!" Jose shouted before releasing two Dead Waves from both his arms, aiming to attack both of them at the same time.

The two of them glared, nodded, and then departed.

(Elizabeth! Your tears and my fears have almost disappeared, so let's share the perfect time!)

The two were fast enough to get out from the beams' trajectory and reach Jose directly, attacking him with a double attack. Iori then started to accumulate wind energy and started to go faster, with the girl following him.

"AAAAAAAAAAH!" At this point, Jose simply freaked out, and he threw as many ghosts as possible to stop them and directly kill them.

(You and me, you knocked on my door, so let's start the journey Because you came to see me first!)

Iori was like a living tempest, as every attack cut through every ghost that aimed at him, while Merida flew around at high speed and grabbed them with the psychokinesis, sometimes mashing them up to make them explode. This continued until they were close enough to Jose and managed to attack him from both spleens, making its ghost spell more damaged.

"NGHHHHH!"

(And your loveliness and your kindness could be my trigger, so let's share the perfect time!)

Jose turned around and reached the two guys with a double punch, managing to get them both and push them away. After that, he quickly gathered enough ghosts to form the jellyfish, which charged at them.

"Get behind me!" Iori said to the girl, who nodded and did so. After that, Iori gathered enough storm energy on the katana to shoot a single swipe that cut the jellyfish in half. "Gale Dragon Air Slash!"

(Can you grab both my arms and we'll jump out the window, let's see what the future holds!)

"WHAT!? HE STRUGGLED BEFORE! WHAT DID HE DO!?" Jose exclaimed, before noticing with astonishment that Merida passed through the split jellyfish, put her palm on Jose's cape, and used the psychokinesis to violentòy push him away.

"AAAAAAAGH!" Jose managed to not fly entirely away, but he started to get scared as soon as he saw that his spell was almost destroyed, leaving him vulnerable again. A physical damage with their actual power would have been fatal, so he needed to hurry. But his enemies weren't going to give him time.

(There's no time! You can't ignore how you feel inside!)

Merida started to grab several rocks with psychokinesis and threw them rapid-fire against the enemy.

"SHIIIIT! STOP IT! STOP ATTACKING ME!" To stop the blow, Jose released a dark shockwave that destroyed all the rocks and then answered with a Dead Wave.

Seeing that, Merida used her magic to charge a psychic beam that started to contrast with the Dead Wave, converging the two attacks into a small explosion.

(I can't wait to see them all from my heart!)

Once the smoke came out, Jose could see Iori once again in mid-air thanks to Ronin, and the boy started to shoot several bullets of air from his mouth. "Gale Dragon Air Bullet!"

Jose resisted a bit from that attack but he could still feel the damage. That was when they crossed the point for him. "I'VE HAD ENOUGH! THIS ATTACK WORKED BEFORE SO ALL I HAVE TO DO IS TO DO IT AGAIN!" He started to form the arc a second time

(Take my hand! So show your smile I will stay with you…)

"Iori! It's that attack!" Merida warned him.

"Don't worry, I know how to counter it!" Iori said.

"DARK PULSE!" Without hesitating, Jose released the dark explosion, but right at that moment, Iori made an X with his katanas and accumulated energy that released a burst of wind that contrasted the explosion, nullifying it.

(So…Oh! You are the one I've got to hide!)

"WHAT!?" Jose exclaimed, simply bewildered. At that moment, he could see that the sky above him started to darken up and the wind increased, making everything harder to see. This made Jose lose sight of the two enemies. "W-What is this!? Where are they!?" Out of rage and panic, he started to shoot attacks everywhere, but all the blows remained untargeted. The old mage kept on looking around, as his pressure started to increase. He just wanted it to end with him triumphant.

"You can run but you can't hide! ENOUGH WITH THESE GAMES! A MAGE LIKE ME CANNOT BE DEFEATED A SECOND TIME! I CANNOT HAVE A FLUKE ONCE AGAIN! I'M JOSE PORLA! I AM-" Before he could continue, he found himself trapped in the psychokinesis again. "GAH!"

"You said that you were taking this battle seriously before. But tell me…" Iori's voice echoed through the wind until Jose could finally see him starting to move.

"IIIIH!"

Iori didn't hesitate. He kept on running and went for the final attack.

"What made you think I wasn't doing the same?" And with that last question…

SWING!

At first…nothing happened and Iori simply passed behind Jose. But then…an X-shaped cut appeared on Jose, destroying his Shade Form and attacking him directly…and then a huge tornado appeared, fully hitting him. Once the tornado faded away, both the wind and the bad time followed it.

Jose stood up but with his body full of wounds and an astonished and terrified expression on his face. The same one he had that day ten years earlier when he got defeated by the Guild Master of Fairy Tail.

Iori turned around to look at him with cold eyes. "You had a second chance to redeem yourself and you wasted it. The only place where your name will be known is in the prison of Caelum." He spoke.

Needless to say, after a couple of seconds, Jose fell to the ground unconscious.

Once the battle was over, Merida and Ronin could get closer, satisfied with the result.

"You did it, Iori!" Merida said.

But the samurai shook his head. "No! We did it! You surely played a fundamental role in this win." He spoke.

"I couldn't agree more! That psychic power was amazing! You were flying all over that place that fast! For a moment I couldn't distinguish you from Iori!" Ronin added.

Merida was surprised by those compliments since it wasn't something she got used to. That made her blush pretty and turn her head. "C-Come on, it's nothing to be praised for, b-baka…" She spoke. "If anything…it's thanks to you that I was able to do so. I just…wanted to do my part."

Iori looked at her for a few seconds and then made a small smile. "Well, then I suppose we both helped each other. I surely didn't want to let you fight alone."

Merida could look at him in the eyes and give him a joking punch in the arm. "Well, then we're even, don't you think?" She asked.

"You said it! This could give us a higher advantage against the ones that are attacking the tower right now!" Ronin replied.

That phrase made both guys alarmed. "Oh, crap, it's true! I forgot about the tower!" Merida exclaimed.

"Come on! We need to reach Rokumon! You think you can continue?" Iori then asked her.

"Of course! It's the first time I use my magic after all!" Merida replied, winking. That answer was enough and with that, the two guys and the exceed started to run, hoping to reach their friend in time.

After all, Jose wouldn't have gone anywhere for a bit.

---

"HMM!" After thinking about what to do, Rokumon decided to keep on reaching the central tower. Even if it hurt him to leave a friend behind, the rumbles from the tower became louder, meaning that the enemy was going brutal to reach the globe. Therefore, there was no time to waste. As he kept on running, Rokumon started to destroy the roses that appeared nearby by cutting them down with his large sword.

"Come on…a few more steps and I should be there. Don't worry, Iori, I'll anticipate the fight!" He spoke before resuming the run.

He was unaware of the fact that a small mechanical object was observing him. After taking a look, the object flew away and started to move around above the overall market, seeing the complete scenarios.

Some of the mages of Shogunate Pride were fighting, some were getting rid of the roses, some were moving around and some were resting. But the most important thing that it noticed was that while most of the main members of Chimera Tribe were moving around to destroy the market, some of them were knocked out. After that scouting, the flying object returned to its owner.

From one point in the market, Ray-Machina could see his device coming back to his hand, and he could see various spots of the area, getting astonished at some sights.

"Are you serious!? Sinclair, Sterling, Mandible, and now even that old geezer are all down!? Just what's with these mages!?" He exclaimed. He then gritted his teeth, as his body started to vibrate.

"Grrrrr…you know what!? Fuck it! No more observing! I cannot let them move around as they please anymore, They had it coming! I, Ray-Machina, will now make a number on those PRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRETTY BOYS!"

---

And that's all for this time! The chapter even turned out to be longer than expected! For a moment I thought that considering that this one had two fights like the previous one, the length would have been the same, but after increasing the rhythm of the second battle, it naturally all turned out to be slightly longer and I'm happy about it! Fun fact: At first, the chapter was going to be called "Slayers" since both Fern and Iori are slayer mages, but then I changed it to not spoil the surprise about their magic. Considering their elements, it would have given a lot more effects on finding out on your own! And yes, I've decided to use a former villain from the original series for this one! I don't know why, the thought came up pretty naturally, thinking that it would have made things spicier for the plot and the battles, especially considering that we don't see much in the battle between him and Makarov! Normally, I don't like when an old villain is reused, but that's mostly when they are the main antagonist again. If they are used only as major antagonists or minions, I can stick with them! I've also added a few attacks on him to not make him entirely the same enemy as the original one (After all, ten years had passed so he may have improved).

But as always, I leave the last opinion to you! Did you like the chapter? What are your opinions on the two mages that fought today? And what about their opponents? What do you think will happen next? As always, let me know with your reviews, your opinion is important!

Naturally, next time we'll see more battles since we have to introduce all the characters properly, but I'll do my best to not make repetitive episodes and add something up between one fight and another.

And with this, I've said everything! I'll see you in the next chapter or the next one of another story! Kinda undecided on what to continue next before I start the next chapter of this story…but anyway! Thank you for reading and from Bluestar here, arrivederci!