Ladies and gentlemen welcome to the first chapter of "A Quincy's Fairy Tail" of the new year! It's certainly one I'm looking forward to enjoying, one because we will be FINALLY be receiving the BLEACH anime after an ungodly long wait, as well as the fact that this year from Thanksgiving onward really started to kick my ass. But that's not what you're here for is it? No, you're here to see how things continue to play out in the tower of heaven. Well, I think you'll all find what's to come to be most entertaining. I eagerly await your reviews to see what you all thought.
Bleach is owned by Tite Kubo and Shounen jump. Fairy Tail is owned by Hiro Mashima and Weekly Shounen Magazine. I own NOTHING. This is all just for fun!
The past hour had been complete chaos for the Fairy Tail members whose vacation to the illustrious Akane Resort had been ruined. One hour of fighting, not only for their very lives, but also for the sake of their adored comrade, Erza Scarlet, had taken its toll on them all. It had been tough going fighting the members of Death Head's Caucus, and many of them had come far too close to losing their lives in the process. Miraculously, through some way or another, they had all managed to come out of their battles victorious and without the loss of life.
However, while they had certainly come out on top, it would have been incorrect to say that they had emerged unscathed. Though Bambietta Basterbine's miraculous transformation had healed her of any damage, her fellow Sternritter, Candice Catnipp, had no such luck, leaving her with some fairly nasty injuries from the battle the two had just finished only a few moments prior.
Soon after their battle, Liltotto ran into them first and, upon seeing how injured Candice was, the petite Quincy made the suggestion that their rescue team regroup and heal up before their final assault on the tower. As Liltotto explained, as they were right now, they would only get in the way for the battle to come if they were not in perfect condition. Erza, whom they had sensed finishing her battle a few moments ago, would no doubt need time to restore some of her magic before she got to the top of the tower, and would thus take her time ascending to Jellal's throne. Time, it seemed, was on their side. Slowly yet surely, the others showed up one after another. Natsu, Gray, and Simon were the first part of the group to catch up, a certain blonde making her way afterward.
"Bambi!" The Quincy slowly turned her head, only to be caught in the tight embrace of Lucy Heartfillia. Her grasp was surprisingly strong as the celestial wizard looked at her with a smile. "I'm so glad to see you're okay…" The wizard spoke before she nuzzled her head against Bambietta's chest. "I was so worried."
"Yeah, I'm fine, don't you worry," Bambietta said with a smile as she held Lucy in her arms. "I was really worried about you and Wendy when you started your fights...but then I sensed your power go up, and I knew everything was going to be just fine."
Lucy looked up back at Bambietta before she spoke. "Well, from now on, we'll be fighting side by side. I… I don't want to worry about you ever again."
Bambietta grinned then as she looked at Lucy. "Let's call it a date. Now, let's get you patched up by Wendy. I get the feeling we're going to need it."
Soon enough did the entire group gather together on a single floor. Wendy, along with Rukia and her healing Kido, got to work on healing their allies. It was going to be a lengthy process, but one well worth the wait as they were all close to being back to full power.
"Man, you're really good at this," Bambietta said as she looked at all the recently healed members of Fairy Tail before she looked at the young dragon slayer. "You're a lifesaver Wendy, I mean it." While she was far from happy that Wendy was still in the tower at all during this debacle, the dragon slayer had more than proven her worth, not just as a healer, but as a warrior as well. To say the Quincy was proud of Wendy was an understatement.
"Yeah, seriously," Candice said as she walked over to Bambietta. "The last time I was cut up so badly I died, literally. Here I was thinking I'd be bedridden for a few weeks, yet here I am. good as new! You got a real talent there, you little squirt."
Wendy gave the two Quincies a quick smile before she went back to work, healing the various injuries over Natsu's body. "I'm just doing what I can, that's all. If we're going to save Erza, then we need everyone at 100%, right? If I didn't carry my weight now, then all of this would have been for nothing."
"Well said, Wendy." Rukia agreed as she was in the middle of finishing up Gray's treatment. "We have to do all that we can to help Erza. No one should have to face their past alone, even if they feel they must. My... original did, and I know full well the relief she felt deep down when her friends righted what was wrong in the end."
"Yeah, we're gonna kick butt and get Erza the hell out of here!" Natsu declared with his trademark grin.
"I would like to get back to spending some alone time with my darling," Juvia said as she glanced over at the ice mage, Gray responding with a small smile.
"Yeah, it looks like we've got the hardest part out of the way," Gray said as he got up to his feet. "It'll be all of us against…how many are left exactly?"
"Just two, but it's going to be far from easy," Liltotto explained as she got in the middle of the group. "The guild master of Death's Head Caucus had spiritual pressure comparable to Jose. Yes, almost all of us are back to full strength, with one huge exception. With Ulquiorra not being able to access his Resurección because of "The Underbelly," we're gonna have a bad time. Not to mention the fact that we don't have Erza or many of the others from last time with us to help out, like Cana and Elfman. That's not even considering how strong Jellal is on top of it. He's likely even stronger than the guild master is."
"Are you sure you're good to keep fighting?" Levy asked as she looked up at her pale-skinned friend. While Ulquiorra had managed to heal all of the physical damage the former Sternritter had inflicted on him, she was still concerned the lingering effects of the Schrift would hinder his ability to fight properly.
The Arrancar nodded before he spoke. "I'm more than capable of fighting as I am. I simply won't be able to access my Resurección. As things stand, however, I can only use about half of my base power. Unfortunately, Miss Lamperd is correct. The most difficult of the battles have yet to come."
Lucy couldn't help but sigh. "Of course it wouldn't be easy after all that." She had been hoping after her near brush with death that their superior numbers would give them the advantage, but she could remember the battle with Jose better than most. The terror of watching all of her friends go down one by one by the mad wizard, the fear of being taken away from her new family. If not for Makarov's timely arrival... "It'll be just like Jose all over again."
"Hey, relax, it'll be fine!" Bambietta said as she placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "We've all gotten stronger since then, you included. I'm sure all I need is one good hit with my Shining Finger and he'll go down like a row of dominos! Besides-" Bambietta moved a hand around Lucy's shoulder as she continued. "I'll do whatever I can to keep you safe, come hell or high water. So, believe me when I say this: I won't let anything happen to you. Anything."
Having her girlfriend giving her some well-needed comfort, Lucy smiled before she gave Bambietta a hug. "You always know what to say when I'm feeling down don't you?" From the assault from Phantom Lord, the various missions the two went on together after becoming a couple, and the incident with Loke, Bambietta had always, always been there for her when she needed it most.
Bambietta smirked after she gave Lucy a quick kiss on the lips. "Yeah, well, the last thing I want is to see you upset. We're supposed to be having fun, and I'm not about to let these jackasses ruin our vacation. Besides, with that new Fullbring of yours, it'll make things much easier than last time!"
Lucy blinked in surprise as she heard Bambietta mention her new power. "Wait, you know what that was? Is "Fullbring" some kind of rare magic type?"
"Actually, it's something from where I'm from," Bambietta told Lucy. "Honestly, I didn't know if powers from my world were compatible with people from here. The power you guys draw from is completely different from what we use. They're similar, but different nonetheless. As for what Fullbring is, I think that's best left up for Lil to give you all the details."
Liltotto sighed as Wendy was beginning to finish up healing Totomaru and Rukia began to patch up Levy. "It'll have to wait 'til we're done with this fiasco. Sorry to say, but I'd rather focus my attention on the task at hand."
Lucy nodded in understanding while Jade slowly walked over to Candice, the dark-skinned thief looking a little bit nervous as she glanced at her. "Say, Candi, are you really okay to keep going? You were really banged up earlier and-"
"Everything's fine now, Jade," Candice said as she playfully ruffled her friend's hair with a grin. "It'll take a lot more than that to take me out of the fight. We came here to save Erza, and I'll be damned if I leave another friend behind. I've made that mistake once...and I won't do it again."
Jade couldn't help but smile at her friend's answer. Before she had met Candice, she would have considered such talk childish, naive nonsense. The stuff of fairy tales and children's stories. No one was really like that as far as she was concerned. But the several months she had spent with the green-haired Quincy had helped put things in perspective for Jade. Before Candice, all she had, all she ever had, was Emberella. She didn't need anything else, or at least that's what her surrogate mother told her, and for a while, she believed her. She never once bothered to make friends with any of the members of the Chicken Fangs Guild because there was never a need. She had Emberella and she always would.
At least, that's what she thought. Once the plan to take over the guild had failed, Jade found herself all alone with no one to comfort her. She left the guild out of fear of association with Emberella, and felt more determined than she had ever been in her entire life to find her. But no matter how long she looked, Jade could never find her. As the days turned to weeks, weeks into months, she quickly lost hope, and she began to drink herself into a drunken stupor. But that was exactly when she ran into Candice and things changed forever.
Candice wasn't her superior, nor a mother figure, and frankly was nothing like Emberella at all. She was crude, impolite, and entirely uncaring how other people saw her… but Candice was always there for her, bringing back all kinds of food and various luxurious jewels that she stole from the occasional bandit. Any time Jade got in over her head, Candice was there for her, and vice versa. But it was more than just that. Candice was someone she could actually talk to openly, and Jade never had to fear speaking her mind openly around her. If she disagreed with an idea, she could actually tell Candice right to her face. If she just wanted someone to talk to, she could just sit next to the Quincy and chat for hours about their favorite movies and hobbies. She could even give Candice suggestions on what to do and the Quincy would actually listen to her half of the time. If she ever told Emberella what to do… Jade shuddered at the mere thought.
Most importantly, however, was that she could rely on Candice even when things got rough. Except with the first encounter with Erza, Candice had never abandoned her and she never would ever again. Jade then shook her head. 'No, it's not just Candi I can rely on...but everyone in Fairy Tail. They're risking their very lives to make sure Erza gets out of this… Just like they did with Lucy.' She smiled as she looked at the lot of them and casually brushed her hair back, a fond memory springing forth.
Jade walked around a hallway of Fairy Hills, sighing with discomfort while she rubbed the back of her neck. "That mission was way too damn tiring. At least I made enough money to help me make this month's rent and still have some left over," she said as she reached the room in Fairy Hills she and Candice lived in. Just as she opened the door, however, she was confused to see all the lights were off and the blinds of the windows were closed, the room entirely dark. "Candi? You home?" Jade asked while reaching for the light switch. "I was thinking we could go out for some-"
"SURPRISE!"
Jade immediately jumped in place before the lights turned on to reveal Natsu, Lucy, Levy, Gray, Rukia, Erza, Wendy, Bambietta, Liltotto, and Candice all standing around the living room, shouting their shared word with cheer. A large banner hung from one wall at the other end of the room spelling 'HAPPY BIRTHDAY' in different, bright, primary colors. Candice approached as she and the others spoke in unison again. "Happy birthday, Jade!"
"You guys...did all this for me?" Jade said, slowly smiling as she noticed some were even wearing party hats and using noisemakers. What really caught her attention was the massive cake lying on the island table counter in the kitchen, every other countertop filled with a spread of various foods. She had never had a proper celebration of her birthday before. The most she had ever gotten from Emberella was a simple "Happy Birthday," a day off, and a small gift with the occasional weapon as a present. This was… entirely new for her. "Th...thanks. I...hope that wasn't too expensive. You guys have a full banquet going on there." Jade said in a huffing laugh.
"We all pitched in a little to purchase it all. No big deal." Gray said with a shrug, not noticing he was shirtless.
Bambietta deadpanned and spoke with mild annoyance to him. "Gray, this is a party. Show some decency."
"Seriously, have some class," Rukia added. "It's the least you can do at a friend's birthday party."
"Oh, darn it, not again!"
As Gray hurried to clothe himself again in embarrassment, Jade looked over at her guildmates. "Are you guys really sure about this? I mean, I've only been here for about a month, so-"
Erza smiled before she interrupted the former thief. "You're a member of our guild, Jade. Of course we'd go so far as to do this much for your birthday. Understand that, as a member of this guild, you're not just a guildmate, you're family."
"Yeah, exactly what Erza said! Far as we're concerned, you're one of us now!" Natsu said as he emerged from the side, holding a roasted turkey leg in one hand with a large glass of soda in the other. "Alright guys, let's dig in!"
Lucy saw how he wolfed down the meat off the bone and chugged the drink, looking to him in mild disapproval before saying, "Hey, slow down! There's plenty for everyone, so make sure you share!"
"Here you go, Jade," Wendy said as she came to her with a plate full of food. "These are your favorites, right?"
"I… Thanks, Wendy," Jade said in admiration before eating one of the seedless grapes as she held the plate in her free hand. "How did you know that, though?"
Candice spoke proudly, giving a hitchhiker's thumb to herself. "I told her. We've been living together for some time now after all. I've kinda remembered everything you've ever told me about yourself and I figured you could use some kind of relaxation." The Quincy smirked. "Consider it a thank you for all the stupid shit you've stopped me from doing."
A weak smile with narrow eyes came across Jade's face as she replied sarcastically, "Well, thanks, but I can't help but hope you're not some kind of creeper for remembering all that." She then gave her friend a playful wink as Candice chuckled.
Everyone shared a quick laugh before enjoying the festivities at the party, socializing with the usual upbeat demeanor displayed between them all. It may have been the first real birthday party Jade had in years, but it meant more to her than the others could possibly realize, and she was certain it was one she'd never forget.
'This guild really is something, isn't it?' Jade thought as she looked over all of her friends. She wasn't quite sure she'd call them family just yet, but one thing was for certain… Some of the happiest moments of her life were spent in this guild. She clenched her fist then in determination as she looked at Candice. 'I don't know what the future holds… but I'll do whatever I can to make sure you all get out of here safe and sound… It's the least I can do after all you've done for me.'
A loud clapping sound disrupted her thoughts as Jade looked over to Liltotto, the petite Quincy trying to get everyone's attention as Wendy and Rukia finally finished patching everyone up. "Alright, listen up everyone! Now that we're all healed, we're going to begin our final assault. The battle to come is no doubt going to be the fiercest one yet. If any of you are starting to get cold feet, I would suggest leaving now. If you feel like you can't do this anymore, raise your hand."
No one, neither those from Fairy Tail nor Erza's old friends, raised their hand. After waiting a few seconds to make sure, Liltotto continued. "Alright. With that all settled, I think it's time we began with our plan of attack. Our most important objective hasn't changed: Saving Erza. Thus, to maximize our odds of success, we'll make this a quick hit-and-run operation. Ulquiorra, since you are the fastest one here, you'll use your Sonido to grab Erza and run down the tower. Should the guild master and Jellal prove to be too much for you to escape with Erza, Candice will try to take her away in your place as you hold them back. Afterward, we'll hit the pair with a quick barrage of attacks to buy you enough time to escape. From that point on, we'll take turns taking potshots at our enemies as we descend the tower. We'll start from our heaviest hitters and, with luck, we'll be close to escape by the time we need to resort to our weaker fighters. I'll be laying Ginto traps as we go down to hopefully buy us some more time as well. It's far from a perfect plan, but it's the best I can come up with on such short notice and minimize casualties. Any questions?"
When no one responded, Liltotto walked over to Bambietta as she continued to speak. "Listen, we're all here because Erza means something to each of us. A guildmate, a surrogate sister, a comrade, a friend, a role model, maybe even all of them at once. Regardless of what our reasoning for standing here is, know that you are not alone in your desire to save Erza. I know for a fact that, if any of us were to die saving her, Erza would never be able to live with herself. I know that the odds are far from being in our favor, even more so with the idea of everyone coming out of this alive, but I want you to all try your damndest to not just save her but also get your asses out of here safe and sound! I want to see Erza smiling with tears of joy when we get out of here, and that's not gonna happen if any of you die in the process, so I don't want to see any of you trying to play the hero! Is that clear!?"
With shouts of "Hell, yeah" and "Yes ma'am!" and various other responses, they pumped themselves up for the battle to come. As this was going on, Liltotto looked up at Bambietta. "That goes double for you, okay, Bambi? If I were to lose you-"
Bambietta smirked as she looked down at Liltotto. "Oh, that isn't ever happening again," Bambietta said. "I'm sticking to my buddies like glue, and ain't no psycho Wizard Saints, Zeref worshippers, deluded grim reapers, or even a bucket-headed-immortal-dog-man-samurai-werewolf-whatever-the-fu-" Bambietta looked at Wendy out of the corner of her eye. "-udge-he-was is going to change that."
"What a touching little speech. Such a shame that it's full of hot air."
Before anyone could react to the new voice, however, Bambietta and Liltotto were quickly engulfed in a shadowy orb before it and the two Quincy vanished from sight. Levitating right above the remainder of the group was a man clad in metal armor, his shoulder, elbow, and knee pads covered in spikes. He wore a red cape and an ornate metal helmet as he slowly floated down to the ground. "After all, none of you will be making it to Jellal's throne room."
"Bambietta, Liltotto!" Practically everyone sans Ulquiorra shouted out, aghast at what had happened to their comrades. Natsu clad himself in fire, Wendy surrounded herself with wind, Gray took up a stance to prepare one of his spells as Juvia prepared her own, and Candice, Ulquiorra, Rukia, and Totomaru brandished their blades while Jade readied her gun. Lucy quickly got her keys from her skirt before she pointed one of them at the man responsible. "Who are you, and what did you do to Bambi and Lil!?" She demanded. Her hands were shaking as she pointed her key, not from fear, but from barely contained anger.
"That's...the guild master of Death's Head Caucus, Dyspute!" Simon explained as he and Erza's old friends prepared themselves. "You need to be careful, he's extremely powerful!"
"I don't care who he is! I want to know what he did to Bambi!" Lucy demanded as her eyes narrowed in anger. "What did you do!?"
"Do not fret, neither of the Quincies has perished." The dark guild master said as he glared at the assembled group. "I simply teleported them into a small pocket dimension of my own creation. Jellal wishes to see what these two Quincies are capable of before he kills them right before Erza's eyes. However, aside from the worthless traitors, he said nothing about sparing the rest of you." He casually raised his arm before giving them all a sinister grin and thrusting his hand forward. "Shadow God's Wave Crusher." A massive torrent of darkness exploded from his hand, rocketing towards the members of the Fairy Tail Guild.
"What!? God Slaying Magic!?" Levy cried out. She had heard tales of such magic existing, but she never thought she'd see it with her own eyes! It was supposedly rarer than even Dragon Slaying Magic! The Fairy Tail Guild, however, was far from content to simply let the guild master have the opening move, and swiftly counterattacked.
"Fire Dragon's Roar!"
"Sky Dragon's Roar!"
"Ice-Make Cannon!"
"Hado Number 33: Sokatsui!"
"Galvano Blast!"
"Water Slicer!"
The combined elemental attacks clashed with the massive wave of darkness. The entire room shook as the attacks clashed, but after only a few mere seconds, the wave of darkness overcame the combined attack from Fairy Tail. Thinking quickly, Wendy cried out "Armor!" and covered the entirety of her team in a red aura as Totomaru added his yellow flame armor on top of it. The wave crashed into the Fairy Tail mages, sending each of them either skidding away from the force or rolling across the ground like a rag doll. While most of them were able to get back up, Simon, Wally, Sho and Millianna were completely knocked out.
Dyspute chuckled then as he looked at the downed mages. "Really? You've all somehow managed to defeat my entire guild, yet you're already on your knees from one measly attack? Here I was, hoping I'd at least get a proper warm-up out of this. But, I suppose it matters little. You Fairy Tail vermin have humiliated my guild, and for that, you shall suffer."
Schema laughed madly as he watched the battle from the divine realm before he looked at Sylphia and grinned. "See Sylphia? Your warriors are doomed! Dyspute is a 2nd generation God Slayer with years of experience in the art of killing! Today is the day I strike a huge blow against your side of the war!"
Sylphia ignored his arrogant boasting as she looked down at the wretched tower, her right-hand tightly clutching her scepter as she stared down at the wretched tower. 'Fairy Tail… I pray that you manage to overcome these overwhelming odds.'
(Song of Choice: Emergence Of The Haunted from Bleach OST 2)
The guild master took a step forward towards the guild, a wicked grin plastered on his face as he did so. "Now, how should I celebrate my inevitable victory?"
"Rather arrogant of you to assume that you've already won."
Dyspute quickly turned around then to see none other than Ulquiorra Cifer, his index finger pointed at him, glowing green before he discharged a Cero point-blank. The guild master was completely covered from head to toe in the massive green light, the attack bursting through the tower before exploding in the sky. Ulquiorra was just about to lower his hand only for an armor-clad gauntlet to appear from the dust of his attack, grab the Arrancar by the face and slam him into the ground. The dust cleared, revealing Dyspute, completely, totally, and utterly unharmed. "I'm sorry, but was that light show supposed to hurt me?" Ulquiorra quickly got to his feet, reached for his Zanpakuto and thrust his blade forward, only for a dark shadowy tendril to burst from Dyspute's hands and wrap around Ulquiorra's left hand before the god slayer smirked. "Too slow. Shadow God's Malicious Whip!" With a casual fling of his wrist, the Arrancar was sent careening into a nearby wall, the hand the whip had wrapped around reduced to nothing more than a bloody stump.
"Ulquiorra!" Levy cried out before she quickly wrote some words in the air. "Solid Script: Water, Fire, Wind, Earth!"
The 4 elemental attacks crashed into Dyspute, but the guild master simply raised his own hand then and caught the combined attack before casually crushing it in his hands. "Pathetic. If you can only bring a quantity of attacks into battle, and not quality, then you have no place on the battlefield!" The shadowy whip stretched out then and wrapped around Levy's body before he yanked her close and he grinned. "Now, how should I finish you off?" The shadowy binds around her body constricted and Levy screamed out in pain as Dyspute chuckled.
"Let Levy go right now!" Lucy demanded before she quickly swung down her right hand to summon one of her spirits. "Open, Gate of The Archer, Sagittarius!" The strange spirit dressed in a horse costume fired a volley of arrows at the guild master, but right as they were about to come into contact, a wall of shadows erupted right before Dyspute, stopping the attack entirely.
"Celestial spirits, I see? And golden ones at that? I'll have to make sure to sell those keys for a high price once I pry them off your body." Dyspute claimed before he made the shadowy binds tighten even more around Levy, creating a loud "SNAP" sound for the whole room to hear, Levy crying out even more than before. "Oh, looks like I broke her arm by accident. How fragile."
A loud static sound could be heard from above, Dyspute looking up to see Ulquiorra glaring at him intensely before the former Espada swung his Zanpakuto at his neck, fully intending to remove the guild master's head with one blow! However, like before, a massive wall of shadows emerged from the ground, stopping the attack in its place. Dyspute quickly turned around to face Ulquiorra. "A nice attempt. However, my Shadow God's Underworld Barrier can't hope to be bested by a mere sneak attack." His hand was quickly engulfed by shadows then before he cried out, "Shadow God's Cruel Slash," slicing through Ulquiorra's torso and cutting through his ribcage. The cruel assassin slammed him to the ground, kicking the Arrancar's head with force enough to send him flying before turning his attention back at Levy. "Now, where were we-"
"Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!"
Before he could think to activate his Shadow God barrier technique, Natsu slammed his flaming fist into Dyspute's face before quickly following up his attack with yet another flaming fist. As Natsu began to wail on the guild master, Wendy ran up towards Levy and placed her hands on the shadowy binds. I have to break the enchantments on these fast or else Levy's gonna… She's gonna-"
Another flaming fist slammed itself into Dyspute's face before Natsu leapt into the air, both of his hands covered in flames before he created a massive flaming orb above his head, yelled "FIRE DRAGON'S BRILLIANT FLAME!" and sent the massive orb hurtling at the guild master, covering him entirely with flames. "Yeah, how do you like that? You-" However, before Natsu could even finish speaking, Dyspute was already slowly getting to his feet, and slowly twisted his neck before he glared at Natsu. "What!?" The dragon slayer cried out in surprise.
"I'll admit that you caught me off guard, Salamander," Dyspute said as he slowly cracked his knuckles. "I actually felt some of those attacks of yours. However, if that is the best you can do-" Dyspute vanished from Natsu's sight as he was engulfed in shadow, only to reappear directly in front of the dragon slayer. "Then your flames are as harmless as matchsticks." He then punched Natsu hard across the face before grabbing onto his pink hair and kneeing him in the stomach. Natsu tried to catch his breath and punched back, but Dyspute was relentless, continuously wailing on the dragon slayer till he finally collapsed to the ground. The guild master frowned then as he looked at his foe. "Done already? How disappointing."
"Ice-Make Cannon!" A massive ball of ice hurtled towards Dyspute, but without even bothering to look at the attack, the guild master simply raised his hand before he muttered, "Shadow God's Lance," and a shadowy lance burst from his right hand, easily destroying Gray's lance and shooting right towards him. Thinking quickly, Gray threw his hands to the ground and yelled "Ice-Make Wall!" However, the shadow lance crashed right through the wall of ice with little resistance, the lance only mere moments from piercing Gray's body.
"MY LOVE, LOOK OUT!"
Gray felt a powerful pair of hands push him from behind, forcing him to look behind him only to see Juvia being impaled by the shadow lance, the water mage sent careening into the nearby wall. Her body quickly reformed as she ran to Gray. "My love, are you-"
"What interesting magic you have."
Her eyes widened in surprise as Juvia heard Dyspute right behind her. She quickly turned around before she shouted out "Water Lock!" and imprisoned the guild master in her massive sphere of water. "I will not allow you to hurt my beloved Gray, do you hear me!?"
"JUVIA, NO!" Gray yelled out. "YOU HAVE TO RUN, YOUR MAGIC CAN'T HOLD-"
Before Gray could finish speaking, however, one of Dyspute's hands had already burst from Juvia's water lock before wrapping around her throat, choking the water mage before he then shouted out from within the sphere of water and his body erupted with a shadowy aura, dispersing the water around him and wrapping around her body.
"I see. So, you can turn your body into water to avoid any serious injury," Dyspute claimed as he continued to choke Juvia, the water mage choking and sputtering as she kicked behind her in a vain attempt to break free. "However, elemental body magic requires you to concentrate in order to use it effectively. If I simply restrict your breathing and channel my own power around you, it'll make your power much harder to use." He then created a spear made out of shadow then before he thrust it forward, Juvia letting out a silent scream as her body was impaled by the dark element. "See? Piece of cake."
"JUVIA!" Gray shouted as he got to his feet before he ran at Dyspute as fast as he could, screaming out "DAMN YOU! ICE-MAKE: DEATH SCYTHE!" He jumped over Juvia before he swung the ice construct as hard as he could at the Guild master. However, Dyspute simply raised his other hand to block the attack, catching the blade of ice with two mere fingers before he gave it a slight twist. "What!?"
"I see. You're no better than Salamander was. A shame." Dyspute spoke before he spoke. "Shadow God's Torrent." The pair was instantly surrounded by a massive shadowy tornado, shooting up to the roof of the room and beyond. After 20 seconds of intense shadows winding about, the attack dispersed, Gray and Juvia now on the floor, seemingly unconscious.
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Candice yelled out before she used Hirenkyaku to appear right before Dyspute and swing her swords at him as fast as she could. However, each of her attacks missed their marks, Dyspute simply moving slightly to the left or right to avoid being hit before he grabbed onto her right hand and spoke, "Shadow God's Bone Crusher Kick." The assassin kicked Candice so hard in the stomach that she was sent careening away. Candice slowly tried to get back up, but felt immense pain as she tried. 'Oh, fuck! He broke my ribs!'
"Candice! Gray! Juvia!" Lucy shouted before she got another one of her keys ready as she sent Sagittarius back to the Spirit World. "Open, Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!" Summoning the giant bovine man with his massive ax, Lucy was quick to point her index finger and Dyspute before she yelled, "Don't hold anything back Taurus! He's hurt all my friends and I'm going to make him pay!"
"Whatever you say, Miss Lucy! MOOOOOOOOOOO!" Taurus cried out as he ran at full speed at Dyspute. He raised his ax high into the air and swung it down hard on the guild master, only for said guild master to simply catch the ax in his hand.
"I see. So, this is all your spirits are capable of in your hands as you are now. What a waste." Creating a sword made of shadow in his right hand, Dyspute swung his blade and cut both Taurus and his ax completely in half, sending the spirit back to his world before looking her way. "Ah, yes, you're the daughter of the Heartfilia family, aren't you? I think I can get some use out of you unlike the rest of these fools. I'm sure your father would pay quite the price to make sure you stayed alive."
As Dyspute slowly made his way towards Lucy, the celestial mage couldn't help but feel her legs buckle with fear. 'What can I possibly hope to do against someone like this?! He took down everyone like they were nothing! I… I…'
Lucy...you're not alone! The blonde heard in her head. Lucy quickly recognized it as her childhood friend. As long as we work together, we can do anything. Use me, Lucy, and let's show this man what we can do!
Her heart and mind filled with confidence once more. Lucy quickly clad herself in her Fullbring, quickly brandishing her oversized sword before she pointed it at Dyspute. "It's not over yet, do you hear me!? I'm going to save Bambi and Erza! No, save everyone!"
"You won't be facing him alone!" Rukia proclaimed as she used Shunpo to appear next to her. "I refuse to let someone who hurts my comrades simply get away with it!"
"Count me in too!" Totomaru proclaimed as he walked over to the three of them. "I've got half a mind to make this guy pay for all the hell he's put us through!"
The three mages charged forward, eager to put an end to the madness once and for all. As the three approached, Dyspute simply smirked and proclaimed. "It's pointless. Shadow God's Rain of Pain." A massive shadowy sphere appeared above his head before it began to rapidly discharge hundreds of shadow spears. Totomaru deflected as many as he could but there were simply too many, two of the shadow spears impaling him through his right arm and left leg before he finally fell. Rukia and Lucy fared much better, the latter's speed having improved to an insane degree thanks to her Fullbring, while Rukia's Shunpo provided her with just the speed she needed.
"Tsugi no mai, Hakuren!" A massive torrent of icy air erupted from Rukia's Zanpakuto as she closed the distance between her and the dark guild master. Once more did Dyspute catch the oncoming attack with ease, and he frowned as he looked at the Soul Reaper. "Did you really think an attack like this would be enough to defeat me?"
"No..." Rukia said as she smiled "but the next one will! Lucy, now!"
"TAKE THIS!" Lucy shouted out as she jumped above Dyspute, her massive sword swinging down on him with all of her might. However, the shadow god slayer simply moved to the left, dodging the sword strike entirely before he reached out with his hand and wrapped it around Lucy's throat, causing her to drop the weapon. "Did you truly think such a simple strategy would be enough to defeat me? That one blow would be enough? How foolish." He tightened his grip then as he looked into Lucy's eyes. "In the end, it doesn't matter how many weaklings rise up to defeat a true warrior. In the end, the weak are nothing more than beings for the strong to use how they desire."
"You're… the absolute worst." Lucy sputtered out as she struggled weakly. "I… only have one thing to say to people like you."
The guild master chuckled as he watched her futile attempt to free herself. "Go on then, speak. I could use a good joke."
"You… fell for it!" Lucy's visage faded from Dyspute's vision completely, replacing her now with none other than Jade Ladro, grinning at him with confidence.
(Song of choice: Hollowed from Bleach OST 3)
"What!?" Dyspute had no time to figure out just what had transpired as he felt a powerful blow on his head from behind. He crashed to the ground, the guild master letting go of Jade and revealing Lucy behind him with her sword at the ready. Lucy swung her sword down on him once more, but the guild master was ready this time. He quickly created a dark shadowy sword to counter her own as he looked at her in contempt. "Damn you! I'll be sure I make you suffer before-"
"Electrocution!"
Lucy leaped away just in time before Dyspute was then nailed by a massive bolt of lightning from above with Candice floating above him. The guild master struggled to get to his feet, now feeling the full effects of the attacks from both Lucy and Candice. As he got up, however, he felt an intense heat behind him. Noticing that the pair of Candice and Lucy had chosen to move out of the way, he saw from the corner of his eye that Natsu had gotten up despite his earlier beating. Before he could mount a proper defense, the guild master was slammed by a powerful "Fire Dragon's Roar!" which sent him tumbling across the room. He slowly rose to his feet yet again only for Natsu to slam into him with a fiery tackle and quickly deliver a "Fire Dragon's Talon" to his stomach!
The guild master was sent skidding across the ground, his entire body slowly being engulfed with shadow. "I see, so this is the power of the Flames of Emotion! But compared to me, you lack the speed to-" Just before he could finish, Dyspute felt a strange coldness. He looked down then only to see that his feet were now shackled with chains made of ice! "What, impossible!"
"I wasn't…going to let you take me down...without some payback for what you did to Juvia," Gray muttered as he watched from the ground, a trail of ice leading from him to the guild master. "I just had to wait for you to drop your guard so I could finally trap you." His eyes began to flutter as he slowly lost consciousness. "Go…get him…Natsu."
"You think this will be enough to stop me!? The guild master said as he raised his right hand in an attempt to free himself, only to feel his hand stop behind him. He turned around to see none other than the Arrancar he had defeated before! "You!? You're still alive!?"
"I may… not be of much use in this battle." Ulquiorra panted. "But… I can at least help in restraining you long enough to ensure your defeat."
Before the guild master could attempt to free himself, Natsu's fists engulfed themselves in fire as Ulquiorra used Sonido to get away. His comrade out of the way of the attack, Natsu yelled out "Crimson Lotus: Fire Dragon Fist!" before he began to land a series of powerful punches on the guild master, each one more hot and more intense than the last. Having lost count after the 50th punch, Natsu reared his arm back one last time before launching an extremely powerful right-handed jab, sending the despicable man through the nearby wall. Natsu panted from exhaustion. "Huff… Huff… Damn it," he said before he fell onto one knee. "That… That bastard did way more damage to me earlier than I thought he did."
"It's fine, you did more than enough," Jade said as she slowly walked over to Natsu. She then pointed at Wendy as the little dragon slayer had finally managed to get Levy free from her earlier bindings. Ulquiorra and Lucy ran over to make sure the bookworm was alright. "Thanks to our little plan, we were able to distract that asshole long enough to save Levy."
"Yeah, I guess," Natsu said as he gave Jade a smile. "Still can't believe you managed to come up with something like that so fast. You gotta be pretty smart to pull off something like that."
Jade shook her head. "Trust me, I'm really not all that clever. I just… improvised is all. You don't live on the streets as long as I have and not pick up some intuition."
Natsu leaned back as he laid down on the ground. "Eh, I don't think you're giving yourself enough credit if you ask me. Still, how were you able to tell us about it without that Dispute guy knowing about it? I thought you had to be careful how you used your magic with how much it drains you."
Jade pointed to her ears before she spoke. "Simple, controlling all 5 of my enemies' senses is a real drain on my magic, but just one is really easy as long as it's not sight. All I had to do was make it so he couldn't hear my voice while I told everyone else what to do. I figured if he was too focused on us, he'd stop trying to hurt Levy and give Wendy more than enough time to get her out of that mess. All we needed was the perfect distraction to land one good hit on him, and I knew you could take him down if you had the opportunity. So… I volunteered to be the bait. After that, I simply altered the rest of his senses before he used that Shadow Rain spell on us, and the rest is history. Granted, I'm all out of magic now, but it was worth it."
"Yeah, well… I really owe you one." Natsu looked over at Levy and smiled. "We… lost someone a few years ago and… it really hurt. Still hurts, honestly. If I lost another one of my friends while I was there and couldn't do anything about it… I don't know what I'd do with myself."
"Yeah, well… Levy's been nice to me ever since I joined the guild," Jade said with a small smile. "Honestly… all of you have, really."
"Of course," Natsu said as he gave her a smile. "You're part of our family after all, right?"
Jade stared at him, her eyes wide before she smiled back. "I guess I am."
"Hey, wait a fucking minute!" Candice said as she looked around her. "Where the fuck are Bambi and Lil at?! If we really took that asshole down, then those two should be back, so why the fuck aren't they-"
"Because you fools don't know how to finish the job."
Every single member of the Fairy Tail team turned their heads to see none other than Dyspute standing up from the wall he crashed through mere moments ago. His armor looked cracked, and he had a bleeding lip, but he otherwise seemed completely unharmed. "It seems that it was unfounded of me to underestimate you. Now I can see how you managed to defeat my guild after all. Very well, if 90% of my power won't suffice, then I suppose 95% will be more than enough."
(Song of choice: Creeping Shadows from Bleach OST 1)
Natsu quickly got up to his feet and charged at Dyspute, his flames coating his body once more. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He slammed his fist into Dyspute's chin as hard as he could, his anger fueling his power to greater heights… only for it to merely cause Dyspute's head to tilt up slightly.
"The last time I hurt you, I underestimated the amount of punishment a dragon slayer could stand," Dyspute observed as Natsu continued to punch him as hard as he could to no avail. "So, this time, I'll be sure to hit you with something that'll put you down, permanently."
Natsu jumped back before he took a deep breath and shouted out "FIRE DRAGON'S ROAR!" The massive torrent of flames speeding towards Dyspute as its intensity melted the nearby rocks and debris.
Dyspute for his part, however, merely grinned. "My turn. SHADOW GOD'S BELLOW!" The sheer size and volume of the attack were 5 times greater than the one Natsu had used before. The dragon slayer crossed his arms in front of himself in an attempt to defend, but the attack was simply too strong, and it completely engulfed Natsu. Once the attack subsided, the dragon slayer took a few steps forward… only to collapse on the ground.
"NATSU!" Jade yelled before she reached for her twin pistols and began to fire at Dyspute. The magical bullets bounced off his body harmlessly before he simply looked at her and unleashed a tendril made of shadow at the green-haired thief that yanked her closer. Jade struggled as best she could in her confines as he slowly looked over her body.
"Hmmm… I feel that I've… seen you before." The guild master muttered as he gazed at Jade tightly. "Now where was it?"
"LET HER GO!" Candice yelled out as she descended from above, trying to kick Dyspute in the head. Traveling twice the speed of lightning, Candice crashed down on Dyspute's location only to see Dyspute appear behind her and swing a blade of shadow at her. Candice tried to block with her own blades, but they were easily destroyed. Her swords now broken, Candice jumped up into the air before she cried out, "I'm not gonna let you hurt her, do you hear me!?" She began to pelt his body with electrified Heilig Pfeil, each one casually deflected by shadowy tendrils surrounding Dyspute's body.
The god slayer simply shook his head before he waved his hand. "Shadow God's Wave Crusher." The massive torrent of energy crashed into Candice then, the Quincy quickly activating Blut Vene just before the spell engulfed her in shadow. The spell quickly subsided, Candice crashing to the ground below.
"Bakudo Number 61: Rikujokoro!" Six bars of light slammed into Dyspute's midsection as Rukia Flash Stepped over to the guild master, her Zanpakuto pointing right at his face as she gave him a fierce glare. "You will release Jade this instant or else-"
Dyspute laughed as he glared down at the Reigai. "Or else you'll what? Kill me? Please, I know that your guild is more naive than most. You all believe that life is precious, that it shouldn't be taken so easily! You don't have what it takes to make such idle threats!" With a simple flex of his muscles, Dyspute was able to shatter the Bakudo spell that bound him. Rukia ran forward, her Zanpakuto ready to cut her foe down, only for Dyspute to disappear from her sight with a shadowy flare. Her eyes widened in shock. Rukia then felt a sharp pain in her belly before she looked down, only to see a blade of darkness piercing through her. She slowly turned her head to see Dyspute giving her a malicious grin before she tried to fire off a Kido with one of her hands her movement halted when Dyspute removed his sword from her body and sliced her from her shoulder to her waist, causing her to collapse to the ground in a puddle of blood.
"Candi, Rukia, no!" Jade screamed. Her attempts to break free only intensified but no matter what she tried, it was a futile effort.
"Wendy, you need to get to her now!" Lucy screamed as she brandished her sword.
"I can't! Levy still needs to be healed!" The dragon slayer yelled back as she was still trying to patch up Levy's wounds. "She has too much internal bleeding, if I stop now, then-"
"Continue doing what you must," Ulquiorra said as he pointed his Zanpakuto at Dyspute. "I will buy you as much time as you need to heal everyone here."
"Do… you really think you can win?" Lucy asked the Arrancar. Slowly, Ulquiorra looked at her… before he vanished with Sonido. He appeared before Dyspute, his Zanpakuto clashing with Dyspute's shadow blade as he glared into his eyes.
"Oh, do you really think you can take me on by yourself? Do I need to remind you what happened the last time?" Dyspute taunted as he pressed his advantage, the Arrancars's feet skidding across the ground as Dyspute quickly overpowered him. "Your sword can't cut me, and those Ceros as you like to call them will have no effect on me!"
"Perhaps not," Ulquiorra said as he tried his best to hold his ground before his eyes glanced over towards the unconscious Levy. "However… I have something that I must fight for."
"Ha! Pathetic sentimentality from those who can't rely on their own power!" Swinging his dark blade as hard as he could, Dyspute parried Ulquiorra's Zanpakuto to the right before swinging down once more and removing the weakened Arrancar's sword arm entirely. Not even close to being done, Ulquiorra tried to hit Dyspute with a punch, but with another swing of the dark wizard's blade, the Arrancar quickly lost his other arm. Now totally disarmed, the Arrancar could do nothing. The dark guild master let out a burst of maniacal laughter and began swinging his sword against Ulquiorra repeatedly, his hierro doing little to stop the attacks. Finally, after cutting the Arrancar across the chest at least a dozen times, Ulquiorra fell to one knee only for Dyspute to grab him by his horned helmet and slam him into the ground. "Do you see now, fool? Power is what truly matters." He raised his sword up once again, entirely intending to sever the Arrancar's head from his body!
"You're wrong!"
Just as his sword was about to sever Ulquiorra's head, Lucy's Fullbring blade intercepted the blade of darkness. Snarling, the guild master pushed Lucy back before he glared at her. "Oh? I'm wrong, you say? Has this entire fight not proven that I'm correct? For all of your sentimentality, it's done you nothing compared to my overwhelming might!"
"All that power and you stand alone..." Lucy said through gritted teeth as she managed with all of her might to stay on her feet. "Throwing your guild out to face us one by one... and where are they now? Beaten, just like you're going to be. The power you have... it's nothing compared to the power we all share together as Fairy Tail!" She let out a mighty battle cry before she rushed forward with her large sword and swung it at Dyspute with vigor. However, this being only the second time she had ever used a sword in her life, Lucy's swordsmanship left much to be desired, the guild master constantly parrying her attacks with ease with his own shadow blade.
"This power of yours is certainly unlike any other I've seen before," Dyspute admitted as he stopped an upward swing from Lucy's blade with his own before he smirked. "Yes, this power of yours is almost on par with that of Salamander's and that Ice Mage. I can see now why Vidaldus was defeated. However-" Lucy let out one last, powerful swing as she yelled as hard as she could, putting her entire body and into the next swing, only for Dyspute to casually stop the blade in his hand as he grinned. "Your power is far, far below that of a slayer of gods. Shadow God's Pulverizing Fist!" His fist covered in swirling black magic, he punched the celestial mage hard in the stomach, a loud crunching sound echoing as Lucy felt her feet wobble and she took a step back. She tried to raise her sword, but her hands felt like jelly. Dyspute appeared behind her, grabbed the Fullbringer's long hair, and slammed his fist into her back forcing her to the ground. She slowly tried to get up, only for Dyspute to slam his foot down on the back of her head.
"What was that about the power of Fairy Tail!?" Dyspute cried out as he stomped on her head over and over again. "It doesn't matter how many weaklings team up together, or how hard they try! In the end, the weak are purely food for the strong! The powerful! They exist only for us to use as we see fit!" He slammed his foot down one last time before he looked down at the blonde wizard, Lucy not moving even the slightest in the crater he had created. "You should consider yourself fortunate that you're more valuable to me alive than dead," Dyspute muttered, the dark guild wizard letting his armored shoulders sink for but a moment. He looked over the room, knowing that all that awaited him were visages of despair. "I wonder, then, how much longer the rest of you...have?"
(Song of choice: Fairy Tail theme, sad version)
Dyspute was surprised to see something quite different from what he wanted, at least not with all his remaining opponents. In the one called Lucy Heartfilia, he saw not a shattered spirit, but rousing determination in the face of overwhelming odds as she slowly got up to her feet, despite her horribly injured body.
"Bambi, Lil… You'll let them go, right now," Lucy said with ragged breaths, the earlier beating having taken much out of her. "I won't… I won't let you…use them for whatever you want!"
"Oh, and are you going to make me?" Dyspute asked, taking a step forward, his heavy armor clanking. "Your pitiful little band could not handle me all together, but you... just you intend to defeat me and save them?"
Lucy raised her sword then, her hands beginning to tremble as she did so. He was so strong, so powerful. She knew that, realistically, she stood no chance. But there was one thought, one thing that kept her going, as memories of her girlfriend's confession came flashing to her mind...
"My mother...she always brought me out to see the stars too." Bambietta said as they two rode upward into the sky on their way back home her voice became a low whisper as she spoke. "She always said that no matter how dark the sky would get at night that the stars would always guide us to tomorrow. And that no matter how sick she got, no matter how weak she felt, that she wouldn't surrender because... I was her star. And she was mine."
Bambietta exhaled deeply. Lucy tentatively reached out to her, stopping only when the Quincy looked at her.
"It was the same for you, wasn't it?" Bambietta asked.
Lucy held her hand away from Bambietta, the wizard more than willing to answer honestly. "Yes."
"Like I said, we're alike." Bambietta smiled faintly as she looked away once more. "We both needed new stars, and we got it in Fairy Tail. I'm just glad... you found them quicker than I did."
"Bambi..."
"Some stars aren't meant to be trusted. They draw you in like a moth to the flame but they're just damned black holes that refuse to let you go." Bambietta spoke with a hush, her face trembling with equal amounts of sorrow and anger. The fusion began to fade, however, the Quincy remember the choice she had made when Sylphia had presented her with two paths to consider. "But Fairy Tail... it's become my guiding light. Erza, Wendy, Levy, Natsu and..."
Closing her eyes as she tried to fight back any tears, even if they were born of happiness, Bambietta turned to her friend with a bright smile.
"You. You're my biggest star, Lucy."
(Song of Choice: Battle Against a True Hero)
She grit her teeth then, her hands no longer trembling with fear as she was filled with determination and her body began to glow with light, the green parts of her uniform turning white. "Yes, I will!"
Candice looked on from the ground as she tried to get up, her eyes widening. 'I can't believe it... Is her Fullbring already starting to evolve!?'
Dyspute took a heavy breath, dark magic flowing out from his left eye like smoke. "Then die as you deserve to." A bolt of shadowy mass flew forth from his eye socket then. Lucy saw it coming, panic giving way to a response that was neither flight nor fight.
It was simply both. The Celestial Spirit Wizard slipped to the side, feeling magic beneath her heels, and moved past the attack and towards Dyspute. "You seem bound and determined, young lady, to meet your death at my hands and not my magic?" Dyspute smiled savagely as he leaned forward a slight bit. "Then so be it. I will fight you on your own level."
Lucy swung the sword at Dyspute, grunting in frustration as he parried it with a casual motion of his right arm, the gauntlet sparking as the blade scraped over it. He moved around Lucy then, his combat prowess allowing his body and armor to deceptively flow into the battle.
"Ah!" Lucy cried out as she felt his armored fist drive into her back, throwing her forward. She managed to turn then, swinging her sword in a horizontal strike, but Dyspute managed to slip back and forward again, evading and invading in an unnatural movement. His right hand reached for Lucy then, another strike sending her flying back.
"Fool!" Dyspute roared as the wizard flew back through the air. "You believe that your determination alone gives you the right to best me, but you must face reality."
"The only reality," Lucy cried out, swinging not her sword arm, but the other, "is the one where you let Bambi go!"
She ran forward then, her blade dragging across the ground as he began to pelt her with blasts of shadow, but she continued to run, to fight through the pain as her mind was filled with one, single, powerful, thought. 'Bambi went through much worse than this to save me when Phantom Lord attacked, I can't… I won't stop, not until I save her!'
"Do you really think that you have any sort of chance?" Dyspute asked Lucy as she struggled to approach. "What will adding two more weaklings to the fray change anyways?"
"It's not about strength!" Lucy yelled out as she used her blade to deflect an oncoming blast of shadow. "Bambi's always been there for me when I've needed her the most. Always vowing to keep me safe. But right now, she's the one who needs me! You can hurt me as much as you want, but I won't stop until I save her!"
Finally, Lucy managed to close the distance between the two of them as she swung her sword downwards at Dyspute. He raised his shadow blade in an attempt to block, only to find himself skidding back from the strike! 'What's this!? Her magic is…getting stronger!'
The two continued to clash then, blade against blade, but to Dyspute's shock and awe, Lucy's blows continued to increase in power as her body began to glow with magic, the guild master losing ground in their clash. He just barely managed to raise his blade up in the nick of time to block a swing aimed at his chest, only for him to buckle from the power she was now demonstrating. 'What on earth is happening!? This girl is on a completely different level than she was before! How did she-'
Before he could even finish his thought process, Lucy had delivered a powerful kick to his stomach, causing him to cough up some bile as he was knocked back. He panted for breath for a few seconds before quickly moving his blade to block another of her blows, this one aimed at the left of his waist. Once more, her strength forced him to shudder from her blow, his heels dragging into the ground.
"Bambi's taught me that I should never give up when your backs to the wall!" Lucy cried out as she tried to strike at the right side of Dyspute's waist, the shadow god slayer barely blocking it in time as Lucy continued. "To keep going despite the odds! That I don't need to doubt myself anymore! I don't care if the chances of me winning are one in a million, I won't give up!" Lucy's whip flew out then when she finally got close enough, snapping around Dyspute's arm. He was pulled off his feet by Lucy's momentum then, bringing him towards her.
"Now give her back!" Lucy screamed, bringing her sword to bear. She felt her feet hit the floor, spiritual particles pushing against it, and she threw Dyspute. Her blade struck him before he was engulfed in a massive wave of energy, completely covering Dyspute in the overwhelming light and firing through the tower itself, creating a massive hole inside of it unlike any prior! The entire tower itself shook as Lucy's power fired from it before ceasing completely. Finally, the dust cleared, and in its place stood the dark mage revealing, for the first time since the battle had begun, an indication of real damage: a long, bleeding cut now adorning his chest plate.
"Gotcha," Lucy said as she moved past him, a smile on her face that would not have seemed out of place on Bambietta's own as her fullbring reverted back to its old form.
Ulquiorra Cifer could only watch in utter bafflement upon sensing the power Lucy had just unleashed. 'I wouldn't believe it if I wasn't sensing it for myself. Her power… It was almost on par with that of an Espada's Gran Ray Cero!' This wasn't the first time she had managed such a feat, the Espada recalling her power rising to equal heights in her attempt to plead for Loke's life with the Celestial Spirit King. This made one fact indisputably true. When her emotions came to the forefront, Lucy's power always seemed to skyrocket beyond her limit. 'It appears Lucy Heartfilia has much more potential in her than I realized,' the Arrancar thought. However, he could then sense Dyspute's own power getting even higher.
Dyspute's eyes flared with power then, the wizard enraged. He moved unnaturally fast, faster than Lucy's eyes could follow his hand grabbing Lucy by the neck."So… You managed to truly wound me," he hissed, trying to reign himself in and regain his composure. He looked up at Lucy as he held her high up by the throat, his grip tightening. She attempted to free herself, struggling as hard as she could, but it was futile. He frowned at her before he spoke. "I suppose that is a fitting tribute to your friends, yes? However, if not, it simply does not matter. You will die all the same." He then stabbed her right in the stomach with his shadow blade before slamming her to the ground. The blonde laid still, just barely breathing. She tried to move once more with her right hand, only for Dyspute to step down on it, hard, breaking her hand and causing her to cry out.
"Still alive? Well, no matter. You'll bleed out before long." Dyspute kicked Lucy hard across the face, finally knocking her out before he glared over at Wendy who was still trying to heal Levy. "As for you-"
"NO, PLEASE!" Jade cried out which caused him to slowly turn around to face her. "Don't… Don't hurt her… Don't hurt any of them anymore, please… I beg of you." Tears slowly fell down her eyes then as she looked at the guild master who slowly strolled over to her. "I'll… I'll do whatever you want. Please, just…leave them alone."
Dyspute's eyes slowly wandered all over her body before he grinned. "Oh yes, I recognize you now… You're Emberella's pet project, aren't you?"
Jade's eyes widened in shock as she heard the guild master mention her surrogate mother. "You… You know Emberella?" She stuttered. How on earth did he know about her mother, about herself!? A million different questions swirled in her mind as she remained trapped.
He scoffed as he looked at Jade. "Know her? That bitch and her family just so happened to be the only reason why my guild has had any sort of competition when it came to taking assassination requests. We clashed on many occasions in the past as we competed for the rank of the number one assassin. I still remember it well. Yes, she was one of the few back then who could honestly challenge me. I respected her for that... as well as despised her." He clenched his teeth as he continued to speak. "That honor, that rank, belonged to me and me alone. However, when the magic council had finally decided to shut down the operation of legal assassinations, working alongside her was an unpleasant necessity if we hoped to survive. We spoke often of each other's plans, how we were building up our forces as a way to keep trust. But I had always planned on one day stabbing her in the back. No doubt she was planning the same. We were simply using each other until we toppled the magic council. No more, no less."
He then slowly stroked Jade's cheek as he continued. "But yes, she spoke of you often. How you managed to operate so efficiently, how you were never, not once ever seen by anyone that wasn't your target. Yes, she lorded your accomplishments over my own men, just to make a point on how she was the superior assassin. Were it not for our alliance… I would have killed her for such insults."
Jade gulped then as she stared into the mad eyes of the guild master before her. He really, truly hated her mother. One wrong word from her and he would kill her, she was sure of it. All she could do for now was listen to his rant.
"But that all changed when your mother decided it would be best to make up her lack of men by simply taking control of legal guilds with her mass hypnosis spell. She abandoned our alliance to begin her grand take over. She started small at first, as she first took in minor dark guilds under her own sway. But then she finally decided to start her grand plan by taking over the Chicken Fang's guild. I heard your mother was the greatest of the Chicken Fangs before her disappearance, the equivalent of Titania of the Fairy Tail guild and of the corner of Fiore it called home. At least, before her disappearance... but you know as well as I that she didn't reach that level of power by being a kindly saint of salvation for the masses. Oh no, her hands are dirty, just nowhere near as dirty as my own. But she did not shy away from the darkness if it meant she could fulfill that position! Yet the fact that the public saw her that way, that she was able to hide her past while I was not…it was infuriating."
His hands slowly trailed all over Jade's body before he smirked as her breathing became more erratic. "Once her plans in Chicken Fang failed however, it had become quite clear to me that she was no longer my equal. How could she be if she suffered such a complete failure? I desired nothing more than a way to make her suffer… and I think you'll help me do just that." He slowly licked Jade's face, the young woman letting tears flow down her cheek as he touched her in a way that left her revolted and beyond terrified. "Yes, I think I'll make you into my pet. The next time that bitch Emberella sees you, you'll be nothing more than a mindless shell of your former self. Yes, it'll make for the perfect parting present before she dies." The guild master spoke as he placed his hands on Jade's head as he began to channel dark energy into his hand. "Now…let's modify that brain of yours, shall we?"
"No! NO! GET AWAY!" Jade screamed as she tried to kick her captor away. The last thing she wanted was to end up as some sort of… of… pet! Who knew the kinds of horrors he would subject her to once they left the tower. In the state he'd leave her in, he could torture her without end… or use her body for other needs. Tears continued to flow down her face then as she struggled to get free. "NO! NOT LIKE THIS! EMBERELLA, SOMEONE, ANYONE, PLEASE! HELP!"
"That's it, squeal for me," Dyspute said as he grinned at her. "It'll make breaking you in all the more-"
"Get your filthy hands off of her, you son of a bitch!"
Just as Dyspute turned his head around, the dark guild master was blasted by a massive bolt of lightning. He turned around then, his body slightly singed but otherwise fine as he glared at the woman responsible, Candice Catnipp.
"C-Candi?" Jade muttered out before her eyes widened with fear. "You have to run away! You can't beat him, we've thrown everything we can at this guy! Just take whoever you can and get-"
"I'm not leaving you," Candice said as she slowly walked forward. "No way in hell is that going to happen, do you hear me, Jade?"
"But…he's too strong, you can't-"
"I DON'T GIVE A DAMN HOW STRONG HE IS!" Candice yelled at Jade as she glared at the guild master. "I've made a lot of mistakes, Jade. In fact, you could say my whole life has been nothing but one big fuck up. But you want to know the one fuck up that really got to me, Jade? The one fuck up I still can't forgive myself for? It was when I turned my back on my best friend when she needed me most!" She brandished her twin blades before she continued. "I left Bambietta when she begged for help. When Giselle turned her into that… that thing! I told myself that there was nothing that I could do, that at least this way she would still be with us, but no matter how hard I tried to justify it, I couldn't help but feel like absolute shit!"
She took a slow step forward, then another, as her shaking and beaten body made its way forward. "When I died and came to this world, it didn't change a damn thing. Every day, every single damn day I got up and looked into a mirror, I always asked myself how I could live with myself after what I did. I couldn't sleep, and for the longest time, I forgot what it was like to have fun. Yeah, I was free from the Wandenreich, didn't have to listen to anyone, but none of that mattered when I was constantly berating myself for letting that shit happen! All I did was drive around and steal because it was all I knew! I just lived. Just a two-bit bandit with a bike and lightning! That's all I was!"
She then looked at Jade then before she continued. "But then, one day, I met you. You looked so miserable, just like me… even if I did my damnedest not to show it. When I saw you...I kinda saw myself to be honest, and when I saw you drinking away your sorrows, I just…couldn't sit there and watch. So I gave you a hand, and you know what? It was the first time since I ended up in this new world that I felt good about myself. I decided from that point on then that I was going to do what I could to make sure you were fine. You gave me something to live for, besides just existing. You…made me feel alive. Like I could have a friend again."
The Quincy then shook her head. "But I abandoned you when we ran into Erza Scarlet. I thought you would have managed to escape with your powers but… we didn't know about Erza's special eye didn't we?" She chuckled then before she continued. "You know what, it's kinda funny. I told myself after you got caught that it didn't matter, that I'd just move on… But the truth is, I couldn't stop thinking about you. About how I failed. The more I thought about it, the more I realized I hadn't changed one bit…and I hated myself for it."
"C...Candi." Jade spoke with surprise. She knew that Candice had always considered her a close friend, but she had never expected her to feel like this. Was this how she really felt?
"So, I swore to myself when I joined Fairy Tail that I'd never leave another friend behind ever again," Candice said, her eyes filled with determination. " Not anyone in the guild, not Lil, not Bambi, and especially not you. You've always been there for me, no matter what stupid shit I've gotten into. Honestly, you have no idea what it means to have someone like that in my life after all the people I've lost. And because of that, because of that, I-" Her entire body was covered in lightning then before she took off into a charge to attack the dark guild master. "I WON'T LET THIS BASTARD TAKE YOU AWAY!"
The green-haired Quincy's blades clashed with Dyspute's dark blades, the Quincy vanishing with Hirenkyaku to appear behind her opponent in a flash and slice at his back before he turned around and sliced clean through her blades, cutting her left arm in the process as well. Screaming with rage, however, Candice made more blades and continued her futile assault, each of her attacks hitting off of his armor and slowly chipping away at it. Dyspute was not content to let Candice cut away at him with no effort, however, and for every strike she attempted, her swords were broken and she suffered yet another slash to her body. However, no matter how many times she was cut, no matter how many times her blades were destroyed, she would not stop!
"You won't touch one hair on her, do you hear me!? NOT ONE!" She punctuated her proclamation with a powerful kick that surprised Dyspute and sent him skidding back a bit. "I might not be nearly as strong as you, motherfucker, but I'll be damned if I let you make her into some kind of pet. You want her? Then you'll have to get through me!"
"Is that so?" Dyspute said as he glared at the Quincy. "I'll admit, you're more powerful than I expected. However, if this is truly the best you can do-" He vanished from Candice's sight, appearing right behind her just as she turned around, only for Dyspute to deliver a powerful right-handed punch to Candice's face, breaking her nose and causing blood to splatter all over her face. The Quincy groaned out in pain as she attempted to strike him with one of her swords, but Dyspute merely stepped back before catching her arm with one of his hands and yanked it in the opposite direction, creating a loud snapping sound. Candice cried out, but she still attempted to strike him with her other hand, only for the guild master to grab Candice by her hair and punch her hard in the stomach, injuring her already broken ribs even further. He punched her two more times before slamming her face into his knee, covering his right hand with shadows, and crying out, "Shadow God's Pulverizing Fist!" The impact sent Candice rolling across the floor before she stopped entirely, the injured Quincy letting out pained gasps as she glared at him.
"I see, still defiant are we?" Dyspute said as he frowned at her. "I can't stand weaklings who simply refuse to sit down and die. It's simply the natural order of things. If you cease fighting me, I'll at least try to make it painless."
"Go… fuck yourself." Candice spoke as she got up with her feet, Ransotengai helping her get to her feet as best she could. "I won't let you… take her. I won't! You got that, motherfucker!?"
"I see. I suppose I'll have to break your spirit first then." He said as he looked around the room. "Now then, how should we go about getting rid of that pesky willpower of yours." His eyes then stopped in the middle of the room, narrowing as he glared at two blue-haired mages. "Ah yes… the brat and the Solid Script mage will be an excellent start."
Candice's jaw dropped as she glared at him. "You wouldn't dare!"
Dyspute simply looked at Candice, smirked, and pointed his hand at the two mages before he muttered. "Shadow God's Wave Crusher." The massive torrent of shadow blasted towards the pair, Wendy turning her head and her expression turning into one of pure fear as the blast approached her. She tried to cover Levy then with her body as best she could, hoping to shield her patient from the blast.
However, the attack stopped prematurely, creating an explosion as it went off a mere ten feet away from the mages. The two were hit by the powerful shockwave, causing the two to skid across the ground, but were otherwise fine. Wendy slowly got to her feet to see what just stopped the explosion, only for her eyes to widen with shock and horror.
(Song of Choice: Torn Apart from Bleach OST 2)
Candice was standing in front of the two, her arms outstretched but she was a complete mess. Her entire body was almost completely covered in blood, her legs shaking as she struggled to still stand. She tried to take a step forward, only to slump from the pain and fall to one knee. "You fucker… you actually went through with it."
"So, you were actually able to stop the attack. I must admit, I'm rather impressed." Dyspute said as he looked at Candice before he prepared another attack in his hands. "However, I'm sure even someone as stubborn as you must realize that you can't hope to survive another attack like that. You've proven yourself more than powerful enough to be of some worth to me. Stand down and become my concubine and I'll at least spare your life."
Candice simply glared at him and weakly raised one of her hands, slowly moving her middle finger up before she spat at his general location. "That's my answer, you fuckwad. I'd sooner die than become your damn slut. And while you're at it, go pound sand down a rat hole!"
"Candi, NO!" Jade screamed at her. "You have to take Wendy and Levy and get out of here! I'm not worth it! If you just run fast enough, then-"
"Yes… you are," Candice said, as she just barely managed to drew her Reishi bow as she pointed it at Dyspute. "You've always had confidence issues, so let me tell you right now, you are worth it. I wouldn't be doing this if you weren't worth it, you hear me? I'm not just doing this because I owe you, I'm doing it because I want, no, because I have to! Don't you get it yet? I'd sooner die than let this asshole hurt you! Don't think for even a minute that this is your fault because this is my choice, Jade. Not yours."
Candice's body was shaking as she began to walk, the Quincy barely able to stand. She was on her last legs and she knew it. 'Damn it all, it's taking everything I have just not to fall unconscious.'
"Tch, a defiant fool till the bitter end I see," Dyspute said as he smirked. "Very well. Then you'll be the first to perish by my hand in this tower. Shadow God's Wave Crusher."
As the massive wave sped towards Candice, time seemed to slow down to a snail's pace from Jade's perspective, the emerald-haired mage having no choice but to watch in her restraints as the deadly attack sped towards Candice. 'No… no! Candi can't survive another one of those, I know it! Damn it all, she and everyone else are going to die and there isn't a damn thing I can do about it! After everything they've done for me, I can't do a damn thing to help any of them! Move! Come on, I have to move! Move, damn it! Why am I here!? Why have I come all this way? I did it all so I could keep Candi safe! So I could keep everyone safe! It'll all be for nothing if I don't win! I...want to win. I...NEED TO WIN!'
The attack was only a mere five feet away from Candice, the Quincy smirking as the oncoming wave of darkness approached her as she braced for the end. 'I guess this is it huh? End of the road. Well...I can't say it hasn't been fun. Bambi, Lil...it's up to you two now. Adios.' The attack was now only a mere few inches away from her, the shadow substance just about to make contact take and annihilate her body completely! She closed her eyes then, embracing her last moments of life.
"Bakudo Number 81: Danku."
Just then, a massive, transparent wall appeared before the severely injured woman, the shadowy attack clashing against the barrier harmlessly despite the sheer force behind it. The wave continued to crash against the Bakudo, as if it were like a massive wave of water trying desperately to escape from a dam, only failing spectacularly. Finally, the attack subsided, and the barrier along with it.
"What!?" Dyspute cried out. 'My Shadow God's Wave Crusher was stopped! But how!? No one's ever been able to stop one of my attacks before!'
"That...That move." Candice spoke as she fell to one knee. "That's...a Soul Reaper's technique. But...How?"
(Song of choice: Battle Ignition; Bleach OST)
"My apologies for interfering with your battle, but I simply couldn't allow you to eliminate the members of this guild. I'm afraid they are quite essential for my plans in the future."
The two slowly turned their heads in the direction of the voice, only to see it came from none other than Jade Ladro, the emerald-haired thief now freed from her shadowy bonds. However, the pitch of her voice was...different. Slightly lower than what it normally was. But there was more. Gone was her face contorted by fear and covered in tears. No, now the woman had a small but confident smirk adorning her face, her eyes glancing at the guild master with a nonchalant, yet powerful stare. Her posture and demeanor had also changed, filled with a sort of arrogance that Candice had yet to experience in her time in Earth Land. Jade's right hand rested on her hip, her guns seemingly vanished. However, in their place was a katana in its sheath resting at her left hip. Its tsuba hilt was in the shape of a hexagon, and the tsuka was dark green. Finally, the last noticeable change was a single strand of hair, which went down her nose and close to her right eye.
"You escaped my Shadow God's Constricting Imprisonment, but how!?" Dyspute cried out. "No one has ever escaped it before, at least not on their own!"
"It was a fairly amusing, albeit simple technique," Jade spoke with confidence as she closed her eyes briefly while she shrugged. "However, I can easily overwhelm that silly power of yours with my own spirit energy." Her eyes opened then as she once again stared at Dyspute with a powerful stare. "A simple solution really."
"Jade...what's...going on?" Candice spoke as she weakly looked at her friend as she fell to her knees. 'This confidence...this lack of fear in a life and death situation...It's nothing like Jade at all! Then there's her sword... there's no mistaking it, that has to be a Zanpakuto! And this spiritual pressure...it's insane! I can barely stand up at all!'
Ulquiorra was the only one present besides Candice Catnipp and Wendy Marvell who still remained conscious, though his body was still trying to heal itself, the process having slowed down considerably due to his weakened Reiryoku. However, his eyes were completely wide open as he stared at Jade, his mind full of shock. 'Her manner of speech. Her posture, the Zanpakuto, and even her spiritual pressure...they're exactly the same as Lord Aizen's! But how can this be? Jade Ladro is a mere human, not even a Substitute Soul Reaper. So, how is it that she so strongly resembles Lord Aizen?'
Slowly, "Jade" unsheathed her blade before she spoke. "I'd rather you leave the rest of the guild out of your affair. However, if a proper opponent is what you truly seek, then you'll have no need to look further. From this moment onwards, I shall be your opponent."
Well, there we have it, ladies and gentlemen! In case it wasn't clear due to how long it's been since this reveal, the one who came to the rescue of our dear hero's is none other than Aizen Sosuke! I had originally planned on doing this moment without any foreshadowing prior for better shock value...but then I realized that doing so would come across as a "Deus Ex Machina" or "Asspull" if there was no proper build-up to it.
This is exactly why I had him show up in chapters 45, 51, and 58, which in hindsight was definitely the right call since it allowed me to develop her character further.
But, the question is, does our favorite walking, talking god complex, while in control of Jade's body, have enough power to save the day!? There's only one way to find out, in the next chapter of "A Quincy's Fairy Tail!"
MPFs
Ulquiorra (nerfed and inured from Nanana): 3700
Lucy Fullbring (evolved): 5900
Dyspute: 7250
"Jade": ?
