Gwen: For those who were wondering why there were no updates for three months, it was because Izumi and half of us went on a vacation to Alakitasia.
(In reality, I was away on vacation and decided to take a three month break of writing to get my thoughts together.)
Varvula: Yeah, and we just got word that they're in jail.
Sanya: Apparently, Brooke has done a lot more to Alvarez than to Fiore. Luckily he's getting bailed out soon by a…strange relative in the Hendrison's family.
Shiho: Strange is one way of saying it. This person is a complete nutjob. According to some of the video games library we have, they resemble someone called Magilou only more deranged.
Varvula: Okay, I heard that witch was known for being an oddball but…wait did you say they?
Shiho: Yeah, apparently we've got our first introduction to a trans-gender. If I didn't read their minds, I would've thought they were a weird crossdresser.
Sanya: They said that they admire Brooke's criminal record, and were going to get revenge on a girl called Lucy Hearfilia for beating them, and taking their magic.
Gwen:..The same girl who killed Jackal?
Varvula: Yeah, and mainly trending with "get kicked out of Guild and become OP '' Trope in fanfiction. But I do like her Star dress she got from it.
Gwen:...From killing Jackal.
Sanya: Will Gwen be okay?
Shiho: First Haku and now Jackal…If Fairy Tail keeps curve stomping every villain they pass, she might kill one of them.
Varvula: Please don't say that while she's sharpening that knife.
Shiho: Just start the chapter…I think the readers will be impatient for trailing onward with only the four of us.
"Ah, so that's what happened..."
Minutes after the clones vanished, Erza decided to rest a bit, waiting until Cure Lovely regained consciousness to continue trekking through the deep forest. She told the Pretty Cure about their encounter with Jayden and Akita, which got the Pretty Cure surprisingly quiet throughout the walk.
"...Don't let Jayden's grudge get to you," Erza advised the girl. "Hating you just because you're a Pretty Cure is no excuse for attacking you blindly."
"You're right…" Lovely nodded before trailing off a bit. "But…it's just surprising that we were not the first Pretty Cures who wound up in this wor-"
Their conversation was cut short when they felt an intense pressure further up ahead. Without a word the two redheads ran to the direction and spotted two men clashing with tremendous force. One of them they recognized.
"Is that Ray?" Lovely questioned, tilting her head to the side in confusion."...What is he doing?"
"I honestly have no idea," Erza blinked, also a bit puzzled at the scene.
Ray and Gonta were having an enthralling arm wrestling with their right elbows resting on top of a boulder. Both of them were grunting trying to push so much strength, causing it to become a stalemate. Ray's entire right arm coated with metal against a big and muscular arm. As the stalemate continued, Gonta's arm progressively overpowered Ray's, slamming his metal arm down on the boulder, breaking it in half.
"Damn I lost again," Ray groaned with a slight grin. "Well, at least I was able to hold on longer this time around."
"Wow…" Lovely muttered in awe by the two. Then without warning she ran up to the two, startling Gonta more than Ray. "That was so amazing~! You're really strong mister~!"
"O-Oh!" Gonta quickly blushed, startled by the girl. "T-Thank you~! G-Gonta must be strong to protect friends~!"
"So how long were you two watching us?" Ray asked, glancing at Erza.
"Not long," She slowly eyed Gonta who looked bashful from Lovely's compliment. "Is he a friend of yours?"
"More like frenemies," He answered, scratching the back of his head. "He and I go way back when I was in Crimson Blood."
"Really? Then he's an escape prisoner like you and the others?" Erza asked.
"...Ehh…Nope," Ray trailed off awkwardly. "He's actually one of the Ultimate Elites working for them."
Erza and Cure Lovely turned to look at the huge man, their eyes widening in astonishment. Erza quickly aimed her sword at the man. "So you're the ones who had the audacity to take so many lives?!"
"G-Gonta is a gentleman~!" He answered sternly with a hint of confusion. "Gentleman never kill. Not even bugs~! Gonta likes bugs~!"
Before Erza could continue, Ray placed his hand on the sword, lowering it. "Easy there Scarlet Knight. Not all Crimson Blood members are bloodthirsty killers like the Hinora Clan. I bet Gonta didn't even know those idiots were killing tourists that ended up on that island."
"T-They did what?!" Gonta asked in pure horror. "W-Why would the Hinora Clan do something so horrible?!" To the girl's surprise, tears began to pour in the man's eyes. "Gonta should've stopped them before they killed people! Gonta idiot~!"
"Hey don't cry~!" Lovely assured him patting the guys back. "We took care of them before they took more lives. I think they learn their lesson!"
While Lovely assured Gonta, Ray pulled Erza a few meters away from the two to talk. "Gonta is the definition of a gentle giant. He would never take a life without a really good reason."
"Then how did he get involved in that organization?" Erza asked, her tone much less threatening than before.
"Not sure why," Ray replied, glancing at Gonta and Lovely having a conversation. "Gonta wants to be helpful to others, and was probably convinced to join them. He can be a bit gullible so it's hard to convince him to leave."
"I see…Is that why you challenge him to an arm wrestling match?" Erza suspected.
"Nah, I just wanted to see how strong he got," Ray answered bluntly. "Honestly, I'm no match against him if we get serious. Plus, I have to beat him before he can unleash his Trigger."
"Trig-"
ZBOOM~!
Ray and Erza had no time to react when a beam of light appeared from a clearing and zoomed towards Gonta and Lovely. They were both consumed by the beam without any chance to react.
"LOVELY~!" Erza yelled out.
When the beam died down, Lovely was shown sprawled on the ground, looking unharmed by the attack. However her eyes were widened to find Gonta nowhere in sight.
"Gonta…GONTA~!" Lovely cried out in horror.
"Did he…" Erza muttered, stunned. "He shoved Lovely out of the way and…"
"..." Ray's eyes were covered by his hair, with a frown on his face.
"Is that all an Ultimate Elite could do? How disappointing?" The one responsible for the beam was none other than Shizuka Aoi. She emerged out of the clearing, with an amusing smirk on her face. "Then again that large ape is probably just there to make them intimidating."
"You bastard!" Erza glared right back at her.
"You won't get away with this!" Lovely yelled out, glaring at Aoi.
"SHIZUKA~!" Suddenly, Todd flew towards Shizuka from behind. Using his only right arm, he swings his sword, aiming at her neck. Shizuka simply ducked from his horizontal slice, and somehow managed to get behind Todd. "If you want to kill me by surprise then…" She swung her feet, delivering a kick into the back of Todd's head sending him crashing into the ground. "Don't yell out my name!"
"Damn it," Todd growled as he managed to get back on his feet.
"Luminous Tail?" Lovely said, a bit startled by Todd's missing arm.
"You couldn't even cut me with that mechanical arm of yours. You expect me to beat me with one arm?" Shizuka taunted.
"I will kill you," Todd growled, pointing at her with his sword. "For what you did to Kouta and his true sister!"
"...It was her fault for choosing her brother instead of me," She muttered bitterly before barking at him. "She knew I loved her and yet she ignored it for her pathetic weak brother!"
"That's what siblings are supposed to do, moron!" Kouta lashed back. "He was just a kid who suffered from comatose~! Of course Hilda would be worried about her!"
"Shut up!" Aoi snapped in anger. Her entire arm turned into an entire whip as she hurled it towards the one armed boy. "Don't you dare say that bitches name in front of me!"
Before Todd could react, Ray was already in front of him taking the blow of her whip lashed on his stomach.
"...Oh?" Aoi glared harshly at Ray and his expressionless face. "What, are you sad that I killed that gorilla perv?! I bet he had some disgusting thoughts on the magical girl. Good thing I wiped another sick male out of the face of the earth."
"...That's my line," Ray retorted back with venom. He glared right back at him, yet still kept his grin, which was much more threatening than before. "If Gonta's dead, then I'll crush that small head of yours like a grape!"
Todd, stunned by the unexpected help, notices both Erza and Lovely walking over to him while glaring at Aoi.. "So, you three are okay with the temporary truths?"
"Of course!" Lovely nodded at him with a smile. "I won't let her get away with what she did to Gonta!"
"Even if that man is part of a criminal organization, the fact that he saved my comrades gives me enough reason to not let his death be vane!" Erza declared as she summoned her sword.
Whether there are many of you or not is irrelevant," Aoi smirked at the four of them. "You will all fall at my feet."
Chapter 39: True Siblings and False Jealousy.
It was a one-on-one battle between Gungir and the Chimera as they traded multiple blows of strength at each other. Hibiki had her relic armor and her training with Genjuro to back up her skills while Kouta's mythological zoan-type devil fruit aiding his durability and mobility.
The brown haired girl, received a paw strike to her face, causing her to stumble back. Kouta followed it up with a left hook into her guts. While the armor protected her from fatal blows, Hibiki still felt the air knocked out a bit. Recovering quickly, Hibiki retaliated by swinging her fist into Kouta's cheek. Once he stumbled back she spun her body and landed a roundhouse kick right into Kouta' chest, causing him to gape in shock.
The two took time to catch their breath. Despite the hard heavy blows they gave to each other, the two fighters glared at each other, showing no signs of standing down.
After their breather, the two charged at each, locking in a stalemate. Hibiki's right arm gear seizing Kouta's lion paw fist, while her left arm was being held by his left paw.
"I won't let you get away from me Gungnir," Kouta's tone was cold and emotionless.
"Don't worry, I'm not planning on running!" Hibiki retorted back. She raised her right leg up, landing a high kick into Kouta's chin, forcing him to let go and flew back. Hibiki pulled her arm gear back, and then ran up to him.
Kouta's feline instincts made him quickly land on his feet in a backflip. In an effort to block Hibiki's punch, he quickly brought his paws forward. The moment the girl's fist made contact, Kouta did not expect a burst of force slamming into his stomach and hurling him backwards.
'What…? Even though I blocked her fist, it still hit me?' Kouta questioned as he was coughing up a bit of blood, he landed hard on his back. '...How can I beat her? S-She's too strong…No!'
He slowly forces himself up on his feet. "I won't fail…" His upper body became more lion-like as his arms began to beef up. His feet transformed into goat-like legs, and the purple snake sprouted out of his tailbone, hissing at his opponent. "My sister is counting on me…"
"Kouta…" Hibiki stared back at him with a hurt expression on her face.
"Right," Todd said. After taking a few deep breaths, he spoke. "Only a few know the real story including Shizuka…
…That bitch isn't Kouta's real sister."
"...What?" Hibiki blinked a bit surprised.
"It happened five years ago when we were still in Crimson Blood," Todd began to explain. "My sister and I were disguised as scientists, attempting to swipe one of Iruma's devices to escape from Crimson Blood. Unfortunately, we were dragged into the latest experiment of summoning people into this world. We were there to witness three confused and normal kids appear in the summon ritual; Kouta, Shizuka, and Kouta's older sister Hilda."
Hibiki's mouth opened in shock at the revelation. 'If Crimson Blood managed to summon people into this world then we weren't the only ones?'
"They had no way of getting home and the three were prisoners," Todd continued the story. "Luckily, they put both of us in charge of supervising them. We told them that we were going to rescue them from this place and ask them to bear it until we retrieve the device. Kouta was only eight while Aoi and Hilda were eleven during that time."
"A month after they were summoned, Kouta was taken to one of the labs. They forced him to eat the Chimera Devil Fruit as well as some red gem ring called a Philosopher's Ston-."
"P-Philosophers stone?!" Hibiki yelled out in horror. Hearing those words send mental images of Saint-Germain, Cagliostro and Prelati using the power to shut down their Ignition mode.
"You've heard of them?" Todd asked, a bit surprised.
"A-A couple times," Hibiki nervously replied, calming down a bit. She didn't want to reveal to them that she and her friends were also summoned to this world by a trap.
'According to the research, the stone holds a huge amount of energy and can purify any illness, disease or impure conditions,' Terra explained in writing. 'They wanted to know if the stone could erase a Devil fruit inside someone without killing them. Unfortunately the second they put the ring on his finger, he started having seizures and was sent into a deep coma. The ring was fused inside his arm.'
'He's only eight and was in a coma?! How could they do something like that!?' Hibiki felt her anger rising at the Organization's deadly experiments.
"When we told Hilda and Aoi about Kouta's condition, Hilda had a mental breakdown and it took a while for her to calm down thanks to Aoi," Todd stated. "Soon those two were doing their best to live out their situation. I taught Hilda some martial arts skills and she learned some speed magic, while Aoi ate the Whip Whip Fruit and practiced mastering it."
'Honestly, Aoi wasn't a bad person.' Terra admitted with a sad smile. 'She had a deep crush on Hilda and would be a bit jealous when she talks about her brother, hoping he would wake up from his coma. That changed when Iruma created the first artificial relic called Reflexion.'
"An Artificial Relic?" Hibiki blinked confused. "They make a man-made symphogear relic? How advanced is Crimson Blood?"
'More than you think,' Terra answered.
"Aoi and Hilda were the only females compatible to use this relic," Todd said grimly. "The higher ups force them…" He took a couple of breaths, trying to calm his nerves. "...Force them to fight to the death."
Hibiki gasped as Terra decided to continue. 'It was a month before we were planning on escaping from this hell hole. We were forced to watch the two fight mainly to clean up the loser's body. While Aoi didn't want to hurt her crush, Hilda beat her up. I could tell she didn't want to kill her, but she wanted to see Kouta's face when he woke up…
…That made Aoi snap.'
Hibiki shuddered as an image showed Aoi using her whip fingers and wrapping them around Hilda's neck. 'Jealousy tainted that girl's soul during that day. She would yell and scream at Hilda for ignoring her feelings for her dead brother. She continued her rant unaware that Hilda was quiet…strangled to death.'
Hibiki could tell what she meant, but still felt sorrowful for Aoi. Todd decided to speak up. "To make matters worse, Kouta woke up from his coma a minute after the match ended..." Hibiki gasped, feeling her tears rolling down her cheeks.
"I didn't blame Aoi for killing Hilda. Those bastards forced her and Hilda into the deathmatch against their will." Todd grimly said. "Refusing would have them both dead on the spot. We could've fought them off, but they would've killed the other rejects with one call…
…But…"
Hibiki flinched a bit as Todd's tones changed into a seep of venom.
"Aoi could've confessed to Kouta about the truth…" Todd muttered, feeling his anger rising. "She could've told him about the deathmatch, about her killing Hilda, and apologies…Instead…"
BANG~!
Todd slammed his fist into the bed, "That bitch used the Reflexion to hypnotize Kouta into believing that she is his older sister!"
Terra turned her back slowly, while Hibiki's whole body went numb. Her eyes showed horror and slowly covered her wide mouth. "The hatred and jealousy from losing her crush, Aoi lashes it out on Kouta! Turning him into a robot she can control to be her servant! She was then giving the title as the Ultimate Torturer and would torture prisoners into believing they were harrassing her, getting them kill! She even made Kouta execute a young girl who made friends with him before he was sent into a coma! THAT SON OF A BITCH TURN KOUTA INTO A MONSTER!"
As soon as he felt Terra patting his head, Todd slowly calmed down. "I'm sorry…I need to get some air…"
The two girls watched in silence as the one arm boy stood up and left the room. Hibiki glanced at the door in concern and worry. "Todd…"
'My brother's not the type to get angry that easily,' Terra wrote with a small smile. 'He always pushes himself despite being born with one arm which results in him being reckless at times. He never once wished that he was born with two arms…That's why he's so mad at Aoi…'
Hibiki slowly turns to her with a confused look. "What do you mean?"
'Aoi, Hilda and Kouta were once just normal students. Wrapped up in Crimson Blood's schemes,' Terra explained. 'However, Aoi's jealousy of Kouta had gotten worse and worse. It clouded her mind, resulting in killing the one she loved. Instead of taking responsibility, she takes it out on an eight year old boy who just woke from a five year coma.'
"But, it wasn't his fault!" Hibiki shouted. "Kouta didn't know all the stuff would happen to him!"
'I agree with you. Like I said, he, along with Aoi and Hilda, were just normal kids. They were at the wrong place at the wrong time,' Terra explained with a small frown. 'That's the reason why Todd wants to kill Aoi.'
"I…understand," Hibiki didn't think Aoi deserved death. Even after what she did, it was all because Crimson Blood forced her and Hilda to kill each other.
'However, as much as I would like to ring that bitch's neck, there's one problem,' Terra continued. 'Aoi somehow took one step further to make sure Kouta would pay if anything happened to her. She's able to link her relic power into Kouta's so if Aoi is killed…Kouta dies as well.'
"No way…" Hibiki trembled horrified with a mix of anger and fear. "How could she do something like that?!"
'Call it a double suicide,' Terra grimaced. 'Aoi can somehow manipulate the stone inside Kouta into erasing his Devil Fruit powers, forcing his body to shut down. Just before the duel, Hilda mentioned that Kouta had a weak body so the Devil Fruit managed to strengthen his structure during his comatose state.''
"So, all she needs to do is to force the stone to erase the devil fruit inside Kouta to kill him?" Hibiki gulped in worry. "Does Todd know about it?"
'I tried to tell him multiple times, but he's so stubborn about killing her,' Terra wrote. 'Plus Aoi keeps egging him on every encounter. Soon Todd might snap and use the sword to pierce her heart.'
"Is there…a way to stop Aoi without killing Kouta?" Hibiki asked.
'In all honesty, I was planning to kill Kouta,' Hibiki gasped at Terra's decision. 'I had nothing against him, but I think it would be best if he could reunite with his sister. Like you said, he doesn't deserve to be treated like a puppet for th-.'
"No~!" Hibiki yelled out as she stood up. "I'll be the one to stop him! I won't let anyone else kill him!"
'Why is that?' Terra questioned. 'You have no reason to interfere with him or Aoi. Do you think because of that armor you can beat him? Even if you do knock him out, that won't stop the hypnotic spell."
"Even so, I will reach him," Hibiki declared. "With my fist…I will break the stone out of his body!"
"KOUTA~!" With a burst of her gear, Hibiki rocketed at Kouta.
"GUNGNIR~!" Kouta rushed at Hibiki with his lion strength.
When the two met halfway, their fists canceled each other out, emitting a tremendous aftershock of wind. Hibiki's left-armed gear brust like a rocket as she swung a fast left hook aimed at Kouta's head. The Chimera user saw it coming and lash his snake-like tail to swerve around the fist and bite down around her left arm, but not before wrapping itself around her arm.
"Ah~!" Hibiki yelped as she found herself shoved forward. Kouta delivered a kick into her stomach, Hibiki gritted her teeth feeling his goat hooves knocking the wind out of her lungs. After the kick, the long pink haired boy gripped his tail and managed to swing Hibiki around before releasing his snake tail off her arm.
Not letting up, Kouta rushed past Hibiki, anticipating where she might land. "Goat Style: Iron Stamp," Kouta got on his hands and delivered a signature duel goat kick into Hibiki's back sending her in the air again.
"GAH~!" Hibiki crashed into the ground on her stomach. She quickly got to her feet. "He's gotten much faster than befor-."
Hibiki got cut off when Kouta appeared in front of her and swatted his paw into her face. Hibiki turned around and swung her fist at his head, but Kouta tilted his head avoiding her punch.
"This won't be like before." Kouta whispered. He tightened his left paw, causing veins to be visible near his arms. "Lion Style: Paw Strike!"
Before Hibiki could even realize, she felt incredible pain when Kouta's left fist connected into her force of the punch was about to send her flying, but Kouta grabbed both of her scarves and reeled her in. "Goat Style: Rock Smash!"
Kouta slammed his head right into Hibiki's forehead. Hibiki cried out as her upper body leaned back from the headbutt. She took a few steps back but was reeled forward again by Kouta, preparing another headbutt. When he got close, Hibiki delivered an unexpected high-kick into his chin, forcing him to let go of her scarf.
'Now's my chance,' While Kouta stumbled back, Hibiki took advantage of his stunned state to pull his arm gear back. 'I don't know if this will work, but…' She then dashed towards him. 'It's better than death so please Kouta.'
"WAKE UP~!"
BOOM~!
Her arm gear activated the second her fist slammed into Kouta's stomach, releasing a huge blast launching Kouta across the field. He crashed into the tree behind him, emitting a crater on the trunk. His was stuck into the tree, with no movement.
"Did…it work?" Hibiki asked herself. Her breathing became heavy from the blows, but she remained vigilant.
"I…won't fail…" Hibiki noticed the boy struggling to peel himself off the tree. Once he was off, Kouta wobbled towards her, slowly breathing hard from the punch he received. She noticed Kouta's eyes were rolled back into his head, drifting in and out of consciousness. "I…I won't lose again…If I do…then…
…My sister won't love me anymore…"
Kouta managed to get close to Hibiki before collapsing onto the ground, motionless. Hibiki slowly relaxed her body, glad that it was finally over. However, his last words caused her to look at Kouta with a sad look.
"I won't let Aoi Shizuka win," Hibiki whispered towards the unconscious boy. "I swear I'll figure out a way to free you from this curse Kouta."
"Finger Whips: Vipers Knives!" With Aoi's fingers morphing into brown whips and lashed them out towards the group.
"Metallic Rash~!" Ray crossed his arms, turning his entire body into metallic steel. He was able to withstand the whip lashes with ease.
"Lovely Shield~!" Lovely spun her dial on her bracelet, summoning a large heart shaped shield in front of her while Erza was blocking Aoi's onslaught with her sword. Todd on the other hand was rushing towards Aoi, skillfully dodging some of the lashes while deflecting a few with his sword.
"You're not getting away with this!" Todd roared preparing to attack. "Sonic Slash!" He swiped his sword horizontally, emitting a large blue crescent slash flying towards Aoi who leaped over the wind slash.
"Oh and you think you're going to kill me?!" Aoi taunted. Her right leg transformed into the thong part of the whip. "WhipLash: Kick!" Despite her distance from Todd, she extended her leg rapidly. Todd brought his sword in front to him as he managed to block it, however the force of it skidded him back.
"Requip~!" Erza dashed towards Aoi while transforming into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. She then flew up towards Aoi with a ton of swords trailing behind her. "Heaven's Wheel: Blumenblatt"
"...!" Aoi had no chance to dodge as Erza slash her with two of her swords in hand. However when Erza was behind her, multiple glow swords rush towards Aoi dealing additional damage to her body.
"S-She killed her?" Lovely cringed when she noticed Aoi's body was in a gruesome state with her arms and waist cut off from her body.
"If that's the case…" Ray looked down on the ground. "Why isn't there any blood?"
While in midair, Aoi's frown turns into a grin. Before anyone could react, her lower body split into multiple pieces of sharp glass, rushing at Erza.
"What?!" Surprised, Erza swiped her swords in an effort to defend herself against the shards of glass. She managed to deflect some of them but a few managed to break through, hitting her armor. One grazed her left cheek, but she ignored the pain.
"What's with her body?!" Lovely exclaimed in confusion. She, along with Todd, and Ray noticed Aoi's floating arms hovering in front of them shattered into smaller circular pieces and each of them fired a white beam of light towards the three. The beams managed to pierce through Lovely's shield as the three were bombarded by the attack, engulfing the entire area in a dust cloud.
"Damn you!" After deal with the shards, Erza waste no time dive bombing towards Aoi's upper body and thrust her sword into her chest.
"...My my, you look beautiful up close…" While it looked like a lethal strike, the woman could help but grin. "I'm going to enjoy torturing you."
Aoi's upper body then broke apart into multiple pieces of glass. The remaining shards from the arms and upper body flew past Erza. She turned around and was stunned to find the shards came together forming Aoi's body. "H-How were you?!"
"Surprised?" Aoi looked amused by Erza's reaction. She snapped her fingers, summoning a large oval mirror in front of her. "This is the power of the Relic; Reflexion"
At the end of her sentence, the mirror unleashed a raw white beam that slammed into Erza's body. Erza screamed in pain as the beam hurled her into the ground.
Todd, Lovely, and Ray were bruised and injured from the bombardment, but weren't going down yet. Transforming back into her normal armor, Erza laid sprawled on her back, breathing heavily from the attack she got hit by.
"What's with this girl?" Cure Lovely questioned. "It's like she has two devil fruits inside her."
"It's the relic she has," Todd answered. He stabbed the sword on the ground to push himself up. "Reflexion. With it she's able to turn her body into glass and control it. Plus she's able to summon mirror shields to absorb and counter any trajectory."
"Talk about overpowered," Ray clicked his teeth in annoyance.
"Is there any way to stop her from turning into glass?" Lovely asked Todd.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Todd replied back, gritting his teeth. "Even the Priests have trouble laying a scratch on her.. She's skilled in hand in hand combat and even if an attacker manages to hit her, she just turns herself into glas-."
"There should be a weakness," Erza interrupted as she slowly stood up. "Everyone has a weakness. She may know it or not, but she isn't invincible."
"She's right," Ray said with his signature grin. "That Sadistic Lesbian Perv thinks she's all high and mighty. Once we find that weakness, she'll come crashing down."
"Oh good you are all alive!" Aoi smirked as she walked over to them. "Torturing dead bodies aren't that satisfying for me."
"You've done enough torturing you bastard!" Todd angrily rushed to Aoi. The Flames Dial attached to the rain-guard of the sword burst into flames creating a flaming sword. He rushed at Aoi preparing to swing his sword. "Excalibur Homing Slash~!"
"So predictable," Aoi casually leaned her upper body back avoiding the flaming dial sword with ease. "I may not have mantra like those pigs…" She paused as she dodged another slash from the left. "But I can read your moves like an open book."
Growling in annoyance, the one armed swordsman continued his assault while Aoi avoided every strike. With her cocky grin on her face, she didn't take him seriously, which infuriated Todd more as he attempted a thrust strike aimed at her chest. Aoi swerved to the right side while forming her left arm into a thin whip, she led the cackle end around Todd's wrist and pulled him forward, leading him right into her fist.
Aoi anticipated Cure Lovely charging behind her and swung him around. She kicked him in the back but not after she released her whip arm from his wrist. Todd flew right into Precure who had no time to react as he crashed into her.
Right after Aoi dealt with Todd and Lovely, Erza wasted no time rushing at Aoi, her armor changing again into Flame Empress Armor. She swung her red sword, unleashing a stream of fire towards Aoi. The torturer snapped her fingers, summoning a circular mirror in front of her, causing the flames to get absorbed into the shield. Three of the rims around it began to glow. "Try as you might, but my Reflection Shield can absorb any attack you throw at it!"
"Then how about this then!" In the corner of her eyes, Aoi noticed Lovely flying at her on the left, readying a straight punch.
At the same time, Erza rushed at her mirror, her swords burst into flames. "My sword will cut through your mirror!"
"Whip Lash: Stinger!" Aoi's entire left arm minus his fist, form into a whip. The second she lashed her arm out, Aoi fist managed to land into Lovely's cheeks, launching her right into the ground.
SHATTERED~!
Right after Aoi dealt with Lovely, she looked up to find her mirror shattered by Erza's flaming sword. "Wow, you managed to break my mirror!"
The scarlet mage didn't stop as she headed straight for Aoi. Aoi leaped back to avoid a vertical slash downward and swerved her body left as a stream of flames erupted on the ground right in her direction.
"She must be using the mantra to predict my movements," Erza mumbled to her breath. Before she could further attack, a small white beam pierced her arm from behind, causing her to drop her flame sword. "GHK! What the…?"
As soon as Erza turned around, she was met by shards of the mirror orbiting around her. Aoi chuckled at her stunned expression. "Just because you destroyed it doesn't mean you can stop it. Mirror Reflection: Onslaught~!"
Knowing her attack from before, Erza quickly transformed into her Flight Armor gaining her speed to dash to the left avoiding the shard's white beams. Before she could plan her next attack however, Aoi was already in front of her, stunning Erza by how fast she was. 'S-So fast!'
Aoi delivered a haymack into Erza's jaw line, and followed it up with a knee into her guts. Erza's gasping for air, causing the young woman to grin manically. "Yes, that's what I love to hear!" Not letting up, Aoi grabbed Erza's head. Her fingers morph into tiny whips that wrap around her head and neck, and perform a choke-slam, plowing Erza into the ground. "You moaning in pain is music to my ears!"
"Let her go! This is a fight between you and me, you son of a bitch!" Todd lashed out, looking peeved. He struggled to stay on his feet, as he readied his dial powered sword.
"Or what, you'll kill me?" Aoi asked with a hint of venom. "Go ahead. It's not like it will save my younger br-."
"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SAY THAT!" Todd roared. His angered voice boomed across the clearing.
"Are you saying…I shouldn't have killed her?" Aoi questioned, with a neutral expression. "I never hated her in the slightest. My heart belonged to Hilda, and I would never hurt her." Her voice cracked slowly. "As we fought in that room, I hoped we would distract them enough to plan an escape. But…her words made me snap…"
'Sorry…You're my best friend, so please let me kill you so I can see my brother again.'
"All she talks about is her freaking piece of shit of a brother!" Aoi snapped, in a split second, she was near Todd and kicked him in the face. "It's all about! 'Oh I hope my brother's okay' Or 'Don't worry Kouta. You sister will get you out' IT PISSESS ME OFF TO NO END!"
"..." Todd tried to shield his face with one arm as Aoi continued to punch him. Aoi's anger made sense to him. He and Terra were there when the incident occurred and didn't do anything to stop them. Hilda was the one who attempted to kill Aoi first, and that broke her greatly.
"Right when I heard Kouta was awake from his coma, I realized that it was all his fault," She continued, yet stopped her assault. "It was Kouta who stood between us. So I used the Reflexion to hypnotize him into believing I'm his sister."
"You're kidding me…" Todd spat pissed off. "You blame an eight year old boy who was tortured and sent into a coma for Hilda's actions?!"
"Of course you wouldn't understand," Aoi scoffed. She wrapped her finger whip around Todd's neck and lifted him up. "My love for Hilda will never fade. For this reason, I let Kouta live, so I can bear all of my anger, pain and misery all on him! He's my personal punching bag that doesn't talk ba-"
"...Pain Affinity."
What happened next was a blur to Aoi. She was about to strangle Todd with her whip fingers when a fist was planted into her face and threw her back. After skidding for a few seconds, she felt something running down her nose.
It was blood.
"What…the hell?" Aoi muttered in disbelief. Every attack whether be bullets, fists, explosions or stabbing, would activate Reflexion's defense system, Mirror Body, allowing her body to break into pieces of glass and control the shards to her whim. So when she wiped her nose and noticed her blood on her hand, her whole demeanor shattered. "W-Why didn't my Mirror Body work?"
"Mirror Body…Is that what you call it when you shatter like a glass?"
Aoi flinched and looked up to find Ray already in front of her. His entire body was coated in his demonic dark purple aura.
"You fucking PIG~!" Aoi roared as she quickly jumped back. "How dare you harm my body! Don't you know how to treat a lady?!"
"Wait, you're a woman?" Ray questioned with a teasing grin. "I thought you were a ugly jealous S%$ who sexual harasses girls like a perverted old man."
"RRRRAAAHHHH~!" In anger Aoi lashed her arm out which extended like a whip towards Ray. Despite how fast it was, Ray managed to grab hold of her fist before it reached his face.
"He caught her fist?" Erza muttered as she slowly got to her feet.
"Let go of me you filthy pig!" Shizuka threatened. Ray's only response was to pull his arm back forcing Shizuka towards him. Stunned by his strength, she quickly swung her leg towards him the moment she got close only for Ray to duck under it in time. He followed it up with a gut punch to her stomach.
"GHAK~!" Aoi felt all the wind knocked out of her lungs and she was sent flying the second time. She landed on her back, but quickly backflip on her feet. 'W-What's going on here?! W-Why isn't my Mirror Body working? It's supposed to nullify any pain I'm feeling when I shatter into pieces, but it's not working!"
"Demonic Aura…" Not moving from his spot, Ray extended his right arm out, the purple aura shaped itself as a large cannon. "Dark Cannon!"
The dark purple cannon released a dark purple beam of aura heading towards Aoi who quickly retaliated by summoning a large mirror in front of her. Just like the other attacks, the beam was absorbed by the mirror.
"Heh" Aoi slowly chucked. "No matter what attack you lash out, my mirror is able to ha-"
CRINK!
Her mock comments were cut short when she heard a crack. Aoi's eyes widened when she noticed the rims glowing black and the mirror glass cracking. When the last rim was coated black, the mirror vanished out of sight. "W-What the hell? What's going on here?!"
"No way…" Todd froze, staring at what just happened. While some of the stronger fighters could at least push Aoi away for a while, none of them were able to destroy Aoi's Mirrors or at least injure her, without transforming her body into glass.
"Like I said, you ain't invincible," Ray announced, cracking his fists. "I can think of three other people who can bypass your Mirror Body."
"Y-You perverted swine!" Aoi roared out, lashing her limbs towards Ray. Each of them turning into whips. "Whip Lash: Bombardment!"
Multiple whips hurling out at every angle towards Ray. In a split second though, the boy vanished before one of the whips could touch him. "Where did he go?" Aoi said, panicking as she looked around.
"Looking for me?" Ray joked as reappeared right behind her. "Demonic Aura: NutCracker!" A dark purple aura spiked out of the ground underneath the girl's feet.
"...!" In a split second, Aoi jumped back, managing to doge a really fatal blow. "What the hell are you trying to aim at there you perv!?"
Aoi quickly noticed Erza rushing at her with her Flight Armor, and lash her whip arm towards her. Erza was able to quickly avoid her fist while homing in on Aoi.
'It's much slower than before.' Erza theorized, she caught a glimpse of some dark blue patches on the whip. 'Ray's Aura curse is weakening her. Now's my chance.'
"Requip!" Once she was close enough, Erza's body glowed as she changed into her large blue and navy colored armor; Adamantine Armor. With just her fist, Erza delivered a massive upper cut to Aoi's chin, with the bulked armor, the girl was hurled high into the air.
While in the air though Aoi's assault didn't stop as Cure Lovely flew at her from behind. Pushing her body at her limit. "Lovely Explosion Bomber!" The second her fist slammed into Aoi's back, it burst into flames spiking Aoi into the ground.
"Grrr…" Withered with injuries, Aoi slowly staggered up. Her glasses were now broken. "Don't you dare look down on me…"
"Excalibur~!" With his flame dial sword erupting with light, Todd rushed at Aoi. "This is the end of your reign Aoi Shizuka!"
"I WON'T FALL!" Aoi roared, lashing out her finger whips at Todd.
"One Sword Technique!" Todd's right arm bulged into muscle as he flew past the whips. In a matter of seconds, Todd was behind Aoi whose entire body was engulfed in flames, with a horizontal slash mark on her chest. "Rango!"
"...A…no…" Aoi whimpered as she fell back. Her eyes were rolled back into her head, signifying her defeat. 'Is this it? Is this how my life ends up…? Being taken down by these pigs?...
…No. I refuse to lose. I won't lose…not without bringing Kouta down with me…'
"...Torturer: 641…"
Before her body could even land on the ground, Aoi's entire body glowed a bright light, blinding the four fighters.
"AHHHHHHH~!"
Kouta's loud scream startled Hibiki from her thoughts. She saw Kouta squirming around, black thick mist rose out of his body. Kouta held his head in deep pain, his eyes widened in horror as he screamed.
"Kouta!" Hibiki asked in concern. She ran up to him as he was thrashing about.
"W-Why?!" Kouta pleaded in agony. "W-Why did I kill my sister?! I'm sorry! I'm all alone! Sister, come back! COME BACK~! COME BACK~!"
Kouta's body slowly began to change form beneath the black mist. His skin began to grow black fur and his entire body grew much larger. Frightened Hibiki slowly steps back, unable to turn her eyes away from transformation.
Kouta's petite body had transformed into the mythological beast. Two ram horns on top of its head, a snake-like tail that was much larger and menacing than before, and the bulk and structure of a lion. Once more, the beast's body was covered in dark golden armor with yellow sharp knives as claws.
"ROARRRRR!" The armored plated Chimera released a booming mighty roar. Causing some of the birds close by to fly away. Hibiki covered her ears, yet still held her she could react, Kouta was already in front of her and swat his plated paw into her guts.
Unlike before, Hibiki flew farther across the clearing and landed on her back. Her eyes froze wide, still wondering what just happened. But quickly jumped out of the way when the beast was above her and crashed down where she was, leaving a deep pair of paw prints on the ground.
"S-Since when was he able to do that?!" Hibiki blurted with a mix of shock and panic. Right after she landed, she lunged forward using her gear elbow to boost forward with tremendous speed, striking the side of the beast.
"...!" While it looked like it did much damage due to sliding back, the chimera armor proved to be highly durable, leaving no dents where Hibiki's punch landed. The monster shook it off, and rammed into Hibiki headfirst, launching her across the clearing. She tumbled across the ground before quickly getting back. However the beast wasn't letting the Gungnir user as he cut the distance in a split second, swiping his newly armored paws into Hibiki's side.
"GAH~!" Hibiki cried out in agony. Her gear was the only reason she was able to survive the monster's attack yet it still hurt. She landed hard on her side before slowly rolling onto her back, wincing a bit while doing it. "What did Aoi do to him…? Why is Kouta thinking he killed his sister?"
"ROAR!"
When Hibiki used her strength to sit up, she noticed the armor chimera was acting strange. After roaring it suddenly rammed itself into a nearby tree, causing it to bend from the force. Once he lifted his head off of it he rammed it again. Hibiki watched as it continued to headbutt the tree, completely ignoring her.
"What's going on…?" Hibiki mumbled a bit confused. She then caught a glimpse of the snake in golden armor striking the monster's leg only leaving a dent on its armor. "Wait, why is the snake attacking itself…!"
Hibiki realized what Terra warned her about, and figured out how Aoi was able to end Kouta's life if something happens to her. The Chimera continued blindly changing at another tree, slammed his head against, desperately trying to break the armor on his body.
"Aoi…" As she said her name, Hibiki slowly got up and walked over to the violent chimera without a hint of fear. Her hair cast over her eyes with her fist clenched. "...After what you've had to deal with…Forcing to kill the person you loved…you feel hurt and lost. "...However, that doesn't give you the right to torture your friend's brother."
Her armor suddenly glowed a bright light as she got closer to Kouta. "Now you're manipulating his mind into thinking that he's responsible for Hilda's death…"
Once the glow died down, Hibiki's armor Gungir had changed drastically. Her arm gauntlets were now paired with orange sharp claws. She had short yellow ears above her head and a short yellow metal tail. Hibiki had a bit less armor exposing some of her skin, but she was so focused on her opponent that she didn't bother to notice her new armor.
Upon noticing Hibiki walking towards him, the chimera growled menacingly. The snake tail paid no mind as it continued to bite down on the armor. The monster then charged at Hibiki who crouched down like a tiger, and leaped high over him avoiding his paw strike.
"With my fist," Hibiki clenched her tiger-like gauntlet as she was above the chimera's body. "I will break through…" She dive bomb downward, and her fist plowed into the chimera's back. The creature roared, indicating that her attack was affecting it. "YOUR HOLD ON KOUTA!"
Shiho: I have to say, I'm genuinely surprised how terrible Alvarez lost to Fiore.
Gwen: Didn't they already in the canon plot?
Shiho: Yeah, but at least they demonstrated their strength. Plus Gildarts and Erza didn't manage to beat August and Irene. But according to the Witch's memori-
Varvula: You mean the Magilou rip off?
Shiho: Whatever, they stated that August was killed by the aid of Gildarts, Cana and a third party…Before he could execute Ars Magia. And Irene was slain by Brooke's sister.
Sanya: I thought Fairy Tail doesn't kill.
Shiho: Laxus killed Wahl, and Gajeel killed Bloodman. However it seems as though the war was leaning to Fairy Tail's favor.
Varvula: Yeah, it is as if some crazy fan of the series warned them about the possible outcomes of the future, and used that knowledge to curve stomp the Spriggan Twelve, Zeref and Ancologia without any consequences or tension.
Shiho:...
Sanya:...
Gwen:...
Varvula:...What's wrong?
Shiho: Who are you and what have you done with Varvula?
Gwen: I think Varvula's been taken over by a ghost.
Varvula: Hey, I can have my moments too you know~! I'm not brain dead…Sanya why are you aiming your Fledgehammer at me?
Sanya: Neuroi Imposter…
Shiho:...You should run now.
Varvula: Yeah…( She ran out the room with Sanya firing her rocket launcher at her.)
Gwen: Anyway, next chapter: Beasts Clash: Tiger Hibiki vs Chimera Kouta.
Shiho: The good news is that the others will be back tomorrow.
Gwen: And what's the bad news?
Shiho:...Spoilers.