Chapter 41

Soul of a Man

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip

Natsu groaned in pain as Lucy and Lisanna set him down in the infirmary. "Is he gonna be okay?" Lisanna asked Porlyusica in concern.

"Why wouldn't he?" The healer asked back. "It's just motion sickness. Stop worrying and let him get some rest."

"And Wendy?" Lucy asked, looking over the younger girl.

"She's coming along nicely." She replied.

"At least Carla is up now, that should help her spirits." The blonde smiled before the two left the room and headed to the stands.

"...You're not going to tell her anything?" Porlyusica asked the white cat.

"I don't think it would do any good." She replied. "They'd never believe me even if I did tell them. They'd never believe a future like that."

"I suppose it's for the best." The healer responded. "Besides, you don't seem to believe it yourself."

"You're right. How could I believe something like that?" Carla asked back. "It's too bizarre to be true. It wasn't a premonition, just a silly dream."

Overlook

Lucy reached her teams stand and saw the first match getting started. Kurohebi was currently battling Toby as she came to the railing. "Raven Tail isn't going play fair. We know this..." She mumbled before glancing over to the guild's stand and her eyes were surprised by Flare. 'She's covered in bruises...'

"I see you too, blondie..." Flare chuckled.

"Flare..." The girl's attention snapped back to the armored member. "I hope you know who you owe your victory too. I won't allow anymore embarrassment."

"Y-yes sir! But that blonde bimbo won't stop staring at me!" She replied.

The man grabbed her by the cheeks and lifted her into the air. "Are you asking for another beating?"

"N-no, I won't argue again... Have mercy..." She begged. Another member stepped forward and the armored man threw Flare into him, the latter gently catching the girl. "T-thanks..." She mumbled as the fight picked up pace. The black clad wizard vanished before blasting Toby to the ground, ending the match.

"And with that, the snake has beaten the dog in this intense battle." Chapati declared as the dark wizard walked away, sending sand to throw Toby back to his guild. "Now onto the second match: This fight will feature the God of Wine from Quatro Cerberus: Bacchus!" The drunkard walked out to a roar of cheers as he waved his arm. "Fighting a member of Team Fairy Tail A!"

"He's fighting one of us?" Erza asked in surprise.

"What if they call out Natsu's name?" Lucy asked.

"Then we wake him up." Gray deadpanned back.

"I've heard stories about this guy..." Elfman mumbled. "He's supposed to be as strong as Erza, right?"

"Fight! Avenge me! I don't care who!" Cana shouted as Nicholas held her back.

Up in the stands, Arcadios turned to see the King of Fiore walking over. "You've done me proud, captain. Such an exquisite pairing. Bacchus and Erza are a perfect clash of styles, wouldn't you agree?"

Arcadios blinked in surprise before turning to the monarch. "Forgive me, your majesty. Did you just say 'Erza'?"

"He'll go up against Elfman Strauss!" The announcer declared, shocking the wizard as the fans cheered in excitement.

"Believe in yourself and victory is assured." Erza told him.

"R-right." He mumbled as he stepped into the arena, ignoring the fans who were jeering for an easy defeat.

He reached the center and stared at the man lying on his side. "What do you say we raise the stakes, buddy?" Bacchus asked, turning to the stands. "Your sisters are a couple of smoking hot numbers. If I win, they keep me company tonight, both at the same time. Whatta say?"

"Listen pal,..." Elfman mumbled as he clenched his fist. "A real man doesn't tolerate that kind of disrespect. So get ready to get schooled."

Infirmary

Natsu groaned as he pushed himself up and stretched his arms. "Man, that was a good sleep." He mumbled before looking around. "That's weird. Did they all run off or something?" A scent filled his nose as he wrapped his scarf around his neck. "Somebody else was in here."

He raced through through the arena before finally reaching an opening, seeing four masked men. Three of them were carrying the girls as the fourth pulled out some guns, only to get hit with a fist as Natsu ran past him. "Why the hell did we take the dead weight?" One man asked.

"The orders were to take the girl that was in the infirmary!" Another shouted, catching Natsu's attention.

"Who hired you?" Natsu asked, having caught up. The masked men started mumbling in fear before Natsu pounded them into the ground. An explosion went completely unnoticed as the crowd was fixed on the fight.

Elfman dropped his hand to the ground as he panted in exhaustion. "I've seen some one-side battles in my day, but this is just embarrassing. Did Elfman plan to lose?"

The male Strauss stared up at the other mage, who smiled back. "I'm gonna have a wild time tonight." Bacchus chuckled.

Growling in anger, Elfman charged forward. "Beast Soul: Weretiger!" His body glowed before he turned into a humanoid feline. He speed increased and he swung his claws rapidly, only to get hit with strike after strike from Bacchus, sending him to the ground.

"Elfman may be faster, but it doesn't mean anything if he can't hit his target." Gray mumbled.

"It's because of the weird way that guys move." Lucy added.

"Believe it or not, it's part of an extremely rigorous technique." Erza explained. "One that focuses his magic into his palms. He's methodical, using his power in conjunction with a martial art called 'Hanging Chop Fist'. It specializes in deadly palm strikes, all delivered from that stance he always enters. But Bacchus has taken this one step further, modifying it to create his own style of fighting called 'Drunken Hanging Chop Fist'."

"This guy gets hammered when he fights?" Gray asked in surprise.

"That's right." The redhead nodded. "The Drunken Hawk's style is impossible to predict. The alcohol also increases his destructive power and dulls his sense of pain. But that's not the issue Elfman is facing. The problem is that he hasn't had a drop to drink."

"He's not even trying?" Gray asked in shock.

Elfman was flipped into the sand and his Take-Over faded as the drunk stood over him. "I can't wait." He mumbled as he licked his lips.

The Fairy Tail member pushed himself up, much to Bacchus' enjoyment. "Listen up, dog. I never told you what I wanted." He mumbled out. "Our bet, remember? If I win, I want you and the rest of your guild to go by Quatro Puppy for the rest of the games."

Bacchus almost burst out laughing as he reached down and picked up his gourd. "Okay, okay. You got yourself a deal." He plucked the cork off and chugged it down before dropping into his stance. Elfman smirked and started glowing before charging, hitting him seven times at once. Bacchus laughed before looking down to see his armor shatter. "What the hell?"

He turned around to see Elfman was now a masculine humanoid lizard-like creatures with spiked scales covering their body. He possess a plate that covers his forehead and a light-colored mane that ranges from the top of their skull to their back. His legs also take hove-like appearances as his tail swayed to the side. "Lizardman. I can't hit you, but hit me all you want."

'I never even thought of that.' Erza thought to herself. 'I know that thick scaly skin and all those spikes would make it hard for an opponent who fights with his barehands, but Bacchus is still stronger than an average opponent.'

"Bring it on." Elfman said, motioning Bacchus to attack him. "I wanna see you rip your puny little arms to shreds. What, are you scared?"

"I like your style, man." Bacchus chuckled. "You know how to get my blood pumping!" He charged Elfman and started swinging his fists as hard and as fast as he could. The entire crowd stared at the fight as neither side would give an inch.

After what felt like an eternity, Bacchus dropped to his knees as Elfman's Take-Over faded. "Y-you said your name was... Elfman, right?" Bacchus asked as he pushed himself up. "I gotta tell ya pal... You-" He fell backwards and hit the sand. "are a real man."

"Bacchus is down!" Chapati shouted as the crowd cheered. "The winner is Elfman! With this victory, Fairy Tail A now has 12 points!" Elfman raised his fists to the sky and roared as loud as he could. "Is this manly roar the sound of Fairy Tail's rebirth!?"

Back in the stands, Natsu smiled at the victory. "It's incredible." Wendy said with a smile, joining the older Dragon Slayer.

"Child, shouldn't you be back in bed?" Carla asked.

Wendy merely shook her head and pumped her arms. "I'm all better now, and it's all thanks to Grandeeney."

"Didn't I tell you not to call me by that name?" The healer asked. "Now about these hoodlums; they said they hired by Raven Tail."

Natsu clenched his fist in anger as Wendy realized something. "They said they were looking for someone who was in the infirmity. Past tense..."

"There were only two people who in there and left." Porlyusica mumbled. "The ones who brought Natsu into that room."

"They're after Lucy or Lisanna?" Natsu growled in anger, the blondes name shocking Carla.

"The operation was a failure." A guard told Arcadios.

"You idiot! Did you not tell them what their target looks like!?" The captain chastised. "How else could they have taken the wrong girl!?" He let out a sigh before turning around, clasping his hands together. "No matter, we have a plan to fall back on. What has become of the kidnappers?"

"They've been taken into custody, still believing that they were hired by Raven Tail." The guard reported.

"Luckily we can use the rivalry between the two guilds to our advantage." Arcadios added. "And when the opportunity arises, we will have a Celestial Wizard in our possession for the Eclipse Project."

"Corneal Arcadios." The guard left as the armored man turned to see a short man with a scar walking over.

"Defense Minister Darton, can I be of service?" Arcadios asked.

"You have some serious explaining to do." The minister replied. "What do you think you're doing, trying to kidnap a Celestial Wizard now? Your project isn't even close to being complete. You're jumping the gun!"

"Actually, we are ready." The armored man declared, shocking Darton. "Once we secure a Celestial Wizard, the Eclipse Project will enter the second phase. I'm well aware of your opposition to this project, but there is nothing that you can do to do stop it."

Arcadios turned and walked away from the other man. "Are you some kind of monster!?"

"For the sake of my king and my kingdom, I will become whatever I have to be." The knight declared as he left the chamber.

Infirmary

"It would seem we all underestimated you, Elfman." Erza said as the team entered the medical ward. "Your tenacity and unwavering resistance to take even the harshest of beatings is unrivaled in our guild. You scored an important victory, and goven us the momentum to keep winning."

"I don't think I've ever heard such high praise from Erza." Lucy chuckled.

"The bug guy definitely earned." Gray replied.

"You were on fire out there, man!" Natsu cheered.

"Thanks guys... but I feel like I'm at my own funeral." Elfman confessed.

"I don't know why anyone is surprised." Lisanna chuckled from her brother's side. "Taking a beating has always been your strong suit." Natsu chuckled at the statement, angering Elfman.

"What you did out there was amazing." Wendy cheered.

"I appreciate the kind words, but Wendy is gonna have to tag back in." The hulking man said, earning a nod.

"This is all very nice, but you mustn't lose focus." Porlyusica said, standing up. "You must get back to the games. You need to study your opponents if you want to beat them."

The door opened and the Thunder Legion walked in, offering to watch over Elfman. Team A and Lisanna left before Bickslow pushed Evergreen into him. "I'm sure Evergreen will cuddle with you. Go on!"

"CUT IT OUT!"

The team walked through the hall as Natsu caught them up on everything Raven Tail had done. "We gotta do something about Raven Tail." Natsu mumbled. "They can't just get away with this."

"This is a means to take us out one by one." Erza said.

"Actually, I'm not convinced that is true." Carla said, coming to a stop. "The bandits from earlier mentioned that they were hired by Raven Twil to kidnap Lucy for some reason. It ended in failure when they kidnapped the wrong girl and Natsu easily foiled them. But the method they used raises a red flag. If they have a mage that can drain all magic power out or a wizard, why not use him?"

"The Master thinks it's the same wizard who drained Lucy of her magic during their fight." Erza suggested. "Maybe they were planning to do the same to us today."

"I think you're overthinking this, Carla." Wendy chuckled.

"No matter what, if they're targeting us outside the arena, we need to stick closer together than before." Erza suggested.

Carla nodded before they all walked towards the stands. Happy turned and smiled before running at her. "I was so worried!"

The white cat moved to the side and he missed. "I won't have you make me miss the fight." She turned to the arena, only to freeze when she saw Mirajane and her opponent Jenny posing in swimsuits as the crowd cheered.

"Since they were both pinup models, the judges decided to turn this into a pose off." Slate declared in disappointment. "I was really hoping to see the She-Devil in action."

"I gotta admit, I was surprised you would agree to do a pose off with me." Jenny confessed.

"I don't really like slugging it out with people." Mirajane replied. "I prefer taking a much more peaceful solution of possible." The announcer called out various themes and the girls quickly changed their clothing to match.

The score soon tied up as the final event was set to happen. 'Sorry, Mirajane, but no matter what this final contest is, I'm going to win this.' Jenny thought with a smirk.

"It all comes down to this, so what do you say we make things interesting like the last fight?" She asked, earning a nod from the elder sibling. "The loser will pose for Sorcerer Weekly wearing nothing but their birthday suit." Blood poured out of men's noses at the deceleration.

"...Okay." The men then passed out from even more blood loss as Mirajane accepted the deal.

'She took the bait.' Jenny smirked. 'Mirajane has the public's focus for years, but the judges are the ones who decide who wins. And since she's now younger than me, they won't hesitate to vote for her like the dirty-minded men they are.' The two started glowing as the theme of 'combat gear' was chosen.

Jenny's died first, revealing her in her Machina Soul: Battle Suit. The spell granted her a dark magenta-colored armored outfit consisting of a ruffled navy headband which is attached to conical ear protectors which jut out and backwards. Her torso is covered by a battle suit with light edges, split in two main parts: a revealing shirt exposes a fair amount of her cleavage and belly, while the legs were covered in similar, tight-fitting pants leaving the inner parts of her thighs exposed.

The two pieces are joined together on the front by two thin, dark straps, creating an "X" in correspondence to the user's abdomen, each of their edges secured by thin, light bolts, while on the back the shirt and pants become one, with a thong-like garment covering their bottom leaving the upper central part of it exposed. She sported light gloves extending up to their shoulders, each secured by a series of buttons on the inner part of her arms, which possess metal plating in correspondence to their hands and metal bands on their upper edges; every arm has the above mentioned part linked together by a thick, dark cord, solidly remaining arched and not hanging down, similar to a hosepipe.

Her legs are covered by armored thigh-high boots, sporting distinctively large upper edges protruding upwards, as well as metal high heels. Her neck was hidden by plate armor that extends on their shoulders in the form of rounded pauldrons and up to their chin, with two peculiar protrusions hiding their ears away jutting outwards, getting smaller as they get farther from their face.

The blonde raised her head and the smirk died as she stared at Mirajane.

She became taller and more massive, with her facial features and expression changing accordingly and gaining a sinister look. She gained a fair amount of thin markings on their arms, as well as much longer and scruffier hair, jutting outwards in many spiky, rounded tufts, with even their signature tied strand becoming longer. Her torso and part of their lower body are covered by a revealing dark overcoat with light edges, which is torn in its lower part, and which reveals a fair amount of their cleavage, being left open on the front and having the parts covering the user's chest linked to a high, wide collar.

The coat comes with notably squared short sleeves, with the outer parts extending on their arms in a spiky protrusion, vaguely reminiscent of pauldrons due to their sharp shape. The open coat is circled and secured to the user's abdomen by a light belt passing just below their breasts, closed by a simple buckle, while a similar though mildly larger belt circling their waist holds up a light garment, covering the back and side parts of their coat.

Hanging from her shoulders was a large dark cape, possessing torn lower edges not unlike their coat. Armor plating goes up from her neck, forming three spikes on their chin and extending to cover their ears, flanking their face, with two large, armored horn-like protrusions jutting outwards at its sides. Her forearms sported armored gauntlets almost identical to those she wore in standard Satan Soul form.

Her legs appear to become covered in large, dark tattoos, resembling the shape of thigh-high boots; such markings might as well be motifs present on a pair of long, skin-tight pants, given the similar appearance of the signs hiding their groin from sight. The most distinctive element of this already peculiar transformation, however, are the feet: these are completely obscured from sight, and their calves instead end in a sea of sharp flames, enveloping the ground in the immediate area around the user, with their tongues reaching up to the upper back of the S-Class Mage in height.

Each leg also bears four small, light vertical lines placed one near the other on the front, where the feet themselves are supposed to be. "What the heck is that?" Lucy asked from the stands.

"It's her strongest Satan Soul form: Sitri." Erza said with a smirk.

Jenny didn't have a chance to react as Mirajane charged forward, dealing with her in one hit. "And the winner is Mirajane!"

Her body glowed and she returned to normal before turning to Jenny. "Sorry about that, but I will buy a copy of it when it comes out." The blonde merely cried out in embarrassment Mira walked to her team.

"After an exciting second day, the final match is about to take place." Chapati declared as two more women walked forward onto the field. "It will test the prowess of Mermaid Heel's Kagura Mikazuchi against Sabertooth's Yukino Agria." The two walked to the center of the arena as the gong rang out.

Before the match even started, Yukino bowed to her opponent. "It is an honor to cross paths with you."

Kagura gasped in shock before she returned the favor. "For me as well."

"So, shall we do as the others did and make a wager?" Yukino asked.

"Silly wagers do not interest me." Kagura replied. "I fear no failure, but when I enter an agreement, I guarantee it will be done. Therefore I never gamble for fun."

"Then shall we raise the stakes?" Yukino asked, catching Kagura's attention. "Let's wager our lives."

The entire gasped in shock before the swordswoman smirked. "Very well, I accept."

Yukino reached into her cloak and pulled out a small golden key. "It was your bad luck that you face a member of the Sabertooth guild." She said before the key started glowing. "Open, Gate of the Two Fish - Pisces."

The spirits, which are huge sea creatures resembling fish with elongated bodies similar to those of eels, shot out of the magic. Their general look is vaguely reminiscent of koi fish. The two of them appear from an ethereal vortex generated behind the one employing their key. Both share similar traits, possessing large, wide, open, and round eyes with dark pupils sitting at their heads' sides, and massive mouths with light, thick lips full of squared teeth.

A number of fins are also present on their bodies, with a series of long, jagged ones crossing the whole length of their upper part, almost reaching up to the top of their heads, and a smaller, more squared fin located on the ends of their faces, one on each side. Their bodies are covered in lines crossing their whole length, with each line being flanked by a row of spots; more spots form a single, hinted semicircle above each eye.

What distinguishes the two fish is the color: the one to the right from the portal is light and sports dark markings; the other one, on the contrary, has light markings covering its dark body. Both creatures bear the symbol associated with the constellation of Pisces on their forehead, respectively dark and light in color. The creatures swam around the air and dived at Kagura, who jumped out of the way and started running on the bodies, jumping between the two.

"I've had enough of your running." Yukino declared as she pulled out a second key. "Open, Gate of the Balance - Libra." A curvaceous woman with dark hair tied in an ox horn style suddenly appeared. Her attire resembles a belly dancer's, consisting of a frilled and striped bikini top along with a patterned loincloth sporting pom-poms at the waist. She wears numerous bangles on her arms and legs, and her neck is also concealed by a thick necklace.

On her feet are a simple pair of sandals, and her head is dressed with a zigzagged headband. Concealing Libra's lower face is another cloth that bears her sign, tied around her head. Dangling from her hands, Libra carries a pair of scales, with thin cords running from her fingertips to the sides of the scales, so that she holds them in an almost puppeteer-like fashion. "Alter the targets field of gravity."

The spirit waved her hand and swordswoman struggled to stand up. Both fish charged the trapped mage, only to find her high in the air. Libra waved her hands and Kagura was pinned to the face of a statue. Suddenly, both fish were slammed to the ground, along with Libra. The swordswoman jumped down and swung her sword, defeating all three at once.

Yukino rescinded her spirits to their home as she pulled out a key wrapped in black scale. "You leave me no choice. I shall open the thirteenth gate... Open, Gate of the Snake Charmer - Ophiuchus."

The field turned black from a swathing mist as a humongous snake-like creature, which, curiously enough, appears to be part organic and part mechanical in nature rose up. The upper part of its body is covered in a series of massive dark scales, which possess prominent holes on their sides, starting as larger, with squared outer edges, getting more narrow near their centers and then enlarging again, something which makes every single hole look like a pair of rhombs joined together; the upper part of the head and the corresponding jaw are similarly colored, with the reptile possessing light pupil-less eyes, a pair of massive fangs sprouting from the jaw, thin nostrils located on the front part of its nose and a series of dark motifs adorning its forehead, above the eyes.

The lower part of Ophiuchus' body, on the other hand, is visibly technological and inorganic: its upper scales, instead of meat, appear to house a vast number of metal panels lined up one near the other, something which makes them resemble closed blinds; its lower jaw, while seemingly topped by an organic tongue (which, unlike that of normal snakes, isn't forked, as well as being notably larger in comparison to the jaw itself than normal snakes') is entirely composed of metal, with the plates composing it, replicating the form of a real jaw, having their edges covered in lines of bolts.

Such artificial-looking lower jaw is connected to the upper one by six piston-like objects, three sitting at each side of the creature's mouth, while a semicircular metal section covering the lower part of its neck, almost extending up to the top, sports two round openings on each side, with a single metallic bar outlining the diameter of each hole. The lower part of Ophiuchus' metal jaw sports a massive blade with jagged edges curving toward the creature's body, secured to the front by a protrusion, and the attached for most of its length after a hollow space.

Kagura glanced around as the coils waved up and down the air. The snake charged the woman, who gripped her blade and swung it. The spirit suddenly split in four and shocked everyone as Kagura charged the stunned girl. "Your bet was ill considered. Your life is mine now." Kagura declared before she swung her sheathed blade, unaware of the glow from inside Yukino's outfit.

*CLANG*

A loud noise metal tendril was holding her sword and she gasped in shock. "No way!" Nicholas leaned over the railing in shock of the spirit that suddenly appeared. "Hydra!?"

"Not... gonna... happen!" The spirit declared as more tendrils emerged from his pack. Four gripped the blade and held it tight as the remaining five shot out beams of fire. Acting quickly, Kagura changed her gravity and jumped back, forced to leave her sword behind.

A stinging sensation hit her back and then she was lifted into the air. She turned around and saw another spirit carrying her to the sky, this one looking like a wasp themed human. "Time to end thizzz!" He declared before flipping and diving back into the arena. The two slammed down and created a massive crater before Vespa floated next to his keeper.

Kagura could feel her magic was sealed off and her sword was still in the enemy's hand. She could do nothing to counter her situation. "...I yield..."

Yukino closed the two gates and walked past Kagura, throwing her sword back to Kagura. "Your life is mine. Remember that." Yukino declared as she walked away.

"And Sabertooth has won the final match of the day!" Chaptai declared as Kagura pushed herself up. The crowd cheered as she walked back to her guild in shame.

"What the heck just happened?" Gray asked. "Was the Sabertooth girl just lucky or Mermaid Girl that strong?"

"I think a bit of both." Erza replied as the entire arena started to leave.

"Never thought I'd see them again." Nicholas chuckled as he watched Yukino return to her guild.

'I cannot believe my luck.' Arcadios chuckled. 'There's another Celestial Wizard... This must be divine will. This means the projects success is now guaranteed.'

I know I'm gonna get so much shit for skipping over most of the posing contest, but I have my reasons. Look, I'm love with fan service as much as the next guy, but you can't just throw it in our faces. Bikini Warriors tried that and they failed spectacularly. Also, am I the only one who's pissed off that this is the only time we see the thirteenth spirit? Seriously, what was the fucking point of it?

But this was a very fun battle for Elfman and we get to see some old friends again... still not a fair trade of off if you asked me. See you all next time.

Beta read by General Feng Xiang