Hey guys, I'm finally back with another chapter for this story! This chapter will pick up where the previous one left off and will continue Fairy Tail's battle against Oración Seis! As usual, I'll post two chapters for this story back-to-back before I move onto updating my Batman story next. I sincerely apologize for the long wait for this chapter, but I was extremely busy with college this semester and I started working again recently, which has been eating up a lot of my time. I also just haven't had a huge desire to do any writing the past few months, that's why the newest chapter for my Pokemon story was so delayed. But now that I've finally updated my Pokemon story I can focus on this one now! Well, that's all I wanted to say, so let's get to the fic!
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
Magic
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.
(With Lucy and the Light Guild Members)
"I'm going to chase after Natsu-kun..." Hibiki announced as he released a light sigh and closed down all of his holographic displays. "We don't have any time to waste."
"Natsu...I'm sure he said something about Jellal..." Lucy muttered, tightly clenching her fists as she remembered the events that had recently transpired in the Tower of Heaven. The blonde celestial spirit mage felt a wave of anger suddenly wash over her, thinking of all the awful things Jellal had done to Erza and all of her nakama. It was then that Lucy realized something, looking down she was shocked to see that Erza was no longer lying next to her. "WHAT!? Erza is gone!" Bolting to her feet, Lucy began to frantically search for any clues about where the scarlet-haired knight may have gone. "I know Wendy healed her, but Erza shouldn't be walking around yet! Where could she have gone!?"
"What is with that woman?!" Charla chastised as she slowly shook her head in annoyance. "She just leaves without a word of thanks to Wendy! Her and that pink-haired boy, both of them are such hotheads!"
"Heh heh, can't argue with that..." Lucy said with an embarrassed chuckle, rubbing the back of her neck. "But seriously, we have to find Erza!" After sniffing the air several times, Lucy huffed in frustration. "I can't pick up her scent, it's too faint and has already mixed with other smells in the forest..."
"You don't think Erza heard us mentioning Jellal, do you?" Happy wondered aloud as he looked off towards the direction Natsu had sprinted off in. "Maybe she went to deal with him too?"
"What'll I do...it's all my fault..." Wendy said barely above a whisper, her voice trembling as if she were about to start crying. "This is all happening because I healed Jellal...and he went and found Nirvana...Erza-san...Natsu...I'm so sorry everyone...you're all in danger because of me..."
"Oh, Wendy..." Lucy said in a sympathetic tone as she hugged Wendy's head against her waist, surprising the blue-haired dragon slayer. "Everything will be fine, so don't put yourself down like that...and I promise that Natsu and Erza don't blame you for anything that's happened."
"I'm sorry to interrupt your little moment, but I meant what I said earlier, we really do need to get going." Hibiki said, walking up to Wendy and placing his hand against her head. A split second later, Hibiki's hand began to glow brightly with magical power. Wendy's eyes widened for a moment before she went limp in Lucy's arms. The blonde celestial spirit mage was about to scream at Hibiki, but she stopped when she saw him carefully hoist Wendy onto his back. However, Lucy wasn't the only one wanting to yell at Hibiki.
"Just what the hell was that for you bastard!?" Carla screamed in anger as she growled fiercely, storming over towards Hibiki. "How dare you do that to Wendy!"
"I'm sorry to scare you like that, but there's no need to worry, she's only unconscious. Besides, the way Wendy is right now, she'd only slow us down." Hibiki explained, before standing back up and running off in pursuit of Natsu, with everyone else following closely behind him. "If we want to find Natsu-san and Erza-san, our best bet is to head towards that pillar of light."
"Well, I certainly don't approve of your actions!" Carla huffed as she glared daggers at Hibiki's back. "I know Wendy can whine a lot, but your violent actions went too far! If you had given Lucy a little more time, I'm sure she could have raised her spirits! Once this is over I'll have you apologize to Wendy and me!"
"If that will make you feel better, I'm fine with that..." Hibiki said with a small smile, glancing back at Carla, who turned her head away from him in annoyance. "Anyways...I think it's about time you guys know what Nirvana really is. Because of Nirvana's very nature, I couldn't tell anyone about it. Even being conscious of it is dangerous by itself. That's why Ichiya-san, Ren, and Eve don't know about it. Master only told me."
"That's some pretty heavy stuff..." Lucy said as she gazed at the swirling beam of black light ahead of them, an ominous chill running down her spine. "What the hell does Nirvana even do?"
"It truly is incredibly frightening magic..." Hibiki explained, his brow furrowing slightly before he continued. "Nirvana turns light into darkness...in its initial stages, a black beam of light is fired into the sky, just like the one in front of us. That black light takes people on the edge of light and darkness and forces them to switch sides. People on the light side who are experiencing strong negative emotions will fall into darkness!"
"So that's why you knocked Wendy unconscious...because she was blaming herself for what happened, she might have been consumed by darkness..." Lucy muttered as she spared a glance at the blue-haired dragon slayer. "I don't know what Natsu would do if something had actually happened to Wendy. He'd never forgive himself if she got hurt somehow and he wasn't there to do anything."
"But now I'm concerned about Natsu-kun..." Hibiki said, causing Lucy's eyes to widen slightly. "He seemed quite upset when he ran off earlier...I don't know how Nirvana will affect feelings like rage or anger...especially when they're for the sake of someone else."
"Heh, I don't think you'll have to worry about Natsu." Lucy said with a small smile as she rubbed the mate mark on her neck, enjoying the comforting warmth emanating from it. "Something like this won't work on him. But...what's going to happen if Nirvana gets to full power? Are all us going to turn evil?"
"But...I was actually thinking about it the other way..." Happy said, running up behind Lucy. "Won't all the people in the dark guilds turn good?"
"It's definitely a possibility..." Hibiki replied as his eyes narrowed slightly. "But what makes Nirvana truly frightening is that some of it can be controlled." Lucy and Happy's eyes widened in shock when they heard this. "For example, if Nirvana were used on a guild...members of the guild might completely turn on their comrades and kill them without any hesitation...or that guild might attack another for no reason. Nirvana could easily accomplish something like that. Unless we stop it quickly, all the light guilds in Fiore could be wiped out!"
(Back with Natsu)
"Jellal..." Natsu growled, sprinting through the forest at full speed, directly towards the column of black light. Bursting through a patch of bushes, Natsu came face-to-face with almost two dozen mages who were working with Oración Seis. The pink-haired dragon slayer was so focused on reaching Jellal that he didn't even pay attention to the enemy mages as they all charged towards him. Coating his hands in scorching blue flames, Natsu pressed forward without any hesitation. "You're all in my way!" Extending both arms outwards, the blue flames surrounding Natsu's fists rapidly expanded, forming massive blades of fire. With one sweeping motion, Natsu took out all the mages opposing them, their singed and unconscious bodies falling to the ground all around him. "I won't let that bastard get anywhere near Erza! I won't let him hurt her anymore! He's not even going to lay eyes on her!"
(Back with Gray and Sherry)
"It was him...he's the one...he's the reason Lyon-sama is..." Sherry muttered in a dark tone as she stalked towards Gray, her eyes cold and full of hatred. The dark-haired ice mage was too busy trying to carry Lyon to notice Sherry ominously approaching him. With a twisted smile on her face, Sherry began to chuckle maniacally. Glancing at a nearby tree, an evil idea formed in Sherry's mind. Using her Doll Attack magic, Sherry brought the tree to life, causing it to twist and groan as it took a new, more humanoid shape. It was now that Gray took notice of the two figures now standing directly behind him. Gray barely had time to gasp before the tree monster lashed out, grabbing him by the neck and choking the air from his lungs. Sherry continued to cackle evilly as she stood by and simply watched her creation strangle Gray. "Yes...just like that...hurt him...he must pay for what he did to Lyon-sama..."
"Sherry...what the hell...are you..." Gray struggled to say as he desperately fought against the wooden doll's impressive strength. However, Gray's attempts were all in vain and he quickly felt himself losing consciousness. When the ice mage's body finally went limp, the wooden doll roughly threw him to the ground.
"I have avenged you, Lyon-sama..." Sherry said with a twisted smile, briefly staring down at Gray's motionless body, before turning her gaze towards the beam of black swirling light. "But who should I take out next? One of his friends? Those other Fairy Tail mages perhaps?"
(Five Minutes Earlier; with Jura and Hot Eyes)
"What the hell was that?!" Jura exclaimed as he spun around and spotted a massive massive beam of swirling black light firing into the sky, his eyes widening in shock. "Good lord...what is that...it's so ominous..."
"That would be Nirvana..." Hot Eyes answered with a smirk, clasping his hands behind his back. "But you can relax, the main body is not operational yet. However, this does mean that the seal has broken. Haha! I can smell money in the air!"
"Damn it, I don't have time to waste fighting this guy..." Jura thought as he balled his fists in frustration, his mind starting to race. "But...the whole reason we all came here was to take out Oración Seis! Should I fight him...or should I go stop Nirvana?"
"Money...money...sweet money! Now we'll all be rich!" Hot Eyes exclaimed, throwing his head back and laughing maniacally. However, Hot Eyes suddenly stopped a few moments later, his entire body trembling as he used his hands to cover his face. "Oh...oh...oh! OHHHHHHHH!"
"W-What the hell is wrong with this guy?" Jura muttered in confusion as he took a cautious step away from Hot Eyes.
"AAAAHHHHHH!" Hot Eyes continued to scream, his body starting to convulse and spasm. "MONEY! MONEY! MONEY!"
"Good lord...what is happening to him..." Jura said as his eyes widened in shock, preparing for anything that could happen. "It looks like he's being possessed or something."
"MOOOOOOONNNNNNNNEEEEEEYYYYYYYY!" Hot Eyes bellowed out one final scream, arching his back for a moment before leaning back forward. After being silent for several moments, Hot Eyes suddenly began to giggle giddily. Raising his head back up, Jura was surprised to see a bright, happy smile on Hot Eyes face. "I mean, who really needs money?" Hot Eyes was practically sparkling as he slowly began to advance towards Jura, adding several exaggerated flourishes into his movements. "I've been oh so desperate to reunite with my brother after we were separated...I figured that if I had enough money, I'd be able to see him again. But...I now realize what a mistake that was! Now, I forswear war and violence!" Jura simply stood motionless in utter shock as Hot Eyes danced around and laughed boisterously, his jaw slightly agape. "This world is filled with so much love! Oh yes, love! What a fantastic word that is! It's just overflowing with compassion and sweetness! With love, nothing is impossible!" Jura's eyes widened in shock once again when Hot Eyes pulled him in for a tight hug. "Now...let us team up and stop my dastardly comrades' plans! We shall give them many lessons in the joys of love!"
"Just what the hell is happening?!" Jura thought as he struggled to comprehend what exactly was happening.
(Seven Minutes Later; with Natsu)
"You'd better be prepared to get your ass kicked, Jellal!" Natsu exclaimed, before bursting through the treeline and coming to edge of a shallow river. However, before Natsu could continue towards where Jellal was, he spotted something odd floating near the water's edge. Getting closer, Natsu was shocked to see Gray floating half-submerged in the water. "Gray?!" Natsu quickly rushed over to the ice mage's side. "What are you doing here?! What happened with Racer?!" The pink-haired dragon slayer began to worry when Gray didn't respond to him at all. "O-Oi...Gray...you okay man?" Glancing over his shoulder, Natsu growled in frustration when he spotted the swirling beam of black light. Reaching down, the pink-haired dragon slayer began to pull the unconscious ice mage out of the water. "Come on man, we're on a serious deadline here! Wake your ass up, ice princess!" However, Natsu was surprised when Gray suddenly raised his head, a devious smirk on the ice mage's face. "Gray...you're okay...what the hell is with that look man, you're seriously creeping me out." Gray didn't say a word, simply pulling on a rope he had been holding. Natsu's eyes widened in shock when the ground beneath them began to move and rise up, revealing that they had been standing on a submerged raft the entire time. As soon as the raft began to sway back and forth, Natsu felt his extreme motion sickness kick in. The pink-haired dragon slayer held back a gag as he collapsed down onto one knee. "You...w-what the hell are you doing..."
"I can't believe you really fell for that, Natsu...your weakness to moving vehicles is way too easy to exploit..." Gray said with a dark chuckle as he cocked his arm back, ice magic swirling around his hand. The pink-haired dragon slayer grit his teeth in anger when he saw a large spear of ice materialize in Gray's hand. "Now die!" But before Gray could attack Natsu, an arrow barely missed his chest, burying itself in the raft at his feet. Turning his head, Gray saw Lucy and Hibiki emerge from the same treeline Natsu had. "Tch, so you guys were here too?"
"Gray?! What the fuck do you think you're doing?!" Lucy exclaimed in a furious tone, baring her teeth at the ice mage as she pointed an accusatory finger at him. The blonde celestial spirit mage's brown eyes were alight with anger as she stormed towards the edge of the river, with Sagittarius at her side. "How dare you try to hurt Natsu! Aren't you two nakama!?"
"L-Luce..." Natsu managed to say as he struggled to stand on wobbling legs. "I-I'll handle this a-asshole..."
"Yeah, listen to flame brain, Lucy..." Gray said with a smirk, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Stay out of this."
"What the hell is going on here..." Lucy muttered as she glared daggers at the ice mage. "Has Gray been influenced by Nirvana and fallen into darkness?" It was then that something caught Lucy's attention, something was definitely off about Gray and it wasn't Nirvana's influence. Sniffing the air several times, Lucy's eyes narrowed when an unfamiliar scent hit her nose. "Okay, who the hell are you?! My sense of smell may not be as strong as Natsu's, but I can still tell that you don't have the same scent as Gray! You must have been masking your scent in the water, that's why Natsu didn't catch on to you being an impostor!"
"New information acquired on Lucy Heartfilia, she has enhanced senses similar to a dragon slayer's, adding this new information to my memory..." Gray said with a smirk, extending his arm towards Lucy, ice magic gathering in his palm. "She is also a celestial spirit mage who is in a shared romantic and physical relationship with Natsu Dragneel, Erza Scarlet, and Mirajane Strauss...my, now that's very interesting." Lucy's face turned near neon red after hearing her love life being spoken about so casually. However, Lucy's embarrassment quickly faded when Gray unleashed a blast of ice magic at her. The blonde celestial spirit mage prepared to dodge the attack but stopped when Hibiki stepped in front of her and used his magic to form a makeshift barrier, blocking the ice magic.
"Lucy is right...something isn't right here, you truly aren't Gray-san..." Hibiki said as he dematerialized his barrier and glared at the ice mage. "Just who are you?" Lucy and Hibiki were surprised when Gray's body suddenly became engulfed in thick white smoke, briefly hiding his presence. But when the smoke began to dissipate, both Hibiki and Lucy were stunned by what they saw. Instead of Gray standing before them, it was an exact copy of Lucy. "W-What the hell..."
"KYA! It's me!" Lucy exclaimed in shock, her eyes bugging out. "Just what is going on here!?" However, Lucy felt her heart stop when she saw her doppelganger reach for the hem of her shirt. "NO! ANYTHING BUT THAT!" Just as the impostor Lucy began to lift her shirt up, she was stopped when a hand tightly gripped her wrist. The real Lucy breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Natsu had mustered enough strength to stand back up and had stopped the impostor from freeing her bountiful breasts. "Oh thank god, I can't thank you enough Natsu! I would never be able to live that down!"
"The only one who can see Luce naked...is me..." Natsu managed to say, before he collapsed onto the raft once again, groaning in pain
"It's the thought that counts..." Lucy thought, chuckling weakly as she sweatdropped at Natsu's comments.
"Boo, you're no fun..." The impostor Lucy said with a pout as she crossed her arms underneath her chest. "Well it doesn't matter, the celestial information has been completed...it truly is amazing..." A dark smirk soon spread across the impostor's face. "Sagitarrius, you know what to do."
"What is she-" Lucy was cut off when she heard Hibiki scream out in pain. Whipping around, Lucy was shocked to see an arrow buried in Hibiki's shoulder. Rushing over, Lucy crouched down next to the Blue Pegasus mage. "Hibiki?! Are you okay?!"
"N-No...I d-didn't m-mean to..." Sagitarrius said in a shaky voice as he stared down at his hands in horror. "M-My body moved on its o-own..."
"I think I know what's going on..." Lucy thought, glaring daggers at her impostor while applying some pressure to Hibiki's wound. "Whoever this person is, they were able to use Gray's magic while they were transformed as him, so they must be able to manipulate my celestial spirits when they look like me..." Standing back up, Lucy turned towards Carla. "You need to get Wendy out of here, it's too dangerous! Try to find Erza if you can, she'll keep Wendy safe!"
"You don't have to tell me twice!" Carla exclaimed as she grabbed ahold of the unconscious blue-haired dragon slayer and took off flying. "These people would fight an entire army to protect their friends..."
"Now let's deal with you..." Lucy said, turning back towards the impostor and pulling out Sagittarius' key. "Sorry Sagittarius, but you need to go! Forced gate closure!" A split second later, Sagittarius disappeared in a flash of golden light.
"Oh no, whatever will I do?" The impostor Lucy asked in a mock surprised tone. "Ah, I know!" Reaching down, the fake Lucy pulled out an exact copy of Sagittarius' gate key. "Open, gate-"
"Not so fast!" Lucy exclaimed, reaching onto her hip and grabbing her whip. Lashing out with the leather whip, Lucy slapped the gate key out her impostor's hand. "I'm not going to let you use my own spirits against me!"
"No fair!" The impostor exclaimed in a childish tone as she stomped her foot repeatedly while rubbing her injured hand. "You keep getting in the way of my fun!"
"Oh, stop with your whining! Now that we've found Nirvana, that little girl is of no use to us anymore!" A new voice called out, causing Lucy to snap her head in its direction. She was surprised to see the white-haired woman who had been with the other Oración Seis members earlier.
"That's right!" The impostor Lucy said before she dissolved into a cloud of white smoke, revealing two small humanoid creatures. They were both small creatures with light blue colored bodies and two antennae. They had small, black, beady eyes with white pupils. They both wore shorts, with one wearing orange shorts, and the other wore black ones. One of the creatures had a "^" shape for a mouth, while the other had a "v" for a mouth instead. They both also had sashes running from their shoulder to their waists. "Piirii piirii!"
"Those creatures must be celestial spirits..." Lucy thought as her eyes narrowed slightly. "Now things are starting to make sense."
"Hi, Lucy-chan!" Angel exclaimed in a sing-song tone, sauntering towards the blonde celestial spirit mage. "Angel-chan is here to play!" With a smirk, Angel walked over towards the two small creatures, who appeared to be doing some sort of dance. "It looks like you already met Gemi and Mini. These kids can make a perfect copy of human looks, abilities, and thought processes...but it looks like they can't copy a person's scent...I'll have to remember that for the future."
"Gemi...and Mini? That sounds kinda familiar..." Lucy muttered as she stroked her chin, racking her brain.
"Well you're a celestial spirit mage, so I'm not surprised it sounds familiar..." Angel said with a smile, holding up a golden celestial gate key. "Those two are the spirits of the Twin's Gate, Gemini. I'm also a celestial spirit mage."
"I have to be really careful..." Lucy thought as she furrowed her brow, glaring at Angel. "I have to make sure I keep my emotions in check, or I may fall into darkness. Also, it looks like the Oración Seis members won't turn to good! So I can't hope for a convenient break like that! Hibiki is injured...Natsu is immobilized until he gets off that raft...I'm all on my own right now. That means I need to step up, or else everyone will be in grave danger!" Glancing down, Lucy felt a wave of relief wash over her when she saw the water only a few feet in front of her. "I guess it is a good thing we're near the water...luck must really be on my side!"
"As a celestial spirit mage, you must know what I want from you, Lucy-chan..." Angel said with a devious smirk, beckoning the blonde celestial spirit mage with her finger from the other side of the river. "Hand over all of your keys!"
"Like hell, I will!" Lucy exclaimed as she rushed forward and plunged one of her golden keys into the water. "Open, gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!" Instantly, the water underneath Lucy began to glow with golden light. Moments later, the mermaid celestial spirit burst forth from the water in front of Lucy.
"Gemini, gate closure!" Angel said with a sweeping motion of her hand, causing her spirit to disappear in a cloud of smoke.
"Take care of her Aquarius!" Lucy yelled over the rushing water Aquarius had caused with her summoning. "I don't care if you sweep me up too!"
"Heh, you don't have to tell me twice, that was my plan from the start..." Aquarius said with a teasing smirk, raising her vase over her head, which caused the water to churn and flow around her wildly. "Hold onto your asses because everyone is going down together!"
"How naive..." Angel said in a calm and composed tone as she pulled out another golden gate key. "Open, gate of the Scorpion Palace..." Aquarius' eyes widened when she heard this, stopping her attack in its tracks. "Scorpio!"
"She has another one of the twelve golden keys!?" Lucy exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise.
In a flash of golden light and a puff of smoke, a new celestial spirit Lucy had never seen before appeared in front of Angel. The spirit was a relatively tall, lean-built, dark-skinned man with short hair that was red on one side and white on the other. He had a tail that was appeared to be a large gun that was shaped like a scorpion's tail that had the word "Antares" written on it. He wore no shirt but had a flower-shaped collar that was red and trimmed with gold around his neck. He even had a red sheet-like material around his waist that was kept up by his large belt that had the symbol for Scorpio on it. He also had on black shorts and has bandage-like material wrapped around his arms and legs.
"Yeeehah!" Scorpio exclaimed with a massive smirk as he made an 'X' with his arms, forming devil horns with his fingers. "YEAH!"
"Scorpio!" Aquarius cheered in a loving tone, a large blush spreading across her face as she blew the spirit a kiss.
"W-What the hell..." Lucy muttered underneath her breath as she stared at her apparently lovestruck spirit in utter shock. The blonde celestial spirit mage was even further shocked when Aquarius rushed forward and hugged Scorpio. "What the fuck is happening? I must be dreaming..."
"Yeehah! How have you been Aquarius, baby!?" Scorpio asked with a grin, wrapping his arm around the mermaid celestial spirit and holding her tight.
"Oh, I've been so lonely without you, Scorpio!" Aquarius said with a bright smile as she snuggled up closer to Scorpio. Turning her head, Aquarius giggled when she saw the dumbfounded look on Lucy's face. "Scorpio is my boyfriend!"
"Yeehah! Nice to meet you, Aquarius' owner!" Scorpio exclaimed energetically, before waving to the blonde celestial spirit mage.
"Listen here, girly..." Aquarius said in a menacing tone as she loomed over Lucy in a threatening manner. "Don't you even think about embarrassing me in front of Scorpio, got it?! If you do, I'll turn you into a waterlogged corpse!"
"U-Understood..." Lucy replied as she gulped audibly, a chill running down her spine. "She'll do it too, I know she isn't bluffing."
"So...what'll we do now, honey?!" Aquarius asked in a lovey-dovey tone, hugging Scorpio's arm. "How about we go and get some dinner?"
"Oh! I know the perfect place! It's a little restaurant where we can watch the aurora!" Scorpio exclaimed with a grin as he turned his head to look back at Angel. "Yeehah! We can totally split, right Angel!?"
"Of course, be my guest." Angel replied with a smile, shrugging her shoulders. "You two enjoy yourselves."
"W-Wait! Hold up Aquarius!" Lucy exclaimed as she reached out towards her celestial spirit. But it was too late, the two spirits had already disappeared in a puff of smoke, returning to the celestial spirit realm. "Oh come on!"
"For a celestial spirit mage, you really don't know the various compatibilities between spirits." Angel said with a devious smirk, reeling back to hit Lucy with a powerful slap. But the blonde celestial spirit mage was ready for this and leaped away from Angel, landing in the water next to Natsu. The pink-haired dragon slayer glanced up at Lucy before letting out a pained groan. "You don't seem fit to be a celestial spirit mage to me. Maybe I should take your keys and make your spirits mine? They'll be better off with me."
"You'll never lay a damn hand on any of my spirits!" Lucy exclaimed as she placed a hand protectively over her gate keys. "I'm in a really tough spot here...she took away my strongest spirit..." Lucy's hand hovered over a specific key for a few moments, before she grabbed it off the ring. "I don't really have any other options. He's the only spirit who can take her on!" Lucy raised the celestial gate key into the air and it began to shimmer with magical power. "Open, gate of the Lion Palace, Loke!"
"Heh, I've arrived to protect you, my princess!" Loke proclaimed with a smirk, appearing in a flash of golden light and briefly adjusting his cufflinks.
"We need to hurry Loke! If we don't stop her the entire guild will be in danger!" Lucy yelled as she glanced at the pillar of black light in the distance. "We don't have any time to spare."
"It will be trivial..." Loke said, advancing towards Angel, his fists glowing gold with magical energy. "This should only take a second."
"Oh my, aren't you a cocky one..." Angel said with a devious smile as she pulled out yet another golden celestial gate key, causing Lucy's eyes to widen in surprise. "You just don't listen do you, Lucy-chan? I told you how important compatibilities are, right? Open, gate of the White Ram, Aries!"
In a flash of golden light, another celestial Lucy had never seen before appeared in front of Angel. Aries was a female spirit who resembled a young woman with pink hair, brown eyes and a pair of twisted horns on her head. She wore clothes that had a white and fluffy wool-like design, with a small satchel around her waist that sported her zodiac sign. However, despite never seeing the spirit before, Lucy knew the intimate relationship she shared with Loke.
"I'm sorry Leo..." Aries muttered barely above a whisper, appearing to be quite shy and nervous with the situation.
"What a beautiful spirit..." Hibiki said quietly as he continued to apply pressure to his wound.
"You're kidding me...that's just cruel..." Lucy said, balling her fists as she glared at Angel. "I can't make Loke fight in this situation!" Holding back her anger, Lucy pointed an accusatory finger at Angel. "Why the hell do you have one of Karen's celestial spirits!?"
"Why, you ask..." Angel said with an evil smile as she patted Aries on the head. "Because I'm the one who killed her, obviously. Aries is simply apart of the spoils, nothing more, nothing less."
"This woman...she's the one who killed Karen...she was the love of my life...a celestial wizard killed her..." Hibiki thought, feeling intense anger welling up inside him. However, when Hibiki began to notice dark and sinister thoughts invading his mind, he rapidly shook his head to free his mind of Nirvana's grasp. "No! I mustn't...if I start thinking like that Nirvana will take over my mind and soul...I need to stay focused and think of a way that I can help Lucy...but in my condition, what can I really do?"
"I'm sorry for doing this so shortly after your reunion, but..." Lucy said as she held out Loke's gate key. "Close-"
"Don't underestimate me, Lucy." Loke said, before grabbing ahold of the blonde celestial spirit mage's hand and stopping her from closing his gate. "Aries and I may have been friends, but now that we have different owners...we will fight as enemy spirits for those owners."
"I may owe my life to Leo, but for the sake of my new owner, I will fight him as an enemy..." Aries said as she hung her head and tightly balled her fists.
"This represents...our pride!" Loke and Aries exclaimed simultaneously, both of them charging towards each other.
"No...this isn't right..." Lucy breathed out, tightly gripping Loke's key as she watched the two spirits fight. Loke appeared to have a clear advantage over Aries, quickly getting the upper hand in the fight. Aries tried her best to fight back using attacks of what appeared to be a wool-like substance, but they did little to stop Loke. Lucy grit her teeth in frustration when she saw Loke hit Aries with a powerful punch. "Damn it...I have to stop this..."
"Oho...what do you know...I didn't think they'd actually end up fighting. Well, this is a rare chance, so let's watch them fight for a bit." Angel said with an amused smirk as she rested her hands on her hips. However, when Angel realized that Aries likely wasn't going to win, she grabbed another key off her belt. "On second thought...Aries really has no chance against battle-type spirits like Loke..." Angel held up and silver key and it began to shimmer with magical power. "Okay, let's try this instead...Open, gate of the Chisel, Caelum!" In a flash of golden light, a spirit resembling a small robotic gun appeared besides Angel. Lucy gasped in shock when the spirit fired a beam of energy at Aries and Loke, piercing through both of them. The blonde celestial spirit mage watched on in horror as both spirits spat up mouthfuls of blood before they collapsed to the ground. "AHAHA! Great shot! Two for one!"
"Lucy I'm so sorry...please forgive me..." Loke managed to say as he began to fade away, returning to the celestial spirit realm.
"Ah, I'm so happy for you Leo...looks like you found a really nice owner..." Aries thought with a smile, fading away in a cloud of smoke alongside Loke.
"Wow! Did you see that! I just summoned two spirits at once and took out your strongest spirit in the process!" Angel proclaimed with an evil smile and smug tone as she rested her hands on her hips. "Now you won't be able to use Loke for a really long time! Sucks for you!"
"I can't believe you..." Lucy said barely above a whisper, feeling her entire body tremble in a mixture of rage and sadness.
"Oh, spare me the waterworks." Angel said in an unsympathetic tone as she shrugged her shoulders. "They're just spirits. They won't die or anything, so what's the big deal?"
"But they feel pain! They have senses and feelings!" Lucy exclaimed, grabbing ahold of her shoulder in an attempt to stop her body from shaking. "And you call yourself a celestial spirit mage!? Don't make me laugh! You're a damn disgrace to all celestial mages!" Reaching down, Lucy grabbed another golden key off her ring. "I can't stand by and watch you mistreat your spirits! Open, gate of the Golden Bovine Palace, Taurus!"
"Mooo!" Taurus exclaimed as he materialized in front of Lucy and charged towards Angel, ax raised high ready to strike.
"Gemini, take care of that big buffoon." Angel said, brushing some hair out of her face as she summoned the twin spirits. Gemini immediately mimicked Lucy's form once again, pushing up her ample breasts to entice Taurus. The man-cow fell for the trap instantly, becoming enchanted by the mimic's seduction. Taking advantage of the distraction, Gemini used Caelum as a large sword and attacked Taurus, taking the spirit out in a single hit.
"Taurus!" Lucy exclaimed in a worried tone moments before she suddenly collapsed to the ground, panting and holding her head in pain. "W-What's...I'm so exhausted..."
"You don't have much magic power to begin with, and it looks like you've already used it all up." Angel said in a mocking tone, advancing towards Lucy. The blonde celestial spirit mage gasped in pain when Gemini suddenly kicked her in the stomach, knocking all the air from her lungs.
"Luce!" Natsu roared as he mustered up the strength to get back onto his feet. But that newfound strength quickly faded when the raft started to rock once again, and Natsu collapsed down onto one knee. "Damn it...you bitch...you'll pay for hurting Luce..."
"Oh hush, just be a good boy stay quite. I'll deal with you and the pretty boy later." Angel said with a smirk, not paying attention to Natsu as she walked passed him. "Now look at that, because you're such a stupid little girl you've gone and killed yourself and all your friends. What an absolute imbecile!" Taking a few moments to catch her breath, Lucy raised her head and glared fiercely at Angel. "What's with that look? You're starting to piss me off."
"Release Aries!" Lucy pleaded as she lowered her head as her body began to tremble once again. "That spirit was tortured by her previous owner..." Lucy screamed out in pain when she was suddenly slashed by Caelum, blood gushing from the new wound on her arm.
"LUCY!" Natsu exclaimed, bright blue flames flaring off his body. But the flames quickly died down as a fresh wave of nausea hit Natsu hard. "You'll pay...you'll pay for hurting her..."
"Would you tell your little boy toy to quiet down, his interruptions are starting to get on my nerves." Angel said in a frustrated tone, looming menacingly over Lucy. Bending down, Angel grabbed a handful of Lucy's hair and pulled her head back up. "Now, I'm sure that your parents told you how to properly ask a favor, right?"
"F-Fine...p-please...please..." Lucy said as a few tears fell from her eyes. "Just let her be together with Loke...the only ones who can give them that are us, celestial spirit mages."
"Doesn't sound really appealing to me." Angel said, leaning in closer, her face only a few inches from Lucy's. "Will I get anything in return?"
"I'll give you anything you want! Not my keys, but anything else!" Lucy exclaimed as she finally broke down, tears streaming down her face.
"Fine, I'll take your life in exchange." Angel said with an evil smile, releasing her grip on Lucy's hair and stepping back. "Gemini, kill her."
"NO!" Natsu roared, this time orange lightning exploding off his body, some of it nearly hitting Angel. The dual dragon slayer stood up on wobbly legs, using every ounce of strength he had to stay standing. "I won't let you hurt Luce anymore!"
"Alright, I've had enough of you!" Angel screamed in frustration as she stormed towards Natsu, a small dagger in her hand. "I'll kill you first, then I'll kill her and steal her keys!"
"N-No!" Lucy thought, watching as Angel drew closer to her mate. "I have to help Natsu, but what can I do!?" It was then that Lucy heard two low, rumbling voices speak within her mind, voices she had never heard before.
"You must protect your mate! He's protected you countless times before, now it's your time to save his life!"
"We will lend you power! It is only temporary, so do not squander it!"
"Use it to save the man you love!"
Lucy gasped when she felt immense magical power pouring out of the mate mark on her neck. Her entire body was instantly filled with comforting warmth and energetic jolts of electricity. It took a moment for Lucy to realize that the new magic power she was feeling was actually the same as Natsu's. Lucy then felt intense emotions of anger bubble up inside her, a pure animalistic rage she had never felt before. With a throaty growl, Lucy slowly stood back onto her feet, a cloak of bright orange fire and yellow lightning coating her entire body, the water surrounding her crackling and boiling away.
"W-What's happening to her..." Hibiki thought in awe as he stared at Lucy in utter shock. "Her magical power just spiked drastically...is this Nirvana...or is it something else?"
"Luce...you're amazing..." Natsu thought, a weak smirk spreading across his face. "Now go kick her ass!"
"What the hell is happening-" Angel stopped mid-sentence when she saw that Lucy's body was now surrounded by swirling flames and electricity. The Oración Seis member took a fearful step back when she saw the burning anger in Lucy's eyes. Reaching onto her hip, Lucy grabbed her whip, the weapon becoming imbued with Natsu's magic as well. Angel gasped in fear as Lucy began to stalk towards her. "G-Gemini! What are you doing!? Kill her now!" However, Angel was surprised to see that her spirit simply stood in place, seeming to ignore her order. "Are you deaf!? Kill her right this instant!"
"No..." Gemini said as it dropped the blade it was wielding, visions of Lucy's past flashing through its shared mind. The twin spirits were touched by the love and compassion that Lucy had always shown her spirits. "I won't do it...Lucy loves all spirits from the bottom of her heart...she really loves us celestial spirits!"
"Get out of here, you useless trash!" Angel yelled, before forcing Gemini's gate closed. Growling in frustration, Angel turned her attention back to Lucy, who was still approaching her. "S-Stay back! I mean it! Stay away from me!"
"You threatened me, my friends, my guild, and my mate! And on top of that, you treat your spirits like mere tools!" Lucy growled in a furious tone as she cracked her flaming and electrified whip, causing the water in front of Angel to turn to steam and crackle. The Oración Seis member yelped in fear and stumbled back, falling into the water. "You'll pay for what you did!"
"C-Caelum! Stop her!" Angel exclaimed in a trembling voice, the turret-like spirit appearing before her. However, the spirit didn't even have a chance to fire its weapon. Cracking her magically infused whip, Lucy slashed clean through the spirit, sending it straight back to the celestial spirit realm. "KYAA!" Angel screamed in fear as she dodged another lash of Lucy's whip. "Okay, I get it! I fucked up! I'll leave you guys alone, so just stay away from me!"
"No, I don't believe you..." Lucy growled as she grabbed ahold of Angel's dress and yanked her out of the water, the edge of the fabric singeing from the flames still surrounding Lucy. "You must pay for your actions." Cocking her arm back, Lucy prepared strike Angel with her whip. But before she could attack, she felt the newfound power flowing through her body begin to rapidly fade away. Moments later the cloak of flames and electricity disappeared and Lucy collapsed into the water, feeling even more exhausted than she was before. "N-No! I just needed a few more seconds!"
"H-Heh...HA! HAHAHA!" Angel laughed maniacally, standing over Lucy. "You really had me going there for a second! I really thought I was going to die!" It was then that Angel noticed that Hibiki was now behind Lucy, his hands closing in on her neck. "OH! What's this now!? Has the pretty boy fallen into darkness!? What an idiot! HAHAHA!"
"Please, just trust me and stay still, Lucy..." Hibiki whispered as his hands began to glow brightly with magical energy. Lucy's eyes widened in surprise when images and information began to flood her mind at an incredible rate. "I'm going to download, once and only once, the knowledge of hyper-magic!"
"W-What is this..." Lucy muttered, feeling her magical power returning to her once again, but not nearly as intensely as when she had tapped into the magic sealed within her mate mark. "A form of magic I've never seen before is inside my head..."
"There's no way, I'd let you!" Angel exclaimed as she lunged towards Lucy, dagger in her hand.
"It's time Lucy, finish her off!" Hibiki yelled, finishing up his transfer and quickly distancing himself from the blonde celestial spirit mage. Angel was stopped when Lucy was suddenly surrounded by intense golden light and the water around her began to churn relentlessly. Effortlessly, Lucy began to chant a lengthy spell she had never heard before, the words flowing through her as if they were second nature. Angel began to panic as the air all around her began to fill with orbs of light.
"All 88 stars of the heavens..." Lucy finished her chant as her eyes snapped open, both of them glowing gold with magical power. "Shine! Urano Metria!" The 88 constellations of the sky surrounded Angel, each of them converging and hitting her with a blast of magical power. The force of the blast sent Angel flying out of the water, her body crashing on the shore several yards away. The Oración Seis member simply lay motionless, her dress in tatters and her body covered in dozens of injuries. Seeming to snap out her trance, Lucy blinked her eyes several times, seeming to be very confused. "H-Huh? What the hell just happened?"
"That was amazing Luce..." Natsu thought, staring at his mate with eyes full of pride. "And that new magic of yours...it's giving me some sweet ideas..."
"N-Natsu! Are you okay!?" Lucy exclaimed in a worried tone as she approached the raft that Natsu was still on. However, as Lucy began to near the raft, it began to slowly drift away from her. The blonde celestial spirit mage's eyes widened in surprise when the raft began to gain speed and pull further away from her. "Damn it! All that churning water must have unhooked the raft from its place!" Mustering up the last of her strength, Lucy dove onto the raft and grabbed ahold of Natsu. But before Lucy could pull him off the raft, the sounds of rushing water soon became deafening. The blonde celestial spirit mage gasped in surprise when she saw that the raft was rapidly approaching a waterfall. "You've gotta be shitting me!?" Not knowing what else to do, Lucy protectively embraced her mate as the raft plummeted over the edge of the waterfall.
(Same Time: Back with Brain)
"T-This can't be right..." Brain muttered, feeling a painful jolt run through his body. "They even took out Angel...I won't let your death be in vain..." Staring up the swirling beam of black before him, a small smile spread across Brain's face. "The extinction of light is at hand!"
(Somewhere Within the Forest: With Erza)
"I know I heard Natsu right...Jellal is still alive..." Erza thought as she sprinted towards where Nirvana likely was. The scarlet-haired knight tightly balled her fists as she remembered the events that had transpired in the Tower of Heaven. "What the hell is he doing in a place like this? Whatever it is, it doesn't matter! I won't let Natsu fight for me this time, I'll confront Jellal properly this time!"
And done! I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and once again I sincerely apologize for the long wait for this chapter. The next chapter will continue where this one left off and will continue Fairy Tail's battle against Oración Seis! Remember to follow/favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW (I need your feedback!), check out my profile and other stories, and PM me any ideas you might have for any of my fics. So until next time, I'm outta here!